In a new interview with FaceCulture, PRO-PAIN frontman Gary Meskil reflected on the July 2017 incident when he was violently robbed in Brussels, Belgium. Meskil reportedly suffered extensive injuries when he was struck on the head with an ice pick before being set upon by a group on individuals. He was admitted to hospital and eventually recovered from the horror attack.

Meskil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Yeah, it was six people [who assaulted me]. And it was all on camera. So, I identified four of the perpetrators. And the police tracked them down. And then after I was home for a couple of months, I got a call from the police department, and they said, 'Well, they, these people, they don't have any permanent addresses in Belgium, so we had to release them all pending trial.' And then they put the ball in my court as to what I wanted to do. And I said, 'Well, what can I really do without making myself a target?' Because I'm kind of a public person, and these are not nice people we're dealing with, and they're in Belgium illegally. So I said, 'Well, forget it.' I'm not gonna continue to pursue something that the police aren't even really interested in pursuing."

Elaborating on what led to him being attacked, Gary said: "I got pick-pocketed, and when I confronted the person that I saw doing it — it was like a multiple-person operation. So I got kind of hit, elbowed from the front. And when that happened, somebody lifted my money out of my pocket and my ID and everything else. And when I confronted them, I was hit with — I thought it was a bat. That's what it felt like in the back of my head. But it turned out to be an ice pick. It's not an ice pick like what people think of, like this big [thing]. It's a small weaponized ice pick, which has the pick end on one side, and it's got like a metal hammer on the other side. And I got hit with the hammer end of it. And so it cracked my skull. And then they kicked my face in, basically. So my orbital was broken, my maxillary was shattered. My whole sinus cavity was completely smashed in. And they couldn't stop the bleeding, and so I was bleeding all night and I lost most of my blood. You can only lose, like, 1,500 ccs [cubic centimeters] and I lost, like, 1,300 ccs. So I had multiple blood transfusions. And then, like an idiot, I tried to come back and get on stage as quickly as possible, and that caused me a lot of problems. The first time I started to sing some songs, I started hemorrhaging again. So, it took a long time to recover."

Asked how he was affected mentally by is injuries, Gary said: "I think most of that is more subliminal. So there's some PTSD [Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder] involved. But it's hard to put your finger on, because it kind of comes out in terms of anxiety, which I never had before. But now I get riddled with anxiety at really strange times, and I can't control it. So that makes traveling really difficult. And it only seems to really creep up and get really heavy when I go on tour. And there's things you could take for it, but I don't really do well with prescription medication, because it makes me really drowsy, and I don't wanna be out of it all the time, so I'd just rather deal with it."

Speaking in more detail about the physical damage he suffered as a result of the assault, Gary said: "I think that was a result of the fracture to my maxillary. So this was broken. So your maxillary is not affixed to the skull anymore, so it kind of just floats. And being that the break was right in the middle, so when you hit a 'S' or a 'T', it was like the most intense pain, so I had to figure out how to pronounce things a little bit differently to get myself through a set. And that healed up nicely. I mean, my jaw is not 100% — it's a little bit off — but I can live with that. And I had some minor brain involvement also, which came up later. So I had some short-term memory issues that came out of nowhere. And that's a scary thing, because you'll be in the middle of doing something, and then you think, like, 'What the fuck am I doing? What's the purpose here?' And that healed also. So these things take a bit of time."

Less than a week after he was attacked, Gary told music journalist Tom De Smet of Gazet Van Antwerpen about the incident: "Last Monday, I went out with Adam [Phillips, then-PRO-PAIN guitarist] in Brussels. Adam returned to the hotel in the Stalingradlaan in the centre of Brussels, and I went for a beer in a bar nearby, around midnight. At the table next to me, there were some young guys and we started talking. It was all very friendly. Just a nice chat. After a while, I went to the bartender to pay my bill. When I returned, two of the guys I had talked to bumped into me. Then I realized that they took my wallet. I confronted them and they start hitting me. They got help from four others. They used an ice pick to hit me on the head. They kept on kicking me after I had fallen to the ground."

He continued: "They robbed me of a lot of money: the fees of several shows. I lost eighty percent of my blood. The doctors said that I was lucky to make it. They even had to remove glass from my eyes, because they kicked the glasses I was wearing. My jaw is broken, and I will need multiple surgeries. I don't know when I will be able to sing again. It can take weeks, possibly even months."

Meskil added that he was usually on his guard and could normally sense danger before it was too late, but he admitted that he "didn't see this coming."

PRO-PAIN's sixteenth studio album, "Stone Cold Anger", will be out on May 15, 2026 via Napalm Records.

PRO-PAIN 2026 is:

Gary Meskil - Bass, Vocals
Jonas Sanders - Drums
Greg Discenza - Lead Guitar
Eric Klinger - Rhythm Guitar

In a new interview with Riff X's "Metal XS", DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott spoke about the band's latest single, "Rejoice". The track was released in late January ahead of DEF LEPPARD's return to Las Vegas for their "Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency" that kicked off on February 3. "Rejoice" is available via UMe now on all streaming platforms. Joe said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's an opening song, for sure. Basically, it's the first song that we've released from our upcoming new album, which will be out early next year. But because we had the residency in Vegas, we just thought it was a great opportunity to introduce some new music to that particular show. It was gonna be really spectacular.

"Caesars Palace is a fantastic place to showcase a band like us," Joe continued. "There's something about doing a residency that opens your mind to the setlist. It's different to touring. So as well as bringing back songs like 'White Lightning', which we haven't played for 33 years, and changing the set around and just rearranging it and making it more theatrical, because you are in Vegas, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to open with 'Rejoice', because the great thing about the gig at Caesars Palace is the stage sinks down, so you can come up like a boy band. [Laughs] And so dry ice and all that lot. And the drum loop, we can extend it at the front of the song so it gets the crowd going. It's very tribal. So it was a brilliant spot to play a new song. And it's one of the greatest places to do a new song as the opening tune because everybody's so excited that you're coming on. It's really not that important what you're playing as long as it's not an acoustic ballad or something. So 'Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)' would have worked fine, but 'Rejoice' worked better because it's a new song. So it's a psychological thing of we're still a current band. We're not just a legacy artist that's just playing a greatest-hits set. We wanted to change it up. And the song itself is a very uplifting song. I mean, when I said to Phil [Collen, DEF LEPPARD guitarist], 'Look, I've written this lyric that starts off with 'I'm bored with boredom. I'm sick of all this flack.' It's very much somebody that's in a bad place that wants to go somewhere better, hence the chorus being 'I wanna go higher.' And I said, 'We need something that's got a really cool drum loop and it's got to be mid-tempo. You got anything?' And he said, 'Yeah, as it happens, I do.' And he sent me the backing track, and I went, 'This is perfect.' And we worked it, and we wrote that song probably in half a day, because all the parts were there. He'd already written his bit, unbeknownst to me, and I'd written the lyrics, unbeknownst to him. And when we told each other we had a song — boom. It doesn't always work that quick. You get one song per album [where] that works, and then the others are hard work."

Regarding what fans can expect from DEF LEPPARD's upcoming LP, Joe said: "It's a very varied album. It's a very eclectic record. I think it's gonna surprise a lot of people. But if I told you too much about it, it wouldn't be that much of a surprise. But I will say this much: it's like the direction that DEF LEPPARD has gone in over the last 15 years or so musically, from the 'Def Leppard' album through 'Diamond Star Halos' and even reworking the 'Drastic Symphony' stuff. People shouldn't be too surprised that our music works in those environments. When you listen to 'Drastic Symphonies', things like 'Switch 625' end up sounding like a James Bond car chase, which is how we always should have sounded. Doing the piano version of 'Pour Some Sugar On Me'. If you can do a song in a different way to the way it's normally done, you've normally got a good song. We always say that if you can campfire a song, the song's good, no matter which way you're trying to record it. So we are writing songs tailored to that way of thinking. So there's big bombastic — I'm not gonna say ballads, but slower tunes that are very in the vein of QUEEN or Elton John, because there's a piano involved. And then there's other stuff that's... I think we've written the fastest song that we've ever recorded, and things in between. So some of it will sound like what you expect, because that's what we do. But some of it we've gone off a tangent and, 'Okay, yeah, this is gonna be fun. It's gonna be fun to see how people react to this because it's not like anything we've ever done before.' And that's the fun of doing this. We don't wanna make 'Pyromania 2'. We don't wanna make 'Hysteria 2'. We've done that. We wanna make something different but equally as interesting."

Earlier this month, Elliott told Marjorie Hache of France 24 about the lyrical inspiration for "Rejoice": "Well, the title kind of sums it up, really. I wanted to write a really uplifting, positive-message song, and I said to Phil, 'I got this great idea. I need it to be mid-tempo. I want it to have a big intro drum loop so we can actually walk on stage to this and expand it and make it longer live.' But the whole idea of the song is, it starts off — I mean, it's a great opening line, is, 'I'm bored of boredom. I'm sick of all this.' And, 'I wanna be in a better place.' So it gets to the climax, you go through the bridge, and you get to the chorus, it's, 'I wanna go higher.' So it's just very uplifting. It's a joyous, uplifting song."

Joe continued: "That's what we are — we're an escapism band. We're not here to preach. We're not here to tell you who to vote for. Other people can do that. We like to take you away from that and just come and have a good time. It's not meaningless — there is a message there, and the message is, we need to share this moment together and make it a positive one. And 'Rejoice' just about sums that all up."

Asked if the release of "Rejoice" means that there is a whole new DEF LEPPARD album on the way, Joe said: "Absolutely. We're actually recording it. As I speak, somewhere in the world, people are adding their bits to some new songs.

"We've developed a whole new method of recording, which was brought on by COVID," Elliott explained. "I've got a studio at home, and everybody has always gracefully come to my house to record. We'd do a month at a time, and then everybody goes home. But they couldn't travel. So we ended up recording remotely, and we found it to be exhilarating. Everybody got to be at home with their families, yet still make a record. And we trusted each other that we were writing songs. And so everybody just played on everybody else's bits, and it's easy to do. We don't all record in one room when we are in the same studio — we do it, the drums and the bass and the guitars and the vocals; it's all layered. So we've been recording while we were in Vegas [for the latest residency]. On days off, we had the drums set up in the basement of the theater, and Rick [Allen, DEF LEPPARD drummer] played loads of drums on his days off, and they'd do guitars in their hotel rooms, stuff like that. And I sing when I get home. So we've got about 17 or 18 songs written. So we've actually almost got two albums recorded. So we're still deciding which songs are gonna go on album one, if you like. And then we're looking at an early '27 release."

"Def Leppard: Live at Caesars Palace The Las Vegas Residency" ran through February 28, 2026 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. These new shows followed the band's sold-out residency successes in 2019 and 2013.

In January 2025, DEF LEPPARD released a cover of Ben E. King's 1961 classic "Stand By Me". All proceeds from the song went to FireAid, which raises money for those impacted by the fires that swept through Los Angeles in January 2025.

DEF LEPPARD's version of the song is featured in the Netflix film "Bank Of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger", which was released in January 2025. The band can be seen performing the track before the credits.

DEF LEPPARD's "Just Like 73" single, featuring a guest guitar solo from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, was made available in June 2024.

DEF LEPPARD's 12th studio album, "Diamond Star Halos", came out in 2022. A year later, the band followed it up with "Drastic Symphonies", a collection of reimagining of some of DEF LEPPARD's greatest hits with London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Abbey Road. The album spent 15 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Current Classical chart.

In late 2024, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment plan for Hodgkin's lymphoma, with which he was diagnosed in 2013.

In June 2025, Campbell revealed that he is "completely in remission" from the cancer of the lymphatic system.

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

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

Seven years ago, Campbell underwent spine surgery.

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

Photo credit: Ross Halfin (courtesy of Ume)

In a new interview with Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station, TOOL guitarist Adam Jones confirmed plans for him and his bandmates to stage a run of shows at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"We were supposed to open that place," Adam said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "We were asked, and because of 'Game Of Thrones' band politics, we just couldn't make it work. And then they ended up using U2, which I think we probably would've gotten bumped anyway. But they have been really enthusiastic about us playing there, so we've been talking to them since it opened about doing some kind of residency there. And there's just a lot of production details and budgeting and money and timing. So it's complicated. But I think we will do it at some point."

Earlier this year, TOOL drummer Danny Carey told Spiral Out that he and his bandmates were in talks about a possible residency at the Sphere after the release of their next studio album. When the interviewer noted that TOOL is "a very cinematic band", particularly when it comes to the group's live shows, Carey concurred. "Yeah, we're very much into that," he said. "We're hoping when we release the new record, maybe do a stint at the Sphere [in Las Vegas] 'cause I think we're the perfect band for that. We've been talking to those guys."

Carey went on to say that "the preparation" to bring a massive Sphere residency from blueprint to opening night "is pretty intense". He added: "It's a very expensive endeavor, and it takes a while to get into the black. I think [you have to play] quite a few shows before you make any money."

Asked if he has ever been to the Sphere, Danny said: "Yeah. Well, I just took a tour of it. I haven't actually seen a full-on show, but they took [us around the venue] to show it off. It's incredible, man. I almost got vertigo [just looking around it]."

The Las Vegas Sphere is a 17,600-capacity venue which has transformed live entertainment since opening in September 2023.

Known for its immersive entertainment experiences, including concerts and films, featuring a state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and a powerful sound system, the Las Vegas Sphere is nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sphere has already hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

U2 opened the building with 160,000-square-foot LED screens and 4D features, playing to more 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024. The shows commemorated one of U2's most successful albums, the chart-topping 1991 release "Achtung Baby", played in its entirety, along with select tracks from other U2 LPs.

Sphere's next-generation technologies include the world's highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. The venue also features the world's most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest.

This past March, METALLICA added 16 dates to its Sphere residency, tripling the number of shows for the engagement, which begins in early October and now extends into 2027. All 24 "Life Burns Faster" shows will continue the "No Repeat Weekend" tradition that began with the 2023 kick-off of the band's "M72" world tour, with no songs repeated on each Thursday and Saturday.

METALLICA originally announced eight dates at the venue between October 1 and 31 October, but later added shows in November (November 5 and 7),January (January 28 and 30),February (February 4, 6, 18, 20, 25, and 27),and March (March 4, 6, 11, and 13).

Quite possibly the era's most highly anticipated album, TOOL's latest LP, "Fear Inoculum", debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top 200 and earned heaps of critical praise, with NPR saying, "'Fear Inoculum' was worth the 13-year wait," Revolver proclaiming the album "a masterpiece to be dissected for years to come" and Consequence saying the release finds "TOOL in peak performance."

In 2022, TOOL released "Opiate2", a re-imagined and extended version of the 1992 EP's title track and an accompanying short film, marking the band's first new video in 15 years. The band also unveiled the first incarnation of "Fear Inoculum" vinyl, dubbed the Ultra Deluxe edition, the limited offering included five 180-gram vinyl discs emblazoned with a unique etching and accompanied by an elaborate pictorial booklet including never-before-seen artwork.

TOOL formed in 1990, releasing five studio albums: "Undertow" (1993),"Ænima" (1996),"Lateralus" (2001),"10,000 Days" (2006) and "Fear Inoculum" (2019); two EPs: "72826" (1991) and "Opiate" (1992),and the limited-edition boxset "Salival" (2000). The band has won four Grammy Awards: "Best Metal Performance" (1998, "Ænima"),"Best Metal Performance" (2002, "Schism"),"Best Recording Package" (2007, "10,000 Days") and "Best Metal Performance" (2020, "7empest").

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

In a new interview with Greece's Home Studio podcast, Canadian visionary musician, composer, and producer Devin Townsend — who has been promoting his upcoming rock opera "The Moth" — was asked how his voice has survived for more than three decades despite the fact that he has "no formal vocal technique". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't know. I don't know, because it shouldn't have. I mean, maybe on a practical level it's because I don't sing a lot, so I'm saving it. [Laughs] I don't sing in the shower, I don't wander around the house singing. I don't sing for the fun of it. I sing when I have to sing, so it's almost like if I've got a certain amount of voice for my entire life, I just kind of spread it out over a longer period of time.

"The first year that I was singing with Steve [Vai], I remember going to a vocal coach, and the vocal coach seeing my technique, and just being concerned that I was not gonna be able to sing for more than a year," Devin continued. "But it's been almost 40, so ha ha. I mean, I don't know. [Laughs]"

After the interviewer noted that Devin has "aggression" in his delivery but also has "total control" of his voice, Townsend said: "Well, my voice is just me. I think that the hardest part about being a singer is that you can't hide, and if you're insecure or abstract, as I think I am, it becomes such a psychological hurdle to be able to speak your truth while also accepting the fact that there's gonna be people that don't understand it or there's people that misinterpret it or what have you. And the work that I put into my own life in terms of keeping myself grounded or balanced are the same things that allow me to have control over my voice, in a way. It's like the more I've learned to care for myself and the more that I've learned to care about myself, the better my voice has gotten. I think my voice has represented to me for many years a part of myself that I was trying to suppress or trying hide. It's, like, I didn't wanna be seen as the person that I am. And that all changed [laughs], that all changed over the past couple years, I have to say. Even before that, I thought that that wasn't the case, but sometimes life puts you in scenarios where you have no choice but to see the truth. And at that point I was much more in control of my voice, just based on not running from myself, I guess, in the same way. So as not practical advice as it may be to other singers, it's, like, my only vocal exercise is try to sort your head out. And then your voice should improve."

Asked how he relationship with the music industry has evolved or changed through the advent of social media and streaming services, Devin said: "Well, I hired a staff that are younger than me… I think that's really the only solution, because otherwise you have to care, and if you don't... The only thing that I care about in terms of the industry and in terms of my role is that I care about the audience. I want to articulate the visions that I have been fortunate enough to hear in a way that's accurate to the original creative compulsion. So that's the first thing, above all, is honoring whatever the vision is, and above all, doesn't matter what the vision is. If I have the vision and it's compelling, to get it right is the most important thing, regardless of what anybody feels about it. But then second to that is you wanna do a good job for the audience. You wanna be able to, if you're performing or if you're writing or if you're mixing, it's great to service an audience to the best way that you're able, but the way that the industry has changed and social media and all of that, it's made it so unless you truly care about that stuff, you gotta have people helping you. So now I'm fortunate that I've got people, like, 'Okay, today we'll film a playthrough video. Today we'll do this.' And then you can stay active, and you can still communicate with your audience, which is beautiful. But I don't have to have all those moments of creative potential compromised by feeling like I have to… My job can't be just social media. My job has to be music. So that transition, which has been going on for maybe the past decade, has been nuanced."

He continued: "You have to really, really understand what your main intention is. And it's actually taken me a lot of time to get back to the idea that what I should be focused on is music. What I should be focused on is creating and just ideas and endless ideas. And even though it's a risk, I was just, like, 'Okay, so if I hire people, and then if I build a place that allows me to articulate these things, there'll be a transition period of one life to the next.' But that's what this past year and a half has been, is the hiring of people and the building of this facility. And going from the fact that it's, like… I'm best when I'm able to be creative. I'm best when I'm able to just wake up and write and create and have ideas, and then be able to delegate it, to say, 'You do this and you do this and I'll do this,' and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And it hasn't been that way for quite a few years. I've been, like, 'I gotta put up a post, I gotta make a video, I gotta...' You know what I mean? And I think that that has compromised, to some degree, my motivation. And so by building this over the last while and by hiring people, I'm just waiting for that burnout to sort of subside, the fatigue to sort of go away. And it's getting there. It's definitely getting there. But once it all settles, I can just make so much creative content. I can do so much now. I just gotta get some sleep first, but I'm almost there."

"The Moth" will be released on May 29 via InsideOut Music. This 24-track record began as a vague vision more than a decade ago. It existed in the back of Townsend's mind as his "life's work". Then, about six years ago, after an acoustic show in Amsterdam, Townsend was approached by the head of the Noord Nederlands Orkest (North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra) with an offer: bring orchestral grandeur to Devin's extensive discography.

"The Moth" constitutes three distinct parts across its release. In addition to the main album, "The Moth - The Afterlife" highlights the grandeur of the orchestra and choir, in what might be considered a more pure version of "The Moth" experience. "The Moth - The War" is a recording of the live musical debut that took place in March 2025 in The Netherlands, showcasing the raw emotion of performing "The Moth" for the very first time.

Devin will embark on a European solo tour in September and October 2026. The "Metamorphosis" solo tour offers a rare unfiltered opportunity to see Townsend back on stage, performing solo at 23 shows across 10 different countries in Europe. In typical Devin fashion, expect the unexpected with a varied setlist that will doubtless change night by night, and, of course, a few (bizarre) surprises along the way.

GODSMACK headlined the 2026 edition of MMRBQ, the annual festival hosted by the Philadelphia's legendary rock station 93.3 WMMR, on May 9 at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below (courtesy of Jim Powers).

GODSMACK played its first concert with new drummer Wade Murff Thursday night (May 8) at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida. He was joined on stage by the rest of the band's current lineup, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Sully Erna, bassist Robbie Merrill and guitarist Sam Koltun, who previously toured with the band in Europe in early 2025.

During an April 23 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Erna stated about Koltun and Murff: "Sam's on board now full-time, and he's gonna be the new player from this point forward. And the drummer that we chose, his name is Wade Murff. He's worked with DAUGHTRY and some other acts. A fairly under-the-radar kind of guy. A strong player. A great dude. Really good with attention to details, as Sam is."

Sully continued: "I have complete confidence in this, although we start rehearsals next week. I'm just really confident that this is gonna be just as good, if not better than ever, because these guys came in with the right attitude. They honored the catalog, they honored the playing. They didn't try to reinvent it. And as you know, a guitar can sound like a guitar, a drum can sound like a drum. Until you replace the vocalist, that's when the sound really changes. So I really feel that the fans will be able to come and enjoy the music as they have always known it, because it won't sound foreign to them, like there's a new singer singing GODSMACK stuff. And plus their showmanship even elevates it a little bit more. I mean, [former GODSMACK drummer] Shannon's [Larkin] hard to replace. He's the GOAT [Greatest Of All Time]. If you see that dude play, he's a tough cookie to replicate or replace live visually. But this guy, Wade, he's strong. He's got some great chops, and he's really playing the stuff solid. I'm very happy to take them on tour and introduce them. And this is gonna start the next chapter in our life here, GODSMACK 2.0."

Based in Los Angeles, Murff reportedly began playing the drums at age 4. He credits LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham and VAN HALEN's Alex Van Halen as having sparked his interest in rock drumming. But it was SLAYER's Dave Lombardo and PANTERA's Vinnie Paul Abbott who fueled his desire to become a hard-hitting metal drummer.

When asked about his playing style, Wade said: "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate technique and precision, but I love seeing drummers that hit hard and play with a lot of heart and physicality. Live, I always want to play on the edge between control and chaos; something could break at any moment, someone might get hurt... especially me. [Laughs] Seriously though, I'm committed to delivering that type of show every night, no excuses."

Wade has built a solid reputation as a go-to drummer for established acts, seamlessly filling roles in live performances, tours, and recordings. His credits include work with DAUGHTRY, PRONG, Sebastian Bach, ORGY and Doyle (of the MISFITS).

GODSMACK's new live album and Blu-ray, "Live At Mohegan Sun", arrived on May 1 via Primary Wave. Captured during GODSMACK's sold‑out October 26, 2024 performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, it marks the last performance featuring the classic GODSMACK lineup of Erna, Merrill, guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin, following the decision by Rombola and Larkin to retire.

In a recent interview with TalkShopLive's The Rock N Roll Channel, Erna stated about Rombola and Larkin's exit from GODSMACK: "[Shannon] gave me the best years in this band. Tony as well. Those guys are just irreplaceable, as far as I can say, because they're truly like brothers, and they always will be. And there's no bad blood.

"A lot of people are, like, 'Oh, what happened? You had a falling out?' No, there's nothing," Erna explained. "They got to that point in their lives where they just didn't wanna tour at this level anymore. It's hard work. The road is a lonely place. Shannon got sober several years ago. It just didn't feel fun for him anymore. The body gets beat up. We put ourselves to a lot, emotionally and physically, and they just wanted to go enjoy their lives now. And so we gave each other a big hug, and we wished them the best. We honor and respect their decision. And I think you're gonna feel every bit of that emotion on ['Live At Mohegan Sun'], because these guys, [director] Dan[iel E.] Catullo [III] and his whole team, [editor] Leslie [Atkins], and everybody who was a part of making this film happen really captured visually everything I would want a fan to see in a show, along with this retirement party that we did for Tony and Shannon and how emotional that was. I mean, our families were there, our daughters were there. I cried at least 12 times already, just watching the cuts, trying to get the edits right. 'Cause it's 30 years of my life, and they were truly the best parts of my life. So, yeah, closing that chapter, it took me a minute to kind of get ahold of it, but it's coming. It's a double live album. It sounds great. It looks great. It's everything I think you're gonna want. And I really hope everybody goes out there and gets it to experience it."

After the interviewer noted that it's almost unheard of to have two members leave a band "on good terms" after two or three decades, Erna admitted: "I'm not gonna lie — I had some bitterness at first. From the day they said, 'Listen, this is the last one. I think we're gonna finish this record. We're gonna finish the touring cycle, and then that's it.' … And even though I understood it, and they had my blessing, they had my respect, and it wasn't anything that kind of fell out on bad terms, it didn't sit with me well. 'Cause I felt like I'd worked so hard my whole life. I felt like I built this amazing thing with these guys and gave everyone their dream and they took mine away. And I was kind of experiencing that emotion for a while. And I found myself okay with it, and then really mad about it, and then finding my acceptance with it and then not finding my peace with it. And it was really like an emotional rollercoaster for me. And I'm still kind of on it a little bit, because I don't really know what the future holds. But me and Robbie sat down. We had a good talk, and we felt like we have a lot of gas left in the tank. And we wanna get out there and honor the catalog, honor the music, honor this thing that we built and give the fans that."

He added: "I feel good. I feel like I'm 25 years old. I'm not ready to go anywhere yet. So we're gonna run this a little bit longer, and we're gonna see how things go."

Referencing the fact that GODSMACK recently announced "The Rise Of Rock" 2026 tour, a North American run featuring special guests STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and DOROTHY, Sully said: "We have a strong lineup right now. I wanna mention this — this is the first time I've said this on any platform. So you and the fans are hearing this for the first time. But we have welcomed in a new guitar player named Sam Koltun, who's amazing. He was actually playing with Dorothy. He's played with some other bands along the way. And he came in for an audition. And I gotta tell you, the guy blew our mind. His attention to detail, his performance, his playing really elevated the frontline a little bit more than it was. And he's just an incredible guitar player. So I want people to know that, 'cause I want them to welcome him into this project. He really loves the band. He honored the music. He honored what Tony played. And, and I gotta tell you, it sounds identical. It's incredible how well he can play the stuff and put his own little flair to things. And for the first time we're gonna mention Wade Murff, who is gonna be the new drummer at this point. And again, great guy, great player, strong, looks great visually.

"I think for people that are gonna come see GODSMACK now, they're gonna really feel at home when they hear the band and how we sound because I don't think much has changed in that aspect, but there's this new breath of life now too," Sully added. "There's this thing that's been like recharged, and it's exciting."

When the interviewer speculated that Sully may have felt a "sense of betrayal" over Shannon and Tony's decision to leave GODSMACK, Erna clarified: "I wouldn't say 'betrayal', though. That's a harsh word, man. It was just a decision. It was a lifelong decision. Listen, Shannon has been on — what? — 40 albums. The guy's played with [BLACK] SABBATH, UGLY KID JOE, WRATCHCHILD AMERICA, you name it. He's done a lot of work, man. But listen, from the beginning, GODSMACK has been a blue-collar work-horse band. We were never a part of the MTV culture. We were never part of the VH1 culture. We were never a part of the pop scene. We were a blue-collar workboot band, and we made our career on touring and radio. And that is much harder than people may think, compared to the pop artists that go out there and just — whatever — they pop up and they sell a bazillion records and they're the favorites to the Grammys or whatever else was out there doing their thing, and they don't tour like we did, man. I can promise you that. The only band that even came close was PANTERA, and they even came to us at one point when they'd seen our schedule. They go, 'Holy shit. You guys just play a lot of shows.' And we're, like, 'Isn't that what everyone does?' They're like, 'No, not that many.' Seven in a row, one day off. Nine in a row, one day off. 11 in a row, one day off. That shit went on for three years, man. And we were like robots. So I'm really proud of what we built here, and I have no regrets. If this whole thing ended tomorrow, dude, I'm good. We lived a good life out here. But the reality is it's not gonna end tomorrow. We're gonna go out there. We're ready to run again. Everything is good. The band sounds great. And we're really excited to bring these new guys out and have some fun with them and with the audience."

Promoted by Live Nation, "The Rise Of Rock" 2026 tour will kick off Sunday, May 10 in Bristow, Virginia at Jiffy Lube Live and make stops across the U.S. and Toronto, Canada, including Austin, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, and California, before wrapping Saturday, September 26 at Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater in Nampa, Idaho.

Larkin joined GODSMACK in 2002 after cutting his teeth with WRATHCHILD (later WRATCHILD AMERICA and SOULS AT ZERO) before getting picked up by UGLY KID JOE in time for a taste of their zenith.

Tony had been the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for GODSMACK since the mid-1990s following the departure of Lee Richards.

GODSMACK's latest album, "Lighting Up The Sky", was released in February 2023 via BMG. The LP was co-produced by Erna and Andrew "Mudrock" Murdock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ALICE COOPER).

The first single from "Lighting Up The Sky", "Surrender", which arrived in September 2022, marked the first release from GODSMACK in four years, following their globally acclaimed and gold-certified 2018 album "When Legends Rise", which earned the Erna-fronted outfit a No. 1 spot across U.S. Hard Rock, Rock, and Alternative album charts.

For GODSMACK's spring 2025 European tour, the band recruited what Erna called at the time "a couple of guest musicians" — Koltun and drummer Will Hunt of EVANESCENCE.

📍CAMDEN, NJ | PHILLY🔥Who is coming out to party with us TOMORROW NIGHT at 93.3 WMMR Philadelphia #MMRBQ !? Don’t miss...

Posted by Godsmack on Friday, May 8, 2026

In a new interview with Remzi "Jam Man" Yates of Rocking With Jam Man, DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan was asked if he felt, back in the early days of thrash four decades ago, like he was part of a movement changing music forever. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not at all. We had no idea. If anything, we were the ones swimming upstream, because at that time of thrash, hair metal, cock rock, whatever people wanna call it, just hard rock, radio rock, that was huge at the time. And for us, cranking out just brutal music at the time, we were very unaccepted by the masses. It was the fans who probably were also getting tired of that hair metal and hairspray. It just all seemed kind of plastic, that kind of music. It all just kind of seemed fake. These guys are all hairsprayed up on the weekends, but on the weekdays they're going to their day jobs, and that kind of thing. So at least thrash metal was just real. We went on stage in what we wore to the show, what we wear in real life and just day-to-day life. And the music we played was real aggressive in countering what was going on in the public eye at the time. So we didn't know that there was gonna be any life to this. It was just music we loved playing. It was music we loved creating. We really dug helping create a scene. But to the extent that it went, we had no idea. We were playing the music we loved. And like I said, I think a lot of people were getting a little tired of all these [hair metal] bands who sounded the same, looked the same, had the same lyrical content — partying, girls, driving your car kind of thing. We were trying to just kind of bust out of that sort of template that others had made, and that's kind of where it led. And it is pretty amazing, 43 years later, getting to chat about the early days, and it being a part of everything."

Gene continued: "That's one thing I always felt. When metal sort of, kind of went away in the early '90s, it just went back to being underground the way it was for all of us. It never died, but the one thing that did stay true to all of it were all the thrash or thrash-based, thrash-influenced bands. Those guys were the ones that were able to kind of ride the tide a little bit. All of us that were in the heavier side of things, we all were proud of where we were. We were all proud of what we had done, so we had nothing to be embarrassed about. When grunge came around and people thought that grunge killed metal, it didn't at all. Grunge was very influenced by thrash metal. You can hear it. You talk to the guys from all these grunge bands, the big ones, they're, like, 'We loved thrash. We were all about thrash.' So, thrash was a wide-ranging, influential style of music. Especially, it influenced everything that came after it, in my opinion. Death metal, grindcore, everything that was really heavy, I think, really did come from the thrash era. So, when you have roots that strong, the trees grow tall."

Hoglan is acclaimed for his creativity in drum arrangements, including usage of odd devices for percussion effects and his trademark lengthy double-kick drum rhythms (using what he calls "kick triplets"). His highly technical playing is extremely accurate at very high and challenging tempos, earning him the nicknames "The Atomic Clock" and "Human Drum Machine". He is best known for his works with Devin Townsend, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT and FEAR FACTORY.

Hoglan got his first drum kit when he was 13 and is completely self-taught. He started jamming along to his KISS and RUSH records. In 1984, Hoglan began his music career as a roadie (lights engineer) for the thrash metal band SLAYER, where he also played the drums during concert soundchecks. He was also part of the band WAR GOD with Michelle Meldrum. At the end of the same year he was asked to join the thrash metal band DARK ANGEL as the drummer. He penned most of the lyrics for DARK ANGEL's next three albums. He achieved greater fame during the mid-1990s playing with DEATH, at the same time that bandleader Chuck Schuldiner was taking that group into a more progressive style. Subsequently, he recorded several albums with the thrash metal band TESTAMENT, and made the acquaintance of Canadian multi-instrumentalist Devin Townsend, forging a lasting friendship. He has since recorded several albums with Townsend, both as part of the speed/industrial/death metal band STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and under Devin Townsend's name.

For the past decade and a half, Hoglan has been working with DETHKLOK, the band from the animated TV show "Metalocalypse". The show was co-created by stand-up comedian/actor/musician Brendon Small, who also composes or performs all of the music.

Gene joined FEAR FACTORY in 2010 and played on the band's "Mechanize" album.

In a new interview with The Downbeat Podcast, hosted by STRAY FROM THE PATH drummer Craig Reynolds, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli confirmed that his band's upcoming album, "Decades", will include a cover of "Sunglasses At Night", a 1983 a synth-pop song originally written and recorded by Canadian singer Corey Hart. Regarding how he and his MOTIONLESS IN WHITE bandmates approached reimagining the track, Chris said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "With covers, I know that it's very divided and polarizing whether you stick to the original or do your whole new thing, and this is straight up for me. This is actually the first time I get to talk about it. I've been talking about a cover that I wanna do more than anything in the world for, like, 12, 13 years now. I've said it, but I've never said what the song was, so this is finally the song. I've always wanted to do it. I thought, 'This song is like... I feel like MOTIONLESS should do 'Sunglasses At Night'.' And it started out as just a fun thing to try out doing, and then it just eventually made its way on the album. And it's very much for me. And if you don't like it, I don't give a fuck."

Elaborating on how MOTIONLESS IN WHITE's cover of "Sunglasses At Night" is different from the original, Chris said: "We brought the guitars and stuff in. I mean, it's heavier than the original, but there's no breakdown or anything."

Asked where did the love for "Sunglasses At Night" came from, Chris said: "I think it's the '80s icon song. It's got all the synths. It's got the huge hook, the slick '80s swagger."

"Decades" will arrive on July 17 via Roadrunner Records.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE — Chris Motionless (vocals),Ricky Olson (guitar),Ryan Sitkowski (guitar),Vinny Mauro (drums) and Justin Morrow (bass) — recorded "Decades" in upstate New York and Los Angeles with co-producers Drew Fulk and Justin "JD" deBlieck and ultimately incorporated their past, present, and future sounds into one cohesive sound.

The band's seventh full-length offering features several high-profile and eclectic guest appearances, including SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor, Sklyar Grey and DARK DIVINE's Anthony Martinez.

The latest single from "Decades", a song called "Playing God", features Taylor. Chris described the track as "an observational commentary on toxic Internet culture and the people who perpetuate it. The Internet has gotten worse and worse to the point where only negativity, hatred, and lies are at the forefront of everything you see. It's very frustrating because I thought social media was supposed to be a mechanism to connect, but all it does is divide."

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE is currently touring arenas with BRING ME THE HORIZON and recently tore the roof off New York City's Madison Square Garden. The band will next return to the road on the headline "The Sweat And Blood Tour" this July, with support from LORNA SHORE, FIT FOR A KING and STATIC DRESS.

The North American tour is the band's first American headlining tour in nearly three years and kicks off on July 14 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, with stops in Charlotte, Houston, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, and more before wrapping up on August 15 in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It also includes a stop at Red Rocks, the band's first time headlining the venue.

In a new interview with "Mistress Carrie" Sarao of The Mistress Carrie Podcast, SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan was asked to name a song from any other artist that he thinks is "perfectly crafted". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's a couple. 'Lido Shuffle' [by] Boz Scaggs. There's nothing that isn't amazing about that song as a body of work. Every time I listen to it, I'm, like, 'Wow, where did this come from?' I don't know if I would be able to create something like that. And then the other is 'Breakdown' by TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS. That's just one of those songs, even though it has that false start which kind of makes it even more amazing and beautiful — the structure of that song is so bizarre. It's almost like it's unfinished. But it's such an incredible song 'cause from the minute it starts, it's like, 'Yep, breakdown. Cool.' And then, before you know it, it's gone. But that's one of those songs that I wish I wrote. Simplicity."

After Mistress Carrie noted that the hardest songs to write are usually the simplest ones, Rachel concurred. "I agree," he said. "I write simple. And I guess that's just the stuff I listen to. Most of the stuff I listened to was three-chord rock: KISS, AC/DC, RAMONES, SEX PISTOLS, for the most part. And so that is kind of in my wiring to write like that, I guess. And that's the only thing I know. But when I try — like, I'll sit down with songwriters, especially when I was in Nashville, and when they give you guidelines… I wrote, or I got in a couple of country writes. And, 'Okay, this is what's popular now.' 'These are the chords we don't use.' 'This is what we don't say.' 'This catchphrase is hot.' And I'm, like, 'This is songwriting? This isn't songwriting.' 'You have to be clever when you say this, but you also have to be literal. You can't get too poetic.' And I'm, like, 'Wow.' I did it. Nothing did anything, but I did it, and I learned a lot. [But] it was very weird. It's, like, 'Oh, whiskey isn't a big thing anymore. It's this.' 'And trucks, we don't sing about pickups anymore. We sing about' blah, blah, blah, and this. And I'm, like, 'Wow, this is really happening.' At first I thought they were joking. And I'm, like, 'Wow, no, you're serious. Okay, cool. Gotcha.' And you say something that's too — there's no metaphors. So I always write — there's a metaphor somewhere that could be interpreted whatever. But that's the beauty of music to me. There's some stuff that is literal, but… I didn't realize how many drug references were in RAMONES songs until I got older. I was, like, 'All right. That's what they're talking about.' So, who is the man that Lou Reed is waiting on? Oh, okay, I get it now."

Rachel will release his debut solo album, "Gargoyle Of The Garden State", on June 12 via earMUSIC. The LP, which will be made available under the BOLAN banner, was produced by Nick Raskulinecz, who previously worked on SKID ROW's 2022 album "The Gang's All Here", and it will feature guest appearances by Rachel's SKID ROW bandmates Dave "Snake" Sabo (guitar),Scotti Hill (guitar) and Rob Hammersmith (drums),along with Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR),Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME),Danko Jones, Steve Conte (NEW YORK DOLLS) and Damon Johnson (BROTHER CANE, LYNYRD SKYNYRD).

According to a press release, "Gargoyle Of The Garden State" is "a bold, deeply personal debut rooted in the grit, attitude, and storytelling spirit of his New Jersey upbringing."

Musically, the album delivers hook-driven, anthemic songs that fuse punk energy with melodic sensibility, wrapped in swagger and raw edge what early listeners have already called "quintessentially New Jersey." Among its standout moments is a surprising cover of OASIS's "Rock And Roll Star", reimagined through Bolan's distinctive lens.

Expanding beyond his role as a bassist, Bolan performs the majority of instruments, shaping the record from the ground up. Drawing on influences from Britpop and glam to punk rock and new wave, the album represents a lifetime in music.

SKID ROW is currently looking for a new singer following the departure of Erik Grönwall in March 2024.

Photo credit: Anabel DFlux (courtesy of earMUSIC)

Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA were joined by BIOHAZARD's Evan Seinfeld for a performance of the song "Slave New World" during their May 13 headlining concert at Reverb in Reading, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video of Evan's appearance can be seen below.

BIOHAZARD is one of the support acts for SEPULTURA on the latter band's 2026 "Celebrating Life Through Death" final North American tour, which kicked off on April 29 in Montclair, New Jersey. Also appearing on the bill are EXODUS and TRIBAL GAZE.

Seinfeld co-wrote the lyrics for "Slave New World", which was featured on SEPULTURA's classic 1994 album "Chaos A.D.".

Last month, SEPULTURA released a new EP, "The Cloud Of Unknowing", via Nuclear Blast Records. The band previously released two singles from the effort: "The Place" and "Beyond The Dream". SEPULTURA collaborated on the latter track with Sérgio Britto and Tony Bellotto of TITÃS.

SEPULTURA kicked off its farewell tour on March 1, 2024 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the band's debut performance with drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

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

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

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

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

The final North American leg of SEPULTURA's "Celebrating Life Through Death" tour will visit major cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Montreal, Detroit, Chicago and Denver, before concluding on May 29 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Along the way, SEPULTURA will also perform at major festivals, including Sonic Temple.

CBS and Dick Clark Productions (DCP),the world's largest owner and producer of televised live event entertainment programming, announced that rock legend and 2026 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Billy Idol will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd American Music Awards (AMAs) in recognition of his incomparable career, body of work, and unparalleled contributions to music, honoring his lasting legacy and continued influence on generations of artists and fans. Idol's distinctive career has impacted musicians and fans alike in the decades since he first emerged onto the scene. The punk icon will deliver a medley of some of his biggest hits, marking his first time on the AMAs stage since presenting in 2004 and his first AMAs performance ever. Previous recipients of the AMAs Lifetime Achievement Award include Diana Ross and Rod Stewart.

The star-studded special will kick off summer with host Queen Latifah live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the largest venue in the show's history, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. The show will air live coast to coast on CBS Television Network and Paramount+* at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT, and feature performances from International Artist Award of Excellence recipient Karol G, HOOTIE & THE BLOWFISH, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, Teyana Taylor and TWENTY ONE PILOTS, with more to be announced soon. Tickets for the star-studded must-see show are now available on AXS.

"Billy Idol is a true rock legend whose influence has transcended generations and genres. From his groundbreaking music to his electrifying stage presence, Billy has left an indelible mark on popular culture and the music industry," said executive producers Barry Adelman, EVP, Television, and Alexi Mazareas, SVP, Programming & Development, Dick Clark Productions. "We are thrilled to honor him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd American Music Awards and celebrate his legacy with what promises to be an unforgettable performance."

For almost 50 years, Billy Idol has been one of the definitive faces and voices of rock'n'roll. Between 1977 and 1981, Idol released three albums with GENERATION X as their camera-ready frontman. In 1982, with guitarist Steve Stevens at his side, he embarked on a transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated the bold and simple lines of punk and rock 'n' roll decadence on songs like "Dancing With Myself", "White Wedding", "Rebel Yell", "Eyes Without A Face", "Cradle Of Love" and more. Touring consistently around the world and showing no signs of slowing down, Idol released "Dream Into It" on Dark Horse Records in 2025, earning praise from fans and critics alike. In 2026, Idol released "Billy Idol Should Be Dead", the definitive documentary about his life and career.

As one of music's most anticipated nights of the year, the 52nd American Music Awards returns to CBS and Paramount+ to honor the most influential artists and songs of today alongside unforgettable performances and special moments in a multi-genre, cross-generational celebration of music.

Nominations for the 52nd American Music Awards were announced last month. Taylor Swift leads with eight nominations, followed by Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and SOMBR with seven each. Fan voting has concluded for all awards other than "Social Song Of The Year" and "Tour Of The Year", which will remain open through the first 30 minutes of the AMAs broadcast. Fans can vote for these two awards via VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile.

Additional details, including more performers and presenters for the 52nd AMAs will be announced in the coming weeks.

Celebrating the year's most iconic music, the American Music Awards is the world's largest fan-voted award show, honoring today's most influential artists and their passionate fanbases.

Created by legendary producer and visionary Dick Clark and first awarded in 1974, the American Music Awards is known for delivering half a century worth of iconic performances and enduring moments that have defined and shaped pop culture, as well as a history of introducing audiences to breakthrough artists.

One of 2025's most-watched television specials according to Nielsen, last year's top-rated 51st American Music Awards reached over 10 million unique viewers across its CBS and Paramount+ premiere on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, and encores on MTV, CMT and BET. The CBS broadcast marked the show's largest audience since 2019 with a +38% increase over its last live airing in 2022 on ABC.

Airing for the first time on Memorial Day, the 2025 AMAs kicked off summer with host Jennifer Lopez, who returned to host a decade after her AMAs hosting debut in 2015. She opened the 51st American Music Awards in spectacular fashion, delivering a non-stop, breathtaking medley of 23 of the year's biggest hits. Performances included ICON Award recipient Janet Jackson; Alex Warren, Becky G and Manuel Turizo, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson, Reneé Rapp and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Rod Stewart.

The American Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions.

Photo credit: David Raccuglia

Cinematic rock visionaries EARTHSIDE have released a new single, "A Dying Star". The official visualizer for the track can be seen below.

Many of EARTHSIDE's most powerful songs come from an overwhelming feeling brought to life in music — with only the words of a thought-provoking title setting the scene.

Such is the case once more with the instrumental calamity called "A Dying Star". The first taste of music in EARTHSIDE's new era, the track is a bludgeoning journey through the inner cosmos — in all its destruction, disorder, and uncertain promises.

The band states: "'A Dying Star' is yours. With chaotic intensity cranked to the max, 'A Dying Star' bludgeons the senses with the fury of a meteor shower and the heart-wrench of a broken dream."

EARTHSIDE, a group that burned brightly — and burned themselves out under the weight of their ambitions, convictions, and disillusionment — forged "A Dying Star" in a phase of strife and inner turmoil within the group. For the first time, geographically, separate and growing apart, the members were tasked with creating an explosive high-energy live song — with only a drummer and piano player available at the initial writing. The result being an unconventional and chaotic song; different from anything released thus far by the band, but unmistakably EARTHSIDE in every identifying sense.

As time passes, the identities, the dreams, the senses of self that defined us from our earliest memories lose their spark and grow dim. Some burn out brightly — others leave a devouring hole in their wake. For some, there is hope that the bright debris of the previous star can nurture creation once again in its aftermath — but for others, the void is all that remains. Such is the chaotic uncertainty and driving angst of "A Dying Star".

A song of many firsts for the band, its process sent the group out of their typical surroundings and up to beautiful Val-David, in Québec, Canada to write and self-record "A Dying Star" on-location at Luckchild Studio. EARTHSIDE used the stunning natural vista of the Canadian countryside as a mood-setter for their new output alongside a wealth of vintage pedals and percussion at Luckchild to add new stylistic flavors to the mix.

"A Dying Star" marks a return to the core of EARTHSIDE's sound — the unmistakable soul of the music its four members create together as an instrumentally-driven unit—Showcasing the group's spellbinding sense of sonic storytelling with soothing nocturnal atmospheres and crushing, climactic extremes.

Spearheaded by keyboardist Frank Sacramone and his furious piano runs, which collide with Ben Shanbrom's force-of-nature drumming — the outcome is fresh and unexpected.

EARTHSIDE recently announced their debut foray into headlining some key European shows in May/June 2026 to round off the chapter for "Let The Truth Speak".

EARTHSIDE's blend of cinematic post-rock tendencies with worldly collaborators bring a type of live energy that is unique and compelling amidst their peers. EARTHSIDE weaves between an instrumental band and one who is enhanced by visual elements and collaborators, presenting a unique show for all to see.

The band will be supported by cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne across all dates plus local supports.

EARTHSIDE live shows:

May 22 - 229 The Venue - London, UK
May 23 - Glazart - Paris, France
May 24 - Boerderij - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
May 27 - MTC - Cologne, Germany
May 29 - Betty - Hamburg, Germany
May 30 - Stengade - Copenhagen, Denmark
June 01 - Kollektivet Livet - Stockholm, Sweden
June 04 - On The Rocks - Helsinki, Finland
June 05 - Ankea Festival - Tampere, Finland

Ben Shanbrom (drums) says this about the tour: "It's been far too long since EARTHSIDE has toured one of our favorite places in the world and our true home away from home — Europe.

"What was initially our plan for ushering in the new 'Let The Truth Speak' era, unfortunately hit repeated roadblocks due to several difficult circumstances well beyond our control. But by hell or high water, we would not close the second chapter of EARTHSIDE's career without a proper European run, and now we are thrilled to finally meet many of you and reunite with our countless friends on the continent. Expect a show-stopping set, brand new music, and some very exciting surprises. Don't miss it! We'll see you out there."

EARTHSIDE is:

Drums - Benjamin Shanbrom
Keyboards - Frank Sacramone
Guitars - Jamie Van Dyck
Bass - Ryan Griffin

Photo credit: Justin Borucki

In a new interview with Brazil's TV Braba, MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren was asked what his reaction was when he was first asked to play with the Dave Mustaine-fronted band a decade ago. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Laughs]  I didn't believe it. [Laughs] My first reaction, of course, was disbelief. But initially I was just filling in, so the initial plan was that I was gonna do about a month of shows, and then… I've told this story a few times, but in typical Dave Mustaine fashion, after a week or so of shows, Dave comes to me on the tour bus and he goes, 'So when are you telling the guys in SOILWORK that you're my drummer now?' That was his way of saying to me, like, 'I want you to play in the band.' So, of course, it was a very exciting time, and kind of bittersweet at the same time, because I'd been with SOILWORK for 12 years and they were good friends of mine, but everybody was, of course, like, 'Of course you have to do this.' And yeah, so it was a very special experience. And to this day, it's been now — actually, this month it's gonna be 10 years since I played my first show in MEGADETH, and it's still surreal to this day to be part of such an iconic band. You have to know that I went to see MEGADETH live in 1990, so I was, like, 15 years old at the time. It was one of the first shows I ever saw. I only saw two other shows before that. And then it was 'Clash Of The Titans' with MEGADETH, SLAYER — I think we had TESTAMENT and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES [on that tour] in Europe, where I lived in France at the time still. And now to be in the band for 10 years and to kind of continue the legacy with great music — obviously everything Dave has done is iconic, but also the amazing drum work of [former MEGADETH drummers] Nick Menza, Gar Samuelson, Chuck Behler, all the guys that have been in the band since then, it's truly an honor. In metal music, you can't really go much higher than that legacy. And to me, Dave is the guy who invented thrash metal. He wrote a lot of the iconic early stuff that kind of defined what that genre sounded like, and you can recognize his riffs among a million riffs. He has such a unique style of playing to this day on the guitar that, to me, Dave is the ultimate rock god. Absolutely."

Asked to name the most difficult MEGADETH song to play, Dirk said: "I would say that all the songs on the first album, 'Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!', are quite difficult because not only are they played at breakneck speed, but Gar Samuelson, who was the band's drummer at that time, had a very improvisational style, and so if you wanna replicate that, it's quite difficult…. So I think from a technical standpoint, definitely the old stuff is difficult. But this being said, I also wanna say this because people sometimes have the impression, like, 'Oh, it must be so easy to play 'Symphony Of Destruction'' or whatever song, 'Hangar 18' or 'Trust' or whatever, it's, like, no, they all have their own difficulties. And when you play an hour-and-a-half set like we usually do when we do headlining shows with MEGADETH, it's truly a test of endurance and stamina. And I also try to put on a show and make it entertaining for people to watch, not just sit and play. So all those things combined make it very intense. And on a night where you're maybe a little bit tired because maybe you didn't sleep that well or you had a crazy travel or something like that, it can really kick your ass. So, yeah, they're all pretty tough in their own way."

Prior to Dirk joining the group, then-LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler had performed all the drums on MEGADETH's 2016 album "Dystopia", and had toured with MEGADETH when not otherwise busy with his full-time band.

In a separate interview with Drummer's Review presenter Ollie Winiberg, Dirk stated about his addition to MEGADETH: "Well, I'm not gonna lie — it was intense, as you can imagine, mentally. But at the same time, I would also say that the years leading up to that, all the work I put in, obviously as a member of SOILWORK and other bands I was a part of, but also as a studio musician, as sometimes a live session musician, those years prepared me to be in that position at that point. And so I think that's the biggest thing that I took away from it, is that, at the end of the day, the path leads you where it's gonna lead you. And I kind of embraced it at that point, and I was, like, I have to trust myself. And I did. So I think that helped. What also helped a lot was Dave and the guys in the band and the crew were very welcoming to me. They made everything as easy as possible for me and were very forgiving knowing that I had little time to learn the set before the first show. And so then progressively, of course, I had time to get all the details right. So that helped tremendously as well.'

Asked what it has been like playing with an "icon" like Dave Mustaine, Dirk said: "Yeah, it's pretty surreal. I obviously grew up listening to the 'Big Four' [bands of 1980s thrash metal] and to many bands from that sphere of music. And that was everything to me as a teenager. And so to be backing Dave, it's surreal. There's really no words for it. I mean, he is a legend and he is somebody who pretty much invented this style of music. The early things he did, he has such a recognizable style in his riffing and the way he approaches the guitar playing that is just undeniable, how much he was part of making this style of music, giving it birth and then making it what it became over the years. So it's a tremendous honor, and it's also super cool because he is also a total badass, as everybody knows. He likes to think of himself as a skate punk, and he has that spirit. Like the new single on our [latest, self-titled] album, one of the singles, 'I Don't Care', which that's Dave — that's Dave in a nutshell. He's got that attitude, and he doesn't give a damn. And it's great. I love that because I grew up with that. I was also a skater growing up. So, to me, that whole spirit, I understand it and I love it. And I think he's a true rock star — a true rock star."

Last fall, Dirk reflected on his first exposure to MEGADETH's music via the band's 1986 album "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?", telling the Vinyl Bang podcast hosted by Nick Martin and Jeff Grindstopher: "I remember going to a little flea market in the town outside of Paris where we lived in a small town, and I just looked at the cover and I looked at these pictures… But these pictures of the four bandmembers [on the album cover], they looked so badass to me on there. And I was, like, 'I don't know this band, but I gotta get this. This looks killer.' And so this was probably, I'm gonna say either '87 or '88. So a few years after the record came out, so I was a few years behind, but at the time it wasn't so like now where, oh, everything is super specific about when it's coming out because it's all online. At the time, it was more, like, whatever you could stumble across, whatever you were lucky to find or get on a tape became a big deal. So it was a bit more spread out in time, I believe, before the Internet."

Dirk continued: "So, anyway, MEGADETH immediately stood out to me from other things I was listening to at the time. The vocals, the lyrics, just the approach was its very own kind of thrash metal, I guess, which I don't even know if at the time I really knew what that style was called. I just knew I loved it. And so that became one of my important albums growing up, which, obviously, given what happened many years later in my life, it's kind of crazy.'

Verbeuren went on to say that it's surreal for him to be in a band that he looked up to when he was still in his early teens.

"A cool story about that is that I saw MEGADETH on the 'Clash Of The Titans' tour [in October 1990 when I was 15 years old]," he recalled. "It was one of the first shows I went to as a young teenager. So this was in Paris at Le Zénith. And I have since now three times played with the band at that very venue. So every time I go there, it blows my mind because I'm, like, 'I can't believe I was here as a teenager seeing the band I'm now a part of.' And all these years later, to be on that stage is just, like [laughs], 'What happened?'"

According to Dirk, joining a band like MEGADETH is "beyond a dream" for him "because I would've never even dared to dream that," he said. "People will say, like, 'Oh, was that your craziest dream?' And I'm, like, 'No,' 'cause I would've never even dared to imagine that that would happen. I was just happy to be making music. I was in SOILWORK for 12 years before I went to MEGADETH, and I was stoked to be in a touring band and in an active, professional band that was making music I liked. So it's beyond — you can't even put words on to that, really. [Laughs] So when I look back at this record, and I remember I having a vision of going to this flea market and flipping through albums and being, like, 'This looks cool.' … There's a few other things I bought that day — I think like a HELLOWEEN album, and I forget what else — but it blows my mind to think that, wow. If you had told me at that time, 'Yeah, one day you'll be in that band,' I think my head would've exploded. So, yeah. Pretty cool. Pretty crazy where life can take you."

Back in September 2022, Dirk told Sick Drummer Magazine that he was "just humbled" to have been involved with the writing and recording of the band's previous album, "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" He said: "I'm just thankful to be here. That's the best way I can put it. I can't even say that this is a dream come true, 'cause I don't think I ever dreamed anything crazy like [this]. I was just happy to be playing drums and trying to make a living off of doing it, and [that] in itself was a gratifying thing for me. It wasn't always easy, and I don't think any good job is always easy; it was a struggle sometimes. But I never thought, like, 'Oh, I should be in this major band', so when it kind of just happened, I'm still kind of pinching myself to this day. At the same time, I have to say that I worked really hard my whole life. I've always been somebody who I think when I do something I do it one hundred percent. To persevere through the hard times and always try to keep my head up and try to keep learning new things, it's paid off in the long run."

He continued: "There have been times when I wanted to give up, like anybody, when things seem a bit hopeless. There was a few times I told my wife where I thought maybe I should just get a normal job and life would be a bit more simple and I can just stay home and not struggle to try and pay the bills and work my ass off 24/7 — no weekends [off], no time [off] — and just have a normal family life. But in the end, I know where my passion is and so I wouldn't give up. And I have to give a lot of credit to my parents and my wife and my teachers and my friends — everybody who supported me and my family over the years doing this — I owe it to them 'cause they've helped me so tremendously so many times and talked me back into doing what I wanted to do when it seemed a bit hopeless.

"But to answer your question, it's an incredible feeling," Dirk added. "I'm so stoked that people are enjoying the album overall, and I'm just happy to be a part of that. I'm happy to have contributed to it, because I didn't know, going into this, how that part would be. Being on tour with the band was one thing — you play the songs, here's the songs, it's cool. You get to know the guys, you get to know the way the band operates on the road. Now, going into the recording studio, or first rather into the band room and start writing stuff, I had no idea. And Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] said early on to us, 'Bring stuff. Bring ideas. I want your ideas.' And I'm, like, 'Cool.' I wrote some stuff. I play a little bit of guitar, so I made some demos at home, recorded some riffs, recorded some song ideas, brought them on. I didn't anticipate that any of my stuff would go anywhere, because, I mean, c'mon, this is Dave Mustaine we're talking about. Who am I on guitar compared to Dave Mustaine? .. I'm nothing compared to that. Nevertheless, I ended up with some stuff on the album. Like the song 'Life In Hell', which is the second song on the record, is based on a demo I wrote. And then I also have a riff in the third song, 'Night Stalkers', which everybody just enjoyed that riff and was, like, 'We need to use this.' So my mind is just blown 'cause I didn't anticipate that. But again, I'm happy I just went for it. I listened to Dave and tried and went along with his idea and proposed some things. That's the proof that you have to believe in yourself. You have to believe that you can do what you wanna do. And I did wanna contribute. I mean, I was, like, 'It would be cool if I could. Because this is a band I love, and if some of my ideas can inspire the other guys and we can make a song together, hey, that's freakin' cool. If I can do something else than just write the drum parts on the album, that's freakin' cool.' So here we are — it actually happened, and people are loving the thrashy direction of this record in general. And I'm not ashamed to say that I'm definitely a part of kind of pushing that envelope, because that's the MEGADETH I grew up with — 'Peace Sells', 'Killing Is My Business'; the next couple of albums after that, that's the MEGADETH I enjoyed that I saw live back in 1990 on the 'Clash Of The Titans' tour for the 'Rust In Peace' album. So, yeah, it's a wonderful feeling. I'm thankful every day, and I enjoy every single day we're out here [on the road]."

MEGADETH's self-titled album — Dirk's second full-length effort with the group — was released in January. The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" was made available via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

Australian metalcore band OCEAN SLEEPER has signed a new global recording deal with Rise Records/BMG, marking an exciting new chapter in the band's already impressive trajectory. With their new single "Break The Cycle" out now, OCEAN SLEEPER is poised to take its sound to new heights, building on its momentum and delivering its most ambitious material to date.

OCEAN SLEEPER has steadily built a reputation as one of Australia's most compelling heavy acts, known for their dynamic songwriting, emotional depth and explosive live performances. Since emerging, the band has amassed a dedicated global fanbase, strong streaming numbers, and consistent support across alternative radio, as well as AIR charts and award nominations. The band has sold out numerous Australian and U.S. headline tours, played Good Things festival, and performed alongside NORTHLANE, PARKWAY DRIVE, POLARIS, POINT NORTH, MAKE THEM SUFFER and THORNHILL, cementing their place within the modern heavy scene.

The signing represents a natural evolution of the band's longstanding relationship with BMG, who have previously partnered with OCEAN SLEEPER across their earlier releases, including debut album "Don't Leave Me This Way" and EPs "Maybe Death Is All I Need" and "Is It Better Feeling Nothing", while continuing to expand their international reach with the addition of Rise Records.

OCEAN SLEEPER said: "We could not be prouder to announce we have signed a new global record deal with Rise Records and BMG. The essence of this band has always been independent and driven by a DIY attitude, but we are ready to level up with a team who we trust with our vision. Partnering with both a powerhouse in the industry and a label behind all our core favorite bands is an absolute honour. We are so excited for what the future holds together."

Heath Johns, president, Australia, New Zealand and Southeast Asia, BMG, said: "OCEAN SLEEPER have done it their own way and have become one of Australian heavy music's best kept secrets. It's now time for us to share this secret with the world and with the combined powers of Rise Records and BMG, we will be taking OCEAN SLEEPER to every corner of the planet. The new music is massive and it's rare to find a band with the passion and work ethic of these lads. They deserve this global push, and I have zero doubt in their potential to be a marquee band in this genre."

Sean Heydorn, SVP, Rise Records, said: "OCEAN SLEEPER have built something incredibly authentic and special through relentless work ethic, creative ambition, and a deep connection with their audience. They've emerged as one of Australia's standout metalcore bands, and we're excited to partner with them as they take the next step globally with Rise Records and BMG."

OCEAN SLEEPER's new single, "Break The Cycle", was born from a creative partnership sparked when the band brought POINT NORTH to Australia to support their sold-out 2025 tour. Following this connection, and after landing in the U.S. for their headline tour and attending the Warped Tour to watch their friends LIL LOTUS, SACE6 and POINT NORTH play, they headed into the studio the following day with Jon Lundin of POINT NORTH to co-write the track. The result is one of their most anthemic and emotionally charged releases to date.

"This song captures our struggle in breaking out of Australia and into the global touring market as an independent band," OCEAN SLEEPER said. "It's fast-paced, heavier than before, while still keeping the emotional depth with one of our biggest choruses to date. We instantly knew this song was going to be something special."

Hailing from Gippsland in regional Victoria, and all working trades by day, OCEAN SLEEPER's background is core to their identity and the deep connection they share with fans. Despite hailing from a small country town, OCEAN SLEEPER have never let geographical limits stand in their way — tearing down barriers and defying expectations at every turn. Through fierce self-sufficiency and brutal persistence, the metalcore four-piece have built a vehemently loyal fan base and following throughout Australia, the U.S., and Europe.

Since their formation in 2015, OCEAN SLEEPER have been cultivating a reputation for blending crushing metalcore intensity with deeply personal lyricism and anthemic melody. From their 2019 debut album "Don't Leave Me This Way" — featuring exceptional cut "Light In My Dark" — through to their 2025 EP "Maybe Death Is All I Need" — with standouts like title track "Maybe Death Is All We Need", "Heaven" and "Never The One" — the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of modern heavy music, connecting with fans through honesty, vulnerability, and explosive live performances.

They've sold out tours in both Australia and the U.S. and recently played the POLARIS-curated metal festival Life's A Beach in Melbourne in February this year, alongside WE CAME AS ROMANS, THY ART IS MURDER and CASKETS. With local dates likely in 2026, they'll first play their debut headline European shows in Eindhoven, Prague and Vienna and support NEVERTEL across Europe throughout June/July as well as appearing at Impericon festival (Germany). Plus this October will play Hellbound cruise — a three-day cruise dedicated to heavy music featuring alongside heavyweights PARKWAY DRIVE, POLARIS, NORTHLANE and THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT — departing from Sydney Harbour.

Photo credit: Jonti Wild

Craig Ericson, the founder of Rise Records, is back.

After selling Rise Records to BMG in 2015 and stepping away from the music industry, Ericson has launched Vaux Records, a new independent label named after Portland's famous Vaux's swifts.

Ericson founded Rise Records in 1991 at age 18 and built it into one of the most successful independent labels of its generation. During his tenure, Rise released more than 400 albums and helped break artists, including John Gourley of PORTUGAL. THE MAN, Johnny Franck of BILMURI, Caleb Shomo of BEARTOOTH, SLEEPING WITH SIRENS, OF MICE & MEN, DANCE GAVIN DANCE, PVRIS, KUBLAI KHAN TX, CROWN THE EMPIRE and many more. Other notable artists signed were AT THE DRIVE-IN, AMERICAN NIGHTMARE, HOT WATER MUSIC and 7 SECONDS.

Rise became something rare: a record label with a fanbase and identity of its own. With a staff of just six, the label landed multiple Top 10 Billboard debuts, including SLEEPING WITH SIRENS' "Feel" at No. 3 and OF MICE & MEN's "Restoring Force" at No. 4.

Ericson was also one of the first label owners to fully embrace YouTube as a music platform, uploading the Rise catalog so fans could discover music legally and for free. His "free test drive" approach helped drive billions of plays, millions of subscribers, and a loyal community around the label.

With his noncompete over and a renewed hunger to build, Ericson formed Vaux Records in 2025. The label has already signed Los Angeles's CUNTROL and Nashville's J NOIRE, with two additional artists to be announced soon.

The mission is simple: stay independent, trust instinct, and sign bands that give you goosebumps.

Vaux Records is partnering with Many Hats for distribution and MerchNow for merchandise and the official online store.

May 15 marks the official beginning of Vaux Records.

BEARTOOTH will release a new album, "Pure Ecstasy", on August 28 via Fearless Records. Marking the band's sixth album and first release with the label, "Pure Ecstasy" finds BEARTOOTH frontman Caleb Shomo pushing the group further than ever before across 11 massive tracks that channel both the chaos and clarity of hard-won personal growth.

Today BEARTOOTH has also dropped the album's opening title track where Shomo lays everything bare from the first note. It's a raw, disorienting entry point — where extremes of emotion blur together — setting the tone for an album built on confronting every high and low without flinching.

"Song one is always a crucial part of an album to me. It's gotta lock you into the vibe out of the gate," says Shomo. "'Pure Ecstasy' was birthed in a studio with Misha Mansoor, ridiculous loudspeakers, and the dumbest heaviest chugs we could chug. Once it was brought home and expanded on with Jordan Fish, there was no question it was the album opener. Play loud and kick ass."

The official music video for the "Pure Ecstasy" title track, directed by Zebulon Griffin, can be seen below.

Following the chart-dominating success of 2023's "The Surface" — which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative and Hard Music charts and produced the No. 1 rock radio hits "Might Love Myself" and "I Was Alive" — BEARTOOTH entered a new creative and commercial stratosphere. "Pure Ecstasy" builds on that momentum while expanding the band into even more ambitious territory, capturing Shomo reckoning with both the darkest and brightest parts of himself in real time.

The album's first single "Free", released earlier this year, introduced this next chapter of BEARTOOTH with towering hooks and radical self-examination. Shomo cites the song as "the most honest depiction of my soul I will most likely ever make."

That honesty has always been the foundation of BEARTOOTH. Since emerging from Shomo's Ohio basement in 2013, the band has transformed anxiety, depression, anger and self-destruction into cathartic modern rock anthems that resonate with millions worldwide. From the gold-certified "Hated" and platinum "In Between" to over 1.3 billion streams globally, sold-out tours, and a recent run supporting BAD OMENS on their arena tour, BEARTOOTH's rise has mirrored the growing mainstream dominance of modern heavy music itself.

But "Pure Ecstasy" represents something different. Bigger and more collaborative than any previous BEARTOOTH album, the record finds Shomo stretching himself toward a new level of vulnerability — and for the first time he didn't do it alone. Early songwriting contributions from Skyler Accord (ISSUES, TWENTY ONE PILOTS, BILMURI) helped shape early tracks. Meanwhile, working alongside Fish (BRING ME THE HORIZON, POPPY, ARCHITECTS) cracked Caleb fully open, pushing a rawer examination than ever before. The collaborative spirit continued throughout the recording process as well: bassist Oshie Bichar, guitarists Zach Huston and Will Deely, and drummer Connor Denis — who have evolved into a formidable live unit around Shomo — all played larger roles than ever before. "Pure Ecstasy" also marks the first BEARTOOTH album where Shomo did not perform every instrument himself, with Denis performing drums across the record during sessions at NRG Recording Studios.

For years, BEARTOOTH turned pain into anthems shouted back at the world. "Pure Ecstasy" captures what happens on the other side of that fight: not perfection or peace, but the possibility of freedom.

"Pure Ecstasy" track listing

01. Pure Ecstasy
02. Eyes Closed
03. Bullshit
04. Beautiful Again
05. Stadiums
06. Free
07. Sorry
08. Lose You To Find Me
09. You
10. For Me By Me
11. Made It

Photo credit: Ashley Osborn

Cleopatra Entertainment has announced the theatrical release of the documentary film "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer" into U.K. cinemas from May 1, 2026 at Birmingham's Mockingbird Cinema, followed by screenings through June 2 in the U.K.'s Light Cinema chain. Full listings and ticket purchase links can be found at musicfilmnetwork.com. And while still in U.S. film festivals such as Sound Unseen in Minneapolis (May 13) and the San Francisco Documentary Festival on (June 3),the film will also see its North American theatrical premiere for public audiences at the Lumiere Music Hall Theater, 9036 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills, California 90211 on June 9, 2026 at 7:00 p.m., which is also the official North American release date for both the digital VOD and home entertainment DVD/Blu-ray formats. A special question-and-answer session with director Wes Orshoski will immediately follow the Beverly Hills screening.

In this strikingly raw and intimate film, Orshoski captures the late singer riding an emotional rollercoaster toward the end of his life. Featuring appearances by James Hetfield (METALLICA),Gene Simmons (KISS),IRON MAIDEN's Steve Harris and members of EXODUS, SLAYER, MEGADETH, OVERKILL and SEPULTURA, the film chronicles how two IRON MAIDEN fans encounter Di'Anno at the lowest point of his life and then set out to restore his health and relaunch his career.

Metal Hammer describes Orshoski's latest film as a "harrowing insight into Di'Anno's frustration and frailty at a desperately low ebb with an abrasively real, warts-and-all approach to its subject that serves Paul's legacy far more compellingly than some sanitized panegyric", while Metal Talk called it "a raw, dark and intimate documentary detailing the tragic final years of IRON MAIDEN's original singer, Paul Di'Anno."

Wheelchair-bound since the mid-2010s, Di'Anno's health nosedived during the COVID-19 pandemic, when those two fans launched a crowdfunding campaign which ultimately led to him relocating to Croatia, where — through the help of those fans and doctors — he made a dramatic turnaround while running out of money, reuniting with his former MAIDEN bandmates and falling in love. Eventually he makes a heroic and drama-filled return to the stage. All of this is captured in "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer", which Orshoski began shooting in 2017.

"For years there wasn't much to capture," says Orshoski, whose credits include "Lemmy", a study of MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister and "The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead". "Paul was waiting for surgeries that doctors in the U.K. would not greenlight. He was in an incredibly dark place. But once he got to Croatia, fans and doctors gave him the hope he was desperately searching for. It was beautiful to witness. I wanted to make a film that was unlike any rock doc you've ever seen. And in the end, I think we got there."

One of icons of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, London-born Di'Anno helped launch IRON MAIDEN around the world, appearing on two of the most foundational metal albums ever released: IRON MAIDEN's 1980 self-titled debut and the celebrated follow-up, "Killers", released in 1981. In one of the most epic sagas in metal history, Di'Anno left MAIDEN in 1981 and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson, leaving metal fans around the world to debate which line-up and which singer was/is better. It's a debate that continues to this day, almost 50 years later.

The official trailer for "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer" can be viewed below.

Last October, Orshoski stated about "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer": "I started shooting this film in 2017 and for years there wasn't much to capture. Paul was in a wheelchair, desperately waiting for surgeries that doctors in the U.K. refused to greenlight. By the time the pandemic hit, Paul's health had nosedived. And that's when everything changed for him and my film. Kastro Pergjoni, who runs the Cart & Horses pub in London (known as 'The Birthplace of IRON MAIDEN') launched a crowd-funding campaign to help Paul take control of his own destiny. MAIDEN fans around the world gave. And Croatian MAIDEN superfan/writer Stjepan Juras lobbied for Paul to seek treatment in Zagreb, where he could be treated affordably. Paul acquiesced. Without question, Kastro and Stjepan not only changed Paul's life, they extended it. My film largely documents their efforts, which were without question responsible for nearly all of the good moments at the end of Paul's life."

In August 2024, Di'Anno discussed the status of the documentary in an interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM. Paul said: "Wes is a good mate of ours. He'd done the MOTÖRHEAD rockumentary. He'd done THE DAMNED [one] as well. And he's a great guy. We've had this in the pipeline for a couple of years now. The unfortunate part about it is we had to take our time in between when he can come over and do this. But the unfortunate thing is I'm sitting in a fucking wheelchair, which is a pain in the ass, but what are you gonna do?"

Asked by Dionne if the documentary will focus on a particular portion of Di'Anno's life or if it will cover everything from beginning to end, Paul said: "Everything. But you'll see the determination sometimes and the despair. And it goes through the whole lot of emotions and stuff. It's a bit strange."

Di'Anno added: "I trust Wes. He's got me in all sorts of weird situations. He even wanted to come in and fucking film the operation. And they said, 'No.'"

Di'Anno was laid to rest on November 21, 2024 at the City Of London Cemetery And Crematorium in Manor Park, East London, United Kingdom.

Di'Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, passed away on October 21, 2024 at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.

An official statement shared to Di'Anno's Facebook page on November 11, 2024 with permission from the late musician's family revealed that his cause of death was caused by a "tear in the sac around the heart."

"Dear fans and friends," the statement began. "We have received permission from Paul's family to bring you the news of Paul's cause of death, after the results of the autopsy have been received."

It continued, "His sisters Cheryl and Michelle confirmed the following: 'Basically he had a tear in the sac around the heart and blood has filled inside it from the main aorta artery and that has caused the heart to stop.' Paul's death was instantaneous and hopefully painless. May he rest in peace."

Born in Chingford, East London on May 17, 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English heavy metal band IRON MAIDEN between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album "Iron Maiden" and the influential follow-up release, "Killers".

Since leaving IRON MAIDEN, Paul Di'Anno had a long and eventful recording career with BATTLEZONE and KILLERS as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.

Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.

His first career retrospective album, "The Book Of The Beast", was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving IRON MAIDEN.

In December 2022, Di'Anno spent time in Split, Croatia recording an album with his new project called WARHORSE. The band was formed earlier that year by Di'Anno and two guitarists/authors, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante "Pupi" Pupačić. The resulting LP was made available in July 2024 under the PAUL DI'ANNO'S WARHORSE banner.

WARHORSE previously recorded three songs, two of which — "Stop The War" and "The Doubt Within" — were released in May 2022 as a special DVD single along with Paul's video message to all fans who bought the single and thus helped raise funds for his knee operation.

The WARHORSE single marked Di'Anno's first music release after a seven-year hiatus due to severe health issues.

Di'Anno, who finally underwent his knee surgery in September 2022, played the first show since the operation on October 1, 2022 at the Keep It True Rising II festival in Würzburg, Germany.

In May 2022, Di'Anno came face to face with MAIDEN bassist and founder Steve Harris for the first time in three decades before the band's concert in Croatia. Also in May 2022, Paul played his first full solo concert in seven years at the Bikers Beer Factory in Zagreb. The show was filmed and parts of it will be included in the "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer" documentary.

Photo credit: Marco Benjamin Alvarado (courtesy of Central Press for Conquest Music)

PRIMUS has announced "A Handful Of Nuggs", a new special EP available now digitally, with a special-edition 12-inch vinyl release arriving July 22 and pre-orders live now. Leading the release is the EP's focus track "The Ol' Grizz", among the first new studio recordings to feature drummer John Hoffman. "The Ol' Grizz" finds Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde and Hoffman locking into the kind of twisted rhythmic chemistry that has long defined PRIMUS — shifting between high-speed bass runs, warped psychedelic textures, and explosive percussion with the band's unmistakable mix of technical precision and off-center groove.

"A Handful Of Nuggs" also features PRIMUS's cover of DIO's "Holy Diver", sung by Puddles Pity Party, alongside two recent fan favorites from the band's current era: "Little Lord Fentanyl" featuring Maynard James Keenan (TOOL) and "Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread)", recorded live at the Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Puddles Pity Party is the singing clown persona of Michael Geier.

Written by late metal icon Ronnie James Dio, "Holy Diver" served as the lead single and title track to his namesake band DIO's 1983 debut album.

The announcement arrives amid a particularly active stretch for Claypool. Today also marks the CD release of THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM's "The Great Parrot-Ox And The Golden Egg Of Empathy", which arrived on vinyl on May 8 and digitally on May 1 via ATO Records. The sprawling 14-song concept album from Les Claypool and Sean Ono Lennon explores A.I., empathy, mortality, free will, and the dangers of optimization without human feeling. The CD edition arrives in an enlarged gatefold seven-inch jacket that highlights the album's artwork and 24-page companion comic created with longtime collaborator Rich Ragsdale.

The DELIRIUM also released a new animated video piece today in collaboration with Paste magazine, featuring actor, comedian, writer, and musician Matt Berry ("What We Do In The Shadows", "Toast Of London") alongside animation by Ragsdale, offering another glimpse into the project's surreal visual world. At the same time, Claypool's FEARLESS FLYING FROG BRIGADE are gearing up for the May 22 release of "Return Of The Live Frogs: Volume 1", a new live collection capturing the band's expansive, improvisational return and the loose, exploratory spirit that has made the FROG BRIGADE one of Claypool's most beloved and unpredictable projects for more than two decades.

Next week, all three projects converge with the launch of the "Claypool Gold Tour", a full-evening summer run bringing together PRIMUS, THE CLAYPOOL LENNON DELIRIUM and LES CLAYPOOL'S FEARLESS FLYING FROG BRIGADE for one genre-bending night. The coast-to-coast tour begins May 20 in Reno, Nevada and runs through July 4 in Napa, California, giving audiences a rare chance to see Claypool move through three distinct corners of his musical universe in a single evening.

"A Handful Of Nuggs" track listing:

01. The Ol' Grizz
02. Holy Diver (feat. Puddles Pity Party)
03. Little Lord Fentanyl (feat. Puscifer)
04. Duchess (And The Proverbial Mind Spread) (Live from the Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA)

Hoffman is a Shreveport native who joined the band in 2025 after beating out more than 6,100 applicants in a global audition process dubbed the "Interstellar Drum Derby". Hoffman's deep pocket, wild musical mind, and immediate chemistry with Claypool and LaLonde made him the clear choice.

Photo credit: David Miller

In a new interview with Jesea Lee, BREAKING BENJAMIN frontman Benjamin Burnley spoke about the band's upcoming tour of Europe, which is scheduled to kick off on June 6 at the Rock Im Park festival in Germany. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I'm heading to Europe towards the end of the month. And I don't fly, so I have to take a boat out there, so I have to leave a week earlier than everybody else."

Asked if he is afraid of flying, Burnley said: "Yeah, definitely… And as long and drawn out as the ship is, and as boring as it is, every time I'm, like, 'Oh, man,' I just think about flying and I'm, like, 'Okay, I'm good, actually.'"

He continued: "Honestly, I don't like traveling in a... I'm really in the wrong profession. And I don't like traveling or speed in any way. I don't like going fast. I certainly don't like being high… So I'm not that comfortable with [being on a ship] either. It's just you pick the lesser of the evils, kind of thing."

Asked if that means he will get to Europe a week after the rest of BREAKING BENJAMIN because he will go there by ship instead of flying, Burnley said: "Well, they leave a week later, and so we get there at the same time, pretty much. But I think at the very end they're all gonna fly home, and it just so happened, the schedule of the ship, that I have to stay a few days later until my ship leaves to come back. I'll be in London near some cool shit… So I'll be in a cool spot of London with stuff to do, and I think my son will be with me."

Earlier this month, BREAKING BENJAMIN released a new single, "Something Wicked", signaling the latest chapter for the band and the tease of a forthcoming full-length album.

In October 2024, BREAKING BENJAMIN released a single called "Awaken". BREAKING BENJAMIN's first new music since 2018 was made available via the band's new global recordings agreement with BMG. The partnership with BMG also marked the group's first new label home since releasing BREAKING BENJAMIN debut album nearly 25 years ago. "Awaken" quickly shot to No. 1 on the Rock Digital Songs charts and landed in the Top 20 on multiple additional Billboard charts, including Hot Hard Rock Songs, Digital Song Sales, Hot Alternative Songs and Hard Rock Songs. The single has also since surpassed 131 million streams globally.

In June and July, BREAKING BENJAMIN will be heading to Europe to tour the continent for their first overseas shows since 2017, with support from CHEVELLE and RETURN TO DUST.

BREAKING BENJAMIN's May 9 performance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Daytona Beach, Florida marked the band's first live appearance with new drummer Brian Medeiros (RED, OTHERWISE). Medeiros took over from ASKING ALEXANDRIA drummer James Cassells, who has been sitting behind the kit for BREAKING BENJAMIN for the past eight months after BREAKING BENJAMIN drummer Shaun Foist announced that he would "step away" from touring with the band to "focus on healing" in his ongoing battle with Hashimoto's disease.

Photo credit: Dominique D'Costa

ADEMA, consisting of Tim Fluckey (lead vocals, guitar),Mike Ransom (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Dave DeRoo (bass guitar, backing vocals),has explained the apparent departure of the band's longtime drummer Kris Kohls following the completion of the drum-tracking sessions for ADEMA's upcoming fifth album, "Cruel Machine".

After one fan asked on social media why Kris wasn't listed as a member of ADEMA in the band's press release on Thursday (May 14) announcing the group's partnership with Worldwide Entertainment Group, ADEMA responded: "Kris recorded drums for the album. He didn't want to tour this year. We do. So we're doing that. That's all that's happening right now. When we have more to say, we will."

Due later in the year via Cleopatra Records, "Cruel Machine" is being mixed by David Gnozzi, mix engineer, producer and host of the YouTube channel MixbusTV.

Fluckey is now handling vocals for ADEMA after the 2024 departure of Ryan Shuck, who joined the group in 2019.

In February 2024, ADEMA "abruptly" parted ways with Shuck. A short time later, the remaining members of ADEMA — Fluckey, DeRoo, Kohls and Ransom — posted a message on social media in which they said: "ADEMA has made the decision to move forward without Ryan Shuck. Our plan is to continue on indefinitely as a four-piece, and we sincerely wish Ryan all the best in the future."

In June 2022, ADEMA released a new song, "Violent Principles". It was the follow-up to ADEMA's first single in nearly a decade, "Ready To Die", which came out in August 2021. Both tracks were planned for inclusion on ADEMA's upcoming album, which was tentatively titled "360 Degrees Of Separation".

Original ADEMA frontman Marky Chavez first left ADEMA in 2004 due to "creative differences" after two successful albums, "Adema" and "Unstable". The singer — who is the half brother of KORN frontman Jonathan Davis — quit ADEMA again in January 2011 in order to pursue his "solo project." He rejoined the group again six years later and played his first comeback show with ADEMA in May 2017 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

After Chavez's original exit from ADEMA, the other members of the band found their way with new lead singers Luke Caraccioli and later Bobby Reeves, while Mark founded MIDNIGHT PANIC with his cousin Peter Shubert. He also produced fellow artists.

ADEMA's last official release was 2013's "Topple The Giants" EP. The group's first CD since 2007's "Kill The Headlights" contained brand new tracks plus re-worked versions of ADEMA's chart-topping hits "Giving In" and "Unstable". A three-song EP, "The Cerberus", was sold exclusively on ADEMA's 2023 "Nu Metal Madness 2" tour.

Photo courtesy of ADEMA

In a new interview with Charlie Kendall's Metalshop, TESLA bassist and founding member Brian Wheat spoke about how the band's live performances have evolved over the course of TESLA's four-decade career. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We used to [play longer sets]. I guess the height of our career, when everything was firing, multi-platinum albums, MTV, radio play, and everything, was probably '91, '92, when we had the album out called 'Psychotic Supper'. And we used to play two-and-a-half-hour shows. And now we do 100 minutes. And I think part of that is what attributes to [TESLA singer] Jeff's [Keith] voice still being in such great shape. Because he spent a lot of years singing at the top of his range, and shortening the set, not playing five nights in a row, all those little conscious things that we've done, have allowed us to keep going and still playing 41 years later.

"We have lost a lot of great singers, and the voice is a muscle," Brian explained. "And then you got age and abuse and singing out of the range... There's so many things, and I feel so lucky that Jeff, his voice is still in such great shape."

Wheat also discussed TESLA's reluctance to release a full-length album of new original material, preferring instead to stay on the road or focus on special projects, such as standalone singles or the upcoming "Homage" LP, which finds TESLA returning to its roots with a collection of covers honoring some of rock's most timeless hits.

"It takes a lot of time to do a record, and that means that's time that we have to spend off the road," Brian said. "And what people don't — I don't think they realize is that TESLA's not wealthy guys. But when we play, that's how we earn our living. We have to go to work. We're not so wealthy we could just stop. We were never that big of a band. We weren't as big as [DEF] LEPPARD or MÖTLEY [CRÜE] or METALLICA or GUNS N' ROSES. We were the next level down. I called them the 'A bands', and we were the 'B band'. So we still have to go out there and earn our living. And, to be quite honest with you, people don't buy records like they used to, when we used to put our records. They just don't. You get paid a really shitty rates by this thing Spotify. Terrestrial radio, you make four cents a play. So when I look at the thing strategically, and I manage TESLA — I have for the last 20 years or so — you go, 'Okay, what are the priorities?' It just goes back to the people still wanna see us play live. Jeff's voice is still in great shape. Do I wanna put two years on his voice in the studio, and then that's two years he could've been singing, because he's getting older. And when the voice goes, it doesn't give you a warning — it just goes. That's the plan. It's, like, we'll play, and we put out a couple of new songs every year, and this ['Homage'] thing that we just did originally was gonna be an EP, but it wound up being a full-length album. Because what takes the time for TESLA when we make a brand-new record isn't the recording; it's the writing of the songs."

Due on July 17, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl, "Homage" arrives more than 20 years after the "Real To Reel" series, a release that helped inspire the creation of a new original TESLA song, "Never Alone".

The selected songs on "Homage" were chosen for a variety of reasons, primarily representing some of the greatest vocalists of all time, including Elvis Presley, Freddie Mercury, Sam Cooke, David Ruffin, Etta James and James Brown. Additional selections reflect songs the band grew up hearing on the radio and on their turntables.

TESLA will hit the road this summer on "The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins" tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE and EXTREME. The trek begins on July 17 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, and winds its way through the United States before concluding on September 26 in Ridgefield, Washington.

Last October, TESLA completed a five-song Las Vegas residency at the House Of Blues Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay Resort And Casino. During this exclusive run of shows, TESLA touched all sides of its unique discography, including the heavier edge of electric songs like "Modern Day Cowboy", "Hang Tough" and "Edison's Medicine", as well as the band's acoustic-driven songs such as "Signs" and "Love Song" (two Top 10 Billboard-charting hits).

TESLA previously held a residency at the House Of Blues in April 2024.TESLA's latest six-song EP, "All About Love", was released in November 2024. The EP included four versions of "All About Love" (acoustic, electric, hybrid, live); a live version of "Walk Away", a concert favorite from "Reel To Real, Vol. 1"; and another new song, "From The Heart", an instrumental track by Hannon.

Some fans criticized TESLA for adopting a 1980s-style polished production for its latest album, 2019's "Shock". The follow-up to June 2014's "Simplicity" was helmed by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, whose own group is no stranger to slicked-up, glossy-sounding recordings.

In September 2023, TESLA released the official music video for its cover of AEROSMITH's "S.O.S. (Too Bad)". The song was a bonus track on TESLA's live album, "Full Throttle Live!", which arrived in May 2023. The LP included the band's "Time To Rock!" single, plus other songs, all recorded in August 2022 at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In September 2021, original TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs and in the recording studio by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA's debut album, 1986's "Mechanical Resonance", went platinum on the strength of the hits "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi". The 1989 follow-up album, "The Great Radio Controversy", produced five hits, including "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" and "Love Song", which hit the pop Top Ten.

Press photo credit: Brandon Gullion

In a new interview with Jesea Lee, MUDVAYNE and HELLYEAH frontman Chad Gray spoke about his recently launched "30 Years Of Madness" series of live appearances. The first gig, which took place on April 24 at the Fremont Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, saw Gray backed by HELLYEAH guitarist Christian Brady, MUDVAYNE touring guitarist Marcus Raffety, drummer Devin Attard, guitarist Joe Bonasorte and bassist Nick Villarreal, among other musicians. Asked if he is open to the idea of releasing new music under the Chad Gray banner, the singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm certainly not opposed to it. But just promoting music and everything is just done differently now. It's about having those tools. It's about having the right people plugged in to be able to let people know that you have new music.

"We released the new MUDVAYNE songs ['Hurt People Hurt People' and 'Sticks And Stones' in 2025], and everybody was super stoked about those. But I thought for sure 'Sticks And Stones' would be a Top 10 single, and it topped out at [Top] 20. It was weird, because everybody at radio fucking loved that track. It's just it's done a little bit differently now than it used to be. It's not saying that it's not able to be done now, because people do it. But I'm not sure we were plugged into completely that world."

Asked if the disappointing performance of "Hurt People Hurt People" and "Sticks And Stones" contributed to MUDVAYNE's decision to take a break from touring and recording in 2026, Chad responded: "No. Not at all. It was just merely, like, boom, boom, boom, boom. Four years in a row of just hitting it. Like, let's chill. Let's put it on ice for a minute and see what kind of opportunities come, having put it on ice for a year. Just see what happens. 'Cause we just headlined [a tour]. So who knows? [We weren't interested in] headlining again within such a short amount of time. We want things that we do to be successful, and we want people to be excited to see us, and sometimes when you kind of know you're gonna be able to see them next year, you kind of pass. 'Ah, maybe I'll pass this year, and I'll just go see them next year.' So it's just one of those things, where you're just, like, 'Eh.'"

Referencing his solo project, Chad said: "I'm excited. I'm excited about what we did. I'm excited I decided to do this. I think the fans really enjoyed [the first show]. I think the fans are gonna continue to enjoy it. I know I enjoyed it, and I'm gonna continue to enjoy it. And I think I'm doing it for the right reasons."

After Lee noted that some fans will likely be excited about the prospect of seeing songs from both MUDVAYNE and HELLYEAH performed on the same night, Chad concurred. "That's exciting for me, too," he said. "You can't always guarantee that MUDVAYNE fans are gonna be HELLYEAH fans and that HELLYEAH fans are MUDVAYNE fans. They were two separate things. They were two completely kind of different things. And with HELLYEAH, it was funny, 'cause [late HELLYEAH and PANTERA drummer] Vinnie [Paul Abbott] used to say, like, 'Man, it's frustrating to me because people look at our band like a wall between me and PANTERA and you and MUDVAYNE.' And that's not what it is at all. It was just some dudes getting together in a room and going for it and just having some fun. But people did kind of look at it like, 'I'm not gonna like HELLYEAH because HELLYEAH is keeping Chad away from MUDVAYNE, or keeping Vinnie away from doing the PANTERA reunion,' or something like that. And we always wanted HELLYEAH to kind of stand on its own. That's why we never played MUDVAYNE songs and we never played PANTERA songs in our sets. We just wanted HELLYEAH to be what HELLYEAH was. It was a very true band that was real. There was a lot of passion in that project. It was a passion project, is what it really was. And there was a lot of passion in that project. We worked really hard in that band for fucking 12 years."

Back in March 2021, Gray released a solo single, a cover of "Always On My Mind" — a song made famous by Willie Nelson. The track was originally recorded for his fall 2020 wedding to SiriusXM on-air personality Shannon Gunz.

The "30 Years Of Madness" concerts mark Chad's first-ever solo performances and are taking place during a year when MUDVAYNE is not scheduled to do any touring. It is also an opportunity for Gray to play songs from HELLYEAH, which has been inactive since early 2020 when its U.S. tour was canceled in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the meantime, Gray had reunited with his previous band MUDVAYNE, which played its first two shows in 12 years in 2021 and has since completed several tours, in addition to releasing the aforementioned two new songs, "Hurt People Hurt People" and "Sticks And Stones".

In a recent interview with "The David Ellefson Show", Gray was asked how the idea for his solo gigs came about, Chad said:  "Since we brought [MUDVAYNE] back in '21, we've done it once a year for the last four years. And it's just, like, management, everybody's just, like, 'We should probably give it a break. We should probably just take 2026 off.' And I'm just, like, I'm 54 fucking years old. I'm not taking a year off. That's like me putting my happiness in a cage for a year. That's where I shine. I love to service my fans. I love to fucking help however I can and give back. And just sitting around my fucking house with my thumb in my ass, doing fucking projects and shit, it's not the way I'm wired, man. I wanna work. I'm a worker bee."

Gray continued: "I was writing, recording or touring nonstop in one band or another for 20 fucking years. And Vinnie passed. It took a little bit [of time to get back into it]. I came back to the MUDVAYNE table, put that back together. And then we did it. And then we were off 46 weeks. And then we did it, and then we were off 46 weeks. And the old days of like writing, recording, touring, writing, recording, touring, which is what I loved, that was out the fucking window. So even though I'm going out once a year for six weeks or seven weeks or whatever, I'm just sitting around the fucking house all the time. So the whole idea of this, honestly, was when we said we were gonna take the year off, and it's just, like, I don't wanna do that."

Vinnie Paul recorded a total of six albums with HELLYEAH over a decade, including its latest, "Welcome Home", for which he laid down his drum tracks before his passing.

STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga stepped in as Vinnie Paul's replacement for the touring activity in support of "Welcome Home", which came out in September 2019.Mayorga previously played with HELLYEAH bassist Kyle Sanders in MEDICATION, the early 2000s outfit which also featured guitarist Logan Mader (MACHINE HEAD) and singer Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE).

MUDVAYNE guitarist Greg Tribbett sat out the band's summer/fall 2025 "L.D. 50 25th Anniversary" tour after his wife reportedly lost her year-and-a-half-long battle with cancer.The "L.D. 50 25th Anniversary" tour kicked off on September 11, 2025 in Dubuque, Iowa and concluded on October 26, 2025 in Uncasville, Connecticut.

In 2024, Greg sat out the remaining shows on MUDVAYNE's "Destroy All Enemies" tour with MEGADETH due to what at the time was described as a "family issue". Filling in for him was Rafferty, who has served as a guitar tech for several metal bands over the years, including LAMB OF GOD and HATEBREED. He also worked for HELLYEAH, which originally featured both Tribbett and Gray.

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

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

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