In late March 2024, ANTHRAX announced that, due to personal reasons, bassist Frank Bello would not be able to accompany the band on its South American tour, which kicked off on April 13, 2024 at MXMF The Metal Fest in Mexico City. Filling in on those dates, as well as two U.S. festival shows in May 2024, was ANTHRAX founding member and original bassist Dan Lilker, marking his first appearance with the band in 40 years. Lilker, who co-wrote and played on ANTHRAX's debut album "Fistful Of Metal", was also a member of STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante and guitarist Scott Ian.

In a new interview with Todd Newton of Big Music Geek, Lilker was asked if he was surprised to get the call to play with his former band again. He responded: "It was definitely a surprise, but it ended up being a pleasant surprise.

"Scott had texted me in late February and said, 'Frank can't do these shows we're doing in Latin America and a couple of U.S. festivals in May. Can you do them?' That was only five weeks out from the first show, but I said, 'Sure. What's the setlist?' And I practiced. Every day, I'd come home from work and run through the setlist, driving my wife crazy. But I like to make sure I know stuff and I want to know it with full confidence. I want to play it and still be able to rock out and have it be natural like second nature.

"It was fun," he continued. "I went to some cool places I'd never been to El Salvador or fucking Costa Rica or Ecuador and Uruguay. I went to Uruguay, dude.

"Those guys are all real great musicians," Lilker added. [ANTHRAX vocalist] Joey [Belladonna] is an amazing singer. I never shared a stage with him.

"It was lots of fun, but I was surprised."

Lilker previously talked about his stage reunion with ANTHRAX in a November 2024 interview with the That Metal Interview podcast. Lilker said at the time: "Those shows were great. It was fun. I didn't really know Joey before that, the vocalist. Obviously, I knew Scott and Charlie from [playing with them in ANTHRAX and] S.O.D. and then there's Jon [Donais], the guitar player, who's also a really cool dude who helped me out a lot, teaching me the stuff that I still needed to learn. But yeah, those shows were great. There was eight shows in South America and then there was a couple of U.S. fests, in Florida and Columbus, Ohio. The South American [shows] were in April. I should say Central America — actually, the first show was in Mexico. But let's just say Latin America. And all those shows were killer. I mean, I've played down there a bunch. I went to some places I've never been before, like Costa Rica and Ecuador and El Salvador. But good old Chile and Argentina and Brazil, I knew those were gonna be killers because I played there a bunch with other bands. And, yeah, I think everything was great. It was lots of fun. And I think people enjoyed it, man. It's all over YouTube."

Asked if it's true that they had only one rehearsal in Mexico City before he played his first show back with ANTHRAX, Dan said: "Yeah, there was one rehearsal in Mexico, but I'd gotten approached about doing that about five or six weeks before that. So I had time at home to learn the stuff, and then we just did that one rehearsal, because even those guys needed the rehearsal, 'cause they hadn't done anything at that point since they played, like, the Milwaukee Metal Fest the summer before or something. They'd gone about ten months without doing anything, so even if Frank had done the shows, they would've rehearsed regardless."

When the interviewer noted that Lilker has a slightly different bass sound compared to Frank, Dan concurred. "Oh, definitely," he said. "[Frank] has a nice aggressive bass tone, but mine's definitely a little more distorted, having always sounded like that and then playing grindcore and black and death metal and shit like they've done the last fucking quarter century. Scott and Charlie had played with me with S.O.D. with that bass tone, and I'm sure they were aware that it would sound a little different with ANTHRAX, but it was almost, like, it made it this interesting hypothetical thing for those dudes, like, 'What if Danny had been in the band all this time? What would those songs sound like?' And you got to find out, I guess."

Asked if there were any songs that he had to learn for ANTHRAX's set that gave him trouble, Dan said: "The only thing that was tricky sometimes was doing the backing vocals while playing the bass, 'cause sometimes the phrasing was a little different. Like, believe it or not, going 'what is it? Caught in a mosh' and playing the riff under it, it kind of alternates weirdly. So I had to slow the whole thing down in my brain and go, 'Okay, you have to tap your foot here or say this on that note.' And that's only because in most bands I've been in, if I'm doing backing vocals, I'm usually just screaming or shouting a couple of words, which this is not that dissimilar from. It was just more of a musical phrasing thing, where what you're saying and what you're playing are just different enough that it can fuck you up a little."

Lilker has not been idle over the past four decades, having played in a wide variety of bands. He was the bassist for the thrash/metal band NUCLEAR ASSAULT and the grindcore band BRUTAL TRUTH. He also plays bass for EXIT-13, MALFORMED EARTHBORN, THE RAVENOUS, OVERLORD EXTERMINATOR, VENOMOUS CONCEPT, and more.

To celebrate ANTHRAX's 40th anniversary in 2021, the band's social media accounts offered a series of video testimonials sent in by former bandmembers, fellow musicians, colleagues, and industry veterans sharing behind-the-scenes stories of working with the band and what ANTHRAX's legacy has meant all these years on. These videos honored each album in chronological order beginning with the original release, "Fistful Of Metal". The 11-week series included video contributions from former ANTHRAX bandmembers Lilker, Dan Spitz, John Bush, Neil Turbin and Rob Caggiano.

Lilker, who played bass on "Fistful Of Metal" and wrote most of the music for the record, told Knotfest about ANTHRAX's 40th anniversary: "I'm definitely proud of that whole thing. I think it's great that those guys are still going… That was real good memories back then. I know people go, 'Oh, they fucking threw you out after that,' and blah blah blah. But, obviously, I got over that and formed NUCLEAR ASSAULT. And next year we were doing S.O.D. So I'm not the kind of guy who stays bitter forever. But, yeah, the memories of those times, writing that record and recording it and everything was... 'Cause there was no blueprint or anything; we just had influences and just tried to put our own stamp on 'em back then. So, yeah, it kind of sucks being thrown out three days before [it got] released, but it gave me an excuse to do something else."

When interviewer Daniel Dekay noted that it was "really cool" of ANTHRAX to allow Lilker to tell his side of the story in the above-mentioned documentary series, Dan said: "There was times in the past where I might have been a little neglected on some of the stuff. So I think they wanted to make sure to just have a nice, inclusive vibe and not forget any particular details. Like the fact that I wrote 75 percent of 'Fistful Of Metal'. You know, a minor detail."

A number of years ago, Lilker told Voices From The Darkside that he was fired from ANTHRAX due to "a conflict" with the band's then-vocalist Neil Turbin. "He was an egotist (like most singers, haha) and it bothered him that I was taller than him," Lilker explained. "Also, he had no sense of humor, so if you busted his balls he took it seriously. So, he told the other members, 'I can't take Lilker anymore. It's him or me.' They decided he was more important as a familiar frontman to the fans, so they threw me out, even though I wrote 75 percent of the music on 'Fistful…'. Oh well. He was, of course, thrown out seven months later, and I played with Scott and Charlie in S.O.D. the next year."

In his 2014 autobiography "I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax", Ian described Lilker's dismissal from ANTHRAX 30 years earlier as "the worst moment for me in the history" of the band. He went on to say that the decision to kick Dan out ANTHRAX was made by Turbin and not the other members of the group.

"The biggest dick move Neil ever pulled was when he fired Danny Lilker behind our backs after 'Fistful…' came out in January 1984," Ian wrote. "The main reason he did it, in my opinion, was because Danny is taller than him. He honestly didn't think someone should be taller than the frontman onstage. He thought it made him look bad, so he tried to stand as far away from Danny as possible, which was hard when we were playing stages the size of ping-pong tables."

In recent years, Ian has voiced his appreciation for the role "Fistful Of Metal" played in giving ANTHRAX its start, telling Metal Hammer: "Let's face it, 'Fistful Of Metal' gave us our career. It got the band some attention, made people all over the world aware of what we could do — and for that reason alone I have to be grateful to everyone involved. The record was vital in launching us, and everything we've done, and become, since stems from that debut record. I may be critical of it in some ways, but I could never do anything other than admit we owe it all to 'Fistful Of Metal'. If that had never happened… well, perhaps you would never have heard of ANTHRAX."

The second edition of the definitive Lilker biography "Perpetual Conversion: 30 Years & Counting In The Life Of Metal Veteran Dan Lilker" was officially released ten years to the day of its first edition, on Lilker's 60th birthday, October 18, 2024, by smoke.grind.sleep Publishing.

Singer Shaina Shepherd, who performed with SOUNDGARDEN's surviving members Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd at a benefit concert last month, says that she "could never front SOUNDGARDEN".

The vocalist was responding to followers of the Hot Metal magazine Facebook page about her appearance with the grunge icons at a December 14 charity event in Showbox in Seattle, during which she performed six songs, with GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan also joining the group on stage.

Shepherd, who fronts soul/grunge act BEARAXE, took to the comments under the Hot Metal post about her performance, saying: "Haters gonna hate while I live my dream."

When one Hot Metal reader defended his right to express an opinion without being accused of hate, Shepherd responded: "SOUNDGARDEN is a revolutionary band that changed my life, your life, the world. I could never front SOUNDGARDEN. But I love making music with those guys. I did it for me, for them like any other music endeavor. I don't care what any of you think - never did. I care what they think - always will. This whole article is meaningless. Just like your timeline."

Shepherd responded to other disparaging comments with "cool", "nice", "OK" and "dope" while a positive comment was met with "bet!"

SOUNDGARDEN's surviving members reunited last night (Saturday, December 14) for a special "brief encore performance" at the 13th annual SMooCH concert benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital's uncompensated care fund.

Thayil, Cameron and Ben Shepherd performed under the anagram alias NUDEDRAGONS, joined by Shaina Shepherd. Also appearing on the bill for the Nordstrom-backed benefit gig wereSebadoh, Doug Martsch of BUILT TO SPILL and GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan.

Fan-filmed video of NUDEDRAGONS' entire performance can be seen below.

Featured songs:

* Hunted Down (with Shaina Shepherd) 0:41
* Outshined (with Shaina Shepherd) 3:52
* Flower (with Shaina Shepherd) 9:52
* Beyond The Wheel (with Shaina Shepherd) 13:51
* Kickstand (with Shaina Shepherd) (duet with Duff McKagan on vocals) 20:41
* Kick Out The Jams (MC5 cover) (with Shaina Shepherd) (with Duff McKagan on bass and vocals) 23:03

Thayil and Shaina Shepherd previously performed together in 2020 as part of MoPOP's virtual tribute concert to ALICE IN CHAINS. Shaina and Kim were joined by Bubba Dupree, Bill Herzog and Nathan Yaccino for renditions of ALICE's "It Ain't Like That" and "What The Hell Have I".

In 2021, Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd joined Brandi Carlile on stage in Seattle to play SOUNDGARDEN's "Black Hole Sun" and "Searching With My Good Eye Closed". Prior to that appearance, the trio reunited for a 2019 memorial concert in Los Angeles.

Pete and Brandy Nordstrom created SMooCH (Seattle Musicians for Children's Hospital) after their own son had an extended stay at Seattle Children's Hospital following a heart surgery. They wanted to help ensure that all kids in the region have access to top-notch medical care, regardless of their family's ability to pay. They have always felt strongly about community participation and musicians are great at bringing communities together for a cause.

SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell was found hanged in his room at the MGM Grand Detroit hotel in May 2017, following the band's show at the city's Fox Theatre. His body was found soon after he had spoken with a "slurred" voice to his wife by phone. The death was ruled a suicide.

In a new interview with Australia's Heavy, former SEPULTURA guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera spoke about why he and his brother, former SEPULTURA drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera decided to revisit their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-record them and put them out, along with a re-recorded version of guitarist Andreas Kisser's first album with SEPULTURA, "Schizophrenia". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):"[It was] kind of like a chance to do it again, but do it better, kind of not really fix the mistakes, 'cause I think the mistakes were kind of cool, but make the stuff sound better. We had a chance to have better guitar, better drum sound, a better studio, surrounded by knowledgeable metal people that know how to record this stuff. None of those things were available when we made those records in Brazil. We were on our own. The engineers didn't know what to do, and it was like no man's land making these records in Brazil. So we had a chance to redo them and redo them the way we envisioned them to sound. So the re-recordings is the way we, as musicians, think they should sound like, the re recordings — that's the proper way that we envisioned those songs. Even as kids, we were hoping to get the sound that we got on the re-recordings; this is what we were shooting for in the first place. So it's really cool that we get the chance to do that. A lot of bands don't have the chance, don't try it or they try and they fail. They don't keep the energy and the anger of the original. We kept all that in check. We made sure it stays pissed. It's full of piss and vinegar all the way through. So I think that's why a lot of people love the re-recordings, man. The fans fricking love the re-recordings, and it's really well received around the world."

Asked if he thinks those early SEPULTURA albums would have been as well received had they been as well recorded back in the 1980s, Max said: "We never had a manual how to do this stuff. We did it on the fly. They call it, you're gonna wing it, you're just gonna do it by trial and error. And that's the beauty of these records — they were full of stuff that really comes out of nowhere. Like, what I was thinking when I made this riff; this riff is crazy. What the hell was I thinking? But it's beautiful, man. It's cool. It shows that even at the age of 14, 15, I had that metal in my veins. I had that wild metal flowing through my blood, and I just went for it. And now I have a chance to revisit, as an older person, and still get the same enjoyment from these albums that I got it when I was a kid. It's an incredible feeling. You get to do this. I feel very fortunate, me and my brother, we are able to celebrate our past through these albums and get to play them live for people. It's an incredible feeling."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NONPOINT was forced to cut its concert short Sunday night (January 12) at the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, Kentucky after drummer Robb Rivera had a sudden shift in his heart rate that was dangerously high, resulting in him being hospitalized.

A short time after the concert, NONPOINT vocalist Elias Soriano shared a video message in which he offered an update on Rivera's condition, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " So tonight is a pretty wild night here in Louisville. Thank you to all the fans that hung around and stayed. Robb is okay. He is back at the hospital right now, just getting some tests done. His heart rate got a little bit high today on stage. It's something that's never happened before."

He continued: "You guys know we put on an energetic show, and this is never anything that really is any different than what we normally do. But Robb is okay. They got his heart rate down, and we're just gonna wait for more news. But I just wanna let everybody know.

"Thank you so much for everybody in Louisville for coming out," Elias added. "I'm sorry we couldn't do the last song. Literally we had one and a half more songs to do and Robb really wanted to do it, but the paramedics wouldn't let him do it.

"Thank you for everybody for all your support. Everything is okay. Robb is doing good. I just wanna give you guys an update."

NONPOINT also included the following message with the video: "Thank you to the fans of Louisville for understanding us having to cut the set tonight. Robb had a sudden shift in his heart rate that was dangerously high and the paramedics were not able to get it down in time so they took him to the hospital. As of now his heart rate is stable and they're running tests. We'll keep you all posted on his progress as news comes in. Send them healing vibes our way so we can get our brother back on that drum throne. #prayersup".

Louisville was the third show of NONPOINT's "Painful Statements" tour with special guests CROBOT and HEARTSICK. The trek is in celebration of the 20th and 25th anniversaries of NONPOINT's two most popular albums, "To The Pain" and "Statement", respectively. The band is playing songs that not only haven't been heard in a long time, but also songs that have never been played live.

NONPOINT has been captivating audiences with its energetic sound and passionate performances for over two decades. Formed in 1997, the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of what modern rock can be, combining heavy metal, nu-metal, and hard rock into a unique and powerful musical force. Over the course of its 27-year career, NONPOINT has released several critically acclaimed albums and garnered a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the industry.

Throughout their career, NONPOINT has been celebrated for their signature sound and powerful lyrics, which often tackle social and political issues. Their hard-hitting sound and emotional live performances have earned them a dedicated fanbase, as well as recognition from the music industry. NONPOINT has received multiple award nominations and has been praised by publications such as Rolling Stone, Revolver and Alternative Press.

NONPOINT's songs "Bullet With A Name", "Alive And Kicking", "In The Air Tonight", "Circles", "Your Signs", "Everybody Down" and many others have been featured in trailers, hit movies, television, iconic video games, as well as broadcasts from NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WWF.

NONPOINT has toured with major acts like DISTURBED, PAPA ROACH, MUDVAYNE and SEVENDUST, to name a few. They have also been featured on the main stages and support stages of iconic festivals like Soundwave, Rock Am Park, Rock Am Ring, Ozzfest, Rock On The Range, Welcome To Rockville and many more.

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess has once again weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. Asked by "#UpgradeMe With Dana Leong" to clarify his feelings about this new technology, Jordan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "There's a lot of confusion, there's a lot of fear about A.I., there's a lot of excitement about it. It's all over the map, and there's a lot of energy being put behind it. So it's a tricky world that we live in right now. I don't think I've ever been so into something that has been so like debatable. I could mention to somebody that, 'Oh, I'm working in A.I. music making.' 'Oh, that's the devil. You shouldn't be doing that. And 'I'm gonna ban Jordan Rudess from my life, because he's working on destroying the world.' So there's that to contend with.

"The area that I'm working on, even though I'm working in a facility like MIT that's completely positive and everybody doing work there in A.I. is very inspired and just doing magical things, there's a reality to the world and the way that a lot of people are viewing A.I. So that should be said first," he explained. "It's not with a blind eye that I go into this space, because I think about it all the time.

"My whole life has been spent following my creative journey, following my inspiration, practicing my instruments and my art form and trying to master my craft. The things I'm interested in are things like entertaining, entertainment, I'm interested in education, I'm interested in raising the level of inspiration for myself and others around me as much as I can. And I'm interested in any tools that allow me to do that. So I feel like with A.I., my focus there is on those elements. I wanna use A.I. and figure out how can I help somebody with the next level of ear training. What can we do? People are so interested to learn ear training to get better at playing their instruments and learn where the notes are on a piano or trumpet, a violin, a cello, a voice or whatever. How can we do that with A.I.? There's a lot of really cool ways we can do that."

Rudess added: "There's a lot of interesting ways to think about A.I., not only as a generator of music, riffs, sound, but also as a technology that can be a partner, be a collaborator as well. And even a technology that can predict what you're gonna do. So in my mind, in my experience, this technology opens up the next level of possibility for all the cool, all the fun things that I wanna do with my music. I can have a next-generation jam partner that is sensitive to what I'm playing and offers me interesting ideas. I can have an educational tool that I'm kind of helping to build. For me, it's about the smiles and the inspiration and the positivity and the sound and the journey and learning. And again, just for anybody out there that is thinking that I'm connected with the devil, I am not saying any of this with a blindness to composers' rights and all the things that that musicians are worried about that makes sense to worry about, 'cause they're real. But as a single human being in the space, I think somebody… Let me put it this way: everybody has to decide where are you with technology? What are you doing? Are you working towards something that's magical, cool, educational, entertaining, great and inspiring or are you using it in a way that is mundane, hurtful, something that will just produce content for the sake of it? It's a choice.

"So those are my feelings about it," Rudess concluded. "I don't think that A.I. is gonna destroy the world any more than all the technology we had before it will. I mean, in the wrong hands all technology can be dangerous — the next level of power, certainly. But anyway, my focus is doing what I think are cool things with it… More colors, more sounds, more visuals, more cool."

During the same chat, Rudess was asked to reflect on the "strangest gig" he has ever played. He responded:  "Oh, that's a funny, that's an interesting thing. I've had so many different kinds of gigs and I've had weird things happen. I could point out something that very unusual that happened at one of my gigs. It might be fun for our listeners, which is that I was in Mexico City doing a DREAM THEATER concert. And I have this keyboard stand that actually goes around kind of like a 360[-degree] thing and it tilts and moves in all kinds of interesting ways. So about 20 minutes into the show, we were at the national auditorium there in Mexico City, I went into my lead, the section, and I tilted my keyboard like this, so I'm kind of bending over and the keys are facing the audience. And I did my lead and everybody was, like, 'Oh, that's cool.' Then I went to hit the button that brings it back to the keyboard to be flat and it didn't come back. So my tech came out and he's got a big wrench and he's trying to get the keyboard to come back and he's working as hard as he can, but he could not get that thing. It was locked in this position. And I played the whole rest of the show, bent over, all the different parts. Playing lead that way is one thing, but trying to play piano parts, that was another [thing]. And I was just sitting there playing the whole show like that in front of, like, 10,000 people, and every time a part would come up, I'd go, 'God, can I play this part in this position or not?' And I got through the whole show, and it was so weird. And then I was bent over and I was having trouble getting my body to come back to normal. I needed a chiropractic adjustment after that. It was very odd. It was definitely one of the stranger shows."

Rudess is collaborating with the MIT Media Lab's Responsive Environments research group. Rudess's main partners in the enterprise are Media Lab graduate students Lancelot Blanchard, who expolores musical applications of generative A.I. (informed by his own studies in classical piano),and Perry Naseck, an artist and engineer specializing in interactive, kinetic, light- and time-based media. Overseeing the project is Joseph Paradiso, Alexander W. Dreyfoos (1954) professor at the Media Lab, and head of the Responsive Environments group, whose team has a tradition of investigating musical frontiers through novel user interfaces, sensor networks and unconventional data sets.

Rudess is a keyboardist known for his work with the platinum-selling, Grammy-winning progressive metal band DREAM THEATER, which embarks this fall on a 40th-anniversary tour. He is also a solo artist whose latest album, "Permission To Fly", was released on September 6; an educator who shares his skills through detailed online tutorials; and the founder of software company Wizdom Music. His work combines a rigorous classical foundation (he began his piano studies at Juilliard at age 9) with a genius for improvisation and an appetite for experimentation.

Last September, Rudess was asked by Italy's Metal.it if he has any fears about A.I. Jordan said: "One of the companies that I work with very closely is called Moises. It's a very interesting company. They're mostly known for their work in track separation, and musicians all around the world use it. Because basically the way that it works is that you can upload to their system a stereo audio file or even a video, and then when it's within their system, the system can take it apart. So let's say you upload a DREAM THEATER song, and then when it comes back to you, you can decide: I wanna have the vocals, the piano, the bass, the drums, the lead guitar, the acoustic guitar. You can separate it. It's like having access to all the individual tracks. It's kind of a modern-day musical miracle, really, the way that it works. And there's some different companies that work in track separation, but Moises is pretty much the top of the game. It's incredible. But not only that. So after they kind of put their track separation out into the world, then they started to develop the system even further, to the point where now it does things like — well, first of all, pitch and time are completely flexible. You can have things playing back at different pitches, but maintain the tempo of the music. But it also has gotten really good at showing you the chords exactly on the beat where they fall in the music, and it's getting very accurate as well, which is really great. Plus the idea or the implementation of being able to separate the sections of the music so somebody who's learning a piece can say, 'I just wanna hear the verse,' and loop the verse, maybe the verse into the bridge and connect those two and loop them seamlessly."

He continued: "The reason I bring them up is because I love the technology but also because all the musicians around the world that use this, some of them have this idea that A.I. is a bad thing, but they don't even know that Moises is built on A.I. This is the technology that is the framework for everything that Moises does. I'm sorry to be the bringer of bad news to somebody who's against A.I. but now learning a piece of music using it."

Addressing the original question, Rudess added: "First of all, I believe more and more that artificial intelligence is a very bad name for this technology. There's a lot of other ways to think about it. There's nothing really artificial about it. We should go back in time, really, and change that. It's leading people down the wrong thought process to think about what's actually going on with the tool and how these things are put together."

He continued: "All that said, there's a lot of concern in the music business from people about their rights, how these models have been instructed or loaded in with different songs and styles, and rightly so. People, musicians are concerned. They feel like this is not maybe fair. Maybe their music is being loaded into a computer without their permission. All these kinds of things are really, really important to figure out. This is all legal matters which need to be resolved in a big way. It's gonna take time, and honestly, even though I am aware, sympathetic and also concerned, this is not my specialty, that kind of thing. My specialty is in thinking, okay, well, you have this new technology. How can we use it to make more expressive instruments? How can we use it to have more musical fun? How can we engage more people into the beauty of making music themselves? And how can I use it to just kind of like extend what I do in the musical world and do things that have never been possible before, and also be one of the people who kind of helps to steer it in directions that are most valuable to the future of music and music technology. So that's really important to me. That's one of the reasons I'm really excited about the work that I'm doing with MIT [Center for Art, Science & Technology], because they have some beautiful minds there that are thinking in positive ways about how you can take this technology, the technology that's available to us today, and do amazing, beneficial, cool, important, educational, entertaining things with it."

FORBIDDEN members Craig Locicero and Chris Kontos, as well as AUTOPSY's Eric Cutler, joined VENOM INC. on stage during the latter band's headlining concert Sunday night (January 12) at the DNA Lounge in San Francisco, California to perform several VENOM classics. Locicero came up for "Rip Ride", Kontos for "Witching Hour" and Cutler played "Countess Bathory". Video of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of Capital Chaos TV).

Last month, former NEVERMORE and ANNIHILATOR guitarist Curran Murphy officially joined VENOM INC. as the replacement for the band's founding guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn.

The news of Murphy's addition to VENOM INC. came less than a month after Mantas announced that he was leaving the band in order to focus on his "health and well-being" after suffering two heart attacks in the space of four years, as well as to care for his wife, who is battling cancer.

In a recent interview with Metal Kaoz, VENOM INC. bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan was asked if Dunn was officially out of the band. Tony responded: "Well, he made a statement about a year, probably a year and a half ago when his wife was sick and a statement went out in the press that I didn't know was gonna go out, but he just said that he wasn't gonna do any shows until further notice. So he felt he wanted to express that to people."

He continued: "They live in Portugal. They're quite secluded in a lot of ways, [with] not a lot of friends around them. That's how he likes it. But he felt he wanted to stay there and be there for her, which, of course, you had to. But he put this statement out saying he wouldn't do shows until further notice. So I just took that on board. I thought, 'Well, there's no pressure. I'll just keep going. I'll keep the bus driving, the engines running.' And if she's better, because that's what we were hoping for, that she would be fixed, and when it's time, then we'll just carry on. Just come back and off we go. But I was at a point where I've got an obligation to the label, to the manager, to the agents, to the bookers. That's a lot of people who then don't make any money. So I have to keep it going. And you can't take an advance from publishing companies or from record labels and then just run away with the money. That's not how it works. So I had to keep working to push sales to pay them back for what they had generously given us as an advance. So, that was gonna happen."

Dolan went on to say: "Then it got to about halfway through last year, last season, or maybe it was just before the season, she was doing better and he felt really good and he started to run through the material. We had a Belgian festival coming up. It was gonna be the first one [with him back on stage]… And he felt good. He was looking good and he sounded good and he sounded positive. Then I didn't hear from him for three days. And then when I do get in touch with him, he's in hospital and he had a second heart attack. And, of course, physically you might be okay, but mentally that's two hits. And I think he just doesn't wanna die running through an airport or walking on a stage in another country, a million miles away from home. And I can understand that. So, again, we were back to, 'Okay, well, you don't wanna tour. So I'll do the touring. And then when the festivals come up, we'll just see if you feel good about doing them.' That was the idea. But then he was out of the game. So we just continued on while he stayed home and recuperated, really. And I kept sending him messages going, 'There's no pressure. Don't worry about anything. Just get well. And then when you're ready to go, go.' And I kept making sure he was okay for money and everything like that. And then last week or something, someone sends me an image from the Internet saying, 'Oh, why is Mantas not coming back?' And I was, like, 'Pardon?' And then I get to see this Blabbermouth thing where he said he's not coming back. And it was, like, 'Okay.'

"So I don't know. I don't know," Dolan added. "As far as I'm concerned, he's my brother. I love him. I don't want nothing bad to happen. But I just need him to be happy. And if he's happy being at home and recording in his home studio, his stuff that he does there, then fantastic. I can't make him go out. I wouldn't try and make him go out on the road against his wishes. But VENOM INC. is bigger than the people involved, and it means something. And there's new fans."

Asked if there is a chance that Mantas will still be involved with VENOM INC. in the songwriting capacity in the future, Tony said: "Well, we'd already done two albums' worth when we put the last album out [2022's 'There's Only Black']. So we'd overwritten, because it was supposed to go across two albums. That was the idea. The original idea was to have it as a double album. So, the first album [that was gonna] go out — it was all about Dante's Inferno and the nine circles of hell. So it was your journey through life, from life to death. And that was the idea. But very quickly, when he had his heart attack, that changed because the meaning of him not seeing any light and seeing there's only black, I was, like, 'Wow, that's it. 'There's Only Black'.' And so we went from there. But we still have those recordings.

"He's spent the year recording some of that material that is not VENOM-esque," Tony continued. "It's kind of rock/metal, I guess, or whatever you wanna call it. It's very him. And he loves doing that and he's singing. So if he wants to do that, that's fine.

"I've been writing more stuff throughout the year, so 2025 will see two live albums go out, an EP — a new EP with this lineup — and a new album," Tony revealed. "When we get to the album at the end of the year, if he still feels that he's doing what he does and he wants to just do that, then I'll let him do that. But if he feels he wants to push something down the tube, then absolutely. Because it was us, it was us. We were like a double act on stage. We were the Laurel and Hardy or whatever it is, or the Batman and Robin of music. So, it feels weird being without him there. So, however he wants to do it, I'll be open to however he wants to do it. As long as he's alive and he's okay and he's happy, then I'm happy. That's the point of everything. There's more things to life."

Dunn formed VENOM INC. nearly a decade ago with two other former VENOM members, Dolan and drummer Antony "Abaddon" Bray.

In his announcement that he was leaving VENOM INC., Dunn said that his "health and wellbeing are of paramount importance to myself and my family," but added that "there are also more personal issues which have influenced my decision."

Last May, Dunn revealed that he had suffered another heart attack on the morning of April 17, 2024. Despite this frightening event, the swift response from medical professionals at Abrantes UCIC and later in Lisbon ensured he received the necessary care promptly. An angiogram revealed issues with two valves, leading to the immediate placement of two stents.

The 63-year-old British-born musician, who currently resides with his wife in Portugal, previously suffered a heart attack and underwent a double bypass surgery in May 2018.

Mantas sat out VENOM INC.'s fall 2023 U.S. tour after revealing that his wife had been diagnosed with cancer. He was replaced on the trek by Mike Hickey, known for his work with VENOM, CARCASS, CATHEDRAL and CRONOS.

VENOM INC. is not to be confused with the Conrad "Cronos" Lant-fronted version of VENOM, which is continuing to tour and make albums under the VENOM moniker. Joining Cronos in that group are Rage (a.k.a. Stuart Dixon) on guitar and Danté (a.k.a. Danny Needham) on drums.

VENOM's classic lineup trio of Dunn, Lant and drummer Anthony "Abaddon" Bray recorded four studio LPs, "Welcome To Hell" (1981),"Black Metal" (1982),"At War With Satan" (1984) and "Possessed" (1985),and live album, "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (1986). Often cited by bands such as METALLICA, BEHEMOTH, CELTIC FROST and MAYHEM as major influences, they are one of the most revered bands of their generation. VENOM is still fronted by Cronos and headlines festivals all over the globe and continues to release new music while Dunn and Dolan had joined forces in the similarly named VENOM INC.



Posted by Forbidden on Sunday, January 12, 2025

ues, all featuring bonus tracks, are now available for pre-order here.


Coming to prominence towards the end of the new wave of British heavy metal, both Welcome To Hell and Black Metal were major influences on the whole genres of thrash and extreme metal. Often considered the first black metal band, the band even gave a certain band named Metallica their first break in Europe nearly 30 years ago. Indeed Lars Ulrich once said, "[The first Venom album] Welcome To Hell was a classic! Black metal, speed metal, death metal,

Forbes Senior Contributor, Hugh McIntyre, reports that while Aerosmith is rarely missing from Billboard's hard rock lists, especially with their Greatest Hits compilation which typically ranks among the most successful albums in that genre, this week the Boston favorites reappear on several other lists, as that set rises on the Top Hard Rock Albums chart.


Says McIntyre: "The Billboard tallies aren’t quite as competitive this frame as they have been for the past month or so, as holiday tunes have fallen away - even on the hard rock-only tallies - and Aerosmith gains a lot of ground thanks to that fact.


"Greatest Hits surges back into the Top 10 on the "Top Hard Rock Albums" chart this week. The top-selling compilation rockets from #14 to #8, while also finding its way back to a pair of other rosters.




"Aerosmith’s hits-packed offering breaks back onto the "Billboard 200", the company’s list of the most-consumed albums of every style across the US. On that ranking, Greatest Hits rocks its way back to #170, thanks to more than 8,600 equivalent units shifted.


"Greatest Hits performs even better on the "Top Rock & Alternative Albums" chart. There, it becomes a Top 40 win once more, as it re-enters at #37."


Aerosmith also claims a hit single in America once again. Find out more at Forbes.


In other Aerosmith-related news, Close Enemies, the powerhouse band featuring bassist Tom Hamilton, alongside drummer Tony Brock (The Babys, Rod Stewart), touring veterans Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow, Don Henley), Trace Foster on guitar, and singer Chasen Hampton, who has been singing professionally since the age of 11 as a member and co-host of the famed 90s Mickey Mouse Club and pop group The Party, recently announced their signing with TLG|ROCK for management and label services. Their new record will be distributed through Virgin Music Group. Unlike the name suggests, these five guys are close friends, each with an illustrious musical career.


The band will release their debut single, "Sound Of A Train", on January 17 and are playing shows in support (dates below).


Tom Hamilton: "We’re really excited to be working with TLG/Virgin on the release of the Close Enemies record! They’re genuinely as excited about putting it out as we are! Can’t wait to see what happens!"


Tony Brock: "TLG/Virgin are the perfect match for Close

Nightwish have released the official lyric video for "Yesterwynde", the title track of their new album, released last September via Nuclear Blast. Watch the new clip below:





Nightwish recently released the official full "making of" documentary on Yesterwynde.




A message states: "From early demo playback sessions in hotel rooms all across the world during the Human. :||: Nature. world tour to the remote rehearsal sessions in a cabin in Röskö, from Floor Jansen delivering stunning vocal performances at her home studio to the orchestral recordings at Abbey Road Studios in London - this 45-minutes documentary directed by Ville Lipiäinen details the long way of transforming the ideas, stories and songs of Tuomas into Yesterwynde!"





Yesterwynde will receive its symphonic world premiere by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra. A third performance has been added on Saturday, August 30, 2025.


Yesterday, the band revealed: "Due to high demand, we’ve just released a third Nightwish Yesterwynde Orchestral concert for Saturday, August 30, 2025. Ticket sales start tomorrow on Friday, December 20, at 9 AM (Finnish time). Grab your tickets quickly before they’re gone (with the wynde)! Nightwish’s Yesterwynde album will have its orchestral world premiere at Tampere Hall, Finland in August 2025. The music will be performed by the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tampere Opera Choir, and a children's choir."


Consult the post below for ticket details:





Yesterwynde is available in a number of different vinyl variants, as a jewelcase, digipak, earbook and as part of a deluxe vinyl box set. Order the album here.





Yesterwynde tracklisting:


"Yesterwynde"
"An Ocean Of Strange Islands"
"The Antikythera Mechanism"
"The Day Of..."
"Perfume Of The Timeless"
"Sway"
"The Children Of 'Ata"
"Something Whispered Follow Me"
"Spider Silk"
"Hiraeth"
"The Weave"
"Lanternlight"


"Lanternlight" video:





"An Ocean Of Strange Islands" lyric video:

Seven Spires performed at Baysis in Yokohama, Japan on December 7, 2024. Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.


Setlist:


"Songs Upon Wine-Stained Tongues"
"Almosttown"
"Succumb" (with Lords Of The Trident)
"The Cabaret of Dreams"
"Love's Souvenir"
"Shadow on an Endless Sea"
"Emerald Necklace"
"The Road"
"No Place for Us"
"The Old Hurt of Being Left Behind"
"Gods of Debauchery"







Seven Spires recently shared "Portrait of Us," the fourth single from their new studio album A Fortress Called Home. The track is accompanied by a new music video which is available below.





The band shared this about the track:


"A parade through some of our early influences, it’s arrogant, it’s playful, it might not know its place, it’s an irritating little brat of a song, but we love it all the same."


Frontwoman Adrienne Cowan comments:


“I’m not sure if he would agree, but after over 10 years of listening to and studying songs that Sascha Paeth wrote or produced, this might be the closest I feel I’ve ever gotten to honoring his influence on my artistry.”


Guitarist Jack Kosto adds:


“This one has some really cool almost hidden or understated riffs and guitar parts that I’m super proud of which are influenced by my earlier rock n’ roll days, and maybe some older school Opeth songs. It’s a bit of a bitch to play, but in a really fun and peacocky kind of way that I suppose is really on brand for us.”


A Fortress Called Home was produced, mixed, and mastered by Jack Kosto who had this to say about it: “If our previous albums have intended to take you on an emotional journey of our design, this album forces you to confront the one of your own making. Good luck and enjoy!”


Order A Fortress Called Home at this location.

Theogonia Records recently announce the signing of one of Greece's most legendary and revered forces in black metal, LLOTH.


Hailing from the rich, myth-laden soil of Hellenic metal, LLOTH's legacy is deeply etched into the black/death metal pantheon. Their upcoming second full-length album, Archees Legeones (Ancient Legions), will be released under the burning banner of Theogonia Records, summoning a new epoch of ferocity, grandeur, and reverence to the ancient spirit of black metal.


Theogonia Records could not be more honored to have LLOTH join its unholy ranks. "LLOTH represents everything Theogonia Records stands for," says Chrys Kyrkos, the label's founder. "Legacy, strength, and an unshakable commitment to the darkness. Archees Legeones will be a defining chapter in not only LLOTH’s career but in Hellenic black metal itself."




Now, the label has shared the cover artwork and tracklist for the new album, Archees Legeones, whicgh has been confirmed for a May 9th release. 





Tracklist:


"Angel Wings" 
"Archees Legeones" (Αρχαίες Λεγεώνες) 
"Acherodas" 
"Dark Mountain" 
"Alpha And Omega" 
"Paianas" 
"Arise" 
"Mother" 
"Black Throne" 
"Doomed Black Years"


Founded in 1995 by the late and iconic Tristessa - a trailblazer in the Greek metal scene and founder of Astarte (the first ever all-female black metal band) - LLOTH rose as a beacon of unholy darkness and unyielding artistry. After transitioning into Astarte, LLOTH lay dormant for years, only to rise once more in 2013. Following Tristessa’s tragic passing, the remaining members, led by her husband Nicolas Maii

During an appearance on the latest episode of the Brutally Delicious podcast, former GUNS N' ROSES and current ART OF ANARCHY guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal was asked how he got QUEEN's Brian May to guest on his upcoming instrumental album, "Bumblefoot ...Returns!", set for release on January 24, 2025. Thal said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've crossed paths in the past, and I asked. With anybody, you ask, and if they say yes, they say yes; if they say no, they say no. And if they say no, they don't need [to give] an explanation or anything. That's okay."

Addressing the fact that Steve Vai and Guthrie Govan also make appearances on "Bumblefoot ...Returns!", Thal said: "I was fortunate where I didn't want a lot of guests. I didn't want this to be like this variety show with a billion guests and everything. Just certain songs seemed like they needed a certain spirit to complete them. And it was very obvious, to me, when I did the song. It was, like, 'There's only one person that could make this song just put the icing on the cake' — I should say 'put the cherry on top'. I asked Brian, and he's such a wonderful soul, such an amazing person. And he did it, and it's wonderful. And Steve Vai and Guthrie, old friends. [Derek] Sherinian was easy — we're in how many bands together; we're constantly working together. It was, like, 'Hey, you wanna play in it?' 'Sure.'"

Bumblefoot continued: "There was only one person that I asked that they listened to the song and said, 'It sounds like the song is finished and I don't think there's anything I can add to this.' That is the song 'Griggstown Crossing'. There is one person that I thought would have really been just right for that song: Joe Walsh. What he said was that he felt like the song was done and he had nothing to add to it. I disagree. So what I did is what I imagined him doing. I used a talk box and did a solo with a talk box, and instead of a slide, I did it all on fretless. So I did a fretless talk box solo, what I envisioned his approach would be. So that was definitely inspired by him, Peter Frampton, all the talk box greats."

Last month, Thal told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the inspiration for "Bumblefoot ...Returns!": "The very first album that I ever put out on Shrapnel Records [in 1995], it was this instrumental guitar album called 'The Adventures Of Bumblefoot'. And it was just a bunch of weird guitar music. And since then I always did vocal stuff and stuff with bands and everything. And then, during the pandemic, I got the itch. I was, like, 'Let me do a bunch more instrumental things and put out an album.' And yeah, it's coming out."

Regarding how he got May and Vai to guest on the album, Ron said: "[Brian and I] have corresponded here and there for the past 15 years or so. And same with Steve — for, like, 10 years. So, I asked them. And Guthrie Govan I've known since we were teenagers, since 1989. I was in a guitar magazine, and he wrote to me. He was, like, 'Hi, I'm a guitarist. I live in the U.K. Check out my demo.' And I'm, like, 'Cool, cool.' And we became penpals. We'd write each other handwritten letters and send cassettes back and forth of just all our little demos, and we've been friends ever since."

Asked if the guest appearances were recorded remotely or if he was in the room with May when the QUEEN guitarist laid down his track, Thal said: "These days people do things remotely; it's most common that everyone works remotely when they're doing guest stuff. And you record it at your own studio, you send it to the people and they put it into the multi-tracks, and good to go.

"As you're working on songs, you could just imagine certain people that would fit with the song," Ron added. "Like the song with Brian May, it wasn't the original plan [to have him on it]. I was just making a song, but by the time the song was really coming together and all the parts were there and I was hearing it, it was, like, 'My God. This song wouldn't be complete without him. It needs his playing just to make it what it's meant to be.' So I asked him. And he did it. And over the years we've done a couple of things together. We've done festivals where we played with each other on stage, doing things. There's a festival he's involved with called Starmus. It is a mix of astrophysics and music. So they have all these incredible geniuses giving lectures and then they have a bunch of musicians that that play and put on concerts and everything, all combined. And we've done two of those together, and next year there's gonna be more."

Thal went on to praise May as a human being, saying: "Everyone that's guests on the album are all wonderful souls or I wouldn't want them on the album. That's first and foremost. But he absolutely is just such a sweet, wonderful guy. And he's as smart as they get."

"Bumblefoot ...Returns!" will arrive 30 years after Thal's debut solo instrumental album. On the new LP, Bumblefoot revisits his roots with a 14-track masterpiece that spans genres from metal to orchestral to blues.

The album's opening track, "Simon In Space", serves as its first single, delivering an electrifying ride through chaos and intensity. In addition to the single, an animated music video created by Bumblefoot and animator Radek Grabinski is also available, as well as a retro-inspired video game, which is coming soon.

Bumblefoot commented: "From an early age, my passions were guitar and astrophysics, cosmology — the song 'Simon In Space' merges the two. Simon is my cat, haha; that's him featured in the artwork."

Soon fans will be able to immerse themselves in a retro-inspired video game based on the single. More details will be announced soon.

"Bumblefoot ...Returns!" features collaborations with iconic musicians, including May, Vai, Govan, Sherinian, Jerry Gaskill and others, showcasing Bumblefoot's innovative guitar techniques, such as his signature fretless guitar and "thimble technique."

On the album, Bumblefoot shared: "It's been 30 years since releasing the debut 'Adventures Of Bumblefoot' on Shrapnel Records, and I haven't done a fully instrumental album since. Writing during the pandemic, these songs became a soundtrack to my life — from heavy fretless growls to bluesy tributes to legends like Lonnie Johnson. It's a reflection of the moments that shaped me."

He added: "Working on WHOM GODS DESTROY's album inspired growling heavy fretless parts like 'Simon In Space'. Watching a blues documentary inspired 'Moonshine Hootenanny'. Losing loved ones led to writing 'Funeral March'. Songs become a soundtrack to our lives."

The album is available for pre-order now on vinyl, CD, and cassette, with exclusive merch bundles at bumblefoot.com.

"Bumblefoot ...Returns!" track listing:

01. Simon In Space
02. Planetary Lockdown
03. Moonshine Hootenanny
04. Chopin Waltz Op64 No2
05. Monstruoso (featuring Steve Vai)
06. Monstruoso II – Departure
07. Cintaku
08. Once in Forever (featuring Brian May)
09. Andalusia
10. Anveshana (featuring Guthrie Govan)
11. Funeral March (featuring Ben Karas)
12. Griggstown Crossing
13. The Thread
14. Liftoff

Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 and appeared on 2008's "Chinese Democracy", an effort which contained music that had been written before he came into the group. The disc took 13 years to make and was only a modest seller, moving just around half a million copies.

Thal never officially announced his departure from the GN'R, but a source confirmed to Detroit music writer Gary Graff back in 2015 that the guitarist had been out since the end of the band's second Las Vegas residency in 2014.

Thal later revealed that he was focusing on his solo career and other projects after spending eight years playing in GUNS.

Thal spent a few years recording and touring with SONS OF APOLLO, which also featured drummer Mike Portnoy, keyboardist Derek Sherinian and bassist Billy Sheehan. SONS OF APOLLO released its second studio album, "MMXX" (pronounced: 20/20),in January 2020 via InsideOut Music/Sony.

ART OF ANARCHY's third studio album, "Let There Be Anarchy", was released in February 2024 via Pavement Music.

Joining founding ART OF ANARCHY members Jon Votta (guitar),Vince Votta (drums) and Thal in the band's current lineup are vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY, SONS OF APOLLO) and bassist Tony Dickinson (SOTO, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band, Bon Jovi, will unveil their Diamond-certified best-selling third full-length album, Slippery When Wet, on vinyl and Digital Deluxe on February 28. The original record will be available in various configurations through the artist store, including an exclusive liquid-filled vinyl disc limited to 1,300 copies worldwide, and a picture disc limited to 1,500 copies. It also arrives on cassette limited to 500 copies. Additionally Slippery When Wet will be available as a Deluxe Edition with seven bonus tracks, on 2CD and digitally at all streamers.


Pre-order on the group’s official online store here.


The Deluxe Edition includes a long sought-after acoustic version of “Wanted Dead Or Alive” as well as four live recordings from the band’s historic 1987 Slippery When Wet Tour, two of which, including an epic “Let It Rock,” have not been heard before. The Deluxe also boasts exciting, previously unreleased mixes of “Livin’ On A Prayer" (Thank You Goodnight Remix), which was heard briefly in the band’s hit documentary series, and “Raise Your Hands" (Extended Obie O’Brien Mix).




Slippery When Wet hit like a tidal wave upon its initial release on August 18, 1986. The record debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 and held the top spot for eight weeks. Not to mention, it emerged as “the top-selling album of 1987,” according to Billboard. It stands out as the band’s highest-selling record, going 12x-platinum. It houses instantly recognizable smashes such as “You Give Love A Bad Name,” “Livin’ On A Prayer,” and “Wanted Dead Or Alive.” Tracks from Slippery When Wet has tallied 9.4 Bilion streams to date. Speaking to the LP’s influence, Guitar World included it among the “Top 20 Hair Metal Albums of the Eighties,” and Rolling Stone named it one of the “50 Greatest Hair Metal Albums of All Time.”


The release of Slippery When Wet kicks off a busy 2025 for Bon Jovi. Last year the band released its classic compilation album, Greatest Hits, on 2LP vinyl and achieved a coveted RIAA Diamond for their single “Livin’ On A Prayer,” recognizing sales of 10 Million certified units. This marks the band’s second career milestone following its Diamond status for their Slippery When Wet album. Throughout their illustrious career, Bon Jovi has sold over a combined total of 72 Million RIAA certified units to date including the album Crossroads (7x Platinum) and the singles “Wanted Dead Or Alive” (6x Platinum), “You Give Love A Bad Name” (5x Platinum) and “It’s My Life” (3x Platinum).


Earlier this year, the Grammy Award-winning band commemorated the 40th anniversary of its self-titled debut with the digital release of Bon Jovi Deluxe Edition on all streaming platforms via Island/UMe with a special 40th anniversary trailer. It will also be available February 28 on 2CD, while the original album is offered as an exclusive limited-edition ruby color vinyl LP and limited-edition cassette.

True to the motto #onebetter, Angus McSix won’t settle for 666 — no, it has to be “6666”. The new song includes everything that made the album Angus McSix And The Sword Of Power the most successful power metal debut of 2023, skyrocketing to number 10 on the Official German Album Charts, as well as a few surprises...


At their start, Prince Angus McSix (Thomas Winkler / ex-Gloryhammer) is overwhelmed by the dark Seebulon (Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann / Orden Ogan) and a horde of orcs. He is frozen and taken to an unknown location somewhere in space and time. Telepathically, he manages to call his brother Adam for help before his voice fades into eternity. Adam hears him and sets off immediately. Although he doesn’t know where Angus is, he knows he can locate him with the power of the six Sixtus Stellar Superlords.


And so, Thomas Winkler, who is now stepping back to spend more time with his family, passes the sword to exceptional vocalist Sam Nyman (Manimal).




“It was a tough decision to go down this path, and even harder to find a suitable singer”, explains Winkler. “But Seeb and I created such an amazing project with Angus McSix that we didn’t want to let it die. I’m glad we found Sam and am absolutely thrilled with his vocal performance."


“You can’t replace a Thomas Winkler, which is why we didn’t search for the next 'Angus.' Sam brings his own style, so he needed his own character: Prince Adam McSix,” explains Seeb.


With its new lineup, Angus McSix have created an absolute hit track that is now already released as the first single from the upcoming, yet untitled album. Watch the official video For “6666”:





Guitar amazon Thalestris (Thalia Bellazecca, ex-Frozen Crown, Primal Fear) continues with the new lineup, wi

Following the release of their latest full-length, the introspective, uplifting, vital The Awakening (#2 US Current Hard Music Albums, #27 Current Album Sales), and several international tours like their recent Awaken The World tour - which has become the band’s most successful and massive headline run in their 30+ year history - Kamelot returns with their next enchanting surprise.


Ringing in the new year right, Kamelot proudly celebrates the 20th anniversary of one of the most renowned albums of their career, The Black Halo. Out on March 14 via Napalm Records - exactly 20 years after its initial release - the essential new reissue, The Black Halo (20th Anniversary Edition), will be available in several must-have collectible formats.







Formats include a limited edition wooden boxset containing splattered vinyl packaged alongside a special chalice, ring, pendant encased in a velvet bag, 20 page booklet, and most thrilling - a signed card adorned with the autographs of the album's original songwriters. Limited to just 500 copies worldwide, diehard fans should be sure to add this unique and extremely exclusive product to their finely-curated collections! Additional variants will include a deluxe edition featuring marbled vinyl, a slipmat, a 20 page booklet and record butler, as well as retail black vinyl and digipak CD editions. Both the limited edition wooden boxset and deluxe editions will only be available via Napalm Records webstores. Don’t miss your chance to own this once-in-a-lifetime masterclass opus on limited edition vinyl and a rare autographed item!


Widely considered by fans and critics alike as a shining example of Kamelot’s finest early-era work, The Black Halo features standout guest characterizations by Dimmu Borgir mastermind Shagrath, keymaster Jens Johansson of Stratovarius and many others, and was produced by Sascha Paeth, Miro and Kamelot.


The Black Halo (20th Anniversary Edition) will be available in the following formats:


- Wooden Box (Chailce, Digipak, Splatter Vinyl, Pendant in Velvet Bag, Signed Autographed Card, Ring, 12'' Booklet 20p) - Napalm mail order only, limited to 5

Primus guitarist Ler LaLonde's home has been destroyed in the ongoing LA wildfires. 24 people have lost their lives in the fires, while 16 people remain missing.


The tragic news about LaLonde's home was shared by Primus frontman, Les Claypool, who posted the following message:


"All that is left of our good friend Ler Lalonde’s home. When Mother Nature gets up on her hind legs, it can be brutal. My heart hurts for him and his family.




In another post, LaLonde’s wife, Shane, shared the following:


"Our home is gone, and so are the homes of every one of our friends and neighbors. I am still in shock, not quite sure what just happened. The first photo is the video confirmation we received that our home was lost. Ours is the second property with the tree still with oranges in the front yard but nothing else. The other videos are our evacuation videos and some other videos shared to us. I’m not sure what happens now. But I am realizing hour by hour all that was lost. Especially hurtful my Grandmothers paintings, our letters and notes we shared, my incredible book collection omg both my Norman Rockwell signed Norman Rockwell books!!!! I just realized as I was typing this!!!!


"I went to buy an outfit today since I don’t have anything but the cloths I left in and realized I don’t have socks or shoes or a jacket. The memories, the family heirlooms, things I can’t say, and even hard drives we forgot in the chaos. We lost everything. It doesn’t sink in easily that you have nothing…. It’s still sinking in minute by minute. I know we are safe and yes I am grateful, but I can’t even begin to be close to grace yet as I can’t even comprehend this yet. Not just the things, but our town, our community. We all no longer have a home, a neighborhood, a school, a community. I am gutted to the core. 💔


"Thank God and our friends who gave us a wonderful home to evacuate to. You are our guardian Angels during this time. To all my friends I love you so much, I am so sorry this has happened." 💔


 




 

 
 

 


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During an appearance on "The Bob Lefsetz Podcast", LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton was asked if he has been financially successful enough with the band at this point in time so that if he wanted to call it a day today that he has enough money to get to the end. He laughed and responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think so. I think I would probably have to adjust some things about my lifestyle. But I could probably figure that out if I had to."

Regarding LAMB OF GOD's work schedule in terms of writing, recording and touring, Mark said: "With LAMB OF GOD, it's a collective, and everyone has a voice. And as tour opportunities get presented to us, we talk about how long we've been on a cycle or how many times we've played in that continent or that territory and do we wanna go back again and do we wanna take a break? How are we feeling creatively? Do we feel like we have material piling up? Is it time for us to start thinking about compiling new material and getting a record together? So those are all things we just consider.

"Tours are usually, these days, discussed and starting to get planned a year out," he explained. "So I always know, almost at any given time, with LAMB what my next 18 months is gonna look like. And that's a conversation we have internally. We have great management, we have a great booking agent, great team around, all that stuff. So those are conversations that are always happening. I had discussions today about what we may or may not be doing in 2026. So we kind of are always ahead of ourselves and are forward thinking that way. And the decisions are made collectively.

"When we first got signed, I wanted to be on the road all the time, just because my mindset was different and that was 20 years ago and I was a much younger man and my responsibilities and my whole lifestyle was completely different," Mark added. "And these days it's different. I have children. I have a young daughter, I have a teenage daughter, I have a wife, I have a home. I have all these relationships and all these things that are high priority to me. The band is as well. I think home-work balance is something that everyone probably struggles with, most people, and that's no different for us."

Asked what the key is to maintaining his relationship while being in a band that's on the road so much, Mark said: "Well, to be available and to stay engaged. And for me, the key to all of it is to have an identity and maintain an identity and maintain a life that exists outside of the band, both in real terms and practical terms and also mentally.

"I love my role in LAMB OF GOD," he continued. "I love LAMB OF GOD. I love everything that we get to do and I exist wholly and completely outside of it as well. And for me, with my kids and my wife and my home life, LAMB OF GOD doesn't necessarily come up all the time."

Last month, Morton celebrated six years of sobriety.

In his recently released memoir "Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir", Morton credited GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash for making "sobriety look cool" and helping him along his recovery journey.

"Desolation: A Heavy Metal Memoir" was released in June 2024 via Hachette Books. Co-written with Ben Opipari, the book explores both Mark's life in music and his tumultuous path through addiction and into recovery.

Morton addressed his sobriety in the lyrics to the song "All I Had To Lose", which appeared on his "Ether" solo EP, released in 2020.

"Desolation" was described by the publisher as "the story of Morton's lifelong quest for clarity and self-acceptance, and shows how the pressures of career success and personal battles eventually came into conflict with Morton's dedication to the creative process."

Morton co-founded LAMB OF GOD, which was initially called BURN THE PRIEST, in 1994.

In 2019, Morton released his debut solo album, "Anesthetic".

LAMB OF GOD's latest LP, "Omens", came out in 2022.

Morton and the rest of LAMB OF GOD completed the "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour with MASTODON last summer.

During a January 9 appearance on SiriusXM Radio Andy's "Andy Cohen Live", Pamela Anderson admitted that she is not currently not on the best of terms with her ex-husband, MÖTLEY CRUE drummer Tommy Lee, with whom she shares sons Brandon Thomas Lee, 28, and Dylan Jagger Lee, 27.

"We used to talk a lot more," Pamela said. "Not recently, unfortunately, but I wish we did have a better rapport right now."

The 57-year-old actress, who was married to Tommy for three years before they finalized their divorce in 1998, went to express her hope that her friendship with Tommy will improve for the sake of Dylan, who got engaged to his longtime girlfriend Paula Bruss in July 2024.

"We're gonna have grandkids together," Pamela said, before adding, "It'll be okay, eventually. It's just kind of a moment right now."

Back in January 2023, Anderson said during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" that she and Lee "text here and there" as parents.

Anderson has been married multiple times, including to Kid Rock from 2006 to 2007.

Lee has been married to comedian Brittany Furlan since February 2019.

Anderson and Lee got married on a beach in Mexico in 1995 after dating for just four days.

The sex tape Lee made with Anderson during their 1998 honeymoon ended up finding its way online after being stolen from their home by an electrician. Pamela later sued the distribution company, but ended up settling, and the tape continued to be available online as a result. The tape reportedly made $77 million in less than 12 months.

Former ROCKSTAR SUPERNOVA singer Lukas Rossi, now proud to call Tampa Bay home, has once again redefined creativity with the release of his latest single and music video, "DOA". A bold and emotionally charged project, the song features Lukas's wife, Ronni Rossi, showcasing the couple's shared artistry and undeniable chemistry.

Known for his hands-on approach, Lukas has crafted every element of "DOA" himself. From writing, recording, and performing the music, to directing, shooting, producing, and editing the video, Lukas brings unparalleled passion and precision to his work. Complementing his creative genius, Ronni Rossi lends her own unique vocal magic to the track, making "DOA" a true collaborative masterpiece.

The music video for "DOA" delivers a cinematic and abstract experience, blending Warhol-esque visuals with a pop-electronic edge. Praised for its originality, the video has been described as "one of the most creative and abstract submissions" by Tampa Bay Music News. Exploring themes of heartbreak, resilience, and reinvention, "DOA" comes to life through Lukas's powerful vocals, innovative visuals, and raw authenticity.

"DOA" will be available worldwide on streaming platforms starting Friday, January 17, 2025. Be among the first to experience the full impact of this powerful anthem wherever you stream your music.

Known globally as the winner of CBS's "Rock Star: Supernova", Rossi is a multi-platinum singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Co-writer of THREE DAYS GRACE's "Neurotic", Lukas was handpicked by legends Tommy Lee (MÖTLEY CRÜE),Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES) and Jason Newsted (METALLICA) to front their supergroup, instantly captivating fans with his raw talent and dynamic performances.

Lukas continues to break boundaries with his innovative approach to music and visuals. Now based in Tampa Bay, he remains a dedicated indie artist, crafting every aspect of his work with authenticity and creativity.

With over two decades in the music industry, Lukas has cemented his status as a multi-platinum artist, songwriter, and producer. His journey from Toronto's local music scene to global acclaim is marked by relentless creativity, critical praise, and a devoted fanbase. His dynamic stage presence and genre-defying artistry continue to resonate worldwide.

Lukas's voice became iconic through his performance of the original Beyblade theme song "Let's Beyblade", earning him a unique following within the worlds of Comic-Con and anime. Lukas creates something for every listener with a catalog of over 200 songs ranging from rock anthems to intimate acoustic pieces.

Rossi has worked alongside some of the industry's most influential names, including members of EVANESCENCE, PAPA ROACH, DISTURBED, P.O.D., TRAIN, GUNS N' ROSES, MÖTLEY CRÜE, METALLICA and QUEENSRŸCHE. Producers such as Andy Johns, Howard Benson, Ross Hogarth and Bob Rock have also contributed to his projects, cementing his reputation as a versatile and innovative artist.

BREAKING BENJAMIN has released the official music video for its latest single, "Awaken". You can now check it out below.

BREAKING BENJAMIN's first new music since 2018 is being made available via the band's new global recordings agreement with BMG. The partnership with BMG also marks the group's first new label home since releasing their debut album over 20 years ago.

BREAKING BENJAMIN guitarist Jasen Rauch said about "Awaken": "Working on this song has been something new and exciting for all of us, I believe. We've been able to explore more of who we are traditionally while at the same time push boundaries and try things we haven't done in the past. Musically we've tried hard to stay true to what BREAKING BENJAMIN is, but offer a new take as well."

During a recent appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, BREAKING BENJAMIN founder/frontman Benjamin Burnley was asked about the musical and thematic inspiration for the band's upcoming long-awaited follow-up to 2018's "Ember" album. He responded: "Yeah, it's been the longest we've ever gone without putting out an album, but the strange thing is, I don't know if it's 'cause of the pandemic or not, but it doesn't seem like it's been that long, to me anyway, but it has been a long time. I think that a lot of that is just that we have, with every album that comes out, there's just another whole album's worth of stuff. We have a lot of songs in our catalog, so it's kind of like it gets to the point of, like, we're not gonna add any more to this just to add more to it. We need to keep true to what this catalog… When I am gone off the earth, and that's all that's left of me behind, is my offspring and music is what I've left behind, I want it to be really solid."

He continued: "I really wish I could tell you what inspires me because if I knew that, I would like really try to break it down and invoke it whenever I wanted to, control it, but I don't know. It's just compulsion, to be inspired. It's just, like, 'Oh, I have this idea,' I have no idea where it came from, but I have this idea. I pull out my phone and then I record it and then I go back and I listen to it and I keep stacking and stacking and stacking on to it until it's something. And that's just kind of how I work. Before I would just grab my phone. I used to have all these little Mead notepads — you know those little ones, little mini ones, little Mead notepads. I have like a hundred of those — probably more — I used to have them in every single pocket of my jacket and my pants and a little silver mini cassette tape recorder thing. So this is before the smartphone. I don't do that anymore; I use my phone. So it's always been that process, to me, to just have something handy, something I could… I haven't written in a really long time, I mean with a pen, like wrote something down. I can't even remember the last time I wrote something down with a pen. So I use my phone and just tap it in there when it hits me, when it comes to me. It could be at the most weirdest time, most awkward time. I'll be talking to somebody and then I'll just stop and be, like, 'Sorry, I don't mean to be rude.' And I'll go in the bathroom and I'll record a little hum into the phone, and they hear me humming. They're, like, 'What the hell is up with this guy?' If I don't get it, I'm scared it'll be gone."

Regarding how spending so much time on road informs the songwriting process for new BREAKING BENJAMIN music, Benjamin said: "Well, with these guys in particular, with this lineup, the way that we write music is really natural together. Nothing is forced. There's never been — which is really weird, now that I'm thinking about it — there's never been a time when anybody has ever had to fight for an idea or push an idea or whatever. We kind of seem to think that they the same things suck, which is really important. You can like the same things, but it's more important to know what the same things that are bad are. And so I think touring — we get together, we have like a chemistry together not just as musicians but as friends and brothers. And when we're together playing, it definitely makes us more excited and motivated to record and make new music together than being apart and not playing together. So that aspect. But as far as where the creative stuff comes from, I've been doing this — thank God, and I'm very thankful for it — but I've been doing this for 22 years now, and I still, to this day, I can't tell anyone like where the songs like come from. Honestly, it's like a compulsion. Like when you're addicted to nicotine and you're like compelled to take a puff of a cigarette — it's like that. It's not like a plan. It's, like, 'I need to do this right now' thing."

He continued: "I'm very logically minded, kind of annoyingly so, actually. People find it annoying how logically minded I am. When I break things down, they're, like, 'Just go with it. You don't need to analyze everything' or whatever. But logically wise, I really wish I knew what influenced songwriting, what influenced it to happen, because then I would break that down logically and try to evoke it whenever I wanted to. I just can't, because I don't know where that compulsion comes from. So, to answer your question in the long way around, of course, I think just physically being together and playing music together sparks us to be… 'Cause when we're at home, we don't eat, sleep and breathe music. I'm a dad, most of us are dads, and so we're doing that — we're doing that stuff, the same thing that everybody else does. You kind of forget that you're a musician. You kind of forget that you're in a band. Sometimes I'll go into like a bar to get chicken wings, not to drink, mind you, but to get chicken wings, and somebody will start talking to me and I'm, like, 'Why are you talking [to me]?' And I'm, like, 'Oh, yeah, that thing,' because I'm living normal life, taking my kid to school. So being out on tour and being together as a band, it just reminds us all that we're in a band. [Laughs]"

In a separate interview with Josh Klinger of Chicago's Rock 95.5 radio station, Burnley was asked when fans can expect to hear BREAKING BENJAMIN's next studio album. He responded: "Well, we're working on it… It's the same thing as before. Back in the day, we were on a climb, we wanted things, and now we're all just so blessed to be here, period. And so there isn't necessarily, I wouldn't say like a climb, but there's definitely like a maintenance to stay where we are. But that being said, when there's a climb, you're really rushing yourself, you're hungry, you wanna get it. And we are still hungry and we do wanna get stuff too. But I think it's a little more relaxed now where we really only work on stuff when we're genuinely inspired to. And I feel like that's like — when I listen to the songs that are rushed from back in those days, when I listen to stuff now, I have more peace of mind listening to the newer stuff, because I know that nothing, not any part of it exists because it was rushed. It's all intentional. It's all done in a great setting and in a great mindset. And so that's kind of what takes a while, 'cause you can't like just take a pill and and be inspired. So that's what we're doing. And the record, we have the bones for the whole thing. And it's just a matter of when we're feeling it, 'cause that's going to be the best result anyway, is when you're feeling that, and so that when those moments come by, we work on it. And then when they go away, we don't."

BREAKING BENJAMIN have consistently dominated the rock charts since their debut album in 2002, "Saturate". With 10 No. 1 hits, platinum albums, 8.5 billion streams globally, and a social following of over 6.5 million, they've solidified their global influence and a strong devoted fan base. Their last release, "Aurora", earned them their tenth No. 1 rock radio hit with "Far Away" (featuring Scooter Ward).

Their previous album, "Ember", debuted at number three on the Billboard 200, marking their fourth Top 5 debut. Their track record includes No. 1 hits like "Red Cold River" and "Torn In Two". Both "Aurora" and "Ember" achieved Top 10 status in multiple countries, and No. 1 spots across various charts, including Billboard's Top Alternative Albums, Top Rock Albums, Top Hard Rock Albums and Top Digital Albums.

In a statement, the band said: "Working on these new songs has been a fresh experience for all of us. We've stayed true to the core of who BREAKING BENJAMIN is, but we've also pushed ourselves creatively, exploring new sounds and ideas that we haven't tapped into before. It's been about striking that balance between honoring our roots while introducing a fresh take on what our music can be."

Sean Heydorn, SVP, head of rock and Rise Records, said: "BREAKING BENJAMIN has consistently pushed the boundaries of rock music with their raw energy, powerful songwriting, and a connection with fans that's both intense and enduring. We're incredibly proud to support them as they embark on their next chapter with us at BMG."

Over the course of the group's career, BREAKING BENJAMIN have earned three platinum albums, two gold albums, one four-times-platinum single, one three-times-platinum single, one two-times-platinum single, three platinum singles, and six gold singles, making them one of rock music's most highly anticipated torch bearers of new music.

Photo credit: Dominique D'Costa (courtesy of BMG)

U.S. thrash metal veterans HIRAX will release their sixth album, "Faster Than Death", on February 28 via Armageddon Label. Its release will coincide with HIRAX's 40th anniversary.

HIRAX has shared the stage with iconic peers such as METALLICA, EXODUS, MEGADETH and SLAYER during the explosive rise of thrash metal in the 1980s. Originating from southern California, founding bandmember and lead vocalist Katon W. De Pena displays electrifying live performances and an uncompromising attitude which continues today. Now, four decades later, HIRAX is cementing its status as legends within the genre, inspiring countless bands and fans alike, influencing such notable acts as DEATH, DEICIDE, NAPALM DEATH, SPAZZ, MUNICIPAL WASTE, DANKO JONES, Japan's ABIGAIL, Germany's RYKERS, ANAL CUNT and DECEASED, among others.

Throughout their career, HIRAX released a series of influential albums and EPs that pushed the boundaries of thrash metal, combining technical proficiency with raw aggression. HIRAX have toured the world, performing in venues and festivals throughout almost every country in South America, all over Europe, as well as Japan, United States, etc. HIRAX continue to be revered as trailblazers who helped define and popularize thrash metal.

With HIRAX's upcoming album "Faster Than Death", Katon has gathered a new live lineup around him with Jose Gonzalez, Allan Chan and Emilio Marquez. "Faster Than Death" is the impressive result that makes the hearts of all thrash metal fans beat faster and puts a real strain on the neck muscles.

In the meantime, see and hear the brand-new video "Relentless" below. The cover artwork, courtesy of Thomas Pinheiro, is also available.

"Faster Than Death" track listing:

01. Drill Into The Brain [1:04]
02. Armageddon [2:56]
03. Drowned Bodies [2:43]
04. Faster Than Death [1:34]
05. Psychiatric Ward [1:33]
06. Relentless [2:24]
07. Revenant [3:46]
08. Warlord's Command [2:36]
09. Worlds End [3:12]

Photo credit: Anne DePena

DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren's brand new "cover band", SEVEN, played its first two concerts ever Friday night (January 10) and last night (Saturday, January 11) at RallyPoint in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin. Fan-filmed video of Saturday's show can be seen below (courtesy of WisRockin').

Joining Wengren in the group are Brent Taritas (formerly of RHYTHM METHOD on guitar, NAUGHTY CHAIR),Jeremy Jayson (BELLEVUE SUITE, KING KONG) on guitar, Simon Farmery (RUBICON CROSS) on bass, André Beaudot (formerly of NAUGHTY CHAIR) on vocals, Bobby Rouse (formerly of RHYTHM METHOD) on vocals and Rich Hoffman (ALMIGHTY VINYL) on vocals.

SEVEN's setlist included covers of MEGADETH's "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due", RATT's "Body Talk", TESLA's "Modern Day Cowboy", WHITE LION's "Tell Me", LOUDNESS's "Crazy Nights", EXTREME's "He-Man Woman Hater" and KING'S X's "It's Love", among others.

Last month, Wengren told the 102.9 The HOG radio station about SEVEN: "I actually put together a cover band of some local musicians and myself on drums, and we're actually playing January 10th and 11th at RallyPoint. The show is already sold out, actually, both of them.

"Living here for a long time now, I got to to meet [a bunch of talented people]," he continued. "A lot of my buddies are really amazing musicians in so many other bands, and throughout the years I always said to myself, 'I wanna play with this guy. I wanna play with this guy and this guy.' So one day we just kind of called each other and [said], 'Hey, let's just get together and jam.'"

Asked what kind of songs SEVEN covers, Mike said: "It's gonna be like old-school [MTV] 'Headbangers Ball'. Name a video that used to be on that thing and that's gonna be [in the setlist]. There's a huge gamut — some of the '80s hair metal, some of the heavy metal stuff. Yeah. It'll be fun."

Regarding the SEVEN lineup and band name, Wengren said: "It was super easy to pick the lineup. We just were, like, 'Hey, do you wanna jam?' 'Yeah.' 'Do you wanna jam?' 'Yeah.' It was super easy. It took all of 10 minutes. And then coming up with a band name took us, like, over six months. We were, like, 'Let's just call it SEVEN [because there's seven of us].'"

Asked if he thinks SEVEN will play more shows after this weekend, Mike said: "We're definitely open to it. We're putting a lot of work into it. We all take it very seriously. Hopefully it goes well and we have some fun. I mean, the thing is everybody's pretty busy doing their own thing. Everyone's got other projects and whatnot, especially myself with DISTURBED. So, when the time permits, yeah, why not?"

SEVEN is:

* Mike Wengren (DISTURBED) - Drums
* Brent Taritas (formerly of RHYTHM METHOD, NAUGHTY CHAIR) - Gutar
* Jeremy Jayson (BELLEVUE SUITE, KING KONG) - Guitar
* Simon Farmery (RUBICON CROSS) - Bass
* André Beaudot (formerly of NAUGHTY CHAIR) - Vocals
* Bobby Rouse (formerly of RHYTHM METHOD) - Vocals
* Rich Hoffman (ALMIGHTY VINYL) - Vocals

Last October, DISTURBED announced the 34-date "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour", which will kick off in Nampa, Idaho on February 25, 2025 and is produced by Live Nation. The tour celebrates 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time. Each night will feature two sets of music, opening with DISTURBED playing the five times platinum "The Sickness" in full, followed by a full set of greatest hits. The first half of the tour will feature support from special guests THREE DAYS GRACE, featuring the return of original singer Adam Gontier, and opener SEVENDUST, and the second half will feature special guests DAUGHTRY with opener NOTHING MORE.

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

Emerging out of Chicago at the turn of the century with an insidious, infectious, and inimitable vision without comparison, DISTURBED have quietly dominated hard rock on their own terms. They make the kind of music that pushes you to hold on tighter, fight harder, and persevere forever. It's why they've claimed a place at the forefront of 21st century rock with record-breaking success, sales of over 17 million-plus units, nearly 8 billion streams, and sold out shows around the globe. The band have six RIAA album certifications, and singles from all eight albums have reached the top ten of the Mainstream Rock chart.

The two-time Grammy Award-nominated quartet have notched five consecutive #1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 for "Believe", "Ten Thousand Fists", "Indestructible" and "Asylum", occupying rarified air alongside METALLICA — the only other hard rock group to accomplish this feat. Since their influential five-times-platinum debut "The Sickness" in 2000, they have built a bulletproof catalog highlighted by a procession of smashes, including the platinum "Stupify", "Inside The Fire" and "Land of Confusion", two-times-platinum "Stricken", six-times-platinum "Down With The Sickness" and seven-times-platinum "The Sound Of Silence", to name a few. The latter notably received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of "Best Rock Performance" as the band earned "Best Rock Artist" at the 2017 iHeartRadioMusic Awards. Still, DISTURBED never stop, and their most recent 2022 album "Divisive" featured their 17th No. 1 at Rock Radio "Hey You", "Unstoppable" and more.

3 DOORS DOWN singer Brad Arnold, who will celebrate the ninth anniversary of his getting sober on January 19, discussed his decision to quit drinking in a new interview with Allen Jackson Ministries. The 46-year-old musician said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I started drinking down in Mississippi when I was a teenager with all my friends, like teenagers do. And we got signed when I was 20 years old and I stepped on a tour bus when I was 20 years old and started touring the world… It was just a lot to hand to a 20-year-old. And we'd done okay. And there was no catastrophe in my life that pushed me to drinking so much. It was just kind of the lifestyle. And whether it just be nerves going on stage or just not being able to sleep in a bus, the lifestyle just led me further and further down the road before I realized that I was drinking pretty heavily. And things in my life did start to suffer from it substantially. And there became a point in my life that, almost 95 percent of the problems, I could point to that bottle and that was the source. And my mom had prayed for me to quit, my brothers and sisters had prayed for me to quit, 'cause they'd seen the road I was going down. And I have two brother-in-laws that are pastors, so there was a lot of prayers being said for me, and I'm thankful for every one of 'em."

He continued: "I was in Japan one day, and we were playing the show for the troops, and I could feel myself slipping away, that it wasn't me anymore. And I could also feel that this wasn't gonna last a lot longer. And I tried to call a friend, and I tried to call a friend and look for somebody, I guess just to okay it or whatever, to validate my feelings, and I couldn't get anyone on the phone. And I FaceTimed [legendary country musician] Mr. Charlie [Daniels], and he and his wife were sitting there on the couch, and it was late at night [in Japan] and it was about mid-morning maybe here, or however the time worked out — it was a big time difference — and I was sitting there just sobbing and just telling him how unhappy I was in my life. And he was a great counsel to me before this time. He always had great advice to tell me. He said, 'Son,' he said, 'If you love your wife and you love God, like you say you do, you need to come home and you need to go rehab.' He said, 'There's a good place in north Nashville there, Cumberland Heights, and you need to come on back home and it's about getting in there.' And I was, like, 'Well, I'll do that.' And I would like to say that I got off the phone and called my wife and said, 'Baby, I'm gonna go to rehab.' I called her. I was, like, 'Well, I'm going to rehab. I guess that makes you happy.' But nonetheless, I came home and I went. And I was ready for it. I was willing for it, and I was open to it. And I went in there like I was going to learn something. And we were working the steps and all those things. And I honestly forgot what step it was. But there was a man that came in there to kind of hear your kind of talk and hear you pour your heart out. And he asked me, he said, 'Brad, do you love God?' I said, 'Yes, sir. I love God.' He said, 'Why are you serving yourself?' He said, 'You're not serving God with this.' He said, 'You're serving yourself.' It hit me hard. And he said, 'Do you love your wife?' I said, 'Yes, sir. Of course. I love my wife.' He said, 'Well, then why are you trying to kill her husband?' And it hit me between the eyes."

Arnold went on to say that the last nine years without alcohol "have been the best years of my life."

In a 2023 interview with Charleston.com, Arnold said that alcohol became habit forming and a crutch. "I used to think it was a way to calm myself prior to a show or to chase loneliness," he explained. "There's not one aspect of my life that isn't better due to my sobriety. Honestly I still get a bit nervous just before I go on stage, but I don't need alcohol to lean on."

Back in 2018, Brad told New Hampshire Union Leader about his decision to stop drinking: "The biggest thing about it was I could trace almost every problem in my life to alcohol, even while I was drinking. I got to a point that I knew that I was drinking too much, and I needed to stop. And our guitar player — he's in recovery, and he'd been through his own addictions, and Greg [Upchurch], our drummer, had been through alcohol [problems] as well. I'm sitting [there] miserable all the time and feeling like crap all day, every day, until I started drinking earlier and earlier.

"I've seen these guys, how much happier they were, and seeing all my problems. And I just wanted that happiness. We went on a tour over in Japan to play for the troops. I was about halfway through that week, and I couldn't even remember this week. It wasn't like I was just blacked-out drunk or did anything stupid. I just couldn't even remember what I was doing. I just became so frustrated, and I knew I had a moment. I was like, 'I have to stop this.'"

Asked if he noticed a difference in his creativity between being sober and drinking, Brad said: "Absolutely. [Before] I'd go to band practice or something and I'd be like, 'Well, you know I just need a drink to like loosen up, relax.' But it was a killer vicious cycle, because it's like my mind is lying to me. I thought I needed that to relax and be creative. But I can have one or two drinks, and the creativity was gone. It was like, 'Well, I ain't doing it today.' That's how it went so many times, and that same mindset translated to everything else in my life. It developed to the point that I thought I had this hole in my life that alcohol was covering up or filling in, when in reality, alcohol was digging that hole."

Arnold revealed that there was alcoholism in his family, saying: "At that time I was 36 or 37, and my daddy was 74 — and my daddy has two brothers that both died from alcohol. My dad didn't drink, and my daddy has long outlived his brothers. And so I just thought to myself, 'My daddy is twice my age, and I won't live to be my dad's age. If I continue to drink like this, then my life is more than halfway over.' And I don't want my life to be halfway over right now."

Formed in 1995, 3 DOORS DOWN's many accolades include selling 16 million albums globally, receiving three Grammy nominations, and winning two American Music Awards, and five BMI Pop Awards for songwriting — including "Songwriter of the Year". Their debut, "The Better Life", became certified six times RIAA platinum in 2000 and was fueled by the success of juggernaut hit "Kryptonite". This was followed by 2002's sophomore album, "Away From The Sun", which went triple platinum and saw similar success with "When I'm Gone" and "Here Without You". 2005's platinum "Seventeen Days" and 2008's "3 Doors Down" each earned No. 1 debuts on the Billboard Top 200, while "Time Of My Life" landed at No. 3 in 2011. In 2003, the group founded the charity The Better Life Foundation. In 2016, 3 DOORS DOWN released its sixth full-length album, "Us And The Night".

ZEBRA, the legendary power trio consisting of lead guitarist/vocalist Randy Jackson, bassist/keyboardist Felix Hanemann and drummer Guy Gelso, will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year with the release of its long-awaited new studio album. This will be the band's first release of new material since "Zebra IV" in 2003.

"The record will feature a variety of songs," the 69-year-old Jackson told Newsday in December. "We got some stuff from 1977 we never recorded, songs I penned with other people and a bunch of tunes that I wrote recently. It's evolving as we're doing it."

ZEBRA's new album, which is being recorded at Jackson and Gelso's home studios, will feature 12 tracks helmed by producer Jack Douglas. A tentative June release is expected.

"We are looking forward to collaborating with Jack again," Jackson told Newsday. "This is the first time we worked on ZEBRA stuff since 1984 [Douglas produced the band's 1983 self-titled debut and 1984 sophomore effort, 'No Tellin' Lies']. We’re going to see what he's learned and what we've learned over the last 40 years."

In 2023, ZEBRA celebrated the 40th anniversary of its debut album by playing the entire album in order and continued doing some more of these special shows in new cities during its 2024 tour.

ZEBRA has also been working on a new documentary that will feature new interviews and performance clips from the recent tour "plus a lot more" about the band's history. The documentary, tentatively titled "Tell Me What You Want: 50 Years Of Zebra", will feature never-before-seen footage from the band's birth in Louisiana, to spreading new roots and reaching legendary status in Long Island, New York.

ZEBRA galloped out of New Orleans in early 1975. The trio, consisting of Jackson, Hanemann and Gelso, concocted their moniker from a 1926 Vogue magazine cover and soon won over the South and East Coast.

ZEBRA's self-titled debut album, released on March 21, 1983, went gold, and at that time was the fastest-selling debut album in Atlantic Records history, thanks to the radio and MTV airplay of "Tell Me What You Want" and "Who's Behind The Door?"

ZEBRA's live performances showcase all the band's classic tunes, and recently included the debut album in order for the first time.

In 2010 ZEBRA was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame and is acknowledged as Louisiana's No. 1 rock and roll band by the Louisiana Music Commission. On October 18, 2012 ZEBRA was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame.