Children Of Bodom performed at the 2017 edition of Germany’s Summer Breeze Open Air, where WDR Rockpalast recorded their concert. Professionally-filmed footage of the band performing “Everytime I Die”, from their 2000 album, Follow The Reaper, can be viewed below:



The official Children Of Bodom book, to be published in August by Rocket 88, is now available for pre-order.

There are two editions to choose from, both of which contain the same fascinating and illuminating oral history of the band, as told by the members, friends and colleagues: the Classic hardback and the Signature hardback which is signed by Henkka Seppälä, Janne Wirman, Jaska Raatikainen and Alexander Kuoppala.

A message states: “Since we stopped making music and suffered the tragic loss of our brother Alexi, we’ve been remembering so many great times that we had together, and you can now read about those times in this book. It tells the full history of Children of Bodom in our own words.”

Description: For the first time members of the band tell the story of Children of Bodom in their own words. Henkka, Janne and Jaska recall the founding of the band with their lost brother Alexi and the struggles, adventures and triumphs they experienced in the more than thirty years that followed. Drawing on personal memories and new interviews with the band conducted by Finnish best-selling author and long-time friend of the band Timo Isoaho, the official Children of Bodom book tells the whole story, warts and all, of the groundbreaking melodic death metal band.”

Rock legend Billy Idol recently released his new single, “77”, featuring Avril Lavigne, from his new album Dream Into It, which came out on April 25 via Dark Horse Records. On April 28, he performed the song with Lavigne on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Check out the pro-shot video below.



In the following clip, Billy Idol talks about his signature snarl, being nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, making a documentary, kicking off his tour with Joan Jett, only having two pairs of leather pants on his Rebel Yell tour, whether or not the “Rebel Yell” lyrics “in the midnight hour she wants more, more, more” were about Demi Moore, how he came up with his hit song “Dancing With Myself”, the video for “White Wedding”, singing the national anthem at Jimmy’s son’s little league game in the ’90s, and whether or not people ever confuse him with Billie Eilish.

Darkyra is set to release their new album, Life Force, via Battlegod Productions on June 13. Order in Australia ($20 + Shipping $3.50) here, overseas (Euro/US: 13.00 Euro + Shipping 17.00 Euro) here

Life Force is the third release under the Darkyra brand. The album a joint venture between Drummer and Producer Garry King (Jeff Beck and Joe Lynn Turner) and singer/songwriter Gina Bafile (aka Darkyra / Darkyra Black; she also is the new lead singer of Anfitrite). The friendship between the two dates back a full decade and this is the third album they have worked on together this time co-produced and arranged by them both and Garry has mixed and edited everything at La Foret Studio, in the Southwest of France. The Darkyra sound is quite diverse combining Cinematic Metal, Epic Metal, Gothic Rock, Art Rock, Opera Metal and Progressive Rock. Blending both soaring operatic vocals and rock vocals. Memorable melodies, World class production and world class musicianship.

Singer/songwriter Gina Bafile says, “Darkyra has always been about uniting musicians from across the globe and we have continued this on Life Force. Over the years while Darkyra has been away from the music scene (last 8 years) the world has gone a little crazy, like the darkness is somehow starting to overshadow the light. Rather than creating a musical body of work that reinforces dark subject matters it was really important for us to balance the light with the dark. Metal music today seems to be all about doom and gloom. Although a good amount of the subject matter on this album is quite personal for Gina, having gone through her own health struggles and losing loved ones. We have tried to emphasize the upbeat and playful side of this album. ‘Life Force’ the title track sums up the playfulness and friendships forged from creating music and it is only fitting that this too was the title of this album. We hope everyone enjoys this new direction we have chosen and perhaps it’ll shed a little ray of light for those that have fallen on dark times.”

Peter Kotevski, President of Battlegod Productions states: “With Gina we have been in contact about working together for this album for some time now. It’s a band that is different to what Battlegod Productions normally releases but also it is quality music on a high level. It is great to have more variety on the label roster with a good professional band is all that is needed. The tracks are fantastic, each track has its own signature and grows on you with every listen. Highly recommended for people who adore their female fronted Rock/Metal.”

Darkyra has many influences, some of these being Kate Bush, Devin Townsend, Tarja Turunen, though preferring not to be pigeonholed into any one category but rather letting the mood predict the outcome and the voice narrate the many characters within each song. A few things are different on this album, the vocals are set further in the mix to give it more of a rock style edge and the music is less dominated by keyboards and synth. Part of their aim was to capture the essence of 80’s rock and combine it with gothic and progressive rock but emphasize the bass and low tuned guitars to still keep a semi metal sound. Lots of vocal layering.

So what’s the album about?

Life Force is a collection of songs based around both the light and dark aspects of human nature. It is a walk through an eclectic mind, cinematic storytelling driven by the push pull of good and evil, the inner and outer demons, slaves to a virtual world yet there are those still willing to give it all for a Celebrity Smile. Life Force we see it fade slowly in the sick as they slip away, we feel the vibrancy of the youth who have time and energy to play and within our memories the fallen forever loved, sometimes felt as if they remain. Life Force it flows within us all. It is the unity of friends across the globe, the creation of magic in the form of music. The spirit within that speaks volumes…. after all…THE WORLD IS A STAGE!

The album hashes out some real personal things. “All In Good Time” – Autism in early childhood, “Breathe” – Learning to pick yourself up after Cancer, “Tested The Water” – seperation, “Take Me Far Away” – looking for closure and somewhere to lay down roots, “One Foot in the Grave” – the elderly waiting for what seems to be an eternity to join their fallen loved ones, “Tomorrow Without You” – Watching a parent fall ill and pass away and trying to come to terms with the grief. “Life Force” – a reflection of the friendships formed through music stemming back a decade, and “Quiet the Mind” – a mind that just won’t stop to rest.



Tracklisting:

“Life Force”
“Take Me Far Away”
“Breathe”
“All In Good Time”
“One Foot In The Grave”
“Tomorrow Without You”
“Quiet The Mind”
“Leap Before You Die”
“Tested The Water” (Bonus track)
“Celebrity Smile”

“Life Force” lyric video:

Guitar legend, Yngwie Malmsteen, has released the video for “Rising Force”, from his brand new album, Tokyo Live, out now via Music Theories Recordings. Watch the clip below:



The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11th, 2024, as part of his 40th Anniversary World Tour. Calling upon an enormous catalogue of material, Malmsteen shredded his way through a furious set, backed by a mountainous Marshall stack wall. Talking about the live experience, Malmsteen adds, “Playing live in front of people is really what it’s all about. It’s exciting and dangerous because you have to take risks and there’s no fixing afterwards.”

Talking about Tokyo Live on the day of its release he said, “Playing live is where the magic is, it’s exciting and dangerous. I interact with the audience and I take chances, completely jumping over a cliff, and when it falls into place it’s the most amazing thrill. This show is a great snapshot and exudes spontaneity and unique musical moments. Enjoy!”

The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorise him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.

He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen’s artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.

Available formats:

– CD+DVD
– 2LP
– Digital

Order here.



Tokyo Live tracklisting:

CD1
“Rising Force” (Live)
“Top Down Foot Down” (Live)
“No Rest For The Wicked” (Live)
“Soldier” (Live)
“Into Valhalla” (Live)
“Baroque & Roll” (Live)
“Like An Angel” (Live)
“Relentless Fury” (Live)
“Now Your Ships Are Burned” (Live)
“Wolves At The Door” (Live)
“Hiroshima Mon Amour” (Live)
“(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum” (Live)
“Badinere” (Live)
“Paganini’s 4th” (Live)
“Adagio” (Live)
“Far Beyond The Sun” (Live)
“Arpeggios From Hell” (Live)

CD2
“Seventh Sign” (Live)
“Toccata” (Live)
“Evil Eye” (Live)
“Smoke On The Water” (Live)
“Trilogy-Vengeance” (Live)
“Cadenza 1” (Live)
“Brothers” (Live)
“Fugue” (Live)
“Cadenza 2 – Grand Finale” (Live)
“You Don’t Remember I’ll Never Forget” (Live)
“Acoustic Cadenza” (Live)
“Black Star” (Live)
“I’ll See The Light Tonight” (Live)

Legendary rockers, Love/Hate, continue their triumphant return with the release of their new single and video, “Over The Edge”, from the album Punk Rock Fiesta!, out now on Kenyon Records. “Over The Edge” follows the successful first single “You’re Gonna Burn”, released in February.

“Over The Edge” delivers a modern hard rock feel with the big, anthemic chorus that Love/Hate is known for — a modern-day street rock anthem built for a new generation.

Singer Jizzy Pearl explains: “This song has got crazy heavy guitar playing capped off with a Beatles-like chorus…the Best of Both Worlds! The video was all my inspiration, we included bits of some of my favorite movie themes from The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut – surrealistic psychedelic fantasy and Love/Hate trademark heavy guitars makes this track my favorite song off the record!”

The video for “Over The Edge” was created by Ashley Miles of Hot Frog Animations, who also directed the video for “You’re Gonna Burn”. Watch below:



Punk Rock Fiesta! is available now via Kenyon Records. The album can be ordered directly at lovehateofficial.com in both CD and Picture Disc formats, signed by Jizzy Pearl.

This latest album from Love/Hate is a raw, unfiltered blast of fiery rock ‘n’ roll energy—packed with high-voltage riffs, anthemic choruses, and relentless attitude.

From the Sunset Strip to stages worldwide, Jizzy Pearl has made his mark on rock history, selling over 600,000 albums and sharing the stage with AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Skid Row, and Dio. He currently sings for Quiet Riot and has recorded and toured with Ratt and L.A. Guns. Now, he delivers a powerhouse collection of songs, capturing the fire and energy of no-frills rock ‘n’ roll – it’s Punk Rock Fiesta!

Punk Rock Fiesta! is a high-octane ride that leans into the rebellious spirit of classic, streetwise rock. Featuring blistering guitar solos and Jizzy’s signature vocals – equal parts grit and soul – the album is a relentless sonic assault.

“Rock ‘n’ roll should be dangerous, unpredictable, and make you feel something,” says Jizzy Pearl. “We wanted to bring back that energy that made music exciting in the first place. This record is screaming, loud, and full of old-school rock ‘n’ roll soul!”

Since 1990, with Love/Hate’s debut Blackout In The Red Room, Jizzy Pearl has remained a respected force in rock. Whether commanding the stage with multi-platinum bands or pushing his own creative limits, he continues to evolve while staying true to his hard rock roots.

Ozzy Osbourne says that he will "do the best" he can when he plays his final gig this summer.

The legendary heavy metal singer announced his last-ever performance on February 5, revealing that the original members of BLACK SABBATH are reuniting for the first time in 20 years for the show. Joining them at the concert called "Back To The Beginning", which will take place on July 5 at at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom, will be a host of metal bands SABBATH inspired, including METALLICA, SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD, MASTODON, PANTERA and ANTHRAX.

Ozzy — who hasn't played a full show since late 2018, before undergoing extensive spinal surgery and revealing he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease — told The Guardian about the upcoming concert: "I'll be there, and I'll do the best I can. So all I can do is turn up."

Addressing his physical ailments, Ozzy said: "You wake up the next morning and find that something else has gone wrong. You begin to think this is never going to end."

He said the SABBATH reunion concert was conceived by his wife and manager, Sharon, as "something to give me a reason to get up in the morning".

"I do weights, bike riding, I've got a guy living at my house who's working with me. It's tough — I've been laid up for such a long time," Ozzy said. "I've been lying on my back doing nothing and the first thing to go is your strength. It's like starting all over again. I've got a vocal coach coming round four days a week to keep my voice going. I have problems walking. I also get blood pressure issues, from blood clots on my legs."

The singer continued: "I'm used to doing two hours on stage, jumping and running around. I don't think I'll be doing much jumping or running around this time. I may be sitting down."

He added: "We're only playing a couple of songs each. I don't want people thinking 'we're getting ripped off', because it's just going to be … what's the word? … a sample, you're going to get a few songs each by Ozzy and SABBATH."

This past February, Sharon told The Sun that her husband is struggling to walk amid his battle with Parkinsons disease, but that his singing voice is "as good as ever". She said: "[Ozzy's] very happy to be coming back and very emotional about this.

"Parkinson's is a progressive disease. It's not something you can stabilize. It affects different parts of the body and it's affected his legs. But his voice is as good as it's ever been."

On last month's episode of SiriusXM's Ozzy Speaks, Ozzy offered a health update, saying: "I'm in heavy training for this ['Back To The Beginning' concert] that's coming up. I haven't done anything for — this will be seven years [since I played a full concert], and so I've been through all this surgery. It really is like starting from scratch."

Asked what sort of training he is going through at the moment, Ozzy said: "Well, it's endurance training. The first thing to go when you're laid up is your stamina, so believe it or not, I'm doing two sets of three-minute walks a day and weight training. I've gotta get going, you know."

He explained: "I'm waking up in my body. I mean, three minutes to you, for instance, is nothing, but I've been laying on my back recovering from umpteen surgeries."

As for what his appearance at ["Back To The Beginning" might entail, Ozzy said: "I'm not planning on doing a set with BLACK SABBATH but I am doing little bits and pieces with them. I am doing what I can, where I feel comfortable."

The 76-year-old heavy metal singer, who revealed in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, added that he is doing what he can to get ready for the Villa Park concert.

"I am trying to get back on my feet," he said. "When you get up in the morning, you just jump out of bed. I have to balance myself, but I'm not dead. I'm still actively doing things."

Ozzy talked in more detail about his condition on his SiriusXM radio show. He said: "I have made it to 2025. I can't walk, but you know what I was thinking over the holidays? For all my complaining, I'm still alive. I may be moaning that I can't walk but I look down the road and there's people that didn't do half as much as me and didn't make it."

Proceeds from the "Back To The Beginning" show will support Cure Parkinson's, the Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice, a Children's Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

The concert will mark the first time that Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward have played together in 20 years.

Sharon told BBC News about Ozzy: "He's doing great. He's doing really great. He's so excited about this, about being with the guys again and all his friends. It's exciting for everyone."

According to Sharon, Ozzy, who paused touring "for now" in 2023 after extensive spinal surgery and rescheduled his "No More Tours 2" shows from going ahead several times because of illness, the pandemic and logistical issues, will not play any more shows after the Villa Park event.

"Ozzy didn't have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, to his fans, and he feels there's no been no full stop," she explained. "This is his full stop."

In addition, there will be a performance by a "supergroup of musicians" including Duff McKagan and Slash (GUNS 'N' ROSES),Billy Corgan (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS),Fred Durst (LIMP BIZKIT),K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST),Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE),Wolfgang Van Halen (VAN HALEN, MAMMOTH WVH) and Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE).

"It's an endless amount of people," said Sharon. "They're going to be doing some SABBATH songs, some Ozzy songs, and they'll all mix together. Different little groups will be coming on, but they're all icons."

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH last performed in 2005. Since then, SABBATH has played in partial reunions but never in its original lineup.

"For Ozzy right now, it's definitely: 'I love you and good night'," Sharon told Reuters.

She added that Ozzy was doing well and excited about the gig. "It's stimulated him," she said. "He's very, very excited and very thankful that he can do it."

The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson's. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was 'stricken" with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.

Ozzy's health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 three years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.

While Osbourne's health issues forced him to scrap most of his live appearances, the musician said he would return if his condition improved.

Osbourne's previously announced European tour with guests JUDAS PRIEST, originally set for 2019 and then rescheduled three times, was officially canceled in early February 2023.

Despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in the last three years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.

SHADOWS FALL has released a second new single, "Souls Devoured". Like "In The Grey", which was made available last December, the track was issued via SHADOWS FALL's new record label home, MNRK Heavy.

SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair comments: "SHADOWS FALL have always been a band that lets all of our influences and ideas show in our music and have never been afraid to mix and match genres within our sound. "'Souls Devoured' is a great example of that style of songwriting where we let it all hang out. It opens with a huge groove and rock riff before transitioning into a black metal-inspired verse to add a little evil to the party. Things open up into a half-time chorus that has an almost PANTERA-style vibe before we inject some melodic death metal into the bridge and solo section. On paper, that can sound a bit schizophrenic, but we always try to have a cohesiveness and underlying theme that keeps it all unified. It's a song that captures what I believe is the true essence of SHADOWS FALL by bringing in elements of our past but with a clear eye towards the future. It has familiar elements but sounds like nothing we have ever written before."

Fair opens up about the subject matter, saying: "Lyrically, the song is about finding yourself trapped in an apocalyptic event where demons and disasters have begun to consume the world. It's about fighting for survival as the planet crumbles around you, and you realize the only way to survive it is to fight fire with fire. We spend most of our lives trying to quiet the evil voices in our minds or denying they exist, but in this scenario, tapping into that darkness and letting the personal demons out may be the only way to survive the terror."

He finishes: "Facing pure evil by becoming that evil yourself. You know, heavy metal-type shit! I usually write from a personal or philosophical place, but 'Souls Devoured' allowed me to step outside of that box and tap into a dark form of storytelling that fit the intensity and foreboding vibe of the instrumental side of it. Bang your head and get into it!"

In a recent interview with the Thunder Underground podcast, Fair spoke about "In The Grey". "We're just so happy to finally release new music," he said. "We're working on a full album's worth of material, but I feel like it's gonna drop kind of in chunks and then hopefully the rest of it all at once kind of thing. We just couldn't sit on it. We were just so excited with how that tune came out. And it's kind of a different world now too, where you can release singles leading up to more songs and keeping people interested. So, yeah, man, we were stoked with how it came out and just wanted to get it out in front of people. And I'm super psyched to just be writing again with the guys, 'cause we didn't know if that was gonna be kind of part of the deal when we started playing shows again. And the writing has really become the main focus for the last year and a half or so, which has been awesome again to kind of get back in that mode. So it's killer."

Regarding SHADOWS FALL's songwriting approach for the new music, Brian said: "When we first started kind of writing music, we wanted to make sure it was gonna be SHADOWS FALL music. We hadn't worked on new material in such a long time, and once we started writing, things just clicked right outta the gates. And 'In The Grey' was one of those songs that kind of came together pretty quickly too. And we wanted to kind of have the first song pretty energetic, just come out swinging thrash metal style. It's got a big, melodic chorus, but the rest of it is pretty much just pedal-to-the-metal thrash. So, that was also — why mess around? Just come out with the first one swinging. So we were super stoked. So, yeah, everything about it was just kind of an exciting new chapter."

As for how SHADOWS FALL approached the recording process after being away from the recording studio for so long, Brian said: "This recording process with [producer] Zeuss [Chris Harris] this time around, we've done it pretty stripped down as far as we're not reamping guitar tracks a ton… Before we would experiment with reamping a million different things and combining tones and all this. This one we kind of wanted to make something that didn't sound maybe as surgical and clinical as some metalcore or modern metal's kind of gotten. We wanted to bring a little bit of thrash energy to it and a little more of a raw — not necessarily sonically raw, but just a little more live-ish approach to it."

On the topic of SHADOWS FALL's new deal with MNRK Heavy, Fair said: "We talked to a few labels, but very few, 'cause we kind of had an idea of what we wanted to do and kind of the type of deal we were looking for. So, we hit it right off the bat with them. They have a great roster with everyone from Zakk Wylde and Ace Frehley, but then also DARKEST HOUR and ESCUELA GRIND and then HIGH ON FIRE and CROWBAR — just so many killer bands. So, it really made sense. And they're kind of also approaching it more as we're signing for a group of songs where we can sort of release things slowly and then put it all together. 'Cause just the way we work as a band right now, since it's not everyone's full-time life, we wanna do it — not necessarily take our time, but we wanna make sure we maximize our time when we can get it, 'cause it's so hard to get everyone together. So, they were really willing to kind of work with us on that level of realizing where the band is at this point in our life. So that was a big part of it. And they've been killer so far."

Elaborating on the differences in the way music is being released nowadays compared to how it was a couple of decades ago, Brian said:  "Yeah, it's more just the break from the album-cycle sort of thing. When we first were around, you basically put out a record every year and a half or so, and then you toured nonstop. And that was kind of how it worked. And now there's so many different outlets, there's so many different ways to get your music to people. It's not as traditional record label relationship kind of setup, which is cool. And you have to kind of have a modern approach. And for a band like us — we kind of come from an old-school approach, so it's good to have a label that has that forward thinking and kind of knows how to navigate the kind of new way of the music biz."

Asked about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the next SHADOWS FALL album, Fair said: "We have a couple [of songs] that are totally done that may need some mix [tweaks], but are tracked. And then we have the instrumental tracks for a lot. And we're starting to work on vocal demos. Right now we're kind of trading things back and forth. And we've got the skeletons to another group of new songs that we haven't tracked instrumentally. So, all said and done, we're gonna kind of keep just writing and recording kind of as things come along, but we have a good foundation of, I'd say, six or seven songs that are pretty much there and tracked instrumentally. And the vocal ideas are at least in a skeleton form; it's a matter of getting in and getting time to record 'em. But then, like I said, there's a whole other group of songs right behind it that we've gotta start working on too."

When "In The Grey" was first released, Brian said in a statement: "We are incredibly excited to share our first new music in over a decade with our single 'In The Grey' and are proud to announce our partnership with MNRK Music Group.

"When SHADOWS FALL first got back in the practice space to prepare for our reunion shows, we did not know if it would lead to new music, but the excitement of jamming together and all of the riffs that Jon [Donais, SHADOWS FALL guitarist] had floating around in his head led us in the direction almost immediately. The idea began flowing, the energy started building and new songs began taking form out of the chaos."

He continued: "'In The Grey' is a full-throttle thrasher that contains all of the elements that are the bedrock of the SHADOWS FALL sound, but also adds new elements and approaches that developed in the recent past while we all explorer other musical avenues. Lyrically, I was trying to put into words and describe the physical manifestation of the weight and crushing power that can come with depression, that feeling that the weight of gravity is crashing down on you or being trapped in the dark waters of our own mind, trying to rise to the surface and take a breath. It can be an overwhelming and lonely place but there is always a light at the end of that tunnel and we always need to keep striving for a brighter day and escaping the grey."

Fair finished: "We want to sincerely thank everyone for the decades of support that you have given SHADOWS FALL and we cannot be happier to be back and rocking once again. Crank up 'In The Grey', raise those horns to the sky, and bang your head as hard as you can. Stay tuned for more music and news soon..."

Last August, Fair was asked by Sh!t Talk Reviews if it is "safe to say" that SHADOWS FALL "is back" and is "not going to go anywhere anytime soon." Brian responded: "It's not going anywhere, but I don't think we'll ever be the full-time touring band we were. It's a lot of family stuff and people have just got different things going on. Jon, being in ANTHRAX, that's gonna be kind of his main gig most of the time. Jason [Bittner, drums], yeah, he left OVERKILL, but he's also got CATEGORY 7 with John Bush and Phil Demmel and all those guys, and that new record's killer. So they'll be busy with that. But we're definitely gonna keep playing shows. We're gonna keep doing festivals. We probably will hopefully do some short tours here and there, especially when new music comes out, but we're gonna kind of pick and choose our battles, which is, again, also a nice place to be in.

"When the band was our full-time job, you couldn't stay at home for too long or there wasn't gonna be a home to come home to," Fair explained. "You've gotta go out and grind. So it's nice to not have that pressure, but also to do it because it's fun again. Each show that we've done have all been blockbusters in our minds because there's just enough time between each one that you get that excited again. It ramps up and then it's just like an explosion.

"Me personally, I was so burnt out by the time we stopped touring in 2015. We'd been on a 15-year run where I hadn't been home for more than a few weeks through that whole thing. And physically, my neck was shot, my back was shot. I was burnt mentally as well, so it was time to come home for a while. But then, now I'm, like, 'Okay, cool. Let's go have some fun.'"

"The only way to survive in a band like us… We're not gonna sell 10 million records and have all that stuff," Brian added. "So you've gotta go out there and stay on the road to keep your name in front of people, keep everything exciting. You've gotta sell t-shirts — that's how you make your money, [by staying] out there on the road. And, yeah, if a label is gonna spend a bunch of money to drop a record and do videos, they're, like, 'You've gotta go promote it now. You've gotta get out there and hit it.'

"What's driving us to record now is that we love the songs we're writing. It's not 'cause there's a deadline. And the shows we're playing is because we're just, like, 'That sounds like a party, man. Let's do it.'"

Elaborating on how he and his SHADOWS FALL bandmates chose their new record-label partner, Brian said: "It's totally changed things where they've kind of realized their best role is as a promotional partner and a manufacturer, if you're doing vinyl or whatever. CDs, they still make 'em, I guess, but not in the numbers they used to. And a lot of them downsized, because they had to. So it's more about partnering with the band and label relationship and finding a way to make it make sense for everyone.

"The old model doesn't work," the 49-year-old singer, who now lives in St. Louis, Missouri with his wife and their two kids, added. "It's broken. You can't just throw money at things and think it's gonna hit. People have too many choices. You can put out music yourself, so there's definitely an oversaturation, unfortunately, as well because of that. So there's just so much content, you've gotta find new and innovative ways to share it and keep it special. And I think the labels that are surviving and thriving are the ones who are flexible, willing to evolve, willing to work with the artists' vision as opposed to just, 'Cool, man. Let's stick to the old method.'"

Fair and his SHADOWS FALL bandmates have played a number of reunion concerts so far, including at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Alton, Virginia, at the Furnace Fest in Birmingham, Alabama, and at the Milwaukee Metal Fest in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The long-running Massachusetts-based metallers, who were at the forefront of the New Wave Of American Metal scene that dominated the '00s, celebrated the 20th anniversary of their "The War Within" album by playing the LP in its entirety in March 2024 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey, the site of the band's many classic shows. It also marked the first time the band has performed in the Garden State in a decade.

In December 2023, Fair told RichardMetalFan about SHADOWS FALL's decision to reunite: "We'd wanted to play shows again for a while and we just wanted the time to be right. And once the pandemic kind of hit, we sort of realized, like, 'Why are we waiting around? It's the time.' So we were lucky that we were able to kind of get everyone's schedules together. And it was incredible. As soon as we started jamming together again, it just felt fun, it felt right. So the shows were a blast. We really rehearsed like crazy for it. And we're probably better prepared for that than anything we'd ever been for before that. And we also realized, like, man, we should have been practicing more when we were together. We used to hate practicing. We always were, like, 'Ah, we tour enough. We don't need to.' And then after we practiced a bunch, we were, like, 'All right. Maybe we really should have.' [Laughs] But then also when we started practicing, we figured if we have ideas, why not write new music as well? If we're gonna get together, let's see what we've got. So that started leading to some new stuff. So [I'm] looking forward to seeing where it heads."

SHADOWS FALL released a statement in August 2014 in which the bandmembers explained that financial difficulties made it virtually impossible for the group to continue as a full-time concern.

In August 2015, SHADOWS FALL played a few reunion shows on the U.S. East Coast, one year after completing what was being billed at the time as the band's "final" European tour.

"Fire From The Sky" was released in May 2012 via Razor & Tie. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne has revealed to The Guardian that AEROSMITH's Steven Tyler (pictured) and members of SOUNDGARDEN have been added to the list of performers at the upcoming "Back To The Beginning" charity event on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The concert will mark the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH's last-ever performance and Ozzy's final appearance as a solo artist.

In a recent interview with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello spoke about his participation at "Back To The Beginning", which he called "the greatest heavy metal show ever". Asked how his involvement with the concert came about and where the "preparation is at" at the moment, Morello, who will serve as the "musical director" at the show, said: "We had a big meeting about that earlier today. It came about [because] Ozzy and Sharon asked me to do — they surprised me one day and said, 'There's gonna be one more BLACK SABBATH show, all four original members, the last-ever Ozzy Osbourne show. We wanna have a big day of celebration and will you help curate it?' And I was, like, 'Well, that's crazy. But yes, of course.'

"Heavy metal is the music that made me love music, and BLACK SABBATH invented heavy metal, Morello explained. "And Ozzy Osbourne, by discovering the guitarist Randy Rhoads, created, through Randy Rhoads, the music that inspired me to practice eight hours a day. So I owe a great debt to Ozzy and to BLACK SABBATH. And it's an honor to be a part of it.

"Where it's at now… First of all, when we first sat down, we have a very, very simple goal, and that's to make this the greatest day in the history of heavy metal," Tom added. "And to that end, you've probably seen the listed setlist. And let me tell you, there's some huge superstars who are gonna be surprises on that day too. So, the idea is to really acknowledge the importance of that band in a way that the whole world will forever know it."

In a separate interview with Clare Lane of the Chicago radio station WBEZ, Morello stated about what it has been like to work in the Osbourne universe: "Heavy metal is the music that made me love music, and BLACK SABBATH is the band that invented heavy metal. So, when Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne asked me to be the musical director of what's going to be the last BLACK SABBATH show — the last Ozzy Osbourne show in the soccer stadium that's like a half-block down from where Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler, the bass player of BLACK SABBATH, grew up — I was honored to do that.

"Right now, we have, like, 14 bands. You know, it's METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES. It's, like, all the biggest bands in the history of heavy metal. The show is gonna be about 10 hours long, but it's gonna be a salute to a genre that people all around the world love. You know, it's been the music that has really made me love music. I'm interested in a lot of different kinds of music now, but I never would have been interested in any kind of music had it not been for metal."

Asked if he is going to take the stage, Morello said: "Oh, of course, I will be up there. Speaking of Northern Illinois, this may be a little bit of a spoiler alert, but Adam Jones, the guitarist of TOOL, he and I went to Libertyville High School together and played in a band. Billy Corgan, the singer of SMASHING PUMPKINS, grew up a few suburbs over. The three of us are going to play together for the first time ever at the show. So, there'll be an 847 connection."

"Back To The Beginning" sold out in less than 10 minutes in February. The concert will mark the first time that the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH — Osbourne, guitarist Tony Iommi, bassist Geezer Butler and drummer Bill Ward — have played together in 20 years.

Also set to appear at the event are METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, TOOL, SLAYER, PANTERA, GOJIRA, ALICE IN CHAINS, HALESTORM, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and MASTODON.

In addition, there will be a performance by a "supergroup of musicians" including Duff McKagan and Slash (GUNS 'N' ROSES),Billy Corgan (THE SMASHING PUMPKINS),Fred Durst (LIMP BIZKIT),K.K. Downing (JUDAS PRIEST),Jake E. Lee (OZZY OSBOURNE),Wolfgang Van Halen (VAN HALEN, MAMMOTH WVH),Andrew Watt, Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),David Ellefson (MEGADETH),Vernon Reid (LIVING COLOUR),Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE),David Draiman (DISTURBED),Frank Bello (ANTHRAX),Jonathan Davis (KORN),Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM),Mike Bordin (FAITH NO MORE),Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT),Sammy Hagar, Scott Ian (ANTHRAX),Sleep Token II (SLEEP TOKEN) and Papa V Perpetua (GHOST).

Ozzy — who hasn't played a full show since late 2018 — announced his last-ever performance on February 5.

Proceeds from the "Back To The Beginning" show will support Cure Parkinson's, the Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice, a Children's Hospice supported by Aston Villa.

The original lineup of BLACK SABBATH last performed in 2005. Since then, SABBATH has played in partial reunions but never in its original lineup.

The legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman was diagnosed in 2003 with Parkin 2 — a very rare genetic form of Parkinson's. During a TV appearance in January 2020, the singer disclosed that he was 'stricken" with the disease which occurs when the nerve cells of the body degenerate and levels of dopamine are reduced. Dopamine is an essential chemical that is produced by these nerve cells which send signals to different parts of the brain to control movements of the body.

Ozzy's health issues, including suffering a nasty fall and dislodging metal rods placed in his spine following a quad-bike accident in 2003, as well as catching COVID-19 three years ago, forced him to cancel some of his previously announced tours.

While Osbourne's health issues forced him to scrap most of his live appearances, the musician said he would return if his condition improved.

Despite his health problems, Osbourne has performed a couple of times in the last three years, including at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in August 2022 and at the NFL halftime show at the season opener Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills game in September 2022.

GREEN DAY received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame earlier today (Thursday, May 1). Actor/producer Ryan Reynolds spoke at the event, which was streamed live at the Walk Of Fame's web site and can now be watched below. Radio and TV personality Matt Pinfield emceed.

GREEN DAY's star is located at 6212 Hollywood Boulevard, near Amoeba Music. It is the 2,810th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

"The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is honored to welcome GREEN DAY's Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool to the Hollywood Walk of Fame," Walk Of Fame producer Ana Martinez said. "GREEN DAY's music has not only inspired generations but also served as the soundtrack to our lives."

The Hollywood Walk Of Fame is a celebration of art, entertainment, and all things Hollywood.

The Hollywood Chamber Of Commerce administers the Walk Of Fame on behalf of the city of Los Angeles.

Honorees are selected by a committee of their peers.

Formed in 1986 in Berkeley, California, GREEN DAY is one of the world's best-selling bands of all time, with more than 75 million records sold worldwide and 10 billion cumulative audio/visual streams.

The five-time Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees released their breakout album, "Dookie", in 1994, which sold over 10 million and achieved ten-times-platinum diamond status, is widely credited with popularizing and reviving mainstream interest in punk rock, catapulting a career-long run of No. 1 hit singles.

Entertainment Weekly calls GREEN DAY "the most influential band of their generation," while Rolling Stone attests, "GREEN DAY have inspired more young bands to start than any act this side of KISS, and that doesn't seem to be changing."

In 2004, GREEN DAY released the rock opera "American Idiot", which captured the nation's attention, selling more than eight million copies in the U.S. alone and taking home the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Album". Mojo declared "It's exhilarating stuff, the kind of record that sets new parameters as to what is possible from a punk rock'n'roll band in the 21st century."

In 2010, a stage adaptation of "American Idiot" debuted on Broadway to critical and commercial acclaim.

Released in 2020, GREEN DAY's thirteenth studio album, "Father Of All..." , debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Album Sales chart and No. 1 in both the U.K. and Australia. Pitchfork declared, "GREEN DAY's most fetching and youthful songs in ages. The trio sounds reinvigorated, more like hungry newcomers staking their claim."

In July 2021, GREEN DAY embarked on "The Hella Mega Tour" with FALL OUT BOY and WEEZER. The global tour included 29 sold-out stadium gigs — including renowned venues like London Stadium and Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium.

On January 19, 2024, the band released its 14th studio album, "Saviors", which included hit singles "The American Dream Is Killing Me", which reached No. 1 on Billboard Rock & Alternative Airplay, and "Dilemma". The album debuted at No. 1 on seven different Billboard charts and marked their fifth No. 1 in the U.K. "Saviors" received widespread critical praise, with Rolling Stone describing it as "huge songs and snotty satire for a world on fire," while The New York Times hailed it as "a decisive, even overdetermined return to form." The New Yorker summed it up best with "It's GREEN DAY's world now."

In 2024, GREEN DAY embarked on a sold-out global stadium tour — The "Saviors Tour" — where they played "Dookie" and "American Idiot" in their entirety, along with "Saviors" cuts and fan favorites. The "Saviors Tour" came to a triumphant close as it served as GREEN DAY's biggest tour of their illustrious 30-plus-year career.

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT kicked off their "An Evening With Testament" tour Wednesday night (April 30) at Rialto Theater in Tucson, Arizona. The trek celebrates the 35th anniversary of TESTAMENT's third album, "Practice What You Preach", which achieved near-gold status in the United States upon its release in 1989 and became the band's first album to enter the Top 100 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The setlist for the Tucson concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Practice What You Preach
02. Sins Of Omission
03. Perilous Nation (first time since 2008)
04. Greenhouse Effect
05. Time Is Coming (first time since 1990)
06. Blessed In Contempt (first time since 1990)
07. The Ballad (first time since 1991)
08. Envy Life (first time since 2011)
09. Nightmare (Coming Back To You) (first time since 1992)
10. Confusion Fusion (live debut)
11. Musical Death (A Dirge)
12. The Legacy (first time since 2011)
13. Rise Up
14. Native Blood
15. Trail Of Tears
16. Low
17. City Of Angels (live debut)
18. Drum Solo
19. First Strike Is Deadly

Encore:

20. Return To Serenity
21. Into The Pit

Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be seen below.

In support of the "Practice What You Preach" reissues via Nuclear Blast, TESTAMENT wanted to do something special and intimate for the fans, performing deep cuts and some classic ballads for the first time ever.

When the "An Evening With Testament" tour was first announced in early March, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy said in a statement: "We are getting ready to 'Practice What You Preach' across the U.S. this May. We will be performing the album 'Practice What You Preach', telling stories, playing a few acoustic tunes, and finishing out with the best of deep cuts. This will be an evening with TESTAMENT you don't want to miss! Horns Up!"

TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson added: "This will be a night to remember! We'll have some cool tales to tell about making the record, and where we were at that time in our career. 'Practice What You Preach' was our third full-length, major label release and our most commercially successful album at that time. We'll be playing songs you've probably wanted to hear forever that we never did, but will do in the 'Evening With Testament'!"

In a recent interview with Australia's Wall Of Sound, Billy was asked when fans can expect to see TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation" album. He said: "We don't have a date yet, but we're hoping the end of the first quarter, going into the second quarter. So definitely before we get to Australia [in June 2025], I would think. Definitely the single should be hitting. We start mixing it in January sometime. So, as soon as the label has an opening and things line up, we'll get it out there. But it's coming out really good. We worked on it for probably the last year or so with Chris [Dovas, TESTAMENT drummer], a lot with Chris. Eric and Chris got a lot done and came up with some killer stuff, man."

When the interviewer noted that Dovas came into TESTAMENT as the successor to some of the best drummers in heavy metal, including Dave Lombardo (SLAYER) and Gene Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, DEATH, DETHKLOK),Chuck said: "Well, I'll give him props. He's right up there with all those guys, man, because he's coming in young, new-influence chops, too, and adding a different dimension to TESTAMENT. That's why I'm excited about the writing, because he, I guess, inspired Eric enough to just write some pretty kick-ass, balls-out stuff, but a little bit around it of everything. So it was a really good writing session on this record… Eric had such a good writing session, he's already talking about after this [European] tour with ANTHRAX and KREATOR, starting [in] early [2025], they're gonna get together and just start writing more songs. Just keep chugging forward. And [2025] is gonna be a little slow. We're not going to Europe [this] year. We're gonna just probably have one headlining tour at the end of the year, and that's about it. Maybe a short run in America. We'll see. So we have a window to do a lot of jamming. So hopefully we can get some more songs written and get ahead of another record."

In November, Billy told Australia's The Rockpit, about TESTAMENT's upcoming LP: "Well, this [album is] gonna be very special. I think I'm more excited about this one, just because of the fact — the timing of everything. I'm a big person believer in things happen for reasons. And Chris Dovas jamming with us and having a lot of time to come up and spend with Eric at Eric's place, just jamming, coming up a lot of music and working on it hard and tracking it at home and doing demos. And I could tell, when I first started getting the songs and the riffs sent, that it was something different. It's still Eric and I recognize it, but he was being pushed and inspired 'cause Chris is a very fast, aggressive drummer, and I can tell that it just inspired Eric just to be Eric and play guitar instead of trying to think about building a song or making a song — 'Let's just jam.' And that's the kind of way they approached it. And next thing you know, they had 10, 11, 12 jams that were sounding pretty strong, but individually identified just different vibes. And I was, like, 'Okay, this is what it is.' And then, as it just built vocally and everything, that's when we were kind of, 'Wow. It just feels fresh and new and challenging again. Vocally, for me, I've got a wide range of tones on this one — I'm screaming again, which I haven't done that a lot on a lot of records in the past, but a lot on this one. And we are still writing for ourselves, but we're still excited that when we write a song, how it hits live, and that's always been the payoff, is do these songs we write in the studio hit live like we want 'em to? And that's the fun part."

Earlier in November, Billy was asked by Jaimunji if the new TESTAMENT LP will be a throwback to some of the band's early records or if it will once again be a step forward for the band. Chuck said: "I think we've always evolved. We never like to go backwards. These songs, definitely the old classic stuff, 'The Legacy' and 'The New Order', that's where we came from, those are the first songs we wrote, so definitely that's who we are, but we always wanna evolve. We don't wanna do something we've done. But I will say the new record, we're very excited for it 'cause Chris Dovas, the new drummer, it's probably the most a drummer has worked with Eric writing material, and it shows.'

He continued: "The songs are very strong, very heavy, very fast. We've got a little of everything. We've got some mid-tempo, but really crushing fast drums. I would even say that we went and put — I don't wanna say the word 'ballad', but it's a very slow, old classic TESTAMENT vibe, like 'Return To Serenity', that we had the confidence and the song is there that we wrote. This record, we're fired up 'cause, to me, it sounds modern. That's the one thing I've gotta say. It's TESTAMENT but modern-sounding, just because I think Chris, he shifts another gear on the songs. I mean, he just puts it to another level as far as the drum playing and inspiring Eric to what he's doing. And it actually opens up the doors for me, challenge-wise, to not just take it the easy way out. I've really had some challenges — a lot more screaming death metal, mid-tempo clean vocals. I'm doing a little bit of everything. So that's the fun part for me and the challenging part, is to make it all work."

Billy also confirmed that one of the new TESTAMENT songs will be a duet with NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen. "Yeah, I reached out to her," he said. "Me and Floor became friends maybe under 10 years ago. Me and her, Joey Belladonna [ANTHRAX], Udo Dirkschneider [ex-ACCEPT], we all did this Christmas performance show through Europe. And we were singing our songs, but with a Christmas theme with an orchestra. And so we all traveled together and became friends. And she's a powerhouse of a vocalist. Great voice. And when we wrote the song and the lyrics, first thing I thought was, 'Okay, this song, it, it needs a strong girl's voice,' and, of course, Floor is the first one that came to mind. And this song, it's gonna be pretty epic. We're gonna put a string section on it, acoustic guitars. It's gonna have a lot going on, but it's a really, really beautiful song. It's really deep. And with Floor, it's kind of me and her kind of singing the lyrics kind of to each other, and the meaning of the song and what we're saying, it's kind of, like, I'll say my part and she's answering me through the vocal. So it's gonna be very strong, very cool. And I can't wait to hear what she's gonna do on it… We haven't sent it to her because we haven't laid down the acoustic guitars yet for it, but the song's done. I tracked it all. I tracked her parts. And I wanna wait till she hears it for the first time with the acoustics and get the vibe — I want her to be in the vibe once she gets it… And Alex has a connection to some guys that are gonna do the strings on it, who played on some huge records, so what we've heard so far, it's pretty cool."

Billy told Metal Express Radio's Bryce Van Patten about how TESTAMENT's songwriting process has changed since the band's early days in the late 1980s and 1990s: "Oh, it's night and day. Before, back then, we all lived the same place, we all had to go to the same studio, where now it's by e-mail, sharing the songs. Everybody has home studios to work out demos. Definitely a different writing process, but still Eric is one of the main writers. And ever since we brought in our new drummer, Chris Dovas, he's been here two years — he was 24 when he came into the band; he's 26 [now]. But he's a smart kid. [He] graduated [from] the Berklee [College] Of Music. [He] knows theory [and is] great in the studio with Pro Tools. He's really into modern bands and new and upcoming stuff, and he's got an old soul so he knows the history of the music. But I think him working hand in hand with Eric as long as they did, he really pushed Eric and drove Eric to get challenged. And I wouldn't say 'copy', but I think Chris and what he listens to and the style Eric likes, it brought an influence to the new songs."

Regarding the musical direction of the new TESTAMENT material, Chuck said: "To me, the new songs sound current, they sound fresh. They're touching what a lot of new upcoming bands are making good names for themselves are doing. So, again, it's raising the bar one more time. And I think when fans hear this record, especially new, younger fans are gonna go, 'Whoa. That's TESTAMENT. I know the TESTAMENT I know from 30-something years ago and grew up with, but what is this?' I'm excited for that because I wanna hear what people think. I'd love to see the expression of them hearing it for the first time. That would be great, because it does sound new and modern and fresh, even though we're still being challenged."

Asked if he and his TESTAMENT bandmates have more freedom to do whatever they want now than they did when you were on a major label like Atlantic, Chuck said: "Totally. When we were on Atlantic, that was a big machine. They had an A&R department, they had the radio department, they had tons of departments, tons of money, and they were always influenced by how well their big-selling artists were, which were radio bands and they were pushing radio. So that A&R guy would be whispering in our ears, 'What's the next radio song?' And we're thinking, "Well, we're not a radio band. That's not us.' And even to this day, when I hear some stuff like [on the SiriusXM channel] Ozzy's Boneyard or something, they play ballads by us, and it's, like, that doesn't represent us, but that represents that era in thinking maybe of what TESTAMENT did or what they chose to expose us to the public, which it's misrepresenting us. So, yeah, the freedom's huge now, especially being with Nuclear Blast as long as we have. There's no deadline. It's just, 'When you're ready, you have a record, give it to us.' And that's been really nice. And the beauty about this record is that usually we have Andy Sneap mix our record, so we usually write a record and give it to him and then it's done, written in stone, can't go back. But this record, we had to pick a somebody to mix it, which wasn't available till early next year, January. So we decided, 'Okay.' We tried to get all the tracking done before we went to Europe this June or July, and we got most of it done."

This past September, Peterson told Brutal Planet Magazine that TESTAMENT had tapped Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, KREATOR, PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK and AMON AMARTH, among others, to mix the band's upcoming studio album. Peterson said about the LP: "It's, like, 90 percent done. And it's gonna get mixed by Jens Bogren. He's a producer from Sweden, and he's done — God, he's done KREATOR, he's doing the new BEHEMOTH right now, 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."

In August, Billy told Oran O'Beirne of Overdrive.ie about the musical direction of the new TESTAMENT material: "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 Chris — 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."

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."

Metal Blade Records is proud to announce the signing of Germany’s rising heavy metal force, The Night Eternal. Known for their electrifying fusion of 70s and 80s guitar-driven metal with a dark and unique edge, The Night Eternal has carved their name into the hearts of fans worldwide.

Formed in 2019, The Night Eternal quickly gained momentum with the release of their debut EP, followed by the critically acclaimed albums Moonlit Cross (2021) and Fatale (2023). Their latest record not only resonated with their loyal fanbase but also secured top rankings in leading metal publications. The band’s relentless passion and precision on stage have led them to major festival appearances at Wacken, Summer Breeze, and Party San Open Air, along with high-profile tours supporting legendary acts like Blind Guardian, Angel Witch, and Lucifer. In 2024 alone, they delivered an astonishing 55 shows, cementing their status as one of the most exciting forces in contemporary heavy metal.

Now, The Night Eternal is gearing up for the next thrilling chapter of their journey, joining the prestigious Metal Blade Records roster. With new material in the works and highly anticipated performances at Hellfest and Alcatraz Open Air, the band is set to unleash their most ferocious music yet.

“It comes together what belongs together – we live for heavy metal with every fiber of our beings and are therefore very proud to announce that we signed with Metal Blade Records, a label that has been carrying heavy metal’s torch for the last 43 years. What an honor! Expect nothing but bangers from this collaboration”, states the band.

With their signing to Metal Blade Records, The Night Eternal is poised to reach even greater heights, continuing to honor the legacy of heavy metal while forging a path that is uniquely their own.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his wife, Toyah Willcox, have shared a brand new Sunday Lunch video, in which they perform Rod Stewart’s classic hit, “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy?”. The was released as the first single from Stewart’s ninth studio album, Blondes Have More Fun (1978).

Says Robert and Toyah, “Its time for a BRAND NEW Sunday Lunch and special bonus footage as well!! Its a belter this week!!!”

Norwegian symphonic metal band, Nergard, has released a brand-new lyric video for their war anthem, “Where No One Would Shed A Tear”. Written by Andreas Nergård and Andi Kravljaca for the critically acclaimed 2021 album, Eternal White, the song captures the chaos of a 16th-century battlefield, skillfully portrayed through Andi’s gripping lyrics.

“The musical foundation of the song came together in under an hour, making it by far my easiest writing session,” explains band leader Andreas Nergård. “While the orchestrations and final recordings were a more involved process, the core of the song was effortless”.

Eternal White tells the story of a war-weary soldier during the Great Northern War, culminating in the lesser-known Carolean Death March.

“I originally wanted this to be a duet between Andi and a female singer” Nergård continues, “but as fate would have it, Mathias Molund Indergård ended up with the difficult task of singing those insane lines — and absolutely nailed it.”

Nergard is currently in the studio working on their next album, slated for release in 2026.



Back in 2022, Nergard released a lyric video for their cover of Judas Priest’s epic song Blood Red Skies, which was released through Pug-Nose Records on November 19th, 2021.

Band leader Andreas Nergård explains why he chose to cover this particular song:

“To me, ‘Blood Red Skies’ is THE standout track on Judas Priest’s 1988 album Ram It Down, and it’s a criminally underrated song. Priest themselves didn’t play this song live until 23 years after the release of the album. We wanted to shine a light on this amazing track and at the same time pay our tribute to the metal gods. I’m sure Judas Priest means as much to any fan of metal as they do to me. The music we play wouldn’t exist without them.

When I started working on this song I wanted to give it a different sound from our latest album, Eternal White, which was heavily dominated by symphonic orchestras and choirs. I wanted to put more focus on the keyboards and industrial elements giving the production a more open sound. I think the general atmosphere of the song is very epic on its own and didn’t need the ‘over the top’ approach that EW had.

“Blood Red Skies” is the follow-up to the band’s critically acclaimed album, Eternal White, which was released in May 2021 through Pride & Joy Music.

In a new interview with RapidMetalFire, bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such of German thrash metal veterans SODOM discussed his decision to cut down on the band's touring activities for the foreseeable future. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think you know the story of [SLAYER's] Tom Araya. Maybe you heard something about it. I think he's got the same problems, like [issues with his] neck [when performing live]. He couldn't more headbang. I can headbang. It's not so massive… But that is not the reason why. The reason why is I want to spend more time with other things. I want to spend more time with my family. I need more time going for my hunting district. I want to spend time doing nothing.

"If you are a professional musician — I'm also the manager of the band — you are busy every day," Such explained. "There is no time to breathe. There is no time to relax. I like to spend the time on stage. I like to spend the time making music, but I hate wast[ing] time on airports or hotels.

"If you're getting 62 [years old] like me, you say, 'Okay, I need money to make my [living] from [playing] music.' I know — money is a very important thing. But there is something you cannot buy with money: the freedom," Thomas added. "And that's what I told to my boys, to my group. I told them, I think two years ago, 'In this year, I wanna slow down the things a little bit,' because I can't do nothing, because I'm still working on re-releases. The only difference is I have my home office. That's the only thing. But I can tell you, I have no plan what to do. I have no plan how long I'm gonna rest. I have no plan when I restart the band, so I don't wanna live without any plans in the next times. I can't tell people I want to come back in '27 or '28, maybe '26 — I don't tell the people. When I think I wanna come back, I go."

Asked if SODOM is still "receiving booking requests" from promoters around the world, Thomas said: "I receive a lot of booking requests… I get some offers from this [and that] festival. I get some offers for making a tour with HEAVEN SHALL BURN. They were interested in maybe a SODOM tour. I get a thousand of requests [for] the 'Big Four' [of German thrash metal: KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, SODOM and TANKARD] worldwide. That is not a problem… People are still interested. It's not something bad because we have no success. I can book tours every day over the year, if I want. That is another thing. SODOM is still — we are still very much a success, I think. People are really interested in coming [to see us]… So that is not the problem. I know that people wanna see SODOM."

Elaborating on his reasons for taking a break from the road, Thomas said: "I love my fans, but I also love myself. I also love my family. I also love my old friends. Now it's time to stop [and] just [concentrate on] doing other things. That's very easy. I'm still healthy. I'm able to do it. I'm still creative. Maybe the day will come I don't know what to do, I'm not more creative, I cannot write lyrics, I cannot play bass. Then it's gone. It's just a break. But I don't know how long it takes."

SODOM will release its new album, "The Arsonist", on June 27worldwide through SPV/Steamhammer. The LP saw all four SODOM musicians — Thomas "Angelripper" Such (vocals, bass),Frank Blackfire (guitar),York Segatz (guitar) and Toni Merkel (drums) — involved in the songwriting.

The official lyric video for the album's first single, "Trigger Discipline", can be seen below.

In November 2023, SODOM released an EP, "1982", via SPV/Steamhammer.

SODOM's 40th-anniversary album, "40 Years At War - The Greatest Hell Of Sodom", arrived in October 2022 through Steamhammer/SPV. The LP included one song from each of the previous studio albums receiving a re-recorded treatment from SODOM's current lineup. The CD and vinyl double LP with their martial cover artwork penned by Eliran Kantor (KREATOR, TESTAMENT, GWAR, among others) contain 17 tracks, all newly recorded by Such, Blackfire, Segatz and Merkel.

SODOM's last studio album, "Genesis XIX", came out in November 2020 via Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Steamhammer/SPV in Europe. The disc was recorded by Siggi Bemm and mastered by Patrick W. Engel and comes shrouded in the cover art of Joe Petagno of MOTÖRHEAD fame.

Canadian rockers Harem Scarem kicked off a European tour in support of their new album, Chasing Euphoria, on April 24 at Mon Live in Madrid, Spain. Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below.

Setlist:

“Better the Devil You Know”
“Hard to Love”
“Gotta Keep Your Head Up” (Darren Smith on vocals)
“Stranger Than Love”
“Distant Memory”
“Boy Without a Clue” (Pete Lesperance on lead vocals)
“The Death of Me” (with Cassidy Paris)
“Here Today Gone Tomorrow”
“Mandy”
“Sinking Ship”
“Honestly”
“Garden of Eden”
“Sentimental Blvd.” (Darren Smith on lead vocals)
“If There Was a Time”
“Summer of ’69” (Bryan Adams cover – Mike Vassos on vocals)
“Slowly Slipping Away”
“Chasing Euphoria”

Encore:
“No Justice”

Enjoy the newly released music video for The Native Howl’s unique “Thrash Grass” take on the Man In Black’s classic “Ring Of Fire”.



“Thrash Grass” pioneers The Native Howl have announced their US headlining run in support of their latest album, Sons Of Destruction (available now via Sumerian Records), with outlaw alt-folk group Tejon Street Corner Thieves as direct support. The tour kicks off on June 6 in Detroit, Michigan and wraps in Chicago, Illinois later in the month. Tickets are on sale now, so be sure to get yours here before it’s too late.

Recorded deep within the Finnish forest, Restoring The Primordial Order captures the raw energy and authenticity that defines Abysmal Rites. The duo, known for their primal and brutal heavy/sludge sound, recorded the bass and drums live, ensuring that the album mirrors the intensity of their electrifying performances.

While their debut album was a journey of experimentation, Restoring The Primordial Order marks a significant evolution in their sound. The pieces have finally fallen into place, showcasing a solidified identity that resonates with their vision.

The album explores themes that explore the core of humanity and reflects on how our behaviors drive us toward inevitable destruction. Despite the wealth of information and opportunities available, humanity seems destined to veer toward a dead end—a realization that offers the band a strange sense of comfort. Abysmal Rites confronts the harsh truth of mankind’s struggle to coexist respectfully with each other and with nature itself.



Tracklist:

“Restoring The Primordial Order” (intro)
“The Secret Of Pure Grief”
“The Sacrifice”
“The Zone”
“Cryptic Noise From Beyond”
“A Grave For Us”
“Ancient Race”

Formed in late 2021 in Tampere, Finland, Abysmal Rites began as a duo and quickly evolved into a trio, solidifying their lineup with J on drums, M on bass, and R on vocals. Their first taste of success came with the music video, “Polluted”, which was selected for the Most Bizarre category at the Berlin Music Video Festival. Their debut full-length album, Nihilism Is Realism, was self-released in 2023, showcasing their clear vision and determination to carve out a unique sound in the heavy music landscape.

With Restoring The Primordial Order, Abysmal Rites invites listeners to join them on a journey through the depths of human experience, wrapped in a sound that is as heavy as it is thought-provoking.

In a new interview with Chris Akin Presents…, legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen once again addressed why he no longer hires singers, preferring instead to take on vocal duties himself in recent years. Asked if he has had to change his compositional approach to accommodate his singing voice compared to how it was in the past when he was working with outside vocalists, Yngwie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes and no, because every time I wrote a song when another singer sang it, I wrote the vocal melody and I wrote the lyrics. Except in ALCATRAZZ, I wrote the vocal melody, but Graham [Bonnet] wrote the lyrics, which is the words. The musical melody that he sang, I wrote that. And the same with other singers. Some of the singers, actually, did add words, and I was never happy with that, to be honest with you. And I have to be quite honest, it was just because I was lazy.

"There was a time when I was not so focused and had other things going on and I would allow that to happen," Yngwie explained. "That's why. It's not for any other reason. I'm extremely focused and extremely together right now, so it will never happen again.

"The thing is that, me as a creator, and you've gotta also remember this — I don't know how to say this; I try to say it in many different ways — I am a solo artist since January 1984," Malmsteen added. "Every record I've made, it's been a solo album. I even consider the ALCATRAZZ album a solo album. No. But seriously, I wrote everything on that too. But STEELER, for instance, I wrote, like, maybe two songs. That was definitely not my thing. But the thing is, everything I did since January 1984 has been my solo albums. So if I hired somebody to sing something or hired somebody to play the keyboards or drums or bass or something, that was exactly it. That was it. Having said that, there was a period, couple of small periods — I'd say late '80s maybe — where there was some distractions, some bad things going on. And then I let the reins go a little bit. But I was always, at the end of the day, I was producing and at the end of the day, I was always doing that. But even those times, these are my solo albums. I mean, there are solo artists that don't do anything themselves. They have everybody writing and producing everything for 'em. They still call themselves solo artists. So, I don't know how that works. But anyway… That's cool too… I just find it interesting that some people don't seem to understand that I've been a solo artist since 1984. And it stops there."

Yngwie released a new live album, "Tokyo Live", on April 25 via Music Theories Recordings. The concert was recorded at the Zepp DiverCity, Tokyo on May 11, 2024 as part of Yngwie's 40th-anniversary world tour.

Malmsteen's breathtaking technique takes center stage of the 100-minute concert while being cocooned by exquisite musicianship throughout. The setlist tracks Malmsteen's illustrious career, from "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and "Evil Eye" and through his remarkable solo career with "Rising Force", "Far Beyond The Sun", "Arpeggios From Hell" and "Seventh Sign" all the way up to his most recent material taken from 2021's "Parabellum", with "Wolves At The Door", "Relentless Fury", "(Si Vis Pacem) Parabellum", not to mention rousing renditions of "Paganini's 4th" and "Smoke On The Water".

Only four of the songs on "Parabellum" featured vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Kevin Klingenschmid.

The name of Yngwie Malmsteen has always stood for uncompromising excellence. In a career that now spans more than 40 years he has proven himself to be a unique artist. You can try to categorize him in any way you wish. But the manner in which this supreme Swedish craftsman has continually developed his music makes Malmsteen sublimely transcend any definition you attempt to impose.

He now has a catalogue of 22 solo studio albums, each of which has much to commend. Malmsteen's artistry has always clearly incorporated a healthy virtuosity, but his talent goes well beyond a comprehensive control of the guitar. The man is a fine composer and, on recent releases, has also showcased a strong vocal presence and now, with only this fifth live release, it captures four decades of relentless fury and blissful artistry of one of the true greats.

In November of 2024, The Lasers Edge released Hiding In Plain Sight, the debut from Herin – the progressive/post-rock solo venture of Tiles/Discipline guitarist Chris Herin – the record stacked with guest performances from Peter Frampton, members of Rush, Jethro Tull, Porcupine Tree, Discipline, and many others. Following its release, the album was released on vinyl for UK Record Store Day featuring four additional bonus tracks, which have now been issued digitally on The Lasers Edge as the Unhidden EP.



The elaborate limited UK Record Store Day 2xLP 180-gram edition version of Hiding In Plain Sight includes four bonus songs placed throughout a totally revamped 15-track running order. Featuring additional artwork and photos courtesy of Hugh Syme, the audio is mastered using RealFeel – a unique process which makes digital recordings feel closer to analog. To not disappoint fans who wish to grab only the bonus songs, they have been conveniently bundled together as a digital EP creatively titled Unhidden. By no means leftovers, these tunes were held back solely to keep the original album (CD) under 60 minutes.

The four bonus tunes all feature Discipline’s Matthew Parmenter on lead vocals, and Discipline drummer Paul Dzendzel joins on “Our Own Time.” Of note is a significantly altered version of “Safe House (Asylum).” The song’s lyrics offered a couple of arrangement possibilities, and not knowing which path to take, the solution was to do both! Additional guests on board are Kevin Chown (bass), Ben Riley and Gary Craig (drums), Hugh Syme (keyboards), and Mark Mikel (backing vocals and mellotron). The short, poignant instrumental was written during the waning days of Herin’s hospital vigil and named after the room number.

Proceeds from Hiding In Plain Sight will be donated to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Stream and purchase Herin’s Unhidden EP at the Lasers Edge Bandcamp, the standard version here and the hi-res version here.



Unhidden tracklisting:

“Our Own Time”
“Sad Cypress”
“Requiem 704”
“Safe House (Asylum)”

Hiding In Plain Sight is available on digipak CD The Laser’s Edge webshop where a limited supply of the import 2xLP is available here, and is streaming everywhere including Bandcamp – the standard digital here and the 24-bit hi-res here.

Huntington Beach G-punk pioneers, (Hed) P.E., have already released a few singles from their upcoming New And Improved covers collection, including brand new recordings of their own classics “Bartender” and “Raise Hell.” So we’ve already had the chance to find out if we agree with the record’s title. (The answer, unanimously, is yes!)

This one, however, is the most arresting yet, as the band completely, and brilliantly, up-end one of The Police’s biggest (if creepily stalker-ish) hits, not only as their latest single, but also as the opening track to the album itself. And once you dive into that, you may never want to resurface.

FOREIGNER kicked off its spring 2025 Latin American tour Monday night (April 28) at Arena Ciudad de México in Mexico City, Mexico. 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. Asked in a new interview with Brazil's 92.5 Kiss FM radio station if he will keep performing with FOREIGNER beyond the Latin American tour, Gramm said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we're gonna continue doing this type of thing for another year or so… [After the Latin American tour] I'm doing Southeast Asia, I'm doing Europe and next year I'm doing the whole of the U.S."

Gramm also spoke about the fact that Maldonado is singing some of the FOREIGNER classics in Spanish during the Latin American tour. "We just talked about it within the last two weeks," Lou said. "And we decided that when we play areas of the world where Spanish is the dominant language, Luis, who has a wonderful voice, will sing some of the big hits in Spanish. I think that's fabulous… He's worked on [translating all the lyrics into Spanish] and he's made it work. He's very excited about doing it."

Elsewhere during the chat, Gramm commented on FOREIGNER's long-overdue 2024 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Eligible since 2002, FOREIGNER has had a huge number of rock hits, including "Cold As Ice", "Double Vision", "Hot Blooded", "I Want To Know What Love Is", "Juke Box Hero" and "Urgent", and has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, with no wins.

"Well, [the Rock Hall induction] means a great deal because I know we were eligible 20 years ago, and we just didn't get nominated," Gramm said. "And we would put our heads together — the band with our management — and wonder what we need to do to be a part of this. And it just took a longer time than we thought, but it sure is sweet to be in there now. I only wish that Mick [Jones, FOREIGNER's founding guitarist] was in better health, that he could have been there to play with us that night and enjoy the induction too. That's the tragedy of it, because we should have been in 20 years ago, in which case Mick would've been extremely healthy and we would be able to enjoy that honor as a band."

In March, FOREIGNER singer Kelly Hansen released a statement regarding his absence from the band's Latin American and Canadian tours. The 63-year-old vocalist, who has fronted the legendary rockers for the past two decades, said that "some residency issues" had forced him to limit appearances outside of the USA this year.

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 74-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. 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.

Image credit: Kenz Vidz

In a new interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, CHEVELLE drummer Sam Loeffler spoke about the band's recently released new single "Rabbit Hole (Cowards, Pt. 1)". The track is taken from CHEVELLE's as-yet-unannounced tenth studio album, which will arrive later in the year. The follow-up to 2021's "Niratias" will mark CHEVELLE's first release through Alchemy Recordings following a long run with the Epic label. Alchemy Recordings is a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States.

Asked why he and his brother, CHEVELLE vocalist/guitarist Pete Loeffler decided to produce the band's new LP themselves after working with Joe Barresi for almost a decade and a half, Sam said: "Well, I'll tell you this. We did four records with Joe [starting with 2011's 'Hats Off To The Bull'], and he was awesome. And he said to us, he goes, 'You guys should do something different. Go try doing a record yourselves. See how it goes.' So we did. And it's the hardest thing we've ever done, for sure. It's probably not worth it, but we did it, and we can say we did it."

As for the decision to part with Epic and find a new label home, Sam said: "After we did eight full-length records with Epic Records, which we still have a very good relationship with them, yeah, we branched out and became part of a label with our friends that we've known for 25 years in the business. And our old friend Danny Wimmer tried to sign us to Flawless Records back in like 2000, and it didn't work out, and we went to Sony instead. So now, after all these years, we've signed with him and his current label, so it was kind of cool."

Asked what lyrical themes are covered on CHEVELLE's upcoming album, Sam said: "Well, [Pete is] definitely our lyricist, and he likes to write about things going on around him, of course — anything that's just interesting that you can make interesting in an interesting way. That's a lot of 'interesting' words there. So, yeah, on this one — 'Rabbit Hole' is really about going down a rabbit hole. And that's 'Cowards, Pt. 1'. And there's a 'Cowards, Pt. 2', which deals with the same stuff but just a different part of it. And I don't wanna give that away yet 'cause I'm hoping that's gonna be the second single. And that'd be really rad if it was. But it's definitely about going down rabbit holes."

On the topic of a possible release date for CHEVELLE's tenth studio album, Sam said: "Well, I'm hoping record will be out by the time we go on tour [in August]. It's just a matter of getting all the artwork and everything finished to get in the queue for printing LPs and stuff. So, we should have a date hopefully soon, the actual date. But this album's pretty well-rounded as far as heavy songs go. I mean, it's mostly really, really hard rock, 'cause that's our thing, but there's two lighter songs on it. And this song, 'Rabbit Hole', is, as far as the rock songs, the lightest song on the record, for sure. So you just end up going with the mid-tempo song as your first single. It happens every time."

This past March, Sam told Audacy Music about the musical direction of the new CHEVELLE material: "We've worked really hard on it, and I think it's some of the best stuff we've ever done, honestly. It's so much fun to play, that's for sure."

Pete added: "We're just happy maintaining — we're trying to maintain, anyway — and put out shit that's fun to play live. And a lot of these tracks are. I'm running through four of 'em right now that I can rip out at any time. That goes both ways too. A lot of fans wanna hear the old stuff, some wanna hear the new, but we just try and mix it up. But I think this new album's gonna be a blast to see it live. So, come out to a show, please."

This summer CHEVELLE will embark on a massive tour with special guests ASKING ALEXANDRIA and DEAD POET SOCIETY. Produced by Live Nation, the 38-city trek kicks off on August 7 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas, making stops across North America in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and more before wrapping up in Airway Heights, Washington at BECU Live at Northern Quest on October 2.

Last July, Sam told TribLive.com about CHEVELLE's next LP: "We kind of did expect to have it done [already]. It's like pulling teeth. This is what I described: Writing an album and doing all that is like pulling your hair out and then trying to put it back in. Writers love having written, is what I learned. It's just torturous on my brother. It's torturous because there's just so many factors to making something great. And then the longer you can live with it, the more changes you're gonna make. So that makes you never want to put it out. You never want to pull the pin and throw the grenade because you're like, well, it gets better every time I look at it."

As for what the 10-song album — which was produced by the CHEVELLE members themselves — sounds like, Sam said: We're always skewing towards heavy. [But] these [last] two songs that we've been working on right now are definitely different from everything we did, although 'Niratias', our last album, I think was a really important snapshot of what we've been learning about writing and about music and stuff. This one definitely sounds different than just rock music, definitely different."

Back in 2022, Sam told Knotfest's Cori Westbrook about CHEVELLE's songwriting process: "Well, Pete's our songwriter so he's our lyricist and everything. Basically, he just writes about what's going on around him. If he's taking the garbage out that night or has a bad day driving, he's watching a documentary that really affected him, he hears a podcast — so he's writing about those kinds of things. So if you're able to internalize that kind of a thing, I think you have a lot to write about. It doesn't just have to be a relationship that — a relationship with your dad or your significant other. I think those are some pretty powerful feelings — I get it — but if you are able to bring in all those other things in from your everyday life, there's a lot more to write about. So as far as inspiration goes, it's not hard to find; it's everywhere; it's all around you. And especially nowadays, we have so much access to what's going on around us that there's even more ideas to pull from."

In a separate interview with Heavy New York, Sam said that he and Pete had "a whole bunch of music written... Because that's what we do — you put music out, you write… It'll be our first record in a long time not with a major label, which is just neither here nor there," he added. "Epic Records did a lot of good stuff; we were with them for a long time, but we're finished with that contract now. So now we're doing something different. And we'll see how different it is."

Released in March 2021 via Epic Records, "Niratias" was recorded throughout 2019 and 2020 with Barresi. The album artwork was designed by Boris Vallejo — the famed and award-winning artist is responsible for the posters used for films like "Knightriders" and "National Lampoon's Vacation", as well as iconic '70s and '80s science fiction novel covers and magazines (such as Heavy Metal).

Over the course of its career, the Chicago rockers have generated nearly half a billion streams, notched seven No. 1 hits, and sold out shows worldwide. Their catalog spans the double-platinum "Wonder What's Next", which boasts the double-platinum smash "The Red" and the platinum hit "Send The Pain Below". "This Type Of Thinking (Could Do Us In)" attained platinum status, while "Vena Sera" was certified gold. CHEVELLE has landed four Top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200, including "Sci-Fi Crimes" (2009),"Hats Off To The Bull" (2011),"La Gárgola" (2014) and "The North Corridor" (2016). The latter two each captured the No. 1 slot on the Top Rock Albums chart.