In a new interview with Dustin Grove, a news anchor and reporter at WTHR-TV, Channel 13, in Indianapolis, Indiana, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx spoke about how his creative process has changed over the course of the band's four-and-a-half-decade existence. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "You evolve as a person, as a lyricist. My evolution as a lyricist, it goes from the rawest of the raw to the most heartfelt. And that's just as I grew as a man and my interests evolved. That changes the lyrics, but then that changes the idea of the song. The lyrics to 'Home Sweet Home' is way different than the lyrics to 'Shout At The Devil'. And so as we go, we just keep evolving. And you might stumble upon some different ways of writing. I guess you just keep kind of chipping away at the stone, so to speak."

When it comes to making music and hitting the road, "We're not in a rush ever," Sixx said. "We don't have to be in a rush. In my case, I've got a six-and-a-half-year-old [daughter] who's amazing. And so I wanna not be in a rush to work constantly so I can enjoy that part of it and then go out there and play for the fans. It's about balance.

"Life changes, man," Nikki continued. "It's cool that it changes. The thing that I don't like is when I see artists that are still trying to act 25 and they're 65. I don't think that's cool for the fans. Evolution is evolution. We all age, we all change, we have different interests, and MÖTLEY CRÜE seems to have ridden that wave pretty good, just letting it be real.

"Like us or hate us, one thing about MÖTLEY CRÜE is we have so many people that we just really piss them off, and other people that they say we've changed their lives," Sixx added. "So I guess if you're gonna operate the way we operate and say it and do it the way you wanna do it, not like anybody else, you're gonna probably draw both extremes of types of reactions. And that's kind of also been accidentally the magic of MÖTLEY CRÜE. We put out 'Shout At The Devil' and it was, like, 'I keep saying, 'But it said 'Shout At The Devil', not 'With The Devil'.' [There were] Christian groups outside the concerts, [accusing us of being] devil worshipers. And at the same time, the arenas were full. So there are bands out there like that, that are polarizing. And I think that's kind of exciting. All genres have that — we've got our hip-hop guys, our country guys, our rock guys. So it's about being authentic and being able to take some bricks in the face if you have to."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's upcoming "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour will celebrate the 20th anniversary of CRÜE's groundbreaking 2005-2006 "Carnival Of Sins" tour and the 45th anniversary of the band. The 33-city Live Nation-produced trek will kick off on July 17, 2026 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania at the Pavilion at Star Lake and will feature support acts EXTREME and TESLA.

MÖTLEY CRÜE said that $1 from every ticket sold for "The Return Of Carnival Of Sins" tour will be donated to ASAP! (After School Arts Program) through the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative to fund hands-on arts programs for young people.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's Las Vegas residency launched on September 12 and at Dolby Live at Park MGM and ran through October 3. The shows had initially been set for spring but were rescheduled after frontman Vince Neil revealed he had suffered a stroke last Christmas.

In September, Vince revealed that he had actually had a series of strokes before he suffered the "big one" in his sleep last Christmas night, rendering him unable to get out of bed when he woke up the next day.

When MÖTLEY CRÜE originally postponed the Las Vegas residency, the band said it was because Neil needed a "medical procedure," but offered no further details.

Kris Schwartz, an ESPN feature producer, has filed a six-minute video report for "ACC Huddle" on how METALLICA's "Enter Sandman" became the Virginia Tech Hokies football team's entrance song more than a quarter century ago.

Regarded among college football's most powerful entrances, "Enter Sandman" is a tradition that dates to August 27, 2000 when Virginia Tech installed its first video scoreboard in Lane Stadium and needed a new walkout song.

After testing a few contenders — like GUNS N' ROSES' "Welcome To The Jungle" and THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT's "Sirius" — the Hokies landed on "Enter Sandman". The heavy riff hit, the crowd roared, and a tradition was born.

Brian Walls, senior associate athletics director at Virginia Tech, explained: "1999 was obviously a magical year for Virginia Tech. We went 11 and 0 in the regular season, and Michael Vick was our quarterback. We fell just a little bit short of the national championship, but that afforded us the opportunity to buy a video board for the very first time. And so in 2000, we got our first video board here in Blacksburg [Virginia]."

He continued: "We were throwing out ideas of just buildup songs, pump-you-up songs. [Other contenders were] AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck', GUNS N ROSES' 'Welcome To The Jungle'. But, obviously, there was only one choice for us to make."

Walls added: "The first 10 years that we edited this video, we would get to the crescendo of 'Enter Sandman'. The team runs out, and we would fade out the music, and the [Virginia Tech] band would start in with our fight song, 'Tech Triumph'. And we got so many complaints about that. The fans were, like, 'We don't wanna hear that stuff. We just wanna hear METALLICA.'"

For 25 years, Hokie Nation has jumped, screamed, and shaken Lane Stadium to the sound of "Enter Sandman". On May 7, 2025, METALLICA finally returned the favor.

Under the lights of Blacksburg, METALLICA brought its "M72" world tour, alongside SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and PANTERA, to a packed Lane Stadium. The setup started days in advance, the buzz building with each passing hour. By showtime, more than 66,000 fans filled the stands, ready for a moment decades in the making.

When those unmistakable opening notes of "Enter Sandman" ripped through the night, the dream became real. The crowd erupted, jumping in unison for the band itself, live on the very turf that made the song a Hokie legend. The Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory, located a mile away, detected tremors during the set and later confirmed that the crowd had, quite literally, shaken the earth. The low but prolonged METALLICA quake — which didn't even register a 1 on the Richter scale — wasn't dangerous for concertgoers, according to the local Fox News station and made for a memorable encore.

"The magnitude would have been less than 1.0," said Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory research associate Martin Chapman. "Too small to be felt even a mile away."

METALLICA has spent the last two and a half years touring in support of its latest album, "72 Seasons", which entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 2 upon its release in April 2023. The set debuted with 146,000 units earned. It marked METALLICA's 12th Top 10-charting album, of which nine have reached the Top 2.

A new documentary on the influential New Jersey metal band GOD FORBID, "20 Years Of Treason", has been made available on YouTube and can be seen below.

During its 2025 tour, GOD FORBID celebrated the band's seminal album "IV: Constitution Of Treason" by performing it in its entirety. Through new interviews with band members Doc Coyle, Byron Davis, John Outcalt and Corey Pierce, along with backstage footage and unseen photographs, this documentary provides an intimate look at the band in 2005 as well as 2025, including their experience of touring as part of Ozzfest in 2004, how writing and recording this album was a leveling up for them, their 2022 resurrection and what it feels like to return to New Jersey in this new phase.

"20 Years Of Treason" was directed, produced, shot, and edited by filmmaker Chris Aballo ("The Out").

In other news, GOD FORBID has added New England legends OVERCAST (featuring vocalist Brian Fair of SHADOWS FALL and bassist Mike Mike D'Antonio of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE),to two of its upcoming Northeast U.S. tour dates with co-headliners DARKEST HOUR and BLEEDING THROUGH. NORA had to drop off the shows due to unforeseen circumstances.

GOD FORBID remaining 2025 shows:

Dec. 12 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
Dec. 13 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally's *
Dec. 14 - Brooklyn, NY @ The Monarch *

* with OVERCAST opening

Almost a year ago, GOD FORBID frontman Byron Davis was asked by DJ Ramo (a.k.a. Omar Rodriguez) of The Metal Mixtape if there have been any conversations between him and his bandmates about new music. He responded at the time: "We've had an initial conversation like that. And I'm trying to bring back those conversations.

"We all live separate lives," he explained. "Two members have full functioning families, so if we're gonna do something, it has to make sense. Unfortunately, we're not at a stage where we have a stockpile of money to make these things happen, so we have to be fiscally responsible every time we decide to do this, to see if it financially makes sense to do it. It's not like a band that dissolved and everybody still lives in the same area. We're scattered across the U.S. now. So all that comes into play.

"As long as people really want to come see us, I'm more than happy to get out there, but it has to make sense. Because I'm not gonna jeopardize the future of my personal [life] that I had to rebuild. And I don't expect anyone or know that anyone else in the band to do the same for themselves. We have to be smart about it, and it needs to make sense.

"I think that until we get new music, anything more is just playing… It's not really playing ourselves out. It's just… Dude, I want new music," Byron added. "The dudes in the band want new music. I'd rather spend the time writing music than playing shows at this point, to be honest. I wanna get out there and have something new. Yeah, we have a couple of B-sides that no one's ever heard, but I wanna have new current music. So, we'll see what happens. Everyone has schedules. And then GOD FORBID is not one of those bands that just throws anything together. When we write, we take our time and we write. Luckily for us, everyone in our band is about integrity, so they're not just gonna throw out some slop. So, it's gonna have to go through the gauntlet a couple of times before parts get cemented as the parts. And then from there, then we'll put it together, run some demos. I already started speaking to my man that produced a lot of the material that we did, on the vocal tip. So when we do some material, it's gonna be a record worthy of being called a GOD FORBID record; it's not just gonna be thrown together. So if it takes a little bit longer, it's worth it. Nah, man, we can't be coming in with that bullshit. We've gotta stamp it with the GOD FORBID. It can't be less than; it's gotta be greater than. We've got a we got a back catalog that stands the test of time, and the new shit needs to stand the test of time as well. So that's how we go into the writing process."

GOD FORBID, a New Jersey-based band which helped pioneer the metalcore and New Wave Of American Heavy Metal sound in the late '90s and early '00s along with acts like LAMB OF GOD, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and SHADOWS FALL, broke up in 2013. The band reunited in 2022 for the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia and has played sporadic shows ever since.

GOD FORBID's performance at the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in September 2022 at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia marked the band's first live appearance in over nine years.

GOD FORBID's lineup for its recent concerts has included Doc Coyle (guitar),Byron Davis (vocals),Corey Pierce (drums) and John "Beeker" Outcalt (bass),along with Nick Hipa (guitar; ex-AS I LAY DYING),who joined the group in July 2022.

GOD FORBID officially called it quits in August 2013 following Doc's departure.

GOD FORBID's latest album, "Equilibrium", was released in March 2012 via Victory Records. The bulk of the CD was recorded by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM),with Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER) stepping in during the the vocal-tracking stage. The effort was mixed by acclaimed Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH.

"Equilibrium" sold 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 156 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 7 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

In a new interview with the Vulgar Display Of Podcast, MISS MAY I frontman Levi Benton spoke about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2022's "Curse Of Existence" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, the funny thing is we have taken two years doing this album, just 'cause our schedules are crazy. And since it's a new lineup, we're making sure it's perfect. So it's taking a long time. I have five more songs of vocals to do. That's why I'm going in a couple weeks to finish it. So the album's not done yet, so until it's done, we don't really have a date, but because we have a lot of singles and a lot of stuff… We have the art and everything ready, so I think we're gonna start rolling it out sort of with no end date."

He continued: "It's gonna be a little experiment for us. But it's been fun because I think our fans will like it. Yeah, we're just not gonna approach it normally of, like, 'Hey, here's the pre-order. Here's two music videos from the album.' Since we've worked so hard on it, we're gonna really try to make each song special and just really work on it. And [the recently released new single] 'Pray For Silence' is as light as the album gets. So I try to tell everybody, like, that's the ballad of the album."

Referencing the fact that founding MISS MAY I guitarists B.J. Stead and Justin Aufdemkampe left the band in 2024 and guitarist Elisha Mullins was welcomed into the MISS MAY I family in their place, Benton stated about the group's mindset while writing "Pray For Silence": "We knew the lineup was changing, we knew we were doing everything, but it was sort of traumatizing to us, 'cause, obviously, we didn't want the original lineup to change. So that whole thing was just sort of a mess. And Elisha was amazing. He was a fill-in before he became part of the band. And we [went] into the studio and then we worked with Elisha for the first time and we were dumbfounded, because we've been with the original lineup since high school. And B.J. and Justin, the original guitar players, always started the songs. So we got into a room, and he's, like, 'Okay, where do we go?' And we're, like, 'Oh, shoot. Those guys aren't here.' We're, like, 'We don't even know where to start.' Which was cool, 'cause Elisha was that for all his projects. And being from Missouri and the same age, we're all cut from the same cloth, which was really cool, 'cause we had the same upbringing and same inspiration, just 500 miles over. So we were doing the same thing just east, which was cool. And then now being a four-piece, and writing with Elisha and not having a full five-piece — and I think people can really tell in 'Pray For Silence' and we lean into it more in further songs. But we'd sort of take rhythm out, the rhythm guitar, and we're playing with soundscapes because we're a four-piece, but we've never got to play with those sounds. So that's why there's a lot of crazy sounds that we were screwing around with, because we're down a person. But we didn't wanna just have a guitar playing on a speaker somewhere, so we've been playing with a lot of sounds. And I think not only 'Pray For Silence', but it gets crazier further in the album of just crazy soundscapes that we're doing. And that's new for MISS MAY I. So that's why I think it sort of sounds like old MISS MAY I, but the new thing — if somebody's really paying attention, dissecting it, we've never had soundscapes until now. Which is so fun, to open up a keyboard and just, like, have 3,000 sounds to be, like, 'Okay, guys, let's figure out what the rhythm's gonna sound like.'"

Benton went on to say that "the secret member" of MISS MAY I "that's behind the scenes that I guess only diehards or people looking at the credits will see is, we've had this guy Nick Sampson, who's sort of been with us since our second album. He was like a young padawan to Joey Sturgis, engineering on when we did 'Monument' at Joey's house," he explained. "And then he's worked on all our albums since. And he does POLYPHIA, he was in I AM ABOMINATION. He's like a guitar shredder, and he's up in Michigan. So he actually comes to Cape Girardeau and he's like our consistent piece instrumentally, on guitar from second album on. So he's sort of like our judge, like, 'No, we wouldn't do that.' Or 'this is that or 'let's do that.' So he's like our boundary to keep it consistent, which has been great."

Last year, MISS MAY I joined the Solid State Records roster and released "Apologies Are For The Weak (Re-Recorded 15th Anniversary Edition)", the awesomely ambitious 15th-anniversary edition of the band's classic, beloved debut album "Apologies Are For The Weak". The LP was entirely re-recorded and featured cameos on every single song, including from Jake Luhrs of AUGUST BURNS RED, Brandan Schieppati of BLEEDING THROUGH and Scott Lewis of CARNIFEX. Asked what MISS MAY I's relationship with Solid State is like, Levi said: "It's unreal. I wish I started a band like this 15 years ago. Not that everyone's always cracking the whip, but we were just so busy all the time and there was such hard deadlines all the time, which I get, but it's also, like, who knows if that's gonna be the best album? Or who knows if you worked hard enough? And when we were shopping around and we had kids and we were parents, we talked to all the labels and a bunch of managers too; our management team changed at the same time. 'Cause we're just a different band. We are doing things on our own time. We're not just a poster boy metal band that they could just throw out there anymore, 'cause we don't say 'yes' all the time, as much as we used to. And they're still totally cool with it. It's so weird to get off a call and they're just, like, 'Take your time. It'll be done when it's done.' And I'm, like, 'I don't understand.' I'm, like, 'That's crazy.' And they're, like, 'Turn it in when you guys are ready.' And I'm, like, 'This is so nice.' We've always been, and I think you guys have probably seen it a million times in band interviews, but it's always the vocalist's last day, like, 'Yeah, I had to finish three songs before the next band was coming in, 'cause that was the last day of the studio.' I'm, like, we've always done albums like that, and this is just, like, 'Hmm, I could do better. I'll go back in in a month and do different lyrics and try to make it perfect.' 'Cause we know we wanna sit on this one and really make it… I think it's a pivot point for our career. When it comes out, it's gonna be different. I think it's gonna be really awesome."

When it was first released in August, "Pray For Silence" was described in a press release as "a vocally dynamic anthem, with a chorus that will instantly embed in your brain, heavy artillery riffing, and floor-shaking breakdowns. It's ultimately classic metalcore that swells with modern flourishes, ushering MISS MAY I into their next exciting era."

Benton previously told Rolling Stone Australia about Mullins: "He comes from being a producer. All this new music we're doing, it's stuff we've never had before, because we've never written with someone like this."

On a personal level, Benton said Mullins and the rest of MISS MAY I are "all cut from the same cloth. Elisha's from the Midwest, he's the same age [as us]. We listen to the same local bands. It's a natural fit. It's very cool."

Regarding what it was like working on new MISS MAY I material without their main songwriters, Benton said: "The funny thing was, it was a total lost thought. We weren't even thinking about it. We went into the studio and the rest of the guys were, like, 'Oh my God. Justin and B.J. were the main writers — we've got to change something up.' We went back to the drawing board, and that's when the anxiety hit. After years of touring, we didn't even think about writing [like that]. We spent a whole month with Elisha in the studio, just doing one song to get the vibe of how we write together. It was a mock-up of sorts, just a practice run; we ironed everything out."

Image credit: Rock & Metal From The Front Row

In an interview with Brian Lacy of Audioeclectica.com, new SNOT singer Andy Knapp spoke about his addition to the reactivated Santa Barbara-based metal/punk rock hybrid, more than 25 years after the death of the band's original frontman Lynn Strait.

SNOT's first gig with Knapp took place on January 17 at the Parish room at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. The performance was also livestreamed via the band's Instagram. SNOT's current lineup is rounded out by guitarists Mikey Doling and Doc Coyle, bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock and drummer Jamie Miller.

Knapp said  (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I tell my wife all the time, I'm, like, I'm not the only SNOT fan out there that loves this band so much that they wanna do something like this. I'm probably not the best person that can sing these songs, but I always tell her, I'm, like, I'm not the best at it, but I'm the luckiest one."

After Lacy noted that most SNOT fans think that Andy is "the perfect replacement for Lynn", Knapp said: "Awesome. It's so cool to hear that the fans say that kind of stuff. Especially the old-school guys that got to see Lynn, and even some of the people that I've met that actually knew Lynn, to hear it come from those guys, it's special. It feels really good. It's overwhelming, to be honest with you. It kind of just makes me… I don't know. It's a trip."

He added: "This whole thing, I still don't have the right words to express what it means to me and what this band means to me and what Lynn Strait was to me growing up, wanting to play music."

Regarding how he first discovered SNOT's music, Andy said:  "I kind of dabbled in everything, but I think, the high school years and all that stuff, I was more of a hip-hop kid than I was punk rock and stuff like that. I grew up in Oxnard, and mostly everybody was listening to MISFITS and DEAD KENNEDYS and all that real old-school punk stuff, and I was more into like N.W.A. and LL Cool J and BEASTIE BOYS and stuff like that. And then when I moved to Ventura, I met a group of friends and that's what really kind of got me into listening to more metal nd and more rock music. And that was my freshman or sophomore year. That's when NIRVANA hit, and that just fucking changed the whole game. Loving hip-hop and getting introduced to NIRVANA and stuff like that, I was just kind of dabbling into that side, and then — boom — RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE comes out and just kind of puts it all together… And then me and my brother, we really started getting into sound systems in our cars and stuff. And then that's when KORN came out and it was bumping, so it was, like, 'Oh, shit, this music hits hard.' And it had that kind of hip-hop feel. It was just all kind of a progression."

Knapp continued: "I was the prime audience for nu metal, man. All those bands — LINKIN PARK, DEFTONES, PAPA ROACH, any of those bands. And then SNOT was just the band that kind of just stood off by itself."

Asked what it was was about SNOT that drew him to the band's music, Andy said: "Around that time, my late teens, all my friends started getting into bands. I moved away for a little bit and I came back. So I'm, like, 21, 22, and everybody's now playing music. And I wanted to be a drummer, dude. I went out. I bought a drum set. All my friends, they were already in a band, but there was a bunch of us, so we kind of formed two bands… So I bought a drum set. There was always a better drummer in the house, so I was always sitting back watching somebody play my drums, and my boy was, like, 'We don't have a singer, dude. Why don't you grab the mic?' And I was, like, 'I can't grab the mic.' But anyway, this whole time I can kind of sum it all in. I can remember exactly where I was when I first heard SNOT. My boy was, like, 'Dude, you gotta check out this band.' And he threw on SNOT and the first song he played was 'Snooze'. And I was listening to it and I heard Jamie's snare and I was just into that snare sound. It kind of had that HELMET crack to it, that piccolo kind of feel. And I was just jamming to it. And then Lynn comes in, all loungey and just kind of loose. And I'm, like, 'Oh, that's pretty cool. It's different.' It was different from what was going on. And then when he came in with, 'Well, here's your motherfuckin' wake-up call,' it was just, like, 'Who the fuck is this guy?' And I just got wrapped into that record hard. So I caught the record, like, summertime of '98, and I remember going, like, 'Oh, I really wanna go see this band,' blah, blah, and I was waiting for my opportunity to see this band, and he passed away that year. The record had been out for a while. But anyway, that's what kind of leaned me into going back to my boy saying, like, 'Why don't you try to sing?' And I was, like, 'Well, if I'm gonna fucking sing, I'm gonna try to do it like that guy [Lynn] does it. 'Cause he doesn't give a fuck, and he's just doing his own thing. And that was my approach."

Knapp added: "I tried to explain it to Mikey and Tumor and Jamie — that was what I learned from Lynn, was just, like, just do you. Be real. That's just kind of what I felt coming from him. And he was so relatable. He was from our area. I tattooed my stomach like him, I pierced my eyebrow like him. I was just enthralled with this kid, the way he dressed and the way he carried himself. I'm not trying to say that I'm anything like that guy. That guy, he was a crazy dude. He was very relatable as far as just — I guess his appearance, the way he dressed, and that's what I was attracted to. I was just, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna pierce my eyebrow. I'm gonna bleach my hair.' It wasn't an obsession or anything like that. It was just I thought he was fucking cool."

This past September, Fahnestock told Two Dudes Talk Music about SNOT return to the live stage: "Honestly, now it's a whole different ball game with Andy Knapp. We finally felt we found our singer. In the past it was more of a, like, 'Hey, let's get out and play these songs 'cause we wanna jam them again.' Mikey and Jamie and myself, we love playing these songs. And it wasn't about, like, 'We're back.' But now SNOT is back. We finally found a singer [who is] exactly what we've been looking for. And what he's pulling now is just mind-blowing. The response, how people are embracing him on social networking, coming out to see the band, was totally unexpected. Yeah, we wouldn't be back if it wasn't for Andy Knapp. So I just wanna say that there's no other 'after Andy.' This is one and all, this is the final hurrah. And if we're gonna break and we're gonna go again, this is why we're back right now."

Asked if that means that there will be more touring and new music coming from SNOT next year, John said: "Well, we're already booked into 2026. We've already got two [new] songs that we knocked out with [producer] Chris Collier, who works with KORN. In November, we finalize the vocals, and then we hope to drop something in the beginning of the year. That's what's going down. And it's from the heart. It sounds just like fucking SNOT. 'Cause the way Mikey writes and the way I write and the way everything jells… And Jamie just finished the drums. He took a break from BAD RELIGION, and we instantly got him in the studio. So everything's laid down. We're just working on the vocals now."

Earlier in September, Doling told Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show about SNOT's return to the live stage: "I'm really excited, first of all. Just having SNOT back — [I] never expected it. We found a new singer who's amazing, and he made it all possible. And we put some tickets on sale and they're all selling out, all the shows, and we're pretty blown away. We're very grateful to be doing it and super stoked."

Asked how it feels to have Knapp fronting SNOT, three decades after the band's formation and 27 years after the passing of the group's original vocalist Lynn Strait, Doling said: "Honestly, it feels kind of like it used to, with Andy. Andy brought energy to the band that we haven't seen or had since Lynn Strait… Having Andy in the band, he's brought that energy again to us. The shows are full of energy. It's wild, man."

After Ore noted that this is the first time that he has heard the members of SNOT say that the band is officially "back", Doling clarified: "Well, before, when we [played gigs with other vocalists], it was more like we wanted to fucking just get together and play. We weren't really focused on new music or promotion or selling shows. We didn't give a shit. We just wanted to go out and play. This time, we feel like we found the right singer. Also, that it's the right time to actually bring it back full blown. So we're getting in the studio, we're recording new music, we're booking tours. We've got the booking agent. And we're just going full-on, man, and it's great."

Asked about new SNOT music and whether the band is working with a record label at the moment, Mikey said: "I think what's going on is that… There's been a couple of labels that reached out, but they were not the ones that we'd be interested in working with. And I wanted to wait till we started thinking about that kind of stuff until we recorded a couple songs and see where we are. Well, we have recorded a couple of new songs, and we're working with Chris Collier, the producer — a fantastic producer. He just did the last couple of KORN records, he's done the last few PRONG records. He's amazing, and he and I click musically. So, we're working together on some new songs. It's going very well. It's funky. It's punk. It's got attitude. It's cool. It sounds like old SNOT. And we're trying to keep it like that. We don't wanna change the sound. We wanna keep it like 1996, '97 — lots of wah pedal, lots of grooves, some heavy punk influences. It's cool."

Regarding when fans can expect to hear some new SNOT music, Doling said: "I'm hoping by the end of the year or maybe the beginning of the year 2026. I think we're going to drop a single, and maybe a couple months after that drop something another one. It'd be cool to have two songs out next year. And during the next year, we're gonna try to complete an entire album. So I've got — I don't know — seven or eight new songs written. We've recorded two. It's just a matter of having the time to get in the studio. We're playing so much, we're out on the road, and getting everybody in the same room, it's a little hard. It is challenging, but, we're making it happen."

This past July, SNOT entered Dead End Studios in Palm Desert, California with Collier to lay down tracks for two brand new songs.

SNOT recruited former GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin to sit behind the kit for the band's performance in May at the Welcome To Rockville festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Due to Miller's touring commitments with BAD RELIGION, he was unable to make the date.

In April, SNOT recruited Doc Coyle (GOD FORBID, ex-BAD WOLVES) as the band's touring guitarist after the group's recent split with Sonny Mayo.

The news of Mayo's departure was broken by Doling, who stated in a video message at the time:  "Sonny Mayo has decided to quit SNOT. SNOT doesn't fit into his life right now, and he just wants to focus on himself and his life. And SNOT's just too busy for him to be able to continue.

"So I'd like to wish Sonny Mayo the best of luck in his future, and I wanna thank him for all he's contributed to SNOT over the years. We love you, brother," Mikey continued.

"That being said, our very, very good friend from GOD FORBID, formerly BAD WOLVES, Doc Coyle, is going to be filling in on guitar for the upcoming shows. And we're excited to have him on board. And thank you very much, Doc Coyle."

SNOT disbanded in 1998 following Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.

SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."

During a recent appearance on Billy Corgan's podcast "The Magnificent Others", LIVING COLOUR guitarist Vernon Reid weighed in on artificial intelligence's (A.I.) explosive growth and attempts to rein in A.I.'s rapid expansion without stifling innovation. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we've created an entity. I mean, we've wanted the alien to enter into our lives for the longest time. We've been begging for it. We've been entertaining ourselves with the science-fiction scenario, and now we've achieved it. Now we have achieved what we've been begging for. We've been entertaining ourselves.

"I'm not a Luddite and I'm not anti-A.I.," he explained. "But the problem, just like zombies in [the American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series] 'The Walking Dead', the problem is what humans do. The zombies never change. The problem is who we are and how we weaponize it. The fact that people are having A.I.-induced psychosis, because part of the thing is people are jumping to the A.I. to fulfill things because we've become so acrimonious and contemptuous of each other in relationships. So now people are forming relationships with their telephone. The thing of 'Her' [the 2013 science-fiction romantic comedy drama chronicling the life of a man who develops a relationship with an intelligent computer operating system that has a female voice and personality], that is happening with a much less advanced version of the thing in the movie. This is an actual thing that is going on. And the anthropomorphism that's already in effect is not going to be less complicated. Now the imaginary friend is real, and children are gonna have companions that they tell their secrets to."

After Corgan suggested that by creating artificial general intelligence (AGI) — the hypothetical intelligence of a machine that possesses the ability to understand or learn any intellectual task that a human being can — humanity may very well find itself staring down an apocalypse brought forth by godlike machines, Reid said: "Well, I'm surprised that there hasn't been, up to this point, a fatwa or religious edicts aimed at A.I. When they're talking about super intelligence, what else are they talking about? What else are we talking about? If we're talking about super intelligence, what else is God but a super intelligence? When you're on your knees praying to the God of the Bible, or God of the Torah or the Bhagavad Gita or the Quran, that dialogue is happening. Now we've created, or we're in the process of creating, an entity that will answer you, that will speak to you, that could quote any of the great sage books and make it personal for you and give you your blessing customized for you."

Reid's new solo album "Hoodoo Telemetry", was released in October via Artone / The Players Club Records.

LIVING COLOUR disbanded in 1995 but reunited in 2000. (Original bassist Muzz Skillings left the group in 1992 and was replaced by Doug Wimbish.)

LIVING COLOUR's latest album, "Shade", was released in September 2017 via Megaforce Records.

GRATEFUL DEAD has officially claimed the Guinness World Records title for the most Top 40 albums charted on the U.S. Billboard 200.

After previously making history with their 59th Top 40 entry in February 2024, severing a shortly held tie with Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, the group has since extended their own record to 66 Top 40 albums, up to and including the No. 25 debut of "Dave's Picks Vol. 56: Rainbow Theatre, London, England - 3/20/81 & 3/21/81" this past November. Arriving at the culmination of the band's 60th anniversary this year, the achievement further cements the GRATEFUL DEAD's legacy as one of the world's most treasured musical and social phenomenons — a tangible testament to the enduring connection between the DEAD and their ever-growing, generation-spanning fandom.

David Lemieux, GRATEFUL DEAD legacy manager and archivist, and producer and curator of the long-running "Dave's Picks" series, said: "This Guinness World Records title is something that no one could have anticipated 60 years ago when the GRATEFUL DEAD began, but the record demonstrates the dedication, passion, and loyalty of the massive legion of Dead Heads, as well as the consistent quality of the GRATEFUL DEAD's recorded output and archival activities over the past six decades."

Mark Pinkus, president of Rhino Records, added: "We're excited to see the GRATEFUL DEAD reach another milestone with this Guinness World Records title. Rhino has been committed to preserving and honoring the GRATEFUL DEAD's legacy through quality archival releases. What a wonderful way to close out their 60th-anniversary celebrations."

The newly certified Guinness World Records title marks the latest in a series of celebrations that have honored the GRATEFUL DEAD's 60th anniversary throughout 2025, following their commemorations in the 47th class of the Kennedy Center Honorees, as well as the 2025 MusiCares Persons Of The Year during this past year's Grammy Awards. Earlier this fall, the band partnered with Pantone to create "Grateful Red" and "Stealie Blue," immortalizing two colors that have been synonymous with the DEAD and their iconography for the past six decades, while Rhino released the GRATEFUL DEAD's first official greatest-hits compilation, "Gratest Hits", as well as a 60-CD collection, "Enjoying The Ride", a 6LP/3CD collection, "The Music Never Stopped", and more.

GRATEFUL DEAD is a social and musical phenomenon that grew into a genuine American treasure. In 1965, an entire generation was linked together by common ideals, gathering by the hundreds and thousands. This movement created a seamless connection between the band and its fans. As the band toured, Dead Heads would follow. Not because it was a part of popular culture but because it is a true counterculture that exists to this very day — one that earnestly believes in the value of its beliefs. By 1995, the GRATEFUL DEAD had attracted the most concertgoers in the history of the music business, and today remains one of the all-time leaders in concert ticket sales. Eventually, the caravan evolved into a community with various artists, craftsmen and entrepreneurs supplying a growing demand for merchandise that connected them to the music with their final tally being 2,318 total concerts. The band was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1994 and received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. GRATEFUL DEAD celebrated their 66th Top 40 album on the Billboard chart, a feat no other artist has achieved, and was commemorated in the 47th class of the Kennedy Center Honorees as well as the 2025 MusiCares Persons Of The Year honored at the 67th annual Grammy Awards.

In a new interview with Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil, Paul Rodgers addressed his decision to skip BAD COMPANY's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, which took place on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. The legendary singer said: "About a week prior to leaving for rehearsals for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction and TV show, my blood pressure was very high and I started to have chest pains and heart palpitations. I saw my doctor, who absolutely forbid me to get on a plane. He recommended that I stay home, rest and remain calm, and I feel that I dodged a bullet by doing that. I am in the zen phase of my life and enjoy being immersed in a peaceful and calm life. I can sing again and play daily to a crowd of one."

Mick Fleetwood inducted the legendary hard rock band into the Rock Hall. Founding BAD COMPANY drummer Simon Kirke was then joined onstage by THE BLACK CROWES' Chris Robinson, HEART's Nancy Wilson and AEROSMITH's Joe Perry for a performance of "Feel Like Makin' Love", before Bryan Adams then took over the mic for "Can't Get Enough". After the performance, Kirke gave an acceptance speech, before a video message from Rodgers was played.

Rodgers told Rolling Stone Brasil: "My sister-in-law prepared a wonderful dinner for six and we watched the induction of BAD COMPANY into the Rock Hall on a very large TV. Simon's speech touched my heart and it must have been emotional for him performing as BAD COMPANY with just him."

He continued: "Sometimes reality hits hard. I would like to perform with him again at some point. I thought that everyone who performed — Simon, Bryan Adams, Chris Robinson, Nancy Wilson, Joe Perry, our bassist Todd Ronning and Spike Edney, QUEEN's musical director and keyboardist for, I think, the last 45 years — did not miss a beat.

"I was grateful that the Rock Hall allowed me to record my speech," Paul added. "I was told that they do not usually allow that. However, I was told it was a strict two minutes, no longer. I did not give my entire thanks in just two minutes, so I put my actual speech out on social media. Our friend Mick Fleetwood did a fine job inducting the band and I was very comfortable watching from home in Canada."

Speaking about BAD COMPANY guitarist Mick Ralphs, who died earlier this year, just weeks after finding out the band was going to be inducted into the Rock Hall, Rodgers said: "Mick was such a unique player, such a unique songwriter and such a unique man. I loved everything about him and his sense of humor was with him till the very end.

"I don't know if many fans realize this, but Mick spent the last eight and three-quarter years of his life in bed unable to walk or use his hands," Rodgers explained. "It was no life. He had suffered a major stroke and we tried to get him to hyperbarics, attempted to get acupuncturists and reflexologists in to see him but we were met with opposition, unfortunately. Since we weren't family, we had no control over his medical treatment. I was able to hire a solicitor and have him moved to a home that was in Henley where most of his friends and longtime love all live. Plus it was better suited to Mick's needs.

"I spoke to him often and in fact, the last conversation I had with him was just two days before he passed," Paul revealed. "At that point he was unable to speak, but I did manage to make him laugh one last time.

"Mick was one of those rare guitarists that you can identify by his sound within three notes; you know that it is Mick Ralphs. His tone was so rich and full. What a legacy he leaves behind in his music, his humor and in the way he treated others."

Rodgers also talked about his future plans, saying: "The main project we're working on at the moment are my memoirs. I've been working on it for the past year with a great writer Chris Epting. What we have been doing is approximately once a week we just chat on Zoom and it's become like talking to an old friend. He is so enthusiastic, inspired and interested in my story. These chats have reminded me of stories that were hidden in the way back machine in my mind.

"I had to be convinced to write my memoirs," he admitted. "I really didn't feel that my story was unique or special, I still see myself as just a lad from Middlesbrough, England, who got very, very lucky. Some days after our Zoom chat, I would sit in silence and think wow did that really happen? Think of some of the great guitarists I've played with — Jimmy Page, Paul Kossoff, Mick Ralphs, Brian May, Jeff Beck, the list goes on… Joe Bonamassa... I mean, how lucky am I?

"When I started reading some of the transcripts from the book, I reflected that it has been a unique, magical adventure and it's one that I do want to share," Paul added. "I'm hoping that I can inspire not just musicians, but people who can learn something from my life story. After the book comes out late 2026, we will probably turn our attention to preparing a documentary."

Rodgers and Kirke are the last two surviving members from BAD COMPANY's original lineup. Bassist Raymond "Boz" Burrell passed away in 2006 at the age of 60.

The now-75-year-old Rodgers suffered his first major stroke in 2016 and a second in October 2019, which required him to undergo a major surgery to recover from. At the time, Rodgers underwent a carotid endarterectomy, a procedure to remove plaque from the arteries running through your neck to your brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Ralphs died at the age of 81 due to complications from a stroke he suffered in 2016.

BAD COMPANY had been eligible for induction since 1999 and received its first nomination this year.

Thanks to Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil for providing original English-language quotes used in this story.

In a new interview with Australia's Jaimunji, host of "Metal On Tap", BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski lamented the fact that many of the biggest hard rock and heavy metal bands have either retired or are close to retirement age. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Every time GUNS N' ROSES are in town, I'm up and I always go and check it out. With all those legacy bands, be it GUNS, be it AC/DC, be it fucking METALLICA, [IRON] MAIDEN, in the first place I'm a fan of their music. I collect their records. I've always been a fan [of those bands], as far as I remember. And I always tell whoever I talk to, man, just go and see those bands. Buy tickets and go and see [them play], because the time is flying. And it's gonna be in a blink of the eye that METALLICA is no longer, fucking MAIDEN is no longer. You would be, like, 'Oh, shit. I should have gone and gone and seen them.' Yeah, you fucking should. So every time those bands come across Poland or wherever I have a chance, [I] fucking go and embrace that because this era is getting to an end."

He continued: "It's gonna be another few years, hopefully good years for the [afore]mentioned bands and others — there's more, but there's lesser and lesser. It's shrinking, [the list of] big arena rock-star bands that I look up to. I mean, I know PARKWAY DRIVE is probably an arena band now, but it doesn't tell me anything. I don't know what PARKWAY DRIVE is. I don't know what AVENGED SEVENFOLD is. I don't know what — who is SLEEP TOKEN? It's not me. It's not my DNA. I mean, I don't fucking get it. It's probably good music. It's all well played and big productions and stuff, but once those giants leave the earth, leave the stage, let's put it that way — I'm lonely. There's nowhere to go."

Looking ahead, Nergal addressed BEHEMOTH's future and the possibility of his band carrying on into his late 70s. He said: "I'm only 48. But then again, extreme metal is not really heavy metal. It is, sort of. It is a form of heavy metal, just on steroids. Obviously it requires way more energy and stamina and physical vitality or whatever you call it. And it's not easy. It's not getting any easier.

"[On the upcoming Australian tour], you'll see BEHEMOTH at its prime, which means that we exactly know how to do it," Nergal explained. "We know how to level out our physical potential throughout the set. And we still can pull off a 75-minute-long set that's very dynamic and intense, and you won't get bored. You won't go, 'It's a fucking old-school death or black metal band just cashing in on their legacy.' No, no — we put all the force there and we're all in.

"When I look at bands — I don't know — Klaus Meine [of] SCORPIONS, the dude is almost 80 years old," Nergal added. "Hey, my mom is 80 this year, I believe, or 79. And the dude, he looks good. He barely walks [on stage], but his voice is fucking on point. And I'm, like, 'Holy fuck.' So I'm 48, and I'm counting. [I have] 32 years to go. No fucking way! But then again, you never know. But I'm guessing another 10 years. 10 good years of touring and maybe doing another record, even though I'm questioning the sense of recording any new music. Who fucking cares these days about new music? But, anyways, I think BEHEMOTH has at least 10 good years ahead, and we're so looking forward to come back over there [to Australia]."

BEHEMOTH's latest album, "The Shit Ov God", came out in May via Nuclear Blast Records. Production on the LP was helmed by the inimitable Jens Bogren of Fascination Street Studios (EMPEROR, ENSLAVED, KREATOR, ROTTING CHRIST et al.). Working closely with the band, Bogren's deft hand underscored the band's natural sound while sacrificing none of the mayhem and ferocity which permeates the band's essence. As is always the case with BEHEMOTH, the visuals were as carefully constructed as the sound. The band tapped longtime collaborator and partner in crime Bartek Rogalewicz (BLACK.LODGE.IS.NOW) as well as Dark Sigil Workshop to make the beautifully ominous and unique cover art.