Swedish occult metallers GHOST have released the official music video for "Lachryma", the second single from their upcoming sixth album, "Skeletá". Check it out below.

Arriving in tandem with a lucid nightmare of a video featuring Papa V Perpetua's first full performance as newly anti-christened frontman, "Lachryma" is quite possibly the most emblematic example to date of GHOST's signature balance of dark lyrical foreboding and irresistible melodic uplift. Following closely on the hooves of first "Skeletá" single "Satanized" — dubbed a "catchy goth-rock epic" by Vice and hailed by Brooklyn Vegan as "the band's trademark occult rock sounding as equally eerie and triumphant as ever" — "Lachryma" supplants the demonic hooks of its predecessor with a purple haze of sonic flourishes that accomplish something even more insidious: a bonafide modern day rock anthem about weeping.

"Skeletá" will arrive on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.

GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge told Metal Hammer about "Lachryma": "It opens with more of a riffage. And I guess now comes off as somewhat of a 'typical' GHOST mash-up, where it's heavy on one end and met with a big, bombastic chorus. That's a song about self-deceit."

In a recent interview with Brent Porche of Philadelphia's 93.3 WMMR radio station, Forge stated about "Skeletá": "It is a record that is introspective to a further degree, I guess, than especially the previous record [2022's 'Impera']. Just to be clear, I do believe that most artists usually create a new record based on where they were on the previous one — not as a counter-reaction, but usually there's something that you wish to achieve that you maybe didn't on the previous[ one] or you wanna change something or just fill your… At the end of the day, what you're doing is basically you're filling your repertoire with hopefully songs that you didn't have before. But thematically, I usually have some sort of thematic guideline when I write, first and foremost for myself in order to make sense of what the new record is so it's not too whimsically just about everything at the same time. But where 'Impera' was very much not only extroverted, but exteriorly reflecting on bigger society, social issues, and also, as the title implies, imperial structure and its ultimate demise, it didn't feel very productive to continue down that and make an 'Impera 2', talking about the continual demise of… I was more attracted to the idea of this this record that was more shining a light in inside and making a record about healing aspects of being essentially a human being in whatever structural design, because at the end of the day, most humans are surprisingly alike and display the same abilities to sentiments. And these sentiments are usually quite basic. And that idea was attractive to me — making a record that had a song about hope, had a song about hate, had a song about love, acceptance and all these things."

Last month, Forge told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about "Satanized", which came out in early March: "Yeah, it's a fun video and it's a upbeat, fun track. It's a song about being in love and how that can potentially be mistaken as demonic possession, but in reality this song has nothing to do with demonic possession."

Asked why he picked "Satanized" to be the first single from "Skeletá", Tobias said: "It's funny because as I was making the record, I didn't really put much like regard into trying to write… Of course, as a songwriter, you always try to write as good songs as possible, but there wasn't a whole lot of, like, 'Oh, I'm gonna write a hit song.' So I was more interested in sort of making a bunch of songs that I was gonna put cohesively into an understandable and entertaining album. And wise with experience over the years where I've delivered records to the people that work with me, and I'm, like, 'This is the song. This is the single. This is the hit.' And more than often, it ends up being, like, 'Oh, no. We believe in that song instead.' Okay. So finally I've sort of given up a little bit on that. So I just sort of gave the record and I'm, like, 'You guys choose what you wanna do.' And then I'm sort of holding my thumb a little, crossing my fingers, hoping that that maybe they they'll hear what I hear. And to my big surprise, they came back with 'Satanized'. And I was, like, 'I couldn't be happier. I have a really funny video idea for that one. I never thought that you would go for that one,' simply because it's like…"

He continued: "To me, I am a huge fan of '70s music. That's a very simplified way of saying that, but I'm a big fan of SCORPIONS from the '80s, but also the SCORPIONS from the '70s, which sometimes, I guess, a certain age group might not be aware that that SCORPIONS was a band in the '70s, and they released several records. Those records are a little bit different from the '80s records, when they sort of became a '80s hit rock band. And 'Satanized' definitely had more of a SCORPIONS '77 stomp that I really liked about the track. And somehow, therefore, I guess, I wasn't like putting that as a hit-single fan favorite, or a favorite that way. I thought I was gonna work my magic to make that song a big song, the same way that we did with 'Mary On A Cross' once upon a time, when that was regarded as this 'B' track that was just for fun. And I was, like, 'I think that that song is actually quite good. We're gonna play it every show we're playing.' And it took years before it became what that became."

Circling back to the fact that his record company seemingly had the same vision for "Satanized" as he did in terms of the song's potential, Forge said: "I was overwhelmed and overjoyed with the synchronicity, because I have done that mistake before where I have conceived a record, conceived a track, have an idea for a video for a track, and then the powers that be want another kickoff. And then that leads to a discussion, and then more than often, the reasoning as to why you go with another track might be perfectly understandable, but all of a sudden my idea is just not worth the piece of paper it's written on, because it simply doesn't work if it's not in a… Sometimes the crux of being conceptual, sometimes your ideas are simply too conceptual and too based on presentation and stars aligning. But in this case, we ended up with fluency, which was cool."

"Satanized" was described in a press release as "an avalanche of infectious hooks and harmonies is buoyed by a hypnotic shuffle, as the narrator succumbs to dark forces within and without, helplessly acknowledging their own blasphemy and heresy as it inexorably consumes them." By the time the song's opening lines "There is something inside me and they don't know if there is a cure" have moved from the inner monologue of the possessed to the ears of the hapless listener, it will already be too late: You will have been "Satanized".

The "Satanized" music video introduces the new character who will be fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle: Papa V Perpetua.

GHOST's sixth psalm, "Skeletá", is its most unflinchingly introspective work to date. Where previous GHOST albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter — such as "Impera"'s meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor "Prequelle"'s evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues — "Skeletá"'s lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a singular collection of timeless, universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view.

GHOST has also launched an interactive element dubbed The Satanizer, a first-of-its-kind music video experience for fans who wish to be "Satanized." Developed in partnership with Jason Zada (Elf Yourself),The Satanizer will morph its users into characters featured in the song's melodramatic video. With a quick upload of your photo, The Satanizer will send out a personalized music video clip featuring the participant, who can in turn share via social media that they too have been "Satanized."

"Skeletá" track listing:

01. Peacefield
02. Lachryma
03. Satanized
04. Guiding Lights
05. De Profundis Borealis
06. Cenotaph
07. Missilia Amori
08. Marks Of The Evil One
09. Umbra
10. Excelsis

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.

As previously reported, GHOST will embark on a world tour in 2025. The European leg of the trek will kick off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and conclude on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour will launch on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

The physical home video of GHOST's worldwide Top 10 box office smash feature film debut "Rite Here Rite Now" was made available on December 6, 2024.

Italian technical death metal veterans, Gory Blister, have just released a blistering live tribute video of “Suicide Machine”, the iconic track by Death, originally featured on the groundbreaking Human album (1991).

Captured in a raw and powerful live setting, this performance pays homage to the legendary Chuck Schuldiner, honouring his legacy with crushing precision and signature intensity.

The video showcases the band’s deep respect for the pioneers of death metal while underlining their own technical prowess and aggressive stage presence.

This release follows the success of Reborn From Hatred, Gory Blister’s latest studio album, released in September 2023 via Eclipse Records, which was praised for its ferocity and refined songwriting.

Currently, the band is writing new material and will be heading into the studio after summer 2025 to record their upcoming full-length album.

Watch the live tribute video below:

Italian melodic death metal powerhouse Reality Grey have released a cover of Children Of Bodom’s iconic track “Hate Crew Deathroll”, to commemorate the birthday of the late Alexi Laiho. Children Of Bodom was one of the most influential bands for Reality Grey, especially during their early days, and this cover is nothing short of a tribute.

While they’ve developed their style over the years, they think fans will appreciate their return to a classic ‘old school/mid-2000s sound, which they still love.

They comment on the cover:

“This is our tribute to Alexi Laiho and Children of Bodom. ‘Hate Crew Deathroll’ was a pivotal moment in our lives as musicians, as we had just started out as a band in 2003. We kept the song close to the original, which is something we usually won’t do; we like to add our own spin and mix things around. I think we succeeded in keeping the ‘fuck you’ attitude of the original song.”

Hailing from South Italy and formed in 2004, Reality Grey has established themselves as a formidable force in the Italian metal scene. The five-piece band is known for its distinctive blend of melody and brutality, combining complex yet catchy songwriting with fearsome death growls, clean vocals, razor-sharp guitar riffs, and fusion-oriented solos.

Global rock superstars GREEN DAY — Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tré Cool — reup, recharge, and reignite their Grammy Award-nominated fourteenth studio album, "Saviors", with a brand new "(Édition De Luxe)" out May 23 via Reprise Records. To herald its arrival, the band just unveiled a previously unreleased track titled "Smash It Like Belushi". Listen below.

GREEN DAY have expanded "Saviors" with seven new tracks in total, including acoustic versions of "Suzie Chapstick" and "Father To A Son". "Saviors (Édition De Luxe)" once again sees the band firing on all cylinders with its airtight punk rock rhythm, energetic groove, and stadium-ready hook.

Released in January 2024, "Saviors" found GREEN DAY teaming up again with Grammy Award-winning producer Rob Cavallo, who famously helmed "Dookie" and "American Idiot". The record bowed at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, marking the band's ninth career entry in the Top 5 of the respective chart. "Saviors" notably garnered three 2025 Grammy Award nominations, including "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Performance" for "The American Dream Is Killing Me" and "Best Rock Song" for "Dilemma".

"Saviors" cemented GREEN DAY as the No. 1 most-played artist at both U.S. Alternative and U.S. Rock radio in 2024. "Saviors" also delivered three No. 1 Alternative hits — their biggest showing since "American Idiot" — and two No. 1 Rock hits. "Dilemma" became a juggernaut, ranking as the No. 3 most-played song at Alternative radio in 2024 and only falling off the charts due to recurrent rules. Meanwhile, their latest single "One Eyed Bastard" is quickly climbing the charts, searching for their fourth No. 1 hit from this record.

Upon release, "Saviors" received massive critical acclaim. The Sunday Times hailed "'Saviors' has fire in its belly and ice in its veins," while Kerrang! proclaimed that "GREEN DAY have lost none of their magic." Billboard declared, "'Saviors' marks a return to the thematic bent of 'American Idiot'," while The New York Times praised, "GREEN DAY flaunts its rock scholarship."

Last year, GREEN DAY dominated stadiums worldwide on their massive sold-out "Saviors" tour. They continued into the new year, having just conquered venues across Japan, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Malaysia. For the first time ever, the band delivered thrilling back-to-back sets of "Dookie" and "American Idiot" from top to bottom in celebration of the former's 30th birthday and the latter's 20th birthday, as well as performed new cuts from "Saviors". The "Saviors" tour marked GREEN DAY's biggest tour of their illustrious 30-plus-year career.

Next up, GREEN DAY is set to take over the desert not once, but twice with a headlining set at Coachella this Saturday, April 12 and next Saturday, April 19. They're also set to light up the global festival circuit this year with headliner slots at Welcome To Rockville, BottleRock Napa Valley, Oceans Calling festival, as well as U.K.'s Download festival, Sao Paulo, Brazil's The Town, Ejekt festival in Athens, Greece, and more.

"Saviors (Édition De Luxe)" track listing:

01. The American Dream Is Killing Me
02. Look Ma, No Brains!
03. Bobby Sox
04. One Eyed Bastard
05. Dilemma
06. 1981
07. Goodnight Adeline
08. Coma City
09. Corvette Summer
10. Suzie Chapstick
11. Strange Days Are Here To Stay
12. Living In The '20s
13. Father To A Son
14. Saviors
15. Fancy Sauce
16. Smash It Like Belushi
17. Stay Young
18. Fuck Off
19. Ballyhoo
20. Suzie Chapstick (Acoustic)
21. Father To A Son (Acoustic)
22. Underdog*

Photo credit: Alice Baxley

Crown X Recordings, Canada's premier reissue label, has announces the release of "Helix 50 - The Best Of", a career-spanning collection celebrating five decades of one of Canada's most legendary hard rock bands. The compilation features an all-star re-recording of HELIX's multi-platinum hit "Rock You", alongside international chart-toppers from their major label debut "No Rest For The Wicked" (1983),through to "Vagabond Bones" (2009). An all-new track completes the circle. Using cutting-edge audio technology, every track has been expertly remastered for both CD and vinyl at Iguana Recording Studios in Toronto, Ontario for a new sonic experience.

HELIX's newest studio track "Stand Up" will be released on all streaming platforms Friday, May 18, preceded by a Friday, May 2 streaming and video release of the all-star recording of "Rock You", featuring founding vocalist Brian Vollmer and longtime bassist Daryl Gray, along with special guests Phil X (BON JOVI),Brent Fitz (Slash),and Todd Kerns (Slash). The track will be available for streaming in both stereo and Dolby Atmos.

"Helix 50 - The Best Of" is a definitive collection including the classic remastered hits "Heavy Metal Love", "Deep Cuts The Knife", "Wild In The Streets", "Running Wild In The 21st Century", "Good To The Last Drop (Radio Version)" and "Animal Inside". Additionally, unplugged versions of "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want", "The Kids Are All Shakin'" and "Dream On" have been remixed for a fresh, updated sound. Released in both CD and LP format, the CD version includes the bonus tracks "That Day Is Gonna Come", "Sleeping' In The Dog House Again", featuring Kim Mitchell, and "Look Me Straight In The Heart", a duet with Lee Aaron.

Fans will be able to order a Deluxe Signed Bundle exclusively through the band's webstore starting Wednesday, May 21. This edition is limited to 300 units and comes in a special gatefold format that holds both the CD and 180g marble color vinyl. This hand signed bundle also includes a record slip mat, a "Helix 50" guitar pick and a "Helix 50" can koozie.

Standard single CD and LP versions will be available in retail stores this July.

The band will celebrate the release of "Helix 50 - The Best Of" with a special unplugged show on Wednesday, May 21, as part of the McBowl Concert Series, an annual charity event in Mississauga, Ontario. Brian Vollmer and Daryl Gray will be joined by former HELIX guitarist Sean Kelly, who will also host a retrospective discussion on the band's history. Before the performance, Vollmer will launch "Helix 50 - The Best Of" via a livestream event, sharing stories from the band's iconic career.

"Helix 50 - The Best Of" track listing:

01. Rock You (2025)
02. Heavy Metal Love (2025 Remastered)
03. Deep Cuts The Knife (2025 Remastered)
04. Wild In The Streets (2025 Remastered)
05. Running Wild In The 21st Century (2025 Remastered)
06. (Make Me Do) Anything You Want (2025 Unplugged)
07. The Kids Are All Shakin' (2025 Unplugged)
08. Animal Inside (2025 Remastered)
09. Good To The Last Drop (Radio Version)
10. Stand Up (2025 Remastered)
11. Dream On (2025 Unplugged)

CD Bonus Tracks

12. That Day Is Gonna Come
13. Sleepin' in the Dog House Again
14. Look Me Straight In The Heart

HELIX was formed in 1974 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. In 1976, the twin-guitar attack of Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman joined the band, helping shape the group's signature sound. After releasing two independent albums, HELIX signed with Capitol Records, launching their major-label career with "No Rest For The Wicked" (1983),featuring the breakout hit "Heavy Metal Love". The band gained further international success with "Walkin' The Razor's Edge" (1984),driven by their iconic anthem "Rock You", which received major MTV airplay, along with a controversial X-rated version of the video.

Throughout the 1980s, HELIX continued to release acclaimed albums and tour worldwide, sharing stages with KISS, ALICE COOPER, MOTÖRHEAD and Ian Gillan. Despite the tragic loss of guitarist Paul Hackman in 1992, Brian Vollmer carried the HELIX torch forward, working with various top-tier musicians, including members of BRIGHTON ROCK, KILLER DWARFS, HAREM SCAREM and CRASH KELLY.

HELIX's legacy was further cemented in 2003 when they were humorously featured in an episode of the "Trailer Park Boys" television show sparking renewed interest in their music. In 2005, Vollmer released the book "Gimme An R!", documenting his life on the road and in the studio. In 2010, Vollmer released "Smash Hits…Unplugged", an acoustic reimagining of HELIX classics, some of which are now featured on this latest compilation.

Today, HELIX continues to tour and record, with "Helix 50 - The Best Of" serving as a monument to their enduring legacy.

Former MÖTLEY CRÜE and current THE DEAD DAISIES frontman John Corabi, who released two standalone solo singles in the last four years — 2021's "Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)" and 2022's "Your Own Worst Enemy" — has confirmed plans to put out more solo music in the not-too-distant future. "I just signed another deal to do another solo record," he told The Rockpit in a new interview. "And so [my manager and I] were talking about it and we were reminiscing and recapping. And it's funny — we were kind of going through this list of how many records I've done… I was just sitting there going, 'Fuck.' I was looking at the records I did just with the DAISIES since '15. And it's 'Revolución', 'Make Some Noise', 'Live & Louder', 'Burn It Down'. Then when I left, they did 'Locked And Loaded'. And then now 'Light 'Em Up' and 'Lookin' For Trouble'. Seven records in 10 years. Not too bad. But I was counting all the records I did, and once I put this solo record out, it'll literally be 20 records that I've done since the start of my career. It's weird.

"And again, in hindsight, there's a couple of live records, whatever, and then the ESP [ERIC SINGER PROJECT] thing, which was basically covers," he continued. "The blues record is covers. So it's not like I wrote all these songs, but if you take all those away, it's still 15, 16 original records that I've done. So it's pretty amazing. I. Some kid from Philadelphia — I thought maybe I had a record or two in me and then maybe drop dead of a fentanyl overdose. But here I am, 40 years later, still ticking like the Energizer bunny, so it's all good."

"Cosi Bella (So Beautiful)" was produced and co-written in Corabi's hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, with songwriter-for-hire Marti Frederiksen, who has previously collaborated with AEROSMITH, DEF LEPPARD, Jonny Lang and Sheryl Crow, among many others

With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top 10 placing on the album chart. When Neil returned to the fold in 1997, Corabi was left on his own and formed the band UNION with ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

Corabi in 2016 said that he would avoid talking about MÖTLEY CRÜE in the future because he didn't want his comments about CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx to descend into a feud.

In an interview with Sweden Rock Magazine, Nikki said that writing the "Mötley Crüe" LP with Corabi was a prolonged and difficult experience. He went to call it "a very unfocused record" that was "painful for me, because John Corabi can't write lyrics, and I had to do all that work."

In February 2018, Corabi released a live album of his performance of MÖTLEY CRÜE's entire 1994 self-titled album, recorded on October 27, 2015 in Nashville, Tennessee. "Live '94: One Night In Nashville" documents the album in its entirety along with the bonus track "10,000 Miles", which was originally released as a bonus track on the Japanese version of the "Quaternary" EP.

Corabi's autobiography, "Horseshoes And Hand Grenades", came out in June 2022 via Rare Bird Books. It was written with the help of MÖTLEY CRÜE historian/author Paul Miles.

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith spoke about the benefits and drawbacks of social media, saying that far too many people find themselves engulfed in their smartphones, thereby creating a surge of depression and anxiety. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, you've only gotta drive down the street and you've gotta stop your car 'cause people are walking out in front of you 'cause they're on their phones. They're addicted. Hey, I get sucked into it like everybody else. It takes over your life sometimes. You get bombarded with all the things you like. It all comes very easy, just keeps coming up on your feed, all the stuff you love, so you are there, you're looking at it with your neck bent over like that. You are bombarded with news 24-7 about all these terrible things that are happening in the world. I mean, what you supposed to do? It's not natural to have to be so concerned with absolutely everything.

"I think people are moving way beyond their personal spheres trying to change things that they have no power on because they're aware of them and then they feel that they have to do something about it," he continued. "And they've stopped getting on with the basic, put one foot in front of the other, earn your living, pay your tax, and just live your life and be happy. And it's just — I don't think it makes people happy. Anyway, little rant there."

Smith also weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. Asked if he would personally ever use A.I. to compose songs, Adrian said: "No way. I don't know. I don't even wanna think about it. I mean, A.I. What was it someone was telling me the other day? Somebody, as a birthday present or as a present to his friends, he had a song written by A.I. for each one of them, using their voice. And it's just mind-boggling. It's like the beginning of the end. I mean, social media's bad enough. But this is just another level.

"I can't see it having any effect," he continued. "I mean, even digital recording and Pro Tools now has enabled anyone to make up something that — you can present something that sounds respectable, but it's all done by computers. At least I grew up old school where you had to actually play in the studio; you couldn't tune it up afterwards. So that makes you more of a craftsman. Digital recording we use because it's convenient and it saves time and it saves money.

"A.I., man, I don't know. [Laughs] I don't know," he concluded.

Smith is best known as one of IRON MAIDEN's principal guitarists, having also enjoyed success as a solo artist.

"Black Light/White Noise", the second album from Adrian's SMITH/KOTZEN project, in which he is joined by guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen, was released via BMG on April 4. The 10-track LP was recorded at The House, Los Angeles, California, produced by Richie and Adrian and mixed by Jay Ruston.

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

During an April 1 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", RUSH guitarist  Alex Lifeson was asked if he would follow his bandmate Geddy Lee's example and write a memoir. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think [Geddy is] on his fourth book now. So he's got the bug, and he loves doing it. But he warned me. He said you've gotta be careful because you devote all this time and effort to research and write and really think about what you're doing, especially for [Geddy's book] 'My Effin' Life' — that's his life story — but you're torn apart by publishers with editing and their fears of being sued and all of this stuff. And it just sounded like — I don't know if it's worth it to me to spend my time to do something like that."

He continued: "If I was to write a book, I think I would write a book — like my wife says, 'You should write a book about road stories because you tell those road stories when people are here for dinner and everybody's just crying with laughter. Why don't you just put all of those in a book? It doesn't have to be very long, but just a lot of fun stories about those 40 years on the road.' And I thought, 'Yeah, you know what? That's not a bad idea.' And then I kind of forget. [Laughs]"

RUSH drummer Neil Peart died in January 2020 after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. He was 67 years old.

RUSH waited three days to announce Peart's passing, setting off shockwaves and an outpouring of grief from fans and musicians all over the world.

Since Peart's death, Lifeson and Lee have not recorded any new music or performed live under the RUSH name, although both of them confirmed that several drummers reached out to them in the days after the legendary drummer's passing about the possibility of stepping in for Neil.

Lifeson made his mark on the music industry over 50 years ago, redefining the boundaries of progressive rock guitar. His signature riffing, copious use of effects processing and unorthodox chord structures befitted him the title by his RUSH bandmates as "The Musical Scientist." While the bulk of Lifeson's work in music has been with RUSH, he has contributed to a body of work outside of the band as a guitarist, producer and with the release of his 1996 solo album "Victor". Lifeson ranks third overall in the Guitar World readers' poll of "100 Greatest Guitarists" and is also included in Rolling Stone's "100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time."

ENVY OF NONE, the band featuring Lifeson, Andy Curran (CONEY HATCH),Alfio Annibalini and singer Maiah Wynne, released its second album, "Stygian Wavz", on March 14 via Kscope.

Photo credit: Richard Sibbald (courtesy of Kscope)

In a new interview with Carlota of the X107.5 radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix was asked how he has changed in the 25 years since the music video for the band's breakthrough song "Last Resort" was first released. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's the young me, man. I'm so a million miles from that person. There are threads and a common bond between where I'm at now and where I was. I always cared about people — I had this compassionate heart — but I was just young and reckless. And I had to have a certain amount of — I don't know — maybe narcissism in a way to be able to do this thing, to be able to go, 'We're the best. Check us out.' To be ballsy enough to walk into a room with [LIMP BIZKIT's] Fred Durst and unplug the speaker and be, like, 'Yo, what's up? P-ROACH in the house. And they're, like, 'Who the hell are these guys?' You know what I mean? Just trying to sell people demos straight to their face. I had to have this certain amount of 'we're the best' kind of vibe going on. 'Cause that's what it took to sell yourself, I think, back in the day. And I think I've got a certain amount of that when we step on the stage. It maybe comes off a little cocky, but there's a time and a place, right? The stage is where I let it shine. I think I probably tried to let it shine in some places that I didn't need to let it shine."

Jacoby also reflected on getting what he previously called a "verbal assassination" from Sharon Osbourne after he started a riot onstage at Ozzfest in 2001. "I needed it," he said. "I was kind of, like, I had the world in the palm of my hands and I was just acting like a numbskull, starting riots everywhere I went. And she's, like, 'Hey, listen, you idiot. If you wanna have a respected name in this business, you've gotta stop being a toolbag.' She used some more colorful words, I think, in the moment, but I needed to be rattled at that point because it's, like I could have totally gotten in a lot of trouble — a lot worse trouble than I had gotten in at the time. And I learned my lessons, and they were valuable lessons."

A few years ago, Shaddix told Metal Hammer that Sharon "cursed me out" after the Ozzfest incident. "Rightfully she was pissed as fuck because the fans destroyed the venue," he said. "It was a fucking disaster. SLIPKNOT and Ozzy still had to play and the place was in a shambles. I tried to leave in the trunk of a car, but they found out and I had to turn myself into the cops. Then I had to go sit with Sharon in the office and she just cursed me and I was just, like, 'I am so sorry. I will never do this again.' I think if I'd just dealt with the cops and paid the money off, I'd have been, like, 'Fuck it, whatever.' I would have carried on just numbskulling. But I had this verbal assassination from Mrs. Osbourne. Don't fuck with Sharon."

This past February, Shaddix celebrated the thirteenth anniversary of his quitting drinking.

Over the past decade, Shaddix has spoken openly about how he found himself taking to the rock and roll lifestyle a little too easily, which almost cost him his family.

In a 2019 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Shaddix revealed that the struggle with alcohol had been in his family for generations, continually destroying lives and relationships.

Last month, PAPA ROACH released a brand-new version of its latest single, "Even If It Kills Me", via the band's own label, New Noize Records/ADA. The group and Joshua Landry again produced "Even If It Kills Me (Reimagined)". The original single reached No. 1 at U.S. Rock Radio, marking PAPA ROACH's 13th appearance at the top of the charts.

"Even If It Kills Me (Reimagined)" is a fresh take on its heavier counterpart, showcasing the hit song in a new light, with a melodic arrangement and signature vocals delivered by Shaddix.

PAPA ROACH recently completed the European leg of the "Rise Of The Roach" tour. The trek saw PAPA ROACH bring its biggest-ever production and journey deep through their vast music catalogue, including a celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band's iconic breakthrough album "Infest". Special guests for the global tour were WAGE WAR in Europe and will include RISE AGAINST and UNDEROATH in the U.S.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music. PAPA ROACH are not unfamiliar with calling attention to mental health and have been doing so since the seminal release of their first hit single "Last Resort". Since then, the band has gone on to create 10 studio albums, their most recent, 2022's "Ego Trip", on their own label New Noize Records.

Photo credit: Bryson Roatch

In a new interview with Australia's Iain McCallum, former FEAR FACTORY frontman Burton C. Bell was asked if his relationship with the band's founding guitarist Dino Cazares is "completely broken" at this point. Burton responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Uh, Dino and I have parted ways… I've had a few years to reflect and meditate and be introspective about it. I had to do a lot of healing, and I've moved forward and I feel good about it."

Bell, who issued two solo singles in 2024 — "Anti-Droid" and "Technical Exorcism" — and a cover of RAMMSTEIN's "Du Hast" in 2023, was also asked if any of his FEAR FACTORY experiences will serve as an inspiration for some of his lyrics going forward. He responded: "Um, no. I've done what I needed to do. I've gotten it out. I've purged that, and that's what that 'Technical Exorcism' is all about. I got that out of me. And so I am moving forward. And [my next solo single] 'Savages' is a socially aware lyrical song. And if it's gonna be personal, it's gonna be about something else."

Bell's discography includes multiple live and recorded collaborations with BLACK SABBATH icon Geezer Butler and JOURNEY's Deen Castronovo (as G/Z/R); industrial maverick Al Jourgensen and MINISTRY; and guest vocal appearances with PITCHSHIFTER, CONFLICT, SOIL, STATIC-X, SOULFLY and DELAIN, among others. He's the vocalist of ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS and CITY OF FIRE and, of course, the co-creator of FEAR FACTORY and the only musician to appear on every FEAR FACTORY release from 1992 through 2024.

FEAR FACTORY created a sound that revolutionized extreme metal, defined in no small part by Bell's innovative scream/sing dichotomy and the influences he brought from post-punk and industrial. Songs like "Replica", "Linchpin", "Edgecrusher", "Fear Campaign", "Archetype", "Cyber Waste" and "Zero Signal" are modern metal anthems. "Demanufacture" (1995) and the RIAA gold-certified "Obsolete" (1998) are genre-redefining works heralded by fans and critics as essential albums. Orwell, Bradbury, "Blade Runner", and sophisticated sci-fi and fantasy works fed Bell's lyrics and concepts.

The band toured the world with METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, KORN, MEGADETH and OZZY OSBOURNE, taking bands like SYSTEM OF A DOWN and STATIC-X out as support acts in their early stages. After years of behind-the-scenes band member turmoil and legal issues, Bell left FEAR FACTORY in the fall of 2020.

The 56-year-old Bell had been largely inactive on the musical front since officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY in September 2020. At the time he said that he could not "align" himself with someone whom he did not trust or respect, an apparent reference to Cazares.

In March 2023, Bell was asked by Joshua Toomey of the "Talk Toomey" podcast how it felt to see FEAR FACTORY going out on tour with someone else singing the parts he originally wrote and recorded with the band. He responded: "It doesn't affect me at all. To be honest, I haven't been this happy in a long time. More power to them, but I'm just moving forward in my own life, my own career, and I'm just trying to make a name for myself."

Asked if he has checked out any of the videos on YouTube of FEAR FACTORY performing with his replacement, the Italian-born singer Milo Silvestro, Bell said: "No, I don't. I don't care to."

Burton went on to say that he doesn't mind being asked about FEAR FACTORY despite the fact that he is no longer in the band. "FEAR FACTORY, it's what I'm known for," he explained. "And the 30 years I had with FEAR FACTORY were some of the proudest moments of my career. And everything I've ever done in FEAR FACTORY I'm very proud of. Even some of the questionable things I've done in FEAR FACTORY I'm still proud of. It was a great legacy."

During an April 2022 appearance on an episode of "The Ex-Man" podcast hosted by Doc Coyle (BAD WOLVES),Bell touched upon FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", which was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, features Bell and fellow original FF member Dino Cazares (guitar) alongside drummer Mike Heller.

"I was just happy that record finally came out," Burton said. "We finished that record in 2017. By the time it came out, I'd forgotten all about it. 'Oh, yeah, I remember that song. Oh yeah.'

"There's some good songs on that record. The song 'Collapse' is a good song. The title track 'Monolith' is a good song," he added, referencing the LP's original working title, before it was changed by Cazares.

When Coyle noted that the mix on "Aggression Continuum" is "great," Bell hesitated for a couple of seconds before reluctantly agreeing. "I guess," he said. "When I finished the record [in 2017], the record was done and agreed upon and then further work was done without my say."

Elsewhere in the chat, Burton admitted that "it was difficult" for him to leave FEAR FACTORY. "Stepping away from FEAR FACTORY was not an easy decision by [any] means," he said. "But what I experienced for the 10 years before that, the lawsuits, the acrimony, that was the one that killed me. And I just had to step away to realize, you know, they can take all this stuff from me — they can take the money, they can take the royalties, they can take the trademark away from me — and I realized that didn't define me. They can take that, but I'm still Burton C. Bell, motherfucker, and whatever I have they can't take. So I'm just kind of moving forward and doing new things."

According to Bell, hardship is par for the course for most musicians, who often find themselves victims of bad contracts, unscrupulous management and, all too often, what appears to be a penchant for self-destruction.

"I knew a long time ago I wanted to be an artist — way before I was in FEAR FACTORY," he said. "When I was in high school, I was, like, 'I wanna be an artist.' To be an artist, you've gotta suffer. You've gotta understand that people wanna take from you the entire time — what you create they wanna make money off of and take it away from you and just give you a pittance. But being bitter is not my style — never has been.

"Whatever negativity has happened in the past with FEAR FACTORY doesn't even hold up to the amount of positivity that has happened," he continued. "If you think about the negative, it can weigh you down so much, but it's not really that much in comparison to what the band achieved, what we created, what we provided to the music world, and for that I'm proud and very happy.

"No one likes to talk to a bitter person at all," Burton added. "Me for one. It's, like, 'Man, just get over it and just move on.' 'Cause holding on to the past doesn't serve me anything, it doesn't serve anybody else anything. Move on and show 'em what you can do from that point forward."

Bell's exit from FEAR FACTORY came more than two weeks after Cazares launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist him with the production costs associated with the release of FEAR FACTORY's latest LP.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY was a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it.

"With FEAR FACTORY, it's just constantly been, like, 'What?!' You can only take so much. I felt like 30 years was a good run. Those albums I've done with FEAR FACTORY will always be out there. I'll always be part of that. I just felt like it was time to move forward."

In October 2020, Dino issued a statement in which he said that the door for Burton to come back to FEAR FACTORY wouldn't "stay open forever." The guitarist also revealed that Burton "lost his legal rights" to the FEAR FACTORY name "after a long court battle" with drummer Raymond Herrera and bassist Christian Olde Wolbers. "I had the opportunity to do something right, and I felt that obtaining the name in full was the right thing to do for the both of us, so after nearly four years we can continue as FEAR FACTORY, to make more records and to tour," he said. "That is why it is sad to hear that he decided to quit and, in my opinion, for whatever issues he has it seems like it could've been worked out."

Three years ago, Cazares discussed Bell's departure from FEAR FACTORY during an appearance on "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza. Pressed about what happened to cause Burton to leave, Dino said: "Good question. I don't know. I think he just lost interest in… I can only assume, because we went through some really heavy lawsuits for four years, and it financially crippled us — personally as well — and I just believe that he lost interest. I think that possibly all the stuff that we went through in FEAR FACTORY was just, like… He's one of those guys, 'Fuck it. I'm out. I quit. Fuck it.' He doesn't come across as a fighter — as somebody who's gonna be, like, 'Fuck it. We went through it. Let's go through it and let's just continue.' I mean, I left the door open for him for a while to come back into the band, but he pretty much said fuck me, Raymond and Christian — everybody. Fuck everybody.

"I'm not gonna push it," Dino added. "I'm not gonna push him or nothing like that. Fans ask me all the time: 'Hey, call him up. Just call him up.' Well, if you saw the stuff he said when he left, he's not exactly a phone call away… He left pretty bitter, and that's pretty much where… It looks like he's having a good time being free. So I'm not gonna force anybody to come back or [any] stuff like that.

"Some people want change in their life, but sometimes fans just can't accept that. Fans are, like, 'He was the singer for 30 years. Come back.' That was his decision. No one pushed him out; no one forced him to leave — none of that stuff. That was his decision."

Legendary German guitarist Michael Schenker kicked off his spring 2025 European tour Wednesday night (April 9) at De Boerderij in Zoetermeer, The Netherlands.

Schenker is touring in support of his recently released "My Years With UFO" album celebrating the 50th anniversary of Michael's years with UFO.

Joining Michael on the trek on vocals is former SKID ROW frontman Erik Grönwall, who is the featured singer on the "Mother Mary" song on "My Years With UFO", which also includes a guest appearance by GUNS N' ROSES' Slash on guitar.

The setlist for the Zoetermeer show was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Natural Thing (UFO song)
02. Only You Can Rock Me (UFO song)
03. Hot 'N' Ready (UFO song)
04. Doctor Doctor (UFO song)
05. Out In The Street (UFO song)
06. Mother Mary (UFO song)
07. I'm A Loser (UFO cover)
08. This Kid's (UFO song)
09. Let It Roll (UFO song)
10. Lights Out (UFO song)
11. Instrumental
12. Love To Love (UFO song)
13. Can You Roll Her (UFO song)
14. Shoot Shoot (UFO song)
15. Rock Bottom (UFO song)

Encore:

16. Reasons Love (UFO song)
17. Too Hot To Handle (UFO song)

Erik touched upon his touring plans with Schenker in a September 20, 2024 YouTube livestream. He said: "Yeah, I'm heading out with Michael Schenker next year, a European tour. I did that song with him on the 'My Years With UFO' release. And it's gonna be a lot of fun. And I've been looking forward to get back on that stage once again."

In March 2024, Grönwall — who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021 — announced his departure from SKID ROW. He said at the time that he decided that the travel and rigors of the road were not conducive to his overall health and recovery, and he wanted to focus on a lifestyle that is more amenable for his well-being, healing and family.

In a recent interview with Noise11's Paul Cashmere, Schenker revealed that he was already working on a new MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP album called "Don't Sell Your Soul" which will feature Grönwall "singing most of the songs," along with vocal contributions from Robin McAuley and Michael Voss.

Produced by Schenker and Voss, "My Years With UFO" marked the 50th anniversary of Schenker's era with UFO, spanning from 1972 to 1978. The "German Wunderkind" was asked to join UFO at just 17 years old. Touring the globe as a teenager, Schenker became a driving force behind some of UFO's most loved tracks, such as "Doctor Doctor", "Rock Bottom" and "Only You Can Rock Me".

Although Michael Schenker's era with UFO spanned only six years, his influence as a young songwriter and exceptional guitarist had already left a lasting mark on rock. During these meteoric years, the UFO albums "Phenomenon", "Force It", "No Heavy Petting", "Lights Out", "Obsession" and the seminal live album "Strangers In The Night" were recorded, each contributing significantly to the genre. "Strangers In The Night" particularly stands out as one of the most influential live rock albums of all time and is still regarded as a cornerstone in any rock enthusiast's collection.

In this celebratory album, Michael Schenker presents 11 of UFO's greatest hits from this magical era with an impressive lineup of guest stars. Joining Schenker on this journey are Derek Sherinian on keyboards, Brian Tichy on drums, and Barry Sparks on bass.

The stellar roster of guest artists includes Axl Rose (GUNS N' ROSES),Slash (GUNS N' ROSES),Kai Hansen (HELLOWEEN),Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE),Joey Tempest (EUROPE),Biff Byford (SAXON),Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY),John Norum (EUROPE),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER),Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE),Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW),Carmine Appice (VANILLA FUDGE, CACTUS),Adrian Vandenberg (WHITESNAKE),Michael Voss, Stephen Pearcy (RATT) and Erik Grönwall (SKID ROW).

In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, founding SEPULTURA guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera was asked how he feels about seeing the group that he started and that played such a role in his early musical life come to its conclusion. The 55-year-old Max, who has spent the last few years playing SEPULTURA-centric shows with his brother, former SEPULTURA drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera, responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "To me, I feel — and I'm not saying that just for myself — I think a lot of fans feel that me and Igor kind of carry the spirit of SEPULTURA with us on everything that we do. And I don't know — they still call it SEPULTURA, but everybody knows that it's not the same and it's never gonna be the same. And I don't have nothing to do with what they're doing, with the disbanding of the band. Me and Igor, we have our own path, we are on our own thing, we are revisiting those old material on our own time. And the way we did them was the way we always did — it was from our heart. For us, it's really special to preserve that. I think it's kind of like that young heart, the teenage heart that lives inside of you. I kind of like keep that really sacred. And no matter what happens in in the business or the politics of music, I try not to let that affect my young mind and soul that I carry with me all the time. So I feel like that when talk about SEPULTURA. It was a special band of a special time and we celebrate that — I get a chance to celebrate that with Igor, regardless of what the other guys are doing."

Last November, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser was asked for his opinion on Max and Igor's decision to revisit their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-record them and put them out, along with a re-recorded version of Andreas's first album with SEPULTURA, "Schizophrenia". Andreas told the IMPACT Metal Channel: "I don't think anything. I mean, it's a weird choice that they had. I think artistic value is zero. Maybe they're going for some money or something, but there's no reason to do something like that. I much rather prefer THE TROOPS OF DOOM, the new band from Jairo [former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo 'Tormentor' Guedz], which are doing a really amazing tribute to that era, very honest, doing new stuff, writing new music… But if they're having a good time, so let it be. I don't care, man. I just think it's totally unnecessary. It's really very disrespectful from themselves, for their own selves in the past."

Andreas added: "It's weird to see a guy [Max] who always says, 'Oh, I did this,' 'I did all that,' 'I'm so creative,' and 'I did everything by myself,' and doing this shit, like re-recording riffs that we did 30, 40 years ago. It doesn't click, the rhetoric with the example. But whatever. I just don't think that — the artistic value is zero."

Earlier last year, Max told V13 about the decision to re-record "Morbid Visions", "Bestial Devastation" and "Schizophrenia": "I think [Igor and I] were [doing special tours celebrating] the other [SEPULTURA] records, like we did 'Roots', and then we did 'Beneath The Remains' and the reaction was so explosive and the fans were reacting so good, with the way we were playing that stuff live that, I mentioned to Igor that it would be cool to have this sound on this old records that sound like shit, especially if we can get them to sound the way we sound now because we sound great right now with the way we are playing.

"A lot of people are… there's a big taboo about re-recording," Max continued. "There are a lot of people who are [freaked out] about touching old stuff. I had to kind of block all that and think, 'Fuck it. Let's do it, man, but let's do it the way we wanna do it, the way we wanna hear it as fans.' I think that's the difference in the approach that we took. So 'Morbid Visions', 'Bestial Devastation', it's still very dirty and aggressive, maybe even more aggressive than the original. We play a little bit faster and it's more angrier. I don't know how, but it's angrier than the original. I think that's key for these records. We don't want it a digital, brand new modern sound. We just want it to sound live, like a good live-sounding [recording] and we did that. I think that's why it sounded so cool. Of course, when we did those, we knew what we were going to do with 'Schizophrenia', because it's another record that we feel it's never really lived up to the potential. The songs are great, but they were never really recorded the right way. So now we're very happy. We did the three, we got the trilogy and we got to tour for it."

SEPULTURA fell apart in 1996 with the exit of Max after the rest of the Brazilian four-piece split with the vocalist/guitarist's wife Gloria as their manager. Igor stuck around with the group for another ten years before leaving SEPULTURA and re-teaming with Max in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

For the new versions of "Morbid Visions", "Bestial Devastation" and "Schizophrenia", the Cavalera brothers enlisted Travis Stone (PIG DESTROYER) on lead guitars. The full lineup would consist of more Cavalera alumni, as Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD AND DIE, HEALING MAGIC) once more brought his talents on bass to the fold.

CAVALERA's version of "Schizophrenia" was recorded from April 15, 2023 to June 5, 2023 at Focusrite Room in Mesa Arizona. Mixing and mastering was handled by Arthur Rizk (SOULFLY, GO AHEAD AND DIE, TURNSTILE). The original "Schizophrenia" cover artwork was restored in hand-painted watercolors by Eliran Kantor.

Although SEPULTURA has maintained a diehard fanbase in all parts of the world throughout the band's nearly four-decade history, Max-era albums "Roots" and "Chaos A.D." were by far SEPULTURA's most commercially successful, having both been certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of five hundred thousand copies.

In December 2023, SEPULTURA announced that it would celebrate its 40th anniversary this year by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.

SEPULTURA's current lineup comprises Kisser, vocalist Derrick Green, bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. and drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who officially replaced SEPULTURA's longtime drummer Eloy Casagrande in February 2024.

Following two festival performances — Bangers Open Air in São Paulo, Brazil and Sonic Temple festival in Columbus, Ohio respectively — heavy metal icons ARMORED SAINT will enter the studio next month to begin recording their long-awaited ninth studio album, tentatively slated for a spring 2026 release through Metal Blade Records.

In September, the band will join W.A.S.P. for a trio of U.K. shows before returning to the States to support legendary guitarist Michael Schenker on his "My Years With UFO" U.S. tour. ARMORED SAINT will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its second album, "Delirious Nomad", with a five-song micro set of songs from the record throughout the tour.

To further commemorate the cornerstone record, the band is making available a special "Delirious Nomad" wrapped guitar from Dean Guitars. Each guitar is signed by the band. Presales will be announced in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, check out additional "Delirious Nomad" merch items at this location.

ARMORED SAINT vocalist John Bush comments: "What up, Saints? We want to give you all a heads up with what's happening with us this year. First, we've been writing songs for the upcoming new record, and we are just about done! We are going into 606 Studios next month to record drums for five songs. The plan still stands for an early spring 2026 release.

"We have two rad festivals dates in May: Bangers Open Air and Sonic Temple festival. Then we'll be joining our friends, W.A.S.P., for three shows in Britain in September which includes Newcastle where we've never played and London at the Eventim Apollo — formerly the legendary Hammersmith Odeon. We are psyched!

"Then we'll do nine more shows in the U.S. in October with one of the best rock guitar players to ever walk the earth: Michael Schenker. We will be doing something special on these particular dates. In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of 'Delirious Nomad', we will be playing micro sets from that record. We'll play other classic SAINT tunes as well, of course!

"Finally, we will do three headlining shows at the end of this tour in El Paso, Texas, where we haven't played since 1984, Las Vegas, Nevada, and at the infamous Glass House for the first time ever in Pomona, California. Lots on the plate. Thanks for all the love as always."

Last November, ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera spoke to Metal Kaoz about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to the band's eighth full-length album, "Punching The Sky", which came out in October 2020 via Metal Blade Records. He said: "Well, we're about midway through writing new music. We have about seven songs or something like that. So we're getting close to being finished. And with any luck, we're trying to get in the studio sometime in the spring to start recording. So, I don't really know what that means as far as a release date, but that's what that's what our goal is at this point. So, we've been working hard making demos at home. In fact, I'm working on a song as we speak, so I had to hit pause and do these interviews, and then I'll go back to it when I'm done. But, yeah, it's going really cool, really well. I love the stuff that's coming out."

Regarding a musical and lyrical direction of the new ARMORED SAINT material, Joey said: "Every record we've made has been a little bit different than the one prior to it, and this one will be the same case where it will be a little different than 'Punching'. But our number one thing is just writing really great songs. We're not so concerned about trying to outdo the last record or do as good as it is or do the same thing. I always think that it's cool to just see where you are at that moment. And these songs that we've written, just like the last three or four records we've made, they all represent a particular time and place for us. So this these batch of songs, they're a reflection of where we are at a time and place right now. We're in post-COVID, we're coming back out of it, back into the world, and different things are influencing me personally than they were in 2014 when I was writing for [2015's] 'Win Hands Down'. So all those things are at play again. I'm trying to take a few chances as well on this, which we always try to do a little bit. So, yeah, it's going really well."

When the interviewer noted that ARMORED SAINT seems to have a "more relaxed" schedule this time around in terms of when the band plans to enter the studio, Joey clarified: "It's more relaxed, but we're trying to unrelax that, because it's been a long time since 'Punching' came out — it's been four years already; we're going on five years now, and by the time this record is out and done, it could be closer to six — so it's too long, I think, between records. So we're trying to speed things up a bit. 'Let's just work. Let's get down to the work, do the work and let's make this record.' We're not trying to rush it. Rush it — I mean, it's been four years. What's taking us so long? But there's reasons for that, and we don't need to get into [that], but, yeah, the time is now for us to just start getting a record done. So we do have a soft schedule of getting in the spring. It's not hard — we don't have an actual booking yet — but we do, at this point, have a soft [schedule in mind]. But I imagine by the time January 1st comes around, we're gonna wanna book a date. So pretty soon we're gonna have a more strict schedule."

Joey also confirmed that ARMORED SAINT will spend much of next year focusing on making the band's next album and less time on the road. "As far as touring is [concerned], yeah, we're kind of taking a break from touring in 2025, so that we can concentrate on making this record happen, get done, actually get done," he said. "So we are not seeking anything. The only things that we have agreed to do, and they are two shows that we booked a month or two ago, is we're playing at the Bangers fest down in Brazil on May the 2nd, I think, 2nd or 3rd, and then we're playing the following weekend at another festival here in America. It's in Columbus, Ohio, and it's called Sonic Temple. It's a very big festival. So we're doing these two festivals, but other than those two shows, we're not taking any more touring dates and we're just trying to get the record done."

Last June, ARMORED SAINT released a rendition of "One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)". The classic track was originally written by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and was first released by PEOPLE in 1970. Additional covers include THE FOUR TOPS (1974),SANTANA (1978) and THE DOOBIE BROTHERS (1989).

"One Chain (Don't Make No Prison)" was produced by Vera, mixed by Jay Ruston and mastered by Maor Applebaum.

ARMORED SAINT released the "Symbol Of Salvation Live" CD/DVD in 2021 via Metal Blade Records. The release came in celebration of the seminal album's 30th anniversary. "Symbol Of Salvation Live" was a combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York City's famed Gramercy Theatre during its 2018 tour.

In July 2023, ARMORED SAINT was inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

In May 2023, ARMORED SAINT's long-awaited documentary, Armored Saint: Band Of Brothers", had its world premiere in the band's hometown at the Harmony Gold Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Photo by Stephanie Cabral

SIXX:A.M., the acclaimed hard rock trio featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx, guitarist Darren James "D.J." Ashba, and vocalist/producer James Michael, will release "Prayers For The Damned & Blessed Deluxe Edition" on June 6, 2025, via Endurance Music Group. The new album will be available as a special limited-edition smoke-colored three-LP set as well as on all streaming platforms.

Nearly a decade after the release of SIXX:A.M.'s 2016 albums "Prayers For The Damned" and "Prayers For The Blessed", this deluxe edition set features both albums together with brand-new renditions of "Maybe It's Time" (Piano Version),"Prayers For The Damned" (Piano Version),and an alternative mix of "We Will Not Go Quietly".

Originally formed in 2007, SIXX:A.M. — whose name is a combination of all of the members' last names (Sixx, Ashba, Michael) — emerged as a passion project for Sixx, initially coming together to record a companion soundtrack for his The New York Times best-selling memoir "The Heroin Diaries". Over the years, the trio toured the globe and released six studio albums, a live album, multiple hit singles, including "Life Is Beautiful", "Stars", "Lies Of The Beautiful People", and — from "Prayers For The Blessed" — "Maybe It's Time". SIXX:A.M. announced their hiatus in 2021, marking the end of an era for the band.

With over 500 million streams across digital platforms, SIXX:A.M.'s music continues to resonate with fans worldwide. As the first time both original albums have been available on vinyl in years, this is a must-have for collectors of rock history and fans alike.

During an appearance on an October 2022 episode of the "In The Trenches With Ryan Roxie" podcast, Michael spoke about whether there are any plans for SIXX:A.M. to record more new music or play live shows in support of the "Hits" compilation album, which came out in 2021. He said: "It's a good question. And yeah, there's a lot of interest in that…

"We kind of went into hiatus, we kind of went away without really letting people know why. And the reality was that we were all really burned out. We were three friends that started this band as just a bunch of guys in a room making up songs together, and it just turned into something so much more significant over the years. And we were so lucky and so blessed to have the more-than-a-decade-long career that we've had so far.

"The best way that I can answer the questions about what is the future of SIXX:A.M. and what's going on with them is we have no plans right now to do anything moving forward. But I do talk quite regularly with both Nikki and D.J.," he continued. "And we all love what SIXX:A.M. was and became so much that… Would I love to make another SIXX:A.M. record? Absolutely. There's nothing I'd love more than getting back in the room with Nikki and D.J. and the whole gang and just experiencing that.

"I would say all three of us would say the door is not shut [to future SIXX:A.M. activity]. It's just with SIXX:A.M., we never were supposed to be a band in the first place. When we started, we were just, like I said, three guys getting together and making up songs. And then we recorded those songs. I wasn't supposed to be the singer; we were just eventually gonna find a singer to actually record — take my voice off and put somebody else's voice on. But just through circumstances, it just ended up taking off. And I'm just grateful for that experience. It's just been amazing."

James also talked about his working relationship with Nikki and D.J., saying: "To answer the question what it's like to work with Nikki and D.J., it's that chemistry that you hope you find when you are in this music industry. You hope that you get lucky enough to meet a guy or a couple of guys that you just jell with and that you can work with on every level — professional and personal. And that's what it's been like.

"I think that there were tough times; there were very, very times being in SIXX:A.M. because we're three very, very opinionated people. But 99 percent of the time, those strong opinions are also what became the strong support group for one another. When I, as the producer of the albums, would just reach a point where I didn't know what the next right move was, I always had my two very, very skilled partners to lean on and to just say, 'Hey, I need your input on this. Where should we go?' And it was just always that kind of a give-and-take relationship.

"SIXX:A.M. was always very much a democracy; we all brought ideas in and we all collaborated," James confirmed. "We love that process so much. We laughed our way through a decade of making music. That's the part I look forward to the most, is just getting the three of us in a room together, because it's just non-stop laughter. And usually what we come up with ends up being something I'm very, very proud of."

"Hits" was released in October 2021 via Better Noise Music. The album was a retrospective celebration of SIXX:A.M.'s biggest hits and fan-favorite songs that also included five previously unheard tracks and mixes, marking the band's first official album with new material since 2016.

Inspired by the release of Sixx's "The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx", SIXX:A.M. members Michael, Ashba and Sixx made "Hits" available as a companion piece to the book.

To date, SIXX:A.M. has three U.S. Billboard top 20 albums and a string of hit singles, with its full catalog consisting of five studio albums — "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" (2007),"This Is Gonna Hurt" (2011),"Modern Vintage" (2014),"Prayers For The Damned" and "Prayers For The Blessed" (2016) — and three EPs, "X-Mas In Hell" (2008); "Live Is Beautiful" (2008) and "7" (2011).

In a January 2022 interview with Antihero Magazine, Ashba, who has spent much of the recent years promoting his ASHBA solo project, spoke about whether there are any plans for SIXX:A.M. to record more music or tour. He said: "SIXX:A.M. has always been a labor of love. It's weird with SIXX:A.M., we all three are currently still full-blown members and we are very proud of everything we've created. James has mentioned recently that he's kind of retiring, kind of stepping away from music, which is sad to hear, but the guy has done so many great, great things in his career and the songs he has been a part of. He has a lot to be proud of.

"Now, that being said, the three of us at any given time could call each other and go, 'Hey, let's do one more tour. Let's write a new song,'" he continued. "That's just how we are. We don't ever plan anything. So, I would say, never say never, but I have no intention of doing anything further with it. I think we've put a nice bookend to SIXX:A.M. with the greatest hits and if something else were to happen so be it, but I think we're all pretty satisfied with what we've done with that."

In December 2021, James also told Australia's Rock Lives Here that there are no plans for SIXX:A.M. to do anything else at the moment. He said: "It's funny — every time SIXX:A.M. made an album, we said to ourselves, 'This is the last album we're gonna make.' We said that on 'The Heroin Diaries' soundtrack. We said, 'This is a one-off. We'll never do this again.' Then we did 'This Is Gonna Hurt', and it was, like, 'Yeah, this is gonna be our last album, for sure.' And then we did 'Modern Vintage', [and it was], like, 'This is gonna be our last one.' So we've been saying that since the beginning.

"When we put together this 'Hits' album, of course, we had in mind that if this was the last thing that SIXX:A.M. does, we want it to be right and we want it to thoughtful and we want it to be meaningful," he explained. "And so we really set out with that intention; we wanted to kind of put a nice bow on this decade of music that we've created.

"So, as of right now, we don't have any plans for anything — no touring, no new music or anything. And that's why we're so excited to be sharing this 'Hits' album with everyone because it may be the last thing we do. I don't know. We'll see. That's one thing I've learned with SIXX:A.M. — I never say never."

In a new interview with Cassius Morris, DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken elaborated on his recent announcement that the band's latest album, 2023's "Heaven Comes Down", would likely be DOKKEN's final studio effort. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel after 50 years and 13 records, I figure I've written enough music. I'm okay with it… [But] never say never. Maybe [former DOKKEN guitarist] George Lynch and I will get together and write an EP… George and I did talk about it briefly, and I said I don't think I have the energy in me spiritually to knock out a whole record. That's a lot of work. But I said we might wanna do four or five [songs]. We did a new song eight years ago. It was called '[It's] Just Another Day'. That was [recorded by] all original [DOKKEN] members. We went to Japan [and played a few shows with that lineup], and that was an experiment to see how we got along and all that. And that was a cool video."

The 71-year-old Don, who has been open about how the complications from his November 2019 neck and spinal surgery affected the making of "Heaven Comes Down", continued: "[George and I] had talked about doing a record. But if you listen to the last five George Lynch projects, they're totally different than the direction I'm going. 'Heaven Comes Down' has nothing to do with what George is doing. He's gone this way; I've gone that way. So I don't know if spiritually we could get together and write a song that works, that we're all on the same page about. I'm just not. So it is what it is. But I said what I would wanna do is, let's say I say, 'Hey, George, why don't you write me like four guitar riffs and let me see if one speaks to me in my heart and my spirit?' Just like the song 'Just Another Day'… and we wrote that one song, all original members, Mick [Brown, former DOKKEN drummer] and everybody. Obviously, we can never — Mick's retired and he's pretty stonewalled about, he's not gonna play again. He played since he was 10 years old — he's seventies-ish — and I understand that because he's worn out.

"I've always said the drummers have the hardest job — your elbows, your hands, arthritis, your kneecaps, your ankles, your feet, your back," Dokken added. "I mean, the drummer has the hardest gig. I can just stand there, stare up the ceiling and go, 'Hey, everybody, how's it going?' Or even when as a guitar player, you can just stand there and play. But Mick is the machine. Mick was the DOKKEN machine. I used to tell him, 'Play softer. Don't hit your drums so hard.' And he says, 'I don't know how not to play hard' to keep his time. He goes, 'I just hit.' So, it caught up with him and he retired.

"So we'll see what happens," Don said. "George and I have touched on it, but it would all depend on him writing, like, three songs — just music — and sending it to me. And I'd go in my recording studio and [take out] the pen and paper and go, 'Hmm, oh, this is kind of cool.' And chop it up and try to make it fit myself and crank out a couple of songs. And if people like it, they like it. If they don't, they don't."

Asked if he has a timeline in mind for when he might stop playing live shows, Don said: "Probably within the year. I mean, what's Paul McCartney — in his eighties? And Mick Jagger's in his eighties, and Keith Richards is still standing up. And even Elton John now, they bring him down and they lower him down to his piano chair, for whatever reason, 'cause we're all getting up there in age. So I think the time will come that I'll announce that it's over.

"The truth is, I guess I'm a selfish person," Dokken explained. "I wanna enjoy my life. I don't want to just keep singing and writing until I drop. I wanna be in my home far away from everybody. I live on top of this mountain [in New Mexico]. No neighbors. [I've] got the dogs. It's the perfect life. And I've had a great career. I started playing at 10 years old.

"If you have to tour and you have to play because you need to pay your gas bill, I understand that," Don added. "Thank God I'm not in that position. And whenever anybody says, are you thinking of calling it a day? I just go like this [and show them the gold and platinum records on my wall]. I've got a few of 'em up there… So I think I've made my point. I think I made my point musically. And, of course, I would've wanted to keep going, but if I can't compose, I'm screwed," he said, referencing the fact that his right arm became nearly paralyzed in the aforementioned neck and spinal surgery. "I am effed."

The follow-up to 2012's "Broken Bones", "Heaven Comes Down" was produced by Bill Palmer and Don Dokken and was mixed by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, IRON MAIDEN).

In August 2023, DOKKEN released the music video for the album's first single, "Fugitive". The clip was directed by Chris Eyre ("Dark Winds", "Smoke Signals") and was filmed at the popular immersive arts venture Meow Wolf in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

DOKKEN released an album called "The Lost Songs: 1978-1981" in August 2020 via Silver Lining Music. Featuring sleeve art by renowned U.S. artist Tokyo Hiro (MOTÖRHEAD, MOTLEY CRÜE),the effort contains material written and recorded by a hungry young Don Dokken as he embarked upon a journey which started in Southern California and Northern Germany.

DOKKEN's classic lineup of Dokken, Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and Brown completed a short Japanese tour in October 2016, marking the first time in 21 years the four performed together.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour, "Return To The East Live (2016)", was made available in 2018.

At some of the recent DOKKEN shows, Lynch has been rejoining the band on stage to perform three of the classic DOKKEN songs: "Kiss Of Death", "When Heaven Comes Down" and "Tooth And Nail".

In a new interview with the Thunder Underground podcast, SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair spoke about the band's latest single, "In The Grey", which was made available last December via SHADOWS FALL's new record label home, MNRK Heavy. The track marked the band's first new piece of music in more than 12 years.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

SOULFLY has parted ways with the band's longtime bassist Mike Leon.

Leon, formerly of HAVOK, joined SOULFLY in September 2015 as the replacement for STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos, who left SOULFLY in May of that year.

Earlier today (Wednesday, April 9),SOULFLY released the following message via social media: "After many strong years together, SOULFLY is parting ways with bassist Mike Leon. The tribe are still performing at the upcoming Mexico City's Nu Metal Revolution on May 3rd with the Sorcerer, Igor Amadeus, of CAVALERA band, GO AHEAD AND DIE and HEALING MAGIC filling in.

"We're going in different directions now and we thank Mike for all the time spent with us rocking hard on stage!"

Leon added in a separate statement: "After an incredible 10 + year journey with SOULFLY/CAVALERA, the time has come to move on and pursue new opportunities.

"I'm deeply grateful for the experiences, the music, and the relationships built along the way — it's been an honor to grow alongside such dedicated fans.

"I've been proud to contribute to the music community through my work as Director of Artist Relations with ENKI Cases, supporting artists with industry leading gear protection, and will continue to do so.

"As I look ahead, I'm excited to focus on exploring and creating new musical opportunities!

"Thank you to everyone who's been part of the journey so far — here's to the next chapter!"

SOULFLY is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Totem", which came out in August 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with assistance from John Powers. Produced by Max Cavalera alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts guest appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was also responsible for playing lead guitar on the record. The artwork for the album was created by James Bousema.

In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the band's 2021 and 2022 run of shows.

Guitarist Mike DeLeon has been touring with SOULFLY for two years. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.

In a November 2024 interview with Dave Rumbler of Metal-Roos, Max confirmed that he is working on the follow-up to "Totem" album for a tentative late 2025 release. Regarding the musical direction of the new SOULFLY material, he said: "[It will be] very tribal, back to basics. I'm gonna let SOULFLY be SOULFLY again. I kind of stopped SOULFLY from being SOULFLY for a couple of years, and I kind of regret that a little bit. But now that I have CAVALERA and GO AHEAD AND DIE and KILLER BE KILLED, I get to really let SOULFLY be SOULFLY. Let's go back to what it was in the beginning. It's that tribal groove power that people love. So I'm creating a record with that."

Max, who turned 55 years old in August 2024, went on to say that he has no plans of slowing down in the coming years. "I was put on this planet to do this, and that's all I wanna do," he said. "It's all I know how to do and it's all I wanna do… Of course, we change as people as we get older, but I think there's some things in me, they are the same as they were when I was 15 years old — my passion for metal, how I feel about going on the stage and the goosebumps, the excitement is like a drug. You can't really get that anywhere else except on the stage. And those things don't change. And I love that.

"To me, I'm always looking forward to whatever tour we're doing, whatever album we're making," he continued. "There are challenges, but at the same time, they are great life opportunities. And I live life for the moment. I'm not one of those guys that — I don't live thinking 10 years from now. I live for right now for this, 'cause I don't know what's 10 years from now. I live the moment, and in the moment, this is what's going on right now. I grab it with both hands, man, and enjoy. And I try to teach that to my kids — enjoy the moment. It's a great thing. It's good to be alive. It's good to share this feeling with people around you. It's incredible. It's an incredible thing."

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