With less than six weeks until the arrival of their eighth studio album on January 9, 2026, acclaimed rockers ALTER BRIDGE return with their brand-new single "Playing Aces". The track bursts open with the band's trademark dual-guitar firepower as Myles Kennedy (vocals/guitars),Mark Tremonti (guitars/vocals),Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) lock into the muscular groove that has defined their sound for more than two decades. The propulsive verses build into a soaring, unforgettable chorus, highlighted by Kennedy's declaration: "If I risked it all, I hope you’ll understand that I had to play my hand…"

"Playing Aces" is available now across all digital service providers. The accompanying music video — directed by J.T. Ibanez — is also out today and can be seen below.

Kennedy explains: "The term 'Playing Aces' ties in with the gambling analogy of risking everything regardless of how many times you've failed in life. It's a last-ditch effort to come out on top."

With more than two decades performing together, ALTER BRIDGE shows no signs of slowing down. Known for its memorable riffs, infectious vocal melodies and dueling guitar attack, the quartet has garnered massive critical and fan acclaim around the globe. The band looks to continue that trend with the release of its self-titled eighth studio album next year via Napalm Records.

"Alter Bridge" is comprised of 12 all new tracks from the band and features some of its most iconic moments on record. Songs like "Rue The Day", "Disregarded" and "Scales Are Falling" will fit alongside any of the classic songs from ALTER BRIDGE's catalog. "Trust In Me" shows Myles and Mark sharing vocal duties as Myles handles the verse duties while Mark takes the chorus. That strategy is flipped on "Tested And Able" as Mark handles the verses and Myles takes on the choruses behind one of the band's heaviest intros to date, giving way to an unforgettable melody. "Hang By A Thread" is sure to become a show favorite as it hints at some of the most popular songs in the band's catalog. The album closer "Slave To Master" is an epic track that ALTER BRIDGE has come to be known for and is the longest song the quartet has recorded to date.

"Alter Bridge" was once again helmed by the band's longtime collaborator and producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette and was recorded over two months this past spring at the legendary 5150 studio in California and Elvis's recording studio in Florida.

"Alter Bridge" track listing:

01. Silent Divide (5:06)
02. Rue The Day (4:46)
03. Power Down (4:08)
04. Trust In Me (4:48)
05. Disregarded (3:55)
06. Tested And Able (4:36)
07. What Lies Within (5:07)
08. Hang By A Thread (4:11)
09. Scales Are Falling (5:54)
10. Playing Aces (4:05)
11. What Are You Waiting For (5:00)
12. Slave To Master (9:03)

ALTER BRIDGE will be touring in support of the release. The band is heading out on the "What Lies Within" tour. The 31-date European leg of the trek will kick off on January 15 in Germany and will wrap on March 5 in Nottingham, U.K. Support on the tour will come from DAUGHTRY and SEVENDUST. The band also announced a headline U.S. tour featuring FILTER or SEVENDUST and Tim Montana as support in select markets. The tour kicks off on April 25 in Orlando, Florida and runs through May 24 where it wraps in Tampa, Florida.

Back in 2004, four lifelong musicians got together down in Florida. Even though they had traveled separate paths, similar lessons learned, wisdom earned and dues paid united these gentlemen — Myles Kennedy (vocals, guitar),Mark Tremonti (guitar, vocals),Brian Marshall (bass) and Scott Phillips (drums) — as ALTER BRIDGE. Over the ensuing two decades, the band endured countless trials and tribulations, defied every odd, and rose to the head of the pack as a hard rock juggernaut, cementing a singular legacy by selling out arenas, gathering nearly one billion streams, inciting international acclaim, and quietly attracting a diehard audience. Beginning with the Top 5 entry of 2004's gold-certified "One Day Remains", the band has scored six consecutive Top 20 debuts on the Billboard 200. Among a myriad of highlights, Guitarist magazine applauded "Blackbird" for the "Greatest Guitar Solo Of All Time," the "ABIII" single "Isolation" vaulted to No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, 2013's "Fortress" received rare perfect scores from Kerrang! and Total Guitar, and "Walk The Sky" shook the Top Rock Albums chart at No. 1. Beyond packing O2 Arena and Royal Albert Hall, Classic Rock hailed 2022's "Pawns & Kings" as "the Rolls-Royce of ALTER BRIDGE records" in a 4.5-out-of-5-star review. Plus, the latter LP garnered praise from American Songwriter, Guitar World and Loudwire, while Billboard christened them "one of America's premiere hard rock quartets." Channeling the same hunger, the band continue to push themselves on their self-titled eighth full-length offering, "Alter Bridge". It embodies everything they're known for such as the precise riffs, towering hooks, and solos that practically break guitar strings as they burst through the clouds.

Photo credit: Chuck Brueckmann

The Australian edition of Park Waves Festival, PARKWAY DRIVE's touring festival, has been canceled.

Organizers Destroy All Lines announced the cancelation, sharing a statement on social media in which they explained that the numbers behind the tour "no longer stack up".

"We're devastated to confirm the Park Waves Festival Australian tour will not go ahead," the statement read. "The cancellation is due to a combination of challenges, and ultimately, the numbers no longer stack up. With a heavy heart, we've had to make a difficult decision. We've tried everything. We're gutted."

In a separate statement posted to the band's social media, PARKWAY DRIVE said the decision to call off the tour was "a kick in the guts," noting the "rising costs across our entertainment industry".

"Another festival being crushed by the rising costs across our entertainment industry," the band wrote. "It hurts to be another casualty in this chapter of the Australian music scene. We've tried every possible option to keep this dream alive, but the reality of the circumstances won't allow for it."

Originally launched in Germany in 2024, Park Waves Festival was scheduled to take place in February and March 2026, with stops in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. In addition to PARKWAY DRIVE, the tour was slated to include THE AMITY AFFLICTION, NORTHLANE, ALPHA WOLF and STORY OF THE YEAR.

Tickets will be refunded, and ticketholders have been notified via e-mail.

Park Waves was set to be a 16-and-over event fusing heavy metal music, circus performers, carnival rides, sideshow alley and food trucks.

This past May, PARKWAY DRIVE dropped a new track called "Sacred". The single marked the band's first release since PARKWAY DRIVE's critically acclaimed 2022 album "Darker Still", and arrived alongside a music video directed by Third Eye Visuals.

Over the summer, PARKWAY DRIVE co-headlined the "Summer Of Loud" 2025 tour across the U.S. and Canada, which saw them playing some of their biggest North American shows yet. PARKWAY DRIVE served as a co-headliner on "Summer Of Loud" tour alongside BEARTOOTH, I PREVAIL and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

PARKWAY DRIVE's landmark year concluded with the band's 20th-anniversary arena tour across Europe. Joining them on this momentous fall 2025 tour were fellow Australians THY ART IS MURDER and THE AMITY AFFLICTION.

Photo credit: Third Eye Visuals

We’re devastated to confirm the Park Waves Festival Australian tour will not go ahead.

The cancellation is due to a...

Posted by Destroy All Lines on Monday, December 1, 2025

Posted by Parkway Drive on Monday, December 1, 2025

In a new interview with Australia's DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy spoke about the recent passing of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, yeah, losing Ace is a big one. For me, I was a KISS fanatic back in the '70s. I saw them in '77 at Madison Square Garden. I saw 'em in 79 at the [Nassau] Coliseum, and Ace was my first real guitar hero. Even though I was a drummer, he was my favorite member of KISS. And my nickname in elementary school even was Ace. So, yeah, it's been tough one to process."

Mike continued: "I've been listening to a lot of old KISS stuff and revisiting some of the great old shows that are on YouTube. And I was fortunate enough to have played with both Ace and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] back in 2013 when I was the musical director at [SiriusXM radio personality] Eddie Trunk's 30th-anniversary concert. So, yeah, I have a lot of history as both a fan and a fellow musician with Ace, and it's a really difficult loss."

Two months ago, Portnoy was asked by PipemanRadio what prompted him to become a musician. He responded: "Well, it was probably seeing KISS at Madison Square Garden in 1977 on the 'Alive II' tour. I was only 10 years old, but being in that audience, even before the show started, and seeing the big KISS [logo] light up, whatever you would call that, the backdrop, seeing it not lit in the arena, smelling the pot smoke in the air and just the excitement of the lights going down and [hearing], 'You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world — KISS,' just that excitement and the bombs going off and the pyro, and that was it. From that point on, I knew that's what I had to do."

After interviewer Pipeman noted that the cover art of the first KISS album is what brought him to where he is now, Portnoy said: "It's so funny, because that album cover, for the first album cover, is so iconic, but when you think about it, it's really just an updated version of THE BEATLES' 'Meet The Beatles' album cover. So it was like taking the same album cover and just taking it for a decade later to a new generation."

Highlighting some of the other parallels between THE BEATLES and KISS, Portnoy added: "Paul Stanley is the Paul McCartney character. Gene Simmons was the John Lennon character. Ace Frehley was the George Harrison character. They align even. You had four guys that all sing and all create and contribute. When THE BEATLES came around, it was the first time there was a band of four characters. Up until then, you just had Elvis Presleys or Chuck Berrys, but when THE BEATLES came around, you finally had four distinctive characters. And it was the same with KISS, when KISS came around — you had four characters, and they were all bringing something to image of the band."

Five years ago, Portnoy talked about his love of KISS while going through his vinyl collection for a video on his YouTube channel. He said at the time:  "Yes, I still, to this day, am a KISS freak and a KISS fanatic. This just brings me back to my childhood. This is my childhood. I grew up with these albums. I have all the original ones in my collection still, but I had to rebuy the whole collection of all the early '70 stuff… Around '75, '76, '77, '78, they were my biggest heroes. I was the biggest KISS fanatic you could meet. I started with THE BEATLES. Late '60, early '70s, THE BEATLES, that was my thing — I was fanatical about them — but then, once I was around nine, 10 years old, whatever, KISS was like the new BEATLES to me. And there are a lot of parallels between THE BEATLES and KISS, believe it or not. I always pictured Paul Stanley as the Paul McCartney stereotype, Gene is the John Lennon stereotype, Ace is the George Harrison and Peter [Criss] is the Ringo [Starr]. So I think there was a lot of similarities between KISS and THE BEATLES when they came around. And like THE BEATLES, [KISS] had four very distinctive personalities. It was like four superstars, four superheroes in the same band. So very similar concept as THE BEATLES, but for a 10-year-old kid in the '70s, it was magical.

"The first KISS album [self-titled 1974 effort] — legendary. So many great songs: 'Strutter', 'Deuce'. The production was not so great. The production, I think, was even worse on [1974's] 'Hotter Than Hell' — the mix is really hard to listen to — but so many great songs. I love 'All The Way'. I still wanna cover that one these days. 'Watching You' and 'Goin' Blind', 'Got To Choose', 'Parasite'.

"[1975's 'Dressed To Kill'] is my favorite of the first three. I love 'Dressed To Kill'. I love the deep cuts. I love 'Room Service' and 'Getaway', 'Love Her All I Can', 'Anything For My Baby', 'C'mon And Love Me'. I mean, it is just song after song after song.

"Then [1975 live album 'Alive!'] was the big one. And I actually have my old 'Alive!' hanging on the wall, signed by all four of them through the years. But I bought the reissue, and it comes with all the same stuff and the booklets and everything from the original. But [it's] one of the great live albums of all time, which probably wasn't even recorded live, but it doesn't matter. This captured everything about the band that was great and all the best songs from the first three albums.

"[1976's] 'Destroyer' — probably their masterpiece of this era. Not my favorite, but probably the masterpiece. Produced by Bob Ezrin, who went on to do [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall'. Of course, 'Detroit Rock City'. I love 'Do You Love Me', I love 'King Of The Night Time World'. 'Beth' is on here, 'God Of Thunder', 'Shout It Out Loud'. So, a little bit of everything, something for everyone on this album.

"[1976's 'Rock And Roll Over'] is probably my favorite of the middle three. I would say 'Dressed To Kill' is my favorite of the first three, [and 'Rock And Roll Over'] is my favorite of the the next three. I love 'Rock And Roll Over'. I think it's one of the best-sounding of the old KISS albums. And once again, I love the deep cuts. I love 'Take Me'. I've always wanted to cover 'Take Me'. 'I Want You', 'Mr. Speed', 'Ladies Room'. 'Calling Dr. Love' — what a song. That came up on my iTunes shuffle a few months ago, and I was, like, 'What a perfect, perfect song.' Amazing.

"[1977's] 'Love Gun'. This was the tour that I saw them on for the first time. Actually, I saw 'em in December 77, so they were still touring on 'Love Gun', but I think 'Alive II' had just come out. And that's the first time I saw them — at Madison Square Garden, December 14th, '77. So, basically, this was the show I saw, the first time I saw KISS. And I remember they opened with 'I Stole Your Love'. Oh, it was just amazing to be in that room — even before the show started, to just see the KISS logo on stage all metallic, but not lit up yet, and to smell the pot smoke in the room. And it was just magical, incredible. And that was like one of those BEATLES 'Ed Sullivan' moments for me when I was a kid. And I taped it —I snuck in a tape recorder and taped it. And I have a bootleg of it somewhere on cassette still to this day.

"[1981's 'Music from 'The Elder''] is one of the most hated albums in their catalog, especially by Gene and Paul. I love this album. I think this is an incredibly underrated album. I know they looked corny at the time.

"When I fell in love with [early] KISS, by the time ['The Elder'] came out, I was moving on to other things and listening to stuff like MOTÖRHEAD and AC/DC. So my taste was changing, and all of their young kids were growing up, starting to move on to different things. But looking back now, I think this was a great album. I love the songs on here. It's Eric Carr on drums. I love 'Odyssey'. [That's] another song I've been wanting to cover forever. But I think there's great stuff on here. 'A World Without Heroes' is beautiful. 'Only You'. I mean, great stuff. So I'm still an 'Elder' fan."

In a new interview with Story Mode, former FEAR FACTORY drummer Raymond Herrera, who is also a composer and producer of music for video games, television, feature films and transmedia, spoke about his one-off collaboration with MEGADETH nearly two decades ago. He said: "That's actually a funny story. We [FEAR FACTORY] were on tour with MEGADETH in 2006, and I said to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], 'Hey, I'm working on this video game and the soundtrack is more on the electronic side, but I really want to get one of your songs on there. Could you get me the instrumental version or your recording sessions files?'. And he agreed. He said, 'Yeah, let's do it' and got me the files [for 'Symphony Of Destruction' from 1992's 'Countdown To Extinction' album] pretty soon after. And then we set about remixing it."

He continued: "So we mixed it over around two weeks and then met Dave. 'All right, dude, I got the remix. You wanna check it out?' I asked and played it for him. We were having lunch at catering before one of the shows and he listened to it and did not like it. I assured him that gamers would love it, and that I would cover the cost of mixing and recording it for the game. I even told him that if he didn't like the final version, we wouldn't use it. Eventually and surprisingly, he approved it, but, man, he did not like it."

In 1996, Raymond started to secure music licensing of FEAR FACTORY's music for dozens of video game titles, which allowed him to branch out and create Herrera Productions (which later became 3volution Productions) as a cross-genre composer-producer working on numerous video game projects. His experience writing and producing rock, metal, industrial and rap music, combined with orchestral, techno and other genres, led him to work on projects for many top video game publishers and developers in North America, Japan and Europe including Microsoft, SEGA, Sony, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, THQ, Midway, Capcom, Namco, Atari, Majesco and others.

Raymond's mechanically precise playing defined FEAR FACTORY's sound in the first 15 years of the band's existence. By the end of the 1990s, they had released three albums and played alongside BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, IRON MAIDEN and MEGADETH, among many others. FEAR FACTORY split up in 2006 and a new version of the group was formed in 2009. Guitarist Dino Cazares is the sole remaining member of FEAR FACTORY's classic lineup.

Former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, who contributed a cover of METALLICA's instrumental epic "(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth" to the recently released "No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All", spoke to The Pipeman about his involvement with the project. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's some other riffs of Cliff that I think are very definitive. For me, of course it's 'Peace Sells'. That's my riff — that's my star that was blessed upon me. [BLACK SABBATH's] Geezer's [Butler] got 'N.I.B.', a bunch of stuff. [IRON MAIDEN's] Steve Harris has got 'Wrathchild' [off] 'Killers'. So we all kind of have our identified signature riffs. And so I thought about Cliff's signature riffs. And, of course, there's several inside of this piece of music with 'Anesthesia'. But I also thought, look, 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', that's his 'Peace Sells'. When you hear 'For Whom The Bell Tolls', that's really his riff. The other one that I really like is 'Orion'. I love that. And 'Master Of Puppets' is really one of my favorite metal records and one of my favorite METALLICA records.

"I got to talk with Cliff a bit," David continued. "They [METALLICA] were on tour with Ozzy [Osbourne in 1986]. Me and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] went to go see them [with] Michael Alago, who had signed them to Elektra Records. We were in town. Michael was courting me and Dave to sign MEGADETH to Elektra Records. And it didn't go that way, but we went over to see METALLICA. It was a big tour — them supporting Ozzy on the 'Master Of Puppets' tour — and I got to chat with Cliff a little bit about some of his composing on 'Master Of Puppets'. And then, of course, sadly it wasn't but a few weeks or a couple of months later he was was gone. Cliff and I never sat down with basses in hand and sort of broed down or anything like that, but just chatting as fellow musicians, fellow bass players, et cetera, seeing him perform a bunch… And that's why I said in the little video that I shot when I did the playthrough, I said, 'This is my homage to Cliff.' So, to me, I kind of tried to make it even a little bigger than just '(Anesthesia) - Pulling Teeth'. I tried to make it really more of a salute to him as an artist, and tried to include a bunch of his music inside of that performance."

Ellefson and Dave Mustaine formed MEGADETH in 1983, after Mustaine got kicked out of METALLICA. METALLICA recruited Kirk Hammett and went on to record its debut album, "Kill 'Em All", later that year, while Ellefson and Mustaine began work on MEGADETH's first LP, "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!"

During a 2019 ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE conversation with moderator Ryan J. Downey at the MI Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Ellefson was asked if Burton was an inspiration on his bass playing during MEGADETH's formative years. Ellefson responded: " I met Dave [Mustaine] in June of 1983. He had just left METALLICA literally not more than eight weeks before that, in April. So I didn't know anything about METALLICA, didn't know who Dave was, heard nothing about Cliff Burton — knew nothing about it, coming from the Midwest. And I didn't know anything about Cliff. And because the only recording Dave had of METALLICA was 'No Life 'Til Leather', and that had another bass player on it named Ron McGovney. So when we did a cover of 'Mechanix', I played Ron McGovney's basslines."

He continued: "Really, quite honestly, my METALLICA bass player was Ron, believe it or not, and I kind of modeled what we did off of that 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo. And I remember the day when 'Kill 'Em All' and we sat… There was complete silence in the room, and we sat and we listened to the album. And the differences — tempos were pulled back. And obviously the bass solo, 'Anesthesia'. That was really my first experience hearing Cliff. And at that point, we were two months into… MEGADETH was well on its way.

"So, long answer to your short question is I didn't really have an influence [from Cliff]… That was not where my influence came from. And quite honestly, growing up in a rural area of Minnesota, bass players in rock and roll were cool, but when I started hearing some jazz players… Those guys were more of my influence, along with Steve Harris [IRON MAIDEN] and Geddy Lee [RUSH] and Ian Hill [JUDAS PRIEST] and the metal guys. But, for me, I went more into the jazz world… But those were the things that I brought in, and I think that made, me and Dave, our participation together with the MEGADETH sound something that was… And even then with Gar Samuelson and Chris Poland — they were jazz-fusion musicians. We really had a very different sound — different even from ANTHRAX, from METALLICA, from SLAYER — a very different sound. And I think that probably is what sort of set us apart as our own pillar of the 'Big Four.'"

"No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All" is available on vinyl, CD, and digital formats.

"No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All" track listing:

01. Hit The Lights - TAILGUNNER
02. The Four Horsemen - THE ALMIGHTY
03. Motorbreath - SOEN
04. Jump In The Fire - TYGERS OF PAN TANG
05. (Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth - DAVID ELLEFSON
06. Whiplash - MOTÖRHEAD
07. Phantom Lord - SAXON
08. No Remorse - DIAMOND HEAD
09. Seek & Destroy - TESTAMENT
10. Metal Militia - RAVEN

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush spoke about the upcoming 35th anniversary of METALLICA's self-titled album (also known as the Black Album),which was the latter band's first LP to reach the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Released in 1991, it has since received a double diamond certification from the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than 20 million copies in the U.S. alone. When MikeZ noted that the Black Album was very different from METALLICA's previous output, John concurred. "Yes, it was," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But you knew that it just sounded so together. I think [producer] Bob Rock scared some people when he came aboard, but you heard it and you're, like, 'Wow.' Just the power of it and the production of it. It was very different from '…And Justice For All', let's face it. I think it was the right step, needless to say. It went on to be one of the biggest hard rock records of all time. So, it was the right move. They were ready to take that step. And I love that album. The Black album is incredible. James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] just took his vocal level to a whole another place and the songwriting was incredible. And 'Wherever I May Roam' and 'Sad But True' and '[Enter] Sandman', 'Through The Never', those are all killer tunes, amazing songs."

Addressing METALLICA's decision to embrace a more streamlined direction compared to the thrash metal overtones of the band's first four albums, John said: "Look, METALLICA was already playing arenas by that point. '…And Justice For All', they were playing arenas and they were already that band. And then 'Justice' is really cool; it's just a different album, with really long songs. Certainly the production... So I think that for them to repeat that would've been weird. I think it was time to do something else, and I think it was a natural progression.

"The thing I always say about METALLICA, and I mean this sincerely, is that they're always willing to take chances," John explained. "They really are — whether it's 'Turn The Page' or cutting their hair or 'St. Anger' or the album with Lou Reed. These are not sometimes things that you're gonna go, 'This is a sure shot. Everyone's gonna get it.' I don't think everyone got the Lou Reed record, but they did it. And to me, that's the thing I always say about bands is taking chances… ANTHRAX is another band that did that. I mean, come on — 'I'm The Man' was a big, big chance. And it was successful. Same with 'Bring The Noise' and then getting in a new singer and doing 'Only', which was very different from certainly anything on 'Persistence Of Time'. And I say the same thing about ARMORED SAINT. We're always willing to try different [things], bring in different instruments. We're a blues band at heart. We're really just a heavy metal blues band, a hard rock band, and we always are willing to do things. [ARMORED SAINT bassist] Joey Vera sings his ass off on this [upcoming ARMORED SAINT] record; there's a ton of really killer background vocals.

"I think the bands that stay the test of time are ones that are willing to take chances," he added. "Sure, you can make the argument, SLAYER stayed [the same throughout their career], but they're SLAYER. So, at the end of the day, I think ones that can make it a couple of decades have to be adventurous in the way they do things. And I think METALLICA did that, and I think that's why they're the biggest band.

"If you're around long enough, not everything is gonna work. It's just not. It's just a fact. I mean, it's just not. If you're around for five years and you had a couple great records, like, 'Hey, we went on a high note,' like George Costanza [fictional character in the American television sitcom 'Seinfeld']. But the reality is, is that if you're around for four decades of music, you're probably gonna do some things that maybe the fanbase is gonna be, like, 'Eh.' They're still gonna go see you at the SoFi Stadium [in Los Angeles]. But the reality is maybe not everything is gonna have the same impact as 'Master Of Puppets' did. But the reality is you have to be willing to branch out and try different things. 'Cause if you don't, you feel stale. And I could say that from the standpoint of a singer and a musician myself. I love [ARMORED SAINT's] 'March Of The Saint', but I don't wanna do it again. We did it. So it's important to take the origins of what you are, but always grow from that. I think that's real important."

This past July, Bush, who was offered an opportunity to join METALLICA in the early '80s but turned it down, reflected on his decision in an interview with Get On The Bus. He said: "That is real. That actually happened before ARMORED SAINT even started, really, for the most part. It was, again, back to Jonny Z [founder of Megaforce Records], who was the manager of METALLICA at first. Then he became the manager of ANTHRAX. And he contacted me, which is kind of funny. And then he contacted me again about [joining] ANTHRAX [in the early 1990s]. I'm, like, 'Wait, okay, this is 10 years later, and you're calling me about maybe joining this other band.' It was kind of funny.

"But, yeah, again, it was an honor to be asked to sing in METALLICA," Bush continued. "I mean, I never can imagine anybody singing other than James Hetfield for that band. Ironically enough, I just saw James Hetfield and Lars [Ulrich] and Robert Trujillo, 'cause we played the Sonic Temple festival in Columbus [Ohio] last weekend, and METALLICA was one of the headlining bands; they headlined two nights, actually. And those guys came and watched ARMORED SAINT. And we played at, like, three in the afternoon. And that was very, very cool that they did that. 'Cause I was, like, 'It's very nice you're here. I don't think I would be here at three in the afternoon if I was going on at nine.' But they did. And that shows that they still, to this day, kind of think highly of us and give us love. And it's really cool."

Bush added: "It was always an honor [to be asked to join METALLICA]. It just was not my fate to be in METALLICA. But I did the one show, which was the — we [played at METALLICA's] 30th-anniversary shows in the Bay Area. They played four nights at the Fillmore. And ARMORED SAINT actually opened one. And then I came out and sang 'The Four Horsemen' with them and they told the story about it and how, 'We were gonna maybe get this guy, but it didn't happen. But this is what it would sound like if he did join.' And so that was a really special moment in my life. And you can see it on YouTube. And it was great. It was cool.

"There's always a connection because ARMORED SAINT ended up going out and touring with METALLICA on 'Ride The Lighting' and 'March Of The Saint' for us," John said. "And we have a lot of history together as friends. And one of the funny things is James, during METALLICA's set [at Sonic Temple], said, 'I was stoked to see ARMORED SAINT today.' This is in front of 50,000 people when they were playing. 'We destroyed a lot of hotels together.' I could have ruined metal. And that's just too much, man — that's too much pressure.

"Like I said, it just wasn't my fate," Bush added. "And I could never imagine anybody [else] singing those songs or not having James Hetfield as a frontman. That would've been a big loss for heavy metal. He was meant to do that. And James became an incredible singer. If you listen to 'Kill 'Em All' to the Black Album, his progression was just off the charts. And he's still an incredible singer."

In July 2024, Bush was asked in an interview with The Dan Chan Show what he thought of METALLICA's recent musical output. He responded at the time:  "METALLICA is a band that never rests on the laurels of what they've done. They're always taking chances, they're always doing different things, they're always expanding on their style and pushing the boundaries of the listeners, whether it's doing the orchestra stuff or doing a record with Lou Reed or making just a metal, powerful, thrashing record. The live performances — I want to see him at SoFi Stadium here [in Los Angeles], and it was phenomenal. It was really cool how they have these four different sections — they actually took this arena and yet when they were all together playing, it felt like you were almost watching them in some small room. It was amazing.

"When you're a band like METALLICA, everybody's expectations are so grand all the time," he continued. "And the reality is you're not always gonna hit the bullseye on everything, especially if you're willing to take chances, which they are. And I really commend that, because it would be easy to just kind of play it safe. And they never do. So I really respect them on that level.

"When I heard 'Lux Æterna' [the first single from METALLICA's latest album, '72 Seasons'], it sounded rad," Bush added. "It just sounded like them. It was really powerful. It's a great tune. And I was, like, 'Wow, it's cool.' And it just sounds fresh.

"James is one heck of a singer and just an awesome vocalist. And so, what are you gonna do? They're METALLICA."

Bush previously spoke about his decision to turn down an opportunity to join METALLICA in a December 2021 interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green. He said at the time: "I've been talking about this for many years now. I'm always gonna be completely super flattered about the fact that I was asked to join METALLICA back in the early '80s. It just was never meant to be my destiny, is what I always say. There's no other singer that should have been the singer of METALLICA other than James Hetfield. That was meant to be, and that's kind of the way I see it. Like I say, I'm always flattered that I'm always connected to the history of that band — it's a huge feather in my cap, so to speak — but at the end of the day, it just was not my destiny to be the singer of METALLICA. I had a different fate in store."

Bush also talked about joining METALLICA on stage on December 7, 2011 for the second of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of the band's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only. "Yes, that was very cool," he said. "That was an awesome experience. We did that at the Fillmore in San Francisco. It was the 30th-anniversary shows that METALLICA did, which were really, really cool. They had all these various guests coming on stage with them at the time — everyone from Ozzy [Osbourne] to King Diamond to Lou Reed to Marianne Faithful; a lot of people associated with METALLICA through the years. And ARMORED SAINT, we got to open for [METALLICA] that one particular show — one of the four — and then that was the day that I actually came on stage and sang 'The Four Horsemen' with them, which was an incredible experience. And the whole thing was really, really awesome — just a beautiful thing to be a part of. So I always have that as a great memory in my life. We had a couple of friends that were there that came with us, and my wife was there. And we had a lot of fun doing that. Like I said, I'm really flattered that METALLICA thought of me as a person that was good enough to be in their band. But, like I said, it just wasn't meant to be something that happened for the rest of the band's career."

Another singer who was being considered for the frontman position in METALLICA was Jess Cox of Newcastle, England's TYGERS OF PAN TANG.

Bush later said in an interview: "METALLICA did ask me to join, but I said no for all the right reasons. People must think that's crazy, but you have to remember the scene then. METALLICA was nobody. ARMORED SAINT was hot; you have to remember that. Also, I was very tight with the [ARMORED SAINT] guys, back to elementary school in fact. ARMORED SAINT was getting interest from all kinds of places, and we had a lot of people starting to turn up at shows."

He continued: "METALLICA came to see SAINT at a gig in Anaheim, at The Woodstock in 1982. I heard they were interested in asking me to join, which they did later. The thing was that METALLICA was this new kind of thing, and nobody back then. I don't care what they say now; nobody could have predicted what would happen. I didn't know the guys either, so there was no real interest. It was great to be asked — in fact, a lot of people asked — but ARMORED SAINT was really strong.

"Some time after 'Kill 'Em All' had come out, I heard the same thing again, but I never understood that because James was singing great then and he was doing a great job. I understood the lack of confidence back in '82 but not for 'Ride The Lightning'. James owns that record."

In a 1989 interview with Metal Forces, Ulrich talked about what METALLICA could have sounded like had Bush ended up fronting the group. He said: "Only a couple of days ago, we were actually sitting around talking about how it would be now if John Bush had joined the band. Obviously, it's impossible to know how different it would have been, but I can't imagine METALLICA without James Hetfield up there growling into the microphone, fucking curved over and everything. It's really weird to think about it. I mean, nothing against John Bush — I think he's a great vocalist — but ... Well, thank God it didn't happen."

Shawn "Clown" Crahan, co-founder and creative visionary of SLIPKNOT, has announced the launch of Vernearth, a sprawling, multi-mode Minecraft universe designed to redefine community-driven survival, creativity, and competition, has released a new trailer that gives Minecraft players a sneak peek into the mysterious realm of Vernearth.

Built on custom technology, handcrafted environments, and a play philosophy that rewards mastery across survival, PVP, creativity, and hardcore challenges, Vernearth launches with four major game modes: Oblivion, PVP/Event, Plotworld, and Challenge Mode. Together they form a unified ecosystem that supports every type of player. These modes will be rolled out starting at launch systematically to ensure a smooth player experience, so some of these modes may not be available right away. Explorers and builders to streamers, competitors, and high-stakes achievers will all have something innovative to experience in Vernearth, like:

Oblivion - The Core World

Oblivion is the heart of Vernearth. It's a vast, custom-generated survival world that blends realism with corrupted "clown"-inspired elements. Players explore treacherous terrain, battle custom factions, and uncover the lore behind the three great capital cities: Raziel, Seniomsed, and The City of Eternal.

PVP / Event Server - The Arena

Designed for fast, high-intensity competition, the PVP/Event server delivers recurring weekly tournaments and creator-friendly content moments. Players fight across four bespoke arena:

* The Circle Sphere
* The Blood Square
* The Blood Oval
* UnEden

There will be modes like Last Man Standing and Duels, earning "War" currency that unlocks exclusive cosmetics and items.

Plotworld - The Sanctuary

Plotworld provides a safe, collaborative creative space where players can build freely, merge plots, host social activities, and enter monthly build contests. With access to creative mode, limited WorldEdit, and a permanent Hall of Fame showcase, Plotworld gives players a way to contribute artistically to the world of Vernearth.

Challenge Mode - Vernearth's Signature Experience

Challenge Mode is a seasonal, limited-time hardcore world with only one rule: one life. Each 45-day season introduces a new SLIPKNOT-inspired theme, custom world generation, brutal mechanics, and high-stakes objectives.

Seasons:

Vernearth's Season Mode evolves from the blood-red, Heretic-Lord–ruled chaos of Season 1: The Heretic Anthem, to the twilight-shrouded decay of Season 2: The Dying Song where players fight to forge the Beacon of Life, and finally into the unpredictable madness of Season 3: Friend or Foe?, a world where mobs, loot, blocks, and consumables shift with total randomness.

Survivors earn permanent titles, exclusive cosmetics, Hall of Heroes placement, and a share of the prize pool.

Crahan is a founding member of the Grammy-winning band SLIPKNOT and a multidisciplinary creator across music, film, design, and interactive media. Vernearth continues his legacy of merging dark surrealist artistry with new frontiers in creative technology.

A BATTLE BEAST concertgoer died after suffering a heart attack during the band's performance Monday night (December 1) at Bratislava, Slovakia's Majestic Music Club.

Earlier today, BATTLE BEAST released the following statement via social media: "Yesterday in Bratislava, we were forced to stop the show due to a severe medical emergency in the audience, which tragically resulted in a person's death.

"We want to thank the local crew and promoter for responding to the situation with professionalism and care.

"To everyone who was present, thank you for your patience, respect, and understanding during such a shocking and difficult moment. We share in the grief and heaviness that many of you are feeling.

"Our deepest condolences go out to the family and loved ones of the person who passed away.

Support act DOMINUM added in a separate statement: "Bratislava, thank you for that amazing show we had together. We truly felt your energy, and we were completely hyped. Shortly after, during BATTLE BEAST's set, one person suffered a heart attack. Tragically, the person did not make it, and our thoughts are with the family.

"This is a situation we have never been in before, and we find ourselves missing the right words. But what we can say is how deeply moved we were by all of you. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for staying calm, for reacting so quickly, and for trying to help without a second thought.

"We are incredibly grateful for the way you stood together in such a difficult moment. Seeing a community care for one another so naturally, so instinctively, reminded us how powerful and meaningful this connection between all of us can be — not just during the music, but beyond it.

"Thank you for being there for each other.

"Our condolences go out to the family in these tough times."

Opening act MAJESTICA also addressed the incident, writing on social media: "Bratislava, we had a great time playing for you last night! Sadly the night tragically ended too early. Just a few of songs into the BATTLE BEAST set, one person suffered a heart attack and sadly didn't make it. Our thoughts are with the family. Thank you for being so patient, staying calm and reacting so quickly to try and help."

BATTLE BEAST kicked off its European tour on October 17 with the band's biggest German headline show to date at Hamburg's Inselpark Arena. The trek, with DOMINUM as the special guest and Sweden's rising power metal force MAJESTICA as the opening act, will keep BATTLE BEAST on the road until mid-December.

BATTLE BEAST released its seventh studio album, "Steelbound", in October via Nuclear Blast.

In May, BATTLE BEAST released the first single from "Steelbound", a song called "Last Goodbye". The album's second single, the "Steelbound" title track, followed in June.

BATTLE BEAST released its first live album, "Circus Of Doom - Live in Helsinki 2023", on April 11 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Image courtesy of RunoPe

Yesterday in Bratislava, we were forced to stop the show due to a severe medical emergency in the audience, which...

Posted by Battle Beast on Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Bratislava, thank you for that amazing show we had together. We truly felt your energy, and we were completely...

Posted by Dominum on Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Bratislava 🇸🇰, we had a great time playing for you last night!

Sadly the night tragically ended too early. Just a few...

Posted by Majestica on Tuesday, December 2, 2025

On November 16, 2025 at the San Antonio Fear Fest in San Antonio, Texas, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt spoke to Robb Chavez of Robbs MetalWorks about his friendship with fellow thrash metal pioneer Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. We've done lots of tours with MEGADETH. And Dave's been one of my closest friends, musical friends, since the beginning. We hung out when he was in METALLICA. And I saw him when the last MEGADETH tour went [through]. I hadn't seen him in years. It's always like old friends."

Asked for his opinion on Mustaine's recent announcement that MEGADETH would release its final studio album and complete a farewell tour in support of it, Gary said: "He's earned it. I still love doing what I do, but I'd be lying if I said, man, the idea of retirement, after two or three more years…' 'Cause I'm 61 now. Do I wanna go till I'm 70? I don't know. But I can't retire. I need to keep working. So I'm gonna keep going as long as I can. But he's earned it, and I'm sure it's gonna be fucking awesome for him."

After Chavez noted that former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson recently questioned Mustaine's motives for announcing the MEGADETH farewell, suggesting perhaps that it was a ploy to boost ticket sales for the upcoming tour, Holt said: "I think his ticket sales are fine without it. We're not getting any younger. And [Mustaine] said himself the tour is gonna be two to three years. I think Dave's one year older than me, so [he's] 62 — that's gonna put him to 65 years old. I have three grandkids. I'd love to spend more time at home with 'em. Next year, when the new [EXODUS] album comes out, I'm gonna be on tour more than ever. So, I'm making the sacrifices now, so that maybe by the time I am 65 I can slow down, maybe do a festival here and there. I don't know. We'll see."

Holt was also asked for his opinion about the announcement that the final MEGADETH album, simply titled "Megadeth", would include Mustaine's version of "Ride The Lightning", the title track of METALLICA's 1984 album for which Dave got a co-writing credit following Mustaine's 1983 departure from the band. Gary said: "I haven't heard it yet. [Mustaine] wrote, I guess, probably half the [original] song, so why not? I can't wait to hear it, actually… Let's wait and hear it. I bet he plays it faster. When [EXODUS] did 'Tempo Of The Damned' and stuff and we went out on tour with MEGADETH, [Mustaine] put 'Mechanix' back in the set, 'cause I asked him to. And he played it at the old tempo — super fast."

"Mechanix" was the original version of "The Four Horsemen", the METALLICA song that was co-written by Mustaine and included on METALLICA's debut album, 1983's "Kill 'Em All'. METALLICA wrote new lyrics and renamed the song "The Four Horsemen" after Dave was kicked out of the band. The track "Mechanix" later appeared on MEGADETH's debut album, 1985's "Killing Is My Business...And Business Is Good!".

Holt's former bandmate, original EXODUS guitarist Kirk Hammett, was asked to join METALLICA 42 years ago as the replacement for Mustaine.

Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the band's debut album, 1985's "Bonded By Blood", inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal LPs of all time.

More than a decade ago, Mustaine was asked by Radio.com which band should have been included if the "Big Four" (METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX) were expanded and considered the "Big Five". Mustaine said: "You know, people will say there's a whole another generation, like the 'Medium Four' [laughs], and I think there's a lot of great bands that fit that bill, too. But I think probably EXODUS, because there was nobody else at the time that had that kind of pull or that kind of importance in the metal community. Granted, it was with [late EXODUS singer Paul] Baloff, and Baloff had a voice that you had to have an acquired taste for, but you know, I liked him."

EXODUS and ANTHRAX will support MEGADETH on a Canadian tour in February/March 2026.

LION'S SHARE is back — stronger than ever! With six acclaimed albums and a string of successful digital singles, the Swedish heavy metal powerhouse is set to unleash its long-awaited comeback album, "Inferno", on March 27, 2026, through German label Metalville Records. This marks the band's first full-length studio album in 17 years, making it one of the most highly anticipated comebacks in the scene.

"For us, 'Inferno' is more than just a new album — it's a statement," says LION'S SHARE guitarist Lars Chriss. "We've spent years writing, refining, and pushing ourselves harder than ever. The goal was simple: make the strongest, heaviest, and most focused LION'S SHARE record of our career. I honestly feel we've achieved that. This is the album where everything fell into place."

LION'S SHARE vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson adds: "Taking 17 years between albums wasn't the plan — but it allowed us to come back with fire in our veins. We've never sounded tighter, and we can't wait to bring these songs to the stage. This album has the attitude, the hooks, the power… everything that made us fall in love with heavy metal in the first place. We're incredibly proud of 'Inferno'."

Formed in Sundsvall, Sweden, in 1987 by Chriss and keyboardist Kay Backlund, LION'S SHARE quickly carved out a unique sound through relentless rehearsals and high-voltage live shows. Their 1995 self-titled debut opened the door to extensive touring — including full-scale tours and extended runs alongside genuine metal titans such as MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON, DIO, MANOWAR, U.D.O. and Dee Snider.

Along the way, LION'S SHARE has collaborated with members of some of the most legendary bands in the world, including KISS, MEGADETH, KING DIAMOND, CANDLEMASS, SYMPHONY X and Yngwie Malmsteen. Albums like "Emotional Coma" and "Dark Hours" have earned critical praise for their razor-sharp riffing, massive hooks, and a perfect balance of heaviness and melody.

Since 2017, LION'S SHARE has operated as a dynamic duo, with Chriss on guitar and Johansson on vocals, calling on trusted friends for live and studio collaborations.

Now, with "Inferno", LION'S SHARE is ready to reclaim their place at the forefront of the heavy metal scene — a blazing comeback that promises to deliver everything fans have been waiting for and more.

"Inferno" recording lineup:

Nils Patrik Johansson - Vocals
Lars Chriss - Guitars
Andy Loos - Bass
Kay Backlund - Keyboards
Anuviel - Keyboards
Fredrik Johansson - Drums

Touring/live lineup:

Nils Patrik Johansson - Vocals
Lars Chriss - Guitar
Andy Loos - Bass
Magnus Ulfstedt - Drums

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The David Ellefson Show" podcast, founding METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof spoke about the band's new lineup, in which he is joined by longtime guitarist Rick Van Zandt, bass icon David Ellefson (MEGADETH),powerhouse drummer Ken Mary (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, FIFTH ANGEL, ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS, TKO, CHASTAIN) and dynamic new vocalist Brian Allen (VICIOUS RUMORS). Regarding how the latest version of METAL CHURCH came to be, Kurdt said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it was a couple years ago, after we just did our Australia run. And when we came back, things just really fell apart. Stet [Howland, former METAL CHURCH drummer] quit, Stet left, 'cause he wasn't happy with the way business was going. The other two guys kind of felt the same. I felt the same for different reasons, and for me, it was, like, 'This isn't any fun and this is no good.' And at my age, at this many years of doing this, if it's not fun. I'm out. If there's just drama and stuff like that, I'm just not interested. So I let everyone know, 'Hey, I'm shutting this down. Sorry. I'm done with this. This is not working.' And, basically, I thought we were done. And then about a year and a half later, just out of the blue, these opportunities [came up] with people that were interested that would be a good fit if I was to resurrect the band, and it kind of resurrected itself. We ended up getting Brian Allen, the singer, who came through his friend, and our friend as well, Todd La Tore from QUEENSRŸCHE. He had pushed Brian to send some kind of audition tapes or something to me and to Joe [O'Brien] at Rat Pak [Records, METAL CHURCH's record label]. And he did, but I didn't know it at the time. And all of a sudden Joe sends me a couple of MP3 files. He goes, 'Hey, check this out.' And it was 'Start The Fire' and a song off 'The Human Factor'. And I started playing 'Start The Fire', and I was, like, 'Is this an unreleased vocal track of David Wayne?' I was, like, 'Wow. All right.' And then I listened to the other one, and it's, like, 'Well, he's singing the Mike Howe stuff too.' Again, at this point, I really hadn't made any decisions on what was gonna happen. Again, I thought we were done. And so that was very inspiring. That was kind of, like, 'All right. Well, okay. That just came out of nowhere to me. What are you trying to tell me?' And then after that, it was through Rat Pak — Dave was in contact with Rat Pak because of the ELLEFSON-SOTO record. And the discussion just kind of started."

Kurdt continued: "So, I guess to make a long story endless, I had really no intentions of starting up the band again, but the band resurrected itself through those kind of channels, and it was just something that just kept going step by step. Again, very similar to what happened a few years ago with the 'Congregation Of Annihilation' [2023] lineup. Again, I didn't really plan on it. It's the band that wouldn't die. So I'm embracing it, and it's really great. And to have somebody like Dave, and then also to bring Ken Mary on, and then to have Brian, who's just really nailing the METAL CHURCH sound. It's, like, 'Well, this is definitely worth doing.' And with the new song and the reaction to the new video, it seems to be a good thing to do. So that's kind of the long and short of it, basically. Again, it just kind of happened."

Elaborating on how the material for the upcoming METAL CHURCH album came together, Kurdt said: "Like I said, I'm sitting here and all of a sudden these great people just became available and were interested in doing this. And I had to literally stop, 'cause I was, like, 'Wait. What? I hadn't planned on this.' I wrote a bunch of metal stuff and a bunch of riffs and stuff, which I do anyway.

"When everything fell apart, I went on to make other records," he explained. "I did the HALL AFLAME record, the new PRESTO BALLET record, which are different styles, but I'm always writing something. So there was this pile of stuff, and it was already kind of right there. So as this thing kind of fell into place, it was definitely ready to go. And also [former METAL CHURCH drummer] Jeff Plate was initially gonna be involved [with the new METAL CHURCH lineup] when we decided to go forward, and he started, but then as the thing started, the SAVATAGE reunion just took off, and I couldn't be happier for him. So he wasn't able to really see it through. But kudos to Jeff… 'Cause they're [SAVATAGE] kicking ass right now and it's doing great. So he couldn't be involved. And then Ken Mary became available. And Ken and I have a history, 'cause we're both from Seattle and we did shows together way back in the day, in the mid-'80s, with TKO. And while we were in the studio with [producer] Terry Date, he was in the studio with FIFTH ANGEL, with Terry Date. Terry was playing our stuff to him and he was playing [their] stuff to us, and so there's this big incestuous kind of thing. So Ken Mary being available and interested in doing it just made perfect sense."

Last month, the new METAL CHURCH lineup released its first single, "F.A.F.O.". The track was produced by Vanderhoof and mixed/mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z. Those sessions have now evolved into a brand-new METAL CHURCH album, set for release in 2026 via Rat Pak Records. Additional details will be announced soon.

METAL CHURCH plans to tour extensively in 2026 and some festival dates have already been announced with more to come.

Born out of the explosive West Coast metal scene of the early '80s, METAL CHURCH quickly established themselves as one of the genre's most formidable and musically sophisticated bands. After signing with Elektra Records, the group released two landmark albums — their self-titled debut "Metal Church" and its follow-up "The Dark" — both of which remain essential listening in the heavy metal canon. As the U.S. metal wave surged, METAL CHURCH hit the road with labelmates METALLICA, further solidifying their reputation for precision, power, and uncompromising intensity.

The band continued to evolve into the late '80s and early '90s, tackling political and social themes with vocalist Mike Howe on the acclaimed albums "Blessing In Disguise" and "The Human Factor". While many peers shifted toward the era's commercial trends, METAL CHURCH stayed true to their heavy roots — a commitment that earned them a loyal global following.

In 2016, the band reunited with Howe for their eleventh studio album "XI", which debuted at No. 57 on the Billboard Top 200 and charted internationally, marking one of the strongest comebacks in modern metal. Its 2018 successor, "Damned If You Do", continued that momentum with additional worldwide chart success and reaffirmed the band's enduring relevance.

Singer Marc Lopes joined METAL CHURCH in the summer of 2022 as the replacement for Howe, who tragically passed away in July of 2021. Lopes's first and only studio album with METAL CHURCH, "Congregation Of Annihilation", came out in May 2023 via Rat Pak Records (America) and Reaper Entertainment (Europe). The LP was produced by Vanderhoof.

METAL CHURCH made its live debut with Lopes on June 3, 2023 at the Legions Of Metal festival at Reggies in Chicago, Illinois.

Photo credit: Rick Moyer

In a new interview released today on The Sonic Road Podcast, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY bassist Bobby Landgraf revealed some of the band's plans for 2026, including a U.S. tour with CLUTCH which will tentatively take place in April. A European run will follow in June and July. Speaking with podcast host Beau McGranahan, Landgraf also confirmed that CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's upcoming follow-up to 2018's "No Cross No Crown" will be a double album. Landgraf went deep into the experience of recording the new material with renowned drummer Stanton Moore (GALACTIC). Landgraf described a revitalized energy in the studio, crediting Moore with bringing a unique, funk-driven heaviness to the classic C.O.C. sound.

"[CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist] Pepper [Keenan] has a home studio in Mississippi, and that was when I was in a room with Stanton," Bobby explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And, man, when I was standing there to Stanton Moore and we had two weeks of living together at the house and just being in each other's heads and there was nowhere to go — there's nowhere to go get in trouble; you're just there working on the stuff. And, yeah, I learned so much from Stanton — to be a bass player, to really hit the right spots and to catch that one. And, man, Stanton is such a big inspiration to me — and Pepper and Woody [Weatherman, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist]. He did [2005's] 'In The Arms Of God' record before [with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY], so he'd already done that, which is a killer record."

Bobby continued: "To be able to play with Stanton really, I think, elevated my bass-playing game more than… I'm not talking any shit about any other drummers, but Stanton, I believe, really helped me elevate my bass game. So when we wrote all these songs together, we had the best two weeks. We had the big room. The producer was there in the house with us, so we recorded every mistake, every goof-off, every mess-around thing, and some of the stuff came right off the floor."

Asked what made CORROSION OF CONFORMITY decide to release a double album now, Bobby said: "I will just go with what I watched happen in front of me, which is that we probably did 15, 16, maybe even more, songs at the writing session, so it came time to record and we just did it all. And Pepper's got a really good relationship with the label. They trust him. He [said], 'We gotta make this a double record.' They're, like, 'Okay.' I don't recall ever hearing a pushback story from the label. Pepper said, 'This is what I wanna do.' And they said, 'Well, then let's do it.' And then that just opened it all up to really getting into the recordings."

"Pepper has a brilliant concept for the record," Landgraf revealed. "For each side, it's different. The songs on this record go together, the songs on this record go together. And it's a very conceptual record. [It's got] beautiful artwork. Fantastic artwork, and it's amazing. And it will be a serious headphone record. You'll wanna sit at home and put phones on. Don't rip off the record by just hearing it on your telephone or your white earbuds."

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's new LP will tentatively be released in late March or early April 2026 via Nuclear Blast.

Some of guitar-recording sessions for the effort took place at a private Miami, Florida studio owned by Barry Gibb of the BEE GEES.

"Warren Riker, our producer, is so great," Bobby said. "He made us sound so great… They went to Barry Gibb's house because of our mutual friend Steve Gibb. Steve played in BLS [BLACK LABEL SOCIETY] and CROWBAR, so he said, 'Hey, man, come to my house. My dad's got the spot.' So they did guitars there. We went back to Pepper's studio and recorded some more guitars there and some vocals and this and that. So there was a lot of back and forth."

Regarding the musical direction of the new CORROSION OF CONFORMITY material, Bobby said: "There's heavy stuff that you'd expect from C.O.C., and there's some groovy stuff that you might not expect… Usually — I don't know; I'll just say the words AC/DC, and every song's gonna kind of have a thing to 'em. This is not that at all. You never know where you're going for the next song. Pepper did that by design. There's little interlude stuff, PINK FLOYD-y stuff in the middle of songs, a narration and talking and some sci-fi…"

This past September, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY released a special rendition of "Fire And Water" by English rock band FREE. The classic track was originally made availale in 1970 on the FREE album of the same name. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's version came spontaneously in the studio during some downtime while recording their forthcoming new full-length, and serves as the first of the "Riffissippi Studio Jam Sessions", a special collection of jammed out interpretations of songs by some of the band's favorite artists.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recently completed a North American tour supporting JUDAS PRIEST and Alice Cooper. The trek, which commenced on September 16 in Biloxi, Mississippi and ran through October 26 in Houston, Texas, included several CORROSION OF CONFORMITY one-off headlining shows scattered throughout.

Since forming in 1982, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has woven their distinct riffs deep into the fabric of heavy metal for over four decades. Across ten landmark, critically acclaimed albums, the band has continued evolving. From the early days of thrash to their more recent, blues-infused metal, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has managed to progress with each release keeping fans and critics alike guessing.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's last full-length album, "No Cross No Crown", was released in 2018 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded with longtime producer John Custer, the record marked the first studio recording with guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan in over a decade and, earning the No. 67 spot on the Billboard Top 200 chart, No. 12 on the Billboard Top Current Albums chart, and No. 3 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart upon its first week of release, is the highest-charting album of the band's career.

In October 2024, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recruited onetime DOWN guitarist and current PANTERA bass tech Landgraf to play bass for the band on the 2024 edition of the Headbangers Boat cruise. He has since joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in the studio and on the concert stage.

In September 2024, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's founding bassist Mike Dean announced his departure from the band.

Reed Mullin died in January 2020 at the age of 53. The drummer, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside Weatherman and Dean, had missed a number of shows in the preceding four years due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup DOWN, Pepper reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of Weatherman, Dean and Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalled back in 2017. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking."

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recorded "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year at a North Carolina studio with longtime producer John Custer.