Moroccan rock trio LAZYWALL has shared a striking reinterpretation of METALLICA's classic "Nothing Else Matters", available exclusively as a video release.

LAZYWALL, known for its powerful fusion of Arabic music and alternative rock, selected the track not only out of admiration but because of its universal resonance.

LAZYWALL says: "We chose to cover 'Nothing Else Matters' not just because we love it, but because it speaks to everyone. It's more than a metal anthem; it's a timeless piece that transcends genre and language. We didn't want to simply cover it. We wanted to honor its legacy by transforming it, fusing Western rock with the soul of Arabic and North African musical traditions."

In LAZYWALL's version, the song's iconic guitar intro is reimagined with the warm, resonant tones of the oud, layered with Guembri and Bendir, and colored by maqams (Arabic scales). Verses steeped in traditional instrumentation swell into a powerful, rock-driven chorus — all delivered in Arabic lyrics.

The result is more than a cover: it's a cultural bridge, a tribute to METALLICA and a gift to Arabic-speaking audiences who have never before heard their language echo through one of rock's most iconic melodies.

Formed in Reading, England by Moroccan brothers Nao, Youssef and Monz, LAZYWALL crafts an oriental alt-rock hybrid — a bold blend of Arabic instruments, traditional time signatures, and the visceral energy of alternative rock. Their music tackles themes of climate change, social injustice, integration, and corruption, sung with an intensity that transcends language barriers.

LAZYWALL's roots run deep. Inspired by LED ZEPPELIN, AUDIOSLAVE and SYSTEM OF A DOWN, as well as Bob Dylan and Van Morrison, the band set out to connect the oud with the rock guitar, forging a new musical trade route from East to West.

With dual Moroccan and Spanish nationality, LAZYWALL signed to Warner Spain and recorded their debut EP "Primal Tapes" in Chicago with legendary producer Steve Albini. They went on to perform at SXSW, major European festivals, and even became the first rock band to appear on Moroccan TV. A defining moment came when they performed before 50,000 people at the Festival Of Casablanca, inspiring them to embrace their native Arabic language in their songs.

Regularly touring across Europe, LAZYWALL performed at The Great Escape 2024 and is scheduled to return in 2026.

In a new interview with Primordial Radio, PARADISE LOST singer Nick Holmes was asked if he has ever had any encounters with late BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. We played with SABBATHand we played with Ozzy. We did a tour with Ozzy in South America in 1995. We did a full South American tour, arena tour. Yeah, it was fantastic. Yeah, I met him a few times over the years. Great, great guy. [I was] really sad [to hear about his passing]. Yeah. Top man."

Elaborating on what it was like for PARADISE LOST to tour with Ozzy three decades ago, Nick said: "Yeah, it was quite surreal. It was the Monsters Of Rock [in] South America. There was PL, there was THERAPY? on it as well, and THERAPY? were just like we were; they couldn't believe they were on that tour. And then there was Alice Cooper, Ozzy, MEGADETH and FAITH NO MORE. And I don't know how many days we did — it was a few weeks. But I got salmonella poisoning, actually, in Mexico City. And I was really, really ill for a few shows and I was kind of puking up constantly. When I was on stage, I was puking up as well. So they had to get me a bucket so I didn't ruin Ozzy's carpet. So they got me a bucket. So they said, 'Can you puke in the bucket, please, because we don't want you to mess up Ozzy's carpet?' 'Cause he used to go barefoot on the carpet at that time. So, yeah, I had to kind of go around the corner and throw up in the bucket. I think as he mentioned us in an interview a few years later, and he kind remembered us only because of that, the puking thing. But, yeah, it was very surreal to do that tour. It was crazy. And there were so many people at shows. It was madness. Yeah. It was great."

Back in 2017, PARADISE LOST guitarist Gregor Mackintosh named BLACK SABBATH's 1971 effort "Master Of Reality" one of the 10 albums that "blew" his mind. He said at the time: "I have to choose the 'Master Of Reality' album because it's the most raw, with a sludgy guitar tone. It's got some of the most evil, if not groovy, riffs — like 'Lord Of This World'. And, obviously, [Tony] Iommi's soloing and effortless way of playing. Then I went through everything from BLACK SABBATH and I love everything now. But 'Master Of Reality' is really the one for me, because it sits right in that kind of sludgy, slow doom I was really getting into at the time."

PARADISE LOST's 17th album, "Ascension", came out on September 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band's first LP in five years, following 2020's critically acclaimed "Obsidian", was produced by Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory.

PARADISE LOST performed alongside KING DIAMOND and at festivals in Europe this summer before embarking on the first part its "Ascension Of Europe" tour this fall.

September 2nd 1995 Ozzy Osbourne headlined the Monsters Of Rock festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Posted by Focus on Metal podcast on Friday, September 2, 2022

In a new interview with Gary Graff of Billboard, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford said that Ozzy Osbourne gave his stamp of approval to PRIEST's cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "War Pigs" before he passed away.

"The absolute thrill for us all is he, with [his wife and manager] Sharon, listened to the final, finished mixing and he was grinning — he was smiling and he was very happy," Halford said. "This all came back to us in a note from Sharon, saying he was absolutely thrilled and delighted that we go to do something together musically in this particular way. So for him to do that and then two weeks later to go where he went was just unbelievable."

PRIEST later released a "charity" version of "War Pigs", featuring Ozzy. All profits of Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd and Epic Records in the U.K. from audio streams, downloads, and physical sales of the recording are being donated to The Glenn Tipton Parkinson's Foundation and Cure Parkinson's.

"It was very beautiful but very poignant for us to unite for the first time ever in the history of both [acts] on a song that's beloved by millions of metalheads around the world," Halford added. "To put these two bands — PRIEST and SABBATH — together in this format is just sensational."

PRIEST's cover of "War Pigs" was originally made available in early July, ahead of the "Back To The Beginning" concert, which marked the original SABBATH lineup's last-ever performance.

PRIEST was unable to appear at "Back To The Beginning" on July 5 in Birmingham, United Kingdom because the band was scheduled to perform at SCORPIONS' huge hometown 60th-anniversary concert at the Heinz Von Heiden Arena in Hannover, Germany on the very same day.

"It was a really difficult thing to say, 'I can't do it,' but that was just the way the chips fell on that particular event," Rob told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. "However, we were there in spirit, as we said in that brief little thing that we said for Ozzy on the big video screens. And probably even more important, the PRIEST homage to BLACK SABBATH with our — it's not really a version; it's JUDAS PRIEST playing BLACK SABBATH's 'War Pigs' to about as close as we possibly could. 'Cause you don't mess with a song like that. You give it the sounds that you have with your guitars, with your drums, with your bass, with your voice, and you do it in respect, and you do it in a way of saying thank you for BLACK SABBATH and what they did and what they leave us with with their great music."

Speaking in more detail about PRIEST's rendition of "War Pigs", Rob said: "It's close to five million views on the BLACK SABBATH official site, which is very generous of them to put us on there. 'Cause we're friends. We've been friends forever."

Regarding the PRIEST version of "War Pigs" featuring Ozzy, Rob said: "When Sharon said, and this is just so beautiful, when she approached me with this idea, she said, 'I love your version of 'War Pigs'. Is there a way we can get Ozzy [on it as well]?' I said, 'You're asking me? This is gonna happen.' So we were able to make it work. So you get Ozzy singing a line, and then I'm singing a line and Ozzy's singing a line and I'm singing a line, and it's the first-ever time in my entire life that I've been able to do a duet with Ozzy. And I'm so eternally grateful and blessed and grieving that I was able to do that. But when you hear it, it's just colossal. If you think that you've heard the one experience of PRIEST's 'War Pigs', but when you hear PRIEST's 'War Pigs' with Ozzy singing on that track, it's just going to a really special place."

Asked by Full Metal Jackie if he had a story in his experiences with Ozzy that spoke to who he was as a person beyond the concert stage, Rob said: "He gave everything on stage. When he walked out on the stage, he was always beaming. He loved his fans with such an extraordinary passion, but that existed offstage as well. Whenever I'd see him, if I went to see a show, the first thing he would say to me was, 'Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy yourself? Was it great?' And so that part of him as a person — he was always giving stuff. He was always giving out. He wasn't a taking kind of a guy. He was always pushing stuff forward, paying it forward, whatever that expression is. So that part of Ozzy that we probably didn't see much of existed when he wasn't on stage."

Halford continued: "He was an extraordinary man. And I think that opportunity that you had through Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager] and working with 'The Osbournes', which was the first-ever reality TV show, he became our friend. You may not have ever met Ozzy, but you knew him as a family guy, and you knew him as being — he's like us. There's Ozzy on stage, but look at him at home. And I think that that's what drew him even further into us with our love for Ozzy Osbourne and everything that he's left us with."

This past August, Rob told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about Ozzy's passing: "Oh, man. I got a call the day [Ozzy's death] happened. I just put the phone down in my hotel room in — I think I was in Leeds, in England, and I just curled up in a ball and bawled my eyes out for hours. I just couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it now. I'm still grieving, like so many people. And then we had a show the next day. So, God, how do you process all of this tragedy, all of this love, because I've never seen such an outpouring of love. And we did the show and we came to the song that we'll be playing when we come to see you guys — it's called 'Giants In The Sky', from the 'Invincible Shield' album — and that song talks about people that we love in music that have moved on to this beautiful place. We reference Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD] and Ronnie [James Dio] and Paul Di'Anno [IRON MAIDEN] and Jill [Janus from] HUNTRESS and Chris [Cornell from SOUNDGARDEN] and all of these greats, Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury. And then for that show we added Ozzy at the end. And I said to everybody, this just so much to try and comprehend and so tough, but Ozzy would say, 'Let's party. Let's rock and roll. Let's live it up. Let's enjoy.' That was in his heart, his soul, and his spirit. Whenever we did shows together, he would always say that to me after, 'Did you have a good time?' 'Yeah. Yeah.' 'Did you have a good time? Did you really have a good time?' The stuff he pushed out from himself to his fans to everybody, the generosity, the caring, all of the incredible things that he did in music, he was the embodiment of kindness in that respect.

"So it's great that we are talking about him now and we should keep talking about him forever, like I always talk about Ronnie, I talk about Lemmy," Rob added. "These are all friends of mine. And we have to celebrate — we have to celebrate. That's the way of helping you through the grief. You think about the memories, you think about the joy, you think about the good times, and that's what we will always do with Ozzy."

Asked if he remembered the last time he had a conversation with Ozzy or the last time he was in contact with him, Rob said: "No. We used to text occasionally. 'Cause he's another guy I was in awe of. I'm still in awe of Alice [Cooper]. [Laughs] 'Oh my God. He's Alice Cooper.' And I used to feel the same whenever I was in Ozzy's presence, because he had this larger-than-life personality. It'd been a while since we've been in touch. But, again, I just have the wonderful memories of the two opportunities I was able to sing for him with SABBATH. And then this recent opportunity to cover 'War Pigs' [with PRIEST], which we still play at the start of our show, which is one of the greatest metal songs ever written. So that connection will never be severed in that respect."

JUDAS PRIEST paid tribute to Ozzy during the band's July 23 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre in Scarborough, United Kingdom. Introducing the aforementioned song "Giants In The Sky", Rob acknowledged the BLACK SABBATH frontman's death a day earlier, saying: "Okay. Look, it's been tough, the last 24 hours, right? It's been tough. But he would want us to be doing this. He would want us to be together, he would want us to be having a good time, which is what we're doing right now. We love you, Ozzy."

After a brief pause amid chants of "Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!", Halford continued: "This next song is all about him and all of the other greats that we've lost. Their music lives forever. They used to be down here on the earth plane. Now they're in the sky plane, as we call it. This is 'Giants In The Sky'."

During the song — a tribute to musicians now gone — the screen displayed images of the likes of Ronnie James Dio, Lemmy, Freddie Mercury, Taylor Hawkins and Christine McVie, finishing on two gigantic images of Ozzy.

A few hours after Ozzy's passing was announced on July 22, JUDAS PRIEST released the following statement via social media: "Our hearts are broken like millions around the world. Words can't express the love and loss we are all feeling.

"Sharon, may God surround you and your beautiful family with love, peace and light.

"Ozzy, you will never leave us — your music is eternal. God blesses you now more than ever after you blessed us all through your magnificent life.

"Rob, Glenn, Ian, Richie & Scott".

In August 2023, Halford picked BLACK SABBATH's classic 1970 self-titled debut album as one of the albums he'd be willing to listen to in perpetuity if he found himself stranded and alone on an island. He said: "I would have to go with BLACK SABBATH, the original 'Black Sabbath' album that I think is the motivator for all great things in heavy metal."

Back in 2020, Halford broke down his top 10 favorite albums in an interview with Rolling Stone and explained how they helped make him who he is. Among the records included on the list was BLACK SABBATH's debut. At the time, Halford said about his choice: "They were local guys from the same neighborhood, the same neck of the woods as PRIEST. We literally grew up together, inventing this great music that we love and cherish so much called heavy-metal music.

"I chose the 'Black Sabbath' album just because, like so many bands, your first one or two records really establish who you are as a band," he explained. "It's a bit like PRIEST with 'Rocka Rolla' and 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'; 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' becomes the one we love so much because it becomes defining. With 'Black Sabbath', here was the first example of what heavy metal music should sound like, just the texture, the tone, the structure of all of the material, Ozzy's very unique voice. It's just become a very important record in the discography of BLACK SABBATH."

Halford joined SABBATH for two gigs to support Ozzy Osbourne on his last shows for the "No More Tours" tour in November 1992 in Costa Mesa, California after SABBATH's singer at the time, Ronnie James Dio, refused to take the stage. Rob also performed with SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward on August 26, 2004 at the Camden, New Jersey stop of Ozzfest after Ozzy came down with an "attack of bronchitis" and was unable to take part in the concert.

Asked which SABBATH tune he'd most enjoying performing with the band, Halford told The Georgia Straight: "Ooo, that's a good question. Um, I'd probably say the actual song 'Black Sabbath', which is, to me, the most evil song that's ever been written. [Laughs]. It's very fucking scary. There's something very malevolent about that song. It's just the whole — it's the way it starts, and then it's almost deathly quiet, and then that opening line: 'What is this I see before me?' You know, I just get goosebumps thinking about it now. And when I sang that song live, it makes you feel really… Wow… I can't describe it. It's just very overwhelming, the emotion is very overwhelming. And when you see Ozzy singing it you can see him change, you know, his whole demeanor, he just changes as a person to sing that song. It's really spooky."

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider joined Lita Ford and her backing band this past Friday (October 3) at The Family Arena in St. Charles, Missouri to perform several songs, including Lita's Ozzy Osbourne duet "Close My Eyes Forever", the TWISTED SISTER classics "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock", and the AC/DC anthem "Highway To Hell". Fan-filmed video of Dee's appearance can be seen below (courtesy of the bigconcertfan.com channel on YouTube).

TWISTED SISTER recently announced several shows as part of its 50th-anniversary reunion in 2026, including appearances at Spain's Rock Fest, Denmark's Copenhell and Norway's Tons Of Rock festivals.

TWISTED SISTER's 2026 shows will feature the band's three core members: Snider, founding guitarist Jay Jay French and longtime lead guitarist Eddie Ojeda. Bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza won't be joining the celebration. Russell Pzütto, who has toured with Snider's solo projects, will replace Mendoza on bass. Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, will sit behind the drum kit, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 55.

In a recent interview with John "JP" Parise of Long Island, New York's 102.3 WBAB and Tampa, Florida's 102.5 The Bone radio stations, Snider stated about why he changed his mind about returning to the road, nine years after the completion of TWISTED SISTER's "40 And Fuck It!" farewell tour, and after he repeatedly slammed KISS and MÖTLEY CRÜE farewell tours and subsequent reunions as mere cash grabs: "First of all, I own [my previous] statements [about not wanting to stage a TWISTED SISTER reunion]. I said that and more. I singled out bands. I named names. I ranted and raved about this, and I expected to get excrements for this, but I'm getting hit hard.

"I'm not gonna lie, and I can only tell you so much, but this is the total truth," he continued. "I turned 70 this year and I had a health scare. And I'm okay… And it shook me up… I won't say [exactly what it was], and I'm okay. But it really made me re-evaluate a lot of things. [When I was] 40, 50, 60, I thought I was superhuman. TWISTED SISTER retired 10 years ago when I was ripped to shreds. And then [at] 70, something happened and it was a re-evaluation, quite honestly. And part of that re-evaluation was looking and saying… Am I ready to go? Well, you never know when you're gonna go quietly to the night. You never know when your time is up. And do I really wanna do that without rocking one more time. And I stopped doing solo stuff a few years back as well. I mean, I go out and I join [POISON frontman] Bret Michaels or Lita Ford on stage [during their shows] for a couple songs, but I don't go out and perform. And upon talking to my wife and re-evaluating, it was I, me, who called the [other] guys [in TWISTED SISTER]. I called them. They never called. I mean, we talk, but they never brought it up because I was, like, 'This is not happening, guys. It is done. It is over, just like I told everybody.' But, like I said, I had a life-changing experience and re-evaluation of a lot of things, and I reached out. I said, 'Guys, what do you think about doing it one more time?'"

According to Dee, Jay Jay and Eddie didn't immediately jump at the opportunity to return to playing live shows with TWISTED SISTER. "It was a conversation," Snider explained. "At this point, do we wanna take this, for lack of a better word, victory lap, so to speak? But it was a conversation. And then everybody goes, 'Well, how can you not, with Alice [Cooper] out there [at the age of 77]?' Alice told me... I said, 'Dude, when are you gonna retire?' He says, 'I'm looking forward to singing when I'm 80.' So he's got no plans. [Mick] Jagger's out there [playing shows at age 82]. Paul McCartney's doing three hours [at age 83]. Now I know he doesn't run around like I do, but the same time, you go, well, there's precedents. People are out there into — there are octogenarians out there [touring] now. So we decided to go for it and go out on a high note."

After JP criticized some of the media's coverage of TWISTED SISTER's return, particularly as it relates to reports of the band "touring" again, Dee said: "It doesn't say that in the press release. I checked. I'm seeing, 'Tour.' 'They're hitting the road again.' Wait a minute — who's hitting the road? We're flying first class on an air jet airplane. Private plane.

"I'm sorry, folks. People are saying, 'Come to this town, come to that town.' No, man," he clarified. "This is a handful of dates — I'm thinking it's about 20, 25 shows around the world, festivals almost exclusively. And it's not a full-blown tour or anything like that. It's a celebration for us, and I hope you're celebrating with us for the fact that 50 years ago, next year, we got together — me, Eddie and Jay Jay — and we, against all odds, we had success."

Asked by JP "how big the dump truck full of money" was "that showed up in [Dee's] driveway" that convinced the singer to reunite TWISTED SISTER for the band's 50th anniversary, Snider said: "I'm gonna be honest. The numbers are getting higher and higher and higher, but it wasn't really where I — I had this place in mind, and it wasn't there. But like I said, honestly, it wasn't about the money. Yeah, if there was no money, I'm not gonna do it. I'm not gonna lie about that. But it really was this sort of looking in the mirror going, 'Hey, man, that was scary. And I don't wanna go out like that.' I do not wanna go out quietly. Kicking and screaming, man — that's the way I wanna go."

Dee also talked about the challenges of preparing for TWISTED SISTER live performances, particularly as it relates to the physical demands of stepping on a stage for an hour and a half. He said: "I always had a mixed relationship with the concerts. I did so much prep and I got so into it, it was so intense, I made myself miserable. When I go out there, it's the greatest moment in my life for 90 minutes, and I get off the stage and I feel really good for about 15 minutes, half hour, and then I start [to think], 'Oh no. I've gotta do this again tomorrow.' And I start getting manic. And [my wife] Suzette would never come out the road with me. She said, 'You're miserable. You sit in the room, you obsess.' I sit there, and I'm not one of those people, but I sit there writing a list of the exact time I've gotta eat my protein and what time I've gotta do my neck stretches and a hot bath and vocalizing. I write it down on a sheet, and I check it off. I'm, like, manic. And so that's another reason why going back to it, there's a lot of discomfort in the whole — and being away from the family and being away from my wife, 'cause she doesn't wanna be anywhere near me, which I understand. So, this way of doing it, going out and doing a show on a weekend and going out, there'll still be that day of getting ready for the show because it's sort of my method. But at least after the show, Suzette will be out there and we'll go and we'll enjoy wherever we are for a few days and relax until the next one comes. So it'll be one day of intensity as opposed to just an endless day after day after day of obsessing and making myself crazy."

During a September 10 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Dee stated about Mark's absence from the TWISTED SISTER 2026 tour: "I can only simply say irreconcilable differences and leave it at that. I can't get into the weeds and I can't go down that path. And I won't. But irreconcilable differences. People change, and however it is, and I'm not saying he changed; maybe we changed whatever it is. So in deciding who to use on bass, my bass player on the last two Dee Snider albums, 'For The Love Of Metal' and 'Leave A Scar', was Russ Pzütto. And he was Mark Mendoza's bass tech, and a great bass player… So, he did an amazing job on those two albums. He was a great guy to tour with. The band all knew him from years of working with TWISTED, and again, he seemed like a likely choice. As a matter of fact, one time he was Mark's choice to fill in for him. And one gig, it was in Belgium at Graspop, and Mark couldn't make it, and Russ stepped in and played with TWISTED. So he actually has performed with TWISTED once before."

Asked if he thinks the door is open for Mark to play with TWISTED SISTER again at some point during the reunion tour, Dee said: "I can't imagine it right now. I can't imagine it right now. I mean — I plead the fifth. I can't go beyond that. But things have happened that I don't see being reconciled, hence the term 'irreconcilable differences.'"

French previously addressed Mendoza's departure in a statement to Rolling Stone, explaining: "Me, Dee and Eddie have performed as TWISTED SISTER for nearly 50 years with 10 different bass players and drummers. The band has never discussed internal realignment before and has no intention of doing it now. Suffice to say that almost all bands with a 50-year history have gone through realignment as a byproduct of time. We wish Mark well in his future endeavors."

Franco played on TWISTED SISTER's 1987 album "Love Is For Suckers". Mike Portnoy, who took over for Pero after he died near the end of TWISTED SISTER's 2016 run, is busy touring with DREAM THEATER and is unable to participate in the upcoming TWISTED SISTER live activities.

Two and a half years ago, TWISTED SISTER staged a one-off reunion at the Metal Hall Of Fame in Agoura Hills, California. On hand to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame were Snider, French, Mendoza and Portnoy. Ojeda was absent from the event after contracting COVID-19; filling in for him was Keith Robert War. TWISTED SISTER played a highly charged three-song set consisting of the staples "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" and "Under The Blade", as well as the anthem "We're Not Gonna To Take It".

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.

Back in the late 1980s, 𝐋𝐢𝐭𝐚 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐝 was working on her "Lita" album, which would become one of the biggest records of her...

Posted by Family Arena on Thursday, April 3, 2025

In a new interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, hosted by FOZZY frontman and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson spoke about the spring/summer 2025 European leg of the band's "Run For Your Lives" world tour. The trek, which launched on May 27 in Budapest, Hungary and concluded on August 2 in Warsaw, Poland, marked MAIDEN's first run of shows with new drummer Simon Dawson, who replaced the group's longtime drummer Nicko McBrain last December. Asked what it was like playing without McBrain during the tour, Dickinson replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Obviously, it was different, because Simon is not Nick. He's not a copy of Nick. His emphasis in terms of the way he drums, the sound of his drums is different. He's a different type of drummer. But he does everything that a drummer should do, which is he keeps the time. And that's it.

"Nick was like a human fireworks display every night in terms of his drumming, personality and everything else," Dickinson explained. "And Simon's not; he's low key. He is not exactly the polar opposite to Nick, but he's different. He's more thoughtful. He's very analytical. He warms up for, like, two hours, and he's just putting things together and refining and tweaking things and stuff like that. So he's a different drummer, but the songs are the same. And he's happy. Everybody in the band is perfectly happy. But they're not the same. You can't replace Nick with a clone."

After Jericho noted that "Simon's got a little bit of a Clive Burr-type vibe" to his playing, a reference to the late MAIDEN drummer who preceded Nicko, Bruce concurred. "His natural feel is that, that inclination," Dickinson said. "And I was shocked at how I was, like. 'Oh my God. I'm having a flashback here,' looking over my shoulder, going, 'Wow.' 'Cause his natural feel is to be kind of like around the beat, almost like a swingtime thing, like an Ian Paice-type feel. And it's just nuance. But Clive was great. I loved playing with Clive."

Bruce previously spoke about Simon's addition to MAIDEN this past August in an interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern". Asked if it was "weird" and "surreal" not seeing McBrain sitting behind the kit during the tour, Dickinson replied: "It's not weird from the perspective that what I'm hearing behind me is not Nicko. So I don't expect to see Nicko because everything about Simon is different. His drums are tuned differently, he plays the songs with a different feel to Nick. So because of that, I don't turn around and go, 'Oh, shock. Nicko should be there,' because it's obvious he's not there from the sound. The drums are tuned a lot lower, they're much fatter. And Simon kind of sticks with the program in terms of the tempo of the song and everything. He's absolutely scrupulous about cutting the right tempo every time. So we actually, as a band, really kind of appreciate that. 'Cause all the guitarists have big smiles, like Cheshire cats, [and MAIDEN bassist] Steve [Harris is] the same. 'Cause everybody's not feeling, like, 'Whoa, hey, steady on there, trigger. Whoa, slow down there.' So that's what Simon brings to it — there's stability. And he's doesn't try to be Nicko. You can't be Nicko. I mean, there's only one Nicko; he is unique. That's why we didn't pick a clone. And there were plenty of drummers who could copy what Nicko did, but we don't want one of those. We wanted somebody that had a different feel."

The now-73-year-old McBrain, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7, 2024 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the legendary rock band.

The band's manager, Rod Smallwood, said at the time: "Thank you for being an irrepressible force behind the drum kit for MAIDEN for 42 years and my friend for even longer. I speak on behalf of all the band when I say we will miss you immensely!"

On December 8, 2024, IRON MAIDEN announced Dawson as its new touring drummer.

A native of Suffolk, England, Simon first teamed up with Harris back in 2012. He debuted on three tracks on the first album from Steve's BRITISH LION project and all of BRITISH LION's second LP, the critically acclaimed "The Burning", plus the many subsequent tours in the U.S., Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Mexico and South America.

In January 2023, Nicko was at his home in Boca Raton when he suffered a stroke with partial paralysis.

When Nicko first went public with his stroke in August 2023, the drummer said in a statement that the episode left him "paralyzed" down one side of his body and "worried" that his career with the band was over.

Five years ago, McBrain was diagnosed with stage 1 laryngeal cancer and opened up about it in a single interview in 2021 but otherwise kept it mostly under wraps. The musician received his cancer diagnosis after undergoing an endoscopy at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University Of Miami Health System and the Miller School of Medicine. Within a week, McBrain's cancer was surgically removed and he now gets check-ups every few months to make sure the cancer hasn't returned.

Despite the fact that he was stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he would remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.

McBrain joined IRON MAIDEN in 1982, replacing Burr, who had performed on the group's first three albums.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe joined LACUNA COIL on stage yesterday (Friday, October 3) at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California to perform their collaborative single "Hosting The Shadow". The track is taken from LACUNA COIL's tenth studio album, "Sleepless Empire", which arrived in February 2025 via Century Media Records.

When the studio version of "Hosting The Shadow" was first released in August 2024, LACUNA COIL commented: "'Hosting The Shadow' is a trip through light and dark, where silence reveals its hidden secrets. Obscure moments can become occasions to evolve, to learn to master one's own shadow — which is crucial in order to prevail.

"Randy Blythe did an incredible job on this track," the band added. "We absolutely adore his voice and his evil laugh! Our admiration for him is infinite and to have him as a guest on this song is a dream come true. Partnering with a friend you respect immensely, that also kicks ass on stages around the world: it doesn't get any better than this. We're looking forward to the day we can perform 'Hosting The Shadow' live together!"

Blythe added at the time: "I was super excited when LACUNA COIL asked me to sing on a song with them. Not only am I a big fan of their music, they are truly beautiful souls who have been like family to me for 20 years now. We've played shows together all over the world, and I've always wanted to jump onstage and sing with them. I can't wait until it actually happens with 'Hosting The Shadow'!"

Inspiration to create "Sleepless Empire" came during the sessions for "Comalies XX" (2022),the acclaimed remake of LACUNA COIL's breakthrough third record "Comalies". Writing and recording took place in northern Italy between Milano (the band's hometown) and Como, where SPVN Studios are located. As with their previous albums, production was done in house with Marco "Maki" Coti Zelati at the helm, and artwork was hand curated by the talented Italian artist Roberto Toderico. One other very special talent enriches the album, namely NEW YEARS DAY's Ash Costello on "In The Mean Time".

In October 2024, Italian guitarist/producer Daniele Salomone confirmed that he has joined LACUNA COIL as the replacement for the band's longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti.

Salomone made his live debut with LACUNA COIL on August 4, 2024 at the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Râșnov, Romania.

In June 2024, LACUNA COIL announced Cavallotti's departure. Diego, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco "Maus" Biazzi, later said in a social media post that "this decision is not the result of my dissatisfaction or desire to explore new opportunities."

Cavallotti and Salomone played together in the Italian metal band INVERNO, which released its debut album, "Stasis", in December 2023.

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Professor Reggie Almeida of the Renzo Gracie TN Brazilian jiu-jitsu school in Tennessee, who has been traveling with MEGADETH on the band's recent tours, has uploaded backstage and performance video of the Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit's September 22, 2025 concert at Maçka Küçükçiftlik Park in Istanbul, Turkey. Check out the clip below.

Ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman and his solo band performed as the support act for MEGADETH at Maçka Küçükçiftlik Park. Marty did not take the stage with his former band at the show, but he took to his social media right after the gig and wrote: "My band and I had an incredible time playing in Istanbul! … After our show Naoki [Morioka, a member of Marty's Japanese touring band] and I watched as [current MEGADETH guitarist] Teemu [Mäntysaari] absolutely NAILED my solos with ease and MEGADETH tore up the place! We can't wait to come back."

Marty rejoined MEGADETH twice on stage over the course of a six-month period in 2023 — first in February 2023 at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan and then in early August 2023 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

At the 2023 Wacken Open Air, Marty performed four songs with MEGADETH: "Trust", "Tornado Of Souls", "Symphony Of Destruction" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".

At Budokan, Friedman came up on stage for three songs toward the end of MEGADETH's main set: "Countdown To Extinction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Symphony Of Destruction".

Last December, Marty was asked by France's Metal Obs' what it was like to rejoin his former band on stage after more than two decades: "It was good fun — nothing but pure fun. And [it was] wonderful to watch the audience react to it, because it was just a wonderful experience for everybody, especially those of us on stage because the audience was… We did it because we knew that the audience would get something that they can remember, something they can go home with and have a memory. And we just enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot."

Regarding what it was like meeting up with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine again, Marty said: "It was great. We never really lost touch. But there's never much that we have to talk to each other about, so we don't talk to each other every month or anything. But it's always been friendly, so when the chance came for us to play together, it was just natural."

My band and I had an incredible time playing in Istanbul! Were you at the show?
After our show Naoki and I watched as...

Posted by Marty Friedman on Monday, September 22, 2025

MEGADETH Y MARTY FRIEDMAN TOCARÁN JUNTOS DE NUEVO ESTE AÑO!

Acaba de anunciarse que Megadeth volverá a compartir...

Posted by Megadeth Ecuador on Tuesday, August 26, 2025

In a new interview with Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic, ex-QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate spoke about his upcoming third and final chapter in the band's classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album series. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're days away from releasing a new song that's coming out. And we have a whole bunch of new songs that we're gonna kind of release one at a time. Rather than putting everything together in one disc and selling it right off the bat, we're gonna kind of spread it out over the next year and release track by track, kind of thing. And we're actually just days away from [putting out the first song] right now. We're excited. When everything comes out [in the form of several singles], by that time we'll have put it together as a one-piece package."

Geoff confirmed that his upcoming album will be released under the "Operation: Mindcrime III" banner, explaining: "It's the continuation and the final chapter of 'Operation: Mindcrime'. And it's the story told from Dr. X's perspective. So the previous two albums were from the perspective of Nikki, the lead character. And this is Dr. X's perspective, so it's quite interesting."

This past January, Tate told 96.1 KLPX afternoon jock Larry Mac about the upcoming third chapter in the "Operation: Mindcrime" album series: "Well, I wouldn't call it a sequel. I'd call it a continuation of the story. We're doing it in kind of an interesting way. We're not gonna release an album, so to speak, right off the bat. We're going to release the album once all the songs are released, if that makes sense. We're gonna release a song a month or every quarter, and then when it's all finished, we're gonna do a special presentation with all the songs included."

Regarding how he comes up with the musical and lyrical ideas for his albums, Geoff said: "It's all different, really. Sometimes it's a musical figure that you're fiddling around with in the studio that leads to a complete song or a few songs. And sometimes it's the lyrical idea. Sometimes it's a sentence that just sparks your imagination and gets you rolling on something. With the 'Operation: Mindcrime' albums, it was a story that came about really quickly, actually — I wrote it very quickly — and then expanded on it over the years to explain a little bit more in depth as to what was happening within the story. 'Cause the first album is a little bit vague in what it's talking about in it. The second album explains even more as to what the characters are going through. And the third album, again, will be even more explanation, but taken from a number of different viewpoints, which kind of is interesting, I think."

Originally released in May 1988, QUEENSRŸCHE's third studio album, "Operation: Mindcrime" took the quintet to an entirely new level. The concept, revealed through the songs, revolves around the character of Nikki, a recovering drug addict disillusioned with a corrupt society. Drawn into a cult-like revolutionary group headed by Dr. X (voiced by the late and beloved British actor Anthony Valentine),Nikki is manipulated to assassinate political leaders until his friendship with nun Sister Mary finally opens his eyes to the truth. Regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time, "Operation: Mindcrime" was certified platinum in 1991 in the U.S. and was ranked in the "Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time" by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Rolling Stone included it on a similar list, noting that "nearly 30 years after its initial release, 'Mindcrime' feels eerily relevant."

The original "Operation: Mindcrime" album weaved themes of religion, drug abuse and underground, radical politics. By contrast, 2006's "Operation: Mindcrime II" was regarded as an unnecessary sequel that many felt cheapened the original album, despite being a decent record in its own right.

Tate previously discussed his plans for "Operation: Mindcrime III" in a November 2024 interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern". Speaking about the musical direction of his new solo material, Geoff said: "I would say it has more of an early QUEENSRŸCHE feel. [The new songs are] super heavy, and some of 'em are incredibly technical. They're like algebra. [Laughs] You need a calculator when you're listening to the song. [Laughs] And, of course, some of them are very emotional. It's the last chapter in the 'Mindcrime' series. So it's following the exploits of Dr. X and Nikki and Sister Mary, and picks up at a particular point in their story and kind of does the microscope of what is happening at that particular time with them. And I am just in love with it. I am so happy with everything so far, and I can't wait for people to hear it."

Asked if there will once again be "some of those political interplays" within the lyrical themes on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Tate said: "Oh, I think so. Yeah, I think that people will be able to detect little bits of what's happening around them. And it's an interesting time right now — very interesting. Especially next week [after the 2024 U.S. presidential election], it's gonna be really interesting [laughs] what happens. So, we'll see."

Pressed about whether "a familiar voice" will play Dr. X on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Geoff said: "I can't tell you, actually. But thanks for asking. [Laughs]"

In a 2016 interview with East Valley Tribune, Tate said that he looked back fondly on "Operation: Mindcrime II". "I haven't listened to that album since I recorded it," he admitted. "However, it was a new story. Overall, it went down well live with the audience. I have no complaints or regrets about it."

During QUEENSRŸCHE's 2012 legal battle with Tate over the rights to the band's name, guitarist Michael Wilton submitted a sworn declaration in which he said the idea to make "Operation: Mindcrime II" was first brought to the table by Geoff's wife and QUEENSRŸCHE's then-manager Susan Tate. "The band was hesitant and did not want to lessen the original," the guitarist claimed. "But Susan Tate and Geoff Tate hired a budget producer and took control without really any other input. Scott Rockenfield [drums], Eddie Jackson [bass] and I were squeezed out of having any input in the musical direction or business decisions, thus the project suffered. During the initial writing phase, I would show up to bring my input to the creative process only to find that the producer, the new guitar player (who were both staying with the Tates at the time),along with Geoff Tate had been up late the night before or up early that morning and had written the songs without me. I was then told my ideas were not needed as the songs were now done. I could, however, 'bring my own style' in during the recording after learning to play what they wrote for me. In frustration, I gave up on the writing process knowing that I would at least get to make changes in the studio to bring back the QUEENSRŸCHE sound into these songs that we were known for. The final straw was when they refused to let me to be a part of the final recordings and mixes. I was shut out and they had the nerve to replace some of my parts on my songs. They denied me flying to San Francisco to be a part of my band, telling me that everything was ready to go and I was not needed. Had the communication been better, and had I been aware that parts needed to be recorded or rewritten, I would have been there. It was not until years later that I even became aware of the issues during the final recording and mixing of 'Operation: Mindcrime II'. It was all under the control of Geoff and Susan Tate. Call it delusions of grandeur, but they were convinced that this was going to sell three times more than the original, and to date (six years later) this album has sold fewer than 150,000 copies. The original album sold over 500,000 copies within a year."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate's replacement, Todd La Torre, has released four albums thus far with QUEENSRŸCHE: 2013's "Queensrÿche", 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance".

Ozzy Osbourne has posthumously shared details of his final concert in a new memoir, "Last Rites".

The BLACK SABBATH frontman died in late July, less than three weeks after he and the rest of the band's original lineup played at Villa Park in SABBATH's original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne. The festival served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS.

In a "Last Rites" excerpt published in The Times, Ozzy wrote about the Villa Park show: "Coming on stage all I could think was, is my voice really up for this? But as soon as the curtain went up I forgot about my nerves. Suddenly I was looking out over 42,000 faces, with another 5.8 million watching online. That was when the emotion really hit me. I'd never really taken it on board that so many people liked me — or even knew who I was. It was overwhelming, man, it really was.

"[My solo band and I] got through 'I Don't Know', 'Mr. Crowley' and 'Suicide Solution' no problem at all. I was having a ball. But I choked up when I started 'Mama, I'm Coming Home'. I mean, it's Sharon's [Ozzy's wife and manager] song, y'know? One of her favorites. Lemmy [the late founder of MOTÖRHEAD] wrote it with the two of us in mind. That alone was enough to bring tears to my eyes. But the feeling I had was about more than that. It was my last hurrah. I'd made it to the stage after six traumatic years, after losing the ability to walk or do anything on my own. It was just the whole thing, all of it coming together.

"I just couldn't hold in my emotions any more. Out in the crowd, everyone was holding up the lights on their phones. Someone said in the papers it was like I was attending my own wake, which would be a very metal thing to do. But it didn't feel like a funeral. It felt like a celebration. There was so much love in that stadium, coming at me in waves. I had tears streaming down my face, but I felt so uplifted. The crowd noticed I was struggling, and they started singing back the words. I've been so lucky to have had so many wonderful fans. God bless you all.

"By the end of the song, thank God, I'd managed to pull myself together. Then it was one last ride on the 'Crazy Train' and time for the SABBATH set.

"The guys in SABBATH were as nervous as I was about me doing two sets in a row. They had no idea if I could pull it off. But it couldn't have gone better. When the crowd chanted the tune of 'War Pigs' like they were cheering on England at the World Cup, it was just electrifying. Then we did 'N.I.B.', 'Iron Man'… and 'Paranoid'."

In "Last Rites", which will be made available on October 7 via Grand Central Publishing of Hachette Book Group, Ozzy also writes about his grueling battle with Parkinson's disease, sepsis, blood clots, emphysema and multiple bouts of pneumonia.

Ozzy also talked about the Villa Park concert in "Sharon & Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home", a just-released BBC documentary filmed before his death.

"What a great way to go out that gig was," he said in one of his final interviews for the documentary, which followed the final three years of his life and was broadcast on BBC One on Thursday. The one-hour film had originally been scheduled to be screened in August, but the BBC postponed it, saying at the time it was "respecting the family's wishes to wait a bit longer".

Ozzy said that his "emotions" nearly got the better of him during the "humbling" gig at Villa Park.

In the film, his daughter Kelly noted how "everyone was crying" in the stadium while he was singing "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

"I couldn't get the words out," recalled Ozzy, adding that it had been "torture" to have to sit down on a throne to perform due to a serious spinal injury.

"The only thing that was terribly frustrating for me, I had to sit there instead of running across the stage," the singer said. "I wanted to get up and sing so much. It was very humbling to sit in that chair for nine songs."

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service.

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Premier)

Pre-Order LAST RITES now. Release day is October 7. Link in comments below

Posted by Ozzy Osbourne on Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Florida-based metallers TRIVIUM have recruited Greyson Nekrutman to play drums for the band at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California as well as on "The Ascend Above The Ashes" North American tour. The 23-year-old Nekrutman, who most recently played with SEPULTURA, stepped into TRIVIUM as the replacement for Alex Bent, who left the latter band earlier this month after a nine-year run.

Video of Greyson's performance with TRIVIUM at Aftershock on Saturday, October 4 can be seen below.

"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.

When Alex announced his departure from TRIVIUM on Friday (October 3),he said in a statement: "I am beyond grateful for the incredible past nine years with TRIVIUM — filled with unforgettable moments, music, and friendships that I'll always carry with me. I'm so proud of every record and tour we created together, and I know TRIVIUM will continue to dominate the world; they'll always have my support.

"While this chapter has come to a close, this is by no means the end of my path as a musician. I'm excited for this new chapter, and I look forward to continuing to create, perform, and share music in new ways.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Your encouragement means the world."

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.

Greyson is featured on ALICE IN CHAINS vocalist William Duvall's "11.12.21 Live-In-Studio Nashville" CD, which came out in June 2022. Nekrutman has also performed or recorded with Bakithi Kumalo, Darren Criss, Drumeo, Pearl Drums, Meinl Cymbals and has been featured in articles by Rolling Stone, Rhythm, Rhythm And Drum (Japan) and Sweetwater Music.

In December 2016, TRIVIUM parted ways with Paul Wandtke and welcomed Bent, a former member of BATTLECROSS and DECREPIT BIRTH who had previously played with TESTAMENT as a fill-in for that band's longtime drummer Gene Hoglan.

TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy discussed Bent's addition to the band during an October 2021 appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. Matt said: "[Alex is] studio drummer [number] four. People, for some reason, they say we've had like a million lineup changes. We've only had four drummers, but everyone acts like it's a lot — they always act like it's ten. We've had another live guy [before Alex joined]. But luckily, every time we switched, someone's, like, 'Why did you switch? Why did you switch?' Finally we switched to Alex, and they said, 'Now we get what you're looking for.

"He's super young," Matt continued. "He comes from tech-death and slam and stuff like that. We call him 'Modesto Monster,' but he's just this super-sweet, insane drummer. Our stuff is very easy for him [to play]. But he's also played with, like, gospel stuff and Latin stuff, so it's really cool to have a guy that can do black metal, death metal, gospel, Latin, country…"

Back in 2017, Heafy admitted to the That's Not Metal Podcast that it had been difficult for the band's core trio — Heafy, bassist Paolo Gregoletto and guitarist Corey Beaulieu — to keep a drummer prior to Bent's addition in 2016.

"The drumming is what the band is built upon, it's the foundation for which all the music is built upon, and if you don't have a strong foundation for a house or a building, it eventually collapses," Matt explained. "And I'm so thankful that the stars finally aligned, after eight records, to find the guy that we needed to find. And I think that when people hear Alex, it's not a question of 'Why?' It's more like an observation, like, 'Oh, I see you did it again, but I know why.' Because he's that freakin' good."

In October 2019, Gregoletto told Silver Tiger Media that Alex is "not only a great drummer but a really good dude. After years of playing with people who have not been the right fit, it feels good to just have everything settle into place. If there's any testament to that relationship working, it's [TRIVIUM's 2017] record ['The Sin And The Sentence']. I feel like our abilities to translate our ideas on to a record have just improved ten-fold. It seems like now, with Alex, he writes on our level already. He's now been with us for only two years or so, but he's just a phenomenal drummer and it makes our jobs easier, 'cause we just write the cool riffs and he's ready to go with drums. That's what we needed."

As a bass player and one half of TRIVIUM's rhythm section, Paolo said that it was "tough to have had" all the drummer changes over the years. But "I never minded playing with different people, 'cause I feel like you kind of learn new ways to play," he explained. "Everyone has their own style, and I feel like every drummer we played with had a different take on playing with TRIVIUM. If anything, I got to learn a lot more playing with different people and kind of tailoring my bass playing to whoever the drummer was in the band."

TRIVIUM's upcoming three-song EP, "Struck Dead", will arrive on October 31 via longtime label Roadrunner. The effort was produced by TRIVIUM and recorded with Mark Lewis at the band's Hangar Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was mixed and mastered by Josh Wilbur.

Florida-based metallers TRIVIUM have parted ways with their drummer of the past nine years, Alex Bent.

Earlier today, Alex released the following statement via TRIVIUM's official social media: "I am beyond grateful for the incredible past nine years with TRIVIUM — filled with unforgettable moments, music, and friendships that I'll always carry with me. I'm so proud of every record and tour we created together, and I know TRIVIUM will continue to dominate the world; they'll always have my support.

"While this chapter has come to a close, this is by no means the end of my path as a musician. I'm excited for this new chapter, and I look forward to continuing to create, perform, and share music in new ways.

"Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way. Your encouragement means the world."

No replacement for Bent has yet been announced.

TRIVIUM's next live appearance will take place tomorrow (Saturday, October 4) at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

TRIVIUM will embark on "The Ascend Above The Ashes" trek that kicks off October 31 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and runs through December 14, with a hometown show in Orlando, Florida. Special guests are JINJER and HERIOT.

In December 2016, TRIVIUM parted ways with Paul Wandtke and welcomed Bent, a former member of BATTLECROSS and DECREPIT BIRTH who had previously played with TESTAMENT as a fill-in for that band's longtime drummer Gene Hoglan.

TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy discussed Bent's addition to the band during an October 2021 appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ. Matt said: "[Alex is] studio drummer [number] four. People, for some reason, they say we've had like a million lineup changes. We've only had four drummers, but everyone acts like it's a lot — they always act like it's ten. We've had another live guy [before Alex joined]. But luckily, every time we switched, someone's, like, 'Why did you switch? Why did you switch?' Finally we switched to Alex, and they said, 'Now we get what you're looking for.

"He's super young," Matt continued. "He comes from tech-death and slam and stuff like that. We call him 'Modesto Monster,' but he's just this super-sweet, insane drummer. Our stuff is very easy for him [to play]. But he's also played with, like, gospel stuff and Latin stuff, so it's really cool to have a guy that can do black metal, death metal, gospel, Latin, country…"

Back in 2017, Heafy admitted to the That's Not Metal Podcast that it had been difficult for the band's core trio — Heafy, bassist Paolo Gregoletto and guitarist Corey Beaulieu — to keep a drummer prior to Bent's addition in 2016.

"The drumming is what the band is built upon, it's the foundation for which all the music is built upon, and if you don't have a strong foundation for a house or a building, it eventually collapses," Matt explained. "And I'm so thankful that the stars finally aligned, after eight records, to find the guy that we needed to find. And I think that when people hear Alex, it's not a question of 'Why?' It's more like an observation, like, 'Oh, I see you did it again, but I know why.' Because he's that freakin' good."

In October 2019, Gregoletto told Silver Tiger Media that Alex is "not only a great drummer but a really good dude. After years of playing with people who have not been the right fit, it feels good to just have everything settle into place. If there's any testament to that relationship working, it's [TRIVIUM's 2017] record ['The Sin And The Sentence']. I feel like our abilities to translate our ideas on to a record have just improved ten-fold. It seems like now, with Alex, he writes on our level already. He's now been with us for only two years or so, but he's just a phenomenal drummer and it makes our jobs easier, 'cause we just write the cool riffs and he's ready to go with drums. That's what we needed."

As a bass player and one half of TRIVIUM's rhythm section, Paolo said that it was "tough to have had" all the drummer changes over the years. But "I never minded playing with different people, 'cause I feel like you kind of learn new ways to play," he explained. "Everyone has their own style, and I feel like every drummer we played with had a different take on playing with TRIVIUM. If anything, I got to learn a lot more playing with different people and kind of tailoring my bass playing to whoever the drummer was in the band."

TRIVIUM's upcoming three-song EP, "Struck Dead", will arrive on October 31 via longtime label Roadrunner. The effort was produced by TRIVIUM and recorded with Mark Lewis at the band's Hangar Studios in Orlando, Florida. It was mixed and mastered by Josh Wilbur.

Trivium wishes Alex Bent success on his feature endeavors as he exits the band.
❤️
Alex writes:
“I am beyond grateful...

Posted by Trivium on Friday, October 3, 2025

Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD played their new single, "Sepsis", live for the first time during their concert Friday night (October 3) at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. Fan-filmed video of the "Sepsis" performance can be seen below.

LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe introduced "Sepsis" by telling the audience: "We put out a new song yesterday. It's never been played before — ever — in front of anyone. Y'all wanna hear a new fucking song?  This song is about a national sickness. It's called 'Sepsis'."

When the studio version of "Sepsis" was released on October 2, it was described in a press release as "a visceral, menacing new single", out now via Epic. It marked the Grammy Award-nominated band's first new original music since 2022's critically acclaimed album "Omens".

Produced by longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur, the three-and-a-half minute track arrived alongside a grainy, lo-fi performance video that offered a moody, unfiltered look at Richmond's underbelly. Directed by Gianfranco Svagelj, the video captured the song's slow-burning tension.

"'Sepsis' is a celebration of the very underground local bands here in Richmond that we really admired when we were just forming [the pre-LAMB OF GOD band] BURN THE PRIEST," LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton said. "Bands like BREADWINNER, SLIANG LAOS and LADYFINGER — though they never got widespread attention outside of Richmond, those were the bands we listened to all the time. The song references that stuff in a way that's a direct line to where we were coming from when we were in the basement writing our earliest material together."

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

As the year closes, LAMB OF GOD has several performances ahead of them, including outings at Aftershock, AMMA Championship Fest, and the band's Headbangers Boat cruise (Oct. 31 to Nov. 4) — a four-day floating festival departing from Miami with a stop in Cozumel, Mexico.

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

U.S. doom and heavy metal icon Scott "Wino" Weinrich — the voice of THE OBSESSED, SAINT VITUS and SPIRIT CARAVAN — will release his fourth solo album, "Create Or Die", this October 24 via Ripple Music. The LP's third single, "Anhedonia", can be streamed below.

Weinrich strips it down to the raw essence on his new solo album. What began as an intimate, unplugged journey soon demanded the fiery pulse of drums and electric guitars, resulting in a powerful blend of haunting introspection and unshakable conviction.

"When a friend ended a letter to me with the phrase 'Create Or Die', I realized that simple slogan summed up my philosophy completely," Wino said. "Whether it's making music or art, that's what I do. It's what I live for."

These songs are personal, passionate commentaries on life, delivered with Wino's signature grit and soul. Featuring contributions from close friends and the unwavering support of Ripple Music, this album is a testament to the creed he's lived by: create or die. Wino says: "There are songs on this record that are old and new, as sometimes I carry song ideas around for years before I can call them finished. For others, when concept, music, and lyrics come together right then and there, that's what I call the divine inspiration."

About the first single "New Terms", Wino comments: "In my head, I had always heard the Irish bodhrán drum — a traditional instrument I love — on this tune. I mentioned this to my engineer and friend Frank Marchand. It turns out that for years, Frank had been the sound engineer for the enormously successful traditional-yet-modern Irish folk band WE BANJO THREE. He suggested sending the track to them and having the brothers lay down the drum and a traditional Irish banjo. They were glad to do it, dug the song, and here it is. I want to thank Frank Marchand, Fergal Scahill and Enda Scahill for making this song shine!"

"Create Or Die" was produced and engineered by Frank Marchand and Wino. Mastered by Alan Douches, it will be issued on vinyl, CD and digital formats, with preorders available now via Ripple Music.

"Create Or Die" track listing:

01. Anhedonia
02. New Terms
03. Carolina Fox
04. Never Said Goodbye
05. Hopeful Defiance
06. Us Or Them
07. Cold Or Wrong
08. Lost Souls Fly
09. Bury Me In Texas
10. Noble Man

Wino formed his first band THE OBSESSED in 1978, starting the reign of "heavy and slow" decades before doom grew into a flourishing worldwide genre unto itself. A few years later, he moved to California to join SAINT VITUS, with whom he released the seminal "Born Too Late" (1986),one of the most powerful statements in doom's early history, with Wino's raspy, heartfelt and punk-charged vocals booming loudly above the crowd of howling, gimmicky Ozzy Osbourne copycats.

Following a reformation of THE OBSESSED and a brief major-label flirtation in the early 1990s, which included a piledriving update of BLACK SABBATH's "The Wizard" alongside Geezer Butler, Bill Ward and Rob Halford, Wino formed yet another influential outfit, SPIRIT CARAVAN. The new band fused his trademark sludgy churn with an increased soulfulness, beginning to lay the groundwork for his eventual exploration of acoustic and expansive songwriting. During this time, Dave Grohl also invited Wino to join his all-star PROBOT project alongside Lemmy Kilmister, King Diamond, Max Cavalera and other notables.

Numerous world tours with his various bands later, the creative source remained inexhaustible as Wino embarked on a new direction with the release of his solo debut, "Punctuated Equilibrium", quickly followed by a second solo LP, "Adrift", in 2010, a series of collaborations with German folk songwriter Conny Ochs, and "Forever Gone" in 2020. Wino embarked on extensive European and North American tours as a solo act, continuing to maintain his thriving solo output even with the arrival of a much-heralded and welcomed re-constitution of THE OBSESSED formed for the third time in 2017. THE OBSESSED, now a four-piece, has toured extensively since 2020, and released its latest studio album, "Gilded Sorrow", to great acclaim in 2023 on Ripple Music.

Today, Wino is respected all over the world as the godfather of doom and one of underground heavy music's most revered lifers. Worldwide festivals like Roadburn, Hellfest, Psycho Las Vegas, Desertfest, Maryland Deathfest, Rock Hard Festival, Monolith On The Mesa and countless others keep inviting Wino back through his various sonic incarnations year after year.

In a new interview with PipemanRadio, drummer Mike Portnoy of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER was asked what prompted him to become a musician. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it was probably seeing KISS at Madison Square Garden in 1977 on the 'Alive II' tour. I was only 10 years old, but being in that audience, even before the show started, and seeing the big KISS [logo] light up, whatever you would call that, the backdrop, seeing it not lit in the arena, smelling the pot smoke in the air and just the excitement of the lights going down and [hearing], 'You wanted the best, you got the best. The hottest band in the world — KISS,' just that excitement and the bombs going off and the pyro, and that was it. From that point on, I knew that's what I had to do."

After interviewer Pipeman noted that the cover art of the first KISS album is what brought him to where he is now, Portnoy said: "It's so funny, because that album cover, for the first album cover, is so iconic, but when you think about it, it's really just an updated version of THE BEATLES' 'Meet The Beatles' album cover. So it was like taking the same album cover and just taking it for a decade later to a new generation."

Highlighting some of the other parallels between THE BEATLES and KISS, Portnoy added: "Paul Stanley is the Paul McCartney character. Gene Simmons was the John Lennon character. Ace Frehley was the George Harrison character. They align even. You had four guys that all sing and all create and contribute. When THE BEATLES came around, it was the first time there was a band of four characters. Up until then, you just had Elvis Presleys or Chuck Berrys, but when THE BEATLES came around, you finally had four distinctive characters. And it was the same with KISS, when KISS came around — you had four characters, and they were all bringing something to image of the band."

Five years ago, Portnoy talked about his love of KISS while going through his vinyl collection for a video on his YouTube channel. He said at the time:  "Yes, I still, to this day, am a KISS freak and a KISS fanatic. This just brings me back to my childhood. This is my childhood. I grew up with these albums. I have all the original ones in my collection still, but I had to rebuy the whole collection of all the early '70 stuff… Around '75, '76, '77, '78, they were my biggest heroes. I was the biggest KISS fanatic you could meet. I started with THE BEATLES. Late '60, early '70s, THE BEATLES, that was my thing — I was fanatical about them — but then, once I was around nine, 10 years old, whatever, KISS was like the new BEATLES to me. And there are a lot of parallels between THE BEATLES and KISS, believe it or not. I always pictured Paul Stanley as the Paul McCartney stereotype, Gene is the John Lennon stereotype, Ace is the George Harrison and Peter [Criss] is the Ringo [Starr]. So I think there was a lot of similarities between KISS and THE BEATLES when they came around. And like THE BEATLES, [KISS] had four very distinctive personalities. It was like four superstars, four superheroes in the same band. So very similar concept as THE BEATLES, but for a 10-year-old kid in the '70s, it was magical.

"The first KISS album [self-titled 1974 effort] — legendary. So many great songs: 'Strutter', 'Deuce'. The production was not so great. The production, I think, was even worse on [1974's] 'Hotter Than Hell' — the mix is really hard to listen to — but so many great songs. I love 'All The Way'. I still wanna cover that one these days. 'Watching You' and 'Goin' Blind', 'Got To Choose', 'Parasite'.

"[1975's 'Dressed To Kill'] is my favorite of the first three. I love 'Dressed To Kill'. I love the deep cuts. I love 'Room Service' and 'Getaway', 'Love Her All I Can', 'Anything For My Baby', 'C'mon And Love Me'. I mean, it is just song after song after song.

"Then [1975 live album 'Alive!'] was the big one. And I actually have my old 'Alive!' hanging on the wall, signed by all four of them through the years. But I bought the reissue, and it comes with all the same stuff and the booklets and everything from the original. But [it's] one of the great live albums of all time, which probably wasn't even recorded live, but it doesn't matter. This captured everything about the band that was great and all the best songs from the first three albums.

"[1976's] 'Destroyer' — probably their masterpiece of this era. Not my favorite, but probably the masterpiece. Produced by Bob Ezrin, who went on to do [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall'. Of course, 'Detroit Rock City'. I love 'Do You Love Me', I love 'King Of The Night Time World'. 'Beth' is on here, 'God Of Thunder', 'Shout It Out Loud'. So, a little bit of everything, something for everyone on this album.

"[1976's 'Rock And Roll Over'] is probably my favorite of the middle three. I would say 'Dressed To Kill' is my favorite of the first three, [and 'Rock And Roll Over'] is my favorite of the the next three. I love 'Rock And Roll Over'. I think it's one of the best-sounding of the old KISS albums. And once again, I love the deep cuts. I love 'Take Me'. I've always wanted to cover 'Take Me'. 'I Want You', 'Mr. Speed', 'Ladies Room'. 'Calling Dr. Love' — what a song. That came up on my iTunes shuffle a few months ago, and I was, like, 'What a perfect, perfect song.' Amazing.

"[1977's] 'Love Gun'. This was the tour that I saw them on for the first time. Actually, I saw 'em in December 77, so they were still touring on 'Love Gun', but I think 'Alive II' had just come out. And that's the first time I saw them — at Madison Square Garden, December 14th, '77. So, basically, this was the show I saw, the first time I saw KISS. And I remember they opened with 'I Stole Your Love'. Oh, it was just amazing to be in that room — even before the show started, to just see the KISS logo on stage all metallic, but not lit up yet, and to smell the pot smoke in the room. And it was just magical, incredible. And that was like one of those BEATLES 'Ed Sullivan' moments for me when I was a kid. And I taped it —I snuck in a tape recorder and taped it. And I have a bootleg of it somewhere on cassette still to this day.

"[1981's 'Music from 'The Elder''] is one of the most hated albums in their catalog, especially by Gene and Paul. I love this album. I think this is an incredibly underrated album. I know they looked corny at the time.

"When I fell in love with [early] KISS, by the time ['The Elder'] came out, I was moving on to other things and listening to stuff like MOTÖRHEAD and AC/DC. So my taste was changing, and all of their young kids were growing up, starting to move on to different things. But looking back now, I think this was a great album. I love the songs on here. It's Eric Carr on drums. I love 'Odyssey'. [That's] another song I've been wanting to cover forever. But I think there's great stuff on here. 'A World Without Heroes' is beautiful. 'Only You'. I mean, great stuff. So I'm still an 'Elder' fan."

Fan-filmed video of Bruce Dickinson's September 30 performance at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado can be seen in the YouTube playlist below. (Note: After each song, the YouTube player automatically jumps to the next song in the playlist.)

Bruce kicked off his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of his current studio album, "The Mandrake Project", on August 22 at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour is once again his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.

Dickinson's 16-song setlist at the House Of Blues included the live debut of "The Mandrake Project" track "Shadow Of The Gods" as well as the first-ever performance of the IRON MAIDEN song "Flash Of The Blade", from the band's 1984 album "Powerslave".

Prior to launching into "Flash Of The Blade", Dickinson told the crowd:  "Nobody has ever played this song, apart from on the record, of course, but nobody has ever played this song. And it's a song that I wrote. So I don't know whether any of you have got any clue what song it might be. But like usual, it's a conundrum. I shall not tell you. You will just have to figure it out. It probably won't take long… You'll die as you lived in a flash of the blade."

Bruce talked about the setlist for "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour during an interview in August with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said: "We are doing a mixture of songs from 'Accident Of Birth', from 'Chemical Wedding', from 'More Balls To Picasso', obviously from 'Mandrake', and that's, frankly, more than enough for a full show. And in actual fact, I've got seven solo albums to pick from, so if I end up doing — as I will do, in probably in '27 — end up doing another tour with another album, then I'll still have plenty of songs to pick from, from those albums. 'Cause there's songs that people go, 'Why haven't you played that song?' I said, 'Well, I can't play every single song. You have to wait. We'll do it next time.' But 'Shadow Of The Gods', for example, off 'Mandrake', has never been played live until now. So we're gonna play that song every night, because it's a really cool track and it's the most requested track off 'Mandrake'. We've not played it, so we're gonna do that one every night."

Regarding the addition of "Flash Of The Blade" to the setlist, Bruce said: "We've actually dropped a MAIDEN song in there. We haven't done that, like, ever. And so I said we're not a MAIDEN covers band, but I'm gonna do one song, and it'll be a song that I wrote. We're not covering [a song] that [MAIDEN guitarist] Adrian [Smith] wrote with me or [MAIDEN bassist] Steve [Harris] or something. And my wife said, 'You should do this song,' song X. I went, 'Oh, why?' She said, 'Well, nobody's ever played it. You've never played it. Why have you never played that song?' I said, 'Well, I don't know.' She goes, "Everybody wants you to play that song.' I said, 'Who's everybody?' And she's on social media, so she does all this stuff. I don't do social media. So I have no clue. And so I mentioned it to the band. I said we should do it. What do you think if we tried to learn this?' And they dogpiled me, like, 'Oh my God, that would be amazing.' So anyway, next day they'd learned it and they played it to me instrumentally. I was just, like, 'Holy crap. Now let me see if I can still remember how to sing it.' So we're gonna do that."

Asked what it is like going from playing stadiums with IRON MAIDEN to performing mostly in theaters with his solo band, Bruce told WRIF: "There's no comparison. One is one type of thing, one is the other type of thing. So I don't go into a theater going, 'Oh my God. I wish I was playing a stadium.' No, I relish the idea of going into a theater. It's great. And the same thing — if I go into a stadium, I don't go, 'Oh, I wish I was playing a theater.' No, I'm playing a stadium. That's what you're doing and that's what's in front of you."

He continued: "I love performing and I love wherever I am, whether it's three people, 300 or 300,000. Things change a little bit, techniques change a little bit from one to the other to the other, but it's still a performance and you're still trying to do the best thing by everybody there. So, yeah, I love it."

Dickinson also talked in more detail about "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour, which is taking his solo band across North America, including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky). The tour also included a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious The Town festival at the City Of Light in São Paulo.

"It's the same band that did the tour last year," Bruce said. "We did 55 shows together. So, we're a crew now. This is not me standing on the spot and saying, 'Oh, nobody else come within 10 feet of me. Your aura is disturbing my vibe.' No. I mean, we are a band — we sweat together, we get messy, and eye contact. It's a great rock and roll band. And we have fun. We're heavy emotional creatures on stage. So we can play to make you wanna jump up and down in pogo. We can play to make you cry and we can play to put a smile on your face. And hopefully all of those things. So when you leave the show at the end of the evening, we hope we've made your life better."

He continued: "We're a great crew. It's a great show live. We've got a video wall. We've got MAIDEN's sound engineer, MAIDEN's monitor engineer, MAIDEN's lighting engineer as well. And they all love doing it because they love getting their hands dirty in theaters. [MAIDEN's lighting designer] Rob Coleman, on the lights, gets to play and go, 'Hey, yeah, that's weird. Look at that structure on stage. If I put a lamp there' and blah, blah, blah, 'I can get a really great effect.' So we can kind of do things on the fly in theaters or work with what we've got. It's fantastic. You can improv a little bit there. And it's not the same show every night. With MAIDEN, it is. I mean, sure, there are variations in the way that this song is better one night than it was last night and things like that. But with this band, we're so flexible, we can go, 'What's the setlist today? Well, let's shift things around a bit. Let's do that. Oh, we haven't done that song for a while. Let's drop that one in there.' And [if] we're playing Boston and New York back to back, [we can go], 'Oh, yeah. We should definitely play two different songs so people don't go, 'Ah, I went to both shows and they did the same stuff.' [We want them to go], 'Ah, they did something different.'"

Prior to the April 12, 2024 Whisky A Go Go show, Bruce last performed with his solo band on in August 2002 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).

O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson in 2023 as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.

Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.

Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.

"The Mandrake Project" arrived on March 1, 2024 via BMG.

Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", arrived on July 25.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA guitarist Joel Hoekstra spoke late creator Paul O'Neill's refusal to rely on backing tracks or "lip syncing" for any of the performances for the longtime holiday favorites, despite speculation to the contrary. Joel said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's so annoying that people think that we do that. I hate when I read that. It's totally offensive, 'cause we spend a lot of time and value that we don't do that. I think what confuses people, or maybe that it's occurring, is that it's really polished musically, but we do play to what's time code to sync the production to us. So, we're on, basically — it's the equivalent of a metronome. But with some of the songs, there's times where it slows down or speeds up, or you'll get count-ins for certain sections. That's just running with time code to sync the lights and the pyro and things like that to us, so everybody's on the same page. But that's it. There's no tracks with TSO, I mean, there's no need to. We have so much talent in that band. I mean, you've got nine singers in each band. And the backing vocals — and no, we're good. We've got that covered. And everybody plays their parts relatively well, man. I mean, we work hard to sound good as a band. So, yeah, it's really annoying when people think that we're faking it. It's, like, dude, come on, man."

After Meltdown noted that not relying on backing tracks was one of the things Paul was really proud about when it came to TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's live shows, Joel concurred. "Yeah. Oh, definitely," he said. "Obviously, Paul was the guy to hire me, and that was all part of the opening 'I'm hiring you' rap, one of the things he hung his hat on. And there was a lot of those things that Paul had. Some of 'em were quirky and some of 'em made a lot of sense, and that one makes a lot of sense to me, 'cause you don't want somebody to question the integrity of what it is you're doing. But I guess it's such the norm these days that most bands have tracks going, that people just assume. No, we actually don't. And there's no way, if Paul were alive right now, that he'd let us. It would just never happen."

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's 2025 Winter Tour will bring the multi-platinum rock group to 64 markets for 106 concerts across the country. This year's tour will feature an all-new production of their beloved "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" alongside a special second set of hits and fan favorites that includes a 25th-anniversary salute to "Beethoven's Last Night". "The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve: The Best Of TSO And More" tour promises to continue TSO's tradition of captivating audiences nationwide with an unparalleled blend of rock, classical, and theatrical spectacle, complete with dazzling pyrotechnics, lasers, and incredible storytelling.

The 2025 TSO tour promises a reimagined and expanded presentation of the beloved holiday tradition, "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve", which has captivated multiple generations. A product of the imagination of TSO's late founder Paul O'Neill and based on TSO's multi-platinum DVD TV special, "The Ghosts of Christmas Eve" follows the journey of a runaway who breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater on December 24. Following this powerful rock opera, the 2025 tour will also deliver a high-octane, visually stunning second set packed with more of TSO's greatest hits, fan-favorites, and unexpected delights.

Building on the monumental milestones celebrated in their last tour, TSO continues to redefine its success. With over 20 million concert tickets sold and a staggering more than $20 million donated to charity since their inception, TSO remains one of rock's most generous bands, proudly upholding Paul O'Neill's vision, by contributing at least $1 from every ticket sold to local charities.

With an incredible $1 billion in gross sales, TSO's remarkable and consistent appeal is reflected in recent industry accolades: Pollstar recognized TSO at No. 4 for Top North America Tours and at No. 6 on their Top 100 Worldwide Tours chart by gross for Midyear 2025, while Billboard placed them at No. 5 in Midyear 2025 Top Ticket Sales and No. 13 on the Midyear 2025 Top Tours chart. Adding to their impressive achievements, their iconic hit "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24" has just surpassed 100 million streams across digital platforms, further cementing its status as a timeless holiday classic.

Two of rock 'n' roll's most iconic voices — Miljenko Matijević of STEELHEART and Jeff Keith of TESLA — are turning up the heat as they team up to deliver a scintillating new cover of FOGHAT's live version of the legendary Willie Dixon-written / Muddy Waters and Etta James classic "I Just Want To Make Love To You". The single drops worldwide today across all major streaming platforms.

Bristling with raw power, playful energy, and undeniable chemistry, the track is more than just a tribute — it's a celebration of friendship at its most electrifying. Matijević and Keith bring their distinct styles and extraordinary vocal prowess, infusing the legendary song with a modern jolt and their own signature fire. It's a collaboration forged not only in musical talent, but in the genuine camaraderie these two rock legends share.

"This isn't just about the music — it's about having fun, feeding off each other's energy, and letting that spark light up the studio," says Matijević. Keith agrees, adding, "Whenever Mili and I get together, it's fantastic. We're big fans of this song, and we couldn't wait to dive in and make it our own." Bringing the song full circle, the duo have gotten an endorsement from FOGHAT's Roger Earl, who is celebrating their heartfelt tribute.

More than simply a musical partnership, their joint interviews are renowned for rock 'n' roll storytelling, laughter, and behind-the-scenes banter, giving fans a glimpse into the deep connection that drives their high-voltage performances. The song world premiered on air with "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" on SiriusXM on October 1 at 1 p.m. PST along with a spirited interview, clips of which can be found on channel 103 on the SiriusXM app.

FIMBUL WINTER, the new Swedish death metal band featuring three former AMON AMARTH members, will release its debut EP, "What Once Was", on November 14. The project consists of original AMON AMARTH members Niko Kaukinen on drums and Anders Biazzi (formerly Anders Hansson) on guitar, and former AMON AMARTH drummer Fredrik Andersson on lead guitar. Completing the lineup is Clint Williams on vocals.

According to a press release, FIMBUL WINTER fuses decades of experience with a fresh, uncompromising energy. "What Once Was" delivers a sound that is cold, intense, and fiercely authentic — a bold statement from a band built on unfinished business and a shared passion for the roots of Swedish death metal.

"What Once Was" track listing:

01. Storms Rage
02. What Once Was
03. Mounds Of Stones
04. A Soul That Soared
05. In Solitude's Embrace

The official Svartna Film-created music video for the EP's first single, "Mounds Of Stones", can be seen below.

FIMBUL WINTER comments: "We've poured our passion, energy, and heart into this track. It's more than just a song, it's our way of showing the world what we're capable of, and we can't wait for people to finally hear it.

"'Mounds Of Stones' tells the story of a figure shaped by suffering, who turns his pain into vengeance. He isn't remembered by name, only by the silence and the stones left behind."

Lineup:

Niko Kaukinen (AMON AMARTH founding member) - Drums
Anders Biazzi (AMON AMARTH founding member) - Guitar
Fredrik Andersson (ex-AMON AMARTH) - Lead Guitar
Clint Williams (MUNITIONS) - Vocals

Session bass by Tobias Cristiansson (NECROPHOBIC, GRAVE, DISMEMBER)

The idea for FIMBUL WINTER's formation was born out of a spontaneous reunion performing the AMON AMARTH demo from 1994 called "The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter". That reconnection quickly turned into something more serious: a desire to create new music that captures the spirit of the early Swedish scene, without compromises and without dilution of intensity. The result is "What Once Was", where FIMBUL WINTER delivers a sound that is cold, uncompromising, and fiercely authentic. As torchbearers of the Swedish melodic death metal tradition, the band channels decades of experience while staying true to the sound that defined them, from rediscovered riffs originally written for AMON AMARTH to entirely new compositions.

FIMBUL WINTER is not a side project or nostalgia trip. It's a band built on unfinished business and a shared intent to continue shaping the sound they helped create.

Regarding how FIMBUL WINTER came together, the band said: "The idea started with Niko wanting to play the demo 'The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter', which he recorded over 30 years ago, at his 50th-birthday party. Fredrik thought it sounded like fun and offered to play the guitar. After that Anders was asked to join in and then with the addition of friends Linus Nirbrant on bass and Clint on vocals, a selected amount of friends got to experience this unique lineup and hear the tracks that once laid the foundation to what was to become. Having so much fun playing together and realizing all three former members had a ton of killer old-school material, the decision to keep on playing and to eventually record new songs was made."

Andersson was fired from AMON AMARTH in March 2015, just as the band was preparing to enter the studio to begin work on its 2016 album "Jomsviking". AMON AMARTH opted to enlist a session drummer, Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY, CUT UP),during the recording sessions for the disc, but hired Jocke Wallgren to join them on the road. Wallgren was named a permanent member of AMON AMARTH in September 2016.

In a 2016 interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal" podcast, AMON AMARTH guitarist Olavi Mikkonen stated about the band's split with Andersson: "I don't really wanna go into details regarding Fredrik, but, basically, we just separated. It's kind of like a marriage that doesn't work, and you get divorced. And that's kind of what happened to our band."

FOO FIGHTERS have surprise-released a new live EP. Recorded at various club shows the band played across the United States in September, "Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1" is available exclusively on Bandcamp, with proceeds going towards local charities working to combat food insecurity in San Luis Obispo and Santa Ana, California, Washington, D.C., and New Haven, Connecticut — the four cities where the gigs took place.

"Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1" was captured at at San Luis Obispo's Fremont Theater, Santa Ana's The Observatory, Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat and Toad's Place in New Haven.

According to a press release, "Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1" boasts "absolutely ripping live tracks recorded in front of dozens, possibly hundreds of lucky fans at the band's recent surprise club gigs".

The "Are Playing Where??? Vol. 1" track listing consists of "Alone + Easy Target", "Exhausted", "Wattershed" and "Weenie Beenie", all of which originally appeared on the FOO FIGHTERS' 1995 self-titled debut album, along with a live rendition of a bonus track from that era, "Winnebago". Also included is a live version of "White Limo" from FOO FIGHTERS' seventh album, 2011's "Wasting Light".

The track listing is:

01. Alone + Easy Target (Live From Somewhere 2025)
02. Exhausted (Live From Somewhere 2025)
03. Wattershed (Live From Somewhere 2025)
04. Weenie Beenie (Live From Somewhere 2025)
05. White Limo (Live From Somewhere 2025)
06. Winnebago (Live From Somewhere 2025)

FOO FIGHTERS played their first concert with new drummer Ilan Rubin on September 13 at the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California.

The Grohl-fronted outfit announced the surprise show the day before, revealing that it would play an all-ages gig at the 900-capacity venue, marking the band's first official performance with Rubin, the former NINE INCH NAILS drummer who joined the FOO FIGHTERS earlier this year.

At one point, Grohl introduced Rubin from the stage. "Everybody else has said it," Dave said. "I finally get the opportunity to say, 'Ladies and gentlemen, will you please welcome…' The most badass motherfucker, Ilan Rubin, is playing drums in the FOO FIGHTERS right now. It's official. You can stamp the passport."

Prior to the San Luis Obispo concert, FOO FIGHTERS had been off the road since September 2024.

FOO FIGHTERS played in Jakarta, Indonesia on October 2, and will next play in Singapore, Tokyo and Osaka later this month. They will also play a show in Mexico City on November 14.

FOO FIGHTERS announced Rubin as their new drummer this past July.

Rubin was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with NINE INCH NAILS in 2020.

Rubin stepped into the FOO FIGHTERS as the replacement for Josh Freese, who was fired from the group in May. Freese, meanwhile, who was the NAILS' touring drummer from 2005 to 2008, returned to the band earlier this summer.

Two years after he was recruited to fill the vacancy left by the late Taylor Hawkins, Freese shared a statement on Instagram on May 16 in which he said the FOO FIGHTERS called him earlier that week to let him know that they had decided "to go in a different direction with their drummer." Freese added, "No reason was given."

Rubin played with NINE INCH NAILS from 2008 to 2009, and again from 2013 until his latest exit. Rubin is also a member of Tom DeLonge's band ANGELS & AIRWAVES, and has played with Danny Elfman. He also recorded solo albums under the name THE NEW REGIME.

FOO FIGHTERS' 11th album, "But Here We Are", was released in June 2023 on Roswell/RCA.

Hawkins tragically passed away in March 2022 at the age of 50.

Hawkins was found dead in a hotel room in Colombia, shortly before FOO FIGHTERS were due to play a festival in Bogotá. No cause of death was ever announced.

Hawkins had been the FOO FIGHTERS drummer for 25 years, taking over from original drummer William Goldsmith in 1997.

FOO FIGHTERS staged two tribute concerts in honor of Hawkins. The first tribute concert took place September 3, 2022 at London's Wembley Stadium. A Los Angeles concert was held on September 27, 2022 and raised money for Musicares and Music Support charities and served as a farewell party for Hawkins's adopted hometown.

Other notable tributes to come in the months following Hawkins's death included a segment at the 2022 Grammy Awards, a drum circle in Taylor's hometown, and a live performance of the FOO FIGHTERS song "My Hero" by more than 1,000 musicians.

Photo credit: Elizabeth Miranda
Are Playing Where??? Vol. I by Foo Fighters

Following the stomping debut single "Heavy As Hell" from their upcoming album "Built To Destroy", due out on November 14, New York steamrollers N.Y.C. kick down the doors of the virtual Heaven 'N' Hell Bar once again, this time with the album's crushing title track. Louder, faster, and meaner, "Built To Destroy" is a perfect metal battering ram for the beginning of the end times. The self-titled track arrives accompanied by an official next-gen Unreal Engine 5 music video, available below.

N.Y.C. — featuring Tommy Bolan (WARLOCK),Stet Howland (W.A.S.P., METAL CHURCH) and Steve Unger (METAL CHURCH) — rages with the raw spirit of an era when "badass" was still a compliment, when action heroes were leather-clad wild cards instead of neurotic teens, and when heavy metal proudly gave pop the middle finger. Think classic riffs, explosive energy, and a no-compromise attitude forged in the fire where metal, action flicks, and first-person shooters like Doom collided.

Bolan sums it up best: "The title song — a crisp 'I'm fed up and sick of everything!' Simply a respawn of the good old Do It My Way — and if you get in my way, I'll run you over and drop a building on you. A feel-good song for everyone who's had enough!"

Keeping with the band's signature mix of heavy riffs and cinematic world-building, the track's music video takes place in the flame-spewing cathedral of the Heaven 'N' Hell Bar. This time, the doors open to a dark dimension, revealing glimpses of a post-apocalyptic cityscape that fans will instantly connect to the Doom-inspired aesthetics introduced in "Heavy As Hell".

Directed once again by Academy Award–winning Hollywood veteran Walter Schulz, the video continues N.Y.C.'s groundbreaking series of virtual performances powered by Epic's Unreal Engine.

"The approach to the N.Y.C. music videos has been a unique new way and possibly a future industry standard to produce content for this type of material," says Schulz.

Markus Liedtke, CEO and founder of AMNET (Adrenalizing Media Network),adds: "Every gamer knows Epic's Unreal Engine — but we're taking it to the next level. With our N.Y.C. music video project, we're redefining how artists, gaming, and entertainment merge into a new kind of global franchise."

The Heaven 'N' Hell Bar itself debuted at San Diego Comic-Con (CCI 2023) in an exclusive comic book edition of NRCity Stories Extreme: Chapter 0 – A Painful Birth, where the band first stepped into their growing narrative universe.

What would it sound like if AC/DC brawled with JUDAS PRIEST in an alley while MOTÖRHEAD revved a Harley over the whole thing? Meet N.Y.C. and their debut album "Built To Destroy". It's heavy, it's loud, it's fed up, and it's definitely not here to make friends.

Founded by lead singer and guitarist Tommy Bolan, born and raised in Queens, New York and the six-string shredder behind WARLOCK's platinum "Triumph & Agony", N.Y.C. also features metal legends Howland on drums and Unger on bass. Together, they channel the sound of New York City: noisy, restless, pissed off and ready to rise from the gutter.

Their debut album "Built To Destroy" was produced by Tommy Bolan and is being released by Adrenalizing Media Network (executive producer). It was recorded at Deep End Music Studios and mastered by Robert Vosgien (Los Angeles, USA).

Bolan comments on the debut album: "I wanted to write songs that were real to me. With our songs, we can vent our aggression while at the same time exorcise our demons of insanity. I'm the guy on the New York street corner screamin' about everything, and you FEEL that intensity in our live show."

Tommy continues: "'Built To Destroy' is basically the return for anyone to end all of the bullshit that has been dumped on them in their life. All of the madness, lies, and self-sacrifice of body, mind, and soul at the hands of others shall now be turned around. As my song says: I am 'tired of smiling'. All of this has made me the half man-half machine you see before you. I have returned to set my demons free and tolerate no one's limitations any longer."

"Built To Destroy" track listing:

01. Heavy As Hell
02. Twisted
03. United
04. Tired Of Smiling
05. Lyin' Eyes
06. Let's Roll (40 Brave)
07. Central Park
08. Fight
09. Full Tilt
10. Highway To Nowhere
11. Gasoline
12. 244
13. Built To Destroy

"Built To Destroy" is a full-on sonic tantrum and the pre-release festivities are coming in hot. The launch of Bolan's signature guitar strings (via Optima Strings) is underway, alongside some — quite literally — epic and amazing videos with VFX veteran Walter Schulz (Emmy and Academy Award winner and Hollywood VFX director). Schulz and the team at Adrenalizing Media Network have been working with Unreal Engine and all their latest technologies, spared no effort to get never done before uses out of the outstanding capabilities of the latest gaming tech.

"Walter is a master at his craft and a perfect fit," states Bolan, "The visual world he has created captures the intensity of N.Y.C."

N.Y.C. is:

Tommy Bolan - Vocals/Guitar
Stet Howland - Drums
Steve Unger - Bass

Scott Stapp's "Deadman's Trigger" shoots to No. 9 on the Mediabase Active Rock chart, becoming the third consecutive radio hit from the CREED frontman's latest solo album, "Higher Power". Previous singles were "Black Butterfly" (No. 5) and "Higher Power" (No. 8).

Released in March 2024, "Higher Power"'s sustained success, amidst two years of sold-out arena tours with CREED, has now cemented the icon status of one of rock's most recognizable voices.

To accompany the single, Stapp released "Deadman's Trigger: A Short Film" in August. The nine-minute rock-fueled Western is a classic showdown in which a peaceful man of faith defends what he loves most. In a hail of Hellfire, he protects (and is saved) by an unlikely hero — his seven-year-old son Anthony Stapp.

Billboard wrote the "Higher Power" album is "growling and energetic, but also admirably reflective." Esquire wrote, "with 10 huge, earnest, soaring, anthemic tracks, it's everything you love about Scott Stapp," and Loudwire named it "one of the year's best solo rock records."

In March 2024, "Higher Power" debuted at No. 2 on the Current Hard Music Albums chart, No. 4 on the Current Digital Albums chart and No. 6 on the Current Rock Albums chart.

Stapp first emerged as the high-energy frontman of CREED. The Grammy-winning songwriter penned anthems like "Higher", "My Own Prison", "My Sacrifice", "With Arms Wide Open", "What If", "Say I" and "One", selling over 50 million albums and earning a diamond certification. Stapp's solo albums include the platinum-certified "The Great Divide" (2005),"Proof Of Life" (2013),"The Space Between The Shadows" (2019),and "Higher Power".

In 2024, CREED announced a North American tour. After each show quickly sold out, the tour was extended into 2025. The Grammy- and American Music Award-winning band formed in 1994 in Tallahassee, Florida. Nearly 30 years later formation, the anthems composed by Stapp and guitarist Mark Tremonti are part of mainstream rock's DNA. "My Own Prison" (1997) remains one of the late 20th century's biggest debuts. "Human Clay" (1999) and "Weathered" (2001) entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1, while "Full Circle" (2009) debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock, Hard Rock, and Alternative charts and No. 2 on the Billboard 200. With over 53 million albums sold worldwide, CREED stands alongside VAN HALEN, GUNS N' ROSES and METALLICA as one of an elite few rock bands to earn RIAA diamond-certified status, for more than 11 million sales of "Human Clay" in the U.S.