In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, former SCORPIONS drummer Herman Rarebell was asked which of the band's albums is closest to his heart. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Actually, two or three. [1980's] 'Animal Magnetism'. The follow-up, [1982's] 'Blackout'. I wrote a lot of lyrics in this one. Also the album title was me again. Then, of course, the one with Michael [Schenker] on it, [1979's] 'Lovedrive'. I think those are my three favorite ones. Then, of course, [1977's] 'Taken By Force', there's one favorite song on there, 'The Sails Of Charon'.

"But I tell you what — what I don't like anymore — the albums, really, after [1990's] 'Crazy World'," he explained. "Just the one [1993's] 'Face The Heat' with [producer] Bruce Fairbairn; that was nice. But everything after that, I wasn't a fan anymore. That's probably the reason why I left. I couldn't see any more progressing. So I said to the band, 'It's time for me to do something else.' I didn't wanna go along this way, 'cause after [the ballad] 'Wind Of Change' [from the 'Crazy World' album], Klaus [Meine, SCORPIONS singer] said to me, 'I'm gonna write more songs like this.' I said, 'You can do this, but I'm not with you anymore.' Then came another one out, which I couldn't listen to this. And I left then. Then I said, 'That's it for me. I stay in rock.' I wanted to stay in rock. I don't wanna drift up in the 'Wind Of Change' way. Great song, but it wasn't for me. For me, I'm more in the direction of 'The Sails Of Charon' and songs like this."

Back in September 2021, Rarebell blasted his former SCORPIONS bandmates, calling them "rude" and accusing them of "greed" over their apparent refusal to allow him to rejoin the band. Rarebell, who was a member of the SCORPIONS from 1977 to 1995, discussed the possibility of his return to the group in an interview for Classic Rock magazine. Asked if he was disappointed not to have been invited back into the fold following the 2016 dismissal of longtime drummer James Kottak, Herman said: "I'll tell you how disappointed I am. I sent them a message offering my services, and never even got a reply. I thought that was very rude. Now I hear the SCORPIONS are claiming their new album will be a return to the glory days of the eighties. If they're serious about that, they should get [former bassist] Francis [Buchholz] and me back, and also Dieter Dierks who produced all those classic albums. You know why they won't do that? Greed. It would mean having to share everything five ways and not three."

Rarebell also criticized his former bandmates for seemingly not giving him enough credit for their commercial success in the 1980s. "The band never mention me in interviews, which I find ridiculous," he stated. "But there's a new documentary in the pipeline from ITV on the band. I am being interviewed for this, so I can finally set the record straight on my role."

In an interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Herman stated about the huge commercial success of SCORPIONS' 1982 album "Blackout": "Mercury Records was totally behind us and they believed in us. They wanted us to keep making albums. They wanted us to grow and do better each time out. 'Lovedrive' went gold. 'Animal Magnetism' went gold and then 'Blackout' was the first one to go platinum. [Rudolf] Schenker / [Klaus] Meine / Rarebell was a great songwriting team. You can see that from how many successful albums we had. After I left the band, they didn't have any more hits."

Rarebell also talked about the inspiration for the lyrics to "Rock You Like A Hurricane", which was released as the lead single from SCORPIONS' ninth studio album, 1984's "Love At First Sting". "Those lyrics were very easy to write," he said. "I woke up early in the morning after fucking and doing cocaine all night and I opened up the curtains. 'It's early morning, the sun comes out. Last night was shaking and pretty loud. My cat is purring and she scratches my skin.' She had scratched my back during our lovemaking. I just sat down and wrote it right then and there. It was five in the morning and the girl was still in bed as I was sitting there writing it. The next day, I said to Rudolf, 'I have some great lyrics for that riff you have.'"

Rarebell is currently promoting the upcoming HERMAN RAREBELL & FRIENDS studio album "What About Love?", which will be released on April 11 via Metalville Records. The LP features Herman's re-recordings of 12 songs with good friends and great musicians as a tribute to the greatest hits of the 1980s — a time that was a golden age for him personally. Former OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Bob Daisley can be heard on this album, as can Dann Huff, who was a studio musician on some of the greatest albums in pop history, as well as Howard Leese from the legendary U.S. rockers HEART and singer Michael Voss (CASANOVA, MAD MAX, MICHAEL SCHENKER).

During a recent appearance on the 4AM Chicken Soup YouTube show hosted by Dushan Zarić, FAITH NO MORE bassist Billy Gould spoke about his involvement with BRUJERIA, the extreme death metal project he had co-founded with FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares. Regarding BRUJERIA's formation, Gould said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Honestly, I went to high school with these guys in L.A., and these guys from East L.A. were coming to my school and they were, like, listening to punk and I was listening to punk and there were not many kids in my school listening to punk. I was, like, 'Who are these dudes, these Mexican dudes listening to punk? And we started talking. We were, like, 15 years old and we became really good friends and going to gigs. So I moved up to San Francisco and I came back down to hang out with my buddies, and we'd go to punk shows and drink beer in the car, and they're, like, 'We wanna do a metal band. 'Cause all these kids in East L.A. were listening to like TERRORIZER and all this shit… The world was changing. NAPALM DEATH was playing, and it was this shit that you couldn't even sell — it was unsellable music. And we were, like, 'We're gonna do this. We're gonna [sing] in Spanish.' We were just, like, 'We're just gonna fuck shit up.'"

Asked how long his involvement with BRUJERIA lasted, Gould said: "Well, I left the band around 2001, because nobody knew who we were and we were wearing masks. And I kind of liked that part of it because I had FAITH NO MORE. 'Cause BRUJERIA started touring and stuff. When they started touring is when I left the band. It was kind of like KISS when they took their makeup off. I liked KISS with the makeup on. And I was kind of, like, there was a mystery and the whole thing, but it's okay — I think it's great. They did it. They did great amazing shows. I'm a hundred percent behind it. It's just that I already had a band that was touring and doing all that shit. I didn't wanna do two of them."

Referencing last year's deaths of BRUJERIA's frontman, lyricist, leader and co-founder John Lepe, a.k.a. Juan Brujo, and longtime BRUJERIA vocalist and samplist Ciriaco "Pinche Peach" Quezada, Billy added: "Two guys from BRUJERIA died [in 2024] — Peach and Brujo — and those are the guys that we started everything with. And so I was just in L.A. meeting with Brujo's sister and we were just talking about all the crazy shit that we did and just kind of trying to process it. 'Cause when you do things, you don't think about them until after. And it's, like, what did we do exactly? And what was that shit?"

Back in October 2003, Gould told Perfect Pitch Online about his decision to leave BRUJERIA: "I was involved from the beginning, and it's just a different band now. I left around the same time that [ex-FEAR FACTORY drummer] Ray [Herrera] did. What I really liked in the beginning was that nobody really said who was in the band, it was something done purely out of fun, and it didn't take itself too seriously. It ruffled a lot of people's feathers too, so it was all really positive. At that time, Mexico didn't really have death metal bands, and it was great to be involved in something that was interesting on so many levels. I think the way the band turned — I can't stop other band members from giving their names and saying who they are — it changes the focus of the whole thing, and it becomes just a typical rock band that really doesn't have any meaning that interests me. You know, that just doesn't do it for me anymore. BRUJERIA was one of the things that gave [Gould's label] Kool Arrow [Records] a kick-start, and I think all the BRUJERIA records that have come out have been pretty good. I think they can still put out good records, but the focus on what the band's doing and where they're headed, and what I want to do creatively and where I want to go with my life, they've really gone apart."

Billy added at the time: "My guess [is that] [BRUJERIA] are just going to do [things] by the book [going forward]. It's going to become more about all those things that I always hated about rock — backstage passes and the ego thing. I'm just not into it. I'm just telling you how it makes me feel. I don't want to say that the band is this or that and put a bunch of labels on them, but I just don't get the inspiration from it, and I want to do things that keep me interested and make me want to learn new things."

BRUJERIA played the first show after Brujo and Peach's deaths on January 15 at Trix in Antwerp, Belgium. It was the first concert of BRUJERIA's "Europa Rigor Mortis Part I" 2025 European tour with CARCASS as headliner and support from ROTTEN SOUND.

In September, BRUJERIA announced that Juan Brujo died after suffering a heart attack during the "Mexorcista" tour in Saint Clairsville, Ohio.

BRUJERIA released its fifth full-length album, "Esto Es Brujeria", in September 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records.

BRUJERIA's recent lineup also included Jessica Pimentel, the American actress best known for her role as Maria Ruiz on the Netflix original series "Orange Is The New Black".

Founding THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN guitarist Ben Weinman spoke to Australia's Heavy about the band's return to the stage for the first time since 2017 for special reunion shows celebrating the 25th anniversary of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's 1999 debut, "Calculating Infinity".

The first THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN comeback gig took place last June in Brooklyn, New York and saw the band play "Calculating Infinity" in its entirety for the first time, with original vocalist Dimitri Minakakis joining Weinman, bassist Liam Wilson and drummer Billy Rymer.

Regarding what the reunion shows have been like so far, Ben said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been a lot of years [since we last played together], and it was kind of a tough decision to make [to return to the live stage], but we're really glad we did it because we've been having a really good time.

"[In addition to playing all of 'Calculate Infinity'], we've been playing an EP that we put out with the original singer before that called 'Under The Running Board' and then also cuts from our very first early, early stuff that we did when we first started the band. And then we try to do some covers — a different cover every night — and we're just having a good time up there, man. But it is definitely the first time we've done all that kind of early material all back to back like that. So it's been interesting and challenging."

Asked if it was challenging performing some of the early THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN material after so much time had passed, Ben said: "Honestly, when I was writing that stuff, I couldn't play any of it. I just was', like, 'Let me write songs I can't play and then I'd better get good enough to play 'em.' The later incarnation of the band did play some older songs from those albums, but there are a lot of them that we hadn't played in a very, very long time, if ever," he explained. "So those ones were definitely more challenging because we just didn't even have the muscle memory."

On the topic of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's future plans, Ben said: "Well, we put the first [Brooklyn] show on sale, and it was really quickly that we decided — it wasn't even that much time between agreeing to do this and actually announcing it. And we knew we might do two nights if it did well, but it ended up selling out three nights in, like, an hour or something — just instantly. And that was super surprising, because it ended up doing far better than even our final DILLINGER shows. So the fact that there were so many people who wanted to see this, even in this form of the band, and there was so much more movement… I mean, the final shows were exciting and the tickets sold quick and it was amazing, but to see that there was even more interest now than there was when we fully announced, 'This is it. This is your last chance to see us,' that felt pretty crazy. And so I think the additional shows we've been playing is definitely because of the fans and the fact that we're having a good time. We're just having a good time together as friends and enjoying it. We're hanging out together and we're enjoying it and we're playing music that was important to our youth and there's a lot of people who still wanna see it. So it's kind of like we're playing it by ear — if there's a real need for it and people really want it, we entertain it. There's no plan — we don't have a plan with it — but we're definitely not closing the door to playing shows here and there."

Minakakis originally exited THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN in 2001 and was replaced by Greg Puciato, who is now a solo artist also known as a member of Jerry Cantrell's backing band, as well as his involvement with the groups BETTER LOVERS, KILLER BE KILLED and THE BLACK QUEEN. Minakakis joined THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN onstage in December 2017 during that lineup's three final performances at Terminal 5 in New York City.

Last May, Puciato was asked how he felt about the announcement that Minakakis was reuniting with Weinman, the group's lone consistent member over the years, along with fellow alumni Wilson and Rymer, for shows celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Calculating Infinity". He responded: "It doesn't bother me at all. When people ask me that, as if I'm gonna be bummed, I'm, like, why would I be bummed? I'm not on the record. To me, if the band was still a band, and some of those guys, obviously [original members Brian] Benoit [rhythm guitar], [Chris] Pennie [drums] and Adam [Doll, bass] aren't [part of the reunion shows], but if, if Dimitri and Ben were, like, 'Hey, we wanna do some 'Calculating Infinity' shows, what am I gonna do? Be, like, 'No!' That doesn't make any sense. I wasn't on the record."

Greg continued: "So, I hope they're wildly successful with it, and I hope that it does a lot of good for them — I hope it makes them feel good personally, those two. 'Cause, obviously, Liam and Billy were not on that record, but the ending of them before I joined, I don't think it was — it wasn't fulfilling. It wasn't a fulfilling closure. It wasn't exactly on everybody's terms involved. So I think them being able to go back and do this and celebrate what is non-arguably a fucking genre-changing milestone record that many bands would not exist if it wasn't for. They should play everywhere. They should come to London, they should go play festivals, they should do everything. Like I said, I'm all for it, man."

Puciato then quipped, "Don't play 'Miss Machine'," referencing THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's second studio album, which marked his first recorded appearance with the band.

"Calculating Infinity" stands as a genre-defining masterpiece, marking a pivotal moment not only for THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN but for the entire genre. It landed on countless "Best Of The Year" lists the year it dropped including Best Metal Album of the Year by Revolver magazine. It was later listed among the Top 10 Metal Albums of All Time by Metal Injection. Loudwire has since placed the record third on their list of "25 Best Metalcore Albums Of All-Time" with writer Stephen Hill stating that "the influence of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN is present at every major rock festival in the shape of any forward-thinking, heavy band and even in the current metalcore or tech-metal production line (who have aped elements of their sound in the most piss-weak and desperate way). But the fact that these bands are here at all and able to appeal to a wider audience is in no small part due to the trail blazed by 'Calculating Infinity' and its utter contempt for compromise and uniformity." In 2017 Rolling Stone called the LP "one of the greatest metal albums of all time" and despite disbanding that same year, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's legacy continues to inspire musicians and fans alike.

In a new interview with Metal Covenant, LORDI leader Mr. Lordi was asked how he personally has been affected by how the music industry has changed over the last couple of decades. He responded: "Well, digitalization is the root of all evil. You know, it started slowly, but when it hit over the music business, it hit hard. And the music business wasn't ready. And I still feel grudge against that. You know, if I get angry at something, I will never recover from that. I will never forgive. I mean, there are so many levels on this shit.

"I think that the whole streaming of music, the whole not paying the artists that is there, the whole downfall of the physical albums, all that, it's just because of fucking digitalization and Internet, and then later on social media," he continued. "And I refuse to be part of that. I have to be, but in my personal life I'm not. I have never, for example, been on social media, for a second in my life. I've never had Facebook. Never been on Facebook, never been on Instagram, never been on any of that shit, and I will never fucking do it. I don't even read my fucking e-mails, unless somebody calls me and tells me that, 'Hey. You have an e-mail. Go read your e-mails.' And all my bills still come on paper to me. I pay extra for the companies to send me paper bills."

LORDI's 19th studio album, "Limited Deadition", was released on March 21 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM).

Known for their theatrical style and unique blend of 1980s-inspired rock and heavy metal, LORDI's latest creation is a nostalgic celebration of retro '80s toys, infused with a fresh and powerful energy. Building on the success of their 2023 album "Screem Writers Guild", "Limited Deadition" ventures into heavier riffs and faster tempos, creating a soundscape that is both familiar and invigorating.

Recorded at IluSound Studio and Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, "Limited Deadition" was produced by Mr. Lordi, mixed by Ilkka Herkman and mastered by Pauli Saastamoinen. As always, Mr. Lordi took charge of the album's striking artwork and layout, channeling his passion for '80s memorabilia into every detail.

The thematic heart of "Limited Deadition" lies in Mr. Lordi's lifelong obsession with collecting, inspired by the action figures and toys of his childhood.

The album opens with "SCG XIX The Hexecutioners", setting the stage for an exciting blend of cinematic and melodic heavy rock. Tracks like "Legends Are Made Of Clichés" and "Skelephant In The Room" highlight LORDI's knack for creating larger-than-life anthems. Meanwhile, the poignant ballad "Collectable" reflects on the fleeting value of physical objects in a digital world, while the title track, "Limited Deadition", makes a bold statement celebrating collectors and their passion.

To support the release, LORDI will embark on a global "Limited Deadition" tour, beginning in Finland and expanding internationally. Fans can expect a monstrous spectacle, complete with new tricks and surprises.

Fan-filmed video of reunited California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL performing two new songs, "Extinction-Level Event" and "Circular Firing Squad", on Sunday, March 23 at the Metal Beer Open Air festival at Hipódromo Chile in Santiago, Chile can be seen below.

DARK ANGEL's first new album in 34 years, "Extinction-Level Event", is due to be released later in 2025 via Reversed Records.

Earlier this month, DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan was asked by Chile's PowerOfMetal.cl about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited new album. He said: " Well, we are going to be debuting a couple of new songs, some new material, at these upcoming couple of South American shows that we have. I know we are playing Buenos Aires [on March 21], and that's two nights before the Metal Beer [Open Air] fest. So, at both of those shows we are debuting some new material, and we're really excited to be able to play some new stuff after all this time. And hey, man, hopefully that's gonna lead to a whole bunch more stuff. And we're very excited to be unleashing some new material on the metal world."

Regarding the possibility of a new DARK ANGEL album being released this year, Gene said: "Boy, you never know. We're working and trying to make things happen. And so hopefully at some point — I've said this many times in the past — hopefully at some point we'll be able to give some kind of exciting update on progress of anything. And so hopefully we'll be able to do that somewhere in the near future. And everybody, keep your eyes peeled to DARK ANGEL. We'll see what happens."

DARK ANGEL was originally scheduled to play new music for the first time since 1991 during its January 29 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. However, that show ended up getting postponed due to the wildfires in the state.

In July 2024, DARK ANGEL officially entered the studio to begin recording its new LP. Two months earlier, Hoglan told Rocking With Jam Man that he had "been working diligently for the last couple of years on some projects that are gonna make DARK ANGEL fans really happy, I think. So, everybody, just sit tight," he said. "I just don't wanna nebulously announce something and then have circumstances beyond my control come along and make things delayed. I just wanna be able to be able to say, 'Yes, this is gonna be a solid date that we can announce for people, and we're gonna be able to stick to that date.' That's what I'm all about. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled, everybody."

Asked what it has been like making new DARK ANGEL music more than 30 years after the release of the band's last album, 1991's "Time Does Not Heal", Gene responded: "Well, that's one thing. It's like we had a choice. I had an entire DARK ANGEL album written that was ready to start getting recorded after the 'Time Does Not Heal' record, and circumstances occurred where the band just had to dissolve. So, I had a bunch of material written. And when [DARK ANGEL guitarist] Jim Durkin and myself — Jim is no longer with us, but when we put DARK ANGEL back together and we started talking about, like, 'What do we wanna do for the future? Do we wanna write some new material?' And 'I've got some ideas, Gene, and you probably have some ideas.' And I have a number of songs that I sent to Jim. And when Jim heard that — I sent it to him on a CD — he freaked out and he was, like, 'My God, here's our new album. This is gonna be our next record. Hell yeah.' And he got really excited about that material. But I was, like, 'Hey, Jim, tell you what. I feel really strongly about my writing chops, and the songs I'm hearing from you right now are crushing. So how about we just write new stuff, get together and start writing new material?' And so we kind of went that route."

He continued: "For my elements of what I wanted DARK ANGEL to sound like, Jim Durkin is a huge influence on my writing style. So I wanted this to have a lot of the Jim Durkin influence on it. In terms of riffs, there's not as many from Jim as we were hoping for, but Jim's entire presence is all over the new DARK ANGEL material that I've been working on. And he's a huge guitar influence on me, as well as a lot of people. So, there's definitely gonna be a pretty hardy Jim Durkin influence. And I just wanna write a kick-ass metal album. So what I've tried to do is not go back 35 years or 37 years or whatever, 'Darkness Descends' or even 'We Have Arrived', those early albums, or 'Leave Scars' or 'Time Does Not Heal', I've not tried to duplicate anything from any of those albums, but I tried to put myself in the mindset of what if DARK ANGEL just kept writing albums for the last 30-whatever years, 32, 33 years, where would we be at now? And so that has been my approach on the new DARK ANGEL material."

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Hoglan previously talked about DARK ANGEL's upcoming LP in May 2023 in an interview with Friday 13th. He said at the time: "Jim and I, we had gotten together a number of times to write some new material for DARK ANGEL. And we weren't able to get it down on tape too much. If DARK ANGELhas any new material, there's a song that he's got on there that is pretty darn DARK ANGEL-esque.

"In tribute to Jim, DARK ANGEL's new material will have a ton of his spirit all over it — his feel. Whether he actually wrote stuff on the new stuff or not, his spirit is very there. His imprint is felt throughout thrash metal, I feel. Even before I was in DARK ANGEL, I'd see Jim's influence on bands. Absolutely. So his legacy will live forevermore in the realm of extreme metal. His style will always be a part of DARK ANGEL, absolutely, big time."

Asked how the next DARK ANGEL album will compare to the band's previous efforts, Hoglan said: "Well, I can't really even comment on the fact that there might or might not be an album yet. But put it this way — if I were to have any new DARK ANGEL material, I would want it to be an extension of where the band is at now and where I'm at now. And I would probably approach the writing of it in a way as if DARK ANGEL never disappeared for a decade, two decades, three decades, or whatever it's been. It's just like we just kept doing what we do, and this would be where we're at right now. Which I would want to be putting out the most savage, heaviest material that DARK ANGEL could. And I'm no slouch with writing psychotic, heavy material. So I would be very, very excited with where DARK ANGEL's new material would be if that would be able to confirm."

erman techno-metallers, Electric Callboy, have shared the first in a series of clips dubbed the Acoustic Cover Sessions. Check out the band’s rendition of the Linkin Park hit “Crawling” below.



Electric Callboy recently released their new single, “Elevator Operator”, and they performed the song live for the first time at Escalation Fest 2025 in Oberhausen Germany on February 1st.

The band has shared an official live video of the performance. Check it out below.

GODSMACK kicked off its 2025 European tour Saturday night (March 22) at Arena 8888 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Filling in for drummer Shannon Larkin and guitarist Tony Rombola at the gig were Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE) and Sam Bam Koltun (DOROTHY, FASTER PUSSYCAT, BUDDERSIDE),respectively.

The day before the Sofia concert, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna was asked by Elena Rozberg of Bulgaria's Z-Rock radio station about the current state of GODSMACK. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well [laughs], [that's] such a tricky question to answer right now at this stage. I can tell you that there has definitely been some changes that have happened in the last few months. They are changes that we're not sure will be permanent or temporary, but everybody and everyone is in good health and in really good spirits. And the band is doing better than ever. We're [playing to] the biggest audiences ever, and the shows are just becoming more and more valuable, because, as we get older, we still appreciate coming to places like Sofia that is so far away from where we started and being able to come here and sell out a 13,000-seat arena.

"All I can tell you right now is that the band is in good health, we're in good spirits, but there's gonna be a little bit of a different visual for everybody [at the Sofia show]," he added. "Tony and Shannon have some personal things going on, and they're not with us. So we have a couple of guest musicians playing with us that are phenomenal."

Asked to elaborate on the reason for Shannon and Tony's absences from the trek, Sully said: "Hmmmm… I don't know. I don't know. I don't know if I feel safe enough talking about that yet, because I don't wanna give people the wrong impression. Right now we're still at a stage where we're trying to figure out exactly what's happening, but we're also trying to respect their privacy. So whatever Tony and Shannon have going on in their personal life, we're just trying to respect that and at the same time still come here and put on a really great show. I can tell you right now that we have a guest drummer playing with us, who's Will from EVANESCENCE. And he is such a good friend of ours and such a great musician, and we've been having so much fun with him. So that's been a real surprise. And then we have a guitar player with us named Sam Koltun, who is somebody who — he's played with several different bands and a really, really nice guy and great guitar player. So as far as the music goes and the sound, it sounds exactly like we've always sounded, which is even surprising to me."

Larkin joined GODSMACK in 2002 after cutting his teeth with WRATHCHILD (later WRATCHILD AMERICA and SOULS AT ZERO) before getting picked up by UGLY KID JOE in time for a taste of their zenith.

Tony has been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for GODSMACK since the mid-1990s following the departure of Lee Richards.

GODSMACK's spring 2025 European tour features support from P.O.D. and DROWNING POOL.

The 14-date trek will end on April 12 in Oberhausen, Germany.

GODSMACK's latest album, "Lighting Up The Sky", was released in February 2023 via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September 2022, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

Press photo by Chris Bradshaw

Inspiring interview with Godsmack’s frontman Sully Erna on @zrockbulgaria 🤘🤘🤘Their European tour kicks off with a mega show in Sofia.

Posted by Elena Rozberg on Saturday, March 22, 2025

While Norwegian rock outfit, Leprous, continue to promote their recently released eigth studio album, Melodies Of Atonement, and have just returned home from an extensive tour across Latin America, it’s time to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the band’s outstanding The Congregation album with a vinyl repress edition out May 23 via InsideOut Music.

Originally released in May 2015, The Congregation, the fourth studio album by Leprous, was mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Devin Townsend, Katatonia, etc.) and will now be available as gatefold deep blood red 2LP on 180g vinyl with the following original tracklisting.

Pre-order here.



The Congregation (10th Anniversary Edition):

LP 1 – Side A
“The Price”
“Third Law”
“Rewind”

LP 1 – Side B
“The Flood”
“Triumphant”
“Within My Fence”

LP 2 – Side C:
“Red”
“Slave”
“Moon”

LP 2 – Side D:
“Down”
“Lower”
“Pixel” Bonus Track

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Rolling Stone Music Now" podcast, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett spoke about his songwriting process. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've found over the years that the stuff I don't think about is usually the best stuff, because it just comes to me, and if it just comes to me in a natural way, there's kind of like an organic sort of feel to it. And so that's how I come up with everything these days, bro. I just sit there with my guitar and see what happens. I refuse to work hard on anything. I mean by 'working hard', just like analyzing it and trying to see, 'Oh, if I change this note' and 'this has to work with this' — it feels like I'm doing algebra after a while. I don't want it. I failed algebra two years in a row. I'm not gonna fucking wanna do algebra when it comes to music. I wanna sit there and see what the universe and the muse sends me. And, bro, in the last 10 years I've gotten great results. And all I really have to do, and I do this practically every day, I go, okay, I sit here, clear my mind and start just moving my fingers, moving my hands, and inevitably something comes. And it's a beautiful thing. And I feel so blessed and lucky that this is happening. 'Cause I'm 62 fucking years old, and a lot of artists, when they're 62 years old, they're winding things down. I feel like I'm still fucking climbing the summit, bro. I haven't reached the top of the mountain yet. I still feel like I'm improving and I still have a lot of fricking creative momentum and energy in me, to the point where it's just, like, I'm creating more work for myself. And I had to be careful. [Laughs]"

When the interviewer noted that Kirk supposedly had 700 riffs for the last METALLICA album, "72 Seasons", Hammett said: "Oh, it's ridiculous, bro. Because, okay, let me see how many riffs I have at this point [for the next METALLICA album]. Okay. Oh, man. All recordings — 767. New ones. New ones, bro. Oh God. It is such a nightmare going through this stuff, too. I can't do it. And I'm the one responsible for all of it, and I can't do it."

Hammett continued: "[METALLICA bassist] Rob Trujillo is an extremely patient individual, and he doesn't mind taking on a task like that, and I just shake my head and say, 'God bless you, man. You're my bro. There's a reason why you're so much my bro,' because it's just a lot of material to go through."

Asked for a possible timetable for the next METALLICA album, Kirk said: "When we have a band meeting, and it's usually [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] who says the line, 'Okay, boys, time to create the riff bank,' that's when we all step up.' But I don't foresee that happening for at least another year, 'cause we're still finishing the '72 Seasons' tour. And once we fully finish this and go to all the outlying places like Asia and Australia and New Zealand, whatnot, I think we're gonna take a little bit of a break — not too much of one — and then we're gonna get right back into it. Hopefully — that's what I see. But in METALLICA, any fucking thing can happen. I mean, COVID really just fricking surprised the hell out of us and threw our whole cycle off. We managed to get our heads together and figure out a way to to work during COVID, and the result of that is '72 Seasons'. And '72 Seasons' turned out better than any of us expected, given the circumstance of fucking COVID and writing via Zoom, writing songs via Zoom. It's not ideal, man. I wanna feel that kick drum in my gut, but you can't get that through Zoom. But still we managed to fucking focus and be as precise as we could under the circumstances. And we made what I think is a pretty decent album."

When the interviewer suggested that it would be interesting for METALLICA to pursue a 1990s direction again with a bluesier, simpler songwriting approach, Kirk said: "Yeah, who knows? We might just say, 'Okay, let's go back to the '90s again.' It's not a bad idea. We haven't said that to each other yet. And it's interesting because when 'Load' and 'Reload' came out, there was a lot of derision, there was a lot of backlash. It was too much change. We changed our appearance, we changed our sound, we changed the way we recorded. I was even playing different guitars and fucking tuning to E flat and listening to a lot of blues and jazz. And so all those factors came out on 'Load' and 'Reload' to make what 'Load' and 'Reload' are, and 'Load' and 'Reload' are so different from anything that came before it. It's interesting, 'cause nowadays I run into fans and they love that era — they love'Load' and 'Reload'. But when those albums first came out, it was, like, 'Fuck 'Load'. Fuck 'Reload'. Fuck METALLICA.' But nowadays we play 'Fuel' and people go nuts."

Hammett continued: " When I was a teenager, I listened to all the [LED] ZEPPELIN albums except '[Led] Zeppelin III', because it was more acoustic and I just wanted the high-energy, aggressive stuff, 'cause that's what I'd like when I was a kid. But over time, I really came to embrace 'Zeppelin III' and how wonderful it is. And now I fucking fully understand it and its place in ZEPPELIN's catalog. And I think a similar theme kind of happened with 'Load' and 'Reload'. After people got over the initial shock and the challenge, people kind of sat down and gave an honest listen and said, 'Oh, it's not really that bad at the end of the day.'

After the interviewer opined that METALLICA's nail polish and short hair affected people's opinion of those albums more than the music, Kirk said: "One of the reasons why I cut my hair, bro, is 'cause I didn't think I looked good with long hair when I wore a suit jacket. So I cut my hair so I looked better when I wore a suit jacket. I swear to God. That was one of the only reasons. There wasn't like any fricking huge thing. I showed up and I cut my hair. Then literally the next day, Lars cut his hair, because he was already thinking about it. And so James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] saw that Lars and I cut our hair and he fucking went for it. It just seemed like a cool, kind of nice change. And [then-METALLICA bassist] Jason Newsted already had short hair by that point."

Hammett also talked about his plans for new solo music, explaining: "Right now I'm just actively getting ideas together for my second solo album. And I guess the best way for me to describe it is it's gonna be a fusion of all sorts of styles, but not necessarily a fusion album. It's not [gonna be] jazz fusion… All of a sudden I'm writing fucking classical progressions and all of a sudden I'm fucking writing more heavy stuff and all of a sudden I'm writing like a funk thing. I'm like going, 'Okay, I guess this is what it is. This is what it is.' It's a fusion of different styles. And it's gonna be a full-length album. My last one, called 'Portals', it's still a half hour worth of music, but this is gonna be a full album's worth of music… There will be vocals [on it], because the songs that I wrote just scream for vocals this time around. So I'm, like, 'Okay.' Who's gonna be doing the vocals? I don't know. I hope I'm not, 'cause I already have too much to do on stage."

Regarding what he is drawing inspiration from for his solo music, Kirk said: "It's interesting because I started to read Ancient Greek. And I've been obsessed with a lot of ancient Greek texts. Pythagoras, he's the father of fucking musical theory. And I'm discovering that, that the guitar, the liar and the cathara are ancient, so ancient that they can't figure out the origins of these instruments and the Greeks just say that Gods, they just showed up with them. and Dionysus and Apollo, they just showed up playing these things. And so there's so much reference to music in the ancient text in regards to rite, ritual and magic, and it's so interesting to me because I see parallels. The Greeks used to use music to augment the rituals, their secret rites. And music was so highly regarded back then. And I'm reading all this and I'm shaking my head going, 'Yes, I can see how they would use all this.' 'Cause I firmly believe that if there's any true, real true example of what magic is in this world, it's music, bro. Music is magic. Magic is music. Music is magic, because all you need to do is sit in front of someone and play an instrument and they're moved by it. You have the ability to change the situation in the room by playing music. When people hear certain types of music, they're transformed. If you don't think that's magic, what is it? Science. Come on, give me a break. It's more than that. And so I spend a lot of time thinking about stuff like this. Sorry to say."

On the topic of a possible release date for his next solo album, Kirk said: "I'm hoping to bring it out at a time where it doesn't conflict with METALLICA's schedule, so it's probably gonna be sometime next year. I'm gonna try and finish it by the end of this year. And because I've been reading all these ancient Greek texts, they've influenced the music. I have an instrumental piece that, to me, sounds like it's 2000 years old, called 'The Mysterion'. And it's based on all this stuff that I've been reading, the ancient Greek texts. And it's amazing to me, bro, because I wouldn't have had this instrumental if I didn't start reading these ancient texts. So something's happening, something unseen and invisible is happening, bro, to me, because I'm being sent all this music."

Kirk continued: "I feel like an antenna or a vessel. The muse whispers music into my ear every single fucking day. I need to act on it or else I'll stop. And that's kind of where I'm at these days. And I'm having my own fricking weird experience, my own musical experience in the close confines of my house when I'm writing and doing demos for this music. And it feels almost like stemming on paranormal, bro, because, like I said, I refuse to work hard on anything. But the music's still coming, and it's taking shape into songs, tracks, great musical ideas, and all I can really do is say 'thank you' to whoever, because I refuse to take my ego and put it into this and take responsibility for this thing. And I created all this. 'Cause it doesn't even feel like that. Honestly, it does not feel like it. I'm just fucking passing something along. It's craziness. I'm having problems wrapping my head around it because I need to understand things. I'm a seeker of knowledge, so I need to understand things, and this I can't fully understand, so I'm looking to other ways to explain it. And it's living somewhere in the unseen. And people are gonna think I'm crazy. But you know what? I'll just play you the fucking music and you guys figure it out.

"I see music as an invisible temple," Hammett added. "When you listen to the music, the four walls come up: harmony, tone, rhythm and melody. And you're in this temple listening and experiencing it. And then when the song ends, the walls come down and you're left with an experience.

"I've been struggling with all this stuff the last two or three years. I don't have any answers that sound logical. And any answer that I can give you that's steeped in some sort of sensibility just sounds like bullshit to me. And I'm not a bullshitter."

"Portals" was released in April 2022 via Blackened Recordings across digital platforms, on CD, and as a Record Store Day-exclusive ocean blue vinyl EP (including a download card).

Produced by Kirk, "Portals" was comprised of the songs "Maiden And The Monster" and "The Jinn" on side A, followed by "High Plains Drifter" and "The Incantation" on side B. The latter two were co-written with Edwin Outwater, whom you may remember from "S&M²". Outwater also contributed keyboards and led the orchestral players from the LA Philharmonic on "Portals".

Other familiar names amongst the "Portals" players included drummers Jon Theodore (Kirk's fellow WEDDING BAND member) and Abraham Laboriel, Greg Fidelman on bass, Emmy-winning arranger Blake Neely and producer Bob Rock.

As previously reported, Kirk has partnered with Gibson Publishing to release "The Collection: Kirk Hammett", available in three premium formats now in The Metallica Store, on Gibson.com and in Gibson Garage locations. The 400-page luxury coffee table book explores Kirk's arsenal of guitars in unprecedented detail, including exclusive new interviews with Kirk conducted by Gibson editor-in-chief Chris Vinnicombe and director of brand experience Mark Agnesi. The book features photos from Ross Halfin, shot on location in Hawaii and Los Angeles, alongside rare images from the photographer's archives.

Hammett was a member of EXODUS's original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group. With Hammett on guitar, METALLICA went on to record its debut album, "Kill 'Em All", later in 1983.

Photo credit: Epiphone

Peaceville will release a limited marble vinyl edition of Pentagram’s 1985 debut on June 20. You can pre-order the upcoming release here.

Starting life in the early 1970s, US legends Pentagram are one of the most enduring underground bands in heavy metal history. Influenced by British bands The Groundhogs and Black Sabbath, their own take on doom metal has undoubtedly influenced countless bands of subsequent generations and continues to do so. Though the band lineup has changed many times over the years, enigmatic vocalist Bobby Liebling remains at the helm, with Pentagram now widely-regarded as a true cult band with a fan-base transcending whole generations.

Relentless was the band’s debut album, and was originally self-released in 1985 as ‘Pentagram’ – later to be renamed and released by Peaceville in 1993, after a long search for a suitable record label. With its numerous timeless heavy metal anthems and the distinguishable voice of Bobby Liebling eerily ringing out, backed up by the masterful guitar prowess of Victor Griffin, plus Martin Swaney on bass and Joe Hasselvander on drums, Relentless remains the most iconic release of the band’s studio output and a staple of the entire heavy doom genre.



Tracklisting:

Side A
“Death Row
“All Your Sins”
“Sign Of The Wolf”
“The Ghoul”
“Relentless”

Side B
“Run My Course”
“Sinister”
“The Deist”
“You’re Lost, I’m Free”
“Dying World”
“20 Buck Spin”

Nuclear Blast has announced colored vinyl reissues of two Burning Witches albums. Hexenhammer and Dance With the Devil will release on May 16. Preorder at the Nuclear Blast webshop.



Hexenhammer will be available on transparent blue vinyl. Originally released in 2018, the band’s second album is the last album featuring singer Seraina Telli. Singles include “Executed” and the title track.

Dance With The Devil will be issued on transparent green vinyl. The 2020 album is the first with singer Laura Guldemond and features the title track and “Six Feet Underground” as singles.