In a new interview with Robb Chavez of Robbs MetalWorks, Gene Hoglan and Steve DiGiorgio spoke about their involvement with DEATH TO ALL (DTA) — which features former members of DEATH celebrating the life and music of Chuck Schuldiner. The current lineup of DEATH TO ALL includes Hoglan (also of DARK ANGEL and DETHKLOK),DiGiorgio (also of TESTAMENT) on bass and Bobby Koelble on guitar. Max Phelps (CYNIC),who has been touring with DEATH TO ALL, is once again handling the vocal and second-guitar duties. Hoglan was the drummer on the DEATH albums "Individual Thought Patterns" (1993) and "Symbolic" (1995),DiGiorgio was the bassist on 1991's "Human" as well as "Individual Thought Patterns", and Koelble was the guitarist on "Symbolic".

Asked if DEATH TO ALL has ever considered writing and recording all-new original music, Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can't really see how that could happen, because we've got some of the coolest death metal, or metal, around to be able to play from. But even just from a flat-out, trying to look at the actual option of that, from the logistical standpoint, what would we write? Would it be 'music inspired by DEATH'? Would that be the name of the album? I don't know. But I'm not sure how much we've ever purposely… Flat out, I don't think any of us have the time to do that, really.

Steve chimed in: "We're all doing so much [other stuff]. We're super busy. With the level of talent in this band, it could go 15 different ways. To tell you the truth, we've never talked about it. We've been asked about it, so we have to kind of improvise an answer because… No, but I mean there's no real need for it right now. We treat this as what it is, and we don't wanna dilute it any by doing something that's too similar or… I don't know. We're all very, very full-time, busy, busy musicians doing stuff. So this is just a live gig, and we'll leave it like that."

DEATH TO ALL recently completed touring North America as part of "Symbolic Healing", a month-long celebration of two of DEATH's landmark albums: "Spiritual Healing" (1990) and "Symbolic" (1995).

DEATH TO ALL celebrated "Scream Bloody Gore" (1987) and "The Sound Of Perseverance" (1998) across North America in 2024.

Along with the dual album celebration, each night on the fall 2025 tour showcased classics from DEATH's catalog. The tour featured special guests GORGUTS and PHOBOPHILIC.

Founded in 1984 by Chuck Schuldiner under the original name of MANTAS in Altamonte Springs, Florida, DEATH was among the more widely known early pioneers of the death metal sound, along with California's POSSESSED. Inspired by NASTY SAVAGE, DEATH was among the first bands in the Florida death metal scene. In the late '80s, the band was both a part of and integral in defining the death metal scene which gained international recognition with the release of albums by a number of area acts.

DEATH TO ALL operates as a tribute band to the original DEATH, which dissolved in 2001 following Schuldiner's passing.

"Born Human: The Life And Music Of Death's Chuck Schuldiner", the fully authorized biography of the legendary DEATH frontman, has just been released via Decibel Books.

"Born Human", authored by accomplished journalist David E. Gehlke ("The Scott Burns Sessions: A Life In Death Metal 1987-1997", "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary"),features exclusive interviews, contributions, stunning new Ed Repka cover art and previously unreleased, hand-selected photographs from those who knew Chuck best. "Born Human" brings life to the dramatic story of the man who blazed an iconic path in metal music, laying the foundation for generations to come.

Fans can order their copy now at store.decibelmagazine.com.

Gene Simmons, legendary bassist, co-founder, and co-lead singer of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band KISS, testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's Intellectual Property Subcommittee earlier today (Tuesday, December 9) during a hearing on the American Music Fairness Act (S.326/H.R.861),legislation to close the radio loophole and compel radio corporations to pay performers for playing their music.

During his seven-minute speech, which can be seen in its entirety below, Simmons stressed the importance of passing the bill that would force AM/FM radio stations to pay royalties to the copyright holders of respective works played.

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman," Gene said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "I was happy to see many of you this Sunday where KISS, our little band, was honored at the Kennedy Center with President Trump. I'm proud to say I first met President Trump years before he got into politics. And I'm happy to remind everyone here in this room that our President Trump signed the Music Modernization Act in 2018. This bill updated copyright protection for the digital era.

"The world is changing. We've got to stay ahead of the curve and legislators need to be informed on all of these things because, let's face it, you do the work of the people. We elect you, and we hope and we expect you to do the will of the people.

"I'm grateful to President Trump for his leadership on issues important to our artists past, present and future.

"I'm here to kindly ask all of you, both Republicans and Democrats, to help us remedy a situation — an injustice, let's call it for what it is, an injustice that's been ongoing for many, many decades. I'm gonna tell you what I mean.

"Bing Crosby recorded perhaps one of the biggest songs of all time, 'White Christmas'. What's more American than that? Written by Irving Berlin. It's been on radio, AM and FM — later on FM; originally in AM — millions of times. Every Christmas we, and around the world, are listening to 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas'. That's America's song. Everyone received money — the radio station sold advertising, the plumber who fixed the plumbing got paid, the disc jockey got paid. The only person that was never paid for the airplay was Bing Crosby, which is astonishing.

"I wanna talk about why this is called the American Music — you gotta stop there — American Music Fairness Act. Yes, it's an act that's fair because there isn't fairness ongoing right now, but it's American music. America. Last time I checked Zimbabwe gave the world no music. I can't sing you a French song, and nobody else. It's America's music that rules this planet. Elvis [Presley], baby, the king. Elvis, who sang hundreds and hundreds of songs, and I met the gentleman when he was alive, and sadly Elvis never got a penny for all the times, all the millions of times that his music was played around the world. If you go to Africa… you hear that music. That is our emissary. That's bigger and cooler and better than any foreign minister that goes on. American culture spreads with our music, with our pop culture. Elvis never got a penny.

"This bill, when it's passed, 'cause the word 'if' is for losers… We are gonna pass this bill. It is bipartisan. You will do the will of the people because 70% of the United States of America in a recent poll said, 'We want this injustice cured now and once and for all.' Getting close to the finish line does not work… We're only talking about AM and FM radio and paying our Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, Celine Dion, even my newest best friend George Strait, who's a co-winner, proud winner of the Kennedy Honors. I walked up to George and we started talking about family and 'where you from?' 'I'm from Texas,' and I said, 'I'm from Israel. Same thing, planet Earth.' And we started talking and trading stuff and I told him, 'George, do you know one of your biggest songs, 'Amarillo [By Morning]', which has been broadcast on AM and FM radio hundreds of thousands of times, do you know you never got a penny for any of those broadcasts?' He looked around, he said, 'What do you mean?' Because he sings other people's songs. 'What do you mean?' He turned to his handlers. 'No, that's true.' How do you defend that?

"How do we dare come in second to Russia, an alleged country led by a despot when they do a better job of paying our king of rock and roll, and we're gonna stand by and not pay today's artists and future artists, because, let's face it, our children are tomorrow's stars. They're gonna claw and fight their way up to the top, and it's really hard to do it. And once you reach the top of Mount Olympus, which is in the center of America, baby — don't kid yourself; it ain't in Greece. This is the land of opportunity where greatness is possible… When you work hard and you get to the top, what do you got? Zipperoni. That's not the American way. If you are against this bill, you are un-American. You cannot let this injustice continue.

"It looks like a small issue. There are wars going on and everything, but our emissaries to the world areElvis and Frank Sinatra. And then when they find out we're not treating our stars right, in other words, worse than slaves… Slaves get food and water. Elvis and Bing Crosby and Sinatra got nothing for their performance. You've got to change this now for our children and our children's children, and I know you will. The president will sign this once all you guys, respectfully, get your act together and put this across the board. Let's do the right thing. God bless, America."

Simmons testified alongside Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange, the non-profit designated by Congress to collect and distribute digital streaming royalties to artists. Huppe has helped lead the fight in recent years to build support for the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that ensures radio corporations play by the same rules as every other music delivery platform that pays performers royalties.

AM/FM radio remains the only major music delivery platform in the United States that still refuses to pay performers for their work. Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, SiriusXM, YouTube and TikTok all pay performers, while the corporate radio industry earns billions of dollars each year without paying artists fairly. The United States stands as the world's only democracy that still refuses to pay artists, putting it in the same league as North Korea, Iran, and Cuba. Even Russia and China pay performers royalties.

Simmons, who started his career as a small-venue musician and was honored at the Kennedy Center on December 7, was one of more than 300 major artists who sent a letter to Congressional leaders earlier this year urging them to pass the American Music Fairness Act. His support has helped breathe new life into this effort — today's hearing marked the first time in more than a decade that the Senate had held a hearing on the American Music Fairness Act.

The American Music Fairness Act is sponsored by Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA). The bill takes a balanced approach to ensure artists are fairly compensated when their songs are played on AM/FM radio, require big radio corporations to finally pay their fair share, and help small independent broadcasters thrive. The legislation is supported by a diverse coalition of artists, broadcasters, labels, and music lovers:

Broadcasters, such as the Alliance for Community Media, Common Frequency, Media Alliance, the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB),Prometheus Radio Project and REC Networks — which represent a broad coalition of community broadcasters — also support AMFA.

Last month, more than a dozen major artists asked Congress not to pass legislation requiring AM radio in new vehicles without also closing the radio loophole for artists.

More than 300 artists sent a letter to Congressional leaders in February urging them to pass the American Music Fairness Act.

Country music icon Randy Travis memorably testified before the House last year urging adoption of the legislation.

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has officially certified "Playlist: The Very Best Of Foreigner" gold, marking a major milestone for the band's enduring legacy.

Released by Sony Music in 2016, the compilation features some of FOREIGNER's most iconic hits, showcasing the group's powerful songwriting, chart-topping catalog, and multi-generational resonance.

Original FOREIGNER lead singer Lou Gramm presented the gold records to the band during the first stop of the "Foreigner 4 Deluxe" tour on December 3 in Port Chester, New York. The presentation marked a meaningful reunion, highlighting the band's deep history and the timeless appeal of the songs that helped define rock and roll.

"Playlist: The Very Best Of Foreigner" includes live recordings of the classics such as "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Double Vision", "Juke Box Hero" and the worldwide No. 1 hit "I Want To Know What Love Is". Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America recognizes sales of over 500,000 albums. This is a formidable achievement for a new release from a heritage band in the digital era. FOREIGNER joins JOURNEY and EAGLES in this very exclusive category.

The "Foreigner 4 Deluxe" tour celebrates the band's monumental 1981 album 4, one of the most successful rock albums of all time, and features performances of the band's biggest hits. Lou Gramm will appear with FOREIGNER throughout this tour singing some of the songs that he helped create more than 45 years ago.

FOREIGNER is: Luis Maldonado - lead vocals, guitar; Jeff Pilson - bass; Michael Bluestein - keyboards; Bruce Watson - guitars; Chris Frazier - drums.

With more Top 10 hits than JOURNEY, and as many as FLEETWOOD MAC, FOREIGNER features strongly in every category in Billboard's "Greatest of All Time" listing. At times, the band's weekly catalog sales have eclipsed those of LED ZEPPELIN, AC/DC, THE ROLLING STONES, THE WHO, DEF LEPPARD, VAN HALEN, AEROSMITH and most of their classic rock peers (Source: Nielsen SoundScan). With 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits, FOREIGNER is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million. Responsible for some of rock and roll's most enduring anthems, including "Juke Box Hero", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Feels Like The First Time", "Urgent", "Head Games", "Say You Will", "Dirty White Boy", "Long, Long Way From Home" and the worldwide No. 1 hit and member of Spotify's exclusive Billions Club, "I Want To Know What Love Is", Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers FOREIGNER still rock the charts almost 50 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard album chart success. Audio and video streams of FOREIGNER's hits are approaching 20 million per week. FOREIGNER's catalog sales were recently celebrated in Business Insider as hitting the Top 40 among the "Best-Selling Music Artists Of All Time".

Photo credit: Bill Bernstein (courtesy of Vanessa Menkes Communications)

The classic lineup of the BULLETBOYS — Marq Torien (vocals),Mick Sweda (guitars),Lonnie Vencent (bass) and Jimmy D'Anda (drums) — has once again reunited and is planning to return to the stage this weekend.

Two months after D'Anda announced he was rejoining BULLETBOYS, the band has revealed that Sweda has also returned to the group.

The classic lineup of BULLETBOYS will play its first show back together this Saturday, December 20 at The Vault in Saginaw, Michigan. BULLETBOYS are 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!"

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.

Saginaw Michigan? Are u ready this Saturday night!!
All OG Bulletboys theVAULT 18/21+ Headlining!! We cant wait to Rock...

Posted by BULLETBOYS on Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Perry Farrell and his JANE'S ADDICTION bandmates Dave Navarro, Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins have "resolved their differences" over the singer's onstage altercation with Navarro in September 2024 that forced the cancelation of JANE'S ADDICTION's reunion tour.

Earlier today (Wednesday, December 17),JANE'S ADDICTION released the following statement via social media: "We would like to clarify the events surrounding the cancellation of the tour after the show in Boston in September 2024. After that show, without notice to Perry, we unilaterally determined it would be best to not continue the tour and made inaccurate statements about Perry's mental health which we regret.

"Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of JANE'S ADDICTION will remain the work the four of us created together.

"We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors. JANE'S ADDICTION will forever live in our hearts. We are proud of the music we created together.

"You, the fans, are our lifeblood, and we will always appreciate you."

Perry added in a separate statement: "To everyone in Boston, and around the world. I'd like to address what happened on stage last year. I've reflected on it and know I didn't handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.

"JANE'S ADDICTION has been at the center of my life for decades. The band, the songs, the patrons and the impact that we've had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down.

"My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I'm truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.

"From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank each and every one of you for your continued love and support."

This past summer, Navarro, Avery and Perkins filed a lawsuit against Farrell over the Boston concert, claiming intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence breach of fiduciary duty and breach of contract, while claims from Navarro included allegations of assault and battery over the incident.

Perry later responded to the lawsuit, listing 35 affirmative defenses, including claims that Navarro had "unclean hands," "fail[ed] to state facts sufficient to constitute a cause of action against" and "failed to exercise reasonable care and diligence to mitigate [the] alleged claims and damages." The 66-year-old vocalist also said he acted in "good faith and without malice" toward the guitarist.

Navarro, Avery and Perkins filed their lawsuit this past July in Los Angeles County Superior Court, alleging that the group lost over $10 million as a result of the tour's cancelation. The JANE'S ADDICTION members also alleged in their lawsuit that Farrell was often unable to deliver on stage as a result of his alcohol consumption.

In a statement shared with Variety, Farrell said of the trio's lawsuit: "As a founding member and creative force behind JANE'S ADDICTION, Perry Farrell has always prioritized the band's legacy and its supporters, which is why the events of September 13th, 2024 in Boston and the resulting fallout was so devastating. Without warning or consultation and using Perry as a scapegoat, Dave Navarro and the other band members took it upon themselves to abruptly cancel the remaining tour dates — violating contracts and disregarding all professional obligations. Perry was blindsided by not being allowed to vote and be heard, leaving him unable to plead his case to continue the tour for their fans. If that was not harmful enough, Dave Navarro then intentionally and publicly blamed Perry for the canceled tour dates effectively destroying Perry's reputation and causing him irreparable harm. Despite this continued bullying perpetuated by Navarro, Perry's dedication to JANE'S ADDICTION and the preservation of its positive impact on the music industry remains unshaken. He is actively exploring ways to address the situation and ensure accountability."

JANE'S ADDICTION's September 13, 2024 concert at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston came to a sudden end after Farrell bumped Navarro's shoulder with his own before seemingly yelling at the guitarist. Navarro then placed a hand between himself and Perry before Farrell appeared to throw a punch at him. Another man then jumped between them, breaking up the fight. A couple of days later, JANE'S ADDICTION announced that it was scrapping the rest of its tour dates following the incident. The band said it "made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group," therefore scrapping the rest of the dates of their tour. A short time later, Navarro, along with drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Eric Avery, posted a joint statement to their respective Instagram accounts in which they said the cancelation of the tour is a result of a "continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell."

"Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs," the statement read.

Navarro, Perkins and Avery expressed "regret" for the cancelation but added that they "can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis."

"Our hearts are broken," the statement concluded.

Later that same day, Farrell wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram story that "this weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday's show."

His statement added: "Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."

A few days after the tour cancelation, JANE'S ADDICTION released a new single, "True Love". The track, which was performed live for the first time in 2023 and had been played at a few other shows since, was the second new single from the band's classic lineup of Farrell, Navarro, Perkins and Avery, following "Imminent Redemption", which arrived in July 2024.

"True Love" was written by Farrell, Navarro, Avery and Perkins, with assistance from touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

"Imminent Redemption" was tracked at Sweetzwerland Studios in Hollywood, California.

Prior to "Imminent Redemption"'s arrival, Avery's last time in the studio with JANE'S ADDICTION was for the classic 1990 album "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

"Imminent Redemption" was first performed live when JANE'S ADDICTION's classic lineup played its first show in 14 years on May 23, 2024 at London, United Kingdom's Bush Hall.

Navarro sat out JANE'S ADDICTION's 2022 and 2023 shows due to his battle with long COVID. He was replaced at that year's gigs by Klinghoffer, a former member of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS who also records with Eddie Vedder and performs with PEARL JAM. 2022 saw QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen step in for Navarro.

The fall 2022 "Spirit On Fire" tour marked the first JANE'S ADDICTION run of shows in more than a decade to feature returning Avery. Prior to that, Avery last played with the band for a short stint in the 2000s before departing again in 2010.

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In a new interview with Mark Strigl, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer confirmed that he is producing the upcoming the upcoming third and final chapter in the classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album series from former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. He said in part  (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I recorded these songs during the summer between tours. [DISTURBED] finished [the North American leg of] our 'The Sickness [25th Anniversary] Tour' in the spring. I spent the summer in Europe recording a bunch of these songs. Then we went to Europe to tour with DISTURBED, so I took a break from the songs. Now I'm in the final stages of mixing and putting everything together."

Elaborating on how the material for "Operation: Mindcrime III" came together, John said: "Obviously [Geoff is] not in QUEENSRŸCHE anymore. 'Operation: Mindcrime' was released under the QUEENSRŸCHE name years ago, the first two records. Well, when the band split up, basically Geoff got all the rights to 'Mindcrime'. That's his story to tell. And so anything that moves forward with 'Mindcrime' is his to do with as he wishes. I know some people are, like, 'How can he do that? That was a QUEENSRŸCHE thing.' Well, 'cause it's his; he owns it. That's his baby.

"So, 'Operation: Mindcrime III', he has these songs that he's been working with a handful of great songwriters that have been guitar players for him," John continued. "And so these songs he's been sitting on for, like, four or five years, and they've been sort of percolating over time. And then he sends 'em to me, and I'm, like, 'Oh my God. These songs are great, Geoff.' And [I was] really blown away by 'em. And he sends me another, and I'm, like, 'That's another great song', and 'another great song.' And he's just been holding on to these songs 'cause he knew that these were the songs for a future 'Operation: Mindcrime III'. Even though he's had other releases and has put out other material, these are the songs he's been saving for this record. And so he sends 'em to me. I start going through 'em. And then I worked with one of his guitar players, Amaury Altmayer, in France. Amaury and I combed through the material. We redid all the guitars, we re-polished everything. [We] basically took the demos [and] rebuilt 'em from the ground up through a producer's eyes. And then I went to Italy and I recorded Geoff on a handful of songs. We are eight songs in right now on the record. It's gonna be a full 10-song album. We have pretty much final mixes on three of 'em. We have rough mixes on all the other ones, on the other five. And so we're just going back and forth with our mixer. We're using Juan Urteaga, who mixes TESTAMENT and other bands like that, a West Coast guy. 'Cause I wanted that older-school sound, I wanted to go back to sort of that era. And I love what Juan does."

Regarding the musical direction of the "Operation: Mindcrime III" material, Moyer said: "I have a handful of friends who I've played it for, and when anyone listens to it, they go, 'It sounds like 'Operation: Mindcrime', but modern.

"A lot has happened since the late '80s with sonics and technology and how we record things," John explained. "Obviously, to me, that's the greatest concept record of all time. So, to me, that's why it's so important that we do this record correctly. So a lot of it is continuing the story of Dr. X. And 'Operation: Mindcrime III' basically is 'Operation: Mindcrime' but from Dr. X's point of view. I just got chills saying that, but that's exactly it. So it's a darker, heavier, kind of a more evil-sounding record, but with all of the themes from 'Operation: Mindcrime'. It very heavily is influenced from 'Operation: Mindcrime'… The lyrics are so incredible on this record. He's really bringing it. I'm so honored to be a part of it."

Moyer also addressed the fact that it has taken so long for Geoff to complete the "Operation: Mindcrime III" project after initially announcing it more than a year ago.

"There's a lot of pressure on this record, I'm not gonna lie to you, that I put on myself, that I feel me and Geoff both feel," John said. "And we want it to be perfect, but we also want it to be timely. We don't want it to sit here, like, 'Hey, 'Operation: Mindcrime III',' and then three years go by, nothing comes out. But at the same time, things that are great sometimes take a little time. So it's not that the record's not being written; it's that it takes a little time to make it what we want it to be. So there's remixes sometimes. Sometimes we get something and we'll re-record a little section. Just we're, like, 'That's not quite perfect,' and we'll go back and we'll re-record it. But it's getting there. Honestly, I feel like we're 85% there, if not 90% there, done with this record. I'm about to get another track from him, in the next two weeks, which will make song number nine. And the song number 10 is out of my hands. Song number 10 is a song that the way it's put together and his vision for it and my vision for it are a little different. So I told him, I said, 'Okay, for this song in particular, I want you to work with someone else on this song.' I feel like he and I are just gonna battle each other too much about it. And right now, he and I have a cohesive vision on these nine songs. And we're killing it. And then when he and I kind of discussed song number 10, which is sort of… It's a thing. [Laughs] Some of these songs are things, man. It's not a song; it's like a dramatic movement. It's like a operatic storyline. And I hear it a totally different way than he hears it. And so I was, like, 'Okay, for this one song, I want you to go back to the original songwriter,' who's a producer of his own right, and I said, 'Why don't you just work with him? And you guys finish that song on your own.' And his name's Kieran [Robertson], and Kieran's out with Geoff right now anyways touring. So I'm just, like, 'You're already out with Kieran. Just work with him and do this last song.' So I'll end up doing nine songs on the record, production-wise."

John went on to say that he is "so excited" for people to hear "Operation: Mindcrime III". "The first single is so fricking good, I can't get over it," he said. "Everyone I play for just goes, 'Wow. Geoff Tate is back and he's killing it.' And it's so 'Operation: Mindcrime', bro. It's with all the vocals and everything over it, the sound effects.

"There's this one song… And a lot of the songs are sung… It's basically sung from Dr. X's point of view," Moyer explained. "So Geoff really gets into character, and you can hear this menacing tone and sort of this 'do as I say, I know what's right' attitude that happens throughout the record. It's really powerful.

"I'm so proud of it and I think it's gonna do very well, and I think it's something the fans have been waiting for," John added.

This past October, Tate told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic that he was "days away" from releasing the first single from "Operation: Mindcrime III". "And we have a whole bunch of new songs that we're gonna kind of release one at a time," he explained. "Rather than putting everything together in one disc and selling it right off the bat, we're gonna kind of spread it out over the next year and release track by track, kind of thing. And we're actually just days away from [putting out the first song] right now. We're excited. When everything comes out [in the form of several singles], by that time we'll have put it together as a one-piece package."

Geoff confirmed that his upcoming album will be released under the "Operation: Mindcrime III" banner, explaining: "It's the continuation and the final chapter of 'Operation: Mindcrime'. And it's the story told from Dr. X's perspective. So the previous two albums were from the perspective of Nikki, the lead character. And this is Dr. X's perspective, so it's quite interesting."

In January 2025, Tate told 96.1 KLPX afternoon jock Larry Mac about the upcoming third chapter in the "Operation: Mindcrime" album series: "Well, I wouldn't call it a sequel. I'd call it a continuation of the story. We're doing it in kind of an interesting way. We're not gonna release an album, so to speak, right off the bat. We're going to release the album once all the songs are released, if that makes sense. We're gonna release a song a month or every quarter, and then when it's all finished, we're gonna do a special presentation with all the songs included."

Regarding how he comes up with the musical and lyrical ideas for his albums, Geoff said: "It's all different, really. Sometimes it's a musical figure that you're fiddling around with in the studio that leads to a complete song or a few songs. And sometimes it's the lyrical idea. Sometimes it's a sentence that just sparks your imagination and gets you rolling on something. With the 'Operation: Mindcrime' albums, it was a story that came about really quickly, actually — I wrote it very quickly — and then expanded on it over the years to explain a little bit more in depth as to what was happening within the story. 'Cause the first album is a little bit vague in what it's talking about in it. The second album explains even more as to what the characters are going through. And the third album, again, will be even more explanation, but taken from a number of different viewpoints, which kind of is interesting, I think."

Originally released in May 1988, QUEENSRŸCHE's third studio album, "Operation: Mindcrime" took the quintet to an entirely new level. The concept, revealed through the songs, revolves around the character of Nikki, a recovering drug addict disillusioned with a corrupt society. Drawn into a cult-like revolutionary group headed by Dr. X (voiced by the late and beloved British actor Anthony Valentine),Nikki is manipulated to assassinate political leaders until his friendship with nun Sister Mary finally opens his eyes to the truth. Regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time, "Operation: Mindcrime" was certified platinum in 1991 in the U.S. and was ranked in the "Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time" by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Rolling Stone included it on a similar list, noting that "nearly 30 years after its initial release, 'Mindcrime' feels eerily relevant."

The original "Operation: Mindcrime" album weaved themes of religion, drug abuse and underground, radical politics. By contrast, 2006's "Operation: Mindcrime II" was regarded as an unnecessary sequel that many felt cheapened the original album, despite being a decent record in its own right.

Tate previously discussed his plans for "Operation: Mindcrime III" in a November 2024 interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern". Speaking about the musical direction of his new solo material, Geoff said: "I would say it has more of an early QUEENSRŸCHE feel. [The new songs are] super heavy, and some of 'em are incredibly technical. They're like algebra. [Laughs] You need a calculator when you're listening to the song. [Laughs] And, of course, some of them are very emotional. It's the last chapter in the 'Mindcrime' series. So it's following the exploits of Dr. X and Nikki and Sister Mary, and picks up at a particular point in their story and kind of does the microscope of what is happening at that particular time with them. And I am just in love with it. I am so happy with everything so far, and I can't wait for people to hear it."

Asked if there will once again be "some of those political interplays" within the lyrical themes on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Tate said: "Oh, I think so. Yeah, I think that people will be able to detect little bits of what's happening around them. And it's an interesting time right now — very interesting. Especially next week [after the 2024 U.S. presidential election], it's gonna be really interesting [laughs] what happens. So, we'll see."

Pressed about whether "a familiar voice" will play Dr. X on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Geoff said: "I can't tell you, actually. But thanks for asking. [Laughs]"

In a 2016 interview with East Valley Tribune, Tate said that he looked back fondly on "Operation: Mindcrime II". "I haven't listened to that album since I recorded it," he admitted. "However, it was a new story. Overall, it went down well live with the audience. I have no complaints or regrets about it."

During QUEENSRŸCHE's 2012 legal battle with Tate over the rights to the band's name, guitarist Michael Wilton submitted a sworn declaration in which he said the idea to make "Operation: Mindcrime II" was first brought to the table by Geoff's wife and QUEENSRŸCHE's then-manager Susan Tate. "The band was hesitant and did not want to lessen the original," the guitarist claimed. "But Susan Tate and Geoff Tate hired a budget producer and took control without really any other input. Scott Rockenfield [drums], Eddie Jackson [bass] and I were squeezed out of having any input in the musical direction or business decisions, thus the project suffered. During the initial writing phase, I would show up to bring my input to the creative process only to find that the producer, the new guitar player (who were both staying with the Tates at the time),along with Geoff Tate had been up late the night before or up early that morning and had written the songs without me. I was then told my ideas were not needed as the songs were now done. I could, however, 'bring my own style' in during the recording after learning to play what they wrote for me. In frustration, I gave up on the writing process knowing that I would at least get to make changes in the studio to bring back the QUEENSRŸCHE sound into these songs that we were known for. The final straw was when they refused to let me to be a part of the final recordings and mixes. I was shut out and they had the nerve to replace some of my parts on my songs. They denied me flying to San Francisco to be a part of my band, telling me that everything was ready to go and I was not needed. Had the communication been better, and had I been aware that parts needed to be recorded or rewritten, I would have been there. It was not until years later that I even became aware of the issues during the final recording and mixing of 'Operation: Mindcrime II'. It was all under the control of Geoff and Susan Tate. Call it delusions of grandeur, but they were convinced that this was going to sell three times more than the original, and to date (six years later) this album has sold fewer than 150,000 copies. The original album sold over 500,000 copies within a year."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate's replacement, Todd La Torre, has released four albums thus far with QUEENSRŸCHE: 2013's "Queensrÿche", 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance".

Zacky Vengeance, founding member and guitarist of the multi-platinum rock band AVENGED SEVENFOLD, has released his debut solo single, "Dark Horse", under his real name, Zachary Baker. A full-length album will follow "soon", according to the 44-year-old musician.

"Dark Horse" blends Baker's poignant storytelling with Americana influences, signaling a striking evolution from his hard rock background into a songwriter stepping fully into his own.

Peel back the layers and you will find the punk rock kid forged into a man by a million-mile journey: a tale that begins with a slightly out-of-tune guitar and a burning desire to voice his truth.  Trading distortion for dust and grit, Baker carves out his own lane in the alt-country landscape. Driven by his restless spirit and the outlaw heroes that inspired him, you will find a raw sermon of honesty.

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 last week, 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.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello has teamed up with BEARTOOTH vocalist Caleb Shomo for a new single, "Everything Burns". The track was produced by Tyler Smyth (FALLING IN REVERSE, ROYAL & THE SERPENT) and made its in-game debut in the latest update to the "Final Fantasy XIV" video game.

Morello said in a statement: "'Everything Burns' is a high-energy, riff-heavy banger that feels like it's rising from the streets.

"Collaborating with BEARTOOTH and super producer Tyler Smyth to forge this ferocious next single from my upcoming solo album was a real thrill."

Shomo added: "Creating 'Everything Burns' was the definition of lightning in a bottle. Pressure makes diamonds.

"When I got a call saying 'Tom Morello wants you to sing on a song for a huge project and it's due in a few hours,' I had no idea what would happen, but I gave it all I had and it turned into something that's truly once in a lifetime.

"I couldn't be more honored to be a part of this with Tom and the entire 'Final Fantasy' family that made this happen. Life goal achieved."

In addition to "Everything Burns", Morello's upcoming solo album will also include the previously released track "Pretend You Remember Me" and "Soldier In The Army Of Love", his collaboration with son Roman.

"I'm not trying to put songs in video games; I'm trying to make great songs that matter," Morello told NME. "'Everything Burns' is a song that really matters at this moment in time. It's both a warning and a call to action."

"In a lot of ways, it's a song about self-empowerment," added Shomo. "Sometimes I can be so on fire that it feels like nothing can stop me. It's also about how it doesn't matter who you are or how much money or power you have, you are also flammable — so be aware of the shit you're doing to other people in this world."

Regarding the fact that it only took 48 hours to complete "Everything Burns", Morello said: "It felt like a dice roll. We were either going to figure it out, or we weren't. When I got the track back from Caleb [with his vocals on], I was absolutely blown away. Not only were the riffs huge and the groove was very compelling, but Caleb's vocals were incredible. He managed to write a song that not only matched the majesty of 'Final Fantasy', but also matched the energy, challenges and potentially destructive nature of 2025. 'Everything Burns' really is a reflection of our current world. It's a warning to both us and the powers that be. It was like capturing lightning in a bottle. The track literally wouldn't have happened in any other circumstance."

In a brand new interview with Eonmusic, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith has spoken about playing Greeny, the historic Gibson Les Paul once owned by FLEETWOOD MAC's Peter Green, and subsequently Gary Moore, now owned by METALLICA's Kirk Hammett. Enthusing that the instrument has a "mojo" that is "off the scale", the guitarist made his comments while discussing the upcoming tour with his SMITH/KOTZEN project.

Although Smith was pictured holding the fabled instrument, a 1959 Gibson Les Paul standard, along with Hammett, by rock photographer Ross Halfin in Toronto in 2017, he hasn't talked about the hows or whys.

"Well, there's no doubt about it, that is a special guitar", said Adrian, when asked by Eonmusic's Eamon O'Neill about what it was like to play it. "The mojo is off the charts. Peter Green and Gary Moore, you know? And the classic middle position, the out-of-phase neck pickup; [you flick it over], and there it is, the sound!"

Going on to talk about how he came to play the guitar, Adrian stated about the instrument's current owner: "Kirk's a great guy. He's a lovely guy, and I bumped into him in a hotel in Canada. We were just waiting for the lift. We're just checking in, and METALLICA were there, and the first thing I said to him, I said, 'Oh, you bought Greeny.' He goes, 'Yeah.' He says, 'I've got it. You want to play?' I said, 'Yeah.' So I went to his room. Ross Halfin was there as well, because he's a mutual friend, although I know Kirk a little bit, and we sat, and he gave me the guitar and a little practice amp, and of course, I did 'Oh Well' [FLEETWOOD MAC song], you know, of course."

Although its sale price has never been fully revealed, it apparently sold to Hammett for "less than $2 million" in 2014, and it's believed to be one of the most valuable guitars in existence. All of which makes the next part of the story all the more surprising.

Smith recalled: "[Kirk] says, 'Look, I've got to go out.' Him and Ross were doing photos, so he said, 'Take the guitar.' So I took it to my hotel room and I had a little practice amp in there, and I just played it all afternoon. It plays great. It's the intonation, the feel, the sound. I mean, it's just a wonderful, it's a great guitar. I'm glad somebody's using it, and it's not on a wall in somebody's air controlled, climate-controlled guitar locker. It's out there being played, as it should be."

Elsewhere in the extended chat, Smith talks about the upcoming SMITH/KOTZEN tour, the difference of writing and playing in SMITH/KOTZEN compared to IRON MAIDEN, the secret to MAIDEN's 50-year success, and much more.

Read the entire interview at www.eonmusic.co.uk.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer has told Music Radar that he and his bandmates are keeping busy with a variety of projects, despite having completed their farewell tour more than two years ago. "There's a lot in the works for KISS moving ahead," he said. "We're not touring anymore, of course, but there's still a ton happening behind the scenes."

Referencing the fact that KISS took part in the KISS Army fan event "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" last month, Thayer said: "The Vegas event was fantastic, and it really exceeded our expectations. You could feel that everybody was having a great time. I know the fans absolutely loved it, and I can definitely see it happening again."

As for the possibility of KISS making new music, Thayer said: "I'm honestly not sure yet. It really depends on where things go and how everything evolves over the next year or two. But I do feel like we all still have a lot of great ideas and a desire to keep creating and doing all the things we love doing."

Last month, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was asked by a TMZ photographer in Beverly Hills, California about the possibility of him and his bandmates releasing new music in the not-too-distant future. He responded: "It's possible. It's possible. Life's full of surprises."

Asked "what kind of vibe" the new KISS music would be if he and the rest of KISS decided to write and record something, Paul said: "I think we'd probably go for something that's classic, but everything has to have a beat. You gotta be able to dance to it, but it should still be rock."

As for the lyrical inspiration for hypothetical new KISS material, Stanley said: "Freedom, self-empowerment, enjoying life. That doesn't change. It doesn't matter how old you are. You're supposed to enjoy your life, you're supposed to do things your way. That's timeless. That's rock and roll."

On November 16, during a question-and-answer session at the "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event held at the Virgin Hotels resort and casino complex in Las Vegas, Stanley said that "there may be some [KISS] music in the works. We like to tell you what we're doing, the things that are planned," he explained. "The problem is that so much of what we may bring up never comes to fruition, [but] music, yeah, that looks pretty damn… more than possible. Probable. I'm not going to give you any hints, but I only write when there's a project — and I've been writing."

KISS hasn't issued a full-length disc of new music since 2012's "Monster", which sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous LP, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. It was KISS's highest-charting LP ever.

Four years ago, Stanley was far more non-committal about the prospect of new KISS music, saying during a question-and-answer session on the 2021 Kiss Kruise: "Why would we need a new KISS album? Any big classic band with a history, you go, 'Oh, put out a new album.' You know, if THE [ROLLING] STONES put out a new album, you go, 'Oh, that's great. Play 'Brown Sugar'.' … Yeah, maybe not now," apparently referencing the fact that THE ROLLING STONES recently retired one of their most popular songs due to lyrics that depict the horrors of slavery. "But the same is true for us. You can have great songs on the more recent albums, but people then go, 'Great. Play 'Love Gun'.'

"The reality is you really love the old songs, and nobody is going to embrace new material, no matter how good it is, like you do the past, because those songs are part — those are like snapshots from your past, and you're connected to them in a way new material never could be," he explained. We're happy going out and playing. That's where we live; that's our turf, is the stage."

Paul's comments during the November 2021 Kiss Kruise echoed those he made in March 2021 when he told USA Today in an interview that he didn't really see a "reason" for KISS to make any new music. "For the most part, when classic bands put out new albums, they're looked at and listened to and thrown away because they don't have the gravitas, they don't have the age that comes with something being a time capsule or being attached to a certain period of your life," he said. "I'm not alone in that. When you see any classic bands on TV or if there's a concert video, turn off the sound and I'll tell you every time they're playing a new song because the audience sits down.

"So it's odd to me that people always want you to do a new album, but then they go, 'That's great. Now play your hits.' So honestly, at this point, there isn't a real reward in it. There's much more of a reward in changing lanes — I'm still going forward. But in terms of recording more KISS material, I kind of go, 'Why?' I thought 'Modern Day Delilah' or 'Hell Or Hallelujah' were as good as anything I've written and as good as anything we recorded, but understandably, it's like new wine. It just hasn't aged. So I'd rather not try to roll a stone up the hill."

Paul had previously expressed uncertainty about the idea of making another KISS album in a number of other interviews a few years ago, telling the "Loudwire Podcast": "If we're going to do an album, it would be because we want to do an album, not because of sales. I think we're living in a time, obviously, now where albums don't sell what they once did, so you either do it because it's a creative outlet and because it satisfies something in you, or not. If you're doing it purely for sales, then you're probably doing it for the wrong reason."

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons had agreed with his bandmate, saying a while back in an interview that he was "not incentivized" to release another KISS disc unless there are some major changes in the way music is consumed. He said: "The idea that you work your ass off and then someone with freckles on their face decides they want to download your music and file share — that's not what I work for. How'd you like to be a plumber, come over somebody's house and work all day to fix their plumbing and then when it's time to get paid, they say, 'No, I just wanted to say thank you.' No."

Two years after the completion of their five-year, 250-date "End Of The Road" farewell tour with two shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden, KISS returned to the stage at their "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event, which was held at the Virgin Hotels resort and casino complex in Las Vegas. After an hourlong acoustic performance on November 14, the band played an 85-minute set — their first "unmasked" electric concert on land in 30 years — the following night, where they were joined by former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick on two songs ("Lick It Up" and "Rock And Roll All Nite").

On a recent episode of the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster, Jason spoke about the current status of the reunited legendary Texas progressive metal band WATCHTOWER. McMaster is joined in WATCHTOWER's 2025 lineup by bassist Doug Keyser, guitarist Ron Jarzombek and drummer Ric Colaluca. Asked by Glessner if WATCHTOWER is "done" recording some of its long-awaited new music and the band is "just waiting on someone to pull the trigger" and release it, Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's not done [yet]. And it's the rest of… So think of 'Concepts Of Math: Book One' [which came out in 2016]. Where's 'Book Two'? … So whether it's called 'Book Two', whether it's going to be a full-length and include the first five songs — include 'Book One', basically — but maybe updated versions with different drum tracks and maybe me singing harmony with Alan [Tecchio, singer who replaced McMaster in WATCHTOWER]. These are hints, by the way. Y'all should be writing it down. Whether that happens or not — bunch of 'wink, wink, wink' going on. That's been talked about. So, basically duets, I hate the word 'duet', but me and Alan doing a trade-off — I sing lead, he sings harmony; he sings lead, I sing harmony, la la la — sounds kind of awesome to the band. When we discuss this, and we have, this sounds like a really good idea to us."

Jason continued: "We're all old men now. This is an important time, and we could be talking about our swan song. And I'm not trying to get romantic or, like, 'the end of days are coming,' but it could be a swan song, and it could be this incredible explosive swan song.

"This is an idea that we have and we're talking about. If you look at — as history has served — we talk a lot of shit. 'Cause [WATCHTOWER's since-scrapped third album] 'Mathematics' was supposed to come out 25 years ago.

"A lot of this is being talked about because of the recent activity — the shows, the 40th-year anniversary of the release of [WATCHTOWER's 1985 debut album] 'Energetic Disassembly', [long-running German record label] High Roller [Records] wanting to get involved, la la la."

McMaster also confirmed that a feature-length WATCHTOWER documentary is on the way, currently in-production from Blue Balloon Studios and PennyRock Productions. The tentatively titled "Energetic Resistance: Decoding The Story Of Watchtower", the film is being produced by McMaster and Ray Seggern, and it is being directed by J. Budro Partida, an Emmy Award-winning video producer and award-winning filmmaker from Austin, Texas who has worked professionally in television and media production since 1997. Partida's spectrum of work includes award-winning films and music videos, television commercials, multiple television series, and the Emmy Award-winning late night TV series "Austin After Hours". His short documentary "Sunset At Dry Creek" won "Best Short Documentary" at Austin Indie Fest (2023),"Best Documentary" at The Longhorn Film Festival (2022) and "Best Short Documentary" at the Grand New York Film Awards (2022).

Regarding how the idea for the WATCHTOWER documentary came about, Jason said: "The impact the band has had in the extreme music world, I'll just say, obviously it's going on half a century now. And I just think that it feels really good to come to grips with that idea.

"When Ray Seggern came to me with the idea originally, I was making a weird face," McMaster admitted. "I was, like, 'You wanna do what? It felt impostrous. I was just, like, 'Wait, what?' But it's been brought to my attention by my peers that, 'No, dude. The impact is huge. This needs to happen.'

"I think that anyone who likes extreme music, extreme metal, prog metal, Texas metal, all of our friends, our peers that have championed the band their entire existence, and these are people who are in California and Florida and Europe and New York and whatever… I think that it's there's some reach. And this is all related to the little mini tour we just did.

"When people first heard WATCHTOWER, they remember it," Jason explained. "They remember the first time they heard it, because they were, like, 'What the fuck is this?' That's what everyone's reaction is to when they hear it. And they either fall in love or they have no idea what planet they're on for that moment."

Perhaps previewing some of the things that will be covered in the WATCHTOWER documentary, Jason said: "I remember the band released [its second album, 1989's] 'Control [And Resistance]' and then they did some shows in Europe and then Ron's fingers needed surgery, and that was that for a minute. And all of these trials and tribulations and all of this mucky-muck going on the whole time almost keeping you guys from being a band at all. All of this is tied into what would be an interesting storyline. And the fact that we're all still here and friendly. You can't say that about a lot of people and a lot of bands and a lot of artists. You just can't."

WATCHTOWER played its first reunion concert with McMaster on September 8, 2023 at Fitzgerald's Bar & Live Music Venue in San Antonio, Texas. This marked the progressive metal legends' first appearance with McMaster since the band's performances at Germany's Bang Your Head!!! festival in 2000 and Holland's Headway Festival in 2004.

Jason confirmed his return to WATCHTOWER in May 2023 during an appearance on the "Decibel Geek" podcast. He said at the time: "It's weird playing songs very sporadically. Because I've done reunion things with WATCHTOWER before, but the last one was 20 years ago. The last sort of reunion thing we did, we went to Amsterdam, and played a festival over there. And we did a couple of warmup shows around Texas before we got on the plane, kind of thing. And that was in 2004. So, singing songs that you wrote 40 years ago? It's crazy to think about that… And have them be legit. Play them, like, 'Holy shit.' And have all of the guys look around each other in rehearsal as old men and go, 'This shit is fucking hard to play.' But that's why people like it."

McMaster co-founded WATCHTOWER in 1982 and appeared on the band's 1985 debut album "Energetic Disassembly" before leaving three years later to focus on sleaze rockers DANGEROUS TOYS. Jason was replaced in WATCHTOWER by Tecchio (formerly of HADES),who sang on group's second and most recent studio album, 1989's "Control And Resistance". A reunion with McMaster followed in 1999 and lasted for several years, only for Jason to leave again. Tecchio returned for new material intended for WATCHTOWER's since-scrapped third album "Mathematics" that resulted in the 2016 EP "Concepts Of Math: Book One".

Jason previously stated about WATCHTOWER's early musical direction: "By the end of 1983, we had a set of unbelievable, technical, fast, crazy, time-changing, sophisticated sounds coming out of the mill we had created, making a planet that we didn't feel had been fully instigated. All of the lyrics were socially aware and some strange fascinations with nuclear power and some sort of holocaustic world (that had been dreamt up by guitarist Billy White and bassist Doug Keyser). They equally weirded each other out with their lyrics. I had no problem with the stuff they were pumping out. It was so tasteful, but yet had urgency and was frantic about the topics, mostly apocalyptic and socially chaotic on news issues. These were crazy words to sing over crazy changes."

He added: "I had no map. This wasn't rock and roll. I wrote all of the melodies (I use that word loosely) for the songs, and that was my contribution to the sound and timber, even though later on a few critics would learn to hate the style of 'pissed off Geddy Lee' vocals. It seemed to be most of the death metalhead mags would say that they 'love the band, hate the singer'."

In April 2010, WATCHTOWER played its first live show with Tecchio on vocals in some 20 years as co-headliners of Germany's Keep It True festival in Lauda-Königshofen.

Amy Lee has confirmed that EVANESCENCE's new studio album will arrive in 2026.

The singer discussed the status of EVANESCENCE's follow-up to 2021's "The Bitter Truth" during a backstage chat on December 13 with Kevin Ryder at the annual KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas 2025 at Kia Forum in Los Angeles, California. After Ryder suggested that EVANESCENCE's new LP could arrive in the spring of 2026, Lee said: "Yeah, let's say that. [I have a] few more lyrics to write, but it's going very well and I'm really excited about it."

This past September, Lee told PK of the ALT 105.1 radio station that she and her bandmates were "midway through the process of making" their next album. But she quickly clarified: "I'd say we're more than halfway. We're really getting there. [I'm] really excited about it."

Asked if EVANESCENCE's recent single "Afterlife", from the Netflix series "Devil May Cry", will appear on the band's next album, Lee said: "I think so. I don't see why not. We haven't really gotten into the track list and that yet, but I think we have all the songs that are gonna be on it at least started, so we're in that moment of finessing and beautifying and writing lyrics and doing the hard stuff where I slam my head up against the wall."

Earlier in September, Lee, SPIRITBOX's Courtney LaPlante and Poppy joined forces on a brand new single, "End Of You", out now via Sumerian Records.

This past July, Lee told Kevin Ryder and Megan Holiday of the KROQ radio station that she and her EVANESCENCE bandmates were "just full speed ahead, making stuff, putting stuff out, doing stuff on the side. We're in a super just energized creatively mode this year."

Lee went on to say that she doesn't "like to set" a release date for an album "until it's really done. So, we're recording now. We're writing now. We're doing this album kind of in a way that is very freeform. We have a few songs with one producer, we have a few songs with another one over here. We're just doing whatever feels good. No rules except what the song wants."

Earlier in July, EVANESCENCE and alt-rock visionary K.Flay released the video for their song "Fight Like A Girl". The track plays over the end credits of "Ballerina", the latest film set in the world of "John Wick", now available on PVOD. The clip was helmed by Chad Stahelski, director of the "John Wick" films and producer of "Ballerina".

EVANESCENCE completed a tour of Australia and New Zealand this fall, including several shows as the support act for METALLICA.

EVANESCENCE's current lineup consists of Amy Lee (vocals, keyboards),Tim McCord (guitar/bass),Will Hunt (drums),Troy McLawhorn (guitars) and Emma Anzai (bass, backing vocals).

In a recent interview with Spain's El Jevilongo, singer Cristina Scabbia of Italian goth metal veterans LACUNA COIL once again weighed in on a debate about people using an A.I. (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms and machine learning (M.L.) models. Cristina said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I hate music made with A.I. I understand that A.I. is the way because I can deny the progress. I understand that we are a little pissed, especially creative people, especially artists and painters and people who create posters for shows, all the graphic designers are really pissed, photographers and also singers and musicians because I think for music, it should start from platforms. I understand the business point, but platforms like Spotify, at least they should say no to A.I. artists because that's not real music. I mean, they are [streaming] music from a real artist already. They should be the ones to say, like, 'We don't accept A.I. musicians.' And also people should be aware that those are just creations from computers with no souls in it. Some people don't even realize it. I've seen many, many videos of people just singing over these bands that are not even existing."

After the interviewer noted that "creativity is like a muscle" whereby "if you don't use it, you're gonna lose it," Cristina said: "Well, I don't think it's a problem for whoever is using it, creating music, because I think that they're not really interested in music and they just do it for the business. Because if you're a real musician, you would take your time to write your music and maybe use the help of electronic things to improve your creativity or to make it faster, but A.I., it's something like in which you're not doing anything, pretty much. I mean, I don't understand why they call themselves artists, because you can't really be an artist just like typing, 'Make a song that sounds like LACUNA COIL.' That's not creating something; that's just like cheating big time."

Last year, Cristina told Brazil's Sonoridades Inc. about A.I. in music: "I still have to know more about A.I. My first impression is that I hate it deeply. I think that it could be interesting and useful in many ways. But what humans are capable of, it's never 100 percent good. So I know that it will go downward. I mean, we could use it to explore galaxies, we could use it to get better in medicines and science, but I know that a lot of people will be using it for bad reasons.

"Speaking about music, I am confident that the creativity that a human being with emotions, with a soul can have will not be comparable, hopefully ever, to A.I.," she continued. "I think about songs like — I don't know — the one of THE POLICE, 'De-do-do-do, de-da-da-da, is all I want to say to you.' And A.I. would be scratching the forehead, if it had one, and say, like, 'What is this? What does it mean?' But it sounds good. It's rhythmically good. It works with that voice.

"There are so many things you have to bring together to write music, to [put] emotion [across to] other people, to give the emotion that for A.I., it's difficult to bring this emotion because it doesn't have one — yet," Scabbia added. "But my actual opinion is just, like, I want to continue to write music without A.I. for a long time… Maybe it can be helpful. This is my first opinion because I don't know that much. Maybe I don't want to know that much about A.I. I just want to keep it there, just like, 'Eh. I don't know if I wanna know you.'"

This past August, Cristina's LACUNA COIL bandmate Andrea Ferro told Neil Jones of TotalRock about people using A.I. in music: "I think you can't fight the progress. Evolution is gonna come no matter what. But you can try to be smart about it. I'm not against artificial intelligence if it's used as a tool to help you, to make your life easier, to make your life better. But don't overuse it. I think there's times to use it, there's time not to use it. And it's a thin line, which is not easy to understand for many people."

Referencing the fact that an A.I.-generated band called VELVET SUNDOWN recently raked in more than 900,000 listeners on Spotify alone just one month after releasing its first songs in June, Andrea said: "I think artificial bands — not very useful to me, because they're always gonna take inspiration from something that already exists, while I think the human mistakes are what makes art unique. When you make a mistake and you go a direction you [weren't] expecting to go, that's where it gets interesting and curious and extreme. And so that's the missing part for something artificial to be creative, I think."

Andrea previously talked about the use of artificial intelligence in music this past March in an interview with Keefy of Ghost Cult magazine. He said at the time: "I think technology, as usual, is not good or bad. It depends the way you use it. If it's an extra tool to make your life easier and faster, that's okay. But if it has to substitute the creativity of a person, that I don't like personally. I prefer to use human creativity because humans are great because they make mistakes, and from a mistake, usually that's where great things happen. Whatever you do — you write a book, you write a song, you write a movie — when you fuck up or you make a mistake, and you can go there and see and realize what's special, how special it becomes with the mistakes, that's where you find a new way. You learn something new, you create something new and unique because you never would have thought about it in the correct way. So I think that can't be replaced by machine, at least not yet. And so I think human touch is very important. And there's no need to use A.I. [art for album covers]. If you find the right artist, it's not even that expensive. I think it's reasonably expensive and it's deserved and you can still make money on the merchandise and other things. So it's an excuse for laziness to don't use a real artist, I think, I think A.I. is cool and it can be helpful, but it has to be used with your brain."

LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Sleepless Empire", came out in February via Century Media Records. Inspiration to create the LP came during the sessions for "Comalies XX" (2022),the acclaimed remake of LACUNA COIL's breakthrough third record "Comalies".

In October 2024, Italian guitarist/producer Daniele Salomone confirmed that he has joined LACUNA COIL as the replacement for the band's longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti.

Salomone made his live debut with LACUNA COIL on August 4, 2024 at the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Râșnov, Romania.

In June 2024, LACUNA COIL announced Cavallotti's departure. Diego, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco "Maus" Biazzi, later said in a social media post that "this decision is not the result of my dissatisfaction or desire to explore new opportunities."

Cavallotti and Salomone played together in the Italian metal band INVERNO, which released its debut album, "Stasis", in December 2023.

Filmmaker Matt Zane says that he has received a cease-and-desist letter from the estate and family of late STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static regarding Zane's plan to go ahead with an unauthorized documentary focusing on Wayne and Static's wife, Tera Wray.

The legal notice arrived just days after the family made clear they were prepared to take action to halt any unapproved production. In a statement, the family said they "strenuously object" to Zane's plan to make the film, explaining that they are "not interested in the further development of any unauthorized biography or documentary…"

Zane, however, remains defiant.

"This won't stop me," he said. "I'm ready and willing to take this as far as it goes. If it ends up in court, so be it. This movie will be made and released if it's the last thing that I do."

Zane has also questioned why his project has been singled out when multiple unauthorized documentaries about Wayne Static already exist online.

"If you go to YouTube right now you'll see multiple unauthorized documentaries about Wayne Static with hundreds of thousands of views," Matt said. "None of them were threatened with legal action. I'm the only one served with a cease-and-desist letter — and I haven't even started production yet. Why am I being singled out?"

Since news of the estate's disapproval broke, Zane has faced intense backlash from segments of the fan community. He believes much of the criticism stems from a lack of awareness about his long-standing personal and professional relationship with Wayne Static and Tera Wray.

"Most people attacking me simply don't know my history with Wayne and Tera or the work I've done over the past 15 years," Zane explained.

Zane pointed to his filmmaking credentials and extensive work within the rock and metal world.

"My first documentary, 'DV Karloff: The Altered Noise', won an award at the American Horrors Film Festival. I've worked with Zakk Wylde, John 5, DMC, Wednesday 13 and more, directing commercials and music videos. STATIC-X themselves hired me for multiple music videos, commercials, and social media content. Wayne hired me for all of his video work after STATIC-X. My career may have started in adult films, but I haven't been in that world for many years."

Despite presenting what he considers clear facts, Zane says some critics refuse to reconsider their stance. The controversy has prompted him to reflect on a private exchange he once had with Wayne Static.

While the full e-mail remains private, Zane has highlighted this quote from Wayne publicly: "I've always felt people are too dumb to understand what's really going on around us. It seems like you share that feeling."

Matt also shared the email publicly on his Facebook page , giving fans and press a firsthand look at Wayne's words.

As tensions escalate, the dispute appears far from over. Whether resolved privately or in court, Zane insists the documentary will move forward — setting the stage for a highly publicized clash between an artist's estate and a filmmaker claiming to honor his late friend's legacy.

In their joint statement, the families of Wayne Static and Tera Wray asked that any rare or unseen footage in Zane's possession be submitted for review and possible inclusion in the official "Evil Disco" documentary, which is currently in development with the approval of Wayne's estate.

Zane, who had a long personal and creative relationship with both Wayne and Tera, responded: "I understand the family's concerns, especially Wayne's sister Aimee who is a wonderful person, but my obligation isn't to the families — it's to Wayne and Tera. They asked me to do this, and I know they would want the focus to be on the two of them."

In response to the estate's request regarding material, Zane stated that there has been confusion surrounding his involvement with "Evil Disco".

"I think the family is a bit confused about the creation of the official documentary 'Evil Disco'," he said. "I was hired and edited about 85% of that and in good faith allowed my footage to be used within the edit. I never signed over the footage legally for use but was willing to do so if the agreed-upon terms were met. I also allowed my personal footage of Wayne to be used in multiple music videos such as 'Stay Alive' and 'All These Years' even though the band hasn't officially licensed it from me."

Zane emphasized that his film will not conflict with the narrative direction of "Evil Disco", noting that the two projects serve very different purposes.

"I personally think both movies can exist. I watched a working cut of 'Evil Disco' with Wayne's sister Aimee and it's really cool, but it's more about the band — past and present. My movie is about Wayne and Tera."

Zane also confirmed that the unreleased Wayne Static music he had hoped to include will not be used without explicit approval from the estate.

"As far as the unreleased music, unfortunately I'm unable to use any of that without the family's consent," he said. "What I may do is create tracks based off of the music Wayne and I worked on and bring in other singers, similar to what Jonathan Davis did for 'Queen Of The Damned'."

However, Zane revealed the existence of additional solo material recorded by Wayne that has never been made public.

"But I can tell you this: there are six tracks Wayne wrote and recorded that I did not have any part in that are truly his final solo works," he said. "Yes, his vocals are on them and they were done in 2013."

Zane's film is intended to be a personal, emotionally driven account focused on the relationship between Wayne Static and Tera Wray — a story he says the couple explicitly wanted him to tell.

The crowdfunding campaign for the documentary is now live on IndieGoGo.

On December 10, the families of Wayne Static and Tera Wray released the following statement via social media: "A message from the families of Wayne Static & Tera Wray.

"We are sharing this with the world to ensure that our feelings are crystal clear on this matter.

"We are not interested in the further development of any unauthorized biography or documentary focused on our deceased son, daughter, and siblings, Wayne Wells ('Wayne Static') and Tera Lents ('Tera Wray'). This includes but is not limited to: any behind-the-scenes footage from music videos, adult film sets, concerts, house parties, developmental projects, reality TV pilots, private photos, or any other portrayals of Wayne Wells Static, Tera Lents Wray Static, or either of their likenesses. Any attempt to exploit their unauthorized likeness will be met with the appropriate legal response.

"We strenuously object to any further exploration or exploitation of this dark and tragic chapter in their lives. Additionally, we feel that the music video for the Wayne Static song 'Assassins Of Youth', directed by Matt Zane and released in 2013, and the STATIC-X 'Stay Alive' music video released in 2023, thoroughly depict the dangerous lifestyle that Wayne and Tera were embracing prior to their subsequent deaths. Further, STATIC-X is nearing completion of the official STATIC-X documentary titled 'Evil Disco - The Rise, Fall, And Regeneration Of Static-X'. The official documentary dives deep into the entire life's work of Wayne Static and STATIC-X. The film is expected to be around 80 minutes in length and devotes the appropriate amount of time to exploring the lifestyle changes and ultimate tragedies that followed.

"If Mr. Zane is in possession of any additional rare or unseen footage that could contribute to the celebration of Wayne's life and legacy, we kindly ask him to share the footage with our families so that we can review and consider it for potential inclusion in the official 'Evil Disco' documentary. Additionally, any unreleased music featuring the voice of Wayne Static or his musical compositions would require the approval of the estate before any publication or release.

"We further challenge Mr. Zane to share any musical works that he claims might contain the actual voice of Wayne Static so that we can determine their authenticity and quality for consideration. We are not interested in Wayne Static's voice appearing within any Al-generated music.

"In closing, we would like to thank the STATIC-X fans around the world for their continued love and support for Wayne and the band. We are so proud of the band and what they have accomplished together.

"STATIC-X's music is as popular as ever, and Wayne's energy and legacy have been celebrated and regenerated through the band's incredible return to the stage.

"We fully support the current team and lineup of STATIC-X and their continued respect and love for Wayne's memory and our family. We are delighted that the world is continuing to celebrate the powerful music that Wayne and the band created together and the incredible energy that he and the band have always carried onto the stage.

"Sincerely, The family and estate of Wayne Wells Static & Tera Lents Static".

Zane previously directed all of Wayne's solo videos, including the "Pighammer Promo", "Assassins Of Youth" and Wayne's last music video, "Noise Revolution", with DMC. At the time of Wayne's death, the trio were developing additional projects.

Wayne Static died more than a decade ago after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old Static, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Tera Wray Static took her own life in January 2016. Her friends revealed that she was found dead at a friend's house in California.

Randy Emon, the supervising deputy coroner investigator for the San Bernardino County coroner's office, told BLABBERMOUTH.NET in a written statement at the time: "Our coroner records indicate [Tera] died on January 13, 2016 in Joshua Tree, CA. The manner of death was listed as suicide."

Tera's roommate at the time of her death wrote on Facebook that she came home after work and found "one of my dearest friends had ended her life in my guestroom where she was staying."

A statement which was apparently approved by Tera's mother said that "Tera suffered from depression since the death of her husband."

Wray, who was born Tera Lents, met Wayne during the Ozzfest tour in 2007 when she was modeling for Hustler lingerie. They were married in January 2008 and she retired from porn in August of that year.

Adult entertainment attorney Michael Fattorosi, who last spoke to Tera one day before her death, told New York Post's Page Six that Wray left behind a note instructing her roommate to call him and Tera's mother.

"She was one of the sweetest, most gentle women I have worked with in [the adult film industry]," Fattorosi told Page Six. "She had a light to her that was evident when she walked into room. She was always smiling and happy. I know she loved Wayne dearly. When they met and got married, she left the [adult film] industry to go on tour with him and the band. From what I understand, she was constantly by his side. His death must have weighed on her tremendously."

In July 2015, Tera paid tribute to her late husband with a sleeve tattoo that she showed off on Facebook.

Posted by Aimee Wells Pittman on Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Two of the three lead actors from the iconic mockumentary "This Is Spinal Tap" have paid tribute to the film's director, Rob Reiner, and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, who were found dead inside their Brentwood, California home Sunday afternoon (December 14). The couple's son Nick Reiner has been arrested and booked on murder charges for their killings.

On Instagram, Harry Shearer, who co-wrote the "This Is Spinal Tap" movies with Reiner, and played the British hard rock bassist Derek Smalls in the mockumentary, took to his Instagram to write: "Rob was a friend and collaborator through much of my life. He was funny, he was smart, he was a mensch. When he came to see the comedy act I was in, and, later, the musical comedy I had co-written, his laugh was uproarious and audible around the block. He was a great collaborator, and when the four of us proposed ideas for the films, he was the one who wrote them on 3x5 cards, and organized them into a movie. And Michele was a very good friend to my wife Judith. This is unspeakable, the stuff of Greek tragedy."

Jamie Lee Curtis and her husband, "This Is Spinal Tap" franchise actor and writer Christopher Guest, who reportedly got married at Reiner's house in 1984, shared a statement from Curtis in which she wrote: "Christopher and I are numb and sad and shocked about the violent, tragic deaths of our dear friends Rob and Michele Singer Reiner and our ONLY focus and care right now is for their children and immediate families and we will offer all support possible to help them. There will be plenty of time later to discuss the creative lives we shared and the great political and social impact they both had on the entertainment industry, early childhood development, the fight for gay marriage and their global care for a world in crisis. We have lost great friends. Please give us time to grieve."

Reiner recently directed "Spinal Tap Il: The End Continues", the sequel to "This Is Spinal Tap", which featured cameos from music legends Paul McCartney and Elton John, among others.

McCartney paid tribute to Reiner on social media, writing: "What a tragedy the death of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele, is. It is so shocking in many ways but for me especially so, because over the last year I had been working with him. He directed me in 'Spinal Tap II: The End Continues'. He was such an upbeat, lovable man.

"Life can be so unfair and this tragedy proves it. His father, Carl Reiner, was a great humourist before him and Rob followed in his dad's footsteps doing a terrific job making many great films. I will always have fond memories of Rob and the idea that he and his wife will no longer be in the world with us is heartbreaking.

"Thanks for all the humour, Rob. Rest in Peace. Love Paul".

On his Instagram story, John wrote: "I am in disbelief at today's news of Rob and Michele. They were two of the most beautiful people I'd ever met and they deserved better. My thoughts are with them and their loved ones."

During a press conference on Monday, Los Angeles Police Department chief Jim McDonnell revealed Nick Reiner had been "booked for murder". The LAPD later said an initial investigation conducted by the agency's Robbery Homicide Division "determined that the Reiners were the victims of homicide," adding authorities' investigation revealed Nick Reiner was "responsible for their deaths."

The 32-year-old Nick began using drugs at age 15 and had struggled with substance abuse for more than a decade and a half. In the past he had said in the past that he had been homeless at times when he was on the run and refusing to go into rehab. He reportedly had at least 17 stays in rehab facilities.

The original "This Is Spinal Tap" film — directed by Reiner and written/improvised/performed by Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer — was released in 1984 to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic that has directly inspired actual metal bands like METALLICA, spawned the "turn it up to 11" idiom, and been referenced in pop culture ever since. In 2002, it was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library Of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

"This Is Spinal Tap" was released to little fanfare with some viewers convinced the bumbling dinosaurs — who had a knack of losing drummers in freak accidents — on screen were a genuine band. But word of mouth about the smartly observed film, which took a pop at bands such as STATUS QUO, LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, spread and it became a sleeper hit.

NEFARIOUS, which features Rick Hunolt (EXODUS, DIEHUMANE) and Doug Piercy (HEATHEN, ANVIL CHORUS) on guitar, Tom Gears (BLIND ILLUSION, ANCIENT MARINER) on bass and Will Carroll (DEATH ANGEL) on drums, has announced the addition of vocalist Sean Rivera to the group's ranks. Rivera joins the group as the replacement for Katon W. De Pena (HIRAX),who sang on NEFARIOUS's debut album, "Addicted To Power". Rivera brings an unlimited vocal range, a larger-than-life presence, and pure stage fury. His energy pushes everything harder, faster, louder.

From the start, NEFARIOUS has sought someone fully committed, present, and ready to grow with the band.

Piercy states: "We wanted someone who could be in the room with us — creating, rehearsing, and ready to play. It's hard to get tight as a band when they can't rehearse on the regular. The Bay Area has always thrived on that energy, and now we've got it. Long-distance situations can get complicated when there's simply no communication."

Hunolt adds: "Sean Rivera has brought NEFARIOUS to the next level. The metal gods gave us a true musical wizard. Not only is he an amazing singer, and absolute stellar musician (guitar, keyboards),but he is an amazing human to work with and I can't wait for you all to hear this man sing. C'ya on the road in '26 .. Lfgoooooo!"

Rivera comments: "When Doug and Rick reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try out for NEFARIOUS on vocals, I was excited and nervous. Everyone in the band are fantastic players and have such seasoned musical histories, and stepping into that felt really significant to me. After listening to the album I thought the songs were great and knew it was a project I wanted to be a part of. Thankfully, everyone liked what my vocals added and I was really stoked when they asked me to join. They're all really great people and have been super supportive with the whole process of learning the songs and becoming a part of the band. I feel really fortunate to be given this opportunity and I'm really excited for all we can accomplish together on the road ahead!"

NEFARIOUS will play its first show with Rivera at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco on Saturday, January 3, 2026. More dates will soon be announced, followed by a full European tour in August/September 2026, kicking off at the legendary Alcatraz festival in Belgium.

A new version of the previously released NEFARIOUS song "Day After", featuring Rivera's vocals, can be heard below.

During a recent livestream, De Pena stated about his departure from NEFARIOUS: "Yeah, NEFARIOUS was great. I'm glad I did the record. I'm very proud of the record. And I did one show with them. That was awesome too. But I have to focus on HIRAX. That's my band. It's been my band for 40 years, and that's where my heart's at and that's what I gotta do. But I wish NEFARIOUS all the best. Great band and great musicians."

Carroll discussed the NEFARIOUS singer switch during a recent appearance on Zetro's Toxic Vault, the YouTube channel of former EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza. He said in part: "Things didn't work out [with Katon]… HIRAX is touring, and they're pretty busy. So that played a part in it. But it was a communication thing that was really the problem. He would not talk to us for months at a time… He just broke off communication with us. So we took that as he didn't wanna be in the band… And we did waste some time waiting and sitting around… But we had to move on. And that's where Sean comes in."

Regarding NEFARIOUS's new vocalist, Will said: "His name is Sean Rivera. And he sings for a band, or he's in a band called COFFIN HUNTERS. Not to be confused with the [side band of EXODUS bassist] Jack Gibson, COFFIN HUNTER. This one's plural, COFFIN HUNTERS, and they're more of a traditional heavy metal band. They play a lot in Santa Rosa. Rick discovered him. Rick went to one of their shows and saw him sing. And we knew things were kind of going south with Katon."

In a social media post, Carroll stated about his appearance on Zetro's Toxic Vault: "I didn't say anything out of line or untrue. In fact, I gave a very vanilla version of the whole Katon thing."

The Katon-fronted version of NEFARIOUS played its first — and only — show on July 19 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco.

"Addicted To Power" came out on July 18 via Relentless "Metal" Records, with the collector vinyl available through Hectic/Bleeding Priest Records.

Regarding how NEFARIOUS came together, Katon told The Metal Crypt: "I think it was going to be a solo record for Doug Piercy at first. We had all run into each other from years of playing in the same scene. It seemed like the timing was really what it was. I did a couple of benefits. I did one for Tom Hunting from EXODUS where we raised money for his hospital bills. We did another one for Sean Killian, the singer from VIO-LENCE. At those benefits, I saw a lot of these musicians. We talked to each other and obviously talked about music. Then it came around to where we played some shows together. I think that's what made us all notice each other a little bit more, like, 'Hey, I wonder what it would be like to play with those guys.' Even though I live in Los Angeles, I go up to San Francisco quite often. It's been working out pretty well. We're just going to keep writing music. The one thing that we all have in common is we love writing music. I think that's what keeps us so motivated to do this."

On the topic of NEFARIOUS's musical influences, Katon said: "We all listen to a lot of music. Some of it would surprise people. Obviously, there's going to be heavy metal influences in there because we all grew up on DEEP PURPLE and early SCORPIONS. We love Uli John Roth, obviously, BLACK SABBATH and THIN LIZZY, bands like that. You can't help it. When you play music for as long as we have, other styles of music are going to come into play, whether it's classical music or jazz. Myself, I love stuff like Luciano Pavarotti. There's going to be those things. It also helps the songwriting because you take from some of your heroes, like Jimi Hendrix or, like I said, back to opera music or classical music, you can't help but intertwine some of that in the music. That is in the roots of the music. Then, obviously, thrash metal plays a very big part of it, because we all came from a lot of the early bands. There's going to be some of those influences. People will hear a little bit of the EXODUS thing; they will hear a little bit of the HIRAX thing. Even with Doug, he's just a well-rounded guitar player, and his songwriting skills are majorly off the charts. This guy's got a big brain, and he really has a great way of looking at music. People are going to hear the stuff that we grew up on, whether it's BUDGIE or any of that kind of stuff. They're also going to hear thrash metal mixed in with elements of classical music."

Describing NEFARIOUS's sound, Katon said: "I think we're a cross between, obviously, early thrash metal, but also a lot of the heavy metal influence is there as well. You will hear some harmonies, bands like [IRON] MAIDEN and THIN LIZZY. We'd be lying if we said that wasn't there, because we grew up on that stuff. DEEP PURPLE's a big influence. RAINBOW. Obviously, Ritchie Blackmore, stuff like that. It's going to be in there. I think we also have a different way of looking at it, because we've been doing it for so long. We're not trying to be like a lot of the other bands, and we're not trying to be modern. There are modern sounds, because we're recording in modern studios. The music's definitely coming from the right place. I think that people hear that when they listen to this new song 'One Nation Enslaved', you can hear that we definitely have stuck to our guns. We're not trying to do commercial music, but we also are writing songs that are memorable."

The music for "Addicted To Power" was recorded at Subterranean Studio in Oakland, California and Pyramid Studio in San Francisco, California. It was mixed by Damien Rasmussen of Smoke And Mirrors Productions.

De Pena previously stated about NEFARIOUS: "We're not a band. We are a gang ready to crush skulls and make eardrums bleed ... Necks will be sore ...!!"

Press photo courtesy of Freeman Promotions

POISON frontman Bret Michaels has announced that his "Unbroken: Then, Now And Forever" biopic and book will be released in 2026.

On December 9, the 62-year-old singer/songwriter, global entrepreneur and philanthropist took to his social media to write: "UNBROKEN Then, Now and Forever – the biopic and the book officially coming 2026. If I can survive rocking out on shag mustard-colored carpet on my first guitar ('technically a ukulele' lol) and remain as excited now as I was then, and survive the highs, the lows, good people and the downright maliciousness in the business I've chosen to be in and still get to rock with my friends with a smile on my face on the stage today. That is THE IT FACTOR – the intangible spirit that keeps me unbroken!!!"

Bret's first book, titled "Bret Michaels: Auto-Scrap-Ography", came out in May 2020. The title referred to the scrapbook-like approach Bret took to the memoir.

"The only way I could do it, was a scrapbook," Michaels told the Arizona Republic in a 2020 interview. "I love reading autobiographies. Love it. My problem is sometimes there's not enough pictures for me. You read three chapters about a friend they wrote this song with, but I never see this friend. It would be great to see the friend."

With a blend of hardcopy digital and digital e-book — and a never-before-seen audio/visual biopic read by Michaels, with both still and moving images — the "Auto-Scrap-Ography" was handwritten by the artist, detailing his journey even up to and including his battle with diabetes and the coronavirus.

Bret was first diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at six years old. In the last couple of decades, Michaels has helped raise tens of millions of dollars through his Life Rocks Foundation to donate to diabetes awareness and research through the American Diabetes Association (ADA) and Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). He has collaborated with both the ADA and JDRF, acting as a spokesperson and sponsor, earning him numerous awards from a variety of organizations.

When Bret is not touring, he can be found both in front of and behind the camera as a director, producer and a reality TV superstar. His first foray into reality TV brought the record-breaking "Rock Of Love With Bret Michaels" franchise to VH1, one of the most successful shows in the network's history, shattering weekly rating records during its run. Following three successful seasons of the show, he teamed up with VH1 for the docuseries "Life As I Know It".

Michaels first rose to fame as the frontman of POISON, helping to define the rock-n-roll scene on the Sunset Strip. One of rock's most iconic and enduring bands, POISON's massive success includes selling over 40 million records worldwide and numerous hit singles.

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In a new interview with U.K.'s The Sound Lab, John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rockers SKILLET, was asked if there are any plans for him and his bandmates to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album in 2026. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's nothing special for 30 years, like a 30-year concert or a specific thing. We should do something like that. For about six months we've been saying, 'We should do something,' but nobody's come up with anything good yet. So if we do, I'll let you know. But we need to do something.

"The funny thing is, is that because we have so many new fans over the last five years, a lot of the younger fans, they can't wrap their head around us being around for 30 years," John continued. "So whenever I've said it on a few interviews, '30 years next year,' you see these comments, like, 'How old are you guys?' And I'm, like, '35. Don't ask.' Anyway, it's kind of a funny thing.

"But we are gonna be releasing new music [in 2026], Lord willing," Cooper added. "We're working on it now. We have a couple of songs finished already. So I'm kind of hoping that next year will be the release of new music that will be a nice 30-year kind of… I don't know… Starting over — let's start over again, release new music. Feel like a young person again, releasing songs that you love and songs that you believe in, singing about things that you care about. That's what I hope."

Asked about the musical direction of the new SKILLET material, John said: "Yeah, we are in the middle of that now. Sometimes you don't wanna speak too early because things can change in the studio. You're sure it's gonna be one thing and then all of a sudden it starts [going in a different direction]. But that kind of happened a little early this time, and so I feel like I can share a little bit.

"The Christmas song that we [released in November, 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel'], we did experiment with some of the new things that we are already trying in some of our newer music. And it's been kind of fun because it's been a bit of a… SKILLET's been around for so long, we've had so many different sounds and things we've tried. We have a lot in the arsenal, so you can kind of pull out something that maybe you hadn't done in a little while and try to make it fresh again. And that's kind of what we did on this Christmas song on the really heavy parts. There's some more metal aspects to that that I don't think we've done anything that heavy since, like, 2003 maybe. And that was really fun, getting to do some of the really low tunings again. And we've always done a little bit of it, but we kind of went overboard. And that's because we're kind of going a little bit that direction on the new stuff as well. Also, what's kind of cool with this resurgence of metal is… For people that've seen SKILLET live, they may or may not recognize — I don't know — SKILLET live, we have more touches… I don't mean we're overboard prog, but we have some touches of prog metal in our set, more than we do on our records. And some of that is because as music shifts and changes, some of the younger fans weren't really understanding that stuff 10 years ago. It just wasn't in their wheelhouse. We did a touch of that at the very end of a song, one of our songs called 'The Resistance'. 'The Resistance' ends with this prog rock kind of jam session, and our fans loved it, but we're having a little bit more of that in our live show. And so now we're able to bring some of that. We did it in the Christmas [song], 'O Come, O Come Emmanuel', and we're doing some of that in the new music as well. And I'm, like, why not? It's 30 years. We need to come out with a bang and show people that we're still as young as we used to be— ish [laughs], sort of."

In various interviews over the years, John Cooper has said that he "always had faith in God" and that his mother was a "Jesus fanatic." He also claimed that he was willing to put his career on the line to take a stand for Christ.

In April 2021, Cooper told the "Undaunted.Life: A Man's Podcast" that it was perfectly fine for Christians to play rock music. "I would say that music is created not by the Devil; [it is] created by the Lord," he said. "All things were created by God. So instead of thinking that the Devil owns a genre of music, I would say capture that music and bring it back into subjection under the Lordship of Christ."

John has written in depth about his views in the two books he has released so far, "Awake & Alive To Truth", which came out in December 2020, and "Wimpy, Weak, And Woke", which became available in late 2023.

Cooper told Baptist Press about how his faith directs him to speak out on cultural issues: "If Jesus is the truth, then that means He has something to say about culture, politics, abortion and sexuality. The Bible has something to say about these things."

SKILLET's latest album, "Revolution", arrived in November 2024 via the band's Hear It Loud imprint.