In a new interview with Scott Itter of Dr. Music, former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush was asked if he has thought about releasing a book. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah. It's one of those things I've thought about but I haven't really put into motion. For years I keep a journal of basically just the live performances I've done. So it goes back… I mean, I have done it from back in the day, like in the '80s… It's just a calendar of dates and stuff on it. And I've been doing something [like] that since the '80s. And what I'll do is I'll just write the city and the venue and then I'll just do a little snippet, like, 'The voice sounded like crap tonight. It was really cold in the venue,' and just maybe six or seven sentences associated with that show. And again, I've been doing that since the '80s. I can't find the ones that I did from the '80s and the '90s when I was in ANTHRAX. I don't know where they're at — somewhere maybe. Although I don't think they're in my garage, or they're probably in somebody's garage. But I've been doing it again since ARMORED SAINT resumed playing shows again since the early 2000s. And I have all those in my garage. And I do it all the time. So that's kind of my journal. It's not full-on story journal. Talking and doing interviews and talking about people kind of allows those stories to come out. But, yeah, maybe one day I'll put out a book of all those shows. And that would be probably amusing. But here's the only problem, is that it's my writing. I can't even read my writing. So I'm writing stuff, and I look back and [I'm], like, 'What does that say? I can't read it.' That's me who wrote it. So I guess maybe that'll give us some charm. I think if I could find the '80s books somewhere… I don't know where those are. 'Cause I have done that from the beginning."

Bush also spoke about the status of ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary "Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", which had its world premiere in May 2023 at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California. Director Russell Cherrington introduced the film and held a question-and-answer session after the film with members of the group. Asked what the timeline is for the official release of the documentary, John said: "Well, the timeline is now. It should come out, because otherwise it becomes slightly out of date, because there was a lot of interviews that were of a certain time and you don't want those interviews to seem like they were several years old. I don't, actually. I think then it becomes this kind of dated piece. And granted, we're already a dated piece, right? It goes back to '82, '81, '83, whatever. So, that being said, I know Russell Cherrington, the guy who put it together and did a great job of getting all the interviews and directed it, he's doing his best to try to get it completed and out there. There was some legal stuff that they were trying to sort out with getting some people's approvals and agreeing [to have it released]. But that was something they were trying to iron out, and I think they were getting close to getting that completed, 'cause there was some pretty big people they interviewed that they needed their approval to say, 'We're cool at this' — to dumb it down. But, in any case, I'm hoping it comes out, 'cause it's really cool. There's a lot of great interviews, not only with the band, but a lot of people that were part of our history. From Ron Fair, the guy who signed us [to Chrysalis], to Brian Slagel [head of Metal Blade Records], who discovered us, to Cliff Burnstein, who was our manager in the early days, to Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield of METALLICA] and Scott Ian [of ANTHRAX] and the late Bob Nalbandian, and just various people that were part of our life. Max Norman, who produced 'Delirious Nomad'. So a lot of people were there. And there's some really cool interviews there to listen to and have people talk about ARMORED SAINT in all kinds of ways."

ARMORED SAINT's ninth studio album is tentatively due in April through Metal Blade Records. The LP was mixed by Jay Ruston, who previously worked on 2020's "Punching The Sky" and 2015's "Win Hands Down".

At the end of September 2025, ARMORED SAINT joined W.A.S.P. for a trio of U.K. shows before returning to the States to support legendary guitarist Michael Schenker on his "My Years With UFO" U.S. tour. ARMORED SAINT was celebrating the 40th anniversary of its second album, "Delirious Nomad", with a five-song micro set of songs from the record throughout the tour.

In June 2024, ARMORED SAINT released a rendition of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)". The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974),SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).

"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" was produced by Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston and mastered by Maor Applebaum.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

In July 2023, ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

During BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward's January 2026 radio show as part of the LA Radio Sessions, which will air on Saturday, January 10 at noon (Pacific Time) on 99.1 KLBP-FM in Long Beach and also online at KLBP.org, he talked about the drumming of MASTODON's Brann Dailor. Ward said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "First of all, Brann, before I met him — I met him first through listening to [MASTODON's] music, and everything about him, his orchestrations, his jazz, his rock, all of those parts that obviously live inside him are so well put together. When I heard [MASTODON's] 'The Last Baron' — we've played 'The Last Baron' so many times on our [radio] show — and I was blown away. I think that's where I really met Brann in terms of listening astutely to where he was going, what he was doing, how he would push, how he would retrieve, how he would give way. And I listened to, and I thought, 'My god, this guy's really learned how to play drums.'"

Ward continued: "Learning to play drums is not that easy. Coming out the box, we can all start by banging. Mine was trying to learn how to play 'Peggy Sue' by Buddy Holly. But we all have our hurdles to get over. But Brann's articulation, I think he's worthy of all the praise that he gets. I think now everyone has recognized that he is an outstanding drummer on a world level. His intuition and his interaction with other instruments is foreboding and always just enough. I've never heard him overplay a part where he could take something else away from another musician. That's the sign of a really good fucking drummer… He intuitively knows when to, and I feel that from him, when he doesn't overplay or he doesn't push on something and he allows air to pass through, and he allows notes to pass through, the other members of the band. That's what being a drummer is — learning to play with the other musicians. You have to play with the other musicians. I had to learn to play with [BLACK SABBATH's] Tony [Iommi] and to learn to play with Terry, Geezer [Butler], and I learned to play with Ozzy [Osbourne]. You have to play with wherever they are as well. You have to be respectful as a drummer, and Brann is respectful. And I can't wait to hear whatever he is going to do next. And I'm a drummer that loves drummers. So, anyway. Thanks, Brann."

In a 2019 interview with Music Radar, Brann said that he considers himself "in the Bill Ward camp of metal drumming as opposed to the Vinnie Paul [PANTERA] side. Both amazing players, but I hear more of myself on that side when metal was first being born," he explained.

"For the people who were playing it, metal didn't exist yet. They knew jazz, but they were trying to compete with Marshall stacks so they have that fusion thing happening," Brann explained. "I feel like that’s where my sensibility lies as far as drumming."

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — Ward, singer Ozzy Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler — played its final concert last summer. Dubbed "Back To The Beginning", the charity show was held at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom on July 5, 2025.

"Accountable Beasts", Ward's first solo album in 18 years, was released in 2015 via iTunes. The CD featured Ward's drumming on seven of the album's nine tracks, as well as contributions from Bill's longtime collaborators Keith Lynch (guitar, keyboards),Paul Ill (bass) and Ronnie Ciago (drums),alongside drummer Walter Earl and an array of session singers, including Ward's daughter Emily.

Ward in May 2012 announced that he was declining to join his former SABBATH bandmates for its scheduled dates, as well as the recording of the new album, due to a contractual dispute. After SABBATH shot down producer Rick Rubin's suggestion to replace Ward with Ginger Baker (CREAM) ("I thought, 'Bloody hell?'" Iommi told Rolling Stone magazine. "I just couldn't see that.") for the LP recording sessions, Rick suggested RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE drummer Brad Wilk.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio during SABBATH's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, something that Iommi confirmed in 2017 during a question-and-answer session about SABBATH's "Ten Year War" box set.

Kam Lee, who was a member of an early version of DEATH as well as the pre-DEATH band MANTAS alongside guitarist/vocalist Chuck Schuldiner and guitarist Rick Rozz, will perform live and re-record the entirety of the MANTAS's "Death By Metal" demo. As part of a significant music legacy initiative, Kam's post-DEATH band MASSACRE will bring to life the demo and other MANTAS classics, which have not been performed live for over 43 years. This endeavor aims to commemorate the foundational songs and music of the death metal genre.

"Massacre Plays Mantas Death By Metal Demo" is a powerful tribute to one of the most influential demo recordings in death metal history, featuring Kam — the original vocalist and drummer on the legendary "Death By Metal" demo. This unique collaboration brings together Lee and MASSACRE to perform the entire "Death By Metal" demo live, capturing the raw energy and primal intensity of the earliest days of Florida death metal. For the first time ever, fans will witness Lee revisiting this seminal work from his long and influential career, alongside MASSACRE's crushing sound.

The first show this year where "Massacre Plays Mantas Death By Metal Demo" will be performed will be the Kill-Town Death Fest XI, set to take place September 3-6, 2026 at at Pumpehuset in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Kill-Town Death Fest XI organizers said: "We are beyond elated to announce that Kam Lee and MASSACRE will be performing the MANTAS 'Death By Metal' demo for the very first time ever! Besides being the first performance of this legendary material that lead the way for the formation of DEATH, it will be the only performance worldwide for all of 2026! This will be a historical moment in death metal history, so be sure not to miss out!"

Lee commented: "I'm extremely proud of the material we've created. Throughout my career, I've consistently felt proud of the legacy and music that MANTAS and DEATH produced. These songs hold a significant place in the history and culture of death metal's origins. I appreciate the collaborative work we accomplished and recognize it as a substantial part of my legacy, similar to those who contributed to its creation.

"As MASSACRE brings these classics to the forefront, our objective is to pay homage to this material through live performances and re-recordings, thus securing its lasting impact.

"I'm cognizant that my perspective won't be universally shared, and some individuals may hold unfavorable opinions. However, I don't invest time in trying to alter the opinions of those with preconceived notions about me, deeming it an exercise in futility. My primary focus is on showcasing this material in a positive light, leveraging the expertise of top-notch musicians to execute these songs impeccably.

"As always I thank my fans and those who have supported me throughout my journey all these years. Thank you!"

Last August, Lee was asked by Soundterror what it was like working with Chuck in the early 1980s. He responded: "We were kids, so I only knew him as a teenager. So, I can't really expand on him as an adult. I can only tell you that we were teenagers, we were 15-, 16-year-olds just having fun playing music in the garage. We never thought it was gonna become what it did, what it's become."

Asked why he left DEATH, Kam said: "Why did I leave DEATH? [Chuck] kicked me out because I tried to get him to go out with a girl."

After the interviewer noted that many people consider the early MANTAS and DEATH demos "the birthplace of death metal growling", Kam said: "Well, in DEATH and MANTAS, when we started in DEATH, I basically just started kind of mimicking a lot of what we were taking influences from, which was… We were tape trading for one. I was a tape trader, so I was getting a lot of stuff from all over the place. So you'd get tapes from like POSSESSED, of course, was a big influence. There was stuff from SACRIFICE coming out of Canada. There was stuff from Paul Speckmann [DEATH STRIKE, MASTER] coming out of Chicago, and there was stuff overseas like early HELLHAMMER. There was stuff like VENOM. It was a big influence on MANTAS in the beginning. So it was kind of like a combination of trying to like combine all that stuff. Plus being underage and 16, you're just kind of screaming and you have all this angst and anger, and I come from the punk world, so I just wanted to kind of like express it that way. Plus I was playing drums at the same time. So it was a lot of trying to do that. But then when I found the growl, it really wasn't until MASSACRE that I really started… I changed it because earlier, prior to that was more screechy-type vocals, and Chuck started to sing as well, and he took it more in a more of his influence from [POSSESSED's] Jeff Becerra and was trying to sound more like Jeff, where I was, like, 'I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna sound like somebody else.' So I tried to come up with my own thing. And I thought, what was the most primal thing that I could think of? A lot of people will always say, oh, well, there was demonic movies like 'The Exorcist', or stuff like that. But to me, it was more or less about being primal, being natural. And to me, the most natural thing that was hair-raising is — I was raised around a lot of large dogs, like rottweilers and pitbulls, and I knew that the scariest thing that I ever felt as a 14-year-old was being between four or five rottweilers during feeding time, where you had to go out and give them food. And if you've ever been around large dogs, when you bring out a bowl of food, they all begin to growl this low growl because one wants to be the alpha, wants to be dominant, and it's kind of hair-raising. And I thought, that's what I wanna do with vocals. I wanna do something that's hair raising. I want to do something that sounds primal, sounds raw, sounds natural. And I started to mimic dogs. That's literally how I got the growl."

Lee went on to say that he didn't know anybody else at the time who had adopted quite the same style of death metal growling. But he clarified: "I took phonetic enunciation influences from Tom G. Warrior, only because I heard the HELLHAMMER demo and I really liked how he phonetically spoke, even though at the time I didn't realize it was 'cause he was from Switzerland and English wasn't his natural language. I just liked the way that he phonetically said things. So I took that, and there's a lot of his nuances, like his little 'ooh' and his 'hey', and I just took that and I expanded it. Instead of just going, 'Hey,' I went, 'Heeeey.' I kind of brought it out more. So there was that influence. And just the general influence of everything coming out in that late '80s time. Like I said, everything from VENOM to Lemmy from MOTÖRHEAD, just anything that was really raspy and raw I was attracted to. So I tried to kind of take all of those influences all together and put 'em all together."

Asked what the reaction was from other people to the kind of music he, Chuck and Rick were making at the time, Kam said: "Chuck and I and Freddie [Frederick 'Rick Rozz' DeLillo] at the time, we knew we were doing something that was completely different, and everybody hated it. Everybody hated it. I remember people would say, 'This is shit. This will never last. This will never catch on. This is garbage.' And look — 40-something years later, it's one of the biggest influential music in metal today. We didn't realize we were doing something that was going to have this much impact, but we knew at the time we were doing something different because everything that was popular at the time was hair metal, everything like MÖTLEY CRÜE and that kind of stuff, and we just wanted to be the completely polar opposite of that. So we just gravitated to more underground music, and that's literally… We did our own thing. My influences, especially lyrically, came from horror movies 'cause I'm a big horror movie fan. So I loved the Lucio Fulci films and stuff like that. And Chuck too — a lot of the stuff on [DEATH's debut album] 'Scream Bloody Gore' literally comes from our love of Lucio Fulci and 'Evil Dead' and all those '80s films that just came out during that timeframe."

Back in August 2022, Kam once again weighed in on the never-ending debate on who can lay claim to being the first "true" death metal band: DEATH or POSSESSED. He said: "POSSESSED came first, because we all heard the POSSESSED demo in the tape trading. We were tape trading and we got the POSSESSED demo. And there's where you can hear the change, because we were sounding different — we were sounding very much like VENOM in the first MANTAS demo; very, veryVENOM cloning. As soon as we heard that POSSESSED demo… It was two bands, actually, that literally changed everything in DEATH — the POSSESSED demo and SLAYER's 'Show No Mercy'. Those two things right there changed everything. Because once we heard SLAYER's 'Show No Mercy', as far as the speed and aggression, and we heard POSSESSED, as far as the technicality of the guitars and the way that Jeff was singing, that's when we changed. We said, 'Okay, we need to be a combination of all three of these — we need to be a combination of the rawness of VENOM, the fast energy of SLAYER and that just evil, screechy and guitar ripping ways of POSSESSED. That literally was it. There's the three bands that are the blueprint of death metal, as far as I'm concerned."

A little over a month earlier, Kam was asked to elaborate on his comment during an appearance on "That Metal Interview" podcast that "Chuck ripped off POSSESSED. "I guess that was actually a bad choice of wording," Kam admitted to VWMusic. "Saying 'ripped off' makes it sound bad. I guess the proper wording should be 'took heavy influence from.' Although you could say that I ripped off HELLHAMMER and Tom G. Warrior, and I'm not going to get butthurt about it. I won't because it's fact. Yet some people don't care about facts. They just want to keep believing the fiction they bought into because it fits the messianic mold their 'hero-worshipping' icons have been fitted for. It disrupts their ideology and topples the tower when they hear their gods might not be as almighty as they once believed. It's that same sunken feeling when a kid for the first time is discovering that just maybe Santa Claus is not real. It hurts their feelings. Worse yet are those others out there manipulating those people who are hurt. Some people are just trying to jump on the pity party bandwagon with that one."

He continued: "I got a lot of hate from that statement, though it wasn't intended to downplay Chuck's influence on music, but rather to end the debate of who came first, DEATH or POSSESSED. Sadly, morons spun it to change the narrative, to fit their agenda, and to further instigate and cause strife."

Lee added: "Do I feel Chuck's influence is overstated? Let me put it this way — for the 'product and commodity,' his legacy became post mortem. In order to keep reselling and repressing albums, it's exactly what it's being marketed as. No, it's actually exactly what one should expect from a product sales pitch. I mean, you've got to make sure that your product is the people's choice, right? It's Coca-Cola vs Pepsi. McDonald's vs Burger King. Starbucks vs Dunkin Donuts. In the end, the company with the better commercial is always going to win over the masses."

A landmark declaration: the world premiere news!! MASSACRE is scheduled to perform live and re-record the entirety of...

Posted by Massacre_TheOfficial_BandPage on Sunday, January 4, 2026

Original QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate rang in the New Year with his second annual New Year's Eve celebration. Held on December 31, 2025 at the Deco Ballroom & Event Center in San Antonio, Texas, the evening blended rock history, vintage elegance and nonstop revelry.

The night began with a red-carpet arrival, with Tate taking the stage around 8:00 p.m. for a powerful acoustic set featuring some of his most beloved and influential songs. With a career spanning decades, multiple Grammy nominations, and a voice considered one of the greatest in rock and metal history, Geoff delivered a truly intimate performance.

Later in the evening, John Moyer — longtime bassist of multi-platinum metal giants DISTURBED — joined Geoff's band on bass.

Guests showed up in style for the "Best Dressed Costume Contest", followed by the final countdown to midnight, a champagne toast, and dancing that carried on well into the New Year.

Fan-filmed video of the event can be seen below, courtesy of the Matthew Mumme channel on YouTube.

In a recent interview with Mark Strigl, Moyer confirmed that he was producing the upcoming the upcoming third and final chapter in the classic "Operation: Mindcrime" album series from Tate. He said in part: "I recorded these songs during the summer between tours. [DISTURBED] finished [the North American leg of] our 'The Sickness [25th Anniversary] Tour' in the spring. I spent the summer in Europe recording a bunch of these songs. Then we went to Europe to tour with DISTURBED, so I took a break from the songs. Now I'm in the final stages of mixing and putting everything together."

Elaborating on how the material for "Operation: Mindcrime III" came together, John said: "Obviously [Geoff is] not in QUEENSRŸCHE anymore. 'Operation: Mindcrime' was released under the QUEENSRŸCHE name years ago, the first two records. Well, when the band split up, basically Geoff got all the rights to 'Mindcrime'. That's his story to tell. And so anything that moves forward with 'Mindcrime' is his to do with as he wishes. I know some people are, like, 'How can he do that? That was a QUEENSRŸCHE thing.' Well, 'cause it's his; he owns it. That's his baby.

"So, 'Operation: Mindcrime III', he has these songs that he's been working with a handful of great songwriters that have been guitar players for him," John continued. "And so these songs he's been sitting on for, like, four or five years, and they've been sort of percolating over time. And then he sends 'em to me, and I'm, like, 'Oh my God. These songs are great, Geoff.' And [I was] really blown away by 'em. And he sends me another, and I'm, like, 'That's another great song', and 'another great song.' And he's just been holding on to these songs 'cause he knew that these were the songs for a future 'Operation: Mindcrime III'. Even though he's had other releases and has put out other material, these are the songs he's been saving for this record. And so he sends 'em to me. I start going through 'em. And then I worked with one of his guitar players, Amaury Altmayer, in France. Amaury and I combed through the material. We redid all the guitars, we re-polished everything. [We] basically took the demos [and] rebuilt 'em from the ground up through a producer's eyes. And then I went to Italy and I recorded Geoff on a handful of songs. We are eight songs in right now on the record. It's gonna be a full 10-song album. We have pretty much final mixes on three of 'em. We have rough mixes on all the other ones, on the other five. And so we're just going back and forth with our mixer. We're using Juan Urteaga, who mixes TESTAMENT and other bands like that, a West Coast guy. 'Cause I wanted that older-school sound, I wanted to go back to sort of that era. And I love what Juan does."

Regarding the musical direction of the "Operation: Mindcrime III" material, Moyer said: "I have a handful of friends who I've played it for, and when anyone listens to it, they go, 'It sounds like 'Operation: Mindcrime', but modern.

"A lot has happened since the late '80s with sonics and technology and how we record things," John explained. "Obviously, to me, that's the greatest concept record of all time. So, to me, that's why it's so important that we do this record correctly. So a lot of it is continuing the story of Dr. X. And 'Operation: Mindcrime III' basically is 'Operation: Mindcrime' but from Dr. X's point of view. I just got chills saying that, but that's exactly it. So it's a darker, heavier, kind of a more evil-sounding record, but with all of the themes from 'Operation: Mindcrime'. It very heavily is influenced from 'Operation: Mindcrime'… The lyrics are so incredible on this record. He's really bringing it. I'm so honored to be a part of it."

Moyer also addressed the fact that it has taken so long for Geoff to complete the "Operation: Mindcrime III" project after initially announcing it more than a year ago.

"There's a lot of pressure on this record, I'm not gonna lie to you, that I put on myself, that I feel me and Geoff both feel," John said. "And we want it to be perfect, but we also want it to be timely. We don't want it to sit here, like, 'Hey, 'Operation: Mindcrime III',' and then three years go by, nothing comes out. But at the same time, things that are great sometimes take a little time. So it's not that the record's not being written; it's that it takes a little time to make it what we want it to be. So there's remixes sometimes. Sometimes we get something and we'll re-record a little section. Just we're, like, 'That's not quite perfect,' and we'll go back and we'll re-record it. But it's getting there. Honestly, I feel like we're 85% there, if not 90% there, done with this record. I'm about to get another track from him, in the next two weeks, which will make song number nine. And the song number 10 is out of my hands. Song number 10 is a song that the way it's put together and his vision for it and my vision for it are a little different. So I told him, I said, 'Okay, for this song in particular, I want you to work with someone else on this song.' I feel like he and I are just gonna battle each other too much about it. And right now, he and I have a cohesive vision on these nine songs. And we're killing it. And then when he and I kind of discussed song number 10, which is sort of… It's a thing. [Laughs] Some of these songs are things, man. It's not a song; it's like a dramatic movement. It's like a operatic storyline. And I hear it a totally different way than he hears it. And so I was, like, 'Okay, for this one song, I want you to go back to the original songwriter,' who's a producer of his own right, and I said, 'Why don't you just work with him? And you guys finish that song on your own.' And his name's Kieran [Robertson], and Kieran's out with Geoff right now anyways touring. So I'm just, like, 'You're already out with Kieran. Just work with him and do this last song.' So I'll end up doing nine songs on the record, production-wise."

John went on to say that he is "so excited" for people to hear "Operation: Mindcrime III". "The first single is so fricking good, I can't get over it," he said. "Everyone I play for just goes, 'Wow. Geoff Tate is back and he's killing it.' And it's so 'Operation: Mindcrime', bro. It's with all the vocals and everything over it, the sound effects.

"There's this one song… And a lot of the songs are sung… It's basically sung from Dr. X's point of view," Moyer explained. "So Geoff really gets into character, and you can hear this menacing tone and sort of this 'do as I say, I know what's right' attitude that happens throughout the record. It's really powerful.

"I'm so proud of it and I think it's gonna do very well, and I think it's something the fans have been waiting for," John added.

Last October, Tate told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic that he was "days away" from releasing the first single from "Operation: Mindcrime III". "And we have a whole bunch of new songs that we're gonna kind of release one at a time," he explained. "Rather than putting everything together in one disc and selling it right off the bat, we're gonna kind of spread it out over the next year and release track by track, kind of thing. And we're actually just days away from [putting out the first song] right now. We're excited. When everything comes out [in the form of several singles], by that time we'll have put it together as a one-piece package."

Geoff confirmed that his upcoming album will be released under the "Operation: Mindcrime III" banner, explaining: "It's the continuation and the final chapter of 'Operation: Mindcrime'. And it's the story told from Dr. X's perspective. So the previous two albums were from the perspective of Nikki, the lead character. And this is Dr. X's perspective, so it's quite interesting."

In January 2025, Tate told 96.1 KLPX afternoon jock Larry Mac about the upcoming third chapter in the "Operation: Mindcrime" album series: "Well, I wouldn't call it a sequel. I'd call it a continuation of the story. We're doing it in kind of an interesting way. We're not gonna release an album, so to speak, right off the bat. We're going to release the album once all the songs are released, if that makes sense. We're gonna release a song a month or every quarter, and then when it's all finished, we're gonna do a special presentation with all the songs included."

Regarding how he comes up with the musical and lyrical ideas for his albums, Geoff said: "It's all different, really. Sometimes it's a musical figure that you're fiddling around with in the studio that leads to a complete song or a few songs. And sometimes it's the lyrical idea. Sometimes it's a sentence that just sparks your imagination and gets you rolling on something. With the 'Operation: Mindcrime' albums, it was a story that came about really quickly, actually — I wrote it very quickly — and then expanded on it over the years to explain a little bit more in depth as to what was happening within the story. 'Cause the first album is a little bit vague in what it's talking about in it. The second album explains even more as to what the characters are going through. And the third album, again, will be even more explanation, but taken from a number of different viewpoints, which kind of is interesting, I think."

Originally released in May 1988, QUEENSRŸCHE's third studio album, "Operation: Mindcrime" took the quintet to an entirely new level. The concept, revealed through the songs, revolves around the character of Nikki, a recovering drug addict disillusioned with a corrupt society. Drawn into a cult-like revolutionary group headed by Dr. X (voiced by the late and beloved British actor Anthony Valentine),Nikki is manipulated to assassinate political leaders until his friendship with nun Sister Mary finally opens his eyes to the truth. Regarded as one of the greatest concept metal albums of all time, "Operation: Mindcrime" was certified platinum in 1991 in the U.S. and was ranked in the "Top 100 Metal Albums Of All Time" by both Kerrang! and Billboard magazines. Rolling Stone included it on a similar list, noting that "nearly 30 years after its initial release, 'Mindcrime' feels eerily relevant."

The original "Operation: Mindcrime" album weaved themes of religion, drug abuse and underground, radical politics. By contrast, 2006's "Operation: Mindcrime II" was regarded as an unnecessary sequel that many felt cheapened the original album, despite being a decent record in its own right.

Tate previously discussed his plans for "Operation: Mindcrime III" in a November 2024 interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern". Speaking about the musical direction of his new solo material, Geoff said: "I would say it has more of an early QUEENSRŸCHE feel. [The new songs are] super heavy, and some of 'em are incredibly technical. They're like algebra. [Laughs] You need a calculator when you're listening to the song. [Laughs] And, of course, some of them are very emotional. It's the last chapter in the 'Mindcrime' series. So it's following the exploits of Dr. X and Nikki and Sister Mary, and picks up at a particular point in their story and kind of does the microscope of what is happening at that particular time with them. And I am just in love with it. I am so happy with everything so far, and I can't wait for people to hear it."

Asked if there will once again be "some of those political interplays" within the lyrical themes on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Tate said: "Oh, I think so. Yeah, I think that people will be able to detect little bits of what's happening around them. And it's an interesting time right now — very interesting. Especially next week [after the 2024 U.S. presidential election], it's gonna be really interesting [laughs] what happens. So, we'll see."

Pressed about whether "a familiar voice" will play Dr. X on "Operation: Mindcrime III", Geoff said: "I can't tell you, actually. But thanks for asking. [Laughs]"

In a 2016 interview with East Valley Tribune, Tate said that he looked back fondly on "Operation: Mindcrime II". "I haven't listened to that album since I recorded it," he admitted. "However, it was a new story. Overall, it went down well live with the audience. I have no complaints or regrets about it."

During QUEENSRŸCHE's 2012 legal battle with Tate over the rights to the band's name, guitarist Michael Wilton submitted a sworn declaration in which he said the idea to make "Operation: Mindcrime II" was first brought to the table by Geoff's wife and QUEENSRŸCHE's then-manager Susan Tate. "The band was hesitant and did not want to lessen the original," the guitarist claimed. "But Susan Tate and Geoff Tate hired a budget producer and took control without really any other input. Scott Rockenfield [drums], Eddie Jackson [bass] and I were squeezed out of having any input in the musical direction or business decisions, thus the project suffered. During the initial writing phase, I would show up to bring my input to the creative process only to find that the producer, the new guitar player (who were both staying with the Tates at the time),along with Geoff Tate had been up late the night before or up early that morning and had written the songs without me. I was then told my ideas were not needed as the songs were now done. I could, however, 'bring my own style' in during the recording after learning to play what they wrote for me. In frustration, I gave up on the writing process knowing that I would at least get to make changes in the studio to bring back the QUEENSRŸCHE sound into these songs that we were known for. The final straw was when they refused to let me to be a part of the final recordings and mixes. I was shut out and they had the nerve to replace some of my parts on my songs. They denied me flying to San Francisco to be a part of my band, telling me that everything was ready to go and I was not needed. Had the communication been better, and had I been aware that parts needed to be recorded or rewritten, I would have been there. It was not until years later that I even became aware of the issues during the final recording and mixing of 'Operation: Mindcrime II'. It was all under the control of Geoff and Susan Tate. Call it delusions of grandeur, but they were convinced that this was going to sell three times more than the original, and to date (six years later) this album has sold fewer than 150,000 copies. The original album sold over 500,000 copies within a year."

In April 2014, Tate and QUEENSRŸCHE announced that a settlement had been reached after a nearly two-year legal battle where the singer sued over the rights to the QUEENSRŸCHE name after being fired in 2012. Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson responded with a countersuit. The settlement included an agreement that Wilton, Rockenfield and Jackson would continue as QUEENSRŸCHE, while Tate would have the sole right to perform "Operation: Mindcrime" and "Operation: Mindcrime II" in their entirety live.

Tate's replacement, Todd La Torre, has released four albums thus far with QUEENSRŸCHE: 2013's "Queensrÿche", 2015's "Condition Hüman", 2019's "The Verdict" and 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance".

🎉✨ **WHAT. A. NIGHT!** ✨🎉
Geoff Tate rang in the New Year with his **2nd Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration**—and it was...

Posted by Geoff Tate on Sunday, January 4, 2026

Posted by Deco Ballroom on Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Founding VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel has denied demanding of VIO-LENCE singer Sean Killian that the group be disbanded following Phil's exit from VIO-LENCE nearly two years ago. Phil's final concert with the San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans took place in February 2024 at Carioca Club in São Paulo, Brazil.

In a social media post on Sunday (January 4),Demmel wrote: "I asked Sean to end the band with me, then perform the material as solo act as I felt the rapid turnover of the band wasn't something I wanted to be involved with. When he told me he didn't want to, I didn't ask again. It was a request, not a demand.

"For my last few years of my time in VIO, Sean was doing the scheduling/ booking, I wasn't making any band decisions. He'd ask me if I was available to play and I was able to cherry-pick the gigs I wanted/could do until it was time for me to stop. I was in no way 'controlling' the band or making unilateral band decisions (except maybe getting [former FEAR FACTORY bassist] Christian [Olde Wolbers] on board to fill in) that I can recall. Sean and I decided on things together.

"VIO-LENCE is forging ahead as am I. Can everyone else?"

Phil's online post was made in direct response to an interview Killian gave to Robb Chavez of Robbs MetalWorks where the VIO-LENCE singer spoke about Demmel's departure. Asked if he was "adamant" about wanting to keep VIO-LENCE going after Phil's exit, Sean said: "[Phil] wanted me to shelve the band. And then we sold out the Whisky [A Go Go in February 2023] in L.A., and he brought it up in the green room after we played. And I was, like, 'No, I'm not shelving anything.' 'Cause we never really toured back in the day, so there's so many places around the world that haven't seen VIO-LENCE or heard it live. For him, it's a garage thing that — I don't know… He's kind of a selfish guy. And if you've seen some of his interviews. he even brings it up himself."

Asked why VIO-LENCE's previous reunion in 2001-2003 didn't last, Sean said: "Well, we actually were writing music at the time, so we had Perry [Strickland] on drums and Phil [on guitar], Deen [Dell] playing bass, me singing and we had Ray Vegas playing guitar to fill in, 'cause Robb [Flynn, former VIO-LENCE guitarist] was already taking off with MACHINE HEAD. And we wrote some music and then Robb, he came to Phil and tapped him and said, 'You wanna play [with MACHINE HEAD]?' And then Phil called me and I was, like, 'Look, dude, I'm just a guy that loves to play music. You're a musician.' I've never told him, 'You can't do this' or 'you can't do that,' 'cause he's filled in for LAMB OF GOD [in later years] and a bunch of stuff. And I've always supported him a hundred percent. But when he told me that he wanted me to shelve it [two and a half years ago], that's when I was just kind of, like, 'This relationship…' Like [THE MENTORS legend] El Duce would say, 'This relationship is over.' [Laughs]"

After Chavez noted that it's "really surprising" to hear that Demmel wanted Killian to stop playing shows with VIO-LENCE in 2023, Sean said: "It's an internal thing with him. It's not about me. It's when he started doing interviews. So when [VIO-LENCE] played the Mystic Festival [in June 2024] in Poland, MACHINE HEAD was playing [at the same event], so I text Robb, 'Hey, man, why don't you play [the classic VIO-LENCE song] 'World In A World' with us?' 'Cause he always shows up a day before [MACHINE HEAD is scheduled to play]. And [Robb was], like, 'Fuck yeah.' So we did it. And so then the next week [Phil] does an interview, and it's just nothing but him talking bad about [VIO-LENCE]. And I just finally had it with him and told him, 'Man, you got issues. And I don't want any part of it.' I'm 61. I don't want people like that in my life. And so here we are today. And I'm happy. And the group that I'm playing with are enjoying themselves, and the fans really respond every time."

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reformed soon after Demmel acrimoniously left MACHINE HEAD seven years ago.

Formed in 1985, VIO-LENCE helped define and refine what came to be known as the Bay Area sound, dropping three seminal albums before splitting in 1993. Leaving behind a heady legacy, they reformed briefly a couple of times in the intervening years before becoming a full-time going concern once more in 2019. After playing a string of successful shows, the quintet started to think about new music and delivered "Let The World Burn", showcasing their first new material in 29 years.

Filling out the band's ranks on "Let The World Burn" alongside Killian and Demmel were drummer Perry Strickland, Olde Wolbers and former OVERKILL guitarist Bobby Gustafson.

Killian is the only VIO-LENCE member from the "Let The World Burn" recording lineup who is still touring with the band.

For VIO-LENCE's recent U.S. tour as the support act for DEATH ANGEL, Killian was joined on stage by Ira Black (LIZZY BORDEN, VICIOUS RUMORS, METAL CHURCH) on guitar, Jeff Salgado (PSYCHOSOMATIC) on bass, Nick Souza (HATRIOT) on drums and Toby Swope on guitar.

"I've got a great group of guys," Sean told Robbs MetalWorks. "Claudeous Creamer's usually [playing guitar] with us, but POSSESSED is in Europe right now, and so anytime POSSESSED plays, we have Toby join us. And he's a great guitar player. He also plays drums. He tells me he plays drums better than guitar. And they're all professionals — Ira, Jeff, Nick Souza, Zetro's son. Great drummer, great attitude. And so it's, like, I'm happy that I have the guys we have because now it's finally, like, okay, this is my band and we're moving forward. And we're taking it to places that people haven't seen it before."

Killian continued: "Look at my Instagram. I'm not constantly on it. I'm not a hound for attention. When we do our tours, you see video or live pictures of us and stuff like that, but in between, you really don't see a whole lot. I don't post a whole lot about stuff. So that's kind of the difference. I'm not a social media rock star. I'm just a guy that fucking loves to play thrash metal."

In June 2024, Demmel told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone about his decision to leave VIO-LENCE, the band that he formed nearly four decades earlier: "The VIO-LENCE thing just became… Perry left, or Perry's no longer in the band, and it just became — and I love Christian — it just became something not familiar anymore. And it hit me when we played the Whisky [A Go Go in February 2023 in West Hollywood, California] and it was Adrian [Aguilar], the drummer's first show. And we were having this kid Miles Dimitri Baker, who plays in ICE NINE KILLS right now, come down, and he was gonna be my fill-in [for some dates]. And so he was gonna play on a song or two. And I show up to the show and I walk backstage and, man, there was 50 people backstage and I knew maybe [the guys in] the band and a couple of other people. It was just, like, 'Man, this isn't my home anymore. This doesn't feel like home.' And no slight against the dudes, 'cause I loved playing with Adrian, I loved playing with Christian, and Ira really worked hard for the band and was a big — he was a big fighter for the band. He worked hard. He cared a lot. Ira was a very productive member of VIO-LENCE. But with everything that was happening, it was just time for me to go… The Kerry [King] thing was firing up, the CATEGORY 7 thing was firing up, and [I] just [did] not [want to] let that be a distraction from [the other stuff I was doing]."

Demmel added: "I loved the VIO-LENCE EP ['Let The World Burn'] that I wrote, and me and Sean wrote and we recorded with the dudes. And I'm super proud of those songs and the way that the recording came out. [Producer/engineer] Juan [Urteaga] did a tremendous job."

Circling back to the high turnover of members in VIO-LENCE, Demmel said: "Bobby [Gustafson was in the band for a couple of years] and Miles and this kid Jesse's playing now. Ira, Adrian, Nick Souza has played, [former CANNIBAL CORPSE and current EXHORDER guitarist] Pat O'Brien's been in. And this is all within the past couple years. So it just wasn't the thing that I started in high school, and the songs meaning the same."

Phil added that "it was cool traveling and doing the stuff that we did. And Sean wants to continue and travel and do the fun stuff. I'm still a partner with him in the business."

As for the possibility of VIO-LENCE making new music without Demmel being an official member of the band, Phil said: "That's all something that remains to be [seen]."

When Demmel announced his exit from VIO-LENCE a few days before the São Paulo concert, he said in a video message he shared to his social media: "It's been, I guess, in the works for a bit. My status has been undefined for a while. I'm kind of doing things that I felt comfortable or fell into my schedule or whatever. But given just the latest state of the band and where I feel I belong with it or feel tied to it, I just think that my time is at an end."

Demmel continued: "I'll always identify with the band. Me and [drummer] Perry started this band in high school. It's cool to be going to places that we haven't been.

"I'm feeling that Sean is… We've gone far on different pages. I guess we've always been on different pages. But I don't feel like I fit in with what the objective of this is anymore. And in light of some current events [laughs], I felt compelled to make the break."

Phil went on to say that he "thought about maybe doing a home show" with VIO-LENCE as a way of "saying goodbye," but ultimately concluded that "I don't feel like I need that. I feel like playing those [comeback shows in Oakland in April 2019] with Perry and Deen and Ray and having those two magical days and doing some other stuff that we've done, writing the five songs, doing the EP, I feel fulfilled," he said. "And anything further kind of feels forced. Actually, before this [Latin American] tour [kicked off], I honestly didn't wanna come. [But] I was committed to it. I wasn't gonna back out. I'm committed to the dudes. But I think I'm done. I think that I've done what I wanted to do with this band."

Demmel added: "June 1st, 1985 to February, what will be 11th, 2024. 39, almost 40 years. So, never say never again. Try not to say that. Sometimes you do. It's been life defining, it's been a pleasure, it's been an honor being Phil from VIO-LENCE."

VIO-LENCE played the São Paulo concert as a four-piece after an alleged altercation between Black and Olde Wolbers resulted in Ira being sent home from the tour a few days early.

In February 2023, Demmel addressed VIO-LENCE's future in an Instagram Live video, saying it was "kind of weird playing these shows" with "a bunch of fill-ins and me and Sean." He added that while Adrian is "awesome" and the Whisky gig "was packed", he is "just kind of really torn right now in the sense of what VIO-LENCE is and what it's gonna be and what my role is gonna be in that and how I feel about that." Demmel went on to say that he told Killian he "wanted to shut [VIO-LENCE] down," but then he realized "that to ask that of those dudes to not do it anymore is selfish on my part."

Released in March 2022, "Let The World Burn" was VIO-LENCE's first original release since 1993's "Nothing To Gain".

Demmel was in MACHINE HEAD for nearly 16 years, during which time he played on five of the group's studio albums: "Through The Ashes Of Empires" (2003),"The Blackening" (2007),"Unto The Locust" (2011),"Bloodstone & Diamonds" (2014) and "Catharsis" (2018).

Although Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in of VIO-LENCE's 2018 reunion.

Photo credit: James Willard (courtesy of Metal Blade Records)

U.K. progressive rockers HAKEN have parted ways with guitarist Charlie Griffiths and bassist Conner Green.

Griffiths and Green's exits from HAKEN were announced in a social media post earlier today (Monday, January 5). The band wrote: "It's with heavy hearts that we announce the departure of Charlie Griffiths and Conner Green from HAKEN. We are tremendously grateful for the time we've spent together, creating music and touring the world, achieving things we thought weren't possible.

"Both Charlie and Conner are irreplacable, as musicians and individuals, and they have given so much to make this band what it is today. We cannot thank them enough, but we wish them all the best with any future endeavours. They will always be a part of the HAKEN family.

"New music coming this year."

Last October, HAKEN canceled its U.K. tour dates as the support act for U.S. progressive rockers COHEED AND CAMBRIA.

Griffiths had been a member of HAKEN since 2008 and appeared on all of the band's albums so far. He released his debut solo LP, "Tiktaalika", in 2022.

Green joined HAKEN in 2014 as the replacement for the band's original bassist Thomas MacLean.

HAKEN spent 2024 celebrating its most recent acclaimed studio album, 2023's "Fauna", as part of "An Evening With" run throughout the world. Playing two sets each night, the band performed "Fauna" in full, before returning to the stage to run through a selection of the best-loved cuts from its catalog. In a homecoming of sorts for HAKEN, on September 21, 2024 the band played London's legendary O2 Forum, and the document of that special evening — filmed by Paul Green Productions (Devin Townsend, Steve Hackett) and mixed by Jens Bogren (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, Ihsahn) — was made available as "Liveforms: An Evening With Haken".

HAKEN press photo credit: Max Taylor-Grant

It's with heavy hearts that we announce the departure of Charlie Griffiths and Conner Green from Haken. We are...

Posted by HAKEN on Monday, January 5, 2026

EXTREME has commenced work on its seventh studio album.

The upcoming effort will be the follow-up to "Six", which was released in June 2023 via earMUSIC.

Earlier today (Monday, January 5),EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt shared a photo of him in a recording studio and he included the following message: "DAY 1 2026 EX7REME".

This past November, EXTREME released the official music video for the song "Here's To The Losers". The clip completed the band's mission to create 12 visual interpretations of the songs from "Six".

"Six" propelled EXTREME to new heights, driven by standout singles such as "Rise" — featuring a solo by Bettencourt praised by the press as "the guitar solo of the century" — alongside "Banshee" and "Other Side Of The Rainbow", and supported by a globe-spanning tour across the U.S., Europe, India, Japan and Australia. Bettencourt also reaffirmed his stature as one of rock's most commanding players with a historic performance at Ozzy Osbourne's "Back To The Beginning" farewell concert. That milestone appearance led to his invitation to serve as music director and guitarist at the 2025 MTV VMAs, where he delivered a powerhouse tribute to Osbourne alongside Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Yungblud.

"Six" landed at position No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 12,500 copies. The set marked EXTREME's first studio album since 2008. The act was last in the Top 10 with "III Sides To Every Story", which debuted and peaked at No. 10 back in October 1992.

In 2023, Nuno told Tiago Ribeiro, that he was thrilled with how "Six" turned out. "I would put our album up against anybody's album; I feel that confident," Nuno said. "And I think the album itself — never mind me or EXTREME — if I heard that album and it wasn't us, I would think the same way I think about the album now. I think it belongs there. I think it's a well-made album. I think the songs are there. I think that the musicianship, the chemistry and the guitar playing. But I think, more importantly, what's really there and what people are connecting with is the mythology of rock and roll. I think that's really what's missing a lot in guitar-driven music, is that…

"I think when people saw a guitar player that's in a band with songs and arrangements and the videos and everything, it was almost like seeing something that… People are saying it's so fresh, but for us, it's, like, this is like going back for us," he explained. "This is more of a reminder than it is anything else that you can still be passionate and have fire and do all those things. And the people are letting us know that they're starved — they're starved for rock and roll like this, I think."

In September 2023, Nuno told American Musical Supply about the long delay in getting "Six" released: "The recording [of 'Six'], a lot of people are saying like, 'Man, [it took] 15 years,' obviously, minus a few of the handmaid's tale years, pandemic years. But the album itself probably, if you add it up, it took the same length as an album takes to record. It didn’t take 15 years to record the album. It's just that we probably had, like, three albums' worth of material. The guys kept coming out to L.A., and we would do a crop of songs, and we'd write another crop of songs or record another couple crop of songs."

Bettencourt went on to say that he and his EXTREME bandmates had "set a bar" for themselves. "You really have to be super proud and super excited to share your music with anybody, even if it's your brother or it's your family member or if it's Tom Morello that you happen to know," he explained. "Once you have that feeling of, 'Would you play these songs in front of your peers?', then you kind of know you got something there and you're ready to go."

EXTREME will hit the road in 2026 as the support act on tours by DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Photo credit: Jesse Lirola (courtesy of earMUSIC)

DAY 1

2 0 2 6

E X 7 R E M E

Posted by Nuno Bettencourt on Sunday, January 4, 2026

In a recent interview with Metal Covenant, guitarist Esa Holopainen and keyboardist Santeri Kallio of Finnish melancholic progressive metallers AMORPHIS weighed in on a debate about people using an A.I. (artificial intelligence) music generator as a tool to create melodies, harmonies and rhymes based on artificial intelligence (A.I.) algorithms and machine learning (M.L.) models. Santeri said: "Well, I don't see any[thing] wrong with that. I get it that you have to be careful not to use it, because at the moment, A.I. uses the same themes for everybody, basically. But, for example, for music videos the budgets are going down because of diminishing record sales and streaming services, so the bands don't really get that much of a budget. So in music videos, actually, the A.I. is pretty good. You can save money and you can save time. And the videos actually look phenomenal sometimes. Obviously, you have to be careful not to overuse it, but there are places you can use that. But for album covers and shit like that, oh no. I think that doesn't make any sense, because it kind of lacks personality.

Esa chimed in: "I guess many people have, like, played with A.I. themselves, like, 'Draw this, and this, and all these ideas,' and then you get like a fantasy artwork."

Santeri continued: "Especially a lot of fantasy bands aren't using A.I., because it's basically impossible to build a setup with all the fucking dragons and wolves and shit. But on a small scale, you can make better-looking videos and build some atmospheres like a snowstorm pretty easily."

Esa went on to say: "Nothing to do with music, but overall, the A.I., that's a pretty scary idea where the whole thing is leading us into. It'll probably be the world's destructors. [Laughs]"

Santeri added: "Terminators are coming, or Matrix. But we are old-schoolers. I haven't even tried the A.I. music programs, because my biggest fun in life is I'm enthusiastic. I like to make it myself. I'm such an old guy. I've lived in the '80s. You learn that it's the most fun part to do. So why the hell would you get rid of that and start using A.I.? But I understand the younger people. They will see the world totally different in 20 years, because they've lived through those times. Personally, I have no interest in that, because what I enjoy the most in life is to take a guitar and build a song for yourself and jam with the guys and play the shows with the guys. That's the most fun part. Why destroy the most fun part in the world, even though it's possible?"

This past September, AMORPHIS vocalist Tomi Joutsen told Jovan Ristić of Altnote, about people using A.I. in music: "Well, to be honest, I don't know how much the machines can do already. It's difficult, because, of course, everyone would like to hear band using real amplifiers, real guitars, real drums, real instruments, but nowadays I think most of people are using plugins and stuff like that out to everything. So it's not like totally pure art, if you think of it that way.

"I think computers and stuff, they can be a great inspiration, and if someone wants to do everything with computers and programs, it's okay for me," he explained. "But personally, I think that pure art, it's coming from people, not from the machines. I think what machines cannot do is create real emotions. They don't understand what it's like to feel, what it's like to really love or hate or suffer. So I think you need all of that, all of the emotions, if you want to bring something unique or true, and that's my opinion about it."

AMORPHIS's latest album, "Borderland", came out in September. The follow-up to 2022's "Halo" was recorded in late 2024 and early 2025 at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen. The cover artwork was designed by Dutch artist Marald Van Haasteren (METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH, KVELERTAK, ALCEST).

Since forming in Helsinki in 1990, the Finnish sextet has fearlessly explored musical frontiers — from raw death metal roots to melodic, progressive and folk-tinged heavy rock, and far beyond. At every turn, AMORPHIS has expanded musical and lyrical boundaries without compromising their artistic identity.

AMORPHIS's fifteenth studio album marks both a continuation and a reinvention of the band's legacy. With acclaimed Danish producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, ARCH ENEMY, AMARANTHE) at the helm for the first time and a revitalized creative spark within the group, "Borderland" sees AMORPHIS fully embracing their melodic sensibilities while venturing into fresh, uncharted sonic landscapes.

AMORPHIS is:

Tomi Joutsen - vocals
Esa Holopainen - guitars
Tomi Koivusaari - guitars
Olli-Pekka "Oppu" Laine - bass
Santeri Kallio - keys
Jan Rechberger - drums & percussion

Photo credit: Sam Jamsen

NEFARIOUS, which features Rick Hunolt (EXODUS, DIEHUMANE) and Doug Piercy (HEATHEN, ANVIL CHORUS) on guitar, Tom Gears (BLIND ILLUSION, ANCIENT MARINER) on bass and Will Carroll (DEATH ANGEL) on drums, played its first concert with new vocalist Sean Rivera Saturday night (January 3) at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco. Video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of Walter Morgan).

Rivera joined NEFARIOUS last fall as the replacement for Katon W. De Pena (HIRAX),who sang on NEFARIOUS's debut album, "Addicted To Power".

When Rivera's addition to NEFARIOUS was first announced in December, Piercy said in a statement: "We wanted someone who could be in the room with us — creating, rehearsing, and ready to play. It's hard to get tight as a band when they can't rehearse on the regular. The Bay Area has always thrived on that energy, and now we've got it. Long-distance situations can get complicated when there's simply no communication."

Hunolt added: "Sean Rivera has brought NEFARIOUS to the next level. The metal gods gave us a true musical wizard. Not only is he an amazing singer, and absolute stellar musician (guitar, keyboards),but he is an amazing human to work with and I can't wait for you all to hear this man sing. C'ya on the road in '26 .. Lfgoooooo!"

Rivera commented: "When Doug and Rick reached out to me and asked if I wanted to try out for NEFARIOUS on vocals, I was excited and nervous. Everyone in the band are fantastic players and have such seasoned musical histories, and stepping into that felt really significant to me. After listening to the album I thought the songs were great and knew it was a project I wanted to be a part of. Thankfully, everyone liked what my vocals added and I was really stoked when they asked me to join. They're all really great people and have been super supportive with the whole process of learning the songs and becoming a part of the band. I feel really fortunate to be given this opportunity and I'm really excited for all we can accomplish together on the road ahead!"

NEFARIOUS will embark on a full European tour in August/September 2026, kicking off at the legendary Alcatraz festival in Belgium.

During a recent livestream, De Pena stated about his departure from NEFARIOUS: "Yeah, NEFARIOUS was great. I'm glad I did the record. I'm very proud of the record. And I did one show with them. That was awesome too. But I have to focus on HIRAX. That's my band. It's been my band for 40 years, and that's where my heart's at and that's what I gotta do. But I wish NEFARIOUS all the best. Great band and great musicians."

Carroll discussed the NEFARIOUS singer switch during an appearance on Zetro's Toxic Vault, the YouTube channel of former EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza. He said in part: "Things didn't work out [with Katon]… HIRAX is touring, and they're pretty busy. So that played a part in it. But it was a communication thing that was really the problem. He would not talk to us for months at a time… He just broke off communication with us. So we took that as he didn't wanna be in the band… And we did waste some time waiting and sitting around… But we had to move on. And that's where Sean comes in."

Regarding NEFARIOUS's new vocalist, Will said: "His name is Sean Rivera. And he sings for a band, or he's in a band called COFFIN HUNTERS. Not to be confused with the [side band of EXODUS bassist] Jack Gibson, COFFIN HUNTER. This one's plural, COFFIN HUNTERS, and they're more of a traditional heavy metal band. They play a lot in Santa Rosa. Rick discovered him. Rick went to one of their shows and saw him sing. And we knew things were kind of going south with Katon."

In a social media post, Carroll stated about his appearance on Zetro's Toxic Vault: "I didn't say anything out of line or untrue. In fact, I gave a very vanilla version of the whole Katon thing."

The Katon-fronted version of NEFARIOUS played its first — and only — show on July 19, 2025 at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco.

"Addicted To Power" came out on July 18, 2025 via Relentless "Metal" Records, with the collector vinyl available through Hectic/Bleeding Priest Records.

Regarding how NEFARIOUS came together, Katon told The Metal Crypt: "I think it was going to be a solo record for Doug Piercy at first. We had all run into each other from years of playing in the same scene. It seemed like the timing was really what it was. I did a couple of benefits. I did one for Tom Hunting from EXODUS where we raised money for his hospital bills. We did another one for Sean Killian, the singer from VIO-LENCE. At those benefits, I saw a lot of these musicians. We talked to each other and obviously talked about music. Then it came around to where we played some shows together. I think that's what made us all notice each other a little bit more, like, 'Hey, I wonder what it would be like to play with those guys.' Even though I live in Los Angeles, I go up to San Francisco quite often. It's been working out pretty well. We're just going to keep writing music. The one thing that we all have in common is we love writing music. I think that's what keeps us so motivated to do this."

On the topic of NEFARIOUS's musical influences, Katon said: "We all listen to a lot of music. Some of it would surprise people. Obviously, there's going to be heavy metal influences in there because we all grew up on DEEP PURPLE and early SCORPIONS. We love Uli John Roth, obviously, BLACK SABBATH and THIN LIZZY, bands like that. You can't help it. When you play music for as long as we have, other styles of music are going to come into play, whether it's classical music or jazz. Myself, I love stuff like Luciano Pavarotti. There's going to be those things. It also helps the songwriting because you take from some of your heroes, like Jimi Hendrix or, like I said, back to opera music or classical music, you can't help but intertwine some of that in the music. That is in the roots of the music. Then, obviously, thrash metal plays a very big part of it, because we all came from a lot of the early bands. There's going to be some of those influences. People will hear a little bit of the EXODUS thing; they will hear a little bit of the HIRAX thing. Even with Doug, he's just a well-rounded guitar player, and his songwriting skills are majorly off the charts. This guy's got a big brain, and he really has a great way of looking at music. People are going to hear the stuff that we grew up on, whether it's BUDGIE or any of that kind of stuff. They're also going to hear thrash metal mixed in with elements of classical music."

Describing NEFARIOUS's sound, Katon said: "I think we're a cross between, obviously, early thrash metal, but also a lot of the heavy metal influence is there as well. You will hear some harmonies, bands like [IRON] MAIDEN and THIN LIZZY. We'd be lying if we said that wasn't there, because we grew up on that stuff. DEEP PURPLE's a big influence. RAINBOW. Obviously, Ritchie Blackmore, stuff like that. It's going to be in there. I think we also have a different way of looking at it, because we've been doing it for so long. We're not trying to be like a lot of the other bands, and we're not trying to be modern. There are modern sounds, because we're recording in modern studios. The music's definitely coming from the right place. I think that people hear that when they listen to this new song 'One Nation Enslaved', you can hear that we definitely have stuck to our guns. We're not trying to do commercial music, but we also are writing songs that are memorable."

The music for "Addicted To Power" was recorded at Subterranean Studio in Oakland, California and Pyramid Studio in San Francisco, California. It was mixed by Damien Rasmussen of Smoke And Mirrors Productions.

De Pena previously stated about NEFARIOUS: "We're not a band. We are a gang ready to crush skulls and make eardrums bleed ... Necks will be sore ...!!"

Nefarious 1-3-26
DNA Lounge SF
Lots of Friends and Family
Last Night with Nefarious
Ripping the Bay Area with their
New Singer Sean Rivera

Posted by Walter Morgan on Sunday, January 4, 2026

In a recent interview with Brazil's Bate Cabeça, AVANTASIA mastermind Tobias Sammet was asked if it was always his intention to use the project to unite musicians from different nations, having previously featured notable vocalists like Jørn Lande, Michael Kiske, Bob Catley, Dee Snider, Klaus Meine and Sharon Den Adel, plus many others from the global metal/rock scene. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's certainly united people from Finland, from Brazil, from America, England and all the people who are on stage with me and in Norway and Denmark and Italy and Canada. Now Tommy [Karevik, KAMELOT singer and current AVANTASIA touring vocalist], he's residing, Tommy Karevik is in Canada.

"It was not meant to be something political," Tobias explained. "In general what I wanna say is that heavy metal and hard rock unites people, because wherever you go, you meet people who are like you, you meet people who share the same values, you meet people who share the same love for music. It doesn't matter if you grew up in Australia or Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Italy, or — I don't know where — in South Africa, it's just we all agree that the 'Turbo' album of JUDAS PRIEST is a great album [laughs] — and things like that. We all agree that our type of music started with [HELLOWEEN's] 'Keeper Of The Seven Keys: Part I' — period; no discussion. We all agree that HELLOWEEN is not spelled with an 'A' and has nothing to do with a holiday. HELLOWEEN is spelled with an 'E' and has to do with German-made power metal. So that's what the whole world agrees on."

Sammet added: "Apart from that, my approach is just not to divide people and not to spread negativity. I wanna spread positivity. My music, personally, is very personal music. It's always been music speaking from my heart as the underdog that I always felt I was as a kid, bullied kid or whatever you have. And I think I spoke on behalf, without intending it, on behalf of other people who feel the same way, who didn't feel too comfortable in the world of the mainstream, of the bold and the beautiful, but who, just like me, felt like, 'I'm living in the shades and I'm probably a bit different to everybody else. And my musical taste is not exactly what is being played on radio. I'm maybe a bit different, but I got a right to be myself.' And that's something, I think, that a lot of people can identify with, and I think that's a very uniting feeling and it comes from the heart."

AVANTASIA's tenth studio album, "Here Be Dragons", was released in February 2025 via Napalm Records. The 10-track offering was written and composed in its entirety by Sammet himself, produced and recorded by Sammet together with Sascha Paeth, mixed by Paeth and mastered by Michael Rodenberg. The cover art was once again created by acclaimed British fantasy artist Rodney Matthews.

AVANTASIA's impressive success story has seen nine previous studio albums (including the 2019 offering "Moonglow" that charted at No. 1 in Germany),gold awards, hundreds of millions of streams as well as headline shows at all important metal festivals and worldwide sold-out arena tours with tens of thousands of devoted fans.

ASINHELL, the death metal band featuring VOLBEAT's Michael Poulsen on guitar, Marc Grewe (INSIDIOUS DISEASE, ex-MORGOTH) on vocals and Morten Toft Hansen (RAUNCHY) on drums, has commenced work on material for its sophomore album.

According to a new social media post from Grewe, the tentative plan is for ASINHELL for record the follow-up to 2023's "Impii Hora" sometime next year.

"Impii Hora" (Latin for "Ungodly Hour") arrived in September 2023 via Metal Blade.

For more than 20 years, Poulsen has been spearheading Danish rock and roll machine VOLBEAT, releasing nine full-lengths, selling millions of albums, and filling stadiums worldwide. Before fronting VOLBEAT, however, Poulsen formed death metal band DOMINUS, which recorded four fast, brutal albums in the mid-1990s.

When Poulsen was putting together songs for VOLBEAT's 2021 album, "Servant Of The Mind", he wrote a bunch of death metal riffs and saved them on his phone. Then, when he was done with the VOLBEAT record, he reopened the rusty gates to Armageddon and started putting together songs for his new death metal band ASINHELL, whose "Impii Hora" LP is a tribute to Poulsen's favorite old-school groups.

Poulsen has rekindled the death metal fire that fueled his first band DOMINUS. He began jamming on riffs with longtime friend and neighbor, Toft Hansen. The two started playing in Morten's tiny garage: no mics, no P.A. — just a drum kit and a combo amp turned all the way up like they used when they were teenagers. Soon, the pair were completing a new song every time they got together. When it came time to add vocals, Poulsen turned to his good friend, who also happened to be one of his all-time favorite death metal growlers: Grewe, formerly of MORGOTH and currently in INSIDIOUS DISEASE.

"I had known Michael quite a long time and he always mentioned that we should do a death metal project one day, but I never took him too seriously because he was so busy with VOLBEAT," Grewe said. "Then he called for real and said, 'Yeah, I want to do it now. Are you up for it?' Immediately, I was like, 'Yes, of course!'"

With ASINHELL fully formed, the three convened with VOLBEAT producer Jacob Hansen to produce, mix, and play bass on their debut album. When it was time to add lead guitar to the album, Michael looked no further than friend, VOLBEAT touring guitarist and THE ARCANE ORDER axeman Flemming C. Lund.

ASINHELL made its live debut on May 30, 2024 at Pumphuset in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Joining ASINHELL on the road were Hansen on bass as well as Lund on lead guitar, making the band's first live incarnation the same lineup that performed on "Impii Hora".

Photo credit: Brittany Bowman

Hey!!
Wishing you all a fantastic 2026!!!

I am very grateful for a healthy and positive 2025🙏

There are some really...

Posted by Marc Grewe on Wednesday, December 31, 2025

In a new interview with Spain's El Jevilongo, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith was asked about the fact that the band's production for the ongoing "Run For Your Lives" 50th-anniversary tour includes digital screens instead of physical backdrops and props which characterized MAIDEN's previous shows. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we were always very traditional in our production. With the backdrops, it was like you were going to see a play in the theater. I think our [longtime] manager Rod Smallwood usually has a vision for the shows and he gets together with Steve [Harris, IRON MAIDEN's founding bassist]. Bruce [Dickinson, IRON MAIDEN singer] has a lot to do with the visuals. Bruce, he's getting more and more and more involved in stuff going on stage, like the gun battle with [MAIDEN's mascot] Eddie and all that. I don't get involved in that, to be honest. But I think it was a conscious thing to maybe sort of just change it up a little bit, just to give a different look…I mean, I like it."

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain, who retired from touring with the band a year ago, addressed the change in MAIDEN's production from physical backdrops and props to digital screens this past July during a Clearwater, Florida concert with his TITANIUM TART project. He launched into the discussion by asking the crowd, "What do you guys think about the screens that they've got? Hands up who thinks they're great. Hands up, those people that prefer the old way." After a few people in the audience expressed their preference for the physical backdrops and props, Nicko continued: "I know, and I spoke to Rod about this last year. 'Cause I saw the sketch with these screens, and I said to him, 'Hey, I don't think we should be [changing the way we do things].' He said, 'We've gotta move into the 21st century, Nick.' He said, 'This is the 50th-anniversary tour. We've gotta have something special.' I said, 'Well, then put more drapes up. More drapes. Instead of The Trooper just having Eddie on the horse with his sword out, have him firing the gun off the… whatever. You put another one halfway through the song. But that's what they went with."

Nicko added: "I'm old school. I would've liked to see the drapes and the screens on the side."

Less than two months ago, IRON MAIDEN announced the North American dates of the "Run For Your Lives" world tour. In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the band will perform at stadiums and major amphitheaters across the United States and Canada, allowing fans the chance to witness the brand new, state-of-the-art production, on the scale it is intended for — huge stages in outdoor venues, to accompany the once-in-a-lifetime setlist of songs from the band's groundbreaking first nine albums. The 16-stop trek opens at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, and includes performances at TD Garden in Boston, Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre just outside of Chicago, Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, BMO Stadium in Los Angeles, and more before concluding Saturday, October 2 at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City. Joining MAIDEN on tour are thrash metal pioneers MEGADETH and ANTHRAX, depending on the date.

These upcoming tour dates will mark 45 years since IRON MAIDEN first visited Canada and the USA on the 1981 "Killer" world tour, and feature some of the biggest shows the band has ever played there. The return to BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on September 25 and September 26 will be the 25th and 26th time the band has played in the City of Angels.

The first European leg of "Run For Your Lives" took place this past summer. A second European leg will run from May through July 2026.

For MAIDEN's European tour in 2025, the band requested that fans "severely limit their use of phones at our concerts, ideally just keeping it in their pockets the whole time, especially in those standing areas in front of the stage."

"Our fans' understanding and cooperation made a colossal difference to the atmosphere of every show and increased the enjoyment enormously for the band and fans alike," Smallwood said in a statement.

"So for all our North American shows we are once again requesting that fans keep their phones in their pockets and enjoy the show 'in the moment', rather than raise their phone in the air trying to film sections and thus inconveniencing those around them and annoying the band. So if a so-called fan near you thinks they are special and filming what they selfishly want, please just ask them, very politely of course, to put their phone somewhere the sun doesn't shine!"

In a new interview with Indie Power TV, former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke reflected on his run of shows as the guitar player for Alice Cooper's band nearly a year ago. Clarke filled in for Nita Strauss, who had conflicting obligations of her own. Previously, guitarist Orianthi had been planning to fill in for Strauss, but due to unforeseen circumstances, Orianthi was unable to do the tour. Gilby said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Earlier this year — well, actually, we're about to go into [2026] — I got a call from my good friend Chuck Garric, who plays bass for Alice Cooper. Chuck calls me on a Friday. He goes, 'Hey, if we needed you to play guitar for Alice, would you do it?' Because I have been offered that gig before, and it just didn't work out, a few times; it just didn't work out for some reason. And I go, 'Yeah, I would, of course.' I go, 'I love you, guys. I love Alice and his music' and stuff. He goes, 'Well, Nita was never able to do this next run we have coming up. And we had Orianthi to fill in for her because she's done it, but Orianthi just pulled out today. She has a medical issue.' And I go, 'Yeah, yeah, I could do it.' And I go, 'Well, when does it leave?' He goes, 'Monday.' He called me Friday, so I had Saturday and Sunday to learn almost 30 songs, get on a plane with them Monday, one rehearsal Tuesday, and show Wednesday. And thank God it's Chuck and Ryan Roxie, and, of course, Tommy [Henriksen] too. Ryan and I go way back to CANDY days and stuff, of course. And Ryan came over one day and helped me tweak it up. But I had so much fun on that run because, first of all, Alice's music is just the best. And Alice is one of the greatest human beings in the world. And then a couple times I got poked with a sword and I got whipped, but it was really, really, really nice stepping into that."

Clarke went on to say that he had to learn some of the Alice tunes that he wasn't familiar with. But, he added, "even the songs that I really don't know — the 'Poison' era and all that stuff, 'Lost In America'; I kind of missed that [since] I was doing other stuff at that time — I really enjoyed learning those songs and playing those songs," he said.

Gilby also praised the 77-year-old Cooper for staying active and maintaining a strong work ethic, driven by the simple fact that he still loves what he does.

"It's inspiring when you see someone like Alice that's so keyed in and he's figured it out," Clarke said.

The now-63-year-old Clarke replaced Izzy Stradlin in the GUNS lineup in 1991, during the "Use Your Illusion" tour, and stayed with the band for three years. After exiting GUNS N' ROSES, Clarke continued as a producer and solo artist, while also playing in SLASH'S SNAKEPIT, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA, HEART and other acts.

Clarke, along with fellow GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan, Steven Adler and Matt Sorum, played three "Appetite For Destruction" songs with Myles Kennedy at the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in April 2012 in Cleveland, Ohio, although Gilby himself was not inducted as part of the group. Kennedy, who handles lead vocals in Slash's solo band and ALTER BRIDGE, sang "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City", with "Use Your Illusion"-era member Sorum sitting behind the drum kit on "Brownstone" and the man he replaced in GN'R, Adler, pounding the skins for the other two songs.

In 2021, Clarke addressed his non-participation in GUNS N' ROSES' reunion tour, which features three-fifths of the group's classic lineup — singer Axl Rose, Slash and McKagan — during an interview with "The SDR Show". He said: "They didn't ask me to join the band; they asked me to come out and do [a guest appearance] with the band. And it just happened to be the day that I was in Chicago with my daughter. Her band was playing Lollapalooza [in July 2016]. And I'm actually her roadie. I don't think anybody would know how to tune the guitar if I wasn't there. Just kidding. But, yeah, it was just bad timing. I just said, 'Look, I think it's a great idea. I'm up for it. I just can't do it today.' And they literally asked me that day. And I never heard back from them after I said that."

Gilby also confirmed that he only had a week to learn the entire GUNS catalog when he first joined the band more than three decades ago. "That's true," he said. "They told me on a Monday, that 'You have the gig,' and the next week we were flying to Boston for our first show. And I literally had a week. And remember, this is before YouTube. I was glued to their records with the headphones on, trying to learn the catalog. And the last song I learned was a song called 'Estranged', which was a really long ballad piece. And if you listen to it, it's kind of one-dimensional guitar-wise — it really just features Slash. So I was listening to it, and I really couldn't figure out what I should do in that song. So I went to Dizzy [Reed, GUNS keyboardist]. I go, 'Hey, man, can you sit down with me, and let's work on 'Estranged'.' I go, 'I just wanna kind of figure it out.' And he goes, 'Oh, well, here's the music book.' And he handed me the music book. And I went, 'There's a music book? I just spent a week learning every note by ear when I could have just grabbed the freakin' music book…' I mean, I read charts — it would have taken me an hour. I was a little pissed off that I didn't ask. They could have offered it to me."

Clarke's latest solo album, "The Gospel Truth", was released in April 2021 via Golden Robot Records.

Gilby released his solo debut, "Pawnshop Guitars", in 1994.

In a new interview with Spain's MariskalRockTV, Dave Mustaine spoke about his decision to include his version of "Ride The Lightning", the title track of METALLICA's 1984 album for which he got a co-writing credit following his 1983 departure from the band, on the final MEGADETH album, simply titled "Megadeth". Regarding why he chose to record "Ride The Lightning" at this point in his career, Dave said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Probably 'cause it was the most emblematic of my guitar influence. The spider chord — you know how I do the spider chord. And then there's something called grunting, where I'll hit the chord a half a step below the note I want to go to. I'll fret it and I'll slide into it… It's way heavier. So, to me, I call that grunting. So spider chords and grunting are in 'Ride The Lightning'."

Mustaine continued: "Having written so much of the songs with [METALLICA] — people think I wrote a lot, but on that record ['Ride The Lightning'], it was 'The Call Of Ktulu', which used to be called 'When Hell Freezes Over', and [the title track] 'Ride The Lightning'. And the previous album [METALLICA's 1983 debut, 'Kill 'Em All'] had four songs on it [that I co-wrote]."

Asked if the guitar solo in MEGADETH's version of "Ride The Lightning" is "very close to the original song" because current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett copied Mustaine's solo from Dave's original version of "Ride The Lightning" with METALLICA, or if Mustaine simply "wanted to respect" Hammett's work by reproducing Hammett's solo from the 1984 album, Dave said: "I think Kirk — if you listen to [METALLICA's 1982] 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo and then you listen to the 'Kill 'Em All' record, it's pretty clear that that Kirk had some instruction [about how to approach the guitar leads on that album]. Was it note for note? No. But it was pretty close. So, when the opportunity came to do 'Ride The Lightning' [with MEGADETH], I didn't really feel like I knew the song very well anymore, and I don't remember what I played on for that song, for 'Ride The Lightning'. I had a hard time finding anything that I played on either. So we just figured, 'Fuck it. [Current MEGADETH guitarist] Teemu [Mäntysaari] and I'll split the solo up, and half of it'll be for him and half of it'll be for me,' and it turned out so that [Teemu] did a little more than half."

Last month, Mustaine told Guitar World magazine about his decision to include his version of "Ride The Lightning" on "Megadeth": "The main reason I chose to do this was to close the circle and pay my respects to my partners. I thought this was a really great way to do that.

"Whenever we select any other band's music to go on our albums, sometimes there's a lot of thought behind it and sometimes there's not. This was one of the ones that we thought long and hard about, because all I wanted to do was play the song I wrote with the guys in METALLICA," Mustaine explained. "I wanted to pay my respects to [METALLICA frontman] James Hetfield, who I think is an amazing guitar player, and [METALLICA drummer] Lars Ulrich, who was an excellent songwriter. I remember when I was there and we were putting these songs together, Lars didn't just sit there; he was very instrumental in making these songs.

"Of course, when we got into making demos of these songs, it was fun to do the recordings, but we were never really able to do a full-on produced version of 'Ride The Lightning' [while I was in METALLICA], and I would have loved to have heard that.

"I gotta tell you — listening back to James's original vocal performance, it was really tremendous," Dave added.

"Anyway, there's no big strategy; I have respect for the guys, and I just wanted to show that. And it's a hell of a song."

Mustaine previously talked about his version of "Ride The Lightning" during an appearance on the December 5, 2025 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Dave said at the time: "We're managed by three men — Danny Nozell, Steve Ross and Justis Mustaine. And we were talking with management, and we were just kind of yacking about what the cover song was gonna be on the record, 'cause we always did cover songs on our records. But this wasn't a cover song, because I wrote it with James. And it just became clear that I should do this, because if I'm going to ride off into the sunset, I wanna pay tribute to the band that I started in, and I wanted to make mention about what I think about James."

Mustaine continued: "I think [James is] an exceptional guitar player. I remember the day that I saw him play guitar for the first time. We were playing at the Whisky [A Go Go in West Hollywood, California]. And we had a guitar player with us, and his name was Brad Parker. And the night of the show he changed it to Damian Phillips. And he showed up at the Whisky in mid-1980s Rudy Sarzo garb. And I thought, 'Wow, that's not gonna go down.' And I looked at him and he had a giant feather earring. And I thought to myself, 'This guy's not gonna be here very long.' So I go to rehearsal, after the show, the next rehearsal I go and there's no Brad, there's no Damian, nobody. It was just James playing guitar — like a motherfucker. And I thought, 'How did this happen? How did this guy go from singer to a great guitar player like this?' And I was excited for me. I was excited for the band. And we started playing then."

As for how "Ride The Lightning" was chosen as the song for MEGADETH to record this time around, Mustaine said: "With the track, choosing that, I figured it should be something that I had something to do with, but I didn't know it was going to turn out like that. Something off of 'Kill 'Em All' would've been obvious, and we already did that [with 'Mechanix']. And so I was thinking about 'Ride The Lightning', and there's only a couple songs on there that I wrote. And I didn't think that 'The Call Of Ktulu' would be the right move, 'cause that's not even how the song was when I was in the band; they changed it so much, so it's not the way that I remember it. So we started doing 'Ride', and it just felt so great, listening to the tracks, listening to James's singing, listening to how the song structure was. It was just great. I loved it. And I've always believed when you do a song from somebody, you've gotta do it as good or better — you've got to. So we sped it up a little bit and we beefed up a couple parts, just to make them a little bit more modern. And there you have it."

Mustaine also previously talked about MEGADETH's version of "Ride The Lightning" last October in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine. He said at the time: "It wasn't really that I wanted to do my version. I think that we all wanted it to turn out a certain way, and for me, this was about something so much more than how a song turns out. It was about respect."

Speaking specifically about Hetfield, Mustaine added: "No one ever talks to me about that. One day he's a singer, the next day he's this fucking powerhouse and I've always respected him as a guitar player. So I wanted to do something to close the circle on my career right now, since it started off with [Mustaine's band before METALLICA] PANIC and several of the songs that ended up in the METALLICA repertoire, I wanted to do something that I felt would be a good song."

Elaborating on his reasons for recording "Ride The Lightning" for MEGADETH's final album, Mustaine said: "Our intentions were pure. I didn't have any reason I was going to say, 'Oh, hey man, this thing that we've had for 40 years where you guys will never tour with me, me doing the song is going to change things.' That wasn't it at all. It was more about: This is my life going forward. I want to do things that are respectable. And I think doing something where we can pay honor to the guy that … I mean, I hate to say this, because it's just so fucking arrogant, but the guitar playing in METALLICA changed the world."

In a separate video message, Mustaine said: "So on the new album we recorded 'Ride The Lightning', and the reason we did that was, obviously, it's a song that I had a lot to do with writing it. And James and I, when we were working on the song, it became clear to me, when James first started playing guitar, how good of a guitar player he was. And I thought it would be really cool to close the circle to show respect, to play the songs that I've written with METALLICA and to honor our friendship, even though it's been strained and ruined from emotions over the years when we were not necessarily friendly. But one thing I've always had is I've always had a tremendous respect for James's guitar playing andLars's [Ulrich] songwriting. So, it was cool to do this and add it to the record. We sped it up just a little teeny bit, and we kind of played around a little bit with the solo and Teemu and I both tossed it back and forth to each other. So, you might hear a little bit of some differences with the tempos and, of course, I sing different from James too. But once again, it was about completing the circle and just showing what James and I, as guitar players, did to change the world."

"Megadeth" will be released on January 23, 2026 via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label.

Mustaine co-wrote the song "Ride The Lightning" with Hetfield, Ulrich and then-METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton.

"Megadeth" track listing:

01. Tipping Point
02. I Don't Care
03. Hey, God?!
04. Let There Be Shred
05. Puppet Parade
06. Another Bad Day
07. Made To Kill
08. Obey The Call
09. I Am War
10. The Last Note
11. Ride The Lightning (bonus track)

This past May, Mustaine gave a three-hour interview to Shawn Ryan, a former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor, and host of the Shawn Ryan Show, in which he spoke about his brief stint as a member of METALLICA in the early 1980s. Asked how he ended up joining METALLICA, Dave responded: "I was done with [my previous band] PANIC and I said, 'I'm gonna find something else to do.' So I got a newspaper called The Recycler, and it's just a rag from Los Angeles, Orange County. It's like a county classified ad magazine. And I'm looking in the classified ad magazine. Go figure. The biggest band in the world would advertise in this newspaper. So I look at it and it says, 'Wanted lead guitar player' and mentioned a couple bands. So I called up and I got Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] on the phone, and I said, 'Yeah, well, I like MOTÖRHEAD and I like BUDGIE. And he goes, 'You like fucking BUDGIE, man?' And I went, 'Yeah, I do.' And that was the icebreaker because BUDGIE is a Welsh band. It's a three-piece. It's very obscure. And by me listening to them showed that I had credibility in the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal world because of the bands I was listening to. They were not a band like a white metal band or a progressive metal band. They were a three-piece from Wales that kicked ass. They didn't have to have all those silly names in front of it."

Mustaine continued: " So, [Lars and I] were on the phone, and he made that comment that I know them, and I said, 'Yeah.' So we talked about meeting face to face. And I drove down from Huntington Beach to Newport Beach where he lived in a place called — I think it was called Park Newport. And the funny thing was my mom was a maid and she had actually worked a event for catering in his complex he was in. And I'm thinking, 'Go figure. My mom was a maid here and your mom has a place here. What a story that is, two different sides of the same coin.' And so I went into his place and started talking to him. And he played this song called 'Hit The Lights' that was written by a guy named Lloyd Grant. METALLICA didn't write that song. Lloyd Grant wrote it, and then he was friends with Lars, and then Lars introduced him to James [Hetfield, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] and then they started playing 'Hit The Lights'. That's a song that I heard from them first and I said, 'Wow, this song needs way more lead solos in it.' It was just me being cocky, being me: 'It needs more lead solos in it.' And he was trying to figure out if I was for real. And so we went to rehearsal. He said, 'We're gonna try you out.' I said, okay. I mean, I knew how good I played. I have been gifted, and I know it's not by my own doing, so I don't try to take any credit for it. So I don't care how good I am or not, or what people say or anything like that. So I just knew what I knew, what I knew. And I went to [then-METALLICA bassist] Ron McGovney's parents' fourplex. They had this place that James was living with Ron. And I went up there with Lars and I set up my amps and I plugged my guitar in and I just started warming up. [And] they wouldn't come in. They wouldn't come into the rehearsal room. So I put my guitar down and I thought, 'This is really strange.' And I walked out and I said, 'Guys, are we gonna do the audition?' They said, 'You got the gig.'"

Mustaine went on to say that he "knew" he would get the METALLICA gig when he first went to audition for the band. "'Cause I could play that stuff," he explained. "I mean, there weren't very many guitar players like me around at the time. Who were they? Randy Rhoads. There were people like that. The guy from RATT — Warren DeMartini was really great. But real shredders? There wasn't a lot of us around at the time."

Asked what it felt like being in METALLICA in those early days, Mustaine said: "Well, again, it's kind of like it seemed like this was what my destiny was. And when it came time for us to do our first concert, we played at a high school, or maybe it was a junior high school Lars might've gone to. I know he went to it, but I can't remember if it was elementary or junior or high school, whatever. And from that point on, it was just clear that whenever there was any kind of altercation that was going down, I would be the one that would take care of it. James was very peaceful, and Lars, he was a little bit of a devil; he liked to have fun. But, yeah, if there was ever any stuff going down, I had to take care of it. When we went up to San Francisco and did our first couple shows up there at a place called The Stone, I was the one who had to go and collect the money. And there's a million ways to embezzle or to be corrupt when it comes down to running a club or a bar when it involves a band getting paid. They can say all kinds of stuff. And if you don't know, you don't know. And most kids my age at that time don't know. And they try and get money and they'll say, 'Well, you sold 200 tickets and you have a bar tab here, and so we're gonna give you 150 bucks.' And you know that they made a killing on their booze. You know that they made money on the food and snacks that they have there and the ticket prices. Plus they take a giant whack of your merchandise. And that was my gig. I would go do that."

Reflecting on METALLICA's ill-fated cross-country trip in the spring of 1983 that resulted in his firing from the band, Mustaine said: "When we decided we were gonna move out to New York, that was because Lars had found somebody he wanted to manage us, this guy Jonny Zazula, who had Megaforce Records. And [Jonny] heard our demo tape, the 'No Life 'Til Leather' demo tape. And he lost his mind, just like everybody else in the world. And they wanted to get the band to come out and record a record. And while we were on the way out there, we got in a car crash. We were driving through the snow. None of us knew how to drive through snow except for Lars, because he was from Denmark. And I'm driving this Ryder truck. It's a 24-foot truck, and it had a tow bar and it had James's pickup on the back. So when we were driving, we hit black ice and the whole thing spun around while I was driving. And I managed to keep it upright in the middle of the freeway, but the truck stopped and oncoming traffic was coming towards us. And the events that happened at that location… The guy that had produced — I think he produced the first [METALLICA] record; his name's Mark Whitaker. He was the guy that was doing our sound and stuff. He almost died. I had to push him out of the way, and a truck was to the right or right where he was standing. So if I wouldn't have seen that truck coming and saved his life, he'd be dead right now. And when we went to the U-Haul place to get our truck, we placed and moved all of our gear into the new truck. James and Lars had made a decision to replace me because they tried to pin that driving thing on me as the last straw."

Addressing the allegations that his excessive drinking was the main reason he was fired from METALLICA, Mustaine said: "We all drank. That's why they called it ALCOHOLICA. I mean, they didn't call it DAVE-ALCOHOLICA. We all drank. And they continued to drink like that even after I was gone. But that was, I think, the beginning of the end. And when we got out to New York, I had a reel of tape, this quarter-inch tape, that had probably two days' worth of guitar riffs on it, just me playing and playing and playing. And we took that tape player and the reel of tape with us out to New York. We did two shows out there, and after those two shows, they woke me up one morning and said, 'Look, you're out of the band.' And I said, 'What are you talking about?' 'You're out of the band.' I said, 'No warning? No second chance? You're not gonna give me a warning? You're just gonna kick me out?' And I thought that was unfair. And it showed a grotesque lack of character. And so that pissed me off and was a huge part of the fuel. But at the time, I was really mad and I didn't wanna forgive them for what they did. And I told them when I left, 'Do not use my music. And of course they used it. [The] 'Ride The Lightning' [title track] I wrote. 'The Call Of Ktulu' I wrote. Let's see, what else? There's 'Phantom Lord', 'Metal Militia', 'Jump In The Fire', 'The Four Horsemen'. And I wrote a bunch of 'Leper Messiah' [on METALLICA's third album, 'Master Of Puppets'] too. They didn't give me credit on that. You listen to the riffs, you know they're my riffs. It's, like, you think I'm gonna all of a sudden hear my riff and say, 'That's not me.' So, yeah, I wrote a lot of their music that made them, and all the solos on that first record were mine — the best Kirk [Hammett, Mustaine's replacement in METALLICA] could try and copy them."

Asked why he was singled out and fired from METALLICA when everybody in the band drank heavily at that point, Dave said: "Because when I got drunk, I got violent. James and I had gone out to a club one time. It was the old Mabuhay [Gardens in San Francisco]. It was across the street from The Stone. And we were out front, and some guy came out of the alleyway and he said, 'There's a guy beating some girl up in the alleyway.' And, of course, I being the champion for justice, did not want to hear that and not do anything. So I went down the alleyway with James, and, of course, James not being a fighter, started yelling out, 'Kill him, kill him, kill him.' And the guy comes out from behind a van and he was much bigger than James, and he said, 'Who's gonna kill me?' And James goes — points to me. So I immediately grabbed a guy and put him down in a submission and started rabbit punching him until he stopped moving. And then we ran out of the alleyway and we stood out front until the paramedics came. And that was it. So I imagine he saw that and he figured, 'I don't wanna be part of this. Dave's already beat me up back down in Los Angeles, and he's just too violent.' 'Cause James did get a punch in the mouth from me. He kicked my puppy."

Elaborating on the punch-up that occurred between him and Hetfield, Mustaine said: "I was selling pot for a living, so one time I did a concert and people knew I was on stage, so they just shimmied the window. There was nobody there. They took all my pot, and I was pissed. So I got two dogs. My nephew took one and I took the other one, and I had taken her up with me to rehearsal. And she was playing and she's looking up at me. I'm standing over here. Ron McGovney's got this really nice GTO and she leans up against the car and puts her paws on the front quarter panel and [James] goes bang and kicked the dog. And I went, 'What did you just do? What did you just do?' And it went from the front yard into the house, and there was still stuff being said. And I said, 'You better shut up or I'm gonna punch you in the mouth. And then Ron McGovney says, 'If you hit him, you're gonna have to hit me first.' And I said, 'You stay out of it.' And then James said the same thing: 'If you hit him, you're gonna have to hit me first.' And I said, 'Okay, you win.' And bang, I hit James in the mouth, and then I hip-tossed Ron into his television set-up. And that was it. Two strikes and it was over. And Lars was pulling his hair going, 'I don't want it to end this way.' And I thought, 'You know what? I've already told you, it's either me or James.' And we did that a bunch of times, 'cause James was doing stupid stuff. And I told James the same thing. I said, 'Man, it's either me or Lars, 'cause Lars sucks.' And I got the ax in the end. So it's good. Fine."

Asked what he did after he got "axed" from METALLICA, Mustaine said: "I went home and I contacted a friend of mine and I said, 'I quit.' She said, 'No, you didn't. You got fired.' And I said, 'Yeah, I got fired. I quit. I got fired, whatever. I'm back home. Wrong word. [it's] not changing the outcome.' And I made sure not to ever say that I quit, 'cause I wanted people to know that I was unfairly dismissed and that I didn't give a shit. 'Cause we [MEGADETH] may not be as big as they [METALLICA] are. Hell, their biggest song, 'Enter Sandman', go look up the band EXCEL right now. Look up their song — I think it's something 'Into The Unknown'. [Editor's note: The track is actually called 'Tapping Into The Emotional Void'.] Pretty similar."

A decade ago, Grant told the "Rockzone Legends" show that he first heard "Hit The Lights" when Ulrich played it for him before their first rehearsal with Hetfield. "James was playing bass and I was playing guitar and Lars was playing drums," Lloyd recalled. "And we rehearsed that 'Hit The Lights' song. But way before that, Lars let me hear that song. We were hanging out watching soccer, and he says, 'Hey, I met this guy,' blah blah blah, 'and he's exactly what we wanna jam with.' And he played this one song, and it was great, and that's how I first was introduced to 'Hit The Lights'. And after that, I went over and jammed a few times. Then he called me and said they were gonna be on this compilation album ['Metal Massacre'] and he brought over a tape of 'Hit The Lights' recorded on a four-track and asked me to make some solos for that, and they were gonna bring the four-track down and they were just gonna put it out an dump it on the compilation album."

In a November 2022 interview with Greg Prato of Songfacts, Mustaine was asked to elaborate on his comment that he would like to collaborate again with Hetfield. Asked if he actually discussed that with James, Dave said: "The last time we talked it didn't end very well because we have some memory of a couple of things that took place when I was in the band. I remember it one way and he is saying that it happened another. But it's about somebody else — it's not even him. He's talking to me on behalf of 'you know who'," apparently referring to Ulrich. "They wanted to release 'No Life 'Til Leather' [the early METALLICA demo Mustaine was on] — 27 songs, posters, flyers, pictures, everything. I said I would love to do this thing, and James said, 'Look, we fucked up. The last three things we've done failed abysmally.' He said it was 'Lulu' [METALLICA's collaboration with Lou Reed, released in 2011], something called Orion [a festival called Orion Music + More that took place in 2012 and 2013], and there was one other thing... I think it was a film about a fan or something [the 2013 film 'Metallica: Through The Never']. I don't know. I don't see them as a failure. But I had said, 'Yeah, I'd be interested.' And he said, 'We'd like to get everything right with all the history, the publishing and stuff.' And I said, 'Good.' Because part of the reason why we haven't been able to really reconcile is because I had songs that when I left I didn't want them to record, and they went ahead and recorded them but they didn't pay me what my share of the songs were.

"James and I wrote 'Metal Militia' and 'Phantom Lord' — every note," Dave continued. "And somehow, on the record ['Kill 'Em All'] it says Lars gets 10%. And on 'Metal Militia' that Kirk gets some of it, and he wasn't even in the band.

"So I've come to terms with it, and when he said, 'We'd like to get this right,' I said, 'Great. Let's do it. I have no problem.' And when I said, 'This is what it is,' he said, 'No. It's kind of what it was, and that's how it is.' And I thought to myself, you know what? When you guys did that to me before, it was not cool. I said, 'Don't use my stuff' and you did it, and then didn't give me my fair share. So why would I want to willingly enter into something like that? I wouldn't. So that's where we stand right now.

"I would love to work with James. I'd like to work with Lars again, too, but I think the real talent in METALLICA has always been around the guitar — everybody makes fun of the drums.

"Lars is a really great song arranger. And believe it or not, I watched him on a piece-of-shit acoustic guitar write the opening riff to 'Master Of Puppets'. You know what that was? It was a guy with a guitar that doesn't know how to play, and he's going [mimics playing a chromatic run] on the neck. It wasn't anything really mind-blowing by any means. The way James played it made it mind-blowing."

Eight years ago, Mustaine said that he didn't want to "perpetuate false information" by giving Ulrich songwriting credit on the previously announced expanded version of "No Life 'Til Leather".

"No Life 'Til Leather" was released as a limited-edition cassette for Record Store Day in April 2015, available exclusively in independent record stores. It featured artwork copies from drummer Ulrich's own personal copy of the original demo, as well as his handwriting. At the time, the band also promised that expanded editions of the demo, which had never before been commercially available, would arrive on CD, vinyl and in a collector's set.

The seven-song tape was recorded with the first lineup of the band that appeared live as METALLICA, including Ulrich, Hetfield, lead guitarist Mustaine and bassist Ron McGovney. The original recordings were paid for by High Velocity record label owner Kenny Kane, with a view of making them available as an EP in 1982.

Mustaine discussed the proposed expanded edition of "No Life 'Til Leather" during a June 2018 interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine. Saying that the last time he spoke to Hetfield was when the METALLICA guitarist/vocalist called him to talk about the "No Life 'Til Leather" re-release, Mustaine recalled: "He was trying to get me to give publishing over to Lars, despite James and I being the sole songwriters. Lars wanted a percentage and I just said no. I love James, he's a terrific guitar player, but yeah, I can't do that. The songs are already out there. I'm not going to release something just to have a product to sell — especially if they are perpetuating false information. Lars did not write the songs. It was just me and James. Period."

Ulrich told Metal Forces in 2016 that "some unexpected difficulties on the legal side… prevented the 'No Life 'Til Leather' box set and our vision for how we were going to kick this whole reissue series off. We spent some time doing that dance, but then James and I decided that it wasn't worth it getting bogged down in all the unpleasantries, because this was supposed to be a celebration and not end up being a tug of war, so we thought, 'You know what? Fuck it. We'll just move on to 'Kill 'Em All'," he said.

Ulrich did not want to get into the details of the exact issues that were preventing the demo tape from being released. "It's a little more complicated than that," he said. "There's no reason to go deeper into it. It was just something that we hadn't expected."

Back in November 2017, Mustaine tweeted that he was contacted by Hetfield two years earlier about "officially" releasing "No Life Till Leather" with "27 tracks, pics, the whole enchilada," but, he said, "the talks broke down because Lars wanted credit on two songs I wrote every note and word to. I have the texts. I passed."

When Ulrich spoke to Metal Forces in 2016, he made it clear that METALLICA was still hopeful that the expanded version "No Life 'Til Leather" would arrive at a later date. "As you know, I am the eternal optimist, and I am the eternal 'glass is well fucking half full,' so who knows?" he said. "I think some of those parties have circled back around now that they've seen that this is real and so we'll have to see. It would be great to share 'No Life 'Til Leather' in a year or two with our fans and with the people that care. We haven't shut the door on it."

"No Life 'Til Leather" was recorded on July 6, 1982 at Chateau East Studio in Tustin, California. All the songs on the tape later appeared on the band's 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All", including "Hit The Lights", "Motorbreath", "Jump In The Fire", "Seek And Destroy", "Metal Militia", "Phantom Lord" and "The Mechanix", which was renamed "The Four Horsemen" on the album.

Mustaine was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Hammett.

Mustaine was not inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with METALLICA during the April 2009 ceremony at Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium. Ulrich later explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine "never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought... the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for eleven months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

During a question-and-answer session at the 2025 Steel City Con, which was held December 5-7, 2025 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler was asked if there is a possibility of him collaborating in the future on new music with either one of the two other living members of the original SABBATH lineup, guitarist Tony Iommi and drummer Bill Ward. Geezer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was actually gonna do some… Tony's got this great album that he is doing right at the moment. He's just in the process — I think he's in the process of mixing it right now, so it should be out sometime [in 2026]. He's got this great singer from Sweden on it. And he wanted me to do three bass tracks, but he wanted me to do them in England, and I can't go to England until June [of 2026]. So if he can hang on that long, I might collaborate with him back in June, if he can wait that long."

Late last month, Iommi shared a year-end video message in which he said that he will "definitely, definitely" release his new solo album in 2026. "I'm really looking forward to that," he said. "I'm enjoying doing it, and it's been great fun, and I really hope you enjoy it."

Tony previously talked about his long-awaited new solo album during a July 2025 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said at the time: " I was doing my own album until [the 'Back To The Beginning' event] came up, and then, of course, I had to stop and concentrate on [preparing for] the SABBATH [performance]. But I'm continuing next week on trying to finish off what I started with this album. And then who knows what I'm gonna do then? It's great, really, 'cause if something pops up, I'll do it, if I want to do it. So it's a good thing."

Asked if his upcoming album is a Tony Iommi solo record with guests on it, like he has done before with 2000's "Iommi", the guitarist responded: "At the moment, no. I've got one singer on it at the moment, which I originally thought of different singers. But it started off as it's gonna be an instrumental album, and it's gone from I've got some instrumental stuff, but then I thought, 'Oh, I wanna try it with a singer.' And so that's what I've been doing."

Tony also spoke about his appearance on "Rocket", the first single from British pop singer Robbie Williams's "Britpop" album. The rock track, which was written by Robbie, Karl Brazil, Tony Iommi and Tom Longworth, features a signature guitar solo from the heavy metal pioneer.

"[Robbie] asked me if I'd play on this track, and I didn't realize he was gonna release it as a single," Iommi said. "And then he wanted to do a video with it. Oh my God. But it was great to do that. And I enjoyed doing that. And it's great now — I can do different stuff when I want, really, and I'm enjoying it."

Tony added: "I can't stop. I have to carry on. I enjoy what I do. And it's great being creative. And I love to create music. That's what started me off and that's what will finish me off, probably. But I love it. And there will be — yes — more from me. And I'm getting more involved in — we spread our wings with the [BLACK SABBATH] ballet and different things. And there's a lot more things to come. So I'm looking forward to that."

In 2024, Iommi released an instrumental track, "Deified", to accompany the arrival of another new fragrance. The song saw Iommi reunite with longtime collaborator Mike Exeter, who played keyboards and handled production, with Laurence Cottle (who played on BLACK SABBATH's "Headless Cross" album) on bass. The recording lineup was rounded out by FEEDER and Robbie Williams drummer Karl Brazil, with Ben Andrews scoring the orchestrations.

Three years earlier, Iommi unveiled "Scent Of Dark" — his first new music in eight years at the time — alongside an accompanying cologne.

At the time of "Scent Of Dark"'s release, Iommi revealed that he had "four or five hundred" unused riffs on his phone, with plans to arrange and record some of them for his various projects.

"Scent Of Dark" and "Deified" were the product of a friendship struck up during the pandemic between Iommi and Sergio Momo, acclaimed perfumer, and designer for Xerjoff, well known for its unique and individual creations and collaborations in the fragrance world. Sergio is also an accomplished guitarist, and his fine fretwork can be heard on both songs.

Iommi previously spoke about his upcoming solo album during a June 2024 appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. He said at the time: "I am writing stuff now for my own, for an album. So that's exciting too. And there's no pressure. I just do stuff when I feel like it, because, obviously, I've got a life to live and I like to do all the different stuff. But I've really enjoyed doing this stuff, as I did with Ozz [BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne] when I'd done a couple of tracks for his last [solo] album ['Patient Number 9'], which was good, to work with Ozz again. And I'm quite open for all that now. Whatever comes, and I like it, I do it."

Asked if he is going to release a "proper record" or if he will just make individual songs available whenever he feels like it, Iommi responded: "No, I'm gonna do a record. And I've got a lot of stuff. But now we're actually getting around to sort of putting it together, myself and the engineer. So it's been good fun, really. And as I say, there's no pressure. I can just do it — I don't have to do it by next week. And because of everything else [that has] been lurking around, I have to take my time in doing things. But it's been fun. And that's what it's all about, really. And I'm looking forward to actually doing it and an album coming out."

When and if Iommi's new solo album surfaces, it would be his third, after 2000's "Iommi" and 2005's "Fused".

Joining Iommi on "Fused" was ex-DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes and drummer Kenny Aronoff, whose resume includes the "Iommi" album and a long run with John Mellencamp.

Nearly two decades ago, Iommi told Launch that he, Aronoff and Hughes had a great time making the "Fused" record. "It was like a load of nutters, quite honestly," he said. "We all let loose in the room. It was just like being kids, because Kenny, you know, [laughs] he was, like, he's so, like, up, and full of energy, and you've got Glenn [makes crazy sound] and Kenny [makes crazy sound] — bloody hell! It's almost too much, you know, but it worked."

SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan and Dave Grohl of the FOO FIGHTERS are among the guests who were heard on "Iommi". The LP also featured guest appearances from Philip Anselmo of PANTERA, Henry Rollins and SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Serj Tankian as well as Skin of SKUNK ANANSIE, Peter Steele from TYPE O NEGATIVE, and THE CULT's Ian Astbury.

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

"The End" was SABBATH's last tour because Iommi — who was diagnosed with lymphoma in late 2011 — can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

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

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

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

Bill Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced 14 years ago, but backed out soon after. The drummer later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

All four original members of SABBATH were present when the band announced its final reunion in late 2011. But Ward split from the group in 2012, citing an "unsignable" contract, and Osbourne, Iommi and Butler carried on with their Rick Rubin–produced "13" LP and extensive international touring without him.

The July 5, 2025 "Back To The Beginning" event at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom marked the original BLACK SABBATH lineup's first performance since 2005 and the quartet's final live appearance.

Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band before being joined by Iommi, Butler and Ward for four classic SABBATH tracks: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".

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

In a new interview with Rev. Tom Brice of Sportzwire Radio, Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who joined Ozzy Osbourne's band more than a decade and a half ago, spoke about the upcoming album from his band FIREWIND. Due later in the year via the Frontiers Label Group's new imprint BLKIIBLK, the follow-up to 2024's "Stand United" LP will mark the return of singer Henning Basse (METALIUM, SONS OF SEASONS, WITHERING SCORNGus said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's [been] a lineup change [in FIREWIND]. Henning Basse's back in the band. For those maybe that don't remember or don't even know, Henning, he's been with us, on and off, since the early days, to be honest, since 2006, 2007. He helped us finish a tour originally, and then he joined the band 10 years later, 2016. We made a really cool record together called 'Immortals'. Then he was outed by the end of the 2010s. And now he's back in — new music, new concept album."

Regarding FIREWIND's switch from AFM Records to BLKIIBLK, Gus said: "I think what they did with Frontiers is that they launched this imprint [BLKIIBLK] to release the heavier stuff, basically, because Frontiers is more catered towards AOR music and more like WINGER and JOURNEY and those bands and that kind of stuff. And then they had a lot of metal stuff, and I think maybe they felt that confused fans, so they launched a heavier label and they have legendary bands like BIOHAZARD and MEGADETH. And we're honored to be on that roster."

Asked how important it is, for him as an artist, to still put out new music at this point of his career, Gus said: "For me it's very important. I think it's very important to keep moving, to keep being creative, not just resting on your laurels. And, 'Okay, we had a couple of great albums, like, 20 years ago.' I mean, so what? That was cool. It's great, of course, to have a great body of work a great catalog, it's important, I think, to build that. But for me it's also important to keep creating. I mean, right now, to be honest with you, I'm working on two albums. I just finished my new solo record. And that's gonna come out this year. And then I'm pretty much wrapping it up on the new FIREWIND record. So, I've written over 20 new songs. So, for me, it's important to keep writing. And I have other ideas laying around. I just wanna keep releasing music, if I feel inspired, if I feel, of course, that have to say something as an artist. If I don't feel like I have to say something, then, yeah, it's okay — you don't have to say something all the time. But as long as I'm feeling inspired, I will keep doing it and I will keep putting out new music if I feel it's good."

FIREWIND announced a split with singer Herbie Langhans in November, explaining in a statement that the band "'borrowed' Herbie from AVANTASIA for as long as we could, but our schedules and needs kept clashing, with all the increasing touring obligations. We understand Herbie's situation and we thank him for his time in the band, the awesome music we made together and wish him all the best."

Basse's history with FIREWIND goes back to 2007, when he first stepped in as a touring vocalist on the "Allegiance" tour, and later became a defining voice during FIREWIND's post-hiatus era from 2016 to 2019, leaving a lasting imprint on the acclaimed album "Immortals".

FIREWIND's latest album, "Stand United", featured nine brand new songs produced with Dennis Ward (MAGNUM, UNISONIC),as well as a cover of the 1980s pop rock classic "Talking In Your Sleep", originally recorded by THE ROMANTICS but given a metal twist in the style of FIREWIND.

FIREWIND released a concert album/Blu-ray, "Still Raging", in September 2023 via AFM Records.

Blazing a trail across the global metal scene for over two decades, FIREWIND stand as a pillar of modern melodic power metal. Combining anthemic choruses, dazzling guitar work, and soaring vocals, FIREWIND bridge the gap between classic heavy metal and modern power metal sensibilities. With influences ranging from RAINBOW and JUDAS PRIEST to HELLOWEEN and SYMPHONY X, their sound is as timeless as it is energetic.

The band's discography includes standout releases like "Allegiance" (2006),"The Premonition" (2008),and "Immortals" (2017),each demonstrating FIREWIND's knack for fusing melody and technical mastery. Their 2020 self-titled album marked a rebirth of sorts — introducing Langhans (AVANTASIA, SINBREED) and delivering a heavier, more aggressive edge without sacrificing the band's signature hooks.

At the center of it all is Gus G., whose explosive yet lyrical guitar style has earned him global recognition and endorsements, from playing stadiums with Ozzy Osbourne to headlining clubs with FIREWIND. Known for his precision, tone, and deep-rooted love for heavy metal, Gus G. is both the heart and architect of FIREWIND's sound.

In a new interview with Patrick Kielty of Ireland's long-running RTÉ One talk program The Late Late Show, THIN LIZZY guitarist Scott Gorham was asked what he thinks the band's legacy is to the next generation of musicians. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I really hope that we inspired a younger generation to get out there and just play. You don't have to make money at it, you don't have to have records, success and all that; you just gotta get out and play. If you're thinking that you're gonna go out there and you're gonna get rich, that's kind of the wrong way of looking at it. You need the absolute love of getting out there and not really caring about all the rest of it. I mean, you should care about it — absolutely — but it shouldn't be the absolute sole goal. It's getting out there and doing it."

In 1974, Gorham moved to the United Kingdom and joined Irish rockers THIN LIZZY. The now-74-year-old Californian musician would perform on ten best-selling albums, including "Jailbreak", "Johnny The Fox", "Bad Reputation" and "Live And Dangerous", and on the hit singles "The Boys Are Back In Town", "Rosalie", "Dancing In The Moonlight (It's Caught Me In Its Spotlight)" and "Waiting On An Alibi".

Back in September 2021, Gorham quit BLACK STAR RIDERS in order to focus on what he said at the time would be his recording and touring commitments with THIN LIZZY.

Gorham was BLACK STAR RIDERS' founding guitarist, having formed the band in 2013 with a number of other THIN LIZZY members who wanted to put out new material under a new moniker. The original lineup comprised Gorham, Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson, Marco Mendoza and Jimmy DeGrasso.

Last year, Gorham told Guitarist magazine that he was still hoping to revive THIN LIZZY for future live appearances.

"I'm waiting for the right caliber of player," he said at the time. "I can't just pick somebody off the line. For me, there's gotta be something special about them. I don't want to break the chain of great guitar players coming through THIN LIZZY. I know they're out there. So hopefully, it's not gonna take too long for something to happen…"

THIN LIZZY leader Phil Lynott died in 1986 at the age of 36 after years of drug abuse.

THIN LIZZY are unquestionably one of the true icons of British rock. Nobody has ever sounded like them, yet they have influenced countless others.

Lynott's poetic lyricism, the unmatchable dual guitar precision, the ability to joust with epic melodies and make them memorably intense, all of this is part of the LIZZY heritage. And what they have left behind is peerless, powerful and influential. The invocation of an era, the evocation of timeless music.

During a question-and-answer session at the 2025 Steel City Con, which was held December 5-7, 2025 in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, legendary BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler was asked if he has any more solo albums "in the tank". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, gosh. I've got tons of stuff. Since we finished the last SABBATH show [at 'Back To The Beginning' in July 2025], I've just been going through all the stuff that I've written since the '80s onwards and updating everything. And what held me back before, I didn't have a singer when I'm at home, but A.I. [artificial intelligence] came along. [Laughs] So all my songs now, I've updated them all and I'm using an A.I. singer to bring all the lyrics out. So now I can take it to singers that I'm gonna be working with and go, 'This is what I want on the album,' so they've got a better idea. Before I was just, like, playing them a bass riff or something, going, 'Can you sing to this?' And they'd be going, 'Yeah.' [Laughs] But it's so much better now, 'cause you can sit in your studio and do everything on A.I. and then take it to proper musicians and let them take over. It's really helped me. A lot of people think it's cheating."

Asked what his songwriting process is like, Geezer said: "With SABBATH — SABBATH, we'd sit down in a room together and just jam and jam and jam until somebody came up with something that we could work with. Once we had a good riff to write to, we'd finish the music part of it. Ozzy [Osbourne, SABBATH vocalist] would sing his vocal line, then I'd write the lyrics. So it mainly came from jamming."

The nineties were a testing time for many of rock's iconic leaders of the seventies. The nostalgia era that is now an industry of its own had yet to really come to prominence and many of the musicians who were there at rock's dawn were left floundering as the new decade rolled around and an innovative and fresh wave of "alternative" rock dominated the music world.

1995 saw the release of Geezer's first solo album, "Plastic Planet", followed in 1997 by "Black Science", with "Ohmwork" completing the trilogy in 2005. In October 2020, all three albums were made available for the first time ever on vinyl via BMG, with both CD and LP using newly updated cover artwork.

"Plastic Planet" was originally released under the name G/Z/R and featured Burton C. Bell of Californian industrial/groove metal pioneers FEAR FACTORY on vocals and is considered a classic of '90s metal. The album perfectly melded Geezer's roots in doomy blues rock to the industrial influenced metal sound that was a key element in pushing the genre forward in the nineties.

Alongside Bell for this recording was a long-time collaborator of Geezer's, Peter Howse (nicknamed "Pedro" by Butler, from a character in the TV show "Four Feather Falls"). Howse was a founding member of the GEEZER BUTLER BAND in 1985, and has written and played in all versions of GZR/GEEZER. Drums were handled by Deen Castronovo, providing the pounding rhythms that propel the heavy grooves and mechanical metallic edge on "Plastic Planet". Lyrically, Butler channelled technological, sci-fi and dystopian subjects mixed with the social issues tackled on "Drive Boy, Shooting" and "The Invisible", themes that perfectly matched the then futuristic sounds within.

Returning in 1997 with "Black Science" and originally released this time under the name GEEZER, this album saw Butler once again working with drummer Deen Castronovo and guitarist Pedro Howse, and like "Plastic Planet", was produced by Butler and Paul Northfield (RUSH, ALICE COOPER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, DREAM THEATER). Bell was unable to provide vocals this time due to commitments with FEAR FACTORY, but his industrial boots were more than adequality filled by the then completely unknown Clark Brown who stepped up to the plate and delivered an impressively powerful vocal performance over the album's high-energy and heavy power grooves.

It wouldn't be until 2005 that Geezer would get the chance to continue his solo explorations, having returned to SABBATH for the 1997 edition of Ozzfest, remaining in the band ever since, but in 2005 he released "Ohmwork", this time under the name GZR. Once again, the recording was undertaken with Clark Brown on vocals and Pedro Howse on guitar, the difference this time being that drum duties were handled by Chad E. Smith (the veteran St. Louis drummer, not the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS percussionist of the same name).

With "Ohmwork", gone were the industrial metal influences of the previous decade, but Butler still steadfastly refused to hark back to the past and kept everything contemporary, drawing on influences, as a keen follower of music, on everything that was happening in rock at the time. From the pedal to the metal of "Aural Sects" to the epic, neo-psychedelia of "I Believe", "Ohmwork" was a fitting finale to Geezer's solo album trilogy.

A founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Butler is also the lyricist of such SABBATH classics as "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Paranoid" and others.

At the aforementioned "Back To The Beginning" concert, Ozzy and the other original SABBATH members performed four songs for more than 40,000 people at Villa Park in the band's original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

Geezer's autobiography, "Into The Void: From Birth To Black Sabbath - And Beyond", arrived in June 2023 in North America via HarperCollins imprint Dey Street Books.

During an appearance on Podcast Rock City, a podcast dedicated to all things KISS, original KISS drummer Peter Criss was asked what it was like to be among the 2025 Kennedy Center honorees who were presented with their medals by U.S. president Donald Trump during a ceremony in the Oval Office on December 6. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a dream. I could not believe this kid from the streets of Brooklyn who grew up in four rooms with seven people is standing in the Oval Office. It was surreal. The worst thing was [original KISS guitarist] Ace [Frehley] wasn't there. I really miss him dearly. We were very close. But his daughter was there, and his wife Jeanette, who's a little kind of ill, but she was there, and [his daughter] Monique was there. And what touched me about it the most was the president got up from the desk and walked around and gave Jeanette a hug in her wheelchair, and then gave Monique a big hug and put the medal on her. That brought tears to my eyes. I miss him dearly. There's a big loss without Ace."

Later in the chat, Criss said that he was "sorry" he and Ace never made an album together. "That was a dream of mine, that him and I would do an album together," he said. "I'm sorry that never happened. And Ace did more solo albums than any of us in [KISS]. He's done, like, 10, easily, solo albums, more than us. He was working on his new album before his tragic accident, and he was getting ready to go on another tour. He was 74. God bless him. And there'll never be another."

On December 7, the three living original members of KISS — Criss, guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and drummer Peter Criss — reunited on the red carpet at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington D.C., less than two months after Ace's death.

Stanley, Simmons and Criss were all clad in black tuxedos and medals as they made their entrance at the John F. Kennedy Center For The Performing Arts for the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors, which was hosted by Trump and also honored songwriter George Strait, actors Michael Crawford and Sylvester Stallone and singer Gloria Gaynor.

Last month, Peter was asked what it was like spending time in Washington D.C. for the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors. Criss said at the time: "A dream. I'm a big history kid, so we got here early. I wanted to see where Lincoln was assassinated, which was very heavy. I had tears. We went over where he passed. Then we went to the archives, which no one's allowed. And I saw Declaration Of [Independence], all these amazing things, all this great stuff. I'm a big history kid, so it's been cool."

Peter continued: I'm a kid from the streets of Brooklyn. I never thought ever I'd be doing something like this. And it's been such a good year. I have a new album coming out December 19th. My birthday's the 20th. I'm turning 80, and here I am at the Kennedy Center. Wow. So it's been a really 'wow' year for me. I'm a very Catholic kid, so I'm gonna go to church all week next week when I get home… God couldn't have given me more stuff, for a kid from the streets of Brooklyn. I can't believe I was in the White House. Holy mackerel, the White House."

The drummer went on to say: "I wish my parents were here to see it. And we lost our guitarist five weeks ago, Ace. He had a horrible accident. I wish he was here.

"It's a dream. It's almost surreal," Peter added. "The Oval Office I was in last night with the president. I have not slept. Last night I finally laid my head, I slept nine hours, which was a miracle because I have insomnia, and I couldn't believe today that I was gonna be sitting here and meeting all these [people]."

Asked what it has been like attending the Kennedy Center Honors without Frehley, Stanley said: "Well, it's still a celebration, and we can mourn him and celebrate what we've accomplished. I'm really the child of the American dream. We came here with nothing. Our parents were people who fled during World War II and aspired to something great, worked hard and never expected a handout. And we're the result of that. So it's an honor to be here."

In a separate statement about last year's Kennedy Center Honors, KISS said: "From the very beginning, KISS has been about proving that anything is possible with hard work and passion. We're deeply honored to receive the Kennedy Center Honors, and proudly share this recognition with our fans and all those who have been a part of creating this legacy. This honor would not be possible without the irreplaceable contributions of our founding partner, Ace Frehley. knowing how much this award meant to him, we celebrate this milestone as we mourn his loss."

Trump praised last year's honorees as "perhaps the most accomplished and renowned class of Kennedy Center honorees ever assembled."

According to Billboard, Ace became only the third person to receive a Kennedy Center Honor posthumously, following two other group members who likewise died after the groups' awards were first announced: Glenn Frey of EAGLES and Phil Lesh of GRATEFUL DEAD.

Throughout its 48-year history, the annual Kennedy Center Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural and society calendar.

The 2025 Kennedy Center Honors gala was turned into a broadcast special that aired on CBS and Paramount+ on December 23.

Criss released his new solo album, simply titled "Peter Criss", on December 19.

"Peter Criss" was Criss's first solo release since 2007's "One For All", which arrived 13 years after his previous solo LP.

At the time of his death, Frehley was working on "Origins Vol. 3", the sequel to Ace's 2016 and 2020 collections of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist.

Ace's latest solo album, "10,000 Volts", was released in February 2024 via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music).