The Atlantic City Police Department arrested a suspect involved in the theft of musical instruments from the rock band HEART.

On May 30, patrol officers responded to Hard Rock Atlantic City in reference to the theft of a guitar and mandolin from inside of the Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena. The instruments belonged to band members from HEART who were playing a concert at the arena the following night.

An investigation by Sergeant Gary Holmes and Detective Lisa Kaplin-Caldwell led to surveillance video of the suspect, a 57-year-old man from Pleasantville, New Jersey. Investigators were able to obtain video of the man walking through various parts of Atlantic City attempting to sell the instruments.

On June 4, Detective Kaplin-Caldwell criminally charged the man and patrol officers were notified. Officers Alex Torres and Glen Robinson were able to quickly locate the suspect in the first block of south Kentucky Avenue and take him into custody.

Detectives learned that the suspect sold one of the instruments and the whereabouts of the other is unknown. Any individual in possession of these stolen items is urged to contact the Atlantic City Police Department and voluntarily surrender the instrument. If not surrendered, and the individual is located in possession of the stolen items, they will be arrested and criminally charged with receiving of stolen property.

Hard Rock Atlantic City security personnel aided detectives in this investigation.

HEART commented: "We are deeply grateful to the Atlantic City Police Department, the Hard Rock organization, and everyone who came together to support us in the search for our stolen instruments. The outpouring of love and concern has been overwhelming, and we are truly touched by the strength and compassion of this community.

"We've heard from fans, fellow musicians, media outlets, and kind-hearted people from around the world — and it means the world to us. Your support has been amazing!

"While we're encouraged by the progress made and thankful that an arrest has been made, our instruments have not yet been recovered. We remain hopeful that they will be returned to us soon."

This past March, HEART announced the "An Evening With Heart" spring/summer 2025 U.S. tour. The trek, which sees the band performing two separate sets each night, kicked off May 31 at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City and will conclude on June 28 in Hollywood, Florida.

HEART's "Royal Flush" tour kicked off on February 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The trek made stops in cities including Milwaukee, Montreal, Toronto, Boston and more before wrapping April 16 in New York City.

The current members of HEART feature Nancy Wilson (rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals),Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute),Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar),Ryan Waters (guitars),Paul Moak (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals),Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean Lane (drums and bike).

In December 2023, HEART played its first three concerts in more than four years — in Highland, California, at Greater Palm Springs in Palm Desert, California, and in Seattle, Washington.

Prior to HEART's December 27, 2023 show in Highland, the band's last performance took place in October 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after a nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

HEART's 2013 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame saw Ann and Nancy reunited with the four musicians who helped HEART achieve its initial success in the mid-1970s — guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, drummer Michael DeRosier and longtime guitarist-keyboardist Howard Leese.

The Wilson sisters' reunion with HEART's original lineup at the Rock Hall ceremony marked the first time the group played together in 34 years.

When Ann and Nancy formed HEART, the idea of two women leading a rock band was still groundbreaking. From the moment 1975's "Dreamboat Annie" was released, they became stars. With hits like "Magic Man", "Crazy On You", "Barracuda", "Alone", "What About Love" and "These Dreams", the band became one of the biggest hit-makers in the '70s and '80s, selling more than 35 million records. In 2012, their memoir "Kicking & Dreaming: A Story Of Heart, Soul And Rock & Roll" became a New York Times bestseller.

UPDATE: We are deeply grateful to the Atlantic City Police Department, the Hard Rock organization, and everyone who came...

Posted by Nancy Wilson on Thursday, June 5, 2025

Arrest Made in Theft of Musical Instruments from Heart
For Immediate Release: June 5, 2025

The Atlantic City Police...

Posted by Atlantic City Police Department on Thursday, June 5, 2025

During an appearance on a recent episode of The School Of Greatness podcast with host Lewis Howes, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons was asked to name some of the greatest musicians and songwriters in the world that he has seen or heard. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, clearly THE BEATLES are above and beyond anything that anybody's seen in music over, oh, 200 years — easily. Not since the Renaissance. You have to understand, they only existed seven years and they came from a place that was a pool filled with liver, Liverpool, where nothing ever happened. High unemployment rate, no experience, no resume, no nothing. And yet [sings] 'I wanna hold your hand', [sings] 'She loves you. Yeah, yeah, yeah.' And that last chord, that minor ninth is as sophisticated chord, if you know about music… That thing is almost like a jazz chord — unheard of in rock music.'

He continued: "Okay, look, I'm gonna give you something you'll be able to understand. [THE ROLLING STONES'] 'Satisfaction' is one of the great songs… It takes about 40 seconds to get to the first [chorus], 'I can't get no…' Or anything. [CREAM's] 'Sunshine Of Your Love'. It takes about 50 seconds to get [to] 'I've been waiting so long' and all that. On and on and on. THE BEATLES. 'I just wrote a new song.' 'What is it called?' 'It's called 'Help'.' 'How's it go?' It goes like this: [sings] 'Help. I need somebody. Help.' Not even an introduction, nothing. 'Got another one for you.' 'What is it called?' 'It's called 'Yesterday'.' 'How's it go?' It goes like this: [sings] 'Yesterday. 'I got another one for you. It's called 'Michelle'.' 'How's it go?' [Sings] 'Michelle…' 'Got another one for you. It's called 'Hey, Jude'.' Not only does it be begin with 'Hey, Jude', the word 'Hey' is before the music. [Sings] 'Hey, Jude', and then the chords come in. Those are what's called perfect songs. Not only that, but the title of the song is the first word of the song, it's the most memorable song and it's the last word in the song. [Sings] 'Yesterday.' The last [words of the] song, [sings] 'Cause I believe in yesterday.' Who writes songs like that? It's undeniable, their writing. [Paul] McCartney, especially, by far is the most successful songwriter in all of recorded history. There have been over a thousand different artists who've recorded just 'Yesterday'."

Gene previously reflected on his first memory of THE BEATLES in an interview with SPIN magazine. He said: "When I was a kid, I was affected by THE BEATLES — like a religious event, like a singularity. I wasn't a musician. I was just a kid. Turn on the TV, and THE BEATLES came out: 'She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah.' I'm going, 'What is that? What accent is that?' And they look like girls, and they're small human beings with silly haircuts."

In a separate interview with Goldmine, Simmons named THE BEATLES' self-titled album, commonly referred to as the White Album, as one of the ten LPs that changed his life. He said: "THE BEATLES' White Album is one of my favorites because you're seeing turmoil within perhaps the greatest band that ever existed that recorded its own music, where each member was a star. But you could hear and feel the disjointed sense of that album, although clearly the songs shined and the playing and the production was terrific."

He continued: "It's interesting that 'Abbey Road' perhaps was the greatest BEATLES album, and they were breaking up at that point, but somehow that had a more unified thing. But just for crazy out-there music, it's gotta be The White Album."

Two years ago, Gene told the PA news agency: "Were it not for THE BEATLES, England would have been about Knights Of The Round Table and Guy Fawkes and all this other stuff — just another country with a history and lots of countries have colorful histories. THE BEATLES made it, and created a culture, almost a religion, and Liverpool became a holy ground… so when THE BEATLES hit, it was like a H-bomb. I just couldn't believe what I was seeing and hearing. It was unbelievable, and all of us kept pointing back to England and it affected me so much that I actually started to speak in a fake English accent. I mean, Elvis [Presley] was a star, but it didn't affect culture. He was a true rock star, but didn't affect how you lead your life or what you did or what you thought. But THE BEATLES changed everything. It was almost like BB and AB — before THE BEATLES and after THE BEATLES. Everything changed, and it was a British invasion which hit not just America, but all around the world."

In a new interview with SonorDrumTube, the official Sonor drums media vault, former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee spoke about what it was like for him to join SCORPIONS nearly a decade ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's not easy to join already established, great, big bands. With the SCORPIONS — I mean, here are guys [who] played [together] for 60 years now. I joined when they turned 50, but how can I come into a band [and] help them get better without destroying what they already know? I cannot go in and say, 'I know how you're gonna sound.' No. They know how they wanna sound. It's for me to adjust, and at the same time as I adjust to them, they have to adjust to me, because I'm bringing in some other feeling."

He continued: "My idea with SCORPIONS [was] to bring tightness, heaviness. Let's bring SCORPIONS back to end of '70s where [there is a] happiness that everybody playing on stage, smiling to each other and having a good time on stage.

"I have to be the rock back there, and they need to know if they do anything wrong or fuck up, they know that I'm not fucking up," Dee explained. "They can just get to me and I steer the band. And that's nothing you can just come into a band and say; you have to earn their trust and over and over show them that you are the mouth you say you are."

During an October 2024 press conference announcing SCORPIONS' 60th-anniversary hometown concert in Hannover, Germany, Dee was asked how he came to join the German hard rock legends. He said: "Well, I played with MOTÖRHEAD, as you probably know, for close to 25 years. And unfortunately, Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD leader] passed away at the end of '15. And then Matthias [Jabs, SCORPIONS guitarist] called in early '16 and said, 'Are you in Göteborg [Gothenburg, Sweden], Mikkey?' I go, 'Yeah.' 'Can you come to Luxembourg tomorrow?' [Laughs] Basically, that's how it was. And I was basically gonna be standing in a little bit and helping out because James Kottak [then-SCORPIONS drummer] was battling a little bit of a health issue. But he did a great tour in Germany. And I was basically just standing by at that time. And we did rehearse a little bit secretly learning a few [songs]. And then I finished off the year and here I am, and we're going on the ninth year… Nine next year. But here we are and kicking ass like never before, I would say, and it's been a great journey so far for me."

Mikkey continued: "If you asked me, I'd say, 'Yeah, I've been playing with these crazy guys for about four years.' But we're talking nine, so time's flying. And we managed to create a great record [2022's 'Rock Believer'] over the COVID years. So it's gone so quick these nine years. I would say four, maybe five, but not nine. But here we are. So that's how it came about. So, something bad turned into something pretty good, I would say. And, yeah, as Lemmy's passing and then joining this band, I wanted to bring some power and tightness and a little bit of MOTÖRHEAD into the mighty SCORPS. And we've been friends, over the years, we'd seen each other at festivals and shows, so we kind of knew each other, but we never played together. And so there we are. Hopefully many more years to come. And we're starting off with the 60th [anniversary] next year, so that's a great honor to be a part of that."

In an April 2023 interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, Mikkey was asked how he landed the job as the drummer for SCORPIONS in 2016 after spending almost 25 years as a member of MOTÖRHEAD. He responded: "They [initially] called me in to be the stand-in for maybe James. Because they started to get tired of his problems. So they said, 'Look, if you could be a stand-in on parts of the European tour.' I said, 'Yeah. No problem.' But meanwhile, while I was secretly following the band around in Germany, we were rehearsing a couple of times — secretly. And I'm sure that they wanted to check me out there, of course. And you never know how things are gonna go with the social part or the musical part, but they loved it immediately. And my idea was to show them what they cannot be without, basically.

"James is a great drummer," Mikkey continued. "He did fantastic with SCORPIONS. He ran into some health problems that he had to deal with. I was never, and I will never, talk him down in any way, shape or form, but I would like to do, what I wanted to do at that point was to show what I can do and what you cannot be without. I said to the guys that I'm gonna Motörize them. 'I want it harder, tighter and heavier, and I'm gonna show you what kind of drummer I am. I'm gonna put much more energy into what we do, and hopefully that will contaminate the whole band and we can take it to another level. And I can inspire enough to you guys, and you will inspire me as well, of course.' Because playing pretty much the same stuff for 25 years is one thing. So this was a big challenge for me, of course, as well… And when that works out the way it did, it's a good thing. They have no attitude. I have no attitude. We knew each other before. We get along great. And now we're just gonna play great together. But of course, you never, ever, ever know. I might be an idiot getting out there with the SCORPIONS, being a complete prick about stuff. And they go, 'Holy shit. We don't remember you like this.' I might think that, 'Holy smoke. These guys are fucking morons. I can't deal with this.' But that was not the case. And of course, we got along great, and we still do. And we're having a blast on the road and in the studio. So, it turned out to be a win-win situation."

The now-61-year-old Swedish musician also elaborated on his comment that "secretly followed" the SCORPIONS around in Germany while Kottak was still playing with the band.

"I saw every single show because I had to sit and learn the set," Dee explained. "And I was sitting secretly up on the arena. Usually, they have it blocked off. If you draw a line on the short side of an arena, the stage and then backwards, it's never open for the public. I had to sit very, very far away up there with in-ears, so I could hear what was going on. And [James] knew that there was a drummer [acting as a possible stand-in], [but he did] not [know] who it was. And he played great. I mean, he shaped up and played fine. And then I went back [home] to Sweden. And then I got a call just right after the European tour, and they said, 'Look, can you finish out the year?' And I said, 'Absolutely. 'Cause I'm doing nothing.' And I realized at that time that [James is] not coming back, because we already did some rehearsals and I showed them kind of what they cannot be without; I was hoping. But he did great, and then, obviously, he kind of lost it there a little bit. You can't live everybody else's life, of course. I was not there to snag his seat in the SCORPIONS, but they had to do something, and that's what they chose to do. And here I was."

Three years ago, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker spoke to Spain's classic rock radio station RockFM about how he would compare the drumming styles of Kottak and Dee. Schenker said: "Every musician has his own style. James was great, and is still a great drummer — no question about this — but we had a little problem… well, he had a problem, and we tried to help him through the problem. In this case, we noticed that he need[ed] more time than we could give him because we were on tour. So in this case, Matthias had the idea to call Mikkey Dee, because he was available because of Lemmy's death. So, yeah, it was a great thing to see light in the distance because we were a little bit depressed because we [were] helping James so much, but he couldn't deliver the spirit we gave him. And so we split."

Rudolf continued: "We rehearsed with Mikkey Dee and we noticed immediately there's a new kind of kick-ass [energy]. Everybody has his own style, and Mikkey Dee is really a very — especially for me as a rhythm guitar player — he is a very influencing person. That means when I play my riffs, he knows how to make them more wild and more powerful. And that's very good — it's a synergy effect which even is added by Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] because they are really a great rhythm team, Pawel and Mikkey Dee, and me as a rhythm guitar player, we can build a great basis for Matthias and Klaus [Meine, vocals]."

SCORPIONS' only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of the band's studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and Mąciwoda and Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.

SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

Kottak passed away on January 9, 2024 in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was born and lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances of his death weren't available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

Fresh off the heels of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's triumphant sold-out South American stadium tour, DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY returns today with "Killing Spree", a new song and music video. "Killing Spree" heralds the arrival of the Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter and producer's anxiously awaited third full-length SCARS ON BROADWAY album, "Addicted To The Violence", due out on July 18.

Holding nothing back, "Killing Spree" sets the tone for this new chapter with provocative lyrics and an uncompromising, yet undeniable delivery — preparing us for an album that refuses to shy away from uncomfortable truths.

"It's a taboo topic people might be afraid to talk about," Malakian says of "Killing Spree". "Kids have rebelled forever. Mental disorders have always been there too. In the last 15 years, we've seen a generation that will walk into school and kill other students. I'm not glamorizing or advocating it. I'm just saying, 'The kids are on a fucking killing spree.' It's what I see in front of me. I'm not just talking about killings either. You'll see a lady who's getting beaten up on the subway and people around her aren't even helping; they're fucking recording on their iPhones. We had automatic weapons fifty years ago, and nobody was doing this. I blame the mindset. We now have a generation that is so detached and desensitized. They're totally unemotional and unempathetic. There's no respect for life."

Over the last few years, Malakian meticulously pieced together what would become "Addicted To The Violence". Once again, he helmed the project as its primary creator — composing, producing, and performing — with contributions from longtime bandmates Orbel Babayan (guitar) and Roman Lomtadze (drums).

"As far as the process goes," Malakian continues. "I'm always writing songs, because it's the only way I know how to live. It's my purpose. When I write, I try to stay honest. I don't put myself in a box, which is why you have both heavy and mid-tempo material. It takes you through different feelings, and that's what I've always done. If I was a painter, I wouldn't tell myself, 'I can't use these colors.' So, all the colors are available to me. All the emotions are also available, because we go through each one of them as people. I'm expressing everything I can."

Best known as a founding member of SYSTEM OF A DOWN and songwriter of iconic tracks such as "Chop Suey!" , "Toxicity" and "B.Y.O.B.", Malakian says, "I'm just as proud of SCARS as I am of SOAD. This is another musical outlet for me. I think it's some of the best stuff I have to offer. I'm blessed that I can still do this and write songs every day." "Addicted To The Violence" is a rollercoaster of aggression, vulnerability, satire, and soul.

"Addicted To The Violence" track listing:

01. Killing Spree
02. Satan Hussein
03. Done Me Wrong
04. The Shame Game
05. Destroy The Power
06. Your Lives Burn
07. Imposter
08. You Destroy You
09. Watch That Girl
10. Addicted To The Violence

As a songwriter, vocalist, producer, and guitarist / multi-instrumentalist, Grammy Award-winning Daron Malakian creates from a limitless palette. Like painting a moving target, he seamlessly integrates elements of rock, punk, metal, pop, psychedelia, electronic, and Armenian stylings into a living sound untethered from tradition and bound only to inspiration. The music grows and evolves with him. Under the moniker of DARON MALAKIAN AND SCARS ON BROADWAY, he continues to approach his craft with an alchemist's open heart, an absurdist's appreciation for the ridiculous, and an artist's attention to detail. Malakian introduced SCARS ON BROADWAY with its self-titled debut in 2008. The LP bowed in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, spawning fan favorites such as "They Say", "Serious" and "Funny". The follow-up, "Dictator", arrived exactly a decade later during 2018. In addition to praise from Billboard, Revolver and more, Rolling Stone hailed it as one of the "20 Best Metal Albums of 2018."

The world initially got to know Malakian as a co-founder, songwriter, vocalist, producer (alongside Rick Rubin) and guitarist for SYSTEM OF A DOWN whose legacy encompasses global sales of over 42 million records, a Grammy Award and countless sold-out stadium shows. Now, the same creative instinct and internal compass have led him to "Addicted To The Violence", the third full-length offering from SCARS ON BROADWAY, introduced by the single "Killing Spree".

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL have released "Circular Firing Squad", the second single from their first new album in 34 years, "Extinction Level Event", due later in 2025 via Reversed Records. You can now listen to the track below.

The LP's first single, the "Extinction Level Event" title track, was written by DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin a decade ago, long before he suffered from severe liver disease, and, to the surprise of everyone, passed away in 2023. It was recorded and mixed at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, executive produced by DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser.

Regarding the fact that it has taken so long to release new DARK ANGEL music, Gene told "The David Ellefson Show" "I know I've been promising this for the last decade or so, since we started getting back together and doing shows. And it's been an arduous process, but I'm really excited about the record."

On the topic of the musical direction of the new DARK ANGEL material, Gene said: "We just tried to write a kick-ass metal record. We tried to write a kick-ass DARK ANGEL record. For it to sound like any of our other records was not important. We just tried to kind of focus on, like, 'Hey, what kind of DARK ANGEL record would be coming out if DARK ANGEL never stopped putting out albums this whole time? Where would DARK ANGEL be at right now in 2025?' And so this pretty much encapsulates where we're at. It's a pretty aggressive record. It's pretty ferocious. I'm really into the record, and I'm into the artwork. I think the artwork is killer. We got great artwork for it. And if people disagree with me, then that is your opinion. Absolutely, you have the freedom to do that. I have the freedom to work this band however we want. We get to do whatever we like with this band. And we tried to make a real ferocious record."

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", 1986's "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

Hoglan told "The David Ellefson Show" that "Extinction Level Event" is "in a lot of ways a huge tribute to Jim Durkin. His style is all over it," he explained. "Laura Christine, our new guitarist, her style is all over it. She's becoming the new writing partner. I've always written a vast majority of the material, and Laura's influence is massive on it. And she writes the coolest riffs I know… And so there you go there. And we're just really excited to be able to have a new release to talk about. And I figured the next new big pile of touring cycle is gonna involve this new record. And we're really excited about it. And we hope people dig it. There you go."

Earlier in May, Gene told "The Zach Moonshine Show" about the "Extinction Level Event" title track: "About a decade ago or so, when we got back together and we started playing some shows and the vibe was so cool and everybody was just having a great time and we had all kind of grown up into men, as it were, we were just having a great time together, and Jim took me aside one time, he was, like, 'Hey, man, I have this song that I wrote pretty recently.' And it was just, like, 'If we ever get a chance to do any kind of recording with DARK ANGEL or do any kind of DARK ANGEL stuff, this is my most DARK ANGEL-esque song that I've got.' And I was, like, 'Hey, man, lay it on me.' And I was just so blown away by it. It was just so killer, so catchy, so Jim Durkin-like. So that song there, as well as another one that he had in the works, just got me so pumped that I just happened to do an interview pretty recently after that, and I was, like, 'Yeah, man. We're gonna record a new record. Yeah, it's gonna be coming really soon.' And like I said, it's taken over a decade. But here we are, and our first track, 'Extinction Level Event', is out there."

As for why "Extinction Level Event" was chosen to be the first single from the upcoming LP, Gene said: "All the tracks on the album, any one of them could have been our first release, but this is one of the more… well, we have a lot of savagely blistering tracks on this record. This is one of them, and it was just so kick-ass DARK ANGEL, such a DARK ANGEL-type song that we didn't release this first one because Jim wrote it and this was kind of his last, final entire song that he left with us. It just kind of worked out that way. It's, like, this is a really kick-ass track and it's got a cool title and all the artwork that goes along with the album goes along with this. So there you go."

The "Extinction Level Event" artwork and layout was designed by Cain Gillis, with concepts by Hoglan.

DARK ANGEL was originally scheduled to play new music for the first time since 1991 during its January 29 concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. However, that show ended up getting postponed due to the wildfires in the state.

In July 2024, DARK ANGEL officially entered the studio to begin recording its new LP. Two months earlier, Hoglan was asked by Rocking With Jam Man what it has been like making new DARK ANGEL music more than 30 years after the release of the band's last album, 1991's "Time Does Not Heal". Gene responded: "Well, that's one thing. It's like we had a choice. I had an entire DARK ANGEL album written that was ready to start getting recorded after the 'Time Does Not Heal' record, and circumstances occurred where the band just had to dissolve. So, I had a bunch of material written. And when Jim Durkin and myself — Jim is no longer with us, but when we put DARK ANGEL back together and we started talking about, like, 'What do we wanna do for the future? Do we wanna write some new material?' And 'I've got some ideas, Gene, and you probably have some ideas.' And I have a number of songs that I sent to Jim. And when Jim heard that — I sent it to him on a CD — he freaked out and he was, like, 'My God, here's our new album. This is gonna be our next record. Hell yeah.' And he got really excited about that material. But I was, like, 'Hey, Jim, tell you what. I feel really strongly about my writing chops, and the songs I'm hearing from you right now are crushing. So how about we just write new stuff, get together and start writing new material?' And so we kind of went that route."

He continued: "For my elements of what I wanted DARK ANGEL to sound like, Jim Durkin is a huge influence on my writing style. So I wanted this to have a lot of the Jim Durkin influence on it. In terms of riffs, there's not as many from Jim as we were hoping for, but Jim's entire presence is all over the new DARK ANGEL material that I've been working on. And he's a huge guitar influence on me, as well as a lot of people. So, there's definitely gonna be a pretty hardy Jim Durkin influence. So what I've tried to do is not go back 35 years or 37 years or whatever, 'Darkness Descends' or even 'We Have Arrived', those early albums, or 'Leave Scars' or 'Time Does Not Heal', I've not tried to duplicate anything from any of those albums, but I tried to put myself in the mindset of what if DARK ANGEL just kept writing albums for the last 30-whatever years, 32, 33 years, where would we be at now? And so that has been my approach on the new DARK ANGEL material."

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Photo by Alex Solca

Rock legend and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Glenn Hughes returns with his new studio album, "Chosen", set for release on September 5, 2025 via Frontiers Music Srl.

To mark the announcement, Glenn has shared the title track, along with an accompanying music video, available now.

This year will also see Hughes busy touring across Europe and South America, with "The Chosen Years" tour starting in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, on September 2 and ending on November 29 in Bogota, Colombia.

Commenting on the new album, Glenn stated: "Songwriting is deeply personal to me, and l generally write and record when I have something to say.

"It's been nine years since I recorded my last solo album, 'Resonate'. There have been recordings and collaborations with other artists since 2016"

"When writing 'Chosen', I went back to my life drawing board, writing about the human condition, love, hope, faith and acceptance.

"I write about how I feel on the inside and not externally. My life is lived from within, in the present moment.

"It's an album of soul food, and I've never been so grateful, right here, on planet earth. Music is the healer."

Hughes is a true original. No other rock musician has carved such a distinctive style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is his calling card. He's known as a singer's singer. Stevie Wonder once called Glenn Hughes his favorite white singer.

After a nine-year hiatus as a solo artist, Hughes is back with "Chosen", his brand-new solo record: an album which presents Glenn in his most hard rockin' fashion. An explosive record that offers Glenn at his absolute best with a state-of-the-art album, both from a songwriting and production standpoint.

Glenn, a native of Cannock, England, absorbed all kinds of influences, including early British hard rock, THE BEATLES and, most importantly, American soul and R&B. The sleek Motown sound from Detroit and the gritty Stax/Volt sound from Memphis left their mark on him.

Hughes first found success in the early '70s with the band TRAPEZE before joining DEEP PURPLE in 1973 during a pivotal lineup change that introduced him and David Coverdale to the group. Despite initial skepticism, the revamped band silenced critics with the release of "Burn" (1974),a powerful album that revitalized PURPLE's sound and remains a classic. During this era, the band headlined the iconic California Jam in front of over 300,000 fans, toured the world aboard their private jet The Starship, and released two more studio albums, "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band", before disbanding in 1976.

Glenn's first solo album "Play Me Out" was released in 1977. He joined former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall to form HUGHES/THRALL, which released an acclaimed self-titled album in 1982. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Glenn Hughes made countless guest appearances (both credited and un-credited) as a vocalist, bass guitarist or songwriter on other artists' albums. The endless list includes — among others — Gary Moore, John Norum and Tony Iommi of BLACK SABBATH.

Since 1992, Glenn has started a prolific solo career with a dozen studio albums where he explored all the different sides of his songwriting and influences: from hard rock to funk and more contemporary sounds. He collaborated — among others — with such musicians as Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Dave Navarro, John Frusciante and many others. He also founded or took part in some amazing musical alliances such as CALIFORNIA BREED (with Jason Bonham and Andrew Watt),BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION (with Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham) and THE DEAD DAISIES.

Glenn has collaborated with Robbie Williams on his new single "Rocket", which was released on May 22, 2025. The track also features a collaboration from Iommi and will be the first time Glenn has been featured on a record with Tony since 2005, when they released "Fused" together.

Glenn also recently joined forces with SATCHVAI, a new collaboration by legendary guitar icons Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, by writing and singing on their new single "I Wanna Play My Guitar".

"Chosen" track listing:

01. Voice In My Head
02. My Alibi
03. Chosen
04. Heal
05. In The Golden
06. The Lost Parade
07. Hot Damn Thing
08. Black Cat Moan
09. Come And Go
10. Into The Fade

Recording lineup:

Glenn Hughes – Vocals
Søren Andersen - Guitar
Ash Sheehan - Drums
Bob Fridzema - Keys

"The Chosen Years" 2025 tour dates:

Sep. 02 - De Boerderij - Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
Sep. 04 - Fabrik - Hamburg, Germany
Sep. 06 - Kulturhaus Stadtgarten - Neuruppin, Germany
Sep. 08 - Klub Studio - Krakow, Poland
Sep. 10 - Progresja - Warsaw, Poland
Sep. 12 - Alter Schlachthof - Dresden, Germany
Sep. 14 - Club Vaudeville - Lindau, Germany
Sep. 16 - Hirsch - Nuremberg, Germany
Sep. 17 - Spectrum - Augsburg, Germany
Sep. 19 - Muziekgieterij - Maastricht, Netherlands
Sep. 20 - Doornroosje - Nijmegen, Netherlands
Sep. 22 - Capitol - Mannheim, Germany
Sep. 24 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
Sep. 26 - Festiviteten Bar & Scene - Hamar, Norway
Sep. 28 - Byscenen - Trondheim, Norway
Sep. 30 - Hyvinkääsali - Hyvinkää, Finland
Oct. 01 - Tampere-Talo - Tampere, Finland
Oct. 03 - Kulttuuritalo - Helsinki, Finland
Oct. 04 - Madetojansali - Oulu, Finland
Oct. 14 - O2 Academy - Bristol, UK
Oct. 15 - Guildhall - Portsmouth, UK
Oct. 17 - KK's Steel Mill - Wolverhampton, UK
Oct. 18 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire - London, UK
Oct. 21 - O2 Ritz - Manchester, UK
Oct. 22 - Boiler Shop - Newcastle, UK
Oct. 24 - Rock City - Nottingham, UK
Oct. 25 - The Garage - Glasgow, UK
Nov. 11 - Opinião - Porto Alegre, Brazil
Nov. 13 - Mister Rock - Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Nov. 14 - Circo Voador - Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
Nov. 16 - Vip Station - São Paulo, Brazil
Nov. 18 - Tork n' Roll - Curitiba, Brazil
Nov. 20 - Abbey Road - Mar Del Plata, Argentina
Nov. 21 - Arena Sur - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nov. 23 - Club Paraguay - Córdoba, Argentina
Nov. 25 - Teatro del Huerto - Salta, Argentina
Nov. 27 - Teatro Coliseo - Santiago, Chile
Nov. 29 - Teatro C.E.G - Bogota, Colombia

Photo credit: Leo Baron

In a new interview with the Land Of Music Podcast, guitarist Eric Peterson of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT confirmed that he and his bandmates have tapped Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, KREATOR, PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK and AMON AMARTH, among others, to mix their upcoming studio album. The LP will mark TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation", which was co-produced by Juan Urteaga, who previously worked with TESTAMENT on "Dark Roots Of Earth" (2012) and "Brotherhood Of The Snake" (2016).

Regarding the progress of the mixing sessions for TESTAMENT's new LP, Peterson said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I actually start mixing tomorrow until the end of the week with Jens Bogren. We have our new ballad and about three other songs that we started mixing, but we dropped off because the vocals weren't done yet. So we've got, like, a week to finish it to turn everything in. So that's what we're doing. Yeah, we're about 70, 80 percent done. So by next Friday we'll be 'done done,' and then we're turning in the record."

When Bogren's name was first publicly floated last September in connection with TESTAMENT's upcoming album, Peterson told Brutal Planet Magazine. "[Jens is] a producer from Sweden, and he's done — God, he's done KREATOR, he's doing the new BEHEMOTH, he's done IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY. A lot of European bands. We usually work with Andy Sneap, but he's [the touring guitarist] in JUDAS PRIEST and he's just, like, 'Bro, I need some time off.' It's a good switch, though. I think Jens will do a good job. And yeah, there's a lot of crazy stuff on this record. I'm excited for everybody to hear it."

Last August, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy told Oran O'Beirne of Overdrive.ie about the music direction of the follow-up to "Titans Of Creation": "We always try to outdo ourselves or make a better record or write better songs. It's always a challenge for ourselves, and I think this time we really took a long time to create the record. We kind of got everybody in the same room to really go through the songs and kind of put their two cents in to the arrangements. I think by having [our new drummer] Chris [Dovas] — he's a younger drummer, a really great drummer — but I think he brought you know a new fire to Eric in the writing process. And I believe because we're going on 37 years of making records, it's kind of full circle right now. We're kind of inspired by new generation, I guess, of music and metal. And Chris is a big part of that. He's a big fan of that. So I think he inspired Eric just to write some really aggressive, fast, creative riffs. And it really inspired me to really push myself to try to do a little more screaming, death vocals, melodic stuff. We even went as far as writing — I don't wanna say 'ballad', but it's something really catchy that's really slow that's something we haven't done in over 30 years. So I think just the overall songs and the confidence in the writing this time really is gonna stand out on this record."

When O'Beirne noted that TESTAMENT continues to "raise the bar" with each successive release, Billy concurred. "It's true," he said. "I think since 2000, 'The Gathering' record is where I think TESTAMENT kind of had a new life, I'd say the second life TESTAMENT. And then I became ill. And then after that, I didn't think I was actually gonna be playing music anymore. I just wasn't the same person. I'd look in the mirror and I didn't see the same guy. And after I beat it and survived it, I kind of thought, 'Okay, now it's time to continue on with life.' And then shortly after that we had the original[-lineup] reunion. And I think that's kind of what really set off the new life of TESTAMENT, because we were writing music, jamming with the guys who started it from the beginning and kind of taking the attitude, like, 'We're gonna finish this together, what we started.' But over time, Louie [Clemente, former TESTAMENT drummer] had to drop out 'cause of health reasons; he couldn't hold the sticks like he used to. So he had to drop out. And then shortly after that Greg [Christian, former TESTAMENT bassist] dropped out. But from then on, I think we've just kind of been writing for ourselves, maybe not really caring what necessarily the press thought. You always wanna impress the fans, but we were really writing to make us happy."

Earlier last August, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about the band's upcoming LP: "Well, I think everybody knows we went through a couple different drummers the past couple years, I know it's very 'Spinal Tap'… Life imitating art. There were scheduling conflicts with Gene Hoglan. Then we got Dave Lombardo, who was amazing, but when it came to going all in on a next record, Dave was overbooked. And we needed somebody [who could step in]. And we've got a new drummer. His name's Chris Dovas. He wasn't even born when the first TESTAMENT record came out. But I've gotta say he is lighting fires. He's lit a fire under everybody and just great to play with. He nails everybody's parts from before, but he has his own style. And I'm excited about the next record."

In June 2024, Chuck told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone about the lyrical themes covered in the new TESTAMENT songs: "[It's] not as focused [on], like, the aliens, creating mankind and that kind of stuff, but there is some of that. There's a lot. Each song definitely has its own identity lyrically. And again, we're writing stuff that is real, that happens with the environment; we're singing about that again. A.I., we're singing stuff about that. That's a big thing. So, there's always an inspiration for songs. I think it's a little easier. There's so much going on in our world to write about now. It's a crazy world today, so there's a lot of stuff to talk about. And I like singing about what's real and what's going on instead of some fantasy lyrics, because, for me, I think when I sing 'em, I have more conviction, I believe in 'em a little more. And maybe it's easier for me to remember the lyrics live. [Laughs]"

Naming specific tracks, Chuck said: "There's a song, 'Havana Syndrome', which is about the Havana Syndrome. People, look that up. There's 'Infanticide A.I.', which is another song going A.I. direction. And there's actually a slower song. We haven't done a slower song. I'm not gonna say 'ballad', but I'm gonna say a slower song that has a lot of groove and soul, called 'Meant To Be'. And it's like a classic TESTAMENT-type ballad, I guess, if you wanna use that word. But we've got a little bit of everything, but, again, I think it's really sticking to TESTAMENT, having to have some melodic stuff, even though there's some really brutal lyrics and real brutal, more of a death voice. I still put the hook in with more of a melodic hook or something. It's still classic TESTAMENT. If you listen to it, you'll go, 'That's TESTAMENT, but a little more octane to it.'"

Also in June, Chuck told Canada's The Metal Voice that he writes most of TESTAMENT's lyrics with Del James. "Del, he works with GUNS N' ROSES," Chuck said. "He's been working with them and wrote with them a long time ago. I think he had big hits like 'November Rain' with them. And we've been working [together] for over 20 years. So I always go down and work with him because I come up with a lot of the ideas and concepts, but he really interprets and gets the right words, how to say what I'm thinking. And we work fast. When we get together, we'll knock out like two songs in a day. So we don't mess around. We get there, say hello to each other, we sit down and we go right to work. It's about what we do."

In August 2023, Dovas was asked by Pod Scum if it was "unnerving" to step into a group whose list of previous drummers includes such heavyweights as Lombardo and Hoglan. He responded: "It was, especially at first because I knew that a lot of eyes were on me, and also I looked up to the band since I was a kid. Especially Lombardo and Gene — those are two of my favorite drummers right there. So to be put in that situation of taking over for them, I felt like I had a lot of responsibility and a lot of… I felt like I had something to prove a little bit, and I'm still practicing a lot and I just wanna do the best that I can do. Right now I'm not really nervous anymore because I've done two full tours with them now and we're working on the [new TESTAMENT] album and the friendship has been developing now and we all get along super well. They've welcomed me with open arms and it's been great and the fans have been great. I've been putting hours and hours of practice into it to make sure that I can do the best that I could do. And I look up to Dave and I look up to Gene as well, so, yeah, I just wanna play the songs well live and keep making the band sound good."

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral (courtesy of Nuclear Blast Records)

According to Deadline, Nick Jonas, who is best known as one-third of the hugely popular Disney Channel sibling pop/rock act the JONAS BROTHERS, has been tapped to star as KISS frontman Paul Stanley in the upcoming KISS biopic "Shout It Out Loud". Joseph McGinty Nichol, better known as McG, is directing the film, which will go into production at the end of the year or in early 2026.

Jonas, who has slowly been forging a career as an actor, including a starring role in the 2016 film "Goat", will reportedly do his own singing in "Shout It Out Loud", which is being produced by STX Entertainment. The most recent draft of the script was written by Darren Lemke ("Shazam!", "Gemini Man").

"Shout It Out Loud" was previously set up at Netflix and was supposed to be directed by Joachim Rønning, the Norwegian filmmaker whose credits include "Kon-Tiki", "Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil" and "Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales".

Back in 2021, KISS's longtime manager Doc McGhee told Talking Metal that the script for "Shout It Out Loud" was "completely done… And the script is about the first four years of KISS," he said. "Basically, it's before they were famous — it was up to Cadillac High, that kind of thing," referring to the October 1975 concert KISS played in a high school gym in Cadillac, Michigan. "And I think it's a very interesting look at the formation of KISS, the mindset of how that came about, the social pressure that everybody was in in the '60s and '70s that brought something like KISS to the forefront, that it could actually happen. So it's a very interesting, and I think it's a well-written movie."

Earlier in 2021, KISS frontman Paul Stanley told Download host Kylie Olsson that the KISS biopic was "definitely happening. And that's gonna be really interesting," he said. "The script was really good. And we really waited until we felt comfortable.

Asked which actor he would like to play him in the movie, Stanley said: "And I will tell you this: for casting to be accurate in terms of age, we are looking at actors in their early 20s. Honestly, I don't know a whole lot of actors in their early 20s. When people get asked these kinds of questions, they'll say, 'Oh, Brad Pitt,' or this one or that one. Well, those guys are in their 50s or 60s, so you're talking about another generation of actors. And I'm the first to say I'm not up on a lot of them. But as the casting process goes on, I'll certainly be there and watching. It'll be interesting to see how someone else — be it the casting people or the director — how they view who I am and who they see doing that. I think I'll learn a lot about their perception of me by who they cast."

Stanley and Gene Simmons formed KISS in New York City in 1973 with fellow original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer replaced Frehley and Criss on lead guitar and drums, respectively, for the last two decades of the band's touring career.

Although the original lineup off KISS wrapped its "Farewell Tour" in the spring of 2001, the most recent version of KISS kicked off the "End Of The Road" world tour nearly two decades later, which concluded in December 2023 with back-to-back concerts at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Sweetwater has uploaded video of LAMB OF GOD drummer Art Cruz performing the band's song "The Death Of Us", which originally appeared on the soundtrack of the third installment of the famed "Bill & Ted" film franchise, "Bill & Ted Face The Music: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack", released in 2020. Check out the footage below.

Earlier this year, Cruz spoke to Sweetwater about how he joined LAMB OF GOD six years ago as the official replacement for Chris Adler. Cruz, who had previously played with PRONG and WINDS OF PLAGUE, filled in for Adler on several LAMB OF GOD tours before being named the latter band's new drummer in July 2019.

Art said: "I've been touring for, like, 17 years professionally — not even just as a drummer: merch guy, drum tech, hangout guy. I've done kind of a lot of different aspects of this industry. I was kind of prepared to jump into something. And most of my career evolved always kind of just elevating itself. It just kept getting like, 'Whoa,' next big thing, next big thing, next big thing. And that wasn't a coincidence. It was just my drive — against all the odds.

"I wasn't raised with a ton as a kid," he continued. "I had a great set of parents who it took me a while to convince them, but they supported my music journey from the very beginning for the most part. So I kept jumping from band to band to band, and with all of the time that you spend on the road, like I said about the metal community, you create friends, you create relationships."

Cruz added: "[Me joining LAMB OF GOD] derived from a relationship that I made with my first band, WINDS OF PLAGUE. We toured with LAMB OF GOD in the 2010 Mayhem Fest. And that was the tour that I first met them and became friends. And we were instantly best friends ever since. I didn't realize, fast forward, eight years later that I would be given the opportunity to help them. And that's what it was — that's what friends do. That was the initial plan, was friends helping friends, and that's what I did. When I got that phone call to help them was one thing, but the in-person conversation to actually join the band was a life-changing experience that I will not forget."

A year ago, Cruz was asked by Drumeo what he would say was the "hardest part" about joining LAMB OF GOD — if it was "something technical, like learning the parts, or it was "dealing with fans who have opinions of the old band configuration". He said at the time: "It's a combination of both. I was so confident with my playing, and not in an egotistical way. I was just very confident with where I was on my skill level. I had been touring for a long time in the trenches, man — from local bands to selling merchandise for bands to being a driver to just being the guy that 'let me help' kind of thing to playing in bands and sleeping on floors and doing all that good stuff. But it wasn't really that — it was wasn't the playing; I was confident enough with my playing. It was a challenge with the fans. It's a big deal. And that goes for anybody. You're [former METALLICA bassist] Jason Newsted, you're [ex-METALLICA bassist] Robert Trujillo; it's crazy how they went back to back to convince fans. And you don't think about that until it's a reality, and you're getting blown up on social media and you're experiencing it. And those are probably the most challenging parts. But with a band and a brotherhood that I have, they've walked me, literally — pun intended — walked me through hell and helped to see me on the other side, so I don't have to really pay attention to that stuff anymore. And I don't. I'm here to inspire. That is my only goal in this world, is to show you where I came from — my vulnerabilities, my weaknesses, and show you how I grow from that and do what I can to be in this position. And thankfully I'm in a better place than I used to be before. It was hard to get through that stuff, man. But thankfully, it's a lot easier to avoid it. Yeah, I just don't go on [social media]. It's fun."

In a 2022 interview with Finland's Chaoszine, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked if Cruz, who has been the band's drummer of the past six years, was more involved in the songwriting process on LAMB OF GOD's latest album, "Omens", than he was on 2020's self-titled effort. He responded: "I think so. Yeah, I'd say so. Not that he wasn't involved in the first one — he was very involved in the first one — but I think his confidence was up. And I think psychologically, everyone, especially him, was ready to have a bigger impact sonically on the record and to have more personality in the drums rather than… I think on the last album, the self-titled album, he played phenomenally but he stuck very close to traditional LAMB OF GOD movements, and on this album he stretched out quite a bit."

Morton continued: "I think it's about finding a balance about staying true to the historic sound of the band and how the band has sounded; you don't wanna come in sounding radically different. But I think we're all ready, and have been ready, to allow him to grow within the context of LAMB OF GOD, and he's done that for sure."

Art spoke about his contributions to "Omens" — which arrived in October 2022 via Epic Records — during an appearance in June 2022 on "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza. "The first, self-titled one we did, it was great, man — we wrote some great songs," he said, referring to 2020's "Lamb Of God", which marked his recording debut with LAMB OF GOD. "But I was still learning their vibe. I was green to that level of… Those guys had been doing it for 28, 29 years — almost 30 years — and I'm the new guy, a young kid coming in. You have to go through the trenches in every which way. And that first album was a very secure, safe way for all of us to just, 'Here's the tunes. Let's figure it out. Learn how we work.' And this one that's coming out, 'Omens', they really let me spread my wings and they really let me play me — they let me be me.

"I'm always inspired by LAMB, and LAMB is a signature sound," he continued. "LAMB OF GOD, to me, is that sound as a unit. It's a unit — it's not one individual. It's Randy [Blythe, vocals], it's Mark [Morton, guitar], it's Willie [Adler, guitar], it's John [Campbell, bass], it's Chris. That's, to me, what LAMB OF GOD was. So I'm not far off from that. That's what inspired me to be listening to metal and shit. It's my favorite metal band of all time. So to take that inspiration and then become my own person, my own player, from WINDS OF PLAGUE to AZUSA to my first band ENTHRAL to PRONG, to finally come to this point, and this is the album. It's all of those bands, it's all of those struggles, all of those trenches, all of those challenges, all of those tours — this is the album that I was able to really… And then the last LAMB OF GOD album, that is what built me to be to this 'Omens' album, for real. And we're just getting started, man — we're so just getting started. And I'm ready. And I'm mentally in a better place to do that, and I'm ready to do it. And the band is, they're my brothers."

The band tracked "Omens" with longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH) live in the room together at Henson Recording Studios (formerly A&M Studios) in Los Angeles, California, a location that birthed classics from THE DOORS, PINK FLOYD, RAMONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among others.

Swedish metallers SABATON have unveiled the official music video for "Hordes Of Khan", the second single from their forthcoming eleventh studio album, which is due out later this year.

"The story behind our new single 'Hordes Of Khan' was a great one to take a deep dive into," says SABATON singer Joakim Brodén. "The song actually turned out to have way more depth than we expected. Genghis Khan wasn't just a conqueror; he was a complex figure who left behind a huge legacy. He built the largest contiguous empire in history, stretching far beyond Mongolia, and his influence only grew after his death. Honestly, we couldn't have picked a more suitable subject for the new direction SABATON is heading in! 'Hordes Of Khan' hits hard, and it's heavy for good reason. We know our fans crave heavy music, and we're pumped to see how they react to this one. Hopefully, it's a track they'll be blasting on repeat!"

SABATON bassist Pär Sundström explains: "Joakim wanted to write a proper heavy metal song, and as we've seen from past releases, a lot of our fans appreciate pure fucking heavy metal! That's what 'Hordes Of Khan' is, and when you listen to it and close your eyes, you can imagine Genghis Khan on his horse, galloping to battle. Joakim composed the music and I actually wrote the lyrics for this one. When I started to work on them, I realised the melody was pretty complicated. Honestly, they were some of the most difficult lyrics that I've ever written. All in all, I'm very happy with the result, especially as Joakim has said that parts of the lyrics are some of SABATON's best to date."

The music video for 'Hordes of Khan' is based in the future, in the year 2045. It was filmed in London at two different locations, the Natural History Museum and at Harrow School, and follows the main character — a young girl — who plays in a heavy metal band and loves SABATON, but she won't ever have the opportunity to see the band play because in 2039, all wars have miraculously ended. The world is now peaceful, and war is obsolete and therefore, so is SABATON. The girl hears about a museum that's featuring a SABATON exhibit with all of the band members' musical instruments. The girl and her band sneak into this museum to check it out. Once inside, they are greeted by a hologram telling the story about the musical instruments of SABATON that contain magic that brings history to life. The kids take no notice, pick up the instruments and begin to play.

Once the music begins, a ferocious Genghis Khan comes to life along with five other legendary soldiers played by the band members. Their mission is to stop Genghis before he escapes the museum to take over the world.

"When reflecting on all of the music videos we've ever created," says Sundström, "our 'Hordes Of Khan' music video was the most exciting in a lot of ways, even though 'Christmas Truce' is a much more emotional topic and story. I think this one specifically contains much more depth and action, and in combination with the locations and the actors, I'm confident that it will resonate with everyone!"

The children acting in the music video had their work cut out for them. They didn't just want it to look like they were playing the instruments, they actually wanted the kids to really play the instruments and perform the song correctly. They thought it was going to be super challenging, but in this case they all learned the song by heart and performed it. "We were really proud of them all! What people see in the video is playback, but all of them know their parts and they can play 'Hordes Of Khan' for real," Sundström continues. "We loved seeing that happen! Our ex-drummer Daniel Mullback's son played the drums and acted in this music video as well, and he absolutely nailed it. Another amazing drummer in the making!"

This past April, SABATON released a music video for the band's previous single, "Templars". The cinematic clip was filmed at two massive historical fortresses in Serbia (Belgrade Fortress within Kalemegdan Park and Smederevo Fortress),both of which provided a striking and authentic backdrop for the epic battle scenes.

In an interview with El Cuartel Del Metal, Brodén spoke about SABATON's decision to sign with Better Noise Music after a decade-and-a-half-long run with Nuclear Blast. Regarding what prompted the label switch, Joakim said: "Basically, they've gone through some changes, Nuclear Blast, over the years, [having] been bought up by [global digital music company] Believe [in 2018], and while I have no hard feelings towards any one of them, this felt like the next logical step. Because for the past two albums, it seemed like we had hit the roof, to us sometimes, of our reach with Nuclear Blast. With that said, we have good friends still, and we have good friends and lovely people who work there. So this is more of a — what do you call it? — intellectual decision of what's the best next step for SABATON and not emotional, 'Oh, we've been fucked over by a label.' No, we haven't."

The Nuclear Blast relationship with SABATON dated back to 2010's World War II-themed "Coat Of Arms" album.

Along with the digital release of "Templars", SABATON is offering its fans a special one-sided 12-inch vinyl single which is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide and set to be released on June 27.

Since SABATON's 2005 debut LP, the band has released ten studio albums (some of which have been certified as gold, platinum, and even quadruple platinum),seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5.

2022's "The War to End All Wars" was the last SABATON album to feature guitarist Tommy Johansson. He has since been replaced by a returning Thobbe Englund.

Thobbe originally joined SABATON in April 2012 and amicably parted ways with the band in July 2016 to focus on his personal life and expand his creativity. He rejoined SABATON in February 2024.

Englund recorded two studio albums with SABATON, namely "Heroes" (2014) and "The Last Stand" (2016),and assisted with the songwriting of some very popular songs including "Shiroyama" and "Fields Of Verdun", among others.

In November 2025, SABATON will embark on a 20-city European run dubbed "The Legendary Tour". The band teased the trek as "a huge celebration of SABATON's music, storytelling and the incredible bond they share with their fans", featuring "The Legendary Orchestra and other surprises," resulting in "something unprecedented."

Last fall, SABATON served as main support to JUDAS PRIEST on the legendary heavy metal band's North American tour.

In the more than two decades since their launch, SABATON has achieved quadruple-platinum sales, headlined major festivals, sold-out arena concerts across the globe, and earned a legion of loyal fans by being self-managed and carving out a reputation as one of the most innovative bands in rock. SABATON combines standout stage design and production with epic concept albums, linking real-life historical war events with classic kick-ass metal. To date, the band has released ten studio albums, amassed six gold, two platinum, and one four-times-platinum awards, seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5.

When SABATON hit the 20-year mark, they headlined both stages at Wacken 2019 — the biggest metal festival in the world — simultaneously. Meanwhile, in 2023 as part of a charity initiative, SABATON donated their full-length animated movie to museums around the world in order to increase awareness and visitor numbers, and successfully encouraged people to support the preservation of history in these establishments. During SABATON's 25th-anniversary year, the band released the "Tour To End All Tours" concert film, and through independent distribution, it was screened in more than 1,200 cinemas spanning 28 territories.

Photo credit: Joshua Dorfman

Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum rock band BUSH has released the song "The Land Of Milk And Honey" from the group's upcoming album, "I Beat Loneliness", due out July 18 via earMUSIC.

BUSH frontman Gavin Rossdale states about the new single: "'The Land Of Milk And Honey' is a wild ride into the heart of the new record, 'I Beat Loneliness'. It's built to be played loud — to liberate and uplift. That's the spirit behind it."

A press release adds that "the track stands as a defiant anthem of resistance — personal and political — examining the illusion of freedom in a world ruled by power, obsession, and disconnection."

Produced by Rossdale and Erik Ron (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, SET IT OFF, BAD OMEN),"I Beat Loneliness" marks BUSH's tenth studio album — a powerful testament to the band's enduring legacy and continued evolution. The record blends their grunge-rooted intensity with fresh textures and themes exploring mental health, solitude, and resilience.

This past April, BUSH released "60 Ways To Forget People" as a first taste of "I Beat Loneliness". Rossdale said at the time: "What I feel about this record is it addresses the common struggles we all have. '60 Ways To Forget People' is an ode to sacrifice and a dedication to the focus it takes to be better. All the time and in all things."

"I Beat Loneliness" track listing:

01. Scars
02. I Beat Loneliness
03. The Land Of Milk And Honey
04. We're All The Same On The Inside
05. I Am Here To Save Your Life
06. 60 Ways To Forget People
07. Love Me Till The Pain Fades
08. We Are Of This Earth
09. Everyone Is Broken
10. Don't Be Afraid
11. Footsteps In The Sand
12. Rebel With A Cause

BUSH will tour across North America from July 19 to August 30, before heading overseas to join VOLBEAT for a series of dates across Europe from September 18 through November 13.

In a recent interview with São Paulo, Brazil's 89 FM A Rádio Rock radio station, Rossdale stated about the 12 songs featured on "I Beat Loneliness": "I know that everyone [says] no one cares [about full albums anymore] and it's [all about] these singles, but I think that if I like an act, if I like a band, I just wanna hear their body of work. I don't wanna hear just one song. I'm a musician, so I wanna know what 12 ideas someone has, not just one idea. And so I'm excited for that. But I understand most people just listen to one song and move on, with so many bands. But [I'm] very excited about it."

Asked what fans can expect to hear on the new BUSH album, Gavin said: "Oh, it's in a similar vein to [2022's] 'The Art Of Survival' and [2020's] 'The Kingdom' — super detuned, super heavy, but there's moments of light. And so it's not like angst [all the way through], but it's just very… It is very sort of centered on people's mental health and well-being and those kind of challenges, because it becomes more and more apparent, people suffering more and more. So music is often the way that people — it's like a medicine. So it's really good to have heavy subjects within the songs, but the songs have loads of hope and light and lift you up. I want people to come see us and have a great experience. It's not a doom-and-gloom [collection of songs]; it's a sort of a, how do we fight the good fight?"

Gavin also spoke about the inspiration for the "I Beat Loneliness" title, saying: "The reason why I like that title — [there's] a song called that — is because anybody who has a degree of melancholy in their heart, and it's normal; sometimes you feel good, sometimes have a melancholy. And it's good to be reflective. You can't be smiling like a moron the whole time, like a maniac, so the idea of beating loneliness is that it's impossible, because you can't. But it's beautiful 'cause the idea is that if you feel you beat it, it's like a respite, and you're not in that mindset. But it's all temporary, because you come back and that sort of feeling can flood in. But I just like the idea 'cause it's impossible."

In January, Rossdale told Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada's 104.9 The Wolf radio station about "I Beat Loneliness": "I'm so thrilled about the record. It's successful to me because I'm really proud of it. And I think that people who like the band will be really, really into it and we might get some new fans as well. But it's good to feel fulfilled by when you make a record, and not, like, 'Oh, man. I should've done this, should've done that.' I think it's really good."

Earlier in January, Gavin told iHeartRadio's JD Lewis about the "I Beat Loneliness" title: "Well, it's one of those weird titles. It's an infinite title because you can never beat loneliness; you can just only beat it temporarily.

"I feel that the connection with the band and the power that we have, from talking to a lot of people that see us, is people can kind of connect with the music and connect with the words and make their own narratives about it," he continued. "But we've created this blueprint for people through the years.

"More and more mental health has been sort of brought to the discussion kind of around us all at the moment — people are talking about people's wellness a lot. And I've always been into that human-condition thing since the beginning of BUSH — it's like music of complaints and hopes and sort of disappointments and aspirations and all that stuff. So it's just like living.

"A lot of people are struggling so much that it's just such an ironic title, I thought," Rossdale added. "It's one of those things, when I thought of it and it just came, I was, like, 'Oh my god, it's a precious phrase.' And I just like that idea of that sense of bravado that you've beaten loneliness, because we all suffer from melancholia or whatever, and I think that's a healthy thing because it makes you reflective and sort of appreciative of the good times. And I'm not a negative person — I'm really positive — so I just think that you have to go through this sort of like storm clouds to get to the good bits. And so the title just stuck with me."

Rossdale also talked about the importance of youth mental health, especially as it relates to his three songs Kingston, Zuma and Apollo. He said: "I think it's absolutely essential, because I think that what happened is that with COVID, one of the biggest things for kids is COVID took away all that socialization. So all those two, three years where they were meant to be sort of learning how to be with their peers, I noticed with my own kids, that was taken away from them. They didn't have that time. And so I think that's been a real struggle for people, for kids especially, to learn how to adapt, how to be social, because they haven't had the same things that maybe we had. We didn't grow up through a pandemic. And so that is what really affects me. And kids are so mean — bullying in schools, ostracization, all that stuff. Kids are mean. And the way the world is set up is really scary for that."

Gavin went on to speak about the dangers of social media and how it is not an accurate reflection of society but more like a funhouse mirror distorted by a small but vocal minority of extreme outliers.

"Social media, expectations, people feeling they're not having a fulfilled life 'cause they look at Instagram or wherever and they see people with these great lives, when we all know that those lives are kind of hollow and have their have their troubles as well," he said. "But things are portrayed that people just get lost in that sort of rat race of thinking that they've gotta try and keep up with their friends. I mean, I look at Instagram and I'm always, like, 'Man, I need to live better.' I'm just, like, 'No, no, don't fall for it. Don't fall for it. Your life is fine. You have great things going on.' So I think that's where it's really difficult for kids, the sense that they're not in the right place at the right time. They're generally [of the opinion that they're] in the wrong place at the wrong time and everyone else is having a great time. And that's super dangerous for people to think that."

Rossdale previously talked about the "I Beat Loneliness" title in a December 2024 interview with Voice Of America's (VOA) "Border Crossings". Regarding why he chose to call the new BUSH record "I Beat Loneliness", the 59-year-old musician said: "Because I think that everyone is struggling the whole time." He added: "It's funny because when I reflect on the career that I've had and the songs that I've written, they do say that most people write one song over and over, and my theme that I've always dealt with is sort of people's mental health and their feelings and kind of the landscape of the landmines of hurt that we all live through. Everybody has so much broken stuff that they just sort of put the face on, go out and deal with it. But everybody having these crazy triggers — you see that suicide rates are insane, suicides among the military, the ex-military, men three times more likely to commit suicide as women. It's just people are hurting. And so my literal simple role in life, in that sort of Japanese concept of a vocation, is really writing songs about people and about feelings. And it's funny because when I began, it wasn't like that. You could just complain in songs, but I always wanted to have this sort of sense of hope, this sense of help and support and close community and people and love and friendship and kindness. And so I've written like that.

"So 'I Beat Loneliness', it's just probably the best title I've ever written because, of course, it's self-fulfilling in its impossibility," he continued. "'Cause you can't say you beat loneliness, 'cause if you say you beat loneliness, it means that you're a really melancholic person who beat loneliness for about 20 minutes, and it's coming back the next day like a boomerang. So I just like that idea of that bravado. It's strength. It's not bravado. It's strength in the face of adversity."

2024 marked the 30th anniversary of the release of BUSH's six-times-platinum debut album, "Sixteen Stone".

Last summer, BUSH celebrated its 30th anniversary with an extensive North American headline tour. The "Loaded: The Greatest Hits Tour" kicked off on July 26 in Bend, Oregon and included shows at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Most of the dates were produced by Live Nation. Jerry Cantrell and CANDLEBOX were the special guests on all dates.

BUSH released "Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023" in November 2023 via Round Hill Records. The set included a new song called "Nowhere To Go But Everywhere", which was written by Gavin and produced by Rossdale and Corey Britz.

With over 24 million records sold, 1.1 billion streams and a procession of No. 1 singles, the band — comprising Rossdale, Chris Traynor (guitar),Corey Britz (bass) and Nik Hughes (drums) — stand tall as rock outliers whose imprint only widens as the years pass. "Loaded: The Greatest Hits 1994-2023" (Round Hill Records),their first-ever greatest-hits collection, provides an expansive view of their incredible legacy with 21 tracks spanning nearly 30 years — from their breakthrough hit "Everything's Zen" to the aforementioned "Nowhere To Go But Everywhere".

"Loaded" included iconic hits from each of BUSH's nine studio albums as well as "Mouth" (The Stingray Mix) from the 1997 remix album "Deconstructed" and a cover of THE BEATLES' "Come Together" that saw a very limited release in 2012.

BUSH broke up in 2002 but reformed in 2010, and has since released five albums: "The Sea of Memories" (2011),"Man On The Run" (2014),"Black And White Rainbows" (2017) and the aforementioned "The Kingdom" and "The Art Of Survival".

"Black And White Rainbows" was crafted after Rossdale went through a divorce with pop star/reality TV judge Gwen Stefani in 2015.

Photo credit: Joseph Llanes

Grammy-nominated extreme power metal legends DRAGONFORCE have unleashed a new official music video for an alternate version of their recent album track "Burning Heart", featuring ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. Originally released as a bonus track on select editions of DRAGONFORCE's celebrated 2024 album "Warp Speed Warriors", the special version supported by White-Gluz's distinctive vocals is now out as its own single.

White-Gluz comments on the collaboration: "As a longtime DRAGONFORCE fan, it was such a fun experience to sing 'Burning Heart'! This band knows no speed limits — even as a vocalist I found myself tripping over consonants trying to keep up. It was a refreshing challenge. I'm happy to be a part of such a cool song and video."

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li adds: "Alissa has been one of my favorite metal vocalists for a long time. I'm thrilled that the stars aligned, allowing us to collaborate on this track. I believe 'Burning Heart' is the perfect song for Alissa to showcase her remarkable vocal range and her stunning performance has elevated the song to another level."

Formed in 1999, DRAGONFORCE has earned their reputation as the world's fastest band via its power metal anthems filled with spectacular guitar solos, including the iconic platinum-selling hit "Through The Fire And Flames". Several of the songs on "Warp Speed Warriors" have already gained over a million streams on Spotify.

This summer DRAGONFORCE will finish the last European leg of its epic "Warp Speed Warriors" tour, playing several massive festival dates and selected shows together with POWERWOLF, before joining the German metallers on a North American tour, ready to deliver breathtaking shows to their ever-growing fanbase.

In May 2024, DRAGONFORCE teamed up with "Brawl Stars", a hit multiplayer mobile game with over one billion downloads, to celebrate a brand new character entering the game with a new song, "A Draco Tale", and music video.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was released in March 2024 via Napalm Records.

On "Warp Speed Warriors", DRAGONFORCE — composed of of guitar virtuosos and founding members Li and Sam Totman, singer Marc Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil and drummer Gee Anzalone — explore a wider range of varying musical styles than ever before, evolving their sound throughout the exciting musical journey while still staying true to their roots.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was produced, mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited in Los Angeles, California with Sam Totman and Herman Li.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Following the release of their acclaimed blues album "Lookin' For Trouble", THE DEAD DAISIES have shared a brand-new short documentary that goes far beyond a standard "making-of" video. Released today, the 20-minute film offers an intimate, cinematic look at how a spontaneous late-night jam session in Muscle Shoals turned into one of the band's most soul-stirring records — and explores the rich musical history that made it possible.

Shot on location in Muscle Shoals and inside the legendary FAME Studios, the documentary captures the serendipity, spirit, and grit behind the album's creation. It's part road film, part musical excavation, and a heartfelt tribute to the enduring power of the blues. Featuring some never-before-seen footage of the band en route to FAME, the documentary takes viewers deep into the band's creative process and the historical context of the songs they chose to reinterpret.

Through candid interviews with lead vocalist John Corabi, guitarist Doug Aldrich and bassist Michael Devin, the film traces the roots of the blues and its evolution into rock and roll. The band dives into the legends and folklore surrounding artists like Lead Belly, Muddy Waters and Albert King — whose fingerprints are all over "Lookin' For Trouble". Viewers gain new insight into the inspiration behind their fiery covers of classics like Robert Johnson's "Crossroads", John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom" and B.B. King's "The Thrill Is Gone".

"When I first heard blues, it was through bands like LED ZEPPELIN and THE ROLLING STONES," recalls Corabi. "The deeper I researched my heroes, the deeper I got into the history of this music. The blues is the soul of rock 'n' roll — it's in everything we do."

The documentary also captures the camaraderie and chemistry among the band and producer Marti Frederiksen, who encouraged the group to capture everything live, in the moment, with minimal overdubs. The result is a set of blistering blues performances that feel immediate and reverent all at once.

Out now via Fame / Malaco Records, "Lookin' For Trouble" is THE DEAD DAISIES' first full-fledged blues album. Tracked live at FAME Studios, the record began as an impromptu tribute to their blues heroes — and evolved into a high-octane, soul-drenched collection that fuses reverence with signature grit.

The album's breakout singles — "Boom Boom", a swagger-soaked take on the John Lee Hooker classic, and "Crossroads", a blistering tribute to Robert Johnson — have earned praise for their energy and authenticity. Raised By Cassettes called "Crossroads" "a high-energy performance that bridges past and present."

Other standout tracks include "Going Down" (Freddie King),"Black Betty" (Lead Belly),"Sweet Home Chicago" (Robert Johnson),"Born Under A Bad Sign" (Albert King) and "The Thrill Is Gone" (B.B. King),all performed with the raw chemistry that's defined THE DEAD DAISIES since day one.

"This album is our love letter to the blues," Corabi shares. "It's the music that shaped rock and shaped us."

"Lookin' For Trouble" track listing:

01. I'm Ready (Muddy Waters)
02. Going Down (Freddy King)
03. Boom Boom (John Lee Hooker)
04. Black Betty (Lead Belly)
05. The Thrill Is Gone (B.B. King)
06. Born Under A Bad Sign (Albert King)
07. Crossroads (Robert Johnson)
08. Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson)
09. Walking The Dog (Rufus Thomas)
10. Little Red Rooster (Howlin' Wolf)

New Zealand's ALIEN WEAPONRY has released a music video for the song "Taniwha", featuring a guest appearance by LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe. In the clip, the modern groove metal trio finds itself face to face with puppet masters of corporate greed and overconsumption, providing a thought-provoking backdrop to one of the most aggressive, death-metal leaning offerings on ALIEN WEAPONRY's recently released third album, "Te Rā".

ALIEN WEAPONRY comments on the "Taniwha" video: "We are super excited to share something we have been working on for a while.

"We felt honored to have the opportunity to collaborate with the mighty Randy Blythe on our song 'Taniwha' off of our latest album, so it only made sense to have him be a part of the music video too! We wanted to create something special for this one, and we are stoked with how it turned out!"

ALIEN WEAPONRY bassist and backing vocalist Tūranga Morgan-Edmonds told Rolling Stone Australia that the collaboration with Blythe came about when Randy privately messaged Tūranga after seeing one of his Māori culture posts on social media.

"I was sitting in my car listening to demos and thought, 'This song needs something… it needs Randy,'" he said. "I didn't tell anyone in the band in case he said no."

According to Rolling Stone Australia, Blythe was originally slated to appear on a different "Te Rā" song, "Hanging By A Thread", but producer Josh Wilbur made the decision to scrap the idea due to the track's overlap with the lyrics on LAMB OF GOD's song "Nevermore", off the latter band's 2022 LP "Omens".

Blythe ended up contributing his own lyrics to "Taniwha" — even the Māori ones — and recorded his verse in his own living room.

"It wasn't just a name-drop moment," Tūranga told Rolling Stone Australia. "It felt like a real, meaningful collaboration. Lewis [Raharuhi De Jong, guitar/vocals], who worships LAMB OF GOD, was over the moon."

ALIEN WEAPONRY will support AVATAR on a U.S. tour in November and December. Also appearing on the bill will be SPIRITWORLD.

Since releasing its acclaimed debut "Tū" in 2018, ALIEN WEAPONRY has been lauded for its kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand.

With "Te Rā", ALIEN WEAPONRY expands on its hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA, MEGADETH),"Te Rā"'s gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill. "Te Rā" is a bold, unwavering cry for a future in which we can all take part in the legacy of peoples like the Māori and others all around us — people who, if they aren't seen, most certainly need to be heard. Taken as a whole, "Te Rā" grapples with what it's like to be caught in the pull of divergent cultures — not just for the descendants of colonized people, but for all of us.

Chart-topping German metal titans POWERWOLF will release a new live album, Blu-ray and DVD, "Wildlive (Live At Olympiahalle)", on March 6, 2026 via Napalm Records. This offering captures the magic, energy and theatrical brilliance of POWERWOLF's biggest headline tour to date. Recorded during the sold-out show of POWERWOLF's "Wolfsnächte" tour 2024 in Munich's Olympiahalle, "Wildlive (Live At Olympiahalle)" is not just a live release — it is a grandiose cinematic experience and a sacred celebration of metal, filled with fire, emotion, and boundless creativity.

What began as an unconventional project in 2004 has since evolved into one of the most successful metal phenomena worldwide. "Wildlive (Live At Olympiahalle)" documents POWERWOLF's unrelenting rise to the top, showcasing a performance that goes far beyond a metal concert. From a fire-breathing church organ and thunderous pyro spectacles to dark, operetta-like storytelling and rousing crowd interaction, this show is pure heavy metal theater at its finest. "Wildlive (Live At Olympiahalle)" is an absolute must-have for every music lover. It will be available in multiple formats including Blu-ray, DVD, CD and vinyl as well as a deluxe boxset, earbook, mediabook, and several other collectors editions, featuring exclusive bonus content.

Fans who pre-order the earbook or box-vinyl edition of the new album through the Napalm Records mailorder until July 31 will have the unique chance to have their name printed in the booklet of both editions. All you need to do is enter your name (up to 20 characters) in a special field on the product page when placing your order.

POWERWOLF states: "We always knew that no words or short recap videos could truly capture what we experienced together during the 'Wolfsnächte' 2024 tour. Every night was its own kind of magic — still, we wanted to find a way to hold on to those memories and share them in the most powerful way possible. That's why we decided to record the full, massive, sold-out show at the Olympiahalle in Munich — to preserve just a piece of what we all felt on this tour. 'Wildlive (Live At Olympiahalle)' is more than a live release. It's a tribute and manifestation to the moments we created together."

On "Wildlive (Live At Olympiahalle)", each song is visually reimagined with a changing digital stage set, timed effects, and theatrical elements: monks with torches, falling snow on a burning piano, and a fiery execution scene that rivals shock rock's greatest icons. Classics like "Army Of The Night", "Amen & Attack", "Armata Strigoi" and "Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend" come alive in larger-than-life arrangements, while emotional highlights like "Alive Or Undead" bring the audience to tears. The interplay between frontman Attila Dorn and organist Falk Maria Schlegel turns every moment into an unforgettable ritual.

POWERWOLF's "Summer Of The Wicked" 2025 European headline tour will see the band bringing their mighty metal mass to some of the continent's biggest festivals and venues. Kicking off just one month after their 2025 "Latin American Crusade" headline run, the summer tour sets the stage for another triumphant chapter in the band's legacy. But the crusade doesn't stop there — later this year, POWERWOLF will return to North America for a massive headline tour across the USA and Canada, starting September 17, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. Joining them as special guests power metal legends DRAGONFORCE.

POWERWOLF is:

Attila Dorn - Vocals
Falk Maria Schlegel - Organ
Charles Greywolf - Guitar
Matthew Greywolf - Guitar
Roel Van Helden - Drums

Photo credit: VD Pictures

The official documentary about German thrash metal veterans KREATOR, "Kreator - Hate & Hope", will premiere on July 2 at the 42nd Munich International Film Festival, which runs from June 27 to July 6. The 110-minute film, which was directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post, will receive a theatrical premiere on September 4.

Official "Kreator - Hate & Hope" description: "To their fans worldwide, they are gods, but their music seems possessed by the devil — more aggressive, faster, and more uncompromising than others. The German band KREATOR has long since reached the pinnacle of the thrash metal scene. The film 'Kreator - Hate & Hope' tells the forty-year history of the celebrated metal band for the first time, from their founding as a school band in 1982 in the Ruhr area to the grand international stages of their current world tour. Then as now, they stand against the hatred and the abysses of our society. Shrill tones, virtuosic guitar riffs, and energetic drumbeats process the turmoil in our civilization with tremendous willpower and creativity. Between Hannah Arendt quotes and headless corpses, emerges a well-crafted poetry of chaos full of symbols of horror — a musical Molotov cocktail against evil with a cathartic effect.

"For her new documentary, director Cordula Kablitz-Post ('Die Toten Hosen - You Only Live Once') goes on tour with the legendary thrash metal band from the Ruhrpott for a year: Wacken Open Air, Tokyo, Osaka, Bangalore, Los Angeles and finally 'Klash Of The Ruhrpott' in Gelsenkirchen, where Germany's metal greats gather. With private archive recordings and exciting interviews (Scott Ian / ANTHRAX, Chuck Billy / TESTAMENT, Bela B. / DIE ÄRZTE, guitarist Phil Demmel / formerly MACHINE HEAD, Maik Weichert / HEAVEN SHALL BURN, Nergal / BEHEMOTH, Lars Eidinger, Andy Sneap) they embark on a very honest and humorous journey into the wildly beating heart of German music history."

In other KREATOR-related news, frontman Mille Petrozza's official 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" ("Your Heaven, My Hell - My Life, Heavy Metal, And How It All Could Happen") will be published on August 28 via Ullstein Verlag. The book is available for pre-order now.

Last fall, Petrozza told Oran O'Beirne of Fistful Of Metal magazine about the KREATOR documentary: "I have to be honest with you, this documentary was not our idea, and in fact, we are not involved in the production side of it. The whole concept came from Cordula, who approached us with this proposition and she has full creative control. She is a very well-respected director who has produced some incredible cinematic documentaries in the past, so I'm very excited to see the finished film."

He continued: "I'm usually a control freak when it comes to things like this, so it's a very surreal experience not being in the driving seat when it comes to creative decision making, but I have total faith and trust in Cordula."

Regarding his upcoming book, Mille said at the time: "Well, I can tell you that the book is done. A friend of mine and I have been co-writing a book together looking specifically at the early years of the band, specifically up to 1992. The thing is, we have a German publisher and they're, hopefully, going to be making this book available in English. But as of now, we are looking to release the book in 2025."

He continued: "I can also tell you the working title of the book is 'Your Heaven, My Hell', and we go very deep into the struggles of starting the band, the impact of the tape-trading community back then, and loads of stores and interesting moments that led to the band being where we are today. So, keep your eyes for more details coming very soon."

In 2001, Cordula founded Avanti Media Fiction, through which she primarily produces feature films and high-quality television and theatrical documentaries.

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

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.

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.

Ruhrgebiet, in den siebziger Jahren: Mille Petrozza wächst als Sohn einer Bergarbeiterfamilie im Essener Stadtteil...

Posted by CoreTex on Tuesday, June 3, 2025

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Drehtag 1 für Kino-Doku über Thrash-Metal-Legende KREATOR in Wacken, die hier als Headliner gespielt haben. Wann wir...

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