The police has released a statement regarding the shooting of former OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Jake E. Lee early Tuesday (October 15) while walking his dog in Las Vegas.

"Officers responded to a shooting incident in the 11000 block of Alora Street," the Las Vegas Police Department said in the statement. "Officers arrived and located a male victim suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The male was transported to the hospital. No arrests have been made at this time. This is an ongoing investigation."

According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Lee was in his driveway about to walk his dog at about 2:40 a.m. when he was shot in the forearm; in the back, with the bullet breaking a rib; and in the foot. None of the shots hit a vital organ. A neighbor heard the shots, hid his kids, grabbed a gun and called 911. Lee's dog was unharmed.

Lee's management said in a statement that police think the shooting "was completely random and occurred while Lee took his dog out for a walk in the early morning hours."

Lee, 67, is "fully conscious and doing well in an intensive care unit at a Las Vegas hospital," his management said. "He is expected to fully recover."

"No further comments will be forthcoming. Lee and his family appreciate respecting their privacy at this time," his management said.

Lee, who was tapped by Ozzy Osbourne to replace the late Randy Rhoads in the singer's solo band, played on two Ozzy records: 1983's "Bark At The Moon" and 1986's "The Ultimate Sin".

In a statement to TMZ, Ozzy said: "It's been 37 years since I've seen Jake E. Lee, but that still doesn't take away from the shock of hearing what happened to him today. It's just another senseless act of gun violence. I send my thoughts to him and his beautiful daughter, Jade. I just hope he'll be OK."

After performing with Ozzy, Lee formed the hard rock band BADLANDS. He released the solo albums "Retraced" and "Guitar Warrior" in 2005 and 2007, respectively. After a self-imposed exile from the music industry and the public eye, Lee returned with a new band called RED DRAGON CARTEL, releasing a self-titled album in 2013 followed by "Patina" in 2018.

Multi-platinum hard rock group BREAKING BENJAMIN has released a new single, "Awaken". You can now check it out below.

BREAKING BENJAMIN's first new music since 2018 is being made available via the band's new global recordings agreement with BMG. The partnership with BMG also marks the group's first new label home since releasing their debut album over 20 years ago.

BREAKING BENJAMIN have consistently dominated the rock charts since their debut album in 2002, "Saturate". With 10 No. 1 hits, platinum albums, 8.5 billion streams globally, and a social following of over 6.5 million, they've solidified their global influence and a strong devoted fan base. Their last release, "Aurora", earned them their tenth No. 1 rock radio hit with "Far Away" (featuring Scooter Ward).

Their previous album, "Ember", debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, marking their fourth Top 5 debut. Their track record includes No. 1 hits like "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". Both "Aurora" and "Ember" achieved Top 10 status in multiple countries, and No. 1 spots across various charts, including Billboard's Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

In a statement, the band said: "Working on these new songs has been a fresh experience for all of us. We've stayed true to the core of who BREAKING BENJAMIN is, but we've also pushed ourselves creatively, exploring new sounds and ideas that we haven't tapped into before. It's been about striking that balance between honoring our roots while introducing a fresh take on what our music can be."

Sean Heydorn, SVP, head of rock and Rise Records, said: "BREAKING BENJAMIN has consistently pushed the boundaries of rock music with their raw energy, powerful songwriting, and a connection with fans that's both intense and enduring. We're incredibly proud to support them as they embark on their next chapter with us at BMG."

Over the course of the group's career, BREAKING BENJAMIN have earned three platinum albums, two gold albums, one four-times-platinum single, one three-times-platinum single, one two-times-platinum single, three platinum singles, and six gold singles, making them one of rock music's most highly anticipated torch bearers of new music.

In a May 2024 interview with Ronni Hunter and Thick Rick of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Jasen Rauch spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited new studio album. He said: "We've got about four [songs] done. We're kind of taking a summer break right now up until — we go out with STAIND in September. And so between now and then, we're really looking at wrapping the stuff up and having some new music out for that tour. As far as album release, it's a little out of our hands, . Because it's later in the year, it might be pushed back till next year, just because December, everything shuts down, and you wanna get the momentum that you can. So hopefully we'll have a tour wrapped around that as well with the release. But, yeah, new music this year, for sure."

BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Keith Wallen previously discussed the band's recording progress during an appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. At the time, he said: "Obviously, we're still out there playing shows, which is probably confusing-slash-shocking to some people. 'Cause it's, like, 'Yo, you guys need a new record.' But we just love to play. I mean, for lack of better words, we just love to get out there and play. And I think we've been able to kind of split the time pretty well between playing, touring and writing as well. And we've got a few songs recorded, done, in the can. We have many songs written — finalized and written. And whenever we have the breaks and the time and everything, we just get in the studio and we knock 'em out. So I think in the next little gaps between now and our spring tour and then between the spring tour and potential late summer/fall tour, we're gonna get some real progress on it."

He continued: "But, man, I'm excited — I'm really excited. We've been working on some of these songs for, or at least demoing some of these songs — me and Rauch and Ben [BREAKING BENJAMIN frontman Benjamin Burnley]. It's been a few years in the making, of course. Everyone knows; I read it every day on the comments. But we're working on it."

This past February, Rauch told the FM99 WNOR radio station that he and his BREAKING BENJAMIN bandmates were "definitely recording" new music. "We've been writing for a while," he said. "Our tour schedule keeps things kind of intermittent. So it's hard to get… We'll go on a tour. We're out for quite a while, come home. Everybody wants to go see their family, have some downtime or whatever. And then it may only be a six-week turnaround, a 10-week turnaround, till we've gotta go back out and start prepping for the other thing. Keith and I do some work on the side with other bands, other projects. Keith's got his solo stuff, which is rad… But as far as recording goes, it's been so long since we've had an album out, we feel somewhat precious about it and are just making sure our quality control is there. So we are actually working, we are actually recording. We have songs that are finished, and it's just gonna be about all the business stuff —interfacing with the label and release schedule, what windows are open, that kind of thing, and then as far as us fitting in those recordings around the tour schedule."

Jasen continued: "A lot of bands would go and lock themselves away for three or four months in the studio. We're opting not to do that. We're doing a lot remote and things like that."

Asked by FM99 WNOR if it's easy to work on an album and tour at the same time, Jasen said: "It's almost impossible. I can count maybe three bands, I think, that would be successful at writing [and] recording on the road, because it's very difficult. You can have all the best intentions, but it's hard just squeezing things in between press, any sort of VIP stuff that we have, soundchecks."

Added Keith: "Even just finding a nice quiet place to you know record some vocals or something. And not even just that, but just recording vocals in general, it's, like, when you're on tour, you're using your vocals a lot and there's a fatigue factor there. So you wanna be at your best when you're recording; you don't wanna be just completely cashed from singing three shows in a row."

Jasen concurred, saying: "It's a recording, so it'll live forever, so you want it to be the best, you want it to be perfect, but is that going to be at the expense of the quality of the show suffering as well? So, yeah, it's a difficult line to walk there."

In July 2023, Keith told Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", about BREAKING BENJAMIN's next studio LP: "We've always been kind of writing and kind of chronicling some ideas over the past few years — through the pandemic, all that stuff, we've always been writing. But here recently it started to pick up a little bit. So I'm hoping — hoping — there's gonna be some new music out sometime within the next year. That's a nice, safe answer. I could say month, I could say two months, but I'm gonna say year, just 'cause it's been so long. I don't wanna screw ourselves somehow; I don't know."

Keith went on to say that there is quite a bit of new BREAKING BENJAMIN material nearly ready to be released. "We've got some stuff in the works," he said. "We've got a lot of music recorded. Ben just posted yesterday — he just tracked some vocals for a song. So, yeah, we're getting there. We move at our own pace here, much to the dismay of a lot of people, I've noticed, online."

He added about the new BREAKING BENJAMIN music: "It's awesome. It's exciting. And man, I can't wait to get it out there finally."

Two months earlier, Rauch told Janna of 97.9 WGRD radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan about BREAKING BENJAMIN's plan for the follow-up to 2018's "Ember" album: "We are working on music. We've been writing for quite a while. And regardless of whether we were able to record anything or not, we've been writing for a little over a year, I would say. We kind of keep the bar pretty high for ourselves as far as the standard moving forward. We've been experimenting with some things, throwing some things out, started over a couple of times, and are getting to a place where we're pretty happy.

"So, yeah, we've been in the studio," he continued. "We did some in Nashville. We've done a lot of stuff remotely. Ben and I have dozens and dozens of voice memos going back, 'Hey, try this. Try this.' And we'll record something and send it back and forth. But, yeah, we're looking forward to it. And hopefully we'll have something out soon for everybody to hear."

Photo credit: Dominique D'Costa (courtesy of BMG)

Fan-filmed video of FOZZY's entire October 13 concert at Mickey's Black Box in Lititz, Pennsylvania can be seen below (courtesy of Tully Blanchard).

Featured songs:

00:21 Spotlight
04:48 Bad Tattoo
09:03 Painless
13:05 Do You Wanna Start A War
17:10 Lights Go Out
21:21 S.O.S.
24:36 Sane
30:51 I Still Burn
35:22 Nowhere To Run
39:35 Sandpaper
44:24 Army Of One
49:24 God Pounds His Nails
53:52 Purifier
58:26 Enemy
1:08:54 Judas

FOZZY's 25th-anniversary tour launched on October 3 at Madlife in Woodstock, Georgia and will run through October 21 in Cleveland, Ohio. Support on the tour is coming from THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR and CLOZURE.

In a recent interview with Jacksonville, Florida's First Coast News, FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho spoke about the trek. He said: "It's our 25th anniversary, and it's a rock and roll party, man. It's been a great quarter of a century, and here we are now with eight Top 10 radio hits and a gold record and all the fun stuff that goes along with that. So we just started the tour last night in Atlanta and we're here in Jacksonville, so it's gonna be a blast."

Asked how FOZZY has managed to stay a band for 25 years, Chris said: "You really have to give and take when you're in a band, and you have to kind of do what you do best and let your partners do what they do best. It's like being on a team. And if you get on each other's nerves, you just go kind of sit in the back of the bus or you go for a walk somewhere or whatever it may be. But it really is, at this point in time, it's a very cohesive, symbiotic teamwork. And it's been going great, man. So we've had a lot of — we're very fortunate to be able to tour the world playing rock and roll. So you really can't complain too much about that."

FOZZY's latest standalone single, "Spotlight", was released last October via Madison Records/The Orchard. The track was helmed by FOZZY's longtime producer Johnny Andrews (THREE DAYS GRACE, ALL THAT REMAINS, HALESTORM) and sonically refined by mixer Jacob Hanson (VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, ARCH ENEMY).

FOZZY's latest album, "Boombox", came out in May 2022 and featured "I Still Burn", which has more than three million views on YouTube. It also included the Top 10 singles "Nowhere To Run" and "Sane".

In the spring of 2023, FOZZY spent time on the road with UGLY KID JOE as part of the latter band's first tour of the United States in 27 years.

In January 2022, FOZZY parted ways with longtime drummer Frank Fontsere and replaced him with Grant Brooks (THROUGH FIRE).

Fontsere was a founding member of FOZZY, having formed the group in 1999 with Jericho and guitarist Rich Ward.

When FOZZY announced Fontsere's departure, the band said that he was "stepping down to focus on his family and other projects."

FOZZY is Jericho, Ward, Brooks, Billy Grey (guitar) and P.J. Farley (bass).

Speaking to Neal Brennan of the "Blocks" podcast about his decision to launch FOZZY 25 years ago, Chris, who is best known as a professional wrestler, said: "I've been playing in rock and roll bands since I was 14 years old. This is not something I just woke up one day and went, 'Hey, I'm gonna get into a band.' And another block in the music world was trying to convince people this wasn't just a vanity project. And also too — I experienced it with wrestling, [people saying], 'Oh, you're too small.' I experienced it with FOZZY: 'You can't sing. You're a wrestler.' It's, like, why? What does that have to do with anything? … [IRON MAIDEN's] Bruce Dickinson is an airline pilot. And it's like saying, 'Well, you can't be an airline pilot 'cause you're a singer,' or, 'You can't be a singer 'cause you're an airline pilot.' It makes no fucking sense. You can either do it or you can't. So we had to work twice as hard to get people's respect with FOZZY, but now we just had our sixth Top 10 hit … and a gold record and world tours and all this other stuff. So you've just gotta stay with it. And if you know it's gonna work, don't listen to people who tell you you can't do something, because everybody — not everybody, [but] the majority of people who don't understand something will just say you can't do it. And don't buy in to it."

Jericho continued: "I've written a bunch of books, but the fourth book I wrote was called 'No Is A Four-Letter Word'. And what I meant by that was, people throw around 'no' as a failsafe. It's like a curse word; it's like a swear word. 'Hey, can I [do this]?' 'No.' 'Why?' 'Well, it'll never work.' 'What do you mean it'll never work. Let's figure out a way that we can make it work. Don't just say no for no reason.' And I find that's another good kind of model for my life, is don't tell me why something won't work. Let's figure out a way to make it work, 'cause there's always a way. Always."

Southern rock icons VAN ZANT have released the official music video for the song "Speak His Name" from their upcoming album, "Always Look Up", due November 22, 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl.

VAN ZANT, made up of .38 SPECIAL co-founder Donnie Van Zant and LYNYRD SKYNYRD frontman Johnny Van Zant, has reunited and returned to the studio for what will be their first new album in nearly two decades. "Always Look Up" will also mark the duo's first foray into Christian music, while holding firm to their southern rock roots.

"I think that this one probably means more to us then what we’ve done in the past and it's very different," says Johnny about the new music. "It's probably not what people may expect from us, which I think is kind of cool. There is stuff that's real pop and commercial. There's stuff that's heavy with, of course, Christian lyrics and values. Me and Donnie have got a saying that if we touch one person with this music, our mission for Jesus Christ is done."

VAN ZANT released the first single, "Jesus Christ", in August, followed by "There You Are" in September.

The Van Zant musical dynasty built its foundation firmly on family. Donnie Van Zant co-founded .38 SPECIAL and brother Johnny Van Zant is the current lead vocalist for LYNYRD SKYNYRD after the passing of their brother Ronnie Van Zant, who fronted and co-founded the iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame rock band.

But throughout their four decades of climbing the southern rock and country charts together and separately, faith has stayed just as important of a factor in the equation, so much so that the guys decided to finally share their inspirational side with the upcoming new album.

"This has been on our bucket list for quite some time to do a gospel record," says Donnie of the sessions that started during the pandemic. "We're both big believers in Jesus Christ, so that's really how it started."

In spite of their enormous successes, including .38 SPECIAL's more than 20 million album sales and LYNYRD SKYNYRD continuing to sell out arenas and amphitheaters, much of what makes VAN ZANT so relatable is the fact they'll be the first to admit their flaws and struggles.

"I'll be honest with you, the devil was my best friend at one time," says Johnny. "I'm not gonna lie about that and there ain't too much that I didn't try over the years, but I always kept hearing our dad speaking the Bible [in my mind]. Our dad should've been a preacher, because boy when he started talking the gospel, you didn't get up and move. Of course, as kids, I think we listened to half of it and tried to consume what we could, so that was always in the back of my head. I always believed in Jesus Christ, but I wasn't saved and I felt like I had my personal connection, just like the song 'It's Up To You' that's on this new album. Over the years, that voice of my dad was reminding me to try to be a better person. I made lots of mistakes, lots of things that hopefully I don't get to the pearly gates and they're closed for me. I'm trying to get through them now!"

Adds Donnie: "We've tried our very best to just write about truth, about people, about problems and situations and just try to be true to ourselves. We don't write nothing that's B.S. We try to touch people emotionally and spiritually. If we can do that, I think we've done our jobs."

VAN ZANT released the first single, "Jesus Christ", in August. Inspired by a painting hanging in Johnny's Sulfur Water Studios, the song speaks about the crucifixion and resurrection with vivid lyrical descriptions. The follow-up single, "There You Are", came out today.

"Always Look Up" track listing:

01. Awesome God
02. Stand Up
03. Warrior
04. There You Are
05. Speak His Name
06. Why God Brought Me Here
07. Praying
08. It's Up to You
09. Holy Moment
10. Leaning On The Cross
11. Jesus Christ

Recording lineup:

Johnny Van Zant: Lead Vocals
Donnie Van Zant: Vocal, Guitar
Mark Matejka: Lead Guitar, Rhythm, Slide
Carl Lindquist: Lead Guitar, Rhythm, Slide
Jimmy Carter: Bass Guitar
Shawn Fichter: Drums & Percussion
Jeffrey Roach: Keyboards
Chris Hurst: Keyboards
Dennis Wage: Keyboards

Photo credit: Doltyn Snedden for DS Creatives Agency (courtesy of Frontiers Music Srl)

Revered German blackened death duo The Spirit has debuted their third single and lead track, "Against Humanity," from their forthcoming album, Songs Against Humanity, that's out October 25 from AOP Records. 


Commenting on the song guitarist/vocalist Matthias Trautes says: 


"This is the perfect opening track for this album and my personal anthem against humanity. This song is fast, aggressive, catchy and contains great guitar melodies, which you won’t get out of your mind anymore."




Songs Against Humanity follows the The Spirit's chart breaching 2022 album, Of Clarity and Galactic Structures, and marks the anticipated next chapter in their celebrated career of masterful brutality.


Available Formats:


Limited coloured vinyl in Trifold Jacket with exclusive bonus track & poster
- lim. 99 Blue marbled (The Spirit exclusive)
- lim. 199 Clear with Iridescent Blue (The Spirit & AOP Records exclusive)
- lim. 99 Bleach marbled (AOP Records exclusive)
- lim. 199 Olivegreen/Bronze with Black splatter (AOP Records exclusive)
- lim. 99 Green against Black (Napalm Records exclusive)


- Gatefold LP (without bonus track)
- Jewelcase CD


Preorder here.





Tracklisting:


“Against Humanity”
“Room 101”
“Cosmic Rain And Human Dust”

Frontiers Label Group has announced the launch of its new imprint, BLKIIBLK, dedicated to pushing the boundaries of heavy music, along with the signing of legendary and groundbreaking metal/hardcore band BIOHAZARD as its first act. BIOHAZARD is set to release a highly anticipated new album in 2025, the band's first full-length release in over a decade.

BLKIIBLK aims to bring a fresh perspective to the heavy music scene by focusing on innovative and boundary-pushing artists. With a mission to support and elevate the genre, the new imprint is set to become a powerhouse in the music industry, showcasing talent that is both pioneering and influential.

Serafino Perugino, president of the label, expressed his enthusiasm: "We are thrilled to launch BLKIIBLK with BIOHAZARD as our flagship artist. BIOHAZARD's influence and pioneering spirit perfectly align with our vision for BLKIIBLK. We look forward to supporting them as they continue to break new ground."

BIOHAZARD stated: "When we reformed last year, the reaction to our first world tour in over a decade energized and inspired us to create new BIOHAZARD music that pays respect to the old school while creating something new and exciting for us and our fans. If ever a time was right for new BIOHAZARD, it's now, and we're excited to announce our partnership with BLKIIBLK. We can't wait to release this beast of a record in 2025!"

Paul Gargano, co-manager of BIOHAZARD, added: "The chemistry in BIOHAZARD is electric and undeniable, and the band is stronger than they've ever been. By partnering with BLKIIBLK, we've found a label as motivated as the band to propel BIOHAZARD to their greatest heights."

Andy Gould, co-manager of the band, continues: "Having worked with PANTERA and ROB ZOMBIE, looking after BIOHAZARD was a no-brainer. Seeing the excitement of the band being back together was only matched by the enthusiasm of BLKIIBLK. I think the marriage between the label and band can only make BIOHAZARD bigger than they have ever been."

Tom Lipsky, head of A&R of North America for Frontiers Label Group, commented on the new signing: "BIOHAZARD creating new music is a metal event. Tour performances have been epic and now they are ready to raise hell in the studio. I am excited to work with them once again and to bring them to BLKIIBLK Records. I cannot wait to unleash their new music in the coming year!"

In a recent interview with France's Loud TV, BIOHAZARD bassist/vocalist Evan Seinfeld confirmed that he and his bandmates were "making a new album". Evan said: "I'm really excited about it. I'm writing a lot of lyrics right now, working on some music. All the guys are writing. It's exciting."

Evan previously discussed BIOHAZARD's plans for new music this past April in an interview with El Planeta Del Rock. At the time, he said: "We're working on our process on a couple of really cool songs, and when something is special enough and we are excited about it, I imagine we'll release a single before release an album, but there's a full-length album in the works. That's the mission… We wanna go into the studio and really lock ourselves down, like we used to do in the '90s, and spend some time really [making a strong album]. For us, it's not about one song, one song. Making an album is still something that we care about."

He continued: "I know it's not the popular [way of doing things]. How many people buy new albums by artists and listen to the whole album from beginning to end? Young people don't really ingest music like that so much. But BIOHAZARD is about authenticity. We do what we do, and we're gonna make the best album we can make in 2024."

In March, Evan explained to Battleline Podcast how the classic lineup of BIOHAZARD managed to come back together last year for a series of festival appearances and headlining shows. He said: "I left the band in 2012, and the other guys toured around [with a replacement bassist/vocalist] for like about two years, three years after that, but that was 10 years ago. They hadn't played together in 10 years, and nobody was really talking to anybody. And it wasn't something that I was even thinking about. I was going through the airport and my drummer, Danny [Schuler], who I've known since I'm 12 years old, his brother, Richie Schuler, from East 94th Street in Canarsie [Brooklyn], who was also a drummer, who also I used to play with, I hear his voice, 'Yo, Evan.' I turn around. It's Richie Schuler, Danny's brother. I'm in the airport changing planes somewhere, coming back from Los Angeles to Tulum, to Mexico. And I love Richie. We started talking."

He continued: "It's one of those things like… I was so living in my ego that I was attached to a bunch of resentment about a bunch of things that were a bunch of stories that I made up in my head about thinking how other people should react to things…. I didn't even remember anymore what the real reason was the band wasn't together anymore. But I ran into Richie, and he said, 'My brother would love to hear from you.' And I thought to myself, 'We were like best of friends, all of us at one time, and my life's a lot different now.' And I picked up the phone and called Danny, and we just started talking. It wasn't about putting the band back together. I wanted to reconnect with my brothers.

"If I hadn't been working on myself and learning that resentment only hurts you, only hurts me… If I got a beef with you, you don't necessarily know it. I'm carrying it around like a boulder in my backpack, weighing me down.

"A band is hard — it's a bunch of egomaniacs with low self-esteem. It's a bunch of guys who are fighting to get to the top together and fighting with each other for every inch of creativity, input of stardom, of fame, of contribution, of acknowledgement. People wanna be seen, people wanna be acknowledged, and when you're doing it in a group setting, not everybody gets the same out of it. Everybody might put in the same. And it's complicated, but right about the time I ran into Billy [Graziadei, guitar/vocals] and I got on the phone with Bobby [Hambel, guitar. I actually talked to Bobby first during the pandemic. He called me out of the blue and we had a really cool conversation, but there was no intention behind it. And somebody started a rumor that we were putting the band back together because people had seen us talking. And next thing I know, I run into Andy Gould and Paul Gargano, the band's managers… Andy used to manage Rob Zombie for 25, 27 years, and he used to manage LINKIN PARK — big bands. PANTERA he worked on. And Andy said, 'There's this incredible opportunity right now for an iconic metal band with all its original members, that everybody's really good shape and got their chops up. You guys can really make some impact on the scene.'"

Seinfeld added: "We got together in a room, we broke some bread, we had a rehearsal. It sounded incredible. It was revitalized. It needed to go away for 10 years for everyone to get rejuvenated and excited about it. The fans are hungry. We just did a huge European tour, and if you look at my Instagram, there's a shot from this festival in Poland with 600,000 people. To stand on a stage in front of that many people and have them like chanting or jumping, it's another level of experience. I don't know that I ever appreciated it… I now have a huge amount of appreciation for everything I do. I have gratitude and a positive mindset. It doesn't matter if I'm sitting in my house or if I'm on a big stage, I tend to appreciate everything more, and that's a gift, man."

The first reunion gig from Graziadei, Hambel, drummer Schuler and Seinfeld took place on May 26, 2023 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

In August 2023, BIOHAZARD confirmed that it was working on material for a new studio album.

"The inspiration's coming from these shows," Bobby told Le Coin Metal in an interview. "Being back together, celebrating and doing all these shows, it's great. We're having a good time, but now we're getting the vibe from the crowd and we're feeling it, and it's getting in our bones. We're getting that hunger and the ideas are starting to come out off of these shows."

Added Billy: "For me, it's kind of cool because the other reason I did [my solo project] BILLYBIO is because there was no BIOHAZARD, and the songs that I would've been showing these guys just [ended up] BILLYBIO songs. So being back with these guys is, like… It's cool to have another outlet for my music."

In 2022, Graziadei said in an interview that there had been "talk" about putting BIOHAZARD back together.

The group, which is acknowledged as one of the earliest outfits to fuse hardcore punk and heavy metal with elements of hip-hop, had been out of the public eye since Scott Roberts left the band more than eight years ago.

Roberts, who played guitar on BIOHAZARD's 2005 album "Means To An End", rejoined the group in June 2011 as the replacement for Seinfeld. Scott fronted BIOHAZARD for nearly five years before exiting the band in February 2016.

In an August 2020 interview with the "Aftershocks" podcast, Roberts said that he left BIOHAZARD because he "wasn't happy" anymore. "There was one guy that I wasn't getting along with very well, and it made touring not fun anymore for me," he said. "My reason to stick around was to make a new record that was great and I'd be proud of and all that stuff, and then it became kind of clear that wasn't gonna happen, so I was, like, 'What am I doing it for?' So I quit."

Seinfeld made his last recorded appearance with BIOHAZARD on 2012's "Reborn In Defiance" album, which marked the first LP featuring the band's original lineup in 18 years.

Graziadei is currently a member of POWERFLO, which also features Christian Olde Wolbers (FEAR FACTORY),Sen Dog (CYPRESS HILL) and Rogelio Lozano (DOWNSET).

Photo credit: Jeremy Deputat

MONSTER MAGNET was forced to cut its fall 2024 35th-anniversary European tour short due to illness of band leader Dave Wyndorf.

On Monday, the 67-year-old musician, who has battled a number of health issues over the years, released the following statement: "It is with regret that I have to announce cutting this tour short by 10 shows.

"I started the tour off with a mild cold that worsened to the point of blowing my voice out more than a few times and continuing would not only seriously damage the vocal cords but sound like shit as well. So in the interest of both health and quality I'm pulling the plug.

"My sincere apologies go out to ticket holders of these canceled shows. We'll surely make up for them when we return. Finally, many thanks for everybody who came out. You ROCK!"

In the Facebook group Bullgod Disciples - Monster Magnet Fan Group, which is the biggest MONSTER MAGNET fan group, the band's tour manager Jens "Bobo" Bornhöft reportedly posted that the Munich show on October 11 would be the last of the tour because Dave was too sick to continue. This came just a day after a Vienna show was initially announced as being canceled, only to go ahead at the last minute, and a week after a Paris gig was cut short 20 minutes into the set. At the concerts that ended up being played, fans were concerned about the fact that Wyndorf was sitting on a high chair through the whole performance and the guitar effects pedalboard was lifted on a platform, so he could switch them with hands.

On October 12, Wyndorfshared the following statement regarding the tour cancelation: "Hey guys. Try as I have to push through this tour my health and voice have only gotten weaker. My hypothyroidism is shutting me down to the point where I'm dizzy and exhausted no matter HOW much sleep I get. As Bobo knows I can't walk a flight of stairs without running out of breath. My voice is fucked as well. Any rest I can get is not enough to repair it properly. In short, we gotta get home ASAP because I'm just fucking this whole thing up. I'm sorry to put you though so much trouble..."

Led by Wyndorf, MONSTER MAGNET was formed in New Jersey in 1989 and is known for its signature heavy and spacy sound, a style which is heavily influenced by early metal bands of the 1970s.

Considered one of the most creative, diverse, and hard rocking of contemporary American bands, MONSTER MAGNET is credited with pioneering "stoner rock". They're noted for the uniqueness of their sound, their authenticity as a band, their ability to grow musically, and the intelligence and wit of their songs, fusing garage rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, punk, and psychedelia.

With more than a dozen studio releases across the last three decades, MONSTER MAGNET's fourth album, "Powertrip", smashed its way into the charts in 1998 — going gold in just six months of release and was crowned the album of the year in Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, helping to launch the band into the top tier of rock.

Today sees the release of Muuntautuja, the sixth studio album by Finnish psychedelic black metal innovators Oranssi Pazuzu.


A boa constrictor of slithering, warping, interdimensional cosmic horror, Muuntautuja is in a world of its own, seeping through the speakers like irradiated sand. Ever transmuting, unsettling chords that raise the hairs on the back of your head and then pummel it with nauseating rhythms that both transport and destroy you.


Drawing inspiration from eclectic sources ranging from Death Grips to Portishead, Nine Inch Nails (Downward Spiral era), Beherit and My Bloody Valentine, Oranssi Pazuzu are a feast for those who dig deep, heavy and strange. With inhuman and biological sound, Muuntautuja is electronically charged, both organic and inorganic in origin.




Muuntautuja transcends genres, embodying a transcendent experience that slimes listeners in its nightmare of space and metamorphosis. Jun-His (vocals & guitars) muses, "For us, this album is like a sculpture made of black electric ooze."


As a bonus feature, Oranssi Pazuzu have released a trippy full album visualizer to further enhance the immersive experience that is Muuntautuja.

The U.S. government has requested that ICED EARTH leader Jon Schaffer be sentenced to three years of supervised probation, as well as an order that he pay $2,000 in restitution and the mandatory $200 special assessment, in connection with his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

According to the government's October 14 sentencing memorandum, which has been obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "Such a sentence would be sufficient to reflect the seriousness of this offense while also accounting for the three months defendant was detained following his arrest, the defendant's early acceptance of responsibility, and the substantial assistance he has provided to law enforcement pursuant to his cooperation plea agreement."

The memorandum goes on to describe the extent of Schaffer's involvement in the events of January 6, 2021.

"The defendant was one of the first six people to breach the Capitol through the doors on the northwest side of the building near the Senate Parliamentarian's office," the document reads. "Schaffer wore a tactical vest and a hat that read, 'Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,' and he was carrying a can of bear spray. The menacing conduct of Schaffer and the others at the front of the line forced officers to retreat and allowed the mob to start pouring into the Capitol through this entrance.

"The defendant’s participation in the attack on the Capitol was not random; it was the culmination of weeks, if not months of increasingly violent calls by Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, the leader of the Oath Keepers, to oppose the lawful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joseph Biden. Schaffer was privy to some of these communications, as an Oath Keepers member, and he marched with the Oath Keepers during an event in D.C. in November 2020 to oppose the results of the election. At the same time, Schaffer did not participate in the Oath Keepers' planning and coordination for the attack on the Capitol (he was not part of any of the group's encrypted chats for the January 6 operation),and he did not enter the Capitol with them on January 6. For this reason, Schaffer was not charged with participating in a conspiracy with other Oath Keepers. Furthermore, Schaffer was inside the Capitol for less than ten minutes and did not directly harm or seek to harm any officers or property during this offense. Schaffer also has been cooperative with law enforcement since he turned himself in eleven days after the attack, proffering several times with law enforcement and providing fulsome, credible, and relevant information.

"On April 16, 2021, the defendant fully accepted responsibility and pled guilty, pursuant to a cooperation plea agreement, to one count of Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, and one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The defendant was the first person to plead guilty to participating in the January 6 attack, and he agreed to permit the details of his cooperation plea agreement to be made public."

Last month, a federal judge agreed to push back Schaffer's sentencing hearing for the fifth time, this time to October 25 from the previously announced September 13.

Schaffer was initially scheduled to be sentenced on February 20, but his sentencing hearing has been delayed five times — first to April, then July, August, September and now late October.

The latest decision to postpone Schaffer's sentencing came less than three months after the Supreme Court sided with a January 6 Capitol riot defendant in a ruling that could affect hundreds of prosecutions, including the criminal case against Schaffer. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves asked the judge to delay's Schaffer's hearing in light of the Supreme Court decision.

U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta had previously moved Schaffer's initial sentencing date from February 20, as the now-56-year-old ICED EARTH guitarist was scheduled to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure "with the need for a recovery afterwards."

In January 2022, Mehta granted the U.S. government's request to share sealed materials from the case involving Schaffer's role in the U.S. Capitol riot case as discovery to the three main Oath Keepers cases.

In May 2023, Mehta handed down an 18-year prison sentence for the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that ended with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.

As part of his April 2021 plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

The government agreed not to oppose Schaffer's release during the sentencing phase.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term. Each of the charges carry fines of up to $250,000.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer acknowledged that on January 6, 2021 he was in Washington to attend the "Stop The Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, which he believed were fraudulent. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray, a dangerous weapon and chemical irritant used to ward off bears. When the rally finished, Schaffer joined a large crowd that marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress, presided over by Vice President Michael Pence, was in session to certify the electoral college vote results. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of the mob forced entry into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session and causing members of Congress and the Vice President to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer admitted that after arriving on Capitol grounds, he walked past barriers intended to restrict access to the public and to a set of locked doors on the Capitol's west side. At approximately 2:40 p.m., Schaffer positioned himself at the front of a crowd that broke open a set of doors being guarded by four U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers wearing riot gear. Schaffer admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, forcing officers to retreat. Schaffer and others advanced toward five or six backpedaling USCP officers while members of the mob swelled inside of the Capitol and overwhelmed the officers. The officers ultimately deployed a chemical irritant to disperse the mob. Schaffer was among the people who were sprayed in the face, after which he exited while holding his own bear spray in his hands.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

The Indiana chapter of the Oath Keepers distanced itself from Schaffer after his arrest, claiming he was not a member of the local group. But the national organization, which sold lifetime memberships for $1,200, had not commented on his alleged affiliation with the group.

At a November 2020 Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C., Schaffer was videotaped walking behind a Florida couple, Kelly Meggs and Connie Meggs, who were accused of being among 10 members of the Oath Keepers to have played a leading role in the Capitol assault. In May 2023, Kelly Meggs was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his participation in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and was sentenced to spend 12 years in prison.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

As the iconic multi-platinum-selling group, America, continue to perform with original member Dewey Bunnell at the helm on their “Ride On Tour 2024,” the band is now the subject of a new documentary I Need You: 53 Years Of The Band America. After 53 consecutive years of touring and over 5000 electrifying performances, the original members of America are ready to reflect on their remarkable journey. The documentary takes audiences backstage as Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell privately say goodbye to a lifetime together on the road.


The film is produced by Highway West, Warner Music Entertainment, and Primary Wave Music, and is represented by Submarine Entertainment. It is directed by Dustin Elm and David Breschel, and produced by Jack Piatt, Charlie Cohen, Natalia Nastaskin, and David Breschel. The film will have its world premiere at the Newport Beach Film Festival on Tuesday, October 22 at the historic Lido Theater in Newport Beach, CA with the screening beginning at 7:30 PM.


Fans will also have the unique opportunity to participate in a special Q&A session with Gerry, Dewey, and the filmmakers immediately following the screening. Moderated by Denny Tedesco, acclaimed director of The Wrecking Crew and Immediate Family, this discussion will offer an intimate look at the band's enduring legacy and the making of the film.




In addition to the Newport Beach screening there will be two additional showings of the film this fall:


- Ojai Film Festival: Join us on a nostalgic journey up the "Ventura Highway" at the Ojai Film Festival with a screening on November 4 at 4:00 PM.
- Coronado Island Film Festival: The film will also be shown at the Coronado Film Festival on November 10 at 10:00 AM.





I Need You: 53 Years of the Band America captures the poignant moments behind the scenes of Gerry and Dewey’s final show together and reflects on the journey of the band's original members from high school friends to international superstars. With legendary hits like "A Horse With No Name," "Ventura Highway," "Sister Golden Hair," and “I Need You,” the film celebrates the band’s passio

KING DIAMOND kicked off its long-awaited North American headlining tour last night (Tuesday, October 15) at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. The "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920" trek will run through December 6 in Dallas, Texas. Support is coming from OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON. Additional backing vocals for the KING DIAMOND set are provided by the special guest Myrkur.

KING DIAMOND's setlist for the San Antonio concert included two new songs, "Spider Lilly" and "Electro Therapy".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Arrival
02. A Mansion In Darkness
03. Halloween
04. Voodoo
05. Spider Lilly (live debut)
06. Sleepless Nights
07. Welcome Home
08. The Invisible Guests
09. The Candle
10. Masquerade Of Madness
11. Eye Of The Witch
12. Burn
13. Electro Therapy (live debut)

When the tour was first announced, KING DIAMOND's namesake frontman said about what fans can expect: "This is Saint Lucifer's Hospital. Enter if you dare!

"We have been busy putting this ever-growing horror story together, and it's still growing. I know the end of it, but how we will get there will be a long trip. There are so many characters, and so many unexpected things along this journey. It's a crazy family on another timeline in 1920, where I experienced some hard times, and they have to come to our time to steal from us to survive. This is the most elaborate thing we have ever done, that goes for the stage production as well.

"There will be additional backing vocals by Myrkur and she'll be playing organ for songs that need it. There will be some horrific surprises taking place on stage, but we are not to be held responsible since we are on a whole different timeline in 1920. It was back at the time when medicine was going through a dark period with lots of testing on human beings in order to progress medicine.

"This is Saint Lucifer's Hospital, also known as The Institute. Enter if you dare!"

KING DIAMOND 2024 touring lineup:

Andy La Rocque - guitar
Mike Wead - guitar
Pontus Egberg - bass
Matt Thompson - drums
Myrkur - additional backing vocals, keyboards

Titled "The Institute", KING DIAMOND's first studio LP in 18 years is tentatively due in 2025 via Metal Blade. It will be made available as a two-LP horror concept story, with the second part arriving at a later date.

In October 2023, KING DIAMOND released a music video for the 2019 single "Masquerade Of Madness". The clip was directed by David Brodsky and Allison Woest of MyGoodEye Visuals.

At the time of the video's release, King commented: "'Masquerade Of Madness' was released digitally in 2019 before our North American tour. During rehearsals, we took one full day to film 'Masquerade Of Madness' with David Brodsky and Allison Woest. We spent all day and all night recording while performing the song with our full tour stage show choreography. After the tour, Covid happened.

"The video was all but forgotten as the world came to a standstill — we never saw a single frame from all the footage. Years later, as things began to pick up and writing began for both new MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND records, we wondered, what happened to that video from four years ago? So we decided to check in with David Brodsky and a couple of weeks later, we had the first cut of the video.

"I was speechless! I had nothing to criticize and after just a few notes from Andy La Rocque, the video for 'Masquerade Of Madness' was finished! There's so much mood and black and white is used in a perfect way with Jodi's performances. The visuals fit the music flawlessly and this is now among my favorite KING DIAMOND videos along with 'Sleepless Nights' and 'Welcome Home' — and not to forget of course, our double live DVD."

A month after KING DIAMOND released "Masquerade Of Madness" in November 2019, KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque told The Metal Voice that he came up with the music for the track first before passing it off to King, who "needed to arrange a few things and change just a small few things for making it work with his vocals. And then, of course, he wrote the lyrics for it," the guitarist revealed. "So we [went] a little back and forth until he felt like, 'Okay, this is cool, man. This is the right key to sing in,' and all that."

At the 2022 Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom, King spoke to Bloodstock TV's Oran O'Beirne about his plans for "The Institute". "Something with KING DIAMOND, we have a very special thing [planned] for that album," King said. "It's gonna be a two-album story. But KING DIAMOND, we are building something that you will never have seen on a stage before — not that way. And with the light guy, he's never done it that way either. … It's very different, very sick. You will not have seen musicians standing on stage in that type of light. It's gonna be very dark. They have to learn to play in dark areas. It's crazy. I know that our light guy, he can't wait for us to do it. I showed him some pictures that have the kind of feelings I want, the kind of backdrops I want, stuff like that. … This is gonna blow people's minds when they see it, I am a hundred percent sure."

La Rocque, whose real name is Anders Allhage, discussed his vision for the new KING DIAMOND album with The Metal Voice, saying that it will be filled with great "melodies, of course. Super important. Without melodies, there is no music," he explained. "I'm also envisioning a more organic sound of the album. If you look back to the older albums, when Mikkey [Dee] played [drums for the band], for example, it's, like, a little bit up and down in tempo, and that makes it dynamic and also organic. So that's one thing that I would like to hear on the next album, for sure. But building up a dynamic, kind of organic feel, the drummer is a really important thing here, of course. And I know that Matt Thompson [current KING DIAMOND drummer] is the right guy to do this, for sure."

In March 2019, King told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that the next album from his namesake band will be "absolutely gruesome" with a story set in a 1920s mental institution. "I chose that because I think it's a very creepy scenario," he explained. "And some of the things that go on that we're gonna show onstage is also things that certainly was going on back then, when medicine was beginning to take a beneficial turn in history and actually being able to help human beings live longer. But there was some experimentation going on, too, that was absolutely gruesome. Some of that is involved in the story, but it's something totally different. Once you get to the second part of the story, you will begin to suddenly understand that, 'What the hell is going on here? What is this really about?' 'Cause there's a whole different story that will not come to you till second part. But in the first part, you're gonna get to know a lot people at a certain place… Some of it takes place here, this world, and some of it takes place in a parallel world. And there's a correlation between what happened to me and what happens to some people in this place and where they suddenly appear. And you will find out why they are there, how they appear there and the places down the road. I won't say too much right now, but it's gonna be very creepy."

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the band's last album, 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray, "Songs For The Dead Live", in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987's seminal "Abigail" album in its entirety, twice, and in very different locales: Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMOND's current band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and Matt Thompson.

Fan-filmed video of Sebastian Bach's October 6 performance at El Corazon in Seattle, Washington can be seen below.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. What Do I Got To Lose?
02. Slave To The Grind (SKID ROW song)
03. Here I Am (SKID ROW song)
04. Big Guns (SKID ROW song)
05. Sweet Little Sister (SKID ROW song)
06. 18 And Life (SKID ROW song)
07. Can't Stand The Heartache (SKID ROW song)
08. Freedom
09. Piece Of Me (SKID ROW song)
10. Everybody Bleeds
11. Monkey Business / Tom Sawyer / Monkey Business / Heaven And Hell
11. I Remember You (SKID ROW song)
12. (Hold On) To The Dream
13. The Threat (SKID ROW song)
14. Rattlesnake Shake (SKID ROW song)
15. Youth Gone Wild (SKID ROW song)

Sebastian kicked off a North American tour on October 4 in Portland, with dates in the U.S., including two shows at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, plus 16 dates in Bach's native Canada.

Sebastian is continuing to tour in support of his latest solo album, "Child Within The Man", which was released in May via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.

"Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"). Devin Bronson (guitars),Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album.

In an interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Sebastian spoke about the inspiration for the "Child Within The Man" title. He said: "Well, my wife calls me man-child. That's kind of been a theme for me my whole career. I bring a youthful energy to the stage when I get up there. People are smiling and excited and hooting and hollering. But the line 'child within the man' is a line of one of the songs on the record. And I scream it like bloody murder. And it kept haunting me. "

Sebastian also talked about the "Child Within The Man" artwork, which holds special meaning since it was designed by Bach's father, noted visual artist David Bierk.

"I have a lot of my dad's artwork," Bach said. "He's no longer alive. And we all, all of his kids, we got a lot of his art when he passed away. And I unrolled a roll of paintings that I knew had the SKID ROW 'Subhuman Race' painting in it, and I wanna take care of it and make sure it's preserved. But in that roll was this painting that I remember my dad doing of me when I was 10 in a field next to this beat-up old Cadillac car in the field and then behind the car, it's Jesus ascending into heaven, and I'm running next to the car. It looks like an album cover. And then he also did a painting of me from Circus magazine, the first centerfold of me on stage at Giants Stadium. He did a gigantic painting of that, like 12 feet high. And so the cover is gonna be me running as a child into me on stage as a man, and it's child within the man. And it just reminds me of the '70s, like child in time, and it just reminds me of a good '70s album cover. And the fact that I can bring back a painting from the year 1978 and make it into artwork in 2023, 2024, that's really mind-blowing to me."

Prior to "Child Within The Man"'s arrival, Bach hadn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014.

In a new interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone, STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos once again said that it's up to the fans whether the group's current lineup will continue once he and his bandmates have finished touring in support of their eighth studio album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2". Released in January, the LP is a collection of 14 brand-new tracks that contain the final vocal performances and musical compositions of founding vocalist Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup featuring Campos, Koichi Fukuda (guitars) and Ken Jay (drums). The album was produced by STATIC-X's current vocalist/guitarist Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild.

Asked if STATIC-X will carry on as a tribute to Wayne beyond the current touring cycle, Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " That's what it started out as, and it just kept snowballing and growing. And it's where it is now because fans keep coming out. And I think I've said it previously — if I haven't, I'll say it now — as long as we're having fun doing this and the fans keep wanting us to do it, we'll do it."

When Blakk noted that it appears that STATIC-X has grown the fanbase since the band's comeback in 2019, Tony said: "Yeah, we've kind of noticed that. We've noticed a lot of younger people. Our fans that grew up with us back in '99 and early 2000s, they're all adults and have kids, and they're bringing their kids to the shows. And, yeah, it's great to see that, a new generation of evil disco heads getting a little fix."

Regarding the possibility of STATIC-X writing new music from scratch, Tony said: "I don't know if we'll be doing full-length albums. Who buys albums now? [Laughs] I think maybe if we do write any new music, maybe it'll be a single. But I don't know. I'm just living in the now and enjoying the now. And when the future comes, I'll cross that bridge and we'll deal with it."

Although the identity of STATIC-X's touring singer has not been officially revealed, strong rumors suggest that DOPE's Edsel Dope is the anonymous, somewhat ominous new frontman of STATIC-X who is wearing a mask in the likeness of late frontman Wayne Static while performing alongside Campos, Jay and Fukuda.

In a fall 2023 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Campos addressed STATIC-X's reliance on a "masked" vocalist instead of hiring a proper replacement for Wayne, saying: "It's been really cool, man, how people have embraced that idea of having the character up there being the representative of Wayne's vibe and spirit without us being, like, 'Hey, here's STATIC-X with their new singer.' That's not what we wanted to do. So, we were just, like, 'How do we represent Wayne in a cool way?' And I think this is a really cool way to do it."

He continued: "I keep coming back to the IRON MAIDEN analogy — not only was Wayne our Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN singer], but he was also our Eddie [IRON MAIDEN mascot]. He was the mascot for the band. So how do you represent that? And I think the Xer0 character does a good job at it."

When Hall noted that it must be "a pretty powerful experience" for him to be looking over and seeing Xer0 channeling the spirit of Wayne during STATIC-X's live shows, Tony said: "When we first started and I'm up there headbanging doing my thing, out of my peripheral vision, I see that figure with the hair and I'm playing the songs again, it's just like 20 years ago; it was just that vibe again. And having Koichi and, and Kenny up there, it was really cool, man. And especially those first couple of weeks, we'd be done with the show and we'd be back in the dressing room, and we'd all be, like, 'Fuck, Wayne should be here.' But we definitely feel this vibe and presence."

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

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Dope recently told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the reason Xer0's identity has not been officially revealed is that he wants to make sure that STATIC-X is "properly represented, because I would never be interested in looking at a photo of STATIC-X or reading a liner note that mentions me as being the singer of STATIC-X. Edsel Dope has no interest in being the singer of STATIC-X," he clarified. "There's one living, breathing singer of STATIC-X, and that's Wayne Static. And then there's a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow STATIC-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to STATIC-X and fits the branding of what STATIC-X is, and that's what the importance is. It's the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character."

Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band's Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0's distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person.

STATIC-X's "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" LP came out in July 2020.

ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna joined Sammy Hagar, bassist Michael Anthony, guitar virtuoso Vic Johnson and acclaimed drummer Kenny Aronoff for a performance of the MONTROSE classic "Rock Candy" during "Sammy Hagar's Birthday Bash" on Sunday, October 13 at the Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Fan-filmed video of Joey's appearance can be seen below.

Hagar turned 77 on October 13, while Belladonna turned 64 on the same day.

Each year, "Sammy Hagar's Birthday Bash" is an open invitation to all of Sammy's friends so there are always surprises to the lineup — announced and unannounced.

Two months ago, Joey spoke to Wacken TV about his love for classic rock. He said in part: "At home, I [sing] constant music like that. I mean, all across the board. It could be CHICAGO, TOTO, STEELY DAN, EAGLES, JOURNEY, and then I can do [Ronnie James] Dio all night and [BLACK] SABBATH… I like covering a lot of stuff. I have my own Joey's Jukebox [show] right now, and over the last couple of years I've put 780 tracks together, and I can do four to six hours, or even more, of just different types of music. I'm telling you, it could go all over the place, where I'll never be in a band to learn all those types of songs. And I mixed and put them all together and I just sing for hours of this stuff and it's a blast. And I get to do great music. I love classic rock. It could even be more of a blues, too — ZZ TOP and THE ALLMAN BROTHERS, or wherever. I can shift from side to side and do all kinds of stuff."

Touching upon the limitations on his singing within ANTHRAX, Joey said: "I don't really have a chance to really dig too deep with ANTHRAX, 'cause our stuff is a little — it's widespread fast and it's hard to sing over some of it to get a melody. So I'm always fighting to get something that would be really sharp and extra, extra good for a song that really is difficult to sing over. 'Cause we have a lot of words to a lot of the stuff."

Asked which classic rock songs are his personal favorites to sing, Joey said: "Anything that has an upper range of where I can take it on fully. That's why that some of the JOURNEY stuff is really… 'cause it's, top-notch tenor type of thing, like KANSAS and YES and FOREIGNER and BAD COMPANY and LED ZEPPELIN and stuff like that. I've always loved singing along to that kind of thing. And anything that really has a lot more depth to it in range. Something that's very low sometimes doesn't give me a chance to take on a nice upper tenor, should I say."

In July, it was announced that Belladonna had launched a new project called JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! paying homage to the great bands and their songs from the 1960s through the 1990s.

Joining Joey in his new project is the Dutch classic rock band THE CLARKS, which, for decades, has been known as the most successful rock and roll cover act from The Netherlands, with TV performances and live shows under their belt in all over Europe, USA, India, Indonesia and South Africa.

Belladonna performed by chance with THE CLARKS at the 100th-anniversary event of bus and coach company Royal Jan De Wit on December 8, 2023 in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and they had an instant sensation which brought them together in JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK!

JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! made its live debut on August 3, 2024 at the world-famous festival Wacken Open Air in Germany. A club tour will take place in December in The Netherlands.

In the past, Belladonna had played drums and sung for a classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY. The upstate New York-based group performed versions of songs from JOURNEY, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, BOSTON, CHEAP TRICK, FOREIGNER, PINK FLOYD, VAN HALEN, COLLECTIVE SOUL, THE WHO, THE DOORS, SHINEDOWN and BON JOVI, among others. Belladonna has also played sporadic shows with his JOURNEY tribute band called BEYOND FRONTIERS.

Multi-platinum hard rock group BREAKING BENJAMIN has signed a new global recordings agreement with BMG to release their first set of new music since 2018. The partnership with BMG also marks the group's first new label home since releasing their debut album over 20 years ago.

BREAKING BENJAMIN have consistently dominated the rock charts since their debut album in 2002, "Saturate". With 10 No. 1 hits, platinum albums, 8.5 billion streams globally, and a social following of over 6.5 million, they've solidified their global influence and a strong devoted fan base. Their last release, "Aurora", earned them their tenth No. 1 rock radio hit with "Far Away" (featuring Scooter Ward).

Their previous album, "Ember", debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, marking their fourth Top 5 debut. Their track record includes No. 1 hits like "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". Both "Aurora" and "Ember" achieved Top 10 status in multiple countries, and No. 1 spots across various charts, including Billboard's Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

In a statement, the band said: "Working on these new songs has been a fresh experience for all of us. We've stayed true to the core of who BREAKING BENJAMIN is, but we've also pushed ourselves creatively, exploring new sounds and ideas that we haven't tapped into before. It's been about striking that balance between honoring our roots while introducing a fresh take on what our music can be."

Sean Heydorn, SVP, head of rock and Rise Records, said: "BREAKING BENJAMIN has consistently pushed the boundaries of rock music with their raw energy, powerful songwriting, and a connection with fans that's both intense and enduring. We're incredibly proud to support them as they embark on their next chapter with us at BMG."

Over the course of the group's career, BREAKING BENJAMIN have earned three platinum albums, two gold albums, one four-times-platinum single, one three-times-platinum single, one two-times-platinum single, three platinum singles, and six gold singles, making them one of rock music's most highly anticipated torch bearers of new music.

Currently, the band have been teasing a "countdown clock" throughout their 2024 North American concert tour opening for STAIND, with a new single, "Awaken", set to be released on Wednesday, October 16.

Photo credit: Dominique D'Costa (courtesy of BMG)

In a new interview with Uncut magazine, QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor was asked if he and his bandmates could potentially record and release any new material. "I think we might," he responded.

"Brian [May, QUEEN guitarist] and myself were talking the other day, and we both said that if we feel we have some good material, why not?" he continued. "We can still play. We can still sing. So I don't see why not."

Back in November 2022, May was asked by Variety if there is "any chance" of him, Taylor and singer Adam Lambert recording new music together. He responded: "I've got to tell you it hasn't happened yet, but we do bring the subject up. Generally, when we are together, the live show is all-consuming. There isn't really time to discuss any studio action. We feel as if the live stuff is what the public wants. And when we're not on tour, Adam has his own career. So, I suppose that the opportunity to make an album together doesn't come up, but I'm not saying that it couldn't happen."

Four years ago, May and Taylor revealed to Classic Rock magazine that they tried to record a new song with Lambert but they ultimately decided against releasing it.

"We did record a song which we haven't actually finished," Taylor said at the time. "I can't remember what it's called. I think we were still discussing what we should call it."

Added May: "It was a song that we'd tried to adapt that had come from a friend. It had the makings of being a great song, but we couldn't crack it. We couldn't get there."

The recording sessions for track reportedly took place in Nashville during a QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT U.S. tour.

Taylor went on to say that he wouldn't rule out a new QUEEN album with Lambert on vocals.

"It would be nice to do some stuff," he said. "I wouldn't rule it out. Adam has said, 'Any time you want me to sing on something…' If the other two decide, 'Let's do something', I'd be there."

Lambert, May and Taylor first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They have since completed a number of tours and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world.

In May 2019, Lambert said that he wasn't convinced it was the right move for him to record new music with QUEEN. Speaking to Hunger, he said: "People always ask if we want to record together, and I'm not sure it makes total sense, because it wouldn't really be QUEEN, because, to me, QUEEN is Freddie. My favorite thing is collaborating and putting these concerts together and creating on stage — it's super fulfilling and exciting. To present these ideas to these two gentlemen — especially when they like the idea."

May previously described Lambert as the only singer the band had found capable of filling the shoes of iconic frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991 of complications from to AIDS. "Adam is the first person we've encountered who can do all the QUEEN catalogue without blinking," said May. "He is a gift from God." Taylor echoed the guitarist's sentiments, adding: "[Adam's] incredibly musical, and we certainly take anything he says quite seriously."

Lambert, for his part, downplayed the Mercury comparisons, saying: "There's never going to be another, and I'm not replacing him. That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep the memory alive, and remind people how amazing he was, without imitating him. I'm trying to share with the audience how much he inspired me."

In 2004, QUEEN recruited BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers, with whom they completed two world tours and released an album, "The Cosmos Rocks", in 2008. They amicably parted ways a year later when Rodgers returned to BAD COMPANY. Since 2011, QUEEN has been fronted by Lambert.

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell spoke to Australia's Heavy about his upcoming album, "I Want Blood", which is due on October 18 via Double J Music. The LP, co-produced by Cantrell and Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MELVINS),was recorded at Barresi's JHOC Studio in Pasadena, California. The album features contributions from bass heavyweights Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES) and Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),drummers Gil Sharone (TEAM SLEEP, STOLEN BABIES) and Mike Bordin (FAITH NO MORE),and backing vocals from Lola Colette and Greg Puciato (BETTER LOVERS, ex-THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN).

Asked about his previous comment that "there's a confidence to this album", Cantrell said: "Well, I would hope that most artists would feel pretty confident about their new record. If you don't, you probably shouldn't put it out. Making an album, it's a real commitment, and it's also a real special opportunity that not everybody gets to do. So I take it really seriously. I also have a lot of fun with it, too, and enjoy the process, 'cause it's a long ride to demoing it and writing it and then recording it and then taking it out on tour. So, you're looking at a two-to-three-year commitment there. And you wanna be marching out of the studio with something you feel pretty strongly about. And I think 'I Want Blood', it's the best record I could have made at that time. And I'd stand it up against any work I've done in my career. So, I have that confidence about it, but I make music for me first, and if it satisfies me, I've been really lucky that it seems to do the same for a lot of people who've been interested in work that I've been involved in. Rock and roll's not for everybody, but it finds its people, so it's time to throw it out there and see who grabs on to it."

Regarding his remark that "I Want Blood" is completely unlike his last solo album "Brighten", Cantrell said: "Yeah, well, I mean, it's a different record. It's new songs. It was made in a different time. I've made four [solo albums] now — 'Boggy Depot', 'Degradation Trip', 'Brighten' and 'I Want Blood' — and I dare you to say any one of those records sounds like the other one. They're all supposed to be unique, and they shouldn't sound like your other records. You can count on your musical fingerprint being there, so it should sound like you. I guess what I was talking about earlier is I'm pretty lucky that I can go into a lot of different fields and zones as far as songwriting, and people seem to have followed me when I've gone to those places. And so there's a lot of turf to play around on. What you wanna do is feel like you're standing on some fresh turf when you do a record, that you've done something new, maybe you've stepped up a little bit, hopefully you're getting better at your craft, and it's another one you can throw out to everybody and share with the world. And I definitely feel that way about this record."

Last month, Jerry told Sylvia of the Las Vegas radio station KOMP 92.3 about the songwriting process for "I Want Blood": "Well, I think you have to start each record the same way. There are habits that I instilled in myself and also by being a member of ALICE. We never pulled any punches. We didn't varnish anything. We didn't sand any rough edges off — 'warts and all' was our approach. And so I kind of carry that wherever I go. But the main ethos, if you will, I guess, that I carry within and outside the band, is you have to start from an absolute zero. It doesn't matter what you did before. You did that record, you wrote those songs, so it's gotta be something completely new. And so that's kind of a daunting task, but it's necessary. 'Okay. It's a blank chalkboard, blank piece of paper, absolute zero. What am I gonna do now?' If you're starting from that and not really relying or trying to compete with your past work, it's kind of a freeing thing. You also have the experience of having made some great records and wrote some great songs and been part of some really amazing collectives of people, musicians to make those records. So, I had a pretty good group of folks together to make this one, too — Gil Sharone, Mike Bordin, Robert Trujillo, Duff McKagan, Vincent Jones, Lola Colette and Greg Puciato and Tyler Bates and Joe Barresi. And that's a pretty good group of folks right there. So, you start from a zero and you just go and see where you end up."

Cantrell's tour with BUSH concluded last month, with the North American outing wrapping up at the iconic Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on September 15.

"Brighten" came out in October 2021. The LP was Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years.

Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two other solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has revealed that the band is currently working on a five-part documentary about its "End Of The Road" farewell tour.

The 72-year-old musician shared the news of the documentary's production by posting a photo of his wife Erin being interviewed for the film.

KISS played its two final shows ever in December 2023 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The last show, held on December 2, 2023, streamed live on pay-per-view.

In a fall 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Gene Simmons insisted that the band's final show on the "End Of The Road" tour would be the group's last. "My hand on the Bible," he told the magazine. "And I should know because my people wrote that book. In fact, my people also wrote the follow-up book, the New Testament. And so I'll say right here, right now, my hand on the Bible, it will be the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

Regarding KISS's reasons for hanging it up at this time, Simmons said: "It has nothing to do with ticket sales or anything. It has to do with Mother Nature. And at a certain point, you have to understand that it's going to be a point of diminishing returns because of the kind of band we are. I wear seven-inch platform dragon boots, each weighs as much as a light bowling ball, armor, studs, leather, all that stuff, and that weighs about 40 pounds in total. And I got to spit fire, and fly through the air, and all that, and you got to do it for two hours."

The 75-year-old Simmons also opened up about the emotional weight of the his touring days with KISS coming to an end.

"When I was a kid going to school, my nickname was Mr. Spock," he said. "I've never been much for emotion and stuff like that. I remember my Uncle George, who I loved dearly. I remember standing over his grave, and being sad, but I didn't cry. Tears don't come easy for me. But the few times they have is when I look out at the audience and I see a 50-plus-year-old fan who's been with us ever since he was a kid, wearing KISS makeup. And next to him is his late 20s/early 30s-year-old son wearing makeup, and sitting on the shoulder of his son is his grandson, five-year-old, six-year-old, whatever, wearing our makeup. And that little kid putting up my hand gesture, with the two horns and the thumb out, which actually in sign language means 'I love you,' and sticking his tongue out for the first time. Well, that gets me going every time."

Gene was also asked if there was possibility of a one-off KISS show in the future.

"Paul has his SOUL STATION band," Gene said. "I'm sure he'd love to play some shows. I've got the GENE SIMMONS BAND. At some point, I may want to jump up onstage and do some tunes. But the physicality of being in KISS says that this is the right thing, at the right place, at the right time. Because B.B. King played until his late 80s. He was sitting onstage. We can't do that. We don't sit down."

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

Earlier this year, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage". A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.

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 show.
WOW... My beautiful wife Erin being interviewed today for a five-part documentary on our final tour. I'm blessed. pic.twitter.com/Zi3bYwd0SZ

— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) October 4, 2024

IRON MAIDEN has released a short video in which guitarist Adrian Smith is asked to name his favorite song to perform on the band's ongoing "The Future Past" tour. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My favorite song on 'The Future Past' set has been… Wow, this has been one of my favorite [tours] because I get a lot of room to express myself with my guitar playing — I've got a lot of solos, a lot of songs in the set. So, wow… 'The Writing On The Wall' is a good one. I like that. When you play that opening chord, just a simple chord on the guitar, on the acoustic, the venue just goes quiet and they're, like, 'What's coming next?' I love that. And I love that pause. So that's always a good song to play. And it gives me a bit more room, because it's not so frantic pacing-wise. There's a bit more space for me to sort of put a bit more feel into it. So, I do enjoy that song."

IRON MAIDEN kicked off the fall 2024 North American leg of "The Future Past" on October 4 at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista (a suburb of San Diego),California.

"The Future Past" tour, which includes songs from both IRON MAIDEN's most recent studio album "Senjutsu" as well as 1986’s seminal album "Somewhere In Time", alongside other fan favorites, played to over 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023. The band also performed in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at California's Power Trip festival in October 2023 which had Consequence stating: "IRON MAIDEN set the bar high at Power Trip" and The Desert Sun saying "IRON MAIDEN didn't disappoint and delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note." Featuring one of the most spectacular stage productions of the band's career, it has received rave reviews in every city and country that IRON MAIDEN visited.

MAIDEN's latest album, "Senjutsu", was released in September 2021 via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

In the U.S., "Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

Last month, IRON MAIDEN announced the "Run For Your Lives" world tour, which will launch on May 27, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary, followed by 27 stadium, festival and arena shows around Europe. The tour marks 50 years since Steve Harris formed the band in late 1975 and, to celebrate this, MAIDEN fans are promised a very special setlist, spanning the nine studio albums from "Iron Maiden" to "Fear Of The Dark", with their most spectacular and elaborate show ever. The tour includes five shows in the U.K. and Ireland, with arenas in Birmingham, Manchester and Glasgow, and outdoor shows in Dublin and London. So it is with immense pride that IRON MAIDEN will celebrate their 50th anniversary with one of the most notable concerts in their history.

On Saturday, June 28, 2025, MAIDEN will perform at the London Stadium, home of West Ham Football Club — the team that band founder Steve Harris has supported throughout his life, and with whom IRON MAIDEN have a long and storied history. This concert in front of over 60,000 fans at the London Stadium, which was constructed in Stratford for the 2012 Olympics and four years later became the new home of West Ham, will be the first time that IRON MAIDEN have performed on the club's hallowed turf. A true homecoming show — with Steve Harris, Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Nicko McBrain all born in the surrounding area — it will also be the biggest U.K. venue the band have ever headlined outside of their festival appearances.

Having been established in 1975 in the East End of London, IRON MAIDEN have, over the course of 17 studio albums, more than 110 million records sold and some of the greatest world tours that music has ever witnessed, become one of the greatest and most influential British rock bands of all time. Yet despite their enormous success, they have remained down to earth and true to their roots throughout their career.

The final leg of "The Future Past" tour started in September in Australia and New Zealand and continued through Japan before hitting Canada, United States, Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina and concluding in Sao Paulo, Brazil with two concerts at the huge Allianz Parque Stadium in December.

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