In a new interview with Matt Wake of AL.com, former BUTCHER BABIES vocalist Carla Harvey spoke about her split with the band nearly a year and a half ago after a decade-and-a-half run. She said: "I couldn't do a tour [in the fall of 2023] because I had a serious eye injury and they went and did a tour without me. Then it was, like, 'Well, we'll just do the band by ourselves.' When you have put your heart and soul into something for so long and you do get kind of squeezed out of it, there's a moment when you're, like, 'I can either lay down and not do anything else, or I'm not gonna let someone else tell me when I'm fucking done doing what I do.'"

Harvey credited her now-husband, ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante, with inspiring her to launch a new project called THE VIOLENT HOUR. "He was, like, 'No, get out of bed. Fuck that. We're gonna write an album," Carla explained. "Charlie's excitement about it was really instrumental in my excitement. He would be playing guitar riffs in the morning with our morning coffee."

Back in October 2024, Harvey, who also works as a grief counselor and an end-of-life specialist, told "The Ward Bond Show" about her exit from BUTCHER BABIES: "It's quite interesting because [prior to BUTCHER BABIES] I had come to a point living in L.A., you get opportunities and they're snatched away from you. You make money, then you lose your money. And I was so tired of the entertainment business. And I was, like, 'I don't wanna do this anymore. I don't wanna play music anymore. I don't wanna act anymore. It's too much. Nothing is ever gonna happen with it.' So that's when I went to mortuary school and I was committed to only working in funeral service from then on out. Well, after a couple years of working, I got my dream job at a very big mortuary in L.A. And at the same time, I got an opportunity to start my band and go on tour for the first time in my life. So I had to make a choice in that moment. I've committed myself to this death-care career. Do I drop it all, everything that I've worked so hard for in school, and go on tour with this band and just see what happens one final time, or do I just stick on my path? And I chose music in that moment, and that was 2009 that I really committed back to music, and 2012 we went on our — we were touring non-stop, so there was no way I could work in funeral service anymore. Well, it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me because our career just exploded, and so I got the best of both worlds. I had gotten my education. I had gotten a taste of working in death care, and then I could still live out my dream, and I am so grateful for that. The last 15 years of my life have been spent on stage, entertaining people in a capacity that I never dreamed I would have, especially after so much disappointment in my early years in L.A. So I got to do that. I got to be a rock star. I got to do all the things. And then 15 years later, my mind kind of changed again. [Laughs]"

Elaborating on her decision to leave BUTCHER BABIES and return to the death-care industry, Carla said: "So there's so much that goes into being in a band, especially as you get older and your life changes, you have relationships, you have a partner. I have a stepdaughter, and the idea, all of a sudden, of being on the road 10, 12 months out of the year became just a lot to handle. And in a band there's five people, and half of those people may feel like they want to be on the road constantly all the time and then some people are, like, 'Maybe it's halftime.' So it doesn't always work out for the greater good of everybody."

She continued: "My dad said something to me once years ago, when we had started the band, and he meant it in jest. He said, 'I saw you singing on the Internet. Don't quit your day job.' And at the time I was, like, 'That's the nastiest thing you could say.' But I'm glad I never quit my day job. In fact, all the while, the last 15 years, while I've been on tour, I've been getting more education and getting more certification so that I could continue on because I always had that need to still be in death care in some aspect. I founded my grief coaching company so that I could still be of service to people who need me in that capacity. It was very important to me. And then [in 2023], I was on this major summer tour. We were playing sheds, the outdoor amphitheaters and it was wonderful and every day you're up on stage singing your heart out, but, man, I saw this post about [innovative solidified remains company] Parting Stone looking for a partner success manager. And I thought, 'Man, I wanna apply for this. I wanna see what happens if I can take this job.'"

Harvey added: "There's just so many moments in life where you really have to assess what's best for you. Life changes. And also another thing about the entertainment industry and the music industry, it's not the same as it was for musicians 20 years ago, 10 years ago. My husband's in a legacy band. They never have to worry about having a real job — ever. But bands my size? You're not breaking the bank. You're not really earning a livable wage unless you're on the road 12 months out of the year. You can't support yourself. So I've always had other jobs, whether I'm painting pictures for people or doing my grief coaching on the side. That's a day job that I've been able to maintain throughout my career with music. It was a necessity as well as a passion, because otherwise I'd be couch surfing somewhere. [Laughs] I have nothing. So it's really hard to live passionately and just follow your dreams without something to fall back on or something to assist you. And I tell this to a lot of people, and some people are, like, 'No, man. I don't want a backup plan. This is the only thing I'm ever gonna do.'

"I always thought about, 'Okay, this is awesome right now. What about when I'm 60? What am I gonna do then?'" Carla said. "Because my mom is 72 and she's working all the time still. She loves working. We're not 70-year-olds that are gonna be sitting on a couch or 60-year-olds that aren't gonna be out doing something. Life is different. We're still gonna be working. We have to do something, and I'd rather have that be a career rather than a job that I'm forced to have to sustain myself in the [later] years."

THE VIOLENT HOUR's self-titled debut EP was released in July via Megaforce Records. Carla wrote all lyrics and handled all the vocals on "The Violent Hour", while Benante wrote the music and played all instruments on the EP. The track "Sick Ones" features a guitar solo from MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5, and PANTERA guitarist and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman Zakk Wylde makes a cameo on the track "Hell Or Hollywood".

Joining Harvey in THE VIOLENT HOUR's touring lineup are Kiana De León on lead guitar, Allie Kay on rhythm guitar, Jewell Steele on bass and Sasha De León on drums.

Kiana and Sasha previously played together in the PANTERA tribute band FAR BEYOND HOSTILE and the covers project VIXEN VENDETTA.

THE VIOLENT HOUR is currently touring the U.S. as direct support for STEEL PANTHER.

Photo credit: Lynn Yati

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith was asked if he can ever see himself retiring completely from music, like David Coverdale apparently has, or if he considers himself a "lifer in a way that music is kind of everything" to him. The 68-year-old musician replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It used to be everything to me, almost not in a good way, because my whole life was centered around music. And if it wasn't going well, I was, like, depressed. And you shouldn't be like that. But on the other end, if you're trying to make it, you've gotta care about it that much. And if I hadn't done that, maybe I wouldn't be where I am. But it wasn't easy. It was a struggle, mentally as well. But now I enjoy it. I'm on top of it. I'm in a good place. And I just wanna enjoy it for as long as I can."

Adrian continued: "It's sad about David Coverdale [retiring from music] 'cause he was a great artist with [DEEP] PURPLE and WHITESNAKE. But when you're just — I'm not saying he's 'just' a singer, but when your main thing is your voice and you're 80 years old, man, it's a time to stop. But I'm a lot younger than that. I'm still in my sixties, so I still feel pretty good. I know I haven't thrashed my voice, like probably David Coverdale has over the years. I'm still developing it, which is nice. So, I can see it happening for a few years yet, hopefully."

Earlier this month, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris — who will turn 70 in March 2026 — told Sam Law of Kerrang! magazine that he is not planning on stopping anytime soon. "I'm not thinking about retirement," he said. "But we all know that it's coming at some point when you'll be forced into it by one thing or another. I still stay fit, playing football and tennis and things, but you never know what's coming round the corner. That's why you've got to make the most of this while you can, going out enjoy every gig for the sake of it. I've been saying that for the last 10 years, but it's truer now than ever."

Harris, who was in the middle of a fall 2025 U.K. club tour with his long-running side project BRITISH LION, added: "I'm scared to stop in a way, scared to slow down. But playing shows like these does bring that old feeling back. They're very similar in many regards. It's about that feeling of trying to be out there fighting for the band, trying to get as many people in as possible, proving yourself every night to try and get exactly where it is that you want to be."

Earlier this year, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Dave Murray insisted that he and his bandmates will know when it's time to quit, telling Music Radar: "To me, there's nothing worse than seeing a band you like on stage and they look like they shouldn't really be there doing it. We're nearly hitting the seventies mark now, but I think we will all know when it would be time. It would be a mutual decision.

"I think there's a time and a place to bail out with dignity and grace — as opposed to dragging it out," he continued. "If you can leave it at that high level, and then bow out gracefully, I think it would be satisfying for us. And not just flog a dead horse, when you're doing it for the wrong reasons."

Referencing MAIDEN's recently launched "Run For Your Lives" world tour, which started in May 2025 in Hungary, Dave said: "We're all set up for this tour, and after that we'll see what the future holds. But at the moment the band sounds great, we still have that excitement and adrenaline when we go on stage. We're still enjoying it, and that's what it's all about, really."

IRON MAIDEN's longtime drummer Nicko McBrain played his last-ever gig with the band a year ago in São Paulo, Brazil.

The 73-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7, 2024 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the iconic heavy metal act.

Despite the fact that he was stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he would remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.

On December 8, 2024, IRON MAIDEN announced Simon Dawson as its new touring drummer. Dawson is a former session drummer and Harris's longtime bandmate in BRITISH LION.

Back in 2019, Harris told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that there has been no talk of MAIDEN retiring anytime soon, despite the fact that all the members are in their late 60s.

"We all feel that if we feel we're not cutting it anymore, then we'll discuss it and that will probably be the end of it," he explained. "But at the moment, we don't feel like that. We feel that we definitely still are pulling our weight, so to speak. We're just doing well. So far so good. I don't wanna tempt fate, but we are doing good."

In 2022, MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show about the band's longevity as well as the group's multigenerational appeal: "We're not planning to retire at all, really. I think we'll probably drop dead onstage. I can think of worse places to drop dead. But no, we're not planning on retiring. We're all still firing away [with] loads of energy and loads of enthusiasm.

"With respect to our fans, we've got generations of fans now," he continued. "Even at [my] spoken-word shows, I can crack jokes about the age of the audience only because half the audience is, like, my age, but the other half of the audience is often way, way younger. So it's brilliant. We've got this whole intergenerational thing going. And, obviously, at the MAIDEN shows, it's even bigger, the emphasis on that. And huge numbers of women. It's fantastic. 'Cause it always used to be cliché, back when I was starting in the early '80s, that heavy metal was just, like, misogynist, male-dominated stuff… But no, it's not true. There's loads and loads of heavy metal fans who are girls."

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has blasted some of the singers he worked with early in his solo career for allegedly "trying to capitalize from [his] brand".

The 62-year-old musician, who has worked with a number of acclaimed vocalists over the years, including Jeff Scott Soto, Mark Boals, Joe Lynn Turner, Göran Edman, Michael Vescera, Mats Levén and Tim "Ripper" Owens, with Nick Marino most recently handling some of the vocal duties live, took to his social media earlier today (Thursday, December 18),to write: "So it has come to my attention that these hired and paid singers that I hired for my solo records are all trying to capitalize from my brand!

"Let's be clear: performing on MY SOLO records does not equal ownership, authorship, or legacy. Writing a line here and there doesn't make someone a songwriter, and singing my material doesn't make it theirs. They were merely given a salary (work for hire) to put down MY written parts, just like the keyboard player, bassist, drummer etc.

"If the only way you can tour or get attention is by leaning on my brand and using my name and album titles and my SOLO catalog, then you've already answered the question of who actually built something. And -What have they recorded/created the last 30,40 years?"

It's unclear what prompted Malmsteen's latest outburst, but it could have something to do with the fact that Levén recently announced that he will play two shows in Japan in May 2026 that will apparently focus heavily on the material from the sole Yngwie album he appeared on, 1997's "Facing The Animal".

Separately, Boals and Vescera have announced a European tour for September 2026 dubbed "The Seventh Trilogy Tour". An admat for the tour shared on social media bills the singers as "The Voices Of Yngwie Malmsteen."

Boals appeared on four Yngwie studio albums, including the hard rock classic "Trilogy".

Vescera recorded two full-length studio records with Malmsteen as well as an EP, various videos and the "Live At Budokan" DVD in the 1990s

Earlier this month, Mats was asked by a fan if he had any input when it came to writing the lyrics for "Facing The Animal". The Swedish singer responded: "Well, at bit different from song to song…a song like 'Braveheart', Yngwie had the title to the song and then I wrote most of the lyric and some melody lines.

"Yngwie was quite open to letting me contribute. I wrote 30-35% of the 'Facing The Animal' album.

"'Alone In Paradise' was an old idea from the 'Odyssey' [album]. I only completed that lyric. Actually, Joe Lynn Turner's backing vocals were still there when we recorded. Tracks like 'Enemy' and 'Facing The Animal', I wrote all lyrics and melody lines for."

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Kevin Klingenschmid.

Only four of the songs on Yngwie's latest album, 2021's "Parabellum" featured vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

This past April, Yngwie was asked by Chris Akin Presents… if he has had to change his compositional approach to accommodate his singing voice compared to how it was in the past when he was working with outside vocalists. Yngwie responded: "Yes and no, because every time I wrote a song when another singer sang it, I wrote the vocal melody and I wrote the lyrics. Except in ALCATRAZZ, I wrote the vocal melody, but Graham [Bonnet] wrote the lyrics, which is the words. The musical melody that he sang, I wrote that. And the same with other singers. Some of the singers, actually, did add words, and I was never happy with that, to be honest with you. And I have to be quite honest, it was just because I was lazy.

"There was a time when I was not so focused and had other things going on and I would allow that to happen," Yngwie explained. "That's why. It's not for any other reason. I'm extremely focused and extremely together right now, so it will never happen again.

"The thing is that, me as a creator, and you've gotta also remember this — I don't know how to say this; I try to say it in many different ways — I am a solo artist since January 1984," Malmsteen added. "Every record I've made, it's been a solo album. I even consider the ALCATRAZZ album a solo album. No. But seriously, I wrote everything on that too. But STEELER, for instance, I wrote, like, maybe two songs. That was definitely not my thing. But the thing is, everything I did since January 1984 has been my solo albums. So if I hired somebody to sing something or hired somebody to play the keyboards or drums or bass or something, that was exactly it. That was it. Having said that, there was a period, couple of small periods — I'd say late '80s maybe — where there was some distractions, some bad things going on. And then I let the reins go a little bit. But I was always, at the end of the day, I was producing and at the end of the day, I was always doing that. But even those times, these are my solo albums. I mean, there are solo artists that don't do anything themselves. They have everybody writing and producing everything for 'em. They still call themselves solo artists. So, I don't know how that works. But anyway… That's cool too… I just find it interesting that some people don't seem to understand that I've been a solo artist since 1984. And it stops there."

Yngwie released a live album, "Tokyo Live", in April via Music Theories Recordings. The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie's 40th-anniversary world tour.
So it has come-to my attention that these hired and paid singers that I hired for my solo records are all trying to capitalize from my brand! Let’s be clear: performing on MY SOLO records does not equal ownership, authorship, or legacy. Writing a line here and there doesn’t make…

— Yngwie Malmsteen (@OfficialYJM) December 18, 2025



Thanks Jien Takahashi (guitar) and Rubicon Music for the invite, will be awesome to visit Japan again!

#jientakahashi #rubiconmusicjapan #matsleven

Posted by Mats Levén on Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Website: http://www.markboalsofficial.com
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Posted by Mark Boals on Saturday, December 13, 2025

For TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, "Christmas Eve / Sarajevo 12/24" is more than a performance; it's the heartbeat of a legacy. In the latest episode of Live Nation's "Soundcheck", guitarist Al Pitrelli and drummer Jeff Plate revisit the origin of the track that transformed their lives, from late-night studio sessions in New York to becoming the most requested song in America overnight. They open up about TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA founder Paul O'Neill's vision, the pressure of building a show that has defined winter for millions, and the emotional weight of watching generations of fans experience it together. From ambitious staging and evolving creative chemistry to the joy that keeps the band returning to the road year after year, this is TSO reflecting on the art, history, and stories that make their music timeless.

Al said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I met Paul cutting my teeth as a guitar player in New York City. He and just became buds, and he said, 'One day we're gonna work together.' And [I said], 'Fair enough.' In 1995, the phone rings and it was him. He was working on this project. He goes, 'I need your help.' I had a good understanding of creating soundtracks in a heavier fashion for rock and roll. I went into the studio. He puts the faders up on the desk, and I looked at him. I'm, like, 'Really, dude? A Christmas song?' I kind of just laughed. He goes, 'Well, it's not really a Christmas song. It's more of a soundtrack depicting events that took place on Christmas Eve during war in Sarajevo.'"

Pitrelli continued: "I worked on the song — I don't know — [for] a couple of days. I gave him a big hug, and I said, 'Dude, this is awesome.' I said, 'I don't know if anybody's ever gonna hear it.' And he goes, 'I just wanna make great art. If it becomes commerce or it gets successful, it's a bonus. But at least we did something special together.' Overnight [it became the] number one requested song in America. And he goes, 'I wanna write an entire record around that one song. We're gonna call it the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Why should this work?' Pow — lightning strikes."

TSO was created to push the boundaries of what was possible for a band to create — both musically and visually. O'Neill dreamed of a different kind of "band" that is not limited by the confines of traditional rock acts and instead established one with multiple singers who could inhabit the various characters he was writing into his rock operas.

Although TSO is best known for their Capra-esque trilogy of holiday records — "Christmas Eve & Other Stories", "The Christmas Attic" and "The Lost Christmas Eve" — they have also released several other rock operas. "Beethoven's Last Night" (2000) was the first of these non-holiday rock operas and tells a compelling tale of a battle for Beethoven's soul between good and evil. It features instrumental crossovers between classical composers and contemporary rock, along with original vocal tracks featuring Patti Russo as the character Teresa, Beethoven's love. Later albums take on great themes such as war and redemption, namely "Night Castle" (2009). "Night Castle" was TSO's first Top 5 album debut and included a bonus track featuring Greg Lake (EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER, KING CRIMSON),who was one of TSO's greatest influences. TSO's latest album, "Letters From The Labyrinth" (2015),was another Top 10 release for the band. In total, TSO has sold in excess of 12 million albums and DVDs.

Consistently one of the Top 25 touring acts in the country, TSO shows no signs of slowing down. Since its touring debut in 1999, TSO has played over 2,000 Winter Tour shows for more than 20 million fans. So far TSO has also donated over $20 million from these tours to local charities.

At the time of his passing, O'Neill had several TSO projects in various stages of completion at his recording studio in Florida. He also had two finalized rock operas: "Romanov: When Kings Must Whisper", about the 1917 Russian Revolution, along with a live concert adaptation of "Night Castle". O'Neill also planned to eventually bring the TSO experience to Broadway. Nearly 30 years after the release of their first album, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA continues to create and live on.

With an incredible $1 billion in gross sales, TSO's remarkable and consistent appeal is reflected in recent industry accolades: Pollstar recognized TSO at No. 4 for Top North America Tours and at No. 6 on their Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart by gross for Midyear 2025, while Billboard placed them at No. 5 in Midyear 2025 Top Ticket Sales and No. 13 on the Midyear 2025 Top Tours chart. Adding to their impressive achievements, their iconic hit "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" has surpassed 100 million streams across digital platforms, further cementing its status as a timeless holiday classic.

Last month, Al was asked by the Lazer 103.3 radio station if there is any chance fans will get new studio material from the band at all in the future. Al responded: "The easy answer would be, like, 'Yeah, sure.'"

Referencing O'Neill, who died in 2017, Pitrelli continued: "Listen, when we lost Paul, not only did I lose my brother and my best friend, his wife lost her husband, his daughter lost her father. We lost the producer, the guy who created this whole thing, the writer, the visionary.

"Yeah, there's plenty of unfinished material that exists," Al confirmed. "But I don't know. I want [Paul] to sit in that chair to make those final decisions, when to hit the 'stop' button. So, out of respect for him, I'm just gonna say I don't know. I think you and so many other people, myself included, would love to have some new material out. I don't know.

"When [Paul] passed away, it was, like, 'Oh my God. How are we going to put a tour out?'" Al added. "I don't think that that punch in the stomach ever really goes away, that hole in your heart. So I haven't given too much thought to newer material. We'll get to it. But I appreciate you bringing that up."

During an appearance on this past Tuesday's (December 16) episode of 700 Club, the flagship television program of the Christian Broadcasting Network, JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain spoke about the band's upcoming "Final Frontier" North American tour. JOURNEY announced the trek in early November, describing the run as a "heartfelt goodbye to the fans who've been with us." Kicking off on February 28, 2026 in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Cain and his bandmates will play 60 shows throughout the United States and Canada on the tour, which is scheduled to wrap on July 2 in Laredo, Texas. The trek will feature Cain alongside founding guitarist Neal Schon, lead vocalist Arnel Pineda, keyboardist and vocalist Jason Derlatka, drummer and vocalist Deen Castronovo and bassist Todd Jensen.

The 75-year-old Cain told 700 Club about JOURNEY's upcoming tour: "Yeah, it's actually gonna be two years. It's time for me, at my age. I wanna live my life, and the road just is so consuming and it just seems like a good time to get off, for me. And I just love our fans, and I wanna do it in a proper farewell, to say goodbye. So it should be a lot of fun. We're starting up in Pennsylvania, going to Canada and around. And, of course, we have another year. So it'll be spread out over two years. I think they added Japan; we're going to Japan. And there's a Hawaii run. But we'll get to see the fans one more time and I'll get to say thank you and I'm grateful."

This past October, Cain shot down reports that he was leaving JOURNEY, telling "Nashville's Morning News": "Well, that was kind of misinformation. What [I] really said … was that I was gonna do these next two tours [with JOURNEY] and just kind of wrap it up. 'Cause I felt like I didn't wanna die on the road in my sleep at 80 years old, like John Lodge did, of THE MOODY BLUES. I was very, very disturbed when I saw that [John had recently died]. But it just feels like a good time to enjoy my grandkids and my family. I've given a lot. I've given enough."

He added: "I would never, ever duck out on my fans without saying goodbye, because I'm grateful for them and I always, always planned on doing one last hurrah. So this is gonna be it for me."

Asked if that means that his next run of shows with JOURNEY will be his last, Cain said: "Well, it'll be two years... So two different tours will be [my last run with JOURNEY], yeah. I don't know what Neal is planning. I think Neal said he wants to go on and go on. And that's not me."

The initial confusion about the exact details of Cain's departure stemmed from a social media post by Schon, who wrote on October 9: "Jonathan Cain announced his farewell to JOURNEY tonight. I'm nowhere near done! JOURNEY has so much more life ahead! I'm sure we will have a great tour!"

Schon later shared another post clarifying that Cain would be touring with the band "all through" 2026 and 2027 "celebrating the music we've created."

Cain's spokesperson also released a statement, saying: "Jonathan Cain remains an active member of JOURNEY, and any reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. He is fully dedicated to touring with the band over the next couple of years and has only expressed plans to retire at a later time."

Cain previously hinted at his exit from JOURNEY earlier in October during an appearance on "Strang Report" podcast, where he was promoting his tribute song to right-wing American activist and influencer Charlie Kirk. After indicating that he would release a solo EP before the end of the year, he said: "Then, of course, we go on the JOURNEY tour in 2026. On our farewell JOURNEY tour. So I'll be saying goodbye to that. And I'll probably move into ministry and worship; I feel a calling there."

Cain is a devout born-again Christian whose minister wife Paula White-Cain became the first female clergy member to pray at a presidential inauguration following U.S. president Donald Trump's latest victory and now serves as the first female primary spiritual adviser to a U.S. president.

Jonathan embraced faith-based music with 2016's "What God Wants To Hear" and released a Christmas LP, "Unsung Noel", the following year.

In 1976, Cain released his first solo record, "Windy City Breakdown". Three years later, he joined the band THE BABYS, and in 1980 became a member of JOURNEY, rounding out the songwriting genius behind the defining album "Escape".

Schon and Cain have publicly feuded over several issues, including Neal allegedly causing over $1 million in personal expenses to be charged to the band's shared American Express card and Schon demanding that Cain stop playing events for Trump.

Earlier in October, Schon said that "everything" was "cool" between him and Cain, adding that he has "had some great conversations with Jonathan lately and some great meetings with him for the first time in many years."

Back in December 2022, Schon blasted Cain as a "hypocrite" after the JOURNEY keyboardist performed the band's 1981 hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Cain played the track with a backup chorus of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump Jr.'s then-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

In the past, Schon has also publicly voiced his opposition to having JOURNEY's music associated with political or religious causes. Back in 2017, he derided Cain on social media after the keyboardist, singer Arnel Pineda and then-bassist Ross Valory were photographed with Trump in the White House.

In a 2017 video interview conducted in the studios of the radio station ONE FM 91.3, Cain could be heard saying: "We're not political; we don't get into politics. We try to stay in our lane, and I just think that's the best answer we can give you."

When JOURNEY's farewell tour was announced last month, Schon said in a statement: "This tour is our heartfelt thank you to the fans who've been with us every step of the way — through every song, every era, every high and low. We're pulling out all the stops with a brand-new production — the hits, the deep cuts, the energy, the spectacle. It's a full-circle celebration of the music that's brought us all together."

He continued: "As its founding member, I carry the JOURNEY torch to this day, wherever I go. The sentiment and spirit of the band will always remain."

"While this marks a farewell to one powerful chapter of the JOURNEY we've shared, I want everyone to know I'm not done," Neal added. "Music is still burning strong inside me, and there are new creative horizons ahead. This tour is both a thank you and the beginning of what's next."

Press photo courtesy of Rick Hoganson of Hoganson Media Relations

In a new interview with Rock Feed, Zacky Vengeance, founding member and guitarist of the multi-platinum rock band AVENGED SEVENFOLD, spoke about his just-released debut solo single, "Dark Horse", which he issued under his real name, Zachary Baker. A full-length album will follow in early 2026. "Dark Horse" blends the 44-year-old musician's poignant storytelling with Americana influences, signaling a striking evolution from his hard rock background into a songwriter stepping fully into his own.

Regarding his how his solo project came about, Zacky told Rock Feed (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Honestly, it just came from a place inside of me that I didn't fully know existed. It was just this longing to create something using my own voice, telling my own story, adhering to the rules that I wanted to follow, which are far different than you'd get from a lot of producers or a lot of record labels, and just taking everything that I've ever learned — from the entirety of the first time I ever picked up a guitar to the first time we ever filled up our van with gas and drove on the back roads using a shitty old Rand McNally map to get to the next city, and driving across the country, stopping every single place, the fights we would get into, the stories that we would have, drunken nights, just everything. I wanted to capture all of that, stories of falling in love and stories of loss and all the heartache — everything that's real about me, but I wanted to sing it in my own voice, which is something that I never really loved. I never really liked my own voice, so I was, like, 'I don't have one of these great voices,' like a great rock singer or a great country artist that have all these pitch-perfect vocals. And then I was, like, 'But I gotta get it outta me.' And I didn't know why or how it even came about, but it was literally like a therapy session."

Elaborating on the musical direction of his solo material, Zacky said: "This is very real. It's not a humor album. It's not contrived in any way. I'm not gonna throw on a cowboy hat and boots and try and make my way to Nashville. I'm going to remember that I love going to Nashville. I named my son Tennessee. I've spent vacations in Gatlinburg and I've been to West Virginia and North Carolina and Texas and Georgia, and I love being in Oregon and fishing. And I've done everything in between. I've lived a lot of life, and now I get to tell my story. I get sing it in my own voice. It's gonna piss a whole lot of people off. Everything about this is great. Like, what am I gonna do with it? And then I would show some people, and they would be, like, 'Huh.'"

Asked what the initial reaction was from the people who were first presented with his solo music, Zacky said: "In the very first few songs, the reaction was completely, like, 'Huh. Yeah. Okay, okay. Well, when are you guys gonna write the next 'Hail To The King'?' And I was, like, 'Never. That's not how we operate.' And it kind of made me get in my own head a little bit. I started developing a little bit of timidness about, 'No one's gonna take this seriously.' I kind of got depressed about it. And then I just found myself, throughout the early days of bringing this to life and thinking about how it was really helping me write these songs and helping me feel better in these therapy sessions and getting stuff off my chest, I kind of got depressed again. I started drinking a whole lot, and I was, like, 'I'm just not gonna do anything. I'll wait till AVENGED goes back on tour.' And it's kind of like waiting to die."

He continued: "AVENGED, we kind of had this kumbaya moment where we're like, let's just be fearless and let's make [the 2023 album] 'Life Is But A Dream…' and do whatever the we want and make the art alongside Wes Lang, who's one of the greatest artists that we love, and let's make these songs that people are not know what to expect… And then next thing you know, we're playing in front of 40,000 people in India and selling out stadiums in Indonesia and headlining and selling out Rock In Rio off an album that the radio stations wouldn't even play. And it's just, like, we have fans that respect what we do. And it gave me this excitement, like, 'Hey, stop drinking yourself to death. Find purpose in every day. Finish these songs. When you get sad, when you're depressed, put the bottle down, march up in the studio, start saying your truth. Tell your story. Be honest and be open. You're not perfect.'"

Zacky added: "I'm so far from perfect as a person, but I'm very much myself. I'm uniquely me. My music sounds like me. It's coming from my voice. It's my story. I was, like, 'What do I like about it?' I love that it's imperfect. I haven't changed the guitar strings on this old Telecaster in three months. They're rusty. My fingers are bleeding. It's perfect. I love how it sounds. This thing's a little bit out of tune. I can't really hit that note. My voice is cracking. The mic's a little too hot. There's a buzz on it. It's perfect. I like this. I love this."

Vengeance went on to say that he intentionally wanted to keep the creative process for his solo debut as free of outside influences as possible.  "For this first attempt at it, it had to be me finding myself, creating and then breaking any rules that I thought existed," he explained. "And I didn't wanna get into a studio with a producer. I didn't want the input. I didn't want people to tell me what is possible and what's not possible. I knew it would be dead in the water because the second that I opened up and showed it certain people — and this isn't my band, by the way; this is management or friends or whatever — they instantly shut it down. They didn't like it. They didn't get it. They didn't understand it. I was, like, 'I can't show this to anybody until I do it.'"

Asked if those people were viewing his music "from a predominantly business lens", Zacky said: "Of course. Of course. And it's been the bane of our existence for so long. People look at bands as, 'Oh, you did 'Hail To The King'. It has the most amount of streams. We need another 'Hail To The King'.' It's, like, that's not how it works. We didn't set out to write 'A Little Piece Of Heaven' to try and mimic some other hit song. We didn't write 'Hail To The King' with the intention of trying to write some hit. We didn't write 'Bat Country'. Our songs are crazy. They're ambitious. 'The Stage'… It's not how it works."

On the topic of when fans might get to hear his debut solo album, Zacky said:  "I really wanna get it out early-ish next year, maybe February, maybe March. I'm so excited to share it, and I don't have this hard-pressed timeline. I know it's important. I love the artwork. I love the idea of putting out a vinyl record. All that's getting built now. Everything's completely finished. And it's just giving it enough time for people to hear 'Dark Horse' and make their determination on if it's sincere enough for them. If they like it, if they hate it, if they find it to be gimmicky — that's just not gonna happen. That's one thing that's not gonna happen. They're gonna hear in there and say, 'Okay, this is real. There's sincerity behind this. This is a side of Zack that we didn't fully know. But it makes sense.'"

Growing up in Olympia, Washington, Zacky was influenced by punk rock and metal bands. He picked up the guitar at a young age, inspired by bands like METALLICA and MISFITS. His first guitar was a hand-me-down from his father, which he used to hone his skills and develop his signature style.

As a founding member of AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Zacky has played a crucial role in the band's dynamic. His rhythm guitar work complements lead guitarist Synyster Gates, creating a powerful and cohesive sound. Together, they have crafted some of the most memorable riffs and solos in modern metal.

Outside of music, Zacky is known for his love of tattoos and his involvement in the Vengeance University clothing line. He is also an advocate for animal rights and often uses his platform to support various charitable causes.

As previously reported, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and GOOD CHARLOTTE will join together next summer for a North American tour. Promoted by Live Nation, the 16-city trek will kick off July 25 in Ridgedale, Missouri, with additional stops in Shakopee, Chicago, St. Louis, Detroit, Toronto, Montreal, New York, Boston, Charlotte, Dallas, and more before wrapping August 27 at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre in Phoenix, Arizona.

For AVENGED SEVENFOLD, this run follows the release of their new song, "Magic", streaming everywhere as of December 6, 2025. AVENGED SEVENFOLD debuted the song in the recent season of "Call Of Duty" Black Ops 7, and released the track fully independently, continuing the ambition of the band's current work. The band once again partnered with the incredible world renowned fine artist Wes Lang for the single artwork. "Magic" is the first new release since the critically acclaimed 2023 album, "Life Is But A Dream…" — a boundary-pushing project that further cemented the band's reputation for reinvention, ambition, and incredible live performances.

In a new interview with Finland's Chaoszine, former BATTLE BEAST frontwoman Noora Louhimo discussed her decision to leave the band after 13 years. She has since been replaced by Marina La Torraca, a Brazilian vocalist from São Paulo, best known as the powerhouse frontwoman of modern metal band PHANTOM ELITE and as a member of the symphonic metal project EXIT EDEN. Asked how long she had been contemplating her departure from BATTLE BEAST, Noora said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, for me it has been kind of a long process. Nothing happens in an instant or anything like that. But in my life so many [things] happened, these kind of situations, like health wise — people have heard about my health issues with the artery [ruptured], and a year before that I was in a car accident — and things like this that really make me prioritize what I want in my life. And maybe because of these events also I started to think about what things I wanna do in life and what I want to achieve. And because in BATTLE BEAST, it is very demanding schedules, and it's always, like, either you are making an album with them or you are preparing an album or you are touring. There is no time for a solo career or whatever you want to do, like extra. And that was something that became too big of an issue for me because I'm an artist and I need to do different things to express myself to feel fulfilled."

Noora, who in 2021 released her debut solo album, "Eternal Wheel Of Time And Space", under the NOORA LOUHIMO EXPERIENCE banner, continued: "When I [released my solo LP], it was like I had already thought about a solo album for a decade. And when the pandemic came, I was, like, 'Okay, now I can do it.' But after that, I haven't been able to do anything, almost, in my solo career for five years, and it's been really kind of… I need that. It's, like, when people have been asking, like, 'Why are you doing so many things and not just focusing on BATTLE BEAST?' or something that, and all I can say is that it's my nature to do many different things to express myself, and that keeps me going and that keeps me happy."

Louhimo went on to say that she wanted to present the news of her exit from BATTLE BEAST in a way that was respectful to everybody, including her now-former bandmates.

"When we informed [the fans] about this, everything that we said on the video [announcing my exit] was honest and true," she explained. "13 years I was building the band with the guys, and I have a huge respect towards them as well and also towards our fans. And what I feared the most breaking the news was losing the fans, because I love all of [them]. And it is like when you say out loud that actually I need to do this to be happy and maybe disappoint some people, it was the scariest thing I have ever done, because being rejected is maybe the worst nightmare for me. Just to put myself out there honestly, what I want to be happy, has been maybe the hardest thing I have ever done."

Asked if it was surprising to her how hectic it actually is to be in an internationally touring metal band like BATTLE BEAST, Noora said: "No. No, no. And in a certain point, I really loved it. But like I said, it's just not enough for me to be in one band. And also I have so many ideas and visions that I want to achieve in my lifetime. And as I said, I've realized so many times how fragile our lives can be, as also we could realize it's very much on our tour as well, because we had this man having a heart attack at our [December 1] show [in Bratislava, Slovakia]. But it was underlining this. I was just thinking with myself also, when that happened and when these other things happened in my life, that I don't want to regret anything in my life. I want to do things that make me happy. And when I'm doing those things, I can make other people around me happy. But if I always try to just make other people happy and then get depressed myself, it's not cool. And I want to encourage people to do this. Like I said in the news as well, that I wouldn't be Noora Louhimo or Mother Beast [referring to Noora's stage person] if I didn't walk the talk, that I have been encouraging people to go to their dreams and stand behind themselves a hundred percent. And now I'm doing that and showing maybe some example to others."

Asked when she announced to the other members of BATTLE BEAST that she was planning to leave the band, Noora said: "I did announce this after the summer, after the summer shows had been done. Because I wanted to have enough time with the guys to think through, what are we gonna do? And also with our record label and our agents and stuff like that. So this has been a long process, but I also definitely didn't want to say that, 'Okay, I'm leaving now,' and then new album was coming out and things like that. But I knew also that there is no right time for this kind of [announcement]."

Regarding her plans for the coming months, Noora said: "[I am] definitely now a hundred percent [focused on my] solo career. And I'm really excited about the future and, and things that will happen in the future. And I've got already so much music in my mind and in the works that will be released in the near future. And, yeah, a lot of different projects that I really want to get into."

As for a possible release date for her new solo music, Noora said: "When this year is done, then I will concentrate, focus totally on the songwriting process. But I definitely want to give people something before the whole album is released. So definitely [there will be] singles coming out."

On the topic of the musical direction of her new solo material, Noora said: "I really like to play around with different genres, as I have always done that. So I don't really want to label myself into anything specific, but I will definitely do something different as well. I will definitely do heavy metal in the future as well. I would really be interested in doing some like guest vocal stuff as a guest in some other projects and not necessarily put myself into, 'Now I'm in this band.' But now I just wanna fly free and try different things and experience different things. And in the future, because I want to be an artist that can do anything she wants, including heavy metal music, it's never out of question, so I will definitely do also heavy metal music. And just wait for it."

La Torraca began performing in her teens in local cover bands before moving into formal training, including studying musical theatre in New York.

Renowned for her versatile, commanding vocal range, Marina effortlessly transitions from dramatic, melodic passages to fierce, harsh screams. Alongside her career in metal, she has starred in professional musical theatre productions across German-speaking countries. Beyond the stage, she is also an accomplished graphic designer, vocal coach, producer, and songwriter.

When La Torraca's addition to BATTLE BEAST was first announced on December 16, she said in a statement: "When I first saw an e-mail with both BATTLE BEAST and my name in the subject line, I honestly thought it had to be a mistake. But once I opened it, I couldn't have been happier. I'm incredibly honored to be part of this new chapter and deeply grateful for the trust and support from the band.

"Is it a little terrifying to follow in the wake of a vocal legend like Noora? You bet! Is it also very exciting? Absolutely. BATTLE BEAST is one of the hardest-working and most genuinely talented bands out there, and I'm proud to be here to help them keep growing and spreading joy. Buckle up — this is going to be fun."

BATTLE BEAST's first shows with Marina will take place in March 2026 when the band hits Japan and Australia.

The dates are below:

March 06 - Tokyo – WWWX
March 07 - Osaka – Shinsaibashi Sunhall
March 10 - North Perth – Magnet House
March 11 - Adelaide – Lion Arts Factory
March 13 - Melbourne – Max Watts Melbourne
March 14 - Sydney – Manning Bar
March 15 - Brisbane – Crowbar

Louhimo revealed in November 2023 that she had been diagnosed with a ruptured left carotid artery, causing the postponement the band's tour.

Louhimo joined BATTLE BEAST in 2012 with no previous experience as a metal vocalist but quickly acclimated herself as the replacement for Nitte Valo (a.k.a. Nitte Vänskä).

Three years ago, Noora admitted publicly that she had been struggling with eating disorders and her weight since she was "a little child" and said that she was "still trying to find a balance." She added that she had "been depressed and anxious sometimes 'without a reason'."

In an interview with Metal Divas, Noora explained how she ended up fronting BATTLE BEAST: "[In] September [2012], I got a call from [then-BATTLE BEAST guitarist] Anton [Kabanen] that they want me to join BATTLE BEAST. I had heard their music and loved the sound and the vocals, so the next day I called Anton and said I'm in.

"Anton found me by accident on YouTube when he was searching for the new vocalist," she continued. "He had been looking for a vocalist — male or female; [it did not] matter. The only thing that mattered was can that [he or she could] sing his songs without compromises.

"I've been singing since I was four years old," Noora added. "While being a huge fan of heavy metal of '80s and a teenager, I had some classical singing lessons when I was 16 years old. Then at the age of 19, I started studying music in pop/jazz line. At the same time, I started doing some jam sessions at bars. There I found my first band (ADMIRAL OCTOPUS) in the blues bar. We used to play rock and blues music from '60s-'70s and Janis Joplin was the reason I got the rasp in my voice. After ADMIRAL OCTOPUS, in 2011, I took part in a singing competition ('Wanna Be A Rock 'N' Roll Star') at Henry's Pub of Tampere and won it with Janis Joplin's 'Piece Of My Heart'. That's how my single 'Relax' was born."

BATTLE BEAST's seventh studio album, "Steelbound", came out in October via Nuclear Blast.

Photo credit: Marek Sabogal (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

On Thursday, December 18, legendary vocalist John Bush played the second of three live concerts showcasing the music he helped create during his decade-long tenure singing with ANTHRAX. At the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, Bush performed songs spanning all four albums he recorded with the band: "Sound Of White Noise", "Stomp 442", "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" and "We've Come For You All". Joining Bush on stage were his CATEGORY 7 bandmates Phil Demmel (guitar),Mike Orlando (guitar) and Jason Bittner (drums),along with his longtime ARMORED SAINT partner and best friend Joey Vera on bass (CATEGORY 7 bassist Jack Gibson had a schedule conflict and was unable to make the gig). CATEGORY 7 also opened the show before returning as John's backing band for the ANTHRAX material.

Bush's ANTHRAX setlist included not only the well-known anthems, but also some deeper cuts that hadn't been performed live in years.

John's setlist was as follows:

01. Potters Field
02. Random Acts Of Senseless Violence
03. Refuse To Be Denied
04. Inside Out
05. Cadillac Rock Box
06. Hy Pro Glo
07. 1000 Points Of Hate
08. Crush
09. Nobody Knows Anything
10. Black Lodge
11. King Size
12. Safe Home
13. Room For One More
14. Fueled

Encore:

15. What Doesn't Die
16. Only

Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below.

In a recent with Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz, Bush stated about the fact that he had to prepare for his ANTHRAX-era shows: "Well, I've been singing to the ANTHRAX songs right now because I'm trying to remember them. Strangely enough, they actually are coming back to me, which is funny 'cause I haven't sung those songs in years. Some of 'em I have — I did a couple things at the METAL ALLEGIANCE shows that we did — but mostly just like 'Only' and maybe 'Room For One More'. Yeah, it's funny how my memory is still there. I still have a lot of work to do, but, yeah, it's good. So I'm working on that. I'm singing to the CATEGORY 7 songs 'cause that's gonna open for it… But, yeah, this is a memory challenge, for sure."

Asked if he looks back fondly on 2003's "We've Come For You All", which marked his final album of new material with ANTHRAX, Bush said: "Yeah. I look fondly on all of 'em, really, to be honest. I think all four records are really cool — all a little different from one another. Certainly different times and different growth of the band. But 'We've Come For You All' was pretty solid. We signed to Nuclear Blast in Europe at that time, so they kind of gave us a resurgence, 'cause they're a great label in Europe and they just know what they're doing. And we really kind of re-established ourselves on that record, particularly in Europe. In America, I think it was on Sanctuary, and I think they kind of folded not too long after that. So, not as well of a job done here in America, but it was still received well and we toured and some great, great tunes on that record. Some really powerful anthems, if you will."

John also talked about Keanu Reeves's appearance in the "Safe Home" video and the guest contributions of THE WHO vocalist Roger Daltrey and PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott to the "We've Come For You All" LP. He said: "Yeah, we were very honored and lucky that we had Keanu Reeves do that for 'Safe Home' video. And, of course, Dimebag played on every album after 'Sound Of White Noise', 'cause it just started with 'Stomp' and then it continued on to 'We've Come For You All'. And we were, of course, honored to have Dime do anything on the record, and he played some killer leads throughout. Roger Daltrey, I was in New York at the time recording and when he did his part in L.A., so it was a drag 'cause I wasn't in the studio when he did it. But it's Roger Daltrey. End of story."

During an appearance on the July 31, 2025 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Bush was asked what led to his decision to play several concerts showcasing songs from his era of ANTHRAX. He responded: "Obviously I've talked about this for quite a while, and it's come and gone because of various reasons — scheduling, or maybe I was just reluctant at the time. And Dan DeVita, who I owe a lot to, because he's the agent who books ARMORED SAINT, and he's booking this, and I've known Dan for years and years. He works for TKO, and he's doing great for himself, and he's always been there for us and for me. And the thing is, he kept saying, like, 'When do you wanna do this? Let's do this.' And we had a plan to do it in the summer of this year. We had dates for Europe that were ready to go. And then for whatever reason, I don't know if I got cold feet or some of the negotiations kind of fell apart with some of the people I was talking to. And so we pulled out. And we actually had some legitimate gigs — we had a couple of festivals that were big and it was gonna be cool. For whatever reason, it didn't happen. So it's a moot point now. But the reality is, look, I am gonna be 62 [in August]. And I've been talking about this forever, and so let's just do it. Let's stop talking about it and let's do it. So we found the right dates to do it, which is in December, and it's three shows. It's L.A., it's St. Charles, which is outside of Chicago, and then New York City. And I'm gonna go out and we're gonna play songs from these records, and I think it's gonna be really exciting and fun. I think fans are gonna be stoked, and I'm excited. I'm looking forward to it. There's really, really killer tunes on those records that I'm really proud of, and it's gonna be fun to sing them live."

On the topic of how he chose the musicians to play these shows with, Bush said: "It was gonna be the four guys from CATEGORY 7, and Jack Gibson just has a scheduling conflict. So that was the original plan. But it was funny, 'cause we talked about doing this and it was, like, well, here's the band. We've only played one show with CATEGORY 7 — we played the Whisky [A Go Go] just a couple weeks back — but every time we were gonna do some shows, a couple of things fell apart, a couple of balls were dropped. Whatever — that's a moot point. But I think the [CATEGORY 7] record actually is pretty off the charts; it's a killer record, [and I'm] really proud of it. And so we wanted to play some shows, and then, like I said, a couple of things fell apart. But then the idea came of, like, okay, well, wait a minute here. Here's a bunch of incredible musicians. And these guys can play these songs. Bittner played in ANTHRAX, or did some touring with them when Charlie [Benante] was having some injury issues. So he knows a lot of tunes. And it just made sense. It was, like, 'Well, wait a minute. We could piggyback this thing. It'll be really kind of interesting to have one band play and then kind of come back and play again.' So, it's gonna be a little much for not only me as a singer, it's gonna be a lot of songs. It's gonna be a lot of songs for the band to know and learn. But I think in the end it's gonna be a cool story, and it's gonna be fun. Like I was saying, if I was trying to put a band together from scratch of people that I would like to do these ANTHRAX songs, I would choose those guys 'cause they're amazing. So it just made sense. So it's gonna be a lot of fun. And like I said, a lot of these songs — I mean, 'Potter's Field' and 'Fueled' and 'Safe Home', we haven't played these songs — I haven't played these songs, and nor have they, in years and years. So, it's gonna be really cool and exciting to kind of resurrect some of these tunes that a lot of people dug and are great songs that just haven't been heard in a long time."

Asked about the possibility of playing more shows celebrating his era of ANTHRAX in 2026, John said: "Well, we're gonna take this step [by playing these three shows in December]. And for me, this was a big step. So I was, like, let's do this. And Dan, like I said, my agent, he was, like, 'Why don't we do this? We'll kind of play like three shows, strategic, and start with this.' The [new] ARMORED SAINT record is coming out in March or April, so I'm gonna be definitely wanting to do a lot of touring and association with that, because we're really stoked about this upcoming [ARMORED SAINT] album — it sounds killer — so we're gonna do a lot of stuff with that. So it's finding a way to merge some of these things together, but let me kind of get this out there, see what the vibe is. It seems like it's actually pretty awesome so far… But let's see what we get and let's see what happens. And sure, there's a lot of places that I would like to take it — certainly Europe and even South America and maybe even Japan. And the sky's kind of the limit. Obviously, there's a shelf life 'cause this is not new material. These are records that are 20 to 30 years old at this point. So it's not new music. And, of course, ANTHRAX has new music, and they're making a record and they have a new record coming out next year. But the fact is they just really haven't been playing any of these tunes. So they've been kind of almost put in a time capsule. And I get it — I really do. To just call it as it is, I understand, especially from the standpoint of [longtime ANTHRAX singer] Joey Belladonna. They're gonna have a third new record after he came back in the band. They obviously have their catalog of stuff that he did, and they probably have a plethora of material to play, not including any of the Bush songs. But the reality is I don't want these songs to just go into oblivion here. There's some really great material here, and in the '90s these songs had a lot of impact on people. So, I'm figuring, well, if you guys aren't gonna do it, then I should do it. And that's why I'm finally doing it."

Asked if he would still be doing these shows if the Belladonna-fronted lineup of ANTHRAX was performing a lot of the material Bush recorded with the band live, John said: "Well, I'd say most likely not. I used to say, 'Do songs [from my era]. I want you to do tunes.' I understand why you don't, but I wish they would. Because, again, it's something that I invested emotionally and a lot of time, as well as those guys did. So, I would prefer them to play the tunes. I understand if they don't, but if they were, then maybe not. But they don't, with the exception of 'Only'. And there's a lot of great tunes. I've been putting a setlist together, and it's probably more songs than I really wanna sing, to be honest, 'cause it could be a very long set. Plus I wanna play some deep tracks — I don't wanna just play the obvious songs, like 'Only', 'Room For One More', 'Fueled'. I wanna play 'Safe Home', whatever. I wanna play some deep tracks, because it will be more fun that way. So, would I do this [if ANTHRAX was still performing songs from the Bush era live]? Probably not. I would say probably not. But they're not, so I am."

Regarding whether he has gotten any feedback from ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian or drummer Charlie Benante or anybody else in the band about him doing this, John said: "I have not spoken to them. I know that they knew that I was flirting with this and I have been talking about it for a long time. So it's not like it's gonna come as some major shock. But I haven't really had a conversation with them after I made this announcement. But I'm hoping they're supportive of it. Again, it's celebrating the music that those guys made and those guys wrote and performed on. So, like I said, a lot of those tunes are great. So, I'm hoping they're just gonna be supportive of it and maybe will wanna come out and play a song or two. But for me, my main ambition is — it really comes down to, the primary reason is to honor those songs and honor those records and honor me singing them. And that's really the main thing. So, what happens after that? I mean, of course I'm open-minded, in terms of having people come out. I actually think it would be cool if I had some other various people maybe come out and do some little guest spots. I have some ideas of people. I don't wanna say who yet, but I think that would be really cool for other people to come in and stop in and do a song or two in one of the three shows. And I have some ideas. Like I said, I don't wanna reveal that yet. And that's not even including Scott, Charlie and Frankie [Bello, ANTHRAX bassist]. But whatever. I'm open-minded. I'm hoping it's a really positive vibe throughout the whole thing, and like I said, we're just celebrating some of those records that sometimes are forgotten, which, like I said, I get it. It's hard to compete, especially with the '80s ANTHRAX, because it was so huge and it was such an impactful time. And those are great, incredible records. But we did still make some really cool stuff in the '90s, and I know there's a lot of people that love those albums and songs, so I'm gonna rock 'em out."

In March 2024, Bush told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone that he would "love" to perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX. "It wouldn't be some long tour; it would probably be like a handful of shows of doing my era in ANTHRAX," he explained. "'Cause they don't play too many of the songs — they play 'Only', and they just don't play too many. And I get it, because there's a large catalog that ANTHRAX has, not only from the beginning, but now they've made — they're about ready to make their third record, I believe, after that. So, I understand. I really do. I totally get it. But there are some songs that would be fun to hear, I think, for fans and for myself. It just has to kind of work with time, really; that's the key component. But it would be fun, for sure. I just don't know at this point when that would happen. And I don't know — they've kind of got their own thing going on, too. They're busy, they're making a new record. One day maybe something. Maybe it'll be me with various musicians doing it. Probably not with the band, actually. Or if they ever wanted to say, 'Hey, you wanna come out and sing a couple songs?' Yeah, I'd be into that. But I always say it's something that Joey Belladonna should be wanting to do. If this is something that he's not into and he's uncomfortable, then it shouldn't be done, because there's no point. But who knows?"

After Blakk suggested the possibility of ARMORED SAINT opening for ANTHRAX and Bush jumping up on stage and doing a couple of songs with the headliners, John said: "I would love ARMORED SAINT to go out and play some shows or do a tour with ANTHRAX. I think that would be killer. I've said it. It'd be really fun… Who knows?"

ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Bush, Belladonna, Neil Turbin and Dan Nelson — over the last 42 years, with guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group's studio albums.

Turbin sang on ANTHRAX's debut LP, 1984's "Fistful Of Metal", before getting booted and being replaced by Belladonna. Belladonna performed on four ANTHRAX albums, including the fan favorite "Among The Living" (1987) before he himself was fired over creative and stylistic differences. Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.

In October 2022, John told The Metal Voice that a special tour during which he would perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX "would be great. I don't really wanna go out and do like a 30-date tour with it, but it would be cool to do a handful of shows in some key markets," he said. "We can certainly play those songs for a support slot or even a headlining slot, let's face it. I think there's enough songs of the four records [I recorded with ANTHRAX] that would make for a great show… I'm open to it. It's just a matter of… the timing, I think. Really, that's what it comes down to."

Regarding the fact that ANTHRAX played "Only" live on a recent U.S. tour, with Joey Belladonna on vocals, Bush said: "I always support Joey singing those songs. I wish they would do more, to be honest… I have no qualms with that. I support that. And Joey, we're not the best of friends, because we just aren't. It's funny, 'cause my wife and his wife have become pretty good text friends, so they're closer than him and I. But I always endorse it and tell him he did a great job and support whatever he does. He has his own backlog of stuff, and he also has the new songs and the new records that he's done. So I understand, and I'm not offended by it. But if they wanna play some songs from the John Bush-era albums, I'm great with that as well."

In September 2020, Bush told The Metal Voice that he was "caught by surprise" by Ian's comment that was not opposed to taking part in a special concert featuring most of the singers that have fronted the band over the course of its nearly four-decade existence. "I was, like, 'Wow. Okay.' And I thought that's a great idea. That would be really cool," Bush said. "I think that would be an amazing thing for the fanbase. But what I keep saying is that Joey Belladonna is the singer of ANTHRAX, and Joey should be the singer of ANTHRAX, as far as I'm concerned. And if this happens, it needs to have his approval, really, quite honestly. Because I wouldn't want him to feel like, 'Well, this is not my idea, and I don't wanna do this,' because he is the singer who'd be sharing the stage [with the rest of us], quite honestly. So I think it would be something that Joey would have to give endorsement to, for that to happen, if that's an idea. And again, I think it would be a fun thing to do a couple of handful of shows, sporadic stuff."

When you play in front of @charbenante you better play it right!!
Not too fast… 😜
@joey_vera
@jasonbittner
@category7band

#JohnBushCelebratesAnthrax1993
#category7
#johnbushanthrax

Posted by John Bush on Friday, December 19, 2025

The original BULLETBOYS lineup consisting of Marq Torien (vocals) and Mick Sweda (guitars) returned to the live stage for the first time in more than four years this past Friday night (December 19) at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois and on Saturday, December 20 at The Vault in Saginaw, Michigan. Fan-filmed video of both concerts can be seen below.

In a new interview with Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station, Torien and Sweda spoke about the latest reunion of the band's classic lineup. Regarding his return to the group, Mick said: "I love playing with these guys. And we've come to some agreements that weren't necessarily on the table before. And suffice to say that it's pretty momentous for all of us, and we're looking forward to sharing that with everybody, especially people that have never had a chance to see us."

Added Marq: "Absolutely. I concur with that. I'm just so excited that… I'm just happy that Mick's back. [Laughs] I love him so much. He's the sound of this band. And me and him are like the Joe Perry and Steven Tyler, David Lee Roth [and] Edward Van Halen, Jimmy Page [and] Robert Plant — we're those two guys… It's just something that I personally have been wanting to do, is to work with Mick. We've had different situations where we've agreed to disagree and we've disagreed, but I think we've found common ground. And the common ground is love. The common ground is the original band. And … to come back and to do something really special, not basically, I'm saying for myself for myself, but for the fans. The fans have been with us for so many years and given us so much love and been waiting for this to happen again. So, I'm ecstatic. I'm so excited. I can't wait to be playing with the fellas and be up there with Mick. And that sound that Mick has, that guitar, I need to have that so I can do what I can do. It's just this chain of events, magical chain of events that have to incur to make the sound of this amazing band, and we're getting another shot at it. And I just feel like so much humility and positivity in moving forward and bringing something that people haven't seen in a long time. And I'm just really excited about getting up with Mick again and doing what we do, and the fellas. And let's go."

Asked how something like a reunion of the BULLETBOYS' classic lineup happens at this point in time, Mick said: "Well, it's usually a number of phone calls and reaching out and people being vulnerable and saying, 'Hey, man, I really wanna get this back together.' And there was always reticence on everybody's part, because we were all kind of in our own flows. And so I give Marq a lot of credit because he's been doing his thing for a long time and I've been kind of spectating. And he came to me with, like he said, love and caring and sincerity, and everybody else felt the same way. And when that happens, you don't let it go. I mean, we have a bit of a legacy and we all wanna finish it off on a great note. And we wanna put this thing back together and show people the chemistry and the magic that I don't think any of us have with any other bands. I mean, we've all played with other guys, but when we get together, and I'm not saying this just from my own perspective, I hear this from people all the time, like, 'You guys have something that just isn't out there anymore.' And I think it's only fair that we share that."

Added Marq: "Absolutely. A hundred percent. I a hundred percent agree. It's something very special and magical that the four of us have that sometimes, maybe individually we don't really realize that. And I give Mick all the credit too.

"I've opened up my heart, and sometimes you have to really come with empathy and love and to find common ground and to have to bring something back where other bands aren't really doing this right now," Torien explained. "So it's a challenge. Challenges are always good because they always breed positivity and moving forward and stuff. And I'm just ecstatic that the four of us were able to do this and to… How would you say? There's strength in numbers. And Mick is a hundred percent right about the legacy that we do have. And I agree with Mick — it's time for people to see this. And we're not getting any younger. [Laughs]"

Asked if they would agree with Jimmy's previous comment, when he rejoined the BULLETBOYS in October, that the recent death of Ozzy Osbourne was a partial catalyst for the decision to bring the classic lineup of BULLETBOYS back together, Mick said: "Yeah, it's true. I'm sure that was a catalyst. I totally respect Jimmy's position on that.

"There's not an infinite amount of time left for us, and we have to put those differences… I mean, there's gonna be differences, obviously," Mick admitted. "There are four very energetic personalities in this band. And I think we're all at a point where we can manage those and understand that the end result is worth whatever struggles there are to get there."

Marq added: "I think I've said this before too — not to be redundant with Mick, but with all due respect — we are the makers of our own demise, the four of us, and we are the makers of our own success. It's something that I really believe in.

"When you get older you start thinking about different things in your timeline about being on this planet and when the Lord's gonna call your name," he continued. "That's what I think about. So I played with a lot of gentlemen. There's been some really good guys, but there's been some really hard times with people that don't have vetted interest into the brand. What I do know, with myself, Mick, Lonnie and Jimmy, that we have vetted interest into the brand. The brand's the most important, to me, and that we're going to be able to share this, the four of us, and moving forward is… I keep on telling about the challenge… How can I say this? I know Mick's a reader like I am. I do a lot of reading and a lot of research, and one of the main things is to find common ground and to find a parlay and to be able to sit down and negotiate situations. And sometimes it's going to take time, but if we can all agree and find common ground, I think that that's the best thing. And the common ground is our music."

The classic lineup of BULLETBOYS is also scheduled to perform on December 28 at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go on the famed Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California.

Sweda's bandmate in THE ROCKETT MAFIA, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett, confirmed that he was aware of Mick's return to the BULLETBOYS, writing on his Facebook page: "Yes, of course I know about this for those of you asking. Mick is desirous to continue with THE ROCKETT MAFIA, he assured me. If, however he finds success and happiness again with the BULLETBOYS, I'll be the first to cheer him on!"

Prior to the St. Charles show, the original BULLETBOYS lineup of Torien, Vencent, D'Anda and Sweda last reunited back in mid-December 2019 and lasted for a couple of years before Sweda announced in January 2022 that both he and D'Anda were exiting the band. In December 2024, Vencent rejoined BULLETBOYS once again.

After the original BULLETBOYS lineup's most recent full reunion disintegrated almost four years ago, Sweda said in an interview that he would "never do anything with BULLETBOYS again."

D'Anda broke the news of his return to the BULLETBOYS in an October 13 post on his Facebook page. He wrote at the time: "Everyone knows it's a monumental task for bands to reunite, especially bands that have been fractured for years… Having said that, I felt that there was unfinished business with my old band BBOYS and after losing OZZY , that shook me to my core … So Lonnie, Marq and myself sat down at SALSA AND BEER and had a heartfelt moment of honesty and cleared some years of resentment ( witch we had never done before). I then sat down with Mick, the original guitarist, and asked if he’d come back, he had no desire to do so, and understandably so."

BULLETBOYS formed in 1988 at the very peak of the Los Angeles glam metal movement. As a collection of talented musicians, BULLETBOYS were able to quickly capture the attention of music fans around the world. Unlike other rockers of the day, the BULLETBOYS possessed more hard rock-blues fusion than pure hair metal. Thanks to comparisons to the likes of AEROSMITH and VAN HALEN, talent scouts came running and the band quickly received their first major label contract.

BULLETBOYS' self-titled debut was released in 1988 via Warner Bros. and peaked at number 34 on the Billboard 200. The album spawned two hit singles, a cover of the O'JAYS classic "For The Love Of Money" and "Smooth Up in Ya", both of which charted on the Mainstream Rock chart and saw regular airplay on MTV. BULLETBOYS went on to release two more albums, 1991's "Freakshow" and 1993's "Za-Za", before splitting up.

Vocalist Lou Koller of New York hardcore legends SICK OF IT ALL, who announced in September that his cancer had returned just four months after celebrating being declared cancer-free, has shared a new video message in which he said: "Hey, everybody. What's up? It's Lou. It's been a while. To give you an update, there's not really much to tell. The treatments are going okay. They're not really doing much. I'm kind of at a stalemate where the tumors aren't growing and they're not spreading, but they're not shrinking either. So the plan is to keep going with the treatments and see what happens. And after that, we'll make a new plan."

He continued: "I wanna take this opportunity to thank my brother Matt and my sister-in-law Connie for taking such good care of me, letting me live in their house and helping me through this. I wanna thank all of you for all the positive messages, the prayers and all of the well wishes. Thank you very much. Keep 'em coming, keep 'em coming. And I hope y'all have a great Christmas and a happy New Year. I hope next year's better year for all of us. Take care of each other, all right?! See you around."

Lou underwent chemotherapy last year after being diagnosed with an esophageal tumor.

When Koller first announced that his cancer had returned three months ago, he said in a video message: "I was having a really hard time with my recovery. I was having a tough time gaining weight and keeping food down. So I had some scans done, and sure enough, [the cancer] is back. But we're gonna take it day by day and see what happens."

A benefit concert supporting Koller's battle with esophageal cancer was held on November 23, 2024 at Irving Plaza in New York City. The "I'm In The Fight With Lou" event featured performances by VISION OF DISORDER, LIFE OF AGONY and MUNICIPAL WASTE, as well as veteran New York hardcore acts KILLING TIME and CROWN OF THORNZ. Notably, it marked VISION OF DISORDER's first live appearance since 2018. It was also LIFE OF AGONY's first show since the band's singer Keith Caputo — who came out as transgender and assumed the name Mina Caputo in 2011 — announced that he had "cured" his gender dysphoria and was planning to "physically completely detransition" in 2025 before officially changing his name back to Keith Caputo.

After Lou went public in late June 2024 with the news that doctors discovered a cancerous tumor in his esophagus, his brother Pete, who plays guitar in SICK OF IT ALL — set up a GoFundMe campaign to help cover some of the costs of his cancer treatment and assist with living expenses while the group is off the road and unable to tour. That campaign has since raised more than $380,000, with fellow artists AFI, RANCID and DROPKICK MURPHYS contributing $5,000 apiece, and bands such as SNAPCASE and HOT WATER MUSIC also making generous donations.

The long-running New York Hardcore band subsequently canceled its previously announced European tour dates.

When Lou first posted about the diagnosis on social media, he said: "[Doctors] found a tumor in my esophagus that goes into my stomach, and I'll have to be getting treatment all summer — and of course, with full support of the band. As soon as they heard it, they were, like, 'Forget the tour. Just get healthy.' … They're all behind me staying home and us staying home."

Koller ended the message by saying: "I'll hopefully beat this thing and see you at the end of the summer … or maybe the winter."

SICK OF IT ALL's European tour was supposed to kick off in the Czech Republic on July 4, 2024.

SICK OF IT ALL's latest album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", was released in November 2018 via Century Media.

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During an appearance on the 100th episode of the Vinyl Bang podcast hosted by Nick Martin and Jeff Grindstopher, MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren discussed his record collection, including "plenty of O.G. pressings and some records people would not expect him to listen to," according to Nick. You can now watch the entire podcast below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

MEGADETH's self-titled album — Dirk's second full-length effort with the group — will be released on January 23, 2026. The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be made available via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

In a new interview with "Reckless" Rexx Ruger of the Pod Scum podcast, DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited new album. Kirk is joined in the long-running heavy metal supergroup by vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders. Asked if DOWN fans can expect to hear new music from the band in 2026, Kirk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes. Later than sooner, but I don't really see why it can't get out, say, by September, around September-ish. Because DOWN's on [the] Nuclear Blast [record label], along with C.O.C. [CORROSION OF CONFORMITY; Pepper's main band], who have an amazing new record coming out April 2nd. So we can't put DOWN, even if it's ready, we can't put it out too close to that. And the label's not gonna wanna do that anyway. We wouldn't do it anyway. But C.O.C. needs to come out and let everybody get blown away for a good bit. And when the water settles a little bit, we fucking give 'em a double whammy and throw out the DOWN."

Earlier this fall, Windstein told "The Jasta Show", that he and Keenan were scheduled to finish recording "all the guitars" for the new DOWN album in November. Kirk said: "Phil's doing the vocals at [his] home studio, and that's where drums and bass were done… But it's 10 tracks, [and] he's got great ideas on all of 'em. It's really gonna be a killer, killer record."

As for his expectations for the next DOWN album, Windstein said: "It's either gonna totally be this huge thing or just flop. But if you're a DOWN fan, I don't see how you can not like it."

This past August, Kirk confirmed to Geoff of the Gas Masks & Hand Grenades podcast that DOWN was originally going to release a covers LP next. "It started out that way," Kirk said. "And that was the talk for quite a while, and it was kind of, like, well, if we're gonna learn all these really obscure songs, in the time it's gonna take us to learn all these fucking things and kind of make 'em our own, we could probably write originals. So we got together in January of 2024. Went to Phil's [rehearsal and recording studio]. Pepper, myself, Jimmy and Pat had gotten together and come up with a few ideas, and Phil had some stuff. We went out for three days and came back, came home, and by the time we were done, we had seven songs — not perfectly arranged."

Elaborating on the songwriting and recording process for the new DOWN material, Kirk said: "When we got together to write, the chemistry is just undeniable. It's just magic. We've known each other so long, we've jammed together for so long. And Pepper and I did something — [it was] kind of his idea, but I thought it was a pretty brilliant idea. Jimmy doesn't play to a click track, so it's harder [to keep time], especially when you're not looking at him. So, he said, 'You know what? Let's track the fucking guitars together. Let's not do one guy, then one guy. Let's pick out one section, let's make it through the whole fucking verse, and if one of us fucks up, we stop, go back and start it again.' So we're doing it, just playing together and shit. So it's got more of a live feel, because Pat and Jimmy laid the drums and bass down together, and now we're doing guitars together with the rhythm tracks and shit."

He added: "DOWN's one of the few bands — of course we use Pro Tools [recording software], but we don't do click tracks and fix shit. It's real music."

Earlier in August, Kirk told The Five Count radio show in Mankato, Minnesota about the upcoming DOWN LP: "We couldn't be more excited about the material we have. The songs are extremely strong and they're very old school. They're put together really well, arranged really well, great riffs. We're real excited about it and I think the fans will be equally as excited."

This past April, it was announced that DOWN had signed with Nuclear Blast Records.

When the deal with Nuclear Blast was first announced, the label said in a statement: "Nuclear Blast is proud to be in the trenches with NOLA legends DOWN as their partner in their long overdue return to the metal world. In addition, we are excited to bring some of their key past catalog releases back into the spotlight, especially on the vinyl side. There are so many longtime DOWN fans at Nuclear Blast who are excited to be working with one of their all-time favorite bands. 2026 can't come soon enough!"

Anselmo stated: "It's good to sign with Nuclear Blast Records. It's a good label home and we're ready to make some awesome recordings!"

Keenan said: "Having already been a part of the Nuclear Blast family with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, it is an honor and a privilege to be here as well with my brothers in DOWN. The team at Nuclear Blast is a well-oiled machine and you can definitely tell they love what they do. We are in the right place."

Bower added: "Nuclear Blast is a great label that put out some excellent records. It's an honor to have them work our jams!"

DOWN headlined night one of this year's edition of the Milwaukee Metal Fest in May. The show followed the band's recent Western U.S. tour with DANZIG.

In April 2024, Windstein, who is also the frontman of CROWBAR, told Concrete Spew about the musical direction of the new DOWN material: "It just sounds like DOWN. I mean, it sounds refreshing because we haven't done it in so long, gotten together with me and the guys and done it in — fuck — 12 years or something. So it sounds like DOWN, I think, to me, it sounds more old-school DOWN. And the reason I say that is I think we got to a point where… Like, the 'NOLA' record is so simple, and it just wrote itself; it was so simple. And that's how this is coming about, which is great."

He continued: "We're not overthinking it. We're not trying to make things too complex. Phillip's not trying to write so many lyrics and things. We just kind of got away — I hate to say 'got away', 'cause anything we do is DOWN, but, to me, we kind of got a little bit… We needed to go back and look at each other and just go, 'Let's just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.' And that's what it feels like to me. It's very magical. The ideas and the working together, just bounce off of one another, it's a natural thing."

DOWN played its rescheduled concert at Inn Of The Mountain Gods Resort And Casino in Mescalero, New Mexico on September 27, 2024. The band was originally supposed to perform at at Inn Of The Mountain Gods on June 20, 2024, but the show was called off due to a pair of rapidly growing wildfires which were converging on a village inside a tribal reservation in the state. As a result of the postponement, DOWN played two pop-up shows in Louisiana — on June 20, 2024 at Southport Hall in New Orleans and on June 21, 2024 at Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge.

Prior to Southport Hall, DOWN's last concert took place in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia.

DOWN made a handful of rare live appearances in the spring and summer of 2022. The band launched a three-date U.S. run of shows in May 2022 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. After playing in Atlanta and Dallas immediately after Rockville, DOWN took a three-week break before regrouping for three European festival appearances in June. The aforementioned appearance at that year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival followed in September 2022.

In August 2021, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER),and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which were later canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which swept the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

The supergroup hasn't issued anything since the arrival of the "Down IV – Part Two" EP in May 2014.

"Down IV – Part Two" sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release in May 2014 to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous EP, "Down IV Part I – The Purple EP", opened with around 12,000 units in September 2012 to land at No. 35.

"Down IV – Part Two" was recorded at Nodferatu's Lair — Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson. It was released via Down Records/ADA Music.

In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski, who was raised Catholic but is now known for his anti-Christian, Satanic, and anti-establishment views, using his music and public actions (like tearing pages from a Bible) to challenge organized religion, was asked if he celebrates Christmas with his family. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Absolutely. In the first place, the fact that Christians stole those celebrations from Pagans — [they] just put a different emblem, different sticker on it, and just adjusted some elements — it's [not] gonna stop me from enjoying the fact that I can just chill and do nothing and relax with my family, because that's what Xmas is really all about. You know what I mean? It's about the family time and there's nothing wrong about it, and it has no religious associations whatsoever. It's a time when everyone takes time off and everyone needs tranquility and peace and relaxes and breathes. And, to me, it doesn't really associate with Catholic tradition. Of course, Catholics made it all Santa Claus and all that bullshit — that is pretty much commerce; it's all commercial, [and] I don't give a fuck — but the fact that towards the end of the year, you're just slowing down, you're taking your time, you don't need to rush. And the weather here [in Poland] — sometimes we get snow, but it's doom and gloom here."

He continued: "I'm not a depressive kind, but — I don't know — this period of the year can be very joyful, even though it's not sunny and it's not full of energy whatsoever. No, I get that when the time comes. Of course I was raised here in Poland, so I'm no stranger to seasons. We have four seasons — not really four seasons anymore. It used to be four seasons. Now I'd say it's two or three seasons, because of all the climate changes. But let's call it cycles. We do have those cycles. And I still enjoy the cycles, and that is a great part of the year. It's very relaxing and it's cool, and I'm happy not to be traveling. And I live far from my mom because my father died three years ago. So it's just my mom that's left. So she lives in another city, a four-hour drive from me. So I'm bringing her to my place. And we're gonna spend two or three days together, I guess. More is not bearable for either one [of us]. But blood is thicker than water, as they say. So you can't deny it; it's there. Even though those family members probably are the ones that it's the easiest for them to fucking trigger you and piss you off. But everyone has his own skeletons, so fuck it. I'm cool. There's a space and time for reflection now. I can go through things, I can go and read my book. And there's hours and hours that pass and I'm, like, fucking not really doing anything. And for some reason it's very inspiring and it's very soothing. So, yeah, I like it."

BEHEMOTH's latest album, "The Shit Ov God", came out in May via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was helmed by Swedish producer Jens Bogren of Fascination Street Studios (EMPEROR, ENSLAVED, KREATOR, ROTTING CHRIST et al.). BEHEMOTH tapped longtime collaborator and partner in crime Bartek Rogalewicz (BLACK.LODGE.IS.NOW) as well as Dark Sigil Workshop to make the cover art.

BEHEMOTH and DIMMU BORGIR will embark on the "In League With Satan" European co-headlining tour in October 2026. Support on the trek will come from Swedish black metal icons DARK FUNERAL.

ANTHRAX has filmed a music video for the first single from the band's long-awaited new studio album, tentatively due in early 2026 in North America via Megaforce and in Europe through Nuclear Blast. The mixing sessions, as well as some of the recording sessions, for the LP took place at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California. ANTHRAX once again worked with producer Jay Ruston, who previously helmed 2016's "For All Kings" and 2011's "Worship Music" albums.

Earlier today (Saturday, December 20),ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian took to his social media to write: "Album is done. First video is shot. Thank you all for braving the cold with us to make something killer! A great day for all of us!"

He added: "So much more ANTHRAX coming in 2026! Until then have a great holiday!"

In a separate post, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante wrote: "We shot a video yesterday for a new song 'it's *** *** ****', it's a bit of a throw back to another video. I couldn't help but have a little fun with some friends who showed up. I want to thank them for being there and being a part of a very long and cold day. We had some fun with a sing along @kissonline @judaspriest #watchthebeat

Earlier this month, Benante told the "100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal" podcast about the status of the band's long-awaited follow-up to "For All Kings":  "We have a new ANTHRAX record coming out early next year… And not because it's our record, but God, this record is so good. And I know it took a long time to make, but I think people will really be surprised and they will really grasp this and just be, like, 'Oh my God. This is worth the weight.' At least that's what I think."

Regarding ANTHRAX's working relationship with Ruston, Benante said: "I'll tell you, man, Jay's done the last few ANTHRAX records, and he's become… We talked about [legendary THE BEATLES producer] George Martin before, and Jay has become that [for us]. And him and I have been working very close on this record."

Charlie continued: "I know other bands will understand when I say this — it's, like, you could have three or four songs and it's, like, 'Okay, they're good.' Then you have seven, then you have 10, then the record starts to take shape.

"A couple of months ago, I started to listen to all of [the songs from the new ANTHRAX album] in the order that I think we're gonna put the record in, and it's, like, 'Wow, this is really good,'" Benante added. "It's the best thing when you could put them all together and it just flows. So I'm really excited about it… We pushed the envelope on this record too, so I'm happy about that."

In a recent interview with Thomann's Guitars & Basses, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello stated about the band's next LP: "I think it's been almost 10 years since the last ANTHRAX record, which is insane. We all are very, very hungry, 'cause we're in mixing right now. The new ANTHRAX record, I'm proud to say, I'm very psyched about this, that it's mixing, and now we get to hear the whole thing of it. And just to hear them really come to life now after all that, and, really, the parts are all done. Everything's locked in. And to hear what they're gonna sound like for when people hear it, as a fan of the band, it's, like, 'Fuck yeah!' You get hungry and you're ready and you know you have the goods. So we're pretty psyched."

Elaborating on the enthusiasm he and his ANTHRAX bandmates feel about releasing a new album more than 40 years into the group's career, Frank said: "You know what it is, man? I think you never stop being a fan. Never stop being a fan, because that's where the gut is. It comes from your gut, and you are hungry. I'm an ANTHRAX fan, so I wanna hear the best of the best. What do we have? When you hear a bad riff, it's out. Something's gotta work and it's gotta be good enough for us. That's why we know if it's good enough for us, everybody will like it. And that's the way we've always worked."

Bello also talked in more detail about the ANTHRAX songwriting process, explaining: "It's all [about exchanging] demos at this point. It's all digital stuff, so we send each other stuff. Charlie's in Chicago, Scott's in L.A., I'm in New York. So imagine traveling like that. The three of us get together after we have a collection that we think are strong enough, and we'll bat them down and really put 'em together and make sure they work."

This past July, Benante told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast that he and his ANTHRAX bandmates would "release a song at the end of this year, to give people a taste of what's to come. I just finished the album cover, and that is fucking trippy as hell," he said. "I designed it with this artist, who is killer. You know David Blaine, the magician. He did a six-part series recently [National Geographic's 'Do Not Attempt'], and Mark [Stutzman], the artist, he did a lot of the conceptual art for it.

"It's so weird how things happen to me," Charlie continued. "It's, like, I was looking for an artist and I'm watching this David Blaine documentary, and there's this art, which is exactly what I wanted. And I contacted him, and he loved the idea and he was a fan. So it's so crazy how things just turn out that way. So I'm really happy about that."

Earlier in July, Bello told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the progress of the recording sessions for ANTHRAX's new album: "The record's done. It's going into mixing now. Look, I know it's a long time coming, and thank you to the fans that are listening right now, and I know it's been a while. But between COVID, side projects, everything, we've all had different lives, and everybody's very much into what we're doing now with ANTHRAX. So, you'll be hearing something before the end of the year, for sure."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if that means that ANTHRAX fans will at least get a new song before the end of 2025, Frank said: "That is the plan, Eddie. That is the plan. 'Cause nobody puts out records right away — just a song and then a song, and you tease it out."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Frank said: "I can't say the title [of the album yet], but what I can say is people who have liked the last two records, and there's been a lot of you, and thank you for that, I think we took another step from that. And this isn't just a salesmanship thing. I am, as a fan, really proud of the band stepping up like this — musicianship, songwriting. Joey's [Belladonna] vocals — I'm not even joking when I say this about Belladonna, it's one of the best singing he's done on an ANTHRAX record. I'm not even joking with that. So, we made sure the melodies, everything is right with this record. We're ready to go. It's been a long time, but I think we have the goods. I'm really proud of it, and I can't wait to play this stuff. It's gonna be a little challenging, definitely, but I'm looking forward to getting out there again."

Asked if 2026 has been "carved out" as the year when everyone in ANTHRAX will focus on touring with the band in support of the upcoming album, Frank said: "That is carved out, from my manager Mike Monterulo, straight from his mouth. We're concentrating specifically on ANTHRAX. Look, there may be shows here and there for other projects and that's fine when we're off, but it's absolutely focused on ANTHRAX and the record and getting it out there and really making people hear the stuff."

Earlier in July, Belladonna told Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM as part of the station's 31st-anniversary celebration that he had "finished the vocals" for ANTHRAX's upcoming album. "I'm really happy with what I've done," he said. "And the band sounds great on the record. And as far as I know right now, we're still finishing up a few things. We're not even mixing yet, so at this point I'd be just speculating [about a possible release date]. Obviously, things are going in the right form and the timing is right. So, all good. I'm happy. You're gonna love it."

In September 2024, Ian told Jon Wiederhorn of Guitar World magazine that he and hisANTHRAX bandmates hoped to finally release their new album in 2025.

"We're taking our time and not rushing anything because we want it to be exactly how we want it," Ian said. "We're not in a place in our lives anymore where we could have dropped everything and said, 'All right, we've got two months of studio time. Let's finish writing and then get in there and record it all and do the vocals. Mix, master and we're done — like in the old days.' We have families and commitments now, so it can't work that way anymore and hasn't in a long time."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Ian said: "There are crushing riffs and great, hooky choruses. Even some of the thrashiest songs have great choruses. We're always looking for the hook, and I think we've accomplished that."

He added: "With the songs we've written, we'd be able to put together a nine- or 10-song record that would be thrashier than anything we've done in a long time. But there would also be a way to make it a very different kind of album depending on which songs we choose. And I can tell you, I know which way I'm leaning. And I think we're all on the same page. We want this record to punch people in the face. And then we can use the bonus tracks for other things, but in the context of the record, I really want it to hit hard."

As for his expectations for the new ANTHRAX album, Scott said: "I'd like to think this record will be a slew of songs that people are going to be very excited about hearing live for the next few years. I generally feel the riffs, the grooves and the breakdowns – we used to call them mosh parts in the old days — I think they're gonna connect with our fans. And a lot of these songs are tailor-made for our live show, so I hope we'll be playing them for a long time."

In August 2024, Benante told Metal Hammer magazine about ANTHRAX's upcoming LP: "There's a song which has the same kind of epic feel as 'In The End' [from 2011's 'Worship Music'] and 'Blood Eagle Wings' [from 'For All Kings']. It revolves around the journey we've been on in the band. And there are three songs that don't sound like anything we've done before. One called 'The Edge Of Perfection' I had way before COVID, and it has just stayed with me — the melody and the chords, but also the aggression."

In January 2024, Bello told Rodney McG about the long delay in getting new ANTHRAX music out: "There wasn't a rush, obviously. I know it's been eight years since our last record, but we wanna make sure it's right, and it is [right]. We are very confident. I'm not worried about how right it is. It's right on exactly where I think, and the rest of the band think, we need to be. I love that it's more complicated for me to play. I love the challenge of that. I think we stepped it up a little bit, the heaviness. Again, everybody's gonna prop their record. Doing this for so long, this is how I feel.

"I don't wanna get complacent," he continued. "I want the challenge, 'cause I'm a fan. I'm a fan, and it has to stimulate me. And it has to get me going on stage."

As for the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Bello said: "On this record, there's stuff that we've never done before. I'm just saying right out — there's stuff, in a heavy way, which I'm very proud of. I like that we went that way with it and just went, 'What the fuck was that?' Some of the things that Charlie Benante does on drums, Scott and I were just, 'What the fuck was that?' And that's great, 'cause you wanna raise your game after that. I think it makes everybody step up a little bit. I'm doing some bass stuff that I had some fun with on this that I would never have done. I think there's a lot of cool stuff that's going on vocally, melody-wise. I'm really happy where the next ANTHRAX record is going."

In October 2023, Ian told "THAT Rocks!" that he and his ANTHRAX bandmates had "only really been working on" their new LP "for a year-ish, I would say… But then once lockdown and all that stuff happened, we just all walked away; nothing creative was happening at all with us through that whole period," he explained. "And then, slowly but surely, when we started playing shows again in '21 and going into '22, that's when we started working again, really. And then in the last year, we really started to put stuff together and Charlie and Frankie and I getting together and having writing sessions and arranging stuff."

In September 2023, Belladonna was asked by Tulsa Music Stream if he is typically presented with finished lyrics to sing or if he gets to contribute a lot lyrically to the content. Joey said: "I love doing lyrics, but there's a lot of lyrics that Scott — he just loves to do it. It's his thing. He just digs into such — these topics that he likes to go and get into, and we all kind of have our own little thoughts on the songs. But I get in there and I really kind of — I dig into the whole thing a lot further. There's a lot of stuff that I have to… When you start singing on something, you really have to find the pockets of what you wanna do, what kind of tone I wanna throw on it and how I wanna go for a certain range for certain things and how I approach it is very important. There are lyrics, but at the end of the day, I have to go in there and still sing as good and catchy and appropriate as I can to make this stuff my thing, my style. Obviously, we're not the hit-oriented type of thing, but I'm always going for something cool to catch you off guard and neat and different. I have my own style, so I just kind of do my thing."

During an August 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ian said about the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material: "Certainly of the nine [songs] we've tracked so far, from a riff point of view, it's definitely — I mean it's riffs with all capital letters. Like if you were going to write, you would write 'riffs' in all capitals with an exclamation point. The riffs are killer. It's very riff-centric. There's a lot of faster uptempo material, certainly."

Ian added: "I will say there is a song — I won't say any titles yet, 'cause it's still probably a working title — there's definitely one song, it's the fastest thing we've ever done. There's another song that we haven't recorded yet that's also in the vein, more of a 'Gung-Ho' or a 'Caught In A Mosh'. Because Charlie and I talk all the time. I said, 'We still need something that's like a three-and-a-half-minute just ripper. You know, something like that.' And then we come up with something like that and I'm, like, 'Hey, I forgot I'm 60 now, and now I have to play this song for the next three years.' Just make my life harder."

Earlier in 2023, Benante was asked by Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules why it has taken so long for ANTHRAX to complete the writing process for a new LP. Charlie said: "If we didn't get hit with this whole global pandemic thing, it would have been out probably two years ago, three years ago. But we all know what happened. But now, being that some of the songs were [written] before the pandemic hit, they're old to me. So now there's a bunch of new songs that kind of came in the mix. So that's a good thing. You can never have enough… We're still working on the older ones because we really like a lot of those."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

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In a new interview with Nick Bowcott of Sweetwater, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt was asked about the comment in his memoir "A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way" where he referred to himself as "a traveling clothes salesman". He explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " That's all any of us are now. I mean, some bands — METALLICA, I'm sure, could do well without selling a single shirt — but for bands like EXODUS, we're a traveling pop-up store. We play music, so you'll come in and visit our store. I mean, we're lucky — I still get some royalties and stuff. If your guarantees cover the entire cost of the tour, you're way ahead of the game, because then the merchandise is yours. So you can go home with some money."

Holt went on to say that if anybody orders merchandise from his Holt Awaits online store, he will most likely personally put the package together before shipping it off to the buyer.

"[It's] my own shirts with all my tasteless serial killer merch and celebrity guitar picks and making fun of everything," he said. "If you order that, if I'm home, I'm the guy putting it in the thing. I'm not hiring someone to do it. There's no warehouse. I'm sitting in my office, and it's me stuffing that t-shirt in that poly mailer. But these are the things we have to do to stay ahead to keep the bills paid."

Gary previously talked about his online merchandise store this past July in an interview with Germany's Metal.de. He said at the time: "People think, 'Oh, you're a rich rock star.' No. I sell shirts, and I sell them outta my fucking closet. All right. Pack this one up, label it, send it off. But no, that just helps. It doesn't pay the bills. It helps to keep pay the bills. It helped really a lot in the pandemic. But I don't know. If I honestly retired, I'd probably do more producing. I'd stay in music. But sometimes I daydream about not leaving the house. 'Cause I hate leaving — I hate getting on the plane to leave — but as soon as I arrive, I have fun."

Holt was also asked about EXODUS bassist Jack Gibson's recent comment that he and his bandmates are "traveling t-shirt salesmen". Gary said: "[Selling shirts is] where we make our money. We're lucky… If you're in a band where the money you're paid to play covers your expenses and the t-shirt money is yours, you're doing really well. Because everything, especially since the pandemic — tour buses cost way more money. Everything costs more. Airfare costs more. It's fucking hard. We do okay, we do pretty good. But then when you come home and you don't work for two months, that money you made has to cover, stretch out over all of it. So it's not what people think."

In a July 2024 interview with Danielle Bloom, Gibson was asked what advice he would give to musicians who are just starting out, as well as to those musicians who maybe are a little jaded at this point in their career. He responded: "I don't know what to tell young musicians today because I am jaded. And it isn't that I'm just jaded, it's that there's no music business anymore.

"When I was young, there was a path, there were steps to take," he explained. "You got your band together, you put your music together, you started looking for shows, and if you could draw people to your shows, then the next step was that label people would be interested. Then you had to get your promotional pack together to give to the labels that were interested. And then you tried to get signed and then you tried to make records and sell records And those steps don't exist at all anymore. Now the step is make a band — or not even make a band. Let's just go viral. I don't know to do that. Don't ask me how to fucking do that. I'm in my fifties. I don't know how to do that shit. It's totally a mystery to me. I don't know how things get popular now, other than just total luck. So I don't know.

"Here in Nashville [where I live now], young musicians, they ask me that all the time," he continued. "And I kind of feel like a dick when I'm answering, because I'm, like, 'Guys, I don't know.' I don't know what makes things tick. The bands that are real popular, I don't know why those bands are popular. And I'm not saying that they're not good; I just don't know why those ones are the ones that stand out from the other ones right now. It all kind of sounds the same to me. I guess it's probably because I'm just old. But I don't know what direction to give anybody."

When Bloom noted out that "we are living in different times" right now, Gibson concurred. "There's no business," he said. "Once they started giving the music away, there's no business. We don't sell shit for records. If we don't go out and sell t-shirts, we don't make money. I'm a t-shirt salesman. I'm not a musician. I'm literally a traveling tchotchke seller. That's what we do. We play music to try to get people to the store and sell them our fuckin' stuff with stuff printed on it. That's the business. If you can't fill up a room, 50,000 units moved on the Internet, then they don't wanna talk to you. And any day now, we're all gonna lose our jobs to these fuckin' robots. Once the A.I. figures out how to actually make music that people enjoy, they're not gonna pay us to do shit."

After Bloom expressed her belief that people will always be interested in seeing live music being performed by humans, Jack said: "Well, that's true. But at this point in time, most of the music business isn't that; most of it is licensing and commercial jingles and music editing and music recording. All that's gonna just disappear. There's gonna be 50 people out there who make music that people are interested in that can't be reproduced. And then the rest of it… Like, who's gonna pay somebody to write music for a movie? Or pay an orchestra, pay 60 people to come in and perform it when one guy can just go [punch a few commands into a computer] and it comes out. And we're not gonna know the fucking difference. Things are changing so fast that I don't really know what to say."

Earlier this month, EXODUS filmed music videos for three songs from the band's upcoming studio album, tentatively due next spring via Napalm Records. The clips are being helmed by Jim Louvau, a musical and visual creative artist based in Phoenix, Arizona, who previously worked on EXODUS's music video for the song "The Fires Of Division" from the band's previous LP, 2021's "Persona Non Grata".

The Alquimia 7 channel on YouTube has uploaded video of ASESINO (Spanish for "assassin" or "murderer") — the death metal/grindcore project featuring FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares and FEAR FACTORY/STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos (on bass/vocals) — performing a special "Dino Cazares-era" BRUJERIA set on December 19 at 1720 in Los Angeles, California. Check out the clips below.

Cazares co-founded BRUJERIA in 1989 and appeared on the band's first three albums — "Matando Güeros" (1993),"Raza Odiada" (1995) and "Brujerizmo" (2000). He left BRUJERIA in 2005 to focus on other projects.

Over the course of the last three and a half decades, BRUJERIA has boasted a revolving lineup of high-profile musicians, including FAITH NO MORE bassist Billy Gould, ex-FEAR FACTORY drummer Raymond Herrera and CARCASS bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker.

ASESINO has spent the last few years sporadically working on material for its long-awaited third album.

The band's second disc, "Cristo Satanico", came out in 2006.

As with BRUJERIA, ASESINO's lyrics are sung entirely in Spanish and with the same subject matter of death, violence and perversion.

ASESINO sometimes plays SLAYER covers live, most notably "Angel Of Death" and "Raining Blood".

ASESINO made a guest appearance as a group of Mexican doctors in episode 57 of "Metalocalypse" on Adult Swim.

Just a few days away to this rager! Are you on deck with tickets? If not, then get to clicking!

https://www.etix.com/ticket/p/61803368/asesino-live-los-angeles-1720

Posted by Daniel Dismal on Tuesday, December 16, 2025

On December 5, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson performed at Music Factory in Cremona, Italy as part of the fall 2025 European leg of his "Bass Warrior Tour". The trek featured Ellefson and his solo band performing select cuts from his well-known catalog of MEGADETH hits, solo material and other hard rock and metal favorites which inspired him during his 40-year music career. Accompanying Ellefson on this tour was Italian guitarist and musical director Andy Martongelli, a longtime friend and collaborator who has been by Ellefson's side during his solo ventures, "Basstory", ELLEFSON-SOTO and ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE tours across Europe.

Fan-filmed video of the Cremona concert can be seen below (courtesy of Loud And Proud Italy).

When the "Bass Warrior Tour" was first announced, Ellefson said in a statement: "I've approached my career as that of a musical warrior, always accompanied by my bass guitar. I eagerly anticipate bringing these songs back to the stage, while sharing introspective and entertaining anecdotes about their creation. It's been a wild ride of low notes and high stakes!"

Ellefson was originally in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.

Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 21 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefeson's place for the album's touring cycle.

Ellefson sued Mustaine in 2004 for $18.5 million, alleging that the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.

In his first book, Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 15 years ago. He told Metal-Rules.com in an interview: "Going from being a co-founding owner to just a sideman musician was initially why I didn't come back in 2004. I was not happy with the participations that were presented to me. In recent times, coming back, I found great joy in doing music with a lot of other people in other settings that helped me fall back in love with playing music. Now I can come back into or go into musical situations and be able to be there for a purpose and level of pay. Being a sideman absolves you from being involved in all the other stuff. At this point in my life, I would rather leave that stuff on the sidelines. Like American Express says, 'membership has its privileges,' being a sideman has its benefits. In my case, it helps retain a friendship too. In order to have a friendship, I had to give up some ownership."

During a February 2021 appearance on Mitch Joel's "Groove - The No Treble Podcast", Ellefson reflected on his legal battle with Mustaine, saying: "I firmly believe Dave and I ended up in that situation because he and I were not directly communicating. There was a new manager, a new lawyer, a new team of people, and they were all trying to impress the client, so they were just, 'Well, we're just doing whatever the boss tells us to do.' And it's, like, wait a minute — your job is to manage and counsel and direct your client, and — in my opinion — avoid litigation, avoid these things. Those people are no longer here — they've all been let go, thank God — and once most of them were let go was when Dave and I had an opportunity to come back and reconcile. And as soon as Dave and I get in a room, it's, like, 'What the hell are we fighting over? Get your guitar. Let's play. Let's jam.' And then it becomes about the music, and there it is. So when we keep it on that level, it goes well. When the business people and the lawyers and the people come in and they try to sort of put logic around it, that's when the trouble [begins].

"I've always said MEGADETH is completely illogical — there's no logic to it at all," he continued. "And there's not really supposed to be, because it's something of the heart — it's not of the head; it's of the heart. I always say the longest journey is the 15 inches from the head to the heart. To memorize it is one thing, but to know it by heart is another thing. And that's what we do as musicians — we don't just memorize it; we have to really [know] it by heart. And that's what a group is — a musical setting is about that. And, of course, there has to be some sort of business dynamic around it to kind of make it work, I guess — at least for the accountants."

Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH more than four years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.

🎸 05 DICEMBRE 2025
– UNA NOTTE STORICA IN COMPAGNIA DI David Ellefson
Preparati a vivere un evento unico nel suo...

Posted by Cris Cris on Sunday, November 30, 2025