Queen’s groundbreaking 1973 debut album, Queen, remixed, remastered and expanded in a 6CD+1LP box set Queen I Collector’s Edition will be released on October 25. A new reaser for the album can be viewed below.


Go to the official website for the release here.







The 6CD + 1 LP Queen I box set contains 63 tracks with 43 brand new mixes, comprising the original album with its intended running order restored, intimate fly-on-the-wall audio of Queen in the studio, demos, rare live tracks, and pr

In a new interview with Riff X's "Metal XS", legendary rocker Alice Cooper spoke about how his sound has evolved over the past five and a half decades. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I just can't get away from the sort of the classic rock from the '70s only because it just still works. It's a sort of a classic configuration of music where we're all sort of based in early BEATLES, ROLLING STONES, YARDBIRDS, and then you take it off in your own direction. Almost every good hard rock band goes all the way back to Chuck Berry, 'cause that was the basis of that 4/4 beat, with the backbeat. And then you find your way to make it Alice Cooper, the way that GUNS N' ROSES found a way to make it GUNS N' ROSES, and AEROSMITH found a way to make it [their own]. It's all in how you perform it and really your personality coming out in it.

"Somebody once said, talking about music is like dancing about architecture," he continued. "It's almost impossible to talk about it. You have to hear it and then either you like it or you don't like it. But it's basic hard rock, and it's the one music that has gone for 50 years without losing its edge. Grunge, punk, hip-hop, disco, they've all had their moments, but hard rock has been the middle. It's always been there, and it always will be. LED ZEPPELIN will always be LED ZEPPELIN. And you play LED ZEPPELIN for a 16-year-old kid and they go, 'Oh, yeah.' There's something about that kind of music that will not die."

Cooper and Rob Zombie kicked off the 2024 leg of the "Freaks On Parade" tour with special guests MINISTRY and FILTER on August 20 in Albuquerque, New Mexico at Isleta Amphitheater, with stops throughout North America including Saint Paul, Milwaukee, Boston and Austin, before wrapping up on September 18 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.

Cooper pioneered a grandly theatrical brand of hard rock that was designed to shock. Drawing equally from horror movies, vaudeville, and garage rock, the group created a stage show that featured electric chairs, guillotines, fake blood and boa constrictors. He continues to tour regularly, performing shows worldwide with the dark and horror-themed theatrics that he's best known for.

In a recent interview with the 96.1 KLPX radio station, Cooper stated about how his stage show has evolved over the years: "It's so funny because it used to be easy to shock an audience in the '70s. Now nobody's really trying — we're not really trying to shock an audience. I don't think anybody is 'shock rock' anymore, but those elements still remain in the show because they're fun to watch. It's still fun to watch the guillotine and the fact that you really buy in to it because of what happens before that. You're really concerned about this character Alice up there, what happens. And that's what I like about it. I want the audience to get involved in the show. We don't do a lot of lasers. We don't do things like that, because I want the emphasis to be on the character Alice, what happens to him and what he what exactly he's doing. But all that happens during all these songs that everybody knows — 'Feed My Frankenstein' and 'Poison' and 'No More Mr. Nice Guy' and, of course, 'School's Out' at the end."

Fresh from the success of his latest album "Road", a concept album about the thrills and spills of touring, Alice is accompanied, as always, by his long-running live band of Ryan Roxie (guitar),Chuck Garric (bass),Tommy Henriksen (guitar),Glen Sobel (drums) and Nita Strauss (guitar).

With a schedule that has included six months year in and year out on the road, Cooper brings his own brand of rock psycho-drama to fans both old and new, enjoying it as much as the audience does. Known as the architect of shock-rock, Cooper (in both the original ALICE COOPER band and as a solo artist) has rattled the cages and undermined the authority of generations of guardians of the status quo, continuing to surprise fans and exude danger at every turn, like a great horror movie, even in an era where CNN can present real-life shocking images.

With his influence on rock and roll and popular culture long since acknowledged, there is little that Cooper hasn't achieved in his remarkable career, including platinum albums, sold-out tours and any number of honors and career achievement awards.

In a new interview with FaceCulture, HAMMERFALL singer Joacim Cans spoke about heavy metal's enduring popularity. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Heavy metal music is timeless music. Heavy metal, to me, stands for quality. Not everything, of course, but the core — I would say the core of the metal bands. Then, of course, we had the hair metal movement that kind of killed the whole thing at the end of the '80s. But I think heavy metal needed a little break to reinvent itself and kind of come back with the essence of what heavy metal music is. And then I think we kept it like that ever since the late '90s. I mean, the '80s was not even 10 years — it was not even a decade. The '80s, which we're talking about, that was only a couple of years. Then everything changed."

He continued: "The return of heavy metal has been going on for 25 years, and it's still very solid because we do not mix. Heavy metal is this. If you wanna play something else, well, then you can do this subgenre. Because there are so many subgenres now. In the '80s, what kind of subgenres did you have? You had hard rock, heavy metal, thrash metal… Death metal came, but this was kind of a little before. The name, the genre black metal was invented but the sound came later. VENOM invented the name, but then I would say maybe a band like BATHORY invented the sound. And for me, growing up with metal, that is the music that for me as a teenager, and that is the music that brings back memories, good and bad."

Joacim added: "I wouldn't say that I'm as hungry as I was before trying to find new albums to listen to. As a matter of fact, there's just too many albums being released nowadays, so it's really hard to find. I lived at the record store as a kid. Every week I was down there just going through all the new releases. And it wasn't that many releases, to be honest with you, if you compare it nowadays. Because I think the problem is that the demo stage doesn't exist anymore. People do not record demos; they record albums for Spotify. Like, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Don't.' If it's a demo, keep it a demo. Put it someplace else where you can remove it. 'Cause maybe there's a song there, in 10 years' time, that's, 'Oh, no, we should have done it like this.' 'Yeah, but it's already registered. It's on Spotify. It's everywhere, and we can't really take it back.' So just be a little cautious, be careful. Just because you have a song that's been recorded, you don't have to put it out there, because who's gonna find it? It's not gonna make a difference. Maybe you can brag to your friends: 'Yeah, we just released our first single.' 'Okay. On Spotify? Okay.' How many plays the first year? Yeah, less than a hundred. Okay. Cool. Probably your mom, your dad, your grandma, your neighbor. Yeah, they should be a little more careful."

HAMMERFALL's latest album, "Avenge The Fallen", was released on August 9 via Nuclear Blast Records.

When "Avenge The Fallen" was first announced in April, Cans said in a statement: "This is our 13th album. How do you still stay relevant after 13 albums? It's very much like the opening line to the song 'Avenge The Fallen': 'What is the worst, be the one who died, or be the one who survived.' Think about it, because it is a tough question".

He continued: "Do we want to be a band who releases new music just for the sole reason of getting out on the road again or do we want to keep pushing and challenging ourselves? In times where people have less and less attention span, we still think in the form of full-length albums. A few good songs don't make a strong album. A strong album comes from an album full of great songs and that's what we're delivering with 'Avenge The Fallen'."

In December 2022, HAMMERFALL, which started its career in 1997 on Nuclear Blast with its debut album "Glory To The Brave", announced that it was returning to the long-running German label.

HAMMERFALL's entire Nuclear Blast catalog, from "Glory To The Brave" to the 2014 album "(r)Evolution" was certified with a diamond award for over 1.5 million worldwide sales.

Following on from "Renegade" (2000),"Crimson Thunder" (2002) and "No Sacrifice, No Victory" (2009),HAMMERFALL's fifth studio album, "Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken" from 2005, became the band's fourth album to go gold in Sweden, while "Crimson Thunder" even went platinum, surpassing 60,000 sales in the group's home country.

In April 2023, HAMMERFALL released a special platinum edition of "Crimson Thunder" with tons of bonus material.

Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with MEGADETH and ANGRA, has shared a playthrough video for his latest solo single, "Mind Rise". You can check it out below.

Kiko states: "After years of playing in massive arenas and headlining festivals, there's something refreshing about focusing on the fundamentals. The new song taps into that, where catchy, straightforward guitar riffs take center stage, using a deep, lower-register pentatonic scale to immediately engage the listener. In my mind, the verse goes: Carlos Santana meets Jeff Beck, with sinuous, curvy lines where slight variations in playing the same note make a huge impact on the theme. As the saying goes, 'The devil is in the details,' and here those details shape the entire vibe of the track."

He continues: "The song kicks off in E minor, one of the most commonly used keys in rock guitar. But just when it feels familiar, it shifts into G major, its relative key, lifting the track and creating a sense of elevation. The dynamics between these two bring energy and keep the listener's attention without overcomplicating the composition. In this way, the song avoids relying only on a traditional chorus. Instead, it uses a strong, recurring guitar riff as its focal point. And then there's the suspense. The kind that lingers in the air like a shadow in the corner of a smoky bar, where a figure waits, watching, calculating the perfect moment to strike. That's the moment when the Neapolitan chord slips in, a classical technique thrown into the mix to build tension. The anticipation of the solo creeps in with echoes of the main melody, but this time under the command of a different chord progression. But as with any music tale, repetition is the thread that binds it all together. The riff and chorus-like sections repeat, reinforcing that music doesn't need to be overly complicated. Sometimes, it's the simple — like a direct riff — that leaves the strongest impression.

"Listen closely, and you'll hear it. Let me know what you feel when listening to the song."

Earlier in September, Kiko released another new solo single, "Out Of Nothing". He said of the track at the time: "My new single 'Out Of Nothing' emerges not from a plan but from the mystery of creation itself. When I compose, I do not think, nor do I theorize — I let my hands glide over the fretboard, as if they already know the way, discovering paths, rejecting others, always searching for the feeling that satisfies, even for a moment.

"'Out Of Nothing' kicks off with a bold tritone interval — 'Diabolus In Musica,' that notorious interval known for its tension. It's a simple, direct statement that immediately shifts the key, setting up a dynamic riff alternating between A and D with their tritones. The intensity ramps up with 16th notes that launch the track into high gear.

"The verse is simple, almost baroque in its harmony. A Tonic and Dominant, Am to E7, arpeggiated with hybrid picking over the rhythm of Baião, a syncopation from the northeastern reaches of Brazil. The original music from this area also incorporates many arpeggiated themes from European heritage. And then, bringing contrast, the chromatic lines arrive to challenge this basic cadence, introducing the mediant progression—Am to Fm—
For the chorus, I take things up a notch, moving to the fifth degree and playing with the tension between E major and minor, As I didn't feel the chorus should be completely happy and uplifting.

"In the middle of the song, I let the existing elements repeat, develop, and transform, as one might do in a symphony or a sonata. The arpeggios return, expanding the baroque spirit, and then, unexpectedly, nylon strings echo from a distant past. Before long, the tritone chord progression returns, but now with more complex lines and a mix of techniques.

"But I will not leave you lost. The verse and chorus return, as familiar as old friends. For in this song, though I take you far, I am careful never to lose you entirely."

In November 2023, Kiko announced his decision to "extend" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, explaining that he didn't want to "hinder any of the band's plans or the hard work of all the incredible people involved in the tour."

Kiko revealed in September 2023 that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland.

One day after Kiko's announcement that he was "extending" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, band leader Dave Mustaine released a statement in which he said that he loves Loureiro and respects and fully supports Kiko's decision. He described Kiko as "a top-notch professional, a maestro" and thanked the guitarist "for his dedication and hard work these past nine years, helping us to achieve a Grammy on 'Dystopia' and the additional awards we have received on this latest record 'The Sick... The Dying...And The Dead'." Mustaine added: "I could not have done this without Kiko Loureiro."

MEGADETH played its first concert with Kiko's replacement, Teemu Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

In a recent interview with Japan's Young Guitar, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro was asked about the possibility of a future guest appearance with ANGRA. He responded: "In the last two albums from ANGRA, not being in the band, I did record a guest solo. I was touring a lot and I have small kids, so I didn't wanna travel more to do a guest appearance. It might be in the future. I'm friends of everybody. I have a great history with ANGRA. Same goes with MEGADETH. I'm still friends of everybody, and I don't wanna burn bridges."

He continued: "I'm proud of all the albums I recorded with ANGRA. I'm proud of the albums that I recorded with MEGADETH, the two albums I recorded with MEGADETH, all the concerts and tours we did together. So, guest appearances, recording a solo, helping somehow or just hanging, I'm happy to do it, because I like all those people as friends and family, because I shared so many great moments of my life with the guys from ANGRA, of course, many, many years, and also almost nine years in MEGADETH as well."

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke to USA Today about the band's third Las Vegas residency, which will unfold over 11 shows at the Dolby Live at Park MGM theater in March and April 2025. Asked if he feels like CRÜE paved the way for AEROSMITH, SCORPIONS, DEF LEPPARD and other rockers who have since established Vegas residencies, Nikki replied: "We had a lot of people raising eyebrows when we [first] did it [in 2012], like, isn't that where bands go to die? But it's such a great opportunity. Last year we played a 400-capacity club in London [The Underworld] the night before selling out Wembley Stadium and did the same at the Bowery [Ballroom in New York]. It inspired this idea of intimacy and ginormity, if that's a word. Being in the smallest room and then the biggest room and there is a lot of talk about how to do that in Vegas as well as reimagine some tracks. Although, of course, we're going to play the hits."

The CRÜE's third Vegas residency is being billed as a "tell-all show [that] will immerse the audience in the band's history, leading all the say through their record-breaking 'Stadium Tour'." They previously set up shop in Vegas in 2012 for "Mötley Crüe Takes On Sin City" and in 2013 for "Evening In Hell".

About the prospect of staying in one place during the Vegas run, Sixx told USA Today: "Creatively, it's exciting for the band. But for me, I love that I can do a show in one place and keep my family together. That's my balancing act, to make sure I'm there for my family and for the fans. I would not be opposed to doing a long run in Vegas. I love the idea of popping in my car, driving to the Strip to do a rock show and then coming back home."

In a separate interview with Miami's WSVN-TV, Sixx promised that MÖTLEY CRÜE would play the hits during the Vegas run, along with some possible surprises. "We have to look at, make sure that, you know, we're giving the fans exactly what they want — those songs are great — but also listening to the fans," he said. "They're looking for some deeper tracks, some B tracks, maybe reimagined tracks would be fun for us."

Tickets for the following 11 shows go on sale to the public Friday, October 11, at 10 a.m. PDT, with shows starting at 8 p.m. and doors opening at 7 p.m.

March 2025: 28, 29
April 2025: 2, 4, 5, 9, 11, 12, 16, 18, 19

MÖTLEY CRÜE also announced that a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales of "The Las Vegas Residency" will be donated to Nevada Partnership for Homeless Youth, a Las Vegas-based organization that provides the thousands of young people experiencing homelessness in Southern Nevada with wraparound support to help youth move into stable housing, grow, and flourish. The announcement marks another extension of the band's new philanthropic endeavor, the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative — a moniker under which the band partners with non-profits close to Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Tommy Lee and John 5's hearts. Fans of the band can currently bid on rare collectible stage-played instruments from MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Höllywood Takeöver" club shows, with proceeds from the auction benefitting Covenant House, a non-profit supporting youth experiencing homelessness, and the inaugural charity to benefit from the Giveback Initiative's endowment.

The Las Vegas residency news follows on the heels of the band's recent announcement of their return to where it all began, the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, with a three-night string of exclusive, intimate club shows at the Troubadour, The Roxy and the Whisky A Go Go next week.

MÖTLEY CRÜE has just released a new EP, "Cancelled". Produced by Bob Rock, the EP marks the band's first release with Big Machine and includes three new tracks: Top 5 Rock Radio hit "Dogs Of War" a cover of the BEASTIE BOYS' "Fight For Your Right" and the title track and new single, "Cancelled".

Additionally, MÖTLEY CRÜE are celebrating the 35th anniversary of No. 1 Billboard Top 200 and six-times-platinum landmark album "Dr. Feelgood" with a limited-edition box set, available for pre-order and out everywhere on November 22, 2024.

BRITISH LION, the side project of IRON MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris, performed this past Thursday night (October 3) at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

The San Diego show was part of BRITISH LION's three-date U.S. tour, which will continue on October 7 at the Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, California and conclude on October 10 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. TONY MOORE'S AWAKE is the special guest on all dates with the exception of BRITISH LION's performance at Aftershock.

In a recent interview with Australia's Heavy, Harris was asked if he has commenced work on the third BRITISH LION album. He responded: "Yeah. We've got two new songs already in the set anyway. We did a lot of new songs before 'The Burning' album. We played them live quite a lot — probably two-thirds of the album, actually, we played live before we actually recorded it. So we've got two new songs now in the set and we'll just keep adding new songs as they come along. So that's the idea anyway."

In a separate interview with Spotlight Report, Harris talked about the differences in the musical direction of BRITISH LION compared to that of IRON MAIDEN. He said: "The songs in BRITISH LION are driven by [singer Richard Taylor] and the guys, so it's just going to be different. Then I come in and get involved with that material in different aspects. Since it's driven by them, it's going to be different anyway. I mean, this sort of started off as a bit more UFO, which MAIDEN was also influenced by, but MAIDEN also had a lot of more prog type and all sorts of other influences as well. BRITISH LION is just more like a rock band with very strong melodies, and Richie's style of singing is very, very different from Bruce's [Dickinson]. I think he is a great singer."

He added: "BRITISH LION is not really a metal band, you know? I mean, it's just an exciting band. I enjoy playing in BRITISH LION as much as I want to."

Last summer, BRITISH LION completed a 15-date tour throughout Europe. It included 13 headline tour dates, as well as festival appearances at Hellfest and Sweden Rock Festival.

BRITISH LION's second album, "The Burning", came out in January 2020 in digipack CD, double gatefold vinyl and digital download formats via Explorer1 Music (E1). The LP was recorded, engineered and mixed at Barnyard Studios by Tony Newton and produced by Steve Harris.

BRITISH LION's first U.S. tour took place in January and February 2020.

BRITISH LION comprises singer Richard Taylor, guitarists David Hawkins and Grahame Leslie, Harris on bass and keyboards, and drummer Simon Dawson.

Asked by the Tampa Bay Times what the itch is that BRITISH LION scratches that he doesn't get in his job with MAIDEN, Harris said: "I suppose playing small clubs and being close and personal with the audience. I love playing big places as well. I enjoy them all, and I'm very lucky that I can do them all. But also, it's clubs that I never played with MAIDEN, even in Europe. There's a famous club called the Milky Way in Amsterdam, which I managed to play with BRITISH LION, but I never did that with MAIDEN. There's places that I'm playing on [the U.S.] tour that I've never played before. So it's all new ground. It's a challenge. It's nice. I like a challenge."

In a 2020 interview with Bass Player magazine, Harris said that he loves playing small clubs. "I'm very lucky that I can play all types of gigs; massive gigs and small ones as well," he said. "It's a change. I'm not trying to conquer the world with this band; there's not enough years left in me to do that anyway."

Asked if the different venues present a different set of challenges, Steve said: "I actually think it should be the same, whether you're playing for 200 or 200,000 people, you know. To me, there's no difference. You still give 110 percent wherever you're playing. We had one gig where the promoter just didn't do [anything]. I think we had, like, 95 people in there, but it was still a great gig, one of the best of the tour. It doesn't matter. We're still going for it, and I was proud that we went out there. It was fantastic."

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off the fall 2024 North American leg of their "The Future Past" tour last night (Friday, October 4) at North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre in Chula Vista (a suburb of San Diego),California.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Caught Somewhere In Time
02. Stranger In A Strange Land
03. The Writing On The Wall
04. Days Of Future Past
05. The Time Machine
06. The Prisoner
07. Death Of The Celts
08. Can I Play With Madness
09. Heaven Can Wait
10. Alexander The Great
11. Fear Of The Dark
12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. Hell On Earth
14. The Trooper
15. Wasted Years

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

"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.

In a recent interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, Steve Harris was asked if there is any new music from IRON MAIDEN on the way. The MAIDEN bassist responded: "No, not at the moment. There's nothing in the works at the moment. But that's not to say there won't be. Bruce [Dickinson, IRON MAIDEN singer] has only just done his solo tour. So he spent quite a long time just doing that. So, I don't know. Yeah. I mean, maybe we'll find time to cram [a new album] in somewhere. You never know."

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.

In a new interview with Jacksonville, Florida's First Coast News, FOZZY frontman Chris Jericho spoke about the band's 25th-anniversary tour, which launched Thursday night (October 3) at Madlife in Woodstock, Georgia. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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 25th-anniversary tour will run through October 21 in Cleveland, Ohio. Support on the tour is coming from THE NOCTURNAL AFFAIR and CLOZURE.

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."

HALESTORM and I PREVAIL have released the official performance video for their collaborative track "Can U See Me In The Dark?" Check it out below.

"Can U See Me In The Dark?" was released in June, prior to the launch of HALESTORM and I PREVAIL's summer 2024 co-headlining tour. Produced by Live Nation, the trek kicked off on July 9 in Raleigh and ran through August 17 in Las Vegas. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD and FIT FOR A KING served as support.

"Can U See Me In The Dark?" is an epic and explosive pairing, just like the tour itself, thanks to the vocal chemistry between I PREVAIL's Eric Vanlerberghe and HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale, stormy riffs, and unforgettable chorus.

When "Can U See Me In The Dark?" was first made available, Vanlerberghe said in a statement: "We're excited to finally have a song come out. It was a fun challenge to blend the HALESTORM and I PREVAIL sounds together. We really focused on creating a music bed that felt very much I PREVAIL and letting Lzzy just shine and do what she does best. I feel we found a very sick way to blend the two identities of our bands into one massive song."

Hale added: "In celebration of our upcoming tour together, we joined forces with the boys of I PREVAIL and wrote an original song together. 'Can U See Me In The Dark?' is written for our collective fan bases, our community, our family. We want you to know that you are seen and you are not alone shining through life's myriad of joy and pain."

Regarding the inspiration for "Can U See Me In The Dark?", Lzzy told "The Mistress Carrie Podcast": "We were talking a lot about the analogy of we're all in the same circus together, as in this is all of our shows. It's not just we're saddling up our wagon against a band, 'We're playing. Here's your set. Here's my set.' We really wanted to create this this haven, this sanctuary for our collective fan base, be, like, 'Hey, he's my buddy too. We come from different walks of life, but here's how we come together,' [and] really showcase that togetherness, especially considering, we all have this different flavor and these different influences. And so it's a really beautiful, powerful song that we're gonna be able to just kind of, like, 'Hey, here's something special for the tour.' So we're very much looking forward to being out with each other. And those guys inspire me to no end. Every time I hear their songs the radio, I'm, like, 'How did they do that?' I want a drop like that' — you know, that kind of stuff. So I'm looking forward to being inspired every night and hanging out with all those boys."

Having amassed over 2.5 billion streams globally, the Grammy Award-winning band HALESTORM has grown from a childhood dream of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale into one of the most celebrated rock bands of the last two decades. Most recently, the band released "Back From The Dead", their fifth full-length studio album which has tallied over 100 million streams worldwide. Rolling Stone called the title track "a biting but cathartic howler about overcoming all obstacles," and that song as well as "The Steeple" marked their fifth and sixth number ones at rock radio, respectively. Associated Press said the album "will definitely be in the running for best hard rock/metal album of the year." Their previous album, "Vicious", earned the band their second Grammy nomination, for "Best Hard Rock Performance" for the song "Uncomfortable", the band's fourth #1 at rock radio, and led Loudwire to name HALESTORM "Rock Artist Of The Decade" in 2019. Fronted by the incomparable Lzzy Hale with drummer Arejay Hale, guitarist Joe Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith, HALESTORM's music has earned multiple platinum and gold certifications from the RIAA, and the band has earned a reputation as a powerful live music force, headlining sold-out shows and topping festival bills around the world, and sharing the stage with icons including HEAVEN & HELL, Alice Cooper, Joan Jett and JUDAS PRIEST. Additionally, Lzzy was named the first female brand ambassador for Gibson and served as host of AXS TV's "A Year In Music".

I PREVAIL have established themselves as the forerunners of the genre in the 21st century. Their latest release, "True Power", once again produced by Tyler Smyth, features the sort of stadium-sized riffs that will rattle your teeth loose from your gums and unforgettable, supremely catchy melodies that will camp out in your brain for weeks at a time. The band also alternately mixes screamed vocals that sound as though they crawled from the depths of hell with soaring, emotional vocals and heartfelt, intimate lyrics that go so deep, they hit marrow. The end result is an album that resonates with the listener in the most personal way. Rising to an arena level and receiving two Grammy nominations — "Best Rock Album" for "Trauma" and "Best Metal Performance" for crushing lead single "Bow Down" — I PREVAIL proved that they were built to last. To date, they've racked up more than 4.1 billion global streams, are approaching 716 million YouTube views, and saw both "Hurricane" and "Bad Things" singles top Billboard's Mainstream Rock Airplay chart in 2020 and 2022, respectively. A number of their singles and album "Lifelines" have now been certified gold and platinum, and they have been praised by press far and wide, including Forbes, Billboard, Hollywood Reporter and NPR.

Richie Kotzen has issued the official music video for “This Is A Test”, following the recent release of his brand-new solo studio album, Nomad, out now via BMG. The album is available digitally, on CD and sky-blue vinyl and can be ordered here.





In the following Behind The Scenes Of Nomad episode, Kotzen explains the origins of his song, "This Is A Test".







While Nomad has no shortage of heavy guitar rockers, the sheer diversity of the album as heard on tracks such as “Nihilist,” “This Is A Test” and the title track “Nomad,” showcases not only Kotzen’s musical range and vocal prowess, but his fearless imagination as a producer/arranger. Already globally renowned as an extraordinary guitarist, with Nomad Kotzen stands tall as a truly remarkable all-round lyricist-producer/arranger and singer.


“My approach for the Nomad album was to imagine as if I was only offering this on vinyl,” explains Kotzen. “What songs would live together on that format and how would I sequence side A versus side B and so on and so forth. As it were the song ‘Nomad’ became the closer on side A and ‘Nihilist’ on side B as both compositions were written around the same time I felt they made perfect companions. I am very excited to finally be able to share all these compositions on the full release. I hope folks feel the music the same way I do.”


Written, recorded and produced by Richie Kotzen, Nomad features eight new tracks showcasing Kotzen’s multi- faceted musical styles with Kotzen playing almost every instrument on the album. On Nomad, Kotzen expresses his diverse techniques and influences, from hard rock to 70s infused soul and funk, jazz fusion to R&B. It’s all intertwined with his own unique playing and songwriting approach, while retaining his ever-evolving signature style.





Tracklisting:


"Cheap Shots"
"These Doors"**
"Insomnia"
"Nomad"*
"Escape"
"On The Table"
"This Is A Test"
"Nihilist"


* Dan Potruch plays drums on “Nomad”
** Kyle Hughes plays drums on “These Doors”


"Cheap Shots" lyric video:





"On The Table" lyric video:





"Cheap Shots" video:





"Insomnia" video:

ntense atmosphere of Bloodstock Open Air 2024 with Clutch’s live performance. On August 9th, 2024, the legendary Maryland rockers took the stage at Catton Park’s Ronnie James Dio Stage as special guests, delivering a crushing set that lit up the festival. With their standout track "Slaughter Beach", from their critically acclaimed 13th album, Sunrise On Slaughter Beach, Clutch tore through their set, blending powerful bluesy riffs, commanding vocals, and their signature groove-heavy sound.


The band's chemistry was undeniable, as they captivated the audience with a raw, high-energy performance. The combination of thunderous guitar work, a pulsating rhythm section, and the electric festival atmosphere made t

Blind Guardian recently released Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited, which includes a complete re-recording of this classic as well as a live celebration of 1992’s Somewhere Far Beyond, a landmark record in the history of the band.


The band has shared an official lyric video for "Theatre Of Pain", taken from the album.







Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited, which was recorded in 2022 and 2023, is a refreshing and powerful tribute to one of the most influential albums in German metal history. It paved the way for Blind Guardian’s international career that is still going strong today and this re-recording impresses with all the class and quality these pioneers have been known and respected for since forming as Lucifer’s Heritage three decades ago.


Watch a live video for the revisited version of their most popular track, "The Bard's Song - In The Forest":





Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited is out today and can be listened to in full at any streaming service or purchased in physical form. Get it here





Tracklisting:


"Time What is Time" (Revisited)
"Journey Through the Dark" (Revisited)
"Black Chamber" (Revisited)
"Theatre of Pain" (Revisited)
"The Quest for Tanelorn" (Revisited)
"Ashes to Ashes" (Revisited)
"The Bard’s Song – In the Forest" (Revisited)
"The Bard’s Song – The Hobbit" (Revisited)
"The Piper’s Calling" (Revisited)
"Somewhere Far Beyond" (Revisited)


"The Quest for Tanelorn" (Revisited) video:





"Ashes To Ashes" live at Hellfest 2022 video:





About Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited:


Right on time with their show at 2024’s edition of Wacken Open Air, Blind Guardian proudly announced the release of Somewhere Far Beyond Revisited on August 2, which includes a complete re-recording of this classic as well as a live celebration of 1992’s Somewhere Far Beyond, a landmark record for Germany’s heavy metal titans. After three albums on No Remorse Records, it was the band’s major label debut via Virgin Records and opened the doors to the Japanese market resulting in a wider availability and presence on the global metal scene. After finding the right balance of speed, heaviness, melodies, drama, and irresistible choruses on 1990’s Tales From The Twilight World, Somewhere Far Beyond honed this approach to perfection, evolving further on a conceptual level and increasing Blind Guardian’s sonic range. On Somewhere Far Beyond the band experimented with keyboards, orchestrations, and folk elements, the latter manifesting in the group’s best-known song and live staple, "The Bard's Song (In The Forest)", whereas other tracks like "Ashes to Ashes", the rapid "Journey Through The Dark" or "The Quest For Tanelorn" connected well with previous mostly fast-paced albums yet offered an additional push in dynamics.


Fast forward 30 years! Prior to releasing the much lauded opus The God Machine in September 2022, Blind Guardian had been performing Somewhere Far Beyond in its entirety at Rock Hard Festival and Hellfest in Summer 2022 in front of tens of thousands of fans singing along to each track. Both shows were filmed and recor

Germany's power metal upstarts, Sculforge, have checked in with the following update:


"After a surprisingly very brief search for a dude that can handle bass duties like a champ, we’re happy to welcome Felix 'The Kerninator' Kern to our little heavy metal boygroup!


We're almost done recording and mixing the new album for an early 2025 release via MDD Records. We also did a video for our first single, to arrive in November. It's an epic banger called 'The Journey'. We worked with Kumar Productions and it's goiung to be amazing!"




Sculforge released their debut album, Intergalactic Battle Tunes via MDD Records. This groundbreaking high-speed power metal journey takes you from the dark side of the moon, through the Milky Way, and beyond!


Intergalactic Battle Tunes packs an epic punch with 26 riveting tracks. Each song is an intricate tapestry of power and thrash metal, punctuated by radio-play-like interludes that progress the thrilling narrative. Standouts include "Into The Never", "For The Omnisavior" and "The Sculforge Inn Incident." This album isn't j

g former Judas Priest members K.K. Downing and Tim "Ripper" Owens - performed at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available below.


Setlist:


"Hellfire Thunder

Former Skid Row frontman Erik Grönwall has shared a new Wheel Of ForTunes video. Check it out below.


Grönwall: "I spin a prize wheel to randomly select a music genre and a theme. I then write and record a new song in that genre on the spot."







Live In London, Skid Row's first official live album and concert film in a 35+ year career, is now available on heavyweight 2LP gatefold, CD + DVD, digital download and all streaming services via earMUSIC.


"Youth Gone Wild" is the latest video from the full program, and captures the rapture of a sold out 02 Forum Kentish Town London gone wild for the Skids and the culmination of a dream years in the making.


"As teens, we dreamt of playing places like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ and CBGB in New York City... our dreams became bigger with London, England at the forefront. We fantasized one day to headline a show in the very city where so many of our favorite bands came from," the band says.





Following the release of their critically acclaimed, hugely fan-embraced 2022 album The Gang's All Here, the band took the 02 stage on October 22 and delivered a Skid Row set for the ages. Running through their multi-platinum career, the packed venue could barely contain the band's and the fans’ energy on "18 And Life," "Monkey Business," "I Remember You" and so many other peak Skid Row moments.


Live In London is a defining live rock album

British heavy metal legends SAXON have released the official Paul M. Green-directed music video for the song "Fire And Steel". The track is taken from the band's critically acclaimed 24th studio album, "Hell, Fire And Damnation", which came out in January via Silver Lining Music.

SAXON frontman Biff Byford stated about "Fire And Steel": "The original title was 'Fire And Steam' and the song itself is more thrash than classic metal. I was going to do it about something else, and then I had a bit of an epiphany and I thought 'Fire And Steel' was better. 'Let's do it about Sheffield.'

"If people were eating with a knife and fork back, say, a hundred years ago, that was something that sometimes was made in Sheffield. They invented stainless steel there, and there's still a lot of steel in Sheffield but nothing like it used to be.

"Sheffield was one of my big stomping grounds when I was a teenager. We used to go to Sheffield and see all the bands at Sheffield City Hall, and the clubs and pubs there that had bands on."

SAXON recently announced the "Hell, Fire And Steel" European tour which will not only see the band performing songs from "Hell, Fire And Damnation" but will also the whole of SAXON's classic sophomore album "Wheels Of Steel" (released 45 years ago next year) as well as other fan favorites and hits from across the group's career.

The "Hell, Fire And Steel" tour kicks off in Bremen, Germany on February 4 and concludes on March 5 in Leipzig, Germany.

"Hell, Fire And Damnation" is an album which sees SAXON investigate all areas of history and mystery amidst ten of their most confident and thunderously powerful songs yet.

On "Hell, Fire And Damnation", singer Biff Byford delivers his richest vocals in years, Nigel Glockler and Nibbs Carter on drums and bass, respectively, lay down the rhythmic law with bombastic power, and the guitars of Doug Scarratt and Brian Tatler are fresh and fiery, a perfect complement to each other, carrying an overall energy and fury which will have fans salivating. Musically, SAXON bring it all to the table. There's a furious tribute to actual heavy metal in the denim-and-leather-coated super-sprint "Fire And Steel", a wonderful nod to the NWOBHM's birth in the electric mid-pace "Pirates Of The Airwaves", but maybe the true treasure amidst the jewels is "There's Something In Roswell", with the sort of expansive groove and embrace which deserves arenas.

Produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) and Byford, with Sneap mixing and mastering, "Hell, Fire And Damnation" strides the perfect line between confident, current power, and gloriously irreverent flexing of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal muscle which SAXON co-created.

"I think this album's one of the best he's done sound-wise, and he's done a lot of albums," Biff declared. "It has a really raw, vibrant sound... if you compress the total time making this album, it was four weeks tops… you can hear everything brilliantly, nothing's overcomplicated, nothing's over compressed. The guitar sounds are fucking immense, they're just great, raw guitar sounds. And we haven't done a lot of overdubbing on there, it's just playing. I really, really like it."

Early last year, SAXON guitarist Paul Quinn announced that he was stepping back from touring with the band. As a result of his decision, SAXON 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 DIAMOND HEAD's Brian Tatler.

Brian has already joined fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, drummer Nigel Glockler, bassist Tim "Nibbs" Carter and Byford for a number of shows in 2023 and 2024, but will continue 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".

Drumeo has sharted a new video featuring Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. Check it out below.


Drumeo: "'Nightmare' by Avenged Sevenfold is a defining track in the band's catalog, and Mike Portnoy is here to break down how he recorded the drum parts, originally crafted by the late, great Jimmy 'The Rev' Sullivan.


When Portnoy joined the band, he was given a demo of The Rev's drum part recorded on an electronic drum kit, allowing him the creative space to build on that foundation. The result is the dynamic, hard-hitting performance you hear in the final track. Tune in as Mike Portnoy takes you through the fills, transitions, and emotion that shaped this iconic Avenged Sevenfold track."







Portnoy recently shared the photo below along with the following message:


"My view at the office. Rehearsals have been sounding and feeling GREAT! Incredible how quick and seamless we have jumped right back into these songs together again after all these years; in some song's cases, it been DECADES since playing them together! I don’t want to be overconfident, but I have to say it’s already sounding and feeling so comfortable and natural, like no time has passed. A little over 3 weeks away from kickoff! Can’t wait…"





With the worldwide excitement around the recently announced European tour, Grammy-winning, progressive music titans, Dream Theater, recently announced their 40th Anniversary Tour 2024-2025 leg for North America.


The tour will be An Evening With Dream Theater and will be the first tour of North America since drummer Mike Portnoy’s return to the lineup joining vocalist James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci, and keyboardist Jordan Rudess.


The tour is scheduled for 30 cities across the United States and Canada and kicks off on February 7 in Philadelphia, PA and runs through March 22 for the band’s hometown show in New York City. The tour will make stops in Nashville, Los Angeles, Toronto and Boston among others.


Dream Theater will be performing classics and fan favorites from their catalog in what promises to be an unforgettable evening of music. More information on all tickets and VIP packages can be found here.


“The excitement we have felt from the fans since the first tour was announced has been overwhelming! Now we get to bring the show to our home country and play a bunch of cities that we haven’t been together in for more than a decade. We can’t wait to continue this historic celebration of 40 years together with everyone in North America next year. We still have plenty of more exciting Dream Theater news to share in the coming weeks,” explains Dream Theater.





An Evening With Dream Theater 40th Anniversary Tour 2024-2025 (North American Dates):


February
7 - Philadelphia, PA - The Met
8 - Raleigh, NC - Martin Marietta Center
10 - Nashville, TN - Opry House
11 - Atlanta, GA - Coca-Cola Roxy
12 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Café
14 - Houston, TX - 713 Music Hall
15 - Dallas, TX - Texas Trust CU
16 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic
18 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Center
19 - Highland, CA - Yaamava Theater
21 - Las Vegas, NV - The Chelsea  
22 - Los Angeles, CA - YouTube Theater
24 - San Jose, CA - San Jose Civic
25 - Sacramento, CA - Safe Credit Union Performing
27 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
28 - Portland, OR - Keller Auditorium


March
2 - Reno, NV - Grand Sierra
4 - Salt Lake City, UT - Maverik Center
6 - Denver, CO - Mission Ballroom
8 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
9 - Cleveland, OH - MGM Northfield Park
11 - Toronto, ON - Coca-Cola Coliseum
12 - Montreal, QC - Place des Arts
14 - Wallingford, CT - Oakdale Theater
15 - Boston. MA - Boch Center
17 - Rochester, NY - Kodak
18 - Wheeling, WV - Capitol Theater
19 - Cincinnati, OH - Brady Music Center
21 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
22 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall


The European leg of the 40th Anniversary Tour 2024 - 2025 consists of stops in 23 cities and kicks off on October 20 and runs through November 24. Some dates are already sold out with other

German guitar hero, Axel Rudi Pell, performed at this year's Wacken Open Air. Check out pro-shot live video of  "Strong As A Rock", "Fool Fool" and "Rock The Nation" below.





Axel Rudi Pell recently shared "Darkest Hour", the new digital single from his latest album, Risen Symbol. The single is accompanied by an official music video, streaming below:







On his 22nd studio album Risen Symbol, Bochum-based guitarist and songwriter Axel Rudi Pell continues to fly the melodic hard rock flag without watering down his style with pseudo-modern stylistic variations or expendable studio gimmicks. At the same time, he is constantly looking for new influences, exciting inspirations, and catchy hooks.


One of the best things about ARP’s anthems is that they are perfectly tailored to the charismatic voice of frontman Johnny Gioeli. The American vocalist is one of the most eminent rock singers worldwide and, together with Pell, former Rainbow drummer Bobby Rondinelli, and the two longstanding ARP members Ferdy Doernberg (keyboards) and Volker Krawczak (bass), has been an integral part of a perfectly oiled machine for more than ten years, wowing fans and media alike.


Risen Symbol was released via Steamhammer/SPV on June 14.





Risen Symbol will be available in the following formats:


- CD DigiPak incl. poster
- 2LP Gatefold, 140 g, neon orange vinyl, printed inner sleeves
- Download / Streaming (pre-order here)
- Exclusive CD/LP Bundles with a shirt and exclusive vinyls only at the Steamhammer shop (pre-order

Never Obey Again has released "Trust", third single taken from the eponymous new album to be released on October 18 by Scarlet Records.


"Trust" is a soul relieving track. Strong and emotional lyrics alongside with a powerful chorus make this track easy to be remembered and played loud whenever is needed to let it all out. Adulthood brings consciousness and awareness of who we are and what we are capable of. On the other hand, dealing with our limits and accepting them it’s a struggle for many of us. Many rely on faith, others on trust in themselves and live life at its fullest.


Trust will be released in the following formats:
- digipack CD
- digital




Preorder here.


Never Obey Again is a female fronted alternative unit that blends heavy sounds and modern electronic elements to create captivating, emotional sound scenarios. They did it effortlessly on the 2023 debut album The End Of An Era; they did it better and with an even stronger personal touch on their brand new record, where extraordinary singer Carol shines throughout the entire work.


On one hand, Trust has been conceived as 'music for everyone' regardless of gender or age as its lyrics and vocals could resonate with anyone; words and melodies that allow the listener to feel like home, protected and safe in sharing feelings.


On the other hand, it represents the band's decision to go heavier and dress those lyrics with their own sound avoiding any compromise; it sounds deeper, rough and straight to the point. It sounds like Never Obey Again an

The Finnish horror squad As I May is back with a killer new single "Never Stop Dreaming". The song is inspired by the Nightmare On Elm Street movie series and combines modern low riffs with a little taste of deathcore synths to bring horror chills and atmosphere to haunt your listening experience. If ‘80s- horror movies, down-tuned riffs, and big choruses are something that you're looking for, this is for you.


The band comments on the track:


"We all are big fans of Nightmare On Elm Street movies. Those were the first real horror movies when we were kids. I think maybe a couple of us were too young to watch those movies and also got nightmares from them, so Freddy has stayed with us all this time."




"Never Stop Dreaming" was mixed and mastered by Christoph Wieczorek (Sawdust Recordings).


In additional news, As I May had a line change-up in early 2024 when Jani Valhola stepped out from the ranks and was replaced with Jere Koponen.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the relationship he has with his bandmates, guitarist Jerry Horton, bassist Tobin Esperance and drummer Tony Palermo. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, man. I've got to tell you, it's a brotherhood. It's a family. We've been doing this since we were teenagers, since we were kids, and this bond that we built together is something that just — honestly, I don't know what could break this bond.'

He continued: "I'm into commitment. This band is a testament to that. My marriage to my wife Kelly is a testament to that. I've been with my band just as long as I've been with my wife. It's this thing that's just constant in my life, and I'm so grateful for it. Not a lot of people get to do what we do, and so I approach it with gratitude. And even when I'm exhausted — say I'm out on the road and I'm 18 months into a tour and I'm exhausted and I just feel, like, 'Oh, I can't even go on. I can't do it.' And then I get on that stage and I there's this connection and this thing that happens again. And it's just that reminder."

Jacoby added: "Yeah, man, we love what we do. And fuck, I have no other skills — really. This is it… I mean, I could be a gardener. I could be a landscaper. But it's just my life, man. And I just choose to do it with a sense of purpose. And I will continue to do that because we've spent so much time in building this story and this legacy of this band that it's, like, I don't wanna shit on this thing. I wanna honor it. I wanna ride this thing into the sunset and leave a mark and be remembered for being authentic, real, making powerful music and just standing on what I believe in."

In a new interview with the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix spoke about the band's touring and recording plans for the rest of 2024. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Right now, early in the year, we've been working on a bunch of new music. And so we're essentially pulling the slingshot back. 2025 is gonna be a big year for PAPA ROACH. It's the 25th anniversary of our first album 'Infest'. We've got a book, we've got tours, we've got the whole nine. And we've got a whole new batch of music that we're going to drop. And so new music will be probably coming, like, later in the year — third or fourth quarter."

He added: "It's good to get a little calm before the storm, and so I'm taking this year and just creating tons of music, writing for PAPA ROACH, writing with other artists and really just being as creative as possible."

This past January, PAPA ROACH shared a brand new live version of their hit single "Scars" featuring a guest appearance by Chris Daughtry.

"Scars Featuring Chris Daughtry (Live)" is not only a fresh take on one of the band's biggest hits, but it also serves as the latest release on the band's latest EP, "Leave A Light (Talk Away The Dark)". The track saw its debut performed live preceded by an emotional PSA delivered by Shaddix, who pledged a donation to the American Foundation For Suicide Prevention (AFSP) on behalf of each city's attendees, culminating in a $155,000 donation presented in Denver, Colorado. Three months later the song sat in the top 10 at Rock radio, becoming the band's 26th song to reach that plateau.

Last year, PAPA ROACH was so impacted by the emotive response each night of the "Revolutions Live" tour and the work done by the AFSP that they have since officially re-named the song "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)" after the organization's "Talk Away The Dark" campaign, and pledged a perpetual royalty from the song's use, to be donated directly to the AFSP to continue their mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide long after the "Revolutions Live" tour concluded.

"Scars Featuring Chris Daughtry (Live)" royalties will also be donated to the AFSP in support of their "Talk Away The Dark" campaign. This impactful initiative teaches you the warning signs for suicide, and how to have a conversation that could save a life — whether it's someone else's or your own. Help is available — talking is the first step to preventing suicide.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music who in 2020 celebrated the 20th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest". PAPA ROACH are not unfamiliar with calling attention to mental health, and have been doing so since day 1 with the iconic release of "Last Resort". Since then, the band has gone on to create 10 studio albums, along their most recent "Ego Trip" on their own label New Noize Records. "Ego Trip" has garnered over 260 million global streams to date, and has produced three No. 1 singles, bringing the band's total to 26 career Top 10 hits and 11 career No. 1s. 23 years into their career, the band continues to have global success.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", ATREYU guitarist Travis Miguel was asked which METALLICA album he thinks is better, "Ride The Lightning" or "Master Of Puppets". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm gonna go with the obvious and say 'Master Of Puppets'. Me personally, my favorite album is '…And Justice For All'. It's a very strange album to be considered your favorite, because each song is, like, 18 minutes long and there's no bass, but that was my entry point to METALLICA, so I have a very, very soft spot for that album. But as far as the better thrash album between 'Ride The Lightning' and 'Master Of Puppets', I'm gonna say 'Master Of Puppets'. It was a bit more refined, a bit more, I guess, mature. I mean, not to say that 'Ride The Lightning' wasn't, because from 'Kill 'Em All' to 'Ride The Lightning', there was a huge jump in musicality. But even from 'Ride The Lightning' to 'Master Of Puppets', there was an even bigger jump, too — in my opinion. Somebody might call me crazy or stupid — I totally get it — but, yeah, I'm gonna go with 'Master Of Puppets'. … You've gotta figure, too, 'Master Of Puppets' came out in '86, so they were all still relatively young when they came up with that album. So, I mean, kudos to them. METALLICA is kind of my north star — they're the reason why I do what I do. So, yeah, I'm forever a METALLICA fan."

Asked if it all comes down to METALLICA's James Hetfield and his right hand, Travis said: "It's all of it, really. I remember the first time I ever saw the video for 'One'. I had never heard music like that before. The only thing I really knew about metal was what I saw on MTV. So we're talking about WARRANT and WINGER, bands like that, and their videos were all big and colorful, with pyro and chicks dancing on cars and stuff like that. And the 'One' video was the complete opposite of that. And it was extremely depressing. And I remember just seeing it as a kid, almost kind of being scared by it. But when you're that age, you kind of become fascinated with the stuff that you're scared of. So, yeah, that was my entry point."

Back in June 2021, Travis's ATREYU bandmate, guitarist Dan Jacobs, discussed his love for METALLICA in an interview with RadioactiveMike Z. He said: "We've played with them a couple of times — always at a festival, though; there's never been a METALLICA/ATREYU tour.

"They're the kings of metal — of rock and metal — they're just the biggest thing there is. So getting to experience that and see how they roll, it's really inspiring for any band, especially in the rock world. I mean, you watch what they do, and you're just, like, 'Holy crap, man.'

"When you're that big, you just have the best show; your show is so ridiculous," he continued. "It's so over the top in the most awesome, epic way. They still sound just as good [as], if not better than, they ever have. I mean, those dudes are just ripping at what they do. James Hetfield is an animal. It's a great experience. There's a reason why they're as big as they are and they have been as successful as they have. They're the real deal. You will not go to a METALLICA show and be let down."

Asked how he first discovered METALLICA's music, Dan said: "The first METALLICA I ever heard was 'Enter Sandman' back in the '90s. It was kind of around the time that I was just getting introduced to… I guess kind of really paying attention to music more than I ever have. I started watching MTV. Before, music was something in passing I'd hear on the radio. I sought it out a little bit. But this was the age when I was, like, 12 or 13 years old, and I was really pursuing music and really just obsessed with it at that point. So, I remember watching MTV or VH1 and METALLICA's 'Enter Sandman' would come on every once in a while. I liked it — it wasn't something that I super fell in love with, but I knew it was a great song [and it had] a huge sound, with the drums and the guitars and everything. It wasn't exactly in line with what I was listening to at the time; I was kind of a little bit more drawn to the punk world… As far as the mainstream — THE OFFSPRING and GREEN DAY and RANCID, which kind of led me down way more into the punk world, which then led me into the hardcore bands, which then led me into metal, which was kind of around high school time. That's when I kind of came back around and started listening to METALLICA a little bit more, especially a song like 'Battery'. I think that's probably the most standout song that kind of resonated with me as far as listening to quote-unquote older METALLICA… Out of all the METALLICA songs that are older, that one just, for whatever reason, sticks to my head the most."

ATREYU will release "The Pronoia Sessions" — a collection of eight reimagined greatest hits and two nostalgic tribute covers — this fall on Spinefarm. The digital release will begin streaming on October 25 while vinyl and CDs will hit streets on November 8.

On the latest episode of AXS TV's "Vinyl Obsession", MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine joins host Eric Young to talk about all things music, including some of the albums that have inspired him over the years. One of Dave's selections is "Lightning To The Nations", the debut LP by British heavy metal band DIAMOND HEAD. Speaking about the effort, Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "One of the first records I picked… Any self-respecting metal fan that knows anything about Dave Mustaine or MEGADETH or METALLICA for that matter knows how important DIAMOND HEAD was. They were called the natural successors to LED ZEPPELIN in [the] NME [respected U.K. publication]. I mean, that, to me, is quite a compliment. I loved the music because it was riffs and it's not chords. American songwriters were doing a lot of chord writing and the European and predominantly the people in the United Kingdom were coming up with that riff. And a riff is simply something that is a melody that is played over and over and over and over again. So it has to be really good or it becomes this monotonous droning."

He continued: "DIAMOND HEAD was one of the first bands that I saw that played music that I understood that I wanted to play. And when I was in METALLICA was when we were basically discovering DIAMOND HEAD the most. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] had spent a lot of time with the guys in DIAMOND HEAD, and this was such an influential band to me and to the guys in METALLICA that there's seven songs on the back of this record. And on side A, it's 'Lightning To The Nations', 'The Prince' and 'Sucking My Love'. And we played 'The Prince', we played 'Sucking My Love'. And on side B it's 'Am I Evil?', 'Sweet And Innocent', 'It's Electric' and 'Helpless'. And we played 'Am I Evil?', we played 'It's Electric' and we played 'Helpless'. There's five songs off of this record that we were playing in METALLICA, and a lot of people thought those were original songs, because we weren't rightly going out there and explaining to everybody, 'Hey, these songs are great, and you're probably gonna think they're ours and we're not gonna tell you that. We're gonna give credit to where credit's due.' Nah, nah. We're gonna be quiet and make you think we're really great.

"And so that's kind of how DIAMOND HEAD came on my radar and why I like these guys," Mustaine added. "And the singer for DIAMOND HEAD that made up all of these great songs in the beginning was a guy named Sean Harris. And Sean and Brian [Tatler, DIAMOND HEAD guitarist] don't get along anymore. For some reason, I think Sean thought his mom was gonna be a good manager. And she had helped run the band, and that was it."

Mustaine previously discussed DIAMOND HEAD's musical impact during a September 2022 appearance on SiriusXM's Liquid Metal. He said at the time: "[DIAMOND HEAD was] probably one of the most influential bands in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, if only for the fact that they were in the right place at the right time. I thought they had a great singer, and I thought the guitar riffs were amazing. And the press had gone as far as to say that they were the heir apparent to LED ZEPPELIN. That was a massive compliment for DIAMOND HEAD. So at the time, when I first heard them, it had come through my last band, METALLICA, from the drummer, Lars, who was evidently touring with DIAMOND HEAD; he would be a fanboy and follow them. I got to meet them on a little different level; I met them as equals, or as myself, as an established musician. So I got a chance to kind of really, eyeball to eyeball, meet this guy Brian Tatler, the guitar player from DIAMOND HEAD. And just a sweet man — a tremendous talent on guitar.

"The DIAMOND HEAD that I know and love was the DIAMOND HEAD in the beginning," Mustaine explained. "And I'll tell you, there were so many of those songs that we played in METALLICA: 'Helpless', 'The Prince', 'Am I Evil?' And a lot of people think those are original songs in METALLICA. They're not; they're DIAMOND HEAD songs."

Mustaine has been very vocal about what a "massive influence" DIAMOND HEAD and Tatler were on him and the music he wrote for both MEGADETH and METALLICA. Tatler, for his part, has repeatedly expressed his gratitude over the years to METALLICA, who have covered four DIAMOND HEAD songs and kept the band in the spotlight.

Five years ago, Tatler spoke to "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" about a collaboration project he began with Mustaine but never finished. Asked how the idea for the project came about and what became of it, Tatler said: "You remember [Mustaine] did an album called MD.45 [in 1996]? So he did that, and then maybe a year later, we got in touch with each other. And he said about that album, he said, 'I'd like to do another album like that, with yourself,' and he named a couple of other players. And I thought, 'That sounds fantastic. I'm up for that.' So I started writing material, and I would send stuff over, and he'd say, 'Yup. I like that. And I don't like that. And I like this.' And on it went for maybe a year or so. And every now and again, he'd apologize and say, 'I'm ever so busy. I'm doing the MEGADETH album,' and this, that and the other, and it seemed to drag on a little. And eventually, he said, 'I'm not gonna be able to do it.'"

Tatler continued: "Do you remember [Dave] hurt his arm [in 2002]? He went to sleep on his arm. And so he couldn't play guitar anymore. He sold his gear. MEGADETH stopped playing. That was the end of it. So he couldn't do our project either. So I just thought, 'Oh, okay. That's life.' One good thing: it forced me to write some songs, so I had about 30-odd song ideas that I wouldn't have otherwise, had I not had this opportunity. I had a fantastic reason to get my fingers out and start writing. And so some of these songs I've used on various albums that I've done since. That's the good thing that I took from that, negative. And we stayed friends, and MEGADETH offered us a support tour in 2005 — we did 22 dates all across Europe, opening for MEGADETH. So they did us a favor in the end — a return favor. And that went really well. It's all good."

It was announced in December 2017 that DIAMOND HEAD had inked a management deal with Thrashville Management, the company founded by Dave and his son Justis Mustaine. Several months later, the affiliation came to a sudden and unexpected end, with DIAMOND HEAD switching over to Siren Artist Management, which also handles SAXON, EUROPE, URIAH HEEP and THIN LIZZY.

In 2019, DIAMOND HEAD bassist Dean Ashton said "it was an awesome experience getting to work with Dave." As for the failed partnership, DIAMOND HEAD vocalist Rasmus Bom Anderson admitted: "It was a big blow to all of us, as there was so much great stuff happening in the wings, and it all fell to pieces. I have nothing but great respect to Dave Mustaine and Justis Mustaine. They were super friendly and supportive, and I believe [they] wanted this to work out as much as we did, but sadly it didn't."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist Daron Malakian's side project SCARS ON BROADWAY played its first concert in more than five years Saturday (October 5) at the BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, California as the support act for KORN. Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.

Featured songs:

01. Chemicals 1:02
02. Sickening Wars 4:42
03. Fucking 6:59
04. Universe 9:25
05. Insane 13:29
06. Scars On Broadway 16:48
07. World Long Gone 19:30
08. Cute Machines 22:36
09. Guns Are Loaded 25:33
10. Fuck 'N Kill 29:29
11. Exploding/Reloading 33:10
12. Stoner Hate 35:16
13. They Say 37:37

Prior to the BMO concert, DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY hadn't played live since completing a short West Coast tour in March 2019.

Joining Daron in the current SCARS ON BROADWAY lineup are Orbel Babayan (rhythm guitar, backing vocals),Niko Chantziantoniou (bass) and Roman Lomtadze (drums).

SCARS ON BROADWAY's latest album, "Dictator", was released in July 2018.

SCARS ON BROADWAY, now rebranded DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY, has undergone a complete overhaul, with none of the members from the group's 2008 debut — including SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan — appearing on the most recent songs.

Malakian explained the personnel changes in an online post, saying: "Nobody quit. When I first started SCARS, I always said that it would be different lineups from album to album. Depends on the type of direction I want to take. Different musicians work for different styles. That is partly why I added my name in front of the band's."

"Dictator" saw Malakian write, produce and play every instrument — including all vocals — over the course of a 10-day recording session. The album's cover art was created by Daron's father, Vartan Malakian, who also designed the artwork for SYSTEM OF A DOWN's twin 2005 releases, "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize".

"Dictator" was recorded in 2012 but remained unreleased until 2018.

SCARS ON BROADWAY previously performed in 2012 as the opening act for DEFTONES in Los Angeles.

The group has only played live sporadically over the years: a headlining trek in 2008 was canceled, with Malakian citing his lack of enthusiasm and "his heart not being into touring" as the chief reasons behind the decision.

The guitarist later explained that he thought it was "almost too soon" for him to go on the road after SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on hiatus in 2006, also citing issues in his personal life that "made it impossible" for him to tour.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

CRIMSON GLORY's new lineup, which includes Ben Jackson (guitar),Jeff Lords (bass) and Dana Burnell (drums),along with the group's latest additions, lead vocalist Travis Wills of the Dallas, Texas progressive power metal band INFIDEL RISING and guitarist Mark "Borgy" Borgmeyer of the Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida hard rock act THE LOST BOYS, made its live debut Saturday night (October 5) at the Keep It True Rising IV festival at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany.

The band's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Valhalla
02. Dragon Lady
03. Lady Of Winter
04. Where Dragons Rule
05. Painted Skies
06. Masque Of The Red Death
07. Queen Of The Masquerade
08. Burning Bridges
09. Chasing The Hydra (new song)
10. In Dark Places
11. Eternal World
12. Azrael

Encore:

13. Lost Reflection
14. Lonely
15. Red Sharks

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below.

The Keep It True Rising IV show marked CRIMSON GLORY's first live appearance in more than 12 years.

In January, CRIMSON GLORY released the official lyric video for the first single to feature the band's new lineup, a song called "Triskaideka". Travis told The Metal Command about the fan response to the track: "At first, I was a little nervous when I was reading the comments, but then I was, like, it is what it is. I'm just gonna go out there, do my best and let the chips fall where they fall. The guys [in the band] obviously like what I've been doing with the songs, and that's really important. It's really important that the that the fans of the band dig it, and I'm really glad that they got a little glimpse of what my voice kind of steers toward that they can get on board with that."

He continued: "I've seen some real interesting comparisons, and while I don't hear it, I'm glad to read it. So that makes me happy, especially the Warrel Dane [comparison]. I'm, like, I don't hear it, but I'll take that. And, of course, the kind of Midnight [original CRIMSON GLORY singer] overtone, I'm very glad to do that.

"Man, I'll tell you what, I was really scared going — not scared, but just nervous going into it, because when you're stepping into a legendary vocalist['s shoes], there's a lot of weight that is on your shoulders," Wills admitted. "And I had to think about it, if this is something that I feel like I could do. And I thought about it, and I'm, like, 'Yeah, I can do this.' And I'm glad that these guys trust me to bring that to the band."

Jackson and Wills also talked in more detail about the musical direction of the new CRIMSON GLORY material, with Ben saying: "We're trying to go back more towards the roots of the band, like the sound and style of the first two albums [1986's self-titled LP and 1988's 'Transcendence']. So it's kind of a conscious move, that that's what we're going for. The third and fourth album [1991's 'Strange And Beautiful' and 1999's 'Astronomica'] were a little different in style, and it just seems that the fans have always really embraced and loved the first two albums the most, so we're going to try to recapture that sort of vibe and sound for this new album."

Travis said: "I really liked the [first] single that came out… But I think the stuff that we've got for the new album is just stellar, and fans are gonna be really pleased. There's a lot of hat tipping to Midnight in it, and there's a lot of revisiting the sound from the first two albums. So I think everybody's gonna be really pleased."

Jackson went on to say that the new CRIMSON GLORY music sounds "pretty close" to "Crimson Glory" and "Transcendence". "Obviously we're different now and we're evolving, as a band should," he explained. "It might have a little more modernisms about it, it might sound a little more modern. The production will probably be a little better and more modern than the productions on the first two albums because of things that you can do today in the recording world. The first album, when I listen to it, it sounds thick and everything, but the production's a little dated. Stylistically, the way we're writing, I think it's really right up the alley of what we were doing then. And, obviously, Travis is gonna bring something new to this, because he's a different guy, he's his own guy. Like he says, on some of these songs, he does little things that sort of tip the hat to the Midnight vibe, but he's really an original, and that's what we needed in a new singer. We didn't want a Midnight clone. We wanted somebody who was special, a real original. And we have that. Travis is very special, very original."

In February, Jackson told The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show about how CRIMSON GLORY decided to become active again: "There was this really great singer named Mystique, a guy from Greece, and he was brought to our attention by a friend of ours. And the guy Mystique really caught our attention, got us kind of interested in maybe doing something with the band again. He sounded a lot like [original CRIMSON GLORY singer] Midnight, which was appealing for us at first. And then we worked with the guy for almost a couple of years, writing some songs and discussing the possibility of him joining the band. And ultimately it didn't really work out with him. We didn't really agree on everything we were doing with the songwriting, but he was a cool guy. But it didn't really work out, so he's gonna go ahead and do a solo album. And we wish him well with that. But that's kind of what got us reinterested, actually, is our friend bringing this guy to our attention. And when it didn't work out with him, Jeff and Dana and I were already kind of amped up with some of the new songs that we were working on. And we said, 'Well, we'll find somebody and we'll just do this.' And we did. We looked at a couple other singers before we kind of happened upon the guy we have now, Travis."

Asked what excited him about Travis, Ben said: "Well, what excited me was, I guess, he sent us a version of him singing one of our classic songs, 'Painted Skies', and it sounded really good; he was really capturing the emotion of the song. And he didn't sound exactly like Midnight, like he was trying to copycat him; he kind of had his own sound, his own voice, but he was really, really nailing it and sounded really good with it. So I was, like, 'This guy is something else.'"

Jackson also touched upon the lack of involvement of CRIMSON GLORY's founding guitarist Jon Drenning with the band's current formation. Asked if Jon is contributing to any of the music writing, Ben said: "No, not this time around. He's just completely away from it. Around 2012, when we were sort of writing with [former CRIMSON GLORY and current QUEENSRŸCHE singer] Todd [La Torre] for what we were gonna make a new album with Todd, we started planning some specific evenings in which we'd all write together, and Jon was just not showing up that much. He came to a few and then sort of slacked off on it. And that's one of the reasons that led to Todd just kind of pulling out and going full force with QUEENSRŸCHE. And that was over 10, 11 years ago now, and we haven't really had any contact with Jon in the last 10 years — any of us. We wish him well and everything, but, yeah, I think from the time his son was born, he just kind of removed himself from the music business and wants to play the dad role. And that's understandable. It's not really in his priority list right now to be doing music and records and stuff."

Last December, Drenning said that he "would have loved to be a part of" the band's reformed lineup, but that his family life has prevented him from being involved in the legendary progressive power metallers' comeback.

Drenning made his comments one day after it was announced that CRIMSON GLORY was returning with new lead vocalist, new guitarist and immediate plans to release two new singles.

On December 23, 2023, Drenning released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "I wish Ben, Dana and Jeff all the best. I would have loved to be a part of this new chapter, but my priorities are not in sync with the band at this juncture. Indeed, being a father has shaped my priorities in ways I could never imagine. Mark Borgemeyer is a good friend and I can't think of a better candidate to fill my shoes. I share the same enthusiasm as the fans, and there may be another surprise for them around the corner…stay tuned."

CRIMSON GLORY had been largely inactive since La Torre officially quit the band in February 2013.

La Torre, who joined Seattle-based progressive metal icons QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012 as the replacement for Geoff Tate, became an official member of CRIMSON GLORY in April 2010 and played a number of shows with the Florida metal act during the two-and-a-half-year period prior to his exit.

A "raw" version of a new CRIMSON GLORY demo track titled "Garden Of Shadows", featuring La Torre on vocals, was released in September 2012 and was supposed to appear on the band's new concept record, which was expected sometime in 2013.

In announcing his departure from CRIMSON GLORY, La Torre said that his involvement with QUEENSRŸCHE "had nothing to do" with his decision to leave CRIMSON GLORY, adding that the "main reason" for his "resignation" was "primarily" due to the latter band's "inertia status."

La Torre made his first public appearance with CRIMSON GLORY at ProgPower USA X as one of 17 guest performers paying tribute to Midnight.

Midnight passed away in 2009 due to long-term health complications.

Wade Black sang on CRIMSON GLORY's 1999 album "Astronomica" and took part in a subsequent European tour.

David Van Landing replaced Midnight briefly for the U.S. tour in support of CRIMSON GLORY's third album, 1991's "Strange And Beautiful".

In celebration of their milestone 30th anniversary, KORN performed a once-in-a-lifetime show at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday, October 5. This one-night-only performance featured special guests EVANESCENCE, GOJIRA, DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY, SPIRITBOX and VENDED.

KORN's setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Here To Stay
02. Dead Bodies Everywhere
03. Got The Life
04. A.D.I.D.A.S.
05. Coming Undone
06. Good God
07. Start The Healing
08. Somebody Someone
09. Blind
10. Ball Tongue
11. Clown
12. Shoots And Ladders
13. Helmet In The Bush
14. Twist
15. It's On!
16. Make Me Bad
17. Y'All Want A Single

Encore:

18. Falling Away From Me
19. Oildale (Leave Me Alone)
20. Freak On A Leash (with Amy Lee)

Fan-filmed video of the "Freak On A Leash" performance, featuring a guest appearance by EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee, can be seen below.

KORN kicked off its summer/fall 2024 North American tour on September 12 at MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre in Tampa, Florida. The band's 18-song setlist, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of KORN's debut album, included "Oildale" mostly the band's 2010 LP "Korn III: Remember Who You Are" and "Hey Daddy", a track from KORN's 1999 album "Issues" which had only ever previously been performed almost 25 years ago.

The rock cultural icons' 25-date Live Nation-produced trek featuring special guests, Grammy-nominated band GOJIRA and Canadian heavy metal group SPIRITBOX, will wrap up in St. Paul, Minnesota at Xcel Energy Center on October 27.

When the BMO show was first announced in March, KORN singer Jonathan Davis said in a statement: "Reflecting on thirty years of KORN fills me with such immense gratitude for our journey, the growth we've experienced, and the incredible bond we share with our fans. It's humbling to see how our music has touched so many lives across the globe. From our small club beginnings to now headlining stadiums, it's been an unforgettable ride, and we owe it all to our amazing, undying, loyal community that's made it possible. I'm really looking forward to this incredible night to celebrate together."

KORN changed the world with the release of their self-titled debut album in 1994. It was a record that would pioneer a genre, and blur others-leading into a larger cultural movement. Since forming, KORN has sold more than 40 million albums worldwide, collected two Grammys, toured the world countless times, and set many records in the process that will likely never be surpassed. KORN has continued to push the limits of the rock, alternative and metal genres, while remaining a pillar of influence for legions of fans, and generations of artists around the globe.

The level of KORN's reach transcends accolades and platinum certifications. They are "a genuine movement in a way bands cannot be now," attests The Ringer. They represent a new archetype and radical innovation, their ability to transcend genre makes barriers seem irrelevant.

In a March 2024 interview with the WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's 2022 album "Requiem". He said: "Well, I'll just say, yes, we are passionately and intensely working on new music. We're a little bit behind. We've been really digging deep into sounds and tones and miking techniques and just really focusing on every aspect of just the miking and the sonic levels of everything because… I love the last few records we've done in the last 10 years, but I think — I just have something in me that thinks we could beat the tones. I love the songs that we've done, but tone-wise I feel like we can beat it. So we're spending a lot more time on this new music, we're spending a lot more money [chuckles], and we don't have any record label involved, so it's all coming from us. And we really want to dissect our sound and remember where we came from and how we did it back then. And having a vintage KORN feel with a modern twist — sonically, I'm talking about. So it's very intense. The songs are amazing. I'm very proud of it. I feel like we are closer than we've ever been in the studio. And Jonathan [Davis, KORN singer] has been there every day."

According to Welch, he and his KORN bandmates are working on new music "off and on. We'll work for — I don't know — a couple of weeks. Then I won't see [Jonathan] for a month or two," he explained. "But it's starting to pick up now because we wanna put new music out. We're a little bit behind, but we're very proud of what we're doing. And we can't wait for people to hear it."

Regarding the musical direction of the new KORN material, Brian said: "I think it's the best and heaviest KORN stuff in years. And I think it's gonna be raw and just kind of more basic, as far as sound and recording and everything. I don't wanna give it all away, but we're just very, very pleased with where we're at right now."

Welch — who rejoined KORN more than a decade ago, eight years after leaving the band and at the same time announcing that he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol by becoming a born-again Christian — also clarified that he and the rest of KORN "haven't started recording" the band's next album "yet, but we're very passionately heading toward that direction. And we can't wait for everybody to hear it."

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu announced in June 2021 that he would sit out the band's tour in order to "heal" after "falling back" on some of his "bad habits." He has since been replaced on the road by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES bassist Roberto "Ra" Díaz.

Released in February 2022, "Requiem", which was produced by Chris Collier and KORN, entered Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart at No. 1. The band sold 23,000 equivalent album units in the February 4-10, 2022 tracking week, according to Billboard. Of that sum, 20,000 units were from album sales. "Requiem" also landed at No. 2 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Alternative Albums charts. On the all-format Billboard 200, it arrived at No. 14.

Despite the fact that he hasn't performed with his KORN bandmates for more than three years, Fieldy did play on "Requiem".

In a recent interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, KINGDOM COME guitarist Danny Stag was asked if there had ever been any attempt at a reunion of the band's classic lineup in the three and a half decades after the original group abruptly broke up for personal reasons in August 1989. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "In 2014, we all agreed to put the original five back together. And we actually got to the point where we had an agent and shows were being booked and we were gonna start rehearsing out in L.A. And Lenny [Wolf, original KINGDOM COME singer] flew out from Germany, and we got through one rehearsal, and it fell apart because James [Kottak, KINGDOM COME drummer] had to go back to play with SCORPIONS. SCORPIONS had told James, 'Yeah, we're winding it down. We're only doing 50 or 60 shows a year now.' And Klaus [Meine, SCORPIONS singer] knew that James had been talking about putting KINGDOM COME back together and he knew there was a market out there for it. And it was like a dream of [James's] — the guy that quit, funnily enough, he wanted to put the band back together. [James] always loved the band. He loved [bassist] Johnny [B. Frank] and I and [guitarist] Rick [Steier]; we were all great friends. And so what happened was SCORPIONS said, 'Yeah, James, you can do KINGDOM COME now with our blessing. Just don't double book. If we have a show, don't book a [KINGDOM COME] show on any of the dates where there's a SCORPIONS show. And you're still gonna get paid the same way.' He wouldn't have to change his contract or anything. They just said, 'If you wanna fill in some days with KINGDOM COME, that's great.' So that's what we were gonna do. Then Klaus had surgery on his knee. He was in the hospital, and he's a sober guy. He was in the hospital, and they had him on painkillers and all this stuff, and he had a change of heart, and he told James he couldn't do it. And we had already put it in motion. Yeah, they said, 'We're gonna do another record.' Remember how SCORPIONS retired about six times in the last 10 years? This was this was one of those times. And they said, 'You have to come back. We're going in the studio and we're doing a tour.' And James had no choice. Well, he didn't wanna throw away a lot of money and screw the band over. So he said, 'I'm sorry, guys. We can't do it.' He was in tears. He felt really bad. And so Lenny went home, back to Germany."

In an interview this past March with Artists On Record Starring ADIKA Live!, Frank gave a slightly different version of why a reunion of KINGDOM COME's classic lineup failed to materialize a decade ago. He said at the time: "We tried to do [a KINGDOM COME reunion] in 2015 when Lenny was still in the band. James had a year off from the SCORPIONS, so he said, 'Let's do some KINGDOM COME. ' And Lenny was into it. We were getting those big bucks, 'cause it was all original members and we hadn't done anything in 30 years, 29 years or something. So there was a big buzz about us. And then James went to his doctor that afternoon — we were gonna rehearse that night with Lenny and Rick and Danny and everybody — and he told his doctor, 'I'm an alcoholic.' And his doctor said, 'Well, let me prescribe you some Valium.' So he thought, 'Okay, I'll just take a Valium before rehearsal and then I won't need to drink.' And then when the Valium started kicking in, he thought, 'You know what would go good with this? Some Jack Daniel's.' He felt that buzz coming on, and he was, like, 'I've gotta finish this off.' An hour later, he actually fell off his drum stool, and Lenny said, 'That's it. I'm going back to Germany.'"

In 2018, Kottak seemingly confirmed Stag's version of events as it related to the failed reunion of KINGDOM COME's classic lineup, telling NJArts.net: "I wanted to [put the band back together] in 2012 or 2013 and I had the entire band assembled, including Lenny here in L.A. And then I got this call from … Klaus Meine and he said, 'James, we've [SCORPIONS] been on our farewell tour for a few years but I have to ask you, can you not play with anyone else? Because we've decided not to say farewell, we're going to do another album.' Well, I said, 'My allegiance is with you guys,' so I had to go along with the boys, because they're like family."

The new lineup of KINGDOM COME — featuring Stag, Steier and Frank, along with the band's latest additions, vocalist Ezekiel "Zeke" Kaplan and drummer Matt Muckle — played its first two shows on March 15 at The Lamp Theater in Irwin, Pennsylvania and on March 16 at The Mercury Music Lounge in Lakewood, Ohio.

In February, singer Keith St John announced his departure from KINGDOM COME after a five-year run with the band.

St John joined KINGDOM COME in 2018 after Wolf opted not to be involved in the group's reunion alongside Kottak, Stag, Steier and Frank.

St John's exit from KINGDOM COME came just a month after Kottak died at the age of 61.

Earlier in February, Stag, Steier and Frank launched a new web site at kingdomcomerockband.com where they revealed that they would carry on under the KINGDOM COME banner with the addition of Kaplan and Muckle.

Kottak, who was open about his battle with alcoholism, died on January 9. No cause of death has been given.

KINGDOM COME had used a different drummer, SLAUGHTER's Blas Elias, instead of James for most of the band's shows in the last two years due to Kottak's deteriorating health.

Prior to Kottak's death, KINGDOM COME's most recent touring lineup consisted of St John and Elias alongside Stag, Steier and Frank.

Kottak's daughter Tobi told TMZ her father passed away in Louisville, where he lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances weren't available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

Kottak was married to Athena Lee, the sister of MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee, from 1996 to 2010.