In a new interview with Shawn Ratches of Laughingmonkeymusic, EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter Gary Holt spoke about the various guitar-related injuries he has sustained over the course of playing the instrument for more than four decades. The 60-year-old San Francisco Bay Area-based musician said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "You get 60 years old, you're dealing with arthritis and your fingers hurt. And I had to go through personal therapy for my elbows. I had chronic tennis elbow in both arms. I had so many cortisone injections I can't count and I basically fried and shredded my tendons and I couldn't even play at all."

Asked when this happened, Holt said: "Well, it was during [my years of touring with] SLAYER, before the end. I just started developing some right-elbow pain, and then shortly after, the left elbow decided it wanted to join the party. And I got a cortisone injection. That was great for six months. And then, fast forward a couple of years of that, every six months getting a needle stuck in each elbow to keep it going, and then finally, it got so bad by the time I finished [recording EXODUS's latest album, 2021's] 'Persona Non Grata' and after tracking [the song] 'The Beatings Will Continue', that's when I kind of blew out the right one. And then I'd play and my elbows would lock up, like they'd almost get stuck. And I went and got MRIs. And I have a friend who's a San Francisco Giants team hand surgeon, and he looked at my MRIs and said I look like someone who's been throwing 99-miles-an-hour fastballs for fucking their whole life, like shredding. And it looked initially like I needed Tommy John surgery [which involves replacing the torn ligament with a tendon from elsewhere in the body or from the cadaver], where they fucking replace the cadaverous things in there. But then he sent them to their elbow guy, and he said, 'No, he can avoid surgery, but he needs never again cortisone shots and just physical therapy.' So I did a lot of work with one-pound weights and stuff. And I got back. Occasionally I'll get a little tender, but you put a bag of ice on it. Don't put a needle in it… I keep stretching. You've gotta do all this shit to stretch that fascia that runs through everything. And my fingers, my left knuckles sometimes really hurt. It's getting old. We've been repetitive motion injuries our whole lives, basically."

Holt went on to say that even guitarists who are considered the masters of downpicking — like METALLICA frontman James Hetfield — "cheat" at those parts. "We all cheat," he said. "We're fucking 60 years old. I also say James is the undisputed GOAT, he's the greatest of all time, and even he cheats live."

He explained: "James is still the best ever, but you watch that middle downpick section in '[Welcome Home] (Sanitarium)', which is just brutal, and they add some chunks in there, and those chunks give you all the break you need to keep going. It's a cheat. It doesn't mean he's not the best."

Holt previously discussed his picking-hand technique, in particular the downpicking technique that helped define thrash metal as a genre, during a July 2023 question-and-answer session at Diablo Guitars in Seattle. He said at the time: "Right-hand picking, it's an art form. It's more important to me than anything else, [more important than] soloing shit. If someone said, 'You can play rhythm for the rest of your life or leads and be really good at one and terrible at the other' — get rid of the solos. I don't care. It's all about the riffs."

He continued: "It's all about learning how to apply maximum velocity with technique still. And as I get older, things are harder for me to do. I've suffered through really horrific tennis elbow on both arms, like countless cortisone injections and arthritis and all that. So certain things are slow, but you learn to cheat."

Holt added: "Everybody cheats — even Hetfield cheats, and he's the best of all time. When you see a guy in the middle of a downpick, baddest riff ever, and he throws in one of these [slides down the fretboard], sometimes that's the reset. That's all you need. We all cheat. And he's the best that ever lived to do it. And he sings at the same time, which is fucking ridiculous. I can't sing and play at all. Not at all. I mean, I'd lose it. One of 'em's gotta go."

Circling back to his own "cheating" with downpicking, Holt said, "But my cheat is like a down-up-down-down… And that little up and down, also live, allows me to rock really hard when I do it. If I wanna really just all downpick a part, sometimes I've gotta, like, kind of not move too much. And I'd rather move."

Last month it was announced that EXODUS had parted ways with singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and had been rejoined by Rob Dukes.

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

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

EXODUS recently announced two very special "Bonded By Blood" 40th-anniversary shows, falling upon late original vocalist Paul Baloff's birthday weekend (April 25). Taking place in Berkeley, California on Friday, April 25 at UC Theatre and Anaheim, California on Saturday, April 26 at House of Blues, the shows will feature EXODUS performing "Bonded By Blood" in its entirety, plus more hits, and each show will feature direct support from DEATH ANGEL. BLIND ILLUSION and NUKEM will open the Berkeley date, and HIRAX and NUKEM will open the Anaheim date. Special-edition "Bonded By Blood" merchandise will also be available.

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

Hachette Books has set an April 1, 2025 release date for Holt's upcoming memoir, "A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way". The foreword for the book was written by former EXODUS and current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett.

Holt joined EXODUS in 1981, shortly after the band's formation, and has been the group's main songwriter ever since. Holt has performed on every EXODUS album, and is considered highly influential in the world of thrash metal.

Holt began filling in for SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman at live shows in 2011, and became the band's full-time co-guitarist as of 2013, while remaining a member of EXODUS. Holt played on SLAYER's final album, "Repentless", which came out in 2015.

In a new interview with Primordial Radio, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach spoke about how he and his bandmates find a balance between pleasing their fans but also challenging themselves to achieve something that they've never done before. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's important to be satisfied within yourself. I think bands can fall into the trap of pleasing the audience too much. I think what makes a band great is when they hone their creativity and you lead your fans in a direction. I think it's dangerous — you can run the risk of becoming a nostalgia act if you play too much to the audience, 'cause sometimes the audience doesn't know what they want until they hear something different. And then they're, like, 'Oh, that's unexpected. That's pretty cool. I didn't see that coming. And I actually really like that.' So for me, bands that I'm a fan of, when they turn a bit of a corner and go into another direction, I'm, like, 'That's all right. Let's sit with this.' Oftentimes the different things become my favorite, because I'm so used to a certain sound."

Referencing a press release accompanying KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's new album, "This Consequence", in which guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz declared that "the goal is to make the fans happy", Jesse said: "I know what Adam says in that sentiment, 'cause we do care very much about our fanbase, and they do sort of, especially live, lead us. If they're in a good place and the audience is great, naturally the show is gonna be really good. But I think with records and your style and your sound, you need to be careful with pleasing somebody and then sort of internally being satisfied artistically to know that you're doing something that feels genuine. It doesn't feel forced into a corner because, 'Oh, this is the KILLSWITCH sound.' For me, it's exciting to push that. And we're not going too far outside of the confines [on 'This Consequence'] — it's not like we wrote a black metal song straight up or a death metal song straight up — you're still getting the elements that you've gotten used to where you're gonna have a message, you're gonna have some melody here. I think it all sort of still is in a comfortable place for most fans."

"This Consequence" came out on February 21 via Metal Blade. It is KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's ninth LP overall, and sixth with Leach, who rejoined the band in 2012.

"This Consequence" is the follow-up to "Atonement", which was released in August 2019 via Metal Blade Records in the U.S. and Sony Music Entertainment in the rest of the world. The disc featured guest appearances by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones and TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy.

Leach previously stated about "This Consequence": "Making this record lit a fire under my ass and made me rethink everything. It had to be next level. It had to be different enough for people to really recognize we're putting forth an effort — or what's the point of doing this? There was no repeating ourselves. It was very carefully planned out and passionately written. It sounds like KILLSWITCH yet there's also a fresh spirit to it."

In 2002, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's "Alive Or Just Breathing" album sent shockwaves through the culture, claiming a spot on Decibel's "The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums Of All Time." They generated north of three billion streams and picked up gold and platinum plaques for "The End Of Heartache" and "As Day Light Dies", respectively. They notably received three Grammy Award nominations for "Best Metal Performance" and cracked the Top 10 on the Billboard 200 with a trio of consecutive releases: "Killswitch Engage" (2009),"Disarm The Descent" (2013) and "Incarnate" (2016). Meanwhile, 2019's "Atonement" represented a critical high watermark with praise from Forbes, Revolver and NME, who christened it "one of the most engaged and exciting records that KILLSWITCH has ever made." The guys have not only packed houses on repeated successful headline tours across the globe, but they have consistently held their own sharing bills with acts from IRON MAIDEN, SLIPKNOT and SLAYER to MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, RISE AGAINST and COHEED AND CAMBRIA.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will embark on a headline tour in March 2025. It's their first tour of North America since late 2022. The trek will feature support from KUBLAI KHAN TX, FIT FOR A KING and FROZEN SOUL, and will kick off on March 5 in Nashville and runs through April 12 in Portland, Maine.

In a new interview with Belgian Jasper, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie spoke about his band's status as one of the leaders of the so-called "progressive metal" genre. Asked what, in his opinion, it means to be a "progressive metal" band, James said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When you're a progressive band, you have the freedom of going anywhere you wanna go musically. There's no constraints. You can bust open whatever the hell you want that will support what you feel is exactly your goal or where you wanna go musically at that particular moment. So there's no barriers when you're a progressive band. And you're able to also show this virtuosity that encompasses most progressive bands because there's a little bit more musicianship going on. And you're able to be a storyteller in a deeper, more profound sense. So that's it. And the 'metal' [part of it] is something… We've always been — each and every one of us… If you listen to a band like RUSH and all the earlier albums, they had that edge, they had that aggressiveness, but they could still be progressive and amazing storytellers. Or growing up, listening to bands like LED ZEPPELIN and DEEP PURPLE and IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA, well, that's gonna bring in all these things that are a more aggressive stance and hitting you over the head with something that just really gives you that adrenaline rush, and it's aggressive and heavy and dark. So we encompass all. And that's who we are. So that's why we were given this title, the 'progressive metal giants like DREAM THEATER'. And it's, like, 'Okay.' So it is true because we do incorporate all of those elements. And it's a beautiful, I think, marriage because it just allows you to even be that much more expressive musically. You don't just have to be all this progressive band, period, that, oh, if you get a little too heavy, it's, like, 'Whoa, man, that's not like them.' That's always been who and what we are, which is a beautiful thing because, once again, it's just absolute freedom of being able to push the envelope as far as we want."

LaBrie was also asked about other progressive metal bands who sometimes paint themselves into a corner by trying to sound too much like DREAM THEATER or other groups with a similar style. He said: "I think, first of all, it's flattering when you're hearing these bands do this, but I think what a lot of bands fall prey to is they overthink it. And it's really that simple. So they're going, 'Well, if we're gonna be somewhat like that, then, oh, hear what they did here, and this is exactly what we should be doing right now,' instead of just letting themselves go, 'Wait a minute. Why do we have to be so specific as to thinking that this is the way that the song has to be in order for us to be looked upon the same way that DREAM THEATER or anybody else, for that matter, is looked upon that has been given some credit?' But in the way that you can give it even more credence of who and what you are, it's just listen to yourself and don't worry about where it goes. And if you do have those elements that encompass both progressive and metal, but it's done sincerely and genuinely, then you know what? It's gonna resonate that much more or more deeper with the listener because it's true. There's no pretentious air to it or there's no phonyism. And then it just makes you more disingenuous, when you start to try, because now you're being scientific. You're not being just somebody that has — you're this conduit that's taking out of yourself something that you felt, something that you heard or whatever, and you're trying to put it down so that it's something that will ultimately bring you closer to your fans or listeners, whoever happens to come by it. And I think that's what it is, is they're overthinking or overanalyzing where they have to go and they've forgotten to listen to themselves as a musician."

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 drummer Mike Portnoy's return to the lineup, joining LaBrie, bassist John Myung, guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan 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".

Image credit: DeadMike.com

In a new interview with Ralph Rasmussen of Radio Bypass, TESLA bassist Brian Wheat spoke about the possibility of him and his bandmates releasing a full-length album as a follow-up to 2019's "Shock". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't think so. And the reason I say 'no' is it takes so much time. And TESLA works a certain way. TESLA works by us all being in the room together. We're scattered all over the world, for one. We do 60 to 75 shows a year. There's that. We've been doing it for 40 years. There's that. It's hard to find the time to get together and say, 'Okay, we need to dedicate…' Like 'Shock', the last record we did, that took a year of our lives. We were doing it on the road. And we also had Phil Collen [of DEF LEPPARD] kind of spearheading it and keeping it organized. We have a hard time keeping organized within ourselves, because it's a different thing. So, I don't wanna spend a year of TESLA's life with a band that's on their 40th year when TESLA could be out playing to people."

Wheat went on to say that there is a practical reason TESLA's touring days may be numbered.

"When Jeff [Keith, TESLA singer] can't sing to the level he does now, there won't be TESLA," Brian explained. "I'm not up for getting an Arnel [Pineda-style soundalike] character or you know somebody else to sing with TESLA. Jeff's voice is TESLA. I'm not diminishing Frank [Hannon, TESLA guitarist], I'm not diminishing myself or former TESLA drummer] Troy [Luccketta] or [former TESLA guitarist] Tommy [Skeoch] or [TESLA guitarist] Dave [Rude], but that voice is the sound of TESLA, even though some people might disagree.

"I mean, listen, [TESLA] could have another bass player tomorrow," Wheat added. "It wouldn't fucking matter. You can't have another singer — not that singer. Not at that point — not 40 years down the line, you don't bring in somebody else because [Jeff] can't sing. I think when he can't sing anymore, we owe it to ourselves and to the fans to call it a day. And then at that point, you can go into the studio, if you wanna make a record, like THE BEATLES did, where you can do things and still make a record that sounds great.

"We pride ourselves in TESLA being able to play very well live," Brian said. "When people [tell us], 'You guys sound better than your records,' we wear like a proud badge. If we can't do that, there's no point in doing it. So, that's part of the reason why TESLA won't make a brand new record. We're older, people have families, there's lots of things. And we made — what? — 14 albums? And so with that you'll see maybe two or three singles a year. And we can do that. That's doable for us. Me and Jeff were just together last week — he was here in Florida and we were working on a couple of things that are gonna be for the next TESLA project to come out. And I don't wanna talk about it 'cause I don't wanna give it away. So I'm not gonna say what it is or whatever. But there's some more new TESLA stuff coming out this year. Plus TESLA tour dates. So TESLA is still doing everything TESLA's always done, just not making a whole brand new record."

When Rasmussen noted that 2026 will mark the 40th anniversary of TESLA's debut album, "Mechanical Resonance", and that it would be "cool" for the band to commemorate the occasion in some way, Wheat concurred. "Yes, there's talk of a 40th-anniversary tour of that album, and I can't really say what that is, but it would be a big tour that we'd be a part of," he said. "Just think there's some other bands that have 40th anniversaries of their big, huge records same time. So there's talk maybe of something like that with a particular band, both celebrating a 40-year anniversary together. And there's a few bands. But we're just talking a little bit about it. That's all. These things on paper always look good, and then when you try to put all the moving parts together, nine out of ten times they fall through. So, will we do something special on the 40th anniversary of 'Mechanical Resonance'? Yes. Don't know what, but there will be something. To do another album, full-length album? Again, it's 2025, you're asking me to spend all 2026 making a record. And the other thing is, the band can't afford to be off the road for a year. I know people think, 'Oh, you're in a rock band. You sold millions of records. You must be filthy rich.' Not the case. TESLA earns their living by going out and playing."

Earlier this month, TESLA released the official music video for the electric version of "All About Love", the title track of the band's latest six-song EP, "All About Love".

Released last November, "All About Love" includes four versions of "All About Love" (acoustic, electric, hybrid, live); a live version of "Walk Away", a concert favorite from "Reel To Real, Vol. 1"; and another new song, "From The Heart", an instrumental track by guitarist Frank Hannon.

Some fans criticized TESLA for adopting a 1980s-style polished production for "Shock". The follow-up to June 2014's "Simplicity" was helmed by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, whose own group is no stranger to slicked-up, glossy-sounding recordings.

In September 2023, TESLA released the official music video for its cover of AEROSMITH's "S.O.S. (Too Bad)". The song is a bonus track on TESLA's live album, "Full Throttle Live!", which arrived in May 2023. The LP includes the band's "Time To Rock!" single, plus other songs, all recorded in August 2022 at Full Throttle Saloon in Sturgis, South Dakota.

In September 2021, original TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta announced that he would "take a little time from the road" to spend with family and friends. He has since been replaced at TESLA's gigs and in the recording studio by Steve Brown, the younger brother of former DOKKEN drummer Mick Brown.

TESLA's debut album, 1986's "Mechanical Resonance", went platinum on the strength of the hits "Modern Day Cowboy" and "Little Suzi". The 1989 follow-up album, "The Great Radio Controversy", produced five hits, including "Heaven's Trail (No Way Out)" and "Love Song", which hit the pop Top Ten.

Last November, Canadian rockers THREE DAYS GRACE released "Mayday", their first single since the return of original frontman Adam Gontier. The 46-year-old musician, who left THREE DAYS GRACE in 2013, is sharing lead vocals in the band's new lineup with singer Matt Walst, who has fronted THREE DAYS GRACE for the past decade.

In a new interview with Nik Nocturnal, Adam was asked how it feels to be back in THREE DAYS GRACE after such a long absence. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I think more excitement than anything, man. 'Cause it's just been so long. And it just felt like the right time — it felt like the right time for everybody. So, yeah, just excitement and kind of ready to go."

He continued: "It took a little while to connect with the guys and do a couple shows together, a couple things, but, yeah — just more excitement than anything, and definitely some nostalgia, obviously. But, yeah, I think everybody's really, really excited about this next chapter. It's gonna be quite the year, I think."

Regarding the prospect of sharing lead vocals with Matt in THREE DAYS GRACE's new lineup, Adam said: "Yeah, I was just talking with somebody about that. We got sort of — not lucky, but our voices do blend really well together. And we've noticed it obviously way more now with making the record and recording and all this stuff that, yeah, our voices really blend well. Yeah, so we're fortunate for that, that it's working out the way we had hoped."

Gontier added: "It's been great, man. It's cool. Matt grew up with the band. He's Brad's [Walst, THREE DAYS GRACE bassist] little brother, and I knew Matt from when he was just a little guy. So I think for them it was a natural fit to get him to take my spot there. And, yeah, now [we're just, like] — let's do it together."

Asked how he and Matt delegate the vocal responsibilities on THREE DAYS GRACE's new material, including "Mayday", Adam said: "Yeah, that's what we've been doing. I mean, we're all sort of writing the new stuff together, so we've been sitting in a room together, coming up with all this material and stuff… We're in a room together and coming up with all that stuff… But yeah, I think the recording of vocals, who's gonna sing what and where, it's come pretty natural. There's certain parts that we both now know, like, 'It might make more sense for me to sing this part or you to sing this part.' And at the same time, working with a couple of different producers on stuff, we did get some guys that would have some good input and just a good idea of what to do with two singers, 'cause it hasn't really been done before — not in this world. So we wanna make sure we're doing it right. So getting an outside point of view from a producer or something to put his two cents on where the guys should go and that sort of thing, that's helped out a lot too. But, yeah, in general, it's been pretty seamless. The whole thing has been really easy to navigate through."

"Mayday" was produced by Zakk Cervini and Dan Lancaster with vocal production by Howard Benson. In addition, the band released an epic CiRCUS HEaD-directed visual to accompany the track which can be found below.

In a December 2024 interview with "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Adam was asked if "Mayday" is a good representation of the material that will eventually appear on THREE DAYS GRACE's next studio album. He responded: "I think it's pretty close. Yeah, we've been doing a lot of writing and we've got lots of songs done and we're pretty close to finishing an album.

"I think it was pretty important for us to sort of get some elements in these songs that were super classic THREE DAYS GRACE with some newer elements as well," he explained. "So I think 'Mayday' is a good representation of that. It's a pretty heavy song, but it's got everything else that we wanted to have in there. So, yeah, I think it's pretty close."

Asked if there was ever any doubt "Mayday" would be the first song to introduce this iteration of the band, Matt said: "We found with 'Mayday' — we listened to, obviously, our ideas and our songs a lot, and with 'Mayday', we kind of all found we never got sick of it. Personally, too, I listened to it over and over again, and I didn't get sick of it. And it takes you on this kind of journey throughout it, and it's not super predictable. And, yeah, [we] just found it was fresh."

Matt also talked about how the idea for having two singers in THREE DAYS GRACE came about. He said: "I think one day I just talked to my brother Brad about it and was, like, 'It'd be sick if Adam came back. And we could both sing, and I can sing the songs of the past 10 years and Adam can even sing a few of those too.' And yeah, it just seems like a new life to breathe into THREE DAYS GRACE and to make it exciting, like the early days or just to freshen it up and, yeah, make it exciting."

In November, THREE DAYS GRACE drummer Neil Sanderson told 100.3 The X Rocks about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's next LP:  "We're feeling pretty good because the [new THREE DAYS GRACE full-length] record's almost done. We've got stuff that we still need to record, but we're kind of in a position where if a new song comes along and it beats out one of the songs that we have, then cool. So, that's relieved a bit of pressure. It's not like we're sitting here with a single coming out and we don't have a record ready. It's pretty well ready to go. But waking it up every day, and, 'Okay, what's the task at hand?' If you look at it, like, 'Oh my God. We're going on a world tour next year. We've gotta finish the record right now. We need to figure out everything for what's going to happen live and rehearsals, then it kind of gets a little freaky, but we wake up and go, 'Okay, what can we do today? Let's do something,' whether that's… We're working on some video components for the show and we've got some new songs that we're excited about and just picking away at everything. We don't take weekends off and we might have to skip Christmas. But other than that… [Laughs]"

Asked if he and his THREE DAYS GRACE bandmates knew instantly that "Mayday" would be the first single from the new LP, Neil said: "I think the biggest question mark for us was just how it was gonna work with where each singer was gonna go and who was gonna sound sing what. We weren't really sure how that was gonna play out. But once we started just doing it and we were in a studio and we could just, like, 'Hey, try this. Try that,' and they started singing together and then they started working as two vocalists to map out how things make sense and are meaningful with who sings what where, once we realized that that was gonna be organic in nature and just it made sense and it created a new depth for this band, especially after 22 years of being out, that was when we kind of let go of the wheel in a way. In a way, we just kind of, 'Let's let it happen.' And so most of the songs were like that, where the guys kind of had a plan on where everything, how the puzzle pieces were gonna fit together."

Regarding what was different about the recording process this time around, Sanderson said: "Well, I definitely will say that we've kind of really leaned into being able to record and to collaborate remotely. And I think we got trained on that during COVID. And there's a lot of new studio technologies that it literally feels like you're in the same room together and you're recording together even though you're thousands of miles apart. So that was a big one.

"We put out a record called 'Explosions' just after COVID," he continued. "So that record was pretty well, almost exclusively done remotely. So we had that tool on our belt. And then I think when it was the notion that, just leaning into the fact that Matt and Adam just have really unique voices in their own right. And let's kind of hone in on those strengths and they don't need to sound like each other. I make the PINK FLOYD reference. Sometimes Roger Waters kind of has that frantic energy when he sings, and [David] Gilmour kind of has a bit more of a crooner kind of [delivery]. A lot of the time Gilmour would sing about stuff, like, 'Hey, everything's gonna be okay,' and then Waters would come in and be, like, 'Ah, no, it's not. And so that realization, that we can do that, and that creates the new level instead of trying to sound like each other or make it one thing, that was really freeing. It was really freeing in the studio to be able to know that we could do that."

In a separate interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Neil stated about Adam's return to THREE DAYS GRACE: "We had been talking and we've kept in touch. And the band was just talking about, like, how great would this be for us and for the fans and for the nostalgia of THREE DAYS GRACE. And then he got up on stage with us [for a guest appearance], and then we just thought, 'Let's make something new. Let's sit down and write a song.' And once we kind of got into that songwriting process, it just felt really natural and it felt right. And I think for the fans, we're giving them something that we haven't done before and hasn't really been done much in the past."

He continued: "At the end of the day, THREE DAYS GRACE, we're family. In fact, as you may know, Matt, one of our singers, is Brad's brother. And he kind of grew up around THREE DAYS GRACE and then slipped into the position. But we're really guitar heavy — we've got a lot of guitars going on and stuff — and those guys [Adam and Matt] both play guitar. So it's gonna be great to have another guitar on stage, too, as well as two singers. So it opens up the door for us to do a lot of things that we might not have been able to do before."

On the topic of the "Mayday" video, Neil said: "It was a really fun video to make. It was kind of especially cool for me because very rarely as a drummer do you get to make a video where you don't have to fake playing drums all day. [Laughs] And so, yeah, complete melee goes on on the plane. And it's kind of an analogy to just feeling like we're hurling through life at warp speed, and sometimes it doesn't feel like there is a pilot that's in control of things. But it's also a bit of a celebration, like, 'Hey, if we're going down, we're all going down together.'"

THREE DAYS GRACE teased a reunion with Gontier less than five months ago by posting a voicemail message in which Adam told Matt that he would "be at the studio soon, if you can just let everybody know."

Gontier said about his return to THREE DAYS GRACE: "I feel like it's been seamless, better than we were expecting. It's like we got back in a room together and picked up where we left off. We have been friends for so long, it's kind of natural to get back in the room together."

Walst added: "It's been so much fun and inspiring making this record. Combining over 20 years of THREE DAYS GRACE and doing something that no band has ever done. I'm excited for the fans to hear it!"

In April 2023, Gontier reunited with THREE DAYS GRACE onstage during the band's concert in Huntsville, Alabama. Gontier rejoined his former bandmates when they opened for SHINEDOWN at the Probst Arena At The Von Braun Center to perform two classic songs from THREE DAYS GRACE's 2006 album "One-X": "Never Too Late" and "Riot".

THREE DAYS GRACE later shared a post-performance photo with Gontier on social media and wrote in an accompanying message: "Soooo we did a thing."

In July 2022, Gontier said that a reunion with his former bandmates was "likely" to happen "down the road at some point." The Canadian-born musician made his comments just a couple of weeks after he, Brad and Matt were inducted into the Norwood District High School Hall Of Honor in Norwood, Ontario.

Asked in an interview with Rock Feed if he would be open to working with THREE DAYS GRACE again now that he appears to be on good terms with his former bandmates, Gontier said: "You know what? Yeah. I mean, for sure. We've all grown up. It's been a while. There's no hard feelings or anything like that. We're all in touch now and we talk and text and stuff. We haven't really talked about doing anything — not yet anyway — but I feel like something like that is most likely down the road at some point," he added.

When interviewer Brian Storm noted that Adam's reunion with THREE DAYS GRACE would be a "big" deal, Gontier said, "And it would be a lot of fun." Storm then reiterated that the reunion would be "very big," to which Adam said: "Probably would be. You never know, man. We haven't really talked about it. But, yeah, I guess we'll see."

Earlier in July 2022, Brad Walst spoke about reconnecting with Gontier at the Norwood District High School event in an interview with Tommy Carroll of the 97.9 WGRD radio station. He said: "It's funny 'cause the high school's been calling us for years. And, obviously, we've all had kind of different schedules, and Adam's been doing his thing and we've been doing our thing. And until recently, to be honest, we hadn't really spoken that much — we'd text and stuff. But Adam's moved back to the area, and he's got a great family and a great wife. And we've all kind of been chatting and hanging out. Yeah, I called him and just said, 'They want the three of us' — they want Matt, Adam and myself. And everyone agreed, and it was, like, 'Okay, let's do this.' So it was pretty cool to see [our] high school, where you grew up… It's nice to be acknowledged."

He continued: "It's funny, 'cause I texted Adam, 'You made the Hall Of Fame.' He's, like, 'Yup. Straight-B student.' [Laughs] But I think just having us together in that room was way more powerful, for sure. So it was a pretty cool feeling."

In 1992, Gontier, Brad Walst, Phil Crowe, Neil Sanderson and Joe Grant formed GROUNDSWELL while most of the members were still in high school. That band broke up in 1995, but two years later Gontier, Sanderson and Walst reformed as THREE DAYS GRACE. Gontier left the band in 2013 and was replaced by Matt, the vocalist from another Norwood band, MY DARKEST DAYS.

In a 2007 interview with The Oklahoman, Gontier said that he met some of his first bandmates while they were freshmen at Norwood District High School.

"I ended up hooking up with Brad because we had the same love of music," Gontier said. "He didn't play anything at the time. I suggested him getting a bass, and he did."

Gontier said that Canadian bands, including THE TRAGICALLY HIP and OUR LADY PEACE were early influences, along with the Seattle rock scene, particularly the group SUNNY DAY REAL ESTATE.

Gontier initially went into rehab in 2005 in Toronto after admitting an addiction to Oxycontin. The rehab stint influenced some material which would appear on THREE DAYS GRACE's "One-X" album, including the songs "Pain" and "Over And Over".

Gontier left THREE DAYS GRACE in the spring of 2013. At the time, the Canadian rockers cited unspecified "health issues" when his departure was announced. Adam later released a statement explaining he exited THREE DAYS GRACE to pursue new projects, and not to deal with addiction.

Gontier is currently a member of SAINT ASONIA, which also features STAIND guitarist/founding member Mike Mushok. The quartet is rounded out by Cale Gontier (bass) and Cody Watkins (drums).

THREE DAYS GRACE's latest album, "Explosions", was released in May 2022 via RCA Records.

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, Udo Dirkschneider and his son Sven Dirkschneider spoke about the upcoming reimagining of ACCEPT's iconic album "Balls To The Wall" to celebrate the LP's 40th anniversary. The band's founding member and former frontman has reinterpreted this classic with a fresh and star-studded twist. Far from a simple remake, this project was born out of countless conversations with prominent artists across the global rock and metal scene, who frequently asked: "Are you planning anything special for the 40th anniversary of 'Balls To The Wall'?" These discussions sparked the idea to re-record the album's legendary tracks alongside a stellar lineup of guest musicians, transforming the project into a heartfelt tribute.

Asked if there were any "complications" with ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann and ACCEPT's management about releasing a reimagined version of "Balls To The Wall", Udo said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No… Everybody can record [their own version of] the 'Balls' album, if they don't change arrangements or stuff like that. You can do that, my brother can do it, my sister, whatever — you don't have to ask."

He continued: "No, about this, there was no communication [with Wolf]. In a way, with Peter [Baltes, former ACCEPT bassist and current member of U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER] and with me singing and playing on this album, and, of course, a third member of ACCEPT, [former ACCEPT drummer] Stefan Kaufmann, was behind the scenes. He was very much involved in recording the drums and showed Sven how he had to play ACCEPT songs right. [Stefan] was [also] very much involved in guitar stuff — he was sitting together with the guitar players and told them, okay, how they had to play the rhythm guitars exactly, that it's getting nearly perfect. Stefan, he was a member of U.D.O. — I don't know — for a long time. And I know he's a really brilliant rhythm guitar player. He's a machine. And also Stefan is definitely a guy, he's really critical."

Added Sven, who plays drums in both U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER: "Stefan will always tell you if he doesn't like something. He will tell you right away. And he's very straightforward. So if he doesn't like something, when we record, he's very straightforward as well. So, that makes it more productive because you don't have to see what the guy's actually meaning, and is he telling me the truth? Is he just saying this is good, but he thinks it's bad or whatever? So it makes it easier in the studio, but also you have to face facts. If he doesn't like something, then you have to keep up with it and say, 'Okay, I will have to do it better.' So it was very productive working with Stefan. I was nervous when I recorded the drums because I had the original [ACCEPT drummer] sitting there on the mixing desk recording my tracks. But, yeah, it was really cool to have him and to hear his feedback on what he thinks and put my touches on it. He let me do that, which I really appreciate, and it's a big honor."

The reimagined "Balls To The Wall", which is due on February 28, 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music, features an impressive roster of talent, breathing new life into each track.

"Balls To The Wall - Reloaded" track listing:

01. Balls To The Wall (feat. Joakim Brodén of SABATON)
02. London Leatherboys (feat. Biff Byford of SAXON)
03. Fight It Back (feat. Mille Petrozza of KREATOR)
04. Head Over Heels (feat. Nils Molin of DYNAZTY/AMARANTHE)
05. Losing More Than You've Ever Had (feat. Michael Kiske of HELLOWEEN)
06. Love Child (feat. Ylva Eriksson of BROTHERS OF METAL)
07. Turn Me On (feat. Danko Jones)
08. Losers And Winners (feat. Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER)
09. Guardian Of The Night (feat. Tim "Ripper" Owens of KK's PRIEST, formerly of JUDAS PRIEST)
10. Winter Dreams (feat. Doro Pesch)

In a recent interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, Udo and Peter spoke about the new version of "Balls To The Wall". Asked what led to the decision to release a reimagined version of the LP, Udo said: "Normally it was not planned to do an album; it was only planned to do a tour about the 40-years anniversary of 'Balls'. And so on some festivals, a lot of singers [from other bands] came up [and asked], 'Oh, you do something special for the 40th anniversary.' And then we said, 'Yeah, touring, definitely.' And then they said, 'Oh, I would love to sing a song of the 'Balls' album.' And then the idea came up very slowly. We said, 'Yeah, it can be interesting.'"

Udo continued: "To re-record the 'Balls' album, it's like, 'Don't touch the holy cow.' But with the guest-singer thing now, what we did, I think it worked out very well. The reactions are very good so far. And so I think I'm happy with the result of everything."

Asked if he enjoyed the process of hearing different guests singing with Udo, Peter said: "I enjoyed it tremendously. I also was nervous touching the album again. But after we started recording, I felt really into it. And I played it the way I play live today, the songs. I decided not to copy the original, on my bass playing specifically, because these songs evolved over so many years to what I'm playing today. And that was one of the reasons. The other as much as the holy cow and iconic it is, it also sits on the shelf somewhere and everybody's behind you and it hasn't been moved in 20 years. So it is an honor for us to be able to reintroduce the album to a younger generation, to a whole new world today. And I think it gives the album a great honor that it deserves, where it stands."

Udo added: "I was quite nervous when I started recording the album, with vocals. I mean, I was not quite sure that I'd hit all the notes [laughs], the high notes and all that. But in the end, I think it works. So I'm lucky. And I think especially the whole atmosphere between the guest singers and my vocals, I think it gives the whole thing a new dimension, a new atmosphere. And yeah, I like it very much."

In a separate interview with The Brutally Delicious Podcast, Udo stated about "Balls To The Wall - Reloaded": "Let's say in the beginning it was just planned to do a tour [celebrating] the 40 years of 'Balls To The Wall'. But then on festivals, some musicians came up and said, 'Oh, you do something special for this 40-years anniversary of 'Balls'. And I said, 'Yeah, touring.' 'Yeah. You know I love this song. I would love to sing on this,' and blah, blah, blah, blah. And then I think it developed."

Sven added: "The idea came together. We had so many great vocalists that wanted to participate on this album. So we sat down and had a thought if we can — because it's very tough in managing all this. I mean, everyone is busy, everyone is doing their own records and whatnot. So it was quite challenging, but in the end it worked out. I think we got the last vocals in last minute to get this done. But yeah, we have really good people on this album and we appreciate that they wanted to do it. And I think they're great new versions of the legendary album."

Asked if they had certain vocalists in mind for certain songs, Sven said: "We had a very long list. And stuff like [SAXON's] Biff Byford on 'London Leatherboys' was kind of obvious, that we wanted to have him for this. And, yeah, we're going on tour with SAXON as well in November this year. So, it all makes perfect sense. And, yeah, [there are some] very, very good collaborations."

Udo continued: "All the singers, they did a great job on it. For example, Joakim [Brodén] from SABATON, 'Balls To The Wall', he did a great job. And also [TWISTED SISTER's] Dee Snider on 'Losers And Winners'. And also Biff on 'London Leatherboys'.

"The thing was we did not tell them, 'Okay, you have to sing this line and this line and this line and this line.' [We told them to] sing the whole song and then we can see which parts fit together with my vocals," Udo explained. "And then, when you listen, for example, to the vocals of Biff for 'London Leatherboys', it can be a SAXON song… I mean, Doro [Pesch] did a great job on 'Winter Dreams'. And also Mille [Petrozza] of KREATOR, 'Fight It Back'. And also Michael Kiske, from HELLOWEEN, he was singing 'Losing More Than You've Ever Had'. He did a great job. Also for me, especially, it was interesting to hear this. 'Wow, okay. Good.' Yeah, I think we are happy and I think also the guest singers, I think they really enjoyed to do this. And that was the most important thing. And also that they put their own character on each song, not trying to be Udo. That makes no sense."

Referencing the new version of "Balls To The Wall" featuring Brodén, Sven said: "We called [Joakim] up because we have a long relationship with SABATON. We played their festival multiple times and we've always had a good time with them. So that was kind of natural, and he was totally up for it. But it was also very interesting. He, for example, did the speaking part. And then he came back to us and said, 'No, use Udo's, because he does it better.' But it was super cool that, yeah, everyone put his character and his style of singing on to the songs. So that was great."

Sven also talked about the overall approach when it came to the production of "Balls To The Wall - Reloaded", saying: "'Especially with the drum sound, we tried to get as close as possible from this old-school vibe, but still, I mean, now we have modern technology recording stuff, so it definitely sounds up to date, but it's still with the old-school vibes. It's natural. I mean, when Peter [Baltes, former ACCEPT and current DIRKSCHNEIDER and U.D.O. bassist] plays bass, it's Peter playing bass. So it is that sound. And as soon as Udo's kicking in… And our guitar players, they're doing it for such a long time that they also are totally into the vibe of this kind of music. So it came along naturally, I would say, the sound of this album. But still, it's modern quality, which I think is awesome."

The second single from the album, a re-recording of "Winter Dreams", reveals a softer side of the LP while preserving a meaningful lyrical depth, making it an emotional anthem of freedom. The single stands out not only for its significance but also for featuring the legendary German metal queen Doro Pesch, alongside Udo Dirkschneider. This collaboration highlights the album's unique approach, underlining the long-running inspiration for the whole scene and renowned metal figureheads and companions alike.

Udo commented: "It was a very special experience for me to re-record 'Winter Dreams' with Doro Pesch. Doro and I have spent so many years together in the scene and there is a deep, almost familial connection between us. Her voice gives this song an incredible magic and emotionality that takes it to a whole new level. It was like a reunion with an old friend for me and together we made 'Winter Dreams' even more intense and personal. It just feels right to share this moment together!”

Doro added: "'Balls To The Wall' has always been one of my absolute favorite albums. I was really happy to sing the wonderful 'Winter Dreams' as a duet with Udo Dirkschneider and to shoot a great video for it. We have a long friendship and it is always special to work with him."

Taking fans to the vaults of Castle Reifenstein (Freienfeld, Italy),located in a beautifully wintry mountain landscape, the "Winter Dreams" music video, starring both vocalists Udo Dirkschneider and Doro Pesch, can be watched below.

Regarding the task of reimagining the entire "Balls To The Wall" album, Udo previously stated: "Re-recording 'Balls To The Wall' was a big challenge for me. The album is a milestone of my career, of course. That's why it was even more important to me to make the original songs shine in a new light without losing their initial essence. All guests have put their individual stamps on these classic tracks, and collaborating with such outstanding vocalists has moved them into a fresh and exciting dimension. The result is a powerful homage to all fans but also an invitation to the next generation to experience the songs not minorly passionate than I was when I recorded them back in the day. It's a never-ending personal journey for me — 'Balls To The Wall' will always be a part of me."

DIRKSCHNEIDER, the band featuring former ACCEPT members Udo (vocals) and Peter (bass),along with drummer Sven Dirkschneider and the talented guitar duo of Andrey Smirnov and Fabian "Dee" Dammers, celebrated the 40th anniversary of "Balls To The Wall", which was originally released in late 1983 and is the most commercially successful and best-known album by ACCEPT, by performing the LP in its entirety on a recent tour of South America.

Ten years ago — in 2015 — Udo announced that he would embark on a special tour during which he would perform ACCEPT songs one last time under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner before closing that chapter for good. Since then, the former ACCEPT frontman has continued to play ACCEPT material at select shows, including at the September 18, 2020 U.D.O. concert in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, which was released on DVD and Blu-ray.

When he first announced the original DIRKSCHNEIDER tour in 2015, Udo said that had "to make a clear break for myself — close the book and this is it. And I have the problem that people come to me and ask me to play more ACCEPT songs," he explained. "Other people ask me why I play ACCEPT songs at all, because there are [more than] fifteen U.D.O. records. I want to avoid such things and avoid the repeating questions concerning ACCEPT. I just can't stand that anymore. There is nothing more to be said. U.D.O. exists longer than ACCEPT. We have more records than ACCEPT."

While acknowledging that some ACCEPT fans want to hear the band's classic songs performed by the group's original singer, Dirkschneider explained that "you always have these comparisons [between how these songs are played by ACCEPT and U.D.O.]. I don't want this anymore either. [The current lineup of ACCEPT] also play 'Metal Heart', they play 'Balls To The Wall' and 'Princess Of The Dawn'. And then some people tell me, 'Oh, [current ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo] is doing it better than you.' And I go, 'That's fine. Enjoy yourself.' But I don't want this anymore. And to avoid all of this in the future, I said, 'We are doing this one more time.'"

Dirkschneider said that his vow to never play ACCEPT material again came with one caveat. "If the band ACCEPT dissolves one day in the near future and I am still around with U.D.O., then there is a chance that I put ACCEPT songs back in the setlist," he said. "But currently there is ACCEPT, so go see them [if you want to see those songs performed live]. They are playing these songs."

Udo previously said the original plan was for DIRKSCHNEIDER to only "a few shows," and "then [the tour] got bigger and bigger [due to demand]." But, he added, "I don't want to complain about that."

In a recent interview with Metal Talks, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the fact that the band will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2025-2026. To mark this mammoth milestone, ACCEPT will ring in the band's golden birthday with a very unique anniversary tour at the end of 2025. An anniversary album will be released early 2026. Wolf said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it's a funny thing. I joined this band when I was 16 and just never left. And here I am all these all these years later, coming on a 50th anniversary, which is crazy. But yeah, it's definitely something that we're very proud of. And not every band is lucky enough to be around for this long and to still be in the business and to still be touring to still have fans.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums, "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),2021's "Too Mean To Die" and 2024's "Humanoid".

Former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens performed on February 20 at Crowbar in Sydney as part of his ongoing Australian solo tour. Joining him on the trek is a backing band of Australia's metal maestros Joel McDonald on guitar, Jordan McDonald on drums, Voya Milutinovic on guitar and Andrew Hudson on bass. Fan-filmed video of the Sydney concert can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, Owens was asked if he has ever thought about writing an autobiography. Tim responded:  "Yeah, I'd like to do one. I just don't know if I can talk about everything in my career. I don't know if it's right. There's bands that can do that because they were known as being — they'd come up in the '70s and '80s, so there's there's things they'd done and in their career and they like to talk about it because they were into that. But I don't know. I don't necessarily wanna throw people under the bus.

"I think it might be a little bit boring 'cause I'm not gonna talk about everything. On the other hand, I guess I do have a lot to talk about, and maybe talking about everything would be a pretty good idea. It could make me look a little more adventurous, too. I can make things up.

"I've said this: I will write a book, but I'm not writing a book that's not paying me. 'Cause I see so many musicians and so many people write books, and I know they haven't made much money from it. I'm not saying I'm gonna be super rich, but I've always said if I'm writing a book, it's paying me — it's paying me to write the book. I'm not just putting it out there to put it out there. I've gotta retire at some point.

"But, yeah, I've had one hell of a career. Just a kid from Akron, Ohio that's done and played with the musicians that I have, and all because of JUDAS PRIEST giving me a break and a chance to sing for 'em. And, yeah, just a book on who I've played with and when I've jammed with them, whether it was Ace Frehley [KISS] or Scott Ian [ANTHRAX] or whoever it's been, it's pretty crazy 'cause, again, I'm still just a fan and a kid from Akron, Ohio that gets to do what I do."

Owens previously discussed the possibility of writing a book last month in an interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast. He said at the time: "I've never been offered [a book deal]. I'm not writing a book unless I get paid money, 'cause they loosely made a movie about me; I didn't get paid nothing for that. So, they would have to pay me some money. But I don't know how to do it 'cause I don't wanna… I'll probably hurt some feelings doing that book. But I won't spill all the beans. I might be in trouble if I spill all the beans."

He continued: "I would be nice about it. But it is a great story, isn't it? I mean, it's an amazing story. And it's continued to be. I love when people go, 'What have you done since JUDAS PRIEST?' More? I don't know. I've toured the world more. I've played in front of the same amount of crowds, sold more records. This is all after JUDAS PRIEST. So I think it's pretty crazy when someone says, 'What have you done?' Or they diss me by saying, 'Oh, the guy that used to be somebody.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean used…?' I'm doing more now than I ever did in my life. So it's kind of, like, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'

"I've done a lot," Owens added. "I said I've been fired from more bands than people have been in, so it's kind of funny. But, yeah, I've met so many great people. And I always say JUDAS PRIEST was my college, and they opened up the door for me to make a living out of it. And I've worked hard at trying to make sure I'm in top form and ready to go."

The 2001 Warner Bros. movie "Rock Star", starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, was loosely based on Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group.

Asked in a 2014 interview with Russia's Classic Rock magazine how much of "Rock Star" was styled after him, Tim said: "When they first [got the idea to do] the 'Rock Star' movie [under its original name 'Metal God'], it was really gonna be about me. And then JUDAS PRIEST pulled away from it, because they didn't like some things. So [the producers] really made their own movie, I think. The similarities were that I auditioned for JUDAS PRIEST and I sang one line of a song and hit a note and made the band. But then a lot of the things, they kind of went out… I mean, I wasn't that kind of fan when I made the band, because I was that kind of crazy kid in high school in the '80s. But this was 1996, so I wasn't living at my parents' with posters on the walls. I mean, it was still pretty cool. I mean, to have a movie loosely based on you is pretty cool."

Regarding whether it was ironic that the "Rock Star" movie became almost prophetic in the sense that Mark Wahlberg's character in the film ends up playing small clubs with his own material after the band's original lead singer rejoins the group, Owens said: "For me, the movie was almost [like real life]. Rob [Halford] came back [to JUDAS PRIEST], which was good for me, to be honest. My career, I went on to do a lot of stuff. It was better for the band, it was better for Rob. So it was kind of funny. I think I became a little bit bigger than the coffee shop singer that Mark Wahlberg was in the movie in the end, just playing there. I still get to play in front of thousands of people in Russia. But it is similar how he went on to do his own thing."

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was given a videotape of Tim performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford, who has since rejoined the band. Asked in an interview with The Vinyl Guide podcast what kind of advice or preparation he had for stepping into those shoes, Owens said: "Well, listen, I was confident. They were confident with my voice. I knew some fans wouldn't like me, but I also knew that I could sing really good, and I could sing really good live. One advantage I felt I had as a singer was I could sing what I recorded in the studio; whatever I recorded, I'm gonna be able to sing that live. And I felt when fans came to the show, they would be happy that they have someone who's coming in the JUDAS PRIEST that could still keep the voice going. So if someone didn't like me, there's nothing I could do. K.K. [Downing, then-PRIEST guitarist] used to always say, ''The proof is in the pudding. Come to the show and see.' And I think a lot of people used to come to the shows and they just couldn't wait to hate me. They hated me showing up and wanted me to fail. And so many of 'em, I'd win 'em over when I started singing, because they could tell that I loved it; I loved what I was singing, and I wanted to do the songs justice. So I always felt confident."

Addressing the fact that the two albums PRIEST recorded with Owens — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — sold poorly, and he was ultimately pushed out to clear the way for the return of Halford, Tim said: "It was a really bad time of heavy metal. So it wasn't like I joined them in the heyday. I mean, when Rob left JUDAS PRIEST, they were playing in front of a couple thousand people on the 'Painkiller' tour, a lot of shows So, it really wasn't a great time of heavy metal. So I understood that, and I understood people would want Rob back. But all I cared about was getting on stage and sound[ing good]. I just wanted the band to be happy and me to be happy with me doing it. That's all I worried about."

He added: "I know a lot of the the musicians at the time, especially the hair metal bands, because hair metal was gone at that time, they hated me in L.A., 'cause they were, like, 'Who's this guy? He comes from Akron, Ohio. What's he done? How's he here?' And I still am the same Ohio guy, [with the] same friends. I have the same attitude. And all of us are the same. I tell musicians this all the time: we're all the same. I mean, nothing different."

Asked if he had any sort of communication or relation with Halford at that time, Owens said: "No, just in the press. They always tried to get us to say mean things and bad things. And every now and then, one of us would say something. Now, this was pre-Internet. So, I couldn't imagine doing that nowadays, how screwed up it would be. But, no, because there was a respect. I don't think Rob liked me much, probably at the time, because someone's going to his band, his songs and singing this, but we always had this respect. And when we met each other, we always had great talks. And I think it made a lot of people mad that we liked each other. I think it made a lot of people mad, and I think it still does. But whenever I've seen him, I love talking to him, and he knows what's going on with me, and he's, like, 'Oh, I see that you're playing in Russia,' whatever."

Tim continued: "Back in those days, [journalists] would have the old tape recorder hidden. Now they could just turn their phone on, and no one would know it. But you would do an interview, and then they go, 'All right, the interview's over.' And then they'd turn the tape recorder off, but they'd have another one going in their pocket trying to get you to say stuff. And you know this, doing interviews, you get people to feel comfortable so you talk like you're friends. And then you just start saying stuff. And I put my foot in my mouth a few times. Oh, now I do all the time, because now — I always do."

In 2019, Owens told Ultimate Guitar that he believes his era of JUDAS PRIEST is largely overlooked. "Yeah, I think it definitely deserves more [attention]," he said. "I mean, they don't do anything. [Laughs] It's kind of amazing that they just totally erased it that they won't play... I mean, 'Burn In Hell' [off 'Jugulator'], the crowd would like to hear 'Burn In Hell'.

"They don't have to give me a tribute or anything, but it would be nice to play a song from... You know, that was a pretty big thing, I did two studio records, two live records, and a DVD, starting from '96 to 2004. So it's kind of crazy that it's just been erased and they won't even play a song from it live, because it is JUDAS PRIEST."

"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs. Released in October 2021, it is the most extensive release of previously unreleased music the band has made from its vast archives.

TIM ‘ RIPPER’ OWENS
Australian/New Zealand Tour dates:
14/02 Melbourne, The Corner
20/02 Sydney, Crowbar
22/02 Brisbane,...

Posted by Tim Ripper Owens on Tuesday, February 4, 2025

In a new interview with Music Radar, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Dave Murray insisted that he and his bandmates will know when it's time to quit.

"To me, there's nothing worse than seeing a band you like on stage and they look like they shouldn't really be there doing it," he said. "We're nearly hitting the seventies mark now, but I think we will all know when it would be time. It would be a mutual decision.

"I think there's a time and a place to bail out with dignity and grace — as opposed to dragging it out," he continued. "If you can leave it at that high level, and then bow out gracefully, I think it would be satisfying for us. And not just flog a dead horse, when you're doing it for the wrong reasons."

Referencing MAIDEN's upcoming "Run For Your Lives" world tour, which starts in May 2025 in Hungary, with dates announced so far going through August 2025 in Poland, Dave said: "We're all set up for this tour, and after that we'll see what the future holds. But at the moment the band sounds great, we still have that excitement and adrenaline when we go on stage. We're still enjoying it, and that's what it's all about, really."

IRON MAIDEN's longtime drummer Nicko McBrain played his last-ever gig with the band more than two months ago in São Paulo, Brazil.

The 72-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the iconic heavy metal act.

Despite the fact that he is stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he will remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.

On December 8, IRON MAIDEN announced Simon Dawson as its new touring drummer. Dawson is a former session drummer and MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's longtime bandmate in BRITISH LION.

Back in 2019, Harris told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that there has been no talk of MAIDEN retiring anytime soon, despite the fact that all the members are in their late 60s.

"We all feel that if we feel we're not cutting it anymore, then we'll discuss it and that will probably be the end of it," he explained. "But at the moment, we don't feel like that. We feel that we definitely still are pulling our weight, so to speak. We're just doing well. So far so good. I don't wanna tempt fate, but we are doing good."

In 2022, MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show about the band's longevity as well as the group's multigenerational appeal: "We're not planning to retire at all, really. I think we'll probably drop dead onstage. I can think of worse places to drop dead. But no, we're not planning on retiring. We're all still firing away [with] loads of energy and loads of enthusiasm.

"With respect to our fans, we've got generations of fans now," he continued. "Even at [my] spoken-word shows, I can crack jokes about the age of the audience only because half the audience is, like, my age, but the other half of the audience is often way, way younger. So it's brilliant. We've got this whole intergenerational thing going. And, obviously, at the MAIDEN shows, it's even bigger, the emphasis on that. And huge numbers of women. It's fantastic. 'Cause it always used to be cliché, back when I was starting in the early '80s, that heavy metal was just, like, misogynist, male-dominated stuff… But no, it's not true. There's loads and loads of heavy metal fans who are girls."

The São Paulo performance marked the final show of "The Future Past" world tour, which began in May 2023.

Last September, IRON MAIDEN promised fans "a spectacular and elaborate new show" on its 50th anniversary tour in 2025 and 2026.

MAIDEN said it will "cover classics and fan favorites from the first nine albums, from 'Iron Maiden' to 'Fear Of The Dark', many of which we haven't played in years and many we will likely never play again in the future. We have already been hard at work for months putting together an even more spectacular and elaborate new show which will bring the songs to life more than we have ever been able to do before."

"Fear Of The Dark" marked Dickinson's last album before he exited MAIDEN and then later returned in 1999.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Antenne, RISE AGAINST frontman Tim McIlrath was asked if America's political turmoil has made the community at the band's concerts stronger. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've noticed that. It sort of sharpens the blade a little bit. It sort of hones the mission. It reminds me why we started RISE AGAINST in the first place, in a post 9-11 America with the Bush administration. It reminds me of that era. It makes you hear the songs differently. It makes people come to the shows in a different way.

"I like to think that people come to our shows no matter what, but there's something about people coming to our shows now where they need it," he continued. "They need to be at the show, under the same roof with like-minded people who are concerned about the future of the world. And we're concerned about the future of America and the future of the world."

Tim, who has never been shy about expressing his social and political beliefs, added: "A Trump White House is a disaster. It's been a disaster every single day it's been there. Lots of sad things are happening, lots of things that make you really angry. And so this is the kind of era that our band was built for. This is what we were made for, this is why we're here. So we have these songs to play to kind of talk about the same things we've been talking about for 25 years."

Asked how the current political situation in America has changed his everyday life, Tim said: "I guess to answer your question, yeah, you walk out of your door into an ecosystem of a lot of anger. A lot of the things in the news are enraging you. People are divided. What's happening in America tends to be contagious and it spreads across other borders. And so that kind of stuff, it makes you concerned. People look at you differently as Americans, 'cause they're watching the news and they're angry about it, and they should be angry about it. So, yeah, it affects everybody. It's definitely — it's concerning."

Last October, McIlrath told RVA Magazine about RISE AGAINST's political activism: "Navigating this band politically in such a divisive era is a little trickier, but it is also more important than ever. We have a direct connection to our fan base, whatever size it is, and I want to be part of the solution and not the problem. I feel a responsibility to steer our fans in the right direction — at the very least, not steer them in the wrong direction."

Tim further explained that the band started out in punk rock which was "synonymous" with politics. "It was something that was very close to my heart as the lyricist," he said. "If you would accuse us of anything back then, it was preaching to the converted. It wasn't that radical to be the guy from RISE AGAINST saying, 'fuck the war in Iraq.'"

RISE AGAINST recently released a new single, "Nod", via Loma Vista Recordings. The track, which marks RISE AGAINST's first new music in three years, will appear on the band's upcoming follow-up to 2021's "Nowhere Generation" album, tentatively due later in the year.

"Nod" was produced by Catherine Marks (BOYGENIUS, FOALS, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, ST. VINCENT) and mixed by Alan Moulder (NINE INCH NAILS, PARAMORE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE KILLERS).

Last month, bandmembers McIlrath (lead vocals/guitar),Joe Principe (bass/vocals),Zach Blair (guitar/vocals) and Brandon Barnes (drums) hit the road for an extensive run of shows across Europe, before playing dozens of U.S. arenas, amphitheaters and pavilions with PAPA ROACH, as part of the co-headline "Rise Of The Roach" tour.

Multi-Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame guitarist Carlos Santana has announced that his passion-filled retrospective album, "Sentient", will be released via Candid Records on March 28. The album is available for pre-order now. The record's heavenly, soulful first single — a "'Sentient' version" of Smokey Robinson's "Please Don't Take Your Love" — is out today.

"Sentient" is composed of 11 dazzling tracks — three of them previously unreleased — compiled by the virtuoso guitarist, remastered and sequenced in a way that allows a new and dramatic story to emerge. As is often the case when the spark of musical magic strikes, Santana was surprised, delighted and receptive. "I'm always driven by passion, emotion and inner instinct," he says. "When I first heard these tracks floating around in the house, I said, 'Why don't we put these all in one place?'"

The songs that make up "Sentient" are complex compositionally, but they float by like a dream. There are brilliant collaborations with Michael Jackson, Smokey Robinson, Miles Davis, Paolo Rustichelli, Darryl "DMC" McDaniels and Cindy Blackman Santana, but no matter the mood or genre — whether it's lush pop or high-intensity cosmic jazz — it's all part of a common thread. As Santana says, "From Stravinsky to James Brown, it's all the same song, meaning it's all connected to the umbilical cord of humanity and planet Earth."

The album's first single offers listeners a new view of "Please Don't Take Your Love", the heavenly slice of funky, soulful seduction that paired Santana with the incomparable Smokey Robinson. The original version, featured on Robinson's 2009 album "Time Flies When You're Having Fun", saw Santana contrast Robinson's shimmering vibrato with searing, soul-shaking soloing. The alternate take on "Sentient" is no less emotionally wrenching, but as Santana notes, it boasts a never-before-heard guitar performance. "I went to the studio and did my own thing," he says. "I said, 'Let's just roll it.' I did another take with Smokey sort of guiding me. Smokey loved them both, so he wound up combining the two. What's on 'Sentient' is the first version."

March 14 will see the debut release of a live instrumental cover of Michael Jackson's haunting ballad "Stranger In Moscow", recorded in 2007 with producer and drummer Narada Michael Walden's band. It's a devastating masterclass performance — Santana's guitar playing is by turns soulful and poetic, blitzing and blinding, and always breathtakingly imaginative.

"Narada knew that I loved the song, so he arranged it with his band," Santana remembers. "I showed up and we played it with no rehearsal. I'm basically singing it with my guitar. I'm visualizing Michael Jackson and what he would do — I got pretty close. I think when Michael listened to it, wherever he is, he smiled and said, 'Yeah, that's it.'"

"Get On", a jazz-groove masterpiece from renowned composer Paolo Rustichelli's lauded 1996 album "Mystic Man", featuring the extraordinary collaboration of Santana with the iconic Miles Davis, will be officially released to radio for the first time on March 17.

Exceleration Music partner and Grammy-winning music executive John Burk, known for his work with legendary artists, shared his excitement about the project, saying: "Santana has always been a trailblazer in music, combining musical styles and cultures in ways that have forever changed the face of music. This amazing collection demonstrates his unique ability to transcend genres and lift our spirits through his music. It also highlights collaborations with a diverse lineup of musical trailblazers — including Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, Smokey Robinson and DMC — each, like Carlos, an iconic innovator, united on this album by the musicality, spirit, and passion of Carlos Santana at his finest."

Santana's "Oneness" tour kicks off in Highland, California at Yaamava' Resort & Casino at San Manuel on April 16 making stops in Phoenix, Arizona; Albuquerque, New Mexico; San Antonio, Texas; Sugar Land, Texas; Thackerville, Oklahoma; Tulsa, Oklaohma; and Nashville, Tennessee. The Europe portion of the tour begins on June 9 in Lodz, Poland with stops throughout Europe, ending in Copenhagen, Denmark on August 11.

For more than five decades — from Santana's earliest days as a groundbreaking Afro-Latin-blues-rock fusion outfit in San Francisco — Carlos Santana has been the visionary force behind artistry that transcends musical genres and generational, cultural, and geographical boundaries. To date, Santana has won ten Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, with a record-tying nine Grammy Awards for a single project for 1999's "Supernatural" (including "Album Of The Year" and "Record Of The Year" for "Smooth"). He has received the Billboard Century Award (1996),was ushered into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (1998),received the Billboard Latin Music Awards' Lifetime Achievement honor (2009),and was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors Award (2013).

Among many other distinctions, Carlos Santana has been cited by Rolling Stone as No. 11 on their list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time;" and has joined THE ROLLING STONES as one of only two bands to have an album reach the Top 10 in every decade since the 1960s. In 2018, he released his first "MasterClass", and celebrated two epic milestones: the 50th anniversary of his legendary performance at Woodstock, and the 50th anniversary of his masterpiece "Abraxas".

In 2024, he celebrated the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking album "Supernatural". Santana's most recent release, "Let The Guitar Play" (feat. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels),follows on the heels of his powerful, energy-infused "Blessings And Miracles" (2021) that features collaborations with Rob Thomas, Chris Stapleton, Steve Winwood, and many others. The epic feature documentary "Carlos", produced by Sony Music Entertainment and Imagine Documentaries, is a celebration of Carlos Santana's life and career. It had its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival and is now available to stream worldwide. Santana has been in residency in Las Vegas for over 15 years and will continue to perform at House of Blues Las Vegas, where he recently celebrated his 10th anniversary in the intimate venue.

During an appearance on the debut episode of the "Stories To Tell With Richard Marx" podcast, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley spoke about adjusting to his new life after the completion of the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour more than a year ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There are people who are touring constantly because they're empty and because they need that audience positive response. Years ago for me, probably decades ago, that may have been the case. At this point, it's been incredibly gratifying. The last tour was just a chance to really take in how valuable and how much this meant to me. But I couldn't keep doing it any more than Michael Jordan could.

"I've always been more than a musician or performer — I've been an athlete — and you realize that you can only do that so long," he continued. "I've been blessed to do it into my 70s, which if you told me that 50 years ago, I'd say you're out of your mind. So, yeah, I miss it, but I don't crave it. I think the people who really crave it are the ones who don't find other means for gratification either from other people or self-gratification, whether it's, for me, painting or my family or friends.

"I think ultimately, hopefully, I would hope that most people find that in life, at some point, you start to narrow down what's really important," Stanley added. "And ultimately, what's important is family, friends and how you feel about yourself. You face yourself every day when those crowds aren't there. It doesn't matter whether there's 20,000 or 100,000 people, if you don't like who you see in the mirror, it's kind of meaningless.

"Dopamine and endorphins, that's human-produced heroin. And, sure, it's addicting. I think I've just come to some sort of terms with — I don't wanna say settling, but at least realizing that you can't do that forever. And I hate to draw the analogy, but people who are in AA or any of those groups, you realize that you need to stop, you need to put that behind you. And then it's a matter of how you fill your time. I've seen people who went from drugs to becoming workout junkies. So you need to find something. And you also need to understand that it's never going to match the high. It can't."

Elaborating on how he has dealt with the fact that he will never be in a touring band again, Stanley said: "To do shows where there's that kind of love and gratitude from an audience, well, guess what? It's love and gratitude from me. And that's that reciprocity takes it to a whole different level. And will anything ever replace that? No. I have the memories of it. And is there a void? Of course. That's life.

"It's actually been a year, December 2nd [of 2024, since we played the final KISS show]. So, I was actually in New York this [last] year on December 1st and 2nd and passed the [Madison Square] Garden on both of those nights we had been playing [the year before]. And, yeah, there's something almost feeling like a fantasy, like an out-of-body experience. You're looking at something and it's hard to relate to that you were there. I look at videos of me on stage a year and a half ago and I go, 'Wow.' And I also have to go, 'That's not gonna happen again.'"

Regarding when the decision was made for KISS to put an end to its touring career, Paul said: "I remember Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] and I talking about it years ago. You have to remember that COVID and the pandemic put a two-year break. We started the last tour before COVID. And then, all of a sudden, it's, like, 'Well, wait a minute. We're not done. And we're getting older. So the clock is ticking.'

"We just came to the decision quite naturally that we need to decide when it ends rather than just have it peter out," Stanley explained. "That wouldn't be KISS-like, to finish a tour and never go back out. For us, it was a matter of going around the world and sharing that one last night or nights with either the people who've known us for decades or new people. And hopefully what we did was left a memory that justified that connection and adulation that people had for us. And also kind of not only validated us to them, but also kind of became — once upon a time there was a band. And that's what KISS is. Like it or not, KISS is mythical. And that was the idea, was to leave it on a legendary note. But also to intellectually decide something is gonna come to an end and actually deal with that that day was years away because we had a worldwide tour.'

Reflecting on when the conversations first took place about announcing a farewell tour, Paul said: "I think it may well have taken place on the jet. [The discussions involved] me, Gene and Doc [McGhee], our manager, who's been with us for [decades]. It wasn't fatalistic and it wasn't in any way depressing. It was just a practicality that we just said, 'We can't do this forever. And we can see the end. Now what do we do? We can see that this needs to have a finite time. What do we do between now and then?' Doc and I have an acronym, which is QTR — Quality Time Remaining. At some point, that's what it comes down to. You have so much time in life. What do you wanna do with it? Because one thing you do precludes you from doing another. And at some point, the idea of being in hotels, when you're young and frisky and having a great time, that's the best time in your life. I remember going home between tours when I was single and much younger, going home was like a bummer. I sat on my sofa waiting for life to start again. I'm on my sofa. Life is out there. That slowly becomes not the case, hopefully."

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has revealed that the band is currently working on a five-part documentary about its "End Of The Road" farewell tour.

The 72-year-old musician shared the news of the documentary's production by posting a photo of his wife Erin being interviewed for the film.

KISS played its two final shows ever in December 2023 at New York City's Madison Square Garden.

The last show, held on December 2, 2023, streamed live on pay-per-view.

KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"End Of The Road" was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band's classic song "Detroit Rock City" on "America's Got Talent".

Early last year, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind "ABBA Voyage". A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.

Using cutting-edge technology, Pophouse Entertainment Group, which was founded by ABBA's Björn Ulvaeus, will create digital versions of KISS. The project was previewed at the final KISS show.

In a new interview with the Iron City Rocks podcast, George Lynch once again spoke about LYNCH MOB's "The Final Ride", a farewell tour celebrating the band's 35-year legacy. The trek kicked off in January 2024 and will conclude in March 2025. Asked how he feels about completing one final tour with LYNCH MOB, George said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's a mixed bag. I thought that it would make sense to go out with a band that, or a version of the band, which this is, that has remained intact for a while. LYNCH MOB has a history of having a revolving door, so that's been frustrating for me because when I first put the band together in '89, I was hoping for the exact opposite… And, of course, that did not happen. But we have a great time, and when we spend time together and tour, it's just really a dream, fun band. We joke around a lot. We work hard and the band — we bring it when we get on stage and we get in the studio. I thought, 'Well, that's the way to go out.' And also, on the other side of the coin, I'm not getting any younger. I didn't want to be that guy up there on crutches, having to sit down. I wanted people to remember it with some sense of vitality. Yeah, so I think we're kind of ending on a positive note, I would say. And we gave ourselves quite a long window. We decided this last year, and it gave us an eight-month, nine-month window. So it's a long, slow kind of fade into the sunset. We'll be done March 23rd, I believe, or 25th, something like that. So we've got a lot of work ahead of us. And we've got, actually, two records [in the works] — we've got a live album and a live DVD and a studio record."

Asked if he is planning on getting involved in more recording projects in the future once the LYNCH MOB tour is done, George said: "Well, I love being in the studio, and I have a pretty nice studio situation, both in California, where I have my own studio, and in New Mexico, where I have found a home out there and a really wonderful venue, where I'm working now, actually. So, as long as I have something to say, I'll try to say it musically. But I will say that I've sort of spent my — I've done a lot of recording, I've written a lot of songs in the last group of years, since COVID and so forth, so I find myself kind of treading over old ground and saying the same thing, and I don't like that. And I think on occasion I've gotta slow down in my output a little bit. So, as I mentioned, we are working on a LYNCH MOB 'Final Ride' studio record. It's been written and recorded, except [for] the vocals now. And beyond that, I've got other records in the pipeline that I am obligated — well, I can do, let's say; I don't know how obligated I am. If I don't wanna do 'em, I don't have to do 'em. One is a fourth THE END MACHINE record for Frontiers. And the other one is a third 'Heavy Hitters' album, which is a series of records that [ex-DOKKEN bassist] Jeff Pilson and I have been doing for Cleopatra Records, which are covers, and that's always really fun to do. I enjoy working with Jeff. I'll be working with Jeff Pilson on both those records. So that might be something that I decide to finish up. But, having said that, those are obligations consistent with my past work, doing THE END MACHINE records and 'Heavy Hitters' records and LYNCH MOB records and various other projects, with KXM and so forth, that I have been doing. But what I'm thinking is I would really like to — not to be super self-indulgent, but do something different. And that requires kind of banking a bunch of experiences and exposure, different kinds of music and styles and saying something unique. Or doing a master guitar record, what I consider would be my magnum opus guitar record. That's easier said than done, but maybe I need [to do something like that]. I don't know. I'm not sure what I wanna do yet. But I'm gonna let this touring schedule ride out till the end of March and then I'm gonna sort of collect my thoughts [about what my next step will be]."

LYNCH MOB was formed in 1989 after Lynch parted ways with his former band DOKKEN. Their debut release, "Wicked Sensation", was met with critical and fan acclaim and went on to be certified gold in sales by the RIAA. The band would continue on through the years with a cast of talented players joining Lynch throughout their musical journey over the course of six more studio albums.

LYNCH MOB's eighth studio album, "Babylon", came out in October 2023. Joining revered guitarist and band founder for the LP were vocalist Gabriel Colón, bassist Jaron Gulino (TANTRIC, HEAVENS EDGE) and drummer Jimmy D'Anda (ex-BULLETBOYS).

In August 2020, Lynch announced that he was ending LYNCH MOB due to the racial insensitivity of the moniker, saying he would no longer record or perform under that name. Two years later, George had a change of heart, explaining that he had to "live with the fact that [the name LYNCH MOB] has some negative connotations that I probably have to continue explaining for the rest of my life, and I don't mind doing that. But it is a brand that I built, and I'm just gonna stick with it. As far as a marketing thing and a brand thing and a business thing and a working thing, and it keeps my band guys working and it keeps the fans happy, it makes sense."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

After an extensive search to find a new drummer, PRIMUS is pulling back the curtain on their unique audition process with the launch of the "Primus Interstellar Drum Derby", a brand-new episodic YouTube series chronicling the entire journey. The first episode, released today, features drummer Rory Dolan jamming with Les Claypool and Larry LaLonde, providing an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at the dynamic and demanding audition process.

The band put out a global open call for submissions, attracting some of the world's most talented drummers. "Taking submissions from all points in the universe for the position of PRIMUS drummer/percussionist," the band wrote, adding, "Flashy chops are wonderful, but groove, pocket, and the ability to listen, react, and contribute to the musical conversation is a must."

As the process unfolded, PRIMUS documented each audition, capturing the exciting and unexpected moments that unfolded in the studio. Future episodes will feature performances from a stellar lineup of drummers, including Thomas Pridgen, Mike Stone, Stan Bicknell, Sam Groveman, Nikki Glaspie, John Hoffman, Gergo Borlai and Thomas Lang, as well as surprise cameos from special guests.

"The Primus Interstellar Drum Derby" gives fans an unprecedented look at the band's inner workings, their approach to chemistry and collaboration, and what it takes to step behind the kit for one of rock's most innovative trios. With each episode, the series will build anticipation and excitement as the band moves toward its next chapter.

"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity," said John Hoffman, who was ultimately selected as PRIMUS's new drummer. "I came and did my thing the way I do it. It went as well as I could have hoped."

The debut episode is now live on PRIMUS's official YouTube channel, with new episodes rolling out soon.

PRIMUS will kick off its first live performance of 2025 at TOOL's "Live In The Sand" in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, where Danny Carey (/b>TOOL) will be sitting in on drums. The band will then hit the road for the second leg of the "Sessanta" tour, a highly anticipated run featuring PUSCIFER and A PERFECT CIRCLE in celebration of Maynard James Keenan's 60(ish) birthday.

Hoffman, who is based in Shreveport, Louisiana, had documented his process of preparing to audition on social media, and afterwards he wrote: "I came and did my thing the way I do it. It went as well as I could have hoped. Maynard James Keenan was sitting directly in front of me and watched my entire audition. He gave me this towel. It's been one of the most incredible days of my life. I love you all. We did this. #primusdrumaudition #primus".

On December 30, PRIMUS played the first concert since longtime drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander's departure at the Fox Theater in Oakland, California. Sitting behind the drums for the show was Bryan "Brain" Mantia, who previously played with PRIMUS when Alexander originally left the band in 1996.

In light of Alexander's latest departure, PRIMUS also enlisted musicians from frontman Les Claypool's side projects, THE HOLY MACKEREL and FROG BRIGADE, to perform during the December 30 performance.

With Mantia, PRIMUS recorded two studio albums — "Brown Album" (1997) and "Antipop" (1999) — as well as the covers EP "Rhinoplasty" (1998) and the original theme song for the TV show "South Park".

In November, Alexander shared a letter with Rolling Stone magazine explaining his decision to leave the band.

"A lot of times, you do something you love for a long time, and sometimes the passion turns into a job, and sometimes that job doesn't feel like it's your being anymore," he said.

He reflected on the impact his decision had on his physical, mental and family life.

"When I discovered that I'm struggling with all these things, I had to sit and think about exactly what am I doing," Alexander said. "I don't think I've ever chosen my path in life, I think I've just always thought 'I'm a drummer, I'm just gonna do music,' and things came to me, accepting whatever happens."

The news of his departure was initially shared on October 29 by his now-former bandmates, who claimed that they received an e-mail from him nearly two weeks earlier saying he had "lost his passion for playing."

Alexander joined PRIMUS in 1989 and left in 1996, then rejoined when they reformed in 2003. He exited the group again in 2010 but returned in 2013.

In July 2016, Alexander revealed that he suffered a second heart attack after he previously endured a similar health scare in 2014.

A decade ago, Les Claypool's plan to reform the "classic" PRIMUS lineup — with Alexander and guitarist Larry Lalonde — was put on hold when Alexander suffered his first heart attack, a "minor" attack that resulted in the drummer requiring triple bypass surgery. To fulfill its touring obligations, PRIMUS recruited Carey to fill in for a few dates. Three months after open-heart surgery, Alexander rejoined PRIMUS on the road.