Duff McKagan has unveiled "Lighthouse: Live From London", an all-new live album and full-length concert film recorded last October during his sold-out "Lighthouse Tour '24". The 19-track collection will be available in a wide variety of formats, including digital, CD Digipak, CD and Blu-ray digipak (with live audio and the complete "Lighthouse: Live From London" concert film),2LP 180g black vinyl (with gatefold sleeve and ticket replica),and limited-edition 2LP 180g black vinyl (with live audio, complete concert film, gatefold sleeve, and autographed ticket replica signed by McKagan). "Lighthouse: Live From London" arrives on Friday, October 31. Pre-orders/pre-saves are available now via duffmckagan.com.

Recorded and filmed October 5, 2024, before a sold-out crowd at London, England's historic Islington Assembly Hall, "Lighthouse: Live From London" sees McKagan and his band performing songs from throughout the iconic musician-songwriter's legendary career, including stellar renditions of tracks originally found on his critically acclaimed third solo album, 2023's "Lighthouse". Among the live album's many highlights is an unforgettable take on the plaintive fan favorite "Longfeather", premiering everywhere alongside an official live performance video streaming now on YouTube.

"Lighthouse Tour '24" saw McKagan lighting up sold-out houses across North America, Europe, and the United Kingdom, joined by his murderer's row of musicians, guitarist Tim DiJulio, guitarist/keyboardist Jeff Fielder, bassist Mike Squires, and drummer Michael Musburger, with live sound engineered by longtime collaborator Martin Feveyear. Recorded and mixed by Feveyear, "Lighthouse: Live From London" collects electrifying in-concert versions of such McKagan originals as "I Saw God On 10th St.", "Lighthouse" and the volatile "Chip Away" (a personal favorite of Bob Dylan himself),along with breakneck performances of THE STOOGES' "I Wanna Be Your Dog", THE CRICKETS' (by way of THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR and THE CLASH) "I Fought The Law", and GUNS N' ROSES' classic "You're Crazy". What's more, "Lighthouse: Live From London" features a very special guest appearance by SEX PISTOLS co-founding guitarist Steve Jones that sees the two friends (and NEUROTIC OUTSIDERS bandmates) joining forces for once-in-a-lifetime renditions of Johnny Thunders' "Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" and David Bowie's "Heroes", the latter of which can be viewed now below.

For more than 40 years, Duff McKagan has been an unstoppable creative force, spanning a multitude of bands, tours, collaborations, writings, and an ongoing solo body of work that includes such critically acclaimed albums as 2019's Shooter Jennings-produced "Tenderness" and 2023's soul-searching "Lighthouse". Starting at just 15, McKagan has been a part of such diverse and influential bands as THE VAINS (1979),THE FASTBACKS (1980),THE LIVING (1982),THE FARTZ (1990),10 MINUTE WARNING (1993) and LOADED (1998),along, of course, with his historic role as founding member of both GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER. In addition to his prolific musical efforts, McKagan is The New York Times best-selling author of 2011's "It's So Easy: And Other Lies" and 2015's "How To Be A Man: (And Other Illusions)", and the co-host (with Susan Holmes McKagan) of the popular "Three Chords & The Truth" radio show, airing in North America on SiriusXM's Ozzy's Boneyard (Ch. 38). In addition, "Three Chords & The Truth" airs weekly on stations around the globe, including the U.K.'s Planet Rock, Denmark's myROCK, Finland's Radio Rock, Germany/Switzerland/Austria's Rock Antenne, Iceland and Canada's x977, and Poland's Antyradio.

"Lighthouse: Live From London" track listing:

01. Forgiveness
02. Chip Away
03. This Is The Song
04. I Saw God On 10th St.
05. Tenderness
06. Feel
07. Holy Water / I Wanna Be Your Dog
08. I Just Don't Know
09. Fallen Ones
10. Fallen
11. Wasted Heart
12. Longfeather
13. Just Another Shakedown
14. I Fought The Law
15. You're Crazy
16. Lighthouse
17. Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory (feat. Steve Jones)
18. Heroes (feat. Steve Jones)
19. Don't Look Behind You

In a new interview with Brocarde, NIGHTWISH's Dutch-born vocalist Floor Jansen, who resides in Sweden with her husband, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl, confirmed that she grew up around religion, even though she was never a strong believer. "It was there, but I guess from the get-go I really started to wonder what… There was so much contr[adiction]," she explained (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "On one hand, they say that God is about love, and you come into church, and the first thing you see is a dead man nailed to a cross that has suffered tremendously. And if that is not horrible enough, it's done because of your sins. So you're even supposed to feel guilty for it. I'm sorry — where is this love? Then I need to eat his body, drink his blood. I think it's fucking disgusting — pardon my French.

"I think I took the whole thing way too literal because the whole story behind it was so far away from the image that that man and the sins and the horror of hell and the threat, the constant threat that you have to believe, that the more I learned about religion, the more I came to feel, like, okay, so we're basing certain wisdom on a book written by someone thousands of years ago, [with] interpretation after interpretation, for some people taking completely literal, leading to all kinds of trouble," she continued. "Not to mention organized religion, which is just causing the worst genocides and most horrible situations in the history of mankind.

"There is no love. And if that is the higher power, then I think it's maybe a manmade desire to control," Floor added. "And it has nothing to do with the previous conversation where there might be a power that we do not really understand yet. But I do think in general, whether you're highly sensitive or not, whether you live now or throughout all history, we have the tendency to want to believe there's something more than we are. And where that comes from, I haven't really gotten an answer to that, but I do believe there is something out there that we just haven't understood yet."

In November 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis. At the time, she wrote on social media that "the surgery took everything cancerous out and it hasn't spread!"

Floor's debut solo album, "Paragon", arrived in March 2023.

As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two No. 1 albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.

Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member.

NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature.", which was also an international success, and 2024's "Yesterwynde".

Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".

In October 2023, Jansen and Van Dahl welcomed their second child, Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl also have an eight-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe

In a new interview with Panama's Café Rock, EPICA guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen was asked if writing the material for the group's ninth studio album, "Aspiral", in a series of camps with his bandmates and producer changed the way they create and connect as a band. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, definitely because we used to work more on our own, creating songs in our own home studios, and now we, in a much earlier stage, we sit together, work on each other's tracks, and that way you get more of a bond together, and it makes it all more personal. And also the way we recorded in the studio, so we had already these writing camps where we were working together, but also in the studio we recorded drums, bass and guitar in a live setting. So not every instrument differently, like we used to do, but more like in a live setting. And that's way you also catch this live vibe on the album. That's also pretty cool. It makes you tighter as a band and also, because we know each other already pretty well, but then you start to know each other even better."

Jansen also talked about the artwork for "Aspiral", which does include the EPICA band name or album title on it. Asked why EPICA chose to let the artwork speak for itself this time around, Mark said: "Yeah, there are several reasons, and one of the reasons is that the lyrics, they're dealing about the destruction of the ego. And so in a way we already worked also like that as a band, when we work on the music and no ego whatsoever, just let the music speak and let the music do its work. And then it doesn't matter who comes with which idea. It's just an EPICA idea instead of an individual idea. So in that way, already the whole ego is gone. And also the way we split the rights, it's all equal splits between the band members. So not one guy earning a lot because he wrote many songs and somebody else earning nothing. Everybody gets the same. And then we thought also for the album cover, let also the name out of it, because the big name on the album covers is usually also related to the ego thing. And that fit well in the story about letting the whole ego out, let the artwork speak for itself. And to have an in-between solution, we still have plastic with a sticker so that people in the shops still see which band it is, because for record companies, they want still to sell albums, of course. So we had to make an in-between solution. But then once people are at home, they have the album itself and just the cover. And, yeah, it works really well like that."

Asked about the musical diversity of "Aspiral", Jansen said: "It basically just happens because we are from six different backgrounds as musicians. So five musicians, one singer, Simone [Simons]. And when we write music, it also comes from six different backgrounds. Then when we start putting it together, it always sounds in the end like EPICA, but you still have this very different backgrounds you can hear in the music. That's what makes it so diverse, but also so interesting to listen to because it's all clearly EPICA, but goes in very different directions."

"Aspiral" came out on April 11 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP title is derived from the eponymous bronze sculpture made by Polish sculptor and painter Stanisław Szukalski back in 1965 and stands for renewal and inspiration — key words that define EPICA in 2025. In Szukalski's work every detail is a piece of art in its own right, and there's always more to the story than you initially think. The band saw this as the perfect analogy for the creation of this ninth album: each song stands on its own with a distinctive vibe and meaning, while together they enforce each other into a monumental effort.

The album, featuring stunning cover artwork by Hedi Xandt (RAMMSTEIN, GHOST, PARKWAY DRIVE),was recorded once again at Sandlane Studios and expertly mixed and produced by Joost Van Den Broek.

To celebrate the "Aspiral" release, EPICA played three exclusive shows in the United States in early May: in New York City, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

SHINEDOWN has once again made history as the band's latest single, "Killing Fields", reaches No. 1 on the Active Rock Mediabase chart. This is a massive moment for the band as it solidifies their 23rd single at the format. This marks the third No. 1 for the band this year with their No. 1 at Alternative for "Three, Six, Five" and two No. 1s at Active Rock with "Dance, Kid, Dance" and now "Killing Fields". In addition, it further solidifies their record of holding the most No. 1s, Top 5s and Top 10s in history on the Mediabase Active Rock chart.

Fresh off SHINEDOWN's massive "Dance, Kid, Dance" arena tour, where they sold out Madison Square Garden and performed at some of the country's most iconic venues, including KIA Forum in Los Angeles, the band's song "Three Six Five" also hit Top 20 at Top 40 radio. SHINEDOWN is the only rock band currently on the Top 40 chart as "Three Six Five" continues to reach new audiences with its message of love and loss. The song has been charting at five radio formats after hitting No. 1 at Alternative, Top 10 at Hot AC & AC, No. 16 at Active Rock, all in addition to reaching Top 20 at Top 40 radio. Sitting alongside some of the world's biggest pop artists, it's a massive feat to not only hit new audiences with their music but to continue to innovate their sound and reach.

Recently the band posted a video of SHINEDOWN frontman Brent Smith introducing the song on tour where he asked the audience "Do me a favor, if you lost someone in your life that's no longer on this planet anymore and you think about them every single day and say to yourself 'I wish had one more day (with them),if I had one more minute,' and they're no longer on this planet I want you to raise your hand." In an emotional moment, the band then turned on the house lights in the room, and you could see half of the arena had their hands up. The video and the moment resonated with so many people online, as the comments section of the video has over 30,000 comments and was filled with stories about loved ones they have lost. The video has nearly a million views and has had a similar reaction to the animated music video for the song, where the comment section was also filled with stories of grief and resilience.

This is just the beginning of the epic year that SHINEDOWN has had, as recently Smith took over emcee duties for Ryan Seacrest for "American Top 40", where he introduced some of the biggest hits in the country, including his own.

This year has also come with some historic wins for the band as they recently took home two trophies at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, where they won "Rock Artist Of The Year" and "Rock Song Of The Year" for "A Symptom Of Being Human". The awards were in celebration of the banner year they've had as "A Symptom Of Being Human" has hit nearly 125 million global streams and charted at five radio formats, including a No. 1 at Active, Top 10 at Alternative, Top 10 at AC, Top 15 at Hot AC, and a Top 20 at Top 40. The song, off their "Planet Zero" album, resonated with fans across the globe for the unifying message of its lyrics: that it is our human connections that matter the most.

Smith and SHINEDOWN bassist/producer Eric Bass co-wrote "Killing Fields" and "Three Six Five", while "Dance, Kid, Dance" was co-written by Smith, Bass and Dave Bassett. The songs were produced by Bass at his own Big Animal Studio in Charleston, South Carolina.

SHINEDOWN just finished up the "Dance, Kid, Dance" tour, where they teamed up with Musicians On Call and donated $1 for every ticket sold for the tour. As the nation's leading provider of live music in hospitals, Musicians On Call (MOC) has delivered the healing power of music to patients, families, and caregivers in healthcare environments for 25 years. More than one million people across all 50 states have experienced the joys of live music in the hospital setting through MOC's bedside, virtual, and streaming programs. MOC volunteers perform live for children and adults facing any health challenge, including veterans recovering in VA facilities, family members supporting loved ones in need, and healthcare workers caring for patients. The collaboration is just one of the many charities SHINEDOWN support as they frequently give back to organizations in need.

SHINEDOWN has cemented its status as one of the most vital and forward-thinking powerhouses in music, embodying the kind of creative dynamism that transcends boundaries with over 8.3 billion global streams, a record-breaking 24 No. 1 rock hits, 15 platinum and gold singles, platinum or gold certification for all of their albums, 10 million albums sold worldwide, and major media acclaim. They are known for their timely and honest messages behind their chart-topping songs that resonate with not only their global audience and the rock community, but our culture at large.

 SHINEDOWN is Brent Smith (vocals), Zach Myers (guitar),Eric Bass (bass, production) and Barry Kerch (drums).

Photo credit: Ebru Yildiz

In a new interview with the Swedish rock radio station 106.7 FM Rockklassiker, Wolfgang Van Halen — son of legendary VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen — was asked why he was forced to cancel his participation in the "Back To The Beginning" event, which marked Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH's final performance. The current MAMMOTH frontman said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had the flights purchased, the hotels ready to go. We also, obviously, have 'The End', [MAMMOTH's third] album, we were planning on that release, but we hadn't announced it yet. And then the rehearsal schedules moved. So, at that point, with how many people had bought hotels and, and everything, we literally couldn't make it, after that schedule changed. One, I had to rehearse for the CREED tour that I was about to go on [with MAMMOTH]. And then two, even if we wanted to go out there, there was no way to get a hotel or a flight that quickly after it changed. So, we couldn't do it, unfortunately."

He added: "I was really happy I was able to do the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame thing for Ozzy, and I got to see him then. But yeah, I was very bummed about that. Sometimes things just sort of happen that way."

Wolfgang joined super-producer Andrew Watt and TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan at last year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, which saw the induction of Ozzy as a solo artist. They performed one of Osbourne's most popular songs, "Crazy Train", backed by RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Chad Smith and METALLICA's Robert Trujillo. Asked how the whole Rock Hall experience was for him, Wolfgang told 106.7 FM Rockklassiker: "Oh, it was amazing. It was a dream. Being able to play with everybody, and being a massive TOOL fan, being able to play with Maynard was an insane thing I never thought I'd be able to do. I mean, if you told me five years ago I'd be playing 'Crazy Train' with Maynard, I'd be, like, 'Shut up. What are you talking about?' But, man, it was very, very cool. [I was] very, very happy to have been a part of it, and being able to, to see Ozzy after it and give him a hug and chat with him a bit really stuck with me."

Asked if he remembers the first time he met Ozzy, Wolfgang said: "You know what? I remember the first time I met [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon. She came to the house one time. but I think it was either in passing or really quick, But it was this time around where we did a photo shoot, like, a week or two before the whole [Rock Hall] performance. That's when I got to sit with him and talk the first time. And he was very, very lovely. And then I got to hang out with him after the performance at the Rock And Roll Of Fame."

Wolfgang added: "[Ozzy was] very funny and very, very kind. I got to chat with him on just random stories that my dad had told me. 'Cause when [VAN HALEN and BLACK SABBATH] toured together back in the day, I just kind of asked him about, like, 'Did this happen? Did this happen?' And, yeah, a lot of those stories, which were very, very funny, I got him to giggle a bit, I got him to laugh about it, which was very, very funny. It was great.

Asked if he remembers a specific story involving Ozzy and Eddie, Wolfgang said: "I do, but I don't think I would be allowed to say it. [Laughs] But it's very funny, and I was very happy to know that my dad wasn't pulling my leg on some of those stories."

"The End" will be released on October 24 via BMG. The 10-track effort was recorded at the legendary 5150 studio, and was produced by Wolfgang's friend and collaborator Michael "Elvis" Baskette.

This past June, Wolfgang was asked by Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station to name his favorite guitar player who played with Ozzy — a list that includes SABBATH legend Tony Iommi and Randy Rhoads. Wolfgang said: "I'm really bad at picking, 'cause that almost implies you don't like another one in comparison. And I feel like Randy was amazing, but you can't not give cred to Tony being the legend and groundbreaking genre creator he was — and is. [Laughs] So I love 'em all. That's not the answer you wanna hear."

Less than two months earlier, Wolfgang was asked by "Loudwire Nights" what SABBATH meant to him personally as a music fan. Wolfgang said: "There are some legends out there where it's just, like, they can't be replicated. They're just so original and they started a movement. You can't mess with that.

"My dad was very much a — he kind of focused on his stuff, but any time my dad gave cred to something else, that meant it was legit," Wolfgang continued. "And he always told me one of his favorite guitar riffs was 'Into The Void' by BLACK SABBATH. And there's nothing better, man. It's just the best."

Asked in a November 2024 interview with WRIF how he got involved in Osbourne's Rock Hall induction, Wolfgang said: "I got the request from Ozzy. So you don't say, 'Yeah, no.' You're, like, 'I'll do what I can, sir.' [Laughs] That's all I could do."

Wolfgang went on to say that he and the other musicians "had two rehearsals in Los Angeles before we came out [to Cleveland], and then a rehearsal the day before in Cleveland. So it was nice," he added. "So the band got to jell, got to jam with Rob and Chad. And it was nice to just kind of establish that baseline, so it wasn't just thrown together."

Wolfgang added that he "felt so out of place" because he was surrounded by "a crazy supergroup of people." But, he noted, "It was nice to have Zakk [Wylde, longtime Ozzy guitarist] there, so I could be, like, 'Hey, am I doing this right?' And he's, like, 'Yeah, you're doing fine.' It's, like, 'Okay, thank you.' [Laughs]"

Wolfgang also talked about playing the guitar solo originally written and recorded by Ozzy's late guitarist Randy Rhoads, who has influenced many musicians and is considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time. Asked where he places Rhoads on his scale of guitarists, Wolfgang said: "You know what? I really don't make lists like that anymore. I think it's an unfair thing to do when there's just so much good out there than the stack of things against each other. Sure [I have my favorites], ones that I've been more influenced by others, but, yeah, Randy was an incredible guitar player and it's a shame we never got to see where he was gonna go. To make that much of a mark that early, it's a real shame [that he died]."

According to Wolfgang, he was "certainly incredibly nervous" to perform at Ozzy's Rock Hall induction. "But everybody, they made it really easy and it was really comfortable," he said. "And personally, it was really cool to be able to hang out with Maynard. I've been a huge TOOL fan my whole life and he's one of my favorite singers."

Asked if he had ever met Maynard before, Wolfgang said: "No, I hadn't. And he's a really great dude. It was a good time."

Wolfgang said that the circumstances prevented him from acting like too much of a fanboy around Maynard. "It's business time, so I had to put away the fan shirt and just kind of be, like, 'Yes, sir. Hey, how's it going? Nice to meet you. I'm here to jam with you,'" he explained ."But yeah, after a while, you just kind of hang out, and it's a good time."

Osbourne was inducted into the Rock Hall by actor and TENACIOUS D frontman Jack Black, who called Ozzy "the greatest frontman in the history of rock 'n' roll. He went on to say that the cover of Ozzy's debut solo album, "Blizzard Of Ozz" "was the most metal thing I had ever seen, and I didn't even know what metal was. Then I went back to Ozzy's earlier albums, to BLACK SABBATH. And I was, like, unholy shit, this motherfucker invented heavy metal ... the darkest, heaviest shit the world had ever heard."

After Black's induction speech, Osbourne accepted the award while seated on a throne. He told the crowd: "Well, here we are. You know what? I can't believe I'm here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I'm not going to bore you with a long, drawn-out fucking monologue. I'd like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

"My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I've been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world's greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I've got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I'd hadn't have met Randy Rhoads, I don't think I'd be sitting here now. And moreso more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grandbabies and my babies. I love them all."

Osbourne earned a solo Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for his nearly six-decade career in music. This honor made Ozzy one of a handful of artists with multiple inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Artists are eligible to be inducted into the Rock Hall after at least 25 years have passed since their first record was released.

Rhoads was posthumously inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame during the 2021 ceremony. Rhoads, who played in Ozzy's band more than four decades ago, received the Musical Excellence Award at the October 2021 event.

Professionally filmed video of Bruce Dickinson belting out an a cappella version of the IRON MAIDEN song "Revelations", as well as a full-band version of MAIDEN's "Flash Of The Blade", during his solo group's September 7 concert at The Town festival in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

Prior to launching into "Revelations", Bruce referenced MAIDEN's 1985 performance in front of 350,000 fans at the first-ever Rock In Rio festival where, in the middle of the band's set, he accidentally smacked himself in the face with a guitar during "Revelations", but continued to sing in spite of his bleeding head wound. Bruce told The Town crowd:  "40 years ago, I was in the other place, up the road, Rio De Janeiro, Rock In Rio. Famously I cut my fucking head open with a guitar, and they're still using that picture… So I thought we could at least pay homage to what that song was." He then proceeded to sing parts of "Revelations" without the backing of his band, and added as an introduction to "Flash Of The Blade": "So that's all you're gonna get of 'Revelations'. 'Cause I thought we might do this instead."

During an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" in August, Bruce talked about the setlist for "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour, saying: "We'll do one [IRON MAIDEN song]. We're gonna prepare a couple. But we'll do one every show. One of them is gonna be 'Revelations'. The reason for that is because we're going down — in the middle of the tour, we go down for one show in Brazil, which is the 40th anniversary of me setting foot in Brazil with MAIDEN. It's São Paulo at this big festival called The Town. And so 'Revelations' is a really kind of seminal track because that was the track in which I split my head open with the guitar blood pouring down my face, that was on the front cover of every newspaper in Brazil the day after [the] Rock In Rio [festival in 1985]."

Asked by Trunk how he ended up splitting his head open, Bruce said: "I played guitar at the beginning of 'Revelations' on that tour. And I was so pissed off with the monitor guy, 'cause the monitors were sounding awful and everything, and it was all disorganized and yada, yada, yada. And only the biggest gig we'd ever done in our lives. So, I'm waving at him, 'Ah.' And then I took the guitar off, and I took it off in such a goofy way that the edge of the guitar hit me across the nose like that and split my head open. And I'm bleeding from a head wound and it's really hot, so it looks impressive — lots of blood. And it's all on TV — so it's on national TV — and I'm bleeding all over the place. And the Brazilians absolutely went bonkers. And the whole of South America saw it went, 'Oh my God. He's bleeding for his art.' And Rod [Smallwood], my manager, came up and I was, like, trying to wipe it off. And this roadie came up and said, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Rod says, can you squeeze it and make it bleed some more? It looks amazing on the cameras.' So to this day, when you talk about that song and that festival in Brazil, they talk about that image and that moment that was like the image of the festival. It was during that song. So when you play that song, it has an extra meaning and weight down there. But it's quite a long song. So, we've got other songs in the set that we could do of our own stuff as well. So, I've got my eyes on another MAIDEN tune, which has never ever been played — ever."

Dickinson declined at the time to name the other MAIDEN song he and his solo band had prepared for the tour, saying: "You have to find out yourself. It's all gonna come out [after we play it for the first time]. But you can keep people guessing. 'Are they gonna do it tonight? Where's it gonna be?' And things like that. And the thing is about this band is that they're good enough that we could go in the toilet and learn something five minutes before we go on stage and go and do it.

"We do try to vary the set a little bit so if people decide to come to the Boston show and then come to the New York show, yeah, we'll do something different in the New York show we didn't do in Boston and vice versa," Dickinson added. "So, that's nice. But, yeah, I'm gonna cover a lot of ground in the set. I don't believe in doing a set in which you make people suffer: 'You will get all of this album, whether you like it or not.' I'm there to entertain people and have a great time and show off the band. So, there's gonna be stuff from 'Accident At Birth' and 'The Chemical Wedding' — tracks that people have not heard ever. We're playing 'The Alchemist' and stuff like that, which everybody just goes, 'Oh my God.' And it's bone-crushingly heavy live. And we're doing 'Book of Thel'. And then there's other stuff. There's at least two or three songs off 'Mandrake'. We're gonna be doing 'Shadow Of The Gods', which we've never played, ever. So all of last year we'd never played that song. And it's probably one of the top songs off the record. So America's gonna get that song. Obviously we're gonna play 'Tears Of The Dragon', 'cause I think we'd be lynched if we didn't. But there'll be another couple of [songs from the reworked version of 'Balls To Picasso'] 'More Balls [To Picasso]' as well. And there's a song off 'Skunkworks'. There's nothing, at the moment, off 'Tattooed Millionaire'. And there's two or three options for doing things off 'Tyranny Of Souls'. So, really, it's a pretty across-the-board solo-track thing. And funnily enough, think throwing ahead to what we do in '27, I'm thinking, oh, my God. There's so many other tracks that you could drop in to a tour in '27, which we haven't played and we haven't played live as well. 'Cause I've got seven albums to pick from."

"The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour kicked off on August 22 in Anaheim, California.

Dickinson is touring in support of his latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project", which arrived in March 2024.

Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on the "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour is once again his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.

"The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour takes the band across North America, including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky).

Prior to the April 12, 2024 Whisky A Go Go show, Bruce last performed with his solo band on in August 2002 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).

O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson in 2023 as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.

Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.

Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.

Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", arrived on July 25.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

During an August 26 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover spoke about the band's ongoing tour, "The Long Goodbye", which started in May 2017. Asked if he and his bandmates will "just keep moving forward" with live shows while they are still physically able to, without ever announcing a final concert, Glover replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I see a lot of bands doing the farewell tour or the farewell gig — BLACK SABBATH just did it recently, and other people have done it before — but it doesn't appeal to me, and I don't think the rest of the band either. To actually put a date on the final [show], now where's it gonna be? The pressure is too great. I'd much rather just play and play and play, and suddenly we're not playing. We don't need to go out with a fanfare — I don't think, anyway. It's possible other people disagree with me, but that's my feeling."

Asked if the other members of DEEP PURPLE feel the same way as he does about the idea of not announcing a final gig, Roger said: "Quite a few years ago now, at the start of 'The Long Goodbye', [then-PURPLE guitarist] Steve Morse, he said, 'Why don't we finish on a high and name the last tour and we'd make a lot of money because it's the last tour and then kiss it goodbye?' And that didn't go down well with the band, which is why we called it 'The Long Goodbye', because we knew it was gonna happen sometime, but, of course, we didn't know it was gonna go on and on and on. And thankfully so.

"This year is a bit of an off year," Glover explained. "We've been writing and stuff, and there'll probably be an album next year. And the last — actually, the last two or three years have been so busy. We haven't stopped touring and working. So it's good to have a little bit of a breather. We did one gig in Brazil — a festival in June — and there's a couple of gigs coming up at the end of the year, but it's not really a touring year. It's a resting year."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if he thinks the final DEEP PURPLE concert will just happen without it being "a pre-announced thing," Glover said: "Yeah. I think that would be the way to do it. I mean, who knows? The business side of things, we all disagree. We haven't talked about it. It's just we assume we're just gonna carry on. Bop till you drop."

After Trunk noted that so many artists have announced farewell tours, only to come back for select shows or extend their farewell tours indefinitely, Glover said: "It's all about the money. See, it's all about the money. And then we're more about the music. Yeah, money's important, but music is more important. And having a big finale like that [for DEEP PURPLE] … of course it may happen, but it wouldn't be my decision."

Regarding the health and physical fitness of the PURPLE bandmembers, Roger said: "Well, I don't think anyone, when they're around 80, feels like they did when they were 20. We all have aches and pains and stuff like that. But so far, certainly playing live and playing in the studio, we're still on top of the game. So, I don't see any problem coming up. Ian [Gillan, PURPLE singer] turned 80 this year. I'll be 80 later this year. It's a horrible number. I still haven't quite got used to it. I'm hanging on to 79 as much as I can."

Glover also talked about DEEP PURPLE's insistence on still putting out new music, with the band's 23rd studio album, "=1", having arrived in July 2024.

"That's what we do, isn't it?" he said. "We write music. Even if there was no band, I'd still be writing music, certainly for my own pleasure. It's one of the things you do. The idea is not to try and repeat yourself, to find new ways of being a hard rock band. And we seem to do that. I don't know how we do it. We just do it. It's kind of a natural thing."

Elaborating on why it's so important for him to stay creative as he approaches his 80th birthday, Roger said: "I'm working on my book right now, writing about my life, and the more I write, the more I realize what an amazing journey that we've been on, and certainly I've been on. And you kind of owe it to yourself to sort of not squash it, just to continue as much as possible. [Working on my book] keeps reinforcing what an amazing — almost against the odds of joining a band and having been going for 60 years, or 50-whatever it is, years, I mean, just it doesn't make sense. We were just very lucky or just in the right place at the right time, or just the right mix of people. I don't know what it is, but we kind of owe it to our legacy to not give up."

In August 2024, Gillan was asked by "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if retirement is out of the vocabulary for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates, eight years after they launched "The Long Goodbye" tour. He responded: "I think it is. That was a joke, actually, because it was the promoters. And someone said, 'We've gotta sell some more tickets.' And it's the good old standby, the farewell tour. So I said, Okay, we'll call it 'goodbye' tour, but let's call it 'the long goodbye', and let's make the emphasis on the word 'long',' so it's kind of an enigmatic phrase."

He continued: "There's no intention to stop. At the moment… I spoke to my manager the other day. I've got some solo project. He said, 'You're gonna have to put 'em back,' and I'm putting them back years. We're already booked to the end of '26, in the planning stage, in the diary, with all the projects we've got for DEEP PURPLE. So, yeah, years to come, hopefully."

In December 2023, DEEP PURPLE drummer Ian Paice, who turned 77 in June, was asked by Zoom when he and his bandmates will eventually retire from performing live. He responded: "We have never planned a date to stop working. We are realists. The guys are getting older, and there's gonna come a point where maybe one or two of us don't want to do it anymore or [it's] not physically possible for them to do it. But we don't think about that. We're still having a great deal of fun. A lot of people still enjoy what we do, and so long as those two things stay in harmony, we'll continue.

"I don't think we'll ever know what the last gig, what the last tour is," he continued. "I think it'll come and just smack us in the face. Unless there's a definite plan, which there isn't, to do something as a final bye-bye, I just think we'll just go, 'Sorry, guys. We're finished. We can't do it anymore. It's been wonderful.' But even then, I think if we stopped touring, there's no reason why we couldn't make more records. That's the easiest thing in the world. All you've got to do is have the ideas. That's the hardest thing in the world. But physically making a record is easy."

Paice added: "Touring only works if you enjoy it. You can't just enjoy the two hours a night when you're playing. You've got to be able to deal with the whole thing. You've got to be able to deal with a ten-hour flight, a hotel which is less than perfect, transportation which goes wrong. You've gotta deal with all that. And if you can, and still enjoy it, then why would you stop something that you got into as a kid 'cause it made you happy? And if it still makes you happy, why would you stop it?"

Glover expressed a similar sentiment about the band's final tour in a June 2023 interview with Rock Hard Greece. The bassist, who turned 79 last November, said: "I don't like the idea of announcing the last show: 'And here they are. This is their last show.' I mean, the stress involved in that would be ridiculous. Where would it be? When would it be? For me, the ideal ending for PURPLE is that we just carry on until it stops. No announcement. We're not gonna announce, 'This is the last one.' People would buy tickets: 'Oh, this is the last one.' It's an exercise in making money. It's not very good. I've never liked it. I'd rather go and play and play and play and play, and one day when something happens and one of us drops dead or gets really ill or whatever, [we say], 'Well, that's that.' And leave it at that."

In 2022, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Don Airey, who turned 77 in June, told Rolling Stone magazine that there is no concrete plan for him and his DEEP PURPLE bandmates to stop playing live shows.

"We started the farewell tour in 2017. It was due to end in 2019," he noted. "But the thing is, when you're a musician in a band, you think you're in control of it, but you're not. The business is running you. Of course, there was so much demand for the band to continue from the promoters and agents that we said, 'Okay, we'll do one more year.'"

Regarding when he thinks DEEP PURPLE will finally call it quits, Don said: "The words of T.S. Eliot [the greatest English-language poet of his generation] come to mind: 'This is the way the band ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper.' I think we won't know it's the last gig. We won't have a clue that this one is going to be the last one. That's how it's going to end. It's going to be no big scenario.

"I like what Buddy Guy said. He said, 'Musicians don't retire. They drop.' You do have thoughts about being in the garden and bouncing the grandchildren on your knee, but it's part of your blood system, playing and touring. It's an addiction. I hope I keep playing for a while yet."

In July 2022, Morse officially left PURPLE to care for his wife, Janine, who is battling cancer. He has since been replaced by Simon McBride.

Last night, multi-platinum superstar Offset joined hard rockers DROWNING POOL to perform his genre-crossing smash single "Bodies" on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon".

Joined by Atlanta standout J.I.D. and hit-making producer Bnyx, Offset tore into the hard-rocking "Bodies" from his new "Kiari:Offset" deluxe album — but instead of sampling the iconic whispered hook and grinding guitar from DROWNING POOL's 2001 nü-metal hit of the same name, they had the real thing. Watch the instantly legendary performance below.

DROWNING POOL is officially back in the studio, crafting a brand-new EP set for release in 2026 via SBG Records. This highly anticipated project will mark the next chapter in the band's legacy as they gear up to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their landmark debut album, "Sinner".

Since its release in 2001, "Sinner" has become a defining record in modern rock, featuring the anthemic hit "Bodies", which remains a cultural staple across radio, sports arenas, and entertainment to this day. With the 25-year milestone approaching, DROWNING POOL is ready to honor their history while pushing their sound forward.

The forthcoming EP will be a powerful reminder of why DROWNING POOL remains one of rock's most enduring acts.

Further details on the EP, anniversary celebrations, and touring plans will be announced in the coming months.

Known for their iconic anthem "Bodies", DROWNING POOL needs no introduction. This breakout single propelled them to international recognition, leaving an indelible mark on the nu metal landscape. The song's relentless energy and defiant spirit resonated with a generation, becoming an anthem for moshers, metalheads, and fans of electrifying live performances.

Ryan McCombs played a pivotal role in the band's evolution, joining their ranks in the aftermath of the tragic loss of beloved frontman Dave Williams. His powerful vocals and charismatic stage presence breathed new life into DROWNING POOL, solidifying their status as metal titans. Songs like "37 Stitches", "Feel Like I Do" and "Turn So Cold" catapulted them to new heights, earning them a place among the genre's heavyweights.

Yet, DROWNING POOL's story is not just about music; it's a testament to enduring friendships and a shared passion for their craft. Ryan's return to the band in 2023 marks a reunion of kindred spirits, a return to the roots of their musical journey. As he succinctly puts it, "Just being back in the same room together after so many years… was a quick reminder as to why I considered them to be my best friends in the business back in the day."

DROWNING POOL has released two singles in the past year, "Madness", which came out in April, and "Revolution (The Final Amen)", which arrived in September 2024. "Revolution (The Final Amen)" was the first piece of music DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce, drummer Mike Luce and bassist Stevie Benton completed with McCombs in 13 years.

This past April, Pierce confirmed to Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series that DROWNING POOL is planning to tour in 2026 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of "Sinner", which was certified platinum within six weeks of its release in 2001, while the CD's first single, "Bodies", was one of the most frequently aired videos on MTV by a new band.

After the release of "Sinner", DROWNING POOL reached out to an ever-greater audience with dynamic performances at Wrestlemania XVIII and Ozzfest during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Unfortunately, their streak of success was not to last. Shortly after rousing the crowd at Ozzfest in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 3, 2002, vocalist Dave "Stage" Williams was found dead of natural causes on the tour bus.

Photo credit: Todd Owyoung / NBC

Norway's Beyond The Gates festival has announced the first batch of bands for the 2026 edition, Chapter XIV.
It's been a busy few days in the Beyond The Gates headquarters. The 2026 edition, which will be the fourteenth installment of the festival, is gradually taking shape. The mighty EMPEROR will play a very special set featuring former members Håvard "Mortiis" Ellefsen and Bård "Faust" Eithun.

EMPEROR is — as everyone knows — one of the most influential acts to ever emerge from Norway and has taken atmospheric black metal to heights no one ever would have dared dream of. Festival organizers say they "can't wait to return to the roots with them when they hit the stage in the iconic Grieghallen."

Along with fellow Norwegians 1349, ARCTURUS and MISOTHEIST, and returning IMHA TARIKAT and THE RUINS OF BEVERAST, a vast selection of underground talent — which this first announcement, to a large extent, is focused on — will perform at the 2026 event. SPECTRAL WOUND, WARNING, FORTERESSE, SULPHUR AEON and CONCRETE WINDS will all make their debut at Beyond The Gates next year.

From July 29, 2026 through August 1, 2026, Beyond The Gates will be held for the fourteenth time and will showcase why the festival has grown into the international metal gathering it has become. Attracting visitors from 50 different countries around the world, the extreme metal festival has become a global phenomenon. The festival takes place the city center of Bergen, using several venues spread across town, including the legendary Grieghallen and USF Verftet. Festival passes are on sale now.

In addition, Beyond The Gates has launched a December campaign in which fans can enter to win a chance at a free hotel packages and other prizes! To enter the draw, buy your festival pass before December 31, 2024.

Beyond The Gates festival organizers say: "Since the inception of the Beyond The Gates festival, fans have been coming to Bergen to see performances of their favorite Norwegian artists in their home environment. As most visitors know, nature and local culture has always been a poignant source of inspiration for the bands emerging from the Bergen scene. Yet again, Beyond The Gates will give all of the traveling fans the opportunity to get an unique insight into all aspects of the Norwegian metal scene and the local culture in general. In that regard, we’re putting together a series of events before and during the festival so that all of you can discover what inspired —– and still does — the Norwegian metal scene.

"More special events will be announced, including exclusive listening parties, music and culture panels, in-depth live interviews, and a wealth of of events and activities that will give you a Beyond The Gates experience that will last for a lifetime."

SPINAL TAP made its first late-night television appearance in more than 15 years Monday night (September 8) on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest),David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean) and Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer) were joined by director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner),the fictional documentarian behind "This Is Spinal Tap", for an in-character interview and performance, just days before the theatrical release of the long-awaited sequel, "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues".

DiBergi, St. Hubbins, Tufnel and Smalls talked about "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues", the items on their greenroom rider, how often they get together, the first film bringing them a lot of recognition, the first time they heard their own music on the radio, how their songwriting process has changed, having some very famous guests on their new album such as Elton John, Paul McCartney, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, if they desire knighthood, which musicians they're fans of, their new book "Smell The Book", whether or not they were invited to perform at Donald Trump's inauguration, why we don't hear a lot of SPINAL TAP music in movies or TV commercials, and performing "Big Bottom" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Prior to last night's performance, SPINAL TAP's last late-night appearances were in 2009, when they played "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien" and "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" to promote their third album, "Back From The Dead". Back in 2000, SPINAL TAP appeared on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno", and more than a decade and a half earlier was a guest musical performer on a 1984 episode of "Saturday Night Live".

On Wednesday, September 10, fans can be among the first to experience "Spinal Tap II: The End Continues" in IMAX at the "On, Off, And Around The Record Live Event", featuring an exclusive question-and-answer session with Reiner, in character as DiBergi, and SPINAL TAP members David St. Hubbins, Nigel Tufnel and Derek Smalls, also known as actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, respectively.

"On, Off, And Around The Record Live Event" will be held on September 10 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and will stream live in theaters across the country.

Tickets are on sale now.

In July, SPINAL TAP teamed up with music icon Elton John for an epic re-recording of the band's classic cut "Stonehenge", released via Interscope Records. 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 trailer for the movie, featuring a musical clip of "Stonehenge" premiered in July at San Diego's Comic-Con 2025 after Rob Reiner and Paul Feig's panel "Directors On Directing".

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).

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.

BLACK SABBATH co-founder, lead guitarist and co-songwriter Tony Iommi spoke to BBC Breakfast about Birmingham Royal Ballet's hit production of "Black Sabbath - The Ballet", which will return with a homecoming at Birmingham Hippodrome from September 18 to September 27 following dates in Europe and the USA. The production will then visit Manchester's The Lowry, Salford for the first time (October 8-11) before returning to Theatre Royal Plymouth (October 16-18),Sadler's Wells, London (October 22-25) and finishing with a Scottish premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre (October 30 - November 1).

Iommi said that he wishes his SABBATH bandmate Ozzy Osbourne was alive to see "Black Sabbath - The Ballet".

"[The ballet] means everything, and it's a shame in a lot of ways [Ozzy] didn't get to see the ballet because he wanted to see it," Tony said. "It's our lives and music."

Iommi said that he was sold on the ballet idea after an initial get-together with Birmingham Royal Ballet director Carlos Acosta, who had "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" on his mind since he first arrived in Birmingham at the start of 2020, just before the pandemic hit. BLACK SABBATH played its first-ever gig in The Crown pub just a stone's throw from Birmingham Royal Ballet's base on Thorp Street. The pub was recently saved from demolition and is deemed a heritage site by fans.

"I couldn't believe it at first, but when we got together at a meeting the enthusiasm in Carlos was incredible," Iommi said. "When Carlos presented it to us, taught me about it, he had this same vibe as I had when I put songs together and that excitement of doing it. He knew he had a vision of what it should be, and it gave me the confidence."

Following a complete sell-out premiere season in autumn 2023, bringing heavy metal fans to ballet for the first time, the 2025 tour will incorporate brand-new audio interviews with BLACK SABBATH bandmembers, voices such as Sharon Osbourne and fans from across the globe. The sound design has also been revised, sharpened and turned up to full volume for this electric night of dance and rock that audiences have never experienced before.

Acosta said: "Back in 2023 we were blown away by the awesome success of 'Black Sabbath - The Ballet', selling out at every performance with standing ovations and bringing audiences that had never experienced live dance before to the theatre. Now, in 2025, we are cranking the volume up to 11 with a big, bold U.K. tour that is sure to knock everyone's socks off!"

Iommi said: "BLACK SABBATH have always been innovators and never been predictable, and it doesn't come any more unpredictable than this! It was incredible to see what Carlos and the team at Birmingham Royal Ballet did back in 2023 — bringing our music to life in a way I never thought possible! It's fantastic that more fans across the country get to see this extraordinary production this autumn on a U.K. tour."

Composer Christopher Austin is the mastermind behind the classical reimagining of some of BLACK SABBATH's most iconic songs, played live at every performance by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia. Tony Award-winning Christopher worked closely with Iommi on the score, creating full orchestrations of legendary BLACK SABBATH tracks alongside new orchestral works inspired by their music. The orchestra is joined by guitarist Marc Hayward who plays live on stage alongside the dancers at every show.

Christopher Austin said: "For the music team, creating the score for this extraordinary ballet has been an exhilarating journey, and it all began with the most amazing gift from Tony: his trust in us to honor the band's music and his encouragement to follow our own new paths with those iconic songs.

"The passion and commitment of the whole creative team at BRB and the overwhelming response from audiences has made 'Black Sabbath - The Ballet' the experience of a lifetime and I can't wait to be back in the theatre conducting this magical show."

The eight BLACK SABBATH tracks featured are:

* "Paranoid" ("Paranoid" album, 1970);
* "Iron Man" ("Paranoid" album, 1970);
* "War Pigs" ("Paranoid" album, 1970);
* "Black Sabbath" ("Black Sabbath" album, 1970);
* "Solitude" (Master Of Reality" album, 1971);
* "Orchid" (Master Of Reality" album, 1971);
* "Laguna Sunrise" ("Vol 4" album, 1972) and
* "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" ("Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" album, 1973).

A full-length, three-act Ballet Now commission, "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" was created by a host of international talent including lead Swedish choreographer Pontus Lidburg and Cuban designer Alexandre Arrechea with additional choreographers Raúl Reinoso and Cassi Abranches and composers Marko Nyberg and Sun Keting. Dramaturgy is by Richard Thomas and lighting design is by KJ. Metal curator is Lisa Meyer.

In an October 2023 video from Birmingham Royal Ballet, Sharon Osbourne the wife and manager of BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne, said: "When I first heard that Birmingham Royal Ballet was putting on a ballet to BLACK SABBATH music, I just thought, this is so left field. It's so not expected. Who would have ever thought the combination? And I just thought, brilliant. This is just so out there that it's wonderful."

Iommi, who had been present at some rehearsals for the U.K. "Black Sabbath – The Ballet" dates, came up on stage at the end of the opening performance to play guitar on the band's classic song "Paranoid". Iommi also took a bow at the end of the night along with the cast and crew. Also in attendance at the event were Iommi's bandmate, SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and Sharon Osbourne, along with LED ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant and ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA's Bev Bevan, who served as the touring drummer for BLACK SABBATH from 1983 to 1984 and played percussion on "The Eternal Idol" album in 1987.

In April 2023, Iommi was asked by Birmingham World if he could ever have imagined that half a century after he formed SABBATH that Birmingham's ballet company would be dancing to their music. Tony laughed and said: "I wouldn't have believed them, really, to be honest. At the time when I got involved with BLACK SABBATH, I thought it was great, because it was something so different, and hasn't been done before. And I found it, I think, a good challenge.

"I'm looking at our music differently now with this [the ballet], because it is being interpreted in a different way. It's still got the basic things, but then it did have in the different orchestral things coming in. And then I never thought for a minute we would have people dancing to BLACK SABBATH and 'War Pigs' and 'Iron Man'. But here we are, you know."

Regarding Birmingham Royal Ballet's interpretation of SABBATH's music, Tony said: "Birmingham Royal Ballet are very conscious of the work being what it is — the SABBATH music. We don't want to change it so you can’t recognize it. So they've held that part of it, but added another dimension to it. So I was very happy with that."

As for whether he thinks the Black Sabbath Ballet could inspire heavy metal fans to become ballet fans, and ballet fans to become heavy metal fans, Iommi said: "I certainly hope so. I mean, it is a strange combination, but you've got to push the boat out. And, you know, hopefully, we can get everybody together. But they're opposite but they're not at the same time — because it's still creative. They're creating what they're doing. We're creating what we've done, and we're bringing them together. And I think it'd be really interesting to see the SABBATH fans and then to see the ballet fans liking it, hopefully."

Acosta revealed early last year that 60 percent of tickets at that point for the U.K. shows had been bought by SABBATH fans. He said that "BLACK SABBATH is so different from the world of ballet, and I wanted to multiply our reach. I hate to be predictable; I hate for the company to be taken for granted. Everyone knows 'Swan Lake' and 'Cinderella' … [It's] a great opportunity for us to show people the world of dance."

Austin, who supervised the music for the project, said: "Unlike THE BEATLES where you can buy two enormous volumes of all their scores with all the instrumental parts, there's not so much for BLACK SABBATH.

"When I was asked to take part in this project I thought, where do you start? The BLACK SABBATH catalog is enormous, it's so rich and so varied. So the process initially was starting to narrow down the amount of material that we wanted to work with that would furnish us with variety, with richness, with different emotional tones, but also help us create this evening-length show."

Austin added: "What I love about BLACK SABBATH music is the glorious irregularity. All the aspects of music — the flexibility of tempo and feel. And the extraordinary early period Ozzy vocals which are stratospheric, it's exceeding Pavarotti in term of the high notes and ringing power."

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's "Today" program, Acosta said he had been a fan of SABBATH for more than two decades, and said he felt the band's classic protest song "War Pigs" still has particular resonance.

"'War Pigs' is so relevant today, how sometimes politicians and governments hide behind words. And all the wars happening at the moment... it's timeless," he said.

EXTREME's Nuno Bettencourt spoke to Page Six about what it meant for him to honor Ozzy Osbourne with a medley of Osbourne's greatest hits on Sunday (September 7) at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards alongside AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, and Yungblud. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Listen, that means everything, especially my 15-year-old self as a guitar player coming up and listening to rock and metal. He was a godfather to us. He started it in the early '70s, and that's how rock became heavier and heavier. And for him, what he did with BLACK SABBATH, and then be out of there and have a whole other career as Ozzy Osbourne, the solo artist, and then be a reality star after that, this guy's affected culture in a way and touched everybody in so many different ways. So it means everything. Especially having been part of [Ozzy's final concert] in Birmingham [in early July], and going up and performing and actually talking to him and saying goodbye. We didn't know [he was going to die so soon after that] — I mean, we knew it, but we didn't know it. And so that was really special."

Regarding what it was like to take part in the "Back To The Beginning" concert, Nuno said: "When I was 15 and his guitar player [Randy Rhoads] passed in a bad plane accident in 1982 or '81, I believed when I was 14 that I was gonna replace him. And there was an ad to send a cassette in. So I did — I put a cassette together at 15, sent it in. 'This is my gig. I'm gonna get it.' Of course, I didn't. Nobody ever called. Cut to 12 years later, I'm opening for AEROSMITH with EXTREME in London, and my booking is coming in. [He said], 'Sharon [Ozzy's wife and manager] just called. Ozzy wants you. He wants you to be in the band.' This was 1995, '96. And I said no. I was in a band that we were just up and coming with EXTREME and we had hits out. But the last words we said to each other when we took the big group photo [at 'Back To The Beginning'] and I was at his feet, I grabbed his hand saying, 'Thank you for everything and thank you, Ozzy, for what you mean to me.' And he pulls me in by the hand and he goes, 'You were the only guitar player who said no to me.' But he laughed. He goes, 'I love you.' And he laughs. He goes, 'Thank you for being here' to honor him. And I was, like, 'Thank you.' I said, 'Thank you for everything.'"

Nuno also talked about the vibe between all the musicians who were involved in "Back To The Beginning", saying: "You know what really, really, really blew my mind, is that when you get GUNS N' ROSES and METALLICA — they're the biggest bands in the world — to come together to do something… I've been part of those things before, tributes, and it's always like everybody's egos, they're rock stars. All of a sudden, every member of every band is in the same room. It was like heavy metal summer camp. We were all a bunch of kids again, 'cause Ozzy was like our dad or our godfather, like, 'You guys behave.' But everybody put egos at the door. It was a hug fest. There was so much love, and you could feel it on that stage. Nobody was complaining and everybody was just helping each other out and supporting each other. I've been doing this for 40 years. I've never seen that on a tour anywhere else where everybody was just like a big community and big rock family. And that's what Ozzy does to everybody for us."

Ozzy's son Jack introduced Sunday's tribute at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, along with his four daughters, via a pretaped video, saying, "I wish we could be there with you all tonight as you celebrate my dad's amazing musical journey. I know for sure it would make him incredibly happy to see these great musicians carry on his legacy and help inspire the next generation of rockers." He also gave a "special shout-out" to the artists who took part in the tribute. To conclude the video, Ozzy's granddaughters signed off by shouting in unison, "In the words of our Papa, let's go crazy!"

Yungblud kicked off the tribute with Osbourne's "Crazy Train" before slowing things down with a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Changes". Tyler then took the stage to sing Osbourne's hit ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home", accompanied by Perry on guitar. Yungblud returned to the mic to duet with Tyler on the tune, which ended with pyrotechnics and Yungblud shouting into the microphone, "Ozzy forever!"

The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by LL Cool J, aired live coast to coast from New York's UBS Arena on the CBS Television Network, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Ozzy's long-standing and storied MTV history spans "Headbangers Ball" in the 1980s, "Battle For Ozzfest" and groundbreaking reality TV series "The Osbournes", to name a few. He was honored with the prestigious MTV EMAs Global Icon Award in 2014. Later this year, Paramount+ will debut the feature-length documentary "Ozzy Osbourne: No Escape From Now".

With more than 120 million albums sold worldwide, the global rock icon, multiplatinum singer-songwriter and pop culture phenom was a five-time Grammy winner, two-time Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, both with BLACK SABBATH in 2006 and as a solo artist in 2024, with stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and Birmingham Walk Of Stars, among a multitude of other top accolades.

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

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife and manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

Ozzy's final concert on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom saw him and his fellow original SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward perform four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

Osbourne leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimée, Kelly and Jack, as well his two older children, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.