P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel has explained the San Diego hard-rock/nu metal veterans' decision to record and release their cover of THE BEATLES classic "Don't Let Me Down". In a short video message released today (Tuesday, October 7),Marcos said:  "A lot of people are curious to why we chose to do a cover version of 'Don't Let Me Down' by THE BEATLES. It's pretty simple. As cliché as it may sound, we're BEATLES fans. Who isn't a BEATLES fan? I'm pretty sure you're out there, and a lot of it would be because you just don't know who THE BEATLES are, and if you do, maybe just don't get it. But we love THE BEATLES, so we thought it'd be kind of cool to do our version of 'Don't Let Me Down'."

He continued: "It's always been there. Even way back when we did the U2 cover of 'Bullet The Blue Sky', it was always in the back of our heads, like, 'Dude, we should do a cover of 'Don't Let Me Down' by THE BEATLES, do our version, obviously, our interpretation.' So that's pretty simple. I mean, we did it 'cause we love it. And we're fans of music, and we're never gonna stop being fans of music. So we hope you dig it, like we do."

When P.O.D.'s version of "Don't Let Me Down" was first released last month, Curiel said in a statement: "As cliché as it may sound, we've always admired THE BEATLES from the very beginning of our songwriting journey. Their melodies, the hooks, and fearless experimentation inspired us to craft our own take on the classic 'Don't Let Me Down', with nothing but the utmost respect. Thank you for helping lay the foundation of what we all know today as rock 'n' roll, pop and metal."

P.O.D.'s version of "Don't Let Me Down" came as the band geared up for a huge fall 2025 run across North America, joining DAUGHTRY and SEETHER on tour. Curiel was raring to get back on stage, commenting: "Touring is a gift, a blessing to share P.O.D.'s music live with the world. Absolutely nothing compares to the energy of a crowd feeling and vibing every note. We're ecstatic to join an amazing lineup that embodies the true essence of rock 'n' roll fusing the familiar with the new — a real evolution. We are proud to be part of it. Let's jam, let's sing, let's rock."

The trek kicked off October 1 in Virginia Beach and will run through mid-November, hitting major cities across the U.S.

P.O.D. joined U.S. hard rockers GODSMACK as special guests on their March/April 2025 European tour. The trek kicked off on March 22 with a sold-out show at the Sofia Arena in Bulgaria and then made stops in Romania (Bucharest),Hungary (Budapest),Poland (Gliwice),Austria (Vienna),Croatia (Zagreb),Czech Republic (Prague),Germany (Munich, Berlin, Offenbach),U.K. (London),Belgium (Brussels),before finishing with two shows in Germany, Hamburg, and finally April 12 at the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen.

In May last year, P.O.D. released its 11th album, "Veritas", via Mascot Records. The album was a Top 10 hit across the U.S. Billboard Current Hard Rock, Current Rock, and Current Alternative album charts, and has already surpassed 48 million streams.

P.O.D. has released several singles from the album including "Drop", "Afraid To Die", "I Got That" and "I Won't Bow Down".

"Drop" features a vicious vocal feature from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe, while the equally eruptive single "Afraid To Die" features JINJER vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk.

As well as releasing "Veritas", P.O.D. has toured with SKINDRED, who between them brought the party in a major way to the U.K. They bulldozed through Europe with euphoric festival sets at Graspop Metal Meeting, Summerside and Rock For People. They supported MUDVAYNE, took on their blistering U.S. "I Got That" headline tour with special guests BAD WOLVES and NORMA JEAN, and festival stops at Louder Than Life, Aftershock, Sonic Temple, Welcome To Rockville and made waves on the ShipRocked cruise. They spent October 2024 touring Latin America, playing Knotfest and headline shows in Brazil as well as shows in Chile, Colombia and Mexico.

BLACK SABBATH legend Geezer Butler is selling a collection of amps used at the band's final show. All 15 of the Head Of Doom amps were hand-signed by Geezer himself, and are only available on Reverb.

In July, iconic U.K. rockers BLACK SABBATH reunited for what would be their final show: "Back To The Beginning". Held in the band's hometown of Birmingham, the show was streamed by over five million viewers online, in addition to the sold-out crowd of more than forty thousand. Now, musicians and fellow fans alike have the opportunity to own a piece of history.

Beginning on 10:00 a.m. U.S. Central Time on October 7, music lovers can preview the incredible signed and used amp heads via U.K.-based musical instrument maker Ashdown's Reverb shop. Then, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. Central Time on October 14, fans can purchase the signed/used amp heads from Ashdown.

For those that want to sound like Geezer without breaking the bank, Ashdown will also create made-to-order speaker cabinets that help fellow musicians replicate Geezer's sound. The 2x15" and 2x12" cabinets, dubbed the COD-212-8 and COD-215-8, will be handcrafted in the UK to the same specs as those at the final show, allowing musicians to get Geezer's sound via 300 watts RMS at 8 Ohms and a custom medal grill screen-printed with Geezer's artwork.

For more information about both the signed/used amp heads and the replica cabinets, visit Reverb.com.

At "Back To The Beginning", Ozzy Osbourne played a five-song set with his solo band before being joined by fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Butler, Tony Iommi (guitar) and Bill Ward (drums) for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

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

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

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

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

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

For nearly 25 years, vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine VOLBEAT, releasing nine full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting VOLBEAT, however, Poulsen formed death metal band DOMINUS, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid-'90s.

Unless you have a copy of the long out-of-print CDs or found a low-res bootleg online, chances are you've only heard about DOMINUS, but never heard DOMINUS. Well, that changes today.

All four full-length DOMINUS albums — "View To The Dim" (1994),"The First 9" (1996),"Vol. Beat" (1997) and "Godfallos" (2000) — are now finally available on all major streaming platforms, each with audio remastered by Michael's friend Adam Boose at Cauliflower Audio.

So whether you loved DOMINUS going all the way back to the Ringsted days, are curious to finally hear them, or are just now finding out that Michael had a band before VOLBEAT, it's all available on your favorite streaming service, any time you want. And who knows? If you like it, maybe there will be some physical repressings down the road… Until then, enjoy DOMINUS remastered, now streaming everywhere."

In a video message announcing the DOMINUS release on streaming music services, Michael said: "Some of you might know that back in the days I had a death metal band called DOMINUS. We released a couple of demos, I believe, 30 years ago and a seven-inch vinyl, and we did have four albums out. But that was from a time with no Internet and social medias and all that [crap]. That was street credibility, street work, exchanging flyers, demos, cassette tapes and supporting underground magazines. I truly miss those days. But listen, those recordings will now be available on your favorite streaming service, whatever that is. And hopefully the next plan will be to release those things on vinyl, something I personally would love to do. Back in the days, it was only out on CD, and, as I said, personally I'd like to change that and make them available on vinyl. But that's another story — it'll come later. For now, you can get them on those streaming services that you use.

"DOMINUS, support it. Have a good day. See you soon."

When Poulsen was putting together songs for VOLBEAT's 2021 album "Servant Of The Mind", he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the VOLBEAT record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for his new death metal band ASINHELL, whose debut album "Impii Hora" (Latin for "Ungodly Hour"),was released in September 2023 via Metal Blade.

While Poulsen sings in VOLBEAT and sang for DOMINUS, he didn't want to front ASINHELL. So, in March 2022, he called his old friend, ex-MORGOTH singer Marc Grewe (also of INSIDIOUS DISEASE) and invited him to join the party.

After considering drummer friends from established bands, Poulsen asked Morten Toft Hansen from Danish group RAUNCHY to join. Not only does Morten play like a fiend possessed, his and Poulsen's daughters are good friends… and, it takes just 10 minutes to drive to Morten's place.

The two veteran musicians started practicing and completed a full song almost every time they got together. Grewe was tied up at home in Germany when it came time to write the vocals, so Poulsen sent the singer phone recordings from rehearsals to start the process. Through Poulsen and Toft Hansen's years of experience and renewed hunger to destroy, they captured a firestorm in a bottle.

ASINHELL went from being a mere idea to recording the piledriving full-length "Impii Hora" in about a year. Poulsen asked VOLBEAT's management to help find a home for ASINHELL and was thrilled when they mentioned that Metal Blade founder Brian Slagel would love the band. As soon as he heard "Impii Hora", Slagel made ASINHELL a top priority.

In a new interview with "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, CHEVELLE singer/guitarist Pete Loeffler and drummer Sam Loeffler spoke about their 2005 decision to part ways with their younger brother Joe, who played bass for the band for the first 10 years of its existence. Pete said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's a certain amount of turmoil and a certain amount of poking you can do at each other. And if you can't work through those times and become closer, you're not gonna last. And that's something that's rare for us, is that we've been in it together. And it didn't work with our other brother. It couldn't get very far."

Sam chimed in: "He was not open to anything, any bit of criticism, even just development. It was, 'Hey, man, that's a little flat. We've gotta do that again.' 'No, I'm not.' This doesn't have to be an argument. Let's just do it till it's right. And then the fucking shit hits the fan, and then it's, like, 'Oh my God, what's happening? The world is ending.'"

Added Pete: "Every other week he was quitting the band. The fourth time we just said, 'No, it's done.' And those were the big ones. 'Cause he would complain about starting every tour. It was, like, 'I don't wanna fly. I'll take a train there.' So it was a battle every time we started a tour. But it was not sustainable. We started out as three brothers, but we couldn't do it for very long."

Sam concurred, saying: "It was never going to work. And who he is today, we don't know. We have no idea."

Pete went on to say that he and Sam haven't spoken to Joe since 2005. He added: "We should have a cake tonight and celebrate because our lives have been that much better."

After Garza noted that Pete and Sam's family situation is particularly "complicated" because it includes seven siblings, Sam said: "But we get along with everybody for the most part." Pete chimed in: "Other than one. That's not bad, right? Six of us get along out of seven." Sam added: "I don't know anything about it. I don't have anything to say about him or that at all, because we have no ties or interaction, whatever."

In July 2005, CHEVELLE issued a statement officially confirming Joe's departure. The band had previously posted a message on their web site claiming that Joe had decided to "take a break to be home with family" while they headed out on the road with 30 SECONDS TO MARS and TAPROOT. But in their follow-up statement, CHEVELLE claimed that "irreconcilable differences" led to Joe's exit.

A week earlier, Joe lashed out at his brothers in a posting on the band's web site, saying, "I was fired, plain and simple; in fact, there wasn't even a discussion about it — they just dropped it on me."

CHEVELLE's latest album, "Bright As Blasphemy", came out on August 15 via Alchemy Recordings. The follow-up to 2021's "Niratias" marked CHEVELLE's first release through Alchemy Recordings following a long run with the Epic label. Alchemy Recordings is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States.

This past summer, CHEVELLE embarked on a massive tour with special guests ASKING ALEXANDRIA and DEAD POET SOCIETY. Produced by Live Nation, the 38-city trek kicked off on August 7 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, making stops across North America in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Airway Heights, Washington at BECU Live at Northern Quest on October 2.

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.

JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain has announced a new solo single, "No One Else", written in honor of right-wing American activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed in early September at a Utah college event in what has been called a political assassination.

The music video for "No One Else" was premiered during Cain's appearance on the Strang Report, where Jonathan stated about his inspiration for the track (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wanted to honor [Charlie's] movement. I wanted to contribute to what I believe he stood for. And that was righteousness, truth and the gospel. And without being a pastor, I had to stop and think, not since Billy Graham has anybody rocked the world like Charlie, when it comes to just pure amount of how many schools he went to and how ferocious and fearless [he was]."

Cain continued: "When you look at [Charlie's] body of work, he just was unafraid and wanted to have that conversation, wanted kids to open… And as a father, I would always say to my three kids, 'Look at all sides. Look at both sides. Don't get stuck in this liberal noise.' They have professors that have their viewpoints, and I said, 'Don't get brainwashed. Just look at all sides before you get an opinion.' And I think that's what Charlie did. He opened up people's eyes, he removed the veil, and — I don't know— I just respected that so much.

"We need an appreciation song for what he did," Jonathan explained. "And when they described him as irreplaceable, the song I was writing, which is entitled 'No One Else' — no one else could wear the mantle. The calling on his life was so strong. God used him in such a powerful, powerful way in so many layers of different discussions that young people finally got the chance to discuss. There was a one-sided thing, and he saw how one-sided it was. And I admired his courage.

"I was not a big fan of the academia and haven't been for years," Cain added. "I just think it's really lost its shine. Unfortunately, these schools have these very strange professors [who] are bringing in just weird ideas and filling the kids with just not good stuff. And Charlie was the one that questioned it all saying, 'Hey, you know what? This is the greatest country in the world.' [He was] a patriot, a pastor, he was a political pundit. He helped so many people get in office. Even [U.S. vice president] JD Vance will still tell you that he couldn't have gotten to where he got without Charlie Kirk, and Mr. President Trump would say the same. So he believed in the good guys. He believed in our side. He believed in the righteous conservatism that seemed to get drowned out and drummed down by this media."

While U.S. president Donald Trump hailed Kirk as a "great American hero" and "martyr" during a speech at a memorial service in Arizona, Charlie was often criticized for his fiery, combative style. He was a strong supporter of gun rights, vehemently opposed abortion, was critical of transgender rights and famously said empathy was "a made-up, new age term that does a lot of damage".

Kirk's suspected killer is Tyler Robinson, a 22-year-old who grew up in a Utah suburb and briefly attended Utah State University before dropping out and enrolling in an electrical apprenticeship program. Robinson is registered as unaffiliated with a political party and is listed as "inactive", meaning he did not vote in either of the last two general elections. No evidence has emerged connecting Robinson with any outside group.

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

This past February, Trump issued an executive order forming a White House faith office and appointed Paula White-Cain to lead it. White-Cain, a pastor at StoryLife Church and president of Paula White Ministries, both based in Apopka, Florida, has been a longtime friend and personal minister to Trump.

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

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

Photo credit: Micah Kandross (courtesy of Hoganson Media Relations)

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In a new interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal-Rules.com, SABATON's frontman, co-founder and principal songwriter Joakim Brodén spoke about the band's longevity and multigenerational appeal. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know, but maybe we're the last of a breed in that sense. We didn't think about it because this is the music that was — it was quite common when we started, and it is what we all came from. But this kind of music that has a, yeah, bit of catchy melodies, bit of melodic guitar riffs — the guitar isn't only used as a percussion instrument — there aren't that many doing that left. Obviously we've got IRON MAIDEN, and they're still doing it, but among a younger generation, it's getting rarer and rarer, unfortunately. And I think somehow — well, I shouldn't be complaining when I'm saying this, and I'm not, but I think since there aren't that many bringing that heritage onward, I think we are one of the few bands. If you grew up liking that music, who are you gonna listen to that's around these days? I mean, we are among the youngest ones, for sure, doing this."

Asked how he and his SABATON bandmates allow themselves to experiment with their songwriting while maintaining a sense of familiarity their music, Joakim said: "That's the biggest problem for, I think, most songwriters. I don't think it's a SABATON-specific problem. Some fans — and I'm not saying there's a right or wrong, but we're all different — some people want SABATON on to really be SABATON, and then some people want to see SABATON be 'SABATON plus' and whatever SABATON could be. I don't know how to explain it. And we've always been sort of an evolutionary band rather than a revolutionary band. So we have, over the years, widened our horizons, I guess, brought more stuff in. So if we look at, for example, 'Ghost Division' today, people will say that's core SABATON. Yeah, but in 2008, that was a brutal, straight-on hard song. We hadn't done anything like that. Then those things were brought into the fold — 'To Hell And Back', with a bit of spaghetti western guitar and everything like that being brought in. So that's been the approach so far. I mean, it seems though that we can push, as long as we are not pushing just to push, if you know what I mean."

Earlier in the month, SABATON announced a massive 31-date North American tour set for early 2026. The announcement follows the band's extensive 2025 international run and coincides with rising anticipation for "Legends", SABATON's upcoming album, due October 17 via Better Noise Music.

Kicking off February 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour will hit venues across the U.S. and Canada, including major stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston before wrapping April 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Support on the trek will come from POP EVIL and WINGS OF STEEL.

A week ago, SABATON released its latest single, "Crossing The Rubicon", featuring singer Jonny Hawkins and guitarist Mark Vollelunga of NOTHING MORE. This special collaborative version of the track hit the radio airwaves on September 12, while the original version will be available as part of the SABATON's upcoming "Legends" album.

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

Among 11 unique vinyl editions, each one portraying one legendary figure, "Legends" will be available as the "Julius Caesar Edition."

"Legends" is a rock odyssey that transcends time and borders, with melodic guitar riffs, goosebump-inducing choirs, and epic choruses. It marks a bold evolution in storytelling, plunging headfirst into the heart of history's most formidable and enigmatic figures. These are not just rock songs, they are battle hymns carved from the blood and legacy of warriors, kings, strategists, and revolutionaries. It marks the very first time that every band member has come together to contribute to the songwriting process. This is SABATON as you've never heard them before — relentless and unbound. "Legends" is a global journey through the annals of warfare, leadership and unbreakable will.

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

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

Four songs have already been released from "Legends": "The Duelist" and "Lightning At The Gates" (July 25),"Hordes Of Khan" (June 6) and "Templars" (April 25):

"The Duelist" has been streamed over three million times, and the video has been viewed over one million times.

"Lightning At The Gates" has been streamed over 2.6 million times, and the video has been viewed over one million times.

"Hordes Of Khan" has been streamed over 6.3 million times, while the video has been viewed more than 1.4 million times.

"Templars" has been streamed over 19.1 million times, while the official video and lyric video have been viewed more than 5.7 million times.

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

Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE guested on BBC Two's "Later... With Jools Holland" to perform from two songs from their new album, "Saving Grace". The LED ZEPPELIN legend and the new band of distinguished musicians — vocalist Suzi Dian, drummer Oli Jefferson, guitarist Tony Kelsey, banjo and string player Matt Worley, and cellist Barney Morse-Brown — played LOW's "Everybody's Song" and Martha Scanlan's "Higher Rock" from the LP. You can watch both below.

Following his previous acclaimed releases on Nonesuch Records — 2014's "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar" and 2017's "Carry Fire" — "Saving Grace" brings yet another chapter of Robert Plant's ceaseless roar into the daylight. Produced by Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE — and recorded between April 2019 and January 2025 in the Cotswolds and on the Welsh Borders — "Saving Grace" breathes fresh life into a collection of century-old music. A treasury of songs featured back in time by Memphis Minnie, Bob Mosley (MOBY GRAPE),Blind Willie Johnson, The Low Anthem, Martha Scanlan, Sarah Siskind, and Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk's LOW.

Plant told Rolling Stone magazine about the creation of "Saving Grace": "Well, we began with one microphone on a mic stand in a field adjacent to Matt Worley's place. We had a little desk set up. And we would get nowhere nearer than about four yards away from each other, and one by one go up to the microphone, and spray the microphone. On the last track on the record, you can hear some birds singing because we’d individually play a part and come away from the mic. It was an experiment that took me back to 'Physical Graffiti' with LED ZEPPELIN when I did quite a few vocals outside. I really enjoyed the whole idea of being out there rather than in the constraints of a studio. It began with 'Higher Rock', I believe, and maybe even 'Chevrolet'. That was probably about 2019 or '20. And then I'd go off somewhere else, and then we'd come back to it.

"A friend of Steve Winwood's got an old farm down in Gloucestershire, and he used to be quite involved with the very early days of TRAFFIC. And so as the conditions changed [after the pandemic] and the world started to open up, occasionally we'd go down to his barn and see what we would do there. It's really great, very pastoral.

"I think maybe we made one sojourn to Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios to try and see how we would get on with a different drum sound or whatever it was. But it's been pretty organic all the way through. I know that's a very overused word, but that's how it is. Nothing was riding on it, nobody was thinking beyond maybe putting this record out. Some shows in the U.S. later in the year might be about the zenith of anything that anybody ever imagined, really. There's never any sort of aspiration.

"Whereas when I came back after the demise of LED ZEPPELIN, I was in a different place, a different headspace, a different time in my life. I was really quite determined to take my music with a lot more drive, whereas this seems to be, it seems pretty pastoral, really.

"In SAVING GRACE, I don't think any of us live more on about eight miles apart. It's a very familiar combination of people in every respect, because I guess we've come out of the same area completely. There's a coherence even in our humor. We've got a good thing going on without where there's no huge imperatives. It's just really nice."

Plant and SAVING GRACE will soon perform for the first time in the U.S. this fall. Their tour stops in 15 North American cities, including shows at New York City's Brooklyn Paramount, Port Chester's Capitol Theatre, Chicago's Vic, Los Angeles's United Theater, and others, with support from Rosie Flores. Robert Plant and SAVING GRACE will also return to the U.S. in 2026, with the recent announcement of a headline performance at Big Ears festival, following a 10-date U.K. tour just added for December.

"Saving Grace" track listing:

01. Chevrolet
02. As I Roved Out
03. It's A Beautiful Day Today
04. Soul Of A Man
05. Ticket Taker
06. I Never Will Marry
07. Higher Rock
08. Too Far From You
09. Everybody's Song
10. Gospel Plough

To mark the 30th anniversary of Infidel Art – Sigh’s groundbreaking and boldly experimental second album – Peaceville will release a special anniversary limited marble vinyl LP, standard black vinyl LP, 2CD, and cassette. Kickstarting a string of reissues of Sigh’s revered yet hard to find classic early catalogue, this new edition of Infidel Art contains a new master created by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony, featuring a new transfer from the original DAT source.

Speaking on the new edition, bandleader and songwriter Mirai Kawashima shared – “I am well aware that Sigh’s albums released via Cacophonous Records in the ‘90s have been hard to find for a long time. Actually, so many labels tried to re-release those albums, but it never worked. However, finally the wait is over! Soon you can get them on both vinyl and CD via Peaceville Records. Of course, the albums are way more primitive than what we are doing today, but they definitely are the albums that shaped who we are today. And what really surprised me was that those four albums were released within 5 years. How productive we were!”

Infidel Art will also be released as a Double CD Edition and a collectible Cassette Edition. The CD includes a rare first mix of the entire album, as well as additional tracks “The Zombie Terror” from the Far East Gate In Inferno compilation, plus songs originally included for a split release with Kawir, having also received a new transfer from the original DAT source.

Vinyl editions (via a four-page additional insert) and the 2CD edition also include a new and exclusive interview with Mirai Kawashima, conducted by Dayal Patterson of Cult Never Dies.

Following the great reception of Scorn Defeat in the underground, and maintaining the same core line-up of Mirai Kawashima, Shinichi Ishikawa, and Satoshi Fujinami, Infidel Art surfaced in 1995 and became a new milestone for the band, expanding on the symphonic and classical elements to create something more grandiose and monumental in scale, whilst still embracing Sigh’s old school metallic influences and dark mysticism, for epic tracks such as “Zombie Terror” and “Izuna”.

Preorder at burningshed.com.



Tracklisting:

CD1
“Izuna”
“The Zombie Terror”
“Desolation”
“The Last Elegy”
“Suicidogenic”
“Beyond Centuries”

CD2
“Izuna (first mix)”
“The Zombie Terror (first mix)”
“Desolation (first mix)”
“The Last Elegy (first mix)”
“Suicidogenic (first mix)”
“Beyond Centuries (first mix)”
“The Zombie Terror (Far East Gate Inferno version)”
“Suicidogenic” (Kawir split EP version)
“Schizo” (Kawir split EP version)

At this past weekend's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander spoke to Baby Huey and Chasta of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone about the band's decision to reunite in 2022, initially just for a couple of festival appearances. Mercedes said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We could not ignore the e-mails from [concert promoter] Live Nation in our inbox any longer. Because we didn't have any representation for management, we didn't have any representation for our booking agents or anything like that. So these people's last-ditch effort to try and get us on these festivals was to e-mail us, e-mail the band e-mail, and then they were so persistent, like, 'Hey, I've got this festival. Come on.' And every couple of months they'd e-mail us. And I remember writing Morgan and being, like, 'Hey, just so you know, we should probably reply back to this guy, 'cause he's written us at least three times.'"

Referencing the fact that KITTIE eventually released a new studio album, "Fire", which came out in June 2024 via Sumerian Records, Morgan added: "But it wasn't just that — it was that more people were listening. Spotify numbers [were growing], and people just asking for new music. And the voices just continued to get louder and louder."

Continued Mercedes: "And we couldn't ignore them anymore. And our plan was just to play a couple of shows and then be, like, 'Okay, bye.' That's the KITTIE universe — so it always ends up taking on a life of its own. And then that morphed into us getting an offer for a record deal, and then getting, obviously, to write new music. And we were, like, 'Well, we don't have any new music, but I guess we'll write some music.' So, again, everything kind of spiraled out control. We got to work with like dream-list people for 'Fire'. It was amazing. We felt so lucky to be able to work with somebody like [producers] Nick Raskulinecz and Josh Wilbur. Like, wow. Those are the guys. It was the dream team. We have the dream team."

Asked what is coming up next for KITTIE, Morgan said: "Well, Aftershock is our wrap-up show of the year. So that's it for us. We get to go home and relax. We've got a few things brewing next year. There'll probably be some more festivals, more shows, maybe some headline stuff. We do have a few things announced, but there'll probably be more. And maybe start thinking about new music too, just for fun."

On September 19, KITTIE released "Spit XXV" EP, a four-track effort celebrating the 25th anniversary of the band's gold-certified debut album. The collection featured freshly updated and re-recorded versions of four of the albums biggest tracks, "Brackish", "Charlotte", "Do You Think I'm A Whore?" and the title track, "Spit", all produced, once again, by Garth Richardson who helmed the original 1999 sessions at EMAC Studios.

Released on January 11, 2000, "Spit" transformed KITTIE from four Canadian teenagers into international heavyweights, achieving gold certification with over 660,000 U.S. sales. The album became a defining moment for women in heavy music, with its aggressive sound and uncompromising attitude proving that metal made by women could achieve both critical respect and commercial success during nu-metal's completely male-dominated peak era.

The original "Spit" earned critical recognition from Rolling Stone, who ranked the title track No. 82 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs Of All Time" in 2023. The album's influence continues rippling through generations of musicians, with artists like Serena Cherry of SVALBARD crediting it as "the reason she became a metal musician," while experimental artist Poppy covered the title track in 2023.

"Fire", KITTIE's first new material in 13 years, reached No. 13 on U.K. Rock & Metal Albums charts and No. 20 on Billboard Top Album Sales, while single "We Are Shadows" became the band's highest-charting song on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart at No. 20. The album earned the band a 2025 Juno Award nomination for "Metal/Hard Music Album Of The Year".

Since returning from their hiatus in 2022, KITTIE has experienced a remarkable resurgence across demographics, with their 920,000 monthly Spotify listeners spanning longtime fans and new generations discovering their music through social media. Their performances at major festivals including Sick New World, Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple have demonstrated the band's enduring live power, while their successful 2024 North American headline tour proved their enduring and undeniable ability to command stages as headliners.

Photo credit: Dante Dellamore

In a new interview with the Fueled With Chris Cyr podcast, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was asked how being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013 had changed his perspective on life and his approach to living it. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can tell you it made me spend more money. 'Cause, as Jerry Seinfeld said, 'You can't drive money.' So as soon as I got — not as soon as, but within a year of having my cancer diagnosis, I went and bought a very expensive Porsche. And I remember thinking, 'Oh, that's a lot of money. It's a lot of money.' And I [thought], 'I could be dead next week.' Well, actually, there is a saying in Ireland: 'You're a long time dead.' So I sort of take it to heart. I'm a little bit reckless in that way. I have a lot of faith in the universe, that things will work out — financially, that's one of them, but also with regard to my cancer. I thought, 'Okay, this is the hand I've been dealt.' And as I see it, you can go one of two routes — you can capitulate to it or you can just live your life. And I decided to do the latter."

Vivian continued: "I have encountered people who have had a cancer diagnosis and they tend to take on all of the weight of that and really dwell on it and internalize about it and stuff. And it usually doesn't work out well for them. And I always try and talk people out of that. I also feel very, very fortunate because I got my cancer diagnosis early. And I've lost a lot of friends in recent years who got a diagnosis of, like, stage four and they were gone within a couple of years. I was very, very fortunate — I was diagnosed at stage 2b. And I probably could have been diagnosed at 2a because I knew for about a year and a half, something was very wrong with me."

Reflecting on his initial cancer diagnosis, Vivian said: "I kept going to my doctor and my doctor kept saying, 'Well, you know…' 'Cause I had this recurring illness, and I'd lost weight. And I was traveling — I was on tours all over the world, Australia, U.K. I kept getting the same sickness every six weeks or so, like this low-level thing. And you'd see a rock doc and they'd give you the same antibiotics. And six weeks later you'd be halfway across the world and have the same issue, see another doctor, get the same antibiotics. And so I went to see my GP [general practitioner] in L.A. when I finally got home from tour, and he said, 'Well, sometimes things linger.' And I said, 'I got this cough that is intermittent, but when it's there it's really persistent and prevalent.' And he said, 'Well, go see this respiratory doctor.' So long story short, I went to see this respiratory doctor for about eight months. I'd go once a month and he'd keep giving me a different inhaler and nasal spray, and he'd say, 'Well, try this one.' And then finally, after all those months, I went into his office and I said, 'Look, I don't want another inhaler. I don't want another nasal spray.' I said, 'I want a chest x-ray.' I said, 'If I've gotta pay you cash,' I said, 'Just let's do it.' And he said, 'Okay. Okay, we'll do an x-ray.' So I do a chest x-ray and he comes back into the office and he's goin'g, Hmm, wat are you doing this afternoon?' He said, 'I'd like you to get a CT scan.' And I said, 'Yeah, okay, I can do that.' And I went and did the scan. I went home. He called me that evening and said, 'I'm gonna have an oncologist call you tomorrow.' He said, 'There's something going on.' And I said, 'Yeah, no shit. I told you a year ago.' But in hindsight, I caught it early. So my health has been very, very closely monitored for years, unlike those friends of mine who have died in recent years because they were stage four when they found out. So that's luck of the Irish. I don't take that for granted."

Campbell went on to say that while a cancer diagnosis is a significant challenge for many, maintaining a positive attitude can have a profound impact on the road to recovery.

"My attitude, other than the first week or so when that oncologist called me and said, 'You've got cancer,' and I'm, like, 'Oh, my life is over.' It's not. It's just another thing you've gotta deal with," Vivian explained. "And attitude is so, so important to it. I've always been, 'Fuck you, cancer.' I'm just gonna deal with it. And I'm a strong person physically and mentally. My body is strong, and I've always continued to work out through it. I keep pushing myself. And mentally, I'm not afraid to die. I don't wanna die 'cause I've got kids and family. I've got a lot of people who depend on me, but I've never been afraid of it. And I just keep pushing at it and keep pushing back. And most importantly, I just keep living my life. Honestly, the hardest part of dealing with cancer in the last 12 or 13 years has been scheduling. I've got a tour. I've gotta fit all this stuff. I'm in two bands. I'm in LAST IN LINE, as well as DEF LEPPARD, so I've gotta plug in all these gaps. And so, really, honest to God, it's been the hardest part, is scheduling my treatments. But yeah, I consider myself very fortunate in every aspect of life."

This past June, Vivian said that he is "completely in remission for the first time" after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Campbell offered an update on his health during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said at the time: "I've been very lucky, actually. I got an early diagnosis for Hodgkin's lymphoma 13 years ago, 12 years ago, something like that. [I went] through the mill with all sorts of chemo and immunotherapy and combination therapies, and 10 years ago I did an autologous stem cell transplant, which means using my own stem cells. That didn't work. The cancer kept coming back, and then a couple of years ago, it really got bad. So it was the first time in having to deal with it that I was seriously concerned about it. And the doctors told me really my only chance for of cure was to do a donor transplant. And that's exactly what I did. Starting last summer during our tour, I started doing more chemo in preparation for it. And then right after the tour, they started giving me very hardcore chemo leading up to the transplant. I was supposed to start after Thanksgiving, and I lost my donor 10 days beforehand. So that was a kick in the nuts. But I was very fortunate that they found me another one in December. And on New Year's Eve, I went into hospital. I was in for about three and a half weeks, and I did what has turned out to be a really, really successful transplant. So I did a PET scan in the middle of April and I'm a hundred percent clean, completely in remission for the first time in 12 or 13 years. And I am obviously overjoyed. You couldn't ask for more than that."

Campbell went on to say that he "had an incredible donor. There are 10 genetic markers, and this donor was a 10 out of 10," he explained. "A young man, actually. I don't get to know who he is for a couple of years, but a 21-year-old man. And they always prefer a youthful donor. Obviously, I'm gonna buy him a beer — or two or three."

Asked why a 21-year-old man would volunteer to donate bone marrow, Vivian said: "Why, indeed. I mean, it's just a testament to some strange guy's character. He decided to put his name on the registry, the donor registry, for no reason other than he's a good person. So there are a lot of good people out there, I'm glad to say.

"The transplant, actually, given its proper, clever medical term, is allogeneic hematopoietic [stem cell] transplant," Campbell added. "I have no idea what that means other than it means a donor transplant. But the process for the donor, if it were a family member, they'd probably be willing to undergo the complete surgery required to use actual bone marrow. With strangers, they use enriched stem cell blood. But what the donor has to do is still very, very involved. They've gotta take this stuff called Neupogen for about a week or a week and a half prior to donating the material. And Neupogen is pretty hardcore. I've done it myself about 10 years ago, and it generates your stem cell growth in the bone marrow itself. And it causes a lot of discomfort and bone pain. So it's not for nothing that somebody would do that. It is a pretty heavy lift, and I'm just glad there are some great people in the world."

Regarding what the process of receiving a bone marrow transplant entailed for him, Vivian said: "It essentially comes down to a blood transfusion. After the first week in the hospital, you get chemo every day and then a day of radiation and then on day seven, they actually do the transplant and then a day off after that to just recover and then two more days of chemo and just a week or three of sickness as your body fights this stuff. And it's not pleasant to go through it at all, but I would do it a hundred times more if I got the same results."

Asked why he can't contact the 21-year-old man who gave him his bone marrow for a couple years, Campbell said: "They just like to keep it anonymous. After two years, they give you the option to contact your donor, so you can reach out to them. I would imagine in this day and age it's via e-mail, and if they wanna correspond with you, they can, but they don't have to. But obviously, it's a life-saving proposition, so I'd certainly wanna express my gratitude."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that Campbell has had a remarkably positive attitude throughout his more-than-a-decade-long battle with cancer,  Vivian said: "My glass has always been half full. I've always looked at life that way, and I also believe you play the hand you're dealt. And in any situation in life, there's really only two ways you can respond to something: you can go as positive as possible or go as negative as possible. To be honest, as it relates to cancer, I've unfortunately known a bunch of people who have gotten the cancer diagnosis and have chosen to be very gloomy and pessimistic in their outlook towards their prognosis, and it usually follows that route. I mean, what you put out in the universe is usually what you get back. So I just like to deal with it. Plus every cloud has a silver lining. I actually do think that my health has benefited from this. I mean, my health has been extremely closely monitored for the last 12 or 13 years and will continue to be for at least a couple more years. So I've lost, myself, so many friends in recent years. Even thinking about [my side band] LAST IN LINE, we lost [original LAST IN LINE bassist] Jimmy Bain to cancer. We lost our manager, Steve Strange, to cancer. Both of those guys — Jimmy never even actually got a diagnosis. It was only after the fact, in the autopsy, it was determined he had lung cancer. Steve Strange, our LAST IN LINE manager, died within two, two and a half years of getting his diagnosis, because so many people, unfortunately, don't get diagnosed until they're stage four or something. I was very, very fortunate that I knew something was going on with me and I kept at my doctors. I said, 'Look, something's going on here. You've gotta give me an X-ray. You've gotta give me a CAT scan. You've gotta figure this out.' And when they eventually did, about a year and a half after I'd begun to pester them, 'cause it was a solid 18 months that I knew something was wrong with, and it was a solid 18 months before they actually put me in touch with the right people and I got my diagnosis. So I was fortunate that I caught it early. And I do strongly advocate for people to be advocates for their own health."

He added: "Doctors are very, very clever — they go to med med school for a long time, and they're very well trained, but they're not inside your actual body. Only we really know what's going on with us. And I would urge anyone out there listening, if they think there's something going with their body to go see their doctor, and trust the science, trust the medicine. And it's absolutely amazing what they can do."

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Six years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

DEF LEPPARD's latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", arrived in May 2022 via UMe.

“Low tuned, dark and violent Texas death metal,” comes the uncompromising answer from Terror Corpse drummer Dobber Beverly when pressed to define his newest abomination. Formed in 2025 yet manned by veterans of the US underground, Terror Corpse rise from the remnants of Malignant Altar, continuing where their predecessor left off – still in league with Dark Descent Records.

Produced entirely in-house by the skinsman, the record’s sound is as distinctive as it is crushing. From the first pounding kick drum, soon joined by a gut-wrenching bassline, Ash Eclipses Flesh never loosens its relentless grip.

“I wanted to essentially have a super low tuned Celtic Frost guitar sound with a modern and large natural drum recording. Big room, big drum sounds. Tack on some cavernous low, Craig Pillard style vocals and bass guitar and you’ve got our sound.”

The band’s veneration of the Celtic Frost’s legacy is further demonstrated by the album’s closer, a cover of Into the Crypts of Rays. Dobber makes no secret of Terror Corpse’s influences: “Disciples Of Mockery, Incantation, pre-2000s Morbid Angel; essentially older evil American death metal. Celtic Frost is a massive influence to all of us. From their primitive and violent beginnings to the ultra-experimental and dark era of their later records.”

Ash Eclipses Flesh is clad in artwork courtesy of the notorious Shoggoth Kinetics, displaying a horrifying future so far and near: “Lyrically the album follows a kind of dystopian downfall of humanity. Something crossing surreality and outlook based off of current happenings. A race of mutant human corpses conquering and enslaving the earth.”

Ash Eclipses Flesh is out November 21. Preorder on Bandcamp.



Tracklisting:

“Pyre Of Ash And Bone”
“Gate Zero”
“Womb Of The Hollow Earth”
“Blissful Incineration”
“Fallout Obliteration”
“Nuclear Winter”
“Transmission Beta”
“The Hollow That Devours”
“Sons Of Perdition”
“Into The Crypts Of Rays”

Returning from the graveyard, Portland, Oregon’s Unto Others have shared details of their upcoming spooky release. The follow-up to 2021’s I Believe In Halloween, I Believe In Halloween II is due October 17 via Lone Fir Records in the USA and Eisenwald Records in Europe, (released in conjunction with Century Media Records).

As well as three original tracks of extreme terror, the EP also features a recorded version of their stellar cover of Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” and The Misfits’ “Halloween”.

Today, they’ve released the EP’s lead single “What I Did…”.

In “They Came From Space”, man searches the skies for traces of life beyond, only to find cold infinite empty space in every direction. There’s just one place we didn’t think to check…

“What I Did…” He’s just a cool dude looking for a good time. Out all night getting trashed with his friends, they could all use just one more drink. Who could it hurt?

In “Robots”, dream becomes nightmare as the line between realities is violently severed by sinister electrical android automatons.

Preorders:
Lon Fir Records (North America)
Eisenwald Records (Europe)
Lon Fir Records (Europe)



Tracklisting:

“They Came From Space”
“What I Did…”
“Robots”
“Halloween”
“Pet Sematary”

“What I Did…”:

In a new interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson discussed MAIDEN's musical output during his time away from the band. Dickinson exited MAIDEN back in 1993, paving the way for the group's Blaze Bayley era and a string of four solo albums from Bruce. Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers". Asked if he paid attention to what MAIDEN was doing while he was out of the band, Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. [It's not that] I didn't have any interest in listening [to MAIDEN's Blaze-era albums]. I was just too busy doing my own stuff. So, it was kind of peripheral awareness, but in a way I was just, like, 'This is none of my business. I'm not in the band anymore.' And I wished Blaze well, 'cause when he joined the band, I thought, 'Wow.' 'Cause his voice is very different to mine. I loved what he was doing in WOLFSBANE. And I thought, 'Well, this is… I hope it works out the right way.' And sadly it didn't. But I love Blaze. I think he's a great character. There's not a malicious bone in his body. He's a great guy."

Asked if it was his or bassist Steve Harris's idea for MAIDEN to perform the Blaze-era songs "The Clansman" and "Sign Of The Cross" upon Dickinson's return to the band, Bruce said: "You know what? I actually can't remember. But when I heard it, I was just, like, 'Well, I think I could put some blood on the walls with that.' To be honest with you, not all of the songs that they did with Blaze, I think, would necessarily suit my voice. Because some of the songs they wrote for Blaze are not really in my range — they're a little bit low. Whilst Blaze would sing a particular tune with a lot of power, 'cause it was in his range, I would frankly struggle to make that tune sound as effective as Blaze, 'cause it's a little bit below where all the horsepower kicks in with my voice."

Back in 2018, Dickinson was asked by the "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" podcast why he agreed to perform some of the Bayley-era IRON MAIDEN material upon his return to the band in 1999. Dickinson said: "Well, you know, life's too short to go around chucking your ego around like that — it's childish, it's stupid. And, actually, some of those songs kind of worked [with my voice], some of them didn't, but you know what? They were all songs which a lot of IRON MAIDEN fans bought, and some of them, in particular 'The Clansman' and 'Sign Of The Cross', I think we really nailed those songs and I thought it was great material. Blaze's voice, obviously, was quite different than mine — it was a slightly lower register — and, actually, I wasn't complaining, 'cause I could use this kind of lower baritone tone and get quite kind of robust on it all. And I really enjoyed singing those songs."

Dickinson went on to say that he "had the utmost respect for Blaze, because he stepped into a situation that was extremely difficult for him. Because, manifestly, his voice was so different to mine and yet he had to try and sing some of those [older IRON MAIDEN] songs. He was in a difficult place. And he was a very, very nice guy, and still is a very nice guy, and I have a huge amount of respect for him."

Dickinson told the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show that he "was surprised" Blaze was chosen to replace him in IRON MAIDEN. "I was delighted for Blaze, but there was a whole bunch of other really good singers out there," he said. "I thought 'Wow, they could have picked somebody with a voice that could do what my voice did.' But they picked Blaze. Obviously, they picked somebody different, but that came with its own set of challenges. I just wondered whether anybody in the management was really giving anybody any serious words of truth on how hard this could be. "

In August 2019, Harris was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" why was it important for MAIDEN to still play Bayley-era songs even though Dickinson had been back in the band for so many years. Harris responded: "We're doing 'The Clansman', which is from [1998's] 'Virtual XI' [album], and we're doing 'Sign Of The Cross', which is from [1995's] 'The X Factor'. We've done 'em before, anyway, with Bruce; he really likes those songs, so he was really happy to do 'em. And I'm not gonna complain, 'cause I'm happy with doing 'em songs. But I think it just mixes the set up a bit. I know that those albums are not as well known as some of the other albums, especially over here [in the U.S.], but they're really good songs, and live, I think, they come into their own. So, yeah, it makes for an interesting set."

Pressed about whether he still stands behind the material that MAIDEN wrote and recorded while Bayley was in the band, Harris said: "Oh, definitely. I said at the time that I thought a lot of people would, in the future, get into those albums a lot more and maybe understand 'em a bit more and give 'em more of a chance. And that's what's happening — loads of people are really enjoying those albums more now. I think there's some really, really good songs on both those albums, and they stand out to me as most of our other albums. But it's like anything — I think you need to hear the stuff a few times, and I think a lot of people couldn't get past the fact that we had a different singer, and it was one of those things. But it was well received more in the rest of the world, really; the U.S. was a little bit more awkward. But I think a lot more people are finding that they're giving it a second chance, if you like, and actually really enjoying 'em."

Less than two years ago, Blaze spoke to Tony Webster of "The Metal Command" about some fans' initial reluctance to embrace his era of MAIDEN. When Webster noted that Blaze's solo work over the last two decades has gone a long way toward "changing the narrative" of his time with MAIDEN, Bayley said: "Yeah, I think you're right, Tony. I'm hearing this a lot. People look back and they go… Some fans go, 'Of course I've got every IRON MAIDEN album, but the ones I haven't listened to are [Blaze-era albums] 'The X Factor' and 'Virtual XI'. And now that's all I can listen to that I haven't listened to a hundred times. I have to listen to those. And it's exactly what you say to me.

"'The X Factor''s got some incredible music on it, but the sound of it is so dark, and the way it was produced, it's not accessible like some of the other MAIDEN albums," Blaze explained. "You've gotta live with that for quite a few spins until you're tuned into what things are doing. Then you can get to the music. I think that was maybe a problem with it at the time. It's so dark and the sounds of things were quite different to what came before. People who did live with it, managed to find it. And it's different cultures as well, different countries. In Sweden and Spain, those albums, people loved them as much as every other [MAIDEN] album. But in other places, people didn't. It's a different thing."

Photo credit: John McMurtrie