PRIMUS paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by performing a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "N.I.B." during the Les Claypool-fronted outfit's July 28 concert at Saenger Performing Arts Theater in New Orleans, Louisiana. Handling lead vocals for the track was Puddles Pity Party, the sad clown alter ego of Atlanta entertainer Mike Geier. Check out fan-filmed video of the performance below.

PRIMUS is currently on the "Onward & Upward Tour", which is the first to feature new drummer John Hoffman alongside Claypool and guitarist Larry "Ler" LaLonde.

The night after Ozzy's death, PRIMUS paid musical and visual tribute to the legendary heavy metal singer during a concert at Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater in Bridgeport, Connecticut by teasing BLACK SABBATH's "Iron Man" and playing a snippet of Osbourne's classic "Crazy Train" while images of the Prince Of Darkness appeared on the screens behind the band. Later in the set, BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid" served as the intro to "HOINFODAMAN".

Ozzy famously teamed up with PRIMUS to record a version of "N.I.B." for 2000's "Nativity In Black II" compilation, the second of a series of a series of BLACK SABBATH tribute albums. Their collaborative track also appeared on Osbourne's 2005 box set "Prince Of Darkness".

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

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

In a new interview with Spain's Stairway To Rock, HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske once again spoke about how the German metallers have managed to pull off the seemingly impossible by uniting returning Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen with singer Andi Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Daniel Löble. Regarding what it's like to have three lead singers in the band, Kiske said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's unusual for me. I mean, not anymore, but in the beginning it was a bit unusual, this idea, but it has only benefits, really. You don't have to sing that much. I mean, live it's not all just on your shoulders. You have other people singing. You have off time. When someone is getting sick, you can switch the songs a little, have the others sing more and stuff like that. But also, I think, unless someone hates a particular singer and only wants to hear one, if that's not the case, it's even more entertaining because it's more colorful. The whole theatrical thing is just more interesting when you have more than one singer. I mean, we didn't try to become AVANTASIA [German metal project featuring a revolving cast of musicians, including several vocalists]. It was just because of Kai and I got back into the band and nobody got fired. This is why we do it all together now. And it just happened that the band had three vocalists over the years, over the career. That's why that took place. But there have been other bands where you're used to it, like KISS always had two singers, main lead singers. LINKIN PARK always right from the start had two vocalists and stuff. It's just unusual the way we're doing it, that everybody comes together and does this whole thing now. But I think it's great. It's also more interesting live. There's just more happening."

Asked how he and the other members of HELLOWEEN deal with the inevitable ego clashes when it comes to sharing lead vocals, Kiske said: "Not really a problem. The egos are not that big anymore. [Laughs] It is great. Of course when a songwriter writes a song, he might have particular things in in his head, and if somebody tries to change something, it's always a bit personal. It's your baby. But it never really gets bad. It never gets out of hand. The songwriter doesn't have to say yes to anything if he doesn't like it. And in terms of the vocals, it helps a lot that Andi and I, we really get along great. So there is no ego fight going on at all. It's always about what's cool for the song. I often move things over to him. It's, like, 'I gave a song a try. I didn't like it much. You should give it a try.' Or the other way around. I mean, so far it has not been the slightest problem, really. It was more a little bit with Kai sometimes in terms of he would love to sing all his songs today, when he writes something, which is a bit sad. Because it has a specific magic when I sing his shit. It sounds like the old days, which is something we should use. It wasn't any problem this time [with HELLOWEEN's upcoming album 'Giants & Monsters']. This time he was very smooth, but on the first production [since the reunion, 2021's 'Helloween'], we had long discussions because he wanted to sing [the song] 'Skyfall', like almost everything. And I already did vocals for it, and it sounded great, and everybody loved it. It's not that we don't want him to sing, and I love it when he sings — he has his own voice and stuff like that — but it just sounded good. Everybody felt like, 'That's just the way it's gotta be.' And I know he wrote it for my voice because I know when he was writing the song, like in the early stages, he said it to me, 'Oh, it's gonna sound so cool when you sing this,' blah, blah, blah. Somehow down the line he changed his mind. But that was actually the only time where we had a long discussion where everybody felt, like, 'No. You should sing this and this, but that should be Michael. It sounds great. It sounds the way it should.' But with Andi, I don't have that. But it's also I can sing everything Kai writes; it's kind of natural to me. I don't know. It's probably because we grew up with the same type of bands. So everything he writes, I can sing and it and it works. But often when Andi writes a song, you can hear that's an Andi song. He just has to sing it. It's just his kind of thing. So I don't even try. Sometimes he wants me to, and then I give it a try. And sometimes it works and then it's cool and stuff. But since we are so different, it is easy to hear, 'Ah, that's something for Michael,' or, 'This is something for Andi.' I was honestly surprised myself that it was not a problem at all with who sings what. Just a little bit with 'Skyfall'. But that wasn't a fight. It was just talking, talking, talking."

"Giants & Monsters" will arrive on August 29 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). The LP, now available for pre-order, follows HELLOWEEN's self-titled No. 1 2021 record and promises to be the most versatile and dynamic release of the band's career. Mixed at the legendary Wisseloord Studios (IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, DEF LEPPARD) in Hilversum, Netherlands, "Giants & Monsters" reaffirms HELLOWEEN's position at the pinnacle of the metal world.

Written by HELLOWEEN guitarist Sascha Gerstner, the LP's second single, "Universe (Gravity For Hearts)", is a stunning, cinematic journey that does more than evoke the vast mystery of the cosmos. It reminds us of the boundless possibilities that lie beyond our world. The universe is an endless expanse, a place where it's easy to get lost in thought, but also where we can tap into unknown energy and find the strength to overcome life's greatest challenges.

HELLOWEEN's latest single is a wild, emotional ride and a powerful reminder of something we too often forget: never stop dreaming.

"Everything in the universe is connected, and what looks like infinite stars could in reality be moments, hearts, and choices," explains Gerstner.

"Universe (Gravity For Hearts)" opens with spacey guitar work and Michael Kiske's signature high-pitched yet deeply soulful vocals, just before a thunderstorm of guitars, bass, and drums launches the 8.5-minute epic into full motion. It's a high-speed musical escape from everyday life, crafted in the unmistakable style only the German metal legends can deliver.

Breathing room is a rare commodity in HELLOWEEN's world, and their new track is no exception. With relentless drumming, intergalactic guitar tapping, and a jaw-dropping solo section, "Universe (Gravity For Hearts)" confidently joins the ranks of iconic long-form tracks like "Halloween", "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" and 2021's "Skyfall".

"Giants & Monsters" pushes the boundaries of HELLOWEEN's sound, thanks to the instincts of producers Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, as well as the band's relentless pursuit of excellence. Per example, drummer Dani Löble recorded all tracks using three different drum kits to capture the perfect vibe for each song, a testament to their attention to detail and love of experimentation.

The band's chemistry continues to drive their success. "What keeps motivating us is the fact that we're extremely different. It generates creative energy," says guitarist Michael Weikath. Guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen adds: "We try not to take ourselves and everything around us too seriously." Singer Andi Deris sums it up: "In the end, we're just seven guys who want to make music and enjoy the incomparable force that arises when we're together. HELLOWEEN is way more powerful than the sum of its parts."

"Giants & Monsters" track listing:

01. Giants On The Run
02. Saviour Of The World
03. A Little Is A Little Too Much
04. We Can Be Gods
05. Into The Sun
06. This Is Tokyo
07. Universe (Gravity For Hearts)
08. Hand Of God
09. Under The Moonlight
10. Majestic

In a recent interview with Hakos Pervanidis of the Metal Hammer Greece TV program TV War, Deris and Hansen were asked if they would agree that "Giants & Monsters" sounds "more focused and direct" than 2021's self-titled effort. Hansen said: "Yeah, I would agree. I mean, we have diversity, but we've grown together as HELLOWEEN and the individual members, so you could hear the differences between the songs and the songwriters still, but there's a straight red line. And we're more connected now."

Deris chimed in: "So far I'm happy to say that there were lots of little things being put into your song by the other guys, which was much easier this time. Honestly, we had so much more time, actually, so everybody had tons of time to listen to each and everybody's tracks and come up with own ideas. Kai, for example, he added I would say a whole new song into my song. 'Giants On The Run', the whole middle part is a new song which Kai put in, and it's just perfect; it fits. That's something I love and I always wanted to have, but, honestly, back in the day, like [on] the [previous] album, everybody was minding his own business. You have to write super songs for the new upcoming album and the expectations are so high because Michael [Kiske, HELLOWEEN singer] and Kai are back. And so there was no mindset to actually put your shit into the other songs and vice versa. And this time it just played out easily because the pressure was gone. I think when you just had such a successful album, it takes away so much pressure because you know you were on the right track. So play with it. Don't stress it. Just play with it. And that was a lot of fun."

Regarding the "Giants & Monsters" album title, Deris said: "The first title says it all. It's 'Giants On The Run', and it talks about us as mankind. We are actually giants. We are gods inside. But then you could come up with a conspiracy theory. Are we on purpose, purposely put down that the god side, that giant thing that we all have inside, is not allowed to express itself or to come out? But at the end of the day, everybody, each and every individual I know, they are much bigger inside with their dreams, with their possibilities they would like to have, than they're actually allowed to have or allowed to be in our society. And there you could come up with that conspiracy theory. Are we held down on purpose? I personally think when I listen to my inside, I know everybody from the band and all my friends I know, they're so much bigger inside. They're great, great people. And they have great ideas, but in our world, you're not allowed to express it."

Kai added: "It takes all efforts. You have to fight the monsters. That's the point. And I think the title leaves a lot room a for interpretation. You could say the giants is your great ideas that you might have, your aims, your goals. But then here come the monsters, the demons you have to fight and everyday struggle. Then you could go to the Anunnaki, the return of the gods from outer space, giant people and so on. There's a lot of room for fantasy, I think."

Andi continued: "But I just went back also to the Bible. I said, 'Okay, look, it's even written in the Bible.' There were giants walking on earth, and who says that the giants are not still here in ourselves? I mean, we are still the giants, and as Kai said, you constantly have to fight the demons, the monsters in your life. And I thought that's a super metaphor. And I think everybody knows what I'm talking about because sometimes when you're with yourself thinking about yourself, your own life, you realize you would be much more if only you are allowed to be."

Asked if HELLOWEEN purposely approached songwriting this time around in a way where the vocals and the first chorus come in very early in each song, Andi said: "Yes and no. I mean, honestly, if it would destroy the song, I'd rather not, me personally. I think everybody in the band would agree, because if the song yells for it and shouts for it — keep it short; otherwise it's getting boring — then I keep it short.

Hansen added: "It's good to have that on the commercial tracks, all the — how do you say it? — the hit singles. It's very hard. Personally, I don't mind if it takes longer to go into the chorus if it makes sense for a song. So there is no general thought or rule when you approach songwriting to say, 'Oh, no, the chorus has to come after one minute or so.'"

Deris continued: "If we talk about looking what the commercial side would be, and back in the days, I remember you've been forced by the record company to put it short into maximum three-minute songs because otherwise it couldn't be a single. Fuck it. I mean, honestly, no. If I have to keep it short, then probably, because I'm a stubborn asshole, I would do the opposite. But nobody tells me what to do, so I just personally write the way I feel. But then again, it's very important, when we have guys in the band who say, 'This is a great song, and I could hear it even better when we not keep it that short.' For example, 'Giants On The Run'. [Kai's] part is at least three minutes and stretches the song to eight minutes something, which used to be something like round five minutes, and it's totally worth it. But if it's not worth it, why would you? That was another question: 'Do you always have to write these long songs?' And Kai said, 'No.' It's just what it is. When you're in the process of songwriting and it yells for another part and here's an idea, and yeah, I could do this lyrics, so I need another part, otherwise the story is not round, and maybe you end up with 10 or 12 minutes."

Hansen added: "And it's fun to do those long songs. To me, it's fun. It's a kind of challenge, but I don't do it on purpose to say, 'I need a long song.' It's just if the song gives it to you, then you do it."

Deris explained: "And if the story is two sheets of paper. You can't possibly put all the lyrics in a three-minute song; that's not possible. So then you've got different feelings depending on the lyrics itself. Suddenly there's a romantic section, for example. Ah, yeah, definitely you have to go down and do something romantic around it arrangement-wise. You probably cannot go all metally with that romantic thing. And so it cries, it, it yells, it shouts for another part."

On the topic of how they balance fans' expectations with being creative and trying new things with their music, Hansen said: "It's a challenge and it's always like a walk on the edge. Because if you consider that you want people to be pleased with what you're doing, but on the other hand, when you do your thing, you should not consider that. You should not write with that purpose in mind, because, first of all, you have to be a fan of what you're doing. To me, it's a very egoistic process. I write for myself, and I want to be a fan of what I'm doing. And then I'm glad if other people think so too."

Deris added: "Yeah, that's my way too. I don't wanna say I don't give a fuck, but when you are writing, there should be nothing in the back of your mind. It's just you and your music. And as Kai said, if you goosebump goes up, it's great for yourself, first of all. And then when you finish the song, on the second thought or second guess would be, 'Would they like it out there?' But during the songwriting process, it's not important. You are important because you have to actually give your thoughts, your feelings into whatever you do in the very moment. And yes, sometimes it's not good enough that the people would say, 'Yeah, I love it.' But I always say that the possibility that I am completely happy with my song and my goosebump goes up, considering myself a super-normal guy, so when I say I love it, my goosebumps go up, because I consider myself a mediocre guy, I would say the normal person out there would feel the same [as] I do. That's what I always hope."

Hansen continued: "You develop a feeling. I mean, when you write a song, and you trust yourself, if you like it, then there will be a lot of others that would like it too."

Deris concurred, saying: "No guarantee, but that's the way to work."

Last December, Deris told Spain's MariskalRockTV about the musical direction of the new HELLOWEEN material: "I love two or three songs from Kai. [They're] super crazy, and I love 'em to death. Weiki [guitarist Michael Weikath] has a great song as well. My songs are certainly always good. [Laughs] [That's a] joke, joke, joke. But I think we have lots of great songs, definitely. Super-nice hooks, lots of positive sing-alongs. So, yeah, I think this is something that we probably may need in the times to come. [Laughs] Very positive, I have to say. So I would say 80 percent of the album is super positive. Sometimes very fast and heavy, but positive. Good, good mood. And we have a ballad. Finally, we have a ballad."

Earlier in December, Deris was asked by The Metal Command how the material for HELLOWEEN's next album compares to that on "Helloween". He said: "I'd say it's much more easy listening, because there's less constructed stuff on it. It's more flowing with the wind, so to say. It's very, very positive, so I would rather say it's more happy, happy HELLOWEEN than the other album. I think it's a bit more… yeah, the flow is, for my taste, not as edgy as the last album, which was cool — I like edgy stuff — but we should have more or less some counterpart to edgy, more exhausting things. The last album, for me, was great to listen through — it was edgy, it was heavy, it was complicated here and there — but after listening to it, then I needed a pause. It was exhausting. After [listening to 'Helloween'], I needed some break, put it that way. I loved it, and I still love it, but it's demanding. I think the next album will be much more easy listening, I think much more enjoyable to sing along [to]; there are lots of parts in there. So I would rather describe it as a more happy, happy HELLOWEEN album. That would be the best description."

Andi continued: "It's hard to describe, because there are lots of speedy and heavy things on it. But when I listen through it, I feel good. I mean, that's a good sign. Not that I felt bad when I listened to the last album — that's not what I mean. It's fun. I listen to it, and it's fun. Definitely."

Regarding what he and his HELLOWEEN bandmates learned from the making of "Helloween" that they improved upon this time around, Andi said: "Yeah, I think the main keyword would be confidence. The last album, we had to get to know each other in that new setup, lineup, how to work with [each other], how to work here and blah, blah, blah, and this time we just realized, okay, actually everybody has such great ideas; just don't control each other. We don't need to actually stick in a studio for pre-production for two months because everybody did it for himself. Let's just listen to it and say, 'Wow, cool.' So this time we've been some lazy backs, actually, and just said, you know, pre-production we just do ourselves back at home, everybody in his own studio, and we just take the technique we are given. Internet is great, and you can have live sessions online, and that made life so much easier because everybody is just relieved that you [are] still at home. You still work hard, but you're at home. And as we all know, when you're at home, work doesn't hurt that much as being back in the studio again somewhere in the world, but not with your family. And nowadays you can actually have your family life, you have your eight, nine hours per day in the studio, you yourself decide when you make a break or when you go and have a meal with your lady or go down to the beach, in my case. That makes life so much easier and much more enjoyable than sitting in a fricking studio again and again and again, each and every day for two months, just for a pre-production, which you could easily do at home together. So this time, I have to say there's confidence that we earned for each other that helped a lot to make things even more easygoing. And I think that's exactly what you listen, when you go through the songs and you listen to them — you feel that easiness: 'Wow. Wow. Okay, cool.' I love it. So that's the way to go."

Upon its release in June 2021, "Helloween" landed in the Top 10 in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Spain, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and Austria. The cover artwork for the LP was painted by artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, SOULFLY, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among others.

Produced by Charlie Bauerfeind and Dennis Ward, the last HELLOWEEN LP was recorded in part at the H.O.M.E. Studios in Hamburg (where everything started in 1984). The same recording console used for such HELLOWEEN albums as "Master Of The Rings", "Time Of The Oath" and "Better Than Raw" was utilized to record the band's new material. The effort was mixed at the Valhalla Studios of Ronald Prent (IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD, RAMMSTEIN).

"Helloween" saw the legendary German power metallers going "back to the roots," with the band recording fully analog and Löble playing the drum kit previously used by HELLOWEEN's original drummer, the late Ingo Schwichtenberg, on the legendary "Keeper Of The Seven Keys" recordings.

HELLOWEEN released a new live album, "Live At Budokan", on December 13, 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music (RPM). The colossal effort immortalized HELLOWEEN's September 16, 2023 performance at Tokyo's legendary Nippon Budokan.

"Live At Budokan" was made available in a plethora of formats: 2CD-digipak and 3LP vinyl in trifold with the first print run of both coming as "deluxe edition" including embossed cover artwork, as well as Blu-ray, DVD and digital. Each version is meticulously crafted to suit the metal community's diverse tastes, ensuring every fan can relive the raw, unfiltered energy of HELLOWEEN in their preferred medium.

This release celebrated the grand finale of HELLOWEEN's epic world tour from 2022 to 2023. Spanning over 30 countries on three continents, the tour was nothing short of a triumph, drawing massive crowds and showcasing the band's undying appeal, the sold-out concert in Tokyo is the crowning glory of the cycle.

HELLOWEEN is:

Michael Kiske - vocals
Andi Deris - vocals
Kai Hansen - guitars, vocals
Michael Weikath - guitars
Sascha Gerstner - guitars
Markus Grosskopf - bass
Daniel Löble - drums

The rock powerhouse that found massive success in the late 2000s, Heaven Below, is set to release their long-anticipated new full-length album, The Majestic Twelve, on Tuesday, July 22. The album will be available on vinyl, CD, and all major streaming platforms.

The Majestic Twelve marks a defining moment in their evolution and will mark the band’s first full-length album release since Good Morning Apocalypse in 2016. A concept-driven record inspired by hidden truths and the shadows of history, the album blends aggressive riffage, haunting melodies, and rich storytelling, a sonic journey that appeals to fans of both classic and contemporary rock.

Led by vocalist/guitarist Patrick Kennison (Lita Ford, Union Underground), the band’s current lineup features the electrifying Nikki Stringfield (The Iron Maidens) on guitar, John Younger on bass, and Shad Wilhelm on drums. Known for their high-octane sound and cinematic flair, Heaven Below returns with a record that blends razor-sharp riffs, soaring melodies, and deeply thematic lyrics that touch on mystery, conspiracy, and resilience.

“Since the addition of guitarist/vocalist Nikki Stringfield, the creative output of the band has elevated beyond my expectations. It feels daring but natural,” says Kennison.

The Majestic Twelve marks a bold new chapter for Heaven Below, pushing the boundaries of hard rock with concept-driven storytelling and standout performances from each member. With tracks ranging from thunderous anthems to haunting ballads, the album showcases the band’s signature blend of heavy hooks and lyrical depth.

With The Majestic Twelve, Heaven Below reaffirms their commitment to making music that isn’t just heard — it’s felt. This is rock with purpose, forged in fire and delivered with heart.



Tracklisting:

“Zeta Reticuli”
“Nightmare Rising”
“See Me Die Again”
“Machine Gun Preacher”
“A Call To Arms” : I Antebellum, II Proelium, III Armistice
“Suffer The Masses”
“The Killer Is Me”
“Almost Human”
“Pandoras Box”
“Slow Suicide”
“Goodnight Eternity”
“The Infinite Cosmos”

Ozzy Osbourne was reportedly laid to rest earlier today (Thursday, July 31) at the grounds of his mansion in Buckinghamshire, England.

According to Daily Mail, the private service at the 250-acre estate was attended by Ozzy's family members, as well as Elton John and Ozzy's BLACK SABBATH bandmates, Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde and members of METALLICA, among other close friends and relatives.

TMZ.com has shared a few photos of some of the musicians arriving at Ozzy's estate for the burial ceremony.

A huge floral arrangement in the grounds of the mansion spelled out a tribute to the legendary heavy metal singer, with the words "Ozzy Fucking Osbourne" on the banks of the Osbourne lake.

An insider told The Sun that British singer Yungblud — whose real name is Dominic Harrison — would give a reading at Ozzy's funeral.

Yungblud became friends with Ozzy and Ozzy's wife/manager Sharon Osbourne after they appeared in the music video for his 2022 song "The Funeral".

After Ozzy's death, Elton called Osbourne a "dear friend" who "secured his place in the pantheon of rock gods".

Back in 2011, Ozzy spoke about what he wanted his funeral to look like, telling The Times: "I want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest. I'd also like some pranks — maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin, or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of 'death'. There'll be no harping on the bad times. It's worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky. That's why I don't want my funeral to be sad — I want it to be a time to say, 'Thanks'."

Ozzy also addressed his death in his 2010 autobiography "I Am Ozzy". He wrote at the time: 'Eventually death will come, like it comes to everyone. I've said to Sharon: "Don't cremate me, whatever you do.' I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree planted over my head. A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get pissed out of their heads. As for what they’ll put on my headstone, I ain't under any illusions. If I close my eyes, I can already see it. Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948. Died, whenever. He bit the head off a bat.'"

On Wednesday, July 30, Ozzy fans had a chance to pay their respects to the BLACK SABBATH legend as his funeral cortège traveled through his original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. The event also gave his family the opportunity to see the flowers, tributes and other memories his fans had left around the city.

Ozzy and his fellow BLACK SABBATH bandmembers Terence "Geezer" Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward were given the Freedom Of The City on June 28 in Birmingham.

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

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Ozzy's death came a little more than two weeks after he took the stage for his final performance with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in the band's original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

Formed in Birmingham in 1968, BLACK SABBATH is widely recognized as one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, with a career spanning decades and over 75 million albums sold worldwide. Their impact on the genre remains as significant today as it was in the early 1970s, with their music shaping generations of metal musicians.

Ozzy's family reality television show "The Osbournes" won a 2002 Primetime Emmy.

In 2006, Osbourne and the other members of the original BLACK SABBATH were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Ozzy was also inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist in 2024.

Osbourne won several Grammys, including one in 1993 for his solo song "I Don't Want To Change The World".

Ozzy and Sharon started their annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what at the time was the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. The first traveling version of Ozzfest in 1997 included MARILYN MANSON and PANTERA as part of the lineup.

Osbourne leaves behind his wife, three children from his first marriage (including an adopted son from his first wife's previous relationship),and three with Sharon: Jack, Kelly and Aimee.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin
Today we laid to rest a beloved friend. I am eternally grateful that you let me into your life Ozzy. Your inspiration and love will always be with me. Thank you Sharon and family for a reverent, beautiful ceremony. Your legacy lives on.

— Marilyn Manson (@marilynmanson) July 31, 2025

In a new interview with the Springfield rock station Q102, FILTER leader Richard Patrick reflected on his band's 1996 tour as the support act for Ozzy Osbourne. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was amazing. We were invited to go on tour with them. The first day of the tour, I wanted to check my guitar and I was on stage just kind of playing the guitar riff. And all of a sudden I turn around and Ozzy Osbourne is standing right next to me, and he's, like, 'I love that riff, man. I love that riff to 'Hey Man Nice Shot'. That's a great riff.' I'm, like, the only thing I could say was, like, 'Thank you, Mr. Osbourne.' And he goes, 'Oh, it's Ozzy, Rich. Don't worry about it.'"

Patrick added: "He was a great guy. And towards the end of the tour, I bought him a big box of cigars, 'cause he was smoking cigars, and so was I back then, and he was like very appreciative and he lit my cigar for me. And it was really cool. It was amazing."

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

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Ozzy's death came a little more than two weeks after he took the stage for his final performance with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in the band's original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

Formed in Birmingham in 1968, BLACK SABBATH is widely recognized as one of the most influential heavy metal bands of all time, with a career spanning decades and over 75 million albums sold worldwide. Their impact on the genre remains as significant today as it was in the early 1970s, with their music shaping generations of metal musicians.

Ozzy's family reality television show "The Osbournes" won a 2002 Primetime Emmy.

In 2006, Osbourne and the other members of the original BLACK SABBATH were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Ozzy was also inducted into the Rock Hall as a solo artist in 2024.

Osbourne won several Grammys, including one in 1993 for his solo song "I Don't Want To Change The World".

Ozzy and his wife and manager Sharon started their annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what at the time was the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. The first traveling version of Ozzfest in 1997 included MARILYN MANSON and PANTERA as part of the lineup.

Osbourne leaves behind his wife, three children from his first marriage (including an adopted son from his first wife's previous relationship),and three with Sharon: Jack, Kelly and Aimee.

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Belfast metal pioneers SWEET SAVAGE will release a new album, "Bang", on September 12 through earMUSIC. The LP's second single, "The Chosen One", can now be streamed below.

Formed in Belfast in 1979 by bassist and vocalist Ray Haller and future DIO/DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell, SWEET SAVAGE was part of the first wave of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. But unlike their peers, SWEET SAVAGE never released a full album during their first run. Instead, they became underground legends, gaining wide recognition after METALLICA covered their track "Killing Time" — co-written by Campbell — and released it as the B-side of their multi-platinum single "The Unforgiven". The friendship between the two legendary bands continues to this day.

Now, with "Bang", the band returns in fighting form. SWEET SAVAGE are not here to revive nostalgia, but still, on the new album, their roots are unmistakable — aggressive, fast-paced metal infused with industrial textures and punk rock's DIY ethos.

From the explosive title track to the slower, hard-hitting "Live And Die" and the anthemic "The Chosen One", the album keeps shifting gears without losing punch. Every track feels urgent and direct — this is the sound of a band with nothing to prove and everything to say.

Frontman Ray Haller is backed by longtime drummer Marty McCloskey and guitar force Phil Edgar. The album features guitar work by former band member Simon McBride, who toured and recorded with the band before launching his solo career and joining DEEP PURPLE.

"Bang" track listing:

01. Bang
02. Bad F Robot
03. Leave Me Alone
04. I See The Light
05. I Don't Know
06. Live And Die
07. The Meltdown
08. Mad World
09. The Chosen One
10. Dirtyland
11. Time
12. Outside
13. Victorious

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield joined SWEET SAVAGE on stage at an August 20, 2008 concert at Marlay Park in Dublin, Ireland (where SWEET SAVAGE supported METALLICA) to perform "Killing Time".

Campbell was a member of SWEET SAVAGE from 1979 until 1982, when he joined DIO.

Vivian joined SWEET SAVAGE on stage for the first time in 30 years when the band supported THIN LIZZY in February 2011 in Belfast and Dublin to perform the classic track "Killing Time".

In a 2018 interview with Riccardo Ball of "The Metal Bar", Campbell stated about METALLICA covering "Killing Time" as the B-side to "The Unforgiven" single (the song was also included on METALLICA's "Garage Inc." covers album): "Yeah, that was incredibly flattering when that happened. I do think that there were very, very strong similarities between SWEET SAVAGE and METALLICA. I formed SWEET SAVAGE with a friend of mine who's, unfortunately, long since passed away — Trevor Fleming — back when I was 15. And we were in Belfast, Northern Ireland in the '70s, and it was a very tough environment, but we kind of put our heads down and got into music. And we sound a lot like METALLICA, so in a lot of ways, I'm really not that surprised. But it was tremendous for them to do that. It's funny when you're 15 or 16 years of age and you write a riff and you get together with your mates and it becomes a song, and then, 25 years later, you get a royalty check for it. It's funny how life works sometimes."

Photo: Mark Hylands

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's solo band kicked off its European tour July 29 at ZOOM Frankfurt in Frankfurt, Germany and performed the following night (July 30) at Simm City in Vienna, Austria. At both shows, Kerry and his bandmates — Mark Osegueda (vocals; DEATH ANGEL),Phil Demmel (guitar; MACHINE HEAD, VIO-LENCE),Kyle Sanders (bass; HELLYEAH) and Paul Bostaph (drums; SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS) — played a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Wicked World" as a tribute to legendary SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne, who had died just a week earlier. Fan-filmed video of the "Wicked World" performance from the Vienna concert can be seen below.

At BLACK SABBATH's "Back To The Beginning" charity event on July 5, SLAYER played a six-song set. The California thrash metal pioneers opened their performance with "Disciple" and "War Ensemble" before playing BLACK SABBATH's aforementioned deep cut "Wicked World" from the latter's self-titled album. SLAYER concluded its set by playing three more of its classic songs: "South Of Heaven", "Raining Blood" and "Angel Of Death".

This past April, King told Igor Miranda of Rolling Stone Brasil about SLAYER's appearance at "Back To The Beginning": "It's such an honor to even be thought of to play that, and I'm glad we were actually in the 'working mode' so we can get that offer. It's gonna be awesome. And I drug my feet and picked our song really late, so when there weren't as many obvious choices, but the one I picked is gonna work out really cool. I worked it out with my [solo] band, so me and Paul could rehearse it. So we've already got it. We've just gotta get Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] and Gary [Holt, SLAYER guitarist] on board whenever — probably in June we will rehearse for that. It's gonna be killer. What we're doing is cool."

"I've already thought about being at that show very early 'cause there's a lot of my friends that are gonna be playing SABBATH songs, and I wanna see a lot of it," King added. "I'm sure the stage is gonna be a nightmare getting onto, so I'm hoping there's live feeds backstage so we can just watch it and hear it. I wanna see METALLICA. I wanna see PANTERA. I wanna see Lzzy Hale, just to name a few."

SLAYER famously covered SABBATH's "Hand Of Doom" for the "Nativity In Black II: A Tribute To Black Sabbath" album, which came out in 2000.

Last December, King was asked by Australia's Wall Of Sound which BLACK SABBATH album he would take with him if the planet was being blown up and we were all boarding a big spaceship and he was only allowed to take one SABBATH LP with him. He responded:  "I would take… It's easy and it's hard 'cause I'm a super [Ronnie James] Dio fan. But I would take [SABBATH's sixth studio album, 1975's] 'Sabotage'. Something about the vibe on that record. It's cool. I mean, they're all cool, but something about that one. Maybe 'Symptom Of The Universe'. I don't know. It's nonstop badassery."

Back in 2017, King picked "Sabotage" as one of his 10 favorite metal albums, telling Rolling Stone magazine: "'Sabotage' is just a very heavy record. There's so much good stuff on there. As I picked these records, I picked the ones I'm compelled to play if I'm working out or driving, and 'Sabotage' was my choice for BLACK SABBATH. It has 'Megalomania', 'Symptom Of The Universe', which has definitely got attitude, 'Hole In The Sky'. And it has the instrumental 'Supertzar'. I love that one. It grips me for some reason."

Last year, Kerry was asked by Metal Hammer Greece's TV show "TV War" if he has ever had a negative experience meeting one of his musical idols. He responded: "Yeah. Only once. And I won't even tell you who, because he doesn't deserve it. But nine times out of ten… The last one that I'll say I got over the hump with, 'cause I was still such a fan, was [BLACK SABBATH's] Tony Iommi. And it was very late in our careers, but it's fucking Tony; he's the godfather of all this shit. I think it was, like, 2006, finally. And I knew him before that, but I couldn't talk to him. It was Tony Iommi; I just couldn't do it."

Kerry continued: "in 2006 I went to the Classic Rock Awards in Britain. And I was presenting Tony with an award, and I was nervous as fucking all hell. I was out of my environment. I've done metal shows, I've done the [Revolver] Golden Gods billions of fucking times, but at the Classic Rock Awards, I was out of my element. Fucking Steven Tyler's [AEROSMITH] out there, AC/DC's out there, DEF LEPPARD's out there — people that I've admired in my history but didn't know any of them. So I'm fucking shaking up there. I hit the mic when I'm talking. And I was just a fucking idiot. [Laughs] So, I get to give Tony his award, take a picture with him. Then I felt like we were bros. I was over the Tony hump, and that was cool."

King added: "I've had a lot of heroes, be it from [JUDAS] PRIEST to SABBATH and whoever the hell, [DEEP PURPLE's] Ritchie Blackmore. But, yeah, Tony was the one. I had to climb that mountain and get over it."

More than 40,000 fans attended "Back To The Beginning", which also saw performances from BLACK SABBATH, Ozzy Osbourne, GUNS N' ROSES, METALLICA, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others. Profits from the show will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.

The all-day event at Villa Park, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa, and featured a supergroup of musicians.

A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.

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

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Fictitious heavy metal legends SPINAL TAP have teamed up with music icon Elton John for an epic re-recording of the band's classic cut "Stonehenge", released today via Interscope Records. A music video for the song, featuring footage from the film, is also out today. Watch it below.

The soul-stirring single will appear on "The End Continues", the forthcoming album for the mockumentary "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues", out September 12 to coincide with the film's theatrical release. The 13-track set includes nine brand new songs and four reinvented favorites featuring additional guests Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood.

A new trailer for the movie, featuring a musical clip of "Stonehenge" premiered last week at San Diego's Comic-Con 2025 after Rob Reiner and Paul Feig's panel "Directors On Directing". Watch the trailer below.

Destined to become an instant cult classic, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" picks up 41 years after the release of 1984's groundbreaking "This Is Spinal Tap", when now-estranged bandmates David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls (Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer) are forced to reunite for one final concert. Documentarian Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) returns as well, to try to capture his favorite metal gods as they contemplate mortality. Joined by music royalty like McCartney and John, SPINAL TAP wrestle with their checkered past to put on a concert that they hope will solidify their place in the pantheon of rock 'n' roll.

"Stonehenge" looms large in TAP lore thanks to a prop gaffe captured in the first movie, where the band ordered an 18-foot high version of the monument but instead received an 18-inch one. They've performed the song many times since, with rocks of various sizes, and Tufnel even appeared on NatGeo's 2008 "Stonehenge: Decoded" special to share his theories about the mysterious megaliths. For the new recording of the song, John brings his most arena-sized vocals to the mix, lording over shredding guitar, swirling synths, pounding drums, shrill pan pipes, and a full-band medieval jam session. Tufnel still holds down the eerie spoken parts.

"Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" will open in theaters and IMAX nationwide on September 12, following a recent limited theatrical re-release of "This Is Spinal Tap" newly restored in 4K resolution. The original film — directed by Reiner and written/improvised/performed by McKean, Guest and Shearer — released to critical acclaim and went on to become a cult classic that has directly inspired actual metal bands like METALLICA, spawned the "turn it up to 11" idiom, and been referenced in pop culture ever since. In 2002, it was deemed "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library Of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry.

Meanwhile, TAP have played on, reuniting for various tours, charity gigs, festivals and TV appearances (including "SNL" and "The Simpsons"); collaborating with the likes of John Mayer, Cher, Slash, Adam "MCA" Yauch and members of FLEETWOOD MAC, FOO FIGHTERS and METALLICA; and releasing three albums: 1984's "This Is Spinal Tap", 1992's "Break Like The Wind" and 2009's "Back From The Dead", which was nominated for a "Best Comedy Album" Grammy Award (all three charted on the Billboard 200).

"The End Continues" track listing:

01. Nigel's Poem
02. Let's Just Rock Again
03. Flower People (with Elton John)
04. Brighton Rock
05. The Devil's Just Not Getting Old
06. Cups And Cakes (with Paul McCartney)
07. I Kissed A Girl
08. Angels
09. Big Bottom (with Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood)
10. Judge And Jury
11. Rockin' In The Urn
12. Blood To Let
13. Stonehenge (with Elton John)

Asked by The Hollywood Reporter what makes the original "This Is Spinal Tap" movie so timeless, Reiner said: "I don't know. I mean, what's weird is that when it first came out, nobody got it. They thought I made a movie about a real band that wasn't very good. And why wouldn't I make a movie about THE BEATLES or THE ROLLING STONES? It took a while before people really caught on to it and understood that we were making fun, we were having fun with it. And then over the years it kind of…"

He continued: "We had created like a parallel universe for SPINAL TAP; we didn't talk about other bands. But then, all of a sudden, the real world started creeping in. They played Glastonbury, they played Royal Albert Hall and Wembley Stadium. And every rock band we talked to, they all said, 'Oh my God. It's just like what we do on tour.' They keep the tape on the tour bus. They watch it over and over. Sting saw it and he said, 'Every time I see it, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.' So somehow we've seeped into the culture. The Oxford English dictionary now has 'this goes to 11' as a thing that's not just about loud music, but about anything in excess. And we're part of the Library Of Congress and the National Film Registry. So here we are. I mean, we never thought in a million years it was gonna happen like this."

Regarding the plot for "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues", Reiner, who directed the original movie and costarred as the fictional documentarian Martin "Marty" DiBergi and also returned for the sequel, said: "Well, what happens is we find out that they… And this we took from real life, which is the guys had not played with each other in 15 years. So we said, 'Okay, what would cause them to get back together again?' We created this whole idea that there's bad blood, they're not speaking to each other, what's going on, and you find that out in the course of the film, but they now are forced together because of a contract. That was the last performance they had to give. It was a contract when their manager, Ian Faith, died, which is the real guy [who played Ian], [actor] Tony Hendra died. And the daughter takes it over and says, 'Well, what am I gonna do with this contract? It's worthless. They don't play together.' Then there's a big music star screwing around at a soundcheck. He sings 'Big Bottom'. It's caught on an iPhone, they throw it up on TikTok and it goes viral. And then, 'Okay, now we'll play.' And they go to New Orleans and play their last concert. But if you notice, it says 'The End Continues' [in the title of the movie]. These people never stop. They never stop."

"This Is Spinal Tap" has become a cult classic since its first theatrical run 41 years ago. The film was produced independently on a shoestring budget of $2.25 million by a company owned by the four creators, Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer. Two years in production, the film was released in 1984. It soon became a cult favorite and spawned a genre that has come to be known as "mockumentary," inspiring many subsequent filmmakers. Phrases from the film's script have entered the general lexicon, including "none more black" and "it goes to 11," the latter phrase exemplified by the Tesla car, whose audio system's volume control goes to 11, as does that on the BBC's iPlayer.

Its reputation as one of the 20th Century's most enduring comedies has increased exponentially in the ensuing years. The film has garnered international praise and acclaim, having been included in "best ever" lists such as The New York Times Guide to the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made; Total Film's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time list; Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time where it appeared on the "Just Too Beloved to Ignore" list; and achieving the coveted No. 1 spot on Time Out London's 100 Best Comedy Movies list.

Although "This Is Spinal Tap" was first released in 1984 in the U.S. and U.K., the band SPINAL TAP was actually created in the late 1970s. The band's rock musician characters "Nigel Tufnel" and "David St. Hubbins" were created by Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, with Harry Shearer creating bassist "Derek Smalls." SPINAL TAP's comedic sole claim to fame was as "one of England's loudest bands." Performing as their beloved stage personae in the company of a rotating cast of percussionists willing to risk the kit (as so many of their predecessors have been accident prone),SPINAL TAP has toured the world multiple times since the film's release. Hundreds of thousands of SPINAL TAP sound recordings have been sold over the ensuing decades and the film has been released on scores of video formats through the years.

In 2019, the band's creators concluded a new agreement with Universal Music Group. The band's recording of a full-length SPINAL TAP album featuring songs from the film is still available for physical sale, download and streaming today from UMG.

"This Is Spinal Tap" was released to little fanfare with some viewers convinced the bumbling dinosaurs — who had a knack of losing drummers in freak accidents — on screen were a genuine band. But word of mouth about the smartly observed film, which took a pop at bands such as STATUS QUO, LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, spread and it became a sleeper hit.

According to the Belfast Telegraph, McKean, Guest and Shearer prepared several scenes with Reiner but then ad-libbed. At the end of filming, they had more than 40 hours of footage, which was edited down to a more manageable form.

When "This Is Spinal Tap" was released, not everybody got that it was a "mockumentary." U2's The Edge immediately embraced it, saying: "I didn't laugh, I wept. It was so close to the truth." Ozzy Osbourne didn't understand it, saying the first time he watched it, he thought it was a real documentary. Early home video versions of the movie reportedly even had a disclaimer at the start and finish of the movie stating the band didn't really exist.

Photo by Henry Diltz

After years of anticipation, legendary vocalist John Bush is proud to announce a special run of live performances showcasing the music he helped create during his decade-long tenure singing with ANTHRAX. This December, Bush will perform songs spanning all four albums he recorded with the band: "Sound Of White Noise", "Stomp 442", "Volume 8: The Threat Is Real" and "We've Come For You All".

Joining Bush on stage will be his CATEGORY 7 bandmates Phil Demmel (guitar),Mike Orlando (guitar) and Jason Bittner (drums),along with his longtime ARMORED SAINT partner and best friend Joey Vera on bass (CATEGORY 7 bassist Jack Gibson has a schedule conflict and is unable to make the gigs).

Bush comments: "I've talked about doing this for a long time — and now, I'm finally doing it. Fans constantly tell me how much those records meant to them, and how they miss hearing those songs live. It's very humbling. The wait is over."

On the lineup, Bush adds: "These guys are incredible, badass musicians, and it hit me — why look anywhere else? They're already right here. It was a total no-brainer."

CATEGORY 7 will also open each night with their own blistering set before returning as his backing band for the ANTHRAX material.

The setlist will include not only the well-known anthems, but also some deeper cuts that haven’t been performed live in years.

John Bush performing songs from his era of ANTHRAX:

Dec. 13 - Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky A-Go-Go
Dec. 18 - St. Charles, IL @ Arcada Theatre
Dec. 20 - New York, NY @ Racket

This limited run marks a rare chance for fans to experience a vital era of heavy metal history — live, loud, and in your face. Tickets go on sale Friday, August 1 at 10 a.m. local time.

In July 2024, Bush was asked by Eonmusic whether he was still open to the idea of embarking on a special tour — either with the current ANTHRAX band or with a specially chosen set of musician friends — during which he would perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX. He responded: "I have some ideas about it, some more recent ideas about it, and in conjunction with, for players, we could even maybe do something in conjunction with [my new project] CATEGORY 7, although I don't know about that yet, which means we could play some of these songs, but then we could also play some of the songs from everybody's other projects, right? I don't know yet. Now I have this other thing with CATEGORY 7 and SAINT and like, how do I make it work? I do want to do that one day, I really do. I certainly believe that from '[Sound Of] White Noise', 'Stomp [442]', 'Volume 8', 'We've Come For You All', there's great songs that certainly could do a really cool support slot or even a headlining show. I don't necessarily want to go out and do sixty dates, quite honestly, but I do want to go out and play maybe some specific shows, maybe some festivals. I have some ideas, newer ideas in conjunction with it. It's just about making it work."

He continued: "Time is not on my side with a lot of things. I'm 60 years old, but I'm still doing pretty good — I did Pilates yesterday and held my own. I still try to be physically active, and I feel great, the voice is good, as long as I stay healthy. I want to make this work. I don't know; next thing I know, it's going to Blabbermouth tomorrow, because they're gonna be, like, 'He said that before, but he hasn't done it, so, like, shut up already!' So I want to. I just don't know when."

In March 2024, Bush told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco radio station 107.7 The Bone that he would "love" to perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX. "It wouldn't be some long tour; it would probably be like a handful of shows of doing my era in ANTHRAX," he explained. "'Cause they don't play too many of the songs — they play 'Only', and they just don't play too many. And I get it, because there's a large catalog that ANTHRAX has, not only from the beginning, but now they've made — they're about ready to make their third record, I believe, after that. So, I understand. I really do. I totally get it. But there are some songs that would be fun to hear, I think, for fans and for myself. It just has to kind of work with time, really; that's the key component. But it would be fun, for sure. I just don't know at this point when that would happen. And I don't know — they've kind of got their own thing going on, too. They're busy, they're making a new record. One day maybe something. Maybe it'll be me with various musicians doing it. Probably not with the band, actually. Or if they ever wanted to say, 'Hey, you wanna come out and sing a couple songs?' Yeah, I'd be into that. But I always say it's something that [current ANTHRAX singer] Joey Belladonna should be wanting to do. If this is something that he's not into and he's uncomfortable, then it shouldn't be done, because there's no point. But who knows? '

After Blakk suggested the possibility of ARMORED SAINT opening for ANTHRAX and Bush jumping up on stage and doing a couple of songs with the headliners, John said: "I would love ARMORED SAINT to go out and play some shows or do a tour with ANTHRAX. I think that would be killer. I've said it. It'd be really fun…

"Who knows?" he continued. "Like I said, I have other things that I'm thinking about, and ARMORED SAINT is, too. I'm just saying I would be open to doing something really fun and cool and not some long, extended thing, but it has to jell for everybody, including the SAINT guys. It has to be something that everybody wants to do and feels comfortable doing, and then if it does, then great. If it doesn't, maybe — I don't know — then it just doesn't. And then people will be, 'Damn, that never happened.'"

ANTHRAX has had a number of vocalists — including Bush, Belladonna, Neil Turbin and Dan Nelson — over the last 42 years, with guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante remaining the sole bandmembers who have appeared on every one of the group's studio albums.

Turbin sang on ANTHRAX's debut LP, 1984's "Fistful Of Metal", before getting booted and being replaced by Belladonna. Belladonna performed on four ANTHRAX albums, including the fan favorite "Among The Living" (1987) before he himself was fired over creative and stylistic differences. Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.

Bush previously talked about a hypothetical tour during which he would perform ANTHRAX material in a June 2023 interview with Rock On The Rise Radio. At the time, he said: "It's something I've talked about for a long time. I haven't really put it into motion. I've talked to my booking agent about it. He kind of comes in and out of being behind it with me. Because he goes, 'Okay, let's do it.' And I'm, like, 'Ehhh.' And then I'll come to him and go, 'Well, what do you think? Do you think there'll be interest?' And he's, like, 'You wanna do it now?' And I'm, like, 'Well, I don't know.' And he's, like, 'Get outta here.'

"I like the idea of doing it," he continued. "I don't know if I'm ready to tackle going out for three to four weeks and doing a run because I just don't know, quite honestly, what the interest would be. So I was kind of trying to do a handful of shows, maybe, in some different territories. But, unfortunately, when you do things like that, you sometimes can't make money. Not that I need to make a lot of money, but you certainly don't wanna lose money. So that was one of my ideas and that was where one of the conflicts came, and so we stopped talking about it again.

"Again, right now it's on the backburner," Bush added. "But it's something I would like to do before I die. And I'm not getting any younger, 'cause we know that [ANTHRAX's first album with Bush] 'Sound Of White Noise' is 30 years [old in 2023], so everybody can do the math. The bottom line is I'm turning 60 this year, which is insane; I can't even believe it. But still I feel like I'm still singing better than ever. But at the end of the day, tackling 'Room For One More', 'What Doesn't Die' and 'Reign Of Fire' when you're 70, that sounds pretty daunting; I'm not gonna lie. They're demanding. It's like you are a hockey player. It's a real physical thing, and I think most metal singers can attest to that and relate. You've gotta take care of yourself and you've gotta be in shape, in vocal shape, and rest and all that crap.

"It might be one of those things where all of a sudden where it's, like, 'Oh, he's doing that.' Not to give people false hope, but maybe that would be the case. And it's also about timing, really."

In October 2022, John told The Metal Voice that a special tour during which he would perform material from his time as the singer of ANTHRAX "would be great. I don't really wanna go out and do like a 30-date tour with it, but it would be cool to do a handful of shows in some key markets," he said. "We can certainly play those songs for a support slot or even a headlining slot, let's face it. I think there's enough songs of the four records [I recorded with ANTHRAX] that would make for a great show. Who [would be] in the band, I'm not exactly sure. I talked to [former ANTHRAX guitarist] Paul Crook about it, 'cause I love Paul; he's a great guy. He was actually there when I made a couple of those records, as far as engineered and played guitar on it. And I have done some stuff with the METAL ALLEGIANCE guys; we've done 'Only' and 'Room For One More' at various shows. Rock In Rio would be one, [which] we just played… I'm open to it. It's just a matter of… the timing, I think. Really, that's what it comes down to."

Regarding the fact that ANTHRAX played "Only" live on its recent U.S. tour, with Joey Belladonna on vocals, Bush said: "I always support Joey singing those songs. I wish they would do more, to be honest… I have no qualms with that. I support that. And Joey, we're not the best of friends, because we just aren't. It's funny, 'cause my wife and his wife have become pretty good text friends, so they're closer than him and I. But I always endorse it and tell him he did a great job and support whatever he does. He has his own backlog of stuff, and he also has the new songs and the new records that he's done. So I understand, and I'm not offended by it. But if they wanna play some songs from the John Bush-era albums, I'm great with that as well."

In September 2020, Bush told The Metal Voice that he first talked to his booking agent about the ANTHRAX tour idea "several years ago." He said: "We talked about it, and I think he sniffed around for some feelers to see what people would think. And I don't think we got the response that we really wanted to. It wasn't like we were looking for millions of dollars or anything, but we wanted to make it worthwhile to do it, and do the proper shows. It's not like something I wanna go out and do six months of touring with. It'd be fun to do some sporadic shows. I'd have to put a band together to do it. I'm probably a little lazy about that, quite honestly. But that's what would be involved in doing it. And I don't think we were pleased enough with the response that we tried to push it ahead and make it happen."

Bush went on to say that he was "caught by surprise" by ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian's comment that was not opposed to taking part in a special concert featuring most of the singers that have fronted the band over the course of its nearly four-decade existence. "I was, like, 'Wow. Okay.' And I thought that's a great idea. That would be really cool," Bush said. "I think that would be an amazing thing for the fanbase. But what I keep saying is that Joey Belladonna is the singer of ANTHRAX, and Joey should be the singer of ANTHRAX, as far as I'm concerned. And if this happens, it needs to have his approval, really, quite honestly. Because I wouldn't want him to feel like, 'Well, this is not my idea, and I don't wanna do this,' because he is the singer who'd be sharing the stage [with the rest of us], quite honestly. So I think it would be something that Joey would have to give endorsement to, for that to happen, if that's an idea. And again, I think it would be a fun thing to do a couple of handful of shows, sporadic stuff."

After years of anticipation, legendary vocalist John Bush is proud to announce a special run of live performances...

Posted by Metal Blade Records on Wednesday, July 30, 2025

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have paid tribute to their original singer Paul Mario Day, who died earlier this week at the age of 69. The British-born musician, who later formed a band called MORE and was the frontman of WILDFIRE and SWEET, had reportedly been battling cancer for the last few years.

"We are deeply saddened that Paul Mario Day, IRON MAIDEN's first ever vocalist back in 1975, has passed away," MAIDEN wrote on social media. "Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to Paul's family and friends. Paul was a lovely person and good mate.

"Rest in peace Paul."

Day's passing was confirmed by SWEET guitarist Andy Scott, who wrote in a social media post on Tuesday, July 29: "Paul Mario Day RIP. In 1985 Mick Tucker and myself put together the first new line-up of SWEET after the hiatus of the original band. We needed a singer and when Paul arrived for the audition we looked no further. Our first dates were in Australia, total sell-outs which boded well for the future. Europe followed suit and 3 sold out nights at the Marquee in London produced a live album, video and DVD. 'Live at the Marquee' did well in various charts around the world and Paul's vocal performance has stood the test of time.

"PMD was the original singer with IRON MAIDEN and had a stint with the band MORE before joining SWEET. He passed away peacefully at his home in Australia.

"My deepest condolences to his wife Cecily and family and friends. A sad day for all SWEET fans."

MORE also commented on Day's passing, writing on social media: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of the great MORE vocalist Paul Mario Day.

"Paul was a huge part of the NWOBHM from his time in an early version of IRON MAIDEN and of course his fantastic performance on the 'Warhead' album. He was a well loved figure in British rock music and played many memorable shows not least the legendary 1981 Monsters of Rock show at Castle Donninton with AC/DC, WHITESNAKE/David Coverdale as well as tours with IRON MAIDEN, DEF LEPPARD and many other legendary artists. Mike Freeland remembers him fondly as a 'bloody great vocalist!'

"It's an honour for us to continue to play his music and we will always think of him every time we hit the opening notes to 'Warhead'.

"We send our deepest condolences to Paul's family and friends and also the many fans around the world who love his music. Play his music loud and sing along!

"Thank you. Rock in peace Paul".

A decade ago, Day, who was with MAIDEN from 1975 to 1976, suggested in an online post that he had co-written the band's song "Strange World" but was never credited for his contributions. Day wrote at the time: "This is my opinion. When I sang in IRON MAIDEN, it was a new pub band and nobody wanted to see or hear them. We were all nobodys all trying to make the best music we could and fighting for an audience. In 1976, photos/recording were next to impossible to have if you were poor boys from East London, so I cannot prove I wrote the words and melody for 'Strange World'. As for before the time of albums and recording deals, I would say it was creative theft, not deliberate, as probably I would have done the same thing myself to keep it clean and simple. I think, however, if it made me a mega amount of money in the future, I would have done the right thing and [made] amends. As back then we were all pulling for the same side and it still hurts to think the first-ever song I ever composed was on a big-selling album and nobody knows it was me. Not to mention how I scrape to earn a living while Mr. [Steve] Harris is living like a god!"

In a January 2019 interview with Danish webzine Power Of Metal, Day was asked about his supposed contributions to "Strange World", which appeared on MAIDEN's 1980 debut self-titled album. "That's something I really don't talk about anymore, if you don't mind," he said. "It's all good. It's all finished with. It's happened. That's good. I can't speak for anyone else. I can't speak for them, but I'm talking the present, because I've had this discussion. Everything's fine as far as that's concerned. I don't want to go down that road."

Day also talked about how he landed the gig as MAIDEN's first singer. "It's hard to remember the details, but I remember Steve being the bass player playing in a band at the Bridge House in Camden," he said. "It was GYPSY'S KISS. I knew the guitar player because he was maybe one year above me at school, but never knew him to talk to. I knew Steve and I thought, 'He's bloody good.' I heard he was only playing for three years and I thought, 'He's bloody amazing!' That was forgotten. I was working as a motorcycle mechanic in East London. I was outside the workshop and I saw Steve Harris and a group of guys walking past the workshop. I never really was in a band, I just worked with guitar players in bedrooms, just sort of learning, experimenting, because I wasn't really a singer. I just felt I could sing. So I said to the group of people and I focused on Steve because I've seen him before: 'I think I'm a singer. Could I join your band?' And he went, 'No.' I went, 'Okay, no problem.' I went back to work. A few days, or maybe a week or two later, Steve says, 'I couldn't say anything because the singer was with me of the band.' I don't know who it was and he says, 'Yeah, I'm interested. Do you want to come and have a blow?' So I did, they liked me and straight away, I was singing some of Steve's songs. He wrote some songs before the IRON MAIDEN period, they were in the old band. I sang and he wanted me to stay. I seemed to fit and then we started rehearsing. Then all the songs were being written and I was singing his songs."

Day was booted from MAIDEN in 1976 due to his supposed lack of stage presence. He was asked whether his departure had anything to do with its members' inability to deal with inter-band issues. "What happened to me, I think, was quite reasonable," he said. "It hurt me like losing a girlfriend that you had been in love with for maybe five years, losing a girlfriend suddenly. That's the emotion, but the thing is, for instance, Steve was saying, pardon me, I've got to let you know, that was my first real band. I never, ever sung with a drummer before, so I had zero experience. I just used to sing with records at home and had the patience to do. Steve was saying, 'You've got to get better. You've got to be more in the audience's face. You've got to be commanding. You've got to be a hero.' And I agreed with him, but I didn't actually know how to make that happen. I got warning for maybe three months: 'Get it together. Get it together.' And I wanted to, I just didn't know how to do it. So the funny thing is, the worst experience was the best lesson because when I got that notice and I felt so gutted, it changed me. The real reality. IRON MAIDEN at that time were nothing, honestly. It was the beginning… Everyone had to start from zero. That was when I was in the band, that was their zero point. What Steve was doing was trying to make the band big. He knew what he wanted. What he wanted is what he got. He got one of the biggest bands on the planet. As much as it hurt, as much as it upset me, I learnt a big lesson that day. I really did. I used that emotion, I guess, in my singing."

In December 2018, four-fifths of the original IRON MAIDEN lineup reunited for the first time in 42 years. Harris, who formed IRON MAIDEN on Christmas day in 1975, was photographed with Paul Mario Day and guitarists Dave Sullivan (1975 - 1976) and Terry Rance (1975 - 1976). Missing from the photo op was drummer Ron "Rebel" Matthews.

Day was replaced in MAIDEN by Dennis Wilcock. He went on to front SWEET and MORE while Rance still plays with AIRFORCE, which features former IRON MAIDEN drummer Doug Sampson.

MAIDEN's first demo recording, "Soundhouse Tapes", featured Harris, singer Paul Di'Anno, guitarist Dave Murray and Sampson. It eventually landed MAIDEN a record deal with EMI in 1980. The band's self-titled debut album brought about a new lineup with the addition of Clive Burr to replace Sampson and Dennis Stratton on guitar.

We are deeply saddened that Paul Mario Day, Iron Maiden’s first ever vocalist back in 1975, has passed away. Our...

Posted by Iron Maiden on Wednesday, July 30, 2025

In a recent interview with Pastor Caspar McCloud, legendary rock drummer Carmine Appice reflected on a near-death experience less than a decade ago which reinforced his faith in Jesus Christ and made him a "better person". He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "What brought me closer to Jesus, for me, was I have these hemorrhaging nosebleeds, and when I was in Europe with my brother [Vinny] in 2018 — we were doing a tour to support our record — and we were in the Canary Islands, and when I went on stage and hit the drums, I was bleeding like crazy. So I went backstage. Vinny took over with the band, and when he came backstage, it looked like a murder scene; there was blood everywhere. And I've had these before, and I know the only way that takes care of it is the surgery. So I went to the hospital and they didn't have a clue what was going on. So my wife redid our flights. We were in Canary Islands, and then we had a flight to Lisbon, Portugal, and Portugal back to New York. And luckily she did that on our American Express, because on the plane right in the middle of the ocean, I had a major nosebleed. There was a doctor in front of us. I had IVs hanging from the rafters. They couldn't stop me from bleeding. And they told the captain the third time, 'If you don't land this plane somewhere, this guy is a famous drummer, he's gonna bleed out on your plane and you are gonna be responsible, and it's gonna be all over the news that you are responsible.' So they veered the plane off a little bit and they landed at the Azores… It's in the middle of the ocean… It's a little island… They had to land this giant plane at an Air Force base over there. And then I got out with my brother, and I was stuck in a hospital there. And I was still bleeding, and they had stuff, trying to take care of it. And what really got me is they were inserting gauze in my nose to stop the bleeding. I didn't know that they were gonna knock me out to do that, but they did. And when I woke up, I was in a room that was black. Right in the corner was a light. I thought I died. I thought that light was the light of Jesus or God. I listened to the Hallow [Christian prayer] app today, and they were talking about Jesus being the light. And I was flashing back to that. And I grabbed my cross and I said, 'Jesus, help me get out of here.' I thought I was gone. I thought I was dead already. And then next thing I know, my brother said they put me in a room. I don't remember that. And then my wife got me a medical airlift out of there back to the closest English-speaking hospital, 'cause they didn't speak English. That was in Paris. So I got back to Paris in a little jet, in a medical airlift jet. When I got to Paris, they put me in this hospital. They wanted, like, $25,000 on a credit card for me to even enter the hospital, which we did. And then she flew over from New York and she had to… My brother Vinny had to leave, and they wanted to cut my face open, pull it over and fix it. And I said, 'You can't fix it like that. You have to go up the artery, all the way to the back of her nose.' There's these veins over here. And they wouldn't listen to us. And we got the doctor in New York, and they wouldn't listen to him. Somehow, through all this craziness, the State Department and American Express, which gave us the first airlift, all these different things, somehow she got another airlift. And I just found out the other night, it wasn't a jet; it was a propeller plane. And it went from Paris to Ireland, Ireland to Newfoundland, Newfoundland to New Jersey, and then into the hospital. On the last phase, my fever was way up, my blood pressure was way up, and the doctors on the plane were getting worried. So we finally got to New Jersey. I got into the hospital there, and they had two doctors. One of them took the gauze out of my nose and it was sepsis. He said one more day, 24 more hours, I would've been dead."

He continued: "So, I say Jesus saved me. My wife is Jewish. Se said, 'No, it was the other Jew that saved you.' [Laughs] But I know what it was. So since then I've been listening to the Bible every day and became more of a Christian. I even wrote some Christian songs. And one of the songs, it references that day I woke up and saw the light. But I think it made me a better person. 'Cause I found a church down here in Florida that was amazing. The worship team was amazing. And they needed drums. I got them a drum set. And I went there every Sunday. And every time I came home, my wife said, 'Man, you come home really inspired,' after that church. I used to sing along. I'd get chills, 'cause I really felt the inspiration and the spirit and everything. I still go to that church and I still listen to the Bible. I have this app called Hallow. So I listen to different things on there every day. When I wake up, for at least 45 minutes I listen to all that stuff just to get the day going. And I've given a lot more to people, helped people out. Somebody needed money, I gave 'em some money, and [I donated to] some charities. And I found myself being a better person from it. I believe that getting that close to death changes your life."

Appice is the original drummer of VANILLA FUDGE, with whom he still records and performs today. He has also played with CACTUS and BECK, BOGERT & APPICE, in addition to spending stints in the bands of Ozzy Osbourne and Rod Stewart, co-writing the latter's No. 1 hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?"Carmine was named the 28th greatest drummer of all time by Rolling Stone magazine.

Appice is widely considered to be one of the most accomplished showmen in rock and is the recipient of numerous awards, including dozens of gold- and platinum-selling records. Carmine has broken new ground in every aspect of his career as a performer, as a teacher, and as a writer, and he continues to inspire drummers and listeners throughout the world with his originality and his unwavering dedication to the art of drumming.

Carmine's autobiography, "Stick It!: My Life Of Sex, Drums, And Rock 'N' Roll", was released in May 2016 by Chicago Review Press.

Under the moniker APPICE, Carmine and his brother Vinny released "Sinister", their first joint studio album, in October 2017 through SPV/Steamhammer.

German/Finnish/French thrash metal veterans KREATOR recently entered Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren to begin recording their sixteenth studio album, tentatively due in early 2026. Bogren previously helmed KREATOR's "Phantom Antichrist" (2012) and "Gods Of Violence" (2017) LPs.

In a new interview with Greece's Altars Of Metal conducted at last weekend's Chania Rock Festival, KREATOR guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö stated about the band's upcoming LP: " I'm happy to tell you that the entire March, April, May, we were working on the album, intensively, every day. In May, we went to Sweden to record the new album with Jens Bogren in Sweden, in Örebro, and the plan for it is to come out early next year. I'm waiting for the final mixes. I can't wait to hear that. Exciting times."

Asked how the new KREATOR album will be different from what we have heard from the band before, Sami said: "Well, there is a little different kind of an edge. For example, for a couple of songs we tuned down the guitar. Not every song. And, of course, it affects everything. And just different kind of songs. It's hard for me to describe it because I'm so close to it, so near to it, but I'm really looking forward to hearing the mixes myself. It was a lot of work in the spring time. And I hope people will like it too. Let's see."

As for a possible album title, Sami said: "Well, there's three options. I'm not sure, but there's gonna be some music videos too. They've already been filmed and shot already too, but I haven't seen them either… We did the videos to the raw mix."

KREATOR's upcoming effort will be the follow-up to 2022's "Hate Über Alles", which was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions for that LP was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.

"Hate Über Alles" marked KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.

In a recent interview with Loaded Radio, Leclercq stated about KREATOR's upcoming music:  "We are putting the final touches to a new album that will be released sometime next year, I guess. I spent two months away — I was in Germany [working with the band on the songs] and then in Sweden."

Asked what the new KREATOR material is like, Leclercq said: "It's great. [Laughs] I think everybody agrees to say it's better than 'Hate Über Alles', which was already cool. And that was my first [album] with the band. But I think this one has better songs. I mean, that's how we feel. I'm just saying it's gonna be great."

Regarding what it's like working with KREATOR founder and leader Mille Petrozza, Leclercq said: "It's cool. They're all easy to work with. And Mille comes with the majority of the riffs and the vocals. He works differently than me in a sense that for him the lyrics, that's what's important. And from the lyrics will come the riffs and whatnot, and obviously he needs to be able to play the riff while singing. So it's a different way of building songs. So my job there is just to check guitar, melodies and solo parts and whatnot. That's what I do. And it's great, because that was already the case on the first album I did with them, is that I told them, I said… I'm very passionate when it comes to music, and I have a tendency to go, like when I hear something, I'm gonna be, like, 'Yeah, we should try this,' and very — not a dictator in that sense, but very [forcefully] giving orders. And they were, like, 'Oh, no, that's cool.' So they actually really trust me on this. So I pick things that they not always notice, and they give me that sort of freedom to arrange a bit, and that's great."

He continued: "I love the KREATOR guys. The minute I joined them, it felt like I was part of the family forever. That's how we feel. And I'm not [just] saying [that], because it sounds like very cliché, but it's really the truth. I've known Mille for a long time, before I joined DRAGONFORCE, actually. I met him in Germany in 2003, I think. So we've always been bumping into each other since then, at festivals and whatnot. And when I joined the band, there was no audition. There was me and no one else. I'm the first one they asked, and I said yes. And I learned the songs and I went in the rehearsal room and I was a little shy for a few bars. And then I was, like, 'That's cool.' And I saw everybody smiling and I was just, like, 'Yeah, that's it.' And yeah, yeah, it really felt like I was part of the family forever."

Frédéric also talked about the upcoming official KREATOR documentary, "Kreator - Hate & Hope". The 110-minute film, which was directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post, was shown on July 2 at the 42nd Munich International Film Festival and will receive a theatrical premiere on September 4.

"We have a movie coming out in September because we had a filming team following us the last two years," Leclercq said. "It started in Wacken [Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany], and then they came with us in the U.S., to Japan, India and whatnot, filming us. And it's in the cinema in Germany for a start. And we're trying to see if it happens — I would like that to happen in [my home country of] France as well. So there's that. So, it's been busy."

KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.

Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.

As previously reported, Mille's official German-language autobiography, which he wrote with journalist, author and presenter Torsten Groß, "Your Heaven, My Hell - Mein Leben, Heavy Metal Und Wie Das Alles Passieren Konnte", will be published on August 28 via Ullstein Verlag. The book is available for pre-order now.

Canadian metal legend Devin Townsend, like the rest of us, is mourning the passing of Ozzy Osbourne on July 22. He has shared the following message:

“From a young age, with my Diary Of A Madman poster on the wall and a deep love for heavy metal, I was drawn – like so many of us back then – to Ozzy Osbourne in a big way.

The loss of Ozzy marks a paradigm shift in our genre—a moment that not only signals the end of an era, but in many ways reaffirms the spirit of heavy music by honoring the passing of one of its elder statesmen.

Ozzy Osbourne – along with his family, his body of work, and his legacy – has long been a beacon for kids like me. Without his influence, many of us might have taken a more conventional path instead of learning to protect the nonconformist within.

It’s with a heavy heart that we say goodbye. But in our gratitude for the path he carved, he becomes a living part of the music we continue to write.

Thank you, Ozzy.”

In a new interview with Turned Out A Punk, CANDLEBOX frontman Kevin Martin reflected on the experience of opening for RUSH back in 1994 on the Canadian rock legends' "Counterparts" tour. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "They were really kind to us. I remember, we started in Pensacola, the first show, and we met Alex [Lifeson, RUSH guitarist] and Geddy [Lee, RUSH bassist/vocalist]. And then we had maybe Mississippi and Louisiana. And then we got to Austin, Texas, and after our show, Neil Peart [RUSH drummer] came into our dressing room. We were sitting and [there was] a knock on the door. 'Guys, you mind if I come in?' [This was] after we played. And we're, like, sitting there? 'No, no.' And he's, like, 'Hey, so I've been watching you guys past three nights and I think I've got a really good setlist for you.' And we're, like, 'What? Okay.' And he's, like, 'I want you to start with this song.' "Cause he was such a mathematician and a genius when it came to putting songs and lyrics and stuff together, 'cause I think he was really the foundation of most of what RUSH was creating when he joined the band, from that moment on. And we stuck to that setlist for the entire three months. And he was right. It was the perfect opener, it was the perfect middle, a perfect end."

Martin continued: "They were genuinely the kindest musicians that we've ever, ever toured with. And we've toured with some really brilliant ones and a bunch of fucking assholes. But those guys were, and still are… I mean, we were able to go down and see Geddy and Alex shortly after Neil's wife had passed and his daughter. And so we didn't get to say hi to him, but we went down to see them [in Southern California] — it was an outdoor amphitheater — we went down to hang out with them, and we chatted for almost two hours before they went on stage and just caught up. And the fact that they still remembered us from so many years prior and we were able to just kind of catch up, it's something I'll never forget. And they were spectacular every single night. At the end of the tour, we gave them gifts. That's something that used to happen back in the '90s. It doesn't happen so much anymore. But you give the headliner gifts and thank yous for letting us play with you and tour with the guys. And Neil, we got him a right-handed catcher's mitt, because he would throw his drumsticks every night. Sometimes he would catch 'em, sometimes he wouldn't. But he was so good at grabbing one outta the stick bag that it looked like he caught it. And so we got him a right-handed catcher's mitt. He knew exactly what that was, and he laughed his ass off. And the fact that we were able to kind of build that kind of a friendship was pretty special to me."

Last October, original CANDLEBOX members Kevin Martin (vocals),Peter Klett (guitar),Bardi Martin (bass) and Scott Mercado (drums) performed during the San Francisco 49ers-versus-Seattle Seahawks halftime show at Lumen Field in Seattle, Washington. The band's set included abbreviated versions of the songs "You", "Cover Me" and "Far Behind" from CANDLEBOX's multi-platinum self-titled debut album, which came out in 1993.

CANDLEBOX supported BUSH on the 2024 "Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour" with special guest Jerry Cantrell.

In 2024, CANDLEBOX released "A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)", the digital deluxe version of the album "The Long Goodbye", via Round Hill Records. The digital release features the 12 tracks on the original record plus two bonus live songs, "Elegante" and "Cellphone Jesus" (recorded at Club Amanda in Santiago, Chile on October 27, 2023),as well as the official launch of the single "Washed Up".

CANDLEBOX had been performing songs from "A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)" as well as the hits that defined their career, including "Far Behind", "You" and "Cover Me", which propelled their self-titled debut album to sell more than four million copies worldwide.

"A Little Longer Goodbye (Tour Edition)" followed CANDLEBOX's eighth studio album, which was quite a swan song for the veteran band. "The Long Goodbye" was praised by critics for its hard-hitting, groove-infested beats and mature, soul-searching themes of love, loss, redemption, and the journey in between.

CANDLEBOX has been on an extended farewell tour since May 2023. The tour coincided with the 30th anniversary of the band's self-titled debut album.

Regarding the decision to call it quits, Martin told SPIN: "I've always been kind of the reluctant lead singer of this band. All of the time I've spent with CANDLEBOX has been obviously rewarding and enjoyable and the experience has been amazing, but when COVID hit, being home with my son and my wife was just eye-opening. It was everything I had realized I really wanted and had missed so much of."

Image credit: DFW Rocks Live

Today, melodic hard rockers, Laguna, have released their debut album, The Ghost Of Katrina, via Frontiers Music Srl. In addition, the focus track, “Electric High”, is out now accompanied by a visualizer, available to view below.

Vocalist Andrés Espada describes the track: “This song is an unrelenting, high-octane ride from start to finish, with intensity cranked up to ten. It’s all about unleashing raw energy, losing control, and breaking down doors.”



Hailing from the northern part of Mexico, from the arid desert of Torreón, Coahuila, Laguna is a five-piece hard rock band ready to take the world by storm with their debut album, The Ghost Of Katrina.

Drawing from the European and Scandinavian melodic hard rock scene, Laguna’s sound is an electrifying blend of powerful production, anthemic choruses, and in-your-face guitar riffs deriving from influences like One Desire, H.E.A.T., and other renowned acts from the scene.

The Ghost Of Katrina is produced by Jimmy Westerlund (known for his work with One Desire and more recently Giant), and perfectly captures Laguna’s high-energy and dynamic style, bringing to life a heavy yet melodic sound that’s both thrilling and emotionally charged. The songs feature strong hooks, vibrant instrumentation, and an intensity that reflects the band’s unrelenting passion for hard rock.

Order The Ghost Of Katrina here.



The Ghost Of Katrina tracklisting:

Intro – “Katrina”
“Ghost Behind The Mask”
“Living On The Line”
“Punk Boy” (ft. Jimmy Westerlund)
“Wildfire”
“These Chains”
“Electric High”
“My Syndrome”
“Bring Me To Life”
“Sinner Of Tomorrow”

McFarlane Toys has announced a new 6" scale "Music Maniacs" action figure of JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford.

Product features:

* Incredibly detailed 6" scale figure featuring Rob Halford of JUDAS PRIEST likeness
* Designed with up to 12 points of articulation for posing and play
* Accessories include microphone and base
* Includes art card with numbered certificate of authenticity
* Showcased in "Music Maniacs"-themed window box packaging

The highly detailed statue is available for pre-order at Mcfarlane.com.

Grammy-and Emmy-winning producer/director Todd McFarlaneSpawn's creator, is the creative force behind McFarlane Toys, one of America's top action figure manufacturers. Todd is also the CEO of McFarlane Films and president of Image Comics. Best known for his work as the artist on "The Amazing Spiderman", where he co-created Marvel's top villain Venom, McFarlane went on to create his own title "Spawn". Todd McFarlane's "Spawn" is one of the world's best-selling comic books. "Spawn"'s 1992 debut sold 1.7 million copies. McFarlane made history with "Spawn#300" and record-breaking "Spawn#301", earning the Guinness World Record of "longest-running creator-owned superhero comic book series." In 2024, McFarlane celebrated another milestone with "Spawn" issue No. 350. "Spawn" became an Emmy Award-winning animated series on HBO and live-action feature film, grossing more than $100 million.

McFarlane Toys has become an industry leader, redefining the action figure market's standards and a licensee of world-class brands and leading global franchises. Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, McFarlane has offices in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Montreal.

Halford is an English singer-songwriter, who is best known as the lead vocalist for the Grammy Award-winning heavy metal band JUDAS PRIEST. He is considered one of the most consistently powerful singers in rock, possessing a wide vocal range, and is particularly known for his trademark high-pitched, operatic, soaring screams. His vocal range currently spans nearly four octaves.

In addition to his work with JUDAS PRIEST, he has been involved with several side projects, including FIGHT, 2WO and HALFORD. He is credited as the first openly gay heavy metal musician, having come out in 1998.

Halford's latest book, "Biblical: Rob Halford's Heavy Metal Scriptures", arrived in November 2022 via Hachette Books. It was the follow-up to his 2020 autobiography, "Confess".

Three years ago, Halford publicly revealed that he battled prostate cancer during the pandemic. He previously mentioned his cancer battle in the new chapter added to the updated paperback edition of "Confess". In "Confess", Halford revealed that he was diagnosed with cancer after experiencing symptoms for at least a couple of years.

In July 2020, Rob underwent prostatectomy, an operation where the entire prostate gland is removed plus some of the tissue around it, including the seminal vesicles. After more cancer was found last year, he went through radiation treatments in April and May 2021 and eventually got then all-clear in June 2021. He also had an appendectomy after a tumor was discovered on his appendix.

Rob Halford 6” scale Music Maniacs action figure is available for pre-order NOW at select retailers!
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Posted by McFarlane Toys on Tuesday, July 15, 2025