In a new interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy was asked why he wasn't involved with the production of the band's latest album, "Parasomnia", after being credited as co-producer for the six prior DREAM THEATER LPs he appeared on, starting with 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to be honest, it was one of the very first things that [DREAM THEATER guitarist] John Petrucci brought up to me when the two of us began discussing the possibility of me coming back [to DREAM THEATER in 2023]. There were a lot of things that happened while I was away that they wanted to remain intact, and that was one of the things that was very important to John, was to maintain the sole producer credit. And what can I say to that? Would I have liked to have reunited the production team the way it always was? Yeah, I would have. But the reality is when he brought that up to me, I needed to respect that."

Portnoy continued: "When I left the band [in 2010], [John and I] were producing the albums together, and after that he began producing on his own. So, obviously, over the last five albums, that was the way that the band functioned. If that's very important to him, then I need to respect that. I can't just come back into the band and demand things to be the way they used to be. It's impossible. We're not the same people and things have transpired over a decade and a half at this point. So I needed to be respectful of his request for that. And that's pretty much it in a nutshell.

"But to be honest, it didn't dilute any of my ideas," Portnoy explained. "All of my ideas were always welcome. And some of the things that I did suggest, like the conceptual, thematic stuff, a lot of that stuff falls under the category of producer, but if John wants the sole credit, that's totally fine. All that meant for me is that I don't have to be in the studio 24-7 babysitting the keyboard tracks or the bass tracks, and that's fine with me. I live three hours away. So, I was more than happy to delegate that all to John and be able to get home and spend a little time with my family here and there."

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

In a new interview with Chuck Armstrong of Loudwire Nights, SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon was asked if he and his bandmates are working on material for the follow-up to their latest album, "Truth Killer", which was released in July 2023 via SEVENDUST's new label home, Napalm Records. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, things are in the works… We are now looking inside the SEVENDUST music box with 20 or so songs that we're kind of weeding through right now to see what we like, [that] we're gonna work with this. And these are the cats in the band that are writing stuff and sending it in and put it into the box."

He continued: "Honestly, I feel like our best work is when we get together in a room in a setting when we are with the instruments, just those young men like we were when we first started. That's where the magic happens. So we're already in the making of coming to the farmhouse. [We're] just trying to figure out a date in between, 'cause we've got a lot of stuff to do. Even after the DISTURBED run, I think we only have a week off before we get on the CREED cruise. But, yes, we are writing an album. Even on the road, when we get on the bus, which I can't wait to get on the tour bus, we'll be out there, we'll be listening to tracks and stuff and probably going over things if we have time at soundcheck to play new music. So, yeah, it's rolling right now… So there's new music [in the works], yes."

The follow-up to 2020's "Blood & Stone", "Truth Killer" was once again tracked at Studio Barbarosa in Gotha, Florida with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has previously worked with ALTER BRIDGE and SLASH, among others.

"Truth Killer" showcases the original and current SEVENDUST lineup, comprised of Witherspoon, guitarists Clint Lowery and John Connolly, bassist Vince Hornsby and drummer Morgan Rose.

Last fall, SEVENDUST celebrated the 21st anniversary of its iconic album "Seasons" on a U.S. tour. "Seasons" is the fourth album from the band's catalog and exploded on to the metal world when it was released in October 2003. The album spawned a Top 10 Rock single with "Enemy" and the album closer "Face To Face" is a show staple and fan favorite of SEVENDUST to this day.

SEVENDUST's fourth studio album, "Seasons" was the band's final LP with TVT Records and was dedicated to the memory to both Dave Williams (DROWNING POOL's original singer),who died of cardiomyopathy in August 2002, and Reginald Witherspoon (Lajon Witherspoon's younger brother),who was murdered in November 2002.

"Seasons" was, for a time, the band's last album with Lowery as he left in 2004. Lowery returned to SEVENDUST in March 2008 and has remained with the group ever since.

In a new interview with Germany's Rock Bottom, GIRLSCHOOL guitarist/vocalist Kim McAuliffe and guitarist Jackie Chambers spoke about the absence of original drummer Denise Dufort from the band's ongoing European tour as the support act for SAXON. Kim said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Denise is still in the band, very much so. It's just she's having a few problems with her hands at the moment. And it is a long tour, obviously, and a lot of travelling and stuff, so she thought it better to sit out on this one."

Jackie chimed in: "She can play a gig, but if her hands swelled up in the middle of the tour, she'd have to go home."

As for Denise's temporary replacement, Larry Paterson, Kim said: "The thing with Larry is we've known him for a long time now, because he's the drummer in ALCATRAZZ, who are great friends of ours, and we've toured with them many times. And he was a big fan of GIRLSCHOOL as well, back in his native New Zealand, so he was ideal, really. And he knew all the songs."

GIRLSCHOOL originated in the U.K. during the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene in 1978 and is frequently associated with contemporaries and friends MOTÖRHEAD. They are the longest-running all-female rock band, still active and rocking hard after more than 40 years.

Formed from a school band called PAINTED LADY by McAuliffe and Enid Williams, GIRLSCHOOL enjoyed strong media exposure and commercial success in the U.K. in the early 1980s with three albums of "punk-tinged metal" and a few singles.

In the 1990s and 2000s, they concentrated their efforts on live shows and tours, reducing considerably the production of studio albums. During their long career GIRLSCHOOL toured all over the world, performing at many of the biggest rock and metal festivals as well as co-headlining with or supporting some of the most important hard rock and heavy metal bands in the genre.

They maintain a worldwide cult following and are considered an inspiration for many succeeding female rock musicians, such as THE DONNAS.

Original members McAuliffe and Dufort are still in the band to this day. Original lead guitarist Kelly Johnson died of cancer in 2007 and was replaced by Chambers in 1999.

In a new interview with Bradley Hall, AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows spoke about the realities of post-pandemic touring, including increased travel expenses — gas, tour buses, hotels and flight costs. The singer, whose real name is Matt Sanders, said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's really crazy because when you get to our kind of level, everybody on the crew is 'A list' and they're all being pulled in different directions, so they all make high-end amounts of money. More trucks, more drivers, more gasoline, more travel. And we've already seen a lot of bands canceling tours. You're gonna see a lot more. 'Cause I know where we're at. I know what we make. And I know that it's incredibly hard for us even. Unless you can really put something together that keeps you in one city and not a lot of movement and keeps you in places where you can play multiple nights somewhere, you really are doing some of these things… Like, for instance, a big reason we're going to all these different countries is because we can go to the same countries and make very little to no money, or we can go to new countries and make very little to no money. And so the idea has been, 'Let's go build the band out.'

"Back in the day, we were starting out in Indonesia, which is our second-biggest market now," he continued. "It was our biggest market when we went there in May; it actually had more listeners than America. But we've grown something in Indonesia that has been incredible. Back in the day, we would go there and nobody at the label would support it, really, or care because they couldn't sell CDs. They didn't have the money to buy CDs or they didn't have the production or people just didn't collect physical music. With the change in getting paid by streaming services, the kind of hack is, like, you can grow all these Third World countries, Second World countries, places that traditionally couldn't afford to buy from your webstore or buy a CD, because one stream in Indonesia is the same as one stream in Los Angeles. And the more you grow the worldwide kind of coalition and get to these places that maybe aren't introduced to Western music as much — I would say India, a place where it's just so disconnected from what we're all doing over in Europe and America. There are fans, but it's just not a thing because bands aren't going there and it's just that whole thing hasn't been developed yet. It reminds me of Indonesia 10 years ago or 15 years ago. My belief is that if you keep going to these places and opening up new markets and kind of putting a flag there, that if you can get the whole world streaming, it's gonna kind of supplement this sort of gap that we were missing in the '90s and the early 2000s when the labels and no one would pay attention to these places 'cause there was no money to be made.

"So, yeah, it's one of those things where, again, going back to touring, touring is very hard right now for bands," M. Shadows added. "It's almost impossible. And you're also having a big downturn in ticket sales right now. People have been blown out by ticket prices, because of the touring, because of the inflation, so every single thing stacks on top. And then you've got people that are very upset about what ticket prices are, which I get. It's kind of crazy to go see a couple of bands and it's gonna cost you five, six hundred bucks, or if it's country artists, it's a thousand dollars if it's Taylor Swift, it's $3,200, or whatever it is. And there's a whole argument there — there's a whole argument of people not understanding how the ticketing works in the music business, people blaming and pointing fingers, but what really is happening is there's inflation, there's higher costs, it's much harder to get around, and if you think about every aspect of a touring band's life, it's making it increasingly impossible. And you've gotta think, if there's not gonna be CDs coming in to the record label, there's no tour support. They're not making that kind of money anymore. So you've got this whole situation that is kind of dire, when you, when you think about it that way. That's why you've gotta kind of pick and choose what you're doing."

M. Shadows also talked about the concept of dynamic pricing as it relates to concerts, where prices are adjusted to maximize profit and to shape consumer behavior. Ticketmaster, which is owned by the U.S. entertainment giant Live Nation, has defended its dynamic pricing model — similar to that used by hotels and airlines — and said it is designed to discourage ticket touts by setting prices closer to market value. It says the "in demand" fees are agreed in advance with artists and their management.

M. Shadows said: "If I was to get into numbers right now and show you what we make at a show and what it costs, I think you would just go, 'Are you kidding me? How can you bring in that much money and then no bandmembers make anything?' And you'd be, like, 'There's gotta be somewhere in there that you have someone that's just messing up.' But it's a true thing. It wouldn't even be appropriate to get into that; it just doesn't make sense. But just know that there are crazy amounts to get 38 people on a crew that need to be there… To headline Rock In Rio, you've gotta have a show. You've gotta have the show, and everyone's got to fly in, and they don't have the right pyro and you've gotta bring it in from Germany because they don't have the right things in Brazil. And there's four or five days of pre-production and hotels. It just becomes insane. And then I also think that people, they want to ignore that we live in a capitalist society where there's two things going on. Artists want to be compensated for whatever the fair market value is for their work. So what that means is if there's two thousand seats in a venue, the artist could be really nice and charge 50 bucks and not make any money or go do it because they just wanna do it. And then you could have a reseller that could sell a few hundred of those tickets for up to a thousand dollars because there's fans that will pay a thousand dollars. Now, the reason dynamic pricing even ever got introduced is because the artist and the management said, 'Why is the reseller making 10 [times] what the artist that's on stage is making? There's this many tickets that will sell for this much. Why aren't we charging that much?' And so what Ticketmaster did is they created a tool that allows artists to opt into this dynamic pricing. Now it's very clear Ticketmaster created a tool to allow artists to opt into this. It's not Ticketmaster just taking all the top end. It's the artists. And artists love to hide behind Live Nation and Ticketmaster and go, 'Oh. We had no clue. Can't believe it.'"

He continued: "The reality is if you ask most people and you say, 'If someone's buying a ticket for a thousand dollars, do you want it going to a reseller or the artist?', most people will say, 'We want it going to the artist.' But they also don't want the ticket to be that highly priced. And then they also don't want you to take away their ability to resell the ticket, because that's very un-American. You don't buy a Range Rover and they tell you you can't resell it. You don't buy a house and they tell you, 'Oh, can't resell it. Sorry. Housing market's getting too high. You're not allowed to resell your house.' So, the ticketing kind of falls under that same thing of, like, we're giving you something that you've purchased. Now, if we tell you you can't resell it, it's almost unethical in a way. So you have all these little arguments and there's macro and micro arguments about all of it. And that's really what's happening. So, at the end of the day, ticket prices go up when somebody in the queue sees … there's too many people in there, [and] they raise the prices until people stop buying. And that is what the music industry calls fair market value.

"Now, I don't think people would disagree with the premise," M. Shadows added. "They just don't like when it's happening to them. And so that's the situation we're in. And I'm not here to make a statement on whether they should be mad or not. It's just that's what's really happening… And if people can afford it, the artist would rather see that upside than the guy that bought 20 front-row tickets and now he's selling them to all your biggest fans."

Asked if he sees the situation getting better or worse for touring bands in the future or if it's impossible to say, M. Shadows replied: "It's hard to say, because right now it just seems like it's on a complete runaway. It feels like, what brings us back in? Is it regulations on pricing? Is it bringing down inflation? And bringing down inflation is hard because then do you get people to bring their prices back down? And that goes for so many things in the economy and not just the bands. Because for the bands to bring their prices down, you're gonna have to have hotels go down, flights go down, gasoline go down, workforce go down. So, so many things have to happen for the band to get their costs down. Rental gear, lighting, staging, venue, rental… So many things have to happen for their costs to go down for that to happen. And maybe people just need to stop going to concerts, and then it resets everything.

"I really don't know what the solution is, but I do know with the runaway pricing, it's just gonna bring ticket prices up for the fans, which is just gonna supplement what the costs are already for the artists," he added. "And then the artists are gonna stop going on tour, which you've already seen. You already see artists put tickets on sale and they cancel. And that's kind of the biggest trick in music right now is throw out a crazy price, throw out a festival, and if it doesn't sell out within the first day or two, you cancel the festival, because that money coming in is what's paying for all the artists on the back end and being able to get that thing set up. It's better just to cut your losses right away. And we've been seeing that recently. And so that's kind of the M.O. of what people are doing. And the whole thing is just not healthy. And that's why, again, the best mindset has to be a completely different mindset of not getting in the weeds of all this and just kind of going where you wanna go. Am I gonna be happy going there? Do we wanna hit fans that have never seen us? Cool. Are we gonna make any money? No. But what are we gonna get from it? Well, we're gonna get in front of people that never got to see us, never thought they were gonnta get to see us, and hopefully that kind of spreads in the streaming world and it just plants a flag that maybe in five years we'll come back and maybe it'll be a little bigger. You've kind of just gotta think macro… And don't make yourself miserable. Don't go grind in Europe for six weeks, be away from your family, make no money, maybe lose money, and basically play the same places you played 25 years. You've just gotta change the mindset. You've gotta free yourself from that and just go, 'Well, we don't need that. I don't care. We're not doing that.'"

As previously reported, AVENGED SEVENFOLD will embark on a European tour in June 2025. The 12-date trek will consist of appearances at some of the continent's biggest rock festivals, including Norway's Tons Of Rock, Czech Republic's Rock For People and Greece's Release.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD launched the 2024 leg of the "Life Is But A Dream…" North American tour on March 6 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The band's 2024 run included AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first-ever performances in Manchester, New Hampshire; Raleigh, North Carolina; and Newark. The group performed in Des Moines, Iowa for the first time in 18 years; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for the first time in 15 years.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has been touring in support of its latest album, "Life Is But A Dream…", which sold 36,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD made its first festival appearance in five years on May 19, 2023 at Welcome To Rockville at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first concert since June 2018 took place on May 12, 2023 at AREA15 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To date, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has sold over 10 million albums worldwide and earned two consecutive No. 1 albums on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart (2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King") to go along with over a billion video views and a billion-plus Spotify streams, as well as multiple No. 1 singles on rock radio.

KANSAS vocalist Ronnie Platt will undergo surgery for thyroid cancer in early March.

On Thursday (February 20),Platt took to social media to write: "I met with my doctor today and found out I have surgery scheduled for March 4. So far, the prognosis has been very good. I'm looking forward to getting this behind me and being back in the saddle as soon as possible. I appreciate the outpouring of support I've been receiving. Thank you."

As a result of Platt's cancer diagnosis, KANSAS canceled two previously announced shows in Louisiana — in New Orleans on February 21 and Lake Charles on March 1. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase.

When the 64-year-old singer first announced his cancer diagnosis on February 15, he wrote that "it has a 99% survival rate" and "it has not spread. It's contained to my thyroid. I just have to have my thyroid removed," he added. "Go through some rehab time and be right back in the saddle."

Platt joined KANSAS in July 2014 after the departure of longtime singer Steve Walsh.

Ronnie can be heard on KANSAS's last two studio albums, 2016's "The Prelude Implicit" and 2020's "The Absence Of Presence".

Formed in Topeka, Kansas in 1974, KANSAS has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and has a catalog that includes 16 studio albums and five live albums, eight of which are gold and three that are platinum.

In a 2024 interview with Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Platt stated about how he landed the KANSAS gig: ""It's such a wild story. I've been telling it for 10 years, and it's still surreal to me. One day, while I was at work — I used to be a truck driver — I received a text message from a friend of mine, Dina, who knew what a fan I was of KANSAS. All of my cover bands back in Chicago would play KANSAS. ... Dina saw the announcement of Steve Walsh's retirement, and I reached out to Rich Williams (the original guitar player for KANSAS) on Facebook to ask him if they would consider me. I was in a band called SHOOTING STAR from 2007-2011, and we played with KANSAS a couple of times, so we already knew each other. The very next day, I get a message from him saying, 'We're about to go on stage in Houston, Texas. If you get this in the next 90 minutes, give me a call.' Before I knew it, I was flying to Atlanta, having a great conversation with Phil (Ehart) and Rich, I get back home to Chicago, and then I get a congratulations e-mail from Phil saying I'm in."

UPDATE - February 20, 2025

An updated statement from Ronnie Platt regarding his thyroid cancer diagnosis:
"I met with...

Posted by Kansas on Thursday, February 20, 2025

UK death metal titans, Cancer, return with news of their new album, Inverted World, coming April 25 via Peaceville.

For over 35 years, Cancer have been delivering some of the most brutal and uncompromising music in the genre. Now, they return with Inverted World, their highly anticipated follow-up to 2018’s Shadow Gripped. The album promises a return to their signature blend of serrated riffing, guttural vocals, and relentless aggression. Expect a dark and visceral journey into dystopia, corruption, and existential horror.

Cancer burst onto the UK extreme metal scene over 35 years ago, and quickly established a strong global following over the early part of their careers, primarily due to the release of the legendary debut, To The Gory End, swiftly followed by the equally revered Death Shall Rise album, which notably also featured death metal maestro James Murphy on lead guitars.

The band’s trajectory increased further with follow-up opus, The Sins Of Mankind, leading to a stint with major label EastWest under Warner Music. 2018 saw the band return after a long period of inactivity for comeback release and Peaceville debut, Shadow Gripped, which reunited the original core trio for the first time since 1995 for a stellar nod to the glory days of old; savage, thrash-tinged deathly odes to the macabre, gaining the approval of old fans and a new generation of death metal maniacs alike.

In a year which also marks the 35th anniversary of the genre-classic debut, To The Gory End, founding member and vocalist/guitarist/songwriter John Walker leads a now-revamped quartet for Cancer’s seventh full-length album in the form of Inverted World. A relentless attack of masterful song-writing and brutal hooks, Inverted World explores the dark and murky world of manipulation and barbarity both past and present, with themes relating to shadowy entities and cult mentalities, including the brainwashing of people into compliance and the weaponizing of religion. And as an extra treat for the band’s fanbase in particular, the track “Corrosive” also resurrects the old and familiar tale of the acid bath murderer.

Inverted World was recorded at The Empty Hall Studio with Simón Da Silva , and mixed by V. Santura (Triptykon, Obscura, Pestilence, Dark Fortress, etc.) at Woodshed Studio .

Inverted World will be released on limited purple vinyl, black vinyl, CD and digitally. Vinyl editions include printed inner sleeve featuring full lyrics, CD edition includes 12-page booklet with full lyrics.

Pre-order the new album here.



Tracklisting:

“Enter The Gates”
“Until The Died”
“Inverted World”
“Bodies”
“Test Site”
“Amputate”
“When Killing Isn’t Murder”
“Covert Operations”
“Jesus For Eugenics”
“Corrosive”

Witness Cancer live in Italy this weekend on the band’s pre-album mini-tour, featuring a special To The Gory End themed set.

During an appearance on the "Sound Up!" podcast with Mark Goodman and Alan Light, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was asked if "a lot of the negativity" surrounding the band fades away when he reflects on KISS's 50-year run, particularly as it relates to former members. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't see a lot of negativity. People talk about the glass half empty or half full. I see it overflowing. I mean, I don't have any negative memories because everything that happens both happens for a reason and is part of the end result. So, if you're living with bitterness or anger, it means you haven't gotten past it. And I have nothing but good things to say about everybody who's been in the band. And we couldn't have made it without all of them. Everybody contributed something, and certainly Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer], above everyone else, are the foundation of this. So, whatever spats there have been, or whatever bickering, I put it in perspective. If you win the lottery, you don't complain about taxes."

Back in March 2023, radio host Howard Stern asked Stanley why he and fellow original KISS member Gene Simmons didn't perform with Frehley and Criss at the band's 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction. Stanley said: "[The Rock Hall organizers] were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the [most recent KISS] band, and also would give some people confusion. 'Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS."

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 Belgian Jasper, LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia was asked how she initially felt about being featured on the cover of the February 2006 issue of Revolver where she was also included in the magazine's "The Hottest Chicks In Metal" article. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The thing is that I never saw the malice in it. I always thought that it's actually a very powerful thing for a woman to be feminine. I love women power. I love to be empowered by who I am, and I don't want to hide myself because I'm a woman and if I show my legs that means I'm worth less. That's not my problem. So when I actually went on that cover of Revolver magazine, because I was the very first woman to to actually appear on that cover, for me, it was just the biggest honor because it was the first time that a magazine, an American magazine, would give a woman the pleasure of being on a cover. So for me, it was something that blew my mind back then."

Cristina continued: "I was just happy if more women could come on board of this women-fronted, the female-fronted band [movement], stuff like that, even if that's a definition that I never liked. Maybe because I was coming from a different world before LACUNA COIL — I was listening to a lot of dance and R&B music, so, for me, it was already normal to see women playing music and singing. It was nothing new. Metal was predominantly followed by guys because it was a more aggressive and heavy sound, but I never looked at myself as the different element or I am different or I'm worth less because I'm a woman. So it was never my personal problem. It is true that perception of people — you have to deal with it. You have to expect a reaction. Everything you do, everything you say, you have to expect a reaction. And I would never go over the line, showing myself, but that's because I don't want to do it. But I don't care about what other persons want to do, other women want to do with their body — it's up to them, and I'm not going to judge them, but for sure you have to prepare to a reaction as soon as you do something. It's discouraging that they only see the look of it, but I'm also sure that every woman included in those Revolver magazine 'Hottest Chicks In Metal' were talented as well. So at least we got attention back then. And I mean, it happened to ladies as well to look at a singer because he was hot or considered sexy a singer. So whatever. If you can use it as a tool to get attention and you're okay with it, as long as it's your decision, you can do whatever you want."

Two years ago, Cristina was asked as part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series if she believes that women are being taken more seriously in the metal scene than they were three decades ago when her band was first formed. She responded: "Do I feel that things changed? Absolutely, yes. When I started, there were not so many bands with a female in the lineup. Metal was still a no-no for females, because it was a very male-dominated scene. Which it still is, but of course there are many more bands with a female in the lineup, which makes me happy even though we are still seen differently. I don't think that it will ever happen that we are going to be seen equally, and partially it is okay like this because we're different. I think that we are sort of a different world.

"What I don't like about being a female in a male-dominated world is the fact that very often we are judged by our looks, which I get it; many guys get the same," she continued. "But for women, it's kind of like… Let's say for the guys, if they have the look, it's a plus. For women, if they have the look, it's a plus in terms of media attention; it's a plus in terms of — I don't know — people drooling with you; but it doesn't necessarily add up to the potential you already have. And that is a shame, because people should not be judged by their looks. I understand that the look is first thing that you see, but it will cool if it will be possible to go beyond that, especially in music, where the instrument you play, the voice you're pushing out of your body and the feelings you're trying to convey with your music are the most important things."

LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Sleepless Empire", was released on February 14, 2025 via Century Media Records.

Last October, Italian guitarist/producer Daniele Salomone confirmed that he has joined LACUNA COIL as the replacement for the band's longtime guitarist Diego Cavallotti.

Salomone made his live debut with LACUNA COIL on August 4, 2024 at the Rockstadt Extreme Fest in Râșnov, Romania.

In June 2024, LACUNA COIL announced Cavallotti's departure. Diego, who joined LACUNA COIL in 2016, initially as a fill-in guitarist following the exit of Marco "Maus" Biazzi, later said in a social media post that "this decision is not the result of my dissatisfaction or desire to explore new opportunities."

Cavallotti and Salomone played together in the Italian metal band INVERNO, which released its debut album, "Stasis", in December 2023.

In a new interview with Ryan Vacey of the Beyond The Vibe podcast, legendary rock singer Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, ALCATRAZZ, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP) confirmed that he is working on a new album with his solo band. "We've done three albums — we have three albums as the GRAHAM BONNET BAND — and they've all charted," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "They've done great, actually. The songs have turned out really well. And so we're on our fourth — we'll be doing our fourth album."

Elsewhere in the chat, Graham hinted at a possible guest singer appearance on the next GRAHAM BONNET BAND LP, saying: "I've seen [IRON MAIDEN singer] Bruce [Dickinson] recently. Bruce actually might be singing on this new album with me, Bruce Dickinson. 'Cause I went to see him. I've seen him a few times, a couple of times."

The GRAHAM BONNET BAND's third studio album, "Day Out In Nowhere", came out in May 2022 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Graham was joined on the LP by longtime bandmates Beth-Ami Heavenstone (bass) and Conrado Pesinato (guitar),as well as keyboardist Alessandro Bertoni and drummer Shane Gaalaas. "Day Out In Nowhere" also saw performance and co-writing guest appearances from Jeff Loomis (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE),John Tempesta (THE CULT, WHITE ZOMBIE),Mike Tempesta (POWERMAN 5000),Roy Z (HALFORD, BRUCE DICKINSON) and Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW).

Bonnet is a hard rock legend with a pedigree to back that statement up. His solo offerings and stints with RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI prove he is one of the finest rock vocalists and songwriters of his generation. From his late 60s into his 70s, Graham has written and recorded some of the best albums he's ever done, including a reunion album with GRAHAM BONNET'S ALCATRAZZ called "Born Innocent" in 2020, along with three records with his GRAHAM BONNET BAND: 2016's "The Book", 2018's "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" and the aforementioned "Day Out In Nowhere".

In 1979, Bonnet auditioned for the frontman position in RAINBOW. With his James Dean image, the choice of Bonnet to replace Ronnie James Dio was subject to some questions. However, once the band heard Bonnet sing, they knew they had their man. With Bonnet at the mic, they recorded the "Down To Earth" LP, which became one of RAINBOW's most successful releases.

Graham moved on from RAINBOW in the early '80s to work on his solo career. He also played with MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, recorded several albums with ALCATRAZZ and had a short stint with IMPELLITTERI.

Last night, Beth-Ami, Conrado, Levi (Beth-Ami’s son) and I attended the Iron Maiden “Future Past” show at the Kia Forum....

Posted by Graham Bonnet on Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Brandon Ellis has announced his departure from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER.

Ellis joined THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER in 2016 and played on the band's last three albums: 2017's "Nightbringers", 2020's "Verminous" and 2024's "Servitude".

Earlier today (Thursday, February 20),Ellis issued the following statement via social media: "I have recently parted ways with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER.

"I'm grateful for my 9 years spent with this iconic band, and to have had the rare honor of making music with the legendary Trevor Strnad. I'm proud of my contributions to the band's legacy and of all that we’ve accomplished together.

"Unfortunately, the time has come that I must close this chapter and begin the next.

"I'd like to thank the fans for the mountains of support they've afforded us all over the years, and I wish the band the best in all future endeavors."

Earlier this week, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER postponed its tour of Latin America due to vocalist Brian Eschbach requiring time to focus on his health. He wrote in a social media post: "As everyone knows, it's been an intense four years in the world and within THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. All of this has forced me to take a hard look in the mirror and re-evaluate my approach to life and focus on my health. I want to thank my friends, family, and bandmates for their continuous love and support. I and the rest of the band look forward to seeing you all at Sonic Temple and Welcome To Rockville this spring."

"Servitude", which came out in September 2024 via Metal Blade Records, marked THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's first release since the tragic passing of the band's frontman and co-founder Trevor Strnad in 2022.

After a period of profound grief and deep soul-searching, Eschbach moved from guitar to vocals, setting aside his lifelong identity as a live guitarist for the survival of the band. Former THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER member Ryan Knight returned to the fold to take Eschbach's place on guitar. The new lineup made their debut in the band's hometown of Detroit in late October 2022 for a tribute show for Strnad.

"Servitude" marked Eschbach's recorded debut as THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's lead vocalist and lyricist — and the band's first with Knight on guitar since 2015's "Abysmal".

Posted by Brandon Ellis on Thursday, February 20, 2025