Two men have been arrested on suspicion of murder after former LOSTPROPHETS singer Ian Watkins was stabbed to death at a prison in northern England, where he was serving a 29-year sentence for child sex offenses.

The 48-year-old had his throat slashed at British maximum security prison HMP Wakefield after inmates were unlocked from their cells Saturday morning (October 11).

A statement from West Yorkshire police said: "Detectives have launched a murder investigation after the death of a man in HMP Wakefield.

"Officers were called by staff at the prison at 9.39am this morning (October 11) to reports of a serious assault on a prisoner. A man aged 48 was found with serious injuries. Despite medical attention he was pronounced dead at the scene.

"Two men aged 25 and 43 have been arrested on suspicion of murder and are currently in police custody."

Watkins's attackers reportedly slashed his jugular, causing Ian to die from blood loss.

A source told The Sun: "[Ian] was targeted by another inmate who shanked him in the neck. Guards were nearby and raced to the scene pretty quickly — but there was nothing they could do, and they could not save him. It was a horrific scene, with blood everywhere and alarms and sirens going off. Police and ambulances were called and the whole prison was locked down with all cons confined to their cells."

A Prison Service spokesperson said: "We are aware of an incident at HMP Wakefield which took place this morning. We are unable to comment further while the police investigate."

Watkins was previously stabbed in an incident at the same prison in 2023. On that occasion, he suffered non life-threatening injuries after he was reportedly taken hostage by three other inmates before being freed by prison officers six hours later.

In 2013, Watkins was convicted of 13 child sex offenses. These crimes only came to light following a drug investigation.

After Watkins was arrested in 2012 for drug charges, which included possession of methamphetamines and cocaine, police searched his property and computer, where they found "overwhelming evidence that he was a pedophile," according to the Guardian. At least 90 photos were found in his possession displaying indecent photos of children ages ranging from 2 to 14 years old.

Six people came forward to make allegations against Watkins before he was finally arrested and jailed for 35 years, the report from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found.

Watkins admitted the attempted rape and sexual assault of a child under 13 but pleaded not guilty to rape. He also admitted conspiring to rape a child, three counts of sexual assault involving children, seven involving taking, making or possessing indecent images of children and one of possessing an extreme pornographic image involving a sex act on an animal.

Ian initially claimed he was the "victim of a malicious campaign" against him, telling police during interviews he was being stalked by "a crazed fan" and other people had access to his computers.

Watkins's disgusted LOSTPROPHETS bandmates called it quits in 2013, just before the frontman pleaded guilty to his crimes. They subsequently formed a new group, named NO DEVOTION.

LOSTPROPHETS formed in 1997 and sold 3.5 million albums in their 16-year career. They scored a No. 1 hit at Modern Rock radio in 2004 with the track "Last Train Home".

In August 2019, Watkins was found guilty of possessing a mobile phone while in prison. He was found with the phone in his cell at HMP Wakefield.

Watkins allegedly used the phone between March 4, 2018 and March 10, 2018 to contact a woman he previously had a relationship with and later hid the phone inside his anus while serving time at the prison.

Watkins was removed from his cell after officers received intelligence he was illegally storing a phone.

The singer told jurors that he hid the phone in prison because he was threatened by two fellow inmates, but he refused to name the men who allegedly ordered him to look after the device.

Watkins said his fellow inmates at HMP Wakefield were "murderers and handy," adding, "You would not want to mess with them."

Symphonic metallers SIRENIA have released "Nightside Den", the first single from the band's upcoming album, "Amanita Messis". The follow-up 2023's "1977" picks up the trail where the previous LP left off, with SIRENIA continuing to deliver melodic and catchy metal with a symphonic touch. True to the band's signature style the songs are perfectly balanced between the classic past and the modern touch of the future.

"Nightside Den" is a catchy and melodic song, a great first single to let the fans know that the band is back in the game with brand new original material. "Amanita Messis" will be an epic journey through the renowned musical style of the band which will celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. Lots of special anniversary tours and shows are in the works.

SIRENIA bandleader, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter Morten Veland states: "We are very excited to be back again with some brand new SIRENIA material. 'Nightside Den' is in many ways a typical SIRENIA song; it has a lot of those typical elements that the band loves to include in their songs. It's a melodic and groovy midtempo song with a very catchy chorus and a nice symphonic touch.

"This is our first song from the upcoming album 'Amanita Messis'. We are very pleased to share this song with you all, make sure to head over to your favorite digital platform and check it out."

SIRENIA was formed by Veland in January 2001. Morten's musical work was already well known through his work with his former band TRISTANIA, which he co-founded back in the mid-'90s. Being the main songwriter for TRISTANIA, he was a part of defining the gothic metal sound from a very early time on.

With SIRENIA, Morten's intention was to bring it to the next level, a task he succeeded to fulfil. Up to date SIRENIA has released 11 albums, an EP and several singles. Their albums have made it to the charts in multiple countries, receiving great reviews worldwide. Meanwhile their singles have topped radio charts in several countries.

SIRENIA has also toured extensively in Europe, Latin America, North America, Asia and Australia for 20 years and counting and performed at the biggest festivals in Europe on the same billing as huge acts like OZZY OSBOURNE, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH and KORN, to mention a few.

SIRENIA sounds like a mixture of gothic metal and rock with classical orchestrations, in addition to some elements from more extreme metal genres. Their sound has a solid base in the powerful drums and bass supported by massive rhythm guitars, dressed with atmospheric keyboards and spiced with melancholic violins and 12-string guitars. The music is at all times melodic and groovy. The vocal styles are diverse and consist of female vocals, choirs, growls, screams, clean male vocals, whispers and samples. The songs are very intense and dynamic. The lyrics are based on reflections on life, death, love, hate, paranoia, anxiety and mental decline in general.

JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain has shot down as "inaccurate" reports that he has announced his departure from the band.

The news of Cain's alleged exit was first shared by JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon in a post Thursday night (October 9) on X (formerly Twitter),where Neal wrote: "Jonathan Cain announced his farewell to JOURNEY tonight. I'm nowhere near done!" He added, "JOURNEY has so much more life ahead! I'm sure we will have a great tour!"

Schon later explained why Cain was supposedly leaving in a response to a fan comment, writing, "He wants to do his ministry." The guitarist later clarified that Jonathan will still tour with JOURNEY for the foreseeable future. "Jon is playing," Schon wrote. "He's saying at the end of 26-27 he will move on. We will have a great couple of years."

Earlier today, after the rock music media reported on Schon's comments, Cain's spokesperson released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "Jonathan Cain remains an active member of JOURNEY, and any reports suggesting otherwise are inaccurate. He is fully dedicated to touring with the band over the next couple of years and has only expressed plans to retire at a later time."

Earlier this week, Cain announced a new solo single, "No One Else", written in honor of right-wing American activist and influencer Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed in early September at a Utah college event in what has been called a political assassination.

Cain is a devout born-again Christian whose minister wife Paula White-Cain became the first female clergy member to pray at a presidential inauguration following U.S. president Donald Trump's latest victory and now serves as the first female primary spiritual adviser to a U.S. president.

Jonathan embraced faith-based music with 2016's "What God Wants To Hear" and released a Christmas LP, "Unsung Noel", the following year.

In 1976, Cain released his first solo record, "Windy City Breakdown". Three years later, he joined the band THE BABYS, and in 1980 became a member of JOURNEY, rounding out the songwriting genius behind the defining album "Escape".

Schon and Cain have publicly feuded over several issues, including Neal allegedly causing over $1 million in personal expenses to be charged to the band's shared American Express card and Schon demanding that Cain stop playing events for Trump.

Earlier this month, Schon said that "everything" was "cool" between him and Cain, adding that he has "had some great conversations with Jonathan lately and some great meetings with him for the first time in many years."

Back in December 2022, Schon blasted Cain as a "hypocrite" after the JOURNEY keyboardist performed the band's 1981 hit song "Don't Stop Believin'" at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property. Cain played the track with a backup chorus of U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Donald Trump Jr.'s then-fiancée Kimberly Guilfoyle and former Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake.

In the past, Schon has also publicly voiced his opposition to having JOURNEY's music associated with political or religious causes. Back in 2017, he derided Cain on social media after the keyboardist, singer Arnel Pineda and then-bassist Ross Valory were photographed with Trump in the White House.

In a 2017 video interview conducted in the studios of the radio station ONE FM 91.3, Cain could be heard saying: "We're not political; we don't get into politics. We try to stay in our lane, and I just think that's the best answer we can give you."

Photo credit: Micah Kandross (courtesy of Hoganson Media Relations)

At last weekend's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, PRONG guitarist/vocalist Tommy Victor spoke to Rock News Weekly about the band's plans for 2026. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "We've got a live record — it's called 'Live And Uncleansed' — and that's coming out in, like, late February. It's from the last tour we did. We picked and chose from a European tour — picked and chose from a selection of 14 different shows. They really centered around — it came down to four shows that were good, and we picked from them. It's a short record, though. It's gonna be just a single vinyl and a single CD. And then we're going in — we signed to Napalm Records, and the [new PRONG] studio album will be out in October next year."

Formed in 1986 by Victor and cemented into American metal legend, PRONG have never released their grip on the scene. From the '80s club basements of New York City to the MTV "Headbangers Ball" era with '90s classics "Beg To Differ", "Prove You Wrong", "Cleansing" and "Rude Awakening", to their official return in the late aughts and today, PRONG have stood their ground as household names in the metal universe, continuing to put out grippingly gritty, provocative and vital records for the next generation of heavy music fans.

PRONG's new partnership with Napalm Records was announced in June. It came on the heels of the band's European headline tour celebrating 31 years of their aforementioned 1994 album "Cleansing".

Asked by Metal Insider if he had any fond memories of making "Cleansing", Victor said: "Yeah, in the studio, there's a lot of fond memories. The preparation for it and the chaos that consumed the whole pre-production period, and I've been through it so many times in my career. Member changes, namely Troy Gregory leaving, and again the bulk of the work being thrown on me to solve all these problems while handling the business and personal matters. I remember that being extremely stressful. I think it catered to the inevitable/possible disappointment with 'Rude Awakening', and I just remembered how much work and how much sacrifices I had to make in order for those records to come into fruition. But the process was great. I mean, working with Terry Date was always a pleasure, more so on 'Cleansing'. I got to mix a record with him at Electric Lady Studios in New York, which is an experience I will never forget. We had a lot of fun with the guitar tracks, and again with PRONG, it wound up being a solitary experience. That's just the way it is. I mean, people tend to think a lot of times that when you're making records, and I guess if you're a rap artist this may not apply, you're surrounded by this posse and everyone's partying, you're in the studio listening to the same track over and over again, bringing your buddies in to hear stuff, like as if that was the '90s. It wasn't like that for PRONG at all. I was in the studio all day long with Terry, making decisions, laying guitar tracks on it, vocals, and the traveling. At that point, the budget was enough where we did sessions in multiple places. Then when you finish the mixes, there's always the mastering problem. That record was mastered four times before we settled on the brilliant mastering that we inevitably had. So, I mean, it's a great-sounding record. There is an amazing magic to that record, and a lot of that record came together by accident. It was just one of those great moments in my life."

"State Of Emergency" came out in October 2023 via Steamhammer/SPV. The LP was helmed by producer Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN) and included a cover of "Working Man", originally written and recorded by the legendary RUSH.

Prior to "State Of Emergency"'s arrival, Victor stated about the LP's stylistic direction: "It's a very PRONG record. I think it's totally genre-transcending and definitely ignores what's going on out there these days."

Commenting on his artistic approach, he said: "I like all kinds of music. This record totally reflects that because it covers lots of different angles. At the same time, 'State Of Emergency' is very guitar-oriented and a typical example of my style.'"

LYNCH MOB, the band led by former DOKKEN guitar legend George Lynch, will release its ninth and final full-length studio album, "Dancing With The Devil", on November 28, 2025, via Frontiers Music Srl, marking the final chapter in the group's storied career.

To mark the announcement, the band share the title track, along with an official visualizer, available below.

George Lynch commented: "All the other records of done in my life led me to this one. 'Dancing With With The Devil' is pretty much my magnum opus and swan song."

The album follows the success of their previous effort "Babylon" and showcases elements of classic LYNCH MOB with a modern edge, fusing hard rock, blues, and soulful grooves with an unmistakable passion and energy.

"We've always been about pushing boundaries and staying true to the fans", said Lynch, the band's founding member. "This new album is a reflection of where we are now, both as individuals and as a band. We've taken everything we've learned over the years and poured it into these songs."

With "Dancing With The Devil", Lynch and his band LYNCH MOB deliver a bold and uncompromising last word, a completion of the musical legacy, closing the curtain on a storied chapter in American hard rock history. This album marks the band's definitive farewell, following the conclusion of all touring and live activity — a fitting final act from a group whose impact on the genre has been both lasting and influential.

Sonically, "Dancing With The Devil" revisits the classic LYNCH MOB sound: a potent mix of blues-based hard rock, razor-sharp guitar work, and soulful vocals, delivered with the swagger and confidence of a band that has nothing left to prove. Fans of the early "Wicked Sensation" era will find familiar fire here — but with a modern edge that reflects decades of evolution and road-tested chemistry.

Reuniting the same lineup that lit up 2023's "Babylon" — vocalist Gabriel Colón, bassist Jaron Gulino, drummer Jimmy D'Anda and Lynch himself — this final studio effort captures the chemistry of a band playing at full force.

Together, they've crafted a collection that balances raw intensity with veteran finesse, all under the expert guidance of producer and mixing engineer Chris Collier (known for his work with KXM, PRONG, JOEL HOEKSTRA'S 13). Collier's production brings clarity and punch, allowing the band's dynamic interplay and Lynch's signature tone to shine through every track.

As a special bonus for European fans, this edition of the album includes the exclusive track "Somewhere", not available on the U.S. version — a parting gift to a fanbase that has supported the band throughout their journey.

"Dancing With The Devil" isn't just another release — it's a farewell with force, a record that honors the past while asserting the band's place in rock history one final time. For LYNCH MOB, the devil may have had the last dance... but they set the floor on fire.

"Dancing With The Devil" track listing:

01. Dancing With The Devil
02. Pictures Of The Dead
03. Saints And Sinners
04. Lift Up Your Soul
05. Love In Denial
06. Machine Bone
07. Follow Me Down
08. Golden Mirror
09. Sea Of Stones
10. The Stranger
11. Somewhere (bonus track)

Recording lineup:

George Lynch - guitar
Gabriel Colón - vocals
Jaron Gulino - bass
Jimmy D'Anda - drums

LYNCH MOB was formed in 1989 after Lynch parted ways with his former band DOKKEN. Their debut release, "Wicked Sensation", was met with critical and fan acclaim and went on to be certified gold in sales by the RIAA. The band would continue on through the years with a cast of talented players joining Lynch throughout their musical journey over the course of seven more studio albums.

In August 2020, Lynch announced that he was ending LYNCH MOB due to the racial insensitivity of the moniker, saying he would no longer record or perform under that name. Two years later, George had a change of heart, explaining that he had to "live with the fact that [the name LYNCH MOB] has some negative connotations that I probably have to continue explaining for the rest of my life, and I don't mind doing that. But it is a brand that I built, and I'm just gonna stick with it. As far as a marketing thing and a brand thing and a business thing and a working thing, and it keeps my band guys working and it keeps the fans happy, it makes sense."

Photo credit: Frank Lopez

In a new interview with Ollie Winiberg of Drummer's Review, SLIPKNOT drummer Eloy Casagrande was asked if he and his bandmates have been working on material for the follow-up to 2022's "The End, So Far" album. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What I can tell you right now is that we are cooking, we are doing some new music, for sure. Yes, we are. Since I joined the band, we have been working on some new ideas. We keep exchanging guitar riffs, drum beats, so we are always doing something. We had also some jam sessions. So we have a lot of material right now. We just have to sit and put everything together, start jamming, and it's happening. It already happened. It's gonna happen in the future. So new material is coming, for sure."

This past May, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root was asked by Turning Wrenches podcast, SLIPKNOT if there were plans for the band to do a lot more touring later this year and going into 2026. He responded: "No, man. We have been doing a lot of touring, and we've kind of had to do it because of our drummer swap situation. And once we got Eloy in the band, we needed to get out there and get in front of people and show people why Eloy is part of SLIPKNOT. And that was extremely important to us. And that leads to now that Eloy is in the band, we need to write a record."

He continued: "It's really hard for me personally to be creative when you know you have a tour looming over your shoulder. I need to know that I've got some time off so that I can, like… This is my desk [at my home studio] behind here. I've got my reference monitors and the computer I record on. And I need time just to sit here and come up with ideas and layer and make arrangements that I can send off to Corey [Taylor, SLIPKNOT singer] and Clown [SLIPKNOT percussionist] and all that stuff. So, after this European run — I told our manager, I'm, like, 'Stop booking tours, dude. Stop it.' I get it. It's SLIPKNOT, so there's always offers coming in. And it's hard to say no, because there's guys in the band that in some ways… We always love playing shows, love playing live shows, but there's some guys in the band, some of the newer guys, that they need the money 'cause they're family guys and they have families. And they're hired members of the band, and we don't wanna have to have them go back to work when we get off tour. We wanna be able to make enough money that we can still pay them so that we can work on music and get them out to the studio that Clown likes to use and just be creative and work. And you can't do that unless you have revenue to do that. But I kind of put my foot down and was, like, 'We need to stop, man. We just need to stop.' 'Cause I wanna write a record, and we owe it to Eloy to write a record. We need to get Eloy in a room and start jamming and getting creative and get all the rest of the guys in the band and start riffing out and then building them into songs. Plus I need the time for myself just to sit here at this desk and be creative. And it's coming back."

Root added: "I know I saw a little bit of a viral post about me. The press always takes your shit out of context, and it was, like, 'Don't expect the record anytime soon,' type of thing. And that was done a few months ago [last December] on the last tour when I was [in London at the end of SLIPKNOT's fall 2024 European tour and] very tour weary. Well, that's not the case anymore. I've got, like, six new arrangements that I think are worthy of giving to the rest of the guys. I won't give the guys stuff that I don't think is worthy of being on a SLIPKNOT record and there's enough room there that everybody can put their input on and we can take it to that level. And right now I'm looking at six [songs] and I have four more that I'm working on. And I'd like to have 20 or 25 before we actually start doing pre-production and rewriting and rearranging and Corey putting lyrics on everything. So, no tours coming up. It's probably gonna be a while before we do another U.S. run or a European run. The last thing we did was — we did South America and Mexico, and then we did Australia and New Zealand. And that kind of kicked my ass a little bit. It took me almost about a month to recover from that — my sleep. Just the jet lag. You cross the international dateline, so you get home before you left, and it's 30 hours of being in the air and traveling."

Asked if there are plans for SLIPKNOT to release a new single in the coming months, Jim said: "Earlier I said I've got, like, six finished arrangements that so far nobody else has heard yet. They're about ready to go to Clown and Corey and then filter out into the rest of the band. I would really like to release something before we start working on a [full] record, 'cause it's gonna take us… I think we need to be able to take our time to write and do pre-production, and that's gonna take a while. So I would like to get something out sooner to kind of satisfy… I don't know if it would show a direction or not. It depends on what arrangement it is. But of these six [songs] that I have done now, I'm willing to throw those out to the rest of the guys and see if any of them grab their attention. And we could very easily, after we get back from Europe, get out to Clown's studio and then start working on one and put one out. I'd like to do one, two, maybe even three in the meantime, as long as that affords me the time to keep writing and still have 25 separate from those three that we could work on before.

"You always wanna have way more material than what you're gonna need because you might be working on something that you think is absolutely amazing, but then once you actually start recording it, it kind of loses the vibe," he explained. "And then there's always that one weird song that you don't think is great, and all of a sudden that turns into the song that's, like, 'Whoa. Where did this come from? This thing's a banger.' 'Devil In I' is one of those songs. I wrote that song and I thought it was really repetitive and I hated it, and it was just gonna be kind of a filler idea. And all of a sudden that's one that we always throw in live sets, and the record label wanted to make it a single. And I'm just, like, 'Really?' I'm, like, it's almost the same two riffs over and over again. Literally, as long as it took to play that song is as long as it took me to write the arrangement for it. So, I don't know. Things surprise you. So, yeah, it would be cool to throw something out there as sort of a single or whatever, or an EP."

A year and a half ago, SLIPKNOT revealed that a new song "Long May You Die" was recorded during some of the early sessions with Casagrande.

In an interview with Brazil's Veja São Paulo, Eloy hinted that he and his new bandmates had worked on new material together, saying: "I think that was also part of the audition. They threw new ideas at me to see what my songwriting was like," he said. "They wanted to test me in every way."

However, Casagrande clarified that "I'm still trying to understand how the dynamics of the band work. It's not so clear yet how things work in terms of records and new songs. We've written a few things, and they're shelved for the time being.

"I don't think there's any pressure to record new material," he added. "But I'm sure they want to, I don't know when, because right now the band is focused on celebrating its 25th anniversary."

For of the band's gigs in 2024, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT was celebrating its 25th anniversary last year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer in March 2024, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA in February 2024, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA 14 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

"The End, So Far" arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

Legendary rockers CHEAP TRICK will release their 21st studio album, "All Washed Up", via BMG on Friday, November 14 digitally as well as on standard black vinyl and CD. A limited-edition exclusive "Orange Marble" LP variant of the album, limited to 1,000 units, is available to pre-order via the band's new D2C store.

The official visualizer for the LP's second single, "The Riff That Won't Quit", can be seen below.

The follow-up to 2021's "In Another World", "All Washed Up" was produced by the band and Julian Raymond. It was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge and recorded at various studios in Nashville (Sound Emporium Studios, Blackbird, Love Shack, Zen) as well as in Los Angeles (Sweetzerland Studios) through 2024.

"Just one more great album from the best rock band in the world," says lead singer/guitarist Robin Zander.

Zander previously described "All Washed Up" as: "It's CHEAP TRICK. It sounds like us. It's got some good, bad and ugly on it, just like our other records."

"All Washed Up" track listing:

01. All Washed Up
02. All Wrong Long Gone
03. The Riff That Won't Quit
04. Bet It All
05. The Best Thing
06. Twelve Gates
07. Bad Blood
08. Dancing With The Band
09. Love Gone
10. A Long Way To Worcester
11. Wham Boom Bang

When the LP's first single, "Twelve Gates", was first made available in August, CHEAP TRICK bassist Tom Pettersson said: "Our newest single release, 'Twelve Gates', from the 2025 LP 'All Washed Up', is one of our best yet. I really love how this song came out. It's one of my favorites on the album."

Founded in 1974, CHEAP TRICK is an indisputable American institution, beloved around the globe for its instantly identifiable, hugely influential, brand of pop-rock 'n' roll. The bandmembers are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from "He's A Whore", "California Man" and "Dream Police" to "Surrender", "I Want You To Want Me" and the worldwide No. 1 hit single "The Flame".

2016 saw CHEAP TRICK inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, a long-overdue acknowledgment of a nearly five-decade career that has earned them more than 40 international gold and platinum certifications, myriad awards and industry honors, featured appearances on over 20 movie soundtracks, and total record sales well in excess of 20 million.

CHEAP TRICK's current lineup includes three of its original members: singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson. Drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 and was replaced by Nielsen's son Daxx. Rounding out CHEAP TRICK's current touring lineup is Robin Zander's son, Robin Taylor Zander, on rhythm guitar and vocals.

CHEAP TRICK's 20th studio album, "In Another World", was released in April 2021 via BMG. Produced by longtime associate Julian Raymond, the LP saw CHEAP TRICK doing what they do better than anyone — crafting indelible rock 'n' roll with oversized hooks, mischievous lyrics, and seemingly inexorable energy.

"In Another World" — which marked CHEAP TRICK's first new LP since 2017's double-header of "We're All Alright!" and "Christmas Christmas" — showcased CHEAP TRICK at their most eclectic, touching on a myriad of distinct sounds and song approaches, from the swampy Chicago blues number "Final Days" (featuring fiery harmonica from Grammy Award-nominated singer and WET WILLIE frontman Jimmy Hall) to a timely rendition of John Lennon's still-relevant "Gimme Some Truth", originally released for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 and featuring the instantly recognizable guitar sound of erstwhile SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones.

Photo credit: Danny Clinch

In a new interview with Duane James of Australia's Wall Of Sound, Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE was asked if looks back on the early 2000s "metalcore" scene "like a proud dad" or he views "metalcore" as a "dirty word" now. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No, I love metalcore. You can't tar us with that brush solely. But I think if you had to put us under an umbrella or a genre or something, I think metalcore is something that, that's what we would class ourselves as, especially back in the day. I mean, I think we've evolved a lot more and we got more diverse since then, but, yeah, I don't think it's a dirty word at all. It was so cool to be part of this new thing. Nu metal was kind of dying out. We were part of something like AVENGED SEVENFOLD and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and PARKWAY [DRIVE] and all these bands. It was just like a new movement of metal. And it was not just about kind of low riffs… That's all cool — it has its place — but I think showmanship and technicality and showing off just hadn't been there."

Matt added: "We grew up on bands like MEGADETH and TESTAMENT, METALLICA and SLAYER, and all this stuff, and we wanted to kind of do our version of that. And, obviously, BULLET is very different to all of those bands, but the DNA, we extracted that and we wanted to make it ours, which is what we did."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE is currently working on material for the band's eighth album, tentatively due in early 2026.

Regarding the musical direction of the new BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE material, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist Michael "Padge" Paget told TotalRock: "It's gonna be super heavy. We mess around with some crazy tuning on this one, something we haven't done before. So it's gonna be really interesting and fresh for the fans — and us. I think [we have a song in] drop G [tuning]. But, yeah, all of the usual BULLET trademarks are there. It's in our DNA, so hooks, the vocal melodies, the huge choruses, big guitars, all the standard stuff's gonna be there, but definitely different to what we've ever done before."

Michael went on to say that he and his BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE bandmates want to break some new ground on their upcoming eighth album. "We've always said we never wanna make the same album twice," he explained. "One, I think it's cop-out because we've already done it. We'll never do what 'The Poison' did for a debut album. And we like to keep it fresh for ourselves and challenge ourselves, make it interesting for the fans.

"Music changes over time, and there's classic metal, there's metalcore, there's modern metal, there's contemporary metal, this new wave of modern metal as well now coming out," he added. "So we've gotta keep up with the curve and do our thing, but our way. So, so it's gonna be interesting, but I think people are really gonna love it. It's gonna be awesome."

Released in 2005, "The Poison" propelled BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE to unimaginable heights. That year saw the Welsh metallers graduate from supporting FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND on their U.K. run in the summer, to ending the year headlining the very same venues just months later. Dropping in October 2005, "The Poison" hit number 21 in the U.K. album charts, becoming a late contender in end of year polls, placing at number seven on Kerrang!'s "Albums Of The Year" list, and since achieving gold status.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM were on the road together earlier this year to celebrate the joint 20th anniversaries of their respective albums "The Poison" and "Ascendancy".

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE released the deluxe version of its latest, self-titled album in August 2022 via Spinefarm/Search & Destroy. This extended release featured four brand new tracks, plus "Stitches", a song previously only available as a Japanese exclusive. Following the CD and digital releases, a vinyl pressing launched in November 2022.

In a new interview with Ollie Winiberg of Drummer's Review, Mike Mangini was asked about his October 2023 departure from DREAM THEATER. Mangini, who has been with the progressive metal band for 13 years, was dismissed from DREAM THEATER in order to make way for the return of the group's original drummer, Mike Portnoy. After Winiberg noted that Mangini had "one of the classiest" responses to being let go from a band, Mangini said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): ‬"Oh, I'm glad you said that. Yes, it was a pretty simple reaction by me. It's just the way I'm brought up and stuff like that. And also, the interesting thing is being able to step outside of yourself. And when I say that, you gotta understand, when you study the brain, the emotional area of the brain surrounds the reasoning area which surrounds the moral area. So when you study brain, it's called the moral center, then your reasoning ability and then your emotional. So when you are tied up with emotion, you can't be reasonable. Just look at the world. And if you don't have a good set of morals, you don't know how to reason. So if people manage to get you in that emotional area and you haven't really looked into the act of reasoning, critical thinking, and you haven't looked into what's really right and wrong here with a set of, maybe, philosophers behind you and belief systems and all of that stuff, if you haven't even done that, you haven't even asked the question — not who am I, but what am I — I don't think you can wrap your head around this."

Mangini continued: "The other thing is if I'm looking at, let's say, an old-school heavy metal magazine or something — with today, you go online — I just don't buy in to anybody in any band revealing things that are family. These things happen; it's a closed-doors thing. You don't reveal stuff about your coworkers. I just can't wrap my head around that. So there's that aspect of it, which really didn't apply to me. But it could have. I could have spoken about. It was just, like, 'Okay, next.'

"So now I have past bands," Mangini added. "It's all the same. You could be talking to me about EXTREME and it wouldn't be any different. You could be talking to me about spending some time in ANNIHILATOR. I emotionally feel the exact same way about all of them. It's kind of, sort of a template for me. And I'm on text message threads with the people, and anybody can talk to me anytime they want. It's stuff like that. So it's all just whatever. Seriously."

This past April, Mangini told Dream Theater World, the official DREAM THEATER fan club, about how he handled his exit from DREAM THEATER: "Well, it's like anything in my whole career in the past. 'Okay, this is an event. Oh, that's interesting.'

"Believe it or not, when I get asked about this, I'm, like, my statement [that I released at the time of my DREAM THEATER departure] actually says it all. And what surprised me about the statement itself is that I am typically long-winded. I typically go off on tangents. I have that speaking-with-the-hands thing that's very Mediterranean, and I can't believe it, just like in a couple of sentences or a sentence, whatever it was, it's, like, it said it all. That was it. So, I immediately was, like, 'Oh, okay. I get it.'

"No matter how many times I say it — a lot of times, people maybe in private ask me, 'Oh, what else [happened]?'" he continued. "It's, like, why would there be anything else? That's it. That makes sense."

Referencing his mindset around the time of his exit from DREAM THEATER, Mangini said: "Where I was at the time — I have a cork board and I have things in my life categorized and all the education stuff as far as my products and services, which is full of index cards and unfinished tasks. And I looked at that, and I was, like, 'Well, I know what I've gotta do right now.' And so the very next day I was up nice and early, with a cup of coffee, steaming cup of black coffee, and just looking at it, going, 'Okay, how do I do this?' And I just started going. I mean, that's what you do. That's it."

When Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER was first announced on October 25, 2023, Mangini said in a statement: "I understand DREAM THEATER's decision to get Mike Portnoy back at this time. As was said from Day 1, my place was not to fill all the roles that Mike held in the band. I was to play the drums in order to help the band carry on. My main role of keeping our live show working tightly on a nightly basis was an intense and rewarding experience. Thankfully, I got to experience playing music with these iconic musicians, as well as some fun times laced with humor. I also really enjoyed spending lots of time with the crew. And then there's the Grammy win, which was amazingly satisfying. To the fans: thank you so much for being amazing to me. I cherish the pictures I have of you all losing your minds and having fun. Finally, I really love the band, crew and management and wish them and the entire organization all the best."

This past February, Mangini launched a new band, MONOLITH, with Hernán "Motley" Rodríguez on bass and vocals, and Andy Barrow on guitar.

Mangini released his debut solo album, "Invisible Signs", in November 2023. Accompanying Mangini on the LP were Tony Dickinson on bass, Ivan Keller on guitar, Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) on lead guitar and former EVANESCENCE guitarist Jen Majura on vocals.

Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER 40 years ago. Mangini beat out six other of the world's top drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day process that was filmed for a documentary-style reality show called "The Spirit Carries On".

Mangini made his name in the hard rock world in the mid-1990s when he played with EXTREME, before landing the gig with guitar legend Steve Vai in 1996. Nearly a decade later, Mangini took up a full-time teaching position at the world-renowned Berklee College Of Music.

In an interview with Loaded Radio, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie was asked how Mangini took the news in October 2023 when LaBrie and the rest of DREAM THEATER broke it to the drummer that Portnoy was coming back. James said: "Well, he was very professional about it. [It was] very admirable of him to have been… He took it in style and class. I mean, obviously, I think it would have been upsetting — it must have been upsetting — but he took it for what it's worth and even saying things like, 'It kind of makes sense, guys. I see why this should be happening and why this would maybe inevitably be happening. It just makes sense for the band and the amount of history that you all have together. It seems natural.' So, yeah, no, he was a class guy. Classy. Yeah."

In a January 2024 interview with Chris Akin Presents…, Mangini was asked if he had any "advance notice" that Portnoy would return to DREAM THEATER in the fall of 2023 or if it was "really immediate". He responded: "Immediate. But it's like… So the fish comes up out of the water, it's immediate, but the fish was swimming for a while. Where was the fish? Whatever."

He continued: "The reason it was easy for me to deal with — very easy, actually — I was, like, 'Oh, okay. Yeah. Yeah. Original guy back in band.' I got I got it. And I didn't have to go do through a drop-down menu; I didn't have to do it. It was just I looked at it and went, 'Okay.' And plus I don't know whether it was intuitive, instinctual [or] intellectual… but I have left so many things on the table for so many years — the publishing of more books, the classes that I wanna teach, the interaction that my own self-development comes largely from me having to teach and talk about it to people. At some point, I mean, I see the whole picture, the grid, and I know what I can't do, and that inspires me.

"But anyway, the answer to your question is, I got a call and understood the call, and said, 'Okay, let's do a joint statement,'" he explained. "And then the next day, I'm, like, 'Okay.' I'm having coffee and quite literally, at my think tank, looking at my list and going, 'How am I gonna complete this job now? I've gotta fix this or do that. I've got a lot to do.' My studio facility had construction, there was stuff that had to be fixed. I was, like, 'Let me just let all of this stuff happen and breathe and just finish these things.' So that's what my mindset was. I can't tell you anything different because that's what it was."

Asked how he managed to avoid being angry over the fact that he was being pushed out of DREAM THEATER when Portnoy wanted to come back, even though Mangini was the drummer that helped the band win its first Grammy Award, Mangini said: "Well, a) because I don't know that that's what is the full picture. I don't know that that is what happened indeed. And I don't let myself even think about it. People decide things and I respect that. It's just it is what it is."

In early November 2023, Mangini told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about his exit from DREAM THEATER and the return of Portnoy: "All I know is the decision was made and when I heard it, all I pictured was, 'Oh, this is an original guy going back to his band. Uh, okay. All right. Let's go to the next thing.' It was nothing more. I was told. It was just nothing more than — it seemed so simple to me. And maybe intuitively it's, like, 'Oh yeah, I get it.' And that was that. That's really it… So that's really the crux of it all is it was an easy thing for me to understand. And then once the news hit and it became real, which is when it set in, because once I knew about it, I just got busy. I was, like, 'Okay, I've got all these videos to finish.'"

The 62-year-old Mangini, who joined DREAM THEATER in 2010, continued: "I'm actually doing like a lot of stuff for my [recently released solo] album. I'll do some drum playthroughs. Not to yap and yap and yap about it, but I have a lot on my cork board and my lists and things to do and things to accomplish and things to complete. There's so much there I haven't been able to do. But once it hit and it became real, it was real quick for me. I'm, like, 'Okay, I get it.'"

When host Eddie Trunk noted that everything about his exit from DREAM THEATER, from the way it was handled to the fans' response to Mike's attitude about it, was "about as good as it could be," Mangini concurred. "It is as good as it could be," Mike said. "I think people are where they need to be. It's, like, there's stuff to do, there's places to be, there's people to see, there are things to accomplish and roles to fulfill and tasks to do. And that's what it is. That's really what it is.

"How lucky am I, how fortunate am I to be just a part of that history, to have all this amazing stuff happen?" he continued. "It's positive, positive, positive.

"I know I've accomplished some things with my career, and I've had a lot of struggles and a lot of things that didn't work or whatever, but for my parents to be in their 90s, to see this happen, and I'm not talking about career stuff; I'm talking about how I've treated people and how they treat me. I mean, I think that's what I want for my kids — I wanna feel well about how they are with people and how people treat them at the end of the day. I think that's just awesome."

The first four albums from iconic heavy metal band, Danzig, are reissued on vinyl for the first time since their original releases. These LPs, Danzig (1988), Danzig II: Lucifuge (1990), Danzig III: How The Gods Kill (1992), and Danzig 4 (1994), include gatefold jackets, printed sleeves, and come on black, standard weight vinyl.

These four albums remain standouts within Glenn Danzig’s celebrated discography. Danzig arrived after the songwriter’s first two projects, Misfits and Samhain, had run their respective courses.



Danzig, released in 1988, marked the first release on Rick Rubin’s Def American Recordings, now called American Recordings. The duo solidified their relationship a year prior, when Glenn contributed to the Rick Rubin-produced 1987 soundtrack for the film Less Than Zero. It was Rubin who advised the Misfits founder to name the band Danzig.

In a 2008 interview with Penny Blood, Danzig explained: “He [Rubin] said now it means a little more than it did back then, so you might want to consider it because if I’m going to sign you guys, I don’t want you to keep changing your name. So we talked more about changing the lineup on each record and got to play with lots of different musicians.” Eventually, Danzig saw the light and his band was officially born. “The choice was finally to call it Danzig.”

The self-titled Danzig debut immediately launched the band into new territories, thanks in large part to the success of singles like “Mother” and “Twist Of Cain.”

Though the former song would go on to become a celebrated moment in the Danzig discography, they never attempted to write the same track twice. The four albums set to be reissued speak to Glenn Danzig’s insatiable desire to keep experimenting.

“Obviously I could have wrote ‘Mother’ 20 times and made tons of money and be playing gigantic arenas and whatever, but that’s not really what I want to do,” said Danzig. “It’s time to move on and explore other areas and I hope that there’s other bands coming up keep that same mind-set and try to expand what this genre is.”

Order the vinyl reissues of Danzig’s first four studio albums here.



Danzig tracklisting:

Side 1
“Twist Of Cain”
“Not Of This World”
“She Rides”
“Soul On Fire”
“Am I Demon”

Side 2
“Mother”
“Possession”
“End Of Time”
“The Hunter”
“Evil Thing”



Danzig II: Lucifuge tracklisting:

Side 1
“Long Way Back From Hell”
“Snakes Of Christ”
“Killer Wolf”
“Tired Of Being Alive”
“I’m The One”
“Her Black Wings”

Side 2
“Devil’s Plaything”
“777”
“Blood And Tears”
“Girl”
“Pain In The World”



Danzig III: How The Gods Kill tracklisting:

Side 1
“Godless”
“Anything”
“Bodies”
“How The Gods Kill”
“Dirty Black Summer”

Side 2
“Left Hand Black”
“Heart Of The Devil”
“Sistinas”
“Do You Wear The Mark”
“When The Dying Calls”



Danzig IV tracklisting:

Side 1
“Brand New God”
“Little Whip”
“Cantspeak”
“Going Down To Die”
“Until You Call On The Dark”
“Dominion”

Side 2
“Bringer Of Death”
“Sadistikal”
“Son Of The Morning Star”
“I Don’t Mind The Pain”
“Stalker Song”
“Let It Be Captured”

tAKiDA, one of Sweden’s most successful rock bands, are adding their most recent live album, Boxroom Tour – Live At Tonhallen In Sundsvall, to their physical repertoire. Originally released in digital format earlier this year, the live recordings will be out in several exclusive physical formats on November 28 via Napalm Records. Recorded in 2024, the album unleashes the electrifying energy of their live semi-acoustic performances across 19 powerful tracks – dubbed the Boxroom versions.

Together with the announcement, tAKiDA unveil the first glimpse of what to expect on the album. “Sacred Spell” (off their most recent studio album, The Agony Flame, 2024) encapsulates the intimate atmosphere of the recorded show – a captivating look into the softer, yet strikingly powerful reimaginations that make up Boxroom Tour – Live At Tonhallen In Sundsvall. Enriched by lush strings and warm horn arrangements, all accompanied by soaring melodies and powerful vocals, this record shows what made tAKiDA such a dominant force in rock.

Watch the live video for “Sacred Spell” below:



Since forming in 1999 and breaking out with their debut album, tAKiDA has ruled the Swedish rock scene with six platinum singles (including one of them 4x platinum), three platinum albums, and five #1 albums. Their success has also crossed borders: their most recent studio album, The Agony Flame (2024), marked their highest German chart entry yet (#8), while its lead single “The Loneliest Hour” hit #1 on the German Rock Airplay Charts. Boxroom Tour – Live At Tonhallen In Sundsvall takes the audience on a journey through tAKiDA’s successful discography, from introspective “Jaded” (originally released on their first album …Make You Breathe, 2006) to hits like “Curly Sue” (from Bury The Lies, 2007), “Master” (from Sju, 2019), and “You Learn” (from The Burning Heart, 2011), all the way to deeply emotional “Feel You Falling Away” (from Falling From Fame, 2021). The unique atmosphere of the Boxroom versions, enhanced by strings and soft choir, enhances beloved songs in a never-before-heard way.

Boxroom Tour – Live At Tonhallen In Sundsvall brings a new side of tAKiDA to our living rooms. Intimate, gentle, and effortlessly captivating, the Swedish rockers showcase what took them to the top of their home country’s rock scene and onto international stages alike.

Order your copy of Boxroom Tour – Live At Tonhallen In Sundsvall here.



Tracklisting:

“Jaded”
“As You Die”
“Better”
“Willow And Dead”
“Curly Sue”
“Your Blood Awaits You”
“Give Into Me”
“Never Alone Always Alone”
“Summers Gone”
“Evil Eye”
“Sacred Spell”
“Untouchable Part 2”
“Master”
“Swallow”
“You Learn”
“What You Never Knew”
“Morning Sun”
“My Dove”
“Feel You Falling Away”

Today, guitar powerhouse, Jared James Nichols, is proud to release his new single, “Ghost,” marking his first new music since recently signing with Frontiers Music Srl. The new track arrives accompanied by an official lyric video, available to view below.

In addition, Jared James Nichols will be embarking on his European and UK headline tour starting November 5 in Valencia, Spain, at Loco Club and concluding December 6 in London, UK at The Underworld.



On the new single, Jared James Nichols comments: “‘Ghost’ was written with a very good friend of mine, Grammy-winning producer and epic guitarist Tyler Bryant. We have a synergy whenever we get together; it’s infectious, and things happen quickly. Tyler jumped behind the drums, and I started jamming the verse groove with the guitar. Within minutes, we had carved out the entire bones of the song in an old-school way of a jam.

“Lyrically speaking. ‘Ghost’ is something we can all relate to. It’s all about trying to live up to the voices inside your head, staying away from the insecurities and fear we all have running in our minds. It is about facing your fears, accepting the mind wars, and ultimately conquering them.”

He continues, “‘Ghost’ was recorded with super producer Jay Ruston at Dave Grohl’s 606 Studios in Los Angeles, California. Working with Jay is like breathing air; things come out so naturally and fresh. We share a common vision that is always hard to find when working with a producer. We put a lot of trust in each other, which means we care about nothing less than what is best for the song. As a band, our adrenaline was pumping…! Recording this song at such a legendary studio really sparked the fire and energy that you hear in the track.”

Stream/download the track here, watch the lyric video below:

Over the past few months, Germany-based heavy metal band, Generation Steel, has been intensively searching for a singer. Now, with the exceptional Swedish talent Mike Stark (Feanor, Stormburner), they are proud to present a vocal heavyweight as their new frontman.

Mike has everything it takes to bring Generation Steel’s Teutonic metal to a new level and is now fully integrated into the work on the band’s third full-length album due for release in 2026. Already in summer it was announced that none other than lead guitarist Thilo Herrmann (Feanor, ex-Running Wild/Grave Digger/Risk) had joined the band. Thus the exciting next era of the band‘s history can be heralded with a bang.

Founded in Wetzlar in 2019, Generation Steel have since established themselves as a fixture in the German metal scene, revitalizing the traditional heavy metal scene with passion, energy, and enthusiasm. With their first two albums, The Eagle Will Rise (2021) and Lionheart (2023), as well as a successful tour with Swedish heavy/power metal greats Manimal in fall 2023, Generation Steel has built up a strong fan base. The singles and anthems “Steelers” and “Limitless,”, released in 2024, made a further significant impact. In 2024/25, the band supported Mystic Prophecy and Iron Savior on tour, appeared as special guests for Vicious Rumors and Jag Panzer and played various festival shows which further increased the band’s popularity and recognition.

Generation Steel are:

Mike Stark (Vocals)
Thilo Herrmann (Lead Guitar)
Jack the Riffer (Rhythm Guitar)
Andreas Drommershausen (Bass)
Marc Laukel (Drums)

In a new interview with Neil Jones of TotalRock, UGLY KID JOE guitarist Klaus Eichstadt spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the follow-up to the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" album, which came out in October 2022. Klaus said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's actually really, really exciting. We're super psyched 'cause we've pretty much finished recording every song, except I think we haven't mixed one or two. So we're, like, 95 percent done with it.

"It's been a long two-and-a-half year process, [recording] bits and parts here between tours," he explained. "We all live in separate states, basically, practically, and so to do it, we have to sort of figure out when and where. But we're down to the last bit of it. We've got the artwork ready to go. We're really excited about that. Everything sort of just came together in the last month, I would say, the last three weeks, everything kind of started coming together — titles and album covers and song lineup and the last mixes. So we're right around the corner of getting ready to do that, get it out there."

Regarding the musical direction of the new UGLY KID JOE material, Klaus said: "I think it's pretty rad. It's some of our best stuff. It's definitely got some all-out heavy metal songs on it and everything in between — rock or mellow, everything. But it's definitely a more heavy metal record than 'Rad Wings'. And so that's exciting, obviously. I like to consider us a heavy metal band above anything else. I mean, we're rock band, but if you're gonna lump us into a genre, I'd say heavy metal. I always have to tell people, 'Hard rock, heavy metal,' and I'm, like, 'Ah. it's heavy metal. We do dive bombs with the guitar. We're heavy metal, dammit.'"

Asked if making an album "piecemeal" between tours allows for "more complexity or more variety" on the record or if it's always better to "bash it out from start to finish" over the course of several weeks, if possible, Klaus said: "Obviously we've done it both ways. Back in the old days, we would really, for however many months, just write and then go right in the studio, and I think it's great except… Both ways work great. What I do like about doing it in bits and pieces is you can step away from everything, let's say for a couple months, go on tour, and all of a sudden you're, like, 'Oh, yeah. That part is weird. This part's better. I'm gonna…' You can rewrite stuff, you have more of that kind of thing, and also you have maybe songs coming from different places instead of the same place. What I mean by that is, like, I would think that if you have this one month to write and you're in a certain environment, whether it be a secluded castle somewhere, like maybe LED ZEPPELIN would have done, or like us, like, 'Oh, Whit's [UGLY KID JOE vocalist Whitfield Crane] in Australia at some thing,' you have that vibe of that place. And I think if you have like four or five places during the creation of the record, you might have four or five different, I guess you could say elements, that are — I guess you could say that the antennas are in different places, so you're picking up different frequencies, which might create a different vibe for each song instead of all being the same. And again, there's nothing wrong with having an album that's like a concept album, like the whole thing's kind of one big thing — nothing wrong with that — but there's also kind of the beauty of having all songs come from different places. And with us, it's even different writers. I like writing alone, so I'll just be in my shed for however long working on, let's say, a song, and I get in my own little world, and it's nice not having any distractions, not even having anybody coming in and be, like, 'Oh, what about this part?' And then, when I'm finally done with it, now I can throw it to the guys and then they can tweak it. So sometimes when you're all in a room with too many cooks in the kitchen, and then next thing you know, you're, like, 'What happened to that song? It's not at all what I imagined. Now it sucks.'"

Asked if UGLY KID JOE works "as a democracy" during the songwriting process where it's "a case of the best ideas are the ones that make it on the record", Klaus said: "Oh, yeah. It's always the best ideas, and everybody throws in their songs. Let's just say Whit, myself and Dave [Fortman, UGLY KID JOE guitarist and producer], who are the main writers, we all each wrote about three songs, and if one of 'em doesn't make it, it doesn't make it. And if someone else has four and another guy has one, that's how it is. And for the most part, we don't care because we know that if it's a good song, it's great for the band. It doesn't matter who wrote it. [UGLY KID JOE's hit cover of Harry Chapin's] 'Cats In The Cradle', nobody wrote that — none of us — but it's great for the band. I love playing songs that other guys wrote. I'd rather learn a Dave Fortman riff than a — I don't know —a BEATLES riff. I mean, I'd rather be, like, 'Oh, it's one of ours.'"

After Jones noted that "it's a nice bit of synergy" for UGLY KID JOE to be returning to the KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom at the end of November, being that the venue's ambassador is none other than former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing, and the "Rad Wings Of Destiny" title is a nod to PRIEST's "Sad Wings Of Destiny", Klaus said: "Yeah, totally. And [K.K.] introduced us one of the last times we played there. And that in itself is an honor. And I don't know if I'm allowed to say anything, but he plays on our new record. And I just said it, so sorry, guys, if I wasn't supposed to say anything."

"Rad Wings Of Destiny" saw UGLY KID JOE re-teaming producer Mark Dodson who was behind the desk for the band's debut album, "America's Least Wanted", which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2022.

UGLY KID JOE will support LIFE OF AGONY on the European leg of the "30 Years Of Ugly" tour in November 2025.

In the spring of 2023, UGLY KID JOE completed its first U.S. tour in 27 years.

After a 15-year hiatus, UGLY KID JOE reformed in 2012 and has toured extensively throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

The band released the EP "Stairway To Hell" in 2012 and the full-length "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be" in 2015.

Five years ago, Crane told Eonmusic about UGLY KID JOE's huge success on the back of single "Everything About You" in 1991: "'Eye of the storm' is a good way to put it, because it just was all happening at a deadly fast gait. And it was a lot — it was beautiful and also very challenging, because there's a lot of people that surround the business of music that are full of shit. But when you're 23 [or] 24, you don't know how to negotiate that, so on one hand, it was super fun and we did all the things you should do at that age, and on the other hand, it was too much for me. But we survived it, and I can deal with it all now."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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