Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE give fans — naughty and nice alike — a seasonal surprise with "Christmas Bonus", their spirited new single, unwrapped today.

Not only does the track contain a guitar solo cunningly constructed to unleash good cheer, even at a distance, but it also features references to the first "Die Hard" movie, surely the most explosive festive flick of them all.

AIRBOURNE frontman Joel O'Keeffe comments: "Christmas is a time to rock 'n' roll! I remember being a little kid, and I really didn't like carols at all — I thought they were annoying. I just wanted to listen to AC/DC and BLACK SABBATH. But then I got this new AC/DC record, 'The Razor's Edge', and there was this song, 'Mistress For Christmas'. I had no idea what it meant, but that's what I was playing for Christmas that year. Rockin' out at Christmas is one of the best times of the year to rock out — let's all headbang around the Christmas tree!"

Watch the NSFW animated music video for "Christmas Bonus" below.

"Christmas Bonus", alongside AIRBOURNE's recently released new single "Gutsy", were produced by Brian Howes, who worked with the band on 2013's "Black Dog Barking" album; engineering, meanwhile, was handled by Canadian studio legend Mike Fraser (AC/DC, AEROSMITH, RUSH, METALLICA),with Zakk Cervini (DAYSEEKER, BRING ME THE HORIZON, ARCHITECTS, Machine Gun Kelly) taking charge of the mix.

AIRBOURNE will return to Europe early next year, rockin' hard through the winter into spring.

The full list of announced 2026 AIRBOURNE live appearances is as follows: -

Jan. 30 - Nottingham, UK @ Rock City
Feb. 03 - Munich, Germany @ TonHalle
Feb. 05 - Klosterneuburg, Austria @ Raiffeisenbank
Feb. 07 - Berlin, Germany @ Columbiahalle
Feb. 09 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Poolen
Feb. 10 - Oslo, Norway @ Sentrum Scene
Feb. 12 - Stockholm, Sweden @ B-K
Feb. 14 - Hamburg, Germany @ Georg Elser Halle
Feb. 16 - Utrecht, the Netherlands @ TivoliVredenburg
Feb. 17 - Luxembourg @ Luxexpo The Box
Feb. 20 - Cologne, Germany @ Palladium
Feb. 21 - Zenith Paris – Paris, France @ La Villette
Feb. 24 - Birmingham, UK @ O2 Academy Birmingham
Feb. 25 - Manchester, UK @ Manchester Academy
Feb. 28 - London, UK @ Roundhouse
Mar. 02 - Norwich, UK @ UEA (University of East Anglia)
Mar. 03 - Southampton, UK @ O2 Guildhall
Mar. 06 - Groningen, the Netherlands @ De Oosterpoort
Mar. 08 - Wiesbaden, Germany @ Schlachthof
Mar. 09 - Saarbrücken, Germany @ Garage
Mar. 11 - Lyon, France @ Transbordeur
Mar. 13 - Zürich, Switzerland @ Halle 662
Mar. 14 - Milan, Italy @ Alcatraz
Mar. 17 - Cenon, France @ Le Rocher de Palmer
Mar. 20 - Nîmes, France @ Paloma
Mar. 21 - Toulouse, France @ Interférence
Mar. 24 - Barcelona, Spain @ Razzmatazz
Mar. 25 - Madrid, Spain @ Sala La Riviera
Mar. 27 - Bilbao, Spain @ Sala Santana 27
Mar. 29 - Brussels, Belgium @ Ancienne Belgique

In a June 2025 interview with Louise Phillips of U.K.'s TotalRock, AIRBOURNE drummer Ryan O'Keeffe confirmed that the recording sessions for the band's sixth album were completed in April.

Asked by Phillips if AIRBOURNE has already decided on a title for the upcoming album, Ryan and his brother, Joel O'Keeffe, revealed that it would be called "Gutsy", which is also the title of the single AIRBOURNE released earlier in June.

"Gutsy" and "Christmas Bonus" feature AIRBOURNE's current lineup, consisting of Joel and Ryan, alongside longtime bassist Justin Street, and recent recruit Brett Tyrrell on rhythm guitar.

Tyrrell joined AIRBOURNE in 2022 as the replacement for Matthew Harrison, who stepped into the band in 2018 after the departure of founding member David Roads.

AIRBOURNE bassist Justin Street joined the band in 2004 as the replacement for Luke McKenzie.

AIRBOURNE is:

Joel O'Keeffe - Frontman/Lead Guitar
Ryan O'Keeffe - Drums
Justin Street - Bass
Brett Tyrrell - Rhythm Guitar

Photo credit: Andy Ford

According to a new social media post from ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, the band has completed mixing its long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album.

The mixing sessions, as well as some of the recording sessions, took place at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California.

ANTHRAX once again worked with producer Jay Ruston, who previously helmed "For All Kings" and 2011's "Worship Music" albums.

In a recent interview with Thomann's Guitars & Basses, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello stated about the band's next LP: "I think it's been almost 10 years since the last ANTHRAX record, which is insane. We all are very, very hungry, 'cause we're in mixing right now. The new ANTHRAX record, I'm proud to say, I'm very psyched about this, that it's mixing, and now we get to hear the whole thing of it. And just to hear them really come to life now after all that, and, really, the parts are all done. Everything's locked in. And to hear what they're gonna sound like for when people hear it, as a fan of the band, it's, like, 'Fuck yeah!' You get hungry and you're ready and you know you have the goods. So we're pretty psyched."

Elaborating on the enthusiasm he and his ANTHRAX bandmates feel about releasing a new album more than 40 years into the group's career, Frank said: "You know what it is, man? I think you never stop being a fan. Never stop being a fan, because that's where the gut is. It comes from your gut, and you are hungry. I'm an ANTHRAX fan, so I wanna hear the best of the best. What do we have? When you hear a bad riff, it's out. Something's gotta work and it's gotta be good enough for us. That's why we know if it's good enough for us, everybody will like it. And that's the way we've always worked."

Bello also talked in more detail about the ANTHRAX songwriting process, explaining: "It's all [about exchanging] demos at this point. It's all digital stuff, so we send each other stuff. Charlie's in Chicago, Scott's [Ian, ANTHRAX guitarist] in L.A., I'm in New York. So imagine traveling like that. The three of us get together after we have a collection that we think are strong enough, and we'll bat them down and really put 'em together and make sure they work."

This past July, Benante told the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast that he and his ANTHRAX bandmates would "release a song at the end of this year, to give people a taste of what's to come. I just finished the album cover, and that is fucking trippy as hell," he said. "I designed it with this artist, who is killer. You know David Blaine, the magician. He did a six-part series recently [National Geographic's 'Do Not Attempt'], and Mark [Stutzman], the artist, he did a lot of the conceptual art for it.

"It's so weird how things happen to me," Charlie continued. "It's, like, I was looking for an artist and I'm watching this David Blaine documentary, and there's this art, which is exactly what I wanted. And I contacted him, and he loved the idea and he was a fan. So it's so crazy how things just turn out that way. So I'm really happy about that."

Earlier in July, Bello told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the progress of the recording sessions for ANTHRAX's new album: "The record's done. It's going into mixing now. Look, I know it's a long time coming, and thank you to the fans that are listening right now, and I know it's been a while. But between COVID, side projects, everything, we've all had different lives, and everybody's very much into what we're doing now with ANTHRAX. So, you'll be hearing something before the end of the year, for sure."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if that means that ANTHRAX fans will at least get a new song before the end of 2025, Frank said: "That is the plan, Eddie. That is the plan. 'Cause nobody puts out records right away — just a song and then a song, and you tease it out."

Elaborating on the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Frank said: "I can't say the title [of the album yet], but what I can say is people who have liked the last two records, and there's been a lot of you, and thank you for that, I think we took another step from that. And this isn't just a salesmanship thing. I am, as a fan, really proud of the band stepping up like this — musicianship, songwriting. Joey's [Belladonna] vocals — I'm not even joking when I say this about Belladonna, it's one of the best singing he's done on an ANTHRAX record. I'm not even joking with that. So, we made sure the melodies, everything is right with this record. We're ready to go. It's been a long time, but I think we have the goods. I'm really proud of it, and I can't wait to play this stuff. It's gonna be a little challenging, definitely, but I'm looking forward to getting out there again."

Asked if 2026 has been "carved out" as the year when everyone in ANTHRAX will focus on touring with the band in support of the upcoming album, Frank said: "That is carved out, from my manager Mike Monterulo, straight from his mouth. We're concentrating specifically on ANTHRAX. Look, there may be shows here and there for other projects and that's fine when we're off, but it's absolutely focused on ANTHRAX and the record and getting it out there and really making people hear the stuff."

Earlier in July, Belladonna told Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM as part of the station's 31st-anniversary celebration that he had "finished the vocals" for ANTHRAX's upcoming album. "I'm really happy with what I've done," he said. "And the band sounds great on the record. And as far as I know right now, we're still finishing up a few things. We're not even mixing yet, so at this point I'd be just speculating [about a possible release date]. Obviously, things are going in the right form and the timing is right. So, all good. I'm happy. You're gonna love it."

In September 2024, Ian told Jon Wiederhorn of Guitar World magazine that he and hisANTHRAX bandmates hoped to finally release their new album in 2025.

"We're taking our time and not rushing anything because we want it to be exactly how we want it," Ian said. "We're not in a place in our lives anymore where we could have dropped everything and said, 'All right, we've got two months of studio time. Let's finish writing and then get in there and record it all and do the vocals. Mix, master and we're done — like in the old days.' We have families and commitments now, so it can't work that way anymore and hasn't in a long time."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Ian said: "There are crushing riffs and great, hooky choruses. Even some of the thrashiest songs have great choruses. We're always looking for the hook, and I think we've accomplished that."

He added: "With the songs we've written, we'd be able to put together a nine- or 10-song record that would be thrashier than anything we've done in a long time. But there would also be a way to make it a very different kind of album depending on which songs we choose. And I can tell you, I know which way I'm leaning. And I think we're all on the same page. We want this record to punch people in the face. And then we can use the bonus tracks for other things, but in the context of the record, I really want it to hit hard."

As for his expectations for the new ANTHRAX album, Scott said: "I'd like to think this record will be a slew of songs that people are going to be very excited about hearing live for the next few years. I generally feel the riffs, the grooves and the breakdowns – we used to call them mosh parts in the old days — I think they're gonna connect with our fans. And a lot of these songs are tailor-made for our live show, so I hope we'll be playing them for a long time."

In August 2024, Benante told Metal Hammer magazine about ANTHRAX's upcoming LP: "There's a song which has the same kind of epic feel as 'In The End' [from 2011's 'Worship Music'] and 'Blood Eagle Wings' [from 'For All Kings']. It revolves around the journey we've been on in the band. And there are three songs that don't sound like anything we've done before. One called 'The Edge Of Perfection' I had way before COVID, and it has just stayed with me — the melody and the chords, but also the aggression."

In January 2024, Bello told Rodney McG about the long delay in getting new ANTHRAX music out: "There wasn't a rush, obviously. I know it's been eight years since our last record, but we wanna make sure it's right, and it is [right]. We are very confident. I'm not worried about how right it is. It's right on exactly where I think, and the rest of the band think, we need to be. I love that it's more complicated for me to play. I love the challenge of that. I think we stepped it up a little bit, the heaviness. Again, everybody's gonna prop their record. Doing this for so long, this is how I feel.

"I don't wanna get complacent," he continued. "I want the challenge, 'cause I'm a fan. I'm a fan, and it has to stimulate me. And it has to get me going on stage."

As for the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Bello said: "On this record, there's stuff that we've never done before. I'm just saying right out — there's stuff, in a heavy way, which I'm very proud of. I like that we went that way with it and just went, 'What the fuck was that?' Some of the things that Charlie Benante does on drums, Scott and I were just, 'What the fuck was that?' And that's great, 'cause you wanna raise your game after that. I think it makes everybody step up a little bit. I'm doing some bass stuff that I had some fun with on this that I would never have done. I think there's a lot of cool stuff that's going on vocally, melody-wise. I'm really happy where the next ANTHRAX record is going."

In October 2023, Ian told "THAT Rocks!" that he and his ANTHRAX bandmates had "only really been working on" their new LP "for a year-ish, I would say… But then once lockdown and all that stuff happened, we just all walked away; nothing creative was happening at all with us through that whole period," he explained. "And then, slowly but surely, when we started playing shows again in '21 and going into '22, that's when we started working again, really. And then in the last year, we really started to put stuff together and Charlie and Frankie and I getting together and having writing sessions and arranging stuff."

In September 2023, Belladonna was asked by Tulsa Music Stream if he is typically presented with finished lyrics to sing or if he gets to contribute a lot lyrically to the content. Joey said: "I love doing lyrics, but there's a lot of lyrics that Scott — he just loves to do it. It's his thing. He just digs into such — these topics that he likes to go and get into, and we all kind of have our own little thoughts on the songs. But I get in there and I really kind of — I dig into the whole thing a lot further. There's a lot of stuff that I have to… When you start singing on something, you really have to find the pockets of what you wanna do, what kind of tone I wanna throw on it and how I wanna go for a certain range for certain things and how I approach it is very important. There are lyrics, but at the end of the day, I have to go in there and still sing as good and catchy and appropriate as I can to make this stuff my thing, my style. Obviously, we're not the hit-oriented type of thing, but I'm always going for something cool to catch you off guard and neat and different. I have my own style, so I just kind of do my thing."

During an August 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ian said about the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material: "Certainly of the nine [songs] we've tracked so far, from a riff point of view, it's definitely — I mean it's riffs with all capital letters. Like if you were going to write, you would write 'riffs' in all capitals with an exclamation point. The riffs are killer. It's very riff-centric. There's a lot of faster uptempo material, certainly."

Ian added: "I will say there is a song — I won't say any titles yet, 'cause it's still probably a working title — there's definitely one song, it's the fastest thing we've ever done. There's another song that we haven't recorded yet that's also in the vein, more of a 'Gung-Ho' or a 'Caught In A Mosh'. Because Charlie and I talk all the time. I said, 'We still need something that's like a three-and-a-half-minute just ripper. You know, something like that.' And then we come up with something like that and I'm, like, 'Hey, I forgot I'm 60 now, and now I have to play this song for the next three years.' Just make my life harder."

Earlier in 2023, Benante was asked by Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules why it has taken so long for ANTHRAX to complete the writing process for a new LP. Charlie said: "If we didn't get hit with this whole global pandemic thing, it would have been out probably two years ago, three years ago. But we all know what happened. But now, being that some of the songs were [written] before the pandemic hit, they're old to me. So now there's a bunch of new songs that kind of came in the mix. So that's a good thing. You can never have enough… We're still working on the older ones because we really like a lot of those."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

YES keyboard legend Rick Wakeman says that he is "doing really well" after undergoing "corrective" brain surgery last week to address some of the "health issues" that forced the postponement of his 2025 U.S. tour.

In a message posted to his official web site, Wakeman wrote: "As many of you may be aware, a few months ago I had to reschedule my American tour because of health issues as I was diagnosed with the neurological disorder 'normal pressure hydrocephalus' and following hospitalised operational tests in September, I had the necessary corrective 'shunt' brain surgery last week which I am pleased to say was very successful and I am now recuperating at home being cared for by my lovely wife and our wonderful furry healing animals!

"I have to take things easy for a while but have been told by my surgeon that I will be perfectly fine to travel to America for the tour with my son Oliver in March and will be fine for all future engagements after that — and I will also be fine for the 2 Saving Strays charity concerts in Norwich and Ipswich on December 19th and 20th.

"I am also pleased to say that it doesn't seem to have affected my piano playing in any way as I still seem to be very capable of hitting the odd wrong note here and there when I lose my concentration!! Once again, I'd like to thank everybody who wished me well over the last few months for a speedy recovery as it really did mean a lot to me.

"Thanks again… Rick".

Earlier today (Monday, November 24),Wakeman took to his account on X (formerly Twitter) to write: "a big thank you for all the lovely messages ..... I'm doing really well and driving my lovely wife nuts !!!"

Wakeman's rescheduled U.S. tour will kick off in March 2026, and will feature him performing with his son, and fellow keyboardist, Oliver. The trek, dubbed "Wakeman & Son", will mark the first time that Rick has toured with Oliver. Rick and Oliver "will be performing music which ranges from their joint musical heritage to their latest recordings."

Rick said in a statement: "It's always an honor for me to share the stage with one of my wonderful children, and for the first time, it's a thrill to be actually doing a tour with my eldest son Oliver. I know it will be very special — especially if, on the odd occasion, he buys me dinner!!"

The 13-date "Wakeman & Son" tour will launch March 11, 2026 in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and will run through a March 29 concert in Red Bank, New Jersey.

Rick first started establishing a reputation as one of rock's most original and proficient keyboard players in the late '60s, when he worked with the likes of David Bowie, Cat Stevens, Marc Bolan, Lou Reed, Al Stewart, Elton John and other artists too numerous to mention, as a much-in-demand session player. He stepped out of the recording studio and into the limelight when he first joined THE STRAWBS and then YES, helping to make the latter the most successful progressive rock band in the world by contributing to seminal albums such as "Fragile" and "Close To The Edge".

But outside of YES, Rick was really able to unleash his creativity with a series of groundbreaking concept albums, "The Six Wives Of Henry VIII", "Journey To The Centre Of The Earth" and "The Myths And Legends Of King Arthur And The Knights Of The Round Table", which have been performed in large-scale shows featuring bands, orchestras and choirs.

However, he is equally at home as a solo artist in up close environment of concert halls, performing music on a piano — both his own and tunes that have a special resonance for him — and recounting wickedly funny stories taken from the length of his career. In recent years, he has added a rack of electric keyboards to ring the changes and enable him to enlarge his live solo repertoire.

Wakeman has reportedly played on more than 2,000 records, including such classics as Cat Stevens's "Morning Has Broken" and David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and "Life On Mars".
a big thank you for all the lovely messages ..... I'm doing really well and driving my lovely wife nuts !!!

— Rick Wakeman CBE (@GrumpyOldRick) November 24, 2025

Guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA has revealed that he recently underwent "minor surgery" on his right hand, rendering him unable to play guitar on the band's upcoming tour of France. As a result of his injury, he and his bandmates have hired Greg Kubacki of the New York-based mathcore act CAR BOMB to play guitar for GOJIRA on the trek, which is scheduled to kick off on November 27 in Reims and conclude on December 12 in Strasbourg.

Earlier today, Joseph shared X-ray images of his broken hand and he included the following message: "Hey! I hurt my hand a few weeks ago. After getting minor surgery, I'm on the mend but unfortunately I won't be able to play all my guitar parts on the next tour in France… No worries though, we hired our good friend [Greg Kubacki] of the incredible [CAR BOMB] to 'Give us a hand'. The mood in our camp is up there though, as we're embarking for an interesting experience on our own turf. Show must go ooooon".

This past February, GOJIRA was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 67th annual Grammy Awards, which was held at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) in Los Angeles, California. GOJIRA was nominated for "Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!)" — a version of the French Revolution-era standard "Ah! Ça Ira!" — which the band performed at last year's Olympic Games opening ceremony.

In July 2024, GOJIRA performed a surprise rendition of "Ah! Ça Ira" alongside opera singer Marina Viotti as well as a number of beheaded figures representing the slain Queen Marie Antoinette. The performance took place outside the Conciergerie, a former prison and residence of French kings during the French Revolution where Antoinette was held before she was beheaded in 1793.

GOJIRA made history as the first metal band to ever perform at the Olympic Games. The performance made international headlines and was widely regarded as one of the most talked about moments from the 2024 summer Olympics.

Prior to winning this year's Grammy, GOJIRA had been nominated for a Grammy Award three times — twice in 2017, for "Best Metal Performance" and "Best Rock Album" ("Magma") and once in 2022 for "Best Metal Performance".

GOJIRA is considered a standard-bearer for French rock and bringing French rock to an international audience. Metal Hammer declared GOJIRA "metal's most important band" in 2016.

GOJIRA's latest album, "Fortitude", entered Billboard's Top Albums chart at No. 1 in May 2021, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard's Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2),United Kingdom (No. 6),Australia (No. 3),Germany (No. 8),Belgium (No. 2),Netherlands (No. 4),Denmark (No. 3),Portugal (No. 4),Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).

Furthermore, GOJIRA concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds were donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.

Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE),"Fortitude" is GOJIRA's first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016's Grammy-nominated LP "Magma". A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, "Fortitude" has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking "It's all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock." NPR hailed "Another World" as "an apocalyptic banger," and Paste called "Into The Storm" a "much-needed revolutionary anthem." Stereogum declared, "hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing," while Revolver attested "Fortitude" "could spark a revolution."

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BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, the renaissance-inspired rock band formed by Ritchie Blackmore and his wife Candice Night, recently postponed the last four shows on its six-date tour of the U.S. East Coast. The concerts at Newton Theater in Newton, New Jersey on Saturday, November 15, The Queen in Wilmington, Delaware on Thursday, November 20, Cohoes Music Hall in Cohoes, New York on Sunday, November 23 and Tarrytown Music Hall in Tarrytown, New York on Saturday, November 29 were called off "due to medical reasons".

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),Ritchie released the following statement explaining his reasons for having to postpone the shows: "Very quick history, for those who have nothing better to do: I have a long history of lumbar and neck herniated discs. Consequently, I would have back injections before a tour to help me over the pain. Recently, I have acquired debilitating migraines. They come and go very quickly. When I see the visual disturbance of these ocular migraines, I know they are coming.

"When we did the long drive from Pennsylvania to Newton NJ we were booked into a hotel that had a wedding party going all night in the corridors. There was no heat in the room and the sheets were still damp. Which I assume culminated in me having a severe migraine attack. I couldn't stop vomiting. The room wouldn't stop spinning and I was extremely dizzy to the point of not being able to stand. Ambulance was called. I was taken to hospital and they gave me CAT scans and other tests. They were very gracious. The doctors came to the conclusion that my official diagnosis was severe vertigo. The results of this went on for days on end. I am now following up how serious these migraines are with various doctors.

"When one tours, you have a lot of people who have to be healthy. Unfortunately, I was the one who got hit this time.

"Hope to see you all one day again when I'm healthy.

"All the best, Ritchie, a guitarist".

In a recent interview with the Iron City Rocks podcast, Candice, who has been married to Ritchie for 17 years but has been together with the legendary DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW guitarist for 36, discussed the health status of her husband and BLACKMORE'S NIGHT bandmate. The conversation took place while Night was promoting her new solo album, "Sea Glass". Asked about the possibility of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT returning to the road in the coming months, Candice said: "One of the things that's so great about Ritchie is he can recognize — he's very in tune with his own body, and he stays on top of everything. Thank goodness. And when he doesn't, I nag him to stay on top of it, which he hates, but at least somebody's doing it — you know, like eating well and things like that.

"There's the three main issues with him that are going on," she explained. "He has a heart issue. He had a heart attack a couple of years ago, so we stay on top of that. He's got gout, so that's difficult. It's affecting his feet really badly. And it's starting in his forefinger, so it's hurting the mobility in that, so he just had an injection for that. And his back, of course, which has always been an issue. He hasn't taken any back injections since he had the heart issue. So everything kind of is working together. So, it's hard — it is hard for him. But he's at the point now where — he's very smart when it comes to things like that."

Elaborating on what makes touring so challenging for someone like Ritchie at this point in his life, Candice said: "It's not so much the travel on a plane. Honestly, it's the aggravation before you even get into the plane and after you get into the plane and it's all the sitting of traveling. So that'll affect his back and all the rest of it. And the jet lag that stresses your heart. All of these things. Waiting on those lines when you have to get to JFK [New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport] and you have to go transatlantic, and then coming off and going back through the security lines and the customs lines and all the rest of that stuff, and all of that stuff, it really does take a toll on a human — on a healthy human, so forget about someone who's 80 years old and going through these issues. But he did just say to me yesterday, which I wait for his… With Ritchie, if you try to pressure him to do something, he instantly says no. He's like a teenager. And so now I've got three of them. But learning how to deal with that a little bit better. So I wait for him to come to the realization, or I drop little seeds here and there and try to wait for him to be ready to talk about it. And he did just say, 'What about doing some BLACKMORE'S NIGHT dates in the fall?' So, of course, I got greatly excited about that. So now I've gotta contact the agent. But he would rather do places that he can drive to. He takes the night off the next day. Gone are the days where you do five shows in a row, including travel. That's just way too much. For anybody, it's difficult to do that. And we don't have a tour bus and we don't have private planes. If we go someplace, I'm driving. So it's like a mini road trip, but not really because we have to just get to the place, rest that night. Hopefully it's close enough to the venue. You get to the venue, you go back, you get a good night's sleep that night. Hopefully they're not doing construction or maintenance in the hotel or the maids don't wake you up at seven o'clock in the morning. and then you move on to the next place and have a day of travel. So it's a very slowed down way of doing it. But honestly, I'd much rather take something than nothing at all."

Earlier this year, Candice confirmed to Eonmusic that Ritchie had a heart attack in 2023 which resulted in six stents being implanted. "He's still got his back problem that he's had, so travel is difficult for him because of all that sitting," she explained. "And standing on stage, even standing with the guitar is tricky, although I do see a lot of people even younger than him at this point in the industry, showing up in wheelchairs. I don't think he wants to be thought of like that or remembered like that. I think it's great that people still get to see those people; I would still go hear them, just to be under the same roof and hear what they sound like, but we'll see. Maybe if we can get some of these medical issues under control, maybe I can get him back on a plane, but as for right now, they actually warned him a couple days ago not to fly. So, who knows? You know, put positive energy, out there in the universe, and]hope that maybe we can get him back on there."

Coronary stents are primarily used to treat coronary artery disease, a condition where plaque buildup narrows or blocks the arteries supplying blood to the heart. By inserting stents for the heart, doctors can effectively restore blood flow and alleviate symptoms.

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT plays "Renaissance music," or "medieval music," with most of the tunes featuring lyrics conjured by Night and melodies crafted by Blackmore.

Ritchie, Candice and their two children reside on Long Island, New York, near Port Jefferson.

Blackmore is a co-founder of DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including "Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure.

DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice said in a 2017 interview that there was "no point" for the band to consider a reunion with Blackmore, explaining that he wouldn't be able to guarantee that every day with the notoriously moody guitarist would be fun.

Blackmore is a co-founder of DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including "Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure.

During his time away from PURPLE, Blackmore established the neo-classical band called RAINBOW, which fused baroque music influences elements with hard rock before gradually progressing to catchy pop-style hard rock.

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of RAINBOW.

In addition to Blackmore and Night (backing vocals),the most recent incarnation of RAINBOW included singer Ronnie Romero, STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT) and backing singer Lady Lynn.

The two shows RAINBOW played in Germany in June 2016 were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which was released in November 2016 via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats.

After Ritchie left DEEP PURPLE for the final time in 1993, he reformed RAINBOW for one album (1995's "Stranger In Us All") and one tour, ending things in Denmark in 1997.

Blackmore didn't join his former DEEP PURPLE bandmates at the group's 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

Blackmore previously suggested that PURPLE's manager had blocked him from attending the Rock Hall induction ceremony, and he used that as an excuse for not attending the event.

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, who inducted DEEP PURPLE into the institution, praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

Ritchie would like to explain his reason for having to postpone the recent shows. "Very quick history, for those who...

Posted by Ritchie Blackmore Official Site on Sunday, November 23, 2025

On Tuesday (November 18),KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was asked by a TMZ photographer in Beverly Hills, California about the possibility of him and his bandmates releasing new music in the not-too-distant future. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's possible. It's possible. Life's full of surprises."

Asked "what kind of vibe" the new KISS music would be if he and the rest of KISS decided to write and record something, Paul said: "I think we'd probably go for something that's classic, but everything has to have a beat. You gotta be able to dance to it, but it should still be rock."

As for the lyrical inspiration for hypothetical new KISS material, Stanley said: "Freedom, self-empowerment, enjoying life. That doesn't change. It doesn't matter how old you are. You're supposed to enjoy your life, you're supposed to do things your way. That's timeless. That's rock and roll."

On November 16, during a question-and-answer session at the "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event held at the Virgin Hotels resort and casino complex in Las Vegas, Stanley said that "there may be some [KISS] music in the works. We like to tell you what we're doing, the things that are planned," he explained. "The problem is that so much of what we may bring up never comes to fruition, [but] music, yeah, that looks pretty damn… more than possible. Probable. I'm not going to give you any hints, but I only write when there's a project — and I've been writing."

KISS hasn't issued a full-length disc of new music since 2012's "Monster", which sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous LP, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. It was KISS's highest-charting LP ever.

Four years ago, Stanley was far more non-committal about the prospect of new KISS music, saying during a question-and-answer session on the 2021 Kiss Kruise: "Why would we need a new KISS album? Any big classic band with a history, you go, 'Oh, put out a new album.' You know, if THE [ROLLING] STONES put out a new album, you go, 'Oh, that's great. Play 'Brown Sugar'.' … Yeah, maybe not now," apparently referencing the fact that THE ROLLING STONES recently retired one of their most popular songs due to lyrics that depict the horrors of slavery. "But the same is true for us. You can have great songs on the more recent albums, but people then go, 'Great. Play 'Love Gun'.'

"The reality is you really love the old songs, and nobody is going to embrace new material, no matter how good it is, like you do the past, because those songs are part — those are like snapshots from your past, and you're connected to them in a way new material never could be," he explained. We're happy going out and playing. That's where we live; that's our turf, is the stage."

Paul's comments during the November 2021 Kiss Kruise echoed those he made in March 2021 when he told USA Today in an interview that he didn't really see a "reason" for KISS to make any new music. "For the most part, when classic bands put out new albums, they're looked at and listened to and thrown away because they don't have the gravitas, they don't have the age that comes with something being a time capsule or being attached to a certain period of your life," he said. "I'm not alone in that. When you see any classic bands on TV or if there's a concert video, turn off the sound and I'll tell you every time they're playing a new song because the audience sits down.

"So it's odd to me that people always want you to do a new album, but then they go, 'That's great. Now play your hits.' So honestly, at this point, there isn't a real reward in it. There's much more of a reward in changing lanes — I'm still going forward. But in terms of recording more KISS material, I kind of go, 'Why?' I thought 'Modern Day Delilah' or 'Hell Or Hallelujah' were as good as anything I've written and as good as anything we recorded, but understandably, it's like new wine. It just hasn't aged. So I'd rather not try to roll a stone up the hill."

Paul had previously expressed uncertainty about the idea of making another KISS album in a number of other interviews a few years ago, telling the "Loudwire Podcast": "If we're going to do an album, it would be because we want to do an album, not because of sales. I think we're living in a time, obviously, now where albums don't sell what they once did, so you either do it because it's a creative outlet and because it satisfies something in you, or not. If you're doing it purely for sales, then you're probably doing it for the wrong reason."

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons had agreed with his bandmate, saying a while back in an interview that he was "not incentivized" to release another KISS disc unless there are some major changes in the way music is consumed. He said: "The idea that you work your ass off and then someone with freckles on their face decides they want to download your music and file share — that's not what I work for. How'd you like to be a plumber, come over somebody's house and work all day to fix their plumbing and then when it's time to get paid, they say, 'No, I just wanted to say thank you.' No."

Two years after the completion of their five-year, 250-date "End Of The Road" farewell tour with two shows at New York City's Madison Square Garden, KISS returned to the stage at their "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event, which was held at the Virgin Hotels resort and casino complex in Las Vegas. After an hourlong acoustic performance on November 14, the band played an 85-minute set — their first "unmasked" electric concert on land in 30 years — the following night, where they were joined by former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick on two songs ("Lick It Up" and "Rock And Roll All Nite").

In a new interview with the Podioslave Podcast, Kevin Palmer (guitar, vocals) and Josh Moates (bass) of the reunited TRUST COMPANY spoke about the possibility of a follow-up to the band's last album, "Dreaming In Black And White", which came out in 2011. Kevin said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we've been writing. The goal for us is new music. It's been an amazing process getting back in the band room again and just hanging out and writing. It feels like the old days, because we're just sitting there just writing music. The problem has been that since our schedules are so much tighter than they used to be, we don't get to get in there as much as we want to. So once a week, and then if somebody's got something going on that turns into, we can only get together two times this month or three times this month. So it's been a slower process, but it has been a fun process."

Kevin continued: "We've got — I don't know — five songs, maybe. Here's the crazy thing too: we've been having this conversation of, like, how do we release music now? Back in the day there wasn't Spotify and all this stuff. We just put an album out. Do you do singles? Do you do it on an EP? But we grew up in this world of albums, since we really wanna release an album. So we're kind of going down that rabbit hole now. How do you release? How many do we release? But the writing process has been so much fun for us."

Added Josh: "And it's so different now, because I'm not an engineer by any means whatsoever, but I do have a universal audio recording little setup that has like four inputs, so I can record the drums and then Kevin can overlay the guitars and stuff and I can take it home and do bass. So we can actually hear, for the first time in our entire life, a really pretty decent demo of what it could sound like, whereas before we would — I don't know — record on … a little tape machine and try to do that. But now we can actually hear what it maybe would sound like in a studio — obviously, way worse, but he actually could hear it and piece it together and I can now write bass parts after the vocals and so I'm not stepping on his vocals and Jason [Singleton, drums] could do drum parts that aren't interfering, whatever it is. It's such a different experience now, 'cause we can actually demo in our band room at no cost. And that's been really fun to layer stuff. And we didn't have that before, and now we get to do that. So that's exciting to me, is that part of it too."

As for a possible release date for the new TRUST COMPANY music, Kevin said: "The goal for us is to put something out hopefully early next year. Definitely next year, but hopefully early."

Regarding the musical direction of the new TRUST COMPANY material, Josh: "We don't have labels. We don't have to answer to anybody, so we could do whatever. Obviously, with the safety net of who we are as a band. We're not trying to be something we're not; we're just trying to do what we've always done. The songs do sound a little different than [TRUST COMPANY's debut album, 2002's] '[The] Lonely Position [Of Neutral]', but that's just how it is. But we write the same way and we're not trying to do anything outside of what we do. But it's heavy. There's some heavy stuff. I'm really excited about what we have so far. I got to hear some of the vocal stuff, and I'm really excited about it. So it's not just, like, 'Well, let's just put something out.' We've been working really diligently. There's a lot of cool stuff. I'm really excited."

A defining album for TRUST COMPANY and the greater scope of rock music, "The Lonely Position Of Neutral" is a must-have record in the collection of any die-hard 2000s rock music fan who wants to hold a piece of history in their hands. It is the band's most successful release to date, and was certified gold with over half a million copies sold.

The album was originally released on July 22, 2002, and after 23 years, Smartpunk Records has exclusively teamed up with the band for a special vinyl release of 2,000 total pressings, 500 of which are Smartpunk exclusive. This is the first time the album is on vinyl, and it is available for purchase online now.

Palmer commented: "It's wild to think that 23 years after its release, 'The Lonely Position Of Neutral' is finally available on vinyl. This record changed our lives, and we’re beyond thankful that it continues to connect with people all these years later."

The original lineup of TRUST COMPANY first reunited for a performance at the 2023 Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia. During the performance, Palmer told the crowd that it was the first time the band played in front of an audience in 12 years and the group's first appearance with the original lineup in 17 years.

Formed in 1997 in Montgomery, Alabama, TRUST COMPANY has seen the many peaks and valleys of the music business. Previously signed to Geffen Records, the band has sold over 700,000 albums with hit singles such as "Downfall" in 2002 and "Stronger" in 2005. Extensive airplay on MTV for "Downfall" and continuous touring with bands like KORN, PAPA ROACH and DISTURBED earned the band an especially rabid following.

In 2005 the band went on hiatus. "It just stopped being exciting. We had to get away from the big machine for a while," said Singleton. After a few years, time had finally allowed the band to fall back in love with the reason they played music in the first place.

"When we finally got back together [in 2007] — which just started with an email asking if we wanted to jam — we let our wounds heal," said Palmer. "It had us focus on the music without any expectations. We started having fun again, and that was all the expectation we wanted. We played for ourselves. It was the same feeling that it was back in the good old days."

TRUST COMPANY carried out a small U.S. tour at the end of 2010 to promote the "Heart In My Hands" single from the band's third studio album, "Dreaming In Black And White", which came out in March 2011. In December 2010, the band released the music video for "Heart In My Hands" featuring Rachel Bolan of SKID ROW. The band went on a two-month tour with DROWNING POOL in promotion of the album.

Press photo courtesy of Atom Splitter PR

In a new interview with Robert Edwards of Talkin' Bout Rock, Don Dokken spoke about the possibility of making a new EP with some of the other members of the classic DOKKEN lineup, including guitarist George Lynch and bassist Jeff Pilson. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we talked about it, 'cause [George] comes on the road [when we play gigs with the current DOKKEN lineup] and he plays [on the same bill] with … [LYNCH] MOB. So I said, 'Look, if you wanna do an EP,' it'd be up to them to do it."

Referencing the complications from his November 2019 neck and spinal surgery which rendered his right arm nearly paralyzed, Don continued: "I can't play guitar anymore, which is one of my biggest bummers, because if you see my hand, [the left hand is] fine; [the right] one doesn't move. That's all I got. So I can't play guitar anymore. It was a botched spinal surgery, and the doctor was a butcher. And so it was just one bad calamity after the other. So I said, 'Well, we'll keep going.' I can still sing."

Addressing his previous comment from an spring 2025 interview in which he said that would play his final DOKKEN concert "probably within the year", Don said: "I don't know what retirement means. When I say I'm thinking about retiring, kind of what I meant was we're gonna slow down. We don't wanna do 250 shows a year. You get older and you have other interests. You wanna be home, you wanna enjoy your career, all the success you had. You wanna be home in the garden and working and building things and stuff like that, and renovating the house. And you don't wanna live on a tour bus, 'cause we're older now… A lot of bands — KISS, I can name… There's a plethora of bands that are saying, 'All right, we had a good ride, we had fun, we were famous. Let the youngsters come in and take over.' I just saw that [David Coverdale was retiring]. David Lee Roth, he kind of comes and goes. You've got Coverdale. I mean, look, the list is endless. I think I talked to [WINGER's] Kip Winger. He's doing an orchestra album. He's gonna retire. George Lynch says he's gonna retire. But you know that stupid saying, you never say never, right? I mean, if we get a big festival in Europe, like Wacken [Open Air] or Sweden Rock or a big festival, we'll probably go do 'em. But it's different now. When you're 27 years old, you go on the road 'cause you have to. Otherwise you come home and your electricity's off. You go, 'Damn it, I didn't pay the electric bill.'"

Circling back to the possibility of playing more shows with Lynch as well as the likelihood of a new EP featuring the classic DOKKEN lineup, Don said: "Yeah, it's fun [to share the stage with George]. And George and I, we get along. And people like to see him up there play a couple of DOKKEN songs. But you get older and it becomes harder and harder to play. And then you come home and you wanna rest for a couple days. But to go on tour now costs a fortune. Gas is tripled in price. Bus rentals are tripled in price. Hotels are tripled in price. It's kind of a negative return. Now when we play, it's kind of just for fun. I've done a hundred shows this year so far. That's a lot of shows, for me. So we've done a hundred. And we have another one in two days. And I said, 'Let's take a break for the holidays.' So we are — we're gonna take a break for the holidays. But I wouldn't say retire. If those guys wanna get together and write me some music, I'd write the lyrics and sing it. And I'll participate like I always did. So that's where we're at now."

This past April, Don elaborated on his announcement that the band's latest album, 2023's "Heaven Comes Down", would likely be DOKKEN's final studio effort. He told Cassius Morris: "I feel after 50 years and 13 records, I figure I've written enough music. I'm okay with it… [But] never say never. Maybe [former DOKKEN guitarist] George Lynch and I will get together and write an EP… George and I did talk about it briefly, and I said I don't think I have the energy in me spiritually to knock out a whole record. That's a lot of work. But I said we might wanna do four or five [songs]. We did a new song eight years ago. It was called '[It's] Just Another Day'. That was [recorded by] all original [DOKKEN] members. We went to Japan [and played a few shows with that lineup], and that was an experiment to see how we got along and all that. And that was a cool video."

The 72-year-old Don, who has been open about how his neck and spinal surgery affected the making of "Heaven Comes Down", continued: "[George and I] had talked about doing a record. But if you listen to the last five George Lynch projects, they're totally different than the direction I'm going. 'Heaven Comes Down' has nothing to do with what George is doing. He's gone this way; I've gone that way. So I don't know if spiritually we could get together and write a song that works, that we're all on the same page about. I'm just not. So it is what it is. But I said what I would wanna do is, let's say I say, 'Hey, George, why don't you write me like four guitar riffs and let me see if one speaks to me in my heart and my spirit?' Just like the song 'Just Another Day'… and we wrote that one song, all original members, Mick [Brown, former DOKKEN drummer] and everybody. Obviously, we can never — Mick's retired and he's pretty stonewalled about, he's not gonna play again. He played since he was 10 years old — he's seventies-ish — and I understand that because he's worn out.

"I've always said the drummers have the hardest job — your elbows, your hands, arthritis, your kneecaps, your ankles, your feet, your back," Dokken added. "I mean, the drummer has the hardest gig. I can just stand there, stare up the ceiling and go, 'Hey, everybody, how's it going?' Or even when as a guitar player, you can just stand there and play. But Mick is the machine. Mick was the DOKKEN machine. I used to tell him, 'Play softer. Don't hit your drums so hard.' And he says, 'I don't know how not to play hard' to keep his time. He goes, 'I just hit.' So, it caught up with him and he retired.

"So we'll see what happens," Don said. "George and I have touched on it, but it would all depend on him writing, like, three songs — just music — and sending it to me. And I'd go in my recording studio and [take out] the pen and paper and go, 'Hmm, oh, this is kind of cool.' And chop it up and try to make it fit myself and crank out a couple of songs. And if people like it, they like it. If they don't, they don't."

Asked if he has a timeline in mind for when he might stop playing live shows, Don said: "Probably within the year. I mean, what's Paul McCartney — in his eighties? And Mick Jagger's in his eighties, and Keith Richards is still standing up. And even Elton John now, they bring him down and they lower him down to his piano chair, for whatever reason, 'cause we're all getting up there in age. So I think the time will come that I'll announce that it's over.

"The truth is, I guess I'm a selfish person," Dokken explained. "I wanna enjoy my life. I don't want to just keep singing and writing until I drop. I wanna be in my home far away from everybody. I live on top of this mountain [in New Mexico]. No neighbors. [I've] got the dogs. It's the perfect life. And I've had a great career. I started playing at 10 years old.

"If you have to tour and you have to play because you need to pay your gas bill, I understand that," Don added. "Thank God I'm not in that position. And whenever anybody says, are you thinking of calling it a day? I just go like this [and show them the gold and platinum records on my wall]. I've got a few of 'em up there… So I think I've made my point. I think I made my point musically. And, of course, I would've wanted to keep going, but if I can't compose, I'm screwed," he said, referencing the fact that his right arm became nearly paralyzed in the aforementioned neck and spinal surgery. "I am effed."

The follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones", "Heaven Comes Down" was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN).

In August 2023, DOKKEN released the music video for the album's first single, "Fugitive". The clip was directed by Chris Eyre ("Dark Winds", "Smoke Signals") and was filmed at the popular immersive arts venture Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

DOKKEN released an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" in August 2020 via Silver Lining Music. Featuring sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE),the effort contains material written and recorded by a hungry young Don Dokken as he embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany.

DOKKEN's classic lineup of Dokken, Lynch, Pilson and Brown completed a short Japanese tour in October 2016, marking the first time in 21 years the four performed together.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018.

At some of the recent DOKKEN shows, Lynch has been rejoining the band on stage to perform three of the classic DOKKEN songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail".

Steve Vai has commented on WHITESNAKE singer David Coverdale's announcement that he is hanging up his "platform shoes and skin-tight jeans" following his legendary 50-plus year Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame career.

The iconic guitarist, who had a brief tenure in WHITESNAKE more than three decades ago, having played on the band's 1989 album "Slip Of The Tongue", took to his social media earlier today (Wednesday, November 19) to write: "I want to take a moment and congratulate Father Snake himself, David Coverdale, on 60 years of delivering pure, royal-grade rock 'n' roll brilliance.

"David has shaken the earth for over half a century with a voice that could level a mountain. With impeccable instincts for song, melody, swagger, and attitude, his music always gave the rest of us something to feel gloriously cool about.

"I was fortunate enough to tour and record ('Slip Of The Tongue') with WHITESNAKE in '89–'90 alongside Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo, and Tommy Aldridge. That band was absolutely smokin', and sharing the stage with that kind of power was one of the true highlights of my career. And on every single one of those 119 shows of the 'Slip Of The Tongue' tour, David took the stage and delivered like a boss. Never complained, always a gentleman, always performing like a house on fire. It was a magical time in the music business, and I'm endlessly appreciative for that WHITESNAKE experience.

"On June 23, 2022, I played Hellfest with my band in France. WHITESNAKE went on after us, and David was kind enough to invite me up for the last song of the night, 'Still Of The Night'. I've always loved playing that tune… and to be back on stage with David, unleashing that historic monster of a track with the band, was an honor. Who could have guessed it would be the band's final performance — and that I'd get to play that last song with them? There's something beautifully poetic (and outrageously cool) about that.

"So, Brother David… After my own 50 years of being a professional musician, here's one thing I know for sure: the success is great, the stages are fun, the riffs are loud — but it's the people you meet along the way, and the friendships you forge, that end up meaning the most. And for our friendship, I'm deeply grateful. And friendship aside… your golden pipes remain this guy's all-time favorite rock voice to ever grace the planet.

"You're a class act. You came, you conquered, and you delivered, and we are all grateful."

Back in August 2020, Vai, Coverdale, Vandenberg, Sarzo and Aldridge reunited — virtually — for the first time since they finished WHITESNAKE's "Slip Of The Tongue" world tour for a question-and-answer session prior to a live stream of the band's legendary "Live At Donington" concert.

WHITESNAKE scored the band's third consecutive platinum record with its eighth studio album, "Slip Of The Tongue". Originally released in November 1989, it peaked at No. 10 on the U.K. and U.S. album charts thanks largely to its two Top 40 hits — "Fool For Your Loving" and "The Deeper The Love". The fan favorite turned 30 in 2019 and Rhino celebrated with several new versions, including a colossal seven-disc boxed set.

Following the eight-times-platinum success of its eponymous album in 1987, WHITESNAKE returned two years later with "Slip Of The Tongue". At the time, the band included Coverdale, Sarzo, Aldridge, Vandenberg and Vai. Vandenberg and Coverdale co-wrote all but one song on the album, but Vandenberg couldn't record them in the studio at the time due to a hand injury. To fill the void, Vai joined the band for the album and tour.

"When I had joined WHITESNAKE, the tracks were already recorded and Adrian had laid down guide rhythm tracks," Vai told Guitar World. "What had happened was Adrian developed this situation with his wrist that persisted throughout the tour. I'm not sure what caused it, but he'd have to soak his wrist after every show.

"Adrian's such a great player, but the injury made it so he couldn't really sustain for too long because of the pain. I've stayed pretty close with Adrian over the years and I see him whenever I'm in Holland, and when I spoke to him a couple of years ago, he was still having that wrist problem — but they located the source of it to his neck.

"So Adrian had made these guide tracks and that were basically chords and structures, and I obviously copped a lot of the riffs from those, but I put my spin on them because it was all like one track of guitar. I went in with 20 tracks on some songs; it's a very dense guitar record and I definitely did my best to decorate it. It was a departure for what WHITESNAKE was normally known for in the guitar department."

Asked if he had any reservations about not staying wholly true to WHITESNAKE's old signature sound, Vai said: "You have to find a balance between what's expected of you from the band, what the fans are expecting, what the song requires and is telling you to do — and also being true to your own voice. I had no choice but to express my own voice because that's all I know.

"If I had tried to sound like Yngwie [Malmsteen] when I had joined ALCATRAZZ, it just wouldn't have worked because I'm very satisfied with the way I play, but I also can't play like Yngwie. It was the same thing when I was playing with Dave [David Lee] Roth; I needed to deliver in a rock context — which was very natural to me — but I'm not going to compete with Edward Van Halen.

"There's no way those records would've been accepted if I didn't have some kind of rock integrity, but I knew what the songs needed and I knew what the audience was expecting and there's a side of me that I knew could deliver that. It was the same thing with WHITESNAKE.

"The foundation of WHITESNAKE's sound was rooted in rock blues, and there's a whole culture that emanated from Europe in that traditional solid rock blues guitar playing that had a real authenticity to it.

"Michael Schenker, Uli Jon Roth, Adrian Vandenberg, Ritchie Blackmore, Jimmy Page — that was the sound all WHITESNAKE records had been built upon. But WHITESNAKE had gone through different permutations of guitar sounds throughout the years, and the previous one to me was John Sykes, and he absolutely had his own sound.

"Sykes didn't sound like any other previous WHITESNAKE guitarist, but his thumbprint is an indelible part of the WHITESNAKE record he did. The fatness of that record and the rock integrity it had was all Sykes. So I knew I wasn't going to sound like Sykes and I wasn't going to try to.

"You cheat yourself when you try to do that and play like someone else. And the audience is a lot smarter than you think; they're very intuitive and perceptive and if you try to pull anything over on them — like biting someone else's thing — you'll get beat up for it."

On November 13, the 74-year-old David said in a video message before a remake of WHITESNAKE's 2011 song "Fare Thee Well": "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the 'SNAKE, a special announcement for you.

"The last few years has been very evident to me that it's time really for me to hang up my rock and roll platform shoes and my skin-tight jeans. And as you can see, we've taken care of the lion's wig. But it's time for me to call it a day."

Coverdale expressed his gratitude to his loved ones and fans, who have supported him as the frontman for both WHITESNAKE and DEEP PURPLE, but said it was time for him to enjoy his retirement.

"I love you dearly. I thank everyone who's assisted and supported me on this incredible journey. All the musicians, the crew, the fans, the family. It's amazing."

Coverdale raised a glass as he delivered his parting message, "Fare thee well," referencing WHITESNAKE's song of the same name.

On June 28, 2022, WHITESNAKE scrapped three shows on its spring/summer European tour due to Coverdale's infection of the sinus and trachea. Three days later, the rest of the trek was also called off. At the time, David blamed the decision on "continuing health challenges, doctor's orders, and our concern for everyone's health and safety."

David was not the first member of WHITESNAKE to fall ill during the group's spring/summer 2022 European tour. Guitarist Reb Beach missed several shows on the trek in June 2022 after being "under the weather." On June 25, 2022, WHITESNAKE canceled its show at the Rock Imperium festival in Spain due to the fact that drummer Tommy Aldridge "went down" and "was bad enough at the time to have missed the first show ever in his career," according to Coverdale.

In April 2023, Coverdale told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" regarding the possibility of WHITESNAKE resuming its farewell tour in 2024: "It's not really a professional decision. It's literally a health decision.

"[In 2022] it took me seven months to get rid of a sinus infection that went so deep into my body… And then we discovered a secondary one, which is why I had to cancel the U.S. tour," he explained. "So all of that appalling antibiotics I had for three months, all the damage it did to my system, was a waste of time because this other infection was canceling it out. So I had to go on to heavier medications and steroids, and at the same time ignoring a torn rotator cuff.

"When I was onstage with Steve Vai at Hellfest [in France in June 2022], which turned out to be the last WHITESNAKE show — hopefully not the last WHITESNAKE show [ever] — underneath my shirt, my shoulder was taped up like I was going into the arena to face another gladiator," Coverdale revealed. "And you couldn't really tell. And thank God I could still fling the mic stand around. But as soon as I got signed off back in January, the infection had gone, I realized that we had to sort out the shoulder, 'cause that had been of secondary importance — minor compared to this, 'Am I ever gonna be able to sing again?' That's a big deal. It's something you wake up and almost take for granted.

"So, I'm getting a lot of approaches [regarding Las] Vegas residencies. I'm not quite sure about that. I feel I owe Japan. I feel I owe the U.S. I feel I owe South America. 'Cause I've been pretty successful for 50 years, and you can't buy that. It's people who've supported you to be in this position. It was a personal choice. I didn't wanna do a video going, 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the 'SNAKE, thank you for 50 years. I'm done.' I wanted to be there.

"I wanted to retire in 2020," David added. "I thought the appropriate age for the singer of WHITESNAKE to step down was 69. But, of course, bloody COVID came [and ruined those plans].

"We have three to five years of projects here at my studio. So I'm certainly not finished with music. But my health will dictate whether I can take on [a full tour]. 'Cause it's incredibly physically demanding for me. I don't wanna do a half-assed [tour], standing-there stuff. I love telling my stories and moving and working."

Also in April 2023, Coverdale told Ultimate Classic Rock that the illness that forced him off the road in 2022 was "the worst sinus infection I've ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like fucking relatives of mine," Coverdale said. "This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I've [ever] had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying prednisone steroids."

WHITESNAKE launched its farewell tour on May 10, 2022 at Dublin, Ireland's 3Arena. The band's 14-song set, which was part of a European tour with special guests EUROPE and co-headliners FOREIGNER, marked WHITESNAKE's inaugural performance with the group's two latest two additions, keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Dino Jelusick and bassist Tanya O'Callaghan.

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

Prior to the pandemic, WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

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SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan teamed up with Lyric Opera of Chicago, his hometown company, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's massive, decade-defining double album "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness". The performances with Lyric Opera orchestra and chorus are happening in the group's hometown of Chicago, and the residency at the Civic Opera House kicked off last night (Friday, November 21).

At last night's show, Corgan joined the Lyric Opera Orchestra and Lyric Opera chorus to perform, play guitar and sing during select songs alongside soprano Sydney Mancasola, mezzo-soprano Zoie Reams, tenor Dominick Chenes and baritone Edward Parks. These historic performances feature newly commissioned arrangements and orchestrations by Corgan and James Lowe, who also conducts, as well as costumes from House of Gilles by Gilles and Chloé Mendel Corgan.

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

Earlier this month, Corgan told WGN News about how the collaboration with Lyric Opera of Chicago came about: "A mutual friend put us together with the Lyric. And I kept saying for years, 'cause it kept coming up, 'I think they wanna work with you,' and I kept thinking, 'There's no way they're gonna wanna work with me.' So when we finally did have the meeting, I pitched them on this idea, and they loved it. And now we're doing seven nights. It's almost completely sold out. Full orchestra, full chorus, operatic interpretations of the 'Mellon Collie' album. And I'm singing too. And I was in rehearsals yesterday with the great opera singers, and it's amazing to hear your music sung with incredible artists like themselves. So it's really emotional. And if you know the album, it's an emotional experience. If you don't know the album, then it's made so if you're an operatic fan or a classical fan, it's interpreted that way. So we're not trying to do 'rock and roll goes opera.' It's actually — we're taking rock and roll into the opera."

Elaborating on what he means when he says that he is "taking rock and roll into the opera," Corgan explained: "It's interpretation. So, when I worked with the arranger, James Lowe, it would be, like, 'Well, can we do more of a [George] Gershwin-type take on this song,' and breaking it back down from the bottom and building it back up and then voicing it in a way that the operatic singers feel comfortable. So we're not asking them to sing rock and roll style. They're in their comfort zone. And I'm a Lyric fan, so I go there all the time. So I wanted those artists to do what they do at the highest level. I didn't want any compromise with my music. So it's been to try to figure out how to make my music work for them."

Asked if the musicians at the Lyric Opera of Chicago have an appreciation for what he does, Corgan said: "They were so amazing. One of the gentlemen has seen me play. We went to go do 'Tonight, Tonight' yesterday. And the lady sitting next to me goes, 'I don't know this one,' jokingly. So they're really excited because they're familiar with the record and they understand that it has a sort of cultural phenomenon. And I think they're also getting the buzz from their own families and friends, which is, like, 'Oh, that's really cool. You're doing something different outside of your normal thing.' So the whole idea here is really to get people in the opera house, because, as we've seen over the last 10, 20 years, museums and cultural institutions are struggling to bring younger people into their institutions, because it's all about the phone and TikTok and things like that, which is totally fine. So this is to try to bridge that gap, and I think the success shows that it is there to be had."

"A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness" is described in a press release as "a new commission inspired by one of the greatest alternative albums of all time. You'll hear Corgan and special guest artists along with the epic sound of the Lyric Opera Of Chicago Orchestra And Chorus in a completely new, sonic and visual experience. Whether you love the PUMPKINS and are excited to hear their music in a sumptuous new dimension, or you simply crave the opportunity to hear a new work inspired by the unexpected, this promises to be one of the can't-miss cultural collaborations of the season."

"A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness" will be staged across six more nights only, running through November 30, 2025. Corgan reimagines his magnum opus by marshaling all of Lyric's technical and artistic forces for an immersively original sonic and visual experience that blurs the boundaries of opera, rock, and performance art.

"It is thrilling to collaborate with Lyric head John Mangum, my musical partner James Lowe, and all of the artists at Lyric in reimagining this very special and historic album, and to discover how Lyric's full operatic treatment is helping me experience my own compositions in powerful new ways," Corgan previously said in a statement. "Opera and rock both tell stories of heightened emotions, and I am excited for both fans of my music and traditional opera fans to hear some truly inspired work; for the balance here is to honor both traditions in a magisterial way."

John Mangum, general director, president and CEO of Lyric Opera of Chicago, added: "Next season is filled with a tremendous range of lavish and powerful opera productions that we are excited to share with our audiences. I'm just as excited about the special performances like 'A Night Of Mellon Collie And Infinite Sadness' that open the aperture and expand the definition of opera and what an American opera company can be. The season clearly illustrates how this company continues to push the art form forward and create new work that can only happen in Chicago."

"Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" was SMASHING PUMPKINS' third studio album. It featured the singles "Tonight, Tonight", "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" and "1979".

To celebrate the 21st anniversary of its beloved acoustic album "Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live", SEVENDUST recently hit the road for an exclusive, intimate tour. Fans can expect stripped-down versions of the band's hardest-hitting tracks, deep cuts and emotional favorites, including "Black", "Beautiful" and "Angel's Son" — all performed with the raw power and soul that the band comprised of Lajon Witherspoon, Clint Lowery, John Connolly, Vinny Hornsby and Morgan Rose are known for.

The "Southside Double-Wide: Acoustic Live" tour kicked off on November 14 in Columbia, Missouri and is making stops in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (November 24),Kansas City, Missouri (December 5),among others, before it wraps on December 12 in San Antonio, Texas. This rare acoustic journey brings a unique perspective to the band's signature sound, offering an unforgettable night of music. Special guest Cory Marks is opening the tour.

Fan-filmed video of SEVENDUST's November 19 performance at Masonic Jack White Theater in Detroit, Michigan can be seen below (courtesy of Front Row Bobby).

SEVENDUST recently completed tracking the follow-up to 2023's "Truth Killer" album for an early 2026 release via Napalm Records. The band once again worked with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida. Baskette had previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and Slash, among others.

On November 4, SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery shared an "end-of-studio picture" on Instagram and he thanked "the killer production team" consisting of Baskette and engineers Jef Moll and Josh Saldate "for taking things to the highest level demanding perfection or our closet effort. Four records in a row and all amazing experiences," he added. "Can't wait to hear [Baskette] mix this bad boy up."

The writing sessions for the new SEVENDUST album once again took place at the farmhouse of singer Lajon Witherspoon and his wife Ashley.

With 2024/2025 continuing to be landmark years thanks in part to the release of SEVENDUST's 14th studio album, "Truth Killer", via Napalm Records and successful tours, the band is continuing to expand its audience 30 years into its career. SEVENDUST's "Everything" was the highest-charting single of the band's career, peaking at No. 6, as well as the highest-charting rock single from any artist in Napalm Records history. The video for "Everything" has received more than 2.4 million views.

SEVENDUST served as one of the support acts for DISTURBED on the latter act's "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour".

Last fall, SEVENDUST celebrated the 21st anniversary of its iconic album "Seasons" on a U.S. tour. "Seasons", the fourth album from the band's catalog, spawned a Top 10 Rock single with "Enemy", and the album closer "Face To Face" is a show staple and fan favorite of SEVENDUST to this day.

"Seasons" was, for a time, the band's last album with Lowery as he left in 2004. Lowery returned to SEVENDUST in March 2008 and has remained with the group ever since.

In a new interview with Canada's The Metal Voice, Fred Coury was asked if there could ever be a CINDERELLA reunion of all the surviving members of the band. (Guitarist Jeff LaBar died in July 2021 at his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.) The CINDERELLA drummer said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's not… We were asked to do a big tour next summer, a huge tour, and it's just not gonna happen."

This past August, Coury was a little more open to the prospect of a CINDERELLA reunion, telling Waste Some Time With Jason Green: "Well, we all still play our instruments. So, Tom [Keifer, CINDERELLA frontman] is out touring. Eric [Brittingham, CINDERELLA bassist] is doing a benefit — Rock For Hope, I believe it's called — he's doing that next week. I'm right now playing on Billy Morrison's record. So we're all pretty active in playing. We have our chops up. So if something had to happen, if it was, like, 'Oh my gosh. You guys can save the world. We need to have you play,' there's no reason we couldn't."

Coury went on to say that he is still in contact with Keifer and Brittingham. "I just talked to Eric this afternoon," he said. "And I speak to Tom quite often. Yeah, we're brothers. I mean, first of all, I owe everything to those guys."

He continued: "I walk every day in the morning and at night. That's how I unwind… That's the time that nobody's around. The streets are dark and I just get to walk. And the other day I listened to [CINDERELLA's third studio album, 1990's] 'Heartbreak Station' for the first time in 20 years. I hadn't listened to it from top to bottom. And I forgot some of the songs. I was, like, 'I don't even remember this song.' And it was so refreshing to go, 'Oh my gosh. I've completely forgotten about this.' And I loved it. It was so cool. And that's when I called Eric yesterday, and I spoke to him again today for something else, but I called him yesterday and I was, like, 'Dude, when was the last time you listened to one of our records top to bottom?' I was, like, 'It was amazing.' All the memories started flooding back. So yeah, it was pretty cool. I feel like I'm a very lucky person."

In a separate interview with the Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley, Eric was also asked about the possibility of the surviving members of CINDERELLA playing together again. He responded: "Early on, right after Jeff passed, [the idea of doing a tribute concert] was kind of floating around. I think our old manager was trying to get something together. But it would never be the same without Jeff. And I see so many bands that it's like watering down a drink. And I really don't want to… I mean, I love KISS — I grew up with them and I don't wanna knock them — but it's not the same. 1975 KISS is not like KISS with Eric Singer. And I love those guys too, but it's not the same."

When interviewer Izzy Presley brought up the idea of CINDERELLA playing a one-off concert with Jeff's son Sebastian LaBar, who has played guitar for both SALIVA and TANTRIC, stepping in for the late CINDERELLA guitarist, Eric said: "Yeah. I would be open to it, and I'm sure Fred would too. Tom, he's been with his solo career for — what? — 13 or 14 years now, and he's really vested in that. And that's where his heart is. So I don't know if he would really wanna do it. But I would be open to it [and] Fred would be open to it, but I don't know if it would ever happen. Sebastian's a great player, he's a great guy. That would make sense, but I don't know if that would ever happen. I wouldn't wanna go out and do a tour or anything like that. If it's a one-off thing for a good reason, I would be open to it. Otherwise, remember the band how the band was."

For his part, Keifer confirmed to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station that he is "still in touch" with his longtime CINDERELLA bandmates. He said: "Fred is really talented…He's just really, really found a niche that he loves. He's got a beautiful studio out there, and he's done a lot of really great work. He and I are in touch a lot… He does TV music. He does stuff with sports. I mean, he's a busy guy. Eric, the last I'd heard, he had a couple of different projects that he was involved in musically, and he played with Bret Michaels for a while. I don't think he's playing with Bret anymore. I'm not sure. He's played with a couple of different artists and done some session work here in town."

Back in June 2022, Coury was asked by the "Talk Toomey" video podcast if there could ever be a CINDERELLA reunion without Jeff LaBar. "We always said that it's the four of us," the drummer said. "That's why you don't see Tom out there touring as CINDERELLA. Because it's really his band — he can say what he wants. He can say [his current solo band] isCINDERELLA, but it's not — it doesn't feel like it, it doesn't sound like it, it doesn't look like it. And we always said it's the four of us.

"So, could there be something without Jeff? I don't know," Fred continued. "I think it'd be weird. We always say 'never say never.' But why? Why go do it? For who? The fans would like to see it, but then they're all gonna miss Jeff. We're gonna always look over at that side of the stage and we're gonna miss Jeff. Our keyboard player Gary [Corbett] died on the same fricking day. So stage right — gone. You look over and it's just so… so wacky.

"So, I don't see it," Coury added. "If something miraculous happens and Slash [GUNS N' ROSES] was, like, 'I really like you guys and I wanna do something with you guys and it would be cool to do and let's do a tribute [to Jeff]' type of thing, sure. But I don't think anybody has the time as well."

Asked about the possibility of CINDERELLA carrying on with Jeff's son Sebastian LaBar, Fred said: "People bring that up all the time. He plays like him and he looks like him and we've all watched him grow up. He's like all of our illegitimate stepchild. And we love the guy; he's really salt of the earth, as they say."

In early 2022, Keifer publicly discussed LaBar's passing for the first time during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". At the time, he said: "I've gotta tell you, you're never really ready for that kind of loss; you're not prepared to hear that kind of thing. And everyone is still trying to grieve and process it. It's an emotional topic. Jeff was just such a passionate, amazing person, musician, human. He had a huge heart. And it was a tough one, man. It still is, for everybody."

Tom continued: "Jeff and I had a really good relationship throughout out career. Obviously, in bands there's times when you have differences; that's part of being in a band. It's true what people say about bands — that they're like a family, but, honestly, it's like that and even more intense, because there's so many different facets that inform the dynamics between bands; everything from business to creativity and everything in between. But despite any differences that we've had over the years, and the band in general, as I've always said, we've never aired anything like that.

"Jeff and I had a great relationship," Keifer repeated. "I loved Jeff — I really did — and have so many great memories of our journey together. He was amazing, and not just what he contributed to the music. Jeff had such a great sense of humor, and some of my favorite memories with Jeff are just kind of cutting up together on the bus. We were both big movie fans and could quote pretty much all our favorite movies. And we'd sit in the front lounge and quote 'Arthur' and 'The Big Lebowski' and 'Caddyshack'. He was just a really passionate, really fun guy to be around, and obviously, an amazing performer. He was a huge part of CINDERELLA.

"Like I said, you're never ready for that. And everyone is really honestly… I'm in touch with Eric and Fred regularly — everybody close to him — and we're still trying to process it. We really are."

When host Eddie Trunk noted that CINDERELLA fans were very supportive immediately after LaBar's passing, Tom said: "That's all I saw online — was really, really positive, because he projected that. He was a good soul and a good friend to me. Obviously, when you're in a band, you try to hold each other up. And anything that Jeff was going through in his life I would try to have his back on, and he did the same for me. Especially when I had my voice challenges," referencing his early '90s battle with vocal cord paresis, a neurological condition on the left side of his voice box that almost put an end to Keifer's career, "he was really supportive. There was a point where I was just at an all-time low before I met [vocal coach] Ron Anderson. And I was so self-conscious about my voice that I didn't want anyone in the rehearsal room when I was trying to work through it. And I asked Jeff if he would just come in and play guitar and let me sing, 'cause there was so much brain power [required] just trying to work through the vocal issues that I couldn't even play the guitar and sing at the same time. And he came every day. It was just me and him, and he just played the guitar and I sang the songs. And he heard a lot of really bad things come out of my mouth [laughs], and he would just always look at me and say, 'You're doing great.' And I always tried to return and have his back on… He had his challenges too."

With his voice cracking with emotion, Keifer continued: "We had a good relationship. We really did. I loved him, and I know in my heart he loved me. And in the end, that's what's most important. And I have great memories of him and they're forever in my heart. And I cherish them."

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

Back in 2016, LaBar accepted blame for CINDERELLA's prolonged period of inactivity, explaining that his "drinking problem" caused a rift between him and his bandmates. He told "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley": "I can only speculate, but I believe it's all my fault. It's no secret that I've had a drinking problem. And it showed its ugly face on one of those [cruises that CINDERELLA played]. I guess that's what caused a rift… When I fell out on one of those cruise ships in front of everybody — like, basically O.D.'d — that's when the band, and mostly Tom, took notice and was, like, 'What the fuck?'"

Asked if he was sober at the time of the interview, LaBar said: "No, I'm not. Which is the problem. Which is probably the problem. Like I said, I can only speculate, because I don't talk to the other guys anymore. I talk to Fred every now and then. Eric [Brittingham, bass] lives 20 minutes from me. We haven't talked lately, but Eric and I have been the most consistent of all my bandmates throughout the past 32 years. It's just Tom and I that don't talk anymore. And I can only speculate that he's very disappointed and doesn't wanna see me die. He doesn't wanna witness me dying."

LaBar went on to say that the touring lifestyle "fed [his] appetite for partying… all the way back to the '80s." He explained: "I have a history. It's not just these past issues. I have a history of drinking and cocaine… In the '80s, it was cocaine abuse. In the '90s, it was heroin. I went through every cliché phase that a rock star could go through. It just wasn't highly publicized. I was arrested, I went through rehab, I did all the things MÖTLEY CRÜE did. I just didn't publicize it. I was MÖTLEY CRÜE and GUNS N' ROSES all wrapped into one. As a band, we tried to hide our dirty laundry, and most of our dirty laundry was me. We didn't try to hide it; we just didn't publicize it. We just didn't tell people. 'Oh, yeah, Jeff's in rehab. Jeff's in jail. Jeff's in… whatever.' We just didn't publicize it. We actually kept it to ourselves. It was our family. It was our family business, and that's how we treated it."

Despite the fact that he hadn't spoken to Keifer for a couple of years prior to the "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley" interview, LaBar said that he didn't hold a grudge against his longtime friend and bandmate. "I understand why he doesn't return my calls, and I don't blame him," he said. "I understand. And hey, you know, he's been the major talent of CINDERELLA all this time, and he deserves to be solo. Not deserves to be solo, but, you know, it was inevitable for him to go solo. He's just one of those guys — lead singer, main songwriter. It's inevitable that he should go solo and basically dump [laughs], dump the dead weight."

In a new interview with Booker and Stryker of ALT 98.7 FM, Josh Homme of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE reflected on how he was battling mounting illness related to surgery for his 2022 cancer diagnosis in the lead-up to the band's July 8, 2024 performance in the tunnels of the famed Catacombs Of Paris. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think what's interesting is that place, because it's so dominating, and because it felt like we were there to serve the place, it's not depressing or sad, but it's not happy either. It's just intense. And I think the fact that I was having some health struggles… I feel great, and I was told that I would be out of commission for a while, and I'm not. And so I'm thankful. And I think the fact that I was dealing with some serious health things, at the end of the day, it actually makes it better. It's better. Because things that are good are not simple. And also the pain side of that, the physical side of that, is momentary because I never think about that anymore. And even in the moment, it's, like, 'So what? So it hurts. So what?' I wanted it so bad. I'd been working on it so long. And we were so close. And I'm gonna turn and I'm gonna quit because it hurts?! What would I do then, if I quit? What am I supposed to do? Like, get up in the morning and fucking make coffee and… What do I do?"

Homme continued: "It doesn't always come up that you get to show what you're made of and who are you, what are you willing to do. And so I do think that it makes it more intense and it makes it worth it. And I know that there's people that care about you, and it's wonderful to have them say, 'We shouldn't do this, and we should go.' And I understand that. But I'm just sort of, like, 'No, we're here.' I like moments where it's, like, 'Are you gonna fucking do it or not? No more talking.' It's very much, like, 'Shut up and fuck me.' Like, , are you gonna do it or not? And actually, I sometimes I long for moments like that where it's, like, 'Are you gonna do it or not?' I just think they're important… It's okay that things are difficult sometimes. And I had a number of moments where I just was, like, 'I'll be back in a minute. I have to just like walk off.' But also I enjoyed being there. And I think it's okay those things exist at once."

Josh added: "I think the main part of this isn't if I was ill or not feeling well or not. It's that there's this moment that's up for grabs, and it's kind of like I've been dreaming about this. It's been a dream of mine for years, and actually I'm thankful that I was not well because I learned so much. We came together. We got closer because of it. And it had strange benefits. We just agreed, because it was just this type of environment. 'Let's not say anything.' He'll say, 'Action,' and we'll just sit there for 30 seconds. And you're listening to the ceiling drip and you're looking at everybody. And I just remember thinking, like, 'I'm fucking do this. This is the moment.' And I wasn't thinking about anything else. There was nothing else. And that moment of being present is a good moment. So I'm glad to have moments like that because that's what I'm looking for. I'm looking for that."

"Alive In The Catacombs", an audiovisual document of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Catacombs performance, was made available earlier in the year. This utterly unique once-in-a-lifetime experience features a carefully selected setlist spanning the QOTSA catalog, each song chosen and epically reimagined for the Catacombs. The result is an unprecedented incarnation of QOTSA at their most intimate, yet surrounded by literally millions of human remains — "the biggest audience we've ever played for," Homme previously said.

The Catacombs Of Paris is a sprawling 320km (200 miles) ossuary beneath the surface of Paris. With a foundation of several million bodies buried in the 1700s, skeletal remains are largely exposed, with much of the walls built of skulls and bones.

Homme had dreamt of staging a QOTSA performance in the Catacombs since his first visit nearly 20 years ago. The city of Paris, however, had never granted permission to any artist to play within the sacred tunnels. QOTSA, being law-abiding citizens, waited until their vision was sanctioned.

Hélène Furminieux (Les Catacombes de Paris) said: "The Catacombs Of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination. It is important to us that artists take hold of this universe and offer a sensitive interpretation of it. Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience. Josh seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs."

"Queens Of The Stone Age: Alive In The Catacombs" was produced by La Blogothèque and directed by Thomas Rames, and was released by QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and Matador Records. The film is available to rent or purchase via qotsa.com.

Legendary German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN kicked off their fall 2025 North American headlining tour Wednesday night (November 19) at Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

The band is performing across the United States and Canada, bringing its celebrated album "Somewhere Far Beyond" to life on stage.

The tour will make additional stops in major markets, including New York, Toronto, Chicago, Los Angeles and more, before concluding on December 13 in Los Angeles, California at the Wiltern.

Support for the tour is coming from special guests ENSIFERUM and SEVEN KINGDOMS, offering fans a full evening of epic metal performances.

BLIND GUARDIAN's setlist for the Fort Lauderdale concert was as follows:

01. Time What Is Time
02. Journey Through The Dark
03. Black Chamber
04. Theatre Of Pain
05. The Quest For Tanelorn
06. Ashes To Ashes
07. The Bard's Song - In The Forest
08. The Bard's Song - The Hobbit
09. The Piper's Calling
10. Somewhere Far Beyond
11. Nightfall
12. Blood Of The Elves
13. Lost In The Twilight Hall
14. A Past And Future Secret
15. Valhalla

Encore:

16. War Of Wrath
17. Into The Storm
18. Violent Shadows
19. Mirror Mirror

Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of the AIE TUBE channel on YouTube).

Last month, BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch spoke to Canada's The Metal Voice about the band's plans for the follow-up to 2022's "The God Machine" album. After co-host Jimmy Kay noted that BLIND GUARDIAN's sound and overall production approach can't get "much bigger" than it was on some of the group's most recent efforts, Hansi concurred. "Yeah. That was my feeling after '[Twilight Orchestra:] Legacy of The Dark Lands', and I was happy when we went into a direction which we have taken with 'The God Machine', though from the basic songwriting, it was not too far away from 'Beyond The Red Mirror'," he said. "The way we treated it during the production and in the mixing has transformed it into something like a hybrid. This is what I meant when I said, well, 'The God Machine' has a bit of references of what we did in the past. So .. my impression [is that] we shouldn't go further down the road when it comes to orchestration. There will be classical composing, I'm pretty sure, in the future, but we won't take it as far as 'Legacy Of The Dark Lands', at least not in a long time. And, yeah, you know how long it took us to produce and accomplish 'Legacy Of The Dark Lands'. So, I doubt there will be anything like that, but we all feel it is time for the let-your-hair-down stuff. Even though I have to say once we're in the studio, we do not have that much control where the journey is finally leading us. So, that is open to a certain extent, but the passion for, I'd say, easygoing music is there in the band. And we felt encouraged by that also by the touring we did for the last now almost three years. That also fills us up with energy. And once we finish all this touring and we get back to the songwriting, usually there is a bit of this [same kind of] sense in the new songwriting. So I'm quite confident it will be more into such a direction."

Asked if the next BLIND GUARDIAN album will arrive sometime after the completion of the band's fall 2025 North American tour, Hansi clarified: "There won't be a new album coming out after the tour directly because we have to compose the album. We will take that momentum after North America and do the break, which everyone in the band is desperately looking for. We traveled around the world twice, I think, and it is about time now to really keep our focus on songwriting and on family life. We all want that privacy back for a while — not for too long, but I think give us a year, maybe one and a half, and then you'll have your new album As said, I believe it's in the tradition of what BLIND GUARDIAN stands for and maybe has a bit of the more melodic, old-fashioned style, but I cannot promise it. It's just a feeling."

Regarding a possible release date for the next BLIND GUARDIAN album, Hansi said: "[It will be] 2027, I'd say. Give us 2026 to compose songs. We go for quality. I mean, we could technically do an album, including production, within nine months. We did that in the very early stages of the band, but I wanna take my time, and so want the other guys. So give us the beginning of 2027 for maybe finishing the production and releasing the album, and then another tour hopefully at the end of 2027."

In the summer of 2024, Kürsch told MetalMasterKingdom.com about the progress of the songwriting sessions for BLIND GUARDIAN's next studio album: "We started songwriting a while ago, but I think we skipped all the ideas we've had. We do that from time to time, because if the span in between the real songwriting and the ones we did before is so big, then it doesn't make sense to keep on working on these songs because you do not get back into the mode, and so it's better to just put them aside. And some of this stuff really got forgotten over the years, and we never touched it again. So, we will start from scratch zero right now. We are still in the mode of 'live band' [due to all the touring we have done]. So I would expect the next songs to be heavy — heavy and aggressive."

Asked if the next BLIND GUARDIAN album will be musically similar to "The God Machine", Hansi said: "That's difficult to say, because 'The God Machine' is more of a production result than it is in the songwriting itself. The songwriting is not too different from what we did on [2015's] 'Beyond The Red Mirror', but the way we treated the songs in the studio is so different. So the result turns out to be, obviously, differently impressive to people. I would say, yes, we go for individual [songs]. With the lyrics, I am more focused on this than having a conceptual album. When having a conceptual album, you may go musically in one direction also. So we go freestyle."

In February 2024, Hansi was asked by Australia's Metal Roos if he thinks there will be "a shorter turnaround time" for the band's next studio album, considering that "The God Machine" was the first regular studio LP from BLIND GUARDIAN in seven years. He responded: "I'm pretty sure it's going to be…. I'm not sure how it will look like exactly. We did the re-recordings for 'Somewhere Far Beyond' for the anniversary album, and we did the live recordings in 2022, so this is something certainly to come up very soon. But we're talking about new material. That is still on hold then, because after that we do some acoustic playings, which we also worked on because we had to kill some time. And then, yeah, after Wacken [Open Air] and after these shows we're going to play within this year, we keep our focus on regular songwriting. And I don't know — I would be very surprised to find out that there's no new BLIND GUARDIAN album before '27, which is an accomplishment already, but I'm hoping for either late '25 or '26."

Asked how he and his BLIND GUARDIAN bandmates keep their songwriting fresh after all this time, Hansi said: "You gain a bit of expertise over the years. This is helpful. And then in addition, it's a passion on one hand, it's a profession on the other hand, which makes it a bit easier. And the excitement is still there. I believe maybe that's the central point in BLIND GUARDIAN. Everyone is feeling completely relieved because we have accomplished so much. But everyone is also focused because we build up a market in [a country like] Australia and we still see a development into the right direction. So that's encouragement, motivation, and we have plenty of that. What I have to say is I don't see the moment where we are running out of ideas."

BLIND GUARDIAN's "The God Machine" North American 2024 tour commenced on April 18, 2024 at The Fillmore in Silver Springs, Maryland and made its way to Dallas, Seattle, and Toronto before the final performance at Milwaukee Metalfest on May 17, 2024. Joining the band as support was NIGHT DEMON.

"The God Machine" was released in September 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD was designed by Peter Mohrbacher.

Prior to "The God Machine"'s arrival, BLIND GUARDIAN's latest release was the all-orchestral album "Twilight Orchestra: Legacy Of The Dark Lands", which came out in November 2019 via Nuclear Blast. To create the concept, lead guitarist André Olbrich and Kürsch worked alongside German bestselling author Markus Heitz, whose novel "Die Dunklen Lande" was released in March 2019. The book is set in 1629 and contains the prequel to "Legacy Of The Dark Lands".

BLIND GUARDIAN's previous "regular" studio album, "Beyond The Red Mirror", was issued in 2015. It was the band's first LP since 2010's "At The Edge Of Time", marking the longest gap between two studio albums in BLIND GUARDIAN's career. It was also the group's first album without bassist Oliver Holzwarth since 1995's "Imaginations From The Other Side".

BLIND GUARDIAN's core trio consists of Kürsch, lead guitarist André Olbrich and rhythm guitarist Marcus Siepen. Drummer Frederik Ehmke has been with the group since 2005, while Dutch bassist Johan Van Stratum joined in 2021.

Drummer Thomen Stauch played on BLIND GUARDIAN's first seven albums before being replaced by Ehmke. Frederik made his recording debut with BLIND GUARDIAN on 2006's "A Twist In The Myth".

Brazilian metallers ANGRA will stage a reunion of the band's "Rebirth" lineup at the 2026 edition of the Bangers Open Air festival on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. In addition to a performance by ANGRA's current lineup, fans will witness the long-awaited reunion of the lineup that recorded the "Rebirth" (2001) and "Temple Of Shadows" (2004) LPs, featuring the return of guitarist Kiko Loureiro, singer Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi and drummer Aquiles Priester.

ANGRA comments: "Being the headliner of a major festival in Brazil, as a Brazilian band, carries enormous meaning for us, especially in the year ANGRA celebrates 35 years of existence. It proves that the metal made here has strength, history, and relevance."

The Bangers organizers added (translated from Portuguese): "Having ANGRA, and specifically the legendary 'Rebirth' lineup , as the headliner for Bangers Open Air is a historic milestone for Brazilian metal. In the year that a national metal festival reaches its fourth edition, an unprecedented feat in the country, this encounter consecrates the strength, trajectory, and relevance of the music produced here."

Loureiro left ANGRA in 2015 to join MEGADETH and toured and recorded with the Dave Mustaine-led group for more than eight years before his exit from that band in September 2023.

Falaschi appeared on four ANGRA studio albums — "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows", 2006's "Aurora Consurgens" and 2010's "Aqua" — before quitting the band in May 2012, explaining in a statement that "there comes a moment in a man's life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy." In 2006, Falaschi established his own band, ALMAH, and garnered international success. Following Falaschi's departure, there were discussions within the band's management about the possibility of original ANGRA singer André Matos returning to the fold. ANGRA eventually enlisted Italian-born Fabio Lione, formerly of LABYRINTH and RHAPSODY OF FIRE, as its third vocalist.

Falaschi later revealed that he was threatened with a lawsuit by ANGRA guitarist Rafael Bittencourt when he announced plans in 2017 to launch a tour under the banner "Edu Falaschi Angra Years". Edu stated in an interview that he was "sad" and "upset" to receive such a letter from someone who could have personally called him and resolved the issue without the need to involve lawyers. Falaschi ended up changing the name of the tour to "Rebirth Of Shadows".

In 2020, Falaschi released a DVD, Blu-ray and live CD called "Temple Of Shadows In Concert", recorded in 2019 at Tom Brasil, in São Paulo featuring material from "Temple Of Shadows" performed with an orchestra. The band that backed Edu at the gig consisted of Aquiles Priester (drums),Fabio Laguna (keyboards),Roberto Barros (guitar),Diogo Mafra (guitar) and Raphael Dafras (bass). Initially the product was only in Japan due to "bureaucratic problems" in Brazil, with Priester later claiming in an interview that "the songwriters in ANGRA" didn't want it released in Brazil due to the high "quality" of the product. Bittencourt denied those claims, telling the Heavy Talk channel that he never prevented the material from being released and criticized Falaschi, calling the vocalist "naive," "paranoid," and "unprofessional". Bittencourt also ripped Priester as a "liar" and accused the drummer of having "a very weak character".

Priester was a member of ANGRA from 2001 to 2008 and he played on the "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows" and "Aurora Consurgens" albums.

In a 2010 interview with Metal Shock Finland, Rafael stated about Aquiles's departure: "Aquiles has preferred to dedicate himself 100% to his own band. During the troubled times with the previous manager, he had an attitude of not caring about helping us out; he turned his back to us. That wasn't cool. So when things started to soften, there was a common decision between him and us that he should spend his energy only to the band he truly believes. And that was not ANGRA."

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Brazilian metallers ANGRA have announced the departure of their frontman of the past 13 years, Italian-born singer Fabio Lione (VISION DIVINE, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, KAMELOT).

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),ANGRA released the following statement via social media (translated from Portuguese): "It is with deep gratitude and admiration that ANGRA officially announces the departure of vocalist Fabio Lione.

"Fabio is an extraordinary singer and an unusual human being, who marked our history with his delivery, his artistic sensitivity and a voice capable of moving and impressing audiences around the world.

"Over 13 years, Fabio devoted a huge part of his life to ANGRA, often away from his home in Italy, his family and his routine. This constant effort, always carried out with professionalism, passion and generosity, is something for which we will have eternal admiration. There were countless trips, exhausting tours, hours and hours in the studios and moments that will remain forever in the memory of the band and fans.

"Over time Fabio ended up becoming a bit Brazilian too. Embedded our culture, our language, our humor and our way of seeing life. He became part of our musical family and gained a special place in the hearts of the fans who always welcomed him with immense affection. He is very dear to us all and his presence made a profound mark on all who had the chance to work with or interact with him. [His] legacy within ANGRA will be remembered forever through the music we made together and our time sharing the road and life.

"We wish him all the success and happiness in the next chapters of his journey. We are sincerely grateful for each year of dedication and the memories we made together. Our admiration remains intact and the doors will always be open to him.

"Fabio will bid farewell to ANGRA at the Bangers Open Air show [in April 2026].

"Thank you, Fabio!"

Lione officially joined ANGRA in early 2013 as the replacement for Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi.

As previously reported, ANGRA will stage a reunion of the band's "Rebirth" lineup at the 2026 edition of the Bangers Open Air festival on Sunday, April 26, 2026 at Memorial da América Latina in São Paulo. In addition to a performance by ANGRA's current lineup — including Lione — fans will witness the long-awaited reunion of the lineup that recorded the "Rebirth" (2001) and "Temple Of Shadows" (2004) LPs, featuring the return of guitarist Kiko Loureiro, Falaschi and drummer Aquiles Priester.

Loureiro left ANGRA in 2015 to join MEGADETH and toured and recorded with the Dave Mustaine-led group for more than eight years before his exit from that band in September 2023.

Falaschi appeared on four ANGRA studio albums — "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows", 2006's "Aurora Consurgens" and 2010's "Aqua" — before quitting the band in May 2012, explaining in a statement that "there comes a moment in a man's life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy." In 2006, Falaschi established his own band, ALMAH, and garnered international success. Following Falaschi's departure, there were discussions within the band's management about the possibility of original ANGRA singer André Matos returning to the fold. ANGRA eventually enlisted Lione as its third vocalist.

Priester was a member of ANGRA from 2001 to 2008 and he played on the "Rebirth", "Temple Of Shadows" and "Aurora Consurgens" albums.

🇧🇷 É com profunda gratidão e admiração que o Angra comunica oficialmente a saída do vocalista Fabio Lione. Fábio é um...

Posted by Angra on Sunday, November 23, 2025

Ignacia Fernández, a 27-year-old model who is also the vocalist and founder of the Chilean progressive death metal band DECESSUS, spoke to host Jose Mangin of SiriusXM's Liquid Metal about being crowned Miss World Chile 2025 (Spanish: Miss Mundo Chile) during the November 9 finals of the talent competition. Fernández, who went viral for performing a death metal song during the Miss World Chile semifinals, beat out 19 other finalists to be named Miss World Chile. She will now prepare for next year's Miss World competition.

Regarding her decision to sing a DECESSUS song during the Miss World Chile competition, Ignacia said: "When the option to enter the contest came, they were, like, 'Okay, but we have the sport competition, we have the talent competition and everything, so you have to do them.' I was, like, "All right. But I was suspicious about making the music because I was a little bit afraid and everything. I was, like, 'Okay, this is my only talent. I'm going to sing and I'm going to sing a song from my band to at least show what I do.' Because then if I did another song from, I don't know, ARCH ENEMY, I didn't want them to be mad at me because a beauty contest kind of thing, like, I was like, 'Okay, if I'm going to fuck it [up], I'm going to fuck it [up] with my music at least.'"

Ignacia went on to say that she wasn't afraid to show who she is as a metal vocalist, despite the fact that her connection to death metal challenged the traditional standards of beauty pageants.

"I've been working as a model since I'm very young," she explained. "The 'Miss' kind of side is completely different than the modeling job. It's two separate worlds. But now I entered this, I saw this as an opportunity because Miss World has… I don't care about winning a crown because of being the most pretty girl whatever. I don't care about that. Miss World, for me, is important because it gives you a platform to work on something you are passionate about, to have a voice. It's called Beauty With A Purpose. So you have to have a social project. You have to do something real. You know, in my case, I'm very passionate about animals and animal rights. So I wanna work on that. So now with the whole music kind of part, that is part of the competition because there is this talent side. They are trying to find this like complete woman. And I'm trying to show myself as I am. Of course, I know it's not common to have a metal vocalist in a beauty contest. I am absolutely aware of that, but it is what I am, so I'm not afraid to show how I am, even though I know lots of people doesn't like that I will go and sing metal vocals at Miss World."

Miss World Chile is a national pageant selecting representatives for both Miss World and Miss Universe, with traditional categories alongside a talent segment.

Fernández represented the Las Condes district in this year's pageant, choosing to sing one of the original songs from DECESSUS, wearing a ball gown and accompanied by her bandmate, guitarist Carlos Palma.

Both the audience and the judges were taken aback during the first few seconds of the performance. That surprise quickly turned into a standing ovation: one of the judges said he had never seen anything like it in a beauty pageant.

Formed in 2020, DECESSUS, which also features drummer Martín Fénix and bassist Jaime Pepe, has opened for such international acts as INSOMNIUM and JINJER. They have also performed at festivals in Finland and Germany, and in September 2024 they opened for EPICA in Santiago.

Fernández was born and raised in Santiago, Chile, where she combines her modeling career — which she began in 2013 — with her other great passion: extreme music.

As she has shared on her social media, metal "has been a fundamental part" of who she is as a person and of her life. For her, it represents "a refuge, a source of strength and purpose."

The appearance of a death metal singer in a global beauty pageant has not only generated curiosity, but has also sparked a debate about the stereotypes that persist in these types of events, according to the El Independiente newspaper. Fernández stated that this performance was a great opportunity to break down barriers, asserting that one shouldn't fear the prejudices of others.

Former ARCH ENEMY singer Alissa White-Gluz has released "The Room Where She Died", the first single from her upcoming debut solo album.

The music for "The Room Where She Died" was written by KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai, while Alissa performed, recorded and wrote all the vocals for the track. White-Gluz also came up with the script for "The Room Where She Died"'s accompanying music video, which was created by Serbian video production company iCODE Team.

Alissa comments: "I hope you love this first offering from my upcoming solo album.

"'The Room Where She Died' is a song that feels truly satisfying to me; like I get to express myself in so many ways that have been dormant for years.

"This upcoming album is diverse; and I love the idea of opening up this new chapter with this song and video, which I wrote the script for.

"Can't wait to share more with you!"

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),ARCH ENEMY announced it had parted ways with White-Gluz, writing on social media: "ARCH ENEMY have parted ways with singer Alissa White-Gluz. We're thankful for the time and music we've shared and wish her all the best.

"Wherever there is an ending, there is also a beginning.

"See you in 2026."

Alissa added in a separate statement on her Facebook page: "After 12 years in ARCH ENEMY, we have parted ways. I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Thank you, Beastlings!

"I can't wait to share what I have been working on with you all (with some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon."

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

During a March 2022 appearance on the "Vox&Hops" podcast, White-Gluz spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for her long-in-the-works debut solo album. She said: "What happened was it was announced [in September 2016] that I signed [with Napalm Records] for a solo album. All I did was sign to do one, but I think a lot of people interpreted that I had an album that I was ready to put out. So, basically, when the news came out about this solo album, the only thing that happened at that point was that I just agreed to do one. And then I was on tour for, like, three hundred days of the year up until 2020. And so now it's done, because now I've actually been home long enough to write the songs and get them done. And it's awesome and I love it."

Regarding a possible release date for the effort, Alissa said at the time: "There's nothing holding it back — it's done — but I need to be careful with how I release it, because now there's so many releases happening that I wanna make sure that the music gets the attention it deserves. So it's not gonna come out at the same time as an ARCH ENEMY album, for sure, because that's just not a good idea, but I will find a time to release it in a way that makes sense."

As for the musical direction of her solo material, Alissa said: "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY, actually. It's still me, so it's gonna sound a little bit like ARCH ENEMY, but it's kind of different. I feel like it's kind of an amalgam of that really interesting place that you're at when you're a beginner musician, because although I'm not a beginner vocalist or songwriter, I am a beginner guitarist — I'm very bad at guitar. So when I'm writing songs on guitar, I have an approach that is probably totally wrong, and that's what, I think, makes it cool. It's different — it's an unorthodox approach. I mean, I can still play it, but it's not my main instrument, so when I'm writing riffs on a guitar, I'm writing like a vocalist writing riffs on a guitar. Some could argue that that's kind of how Michael [Amott, ARCH ENEMY] writes too, actually, because his riffs are so 'sing-songy.' But, yeah, so I wrote a bunch with Jeff [Loomis, now-former-ARCH ENEMY guitarist] and I wrote a bunch with a lot of other people, actually, which I don't wanna spoil and announce them all now. But there's clean singing, there's growling, of course, and other interesting vocal techniques with the note screaming and some operatic stuff. It's a heavy album. I don't know what genre to call it. It's totally self-produced in that sense. It's honest. It's exactly what I just felt like writing for this. So there's some prog elements, there's some rock and roll elements, there's a lot of metal in it, obviously. But, yeah, I'm really happy with it. So I hope that other people like it too, basically."

Back in 2017, Alissa said that her debut solo album would feature collaborations with a member of KAMELOT and at least one of her now-former bandmates in ARCH ENEMY.

The now-ex-ARCH ENEMY frontwoman said that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from Gossow, who had been managing ARCH ENEMY's career for more than a decade and also oversaw Alissa's personal affairs.

"[Angela] was, like, 'Well, you need something. You need something that you can do, because I know you're a workaholic and you're not gonna be able to just sit there like this waiting for the next ARCH ENEMY tour,'" Alissa told France's Duke TV. "And she's totally right — I needed something else to be able to work on. And also, I have a lot of ideas that maybe don't sound like ARCH ENEMY and it would be kind of silly to just force them into ARCH ENEMY."

According to White-Gluz, her debut solo album will be released under the ALISSA banner because she wanted to "keep it simple" and "make it very clear who it is and what it is." In order to make the disc, Alissa "did a huge life overhaul," which included building a studio and investing a lot of time and money into learning how to engineer and record, program drums and improving at playing guitar. "Of course, on the album itself we're gonna have real musicians playing all of these things, but in terms of just getting the style down and the songwriting, it's something that I need to start on my own," she explained to Duke TV.

At the time of the Duke TV interview, half of Alissa's solo effort had been written, and it contained some musical surprises. "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY — it's pretty different — but I think it's pretty cool," she said. "For example, a song that I'm writing with Oliver from KAMELOT doesn't sound like KAMELOT and it doesn't sound like ARCH ENEMY, but it's members of both."

Loomis, who joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014 and left in December 2023, didn't have any of his songwriting ideas included on the latter band's "Will To Power" and "Deceivers" albums, but will apparently play a prominent role on Alissa's upcoming disc.

"Jeff didn't write with Michael, because Michael was already writing so well with Daniel [Erlandsson, ARCH ENEMY drummer] that we just actually had too many ideas," White-Gluz told France's Loud TV in a separate interview. "But all of Jeff's ideas are really good and I've heard them and they're gonna be released, so people will hear them… Jeff is gonna be one of my collaborators on my solo project, because how can you say no to that? [Laughs]"

ARCH ENEMY played the final show of its European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

ARCH ENEMY has parted ways with its singer of the past 11 years, Alissa White-Gluz. No reason was given for her departure.

Earlier today (Sunday, November 23),the veteran extreme metallers released the following statement via social media: "ARCH ENEMY have parted ways with singer Alissa White-Gluz. We're thankful for the time and music we've shared and wish her all the best.

"Wherever there is an ending, there is also a beginning.

"See you in 2026."

Alissa added in a separate statement on her Facebook page: "After 12 years in ARCH ENEMY, we have parted ways. I am forever thankful to the thousands of amazing fans I have met along the way. Thank you, Beastlings!

"I can't wait to share what I have been working on with you all (with some big surprises in store). Stay tuned for big news in 2026 and see you very soon."

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY recorded three albums with vocalist Johan Liiva — "Black Earth" (1996),"Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999) — before Liiva was replaced by German singer Gossow.

ARCH ENEMY released four studio albums with White-Gluz on vocals: "War Eternal" (2014),"Will To Power" (2017),"Deceivers" (2022) and "Blood Dynasty" (2025).

Throughout her career, the now-40-year-old Alissa has consistently used her music as a vehicle for social change, addressing pressing issues such as environmental conservation, veganism, and the ethical treatment of animals.

Back in 2016, it was announced that White-Gluz had signed a deal with Napalm Records for the release of her debut solo album. The following year, she said that her solo LP would feature collaborations with a member of KAMELOT and at least one of her now-former bandmates in ARCH ENEMY.

The now-former-ARCH ENEMY frontwoman said that the idea for a solo project came about as a suggestion from Gossow, who has been managing ARCH ENEMY's career for more than a decade and also oversaw Alissa's personal affairs.

As for the musical direction of her solo material, Alissa told the "Vox&Hops" podcast in a March 2022 interview: "It doesn't really sound like ARCH ENEMY, actually. It's still me, so it's gonna sound a little bit like ARCH ENEMY, but it's kind of different. I feel like it's kind of an amalgam of that really interesting place that you're at when you're a beginner musician, because although I'm not a beginner vocalist or songwriter, I am a beginner guitarist — I'm very bad at guitar. So when I'm writing songs on guitar, I have an approach that is probably totally wrong, and that's what, I think, makes it cool. It's different — it's an unorthodox approach. I mean, I can still play it, but it's not my main instrument, so when I'm writing riffs on a guitar, I'm writing like a vocalist writing riffs on a guitar. Some could argue that that's kind of how Michael [Amott, ARCH ENEMY] writes too, actually, because his riffs are so 'sing-songy.' But, yeah, so I wrote a bunch with Jeff [Loomis, ex-ARCH ENEMY and current NEVERMORE guitarist] and I wrote a bunch with a lot of other people, actually, which I don't wanna spoil and announce them all now. But there's clean singing, there's growling, of course, and other interesting vocal techniques with the note screaming and some operatic stuff. It's a heavy album. I don't know what genre to call it. It's totally self-produced in that sense. It's honest. It's exactly what I just felt like writing for this. So there's some prog elements, there's some rock and roll elements, there's a lot of metal in it, obviously. But, yeah, I'm really happy with it. So I hope that other people like it too, basically."

In a February 2020 interview with Metal Hammer, White-Gluz was full of praise for her then-ARCH ENEMY bandmates, saying: "It's a really good environment on tour with ARCH ENEMY: we all hang out and get along well. It's not like we just hired some guy to do sound or lights. We roll like a family. I go hiking with my guitar tech, canoeing with my front-of-house engineer, bike riding with my monitor guy whenever we can. We discuss things every day on how we can improve our show, I talk to our lighting guy about what colors he's feeling for each song. I say I'm thinking of making a jacket in a certain color and ask how it would look on stage with this light setup. We really go into detail and I love every aspect of it."

ARCH ENEMY's latest studio album, the aforementioned "Blood Dynasty", was originally released in March of this year via Century Media Records. The "Blood Dynasty (Deluxe Edition)" was made available October 10, and it came with three bonus tracks, one of which, "Lachrymatory", was previously unreleased.

ARCH ENEMY played the final show of its European "Blood Dynasty" 2025 tour with AMORPHIS, ELUVEITIE and GATECREEPER on November 15 in Düsseldorf, Germany.

Photo credit: Patric Ullaeus