MIRADOR, the new band co-founded by Grammy Award-winning GRETA VAN FLEET co-founder Jake Kiszka and IDA MAE's Chris Turpin, has shared "Fortune's Fate", the latest single from its upcoming self-titled album, "Mirador", due on September 19 via Republic Records.

MIRADOR states about the song: "'Fortune's Fate' is a song of yearning and escape, one that embodies the quest for freedom and self-discovery. The protagonist's journey is a metaphor for the human experience, torn between the comfort of familiarity and the allure of the unknown. This song is an ode to the desperate romantic, who chases destiny despite the cost, leaving behind the one they love. As an artist, you're perpetually walking the line between ecstasy and disaster, radiance and ruin. It's a testament to the power of fate, guiding us toward our true purpose, and the enduring force of love, which awaits us in every lifetime."

MIRADOR will embark on a European tour in November, with shows in Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, London, Dublin and more.

MIRADOR recently expanded its headlining tour due to popular demand. Tickets for all initial dates sold out immediately upon going on sale, and a second run of fall dates in larger venues were added in Nashville, New York City and Los Angeles, and new dates have been announced in New Orleans, Boston, Austin, Portland and more.

"MIRADOR comes from a deep passion for rock 'n' roll, early folk, and country blues as well as folklore," says Turpin. "Our world lives in those traditions," Kiszka adds. "There's an unspoken mysticism. You can trace it back to the stories of meeting the devil at the crossroads, selling your soul, and losing your mind to the wind. MIRADOR definitely inhabits a lot of that. We're hyper aware of our lineage, so we can build our own future as a band. It's two guitar players from notable groups coming together to create a new mythology. As soon as we were in uncharted territory, we knew we were doing something right."

MIRADOR has the uncanny ability to conjure sky-shaking and boundary-bursting rock 'n' roll by invoking spirits of ancient myth, traditional folklore, and Delta-born blues in one concentrated musical incantation. Kiszka not only shares vocal and guitar duties with critically acclaimed co-vocalist and guitarist Turpin, but he also shines as a producer and songwriter, stepping out on his own. The group, filled out by Mikey Sorbello on drums and Nick Pini on bass and keys, stretches the limits of rock 'n' roll and showcases the band's myriad influences and uncompromising vision.

Kiszka and Turpin met in 2018 when IDA MAE opened for GRETA VAN FLEET during a sold-out three-night stand at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan. On the road, Kiszka and Turpin cemented their friendship by way of late-night jam sessions fueled by wine and a shared passion for everyone from Charley Patton, Muddy Waters and Lightnin' Hopkins to Martin Carthy, Bert Jansch and FAIRPORT CONVENTION.

"We were like long-lost brothers," says Kiszka. "After we wrote those songs, I realized we had a chemistry I'd never had with anybody but my own brothers. It was obvious we needed to do this."

The world got to know MIRADOR when they spent a month opening up GRETA VAN FLEET's "Starcatcher" world tour in arenas coast to coast throughout 2024. Galvanized by this nightly trial by fire, the band rolled right into a Savannah, Georgia studio with Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Brandi Carlile, Chris Stapleton) and they cut "Mirador" live in barely two weeks.

"After four weeks on our first tour, we went to the studio," says Turpin. "By the time we got there, Dave harnessed a lot of the intensity and frenetic energy from the road." Kiszka adds, "if we didn't cut our teeth in the most intense circumstances, I don't think the record would have the same spirit."

"Feels Like Gold" introduces the album with rumbling guitars breaking like a wave against a it's towering chorus, "and it feels like gold." On "Fortune's Fate" a turbulent guitar groove tosses and turns before spilling over into an emotional crescendo, "there goes my shadow to the one I love." Elsewhere, "Heels Of The Hunt" launches forward on a rapid-fire drum roll, while wild riffs chase goosebump-inducing vocals through a bluesy haze. The finale "Skyway Drifter" opens with finger-picked accents before breaking open into a cathartic breakdown.

"For me, it would be beautiful if this is all-consuming for listeners — like when you see a movie at the cinema," Kiszka concludes. "We're trying to immerse people in the world of MIRADOR and where we're coming from. There's so much duality in the album: the humanity, the soul, the adventure, the tyranny, and the journey. It's a very important record for us, but also in terms of what has gone down in the world of rock 'n' roll today. We hope you feel like you belong to this place as much as we do."

MIRADOR tour dates:

Sep. 12 - Chicago. IL - The Metro
Sep. 13 - Madison, WI - Majestic Theatre
Sep. 14 - Grand Rapids, MI – Elevation
Sep. 16 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Sep. 18 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
Sep. 19 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
Sep. 20 - Philadelphia, PA – TLA
Sep. 22 - Raleigh, NC - Lincoln Theatre
Sep. 23 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West
Sep. 24 - New Orleans, LA - Tipitina's
Sep. 26 - Oklahoma City, OK - Beer City Music Hall
Sep. 27 - Dallas, TX - Granada Theater
Sep. 28 - Austin, TX – Mohawk
Oct. 01 - Phoenix, AZ - The Van Buren
Oct. 02 - Los Angeles, CA - The Fonda Theatre
Oct. 03 - San Diego, CA - The Observatory North Park
Oct. 04- San Francisco, CA - August Hall
Oct. 06 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
Oct. 07 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
Oct. 08 - Vancouver, BC - Vogue Theatre
Oct. 10 - Salt Lake City, UT – Soundwell
Oct. 11 - Denver, CO - Gothic Theatre
Oct. 13 - Lawrence, KS - The Granada
Oct. 14 - Nashville, TN - Brooklyn Bowl
Nov. 03 - Amsterdam, NL – Tolhuistuin
Nov. 04 - Berlin, DE – Lido
Nov. 05 - Cologne, DE – Luxor
Nov. 07 - Paris, FR – Bataclan
Nov. 09 - Bristol, UK – Trinity
Nov. 10 - Manchester, UK – Gorilla
Nov. 11 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
Nov. 14 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy 2
Nov. 15 - Glasgow, UK - SWG3 Warehouse
Nov. 16 - Dublin, IE - Opium Rooms

Photo credit: Dean Chalkley

Legendary rockers CHEAP TRICK will release their new album, "All Washed Up", on November 14 via BMG.

The official visualizer for the LP's first single, "Twelve Gates", can be seen below.

The follow-up to 2021's "In Another World", "All Washed Up" was described by CHEAP TRICK singer Robin Zander as: "It's CHEAP TRICK. It sounds like us. It's got some good, bad and ugly on it, just like our other records."

"All Washed Up" track listing:

01. All Washed Up
02. All Wrong Long Gone
03. The Riff That Won't Quit
04. Bet It All
05. The Best Thing
06. Twelve Gates
07. Bad Blood
08. Dancing With The Band
09. Love Gone
10. A Long Way To Worcester
11. Wham Boom Bang

Founded in 1974, CHEAP TRICK is an indisputable American institution, beloved around the globe for its instantly identifiable, hugely influential, brand of pop-rock 'n' roll. The bandmembers are true pioneers with an unparalleled streak of certifiably classic tunes, from "He's A Whore", "California Man" and "Dream Police" to "Surrender", "I Want You To Want Me" and the worldwide No. 1 hit single "The Flame".

2016 saw CHEAP TRICK inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, a long-overdue acknowledgment of a nearly five-decade career that has earned them more than 40 international gold and platinum certifications, myriad awards and industry honors, featured appearances on over 20 movie soundtracks, and total record sales well in excess of 20 million.

CHEAP TRICK's current lineup includes three of its original members: singer Robin Zander, guitarist Rick Nielsen and bassist Tom Petersson. Drummer Bun E. Carlos stopped touring with the band in 2010 and was replaced by Nielsen's son Daxx. Rounding out CHEAP TRICK's current touring lineup is Robin Zander's son, Robin Taylor Zander, on rhythm guitar and vocals.

CHEAP TRICK's 20th studio album, "In Another World", was released in April 2021 via BMG. Produced by longtime associate Julian Raymond, the LP saw CHEAP TRICK doing what they do better than anyone — crafting indelible rock 'n' roll with oversized hooks, mischievous lyrics, and seemingly inexorable energy.

"In Another World" — which marked CHEAP TRICK's first new LP since 2017's double-header of "We're All Alright!" and "Christmas Christmas" — showcased CHEAP TRICK at their most eclectic, touching on a myriad of distinct sounds and song approaches, from the swampy Chicago blues number "Final Days" (featuring fiery harmonica from Grammy Award-nominated singer and WET WILLIE frontman Jimmy Hall) to a timely rendition of John Lennon's still-relevant "Gimme Some Truth", originally released for Record Store Day Black Friday 2019 and featuring the instantly recognizable guitar sound of erstwhile SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones.

In a new interview with "Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern", JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was asked why the two studio albums singer Tim "Ripper" Owens recorded with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — are not available on the major streaming services. Travis replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think the record label went out of business. And with [singer] Rob [Halford] being back in the band, it's kind of probably a delicate situation as far as, 'Hey, we wanna re-release these records.' But I'm not even sure who owns the rights [to them], to be honest, like I said, because the record label went out business. But we're in a different moment.

"Rob is the singer of JUDAS PRIEST and was, obviously, early on and is a legend in his own right," Scott added. "But there were some good songs during the Ripper years, definitely some good songs in there. But to [re-]release the whole records, I don't know."

Back in March 2024, former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was asked by Rob Rush of Long Island's 94.3 The Shark radio station about the absence from the streaming platforms of the PRIEST albums with Owens. Downing said at the time: "Yeah, [it's] a little bit of a mystery, really. Obviously, I no longer have any control over those records, but I don't think that it's a label thing 'cause labels always like to sell records, don't they? And, obviously, myself and Ripper, we're still very proud of everything that we've done as a part of our history and legacy, and we'd very much like to see the records out there in the stores once more. So, hopefully, we'll see that come to fruition. But the good news is that this band KK'S PRIEST will be out there playing those songs, so everyone is welcome to come down and experience those magical times that we now refer to as the 'Ripper era' or the 'Ripper years.' And, yeah, so everyone can enjoy those songs again in a live format, which, in a lot of ways, is even better. But let's hope the records will appear at some point."

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when Travis was given a videotape of him performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford, who has since rejoined the band.

In 2019, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill was asked in an interview with "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" if the unavailability of the Owens-era PRIEST albums was a rights-related issue or if it was a deliberate attempt to bury that part of PRIEST's past. Hill responded: "It's an odd one, really, because there's some good material on both of those albums. And Ripper is a terrific vocalist, and he did a tremendous job on 'Jugulator' and 'Demolition'. And why they're not for sale has got nothing to do with us — put it like that. Whether it's a contractual thing between Sony and whoever owns the copyrights to those albums, I don't know. But it is a shame, because there's some good material there. And as a band, it's still JUDAS PRIEST. I know it wasn't the trademark lineup, but it was still JUDAS PRIEST nonetheless. So, it's disappointing — if that's true that the material is not available. It really is."

A few years ago, Tim told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" that he was a little miffed by the fact that fans cannot find the music that he made with PRIEST on any of the music-streaming services or other online retailers. "My issue is I would like to buy the records," he said. "I'd like to buy some to even sell when I'm touring solo, but you can't when they're kind of gone. And that's only the thing I talk about… If they were out there, I could maybe buy 'em at cost and sell 'em at my concerts. That would be kind of cool. Then I'd have my whole catalog."

KK'S PRIEST features former JUDAS PRIEST members Downing and Owens, alongside guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

K.K. formed KK'S PRIEST after JUDAS PRIEST turned down his offer to rejoin the band for their 50th-anniversary tour.

In a 2021 interview with Classic Rock magazine, Halford was asked if he has ever listened to "Demolition" and "Jugulator". "No. I still haven't," he said. "This might sound selfish, but because it's not me singing, I'm not attracted to it. I sound like a twat, but I'm really just not interested. And that's no disrespect to Ripper, 'cause he's a friend of mine."

Halford went on to say that he first met Owens "when the band went through Ohio, [and Tim] came to the show. Was it awkward? Not in the least," he said. "We gave each other a hug. He's a massive PRIEST fan, and when the opportunity came for me to go back, he was, like, 'Thumbs up, it's great. I'm happy for the band, I'm happy for Rob.' I respect his chops; he's a great singer."

Two decades ago, Halford explained why he was reluctant to hear "Jugulator". "It's just too difficult for me to listen to the band when I'm not in it, and that's nothing to do with taking a shot at Ripper," he said. "I just can't listen to it. It's just psychological. I should just put it on and listen to the fucking thing, but then if I do, [interviewers] will say, 'Well have you heard it?', and I'll go, 'Yeah', and then you'll go, 'What do you think?', and I don't want to do that. I don't want to be put in that situation. I just love all the things that I've done with the band and I'm happy to be a part of that great legacy and that's all. You want to treat it with respect because that's what it deserves."

In October 2020, Halford told "The SDR Show" that he would "absolutely" be open to performing material from "Demolition" and "Jugulator" with PRIEST. "Those two albums are just as valid as everything else in the PRIEST catalog," he explained. "So who knows? That day may yet come."

A year earlier, Richie Faulkner said that "Hell Is Home" is one of his favorite songs from the Owens era. The PRIEST guitarist, who joined the band in 2011 as the replacement for Downing, offered his opinion during a live video chat. He said: "I was listening to the Ripper albums the other day, and 'Hell Is Home' is such a great track. It's really heavy and the vocal melody is really great. I think Ripper sings it really well. It's probably one of my favorite PRIEST songs of the Ripper era. 'Hell Is Home' — I really like that."

MASTODON drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor has paid tribute to the band's co-founding guitarist Brent Hinds, who died earlier this week after being injured in a motorcycle accident in Atlanta. He was 51.

At the end of MASTODON's August 22 concert at the Alaska State Fair as part of the ConocoPhillips Alaska Concert Series at the Borealis Theatre in Palmer, Alaska, Dailor stepped out to the front of the stage and told the crowd (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "We lost somebody very special to us yesterday. Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we've ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate. We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It's not always perfect, it's not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that's gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight."

Brann continued: "So we will continue to play Brent's beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of fucking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on."

He added: "I don't know. We're just at a loss for words. We're absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again. But you guys made it okay for us to come on stage and do this tonight. So that was for fucking Brent, okay?! Thank you guys so much. We will see you real soon. Okay? I'm gonna give you guys some fucking pieces of wood, okay? We love you.

"Thank you, Alaska, for having us. It's the 50th state for us to cross off of our bucket list. So thank you for the amazing milestone and thank you for helping us get through that one. It was fucking tough for us, but you guys are fucking amazing, so thank you, thank you, thank you once again. We'll see you real soon, okay?! We love you, we love you, love you, love you so much. Good night."

Hinds was reportedly riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle late Wednesday (August 20) when he collided with an SUV at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE and Boulevard SE, less than two miles from downtown Atlanta, according to Atlanta police.

Brent was found unresponsive by officers who responded to the crash around 11:35 p.m. and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical workers.

Police said a woman driving a BMW SUV was making a left turn when she failed to yield and struck the motorcycle, which was headed west on Boulevard. The woman remained at the scene and spoke with investigators.

MASTODON commented on Hinds's passing in a statement on social media, writing: "We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we've shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent's family, friends, and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone's privacy during this difficult time. RIP Brent."

In March, MASTODON revealed that the band and Hinds had "mutually decided to part ways" after "25 monumental years together."

Since 2000, Hinds had served as lead guitarist and vocalist for MASTODON, alongside bassist/singer Troy Sanders, Dailor, and guitarist Bill Kelliher.

MASTODON's lineup had remained the same for 25 years, recording eight studio albums, beginning with 2002's "Remission" until the band's latest LP, 2021's "Hushed And Grim".

When MASTODON announced Brent's departure from the band on March 7, they wrote in a statement: "Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, MASTODON and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.

"We're deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we've shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.

"We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of MASTODON. As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road."

Hinds later claimed he had been ejected from MASTODON and called his former bandmates "horrible humans" in a social media post.

Hinds was involved with several music projects apart from MASTODON, including the group GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA — alongside members of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and ALICE IN CHAINS — as well as LEGEND OF THE SEAGULLMEN and the long-running project FIEND WITHOUT A FACE.

More recently, Hinds had a tour, "An Evening With Brent Hinds", set for November and December throughout Europe.

"I'm a free spirit," Hinds said in the MASTODON documentary "The Workhorse Chronicles". "I enjoy life and I live it to the fullest."

Brent played his first show since exiting MASTODON on March 21 with his band FIEND WITHOUT A FACE at 529 in Atlanta, Georgia.

MASTODON has had nine Billboard 200-charting albums and has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times. The band won a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy for "Sultan's Curse" in 2018.

MASTODON's latest album, "Hushed And Grim", was a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound.

MASTODON recruited Ben Eller, a guitarist known for his popular YouTube channel, to step in for Hinds when the band played at TOOL's "Tool In The Sand" festival in the Dominican Republic in March. For MASTODON's spring 2025 tour and other recent shows, the band enlisted Canadian musician Nick Johnston. Johnston has six solo records under his belt, and has also worked with POLYPHIA, Guthrie Govan, PERIPHERY and many others.

DD VERNI & THE CADILLAC BAND, the group led by OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni, has released the second single, "Two Of A Kind", from its upcoming album, "Buckle Up", which marries rock 'n roll's visceral energy and succinct songwriting to suave, swinging throwback arrangements and aesthetics. "Two Of A Kind" notably features the REVEREND HORTON HEAT's Jim Heath. The song, written by Walden Cassotto and Johnny Mercer, was originally featured on Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer's 1961 "Two Of A Kind" album.

"Doing this song with the great Jim Heath was just a blast!" D.D. says. "Total pro, he came it and we just hit it off, laughing telling stories etc. It's funny to have two people from totally different backgrounds — I'm an Italian guy from New Jersey, and he's a southern guy from Texas — to share a love for some of the same kind of music just speaks to the power of great songs."

D.D. continues: "I first saw REVEREND HORTON HEAT up in Mass. They were doing the show the night before OVERKILL was playing the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival and I was blown away. Just a great band and a great guitar player. We had never met. I called him completely out of the blue and said, 'I would love you to do this song with [me],' and he graciously said, 'Let's do [it].' I came to find out he was a big Johnny Mercer fan and I am a big Bobby Darin fan, so it just seemed a great match. We actually met the first time at the video shoot itself! Up until then, it had been phone calls and texts."

Heath says: "I'm so glad D.D. asked me to do this duet of 'Two Of A Kind'. The original version by Bobby Darin and Johnny Mercer really speaks to me. When I listened back to my part, singing the Johnny Mercer part, I realized that I kind of sound like Johnny Mercer! I guess that all of those old J. Mercer records my parents played really rubbed off on me — why fight it?"

Heath adds: "I'm thrilled to be on this recording and thrilled to be in the video. It's an honor to be included with D.D. and such skilled musicians, recording engineers, and videographers.

"Working with D.D. was great. DD VERNI & THE CADILLAC BAND have a unique take on swing music, and I think it's pretty ingenious. The song is cool, and the arrangement is solid with heavy-hitter musicians. Then, when we did the video, during the breaks, I got to talk with D.D. at length about our careers and discovered that we have a lot in common. Our careers and lives kind of run parallel and there are many shared experiences."

On their upcoming second album, "Buckle Up", D.D. VERNI & THE CADILLAC BAND make big band music more accessible and relatable than ever before, marrying rock 'n' roll's visceral energy and succinct songwriting to suave, swinging throwback arrangements and aesthetics. "Two Of A Kind" follows the album's first track "Lucky 13", which was released on July 18.

"Buckle Up" brings the storm-the-stage ethic of OVERKILL to D.D.'s lifelong love of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Fats Domino and, more recently, the BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA. "Buckle Up" picks up and goes further than their exciting 2021 debut album "Let's Rattle", on which D.D. sang and played red hot guitar. "Buckle Up" retains all its predecessor's verve and vitality while adding more evolved horn arrangements written by Jim McMillen, known for his work on TV's "Beverly Hills 90210" and "Bridgerton", and with Grammy-winning artists Christina Aguilera and Ricky Kej.

"When I'm writing and demoing these songs, it's just a guitar and me," D.D. explained. "And they should be able to have that energy with just that, before anything else is added."

Indeed, D.D. 's fun-first rocker's approach and robust songcraft has attracted a who's-who of musicians to the CADILLAC BAND, intrigued by its stylistic nuances and go-for-broke ethos. "Buckle Up" features longtime Brian Setzer drummer Bernie Dresel and slap bassist Johnny Hatton; horn players with Paul McCartney's band and THE EAGLES; pianist Or Matias (Josh Groban, Broadway music director); guitarist Angus Clark (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA); and backing vocals by acclaimed pop-rock duo KINGSTON & GREYSTARR. Recorded in New Jersey and Los Angeles, "Buckle Up" was produced by D.D. and mixed by Michael Frondelli (Billy Idol, Pat Benatar).

"So psyched for you to hear round two!" D.D.says. "I worked with so many great people on the last record I couldn't wait to do another. 'Buckle Up' means just what it says…this record brings together all of the experiences I got writing and recording the first record, as well and the shows we did to support it, and takes it to a new level.

"This is timeless, fun music. And for me, in a world that seems so chaotic every day, it's a joy to have something that's just plain fun, simple and energetic. To just leave your troubles behind, grab a drink and your girl and go out to a show like ours and have fun! Hoping to get to your town later in the year with the band!...and bring some of that energy."

"Buckle Up" track listing:

01. Lucky 13
02. If U Wanna Dance
03. Hey Mr. DJ
04. I Can Be Most Anything
05. Devil Dance
06. Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
07. These Days
08. Not That Kind Of A Guy
09. So Long
10. Just Like Magic To Me
11. Let's Go Crazy
12. Man With The Golden Arm
13. Two Of A Kind
14. I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas

Verni is the founding member/songwriter/producer and bassist for heavy metal pioneers OVERKILL, a legendary band that has sold millions of records and headlined venues and festivals worldwide for four decades. They have released 20 studio albums dating back to their debut album in 1985.

While Verni is a legend in his own right, he has always dreamed of creating a swing/big band, and so began D.D. VERNI & THE CADILLAC BAND. He started by writing an album full of the kinds of songs he loved, a blend of rockin big band and swing, with a new contemporary edge.

Back in 2021, the New Jersey-based artist stated about his decision to take this musical direction, sing lead vocals and play guitar: "Yeah, I think it will be a bit of a shock to some people, but I have been a fan of this kind of music for a long time. The old big band standards were playing at my house when I was a kid. My dad was a big Sinatra fan, so I'm sure some of it's from growing up with that and AM radio. And I always loved '50s music and doo wop — Fats Domino, Jerry Lee, etc. And loved the crooners too — Bobby Darin, Dean Martin, Tom Jones — and even in metal and rock: Jim Morrison, Ian Astbury, Glenn Danzig…all of the crooning type of vocalists I've always loved. And then I don't know how long ago it was now, but when Brian Setzer put his big, band orchestra together the first time I thought, 'This is amazing.' I never really understood why no one else was trying their hand at that. I mean there's a thousand blues bands all in the same genre and doing their own thing with it, but almost no swing/jump blues/rock and roll type of bands. I had collected a lot of riffs and material through the years — I just put it aside thinking one day I'll get to this and so with that in mind I just started writing the types of songs I liked best. High-energy, tap-your-toes, get-up-outta-your-seat kind of songs. I'm not one for jazz really or even a country twang as some bands in the genre touch on, so I kept it moving and jumping even on the standards we recorded, because that's really what I love best."

He continued: "I am a songwriter at heart; I have done all these records with OVERKILL, and also some side projects and was involved in writing a musical for a few years, so changing my head space is not such a big deal to me. I like what I like and as long as the energy is good, I can roll with it. Even with OVERKILL, I'm not trying to be ultra-heavy, or ultra-punk…the only real line I follow is, 'Am I digging it?' and if the answer is 'yes,' then I jump in. And I think the singing and playing guitar throws people a bit as well as I'm known as a bassist. But that's part of the fun to stepping out and trying new stuff. I had been the vocalist on my solo album and was not such a stretch doing this. Although I learned a lot and have to say singing is not as easy as I once thought. [Laughs] And I am not really an upright bass player, which I knew I wanted for this, so it just made sense to stay with the guitar."

D.D. VERNI & THE CADILLAC BAND's first video, "Cadillac Man", featured the band rocking on stage and showing the live energy of the group. Their second video, "Olivia… That's Who!", saw the band using stills to create a new storyboard idea.

The 13-piece band made its live debut at the Vogel theater in Red Bank, New Jersey in October 2021.

Bruce Dickinson kicked off his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of his current studio album, "The Mandrake Project", Friday night (August 22) at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California. Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour is once again his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.

Dickinson's 16-song setlist at the House Of Blues included the live debut of "The Mandrake Project" track "Shadow Of The Gods" as well as the first-ever performance of the IRON MAIDEN song "Flash Of The Blade", from the band's 1984 album "Powerslave".

Prior to launching into "Flash Of The Blade", Dickinson told the crowd:  "Nobody has ever played this song, apart from on the record, of course, but nobody has ever played this song. And it's a song that I wrote. So I don't know whether any of you have got any clue what song it might be. But like usual, it's a conundrum. I shall not tell you. You will just have to figure it out. It probably won't take long… You'll die as you lived in a flash of the blade."

The setlist for the Anaheim concert was as follows:

01. Accident Of Birth
02. Abduction
03. Laughing In The Hiding Bush
04. Shadow Of The Gods (live debut)
05. Chemical Wedding
06. Flash Of The Blade (IRON MAIDEN song) (live debut)
07. Resurrection Men
08. Rain On The Graves
09. Drum Solo
10. Frankenstein (THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP cover)
11. The Alchemist
12. Book Of Thel
13. Road To Hell

Encore:

14. Tears Of The Dragon
15. Gods Of War
16. Starchildren

Bruce talked about the setlist for "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour during an interview earlier this week with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are doing a mixture of songs from 'Accident Of Birth', from 'Chemical Wedding', from 'More Balls To Picasso', obviously from 'Mandrake', and that's, frankly, more than enough for a full show. And in actual fact, I've got seven solo albums to pick from, so if I end up doing — as I will do, in probably in '27 — end up doing another tour with another album, then I'll still have plenty of songs to pick from, from those albums. 'Cause there's songs that people go, 'Why haven't you played that song?' I said, 'Well, I can't play every single song. You have to wait. We'll do it next time.' But 'Shadow Of The Gods', for example, off 'Mandrake', has never been played live until now. So we're gonna play that song every night, because it's a really cool track and it's the most requested track off 'Mandrake'. We've not played it, so we're gonna do that one every night."

Regarding the addition of "Flash Of The Blade" to the setlist, Bruce said: "We've actually dropped a MAIDEN song in there. We haven't done that, like, ever. And so I said we're not a MAIDEN covers band, but I'm gonna do one song, and it'll be a song that I wrote. We're not covering [a song] that [MAIDEN guitarist] Adrian [Smith] wrote with me or [MAIDEN bassist] Steve [Harris] or something. And my wife said, 'You should do this song,' song X. I went, 'Oh, why?' She said, 'Well, nobody's ever played it. You've never played it. Why have you never played that song?' I said, 'Well, I don't know.' She goes, "Everybody wants you to play that song.' I said, 'Who's everybody?' And she's on social media, so she does all this stuff. I don't do social media. So I have no clue. And so I mentioned it to the band. I said we should do it. What do you think if we tried to learn this?' And they dogpiled me, like, 'Oh my God, that would be amazing.' So anyway, next day they'd learned it and they played it to me instrumentally. I was just, like, 'Holy crap. Now let me see if I can still remember how to sing it.' So we're gonna do that."

Dickinson also confirmed that some of the shows on "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will see him play another MAIDEN song, "Revelations". He explained: "Now, I've gotta learn another MAIDEN one as well, because we're doing a festival in São Paulo in the middle of the tour. We dip down to Brazil [to play] this huge festival. And it's actually 40 years since I set foot in Brazil [for the first time] with Rock In Rio. So I thought, well, for the anniversary, I'm gonna go down there. I really do have to do a kind of a MAIDEN track in celebration of the fact that, 'Yeah, look, it's been 40 years.' And there was a famous incident where I'd split my head open with the edge of a guitar, blood pouring down my face. That was the image that that still played on national TV now when they talk about Rock In Rio; they use that moment. And that moment was during a song called 'Revelations', which happened to be a song that I wrote. So I thought, 'Hey, we'll get the band to learn 'Revelations'.' And then my wife came in and said, ['You've gotta play 'Flash Of The Blade']. I went, 'Okay, okay, okay.' Well, now I just love it. I'm just, like, 'Yes, absolutely.' So we're gonna play ['Flash Of The Blade' Friday] night and then the secret will be out and social media will be, like, 'Oh my God, they played that song.' So if you wanna hear that song, whatever the hell it is, or you might not give a stuff — I don't know. So we'll be dropping that in and out here and there, teasing people a little bit. But it's such a blast on the tour. Such a great fun playing with these guys."

Asked what it is like going from playing stadiums with IRON MAIDEN to performing mostly in theaters with his solo band, Bruce told WRIF: "There's no comparison. One is one type of thing, one is the other type of thing. So I don't go into a theater going, 'Oh my God. I wish I was playing a stadium.' No, I relish the idea of going into a theater. It's great. And the same thing — if I go into a stadium, I don't go, 'Oh, I wish I was playing a theater.' No, I'm playing a stadium. That's what you're doing and that's what's in front of you."

He continued: "I love performing and I love wherever I am, whether it's three people, 300 or 300,000. Things change a little bit, techniques change a little bit from one to the other to the other, but it's still a performance and you're still trying to do the best thing by everybody there. So, yeah, I love it."

Dickinson also talked in more detail about "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour, which will take his solo band across North America, including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky). The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious The Town festival at the City Of Light in São Paulo.

"It's the same band that did the tour last year," Bruce said. "We did 55 shows together. So, we're a crew now. This is not me standing on the spot and saying, 'Oh, nobody else come within 10 feet of me. Your aura is disturbing my vibe.' No. I mean, we are a band — we sweat together, we get messy, and eye contact. It's a great rock and roll band. And we have fun. We're heavy emotional creatures on stage. So we can play to make you wanna jump up and down in pogo. We can play to make you cry and we can play to put a smile on your face. And hopefully all of those things. So when you leave the show at the end of the evening, we hope we've made your life better."

He continued: "We're a great crew. It's a great show live. We've got a video wall. We've got MAIDEN's sound engineer, MAIDEN's monitor engineer, MAIDEN's lighting engineer as well. And they all love doing it because they love getting their hands dirty in theaters. [MAIDEN's lighting designer] Rob Coleman, on the lights, gets to play and go, 'Hey, yeah, that's weird. Look at that structure on stage. If I put a lamp there' and blah, blah, blah, 'I can get a really great effect.' So we can kind of do things on the fly in theaters or work with what we've got. It's fantastic. You can improv a little bit there. And it's not the same show every night. With MAIDEN, it is. I mean, sure, there are variations in the way that this song is better one night than it was last night and things like that. But with this band, we're so flexible, we can go, 'What's the setlist today? Well, let's shift things around a bit. Let's do that. Oh, we haven't done that song for a while. Let's drop that one in there.' And [if] we're playing Boston and New York back to back, [we can go], 'Oh, yeah. We should definitely play two different songs so people don't go, 'Ah, I went to both shows and they did the same stuff.' [We want them to go], 'Ah, they did something different.'"

Prior to the April 12, 2024 Whisky A Go Go show, Bruce last performed with his solo band on in August 2002 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).

O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson in 2023 as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.

Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.

Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.

"The Mandrake Project" arrived on March 1, 2024 via BMG.

Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.

Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", arrived on July 25.

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.

Bruce Dickinson Set List last nigth 👀

Thanks David Malott 🤘

Posted by Eddie The Head Fan Club on Saturday, August 23, 2025

Here is the Mech for anyone that wants to know what’s available.
The only thing signed was the 1 Year Mandrake Comic.
It was limited to 20 per show, $99, and came with a nice tote bag.

Thanks David Malott 📸🤘

Posted by Eddie The Head Fan Club on Saturday, August 23, 2025

During an appearance on the August 21 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal was asked if he has any plans to tour in support of his recently released instrumental album, "Bumblefoot ...Returns!" He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I've thought about it. I've shied away from touring so much. You never know. At this point I'm saying no, I don't plan to, but if someone called up and said, 'Hey, I've got this tour coming, and we would love to have you open,' it might happen, but it's not something that I'm pursuing at this point, 'cause I just love producing bands and doing more teaching stuff. I'm gonna be doing Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy Camp with Alice Cooper and Rob Halford in November in Phoenix. That's gonna be going on for the first two weeks of November. Things like that. That's the kind of stuff that I'm really focusing on, is those Fantasy Camps and teaching and producing and what else I can do just musically besides being on stage. And I'll still get on stage."

Thal continued: "[I'm] not as much into the whole touring thing, especially for myself and my level. It's not gonna be a private jet. Do I wanna be driving around at two in the morning in a car every night with my guitar in the trunk? I don't know. And that's the thing. I see how much of my life I missed touring, how many things, how many weddings and funerals I missed, and I don't want to do that anymore. I wanna be there. I wanna be present in my life for the people that are in my life. So I'm just prioritizing that a lot more."

"Bumblefoot ...Returns!" came out on January 24, 2025. "Bumblefoot ...Returns!" arrived 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.

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

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.

Thal is also a member of ART OF ANARCHY, which released its third studio album, "Let There Be Anarchy", in February 2024 via Pavement Music.

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

In a new interview with Peter Kerr of Rock Daydream Nation, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was asked if he thinks personal conflict between bandmembers is "good for creating music". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, to an extent. To an extent. Music has a life of its own. And us as human beings, we are so passionate about music that it causes musicians to argue about the music, because we all want it to be the best it can be and we all think we know how to do that. So you'll get a lot of butting heads, like David Lee Roth with Eddie Van Halen, or me with [SKID ROW bassist] Rachel [Bolan]. I think I know how to do it best, and so does he. The sad part about it is, is that we're stronger together than apart — or at least we were; maybe not now. [Laughs] But I just know that if we came together again, we would definitely make some good music because I know that we know how to do that. But we're so passionate about SKID ROW, all of us, that we can't see eye to eye about the band. And it's very sad.

"I just did a gig with Rob, the [former] drummer of SKID ROW, Rob Affuso, two or three weeks ago, and the magic between me and him is crazy," Bach continued. "You can feel it. He's in my new videos too — he's in 'What Do I Got To Lose?' and '(Hold On) To The Dream' videos — and me and him have a chemistry that when we're on stage together is undeniable. And we both say to each other, 'Man, this is really heavy, us two together. Can you imagine if it was all five of us, the old band together?' The chemistry and the nostalgia factor of seeing us five together would be really remarkable. And I hope it happens someday, because we're all still alive. So hopefully it'll it'll happen while we're still alive."

Asked how close a reunion between him and the other members of the classic lineup of SKID ROW "ever got to becoming a reality", Sebastian responded: "Yeah. It got really close — I don't know how many years ago, like six years, seven years ago. Right before they got their singer [ZP Theart] from DRAGONFORCE [in late 2015], I was under the impression that we were gonna get back together. And it was New Year's Eve and I saw online, 'Here's the new SKID ROW singer.' And I go, 'You've gotta be fucking kidding me.' And I texted 'em all, 'Fuck you. Fuck off.' I was blown away that they were gonna get, like, [singer] number seven or number eight. And they said, 'Oh, this is only temporary while we figure out the reunion stuff.' But I'm an emotional dude. That's why I sing for a living. And when I saw that news, I was not happy about it at all."

Asked if he would go up to SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo and talk to him if he saw him at an airport lounge somewhere or some other place like that, Bach said: "Absolutely. I sure would. Yeah, I would. It's just so ironic that I play with so many other musicians. I'm in a corporate band called ROYAL MACHINES, which is Billy Morrison of THE CULT, Steve Stevens, Josh Freese on drums. I play gigs with these guys all the time. I'm playing this Thursday with Billy Morrison, Steve Stevens, RUN-DMC, Mark McGrath of SUGAR RAY. We're all on stage together. I have another band with Matt Sorum called KINGS OF CHAOS, and we play shows all the time. I've got my own solo band. So I play with many different musicians except for the guys in SKID ROW [laughs], which is so ironic. It doesn't make sense. It doesn't make logical sense. But maybe someday we'll pull our heads out of our asses and take a deep breath of fresh air."

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY. In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of bassist Rachel Bolan, guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger. SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I. Theart was fired from SKID ROW in February 2022 and was replaced by Erik Grönwall, who was previously a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T.

This past March, Sabo addressed constant calls for a SKID ROW reunion with Bach, who sang on the band's most commercially successful releases, telling Scott Michael Nathan of "The Bad Decisions Podcast": "I'm not gonna go out there and do it and fake it for the blank check. I've never been about that. Rachel's never been about that, and Scotti's never been about that. So we're not gonna do it. And there's been a lot of people saying, 'Oh, just do it for the money.' It's, like, man. No. I'm just not built like that, man. And I'm smart enough — we all are smart enough to make sure that we've done okay with what we've made. And look, I don't live lavishly by any stretch of the imagination, but I could take care of my family. I don't worry about the future from a monetary standpoint. And so I'm really fortunate like that. And it's because that's been my viewpoint all along. It's never been about, 'We've gotta make a buck.' It's always been about, if we do things and we're genuine and we stay true to our character, to our spirit — and this is gonna sound weird — and we are selfish songwriters. And what I mean by that is that we are writing for ourselves. We're not writing for anybody else. And then you hope that the way that you translate how you feel through music and lyrics and melodies and performance will have a positive effect on people and thus they'll wanna come see and hear this music. And that's what we've always done."

Sabo previously ruled out a reunion with Bach in May 2024, telling The Hook Rocks podcast: "It's not gonna happen. And I say the same thing every time. I'm thankful that people have such an interest in wanting to see that happen, but I also have to reiterate that this is about being happy in the situation that you're in. So I'll speak for myself personally.

"First of all, I do need to say something too, is that the reason that this isn't happening is because there's three of us — myself, Scotti and Rachel — who've had conversations about this, and we've all been on the same page that we don't wanna go down that road again. We just — we don't.

"Rachel has taken a beating over this through the years," Sabo continued. "He's the one who's been blamed for this. 'Oh, it's Rachel's ego.' 'It's this and that.' No, that's a load of bullshit. That is not true. And I feel bad because he's really, really had to shoulder that blame and has never said anything derogatory or anything like that. But you know what? The truth of the matter is that Rachel, Scotti and myself have continually felt the same way, that we enjoy being happy in this band and we're really happy.

"It's been such a great experience for the last however, 35 years, everything, all the ups, all the downs, everything, but we just don't wanna revisit that particular aspect of our history," he explained. "I love the songs, [I] love a lot of the memories, [I am] not fond of some of the memories, but just as individuals and as a collective, that's just how we feel. So this is not on Rachel. And this has nothing to do with anyone's ego or anything like that. So that's just gotta be clear. Again, for anyone to sit there and make assumptions that this is Rachel Bolan saying 'nope,' it's not. It's the three of us, and we've all collectively sat there and just said that we don't wanna do it. We just don't wanna do it. And we wish everybody all the best."

Snake added: "We've been just ripped apart by ex-members of the band and stuff — ripped apart. Some really shitty stuff [has been] said about all of us. And we just choose not to [respond]. It's not who I am. It's not who we are. We won't go down that road. We just wanna play music and be happy. This has really never been about a monetary aspect of things because it's known that we've been offered a good amount of money to do shows together and to reunite [with Sebastian] and whatever, but it's just never been about the money, man. I choose my happiness, my willingness to continue to be a really good friend to my best friends and a really good husband and a really good dad and bandmate and person. And I don't wanna endanger that in any way. So the people that we choose to play with, those choices are made in order to keep those particular things in line for all of us."

Five years ago, Bolan also confirmed that he and his bandmates "were entertaining the idea" of reuniting with Bach following Harnell's departure. But Rachel shot down the possibility of a rekindling of his friendship with Sebastian, explaining: "Well… Here's the soundbite for Blabbermouth. I wouldn't say we were friends [when we were in a band together]. We were bandmates. You know what I mean? We're two very different people." Bolan added that he hadn't seen Bach "in years."

Six years ago, Bach was asked by Rolling Stone what it would take for SKID ROW to be reunited. He responded: "It would take those guys to realize that I have a lifetime manager. His name is Rick Sales. I've been with him since 2006. They don't want to deal with a guy like that. They want to give some singer who doesn't have a manager $700 to $800 bucks a week. I've got a team that's worked with me and don't allow me to get fucked around. I didn't have that team when I was 19 years old."

In response to Bach's statements about the earnings of SKID ROW's singer, Sabo told Rolling Stone in an e-mail: "I guess fact-checking isn't in his skill set… The five of us go on that stage as a band and we all get paid equally. We're in this together. There's no egos."

Sebastian went on to say that SKID ROW was "close to reuniting, but then it didn't happen. The fact that it didn't happen obviously makes me somewhat bitter, because life is only getting shorter, as the song says," he added.

"I wouldn't say 'came close,'" Bolan told Rolling Stone in an e-mail response to Bach's account of the reunion talks. "We entertained the idea. Snake and I went as far as talking with agents and promoters about money. But we quickly learned after a few text conversations, why we fired him in the first place. Nothing is worth your happiness and peace of mind."

Epic Ink, an imprint of The Quarto Group, has set an October 14, 2025 release date for "Pearl Jam Live! 35 Years Of Legendary Music And Revolutionary Shows". This isn't just a typical band biography as author Selena Fragassi structures the book like a concert - there's the opening act — which traces the band's formation in Seattle; the headliner — covering the band's meteroric rise in the 1990s; and the encore, which starts in 2001 and details the band's evolution and resonance to the present day. All the studio albums — from "Ten" to last year's "Dark Matter" — are explored. The book also examines the band's massive cultural impact and the development of PEARL JAM's devoted fan community.

Structured like a concert experience, this comprehensive look at PEARL JAM traces 35 years of one of rock's most enduring bands through archival photography, interviews, and detailed band history.

"Pearl Jam Live!" by music journalist Selena Fragassi (with a foreword by LOCAL H's Scott Lucas) employs an innovative three-act structure that mirrors a PEARL JAM show: Opening Act (1984-1991) covers the band's Seattle origins and formation from the ashes of GREEN RIVER; Headliner (1992-2000) chronicles their meteoric rise in the 1990s grunge explosion; and Encore (2001-Present) examines their evolution and continued relevance in contemporary rock. Each chapter is titled after a PEARL JAM song, creating a "setlist" that guides readers through the band's story.

From Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready and Eddie Vedder's early days in Seattle's underground music scene to their emergence as one of the most successful alternative rock acts of the 1990s, the book examines both the band's artistic development and cultural impact. The narrative covers the creation of landmark albums like "Ten" and "Vs.", their battles with Ticketmaster, and their transition from grunge pioneers to arena-filling veterans.

"Pearl Jam Live!" explores:

* The band's musical evolution from their Seattle roots through 35 years of releases
* Their influence on 1990s alternative rock and lasting impact on contemporary music
* The development of PEARL JAM's devoted fan culture and community
* Behind-the-scenes stories from key albums and tours
* Archival photography documenting their journey from club shows to stadium performances

Through interviews, photography, and detailed analysis, "Pearl Jam Live!" offers both longtime fans and music historians a comprehensive examination of a band that helped define a generation while maintaining artistic integrity throughout their career.

Chicago-based music journalist Selena Fragassi has 17 years of experience and currently contributes to the Chicago Sun-Times, SPIN and Loudwire. Her work has appeared in The A.V. Club, Paste, Nylon and Chicago Magazine, where she served as pop/rock critic. She has interviewed artists including Jack White, THE BLACK KEYS, Alice Cooper, Chrissie Hynde, Slash and BON JOVI. Her writing has been anthologized in "That Devil Music: Best Music Writing" and she has appeared on WTTW's "Chicago Tonight". She is the author of several books including "Alanis: Thirty Years Of Jagged Little Pill".

Shadow & The Thrill, the modern blues infused, groove laden, hook filled melodic rockers launched by Tony Cardenas-Montana in 2018 will be following up their acclaimed debut album Sugarbowl in the new year. But they cannot wait for you to hear what they’ve done so far!

The first single and video from the sessions, “Supermodel,” is out today, and while Tony admits S&TT’s “future is largely dictated by the past of the man behind the band” (i.e.: himself! Great White casts a vast shadow), he is not afraid to challenge those expectations.



Recorded in Orange County, CA with producers Andrew Wesley and Bax Baca, “Supermodel” is, he says, “about as close to writing a ‘country’ song as I think I might get.

“I originally wrote it years ago, as a story about a young, struggling couple. I realized when we revisited the track that it really is about ANY couple, of any age, of any persuasion, and that it has a more universal message of love, loyalty, and commitment in the face of adversity. The lyric, ‘I would not trade this life, you’d never know we’re as happy as could be’ sums it up.”

Stream/download the single here, and watch the video below:



Tony’s career has spanned decades and has garnered him a Grammy Nomination, numerous certified RIAA multi-platinum and gold awards, Billboard charting credits as both a writer and musician, and world tours and performances alongside Slash, Dee Snider, and members of KISS, Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Mötley Crüe.



Tony continues, “We also did a cover of the Gnarls Barkley song ‘Crazy’, for which I did my own blues arrangement, making it kind of epic.”

No word yet on what, if any, covers will feature on the new album… no word yet of its title, either.

But if you can catch the band’s current, and so exhilarating live lineup of Tony, Bax Baca (ex-Midnight to Twelve – guitar and bass), former BulletBoy Stephen Allen (bass), Chuck Cummings (Aunt Betty’s – drums) and Mark Cervantes (Smashmouth – percussion), you might well become one of the first to find out.

Swedish metal powerhouse Thermality unleash their new single, “Brainstorm”, out now via Sound Pollution / Black Lodge Records. The track is accompanied by an official lyric video, available below.

Packed with relentless riffs, thunderous grooves, and raw intensity, “Brainstorm” delivers a full-on sonic assault that captures the unrelenting power and precision Thermality is known for. This is real metal. This is Thermality.



Hailing from the heart of Sweden, Thermality brings a fresh and innovative approach to the genre, blending nostalgic elements with a contemporary edge.

Since their inception in 2020, Thermality has ascended swiftly, garnering plenty of acclaim for their debut album, Before I Get To Rest, released in February 2023. Building upon this success, in June of 2023 the band unveiled their first EP, Tales From The North, which received widespread praise from fans and critics alike.

With their 2024 album, The Final Hours, Thermality embarks on a journey of old-school aggression and modern innovation. Recorded at the esteemed Studio Fredman and expertly mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström (Arch Enemy, At The Gates, In Flames) the album represents a pinnacle of the band’s creative prowess.

Nuclear Blast will reissue Dismember’s Like An Everflowing Stream on black vinyl. The vinyl ships October 3; preorder at the Nuclear Blast webshop.



Like An Everflowing Stream is Dismember’s full-length debut originally released May 1991 via Nuclear Blast. The album from the Swedish death metallers was recorded and mixed at Sunlight Studios in Stockholm. A music video was made for “Soon To Be Dead” and “Skin Her Alive” would be released as a picture disc single.

The Greatest Band in the World, Tenacious D, proudly announces the release of the latest instalment of their Complete Masterworks series, aptly named The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3.

This chapter showcases the band’s London’s O2 Arena concert from their 2023 Spicy Meatball Tour. This epic collector’s edition features a live set of their classic hits from the O2 Arena show, plus their animated film Post Apocalypto, music videos, a mini-poster, and more.

Tenacious D’s The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3 captures the band at the height of their powers during their sold-out, headline show at London’s O2 Arena on June 16, 2023. Their set, a raucous romp of rock and comedy, features their classic hits, including “Tribute,” “The Metal,” “Master Exploder,” “Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown),” “Kickapoo,” and more.

In addition, The Complete Masterworks Vol. 3 includes the band’s animated film, Post Apocalypto, with music from The D and illustrations by Jack Black.

Tenacious D proclaim, “This will be the one they remember us for. Guaranteed to blow your mind. The third and final Complete Masterworks. They will sell like hotcakes. Get them while they’re hot!!!”

The package features music videos, including the smash hit cover from Kung Fu Panda 4, “…Baby One More Time” and Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game,” The D’s Oneyplays Studios animated hit “Video Games,” their Fiber d’Lish commercial, and their charity covers series including “Tenacious D’s The Who Medley,” The Beatles’ “You Never Give Me Your Money / The End,” and “Time Warp,” from the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show.

Previous editions of The Complete Masterworks include their 2-DVD set from 2003, The Complete Masterworks, featuring their performance at the Brixton Academy and lots more, and the 2008 DVD release, The Complete Masterworks 2, which captures their heavy rock mayhem filmed by Wayne Isham at their 2007 Paramount Theater/Seattle shows, D Tour: A Tenacious Documentary directed by Jeremy Konner, plus additional material from the POD era.

Pre-order and learn more here.



Tracklisting:

“Overture”
“Kickapoo”
“Low Hangin’ Fruit”
“Rize Of The Fenix”
“Wonderboy”
“Tribute”
“Video Games”
“The Metal”
“Sax-A-Boom / Max-A-Boom”
“Roadie”
“Dude (I Totally Miss You)”
“Beelzeboss (The Final Showdown)”
“Double Team”
“Master Exploder”
“The Spicy Meatball Theme Song”
“Fuck Her Gently”

Post-Apocalypto:

Chapter 1: Hope
Chapter 2: Cave
Chapter 3: Space
Chapter 4: Robot
Chapter 5: Donald
Chapter 6: Home

Music Videos:

“…Baby One More Time”
“Wicked Game”
“Video Games”
“Fiber d’Lish”
“Tenacious D’s The Who Medley”
“You Never Give Me Your Money / The End”
“Time Warp”

As part of Zildjian's "On The Road" video series on YouTube, LINKIN PARK's new drummer Colin Brittain spoke about how it feels to be part of such an iconic rock band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's kind of full circle for me. I started out as a drummer, became a producer, [and now] I'm back doing drums. And I love this band and I love the people and the music, and so it's an oddly fulfilling experience."

Regarding how much of his own style he is able to inject into LINKIN PARK's classic songs when performing with his bandmates, Colin said: " I think that LINKIN PARK was such a big part of my upbringing as a musician, some of that is baked into the DNA of how I play, so it was a pretty natural transition. Obviously, anytime that you're playing with somebody, you can't help but to add your own personality to the instrument. That's kind of the point of seeing a band live. So I don't really know how that shows up for me. I guess that that's a better question for you or for the fans to be able to see and be able to tell the differences. I don't really like to compare it too much. I just kind of just go out and emote the music that I feel the best, and also try to stay as true to the records that we all know and love as much as possible."

Brittain played on LINKIN PARK's latest album, "From Zero", which came out last November. The effort marked LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before the death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington. "From Zero" also features LINKIN PARK's new singer Emily Armstrong, who has joined returning members co-vocalist and main producer Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and DJ/visual director Joe Hahn in the band's new lineup.

In a September 2024 interview with Billboard about LINKIN PARK's comeback, Shinoda explained that original LINKIN PARK drummer Rob Bourdon — who had founded the band with Mike and Brad — had decided to exit LP.

"Rob had said to us at a point, I guess it was a few years ago now, that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the band," Shinoda said. "And we understood that — it was already apparent. He was starting to just show up less, be in less contact, and I know the fans noticed it too. The 'Hybrid Theory' re-release [in 2020] and 'Papercuts' release [in April 2024], he didn't show up for anything. So for me, as a friend, that was sad, but at the same time, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, and obviously everybody wishes him the best."

Shinoda also spoke about the involvement of Brittain, an artist, songwriter, producer and mixer who has previously worked alongside producers such as Kato Khandwala (BLONDIE, PARAMORE),John Feldman (5 SECONDS OF SUMMER, BLINK-182) and his sometimes-partner Nicholas "RAS" Furlong (5 SECONDS OF SUMMER, PAPA ROACH, AVICII).

"He's playing drums in the live show, and drums are his first instrument, but he plays guitar and bass and keyboard, and he produces and mixes," Mike said. "We have a similar way of looking at music, of starting from scratch, and I really enjoyed working with him and bouncing ideas back and forth."

"From Zero" features the No. 1 single "The Emptiness Machine" and propelled LINKIN PARK to be the only rock band in 2024 to exceed two billion streams.

LINKIN PARK is currently on tour in support of the album, with dates throughout North America, Europe and South America.

Delson contributed to "From Zero", but hasn't been part of LINKIN PARK's live shows in support of the LP. The live guitar position has instead been filled by Alex Feder.

Last September, more than seven years after Bennington's death, LINKIN PARK debuted Armstrong and Brittain on a livestream.

"From Zero (Deluxe Edition)" 2CD is a limited pressing. It features a four-panel softpak packaging with 16-page booklet and showcases three new songs, five live tracks recorded around the world and all new, expanded packaging.

In late January, LINKIN PARK released an a cappella/vocals-only version of "From Zero", dubbed "From Zero - A Cappellas".

In a new interview with Kati Rausch of Music Interview Corner, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li was asked how he and his bandmates "keep up their energy" while touring. Herman responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Ah, we only do a tour because you want to do it. So, how would I put it? We don't have a manager that tells us, 'You have to go on tour,' and then they sit at home. I kind of manage the band, basically. I pick, 'Okay, if I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do it because I want to do it.' So there's no time that we go and go, 'Well, we don't wanna be here and wanna go home.' So we make sure the tour is not too long, so we always have a great time and then we don't look bored on stage."

Regarding why DRAGONFORCE chooses to not work with an outside manager at the moment, Herman said: "The creative control is very important for what we do. And I think if you manage it yourself, you can pace yourself in how much you tour, not burn yourself out and not do things you don't wanna do. It's not the best way to do it, because, obviously, I have lot of other things to do. But for now, it's good. I enjoy it. I'm not like a control freak too much. But you see the stuff on stage. These [stage props] are not built by someone else. Sam [Totman], the other guitar player, built them himself. He made it himself."

Li added: "Yeah, it's good [to manage the band myself]. I do have a help. I do have an assistant to help me with the day-to-day stuff. So, yeah, I cannot complain. We get to do what we love to do."

This past April, Herman was asked by The Candid Mic With Fran Strine podcast if he and fellow DRAGONFORCE founding guitarist Sam Totman are essentially the only actual members of the band, with the other musicians performing and recording with the group as mere "hired guns". Li responded: "Well, Sam and I started the band, and we always did pretty much all the work for it. So, in a way, it hasn't really changed. It's just some people's lives change, and that's what happens [to cause lineup changes in a band]. And every time we make a change in a band, it's because we're trying to make it better. Someone here isn't happy — they're not able to give it a hundred percent. They have other things they need to do or they just want a change in their life. And that's kind of what happens. And it's normal. It's like a company. If you're buying a Nvidia graphics card, someone, an engineer, decides they're gonna do a different job, are you gonna say, 'Wow, what's going on? This GPU is not gonna work.' Or this camera, someone making this camera. But in a band, because of what you see, who performs, sometimes you think, well, you might have some ideas."

Regarding how he and his DRAGONFORCE bandmates have adapted to the changes in the music industry over the last couple of decades, Li said: "It has changed a lot. And because the industry is changing… So the story is this: in 2018, we got rid of management, we got rid of everything. Our old business system that was put in place by our old manager, we just kind of got rid of it because it's, like, 'Well, this needs to be changed here. This is not working out.'

"I managed the band up until basically the third DRAGONFORCE album [2005's 'Inhuman Rampage'], our big hit album. At that time, the band exploded, so me managing the band wasn't even possible anymore. Especially if someone's gonna come to me and say, 'Well, I can manage the band. I work with these other bands.' Who am I to question to say, 'I know better than this guy'. So we did that for a number of years, and then I realized, 'Well, this is not actually any better.' So now I have the experience, I'm gonna do it. I've been doing enough, and I'm sure I can do a better job. So that was the big change. So I can say we had the downtime, unfortunately, through, I believe, mismanagement, because the music hasn't got worse. And now, luckily, we're more successful and popular than at that time [during] the 'Guitar Hero' explosion. And now we are actually doing better. And funnily enough, that song 'Through The Fire And Flames' [from 'Inhuman Rampage'] just got released on probably one of the biggest video games in the world right now, Fortnite. It came out last week and it's been an absolute hit. It's been crazy. I mean, how many people play that game, Fortnite? It's insane."

Herman recently confirmed that there are tentative plans for him and his DRAGONFORCE bandmates to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their most commercially successful album, "Inhuman Rampage", by performing the LP in its entirety on a 2026 tour.

This past June month, DRAGONFORCE unleashed a new official music video for an alternate version of its recent album track "Burning Heart", featuring ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. Originally released as a bonus track on select editions of DRAGONFORCE's celebrated 2024 album "Warp Speed Warriors", the special version supported by White-Gluz's distinctive vocals is now out as its own single.

Formed in 1999, DRAGONFORCE has earned their reputation as the world's fastest band via its power metal anthems filled with spectacular guitar solos, including the iconic platinum-selling hit "Through The Fire And Flames". Several of the songs on "Warp Speed Warriors" have already gained over a million streams on Spotify.

This summer DRAGONFORCE will finish the last European leg of its epic "Warp Speed Warriors" tour, playing several massive festival dates and selected shows together with POWERWOLF, before joining the German metallers on a North American tour, ready to deliver breathtaking shows to their ever-growing fanbase.

In May 2024, DRAGONFORCE teamed up with "Brawl Stars", a hit multiplayer mobile game with over one billion downloads, to celebrate a brand new character entering the game with a new song, "A Draco Tale", and music video.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was released in March 2024 via Napalm Records.

On "Warp Speed Warriors", DRAGONFORCE — composed of of guitar virtuosos and founding members Li and Sam Totman, singer Marc Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil and drummer Gee Anzalone — explore a wider range of varying musical styles than ever before, evolving their sound throughout the exciting musical journey while still staying true to their roots.

"Warp Speed Warriors" was produced, mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud at Mix Unlimited in Los Angeles, California with Sam Totman and Herman Li.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

In a new interview with Paul Salfen of AMFM Magazine, QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Todd La Torre spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're writing the next album now. And so we've got a pile of songs and ideas that we're sorting through to see what's what. I have a ton of lyrics to write and vocals to do. And it's really hard to find the time because we're gone so much. And it's hard to force that creativity sometimes. But the stuff that [the other guys in the band are] showing me, it's classic QUEENSRŸCHE, man. It sounds killer. And this will be my fifth album with the band.

"So, yeah, we still make new music, and I think that's what any artist does, or anybody really that enjoys doing what they do," Todd continued. "Maybe you play tennis, but you're not a pro tennis player or you don't play in tournaments anymore, but you still go out and hit some balls with your friends. And we still like to create. Some older bands, they don't even bother putting out new records. 'Oh, why? Everybody wants to hear the old stuff.' Yeah, but there are people that really enjoy the new stuff too. Like I say, the bulk of of what we do is gonna be the classics, but I love the new stuff that we do. It just shows that we're still passionate about making new music. I don't wanna just completely stop and just play the hits. You've gotta write new stuff."

After Salfen noted that QUEENSRŸCHE has already released so much great new material during La Torre's era with the band that it's hard for the group to choose which tracks to perform live, Todd said: "It's funny because some people will say, 'Oh, I wish they played way more' of my era with the band. And it's interesting, because we'll throw some new stuff in. And if you have the casual fan that just knows 'Jet City Woman' and 'Empire' and 'I Don't Believe In Love', you play even 'Walk In The Shadows' and they don't know it, or 'Queen Of The Reich' and they don't know it. And then you have the hardcore fans that we'll play a new one and they follow what we do and they sing all the words and they know it, but the vibe of the room changes. It's not that they don't like it, but they're not reactionary in the same way. And as soon as we finish a new song and we play another classic, the room erupts. And sometimes you wonder, like, 'How much new stuff can we really play?' Because it kind of depends on — you're polling the audience or this geographic location or the demographic. Is this a metal festival? Is this a casino with more of a radio-friendly kind of commercial fanbase of the band? I don't know. It's hard to say."

Todd added: "I wish we could play a lot more of it. And we did — we did one tour where I think probably 40% was all of my era with the band. So it isn't like we haven't tried it or done it, but if you have to pick a new song that most people don't know, or you have to play a song that everybody knows, a lot of times you'll go for the song that everybody knows."

As previously reported, QUEENSRŸCHE will hit the road this fall on the "Volume And Vengeance Tour" alongside special guests ACCEPT. The trek will kick off on November 7 in Denver, Colorado at Summit and will conclude on December 20 in Temecula, California at Pechanga Theater Casino.

In a recent interview with Sonoridades Inc., QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton spoke about La Torre, who joined the group in 2012 as the replacement for QUEENSRŸCHE's original vocalist Geoff Tate. Michael said: "[Todd has] helped keep us relevant. He's a great songwriter, but he's not just a vocalist and a lyric writer. He's a drummer. He can play guitar. He can speak to you and communicate to you as a musician, not just a singer. I mean, he grew up in Florida in the metal era, and he's got a lot of that influence, but he's very melodic as well. And he's got a killer voice. So I think it's just something that in the evolution of post-QUEENSRŸCHE, it's, like, we are still doing it and kicking ass. And hopefully we'll have something new out in the future."

Regarding the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to 2022's "Digital Noise Alliance", Michael said: "Right now we're writing. We're doing so much touring right now, it's hard to figure out where we will have a block of time to make an album. But before we went to Europe, we brought Zeuss [Chris Harris], our producer, down to Florida, and we worked on some ideas. We just started writing. And that's where we're at right now."

Wilton also talked about QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Casey Grillo, who joined the band in 2017 as the replacement for the original QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield. He said:  "[Casey is] an amazing player and he brings so much to QUEENSRŸCHE. He respects the songs, but he's such a dynamic player. He's very talented, and he helps in the writing process as well. So, yeah, he's been in the band over five years, six years, or whatever it is, seven, and, yeah, he's great."

In October 2021, Rockenfield filed a lawsuit against Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, alleging, among other things, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and wrongful discharge. A few months later, Wilton and Jackson filed a countersuit against Rockenfield, accusing him of abandoning his position as a member of the band and misappropriating the group's assets to his own personal benefit. That dispute has since been settled out of court.

This past April, La Torre was asked by Chile's iRock.cl how QUEENSRYCHE's sound has changed since he joined the group 13 years ago as the replacement for Tate. He responded: "I think that the band kind of got its sound back, more of the roots, the heavier kind of sound that QUEENSRYCHE was known for early on. There was a long period of time where the music got more adult contemporary and less hard rock and heavy metal and progressive and all of the different elements that QUEENSRŸCHE was kind of known for. So I think me being in the band — I mean, it could have been any other singer — has allowed these guys to completely write whatever they wanna write without it being turned down as being too heavy, for example, 'cause that had happened."

He continued: "I love the old classic stuff. We perform all the songs in the standard tunings like they were recorded, so there's nothing downtuned that changes the way they sound. I think that's helped contribute to kind of the resurgence of the band. But we just write songs, and sometimes I think, 'Oh, I wanna write a masterpiece of a song like 'Roads To Madness'' or a great song like 'Take Hold Of The Flame' or — I don't know — songs off of '[Operation:] Mindcrime', for example. But we all have a great time and the chemistry in the band is perfect. We all are super, super close. We all get along off the stage so well that it really kind of… I think that the contribution that I bring in is the jokes, the laughter, the creativity with music and art idea, artistic ideas with album covers and video concepts and that kind of thing. I don't know. That's the best way I could answer it, is I'm just one fifth of QUEENSRŸCHE. But the band is in a very healthy state."

Regarding how he sees the future of QUEENSRŸCHE, Todd said: "Oh, man. I kind of see the future as kind of what we're doing still. A lot of bands have retired, and we're still out there. There's nothing in the future that I see of the band retiring. I mean, we play about a hundred shows a year. So probably more of the same — just performing live shows, writing new songs and making new records and promoting our art that way. But, I mean, really it boils down to the live concert. That's really what we are now."

In a separate interview with Brazil's Monsters Of Rock, Todd was asked which "unexplored musical directions" he would like to see QUEENSRŸCHE go in on the band's upcoming follow-up to "Digital Noise Alliance". He said: "[We're] kind of [doing] the same thing as what we've been doing. I mean, we don't go in writing a record with a preconceived idea. We just get in a room and [go], 'Hey, show me your guitar parts. What do you have in your mind?' And we kind of all get together in a room and just see what happens in real time. So as far as unexplored musical directions… Personally, I'd love to hear more clean guitar on the next record, maybe some more spacious stuff, some more clean guitar. Orchestration is always fun to work with. It's very huge and cinematic sounding. So those are fun things to play with. Maybe some different percussion things would be interesting to play around with again.

"But, gosh, after 40-plus years, I think without completely changing the band, the band's style of music, I don't know that there's really any too much unexplored musical directions," he continued. "I mean, QUEENSRŸCHE's kind of done a lot within the large space that QUEENSRŸCHE has to run around in. I mean, if we were to do something — we wouldn't write a hip-hop song, we wouldn't write a death metal song. So within the confines of what QUEENSRŸCHE kind of is, as diverse as it as it is, I don't know what kind of unexplored musical directions there would be. On the next one, I mean, I would love to, like I say, play around with some other clean guitar sounds, maybe some more interesting percussion things — like the song 'I Am I' had some really neat percussion things going on."

Guitarist Mike Stone, who rejoined QUEENSRŸCHE in 2021, contributed guitar solos to the band's latest studio album.

Since late May 2021, Stone has been handling second-guitar duties in QUEENSRŸCHE, which announced in July 2021 that longtime guitarist Parker Lundgren was exiting the group to focus on "other business ventures."

Stone originally joined QUEENSRŸCHE for the 2003 album "Tribe" and stayed with the band for six years before leaving the group.

Robin Taylor Zander — a touring member of CHEAP TRICK and son of CHEAP TRICK's legendary frontman Robin Wayne Zander — has shared his airy, sentimental new single "All She Wrote". "The song 'All She Wrote" reflects on the struggle of communication while also acknowledging that sometimes, no amount of sincerity can bridge the gap between one another," Robin Taylor Zander explains. "The recurring theme of 'maybe that's all she wrote' describes that universal melancholy feeling of lost connections, and the hope to create new ones some day that mean just as much as the lost ones. Musically the song is uplifting, upbeat, it swings. It's one of my favorite new ones because I really like the drum parts I came up with, everything you hear on the record is me, aside from my sister singing vocals in the choruses."

Rolling Stone calls Robin Taylor Zander "CHEAP TRICK's secret weapon." A versatile multi-instrumentalist, Robin is a full-time member of CHEAP TRICK, with seamless facility on guitar, bass, drums and backing vocals. With lush immersive harmonies, Robin delivers vintage pop rock with a modern twist — a taste of '60s British invasion, '70s punk, '80s new wave, and '90s alternative — a sonic palette that's Robin's own.

For his new single, "All She Wrote", which follows previous single "Nobody's Home", Robin channels his full creative vision — writing, singing, and playing every instrument himself. It's Robin alone on guitars, drums, bass, keyboards, and vocals. Co-produced with rock legend Jack Douglas (AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON, CHEAP TRICK) and mixed by Douglas with renowned engineer Jay Messina (KISS, PETER FRAMPTON),the track delivers a deeply personal, unfiltered solo effort that resonates with raw, poetic emotion.

"All She Wrote" is out via Confidential Records.

A career in music was inevitable for Robin Taylor Zander. It's in his heart, his soul — and his very DNA. "RTZ", whose father is the founding frontman for iconic rock band CHEAP TRICK, drops his new single "Nobody's Home", following his acclaimed debut solo album, "The Distance" (2023).

Robin's music is awash in smoothly textured instrumentation and soaring, layered vocal harmonies and pop melodies. Robin melds together the influence of THE BEATLES and BEACH BOYS, THE ROLLING STONES, THE MOVE and THE WHO and so many others, in a sonic palette that's Robin's own. Writing all the songs and recording guitar, bass, drums, and vocals for his solo debut, Robin reveals his exceptional musical chops, range, and versatility.

Growing up in a house filled with musical instruments, recordings, and memorabilia, Robin's own musical journey goes back to the age of 3, when he got his first ukulele. He graduated to guitar when he was five, followed by drums, bass, and piano, and singing in his school chorus.

"When I was little, I would take a record and try to learn the bass part or the guitar part, then the next day try to learn the drum part and piano part," he says. "Then I'd sing it and I'd be able to record it in my own."

If there's anything he's learned since picking up that ukulele 25 years ago, it's that there's always something to prove, whether it's in the studio or on stage. As Robin readily acknowledges. "The one thing I know is this is exactly what I want to be doing — and what I've always wanted to be doing."

Confidential Records NYC is the record label of legendary producer Jack Douglas (JOHN LENNON, AEROSMITH, CHEAP TRICK). Jack has had the honor of producing five bands inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Photo credit: Jay Gilbert and Chris Schmitt (courtesy of Tell All Your Friends PR)

During a July 4 question-and-answer session with fans at Birmingham, United Kingdom's HMV Vault, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge addressed the band's announcement that GHOST's 2025 world tour would be "a phone-free experience", with guests maintaining possession of their phones at all times, secured in Yondr pouches. Asked if he got any "pushback" from his camp about enforcing this so-called "phone ban", he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, pushback. I think that the first initial pushback, it wasn't necessarily muscular pushback, but it was an inquiry to maybe reconsider. But that was more from — you know, the first person that you'd speak to when you're an artist is obviously your manager and your agent. And 'I have this idea.' It's, like , 'Mm-hmm. You sure about that?' And then the agent comes and, like, 'Oh, I love the idea, but…' Because it also adds a lot of baggage to the administration part and the practical bit of the concert, and anything that makes things harder is always frowned upon. And, of course, we had to really vet that idea. What does it mean? Who has done this before? Oh, not many. Okay. But who does that?

"The thing is that there are a lot of artists [who phone shame the audience], and I know a lot of artists — a lot more than let people know — absolutely hate the phones," Forge continued. "But it's one thing to phone shame people and [it's] another to go through the hurdle of doing what we did. And, of course, we had to weigh that. Essentially, what people wanna know [is] what does it cost? What's the ramifications of it, time-wise and economically? 'Okay, that's about right.'"

Elaborating on the mindset that led him to suggest the "phone ban" in the first place, Forge said: "I am vehemently against what I experienced, culminating on the last bit of our last tour cycle, where — and just for complete transparency, we went obviously to all kinds of different countries where temperament differs. So, with or without phones, there are certain parts of the world where people are just generally slightly subdued. But there are other parts of the world where people are exactly opposite and very engaged. And it really hit me when we came to certain countries where they have generally been much more enthusiastic, and you come out — there's, like, 18,000 people there, and there's, like, 10,000 phones. And they're not even bouncing anymore. And you're just like, 'What is this? What has happened?'"

After one fan suggested that it is a form of "disrespect", Tobias replied: "I don't know if it's disrespect… This is the thing that most people, most individuals haven't thought about how it is, because you think that, 'Well, no one cares about what I'm doing. I'm standing here in the back. I'm just gonna take a photo. I'm gonna film a song.' So each individual is not doing a purposefully disrespectful diss, but the sum of it becomes a completely changed, especially for an artist who you come out on a stage and you're expecting, like, 'Fucking people are gonna rage,' and then all of a sudden it's, like, the crowd that you've seen for, at that point, through 13 years has just gone less and less and less engaged in exchange for these phones. What's that about? What the fuck? And so I just felt that I came to a point where I'm, like, 'I don't think I wanna do this. I don't think I wanna do this. If this is how it's gonna be, I'd rather not do it.' That that's how worthless it became because of the phones. Especially a show like ours. I mean, I know that there are a lot of artists who [do] a completely more a free-form show, but we don't. Our show is pretty sort of nailed and arranged. There's obviously a certain wiggle room for individualism. But, yeah, in order to do what we do, we need to have a certain regimen. And so what do we feed off of? [The crowd]. And that is crucial. That is crucial for us to be able to do the show. If you came into a dress rehearsal and saw us do the same thing but without a crowd, it's dramatically worse. But when you have an engaged crowd, it becomes better because you're two… It is exactly like that. It's an exchange. And if someone in the act of doing it just takes a phone out…?"

Asked by the moderator if the decision to ban phones on the 2025 tour has "paid off" for GHOST so far, Tobias said: "Oh, absolutely. [It's been a] fucking life changer. Life changer for the existence of the band. Absolutely. We had a collective… Just walking off stage first night [of the tour] was just, like, this has completely changed the entire outlook of how this feels. So, yeah, now we're doing that. And I think that there are a lot of bands that are looking at this and just, like, 'Okay, so how do we do that too?'"

Earlier this month, GHOST kicked off the U.S. leg of the "Skeletour" world tour in support of the group's sixth studio album, "Skeletá", which came out in April. Marking a bold evolution in GHOST's live performances, the tour is the band's most theatrical and cinematic production yet. Designed by Tobias Rylander and GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge, the tour embraces a grander and more ambitious scale than ever before.

The set design is a striking blend of gothic symbolism and brutalist architecture, melding the ornate drama of cathedrals with the stark lines of modernist concrete forms. Inspired by brutalist cathedrals across Europe, the stage transforms into a sanctum of dark majesty: part sacred temple and part rock coliseum.

At the core of the design is the "Grucifix" — GHOST's reimagined crucifix inspired by their iconic logo. Suspended above the band, this colossal structure functions as both a visual centerpiece and a dynamic lighting rig, casting an ethereal glow over the stage.

Rylander's design includes sculptural scenic facades on the lighting pods, echoing the textures and verticality of cathedral interiors, further reinforcing the ecclesiastical themes central to GHOST's identity.

The lighting leans into a retro-rock aesthetic, with visual nods to classical QUEEN and VAN HALEN. The tour also represents a milestone for the band as it's the first time a full-scale video production led by Rylander and video director Amir Chamdin. With video content by Green Wall Designs, the creative direction transcends the physical stage, evolving into a fully immersive multimedia experience.

In keeping with the show's theatricality, the stage itself has been engineered to perform as much as the artist. Multiple elevated performance platforms, mechanical lifts, and concealed entrances are strategically placed to accommodate dramatic reveals and character transitions. A living, breathing cathedral of performance, "Skeletour" redefines the GHOST live experience, where sacred architecture collides with the raw energy of rock and roll.

Renowned for his work across live music world tours, fashion, theatre and art installations, Rylander has collaborated with artists such as Beyoncé, THE 1975, Childish Gambino, Chappell Roan, The XX and FKA Twigs. "Skeletour" marks his first creative partnership with the Grammy Award-winning band, bringing a new dimension to GHOST's already-iconic stage presence.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour kicked off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and concluded on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour launched on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and will wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

Through the use of technology like Yondr, fans are able to place their phones in a pouch that unlocks only after they leave the no-cell-phone zone. The pouch can also be unlocked at specific cell phone stations inside the venue.

Phones, Apple watches and other communication devices are placed in the pouch and sealed using a magnetized lock, which can be opened with an unlocking base.

This past May, "Skeletá" landed at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 86,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the LP's first week of release. According to Billboard, 89% of that figure (77,000) consisted of traditional album sales, with vinyl purchases accounting for over 44,000 copies. Notably, "Skeletá" was the first hard rock album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 since AC/DC's "Power Up" in 2020.

The music video for the LP's first single, "Satanized", introduced the new character who is fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle: Papa V Perpetua.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.

Photo credit: official GHOST tour photographer Ryan Chang (courtesy of Motif PR for Tobias Rylander)

In a new interview with U.K.'s GuitarGuitar, Nita Strauss spoke about her plans for the follow-up to her sophomore solo album, "The Call Of The Void", which came out in July 2023 via Sumerian Records. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Well, album three is in the works. I was actually doing Zoom sessions earlier this week right here in the U.K. I've been already writing and recording. We've got about half an album's worth of material demoed out and ready. I haven't had a chance to actually be in the studio and record it properly yet, but I do a lot of writing and recording on the road. So I use a Universal Audio Arrow [audio interface] and just set it up in my hotel room, plug some headphones in and record wherever I am in the world. And you can get such amazing tones, just using plugins, using your computer, using plugins. So that's what I've been doing. I've been demoing out new ideas, already kind of getting some guest vocalists in mind, of course, getting some instrumental stuff already on the way as well. So album three, it is gonna happen."

Asked if there is a tentative release date for her third solo album, Nita said: "No, not yet. My tour schedule is so crazy. I'm gonna be on the road. We're filming this in July. I'm not really gonna be home until Christmas from now. I'll be home for a week or two here and there, but really not enough time to be in the studio and record. So I'll probably try and do the bulk of the recording sometime next year."

Nita previously talked about her plans for her third solo album in May 2024 during an interview with Ronni Hunter of the 99.7 The Blitz radio station. She said at the time: "Well, when we made 'The Call Of The Void', I had a specific vision in mind that I wanted to branch out, and this is a vision that Josh [Villalta, Nita's husband, manager and drummer], as my manager, has been very insistent on for a long time, to push me out of just doing instrumental music and move out into the wider and broader audience and show more people what we can do as a band. And so that'll be the goal for the next one — just keep on expanding, keep on stepping out of the comfort zone and trying new things, working with different people and really just growing."

Strauss also talked about why she doesn't play any other instruments or sing on her solo albums. She said: "The thing is I can sing a little, I can play the other instruments a little bit, but I have such a great drummer, why would I play the drums when I can work with somebody that's so good? I'm an okay singer, but if I can have someone like Lzzy Hale [HALESTORM] sing a song, or someone like David Draiman [DISTURBED], who is, like, the best singers in the world, what kind of ego would I have to have to be, like, 'No, I think I'll do it.'"

She continued: "I love playing guitar. I don't really like singing. I'm not particularly good at it. I think if I did go out and step out, I think I would probably get some people that liked it, and the vast majority of people would be, like, "Why would you do that? Stick to playing guitar.' It's, like, 'I know. I'm not very good. Just let me play guitar in peace.'"

Earlier in 2024, Nita talked to Rob Rush of Long Island's 94.3 The Shark radio station about the challenges of writing and recording songs with vocals for "The Call Of The Void". While Strauss's first LP, 2018's "Controlled Chaos", was all instrumental, her latest effort saw the Alice Cooper guitarist teaming with a different vocalist on at least half of the tracks — Cooper, Draiman, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz and Hale, among others. Nita said: "Yeah, it was a really educational experience as a songwriter, going in and not writing songs that were only for myself, if that makes sense — thinking a lot about the structure of the song and the format of the song and what key it would be in for the singer not to be too high or too low or too fast or anything like that. [That part was] completely [ to me] — I mean, not entirely new. I've been in bands before, but as far as writing as a solo artist, it was a completely new experience, because as an instrumental solo guitar player, you can just write whatever you want — you can write a one-minute song, you write a 10-minute song. It's not gonna go to radio — there's no format for it. So it's just stream of consciousness. It doesn't have to have a beginning, a middle, an end, a chorus — it's just whatever you feel. And so working in this new medium, for me, was almost like learning how to write a haiku when you're used to just doing like a beat poem. So I'm out there in the corner of the coffee shop with my beret on, just feeling my poetry out, and all of a sudden it's, like, 'Okay, now you've got to have the syllables and lines and the rhymes and the stuff.' So I found it really educational learning how to do it, and I think I grew a lot as an artist and a creator over the course of making that record. So I'm just so excited that it was as well received as it was."

The Los Angeles-born guitarist has become a force to be reckoned with, dazzling over a million audience members per year around the world. Fans may recognize Nita as the touring guitarist for rock legend Alice Cooper and superstar Demi Lovato, the official guitarist of the Los Angeles Rams, as well as her successful career as a solo artist. She has played multiple sports events, including NASCAR races and WWE pay-per-views, most notably her critically acclaimed performance at "WrestleMania 34" in 2018.

"The Call Of The Void" debuted as the No. 1 Top New Artist album on the Billboard chart, No. 1 on the iTunes Rock chart, and No. 4 on the overall iTunes chart, behind only Taylor Swift.

With the album's first single, "Dead Inside" featuring Draiman, Nita became the first female solo artist to have a No. 1 single at rock radio in 32 years.

Nita released "Controlled Chaos" to mass acclaim from fans and media alike, with Metal Injection calling it "a great debut that — as its creator intended — leaves no doubt", and Guitar World stating "'Controlled Chaos' is a panoramic view of Nita Strauss's many strengths".

In March 2023, it was announced that Nita would return to Alice's band for his 2023 tour and beyond.

Nita spent eight years playing with Alice before joining Demi Lovato's band in the summer of 2022.

Strauss has been playing with Cooper since 2014 when she replaced Australian musician and former Michael Jackson player Orianthi. She joined Alice in time for a mammoth MÖTLEY CRÜE tour. She was recommended to Cooper by the legendary rocker's former bass player and WINGER frontman Kip Winger.

PRETTY MAIDS singer Ronnie Atkins is approaching the six-year mark since he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Earlier today (Friday, August 22),Atkins shared the following update via social media: "Passed yet another semi annual cancer scan this week with good results.

"It seems surreal to me that it's actually 6 years ago these days since the shit hit the fan and I encountered this horrible disease for the first time !!! Since that there's been ups and downs good and bad times, but heart of the matter is of course that I'm still here and feeling good everything considered.

"Statistically it's in reality against the odds, a kind of a sunshine story I guess, but miracles do sometimes happen some say. That said my stage 4 diagnosis will never change though, but the treatments are fortunately getting better and better these days. In other words I'm not home safe but I'm alive and I still feel blessed !!!

"Thanx to everybody out there who's been supporting me, encouraging me and who had my back through out those years. God bless you all".

After being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019, the now-60-year-old Atkins underwent at least 33 radiation and four chemotherapy treatments in the fall of that year before being declared cancer-free. In October 2020, he announced that his cancer had returned.

In a 2013 interview with Myglobalmind, Atkins joked that the secret to keeping his voice in shape was "twenty cigarettes a day and little drink now and then."

Formed in early 1982 by Atkins and guitarist Ken Hammer, PRETTY MAIDS' third album, 1987's "Future World", is still today regarded as a "classic."

During the ensuing years, PRETTY MAIDS continued to release albums usually followed by European and Japanese tours.

PRETTY MAIDS' latest album, "Undress Your Madness", came out in November 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

In July 2022, Atkins spoke about his cancer battle during an interview with Chaoszine. Regarding his prognosis. Ronnie said: "I don't know about my own situation. I'm living in intervals of three months — from scan to scan. You never know what's gonna happen. I never know what they're gonna tell me next time I turn up. I feel okay now, but it can happen pretty fast sometimes. The red light's been flashing a couple of times. They didn't find anything. The last two years I've been cancer-free, so to speak. It's still there; I've got metastasis in my bones — it's spread to the bone now, which is very bad. But I had immunotherapy for two years, which is probably why I'm still here. Now I'm not getting any treatments. I'm just saying that the future is very unpredictable."

Asked how long he thinks he can keep recording music and touring, Atkins said: "I'm happy every day I can open up my eyes. That's just the conditions of my life now. The cancer thing is totally a game changer, not just for me but for my family too. It's there 24-7 in your subconscious. But I feel good. It's not that I'm whining all the time or anything like that. I just go ahead and try to live my life as I used to, as much as I can. And that's it. It's not that I'm sitting [and saying], 'I've got half a year left.' I don't know how [long I have]. I'm not terminal. I just take it as it comes, really. That's all I can do."

He continued: "If you read the statistics, four or five percent [of the people with my type of cancer] are alive after five years. That's not really good… So I try not to think about that. As I say, I take it as it comes."

Regarding how much of his daily thought process is occupied by his cancer battle, Ronnie said: "It's in your subconscious, 'cause you get reminded every day. Now I'm doing an interview with you, and we're talking about it. So I can never really let it go. I might meet somebody at the grocery store [and they ask you], 'Hey, how are you doing?' and stuff like that. You go on the Internet, and somebody died of cancer. You get constantly reminded about it. So that, of course… it's a bit of a dagger hanging above your head. But it is what is, and I can't change that. I'm alive."

Ronnie previously opened up about his cancer battle in a March 2022 interview with "The Bay Ragni Show". Reflecting on how he was first diagnosed with the disease, Ronnie said: "When I first got it… I knew there was something wrong during the summer of 2019. I had back issues for years, but I had this kind of non-pain, strange pain. It's something you know yourself if there's something wrong. My mother had the same thing, and she died of it. I was 22, actually; my mother was 57. So I went to the doctor, and he said, 'I think you just struck a nerve or something.' I said, 'We should check it out.' And they sent me off. And then, the very same day, they said they found a spot in the lungs. Then I had to go through the whole thing. I had two biopsies, having a needle stuck into my lungs. It was just a very bad experience."

He continued: "I'd been smoking for 40 years at the time — or 35 years at that time. I actually quit smoking, but I'd been a heavy smoker for years. And I also had my share of alcohol; that's no secret. And those two things combined is deadly. But I lived a fucking rock and roll life. I don't regret my life, because I had a great life; I had a great run. And that's also what some of the songs [on my solo albums] are all about. We take everything for granted. That's what life is all about. That's what we do — when we're good and we're healthy — and that's the way it should be; we shouldn't walk around thinking about death. So when I finally was told it was cancer, I wasn't surprised. But then again, I had some panic attacks. It took me a long time to kind of cope with it. But music helped me through it."

Asked if it's difficult for him to talk about his cancer battle now, Atkins said: "When I did [my] 'One Shot' [solo] album [in 2020], it's maybe a little bit more emotional and melancholic and reflecting than [my latest] album ['Make It Count'] is, but this album is as well 'cause it's still in my head. But I was kind of weak when I did that album in the summer of 2020. When we did this one. I kind of learned how to cope with it — if you can ever learn to cope with it. You've just gotta be realistic and say, 'Okay, it is what it is.' I can't change that. I can just hope that science can prolong my life as much as possible. I do everything I can myself… Well, I don't. I train every day. I still have a glass of wine and a beer and stuff like that. I don't smoke anymore, of course. So I hope that with the help of the higher powers and the good doctors and science that I'll be allowed some more years in life 'cause I've got a lot more to offer.

"I'm very realistic about the situation, so I can talk to people," he explained. "People come and say to me, 'But you look good.' I had immunotherapy and that kind of fucked things up in my body, but I was never really sick from the chemo and the radiation and the immunotherapy. Sometimes I was, but basically when I look at a lot of other people with cancer, I've been very fortunate. So I basically have been feeling good — as good as I can."

Photo credit: Tallee Savage