This past Friday night (October 10),SHINEDOWN took Nashville by storm as the band made its debut at the city's famed country music venue Grand Ole Opry and played on the legendary stage for the first time. They were introduced by good friend and 17-year Grand Ole Opry member Carrie Underwood, who welcomed them into the historic circle and said: "It is always an honor, and so exciting for me to be at the Opry. Tonight, I am especially honored and excited to introduce our next group. I saw these guys back in concert in 2004 when I was a wee college student and basically, they have not been able to get rid of me ever since! I know that they too are very excited to be here, they love country music, and they love and respect the Grand Ole Opry so much. Tonight, I hear they may even have a special surprise in store for us! Making their Grand Ole Opry debut, make some noise for SHINEDOWN!"

The packed crowd was on their feet as the band performed three songs — "A Symptom of Being Human", their chart-topping song "Three Six Five" and surprised the audience with a performance of a brand new song: "Searchlight". To introduce "Searchlight", SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith said: "Would you like to hear the debut of a song that no one has heard?" He then continued and described the song's origin: "Sometimes when you listen close enough to the universe and you're willing to receive something from it — a song can come out of thin air. That is something that we don't take for granted. It's essentially what happened with this next song: we didn't find it, it found us. This is the debut of a song we like to call: 'Searchlight'."

After the debut performance the audience erupted and rose to their feet giving SHINEDOWN a standing ovation to close out the evening. In their post-show interview, the band said the performance was a "dream come true for us" as they all grew up watching and listening to the Opry. Earlier, the band's guitarist Zach Myers told The Tennessean about how much performing at the show meant to him: "The Opry to me is way ahead of Madison Square Garden because every weekend as a child was spent listening to the Grand Ole Opry or watching it on TV with my grandmother. The only definition I can think of to describe the Opry is 'heaven on earth.' I couldn't be more excited. If you asked me if it was this or Madison Square Garden, I'm picking the Opry every time."

Jenn Tressler, director, artist and industry relations for Opry Entertainment Group, told The Tennessean about SHINEDOWN's appearance at the venue: "Country music encompasses such a big umbrella of influences and roots which is why so many country music fans also enjoy various genres of music. Having a band as successful and enduring as SHINEDOWN, whose music carries much of the same messages that country music does — of inspiration, hope and perseverance — gives both country and rock fans the chance to share a powerful moment together. I'm personally excited about the band's visit and am certain there will be some new fans of country music at the end of the show that night."

The Opry performance adds to an already incredible year for SHINEDOWN as they recently made history (once again) as their latest single "Killing Fields" recently reached No. 1 on the Active Rock Mediabase chart. The achievement solidified their 23rd single at the format and marks the third No. 1 for the band this year: No. 1 at Alternative for "Three Six Five" and two No. 1s at Active Rock with "Dance, Kid, Dance" and now "Killing Fields". In addition, it adds to their record of holding the most No. 1s, Top 5s and Top 10s in history on the Mediabase Active Rock chart.

Fresh off their massive "Dance, Kid, Dance" arena tour, where they sold out Madison Square Garden and performed at some of the country's most iconic venues, including KIA Forum in Los Angeles, the band's song "Three Six Five" also hit Top 20 at Top 40 radio. When they were on the chart they were the only rock band on the Top 40 chart as "Three Six Five" continues to reach new audiences with its message of love and loss. Since release the song has charted at five radio formats after hitting No. 1 at Alternative, Top 10 at Hot AC & AC, No. 16 at Active Rock, all in addition to reaching Top 20 at Top 40 radio.

On the last day of the "Dance, Kid, Dance" arena tour, Smith closed the show and promised fans news of a new album stating: "SHINEDOWN number 8 is on the way!" Friday night's performance of "Searchlight" left fans wondering when the song may be released and if news of SHINEDOWN's eighth album is imminent.

Up next SHINEDOWN is confirmed for the 2025 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour Presented by Capitol One where they will perform on December 2 at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, December 8 at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, December 9 in Detroit, Michogan at Little Caesars Arena and December 16 in Washington, D.C. at Capital One Arena.

Arriving as double LP on October 24, Live at Roadburn Festival 2008, documents Port Orchard heavy rock veterans Mos Generator’s electrifying appearance in Tilburg, Netherlands on April 19, 2008 – their very first European performance.

Mos Generator were formed in 2000 from the ashes of a decade-long collaboration between its founding members, and in the quarter of a century since have become a cornerstone of the heavy underground. With nine studio albums, multiple live and retrospective releases, and tours alongside Saint Vitus, Fu Manchu, Spirit Caravan, and Elder, the band has earned a reputation for their authenticity and relentless energy.

Fronted by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Tony Reed, the band were riding high on the recent release of Songs for Future Gods (2007) at the time of this recording, while embarking on their first European tour.

“This was the first show!” smiles Reed. “By the time we got on stage at Roadburn we were worn out from jet lag and playing unfamiliar gear. All in all, it’s a pretty good set with highs and lows. It’s taken me 17 years to come to grips with the idea that people don’t mind hearing mistakes – if that’s the case, you won’t be disappointed.”

Despite its rawness, the set captures Mos Generator in their prime: equal parts heavy, soulful, and unapologetically human. Highlights include the first-ever live performance of “Step Up”, new single and fan favourite “Dyin’ Blues” (available to stream here), and the kind of stage banter and unpredictability that made the night unforgettable, including bassist Scooter Haslip being called back from the showers by a roaring crowd to continue the set.

“This is a loose and heavy version of ‘Dyin’ Blues’ that had come out on a 10” picture disc in 2007,” explains Reed. “I don’t think we played it much live back then but it has some of the classic blues lyrics in a heavy rock musical backdrop. It’s also one of the few live songs where Scooter sings backup vocals. A nice harmony on this cut.”

Their Roadburn appearance marked the beginning of their international touring legacy, opening doors to major European festivals and new audiences worldwide where critics have long recognized Mos Generator’s unique ability to balance grit and soul.

Live at Roadburn Festival 2008 will be the third official release on Savant Guarde Records, a rising independent label dedicated to preserving the legacy of heavy underground music. Reed, who in recent years has also made his mark as guitarist and producer with Pentagram, has found a natural partnership with label head Daniel Rozell in bringing this long-awaited recording to light.

Releasing on October 24, 2025 as a limited edition 2xLP set (one clear, one black, 250 copies) and CD edition (300 copies), Live at Roadburn Festival 2008 offers a raw yet powerful snapshot of Mos Generator at a pivotal moment in their career. Pre-orders can be placed now via Bandcamp.



Tracklisting:

Lumbo Rock
Silver Olympus
On The Eve
Sleeping Your Way To The Middle
This Is The Gift Of Nature
Y’Juana
Warsong
Opium Skies
Where’s Scooter?
Dyin’ Blues
Step Up

At this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento California, guitarist Shane Clark of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based metallers 3 INCHES OF BLOOD was asked by Rock News Weekly if there are any plans for the reunited band to write and record new music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're gonna keep playing some fly-in gigs, but for the rest of the year we're just gonna write songs and kind of approach it the same way we approached getting back together. And that's just write some songs, see if it works. We're not gonna release stuff that we don't think is up to snuff. So we're just gonna sort of take our time with it, not rush it. — not be, like, 'Oh my God. We've gotta keep this momentum going.'"

Asked if 3 INCHES OF BLOOD is still signed to Roadrunner, Shane said: "No… After 'Fire Up The Blades' — so this is, I wanna say, 2008 — they wanted to re-negotiate our contract into a deal we were not into at all. Basically, long story short, we asked them, like, 'If we don't take this new contract, what's the deal?' They're, like, 'Well, we're gonna have to drop you.' And we were, like, 'Fucking right. Let's say no. Then we'll get dropped.' And then we had a really successful year being label-less. We toured Europe with EXODUS that year and had a really good, lucrative year. And then we got signed to Century Media. Century Media was really good, and we're technically still on Century Media. So whatever we decide to do, they have the option to release it for us."

As for how 3 INCHES OF BLOOD is planning on making new music available, Shane said: "We don't know if we're gonna do an album or a couple of singles. The landscape's different… It's super up in the air. I'm 50 years old, so I remember when you're budgeted for one CD every two weeks on a paycheck, and it's, like, you listen to the whole damn thing, even if you don't really like it. I don't know a whole lot of young people, but I'm not convinced that people listen to the back end of a record anymore — unless you're a diehard. If it's OBITUARY or — name your favorite band here — of course I'm gonna listen to the whole damn thing. But when you're garnering new fans, the musical landscape, how people consume music, it's singles. It's kind of back to the '50s. I think it's THE BEATLES that started releasing [full-length] records."

3 INCHES OF BLOOD effectively called it quits in 2015 after a five-album run. Nearly a decade later, the band played a hometown show in January 2024 as the first part of its "full-circle return." Additional reunion shows were later announced to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 3 INCHES OF BLOOD's second album, "Advance And Vanquish".

3 INCHES OF BLOOD announced its split in June 2015, sixteen years after the band's formation, writing in a social media statement: "Naturally, people will have questions as to why we have collectively made this decision. While our reasons are personal, just know we are all still good friends, but it is just time to move on."

Prior to January 2024, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD's last performance took place on November 7, 2015 at the Commodore Ballroom.

Formed in 1999, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD released five studio albums — 2002's "Battlecry Under A Wintersun", 2004's "Advance And Vanquish", 2007's "Fire Up The Blades", 2009's "Here Waits Thy Doom" and 2012's "Long Live Heavy Metal". They also issued three EPs — 2001's "Sect Of The White Worm", 2007's "Trial Of Champions" and 2011's "Anthems For The Victorious".

At this year's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll spoke to PipemanRadio about the 1980s thrash metal scene in the San Francisco Bay Area. After host Pipeman noted that all the thrash acts of the time had their own unique sound, Will concurred. "In the glory days, yes," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "But I think that's one of the reasons why thrash metal kind of died out in the '90s. Everyone likes to blame it on grunge, which may have played a part in it, yeah, but it was also, a lot of bands were putting out subpar albums by the early '90s, and too many bands were sounding the same, too many bands were dumbing down their sound and trying to get the big brass ring, get the big money and get the big tours."

Will continued: "Thrash metal's meant to be fast, and when bands start slowing down and putting out right mid-tempo albums, people lost interest, myself included; I went straight to death metal. So in the glory days, yes, every band had their distinct identity, for sure, vocally, lyrically, songwriting-wise — totally. And I think it's returned to that now. But, yeah, the early '90s were not a good era for thrash metal."

Pipeman went on to say that he thought METALLICA were "fucking poser sellouts" for making an album like the 1991 self-titled effort, also known as the "Black Album", which featured a more streamlined musical direction than METALLICA's previous efforts. Carroll chimed in: "When I heard it, I was, like, 'Goddamn, this album sounds great.' And I understand why it was huge, and there are some good songs, but when initially when I heard it, it was the exact same thing, exact same reaction. Like, 'Dude, there's not a thrash moment on this album whatsoever.' But not to take away from it is a good-sounding album, and it deserves all the acclaim or success it got. But I'm not a fan of it. [Laughs]"

Will added: "I love the first four METALLICA albums. I didn't like '…And Justice For All' when it came out. I thought even that was a step too far away from thrash, but — well, it took 15 years, but after 15 years of not digging that album, I fucking love it now; I love '…And Justice For All'. But yeah, the first three [METALLICA] albums, especially, are magic — absolute magic."

Carroll spent almost two weeks on a ventilator in an intensive care unit at a Northern California hospital in March 2020. 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 that year's "The Bay Strikes Back" tour. The now-52-year-old musician was hospitalized at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco after catching COVID-19 on the aforementioned European tour.

Carroll woke up from a medically induced coma on March 30, 2020 after spending nearly two weeks on a ventilator. Doctors told the San Francisco Chronicle he was in critical condition and came close to dying.

DEATH ANGEL had been touring in support of its ninth album, "Humanicide", which came out in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast.

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

Will can be heard on the last four DEATH ANGEL studio albums: "Relentless Retribution" (2010),"The Dream Calls For Blood" (2013),"The Evil Divide" (2016) and the aforementioned "Humanicide".

DEATH ANGEL will celebrate the 35th anniversary of its "Act III" album by performing it in its entirety on a fall 2025 U.S. tour. The trek, which will feature support from TOXIC HOLOCAUST, LIONS AT THE GATE and MISFIRE, will kick off on November 26 at the Oriental Theater in Denver, Colorado and wrap with two Christmas shows on December 18-19 at The Fillmore in San Francisco, California.

This past May, DEATH ANGEL released its first new music in six years, a brand new song called "Wrath (Bring Fire)".

Fittingly timed for October, the unofficial season of the goths — two-time Grammy Award-winning band THE SMASHING PUMPKINS have launched the "OG Goth" smoothie with Erewhon.

In celebration of the 30th anniversary of their RIAA diamond-certified double album "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness", the band will donate a portion of proceeds from the smoothie to the Concussion Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting athletes, veterans, and others affected by concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). THE SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan serves on the organization's national advisory board.

The "OG Goth" smoothie blends a powerhouse lineup of nutrient-rich ingredients including MALK Organic Almond Milk, GT's Alive Cola, Cocoyo Cacao, Eidon Ionic Minerals Liquid Electrolytes, organic coconut water, Erewhon Chocolate Ganache, organic black sesame butter, organic peanut butter, organic banana, organic avocado, organic dates, organic chia, organic maple, organic blue spirulina, organic chlorella, organic cacao powder, organic lucuma, organic beet juice, and organic lion's mane, for a decadent yet functional take on wellness.

The "OG Goth" smoothie will retail for $19.79 and is now available at all Erewhon locations, exclusively through November 8th.

Outside of this dynamic collaboration, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS is also embarking on their "Rock Invasion Tour" which made stops in Jakarta, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, and more. Fans can find full tour details and ticket information on the band's official web site.

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS are one of the most iconic, iconoclastic, and influential bands of all time, shaping alternative music and culture. Since forming in Chicago in 1988, the group has sold over 30 million albums worldwide and garnered two Grammy Awards, seven MTV VMAs, and an American Music Award. Their catalog includes seminal offerings such as the platinum "Gish" (1991),the quadruple-platinum "Siamese Dream" (1993),the diamond-certified "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" (1995),the platinum "Adore" (1998),and the gold "Machina/The Machines Of God" (2000). Rolling Stone cited both "Siamese Dream" and "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness" among its "500 Greatest Albums Of All Time." It would also be impossible to envision alternative music and culture without their signature iconography such as the idyllic album artwork for "Siamese Dream", the black Zero shirt, the laissez faire bliss of the "1979" music video, the gothic metamorphosis of "Ava Adore", or the multi-dimensional live shows that sell out worldwide to this day.

Erewhon is an independent, family-owned Certified B Corp and Certified Organic Retailer with 10 locations across Southern California. Since 1968, Erewhon has been providing organic, ethically sourced foods to the communities it serves. It's committed to sourcing healthy, nutrient-dense products, backing local growers and brands, and supporting the environment. Recognized for its uncompromising quality standards and customer service, Erewhon sustains a community centered in caring, curiosity, and positive change. For more information, visit erewhon.com.

The Concussion Legacy Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the United States with chapters in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It was founded by Robert Cantu, MD, and Chris Nowinski, PhD to support athletes, veterans and all affected by concussions and CTE to promote smarter sports and safer athletes through education and innovation and End CTE through prevention and research. Alongside Boston University and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, CLF co-founded the world's leading CTE brain bank, which has fueled groundbreaking discoveries about the long-term effects of repetitive head impacts. Through the CLF HelpLine, the Foundation provides free personalized resources, education, and support to patients and families affected by concussion or suspected CTE symptoms.

Progressive metallers GOJIRA and metalcore titans LANDMVRKS were among the winners at Les Foudres, the very first ceremony dedicated to French metal, which was held on Thursday, October 9, 2025 at the Bataclan in Paris.

A total of 12 awards were handed out at the event, including Foudre D'honneur, Album Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Artwork Of The Year, Audiovisual Creation Of The Year and Societal And Environmental Commitment Of The Year.

GOJIRA walked away with the Foudre for Live Performance Of The Year for the band's performance this past summer at the Carcassonne festival, as well as with the Foudre d'honneur. REVNOIR was named Revelation Of The Year, while Hellfest won the Foudre for Event Of The Year. LANDMVRKS was named Artist Of The Year and was honored in the Album Of The Year category for "The Darkest Place I've Ever Been".

Les Foudres 2025 was hosted by French comedian and actor Thomas VDB, whose full name is Thomas Vandenberghe. The event featured performances by CARPENTER BRUT and REVNOIR, among others, and was broadcast on France 4 and france.tv.

Les Foudres 2025 aimed to highlight the leading artists and bands that have shaped France's heavy metal scene, which has long been marginalized by major music awards such as the Victoires De La Musique, according to France's CNews network.

Arnaud Maillard, executive director of the Bataclan, said that metal music had not been properly represented in official ceremonies, emphasizing that the time had come to honor this growing and influential scene in France.

Les Foudres 2025 winners:

* Revelation Of The Year: REVNOIR
* Album Of The Year: LANDMVRKS - The Darkest Place I've Ever Been
* Artist Of The Year: LANDMVRKS
* Event Of The Year: Hellfest
* Audiovisual Creation Of The Year: Hotu and Vithia - clip for "Neo Paris" by RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR
* Live Performance Of The Year: GOJIRA at Carcassonne festival 2025
* Editorial Project Of The Year: "Children Of The Sabbath" book by Mathieu Yassef, Guillaume Fleury and Gabriel Redon
* Artwork Of The Year: Yoann Lossel – "Les Chants De L'aurore" by ALCEST (album artwork)
* Social And Environmental Commitment Of The Year: More Women On Stage campaign
* La Foudre Des Métiers De L'ombre: Frédéric Chouesne & Lorène Wienecke from Garmonbozia / Pascal Larre, stage manager / Corentin Charbonnier, photographer, editor and metal anthropologist
* Best-Selling Rock-Metal Album: ULTRA VOMIT's "La Puissance Du Pouvoir"
* La Foudre D'honneur: GOJIRA

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ANTHRAX and PANTERA drummer Charlie Benante is the featured guest on the latest episode of "Metal Sticks", the recently launched podcast hosted by Nicko McBrain, the iconic drummer of IRON MAIDEN for 42 years, recently retired from touring, and Modern Drummer CEO David Frangioni. In the first of a two-part series where Nicko and David sit down with Charlie, Benante opens up about what it means to honor his late friends Vinnie Paul Abbott and "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott by stepping behind the kit for PANTERA — a role he approaches with deep respect and gratitude. He also dives deep into his drum gear journey, geeking out with the hosts about his setup and sound.

Asked how he landed the gig with PANTERA, Charlie said  (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was very, very close to them throughout the years and especially close to Darrell, Dimebag. And I think Philip [Anselmo, PANTERA singer] and Rex [Brown, PANTERA bassist] really wanted to do something again with the legacy that that is PANTERA and just celebrate the life and the music of them. Philip called me and said, 'Would you be into doing this?' And they didn't want anyone else [to play drums]. It was always me that they wanted to do this, which I felt very honored by that. And I just jumped at it, and I'm, like, 'Yes, I wanna do this.' Because the love that goes back for me with these guys, it goes back a long, long time ago. I mean, I met Darrell and Vinnie — God, like, 1985. So we've known each other since then. And I just loved hearing that I was the only choice that they wanted for this position."

Reflecting on his live debut with PANTERA, Charlie said: "The first show we did was Mexico City. That was December of '22, I believe. Man, [I] was so nervous. And you know this, because playing Mexico City, they are so passionate there. When MAIDEN plays, it's just like a spiritual event. So I was very nervous. It was 52 degrees outside. We were freezing. The intro came on and started, and I'm just, like, 'Okay, this is it. Let's go.' And then once we kicked into the first song, I kind of settled down. But you know, man — the first show of a tour, you're jittery. You just don't know what to expect. And then I was so happy that I just kind of settled in and just kind of rode it out, and it was just beautiful."

Asked by Nicko if he had a lot of rehearsal time with the other guys in PANTERA before they played their first show, Charlie said: "Yeah, for me, what I did, as soon as I knew I was doing it, I took, like, four songs, and every week I would approach four songs, just working on those four. Next week I would do the next four, because I just wanted to know every little nuance that Vinnie played in the songs. And a lot of times I was overplaying; I was doing way more than I should be doing. A good friend of mine, Thomas Lang, I was with Thomas and I was talking to him about it, and I'm, like, 'I feel like I'm overplaying.' And he listened and he's, like, 'Yeah, you are. You're overplaying. It's more simple than you think it is.' So that kind of put me in a different state of mind and then I just started to flow and just learned Vinnie's little nuances and just his little tricks that he would do. And that was it. Because the most important thing is I wanted it to sound like PANTERA. I didn't want it to sound like me playing PANTERA. I wanted, when people closed their eyes, [I wanted them to think], 'Oh, it sounds like PANTERA.' And that was my goal."

Back in March 2024, Charlie spoke to What We Did On The Weekend about his decision to have no less than four kick drums on stage while he is performing with PANTERA. He said at the time: "Basically, let me give you a little background on that. If there's a fan, kid, whatever, all the way across the arena, or wherever we're playing, and he sees the drums, and it just looks massive. So when I was younger and I would go see VAN HALEN, KISS, whatever, it was huge; it was larger than life. It made an impression on me. And it's kind of what I wanna do; I just wanna blow it up big. Darell, that was his thing: fucking blow it up. So when I had the idea to do the four kick drums, and we were, like, 'Fucking leave it. It looks cool.' So that's it. I wish I had smoke coming out of my drums."

Back in December 2022, Benante, who has spent more than four decades playing in ANTHRAX, told Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series about how long it took him to learn the PANTERA material that he is currently performing during the reformed band's run of shows: "I know these songs, and, of course, I've loved these songs for so many years. For me, I knew the songs, but maybe some of the songs I didn't know the little details in the songs, as far as the drum parts went. So I really started to dissect each song and approach it that way. I've seen Vinnie play these songs so many times, but sometimes when you record a song and then you start to play it live, it starts to take on a different — it becomes something different sometimes when you play it a live way. So sometimes they would even speed it up a bit. So I was trying to get these songs to a place where it's almost in the middle — somewhere like the studio version and somewhere like the live version. Because when you're playing live, the adrenaline is pumping. You're human, and we're not playing to a click or anything. So I always wanted to keep that groove going, 'cause Rex and I, we look at each other and we feel and we connect. And the connection he had with Vinnie is the same type of connection that I wanna have with him."

It was first reported in July that Anselmo and Brown would unite with guitarist Zakk Wylde and Benante for a world tour under the PANTERA banner.

The band headlined a number of major festivals across North America, South America and Europe and staged a couple of its own headlining tours. They also supported METALLICA on massive North American and European stadium tours in 2024 and 2025.

Benante told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about how he prepared for the PANTERA live performances: "When I talked to Philip back in — it was, like, the end of December [2021] about this, that day, I hung up the phone and I immediately started to get my head into PANTERA mode and just figure things out. Because I knew these songs, but I didn't know how to approach playing the songs, how I'm gonna do this. And the one thing I wanted to do is I just wanted to play it like Vinnie. When the fans hear it, when anybody heard it, I wanted them to be able to close their eyes and I wanted it to sound like Vinnie."

Charlie also talked about his musical chemistry with Rex, saying: "That's the thing. I didn't know how we would kind of come together and when we would make the connection. But I've gotta be honest with you, when I went down to New Orleans in September [2022] and it was just me, Rex and Philip. And after the first day, Rex and I, we had such a connection, and he said to me, he was, like, 'Dude, when I close my eyes, I feel like it's Vinnie up there.' So that made me feel so good when he said that. And Philip said the same thing too. So I was so happy about that. Because, honestly, I really did my homework. We're talking these tiny little nuances — things that maybe people wouldn't hear — I'm putting 'em in there because it's important to me to deliver it just like Vinnie would."

As for his drum setup for the PANTERA show, Benante said: "It's a totally different configuration [to what I play with ANTHRAX]. I'm playing more like Vinnie's kit, the way Vinnie played it. I wanted to play a kit like that because it gave me a bit more of a challenge. And I can't add more drums to it, because I just wanted to have the two toms in the front — floor toms — so I'm just sticking totally to the way he had it, and I wanna play it exactly like he had it and it sounds exactly how he had it too. So that's how I approach this."

Charlie went on to say that he doesn't understand all the negative comments that have been directed at him and the other members of PANTERA for trying to keep the band's legacy alive.

"This was never a reunion," he explained. "How can it be a reunion without Vinnie and Dime here? Sometimes people will send me something, and I see things online, and it's so disrespectful to both Darrell and Vinnie, and it's totally disrespectful to us too. And it's just, like, 'Man, if you don't wanna come, you don't have to come.'

"One of the first things I said to Philip on the phone, I said, 'This, to me, is more on an emotional level than any other level.' This means a lot to me personally, to go out there and represent those guys and represent the PANTERA name," he continued. "And that's all I'd ever want for me. I don't care about it financially and stuff like that; this, to me, I had to do this. I didn't wanna see anybody else playing these songs but me up there."

Reflecting on his initial conversation with Anselmo about taking part in the reformed PANTERA, Charlie said: "I was so excited about it. I said, 'Thank you for thinking of me.' And they were, like, 'There was nobody else.' And that made me feel really good. Because they knew my relationship with Darrell and they knew my relationship with Vinnie. And I loved those guys, and I love these two guys just as much."

Up until his passing, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for Dimebag's death.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie passed away on June 22, 2018 at his other home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. He died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

During a new appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Jon Bon Jovi spoke about BON JOVI's decision to re-release the songs from the band's 2024 "Forever" album as "Forever (Legendary Edition)", with guest stars on each track, plus two more cuts. The guests include Bruce Springsteen, on "Hollow Man"; Jelly Roll, on "Living Proof"; and Jason Isbell, on "Waves". The two additional songs are a new one, "Red, White And Jersey", and a Spanish-language version of "We Made It Look Easy".

Jon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I put this record ['Forever'] out [last year] with the anticipation that I was healed, and everyone that knows knows that I had this throat surgery. And I wasn't up to my standard; I just wasn't up to my standard. So there wasn't a tour [in support of 'Forever']. But I love the album and it was received so well that I called friends and I said, 'Listen, this record deserves a second chance.' And I asked, whether it was Bruce to Jelly Roll to young to old, to country to rock, to girls and guys to sing a verse, do a features record, if you will. And I wrote a couple of new songs, one [of] which is called 'Red, White And Jersey', a new single. And so we're re-releasing the record. And great songs are even better with these collaborations. And having Bruce sing with me officially for the first time on a song called 'Hollow Man', it's been received very well. And it's cool. It's just a way to re-release the record, tell the world that I'm healthy finally and get back to work."

Asked when he first met Bruce Springsteen, Jon said: "Oh my God. In the latter '70s. The first time I was in a cover band; it's, like, 1978. We were playing a lot of R&B. We were sort of like the 'Muppets' version of the ASBURY JUKES. I had five horn players. I was underage. I was playing in the bars. I'm 17 years old. And one night, having known that he's always been around, I turn around at my own microphone on the stage and — boom — he's on stage with us. And we sang together. So the next day when I go back to high school, I'm telling the teacher, 'What'd you do last night?' 'Well, I watched 'Dallas'.' 'What did you do last night?' 'I was singing with Bruce down in Asbury.' Because the JUKES and the E STREET BAND were all from there, and chances were that they were in the bars when you were. So it was good fortune for me to have your heroes be so close."

Regarding what he meant when he said that Bruce had been like a big brother to him, Jon said: "Throughout my career, we always looked up to the E STREET BAND and the ASBURY JUKES. [Southside] Johnny produced some of my very first demos. Like I say, I've known Bruce since I'm in high school, and so they were always, thumbs up, wink and a nod, have the occasional burger together. But as I got older and we got older — we go take these hundred-mile drives where [there's] no radio, no phones, nobody. And now we can talk like two older, wiser men who have been around the block a few times. And somebody needs somebody to talk to every once in a while, including even him."

BON JOVI will release "Forever (Legendary Edition)" on October 24 via Island Records.

"Forever (Legendary Edition)" will include additional guest appearances on vocals by James Bay, Robbie Williams, Ryan Tedder, THE WAR AND TREATY, DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, Lainey Wilson, Avril Lavigne and Marcus King, among others.

"This album is more than just a collection of collaborations, it is an album borne out of necessity," Jon said in a statement. "My vocal cord rehab was a well-documented journey that played out while releasing 'Forever' in 2024. I was singing well in the studio for recording, but the vocal demands and rigors of touring were still slightly out of reach for me. Without an ability to tour at that time, I continued working in the studio and called on some friends, great singers, artists, musicians and also just great people."

He continued: "The result is an album with a new viewpoint and new spirit — a collaboration album that proves we all get by in this world with a little help from our friends. I feel tremendous joy and gratitude releasing this album and I think it shows in the music. I can say with certainty that there is always something bigger than ME, and that's WE."

"Forever (Legendary Edition)" track listing:

01. Red, White And Jersey
02. Legendary (feat. James Bay)
03. We Made It Look Easy (feat. Robbie Williams)
04. Living Proof (feat. Jelly Roll)
05. Waves (feat. Jason Isbell)
06. Seeds (feat. Ryan Tedder)
07. Kiss The Bride (feat. Billy Falcon)
08. The People's House (feat. The War & Treaty)
09. Walls Of Jericho (feat. Joe Elliott)
10. I Wrote You A Song (feat. Lainey Wilson)
11. Living In Paradise (feat. Avril Lavigne)
12. My First Guitar (feat. Marcus King)
13. Hollow Man (feat. Bruce Springsteen)
14. We Made It Look Easy / Hicimos Que Pareciera Fácil (feat. Carin León)

In a cover story for the March 2025 issue of Sound On Sound magazine, Jon Bon Jovi confirmed that BON JOVI would release a new version of its 2024 album "Forever" as a collaboration with other artists. He told writer Joe Matera: "This is an album that we're very proud of, and I think it's the best BON JOVI record since 'Lost Highway' or at least 'Have A Nice Day'. We love every song on it and it was a joy to make this album, but I just wasn't ready to go and book shows post-surgery recovery. So, I reached out to a number of friends and I said, 'If you guys would sing a verse here and there, it'll give this great album another life.'" He added: "My focus moving forward is on the re-release of 'Forever', and God willing, getting back out on the road and running that project through its life."

Produced by Jon with John Shanks, "Forever" featured Jon Bon Jovi once again alongside fellow founding BON JOVI members, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. They were joined by bassist Hugh McDonald and guitarist Phil X.

"Forever" contained 12 new songs, including the hit lead single "Legendary".

In August 2024, a duet version of the "Forever" song "The People's House" featuring THE WAR AND TREATY was released, accompanied by a lyric video. In October 2024, the official music video for "The People's House" featuring THE WAR AND TREATY was released, accompanied by a statement from Jon Bon Jovi endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.

"Forever" marked Jon Bon Jovi's return to the recording studio after surgery to repair his damaged vocal cords.

In June 2024, Jon told The Guardian that his damaged vocal cord was still not healed enough for him to resume touring. "It's a work in progress," he said. "There's no miracle. I just wish there was a fucking light switch. I'm more than capable of singing again. The bar is now: can I do two and a half hours a night, four nights a week? The answer is no."

Bon Jovi went on to say that making music will always be part of his life, regardless of whether he is able to return to full-scale touring. "It lights you up when you're out there," he said. "As long as I have the ability, I will write songs and make records."

In a new interview with BJ The DJ of the Albany, New York radio station Q105.7, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner once again opened up about the health issues and physical challenges he has faced in the four years since experiencing an aortic aneurysm and complete aortic dissection while performing at the 2021 Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky. Asked if he has to do anything special to prepare himself for a PRIEST concert nowadays, in light of what he went through, Richie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Fortunately, I don't have to do anything too heavy. Luckily, I just have to remember to take my meds, which I've forgotten this morning. Thanks for reminding me. That's sometimes the hardest thing. I've had a bit of collateral damage on my right side with stuff connected to what happened. So I have to work at that. We have a physio on the road, and I work with him three times a day: once in the morning — after these interviews, I'm gonna work with him on coordination — before the show and then after the show as well. We do that three times a day. So that sort of stuff I have to work on. But as far as the heart and everything's concerned, it's meds. I can't eat too many leafy greens, which I'm not too bothered about. I got lucky, really. There's a lot of people around the world with a lot more serious conditions than I have. So I consider myself lucky to be here talking to you."

Asked if that means that "everything is good" with his health and he is "good to go", Faulkner said: "As far as I'm aware, but you never know what's around the corner. You've gotta live each day to the fullest."

Immediately after PRIEST's performance at the 2021 Louder Than Life, it took the Rudd Heart and Lung Center at UofL Health - Jewish Hospital's cardiothoracic surgery team approximately 10 hours to complete the now-45-year-old British-born musician's first surgery, an aortic valve and ascending aorta replacement with hemiarch replacement, enabling Richie to eventually return to the road.

This past April, Faulkner told PremierGuitar about his recovery: "We went back out on the road in 2022 and have kind of been on the road since. But there's a bit of collateral damage. Well, not a lot of people know — some nearest and dearest, they know about it. So about a month after the incident, I went back in and we were walking the dog in the neighborhood back here [in a suburb of Nashville, Tennessee], and I had the dog. [My girlfriend] Mariah had [our daughter] Daisy [with her]. And I felt it come, I felt it, and it came over me and I knew it was coming and it came over me and my face went. I couldn't talk. And Mariah was there. She took the dog, she had the baby, and she was holding me up. The neighbors were running out.

"I haven't felt comfortable up until this point — and I'll tell you why — explaining what happened," he continued. "So long story short, we went into the hospital — this was a month after the surgery — we went back in, and it was the last thing I wanted to do. 'Fuck hospitals.' They saved my life, but I've had enough of them for a month, So I'm back in there. And they basically said, what I think it was, was a TIA, which means transient ischaemic attack, which is a TIA. It's a small stroke. So they're sure it's that. They put me on some medication. Turned out later on, it was an actual stroke. So Mariah thinks I had one in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. I don't remember. I don't recall anything. I remember small ones happening after the event. I was in the bathroom — it kind of went fuzzy and I sort of fell over. I think they were the TIAs, the mini ones. And the hospital said is when you have those, the danger is that there's a big one coming or a normal stroke coming. So that seems to be what happened — when we were out walking the dog, that's what happened. And it was obvious — Mariah said, 'Your face went, you couldn't talk.' It was like a weight was pulling me down. I was gonna fall over if she wasn't holding me up. So, that's what happened. And at the time, it stopped happening. I had another incident about a year after. I had another open-heart [surgery] — there was a leak, so they went in, opened it up again; I had another small one. So what happened was we went back out on the road, and I thought everything was fine. There was something in my right hand — I thought it was my rings; I wore these stupid rings for some reason. And I thought it was that. So I took the rings off. I thought it was impeding something. I was changing my picks. There was something different. I could get through it, but there was something different about my right hand. And again, I could get through it. I was brushing my teeth one morning and I thought, 'Something's wrong with the right hand. Something's different.' And the right foot, the right leg. So we went back in. We'd done some tests. They found some damage on the left side of the brain, which affects the right side. Now, fortunately, I don't play guitar with my foot, so that's fine. I can get away with that. But my hand, obviously, that's our engine room. And everything started clicking into place in regards to what I was feeling on stage. There was something that was wrong. Something was impeding, something wasn't right. So, as I said, we'd done some more tests. They found the damage. They said that the fact that it hasn't gone away means that it's not a TIA; it's a stroke. TIA damage can go away. Stroke — that's it. It is damaged. You've got damage in your brain. Now I thought I had brain damage before, but this is real. It's a small thing on the left side."

Elaborating on why he hasn't been comfortable discussing his ongoing physical issues publicly up until now, Faulkner said: "A few people near to me, they know, in the industry. There's a lot of fear from my side about being found out. I feel like I've got a lot of trust from the fanbase, from the guitar companies, the string companies. They back you. They put their bets on you, and I don't want anyone to know, because as soon as they know, they're gonna lose faith, they're gonna bail out. I'm not gonna be appealing to them anymore or I'm gonna let the fans down. And when we play with PRIEST, we go out… I mean, you go out and you think, 'How is it gonna be tonight?' And it's not so much the solo stuff because the solo stuff you can kind of adapt. It's the rhythm — the coordinated rhythm patterns and stuff like that. It's gotta be locked in. And I felt that in a band like PRIEST, it's gotta be world-class stuff and I don't feel world class. I went out there every night. I feel like a fraud because people don't know — maybe. But one day they're gonna find out. Someone's gonna find out, someone's gonna say he's not playing that the same. [PRIEST's latest album, 2024's] 'Invincible Shield', we came to record the guitars [at my home studio] and I couldn't play what was on the demos from a year before. And we went out with [my side project] ELEGANT WEAPONS in 2023 playing with the band. It's, like, 'I can't do that. What's going on?' And the more I practiced, the worse it got. When you practice, you hopefully get better. It was getting worse.

"There's two reasons for me wanting to… Well, I'm more comfortable about coming out about it — and now 'coming out' is the wrong word — but opening up about it," Richie explained. "I know there's a lot of people out there that play, they sing, whatever they do, and they feel like they're not good enough or that we don't have these issues as well, and it affects your mental health. And I want them to know that they're not alone. All of us, probably more people than we are all aware of, struggle with something somewhere. So you're not alone. And the other reason was to release it, to get it out, to tell people. Because every time I go out — we do an onstage soundcheck [in front of fans who pay extra for the experience]. People are standing right where the cameras are and they're right in front. And I'm thinking they're gonna know, they're gonna say I'm not playing [the PRIEST song] 'Painkiller' right. Again, it is the rhythms more than anything. And I just thought if I kind of free that up, if I make that accessible, then the truth is the truth. You can't argue the truth. That's the way it is. I still play, we're still writing records, we're still playing as hard as we can — it doesn't affect that — but there's just little things I have to do. But I go out every night thinking… Sometimes I come off stage and I call home and I say, 'I can't fucking do it. I can't do it. I can't do it.' There's stuff that I used to play — I used to think something and it would come out. And now I'm up there struggling to play like a rhythm pattern. 'I can't do it. I can't. I'm gonna quit. I can't do it.' And then you have a good one. So who wants that? But that's the way it is. That's the truth. So that's what I struggle with. That's the collateral damage."

He later added: "As I said, I have to get it out so people might know what it is. I don't have to hide it anymore. It's not an excuse to take my foot off the gas — that's just not in my being — but just so people know.

"We did an ELEGANT WEAPONS gig in Paris in '23. We did [a cover of PRIEST's] 'Painkiller'," he recalled. "I was awful. It's on YouTube. If anyone wants to go and have a laugh, go and check that out. Fuck, it's bad. Everyone else was great, but the guy [who is actually] in the band [PRIEST] — fucking, 'Ah, I don't know what…' Well, there you go. But yeah, so maybe just gives a bit of understanding into what it is. But even if not, I've got it out there. It's out there. I don't have to hide behind it anymore. And again, hopefully, maybe it helps someone else that might be struggling with their struggle to think, 'This is okay' and 'I'm not alone. How do I turn this into a positive for myself?' So, that's it, really."

After the Louder Than Life incident in 2021, Faulkner said he had no history of heart complications and that the aliment came completely "out of the blue."

Aortic aneurysms are "balloon-like bulges in the aorta, the large artery that carries blood from the heart through the chest and torso," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Dissections happen when the "force of blood pumping can split the layers of the artery wall, allowing blood to leak in between them."

After Louder Than Life, JUDAS PRIEST postponed the remainder of the U.S. dates on its 50th-anniversary tour, dubbed "50 Heavy Metal Years". The shows were rescheduled for March and April 2022.

Faulkner joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for original guitarist K.K. Downing.

Richie was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

Faulkner and Mariah Lynch, daughter of former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch, welcomed their first child, a baby girl named Daisy Mae, in July 2020.

DREAM THEATER has scrapped its plans of touring Europe next year in support of their latest album, "Parasomnia".

The progressive metal giants launched a U.S. tour last month during which they are continuing their "An Evening With Dream Theater" run that celebrates "Parasomnia" by performing the LP in its entirety, as well as playing the entire seven-movement masterpiece "A Change Of Seasons" for the first time since drummer Mike Portnoy's return as well as other classics and fan favorites from the band's catalog.

Earlier today (Thursday, October 9),DREAM THEATER released the following statement via social media: "ATTENTION all EU/UK DREAM THEATER fans: We know we promised we'd be back in 2026 with our full 'Parasomnia' show, but sadly sometimes plans change… after much discussion, after 2 European legs on our 40th Anniversary Tour in 2024 and 2025 (as well as EU tours the previous two years in 2022 & 2023 as well),we've made the hard decision to skip a return to EU/UK in 2026.

"We are currently on the final 3 weeks of our US 'Parasomnia'/'A Change Of Seasons' Tour, so there's still time to come on over to the States to catch this show if you are so inclined… it really is an amazing show! And if we can't bring it over to you, we at least wanted to give the heads up so you'd have the option of coming to us to catch it.

"We look forward to returning to EU/UK when we begin our next tour cycle in either 2027 or 2028!"

During an August 6 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Portnoy spoke about what it has been like for him to be touring with his DREAM THEATER bandmates James LaBrie (vocals),John Petrucci (guitar),John Myung (bass),Jordan Rudess (keyboards) once again after a 13-year absence. The progressive metal legends played their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on October 20, 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. The drummer, who co-founded DREAM THEATER, played on 10 of the band's albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours. Portnoy told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "It's been incredible — the biggest tour the band has ever done. We started at the O2 in London, which was incredibly emotional, and then we wrapped the U.S. tour at Radio City Music Hall… There's so many highlights. It's been incredible. We did all of Europe once with [the] 'An Evening With' [run of shows], then we did South America. We did North America, then we did this [European] festival run, and now we're about to shift into finally doing a tour for the new album, 'cause through all this we put out a new album in February, and we haven't really had a chance to properly give attention to that yet, 'cause we've been so busy with the 40th-anniversary thing. So we're about to shift into 'Parasomnia' mode, and we have a North American tour kicking off next month. And we'll be all through the States in September and October with a completely different show. So if anybody saw us in the last round, this is a completely different set, completely different stage, and we're gonna play the whole new album in its entirety, which will be a lot of fun and finally give it its due."

Asked if the tracks from "Parasomnia" would be performed in the same order that they appear on the LP on the upcoming tour, Portnoy said: "Yeah, it was written to be performed that way. The whole album is very much like a concept album in that respect. So we've played a couple of the songs this past year on the 40th-anniversary tour, but now we could dig into it and give it a full top-to-bottom presentation. And then gonna celebrate the 30th anniversary of 'A Change of Seasons', which was like the first big epic the band put out 30 years ago. So we're gonna play that as well."

Portnoy added: "We've still got a lot of gas left in the tank. We're gonna go over to Asia right after New Year, and then we have a third European run next spring to do the 'Parasomnia' over there. So it's been incredible, but the emotions at every show — the fans, you just look out there and you see grown men crying, and it's all smiles and tears."

After Trunk noted that a lot of the emotions surrounding DREAM THEATER's current tour are based on the fact that Portnoy is back in the band after such a long time away, Mike said: "I'm so thankful that it's come back full circle. It would've been really sad if we never did reunite. I've seen other bands, like PINK FLOYD with Roger Waters, or GENESIS with Peter Gabriel, certain bands that never do reunite. And as a fan, it's a shame. I would love to see those lineups together again before it all ends. So for us to be back together again and celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band and riding off into the sunset together, it's poetic. It's the way it should be, really. And I'm so glad that we're here together again."

DREAM THEATER kicked off the spring/summer 2025 leg of its "40th Anniversary European Tour" on June 3 at Logomo in Turku, Finland.

"Parasomnia" came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marked DREAM THEATER's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

"Parasomnia" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returned once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

"Parasomnia" is an eight-song, 71-minute set which was recorded at DREAM THEATER's DTHQ studio on Long Island, New York. It is the follow-up to 2021's "A View From The Top Of The World", which debuted at in the top 10 of Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums, Top Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts. Six songs on "Parasomnia" are over seven minutes and the closing epic "The Shadow Man Incident" clocks in at nearly 20 minutes.

The North American leg of DREAM THEATER's 40th-anniversary tour kicked off on February 7 at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek was "An Evening With Dream Theater" and was the first tour of North America since Portnoy's return to the lineup, joining Petrucci, LaBrie, Myung and Rudess. The tour concluded on March 22 in New York City.

Portnoy, Petrucci and Myung started DREAM THEATER as MAJESTY in 1985, after meeting at the Berklee College Of Music in Boston. LaBrie came on board in 1991, while Rudess joined in 1999.

Prior to Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER, the drummer and Petrucci worked together on the latter's 2020 solo album, "Terminal Velocity", and toured together. Portnoy and Petrucci also joined Rudess and bassist Tony Levin for a third studio album as LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT in 2021.

Image credit: Djbobstar

⚠️ ATTENTION all EU/UK DT fans ⚠️
We know we promised we’d be back in 2026 with our full Parasomnia show, but sadly...

Posted by Dream Theater on Thursday, October 9, 2025

In a recent interview with Guitar World magazine, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has once again hinted that a new full-length album from the band is on the way. He said: "There's so much material at this point — it's a matter of having the discipline to sit down and fucking get into it. But the thing with GUNS is, in my experience, you can never plan ahead. You can never sit down and go, 'We're going to take this time, and we're going to do this.' Every time we've done that, it falls apart. It just spontaneously happens through some sort of inspiration that triggers it. And the next thing you know, it's off and running. So it's coming. I know it's coming because everybody is thinking about it. It'll just happen when it happens."

A year ago, GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan confirmed to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he and his bandmates had been working on fresh material. "There's definitely a desire and a plan for new music," he said. "Yeah, for sure."

GUNS N' ROSES released a four-song EP, "Hard Skool", in February 2022. The effort, which was exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

The legendary hard rock outfit has not released a full-length effort since 2008's "Chinese Democracy", which included only singer Axl Rose from the band's classic lineup. McKagan and Slash reunited with Axl in 2016 and have since released several standalone singles — "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD"),"Hard Skool", "Perhaps" and "The General" — but have not made any announcements about another LP.

In June 2024, Duff was asked during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he thinks GUNS N' ROSES will ever release more "newly written music" again as opposed to continuing to rework and put out previously composed songs. The GN'R bassist responded: "Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. There's new material. I don't know how we're gona put it out. I think that's a question too. Like, do you put out a record? Do you just keep putting out singles? I don't know what the right answer is there in this day and age."

If and when it happens, the new GUNS N' ROSES studio album will be the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, Rose and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Written by Rose and co-produced by Rose and Caram Costanzo, "Hard Skool", which had the working title "Jackie Chan", was originally recorded during GN'R's "Chinese Democracy" era but was eventually omitted from that album. Short clips of the song were later posted online and a full version was leaked in August 2019.

"Absurd" came out on August 6, 2021, three days after GUNS N' ROSES performed the tune live for the first time during its concert at Boston's Fenway Park.

GUNS N' ROSES last performed "Silkworms", which was also reportedly written during the "Chinese Democracy" sessions, in 2001.

"The General" was the B-side of GUNS N' ROSES' limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single titled "Perhaps", which was made available for pre-order in August 2023.

Like "Perhaps", "Hard Skool" and "Absurd", "The General" was written during the sessions for the "Chinese Democracy" album. It was previously talked about by ex-GN'R drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia, who reportedly wrote some of the song's music and gave it its title, and former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach.