Swedish heavy rock band SISTER SIN will release its first new music in 12 years, "Suicide Hill", through all digital platforms on February 3. The track was recorded by SISTER SIN's current lineup of Liv Jagrell on vocals, Jimmy Hiltula on guitar, Andreas Strandh on bass, Dave Sundberg on drums and Sebastian Svedlund on rhythm guitar and was mixed and mastered by Lawrence Mackrory at Rorysound Studios.

Although the SISTER SIN reunion was announced back in December 2019, the coronavirus pandemic delayed the band's return to the live stage until June 2022 when the group performed at Backstage Rockbar in Trollhättan, Sweden.

In a January 2023 interview with Dead Rhetoric, Liv stated about SISTER SIN's return to the live stage: "That was amazing, a lot of fun. It was like we never stopped. We had a real blast together. Definitely it's made us all very sentimental. It was so much fun. It made me even more certain that this is where I want to be, that I want to be on stage even more focused.

"If there are more shows, SISTER SIN may take on some more shows — but it's not going to be a full reunion," she explained. "The rest of the guys, they have a nice, normal life with houses, children, jobs that they care about. To do a show here and there, a festival maybe, that is still a possibility."

Jagrell announced the SISTER SIN reunion seven years ago after revealing that her post-SISTER SIN outfit LIV SIN was "taking a little bit of a break" following the departures of guitarist Chris Bertzell and bassist Tommie Winther.

SISTER SIN announced its split in November 2015, saying in a statement that the band's "relentless" touring and recording schedule took its toll and "the motivation for some members just wasn't there anymore." However, the group left the door open for a possible comeback, saying: "It is our hope that the flame will burn once again and hopefully resurrect this Swedish bastard sometime in the future. Time will tell…"

Eleven years ago, Liv told Sleaze Roxx about the end of SISTER SIN: "We toured too much and we got burned out. That's the simple answer. They just felt like they did not want to do this anymore. [In 2015], we had been out for almost four months or something so it's a lot of time away from family. It's a lot of time away from friends. And also just to survive in the business is hard, so I think we maybe worked too hard in the last years."

SISTER SIN's fifth studio album, "Black Lotus", was released in October 2014 via Victory.

🚨FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE🚨
Suspects: Jagrell /Hiltula /Sundberg /Strandh /Svedlund
Also known hereby as “SISTER SIN”...

Posted by Sister Sin on Tuesday, January 13, 2026

"Love Is Not Enough" — the upcoming album from CONVERGE — might be the apotheosis of the band's decades-long journey through the punk, hardcore and metal microcosm. What vocalist/lyricist Jacob Bannon, guitarist/producer Kurt Ballou, bassist/vocalist Nate Newton and drummer Ben Koller have created is a strident artistic statement on the turmoil of living that hones their collective strengths to a razor's edge.

There isn't an ounce of fat on the album. Every song moves with a power and purpose that eclipses their human origins, that speaks to the anger, pain, and frustration of the modern age. From the opening fusillade of the title track to the closing hurricane of "We Were Never The Same", which premieres today, "Love Is Not Enough" is a sonorous balance of vitality and viciousness that reflects the chaos and uncertainty of the times we live in.

Bannon comments on the track: "I wrote these words in the parking lot of a funeral home while reflecting on loss. Why do we gather to mourn but not to cherish? It's an honest question that exposes our collective distractions and shortcomings. Grief brings clarity. We all must do better."

For more than three decades, CONVERGE has delivered musical and emotional catharsis, putting purpose before perception and intent before interpretation. Whether it's the band's 2001 landmark recording "Jane Doe" or the 2021 "Bloodmoon: I" collaboration, CONVERGE has created some of the most compelling music, lyrics, and visual art of the 21st century. During that time, fewer bands have had a greater impact on the underground imagination.

"Love Is Not Enough" — due on February 13, 2026 via Epitaph — features no special guests, no studio trickery, no relentless massaging of human imperfection in trying to manufacture the perfect take.

"I think that realism is missing from a lot of modern music of any genre, but especially our genre," Bannon says. "Things either go super raw and almost chaotic to the point where it's distracting, or bands take the life out of what they're doing by editing every aspect. Sometimes the perfect take is the one that has some wildness to it. It's not perfectly executed. There's a lot of powerful moments on this record and a lot of angry moments. The realism amplifies that."

Unlike so many albums that adhere to a time-honored sequencing format, cherry-picking favoured tracks for the all-important first, second, and final spots, "Love Is Not Enough" is all about momentum. "It does a thing that no other CONVERGE record does — it keeps ramping up," Bannon says. "And that's definitely by design. Internally, we passed around dozens of ideas for sequencing because everyone interprets music differently, and there's no right way of doing it. When we do that, we always joke that we all have to be equally unhappy. But this is the one that works."

"Love Is Not Enough" was recorded and mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity in Salem, Massachusetts, with engineering assistance from Zach Weeks. Jacob Bannon did the artwork and design, creating an image for each song and a commanding cover depicting a celestial witness to a world aflame.

"We still identify this band as the outlet that's essential to our lives," Bannon says. "We give everything we have to it. Being past your average middle age, we're starting to see deeper than before into a variety of places. And I don't think that's specific to us. I think that's something that's utterly relatable."

"Love Is Not Enough" track listing:

01. Love Is Not Enough
02. Bad Faith
03. Distract And Divide
04. To Feel Something
05. Beyond Repair
06. Amon Amok
07. Force Meets Presence
08. Gilded Cage
09. Make Me Forget You
10. We Were Never The Same

Photo credit: Jason Zucco

In a new interview with Raul Amador of Bass Musician Magazine, bassist Pär Sundström of of Swedish metallers SABATON spoke about why he and his bandmates continue to exist as a self-managed entity — a rarity among groups operating at their level. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "As the band eventually got a little bit better at doing what we did, then I think that I realized the potential in it and started to treat it not just like a little thing, but actually treat it like this could actually be something, without knowing much about what was going on, to be honest. But it was just learning by doing anything. So the first thing is learning to play a song, but once you know that, you have to be able to play it in front of people. So then you have to figure out how to call an organizer of an event or a club or whatever, and convince them that they need to have us performing there. And then need to do a poster. So then I need to learn graphical design and then I needed to do next thing. And eventually it increases with learning, learning, learning, learning, learning, learning more and more and more and more, and various little skills, from accounting to legal things, and eventually it grew and grew. And today SABATON is a quite big thing. I'm still holding on to the management. I don't think that it was intentional from the beginning, but I do find it interesting."

Sundström continued: "I'm happy how SABATON is as a band. I mean, we are a do-it-yourself band a lot, where we've come up with solutions for most stuff by ourselves. And we didn't have anybody consulting us, teaching us, learning us how to do things; we just did how we thought it's gonna be. Over the years, the band expanded into so many more things until where we are today. And we have our own festival, our own cruise, our own radio station, our own magazine. And we totally control our own merchandise. So we've done a lot of stuff, and we're also deciding shows and running a lot of the marketing and these kind of things. So, yeah, we do a lot."

After Amador noted that it has taken SABATON a long time to get to this point, having put a lot of dedication and hard work into building the brand, Pär concurred. "Yeah. I'm happy," he said. "I mean, SABATON has slowly, slowly grown. There's a lot of people who still discover SABATON and thinking like, 'Oh, you are a young band.' And some people [think], 'Oh my God, it must have happened so fast.' But it's been slowly and steady. And we played almost any kind of venue, from the smallest one with five people to where we stand now. And I mean, the next show we're gonna do is a sold-out 17-and-a-half-thousand[-capacity] arena, and that's the start of our tour, and then it's gonna continue like that all over Europe. But in the same town, we did play 20 years ago for, yeah [laughs], a handful of people. And then we played next-step venue, next-step venue, next-step venue, next-step venue, and all the way up there. So it's a long journey, and we learned a lot along the ride. And I'm very happy the way that the band has become, because we don't have so many others to thank for what we are. We built it ourselves. We didn't get big awards or big radio hits, and we didn't get these kind of things, so it's all by slowly hard touring and constant working. And that makes me very proud of what we have achieved and where we are. And every night when I look out to the crowd, I feel like, 'Yeah, wow.' It was a long journey, but I don't regret any of it. I'm super happy about it, and I wish for anybody to have a similar [experience], even though some people might be happy that it goes a little bit faster than 25 years. It took a long time before we could pay our bills and stuff like that. So it was tough, of course, [at] times, but I think it's all part of the journey that has made us, and makes us, proud of what we are today."

Back in April 2022, SABATON vocalist Joakim Brodén spoke about the band's self-managed status during an appearance on "The Back Lounge" podcast. He said at the time: "We tried twice to involve people for very short amounts of time, but it never worked out, really. In the beginning, it's not by choice; it's by necessity. We wanted a manager who had some connections who could get us where we wanted to be faster, I guess, back in the days. But right now, no, we're happy where we are. Nobody's gonna care as much about SABATON as we are gonna do. But it would be unfair to say that it's only us in the band doing it. We sort of built an organization which would be partly doing the management. So we have people, of course, helping us out and advising us."

Joakim also talked about the fact that SABATON runs its own merchandising operation, which is also extremely unusual for a band of its size. He said: "I do understand why other bands don't do it, 'cause it's a shit-ton of work [laughs], but at the same time, we tried to have other people at a certain point, but we weren't happy with the results. We had sort of the same thing as the management thing there; we weren't happy with what we were getting, sort of, so we had to build our own infrastructure and get things going on that part as well. Which now, in hindsight, is really good…"

He continued: "That's the luck of having somebody like Pär in the band [laughs], who… I remember a couple of years ago — I think this is probably quite a few years ago — he called me and he said, 'Dude, we've gotta do something. Can I book a show somewhere?' Because we were [in the middle of] a songwriting period. So I had my hands full because I usually deal with most of the musical side and he deals with most of the business stuff. And he called me and said, 'I'm understimulated. I need to do something. Can we book a show? Can we do something?' And I [was], like, 'Yeah. We can do something. I'm coming along quite nice with the songwriting.' And then I asked him, 'So what have you been doing today?' 'Oh, I went up at seven. I had breakfast, watched the news. Then I worked. Then I had lunch in town, then I went back to work, and now it's five o'clock and I've got nothing to do.' And I'm, like, 'You basically described a nine-hour working day and you're understimulated. What the fuck is wrong with you?' [Laughs]"

In September 2021, Sundström addressed SABATON's decision to work without an outside manager during an interview with Music Connection. He said: "You start a band because you love to play. That's how you start a band — you want to play your instrument in a band. And there was no difference for me. And that's the first thing you do as a band — you get together, you get into a rehearsal room and you start playing some songs. After that, you need to expand, you need to grow, you need to do something. You need to call somebody to have a gig, and somebody in the band has to pick up the phone and call that somebody to get a gig. And then somebody has to do a poster. And then somebody has to arrange that somehow we get there or that there's technical things there. So somebody has to do that. And I can't just stand and watch while things are not happening. So I just jump on directly and do all that stuff. So no matter if it became designing a tour poster, album artwork or it came to arrange a recording session… And eventually, these things evolve, and suddenly you are dealing with economy, you are dealing with logistics, you are dealing with legal aspects. So I started to pick up that. I have no training whatsoever, but suddenly I needed to know how to market myself, I needed to know how to present something in a good way, I needed to know how to sell it, how to charge for it, how to account for it and how to get the show on the road. And along the years, I think I've been doing pretty much everything, no matter if it was fixing the tour bus or repairing it from damages to being a guitar tech. I am also a licensed pyrotechnician. I've been hanging lights in the roof. I built my own festival and a cruise, and promoting tours, festivals, shows, other bands, marketing that. And it's all because I have an interest in learning things, and I don't want to sit and watch nothing happen; I can't do that. I just have to make things happen. And that's why I just jump on to things, and eventually it grows and grows and grows."

He continued: "I think I'm quite demanding. And I love this band so much that I don't want too much other… I don't mind other people to come in and help — of course not — but it would be difficult for another manager to come in and do this in a better way than I would do it. The other way we have done it is that the SABATON team has been growing. So everything we're doing in-house. Today we run the label business inside. We do the management completely by ourselves. We do all the logistics for tours. We book it all. We book whatever it may be — from a hundred crew members, 10 trucks and whatever we need, we have it in-house. We have huge warehouses. We own so much stuff that it's crazy. I was actually going through it two days ago in our main warehouse for one of the projects, and I was just looking at costumes. And I realized that we can outfit entire armies of Vikings, crusaders, Spartans, Greek warriors, World War I troops from France or from Belgium or World War II soldiers from the United States, modern armies… We have pile after pile after pile, or crates after crates with clothes, just because of different projects. And we always think that we take control over things. We don't rent it, we don't outsource it — we control it, we own it, and we put it on and we do it ourselves. Same with a lot of photo sessions, music videos — we produce them, we direct them, we are involved in the whole production of it. The albums, we are the main producers of our albums. We do things our way. And it's demanding, but we have a big team. And we are constantly growing. And even during the pandemic, we did pretty well. Even though we couldn't tour, and we have a lot of people that are depending on touring, but we still did well. We run our own mailorder; it has several people. We also developed that further. We [do it] completely by ourselves. We don't use any merch company. We develop the stuff ourselves. We design it, we source it, we market it and we have it in our own mailorder."

SABATON kicked off its "The Legendary Tour" on November 14, 2025 at Lanxess Arena in Cologne, Germany. The band teased the 20-city European trek as "a huge celebration of SABATON's music, storytelling and the incredible bond they share with their fans", featuring "The Legendary Orchestra and other surprises," resulting in "something unprecedented." "The Legendary Tour" was SABATON's first headlining tour in support of the band's eleventh studio album, "Legends", which arrived on October 17, 2025 via Better Noise Music.

SABATON recently announced a massive 31-date North American tour set for early 2026. Kicking off February 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour will hit venues across the U.S. and Canada, including major stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston before wrapping April 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Support on the trek will come from POP EVIL and WINGS OF STEEL.

Throughout the aptly titled "Legends", which blends rock and history for fans of all ages, SABATON delves into some of history's greatest and most loved characters such as Jeanne D'arc (also known as Joan Of Arc),Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar and the legendary swordmaster Miyamoto Musashi.

"Legends" is available across various different physical formats and retailer exclusives, including CD, 2CD digibook, 2CD earbook (both including the exclusive Storyteller Edition),11 unique vinyl editions (including a special vinyl color and exclusive artwork each),additional exclusive vinyl colors and a limited box set (including another exclusive vinyl color, the 2CD earbook, and a colored cassette as an exclusive format).

Among 11 unique vinyl editions, each one portraying one legendary figure, "Legends" is available as the "Hannibal Edition" and the "Miyamoto Musashi Edition", which are linked to the song releases for "Lightning At The Gates" (Hannibal) and "The Duelist" (Miyamoto Musashi).

"Legends" is a rock odyssey that transcends time and borders, with melodic guitar riffs, goosebump-inducing choirs, and epic choruses. It marks a bold evolution in storytelling, plunging headfirst into the heart of history's most formidable and enigmatic figures. These are not just rock songs, they are battle hymns carved from the blood and legacy of warriors, kings, strategists, and revolutionaries.

SABATON have always had a signature focus on writing songs about historical battles, wars, and acts of heroism that have solidified their impact with their loyal and longtime fans. They've collaborated closely with its network of specialists, developed over the years since the launch of the Sabaton History Channel on YouTube, to make sure this new album is once again as close to reality as possible.

SABATON continues to work with graphic artist Peter Sallai to create the striking album artwork, and producer Jonas Kjellgren is once again behind the boards from his Swedish Black Lounge Studios to create the classic SABATON sound the band is now known for.

In the more than two decades since the band's launch, SABATON has headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts worldwide, and gained a legion of loyal fans by carving out a reputation for being one of the hardest working bands in the business. Since their 2005 debut album, they've earned gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in territories around the world with their 10 studio albums. Eight of their albums scored Top 10 international chart status, and six claimed the Top 5. SABATON has earned eight Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for "Breakthrough Artist" in 2011 and "Best Live Band" in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy Award) as "Best Heavy Metal" band. They've accumulated more than three billion streams across all streaming platforms and two billion views on YouTube.

Guitarist Thobbe Englund originally joined SABATON in April 2012 and amicably parted ways with the band in July 2016 to focus on his personal life and expand his creativity. He rejoined SABATON in February 2024.

Englund recorded two studio albums with SABATON, namely "Heroes" (2014) and "The Last Stand" (2016),and assisted with the songwriting of some very popular songs including "Shiroyama" and "Fields Of Verdun", among others.

Photo credit: Steve Bright

In a recent interview with Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz spoke about the status of the long-awaited debut album from BURN ETERNAL, his collaborative project with former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's all ready to go. There's still no release date, but it's done. It's done. We're still in the midst of talking with some record labels as well, so obviously that needs to be shored up as well. It's in the process, though. It's in the process, yep."

Adam went on to say that BURN ETERNAL consists of just him and Howard, and described the band's sound as: "It sounds a bit like KILLSWITCH, obviously, because I'm a songwriter for KILLSWITCH. Yeah, it sounds like me and Howard."

Work on BURN ETERNAL's debut LP had been ongoing for at least two years before the effort was mixed in December 2024.

Regarding how the project came together, Adam previously told Bihovsky: "[Howard] just hit me up. He was, like, 'Why don't you write some music for me?' And I was, like, 'Sure.'"

In August 2023, Jones took to his Instagram to write that "13 demos" were created for the new group, which hoped to put the finishing touches on the record "as soon as possible."

Jones left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in 2012 and battled manic depression and bipolar disorder before forming a new project, DEVIL YOU KNOW, with guitarist Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and drummer John Sankey (DEVOLVED). Along with bassist Ryan Wombacher (BLEEDING THROUGH),they recorded and toured behind two well-received albums, 2014's "The Beauty Of Destruction" and 2015's "They Bleed Red". In 2017, the band changed its name to LIGHT THE TORCH.

Jones made an appearance on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's 2019 album "Atonement", contributing guest vocals to the song "The Signal Fire".

Jones discussed his previous mental health issues in a 2016 interview with Metal Hammer. He said: "For a lot of the time during the whole manic depression thing, I didn't realize how bad I was. I thought the high levels of anxiety I was experiencing was just my lot in life, I didn't realize that there was help on hand for me to be able to deal with that. I thought that I was just meant to feel really nervous around large crowds. Now it's like being a kid again, because I can deal with it, so I've got my passion back and it's great."

Asked what made him get back into music after leaving KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, Howard told Heavy New York: "Honestly, I think it was because I was just kind of tired of doing nothing and I don't do much else other than music. I felt like I needed to venture out because I was basically agoraphobic for three years. It's kind of well known. I went off the grid. I didn't have a cell phone for three years — I was gone. It felt, like, 'Okay, maybe I should dip my toe in. I don't have to do it full time. I don't have to do what I don't want to do.' That's all I was thinking. I started moving, I started doing things. It was definitely a struggle, especially for the first few years. I was, like, 'What am I doing?' There's been few things in my life that has been consistent other than music. I just did it. It just took some time, then all of the sudden, the spark showed up. I fell back in love with what I was doing. I really can't explain it. It just sort of happened."

Current KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach appeared on the band's self-titled debut and sophomore album, "Alive Or Just Breathing", before exiting the group. Jones took over on vocals for "The End Of Heartache", "As Daylight Dies" and the 2009 self-titled set before being dismissed from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE 14 years ago and being replaced by a returning Leach.

In 2012, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE bassist Mike D'Antonio told Boston Globe that the band's split with Jones was necessitated by the singer's struggle with personal issues, including diabetes that had gone untreated for several years. "It became very apparent we had to move on without him," D'Antonio said. "

In a new interview with The Cody Tucker Show, ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy weighed in on a debate about people using an A.I. (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms and machine learning (M.L.) models. Myles said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a bummer. I don't like it. The fact that we just had a number one country song that was all A.I. generated, that's a head scratcher for me. And I'm not sure where it goes.

"It's interesting 'cause I feel like there's also this movement of anything related to the arts of… There's a group of people who wanna support stuff that they know it's made by humans," he continued. "So maybe that'll be a thing where it won't be cool if people find out, that you're leaning heavily on A.I. for everything. But we'll see how it plays out. It's gonna be interesting… At the end of the day, all that it's doing is skimming across the Internet to find this content. So I always tell myself, well, technically a human is involved because it's all based on human work. But, yeah, I don't know. There's so many aspects to it I don't like. I don't like these A.I. generated little videos where people can take — they could take you or they take me and make us say something we didn't actually say. That's kind of becoming a problem where people are being kind of tricked into believing that I'm reaching out to people and I'm not. It's crazy. It's a crazy world."

Kennedy added: "It's why I don't really go and use a lot of the social media anymore because I just find myself scrolling and I'd be, like, how much of this is actually real? I don't even know what I'm looking at anymore. So I'm, like, well, I'm out. I'm good.

"Really, it's just a matter, I think, of how we're all gonna use it," Myles explained. "The question for us as humans is, like, okay, are you going to utilize A.I. to… Like, say you're a student. I'm just gonna use A.I. to write my term paper. And you're not doing yourself any good, because what's gonna happen is that… The human brain, it's like a muscle, and if you don't use it, it will atrophy, it'll turn to mush. So the idea of engaging and working on something, and also just the feeling of accomplishment. I love that. I love doing something and then just that feeling you get when you're done. If we wanna shortchange ourselves, then, I guess, have at it. But I don't wanna shortchange myself."

Back in October 2023, Myles told THE DARKNESS frontman Justin Hawkins about the use of A.I. in music: "All that stuff really concerns me genuinely, especially as a songwriter. I feel, like, in five years, we're gonna get to a point where it's kind of like it is now in the studio realm, where when you listen to a vocal, you're, like, 'Well, how much of that vocal was doctored with pitch correction? How much of that was actually the singer able to hit the notes?' I'm afraid that, as time goes on with A.I., 'How much of that song was actually written by that artist versus A.I.?' And that really concerns me, because how does that work? I don't know. I don't. I think that sucks."

ALTER BRIDGE's self-titled eighth studio album will arrive on January 9, 2026 via Napalm Records.

"Alter Bridge" is comprised of 12 all-new tracks once again helmed by the band's longtime collaborator and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette. The effort was recorded over two months last spring at the legendary 5150 studio in California and Elvis's recording studio in Florida.

ALTER BRIDGE will be touring in support of the release. The band is heading out on the "What Lies Within" tour. The 31-date European leg of the trek will kick off on January 15 in Germany and will wrap on March 5 in Nottingham, U.K. Support on the tour will come from DAUGHTRY and SEVENDUST. The band also announced a headline U.S. tour featuring FILTER or SEVENDUST and Tim Montana as support in select markets. The tour kicks off on April 25 in Orlando, Florida and runs through May 24 where it wraps in Tampa, Florida.

Former UNEARTH and AS I LAY DYING guitarist Ken Susi has officially joined ALL THAT REMAINS as the replacement for Jason Richardson.

Last July, Richardson exited ALL THAT REMAINS after a nearly seven-year run with the band.

Richardson joined ALL THAT REMAINS on lead guitar after the tragic passing of the band's lead guitarist and co-founding member Oliver "Oli" Herbert in late 2018.

Earlier today (Monday, January 12),Susi released the following statement via social media: "I'm incredibly honored to be joining ALL THAT REMAINS as their new guitarist. My connection to this band goes back to the late '90s, when I first met Mike [Martin, guitar], Oli and Phil [Labonte, vocals] at underground shows in Western Massachusetts. Those early days shaped so much of who I am, and coming back together now truly feels full circle.

"I'm also deeply honored to step in for my late friend Oli Herbert. Oli was not only an extraordinary musician, but a close friend whose presence and influence will always be felt. His shoes can never truly be filled, and I carry his spirit with me every time I pick up the guitar.

"After decades of friendship, shared history, and mutual support, it means everything to get on stage with this band and contribute to a project I genuinely believe in. I can't wait to hit the road and share what we've been working on with all of you.

"See you out there."

ALL THAT REMAINS recently announced a spring 2026 U.S. headlining tour. Support on the trek will come from BORN OF OSIRIS and DEAD EYES.

Richardson had previously collaborated with such artists as FALLING IN REVERSE, POLYPHIA, AUGUST BURNS RED, VEIL OF MAYA and WITHIN DESTRUCTION.

Herbert began playing guitar at 14. He co-founded ALL THAT REMAINS with singer Phil Labonte in 1998.

ALL THAT REMAINS's tenth studio album, "Antifragile", came out on January 31, 2025. The follow-up to 2018's "Victim Of The New Disease" included the four singles that band had released in the months leading up to the LP's arrival: "Divine" in May 2024, "Let You Go" in June 2024, "No Tomorrow" in August 2024 and "Forever Cold" in November 2024.

"Divine" marked ALL THAT REMAINS's first original new material since the passing of Herbert. "Divine" also ushered in a period of rebirth for ALL THAT REMAINS, which is, for the first in its career, 100 percent independent and will be releasing future material on its own label — All That Remains Records.

In July 2023, longtime ALL THAT REMAINS drummer Jason Costa announced his departure from the group, citing "deeply personal" reasons that "have nothing to do with any drama or anything within the band."

Jason was the featured drummer on the previous six ALL THAT REMAINS albums: "Overcome" (2008),"For We Are Many" (2010),"A War You Cannot Win" (2012),"The Order Of Things" (2015),"Madness" (2017) and "Victim Of The New Disease" (2018).

Back in March 2022, Costa left ALL THAT REMAINS' U.S. tour in order to "deal with some personal matters." He was replaced by Anthony Barone, who had previously played with BENEATH THE MASSACRE and SHADOW OF INTENT.

In 2023, ALL THAT REMAINS's breakthrough album "The Fall Of Ideals", was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States.

In 2022, ALL THAT REMAINS embarked on "The Fall Of Ideals" 15th-anniversary tour.

"The Fall Of Ideals" was reissued in November 2021. The best-selling title features such fan favorites as "This Calling", "Six" and "The Air That I Breathe".

In a new interview with the Lipps Service With Scott Lipps podcast, Harley Flanagan, who founded the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS at the age of 14, reflected on the CRO-MAGS' rise to success in the mid-1980s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think part of the reason I failed at life financially is because I never set out to be a rock star. I think most people who start bands wanna be, and I figured if I was playing at [legendary New York City club] CB[GB]s, I was, like, 'Wow.'"

After CRO-MAGS' video for "We Gotta Know" received airplay on MTV in 1986, "It had that moment where we felt like we were catching fire, and then all the things that can possibly happen happened," Harley recalled. "You have the horrible manager, you have the terrible record deal, everybody starts getting manipulated, and it starts turning into just everything bad that can happen to a young group — the infighting, the ego battles, the manager that turns everybody against each other in order to try to… that whole divide-and-conquer shit. Like, turn everybody against each other so that you're the one person that can keep everything in order, type of shit. And none of us knew what the fuck we were doing, and everybody likes to think that they did."

Regarding a possible reunion of the CRO-MAGS' classic lineup, Harley said: "For whatever it's worth, man, I've always been open to any kind of communication with any of those guys about whatever, and always have been. But sometimes people just get so dug in on shit that they lose sight… Honestly, I can't say that fans really would give a fuck about me playing with any of those guys again at this point, because we're doing well, we're touring a lot, life is great, but if the fans really wanted it, and more so if those guys ever wanted to give those fans what they wanted, I'm always open for the conversation. Because at the end of the day, as a musician, you're an entertainer, right? I mean, that's what you're getting paid to do, is to make people feel good or get some steam off or whatever that emotion is — that's your job. So if that means that you gotta get on stage and do that, and you know you can do it with these guys and people are gonna be super pumped, then what the fuck, man? I mean, I just don't see the big fucking deal [of] just playing with people that you may not necessarily love just for the sake of, you wanna make fans happy, you wanna make people happy. But fortunately for me, I feel like I'm doing that right now any goddamn way."

Harley also recounted the incident in July 2012 when was arrested in New York City on charges of attacking several members of the CRO-MAGS during the CBGB Festival. Flanagan, who had been a panelist at one of the event's seminars, allegedly attempted to attend the concert of his former band. At the time, CRO-MAGS singer John Joseph told the New York Post he and Flanagan started the band together in the early '80s, but Flanagan continually took all the credit for himself. Joseph claimed the situation got so bad, Flanagan pocketed every cent from their 1986 tour. "That caused me to lose my apartment and be homeless in 1987," John said. "I lived hand to mouth." In a separate interview with The New York Times, Joseph said that Flanagan "has been a negative thorn in the side of this band forever."

Harley told Lipps Service With Scott Lipps about the altercation: "I talk about it in the film [the recently released 'Harley Flanagan: Wired For Chaos' documentary, which charts his tumultuous life and survival] pretty extensively. I don't think I can ever say I'm good with it now, 'cause how do you get good with getting set up by people that you know and assaulted.

"We don't gotta get into the entire thing," Flanagan continued. "I went to go see my old singer who at the time was playing under the name CRO-MAGS. It was illegal; they weren't supposed to be using the name. Whatever. Longer story, irrelevant. I went to go see the show. Some part of my brain thought that I would see these guys and there would be some rekindling of the bromance. They'd be, like, 'Oh, really? You fucking asshole. Ah, fuck you too. Ah, come on. You wanna come up and play a couple [of songs]?' Some fucking dumb part of me was, like, 'Come on, man.' We used to fucking live in squats together, man. We used to have to fucking shoplift food together. We were fucking homeless kids… Anyway, so I was, like, 'All right.' I went. And ironically, I was texting the woman who's now my wife on my way there, like, 'Do you think I should go? I'm thinking about going. There was this whole series of texts, and I was, like, 'Yeah, yeah, fuck it. I'll go.' And I actually got put on the guest list… So, anyway, I go. I have tickets. And everybody knew I was coming. And I got invited backstage, and the fucking door got pulled shut, and I got jumped by a room full of people. And I heard a lot of different things that were happening inside that room before I went in from different people, but it's all hearsay. I'm not witness to it, so I'm not gonna repeat what other people told me. It doesn't matter anymore. What the end outcome was, I wound up getting like 40-something stitches. I got stuck with something. I put three guys in the hospital. And then it just turned into this whole thing where they all started accusing me of going in there and attacking everybody, which was complete and total fucking nonsense."

Harley added: "[Eventually the case] got thrown out, [but] I did go to Rikers Island [New York City's notorious jail complex], and that's where things got kind of weird because that's where my old singer was going in the New York Post and all these different newspapers and saying a lot of, basically… I get really uncomfortable even talking about this shit. Like, [he was] basically putting a fucking target on my ass, calling me a snitch, saying I'm a skinhead, I'm a racist, I'm this, I'm that, all kinds of shit that in any kind of a lockup situation would possibly get you fucked up by someone who totally just wants to get some credibility. And it was not cool, man… This big black dude comes in my cell and throws the paper on my bed and says, '[Is] that you?' And I'm reading all this shit and I'm, like, 'Wow.' And I'm just shaking my head, like smirking to myself, just like, 'This motherfucker. Unbelievable.' So I can't say I'll ever be good with it."

Harley went on to say that he spent around "10 days" at Rikers Island. "It wasn't shit," he explained. "But I was having a hard time raising bail, and I was looking at up to three years for nothing. So it was a very unnerving minute, especially with all that shit in the papers, because I was, like, 'Somebody's gonna try to do some shit,' whatever, whatever. Anyway, it doesn't matter. This shit's old news. I'm kind of past all that, the experience, but that shit bothers me. It does. It does bother me that things had to come to that, that somebody would pull some shit like that."

In 2018, Flanagan filed a suit against Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson regarding ownership of the CRO-MAGS name. A year later, Joseph and Jayson reached an agreement with Flanagan over the rights to the CRO-MAGS name. At the time, it was announced that going forward, Joseph and Jayson would perform as CRO-MAGS JM while Flanagan would get to use the CRO-MAGS name for his own version of the band.

In October 2022, Flanagan announced that Joseph would no longer be able to use the CRO-MAGS JM name to promote his live shows. As part of a settlement between Flanagan and Joseph filed on September 30, 2022 at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Joseph agreed not to use the CRO-MAGS mark, the CRO-MAGS JM moniker or any derivative thereof for any of his projects. Since that time, the CRO-MAGS mark has only been used by Flanagan.

When Flanagan sued members of the group for allegedly using the CRO-MAGS name without his permission, he claimed that CRO-MAGS was his idea when he formed it back in 1981. Flanagan filed a lawsuit against the then-most recent lineup of the group — including Joseph — in part for copyright infringement, saying he trademarked the "Cro-Mag" name for recording in 2010 and for merchandise in 2009 and then again in 2017.

According to the New York Post, Harley claimed in the lawsuit that the other members of the CRO-MAGS took over the band around 2002 when "Flanagan's first son was about to be born… and Flanagan had to stop touring to help with the baby."

Earlier this month, a freshly re-recorded version of the CRO-MAGS classic track "Hard Times" was made available online. The song arrived just in time for the 40th anniversary of the hardcore legends' "The Age Of Quarrel" debut album. This version, dubbed the "Wired for Chaos Session", also celebrates the aforementioned documentary film of the same name.

"Wired For Chaos" arrived in theaters last June.

For nearly 30 years, SUNN O))) — Stephen O'Malley and Greg Anderson — have pushed the boundaries of heavy music, straddling the worlds of the avant-garde and rock to forge a style instantly recognizable as their own.

Now, SUNN O))) return with their first album of new material since 2019's acclaimed "Pyroclasts". Their tenth album — due on Friday, April 3 via Sub Pop — demonstrates the duo's mastery of time and space, light and dark, and their willingness to evolve their unmistakable sound into bold new forms.

The eponymously titled "Sunn O)))" was tracked at Bear Creek Studios in Woodinville, Washington with Brad Wood (HUM, TAR, SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE, Liz Phair). This location would prove crucial to the recording process.

"The vast tracking room had big windows looking out on trees," says O'Malley. "We could go hiking and be out in the woods, spend time outdoors. That became a big part of it."

"It was very inviting and very comfortable there," adds Anderson. "There was no stress, no worry about the timeline or anything like that. We just let ourselves go, and let the music come out."

SUNN O))) have long welcomed collaborators into their self-contained world, including such esteemed fellow travellers as Hungarian vocal explorer Attila Csihar, Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir, Seattle-based multi-instrumentalist Steve Moore, Texan polymath Mark Deutrom, SILKWORM co-founder Tim Midyett and legendary singer-songwriter Scott Walker. For the new album, however, O'Malley and Anderson explore the still-fertile, primal territory of the duo format.

"On this album for the first time all of the instrumentation was performed by Greg and I," says O'Malley. "All of the records have our leadership and direction, of course, but this time around, it was almost like this crucible of ideas that was really at the core of what we've been doing."

Recording exclusively as a duo should not be interpreted as SUNN O))) limiting or restricting themselves. To the contrary, it has opened up new possibilities for their music.

"What's been happening with our performances over the last couple years with the two of us and no other collaborators or players has been really fresh and exciting," says Anderson. "There's been a lot of development. A lot of that was unexpected. And a lot of things that happened in the studio were really exciting and different from what we had been playing live, as well."

The six compositions on SUNN O))) are expansive and panoramic yet finely detailed, reflecting the arboreal setting in which they were recorded. Opener "XXANN" enters with howling feedback before crunching into what might at first seem familiar territory — until one registers the sound of water trickling beneath. "Mindrolling" likewise incorporates field recordings, as does "Glory Black", which in addition introduces piano, by turns sonorous and delicate, into the mix, lending the already formidable piece a hushed, solemn feel. The Newcastle-forged originators of black metal get a shout out in the title of "Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?" which seems to position Cronos, Mantas and Abaddon as deep listeners, attuned to their Tyneside surroundings in much the same way as SUNN O))) are to the forest enfolding Bear Creek Studios. Throughout the album, the interplay between O'Malley and Anderson attains fresh heights of telepathic intensity as they shape a music that itself breathes the bracing, earthy air of the Pacific Northwest.

"It's always developing," says Anderson. "That's a constant, and that's what sustains my interest and passion. There's a movement that's happening, whether it's forward, backwards, to the side, whatever.

That's what makes playing in this group, at least for me, different and unique and special."

In October 2025 SUNN O))) released the first fruit of a new deal with celebrated U.S. label Sub Pop in the form of a maxi 12" featuring "Eternity's Pillars", "Raise The Chalice" and "Reverential" — three monumental tracks from the same sessions that produced the new album. The alliance with Sub Pop makes perfect sense, as Anderson explains.

"We decided that we should approach Sub Pop, after I'd had some great conversations with Jonathan Poneman," he says. "So I called him up and before I could get the words out of my mouth, he said, 'We'd love to do it. Tell me what you guys need.' He was really excited and supportive."

SUNN O))) are no strangers to striking cover art — as illustrated by their collaborations with Joanne Ratcliffe for "Black One", Richard Serra for "Monoliths & Dimensions", Angela LaFont Bolliger for "Kannon" and Samantha Keely Smith for "Life Metal" and "Pyroclasts". For "Sunn O)))", they have been granted permission by the estate of the late American artist Mark Rothko to reproduce two of his paintings on the album's sleeve.

"Over a few years, I developed a correspondence with Christopher Rothko via the Rothko Foundation's Henry Mandell," explains O'Malley. "It's such an honor to be in the proximity of art on that scale, which has moved me personally so much for decades. Standing in front of a Rothko painting, you can experience landscapes, worlds and environments subjectively in the abstraction."

Liner notes for the album are provided by award-winning British writer Robert Macfarlane, famed for his works concerning landscape and the multifaceted relationship between humanity and nature. Macfarlane negotiates the peaks and valleys of the SUNN O))) sound in a poetic, philosophical manner that will be familiar to readers of "Mountains Of The Mind: A History Of A Fascination" (2003),"The Wild Places" (2007),"Underland: A Deep Time Journey" (2019) or "Is A River Alive?" (2025).

"I've been very interested in Robert's writing for a long time," says O'Malley. "He was very up for engaging with this project. And what he ended up turning in was mind-blowing. It's part of the creative process, framing our music in a certain way, visually and with language, before presenting it to the world."

SUNN O))) also worked with French artist Elodie Lesourd, whose illustration work is featured on the inner LP sleeves and accompanying album merch.

"Sunn O)))" track listing:

01. XXANN
02. Does Anyone Hear Like Venom?
03. Butch's Guns
04. Mindrolling
05. Everett Moses
06. Glory Black

SUNN O)) has also announced the initial North American headlining shows for 2026 in support of the album. Additional dates will be announced soon.

Tickets for the below shows will go on sale to the general public on Friday, January 16 at 10 a.m. local time.

Apr. 01 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Apr. 04 - Austin, TX - Emo's
Apr. 05 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
Apr. 06 - New Orleans, LA - Civic Theatre
Apr. 07 - Atlanta, GA - The Goat Farm
Apr. 09 - Columbus, OH - The Bluestone
Apr. 11 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
Apr. 13 - Montreal, QC - Le National
Apr. 14 - Toronto, ON - 131 McCormack
Apr. 16 - Chicago, IL - Salt Shed
Apr. 18 - Iowa City, IA - Englert Theatre
Apr. 19 - Omaha, NE - The Waiting Room

Photo credit: Charles Peterson (courtesy of Sub Pop)

Metalcore titans POISON THE WELL have announced details of "Peace In Place", their first new album since 2009. The long-awaited follow-up to "The Tropic Rot" will be released on March 20 via SharpTone Records.

The official Chris Candy-directed music video for the LP's first single, "Thoroughbreds", can be seen below.

POISON THE WELL vocalist Jeffrey Moreira stated about the band's return: "Joining POISON THE WELL at 18 and chasing music shaped how I approach life. Coming back 16 years later — unsure if I could still do what I once left behind — only reinforced how strong our bond is and how much this band has given me. I'm grateful to do this again with my friends, and to share a record made with honesty, intention and connection at its core."

Regarding the inspiration for "Thoroughbreds", Jeffrey said: "Beasts of burden are hard to break — not because they're strong, but because they're stubborn. 'Thoroughbreds' is about realizing that some lifelong bonds don't fail early; they fail after you believed they were there to stay."

Speaking about "Peace In Place" as a whole, Jeffrey said: "'Peace In Place' is probably the most pissed record we've ever made. After stepping away from POISON THE WELL, it felt like all the emotion from that time — frustration, heartache, disappointment — compressed into something heavy and unavoidable. But anger isn't what drives us. Connection is. Sometimes that connection starts in darker places, and having an outlet for those emotions is how we find our way forward. This record lives across that entire spectrum. It's about turning something negative into something honest, putting it into the world, and realizing that even in anger, we're still capable of moving forward, relating to each other, and finding some form of peace — if not happiness, then at least a place to stand."

"Peace In Place" track listing:

01. Wax Mask
02. Primal Bloom
03. Thoroughbreds
04. Everything Hurts
05. Weeping Tones
06. A Wake Of Vultures
07. Bad Bodies
08. Drifting Without End
09. Melted
10. Plague Them The Most

A year ago, POISON THE WELL released its first new song in 15 years, "Trembling Level". POISON THE WELL also fortified its ranks by officially welcoming bassist Noah Harmon and guitarist Vadim Taver into the fold. Both musicians had played with the group for years.

Last year, POISON THE WELL embarked on a massive 25th-anniversary tour celebrating its debut album, "The Opposite Of December... A Season Of Separation". POISON THE WELL played the beloved LP in full every night, with support from GLASSJAW, BETTER LOVERS and TEENAGE WRIST.

Reactivated Santa Barbara-based metal/punk rock hybrid SNOT has "completed" five new songs for the band's long-awaited new studio album. The upcoming effort is being recorded with producer, engineer and mixer Chris Collier and will mark SNOT's first release with new singer Andy Knapp, who made his live debut with the band in January 2025 in Anaheim, California.

Earlier today (Sunday, January 11),SNOT shared the following message via social media: "SNOT is excited to announce that the band has been writing and recording brand-new music, and the momentum is strong! The process has been going exceptionally well with five new songs already completed."

SNOT guitarist Mikey Doling comments: "The energy coming out of the studio has been undeniable. We've been working hard writing and recording... When I listen back to what we've been doing, I get chills and fill up with crazy excitement."

More details, including the official new SNOT single release date, album information and additional announcements will be shared soon.

Last fall, SNOT bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock told Australia's Heavy about the band's return to the live stage and SNOT's plans for the coming months: "Well, I think things are a lot different now. We're pretty much saying SNOT is back at this point. We finally found, in Andy, what we basically were dreaming of having. And I'm not saying anything negative on the past singers that we had. Before, when we put SNOT together, it wasn't, like, 'We're reforming. We're back,' anything like that. We were just more doing it for fun, for the love of music, love of Jamie [Miller, SNOT drummer] and Mikey [Doling, SNOT guitarist] and myself playing together. And we were, like, 'Let's go out and play the songs,' but it wasn't seriously saying, like, 'We're back and coming back to here to stay and swing,' like we are now. And, like I said, it's a blessing to have found Andy and what he's doing. And, obviously, the response from the fans has been nothing but positivity."

Asked what it was like returning to the live stage under the SNOT banner, Fahnestock said: "Yeah, coming off this last tour and seeing the response from the crowd, it brought tears to our eyes. And it brought tears to their eyes, to our fans. I'd look out and see people crying, and there are 16-year-olds and they're singing our songs and they knew all the lyrics and they're fucking losing their mind. And I wasn't expecting that at all. And it wasn't that way 10 years ago when we ran through those areas. Yeah, a lot has changed. I think there's a big resurgence now of bands from the '90s, the late '90s, getting a whole resurgence. And I see it a lot, and it's a good thing — it's a really good thing. I think that style and the ['90s] metal thing is actually coming back now and being embraced."

Reflecting on how the latest SNOT reunion came about, John said: "There was a festival in the U.S., and it's kind of where this all started, and it's called Sick New World. And I went there, and it was SYSTEM OF A DOWN and COAL CHAMBER and INCUBUS and all the bands that came up in that era. That's when Mikey and I again started getting a fire under our ass, thinking, 'Dude, if we could only find the right singer, we could do this again.' And we did. So we're back."

Fahnestock also confirmed that there are plans for SNOT to release new music, saying:  "Mikey and I, we've been writing for, like six, seven years now, believe it or not. We've put away a lot of music that we recorded and we kind of kept it under the belt. And then, when we found Andy, we were, like, 'Hey, let's revisit those songs that we stashed away.' And then Mikey's, like, 'No, let's write two new ones too and then add to it and then revisit and re-record those.' So we went in, and we still jell like that; it's crazy. So we threw down two new songs with [producer] Chris Collier. He works with KORN and Mikey does a lot of stuff with Chris in [Las] Vegas."

Asked if the new SNOT music follows the same "eclectic" direction as the band's 1990s output, John said: "Exactly. It's how we write. It's crazy. Mikey picks up a guitar and it smells like SNOT, bro. It's fucking eerie. And what's really eerie is I could hear [late SNOT singer] Lynn [Strait]. Like, 'What would Lynn do on this?' In my head I could hear him, 'cause it sounds like he should be there. So, yeah. It's crazy."

In September 2025, Doling told Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show about SNOT's return to the live stage: "I'm really excited, first of all. Just having SNOT back — [I] never expected it. We found a new singer who's amazing, and he made it all possible. And we put some tickets on sale and they're all selling out, all the shows, and we're pretty blown away. We're very grateful to be doing it and super stoked."

Asked how it feels to have Knapp fronting SNOT, three decades after the band's formation and 27 years after the passing of Strait, Doling said: "Honestly, it feels kind of like it used to, with Andy. Andy brought energy to the band that we haven't seen or had since Lynn Strait… Having Andy in the band, he's brought that energy again to us. The shows are full of energy. It's wild, man."

After Ore noted that this is the first time that he has heard the members of SNOT say that the band is officially "back", Doling clarified: "Well, before, when we [played gigs with other vocalists], it was more like we wanted to fucking just get together and play. We weren't really focused on new music or promotion or selling shows. We didn't give a shit. We just wanted to go out and play. This time, we feel like we found the right singer. Also, that it's the right time to actually bring it back full blown. So we're getting in the studio, we're recording new music, we're booking tours. We've got the booking agent. And we're just going full-on, man, and it's great."

Asked about new SNOT music and whether the band is working with a record label at the moment, Mikey said: "I think what's going on is that… There's been a couple of labels that reached out, but they were not the ones that we'd be interested in working with. And I wanted to wait till we started thinking about that kind of stuff until we recorded a couple songs and see where we are. Well, we have recorded a couple of new songs, and we're working with Chris Collier, the producer — a fantastic producer. He just did the last couple of KORN records, he's done the last few PRONG records. He's amazing, and he and I click musically. So, we're working together on some new songs. It's going very well. It's funky. It's punk. It's got attitude. It's cool. It sounds like old SNOT. And we're trying to keep it like that. We don't wanna change the sound. We wanna keep it like 1996, '97 — lots of wah pedal, lots of grooves, some heavy punk influences. It's cool."

SNOT recruited former GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin to sit behind the kit for the band's performance in May 2025 at the Welcome To Rockville festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Due to Miller's touring commitments with BAD RELIGION, he was unable to make the date.

In April 2025, SNOT recruited Doc Coyle (GOD FORBID, ex-BAD WOLVES) as the band's touring guitarist after the group's split with Sonny Mayo.

The news of Mayo's departure was broken by Doling, who stated in a video message at the time:  "Sonny Mayo has decided to quit SNOT. SNOT doesn't fit into his life right now, and he just wants to focus on himself and his life. And SNOT's just too busy for him to be able to continue.

"So I'd like to wish Sonny Mayo the best of luck in his future, and I wanna thank him for all he's contributed to SNOT over the years. We love you, brother," Mikey continued.

"That being said, our very, very good friend from GOD FORBID, formerly BAD WOLVES, Doc Coyle, is going to be filling in on guitar for the upcoming shows. And we're excited to have him on board. And thank you very much, Doc Coyle."

SNOT disbanded in 1998 following Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.

SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."

Snot is excited to announce that the band has been writing and recording brand-new music, and the momentum is strong!...

Posted by Snot(Band) on Sunday, January 11, 2026

In a new interview with Tyler Ramsey of the "Painful Lessons: Punk Rock Sober" podcast, Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack Osbourne once again confirmed that that BLACK SABBATH's farewell concert raised just under $10 million — a far cry from the erroneously inflated figures reported by the mainstream media shortly after the event.

In the days after the July 5, 2025 event, dubbed "Back To The Beginning", the event's musical director, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, shared an Instagram post stating that roughly $190 million (140 million British pounds) would be donated to charity from the concert. Billboard magazine later also reported that the event had raised $190 million, while The Guardian reported that the pay-per-view livestream of the event reached nearly six million fans, generating an estimated $150 million in revenue. At the time, it was expected that the funds would be distributed equally to Birmingham Children's Hospital, Acorn Children's Hospice and Cure Parkinson's — an organization dedicated to finding a cure for the disease Osbourne had lived with since 2019.

"The number was complete bullshit," Jack told "Painful Lessons" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "This is how you know the news is probably 90% bullshit, 'cause it was, like, CNN and New York Times was saying 'Ozzy raised $150 million.' And it wasn't that. I think what it came down to was, like, when all was said and done, because it was a charity gig, you still have to pay for the actual gig. No bands got paid, and most of the crew donated their time. But I think when all said [was] and done, each charity got, like, one and a half or two million pounds [approximately $2.7 million] each. So, it was, I think, six or seven million pounds [approximately $9.4 million]. That's what was donated to the three charities. I mean, we would've loved it if it was hundreds of millions. We would have been, like, 'Fuck yeah.'"

Last November, Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon also offered insight into the actual amount raised by "Back To The Beginning" while speaking to her children Jack and Kelly on an episode of "The Osbournes" podcast. Addressing the erroneous initial reports of the net amount of money generated by the concert, Sharon said: "If one show could have raised… I mean, [the articles were saying] it was up to, like 190 million. It's, like, any artist, just do one big show, film it and you can retire just on one show. No, it was nowhere near, and I wish that it was, but we are living in reality, in the real world."

Asked by Jack what "Back To The Beginning" actually raised, Sharon said: "It raised 11 [million]. But with the cost, 'cause we paid the cost of bringing everybody in, everybody out, accommodation, everything. [And] no one got paid. Nobody asked for a penny. They gave their time, their efforts, everything for free. People were just — oh God — so generous."

Sharon previously shot down the $190 million figure in July 2025 while speaking to music industry trade publication Pollstar just five days before Ozzy's death.

"One of the things that's frightening me is all this false press about [how], we've made $140 million and all of this, and I'm like, God, I wish we could have, for one gig," Sharon said at the time. "It's just ridiculous, the different stories. I went on the internet the next morning and it was like, $140 million, $160 million. And I'm like, Where does this stuff come from?"

"It takes a really long time [to arrive at the final number that will be donated to charity], because we've had all of the bands that we had come in and their expenses, and it'll take a good six weeks to get the final number," she continued.

When Pollstar writer Ray Waddell noted that "these reports are not helpful for the Children's Hospital to see, waiting for their $190 million", Sharon responded: "Oh my God! It's the Children's Hospital, a children's hospice, and Parkinson's research. Everybody thinks that they're going to cure everything with this much money, but it's not the real world."

Sharon went on to say that the concert, which also featured a solo performance from Ozzy, as well as appearances by METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, GUNS N' ROSES and TOOL, among many others, was "a huge success." She said: "It was a phenomenal event. It was the first time, I think, that anybody's gone into retirement and done it, where the show is streamed and it goes to charity. So it's the first time anybody has said goodnight like that, it's the perfect way, when you've had such a long career, to end it. I never wanted Ozzy to just disappear without some big event."

Billboard reported in July 2025 that the concert was watched by 40,000 ticketholders and 5.8 million individuals online, with each of the above-mentioned charities also raising tens of thousands of pounds in additional donations by raffling off tickets to the show, auctioning off iconic art and band photographs donated by BLACK SABBATH, and through individual contributions from fans as they streamed into the concert, which took place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England.

"Back To The Beginning" is the subject of the upcoming 100-minute concert film "Back To The Beginning: Ozzy's Final Bow", which is slated for theatrical release later this year.

At "Back To The Beginning", Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar),Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

At the end of SABBATH's set, Ozzy said: "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Osbourne was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.

A message on screen then read, "Thank you for everything, you guys are fucking amazing. Birmingham Forever," before the sky lit up with fireworks.

Ozzy died on July 22, 2025 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Premier)

Former SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg has announced his departure from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES after an almost two-year run with the California crossover thrash/hardcore punk legends.

Earlier today, Weinberg took to his Instagram to share nearly two dozen photos from his time with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, and he included the following message: "As an exciting and busy 2026 takes shape, I'd like to thank @suicidaltendencies for bringing me onboard for an incredible year and a half of shows! What an absolute blast.

"With @chloweinberg's & my first child on the way, I've been dedicating time to passion projects like @portraitsofanapparition, a growing series of collaborations, finally building a proper at-home creative space, and some new in-the-works projects that I can't quite announce just yet. Although there's a lot of work left to complete over the next five months, it's been a joy to commit to finally getting these things across their artistic finish lines before my focus naturally shifts to becoming a first-time father.

"Though I won't be jamming with the fellas, I can't possibly overstate the love and respect I have for them, the SUICIDAL Army and extended family, and all the cyco fans I've met across six continents playing shows with one of my favorite bands!

"Mike, Dean, @benweinman, and @tyetru: you guys picked up a friend when he was down, and gave him the opportunity to truly feel the message of 'You Can't Bring Me Down' at a time when he needed it the most. I can't thank you enough for that, and I can't wait to see what you all do next.

"I quite literally can't conceive of my life as a drummer without the profound influence of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. So many of my drumming heroes have added to the historic legacy of this band, and it's the honor of a lifetime to contribute to it myself in some way.

"To our amazing crew mates @deathtotravis @chris.waiau @coreykoniz @jonrechsteiner @gallowsdrums @ssamhaven @chuckzillathekilla @bradhinds @mrsn_th @rafael_galbes @andrekbelo @andrewrmrtaylor, Brendan, and Mathieu — thank you guys so much for everything!

"ST for life!"

In addition to Weinberg, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' most recent lineup featured singer Mike Muir, lead guitarist Dean Pleasants, rhythm guitarist Ben Weinman (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and bassist Tye Trujillo (son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo).

Jay played his first concert with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in March 2024 in Osaka, Japan.

Weinberg's pairing with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES came less than two months after he was announced as the new drummer of INFECTIOUS GROOVES, the long-running outfit formed more than three decades ago by Robert Trujillo alongside Robert's then-SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bandmate Mike Muir.

Last November, Jay and his wife Chloe announced that they were anticipating the arrival of their first baby.

Throughout 2025, Weinberg had been actively involved with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES. Additionally, he released his debut solo track titled "Sandstone", featuring George Clarke of DEAFHEAVEN on vocals. Jay revealed that the song was the first of a series of upcoming collaborations, showcasing various guest singers whom Weinberg has been developing material with over several years.

On November 5, 2023, SLIPKNOT released a statement via social media in which it said it had "decided to make a creative decision and to part ways with Jay."

Six days later, Weinberg, who replaced Joey Jordison, SLIPKNOT's original drummer, in 2013, shared on Instagram that he "was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call", "the news of which, most of you learned shortly after."

Jay played his final show with SLIPKNOT on November 3, 2023 at the Hell & Heaven festival in Toluca, Mexico.

In February 2024, SLIPKNOT recruited former SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande as the replacement for Jay.

Prior to joining SLIPKNOT, Jay played with AGAINST ME! and MADBALL.

NAPALM DEATH bassist Shane Embury and touring guitarist John Cooke have entered Parlour Studios in Kettering, U.K. with longtime producer Russ Russell (DIMMU BORGIR, AT THE GATES, AMORPHIS) to begin recording demos for the band's seventeenth studio album.

Earlier today (Sunday, January 11),Embury shared an Instagram photo of him with Cooke and Russell at Parlour, and he included the following message: "A couple of successful days guitar blasting on new @theofficialnapalmdeath songs … Tomorrow it's bass grind time #shanenapalmdeathbook #napalmdeathalbum17 #grindcore #deathmetal #punk @theparlourstudios @discordance668 @russrussell444".

In February 2022, NAPALM DEATH released a new mini-album, "Resentment Is Always Seismic - A Final Throw Of Throes", via Century Media Records.

"Resentment Is Always Seismic – A Final Throw Of Throes" was a partner recording to "Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism", concluding matters through vital, tumultuous grindcore and shockwave ambience.

The eight-song "Resentment Is Always Seismic – A Final Throw Of Throes" came with a total playing time of 29 minutes and was made available as a limited CD digipak, vinyl as well as in the digital album format.

"Throes Of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism" was released in September 2020 via Century Media Records. The band's sixteenth studio LP was recorded with longtime producer Russ Russell and featured artwork by Frode Sylthe.

Embury released his autobiography, "Life?… And Napalm Death", in October 2023 via Rocket 88, an imprint of the established British book production company Essential Works.

Largely misunderstood and widely mocked in their early days, NAPALM DEATH nonetheless became the benchmark for uncompromising extremity, as well as a political force for good. Dismissed by many as a ridiculous noise, NAPALM DEATH became the credible face of extreme art rock, beloved of John Peel, NME cover stars and indie music darlings. Embury's debut studio release with the band, 1988's "From Enslavement To Obliteration", remains a seminal work of raging sonic violence coupled with ultra-credible punk critiques of corrupt politics, capitalist opportunism and societal collapse. The record remains as revered today as it ever was.

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Danish thrash metal veterans ARTILLERY have inked a new deal with Mighty Music. The band is planning on releasing a new mini-album through the label in the spring. The EP was mixed last October at Medley Studio in Copenhagen, Denmark with Benjamin Høyer.

Since returning in full force in 2008, ARTILLERY has released six studio albums, including the band's latest effort, 2021's "X". A live album, "Raw Live (In Copenhell)", was recorded in 2022 and made available in February 2024 via Mighty Music.

ARTILLERY's current lineup consists of guitarist and bandleader Michael Stützer alongside IRON FIRE vocalist Martin Steene, bassist Peter Thorslund, guitarist René Loua and drummer Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen.

In a March 2024 interview with ROTR, Stützer stated about Steene's 2023 addition to ARTILLERY: "He can sing in a lot of different styles. We already have a new song we're doing with him and fans are going to love it. [Previous ARTILLERY singer] Michael [Bastholm Dahl] couldn't do the U.S. tour; that's also why Martin was on board. Martin was also in IRON FIRE and FORCE OF EVIL with Michael Denner and Hank Shermann from MERCYFUL FATE. People will be really surprised with how good he'll be."

Regarding Dahl's departure from ARTILLERY, Stützer said: "Michael and me are still very close friends. He just couldn't tour so much. He didn't want us to be stuck."

Dahl made his final recording appearance with ARTILLERY on the aforementioned "Raw Live (In Copenhell)" live album.

"X" was recorded at Medley Studio with producer Søren Andersen, with whom ARTILLERY had worked with on every record since 2009's "When Death Comes".

Longtime ARTILLERY drummer Josua Madsen, who played on the band's last four albums, died in March 2023 at the age of 45 after being hit by a bus on a dark country road between Copenhagen and Roskilde, Denmark.

Back in the 1980s, ARTILLERY was one of the biggest European thrash sensations on the scene, characterized by intense, energetic riffing and unique vocals of Flemming Ronsdorf. Their debut album, "Fear Of Tomorrow" and the follow-up, "Terror Squad", have gained a legendary status, becoming some of the most thrilling thrash releases of the late '80s period. In 1999, ARTILLERY reformed and released "B.A.C.K.", produced by Andy Sneap, which was hailed immediately as a return to form.

Michael Stützer's brother, bassist/guitarist Morten Stützer, died in 2019, having played a big part in shaping ARTILLERY's songs and appearing on every album up to 2018's "The Face Of Fear".

Proud to welcome thrash legends Artillery (The Official Page) to Mighty Music 🤟 New mini-album out this Spring 🔥

Posted by Mighty Music on Sunday, January 11, 2026

THE ROCKETT MAFIA, the new rock project featuring Rikki Rockett, drummer and founding member of the multi-platinum band POISON, is planning to record its debut EP later this year, to be released via Pavement Entertainment.

Joining Rockett in THE ROCKETT MAFIA's current lineup are Brandon Gibbs (DEVIL CITY ANGELS) on vocals and guitar, Mick Sweda (BULLETBOYS) on guitar and backing vocals and Michael Adams (PUDDLE OF MUDD) on bass.

On Saturday (January 10),Rockett took to social media to address the recent announcement that Sweda had rejoined the BULLETBOYS and how it might affect Mick's status with THE ROCKETT MAFIA going forward. He wrote: "Been getting questions about Mick re-joining the BULLETBOYS and what that means for ROCKETT MAFIA... Mick is desirous to continue on with The Mob. If anything changes, I'll report [as soon as possible].

"I support Mick's return to the [BULLETBOYS] as this was his baby for many years," Rikki added. "Either way, ROCKETT MAFIA is a force this coming year and here's why... We are starting to book shows and look forward to some amazing dates. This is the first week back it as our agent is busy mapping out some cool stuff. We are also planning an EP. Writing songs, etc. There will be originals and maybe a cover or two on the EP. Hope to knock it out very soon!"

THE ROCKETT MAFIA performs a mix of classic rock from the 1970s and 1980s, often reimagining songs from that era with a heavier, more contemporary feel. Their live set also features deep cuts from POISON's catalog, songs the legendary band rarely performs.

During an appearance on the Iron City Rocks podcast, Rockett spoke about THE ROCKETT MAFIA, which released its first single in February 2025, a cover of "I Think I Love You", a 1970 song by Tony Romeo, written as the debut single for fictional musical TV family "The Partridge Family". Asked if he and the other members of THE ROCKETT MAFIA have talked about writing and recording original music, Rockett said: "Yes, we have. In fact, Mick and I played yesterday and we've been talking about stuff. And we got a couple of things under our hat now. We're just trying to do it one step at a time and put all the pieces together. So, if we do something, we can actually make a really decent effort out of it and not — pardon the French, but half-ass it. I don't wanna do that."

As for what other covers THE ROCKETT MAFIA is playing at its gigs, Rikki said: "We do a FACES song. We do a Billy Joel song. We do an Elton John song. We've taken some of this stuff and just kind of reimagined it in a hard rock format. And that's the idea of it, rather than take something that was already a rock song and compete with it. I don't wanna redo a BLACK SABBATH song. I'm not gonna do a better job than Bill Ward; I'm just not. To me, that's the pinnacle of BLACK SABBATH. And FACES arguably… But back then, I feel like some of those recordings were rushed… [FACES'] 'Stay With Me', by way of example, I've heard so many versions of that — funky versions and fast versions and slower versions — and it's okay to do our own version. I don't wanna do 'War Pigs' my way."

Asked if he and the other members of THE ROCKETT MAFIA plan on mixing up the setlist night after night, Rikki said: "Yes, we will. It depends. If we're doing like, let's say, a corporate gig where people want a huge variety of stuff, we'll do a bigger variety of stuff. I think at certain rock shows, like Summerfest, by way of example, people are gonna want more of the POISON stuff, they're gonna want more of the straight-ahead rock and roll, so we'll probably do that. But, really, the whole set rocks. We have no ballads at this point — not one. It never slows down. And I was thinking, 'Man, is that a bad idea?' And then so many people came up to me after the show and went, 'Oh, no. It was fun. I love that you guys never stopped.' There was only a couple times where Brandon talked. It was almost like a punk band, like the RAMONES. 1, 2, 3, 4 — bam — right into the next thing."

In June 2025, Sweda told the Nothing Shocking podcast about his involvement with THE ROCKETT MAFIA: "It was really interesting how it came about. My friend Bryan [Kimes], who is playing with me in THE HOT SUMMERS, ran into Rikki, and Rikki was looking for some guys to flesh out this idea that he had for this band. And my friend recommended me for the guitar spot, and Rikki and I got together and hit it off pretty well and had a great time playing. And it's been progressing ever since."

Regarding the other musicians who are involved in the peoject, Mick said: "Well, Brandon Gibbs, the singer, I think he's pretty well known for touring a little bit with Joel Hoekstra. I think they have an acoustic thing that they do. I guess it sometimes goes electric. So he and Rikki have been friends for a long time, and he's a very talented cat, a great guitar player."

Asked if there is "a certain era" he and his THE ROCKETT MAFIA bandmates are "trying to stick to" when it comes to choosing which songs to cover, Mick said: "Yeah, we definitely wanted to do the more obscure stuff, and we tried a couple of things out. There's a song called 'Baby Blue' that I've always loved since I was a kid, by BADFINGER. And we love playing that song. However, you have to sort of gauge how things go over. Not everybody is familiar with material like that. So even though we're trying things… For example, we put together a track called 'I Think I Love You' [a 1970 song by Tony Romeo, written as the debut single for fictional musical TV family 'The Partridge Family'], which was actually the first single I ever had as a kid by 'The Partridge Family'. And it's kind of a challenging track to cover, at least from the outset, but I think we had a lot of fun with it. And it's out there for people to listen to now.

"But the song list is kind of evolving," Mick explained. "We start out with what's in our hearts, between Rikki and I, which is the '70s for that matter. So, it's kind of branching out from there. And we're just making sure that the tunes are fun and energetic and entertaining."

On the topic of whether THE ROCKETT MAFIA is "pretty genre specific" to the "1970s classic rock era" or if they are "kind of wide open as far as experimenting with different genres of music," Sweda said: "It's the latter. In fact, one of the things that Rikki and I talked about doing was taking songs that you would never expect to hear and kind of revamping them in a way that allows us to interject our personalities into them. So, although we haven't really got to the stage of finding too many songs to do that with, 'cause it is a challenge — it's a lot easier to just pick up a song and play it as it's written. So for us to find something unique and exciting and turn it into our own, it takes a little bit more time, but that is ultimately the goal."

THE ROCKETT MAFIA, with Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals, played its first official show on February 21, 2025 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Regarding how THE ROCKETT MAFIA came together, Rikki stated during a February 19, 2025 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "I always had Brandon Gibbs in the back of my mind for any project that I do, which hasn't been many. I mean, I did DEVIL CITY ANGELS [with him]. When I played The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride [motorcycle charity event], which I am one of the city co-hosts for — that's a worldwide ride that takes place in 300-some cities across the world — they didn't have entertainment. And I said, 'It's time to have entertainment at this thing.' And they said, 'Well, any suggestions? Can you play?' And I went, 'Well, I don't have a band.' [Laughs] 'So I'll have to put one together.' I had done a couple of shows with CHEVY METAL — me and Kenny Aronoff had done a couple shows with them — so I reached out to those guys, and I just basically had them come and play the show… So after that, I just said, 'I need my own band.' First person I met was Bryan who was working at a salon that I was in, and we started talking. And this guy is from Maryland, and we have the same circle of friends, but didn't know each other. He's played all that tri-state area back there, the same places we played, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, all that. And so we got along great. And I said, 'Let's get together. I've gotta find a guitar player.' And he mentioned Mick Sweda. and I was like, 'Is he busy? Is he doing something? I mean, that guy's a monster. Is this something that would interest him?' And the first thing Mick said when I called him up, he said, 'Look, if you're just gonna have me for one or two gigs and then get rid of me, I'm not interested.' I said, 'Well, Mick, I don't know. I've never played with you, but I think we should at least get together and play.' And we did. And we were playing AEROSMITH songs, VAN HALEN, everything, and we're just sitting there going, 'Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. We're cut from the same cloth.' And I was amazed at how good of a player this guy is. And then, of course, I brought Brandon into the thing. And I said the whole idea is something that Taylor Hawkins [late FOO FIGHTERS drummer] told me that I should have been doing a long time ago. And I always got super serious with a band, like, 'I've gotta, right away, write a record and do all-original material.' And he's, like, 'No, just go play for a while. Get used to everybody. Make sure you wanna have a good time. POISON's your baby, just like FOO FIGHTERS are mine.' So I took his advice, God rest his soul, and several years later, I'm actually doing this thing. It's been so much fun."

On the topic of how "I Think I Love You" was chosen to be one of the songs for THE ROCKETT MAFIA to cover, Rikki said: "I think I [suggested that one]. I always thought it was a great song. I had a crush on [actress] Susan Dey growing up, so, of course. But I always thought it was such a well-written song. It was written by Tony Romeo, who I don't know, but he's written other things. He passed away now. And I think David Cassidy was trying so hard at that time to make people realize that he was a really good player and he was a really good writer, and he couldn't extend past that idea of 'The Partridge Family' publicly. And I met him many years ago at an award show — he was super cool — and I told him how much I appreciated all the stuff that he really did reach out and do that he did in a more serious way. And I feel bad for him because he was never taken seriously. I think it made him an alcoholic maybe; I don't know. But I just thought it was a cool song. It was, like, 'This song needs a second spin.' The chord structures, everything is very hard rock, but the way they did it, it wasn't. So you'll see how we did it."

Rockett and Gibbs played their first show as THE ROCKETT MAFIA in May 2024 at the end of the aforementioned The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride motorcycle charity event in Santa Monica, California. They were joined at the gig by guitarist Brent Woods (SEBASTIAN BACH, CHEVY METAL) and bassist Wiley Hodgden.

Rockett and Gibbs previously played together in a band called DEVIL CITY ANGELS, also featuring guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Eric Brittingham (CINDERELLA). The band released its self-titled debut album in September 2015. Following the recording of "Devil City Angels", Brittingham decided not to continue with the project and his spot was taken by Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE). Around a year later, Rockett, Gibbs and Brittingham joined forces with guitarist Joel Kosche (ex-COLLECTIVE SOUL) to form the LORDS OF DEVIL CITY. Within a few months, Rockett, Gibbs and Brittingham relaunched DEVIL CITY ANGELS, only for Eric to exit the project in the summer of 2017 and be replaced by Topher Nelson. In July 2020, DEVIL CITY ANGELS released a new single, "Testify".

In early 2019, Gibbs and Rockett were embroiled in a public war of words after Gibbs indicated he was no longer involved with DEVIL CITY ANGELS due to the fact that the band was "inactive." Rikki responded that DEVIL CITY ANGELS "went inactive" because he was diagnosed with cancer and suggested possibly moving on without Brandon. This prompted Gibbs to fire back that he had "never seen someone complain about money, perception and 1st class tickets" as much as Rockett allegedly did, "to the point where it gets in the way of doing anything." The two have since resolved their differences.

Back in 2015, Rockett told Sleaze Roxx about Gibbs: "The thing about Brandon is that he's a young guy but he sounds like he's from the '70s. That's what is so appealing for guys like us. That's the reason that I really wanted Brandon involved with us. Brandon doesn't have any baggage, which is good and he has a lot of experience. He's got a great pedigree."

In 2015, Rockett and Gibbs joined forces with Rikki's POISON bandmates Bobby Dall (bass) and C.C. DeVille (guitar) to play several shows as THE SPECIAL GUESTS in what was widely perceived as a not-so-subtle message to POISON singer Bret Michaels that they weren't willing to remain completely inactive while he pursued a solo career.

During a recent appearance on the Freddy And Friends podcast, hosted by world-renowned drummer Freddy Charles, MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren was asked what it's like to work on new music with the band's leader, guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine. Dirk responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's like everything. Anybody you work with — I've worked with so many different people and continue to do so, and you have to figure out what works for them, what their process is, what they're looking for and what they're expecting. And that's always a bit of a search in the beginning and a bit of a trial and error sometimes. Dave is very straightforward always; he is a very straightforward person. Whatever anybody says about him, with him you get what you see. And he'll tell you straight to your face if he doesn't like something or if he's looking for something or whatever. So it was pretty easy, actually, to figure out with him what he wants. He is, like, 'Hey, guys, I want you all to contribute stuff. I wanna do it this way and this way. Contribute your stuff. Put the rifts here,' whatever. So, 'Okay.' So then you do that, and then we work through it and in the end I have songs on the record. So, clearly it works. And of course, there's also an understanding that — I grew up with MEGADETH, kind of like you, it's been in my life, and so I understand the band. So that helps. If it was something that I didn't have an understanding of, I may not be able to contribute much in that regard."

The 50-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer also talked about MEGADETH's upcoming final LP, simply titled "Megadeth", which will be released on January 23, 2026. The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be made available via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

"It just got finished mastering three days ago," Dirk said. "[Most of it was recorded] in Nashville where Dave lives. I did the drums here at One On One [studios]. But everything else was done in Nashville… I spent a lot of time in Nashville together with the other bandmembers, and we just worked on stuff day after day. And so at night we would go and write stuff, work on our computers and stuff, and then the next day put it in the Dropbox at night and then the next day go, 'Hey, Dave, check this out.' During the day we'll be in the studio, and he'll come, like, 'All right, guys. Did you guys do anything?' 'Okay, let's listen.' And then whatever he liked, that stuff would go into a folder of, like, 'Okay, these are potential candidates for us to work on.' And then some of it would end up being a song."

Regarding how the touring side of being in MEGADETH has evolved over the last 10 years, Dirk, who had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before being recommended for the MEGADETH gig in 2016 by LAMB OF GOD's Chris Adler, said: "Well, if you look at it from the aspect of how has the touring become as opposed to when I started, it's become like the main thing now, with the changes in the music business. Touring is where — it's our bread and butter. That's everything. So that's kind of been a noticeable shift. But, of course, at the level of MEGADETH, it's always been an important thing anyway. For me, on a personal level, it's been an incredible learning situation. I've learned so much just seeing how everything operates, how Dave runs the ship, all the things that are required. And I've really built, I think, a lot of confidence and ease of… I'm naturally a very introverted person, and so those things were usually a bit difficult for me, even in the SOILWORK years. And now I've just really learned to just embrace the public side of it because you kind of have to. It doesn't have to change who I am… I fought against it for a while — like, 'I don't like this' and 'I don't like that' — and I was, like, 'You know what? I should just really just embrace this, because it's only gonna last so long.' I mean, we're doing our farewell tour now."

Last month, Dirk spoke about his first exposure to MEGADETH's music via the band's 1986 album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" during an appearance on the 100th episode of the Vinyl Bang podcast hosted by Nick Martin and Jeff Grindstopher. Dirk said at the time: "I remember going to a little flea market in the town outside of Paris where we lived in a small town, and I just looked at the cover and I looked at these pictures… But these pictures of the four bandmembers [on the album cover], they looked so badass to me on there. And I was, like, 'I don't know this band, but I gotta get this. This looks killer.' And so this was probably, I'm gonna say either '87 or '88. So a few years after the record came out, so I was a few years behind, but at the time it wasn't so like now where, oh, everything is super specific about when it's coming out because it's all online. At the time, it was more, like, whatever you could stumble across, whatever you were lucky to find or get on a tape became a big deal. So it was a bit more spread out in time, I believe, before the Internet."

Dirk continued: "So, anyway, MEGADETH immediately stood out to me from other things I was listening to at the time. The vocals, the lyrics, just the approach was its very own kind of thrash metal, I guess, which I don't even know if at the time I really knew what that style was called. I just knew I loved it. And so that became one of my important albums growing up, which, obviously, given what happened many years later in my life, it's kind of crazy.'

Verbeuren went on to say that it's surreal for him to be in a band that he looked up to when he was still in his early teens.

"A cool story about that is that I saw MEGADETH on the 'Clash Of The Titans' tour [in October 1990 when I was 15 years old]," he recalled. "It was one of the first shows I went to as a young teenager. So this was in Paris at Le Zénith. And I have since now three times played with the band at that very venue. So every time I go there, it blows my mind because I'm, like, 'I can't believe I was here as a teenager seeing the band I'm now a part of.' And all these years later, to be on that stage is just, like [laughs], 'What happened?'"

According to Dirk, joining a band like MEGADETH is "beyond a dream" for him "because I would've never even dared to dream that," he said. "People will say, like, 'Oh, was that your craziest dream?' And I'm, like, 'No,' 'cause I would've never even dared to imagine that that would happen. I was just happy to be making music. I was in SOILWORK for 12 years before I went to MEGADETH, and I was stoked to be in a touring band and in an active, professional band that was making music I liked. So it's beyond — you can't even put words on to that, really. [Laughs] So when I look back at this record, and I remember I having a vision of going to this flea market and flipping through albums and being, like, 'This looks cool.' … There's a few other things I bought that day — I think like a HELLOWEEN album, and I forget what else — but it blows my mind to think that, wow. If you had told me at that time, 'Yeah, one day you'll be in that band,' I think my head would've exploded. So, yeah. Pretty cool. Pretty crazy where life can take you."

Back in September 2022, Dirk told Sick Drummer Magazine that he was "just humbled" to have been involved with the writing and recording of the band's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" He said: "I'm just thankful to be here. That's the best way I can put it. I can't even say that this is a dream come true, 'cause I don't think I ever dreamed anything crazy like [this]. I was just happy to be playing drums and trying to make a living off of doing it, and [that] in itself was a gratifying thing for me. It wasn't always easy, and I don't think any good job is always easy; it was a struggle sometimes. But I never thought, like, 'Oh, I should be in this major band', so when it kind of just happened, I'm still kind of pinching myself to this day. At the same time, I have to say that I worked really hard my whole life. I've always been somebody who I think when I do something I do it one hundred percent. To persevere through the hard times and always try to keep my head up and try to keep learning new things, it's paid off in the long run."

He continued: "There have been times when I wanted to give up, like anybody, when things seem a bit hopeless. There was a few times I told my wife where I thought maybe I should just get a normal job and life would be a bit more simple and I can just stay home and not struggle to try and pay the bills and work my ass off 24/7 — no weekends [off], no time [off] — and just have a normal family life. But in the end, I know where my passion is and so I wouldn't give up. And I have to give a lot of credit to my parents and my wife and my teachers and my friends — everybody who supported me and my family over the years doing this — I owe it to them 'cause they've helped me so tremendously so many times and talked me back into doing what I wanted to do when it seemed a bit hopeless.

"But to answer your question, it's an incredible feeling," Dirk added. "I'm so stoked that people are enjoying the album overall, and I'm just happy to be a part of that. I'm happy to have contributed to it, because I didn't know, going into this, how that part would be. Being on tour with the band was one thing — you play the songs, here's the songs, it's cool. You get to know the guys, you get to know the way the band operates on the road. Now, going into the recording studio, or first rather into the band room and start writing stuff, I had no idea. And Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] said early on to us, 'Bring stuff. Bring ideas. I want your ideas.' And I'm, like, 'Cool.' I wrote some stuff. I play a little bit of guitar, so I made some demos at home, recorded some riffs, recorded some song ideas, brought them on. I didn't anticipate that any of my stuff would go anywhere, because, I mean, c'mon, this is Dave Mustaine we're talking about. Who am I on guitar compared to Dave Mustaine? .. I'm nothing compared to that. Nevertheless, I ended up with some stuff on the album. Like the song 'Life In Hell', which is the second song on the record, is based on a demo I wrote. And then I also have a riff in the third song, 'Night Stalkers', which everybody just enjoyed that riff and was, like, 'We need to use this.' So my mind is just blown 'cause I didn't anticipate that. But again, I'm happy I just went for it. I listened to Dave and tried and went along with his idea and proposed some things. That's the proof that you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can do what you wanna do. And I did wanna contribute. I mean, I was, like, 'It would be cool if I could. Because this is a band I love, and if some of my ideas can inspire the other guys and we can make a song together, hey, that's freakin' cool. If I can do something else than just write the drum parts on the album, that's freakin' cool.' So here we are — it actually happened, and people are loving the thrashy direction of this record in general. And I'm not ashamed to say that I'm definitely a part of kind of pushing that envelope, because that's the MEGADETH I grew up with — 'Peace Sells', 'Killing Is My Business'; the next couple of albums after that, that's the MEGADETH I enjoyed that I saw live back in 1990 on the 'Clash Of The Titans' tour for the 'Rust In Peace' album. So, yeah, it's a wonderful feeling. I'm thankful every day, and I enjoy every single day we're out here [on the road]."

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Former METAL CHURCH drummer Stet Howland says that he is "100%" in agreement with the band's former singer Marc Lopes after the vocalist described METAL CHURCH as "a shit show" and blasted the group's founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof over the way METAL CHURCH's recent lineup changes were handled.

Stet, an in-demand metal drummer who has also pounded the skins for W.A.S.P., BLACKFOOT and Lita Ford, briefly addressed his eight-year stint with METAL CHURCH in a social media post earlier today (Sunday, January 11),Howland wrote in part : "I have to release a statement regarding the METAL CHURCH situation. I know it's overdue, I've just been too busy with positivity and making money to deal with negativity & drama. But after seeing recent [METAL CHURCH] interviews, Marc's statement, and Kurdt's response. There's clearly MANY things that need to be said. But in short, Marc was 100% accurate. Tho[ugh] he barely shared the tip of the iceberg of the bullshit, and he was much more kind than I'm going to be. There's truths that need to be told and facts that need to be shared. I'll be as kind as I can, but I'll be dissecting and explaining a shitshow. Hang tight, you'll see it right here very soon."

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. In addition to Lopes, the band's lineup on METAL CHURCH's 2023 album "Congregation Of Annihilation" — Marc's sole release with the group — was rounded out by Vanderhoof, Howland, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt and bassist Steve Unger.

Last November, it was announced that METAL CHURCH was returning with a "revitalized" lineup consisting of Vanderhoof alongside Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). The announcement came nearly two years after METAL CHURCH canceled its 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by Vanderhoof.

Earlier in the month, Lopes reflected on how he found out he was no longer a member of METAL CHURCH during an appearance on The Big Truth Podcast. The singer said: "For most of 2025 nobody knew what was going on with METAL CHURCH.

"When METAL CHURCH canceled the tour in 2024, there was a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we didn't make public, obviously," he continued. "People get mad, people have disagreements, and we kind of just let things lay for where they were in hopes that maybe we could have a conversation, like adults should. If there's a disagreement, resolve it one way or the other, whether it's yes or no, or whatever the case may be. But there was no communication for that whole time. And I did a lot of interviews and a lot of people would always ask [about METAL CHURCH's status], and when I said I didn't know it was, it was the truth — I did not know.

"The last thing that I had heard… I kind of gotta be honest and be 100% honest, there was definitely some half truths to what was going on, and I went along with it only because I didn't feel… I still felt that there needed to be conversations before anything could be said," Lopes explained. "So, I had a lot of… I definitely wasn't a happy person. [Laughs] So, personally, I had to deal with a lot of inner demons when it comes to that stuff, because I worked so hard, and to just not get any kind of respect of an answer for anything, no matter what it was after the amount of work that I put into that band, that didn't go over too well with me for a long time. So, that was always in the back of my mind. I wish it wouldn't have overtaken me as much as it did, but my passion for what I do is so intense, that's the part that bothered me. Financially, that sucked too, but [I knew I would be able to] make it up in other ways. So it really wasn't that."

Circling back to how he learned about METAL CHURCH moving forward with a new lineup, Marc added: "In a nutshell, now we've come out to where we are now, it's basically no integrity. The cowardice of not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad, it didn't matter, in my book, that doesn't work… That doesn't fly. If there's an issue, no matter what it is, either you freaking take it out in the school yard, so to say, or you have that discussion and each person goes 'fuck you' and that's the end of it. But when that doesn't even happen, that's a tough nail to bite. And then, obviously, the conclusion of it is to find out everything on the Internet. That was the ultimate 'fuck you'. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time. [Laughs]

"But, yeah, so that was a big, huge thing," Lopes said. "And thankfully, I was still able to play and do stuff with ROSS [THE BOSS], which I'm eternally grateful for, and it was awesome. But, yeah, it definitely was a rough year coming off the tail end of that. And then, obviously, towards the end of the year when all that other stuff came out, I definitely wouldn't say I would wanna be in the same room as me. But we got through it and it's all cool."

Asked later in the interview if there was still any "movement on METAL CHURCH" or whether he has closed the door on any further involvement with the band, Marc responded:  "Oh, no, dude. They announced a whole new lineup, new single, new album. Oh, yeah. That's all done. They totally bamboozled us. And, yeah, it's pretty, pretty disgusting what happened.

"It's kind of funny," Lopes continued. "Obviously, somebody always likes to tag you on something [on social media] and I saw one comment that made me fucking laugh. They're, like, 'Oh, he knew, and he's just playing victim.' I'm, like, 'Listen, motherfucker, you have no fucking idea, 'cause you're not in it. You're not involved in it. And I can tell you right now, right fucking right here, I'm not playing victim.' Fucking victim of what? That whole thing was a shit show from day one, if you wanna know the truth. But to not have conversations and get totally slighted like that, especially in public, and then saying that we quit?! Nobody fucking quit. Nobody was fired. You just threw it under the table. 'They're not gonna [notice]. No one's gonna notice.' [Laughs] And you know what? Honestly, that's the only thing that bothered me. You think that you are working with people that are supposed to be comrades, you're with them on tour day to day, and then they just totally blow you off and disregard, like not even having a conversation to even say, 'Hey, look, you know what?! We're gonna go in another direction,' or, 'We don't agree with this or what that was.' But not to have that?

"Let's just put it this way, it was business, business — that's all I'm gonna say — it was business that the whole thing started to crumble," Marc added. "And it didn't have to end like that. But you know what?! Hey, whatever. The thing is this, like I said. And the fans are gonna go. They're gonna go. If they're happy, that's cool. Great. I'm grateful for what I did while I was there. Everybody was awesome. I thank them, and the support was awesome. And I did what I had to do. One and done. The album did great. It got great reviews. The tours were awesome. I have no regret in any of that. [Do] I wish it would've went down different? Absolutely. You know what I mean?! But the moral of that story is communication is very important in everything. A lot of those things could have been avoided just by having a simple conversation. But when certain parties don't wanna even deal with it and they just want to take their ball and go home?! So there it is. What can you do? And that's the honest truth. I mean, that's as far as I'm getting into it right now. But that's where it's at. Go enjoy the new record. Do what you want. But I'm not there. [Laughs] … I'm being nice. [Laughs] I just hope we're never on the same show with them. [Laughs]"

On January 9, Kurdt released a statement apparently addressing Marc's comments. The guitarist took to the METAL CHURCH social media to write: "Hey friends! As with any band, sometimes things just stop working and you have to move on, no matter what the cost and no matter what people are going to say or think about you, including former bandmates. It's just that simple.

"I am continuing to do what I've been doing since I formed METAL CHURCH 46 years ago, writing albums and releasing music. If you love that, great, if not, that's ok too. If you love any of the former band members, that's also great, then go support their musical endeavors and be thankful for new music. I personally have nothing negative to say about them, I wish them all the luck. I'm just happy to be where I am at now, with great musicians that I respect and I look forward to performing live with. That's all I have to say about it."

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

"Congregation Of Annihilation" came out on May 26, 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in February 2023, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice. Both [late METAL CHURCH singer] David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix. Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs."

Kurdt addressed the dissolution of the METAL CHURCH lineup that recorded "Congregation Of Annihilation" and the band's eventual "resurrection" during a December 2025 appearance on "The David Ellefson Show" podcast. He stated at the time: "Well, it was a couple years ago, after we just did our Australia run. And when we came back, things just really fell apart. Stet quit, Stet left, 'cause he wasn't happy with the way business was going. The other two guys kind of felt the same. I felt the same for different reasons, and for me, it was, like, 'This isn't any fun and this is no good.' And at my age, at this many years of doing this, if it's not fun. I'm out. If there's just drama and stuff like that, I'm just not interested. So I let everyone know, 'Hey, I'm shutting this down. Sorry. I'm done with this. This is not working.' And, basically, I thought we were done. And then about a year and a half later, just out of the blue, these opportunities [came up] with people that were interested that would be a good fit if I was to resurrect the band, and it kind of resurrected itself."

In November 2025, the new METAL CHURCH lineup released its first single, "F.A.F.O.". The track was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed/mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z. Those sessions have now evolved into a brand-new METAL CHURCH album, set for release in 2026 via Rat Pak Records. Additional details will be announced soon.

In a May 2023 interview with News-Press, Stet addressed METAL CHURCH's decision to carry on after Howe's death, saying: "We were devastated over losing Mike, obviously. We were all shut down for a minute. We didn't declare ourselves done (as a band),but we couldn't talk about moving forward, you know?"

As for Marc's addition to METAL CHURCH, Stet stated at the time: "He's been a dear friend of mine for decades. We grew up in Massachusetts near each other. Great, great friend, and I just knew he was the guy."

Good morning rockers! I want to start my day with wishing one of my best buddies (and badmate) Paul Coleman a very happy...

Posted by Stet Howland on Sunday, January 11, 2026

METAL CHURCH's founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof has released a statement apparently addressing recent comments by the band's former singer Marc Lopes in which the vocalist referred to METAL CHURCH as "a shit show" and lamented the lack of "respect" Marc was given after he after recording just one album with the veteran metal band, 2023's "Congregation Of Annihilation".

Earlier today (Friday, January 9),Kurdt posted the following message on the METAL CHURCH social media: "Hey friends! As with any band, sometimes things just stop working and you have to move on, no matter what the cost and no matter what people are going to say or think about you, including former bandmates. It's just that simple.

"I am continuing to do what I've been doing since I formed METAL CHURCH 46 years ago, writing albums and releasing music. If you love that, great, if not, that's ok too. If you love any of the former band members, that's also great, then go support their musical endeavors and be thankful for new music. I personally have nothing negative to say about them, I wish them all the luck. I'm just happy to be where I am at now, with great musicians that I respect and I look forward to performing live with. That's all I have to say about it."

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's lineup on "Congregation Of Annihilation" was rounded out by Vanderhoof, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Last November, it was announced that METAL CHURCH was returning with a "revitalized" lineup consisting of Vanderhoof alongside Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). The announcement came nearly two years after METAL CHURCH canceled its 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by Vanderhoof.

Lopes reflected on how he found out he was no longer a member of METAL CHURCH during an appearance on the latest episode of The Big Truth Podcast. The singer said: "For most of 2025 nobody knew what was going on with METAL CHURCH.

"When METAL CHURCH canceled the tour in 2024, there was a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we didn't make public, obviously," he continued. "People get mad, people have disagreements, and we kind of just let things lay for where they were in hopes that maybe we could have a conversation, like adults should. If there's a disagreement, resolve it one way or the other, whether it's yes or no, or whatever the case may be. But there was no communication for that whole time. And I did a lot of interviews and a lot of people would always ask [about METAL CHURCH's status], and when I said I didn't know it was, it was the truth — I did not know.

"The last thing that I had heard… I kind of gotta be honest and be 100% honest, there was definitely some half truths to what was going on, and I went along with it only because I didn't feel… I still felt that there needed to be conversations before anything could be said," Lopes explained. "So, I had a lot of… I definitely wasn't a happy person. [Laughs] So, personally, I had to deal with a lot of inner demons when it comes to that stuff, because I worked so hard, and to just not get any kind of respect of an answer for anything, no matter what it was after the amount of work that I put into that band, that didn't go over too well with me for a long time. So, that was always in the back of my mind. I wish it wouldn't have overtaken me as much as it did, but my passion for what I do is so intense, that's the part that bothered me. Financially, that sucked too, but [I knew I would be able to] make it up in other ways. So it really wasn't that."

Circling back to how he learned about METAL CHURCH moving forward with a new lineup, Marc added: "In a nutshell, now we've come out to where we are now, it's basically no integrity. The cowardice of not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad, it didn't matter, in my book, that doesn't work… That doesn't fly. If there's an issue, no matter what it is, either you freaking take it out in the school yard, so to say, or you have that discussion and each person goes 'fuck you' and that's the end of it. But when that doesn't even happen, that's a tough nail to bite. And then, obviously, the conclusion of it is to find out everything on the Internet. That was the ultimate 'fuck you'. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time. [Laughs]

"But, yeah, so that was a big, huge thing," Lopes said. "And thankfully, I was still able to play and do stuff with ROSS [THE BOSS], which I'm eternally grateful for, and it was awesome. But, yeah, it definitely was a rough year coming off the tail end of that. And then, obviously, towards the end of the year when all that other stuff came out, I definitely wouldn't say I would wanna be in the same room as me. But we got through it and it's all cool."

Asked later in the interview if there was still any "movement on METAL CHURCH" or whether he has closed the door on any further involvement with the band, Marc responded:  "Oh, no, dude. They announced a whole new lineup, new single, new album. Oh, yeah. That's all done. They totally bamboozled us. And, yeah, it's pretty, pretty disgusting what happened.

"It's kind of funny," Lopes continued. "Obviously, somebody always likes to tag you on something [on social media] and I saw one comment that made me fucking laugh. They're, like, 'Oh, he knew, and he's just playing victim.' I'm, like, 'Listen, motherfucker, you have no fucking idea, 'cause you're not in it. You're not involved in it. And I can tell you right now, right fucking right here, I'm not playing victim.' Fucking victim of what? That whole thing was a shit show from day one, if you wanna know the truth. But to not have conversations and get totally slighted like that, especially in public, and then saying that we quit?! Nobody fucking quit. Nobody was fired. You just threw it under the table. 'They're not gonna [notice]. No one's gonna notice.' [Laughs] And you know what? Honestly, that's the only thing that bothered me. You think that you are working with people that are supposed to be comrades, you're with them on tour day to day, and then they just totally blow you off and disregard, like not even having a conversation to even say, 'Hey, look, you know what?! We're gonna go in another direction,' or, 'We don't agree with this or what that was.' But not to have that?

"Let's just put it this way, it was business, business — that's all I'm gonna say — it was business that the whole thing started to crumble," Marc added. "And it didn't have to end like that. But you know what?! Hey, whatever. The thing is this, like I said. And the fans are gonna go. They're gonna go. If they're happy, that's cool. Great. I'm grateful for what I did while I was there. Everybody was awesome. I thank them, and the support was awesome. And I did what I had to do. One and done. The album did great. It got great reviews. The tours were awesome. I have no regret in any of that. [Do] I wish it would've went down different? Absolutely. You know what I mean?! But the moral of that story is communication is very important in everything. A lot of those things could have been avoided just by having a simple conversation. But when certain parties don't wanna even deal with it and they just want to take their ball and go home?! So there it is. What can you do? And that's the honest truth. I mean, that's as far as I'm getting into it right now. But that's where it's at. Go enjoy the new record. Do what you want. But I'm not there. [Laughs] … I'm being nice. [Laughs] I just hope we're never on the same show with them. [Laughs]"

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

"Congregation Of Annihilation" came out on May 26, 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in February 2023, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice. Both [late METAL CHURCH singer] David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix. Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs."

Kurdt addressed the dissolution of the METAL CHURCH lineup that recorded "Congregation Of Annihilation" and the band's eventual "resurrection" during a December 2025 appearance on "The David Ellefson Show" podcast. He stated at the time: "Well, it was a couple years ago, after we just did our Australia run. And when we came back, things just really fell apart. Stet quit, Stet left, 'cause he wasn't happy with the way business was going. The other two guys kind of felt the same. I felt the same for different reasons, and for me, it was, like, 'This isn't any fun and this is no good.' And at my age, at this many years of doing this, if it's not fun. I'm out. If there's just drama and stuff like that, I'm just not interested. So I let everyone know, 'Hey, I'm shutting this down. Sorry. I'm done with this. This is not working.' And, basically, I thought we were done. And then about a year and a half later, just out of the blue, these opportunities [came up] with people that were interested that would be a good fit if I was to resurrect the band, and it kind of resurrected itself."

In November 2025, the new METAL CHURCH lineup released its first single, "F.A.F.O.". The track was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed/mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z. Those sessions have now evolved into a brand-new METAL CHURCH album, set for release in 2026 via Rat Pak Records. Additional details will be announced soon.

Hey friends! As with any band, sometimes things just stop working and you have to move-on, no matter what the cost and...

Posted by Metal Church on Friday, January 9, 2026

During an appearance on the latest episode of The Big Truth Podcast, singer Marc Lopes opened up about his departure from METAL CHURCH after recording just one album with the veteran metal band, 2023's "Congregation Of Annihilation".

Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Mike Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. The band's lineup on "Congregation Of Annihilation" was rounded out by founding guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof, longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bassist Steve Unger and drummer Stet Howland.

Last November, it was announced that METAL CHURCH was returning with a "revitalized" lineup consisting of Vanderhoof alongside Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). The announcement came nearly two years after METAL CHURCH canceled its 2024 tour dates due to "an ongoing back issue" suffered by Vanderhoof.

Reflecting on how he found out he was no longer a member of METAL CHURCH, Lopes told The Big Truth Podcast: "For most of 2025 nobody knew what was going on with METAL CHURCH.

"When METAL CHURCH canceled the tour in 2024, there was a lot of things going on behind the scenes that we didn't make public, obviously," he continued. "People get mad, people have disagreements, and we kind of just let things lay for where they were in hopes that maybe we could have a conversation, like adults should. If there's a disagreement, resolve it one way or the other, whether it's yes or no, or whatever the case may be. But there was no communication for that whole time. And I did a lot of interviews and a lot of people would always ask [about METAL CHURCH's status], and when I said I didn't know it was, it was the truth — I did not know.

"The last thing that I had heard… I kind of gotta be honest and be 100% honest, there was definitely some half truths to what was going on, and I went along with it only because I didn't feel… I still felt that there needed to be conversations before anything could be said," Lopes explained. "So, I had a lot of… I definitely wasn't a happy person. [Laughs] So, personally, I had to deal with a lot of inner demons when it comes to that stuff, because I worked so hard, and to just not get any kind of respect of an answer for anything, no matter what it was after the amount of work that I put into that band, that didn't go over too well with me for a long time. So, that was always in the back of my mind. I wish it wouldn't have overtaken me as much as it did, but my passion for what I do is so intense, that's the part that bothered me. Financially, that sucked too, but [I knew I would be able to] make it up in other ways. So it really wasn't that."

Circling back to how he learned about METAL CHURCH moving forward with a new lineup, Marc added: "In a nutshell, now we've come out to where we are now, it's basically no integrity. The cowardice of not confronting any of the issues, whether good or bad, it didn't matter, in my book, that doesn't work… That doesn't fly. If there's an issue, no matter what it is, either you freaking take it out in the school yard, so to say, or you have that discussion and each person goes 'fuck you' and that's the end of it. But when that doesn't even happen, that's a tough nail to bite. And then, obviously, the conclusion of it is to find out everything on the Internet. That was the ultimate 'fuck you'. And that does not bide well with me personally, which will be addressed in another time. [Laughs]

"But, yeah, so that was a big, huge thing," Lopes said. "And thankfully, I was still able to play and do stuff with ROSS [THE BOSS], which I'm eternally grateful for, and it was awesome. But, yeah, it definitely was a rough year coming off the tail end of that. And then, obviously, towards the end of the year when all that other stuff came out, I definitely wouldn't say I would wanna be in the same room as me. But we got through it and it's all cool."

Asked later in the interview if there was still any "movement on METAL CHURCH" or whether he has closed the door on any further involvement with the band, Marc responded:  "Oh, no, dude. They announced a whole new lineup, new single, new album. Oh, yeah. That's all done. They totally bamboozled us. And, yeah, it's pretty, pretty disgusting what happened.

"It's kind of funny," Lopes continued. "Obviously, somebody always likes to tag you on something [on social media] and I saw one comment that made me fucking laugh. They're, like, 'Oh, he knew, and he's just playing victim.' I'm, like, 'Listen, motherfucker, you have no fucking idea, 'cause you're not in it. You're not involved in it. And I can tell you right now, right fucking right here, I'm not playing victim.' Fucking victim of what? That whole thing was a shit show from day one, if you wanna know the truth. But to not have conversations and get totally slighted like that, especially in public, and then saying that we quit?! Nobody fucking quit. Nobody was fired. You just threw it under the table. 'They're not gonna [notice]. No one's gonna notice.' [Laughs] And you know what? Honestly, that's the only thing that bothered me. You think that you are working with people that are supposed to be comrades, you're with them on tour day to day, and then they just totally blow you off and disregard, like not even having a conversation to even say, 'Hey, look, you know what?! We're gonna go in another direction,' or, 'We don't agree with this or what that was.' But not to have that?

"Let's just put it this way, it was business, business — that's all I'm gonna say — it was business that the whole thing started to crumble," Marc added. "And it didn't have to end like that. But you know what?! Hey, whatever. The thing is this, like I said. And the fans are gonna go. They're gonna go. If they're happy, that's cool. Great. I'm grateful for what I did while I was there. Everybody was awesome. I thank them, and the support was awesome. And I did what I had to do. One and done. The album did great. It got great reviews. The tours were awesome. I have no regret in any of that. [Do] I wish it would've went down different? Absolutely. You know what I mean?! But the moral of that story is communication is very important in everything. A lot of those things could have been avoided just by having a simple conversation. But when certain parties don't wanna even deal with it and they just want to take their ball and go home?! So there it is. What can you do? And that's the honest truth. I mean, that's as far as I'm getting into it right now. But that's where it's at. Go enjoy the new record. Do what you want. But I'm not there. [Laughs] … I'm being nice. [Laughs] I just hope we're never on the same show with them. [Laughs]"

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

"Congregation Of Annihilation" came out on May 26, 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

When Lopes's addition to METAL CHURCH was first announced in February 2023, Vanderhoof wrote in a social media post: "We auditioned a handful of vocalists and while they were all great, Marc quickly became the clear choice. Both [late METAL CHURCH singer] David Wayne and Mike Howe had a very unique, irreplaceable quality to their voices, so we were not looking for a clone of either. We wanted someone new, who could embrace the past, and also bring something fresh and exciting to the mix. Marc brings a very classic yet modern feel to the songs."

Kurdt addressed the dissolution of the METAL CHURCH lineup that recorded "Congregation Of Annihilation" and the band's eventual "resurrection" during a December 2025 appearance on "The David Ellefson Show" podcast. He stated at the time: "Well, it was a couple years ago, after we just did our Australia run. And when we came back, things just really fell apart. Stet quit, Stet left, 'cause he wasn't happy with the way business was going. The other two guys kind of felt the same. I felt the same for different reasons, and for me, it was, like, 'This isn't any fun and this is no good.' And at my age, at this many years of doing this, if it's not fun. I'm out. If there's just drama and stuff like that, I'm just not interested. So I let everyone know, 'Hey, I'm shutting this down. Sorry. I'm done with this. This is not working.' And, basically, I thought we were done. And then about a year and a half later, just out of the blue, these opportunities [came up] with people that were interested that would be a good fit if I was to resurrect the band, and it kind of resurrected itself."

In November 2025, the new METAL CHURCH lineup released its first single, "F.A.F.O.". The track was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed/mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z. Those sessions have now evolved into a brand-new METAL CHURCH album, set for release in 2026 via Rat Pak Records. Additional details will be announced soon.

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach once again addressed his claim that he was asked to replace Vince Neil in MÖTLEY CRÜE more than three decades ago.

Neil was fired from MÖTLEY CRÜE in 1992 due to personal differences and was replaced by John Corabi. With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top-Ten placing on the album chart.

Reflecting on how close he came to joining MÖTLEY CRÜE, Bach told The Metal Voice (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I was never in the band, but I rehearsed with the band. I rehearsed with them, and Nikki [Sixx, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] asked me to join the band at the rehearsal in front of everybody. And then we had phone calls about that in the weeks after that, with Doug Thaler, the [then-MÖTLEY CRÜE] manager. And then it came down to the fact that Atlantic Records [SKID ROW's record label] would not let that happen. So, nothing happened. But I definitely rehearsed with them, and there's an MTV interview with them where they say the same thing."

After interviewer Jimmy Kay noted that Sebastian "had the vocal power to actually do something special" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, Sebastian said: "Well, I'm always gonna be a fan of that music no matter what, so… But I'm very happy for Vince. Vince Neil's the singer of MÖTLEY CRÜE. And he's been through having strokes and everything and he's still gonna be going on tour, so way to go, Vince."

Bach's comments come more than a decade after he and Sixx traded online barbs over his claim that he came close to joining MÖTLEY CRÜE. After Bach revealed in a a three-word tweet to a fan on August 29, 2013 that he was asked to join MÖTLEY CRÜE more than three decades ago, Sixx quickly retorted that Bach's version of events never happened. Sebastian then took to his Facebook page to describe in some detail the circumstances behind his being asked to join the CRÜE, which included taking part in a full day's rehearsal with the band and a slew of phone calls between various managers, agents and label executives. "I was driven to rehearsal by Tommy Lee, and I spent a full day singing the MÖTLEY CRÜE set with the band MÖTLEY CRÜE," Bach wrote. "I remember the songs that Nikki asked me to sing that day. I remember the whole road crew's ecstatic reaction to us jamming together all day. And I remember Nikki's very generous, kind offer, at the end of our rehearsal, for me to join the band MÖTLEY CRÜE. I remember his exact words that he said to me in front of his whole road crew, Tommy and Mick [Mars] as well. It's not every day that your hero asks you to join his band."

Bach didn't reveal the full details of what went down that day, promising his Facebook followers that he would "tell the complete story of Nikki offering me to join MÖTLEY CRÜE in my upcoming book, which will be arriving on bookshelves soon," apparently refencing his autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", which came out in December 2016 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books),an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

He added: "I am not simply 'making this up'… I am not a liar. I am working on my book right now and I look forward to you all reading it. I plan on my book having even more information in it than one of my tweets does."

On September 13, 2013, Nikki tweeted what appeared to be a short response to Bach's online rant: "Someone needs attention to try and sell some books." He then added: "I always liked the term 'washed up.'"

In a 1994 interview with Riki Rachtman of MTV's "Headbangers Ball", Sixx stated about how Corabi ended up joining MÖTLEY CRÜE: "We said we owed it to ourselves to at least see what it felt like [to have a different singer]. At times when Vince was out of town or off doing whatever he was into doing, Sebastian Bach would come down and hang out with us. And we'd be rehearsing. We need a singer to rehearse. So he'd sing. Steve Perry from JOURNEY came down one time just to hang out and meet everybody. And he was singing. So we kind of had a feeling what it would be like to have a different singer. And we said, the least we could do is try it on for size before we, you know, end it. And we met John [Corabi] and it was magic."