Swedish death/thrash metal veterans THE CROWN have announced plans to disband following a run of shows in 2026, culminating in a final gig in Gothenburg next December.

Earlier today (Monday, December 1),THE CROWN released the following statement: "After 35 years of creativity and Death Metal mayhem — the time has come to bring THE CROWN's journey to an end.

"2026 will not only mark our final year of live shows — it will be the final chapter for the band. We want to go out on our own terms, celebrating everything this band has stood for: energy, passion, and the love of extreme music. Most importantly, this farewell is for you — our fans. Your dedication and loyalty have kept this band alive for over three decades. Every show in 2026 will be our way of saying thank you for all the years of support, the endless energy from the crowds, and for standing with us through every era of THE CROWN.

"Throughout 2026, we'll perform Farewell shows around the world, meeting fans one last time. Each show will be a tribute to the past, the present, and the unstoppable spirit that's fueled THE CROWN since day one. Everything has its time — and this is ours.

"Thank you for 35 years of loyalty, chaos, and Metal! Let's make 2026 the grand finale it deserves!

"NO TOMORROW - FAREWELL 2026".

THE CROWN 2026 tour dates:

Jan. 10 - PT Mangualde - Mangualde Hard Metal Fest
Mar. 06 - ES Barcelona - Sala Lennon
Mar. 07 - ES Valencia - Sala Zulu
Mar. 08 - ES Madrid - Sala Nazca
Mar. 14 - CH Zürich - Züri Gmätzlets
May 22 - US Baltimore - Maryland Deathfest
Jul. 25 - FI Vaasa - Kaaos Festival
Aug. 15 - IT Francavilla al Mare - Frantic Fest
Aug. 20 - AT Spital am Semmering - Kaltenbach Open Air
Nov. 06 - SE Umeå - House Of Metal
Nov. 21 - SE Linköping - Platens
Nov. 28 - SE Skövde - Lokstallet
Dec. 12 - NL Eindhoven - Metal Meeting
Dec. 18 - SE Stockholm - Kollektivet livet
Dec. 19 - SE Gothenburg - Valand (final show)

THE CROWN's twelfth studio album, "Crown Of Thorns", came out in October 2024 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2021's "Royal Destroyer" was THE CROWN's LP after the 2022 addition of drummer Mikael Norén and bassist Mattias Rasmussen as well as the return of lead guitarist Marcus Sunesson, rejoining longtime members, guitarist Marko Tervonen and vocalist Johan Lindstrand.

"Crown Of Thorns" was recorded by Marko Tervonen (Studio-MT),mixed and was mastered by Jonas Kjellgren (Black Lounge Studios).

THE CROWN celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2020 (including the band's first eight years spent as CROWN OF THORNS).

Ex-I PREVAIL vocalist Brian Burkheiser has released a cover of Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do" under the SCATTERBRAIN banner.

Burkheiser, whose split with I PREVAIL was announced in May, shared the following statement via his publicist, Atom Splitter PR: "To my fans: This year forced me to pivot in ways I never expected, and it tested me more than I can explain. But through it all, your support has meant everything.

"I'm excited to finally share a song with you. I chose this cover because it truly resonates with me and serves as a nod to what first sparked my career.

"I'm still working toward the day I can release my original music, but for now, I'm grateful to have found a way to put a piece of art into the world."

Five months ago, Burkheiser claimed that "an unresolved dispute" with his former band had prevented him from releasing his new solo music.

On August 25, Brian took to his social media to write: "Due to an unresolved dispute with my former band I PREVAIL, I am being blocked from releasing my song 'Phases', as well as other new music.

"I'm deeply disappointed, but I'm doing everything I can to move things forward.

"I want to thank my family, friends, and most importantly, my fans for their unwavering support."

Burkheiser had handled the clean vocals in I PREVAIL since the band's formation in 2013 but was forced to step away from the group's touring activities due to his battle with Eagle's syndrome, a condition associated with the elongation of the styloid process or calcification of the stylohyoid ligament, clinically characterized by throat and neck pain, radiating into the ear. In Burkheiser's absence, co-vocalist/growler Eric Vanlerberghe had handled the bulk of the singing in I PREVAIL, with the help of guitarist Dylan Bowman.

I PREVAIL announced in May that it was "mutually parting ways" with Burkheiser. A month and a half later, Burkheiser posted a series of Instagram Stories in which he claimed there was "no beef" between him and his now-former bandmates. "I love every single one of those guys whether they know it or not," Burkheiser wrote. However, he added that he believed he "didn't deserve how things went down" regarding the circumstances surrounding his departure, before clarifying, "But it doesn't mean they are bad people. I did try to communicate more and I wish that they would've talked to me more," Burkheiser wrote. "But if it took it coming down to this to teach the world this lesson then I'm OK with that because I want to rekindle my friendships with those guys one day."

Burkheiser went on to say that he was proud of Vanlerberghe, who has since become I PREVAIL's primary singer, and encouraged fans to buy tickets to the "Summer Of Loud" tour featuring I PREVAIL, BEARTOOTH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and PARKWAY DRIVE.

I PREVAIL's fourth studio album, "Violent Nature" arrived in September via Fearless.

Press photo courtesy of Atom Splitter PR

On November 16, 2025 at the San Antonio Fear Fest in San Antonio, Texas, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt spoke to Robb Chavez of Robbs MetalWorks about the band's recently completed follow-up to 2021's "Persona Non Grata" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's fucking awesome. It'll be out next March, I think — March 20 — and it's fucking awesome. I mean, it's so awesome. We're so proud of this record."

According to Holt, EXODUS completed nearly two albums' worth of material during the latest recording sessions, with a view toward releasing the second collection of songs when the first touring cycle is finished.

"80 percent of the follow-up [to EXODUS's next album] is done already," Holt explained. "We just kept working. We never stopped. We were in the studio for two months. And we tend to record by… We all live together in a house, or sometimes we build a studio in a house, and it's like heavy metal summer camp. But we like each other enough to live together still. A lot of bands — that's a rarity. And so we write the whole process. When we started recording, we only had four songs done and a million ideas. And Lee [Altus, longtime EXODUS guitarist] wrote a ton of stuff; he wrote four out of 10 songs on the new album."

Gary also talked about the return of EXODUS singer Rob Dukes, who replaced Steve "Zetro" Souza in January. He said: "It's fucking been amazing. When you hear [Rob's] vocals on this new record, you're gonna shit your pants."

Elaborating on what fans can expect from the new EXODUS material, Holt said: "The new album is so killer, dude. And everybody says that — I know that — but, dude, this album's so good. Me and [EXODUS drummer] Tom Hunting call each other and [I tell him], when I listen to it, it makes me wanna cry, it's so good. It's that fucking good. We made something special."

Asked what it is about the new EXODUS album that is so good, Gary explained: "It's just the songs, dude. It's all about the songs. I mean, it's crushing, but it's all anthems. And it's so varied, this record. So many different aspects of EXODUS are in there, from the blinding speed to the slowest, heaviest shit we've ever done. And Rob's vocals are, like, at the top of the pyramid on this shit."

As for the status of the second collection of new songs EXODUS had written during the most recent sessions, Gary said: "We still gotta record a little bit more to complete it. Our goal, we fell a little bit short. We have eight songs done. It was hard picking which ones go on this, 'cause I still, to this day, I have panic attacks, like, 'I should have put that one on it. That song is so sick.' But you're trying to balance a record. And we just picked what we thought were the best ones for this album."

At last month's Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California, Holt told Baby Huey and Chasta of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone that Mark Lewis had mixed the new EXODUS material, which will be released via Napalm Records, and described it as "something else, man… It's crushing, but it's also all anthems. Every song's an anthem. It's awesome. We're super proud of this record."

Lewis had previously worked with MEGADETH, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER and BAD WOLVES, among many others.

The follow-up to "Persona Non Grata" will mark the first time in nearly three decades that an EXODUS album hasn't been mixed by Andy Sneap, who has acted as JUDAS PRIEST's producer and touring guitarist for more than seven years.

Gary previously wrote on Instagram about EXODUS's collaboration with Lewis: "First album since 97 to mix with someone else, and it's crushing. Andy said it's time to venture out of our comfort zone and it's amazing. Mark has CRUSHED IT!"

In a recent interview with Chicago's Rebel Radio 92.5 FM as part of the station's 31st-anniversary celebration, Dukes praised the material on EXODUS's upcoming effort, saying: "It's killer. It's the best thing I've ever done with EXODUS. I thought [2010's] 'Exhibit B: [The Human Condition]' was probably some of my best work, and I think this tops it. It's so different than what we've done. We've added so many little different things that it's still EXODUS, but we've definitely stepped outside the box a little bit and tried a few different things and it worked well… It's fast. it's dark, it's awesome, man. It's gonna be a lot of fun to go play these songs live."

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which later became TESTAMENT). He remained in the band until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes had joined EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and remained until 2014, when Souza rejoined.

Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the aforementioned "Bonded By Blood" LP inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.

A new live album from late IRON MAIDEN frontman Paul Di'Anno will be posthumously released in 2026. It will be the singer's last live LP, recorded on tour in 2024.

More details, including the album title, the track listing, the record label and the concert where the album was recorded, will be revealed before Christmas.

Di'Anno's new live record will be released exclusively on vinyl in a very limited edition.

According to a post on Paul's social media, "The name of the album, the art design of the cover and the layout, as a kind of concept, will carry a special message and will make all fans very proud."

As previously reported, an official documentary about Di'Anno, "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer", will also be released in 2026. The film was helmed by Wes Orshoski, co-director and producer of the acclaimed 2010 film "Lemmy" about the MOTÖRHEAD icon, and 2015's "The Damned: Don't You Wish That We Were Dead", about punk rock legends THE DAMNED.

On October 21, Wes took to his Instagram to write about "Di'Anno: Iron Maiden's Lost Singer": "I started shooting this film in 2017 and for years there wasn't much to capture. Paul was in a wheelchair, desperately waiting for surgeries that doctors in the U.K. refused to greenlight. By the time the pandemic hit, Paul's health had nosedived. And that's when everything changed for him and my film. Kastro Pergjoni, who runs the Cart & Horses pub in London (known as 'The Birthplace of IRON MAIDEN') launched a crowd-funding campaign to help Paul take control of his own destiny. MAIDEN fans around the world gave. And Croatian MAIDEN superfan/writer Stjepan Juras lobbied for Paul to seek treatment in Zagreb, where he could be treated affordably. Paul acquiesced. Without question, Kastro and Stjepan not only changed Paul's life, they extended it. My film largely documents their efforts, which were without question responsible for nearly all of the good moments at the end of Paul's life."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

We just received news that a new Paul Di'Anno album will be released in 2026. It will be his last live album, recorded...

Posted by Paul Di'Anno on Sunday, November 30, 2025

Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME) and Michael Sweet (STRYPER) took part in the second night of this year's "Turkey Jam" on Saturday, November 29 at the Hudson Portuguese Club in Hudson, Massachusetts. Among the tracks which were performed was a cover of KISS's "Shout It Out Loud" as a tribute to late KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. Fan-filmed video of the concert — courtesy of the Steve's Concert Corner channel on YouTube — can be seen below. (Note: After each song, the YouTube player automatically jumps to the next song in the playlist.)

"Turkey Jam" is an annual, family-run rock concert tradition hosted by Bettencourt and his family during Thanksgiving week in Hudson, Massachusetts. The event features the "Bettencourt Clan" performing rock classics for friends and family, celebrating music and togetherness. Tickets often sell out quickly, and the event has been running for several years.

Bettencourt rose to rock superstardom as lead guitarist of the legendary rock band EXTREME. He has parlayed that success into an acclaimed career as a Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum artist, songwriter, and producer, working alongside industry titans such as Sir Paul McCartney, Steven Tyler, Kanye West, Robert Palmer, Rihanna, Janet Jackson and Perry Farrell, among others.

EXTREME's latest studio album, "Six", was released in June 2023 via earMUSIC.

During the October 17 "Tribute To Ace Frehley" episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Nuno spoke about Ace who died a day earlier at the age of 74. He said:  "I don't think any of us really prepare to pass away or prepare for people to go. Some religions, like Buddhists do, which I think is a good thing. But the reason I say this is because it is sad when somebody passe[s] — Ozzy [Osbourne] and now Ace, especially — but, man, think about it for a second. How incredible, what a miracle it's been a run that Ace has had? Even getting [to that age] — I hope I get to the age of 74, you know what I mean? And to do what he's done and to party like he partied and to be able to do the music and to contribute the music that he's gonna have that's gonna live decades and centuries after he's gone, it's quite a run, man. It's a great run."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk how Ace inspired and influenced him as a guitar player, Nuno said: "Listen, Ace came from a very sort of — I call it 'simplexity'. It's not simple and it's not complex. It's simplexity. You're in a place where you play the perfect solos, much like you would hear. You hear in [the American new wave band] THE CARS by Elliot Easton — they're just solos and tasty, memorable things that just happen in songs, which is a lot more difficult to do than the complex stuff. I know that sounds crazy. Everybody thinks you play technical and you play fast, and that's harder. It isn't. It takes a lot more courage and it takes a lot more style to kind of tone it down and play what's right for the song, and that's what Ace did in KISS — memorable riffs, memorable solos. But what was more influential, though, as a kid is… We were listening to musicians before and we wanted to play only play guitar and wanted to be guitarists, but when we saw Ace and when we saw KISS, we started learning how it was to perform, how to put on a show, how to be a bit of a guitar [hero] — what a guitar hero looks like; not just a guitar player. And he changed the game in that way. And so did KISS in general. So imagine being seven, eight years old, six years old, and seeing this and staring, just for hours and hours staring at the 'Destroyer' album cover, the 'Love Gun' album cover. It was a culture that they were giving us. It was character. What they did really almost shaped your childhood, not just musically, but culturally. And you don't realize the impact until somebody passes away and you kind of reflect and you're, like, 'Wow.' You go back to listening to those albums and discovering those songs and just what it did to your life. And there was a bond between you and your friends that were all into KISS that was very different than other bands… It would be one of those things where it was religion."

We’re Baaaaaaack !

The Bettencourt Clan is at it again for yet another year of Thanksgiving and Rock and Roll in our...

Posted by Nuno Bettencourt on Wednesday, September 3, 2025

Fan-filmed video of Tim "Ripper" Owens's (JUDAS PRIEST, KK'S PRIEST, ICED EARTH) November 28 concert at RC Mlyn in Vrútky, Slovakia during his fall 2025 tour can be seen below. Joining him on the trek is a backing band of Nazzareno Zacconi and Emiliano Tessitore on guitar, Francesco Caporaletti on bass and Alessio Palizzi on drums.

In a recent interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, Owens was asked if he has ever thought about writing an autobiography. Tim responded:  "Yeah, I'd like to do one. I just don't know if I can talk about everything in my career. I don't know if it's right. There's bands that can do that because they were known as being — they'd come up in the '70s and '80s, so there's there's things they'd done and in their career and they like to talk about it because they were into that. But I don't know. I don't necessarily wanna throw people under the bus.

"I think it might be a little bit boring 'cause I'm not gonna talk about everything. On the other hand, I guess I do have a lot to talk about, and maybe talking about everything would be a pretty good idea. It could make me look a little more adventurous, too. I can make things up.

"I've said this: I will write a book, but I'm not writing a book that's not paying me. 'Cause I see so many musicians and so many people write books, and I know they haven't made much money from it. I'm not saying I'm gonna be super rich, but I've always said if I'm writing a book, it's paying me — it's paying me to write the book. I'm not just putting it out there to put it out there. I've gotta retire at some point.

"But, yeah, I've had one hell of a career. Just a kid from Akron, Ohio that's done and played with the musicians that I have, and all because of JUDAS PRIEST giving me a break and a chance to sing for 'em. And, yeah, just a book on who I've played with and when I've jammed with them, whether it was Ace Frehley [KISS] or Scott Ian [ANTHRAX] or whoever it's been, it's pretty crazy 'cause, again, I'm still just a fan and a kid from Akron, Ohio that gets to do what I do."

Owens previously discussed the possibility of writing a book in January 2025 in an interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast. He said at the time: "I've never been offered [a book deal]. I'm not writing a book unless I get paid money, 'cause they loosely made a movie about me; I didn't get paid nothing for that. So, they would have to pay me some money. But I don't know how to do it 'cause I don't wanna… I'll probably hurt some feelings doing that book. But I won't spill all the beans. I might be in trouble if I spill all the beans."

He continued: "I would be nice about it. But it is a great story, isn't it? I mean, it's an amazing story. And it's continued to be. I love when people go, 'What have you done since JUDAS PRIEST?' More? I don't know. I've toured the world more. I've played in front of the same amount of crowds, sold more records. This is all after JUDAS PRIEST. So I think it's pretty crazy when someone says, 'What have you done?' Or they diss me by saying, 'Oh, the guy that used to be somebody.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean used…?' I'm doing more now than I ever did in my life. So it's kind of, like, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

"I've done a lot," Owens added. "I said I've been fired from more bands than people have been in, so it's kind of funny. But, yeah, I've met so many great people. And I always say JUDAS PRIEST was my college, and they opened up the door for me to make a living out of it. And I've worked hard at trying to make sure I'm in top form and ready to go."

The 2001 Warner Bros. movie "Rock Star", starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, was loosely based on Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group.

Asked in a 2014 interview with Russia's Classic Rock magazine how much of "Rock Star" was styled after him, Tim said: "When they first [got the idea to do] the 'Rock Star' movie [under its original name 'Metal God'], it was really gonna be about me. And then JUDAS PRIEST pulled away from it, because they didn't like some things. So [the producers] really made their own movie, I think. The similarities were that I auditioned for JUDAS PRIEST and I sang one line of a song and hit a note and made the band. But then a lot of the things, they kind of went out… I mean, I wasn't that kind of fan when I made the band, because I was that kind of crazy kid in high school in the '80s. But this was 1996, so I wasn't living at my parents' with posters on the walls. I mean, it was still pretty cool. I mean, to have a movie loosely based on you is pretty cool."

Regarding whether it was ironic that the "Rock Star" movie became almost prophetic in the sense that Mark Wahlberg's character in the film ends up playing small clubs with his own material after the band's original lead singer rejoins the group, Owens said: "For me, the movie was almost [like real life]. Rob [Halford] came back [to JUDAS PRIEST], which was good for me, to be honest. My career, I went on to do a lot of stuff. It was better for the band, it was better for Rob. So it was kind of funny. I think I became a little bit bigger than the coffee shop singer that Mark Wahlberg was in the movie in the end, just playing there. I still get to play in front of thousands of people in Russia. But it is similar how he went on to do his own thing."

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was given a videotape of Tim performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford, who has since rejoined the band. Asked in an interview with The Vinyl Guide podcast what kind of advice or preparation he had for stepping into those shoes, Owens said: "Well, listen, I was confident. They were confident with my voice. I knew some fans wouldn't like me, but I also knew that I could sing really good, and I could sing really good live. One advantage I felt I had as a singer was I could sing what I recorded in the studio; whatever I recorded, I'm gonna be able to sing that live. And I felt when fans came to the show, they would be happy that they have someone who's coming in the JUDAS PRIEST that could still keep the voice going. So if someone didn't like me, there's nothing I could do. K.K. [Downing, then-PRIEST guitarist] used to always say, ''The proof is in the pudding. Come to the show and see.' And I think a lot of people used to come to the shows and they just couldn't wait to hate me. They hated me showing up and wanted me to fail. And so many of 'em, I'd win 'em over when I started singing, because they could tell that I loved it; I loved what I was singing, and I wanted to do the songs justice. So I always felt confident."

Addressing the fact that the two albums PRIEST recorded with Owens — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — sold poorly, and he was ultimately pushed out to clear the way for the return of Halford, Tim said: "It was a really bad time of heavy metal. So it wasn't like I joined them in the heyday. I mean, when Rob left JUDAS PRIEST, they were playing in front of a couple thousand people on the 'Painkiller' tour, a lot of shows So, it really wasn't a great time of heavy metal. So I understood that, and I understood people would want Rob back. But all I cared about was getting on stage and sound[ing good]. I just wanted the band to be happy and me to be happy with me doing it. That's all I worried about."

He added: "I know a lot of the the musicians at the time, especially the hair metal bands, because hair metal was gone at that time, they hated me in L.A., 'cause they were, like, 'Who's this guy? He comes from Akron, Ohio. What's he done? How's he here?' And I still am the same Ohio guy, [with the] same friends. I have the same attitude. And all of us are the same. I tell musicians this all the time: we're all the same. I mean, nothing different."

Asked if he had any sort of communication or relation with Halford at that time, Owens said: "No, just in the press. They always tried to get us to say mean things and bad things. And every now and then, one of us would say something. Now, this was pre-Internet. So, I couldn't imagine doing that nowadays, how screwed up it would be. But, no, because there was a respect. I don't think Rob liked me much, probably at the time, because someone's going to his band, his songs and singing this, but we always had this respect. And when we met each other, we always had great talks. And I think it made a lot of people mad that we liked each other. I think it made a lot of people mad, and I think it still does. But whenever I've seen him, I love talking to him, and he knows what's going on with me, and he's, like, 'Oh, I see that you're playing in Russia,' whatever."

Tim continued: "Back in those days, [journalists] would have the old tape recorder hidden. Now they could just turn their phone on, and no one would know it. But you would do an interview, and then they go, 'All right, the interview's over.' And then they'd turn the tape recorder off, but they'd have another one going in their pocket trying to get you to say stuff. And you know this, doing interviews, you get people to feel comfortable so you talk like you're friends. And then you just start saying stuff. And I put my foot in my mouth a few times. Oh, now I do all the time, because now — I always do."

In 2019, Owens told Ultimate Guitar that he believes his era of JUDAS PRIEST is largely overlooked. "Yeah, I think it definitely deserves more [attention]," he said. "I mean, they don't do anything. [Laughs] It's kind of amazing that they just totally erased it that they won't play... I mean, 'Burn In Hell' [off 'Jugulator'], the crowd would like to hear 'Burn In Hell'.

"They don't have to give me a tribute or anything, but it would be nice to play a song from... You know, that was a pretty big thing, I did two studio records, two live records, and a DVD, starting from '96 to 2004. So it's kind of crazy that it's just been erased and they won't even play a song from it live, because it is JUDAS PRIEST."

"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs. Released in October 2021, it is the most extensive release of previously unreleased music the band has made from its vast archives.

Tim Ripper Owens 2025 tour dates
**RIPPER in Europe 2025 w/ Dark Horse Prophet
NOVEMBER
27.11 Kino Regis - Bochnia...

Posted by Tim Ripper Owens on Wednesday, November 26, 2025

LIMP BIZKIT played its first concert following bassist Sam Rivers's death Saturday night (November 29) at Explanada Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. Handling the bass duties for the band at the opening show of LIMP BIZKIT's Latin American "Loserville Gringo Papi Tour 2025" was Kid Not (a.k.a. Richie Buxton),a songwriting partner/producer of tour opener Ecca Vandal, who is a singer-songwriter and rapper currently living in Melbourne, Australia.

During the concert, LIMP BIZKIT paid tribute to Rivers with a short video compilation of some of Sam's onstage moments with his bandmates. The surviving LIMP BIZKIT members turned their backs to the large audience to watch the clip before the words "Sam Rivers, our brother forever" appeared on the screen, then changing to "Sam Rivers, we love you forever." The musicians embraced each other at the end of the touching display of respect for their fallen bandmate.

Before taking the stage in Mexico City, LIMP BIZKIT drummer John Otto shared a moving statement online in which he addressed Sam's absence. He wrote: "Today is going to be tough. A first I never wanted to experience. Especially not now.

"You've been there for so many major firsts in my life. Some of my earliest memories were made with you. We grew up together. Laughed together. Realized our dreams together. And traveled the world together. You've always been there. The godfather to my girls, my best friend — my brother. There will never be another you.

"We're going to honor the life you lived and the love you spread with every show we play. You'll always be with us.

"Thank you to our fans for all the messages of support and tributes to Sam. It means the world to us.

"This one's for you Sammy."

LIMP BIZKIT has a few more shows to play in December as part of the aforementioned "Loserville Gringo Papi Tour 2025". They will perform in Costa Rica on December 2, Colombia on December 5, Peru on December 9, Chile on December 13, Argentina on December 16, and Brazil on December 20. Support on the trek is coming from BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, 311, Ecca Vandal, RIFF RAFF and SLAY SQUAD.

Rivers passed away on October 18 at the age of 48, He reportedly died in the bathroom of his Florida home, according to an incident report obtained by TMZ. The report revealed that a deputy from the St. Johns County Sheriff's Department in St. Augustine said a caller informed police that she found the musician face down in his bathroom just before she dialed 911.

LIMP BIZKIT, which was founded by Rivers and frontman Fred Durst in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1994, announced the bassist's passing in an Instagram post on October 18.

"Today we lost our brother. Our bandmate. Our heartbeat," the statement began. "Sam Rivers wasn't just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound.

"From the first note we ever played together, Sam brought a light and a rhythm that could never be replaced," the statement — which was signed by his bandmates Durst, Wes Borland, Otto and DJ Lethal — continued. "His talent was effortless, his presence unforgettable, his heart enormous."

The group went on to remember Rivers as a "once-in-a-lifetime kind of human" and a "true legend of legends."

"His spirit will live forever in every groove, every stage, every memory," Rivers's bandmates added. "We love you, Sam. We'll carry you with us, always."

Rivers left LIMP BIZKIT in 2015 for health reasons that he later revealed were liver ailments due to alcohol abuse.

"I got liver disease from excessive drinking … I had to leave LIMP BIZKIT in 2015 because I felt so horrible, and a few months after that I realized I had to change everything because I had really bad liver disease," Rivers revealed in Jon Wiederhorn's book "Raising Hell (Backstage Tales From The Lives Of Metal Legends)". "I quit drinking and did everything the doctors told me. I got treatment for the alcohol and got a liver transplant, which was a perfect match."

Rivers recalled doctors warning him that he would die without quitting alcohol. "It got so bad I had to go to UCLA Hospital, and the doctor said, 'If you don't stop, you're going to die. And right now, you're looking like you need a new liver.'"

Sam rejoined LIMP BIZKIT in 2018 and remained in the group until his death.

He performed his last concert with LIMP BIZKIT in August at the Leeds festival in the U.K.

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MACHINE HEAD kicked off its 2025 Australian tour Saturday night (November 29) at Astor Theatre in Perth. The band is playing the first three shows of the November/December trek as a three-piece after the guitarist MACHINE HEAD had hired for the run was forced to pull out of the tour due to a "family emergency".

The setlist for MACHINE HEAD's concert in Perth was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Imperium
02. Ten Ton Hammer
03. Choke On The Ashes Of Your Hate
04. Now We Die
05. Is There Anybody Out There?
06. Not Long For This World
07. Crashing Around You
08. Unhallowed
09. Aesthetics Of Hate
10. Now I Lay Thee Down
11. Old
12. Outsider
13. Locust
14. Bonescraper
15. Circle The Drain (acoustic)
16. Darkness Within (acoustic)
17. Catharsis
18. From This Day
19. Davidian
20. Halo

On Wednesday (November 26),MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn released a video message in which he explained: "These are gonna be some pretty unique shows that we're doing for the first three [Good Things festival] side shows in Australia because the guitar player that we had hired to do these six dates ended up having a family emergency. And so, as you know from before, Reece's [Alan Scruggs, former MACHINE HEAD touring guitarist] father was recently diagnosed with lung cancer, and so he's staying home. [MACHINE HEAD producer] Zack [Ohren], who fills in [on guitar] for us sometimes, couldn't make it out because he had a health issue. And then this guy had something going on. So these first three Good Things festival side shows that MACHINE HEAD are doing are going to be played as a three-piece. It's gonna be myself, Jared [MacEachern, bass] and Matt [Alston, drums]. And it's gonna be basically 'Electric Happy Hour' style, which is how Jared and I have been doing the livestreams for five years now. In fact, this isn't the first time at all that we've played as a three-piece. The first time we did a secret show at Bloodstock [Open Air] festival, we played as a three-piece. It was just myself, Jared and Matt. Reece's first tour that he did with us, he had been given a very bizarre setlist, and we ended up playing about six or seven songs a night for the first two weeks as a three-piece, and it worked out cool."

Flynn continued: "So, I'm actually looking forward to it because it's still gonna be 'An Evening With' show where we've got a lot of songs to pull from. We're gonna do some deep cuts, some fun stuff. And if you're coming out to either Perth or Sunshine Coast or Canberra, you're gonna get a pretty, pretty unique, pretty once-in-a-lifetime viewing of MACHINE HEAD shows.

"So come on out, come hang Saturday, Monday and then Wednesday — Perth, Sunshine Coast and Canberra. And we're gonna be jamming. So check it out."

The following MACHINE HEAD Australian shows will also be played as a three-piece:

Dec. 01 - The Station, Sunshine Coast
Dec. 03 - UC Refectory, Canberra

MACHINE HEAD will also perform at the Good Things festival, which will take place at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne on December 5, Sydney Showground, Sydney on December 6 and Brisbane Showgrounds, Brisbane on December 7.

It is not presently clear who will play second guitar for MACHINE HEAD at the Good Things shows.

Earlier this week, MACHINE HEAD announced a European headlining tour for the spring of 2026. Dubbed "An Evening With…", the trek will see the Flynn-fronted outfit revive its three-hour show format, performing without support acts to deliver an exhaustive set of anthems, deep cuts and fan favorites.

This past June, Scruggs announced that he would sit out MACHINE HEAD's summer 2025 European tour in order to stay home with his father, who had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Playing guitar for MACHINE HEAD at various shows on the trek were Ohren and DECAPITATED's Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka.

Kiełtyka, who joined MACHINE HEAD's lineup prior to the launch of the band's "Burn My Eyes" 25th-anniversary tour in late 2019, left the Flynn-fronted act in February 2024 and was replaced by Scruggs, who has previously filled in for Vogg on a couple of tours.

Reece made his live debut with MACHINE HEAD in November 2022 at Strummer's in Fresno, California at the opening show of the "Electric Happy Hour (Live)" tour.

MACHINE HEAD's eleventh studio album, "Unatoned", came out in April 2025 via Nuclear Blast/Imperium Recordings.

MACHINE HEAD live at the Astor Theatre this Saturday - 29th November 2025.

Undisputed masters of murderous riffs,...

Posted by Astor Theatre Perth on Sunday, November 23, 2025

During an appearance on a recent episode of the Talk Louder podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS),TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick spoke about the band's latest album, "Para Bellum", which marks the recording debut with the group of powerhouse drummer Chris Dovas. Working closely with guitarist Eric Peterson throughout the writing process, Dovas helped shape song structures, accelerated the workflow, and injected a level of versatility that amplifies the album's modern edge without straying from the TESTAMENT sound. Regarding how Chris came to join TESTAMENT, Alex said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I have to give credit to Eric Peterson, the band founder and guitarist, 'cause he found Chris online. And it would be very easy [to find someone well-known] — we have so many friends in the community now. And, of course, all our phones blow up, drummers we know: 'Hey, man…'"

Skolnick continued: "[Eric and Chris] were in in touch. Eric was looking at these guys. And he was kind of leaning towards getting somebody young, getting somebody that'll fire us up, that knows our stuff, but also is very in touch with what's going on now, groups that are sort of millennial and even maybe Gen Z. One of our friends that hit us up was our great buddy Dave Lombardo [ex-SLAYER], who's one of the greatest drummers of all time. And he sort of just became available as we were starting this tour cycle, and Gene Hoglan [now-former TESTAMENT drummer] was overly booked. And this was partially because of the pandemic, 'cause all the plans got shifted. So all our 2020 plans, by 2022 and 2023, that calendar is getting filled with plans from 2020. But Gene already had his 2022, and so forth, plans laid out after the TESTAMENT record cycle. So suddenly he had this conflict, and that was what led to him departing. And then suddenly Dave was available. We did the tour with Dave. It was amazing, and we've gotten to be even be better friends, but when it came to doing the next record and doing the cycle and spending hours upon hours in a room with Eric as he works out his riffs — 'cause Eric really likes to work out riffs with a live drummer — Dave, he was spread too thin between MR. BUNGLE, the MISFITS and various other things. And even during the tour, we had to have a sub for him for a few shows. So when we did, Chris was the sub."

Skolnick added: "Chris came out, and I have to say, that's a tall order, filling in for Lombardo and explaining to the fans, 'Sorry, Dave will not be making an appearance tonight.' It's like an understudy in a play… So, he was the understudy… And nobody complained after the shows. I remember just thinking about this: 'Everybody's happy. I can't picture them being any happier had Dave been able to make it.' So, okay, that really says something. So, yeah, he's fired us up. He's brought a whole new flavor. There's definitely more extreme music there [on 'Para Bellum']. And I think it's good. We have enough music now of the classic TESTAMENT. And some of those songs [on 'Para Bellum'] do venture into that territory. But I'm glad — I'm glad we're going into new territory, and doing it with a musician on that level just makes it really exciting."

Two months ago, Eric spoke to Alex Stojanovic of Metal Master Kingdom about his musical chemistry with Chris, who is less than half his age, having been born in 1998, 11 years after the release of TESTAMENT's debut album. Eric said: "Well, we're in modern times, so everyday life is the same for everybody. But, yeah, it's not like I'm getting somebody from Elvis's [Presley] band in the '50s and I'm in the '70s and I'm a hippie. It used to be really decades apart, but for some reason in the 2000s everything's kind of not really changed, if that makes any sense. And I think from his schooling and his dad's a metalhead, he was very much influenced and listens to the same kind of stuff we did. I mean, the first question I would ask someone of that age is, 'Have you ever tripped on DEEP PURPLE or UFO?' Or, 'What about RUSH? He's all, 'RUSH. I love 'Hemispheres'.' And I'm, like, 'Dude, that's my favorite record.' So the technicality of those kind of records. And then, of course, for me in TESTAMENT, I'm probably the only one that listens to [black metal bands like] DISSECTION and EMPEROR and knows about WATAIN and stuff like that. I don't think any of the other guys listen to that, but Chris is, like, 'Oh, yeah.' So right away we're just like two peas in a pod."

Released on October 10 via Nuclear Blast Records, "Para Bellum" was recorded with Juan Urteaga, mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, and was mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios. TESTAMENT once again enlisted Eliran Kantor to create the album artwork.

In a new four-hour interview with the Turned Out A Punk podcast, EYEHATEGOD frontman Mike Williams, who underwent a successful liver-transplant surgery in 2016, opened up about his rough life, including his heroin addiction, poverty, incarceration, depression and being caught in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When I was [in my] twenties, maybe, or even before that, I kind of wanted to die. There was suicidal thoughts a lot, and even up into my thirties and whatever, and off and on my whole life. But after the liver transplant where I almost actually did die, I just realized that there's a lot of cool people out there and there's a lot of people that love me, I guess to say — which is true, as friends. I've got a lot of friends, and it made me appreciate being alive more. And that kind of in turn helped me to get more sober and stay that way. And I still drink occasionally, but it's only on tour — White Claws [hard seltzer], maybe. But, yeah, I'm trying. All you can do is try. But that made me wanna try — almost actually dying. I was, like, man, all the support I got, people on all the social media stuff, people [were], like, 'Please don't die,', I felt that. It's touching, the whole thing."

Mike continued: "All the people who want me to be a nihilist 24-7 are gonna hate me saying that I wanted to live, but I did. That changed my whole outlook on life. There's a lot of stuff to do. There's more to do. There's more to see. It's just a lot.

"People get mad because I'm not the same way I used to be," Williams added. "I get it from both sides. I get it from the 'woke' people who are ultra woke, and I get it from the right wing. They're mad at me for one thing. And it's, like, I'm just being myself, man. I'm for human rights. Sorry, people.

"If you're a musician or an artist or sculpt or anything, you don't always do the same thing. You evolve, you mature over time and you're not gonna stick to the same way you were or the what your music sounds like either."

After Williams was hospitalized for liver failure and subsequently received a transplant, EYEHATEGOD hit the road for an extended three-year global tour, only to have that cut short when the coronavirus closed down the world in March 2020.

EYEHATEGOD's first new album in seven years, "A History Of Nomadic Behavior", arrived in March 2021 via Century Media Records.

"A History Of Nomadic Behavior" was produced by EYEHATEGOD, Sanford Parker (YOB, VOIVOD) and James Whitten (THOU, HIGH ON FIRE),with mixing by Whitten. The band recorded at HighTower Recording and Hypercube studios. The artwork for the LP was created by Gary Mader and Mike Williams.

Mike was first told that his liver was failing in December 2014 while he was on tour with his CORRECTIONS HOUSE project. His health improved in the following twelve months, but he suffered setbacks in 2015 and in early 2016.

Williams's tales of drug abuse, excess and struggles with the authorities have been well publicized over the years. The longtime New Orleans resident was arrested after Hurricane Katrina for drug possession, detoxed from heroin in prison and lived for a short time on former PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo's property. Williams, who worked as an associate editor for Metal Maniacs in the 1990s and has written for numerous underground music magazines, published his first book, "Cancer As A Social Activity: Affirmations Of World's End", in 2005.

Williams was forced to miss more than a dozen EYEHATEGOD shows in the summer of 2016 and fall 2016 due to his health issues. He was temporarily replaced by Anselmo for two dates in August 2016 and LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe for eleven gigs in October 2016.

Photo credit: Robb Duchemin (courtesy of The Noise Cartel

During a November 15 presentation at the "KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" event at the Virgin Hotels casino and resort complex in Las Vegas, KISS avatar show creative director Thierry Coup — co-founder of the experiential design and innovation studio JOCOUP Creative, which is partnering with Pophouse Entertainment (a Swedish investment company who acquired the KISS catalog for more than $300 million in 2024) and Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to create what's being advertised as an "immersive, next-generation concert experience" — shared some updates on the current status of the show.

The KISS avatar show was initially teased at the conclusion of the final show of the band's five-year "End Of The Road" farewell tour, which took place at New York City's Madison Square Garden in December of 2023. Coup said (as transcribed by Clay Marshall for BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we did the MSG moment at the end, it was really to spark the idea of what was going to come in the future, and to really tell everyone that KISS is only done with the first chapter — the first 50 years. The next 50 years is about to start. Now, we're right in the middle of developing the real avatar [show], which takes about two years. We are developing the stage and taking this energy and this incredible KISS explosive theatrics and shows into the future."

He added that the goal of the avatar show is to capture the "DNA" of KISS's live performances so that future generations of fans can experience the band in concert. "Many, many years ago, what blew me away was when I went to my first KISS concert," he said. "It just changed my life. I knew KISS's music, but you don't know KISS until you see them live. It took me into their world... For me, to be lucky enough to be involved with creating this avatar show, it's like a dream come true. When Pophouse came along a couple of years ago asking me, 'Do you want to create the biggest, most incredible tour in the world and blow it up with pyrotechnics,' [I said,] 'Yeah, of course — I'm in. Count me in'... The past 30 years, I've been creating big, crazy, immersive shows [and] multimedia shows. If you've flown with Harry Potter or ridden with Mario in his Mario Kart or been chased by a dinosaur at Universal [Studios], I was probably involved with that. For me to be asked to do this, it's fantastic. I love KISS, [and] I love KISS's music. I think there's no better band to really go into the future like this and keep inspiring new fans."

Coup revealed that the process of creating the avatars for the four band members is still ongoing, but that the final product will closely mirror reality. "The band is going to be as real as it ever was," he said. "They're a little younger than they are today, but that's all about really taking everything we know about KISS, about the band members, looking at archives, working with the band about who they really are and who they were, and bringing all that to life so when you see them, this is not just going to be animation or recreation. This is KISS, with all the love, the energy coming to life."

Coup said that the avatar show will portray KISS doing what they do best — performing. "KISS is going to be back on tour," he said. "This is what we're creating — the band is going to be back, but bigger. They were already bigger than life — they're superheroes — and what we're doing is bringing the stage to another dimension, being able to explore things that could not be possible. With the technology today, we are able to do a lot more, but it's all true [to] KISS. KISS has innovated — they've always looked forward; they've never looked backwards — so we are doing the same thing. We're working with Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons], so we know what their dreams were. They were able to achieve a lot of that, but now we can take it to a new level. Really, we want everyone – new and old fans – to come to this show, to this real-life KISS concert, and feel like, 'Oh my God. This is KISS.' This is kind of passing the torch to the next era, the next generation. I want to see every kid walk in this show and feel the same [way] I felt the first time you went to a KISS show — 'Oh my God. This is incredible. I want more. I'll never forget this moment.' Creating that moment that we all felt the first time we went to those concerts, that's what I'm in for; that's what we're all in for with Pophouse. We're super-excited about it."

Longtime KISS manager Doc McGhee said that the avatar show gives KISS the opportunity to extend their legacy indefinitely. "When we looked at how we were going to end the career of KISS, it was like, you look and you see [LED] ZEPPELIN and you see all the rest of them that just kind of fade away," he said. "As we're looking, I went, 'I don't know what we can possibly do,' until this technology came from Pophouse. This was three years ago [when] we found Pophouse. I flew over to Sweden, and they showed me this whole thing they did with 'ABBA Voyage'. It was perfect. We always wanted to do the Marvel [Comics-like], going-into-the-future [ending], to keep them immortal. With their makeup and everything else, they look the same in 1974 as they do now with makeup — a little fatter, but that's what spandex is for. [We thought], 'Wow, this would be unbelievable if we could be the first band to ever do this.' It just was a match made in heaven, and now, with the technology of today, we can do it. The best part is with KISS, it's like, if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing. All of our shows, we put 100 pounds of shit in a five-pound bag every night. We spend a lot of money doing this stuff — for the fans, and for us, because we want to be over-the-top. This technology can even do it further than what we did before."

Back in October 2024, Stanley told "Steve-O's Wild Ride!" podcast about his vision for the KISS avatar show: "What we'll be doing with these amazing avatars will take us to another place, another level. Now, those images [that were previewed at the end of KISS's final gig at] the Garden were really — I had mixed feelings about showing those because they're so early on, they look nothing like that. I mean, the avatars are identical. I mean, they look like us. And I think the idea was really just to show people that we're going to move on and continue, but it won't be like that. And what we're putting together with George Lucas and Pophouse, this amazing company out of Sweden, is an immersive experience that you'll come to, and there'll be heat and fire and wind and things flying around."

Stanley continued: "The idea of us making a recreation of a concert, I mean, how long can you look and go, 'Wow, that looks just like an amplifier'? That's not what we're doing. I would say it's Cirque Du Soleil meets 'Star Wars' and a KISS concert. So it's gonna be amazing."

Paul also talked about KISS's decision to sell its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse. Asked if he and Simmons will remain involved in the way the KISS brand is promoted and marketed going forward, Stanley said: "They want us involved, which is smart. And also it's a way to ensure, I hate to say purity, but a focus.

"Look, we got it this far," he explained. "And, they had no intentions of just taking it and them riding off into the sunset. This is a collaboration, and [it's] never been done before. I mean, bands sell publishing, songwriters sell their song rights. I dare say that there's not a band I can think of where anybody wants to buy the band's likeness and the logos and everything that goes with it."

Paul added: "You have to imagine that for us to create something and nurture it through the good and the bad for 50 years and then give it to a [someone else], it's like leaving home. Yeah, it's leaving home. But I'm still who I was. If I was the Starchild before, I'm Starchild now. That doesn't change. I'm who I've been. And it's such a unique situation that I don't think anybody else can ever fathom the magnitude, because people have a hard time giving up their publishing; that's like their babies. Well, we gave up our babies and the house and the block."

When Steve-O noted that the deal with Pophouse is a way to really ensure that the KISS legacy continues the way that he and Gene want it to, Stanley concurred. "Exactly," he said. "And to keep it going, as you said, continuously. Bands — I don't wanna say shelf life, but bands only have a certain amount of lifespan. Certain bands certainly live on through their music. What are we listening to inside? ZEPPELIN or THE BEATLES. But KISS is so unique, to keep it at the level we want it to be and for the personas to live on, this was a great way to do it. I had no thoughts of selling publishing — that didn't appeal to me — but this is kind of like finding, I don't wanna say foster parents, but we researched and did our due diligence and our homework and spent a lot of time with Pophouse also, and they're great people and totally understand what we are and what we're doing and what we wanna be."

In September 2024, Stanley was asked by Billboard's "Behind The Setlist" podcast about the reports that the KISS avatar show will debut in 2027 in Las Vegas. Paul said: "What I can tell you is that the technology that's being used, which is a furthering of the technology used on the ABBA show, has to be installed and basically a building has to be built around it. So this isn't something where you're in Kansas City today, and tomorrow you fly with your projector to do it. It demands an arena, so to speak that's really solely used for a show like this. But it's not something that can play on Wednesdays and Thursdays or Saturdays and Sundays, and then something else is in there during the week."

Asked if there is going to be a live music element to the KISS avatar show, like "ABBA Voyage" has, Paul said: "I really can't tell you the ultimate technology that we'll be using. We're sitting down in in the very near future just to start to fine-tune the show and the presentation. And then how we project the music or utilize the music, as far as technology, will be decided."

Regarding KISS's apparent willingness to fully embrace modern technology, Simmons told Rockast: "Well, everything evolves. We didn't always stand up on two legs. A few million years ago, we were on four legs. Everything evolves, and you either evolve or you become obsolete or you die. So technology is here. A.I. is here. Virtual reality is here. Everything is here. And we don't wanna be yesterday's news. So even the end of something can be the beginning of something. But we're very excited — and proud. I keep saying proud, because that's what it is."

In April 2024, Simmons told People magazine that KISS's decision to sell its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse was the "natural thing" to do. "Life happens while you're busy making important plans," he explained. "We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we've been touring, we had been touring for half a century.

"If you take a look at Mother Nature, you either evolve or you become extinct," he added.

While terms of the Pophouse deal were not officially announced, Bloomberg and Associated Press said it was worth upwards of $300 million. However, Simmons insisted that financial gain is "not what [the sale is] about. It's about enjoying life," while adding, "I'm certainly blessed."

In a separate interview with TMZ, Simmons defended KISS's plans for an avatar concert similar to ABBA's with digital versions of the group.

"A.I. [artificial intelligence] is here to stay," he said. "Technology is here to stay. And you either join in and try to adapt and try to figure out how that works with you or you're just yesterday's news in a very real way.

"Truthfully, KISS has stopped touring," he continued. "We will never tour as KISS again. However, the end is also the beginning. We're gonna do things that will blow your socks off. But we couldn't do this without our new best friends for life Pophouse. They're really remarkable people."

When the interviewer asked if fans will embrace the concept of a concert that is A.I.-driven and consists of nothing but holograms, Gene said: "It's not just, 'Okay, they're gonna show up on stage just like they did before, but it's holograms. No. That's an archaic term. Technology has advanced so far, you won't believe it.

"We spent some time at George Lucas's place and did motion capture stuff secretly," he continued. "We didn't talk to anybody — media or anything — about it, because we wanted this to be like nothing anybody's ever seen. And I will tell you, if you've seen the ABBA show in London, which is phenomenal, this is gonna be beyond anything you've ever seen.

"So the future is here, and with our friends at Pophouse, who are visionaries, we're gonna be doing things that no band and no musical — nobody's ever done before," Gene added. "Our events are going to be multi, I wanna say multidimensional. You just won't believe your eyes. Things are gonna be so much larger than life in front of you. You won't believe it. We've already seen the first fragments of that. It's just jaw-droppingly amazing."

Working closely with KISS, Pophouse will follow its unique, value-add approach of drawing upon its world-class, in-house creative and storytelling expertise to unlock new audiences and revenue streams. Pophouse will use its proven, industry-defining playbook to create new content and experiences to enrich the KISS catalog for fans, old and new, actively seeking to enrich and add value to the brands and artists it partners with. Inclusivity and community have always been vital to the KISS experience, and Pophouse is committed to nurture the close relationship between KISS and its devoted fans moving forward.

Johan Lagerlöf, head of investment at Pophouse, said: "KISS is one of the most recognized and iconic bands in the history of music. They redefined the concept of rock shows and have always taken their artistry to new uncharted territories. The band has consistently been able to appeal to new generations of fans and our mission is to fulfill the band's vision to become immortal, and to let new generations discover and be part of the KISS journey and carry it forward. With the help of the fans' energy, the band, our expertise, and creativity we will make that vision happen."

Per Sundin, CEO at Pophouse Entertainment, said: "KISS has sold more than 100 million records worldwide and has throughout their 50-year career continued to push the boundaries in popular culture. The band's enigmatic personas, unparalleled band attributes, and iconic imagery have made them a cultural force and a legendary act with multigenerational appeal. We will safeguard and enrich this legacy through future global endeavors, by breathing new life into their characters and personas while also leveraging and elevating the visual world of KISS."

As part of the partnership, Pophouse will create digital versions of KISS that will allow the band and their unique personas to live forever. The project, already underway, was previewed at the final KISS show in Madison Square Garden, New York on December 2, 2023, when, to the audience's surprise, KISS avatars closed the night with a rendition of "God Gave Rock And Roll To You" (resulting in international headlines). Through a magical combination of cutting-edge technology and unrivalled creativity, Pophouse will bring the full, authentic KISS experience to both existing and new fans for years to come.

Stanley said in a statement: "Our journey with Pophouse is fueled by the desire to eternally resonate across diverse facets of global culture. As we embark on this venture, we aim to weave our legacy into the tapestry of different worlds, ensuring that the KISS experience continues to captivate both our devoted fans and those yet to discover the thrill. This partnership is not just a chapter; it's an eternal symphony of rock 'n' roll immortality."

"KISS Kruise: Landlocked In Vegas" is taking place November 14-16 at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas.

This special KISS Army fan event, co-produced by Pophouse, Topeka and Vibee celebrates the band's five-decade career and the 50th anniversary of the KISS Army. In addition to KISS's "unmasked" performances, the weekend includes appearances from QUIET RIOT, Stephen Pearcy and Warren DeMartini performing the music of RATT, Bruce Kulick, Sebastian Bach, BLACK 'N BLUE, KUARANTINE, School Of Rock and more.

KISS had previously set a 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022 but ultimately canceled all of the dates.

Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden "End Of The Road" concert would mark "the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."

In a new interview with The Adventures Of Pipeman, RAVEN's co-founding lead vocalist and bassist John Gallagher spoke about his band's cover of METALLICA's "Metal Militia" for the recently released "No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All". Regarding how he and his bandmates came to record the track, John said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we were actually recording — it was the last album; it wasn't the [2025 'Can't Take Away The Fire'] EP, it was the last album, [2023's] 'All Hell's Breaking Loose'. And it was the first record for Silver Lining. And they said, 'As part of the deal here, could you guys do a METALLICA cover for a METALLICA cover album we're doing? And there's gonna be DIAMOND HEAD and SAXON.' And we're, like, 'Yeah. Why not? That'd be fun. But what song?' And they give us a choice of, like — I don't know — four or five songs, and it was, like, 'Metal Militia'. That's the craziest song. 'Let's do that and let's rev it up and let's have twist.' So we put a few things in, and, unfortunately, they made us take a few things out because of standards and practices and synchronization rights. And so I can't even tell you. I can tell you there was a bit at the end, which was really funny, and we had to take it off, unfortunately. But we did get to do a jazz version of a song at the beginning, which no one will be able to figure out, but we know what it is. I had to slip a little bit of Cliff [Burton, late METALLICA bassist] in the middle. And we changed the arrangement — added a few extra riffs and cut a few down and RAVEN-ized it. But it's still true to the original, 'cause the original's crazy. So we wanted to keep that spirit."

John continued: "One thing that came right up is Mike [Heller, RAVEN drummer] went, 'Mark [Gallagher, RAVEN guitarist] should sing this. He's got the voice for this.' I'm, like, 'Yeah, you're absolutely right.' 'Cause he's got that rough kind of Bon Scott[-type voice]. And for this, he actually sounds like James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] on half of it. It's hilarious. That's the first time Mark sung lead since 'Rock Hard' back in 1982. It's like the secret weapon — absolutely. [It was] long overdue. So we got to do that. I sing harmonies for a change, and it was just great. And Mike's insane on it, on the drums, of course. So, it was a no-brainer for us. We banged that up, the arrangement, very quickly. We said, 'What do you think of this?' 'Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.' Boom. Everyone stuck their 10 cents into it there. [It was] great fun. And did it and forgot all about it until it was, like, 'Yeah, finally. The other bands have done their stuff, so it's gonna come out. It's coming out in, like, three weeks. Can you do a video?' We were, like, 'What?' So we said, 'Well, there's the METALLICA connection. We have a strong connection with METALLICA from day one. Let's use video from the show we did with them a couple of years ago in Fort Lauderdale, the tribute to [Megaforce Records founders] Jon and Marsha Zazula, [and] a bunch of classic photographs. So that's definitely a freeze frame. 'What's this? What's this? What's this?' So it bears repeated viewing, for sure."

"No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All" unites METALLICA's favorites, their peers and the generations that came next. METALLICA's first proper tour was with RAVEN in 1983, on the famous "Kill 'Em All For One" venture. Thus, it is only fitting that RAVEN is featured on the album with its powerfully unapologetic rendition of "Metal Militia". With unrelenting energy and raw precision, RAVEN channels the ferocity of the original while stamping their own unmistakable identity on the track — a bold statement that captures the spirit and intensity of the entire album.

In a January 2025 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, John Gallagher talked about METALLICA opening for RAVEN back in 1983 and 1984. Asked what his thoughts were about METALLICA at the time, John said: "Yeah, they were good. They were energetic. They were like a gang, which is always appealing 'cause we were, obviously, like a gang. It wasn't the mentality of a one guy starting a band and putting adverts out and having a bunch of mercenaries come in. There was none of that. They were a gang. But as far as, 'Do you see them in — whatever — 10 years being the greatest thing since sliced bread?' It's, like, no, not a chance. And to be fair, the band that you could have said that with was at least a good year away because they really changed on the second record. It showed some maturity and breadth and the ability to do different things other than just [playing fast] all the way through. So, they sat, they learned and they soaked it all in and they did a whole bunch of stuff."

John continued: "They said to us on the tour, 'We love your 'All For One' album because you've broadened your sound without compromising who you are.' I was, like, 'Oh, well, I guess we did. Okay.' So they did kind of the same thing. They stretched out and did 'Fade To Black', which was, like, 'This is really cool. This is different.' Some slower-paced songs — still fast stuff, but mixed it up a bit."

He added: "We had a long conversation with James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] a couple of years ago up at METALLICA HQ [in Northern California]; we visited there. And [he was] very humble and very, 'I don't know how this all happened, but we're very grateful and humbled that it did. And we're gonna continue to do the best we can.' You can't ask for more than that."

Gallagher also spoke about what it was like for RAVEN to open for METALLICA at a November 2022 concert at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida celebrating the life, legacy, and achievements of Megaforce Records founder Jon "Jonny Z" Zazula and his wife Marsha Zazula. He said: "Yeah, that was really cool. That was for a good purpose because Jon and Marsha Zazula, who managed them and managed us, made a huge difference in both our careers. Absolutely. And it was good to recognize and celebrate that. And they were so good… And we got to hang out for a long time and talk. And it's really surprising about the level that they're at and the things they've went through that it's the same guys. That's pretty cool."

Considered part of the "New Wave Of British Heavy Metal" movement of the early '80s, RAVEN is perhaps best remembered for its trailblazing tours in America in the early '80s that gave groups like METALLICA and ANTHRAX their first taste of the road.

RAVEN's classic albums "Rock Until You Drop", "Wiped Out" and "All For One" virtually invented both the speed metal and power metal genres, with the band consistently pushing the envelope while retaining its unique sound and attack — both in the studio and in their true element: onstage.

In a 2005 post on RAVEN's official message board, John stated about RAVEN's influence on other pioneering metal bands: "Anyone ever listen to the middle of 'Aces High' by IRON MAIDEN and compare it to part of 'Faster Than The Speed Of Light' [by RAVEN]? How about the chorus riff of METALLICA's 'No Remorse' to [RAVEN's] 'Lambs To The Slaughter'?? Makes me laugh...!"

"No Life 'Til Leather - A Tribute To Metallica's Kill 'Em All" track listing:

01. Hit The Lights - TAILGUNNER
02. The Four Horsemen - THE ALMIGHTY
03. Motorbreath - SOEN
04. Jump In The Fire - TYGERS OF PAN TANG
05. (Anesthesia - Pulling Teeth - DAVID ELLEFSON
06. Whiplash - MOTÖRHEAD
07. Phantom Lord - SAXON
08. No Remorse - DIAMOND HEAD
09. Seek & Destroy - TESTAMENT
10. Metal Militia - RAVEN

Image credit: Capital Chaos TV

In a new interview with Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show, ATREYU vocalist Brandon Saller was asked if he and his bandmates, like some other artists, have taken a step in their lyrics in recent years toward activism and calling for change. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think we've ever been a very political band. I almost just see this more as an escape from that. I think that our band and our shows and our music can kind of be an escape from all that white noise. Especially now, it's such a violent and chaotic sort of downward spiral of shit that I'd rather offer someone an escape from that than stand on a soapbox and try to yell my views about one thing or the other. It's, like, I'd rather just give people a way to forget that for a second, 'cause there's enough of that."

Saller also talked about what metal and hardcore fans can do to make the scene more inclusive, welcoming and safe for women, trans and for non-binary people. He said: "I think it's the understanding that, especially in metal and hardcore specifically, we have to remember that these are countercultures. These are cultures of music that were built on the back of people being different, but being able to come together for something. So I don't think you can be selective with what that something is, you know what I mean? Unfortunately, we've said it a couple times already in this interview, the world's a really ugly place, I think, right now. So I don't know that there's ever not gonna be communities of people feeling sort of marginalized or cast out. But I think in these specific places, I think if people just remember, like I said, this is a counterculture. This was never the norm. This was never the population of pop culture. This was never the majority of people — this was all the outcasts and the weirdos, and the people that had nothing else that they felt connected to came to metal and hardcore. This is how this was created. You can't be selective of who's allowed in. I think if people can just remember that, then it'd be better off."

Earlier this month, ATREYU shared a music video for the band's latest single "Dead", a visual companion to the group's first release in over two years. The clip was directed, filmed, edited and produced by Sean Stiegemeier.

After ATREYU blacked out the band's social media in September and posted the letters "R.I.P.", some fans speculated that the California metallers were breaking up. However, ATREYU later revealed that the tease was actually for "Dead".

ATREYU kicked off its current tour on November 4 in Mesa, Arizona and will wrap it on December 12 in Pomona, California. The trek marks the 21st anniversary of ATREYU's 2004 album "The Curse". A true breakthrough moment for the band, "The Curse" delivered staples like "Bleeding Mascara", "Right Side Of The Bed" and "The Crimson", which are songs that helped cement ATREYU as one of the defining forces in the mid-2000s metalcore scene.

Since forming around the turn of the millennium, ATREYU has pushed well beyond their DIY roots — earning multiple RIAA gold records, Top 20 Billboard 200 debuts, and spots on major film and video-game soundtracks. Their latest album, "The Beautiful Dark Of Life" (2023, Spinefarm),debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard's Top Hard Rock Albums and has already racked up over 75 million streams, with singles like "Gone" and "Watch Me Burn" lighting up rock radio and flagship playlists like Spotify's "Volume" and Apple Music's "The Riff."

ATREYU is:

Brandon Saller - lead vocals
Dan Jacobs - guitar
Travis Miguel - guitar
Porter McKnight - bass/vocals

Florida death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION have returned to a five-piece lineup, featuring Deron Miler on vocals/guitar, Jesse Jolly on bass/vocals, Chris Cannella on guitar, Ronnie Parmer on drums and Phil Fasciana on guitar.

Earlier today (Saturday, November 29),MALEVOLENT CREATION released the following statement via social media: "It is official!! MALEVOLENT CREATION has returned to a 5 piece with Deron Miler returning on vocals/guitar, Jesse Jolly bass/vocals, Chris Cannella guitars, Ronnie Parmer drums and Phil Fasciana guitars. We feel this will be the best way to retain the classic MC sound and now with 3 guitars we can do things we have wanted to do but never could. 3 part guitar harmonies and playing songs that have not been played in many years.

"We're going to start working on our 14th studio album in January and there will be no live shows in 2026 (never say never) but finishing our new album is top priority.

"Let's welcome Deron Miller back into the band and this line up should be very intense on our new album 'Return Fire'."

Last month, Fasciana publicly apologized to his bandmates, family and touring crew after mixing alcohol with prescription medication, which left him unfit to continue MALEVOLENT CREATION's recent North American tour.

This past summer, Fasciana was hospitalized while touring in France after developing a life-threatening bacterial pneumonia that left him in a coma.

Fasciana is the sole remaining original member of MALEVOLENT CREATION, which formed in in Buffalo, New York in 1986 and later relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest album, "The 13th Beast", was released in January 2019 via Century Media. It was the band's sole disc to feature drummer Phil Cancilla and vocalist/guitarist Lee Wollenschlaeger.

Former MALEVOLENT CREATION frontman Bret Hoffmann died in July 2018 after a battle with stage 4 colon cancer. He was only 51 years old.

Bret performed on the first three MALEVOLENT CREATION releases until he left the band after 1993's "Stillborn" album. Five years later, he returned and performed on "The Fine Art Of Murder" and "Envenomed" before leaving again and being replaced by Kyle Symons. He rejoined MALEVOLENT again in 2006 and appeared on three more of the group's albums, 2007's "Doomsday X", 2010's "Invidious Dominion" and 2015's "Dead Man's Path". He exited the group once again in 2016 and was replaced by Wollenschlaeger.

It is official!! Malevolent Creation has returned to a 5 piece with Deron Miler returning on vocals/ guitar, Jesse Jolly...

Posted by Malevolent Creation Band on Saturday, November 29, 2025

A special feature about METALLICA's All Within My Hands Foundation will air on "CBS Sunday Morning" this Sunday, November 30.

"CBS News Sunday Morning" is scheduled to air at 9 a.m. Sunday on the CBS television network and streaming on Paramount+.

Asked how me makes METALLICA's live performances fun for himself more than four decades into the band's career, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's so easy. It is so easy. Just looking into one set of eyes — that's all it takes for me. I will hook up with one person's eyes and I'll just see them change. I'll see the passion in them, and I'm full — my heart fills right up and I'm ready to just keep going, kicking ass.

"I am so blessed," Hetfield continued. "I have the best seat in the house. I got the best job in the world, if you even wanna call it a job. I found my passion early on in life; I'm super grateful for that. I had parents that were supportive around that. And I struggled. I struggled hard to get what I thought was what I needed, which was be in a band and make music. Struggle is part of it, and with this foundation [All Within My Hands], hopefully we're a little bit of a helping hand getting from that, 'I can't get out of this struggle. I just can't,' to the, 'I can, but I gotta work hard and I'm gonna be able to get what I want.'

"So, yeah, I have the best job in the world," James repeated. "I get to see three generations of people hugging each other. Oh, God, the last thing I would've wanted to do is go to a gig with my dad, or my grandpa even. But I see that happening out there. And little kids down in the front, old people down the front, people in wheelchairs down the front — a mixed match of backgrounds and stories of people.

"We gather a lot of misfits around this planet, and we make a family out of it. And we create some energy that helps us get through life."

Referencing the fact that All Within My Hands focuses on "giving back" through community support and skilled trades education, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said: " It goes back to the basics, which is giving, giving back, sharing. We come out of not just a community, but come out of community itself. And in community, whatever words — whether you call it a collective or a community or a gang or like-minded folks, or whatever it is — we've always thrived in the plural. And we always use the word 'we', 'we', 'we', 'we', 'we', 'we', all of us together. And so in that is us, the fans, the like-minded."

Ulrich continued: "I know this may sound slightly corny, but I feel that one of the purposes of what we do is to try to break down that barrier of sense of separation between the group and the fans, the band and the fans, the artists and the people who appreciate what the artist is doing, to try to sort of do away with — you could almost call it in a concert setting, a physical barricade that's there, and try to sort of bring that sense of we're all in this together."

Lars added: "I think instinctively you just wanna help. I mean, we all depend on each other. If you really wanna break it down, then you go, humans are herd animals and really thrive — you know, the flock does better when everybody's doing well."

Formed in 1981 by Hetfield and Ulrich and including guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo, METALLICA has become one of the most influential and successful rock bands in history, selling nearly 125 million albums worldwide and generating more than 17 billion streams while playing to millions of fans on all seven continents — more than 1.3 million of whom belong to the band's fiercely loyal and consistently growing Fifth Member fan club.

METALLICA's catalog of multi-platinum studio albums includes "Kill 'Em All", "Ride The Lightning", "Master Of Puppets", "…And Justice For All", "Metallica" (commonly referred to as The Black Album),"Load", "Reload", "St. Anger", "Death Magnetic", "Hardwired…To Self-Destruct" and, most recently, the Grammy-winning "72 Seasons", released April 14, 2023, on the band's own Blackened Recordings label.

METALLICA's awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards, a 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and Sweden's Polar Music Prize.

In 2017, METALLICA established its own charitable foundation, All Within My Hands, to give back to communities that have supported the band. To date, All Within My Hands' collective efforts have raised nearly $20 million since inception, including $11.4 million in grants to workforce education, $7.4 million to fight hunger globally, and $5.2 million donated to critical local services around the world.

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On November 20, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson joined over 1,000 musicians at the Arena CDMX in Mexico City, Mexico to perform a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid". The performance was part of the fourth edition of the Rockland festival, which featured additional appearances by Alex Lora (EL TRI),El Abulón (VÍCTIMAS DEL DOCTOR CEREBRO),Germán Arroyo (LA GUSANA CIEGA),Alfonso Fors (LA CUCA),David Chirino (LA LEY),Kenny Avilés (KENNY Y LOS ELÉCTRICOS) and Rasheed Durán (LOS DANIELS),among others. Check out video of Ellefson's appearance below (courtesy of the Entrelazados channel on YouTube).

The 2025 edition of Rockland saw the musicians perform a total of 26 songs, which, according to the event's creator and producer Rodrigo Renovales, paid tribute to the history of Latin American rock with songs by CAIFANES, FOBIA, VÍCTIMAS DEL DR. CEREBRO, CODA and LA LUPITA, among others. In addition, the musicians performed tributes to Ozzy Osbourne of BLACK SABBATH, Xava Drago of CODA and Ace Frehley of KISS .

Ellefson commented: "Performing 'Paranoid' at Rockland in front of 12,000 excited fans alongside 1,000 musicians at the Arena CDMX was an experience unlike anything else. The energy, the passion, the unity — absolutely unparalleled. Only in Mexico do you find a concept this bold and this powerful. That was truly one of the most fun things I've ever done.

"Performing 'Paranoid' with 1,000 other musicians as we honored the late, great Ozzy Osbourne inside Arena CDMX was an experience I'll never forget.

"With performers ranging from age 5 to 83, I fit comfortably somewhere in the middle — and the energy from every corner of that stage was absolutely electric.

"Grateful to have been part of something so massive, so joyful, and so truly rock 'n' roll.

"I'm truly honored and incredibly appreciative of the invitation to perform with all of you."

This past August, Ellefson spoke to The Logan Show about Ozzy, who died in late July at the age of 76. He said:  "He certainly defied the odds, from the lifestyle that he had led earlier in his career. I think a lot of that had changed in recent years."

Reflecting on the publicity surrounding the "Back To The Beginning" event, which marked Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH's final performance, Ellefson said: "Leading into the gig, obviously, was huge. The week of the show [was] amazing. The week after was amazing. And the news feeds were still full of content, everybody just feeling the love, the emotion of the event. And then [Ozzy] passes, [which] was just a whole other week of mourning. And then a couple days ago was the memorial and then, I guess yesterday, the funeral. So it's been a month of just feelings all over.

"I think there's a few things that we can all agree on," Ellefson continued. "It's so much better to celebrate someone's life… 'Cause look, Ozzy knew he was dying. We all knew the day was coming here. I think we all thought it was going to be some time off in the distance — not so soon. That was, of course, shocking. But to celebrate with him rather than just this heavy mourning after the fact. The fact that we got to celebrate with him — all of us, not just those of us who are at the show, but everybody around the world — it just showed the significance of what he meant to all of us. And then to be able to sort of turn the celebration into mourning, it was different than this shocking news that someone passes, which is usually what happens. Suddenly someone passes, and you're, like, 'Oh my gosh. I had no idea. We didn't know.' So I think the way that the Osbourne family, the way [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon, everybody did it was very cool of them to sort of give us this advance warning, that we could sort of all wrap our arms around Ozzy, the family, our community. And I think the thing that I saw was this wasn't just rockers and metalheads. I mean, country, pop… I saw a letter from Kermit The Frog. I mean, come on. This thing crossed so many genres of life. Not even music, Sports people, everybody was weighing in on this. I saw something — even Texas, San Antonio, where he peed on the Alamo. Now they're proud. 'Ozzy peed here.' They were obviously not promoting that, but they were proud that he's part of the legacy of their state.

"I feel like there hasn't been a significant event like this, of this level probably since the funeral and the passing of Queen Elizabeth," David added. "That was probably the last worldwide monumental event of this magnitude — ironically from England. And I feel like there's a new royal family: it's the Osbournes. It's kind of like Sharon's now the Queen of England. They needed a new one, and she's the one. And it just goes to show the magnitude of this thing.

"Our world has been so divisive, especially since January. It has just been nothing but turmoil, divisiveness, pitting everybody against each other. And this last month, the irony that Ozzy Osbourne would be the one to bring us all together, and through his music, through his life, that they brought us all together rather than everything that's been dividing us," Ellefson concluded. "So, there's just so many layers that you can unpack from all of this and just kind of the divine timing of it all that it's incredible. It just moves you to emotions. You get goosebumps just thinking about it."

On July 23, Ellefson spoke to Fox 10 Phoenix 's Ron Hoon and Syleste Rodriguez about where he was when he found out about Ozzy's death a day earlier. David said: "Well, it's funny, I think that is a question that's gonna be with all of us: where were you when you heard the news [about Ozzy dying]? So I was literally in the [Battery] studio [in London]. I was right downstairs. We were just taking a break 'cause we were working here yesterday as well. We're doing some video and some promotional work here. I was downstairs on the couch. Our guitar player, Walter, comes down the stairs and he says, 'Did you hear that Ozzy might have died?' And he sends over the clip from Sky News. And I immediately hit [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] Slash, 'cause he and I are friends. We had just played together at the 'Back To The Beginning' event up in Birmingham, the final farewell show. I said, 'Is this for real?' He goes, 'I don't know. It looks pretty big.' And sure enough, as it started to come out, Eric Singer from KISS had called our singer Jeff [Scott Soto] and [said] it's confirmed, yes, it's true. And it just very quickly became this just shocking news."

David went on to reflect on the last time he saw Ozzy on July 5 when both he and Osbourne performed at the "Back To The Beginning" event in Birmingham, United Kingdom. He said: "Obviously, we were all wondering, 'Is this gonna work?' And of course it did. [Ozzy] performed, both with the Ozzy Osbourne band and with BLACK SABBATH. And after the show, there was a VIP area that [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon gave me and a few of us some tickets to go to, some passes. So we hung out there. And ironically, they bring Ozzy in. I see him, he waves me over. We have a minute to just talk, and he's glowing. There's this after-show glow you get right after performing, especially at a stadium gig like that. And he looked fantastic. He was sitting down, he was in his chair, but he looked like he was just the king of the ball, as he was. The funny thing was his daughter Kelly Osbourne was there, and right in front of me, front row of this event, her boyfriend proposes to her, which she's put this on her social media. He gets down on his knee and gives her a ring and proposes marriage. And there's Sharon and Ozzy, and I was, like, 'Oh my God. It's like being in the Osbournes' living room right now, watching this whole thing happen.' It was just such a beautiful moment."

Ellefson added: "The whole show was just fantastic. Anyone who sees obviously everything on social media or if you happened to see the livestream, it was heavy metal Live Aid. It had that special feeling about it, and it sounded so well with us."

Addressing Ozzy's legacy and the fact that Osbourne was considered one of the inventors of heavy metal with his band BLACK SABBATH, David said: "Look, Ozzy was our Elvis [Presley]. And I remember, I was 13 years old. My mom was a big Elvis fan. I grew up on a farm in Minnesota, and I remember the day Elvis died, time stood still. The world stopped. And that's what it felt like [on Tuesday, when Ozzy died] and even feels like today [one day after the fact]. It's just like time has stood still.

"I think the beauty of it is the way the ['Back To The Beginning'] event happened — obviously, we all knew the end was coming for Ozzy; the end was near, with his health condition. So rather than throwing a concert afterwards to remember him, it's like we did the show in advance so we could all say goodbye to him," David added. "He could say goodbye to all of us and all of his fans. And it's kind of like we got to have the memorial and the wake and the celebration of life before he actually passed. And I think that was just such a remarkable thing, because now that he's gone, we have great memories of him and having just seen him and performed for us, rather than going, 'Gosh, I, I sure wish I could have seen him one last time.' So I think that there, there is a little bit of kind of divine beauty in how it all has played out, actually."

At "Back To The Beginning", Ellefson took part in the first of two hastily assembled supergroups which performed at the event. David played "The Ultimate Sin" (with Lzzy Hale, Nuno Bettencourt, Jake E. Lee, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman),"Shot In The Dark" (with David Draiman, Jake E. Lee, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman) and "Sweet Leaf" (with David Draiman, Nuno Bettencourt, Scott Ian, Mike Bordin and Adam Wakeman).

Ozzy died the morning of July 22, his family announced in a statement.

Image credit: Entrelazados

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In celebration of the first anniversary of the release of OPETH's latest album, "The Last Will And Testament", the Swedish progressive metallers have unveiled a brand-new animated video crafted to bring the LP's intricate story to life. Created by Absynthe Moon Media, the film offers a visual interpretation of the narrative that has intrigued fans since the record's release in November 2024.

The animated music video for "§3" returns to the central family story at the heart of the album. Set during the reading of a 1920s patriarch's will, the video captures the shifting relationships and subtle tensions that shape the storyline, while allowing viewers to interpret the finer details for themselves.

Guided by OPETH leader Mikael Åkerfeldt's story and concept, the visual narrative enhances the album's core themes: identity fractured by lies, legacies built on instability, and the slow unraveling of those who once believed they understood their place within the family. The result is a stirring and immersive complement to one of OPETH's most ambitious works.

Revisit the world of "The Last Will And Testament" and watch the new "§3" animated video below.

"The Last Will And Testament" was released on November 22, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music/Moderbolaget.

"The Last Will And Testament" was written by Åkerfeldt, with lyrics conferred with Klara Rönnqvist Fors (THE HEARD, ex-CRUCIFIED BARBARA). "The Last Will And Testament" was co-produced by Åkerfeldt and Stefan Boman (GHOST, THE HELLACOPTERS),engineered by Boman, Joe Jones (KILLING JOKE, ROBERT PLANT) and OPETH, with Boman, Åkerfeldt and the rest of OPETH mixing at Atlantis and Hammerthorpe Studios in Stockholm. The strings on "The Last Will And Testament" were arranged by Åkerfeldt and returning prog friend Dave Stewart (EGG, KHAN) and conducted by Stewart at Angel Studios in London. Not one to miss a beat, visual artist Travis Smith returns to the fold, crafting his 11th cover, a haunting "photograph" reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's infamous "Overlook Hotel" photograph. Miles Showell (ABBA, QUEEN) also revisits mastering and vinyl lacquer cutting at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Åkerfeldt rolls out the red carpet for storied flautist and JETHRO TULL mainman Ian Anderson. Not only do Anderson's signature notes fly on "§4" and "§7", he narrates on "§1", "§2", "§4", and "§7". Joining Anderson, EUROPE's Joey Tempest lends a backing vocal hand on "§2", while Åkerfeldt's youngest daughter, Mirjam Åkerfeldt, is the disembodied voice in "§1".

"The Last Will And Testament" is a concept album set in the post-World War I era, unfolding the story of a wealthy, conservative patriarch whose last will and testament reveals shocking family secrets. The narrative weaves through the patriarch's confessions, the reactions of his twin children, and the mysterious presence of a polio-ridden girl who the family have taken care of. The album begins with the reading of the father's will in his mansion. Among those in attendance is a young girl, who, despite being an orphan and polio-ridden, has been raised by the family. Her presence at the will reading raises suspicions and questions among the twins.

"The Last Will And Testament" is the darkest and heaviest record OPETH has made in decades, and it is also the band's most fearlessly progressive. A concept album recounting the reading of one recently deceased man's will to an audience of his surviving family members, it brims with haunting melodrama, shocking revelations and some of the wildest and most unpredictable music that Åkerfeldt has ever written.

The follow-up to 2019's widely acclaimed "In Cauda Venenum", "The Last Will And Testament" is set in the shadowy, sepia-stained 1920s. It slowly reveals its secrets like some classic thriller from the distant, cobwebbed past, with each successive song shining more light on the stated machinations of our dead (but definitely not harmless) protagonist. The emotional chaos of the story is perfectly matched by OPETH's vivid but claustrophobic soundtrack, which artfully winds its way towards a crestfallen but sumptuous finale. Masters of their own idiosyncratic musical domain, OPETH have never sounded more unique.

"The Last Will And Testament" is destined to be a milestone in OPETH's illustrious recorded history. The band's first out-and-out concept record, it features guest cameos from JETHRO TULL legend Ian Anderson and Joey Tempest, frontman with Swedish rock gods EUROPE. Only one of the album's eight songs has a title: closing ballad "A Story Never Told". The rest are simply labeled as numbered chapters in this slowly unfolding saga of deceit, recrimination and betrayal. Enigmatic, unsettling and immersive, "The Last Will And Testament" is a turbulent, prog metal tale like no other.

Making his recorded debut alongside OPETH's long-established lineup of Mikael Åkerfeldt, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson, bassist Martin Mendez and keyboard maestro Joakim Svalberg on "The Last Will And Testament" is new drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, who joined the band in 2022.

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame channel on YouTube has uploaded a video in which ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell faces an impossible task: picking just three songs that define the legendary SOUNDGARDEN. In this exclusive interview, the grunge icon reflects on the "undefinable" genius of Chris Cornell and his SOUNDGARDEN bandmates. Growing up in the same Seattle scene that changed rock history forever, Cantrell explains why SOUNDGARDEN never wrote a bad song — from "Hunted Down" and "Rusty Cage" to "Black Hole Sun". Jerry also dives deep into the track that still gets him "in the short and curlies" — "The Day I Tried To Live" — and offers a moving tribute to his late friend, SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell.

Asked to name the three SOUNDGARDEN songs that define the band, Cantrell said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I hate this because I hate having to pare it down to three songs that define SOUNDGARDEN, because I think SOUNDGARDEN's kind of undefinable.

"It's always hard for me to do favorites," he explained. "I'm really bad at this, because I like it all. I really do. I mean, if it was a band that was like a one- or two-hit wonder, it'd be a lot easier. But SOUNDGARDEN wrote so many great fucking songs.

"The records that they made — what? Six records? — they were fucking brilliant. So to pick like one of those out and say one is better than the other, or even that one means more to me than another is pretty tough because I think it's all really superb. It's all pretty stellar," Cantrell said.

"I was going through things today and thinking of things all the way from 'Hunted Down' and 'Flower' to 'Limo Wreck' and 'Gun' and 'Burden In My Hand' and 'Superunknown', 'Rusty Cage', 'Black Hole Sun' — I mean, I could go on and on. I don't think they ever did anything bad," Jerry added. "I don't think they ever put a bad record out, and I don't think they ever wrote a bad song. And as far as the lyrical approach, it's all poetry, man. It's all super-high-quality stuff. And so to pick something out — 'The Day I Tried To Live', I think maybe that song, it's pretty… I mean, the hair just went up on the back of my neck just mentioning that song. There's one that gets me in the short and curlies."

Speaking about his friendship with other Seattle-area acts from the same era, including SOUNDGARDEN, Cantrell said: "I grew up in an area that produced some of my favorite music, SOUNDGARDEN being one of them, in the world. And some of my favorite people in the world that I still cherish deeply to this day. When you see 'em, the smile just comes out and the warm embrace, and if any one of us are playing near the others, somebody's doing a show, PEARL JAM is playing, I'm going. If we're playing some, somebody's coming to see us. It's still a sense of community. In the case of music, even if you're not here, unfortunately, you do live on through your music. Your music lives on, and your music is you. It's you injected into that piece of art. It's an experience in life permanently recorded and shared for anybody that may relate to it."

SOUNDGARDEN was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California. The Seattle grunge legends were inducted by actor-comedian Jim Carrey.

The surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN — drummer Matt Cameron, guitarist Kim Thayil and bassist Ben Shepherd, as well as original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who left the group in 1989 — were joined by PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready and THE PRETTY RECKLESS frontwoman Taylor Momsen for a performance of "Rusty Cage", while Brandi Carlile and ALICE IN CHAINS' Jerry Cantrell came out for a rendition of "Black Hole Sun".

After SOUNDGARDEN acceptance speeches, Cornell's daughter Toni was joined by HEART's Nancy Wilson for an acoustic rendition of "Fell On Black Days".

Thayil, Cameron, Shepherd and Yamomoto all delivered induction speeches.

SOUNDGARDEN was first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020 and again in 2023 before finally being inducted this year.

The band finished sixth in the fan vote with 233,205 votes.

This marked the second induction for Cameron, who previously got the nod with PEARL JAM in 2017.