In a new interview with Oran O'Beirne of Ireland's Overdrive, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge spoke about the fact that he will appear at the upcoming "Back To The Beginning" charity show on July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The concert will mark the original lineup of BLACK SABBATH's last-ever performance and Ozzy Osbourne's final appearance as a solo artist. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The only thing I can really tell you, from what I gather, was that bands participating on stage playing, like full bands, are generally bands that are on tour at the time, whereas a lot of the artists that [are performing] singularly are ones that may not be sort of accessible in full group. We [in GHOST] were one of those, because we are about to start our U.S. tour, like, two days after that or something like that, so it was impossible for our entire entourage to multitask like that. We couldn't do it. Especially economically, it was, like, no fucking way. It's not gonna work. So, my job here, my mission, the gift that I've been given, which I feel really proud to be part of and being asked to do, is to play with — I don't know — some of the people playing there. Which I know a few others are doing too. I guess we're being put together in makeshift groups to play songs, which is phenomenal."

Earlier this week, Forge spoke to HardDrive XL's Lou Brutus about the influence BLACK SABBATH and Osbourne had on his development as a musical artist. He said:  "For me, obviously, one band that has meant — one band, BLACK SABBATH; one artist, Ozzy. Of course, I grew up in the '80s, so Ozzy was more prevalent, I guess, in presence because he was sort of — in media, he was just this over-the-top character whereas a lot of the stuff that that BLACK SABBATH was doing in the '80s I grew to love a lot later — with the exception of the [Ronnie James] Dio records, of course. But it took me some time to sort of like some of the '80s records with BLACK SABBATH, whereas now I'm a very, very wholistic in my worship. But Ozzy, obviously, as now obviously a singer, had a phenomenal impact on me. And, of course, everything that he was doing that was dark and haunting, and I guess I'm looking specifically at 'Bark At The Moon' and 'Diary Of A Madman', influenced me a lot."

Forge will appear at "Back To The Beginning" as Papa V Perpetua, the new character fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

In a new interview with the Talking The Talk With Don podcast, L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns praised late WARRANT frontman Jani Lane, who died in August 2011 at age 47 after battling alcohol abuse for years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, Jani, I almost wanna say he was overtalented in the songwriting department, meaning that not only did he understand rhythm and drumming and putting together the foundation of what a pop song should sound like, but he also understood metal. He understood vocal melodies and he understood marketing. The 'Cherry Pie' thing was massive. That was the all the right ingredients at the right time. It's, like, 'Look at this cake I made.' And from Jani's point of view, he was trying to really break big, and that was his objective. And so when you get to [WARRANT's third album, 1992's] 'Dog Eat Dog', the climate had changed, and he was a very metal guy. That's the thing that people don't realize is just because you're in an '80s hair metal band, well, the word 'metal''s in it. That means that you have metal influence. That means that you did listen to [BLACK] SABBATH and [JUDAS] PRIEST and [IRON] MAIDEN and SCORPIONS. So, it's, like, we're all better at writing heavy music, 'cause those are our most intense influences."

Circling back to WARRANT, Tracii said: "That was Jani's band. It was his baby. It was his thing. And he was unstoppable. But he took it hard [when the rise of grunge in the early 1990s forced most hard rock bands off the radio and MTV, with album and tour sales plummeting]. We toured with them in the golden age of NIRVANA killing us. We were touring and playing to 2,500 people a night. It was terrible. And I was with Jani a lot. I'm the one that gave him the fucking mohawk. But he was really a gentle guy. If it would have been a hundred years earlier, he would have been the sensitive poet. He was really that guy, and he just wanted to be accepted, he wanted validation. And he had some trauma in his life that led to where it led him to. But he definitely made his mark. Whether you love WARRANT or hate 'em, man, you know who they are."

Lane recorded several albums with WARRANT in late 1980s and early 1990s but left the group several times. The band's seventh studio LP, "Born Again", was released in 2006 and featured Jaime St. James as the lead singer. In 2008, Lane returned to WARRANT temporarily and toured with the group. In September that year, WARRANT announced that Jani had left again. The band replaced him with Robert Mason and released its eighth studio album, "Rockaholic", in 2011 and "Louder Harder Faster" in 2017.

L.A. GUNS' new album, "Leopard Skin", will be released on April 4, 2025. It will mark the first fruit of L.A. GUNS' reunion with Cleopatra Records, a label known for its diverse roster and innovative approach to music production.

Symphonic metal Vikings Leaves’ Eyes are pleased to announce that their ship has landed at the shores of Reigning Phoenix Music. Making a pact with the subversive metal label, the leading German metallers have found a welcoming new home for their future musical endeavours.

Leaves’ Eyes founder/vocalist Alex Krull states: “We’re really happy to share such fantastic news: Leaves’ Eyes have signed a long-term record deal with Reigning Phoenix Music! Being united with many companions and friends makes working with RPM very special to me. We’re looking forward to entering the next level with Sven, Jochen, Gerardo and the whole RPM family – we couldn’t be more excited! The Southern German metal empire strikes back!”

label owner Sven Bogner: “I’m enormously pleased to welcome Viking metal pioneers Leaves’ Eyes at RPM. The musical roots of Alex and me go back to Ludwigsburg’s Rockfabrik, a place where many bands and rock/metal projects kick-started their careers. Collaborating with friends is always special, and that’s definitely the case here.”

RPM managing director Jochen Richert adds: “I’ve known Alex for almost 40 years since we’ve already been meeting regularly at local youth centres back in the day. Our work relationship also lasts for about 35 years now. That’s why I’m very happy that Leaves’ Eyes and Reigning Phoenix Music are walking a common path now. It’s a classic example of ‘What belongs together, comes together!'”

To bridge the gaps between their studio albums, Leaves’ Eyes mostly continue writing material and thereby released multiple EP’s with some of them showing rare musical sides, for example acoustic recordings, of the sextet. And the current time is now exception: following their current success album Myths Of Fate, which hit #17 of the official German well as #66 of the official Swiss album chart among others, they’re preparing a brand new EP, which is set for release later this year via Reigning Phoenix Music. What it contains shall remain a secret for now, but you can be sure that Leaves’ Eyes next output will be nothing but another exciting addition to their musical journey through the Nordic saga world. Pre-save it here.

Leaves’ Eyes released their new studio album, Myths Of Fate, in March 2024 via AFM Records. They have revisited the record with an epic orchestral version of “In Eternity”. It is available via all digital platforms.

The Dead Daisies are currently on their Light ‘Em Up European Tour 2025. Fan-filmed video of their entire show in Fontaneto D’Agogna, Italy on March 8 can be viewed below.

Check out the band’s complete tour schedule here.

Setlist:

“Last Time I Saw The Sun”
“Light ‘Em Up”
“Bustle And Flow”
– Tommy Clufetos drum solo –
“Love That’ll Never Be” (acoustic John Corabi)
“With You and I”
“I’m Gonna Ride”
“Take a Long Line” (The Angels)
“Highway to Hell / Living After Midnight / Heaven and Hell / Seven Nation Army / Whole Lotta Love”
“Cross Road Blues” (Robert Johnson)
“Goin’ Down” (Freddie King)
“Fortunate Son” (Creedence Clearwater Revival)
“Get A Haircut” (Don’t Panic – David Lowy vocals)
“Mexico”
“Midnight Moses” (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band)
“Resurrected”
“Helter Skelter” (The Beatles)

In an interview following SMITH/KOTZEN's March 5 acoustic performance at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen was given the chance to reflect on his brief stint in POISON, with whom he recorded the 1993 album "Native Tongue" after the departure of C.C. DeVille.

"It's something I'm quite proud of, and I have fond memories of the process of making that record that are very vivid still in my mind," Kotzen said. "I was very young. I came to L.A. – I was moved here. I was going to San Francisco back and forth from Philadelphia, making albums because [Shrapnel Records] was up there. Then Interscope bought my contract when I was, like, 19 or 20. They moved me to L.A., so for a year, I was working with [future chairman/CEO of Interscope Geffen A&M] Jimmy Iovine and [future chairman/CEO of Warner Bros. Records] Tom Whalley. Then we had Danny Kortchmar ready to produce my album, which was a big thing for me, because he had just done the Don Henley album 'The End Of The Innocence', and I was super-excited. At the last minute, Interscope pulled the plug and said, 'We didn't sign you to be a balladeer.' I flipped out — I was barely 21 at that point — and said, 'You don't know what you're doing with me. Let me out of the contract.'

"As they were letting me out of the contract," he continued, "it was Tom Whalley that said, 'Listen, Bret Michaels has been calling about you. He saw you on the cover of Guitar World, and he wants to meet you.' I flipped out even more — I said, 'Are you out of your fucking mind? I don't want to make a hard rock record. I want to do this other thing. I wrote all these songs.' He said, 'Just go talk to him. I don't think you're ready to make the record that you think you're ready to make.'

'So I go out – I drove out to Calabasas, and Bret had this killer house out on Stunt Road. The minute I met him, I really liked him, because he's from Pennsylvania too. I'm like, 'I feel like I'm at home.' We really connected, but then he kind of got me with, 'Look, I don't want someone to come in here and just do what they're told. I want someone to write an album with.' He wanted a writing partner. The other guys had input as well, but it was primarily he and I [who] really wrote together, to my recollection. I brought in a few songs that would have been on my solo record. 'Stand' was one of them. He added some flavor to it, and we worked on the verse lyrics together and added a bridge. It was really great. I think we really made a great record, and it came out of the gate [strong]. It shipped gold, and unfortunately, by the time we got to release the second single, whatever was happening at MTV, the gatekeepers just closed the gates and said, 'Any band that was famous from a certain era is no longer welcome.' We were subjected to that unfortunately, but outside of that, I love the record. I'm very proud of it."

As for how he approached DeVille's solos in concert, Kotzen acknowledged taking liberties. "I didn't really play them properly," he said. "I did the best I could — I really did — but I wanted to play them in a way where I maintained the integrity of what was written, but I also am me, so I can't help it. I'm going to play it the way I hear it."

"Native Tongue" — POISON's fourth studio album and the band's lone effort featuring Kotzen — was released in February of 1993. The Richie Zito-produced set featured the singles "Stand" and "Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)" and debuted at No. 16 on the Billboard 200, but it was a commercial disappointment compared to the multiplatinum success of the group's three albums with DeVille, with whom the band would eventually reunite in 1999.

After leaving POISON, Kotzen resumed his solo career and has released records at a prolific rate over the past three decades. Additionally, he recorded two albums with MR. BIG (1999's "Get Over It" and 2001's "Actual Size") and three with THE WINERY DOGS, a power trio that saw him play alongside his former MR. BIG bandmate Billy Sheehan and drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER). In 2021, he joined forces with IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith in SMITH/KOTZEN; the group's second full-length, "Black Light/White Noise", will be released by BMG on April 4.

In a new interview with Roc Doc's Podcast, Ted Nugent spoke about how he came up with his iconic rock anthem "Stranglehold", which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, boy, what a series of events. And it really is a magic moment in time where the planets aligned. I had Rob Grange, probably the greatest bass player that ever lived. I really mean that. I mean, the way he focused on the pulse and the spirit of the songs that I was creating, how he performed the soulfulness of the bass rhythm. And then with Cliff Davies on drums, just an absolute savant as a musical force. And Derek St. Holmes, probably the greatest voice and in guitar player that people are still able to watch and celebrate his performances to this day. But those were the bandmates at my side."

He continued: "It goes all the way back to 1968, when I got on stage with Steve 'Muruga' Booker and John Sauter at a church after playing with the AMBOY DUKES at the Grande Ballroom [in Detroit]. And Steve Booker invited me to jam. So I grabbed my [Gibson] Byrdland [guitar]. There was a Fender twin amp there, which was the Holy Grail of my guitar tone. And I plugged in. We were just teenagers. And when you do a jam session, it's no holds barred — there's no rules, there's no parameters, there's no no control at all. You just unleash, especially when you're surrounded with a guy like John Sauter on bass and Steve Booker on drums. It has been the story of my whole life, that caliber of musicianship. And so I started that lick. And somehow I had one of those little cassette recording units and I never did this, but I pushed the 'record' button at that gig — it was about midnight, one o'clock in the morning after the Grande — and I started that riff, which is a basically a bastardized Bo Diddley lick, with a little bit more grunt and grind and groove and, dare I say, sexuality. And so that jam session, I just started mouthing lyrics, probably singing about girls or maybe deer hunting. I don't know what I was singing about. But that lick stuck with me. And so as I went on with the AMBOY DUKES, we started using that as an encore at our concerts, and it morphed into this pattern, this development, where I went down to F sharp, and then when you have Cliff and Derek and Rob, we went into the studio."

Ted added: "I could go on and on about this, but Epic Records and my production team, they all said, 'We don't think we need to record 'Stranglehold' for your solo album, because it's just a jam session and it doesn't have a chorus.' You've gotta be kidding me! I had a bumper crop of middle fingers that year, so I whipped out a basket full of 'em, and I said, 'You guys have gotta be kidding me. We play this song every night in various forms as an ongoing, developing, adventurous jam session and the people love this groove, this grind. They, the people, including my people, my band, we love this. It doesn't need a chorus. It doesn't need the rules of music. In fact, I like it better 'cause it breaks the rules of pop music.' So they kind of shrugged their shoulders, and we went in and jammed it. And it was a take one, with Cliff and Rob nailing the groove. And that guitar solo that's on there was only supposed to be a guide to show where the dynamics went up and down and development built into the Bolero… I don't know where that came from, but it's musical history. And then when Derek did the vocal on it, I said, 'Who cares that it doesn't have a chorus? Listen to this son of a bitch. This is a monster, fun song.' And so that's the history of 'Stranglehold'. And that spirit that Derek and Cliff and Rob — and Tom Werman and Tony Reale, my production team — they loved the essence of that music. It doesn't have to have a chorus. It doesn't have to have a bridge. It doesn't have to have a verse. It doesn't have to have anything except what we believe in our hearts should be in a musical statement. And so to this day, that song means a lot to a lot of people. And I give all the credit to Tom Werman, Tony Reale, who was the engineer, Derek, Cliff and Rob. That was a moment in time that was unique to that age, our age, our musical experience, our love of musical adventure, and to this day — it's more powerful today than it was when it was released in 1975, surely."

Ted will celebrate the 50th anniversary of "Stranglehold" with several exclusive "SpeakEzy Rockout" gigs this spring and summer. The dates will take place less than two years after Ted completed his "Adios Mofo '23" farewell tour, which saw him backed by his most recent solo band consisting of drummer Jason Hartless and bassist Johnny "Big" Schoen.

Nugent's self-titled debut album in 1975 was certified double platinum in the United States, while "Free-for-All", "Cat Scratch Fever", "Weekend Warriors" and "State Of Shock" all reached the Top 30 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Nugent has reportedly sold over 40 million albums and was named Detroit's greatest guitar player of all time by readers of MLive.

The conservative rocker, who been eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as a solo artist since 2000, has enjoyed a remarkably successful and eventful musical career over the past five decades, but his music is increasingly overshadowed by his political outbursts.

Nugent's latest album, "Detroit Muscle", was released in April 2022 via Pavement Music. The follow-up to 2018's "The Music Made Me Do It" was recorded with Ted's previous touring band, which included bassist Greg Smith and Hartless.

Today, melodic rockers, Giant, are excited to announce the upcoming release of their new album, Stand And Deliver, out on May 16 via Frontiers Music Srl. To coincide with the announcement, the band shares the first single, “Hold The Night”, with an accompanying lyric video, available to view below.

Drummer and founder David Huff expressed his excitement for the new album: “Making Giant records has always been our passion! Thanks to everyone at Frontiers; we can make our dreams happen. I know it’s a bit of a different lineup, but whoever is in the lineup, the legacy of Giant lives on.”

Giant return with a powerful new chapter in their storied career, featuring a fresh lineup that propels the band’s signature sound to exhilarating new heights. The forthcoming album showcases once again the talents of David Huff on drums, Mike Brignardello on bass, Kent Hilli (of Perfect Plan) as the commanding lead vocalist, with the addition of Jimmy Westerlund (One Desire) on guitars. Westerlund also takes on mixing duties alongside Alessandro Del Vecchio, who adds his touch on keyboards as a featured guest.

As if this dynamic combination of talent was not enough, the album also includes some gems penned by the original guitarist and singer Dann Huff including “Time To Call It Love” (a collaboration with the late Mark Spiro), “Holdin’ On For Dear Life” and “Paradise Found”, coming both from his sessions with Van Stephenson, which strongly link the new album with the sound of the classic album Time To Burn.

However, with this new album, Giant deliver the hard-hitting rock and melodic hooks that fans have come to expect, while pushing the boundaries of the genre with a state-of-the-art production.

Pre-order the new album here.



Stand And Deliver tracklisting:

“It’s Not Right”
“A Night To Remember”
“Hold The Night”
“I Will Believe”
“Beggars Can’t Be Choosers”
“It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over”
“Stand And Deliver”
“Time To Call It Love”
“Holdin’ On For Dear Life”
“Paradise Found”
“Pleasure Dome”

Nuclear Blast Records is proud to welcome Missouri’s burgeoning extreme metal wrecking crew, Disembodied Tyrant, to the label’s thriving roster. With one of the most distinct new sounds in heavy music, the volatile four-piece have already amassed a global cult following with their intense amalgam of blackened deathcore and progressive symphonic metal.

In the span of only a few short years, Disembodied Tyrant has released a handful of singles and an EP that have garnered millions of streams, while performing a mind-blowing set at New England Metal & Hardcore Festival and North American tour with Fleshgod Apocalypse and Shadow Of Intent that have sparked a firestorm of anticipation for what’s next for the band.

Commenting on the signing to Nuclear Blast, founding songwriter, guitarist and vocalist Blake Mullens says: “It’s an honor to be joining the Nuclear Blast roster, alongside some of my all time favorite bands/artists. Disembodied Tyrant has only ever been supported by myself internally, and to now have an entire team behind us is a dream come true, I’m very eager for what the future holds!”

Nuclear Blast America’s label manager and head of A&R, Tommy Jones adds: “I’ve never signed an artist that never played a show live, until Disembodied Tyrant. I just felt so solid on their music and their team, that I rolled the dice. I saw the band’s 8th show ever at New England Metal and Hardcore Fest while they were supporting Fleshgod Apocalypse. After the performance, I hugged Blake and said in his ear ‘thank you for confirming my decision’. The world is not ready for the insanity of Disembodied Tyrant, but you don’t have a choice. It’s about to get disgusting.”



Along with the signing announcement, comes the brand new single “8.6 Blackout”; an unrelenting track of raging chaos.

Mullens says of the song: “This song was one of those rarities where the vision stayed consistent throughout the entire process, it became exactly what I imaged it would from day one. This is a huge pivot thematically from the previous material, coupled with the video I think it’s quite the statement.”

The brand new reimagined, mixed and mastered version of Gentle Giant’s classic 1977 live album, Playing The Fool, is set to be released on May 2.

Playing The Fool: The Complete Live Experience will be released across several formats including double CD, triple vinyl, Blu-ray and digital download in 96/24 stereo, 5.1 surround sound and Dolby Atmos mixes.

The album has been painstakingly mixed and mastered from the original source tapes by producer Dan Bornemark, who has worked extensively with the band on archival projects.

You can purchase the album here.

Containing new sleeve notes together with a plethora of photographs along with a track list that reflects the original running order of the setlist played on the tour including three previously unreleased songs and the between song banter from frontman Derek Shulman, this represents the most accurate account of Gentle Giant live at the very peak of their prowess.

Check out trailer for the album below.

Derek Shulman: “Effectively what you’re hearing on this album is the whole show with all the bells and whistles included with me speaking to the audience and to the band just like it was on the night.”

Shulman adds: “It’s important to have a live album, which is live. There were no overdubs afterwards in the studio. So what you saw and heard is what you have on the album.”







Tracklisting:

Intro
“Just the Same” / “Proclamation”
“On Reflection”
Interview
“The Runaway” / “Experience”
“Sweet Georgia Brown (Breakdown in Brussels)”
“So Sincere”
“Excerpts from Octopus”
Band Introduction
“Funny Ways”
“Timing” / Violin Solo
“Free Hand”
“Peel The Paint” / “I Lost My Head”



Gentle Giant was a British progressive rock band formed in 1970 in London by three brothers Derek, Ray and Phil Shulman along with Gary Green, Kerry Minnear and drummer Martin Smith who was latterly replaced by John “Pugwash” Weathers in 1972.

The group was renowned for its complex and eclectic musical style, blending elements of rock, jazz, classical, folk and medieval music. The band played a diverse array of instruments between them and their intricate arrangements and exquisite vocal harmonies gave them their own unique, instantly identifiable sound.

Gentle Giant released a series of highly regarded albums including Acquiring The Taste (1971), In A Glass House (1973), and The Power And The Glory (1974) across which they pushed their musical boundaries to the limit. Their live album Playing The Fool (1977) remains a testament to their stunning live shows.

In 1980 Gentle Giant called it a day and have refused numerous calls to reform since then, perhaps this is why their reputation remains intact to this day. Wide Scale chart success may have eluded them but their fiercely loyal fanbase followed them right through their career and beyond. Their legacy has remained undiminished within the progressive rock world being major influences on Porcupine Tree
s Steven Wilson, Neal Morse of Spock’s Beard, Michael Sadler of Saga and Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt, who cites Acquiring The Taste as one of his favourite albums.

Derek Shulman: “We were a rock and roll band that played interesting music and we wanted to have fun for ourselves and have the audience go out with a smile on their faces.”

BraveWords caught up with legendary Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing recently and we chatted about the recent 50th anniversary release of the band’s debut, Rocka Rolla. During the conversation that will air on Streaming For Vengeance, he talks about being part of Black Sabbath’s final show called Back To The Beginning – The Final Show, being held on July 5th at Villa Park in Birmingham, the Home Of Heavy Metal, where Judas Priest were born as well. The line-up is quite incredible featuring Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, Anthrax and more!

“I’m looking forward to it, it’s going to be great,” Downing says with excitement. “It’s going to be the greatest extravaganza in heavy metal history! It’s a big soccer stadium in Birmingham (Villa Park). The guys in Black Sabbath are big Aston Villa fans, and they always have been. So it’s great that heavy metal is coming home and we’re all gonna be there. Just about everybody. Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Slayer, Pantera, you name it. So it’s going to be a great get-together and I’m looking forward to playing some songs. I know the tickets are really expensive, but they sold out really quickly. I was hoping it would be a second show. It would be great if Sharon could take this to at least New York or LA. Or Berlin, somewhere in Europe. That would be fantastic, but I guess it’s going to be live streamed. I’m not too sure, but hopefully.”

BraveWords: So who approached you and when was the last time we actually had any any interaction with Ozzy and or Sharon?

Downing: “The last time was when Judas Priest did the Ozzfest, so not that long ago. All the guys in Black Sabbath are lovely people. I’m not just saying that we really have a good time together. But I’m very much looking forward to doing this one. It’s gonna be very very special for sure. The guy from Live Nation called me, and I’m talking to Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine) who has a big part in putting this together. Tom is a lovely guy. So I’m talking to him about songs and rehearsals and stuff like that. So it’s going to be cool, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

BraveWords: You’ve had such an incredible career, it must be mind blowing to be part of this incredible event.

Downing: “It’s going to be fab. There’s lots of things happening, and I can be there in an hour from where I live.”

BraveWords’ chat with K.K. Downing will air in the coming days on Streaming For Vengeance.

Revelations Of The Insane: Demos & Rarities, a highly essential collection of rare Trouble recordings covering 1980 to 1994, will be released on double LP editions on May 30.

This fine double disc release combines two releases previously only available on vinyl, under the name of Revelations (Life Or Death) – Demos & Rarities Part 1 and Victim Of The Insane – Demos & Rarities Part 2, both released in 2011 and never previously available digitally or on CD. All recordings were remastered by Patrick Engel at Temple of Disharmony.

Pre-order here.



Tracklisting:

Side A
“Dying Love”
“Demon’s Claw”
“Child Of Tomorrow”
“The Tempter”
“Revelation (Life Or Death)”

Side B
“Assassin”
“Wickedness Of Man”
“The Last Judgement”
“The Fall Of Lucifer”
“Psalm 9”
“Victim Of The Insane”

Side C
“Long Shadows Fall”
“Doom Box”
“Requiem”
“Heart Full Of Soul”
“Another Day”

Side D
“Hear The Earth”
“Goin’ Home”
“Window Pain”
“Mythic Hero”
“Fly”
“Get Back”
“Another Day”
“Requiem”

Over the last year, the Tom Petty Estate has been opening their vault and sharing previously unreleased music and never-before-seen, newly remastered film from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ prolific 1982 to ’83 era.

Today, the Petty Legacy archives have released their latest unearthed musical treasure, a newly restored video of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers performing a rollicking cover of The Troggs’ classic “Wild Thing” at the Los Angeles-based studio The Record Plant in 1982.

Directed by Justin Kreutzmann, the video, which boasts newly remastered audio, features footage of the band’s performance at The Record Plant, filmed for the French TV program, “Houba Houba,” alongside never-before-seen bonus footage originally captured by Cameron Crowe for his 1983 film, Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party. The film has been restored and released for the first time in more than 40 years and is now streaming on Paramount+. The new clip follows The Record Plant videos of “Keeping Me Alive,” “Finding Out” and “Stories We Could Tell.”

Watch “Wild Thing” (French TV) below:

All the best tunes belong to the Devil, and Portland’s bastard sons, Bewitcher, take back rock n’ roll in Baphomet’s name. The speed metal demons have unleashed a new digital single, “The Warrior Trail”, which was previously only available via the Decibel Magazine flexi series. The song can now be streamed/downloaded here. Listen below:



The band is now joining forces with Deathchant to co-headline a US tour in celebration of their latest offering, Spell Shock, along with support from Persekutor. In conjunction with Bewitcher’s appearance at Hell’s Heroes Festival on March 30, the speed metal demons will wreak havoc across the country starting this Friday, March 14, in San Francisco, CA until the final stop back in their hometown of Portland on April 5. The full itinerary can be found below, while tickets can be found here.

In addition, Bewitcher will be conquering Europe and the UK this spring. The full run of dates can also be found below.



Joining Von Bewitcher, bassist A. Magus, and drummer A. Hunter in the studio this time was none other longtime Bewitcher fan Lars Frederiksen. Most of the world knows Frederiksen as a force in his own right, playing in the likes of Bay Area punk heroes Rancid, as well as his own Old Firm Casuals. While to some, it may have been an unlikely pairing with Frederiksen taking the producer’s seat, for everyone in the studio the connection was immediate.

As Frederiksen previously commented on Spell Shock: “It’s the best record I’ve ever produced for one of the best bands in the world.”

Magus explains about their experience with Frederiksen: “[Lars’] knowledge of heavy metal, black metal and thrash – as well as punk, is vast and extreme. It was definitely a match made in hell.”

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Glenn Danzig was asked if he would ever consider playing one big final show before calling it quits, like Ozzy Osbourne has announced he will do in early July in Birmingham, England. The 69-year-old singer responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, I don't know. I mean, I remember when DANZIG went out with Ozzy, that was supposed to be his final tour. [Laughs] And then he's done a bunch of final tours since then. So I don't know.

"If it's gonna be final, it should be final," Glenn added. "If you say it's gonna be final… You'll see all these bands [announcing what they say will be] the last tour, and then they're back again two years later. And it's kind of a scam, I think. So, when it's final, and if I say it's final, it'll be final."

Referencing DANZIG's upcoming string of live shows on the U.S. West Coast, which are set to take place in late March, Glenn said: "Right now, pretty much what I've said is kind of what I'm doing. I don't really tour anymore. I'll do a string of shows, which I don't consider a tour. If it's, like, you know, six to 10 shows, I don't really consider that a tour. When I used to go out on tour, we would go out for three or four months at a time, come home for a couple of weeks or a month and then go back out again for another couple of months. That's touring, where you're hitting every city in the United States or in Germany or Europe or Scandinavia, wherever you're going. That's a tour. I mean, this is just a small string of shows here on the West Coast."

Asked if he would ever want to do that one final show and have it be a big celebration where he would play with both DANZIG and MISFITS, Danzig said: "Uh, I don't know. [Laughs] I'm not thinking about that right now."

During a recent appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn spoke about DANZIG's upcoming West Coast shows. Support on the trek, which will include cities DANZIG has not played in many years, will come from DOWN, ABBATH and CRO-MAGS. Asked if the upcoming dates will be all that DANZIG will do this year, Glenn said: "I don't really like going on tour. As you can see, I'm only doing six shows. So just trying to get me to go and do a bunch of shows — I don't mind doing a one-off here or there or whatever, but doing a bunch of shows, riding around on the bus, I've said it before… I know that we had to make up a Phoenix show last time that had to get canceled because we there was a bus shortage. And so basically in order to get a bus, we had to move all our first dates on the tour to the end of the tour. And there wasn't an available venue in Phoenix that time period. We'll make up the Phoenix show. And then we had a lot of fans asking why we haven't come up to the big Northwest and San Francisco. So we're trying to make that up. And it'll be it for a while."

Danzig also talked about the changes in touring since his early days, saying: "Well, everything's more expensive. The last time I went out — I think it was 2022 or 2023, again just a handful of shows — and prices on buses and gas had just gone [way up]. And then this last time we went out in 2023, they went up three times what we normally pay. And this time it's even crazier. So, I think it's also become really hard for a lot of bands to go out there and tour. I've said it before — a young band just going out there, they would have to go out in a van, well, kind of how we did back in the day with DANZIG and SAMHAIN and the MISFITS. I mean, we would go out in a van. It was all we could afford."

Asked if he enjoyed touring in a van at that time, Glenn said: "No. No one loves being in a van with a bunch of other people and a limited amount of space. I'd have to be driving, too. A lot of times we'd have the stick shift, and me and maybe one other person in the van would know how to drive a shift. So I'd have to drive most of the time also. You're driving and you're loading equipment in and you're doing everything, pretty much."

He added: "But anyway, I'm looking forward to these shows. It's been a while. And hopefully all the fans will be digging it. And I'm sure they'll have a great time. The lineup is insane. So, I don't know what else we can do except come out there and knock you on your ass."

DANZIG tour dates with DOWN, ABBATH and CRO-MAGS:

March 21 - Las Vegas, NV - The Virgin Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas
March 22 - Lincoln, CA - Thunder Valley Casino Resort
March 25 - Seattle, WA - Wamu Theater
March 26 - Portland, OR - Moda Center-Theatre of the Clouds
March 29 - Los Angeles, CA - Kia Forum
March 30 - Phoenix, AZ - Arizona Financial Theatre

DANZIG's latest album, "Black Laden Crown", came out in May 2017 via Evilive Records/Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Danzig released a collection of Elvis Presley covers, "Danzig Sings Elvis", in April 2020 and has been focusing on making films, including "Death Rider In The House Of Vampires" and his feature film directorial debut, "Verotika".

When it debuted at the Cinepocalypse festival in Chicago in 2019, "Verotika" was compared by some reviewers to Tommy Wiseau's "The Room", the so-bad-it's-amazing drama which is considered one of the worst movies ever made.

Glenn has been talking about the end of his touring career since at least 2015. At that time, he told Cleveland Scene: "I love being on stage and that's the great part of touring. I'll always do that. It's the bouncing around on a bus. That's the part I hate."

When DANZIG, the band, grew out of the MISFITS/SAMHAIN lineage in 1987, Glenn went into the new project with even grander ambitions and a long-term design. Between 1977 and 1987, the MISFITS' horror-punk morphed into the darker, occult-steeped SAMHAIN. When producer and record mogul Rick Rubin showed interest in signing SAMHAIN to his Def Jam label and producing their first record, the band yet again evolved, and DANZIG was born.

In a new interview with Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station, Alex Lifeson was asked if he and his RUSH bandmate Geddy Lee have ever had "a casual conversation" about possibly finding a new drummer to play with following the passing of longtime RUSH drummer Neil Peart in January 2020. Alex, who is currently promoting the second album, "Stygian Wavz", from his ENVY OF NONE project , said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, well, yeah, of course, because we're bombarded by it all the time. After Neil passed, it didn't take more than a few minutes before we started getting e-mails from all kinds of drummers who wanted to audition for the band, thinking that we were just gonna replace somebody that we played with for 40 years who wrote all the lyrics for our music. I don't know what some of these people were thinking.

"So, yeah, we've had the conversation, because we can't avoid it," he admitted. "But honestly, Ged is my best friend. I talk to him — I must talk to him every day. We get together for dinner, we play tennis, we're doing all this charity work together. He's my best bud, so, yeah, I go over there. He plays bass, I play guitar — yeah, we'll play a little bit. I go over there ostensibly to play with him and we end up just sitting and drinking coffee and laughing the whole day. So it's not just RUSH, RUSH, RUSH, RUSH, RUSH. I have a deep loving relationship with this man, and it's not all about creating something that we did from the past. You never know what life brings you. Right now I'm super happy doing what I'm doing. I'm engaged with a lot of musical stuff. I love being a musician. I love playing guitar. I love playing guitar so much. It's not just a vehicle for making a living. It's me. It's at the core of my essence. So it doesn't have to be about RUSH or ENVY OF NONE. I mean, I do what I do."

Back in January 2024, Geddy reflected on the number of musicians who reached out to him in the days after Neil's passing. He said during an appearance on "Strombo's Lit", Apple's book club curated by Canadian media personality and Apple Music Hits host George "Strombo" Stroumboulopoulos: "Oh, yeah, I heard from all kinds [of people]. That was a very weird moment. My little black book got filled up really quickly." When Stroumboulopoulos noted that these were "people you thought were friends," Lee said: "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was, like, 'Whoa, that's just so inappropriate right now. Dude, wait two months. At least two months — if ever.' It still happens, now that the clickbait freaks are out there talking about Alex and I getting a new drummer and starting RUSH again."

This past January, Alex confirmed to U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine that he had been jamming with Geddy at the bassist/vocalist's house in Toronto.

"It's good to jam with friends as you get older," the guitarist said. "I need to play. Once a week I go to Ged's — it's in the calendar — keep my fingers moving, play RUSH stuff, new jams. We do record it, but I couldn't even begin to tell you where it'll go."

Lifeson also spoke about reuniting with Lee for 2022's star-studded tribute concerts — one in London, one in Los Angeles — to pay tribute to late FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins. They enlisted a few drummers — TOOL's Danny Carey, Omar Hakim, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' Chad Smith and FOO FIGHTERS' Dave Grohl — to join them at the gigs, the second of which took place at L.A.'s Forum, the same venue where RUSH played its final concert in August 2015.

"The energy was fantastic around that show, I know, and some days I wake up wanting to go out and tour again and some days I don't," Lifeson said. "For forty years RUSH included Neil [Peart, late RUSH drummer], and I don't think putting some new version together would have the same magic.

"After those two gigs and the months of prep Ged and I went through, I was excited by the response and to be in the dressing room again with so many fellow artists in Wembley and L.A. I respected and felt a kinship towards. But after a few weeks that wore off and it occurred to me that despite all the pain of loss, RUSH went out on a high note playing as well as ever with one of our best stage shows on 'R40'. I guess I'd rather be remembered for that legacy than returning as the top RUSH tribute band."

Last May, Lifeson told Rolling Stone that he had been "playing a lot of RUSH songs" with Lee at the bassist/vocalist's house. "We're together in a room like we've always been," the guitarist said. "That's been really good, but there's no chance that we're going to get a drummer and go back on the road as the rebirth of RUSH or something like that. And if we wanted to write new material, nobody cares about new material anymore. They just want to hear the old stuff from guys like us."

When the interviewer noted that RUSH fans "would care", Lifeson clarified: "Maybe the feeling is that it's just really about taking people back to an earlier time in their lives that they have very fond and vivid memories of, and I get it and that's great. And then you do it for the money. And that's not what we were ever about or what we would want to do. Offers come in all the time, but I don't know. I don't think that's something that we're really interested in."

Elaborating on why he is opposed to the idea of performing RUSH music with a new drummer, Lifeson said: "I just don't know if doing something like that would wreck it. Or wreck the legacy that RUSH has left. When it happened, it was disappointing for us. And then Neil got sick and all of that stuff, but our legacy is intact that we went out on a high note. That tour was great. It looked great. We played really well. We bonded even more so with our audience. I'd rather have that and the sadness of not doing it again, than doing it again and sitting on a chair on stage because I can't stand. [Laughs] I'd rather be remembered for that than something that's more current."

Alex went on to say that he and Geddy are continuing to have conversations about the possibility of performing together again. "We talk about it, but at the same time, he's my best friend and he loves me and he cares for me," he said. "He knows that I do have issues both physical and emotional with this whole idea. And he respects that we have so much respect and love for each other. I would do something like that, that he wanted to do, because I love him and I want to make him happy. But he knows that I wouldn't be happy. It's the bond that we have."

He added: "I don't think I would be happy in my heart if we were to do something like that. I really would feel like we were doing an injustice to our fans and that would be just a money grab.

"We get offers all the time, and they're pretty substantial, but I don't know. It's not enough for me. How much do you need? I'm trying to get rid of stuff. I sold the bulk of my guitars. I had some cars. I sold those. I had a house in the country that I sold. I want to be slimmer and a little tighter in, in my life with fewer anchors around my neck."

In January 2024, Lifeson didn't rule out the possibility of playing with Lee again, telling Greg Prato of Ultimate Guitar: "There's certainly a lot of interest in us doing something. I think for a lot of RUSH fans, they've been hoping for… Geddy had his book tour. I went out on a few of those dates with him. I think that's kind of sparked more interest in us working together.

"Ged's a very busy guy," Alex continued. "He's written a couple of books over the years. He has a lot of stuff that he's into. This is my studio in my apartment. I've been working on the ENVY OF NONE stuff as well as a few other projects. So I've been playing and recording for all these years.

"When he's ready, he always says, 'Come over for a coffee and we'll go down to the studio and bash around a few notes.' Yeah, call me. And so far he's been so busy, but I think maybe in the new year — or this is the new year — maybe soon we'll find the time to sit down and see what happens," Lifeson added. "Maybe nothing happens. Maybe it's not there anymore. Maybe it's gonna be amazing. I don't know. We'll see. Honestly, it's not a priority for us. We're happy in our lives. So, it's not like we need to go back to something. And that's my fear. That if we — that would be the expectation, this is like RUSH 2. But by necessity it has to be something different. And it can never be RUSH. Without Neil, it can never be RUSH. That's it. It's over. But you never know what can happen. So we'll see."

For the past couple of decades, Lifeson has been suffering from psoriatic arthritis, a chronic, autoimmune form of arthritis that causes joint inflammation and occurs with the skin condition psoriasis. During an appearance on the January 10 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", the now-71-year-old Canadian musician opened up about the severity of longtime physical ailments, saying: "I would say that's slowly getting worse, as to be expected. I have psoriatic arthritis, and I've been dealing with it for quite a while — for almost 20 years. I'm on two biologics [biologic drugs for the treatment of arthritis], so sort of like a double whammy in dealing with it. And it's been very, very effective. Despite the side effects and all of that, it's been a really effective regimen for me, and it's really helped my hands. I have times where the inflammation has its own mind, and that's when you'll see me shaking my hands [while I am playing]. But it is what it is, and I can still get by, and I'm so used to it, I don't really even think about it that much anymore. "

Lifeson also talked about the possibility of him returning to the road, either with Lee or with another project. He said: "[After] 40 years of touring, I'm not interested in touring anymore. I enjoyed it when we did it. There were lots of ups and downs. The gig is great, the show is great, and for the other 21 hours in a day, you're just waiting for those three hours. And it gets tiring, especially when you have a family and you have loved ones at home that you're estranged from for months and months and months at a time. I don't miss that aspect of it. Do I like playing in front of people? Yeah. I still like that — maybe not to the point where I have to do it. But when [Geddy and I] did the Taylor Hawkins benefits and we did the 'South Park' thing in Denver, and I do these Christmas shows with Andy Kim and lots of great musicians that I get to play with, then it's fun. I really enjoy that, and it's controlled, and it's great. To make a big deal and do a tour and get back into that thing, I don't really have an interest in that. I know Ged would like to play again and he would like to spend some time writing. But beyond that, honestly, we haven't talked about anything beyond just getting together and having a coffee and just bashing out a few notes."

Alex continued: "[Geddy] has a lot of stuff in his life. He's a very busy person. He's really enjoying this phase of being [a book] author. He's on the go, go, go, go all the time. And I'm here, and I'm playing on all these different projects. So, in a way, I've continued being that musician, and he's gone off to do other things. So, whenever he's ready, like usual, I only live five minutes away from him, like we have all our lives. I go over and hang out and we'll turn the recorder on and do some stuff, but there's no plan for a tour. There's no plan for anything. And I know rumors get started and people have their desires and lots of people would love to see us get back and play again. Well, I don't know. I don't know. Who knows? Maybe if we're together, we're messing around and we get excited… Certainly after we did those gigs, it was quite heady and very exciting. But I really love my life right now, and I don't know if I'm gonna disrupt it by being away from the things that I'm really enjoying, for any reason."

Lifeson also reflected on RUSH's final tour, which concluded in August 2015 in Los Angeles. According to Rolling Stone, the trek took the novel approach of presenting the band's music in reverse chronological order, meaning Alex and his bandmates — Lee and drummer Neil Peart — began the show with songs from their most recent albums and slowly worked back to their earliest material. As time went backwards, stagehands would swap out the backdrop to match the period they were visiting. That meant by the time they reached the encores, it looked like they were playing in the high school gyms of their youth.

"The last tour I thought was a terrific tour for RUSH," Alex said. "I thought we played really well. I thought the show was really fun. Going back in time to the beginning was a great way to celebrate the end of the band. I don't know if, at 70 years old, 10 years later, if I can play like I played back then. I haven't played that material in nine years. And if I can't play it like I played it nine years ago, then I really have no interest in doing it. I think RUSH has a strong legacy because of the way things ended. We ended on a high note, and that's the way people remember us. And I think that that also is partly the reason why so many people would love to see us back out, because that's the memory they have of us. We were dedicated to what we were doing. We practiced a lot. We were passionate. We played our hearts out. Physically, ten years later, at this stage, [after] these ten years, I don't know if we can do that. I don't know, can Ged sing like he did? Can I play guitar? Can he play bass like he did? I don't know. Unless we did a big rehearsal and tried to do all that stuff, we'll never know. But just thinking intellectually how this would work, I'm not keen on doing it, really."

Peart died on January 7, 2020, after quietly battling brain cancer for three and a half years. 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.

In 2022, Geddy revealed that Neil wanted to keep his cancer diagnosis a secret prior to his death.

Lee went on to say that he and Lifeson had to be "dishonest" to fans in order to protect Peart's privacy.

Oran O'Beirne of Fistful Of Metal magazine spoke with ARCH ENEMY guitarist and founding member Michael Amott about the band's upcoming album "Blood Dynasty", resulting in a candid interview that saw Amott speaking not only of the new album, but his time in CARCASS, the addition of new ARCH ENEMY guitarist Joey Concepcion and the apprehension of new vocalist Alissa White-Gluz taking over from Angela Gossow. Below are some excerpts from the interview which can be found in the latest issue of Fistful Of Metal, available online and at WH Smiths (U.K.) and Barnes & Noble (Canada and USA).

On new member Joey Concepcion and if he was an instant fit:

Michael: "To be honest, it was a really easy fit. Of course, it helps that he knew how to play a number of our songs already. Joey was actually a student of my brother [Christopher Amott, ARCH ENEMY guitarist from 1995 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2012] in New York, and eventually were in a band together, so he plays very close to Chris's style and has a lot of the same phrasing. ARCH ENEMY was also one of the first metal bands that Joey got into… He's younger than all of us."

On whether Joey contributed anything to the songs on "Blood Dynasty":

Michael: "No. All the tracks were pretty much written to how they are on the album. Joey just came in and laid down his solos in Sweden. It was a great experience to have him in on that end of things, and the energy in the studio was great."

On touring with CARCASS back in 1991:

Michael: "I had been playing in bands since I was about 13 or 14 years of age, and it was more like a gig here, and a gig there, but as soon as I moved to the U.K. to join CARCASS, that's when I really started to get comfortable with playing live and my guitar skills developed so much more. Those were early days for CARCASS as a touring band also. They were a three-piece at that point. Regarding that tour with DEATH, I remember everything from those shows. I was a huge tape trader and was very much neck deep in the death metal scene, as I had my band in Sweden, CARNAGE, since 1998. So, when I got to actually meet Chuck [Schuldiner] on that tour, it was kind of amazing to say the least.

"There were not many extreme metal bands that had full albums out during that time, so when [DEATH's] 'Spiritual Healing' came out, it was kind of a big deal. I remember hanging out with Chuck and the rest of the guys on that tour. We used to listen to loads of cool music in their bus, and when I say 'bus', I'm talking about a glorified people carrier. I met so many great people on that tour from the guys in MORBID ANGEL to NOCTURNUS and CYNIC (to name but a few). It was such a sick time and I cherish those memories. It was awesome."

On Alissa replacing Gossow and which album he believes solidified White-Gluz's role as the new front person for ARCH ENEMY:

Michael: "I'd have to say 'War Eternal' [2014]. We had to tour so much between that album and 2017's 'Will To Power'. We must have performed about 450 live shows over those two albums, so we all clicked pretty fast into the touring family that we've become. To be honest, when we lost Angela, I thought people were going to be overly critical because she had such an iconic presence. I thought people were going to be overly critical of Alissa, but, thankfully, it all worked out pretty great."

On the possibility of a new SPIRITUAL BEGGARS album:

Michael: "Besides a few reissues in the past, there's been nothing really significant happening with that project. The problem is that SPIRITUAL BEGGARS back catalog is spread out over many different labels and it's just a complicated situation. As far as new material, nothing has really happened and as of now, there are no plans. I hate to say it, but who knows what will happen. We are all kind of busy with other projects, but you just never know. Right now, all of my focus is on ARCH ENEMY and the new album."

"Blood Dynasty" will be released on March 28 via Century Media Records.

ARCH ENEMY played its first concert with Concepcion on April 24, 2024 at Musinsa Garage in Seoul, South Korea. The show was part of ARCH ENEMY's 2024 Asian tour.

In December 2023, ARCH ENEMY announced that it had "amicably" parted ways with longtime guitarist Jeff Loomis.

Jeff, who was the main songwriter in his previous group, NEVERMORE, joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014, but was not involved in the writing for the latter act's last two albums, 2017's "Will To Power" and 2022's "Deceivers".

Photo credit: Katja Kuhl

Our new Official Motörhead issue is available at London's only true Heavy Metal VINYL / C.D RECORD SHOP- Raven Records...

Posted by Fistful Of Metal Mag on Friday, March 7, 2025