In a new interview with the Fueled With Chris Cyr podcast, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was asked how being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013 had changed his perspective on life and his approach to living it. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I can tell you it made me spend more money. 'Cause, as Jerry Seinfeld said, 'You can't drive money.' So as soon as I got — not as soon as, but within a year of having my cancer diagnosis, I went and bought a very expensive Porsche. And I remember thinking, 'Oh, that's a lot of money. It's a lot of money.' And I [thought], 'I could be dead next week.' Well, actually, there is a saying in Ireland: 'You're a long time dead.' So I sort of take it to heart. I'm a little bit reckless in that way. I have a lot of faith in the universe, that things will work out — financially, that's one of them, but also with regard to my cancer. I thought, 'Okay, this is the hand I've been dealt.' And as I see it, you can go one of two routes — you can capitulate to it or you can just live your life. And I decided to do the latter."

Vivian continued: "I have encountered people who have had a cancer diagnosis and they tend to take on all of the weight of that and really dwell on it and internalize about it and stuff. And it usually doesn't work out well for them. And I always try and talk people out of that. I also feel very, very fortunate because I got my cancer diagnosis early. And I've lost a lot of friends in recent years who got a diagnosis of, like, stage four and they were gone within a couple of years. I was very, very fortunate — I was diagnosed at stage 2b. And I probably could have been diagnosed at 2a because I knew for about a year and a half, something was very wrong with me."

Reflecting on his initial cancer diagnosis, Vivian said: "I kept going to my doctor and my doctor kept saying, 'Well, you know…' 'Cause I had this recurring illness, and I'd lost weight. And I was traveling — I was on tours all over the world, Australia, U.K. I kept getting the same sickness every six weeks or so, like this low-level thing. And you'd see a rock doc and they'd give you the same antibiotics. And six weeks later you'd be halfway across the world and have the same issue, see another doctor, get the same antibiotics. And so I went to see my GP [general practitioner] in L.A. when I finally got home from tour, and he said, 'Well, sometimes things linger.' And I said, 'I got this cough that is intermittent, but when it's there it's really persistent and prevalent.' And he said, 'Well, go see this respiratory doctor.' So long story short, I went to see this respiratory doctor for about eight months. I'd go once a month and he'd keep giving me a different inhaler and nasal spray, and he'd say, 'Well, try this one.' And then finally, after all those months, I went into his office and I said, 'Look, I don't want another inhaler. I don't want another nasal spray.' I said, 'I want a chest x-ray.' I said, 'If I've gotta pay you cash,' I said, 'Just let's do it.' And he said, 'Okay. Okay, we'll do an x-ray.' So I do a chest x-ray and he comes back into the office and he's goin'g, Hmm, wat are you doing this afternoon?' He said, 'I'd like you to get a CT scan.' And I said, 'Yeah, okay, I can do that.' And I went and did the scan. I went home. He called me that evening and said, 'I'm gonna have an oncologist call you tomorrow.' He said, 'There's something going on.' And I said, 'Yeah, no shit. I told you a year ago.' But in hindsight, I caught it early. So my health has been very, very closely monitored for years, unlike those friends of mine who have died in recent years because they were stage four when they found out. So that's luck of the Irish. I don't take that for granted."

Campbell went on to say that while a cancer diagnosis is a significant challenge for many, maintaining a positive attitude can have a profound impact on the road to recovery.

"My attitude, other than the first week or so when that oncologist called me and said, 'You've got cancer,' and I'm, like, 'Oh, my life is over.' It's not. It's just another thing you've gotta deal with," Vivian explained. "And attitude is so, so important to it. I've always been, 'Fuck you, cancer.' I'm just gonna deal with it. And I'm a strong person physically and mentally. My body is strong, and I've always continued to work out through it. I keep pushing myself. And mentally, I'm not afraid to die. I don't wanna die 'cause I've got kids and family. I've got a lot of people who depend on me, but I've never been afraid of it. And I just keep pushing at it and keep pushing back. And most importantly, I just keep living my life. Honestly, the hardest part of dealing with cancer in the last 12 or 13 years has been scheduling. I've got a tour. I've gotta fit all this stuff. I'm in two bands. I'm in LAST IN LINE, as well as DEF LEPPARD, so I've gotta plug in all these gaps. And so, really, honest to God, it's been the hardest part, is scheduling my treatments. But yeah, I consider myself very fortunate in every aspect of life."

This past June, Vivian said that he is "completely in remission for the first time" after being diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Campbell offered an update on his health during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said at the time: "I've been very lucky, actually. I got an early diagnosis for Hodgkin's lymphoma 13 years ago, 12 years ago, something like that. [I went] through the mill with all sorts of chemo and immunotherapy and combination therapies, and 10 years ago I did an autologous stem cell transplant, which means using my own stem cells. That didn't work. The cancer kept coming back, and then a couple of years ago, it really got bad. So it was the first time in having to deal with it that I was seriously concerned about it. And the doctors told me really my only chance for of cure was to do a donor transplant. And that's exactly what I did. Starting last summer during our tour, I started doing more chemo in preparation for it. And then right after the tour, they started giving me very hardcore chemo leading up to the transplant. I was supposed to start after Thanksgiving, and I lost my donor 10 days beforehand. So that was a kick in the nuts. But I was very fortunate that they found me another one in December. And on New Year's Eve, I went into hospital. I was in for about three and a half weeks, and I did what has turned out to be a really, really successful transplant. So I did a PET scan in the middle of April and I'm a hundred percent clean, completely in remission for the first time in 12 or 13 years. And I am obviously overjoyed. You couldn't ask for more than that."

Campbell went on to say that he "had an incredible donor. There are 10 genetic markers, and this donor was a 10 out of 10," he explained. "A young man, actually. I don't get to know who he is for a couple of years, but a 21-year-old man. And they always prefer a youthful donor. Obviously, I'm gonna buy him a beer — or two or three."

Asked why a 21-year-old man would volunteer to donate bone marrow, Vivian said: "Why, indeed. I mean, it's just a testament to some strange guy's character. He decided to put his name on the registry, the donor registry, for no reason other than he's a good person. So there are a lot of good people out there, I'm glad to say.

"The transplant, actually, given its proper, clever medical term, is allogeneic hematopoietic [stem cell] transplant," Campbell added. "I have no idea what that means other than it means a donor transplant. But the process for the donor, if it were a family member, they'd probably be willing to undergo the complete surgery required to use actual bone marrow. With strangers, they use enriched stem cell blood. But what the donor has to do is still very, very involved. They've gotta take this stuff called Neupogen for about a week or a week and a half prior to donating the material. And Neupogen is pretty hardcore. I've done it myself about 10 years ago, and it generates your stem cell growth in the bone marrow itself. And it causes a lot of discomfort and bone pain. So it's not for nothing that somebody would do that. It is a pretty heavy lift, and I'm just glad there are some great people in the world."

Regarding what the process of receiving a bone marrow transplant entailed for him, Vivian said: "It essentially comes down to a blood transfusion. After the first week in the hospital, you get chemo every day and then a day of radiation and then on day seven, they actually do the transplant and then a day off after that to just recover and then two more days of chemo and just a week or three of sickness as your body fights this stuff. And it's not pleasant to go through it at all, but I would do it a hundred times more if I got the same results."

Asked why he can't contact the 21-year-old man who gave him his bone marrow for a couple years, Campbell said: "They just like to keep it anonymous. After two years, they give you the option to contact your donor, so you can reach out to them. I would imagine in this day and age it's via e-mail, and if they wanna correspond with you, they can, but they don't have to. But obviously, it's a life-saving proposition, so I'd certainly wanna express my gratitude."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that Campbell has had a remarkably positive attitude throughout his more-than-a-decade-long battle with cancer,  Vivian said: "My glass has always been half full. I've always looked at life that way, and I also believe you play the hand you're dealt. And in any situation in life, there's really only two ways you can respond to something: you can go as positive as possible or go as negative as possible. To be honest, as it relates to cancer, I've unfortunately known a bunch of people who have gotten the cancer diagnosis and have chosen to be very gloomy and pessimistic in their outlook towards their prognosis, and it usually follows that route. I mean, what you put out in the universe is usually what you get back. So I just like to deal with it. Plus every cloud has a silver lining. I actually do think that my health has benefited from this. I mean, my health has been extremely closely monitored for the last 12 or 13 years and will continue to be for at least a couple more years. So I've lost, myself, so many friends in recent years. Even thinking about [my side band] LAST IN LINE, we lost [original LAST IN LINE bassist] Jimmy Bain to cancer. We lost our manager, Steve Strange, to cancer. Both of those guys — Jimmy never even actually got a diagnosis. It was only after the fact, in the autopsy, it was determined he had lung cancer. Steve Strange, our LAST IN LINE manager, died within two, two and a half years of getting his diagnosis, because so many people, unfortunately, don't get diagnosed until they're stage four or something. I was very, very fortunate that I knew something was going on with me and I kept at my doctors. I said, 'Look, something's going on here. You've gotta give me an X-ray. You've gotta give me a CAT scan. You've gotta figure this out.' And when they eventually did, about a year and a half after I'd begun to pester them, 'cause it was a solid 18 months that I knew something was wrong with, and it was a solid 18 months before they actually put me in touch with the right people and I got my diagnosis. So I was fortunate that I caught it early. And I do strongly advocate for people to be advocates for their own health."

He added: "Doctors are very, very clever — they go to med med school for a long time, and they're very well trained, but they're not inside your actual body. Only we really know what's going on with us. And I would urge anyone out there listening, if they think there's something going with their body to go see their doctor, and trust the science, trust the medicine. And it's absolutely amazing what they can do."

Campbell — who before joining DEF LEPPARD in 1992 was well known for his work with DIO and WHITESNAKE — went public with his Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis in June 2013.

Vivian underwent three separate spells of chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant, only for his Hodgkin's lymphoma to return.

Six years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

Vivian and his DEF LEPPARD bandmates were finally inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in March 2019 — 14 years after the British rockers first became eligible.

DEF LEPPARD's latest album, "Diamond Star Halos", arrived in May 2022 via UMe.

“Low tuned, dark and violent Texas death metal,” comes the uncompromising answer from Terror Corpse drummer Dobber Beverly when pressed to define his newest abomination. Formed in 2025 yet manned by veterans of the US underground, Terror Corpse rise from the remnants of Malignant Altar, continuing where their predecessor left off – still in league with Dark Descent Records.

Produced entirely in-house by the skinsman, the record’s sound is as distinctive as it is crushing. From the first pounding kick drum, soon joined by a gut-wrenching bassline, Ash Eclipses Flesh never loosens its relentless grip.

“I wanted to essentially have a super low tuned Celtic Frost guitar sound with a modern and large natural drum recording. Big room, big drum sounds. Tack on some cavernous low, Craig Pillard style vocals and bass guitar and you’ve got our sound.”

The band’s veneration of the Celtic Frost’s legacy is further demonstrated by the album’s closer, a cover of Into the Crypts of Rays. Dobber makes no secret of Terror Corpse’s influences: “Disciples Of Mockery, Incantation, pre-2000s Morbid Angel; essentially older evil American death metal. Celtic Frost is a massive influence to all of us. From their primitive and violent beginnings to the ultra-experimental and dark era of their later records.”

Ash Eclipses Flesh is clad in artwork courtesy of the notorious Shoggoth Kinetics, displaying a horrifying future so far and near: “Lyrically the album follows a kind of dystopian downfall of humanity. Something crossing surreality and outlook based off of current happenings. A race of mutant human corpses conquering and enslaving the earth.”

Ash Eclipses Flesh is out November 21. Preorder on Bandcamp.



Tracklisting:

“Pyre Of Ash And Bone”
“Gate Zero”
“Womb Of The Hollow Earth”
“Blissful Incineration”
“Fallout Obliteration”
“Nuclear Winter”
“Transmission Beta”
“The Hollow That Devours”
“Sons Of Perdition”
“Into The Crypts Of Rays”

Returning from the graveyard, Portland, Oregon’s Unto Others have shared details of their upcoming spooky release. The follow-up to 2021’s I Believe In Halloween, I Believe In Halloween II is due October 17 via Lone Fir Records in the USA and Eisenwald Records in Europe, (released in conjunction with Century Media Records).

As well as three original tracks of extreme terror, the EP also features a recorded version of their stellar cover of Ramones’ “Pet Sematary” and The Misfits’ “Halloween”.

Today, they’ve released the EP’s lead single “What I Did…”.

In “They Came From Space”, man searches the skies for traces of life beyond, only to find cold infinite empty space in every direction. There’s just one place we didn’t think to check…

“What I Did…” He’s just a cool dude looking for a good time. Out all night getting trashed with his friends, they could all use just one more drink. Who could it hurt?

In “Robots”, dream becomes nightmare as the line between realities is violently severed by sinister electrical android automatons.

Preorders:
Lon Fir Records (North America)
Eisenwald Records (Europe)
Lon Fir Records (Europe)



Tracklisting:

“They Came From Space”
“What I Did…”
“Robots”
“Halloween”
“Pet Sematary”

“What I Did…”:

In a new interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson discussed MAIDEN's musical output during his time away from the band. Dickinson exited MAIDEN back in 1993, paving the way for the group's Blaze Bayley era and a string of four solo albums from Bruce. Bayley fronted IRON MAIDEN from 1994 until 1999. The two MAIDEN albums he appeared on, "The X Factor" and "Virtual XI", sold considerably less than the band's prior releases and were their lowest-charting titles in the group's home country since 1981's "Killers". Asked if he paid attention to what MAIDEN was doing while he was out of the band, Dickinson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. [It's not that] I didn't have any interest in listening [to MAIDEN's Blaze-era albums]. I was just too busy doing my own stuff. So, it was kind of peripheral awareness, but in a way I was just, like, 'This is none of my business. I'm not in the band anymore.' And I wished Blaze well, 'cause when he joined the band, I thought, 'Wow.' 'Cause his voice is very different to mine. I loved what he was doing in WOLFSBANE. And I thought, 'Well, this is… I hope it works out the right way.' And sadly it didn't. But I love Blaze. I think he's a great character. There's not a malicious bone in his body. He's a great guy."

Asked if it was his or bassist Steve Harris's idea for MAIDEN to perform the Blaze-era songs "The Clansman" and "Sign Of The Cross" upon Dickinson's return to the band, Bruce said: "You know what? I actually can't remember. But when I heard it, I was just, like, 'Well, I think I could put some blood on the walls with that.' To be honest with you, not all of the songs that they did with Blaze, I think, would necessarily suit my voice. Because some of the songs they wrote for Blaze are not really in my range — they're a little bit low. Whilst Blaze would sing a particular tune with a lot of power, 'cause it was in his range, I would frankly struggle to make that tune sound as effective as Blaze, 'cause it's a little bit below where all the horsepower kicks in with my voice."

Back in 2018, Dickinson was asked by the "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" podcast why he agreed to perform some of the Bayley-era IRON MAIDEN material upon his return to the band in 1999. Dickinson said: "Well, you know, life's too short to go around chucking your ego around like that — it's childish, it's stupid. And, actually, some of those songs kind of worked [with my voice], some of them didn't, but you know what? They were all songs which a lot of IRON MAIDEN fans bought, and some of them, in particular 'The Clansman' and 'Sign Of The Cross', I think we really nailed those songs and I thought it was great material. Blaze's voice, obviously, was quite different than mine — it was a slightly lower register — and, actually, I wasn't complaining, 'cause I could use this kind of lower baritone tone and get quite kind of robust on it all. And I really enjoyed singing those songs."

Dickinson went on to say that he "had the utmost respect for Blaze, because he stepped into a situation that was extremely difficult for him. Because, manifestly, his voice was so different to mine and yet he had to try and sing some of those [older IRON MAIDEN] songs. He was in a difficult place. And he was a very, very nice guy, and still is a very nice guy, and I have a huge amount of respect for him."

Dickinson told the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show that he "was surprised" Blaze was chosen to replace him in IRON MAIDEN. "I was delighted for Blaze, but there was a whole bunch of other really good singers out there," he said. "I thought 'Wow, they could have picked somebody with a voice that could do what my voice did.' But they picked Blaze. Obviously, they picked somebody different, but that came with its own set of challenges. I just wondered whether anybody in the management was really giving anybody any serious words of truth on how hard this could be. "

In August 2019, Harris was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" why was it important for MAIDEN to still play Bayley-era songs even though Dickinson had been back in the band for so many years. Harris responded: "We're doing 'The Clansman', which is from [1998's] 'Virtual XI' [album], and we're doing 'Sign Of The Cross', which is from [1995's] 'The X Factor'. We've done 'em before, anyway, with Bruce; he really likes those songs, so he was really happy to do 'em. And I'm not gonna complain, 'cause I'm happy with doing 'em songs. But I think it just mixes the set up a bit. I know that those albums are not as well known as some of the other albums, especially over here [in the U.S.], but they're really good songs, and live, I think, they come into their own. So, yeah, it makes for an interesting set."

Pressed about whether he still stands behind the material that MAIDEN wrote and recorded while Bayley was in the band, Harris said: "Oh, definitely. I said at the time that I thought a lot of people would, in the future, get into those albums a lot more and maybe understand 'em a bit more and give 'em more of a chance. And that's what's happening — loads of people are really enjoying those albums more now. I think there's some really, really good songs on both those albums, and they stand out to me as most of our other albums. But it's like anything — I think you need to hear the stuff a few times, and I think a lot of people couldn't get past the fact that we had a different singer, and it was one of those things. But it was well received more in the rest of the world, really; the U.S. was a little bit more awkward. But I think a lot more people are finding that they're giving it a second chance, if you like, and actually really enjoying 'em."

Less than two years ago, Blaze spoke to Tony Webster of "The Metal Command" about some fans' initial reluctance to embrace his era of MAIDEN. When Webster noted that Blaze's solo work over the last two decades has gone a long way toward "changing the narrative" of his time with MAIDEN, Bayley said: "Yeah, I think you're right, Tony. I'm hearing this a lot. People look back and they go… Some fans go, 'Of course I've got every IRON MAIDEN album, but the ones I haven't listened to are [Blaze-era albums] 'The X Factor' and 'Virtual XI'. And now that's all I can listen to that I haven't listened to a hundred times. I have to listen to those. And it's exactly what you say to me.

"'The X Factor''s got some incredible music on it, but the sound of it is so dark, and the way it was produced, it's not accessible like some of the other MAIDEN albums," Blaze explained. "You've gotta live with that for quite a few spins until you're tuned into what things are doing. Then you can get to the music. I think that was maybe a problem with it at the time. It's so dark and the sounds of things were quite different to what came before. People who did live with it, managed to find it. And it's different cultures as well, different countries. In Sweden and Spain, those albums, people loved them as much as every other [MAIDEN] album. But in other places, people didn't. It's a different thing."

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

At this weekend's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt spoke to Baby Huey and Chasta of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's follow-up to 2021's "Persona Non Grata" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "New album will be done today. I mean, it's technically been done for a month, but since we have the time, we keep messing with it a little bit… Mark Lewis has been mixing it, and we did some additional overdubs in other spots."

Regarding what fans can expect from the new EXODUS material, which is tentatively due next March via Napalm Records, Holt said: "It's something else, man… It's crushing, but it's also all anthems. Every song's an anthem. It's awesome. We're super proud of this record."

Gary also confirmed that he and his EXODUS bandmates have recorded nearly two albums' worth of material this time around. "We have 80 percent of the next follow-up done," he said. "We started recording March 2nd, and I've been home four weeks till today. We stopped recording and we were on tour the next day. We went to Europe, and we were home for two weeks. Then we went on [tour] in the States. I was home two weeks, [went] to Europe, and then I went and joined SLAYER for [the summer 2025 shows]. And then I came home for two more weeks. So I'm exhausted."

Lewis had previously worked with MEGADETH, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER and BAD WOLVES, among many others.

The follow-up to "Persona Non Grata" will mark the first time in nearly three decades that an EXODUS album hasn't been mixed by Andy Sneap, who has acted as JUDAS PRIEST's producer and touring guitarist for more than seven years.

Gary previously wrote on Instagram about EXODUS's collaboration with Lewis: "First album since 97 to mix with someone else, and it's crushing. Andy said it's time to venture out of our comfort zone and it's amazing. Mark has CRUSHED IT!"

EXODUS's upcoming LP will be the band's first since the departure of singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and the decision to bring Rob Dukes back.

In a recent interview with Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM as part of the station's 31st-anniversary celebration, Dukes praised the material on EXODUS's upcoming effort, saying: "It's killer. It's the best thing I've ever done with EXODUS. I thought [2010's] 'Exhibit B: [The Human Condition]' was probably some of my best work, and I think this tops it. It's so different than what we've done. We've added so many little different things that it's still EXODUS, but we've definitely stepped outside the box a little bit and tried a few different things and it worked well… It's fast. it's dark, it's awesome, man. It's gonna be a lot of fun to go play these songs live."

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which later became TESTAMENT). He remained in the band until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes had joined EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and remained until 2014, when Souza rejoined.

Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

This past June, Holt told longtime Serbian hard rock/heavy metal journalist Jadranka Janković Nešić that he and his EXODUS bandmates recorded 18 songs for their next studio album. He said: "It's [going to be released as] two totally separate records, but we kept writing and kept writing and we had so much material that we just [thought], let's work extra hard and so when it's time to start thinking about a [second] new album [after the first new one], we could relax a little bit. I wish we had 20 songs done [instead of 18], 'cause then we would have the next album done, and then I could go on vacation or something. I've never had one."

Holt went on to say that none of the songs EXODUS has recorded so far for the two upcoming albums are "fillers", or tracks that were included simply to add time. "They're all great," he claimed. "They're all amazing. There are 18 songs, and they're all totally awesome. It's hard to pick which ones [will end up on the first new album]. But we did it so we could work less later."

He continued: "We're getting older. I'm 61 years old. By the time we think about releasing the next album, that's gonna be three years [from now], so I'm gonna be that much older. And then I can go on vacation in between albums. Like I said, I've never gone on vacation. I've had vacations where I played guitar to be, but I've never gone on a vacation where I didn't have to play to be there.

"After the whole [second new] album [is done] and all, yeah, I'm gonna go [on vacation] somewhere," Holt added. "I don't know how not to work though. I'm a workaholic. My wife will have to tell me to shut the phone off. At home I relax, though. But at home where I live in the country, it's a lot of work living there in the woods. So, I'm working, but it's working on my house, and I like that. I live in the country, yeah. No city life for me anymore."

Regarding the musical direction of the new EXODUS material, Gary said: "It's 100 percent EXODUS and at times 100 percent different. There's some surprises on it. It's super heavy. There's some moments that are so fast. There's moments that are super slow. Just satanic, evil as fuck."

After Jadranka noted that EXODUS is a band that continues to release full-length albums and isn't putting out standalone singles like more artists are choosing to do nowadays, Holt said: "We write albums. We've never concerned ourselves with singles. That's why in the past some of our songs were 11 minutes long, 'cause we didn't care. A song's done when it's done. If it's three minutes, cool. If it's 11 minutes, that's cool too."

Holt also once again opened up about Souza's departure and Dukes's return. Regarding what happened to cause Zetro's exit from EXODUS, Gary said: "Well, I don't wanna go into any details 'cause there's no bad blood. It's just we're all getting older and we want to be happy. And he was not happy. He was very unhappy. He was awesome on stage and awesome in the studio and awesome to the fans and there's no problem with that. And I loved his performance and his voice is as great as ever. But it's the time when you're not on stage when it became to where it's bringing everybody's spirits down. And this is a hard job to do when you're our age. Every single time I go to the airport to go on tour, I'm sad, 'cause I'm leaving my grandchildren and my kids and my wife and my house, and it's hard. But once I get out here [on tour], I'm with my brothers and I have fun. And if that part isn't fun anymore, then none of it's fun. Maybe on stage — maybe. But we're happy now. Rob's here and all five of us hang out and spend a lot of time together and we have a good time."

When Jadranka said that Rob was "the logical choice" to step in as EXODUS's singer for the band's next phase, Holt concurred. "I'm set in my ways," he explained. "I don't like change. So changing singers was never in my future plans. I don't like change at all. I'm stuck in my ways. And the idea of finding a new person who you don't know and you don't know if your personalities work, that was never an option for me. I mean, I could find someone half my age who's got tons of energy and [is] awesome and has got visible abs muscles and jumps off the top of the drum riser, but I might not have anything in common with him… [Hiring] some kid that's the same age as my youngest daughter, it would be weird. I'd feel like a father telling him to clean up his room all the time. [Laughs]"

Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the aforementioned "Bonded By Blood" LP inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.

In a new interview with Australia's The Rockpit, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy confirmed that there are plans for him and his bandmates to reissue their fourth album, 1990's "Souls Of Black", to coincide with the LP's 35th anniversary.

"We're gonna remix it," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We actually have the two-inch tape, so instead of just remastering, we're gonna remix it. And it's actually being mixed right now. And we got a new packaging. So I think that'll be out towards the end of the year or early next year. And then, of course, touring this record [TESTAMENT's fourteenth studio album, the upcoming 'Para Bellum'], we'll find some time somewhere to go just play that record ['Souls Of Black'] just to celebrate and help market and promote that release when it comes out. And that'll be fun.

"We're getting the rights back for all our first six records on Atlantic," Chuck explained. "And then the next one [to be reissued after 'Souls Of Black' is] gonna be [1992's] 'The Ritual'. And that's one we always shied away from, but now I look forward to playing that whole record one day. I look forward to it."

In a 2013 interview with The Great Southern Brainfart, TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson stated about "Souls Of Black": "I wouldn't have rushed out 'Souls Of Black' like we did. That album could've been something different. It is a classic record now, but it was just thrown together so quickly."

In the summer of 2023, TESTAMENT entered a new partnership with Nuclear Blast which secured the first six albums of the band's catalog in the United States. Starting in late 2023 the band saw the re-release of the first two albums. In January 2025, the reissue of TESTAMENT's third album, the band's seminal 1989 effort "Practice What You Preach", was made available. The original master of the album was released as a CD, an orange bone swirl LP, a limited-edition orange cassette (700 worldwide),and a limited-edition long box (CD, sticker, and button, limited to 500).

"Para Bellum" is due on October 10 via Nuclear Blast. The LP was recorded with Juan Urteaga and mixed for the first time by Jens Bogren. The cover art was once again painted by Eliran Kantor.

TESTAMENT has released two singles so far from "Para Bellum": "Infanticide A.I.", "Shadow People".

When "Para Bellum" was first announced in August, it was accompanied by the official music video for "Infanticide A.I.", directed by Joey Durango.

During a new appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, CHEVELLE vocalist/guitarist Pete Loeffler spoke about the challenges of reproducing the material from the band's latest album, "Bright As Blasphemy", in a live situation. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I am feeling like 10 albums in, the guitar is starting to become more of a struggle to write a song with than it used to be. So I can elaborate on that, if you'd like, but I'm dabbling more with keyboards lately, and you'll hear a little bit of that. Well, primarily I'm a guitarist in a rock band, a three-piece. And this quite possibly — [we launched our new] tour [in August] and I'm already wishing I hired a guitarist for these new songs. They're up there — they're in my upper register vocally and they're in my upper difficult area. So I'm maxed out here. So, the next album or the next thing I do, it's possible that it could be a different style in general just right out of the gate, for nothing than just really wanting to do something different at this point. I love what we do, but I also need to try new things. So it just happens sometimes. But, yeah, any good guitarist out there, send me your reels, 'cause I need to represent these songs live well, and I hope I'm doing that on this run.'

He added: "These are the stresses of tour. These are the things that keep me awake at night: am I gonna have my voice tomorrow? Am I gonna have my chops? So, c'est la vie."

Asked what it was that first drew him to heavy music and the desire to write and play, and if he feels that spark or that love has changed over time or developed into something different, Pete said: "Yeah, the spark was there from me being young. I mean, it was definitely there from the first time I picked up a guitar. I mean, I'm going way back. But I was learning Cat Stevens folky tunes, things like that. But you get a little older and you hear some punk like DEAD KENNEDYS or whatever, and then you realize, 'Oh, there's this whole new world that's opening up.' And I had my heavy metal summer, and that really changed me for the better. And as much as I say I'm in a rock band, I'm really metal fan more so than rock music in general. But it depends what you call metal. LED ZEPPELIN was metal when it came out, so it was, like, yes, rock and metal. And then you're, like, 'PANTERA, now that's real metal,' or 'GOJIRA, that's metal.' So there's genres."

He continued: "Starting out, I just leaned into the heavier part of SOUNDGARDEN and that sort of vibe of the rock, which is why we're a band that could tour with probably MARILYN MANSON, but at the same time probably with — say, who's on the lighter side? I'd like to think we could tour with INCUBUS or something like that, 'cause it's sort of like we're both at radio at the same time. But. to me, they're sort of the lighter side of the rock scene, which is more dreamy and vibey and cool. But I like all genres.

"At this point now, 30 years in, when I sit down to write a song, it's harder for me to even pinpoint something that I even like because I've written so many songs that the world will never even hear because they're just not fully flushed out," Pete explained. "And now I'm just trying to find something that my mind will enjoy to hear and envision putting out, and try not to overthink everything all the time, try to have a little more fun with it. But that's tricky too. The mind is a weird thing, and I'm just navigating life, my own reality. I'm trying to make it a good place every day."

"Bright As Blasphemy" came out on August 15 via Alchemy Recordings. The follow-up to 2021's "Niratias" marked CHEVELLE's first release through Alchemy Recordings following a long run with the Epic label. Alchemy Recordings is 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.

Earlier this year, CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler was asked by "Whiplash" why he and his brother Pete decided to produce the band's new LP themselves after working with Joe Barresi for almost a decade and a half. Sam said: "Well, I'll tell you this. We did four records with Joe [starting with 2011's 'Hats Off To The Bull'], and he was awesome. And he said to us, he goes, 'You guys should do something different. Go try doing a record yourselves. See how it goes.' So we did. And it's the hardest thing we've ever done, for sure. It's probably not worth it, but we did it, and we can say we did it."

As for the decision to part with Epic and find a new label home, Sam said: "After we did eight full-length records with Epic Records, which we still have a very good relationship with them, yeah, we branched out and became part of a label with our friends that we've known for 25 years in the business. And our old friend Danny Wimmer tried to sign us to Flawless Records back in like 2000, and it didn't work out, and we went to Sony instead. So now, after all these years, we've signed with him and his current label, so it was kind of cool."

Earlier this summer CHEVELLE embarked on a massive tour with special guests ASKING ALEXANDRIA and DEAD POET SOCIETY. Produced by Live Nation, the 38-city trek kicked off on August 7 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, making stops across North America in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Airway Heights, Washington at BECU Live at Northern Quest on October 2.

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.

Professionally filmed video of SOULFLY's entire July 18, 2025 performance at the Baden In Blut festival in Weil Am Rhein, Germany has now been uploaded to YouTube and can be seen below.

A message accompanying the YouTube release of the video reads as follows: "This is a raw and straight recording from our video wall production. Therefore, the sound is not ideal. No post production done."

SOULFLY's thirteenth album, "Chama", is due on October 24 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2022's "Totem" was recorded at the Platinum Underground Studio in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino. John has worked with SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera and company multiple times before and is not only a talented engineer but a family friend. The album was produced by SOULFLY drummer and Max's son Zyon Cavalera and Arthur Rizk. The latter was also responsible for the mixing and mastering.

In a recent interview with Christina Rowatt of the We Wreck Records podcast, Max stated about Zyon's role as producer on "Chama": "Zyon's presence on 'Chama' is super important. I cannot tell you how important it was, because it was so cool. I produced SOULFLY records before, like 'Prophecy' and 'Dark Ages'. And so I said to him right in the beginning of the process, like, 'How do you feel about producing this record?' He kind of freaked out. But I was, like, 'It would be cool, because you're young and you hungry, man. You remind me of me when I was 18, when I was 17, when I was making [SEPULTURA's] 'Beneath The Remains' [album], and I wanted all those things. This is the fire that I need. I'm old, man. I produced records already. You don't want me to produce this thing. I'm telling you, you don't want me to produce it. You wanna produce this album. It'd be cool if you produced it.' So I sold him on that. I got him to produce. And it was the coolest, because he was so excited. But also he was challenging me in a way that I haven't been challenged in the studio before — stuff like, I'd do a riff and [he was], like, "Eh, it's okay. Can it be better?' Who are you to tell me, can it be better? But that's what's cool because he is not just a 'yes' man. He's actually challenging me to do something better than I already did. So I go back to the drawing board and make something better out of it. And then we had all the pedals, man, all the noise. The record is full of noise everywhere. It's great. I love it. And that's, that's the combination of Zyon and Arthur together, Arthur Rizk. He and Zyon produced this thing together, and it was so cool to have them both."

Earlier in September, Max told Scott Itter of Dr. Music about "Chama":  "It's been a journey, but I think more than ever I felt really inspired by this record, maybe being our thirteenth record. And we went deep into the whole going back to the origin essence of what SOULFLY is, in reality, 'cause SOULFLY was created as an entity that was going to embrace tribal grooves and spirituality, and I think this record has both of those things in a big way. But also modern, because I think the production between Zyon and Arthur gave the record a modern touch as well."

Max also talked about the inspiration for the "Chama" title, which came from the Brazilian professional mixed martial artist Alex Pereira, who has used the song "Itsári" from Cavalera's former band SEPULTURA for all his UFC walkouts. In the Xavante language, "itsári" means "roots" and the instrumental track is an ode to Brazilian traditions. Max said: "Yeah, that moment was a huge moment to me to experience. I had never experienced something like that in my life, and I got to experience that with my son Zyon, watching together. He is a big UFC fan, and we both watched that live and I had the goosebumps. And [Alex] is walking out with 'Itsári' and he does the bow and arrow and lets go the 'Chama' scream. And that moment really, it cut me deep. I was, like, 'I'm inspired by this guy. I'm inspired by this moment. I wanna make a record to celebrate this inspiration.' So this is what 'Chama' is."

Max continued: "'Chama' is a celebration of feeling inspired again. Because it's a hard thing, man, to feel inspired, especially after you make so many records like me. It becomes harder and harder to be inspired, and it becomes easier to always just kind of just do whatever, just put out whatever record. And I'm not satisfied with that. And even though, the way I look at things, like, I don't have nothing to prove to anybody anymore, I have a lot of gas left in the tank, so you know what? I am gonna prove you something. That's kind of the feeling… It's that ready-to-battle kind of feeling, especially 'Storm The Gates' and 'No Pain = No Power'. 'No Pain = No Power' is actually influenced by all of that, all of those athletes going into war in the UFC ring, or even a football player, when he has to play through pain to actually get the power of the touchdown. You see that on TV, and it's cool. I think that I was tapping into that emotion of, without the pain, there is no power. They coexist. One feeds off the other. Without the pain, you will never reach the power and you'll never get the glory. That's kind of the idea of the song. And it was cool, because I think it connects to a real SOULFLY back to singing about shit that I know, rather than some of the other lyrics were more ethereal and kind of nonsensical. So now this record has more of personal lyrics about shit that I really connect to. I believe on those lyrics, I believe in what I'm saying."

Cavalera added: "There's a thing about, about metal. I think when you're screaming what you believe, your scream becomes more powerful than when you are just saying something that makes no sense or nobody knows what the hell you're screaming for. If you're screaming something that you really mean it — like I think it's an old rock and roll quote: mean what you say, say what you mean. You know, that kind of shit. So I was tapping into all that, but [it's a] really battle-born kind of record. It's ready for battle all the way through. And even in the quiet moments, it's still cool because it makes you check out."

Rizk has not only worked with the Cavalera family numerous times before, but has also helped to shape the world of heavy metal in the modern day. SOULFLY enlisted Carletta Parrish to create the album artwork. For the album, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD & DIE, NAILBOMB, HEALING MAGIC) played bass and Mike De Leon played guitar. The album also features Dino Cazares (FEAR FACTORY) on one of the tracks.

This past May, SOULFLY recruited Chase Bryant (WARBRINGER) to play bass on the band's European tour, which kicked off on June 7 at the South Of Heaven festival in Maastricht, Netherlands.

A month earlier, SOULFLY parted ways with the band's longtime bassist Mike Leon.

Leon, formerly of HAVOK, joined SOULFLY in September 2015 as the replacement for STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos, who left SOULFLY in May of that year.

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the band's 2021 and 2022 run of shows.

De Leon has been touring with SOULFLY for more than two years. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, De Leon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.

Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA have confirmed that drummer Greyson Nekrutman will return to the band when they resume their farewell tour in 2026.

SEPULTURA made the comment in response to questions about Greyson's position in the group following the announcement that he had joined TRIVIUM as that band's new drummer for the Aftershock festival appearance and upcoming North American tour.

Earlier today (Sunday, October 5),SEPULTURA released the following statement via Instagram Story: "As many of you may already know, our drummer Greyson Nekrutman has temporarily joined our friends from TRIVIUM as their drummer. In 2026, he'll be back with SEPULTURA, resuming his place in the band as we continue our farewell tour. Stay tuned for new tour dates coming soon!"

The 23-year-old Nekrutman stepped into TRIVIUM as the replacement for Alex Bent, who left the latter band earlier this month after a nine-year run.

Greyson made his live debut with TRIVIUM yesterday (Saturday, October 4) at the aforementioned Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

TRIVIUM's "The Ascend Above The Ashes" trek will kick off October 31 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and run through December 14, with a hometown show in Orlando, Florida. Special guests are JINJER and HERIOT.

Nekrutman officially replaced SEPULTURA's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February 2024.

Greyson, who also previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, made his live debut with SEPULTURA on March 1, 2024 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

During a recent appearance on "The David Ellefson Show" podcast, SEPULTURA bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. praised Nekrutman, saying: "Greyson, he is a great guy. He has a very jazzy, totally different approach. I'm still adapting, learning with him day by day. Eloy was in the band for 13 years. It took me a while to really lock up with him. The easiest one, of course, was Igor [Cavalera, original SEPULTURA drummer], 'cause we grew up together. And then the other ones, I had to readapt, and even the way of playing, just to make SEPULTURA sound right. Each one is very unique and has their own particularities. That's why it's so nice.

"We've done some new recording with Greyson, and it sounds amazing," Paulo revealed. "[It's a] totally different approach, and it was, like, 'Don't try to be that much metal. Just be yourself. Be a jazz player. Try to bring into the metal your own style and you're gonna fly high, dude.' 'Cause he's amazing."

Asked by podcast co-host Joshua Toomey what it's like to have such a young bandmate in SEPULTURA, Paulo said: "Well, it's great, 'cause, it gave us new energy. And it's a way to exchange experience. Even though he's so young, he has his own experience that he can share with us. And to have the chance to be every day on stage, you learn more and more every day. So it's a great exchange, actually. It's beautiful. [I] love it."

SEPULTURA announced Casagrande's departure on February 27, 2024, explaining in a statement that he was leaving to join "another project", with Eloy later confirming that he is the new drummer of SLIPKNOT.

The news of Eloy's exit from SEPULTURA came just two months after the band announced it would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024 by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

In SEPULTURA's statement, the remaining bandmembers expressed their shock over Casagrande's departure, saying they were "taken by surprise" that their now-former drummer would "abandon everything related to SEPULTURA" less than a month prior to the start of the tour.

SEPULTURA is putting together a live album commemorating its last run of shows. The band is recording 40 songs in 40 different cities for what will be a "massive compilation of our best, most energetic moments on stage," according to a statement released by SEPULTURA in December 2023.

Photo credit: Edu Defferrari

In a new interview with Abe Kanan of Audacy, MUDVAYNE frontman Chad Gray was asked what playing Ozzy Osbourne's traveling festival Ozzfest in 2001 and 2005 meant to him and his bandmates. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everything. I just kind of Googled, like, 'How many bands have been on Ozzfest?' and it's like north of 125 or 150 or something like that. I'm, like, 'Bullshit.' Yeah. So I went and I went through every Ozzfest and saw the whole lineups and counted the whole thing, and I counted over 360 bands. So think about what — [Ozzy's] contribution to music, we could never pay back, to what he did from being such an inspiration with all of the music he did with BLACK SABBATH and then doing Ozzy solo stuff. It's, like, just the inspirations he created from what he did is unprecedented. And then you've gotta think about back to, like, he broke METALLICA — straight up. He took them on the road with him. He put METALLICA on an Ozzy side stage on 'Master Of Puppets', and dude, from that moment on, it was game over. So what does he do? Now he creates a festival where it's not just one band or two bands — an opener and a direct support that he can help. Now it's a gaggle of bands every single year."

Chad continued: "We were on that second stage. SYSTEM OF A DOWN was on the second stage. SLIPKNOT was on the second stage. I mean, just go down the list of just second-stage acts — DROWNING POOL. Just go down the list of just second-stage acts, outside of the main stage. The year [we were on it], it was [MARILYN] MANSON, PAPA ROACH, LINKIN PARK, DISTURBED, us, DROWNING [POOL]."

As previously reported, MUDVAYNE guitarist Greg Tribbett is missing the "L.D. 50 25th Anniversary" tour after his wife reportedly lost her year-and-a-half-long battle with cancer.

The "L.D. 50 25th Anniversary" tour kicked off on September 11 in Dubuque, Iowa and will conclude on October 26 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

Last year, Greg sat out the remaining shows on MUDVAYNE's "Destroy All Enemies" tour with MEGADETH due to what at the time was described as a "family issue". Filling in for him was MUDVAYNE's touring guitarist Marcus Rafferty, who has served as a guitar tech for several metal bands over the years, including LAMB OF GOD and HATEBREED. He also worked for HELLYEAH, which originally featured both Tribbett and MUDVAYNE vocalist Chad Gray.

Last month, 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.

"L.D. 50" was MUDVAYNE's debut studio album, arriving in August 2000 via Epic, and established the band as a new yet major player in the hard rock scene. It eventually went on to achieve a gold certification. Years after its release, both Revolver and Metal Hammer deemed the album an essential of the '00s metal class, rightfully so. The tour will feature support from STATIC-X, while VENDED will open.

"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.

MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms.

Gray spent 15 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away seven years ago.

MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.

Released in 2000 via Epic, "L.D. 50" produced three singles — Dig", "Death Blooms" and "Nothing To Gein". "L.D. 50" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 85 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA for shipment in excess of half a million copies in the U.S. alone.

MUDVAYNE completed its first headlining tour in over 14 years, "The Psychotherapy Sessions", in the summer of 2023. Support on the 26-city trek, which was produced by Live Nation, came from COAL CHAMBER, along with GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.

Previously, MUDVAYNE made waves in 2022 when they embarked on the "Freaks On Parade" tour co-headlined with ROB ZOMBIE. The 2023 tour, however, marked MUDVAYNE's first headlining endeavor since 2009.

In a new interview with Deanne Coffin, CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer, who has transitioned his talents over the past decade to a solo career, recording and touring with #KEIFERBAND, was asked to name the "secret" to his success. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Just don't stop. [Laughs] You just keep going. I love playing music. I always have.

"I think every artist has their story of ups and downs in the music business and all," he continued. "There's no secret [the bands who were big in] the '80s took quite a dive in the '90s, and on top of it, I was told I would never sing again [after a severe bout of vocal paresis]. And everybody has their story, so I'm not whining. I mean, everybody has their adversity. And I think the secret, if there is one — I mean, I don't think you can bottle anyone's secret. I just think if you love doing it, you just keep doing it. It's like the saying from the movie, 'If you build it, they will come.' So, yeah, through the ups and downs, and there's been times, you go out and you just play, and you play for anyone who wants to come and hear you still. Or in the beginning, before nobody wanted to hear it, and you're playing for 10 people, but all of a sudden it turns into this massive thing."

Keifer added: "Just do what you love. Don't follow trends. Be who you are. Play what you love, because if you're chasing trends, by the time you catch up with it, there's gonna be a new one. So I think probably, aside from everything else that I said about just never stopping, if it's truly what you love and it's your dharma, as they say in the Eastern philosophy, the most important thing is be yourself, be true to your own musical style because if you're going after a trend, you'll be on the tail end of it."

Last month, Tom confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station that he was still working on material for the follow-up to his sophomore solo album, "Rise", which was released in September 2019 via Cleopatra Records.

Tom's #KEIFERBAND is rounded out by Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Tanya Davis, Jarred Pope and Kory Myers.

Keifer was the voice of CINDERELLA on all of the band's albums, including the first two, 1986's "Night Songs" and 1988's "Long Cold Winter". CINDERELLA recorded two more LPs before Keifer suffered vocal paresis, grunge happened and the band lost its record deal.

Although CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's "Still Climbing", the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while Keifer focused on his solo career.

In March 2022, Keifer said that he was "not prepared" for the 2021 passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar. Jeff was found dead by his wife in July 2021 inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.

After ATREYU blacked out the band's social media earlier in the month and posted the letters "R.I.P.", some fans speculated that the California metallers were breaking up. However, ATREYU later revealed that the tease was actually for a new song called "Dead", which is the band's first new offering in two years.

Speaking to Sultans Of Slack at last weekend's Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, ATREYU vocalist Brandon Saller addressed the fan speculation, explaining: "Me and Porter [ATREYU bassist Marc McKnight] kind of came up with that idea of doing that as the ['Dead'] rollout. And we thought, okay, this is a possibility that people might think we're breaking up. But we were, like, common sense would say, 'They've been a band for 27 years. They're probably not gonna break up with just a black photo and 'R.I.P.'' [But] no — it was wildfire. People were sending us stressed out, crisis-mode DMs — worldwide. We had a dude in Japan send us like DMs in Japanese and then translated in English. [It was, like], 'Please, don't let [it be true]. You can't [break up].' And we wanted to say something, but then you just can't. But it was wildfire. There was a lot that happened with that rollout that I didn't expect. But it worked. I mean, at the end of the day, it worked. People were, like, 'Man, it's fucking stupid.' It's, like, 'Well, were you talking about it?' 'Yeah'. 'Point in case.'"

Brandon continued: "In this day and age, it's hard to get people's attention, unfortunately, [with] a band just being, like, 'Hey, we have a new song.' But if you're, like, 'We may or may not be breaking up,' they might listen more. And it makes sense. With a song called 'Dead', what are the options for promotion? There's only a few things we could have done here."

Saller added: "We're far from breaking up. We have at least another six months. [Laughs]"

"Dead" was recorded by Matthew Pauling.

ATREYU recently announced dates for its upcoming tour that begins November 4 in Mesa, Arizona and concludes December 11 in Pomona, California. The trek marks the 21st anniversary of ATREYU's 2004 album "The Curse". A true breakthrough moment for the band, "The Curse" delivered staples like "Bleeding Mascara", "Right Side Of The Bed" and "The Crimson", which are songs that helped cement ATREYU as one of the defining forces in the mid-2000s metalcore scene.

ATREYU's riffs, hooks, melodies, and relentless energy remain a driving force in heavy music, with over a billion streams worldwide and a fanbase that keeps growing. The Southern California band recently wrapped a triumphant co-headlining U.S. run and tore through massive festivals like Download, Hellfest, Welcome To Rockville and Inkcarceration.

Since forming around the turn of the millennium, ATREYU has pushed well beyond their DIY roots — earning multiple RIAA gold records, Top 20 Billboard 200 debuts, and spots on major film and video-game soundtracks. Their latest album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life" (2023, Spinefarm),debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums and has already racked up over 75 million streams, with singles like "Gone" and "Watch Me Burn" lighting up rock radio and flagship playlists like Spotify's "Volume" and Apple Music's "The Riff."

ATREYU is:

Brandon Saller - lead vocals
Dan Jacobs - guitar
Travis Miguel - guitar
Porter McKnight - bass/vocals

Photo credit: Sean Stiegeimeier

The Dream Theater World, the official DREAM THEATER fan club, recently conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER members John Petrucci (guitar),Jordan Rudess (keyboards) and Mike Portnoy (drums). Asked what it has been like touring together again following the return of Portnoy in October 2023 after a 13-year absence, Rudess said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "First of all, when Mike came back and was in the studio with us the first day, in my mind it's still almost impossible to think it was so many years since he was with us before, 'cause it seemed like you just blink your eyes and we're back together again. And part of the reason that it seemed that way to me, and I think we can all relate to this, it's just so right, it's so natural. It's like, 'Okay, well, this is where we should be.' Not to discount the other years or the music we made when Mike [Portnoy] wasn't there, but to just say when we're together, it's, like, okay, well, this is what really, really works and feels right. And so we've been having a great time hanging out."

Added Portnoy: "It feels so natural, like Jordan said. It was one thing to spend that first year together in the studio — even before we played a show or had any kind of public appearances with the five of us, we spent almost a solid year just alone in the studio. And within a couple days, it just felt like no time had passed. And it was the same once we started touring. The first couple of shows, there was maybe a moment here or there where it was, like, 'Wow, we're in a van traveling to the gig together. Who would've ever thought this would happen?' Every once in a while there'd be those moments of where it just felt surreal and unbelievable. But, really, it was more — 95 percent of the time, it just felt like no time had passed, and it was exactly how it was back then."

Mike continued: "I mean, I've said this before and it's really true — this was more than just coming back to a band for me. It was like coming back home to a family. You spend so much time together on the road, traveling on a bus or on an airplane or in dressing rooms backstage — it's so much more than just being in a band playing music together. It's all that other stuff. And every once in a while there'd be a moment, like, 'Wow. Wow, where did this come from? How did this happen?' But really, it's only very occasionally that those feelings come out. For the most part, it just feels like we just picked up right where we left off — for me, at least."

Petrucci chimed in: "For me, it's been awesome just having my brother back in the band. We met when we were 18 years old. We started this thing [together]. And there's a certain relationship that way and bond that can't be broken. And it's also interesting to kind of catch up on what happened during those times. Almost every night on the bus we get together and whether [Mike's] turning us on to music or we'll play a game together on the bus or some sort of trivia, and it's a lot of fun. One of the things that keeps happening — it's really hysterical — we were playing this game the other night where we were playing… I don't know — somehow we went down this rabbit hole of playing really obscure one-hit wonders from the '60s and seeing who could name the song. And our tour manager Rikk is great at that. And every once in a while somebody would name the song, and then Mike would be, like, 'I actually did a cover of that with THE WINERY DOGS in Glasgow.' And it was like getting hysterical. Even at my past guitar camp — we did 'Hocus Pocus' by FOCUS, and Mike was, like, 'I actually played that with the actual guy from...' So it's kind of funny catching up on what Mike was doing musically. We have all these new stories to share. So it's been great."

Earlier in the month, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie was asked by The Prog Report how many shows into the band's 40th-anniversary tour it took before "the shock" of him "turning around and seeing Mike back" behind the drum kit "died down a little bit" for him. James said: "It was probably the first five, six shows — it just felt a little surreal, 'cause, yeah, I'd turn around and we're, like, both looking at each other, whatever, smiling or making faces at one another. But, yeah, I'd say maybe after the first five shows, then it just became, like, 'Okay, it's cool.' This is a great new beginning once again, you could actually say. And it just feels right."

Referencing the fact that Portnoy was replaced in 2010 by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours, LaBrie added: "I've said it in several interviews. It's funny. You get away, and Mike Mangini is a phenomenal drummer — he was incredible in the band and that, and he has his style of playing and being involved in the music and the writing and all that stuff. And then coming back to Mike Portnoy, I was just reminded, and we even talked about it while we were writing [the latest DREAM THEATER album] 'Parasomnia', and he has a very specific vibe and feel and groove to when he plays. And you just feel that, and then you're reminded and you're, like, 'Wow. Yeah. There it is. There it is. That's exactly what it used to be like.' And it's good. It's like a coming home — for all of us. For all of us. For sure."

This past January, LaBrie was asked by This Day In Metal if it's fair to say that his face-to-face meeting with Portnoy in March 2022 "was maybe one of the last dominoes to fall before the classic DREAM THEATER lineup reunited", James said: "Yeah, for sure. When Mike and I met — you're referring to our initial meeting at the Beacon Theatre [in New York City] when we were playing there and he came out to the show. But, yeah, that was somewhat the catalyst that really kind of busted the door wide open with the possibility that we could all start really thinking about. Is this something that we should be seriously considering, a reunion? And things inevitably did lead to that, but I think there were some precursors, like Mike had already done [DREAM THEATER guitarist] John Petrucci's solo album, then he did his solo tour, then he also worked with John and Jordan [Rudess, DREAM THEATER keyboardist] on the latest LIQUID TENSION [EXPERIMENT] album. So all these things were kind of just slowly but surely ensuring that he was walking through the door of being back in the fold."

James continued: "[Mike] coming back in, though, when it actually did happen, it was very natural. There was no — I don't know — feelings of whether or not, 'Hey, is this really gonna work? Is this gonna be what we remember the band as?' And if there were any apprehensive feelings, that just definitely was never a part of it. To be quite honest with you, I joke around, in some of the interviews I've said it felt like Mike went out for a coffee and he came back and we just started writing. But it was very smooth, seamless. And we were joking a few times, saying stuff like, 'Oh my God…' Because once you actually get into that environment and you start writing the album, you start remembering the chemistry that was almost palpable. And it was within the first day or two days of starting to write [the upcoming DREAM THEATER album] 'Parasomnia', we were joking around, we were laughing, it was, like, 'Oh my god. I remember that, that whole interaction, that whole analytical approach to the songs and how they slowly but surely evolve into a complete composition.' So it was all this familiarity going on, going, 'Oh my god. That's exactly the way it used to be. This is where we are today, but it doesn't seem that we've missed a step.' So it was extremely effortless, so to speak. It was just doing what we know how to do when the five of us get into the studio."

The progressive metal legends played their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on October 20, 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.

The drummer co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with Petrucci and Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010.

London marked the kick-off concert of DREAM THEATER's 2024-2025 40th-anniversary tour. The European leg of the trek — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — ran through November 24, 2024 in Amsterdam, hitting cities in numerous countries along the way.

DREAM THEATER's sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marked the band's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

Regarding what it felt like to be writing and recording with DREAM THEATER again, Portnoy said: "To be back with these guys, it feels really special. It feels like family, really, honestly. John and me and [DREAM THEATER bassist] John Myung have been playing together almost 40 years at this point. We formed the band when we were teenagers and met at college, the first month of college. So, for us, it's deeper than just being in a band together. We've been through life together. We met our wives together, our wives played in a band together, we ad our families at the same time, we've been to the funerals of each other's parents and siblings and things like that. So, we've been through all these life experiences together. It goes beyond just the music for us. All that being said, it also, at least to me, felt like no time had passed. It did not feel like 13 years. Once we started writing together, it felt so natural and so fresh. 'Night Terror' was the first thing we worked on, and it just came out so naturally. There wasn't much thought needed to go into it. It was, like, 'Okay, here we are where we just left off.'"

"Parasomnia" was produced by John Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returned once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

Hammerheart Records has shared the following, announcing the reissue of Lake Of Tears’ debut album, Greater Art.

They say the deepest darkness appears just before dawn. It was in such a dense and impenetrable darkness that Lake Of Tears must have been born.

And their debut album is immersed in this darkness. It was baptized Greater Art and indeed the title sets the tone for what was to follow. Yes, it is a higher art, it was and is something different. Although there are influences from other Swedish bands of the time, such as Tiamat, or even death metal elements, what is certain is that their doom metal brought to the fore something new, fresh and completely innovative.

We won’t go into the process of choosing any songs, as we’ve said it before, Lake Of Tears never included indifferent compositions on any album. However, we can’t help but make a small exception when talking about the magnificent epic “Upon The Highest Mountain”, which in itself would be an excellent reason to purchase the album.

Lake Of Tears’ debut on vinyl after 31 years. For the older generation to remember and the younger generation to discover. Because what these Swedes made here, three decades ago, stands as an immortal monument. Is it doom metal? Does it have death metal influences? Is it gothic metal? Yes, but it sounds a bit different… Who really cares?

It was then that the magnificent prologue was written, becoming the beginning of everything that was to follow. And hold on… the epilogue hasn’t been written yet…

Order your copy of Greater Art on red or black vinyl, and CD, here.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", IN THIS MOMENT guitarist Chris Howorth spoke about legendary BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne who died in July at the age of 76. Chris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I grew up [listening to Ozzy]. Ozzy was huge for me. And then how we got connected with Ozzy was, our manager was Blasko [Rob Nicholson], who was Ozzy's bass player. Actually, he was Rob Zombie's bass player when he first became our manager, but then he joined Ozzy's band right after that. And he's the one who connected us to [IN THIS MOMENT's longtime producer] Kevin Churko, who at the time was recording Ozzy's 'Black Rain' album. So right when we got with Kevin, he had just finished ['Black Rain']. So we were talking to him a lot. And then we did a couple of singles during that time, one of which was [a cover of BLONDIE's] 'Call Me', and we ended up recording all of the music for that at Ozzy's house up in Hollywood Hills.'

Chris continued: "It was so cool, just to be in [Ozzy's] studio doing it there. Of course, Ozzy, he's so, like, just gregarious, and he just rolls downstairs and [says], 'What are you guys doing?' And he just sat down and started talking to us about all the stuff going on and was bringing up some little stories and stuff, and we were just completely floored. And that happened. And then we got to do the Ozzfest thing, and then we got to do a two-month Ozzy arena tour. It was our first big tour. It was unbelievable to be a witness to all of that."

This past July, IN THIS MOMENT released a new single, "Heretic (Feat. Kim Dracula)". The song marked the first new music to be released from the Grammy Award-nominated Los Angeles band's upcoming as-yet-untitled ninth album and debut for Better Noise Music (exact release date to be announced).

The release of "Heretic (Feat. Kim Dracula)" coincided with IN THIS MOMENT's "Hell Hath No Fury" tour with WARGASM and Kat Von D and THE PRETTY WILD.

Earlier this month, IN THIS MOMENT launched the "Black Mass" tour featuring special guests DAYSEEKER on select dates, THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT and DED.

Formed in 2005, IN THIS MOMENT's current lineup includes Howorth, singer Maria Brink, bassist Travis Johnson, guitarist Randy Weitzel and drummer Kent Diimmel.

To date, in addition to the gold-selling album "Blood" (2012),the quintet has garnered six gold and platinum singles, followed by a trifecta of Top 25 entries on the Billboard 200 with "Black Widow" (2014) and "Ritual" (2017). With a total stream tally well past 200 million as of 2020, "Ritual" elevated them to new creative and critical peaks as well. Between selling out headline tours coast to coast, the group performed in arenas everywhere alongside DISTURBED and appeared at countless festivals from Lollapalooza to Sonic Temple. Along the way, they assembled their seventh full-length, the aptly titled "Mother" (Roadrunner Records) with longtime trusted collaborator Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH). Whereas "Ritual" hinted at a bluesy sonic sorcery, "Mother" breathes the activating mantra of an unbreakable spell, commenced on first single "The In-Between".

In 2022, the band released "Blood 1983" (BMG),a reimagined EP commemorating the tenth anniversary of "Blood". Then in 2023, the longtime staples of heavy music released their eighth studio album "Godmode" (BMG),a 10-song record featuring the powerful lead single "The Purge", the band's stunning cover of Björk's "Army Of Me", the collaborative track "Damaged" which features Spencer Charnas of ICE NINE KILLS, and "I Would Die For You", which appears on the soundtrack for "John Wick: Chapter 4".

Photo credit: Joe Cotela

In a new interview with PipemanRadio conducted at last month's Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky, DOPE leader Edsel Dope, who is widely rumored to be Xer0 (pictured),the masked frontman of STATIC-X, and STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos spike about STATIC-X's decision to reunite without its late singer Wayne Static, who died 11 years ago. Edsel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They [STATIC-X] did it right. I think a lot of bands try to move forward. They feel their instincts are, 'We gotta put a new guy up front and we gotta tell everybody that we're okay and we're moving forward.' And their goal was not to move forward. The goal was to celebrate the achievement and then figure out a way for these experiences to take place for the betterment of the people that love the band and love the record and wanna celebrate and say goodbye, but also hello again. It's a very interesting human experiment."

Tony added: "For the three of us [Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda], it was a very cathartic thing for us to close some chapters and resolve some feelings. 'Cause we never really got a chance to say goodbye to [Wayne]. A lot of fans didn't get to say goodbye to him, and so this was an opportunity for all of us to you say goodbye to the dude and celebrate."

After host Pipeman noted that "the music keeps Wayne's memory alive", Edsel concurred. "The truth of the matter, and I say this with great respect, is that the music was bigger than one person," he said. "The music connected to millions of people around the world. So, he knew that. We all know that. And you're right, though. It's really amazing. The result was not guaranteed. There was a lot of doubters. The fact that that STATIC-X, and I like to use the word is as 'healthy' in 2025 as it is after being as unhealthy as it was is fucking remarkable."

Pipeman went on to say that what STATIC-X is doing is "better than what's being done with PANTERA", a reference to the fact that PANTERA's classic members Philip Anselmo (vocals) and Rex Brown (bass) are touring with Zakk Wylde (guitar) and Charlie Benante (drums) after the deaths of original PANTERA members "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (guitar) and Vinnie Paul Abbott (drums). Edsel chimed in: "Well, I just wouldn't compare. I understand the compliment and I appreciate it. Zakk is Zakk. And he loved Dime. He's the right guy. The reason that PANTERA [touring again] hits harder for people is 'cause [Dimebag and Vinnie] were brothers. That's a different bond too, and it's just such a weird thing. But again, that point of you bringing them up, and earlier we were talking about [late LINKIN PARK singer] Chester [Bennington], if you really just wanna simplify it all and say, 'What are you grateful for?' I'm grateful to just be here. There's so many of us that aren't here anymore, for one reason or another. That alone, being one of them that has been healthy enough and has dodged those pitfalls of health and accidents. Enough of us are still here to be, like, 'Wow, this is remarkable.' And I'm very grateful to just be above the dirt, man."

Circling back to PANTERA's decision to tour again, even though Vinnie Paul had repeatedly shot down any talk of a PANTERA reunion while he was still alive, Edsel said: "I don't care about the differences that the band had, because that's just how shit works. Hopefully everyone grows and lives long enough to reconcile, but most of the time it doesn't work like that. And anybody that says any different is a hypocrite because we all have a friend we had a falling out with and we wish that, 'Oh, maybe I should just pick up [the phone],' or a family member [that we had a falling out with], whatever, and you don't. But at the end of the day, the fact that 13-year-old kids are being taken to a PANTERA concert by their uncle or their dad, and they're hearing 'Walk' for the first time, and they're getting the same chill bumps that we all got is good for PANTERA. It's good for Dime and Vinnie. It's good for metal."

After Pipeman noted that Dimebag's longtime girlfriend Rita Haney had given her blessing to the current PANTERA lineup, Edsel said: "And that was the big part of STATIC-X, that when this whole thing came together, that Tony was absolutely a hundred percent behind, was that if Wayne's family wasn't on board with every decision, that they weren't gonna make a single decision. And you have to respect the people closest to the ones that aren't here, because that's the best barometer you can get. And anybody that's outside that's gonna tell you what they think the person would've thought has no idea. Because the people closest to these people that have passed on are the ones that are supporting and embracing it.

"So, again, this is the world we live in," Dope added. "Everybody's gotta give their basement opinion with Doritos fucking crumbs on their chest. You can't please 'em all. And as my old friend Racci Shay from DOPE used to say, 'If you can't fuck 'em, fuck 'em.'"

STATIC-X recently announced a 25th-anniversary edition of its legendary debut, "Wisconsin Death Trip". The anniversary edition — "Wisconsin Death Trip (25th Anniversary Corrosive Edition)" — contains two handmade, orange-and-black eclipse vinyl with remastered versions of the original album audio, presented in a comprehensive box set, filled with bonus tracks and never-seen artwork available worldwide on December 12. The band reunited with the original producer Ulrich Wild as well as original photographer Exum to deliver a whole new experience for the album. The album has been remastered by Wild, and a second disc of demos, alternate versions and rare tracks are included making the album total runtime over an hour and eleven minutes. Exum unearthed hundreds of never-before-seen photos from the shoot and the band have used them to completely redesign the packaging. Limited-edition deluxe versions include signed prints, laser engraved ID tag, ID bracelet with QR code linking to the full 8mm BTS video footage of the "Wisconsin Death Trip" photo shoot, pill bottle, stickers and more and is only available at www.static-x.com.

STATIC-X's original "Wisconsin Death Trip" members Campos, Fukuda and Jay, along with current vocalist/guitarist Xer0, are continuing to bring their ultra entertaining Evil Disco extravaganza on the road throughout 2025. The band is currently supporting MUDVAYNE on their tour.

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

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

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

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

STATIC-X's "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" LP came out in July 2020. The first of two volumes, it featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup of Campos, Jay and Fukuda. A follow-up album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2", arrived on January 26, 2024. A collection of 14 brand-new songs, the LP was produced by Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, bassist Pär Sundström of Swedish metallers SABATON was asked how important it has been for him and his bandmates to break into the American market. The 44-year-old musician, who also serves as SABATON's manager, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, there was a point where it seemed impossible, because everybody told us, 'Guys, you play European power metal. Good luck in America. It's never happened before that a band ever became any popular in in this.' And we had to be strong in believing in ourselves and we had to go and we were doing all a lot of support tours. And we said, 'We know that this is the way we're gonna build it. That's how we built it in Europe. And that's how we're gonna make it.'

"We know that our biggest strength is the guys in the band and our music, and what we do on stage is what matters most," he explained. "And we won't be anything unless we are there playing. So once we sort of had a base to stand on in Europe, we turned our heads and really [went], like, 'Okay, now it's time for America.' And we won't stop. We won't let everybody who told us that it's not gonna work, we won't the them speak to us in that way. They said the same about the U.K. We went to U.K. and made a hundred shows and then we sold out the Wembley. It was just hard work — push, push, push, push, push. And, yeah, I think we have probably done a hundred shows in the U.S. now. But things are improving and they are really doing well. And we are so excited to continue and [we] still believe in what we do."

After Meltdown noted that SABATON has already taken part in some big tours in the U.S., Pär said: "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We did. And the last year we added two tours where we joined JUDAS PRIEST. They were not really supposed to happen, but thanks to that our old guitar player, Thobbe [Englund], came back [to SABATON], we wanted to kind of get back into the game with him before we went and finished the new album. We wanted to get to play together a little bit. So, in order for that, I went to see if there were any tours that we could jump on to. And JUDAS PRIEST were one of those, so we jumped on to JUDAS PRIEST. And they were great tours. And between them and during that, we could finish the new album and also be really tight with our new old guitar player Thobbe who went on an eight-year holiday [before rejoining SABATON]."

Last month, SABATON announced a massive 31-date North American tour set for early 2026. The announcement followed the band's extensive 2025 international run and coincided with rising anticipation for "Legends", SABATON's upcoming album, due October 17 via Better Noise Music.

Kicking off February 9 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the tour will hit venues across the U.S. and Canada, including major stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Boston before wrapping April 20 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Support on the trek will come from POP EVIL and WINGS OF STEEL.

SABATON recently released its latest single, "Crossing The Rubicon", featuring singer Jonny Hawkins and guitarist Mark Vollelunga of NOTHING MORE. This special collaborative version of the track hit the radio airwaves on September 12, while the original version will be available as part of the SABATON's upcoming "Legends" album.

"Legends" will be available across various physical formats and retailer exclusives including CD, two-CD digibook, two-CD earbook (both including the exclusive Storyteller Edition),11 unique vinyl editions (including a special vinyl color and exclusive artwork each),additional exclusive vinyl colors, and a limited box set (including another exclusive vinyl color, the two-CD earbook, and a colored cassette as an exclusive format).

Among 11 unique vinyl editions, each one portraying one legendary figure, "Legends" will be available as the "Julius Caesar Edition."

"Legends" is a rock odyssey that transcends time and borders, with melodic guitar riffs, goosebump-inducing choirs, and epic choruses. It marks a bold evolution in storytelling, plunging headfirst into the heart of history's most formidable and enigmatic figures. These are not just rock songs, they are battle hymns carved from the blood and legacy of warriors, kings, strategists, and revolutionaries. It marks the very first time that every band member has come together to contribute to the songwriting process. This is SABATON as you've never heard them before — relentless and unbound. "Legends" is a global journey through the annals of warfare, leadership and unbreakable will.

SABATON have always had a signature focus on writing songs about historical battles, wars, and acts of heroism that have solidified their impact with their loyal and longtime fans. They've collaborated closely with its network of specialists, developed over the years since the launch of the Sabaton History Channel on YouTube, to make sure this new album is once again as close to reality as possible.

They continue to work with graphic artist Peter Sallai to create the striking album artwork, and producer Jonas Kjellgren is once again behind the boards from his Swedish Black Lounge Studios to create the classic SABATON sound the band is now known for.

In the more than two decades since the band's launch, SABATON has headlined major festivals, sold out arena concerts worldwide, and gained a legion of loyal fans by carving out a reputation for being one of the hardest working bands in the business. Since their 2005 debut album, they've earned gold, platinum, and multi-platinum certifications in territories around the world with their 10 studio albums. Eight of their albums scored Top 10 international chart status, and six claimed the Top 5. SABATON has earned eight Metal Hammer/Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for "Breakthrough Artist" in 2011 and "Best Live Band" in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy Award) as "Best Heavy Metal" band. They've accumulated more than three billion streams across all streaming platforms and two billion views on YouTube.

Photo credit: Steve Bright

In a new interview with Q101's Lauren O'Neil, HELMET frontman Page Hamilton was asked if there are any plans for him to release new music as a follow-up to the band's ninth studio album, "Left", which came out in November 2023 via earMUSIC. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, HELMET-wise, not right now. I'm working on my first-ever solo album. It's called 'Companion Peace', and I'm still debating whether it will be P-E-A-C-E, a play on words, or P-I-E-C-E. [It will] probably [be] P-E-A-C-E.

"Obviously, 'Left' is fairly political, and as I've gotten older, so many disturbing events have [happened]," he continued. "I never thought, at the age of 65, I would see our country deteriorate to this extent. And it's why I held my peace sign for the audience for a long time.

"One of the greatest things about our country is the diversity. And I've always felt that, I've always known that," Page added. "And I live in Los Angeles; it's 60% Hispanic. And so the solo album is kind of a combination of a lot of stuff I've done on film soundtracks for a million years. I've played on the movie 'Heat', 'In Dreams', 'Titus', 'Across The Universe' and 'Final Fantasy'."

Regarding the musical direction of his upcoming solo album, Page said: "I do sessions, and I work with a composer currently in Los Angeles, Patrick Kirst, who's a professor at USC, University of Southern California. And I've always had this kind of sort of alter ego to do this sound sculpting stuff with feedback, guitar feedback, creating these soundscapes that are very non-guitaristic. And our label is so damn cool, in Germany, Edel/earMUSIC. The president came to the HELMET show in Hamburg. He came to the 'Left' tour, but he came to the 'Betty' [30th-anniversary] show with about 10 people from the label —kids, I call 'em, 'cause they're about 20 — and they were so supportive. And he said, 'I want you to do whatever you wanna do. Don't compromise.' And I'm, like, 'Wow. How often do you hear that from a record label?' So I'm really excited about this album. It's not accessible. There's no punk rock singalongs. It's music I'm really excited about."

Elaborating on where the inspiration for his upcoming solo album came from, Page said: "It sort of came together from a few movies that I've scored and sessions I've done. And Elliot Goldenthal, the great film composer who I've been fortunate to do many movies with — and all the movies I listed, for example — his wife is Julie Taymor, who created 'The Lion King' on Broadway. They're these two geniuses. I love them. They're like my big brother and big sister. He said, 'Your guitar is like an orchestra. You create these orchestral textures.' And it kind of made me think about that. And so that this album is that. It's weird, but I'm really proud of it. My co-producer's a guy named Jim Kaufman. He co-produced 'Left'… I produced Gavin Rossdale's first solo album, and I've done probably 20 or 25 albums. So it's kind of another thing that I do. But when you work on other people's music, it kind of inspires your creative process. And so for me, that's been really fun… So I've learned so much, and to be able to do something that's one of my pet projects is really exciting."

Asked when fans can expect to hear his debut solo album, Page said: "Well, I need to finish it. What happens is I get home and then I get called for a gig. So I just produced [an] album [from another band], and now I have a movie. There's a new movie with this really cool director… So this kind stuff kind of sidetracks you for a minute. So, in between I'll have two weeks and I'll work on my album. So it's, like, I love being busy, but at this point I really want to get my album done. It's gonna be in 2026, it'll come out. And then … I signed a one-album jazz deal with MPS Records as well, so that's [the jazz album] gonna probably be [out in] 2027, to be honest."

The 11 songs on "Left" were guided by Hamilton alongside co-producers Jim Kaufman and Mark Renk, and mastered by Howie Weinberg.

HELMET's first official live album, "Live And Rare", was released in November 2021 via earMUSIC. It was made available on heavyweight black vinyl as well as a CD digipak edition and digital.

Although HELMET disbanded in 1997, Hamilton revived the band in 2004, and the group has continued to tour and record.

In 2021, HELMET released a cover of GANG OF FOUR's 1981 song "Into The Ditch". The track was recorded for a tribute album to GANG OF FOUR's guitarist Andy Gill, "The Problem Of Leisure: A Celebration Of Andy Gill And Gang Of Four".

Having cut his teeth playing with avant-garde guitar icon Glenn Branca and indie stalwarts BAND OF SUSANS, Hamilton launched HELMET in 1989, and the band released its debut album, "Strap It On", on the independent Amphetamine Reptile label the following year. HELMET soon became the subject of an unprecedented major-label bidding war, ultimately signing with Interscope and releasing "Meantime" in June 1992.

Even while the band was absent from the spotlight, HELMET continued to exercise considerable influence on multiple generations of bands. Their songs have been covered by the likes of CHEVELLE, DEFTONES, FAITH NO MORE, PIG DESTROYER and SOULFLY, and the band inspired a 2016 HELMET tribute album titled "Meantime Redux". HELMET has also been cited as a key influence on such bands as GODSMACK, KORN, MARILYN MANSON, MASTODON, PANTERA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SEPULTURA, SLIPKNOT, STAIND, SYSTEM OF A DOWN and TOOL.