Reigning Phoenix Music proudly introduces Perception, its latest label imprint. Following the success of ROAR, a sub-label dedicated to emerging talents and artists, Perception is set to provide a strong foundation for regionally and stylistically leading bands with high growth potential.

Jochen Richert, managing director of RPM Europe, shares his vision for Perception: “My responsibilities at Reigning Phoenix Music have often taken me away from what I love most – working directly with bands, nurturing their growth, and helping them reach their full potential. With Perception, I now can dive back into artist development, which I’m truly excited about. Of course, my main mission remains unchanged: to help Reigning Phoenix Music to become one of the leading metal labels in the world.”



To celebrate the birth of RPM’s new sibling, Perception proudly announces its first signing – one that perfectly embodies the label’s core value of passion, professionalism, and ambition: Serious Black.

More than ten years of Serious Black and highly melodic power metal with the license to create hymns: since 2014, the band led by bassist Mario Lochert, have been delighting fans not only by releasing six studio albums so far, but also by frequently playing much-lauded concerts and festival appearances, and that’s why Perception is even more proud to begin its journey by signing such a well-known act.

“We’re really happy, and we couldn’t have found a better partner than Reigning Phoenix Music as they greatly combine expertise and experience. We have a comfortable new surrounding, and re-connecting with old companions makes this new union even more special to us: Everything that belongs together comes together over and over again,” comments founding member Lochert.

Jochen Richert as Perception A&R adds: “Mario and Dominik [Sebastian; guitars] are incredibly passionate about Serious Black, and that’s exactly what it takes to elevate this band even further. They are built for the top tier of power metal – with outstanding songwriting and an electrifying stage presence already in place. We’ll make sure they reach the level they truly belong to: the very top of the scene!”

On the heels of their latest album Rise Of Akhenaton [2024], Serious Black are celebrating their 10th anniversary with an own headline tour this spring, following an enormously successful European run alongside Sonata Arctica, Firewind as well as Tungsten. Special guests Autumn Bride, Dragony and Rigorious will complete the line-up for the upcoming festivities.

Serious Black bassist Mario Lochert states: “Ten years, six charting albums, over 250 concerts, festival shows and gigs worldwide. A look back that lets me indulge in many memories. Personally, I’m really looking forward to this tour, not only because it’s our birthday headline tour, but also because old friends like Autumn Bride, Dragony [March 18-30], and Rigorious [March 11-18] will be joining us on this tour with new albums at their hands. Get your tickets and spend an unforgettable power metal party full of hard riffs and hymns with us!”

On Thursday, March 27, 2025 and Friday, March 28, 2025, the lifelong work of visionary musician, composer, and producer Devin Townsend will unfold in De Oosterpoort in Groningen, where he will perform the rock opera "The Moth" together with the Noord Nederlands Orkest (North Netherlands Symphony Orchestra) symphony orchestra.

This show is exclusive and will only be performed in Groningen; it will not be staged anywhere else in the world.

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

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

"The Moth" has been in the making for over a decade, and Townsend has been building towards it for 30 years. Now, he is ready to bring it to life. He will share the stage at De Oosterpoort in Groningen with no less than seventy musicians from the Noord Nederlands Orkest, a sixty-member choir, and his own band, which includes Mike Keneally, Joseph Stephenson, Darby Todd and James Leach.

In a new video message, Devin stated about the upcoming event (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ladies and gentlemen, this is Devin Townsend, and I'm here to talk to you about my upcoming performances of my opera, if you wanna look at it that way, rock opera, something like that, called 'The Moth'. I have been working on this for ten years.

"Now let me tell you how it started. I had to start by figuring out, I had to start taking classes. 'Cause when I was a teen, when I was a kid, my dream was always to make sort of a modern opera, in a way, with modern themes, modern instrumentation, and a lot of the things that I had been fascinated by in my youth — 'Phantom Of The Opera', 'Jesus Christ Superstar', 'Paint Your Wagon', all those sorts of things, were really impactful to me as a youth because the emotions were so broad that it was easy for me to understand. It's always very obvious when you're watching these sorts of things when something is happy, when something is sad. And I had to start from the very beginning, 10 years ago, learning how to write, how to navigate the logistics of and how to deliver on time an opera, I guess, in some sense. Starting with I had to take lessons in composition, because although I know how to write music, of course, I never knew theory. So when I was working with orchestras, for example, with smaller projects like 'Deconstruction' or even the one in Bulgaria. I had to learn the language so I wasn't wasting time because it's so expensive to work with these choirs and orchestras. So, I started taking lessons about 10 years ago. And I finally figured out how I could pull off making this uncompromised musical statement with hundreds of people — creatively no boundaries, nobody telling me what to do. The only way I could do that was to do it myself. So, my friends, I've invested everything I have into making 'The Moth', into making this facility so I could make 'The Moth', in order to get the best players, in order to get the best orchestras, in order to get the best artists.

"For much of my life I've been wanting to do these things, which is such epic scale, but then whenever I say to somebody, like, 'Hey, this is what I want,' they said, 'Well, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD' or 'you're a heavy metal musician,'" he continued. "And up to this point, there's been a lot of doubting that my capacity to not only pull it off musically, but also logistically — it requires a certain type of mentality, I believe. And so in the beginning, when I was proposing making operas and making these kind of heavy metal, crazy orchestral things, the reaction to that from people was, 'Well, we don't feel that you are capable of doing that,' or, 'We don't feel like you're ready to do that', or, 'It requires a level of expertise specific to this type of musical vocation to pull it off, which you don't have. Therefore, if you wanna do it, you have to hire somebody for exorbitant amounts of money.' So, I said, 'Fuck it,' and I put together a team of about 12 people, and I have funded it independently from the very beginning to the very end. And next month, we debut 'The Moth' with the incredible North Netherlands National Symphony And Choir, the NNO. They proposed this to me about three years ago. They said, 'Listen, if you're serious about this, we're one of the most elite orchestras in Europe. And if you're serious about it, we're willing to take a chance on your vision.' And so I said, 'Let's do it.' And I built a place to make 'The Moth'. I put together teams so I can delegate each aspect of it — choirs go to this team, orchestra goes to this team, scoring goes to this team, orchestrating goes to this team, the band themselves. Everything needed to be sort of logistically set up ahead of time so that you could have a strategy about it. Because, for example, trying to deliver the choir parts in a timely fashion, the way that it ended up happening is the choir required the delivery of their musical scores prior to the orchestra. And the orchestra needed to get it prior to the band getting it. So I had to write the music with teams in different locations at different times, and it's almost like concurrently five jigsaw puzzles. And the hope is that when they're all together, it will create the vision that I've been following for so long.

"'The Moth' is a story, I guess, about transformation, obviously, steeped in sort of existential nebulousness, which is — I don't even know if 'nebulousness' is a word, but that's kind of where I've been for my whole life. And when somebody said, 'Okay, do you wanna do this 'Moth' project?' At first, I had this vision of it being this kind of obscene thing, but then the more I started getting into it, the more I recognized that the format could yield unbelievably intense things.

"So the people involved with this. My god. So the band — it's the band I've been touring with: Darby [Todd], James [Leach], Mike Keneally, new guitar player Pete Rinaldi. Involved with this, I managed to work with an incredible orchestrator, Joseph Stephenson. I worked with Steve Vai… So he's helped with the intermission. I've got artists from all over the world, different time zones, putting together 'The Moth'. We tracked the drums in Gothenburg two months ago."

Devin added: "Here's the thing with 'The Moth'. To do this, I had to write it. and then the shows, originally, when I had proposed doing this, the people who were involved with this were kind of on the fence about whether or not it was gonna work, and there was lots of talk about liability and all these sorts of things, like, 'If this doesn't sell by March, you're liable for however much.' … And so I was, like, 'All right, let's try it.' And so we put it up and you guys rocked it for us. Holy cow. So the two shows sold out in four minutes, I believe. And then they said, 'Well, we can't do the VIPs,' but the VIPs sold out in seven minutes. This is all fantastic votes of confidence — not necessarily for me, but for the nature of this type of creative endeavor in the future. I've got these teams together, and if this works, my thought is I could do one of these every couple of years, and just creatively completely free, completely uncompromised, with the best players, the best work, the best sound. And up to this point I haven't been able to do it because no one wanted to take a chance. So I funded it myself, the show sold, we're good to go.

"Now here's the thing: the cost of this — if we're lucky, if we're lucky, we would break even on these shows. Even though it's sold out, even though the VIPs. So what does one do when one is debuting live a record of such scope that nothing that I've done even holds a candle to the scope of this. But usually what happens is you release a record and you can meticulously mix it and master it and massage it so that there's no rough edges and everything, and then you put it out and then you perform it. So what was proposed to me was, we do it the other way around. After ten years of writing this, the debut of 'The Moth' is actually this live performance. And what that throws into the works is just staggering amounts of logistical problems. It has to be recorded, mixed, completed lyrically, orchestrally, score, the band. Everybody has to know it. Everybody has to have the redundancy and the click tracks and all these things going so that you can have the orchestra. And the orchestra has a different click than the band. And the band has a different click than the visuals. And how you put that together logistically to debut that, without an album. So the first that anybody's going to hear of 'The Moth' is this show. So they proposed to me — because prior to this, we weren't gonna break even on the shows, which is fine. I'm cool. We haven't broken even for 10 years — on 'The Moth'. And someone proposed, 'Well, what would you think about doing a livestream?' And I thought, well, in the past, the livestreams have been so janky. And without control over the sound, it's like all of a sudden you got one loud kick drum and the guitars are wrong. And the nuance of this is so subtle that the proposition of doing a live stream of this was absurd to me. However, the more I started thinking about it, I thought, 'Well, fuck it, if we're actually debuting this' — what's the term my grandfather always used to say? God hates a coward. So we decided, I decided, we decided to do the livestream of the second night. Now, here's the thing with this live stream. I was, like, 'I don't wanna do it poorly. I don't want this to not be awesome.'

"So my plan for this is because of the amount of logistics and the amount of work — hundreds of people, literally, and I think there's probably a hundred and fifty people on stage of this too. So 'The Moth' is meant to be a vocal showcase, it's meant to be a kind of vocal tour de force, in a sense. I will be doing an acoustic, and with the band, augmentation of 'The Moth', so you've got a full two hours of entertainment. 'The Moth' itself, words can't describe how much work has gone into this.

"I forget how many tickets we have to sell for the thing to break even, for the livestream. I'm not even talking about the show, 'cause the live stream, it's all cross collateralized. So the livestream and the show and the merch and the VIPs, they all go to this pot with this choir, with this orchestra, with the visuals. We made this film. I've got 12 geniuses that I work with and we've been working on the stories and everything like this. And the first we're gonna hear from it is this livestream. And I forget how many tickets we have to sell for the livestream show we have to sell for the show to break even — something like 5,000. You know what? If it doesn't fucking break even, I don't care. I really don't. I'll figure it out. But it would be better if it did."

For more information on "The Moth" livestream, click here.

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

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

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

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

Rhino Records will release WHITESNAKE's "Access All Areas: Live" on April 25.

Consisting of six live shows across eight CDs, "Access All Areas: Live" captures the raw excitement of WHITESNAKE in full flight, live on stage. Kicking off with "Live... In The Still Of Night", legendary rock singer David Coverdale is joined by Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach on lead guitar, longtime WHITESNAKE drummer Tommy Aldridge plus Marco Mendoza on bass. Recorded at London's iconic Hammersmith Apollo in 2004, the set includes the huge MTV hits "Is This Love", "Here I Go Again" and "Still Of The Night".

"Live... In The Shadow Of The Blues" on CD2 and CD3 was recorded on WHITESNAKE's 2006 world tour, and delves back to WHITESNAKE's earliest days with "Don't Break My Heart Again" and "Take Me With You". "Made In Japan" finds the band headlining the huge Loud Park festival in Japan in 2011, across CDs 3 and 4. "Made In Britain" unsurprisingly captures the band on David's home turf whilst on the "Forevermore" tour in 2011. "The World Record" was also captured in 2011 on the "Forevermore" tour, featuring hits such as "The Deeper The Love", as well as newer stage favorite "Can You Hear The Wind Blow".

This eight-disc set ends right back where David musical odyssey started, with "The Purple Tour". Now joined by lead guitarist Joel Hoekstra, WHITESNAKE power through songs from the earliest days of David's career with DEEP PURPLE, including "Burn", "The Gypsy", "Mistreated" and "Soldier Of Fortune".

Note: all material was previously released in the following sets:

* "Live... In The Still Of The Night" DVD/CD (Disc 1)
* "Live... In The Shadow Of The Blues" 2CD (Discs 2+3)
* "Made In Japan" 2CD/DVD (Discs 4+5)
* "Made In Britain"/"The World Record" 2CD (Discs 6+7)
* "The Purple Tour" (CD/DVD) (Disc 8)

In October 2023, Coverdale told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about WHITESNAKE's future plans: "Well, my band and I are in touch all the time. There is still a WHITESNAKE and there are still offers coming. I can't entertain anything until I get my physical aspect together.

"I had a fall recently, which I don't think helped my… I've got two torn rotator cuffs, which would certainly compromise my performance," he explained. "But arthritis, all this kind of stuff's kicking in.

"My heart goes out to Steven [Tyler] after the [2023 AEROSMITH tour] cancelation. It's so awful, getting older and having this burden of responsibility to try to be as good as you can so you don't disappoint anybody. And I know how he feels and I sent my love to him through our friends, mutual friends.

"But I can't commit to anything until I know how my health is," David added. "The last thing I wanna do is go on tour and have to do what happened last year, which was come home, tail between my legs. It was heartbreaking. And being sick for a year didn't really help matters."

In May 2023, Coverdale told Rockonteurs about his respiratory infection: "That was really bad. When these things get on your cords, that just closes you down entirely.

"I spent a fortune keeping the guys [in my band] as safe as we could; we called it the 'COVID bubble.' Private jet wherever we went. And still COVID came in and took some of the crew out. It was really challenging."

Coverdale also shot down the suggestion that the WHITESNAKE farewell tour will drag on for many years to come. "I know contemporaries of mine that have been doing a farewell tour for 20 years," he said. "That's not it. I'm [73]. It's a number that I see and go, 'Really?' Because most of the time I certainly don't feel like that kind of age that would be the perspective we had growing up, when 20 looked old, 25 was ancient. 30? You're kidding. It's just fascinating to look at."

On June 28, 2022, WHITESNAKE scrapped three shows on its spring/summer European tour due to Coverdale's infection of the sinus and trachea. Three days later, the rest of the trek was also called off. At the time, David blamed the decision on "continuing health challenges, doctor's orders, and our concern for everyone's health and safety."

David was not the first member of WHITESNAKE to fall ill during the group's spring/summer 2022 European tour. Guitarist Reb Beach missed several shows on the trek in June 2022 after being "under the weather." On June 25, 2022, WHITESNAKE canceled its show at the Rock Imperium festival in Spain due to the fact that drummer Tommy Aldridge "went down" and "was bad enough at the time to have missed the first show ever in his career," according to Coverdale.

In April 2023, Coverdale told "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen And Shane McEachern" regarding the possibility of WHITESNAKE resuming its farewell tour in 2024: "It's not really a professional decision. It's literally a health decision.

"[In 2022] it took me seven months to get rid of a sinus infection that went so deep into my body… And then we discovered a secondary one, which is why I had to cancel the U.S. tour," he explained. "So all of that appalling antibiotics I had for three months, all the damage it did to my system, was a waste of time because this other infection was canceling it out. So I had to go on to heavier medications and steroids, and at the same time ignoring a torn rotator cuff.

"When I was onstage with Steve Vai at Hellfest [in France in June 2022], which turned out to be the last WHITESNAKE show — hopefully not the last WHITESNAKE show [ever] — underneath my shirt, my shoulder was taped up like I was going into the arena to face another gladiator," Coverdale revealed. "And you couldn't really tell. And thank God I could still fling the mic stand around. But as soon as I got signed off back in January, the infection had gone, I realized that we had to sort out the shoulder, 'cause that had been of secondary importance — minor compared to this, 'Am I ever gonna be able to sing again?' That's a big deal. It's something you wake up and almost take for granted.

"So, I'm getting a lot of approaches [regarding Las] Vegas residencies. I'm not quite sure about that. I feel I owe Japan. I feel I owe the U.S. I feel I owe South America. 'Cause I've been pretty successful for 50 years, and you can't buy that. It's people who've supported you to be in this position. It was a personal choice. I didn't wanna do a video going, 'Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, brothers and sisters of the 'SNAKE, thank you for 50 years. I'm done.' I wanted to be there.

"I wanted to retire in 2020," David added. "I thought the appropriate age for the singer of WHITESNAKE to step down was 69. But, of course, bloody COVID came [and ruined those plans].

"We have three to five years of projects here at my studio. So I'm certainly not finished with music. But my health will dictate whether I can take on [a full tour]. 'Cause it's incredibly physically demanding for me. I don't wanna do a half-assed [tour], standing-there stuff. I love telling my stories and moving and working."

Also in April 2023, Coverdale told Ultimate Classic Rock that the illness that forced him off the road in 2022 was "the worst sinus infection I've ever had in my life. And as a singer, I know them like fucking relatives of mine," Coverdale said. "This was one of the ugliest illnesses I think I've [ever] had. For seven months, I was taking ever-increasingly strong antibiotics and horrifying prednisone steroids."

WHITESNAKE launched its farewell tour on May 10, 2022 at Dublin, Ireland's 3Arena. The band's 14-song set, which was part of a European tour with special guests EUROPE and co-headliners FOREIGNER, marked WHITESNAKE's inaugural performance with the group's two latest two additions, keyboardist, guitarist and backing vocalist Dino Jelusick and O'Callaghan.

Coverdale had both his knees replaced with titanium in 2017 after suffering from degenerative arthritis. He later explained that he was in so much pain with arthritis in his knees that it hampered his ability to perform live.

Prior to the pandemic, WHITESNAKE had been touring in support of its latest album, "Flesh & Blood", which was released in May 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, DESTRUCTION bassist/vocalist Schmier was asked if he is surprised that the band is still going strong, more than four decades after DESTRUCTION's formation, even though he and his bandmates are not playing "pop" music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, that's true. It's underground music and it's not commercial metal. It's thrash metal. It's underground, basically. So, of course, it's surprising. And we also had ups and downs and our difficulties, but we've always been working hard — at least the last 24, 25 years — I've been working hard for keeping the band alive. And it wasn't always easy — lineup changes, record label changes. And also in the metal scene, the trends come and go. One day the press likes thrash metal; the next year they're writing, 'Oh, DESTRUCTION is writing the same album again and again.' And you have to fight for it. But the great thing is the fans been very faithful with us, sticking with us, and that's very motivating at the end, that the fans have been there supporting us for so many years. And that always kept us alive. And I think once you're a musician for so long, it's easy to be motivated because it's a great gift. Playing music for so long, we never thought we could do that. So after some years, you appreciate it a lot, what you do. And then the effort you put is just automatically there because you love what you do."

When Botas noted that part of the appeal of bands like DESTRUCTION is that they are "honest" with the music that they make and they don't try to change their sound to fit in with the trends, Schmier concurred. "Yeah, of course," he said. "I mean, 'stick to your guns' is an important rule I would give every band — even though some bands changed and they've been more successful afterwards. But we do what we can do best. And people sometimes ask, 'Don't you get bored of your music?' But I'm still excited to write, and I think the new [DESTRUCTION] album ['Birth Of Malice'] also proves that it's not boring to play thrash; it's still exciting. And we still love to write new music. Some bands, when they get older, they're, like, 'Ah, fuck writing.' And then it takes them five years or 10 years to write a new album. Not with us, because I think writing is still a fantastic experience. It's still exciting. And also when you get older, you still wanna prove that you can compete with the youngsters. Yeah, it's great. That's why we also wrote the song 'Destruction' on this new album as appreciation for the fans, because I wanna hear the fans sing live, when we play live, 'We are DESTRUCTION,' because they are DESTRUCTION as much as we are DESTRUCTION."

DESTRUCTION's 16th studio album, "Birth Of Malice" will be released on March 7 via Napalm Records.

Schmier is joined in DESTRUCTION's current lineup by guitarists Martin Furia and Damir Eskić, along with drummer Randy Black.

"Birth Of Malice" was recorded at Switzerland's Little Creek Studio by V.O. Pulver. Guitarist Martin Furia mixed and mastered the masterpiece at The Black Mancave in Hannover, Germany.

DESTRUCTION's massive career has seen many successes, with the band hitting stages at the world's biggest festivals around the world like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting and México Metal Fest.

DESTRUCTION, known as one of the "Teutonic Four", alongside KREATOR, SODOM and TANKARD, were reunited with the other three acts at the "Klash Of The Ruhrpott" concert on July 20, 2024 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

In August 2021, DESTRUCTION officially parted ways with founding guitarist Michael "Mike" Sifringer and replaced him with Martin Furia. The Argentinian-born, Belgian-based Furia is best known for his work as sound engineer and producer for such bands as NERVOSA and EVIL INVADERS.

Sifringer was the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band's career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION's first three albums before exiting the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André's sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the "Cracked Brain" album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.

DESTRUCTION 2025 is:

Schmier - Bass, Vocals
Martin Furia - Guitars
Randy Black - Drums
Damir Eskić - Guitars

In a brand new interview with Jackson, Mississippi's Rock 93.1 radio station, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch — a former drug addict and reformed Christian — spoke about what it was like rejoining the band in early 2013, eight years after first leaving the group. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I was on tour with P.O.D. [in 2012] I was opening for them with my other band. And they had a festival and KORN was playing, [as was] EVANESCENCE, all these bands. My daughter was with me. She was 12. So I surprised her. I was, like, 'I'm gonna jump on P.O.D.'s bus and go to the festival,' because we had a day off. My band wasn't playing. P.O.D. tour just happened to go by that festival to play real quick. And we went in, and I was, like, 'This is crazy,' 'cause I hadn't really seen the guys. I'd seen Jonathan [Davis, KORN singer] a month before that. He came to watch me sing in my band. I'm, like, 'This is horrible. I can barely sing live and here's one of the best singers out there watching me.' And I was so nervous and embarrassed. But we hadn't seen each other in seven years or something, so we just cried and said hello. And then, at that festival, I was just gonna be kind of low key, maybe say hi to him after. But word got around that I was there, and I went and saw 'em. They said, 'Come do the meet-and-greet with us.' So I went and said hi to fans. And then they said, 'Play some songs with us.' I was, like, 'No, man. I don't remember all the parts. I need pedals.' And they said, 'Just play one. Play 'Blind' with us.' I was, like, 'Cool.' And I played it, and the whole place just… It was just this emotional thing led by Jonathan, 'cause he had his brothers that he knew since childhood on stage. So he broke down and told the crowd, 'I need a minute.' Then he came to me and said, 'If this is the last memory you gave me, thank you for this memory.' 'Cause he didn't think, 'Oh, this is it. He's coming back.' Or he didn't probably know if he wanted me back. But I left in such a horrible way that… It wasn't horrible — it was bitter. And we were all on drugs except Jonathan, which is funny, but were all on drugs or alcohol — we were all on both — and so when I left, it was really ugly. And so I felt it was closure to do that one show with them. And I'm, like, 'Okay, cool. I'm gonna go rough and tough it on the side and barely make it, and that's cool. And I'm good with that.' And I feel like that's what a lot of the people in the Bible did; they didn't have it all easy. And then I was at home and I remember just that Christ inside of you that came to reveal that."

Brian continued: "There's seasons in my life where I just go deep and I try to connect, when I have a lot of time off or whatever. And after all that stuff happened, I connected. And I remember I had this few weeks at home where he felt so close to me. And it was one of the longest seasons of experiencing that closeness with Christ. And that's when he unfolded things to me, like start breaking kind of religion off of me. Like, 'You don't have to do exactly what the disciples did in the Bible and make your life miserable.' And that's when Munky [James Shaffer, KORN guitarist] called me. And he said, 'Hey, we're doing a new album. No pressure. You wanna come down to see what happens? No expectation, nothing.' I was, like, 'Thank you, man, so much, but I feel like I wanna go this other way.' And he goes, 'If you change your mind, call us. It's good to see you.' And then I was at home for a few more days, and I remembered this guy from South Africa came to me in 2006 and he said there's gonna be a reconciliation with the guys. And he said there's gonna be a call from James. And I still have that recording to this day. Some guy that saw things. And so I didn't do it because of that, but it did make me curious — a lot more curious. I did it because I was just praying and I felt like God was, like… A lot of people, all they know is the horrible religion. There's mean street preachers outside of KORN concerts and a lot of fans just know that. Now what can I do to go show love? And so I start opening up, and boom. I called them. We agreed on all kinds of different things — there were just a few things we discussed. And there it was. And next thing you know, I'm in the studio writing with them, and we're looking at each other and I was, like, 'This is really gonna happen, huh?' And he was, like, 'Yeah, it's on. This is crazy.' And so I realized that a whole new door opened and my whole life was changed.'

Welch added: "And so going back into it — the last thing I'll say — I was so drunk and messed up when I left for years. I had to relearn what it was like to be on stage in that big a capacity tour and do a record, do press, start doing more TV, all that stuff. It was like I forgot the past. It was cloudy — it was very cloudy — 'cause I was so messed up. So it was, like, I was given a second chance to be a rock star in a healthy way. [I'm] very grateful."

Asked what the ripple effect has been since he rejoined KORN, Welch said: "It's just so clean around the atmosphere of KORN. We just have so much honor and respect for each other. It's, like, everybody listens to each other. Now Jonathan, as you know, is like the quarterback, so we follow his lead a lot. But me and James are all about the business part of it. Jonathan wants nothing to do with it. He's, like, 'You guys go do that. It's stressing me out.' But creatively, in the studio and everything, we all honor and work together. And if there's something that we need to change or do on the road or in the studio or something, even Jonathan, he'll hear us and listen. And we've just got massive respect. And Ray [Luzier], the drummer, he's just never a problem — ever. And [bassist] Fieldy's [Reginald Arvizu] been out of the band since, like, 2020, and he's just focusing on family. So we got this guy, [Roberto] 'Ra' Díaz, another amazing South American guy [with the] coolest accent ever. Very, very humble. And so it just feels really clean and mature. And it's all about this band that we created and keeping it going, growing it and rocking out with the fans. It's all about the fans. There's no groupies. There's no drugs. There's no partying backstage. Our drummer is the only one that drinks, and he drinks wine. He gets purple teeth every night at, like, 1 a.m. So that's as crazy as it gets. It's all about the show."

Welch chronicled his decision to leave KORN in his first book, 2008's "Save Me From Myself: How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, And Lived To Tell My Story".

Both Welch and Arvizu have had highly public, though separate, conversion experiences, ones that have been greeted with a certain amount of skepticism.

Fieldy's 2009 memoir, "Got The Life: My Journey Of Addiction, Faith, Recovery And Korn", detailed his struggles with drug and alcohol addiction during KORN's early years and how he became a born-again Christian to help get his life together and get sober.

Following CRADLE OF FILTH's acclaimed recent single "To Live Deliciously" and its exquisitely twisted music video, the Grammy Award-nominated extreme metal institution is back to give fans more of the sinful sounds they crave with "White Hellebore", another bewitching new single and music video.

Featured on CRADLE OF FILTH's upcoming 14th studio album, "The Screaming Of The Valkyries", which is due on March 21, 2025 via Napalm Records, "White Hellebore" is devilishly direct, juxtaposing traditional heavy metal with blasts of thrashing fury, then spinning back to operatic goth while remaining cohesive. The track's must-see new music video was directed by Shaun Hodson.

CRADLE OF FILTH mastermind Dani Filth says about the song and video: "The wintertime flower of the title reminds us scintillatingly of our own mortality, flourishing in seasons of dying light and cold, frozen earth. Blossoming in the shadows, this Hellebore's flowers draw us deeply into the stygian darkness with her. In context of this song, the White Hellebore of the title is an alluring woman not too distant in danger from the predatory black widow, fostering both hope and despair; a poison and an elixir, she is stunning to behold but ever deadly to taste.

"This video — reeking of Lovecraftian gothic horror — presents the White Hellebore as a movie starlet who survives the grave through her dalliances with dark occult forces, a necromantic mystic tryst that an overzealous morgue attendant encounters with terrifying results, complementing the song's unholy matrimony of melody and mayhem."

CRADLE OF FILTH reigns supreme as one of the most revered, formative and notorious names in music — from the depths of the extreme metal underground to the peaks of mainstream pop culture itself — and is responsible for breaking ground for many of today's top metal artists with their trademark mixture of blackened heaviness, macabre theatricality and scintillating gothic style.

On "The Screaming Of The Valkyries", Dani's recognizable scream and equally identifiable growl stand mightily alongside twin guitar attacks, symphonic flourishes and explosive rhythm section, implemented by drummer Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka, bassist Daniel Firth, guitarists Marek "Ashok" Smerda and Donny Burbage and keyboardist/vocalist Zoe Federoff.

After album opener "To Live Deliciously" hits immediately, second track "Demagoguery" blends dark beauty, blast beats and slaytanic groove as only CRADLE can combine. Across the album’s blunt and unforgiving yet inviting expanse, CRADLE summons the succulent flavors of classic albums like "Dusk… And Her Embrace" and "Cruelty And The Beast" with the galloping (but no less fierce) thunder of recent entries "Hammer Of The Witches" and "Existence Is Futile". Flashes of early metal influences coalesce with carnivorous glee into unapologetic death 'n' roll. "White Hellebore" is CRADLE OF FILTH at its most devilishly straightforward, juxtaposing traditional heavy metal with blasts of thrashing fury, spinning back to operatic goth without sounding disjointed. Anchored by arguably the most mournful melody in their catalog, "Non Omnis Moriar" ("I shall not wholly die") could be a cousin to PARADISE LOST or ANATHEMA, inverted through CRADLE's thorny prism. "You Are My Nautilus" is the darkest song IRON MAIDEN never wrote, spinning an epic tale with dueling guitars, while "Ex Sanguine Draculae" conjures "Dusk"-era atmosphere with imaginative new colors.

Produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios in Suffolk, England, "The Screaming Of The Valkyries" beckons the brave into a new era of CRADLE OF FILTH misadventure, celebrating massive melancholic melody, blackened thrash, and apocalyptic existential dread with a grinning smattering of unbridled revelry. "The Screaming Of The Valkyries" is a bloody dark love letter to the longtime legion of CRADLE OF FILTH faithful and a stunning entryway for fresh lambs to the sonic slaughter.

"The Screaming Of The Valkyries" track listing:

01. To Live Deliciously
02. Demagoguery
03. The Trinity Of Shadows
04. Non Omnis Moriar
05. White Hellebore
06. You Are My Nautilus
07. Malignant Perfection
08. Ex Sanguine Draculae
09. When Misery Was A Stranger

In a recent interview with U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Dani stated about "The Screaming Of The Valkyries": "It's got elements of everything we've done, really. It has a few head nods to works like 'Midian' and 'Dusk[... And Her Embrace]', especially in the atmosphere and the subject matter. It's also got a very brilliant production, courtesy of Scott Atkins."

Asked if there is any overarching theme to it, Dani said: "No, I wouldn't say so. They're tricky things, concept records. You have to have tunnel vision and you can't veer from that path. So this is just an album. It's not an album with filly bits attached, like intros and outros. No guest appearances. Just nine songs. It's still quite a lengthy running time, obviously. We can't write a short song to save our fucking lives."

Dani went on to say that CRADLE OF FILTH's collaboration with pop superstar Ed Sheeran won't be on "The Screaming Of The Valkyries" "because we don't want it to overshadow the record. But we are going to bring it out. Originally, everybody wanted us to bring it out to glorious fanfare but Ed's management weren't keen on that. We're not absolutely sure how it will emerge, but it's been done, mixed and it's sitting on the shelf somewhere… you know, virtually. And it's fucking fantastic. But only a handful of people have actually heard it. My mum hasn't even heard it."

Last November, Dani was asked by Portugal's Look Mag, CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth why it was taking more than three years for him and his bandmates to release the follow-up to "Existence Is Futile" album. He responded: "[We've done] loads of tours. We were in the studio beginning the drums last May. But then we went and did all summer festivals. Then we had holidays — one holiday a year, which we allow us to rejuvenate. Then I was recording with my friend in America. Then we went to South America and Mexico. Then we went, did a co-headline tour with DEVILDRIVER. Then we went back to the studio. Then our producer had a baby. Then it was Christmas, and we did more in the studio. Then we went on tour in Europe. Yeah, that's what happened. We've just been very, very busy.

"It was finished — it's been ready since July [2024], I think," Dani revealed. "We're having two more videos and singles before the album drops. Yeah, maybe even four; I'm not sure. It depends how well it goes. But yeah, there's a plan to a gameplan to everything."

Asked about the musical direction of the new CRADLE OF FILTH material, Dani said: "It's very hard to talk about it. I don't really wanna talk about it because I can't do it justice. Every album has a lot of things going on. It's just a very, very great record. It's the next stage of our evolutionary step as CRADLE OF FILTH, moving on from the [two new songs] we debuted on [the 2023 live album] 'Trouble And Their Double Lives'. It has elements of old-school CRADLE, elements of new-school CRADLE. It's catchy, it's fast, it's slow, it's romantic, it's heavy, it's theatrical."

In October, CRADLE OF FILTH released a new single, "Malignant Perfection", along with a music video directed by Vicente Cordero, who has previously worked with FILTER, DEVILDRIVER, IN FLAMES and BLACK VEIL BRIDES, among others.

In 2023, CRADLE OF FILTH released its first live album in over 20 years, the aforementioned "Trouble And Their Double Lives", via Napalm Records. The LP was recorded between 2014 and 2019 at different performances in the USA, Europe, Australia and beyond during the band's "Cryptoriana" world tour and dates following. Produced, mixed and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studios, with recording captured by Danny B, the effort not only featured a slew of fan favorites encompassing the band's discography but also two bonus tracks and two entirely brand new songs, "She Is A Fire" and "Demon Prince Regent".

CRADLE OF FILTH will co-headline the 2025 edition of the North American "Chaos & Carnage" tour, featuring fellow co-headliners DYING FETUS, as well as FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, NE OBLIVISCARIS, UNDEATH, VOMIT FORTH and CORPSE PILE.

CRADLE OF FILTH is:

Dani Filth - Vocals
Marek "Ashok" Smerda - Guitars
Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka - Drums
Daniel Firth - Bass
Donny Burbage - Guitars
Zoe Federoff - Vocals, Keys

Photo credit: Jakub Alexandrowicz

Mark Farner, a founding member of GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, continues to elevate his sound in the latest single "Anymore" out now. Released with a companion lyric video, the song sees Farner firing on all cylinders with this anthemic chorus. "Anymore" is the third song from his new album, "Closer To My Home" and showcases the rocker's unmistakable Parker Fly guitar. The rebelliousness of the riffs go head-to-head with Farner's commanding lyrics. Farner sings with passion and resolve — with an outpouring undercurrent of love — in this reflective barn burner.

Co-written by Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER) and produced by Slaughter and Farner, "Closer To My Home" is available on vinyl and CD through Righteous Rock Records.

Having written more than 90 percent of the GRAND FUNK RAILROAD music catalog, Farner has always been known as the energetic driving force on stage, the engine that pulled the original GRAND FUNK RAILROAD to the top of the charts. From his soulful voice and power rock riffs, to fueling the FUNK with his atomic stage presence. His story and his imprint on music starts with Flint and since 1969 from his humble beginnings and a blue-collar outlook, Farner has captained a global crusade for love, peace and freedom and became a rock 'n' roll icon.

More than 60 years later, he commands the stage with the same intensity performing epic hits that defined a generation: "I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home)", "Bad Time", "Some Kind Of Wonderful", "Foot Stompin' Music", "Heartbreaker", "Rock & Roll Soul", "Locomotion", "Mean Mistreater" and "We're An American Band". MARK FARNER'S AMERICAN BAND continues to tour, celebrating the 55th anniversary of the ground-breaking hit "I'm Your Captain (Closer To Home)" .

Farner's first years in music were with the bands TERRY KNIGHT AND THE PACK and THE BOSSMEN. When GRAND FUNK RAILROAD formed in 1969, they named the group after the Grand Trunk & Western Railroad that runs through Flint. Like a Spartan, Farner was intent on bringing rock destined for arenas. What began as rehearsals at Flint's Federation of Musicians Union Hall led to some of rock music's watershed moments. At the 1969 Atlanta International Pop Festival, they shared the stage with rock luminaries such as LED ZEPPELIN, Janis Joplin and CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL. The same year they formed — 1969 — the band further defied expectations by releasing two albums (via Capitol Records) in a four-month period. Farner wrote all but two songs from "On Time" and the platinum-selling "Grand Funk". He said they wanted to take advantage of the meteoric rise that was building in terms of the band's popularity.

"It wasn't much pressure because the songs were coming fast," Farner said. "I had nothing but time for songs."

By 1970, Farner's songs were pivotal to the band's success. The epic composition "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" became an anthem for Vietnam War veterans and audiences alike. Farner would later perform the iconic song at the Vietnam Memorial Wall, on the 25th Anniversary of the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Farner also received the Vietnam Veterans of American Presidents Award for Excellence in the Arts.

In July 1971, the trio sold out Shea Stadium in New York; 55,000 tickets were sold in a record 72 hours — besting THE BEATLES' previous record.

The Farner-penned composition "Bad Time" was GRAND FUNK's last Top 10 single, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1975. Although it never topped the charts, the song was the most played tune on radio that year due to demand.

Farner is a three-time Michigan Rock And Roll Legends Hall Of Fame member — inducted as a solo member in 2015 and an inductee as part of GRAND FUNK RAILROAD and TERRY KNIGHT AND THE PACK.

GRAND FUNK laid the groundwork for such bands as FOREIGNER, JOURNEY, VAN HALEN and BON JOVI with its signature hard driving sound, soulful vocals, muscular instrumentation and forceful pop melodies. The fact that GRAND FUNK's legacy still reigns over the classic rock landscape fifty years after its 1969 birth in Flint, Michigan is a testament to the group's influence and staying power. Mega-hits "We're An American Band", "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home", "Locomotion" and "Some Kind Of Wonderful" still receive continuous airplay on classic rock radio. "We're An American Band" has received notoriety in recent years being used in movie soundtracks and in television/radio advertising. The huge hit was featured in a General Motors national TV ad campaign and in Disney's animated feature film "The Country Bears". "We're An American Band" was featured in the Cuba Gooding Jr. film "Radio", and in the swash buckler "Sahara" starring Matthew McConaughey.

In a new interview with Abe Kanan of the 98 Rock radio station, Glenn Danzig was asked about the fact that he is now playing sporadic live shows with both DANZIG and the MISFITS. Refencing the fact that MISFITS have been active on the live front since the initial comeback performance by Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein at the 2016 Riot Fest, Glenn said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It worked out that way for a reason, I guess. Everything happens for a reason — that's how I think — and so when it's meant to happen, it happens. And so it ended up happening, and people should enjoy it while we're still doing it, because I've always said, when I can't do it anymore, I won't go on there and do it. You know what I mean? I'm not gonna go up there and pretend to play and have tapes or whatever. I'm not gonna do that. So if it ever becomes that, where physically or vocally I can't do it, I won't do it. So, people should go check it out now, 'cause you never know what's gonna happen. The world could end tomorrow. It's a crazy world right now."

When Kanan noted that DANZIG's songs might be harder to sing, but the MISFITS shows probably "take more energy", Glenn said: "The DANZIG songs have a greater vocal range than the MISFITS songs. So, yeah, the DANZIG songs are more difficult to sing, that's for sure."

Asked if he can ever foresee a new MISFITS album coming out, or a new song, Glenn said: "Maybe a song. Not an album." As for a new DANZIG album, Glenn said: "No. [Laughs] Look, people now just wanna download your stuff for free, and they don't understand that it costs money to go in a studio and record a record. So it's not really a great business model to go and record a record and then not be able to recoup your money that you spent making the record. So, with DANZIG, it might be like the MISFITS — maybe I'll record a song or two and just release it, and it won't cost that much."

He continued: "In the beginning, the MISFITS only released singles. We couldn't afford to put out an album. But a lot of the punk bands, that's how it was — you couldn't afford to do an album, especially if you were underground. You weren't on a big label, [so] you could only afford to do a single. So maybe I'll do that for DANZIG, and maybe we'll do it for the MISFITS. We'll see."

During a recent appearance on Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, Glenn spoke about DANZIG's upcoming string of rare live shows on the U.S. West Coast, set to take place in late March. 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."

Asked if there is any new DANZIG music on the horizon, Glenn said: "No." He went on to clarify that he is "not even focused on touring," explaining that he is "just doing six shows. And if that's touring, then what I used to do must have been mega touring," he said. "I mean, we used to go out for three, four, five, six months at a time."

Circling back to the possibility of new music, Glenn said: "The whole music thing and recording and everything, it's just changed dramatically where people really don't buy physical product anymore. They just wanna download it for free online. So there's really no incentive to new music, unless I'm in the studio and I do something and I wanna give it away for free to everybody. I don't know if that's a great business model."

Asked if he still enjoys writing music, Glenn said: "Yeah, of course. But I write lots of different stuff.

"I don't see the music industry changing at all. So I don't know if I'm ever gonna record again, at least DANZIG stuff," he admitted. "Maybe at some point. I don't know right now."

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.

Magnetic Eye Records has unveiled the next installment in its acclaimed Redux Series in homage to American punk pioneers RAMONES. The series' established practice of paying tribute to legendary rock classics with the recreation of one of the selected band's milestone albums is further elevated for this project with the production guidance of engineer, sound designer, composer, multi-instrumentalist and Grammy winner Marc Urselli. This installment features cover renditions by current artists taking on the 1976 self-titled debut album "Ramones" in the form of "Marc Urselli's Ramones Redux" alongside a companion album of tracks from across the rest of the discography as "Best of Marc Urselli's Ramones Redux".

Traditionally, the label has launched the project with a Kickstarter campaign, which will continue until March 19 and can be found at this location.

An impressive list of artists and collaborations has already been announced for "Ramones Redux" and "Best Of Ramones Redux" as follows (in alphabetical order):

* ARTHUR BROWN & The Berserker BlóthaR of GWAR
* DANÍEL HJÁLMTÝSSON & Mortiis
* DAVID J (BAUHAUS) & Paul Wallfisch (SWANS, BOTANICA)
* DEATHCHANT
* DESTRUCTO DISK feat. Timo Ellis (NETHERLANDS)
* DOMKRAFT feat. Ulf Cederlund (ENTOMBED) & Justin Goins and Tommy Southard (SOLACE)
* DUEL
* GLERAKUR feat. Andromeda Anarchia (FOLTERKAMMER)
* IMPOSTOR CULT feat. Amy Tung Barrysmith (YEAR OF THE COBRA)
* KAYO DOT & Ihsahn (EMPEROR)
* KING POTENAZ & Nefariant
* MONDO GENERATOR
* NAPALM DEATH & Thurston Moore
* RESTLESS SPIRIT feat. Jeff Matz (HIGH ON FIRE)
* SO HIDEOUS feat. Gary Lucas (CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, JEFF BUCKLEY)
* UFOMAMMUT feat. Bent Sæther (MOTORPSYCHO)
* VENAMORIS feat. Dave Lombardo & Paula Lombardo with Eicca Toppinen (APOCALYTPICA)
* VOIVOD feat. JG Thirlwell
* VOLUME
* ZAPATO 3 feat. Toxic Tito & Rudy La Scala
* ZENI GEVA & Andreas Bajer (BESVÄRJELSEN)

Rock took a turn towards the bombastic, complex, and symphonic in the early '70s of the last century. YES had released the monumental "Close To The Edge" in 1972, not even a year later GENESIS were "Selling England By The Pound", and LED ZEPPELIN entered the "Houses Of The Holy" also in 1973. It very much looked liked as if the greasy, long-haired kids of rock were all becoming posh and polished. Yet in Downtown New York, a very different scene emerged that begged to differ. In a new club, a bunch of leather-clad rowdy youths that called their band RAMONES gave their debut show at CBGB's on August 16, 1974. They were loud, their hard-hitting songs needed few chords, hardly lasted longer than two minutes, and they barely gave a damn about playing perfect notes. The world of music was about to change forever.

The RAMONES are unquestionably the most ubiquitous American punk rock band of all time, whose spirit of rebellion and music have inspired generations; and still remains alive while all original members have sadly passed far too early.

With three chords and straightforward lyrics, the RAMONES embraced a stripped-down, high-energy approach that was both primal and revolutionary when it arrived in the shape of the self-titled debut album "Ramones" in 1976. They went on to influence some of the most recognizable rock, punk and metal bands of the next several decades, ranging from BLACK FLAG, NIRVANA, METALLICA, CIRCLE JERKS, WHITE ZOMBIE, PEARL JAM and GUNS N' ROSES, to name just a few. The mighty MOTÖRHEAD even dedicated a song to them.

The RAMONES perfectly represented and encapsulated the essence of the underground, holding true to their sound and style for decades, inspiring multiple generations, and establishing eternal cultural significance despite never achieving true commercial success themselves.

Magnetic Eye's Redux Series was created to pay homage to classic albums from across music history. The label has charged themselves as chroniclers and archivists to contribute to keeping the memory of outstanding artists and records alive and transfer their music to the sound of new generations.

"Ramones Redux" reimagines and celebrates the punk legends' debut album from start to finish, and is accompanied by "Best Of Ramones Redux", which includes new renditions of deep cuts and classics from across their catalog. As a first for a Magnetic Eye Redux release, this homage to the RAMONES has been masterminded and curated by New York City and London-based Italian-Swiss audio engineer, sound designer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Grammy winner Marc Urselli.

The Magnetic Eye Redux Series features hand-picked classic albums from across the history of rock and metal reimagined in their entirety from start to finish. Artists Magnetic Eye loves from within and outside the heavy rock landscape choose tracks to make their own, bringing these milestone records into the new millennium with crushing heaviness and searing energy. To date, Magnetic Eye has produced Redux editions of PINK FLOYD's "The Wall", HELMET's "Meantime", BLACK SABBATH's "Vol. 4", Jimi Hendrix's "Electric Ladyland", ALICE IN CHAINS' "Dirt", AC/DC's "Back In Black", SOUNDGARDEN's "Superunknown" and JETHRO TULL's "Aqualung", which have included artists like RED FANG, Matt Pike, PALLBEARER, THE MELVINS, ALL THEM WITCHES, KHEMMIS, ASG, SUPERSUCKERS, Zakk Wylde, Mark Lanegan, RUBY THE HATCHET, and many more.

DISTURBED was rejoined by the band's original bassist Steve "Fuzz" Kmak at last night's (Saturday, March 8) concert at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois during "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour". Produced by Live Nation, the tour celebrates 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time. Each night features two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five-times-platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. Fuzz played with DISTURBED for "The Sickness" portion of the set, while the group's longtime bassist John Moyer handled the bass duties for the rest of the show.

Fuzz played on the first two DISTURBED albums, the aforementioned "The Sickness" and 2002's "Believe", before being fired in December 2003 after more than six years with the band.

A short time later, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman told MTV.com about Fuzz's departure: "I don't want to drag anyone through the mud, there were just personality conflicts. It wasn't a relationship that could continue anymore, and we had to go our separate ways. When you're in a band, chemistry is very important. But we wish him all the best. We bear him no ill will."

Regarding how former THE UNION UNDERGROUND bassist Moyer was chosen to replace Fuzz, Draiman told Launch Radio Networks in a 2005 interview: "He showed a lot of guts. You know, he came to the tryouts and waited in line with everybody else on his own dime, without an invitation. That said a lot. That he knew the material and played it well said a lot. That we vibed well together onstage — you know, all those things involved, and when we added them up and compared them to the rest of the potential candidates, he won."

Last month, DISTURBED announced the European leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" with support from MEGADETH.

Since "The Sickness" was released in 2000, the album was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, spent a total of 106 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, and Revolver named it one of "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums." Billboard said of the title track upon release: "'Down With The Sickness' is, of course, the quintessential DISTURBED song, harnessing all the band's seethe and its now-famous tribal beat and guitar chug into three and a half minutes of alt-metal mayhem. It's menacing, it's rhythmic, it's rebellious."

On March 7, DISTURBED released the 25th-anniversary edition of "The Sickness". To commemorate the anniversary, the band reissued the five-times-platinum-certified LP exactly 25 years to the date of their original release, in editions including:

* A limited edition 1-LP (silver vinyl) and 3-CD box set. It includes the original album, B-sides, unreleased demos, and an unreleased 14-track concert from The Palladium in Los Angeles from April 2001 as well as songs recorded at Chicago's Metro in March 2000 and the London Astoria in February 2001. The box includes a poster, cloth patch, backstage pass, and a set of guitar picks. It also includes a book featuring rare photos and memorabilia, and an extensive essay with new interviews with the members of DISTURBED, and producer Johnny K. An exclusive lithograph signed by the band is included with the limited-edition D2C format.

* A 2-CD deluxe edition that includes the original album, plus a disc of B-sides, unreleased demos, and rarities. The booklet features an essay with new interviews with the members of DISTURBED and producer Johnny K.

* Vinyl editions, including variants in limited edition green vinyl, limited edition orange vinyl (Germany/Central Europe exclusive),and limited edition milky clear vinyl (Spotify Fans First).

* Digitally, which includes all 40 tracks included in the limited-edition box set.

"The Sickness" 25th-anniversary edition is available via the band's web site and digitally, and via all retailers in North American on March 21.

On February 21, DISTURBED released a new single, "I Will Not Break", via the band's own label, Mother Culture Records.



It’s been a really longtime. Never thought I would ever see Fuzz on stage with Disturbed again.

Posted by DISTURBED FAN PAGE on Saturday, March 8, 2025

Chicago… wow! Tonight was special—a sold-out hometown show at a bucket-list venue. We can’t thank you enough! 🤘and thank...

Posted by Disturbed on Sunday, March 9, 2025

During an appearance on the latest episode of "The State Of Amorica: A Black Crowes Podcast", Rich Robinson was asked whom he would like to induct THE BLACK CROWES into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame if his band ends up getting the nod this year. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've kind of talked about it. I don't know. I mean, I would love for [LED ZEPPELIN guitarist] Jimmy [Page] to induct us. Jimmy's a longtime friend and a mentor and just such an amazing person to be inducted by. But we don't know until we know, you know what I mean? That would be cool. Or [AEROSMITH singer] Steven Tyler too."

He continued: "AEROSMITH was always really supportive of us, starting out. I remember when we first released [THE BLACK CROWES' debut album, 1990's] 'Shake Your Money Maker', [AEROSMITH guitarist] Brad Whitford was wearing one of our shirts in their video that came out, which was a big deal for us. And then we got that AEROSMITH tour. And they are just really positive, supportive people."

THE BLACK CROWES are among the nominees for this year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The veteran rockers made the list for the first time.

To be eligible for a nomination, the artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years before the year of nomination.

Nominees are voted on by an international panel of more than 1,200 artists, historians and music industry players. The selection criteria include an artist's impact on other musicians, the scope and longevity of their work, innovation and excellence in technique.

THE BLACK CROWES frontman Chris Robinson told Billboard about his band's nomination: "We're just very excited. I don't think we ever really would have thought about it, so for it to be in front of us, it's incredible. We're thrilled. All sarcasm aside, it's amazing to be thought of. It's amazing to be included. We love music, and we understand the real magical, alchemic process in it, and that we've managed to still be here this many years later and still be making records and in a lot of ways having a level of recognition and success that we haven't felt before. Just to be mentioned (alongside) some of the names of the greatest artists, it's fantastic."

The Class Of 2025 will be revealed in late April. At that time, additional nominees will be announced that have not gone to the broader votership but were directly installed by the select committee, in the Musical Influence, Musical Excellence and the Ahmet Ertegun Non-Performer Award areas.

The 2025 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will take place in Los Angeles this fall.

As previously reported, Page and THE BLACK CROWES will celebrate 25 years of their iconic live album "Live At The Greek" with an expanded edition, available worldwide on March 14.

In October 1999, Page teamed up with THE BLACK CROWES for a two-night performance of material from the LED ZEPPELIN catalog and old blues and rock standards. A live album, "Live At The Greek", was recorded during these shows and released in February 2000. The set was dominated by LED ZEPPELIN tunes, along with a mix of classic blues nuggets and covers of FLEETWOOD MAC and Page's first group, THE YARDBIRDS. (Due to contractual obligations, no CROWES songs were included.)

THE BLACK CROWES released their latest album, "Happiness Bastards", in March 2024. The band's first full-length LP of new material in 15 years was released via THE BLACK CROWES' own record label, Silver Arrow Records.

THE BLACK CROWES leaders Chris Robinson (lead vocals) and Rich Robinson (guitar) worked on the follow-up to 2009's "Before The Frost… Until The Freeze" with producer Jay Joyce.

In a new interview with Ibagenscast, DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess spoke about the band's reunion with drummer Mike Portnoy after a 13-year absence. Asked how Mike's return to DREAM THEATER came about, Jordan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it had been many, many years since he was in the band; I think it was 13 years since he left. And it's impossible to say that it wasn't part of our thinking that maybe one day he would come back, maybe some of us more than other people.

"Mike Portnoy started this band," Jordan continued. "He was also probably one of the main reasons that I'm even in it. So I think you let the clouds move and the weather changes and the things happen and it's finally, like, 'Okay, well, this is a great time for him to return to the band.' And it just made sense for everybody, the timing of that, and something that we all wanted to see happen. So it just took some a lot of changes in different relationships and situations to kind of allow it to happen. And so finally it did."

Regarding the impact that Portnoy's return to DREAM THEATER had on the songwriting process for the band's latest album, "Parasomnia", which came out last month, Rudess said: "Well, it's interesting 'cause when Mike came into the studio to work with DREAM THEATER again, it was kind of like we didn't even miss a beat. I kept having to say to myself, 'God, it's been a long time since he was here.' But the reality was it didn't really feel like that. It felt like it was just the other day, 'cause the chemistry between us is so powerful and so right. We got right back to work — the same kind of like dynamic, the same kind of working relationship. And it was very productive and it felt great. We jumped right back in."

When the interviewer noted that certain parts of "Parasomnia" sound like Rudess and the rest of DREAM THEATER were "just having fun" in the studio, the keyboardist said: "Oh, I think there was definitely a renewed kind of energy. In the course of a band like DREAM THEATER that's been around for so many years, things happen, people have come and gone — not too many, luckily. But for this particular situation, Mike coming back, we were all so energized and all just really happy to have kind of like this core group back together again. So from that perspective, with that additional kind of burst of energy, it was a lot of fun. So we were enjoying kind of like revisiting the way that we work together."

DREAM THEATER kicked off the North American leg of its 40th-anniversary tour on February 7 at The Met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The trek is "An Evening With Dream Theater" and is the first tour of North America since Portnoy's return to the lineup, joining singer James LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci and Rudess. The tour will conclude on March 22 in New York City.

DREAM THEATER's sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marks DREAM THEATER's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

"Parasomnia" was produced by Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returns once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

Portnoy co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with Petrucci and Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010.

Mike Mangini joined DREAM THEATER in late 2010 through a widely publicized audition following the departure of Portnoy. Mangini beat out six other of the world's top drummers — Marco Minnemann, Virgil Donati, Aquiles Priester, Thomas Lang, Peter Wildoer and Derek Roddy — for the gig, a three-day process that was filmed for a documentary-style reality show called "The Spirit Carries On".

In a new interview with Julian Landin of New Jersey's WSOU 89.5 FM radio station, Max Cavalera spoke about his decision to revive his NAILBOMB project for a November 9, 2024 performance at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona as part of the SOULFLY-headlined "Max Cavalera Dynasty Show". It has since been announced that NAILBOMB will also perform at a number of European festivals in 2025, including Wacken Open Air in Wacken, Germany, Alcatraz in Kortrijk, Belgium and at Bloodstock Open Air at Catton Park in Derbyshire, United Kingdom.

NAILBOMB's lone studio album, 1994's "Point Blank". "Point Blank" saw the then-SEPULTURA frontman team up with FUDGE TUNNEL's Alex Newport for a dense, industrialized offering that included a variety of samples and punk rock influences.

Asked what we can expect from NAILBOMB in the future, Max said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're doing a short run in Europe. I think it's 15 festivals. is one of them. [We're playing] a lot of those established European festivals.

"Yeah, the set's cool," he continued. "I love the [NAILBOMB] record. I think 'Point Blank' was an outstanding — just a pissed off record full of heavy riffs and crazy machinery, industrial… I don't even know what it is. I just love it.

"The cool thing about NAILBOMB, we can always change the lineup, make it different all the time. So we're gonna actually kind of do that from time to time. So I'm looking forward."

Regarding the possibility of more NAILBOMB U.S. dates in the not-too-distant future, Max said: "There's, so far right now, nothing scheduled for America as yet, but, yeah, we'll see what happens. That's one of those records that I think has aged really well. That record right now is more relevant than even when we made it, if you listen to it. All the tracks — '24 Hour Bullshit', 'World Of Shit', 'Sick Life', it's happening right now. So NAILBOMB is perfect. So I'm really excited to bring that to Europe."

Asked if he has kept in touch with Newport — who is not involved with the current version of the band — at all, Max said: "I haven't in a long time. I have not talked to Alex in a long time. But it's great. I love Alex. I respect his decision of not wanting to be part of it. And it is funny, 'cause he talks to my wife [and manager] all the time, Gloria, and he told her that he was too happy to do NAILBOMB right now. And I was, like, 'That's cool. I respect that.' But I'm still angry. So I'm gonna do NAILBOMB, man."

Max went on to pick "Vai Toma No Cú" as his favorite NAILBOMB song, explaining that "it's got the HELMET riff, man. The lyrics are, are sick. Yeah, that's one of my favorites to play live. That's gonna be fun."

Regarding the decision to bring NAILBOMB back in 2024, Max told Australia's The Rockpit this past January: "NAILBOMB kind of came out of nowhere. We realized that this is 30 years since 'Point Blank' came out, and it came out the same year as [SEPULTURA's] 'Chaos A.D.' So we thought we'd kind of celebrate also that, because that NAILBOMB record is very special for me. It taught me a lot. It taught me about [how to] be more free in the studio, be less fearful, experiment with different sounds and sonic ideas and not be afraid of technology and industrial elements, [and] actually combine all that. So I carry that NAILBOMB record real close to my heart in many ways. It's a very, very cool record that it has aged very well too. If you put the record on right now, it sounds amazing today as it did [back then]. And the topics are so relevant right now — 'World Of Shit' and 'Religious Cancer' and '24 Hour Bullshit'. It's now, man. It's what the world is at right now. It's crazy that it's more relevant now than when we made the record. So we're gonna work a little bit touring some festivals in Europe with NAILBOMB."

Cavalera went on to say that "Point Blank" is "definitely one of my favorite albums that I was part of. And, yeah, it's cool that in my career, I get to do these things. To me, it's really cool. 'Cause I get to make new music with SOULFLY and KILLER BE KILLED and GO AHEAD AND DIE, which I will do more music with them. But I also get to celebrate some of my old stuff as well. I don't forget about those either, 'cause those are very special. So it's cool. I get to really enjoy all the creative forces in my life and put them into action. Instead of just looking at them as something that just happened in the past and doesn't happen anymore, I get to actually do things with them that makes it exciting to be a musician."

NAILBOMB's lineup for the "Max Cavalera Dynasty Show" included three guitarists, Max, Max's son Igor Amadeus Cavalera and Travis Stone. The three previously took part in the CAVALERA "Third World Trilogy" tour in Europe. Travis is also the guitarist of PIG DESTROYER. Johny Chow, formerly of STONE SOUR, FIREBALL MINISTRY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, handled the bass duties for NAILBOMB. Alex Cha, of PIG DESTROYER, was on sampler and Adam Jarvis, of MISERY INDEX and PIG DESTROYER, bashed the drums.

The sonic love child of Max and Newport, this 1994 one-off album from their NAILBOMB union showcased dense, industrialized heaviness, seething with all-out punk aggression. In 13 tracks, the revered duo — crediting SEPULTURA alumni Andreas Kisser and Igor Cavalera, as well as FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares as players on the final product — managed to make an angry masterpiece that meets in the middle of what both SEPULTURA and FUDGE TUNNEL were doing at the time. But as for the visual representation of "Point Blank", the war-time photo of a Viet Cong woman with a gun to her head proves just as striking as the devastatingly heavy music within its sleeve.

Max told TeamRock in 2016 about "Point Blank": "It's just such a pissed off album. Me and Alex were pissed at everything and decided to make a real fuck-the-world 'hate project.' It is one of the most 'fuck-you' albums of all time; it aims at everything, and destroys everything. So, that'd be cool — to be remembered as a person who came here to fuck shit up, NAILBOMB's perfect!"

Max previously talked about NAILBOMB last November in an interview with Sense Music Media. He said at the time: "I love that record so much. I think 'Point Blank' is by far one of my favorite records of all time. It was just a blast to make it. Of course we really didn't care for anything. We just wanted to make a brutal, pissed off record full of industrial sounds and samplers and riffage. And it's crazy that NAILBOMB is 30 years old next year, and we're actually gonna come and do some festivals in Europe in the summer. It's great. I love it. I think it's one of those records that would be a shame not to play live because it's so good. I don't feel the necessity to re-record the NAILBOMB record, but I feel that live it needs to be played. People need to hear NAILBOMB."

Touching upon the musical and lyrical relevance of the NAILBOMB effort, Max said: "In a weird way, 'Point Blank' was almost prophetic. The stuff we were singing about is what's happening right now in the world, unfortunately. You've got stuff like '24 Hour Bullshit' with media. You have 'Sick Life' with the drug problem. You have 'Guerrillas' with the war in the Ukraine. Even the chorus of 'Guerrillas', it's eerie: 'Away from home, learn to hate, die for the land, fucking waste.' I think that's how those Russian kids must feel like right now going to Ukraine. Yeah, it's a prophetic album that is actually more relevant now than when it first came out. It's crazy."

On February 26, FOREIGNER members Jeff Pilson (bass, backing vocals),Michael Bluestein (keyboards, backing vocals),Bruce Watson (guitar, backing vocals) and Luis Maldonado (lead vocals) came to the KLOS Helpful Honda Rock Room, a top-secret location in the Los Angeles area, for an intimate interview with Nik Carter, followed by a power acoustic set in the radio station's intimate private studio. Video of FOREIGNER's interview and performance can be seen below.

In a November 2024 interview with The Logan Show, Pilson addressed the fact that he and his FOREIGNER bandmates are often dismissed as a glorified cover band, particularly since founding guitarist Mick Jones no longer regularly tours with the act.

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

Joining Jones and Pilson in FOREIGNER's current lineup are Kelly Hansen on vocals, Bluestein on keyboards, Watson on guitar, Chris Frazier on drums and Maldonado on guitar.

After singer Lou Gramm left FOREIGNER in 2003, Jones took some time off before regrouping a couple years later with an entirely new lineup, featuring Hansen and Pilson, among others.

Regarding the criticism the current FOREIGNER lineup faces for not featuring any original members, Pilson said: "Well, the ticket sales sort of speak for themselves. Listen, I understand where people are coming from. I understand it. But I also know that with FOREIGNER, the songs are really the legacy. And so my job, as musical director, is to make sure that the songs sound and deliver in a way that they should. And I think I'm doing my job because… Yes, there are haters online — of course — but I think there's not as many as you might think. I think their voices are louder than the amount of people doing it, because the ticket sales do speak for themselves and the offers from promoters speak for themselves. We are very well established as FOREIGNER right now. So, again, if people don't wanna come because there's no original members, that's okay. I understand that. But if you wanna come and hear FOREIGNER songs done really, really well, come to our show."

Elaborating on what being FOREIGNER's musical director entails, Jeff said: "Well, yes, I decide the setlist. And, listen, it's an easy job in the respect that everybody's a great musician, everybody listens. I mean, that's how you got to be in the band, is 'cause you were gonna fill that position well. So it's not like I have to ride herd on anybody, but I have to listen and I have to make sure, 'Hey, don't get too carried away doing this' or 'let's keep the vocals tight on this thing.' Yeah, I have to kind of ongoingly do that, but it's a very easy job because we all have the same vision and that's the biggest part of it. So, again, I kind of think of it as an easy job, but I take it very seriously. And it's very important to me that the delivery we give to people is a hundred percent. And I feel like we do that every night. So, I'm very, very confident in what we do."

Pilson also talked about FOREIGNER's announcement that it was extending its farewell tour and including a celebration of the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction.

Asked how long he thinks the FOREIGNER farewell tour will continue on, Pilson said: "Well, when we first decided — we did at one point think that this was gonna be the end of the road, and then the pressure just got too great. And then with the Rock Hall, it just became obvious that we had to continue… that maybe we're gonna not do the long nine-and-ten-months-of-the-year road stuff anymore. And that's kind of what we mean by a farewell tour. We always anticipated that in 2025 we'd be doing other things, like perhaps getting some new music out, and we came to the acceptance that we were gonna be doing shows in 2025 during the course of the year; we came to accept that. Now we're realizing, okay, it's gonna be more than we thought. It's not a nine-and-10-month-of-the-year tour, though. So in that sense, the farewell of that has happened. But how long do I see it going? I see it going a while with the momentum that we've established. So, I would not be surprised if we continue well past '25."

FOREIGNER was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on October 19, 2024. Singer Lou Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Rick Wills were present to accept the award, while Jones and drummer Dennis Elliott sat out the ceremony. (Jones's daughter, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, was on hand to help accept the award.) Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi died in 2022 and 2014, respectively.

In a new interview with Rodrigo Altaf of Sonic Perspectives, Don Airey, the master behind the keys for some of rock's most iconic albums, was asked if he has any plans to write a memoir at some point. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm always writing a book, but it's always halfway through because my career keeps going on. But this year's the year I'm gonna finish it. So, probably towards the end of this year it should be [completed]. I've got a few titles."

Regarding what approach he will take with his book, Don said: "It's gonna be lighthearted rather than doom and gloom. [It will include] the funny bits. There's been some incredibly funny things [that] happened to me.

"I feel I've been very lucky, looking back, to be around so many very talented people," he explained. "They've really helped me along."

Airey will release a new solo album, "Pushed To The Edge", on March 28 via earMUSIC.

As one of the most recorded keyboardists of all time, with over 300 albums featuring his unmistakable sound, Airey's skills have been valued by nearly every rock 'n' roll superstar. The list includes legendary artists and bands such as Ozzy Osbourne, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, JUDAS PRIEST, Gary Moore, Brian May, JETHRO TULL, BLACK SABBATH, and, of course, DEEP PURPLE, the band Airey has been a full-time member of for over 20 years. After last year's success, when DEEP PURPLE secured their fourth consecutive No. 1 album with "=1" and a subsequent global tour, Airey kicks off 2025 with the same energy in his solo work.

Joining Airey on the new album is an all-star lineup featuring Carl Sentance (NAZARETH) and Mitchell Emms ("The Voice UK") on vocals, DEEP PURPLE guitarist Simon McBride, drummer Jon Finnigan, and bassist Dave Marks. Produced in the finest hard rock tradition, "Pushed To The Edge" is a raw gem — crafted without tricks or shortcuts, staying true to the pure musicianship of world-class artists.

Last September, Airey told Roppongi Rocks' Stefan Nilsson about his plans to release a new solo album: "Well, I've always kept the solo… I had my own band. That's how we found Simon, 'cause Simon became part of my band, and a very big part of it. We started writing together, and it was a very good partnership. And I always had it in my head, 'If Steve [Morse, former DEEP PURPLE guitarist] decides to leave PURPLE, we won't have to look very far for someone.'"

Photo credit: Franz Schepers

In a new interview with Premier Guitar, former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman once again addressed his unconventional picking style which sees his right hand held at an angle. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I never really had proper instruction, so when I started off, I just did what came naturally, and it stayed that way. No one said, 'Dude, you're doing it wrong.' And there really is no wrong way. But usually, if you go to a teacher, they'll kind of steer you in a sort of common way to play. But no one did that, and it just never changed. But it's not something that I think people should analyze or study because it has little to nothing to do with my playing. All my playing is about [is] how long I'm extending notes and note choices and motifs and melody, harmony, all that stuff. It has really nothing to do with this. This just looks kind of lame."

Back in 2023, Friedman told producer and YouTuber Rick Beato that an unconventional picking method shouldn't be an issue, as long as it works for the person playing.

"The true answer is it doesn't matter," he said at the time. "The only thing that matters is note choice and interpretation, and what happened before and after, and what's going under and over — that's all that matters. How it [the sound of your guitar] gets out there, [and] however you get it out there isn't anybody's business. But I've made my living from people asking me how my right hand works. And I honestly don't know, 'cause it's been that way forever, but what I can say is I don't like the sound of muted notes, so if you have your right hand like say I do… it's all clear, you know? It's different. You interpret the notes, and by keeping my hand this way, I'm letting the string ring to its fullest, and then you get to hear more of the pitch, more of the intended note and everything."

Friedman kicked off his "Live Drama 2025" U.S. tour on January 25 at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The former MEGADETH guitarist's latest solo album, "Drama", came out last May via Frontiers Music Srl.

Recorded in Italy, "Drama" showcases Marty's unique touch, for the first time using both vintage and modern guitars, delivering a pure delight for lovers of music everywhere. From the captivating first single "Illumination", to the album's breathtaking "Mirage" and 10 other emotionally charged mini-symphonies, Marty paints atmospheric elements with a modern and exotic flair, promising an unforgettable musical experience.

Marty's presence in the world of music, the world of guitar and Japanese pop culture is mystifying, bizarre, and nothing short of inspiring. His first major impact in music was in the game-changing guitar duo CACOPHONY, which he founded with equally enigmatic and now-legendary guitarist Jason Becker. He then spent 10 years as lead guitarist in the genre-defining thrash metal act MEGADETH before moving to Tokyo due to his love for Japanese music, language, and culture.

Following his move, he landed a starring role for a new TV comedy "Hebimeta-san" ("Mr. Heavy Metal") and its spinoff, "Rock Fujiyama", which ran for six seasons and propelled him into the living rooms of Japan's mainstream. He has since appeared in over 800 TV shows, movies and commercials, including a two-year campaign with Coca-Cola for Fanta, authored two best-selling novels and was the first-ever foreigner to be appointed as an ambassador of Japan heritage and perform at the opening ceremony for the Tokyo Marathon.

At the same time, Marty has continued his career in music with several solo albums in addition to writing and performing with the top artists in Japanese music, racking up countless chart hits, including a No. 1 with SMAP, two No. 2 songs with MOMOIRO CLOVER, a No. 2 with SOUND HORIZON — just to name a few.

Friedman's autobiography, "Dreaming Japanese", arrived on December 3, 2024 via Permuted Press.