In a new interview with Australia's Sense Music Media, POSSESSED frontman Jeff Becerra reflected on the 1989 incident when he was the victim of a failed armed robbery attempt, subsequently leaving him paralyzed from the chest down and sending him into a spiral of drug and alcohol abuse. Asked how being shot by two masked gunmen changed his perspective on life and changed people's perspective of him, Jeff said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, yeah. [Everything changed] immediately. Immediately I lost all my friends. I lost my girlfriend. Nobody [stuck] around, 'cause, to be quite frank, I was fucking miserable. I call it the five dark years, but they're also really special years to me where I just didn't deal with it well. I dove deep into drugs and alcohol for those five years, essentially trying to commit suicide via intoxicants. And when that didn't work — it's pretty fucking hard to die, actually. And so when that didn't work, I dropped that… I rolled down to the local community college, and by the grace of Satan or whatever, they sent me down to social services where I had to take an IQ test. I passed — I don't know how, 'cause I was wasted. And they waived my tuition. I checked myself into a 47-day rehab, and then the rest is history. From that day on, every day has been a blessing. But there was a grace period where, I guess they call it PTSD. What they used to call inner demons, now they call it trauma, and it was hardcore trauma."

He continued: "Getting shot twice is not a pretty scene. It's very ugly. And it took me a second to get over that. What's weird, though, is I was never scared while it was happening. What my fear was was society. And so once I jumped over that, I kind of reacquainted myself with society through college, and it was a real lifesaver… These days people just go online for college, but back then you had to go out, you had to politic and nobody's nice to you. In fact, I love that, because people will underestimate you. I made straight As through college. I was the president of my class, made a web site, and I went on to work at the hospital to retire and get the band back together. But it was a process. It was definitely a process…. And so you learned you've gotta get over your fears, get out there and do your thing."

When one of the interviewers noted that "disabled are the most patronized people on the planet," Jeff concurred. "Everything's a fucking joke," he said. "People don't realize people in chairs are 10 times tougher than the natural man. And I'm not joking 'cause I've been both. Even when I used to box, it's tougher being in a chair. Every day is a struggle, and it makes you tough. But the secret is to get tough enough to enjoy life without letting it jade you or make you unhappy or bitter. And a lot of people in chairs can get bitter or they'll dive into drugs and never come out, or alcohol. And you can't do that, man. You've gotta get busy living or get busy dying."

POSSESSED originally split in 1987, leaving behind a short but highly influential legacy, most notably the Californian death metal pioneers' 1985 "Seven Churches" debut, widely considered to be the first-ever death metal album. Internal tensions after the release of 1987's "The Eyes Of Horror" EP led to the band's dissolution, with guitarist Larry Lalonde joining Bay Area tech-thrashers BLIND ILLUSION, then PRIMUS, while Becerra, guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus each went separate directions.

POSSESSED was reactivated by Torrao in 1990 with a completely different lineup, but only released two demos before dissolving in 1993. Becerra then reformed POSSESSED in 2007 with his own lineup, which released its first studio album in 33 years, "Revelations Of Oblivion", in 2019.

Jeff previously talked about his recovery process after being shot in a 2019 interview with The Underground Metal Gamer. He said at the time: "I've been in a wheelchair longer than I've been walking. It's my normal. It wasn't so much of an accident — I got shot by two different guns in a robbery. I was doing concrete construction. I worked something like 13 hours that day. I stopped to get a pack of Camels [cigarettes] and I guess I flashed a hundred [dollar bill] and on the way out, two guys in hoods, little ninja guys came running up with guns: 'Give me all of your fucking money.' I kind of resisted; I should have just given them the money, but I was fucked, I was cornered. It's not the first time I had a gun pointed at me and I knew they meant business. We scuffled, there was no way out of it and I ended up getting shot a couple of times. The first guy pushed a 9-millimeter to my chest [points to bullet hole]. It broke through the ribs and shattered the lungs and stuck on in the spine, so I still have a 9-millimeter slug stuck on the vertebrate T3. I think the second guy was covering me from about 15 feet away, so there was nowhere to run. It was more like a knee-jerk reaction because the first shot was 'pow!' and right after, 'pow!'"

He continued: "I kind of foresaw that. I put my hand up in a defensive mode. It didn't matter. The 22-caliber would have hit me in the forehead, but instead it clipped my finger off backward. You can see how it's still bent. It was like that [shows finger], but we did a bunch of rehab in the spring, so that clicked off and that was squirting out blood like some Monty Python thing. I pinched my armpit and tourniqueted it and played dead. [The shooter] came up to my forehead and his gun jammed and he was slapping the side of his gun and trying to pull the trigger to finish the job. I guess they just panicked and as they ran off, his gun un-jammed and they were just firing over their shoulders: 'Pow! Pow! Pow!' all these bullets were hitting around me and I was like 'Oh, fuck!' Then I scooted and hid under this Volvo, just playing dead for about 45 minutes. This little girl came by and she obviously was a drug addict, kind of a crackhead girl and I was, like, 'Hey, you got to call 911.' She said 'I can't. I live here. These guys will fuck me up.' I said 'I'll give you ten bucks.' She said 'Ten bucks?' I reached in with my good hand, gave her a bloody ten-dollar bill and about 45 minutes later, one solo cop came up and he was like, he couldn't have been more than 21, 23 years old. He was, like, 'This is my first solo! I'm freaking out. I can't believe this is happening.' I said, 'Call an ambulance.' He was, like, 'Oh, yeah…' That was the first time I was glad to see the police. He just kind of covered me until the ambulance came and that was it."

Now wheelchair-bound, Becerra called the ensuing period the "five dark years" in reference to a spiral of drug and alcohol abuse. "I really didn't handle it well," he said. "I essentially tried to kill myself with drugs and alcohol. I lived alone for five years and basically just wrote and listened to a lot of demo tapes that were sent and got thousands of fan mail asking me to come back. It was always the plan, but I wanted to do the things in life that I felt that I needed to do as a man. I'm not saying this is everybody, just for me, I didn't want to wake up and be 50 and all I ever had done is play satanic death metal. I've always been kind of afraid of college. I went to college and made straight As, alpha gamma sigma and webmaster and was one of 20 gold robes. I did that. I got my four-year [degree] in three and a half years. I got married and had a couple of beautiful kids. Then I got divorced and that was time to bring POSSESSED back. I was already playing and touring by then and when you're gone all the time, it's hard to maintain a solid relationship. You got to give a lot to be in a death metal band. You just got a do it. I'm still really tight [with her]. Me and my ex-wife are still best friends. It was amicable. It's a win-win. I got two beautiful kids and a band and everything."

"Revelations Of Oblivion" was released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

In a new interview with Biloxi, Mississippi's The Sound 228, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford was asked if he thinks he can keep performing for another 10 years or if he is just taking it "one tour at a time" at this point. The 74-year-old singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Why not? The Lord has me still here to do the work. So that's it for me. I'm here to do something that I'm blessed and joyful and grateful to have to do. This voice, it's still doing the business. It's not really going to some of the places I wish it would. But it's still doing the business. And, like I say, that desire for me has never left. I've been clean and sober 36, 38 years — who's counting? My drug is getting on that stage. That's my drug. I get my kicks, if that's the right word, euphemism of what I'm talking about. I need to do it, man. I need to do it. It's important to me. It's what drives me. It's what I thrive on. So, as long as I'm here and as long as I've got the voice and the physical ability, I ain't stopping, man. I'm not stopping. I'm not putting the fire out. [Laughs] Don't call the fire brigade just yet."

Asked what his "secret" is to "keeping The Metal God energy alive on stage", Rob responded: "Music is the most incredible part of who we are as people. It does so much for us in every way, every conceivable way that you can think of. And for me personally, it's my lifeblood. And being on stage is the ultimate connection. To carry music with you onto a stage and to share it with all of these beautiful fans, that's my motivation. And then my inspiration — I'm always inspired. As we're talking right now, it's Ian Gillan's [DEEP PURPLE] 80th birthday. And that guy, to me, is a maestro. I used to listen to PURPLE before PRIEST ever really started to get any place. So there's all of that, there's all of that internally that I carry with me. And I've never lost the fire. The fire is still there, man. And I've always said, you've really got to wanna walk out or run out onto that stage. It has to be for all the right reasons because your fans are watching you. And our fans know, for all of these bands that are coming to play for you, we all feel the same way. The exchange that we have when we're on stage together with our fans is just a beautiful, remarkable thing. And that's what keeps me going. That's what keeps me driven."

Four years ago, Halford publicly revealed that he battled prostate cancer during the pandemic. He previously mentioned his cancer battle in the new chapter added to the updated paperback edition of his 2020 autobiography "Confess". In "Confess", Halford revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing symptoms for at least a couple of years.

In July 2020, Rob underwent prostatectomy, an operation where the entire prostate gland is removed plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles. After more cancer was found in early 2021, he went through radiation treatments in April and May 2021 and eventually got then all-clear in June 2021. He also had an appendectomy after a tumor was discovered on his appendix.

Produced by Live Nation, PRIEST's 22-city tour with Alice Cooper and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY kicks off September 16 at Mississippi Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi and stops in Toronto, Phoenix, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping October 26 at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas.

During the European leg of JUDAS PRIEST's "Shield Of Pain" tour, the band's setlist included seven tracks from PRIEST's 1990 album "Painkiller", which is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year.

In addition to performing the "Painkiller" title track, PRIEST played "All Guns Blazing", "Hell Patrol", "A Touch Of Evil", "Night Crawler", "One Shot At Glory" and "Between The Hammer And The Anvil" from the same LP.

When PRIEST first announced the "Shield Of Pain" tour last fall, the band promised a "rare" and "unique set" which would include "beloved classics" and would "be defending the metal faith in a truly memorable experience throughout Europe".

PRIEST's 12th album, "Painkiller" was recorded at Miraval Studios in Brignoles, France, and was mixed at Wisseloord Studios in Hilversum, the Netherlands. It was the first LP to feature drummer Scott Travis following the departure of Dave Holland.

In the latest episode of EMGtv's "Five Minutes With", SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked to name his most memorable recording-session moment. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I have a really funny studio memory. [Laughs] We were doing demos for the first record at House Of Music in West Orange, New Jersey, and we were demoing, I think, at this point, 25 songs. And we were just going nonstop, well into the night, well into the morning, and sometimes we'd have to go to work. Some of us had to go to work, drive back, play some more. Well, I guess it was about 3:30, 4 o'clock in the morning and Scotti [Hill, SKID ROW guitarist] was doing some of his solos. So I think it was Scotti, Snake [SKID ROW guitarist Dave Sabo], myself and this guy named Nelson Ayres, who was the engineer. And we're listening to playback, and playback stops and we just hear Scotti's strings feeding back. And we look, and he is sitting in a chair and he fell asleep on his guitar, and it was just wide open. And we all looked back and we were, like, 'Yeah, I think we'd better call it a night.' So that, out of all the recording I've done in my career, I can't get that out of my head every time I walk into a control room."

Bolan recently confirmed to Lisa Karkos of the Nashville On The Rocks podcast/show that he and his SKID ROW bandmates are still looking for a singer to replace Erik Grönwall, who exited the group more than a year ago. The now-37-year-old Swedish-born musician, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021, announced his departure from SKID ROW in March 2024, saying that it had become increasingly "difficult to prioritize" his health and full recovery as the lead singer of the group.

Erik was SKID ROW's fourth frontman since Sebastian Bach's departure.

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

In late March 2022, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song was the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

In September 2024, SKID ROW released its first official live album, "Live In London". earMUSIC released the concert — which took place on October 24, 2022, at London's O2 Forum Kentish Town — as a 2LP set and CD/DVD digipack worldwide.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", MUDVAYNE singer Chad Gray, who played in HELLYEAH with Vinnie Paul Abbott for 12 years prior to the PANTERA drummer's tragic passing, reflected on his friendship with the legendary metal musician. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think about Vin every day. He was a great friend, man. He taught me a lot, man. And I'd been in the business for a while and I'd been writing songs for a while [before the formation of HELLYEAH], but he just taught me some stuff. And anytime he was, like, 'This is how me and my brother [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] used to do it,' I'm just, like, all ears… But he would share that stuff with me, man. And he always supported me, man. He loved what I did. He loved my lyrics. He loved my melody. He loved that I could sing. He loved that I could yell. He loved that I could scream. He loved and he embraced everything I did. That was really amazing. That was really, really amazing. He really appreciated what I did… So, having somebody like that, that just always gets you back, that you just had so much respect for long before you ever played in a band with him…"

Chad continued: "Those guys were my heroes, man. Dime and Vinnie were just like royalty to me. And I really looked up to them. And the [PANTERA] home videos and stuff, they trained me to be a rock star. They showed how much fun it could be if you loved what you did and you loved your fans and you loved playing your music. And there was a level of Dime — andVinnie — that was just so lovable and so humble. Vinnie was completely 100 percent approachable. And these guys were mega stars. PANTERA was a mega band. Anybody anytime ever came up to Vinnie, he would always sign autographs, he would always take pictures. And I've always been that way."

Back in March 2024, Gray weighed in on the fact that PANTERA's surviving members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) have united with guitarist Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX) for a world tour under the PANTERA banner. Gray offered his views on the PANTERA return during an appearance on "The Jesea Lee Show". He said in part: "I know what it is, and I know that some levels of the intention are true and pure, but I also know that from sitting in on a million fucking interviews with Vinnie Paul and him and I interviewing together and shit, and the whole time, basically, that [PANTERA reunion] wasn't happening. And there was always some clown interviewer [who] apparently was just setting himself up for failure, he'd be, like, 'So what's the deal with all the mutterings we're hearing about the PANTERA reunion with Zakk,' and Vinnie would literally go, 'My brother's dead.' It's all he would say. That's all he would fucking say. And they wouldn't say another fucking word. And that's where it was. And that's the way Vinnie thought about it. PANTERA was done 'cause his brother was dead. So when I hear that and I hear how passionately he said that, and I know how much he meant it… He didn't care. Vinnie didn't need the fucking money. Vinnie's whole heart was in HELLYEAH. He loved HELLYEAH so fucking much. It was such an honor to be able to play in that band with him and have him literally bleed for that band. It was everything to him, and he didn't care about PANTERA anymore."

Gray went on to say that he understands why so many PANTERA fans are excited to be able to see the band's classic songs performed live.

"I've talked to so many people about it, and honestly, I think that the general consensus is that people are loving to fucking be standing on that floor again and listening and having them fucking, no matter how they sound, fucking blazing into those fucking songs and playing that setlist," Chad said. "That setlist is mean as fuck. That setlist is all my favorite shit."

Asked if he had had a chance to see the reformed PANTERA perform live yet, Gray said at the time: "I haven't seen it, no. But, dude, I saw PANTERA 14 times as [the classic] PANTERA. The first time I saw them, they were basically still [touring in support of the] 'Cowboys From Hell' [album]. And then I saw them 13 more times from then to [2000's] 'Reinventing [The Steel]'."

He added: "The PANTERA thing, to me, it's so hard for me to process, because I get it. I get it. I was a fucking massive PANTERA fan. And I understand what standing on that floor means too, because if you're standing on that floor, chances are you're probably a little long in the tooth. Not that there aren't those young kids that never saw 'em, 'cause I guarantee you there's a lot of 'em or whatever, but there's something… The fountain of youth is heavy metal — it's like a fountain of youth. You go stand on that fucking floor and you're standing there and you're looking at the PANTERA backdrop and they fucking walk out and they tear into 'Strength Beyond Strength' or whatever, dude, guess what? You're not fucking 40-something, you're not 50-something, you're 18 years old again, dude, and you're 18 years old again for that night."

Elaborating on why it has been difficult for him to embrace the PANTERA comeback, Chad said:  "I was best friends with one of the fucking men that did it, that made that band happen and stuff like that. And he was never behind it, man. He was just never behind it. So it's hard, for me to… 'cause I have a lot of fucking respect for Vinnie Paul. I really do. And I have a lot of respect for Dimebag Darrell. And it's cool — let it be the tribute thing or whatever, but really question how much longer it goes or what else happens with it. I would just like to make sure that we're giving love and respect to those two fallen brothers, man, because they were a really, really fucking big part of music, man. It seems like kind of a cheat that they're not here to be a part of it, something that they built with their own hands."

Gray clarified that he has "nothing but love for Zakk. And Charlie's a fucking tremendous talent. And I think that where they're doing it from the place is pure — for those two," he said. "Those are big fucking shoes to fill, but they're both fucking phenomenal players and they're both great people. So I've got nothing but really good things to say, but it's hard for me because Vinnie was my bro and I know how he felt about it. And he didn't have a say, so it's hard."

MUDVAYNE's "L.D. 50 25th Anniversary" tour kicked off on September 11 in Dubuque, Iowa and will conclude on October 26 in Uncasville, Connecticut. The tour features support from STATIC-X, while VENDED is opening every show.

On September 11, MUDVAYNE released a new single called "Sticks And Stones". The track arrived two weeks after the release of MUDVAYNE's first new single in 16 years, "Hurt People Hurt People", which has already accumulated over half a million streams and counting.

"Sticks And Stones" and "Hurt People Hurt People" were released through Alchemy Recordings, a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States. Other Alchemy artists include STAIND and CHEVELLE.

Prior to the arrival of "Hurt People Hurt People", the reunited metallers hadn't put out any new material since 2009, which means more than a decade and a half had gone by without a single fresh MUDVAYNE song.

Photo courtesy of Eleven Seven

Original SALIVA singer Josey Scott, who left the band in 2011 and was replaced the following year by Bobby Amaru, has once again blasted his successor, accusing Amaru of "talking out of both sides of his neck" and saying that Bobby has treated Josey like a "former disgruntled employee".

Asked in a new interview with Rock Feed how he feels about the war of words which has erupted between him and Bobby in recent weeks, more than two years after the two singers shared the stage during SALIVA's appearance at the 2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia, Scott said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everything that has happened between me and Bobby, I feel like, in my opinion, has been me responding to something that Bobby has said. Like, he talked about me on Blabbermouth, and I responded to that. He talked about me being a sad man with quitter's remorse. I don't have any quitter's remorse.

"First of all, the thing that is the wellspring of my joy and my pleasure in this life comes from my faith and my wife and my children," he continued. "That's number one. Now, the number two thing that is a byproduct of that love and that joy that comes from my faith and the love of my wife and my children is music, and that's something that I've always been thankful and grateful to be able to share with the world.

"The only problem I've had with Bobby is Bobby seems to say one thing in the press and act one way in the press. He acts victimized, like I've done something to him. And that seems to be his M.O., is he does these things behind the scenes, and then when he gets in front of the cameras or gets in front of an interviewer, he acts like it's you that's doing these things. And honest to God, I'm not doing any of any of these things that he's saying that I'm doing."

Asked if it has been difficult for him to see someone else singing the songs that he wrote under the SALIVA banner, especially now that Scott has returned to performing some of that same material live with his own band, Josey said: "One hundred [percent]. And not only singing songs that I wrote, but treating me like I'm some kind of former disgruntled employee that I don't have the right to have any kind of voice about this or anything.

"See, when I first came back while Wayne [Swinny, original SALIVA guitarist] was alive, Bobby seemed supportive of me. He seemed like he was gonna support me having my own band and me doing my own thing. And then as soon as Wayne dies, he sends me — he still says in the press that he's supportive of me and there's gonna be two SALIVAs or whatever, but at the same time sends me a cease-and-desist [letter] saying I can't even call myself the former lead singer of SALIVA. I couldn't even have the word 'SALIVA' on my poster. It's just ludicrous. It's absolutely ludicrous. And like I said, he talks out of both sides of his neck, is what bothers me so badly. He says one thing and does another. If you'll notice, when he came on Rock Feed with you, he was talking about how I was this sad person with quitter's remorse, and then puts out a diss track about me. And I'm just, like, 'Okay. All right. I see where this is going now.' So I've got two singles coming out now that'll [be me] responding. The first single is called 'Who?', and the other song is called 'Famous'. And I'm dropping them both at once."

Asked if he thinks that fans could ever see him appear on a SALIVA stage in the future in any capacity, Josey responded: "I really doubt that. And what I said in the last interview that was taken out of context so badly is I said, 'I don't wanna do a Temu version of SALIVA.' I meant I didn't wanna cheapen that beautiful thing that we had back in 1997 to the year 2010. I didn't want to water that down. That wasn't anything personal towards the musicians that he's in a band with. He's in a band with that kid Sebastian [LaBar], whose dad is [late CINDERELLA guitarist] Jeff LaBar. He's a legend. I loved his father. I loved CINDERELLA growing up. I would never disrespect Sebastian like that. Also little Sam [Sammi Jo Bishop], their drummer. I love Sam. She's a sweetheart. [I] never had a problem with Sam in no kind of way. My problems and my issues have always been centered around the Bobby thing, man. I don't understand why he's got it out for me so badly. Like I said, I feel like I've been only responding. I mean, the man sent me a cease-and-desist [letter] saying I couldn't use my own band name that I came up with, and we had a five-member partnership back in the day that you would've needed the signatures of the other four guys to have done anything with that name. Now he suddenly has the football? And I can't do anything about it, can't say anything about it. And that's fine. I'm not after his legacy or what he feels like is his tenure with SALIVA."

Scott continued: "Everybody says — well, not everybody, but people say, 'Bobby kept the SALIVA name alive' and blah, blah, blah. And that's great. I applaud him for that, because if you look back, when Bobby joined that band, there were three original bandmembers in that band when he joined it. Actually, if you wanna get technical, there was four because, yes, Chris D'Abaldo [guitar] had left before I left, but Johnny [Jonathan] Montoya was there. He was there for the album [2007's 'Blood Stained Love Story'] we did with 'Ladies And Gentlemen' on it. He systematically moved out of the way. Then Dave Novotny [bass], who'd been our go-to guy with all our business and basically controlled everything with SALIVA with the four brothers, he's moved out of the way. Then Paul Crosby's [drums] moved out of the way. Then that only left Wayne Swinny, who unfortunately passed away [in 2023]. And I even asked [Bobby] at Wayne's life celebration, I said, 'Where do we go from here, Bobby?' Because when I came to Wayne's life celebration, I was told Bobby's gonna retire, he's gonna retire his dealings with the name, and he's gonna pretty much go back to Jacksonville and be with his family, which I respect that. And I was, like, 'Okay.' Well, since I'm coming back, I was gonna do SHADE VIOLENT, I was gonna do my own band. But I was told then that he was gonna go back to Jacksonville and do his own thing with his family and that he was gonna retire his involvement with the SALIVA name. And I thought, 'Well, if I'm coming back, I'll just pick up where he left off.' I wasn't trying to take advantage of anything. I just didn't wanna see my baby be neglected, that special thing that we had back in the day and the special thing that it was, I didn't wanna see that falter and I wanted to pick up the flag and run back into battle, if that was his plans. And then that's not what he does — he replaces everybody and goes back on the road. And then I'm accused of taking advantage of the situation after Wayne's passing. That's not true at all."

Josey added: "I loved Wayne with all of my heart. I'm sure you can tell from just meeting me and getting to know me the little bit you have tonight that I adored Wayne Swinny. I adored all the guys in the original SALIVA. I don't know these guys that he's out there with now, but the original concept of what SALIVA was, that was our baby, man. We were like a gang. We were like brothers, dude, to the end. And that was something really special. We had moments on stage that we will never get back and never be able to recreate, probably, in this lifetime. And I just didn't want to lose that, and I wanted to protect that, because that was our version of art… And then the man puts out a diss track about me, and I'm just, like, 'This is something rappers do, dude. This ain't something rocker guys do.' So I had to [respond] in kind — twice."

This past August, Scott made it clear that he had no intention of rejoining the band he co-founded nearly 30 years ago. Josey explained to Youngstown Studio that he didn't foresee ever teaming up with the current version of SALIVA, noting that he had "butted heads" with Bobby and insisting that he didn't "want to give the fans the Temu version of SALIVA," a reference to the Chinese e-commerce site, "with some kind of a bastardized version that Bobby puts together." Josey, whose real name is Joseph Sappington, went on to say that he wanted to get the SALIVA name back and use it with members of his new band, explaining that he named SALIVA completely on his own and that the SALIVA name's "rightful place" was with him, not with the Amaru-fronted version of the group. "That was what I came to the table with," he said of the SALIVA moniker. "I put that band together one member at a time. That's my name."

Amaru, who has been a member of SALIVA for 13 years, later addressed Scott's comments about the current lineup of the band in an interview with Rock Feed. Bobby said: "I watched that interview that [Josey] did [with Youngstown Studio]. I usually don't pay attention to the  Blabbermouth headlines or any of his interviews and stuff. But so many people were sending it to me that I watched it front to back.

"It doesn't bother me, the things that he says about me — I'm not really bothered by it,"  Bobby insisted. "I just feel like I see a sad man who just has quitter's remorse. And that's what it feels like to me.

"I like to take negative stuff and turn it into positivity and create music and stuff, and some people just like to be negative and bash online or whatever, or take jabs. And for me, I love music, [and] always have. And I love  SALIVA, love the brand."

Referencing  Swinny, who died in March 2023 after suffering a brain hemorrhage while on tour,  Bobby added: " Wayne had a vision. We all had a vision when I got in the band, was to take a broken project and revive it, and that's what I've been doing. And, unfortunately, Wayne's life was cut short. We love and we miss him every day. And I'm only honoring him. I didn't even know that I wanted to do this anymore when he passed away — I didn't feel like I wanted to — and some things started happening and  Josey took it upon himself to just go and call himself [and his solo band]  JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA. And I just felt like that was wrong. I felt like it was classless, and  Wayne would be rolling in his grave over that. And people that knew  Wayne and know the situation, they would agree with that. And I think, for me, it's, like I decided to continue on and I just wanna put out killer music. And I feel like the band has been accelerating, and he hates that. It bothers him."

Bobby continued: "I don't know. I mean, I wish the guy well. I just hope the guy could find positivity and put it to the music, just keep doing what he's doing. He has fans, but  SALIVA is gonna keep doing what  SALIVA's doing and what  SALIVA's been doing. 14 years — November will be 14 years for me. And I'm grateful. I am. And we have a lot of cool things on the horizon, a bunch of unannounced festivals for '26. And, hey, man, we're gonna keep putting out music."

Asked if he remembers having conversations with Wayne when the guitarist was alive about  SALIVA carrying on in the event that  Swinny passed away,  Bobby said: "Yeah, we had several, man.  Wayne and I were very close. And I think that  Wayne and  Josey just never ultimately resolved their issues, unfortunately. But  Wayne never had hate in his heart.  Wayne was always a very positive person as well and loved music and loved this brand more than music. So, carrying on was what he definitely wanted. He wanted us to carry on, 'cause he loved it. He loved this band. And it all really goes back to  Josey quitting, I think. He's not a victim. He's a quitter. And he quit the band. And I don't think Wayne ever forgave him for that, because the way he quit wasn't, like, 'All right. See you guys later.' He just kind of left them high and dry. And, like I said, there's so many other things.

"When I got in the band, there were three guys, four guys that had a lot to say and a lot to vent about, "  Amaru explained. "I won't go into that, but Wayne and I spent a lot of years in the band,  SALIVA, we spent a lot of years repairing relationships and just trying to rebuild and reconnect with people that had given up on the brand and given up on us. And I think that was part of  Wayne's mission, was he wasn't a quitter, and he wanted to fight for everything he put in too.

"A lot of times people forget, bands are multiple people or whatever, and sometimes there's one person that makes it about them. And I think we had to collectively go out every night and try to put on the best live show imaginable and radio stations telling you, 'No, I'm not playing your song because of what you guys did to me in the past,' or a promoter saying, 'No, you're not playing this festival because you started a fight with  ZZ TOP,' or whatever it may be. And then now we're getting these things and these things are starting to happen, because we're doing the positive thing. We're doing it for the right reasons and not for the wrong reasons.

"It's never been about money, it's never been about follows for me or any of that,"  Bobby concluded. "I'm doing a lot of things outside of  SALIVA as well… And I'm always about taking the high road, and, 'Take the high road, man. Anything he says or anything someone says, take the high road.' But I've been taking the high road for 14 years. And there comes a point, it's, like, this song  'Hit 'Em Where It Hurts' that we dropped, it's about the underdog, man. It's about, eventually you take it on the chin enough, you're gonna clap back, you're gonna say something. And I don't wanna get into a  Twitter battle, man. I'd rather just put it in the music and write a song about it. That's just how I'm wired. Everyone's wired differently."

Earlier in August, SALIVA bassist Brad Stewart, who has been a member of the band since 2015, also fired back at Josey, telling "The Vinyl Road" podcast: "[Josey] left on his own recognizance. And in doing so, that decision is now, I guess, haunting him to a certain degree because when you do something like that… I don't know what his intentions were as far as the lives of the other bandmembers that were still counting on the band for their livelihood. Hopefully they weren't malicious, to try to sort of end their careers too or at least their… Because you have to imagine after six albums with Island Def Jam and all the touring and all the records and everything you do as a band together, it's an enterprise, it's a moneymaking machine, and people count on the machine for their livelihood. When something like that ends, what are you gonna do? Go become a stockbroker in New York City? You're a musician. That's what you do, and that's what you're used to doing, and you get paid for it, and it's your passion and it's how you make your living. So when someone walks away, and in most cases, of course, the singer is the face and the voice of the band, and also a creative force. Josey was a hell of a songwriter and, of course, the band had hits. They were banking on him to make great songs and great recordings of those songs. So when someone walks away, it could have ended right then. The whole thing could have just went [sic]. But contractually, it wasn't set up that way to where any one member had the controlling share of the band or the corporation. Every member, it was kind of split up. So when that happened, the other members had the right to continue on and to replace him. And that's exactly what happened. And by him leaving, he forfeited… Or any leaving member — if you got fired or if you quit, you forfeit rights to be able to use the name SALIVA. And so moving forward, I think he was going to embark on a solo Christian career. Maybe at the time he'd found God, maybe at the time he thought that the band was to blame for all of his problems. And those are all reasonable things, feelings to have. You've been through a lot. Six records' worth of shit in in a rock band, that's a lot, man. In 10 years, 12 years, whatever it was, from the time where they were actually a signed band — 'Every Six Seconds' [SALIVA's second album] came out in 2001. So, when you leave something like that, it's a big decision, and, unfortunately, to try to sort of come back and take it over, regardless of the situation, you just can't just walk back in and take the name and expect to own it again. You just can't. And the last surviving member of that version of the band was Wayne. And Wayne started a corporation with Bobby. That was, like, seven years ago or whatever. And part of that corporation, there was a death clause. Surviving member of this corporation carries the name. Wayne passed in 2023, as we know. And Wayne's intention was, 'I want y'all to carry the name. This has become my legacy. I'm the last O.G., and I don't want you guys to stop.' He told us that shit, man. All the time he would tell us that. He was, like, 'Whatever you do, if anything happens to me, don't stop.'"

Asked by Bailey what his initial reaction was to reading Scott's comments about the SALIVA name on BLABBERMOUTH.NET — comments which were later picked up by other rock music news outlets — Stewart said:  "I was, like, 'This again? I thought we kind of dealt with this.' I'm pretty sure the copyright, the trademark office already settled this. And he lost that part of it. It's a 10-year license for the trademark, and he had his attorney and his legal team, and so did Bobby. And that's between them, for the name and for the brand.

"For him to sort of backhand what we've done — I mean, we've put out quality music under the SALIVA name, we go out there and kick its ass," Brad continued. "And I think we make the band or the brand — I mean, we're proud of what we do out there, for the brand's sake. And, again, for someone to think that, 'Oh, you're just gonna hand the name back over' — remember what I said about the enterprise thing. This is a business, and that's a business he no longer owns.

"My buddy put it to me, and it was really great. It's like if you started a pizza business, Saliva pizza company, and you have all these members, and even if Josey's the one that has the recipe, man, that's money recipe. That's the fucking delicious pizza. That's it. And then 11, 12 years later, he wants to start a Christian pizza company, and he leaves the pizza company. And then the people that are still in it … they continue to make Saliva pizzas, and they still put out quality pizzas. And then, a few of those guys, along the way, get left behind. New people get hired to run the business. And then, 10 years later, the O.G. of Saliva pizzas wants to come back in and take back over the pizza company. You're not in the company anymore. Now, you can go make pizzas down the street as whatever — Scott's Pizzas — but you can't put the Saliva pizza name on your business, or you can't take it back. You left the ownership part when you left. And that's it, man… It's one of those things where, even legally, coming back trying to take back the pizza company, it's not your pizza anymore."

Asked how he personally feels when he sees Josey calling the current lineup of SALIVA a "Temu version" of the band, Brad said: "[It] doesn't bother me at all. One bit. And I'll tell you why — because it's basically a desperate way to draw attention to a situation he hasn't had control over for a long time. No one's showing up to his shows as Josey Scott, so he needs the brand, but I think the brand has lived on and evolved because of the work that we've put in. So, the things he's gonna say… He doesn't act like he even knows me, in that article. So, what do you do with something like that? He knows who I am. He knows what I've done and what I've been a part of and my influence and the people I know in this business and otherwise. So, him trying to trash what we've done — again, he should be thanking us for keeping the thing that he tried to kill and ultimately sabotage and end so long ago. And he's playing the victim. So he's making us look like the bad guy for carrying on something that he ultimately tried to end. So I don't feel bad about…

"Look, man, I get paid to play shows, bro," Stewart continued. "I've been doing this for a long fucking time. You know what I mean? I'm not in the LLC on [SALIVA]. But I've been around it, and I've known these guys and I've known this band for 22 to 23 years, whatever. And I've been in this version of the band for 10 years. So I know the stories. I know how things — from other, previous members — what went on. I mean, trust me, there's some weird shit that went on that I don't think I need to go there.

"So, to answer your question, I just saw it as, like… This has already been dealt with," Brad added. "We'll take the free press any day, and don't think there's not gonna be some Temu products, that say 'SALIVA Temu' on them. Trust me, dude. We're gonna embrace it with laughter and fun. [Josey] probably thought he was probably being clever or something, but it's hilarious, honestly. Like, really? That's all you got? I mean, come on, bro. Temu version? Our Temu version sounds… Go look at the footage of us playing the songs versus their version. That's all I gotta say, man. Whatever, dude — O.G. or not."

When Scott was asked by Youngstown Studio's B.J. Lisko if he foresaw a time in the future when he might team up with the current version of SALIVA and move forward as a unified force, Josey responded: "All I can do, to answer your question — no, I don't, because it would be sort of a bastardized version of it if I went with the lineup that they have now. Not to speak ill of those musicians — I think they're very great musicians; Sebastian LaBar [who plays guitar for the Amaru-fronted version of SALIVA] I love dearly. He's the son of a legend, Jeff LaBar from CINDERELLA. I adore him. I adore their drummer Sam [Sammi Jo Bishop]. I don't know the other [musicians in the Amaru-fronted version of SALIVA].

"Me and Bobby have just butted heads," Josey continued. "And he's talked crap about me in the press and just done all these sort of… I don't wanna talk ill of… My mother used to say, 'If you don't have anything nice to say about somebody, don't say anything at all.' But it's just — I don't know. I don't want to give the fans the Temu version of SALIVA with some kind of a bastardized version that Bobby puts together.

"He's not SALIVA. He has never been SALIVA," Scott added. "He definitely went out there and did his thing and filled in the space. And he's written some songs or whatever. But he said in the press my analogy of, if this was a David Lee Roth-Sammy Hagar situation [with VAN HALEN], I'd be glad to do this with Bobby because he would have as many hits as I had. And he told the interviewer, 'Let's face it, Josie's no…' — I think he said 'Bruce Dickinson' or something. I didn't even say IRON MAIDEN. I was talking about the analogy — certainly not comparing myself to the great David Lee Roth or the great Sammy Hagar. [I was] just using that as a one-two analogy between the two of us.

"It's just a dirty situation," Josey said. "It's just a sticky situation. And I respect the fact that he did what he did, but if that's the case, if his stuff that he did with SALIVA is equally as important as mine, then let him play his songs and I'll play my songs and we'll see how it shakes out. But that's not what he does. He goes out and plays a couple of covers, a couple of his songs, and the rest of the set is my songs, man. It's my music. So it's just a sort of a dirty, just gross situation and I have no interest in dealing with Bobby Amaru. I have no foresight of seeing anything down the road."

Regarding whether it is his hope and desire that he and the members of his new band can eventually perform under the SALIVA name, Josey said: "I would like to get my name back because it's not like that was a name that all five of us came up with. That was my name. That was what I came to the table with. I put that band together one member at a time. And if [late SALIVA guitarist] Wayne Swinny was here, he would tell you that. God rest his soul. And the other three guys, [former SALIVA drummer] Paul Crosby and [former SALIVA bassist] Dave Novotny and [former SALIVA guitarist] Chris D'Abaldo, they will tell you that I came up with that name. That's my name.

"So all I can do is say a Hail Mary that that name comes back home to its rightful place. And now if that happens, I will be glad to pour my heart and soul back into that name and to do a new SALIVA record and to even bring in — as much as Dave Novotny wants to be involved. I think the last time we tried to get him involved, he was, like, 'Man, I'm making about the same money I was making at the job I have now.' So, he has his boys that he's busy raising, being a father, and I respect that. I'm a father as well, and God knows I adore my children. And that's the one drawback from this life, is being away from your family and your children. But yeah, as much as they've wanted to be involved, I would welcome him with open arms. Chris D'Abaldo, same thing. Paul Crosby, same thing. It's our name. It's not anybody else's name, and anybody else that tells you that [it is their name] is full of shit. Just plain and simple."

In an October 2024 interview with Youngstown Studio, Amaru was asked if replacing Scott 13 years ago initially posed similar challenges to the ones Blaze Bayley and Tim "Ripper" Owens had to overcome when they replaced IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford, respectively. Bobby responded: "I don't wanna throw [Josey] under the bus, but he's no Bruce Dickinson and he's no Rob Halford. So there's that. Let's go ahead and get that out of the way. Now he thinks he is, but he's not. Those dudes are extremely hard to replace. It's very, very, very hard. And I like Ripper. I like that record that [PRIEST] did [with Ripper], man. I remember it was, like, 'Jugulator' or something. It was an awesome record. And I think people do give Ripper credit for a lot of that stuff. Now when you talk about replacing Bruce Dickinson, I don't even know who it is or have no idea what you're talking about. 'Cause I don't know. But the Ripper stuff I do remember and was more familiar with."

He continued: "I think no matter what, any band [where] you replace [the singer] — so VAN HALEN, David Lee Roth [leaves the band], they get Sammy Hagar, and people hated it, even though it was good. And then it was, like, you still had MTV, you still had things that were, like… The label was, like, 'Look, just write great fucking songs and we're not gonna lose.' And that's what they did. They wrote great fucking songs, man. So that's why it worked. Then it's, like, 'Okay, cool. All right, this isn't working out. Now we're gonna go get Gary Cherone.' Now the fans are, like, 'Wait, wait, wait, wait a second. Hold on. Hold up. Now you're throwing us for a loop.' And it doesn't work the same.

"I think sometimes it works or it doesn't," Bobby added. "I mean there's been singers to come into bands and it just doesn't… And I think that you would know right away if it's a good fit or not. But I think when I came into the band, I never tried to be him. I never wanted to be him. Some people would say that they thought there were similarities in the voice or whatever. But I mean, people think that I have similarities to Chester's [Bennington] voice and other people singing. And I don't see it. I mean, I can maybe hear some similarities, but I hear the difference. When I track something or whatever, I can definitely hear the difference. But maybe subconsciously when people are hearing the music of some of those bands that you kind of get familiar with a vocal or a sound or something. But I think when I came in, I just wanted to be myself and just do what I could do. I like writing songs. I like working in the studio. I like being on stage. And I'm a diehard musician at heart. And that was the approach. And it doesn't always work when you take an approach of, 'I've gotta be this' or 'I've gotta be like this so people will like me.' People are gonna like you or hate you either way. It's like Coke [and] Pepsi. I would think that me coming into the band, that was all it was — just let's keep it alive and have some fun."

Asked what the fan reaction was like when he first joined SALIVA and how it has evolved over the years, Bobby said: "It was super mixed at first, and I get it. I can't blame them. Most of the negative stuff I felt like never really came from people who had seen the band. I think it just came from that approach of, 'Oh, it's not the same' or 'it never will be the same.' But they're right. It never will be the same. And I think that fans get so invested into the catalog and these bands and these songs that they forget that it's a business. It is a business at the end of the day. It's bands' livelihoods and things and the show must go on."

He continued: "It's no disrespect to what SALIVA was before at all — I've never disrespected that one bit — but when you come into something and when the other person quits and basically abandons and leaves everyone high and dry and they just disappear for a decade and stuff. And then you start hearing all these crazy stories about how it was in the band and you're just, like…. Dude, there was part of me that, at first, was, like, 'Do I even wanna do this?' This is scary kind of stuff that you would hear. And people would come up to me at shows and tell me stories, and I'd be, like… [It would] make you wanna run kind of stuff. But I stuck through it, man. I was, like, that's not me. I'm not that. And [there was] almost like a black cloud over the SALIVA name or something. But you fight through it, man, overcome and just get through it. And I don't wanna talk crap about anybody or the past or whatever, but those were challenges for me because I was coming into something that I was not aware of and I had no idea all of these kinds of things. So on top of people nitpicking what you're doing or how you should be, I just stuck to my guns, man, and just said, 'I'm just gonna do things the way I wanna do them.' That 'Love, Lies & Therapy' record that we did, I pretty much did the whole record. And the band wanted me to do that. Wayne was, like, 'Dude, let's make this your record.' I think that was kind of the turning point of starting to get more and more fans knowing this version of SALIVA and stuff. Now it's just go do what we do and go onstage and give people a killer show."

Bobby added: "I go to merch booth every night and a lot of these shows, there's a line really, really long. And I'll stand there for three hours sometimes, man, shaking everyone's hands and doing that. And that's super important, because I feel like if those people don't like you, they're not standing in line. And it's important to be able to tell them 'thank you' for everything, whether they were a fan from the get-go, from 20 years ago, or they started listening to the band when I got in, whatever that may be. I mean, there's a lot of that, man. There's a ton of people that are, like, 'I was never a SALIVA fan before.' I've had a lot of people say that about this latest record ['Revelation']. They hear 'High On Me' on the radio, and they're, like, 'That's not SALIVA. There's no way.' And then they become a fan through that. And that's just showing you music evolves and can evolve and you don't have to just put out the same thing over and over again. If it's a good song, it's a great fucking song, people will react."

In September 2024, Amaru and SALIVA bassist Brad Stewart were asked by Joshua Toomey of Talk Toomey if there had been any "confusion in the marketplace" over the fact that Scott had been performing with his solo band in the last couple of years under various names, including JOSEY SCOTT – THE ORIGINAL VOICE OF SALIVA and JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA. Brad replied: "There is, actually." Bobby concurred, saying: "Yeah, I think he's just kind of made it confusing. Josey's just being Josey, what he always was. He always thought he was like a one-man thing, and he's doing what he's gonna do. I think for us, though, we spent a lot of time, I spent a lot of time, too, when I got in the band just hearing a lot of 'noes' from radio stations and from managers and a lot of damage control, and that stuff that just kind of really… I'm not talking shit; I'm just being real. This is what it was. I got in the band, and there was a lot of roadblocks — a lot of roadblocks — and everything always led back to one person causing those roadblocks. I think it's just another roadblock.

Continued Brad: "And bridges burned into the ground that you're trying to sort of rebuild, in a lot of ways, at radio and places that there was a lot of self-sabotage that was going on there that was unfortunate. And for a lot of the times that [Bobby] spent in the band before I joined in 2015, it was all about sort of rebuilding bridges, man. And, 'Hey, this is not the SALIVA, though, that did or whatever happened with you guys at the station or somewhere else. We're sorry, but this is not the same band, and we're here now to rock and we're ready to do it. And then we're gonna kick some ass.' And so it was a lot of that — it still is, even in some places."

Added Bobby: "Even for someone like [Josey], you go away for so long and you come back, he's gotta be humbled at this point with some of the shows he's doing. 'Cause we hear about it and stuff. We're just kind of, like, whatever, let him do what he wants to do. But you're not gonna use the [SALIVA] name — don't use the name — because then all it does is it just steps on everything that I and we've worked hard for the last 13 years."

In May 2024, Scott was asked by Tulsa Music Stream if it was his hope that he and the members of his new band could eventually perform under the SALIVA name. He responded: "Of course that's my hope, because I've always wanted the name to sort of go full circle and come back home. Whether that happens remains to be seen. I think there's things that I think are fair and things that the other camp thinks are fair. And we'll see. We'll see how it all shakes out."

Asked if he was in communication with the band which is continuing to perform under the SALIVA name, consisting of Amaru and Stewart, about coming to a resolution on the usage of the SALIVA name, Josey said: "Uh, yes," before adding, "Basically, all I've been trying to do this whole time is appease the other side. I'll leave it at that."

He continued: "At the end of the day, as I've always said, this business is not about band names and it's not about personalities, it's not about Josey Scott and it's not about Bobby Amaru. It's about songs, songs, songs, songs. At the end of the day, when we all put our head on the pillow at night, it's always going to be all about songs."

In September 2023, Stewart and Amaru spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the fact that Scott embarked on a tour under the JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA banner which saw him performing a lot of the band's classic songs without any of the other original SALIVA members. Brad said: "It's an interesting thing because we've been doing this version of the band [with Bobby on vocals] since Josey originally left 11, 12 years ago. So we've kind of kept the fires burning and put out new records and new music and stuff. So it's an interesting situation that we're in now, to be quite honest, so we're just trying to figure out how to make it work for both parts of it — both versions of it, I should say."

Bobby commented: "I think it's good that [Josey's] trying to connect with fans and tour and play music. I think it's an awesome thing. He should have been doing it long ago."

Referencing Swinny, who died in March 2023 while on tour with the group, Amaru added: "I think what we're doing here [with the current SALIVA touring lineup] is we're just trying to do what Wayne would have wanted and we're honoring Wayne. This [latest SALIVA] record ['Revelation', which came out in early September 2023], I know how important it was to him and I think the world should hear it. We're going out every night, we're playing songs from it. And this tour has been great. The fans have been awesome, man."

In May 2023, Josey weighed in on the announcement that SALIVA's surviving members would carry on following the death of the group's last remaining original member, the aforementioned Swinny. Josey told Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz: "I'm very close with Bobby and I know in my heart and in my soul that Bobby will do the honorable thing. He never hasn't done the honorable thing. And I just trust in his steering the ship at this point, and I know he's gonna do the right thing. And I know it's all gonna work out; it's all gonna be great."

SALIVA's current lineup consists of Amaru, Stewart, Bishop, LaBar and Josh Kulack (guitar).

SALIVA's one-off appearance at the 2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival saw Scott performing three songs with the group. SALIVA also played with Amaru at the same event.

On the heels of the announcement of a January 2026 European tour with Ensiferum and Freedom Call, Dragony promised additional news. Here it is. Their long-time collaborator and frequent special guest vocalist for live shows, Maria Nesh (Red Eye Temple), is joining the band as a full-time member starting with the January tour.

Touring oftentimes poses considerable challenges for bands, especially when it comes to scheduling, so they made the decision to switch to a two-singer lineup to enable them to not only expand their musical scope by adding an additional female voice, but to also do more shows and tours than before.

Starting with the January tour, Dragony live shows will generally feature both singers, except in instances where one singer can’t make it for scheduling or work-related reasons, in which case, such shows will be performed solo by the other singer.

“After playing with Dragony many times over the past years, it’s going to be fun to be working with them on a full-time basis and to perform even more shows with Dragony in the future. I am also looking forward to working on new music in the studio with the guys, and maybe there will be some exciting news to be shared in this regard very soon. For now, I’m happy to be Dragony’s new ‘Valkyrie’ and look forward to the big European tour in January! See you on the Road to Valhalla!,” stated Nesh.

Dragony’s current album, Hic Svnt Dracones, was released in 2024 worldwide through Steamhammer as CD digipak, 2LP gatefold version — download and stream here.

Dragony’s tour dates with Ensiferum and Freedom Call are listed below. More info and tickets here.

German thrashers Eradicator will release their new live album, Alive In The Dead Eye Of The Vortex, on November 21st. The CD and vinyl versions will be available exclusively from the band’s shop and digitally worldwide via Metalville.

A rainy Saturday afternoon in 2004: a wild bunch of teenagers meet in their rehearsal room, a small chamber in a barn in the tranquil Sauerland region. Wearing Kreator, Judas Priest, and Metallica shirts, the newly formed band covers the classics of their heroes – the foundation for Eradicator is laid!

Twenty years later, the German thrashers celebrate their anniversary with a special home game. Together with Vortex Club in Siegen, they launched the Evil Twisted Metal Feast in October 2024. Six bands, 250 fans, an unforgettable evening, and the decision to capture this moment.

With Alive In The Dead Eye Of The Vortex, Eradicator is now releasing an 11-song live album that thrashes through the band’s entire history. Four tracks from the current LP The Paradox are also included. With “Evil Twisted Mind”, the song that gave the concert its name, one of their oldest songs returns, which was already featured on their first release, the demo Back To The Roots (2007). History also repeats itself behind the controls: producer Jörn Michutta, who was already responsible for the demo, has shaped the live tracks into a dynamically thunderous mix that perfectly captures the energy and atmosphere of the evening.

Anyone familiar with Eradicator knows that they make no compromises when it comes to live performances. And now everyone else can experience this first-hand on record.



Tracklist:

“Possessed By The Devil”
“Of Ashes And Sand”
“Beyond The Shadows Void”
“Jackals To Chains”
“Into Oblivion”
“Perpetual Sacrifice”
“Evil Twisted Mind”
“Kill Cloud”
“Baptized In Blood”
“The Paradox”
“Read Between The Lies”

oday, Tampa-based hardcore thrashers, Cold Steel, are proud to unleash their new single, “Smoking Mirrors” (ft. Two-Piece), taken from their upcoming debut album, Discipline & Punish. Produced by Arthur Rizk (Power Trip, Blood Incantation), the new full-length will be out on November 7 via Spinefarm. The new track arrives accompanied by a music video, available to view below.



On “Smoking Mirrors” (ft. Two-Piece) Cold Steel comments: “Our goal with ‘Smoking Mirrors’ (ft. Two-Piece) was to create an uncompromising track that stood apart from the rest of the album. We incorporated elements of hip hop and collaborated with our good friend Dusty from Two-Piece. Nothing stands in the way of this track. It’s a calculated, aggressive, unrelenting tale of vengeance and the thousand-yard stare toward retribution.”



Cold Steel’s patented brand of aggressive, hardcore thrash metal takes no prisoners on Discipline & Punish, the band’s full-length debut for Spinefarm. To bring the album to life, the group decamped to Philadelphia and teamed with producer Arthur Rizk (Blood Incantation, Power Trip, Cavalera). In the studio, they drew on influences like Metallica, Machine Head, and Slipknot while sharpening and solidifying their own signature sound.

On the production/mixing of Discipline & Punish and working with Cold Steel, Arthur Rizk comments: “Working with Cold Steel was a lot of fun, mainly because of their attitude towards making the record. They were fully immersed and willing to go down every avenue until something memorable was achieved. Getting to collaborate with Matt Heafy was a killer experience for everyone, as he encouraged and helped with a lot of decisions. Coming from a super successful artist, that kind of validation kept the process powerful.”

Trivium’s Matt Heafy, who contributed to pre-production and arrangements while advising the band, exclaims: “Cold Steel are a band who could change the face and sound of heavy music. Their sound defies barriers: metal kids like them, punk kids like them, hardcore kids like them. They live authentically and unapologetically in their own world and are ready to show the masses what they do best – and that’s being themselves. Get into Cold Steel if you haven’t… now.”

Pre-order the album here.



Discipline & Punish tracklisting:

“No Escape”
“Protocol”
“Front To Enemy”
“Blacksmith Of Damnation”
“Killing Season”
“Vantage Point”
“Return To Agony”
“Fever Dreaming”
“Smoking Mirrors”
“The Coldest Death”

Rudolf Schenker, founding guitarist of legendary German hard rock band Scorpions, was recently interviewed by Get On The Bus. During the 25-minute chat, which can be seen below, Rudolf opens up like never before. From the birth of the band to the global impact of “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and “Winds Of Change”. Schenker shares personal stories, creative insights, and reflections on six decades of rock history.

An excerpt, detailing the departure of guitarist Uli Jon Roth, who was a member of Scorpions from 1973 – 1978, has been transcribed as follows:

“One day in the morning, on Sunday, he came. Uli Jon Roth came to me. I was living in a normal apartment in Hanover. And said, ‘Rudolf, can I talk to you?’ I said, ‘Sure. Come in, come in.’ So, ‘Rudolph, I want to quit.'”

“I said, ‘Yeah.’ ‘You don’t say anything more?’ I said, ‘No, because I was watching you. I could see that you, sooner or later, will move to your own project.'”

“And then we said, ‘But, one favor you can do. Do this ‘Tokyo Tapes’ album with us as a last piece, as a Last Testament for the Scorpions.’ And we went to Japan. We played the ‘Tokyo Tapes’ album. And then, Uli left.”

In a new interview with "Reckless" Rexx Ruger of the Pod Scum podcast, legendary extreme metal drummer Nick Barker (LOCK UP, BRUJERIA, DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH) opened up about some of his recent health challenges. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Well, at this point in my career, as you probably know, I'm experiencing renal failure right now. So I'm on dialysis three times a week for four hours at a time. And that's pretty much consumed my life. I've gone from one extreme to the other, whereas before the renal failure, I was [on tour] in a different place every week. Today I could be in New York; next week I could be in Sydney, and then the week after that, I'm in Amsterdam, I'm in London. Because of what I'm going through personally, it's made me appreciate it more now it's gone. Now I don't have it, I really do appreciate it. And I realize how much I took it for granted."

Elaborating on his current medical condition, Barker said: "Well, I'm dealing with stage five chronic kidney failure right now, which is full renal failure. I've been on dialysis, hemodialysis since January '23. I've been approved by the transplant list here in Vancouver. I did all the pre-assessments, passed all the assessment tests. They said, 'Yep, you're totally fine. You've just gotta drop some of those lbs. So I've got about 20, 30 pounds to lose before they can operate on me."

According to Barker, the operation will involve him getting "a new kidney", explaining that "they don't give you two [kidneys] now. What they do is they make an incision and they basically implant the live kidney on one of your dead kidneys.

Regarding a timeline as to when something like that will take place, Nick said: "I'm on a waiting list. I could get a phone call after I speak to you, or it could be next year. It's really just a waiting game. To not sound so crass, I've just gotta wait for somebody to die."

Asked if he is still able to create and be involved in music at all on any level right now, Nick said: "Yeah, I am. I still play the drums, but not very often. See with me, I need somebody to jam with to be inspired. I can play do playthroughs all day, but they're not really challenging. But if I'm there with a guitarist and he's throwing riffs at me, I get really creative that way. But playing on my own, I'll be honest with you, I get bored after 20 minutes."

The 52-year-old Barker started playing drums at the age of 13 years old, but his professional career began back in 1993 at age 20 when he joined U.K. black metal icons CRADLE OF FILTH. After four albums and numerous world tours that followed, Nick went on to join the ranks of Norwegian black metal rivals DIMMU BORGIR in 1999 and went on to enjoy even greater commercial success with them up until 2004.

Nick has also been a busy session player in both live and studio environments, lending his skills to the likes of such heavyweight metal acts as TESTAMENT, OLD MAN'S CHILD, EXODUS, BRUJERIA, GORGOROTH, GOD SEED, ANAAL NATHRAKH and BENEDICTION, to name a few.

Barker previously discussed his health challenges this past January in an interview with Earth House. He said at the time:  "I went from traveling the world every month to being stuck at home. And it took about six months to come to terms of it 'cause I felt like I was in prison.

"We picked up [touring] after COVID, and then I started to get sick," the British-born musician continued. "I ended up in hospital on a U.S. tour. 10 days in ICU in North Carolina. Yeah, it was pretty bad. The bill came to 98 grand. Well, I didn't pay. They've got a thing now in the States where if you're a non-citizen and you've got no insurance, you pay a waiver fee and you fill out the form, a waiver, and they just treat you. But they did show me, 'This is how much your treatment costs.'"

Barker went on to say that he really misses "not being able to travel or tour. When it's been pretty much what you do your entire adult life and then all of a sudden, it just stops suddenly, it's a bit of a headfuck," he explained.

Reflecting on another health scare that happened while he was on tour, Nick said: "We were on a heavy metal cruise from Florida to Nassau, Bahamas. And during the gig I had a panic attack. And the paramedics were there. I was, like, 'I need oxygen. I can't breathe.' They were, like, 'A thousand dollars.' And they were literally standing over me, watching me [gasping for breath]."

Asked if he ended up paying, Nick said: "No, I didn't. I said, 'Fuck you.' I kicked the emergency doors open and did a Titanic special. [Laughs]"

SAINT ASONIA, which features THREE DAYS GRACE singer Adam Gontier and STAIND guitarist/founding member Mike Mushok, hasd released a cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid". The track was originally recorded during the sessions for SAINT ASONIA's second EP of 2022, "Extrovert", which came out in November of that year via Spinefarm. "Extrovert" followed the "Introvert" EP, which dropped in the summer of 2022 and featured seven new tracks, including a Weeknd cover. Both EPs were released physically as "Introvert/Extrovert" with bonus tracks in December 2022.

SAINT ASONIA commented: "We actually recorded this cover years ago while we were recording the 'Extrovert' EP. It didn't end up on the EP, and when we recently lost Ozzy [Osbourne], we all talked, and decided now was the time to put it out there. It's just our own little tribute to the band and the man who changed the landscape of heavy music forever, and opened the door for bands like us.

"We love you Oz."

In a February 2024 interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz, Gontier addressed the fact that he was the sole remaining musician in the band's then-touring lineup who was present when SAINT ASONIA made its live debut at the 2015 edition of the Rock On The Range festival. He said: "The original lineup was myself and Corey Lowery [bass] and Rich Beddoe [drums] and Mike Mushok [guitar]. And Mike Mushok is still in the band. So it's me and Mike. But Corey Lowery left to play guitar for SEETHER. I think at the time we were basically on a break and SEETHER was going out and they needed somebody. And we're all kind of friends; we're this little group of friends. So, yeah, it was a good opportunity for me to invite Cale [Gontier], my cousin, into the band to play bass. Same with [drummer] Cody [Watkins]. Rich had some other stuff to do, so we got Cody on board, and here we are. This lineup is the lineup. But, yeah, because Mike's busy, he's pretty busy with STAIND and stuff, too, so we sort of have to balance that out. So he's doing stuff with STAIND, so we have Tavis Stanley, another friend of ours and great guitar player, filling in for Mike."

Gontier went on to say that it wasn't much of a surprise when Mushok stepped back from his touring activities with SAINT ASONIA in order to focus on STAIND.

"When Mike and I started the band, we talked about that, the chances of STAIND reuniting and doing stuff," Adam explained. "So it was always kind of expected. And we just figured we'd cross the bridge when we got it, and, yeah, we got to it. It's good, though. This lineup's great. The live show is killer. So, yeah, no complaints."

In 2022, Adam Gontier told Sonic Perspectives about "Introvert": "The title was fitting with the way the songs were written. We wrote and recorded individually. It's a weird situation to make a record and not be in the same room as your band. I felt like an introvert when I was working on these songs."

The EP was recorded outside of Toronto with producer Anton DeLost. Meanwhile, Mushok recorded remotely from his home studio in Connecticut.

"We had a blast with Anton," Adam told Sonic Perspectives. "He played a big part in the sonic changes. It's a little different for us, but it's still pretty heavy. He understood what we were hoping to accomplish. It's SAINT ASONIA."

Gontier — who was a founding member of THREE DAYS GRACE in 1992 — left the band in January 2013. At the time, THREE DAYS GRACE cited unspecified health issues for his departure and Matt Walst came in as his replacement.

THREE DAYS GRACE announced Gontier's return in October 2024 and the group released a new song, "Mayday", in November.

THREE DAYS GRACE's new album "Alienation" came out in August via RCA.