In a new interview with Luiz Cesar Pimentel of Brazil's Cucamonga, SLAYER's Kerry King was asked how the 2013 death of the band's founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman affected his relationship with SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Kerry responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think Jeff's passing weighed harder on Tom than it did me. And I don't mean that from any kind of friendship perspective. It's just my taking wasn't as bad as Tom took it. Of course it was horrible, and no one ever wanted that to happen, but it really weighed on Tom. I think that's what led to him wanting to retire earlier than me, because I think he felt the band was different. But then, out of nowhere, Tom decided he wanted to play some [SLAYER] shows last year, and I went, 'Well, I never wanted to stop playing shows. So, yeah, let's try it out.'"

King continued: "Just like it was in [the earlier years of] SLAYER, [Tom and I] don't talk on the phone. We rarely text each other. And that's just because when you're together for 40 years — he became a very different person. He's not the guy I started the band with. Not personally — just him; he's a different person. I basically stayed very similar to who I've been in my twenties. And I like Tom. We're cool. We got together [last year to rehearse for the SLAYER reunion concerts]. It wasn't weird. We did those two shows [at Riot Fest in Chicago and Aftershock festival in Sacramento]. He was super happy. We got together after the second one, had a shot after the show. He'll drink tequila and I love tequila, so that's what we had. And I think the first idea to play [with SLAYER again] this year was for the [Louder Than Life festival] show we missed last year 'cause of the hurricane. So we rebooked that and [I] said, 'If we never play another show, I wanna make that right with the promoter,' because it wasn't our fault. But he wanted us to play. So we're playing there this year. And this year we get to play that BLACK SABBATH show [in early July in Birmingham, United Kingdom]. I can't fucking wait."

In January 2011 Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

Back in February 2024, Kerry was asked by Rolling Stone how he found out Araya wanted to retire. King said at the time: "We were on tour and some kid was interviewing him, and he said something about, 'I've got to get together with Kerry and talk before we talk about the next record.' He should have just said, 'I'm probably not going to do another record,' or had that conversation with me before he mentioned anything like that. I was just assuming, 'Oh fuck, what's this going to be?' And it was, 'I'm done.' Not what I expected. But if you made that decision, I'm not going to try to talk you out of it because your heart's not going to be in it anyway."

Regarding why Araya had decided to retire, King said: "I think just the wear and tear of the road. I think he wanted to be home. None of us are real spotlight seekers, but he's certainly not. And when Jeff was around, he was like a hermit. He did not want fame. I tolerate fame. Somebody's got to be that guy."

Kerry also confirmed that personality differences contributed to SLAYER's eventual split.

"Me and Tom have never been on the same page," he said. "Like if I want a chocolate shake, he wants a vanilla shake. 'Kerry, what color is the sky?' Blue. 'Tom, what color is the sky?' White. We're just different people. The further on in years we got, it just became more.

"Am I going to hang out with Tom? He likes tequila a little bit and I'm a big tequila-head, so I'll have my shot with him, and we'll part ways," he continued. "We're not going to hang out or anything because we are very different people. And together, we made great music and a great live show."

Rolling Stone asked King if his and Araya's differing political ideologies played a part in SLAYER's split. In 2017, Araya used SLAYER's official Instagram account to make a post about then newly elected U.S. president Donald Trump, stirring up a huge backlash from the band's fanbase.

"I was super pissed off at that — but not enough to fucking quit my band," King said of the incident. "I was like, 'Dude, that's what your personal social media is for. You're the only one in this band that gives a shit about this idiot, and when you put it up there, we're all backing him.' And I am not [backing Trump], Gary's [Holt, SLAYER guitarist] not, Paul [Bostaph, SLAYER drummer] is not. That's your opinion, not ours. I would never do that to you."

Prior to SLAYER's 2024 reunion, King told Rolling Stone that he and Tom had not had any contact since the last show of SLAYER's farewell tour in 2019. "Not even a text. Not even an e-mail," he said. "I've talked to everybody else from the band on the phone, text, or e-mail. If Tom hit me up, I'd probably respond. It probably depends on what he hit me up for, but I don't wish him dead at this moment."

Photo credit: Ryan Segedi (courtesy of Cosa Nostra PR)

In a new interview with Mark Strigl, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the band's touring plans beyond a couple of U.S. festival appearances this year, including one at the the M3 Rock Festival in early May at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're [planning] on another tour in the fall, which I cannot talk about quite yet, but there will be more shows in the U.S. later in the year. They haven't been announced yet, so I can't really say much… And other than that, we're going to Europe. We actually tried to lay low this year because we're gonna be very, very busy next year when we have the 50-year anniversary tour coming up and an album in the works for that. And so there's a lot of stuff happening next year, and we kind of wanted to lay low this year, but then we aren't. All these shows came in, so we're still quite busy."

Asked if longtime ACCEPT producer Andy Sneap will be involved with the band's upcoming 50th-anniversary album, Wolf said: "He will not be on this one, because he asked for a year off from us. I asked him, I begged him to produce his album, but then we found a good buddy of his. His name is Zeuss [Chris Harris]. He's producing it."

Hoffmann continued: "[Andy is] kind of part of the family now, but he's been touring so much with [JUDAS] PRIEST [as that band's touring guitarist], and he's been working so much in the studio last year. I think he did SAXON, he did PRIEST, he also did DREAM THEATER — he's done a bunch of stuff. So when I said, 'Hey, can we work this year again?' He said, 'Man, can I please have a year off?', which is understandable."

Regarding ACCEPT's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour, which is expected to launch at the of the year, Wolf said: "It's gonna be a retrospective of the whole 50-year career and, of course, it's gonna feature a lot of the important stuff from the '80s and some deeper cuts. And we're gonna perform with guest singers and guest players, and it's gonna be super exciting, like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You only have one shot at a 50-year anniversary… I don't think we'll get a chance for another one."

Asked what continues to drive him creatively to keep making new music with ACCEPT, Wolf said: "Well, we're still hungry. I still have the energy and I still have the passion for it, so I don't ever feel like I'm at this point where I've kind of had enough or I wanna retire or anything like that. I'm still full force in it, man. And so is everybody in the band. And that is, I guess, what keeps us motivated and what keeps it going. And it's a lot of fun to create stuff that actually means something to the fans. It would be one thing if we were releasing albums and everybody said, 'You know what? Just play the old songs. We don't really need any new stuff.' But the opposite is true. People are really eating the stuff up, and they're really, really happy and they're respecting the fact that we are still working so hard. So the old songs and the new songs kind of live side by side when we perform live. I mean, at one point the classics are always gonna be the classics and they're gonna be featured on radio more and that sort of thing. But when it comes to live performances. I think the fans really appreciate the fact that we play new stuff."

Sneap produced ACCEPT's last six studio albums: "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),"Too Mean To Die" (2021) and "Humanoid" (2024).

Zeuss has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, QUEENSRŸCHE, SHADOWS FALL, DEMON HUNTER, OVERKILL and REVOCATION, among many others.

Two months ago, Hoffmann told Metal Talks about ACCEPT's 50th anniversary: "Yeah, it's a funny thing. I joined this band when I was 16 and just never left. And here I am all these all these years later, coming on a 50th anniversary, which is crazy. But yeah, it's definitely something that we're very proud of. And not every band is lucky enough to be around for this long and to still be in the business and to still be touring to still have fans.

"I think ACCEPT, we're very fortunate in the way that we achieved the impossible," he continued. "We had a change of lead singers 15 years ago with Mark Tornillo, and things are better than they've ever been for us. I mean, the last few albums have been phenomenal, the touring is going great, we have sold-out shows everywhere. So, I mean, we are really, really fortunate, and I'm fully aware of that. And yeah, to mark the occasion, we're gonna have a special tour. We're gonna release a new album with — we're gonna re-record some of the old classics and some of the deeper-cut songs from back then with guest people, guest singers, guest guitar players, and we're gonna bring this out on the road in '26. So we're working on that for the next year or so.

"This is a milestone that needs to be celebrated properly, and what better [way to do it]?" Hoffmann added. "I mean, we only have one chance for a 50th anniversary. I don't think I'll get another one. With all optimism, I don't think I'll be around 50 years from now, or the fans will be, so we might as well have this opportunity and make use of it. And it's gonna be fantastic. I know it. We're gonna play some songs we've never played before, and it's gonna be great."

Last November, Wolf told The Adamantium Podcast about ACCEPT's upcoming 50th-anniversary album and tour: "Well, I can't tell you too much yet, because it's too early and right now we're featuring this tour [promoting ACCEPT's latest album, 'Humanoid'], so let's focus on that. But I can tell you it's gonna be a huge thing because turning 50 is a big deal."

Wolf continued: "We have always shied away from all these, I would call them little anniversaries, because, really, we could have done a [celebration of] 20 years of this album, 20 years of that album, 30 years [of some other album]. Every year is something to celebrate. I mean, when you have 15 albums or 16 or 17, something always happened 20, 30, 40 years ago. It's always a round number of years. So we could have done that for a long time. There's people who do it all the time. We always said, 'Nah, we'd much rather feature the current album and then make a new one after that and stay current.' But, man, with 50, that's where I gotta say this is the one — this is the big one. There won't be another one… And also, quite honestly, we're getting up there in age a little bit, and I'm not quite ready to retire, but you never really know. Honestly, at some point, we could all say this might be our last tour. You never really know. Somebody might get sick.

"50 is a big deal, and we're gonna really celebrate it properly," Hoffmann added. "It's gonna be a completely different show with a lot of surprises. That's all I know. So we've got a year of planning to do and then executing and stuff."

Last summer, Wolf was asked by Metal Journal why he and his bandmates decided to announce that they will embark on a 50th-anniversary tour in late 2025 when they still had plenty of touring to do last year in support of their latest album, "Humanoid". He said: "Things like that take time. People have asked me for the last two years: 'Are you gonna do an anniversary thing?' Everybody wants to know. So I finally said, 'Okay, we're gonna do it.' And it's gonna be massive, man. It's gonna be a huge surprise with all the guests that we're gonna have. And I think it's gonna be completely different from anything we've ever done before. So I think it's gonna blow people away. But that doesn't take away from this tour that we have coming up, because, first of all, it's gonna be another year or more before we even go on this next tour. So if you like the new album, 'Humanoid', and if you love ACCEPT, you've gotta see this tour, no matter what. It's gonna be definitely a highlight anyhow."

On the topic of whether there was any talk about possibly announcing a farewell tour to coincide with ACCEPT's 50th anniversary, Wolf said: "We've been doing it for a long, long time. And I honestly don't know how long I can do this. I mean, nobody knows what the future will bring, and it has crossed our mind, absolutely. So, it might be that we go off with a highlight like this and then just really say, 'Okay, this was it.' I don't know yet, to be honest."

Regarding whether former ACCEPT members Udo Dirkschneider (vocals) and Peter Baltes (bass) will be invited to take part in the 50th-anniversary tour, perhaps just in the form of a guest appearance at select shows, Wolf said: "Yeah, of course, of course. That doesn't mean they're gonna [show up]. We have to wait and see. Of course, everybody [is invited]. The door is always open for anybody to join us on this, because it's gonna be a retrospective of all the 50 years of ACCEPT, and whoever wants to participate is more than welcome. Yes, sure."

Asked if he will call Udo and Peter directly to ask them to participate in the tour or if he will wait for their call, a visibly irritated Wolf said: "Can you shut up already? You're not gonna get me to talk about it. I'm sorry, man. I know it's a nice try. Everybody wants to know these things."

Wolf also talked about ACCEPT's plan to release a special album in early 2026 that will cover the band's entire musical history. The anniversary LP will contain a carefully curated selection of the best ACCEPT songs from the last five decades, re-recorded — partly with well-known surprise musical guests and colleagues — as well as with some rare tracks that have not been played so often before. He said: "I can't tell you anything yet, because it's way too early. I can just tell you it's gonna be a massive thing. And I don't really wanna get into it yet because I'm not really here to talk specifics about it. It's still in the planning stages. It's gonna be amazing. I think it's gonna be some really big names that are gonna be participating in that. And you'll have to wait. Sorry. It's just too early."

As for whether ACCEPT has already "selected" the guest musicians who will appear on the album, Wolf said: "Yes, we have selected a lot of it. Not all of it, but we have selected a lot."

Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.

After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.

For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.

ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST recently joined forces for a summer/fall 2024 North American tour. The run began on August 31, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7, 2024.

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums.

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing has paid tribute to the band's ex-drummer Les Binks, who recently died at the age of 73. A cause was not revealed, though a funeral notice said Binks died "peacefully at hospital in London."

Earlier today (Monday, April 25),Downing released the following statement: "Sometime around 1977, we were getting ready to work on our 3rd album, 'Sin After Sin', and we found ourselves in the studio with top London session drummer Simon Phillips. We soon realised how special Simon was and quickly offered for him to be a part of the band. Disappointingly, Simon preferred to continue his work doing sessions. This became a problem, so we asked the question, who is the man that could possibly be able to compare to Simon? The response was: There is only one other man, and that man is Les Binks!

"We did not hesitate to track Les down and after we heard him play, we knew we had to secure him at all costs. Fortunately and with much relief, Les agreed to come on the road with us.

"The rest is in the history books. We had many great tours with Les and he recorded with us throughout a very critical part of the band's career

"I feel very fortunate now to have played with Les more recently. First, in 2019 at The Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, which was also my first live performance in some years. It was quickly referred to as the 'MegaPriest' gig, as it featured my good friend and great bass player David Ellefson, also Ripper Owens on vocals and AJ Mills from KK'S PRIEST on guitar. Les was his usual immaculate self on the drums, just as I had always remembered. I am so happy that the show was recorded and will live on forever.

"Then as luck would have it, JUDAS PRIEST were to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022, so myself and Les flew out to Los Angeles and were able to spend quite a lot of time together talking about the old days over a few beers. We played the gig and it was pretty sensational, but I have to say that the time and days we spent together turning back the clock to when we were just young men aspiring and hoping to one day achieve success, was far more valuable to me than any award or prestigious accolade.

"RIP Les Binks".

JUDAS PRIEST confirmed Binks's death in a statement shared on social media. The band wrote: "We are deeply saddened about the passing of Les and send our love to his family, friends, and fans. The acclaimed drumming he provided was first class — demonstrating his unique techniques, flair, style and precision. Thank you Les — your acclaim will live on."

Binks played drums on PRIEST's "Stained Class", "Hell Bent For Leather" (released as "Killing Machine" in the United Kingdom) and "Unleashed In The East" albums.

After the release of "Unleashed In The East", Binks exited PRIEST and was replaced by ex-TRAPEZE member Dave Holland.

Les later told Downing's official web site that the making of the live album "caused a rift between me and [PRIEST's] manager and ultimately led to my decision to leave the band. I just didn't see the point in continuing to work with a band whose manager didn't want me to receive any payment for that live album. A completely ludicrous scenario. It's a classic heavy metal live album which I believe eventually went platinum and he didn't want me to receive a penny for it. Crazy fucker. But that's what happens if a band allows someone like that to manage them — they lose members. So exit drummer number four."

Binks was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in November 2022 along with some of the other former and current members of JUDAS PRIEST.

The PRIEST members that got inducted include current members Rob Halford (vocals),Ian Hill (bass),Glenn Tipton (guitar) and Scott Travis (drums),along with former members Binks, Downing and Holland.

In a December 2022 interview with The Metal Crypt, Binks stated about the experience of being inducted into the Rock Hall: "It was a bit surreal because this all came out of the blue. PRIEST had been put forward for this award — nominated, I think is the word — three times in total. The first two times, they didn't get through. Third time lucky. It's up to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame to decide who they're going to induct. They looked back on the band's career. It has to go back as far as 25 years. They say who's been influential on the creative side of things and the band's legacy has to form — what's the word? — the band's identity and led to the success that they achieved. They included me on that. They recognized me on that level, which is good. Of course, K.K., who was one of the finer members of the band, left in 2011. We were both included."

He continued: "I think there was some nervousness on the management side of things as to how the reunion with K.K. would go because there's been a lot of anguish between the two sides. I spoke to K.K. before. We flew together to Los Angeles and flew back together. We just decided, we are here at the invitation of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Let's just be professional about this, just bite your tongue and just get on with giving the audience the performance they came to see. That's what we did.

"I hadn't seen them for such a long time," Les added. "I gave them all a big hug because I never fell out with anyone in the band. I fell out with the band's management, but not with them. I never had any cross words or any problems with anyone in the band personality-wise or creatively. I know there were issues that K.K. had, especially with Glenn and the management as well, but I didn't have those issues. I was able to reunite with the guys in the band without any problems at all.

"Of course, I know [current PRIEST guitarist] Richie Faulkner from long before he joined JUDAS PRIEST. It was good to see him again because he lives in America now as well, so I don't get to see him very often. It was nice to get to meet up with everyone again and actually perform together."

Downing reconnected with Binks in 2017 for the first time in nearly four decades. Downing later described the experience of meeting his former bandmate as "great" and called Les "one of the greatest drummers in the world and a good friend and a great guy."

Photo courtesy of K.K. Downing / Art Bourasseau (Art Attack Management)

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Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Sammy Hagar has shared the official music video for his personal new single "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight.". The track, a melodic rock anthem written by Hagar and guitar legend Joe Satriani, was inspired by a dream and brought to reality by introspective lyrics, powerful chords and rhythmic guitar and drums. The single is now available globally across all platforms via Big Machine Rock.

Inspired by a vivid dream Hagar had about the late Eddie Van Halen, the song marks a full-circle moment in his storied career. "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight." features Hagar on vocals, Michael Anthony on bass, Joe Satriani on guitar and Kenny Aronoff on drums. The production — handled by Hagar, Satriani and Eric Caudieux — delivers a sound that is at once nostalgic and forward-looking. According to Hagar, the dream that sparked the song came about a year after Eddie's passing and left a lasting impact. Rather than being a somber farewell, the song is a celebration and expression of appreciation — for the fans, and for the unforgettable chapter they shared in VAN HALEN.

"This song is my final bow to that part of my life," says Hagar. "It's not meant to be anything more than a 'thank you' — with love, with respect, and with one hell of a guitar solo." Hagar also shared that Satriani's contribution to the track brought a unique emotional energy. "Joe was the perfect partner to help me shape the sound — he brought in that big, emotional, guitar-driven energy that feels like Eddie's spirit but is entirely of Joe's creation. With Michael Anthony's thundering bass and stellar VAN HALEN-esque background vocals and Kenny Aronoff's relentlessly powerful driving rhythms, the song really came together on all levels."

Speaking to Rolling Stone, Hagar said that he came up with "Encore, Thank You, Goodnight." through a dream he had in 2020, in which he was reunited with his late VAN HALEN bandmate Eddie Van Halen.

"He had a guitar around his neck," Hagar said, "and we were having a love fest since we hadn't seen each other in a long time. And he just started playing this riff, and I started singing."

Sammy said he was inspired to write the song after he woke from that dream with the music in his head.

"I just grabbed a pad and a pencil," he recalled. "And I got my iPhone. My wife's screaming, 'What are you doing?' I said, 'Writing a song!' It just kept coming and coming. When I got up the next day, I grabbed my guitar and started to figure out the chords."

Hagar added: "This was one hundred percent a communication from the beyond. There is no question about it."

On April 30, fans at the launch of Hagar and the band's Las Vegas residency will experience the song's first live performance at the kick-off show at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

"Encore, Thank You, Goodnight." was serviced to classic, active and mainstream rock radio on April 25. A full digital campaign launched across social platforms, showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, TikTok and Instagram reels, fan-generated content and more. A seven-inch collector's edition vinyl will be available for pre-order, along with bundles and exclusive merchandise drops.

For more than four decades, Hagar has been recognized as one of the best and most accomplished lead singers and songwriters in rock music. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band MONTROSE to his multi-platinum solo career to his ride as the frontman of VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT and his latest supergroup THE CIRCLE, Hagar has amassed 25 platinum albums on sales surpassing 50 million worldwide. Along his journey, he has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written, with songs like "I Can't Drive 55", "Right Now" and "Why Can't This Be Love", and earned the highest respect of the music industry with a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Since opening his flagship Cabo Wabo Cantina in 1990, he's turned a lifelong passion for great food, music and spirits into a thriving and iconic lifestyle brand encompassing restaurants and spirits. A pioneer in the spirits industry, he launched Cabo Wabo Tequila in 1996 and catapulted it into the No. 2-selling premium tequila brand in the United States. In 2010, Hagar sold his interests in Cabo Wabo Tequila to Gruppo Campari in a nine-figure deal that's widely credited as the start of the celebrity-owned spirits trend. He now owns an award-winning portfolio of top-shelf spirits and beer which includes Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, a partnership with Rick Springfield, Santo Spirits, a partnership with Guy Fieri, and Red Rocker Brewing Co. Never one to hit the brakes, Sammy's also expanded his successes into publishing, TV, radio and beyond, including five seasons of his hit TV show "Rock & Roll Road Trip With Sammy Hagar" and as host of "Sammy Hagar's Top Rock Countdown", a weekly syndicated radio show on more than 90 U.S. stations. He's a No. 1 The New York Times bestselling author, a dedicated philanthropist, donating millions back to local communities through The Hagar Family Foundation, and as the first Honorary Ambassador to Los Cabos, an honor he was bestowed in 2022 in recognition of his longtime investment in the people and economy of Mexico.

Taiwanese metal band CHTHONIC has returned with a new single, "Endless Aeons".

The Taiwanese title of "Endless Aeons" is a Buddhist term describing the gathering of many people to chant Buddhist sutras. "Endless Aeons" also features bassist Doris Yeh singing in the traditional Taiwanese enka style.

CHTHONIC lead vocalist Freddy Lim states: "CHTHONIC's music is always about reincarnation and catastrophe — it's very religious."

He continues: "In the past, our works told Taiwan's ever-reincarnating catastrophes. When I discovered that actually someone close in my family is a victim of one of these catastrophes, it became personal, and started writing 'Endless Aeons' and other songs.

"When will these catastrophes be over? If we could start our lives all over again, would it be possible for us to be without remorse? This song is a question, and the answer."

CHTHONIC guitarist Jesse Liu, the song's co-writer, comments: "This is a song that sounds complicated, but actually simplistic. Answering a complicated question with simple words, this is how the song is supposed to be."

The video for "Endless Aeons" is a continuation of CHTHONIC's previous videos — including "Defenders Of Bu Tik Palace", "KAORU", "Millenia's Faith Undone" and "Pattonkan". Characters in the new song are victims of the 228 uprising and massacre in 1947 who fell into infernal reincarnation. Through the song "Endless Aeons", they are reborn again, but fall through the tunnel of time into a CHTHONIC concert, a development that signifies interruption of the reincarnation.

CHTHONIC has released several albums, including "Mirror Of Retribution" (2009),"Takasago Army" (2011) and "Butik" (2013) on Spinefarm/Universal Music. In their time they've performed at such fêted events as Ozzfest, Download, Wacken Open Air and have toured Europe and North America multiple times.

However, the band's activity halted in 2016 when lead vocalist Freddy Lim was elected to Taiwanese Parliament.

For almost a decade, Freddy has been occupied with parliamentary work, and other members have been working on their own projects — resulting in only occasional large Taiwan performances for the CHTHONIC. Occasional musical output followed (2018's "Battlefields Of Asura" album and 2023's "Pattonkan" single, which was selected to Grammy's Global Spin) but almost all overseas performances were halted.

Although CHTHONIC have stayed low-profiled in recent years, in 2019 they performed with an orchestra in front of Taiwan's Presidential Palace to an audience of 50,000.

People say rock can change the world, and Freddy Lim made that a reality during his two terms in parliament, advocating for reform. Freddy pushed for legislation to make Taiwan's first Asian country to have marriage equality, and for greater protection of indigenous rights. Additionally, he pushed for increased budgetary aid for humanitarian assistance to Ukraine, and advocated for "transitional justice", demanding that government declassify files from Taiwan's past authoritarian era.

This hit home unexpectedly in 2023. Declassified files revealed the sorrowful and previously unknown past of Freddy's family. Combining history and mythology, it is perhaps not coincidental that CHTHONIC's music told the sorrowful yet brave stories of Freddy's grandparents. Shocked at the news and overwhelmed by emotion, Freddy called time on his eight-year service in parliament, and announced that he would not seek re-election.

Now, CHTHONIC returns. The band is working on new songs and could possibly return to global stages once more again soon.

CHTHONIC is:

Freddy Lim (lead vocals)
Doris Yeh (bass, backing vocals)
Jesse Liu (guitars, backing vocals)
Dani Wang (drums)
CJ Kao (keyboards, synthesizer)

Reactivated Santa Barbara-based metal/punk rock hybrid SNOT played its first show with guitarist Doc Coyle (GOD FORBID, ex-BAD WOLVES) this past Friday night (April 25) at HQ in Denver, Colorado. Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of DemonHead TV).

Coyle was recruited by SNOT after the band's recent split with guitarist Sonny Mayo.

The news of Mayo's departure was broken by SNOT guitarist Mikey Doling who stated in a video message:  "Sonny Mayo has decided to quit SNOT. SNOT doesn't fit into his life right now, and he just wants to focus on himself and his life. And SNOT's just too busy for him to be able to continue.

"So I'd like to wish Sonny Mayo the best of luck in his future, and I wanna thank him for all he's contributed to SNOT over the years. We love you, brother," Mikey continued.

"That being said, our very, very good friend from GOD FORBID, formerly BAD WOLVES, Doc Coyle, is going to be filling in on guitar for the upcoming shows. And we're excited to have him on board. And thank you very much, Doc Coyle."

Last month, SNOT announced a European tour for August 2025. The eight-date trek will mark the band's first shows on the continent with new singer Andy Knapp, who made his live debut with SNOT in January.

SNOT's first gig with Knapp took place on January 17 at the Parish room at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. The performance was also livestreamed via the band's Instagram. SNOT played a second show with Knapp, who also sings for fellow Southern California band STRONGER THAN MACHINES, on January 18 at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California.

In a recent interview with "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, Doling and bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock confirmed that there are plans for SNOT to write new music.

SNOT's current lineup also includes drummer Jamie Miller.

SNOT is scheduled to play two more club concerts this month, leading up to the band's appearance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in May in Daytona Beach, Florida. SNOT will also play at select European festivals, as well as at the Inkcarceration Music & Tattoo Festival in Mansfield, Ohio, this summer.

SNOT disbanded in 1998 following original singer Lynn Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.

SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."

We are officially SOLD OUT for tonight’s show with SNOT. We can’t wait to see you… this one is gonna rip. 🤘

Posted by HQ on Friday, April 25, 2025

Canadian singer, songwriter and producer Devin Townsend has announced that his upcoming North American tour, which will launch May 2 in Nashville, Tennessee, will mark the "last time" fans will get a chance to see him perform "for quite some time".

In a message released earlier today (Monday, April 28),Devin said: "For nearly 35 years, I've followed a creative path guided by instinct — each album, each tour, each project a new chapter in a story I've felt compelled to tell. My mind latches on to concepts, and I love chasing them down. That chase has made this journey wild, unpredictable, and deeply fulfilling.

"Over the years, I've heard it countless times: 'Dev, take a break… please.' But the flood of ideas, the excitement, and the support of incredible musicians and listeners have kept me going, kept me touring, and kept me grateful for a life on the road. That said, things have changed — especially since the pandemic. Booking tours now means planning up to two years in advance. With fewer venues, fewer crews, and a saturated touring circuit, it's become more challenging than ever to line things up. And beyond the logistics, life has simply caught up with me: my parents need help, my dogs are on their last legs, the kids have moved out, 'The Moth' is nearly complete, and truthfully, I need some time to breathe and recalibrate.

"So I've made the decision to take a break from touring — an indefinite one. This upcoming North American run will be the last time you'll see me on stage for the foreseeable future.

"That doesn't mean I'm done playing live. Not by a long shot. I'll be performing until my final breath. But right now, I need to be present for the people who need me, and to give myself the space to reflect on everything I've been through.

"In the meantime, I'm launching a long-overdue project: 'The Ruby Quaker Show' — a YouTube series where I'll finally explore the dozens of creative ventures I've had on the back burner. Albums, worlds, inventions, and strange, wonderful ideas I've postponed for years — now I'm making the time to bring them to life, without that familiar pressure of knowing I'll be gone again in a month.

"I will return to the stage. But first, I need to reset. Touring has been a beautiful, exhausting constant in my life, and for once, I'm listening to the voice that says: slow down. I want to create from a place of calm inspiration rather than frantic obligation. And until I can truly be there for the people who rely on me, my creativity won't be at its best.

"So here's the deal: this final North American tour is going to be something special. We're digging deep into the catalog, pulling out some big ones, and making these shows a true celebration.
If you've ever wanted to step into this world I've built — maybe you caught 'The Moth', or a song found its way to you when you needed it — now's the time. I know things are tough economically, and I don't take that lightly, so I'm doing everything I can to make these shows as meaningful and unforgettable as possible. Let's make this one count."

Townsend added in a separate video message:  "In two weeks I start a tour in America. This video acts as me announcing that I'm going to stop touring for a while after this American tour coming up, starting next month.

"If you're in America and you wanna have the opportunity to see me or meet me or participate in the work that I do in a live front, this upcoming tour will be the last time you get a chance to see me for quite some time. I'm going on a vacation. That being said, that vacation will incorporate about a dozen things that I've been waiting to do for all these years that have to be pushed aside because of the constant touring.

"So I say this again, this American tour coming up starting next month, if you want to have the opportunity to see me, this is your opportunity, my friends.

"It's a pleasure to play for you. It's a pleasure to be in your life, and thank you for being in mine."

Devin Townsend performed his rock opera "The Moth" live on March 27 and March 28 together with the Noord Nederlands Orkest (North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra) symphony orchestra at De Oosterpoort in Groningen, Netherlands.

Townsend is renowned for his groundbreaking fusion of metal, progressive rock, and ambient music. With a career spanning more than 30 years, he has pushed the boundaries of musical genres and collaborated with world-famous orchestras, establishing an unparalleled artistic legacy.

For his latest project, he teamed up with the Noord Nederlands Orkest and composed "The Moth", a "rock opera" he had been working on for years, which represents his lifelong ambition. "The Moth" tells the story of the human experience from birth to death, comparable to the transformation of a caterpillar into a moth. It symbolizes the human quest for meaning and offers perspectives on the fear of death through analogy and narrative. Ever since Townsend witnessed large musicals such as "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Phantom Of The Opera" in the 1970s, he had seen this project as his calling.

"The Moth" had been in the making for over a decade, and Townsend had been building towards it for 30 years. A month ago, he shared the stage at De Oosterpoort in Groningen with no less than seventy musicians from the Noord Nederlands Orkest, a sixty-member choir, and his own band, which includes Mike Keneally, Joseph Stephenson, Darby Todd and James Leach.

Townsend's career is one of many distinct eras. He's been the leader of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, the lynchpin of the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT and the co-architect of country duo CASUALTIES OF COOL, all while maintaining his prolific and lauded solo project. More recently he completed work on "PowerNerd", a succinct but still progressive record that pulls from its mastermind's childhood love of vintage rock.

Townsend has an amazing variety in his musical style. He works in ranges of hard rock, progressive metal, new age and ambient. As a solo artist he has had a lineup of various artist working on his albums sporting his infinite variety.

When he revisited his music career, it was with the founding of the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT. The project began with a series of four albums each written in a different style and released between 2009-2011. Afterwards he kept to the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT and keeps releasing under this name.

Across all Townsend's bands and projects, he has released more than two dozen studio albums and several live ones. Similar in all of these are his versatile vocal delivery that ranges from screaming to an opera-esque singing. The same diversity appears in his writing. Townsend's musical style has roots in metal but draws elements from other genres into the material. Each album is written to express different aspects of his personality.

METALLICA has donated $40,000 to Toronto, Ontario, Canada's Daily Bread Food Bank through the band's foundation All Within My Hands (AWMH). These much-needed funds will aid the organization's efforts to feed Canadians amid the city's worsening hunger crisis.

"We want to wholeheartedly thank the members of Metallica for this incredibly generous donation," says Neil Hetherington, CEO, Daily Bread Food Bank. "Right now, far too many are struggling, and these funds will help support food bank clients as the hunger crisis in our city reaches an all-time high. This gift means even more considering the band has a history of donating to the Daily Bread cause."

Toronto is seeing an unprecedented rise in food insecurity rates, so much so that in December the city declared the issue a state of emergency. According to the 2024 Who's Hungry report more than one in 10 people in Toronto are relying on food banks — twice as many as just two years prior. Most recently, Daily Bread member food banks saw a staggering 903,350 client visits from January to March 2025 — four times the number of visits in the same period in 2020 (215,748).

"Learning that there is widespread food insecurity in Toronto reminds us just how many people are faced with making tough decisions and need assistance," said Renée Richardson, director of philanthropy for AWMH. "We are thankful Daily Bread is there to bridge the gap for so many families."

METALLICA's $40,000 donation will enable Daily Bread Food Bank to provide about 40,000 meals to the community, one meal for every dollar donated. Daily Bread relies on donations to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, proteins and dairy for distribution to 205 food programs across the city.

Last week, METALLICA played two sold-out shows at Toronto's Scotiabank Arena as a part of its "M72" world tour. This is the second time Metallica has donated to Daily Bread Food Bank, the first time being in November 2016, when they donated all proceeds from a surprise show at The Opera House.

Daily Bread Food Bank works toward long-term solutions to end hunger and runs innovative programs to support individuals living on low income and experiencing food insecurity. Daily Bread distributes fresh and shelf-stable food, and fresh-cooked meals to 129 member agencies and 205 food programs across Toronto. In addition, Daily Bread publishes the influential Who's Hungry report — an annual survey measuring trends in food insecurity and poverty in Toronto to educate the public and spark policy change.

In 2017, METALLICA established All Within My Hands to give back to communities that have supported the band. Since its inception, All Within My Hands' collective efforts have raised more than $20 million. The foundation has provided $11.4 million in grants for workforce education, $7.4 million to fight hunger globally, and $5.2 million donated to critical local services worldwide. 100% of donations go directly to local organizations that the Foundation supports. As always, METALLICA covers all administrative costs. Please visit AllWithinMyHands.org for more information.

DEATH ANGEL's Mark Osegueda joined EXODUS on stage this past Saturday, April 26 at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California to perform their recently released cover of the SCORPIONS deep cut "He's A Woman - She's A Man". Fan-filmed video of his appearance can be seen below.

When the studio version of EXODUS's "He's A Woman - She's A Man" collaboration with Osegueda was first released last week, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt said in a statement: "We decided to cover one of our favorite bands of all time a ways back and have been sitting on it until now, and even better, the one and only Mark Osegueda of DEATH ANGEL/KERRY KING collabed with us to sing it, and he crushes it! He is the only guy we knew who could do Klaus [Meine] justice. Hope you dig it!"

EXODUS played its first concert with singer Rob Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

In January it was announced that EXODUS had parted ways with longtime singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and was being rejoined by Dukes.

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which later became TESTAMENT). He remained in the band until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes had joined EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and remained until 2014, when Souza rejoined.

Dukes previously appeared on four of EXODUS's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the band's debut LP, "Bonded By Blood", inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.

Osegueda is the featured singer on SLAYER guitarist Kerry King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", which arrived last May via Reigning Phoenix Music.

DEATH ANGEL released a live album titled "The Bastard Tracks" in November 2021 via Nuclear Blast. Recorded live at The Great American Music Hall in their hometown of San Francisco on May 22, 2021, and streamed live soon after, "The Bastard Tracks" was described in a press release as "a deep-cuts collection of rarely and never performed songs from the band's catalog" that was released digitally and on CD, vinyl and Blu-ray.

In October 2020, DEATH ANGEL released a four-song EP, "Under Pressure". The effort included a cover of QUEEN + David Bowie's "Under Pressure", followed by a new track titled "Faded Remains", plus acoustic versions of "Act III"'s classic "A Room With A View" and "Humanicide"'s "Revelation Song". The EP was mixed by Max Norman (OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH, BAD COMPANY) and mastered by Ted Jensen (LAMB OF GOD, MACHINE HEAD, HALESTORM).

Released in May 2019 via Nuclear Blast, DEATH ANGEL's latest album, "Humanicide", saw the band returning to producer and friend Jason Suecof (DEICIDE, TRIVIUM) of Audiohammer studios for the recording and mixing, along with the mastering of the legendary Ted Jensen (SLIPKNOT, PANTERA) of Sterling Sound, who added the final touches and brought it all to life, with artist Brent Elliott White (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH) providing the ominous cover artwork.

DEATH ANGEL was nominated for a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the "Humanicide" title track. It was the group's first Grammy nomination.

SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil spoke to Billboard about the announcement that the band will join the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class of 2025 in the Performer category. The Seattle grunge legends were first nominated for the Rock Hall in 2020, and were on the ballot again in 2023 before finally being chosen for induction this year.

"I kinda came from a subculture of rock that didn't quite get what all the fuss is about," Thayil told Billboard. "Back in the '80s, '90s, when the Hall started, I probably was not alone in being part of a punk rock or indie metal scene that had an aversion to the idea. It was kind of hard to wrap my head around both a qualitative appraisal and a quantitative assessment."

After SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell inducted HEART into the Rock Hall in 2013, and SOUNDGARDEN drummer Matt Cameron was inducted as a member of PEARL JAM, Thayil said: "Chris lived the experience and said the enthusiasm of the fans was eye-opening for him, and understanding how important that was — and Matt seconded it. In so many ways the fans got some kind of validation by having a band that was important to their heart and that they championed get (the honor). I know I felt that way about bands I believed in, whether the MC5 or the RAMONES or KISS. Chris explained that to me, and that kind of changed things. Plus I heard this from the NIRVANA guys, the PEARL JAM guys, other friends and other bands. So it really changed my perspective."

Thayil, Cameron, Cornell and bassist Ben Shepherd are being included in the induction, as is original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who was with SOUNDGARDEN from 1984 to 1989 and played on the band's first two EPs and first two albums.

As for who might handle lead vocals for SOUNDGARDEN's performance at the Rock Hall induction, Thayil said: "It's a high bar, not just technically, but emotionally. There has to be a reverence for the missing brother and founder, and there also has to be reverence for the legacy — both for Chris's work and Chris's creativity, as well as the regard and reverence we have for ourselves collectively and for each other. Some suggestions have come out; I'm not prepared to share that, but I'll just say it's a higher bar than the usual composite of guitarists and drummers or singers."

The induction ceremony will be held on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will once again stream live on Disney+, and an edited version will air on ABC at a later date.

Chris was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel on May 18, 2017. The death was ruled a suicide.

SOUNDGARDEN was working on a new studio album — the follow-up to 2012's "King Animal" — when Cornell died.

In 2018, Thayil dismissed conspiracy theories that has surfaced since Chris committed suicide following a show in Detroit.

Thayil told the Detroit Free Press that he and other SOUNDGARDEN members were already en route to Columbus for the band's next date when they got word that Cornell had died back in his Detroit hotel room.

On Sunday, Chris's widow Vicky Cornell shared her reaction to the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, writing on Instagram: "Thank you @rockhall. And huge thanks to all the fans who voted who's [sic] constant love and support keep his legacy alive. It's always bittersweet but Chris would be so honored and it is well past due and beyond well deserved! On behalf of Chris and our family -thank you!! Loud love".

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BAD COMPANY singer Paul Rodgers, drummer Simon Kirke and guitarist Mick Ralphs have commented on the news that their band is among the 2025 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Other inductees in the Performer category are SOUNDGARDEN, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and THE WHITE STRIPES.

"It is pretty amazing and very cool to be part of an iconic American institution that celebrates music, musicians and sometimes unsung heroes behind the scenes," Rodgers told Billboard. "I know that our fans, friends and some media have wanted this for a long time, so they will be pleased at last. I am looking forward to seeing some old friends, reconnecting with (fellow inductee) Chubby Checker — maybe do the twist?"

Kirke said that he is "very happy" that BAD COMPANY is finally being inducted into the Rock Hall. "It's been a long time coming… I'm not taking anything away from the [Rock Hall] committee; they had their reasons, but it's a welcome addition, if you will."

Ralphs, who will be unable to attend the November 8 ceremony in Los Angeles after suffering a debilitating stroke in 2016, stated via e-mail that "I am elated and think that BAD COMPANY's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is fantastic!"

BAD COMPANY has been eligible for induction since 1999 and received its first nomination this year.

The induction ceremony will once again stream live on Disney+, and an edited version will air on ABC at a later date.

In a recent interview with U.K. radio veteran Paul Stephenson of VRP Rocks, Kirke spoke about the British supergroup's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination, which was announced in February 2025 after decades of eligibility. Asked how it felt to finally be nominated, Simon said: "What can I say? If I was truly honest, I would say it's about time because we've been around for so long.

"So, yeah, I've already spoken with Paul about what song we're gonna play, and it's gonna be 'Can't Get Enough'. And, yeah, I'm happy — I'll be happy for Mick, 'cause Mick had a stroke several years ago and he is in not good shape. And as long as he holds out when we get on that stage in November, we're gonna give a shoutout to Mick. Because he wrote the damn song — he wrote 'Movin' On' and he wrote a lot of the hits and he deserves it."

Asked what Paul's reaction was to BAD COMPANY's Rock Hall nomination, Simon said: "I met him a few weeks ago on the West Coast. I was playing in a charity golf tournament in Palm Springs, and he winters in Palm Springs. So we actually got together, and I said, 'What do you think?' He said, 'About fucking time.' We are pleased and we are honored, but there was always this nagging — every year that passed, we didn't even get a nomination. 'Cause there's two steps — nomination, then induction. And we weren't even nominated for all those years. And it was beginning to gnaw at me. But anyway, Paul was 'Yeah, about the time. What are we gonna play?' And I said, 'Well, 'Can't Get Enough',' because Mick won't be there; he can't travel. And it seemed to be the right thing to do. So, yeah, that's it."

Asked if he ever got a reason why BAD COMPANY hadn't been nominated earlier, Simon said: "No. Well… Hmm. There are several reasons. One of them being, I think because BAD COMPANY had three lineups, it kind of diluted our currency, if you will. If you can imagine a band like CREAM and they change Ginger Baker or they change Jack [Bruce] or Eric [Clapton], God forbid, a couple of times, it would kind of dilute and muddy the waters of the committee. So as I'm told by this insider, they wanted to do a FREE-BAD COMPANY doubleheader, as it were, like [when] THE FACES and THE SMALL FACES were inducted, but for some reason it didn't show up. There was also a political thing that I can't really go into without getting kind of into hot water, but it was a combination. I think the main thing was the triple lineup… It just wasn't a clear-cut 'Let's induct BAD COMPANY.' There were factors that now have dissipated."

Back in November 2023, Kirke was asked by "The Bob Lefsetz Podcast" how he felt about BAD COMPANY not having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: "I think it's such a travesty, quite honestly. And not just that, but FREE — FREE certainly should be [in the Hall], because FREE has been around since 1968, and the two bands have been responsible for influencing a lot of bands who are already in the Hall. So I feel pretty bad about it. But I'm not gonna go on too much about it. It's just I think we should be in. Certainly FREE. And I think Paul Rodgers should be in on his own merits, as one of the great rock vocalists of all time. If Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck can be inducted as solo artists, then certainly Paul Rodgers should be in there. That's my two cents."

Later in the chat, Kirke offered one possible explanation for why BAD COMPANY had been overlooked by the Rock Hall.

"I think because of BAD COMPANY's changing lineups over the 50 years that we'd been together, it kind of devalued our currency a little bit," he said. "You had the Brian Howe era, you had the Paul Rodgers era, one and two, when Paul rejoined the band, we had Robert Hart. So I honestly don't know why we have not been nominated — not even inducted; you have to be nominated first, as you know."

In September 2023, Rodgers told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he wasn't bothered by his absence from the Rock Hall. "Well, it doesn't affect my daily life. It doesn't affect what I do in any way at all," he said. "It's one of those things. But I remember years and years ago, Ahmet Ertegun, who was the head of Atlantic Records [and a co-founder of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame], said to me, 'Paul, we're making this museum of rock and roll. Do you guys wanna be part of it?' And I said, 'What, a museum of rock and roll? What's it called?' He said, 'Well, it's called the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.' I said, 'Well, I don't think rock and roll belongs in a museum.' So it's my bad, I guess. And he asked me a couple of times, and I kind of like refused, I guess, basically. So, you know, there you go. Onwards and upwards."

BAD COMPANY and SOUNDGARDEN are among the 2025 inductees into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Other inductees in the Performer category are Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, OutKast and THE WHITE STRIPES.

Salt-N-Pepa and Warren Zevon will be presented with the Musical Influence Award; Philly soul songwriter/producer Thom Bell, keyboardist Nicky Hopkins, and Wrecking Crew bassist Carol Kaye will receive the Musical Excellence Awards; and former Warner Bros. Records president Lenny Waronker will get the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

"Each of these inductees created their own sound and attitude that had a profound impact on culture and helped to change the course of rock and roll forever," said John Sykes, chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "Their music gave a voice to generations and influenced countless artists that followed in their footsteps."

The induction ceremony will be held on November 8 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will once again stream live on Disney+, and an edited version will air on ABC at a later date.

The 2025 inductees were announced live earlier tonight on ABC by host Ryan Seacrest during the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame episode of "American Idol".

In a recent interview with U.K. radio veteran Paul Stephenson of VRP Rocks, BAD COMPANY drummer Simon Kirke spoke about the British supergroup's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nomination, which was announced in February 2025 after decades of eligibility. Asked how it feels to finally be nominated, Simon said: "Well, it's the first time we've been nominated, and a very good friend of mine is Nicko McBrain from IRON MAIDEN. And he sent me a congratulatory text. He said, 'By the way, Simon, MAIDEN have been nominated 11 fucking times and we haven't been inducted ever. So our management wrote to the Hall Of Fame and said, 'Stop nominating us. Bollocks. Fuck off.

"What can I say? If I was truly honest, I would say it's about time because we've been around for so long," Simon continued. "And hello? How about FREE, which superseded BAD COMPANY? A lot of people have a lot of affection for FREE.

"As I see it, there are 14 nominees, and it's the first four [in the fan vote] that get inducted," Kirke added. "That's my belief. We are behind PHISH who have a huge social media presence. I've never really heard PHISH, quite honestly — they're like the younger version of the GRATEFUL DEAD, but they've got just under 200,000 [fan] votes. We have about 180,000, so we're second. I'm told by an insider that we are gonna get in. we will actually know on Monday or Tuesday. So, yeah, I've already spoken with Paul [Rodgers, BAD COMPANY singer] about what song we're gonna play, and it's gonna be 'Can't Get Enough'. And, yeah, I'm happy — I'll be happy for Mick [Ralphs, BAD COMPANY guitarist], 'cause Mick had a stroke several years ago and he is in not good shape. And as long as he holds out when we get on that stage in November, we're gonna give a shoutout to Mick. Because he wrote the damn song — he wrote 'Movin' On' and he wrote a lot of the hits and he deserves it."

Asked what Paul's reaction was to BAD COMPANY's Rock Hall nomination, Simon said: "I met him a few weeks ago on the West Coast. I was playing in a charity golf tournament in Palm Springs, and he winters in Palm Springs. So we actually got together, and I said, 'What do you think?' He said, 'About fucking time.' We are pleased and we are honored, but there was always this nagging — every year that passed, we didn't even get a nomination. 'Cause there's two steps — nomination, then induction. And we weren't even nominated for all those years. And it was beginning to gnaw at me. But anyway, Paul was 'Yeah, about the time. What are we gonna play?' And I said, 'Well, 'Can't Get Enough',' because Mick won't be there; he can't travel. And it seemed to be the right thing to do. So, yeah, that's it."

Asked if he ever got a reason why BAD COMPANY hadn't been nominated earlier, Simon said: "No. Well… Hmm. There are several reasons. One of them being, I think because BAD COMPANY had three lineups, it kind of diluted our currency, if you will. If you can imagine a band like CREAM and they change Ginger Baker or they change Jack [Bruce] or Eric [Clapton], God forbid, a couple of times, it would kind of dilute and muddy the waters of the committee. So as I'm told by this insider, they wanted to do a FREE-BAD COMPANY doubleheader, as it were, like [when] THE FACES and THE SMALL FACES were inducted, but for some reason it didn't show up. There was also a political thing that I can't really go into without getting kind of into hot water, but it was a combination. I think the main thing was the triple lineup… It just wasn't a clear-cut 'Let's induct BAD COMPANY.' There were factors that now have dissipated. And it looks like we're gonna get it. [I] hope so."

In a statement to Billboard about BAD COMPANY's nomination, Rodgers said: "BAD COMPANY fans and friends have been lobbying for this nomination persistently for years and they never gave up, so big thanks to them. According to them, BAD COMPANY fits all of the criteria and then some to be inducted."

Kirke, for his part, told the publication: "I think it's been a long time coming. It has rankled me a bit. We've been around a long time and we've influenced a lot of bands, and I think it's a place that we deserve. I'm just pleased that we're at least on the ballot. I'm happy and I'm honored, and fingers crossed that we make it."

Back in November 2023, Kirke was asked by "The Bob Lefsetz Podcast" how he felt about BAD COMPANY not having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He responded: "I think it's such a travesty, quite honestly. And not just that, but FREE — FREE certainly should be [in the Hall], because FREE has been around since 1968, and the two bands have been responsible for influencing a lot of bands who are already in the Hall. So I feel pretty bad about it. But I'm not gonna go on too much about it. It's just I think we should be in. Certainly FREE. And I think Paul Rodgers should be in on his own merits, as one of the great rock vocalists of all time. If Eric Clapton and Rod Stewart and Jeff Beck can be inducted as solo artists, then certainly Paul Rodgers should be in there. That's my two cents."

Later in the chat, Kirke offered one possible explanation for why BAD COMPANY had been overlooked by the Rock Hall.

"I think because of BAD COMPANY's changing lineups over the 50 years that we'd been together, it kind of devalued our currency a little bit," he said. "You had the Brian Howe era, you had the Paul Rodgers era, one and two, when Paul rejoined the band, we had Robert Hart. So I honestly don't know why we have not been nominated — not even inducted; you have to be nominated first, as you know."

In September 2023, Rodgers told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he wasn't bothered by his absence from the Rock Hall. "Well, it doesn't affect my daily life. It doesn't affect what I do in any way at all," he said. "It's one of those things. But I remember years and years ago, Ahmet Ertegun, who was the head of Atlantic Records [and a co-founder of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame], said to me, 'Paul, we're making this museum of rock and roll. Do you guys wanna be part of it?' And I said, 'What, a museum of rock and roll? What's it called?' He said, 'Well, it's called the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.' I said, 'Well, I don't think rock and roll belongs in a museum.' So it's my bad, I guess. And he asked me a couple of times, and I kind of like refused, I guess, basically. So, you know, there you go. Onwards and upwards."

SOUNDGARDEN was first nominated for Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's class of 2020.

When the Seattle grunge legends were nominated for the second time in January 2023, SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil told Billboard: "What was cool about [SOUNDGARDEN's first nomination in 2020] was just the recognition of the acknowledgement. If you're involved with your bandmates and fellow musicians in your peer group, you can sometimes get isolated from the general historical context of how the band has evolved and became part of the broader community of music and musicians. So I think that acknowledgement and that recognition was a reminder that, hey, they work that you did with your partners was part of a continuity and a history of music. That's kind of cool."

Thayil added that it was late SOUNGARDEN singer Chris Cornell who helped the band get some appreciation of the Rock Hall after he inducted HEART in 2013. "He lived the experience and said the enthusiasm of the fans was eye-opening for him, and understanding how important that was… And I think that's always been a context in which SOUNDGARDEN would understand its work; we always wanted to be the kind of band for our fans that we looked up to and inspired us. We wanted to be that kind of band would make decisions with regard to that community that had supported us or that we had worked to build, and I think we did a great job of that."

In a new interview with Heavy Metal Perú, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless spoke about how the current streaming industry has created a climate of consumers not valuing music as a product. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a real problem because music has become disposable. Music is not what it used to be years ago. And years ago, if you wanted a record, you had to work, save your money and then go buy that record. Today, fans don't do that. The music is — it's like into the kitchen and turning on the water. It's there all the time. And that's sad, because it doesn't put value on the music because the artist, he trades his labor for the fan's labor. That's the way it used to be. And that does not exist anymore because, like I said, the value that's put on the music from where the public really exists, that respect for the music is not what it used to be. And it's really sad, and it's changed the music business tremendously. Now, from a live perspective of the shows, thankfully that has not changed, because if it had, we wouldn't be talking right now; it would be over for everyone. But fortunately, we still have it from the live shows. But as far as music itself, it no longer has the value it once had, and that makes me sad."

Asked if he thinks the devaluing of music will only get worse in the future, Blackie said: "If you look at show business, technology changes show business radically every 20 years, because technology changes. If you go back a hundred years ago and you look at silent movies, then talking movies came along and it killed silent motion pictures. And with that, a lot of those movie stars from the silent era, they couldn't make the change into talking pictures. And then talking pictures goes for 15, 20 years. Then television happens. And a lot of people then in show business can't make the transition from movies to television. And then rock radio starts to become really, really big. That transition happens. Then MTV happens in the '80s. A lot of bands can't make that transition from just making music to becoming real television stars. Now you have the Internet being what it is, and now you have A.I. and things like that. So every 20 years the technology radically changes. And for any artist that cannot make the change, they die. So show business has shown us for at least the last a hundred years that it's going to change radically every 20 years. And so for you to ask me what I think is gonna happen — there's no way I could even begin to tell you, because there's so many factors that go into that change of technology. So it'll all be technology based from here on out."

Lawless previously talked about how he thinks the technology will evolve in the next few years in terms of the way people consume music during a "VIP Experience" question-and-answer session before W.A.S.P.'s December 13, 2024 concert at The Warfield in San Francisco, California. He said at the time: "In my business, in show business, it reinvents itself about every 20 years. We go back and we look at, let's say, vaudeville in the 1900s. Vaudeville was king — I mean, it was absolute king — because people didn't have any other means of entertainment. So fast forward a little bit, radio comes out [and it] puts a dent in vaudeville. Then silent movies come out a few years after that, [and it] puts a bigger dent in vaudeville. Talkies comes out seven years later, [and it] destroys vaudeville. If you're in vaudeville and you cannot make the transition to talkies, your career is over. Fast forward to television. Television does the same thing that talkies have done to vaudeville 20 years before that.

"So, fast forward to where we are now," he continued. "The digital revolution destroyed music as we know it. Because most people, and I would assume it's the same where you were when you grew up, but everybody in this room here pretty much experienced the same thing. If you wanted a record when you were a kid, you had to save your lunch money or go cut somebody's grass, you had to do whatever to get enough money to go to a record store and buy that record you wanted. But the problem is, once you got there, there were 10 records you wanted, but you could only afford one. Now, today, for 10 dollars, a kid can get an unlimited supply of music. It's like going to a water faucet and turning the water on. There's no end to it. There's no inherent value to the music to them anymore. For us, when we were doing it growing up, we traded our sweat equity for the artist's sweat equity. That doesn't exist now. So they're never gonna understand the joy. You get that record for the first time, you take it home and you put it on. You study every word, every photo while you're listening to it. They don't do that now. They've been robbed of that. And I feel really sorry for them. Because they're never going to get to experience what everybody in this room knows what I'm talking about right now. So that's a really, really sad thing.

"If technology is able to reinvent itself and the people who are doing it now can adapt and move into that next phase, they'll survive. Those that don't, won't. Common expression, you've gotta build a better mousetrap to survive.

"Can I give you an answer [as to where the technology will go from here]? No, I can't. Because I don't see any technology that will do the things that we're talking about that would then reintroduce that younger generation to a love of music. Because what we're talking about is there's a number of things that have to happen for them to experience what we experienced. Like I said, if we had to work, if we had to save money, if we had to do all of those things, those they don't have to do.

"When you trade money or services or whatever, when you trade something, you put a value on it," Blackie added. "When there is no value on it, it's like oxygen; it doesn't mean anything. So, unless something is developed that reinvents the business, I think you're seeing the last thing. I hope I'm wrong, but as a student of show business history, I think the answer is right in front of us, that that technology does not yet exist.

"A rock band can do right now what it took a hundred-piece orchestra to do two hundred years ago, volume-wise. We don't need two hundred guys on stage to make the volume. We can do it with three or four guys. So the big band era got wiped out when the electric guitar was invented. So, like I said, every time a technology like that happens, it totally rewrites the showbiz history as we know it. And when it comes to other industry, I don't know what to tell you. I mean, I know what I know, but I don't know a whole lot about… But that being said, my experience is that most businesses work the same — the theories and foundations of how they succeed, they're pretty much the same. So, it doesn't matter whether you're making computers or tires for cars or whatever, the theory of how you make a business work is pretty much the same in everything. But, like I said, specifically to ours, I see us in a kind of a no man's land right now, and I don't know where it's going. 'Cause I don't see a technology that will give us the joy of what we used to have. Because the Internet giveth, the Internet taketh away."

As previously reported, W.A.S.P. will perform its classic debut album in its entirety on the spring/summer 2025 European tour, dubbed "Album ONE Alive".

1984 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of W.A.S.P.'s first LP. To celebrate this milestone, W.A.S.P. will, for the first time in 40 years, play the entire album from top to bottom at headline shows across Europe. In addition, W.A.S.P. will appear at a number of European festivals, performing its greatest hits.

W.A.S.P. kicked off the North American leg of the "Album ONE Alive" tour on October 26, 2024 at Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California. The 39-city run made stops across North America in Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; and more before wrapping up on December 14, 2024 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.

Along with bassist Mike Duda and lead guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band are 30 and 27 years respectively, W.A.S.P. is joined by longtime drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

Because of the extensive back injuries Lawless suffered during the European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour, the band's previously announced 2023 U.S. tour was canceled.

W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour wrapped on May 18, 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.

W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October 2022. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years.

W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.

W.A.S.P.'s most recent studio album of all-new original material was 2015's "Golgotha".

After more than two decades without a proper tour, SAVATAGE returned to the stage earlier this month for a series of concerts across South America, beginning with an April 19 appearance at the Monsters Of Rock festival at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil. However, one key member is missing from the shows: Jon Oliva, SAVATAGE's founding vocalist and keyboardist. In 2023, Oliva suffered a T7 vertebra fracture in three places, a severe injury that has left him relying on a wheelchair. Additionally, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and Ménière's disease, conditions that have further complicated his health.

In a new interview with Argentina's Rocktambulos, Oliva repeatedly emphasized that his injuries prevent him from taking part in the tour, explaining how his condition has affected even basic activities, let alone performing.

"I got in a bad accident and I messed myself up pretty good," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "And it's a long process, long healing process, and with the injuries I have, I can't really sing, because it's too painful. And it's hard for me to even stand up for more than a couple minutes at a time. So, unfortunately, you [can] look at me as a football player that got injured. And I'm on injured reserve."

Asked if his condition has improved since he got in the accident nearly two years ago, Oliva said: "Well, yeah. It's hard to explain. It's very difficult when you fracture your spine, especially [since] I'm not 18 years old anymore. So the healing process is very slow.

"They wanted to put metal — they wanted to replace things with metal — and I was advised not to do that," he explained. "And it makes it longer to heal because you're not replacing it with steel. Plus I'm afraid of knives anyway. I'm, like, 'You're not cutting me open for nothing, motherfucker. No way.' So, yeah, they said it could take a year or more to heal properly. As it is now, I can't sing. If I sing anything, it feels like somebody's stabbing me with a screwdriver… Oh, it's bad. Oh, trust me, man. I don't advise it to anybody."

Jon went on to say that he is "absolutely" involved in SAVATAGE's comeback shows, which feature Chris Caffery and Al Pitrelli on guitar, Johnny Lee Middleton on bass, Zak Stevens on vocals and Jeff Plate on drums. "I'm more a part of this than you think," he said. "So it's, like, I, basically, because of the injury, I've had to take the role of like just being the musical director kind of, and I put the show together — working on the show and how it's gonna go and what songs they're gonna do.

"I'll tell you one thing about the guys — they are so ready for this," Oliva added. "They're like a young band, 18 years old. That's how hungry they are for this."

Oliva, who is well known for co-creating the classical music-meets-prog rock and pyro act TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA alongside Paul O'Neill, also once again confirmed that a new SAVATAGE album is nearly written, though work on it has been sporadic.

"Here's what happened. I worked on a lot of material with Al Pitrelli and Chris Caffery, and we have a lot of material in the can, ready to go," he said. "And then this accident happened, and it screwed everything up. And so I had to make a decision. So I decided to send the guys out to make the fans happy, first of all, 'cause I didn't wanna cancel the shows. I was, like, 'No, no, no. I can't cancel.' I'll just rearrange them so the guys can come down there and the guys can play. And then hopefully by the time they get back and we get the TSO stuff done [for TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's fall/winter 2025 tour] in November, December, I'll be okay by then for us to start recording [the new SAVATAGE album] in January. That's my goal, is to start recording new material. The songs are basically all written. They just — I need to be healthy to be able to do it. I can't sing like I sing without feeling like somebody's stabbing me with a screwdriver."

This past February, Oliva was asked by Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda to name his favorite SAVATAGE record. He responded: "That's a tough one. The album that means the most to me is [1991's] 'Streets[: A Rock Opera]' because my brother [late SAVATAGE guitarist Criss Oliva], [producer] Paul [O'Neill] and I worked so hard on it. It took a year to record. I had the most fun making it because it had so many songs and showcased every side of the band. From 'Agony And Ecstasy' to 'Believe' and 'Somewhere In Time' — that's probably my favorite." He also reminisced about the recording process, emphasizing how special the album was for him and the band. "It was the first SAVATAGE album recorded digitally," he said. "We were the guinea pigs at Record Plant since they had just gotten all this digital equipment. We were the first band to use it. It was amazing."

One moment that stood out was recording the track "Believe", one of the most emotional songs in SAVATAGE's catalog. "I sang 'Believe' like 304 times… and they used the third take," he laughingly recalled.

Even after decades, SAVATAGE's music continues to captivate fans. When asked why the band's material remains relevant, Oliva pointed to its timeless quality. "A lot of SAVATAGE's stuff doesn't sound dated. It reminds me of BLACK SABBATH's 'Paranoid'. That album never gets old. I was listening to it the other day — you put it on, and it still stands out. I think that happens with SAVATAGE, too. 'Hall Of The Mountain King', for example, still stands the test of time."

Regarding the amount of material available for a new SAVATAGE album, he revealed that there is much more than just one LP's worth. "We have enough for four albums," he said. "The lyrics aren't written yet, but musically, it's done. And it's my fault everything stopped because of the fractures."

Despite previously stating that the next album might be the band's last, Oliva now seemed uncertain about that claim. "I said it might be the last one, but now I'm not sure," he admitted. "I have all this material. What am I going to do? Release a quadruple album? I don't think it will be the last one."

According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, Ménière's disease is a disorder of the inner ear that causes severe dizziness (vertigo),ringing in the ears (tinnitus),hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness or congestion in the ear. Ménière’s disease usually affects only one ear, but in 15% to 25% of people with the disorder, both ears may be affected.

Two years ago, Jon told Sakis Fragos of Greece's Rock Hard that he had "enough material" for three SAVATAGE albums, but he wanted to take his time making the best LP possible. "I'm not rushing this," he said. "No fucking way. 'Cause this will probably be the last album we ever do. And I'm gonna make sure that it's a 10 out of a 10."

Regarding the musical direction of the new SAVATAGE material, Jon said: "Some of this shit is really strong. I'm even looking at myself going, 'Holy shit. This is really strong.' And the fact that you're gonna have me and Zak sharing the vocals and doing songs together in like a duet thing, is even more… it blows me away. I purposely wrote five or six songs specifically for Zak to sing. And then I worked [on] a lot of songs with Al Pitrelli that are definitely, 'These are Oliva songs.' And then we have a couple of big epic songs.

"This is gonna be the best album I ever made," Oliva promised. "Unless I kill myself. All I know is that the SAVA fans are gonna be fucking blown away when they hear this. They're gonna be blown away. I wasn't gonna do the SAVATAGE thing and just do a half-assed album. If I'm doing this album, it's gonna be the best album I've ever done. 'Cause when I go out, I wanna go out on top."

Jon went on to say that a new SAVATAGE song called "For The Man Who Would Be King" is one that he sometimes refers to as "the new 'Morphine Child'," a nod to the track on SAVATAGE's 2001 album "Poets And Madmen". "And that's one that me and Zak are gonna do together," he explained. "And then it's got this big middle section that's all these QUEEN, operatic[-style vocals]. I'm, like, 'Wow, this is gonna be epic.'"

Regarding which other musicians will be involved in the recording process for the new SAVATAGE album, Jon said: "I'm gonna have [former SAVATAGE drummer Steve] Wacholz come in and play on a couple of songs. But Jeff Plate, Johnny, Al Pitrelli, Chris Caffery, Zak, me, and on a couple of things I'm gonna have Jane Mangini [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA keyboardist] come in and play."

He continued: "I'm getting everybody involved from the beginning. I want it to be a full-band album, all of us working together. And it's gonna be great."

Asked about a possible title for the new SAVATAGE album, Jon said: "The working title is 'Curtain Call', but I don't know if that's gonna be it. 'Cause the very last song that's gonna be on the album is this song called 'Curtain Call', and it's just me with a piano, and it's very deep. It's basically me singing to the fans, telling them all goodbye and thank you. Every time I hear it, I cry. Everybody I played it for cries. It's just very deep. But it's my way of saying goodbye to everybody. 'Thank you. I love you all. And this is my final goodbye. Thank you. Have a good life. And do whatever.' So I think I'm gonna call it 'Curtain Call', but it's not in stone yet."

Zak joined SAVATAGE in 1992 as the replacement for Jon Oliva. Zak sang on four albums with the band — "Edge Of Thorns" (1993),"Handful Of Rain" (1994),"Dead Winter Dead" (1995) and "The Wake Of Magellan" (1997) — before departing in 2000, allowing Jon to return. Both Jon and Zak took part in SAVATAGE's 2015 performance at Wacken Open Air.

SAVATAGE's last album release, "Poets And Madmen", in 2001 was highlighted by Jon's return as lead vocalist, replacing Zak, who left the band citing family reasons, and the departure of guitarist Al Pitrelli, who accepted an offer to join MEGADETH in 2000. Pitrelli did record solos for some songs prior to his departure. Another very limited U.S. tour followed, supported by FATES WARNING in the early shows, and then NEVERMORE for the remainder. Around this time, Jon chose Zak's replacement in the form of Damond Jiniya (DIET OF WORMS). Damond performed Zak's parts on tour, with Jon having an increased vocal role in proceedings.

In September 2021, Jon Oliva was arrested on the west central coast of Florida for driving under the influence as well as possession of a controlled substance. Police charged Oliva with possession of cocaine, which is a felony, and DUI, which is a misdemeanor. Oliva was reportedly arrested again in July 2023 on another cocaine possession charge.

Back in 2016, Jon announced on social media that he suffered a stroke in April of that year. At the time, he said: "It was not as serious as it could have been, but it did leave me with some physical recovery challenges often associated with strokes."

Despite his health issues, Jon said that he didn't regret the way he had lived his life. He wrote: "I lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle since I was 18. It's all I knew and I enjoyed the ride very much. But there comes a time in everyone's life where you have to step back and make some life-changing decisions... which I have."

Shortly after SAVATAGE's reunion performance at the 2015 Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Oliva claimed that he felt better than he had in 20 years because he had "stopped drinking and eating" in preparation for the concert. He explained: "It's my voice that's freaking me out, because, even when I was in my late 20s, early 30s, doing songs like '24 Hours Ago' were always really hard to do. And, of course, I didn't realize that it was all the drugs and alcohol I was doing. But, after doing that, getting my act together and stuff, singing '24 Hours Ago', it's actually easy now. [Laughs]"

Jon's brother Criss, who was one of the founding members of SAVATAGE, was killed in October 1993 by a drunk driver when he and his wife Dawn were en route to the Livestock festival in Zephyrhills, Florida. The driver of the other car was found to have a drunk driving record of seven prior DUIs and having a blood alcohol content of .294 percent.

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, Brendon Small spoke about his inspiration for "Metalocalypse", the hit animated series he created on Adult Swim featuring the fictitious metal band DETHKLOK. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It started out where these characters really were a representation of celebrityism. This is how the show started, really. It's really crazy because in the early two thousands television writers were losing their jobs to reality television show, like Paris Hilton, whatever inept celebrity that you could think of. And we thought, this is crazy. I hate this. I like creative stuff, I like new, unique ideas. And this is taking that from creativity. And people are kind of more interested in watching somebody kind of fail their way through life. And I thought this is something I'd like to kind of try to study and take a look at, but what if we got to talk about something that was cool, which is heavy metal while we were kind of throwing these characters through the gauntlet of celebrityism — barbecue sauces and vanity projects and side projects and planet piss and egos and all that stuff. That's what the show was — Nathan and his ego, Pickles and his jealousy. Skwisgaar and Toki butting heads over who gets the spotlight. All that stuff is ego, ego, ego. And that's what the whole show has been about. And that's why the final episode is really the ultimate confrontation between them and their egos. And it really goes from this kind of idea of these guys who thought themselves as exalted gods to falling back onto earth. And that's the idea. And so within that, how do you make it funny? How do you make it interesting? How do you make it unique? How do you do something that you haven't seen yet? And how do you build a family that is bound by creativity? Because that's a complicated relationship… So that's what I tend to get into."

He continued: "I did a show before this called 'Home Movies', and that was also a show about a family of kids who had a creative relationship. And there's no difference between adults and kids, really. And so this one was just more brutal, more sexual, more violent, more just explosive fire, blood, tits and explosions and shit."

"Metalocalypse" is a cartoon series about a fictional death metal band called DETHKLOK that's bigger (and far more powerful) than THE BEATLES. The show ran for seven seasons, with the final episode being an hour-long rock opera, "The Doomstar Requiem".

After "Metalocalypse"'s rise in popularity, Small assembled DETHKLOK as an actual live band to play the music featured on the show, with Small himself handling vocals and guitar.

DETHKLOK's first three albums charted in the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 and the third release, "Dethalbum III", peaked at No. 10, making it the highest-charting death metal album of all time. In addition, "The Doomstar Requiem: A Klok Opera Soundtrack" made it to No. 7 on Billboard's soundtrack chart in 2013.

After several years of dormancy, DETHKLOK returned in 2023 with a new album, "Dethalbum IV" and an animated movie, "Metalocalypse: Army Of The Doomstar". It was hard fought since Adult Swim abruptly pulled the plug on "Metalocalypse" show more than a decade ago, despite its rabid following amongst the metal crowd, many of whom came to appreciate the show's regular easter eggs and voice appearances from the likes of King Diamond, Hammett and CANNIBAL CORPSE's George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. Indeed, "Metalocalypse" may be the only quasi-mainstream show to be truly catered to a metal audience, which can explain its enduring popularity and the steady drumbeat of requests for its revival.

DETHKLOK's 2023 "Babyklok" co-headlining trek with BABYMETAL was the first DETHKLOK tour in over a decade.

Two months ago, Brendon spoke to Rashid AlKamraikhi of Australia's Sense Music Media about the various heavy metal musicians who did voiceover work for "Metalocalypse", a list which includes METALLICA's Kirk Hammett, ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, EVANESCENCE's Amy Lee and KING DIAMOND/MERCYFUL FATE frontman King Diamond. Asked if there was anyone who came in for a guest spot that really blew him away with how well they adapted to the voiceover work, Brendon said: "Everyone rose to the occasion, everyone that we had on the show. Some would start out a little bit more shy, and then the advice I would offer is, 'If you start feeling silly, you start feeling stupid, you're doing it right. Let's just break through that stupid, silly feeling and then get to the other side and have fun.'

"I remember Michael Amott from ARCH ENEMY came in, and his voice was nice and hoarse, 'cause he does a little bit of vocalization in ARCH ENEMY," Small continued. "And he came in, and his accent is kind of Swedish and English and he had a gravitas about him and he understood how to speak… And I gave him a direction and he'd take it and work with it really well. He was just a natural. So I always remember him being really great. And then we had everybody from guitar heroes of mine — Billy Gibbons [of ZZ TOP] came and did a voice, and he just, of course, is a total showman and understands how to do all that stuff. Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, they all kind of got it. Slash [of GUNS N' ROSES] came in. Dave Grohl [of FOO FIGHTERS] came in. He was funny. He's a natural. I mean, it makes sense with him. And then members from ENSLAVED, from EXODUS — all funny."

Brendon added: "Everyone's perception of heavy metal is so different than the reality because heavy metal is brutal, and it evokes a feeling and a mood that's so dark and so awesome. But everyone's got a sense of humor, everyone's got levity, and I wanted everyone to participate and become part of the joke of the show. I didn't wanna be a them-or-us thing, I wanted everyone to go, 'This is your playground. Let's give you an opportunity to be funny. What can we do? Let's play.'

"It was so cool that those guys said yes. I was trying to be extra clever when we started the show. I thought, 'If we can get METALLICA on the first episode, then I bet I can get other people, too, to come into our world of silly, weird absurdity and play with us.'"

Robert Trujillo and Kirk Hammett played a rendition of "La Villa Strangiato" by hometown heroes RUSH during METALLICA's April 26 concert at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

"La Villa Strangiato" was part of the fun and unusual feature METALLICA added to its shows on the band's recent tours: at each stop, Hammett and Trujillo have been covering songs from some of their musical heroes — often choosing songs that are far removed from the band's traditional metal sound. The "doodles," as the band refers to them in their setlists, are pared-down interpretations — just bass and guitar and sometimes Trujillo singing.

In a November 2021 interview with MMA Junkie, Trujillo spoke about his doodles with Hammett. The METALLICA bassist said: "Some of my proudest moments were with Kirk on the last European tour, playing in these massive soccer stadiums and playing songs that were sort of native to those cities or even those countries. So we would take a song and learn it by an artist from that country. I'll just give you one example. In Paris, France, [at] Stade De France, we played a song by an artist known as Johnny Hallyday. Eighty-five thousand people. Nobody knows what we're gonna play — kind of like street musicians. Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield] are taking a break. We walk out there. He's got his guitar; I've got my bass. It's almost like, 'Where's the hat?' Where do they put the money? Literally like that — stripped down, naked. And we get out there and we start playing a song called 'Ma Gueule' by Johnny Hallyday. I'm telling you — people were in shock, but in a good way. And it was tears and smiles, and it made the news. But there was a lot of this that happened through all the different countries and cities throughout Europe where we would choose an artist, cover that artist and play that song — sometimes two and a half minutes to three minutes. I'm singing in the [native] language, so it gets real challenging. We're talking about Romania, we're talking Poland, we're talking Spain and Portugal and Sweden — I sang in Swedish. That, to me, was one of the highlight moments of my entire existence as a musician, especially in METALLICA, because I don't even know if I could ever do that again. Sometimes I think about it and I go, 'Man, you were crazy. Kirk and I were crazy.' That happened just before the pandemic. We were doing that in these football stadiums. Those were called the duets — these were the duets. The duet moments overseas — huge for me personally."

During a June 2020 appearance on "Drinks With Johnny", the Internet TV show hosted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ, Trujillo stated about how the idea for the "doodle" came about: "We were in Europe — this wasn't the last European tour, but the tour before that. We were in Amsterdam, and we had tried a couple of... There was a duet moment, where we were supposed to play a METALLICA song that's maybe, like, a deep cut, so we'd play 'I Disappear' or something, and we started noticing that we weren't getting the result we wanted. It was, like, we'd go up there and we'd start playing, like, 'Eye Of The Beholder' or something, and then the crowd's expecting James [Hetfield, METALLICA frontman] to come out and sing, and it's, like, 'Man, this ain't working.' They were feeling like it was a prelude moment, and I started thinking, 'We've gotta do something different.' So Kirk came out this one night, and he started playing that song by CHIC ['Le Freak'], and it totally caught me off guard. And I'm, like, 'Oh, damn. Okay, I see where he's going.' He's walking out to the front of the snake pit playing this funk jam. He got me the first night, 'cause I didn't exactly know the bass line, so I improvised it. And then the second night, I got it."

He continued: "So it kind of started there for a split second, though we were still doing the METALLICA deep cuts. And then we got to Europe, and we were in Amsterdam, and one of our management team members suggested, 'Why don't you play [a song by the Dutch rock band] GOLDEN EARRING, 'Radar Love'? Check that out.' And we were, like, 'Really?' So I started played the bass line, and then the crowd started singing, and it was, like, 'Hold on a minute. There's something here.' So then we started to kind of formulate some local bands from each city. Like, one of the highlight moments was in Prague [Czech Republic — we played a country song called 'Jožin Z Bažin' [by Ivan Mládek], which was huge. And then we played, in Barcelona, a gypsy kind of flamenco acoustic song, by an artist called Peret — it's called 'El Muerto Vivo', And I'm singing in Spanish, I'm doing my best, and the people went nuts. And we go, 'Hold on. We've got something here.' So what we ended up doing… We came out of that tour — we scraped through it; it wasn't perfect, but we scraped through it. And then when we got home, we did some U.S. dates, we did all that, but we knew we were going back to Europe where it really worked. I said, 'I'm going deep.' So I did a bunch of research, and I researched every single city, even Estonia, and I found out what cool either punk, alternative, country — it didn't matter the style — and I learned the fucking language, and I did the phonetic with the lyric, and we went out and did full arrangements. I'm talking about if there was an accordion solo, Kirk was playing it. So we did our homework, and we really, really went into it. I was going to [Kirk's house in] Hawaii to work with him on the arrangements. I spent, like, five days there strictly on the [songs]. We weren't even surfing, we were just 'boom.' So we put a lot of hard work in it. I mean, we were surfing a little bit, but that wasn't the priority. We were actually really spending time on this.

"So I would say on that last tour run, 'cause we were in these massive stadiums, sold-out shows… And every night was great, but there was a handful of grand slams where people were crying and it was this heavy… Like, you're paying tribute to somebody in, like, Moscow, who is like the David Bowie of Moscow, and people are just, like, 'Oh my god.' They don't know what they're gonna get. All of a sudden, we surprise them, and they get what they didn't expect. [Playing a song by] Johnny Hallyday in Paris, at Stade De France, [in front of] 85,000 people. So to be up there and to feel that energy and emotionally connect with the crowd on that level was special. But it was such hard work. I don't know how we [pulled it off].

"I was meeting with people, like, I would even sometimes do it by phone, and I'd be there for two hours getting the language pronunciation right. So it was a lot of work… And sometimes you'll take some beatings," he admitted. "I remember a couple of the shows when we first started doing it, man — beatings, bro; beatings… I remember, there was a couple of 'em, but there was one… It was in Pennsylvania. It was like college — it was over where Penn State is. And holy cow, man. I thought we would play like the fight song for Penn State. Man, we got, like, 10 seconds into that thing, and nobody cared. It was, like, 'Oh my god.' And I stopped playing — I literally stopped playing. I was so embarrassed. And Kirk kept playing. And then, luckily, we kind of went into a METALLICA… Like, in the U.S., we would parlay it with a local song — these are U.S songs — and then we would always kind of justify it by going into a METALLICA [track], like 'Dyers Eve' or something. Just like, 'Okay, we screwed that up, but we got this.' So it was kind of our savior in the States."

In 2019, Hammett told Cosmo Music about his live "doodles" with Trujillo: "We never really know what the response is going to be. You have to understand, we're going into a country; we're picking some song that's seemingly random and abstract to us, and we're learning this song that we've never heard before from this artist that we've never heard before, and we're taking a chance and playing it in a stadium in front of 60,000 people, and we're hoping that we make the right choice. The last, I would say, three legs [of the tour], we've been hitting it out of the park, but before that, there were some growing pains. There have been a few times we've picked the wrong song and played it and people go, 'Huh?' We'll go into a place like Indianapolis, and we'll play a song by an obscure punk band called THE ZERO BOYS, because we think they're cool... We played the hell out of it, and it was really cool, but we looked out at the audience, and they were just like, 'Huh?' Rob and I always tell each other and people don't recognize it, it's not the end of the world as long as we play it well, and they're entertaining in the way we play it, so we have that to fall back on... We were in Nashville, and we played a Loretta Lynn song... The next day, we got a message from Loretta Lynn, who said she was actually at the show with her family and was so tickled when we broke into her song. She said she might think about covering one of our songs sometime, but in the meantime, we should do more of her songs."

Not every artist that has been spotlighted in the "doodle" has been flattered by the Trujillo/Hammett version of their music. Former CELTIC FROST frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer (a.k.a. Tom G. Warrior) was not impressed with the rendition of the group's "The Usurper" that Hammett and Trujillo performed during METALLICA's May 2019 concert in Zurich, Switzerland. "They butchered it, and it was humiliating," Fischer told Rolling Stone. "Why don't they leave their millionaire fingers off it? They've long lost the ability to play true metal in my opinion. Maybe I should go onstage and do a really miserable version of [METALLICA's] 'Hit The Lights' with, like, 200 mistakes to set the balance."