Marcie Free, best known as the lead singer of KING KOBRA, SIGNAL and UNRULY CHILD, has died at the age of 71.

Marcie's death was confirmed by UNRULY CHILD drummer Jay Schellen, who wrote on his Facebook page: "I just couldn't find the words last night when I heard the news that my loving friend and bandmate in UNRULY CHILD Marcie Free has passed. This is heartbreaking.

"Bruce [Gowdy, guitar], Guy [Allison, keyboards], Larry [Antonino, bass] all of which I hold dear as family are shattered for the loss of our Marcie. We began UC together in 1992 and continued our friendship and music making throughout these years to this day.

"Marcie was a marvel to behold. A voice that had no limits and no equal, a truly singular talent and one of the most open and beautiful souls I have ever known.

"I'm gutted and can't say much more.

"To my bandmates, Bruce, Guy, Larry, I love you guys, love to you too Marcie, you always were an Angel, now you have your wings."

Free's former KING KOBRA bandmate, legendary drummer Carmine Appice, commented on the singer's passing, writing on social media: "I am so sad that my good friend Marcie/Mark Free passed away. What a great person with the greatest voice. We have been friends since 1982 and we were still friends to this day.

"I don't know how she passed. I talked to her just 2-3 weeks ago and she seemed okay. I am really sorry about her passing.
The work she did as Mark Free with KING KOBRA was amazing.

"We are doing a new KING KOBRA song called 'Chances', an AIR SUPPLY song. I want to dedicate it to Marcie because we started KING KOBRA together, and this is also part of her legacy.

"RIP my good friend. I'm so sorry you're gone".

Marcie, who was previously known as Mark Free, contributed lead vocals to the first two KING KOBRA albums, "Ready To Strike" and "Thrill Of A Lifetime", before leaving the band in 1986. Free later released two albums with the band SIGNAL, "Loud & Clear" (1989) and "Signal Live" (2000),as well as two solo records, "Long Way From Love" as Mark Free in 1993 and "Tormented" as Marcie Free in 1996.

According to Wikipedia, Free came out as a trans woman in November 1993. Free experienced gender dysphoria prior to her transition and changed her name to Marcie Michelle Free. Free stated that prior to her transition, she struggled with self-harm ideation and that transitioning was a "[decision] between life and death," but "very rewarding," and that "[if she] would've continued [her] life as Mark [she] would have died for sure."

After Free came out as transgender, her career suffered and "[her] whole musical world quickly fell apart," and she cited her post-transition career struggles as one reason for the temporary dissolution of UNRULY CHILD. Free also stated that people in the music industry with whom she had prior connections shunned her after her transition.

After disbanding around 1993, UNRULY CHILD reunited to produce a new album for Frontiers in 2010, with subsequent releases following in 2014, 2017, 2019 and 2020.

I just couldn’t find the words last night when I heard the news that my loving friend and bandmate in Unruly Child...

Posted by Jay Schellen on Friday, October 24, 2025

I’m am so sad that my good friend Marcie /Mark Free past away. What a great person with the greatest voice. We have been...

Posted by Carmine Appice on Friday, October 24, 2025

In an interview with Australia's The Rockpit, vocalist Mike Muir of crossover thrash veterans SUICIDAL TENDENCIES was asked how close a new album from him and his bandmates is to being released. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the irony is the next record is gonna be — I just signed with BMG — and it's gonna be a CYCO MIKO record [referencing the moniker under which Mike releases solo albums] coming out the beginning of next year. But it's actually kind of a little bit of new stuff or unreleased things from all the different projects and bands I've been in and some things that are done differently and some stuff that's very different in a lot of ways. And I think it probably sums up what I like about music and kind of the way I go about it. It's like a rollercoaster, a chaotic rollercoaster, of a lot of what people would probably think is confusion, but I think it makes a lot of sense to me. And with SUICIDAL, it'll probably be out later next year."

Asked what the secret to his longevity is, Mike said:  "Um, well, I think now a lot of it is — I mean, people talk about, especially nowadays, the mental and the physical thing. And physically, my dad used to always say, 'Sweat don't lie.' And to do what I want to do, music moves me — music that I like moves me physically, moves me mentally. And you have to have your mind kind of clean and you have to have your body clean. And so I learned from a lot of people's mistakes, decisions that they made that they can't take back. And so I try to take care of myself. And I think that's a big part. I found, even when I was young, a lot of my friends got that premature old bitter kind of thing and could really, really verbalize their unhappiness but they couldn't put any actions to change it. And that kind of really always stuck out and annoyed me. And so I used to, to a certain degree, try to keep my unhappiness to myself and try to use that more as motivation. But I think in the same sense, too, you should never feel bad about feeling good about something. And so I'm not the happiest, naturally joyful person, I'm not the most social, but in the same sense with this particular tour, I'm very excited about it. And I think it's amazing to be doing it this long, to be my age, to be alive and to be happy with where I'm at. And there'll be a lot of things that aren't ideal — setting up the tour, there's a lot of things that are difficult or whatever, and we don't have the big corporate entity behind us handling things. But we're all friends and family, and we do the best we can and we pull together for each other, and that's the only way to do it."

Last month, Muir spoke the Hear 2 Zen podcast about SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' recently released single "Adrenaline Addict", which came out in April. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' first new song in seven years features Muir alongside longtime guitarist Dean Pleasants, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Tye Trujillo (son of METALLICA's Robert Trujillo) and former SLIPKNOT drummer Jay Weinberg. The track also includes guest vocals from singer Nisha Star. Asked if the arrival of "Adrenaline Addict" means that "this is the beginning of a run of new singles" from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, Muir said: "It's kind of long and convoluted, [like] everything with SUICIDAL is. This song originally is doing this thing with Josh Paul, who was our old bass player, and with Nisha. And so lyrically it's actually very SUICIDAL, and we played it for some people they thought it was SUICIDAL. And then I did it and tried to sing like on Nisha's part and it just did not sound right and it did not have the same lyrical kind of meaning and stuff too. And so we were able to put that out for the [SUICIDAL TENDENCIES] tour, and it's gonna be on a CYCO MIKO record."

Elaborating on what fans can expect to hear on the upcoming CYCO MIKO LP, Mike said: "The CYCO MIKO record's gonna have some new SUICIDAL, new INFECTIOUS GROOVES, different projects and different things that I've done, all these different songs in different ways for a song, like I'm singing in Spanish, and also with Robert Trujillo of METALLICA helping me sing on that and putting me to shame. But all kinds of different things. And it's kind of a rollercoaster that probably should have been condemned, but it's a hell of a lot of fun to ride, if you're not scared of falling off. And so it's fun. So that'll be out the beginning of next year. And then SUICIDAL, the actual SUICIDAL record will be out after that. And there'll be a couple of SUICIDAL tracks on the CYCO MIKO."

Under the CYCO MIKO moniker, Muir has released three albums so far, 1995's "Lost My Brain! (Once Again)", 2011's "The Mad Mad Muir Musical Tour (Part One)" and 1999's "Schizophrenic Born Again Problem Child", which was a split record that also included tracks from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, NO MERCY and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES supported METALLICA on the 2025 North American leg of the latter band's "M72" world tour.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' latest album, "Still Cyco Punk After All These Years", was released in 2018 via Suicidal Records. A reworking of Muir's 1996 solo outing "Lost My Brain! (Once Again)", "Still Cyco Punk" featured founding SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo.

In 2023, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES celebrated the 40th anniversary of their debut album on a number of shows in the fall, including in New York City; Silver Spring, Maryland; Worcester, Massachusetts; and Berkeley, California. SUICIDAL TENDENCIES also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the LP on a tour of Australia.

STORY OF THE YEAR will release a new studio album, "A.R.S.O.N.", on February 13, 2026 via SharpTone Records. The first single off the record, "Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)" , can be streamed below.

One of the group's heaviest releases to date, "Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)" sets the tone for what fans can expect from the new LP. The track is a fiery manifesto about total destruction with no regrets, emphasized by distorted guitars, a hardcore breakdown and screaming vocals that don't hold back.

"'Gasoline' is a song about hitting your breaking point and saying fuck everything," explains STORY OF THE YEAR guitarist Ryan Phillips. "It's about being wild and reckless, and giving into the impulse to burn it all down and start anew."

"A.R.S.O.N." marks the next evolution of STORY OF THE YEAR's signature sound and raw, personal lyricism — elements that have earned the band a dedicated global following. An acronym for "All Rage, Still Only Numb", the album channels their trademark energy into a powerful exploration of anxiety, emotional turmoil and inner darkness. With a dynamic blend of modern post-hardcore, polished production, and nods to their emo roots, "A.R.S.O.N." delivers a compelling, storied sonic journey through the fight to make it through this life.

"In a lot of ways, 'A.R.S.O.N.' picks up where 'Tear Me To Pieces' left off," shares the band. "We used the same team — Colin Brittain producing again, with the main objective of simply writing great songs. Nothing was forced, no trends were chased, it was simply about getting to the essence of what makes STORY OF THE YEAR sound like STORY OF THE YEAR: Big guitars, snappy drums, and Dan's ability to seamlessly oscillate between screaming and singing songs about desperation, loss, and the complexity of relationships."

STORY OF THE YEAR exploded on to the scene with its groundbreaking debut "Page Avenue", one of the first albums of its kind to sell over a million copies. The breakout single "Until The Day I Die" quickly became both an enduring anthem and a mission statement for the band. What began as four friends working in a St. Louis pizza joint evolved into a movement, connecting deeply with fans through every era. From "Page Avenue" (2003) to "In The Wake Of Determination" (2005),"The Black Swan" (2008),"The Constant" (2010),"Wolves" (2017) and "Tear Me To Pieces" (2023) the band, comprised of Dan Marsala, Ryan Phillips, Josh Wills, and Adam Russell, has delivered a signature blend of melodic aggression, raw vulnerability, and anthems built to scream along to in the dark.

"A.R.S.O.N." track listing:

01. Gasoline (All Rage Still Only Numb)
02. Disconnected
03. See Through
04. Fall Away
05. 3 AM
06. Into The Dark
07. My Religion
08. Halos
09. Good For Me / Feel So Bad
10. Better Than High
11. I Don't Wanna Feel Like This Anymore

The "A.R.S.O.N." cover art was created by Marcus Wallinder and can be seen below.

Tomorrow, the band kicks off an exciting rest of the year with a pre-festival performance at the Brooklyn Bowl in Las Vegas before performing at When We Were Young festival. In a few weeks, they'll take the stage at Warped Tour Orlando before joining co-headliners SENSES FAIL for the "Scream Tour", hitting cities across the United States to close out the year. They'll kick off 2026 by joining the traveling Park Waves festival, performing across Australia with PARKWAY DRIVE, THE AMITY AFFLICTION, NORTHLANE and more.

Photo credit: Ryan Smith

Grammy- and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame–nominated rock band THE BLACK CROWES perform their acclaimed 1994 album "Amorica" in a brand-new episode of "Recorded Live At Analog", presented by United Family of Cards from Chase. The PBS series, filmed at Analog in Nashville, highlights a wide range of music genres including rock, Americana, country and jazz.

Led by founding brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, THE BLACK CROWES revive "Amorica" on the Analog stage in episode seven of season two for an exclusive audience of fans and United Cardmembers, sitting just inches away from the action. They shared stories behind many of their songs and played the album in full, including hits "Wiser Time", "P. 25 London", "A Conspiracy" and more, led by Chris Robinson's powerful rock vocals and the band's smooth and heavy rhythm and blues sound. The rollicking live show ended with an encore of Southern rock classic "Remedy". THE BLACK CROWES mark the 30th anniversary of their seminal album "Amorica" with a remastered, deluxe reissue featuring seven unreleased recordings, set for release November 14.

The performance is available to stream for free on YouTube starting today, Thursday, October 16, with national broadcasts airing on public television stations (check local listings). Produced by iMaggination, Inc. and presented on public television by WNPT Nashville PBS, this special episode was directed by Pat Heaphy / LCM247.

"Revisiting 'Amorica' in Nashville felt like coming home… A chance to reconnect with a record that defined a chapter for us," says Chris Robinson. "It was great to be able to share it with fans in a way that felt so personal."

"Recorded Live At Analog" showcases live shows filmed at Analog inside of Nashville's Hutton Hotel, located just steps away from Music Row. Analog is an emblem of Nashville's creative spirit, designed to create a connection between artist and audience. State-of-the-art acoustics and a comfortable, up-close setting make for truly memorable moments. From legends to up-and-coming musicians, the Analog stage is a hub for Nashville's unrivaled music scene.

THE BLACK CROWES stand as one of rock and roll's most iconic and unapologetic bands, defined by raw energy, soulful swagger, and a catalog that has shaped generations. Since reuniting in 2019, the Robinson brothers have reignited the fire that first made them a global force, bringing their electrifying live show to more than 150 concerts across 20 countries worldwide. Their career has been marked by timeless records, unforgettable tours, and a fearless spirit that continues to inspire both fans and fellow musicians. In recent years, THE BLACK CROWES have been recognized with their first Grammy nomination in more than three decades for "Happiness Bastards" ("Best Rock Album") and a 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination. These milestones amplify their continued relevance and enduring impact. The band also commemorated the 25th anniversary of their historic performances with Jimmy Page by re-releasing the acclaimed live album "Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes: Live At The Greek" in March 2025. True to form, THE BLACK CROWES remain committed to delivering stripped-down, bare-boned rock and roll: gritty, loud, and in your face. No gloss, no glitter, just rhythm and blues at its very best.

EUROPE's founding guitarist and solo artist John Norum has signed a record deal with Frontiers Music Srl. He will shortly enter the studio to record his tenth solo album, marking an exciting new chapter in his career.

John's distinctive singing and guitar playing style, characterized by melodic solos with a characteristic writing style, highlights his ability to balance bluesy influences with classic hard rock. His virtuosic, soulful, and imaginative playing makes his solo work a rewarding listen for both fans and newcomers.

Norum released his first solo album, "Total Control", in 1987 and has made nine solo albums in total since then. His latest album, "Gone To Stay", came out in 2022.

John has been working with DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes, Don Dokken and many other top-notch musicians over the past years so international guest appearances are expected on the forthcoming album.

He will play live both as a solo artist and with EUROPE in 2026. EUROPE is currently recording its twelfth studio album and planning a "The Final Countdown" 40th-anniversary tour.

John expressed his enthusiasm for the Frontiers Music Srl signing by saying: "I'm thrilled to start my new solo project with the great people at Frontiers Music, a label I've known and appreciated for many years, and with whom I'll be working on the release of my tenth solo album. I'm super excited about the new songs, and I can't wait to get into the studio and start recording!"

Aldo Lonobile, head of A&R Europe at Frontiers Label Group, commented: "We're excited to welcome John Norum to the Frontiers Records family! An iconic guitarist and a true rock pioneer, John has crafted timeless anthems, and we can't wait to join forces for the next chapter of his career!"

Norwegian born and adopted by Sweden, John Norum grew up in a strong musical family. At the age of 10, he started learning guitar and, at 12, he founded his first band DRAGONFLY. At the age of 14, he was inducted into the professional music world, and he started recording and playing live with Swedish rocker Eddie Meduza. At 16, he was the guitarist and singer in the band WC with drummer Tony Niemistö (a.k.a. Tony Reno). Their following project FORCE was born when his friend Joakim Larsson (a.k.a. Joey Tempest) joined the band as a singer.

John helped the band shape their sound and with bass player John Léven joining the band, FORCE became EUROPE on the "Lucia Rock" in 1982, a competition for emergent rock bands held by Aftonbladet and Thomas Erdtman. The band won the contest and a contract with Hot Records for the recording of their first album, "Europe", which started their worldwide success.

With EUROPE, John has recorded nine studio and five live albums, toured the world and was awarded several times for best band and best album, as for "Comeback Of The Year" in 2015 by Classic Rock Roll Of Honour and for "Best Hard Rock / Metal Album" for "Walk The Earth" by Swedish Grammis in 2018, when EUROPE was also inducted into Swedish Music Hall Of Fame.

John's parallel solo projects started in 1987, after taking a break from EUROPE and moving to the USA, where he lived until EUROPE's reunion in 2003. In the U.S., he collaborated with well-known artists such as Hughes and Dokken and played in the American rock group DOKKEN. Many other collaborations are counted along the years with artists such as Michael Schenker and Mikkey Dee.

As a solo artist, John counts nine studio albums, a live album, a studio album with Don Dokken and one with DOKKEN. His distinctive singing and his guitar playing style that blends classic hard rock, blues and neo-classical influences and combines powerful riffs and melodic solos, are widely and consistently appreciated.

Photo credit: Tallee Savage

In a new interview with the Rock Fantasy Concert Shop, former DIO guitarist Tracy "G" Grijalva spoke about his latest project EL MARIACHI SEXORCISMO as well as the CD release of his instrumental record "Hand Of Time". Regarding the fact that his latest music is far removed from the heavy metal of his 1990s efforts, Tracy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "People think, especially fans that love heavy metal — nothing against them, of course; I love 'em and everything, I love people that love that kind of music — but they tend to be a little closed-minded and they think if you're playing in SLAYER or you're playing in MEGADETH or you're playing in METALLICA, that's the only music you listen to and that's the only music you can play. That's how they think. And they should open up and go, 'Well, wait a minute.' And I bet you 90 percent of those guys [in those bands], or me, of those guys, if you ask them, they like some stuff that you'd just be, like, 'Oh.' And then if they go further, if they do their own solo stuff away from their band, they might put out God knows what. And you might go, 'Oh, the guy is more than just what I'm seeing, what I know of.'"

Tracy continued: "Nothing against DIO and nothing against what I did with him — I love it more than anything. 'Strange Highways', 'Angry Machines', stuff [from] the era that I did, of course I'm proud of it, of course I love it and of course I put a hundred percent into it. Well, all right. All right then. What about this? You don't stop there. And you gotta keep going. And there was other stuff before that, and there was stuff after that. It doesn't mean that's all you are. But it's almost like the fans need an education or something. But who am I to [teach them about it]? I don't wanna say they're limited, they're limiting themselves with just thinking like that, but I feel they are. If they would just give stuff a chance."

Tracy played with DIO from 1993 to 1999 and was featured on two studio albums, "Strange Highways" and "Angry Machines", and one live album, "Inferno: Last In Live", as well as a concert film, "Live In London, Hammersmith Apollo 1993".

This past February, Tracy, who previously said that he left DIO in 1999 after he claimed he was "asked to play in a dual-guitar situation" in Ronnie James Dio's band, was asked by Chris Akin Presents why he never joined another nationally touring act after his departure from the legendary heavy metal singer's solo group. He responded: "'Cause of me. It was my decision. 'Cause I said, 'Okay, I was in DIO. [Ronnie James Dio is a] pretty great singer. [It] doesn't get much better than that. Should I seek out something' like you just said, 'something bigger?' I had too much stuff I wanted to say myself. And I was getting turned on to these little home studios. Now I can record stuff myself. I just wanted to sit in my room and record what's in my head and not have anybody tell me anything, basically. I wanted to do what I wanted to do, and I was kind of tired of being led around type of thing, being in somebody else's band. I did that. I did it the best I could until Ronnie wanted me — they wanted me to play with another guitar player. They didn't kick me out of the band. First they said, 'Well, Tracy, the record company, they wanna add one of our old guitar players.' Craig Goldy got the gig and he was one of their old guitar players. And they got [bassist] Jimmy Bain back too, cause those guys were part of the original DIO, and they wanted to sell more tickets because life is about money. The world is about money. The business is about money. I mean, that's why we're here, right? Well, no, but that's how the world looks at it, right? Me, I'm, like, the things I wanna say. So, I had already played lead guitar and did two or three albums with Ronnie, and now they wanted me to step in the back and let somebody more known, more known in DIO, like Craig Goldy play the solos, which I'm not even a fan of his — sorry, but I'm not even a fan of his. He's probably not a fan of mine [either]. So, oh, just to be a rock star and keep getting some money, I gotta stay in DIO? No. No. No. What's important to me is saying what I wanna say on the guitar. That's what I do."

Tracy previously reflected on the way he was let go from DIO's band several years ago in an interview with The Metalcast. He said: "One of the last things [Ronnie] said to me on the phone, he goes, 'I wish you were an ass.' He goes, 'I wish you were an ass. That way this would be a lot easier to do, but I really dig you and sorry to say, it has to end now because of powers that be.' So we got along. It wasn't like a big blowout or anything, no. It was just mutual respect and he just said a lot of his fans didn't dig what I was doing and his new record company wanted him to go back to one of his first guitar players, if he could. Vivian [Campbell] and him weren't getting along, so the next choice was Craig. And so he went to Craig. The label wanted him to play with guys he used to play with. He also brought back in Jimmy Bain when I left. It's all a business thing, 'cause they wanted more of the first guys so that they'd sell more tickets — the original DIO lineup. It's all about money to the business people — money, money, money. I don't think the albums after me sold way more than 'Strange Highways'. I really don't know, but I doubt if they did. They weren't any better. They weren't as good, as far as I'm concerned, but that's just me. But he has to go where his manager points him, and it's a business, unfortunately. I wish it was just people playing music, what they wanna play. But the business gets into it, and, 'Well, if you wanna get this record deal, you've gotta get rid of that guy 'cause Tracy's going the wrong way. Tracy's bringing all this weird new shit in and people don't dig that, so get rid of that guy.' That kind of vibe. So he apologized for that. And what he first wanted me to do was stay in the band and have Craig Goldy in the band too and just have me play rhythm guitar now. And I declined. I said, 'Ah, fuck that. What do I wanna do that for? I played lead guitar for six years. Now I'm gonna play rhythm just to stay in a band. Just to stay in Dio's band and be the rhythm guitar player.' I said, 'I'm better than that, as far as I'm concerned. So, no, thanks. No, thanks.' So then he had to let me go, 'cause I didn't wanna stand in the back and just play rhythm and let the Craig Goldy thing go. I don't even dig Craig Goldy's solo playing. I'm not even a fan of his. It'd be different if he was bringing in someone that I loved. I'd be, like, well, 'Let me think about it.' But he was gonna bring in someone that was, like — I'm not even a fan of his. He's not a fan of mine, I'm sure, but who cares? Whatever. But so I stepped out. I'm the one who said, 'No, I won't do that.' And then he said, 'Okay, let's forget we had this conversation and just go on.' And I said, 'Okay.' And then a week later he called again and said he's gotta let me go. So that's how it went."

In a short interview with the Instagram account of MEGADETH's mascot Vic Rattlehead, the band's leader Dave Mustaine spoke about MEGADETH's decision to play its latest single, "Tipping Point", live for the first time on October 14 at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, The Netherlands during the band's European tour as the support act for DISTURBED. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was a little nervous about playing it because we hadn't played it live yet. And I always get a little nervous whenever we play a song for the first time. But it went off without a hitch and the fans really liked it."

Mustaine continued: "I thought we were going to save it until we got to England [a week later], but we were so excited because of the fans, their approval of the song and how many people are really responding in a positive way for 'Tipping Point'. So we just couldn't wait anymore."

Prior to launching into "Tipping Point" at the Amsterdam show, Mustaine told the crowd: "So, we have a new record coming out. And we have a new single that's out right now. And we're gonna play that song the first time ever right now."

"Tipping Point" is the first single from MEGADETH's upcoming self-titled album, due on January 23, 2026. The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be released via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

The sonically explosive and lyrically unflinching "Tipping Point" kicks off with a thunderous guitar solo before Dave's iconic voice hauntingly kicks in. In the desolate but hopeful accompanying video, directed by Leonardo Liberti, Dave is locked up in a prison being tortured in extreme fashion, while the band performs in the same lock-up. In the end Dave perseveres evil and walks away into a new day.

"We all have different 'tipping points' and they may vary from day to day," Mustaine previously said about the track. "I think we’re all being pushed to the edge right now, and it's easy to lean into that feeling. But it's important not to let things get you down."

On August 14, MEGADETH announced that its upcoming LP will be the band's last. The Mustaine-led outfit will also embark on a farewell tour in 2026.

In a press release announcing MEGADETH's final album and farewell tour, Mustaine thanked fans for their commitment and love while celebrating the band's impact on the music world.

"There's so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional," Mustaine said. "Most of them don't get to go out on their own terms on top, and that's where I'm at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them."

He continued. "We can't wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it's now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it's now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it's our last studio album. We've made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour.

"Don't be mad, don't be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that's truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it's played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything."

For its final album, MEGADETH once again worked with Chris Rakestraw, a producer, mixer and engineer who previously worked on MEGADETH's last two LPs, the aforementioned "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" and 2016's "Dystopia".

Guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari joined MEGADETH two years ago. He stepped in as the replacement for Brazilian-born guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who announced in September 2023 that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland. It was later revealed that the now-38-year-old Finnish musician would continue to play guitar for MEGADETH for the foreseeable future, with Loureiro seemingly having no plans to return.

Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

Released in September 2022, MEGADETH's latest album, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!", sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked MEGADETH's eighth top 10-charting album.

MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown To Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).

Led by the growled vocals and razor-wire riffing of Mustaine, MEGADETH are one of the "Big Four" thrash titans. Shortly after being kicked out of METALLICA in 1983, Mustaine met bassist David Ellefson, and the pair bonded quickly, forming the core of MEGADETH. Drummer Gar Samuelson and guitarist Chris Poland later joined, and MEGADETH released their underground-hit debut "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" in 1985. Its follow-up, "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", solidified the band's status with sprawling yet tightly wound songs like the uneasy opener "Wake Up Dead" and the fiery title track.

"So Far, So Good... So What!", released in 1988, featured a new lineup as well as a thrashy cover of the SEX PISTOLS' "Anarchy In The U.K." and the anti-PMRC broadside "Hook In Mouth". In 1990 they released "Rust In Peace", with Nick Menza on drums and technical wizard Marty Friedman on guitar; songs such as "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" and "Hangar 18" blended pummeling riffs and suspicion-fueled lyrics with a stadium-rock ambition that matched the era's metal-embracing tendencies.

"Countdown To Extinction", released in 1992, and "Youthanasia", released in 1994, continued the band's dominance of metal and emergence in rock's mainstream, with the latter album's "À Tout Le Monde" being a rare thrash ballad. After a brief breakup in the early 2000s, MEGADETH returned as a de facto Mustaine solo project with 2004's "The System Has Failed". Ellefson rejoined in 2010 prior to the album "Th1rt3en" and remained in the MEGADETH lineup until 2021, when he was fired.

In addition to Mustaine and Mäntysaari, MEGADETH's current lineup includes drummer Dirk Verbeuren and bassist James LoMenzo.

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British heavy metal band VENGER, founded by SAXON guitarist Doug Scarratt and by James Fogarty (of OLD FOREST, formerly of IN THE WOODS),will release its debut studio album, "Times Of Legend", on January 9, 2026 via Silver Lining Music.

The Sven Rothe-produced music video for VENGER's first single, "From Worlds Unknown", can be seen below. "The song engages a subject Doug and I have a shared interest in which is Ufology," comments Fogarty. "It was written from the perspective of imagining that you were down by Stonehenge once and this UFO turned up but there's no one else there to witness it. And does that really matter? Ultimately, I don't think it does".

Written and produced by Scarratt and Fogarty, "Times Of Legend" offers an utterly refreshing reminder that endlessly engaging entertainment exists within the realms of history, folklore and fantasy.

"I like the idea that 'Times Of Legend' could be like a heavy metal version of those 1950s schoolboy books where every chapter was a different story," says Fogarty, "that each song is its own individual story and that listening to the whole album is giving people a collection of tales."

"We're both fans of cinema," furthers Scarratt, "so you've got all the classic horror movies in there as well as some historical elements too. I've always loved anything connected with fantasy and movies, we're surrounded by enough reality for me. When it comes to entertainment, I want some escape."

Scarratt's history with SAXON is well-known, while Fogarty comes from a varied array of projects embracing several genres including black and progressive metal, with bands such as the aforementioned IN THE WOODS and OLD FOREST. Even though VENGER only came together in 2024 when Scarratt's son was playing his own show at a bar in Brighton, United Kingdom, and Fogarty introduced himself, the pair soon discovered to have common musical ground in a couple of areas, and spending time together started to quickly feel like having an afternoon between old friends down at your local hostelry: a safe space with genuinely fine people that share common interests such as metal, cinema and an appreciation of the art of storytelling.

In terms of workload, Scarratt is a guitarist's guitarist, while Fogarty enjoys the melodies. Drummer Sven Rothe is in another of Fogarty's projects, while vocalist Franz Bauer is also an associate from Fogarty's musical alliance who guests on the album.

"James writes great harmonies and melodies but doesn't solo, and I love improvising solos. I like to just listen to the track and see what happens," says Scarratt, "I've always loved that. Some of the solos start with melody parts, harmonies, and then go into some free fall, but I like the free fall because I love the randomness of guitar. And you know, I'm not always able to totally recreate solos and stuff live because guitars are so random. I can get it very, very close but I can't always make that harmonics exactly the same as I did on the recording. And as for the songs: settle in and get ready for stories."

In an era where the world seems to want to rush at digital speed into digital things, VENGER (the name comes from the one-horned sorcerer in the game Dungeons & Dragons) and their debut album, "Times Of Legend", have wrought wide ranging inspiration and shed new musical light on figures and stories of old. For now, sit back, unplug, and enjoy turning the aural pages in "Times Of Legend".

"Times Of Legend" track listing:

01. From Worlds Unknown
02. Pharaoh's Curse
03. Navigate The Labyrinth
04. Crystal Gazer
05. The Legend Still Remains
06. Séance
07. Throw The Switch
08. Impaler Of Souls
09. Tower Of Babel *

* featuring Matt Mitchell on vocals

VENGER is:

Doug Scarratt - guitars, lead guitars
James Fogarty - guitars, synths, bass, backing vocals
Franz Bauer - vocals
Sven Rothe – drums

In a new interview with The Garza Podcast, hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, PRONG leader Tommy Victor, who has played guitar for DANZIG, on and off, for nearly three decades, stated about his work with the Glenn Danzig-fronted outfit (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I did three stints with DANZIG. Now I'm still playing with them. And this one's going on forever, man. I've been playing consistently with them since, I think, 2011 maybe now or something. So, I don't know. Sometimes [Glenn] gets pissed off at me and fires me. [PRONG] played the Whisky [A Go Go in West Hollywood, California] the other day and he came down and we hung out a lot. Yeah, he's cool. We get along really well nowadays in our old age."

Elaborating on what it is like to play in a band with Danzig, Victor said: "He's very misunderstood, because he's old school, his whole mentality. I have an older brother and they're so similar, just the way they think of things. It's, like, he's very strict, which, it's, like, you do your job, you keep your mouth shut. 'I don't wanna hear this, I don't wanna hear that.' And I get it… He likes when people know their place. That sounds horrible. It's just, like, dude, come on, man."

Tommy continued: "A lot of these guys, techs or whatever, they're working for the band — they're a tech, and then they think they're in the band. They're suddenly hanging out backstage. It's, like, 'What are doing here? Go out there and watch the guitars or something. Or stay with the rig.' Now they wanna hang out and they wanna pick up chicks and they wanna get fucked up and that whole thing. He does not like that."

Glenn Danzig is the sole remaining member from the recording lineup of DANZIG's 1988 self-titled album, which was the first-ever release on legendary producer Rick Rubin's Def American record label and most famously features the hit song "Mother".

In addition to Victor, DANZIG's current lineup includes Johnny Kelly (drums) and Steve Zing (bass).

PRONG celebrated the 31st anniversary of its album "Cleansing" with a limited series of intimate dates, as well as festival shows, this past summer in Europe. A live album documenting the tour will arrive in February 2026.

PRONG's thirteenth studio album, "State Of Emergency", came out in October 2023 via Steamhammer/SPV. The LP was produced by Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).

PRONG announced new worldwide record deal with Napalm Records in June. The band's next studio effort is tentatively due in the fall of 2026.

Tommy Victor photo credit: Nathaniel Shannon

In a recent interview with LifeMinute.tv, original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm reflected on being diagnosed with a type of brain tumor called a craniopharyngioma nearly 30 years ago. Although the tumor was benign, the resulting surgery severely damaged Gramm's pituitary gland, leading to a massive weight gain and keeping him off the stage for a year.

Regarding his recovery, Lou said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I went to three brain surgeons and they all did MRIs and they sent me home to put my affairs in order because they didn't think I had a chance of surviving the operation. The last one that sent me home, that night, I watched '60 Minutes' on TV, and there was a segment about a brain surgeon in Boston who used laser surgery to operate on inoperable tumors. And at the end of the segment, they gave his phone number. So eight o'clock the next morning I was on the phone with his secretary, and that was on a Tuesday, and they brought me in Thursday and I did some more tests. And Friday morning at four in the morning, they were wheeling me into the operating room. [It was a] 19-hour operation."

He continued: "Although the operation was a success, he told me that I was gonna be going through some struggles, my equilibrium would be off, I might not be able to find all the words I wanna find in a conversation right away. And he told me he didn't want me touring for at least a year and a half, and two months later I was on the road. And I couldn't remember the words of the songs. I had them written out in a semicircle around my mic stand. And every time I'd come to a verse I couldn't remember, I'd look down and see the words. I'd read the first three words, and then the rest of it would come to me."

Gramm previously discussed his brain tumor diagnosis in a November 2023 interview with Chicago's 97.1 FM The Drive. Regarding how his tumor was diagnosed, Lou said: "I just started having bad headaches and short-term memory loss. I [initially] couldn't get anybody to operate on it, because of where it was and how complicated it was that normal surgery would've been just a death sentence. So I went to about two or three doctors and had MRIs, and they all told me that I should get my affairs in order. I kind of went into shock. So I went back from New York City to Rochester to put my affairs in order."

Gramm said that he played a few gigs with FOREIGNER within a few weeks of his surgery.

"My surgeon told me because of the length and breadth of the operation, he didn't want me touring for at least a year to a year and a half," he said. "Now, when I in the hospital, FOREIGNER had to cancel a number of shows. So our manager rebooked the shows for two months after my surgery. The doctor wanted me not to perform for a year to a year and a half…. I wanted to do what the doctor wanted me to do, but FOREIGNER's manager said, 'Look, we had to cancel a number of shows because of your surgery and we have to make them up now or we're gonna be sued.' … But I did the shows. But listen to this: I couldn't remember any of the words. I had to have the first two or three words of each verse written out and taped to the floor in a semi-circle for all the songs that we did. I used to move around a lot when I was on stage [and after the surgery] I had to plant myself and keep looking over at the words to make sure I'd remember everything. I was on massive steroids and within six months, my weight doubled. I was 145 pounds at that time of my life, and I had been for 10, 12 years. Within a year, my weight doubled…. [When I got off the steroids, my weight] went back down. It didn't go back down all the way, but it's gone back down a lot. I had to throw every stitch of clothes that I had been wearing to that point. I just donated them to Salvation Army. I was wearing size 42 waist."

In his book "Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades In Rock 'N' Roll", Gramm wrote about his brain tumor: "It was a non-cancerous tumor, but it was the size of a large egg and it was in my frontal lobe and it had tentacles wrapped around my pituitary and optic nerve."

He revealed that he became aware of the tumor in his 40s after experiencing "incredible headaches — worse than any hangover I'd ever had," as well as issues with memory.

He added: "My long and short-term memory started to become spotty, and my eyes would cross once in a while.

"I went for an MRI and they said it was a large tumor, the size of an egg and that it had been there since birth, growing."

When he returned home after his 1997 diagnosis, Gramm happened to come across a television program about a hospital in Boston where they were operating on brain tumors.

Gramm recalled: "At the end of the segment, it gave his office number and I called it early the next morning and his secretary suggested I get my MRIs, get on a plane and come immediately."

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.

In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

At some of FOREIGNER's upcoming shows, Gramm will guest on some of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group's biggest hits. Gramm will share the stage with Luis Maldonado, who replaced Hansen on lead vocals earlier this month.

Battlegod Productions has announce the latest addition to its ever-growing roster of international metal talent — the legendary British heavy metal band QUARTZ.

A cornerstone of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) movement, QUARTZ continues to forge its legacy with the release of its sixth studio album, "Six" (2025),and will soon begin work on its seventh studio album, slated for release in late 2026 or early 2027 under the Battlegod banner.

Originally formed in Birmingham, England, in 1974 under the name BANDY LEGS, QUARTZ quickly made their mark after rebranding in 1977. Their self-titled debut, "Quartz", was produced by none other than Tony Iommi of BLACK SABBATH and featured contributions from Ozzy Osbourne and QUEEN's Brian May — cementing the band's place among the architects of the heavy metal sound.

Throughout their storied career, QUARTZ have toured alongside iconic acts such as BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN, AC/DC and RUSH, and have performed at the prestigious Reading Festival three times. Following their initial split in 1984, the band reformed in 2011 and has since released three critically acclaimed albums: "Fear No Evil" (2016),"On The Edge Of No Tomorrow" (2022) and "Six" (2025).

QUARTZ's current lineup features:

Geoff Bate - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar
Malcolm Cope - Drums
Mick Hopkins - Lead Guitar
Dek Arnold - Bass, Backing Vocals

With their next studio project set to begin production in 2026, QUARTZ promises an album that both honors the band's rich musical heritage and pushes their classic heavy metal sound into bold new territory.

"It's an honor to welcome a band of such historic significance to the Battlegod family," said Peter, founder of Battlegod Productions. "QUARTZ helped shape the sound of British metal, and their new material is as powerful and relevant as ever."

QUARTZ came out of the British hard rock hotbed of Birmingham to join the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal movement in the late '70s. With a lineup that included John Bonham associate Michael "Mick" Hopkins and future BLACK SABBATH keyboardist Geoff Nichols, they were actually founded under the name BANDYLEGS but changed when Jet Records showed interest in the band. They signed a contract with the label and toured with both AC/DC and BLACK SABBATH before beginning work on their first album. The tour with BLACK SABBATH turned out to be quite fruitful, as they gained a tour manager (Albert Chapman) and a big fan in Iommi. Iommi took over the production duties on their eponymous debut, drafting May into the sessions to play some guitar. The album was important to the emerging scene, and they joined DIAMOND HEAD and DEF LEPPARD in being one of the first bands to make heavy metal faster and less plodding.

In a new interview with CBC News, Geddy Lee of RUSH spoke about the band's decision to reunite for a tour next year. The limited run of summer dates — Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson's first official shows under the RUSH banner in 11 years — will begin at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles, site of the last RUSH concert on the legendary Canadian band's "R40" anniversary tour. Joining the duo on the trek will be German drummer Anika Nilles, who toured with legendary guitarist Jeff Beck in 2022 and has been rehearsing with Lee and Lifeson in preparation for the tour, dubbed "Fifty Something".

Asked how he is feeling about the prospect of going back on the road for the first time in more than a decade, Lee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'm a bit overwhelmed right now, to be honest. Alex and I took a long time trying to figure out if we could actually do this ever again. And when we did finally decide, of course people were optimistic, but we really didn't expect the kind of overwhelming response our announcement has brought forth out of our fanbase. It's just been a remarkable few weeks around our homes, but very exciting — very exciting."

Regarding what it is like to playing with a new drummer, following the 2020 death of RUSH's iconic drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, Geddy said: "Well, of course it was a very difficult decision to go back on the road, and that was the main stumbling block, obviously. How do we replace the irreplaceable, so to speak? And we have been fortunate to have been introduced to the name Anika Nilles through one of my road crew — my bass tech Skully [John McIntosh], who was on tour with Jeff Beck, and she was the drummer for Jeff Beck on his last tour. And he came home from that tour raving about her. And so when we made the decision to see what it's like to play with another drummer, we contacted her, and she's just a fantastic person. And she came to Canada and we very surreptitiously snuck into a studio and worked out for about a week. And by the end of it, we were convinced that this would be a go for us. Yeah, she's just a tremendous player."

Asked if he gets a sense at all that Anika is a little intimidated by the challenge of stepping into RUSH as a replacement for such a legendary musician as Peart was, Lee said: "Oh, of course. When she first came over here [to Canada], we started playing some of the songs, trying to translate RUSH music to someone who didn't really grow up as a RUSH fan; she was not a RUSH fan. She knew, of course, of Neil's playing — every drummer knows who Neil is, or Neil was, I should say — so it was a bit of a daunting task. And we had to go through each song and explain the nuances of the song and the idiosyncratic nature of how our songs are put together. So at times she was a bit overwhelmed, but she's an incredibly hard worker. She's got great technical facility and she's just got a really positive attitude, and that's really good for Alex and I to be around right now."

Lee, a known baseball and Toronto Blue Jays superfan, who has attended nearly every home game the baseball team has played this season, was asked if occasionally hearing "the incredible roar of the home crowd" at baseball games made him think that he "misses that sound" from audiences at RUSH concerts. He responded: "Actually, no. It never answers my mind, to be frank. The one thing I miss about touring is actually the job itself and that marvelous feeling of being in the middle of a 10-minute song and you're caught up on your playing and you're trying your best and everything is working and all your bandmates are clicking. It's that adrenaline that I miss. I had kind of settled into a nice life without the roar of the crowd, and I think I adjusted pretty well to it. But, of course, I'll be very happy to hear that once again."

Geddy also talked about the physical rigors of performing and whether he will be ready to hit the road for an extensive run of shows starting in June 2026. He said: "I'm getting ready. I've been playing diligently for about a year and a half now. And it wasn't that we had planned this tour that long ago. I had just decided that after writing all these books and having the experience of doing television shows that I needed to make some music again. So I've been working out pretty regularly trying to get my fingers, these little digits, back in shape. And, of course, since we did make the decision to tour, I'm hitting the gym pretty hard, and so is Alex. But we're gonna be ready. We're working at it. We're gonna put a lot of hours into that."

RUSH will perform multiple shows in cities across Canada, the United States and Mexico, beginning June 7, 2026 at The Kia Forum in Los Angeles. These special "evening with" shows will find the band playing two sets each night. Each show will feature a distinct selection of songs and RUSH will build each night's setlist from a catalogue of 35 songs including their greatest hits and fan favorites.

After Lee and Lifeson announced RUSH's initial 2026 tour dates in early October, they instantly sold out. They then doubled the tour's length due to increased demand before adding even more dates to the trek.

At the moment, the "Fifty Something" tour is scheduled to stretch into the fall and early winter, with sold-out shows in Chicago, Cleveland, Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto, as well as dates in Atlanta, Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C., to name a few.

During an invite-only gathering of 150 fans, media and dignitaries at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame's Foster Theater in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday (October 5),Geddy and Alex of RUSH spoke about their decision to reunite for a tour next year. Regarding how they decided to tour as RUSH again, more than five years after iconic RUSH drummer Neil Peart's death, Alex said: "When we finished the ['R40'] tour [in 2015], it was difficult for Neil, and he'd had enough by that point. I think Ged and I still had gas in the tank and we still wanted to continue working. But it was what it was, and the further I got away from it, the more I thought, 'It's okay. We had 40 years. I'm tired of hanging around a hotel, being away from family and all of that stuff.' And I felt that way for most of the last 10 years, really. I thought we had a great legacy, and it's okay. Then this guy" — referring to Geddy — "came along and had some big ideas. And we talked and we started playing. And then I realized that I love it so much — I love playing so much. And I've continued, over these last years, doing other projects and still playing a lot. But when we sat down and started playing some of the RUSH stuff and I realized how hard it was to play these songs… When you do it every day for 40 years, it's not a big deal, really — you're used to it — but when you're away from it and you are a little more objective about the intense complexity of the music and the feel and the nuances and all the things that go into making a RUSH song and performance, to be challenged with that again was really, really exciting. And the more we started rehearsing and playing, the more I just fell in love with the idea of playing again."

Added Geddy: "It was a very difficult decision on many levels, first of all, because what it entails in terms of work, but also what had transpired. Losing a member like Neil, it was devastating and it was a very sad time, and it took time for us to even contemplate it. I mean, this is a relatively recent decision. And I would say it was kind of out of the question for the longest time because of those circumstances. And how do you replace someone who's irreplaceable? So, we would joke about it sometimes, and Al was doing other things, I was writing books and something happened in the last couple of years that brought us back to jamming in the studio. He would come over, drink my coffee, hang around, we would jam and we would laugh. And then one day — I don't know why — we started playing some RUSH songs for fun. And God, we were laughing so hard and we were enjoying it so much. And it was almost like playing those songs dispelled the dark clouds. It was not an easy decision to come to, and this is really the first time we're talking about it out loud in front of other people. So, yeah, it feels right, and we're gonna do it."

Asked how they found the right drummer to step in for Neil on the "Fifty Something" tour, Geddy said: "Well, our idea was not to try to be RUSH 2.0, just to pay homage to our music, pay homage to our lost brother and represent the songs and celebrate the songs.

"I haven't talked about this before, but… So, my bass tech Skully [John McIntosh] was working with Jeff Beck. He was on tour with him for a few years. And on the last tour he was playing with this drummer named Anika Nilles — an incredible drummer. And he would come home, he would rave about her, what a brilliant player she was and great person, and blah, blah, blah. So I kind of looked her up. And she's all over YouTube. She's fairly well known in her own world of music. And then we started talking about playing again. I said to Al, I said, 'Check her out. Maybe that's an interesting way to go.' And so one thing led to another, and when we made the decision we wanted to see if it would work, what's it like to play with another drummer — we'd had that experience, of course, at the Taylor Hawkins tributes [in September 2022]. So we know how difficult it is — no matter who the drummer is, they all have their own perception of what it's like to play a RUSH song, and they may not line up with the way we play RUSH songs. So whoever we were going to choose was going to be difficult and there's going to be like a translation. And so we very secretly brought Anika to Canada. And it wasn't an audition, 'cause at that point we weren't really sure that we were going to tour. It was all an experiment. Anyway, I'm very happy to say that she is fantastic to play with. And we've had now a number of sessions with her and we are going to go on the road with her. I think she's a remarkable story. And she's much younger than us… And I like that, that she came to RUSH music without any preconceptions. It also made it very difficult, 'cause we had to explain nuances and work on subtleties, and she had to really try to get into Neil's headspace and his feel. A lot of drummers can play Neil's drum fills, but to combine that with the feel of those songs, so that it feels the way you guys wanna hear those songs, that's work — that requires work. And so she's winning."

As for what RUSH fans can expect from the upcoming concerts, Geddy said: "I don't think we can do a three-hour show the way we did when we were in our younger years, but we're certainly gonna play over two hours. And we'll get a lot of songs in, for sure."

Lee went on to say that "it's not an accident" that he and Alex chose Los Angeles's Kia Forum — where RUSH played its last-ever show with Peart in 2015 — as the location of the first gig of the tour.

"It'll be, I think, quite an emotional moment," Geddy said. "And I have to say also a thank you to [Neil's widow] Carrie Nuttall and [daughter] Olivia Peart who have been very supportive and are supporting us for this tour, and we really appreciate that, and that makes things better. And we also plan to pay tribute to Neil at least a couple of times during the show in our own way. And that'll happen every night, we'll pay tribute to him.

"After Neil passed, COVID hit and we never really were able to do any kind of tribute to him — not a tribute concert," Lee explained. "And so this is one way that we pay homage to the music and the lyrics and the incredible drumming of our pal and partner, and at the same time celebrate the music that [the fans] have thankfully shown up for, for all these years. And we'll just endeavor to do our best to make [the fans] happy."

When the "Fifty Something" tour was announced on October 6, Carrie Nuttall-Peart and Olivia Peart said in a statement: "We are thrilled to support the 'Fifty Something' tour, celebrating a band whose music has resonated and inspired fans for generations, and to honor Neil's extraordinary legacy as both a drummer and lyricist.

"Neil's musicianship was singular. Compositions of intricacy and power that expanded what rhythm itself could express. As both drummer and lyricist, he was irreplaceable. Inimitable in his artistry, and unmatched in the depth and imagination he brought to the lyrics that inspired and moved so many, he profoundly shaped how fans connected with him and the band, giving voice and meaning to their own lives.

"As the band enters this new chapter, it promises to be truly unforgettable. We are excited to see how their new vision unfolds, and to hear this legendary music played live once again."

On October 6, fans got the news via a RUSH newsletter from a home video that announced the celebration of upcoming dates with Lee and Lifeson at Geddy's home studio.

Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart's passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Since Peart's death, Lifeson and Lee have not recorded any new music or performed live under the RUSH name, although both of them confirmed that several drummers reached out to them in the days after the legendary drummer's passing about the possibility of stepping in for Neil.

During an October 23 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Slash was asked if he would be open to doing a Sphere residency in Las Vegas with GUNS N' ROSES at some point. The GN'R guitarist said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I haven't been [to the Sphere] yet, but just everything that I've seen, or most everything that I've seen of it, looks amazing. I'm real trepidatious about playing there, because… It's a great visual show. I think that in almost every case for a band, it becomes a visual show as opposed to seeing a rock and roll show. So there's that. And also, from talking to Joe Walsh about it, 'cause obviously THE EAGLES have been doing a residency there since forever, is that it's not really sort of rock and roll friendly, the way that it's set up. So it's just one of those things where it seems like a really cool thing, and conceptually there's probably a lot of cool things that you could do, but I don't think it would be the right environment for a proper rock and roll show."

After host Eddie Trunk noted that everybody is still waiting to see the first hard rock or heavy metal band play the Sphere, with METALLICA recently confirming that the James Hetfield-fronted act was in talks to play the venue in late 2026, Slash said: "I'd be interested to see that too. And I heard about METALLICA doing it. I could see them doing it because I can imagine them… Because you have to prepare your mind to put on not just a band performance, but 50 percent of what you're doing is going to be the projection, or whatever you call that — the outer wall [laughs], what you're putting on as content. And so that is something that's gonna be the main focus of your show and the main focus of what everybody's gonna be looking at. And so you have to sort of getting to that mindset, and I think that's hard for us to go that far into it. But we'll see. Maybe down the road."

A massive, spherical venue known for its immersive entertainment experiences, including concerts and films, featuring a state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and a powerful sound system, the Las Vegas Sphere is nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sphere has already hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

U2 opened the building with 160,000-square-foot LED screens and 4D features, playing to more 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024. The shows commemorated one of U2's most successful albums, the chart-topping 1991 release "Achtung Baby", played in its entirety, along with select tracks from other U2 LPs.

A global news event which saw the world's biggest rock band open the world's most state-of-the-art venue, "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere" quickly became a pop culture moment and a must-see for music lovers everywhere. The show's stunning visuals and live music performance, combined with the venue's immersive technology elements, including the world's most advanced audio system, became an instant social media sensation as hundreds of thousands of fans shared their "U2:UV" experience across multiple platforms generating billions of impressions, making "U2:UV" a truly global phenomenon. One of the band's most ambitious creative projects to date, it saw them work once again with longtime creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams, artists including Es Devlin, John Gerrard and Marco Brambilla, and longtime partner and producer Brian Eno.

The first sports event to take place was the NHL Draft with the UFC following in September 2024.

Sphere's next-generation technologies include the world's highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. The venue also features the world's most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest.

Last October, Sphere Entertainment, the company behind Sphere Las Vegas, announced plans for a new venue in Abu Dhabi.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone UK, Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack was asked what the experience of the "Back To The Beginning" concert was like for him, being that it marked his father's final performance as a solo artist and with the rest of the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH. He said: "I got up there a couple of days early. I saw [BLACK SABBATH] soundcheck. It was powerful in a way that was surprising. I knew it was going to be a hard day for the whole family, especially him, and so it was like a living wake. There was a divine perfection to it all in a weird way. It was a full stop. I mean, he saw people he hadn't seen in 30 years. He got to see friends and fans and just be in his hometown, and it was just wild and really moving."

As for Ozzy's experience at the show, Jack said: "He was so happy. Since he got sick, he became a bit of a social media junkie. He was on Instagram; he was on TikTok; he had YouTube, because he was relatively stationary, so he did a lot of social media scrolling. It was the first time he'd done a gig and then got to see direct response on social media. So every morning he would wake up in England, and you'd get tabloid newspapers, and every day of the week following was some big spread in one of the British newspapers. He just really got a kick out of seeing all the great reviews and all the posts online. He was so stoked. I'm, like, 'Dad, all these reviews are amazing.' And he goes, 'A lot of fucking good that does me. I've retired.'"

Jack went on to say that the concert was "huge" for Ozzy. "And he was frustrated he couldn't get out the chair, but I think all things considered, he did a great fucking job. The only thing he said to me was, like, 'Oh, I fucking started losing it in 'Mama, I'm Coming Home'. And my response was, 'Well, everyone was.'"

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, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward 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 singer, who was battling Parkinson's disease, 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.

More than 40,000 fans attended the event in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Profits from the show, which also saw performances from METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others, will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.

There was also an online auction benefiting those charities. Items up for bid included two Gibson guitars signed by performers, a GUNS N' ROSES pinball machine, several gold record and CD displays, including BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid", LED ZEPPELIN's "Physical Graffiti" and METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets", plus more than a dozen travel packages.

A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.

Livestream tickets were priced $29.99, which got you live viewing and access to video for 48 hours. The livestream and T-shirt bundle was priced $64.98. It got you event viewing and a "Back To The Beginning" T-shirt.

"Back To The Beginning" was captured, produced and distributed by Mercury Studios ("One To One: John & Yoko", "American Symphony", "Metallica Saved My Life"). Mercury had partnered with Kiswe — the global D2C streaming partner behind the record-breaking BTS concert livestream — to deliver this moment of music history to fans across the globe.

The all-day event at Villa Park, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa.

Curated by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, the event featured arguably the greatest lineup of rock and metal bands ever assembled on one day.

Legendary rockers FOGHAT are still receiving high honors and praise from their loyal fans, and there is no sign of them "slowing" down anytime soon!

Hot on the heels of their critically acclaimed 50th-anniversary edition of "Fool For The City" (released September 12 by Rhino),the band behind the timeless anthem "Slow Ride" reached yet another new landmark in their illustrious career with an astonishing 25 million plays of the signature song on Apple Music. They were surprised on stage during their show October 3 at the Hanover Theatre in Worcester, Massachusetts, where they were presented with a stunning commemorative plaque marking the milestone.

A video of the special presentation can be seen below, as can a clip of founding drummer Roger Earl talking about the declaration.

In true FOGHAT fashion, they made sure that credit went where it was due. Plaques are also being sent to the song's original creators: Lonesome Dave Peverett, Rod Price and Nick Jameson, with Peverett's and Price's families receiving theirs in tribute, and one traveling all the way to Jameson's home in Reykjavik, Iceland.

To top off an incredible year, FOGHAT is heading back to where it all began — the U.K. This November, the band will return to their homeland for the first time since the early '70s. Once "blackballed" after leaving SAVOY BROWN, they went on to do very well in the U.S. but playing the U.K. again has always been on their wish list — and now it is happening. They will perform November 15 at the HRH Prog festival in Great Yarmouth and November 16 at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire in London (both with ASIA featuring John Payne),before closing out at Manchester's Band on the Wall on November 18.

Earl summed it up perfectly: "I love playing with this band. We're still having the time of our lives out here. And I can't wait for our friends and family in the U.K. to finally get to see the band LIVE!"

The platinum-selling fifth album "Fool For The City" by FOGHAT was originally released on September 15, 1975. To celebrate this illustrious anniversary, Rhino released the 50th-anniversary edition on September 12. It's available on the band's online store and Rhino's official website as a double-vinyl or double-CD version, featuring the newly remastered original tracks, as well as an electrifying bonus disc featuring never-before-released live tracks, recorded during two live performances at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago in 1975.

Captured and performed by multi-talented bassist/producer Nick Jameson, the mastermind behind both "Fool For The City" and 1977's legendary "Foghat Live" — these raw, high-energy recordings have been resurrected 50 years later. Mixed and mastered by Jameson himself at a studio in Reykjavik, Iceland, the result is a time capsule of pure rock fury. The CD edition also includes two bonus live tracks and an interview with founding drummer Roger Earl and Jameson, diving into the making of "Slow Ride" and the magic behind the "Fool For The City" sessions. In fact, Jameson not only played on the record but also was their touring bass player with the original members, Lonesome Dave Peverett, Rod Price and Roger Earl, in 1975.

Ink19.com called the album an "audio time capsule fueled by fire and fury," while KNAC.com praised, "The album is a sonic masterpiece of hard rock blues from stem to stern that still stands the test of time five decades later. Each of the seven songs could easily stand on its own as a single, due to their easily remembered hooks and choruses. At times, the lyrics can be cryptically dirty, but also honest and sincere. The live performance sounds like it was recorded yesterday. It is sonically crisp and clear, like you are standing in the room with FOGHAT."

FOGHAT's most recent studio album, "Sonic Mojo", with the current lineup — Roger Earl (founding drummer),Bryan Bassett (lead/slied guitar),Scott Holt (lead vocals/guitar) and Rodney O'Quinn (bass) — dropped in November 2023 and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Album chart, holding steady in the Top 10 for an incredible 34 weeks.

And the "Slow Ride" continues! The band heads back into the studio this month to start recording their next studio album — due out in 2026. Their current "Slow Ride 50th Anniversary" tour continues through 2025, with the 2026 "Twang & Bang" run of dates getting ready to roll. Many shows have already been booked into the new year, which includes stops in Hawaii, Finland, Sweden, as well as another round of nationwide U.S. tour dates.

At 79 years young, Earl, born in London, England is the living embodiment of rock and roll stamina, proudly carrying on the words of his late bandmate Lonesome Dave Peverett, "Gonna roll 'til I'm old, Gonna rock 'til I drop!"

Photo credit: Allan Dines

In a new interview with Brazil's Ibagenscast, former EVANESCENCE guitarist Jen Majura discussed her recent announcement that she was "step[ping] away" from the music industry, at least temporarily, so that she could focus on doing "healthier and better things" with her life. Asked how she came to the decision to "retire" from the touring lifestyle, Jen said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "First of all, that thought didn't come into my mind overnight — absolutely not. I've been thinking about this even before [the] corona[virus pandemic].

"Imagine I've been doing this since I was 17 years old. I just turned 42 this year," she continued. "The thing is life is constantly changing, and I don't have any problems with that. People are changing. It's fine. That's life. But the more and more I've been doing this, and this defines touring, constantly being on the road, even having a barkeeper in an airport lounge calling you by your name because you're there all the time, it's like you are traveling too much, you're doing this too much. And countless nights spent on airports, on planes, dealing with jet lags and being exhausted. And sure, playing the shows is a great reward, but all that is an equilibrium that comes with the fact that I sacrificed my private life for all my entire life. I never had a private life. I always put my work first.

"For example, ever since I [put out] this retirement statement on, I believe, June 10th, I've been traveling," Jen added. "I've been going to Croatia to see my friend Alen. I've been traveling to Prague with my friend Tony from New York. I've been enjoying traveling, which is something that I've hardly been doing. Of course, it was great. If you are on tour in Tokyo or Sydney and you get to experience the local culture and the food and everything, it's amazing and you love it, but it's exhausting. And I, for the first time, told myself, 'I'm gonna go on a vacation to see my friends, not stay at a hotel room, but stay at my friends' place.' For example, in Croatia. And I didn't have any feeling of guilt. I never allowed myself to do that. I've always been thinking, 'No, if I block like two weeks in a year, what if the big call, what if the big job? I can't do that.' So I never allowed myself to go on a vacation. I always thought, 'Hey, you play' — I don't know — '70000 Tons Of Metal [cruise]. Cool. Let's stay two more days in Miami.' And that's your vacation. That was my understanding of vacation and resting your mind and breathing. And I can tell you, man, it feels pretty damn good to be on vacation. [Laughs] And I just enjoyed life, which is something that I, in that particular way, never allowed myself to. And that is a big point.

"Another big point as well is — same like [Canadian singer, songwriter and producer] Devin Townsend. Devin reached out to me when I posted that retirement [announcement]. A lot of friends and people reached out — Devin, Billy Sheehan and Alex Skolnick, a lot of friends reached out — and Devin reached out and said, 'Yeah, man, I hope you find what you're looking for.' And the more I heard about his reasons from live retiring, well, I understood because my parents are not getting younger. And they finally moved into my area in Germany. We've been living six hours apart by car for the past 20 years. And I finally have them here in my little hobbit town, and I don't wanna spend three months in the states.

"It's a combination of a lot of things," Jen clarified. "A.I.-related developments. Press, do not tell me I quit because of A.I. It's A.I.-related developments. You have to hear all the words [laughs], and social change, to finish the sentence. All of that, if I just compare to how my drive and my view of music and musicians — and I call it the scene, not the business, has been when I started out as a teenager compared to now, it's just very different. And I just said 'no' to playing the hamster wheel circus game. It's like the less you wear, the more clicks and likes you get. And whenever I see something like that — not mentioning any names, but somebody simulating a blowjob while using a talk box to cover a song where, who knows if she played, and gets millions of likes, I'm out. I'm sorry. It should be about talent, passion, ideas, creativity, music. It [should] not be about superficial crap like that."

Majura went on to say: "The more I saw things like that — it's all about the makeup, it's all about the less clothes you wear, it's all about the sexier you look, it's all about like faking. Dude, I got sick over the years with that, and I realized with my own behavior, the less others were dressed, the more I put on kind of like the Billie Eilish style, like, 'Okay, I'm wearing baggy jeans and a triple oversized hoodie then.' I don't give a shit, because I find it so hard for people to look at the actual value and worth of a post, which is the music and the creation and the feeling, instead of the look. The look is gonna be gone in a couple of years for anybody who takes advantage of it that right now. And I've always been thinking like that, but it got harder and harder for me to make that clear, because there was a certain point in time where social media likes meant more than talent to companies, labels. And that was pretty much the point in my head where I said, 'I don't wanna be part of this anymore.' I have to, like, what? Eat canned corn for a week and then shit a poop into the toilet, film it and post it and get millions of likes? I don't wanna make an idiot out of myself just for generating likes to get the interest of people to listen to my creation. And I just definitely said, I don't wanna do that anymore. And that is the main part, and that is literally what I also mean with A.I.-related developments and social change. And on top of that, like I said, my parents. And I've been doing this for 25 years. So all of that, in combination, is the reason why I wanna step away from touring. I didn't say I quit music, I burn all my guitars, I sell all my studio equipment… No, absolutely not. And I'm not falling off planet Earth. I'm not dying. But my mind and my soul need a rest — a rest from the pressure of what people expect me to be like, of what people expect me to write, compose, release. I don't wanna do this anymore, and I don't wanna be in this position where no matter what you post or present or whatever, you're always judged. It's like, I don't wanna be in the spotlight anymore. I wanna step away. Maybe I'll become a tour manager. Or — I don't know, something in the background… I mean, if you look at my history of jobs, I started out as a stagehand, a local stagehand, moved on to guitar tech. I've been doing merchandise on European tours. I've been doing tour management. And then, for the seven years of what it was, I was — I hate that term — the rock star… So it's a different world, and I'm stepping away from all of that to just enjoy a little bit of a settled-down moment in my life, which I think I deserve."

When Jen first announced her decision to "step away" from the music industry on June 10, she took to her social media to write: "Dear friends, I'm gonna make this as brief as I can: After careful consideration, observing what's going on in the music industry, AI related developments and change in society I've come to the conclusion to step away.

"Some of you have heard me talk about this quite a while ago. Instead of wasting another year of my life constantly hoping for new energy, drive and creativity, I've reached a point in my life where I can confidentially lean back in peace. While time allowed me, I was able to collect an amazing amount of beautiful experiences, tours, shows, travels and moments! I am grateful for every bit of that, but the world has changed. I can confidently make up my mind to stop.

"I am not saying that I will never create any music again, whether recorded or live — but for now I feel there are healthier and better things to fill my life with good vibes and not deal with the overwhelming amount of ridiculousness that comes with the music industry nowadays. I just can't identify with today's attitude and values anymore.

"I wholeheartedly want to wish all the ambitious and remaining 'creators', young and old, all the best. With time, the meaning will become clearer."

The now-42-year-old guitarist's departure from EVANESCENCE was announced in May 2022 via social media.

"It has been a very special chapter in the band with our dear friend Jen Majura, but we have decided it's time to go our separate ways," EVANESCENCE said in a statement at the time. "We will always love her and support her, and can't wait to see what she does next! We are so grateful for the good times and great music we made all around the world together."

Jen spoke about her split with EVANESCENCE during a December 2022 interview with IbagensCast. Asked what the first seven months after her exit had been like for her, Majura said: "I'm tired. I am very, very tired because there are many opinions and there's a lot of judgment out there. It got to a point where no matter what I posted, people had opinions about that. And it seems ridiculous to me, but if I would say honestly how I feel — I'm hurt; it's hard; of course I'm not feeling great — people would go, like, 'Oh, you're playing the victim.' So, I'm, like, 'Okay. All right then.' So I said, 'Actually, I'm doing okay. I'm all right.' And then, of course, people would go, like, 'She never gave a shit about the band.' And it got to a point where I'm, like, 'You know what? I could post about my blueberry yogurt, and you would still find a way to connect this to what happened.

"I must say I turned very quiet on social media, because I just wanted to avoid all that white noise, all that blabbering, all these opinions — I was just tired of that," Jen continued. "And also, at the same time, when you break up with an ex-partner — that's the easiest example; you break up with your partner — the last thing on planet earth is that you wanna see that ex-partner on social media moving on. It's, like, 'No. I don't wanna see that.' I needed time to digest the whole thing. And like I said, I think the first few months I was just very busy with convincing everybody that I was doing okay when I honestly wasn't; I was not okay. And when everything you say in public is being judged… And honestly, I can only imagine how [Prince] Harry and Meghan [Markle] feel [laughs] — people with real problems, in terms of paparazzi. Who am I? I'm just a little nobody. Why do people talk about me? I think there's way more important things that the humankind should talk about, like climate change and what's going on in this nonsense war [in Ukraine] — real issues that people should discuss and find solutions for — instead of me. So I just realized that apparently this is a topic and people like to talk about it, but I don't necessarily need to be a part of that. So I turned very quiet on social media. And the more I distanced myself from that whole thing, the more I'm, like… I'm gonna say this right now, 'cause it's horrible, but I'm gonna say it anyway… The more I felt grossed out by the humankind.

"So altogether, I have not been good," Majura added. "I'm okay, but I'm far away from being good… When life throws shit at you, honestly… I mean, take a look at the whole scenario. In the beginning of 2020, I lost my dear-hearted relationship. That was followed by two years of isolation and lockdowns and the whole pandemic situation. Great! And then finally things get back to kind of 'normal-ish', and then May happens. So I can't really say that my past few, couple of years have been great."

Jen previously spoke about her split with EVANESCENCE in June 2022 during an appearance on THE HAUNTED guitarist Ola Englund's YouTube show "Coffee With Ola". At the time, she said that she was still "hurt" by the move and compared the situation to a divorce.

"I believe, honestly, it's three weeks now since I got the news, and I'm still in this blurry, oblivious momentum," she said. "I guess I'm still in shock, kind of, because after being married six years, all of a sudden you're divorced.

"You know me, I always try to find the positive in a situation, so every day, step by step — I'm not doing great yet — but every day I find little tiny things that I'm, like, 'Oh, actually, this is good.'"

Asked how she found out that her services were no longer needed in EVANESCENCE, Jen said: "Honestly, I was cleaning my apartment, and I got the phone call. And first of all, I was, like, 'Is this a bad joke?' And I remember, after I got the news, I hung up, and I have this hallway in between my studio and my living room, and I just lay there on the floor, staring at the ceiling, wondering what that was, and literally looking over to my suitcase that I had already started packing, because I was two weeks from going out on the road until pretty much the end of the year."

Majura, a self-described "half-Asian living in Germany," joined EVANESCENCE in August 2015 as the replacement for Terry Balsamo.

Shortly after she landed the gig, Majura spoke to EMP Rock Invasion about how she came to connect with EVANESCENCE. She said: "My name was somehow recommended by a sweet friend of mine, Alex Skolnick of TESTAMENT, and Dave Eggar — he's also known as a very good cellist, and he's a musician working in New York. And all of a sudden, there was this e-mail popping up: 'Are you interested in joining…?' And I was, like, 'What the fuck?' So I stopped breathing until my face turned kind of blue. And then afterwards, I was, like, 'Okay, I've gotta read it again.' Three days later, I found myself suddenly on an airplane, flying over to New York to meet Amy Lee. And we had some very, very cool talks. She's an awesome person. She's a very, very great musician. And so I found myself suddenly inside of his empire called EVANESCENCE."

Regarding the fact that she didn't even have to "audition" for EVANESCENCE, Jen said: "Yeah. To be honest, I was kind of concerned. I told [Amy], 'Do you want me to bring my guitar?' And, 'Would you like me to audition?' And she was totally, like: 'Nah, I know you can play. I've seen plenty of videos of you. And I know your live experience and you're touring the world, so… No, just come over and let's have some food and talk.' Yeah, and that's it. So, actually, what I was surprised by very, very much was that she actually had another guitar player on her list, and that was the guitar player of Alice Cooper [Nita Strauss]. And she's now with Alice Cooper and I'm now with EVANESCENCE. This is, like… I still can't believe it."

In 2019, Lee said she was happy to have Majura in the band. "She has added a lot to our live shows because she's a singer," Amy explained. "It has been a really awesome thing to have live background vocals for the first time. I am such a fan of layered vocals, and to have that better represented at our show has been a cool breakthrough for me. And also, she's just rad energy. She's got a great attitude, fun personality, very engaging, killer onstage, so she has been a fun addition to our family. And of course, it's awesome having another girl in the band for the first time."

Majura has released two solo albums thus far, 2014's "Jen Majura" and 2017's "InZENity".

EVANESCENCE's current lineup, featuring Emma Anzai of SICK PUPPIES on bass and EVANESCENCE's longtime bassist Tim McCord on guitar, made its live debut in June 2022 in Athens, Greece.

Photo credit: P.R. Brown

In a new interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru, TRIXTER drummer Mark "Gus" Scott was asked if it's true that he tried to trademark the TRIXTER name behind the other members' backs after TRIXTER's founding guitarist Steve Brown let it lapse a few years ago. Mark responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to be very honest with you, and normally I've deflected the question in the past, but I don't give a fuck anymore. Yeah, I did. And the biggest reason why is because that other camp was very dictatorial. And they didn't realize that their throne was made of cardboard. So I basically pulled it out from underneath them."

Scott continued: "I didn't talk to anybody, really, about this publicly. It's funny — after I left the band in 2017, everybody was silent for, like, three years. I came out with [a 30th-anniversary version of TRIXTER's] 'Give It To Me Good' as a cover single [in 2020], and then they started squawking out there. [Laughs] It's, like, Hey, what sparked their little asses? 'Cause I certainly didn't start talking about this stuff. I didn't really talk about TRIXTER. I just went off and did my own thing. But when they started squawking, they tried to bash me or something like that, just fucking little asinine things. But fact of the matter is they didn't have their shit together. And I showed them. And I don't even wanna talk about this, but I will address it at this point; I feel I have to. It's just so stupid. But it's not like we went to a bitter court battle about it or anything like that. They got caught in the ass, and they didn't like it. It ruffled their feathers. I went off and did my own thing anyway, and we didn't start a new TRIXTER or anything like that. But it goes to show that there's a way of acting professionally. And to be honest with you, if it were six months earlier without them acting in such a manner, I would've said, 'Hey, dude,' I would tap him on the shoulder and say, 'Hey, you ain't got this base covered. Maybe you should cover that base.' Being that it was six months later, I just took that fucking base for myself — at least to illustrate a point. But honestly, Steve started the band. That was never in question. He was the primary songwriter. And I did it more as a slam in the sense that he deserved a fucking slam. So that was it. But it's a shame that it even came to that. It really is."

Asked what the eventual outcome of that dispute was, Mark said: "I quit the band again. [Laughs] Because it got to a point, again, where it was just stupid. And some of the ideologies in the band were less than beneficial to the flag. Pretty much the same problems that we had last time, same thing going this time. I mean, it didn't benefit TRIXTER. Not just me, not just this guy, but everybody as a whole, the band as a unit. And that's always how I thought about this 'flag first'. When I say 'flag first', it's about the country, not just Minnesota, that kind of thing."

Mark also addressed Brown's 2023 comment that TRIXTER would never reunite with Scott and that Mark was "an adequate drummer at best". Asked if it "surprised" him to see Brown make those comments, Scott said: "Surprised me? No, nothing surprised me. But I kind of didn't care. And I gotta tell you something, though — it got a lot of clicks. [Laughs]

"But you know what, dude?! I always say, go to YouTube," he continued. "Go see the [TRIXTER] shows [that have been posted online]. Bootleg concerts are the best; you really get to see all of it. But the millions of people that saw me play, they know. I don't give a shit. And who knows what'll happen in the future? I don't know."

For the past few years, Brown and bassist P.J. Farley have been performing acoustic TRIXTER shows, backed by Ben Hans on percussion, without Scott and TRIXTER singer Pete Loran.

Both Brown and Farley have been critical of Scott in recent interviews, with Steve saying that the drummer is on "the shit list beyond belief" with the rest of the group, while P.J. compared being in a band with Mark to owning a disobedient dog. "Sometimes you let the dog off a leash and he just goes running to the middle of the street — no good," he said.

Since reuniting in 2008, TRIXTER has released two studio albums via Frontiers Music Srl — 2012's "New Audio Machine" and 2015's "Human Era".

TRIXTER toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan in support of its five major label releases. They have performed live in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds up to 35,000 people, appearing with such rock superstars as KISS, SCORPIONS, POISON, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER, CINDERELLA, TWISTED SISTER, DOKKEN, WARRANT, GREAT WHITE and FIREHOUSE.

Last November, Scott told The Bay Ragni Show that he wasn't bothered by the fact that Brown and Farley had been touring under the TRIXTER name. "God bless 'em," he said. "They're carrying the flag, It bothers me they didn't wanna do more when we were all together. But otherwise, no. They're doing their thing. If they're happy… The only thing that does — I don't want to use the word 'bother' me, but I just don't know why they didn't have that attitude when we were all together instead of doing… They were in favor of doing less as opposed to doing more… And let me tell you something — even if we weren't getting fucking paid, I'd do it anyway. From day one, it wasn't about the paycheck… I wanted to rock. I wanted to beat the shit out of my drums and have a great goddamn time. And the bigger audiences we did, it was freaking, it was great. And when we put it back together in 2008, our first show back was Rocklahoma, 35,000 people. Woohoo! Second show back, 35,000 people opening for POISON and the band BOSTON. Woohoo! You don't wanna do that more? So I mean, now we did some club shows and theater stuff and smaller stuff and whatever, but, man, boy, did we have a fucking blast. And it was like we didn't miss a beat. When we put it back together? Oh my God."

When Ragni suggested that Mark pick up the phone and get in touch with Steve and P.J. and admit that he "did something wrong" and attempt to repair the friendship, the drummer said: "I am not averse to that idea or taking action to create that scenario. I don't know how receptive they're gonna be. But I would be willing to do that. And honestly, I think it's overdue."

In a new interview with Chile's Futuro, METALLICA's former producer Flemming Rasmussen once again discussed the sound of the band's "...And Justice For All" album. While "...And Justice For All" is considered one of METALLICA's classics, it has been criticized almost since the day it was released in 1988 for the lack of any bass guitar on the record. Jason Newsted's playing is virtually buried in the mix — and many fans feel that drummer Lars Ulrich, who had very specific ideas for how he wanted his drums to sound, is to blame.

Rasmussen, who produced "Justice", as well as "Ride The Lightning" (1984) and "Master Of Puppets" (1986),told Futuro: "Lars has a thing that every time they've done an album, he comes and plays it to me. And he always hopes that I nod and say, 'That's a good [one].' And when he came and played '…And Justice For All' for me, I just looked at him and said, 'What's that?' He said, 'That's the mix.' I said, 'No, it's not. You forgot the bass.' But there's no bass on there."

Flemming continued: "I had to say no to doing that album [at first] because I was booked. So they started it out with Mike Clink. And then three weeks into January, after they'd been in the studio for three weeks, Lars called me up and said, 'Oh, Flemming, when can you come?' And I put all my sessions together and postponed some of them. And I went over there 14th of February and recorded for five months. And by the time I got there, they already got some hotshot Los Angeles mixers, Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero, to mix it. And the story is that METALLICA flew in, listened to what they'd done, and they went, 'No, no, no.' 'Where's my drum sound?' 'Where's my guitar sound?' And actually Lars said, 'Now take the bass down so you can just hear it.' They did that. You can see it on YouTube. There's plenty of videos of Steve Thompson telling about this. And then once they've done that, he said, 'Take it three dB [decibels] more down.' So, it's Lars and James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] that decided, and why they did that, I've asked them a thousand times. I do not know."

Noting that "…And Justice For All" marked Newsted's first full-length recording of original material with METALLICA after the passing for former METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, Flemming said: "[Jason and Cliff were] two very different bass players. Cliff was more free and was composing a lot more. I don't think Jason was part of any of the composing on '…And Justice For All'."

Rasmussen continued: "But I think the reason why they turned the bass down is, like 50% of it is because they were on tour with VAN HALEN [at the time], I think, and they flew in and heard the mix. And I think that's the point where Lars and James realized that, 'We don't have Cliff anymore. It's not his bass. It's a totally different sound.' And I just think they couldn't relate to that at the point. That's probably half of it. But this is just me; I don't know if it's true or not. But the other half is what they hated most about Jason was that he was such a METALLICA fan, so every time they asked him anything, he just did it. So I think they took it down just to piss him off, 'cause they were expecting him to say, 'Can you turn the bass off?' And he probably never did. That's why the bass is so low. But I don't know. I mean, I don't know."

Flemming added: "The funny thing is that, in hindsight, I read somewhere recently that '…And Justice For All' is the number one album in the world that people say is the reason why they started their own band. So '…And Justice For All' has created more new bands than any other album in the world. So if you wanna start a new band, don't be a bass player."

Back in July 2024, Rasmussen was asked by Chris Akin Presents if he was mad when he first heard the "...And Justice For All" mix. He said: "Yeah, I was. Lars came and played it to me, and I looked at him and I said, 'What's that?' He said, 'It's the mix.' I said, 'No, it's not.' And he was, like, 'Yes, it is.' I said, 'What? There's no bass.' He said, 'Yeah, there it is. You can hear it. It's in the bottom of the guitars.' I was, like, 'No.'"

Flemming continued: "You're gonna have to ask Lars and James why they took the bass down, 'cause I didn't mix it. Because I came in so late, they had already hired Steve Thompson and Michael Barbiero to do the mixing. And I mean, just go online, [and] you can get the story from the horse's mouth what happened. There's no reason for me to retell that. It was Lars and James. And why they did that, I'm not even sure they know themselves."

In a separate interview with Daniel Sarkissian, Rasmussen offered a different theory as to what happened in the studio, saying: "I think — but this is purely speculation — I think that they did it to get some kind of reaction from Jason. Because what they hated the most about Jason was that he was a fan. He was never disagreeing or anything, or stating his own opinion. I think they were waiting for him to kind of state his place in the band… I think they probably did it to get a reaction, and when it didn't come, that was the way the album turned out."

Six years ago, Hetfield defended the sound of "...And Justice For All", saying that he and his bandmates simply "wanted the best-sounding record" they could make. "It was not all about, 'Fuck [Jason]. Let's turn him down.' That's for sure," he said. "We wanted the best-sounding record we could make. That was our goal. We were burnt. We were frigging fried. Going back and forth [between touring and mixing the album]. Playing a gig. No earplugs, no nothing. You go back into the studio, your hearing is shot. If your ears can't hear any high end anymore, you're gonna turn it up. So we're turning the high end up more and more and more and all of a sudden, low end's gone. So I know that played a bigger part than any hazing or any ill feelings towards Jason, for sure. We were fried. We were burnt."

Hetfield also addressed some of the criticism leveled at METALLICA by one of the "...And Justice For All" album mixers, Steve Thompson. In a 2015 interview with Ultimate Guitar, Thompson suggested that Ulrich was the culprit for the lack of any bass guitar on the record, claiming that Lars wanted his drums to sound a certain way — even if it meant cutting out the bass.

"We wanted it tight," James explained. "We wanted it fucking tight. That's what we wanted. We wanted the snare, we wanted the guitar, we wanted everything up front and in your face and really tight. And we thought we got it. And, you know, we kinda know what we want to sound like. Can we sit behind a desk and make it happen? No. We ask people to do it, and they do it. So [Thompson] did his job. He's got nothing to apologize for or point fingers at. No one's to blame for 'something.' It is a piece of art. It happened and it ended up the way it is for a reason. And for reasons we were just talking about. We were burnt. We're traveling, we're playing a gig, our ears were fried. We were not sleeping. He doesn't need to defend himself. He was a part of an awesome album in history, so I think he should be maybe be a little easier on himself."

James also once again dismissed calls for METALLICA to remix "…And Justice For All" so that Newsted's contributions are more audible.

"All this [bass discussion] is after the fact, and it's, like, who gives a shit, man, really?" Hetfield said. "And why would you change that? Why would you change history? Why would you all of a sudden put bass on it? There is bass on it, but why would you remix an album? You can remaster it, yes, but why would you remix something and make it different? It'd be like… I don't know. Not that I'm comparing us to the Mona Lisa, but it's, like, 'Uh, can we make her smile a little better?!' You know?! Why?"

In a 2008 interview with Decibel magazine, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett attempted to explain the lack of bass on "…And Justice For All", saying that "the reason you can't hear the bass so well is because the bass frequencies in Jason's tone kinda interfered with the tone that James was trying to shoot for with his rhythm guitar sound, and every time the two blended together, it just wasn't happening. So the only thing left to do was turn the bass down in the mix. It was unfortunate, but for some reason or another, that album is known for the low end being there without the bass being very high up in the mix. It was an experiment, too — we were totally going for a dry, in-your-face sound, and some people really like that sound. A lot of the newer-generation bands, especially, think that album sounds great. But at the end of the day, it was an experiment. I'm not really sure it was 100 percent successful, but it is a unique sound that that album has."

In the Ultimate Guitar interview, Thompson said that he spoke out because he was tired of being blamed for the lack of bass. He remarked: "They flew us out [to METALLICA's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2009] and I'm sitting with Lars. He goes, 'Hey, what happened to the bass in 'Justice'?' He actually asked me that. I wanted to cold cock him right there. It was a shame because I'm the one getting the shit for the lack of bass."

Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that fans were extremely vocal about the sound of the album at the time of its release. "I mean, it was unbelievable, you know, '...And Justice For All', " he said. "People were saying, 'That's the worst-sounding record, where's the bass, and it sounds like it was recorded in a garage, and...' But, you know, listen, you do the best you can in the moment and then you move on."