Just hours after KISS received an award from U.S. president Donald Trump at the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, the band's longtime guitarist Tommy Thayer spoke to LindellTV's Cara Castronuova about the experience, saying: "Well, [President Trump's] got very good taste in music, obviously. We had a great event last night, the Kennedy Center Honors with KISS, George Strait and many others. And it was really a highlight of all of our year, and it was just an honor and a pleasure to be here. Great show."

Asked if he ever thought that he would get an award from a president of the United States, Tommy replied: "No. It's a big honor. KISS has had a great storied career for 50 years, and we're just honored to be here and be part of it. And President Trump has done a fantastic job. They're doing great things at the Kennedy Center now. And it's just an honor to be here. And he's got good taste in music. No doubt."

Pressed for his opinion on the job Trump is doing in his second term, Tommy said: "I think he's doing a fantastic job. I think that it's a tough job in a lot of ways, [and] everybody's got a lot of different points of view on things, but I think he does an excellent job."

After Castronuova noted that "music brings everybody together" and that "there's KISS fans that are Democrats and Republicans," Thayer concurred. "Well, that's true," he said. "Music is the language of all people. And that's the thing that was great about last night. It didn't matter where you're coming from. It was just a great party, a good time. Everybody had smiles on their faces and just enjoyed the night."

On the Kennedy Center Honors red carpet on Sunday, KISS frontman Paul Stanley was asked by Breitbart News for his thoughts on being honored by Trump a day earlier.

"It's an incredible honor. It's surreal, and as a kid who grew up with nothing, the idea of being in the White House, the Oval Office, receiving accolades from the president, that's beyond anything that I could have ever fathomed," Stanley said. "And that's what makes America great, is the fact that we can all achieve whatever we set out to do with hard work. Hard work makes anything possible. Achieving something is determined by how hard you're willing to work for it, and that's what gives it its value. So I'm humbled and grateful and blessed to share it with my wife."

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told Breitbart News that Trump's Oval Office, which is decorated from top to bottom in gold, looks "terrific." Gene also compared Trump's Oval Office to the iterations of former presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, saying: "It used to be a drab. I've been here through Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush, and it used to be a pretty drab place. It's coming alive. I think it's great."

Original KISS drummer Peter Criss told Breitbart News about being honored by Trump: "It was history. You could feel the vibes in the room. I was, like, looking at the desk, going, 'Well, that's where Roosevelt sat during the war. That's where Lincoln sat. That's where JFK [sat].' I was a big JFK kid. And it was a high.

"When you see it in motion pictures, they always make it — you think it's gonna be this ginormous room. It's tiny. It's a really little room, but the history that went on there, the paintings of Lincoln and Washington on the wall… And it was dynamite. It was really cool. A kid from Brooklyn, I never thought I'd be in the Oval Office sitting with the president of the United States. So it's been wonderful."

Simmons, who appeared with Trump on the first season of "Celebrity Apprentice" in 2008, previously called Trump "good for the political system" in a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone.

"He is the truest political animal I've ever seen onstage," Simmons said at the time. "He has no speechwriters, no editing, no nothing. He's actually on tape going 'motherfucker.' You cannot turn away.… He has said some very vile, unkind things. But don't kid yourself. He speaks off the cuff, and what you see is what you get. And he'll double down."

Added Simmons: "He's not there to be your friend…. He's good for the political system."

Gene later offered a different assessment of Trump, telling Spin magazine in May 2022 about the president's first term: "I knew him before he entered politics. Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top. Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it."

Referencing his appearance on "The Apprentice", Simmons told the magazine being president is a very different job than hosting a game show. "You have a different responsibility when you're just a citizen or an entrepreneur. You don't make policy," he said. "It doesn't affect life and death. When you get into a position of power, it does affect lives. I don't think he's a Republican or a Democrat. He's out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker."

For his part, Stanley tweeted in January 2021 that Trump's refusal to accept the results of the previous year's election loss was "ABHORRENT. A true danger to our democracy. The issue isn't that it WON'T work. It's Mob Boss behavior and politicians putting party over audits, investigations, court rulings & COUNTRY in an effort to overrule the will of American voters."

Stanley also referred to the Trump supporters who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021 as "TERRORISTS," adding in a tweet just hours after the riot took place: "This is armed insurrection. The flames were fanned today & over time by the president & specific senators who CANNOT be allowed now to distance from or denounce what they have directly caused. Know their names. THIS is the result of their deception. Shame."

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda spoke about the possibility of a new album from him and his bandmates coming out in 2026, after the arrival of two new singles in 2025, "Wrath (Bring Fire)", which was first made available in May, and "Cult Of The Used", which came out in November. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I don't know if it's coming in the new year, but we're definitely writing it. We're in the writing stage, for sure, and we're gonna be demoing stuff throughout the year. We're definitely working on a full-length. And a full-length is coming… I don't have a release date. We don't even have a studio booked for time to actually track the record, but I would imagine it'd happen by the tail end of next year, as far as getting in the studio. I don't know about a release date. So there you go. But we're writing — we're actively writing. There will be a tenth DEATH ANGEL record — by hook or crook. [Laughs]"

Regarding why DEATH ANGEL decided to release two new songs while still working on material for a new full-length album, Mark said: "Well, we recorded a few songs, for sure, but it's just kind of also to keep the buzz up and let people know we're still here and we're throwing down. And we have plans to release a full-length, but we don't want people to forget about us either."

After MikeZ noted that DEATH ANGEL isn't a "nostalgic act just leaning on the catalog", Mark concurred. "Exactly," he said. "And I don't think that's something we've ever done. As a matter of fact, we take so much pride in our — especially all the releases with this particular lineup, from 'Relentless Retribution' [2010] all the way through 'Humanicide' [2019], I think those albums definitely stand up with our classic records. And a lot of the fans, some of them don't even know the original early DEATH ANGEL mach one material as good as they do the new material. The new material turned them on to us. So we're fortunate in that regard that we're one of those bands that don't have to rely on our back catalog."

Last month, DEATH ANGEL guitarist Rob Cavestany told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone about the possibility of a new DEATH ANGEL album seeing the light of day in the not-too-distant future: "The timing needs to be right. We need a big chunk of clearance of time to properly support a full-length album and for all the effort it takes to release a full-length album. That being said, our next album will be our tenth album, and I'll be damned if we stop short of ten. I'll be damned if we stop shore of ten. And most of it's written already… I can say that we haven't begun recording the album, but there are absolutely demos, recordings of the music and songs that are being created. And it's been happening for years. The songs that are being released, the singles that we have, they were made to be singles. So those were a different mindset from the album that has its own entirety of the collection of songs that belong together for a record. We're not rushing the process. And also just due to life and scheduling and things, the timing wasn't right. We need clearance to do the full thing going, and it just hasn't happened as of yet. And then now it was the 35th anniversary of 'Act III' this year. Next year's the 40th anniversary of our debut album, 'The Ultra-Violence'. So these things kind of like inspire us to do some live activity based on those records, because of those milestone celebrations of those birthdays."

Asked if he thinks fans can expect to see a new DEATH ANGEL album in 2026, Rob said: "Released in '26? I'd have to say that might be wishful thinking. But it's not impossible. And I'm dying, dying, dying to record these songs. So we're really trying to make it happen."

Rob also addressed the fact that DEATH ANGEL pulled out of its fall 2024 tour as the support act for W.A.S.P. because of scheduling conflicts with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's solo band, which features Mark as the lead singer. He said :"You kind of learn to pivot instead of sit there just in anguish that things aren't going exactly how you want them to go. So, during this time I've come to evolve myself in such a way, and I think the whole band has had to, because of all the stuff. So, we're in a good space. We did have a moment there of being very antsy and kind of upset that we weren't able to do this or that, or things went this way or that… But you come to accept that. Such is the way, especially in this business. We're not the only ones that have to deal with changing circumstances. And you need to get through it, pick your sorry ass up off the ground, slap yourself around, take some deep breaths and then just see what you're gonna do next."

Rob was also asked if there are now more open communication lines between the DEATH ANGEL bandmembers, particularly since Mark publicly admitted he didn't inform his DEATH ANGEL bandmates of his involvement with Kerry's group until right before it was officially announced. Rob said: "Yes. The communication has definitely improved as of late. But again, like Gilda Radner said on 'Saturday Night Live', if it's not one thing, it's another. And damn if that ain't true. So, if it isn't one thing, it's another. So we're used to that by now. And it actually does make you grow as a person, if you utilize it the right way and keep your head together, and it does make you better at dealing with shit, because there's always stuff to deal with. And then you also realize that it's kind of weird because these things inadvertently send you down different paths. So if things didn't happen as they did, we wouldn't even be doing [a tour celebrating the 35th anniversary of] 'Act III' right now. But the idea came out of because of one thing to the other, and then so since we weren't able to deal with our new album right now, like, what are we gonna do? And then through our conversations, it came up. I must admit I was a hard sell at the beginning. It was never a plan to do this. It wasn't, like, "Eventually we're gonna do that.' It was just, like, we just move forward. I'm not trying to milk stuff from the past or whatever. But it just happened. And, actually, Ted [Aguilar, DEATH ANGEL guitarist] was very instrumental in convincing me."

DEATH ANGEL's fall 2025 U.S. tour features support from VIO-LENCE (replacing originally announced support act TOXIC HOLOCAUST),LIONS AT THE GATE and MISFIRE. The trek kicked off on November 26 at the Oriental Theater in Denver, Colorado and will wrap with two Christmas shows on December 18-19 at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California.

Osegueda is the featured singer on King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", which arrived in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.

DEATH ANGEL released a live album titled "The Bastard Tracks" in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast. Recorded live at The Great American Music Hall in their hometown of San Francisco on May 22, 2021, and streamed live soon after, "The Bastard Tracks" was described in a press release as "a deep-cuts collection of rarely and never performed songs from the band's catalog" that was released digitally and on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray.

In October 2020, DEATH ANGEL released a four-song EP, "Under Pressure". The effort included a cover of QUEEN + David Bowie's "Under Pressure", followed by a new track titled "Faded Remains", plus acoustic versions of "Act III"'s classic "A Room With A View" and "Humanicide"'s "Revelation Song". The EP was mixed by Max Norman (OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, BAD COMPANY) and mastered by Ted Jensen (LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, HALESTORM).

DEATH ANGEL's latest album, "Humanicide", was released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The LP saw DEATH ANGEL returning to producer and friend Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, TRIVIUM) of Audiohammer studios for the recording and mixing, along with the mastering of the legendary Ted Jensen (SLIPKNOT, PANTERA) of Sterling Sound, who added the final touches and brought it all to life, with artist Brent Elliott White (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH) providing the ominous cover artwork.

In March 2020, DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital after being diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He first got sick when he and the rest of DEATH ANGEL spent more than a month on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and EXODUS as part of "The Bay Strikes Back 2020" tour.

DEATH ANGEL was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

Carroll joined DEATH ANGEL in 2009 as the replacement for the band's original drummer, Andy Galeon.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Jack Moore, the son of legendary THIN LIZZY guitarist Gary Moore, will perform his father's music on his first Irish tour next year, marking the 15th anniversary of Gary Moore's passing.

Alongside versatile Polish artist Quentin Kovalsky, Jack Moore will also perform songs from his new album, "Electric Neverland", during shows in Dublin, Derry/L'Derry, Belfast and Westport.

While marking Gary Moore's 15th anniversary, a donation from the Irish tour will support the campaign for a statue of Gary Moore in Belfast.

Rock and blues guitar wizard Gary Moore sold over five million albums during his remarkable career. Known for hits like "Out In The Fields", "Parisienne Walkways", "Empty Rooms", "Still Got The Blues" and "Oh Pretty Woman", Moore made his name as a heavy rock guitarist before switching to blues. He was in THIN LIZZY during two periods, including the iconic "Black Rose" album in 1979. Moore also performed with guitar legends B.B. King, Albert King and George Harrison, as well as Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and, of course, THIN LIZZY frontman Phil Lynott.

Jack Moore and Kovalsky will appear in The Jester Bar in Westport on February 6, the 15th anniversary of Gary Moore's death. The tour begins in The Sound House in Dublin on February 3 and moves to Sandino's Bar and Cafe in Derry City on February 4, before arriving in Gary Moore's hometown of Belfast on February 5 at The Deer's Head.

Jack Moore said: "It will be special to be back in my spiritual home of Ireland on my father's 15th anniversary, performing his music and my own to an Irish audience. I spent a lot of time in Ireland in my youth; it was a place that my dad was very proud of.

"It's great that his music is still very popular in Ireland, and it will be great to connect with his fans and to perform our new songs too. It's also important to me to help support the Gary Moore statue campaign for Belfast from this tour, and it's great that fans can get involved in that too."

Tickets go on sale on Thursday, December 11 from local ticket outlets and ticketmaster.ie.

Gary Moore died on February 6, 2011 after suffering a heart attack in his sleep, aged just 58.

Photo credit: Rudi Huisman

THE WHO frontman Roger Daltrey was awarded his knighthood by the Prince Of Wales during an investiture ceremony at the royal residence at Windsor Castle in Windsor, United Kingdom earlier today (Wednesday, December 10). The 81-year-old singer was honored for his services to charity after being named in The King's Birthday Honours list in June.

Check out pictures of the ceremony at the Daily Mail web site.

In addition to his music accomplishments, Daltrey has served as a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust since 2000, spearheading its annual concert series at London's Royal Albert Hall for more than two decades.

Becoming a knight or a dame is one of the highest-ranking awards in the British honours system. Both of these ranks entitle their members to use the title of Sir for men and Dame for women before their forename. This honor is awarded to those who have made major contributions to any activity, usually at a national level. Knighthoods and damehoods are traditionally presented with a touch of a sword by the King.

When Roger's honor was announced earlier this year, the singer said in a statement: "It is a wonderful honour for me and especially for Teenage Cancer Trust. I accept this award not only for myself but on behalf of all the unsung heroes who have given their energy towards making the Teenage Cancer Trust the success it has become. The likes of THE WHO and their fans, Angie Jenkison, Lindsay Hughes, Des Murphy, Rob Ballantine and the late Chris York are some of many who have done so much to elevate the charity, to the point where it now has 28 specialist units in NHS hospitals across the U.K."

Other musicians who have been awarded the prestigious honor include Sir Brian May, Sir Paul McCartney, Sir Ringo Starr, Sir Mick Jagger, Sir Elton John, Sir Rod Stewart and Sir Tom Jones.

THE WHO is one of the top three greatest rock legacies in music history with nine U.S. and 10 U.K. Top 10 albums and 14 U.K. Top 10 singles. They have played well over 2,000 gigs in a career spanning over 50 years, including venues such as Woodstock, Monterey Pop, Glastonbury (twice),Hyde Park (four times),Isle Of Wight (three times),the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, Desert Trip, Shea Stadium, the Super Bowl half time show and Live Aid, to name but a very few.

Inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1990, THE WHO has placed 27 Top 40 singles in the United States and United Kingdom and earning 17 Top Ten albums, including the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera "Tommy", 1970's pummeling "Live At Leeds", 1973's "Quadrophenia" and 1978's "Who Are You". THE WHO debuted in 1964 with a trio of anthems, "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright" and "My Generation". Since then, they have delivered hits such as "Baba O'Riley", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Pinball Wizard", "Who Are You" and "You Better You Bet".

In 2008, they became the first rock band ever to be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. THE WHO has performed all over the world, including global music events for the Super Bowl XLIV halftime show in 2010 and closing the Summer Olympics in 2012. THE WHO continued their charity work by playing a concert in January 2011 to raise money for trials of a new cancer treatment called PDT. In December 2012 they performed at the Hurricane Sandy benefit in New York.

THE WHO released their first new album in thirteen years, the critically acclaimed "Who" in 2019 and toured the world with their "Moving On" and "The Who Hits Back!" symphonic shows with a full orchestra which were commemorated in 2023 with the album "The Who With Orchestra Live At Wembley", recorded at London's legendary Wembley Stadium. 2025 saw THE WHO saying goodbye to their legions of loyal fans in the USA, but their music will live on forever.

Photo credit: Rick Guest

Sharon Osbourne has revealed the final conversation she had with her husband Ozzy just before he died, less than three weeks after he played his final concert with BLACK SABBATH at the "Back To The Beginning" event.

In a new interview with Piers Morgan on his program "Piers Morgan Uncensored", previewed in Britain by tabloid newspaper The Sun, Sharon described he last evening with Ozzy at their home in Buckinghamshire, England, saying: "He was up and down to the bathroom all night, and it was like 4.30 and he said, 'Wake up.' I said, 'I'm already bloody awake. You've woken me up.' And he said, 'Kiss me.' And then he said, 'Hug me tight.'"

She added: "I can't help wondering if I should have, could I have? If only I'd have told him I loved him more. If only I'd have held him tighter. And he went downstairs, worked out for 20 minutes and passed away.

"He had a heart attack," Sharon said of his final moments.

"I ran downstairs, and there he was, and they were trying to resuscitate him, and I'm, like, 'Don't — just leave him. Leave him. You can't. He's gone.' I knew instantly he'd gone. And they tried and tried, and then they took him by helicopter to the hospital and they tried, and it's, like, 'He's gone. Just leave him.'"

During the same chat, Sharon said that Ozzy knew that he was near the end of his life and that a doctor had told him if he went ahead with his planned final show, he "wouldn't get through it", but he insisted on playing the gig anyway.

Last month, Sharon revealed that Ozzy was fondly remembered by King Charles III in a handwritten note to the BLACK SABBATH singer's family.

"Our King, now we're talking," Sharon said on the November 12 episode of "The Osbournes" podcast. "He is an amazing person, not just because he wrote to us when Ozzy passed, but if he did it for us, you know he does it for many, many, many people."

Sharon said that she was grateful for how kind King Charles had been to Ozzy over the years.

"He's got a good heart," Sharon continued. "He didn't have to do certain things that he's done for Ozzy in the past. Ozzy's birthday. When Ozzy was sick in hospital with the motorbike accident, he reached out. He is a good, caring man with a good heart."

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

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

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

A little over five months ago, Ozzy reunited with the rest of the original BLACK SABBATH lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — for what was his final performance at the "Back To The Beginning" charity concert in their original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

At "Back To The Beginning", Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has revealed that he has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type of thyroid cancer. The diagnosis came less than a month after he underwent a biopsy of a nodule in the right lobe of his thyroid.

Earlier today (Tuesday, December 9),Sweet shared the following message via his social media: "A lot of you have been asking about my health and well being so I wanted to give you an update.

"First, thank you all for your continued thoughts and prayers. It always means the world and I can't thank you enough for taking the time to think of me.

"I spoke to my endocrinologist and unfortunately the biopsy that was performed on 11/17 (a nodule in my right thyroid) came back positive. Malignant.

"I'm scheduled for a CT and an ultrasound next Monday 12/15 (following the Christmas show) and then I'll be meeting with my doctor/surgeon on 12/22 to figure out a plan moving forward.

"We start recording the new STRYPER album on 12/28 and that will remain on schedule. Once we finish tracking, I'll be undergoing another surgery to remove my right thyroid and the nodule itself.

"This is papillary thyroid cancer, so the good news that it's slow growing and something that my doctor seems very optimistic about.

"Interestingly enough, I sang the album 'When We Were Kings' 2 months (to the day) after my first thyroidectomy, and I never felt better vocally.

"Unfortunately (and more recently),I've been experiencing a few issues vocally and it feels a little more 'crowded' in there. Now I understand why.

"My sincere apologies for not being to perform at 100% lately. It's been a bit of a burden to be honest, but I'm confident that things will get better.

"Even though it's concerning to even hear the 'C' word (much less be diagnosed with it),I believe that it will be behind me soon enough. I'll get in and deal with it and heal up and be ready for 2026.

"Please don't worry about me as I know and trust that God has a plan.

"I've always felt some kind of peace in being able to ask for prayer here. Whether it's for someone else or for myself, you always take the time to do that and it is a true blessing. It's been a constant in my life and I believe that you all are friends. Family.

"I love you guys and I can't wait to see you on the road in 2026.

"Merry Christmas and I hope you all are enjoying the new STRYPER Christmas album!

"Always remember - He Is The Reason For The Season".

According to the Columbia University Department Of Surgery, papillary thyroid cancer makes up about 80% of all cases of thyroid cancer. It is also the thyroid cancer with the best prognosis and most patients can be cured if treated appropriately and early enough.

In December 2023, Sweet underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. Five months later, he told Steve Mascord of White Line Fever TV about the procedure: "I had nodules a nodule in each side of my thyroid, so thyroid nodules. And one of those got larger and larger. It was biopsied and it was cancer. So they removed half of my thyroid, [the left] half. [The right] half I still have. I have a nodule there still that's cystic they're gonna keep an eye on. I had to start thyroid medication. But I had the surgery back in December — December 15th [of 2023]."

Regarding how the operation affected his singing voice, Sweet said at the time: "I could feel the pressure of the room and the space in that area with those nodules getting larger. I could feel it. And it's been like that for a few years. I've had 'em for a while, but I had to have it removed because of the cancer, and I dealt with it right away. But having the side of that thyroid removed, they had to cut through some muscles. So I can really feel it — it just feels different, it's the only way I can describe it. My vocal nerve was not damaged. I went to the best doctor in Boston who specializes in that, specifically not damaging the vocal nerve. He uses a very particular monitoring system, and he kind of wrote the book on that. And no damage to my vocal nerve — thank God. But still, it feels weird when I sing. It feels like someone kind of has their hand on my throat. It's the only way I can describe it."

STRYPER released its long-awaited Christmas album, "The Greatest Gift Of All", on November 21 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 10-song effort includes five original Christmas tracks and five traditional Christmas cuts, including remakes of "Reason For The Season" and "Winter Wonderland", both of which originally appeared on a 1985 single and were also made available on the 1986 re-release of STRYPER's debut EP, "The Yellow And Black Attack".

STRYPER guitarist Oz Fox recently sat out the band's Latin American tour on advice of his doctor. The 64-year-old musician, who underwent a brain surgery in May 2024, was once again temporarily replaced by Howie Simon (JEFF SCOTT SOTO, GRAHAM BONNET),who previously filled in for Fox on several tours in the past.

STRYPER's latest all-original studio album, "When We Were Kings", came out in September 2024.

A lot of you have been asking about my health and well being so I wanted to give you an update.

First, thank you all...

Posted by Michael Sweet on Tuesday, December 9, 2025

In a new interview with Audacy Music, Rob Halford spoke about JUDAS PRIEST's "charity" version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "War Pigs", featuring SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne, which was released in late September. All profits of Sony Music Entertainment UK Ltd and Epic Records in the U.K. from audio streams, downloads, and physical sales of the recording will be donated to The Glenn Tipton Parkinson's Foundation and Cure Parkinson's. Rob said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we first came up with this idea of making what we call the JUDAS PRIEST heavy metal style of 'War Pigs', we knew we had to tread carefully because there's such a beloved song for SABBATH fans, Ozzy fans all over the world. So we wanted to make sure that we didn't go too far away from the original, classic concept idea. So the band worked really hard to emulate what Tony [Iommi, SABBATH guitarist] and Bill [Ward, SABBATH drummer] and Geezer [Butler, SABBATH bassist] and Ozzy did together, but at the same time give it our own identity. Scott [Travis, PRIEST drummer] did his best to pay homage to Bill — Bill's style of drumming. The same with Ian [Hill, PRIEST bassist] on bass for Geezer. Richie [Faulkner, PRIEST guitarist] did a fantastic job with his guitars, as did Glenn [Tipton, PRIEST guitarist]."

Halford added: "It's really weird, because my voice in that song is in the same kind of tone or range as Ozzy, which makes it work even better. It really feels like it was destined to be."

Referencing the fact that PRIEST released its original take on "War Pigs" on July 2, three days before Ozzy's blockbuster retirement concert, "Back To The Beginning", took place at Villa Park in his hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom, Rob said: "But, yeah, it was a privilege and an honor to be able to add our contribution to that amazing day at the Aston Villa football ground."

Asked when Ozzy recorded his part for the "charity" version of "War Pigs" with JUDAS PRIEST, Halford said: "He did his part after we sent all the tracks and files over to Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager], and then all the metal magic happened. And it was great, 'cause he heard the final part before the idea of bringing Ozzy in on to the track came about. And it was Sharon's idea. It was a great idea. She said, 'Is there any way we can get Ozzy on here?' And we thought, 'This is just gonna be insane, if we can get Ozzy to be in the track as well,' because then the idea of making it a charity single came into being. All the contributions are going to Cure Parkinson's, which was Ozzy's big foundation. And then, of course, Glenn Tipton's foundation. So, the fact that they both approved it, especially Ozzy, who allegedly was just sitting there smiling, happy that his kind of Birmingham brothers, because we were both born and raised in the same neighborhood, we had a chance to do something together. And for me as a singer, it was especially powerful and moving to be able to sing alongside Ozzy on that track… We were just happy that we could make this whole thing go up to another level. It was already doing great things as it was with the PRIEST interpretation, but to have Ozzy connected to it just made it even more spectacular."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A raffle to win one of BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi's guitars raised £50,000 for the hospital where he received his cancer treatment.

On Monday (December 9),Iommi took to his social media to write: "A massive thank you to everyone who bought tickets to my guitar raffle these past few weeks. Together you've raised over £50,000 for the Heartlands Hospital Charity appeal. What an incredible achievement and only possible thanks to all of you".

The 77-year-old guitar legend was treated at Birmingham, United Kingdom's Heartlands Hospital in 2012 after being diagnosed with lymphoma a few months earlier. Four years later, Iommi revealed that his cancer was in remission.

Last month, Iommi joined staff at Heartlands Hospital to help launch a fundraising drive as part of a £150,000 appeal to refurbish the hospital's cancer treatment center.

Speaking to BBC about his diagnosis, Iommi said: "It was a terrible shock. It's really hard when you're going through that. You just never think until you're in that situation, and I know how difficult it is, and how they feel. I like to be able to give something back and be involved and help."

Reflecting on the treatment he received at Heartlands, Tony said: "The more comfortable you can make the patient, the better. I know when I was in, they treated me so well, that everybody was so nice, the nurses were nice, everybody was great. To have the right environment means a hell of a lot."

Iommi will make an announcement on his social media when the raffle goes live.

Iommi revealed his cancer diagnosis in early 2012, shortly after SABBATH announced a reunion tour and album. He underwent treatment throughout the recording of the disc, titled "13", and the subsequent tour to promote it.

The BLACK SABBATH guitarist successfully underwent an operation in January 2017 to remove a noncancerous lump from his throat.

"13" was the first album in 35 years to feature Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler all playing together.

During a June 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Iommi stated about his health: "I'm up and down. I go for my checks. In fact, I was there the day before yesterday, just getting different checks again. It's like any old person [laughs] — you have problems. But, no, all in all, it's been pretty good. Certainly as far as the cancer side of it, it's been — dare I say — good. I get other ailments, like your hands ache and feet and things like that. But apart from that, it's good. And I think doing what I'm doing keeps me up. I don't sit at home just sitting on the couch; I'm out and about doing stuff. And it's good — it keeps you motivated; it keeps you moving."

Regarding where his cancer battle stood at the time, Tony said: "Well, they keep it under control. They check the immune system all the time to make sure you keep it up. I have [vitamin] B12 shots and just try and eat a bit better and try and look after your health a bit more. That's why, really, I had to stop these major tours, because they were long tours and late-night tours. By the time you'd finished playing, especially when we were in the States, and we'd have a base, say, in New York, for 10 days, and we'd have our own plane and fly out to different places and come back. And by the time we get back to the hotel, it's three o'clock in the morning. And these late nights were affecting me a bit. And my oncologist said, 'You know, you shouldn't really be flying as much and doing this amount of work.' So that's sort of why it came to the end of me touring for 18 months. But, yeah, I loved it — I love touring; I love playing; I love seeing the audience. And I still wanna get out and play, but I won't be able to do major tours like that. As I said before, maybe a week or two or whatever, but it's hard to do that, because you've got the crews that work — you have top-notch crews, and you can't expect them to just do two weeks. They wanna get out and do a U.S. tour. But I will be going out, I suppose, doing something along the line. I've been asked to do various things, and we'll see what happens."

In February 2017, SABBATH finished "The End" tour in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Iommi previously spoke about his battle with lymphoma in a 2013 interview with Guitar World magazine. At the time, he said: "The [cancer] diagnosis came when I was doing my book tour [in 2011] before we started rehearsal. On the book tour, I saw a doctor because this lump appeared in my groin. We thought it was just a swollen gland, so he gave me antibiotics. After the book tour, I was going to L.A to start rehearsals. He said if it wasn't gone in two weeks when I got there, I should see another doctor. So I did, because it was still there. He gave me more antibiotics, because I had developed an infection from this other problem I had with my prostate. It was too big and had to be cut down. So I thought the other lump was part of that. But it never went away. So we were rehearsing and writing, and I kept feeling this pain down in my groin. And Ozzy kept saying, 'You don't look really well.' And I'd say, 'Well, I don't feel too good.' He also told me to go get it checked out. I was going back to England to have the prostate operation, so I decided just to wait until then. They said they'd take out that other lump while they were in there. I thought nothing of it at all, but they found out it was cancer."

He continued: [After they told me I had cancer] my whole life changed. And they're so casual about it! They say, 'The good news is that your prostate is really good. But the lump, we found lymphoma in it.' Lymphoma, what's that? Well, I knew what it was, but I wanted to hear them say it: cancer. Once I heard that, it was awful. I thought, God, of all the times."

A massive thank you to everyone who bought tickets to my guitar raffle these past few weeks. Together you've raised over...

Posted by Tony Iommi on Monday, December 8, 2025

In a recent interview with Shawn Whitney of the Missoula, Montana radio station 96.3 The Blaze, vocalist/guitarist Matthew K. Heafy of Florida metallers TRIVIUM spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the band's latest three-song EP, "Struck Dead", which came out on October 31 via TRIVIUM's longtime label Roadrunner Records. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Last year, I had a pretty rough year. I think it was kind of like a midlife crisis-slash-mental breakdown, right in the middle of the year. As people were kind of looking around, I was doing so many things — I was scoring video games, scored a movie, I was managing bands, producing bands, [wrote a] kids' book, instructional, all this stuff. I think I did a chart — it was like 30 to 50 projects I'd finished in a year, a year and a half. I don't know why. But I think this was kind of leading up to what I was going into, and I realized that through psychiatry, cognitive behavioral therapy, I'm a person with extreme ADHD-OCD anxiety, which a lot of us have. And those triggered down into depression and things like that. So when we were preparing for the 'Ascendancy' [20th-anniversary] tour, I was looking back at the 'Ascendancy' lyrics, and I was going, 'Man, I'm still thinking that stuff about myself, about the world around me. How's that possible 19 years later?' So I decided to start doing the mental work through psychiatry, CBT therapy, all that stuff, and it was very, very difficult. And I will say that now I'm in a better place than I've ever been in my entire life. [I'm] having more fun doing what I'm doing. I feel better, I feel healthier physically, mentally, everything — everything is clear. But what's right for the [new TRIVIUM] EP, what's great for the art, was right in the middle of that is when we were doing the 'Struck Dead' EP, so all these lyrics were written basically at my mental fritzing lowest point, and I was able to channel all that into the music, thankfully. The music wasn't even enough. I had to do it through so many different outlets at the same time. And I felt like this is very important for me to talk about on stage. And I've been talking about it every single night just to encourage people, if you got this stuff going on…"

Heafy continued: "I think it's great that musicians have put more of an emphasis on mental health being important, but I think a lot of times they don't really give the solution of what you're supposed to do. And so that's why I wanna tell people, like, it's a lot of work. It's a lot of talk therapy, psychiatry, cognitive behavioral therapy, and with the CBT thing, that's like rewiring your brain's habits for something. And the best metaphor I was able to use for an anecdote was, let's say you get cut off in traffic. [You give them the] middle finger, [you're] screaming at them, [you] chase after them a little bit. That's how I used to be. And so that becomes the default reaction that you have. Same thing with jiu-jitsu. We're taught — the very first thing — how to fall correctly. No one knows how to fall correctly just out of the gate. But jiu-jitsu rewires your body so you know how to muscle-memory fall correctly every single time you fall. So CBT helps you… Okay, so I just got cut off. Now I'm, like, 'Okay, maybe they're in a rush. Maybe they're going to the hospital. Maybe they had to do something. Maybe they were late for work.' Instead of getting pissed off and then being, like, 'I'm gonna fight this guy.' So it helps it in that way. So that's just kind of a little microscopic nuance of what I was going into. But I will say that it was amazing people to make all these songs and put all that stuff in there."

TRIVIUM's "Struck Dead" tour kicked off on October 31 in Myrtle Beach and will run through December 14, with an epic hometown show in Orlando. Special guests JINJER appear, while HERIOT serves as support.

TRIVIUM performed "Bury Me With My Screams", the lead single from "Struck Dead", live for the first time at Bloodstock Open Air on August 8 after the song was officially released earlier that day.

This past October, TRIVIUM parted ways with longtime drummer Alex Bent and replaced him with Alex Rüdinger.

Rüdinger is sitting behind the kit for TRIVIUM during the band's fall 2025 North American tour. He will also be part of the writing sessions for the next TRIVIUM album.

During "The Poisoned Ascendancy" tour, TRIVIUM and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE celebrated the 20th anniversary of "Ascendancy" and "The Poison" albums, respectively, by playing them in full.

Produced by Live Nation, the North American leg of "The Poisoned Ascendancy" kicked off on March 30 at PNE Forum in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, making stops across North America in Las Vegas, Chicago, New York and more before wrapping up in Raleigh, North Carolina at Red Hat Amphitheater on May 18.

Released in March of 2005, TRIVIUM crafted a classic in the form of "Ascendancy". It concluded 2005 as Kerrang!'s "Album Of The Year," went gold in the U.K., and has since surpassed global sales of 500,000 copies. Opening the main stage of Download festival that year, the Floridian four piece — barely out of their teens — delivered a set that left all who witnessed it in no doubt that they were looking at future legends, with Kerrang! readers later voting it as the tenth best gig of all time.

"Ascendancy" ignited a string of six consecutive Top 25 debuts on the Billboard 200 and five straight Top 3 debuts on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart, culminating on 2017's benchmark "The Sin And The Sentence". That album elevated the group's total stream tally past a quarter of a billion. Additionally, "Betrayer" received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Metal Performance". Unanimous acclaim followed from Decibel, Loudwire, Ultimate Guitar, MetalSucks and Metal Hammer, who dubbed them "quite simply one of the best bands in modern metal." 2020 brought LP "What The Dead Men Say". The album was produced by TRIVIUM and Josh Wilbur and debuted at No. 35 on the Billboard 200; at No. 2 on the Top Current Albums chart, and at No. 3 on both the Hard Rock Albums chart and Top Rock Albums chart.

Canadian rock giants THREE DAYS GRACE have added another No. 1 single to their monster catalog as "Kill Me Fast" reaches No. 1 at Billboard Mainstream Rock, marking the band's 20th No. 1 on the chart. Produced by Zakk Cervini, Dan Lancaster and Howard Benson, the song is the third single from the band's current album, "Alienation", to hit the No. 1 spot. Previous singles "Mayday" and "Apologies" also hit No. 1. "Alienation" marked the return of original vocalist Adam Gontier sharing vocal duties with Matt Walst.

THREE DAYS GRACE comments: "We want to thank everyone at radio and especially all of our fans who have supported us through this unbelievable journey. Having 20 No. 1 records is a testament to them. They have stuck with us through every evolution, every riff, every scream. We don't take that lightly. The best is still to come."

THREE DAYS GRACE balances moments of extreme emotion on an axis of pummeling hard rock anthems and pensive balladry. Along the way, the multi-platinum record-breaking Ontario, Canada band have amassed billions of streams and millions of album sales, sold out arenas on multiple continents, and reached unprecedented heights The band also has earned now staggering 21 total No. 1 entries on the Mediabase Active Rock chart.

THREE DAYS GRACE recently entered the esteemed Spotify "Billions Club" as their rock anthem "I Hate Everything About You" crossed one billion streams on the digital streaming platform. Released in 2003, the single has since become embedded in rock history.

To date, THREE DAYS GRACE's veritable arsenal of Billboard No. 1s includes "Just Like You", "Pain", "Animal I Have Become", "Never Too Late", "Break", "Good Life", "World So Cold", "Misery Loves My Company", "The High Road", "Chalk Outline", "I Am Machine", "Painkiller", "The Mountain", "Infra-Red", "Right Left Wrong", "So Called Life", "Lifetime", "Mayday", "Apologies" and the aforementioned "Kill Me Fast".

THREE DAYS GRACE surprised fans with the return of the band's original singer Adam Gontier and along with singer Matt Walst, guitarist Barry Stock, drummer Neil Sanderson and bassist Brad Walst released their eighth studio album, "Alienation" (RCA Records). The 12 tracks on the record all play a pivotal role in defining this significantly new, but nostalgic, chapter of the band.

THREE DAYS GRACE continues to achieve new levels of success, performing at sold-out arena shows with massive festival crowds, a sold-out co-headlining tour in Canada, and hitting the stage at some of the largest venues of their career in Europe.

Last month, THREE DAYS GRACE announced the 2026 "Alienation" tour, kicking off in Fort Wayne, Indiana in February, before hitting Canada and Europe and wrapping up the tour in November for the final show in Los Angeles, California. The U.S. tour dates will receive support from I PREVAIL and THE FUNERAL PORTRAIT, and Canada will see support from FINGER ELEVEN and ROYAL TUSK on select dates.

THREE DAYS GRACE played its first full show with Gontier in 12 years on February 25 as the support act for DISTURBED on the U.S. leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, Idaho.

In 1992, Gontier, Brad Walst, Phil Crowe, Neil Sanderson and Joe Grant formed GROUNDSWELL while most of the members were still in high school. That band broke up in 1995, but two years later Gontier, Sanderson and Walst reformed as THREE DAYS GRACE. Gontier left the band in 2013 and was replaced by Matt, the vocalist from another Norwood band, MY DARKEST DAYS.

Gontier initially went into rehab in 2005 in Toronto after admitting an addiction to Oxycontin. The rehab stint influenced some material which would appear on THREE DAYS GRACE's "One-X" album, including the songs "Pain" and "Over And Over".

Gontier left THREE DAYS GRACE in the spring of 2013. At the time, the Canadian rockers cited unspecified "health issues" when his departure was announced. Adam later released a statement explaining he exited THREE DAYS GRACE to pursue new projects, and not to deal with addiction.

Photo credit: Matt Barnes

Roadrunner Records has announced the signing Boston hardcore institution BLOOD FOR BLOOD.

Since 1994, BLOOD FOR BLOOD has quietly achieved its rightful place in the hardcore pantheon, thanks to an all-out punk and hardcore assault delivered with metallic precision, laced with venomous swagger and spiked with a sarcastic sense of humor. Now they share their new single "You're Gonna Have To Kill Me". It's the first new song from BLOOD FOR BLOOD in 21 years.

Fueled by the very unbridled aggression that propelled them to the top of the hardcore scene in the '90s and early '00's, BLOOD FOR BLOOD is, put simply, fucking back.

Opening with that hardened grit that only a Boston-bred voice could deliver, the band hasn't missed a (two) step — with bass lines that slap and their perma-quintessential middle fingers raised high. It's all fingerpointing, floorpunching, and fist-in-the-air fury.

Notice the tip of the hat to Paul Newman in "Cool Hand Luke", giving way an ominous groan of distortion and frenzied double bass. The riffs thrash and roll, and the groove quakes with enough force to register on the Richter scale. Its bellowing chorus splits the pit with a call-to-arms: "Stay down you're gonna have to kill me, 'cause we won't stay down 'til we're dead." A melodic call-and-response burns like a light at the end of the tunnel.

About the song itself, BLOOD FOR BLOOD singer Rob Lind says, "It's a straight-up-the-pipe BLOOD FOR BLOOD song. Initially, it points out pop culture's fascination with criminality and outlaw nonsense. Everybody is trying to be wild, gangster, or whatever, all of which 'You're Gonna Have To Kill Me' sneers at. For all of this contempt, it ends on a really positive note. It might even be uplifting, which is my hope."

Furthermore, the band declares, "BLOOD FOR BLOOD have returned from exile with new music and new live dates. We're proud to say we've signed with Roadrunner Records, and our new single 'You're Gonna Have to Kill Me' is streaming everywhere now."

The band's upcoming live dates are below. Shows go on sale on Friday, December 12 at 10 a.m. local time.

2026 "Return From Exile" tour dates featuring SKINHEAD:

April 9 - Philadelphia, PA - Underground Arts
April 10 - Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Monarch
April 11 - Cambridge, MA - The Middle East
April 17 - Los Angeles, CA - The Belasco
April 19 - Berkeley, CA - The Cornerstone
May 30 - Detroit, MI - Tied Down
November 20 - Netherlands - Revolution Calling*

* BLOOD FOR BLOOD only

BLOOD FOR BLOOD came out swinging on 1997's "Spit My Last Breath". You could say they unassumingly reflected the intensity of a scene overlooked by the music industry and simultaneously mirrored the aggression of a working class forgotten by its country's "leaders." During 1998, BLOOD FOR BLOOD uncorked unadulterated rage with "Revenge On Society", which Axe To Grind cited as one of the "5 Hardcore Albums That Defined 1996-2000." The musicians rallied together with 1999's "Livin' In Exile", hailed as "definitive" by Boston Phoenix. The 2002 opus "Outlaw Anthems" resonates to this day with millions of streams. Moreover, they toured with everyone from DROPKICK MURPHYS to TERROR and SICK OF IT ALL. Garnering praise, New Noise Magazine marveled at how "their unforgiving attitude of give no fucks simultaneously created their own niche of a scene, a style, and a culture within sub-genres of music which quickly spread worldwide," and Invisible Oranges attested, "Rob Lind is a friggin' genius in my book." No Jumper even touted them among "the best hardcore bands of all time." Save for a few short-lived reunion attempts, the band was more or less dormant from 2004 onward. Shocked to life once more by founder, guitarist, and vocalist "White Trash" Rob Lind and O.G. bassist Ian McFarland, BLOOD FOR BLOOD is back with shows and its first original release in 21 years "You're Gonna Have To Kill Me".

BLOOD FOR BLOOD is:

Rob Lind - Guitar, Vocals
Pete Morcey - Vocals
Ian McFarland - Bass
Justin Legere - Guitar
Jamie Muckinhaupt - Drums

Photo credit: Jason Zucco

In a new interview with Capital Chaos TV, guitarist/vocalist Luc Lemay of Canadian death metal veterans GORGUTS spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's long-awaited new studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was telling myself, as soon as we're back from that[North American] CANNIBAL [CORPSE] tour that we did [with MAYHEM and BLOOD INCANTATION] two years ago, 'I'm gonna start writing again.' And I was really in the right headspace and I felt I had something to say. And I kind of hit myself on the head a bit with this — why do I take these breaks? But sometimes my mind is just not into it. I like to do a million things all the time. But when we came back from the CANNIBAL tour, I started to [think], 'Okay. What would be the style of this record?' So I was trying to get a new aesthetic together, but I just couldn't find anything interesting to spark me up. And then I said, 'Hey, what if I take ingredients from all the records?' 'Cause I hadn't [written] a riff with tremolo picking and thrash beats since [1993's] 'Erosion [Of Sanity]'. That's a long time. So what about writing riffs like that again? And then I started blending this with dissonant riffs and everything, and then, wow, it gave something really new. You recognize the band right away, but it's very different from all the other records. So, that was the creative process for this one. So I'm very excited for this one."

As for when GORGUTS might enter the studio to begin recording the new LP, Luc said: "We should go maybe March-ish or something. We still need to talk about this. But the music, all the music has been done for a while now. And it takes me a lot of time. I have a lot of reading [to do] to find the concept, 'cause I like doing concept records. So it took me a long time to find the topic. But just before this tour, I stumbled against a few topics and I was, like, 'This is very interesting.' So that's been in my mind since. So, I got my topic I want. So I'm very inspired by it. So, it's gonna be cool."

This past July, GORGUTS spent three days at bassist Colin Marston's studio in Pennsylvania, recording pre-production demos for four new songs intended for the upcoming album.

GORGUTS performed for the first time in nearly six years at the 2023 Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly. To celebrate the end of this extended break, the band played a special set exclusively of material from 1998's landmark "Obscura" and 1991's old-school classic "Considered Dead".

Few extreme bands can boast the pedigree of GORGUTS. During their early days as part of death metal's first wave, they created a legacy of legendary releases including their debut album "Considered Dead" (1991) and its more experimental and technical follow-up "Erosion Of Sanity" (1993). After a hiatus of five years, Luc returned with a new lineup, which released the highly acclaimed and seminal third full-length "Obscura" (1998). By then GORGUTS had been busy at expanding and redefining the language of death metal. With a new lineup that left Lemay as the sole original member, the next milestone album was released under the title "From Wisdom To Hate" (2001).

Yet again the band went into hibernation, while their musical legacy continued to inspire and thrive as their native Quebec became a focus for technical death metal with acts such as CRYPTOPSY, NEURAXIS and BEYOND CREATION, to name but a few, following in their footsteps. After more than a decade of silence, Lemay unleashed "Colored Sands" (2013) with an all-star line-up including Colin Marston (BEHOLD THE ARCTOPUS),Kevin Hufnagel (DYSRHYTHMIA) and John Longstreth (ORIGIN, SKINLESS),who was later replaced by Patrice Hamelin (QUO VADIS, BENEATH THE MASSACRE) and more recently by Michel Bélanger.

In 2016, GORGUTS released the "Pleiades Dust" EP. In an age of a postulated clash of cultures, Lemay delivered a piece of music that was conceptually and lyrically based on the "House Of Wisdom", a medieval library based in Baghdad and at the heart of the Golden Age of Islam with its many scientific breakthroughs in various fields of learning.

After a successful year of touring in 2017, GORGUTS once again receded into the shadows and went dark before becoming reactivated six years later.

Last month, GORGUTS completed a North American tour as the support act for DEATH TO ALL, the touring tribute to the late Chuck Schuldiner and his pioneering band DEATH.

GORGUTS 2025 is:

Luc Lemay - rhythm guitar, vocals
Kevin Hufnagel - lead guitar
Colin Marston - bass
Michel Bélanger - drums

On a new episode of the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS),legendary rock singer Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, ALCATRAZZ, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) confirmed that the next studio album from his group, the GRAHAM BONNET BAND, will feature a guest appearance by IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[Bruce] did his vocal — what? — two months ago. What he's doing, he's doing the last verse of the song, the last pre-chorus and then and then the chorus. And then had he ad-libs after the end. And I've got the first verse to do with the pre-chorus and then the chorus. So I've got my bit to do. We haven't done it yet. We're just getting some new equipment together for the studio. And I think we have a new microphone, which is something I've got to look forward to."

Bonnet went on to say that the song Dickinson appears on is called "The Fifth Force Of Nature". "It's about, is this reality or is it something else? That's basically what it's about," Graham explained.

There are four known forces that govern the interactions of matter: gravitation, electromagnetism and the strong and weak nuclear forces. But some researchers claim they have found evidence for a fifth force — the existence of which could broaden our understanding of the universe in important ways

"They really think there is a fifth force of nature, and some scientists or whatever are trying to build this machine that will find that particular place," Graham said about the song's lyrical inspiration. "I looked it up, and it's real. They're actually doing that. It sounds ridiculous, I know, but they think that we are manipulated by something else or we're not even here, which scares the fuck out of me."

Last month, Graham told Levi Buckley of Sticks For Stones about the next GRAHAM BONNET BAND studio album: "[English rock singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer] Russ Ballard has written three songs for us, two of which I think are definites [to go on the record], and we might even do the third. But the third one he sent me recently is a little bit too poppy, possibly. But, hey, [the Ballard track] 'Since You Been Gone' [which RAINBOW recorded during Graham's time with the band] was a fricking pop song. What can you say? I mean, it was a pop song."

Regarding how the collaboration with Bruce came about, Graham said: "I've known him for — God — a long time, but I haven't seen him every day. He's not my best friend or anything…. He said to somebody — in his [solo] band, I believe — 'I never do this for anybody,' do a [guest] appearance on [somebody's] album. 'But I'll do it for Graham.' That's how much of a friend he is. And I thanked him very much for being so generous and going out of his way to do this with us, 'cause he does like the band and everything. He's with us all the way, and we've been to see a lot of his shows recently."

GRAHAM BONNET BAND will release a new live album, "Lost In Hollywood Again", on December 12, 2025 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP was recorded on August 29, 2024, at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go in Los Angeles, California.

The GRAHAM BONNET BAND's third studio album, "Day Out In Nowhere", came out in May 2022 via Frontiers Music Srl. Graham was joined on the LP by longtime bandmates Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass) and Conrado Pesinato (guitar),as well as keyboardist Alessandro Bertoni and drummer Shane Gaalaas. "Day Out In Nowhere" also saw performance and co-writing guest appearances from Jeff Loomis (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE),John Tempesta (THE CULT, WHITE ZOMBIE),Mike Tempesta (POWERMAN 5000),Roy Z (HALFORD, BRUCE DICKINSON) and Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW).

Bonnet is a hard rock legend with a pedigree to back that statement up. His solo offerings and stints with RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI prove he is one of the finest rock vocalists and songwriters of his generation. From his late 60s into his 70s, Graham has written and recorded some of the best albums he's ever done, including a reunion album with GRAHAM BONNET'S ALCATRAZZ called "Born Innocent" in 2020, along with three records with his GRAHAM BONNET BAND: 2016's "The Book", 2018's "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" and the aforementioned "Day Out In Nowhere".

In 1979, Bonnet auditioned for the frontman position in RAINBOW. With his James Dean image, the choice of Bonnet to replace Ronnie James Dio was subject to some questions. However, once the band heard Bonnet sing, they knew they had their man. With Bonnet at the mic, they recorded the "Down To Earth" LP, which became one of RAINBOW's most successful releases.

Graham moved on from RAINBOW in the early '80s to work on his solo career. He also played with MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, recorded several albums with ALCATRAZZ and had a short stint with IMPELLITTERI.

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes joined BAD MARRIAGE, the band featuring former TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch, on stage this past Saturday (December 6) at The Rockin' Buffalo in West Seneca, New York to perform a cover of the Neil Young classic "Rockin' In The Free World". Video of Holmes's appearance can be seen below, courtesy of Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series.

As previously reported, Skeoch and Holmes have teamed up with TESLA bassist and founding member Brian Wheat and original SALIVA singer Josey Scott in a new band called TERMINAL.

This past Friday (December 5),Wheat shared a picture of him with Skeoch and Holmes and he included the following message: "Been working on the new TERMINAL record this week. #newmusiccomingsoon #terminalband #chrisholmes #brianwheat #tommyskeoch".

When Wheat announced TERMINAL's formation in September, he wrote: "We look forward to presenting you with our new brand of music." He then clarified: "No, I am not leaving TESLA. I'm just starting another new band with my old friend."

This past July, Wheat joined BAD MARRIAGE on stage in Webster, New York, marking the first time in nearly 20 years that Wheat and Skeoch had performed live together. Wheat, Skeoch and the rest of BAD MARRIAGE ripped through the TESLA classics "Rock Me To The Top" and "Little Suzi".

Ten months ago, Wheat brought up his current relationship with Skeoch while speaking to Ernest Skinner of Canada's Border City Rock Talk about his friendship with Holmes. He said:  "Me and Chris are gonna do a band or a project, whatever you wanna call it, together. And Tommy has agreed to do it as well. So the three of us have talked about putting together a project, band, whatever you wanna call it this day and age, but me and Chris have already started to work on some songs. And I know me and Tommy know how to write songs together 'cause we did a lot in TESLA. So the next step would be to get me and Tommy and Chris together, whether it's on a Zoom, working together like that or whatever, and write some material, and then find a singer that would be the right singer for that project.

"But, yeah, me and Chris are pretty good buddies," Brian continued. "We see each other when I'm at my house in Italy. He's there all the time. He lives in France. And I'm in Florida now for the winter. Tommy's in Florida. So we've all talked about it. So it's just when we get around to doing it. And it's just carving out a time where Chris isn't busy doing MEAN MAN, I'm not doing TESLA or VIOLET BREED, and Tommy's not doing BAD MARRIAGE.

"I'm looking forward to it, because I like Chris and I wanna work with Tommy again," Wheat added.

In February 2022, Skeoch, who left TESLA in 2006 to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues, reconnected with Wheat for the first time in more than a decade and a half aboard that year's Monsters Of Rock cruise. The charter cruise featured performances by Skeoch's then-band RESIST & BITE while Wheat was onboard showing his art.

In an interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Skeoch was asked if he exited TESLA of his own accord or if he was asked to leave. Tommy said: "I was fired. I was getting fucked up and I was definitely in the wrong about a lot of stuff, and they put up with it for a long time. But at the same time, none of us were angels, and we put up with a lot of stuff from the other guys for a long time too, and they're still there. So I felt like a little scapegoated by the thing. And the other thing is they didn't want people — I guess for the benefit of my family, so it wouldn't look bad — they said, 'Tommy's just gonna spend time [with his family].' That's why nobody knows, and that's why you're asking this question. Everyone's confused on even what happened. Basically, I was fired. I was getting fucked up, and I kept fucking up, and I kept telling 'em I wouldn't, and I just couldn't stop."

Skeoch added that he accepts responsibility for the circumstances that led to his departure from TESLA. "I do, of course," he said. "But I also believe we put up with a lot of shit for a long time from almost every other guy in the band, and they're still there. So I don't know what's up with that; that's a little weird to me."

Skeoch was a founding member of TESLA and played on the Sacramento five-piece defining albums, including 1986 debut "Mechanical Resonance" and 1990's "Five Man Acoustical Jam".

Tommy, who was fired due to substance abuse issues in 1994, rejoined when TESLA reformed more than two and a half decades ago following a brief hiatus.