FIREWIND, the band featuring former OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G., has parted ways with singer Herbie Langhans (AVANTASIA, SINBREED) and has replaced him with a returning Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS, WITHERING SCORN).

Gus broke the news of the latest FIREWIND lineup change earlier today (Thursday, November 20) during a YouTube livestream. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "A lot of things have been happening. It seems that it's been a quiet year for FIREWIND, but it has not been a quiet year at all. It's been an eventful year, and we are preparing for a lot of stuff in '26.

"Tomorrow we're gonna have a big press release going out… But the big news that we wanna share first is that Herbie is out of the band," he continued. "I don't know if it's gonna come as a shock to some of you. But maybe if you have been following FIREWIND, it shouldn't be so much of a shock because we have had some singers coming and going, as you know.

"But, yeah, we just wanna wish Herbie Langhans all the best for the time in this band, the music we made together. And we wanted to tune in and let you guys know here first. Herbie was very busy with AVANTASIA and we had a busy schedule and we kept clashing and choices had to be made. But the show must go on. He's a great guy. He's a great singer. He offered a lot to this band, but show must go on. And we have a lot of stuff planned for the next year. We have some really good festivals lined up. We're working on a new album. We're working on more tours for '26 and '27, and at the same time, we wanna announce the new singer."

Regarding Basse's return to FIREWIND, Gus said: "If you guys are new here, we can tell a couple of things about Henning. Henning goes back — way back — with the band, since 2007. He was on the 'Allegiance' world tour. He helped us finish the tour. Then he joined the band for good in 2016. We made an album together called 'Immortals', which is one of the strongest FIREWIND albums in our career. We've done quite a few tours together, and then in 2019 we went separate ways for different reasons, but we always remained friends. And we thought this was perfect timing to call up Henning and see what he's doing and if he would be interested to work with us again. And luckily he was."

Henning, who was also present during the livestream, was enthusiastic about his return to FIREWIND, saying: "I'm back and happy about it. We have a great band vibe going on here. We know each other for so long, and I'm very happy."

Asked if he will be involved with any other projects besides FIREWIND going forward, Henning said: "Well, besides all the touring, I'm a voice coach. I'm a studio singer. I'm doing this for a living, but I don't have any plans on doing another band project live because this is priority and I wanna do this as long as we can… It's the best thing, whatever happened to me now, and all these shitty years behind me, and now it's so much better. So, yeah, this is the future, man."

This past August, Gus told Viky Surmová of Project Backstage that FIREWIND's follow-up to the "Stand United" album, which came out in March 2024 via AFM, would be released through a different record label and that it would be and "epic and massive" concept LP.

Five months ago, Dark Macek of the Brutally Delicious podcast noted in an interview with Gus that a band like BLACK SABBATH has also had a lot of singer changes over the years but has somehow managed to retain a signature sound. Gus concurred, saying: "It's a very good example, actually. And BLACK SABBATH is always my go-to band, because [Tony] Iommi has always very troubled with the singer position in his band, and so have I. But I always looked at history: what did Lord Iommi do back then? What did he do? And what would Tony Iommi do in this situation? And he always came back with another amazing singer.

"I don't care what people say, but I think, in terms of BLACK SABBATH, their worst album, so to speak, is still, by comparison, much better than most metal albums out there," Gus explained. "The stuff the guy writes is just insane. So it depends which era you are into, of course. They have different eras — the '80s and the '90s albums, and the '70s, of course, is the classic stuff with Ozzy [Osbourne].

"Actually, one thing talking about singer changes — yes, it hurts the band, for sure," Gus admitted. "That's the downside. But the good thing is when someone new comes in, it's how you keep things fresh in a way. You bring new energy into the band. And that's what happened with us, with Herbie, five years ago when he came to the band, and he brought this new energy. And the first album we did [2020's 'Firewind'] was kind of put together — we rushed it, 'cause we had to go on this major tour and then everything got canceled 'cause of COVID. But then I think 'Stand United', we kind of found each other. I started writing more for the singer, a specific singer's voice. And I think this is what is happening right now. We're kind of capitalizing on that. And we've been building on that thing."

"Stand United" featured nine brand new songs produced with Dennis Ward (MAGNUM, UNISONIC),as well as a cover of the 1980s pop rock classic "Talking In Your Sleep", originally recorded by THE ROMANTICS but given a metal twist in the style of FIREWIND.

FIREWIND released a concert album/Blu-ray, "Still Raging", in September 2023 via AFM Records.

Gus and Langhans got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

Heavy metal legend, acclaimed filmmaker and pop culture icon Rob Zombie has released "Heathen Days", the second single from his upcoming eighth studio album, "The Great Satan", due out February 27, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. Following the success of his Top 10-charting record "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy" (2021),Zombie is back, revisiting his early Hellbilly roots for a slaughterhouse of anthemic punk infused heavy rock/metal.

"The Great Satan" track listing:

01. F.T.W. 84
02. Tarantula
03. (I'm a) Rock 'N' Roller
04. Heathen Days
05. Who Am I
06. Black Rat Coffin
07. Sir Lord Acid Wolfman
08. Punks And Demons
09. The Devilman
10. Out of Sight
11. Revolution Motherfuckers
12. Welcome To The Electric Age
13. The Black Scorpion
14. Unclean Animals
15. Grave Discontent

Rob's seventh studio album, "The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy", was released in March 2021 via Nuclear Blast. The LP marked Rob's first new album in nearly five years. The follow-up to 2016's "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser" was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris.

"The Lunar Injection Kool Aid Eclipse Conspiracy" was the third consecutive effort to feature Zombie and guitarist John 5 alongside bassist Matt "Piggy D." Montgomery and drummer Ginger Fish.

In the fall of 2022, John 5 exited Rob's band to join MÖTLEY CRÜE as the replacement for that group's founding guitarist Mick Mars. John 5 has since been replaced in Zombie's band by returning guitarist Mike Riggs.

Riggs had previously spent six years as a member of ROB ZOMBIE. Riggs joined forces with Rob in the '90s and stayed with him into the early 2000s, eventually leaving in 2004 (when Rob Zombie was largely focusing on films rather than music) to start a project of his own. Riggs songwriting and crunching guitars can be heard on Rob Zombie's "Hellbilly Deluxe", "American Made Music To Strip By", "The Sinister Urge" and "The Past, Present & Future" records.

More recently, Riggs had kept busy with his band SCUM OF THE EARTH, named after a song from "Sinister Urge". SCUM OF THE EARTH favors the sort of rhythmic, industrial-influenced, mildly funky, hip-hop-minded alternative metal that Riggs honed during his initial Rob Zombie days.

John 5 had worked with Zombie for 16 years, co-writing on all studio albums since "Educated Horses", and composing the score for Zombie's 2013 movie "The Lords Of Salem".

In January 2024, Piggy D. announced that he was exiting Rob's band after 18 years. Matt has since been replaced by a returning Rob "Blasko" Nicholson.

Blasko was a member of Rob Zombie's band from 1997 through 2006, playing bass on the first three Zombie albums: "Hellbilly Deluxe", "The Sinister Urge" and "Educated Horses".

Nicholson left Zombie in May 2006 in order to join Ozzy Osbourne's recording/touring band.

Montgomery's debut performance with Rob Zombie came on May 24, 2006 during an appearance on CBS's "Late Night Show With David Letterman".

Rob Zombie press photo courtesy of Nuclear Blast

LAMB OF GOD has released "Parasocial Christ", a relentless three-minute assault that once again pairs the Richmond, Virginia metallers with longtime producer Josh Wilbur. The standalone single follows "Sepsis", which arrived in early October and has dominated the U.S. metal charts for the past two weeks.

"Parasocial Christ" is accompanied by a stark, desaturated video directed by Jon Vulpine, whose unsettling visual style mirrors the track's intensity as it captures a man's descent into madness.

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe comments: "The Information Age has birthed the attention economy, an industry worth hundreds of billions of dollars anchored in keeping eyeballs firmly glued to screens, thus generating ad revenue. Every second spent clicking and scrolling through the trivial and/or sordid details of other people's lives, people that you will most likely never meet — celebrities, politicians, influencers — is another dollar in some already obscenely wealthy tech bro's wallet. You are a product, and you are being sold in a marketplace you have no share in. The irony of you reading this some social media platform or music news aggregator site is not lost on me; nevertheless I hope this song might make you consider who and what you give your attention to. Fuck the clickbait, put down the phone, go live your life — it's waiting for you out in what's left of the real world."

Earlier this week, LAMB OF GOD announced a 2026 North American tour, produced by Live Nation, featuring support from KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY and SANGUISUGABOGG. Kicking off in Maryland on March 17, the trek will run across North America, hitting cities like Toronto, Portland, Albuquerque, Nashville, and Buffalo. The tour will conclude in Boston on April 26.

"Sepsis" was LAMB OF GOD's first new original song since 2022's "Omens". Produced by Wilbur, the track celebrates the Richmond underground and the bands LAMB OF GOD performed alongside during their early years. The band also shared a live video for "Sepsis", capturing the electrifying live debut of the song at Aftershock festival.

Consequence named the three-and-a-half minute track its "heavy song of the week," describing the single as "crushing" while Revolver spotlighted "Sepsis", calling it a "rock-solid addition to their ever-crushing canon."

"Sepsis" arrived during a milestone year for LAMB OF GOD. In 2025, the band celebrated the 25th anniversary of its discography, performed at the historic "Back To The Beginning" concert and subsequently released their thunderous take on BLACK SABBATH's "Children Of The Grave", along with appearances at several festivals, including Inkcarceration and Louder Than Life, and a headlining show at Richmond's new 7500-seat outdoor venue Allianz Amphitheater during its opening season.

LAMB OF GOD is Randy Blythe (vocals),John Campbell (bass),Mark Morton (guitar),Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums). Formed in 1994, the Richmond, Virginia-based band has released nine critically acclaimed albums, received five Grammy Award nominations, sold over three million albums, packed arenas around the world, and tallied over one billion streams and counting. Widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative forces in modern heavy music LAMB OF GOD's most recent collection, "Omens", arrived in late 2022 , marking their sixth consecutive album to debut in the Top 15 of on the Billboard 200. Kerrang! noted that the album finds the band "as reliably heavy, violent, and pissed off as ever," and Consequence said the "album will break you down to nihilistic pieces."

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In a new interview with Czech Republic's Project Backstage, Eicca Toppinen of Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA spoke about "I Don't Care", which was released in 2008 as the third and final single from the band's sixth album "Worlds Collide" and features Adam Gontier, lead singer of THREE DAYS GRACE, on lead vocals. The song reached No. 1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart for one week and No. 2 on the Alternative Songs chart where it spent a year in the Top 20. Eicca said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. It is one of my first real co-writes. And I'm so lucky that I got an opportunity to write a song with Max Martin. I don't know if you know Max Martin, but he's a Swedish songwriter. He's one of the most successful songwriters in the pop world of all time. So he's behind all BACKSTREET BOYS [hits], last The Weeknd albums, Britney Spears, ACE OF BASE, starting from ACE OF BASE. So, he's done songs for Pink, whoever. If you Google Max Martin, he's the probably most successful songwriter of all time after Paul McCartney and John Lennon. So I got an opportunity to write with him, and as a result of that [we have] 'I Don't Care'. And we have two versions of 'I Don't Care' because Adam Gontier, who was a singer of THREE DAYS GRACE, a Canadian band. He was the singer for that. And we did the first version for the album, but then in America, the record company was, like, 'For the radio, we have to rethink this and we have to kind of remix it so it fits today kind of radio song.' So we have also an American edition of that. It's basically everything the same, but the vocal performance and a little bit structure of the song is changed and the mix."

Reflecting on "I Don't Care"'s enduring popularity, Toppinen said: "It's an evergreen hit. It's still streaming over three million streams a month on Spotify after almost 20 years. So it's a hard-proven song. If some song is going so strong 20 years after the release, it tells something about the song. But I love the song. It's condensing APOCALYPTICA mood with this kind of powerful vocal structure of songs. So it's a very unique piece."

APOCALYPTICA's latest album, "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2", continues the journey that began in 1996 when cellists from Helsinki's world-renowned Sibelius Academy played symphonic tribute to METALLICA. The "One" single saw METALLICA frontman James Hetfield joining proceedings for a soul-stirring, spoken word of those inimitable, now-immortal lyrics.

The album's lead single was "The Four Horsemen", a song that originally appeared on METALLICA's 1983 debut "Kill 'Em All". It features a guest appearance by METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo.

APOCALYPTICA's ninth studio album, "Cell-0", was released in January 2020 via Silver Lining Music.

The recording of "Cell-0" followed a four-year break between albums that gave the band — Eicca Toppinen, Perttu Kivilaakso and Paavo Lötjönen, all of whom are classically-trained musicians — a fresh perspective and affected the way they approached the new music. The album saw them return to their roots and was the quartet's first instrumental album in 17 years, finding APOCALYPTICA challenging themselves to discover new flavors and colors in their respective instruments.

In a new interview with Allison Hagendorf, the surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN discussed the album they are working on featuring previously unreleased recordings they made with late frontman Chris Cornell before his 2017 death. Guitarist Kim Thayil, drummer Matt Cameron and bassist Ben Shepherd are collaborating with producer Terry Date, who previously helmed SOUNDGARDEN's "Louder Than Love" (1989) and "Badmotorfinger" (1991) LPs. Kim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That's one of the cool things about Terry, is he never imposed his production style or sound on any bands. He would learn from the bands. And one of the things he would assert when he took a job was, 'I want this to be a co-production thing.' And it's, like, 'Well, that fits just perfect with the kind of band we are.' There are a lot of producers out there who have a particular style — for instance, you think about Phil Spector and the 'wall of sound'. It's, like, okay, well, that's his thing. But producers had that kind of role in the '60s and, to some degree, the '70s, but with the way bands are post-1977, they have a sense of what they're writing and what they wanna sound like, and the producers should simply facilitate that. And Terry's that guy. I mean, you listen to records he's done, and it's very different from certainly what he's done with us. There isn't a signature Terry Date thing. It is him helping the band be the band."

Asked by Hagendorf about his previous comment that some SOUNDGARDEN fans might even be surprised to hear that the songwriting was going in a little bit of a different direction from the group's previous efforts, Matt said: "There's very familiar elements in some of this new music, but, yeah, there was a couple songs that felt like it was kind of a new chapter or it could have been a new chapter. So it's really exciting to hear that. It's bittersweet, of course."

He continued: "But, yeah, I'm really excited for people to hear it, have our fans hear it. It's fun for us to be working on it. And sometimes listening to it, it's overpowering. But, yeah, I'm super proud of the music that we did put together. And we're pretty close [to finishing it]. And, yeah, it is nice having Terry on board with us, for sure."

Ben went on to say that when he first heard the demos, he didn't realize how powerful they were until he started laying down his tracks.

"I was going to get coffee down the hall from the control room, and Nate and Terry were playing it back — Nate's our assistant engineer on it," Ben recalled. "It was, like, 'Holy hell. That SOUNDGARDEN. It's so cool to hear it again.'"

Added Kim: "Yeah, it's like we had these various demos, and you had a particular quality. And it was, like, 'Okay, how do we flesh this out?' And then we start doing it, and it's, like, 'This sounds different.' It's almost like you can pinpoint before and after. It's, like, 'Now it's SOUNDGARDEN.'"

Earlier this month, SOUNDGARDEN joined the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2025 in the Performer category. The Seattle grunge legends were first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction this year.

Thayil, Cameron, Cornell and Shepherd are being included in the induction, as is original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who was with SOUNDGARDEN from 1984 to 1989 and played on the band's first two EPs and first two albums.

Last month, Cameron told The Seattle Times about the status of the recordings made before Cornell's death: "It's a massive emotional roller coaster. A lot of highs, a lot of lows. The highs are based on the fact that the music is seeing its light of day, it's coming to life. Some of it feels like it could have been a new chapter in songwriting for the group, so that's super bittersweet. But it's been challenging to work on some of this music, soloing up Chris's vocals and hearing that beautiful voice come through the speakers all on its own.'

Referencing the years-long legal dispute with Vicky Cornell, the widow and personal representative of Chris's estate, over the release of the singer's final recordings, Thayil added: "The delay in the process was damaging in some ways to the emotive nature of the experience. Certainly, it's great that we're doing it now. I'm wondering — because you can't help but wonder — how that emotive and creative journey might have been undertaken six, seven, eight years ago. You will never know that, and there's something unfortunate (and) damaging about that. But there's something also beneficial about that because we're doing it now, and it's beautiful. It's a way to post tribute to our beloved brother. All of it just has that much more weight emotionally and creatively, and we don't take that lightly."

Asked if the surviving SOUNDGARDEN members could perform the new songs live one day, Cameron said: "We haven't really gotten there yet. We're just trying to get the music together. But I think there might be some situations where it would be really cool to do that. It's just a matter of getting the right people together, and we've got some amazing people that we've been working with, some singers that have expressed interest. So, we're really, really excited about what that could potentially look like."

In September, Cameron was asked by Lyndsey Parker of Gold Derby and Lyndsanity! with Lyndsey Parker when the upcoming SOUNDGARDEN album was written and recorded with Chris. Matt said: "Well, gosh, we started songwriting together, trading demos back and forth around 2015, '16, something like that. And then we had some sessions in 2017 before we went out on tour, just rough rehearsal. We recorded some rehearsals. But the vocals that we're using are from the demos that we all recorded together. And so we're just sort of building our tracks around those vocal parts. But yeah, it sounds killer, and we're really excited to finish it."

After Parker noted that it "must be emotional and bittersweet to hear" Cornell's voice and to hear those tracks a decade after they were originally laid down, Cameron concurred. "It really is," he said. "But I think we're trying to stay focused on the overall sound of it and all the reasons for us doing it. But, yeah, it's been tough to solo up that voice and hear him loud and clear. But I think the fans will like it and it's gonna be a really nice way to finish the creative chapter in SOUNDGARDEN."

Cameron also confirmed that one of the songs that will appear on SOUNDGARDEN's new album is a track that he co-wrote, called "The Road Less Traveled". He said: "I wrote this music that I didn't really know if it would fit for SOUNDGARDEN, but I just sent Chris all these musical ideas around 2016 or so, '16, '15. And that's one that he really liked. He made an arrangement from my demo and then he added vocals to it, and it came out really, really good. The lyrics are mesmerizing, as always. But, yeah, that's gonna be a really great one for people to hear. It has all the trademark elements that SOUNDGARDEN fans might be familiar with, as well as a little bit of new territory. And there's two or three other songs that do sound like the band, but I think we were able to sort of stretch out a little bit creatively, and hopefully when people hear that song, they'll notice that as well. But, yeah, I guess it's hard rock. It's sort of bluesy, sort of psychedelic, sort of folky, I guess all the things that we were known for. So, I hope people like that one when they finally do hear it."

This past May, Thayil told Rolling Stone that he was optimistic SOUNDGARDEN's final album would see the light of day. "Our objective and goal was always to complete that," he said. "I probably have OCD enough to not want to leave something unfinished or incomplete like that, so I think the more we can attend to our body of work and our catalog…I think everyone in the band feels that way. I don't just to attend to my work, but the collective work, and in this case specifically, the work of Chris."

Thayil continued: "I have pride for what I did and I want to see that come out. It doesn't exist in the vacuum. It exists as a collaboration with Matt and Ben and Chris, but it takes on an entirely different weight when you think about what it is you're honoring, and the work that you're paying tribute to. It is us collectively. We want to do it proud. And that part of us is certainly one of the most intimate components of what SOUNDGARDEN has been since 1984."

He added: "It would be a great gift to the fans. And I do think about this, and I don't know how strange this sounds, but I feel like it's a gift to Chris too."

Back in April 2023, SOUNDGARDEN and Vicky Cornell announced that they had reached "an amicable out-of-court resolution" regarding the release of recordings made before the singer's death.

The resolution came less than two years after SOUNDGARDEN and Vicky came to a temporary agreement that would transfer the SOUNDGARDEN social media accounts and web site to the band's remaining members, Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd and their managers, Red Light Management. This included SOUNDGARDEN's web site, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

In March 2021, Thayil, Cameron, Shepherd and their business manager Rit Venerus filed papers in Washington state U.S. District Court claiming that Vicky Cornell had locked them out of their Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vimeo, YouTube, Snapchat, Tumblr, Top Spin and Pinterest accounts, as well as SOUNDGARDEN's official web site, and changing all the passwords.

Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd claimed their socials were previously managed by their then-management company Patriot Management. They said they later learned that Patriot had handed over all the login information to Vicky after Patriot was terminated in October 2019.

The band asked a judge to order Vicky Cornell to hand over the passwords or include a final posting stating, "SOUNDGARDEN has temporarily suspended its official social media accounts due to pending litigation."

Cornell was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel in May 2017, following a SOUNDGARDEN show at the city's Fox Theatre. His body was found soon after he had spoken with a "slurred" voice to his wife by phone. The death was ruled a suicide.

In December 2019, Vicky filed a lawsuit against the surviving SOUNDGARDEN members, alleging the group owed Cornell's estate hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties and the rights to seven unreleased recordings made before the singer's death. Cornell is credited as a writer on all seven songs, receiving sole credit on two, "Cancer" and "Stone Age Mind". He wrote "Road Less Traveled", "Orphans" and "At Ophians Door" with Matt Cameron; "Ahead Of The Dog" with Kim Thayil; and "Merrmas" with Ben Shepherd.

At the time, Vicky claimed that Chris made seven recordings at his personal studio in Florida in 2017, adding that there was no explicit agreement as to whether the recordings were meant for SOUNDGARDEN, which made Chris the exclusive owner. However, the surviving SOUNDGARDEN members responded by saying that the unreleased recordings were the result of writing and recording sessions going as far back as 2015. They also pointed to public interviews with Chris and Thayil that suggested that SOUNDGARDEN had been working on the material since 2015, and detailed recording sessions up until April 2017, just one month before Chris's death. SOUNDGARDEN also included several text exchanges from Vicky, in which she referred to the unreleased recordings as the "SG files". They also provided a March 2017 e-mail from Vicky which said that Chris was travelling for the "SG record". The band went on to refute Vicky's claim that Chris's recordings took place in his personal studio in Florida in 2017, insisting that most of the actual sound files "significantly predate 2017" and that the recording sessions took place in Seattle and New York while the band was touring.

Responding to Vicky's lawsuit, Thayil, Shepherd and Cameron claimed that they "don't have possession" of their "own creative work," and alleged that "Vicky Cornell has possession of the only existing multi-track recordings of the last SOUNDGARDEN tracks that include Chris Cornell's instrumental parts and vocals. All of the band members jointly worked on these final tracks, Vicky now claims ownership of the final SOUNDGARDEN album."

Thayil, Shepherd and Cameron initially accused Vicky Cornell of misusing funds from the January 2019 "I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell" concert. After being challenged by Cornell's attorneys with the threat of sanctions, SOUNDGARDEN withdrew that portion of its countersuit, while its lawyers wrote at the time that the band believes the claims "remain well-founded."

In February 2021, Vicky Cornell sued the surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN over the buyout price for her stake in the band. In the lawsuit, Vicky Cornell said Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd offered her just $300,000 for Chris's share. This amount, she said, is far lower than the real value of the Chris Cornell estate's interests in SOUNDGARDEN, especially considering the fact that the band got an offer of $16 million from an outside investor for SOUNDGARDEN's masters.

Aborym are thrilled to announce a new lineup that marks a significant return to their musical origins. With a fresh perspective and a renewed dedication to their roots, the band is ready to embark on a new chapter marked by a ferocious return to the industrial extreme metal of their With No Human Intervention, Generator, Kali Yuga Bizarre and Fire Walk With Usclassics.

The new lineup reunites Fabban with drummer Atum and guitarist Munholy, bringing back the legendary Malfeitor formation after many years.

The band has spent the past few months crafting new material that captures the authentic sound and raw emotion that first captivated audiences. Drawing from their formative influences, fans can expect a blend of nostalgic atmospheres and unsettling innovations — extremely violent, dark, and uncompromising — in the upcoming music.

Aborym will enter the studio in April 2026 for the recording sessions and will return to the stage for a massive series of disturbing, club-fighting shows, where they will perform new songs alongside classics from Kali Yuga Bizarre, Fire Walk With Us, With No Human Interventionand Generator.

The masters of Industrial Extreme Metal are coming.

The new lineup features:

Atum – drums, vocals
Fabban – synthesizers, modular synths, bass, vocals
Munholy – guitars, vocals

“We are incredibly excited about the new energy this line-up brings to the band and into our private lives,” says Atum. “Returning to the roots allows us to explore the sound that inspired Aborym in the first place, while embracing the new influences we encountered over the years, especially through our time in Malfeitor. We can’t wait for our fans to hear what we’ve been working on. Prepare for something truly violent and dark — eye-popping extreme music as it was done in the ’90s.”

“As we embark on this exciting new chapter,” Fabban adds, “we are filled with a renewed fascination for the music that first inspired us — and everything happened naturally from the moment Atum and I met again in Spain. Our journey has been marked by growth, change, and evolution, but the essence of who we are has always been rooted in the passion and creativity that ignited our initial spark. Reuniting with this line-up allows us to reconnect with that original spirit. Each member brings a unique perspective and energy that not only honors our past but also propels us into unexplored territories. Together, we are creating music that reflects our shared experiences while staying faithful to the sound that first resonated with our fans. We are excited to revisit the themes and sounds that shaped us, blending them with our evolution to create something fresh, meaningful — and really, really violent and disturbing.”

Former SLIPKNOT and current SUICIDAL TENDENCIES drummer Jay Weinberg has released his debut solo single, "Sandstone".

The official visualizer for the track, co-directed by Aubrey McCoy and Liam Stewart, can be seen below.

"Sandstone", which features guest vocals from DEAFHEAVEN frontman George Clarke, was recorded at Masterworks Studios in Nolensville, Tennessee by Shannon Forrest, Schematic Studios in Nashville, Tennessee by Brandon Highfill, and Sound Of Sirens Studios in Los Angeles, California by Toshi Kasai. The song was mixed by Zach Weeks and mastered by Nick Townshend.

In an interview with Australia's Wall Of Sound, Weinberg stated about "Sandstone": "It's the first song I've ever released under my own name, and it's the first song in a series of collaborations, an EP that I have that's in various stations of completion, but that I'm hoping to have out in the early part of 2026."

As for why he decided to launch a collaboration-based project rather than make a solo album in a more traditional sense, Jay said: "I've always wanted to collaborate with mainly vocalists and just create a very low-pressure, like, 'Hey, here's a song, why don't we', instead of... 'Oh, we got to start a side project.' In the instance of 'Sandstone', I really felt like the music I was creating really lent itself to what my friend George Clark would be able to do with his voice and his lyrics, and I just kind pitched it to him like, 'Hey, let's do this one song'. And he heard that loud and clear, came in and completely schooled it. It was incredible to watch it come to a fully realized form of a song."

This past July, Weinberg told the Podioslave Podcast that he had been working on his solo project for more than a decade. He said:  "I've been working on, for lack of a better way of putting it, a solo album, but it's certainly not solo in the terms of it's not just me. I'm playing all the instruments on it and I'm collaborating with many different vocalists who I've been inspired by. I've always wanted do something like this where, like with my friend Conner [Sullivan, a.k.a.] Argus, there are many people in life that we always meet, and it's, like, 'Dude, you're so rad. Let's start a side project or something like that.' And it's difficult. We all have lives. we all have our main things that we do, and life takes us in directions and it's hard to focus and embark on, like, 'Hey, let's make a record. Let's start a band. Let's do whatever.' But I think it's more easily manageable if I write a song and I've come up with it and I'm, like, man, 'Vocally this direction, it could be really great with this guy, this girl on it,' who's a friend of mine that I've always wanted to work with. And I kind of pitch it to them, like, 'Hey, here's this thing. What would you think vocally and lyrically and stuff? I think this is up your alley. What do you think?' So I've been working on something this entire year that I'm really, really excited about."

Weinberg continued: "But, yeah, that's been a huge undertaking that I'm really excited about, hopefully getting out there starting in the fall or so. I made kind of a deal with myself that this material that I've been writing and rearranging and working on for years — I was unable to do anything with it, but now that I have the freedom and the ability to exercise all this stuff, it's been an incredible creative endeavor. I'm teaching myself how to be a recorded guitar player and bass player and keyboard player and all this. I've been writing this material since like 20… I have a demo of one of these songs that dates back to 2011. And I've always found working on, guitars — I'm surrounded by the guitars I play with — that helps reinforce or reinform how I approach the drums, and I'm listening to what I'm making, not just from wearing my drummer's hat and, like, 'Oh, just make the drums louder. That would be awesome.' It's not just that. I'm listening to this, because I have such a heavy hand in all of it. Myself, the guitar player, has to respect myself as the drummer and vice versa. And as the painter who's going to be doing the artwork and stuff like that, it's all undertakings that I'm taking on. So it's slow goings, but I'm very proud of it and I'm hoping that some of that stuff starts to see the light of day hopefully this fall, is kind of like the deal that I've made with myself. So we'll see. Knock on wood. We'll see what happens."

Regarding the musical direction of his solo material, Jay said: "Sonically, it's all stuff that I've always wanted to dive into. I think my influences from NEUROSIS and INTERPOL and MY BLOODY VALENTINE show their face in this kind of material more so than it has in other music that I've been a part of writing or recording in the past. So I'm very thrilled to get this stuff out, for sure."

Weinberg first revealed his plans to release a solo album in January, sharing on social media that he that he had "put together a group" in 2017 to play his solo music in a band setting, "during a prolonged downtime from touring." He wrote at the time: "I haven't touched these songs since then, until recently feeling inspiration to pick the guitar back up and kick this stuff around again. It's been a fulfilling experience, and I'll tell you — I'm starting to like where these songs are headed. It feels good to finally set the intention of releasing some of this new music in the coming year."

As well as sharing his excitement to support METALLICA with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES this spring and summer, Jay added that he was "equally pumped to spend considerable time in the studio, especially working on this collection of songs. Stoked for you to hear them. When they're ready, you'll know."

During an appearance on a July 2024 episode of the "One Life One Chance With Toby Morse" podcast, Weinberg addressed his surprise firing from SLIPKNOT in November 2023, saying: "Truth be told, I'm at kind of a point where I'm not quite yet really ready to talk about it, really. And that's not to dismiss the conversation, but I've spent time, and spend time, just processing the entire experience. And the experience not being the last six months, but really the last 10 years [of playing with SLIPKNOT]. And finally, in a way, processing all of that. And doing it in kind of what I would consider the responsible way.

"I have a fantastic therapist who helps me," he continued. "Before I speak on it, it's important for me to do the right work of processing these events that you spend 10 years exclusively committed to one thing. There's a lot to process that on the other side. And I think there is definitely a time where I'll speak to my lived experience over those ten years — just not quite yet."

On November 5, 2023, SLIPKNOT released a statement via social media in which it said it had "decided to make a creative decision and to part ways with Jay."

Six days later, Weinberg, who replaced Joey Jordison, SLIPKNOT's original drummer, in 2013, shared on Instagram that he "was heartbroken and blindsided to receive the phone call", "the news of which, most of you learned shortly after."

Jay played his final show with SLIPKNOT on November 3, 2023 at the Hell & Heaven festival in Toluca, Mexico.

Jay discovered SLIPKNOT when he was a pre-teen, through his father. He was hooked immediately and was a huge fan of SLIPKNOT by the time he was invited to Los Angeles to try out as replacement for Joey Jordison in 2013.

For the first few months after the release of 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter", the members of SLIPKNOT had declined to name the musicians who were playing drums and bass on their tour, despite the fact that their identities were revealed as Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella by a disgruntled former drumtech for SLIPKNOT who posted a picture of a backstage call sheet on Instagram.

".5: The Gray Chapter" went on to score a trio of Grammy nominations, including two for "Best Metal Performance" and a nomination for "Best Rock Album".

Weinberg also played on 2019's "We Are Not Your Kind" and 2022's "The End, So Far", both of which topped Billboard's rock albums chart.

In February 2024, SLIPKNOT recruited former SEPULTURA drummer Eloy Casagrande as the replacement for Jay.

Prior to joining SLIPKNOT, Jay played with AGAINST ME! and MADBALL.

Jay played his first concert with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in March 2024 in Osaka, Japan.

In addition to Weinberg and frontman Mike Muir, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' current lineup features lead guitarist Dean Pleasants, rhythm guitarist Ben Weinman (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and bassist Tye Trujillo (son of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo).

Weinberg's pairing with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES came less than two months after he was announced as the new drummer of INFECTIOUS GROOVES, the long-running outfit formed more than three decades ago by Robert Trujillo alongside Robert's then-SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bandmate Muir.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Wall Of Sound (@wallofsoundau)

In a new interview with "The Jasta Show", hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, DOWN guitarist Kirk Windstein offered an update on the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited new album. Kirk is joined in the long-running heavy metal supergroup by vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower and bassist Pat Bruders. Kirk said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We kind of got it set up for Pepper and I to finish all the guitars in November. He doesn't get home till October 27th or something, and we [in CROWBAR] do the [Headbangers] Boat, but we're home. We'll be home on the 5th of November, so I'm pretty much ready. Give me two or three days, and we'll start knocking out guitar."

Kirk continued: "Phil's doing the vocals at [his] home studio, and that's where drums and bass were done. We did all the rhythm guitars at Duane's [Simoneaux]. And Eddie's [Mapp, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's live sound engineer] going out with ZAKK SABBATH on that tour, which is long. So he's gonna be going all the way up to practically Christmas, so me and Pepper are, like, we might as well just do it at Duane's and knock out the solos and sweetie tracks and stuff over there. But I think Phil's got the proper files on two of the songs. So, to my knowledge, by the weekend or going in the next week, he may have done two already. We were talking at [the] Louder Than Life [festival in September], and he's, like, dude, 'I guess I oughta just…' 'Cause he's already got it all written and planned out. Drums and bass are done, rhythm guitars are done. And he goes, 'I guess I oughta just knock it out while my pipes are good,' because that PANTERA/AMON AMARTH [tour] was long. They did have a break and all, but it was long. And I said, 'Yeah, dude, just go for it while you're feeling good.' I mean, he can do it on his own schedule, his own pace. All he's gotta do is say, 'Yeah, I wanna sing today.' Or, 'Yeah, I ain't feeling it. Okay, I'll can come in tomorrow' or whatever. But it's 10 tracks, [and] he's got great ideas on all of 'em. It's really gonna be a killer, killer record."

As for his expectations for the next DOWN album, Windstein said: "It's either gonna totally be this huge thing or just flop. But if you're a DOWN fan, I don't see how you can not like it."

This past August, Kirk confirmed to Geoff of the Gas Masks & Hand Grenades podcast that DOWN was originally going to release a covers LP next. "It started out that way," Kirk said. "And that was the talk for quite a while, and it was kind of, like, well, if we're gonna learn all these really obscure songs, in the time it's gonna take us to learn all these fucking things and kind of make 'em our own, we could probably write originals. So we got together in January of 2024. Went to Phil's [rehearsal and recording studio]. Pepper, myself, Jimmy and Pat had gotten together and come up with a few ideas, and Phil had some stuff. We went out for three days and came back, came home, and by the time we were done, we had seven songs — not perfectly arranged."

Elaborating on the songwriting and recording process for the new DOWN material, Kirk said: "When we got together to write, the chemistry is just undeniable. It's just magic. We've known each other so long, we've jammed together for so long. And Pepper and I did something — [it was] kind of his idea, but I thought it was a pretty brilliant idea. Jimmy doesn't play to a click track, so it's harder [to keep time], especially when you're not looking at him. So, he said, 'You know what? Let's track the fucking guitars together. Let's not do one guy, then one guy. Let's pick out one section, let's make it through the whole fucking verse, and if one of us fucks up, we stop, go back and start it again.' So we're doing it, just playing together and shit. So it's got more of a live feel, because Pat and Jimmy laid the drums and bass down together, and now we're doing guitars together with the rhythm tracks and shit."

He added: "DOWN's one of the few bands — of course we use Pro Tools [recording software], but we don't do click tracks and fix shit. It's real music."

As for a possible release date for the next DOWN album, Windstein said: "I would guess — hoping by the summer next year."

Earlier in the month, Kirk told The Five Count radio show in Mankato, Minnesota about the upcoming DOWN LP: "We couldn't be more excited about the material we have. The songs are extremely strong and they're very old school. They're put together really well, arranged really well, great riffs. We're real excited about it and I think the fans will be equally as excited."

This past April, it was announced that DOWN had signed with Nuclear Blast Records.

When the deal with Nuclear Blast was first announced, the label said in a statement: "Nuclear Blast is proud to be in the trenches with NOLA legends DOWN as their partner in their long overdue return to the metal world. In addition, we are excited to bring some of their key past catalog releases back into the spotlight, especially on the vinyl side. There are so many longtime DOWN fans at Nuclear Blast who are excited to be working with one of their all-time favorite bands. 2026 can't come soon enough!"

Anselmo stated: "It's good to sign with Nuclear Blast Records. It's a good label home and we're ready to make some awesome recordings!"

Keenan said: "Having already been a part of the Nuclear Blast family with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, it is an honor and a privilege to be here as well with my brothers in DOWN. The team at Nuclear Blast is a well-oiled machine and you can definitely tell they love what they do. We are in the right place."

Bower added: "Nuclear Blast is a great label that put out some excellent records. It's an honor to have them work our jams!"

DOWN headlined night one of this year's edition of the Milwaukee Metal Fest in May. The show followed the band's recent Western U.S. tour with DANZIG.

In April 2024, Windstein, who is also the frontman of CROWBAR, told Concrete Spew about the musical direction of the new DOWN material: "It just sounds like DOWN. I mean, it sounds refreshing because we haven't done it in so long, gotten together with me and the guys and done it in — fuck — 12 years or something. So it sounds like DOWN, I think, to me, it sounds more old-school DOWN. And the reason I say that is I think we got to a point where… Like, the 'NOLA' record is so simple, and it just wrote itself; it was so simple. And that's how this is coming about, which is great."

He continued: "We're not overthinking it. We're not trying to make things too complex. Phillip's not trying to write so many lyrics and things. We just kind of got away — I hate to say 'got away', 'cause anything we do is DOWN, but, to me, we kind of got a little bit… We needed to go back and look at each other and just go, 'Let's just get in a room and do it like we did from the beginning.' And that's what it feels like to me. It's very magical. The ideas and the working together, just bounce off of one another, it's a natural thing."

DOWN played its rescheduled concert at Inn Of The Mountain Gods Resort And Casino in Mescalero, New Mexico on September 27, 2024. The band was originally supposed to perform at at Inn Of The Mountain Gods on June 20, 2024, but the show was called off due to a pair of rapidly growing wildfires which were converging on a village inside a tribal reservation in the state. As a result of the postponement, DOWN played two pop-up shows in Louisiana — on June 20, 2024 at Southport Hall in New Orleans and on June 21, 2024 at Varsity Theatre in Baton Rouge.

Prior to Southport Hall, DOWN's last concert took place in September 2022 at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia.

DOWN made a handful of rare live appearances in the spring and summer of 2022. The band launched a three-date U.S. run of shows in May 2022 at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. After playing in Atlanta and Dallas immediately after Rockville, DOWN took a three-week break before regrouping for three European festival appearances in June. The aforementioned appearance at that year's Blue Ridge Rock Festival followed in September 2022.

In August 2021, DOWN took part in a very special in-person live and virtual experience. "NOLA Town Throwdown" was held at the Fillmore in New Orleans, Louisiana and featured fans attending the show in person as well as watching it in real time from the comfort of their living room.

In August 2020, DOWN celebrated the 25th anniversary of "NOLA" with a special livestreamed event. Dubbed "The Quarter Century Throwdown", the high-production, multi-camera event took place using cutting-edge streaming technology to create a one-of-a-kind virtual concert experience.

A founding member of DOWN, Windstein left the band in 2013 in order to focus on CROWBAR and his family life. He was replaced by Bobby Landgraf, DOWN's former guitar tech who was previously in GAHDZILLA MOTOR COMPANY, a 1990s outfit also featuring Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS, WATCHTOWER),and HONKY.

Windstein announced his return to DOWN in 2019, with the band confirming a number of festival appearances for 2020 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of "NOLA", all of which were later canceled or postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic which swept the globe.

Prior to the August 2020 livestream, DOWN's last live appearance took place in August 2016 at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas.

The supergroup hasn't issued anything since the arrival of the "Down IV – Part Two" EP in May 2014.

"Down IV – Part Two" sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release in May 2014 to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous EP, "Down IV Part I – The Purple EP", opened with around 12,000 units in September 2012 to land at No. 35.

"Down IV – Part Two" was recorded at Nodferatu's Lair — Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson. It was released via Down Records/ADA Music.

Photo by MetalDave Media

Legendary rockers CHEAP TRICK returned to the iconic Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on October 1, 2025. The eight-and-a-half-minute short film below captures the beautiful bond shared by CHEAP TRICK, the country of Japan and the band's incredible Japanese fans — a bond as alive today as it was in 1978 when CHEAP TRICK first played Budokan.

The short film was produced by Silent Trade for BMG and CHEAP TRICK and was directed by Nick Dwyer.

Earlier this week, CHEAP TRICK announced two shows in Las Vegas where the group will play "At Budokan", the 1978 album captured at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, in its entirety, along with CHEAP TRICK's other hits. "Cheap Trick At Budokan – Live In Las Vegas" will take place April 17 and 18, 2026, at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Resort Las Vegas.

A ticket presale is underway, with tickets going on sale to the general public Friday, November 21 at 10 a.m. PT.

"At Budokan" was CHEAP TRICK's first live album, and went on to become the band's best-selling album, having been certified triple platinum by the RIAA. In 2019 it was chosen by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry.

CHEAP TRICK's 1977 debut album didn't even make the U.S. Billboard album chart. The band's sophomore effort, "In Color", peaked only at No. 73, so when their third, "Heaven Tonight", was released in the fall of 1978, it was do-or-die time. Thousands of miles away, unbeknownst to the band, Japan had embraced CHEAP TRICK with three No. 1 singles, including "I Want You To Want Me" and "Surrender". A tour of the country would confirm it with the band receiving an almost Beatlemania-type reception, culminating in a sold-out performance at Tokyo's huge Budokan arena. Stateside, the decision was made to create a live album for Japan only. "At Budokan" arrived at U.S. radio on a white label promo-only LP for the sole purpose to help promote the U.S. album "Heaven Tonight". Instead, it became a blockbuster.

CHEAP TRICK's Rick Nielsen explained to "In The Studio" host Redbeard how unforeseen the LP's success was: "'At Budokan' was never supposed to be released outside Japan. Our manager said to us, 'These pictures [which] we had to rush out that were on the cover, it will never see the light of day in the United States.' Famous last words."

Robin Zander (vocals),Rick Nielsen (guitar) and Tom Petersson (bass) remain from CHEAP TRICK's original lineup. Daxx Nielsen, Rick Nielsen's son, has been the touring drummer for the past 15 years. He stepped in for Bun E. Carlos, who was with the band from 1973 to 2010.

CHEAP TRICK's 21st studio album, "All Washed Up", came out on November 14.

JUST ANNOUNCED: Iconic rock band Cheap Trick will be performing their best-selling 1978 live record, At Budokan, in its...

Posted by Live Nation Las Vegas on Monday, November 17, 2025

SOIL will make its long-awaited return to the United Kingdom in October and November 2026, following the massive success of their sold-out 2024 U.K. tour, which featured the band's special all-"Scars" set.

This new run expands to 15 dates, marking the band's longest U.K. stretch yet, and includes several first-ever stops in cities they've never performed in throughout their extensive career.

A major highlight of the tour will be their appearance at the legendary Hard Rock Hell Festival XIX on November 5, 2026 in Great Yarmouth.

SOIL promises a powerful, career-spanning set packed with fan favorites, charting hits, deep cuts and even long-awaited new material, making this one of their most anticipated U.K. tours to date.

Accompanying SOIL on this trek are Canada's own FINGER ELEVEN (best known for the hits "Paralyzer" and "One Thing"),and longtime friends ADEMA (best known for the hits "Giving In" and "The Way You Like It").

SOIL bassist Tim King comments: "We are so excited to have both bands on this bill with us. FINGER ELEVEN and SOIL go way back but we've never properly toured together. And ADEMA, well, we've been great friends with them since 2001. In fact, our first-ever U.K. tour in 2002 was with ADEMA. It's great to see we are both still around and able to team up once again to come across the pond together!"

"FINGER ELEVEN has been looking forward to making their way back to the U.K.," says FINGER ELEVEN vocalist Scott Anderson. "We're grateful for the opportunity to be touring with SOIL this time around. We can't wait to reunite with old friends and rock out across the pond!"

Vocalist/guitarist Tim Fluckey from ADEMA also chimes in about the upcoming tour: "We are excited to finally get back to the U.K. and reconnect with our fans there! To be able to return with SOIL on this tour couldn't be better for us! We did a tour with SOIL in the U.K. in 2002. Not only where they great shows, we made lifelong memories and we can't wait to make more with them and our fans."

Tickets are available at all fine ticket outlets or directly from the venues.

SOIL 2026 tour dates with FINGER ELEVEN and ADEMA:

Oct. 30 - Brighton, UK - Chalk
Oct. 31 - Wolverhampton, UK - KK's Steelmill
Nov. 01 - Hull, UK - Asylum
Nov. 03 -Glasgow, Scotland - The Garage
Nov. 04 - Newcastle, UK - Digital
Nov. 05 - Great Yarmouth ,ENG - Hard Rock Hell Festival
Nov. 06 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
Nov. 07 - Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz
Nov. 08 - Bradford, UK - Nightrain
Nov. 10 - Northampton, UK - Roadmender
Nov. 11 - Southampton, UK - The 1865
Nov. 12 - Torquay, UK - The Foundry
Nov. 13 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy Bristol
Nov. 14 - London, UK - Electric Ballroom
Nov. 15 - Margate, UK - Dreamland Ballroom

SOIL has not released any new original material since 2013's "Whole" album.

In 2023, SOIL celebrated its long list of compositional accomplishments with "Restoration", a brand-new set of studio recordings of the band's biggest hits throughout their prolific history. "Restoration" highlighted the band's best musical moments, including smash hit singles "Halo" and "Breaking Down", from SOIL's 2001 award-winning album "Scars".

In August 2022, SOIL released the "Play It Forward" album, consisting of some of the songs that inspired the bandmembers throughout the years. Prior to that, SOIL issued "Scream: The Essentials" in September 2017 via Pavement Entertainment and AFM Records. That effort celebrated the band's 20-year career and featured early recordings as well as alternate versions and mixes.

In March 2023, it was announced that SOIL frontman Ryan McCombs had rejoined DROWNING POOL.

McCombs is planning to continue to front SOIL and perform with both bands moving forward.

British heavy metal legends SAXON were rejoined by guitarist Paul Quinn on stage for two songs during their November 8 concert at Octagon Centre in Sheffield, United Kingdom as part of the "Hell, Fire And Steel Tour": "Denim And Leather" and "And The Bands Played On". Fan-filmed video of Paul's appearance can be seen below.

In an April 2025 interview with Gustavo Maiato, SAXON frontman Biff Byford was asked if Quinn, who announced two and a half years ago that he was stepping back from touring with the band, is still contributing to the songwriting process in SAXON or if Quinn's replacement, DIAMOND HEAD's Brian Tatler, is a "full-time" member of the band now. Biff responded: "Yeah, Brian's in the band full-time, but Paul's still sending ideas. He sent me an idea the other day for a song. It just depends how good it is, if we use it. I reject a lot of ideas until people come up with the one that I love.

"We always want to make better albums, so we're always looking for better songs, if you know what I mean," Biff explained.

As a result of Quinn's decision to step back from touring with SAXON, the band canceled its April 2023 South American tour as well as the appearance at the Monsters Of Rock cruise. Quinn has since been replaced on the road by Tatler.

Brian has been touring with fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, drummer Nigel Glockler, bassist Tim "Nibbs" Carter and Byford since mid-2023, but continues to be a member of DIAMOND HEAD.

Byford and Quinn are the sole remaining original members in SAXON's current lineup.

Originally from South Yorkshire, England, SAXON has gone on to sell about 23 million albums and has produced such classic songs as "Denim And Leather", "Princess Of The Night", "Wheels Of Steel" and "Power And Glory".

In February, Byford told FaceCulture about a possible follow-up to SAXON's 24th studio album, "Hell, Fire And Damnation", which came out in January 2024 via Silver Lining Music and marked the band's first release with Tatler: "I think it's been a natural progression with our following and the fans with our music. Brian coming into the band added a little bit of a different dynamic to the music writing. So I think that was for a good thing. I think the new album, 'Hellfire', has been voted 'Album Of The Year' on quite a lot of sites and things, so obviously we struck a little bit of good scene with the album, a good flow. So hopefully the next one will be just as good, if not better… Well, it can't always be better, but let's hope. I mean, 'Hellfire' is gonna be hard to beat. That's a pretty perfect album, I think."

"Hell, Fire And Damnation" was produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) and Byford, with Sneap mixing and mastering.

The mighty Saxon's updated 2025 shows!🤘⚔🔥
For tickets to all shows go to: https://www.saxon747.com/tourdates

#themightysaxon #britishheavymetal #livegigs

Posted by Saxon on Wednesday, September 17, 2025

ULVER has released "Weeping Stone", the first single from the eclectic Norwegian cult act's upcoming album, "Neverland", which will arrive digitally on December 31, 2025 and physically on February 27, 2026.

A visualizer for "Weeping Stone" can be seen below.

"Neverland" track listing:

01. Fear In A Handful Of Dust
02. Elephant Trunk
03. Weeping Stone
04. People Of The Hills
05. They're Coming! The Birds!
06. Hark! Hark! The Dogs Do Bark
07. Horses Of The Plough
08. Pandora's Box
09. Quivers In The Marrow
10. Welcome To The Jungle
11. Fire In The End

"Neverland", the fourteenth studio album by ULVER, is the sound of an escape. A journey into undiscovered lands.

Following three albums — "The Assassination Of Julius Caesar" (2017),"Flowers Of Evil" (2020) and "Liminal Animals" (2024) — rooted in more traditional song and production structures, "Neverland" marks a new chapter in the revered Oslo band's history.

"With 'Neverland' we embraced a more 'punk' spirit – more dreaming, less discipline — freer, quite simply", the band comments on the creative process behind the album.

Bursts of daybreak synths and whooshes of sound set the atmosphere, before the wolves start digging into the dynamics of ambient calm and anarchic mysticism. Dreamy and transportive textures develop into trippy percussive energies, and as the album unfolds, a lush and vibrant, and at times exotic space opens.

Apart from a few recurring distant voices and vocal chops, "Neverland" is a largely instrumental record, reminiscent of the mood and structure of that place where late '90s IDM sounds met the meandering structures of post-rock.

The ghost of premillennial sample culture surely haunts "Neverland", and some might even hear echoes from earlier acclaimed works like "Perdition City" (2000),or the "Silence" EPs (2001),or more recently "ATGCLVLSSCAP" (2016).

Still, "Neverland" sounds and feels like something else, something fresh in ULVER's continuous journey of perennial reinvention. Pop music from in-between worlds? A sonic hallucination? Or better: a collage of dreams. It's up to you.

"Neverland" recording lineup:

Kristoffer Rygg - drums, percussion, electronics, synthesizer, vocals
Ole Alexander Halstensgård - programming, electronics, synthesizer
Anders Møller - percussion, drums
Jørn H. Sværen - synthesizer
Stian Westerhus - guitar, bass guitar

Guest musician: Sara Khorami - whispers and voices (recorded at 4 a.m.)

Recording by Kristoffer Rygg and Ole Alexander Halstensgård at Lupercal Studio, Oslo (NO)
Mixing by Anders Møller at Subsonic Society, Oslo (NO)
Mastering by Vegard Sleipnes at Reel to Reel Mastering, Oslo (NO)

Artwork and layout by Paschalis Zervas (+ wolframgrafik)

Primal Fear bassist / co-founder and Sinner frontman Mat Sinner has checked in with the following message:

“I will record a new Sinner album soon with a lot of wonderful boys & girls backing me in the studio, and release the best Sinner album we can imagine. Songs are ready and are coming out crushing. Never say never, but I will dedicate the last years of my musical career to Primal Fear. Let’s make the last Sinner album a special one that will make all my long time supporters happy, and let’s celebrate this unbelievable journey together! I will post some more exciting news about this new album next week. The last one turns off the lights. Boom, Bang, Goodbye.”

Sinner was launched by Mat Sinner in 1982. They have released 20 studio albums since then, their latest record, Brotherhood, having been issued in July 2022.

THE POWER OF 3, the new supergroup featuring platinum-selling guitarist and singer-songwriter Orianthi, legendary drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and world-renowned bassist Rhonda Smith, performed live on Monday (November 17) at a mini-festival prior to the Las Vegas Raiders- Dallas Cowboys game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of the Tom deBlonk channel on YouTube).

Known for their unparalleled musicianship and groundbreaking careers alongside legends like Michael Jackson, Prince, Lenny Kravitz, Jeff Beck and Carlos Santana, the trio blends into a fierce, dynamic sound. Each a star in her own right, together they create a bold, high-energy musical experience that celebrates virtuosity, groove, and fearless creativity.

According to John Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, THE POWER OF 3 previously appeared under the title BAND OF 3 when they teased their collaboration the night of Super Bowl 59 in February 2024, during the Raiders party hosted by Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis at Fontainebleau. The following December they played halftime of the Raiders-Jaguars game at Allegiant Stadium.

THE POWER OF 3 recently recorded its debut album, which is tentatively due in early 2026. Helming the studio sessions was legendary producer Eddie Kramer, who has worked with THE BEATLES, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, KISS and THE ROLLING STONES. Kramer mixed the music in an analog format, with the LP set to be released on vinyl.

"We want to represent real music, and also the value of music, and how powerful it is on vinyl," Orianthi told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "Everything is streamed, and I love the instant gratification of checking out someone's record on Spotify or Apple. But there's nothing like getting an old vinyl, putting on your record player, and actually enjoying it the way it should be enjoyed."

Regarding the musical direction of THE POWER OF 3 material, Orianthi told Guitarist magazine: "It's a three-piece, like a BAND OF GYPSYS vibe but the tunes are commercial and we hope to reach a lot of people. We've molded our own sound with Eddie Kramer. It's an honor to record with him and I'm excited for everyone to hear [it]."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Power of 3 (@thepowerof3official)