The second full-length album by Monumentum Damnati will be released on May 30. Entitled From Beyond, the album is is pushing the band even further, towards a faster, avant-garde and heavier direction. It consists of 11 tracks in the Victorian gothic horror atmosphere, with lyrics in which you can recognize the creepy characters from the worlds of Lovecraft, Edgar Allan Poe, as well as creepy mythological stories.

Tracks were pre-mixed by Koliopanos Filippos and mixed and mastered in Tidalwave Studio by Patrick Damiani (Carach Angren, Sopor Aeternus, Umbra et Imago, Falkenbach). Cover art and logo made by Olga Kann / Abhoth, who is also a composer for such projects as Withered Land, Bleeding Malice, Life For Ner’Zhul.

Pre-order the album here.



Tracklisting:

“Rats In The Walls”
“The Lurking Fear”
“The Shadow Over Innsmouth”
“The Haunter Of The Dark” (instrumental)
“Beyond The Wall Of Sleep”
“Vulture Eye” (instrumental)
“The Tell-Tale Heart”
“Dead Reflection”
“Saturn’s Obsession”
“The Unnamable” (instrumental)
“The Shadow Out Of Time”

BraveWords Records is excited to announce the signing of Alcatrazz, for a new studio album, their 7th, to be released in 2026. Alcatrazz is also working on another top secret studio project. The new album will build on the obvious strength of their recent three releases – Born Innocent, V, and Take No Prisoners.

Jimmy Waldo of Alcatrazz proposes the band perform at reopening of Alcatraz Prison, “U.S. President Donald Trump has recently made a claim that he wishes to “re-open” the high security prison, the legendary Alcatraz Island. Regardless of anyones thoughts on this, and make of it what you will… we really are the only logical choice… should this re-opening actually happen, we expect the invite from the Donald!. Alcatrazz would be the perfect and only band that should launch the “New Alcatraz Prison” as we have actually all spent time in cells in the joint (check out our video for “Island In The Sun”) climbed the famous prison tower, spent the whole day in every place on the rock… even inside the walls of the cells, where the famous escapes were attempted – so to play at the new opening celebration would be like coming home.”

Members of Alcatrazz talk about signing with BraveWords Records:

Gary Shea: “Alcatrazz looks forward to merging forces with BraveWords Records, benefiting from the very impressive backgrounds of partners Tim Henderson, Michael Brandvold and Brian Adams. With their combined years of experience we will take on the Music Business and the Business of Music together. Let’s Rock!”

Jimmy Waldo: “It’s very exciting to be on BraveWords Records – great people that really get what Alcatrazz is all about, and are excited about taking the band to the next level. The combined background of the BraveWords brand already puts us at the forefront from Rock and Metal press, and the creative and innovative PR skills of Michael Brandvold gives this label an edge like no other… they are a one-stop shop for anything a band like us could ask for.”

Joe Stump: “For multiple decades now BraveWords has always been my source for all things metal, dating back to when I used to buy their print mag at specialty record shops and news stands… I’m thrilled to be working with their label and extremely excited for what’s to come. As for the album: pay attention, we are ready to do some damage”

Giles Lavery: “To be singing for one of my favorite bands, and to also be close friends with these guys is something that might come along once in a lifetime… I now have that three-fold! as a member of Warlord, my recent work with Jack Starr on his new album and now with Alcatrazz! …none of this I take for granted. My partners at BraveWords Records are also dear friends, so we have a great team all the way around. Lets just make a great record!”

About Alcatrazz:

Alcatrazz, formed in 1983 in Los Angeles, has been as well known for the legendary players and singers who have passed throughout the bands ranks as much as they have for their music.

Formed originally by the trio of Jimmy Waldo, Gary Shea (both fresh from late 70’s hitmakers New England and the short lived band Warrior featuring a pre-Kiss Vinnie Vincent) along with vocalist Graham Bonnet (himself with impressive credentials having been a then recent member of Rainbow and the Michael Schenker Group) the band set about completing the line up with drummer Jan Uvena (formerly of Alice Cooper) and a then very young Yngwie Malmsteen, a guitarist who had quickly made a name for himself upon arriving in the USA in the early 80s. The band issued their now classic debut No Parole From Rock N Roll album (1983) which was met with universal critical acclaim. Yngwie was soon to depart in favor of Steve Vai just in time for the bands second album Disturbing The Peace (1985).

The bands mission has always been a not necessarily stable line-up, but of an evolving union of established performers all forming a “supergroup” of sorts, one with perhaps more guitar fire-power than many, but definitely also with the songs to back it up.

Vocalist Doogie White (himself also formerly of Rainbow and Michael Schenker) served a successful two album stint with the band, while the “shred-lord” himself…the acclaimed Joe Stump (also a very established solo artist and a Berklee college professor) has now been the bands longest serving guitarist, with this year now making his 6th continuing year as a member of the band.

Longtime Graham Bonnet and Alcatrazz collaborator, producer, songwriter and vocalist Giles Lavery is now the man behind the microphone, having proved he was an inspired choice on two recent U.S. tours – having worked with the band in numerous other creative capacities since 2017 the band feel it was a logical move, but also one chosen on merit. Giles can be heard on the recent BraveWords Records release, Jack Starr’s Out Of The Darkness Part II as well as his studio and live work with U.S. metal legends Warlord, a band who feature non-other than Mark Zonder on drums… himself a former member of the Graham Bonnet Band, Fates Warning, and worth noting here… as he is also currently leading the band A-Z who feature none other than Alcatrazz main man keyboardist Jimmy Waldo! confused yet? don’t be, as all of this proves that there is a firm but perhaps overlooked consistency and lineage to what on the surface may seem like an ever evolving band personnel.

Indeed Jimmy Waldo continues to be the heart and soul of Alcatrazz… as aside from being the bands talented keyboardist, he has been the one who would, over the bands career find himself at the centre of all band affairs and decision making, from booking the band in the early days, working closely with the bands various record labels, to making sure other members, at the height of 1980s rock n roll decadence were present and accounted for when it came time to get the work done…”i think i even drove the tour bus once or twice back then” says Waldo… in fact it was Jimmy himself who personally selected Steve Vai out of a number of other contenders for the guitarist position in 1984 when Yngwie Malmsteen chose to move on to his own distinguished solo career.. “alot of people have come and gone over the years” says Jimmy… “It’s kept it fresh and we are hardly the only band like that, we still have myself and Gary still holding down the frontline from that early era” Chris Impellitteri historically was one such player in line for the job, who may not have made it into the bands ranks back in 1984, but who in 2020 finally recorded with the band as a special guest on the successful “Born Innocent” album (co-produced by Giles and Jimmy).

Bassist Gary Shea, he who named the band and designed the bands logo no less… came up with the above-mentioned iconic album titles (lets also not forget “Live Sentence”) as noted above, has been flying the Alcatrazz flag with Jimmy for over 4 decades now and is looking forward to this next phase. Gary’s recently published book “No Bass, No Party” is also an essential read for those wanting to delve deeper into the Alcatrazz story!

During an appearance on the "Mark And Me" podcast, Jerry Cantrell spoke about his involvement with the soundtrack to the movie "Sinners", which was released on April 18. The ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist/vocalist contributed a song called "In Moonlight" in collaboration with the film's Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson ("Oppenheimer", "Black Panther"). Cantrell was put in contact with Göransson by METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich who is credited as a performer on the song "Bury That Guitar" from the film's score.

Jerry said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It just fell in my lap three weeks ago. My buddy Lars called me up, and he was working with Ludwig Göransson on a score for a movie called 'Sinners'. And he said he and [Academy Award-nominated] director Ryan Coogler were [listening to a lot of] ALICE and stuff while they were kind of working on this movie. And Ludwig had this piece of music which was kind of like the theme of the whole movie — it kind of recurrs throughout the movie — and he wanted me to try to write a song to it. So he pit me in touch with them. That was, like, two and a half, three weeks ago, and I delivered it last week, and it turned out really great. It's a song called 'In Moonlight', and it's gonna be on the soundtrack for 'Sinners' that comes out on the 18th, I think."

Speaking about where he gets the inspiration to continue making new music, Jerry said:  "The drive is still there. And I think that should be apparent from the last couple of years of what I've kind of been doing personally with the creative groups that I've been involved with, including ALICE. Shit's always happening. Opportunities present themselves where they do. I think in this business, for me, you've gotta have patience not to force shit. It's okay to step away once in a while, recharge your batteries, keep creative during that whole period and have a long view. It's not about short sprints; it's about the marathon. You wanna last and try to keep that creative fire alive so that when opportunities present themselves or you create the opportunities for yourself just by being in motion with other talented people, that's enough for me."

He continued: "I did a tour last summer with my friend Gavin Rossdale [of BUSH] on the 'I Want Blood' tour. I went out with them. It was kind like a pre-tour before my [latest solo] album dropped. And we did an interview together. And he said something that really stuck with me. Inevitably, somebody was, like, 'What's your favorite gig? What was your favorite gig ever?' And I'm horrible at shit — [naming] favorites. And he's, like, 'The next one.' And I was, like, 'Fuck, that's fucking perfect, man.' The next one — that's my best gig. The fucking next one. That's a good attitude and a good view, and I relate to that."

The "Sinners" soundtrack also featured ALABAMA SHAKES' Brittany Howard, blues icon Buddy Guy, rapper Rod Wave and R&B artist Raphael Saadiq.

Earlier this month, "Sinners" became the highest domestic-grossing original movie since 2017's "Coco", passing the $200 million mark in the U.S. and Canada.

Written and directed by Coogler, "Sinners" stars Michael B. Jordan in a dual role as twins Smoke and Stack, joined by Oscar nominee Hailee Steinfeld, Jack O'Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Miles Caton and Delroy Lindo.

The film is produced by Zinzi Coogler, Sev Ohanian and Ryan Coogler. The executive producers are Ludwig Göransson, Will Greenfield and Rebecca Cho.

Coogler told The Breakfast Club that the grunge genre, pioneered by ALICE IN CHAINS and other Seattle rock bands, was a major influence on "Sinners".

"I started listening to it, bro, and I was, like, 'This shit is like what my uncle used to play': the blues," he said. "I'm listening to it, I'm listening to the guitar riffs and what they're talking about and the passion they're singing with, and I'm, like, 'That's odd.' I dug into the research, man, and that's exactly what it is: it's just blues music sung by white people."

Jerry's latest solo album, the aforementioned "I Want Blood", was recently reimagined as a spoken-word series, featuring video animations by Boy Tillekens. Additional collaborators on the project include Barresi, Greg Puciato (BETTER LOVERS, THE BLACK QUEEN),Roy Mayorga (MINISTRY),Gil Sharone (STOLEN BABIES, TEAM SLEEP),Rani Sharone (STOLEN BABIES),George Adrian (THE MAYBIRDS),composer Vincent Jones, and producer Michael Rozon.

Cantrell's first headlining tour supporting "I Want Blood" kicked off on January 31 in Niagara Falls, with FILTER opening on all dates.

Cantrell's previous solo album, "Brighten", came out in October 2021. The LP was Jerry's first project without ALICE IN CHAINS in 19 years.

Jerry's career outside of ALICE IN CHAINS has consisted of two other solo albums and contributions to major film soundtracks. Cantrell's first solo album, "Boggy Depot", was released in 1998, followed by his second album, "Degradation Trip". In addition to his solo artist work, Jerry has released music on soundtracks for several films, including "Spider-Man", "The Cable Guy", "John Wick 2", "Last Action Hero" and "The Punisher".

ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with singer William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.

Photo credit: Darren Craig

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Former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler says that getting the call to play with one of his favorite bands, MEGADETH, was a "dream come true".

Adler played drums on MEGADETH's 2016 album "Dystopia" and took part in most of the band's live shows in support of the CD between January and May of that year. On those shows in late 2015 and early 2016 where Adler was unable to perform with MEGADETH, he was temporarily replaced by Tony Laureano (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, NILE, ANGELCORPSE),the veteran extreme-metal skinsman who had worked as the band's drum tech since 2011. Since May 2016, MEGADETH has utilized the services of Dirk Verbeuren, the Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer who had previously played with SOILWORK for more than a decade.

In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, Adler stated about what it was like to work with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine:  "Oh, man. [It was a] dream come true. Yeah. Everybody loves to pick on Dave, and I feel bad for him. He had a rough time growing up, and I know his whole story, and we spent a lot of time talking about stuff. And Dave's a really — he's a very nice guy. He's troubled, but in a way that makes him one of the best in the world. And, man, can that guy play guitar — it's unreal.

"When I was a kid, skateboarding or whatever, I got the cassette tape, listened to all this punk rock and all that stuff and I heard that MEGADETH song, and that really set me on the path to do everything that I did," Chris explained. So to get that call was a dream come true."

Reflecting on his studio sessions with MEGADETH, Chris said: "It started with… We met a few times just to see if we'd be able to get along. We had met in 2005 on a tour and got along then fairly well. And so he brought me to Nashville. I think for about two or three months he rented me a house in Nashville near him. And we would get together at a studio that was kind of in the middle and just jam all the time. It was just me and him for, I think, two months, kind of writing the stuff and going over the stuff. They had a great engineer, Chris Rakestraw, that was there helping us put parts together and thinking about stuff. And I was totally wide-eyed, [and it was] like a dream-come-true kind of moment. But I was still professional about it in that I know I'm only here for the session work. But that turned out so well that basically he asked me to be in the band, and two years later we're touring the world and the thing wins a Grammy, which was insane. [That was] maybe another thing that caused tension in LAMB OF GOD. I had done a record with PROTEST THE HERO that won them a [Canadian] Grammy [equivalent]. Now I go join MEGADETH and that wins a Grammy. What's going on here? But, yeah, it was a thrill."

Elaborating on his personal relationship with Mustaine, Adler said: "Because of really who he is and the attention that he would have in any room that he would walk into, it's hard to get into that inner circle. But once you're in, he's the most generous, nicest, kindest guy. He's got a beautiful family. They're all wonderful people. I understand the defenses, the walls that are built up a little bit, just for his own protection, really. Maybe he could have said things differently here and there along the way. It's not for me to say. But we had a amazing time together, and I still consider him a friend and it was an honor to be a part of that for as long as I was."

Dirk was recommended for the MEGADETH job by Adler, who called Verbeuren "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

During a July 2016 press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, Mustaine said that Adler was never a full-time member of MEGADETH and was merely "a session guy" for the "Dystopia" album and some of the subsequent shows. "It was what you could call 'work for hire,'" he said.

Four months earlier, Mustaine told the South Orange, New Jersey radio station WSOU that he "thought it was really inspiring being around [Chris] and his positive energy and really optimistic outlook towards life and music in general. It was good for me [and] it was good for the band."

Asked in a 2021 interview with Saint Virus Bar how he landed the MEGADETH gig, Chris said: "I'm in L.A. I'm recording drums for [LAMB OF GOD's 'VII: Sturm Und Drang' album]. We had been on tour in 2005 with MEGADETH. And I get a call really early in the morning — like, six in the morning. And it is Dave Mustaine's guitar tech, a guy named Willie G who I became good friends with along the tour; a great guy. And Willie's, like, 'Hey, your phone's gonna ring in about five minutes, and you should answer it.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Sure.' And the phone rings in five minutes, and it's Dave. And Dave's, like, 'Hey, I enjoyed touring with you. Good chat now and then.' He's not a particularly social guy on tour, but we did hang out a couple of times for breakfast or whatever. And he's, like, 'There's a lot of people that I really trust that tell me you're somebody that I think I should be talking to right now. I'd really like to go back and make a pretty sick thrash record, and I'm interested in having you be a part of that, if you'd like to be.' And it was a 'Candid Camera' kind of moment. 'Is something happening?' It really was the band that changed my life, and now I'm on a phone call that's about to change my life again."

Back in October 2015, Adler spoke to the "Eddie Trunk Podcast" about what he thought about MEGADETH's "Th1rt3en" (2011) and "Super Collider" (2013) albums and how that affected his involvement in the making of "Dystopia". He said: "They were not my favorite MEGADETH records, but I think it's great that that band has been able to do those things — whatever they wanted to do — and not try to please everybody, and it's not gonna be the same every single time. Just even creatively, within LAMB OF GOD, doing this song that we have, 'Overlord', it's nice to be able to just, once in a while, stretch out and do something people might not expect or just indulge your creative path in a different way. So I think it's cool that [Mustaine] did that. But, yeah, it was super intimidating for me to come in and do that, because this guy's my hero. Now, the big thing was none of the material was stinker stuff. I mean, the guy is writing amazing stuff just all day long; in his sleep he's writing better riffs than… well, the whole world. So there was never a time where I came in and said, 'I really don't like this. This sucks,' or something like that. It was just more like, 'Well, what do you think about speeding it up? What do you think about making this part a little bit shorter, making this part a little bit longer?' And I felt like it was important for me to do that, because he could have hired anybody to come in there and just do what they were told. And I felt like the reason that he did call me, and maybe that the reason there were no other auditions, is because he didn't want me to come in there and just say, 'Yes, yes, yes.' I felt like it was important for me to try and contribute. And when it became obvious that he was open to it, I was thrilled to be now in the process and not just be a hired guy."

Regarding some MEGADETH fans' desire to see the band make an all-out thrash album and how "Dystopia" fit into that, Chris told the "Eddie Trunk Podcast" at the time: "Well, I am a MEGADETH fan, and that's exactly what I want as well. And now I'm in MEGADETH, and I seem to have the ear of the creator. So, I feel like it's absolutely the best that MEGADETH can be right now at putting out a thrash metal record. And that is not in any way… I'm not trying to step back from that idea, but 1990 is never gonna happen again; it's just not gonna happen. You can't write 'Peace Sells Part 2', LAMB OF GOD couldn't write 'New American Gospel Part 2'. People move on from those times, including the listeners. Everybody wants the album you did two albums ago, and that's just always the way it's gonna be for every band. So I think Dave was on the same page as me, which was: 'Now is the time to really speed things up. Let's get thrashy.' And I think that's why he called me, and I pushed for that the whole time. And I didn't have to push hard; it was already there. The material is insane."

In a 2015 interview with "The Jasta Show", Chris stated about the songwriting sessions for "Dystopia": "When I first heard the demos, it was well played and it was drum machine, drum samples and stuff, and it wasn't really, kind of, my style of playing. It felt like, kind of, what had been going on before, where it was just [hums a basic beat]. And I really wanted to not have to do that. And so, right away, I brought that up [to Dave]. I said, 'Listen, I'm thankful that you're calling me. But are you calling me because somebody is telling you to call me, or are you calling me because you've heard what I've done and you want me to do some of that — at least some of that — on your record. Because this stuff that's on here is not… that's not cool.'"

Adler went on to say that Mustaine was open to suggestions during the songwriting process. "For example, we did a [cover of a] song called 'Foreign Policy' by FEAR — and old punk rock tune — and it was fun," he said. "And it's a punk rock tune. But as we soon as we learned it… We learned it and played it in one day. And I'm throwing in a ton of double bass. And he stops the song in the middle. He's, like, 'Woah woah woah. What's with the double bass? It's a punk rock song. What are you doing?' I was, like, 'Yeah, it's a punk rock song. But FEAR was a punk rock band. MEGADETH is a metal band. This is MEGADETH. Let's do this the MEGADETH way.' And we kind of moved on to other things. And the next day he came back in. He said, 'You know what?! I was thinking about that last night. You're right, man.' He was, like, 'Let's do this. Let's make it MEGADETH.'"

Fan-filmed video of FOREIGNER's entire May 7 concert at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile can be seen below.

Handling lead vocals for most of the set was FOREIGNER guitarist Luis Maldonado, while original FOREIGNER vocalist Lou Gramm joined in for the last four songs.

Featured songs:

00:00 Preshow
01:50 Intro
03:09 Double Vision
06:47 Head Games
12:30 Cold As Ice
17:55 Waiting For A Girl Like You
24:00 That Was Yesterday
28:37 Dirty White Boy
33:25 Feels Like The First Time
38:50 Urgent
47:00 Keyboard Solo (Michael Bluestein)
52:00 Drum Solo (Chris Frazier)
56:00 Juke Box Hero (with Lou Gramm)
1:08:17 Long, Long Way From Home (with Lou Gramm)
1:11:30 I Want To Know What Love Is (with Lou Gramm) (first verses in Spanish)
1:19:00 Hot Blooded (with Lou Gramm)
1:27:13 Post-show final

FOREIGNER kicked off its spring 2025 Latin American tour on April 28 at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico.

In March, FOREIGNER singer Kelly Hansen released a statement regarding his absence from the band's Latin American and Canadian tours. The 64-year-old vocalist, who has fronted the legendary rockers for the past two decades, said: "We had a great start to our touring year with a sold-out run in Florida, and I am so looking forward to continuing my journey with this incredible band.

"However, some residency issues have forced me to limit appearances outside of the USA this year and this means that I will miss some international shows," he explained. "FOREIGNER's upcoming South American run will feature our incredible bandmate Luis Maldonado, who has been recording some of our hits in Spanish, and he will be handling most of the lead vocals along with Lou Gramm who will be guesting with FOREIGNER for those shows. I know they will smash it!

"FOREIGNER is touring Canada in the fall as a prelude to the launch of a production of 'Juke Box Hero', the musical featuring our songs, and I unfortunately will miss that one too. Luis Maldonado will handle the lead vocals but in order to focus attention on the musical, we have asked Canada's own Geordie Brown, who starred in the original workshop productions in Calgary and Edmonton and the sold-out run in Toronto at the Ed Mirvish Theater, to sing a few songs in our set. I know Luis and Geordie will do a great job on this leg, and I can't wait to hear how it goes!"

Prior to the Mexico City concert, Gramm most recently joined FOREIGNER's current lineup on stage at the end of the band's March 15 concert at the BayCare Sound in Clearwater, Florida to perform two of the legendary rock group's classic songs, "I Want To Know What Love Is" and "Hot Blooded".

Gramm previously said he planned to retire at the end of 2024, but later revealed that he was in talks to make appearances at "select" tour dates with FOREIGNER's current lineup in 2025. Bassist Rick Wills and drummer Dennis Elliott are also expected to appear at some shows, including FOREIGNER's upcoming Las Vegas residency.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

The 75-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle in 2018 that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows that year.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

FOREIGNER's 13-city Canadian tour will begin on October 21 in St. John's, Newfoundland and conclude on November 7 in Kelowna, British Columbia. The tour includes a stop in Brown's hometown at Halifax's Scotiabank Centre on October 24. Canadian rockers 54-40 will provide support.

The last time Brown joined FOREIGNER on stage was for a surprise appearance on the final night of the band's "Cold As Ice" tour in Halifax in March 2019. Brown has stayed in touch with the band in recent years and was in Cleveland this past fall when they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

After wowing audiences and critics alike with a sold-out premiere in 2023, Birmingham Royal Ballet's hit production of "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" will commence a U.K. tour in autumn 2025.

Hot on the heels of BLACK SABBATH's farewell gig at Villa Park in their hometown of Birmingham this summer, "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" will return with a homecoming at Birmingham Hippodrome from September 18 to September 27 following dates in Europe and the USA. The production will then visit Manchester's The Lowry, Salford for the first time (October 8-11) before returning to Theatre Royal Plymouth (October 16-18),Sadler's Wells, London (October 22-25) and finishing with a Scottish premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre (October 30 - November 1).

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

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

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

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

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

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

The eight BLACK SABBATH tracks featured are:

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

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

The U.S. premiere of "Black Sabbath - The Ballet" will take place at Virginia Arts Festival at Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, Virginia in May, with performances set for Friday, May 30 (7:30 p.m.) and Saturday, May 31 (2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.).

Five other U.S. dates (June 4-8, 2025) are scheduled at The Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Watch below as METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett becomes the first to unbox the long-awaited remastered deluxe box set of METALLICA's "Load" album.

Dubbed "The Whole Kitchen Sink", the box includes more than 10 pounds of content across six pieces of vinyl, 15 CDs, four DVDs, a 128-page book and reproduced memorabilia.

Available for pre-order now, this deluxe box set — along with the standard 180g 2LP, CD, cassette and digital (including a Spatial Audio mix using Atmos),and a 3CD Expanded Edition — hits stores on Friday, June 13 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings.

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering with Greg Fidelman overseeing, the "Load" remastered limited-edition deluxe box set is available now for pre-order at Metallica.com, where full package details and track listings can be viewed. Pre-orders of the deluxe box will receive instant grat tracks "Until It Sleeps (Remastered)", "Until It Sleeps (Herman Melville Mix)", "F.O.B.D. ('Until It Sleeps' Rough Chorus Vocal Idea Mix)" and "Until It Sleeps (Live at Slim's, San Francisco, CA - June 10th, 1996)".

"Load (Remastered)" will be released in formats, including standard 180g 2LP, CD, cassette and digital (including a Spatial Audio mix using Atmos). Standard pre-orders receive "Until It Sleeps (Remastered)" IG, expanded edition pre-orders receive "Until It Sleeps (Remastered)" and "F.O.B.D. ('Until It Sleeps' Rough Chorus Vocal Idea Mix)" IGs. The 2LP, 3CD expanded and deluxe digital versions for the first time ever feature the extended version of "The Outlaw Torn", originally edited for release due to time constraints of the CD format.

The "Load" remastered limited edition deluxe box set is an ambitious and comprehensive time capsule of 1995-97 era METALLICA, jam-packed with exclusives including previously unreleased demos, rough mixes, live performances, on-air and television appearances, and much more. The one-time pressing will include the remastered "Load" album on 180g double vinyl, a "Mama Said" picture disc, and "Loadapalooza '96", a 140g triple album recorded live during METALLICA's Lollapalooza headlining run at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre on August 4, 1996. The set's 15 CDs range from the remastered "Load" album to never-before-released collected riffs, demos and rough mixes, B-Sides and rarities, and a wealth of live material, while its four DVDs offer a plethora of behind the scenes, in-studio and live footage, on-air and television appearances, the band's Polar Beach Party visit to Tuktoyaktuk, Canada, and more. Rounding out the box's content are memorabilia including a pack of 14 Rorschach Test cards, a Pushead patch, an 11x17 Lollapalooza poster, a Rolling Stone cover reproduction, a five-pack of guitar/bass picks, lyric sheets, two laminated tour passes and a deluxe 128-page book.

Originally released June 4, 1996, "Load" was the second METALLICA album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, where it would remain for four straight weeks. The 1995 sessions at The Plant in Sausalito, California that resulted in "Load" (as well as 1997's "Reload") would find guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, drummer Lars Ulrich, guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted creating yet another landmark of the METALLICA catalog. Currently, two of "Load"'s four singles — "Until It Sleeps" and "King Nothing" — have been lighting up crowds the world over in regular rotation on the setlists of the band's "M72" world tour.

Released in 1996, "Load" marked a new direction for METALLICA, featuring what one critic has described as "a fresh take on LYNYRD SKYNYRD-tinged boogie rock for the 1990s."

Although "Load" and 1997's "Reload" were warmly received by critics at the time, they've since taken their place among the most reviled work of METALLICA's career.

In a 2013 interview with Revolver magazine, Ulrich said that "Load" and "Reload" are "great records" that "are creatively on par with every other record we've made. Obviously, they're bluesier records, and at that time, we were listening to a lot of LED ZEPPELIN, DEEP PURPLE and AC/DC, and we had a different kind of foundation than records before or after," he said. "And I understand that there are people who couldn't quite figure out what was going on with the haircuts and the rest of it, and that's fine. But musically, if you strip all that other stuff away, if you just listen to the 27 songs — 'Load' and 'Reload' were intended as one double-record — it's a great collection of songs that is on par with everything else that we've done creatively."

Hetfield has repeatedly expressed his dislike of the "Load" album cover and its inspiration, telling Classic Rock magazine in a 2009 interview: "Lars and Kirk [Hammett, guitar] were very into abstract art, pretending they were gay. I think they knew it bugged me. It was a statement around all that. I love art, but not for the sake of shocking others. I think the cover of 'Load' was just a piss-take around all that. I just went along with the make-up and all of this crazy, stupid shit that they felt they needed to do."

In a 2017 interview with Clash, Hetfield was asked if the band had to make certain compromises along the way in order to be accepted by the mainstream. He responded in part: "As far as doing something that doesn't feel right, I'm sure there's been a few times that it's happened — the 'Load' and 'Reload' era, for me, was one of those; the way that was looking, I wasn't 100 percent on with it, but I would say that that was a compromise. I said, 'I'm going with Lars's and Kirk's vision on this. You guys are extremely passionate about this, so I'll jump on board, because if the four of us are into it, it's going to be better.' So I did my best with it, and it didn't pan out as good as I was hoping, but, again, there's no regrets, because at the time it felt like the right thing to do."

Following the "Load"/"Reload" albums and tour, METALLICA went into a tailspin that resulted in Newsted's exit of, Hetfield spending the better part of a year in rehab and the band nearly splitting up.

In a 2016 interview with TeamRock, Hetfield was asked what he thought late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton might have felt about the drastic changes in METALLICA's look and sound that the band made through the 1990s and early 2000s with albums like "Load", "Reload" and "St. Anger". Hetfield replied: "Well, I certainly would have thought there would have been some resistance, for sure. I think the 'Black Album' was a great album and I appreciate the fact that we did have the balls to do that… I would certainly think that the 'Load' and 'Reload' [era], I would have had an ally that was very against it all — the reinvention or the U2 version of METALLICA."

California rock veterans BUCKCHERRY will release their eleventh album, "Roar Like Thunder", on June 13. The official lyric video for the LP's third single, "Set It Free", can be seen below. The clip was filmed in Los Angeles and directed by Tom Flynn. The video follows the release of videos for the tracks "Roar Like Thunder" and "Come On", both of which are also available below.

As with 2023's "Vol. 10" and 2021's "Hellbound", "Roar Like Thunder" was recorded in Nashville at Sienna Studios and helmed by producer and songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others. All 10 tracks were written by BUCKCHERRY vocalist Josh Todd, BUCKCHERRY guitarist Stevie Dacanay (a.k.a. Stevie D.) and Frederiksen.

"Roar Like Thunder" will be released in North America by Round Hill Records, in Japan by Sony Japan and in the remainder of the world by Earache Records.

"Roar Like Thunder" track listing:

01. Roar Like Thunder
02. When The Sun Goes Down
03. Come On
04. Talking Bout Sex
05. Blackout
06. I Go Boom
07. Set It Free
08. Hello Goodbye
09. Machine Gun
10. Let It Burn

In a recent interview with Stefs Rock Show, Dacanay stated about the making of "Roar Like Thunder": "Josh and I usually start a year before the recording process. We start demoing here [at my home studio in Los Angeles]. And we'll do it on the road. I have a road rig that I bring with [me], and we just start documenting ideas. And then what we do, we set aside a few weeks somewhere along the way and we get with our producer, Marti Frederiksen. He's become like the sixth member of the band… And when we write with Marti, he's in Nashville, so we fly out there in between tours. And what we do is we take all these ideas and we kind of flesh them out more. So from, let's say, 20 ideas, we'll kind of whittle those down to eight, nine, and we'll have songwriting sessions and come up with 10 songs for an album."

In January, Josh told TalkShopLive about "Roar Like Thunder": "It's really great. It's a rocking record from beginning to end. You guys are gonna really love it. We labored over the songwriting for a long time, and it's a lot of fun from beginning to end."

In December, Todd told Indie Power TV about BUCKCHERRY's working relationship with Frederiksen: "Yeah, our relationship with Marti goes way back. We co-wrote 'Sorry' with Marti way back on [the] '15' [album], and then 'Black Butterfly' and 'Confessions'. Marti was all part of all that. It's just unfortunate that we didn't get to continue with him because of the politics in B.C. at the time. So, long story short, it's been great to be back with him. I don't ever wanna do a record without him, and he knows that. He understands this band for what's special about BUCKCHERRY, bringing out those elements in us. I think we bring out elements in him that he likes, and we work as a team. We do what's best for the song. We leave the egos at the door and we get to it and we always make great stuff. So it's been a lot of fun making records."

He added: "And [Marti's] got a mini-me. His son is Evan Frederiksen, and he's on this record too. And he was on the last record, and he's really so Marti-ish. And he's gonna be a big player down the line too. He's great. He's very talented. And just like Marti — Marti started on drums; that was his instrument. And then [Marti] eventually got into songwriting, and he can play guitar and he sings and he does it all. He's always writing with somebody at all times, so he's just a wealth of information. And I always learn so much doing records with him."

In November, Dacanay told Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic about BUCKCHERRY's working relationship with Marti: "We've known him for a very long time. About 20 years ago, he co-wrote [the song] 'Sorry' and then produced the 'Black Butterfly' album after that. So we've known him since then, but we got together with him for [2021's] 'Hellbound' album. We reconnected and, in my opinion, we've done some stuff, sonically and musically, that's been really great. And I love the process. I love coming here [to his studio in Nashville] and working with him. It's such an inspiring kind of environment. And there's a lot of history here at the studio and the vibe here just is real conducive to creating. But yeah, working with Marti, and his son now is an integral part of this camp, a lot gets done pretty quickly. And, yeah, I can't say enough good stuff about this place."

Dacanay went on to speak in more detail about the BUCKCHERRY songwriting process, saying: "There's a considerable amount of preparation before we actually get in here to track the album. So we'll spend the year writing and demoing songs, and then we'll pick out the songs we wanna focus on. And then I'll make a demo of the 10 songs and give 'em to the rest of the guys — Kelly [LeMieux, bass], Francis [Ruiz, drums] and Billy [Rowe, guitar]. They'll learn the songs in kind of what they wanna do their parts. And then we'll all fly in… What happened this time is we all flew in pretty early in the morning and just started cranking it out. And these guys are — they're crackerjacks. So they can get in and do their respective parts in a day, 10 songs, and then their second day would be about just touch-ups or revisions or something like that. But each guy knocks his parts out in a couple days. So they were in and out of here in four or five days, I believe. We had two studios going. There's four studios here. So at one point we'll have two rooms going — one with, let's say Billy's in one room and Kelly's in another tracking or Francis. Francis, at one point, was the only one… When he starts it off, there's nothing else to start recording, so Francis goes first and knocks out the majority of it, and then everyone else just starts jumping in."

"Vol. 10" came out in June 2023. The 11-song LP featured 10 new BUCKCHERRY originals and, as a bonus track, a cover of the Bryan Adams classic "Summer Of 69".

In November 2023, BUCKCHERRY released a new holiday song called "Tell 'Em It's Christmas".

BUCKCHERRY previously released another holiday song, "Christmas Is Here", back in 2010.

In the summer of 2020, BUCKCHERRY recruited JETBOY's Rowe as its new guitarist. He joined the group as the replacement for Kevin Roentgen, who left BUCKCHERRY in July of that year.

In 2019, BUCKCHERRY enlisted Ruiz as its new drummer. He joined the group as the replacement for Sean Winchester, who exited BUCKCHERRY after laying down the drum tracks on "Warpaint".

The 20th-anniversary deluxe edition of the double-platinum BUCKCHERRY album "15" on physical and digital formats arrived on January 17 via Endurance Music Group. Originally released in 2005, the album featured the four-times-platinum single "Crazy Bitch" and the two-times-platinum single "Sorry". The deluxe edition was issued in North America on a two-vinyl-LP format featuring the album's 11 original songs as well as four bonus tracks recorded in 2005 and three newly recorded acoustic tracks by Todd and Dacanay.

BUCKCHERRY will perform the "15" album in its entirety on all 2025 tour dates which begin in March.

Photo credit: Tommy Sommers

Longtime Alice Cooper guitarist Ryan Roxie is back with "Better Than You", marking his most recent music output since contributing to Cooper's 2023 album "Road".

The new single was launched together with a uniquely disturbing interview: Ryan Roxie being interviewed by his younger clone, an exact A.I. copy of himself. The complete interview was written and executed by A.I.

With "Better Than You", Roxie takes on the digital age with satirically biting lyrics and a guitar-driven punch.

Roxie says: "This one came from the perspective of the 'doom scroller' — which, let's be honest, could be all of us these days. We scroll through the night, watching everyone else live their best lives, and we get hit with suspicion, FOMO, etc… but maybe, just maybe, we realize our own lives really aren't so bad after all. In fact, WE may be better off than what is being visually force-fed to us."

Known for his storytelling approach to songwriting, Roxie sees music as his therapy.

"The good, the bad, the ugly — it's all in there if you follow the lyrics," he says. "But that's the thing, these feelings aren't just mine. They're inside all of us. That's why I tell as many people as I can to pick up an instrument and write their own songs. Plus, it's cheaper than a therapist."

But "Better Than You" isn't just about the message — it's part of a bigger release strategy that Roxie is rolling out for 2025 and 2026. Instead of the traditional album-first approach, he's embracing a singles-first model, much like the early days of THE BEATLES and THE ROLLING STONES.

"The plan is to release songs in small batches — giving each track its own moment," Ryan says. "We spend so much time writing, rehearsing, and recording, why not let every song have its time in the sun? Then, once we have enough, we'll put them together as an album and celebrate them all over again."

Roxie first joined Alice's band in 1996 and toured, wrote and recorded with him for much of the next ten years, including the albums "Fistful Of Alice", "The Eyes Of Alice Cooper" and "Dirty Diamonds", along with the live DVDs "Brutally Live" and "Live At Montreux". After several years absence, Ryan rejoined Alice's band in time for the legendary rocker's 2012 "No More Mr Nice Guy" tour.

For more on Ryan Roxie, his new music, and the All Excess Pass, visit www.ryanroxie.com.

Press photo credit: Victor Chalfant

In a new interview with Mexico's Summa Inferno, SABATON's frontman, co-founder and principal songwriter Joakim Brodén spoke about the band's latest single, "Templars", which marks SABATON's debut release under the group's new record label, Better Noise. The song tells the tale of the rise and fall of the Templar Order, a brotherhood of warrior-monks founded in 1119 after the First Crusade, dedicated to protecting pilgrims and sacred Christian sites in the Holy Land. In 1307, King Philip IV of France betrayed them, driven by greed. He seized their wealth and ordered the arrest and execution of many, including their Grand Master — the supreme commander of the holy order. Asked if the rest of SABATON's upcoming album will also focus on the Crusades, a series of religious wars between Christians and Muslims started primarily to secure control of holy sites considered sacred by both groups, Joakim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't wanna spoil the surprise, but let's just say the next album will not be about World War I or II. We wanna wait with the announcement. It's a different theme, but I can reveal it's not only gonna cover sort of the Crusader era. There will be more there. There is a concept, for sure, and a theme for the album."

Brodén went on to say that SABATON completed work on the follow-up to 2022's "The War To End All Wars" album before he and his bandmates signed with Better Noise. "We have had this in the bag for quite some time, but, as with everything else, things take time — timing, sorting everything out," he explained. "But, yeah, we've been with [SABATON's longtime label] Nuclear Blast for a long time and we're still really good friends, so there's no animosity there or bad blood. We just thought it was time for the next step."

Asked how he and his SABATON bandmates decide which topics to cover in their songs, in light of the fact that their lyrics primarily focus on military history, particularly focusing on wars, battles, and acts of heroism, Joakim said: "Ooh, that's a good question. It's a weird answer, though. Sometimes it's not really us deciding. In many cases we start with a theme or the concept of an album first, which then limits us, or sets the scene sort of — this is what we're working with — because we need to create those limitations for the creative process for us. It helps us, actually. And then let's say we decided a hundred years of the Swedish Empire, let's tell that story, but then at that point, we didn't know exactly which stories. And in some ways, some of those are the ones we decided ourselves and we researched a lot, some of those stories we decided we were gonna do, we didn't have the right music that would fit it or we couldn't tell the story the way we wanted. And sometimes it's actually fans writing us over the years. On certain albums, we've had e-mails from fans, like three years earlier, and it was, like, 'Oh, that's a great idea. Maybe we'll do something on that one day.' So our fans are a huge inspiration helping us out, because every nation has their own sort of history. And it's uncommon for, let's say, Scandinavians to know too much about Latin American history, and vice versa, I would guess. I mean, obviously we are aware of the Conquista and you are aware of the Vikings, but that's sort of where it ends. So sometimes it's also the song that decides, because we have a piece of music and we knew what the theme was, but we didn't know which exact battle. And then the song decides the lyrics and the story."

Last month, Brodén spoke to El Cuartel Del Metal 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.

The strikingly cinematic "Templars" video 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.

SABATON — Joakim Brodén (vocals),Pär Sundström (bass),Chris Rörland (guitar),Thobbe Englund (guitar),Hannes Van Dahl (drums) — has always had a signature focus on writing songs about historical battles, wars, and acts of heroism that have solidified their impact with their loyal and longtime fans. SABATON has accumulated more than three billion streams across all streaming platforms and almost two billion views on YouTube.

Better Noise Music is known for its creative artist development, innovative cross-media strategies, and ability to build international success stories. It was named Billboard's No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Label and No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint of 2024, after its history-making run of five consecutive years as the No. 1 Mainstream Rock Airplay Imprint (2018-2022). In 2023 Allen Kovac moved up to chairman role and over the last two and a half years the company has been run by Dan Waite CEO, Steve Kline COO and president, Harris Masood CFO and Paul Cormack GM.

Since SABATON's 2005 debut LP, the band has released 10 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 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.

When SLIPKNOT played at The O2 arena in London, England last December, the band's guitarist Jim Root spoke to Guitar Interactive's Jonathan Graham about the possibility of a follow-up to SLIPKNOT's 2022 album "The End, So Far". Asked if he and his bandmates have been working on new music, Root said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Not diligently. Honestly, we've been touring so much since [drummer] Eloy [Casagrande] joined the band that my inspiration is nearly zero. And there's a bunch of music that was written during COVID that I'm not interested in. And I think everybody else in the band gets it too, and I think they're kind of, like, 'Okay, we need to just kind of, like, maybe sweep all that shit under a rug and start fresh.' And I wanna get touring behind us. I wanna have at least a month off just to shut my brain off and sleep and all that kind of stuff. And then when I find myself going out to my little home studio and putting riffs together, then I'll know it's time to start."

A year ago, SLIPKNOT revealed that a new song "Long May You Die" was recorded during some of the early sessions with Casagrande.

In an interview with Brazil's Veja São Paulo, Eloy hinted that he and his new bandmates had worked on new material together, saying: "I think that was also part of the audition. They threw new ideas at me to see what my songwriting was like," he said. "They wanted to test me in every way."

However, Casagrande clarified that "I'm still trying to understand how the dynamics of the band work. It's not so clear yet how things work in terms of records and new songs. We've written a few things, and they're shelved for the time being.

"I don't think there’s any pressure to record new material," he added. "But I'm sure they want to, I don't know when, because right now the band is focused on celebrating its 25th anniversary."

For of the band's gigs in 2024, SLIPKNOT adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT was celebrating its 25th anniversary last year.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer in March 2024, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA in February 2024, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA more than 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

"The End, So Far" arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

Jim Powers has uploaded video of AC/DC's entire May 8 concert at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Check it out below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
02. Back In Black
03. Demon Fire
04. Shot Down In Flames
05. Thunderstruck
06. Have A Drink On Me
07. Hells Bells
08. Shot In The Dark
09. Stiff Upper Lip
10. Highway To Hell
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. Sin City
13. Rock 'N' Roll Train
14. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
15. High Voltage
16. Riff Raff
17. You Shook Me All Night Long
18. Whole Lotta Rosie
19. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

20. T.N.T.
21. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

AC/DC kicked off its 2025 North American "Power Up" tour on April 10 at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

AC/DC — guitarist Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bass player Chris Chaney — is performing in 13 stadiums coast to coast this spring. This run will conclude on May 28 in Cleveland, Ohio at Huntington Bank Field. Along the way, they will play some of the most iconic and historic stadiums in the world, including Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on May 24. Support on the trek is coming from THE PRETTY RECKLESS.

AC/DC played the 24th and final concert of its "Power Up" European tour on August 17, 2024 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland.

The "Power Up" European tour marked AC/DC's first with the band's new touring lineup consisting of Johnson, Angus and Stevie Young, Laug and the latest addition to the group's touring lineup, Chaney.

The European tour was the first run of gigs since AC/DC's return to the stage at last year's Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

AC/DC's last tour took place in 2015 and 2016 and had a $180 million gross, with 2,310,061 sold tickets reported to the Pollstar box office.

Laug is an American drummer who has played with many bands/artists such as Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Vasco Rossi. Matt moved to Los Angeles after graduating from South Florence High School in 1986 and after attending college in L.A., Matt became a sought-after studio drummer.

In 2001, Laug supported AC/DC as part of SLASH'S SNAKEPIT on the North American and European legs of the "Stiff Upper Lip" tour.

In its announcement about Laug's addition to the band's Power Trip lineup, AC/DC offered no explanation for the absence of the band's longtime drummer Phil Rudd, who rejoined AC/DC for the recording of the group's comeback album, "Power Up", which came out in November 2020.

Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession. He was replaced on the band's "Rock Or Bust" tour by Chris Slade, who had previously served as AC/DC's drummer between 1989 and 1994, playing on the album "The Razor's Edge".

Rudd, who appeared on all but three of AC/DC's 18 previous studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.

AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist." At the time, Johnson had been AC/DC's singer for 36 years, ever since replacing the late Bon Scott in 1980 and making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.

To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, the now-77-year-old Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose, who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.

Ambrose, who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson previously said the technology could allow him to tour again.

Chaney is best known as the bassist of JANE'S ADDICTION and as a member of Alanis Morissette's touring and recording band. Chaney was also a member of TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS and CAMP FREDDY, as well as being a prolific and versatile session musician, having played with artists including Joe Cocker, Shakira, Slash and Avril Lavigne to Sara Bareilles, Gavin Degraw, Cher, SHINEDOWN and Celine Dion. Chaney is also a founding member and partner in the all-star supergroup ROYAL MACHINES along with Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION),Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY),Josh Freese (FOO FIGHTERS) and Billy Morrison (BILLY IDOL).

Bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement at the end of AC/DC's 2015-2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, which also saw Johnson leaving. However, Williams — and Johnson — took part in the recording sessions that resulted in "Power Up". Both of them were also part of the AC/DC lineup that performed at Power Trip.

During an October 2020 interview with Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Cliff was asked if Johnson's departure from the road was what led to his desire to stop touring. Cliff responded: "It was before then. I spoke to Angus about it initially. I was at a point — and this is at the beginning of the 'Rock Or Bust' tour — that I just felt, for me, it was time to hang it up. I knew that I didn't wanna keep doing these two-year tours, and I didn't wanna hold them back, so I made them aware of the fact that this was gonna be my last go-round. It was a tough tour to finish. God bless Axl for coming in and helping us out, finish it up. He did a great job. And at the end of that, I was definitely — that was it for me. Done — just done. That compounded the whole thing."

According to Williams, he wanted to take part in the recording sessions for "Power Up" as a tribute to Angus's late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up".

"If 'Back In Black' has [late AC/DC singer] Bon Scott all over it, for me, 'Power Up' has got Malcolm Young," Cliff said. "This is for him. And it's the band that we played together with for 40-plus years. And I wanted to do that — I wanted to come back and do that.

"We did some rehearsals earlier [in 2020] before this darn COVID thing popped up, and we had great rehearsals," he continued. "The band was playing really well. So [they asked me], 'Do you wanna do a few shows? 'Sure'. A few shows. We were planning on doing that. Everyone goes home to their respective homes, and bang, we've been here ever since [because of the coronavirus-related shutdown]."

Cliff went on to confirm that his commitment to AC/DC was only for "a few" dates in support of "Power Up".

"For both [my mental and physical] health," he said. "I definitely have some physical issues, which I won't bore you with the details of. But, yeah, it's tough. I'm very grateful for everything. It's been fantastic. But I just don't wanna do that anymore."

Williams previously revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd convinced him to rejoin the group. "It was like the old band back together," he told Rolling Stone. "It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that's been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn't want to miss that."

The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust", "Power Up" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust".