Original Journey bassist, Ross Valory, has released a video for "Touched, Pt. II", featured on his debut solo album, All Of The Above, available via OID Music. Watch the clip below.


Produced by Valory and co-produced by Eric Levy and Jacob Stowe, the nine tracks on the album represent the full maturity of Valory’s musical gifts, cutting a broad swath through the instrumental territory the music travels. He plays keyboards, guitar, and, of course, many basses in a display of cultivated virtuosity across a palette far broader than could be found in his work with Journey.







Tracklisting:


"Wild Kingdom"
"Tomland"
"Nightflower"
"Touched, Pt. II"
"Windmill"
"Incident at Neshabur"
"Senor Blue"
"Low Rider"
"No One Wins a War"


"Touched, Pt. II" video:





"Nightflower" video:





"Low Rider" video:





"Windmill" video:

In a new interview with Chris Akin Presents, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo spoke about the March 2024 departure of the band's singer of two years, Erik Grönwall. The 36-year-old Swedish musician, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, said that he wanted to "prioritize [his] health" and focus on his "full recovery".

When host Chris Akin noted that Erik's explanation for exiting SKID ROW sounded a little "fishy" to him and other SKID ROW fans in light of the fact that Grönwall had immediately announced that he was releasing his autobiography and was planning to go on tour with Michael Schenker in 2025, Rachel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'll put it this way: we understand exactly what you're saying. And I'd be a liar if I said sometimes I don't feel the same way. We were told exactly what he announced to the rest of the world via his YouTube channel. That's exactly what we were told. That's exactly what he sent in a text to Snake. I'm not gonna sit here and shit talk the guy because it's not gonna do anything. But we had a really, really, really good thing going, and we're here now."

Bolan continued: "You're not the first person to say this to any of us. We've all been DMed and a lot of fans thought think the same thing, and, like I said, I'd be lying if I didn't say that I thought the same thing at times, but we're just going by what he told to us."

Snake chimed in: "Obviously, we had to postpone and cancel some shows. There was definitely some health issues with him while we were out there. But what Rachel is saying is 100 percent true. This is what we were told, and we made attempts to figure it out, how we could do this where we could cut way back on the touring, but it just wasn't economically feasible for anybody — it just couldn't be done. And, yeah, we had a really, really good situation, but he was the one who left."

Bolan and Sabo also touched upon the fact that Grönwall recently released a demo version of a song called "Can't Kill What's Dead" which Erik said he co-wrote with his producer Jona Tee for possible inclusion on a new SKID ROW album while he was still in the band.

"Yeah, I heard the song for the first time in [Erik's October 2024] post," Rachel said. "So I'm not even sure what he was talking about."

After Akin clarified that Erik said "Can't Kill What's Dead" was one of three songs Grönwall co-wrote with Tee for potential inclusion on a new SKID ROW album, Rachel said: "That's creative wording. That's for sure."

Added Snake: "That's news to us. I mean, I guess we would have to play on it for it to be on a SKID ROW record."

Rachel continued: "Yeah, I saw the post and I was, like, 'Huh. Okay.' I was as confused as everyone else. I'm, like, 'Okay.'"

As previously reported, HarperCollins has set a November 21 release date for the English version of Grönwall's autobiography, "Power – Music, Death, Life".

Grönwall shot to stardom overnight after winning the Swedish edition of Idol. In "Power – Music, Death, Life", we follow Erik's journey from his upbringing to the present day: his struggles to make it as an artist, his devastating leukemia diagnosis at the height of the pandemic and his miraculous recovery. The book also delves into how he became the lead singer of the legendary metal band SKID ROW, his time with the band, and the reasons behind his decision to later part ways.

"I never thought I would write an autobiography, let alone at the age of 36," Erik said in announcing his book. "But sometimes it feels like I've lived two lifetimes in just a fraction of one. I believe I have something to share that might give hope and inspiration to others who are struggling. Life after illness can actually turn out to be better than ever."

Erik went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" to fronting the band 13 years later.

Grönwall announced his decision to leave SKID ROW on March 27, 2024, saying that he wanted to "prioritize [his] health and full recovery."
⠀⠀
SKID ROW's longtime friend Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) handled lead vocals for the band's four concerts in late May and early June.

The SKID ROW members said in a statement that they are "proud of what they have created and accomplished with Erik over the past two years" and "wish nothing but the best to him and his health."

Grönwall, who was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. for nearly a decade before exiting the group in October 2020, announced in September 2021 that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier.

Grönwall sang on four H.E.A.T. studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020).

In September 2021, just four months before joining SKID ROW, Grönwall released his new cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

In late March 2022, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

Grönwall lives in Knivsta, a city in Uppsala County in east central Sweden, with his wife and their five-year-old son.

Opeth have released the new video below, in which Martin Mendez takes us through his bass parts for "§1", the first track on the band's upcoming album, The Last Will And Testament.





Opeth recently announced that the release of their 14th studio album, The Last Will And Testament, has been postponed to November 22 due to unforeseen delays in the manufacturing process.




A message reveals: "We strive to deliver the highest quality product possible, and to achieve that, we need a bit more time to ensure the final release meets our standards. We understand this may come as a disappointment, but we sincerely appreciate your patience and continued support. We can't wait to share this new music with you, and we are confident it will be worth the wait."


Opeth's fourteenth album was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (The Heard, ex-Crucified Barbara). The Last Will And Testament was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (Ghost, The Hellacopters), engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (Killing Joke, Robert Plant), and Opeth, with Boman, Åkerfeldt, and the rest of Opeth mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on The Last Will And Testament were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (Egg, Khan) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, Queen) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.


Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and Jethro Tull main man Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, Europe's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2”, while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".


The Last Will A Testament is gripping from start to finish, jaw-dropping inside and out, representing some of Opeth's finest material to date. Just as Opeth welcomed many into its distressed arms over the years, the Swedes again deliver on the promise that great music always tells a compelling story—this time with growls.


Pre-order The Last Will And Testament here.


Album cover by Travis Smith.





The Last Will And Testament tracklisting:


"§1"
"§2"
"§3"
"§4"
"§5"
"§6"
"§7"
"A Story Never Told"


"§3":





"§1" (Radio Edit) lyric video:

Trivium frontman Matt Heafy, who regularly posts archive videos via his official YouTube channel, has shared his solo acoustic performance of "The Heart From Your Hate" at Orlando's WJRR 101.1 FM studio. Check it out below.





Bullet for My Valentine and Trivium recently announced their 2025 co-headlining "The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour," featuring special guests August Burns Red across all dates, Sylosis, and Bleed From Within on select dates - see routing below.




The tour is in celebration of both bands prolific albums - Bullet for My Valentine's The Poison and Trivium's Ascendancy, which turn 20 years old in 2025. Each will be performed in their entirety on this tour.


"We are super excited to announce we are coming back to the USA in 2025 with our friends Trivium, to bring you the 'Poisoned Ascendancy Tour,'" says Bullet For My Valentine. "We're going to be celebrating 20 years of our debut album The Poison and Trivium's Ascendancy. It's the metal tour of 2025, so don't miss out."


"This is a celebration for the old fans that were there at 9am at Ozzfest to catch a couple songs from a band in Iron Maiden shirts," says Trivium. "It's for the new fans that have been listening to the deep cuts but never caught them on a recent tour. And lastly, it's for both BFMV and us to take a moment to reflect on how amazing these 20 years have been, how fast they've gone, and how important these albums are for the both of our bands. Having August Burns Red, Bleed From Within, and Sylosis joining us only makes this more special. We can'’t wait to play Ascendancy for you!"


Produced by Live Nation, the 26-city tour kicks off on March 30 at PNE Forum in Vancouver, BC making stops across North America in Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and more before wrapping up in Raleigh, NC at Red Hat Amphitheater on May 18.


Tickets will be available starting with artist pre-sales beginning today, Tuesday, September 17. Additional pre-sales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning Friday, September 20 at local time here.


Limited VIP packages are available from both artists including a meet + greet. For more info on VIP packages, head here.





Tour dates:


March
30 - Vancouver, BC - PNE Forum#&


April
1 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theatre#&
3 - San Francisco, CA - The Masonic#&
4 - Wheatland, CA - Hard Rock Hotel and Casino Sacramento - Hard Rock Live#&
5 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra Resort*#&
8 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium#&
10 - Las Vegas, NV - Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort#&
11 - Inglewood, CA - YouTube Theatre#
12 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre#&
15 - Dallas, TX - Gilley’s - South Side Ballroom#&
16 - San Antonio, TX - Boeing Center at Tech Port#&
17

In a new question-and-answer session with readers of U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked whom he would pick if he could have been in any other band. Kerry responded: "I was almost in MEGADETH. I think if myself and [MEGADETH leader] Dave Mustaine could have co-existed for four years, it would have been a very different band. I'm not saying I'd have made them better – I'd have made them different.

"It's funny. I was backstage at MERCYFUL FATE's show in Las Vegas and got talking to [guitarist] Hank Shermann, and said to him, 'I thought you guys might come knocking', and you could see his head explode," he continued. "'It never fucking occurred to me!' I'm a huge MERCYFUL FATE fan so I'd have done that in a heartbeat.

"I'd also love to play with JUDAS PRIEST. That brief second where Richie [Faulkner] got sick and they suggested going out with one player, I thought if they called me and said, 'Can you be that one guitarist?', I honestly don't think I could, because they're such a dual guitar band. Thankfully they never did it, but if they'd have asked, I think it would have been the hardest 'no' of my life."

Kerry previously talked about his brief involvement with MEGADETH during the band's early days — King played MEGADETH's first five shows as the band's second guitarist) — in a 2015 interview with Loudwire's "Wikipedia: Fact Or Fiction?" signature series. Kerry said at the time: "I was one of the lucky people — and there's certainly no offense against [current METALLICA guitarist] Kirk Hammett; Kirk's a wonderful friend of mine — but I was lucky enough to see METALLICA with Mustaine. And I say that because it's just a rare thing to be able to say that. I saw them play with Woodstock [in Los Angeles], and I was so intringued by Mustaine, because he was just ripping on guitar and looking out that way somewhere. And I can't do that to this fuckin day. So I was just blown away at his guitar playing. And to find out — I think it was through B.C. Rich, 'cause we all played B.C. Rich back then… I think it was through B.C. Rich I found out that Dave was inquiring if I would play [with MEGADETH]."

He continued: "At the end of the day, I thought, 'This is a gigantic learning situation.' And I also thought people would see me and know me from SLAYER. 'Cause, I mean, we only went to the Bay Area; we only got up there. So I think if people saw me, it would at least make 'em think, 'SLAYER.' So I had SLAYER's best intentions in mind. I didn't go and say, 'Hey, I wanna be in MEGADETH.' I don't know how anybody can be in MEGADETH for more than a couple of hours, 'cause that guy's crazy."

Asked if he had any particularly bad experiences dealing with Mustaine in the early days of MEGADETH, Kerry said: "He was cooler back then. I think there's been a lot of drugs and funny extracurriculars between now and then that helped shape who he is today. But it was good times back then. Playing all the venues SLAYER played and just… I don't know… playing different music. His stuff is definitely more… I wouldn't say 'intricate,' 'cause we've got intricate parts too, but it's just… He writes riffs in a very different perspective than I… Even after playing with him for a number of months, I'd still… I wouldn't do it; it's just not my style."

More recently, King joined MEGADETH on stage in October 2010 at the Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, California to perform MEGADETH's classic "Rattlehead". You can see video of that performance below.

Burgeoning death metal power house, Neckbreakker, have revealed the video for "Face Splitting Madness", the latest single to be taken from their debut album, Within The Viscera, out December 6t via Nuclear Blast Records.


On the latest single, the band comment: “We are honoured to release out third and final single from our upcoming debut album Within The Viscera. We feel the song encapsulates our vision for the brutality and themes set for the final album. We are proud of every step in the process of making this product come to a reality.”


Pre-order and pre-save Within The Viscera here, and watch the "Face Splitting Madness" video below.







Within The Viscera tracklisting:


"Horizon Of Spikes"
"Putrefied Body Fluid"
"Shackled To A Corpse"
"Nephilim"
"Purgatory Rites"
"Unholy Inquisition"
"Absorption"
"SILO"
"Face Splitting Madness"


"Face Splitting Madness" video:





"Shackled To A Corpse" video:

In a new interview with Germany's Radio Bob!, BEARTOOTH's Caleb Shomo reflected on one particularly memorable concert he attended as a fan prior to launching his band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): 'Yeah, I'll never forget. I don't remember the year exactly, but it was [the 2006] Ozzfest in Columbus, Ohio, where I was born and raised. I was probably, like, 12 years old, 11, something like that. And my friend's dad got tickets through his work to this. And I remember it was AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DISTURBED and SYSTEM OF A DOWN playing back to back to back. And we got there right when AVENGED SEVENFOLD started, and they were one of my favorite bands at the time. This was right as they put out 'City Of Evil', which, that record is one of the records that kind of changed my life. And I just will never forget it. I went in and I sat down and everybody's just horns in the air going crazy and everybody's yelling, 'Fuck'. And I don't know — it was just like nothing I'd ever experienced. And it was loud and it sounded great. And they wre playing guitar, and I love guitar. I was already really into music at that point and playing. Yeah, that completely changed the trajectory of my life, seeing AVENGED and DISTURBED and SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Just crazy."

A year after the release of BEARTOOTH's chart-topping fifth album "The Surface", which earned the band their first pair of No. 1 singles at U.S. Active Rock radio ("Might Love Myself" and "I Was Alive") and nominations at the Heavy Awards and Libera Awards, BEARTOOTH dropped "The Surface (Deluxe Edition)" via Red Bull Records. The expanded edition of the album features the brand new song "ATTN.", along with an accompanying music video.

"The Surface" was released in October 2023 on Red Bull Records. It debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Hard Rock Albums, Luminate Alternative Albums, and Luminate Record Label Independent Current Albums, as well as No. 5 on Billboard's Top Album Sales. The single "I Was Alive" landed at No. 1 on both the Billboard Mainstream Airplay chart and the U.S. Mediabase Active Rock radio chart. Just six months prior, the album's previous single, "Might Love Myself", also hit No. 1 and was the band's first-ever chat topper at the format.

Shomo first turned the pain of his struggle with mental health and self-image into music in 2013.

BEARTOOTH began as a living document, a diary, a journal of repressed rage and depression. Alone in his basement studio, screaming and singing, playing all the instruments, and self-producing a batch of furious but melodic songs filled with reflection and confession, the Ohio native stared into the abyss, initially with no intention of returning to the heavy music world that burned him as a teen. A decade later, the different pieces of his body of work connect in title, sound, and spirit. As the frontman approaches 32, BEARTOOTH's 2023-released fifth album, "The Surface", completes this era. It kicked off a new chapter filled with surprising optimism and just as honest. Depression is a sick, disgusting, aggressive disease below the surface. Shomo stands ready to bask in the light.

Like NINE INCH NAILS, BEARTOOTH remains a one-person band in the studio. On the heels of the introductory "Sick" EP (2013),"Disgusting" (2014) produced the band's first gold single, "In Between". "Aggressive" (2016) and "Disease" (2018) expanded on the desperation and pain, each a step closer to a balance between the blood and tears of classic recordings and the shimmer of modernity.

Rolling Stone heralded BEARTOOTH as one of 10 Artists You Need to Know. The rabid response to Shomo's music demonstrated how many people related to his struggle for self-acceptance. "Below" (2021) topped the Rock and Alternative charts and several Best Rock/Metal Albums Of The Year lists. As of 2024, the BEARTOOTH catalog boasts more than one billion streams across all platforms.

DIETH, the band featuring former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, Swedish guitarist/vocalist Guilherme Miranda (formerly of ENTOMBED A.D.) and drummer Michał Łysejko (ex-DECAPITATED),has released a new single, "Animal Me", across all digital platforms.

Miranda says: "'Animal Me' represents the breaking of the threshold of what was once thought possible. It's about reaching that moment when someone has pushed you beyond all your limits, and now it's time to show them the way — your way. No one can be like you or possess the unique power that lies within you. No lies, no pretense — just the pure release of your own truth."

Ellefson states: "We had a terrific launch of our debut last year and we've been hard at work on new material these past months, so it's great to drop a new track today just ahead of our shows coming up this month across Europe."

DIETH will join KINGS OF THRASH for "The Blood Of Heroes" tour across Europe this month. Ellefson will be doing double duty as bassist for both DIETH and KINGS OF THRASH during the tour.

Formed in 2022 in Gdansk, Poland, DIETH released its debut album, "To Hell And Back", in 2023 through Napalm Records. That summer the band performed shows across Europe on headline and festival shows such as Graspop Metal Meeting, MotoCultor, Metal On The Hill, Vagos and as well as support slots with TESTAMENT and SEPULTURA.

The band made their North American debut as direct support for METAL ALLEGIANCE at the House Of Blues Anaheim, CA in January 2024 and performed dates across Europe with KK'S PRIEST in July.

DIETH is currently at work on its sophomore album which will coordinate with the festival season next year.

In a new interview with Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock, WATCHTOWER singer Jason McMaster spoke about the current status of the reunited legendary Texas progressive metal band. McMaster is joined in WATCHTOWER's 2024 lineup by bassist Doug Keyser, guitarist Ron Jarzombek and drummer Ric Colaluca. Jason said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Behind the scenes, we have been working on a four-song video presentation that was filmed at Keep It True Rising [festival] last year, a year ago. And we hope to release those four songs as a 12-inch EP, like the old-school days where you had IRON MAIDEN live at the Marquee, two or three songs on either side, still a 33 RPM kind of thing or a 45 sometimes, but a 12-inch. I wanna do that as a 12-inch live WATCHTOWER four-song EP with a piggyback DVD."

He continued: "The 40th-year-anniversary of [WATCHTOWER's debut album] 'Energetic Disassembly' is coming soon. It's next year, the 40th-year anniversary. So, we have been working on that. And we've been remixing. We have the original tapes, which a lot of bands can't say that. 40 years later, we have the original tapes. And we were able to digitize those a few years back, anda friend of mine has remixed the whole record. Also, I will add that the original recordings of 'The Eldritch' and 'Instruments Of Random Murder' [from WATCHTOWER's second album, 1989's 'Control And Resistance'], with my vocals, the original versions of those were also recorded at Cedar Creek [studio], where the bulk of 'Energetic Disassembly' was also recorded, in the same cutting floor, the same microphones, the same studio, and those were on the 'Energetic' master tapes, and we didn't even know that until we opened up those sessions. It was two sessions on one reel. So we've remixed and mastered all of that, and I will say this: there's a couple of Easter eggs, there's a couple of bonus things, like the intro to 'Argonne Forest' is completely different and it was chopped from the record to make space for other songs on the vinyl. So that's gonna be available now, as well as a couple of things that I'll keep under my hat. There's two little things that were recorded in the 'Energetic Disassembly' sessions that were not on the record when it came out. So we're excited about that. We don't know exactly what label will take that, because a lot of labels just like to go, 'No, we want the original recordings. We want the original packaging. We just want it to look and sound' — 'cause it's a reissue, celebratory kind of a thing, they wanted to be legitimately, you know, the purists. And I get that. I'm one of them. I come from that. But it's really hard for all of us in the band, in the WATCHTOWER camp, and it's a small camp, to listen to the original mixes of 'Energetic Disassembly' because there's so much reverb and so much high end, and it's just really hard for us to listen to. So to be able to go in and calm down those mixes a little bit… The EQ on it alone, the guitar tracks alone were just fairly noisy, and to be able to go in and take a lot of the effects off and actually hear every note cleaned up is exciting. And so that's what we're working on. Not a whole lot of gigs in the future for WATCHTOWER, just the one in January right now. And we don't know, but the focus would be that one show next year and then getting these other releases together, the live EP and the reissue of 'Energetic Disassembly'. That's what we're working on."

This past April, McMaster spoke to 69 Faces Of Rock about how the WATCHTOWER reunion came about. Jason said: "It's been over a year ago now, but a wonderful man by the name of Christian Larson, who is an organizer for a fantastic American, Texan — down in Houston, Texas, South Texas — organizer, co-creator for a festival that mirrors something as great as Keep It True in Germany called Hell's Heroes. And I believe that they're looking at about a decade of annual shows, the Hell's Heroes festival. So it's been around a little while. It was my first time playing there, and I can't think of a better way to be on their stages than with WATCHTOWER. Because they had SOLITUDE AETURNUS, they had HELSTAR — there was a major Texas contingency for obvious reasons — but they also had CANDLEMASS and CAULDRON and MIDNIGHT, and it just goes and goes and goes. Last year, they had Tom Warrior headline two out of maybe all three nights because Tom has TRIPTYKON and TRIUMPH OF DEATH, et cetera. I think he did a HELLHAMMER set, he did a CELTIC FROST set. So it's perfect because it brings all of Tom's projects as well as resurgences of doom and thrash. And it was a perfect sort of baton to be passed to WATCHTOWER. But Christian Larson, bless his soul, contacted me. We have a lot of mutual friends. He sent me an e-mail, basically just something like, 'What would it take to get you guys to reform, to play 'Energetic Disassembly' album in its entirety?' And I have a bit of an opinion, and I hope I don't come off negatively when I say that I don't really like promoters suggesting or telling the bands, whether it's me or not, telling the bands what songs they are going to play. I prefer it to be the bands' choice for the bands' reasons as to why they play or do not play material. But I kind of let that go quickly because it was important to me, first to be invited. Second, I'll move on. The issues were immediately, it's like, in my head, I'm saying out loud, 'I haven't talked to those guys in a decade or more.' The last time I performed with WATCHTOWER would've been 20 years ago, in 2004. In 2010, a show that I booked, [WATCHTOWER's later vocalist] Alan Tecchio, under my nose, was invited to replace me to play Keep It True [festival] in 2010, which is a gig that I booked. But that's okay. Whatever. No harm done. And it's a small family. Whoever's been in WATCHTOWER, it's, like — I don't know. It's not like the turnover of members in WATCHTOWER has been 10 or 15 people; it's a small club. And I love Alan to death. So I was fine with it. But the point is that's what got the ball rolling. And then, almost immediately, maybe a week after it was announced that we were to play Hell's Heroes in Houston, which just happened a week ago, the phone started ringing, and Oliver from Keep It True was calling, and there were other smaller festivals and some stateside stuff. Anyway, so we played some warm-up shows. They went great, a lot of fun putting these songs back together with the guys."

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.

During a November 2 question-and-answer session at the Spooky Empire convention in Orlando, Florida, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick once again confirmed that he wasn't asked to perform at the band's final show and wasn't invited to attend the event, which was held last December at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

"They missed a great opportunity to mention [original KISS guitarist] Ace [Frehley], to mention [original KISS drummer] Peter [Criss], to mention, of course, [former KISS drummer] Eric Carr, myself, even [former KISS guitarists] Vinnie Vincent and Mark St. John," Bruce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And I can never allow myself to understand that, that there was any good reason to ignore that. And I don't need my name mentioned that night, 'cause I know everybody there knows 'Kisstory'. But this is your final show. Celebrate 'Kisstory' — all the 50 years. The fans knew it. They thought about the future, [how KISS will continue as] the avatars. I get that, 'cause that's, like, 'Now we are immortal.'"

Kulick also talked about the technology being used for the KISS avatars, originally developed for ABBA's "Voyage" show in London, which will allow KISS to stay "on the road" in retirement.

The KISS avatars were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and were financed and produced by the Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage".

Using cutting-edge technology, Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, will create digital versions of KISS. The project was previewed at the final KISS concert in New York in December 2023.

"You have to admit technology now keeps evolving," Bruce said. "So they're going with this avatar thing. We'll see how it goes… But they saw that as their future. And they're immortal. Because the avatars won't get old, physically."

Referencing the fact that KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse, Bruce said: "This Swedish company, Pophouse, have done very well with ABBA. KISS is a different animal, but it's still an iconic band. So I'm hoping for the best. I'm hoping, obviously, that they'll also want to celebrate 'Kisstory', and not just the makeup [era]… I'm not expecting an avatar of the 'Asylum' album, I'll tell you that. But there is something iconic and unique about makeup KISS that… You've seen Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] dabble in a lot of the comic books where there's superheroes, and they were able to do that, and that probably is gona be the direction. I know nothing about anything, other than I'm guessing that… I get that that could be these intense superheroes, because there's no doubt that makeup KISS and this larger-than-life kind of image that they have been running with with that can be a comic book, it can be animated, and who knows how else they do it."

This past May, Kulick told Finland's Chaoszine about his absence from the final KISS concert: "I got a sense that it wasn't gonna happen for quite a while. Because certainly if there was gonna be an invitation, you don't do that the week of — you don't. And that doesn't even mean even if I lived there in New York — I don't. And then when I would say to [KISS drummer] Eric Singer — we always keep in touch — and I'd be, like, 'All right, well, I guess I'll see you when you get back.' And he'd say, like, 'Yeah, I should be home on…' So he didn't hint around, 'Well…'

"They missed a really huge opportunity," Bruce continued. "I talked about it quite a bit In January when I finally came out to tell everyone I'm not in GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] anymore, and here's my take on what happened on that last KISS show, because I didn't say nothing for about a month or so. And it's not just about me —Eric Carr, mention Ace and Peter, and [late KISS manager] Bill Aucoin. Come on. Terrible. They really missed making a better feel-good evening for everyone when it was much closer to every night before. And those who say, 'Well, I saw you up on the screen.' They'd been doing that for years where they'd have little things. So they didn't feel it was important. I feel they missed an opportunity."

Bruce added: "I know they really respect everyone I just mentioned — it's not that they don't — but the fact that they didn't understand that that's what you're celebrating along with, 'Wow, this current band made it through all this. And look at us with the with the multimillion-dollar show. And now we're going to show you the avatar.' I think that that was a big part of them dropping the ball in looking at the past. I applaud them in thinking broad and big and future. Okay. Fine. I knew that they would never want to find, 'Let's start a TV show, find the best Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons.' I knew they wouldn't do that because there's something, like, 'Ewww' — for them to be a part of that or judge that, it would be very awkward, but to take them and then make them avatars, it totally made sense to me that they did it. It was an extra 'ouch' for me when all of a sudden I saw some videos the next day of how they [ended the concert]. I mean, they said, 'Good night. We are immortal.' And then, all of a sudden, a lot of smoke and you don't see anything. And then the screen opens. But what do you hear first? My guitar playing 'God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You'. My big appearance. But 'God Gave Rock 'N' Roll' was their choice, was the right song. I'm sure that was chosen probably in collaboration with the people who are helping make [the avatars]. So it wasn't, like, 'Oh, let's do 'Shout It Out Loud'.' And especially that's a song that they don't generally do much; they've done it on occasions. So there you go. I'm a part of it. All the guitar parts are there, and I was, like, 'Whoa, this is really weird.'"

Bruce said: "So, what can I say? Missed opportunity. I think they presented the future in a very probably unique and unusual, clever way because that clearly is the future, but they kind of ignored the past. and that was, I think, a missed opportunity. That's all."

Kulick also discussed his exclusion from KISS's final show this past January in an interview with Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live!. At the time, he said: "When the interviews started regarding the final 50 shows [of KISS's 'End Of The Road' farewell tour], [KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee] was very clear when asked point blank by a podcaster, 'What about Bruce Kulick? Do you think he could come up and play with the band on the final show?' And he said, 'Well, KISS doesn't jam. It's not a jam band.' And that's outrageous because I wouldn't jam with them. Of course I'd know the song and we'd know what we're doing and I've done it on the cruise [Kiss Kruise] three times. That's not what he means. He means they don't want anybody else up on stage with them. I have to know that, because how could he say something that is factually incorrect? You think I wanna go up there and have a slopfest? 'Where do I plug in? What do I do?' You see what I'm saying? 'Yeah, but they're not a jam band.'

"Now I get the optics of me getting up on stage when they're seven feet tall in their outfits, and I get that, but I wasn't asking for that," Bruce continued. "I wasn't looking to play with them on the final show, but it was asked to Doc. And then he turns it into, 'Well, KISS doesn't jam.'"

Kulick went on to say that the way the final KISS show was presented was far different from the approach KISS leaders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons took with the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in 2014.

"Let's be clear that the narrative from the Hall Of Fame, right or wrong, and they did it to other bands, and of course they broke that rule with other bands too, where they allowed everybody [who was in the band to be inducted], but they clearly were not gonna do [that with KISS]," Bruce said. "They didn't even want KISS in the Hall Of Fame. So I remember Paul being very vocal, and I actually thanked him for being that way about all the eras not being represented by the Hall Of Fame. When've you got Eric Carr doing all those years and being in makeup even, and then myself, et cetera, et cetera, but at the Hall Of Fame, it was only those [original four] guys. They refused to play, which was an opportunity, of course, that people hoped for, but I knew why it couldn't happen. And then even better, which connects to the final show, which is part of why I was a little surprised that nothing about my Kisstory was really fairly represented with a shoutout or a video montage. I was never expecting to play and be invited on stage [at the final show] — I really wasn't. Not after what Doc said. But I was flown out by the band first class to be with their entourage to be at the Hall Of Fame as they were celebrating the band and their Kisstory. And Tom Morello gets up there [and gives the induction speech for KISS], gives a shoutout to every member. Gene mentioned my name. You see what I'm saying? So. At that event, yeah, they didn't play and they all posed and took their picture, but there I was with [current KISS members] Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer] at the table and part of that event. And it meant the world to me. And I was so grateful to the guys. And, of course, I knew I wasn't going there to get inducted, but I was part of Kisstory that night. It felt really great. And I think Paul taught that narrative of the whole 'missed opportunity here. They didn't get it. This band's much bigger than that,' et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. 'And they should have done more. But we all know how the Hall Of Fame is.'"

Circling back to KISS's final show, Kulick said: "I wasn't invited. I wasn't gonna crash that party. I wasn't gonna go to the Garden. I wasn't crushed in any way, because I knew already from what Doc said, 'This ain't going to happen.' People invited me to, and they wanted to pay me to be at some events that were going on around the Garden final show. I don't wanna be there like that. I mean, it's nice to get paid for an autograph signing and to be part of… And then everybody was, like, 'You're going to the Garden?' Well, I wasn't invited. I'm not gonna crash a party. I wasn't invited. Would Eric have given me tickets if I asked him? Of course. But that's a lot different than you asking them for tickets, saying, 'Can you get me in?' I had personal friends who know those guys well and who were backstage asking me, 'Hey, you're in New York? Did you come? And I said, 'No. Just have a great show. I'm not there.' I didn't gripe about it."

Bruce added that KISS fans "expected more of Kisstory" at the final Madison Square Garden concert. "That did not happen. And sadly, I really feel that it was a missed opportunity by the band. But that was their choice. They're this machine that was out there doing the 'End Of The Road' tour. The last night was a big, big setup for their future. But the missed opportunity was not honoring and respecting Kisstory. And all I would have hoped for — and I'm hearing this from fans; this isn't, 'Oh, Bruce was in the band for 12 years.' This is from fans. Why they couldn't say or show a video montage featuring all those great eras of the band. How do you do an event like that and not mention Eric Carr or represent him? How do you not mention Ace and Peter? That's even bigger.

"Now we know there was all this drama, very public with Ace talking about [how he was never invited to take part in the final KISS show]… I have no facts about who of them, if [Ace and Peter] were ever contacted or they had a discussion. I have no clue. They claimed they didn't; they did. It doesn't matter to me. All I can tell you is I was never contacted. That's a fact. And that is nothing to lie about. But regardless, you can't go out there and say, 'Well, I would do it, but I've gotta get a quarter of a million dollars, like Ace said. And I'm just, like, 'That's not good optics for anybody.' I know what he feels like. He feels like he should be compensated because he created the Spaceman with them.

"I could never put myself totally in Peter Criss's and Ace Frehley's shoes," Bruce added. "I could never. Because they started this incredible band. Now, of course, they couldn't do it without the four of them. We all know that. And we all know that Paul and Gene took it over, nurtured it, took care of it. When Gene was running off doing movies and everything else, Paul was steering the ship and rightfully so, and that was the start of my era kind of, 'cause Gene got more into other things."

Kulick concluded by saying that he looks back fondly on his time with KISS.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of in my 12 years," he said. "I'm very proud of it."

In 1984, Bruce joined KISS, where he remained as their lead guitarist for twelve years, accompanying the band on the "Animalize" tour and continuing with the band until the 1996 reunion tour. Bruce is heavily featured on "Kissology – Vol. 2" and "Vol. 3", the band's DVDs spanning their historic 45-year career.

In an April 2020 interview with Sleaze Roxx, Kulick said that he was "relieved" he wasn't approached to rejoin the band after Frehley left for good back in 2001.

"When I had to leave in '96 after the success of the KISS 'Unplugged' performance, people were aware of the musicianship that existed in the band between Eric Singer [drums] and I, but after 20 years of people hearing about KISS in makeup, it was kind of like 'Star Wars' when it was rebooted people went to see what it was all about," he said. "I understood that it was the original guys, they put the makeup on and people were excited to either see it again or see it for the first time. That carried on, then it carried on and it carried on. [Laughs] It then reached a point where Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] couldn't continue with Peter [Criss] so they called on Eric Singer to step into the role and the makeup.

"Eric is such a tremendous drummer," he continued. "I was genuinely happy for him. I still am. Then when Ace started dropping the ball, it was seamless for them to go with Tommy Thayer who does such a fantastic job as the 'Spaceman.'

"If I had been asked to step into the 'Spaceman' role, it would have been really awkward for me. I get asked by the fans a lot, 'Well, why aren't you there?' I think Tommy stepping into the role was a lot more natural than Bruce Kulick becoming the 'Spaceman' and shooting rockets off of my guitar. I would have had to play the songs note for note like Ace. I don't think I could do that and remain happy in the band. Tommy does that to perfection. I was never required to learn the classic stuff note for note, but if you're going to be the 'Spaceman,' it would have to stay true to the way Ace plays it. That's not to say that I don't play the classic songs with respect. I play the GRAND FUNK RAILROAD songs with respect, while injecting my own style into them, like I did in my time in KISS. I would lose my 'liberties' if I stepped into the 'Spaceman' role.

"I'm friends with Tommy, Bruce added. "We've gotten closer over the years on the 'Kiss Kruise'. We've spoken a lot on the 'Kruise'. He once said to me, 'Hey, I never got into the Floyd Rose whammy bar thing. How do you play 'Crazy Nights'?' I said, 'Don't worry about it. Play it how you play it. It's what works for you. I don't take any offense and you don't need to copy how I do it.'

"Tommy's style is so much closer to Ace's than mine. I have a unique style to my approach you can hear it on 'Tears Are Falling', 'Who Wants To Be Lonely', 'Unholy' and even the acoustic solo on 'Forever'. I am proud of my body of work for that era of KISS. I'm embracing it. The fans are embracing it. It's all good."

Kulick went on to say that he is at peace with the fact that he will never be part of the makeup era of KISS.

"I was relieved [when they didn't ask me to step in after Ace left]," he said. "I think if I had been asked and done it, I think it would hurt. I know that Tommy and Eric avoid… I'm close to both but I'm closer with Eric. They avoid reading things online. Their best medicine is to just do a great job every night and not read that stuff. I'm shocked that sometimes someone will leave a snarky comment toward me. I'm, like, 'Really?' I don't get into that stuff and I don't like anything negative on social media and I never do or post anything negative. I won't allow anything negative. There's times I read something and I choose to ignore it. Everyone has a voice these days. They have a laptop, a tablet or a smartphone.

"I was relieved, but how could I not have 'entertained' the idea if I was asked? At the time when they swooped Tommy right in, I was already in GRAND FUNK RAILROAD and I was and still am pretty happy with my role in the band. Sure, it wasn't KISS, but it's a great gig. Now think of it from this angle. Let's say they made the right proposition and I took it, then Ace wanted back into the band. Where would that have left me? No KISS gig and no gig in GRAND FUNK."

In a recent interview with Lipps Service With Scott Lipps, Zakk Wylde spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's next album. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's twelfth studio LP will be the follow-up to "Doom Crew Inc.", which came out in November 2021 via MNRK Heavy.

"We've been recording a batch of stuff while we're home," Zakk, who has also been touring with PANTERA and ZAKK SABBATH, said. "I mean, obviously it's gonna be a lot of — we're gonna be doing a PANTERA celebration [tour] throughout 2025, and then there's going to be ZAKK SABBATH shows peppered in there as well. So I'd imagine somewhere — I don't know — maybe late 2025, [early] '26 or whatever, putting out another BLACK LABEL album. But I mean, all it does to me, it just gives you more time to just keep writing and listening to stuff and going back and going, 'No, you know what? Let me put more orange on that as opposed to red,' where you can actually sit back and look at it and everything like that. 'Cause usually, most of the time when I do the records, I'll go in, whether it was 'Stillborn', 'Suicide Messiah', anything like that, with nothing. I think if you ask any musician, they'll tell you, when you're in a recording studio, it's just a breeding ground for inspiration. Because everything sounds good... Whether you're sitting with an acoustic guitar, or you're sitting behind a piano, or you got the big distorted guitars going, the drums sound like cannons. So everything just sounds amazing. And it just is very inspiring."

This past September, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY released a new single titled "The Gallows" via MNRK Heavy (formerly eOne Music).

This past April, Wylde confirmed to Scott Davidson of Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM that he and his BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bandmates were working on the group's next album.

In a separate chat with Metal Mayhem ROC, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY drummer Jeff Fabb stated about the band's next album: "I don't know exactly when it's gonna be released, but I heard some time in the new year. So I would assume that we're gonna tour it. So we're working on it right now. Actually. I'm about to go to [Zakk's] house in the next few days and finish up a few more songs that he wrote. And then, yeah, that's pretty much it."

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY headlined Zakk's inaugural music festival, Berzerkus, on September 14, 2024 at Poconos Park in Bushkill, Pennsylvania. Berzerkus was co-headlined by outlaw country music's Cody Jinks.

Three years ago, Wylde told the Morristown, New Jersey radio station 105.5 WDHA about the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY songwriting process: "The way it always goes, it's always the music first and then a melody. And then I've gotta find out something I wanna sing about. So then I'll write the lyrics. That's usually always the way it goes. And then, when it's all done, then the solos go on it. The painting's all done, and the solo is the frame that goes on the thing. So you can sit back and look at the whole thing. That's the way we pretty much always do it… I would just have a cup of coffee and just start writing riffs. You always get inspired by — for me, it's always Mount Riffmore, which is CREAM, MOUNTAIN, [LED] ZEPPELIN, [BLACK] SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE… If you're not getting inspired by the riffs those guys have created, it's just like… So I'll just go fishing and just start writing till you get to something you like."

Wylde formed BLACK LABEL SOCIETY in 1998 and has kept the band busy in between touring and recording with Ozzy Osbourne, whose backing group he first joined more than three and a half decades ago.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's "Order Of The Black" (2010) and "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican" (2014) both broke into the top five on the hard rock album charts.

Since first joining Ozzy, Zakk has played on all of the BLACK SABBATH singer's solo albums except for 2020's "Ordinary Man", including such classic efforts as "No More Tears" (1991),"Ozzmosis" (1995) and "Black Rain" (2007).

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is:

Zakk Wylde - vocals, guitar, piano
John "JD" DeServio - bass
Jeff Fabb - drums
Dario Lorina - guitar

Photo credit: Jen Rosenstein

Sheffield, UK metal powerhouse, Malevolence, have unleashed their brand-new single, "Trenches", embodying the raw resilience and grit of their Steel City roots. This standalone track is the first glimpse of their partnership with Grammy-winning producer Josh Wilbur, known for his work with heavyweights like Lamb Of God, Korn, and Gojira. Stream the single here.





Amplifying their Northern backdrop, Malevolence also collaborated with in-demand director duo Double or Nothing Productions for a metal video debut that demonstrates their unique identity in British metal.




Vocalist Alex Taylor comments: "'Trenches' is possibly the most aggressive, ignorant, and direct song we have ever written. Over the last few years, we’ve been playing more in the commercial metal circuit at festivals and arenas, so we wanted to take this opportunity to remind people that we still haven’t lost sight of where we came