4;Fire's On" Single / Video Available">
Spanish true metallers, Sinner Rage, have released a new video, "Fire's On". The track is the second to be revealed from the band's highly anticipated debut album, Powerstrike, set for international release on February 21st via Dying Victims Productions.


Making their public debut with a self-titled demo in early 2024, Sinner Rage thrust themselves into the present with a sound wholly built on the past: pure and total heavy metal during the genre’s ‘80s heyday. Wasting no time defending the faith, the Spaniards return a full year later with their debut album, Powerstrike. 


Truly titled, Powerstrike is an pitch-perfect throwback to the days when heavy metal supremacy were ruled by the likes of Judas Priest, Saxon, Queensrÿche, and Crimson Glory. Moving at a disarmingly relaxed strut, Sinner Rage convey charisma and simple-yet-assured power during every

Porcupine Tree frontman-turned-solo-artist, Steven Wilson, will release his eighth solo album, The Overview, via Fiction Records on March 14 – and it marks his long-awaited return to prog territory. He recently spoke with Prog about the new record. Following is an excerpt from the interview.


The Overview is a 42-minute concept album features just two epic songs; the 23-minute Objects Outlive Us, and the 18-and-a-half minute title track. 


Wilson: “To pre-empt questions about why I’ve gone back to a more progressive style, it’s because that’s what the theme suggested. Objects Outlive Us is more of a human story. Basically these little soap operas and stories about what we’re doing to the planet, set against what’s going on on the other side of the universe. The Overview is more the story of space – about being lost in space, about being on the other side of the universe, about the sheer size of it all.”




Read more here.


Wilson has announced The Overview Tour for May / June 2025. It will kick off in Stockholm, Sweden on May 1st and wrap up on June 13th in Madrid, Spain. He will be out supporting his forthcoming album, The Overview.


Tour dates: 


May 
1 - Stockholm, Sweden -  Cirkus
2 - Olso, Norway -  Konserthaus
4 - Copenhagen, Denmark -  KB-Hallen
6 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Hall
7 - Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal
9 - Birmingham,

In a new interview with Lucas Prates of Mantena, former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal was asked to give one piece of advice for musicians just starting out. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One piece of advice for musicians just starting out. I can't give just one piece of advice. There's too much."

He continued: "We all start off wanting to be rock stars, being famous, being successful, all of that stuff, just seeing what our idols are doing and we're inspired by it. And we wanna do what they're doing on the level that they're doing it. But you start to realize that success is actually when you can live how you want to live by the terms you want to live by, the boundaries that you set for your life, maintaining those; that ends up being success. Not everybody will enjoy the rock star life and you might hate it and you might kill yourself. So you shouldn't do it, because it's not worth it. At the end of your life, if you were a slave to this stuff and it made you miserable, that was a wasted life. Yeah, it made people happy. But still, what about you? You need to be part of that equation. So, you need to live in a way that works for who you are. And you may realize that being a rock star is not it. And if you become a rock star, you've actually failed, because you're not living true to who you are. That's something to think about."

Thal added: "What else? When it comes to making music, we also think that it's just being that person on stage playing your instrument or singing or whatever it is you aspire to do. But there is so much more to it. And you should look into all of it. There's so much more to making music happen. 95 percent of it is other stuff. Five percent of it is actually making sound. So look into all of that other stuff, whether it's managing or producing or designing concert posters — whatever it is, there's so much more to do. So be diverse and teach whatever you learn. That too. Always be early, be prepared and stay calm. Definitely.

"And a big one: no matter how good it looks from the outside, don't stay in a shitty situation that wears you down and makes you become less of a person," he concluded. "If it makes you an angry person, a stressed person, someone that just doesn't treat the world the way you'd want to treat it if you were a happy person, get the fuck out. It's not worth it. Definitely. And lastly, use a metronome."

Thal's new instrumental album, "Bumblefoot ...Returns!", is set for release on January 24, 2025. "Bumblefoot ...Returns!" will arrive 30 years after Thal's debut solo instrumental album. On the new LP, Bumblefoot revisits his roots with a 14-track masterpiece that spans genres from metal to orchestral to blues.

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

"Bumblefoot ...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."

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

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

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

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).

The fully restored official video for King Kobra's "Hunger", taken from the band's 1985 album Ready To Strike, can be viewed below courtesy of Bunker HeavyRock.





King Kobra released their seventh studio album in 2023, the triumphant We Are Warriors. Founder Carmine Appice and longtime members Johnny Rod and Paul Shortino, as well as recent inductees Quiet Riot’s Carlos Cavazo and Dio’s Rowan Robertson, prove that all those years of road-tested, studio-honed musical experience can make for some of the most powerful and potent hard rock heard anywhere.




We Are Warriors is filled with the kind of face-melting guitar riffs and thunderous drums you’d expect to hear on an album from a much younger band. But these seasoned pros not only rock louder than most, they also rock harder. Just check out the superb second track from Warriors, “Turn Up The Music,” an epic, fist-pumping ode to the glory of ear-splitting volume and a finely crafted metal song. The track might just be the album’s crowning jewel, its thesis statement, which is why the band is releasing a captivating new lyric video for the track as both a celebration of their new album and a commitment to their fans to never keep it down.

NIGHTWISH mastermind Tuomas Holopainen has weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. Asked by Sysimedia if he thinks this new technology is useful or if it's dangerous, Tuomas said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We will follow closely, and maybe there are some things that we can use for our advantage. It's definitely a double-edged sword, A.I., all these things, and lots of potentials, some dangerous elements, but nobody really knows what's gonna happen. So we have to follow closely and adapt. That's pretty much all I can say about that."

Reflecting on NIGHTWISH's two interactive experiences in May 2021, which drew 150,000 viewers, setting the record for the largest paid virtual concert in Finland's history, Tuomas added: "As fun as the virtual concert experience was, there's no beating live music — there really isn't — in being present and feeling the pressure of the sound in your chest and being there with all the people and seeing the band live; they're right there. I don't think that can ever change."

Asked for his opinion about the "ABBA Voyage" avatar show in London, which has been very lucrative since debuting in May 2022, Tuomas said: "I've heard it's incredible. I haven't seen it, but everybody says it's just a marvel of technology. So, yeah, nothing wrong with that — just entertainment for people."

Pressed about whether he thinks that in the future we are going to see NIGHTWISH avatars, Tuomas laughed and replied: "I like the sound of that. Maybe. Maybe not. I have no idea."

NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Yesterwynde", arrived in September via Nuclear Blast. It marked the band's tenth studio LP, following on from the release of "Human. :II: Nature." in 2020.

In April 2023, NIGHTWISH surprised fans by announcing that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of "Yesterwynde".

"The reasons are personal," Tuomas told Metal Hammer magazine. "We're not going to go into it, but it was something that had to be done for this band to continue. There's no bad blood between the members, nothing like that. We just have to take a long breather."

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

In a recent interview with Marty5150, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan reflected on his time as a member of the backing band of original VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth. Asked what the "biggest takeaway" was from working with Roth, Sheehan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I feel I have the equivalent of a PhD in Show Biz 101 because of Dave. I had the good fortune of touring with him in 1980, opening up for VAN HALEN with my band TALAS, and that's where we first saw this machine in action. And it was like a military operation. It was incredible. And so I learned a lot about how you present yourselves and present songs and how you get the show on the road.

"It would be hard for me to list all the positive things I learned from that experience 'cause there are many," Sheehan added. "My successes after the 'Eat 'Em And Smile' situation, a lot of 'em were due to what I knew to watch out for in the music business because I knew Dave. So it was a helpful thing."

"Eat 'Em And Smile" was the first of two Roth albums to feature the duo of Steve Vai and Sheehan on guitar and bass.

Sheehan previously reflected on his time with Roth during a December 2022 appearance on the "Talk Louder" podcast, hosted by veteran music journalist "Metal Dave" Glessner and lifelong hard rock/metal vocalist Jason McMaster (DANGEROUS TOYS). He said at the time: "[David] is a phenomenon of nature and he's still my hero and I'm still supremely and forever grateful for the break he gave me. And we had a ride together; we had a wonderful time. He's a jokester and a comedian… I learned so much from him, it's unbelievable. It was like getting a PhD in Show Biz 101; he knew it inside and out. And he is on. If he's not on, he's probably not there. If he's not around, he's probably not on. But if he's around, he's on. He's never not on."

Sheehan went on to say that Roth is "very smart." He added: "I just finished [VAN HALEN producer] Ted Templeman's book, and Ted really praised his lyrics. I don't think VAN HALEN would have been VAN HALEN without those lyrics, 'cause they weren't your typical 'baby, I love you' lyrics… And the stuff he did on [Roth's debut solo album] 'Eat 'Em And Smile' was quite fantastic. I think if we would have kept that 'Eat 'Em And Smile' vibe and style, the band would have really done incredibly well. Unfortunately, he made a left turn and did [1988's] 'Skyscraper'. It takes a lot of courage to make that kind of a turn. I give him credit for the courage. I didn't like the results of it myself personally. Like [David] Bowie, with 'Ziggy Stardust' suddenly came out with the 1984 record, when he broke up his original band and then went off and just went into the dance kind of thing, it took a lot of guts. So I think Dave kind of did that same thing with 'Skyscraper'. Unfortunately, it was not as successful as it

In a new interview with Rapture Radio, SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to "Övergivenheten" album, which came out in 2022. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we're slowly approaching the songwriting for a new album. [2025] is gonna be mostly about [Strid's other band] THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA, but in between we're gonna start writing the new SOILWORK album. So I'm as curious as you are, I was gonna say. But, yeah, that's gonna be some great stuff. I'm really looking forward. And I guess we should be able to release a new album in — I don't know — spring of '26, I'm guessing."

In November, Björn spoke to Germany's Moshpit Passion about SOILWORK's latest single, "Spirit Of No Return", which came out in October. The track marks a significant milestone in SOILWORK's evolution, with longtime touring guitarist Simon Johansson recently officially joining the ranks of the band.

Asked if "Spirit Of No Return" is indicative of the musical direction of SOILWORK's next studio album, Strid said: "Well, hard to say. I mean, we decided to just approach things quite slowly this time around because we've been through a lot, as I'm sure you know. Simon joined the fold now and he's a great guy and a fantastic guitar player. He's been playing with us live for a pretty long time, but he contributed with this new song and it has a little bit of a thrashier side to it and kind of like more SOILWORK rootsy kind of feel, but also still blended with the more current elements that we're known for. So it's really hard to say exactly where we're gonna go, but I would say that the sound is gonna be slightly more metallic, whatever that means, but I also feel that we discovered so many amazing things through when we did [the 2020 EP] 'A Whisp Of The Atlantic', with 'Verkligheten' [2019] and with 'Övergivenheten' [2022], and those elements we wanna take with us. But I think there's also maybe old things that we want to revisit and bring back again. And I think this new one, it has more sort of like a metallic vibe over it, but we keep on evolving, and I never wanna fall into some kind of cliché or trying to rehash things. So I'm as curious as you are where we're gonna go. But I think this song is maybe giving you a little bit of a hint where we're going. But we always try to experiment as well. But it's too early to say if there's gonna be a full album anytime soon. I think we're approaching things slowly. We're getting close to start doing some songwriting. And it might happen on this tour. I have the guitars right here. So who knows what's gonna happen?!"

"Spirit Of No Return" showcases SOILWORK's signature blend of frenzied intensity, soaring melodies, epic arrangements, and a touch of progressive complexity — traits that have cemented their reputation over the last decades. Johansson's contribution to the songwriting channels the band's essence while bringing fresh energy to their unmistakable sound.

The "Spirit Of No Return" music video, which can be seen below, is equally captivating, featuring a stunning sequence where the iconic SOILWORK symbol is reforged, representing the band's resurgence and renewed strength. This visual narrative perfectly complements the song's theme of perseverance and transformation.

Strid previously stated about the song: "'Spirit Of No Return' is a fierce reminder of the past, but also an introduction of the new SOILWORK era, where we've taken the thrashier early days and dressed it in a new heavier suit. Lyrics are dealing with the urge of belonging and fitting in — and how it in the end can be disastrous as you abandon your true self."

In October, SOILWORK embarked on its biggest tour adventure yet, supporting IN FLAMES and ARCH ENEMY on a European arena tour.

SOILWORK's high-class creative consistency, which they have been delivering solidly throughout their career, is the virtue that probably best defines them. Founded at the end of 1995, SOILWORK released their debut album "Steelbath Suicide" in 1998, garnering a great early response. By 2001 SOILWORK had joined Nuclear Blast, and by 2003 they already had five records under their belt.

Continuing their tradition of high-quality musical output, 2022 saw their twelfth studio album "Övergivenheten", which represented the band in their growth and their current phase of life — marked by a time that probably no one on this planet will forget so quickly.

SOILWORK is:

Björn "Speed" Strid - vocals
Simon Johansson - guitars
Sven Karlsson - keyboards
Sylvain Coudret - guitars
Bastian Thusgaard - drums
Rasmus Ehrnborn - bass

In an interview for the cover story of the January 2025 issue of Modern Drummer magazine, SLIPKNOT's Eloy Casagrande was asked for his opinion of his replacement in SEPULTURA, Greyson Nekrutman, who joined the latter band at around the same time in his life as Eloy did in 2011. The Brazilian musician responded: "Yes, and when I see him playing, I can remember myself in the same spot. When I joined SEPULTURA, I was his age. That's quite interesting. He's a very good drummer. I used to watch him playing videos he posted on social media when he was playing more jazz and drum solos. He's a brilliant player and I wish him and the rest of the band all the best. I have a lot of respect for him. I wish I could talk to him more one day. Maybe we could bring all the SEPULTURA drummers together.

"Greyson came to my studio in São Paulo when he joined the band to do some rehearsals, and we had a very good talk," Eloy added. "He had just two or three weeks to learn all the songs, so I gave him some advice like, 'We used to play that song faster. Be careful with this song because we used to play it slower.' I wasn't teaching him how to play the songs because he can play anything he wants to play. He's an incredible drummer."

Asked what it was like getting the call from SLIPKNOT and how he got the gig, Eloy said: "Everything happened at the end of 2023 when I got a call from SLIPKNOT's manager asking me if I was interested in doing an audition for SLIPKNOT. That year, SEPULTURA decided to stop playing, so it was a very natural decision for me to keep playing with someone else instead of just retiring. At the end of [2023] and the beginning of [2024], I wasn't supposed to talk to anyone about that. The audition was a big secret. Nobody could know about it. SEPULTURA didn't even know, it was just something between me and the guys from SLIPKNOT. It was my decision to do the audition. I said, 'Okay, I'm interested in doing an audition because SEPULTURA is going to stop. I have one and a half years left of working with them and I'm going to be done.'

"Through the years, I have played many times with SLIPKNOT," he continued. "We shared stages when I was playing SEPULTURA, and that was the place that I always wanted to be. I grew up listening to their music, so I wanted to have the experience playing live with SLIPKNOT with a mask on my face. In my first show with the band I was thinking, 'Oh, this is really happening. Oh my god. I can't believe it.'

"Going back a little bit, before I was invited to do the audition, I took my drums to a studio in São Paulo and did a proper sound and video recording," Eloy explained. "I played six songs, and I sent it to the guys. I chose three songs and then they asked me to play three specific songs. They were 'Eyeless', 'Purity' and 'Gematria'. My flight was booked to go to the audition, so at the end of January [of 2024], I flew to Palm Springs, California, and spent ten days with them there. The first five days, the whole band was rehearsing like it was a live show. Every day, the guys came with a different setlist, and we just played those songs."

Last month, Modern Drummer magazine's readers voted Casagrande as the No. 1 metal drummer in the publication's 2024 Readers' Poll.

After parting ways with Jay Weinberg in November 2023, SLIPKNOT teased fans with a hint about a new drummer 10 months ago, posting a photo of a single broken drumstick online with the caption "Rehearsal."

The band explained in a statement that the split with Weinberg was a creative decision. Jay followed up with a statement of his own, saying that he was "heartbroken and blindsided" by his dismissal.

Weinberg has since joined SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES.

Casagrande abruptly quit SEPULTURA 11 months ago, shortly before he was supposed to begin rehearsals for the band's recently launched 40th-anniversary farewell tour.

"February 6th, a few days prior to the first rehearsal, drummer Eloy Casagrande informed the band that he was leaving SEPULTURA to pursue a career in another project," the band said in a statement.

Casagrande joined SEPULTURA more than 13 years ago as the replacement for Jean Dolabella.

SLIPKNOT's latest album "The End, So Far", arrived in August 2022. It marked the band's the last full-length LP before the departure of both keyboardist Craig Jones, who left the group in June 2023, and Weinberg.

SLIPKNOT recently completed the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. The band was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

In an interview with Tone-Talk, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root spoke about how Casagrande came to join SLIPKNOT and his impact on the band's overall sound. He said: "We didn't even try anybody else. Eloy's name came up. He contacted us, actually, about wanting to be a part of it and started sending a bunch of videos in. I think him and our bass player [Alessandro 'Vman' Venturella] might've had a little bit of a relationship before. I think they knew each other. They had mutual friends. And Vman's really in tune with a lot of really great, proggy, heavy musicians that are passionate about their instruments. And it just seemed like a no-brainer. And he's really respectful of the legacy of [SLIPKNOT's original drummer, the late] Joey [Jordison], and Joey was a huge influence on him. And he's so humble. The dude has so much humility. And you could tell he just lives and breathes his craft, to the point where I see his passion and it ignites my passion for my instrument. And Brazilians, South Americans in general, are so passionate about what they do. Our manager told me, he was out to dinner with four or five promoters from South America, and they were all really stoked. They're all, like, 'It's so good you've got a Brazilian drummer in SLIPKNOT now. We kind of feel like we've won the World Cup.' It's a cool feeling. And God, he just fits in so well. I don't know, man. I mean, there's a lot of things I can say about it. I'm just glad it happened when it did. And we're lucky to have him — we are really lucky to have that dude."

The January 2025 Issue of Modern Drummer is Here! 🔥🥁

Start your year with an explosive issue packed with drum...

Posted by Modern Drummer Magazine on Friday, January 3, 2025

Three members of JANE'S ADDICTION — bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro — are working together on new music.

On Friday (January 3),Avery took to his Instagram to share a short video of him laying down bass tracks at a studio, and he included the following message: "Writing some more new lines to some of Stephens drumming. Look forward to getting some Mr Navarro on them. 2025! @stephenperkinsdrummer @davenavarro".

Last September, JANE'S ADDICTION announced the cancellation of its remaining tour dates following an onstage altercation between singer Perry Farrell and Navarro. The band said it "made the difficult decision to take some time away as a group," therefore scrapping the rest of the dates of their tour. A short time later, Navarro, along with Perkins and Avery, posted a joint statement to their respective Instagram accounts in which they said the cancelation of the tour is a result of a "continuing pattern of behavior and the mental health difficulties of our singer Perry Farrell."

"Our concern for his personal health and safety as well as our own has left us no alternative. We hope that he will find the help he needs," the statement read.

Navarro, Perkins and Avery expressed "regret" for the cancelation but added that they "can see no solution that would either ensure a safe environment on stage or reliably allow us to deliver a great performance on a nightly basis."

"Our hearts are broken," the statement concluded.

Later that same day, Farrell wrote in a statement posted to his Instagram story that "this weekend has been incredibly difficult and after having the time and space to reflect, it is only right that I apologize to my bandmates, especially Dave Navarro, fans, family and friends for my actions during Friday's show."

His statement added: "Unfortunately, my breaking point resulted in inexcusable behavior, and I take full accountability for how I chose to handle the situation."

A few days after the tour cancelation, JANE'S ADDICTION released a new single, "True Love". The track, which was performed live for the first time in 2023 and had been played at a few other shows since, was the second new single from the band's classic lineup of Farrell, Navarro, Perkins and Avery, following "Imminent Redemption", which arrived in July 2024.

"True Love" was written by Farrell, Navarro, Avery and Perkins, with assistance from touring guitarist Josh Klinghoffer.

"Imminent Redemption" was tracked at Sweetzwerland Studios in Hollywood, California.

Prior to "Imminent Redemption"'s arrival, Avery's last time in the studio with JANE'S ADDICTION was for the classic 1990 album "Ritual De Lo Habitual".

"Imminent Redemption" was first performed live when JANE'S ADDICTION's classic lineup played its first show in 14 years on May 23, 2024 at London, United Kingdom's Bush Hall.

Navarro sat out JANE'S ADDICTION's 2022 and 2023 shows due to his battle with long COVID. He was replaced at that year's gigs by Klinghoffer, a former member of RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS who also records with Eddie Vedder and performs with PEARL JAM. 2022 saw QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's Troy Van Leeuwen step in for Navarro.

The fall 2022 "Spirit On Fire" tour marked the first JANE'S ADDICTION run of shows in more than a decade to feature returning Avery. Prior to that, Avery last played with the band for a short stint in the 2000s before departing again in 2010.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Eric Avery (@ericaveryinsta)

Manfred Schütz, founder of SPV and founder and managing director of MIG Music, passed away on January 3, 2025 at the age of 74 after a long and serious illness.

Manfred was a driving force in the music industry. By founding SPV in 1984, he created a platform that enabled independent artists and labels to gain worldwide recognition. SPV grew to become one of the most significant entities in the independent label sector, particularly in the rock, metal and electronic scenes, and for many years was the largest independent music distributor in Europe.

After leaving SPV, Manfred founded MIG Music, where he dedicated himself to preserving musical treasures from oblivion. Thanks to his immense musical knowledge, many remarkable releases have been realized.

MIG Music says: "We often received e-mails from fans expressing their gratitude for the work of MIG Music.

"Manfred was not only a music enthusiast and businessman, but also an open and warm person. His office door was always open and he always had time to listen to his employees.

"We will miss Manfred very much. We are not only losing a boss, but above all a dear friend.

"We fully agree with the words of Ecki Stieg, a friend and companion, in his tribute: 'With Manfred we are losing a label boss of the 'old school' with all his quirks and eccentricities, as well as a true connoisseur and fan.'"

MIG Music will continue under the management of Tanja Michaelis and Volker Pape.

It was January 1984 when SPV metal/hard rock sub-label Steamhammer, named after Schütz's favorite band, released its first own production, an album titled "Common Times Heroes" by local act HARDWARE. Within just a few years, the label, having enlisted groups such as SODOM, DESTRUCTION, ASSASSIN and IRON ANGEL, flourished both on a national and an international level. At the time, Steamhammer also licensed acts such as METAL CHURCH, TROUBLE, LÄÄZ ROCKIT and LEATHERWOLF.

The following decades saw several generations of talented bands and artists, such as Axel Rudi Pell, STEELER and ZED YAGO, develop into globally successful acts under Steamhammer's aegis. In the 1990s, Steamhammer became home to numerous international icons such as MOTÖRHEAD, DIO, JUDAS PRIEST, SAXON, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and MOLLY HATCHET. In the new millennium, additional globally successful releases by WHITESNAKE, ALICE COOPER, HELLOWEEN, KREATOR, GAMMA RAY, KAMELOT and Doro followed.

Photo credit: Martin Huch (courtesy of MIG Music)

Fredrik Lindgren (a.k.a. Freddie Eugene),original guitarist for pioneering Swedish death metal band UNLEASHED, passed away in early January 2025 at the age of 53.

Lindgren played guitar for UNLEASHED from 1989 to 1995. He can be heard on the studio albums "Where No Life Dwells" (1991),"Shadows In The Deep" (1992),"Across The Open Sea" (1993) and "Victory" (1995) as well as the live albums "Live In Vienna '93" and "Eastern Blood - Hail To Poland" (1995).

After leaving UNLEASHED, Lindrgren played guitar in several other Swedish bands, including ATLANTIC TIDE, LOUD PIPES, CELESTIAL PAIN, TERRA FIRMA, BORN OF FIRE and HARMS WAY.

Lindgren's passing was confirmed by his onetime TERRA FIRMA bandmate Lord Chritus (a.k.a. Christian Lindersson),who used to sing in the Swedish band COUNT RAVEN and the pioneering Los Angeles doom metal act SAINT VITUS. Chritus took to his Facebook page on Sunday (January 5) to write: "In loving memory of Freddie Eugene 1971-2025. Numbed by the news of your passing, Fredrik my old friend. Hard to put emotions into words. Just hope you have found your peace as you deserve no less. You will not only be missed by me but many, I know this much. Thank you for being a part of my life and colored it with your friendship and musicianship both embodied in what was TERRA FIRMA. We had some really great times and that will never change. All my love."

In loving memory of Freddie Eugene 1971-2025.

Numbed by the news of your passing, Fredrik my old friend. Hard to put...

Posted by Chritus - music page on Sunday, January 5, 2025

Finnish melancholic progressive metallers AMORPHIS have confirmed that they have entered Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen to begin recording the follow-up to 2022's "Halo" album. A fall 2025 release via Reigning Phoenix Music is expected.

Earlier today, AMORPHIS shared a photo of the band with Hansen in the studio and included the following message: "Greetings from windy Denmark! Here we are, recording AMORPHIS' 15th studio album with Jacob Hansen as a producer. This time, we wanted to break our usual formula a bit and explore new productive nuances. It's inspiring to be here, and the next couple of months will reveal how AMORPHIS will sound in 2025."

Hansen has been offering world-class audio services for the past two decades. In that time, he has produced, engineered, mixed and mastered countless names in the world of heavy music, including such artists as VOLBEAT, ARCH ENEMY, AMARANTHE, KATATONIA, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, PRETTY MAIDS, EPICA, DELAIN and EVERGREY.

In a July 2024 interview with Loud TV, AMORPHIS keyboardist Santeri Kallio spoke about the progress of the songwriting process for the band's fifteenth studio LP. He said: "I think everybody has done some songs in their home studios a little bit, but we haven't still collected those. And I think we start after the 'Halo' tour ends. We do a U. S. tour with DARK TRANQUILLITY in — I think it was September, it starts from ProgPower, the big festival in Atlanta. And after that, we stop [touring]. And I would say pretty much after the tour, we start collecting the material and sending them to the producer. I think that's [the identity of the producer] secret still, unfortunately. And then the producer can a little bit select the songs and give ideas. And then I would say in the end of the year, we probably have most of the instrumentation recorded already. And I think it's planned to come out maybe next year, fall or something like this, because it takes time to build up the promotion and make everything ready. But, to be honest, we don't the release date set, obviously. But I would say in the winter the album is made — it's recorded and mixed and mastered probably at the latest March, maybe already in February. It's still a little bit open for us."

In June 2024, AMORPHIS guitarist Tomi Koivusaari was asked by The Chill Dude On A Couch if he has an idea as to which musical direction the band's new songs will take. Tomi said: "I think everybody has just made some songs, but we haven't shared it yet with the other guys. So I haven't heard what other guys are doing. I just heard what I've been doing. I [don't know what will] end up end up [on] the album. But we will see. We will have a new producer. We've done the three last albums with Jens Bogren, and now we have a new direction in a way."

AMORPHIS's fourteenth studio album, "Halo" came out in February 2022 via Atomic Fire Records.

Produced by Bogren, "Halo" was previously described in a press release as "progressive, melodic, and quintessentially melancholic heavy masterwork."

As had been the case with AMORPHIS albums in the past, "Halo" featured the imaginative and poetic storytelling of renowned lyricist and "Kalevala" expert Pekka Kainulainen.

Three years ago, AMORPHIS guitarist and founding member Esa Holopainen told Westword that the band is "not as radical" as it once was.

"Back in the day, I think we did too much of what we wanted to do," he said. "For us as musicians, we needed to do that, because we never wanted to get stuck in one form. Today we blend all the new nuances and influences pretty nicely into our music. Even though there's a lot of different elements from different genres and the musical world, even from ethnic music, I have to say, we're pretty good to blend all of those elements into our music without sounding too different."

AMORPHIS and DARK TRANQUILLITY joined forces for a North American tour last summer and fall. The trek, which featured support from FIRES IN THE DISTANCE, kicked off on September 3, 2024 in Richmond, Virginia and concluded on October 6, 2024 in New York City.

Amorphis album number 15 is in the making at Hansen studios🇩🇰
@amorphisband @hansen_jacob
Photos by Denis Goria

Posted by Jan Rechberger on Sunday, January 5, 2025

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Amorphis (@amorphisband)

NEVERMORE's founding bassist Jim Sheppard says that he is "disappointed" that he was never contacted about guitarist Jeff Loomis and drummer Van Williams's decision to resurrect the band, but claims that he wishes the duo " the best".

Loomis and Williams announced the NEVERMORE comeback late last month. Sheppard isn't involved with the reunion, which was initially teased on December 27 via a one-minute video containing various NEVERMORE-related imagery and silhouettes of Loomis and Williams along with the text "Resurrecting The Dream". The teaser ended with the NEVERMORE logo along with the line "A New Chapter Rises" and the year "2025".

On December 31, Loomis and Williams announced that they were holding open auditions for the new NEVERMORE vocalist and bassist. They also defended the NEVERMORE reunion from criticism from Sheppard, who co-founded the band in 1991 with singer Warrel Dane. Dane died in December 2017 at the age of 56.

Earlier today (Saturday, January 4),Sheppard released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "In my heart, NEVERMORE will always be Warrel, Jeff and I living in a one-room apartment, slaves to an eight-track recording machine, non-stop songwriting insanity. We were driven, we were hungry... To quote Dave Mustaine, we were ready to 'smile, eat shit and ask for more!'

"True, I've been retired. I enjoy my new life in Alaska following bears with my wife Priscila, a wildlife photographer.

"My opinion of [Loomis's and Williams's] press release [announcing the NEVERMORE comeback is] Van came across self-promoting and Jeff felt very sincere; he truly wants to capture a little piece of the magic we held.

"I'm disappointed no one reached out to me concerning the name NEVERMORE, a name that means blood, sweat and tears.

"With that said, I wish them the best."

NEVERMORE effectively split up in 2011 when Loomis and Williams announced their departure from the band due to personal differences with Dane and Sheppard. Warrel later described NEVERMORE in an interview as "the greatest band that alcohol ever ruined."

Dane died in São Paulo, Brazil while recording his posthumously released solo studio album, "Shadow Work". The musician reportedly had a heart attack during the night and could not be revived.

According to guitarist Johnny Moraes, who played in Warrel's solo band, Dane had a history of addiction and other health issues. "His health was already very weak because of his diabetes and his problems with alcoholism," he said.

The instrumental parts for Dane's follow-up to 2008's "Praises To The War Machine" solo album were almost completed and he had begun laying down his vocals shortly before his death.

When Loomis and Williams revealed their plan to launch a "world search" for a vocalist and bassist for the reformed version of the band, Van addressed Jim's absence from the reunion, saying: "Some people think it's disrespectful not to involve Jim or inform him of our plans. But those who feel that way don't know the history of the band or the behind-the-scenes dynamics that led to this decision. While it may not have been the most ideal approach, the reality is that there hasn't been communication with Jim in years.

"We felt that sometimes, for the sake of a fresh start, it's necessary to move on from relationships that may no longer be conducive to growth or new beginnings. We made this decision with the intention of honoring the legacy of the band while moving forward in a way that felt right for us at the time. That said, we wish him good health and he is free to pursue whatever path he chooses. Without going into too much detail, I'll just say respect goes both ways, and certain things became irreconcilable over time for us… I wish the situation with Jim were different, but the past has brought us here."

Williams also denied that he and Loomis were reforming NEVERMORE as a "money grab", explaining: "Most musicians don't do this for the money. We've spent countless hours thru the years sweating, rehearsing, performing, and recording simply because we love it. This is what we chose to do in life because we've always loved it. That's what drives us, the passion for music, the connection with fans, and the creative process. If money comes from that, great but it has never been the focus, but we also have bills to pay like you."

For his part, Jeff defended the decision to reactivate NEVERMORE with new musicians, writing: "No one can replace Warrel Dane. Bottom line. With his interesting melodies and charisma onstage, he was a force that was a huge part of the band both lyrically and spiritually. With that being said, we aren't looking for a Warrel Dane clone. We are looking for someone that can carry the older NEVERMORE tunes in his vocal style, and someone who can add something new and refreshing to the next chapter of the band. Obviously, this won't be the easiest thing to do."

Loomis "amicably" left ARCH ENEMY in December 2023 and was replaced by Joey Concepcion.

Jeff, who was the main songwriter in NEVERMORE, joined ARCH ENEMY in late 2014, but was not involved in the writing for the latter act's last two albums, 2017's "Will To Power" and 2022's "Deceivers".

In December 2019, Sheppard launched a project called THE DEAD HEART COLLECTIVE, featuring music and lyrics inspired by Dane. At the time, Sheppard sent his synopsis of THE DEAD HEART COLLECTIVE to BLABBERMOUTH.NET in which he explained his decision to start a new project as a vehicle for Warrel to "channel songs and paintings" through him.

In a recent interview with Monterrey Rock, former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens reflected on his journey to becoming a professional singer. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "My parents had a lot of great music. I remember, as a little kid I would listen to my dad's '50s music that he'd listened to when he was young, like DION AND THE BELMONTS and Elvis [Presley] and things like that. But my dad's music in the '70s, when I was a kid, was THE ROLLING STONES and AEROSMITH and BACHMAN–TURNER OVERDRIVE, Alice Cooper. So I got to listen to a lot of good stuff. I loved singing Elvis as a kid. And then my brother and I got a KISS record in the mid-'70s, 'Rock And Roll Over', and I think that's how it kind of started. But I used to always sing."

He continued: "When I grew up, I was in all the choirs in school and sang in all the choirs and the musicals in school. So, I did all that. Then I remember when I put on a JUDAS PRIEST record, I realized that style of singing was really easy for me — the high notes and the way that the vocals were. Singers like Ronnie Dio and and ANTHRAX, Joey Belladonna, and stuff, that was harder. Singers like METAL CHURCH singer David Wayne and Rob Halford was easy. And I would always sing it. Then I learned how to sing Ronnie Dio's style and I worked on my voice. But I loved singing and performing as a kid. I didn't plan on doing it for a career, though. I worked in a law firm and I had [other] jobs and I always did stuff, so I never really planned on being a musician. I just got lucky. JUDAS PRIEST found a videotape of me, and I got lucky. Then I made a career out of it. But I always loved doing it as a kid, growing up. I always loved music."

KK'S PRIEST is led by another ex-PRIEST member, guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing.

In addition to Downing and Owens, KK'S PRIEST features guitarist A.J. Mills (HOSTILE),bassist Tony Newton (VOODOO SIX) and drummer Sean Elg (DEATHRIDERS, CAGE).

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

KK'S PRIEST's first-ever U.S. headlining tour, which featured support from L.A. GUNS and BURNING WITCHES, kicked off on March 7, 2024 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and concluded on March 24, 2024 at Keswick Theatre in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

KK'S PRIEST's sophomore album, "The Sinner Rides Again", came out in September 2023 via the Austrian label Napalm Records.

KK'S PRIEST made its live debut on July 6, 2023 at Downing's KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.

KK'S PRIEST released its debut album, "Sermons Of The Sinner", in October 2021 via Explorer1 Music Group/EX1 Records.

Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 and recorded two studio albums with the band — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before PRIEST reunited with Rob Halford in 2003.

During a recent appearance on The Môtley Crôc Show, POISON drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the original version of the cover for POISON's second album, "Open Up And Say … Ahh!". Released on May 3, 1988, the LP was clouded in controversy when retail outlets like Walmart banned the album for what they considered inappropriate cover art, which featured a model dressed as a demon with a long red tongue. POISON's then-record company eventually offered a censored version of the album cover that hid the offensive tongue, exposing only the she-demon's eyes.

Regarding how the original cover art ended up being censored, Rikki said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So my buddy Mark Williams, God rest his soul, built that tongue. And it was a prosthetic, obviously. So we had this model. We did this photo session with this one photographer, and the label said it was too mild. We're, like, 'Okay.' It just kind of looked like this rock girl with his long tongue and her hair pumped up and she had very dramatic makeup on, but it wasn't shocking enough. So we went to [famed rock photographer] Neil Zlozower, and [POISON bassist] Bobby Dall and I, we got his girlfriend Bambi and we started doing all those stripes on her and did all this stuff. And she had contacts — we had her get the contacts — and then we just kind of did her up, Bobby and I did. And then we did that tongue and everything like that. And everybody loved it, thought it was fricking great. And Walmart rejected it — Walmart. So Wally [presumably referring to Walmart founder Sam Walton], he was alive at the time, said it represented a demonic figure and he didn't want it. So we sat down with management and the label. And, really, at the end of the day, it was, like, are we in the album cover business or are we in the music business? Really, we should be able to just make a green cover or a white cover with nothing and put our music out, if that's what we need to do. Our goal was to get our music out. What's our percentage of sales at Walmart? Does it matter? Well, it's 38 percent, sometimes 40 percent of your sales. At that time, man, people were just going through Walmart and going, 'I'm getting my records here. I'm getting my records here.' It was cheaper than going to the record store by a certain percentage. So the percentage of people buying records at Walmart was high. And we're, like, 'Are we gonna throw away 35 to 40 percent of our market share, getting our music into the hands of fans, or are we gonna gripe about it and fight with Walmart?' And so it just didn't make sense. So they said, 'We'll just shrink [the photo] down like this.' And then blah, blah, blah. And then it became a collector's edition, the ones that had come out on Enigma, because we were still technically with Enigma through Capitol, I believe. But there was whole full body shots of her too. And she was naked, by the way. It was Bobby's girlfriend. I wasn't allowed to look at her [while I was] helping paint the stripes on her."

"Open Up And Say... Ahh!" ended up being POISON's most successful release, spawning four hit singles: "Nothin' But A Good Time", "Fallen Angel", "Your Mama Don't Dance" (a LOGGINS AND MESSINA cover) and the mega-hit "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". The album peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"Open Up And Say... Ahh!" was certified platinum in 1988 and five times platinum in 1991 by the RIAA. It also has been certified four times platinum in Canada and gold by the British Phonographic Industry.

Rikki's memoir, "Ghost Notes", will be released on July 15, 2025 via Rare Bird Books. The book was written with writer duo Leif Eriksson and Martin Svensson.

Rikki is the co-founder and drummer for the band POISON, which exploded into the highly competitive Los Angeles music scene in the 1980s, making a name for themselves in the clubs on the Sunset Strip.

POISON has sold over 50 million records worldwide, releasing eight studio albums, four live albums, and four compilations. The band has charted 10 singles on the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100, including six Top 10 singles and one Hot 100 number-one smash hit, "Every Rose Has Its Thorn".

Relentless from the ground up and forged in the hellfires of the Pennsylvania and Los Angeles club scenes, POISON smashed its way up as an independent band who bet on itself. Selling over three million copies of an independent album which included the big hits "Talk Dirty To Me", "I Won't Forget You", "Cry Tough", "I Want Action" and the underground smash "Look What The Cat Dragged In", they were soon picked up by Capitol Records and beat the sophomore jinx by releasing the aforementioned No. 1 smash "Every Rose Has Its Thorn". Written out of emotion by singer/songwriter and frontman Bret Michaels, the song blasted into the charts remaining a top the pop, rock and country genres for threee months consecutively. The album "Open Up And Say...Ahh!" sold eight million copies out of the gate and spawned other hit singles "Fallen Angel", "Nothin' But A Good Time" and "Your Mama Don't Dance". Followed up by the multi-platinum album "Flesh & Blood", POISON again lit up the charts with several more smash hit singles, including "Unskinny Bop" and "Something To Believe In".

POISON's reunited original lineup — Rockett, Michaels, bassist Bobby Dall and guitarist C.C. DeVille — completed "The Stadium Tour" with MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS in 2022. The trek was originally scheduled to take place in the summer of 2020 but ended up being pushed back to 2021, and then to 2022, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Rockett was declared cancer free more in 2016 after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.

In October, Rikki announced the launch of a new band called THE ROCKETT MAFIA. Joining him in the group are Brandon Gibbs (DEVIL CITY ANGELS) on vocals and guitar, Mick Sweda (BULLETBOYS) on guitar and backing vocals, and Bryan Kimes on bass and backing vocals.

Comment
byu/dvztbvg from discussion
inhairmetal

Earlier this month, Swedish death metal veterans UNLEASHED entered the studio to begin recording their fifteenth album for a tentative summer 2025 release.

In a recent interview with Chile's iRockCL, UNLEASHED frontman Johnny Hedlund stated about the upcoming LP: "Well, I can't give you any songtitles or stuff like that because I haven't… We need to speak to the record company first about when that should be done. But I can, of course, tell you that it's gonna be in the same style as the previous album, as [2021's] 'No Sign of Life'. It's gonna be in the same style.

"There are no big surprises when it comes to UNLEASHED, really," he added. "We do the same music and the same type of lyrics, and that's how it is. We don't change that much."

Hedlund also talked about UNLEASHED's longevity and how he has managed to keep the band's current lineup intact for three decades. He said: "Yeah, I think that we… well, we started up very early, like in the end of the '80s. First of all, I think we were just really good friends. And there are also two things that I think was very important. We spoke very long and hard about what UNLEASHED should be, and also what the band should not be, because, along the road for so many years, you will have a lot of questions, a lot of opportunities, let's say, and we spoke real hard about what the band really should be, and not change too much. So, everybody that was going to be in UNLEASHED needed to really understand that this is a death metal band, and these are the type of lyrics that we write and we're not gonna change. Because if you change that, and all of a sudden you start making other styles of music, then it's not UNLEASHED anymore. So, this is the first thing we spoke about, and that works today as well. Also, we spoke a lot about that everybody that's in UNLEASHED has to help out. Because if you're four guys in the band and there's just one guy doing all the work, it's not gonna last long. So I think these are the two key things, really — and, of course, three things, because apart from being good friends, but I think that's essential."

In addition to Hedlund, UNLEASHED's current lineup includes drummer Anders Schultz and guitarists Tomas Måsgard and Fredrik Folkare.

In November 2021, Johnny told Time For Metal about how UNLEASHED has managed to keep a steady lineup for all these years: "Well, we have since long been very good friends. We all help out in the band with all things in UNLEASHED. And we have also that long agreed on what to do and what not to do with the band. We also know pretty well what we want to play and what we do not want to play. So I think these are things that really play a key role in keeping the band in a strong and solid shape for a long time."

Hedlund elaborated on UNLEASHED's longevity in a 2021 interview with Metal1.info. He said: "There are a few things that I think need to be in place. First of all, you have to be very good friends in the band. Second, you all need to help out with things so that it doesn't become a one-man show. And, you need to agree on what to do and also, what not to do. Especially when it comes to what to play, and what not to play. It also helps out a lot if someone in the band is good with finance. I took my degree in finance in that time frame between 1999 to 2001. A really good time for a break."

In a recent interview with Chris Akin Presents, KROKUS frontman Marc Storace was asked if some of the material on the two solo albums he has released so far — 2021's "Live And Let Live" and 2024's "Crossfire" — would have been made available under the KROKUS banner if the legendary Swiss rock band was actively making new music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's very difficult to say, because if KROKUS were to write a new album, which we haven't done since a long while, unfortunately, it would have been me working with Fernando [Von Arb, guitar] — mostly he comes up with the riffs and arrangements — and Chris [Von Rohr, bass] is also there with ideas for lyrics and also arrangements and stuff. And then I throw in my piece and I come up with the vocal melodies and take it there to as many levels as I can. But still, yeah, it's something that didn't happen and I don't see it happening."

He continued: "There's never any words lost about a new album with KROKUS. But I'm glad KROKUS is back, since [2023]. [In 2024] we played a lot of festivals and enjoyed doing it. There's a new, refreshing, fun aspect within the band. Even the crew we have, we've had them since years. It's like one big family, and it's really something admirable, also considering how long we've been doing this, the age of the band, myself being the eldest, [at the age of] 73. But I think age is just a number, when you have the passion and the physical ability to follow it up. So it's a matter of taking care of yourself and not overindulging — in the music as well as other things."

Storace went on to say that he is not thrilled about the fact that KROKUS hasn't made an album of all-new material in more than a decade.  "I'm not too happy that KROKUS doesn't wanna do a new album, sit together and write new songs," he said. "For me, this creative thing is very important for my soul. My heart and soul goes into the songs that we write, and then it goes into the songs when we perform them. So it's the birth of what we create, and that's kind of stopped. We're feeding off old material, which is great — I love singing KROKUS songs, and [I'm a] sentimental guy anyway and nostalgic, and all that stuff, and, as I said, we've become more like a team again. So, never say never, but at the same time, that's the situation, how it is. So I enjoy doing the gigs with KROKUS, but I enjoy the creative and the fight for [my solo project] STORACE. It's a big fight. We don't hold out the platter, and nothing comes in raining from heaven. [Laughs]"

KROKUS's latest studio album, "Big Rocks", came out in January 2017. The disc saw KROKUS paying tribute to bands and artists like LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN, THE WHO, STEPPENWOLF, Bob Dylan, THE ROLLING STONES and many more by presenting their very own versions of classic tracks such as "My Generation", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Whole Lotta Love", "Quinn The Eskimo", "Born To Be Wild" and others.

KROKUS's last collection of new music, "Dirty Dynamite", was made available in February 2013 in Europe via Sony Music and in North America in March 2013 via The End Records.

Five years ago, KROKUS postponed what was supposed to be the band's last-ever concerts in USA and Canada due to the coronavirus pandemic that was sweeping the globe.

Formed in 1975, KROKUS has sold over 15 million records, toured the world, and received gold and platinum discs in the USA and Canada. KROKUS was also the first Swiss band to sell out Hallenstadion and has received a diamond disc for selling one million albums in Switzerland alone.

In the course of its career, KROKUS has rocked over 2,000 shows on five continents, countless cities, unique locations, crazy gigs, and loyal fans.

English rock journalist Malcolm Dome quite rightly said: "If you look at the long-term output of this band, KROKUS is clearly one of the best hard rock bands of the last 40 years."

During an appearance on a recent episode of "The Jasta Show", the podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach spoke about the criticism he sometimes gets from people on the Internet for not reproducing his vocals from his albums in a live setting. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The Internet is so hilarious. You can relate to this. When you're doing show after show, night after night, some nights better than others. That's just the way it is. Unless you wanna use tapes — that's your only option to do everything perfect. We're human beings. So if you don't sing exactly like the record, you might read a comment like, 'Oh, he doesn't sound like the record.' And I'm, like, there's a difference between not being able to sound like the record and not giving a shit. I hate to break it to you, but if you're at some dumpy club on a Tuesday night in the middle of nowhere, and you're just not feeling it, you might not give your ultimate performance of your fucking life that night. Maybe you will, but maybe you fucking won't, because you're not inspired. Human beings are emotional people, and sometimes I feel like a nut, sometimes I don't."

Referencing JOURNEY frontman Arnel Pineda, who was panned for his performance with the band at the 2024 edition of Rock In Rio festival in in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, Sebastian added: "Did you watch [Arnel's 2012] movie, 'Don't Stop Believin'', which details his rise? Well, there's a hilarious part in there where he does his first show with JOURNEY and he's running around like a madman and he's going crazy, jumping, and he comes on stage and they're all looking at him. They were, like, 'Dude, what the fuck was that?' That's the story of my life. And I'll tell you why. There's a saying, when you're making a record, you're playing for your audience. When you're doing a show, your audience is playing you. That is the most spot-on…

"I was thinking about this last night," he continued. "My job is to be as excited as I can be at the same time as being as calm as I can. How the fuck is that [possible]? Because if I'm too excited, I suck. I have to remember what I'm doing, because when I look at Arnel, he's just caught up in the crowd. He's in front of a hundred thousand people and he's in the pit, and he's, like, 'Look at this shit.' He's not making a record. He's jumping in the pit with the security guards.

"When you're making a record, you're standing in an air-conditioned room, and you can try it as many times as you feel like it and get it perfect," Bach explained. "That is not what a rock concert is. A rock concert is like going to battle. Well, to me — I don't know why it's like that, but I feel like it's a fight, it's like a fucking boxing match."

Sebastian Bach's latest album, "Child Within The Man", came out last May via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate; and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals. "Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5, Steve Stevens and Orianthi — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"); Devin Bronson on guitars, Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Coulson (drums) round out the players on the album.

"Child Within The Man" has yielded five singles/videos, all of which have impacted the rock charts: "Freedom", "What Do I Got To Lose?", "Everybody Bleeds", "(Hold On) To The Dream" and "Future Of Youth".

JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK!, the new band featuring Joey Belladonna, six-time Grammy-nominated lead vocalist of the legendary thrash metal icons ANTHRAX, and members of the Dutch classic rock act THE CLARKS, played four shows in The Netherlands in December;

Dec. 19 - De Nobel - Leiden, Netherlands
Dec. 20 - Patronaat - Haarlem, Netherlands
Dec. 21 - De Pul - Uden, Netherlands
Dec. 22 - Neushoorn - Leeuwarden, Netherlands

Fan-filmed video of the Haarlem concert can be seen below.

The setlist was as follows:

* Doctor, Doctor (UFO)
* Can't Get Enough (BAD COMPANY)
* Here I Go Again (WHITESNAKE)
* Tie Your Mother Down (QUEEN)
* Man On The Silver Mountain (RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW)
* Still Loving You (SCORPIONS)
* Summer Of '69 (BRYAN ADAMS)
* Smoke On The Water (DEEP PURPLE)
* Eye Of The Tiger (SURVIVOR)
* What Is And What Should Never Be (LED ZEPPELIN)
* Honky Tonk Woman (THE ROLLING STONES)
* All Right Now (FREE)
* Catch The Rainbow (RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW)
* Highway To Hell (AC/DC)
* Radar Love (GOLDEN EARRING)
* Rock And Roll (LED ZEPPELIN)
* Jumpin' Jack Flash (THE ROLLING STONES)
* Twilight Zone (GOLDEN EARRING)
* Won't Get Fooled Again (THE WHO)
* Born To Be Wild (STEPPENWOLF)

Joey Belladonna, six-time Grammy-nominated lead vocalist of the legendary thrash metal icons ANTHRAX, doesn't sit still when not recording or performing with his main band.

JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! takes you on an exciting — and unique — journey through the golden ages of classic rock.

With his extraordinary powerful, dynamic vocals and charismatic stage presence, Belladonna pays homage to the great bands and their songs from the 1960s through the 1990s.

Joey teams up in his new project with THE CLARKS, who are, for decades, the most successful rock and roll cover band from The Netherlands, with TV performances and live shows under their belt in all over Europe, USA, India, Indonesia and South Africa.

Belladonna performed by chance with THE CLARKS at the 100th-anniversary event of bus and coach company Royal Jan De Wit on December 8, 2023 in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and they had an instant sensation which brought them together in JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK!

JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! made its live debut on August 3, 2024 at the world-famous festival Wacken Open Air in Germany.

In the past, Belladonna had played drums and sung for a classic-rock covers band called CHIEF BIG WAY. The upstate New York-based group performed versions of songs from JOURNEY, AC/DC, ZZ TOP, BOSTON, CHEAP TRICK, FOREIGNER, PINK FLOYD, VAN HALEN, COLLECTIVE SOUL, THE WHO, THE DOORS, SHINEDOWN and BON JOVI, among others. Belladonna has also played sporadic shows with his JOURNEY tribute band called BEYOND FRONTIERS.

More than a decade ago, Belladonna was asked by Tricia Weight whether singing different styles of music in his side projects is good for him, almost acting like "exercises" to keep his vocals in shape. He said at the time: "Yeah, it [is]. I mean, now I've got more projects than I've ever had. Even at home I sing to records, that's how I learned to do it anyhow, I used to pull out the coolest records and sing to 'em all day long, before I went out [on stage]. And I do it now, even [on the way] to the gig. If we've got an hour drive tonight — I'm rocking the stuff on the iPod all the way there!"

JOEY BELLADONNA CLASSIC ROCK! feat. THE CLARKS are:

Joey Belladonna (Vocals)
Jan Becking (Guitar)
Serge Naberman (Guitar)
Peter Van Rhijn (Drums)
Johnny Eijkelhof (Bass)

BLACK VEIL BRIDES frontman Andy Biersack as defended MÖTLEY CRÜE's poorly received 1997 album "Generation Swine", calling it "fucking awesome".

Released in June 1997 via Elektra Records, "Generation Swine" dipped its toes into techno and is widely considered CRÜE's most experimental and most diverse album, with "Beauty" described by one critic as a track that "sounds nothing like MÖTLEY CRÜE."

On Thursday (January 2),Biersack took to his account on X (formerly Twitter) to write: "I've been wanting to say this since I was 6 years old, and I think it's finally time to tell you once and for all that the 1997 album 'Generation Swine' by MÖTLEY CRÜE is objectively fucking awesome, and if you don't like it, you are, regrettably, incorrect."

When asked by one of his followers why he waited so long to share his thoughts, he responded: "It's like they always say; sometimes it takes 28 years to defend a late 90's outlier grunge record."

CRÜE began recording "Generation Swine" with John Corabi as lead singer, but ended up bringing original vocalist Vince Neil back into the fold and releasing the record with Neil's vocals.

Last April, Neil told the "Outsider" podcast that he was not a fan of "Generation Swine". "I hated that record. I still hate that record," Vince said. "[There are] no good songs on it. And I told 'em, I go, 'This record sucks.' 'No. We love it. We love it.'"

Asked why he reunited with MÖTLEY CRÜE after stepping away from the band for four years between 1992 and 1996, Vince said: "Well, when MÖTLEY went out [on tour with Corabi as the band's singer], their tickets stopped selling. And I was doing pretty good. But I wasn't selling out places. I was opening for guys. And so their manager called me up and said, 'We'd like to meet with you in New York.' So I flew to New York and sat there and talked to 'em.' And it took a while for me to say 'okay.' But I finally gave in and went to the recording studio where they were making 'Generation Swine', which was at [MÖTLEY bassist] Nikki's [Sixx] house. And… I don't know. It was bad for a while, 'cause I didn't wanna be there."

During an August 2024 interview with Joshua Toomey of the Talk Toomey podcast, Biersack reflected on the "cringe-inducing" experience of opening for MÖTLEY CRÜE more than a decade ago. He said: "We toured with MÖTLEY CRÜE in soccer stadiums in Europe, and I thought, 'This is the greatest thing that's ever gonna happen to us.' And I'll never forget, the first show was in [Warsteiner Hockey Park in Mönchengladbach, Germany in June 2012], and after the first song was done, it wasn't booing, it was total silence, like strong, arms crossed, angry silence. And you'd almost prefer them boo at that point, because if it's 20,000 people and you can see them all be dead silent, it's more unnerving than hearing at least some noise. So it would happen after every song. And so I'm the singer, I'm the M.C., I've gotta like, I got to say something. So I just started saying to our drummer C.C. [Christian Coma], I go, 'Just go into the next song as soon as this one's over.' We basically played a medley of our songs because we would never stop between the songs 'cause it was too cringe-inducing to have to deal with the silence. We were coming off stage early every night on that tour, which a lot of times the production people for those big tours love it. So at the very least they liked us."

Biersack previously talked about BLACK VEIL BRIDES' tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE during a 2021 appearance on the "Drinks With Johnny" podcast. He said at the time: "I've always said one of the tours that, I guess, it didn't surprise me 'cause I didn't know what to expect, but it certainly didn't go the way that I thought or that I had dreamed or imagined was we opened for MÖTLEY CRÜE in soccer stadiums in Europe — this is 2012 or something — and we were really excited. We had become friendly with Nikki [Sixx, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist] and Mick [Mars, MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist] and a few of the guys and we were just so excited to do it.

"We were used to playing festivals or things where people would be upset that we were there," he continued. 'I had never experienced such a level of just crushing disinterest where we'd get done with a song, and my job as the vocalist is to be, like, 'All right, everybody,' and then there would just be just a soccer stadium full of silence and people just looking at us with their arms crossed — not mad, just not interested in the slightest. And then you're stuck with that weird thing of, like, 'All right, well, here's the next one.' And you're just trying to get through the set so that you don't have that really awkward time in between."

In May 2024, BLACK VEIL BRIDES released the title track from their "Bleeders" EP, inspired by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler's "Sweeney Todd". The band paid tribute to the classic musical with a music video for the title track that is inspired by the musical's 2007 Tim Burton-directed film adaptation.

Released in June 2024, the three-track EP, which included "Bleeders", a cover of "My Friends" from the Sondheim classic, and a cover of U2's "Sunday Bloody Sunday", was BLACK VEIL BRIDES' first release for Spinefarm.
I’ve been wanting to say this since I was 6 years old, and I think it’s finally time to tell you once and for all that the 1997 album ‘Generation Swine’ by Mötley Crüe is objectively fucking awesome, and if you don’t like it, you are, regrettably, incorrect.

— Andy Biersack (@andyblack) January 2, 2025


It’s like they always say; sometimes it takes 28 years to defend a late 90’s outlier grunge record.

— Andy Biersack (@andyblack) January 2, 2025

Indian rockers Girish And The Chronicles, featuring The End Machine vocalist Girish Pradhan, performed "Killer Of The Night" live in Darjeeling, India on December 22nd. The song is taken from from The End Machine album, The Quantum Phase, released in 2024.


The End Machine features Pradhan, former Dokken members George Lynch (guitar) and Jeff Pilson (bass), and Steve Brown (drums).







The End Machine's new album signals a notable change in personnel. Singer Robert Mason has officially parted ways with the group, paving the way for Girish Pradhan, the rising superstar vocalist known for his work under the moniker Girish And The Chronicles and, more recently, with Joel Hoekstra’s 13. The addition of Pradhan to the band is a testament to the keen discernment of Serafino Perugino, president, and founder of Frontiers Records. Perugino, who serves as the executive producer for The End Machine, recognized the incredible talent and potential in Pradhan and brought him to the attention of the band.


Established in 2018, The End Machine released their eponymous debut album, The End Machine, in 2019 bringing early acclaim for not only contemporary production and a modern attitude, but also their perfectly crafted songs, paying homage to their roots and the music that they love. This attitude and talent was equally on display with their 2021 sophomore album, Phase2.


In delivering 2024's The Quantum Phase, The End Machine has not only surpassed expectations but has penned the record of their lives! With each note and lyric, they have exceeded their own artistic aspirations, collectively crafting the album they always wished they had written. This monumental work stands as a testament to The End Machine's evolution, showcasing not only their musical prowess but also their unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of their creative expression.

In a recent interview with Rockaxis TV, U.D.O. members Udo Dirkschneider (vocals),Sven Dirkschneider (drums) and Fabian "Dee" Dammers (guitar) spoke about a possible follow-up to the band's "Touchdown" album, which came out in August 2023 via Atomic Fire Records. Dee said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we have had some talks about it, that obviously, why not do more music? But I guess that's plans for after the DIRKSCHNEIDER tour; we're gonna have some intense touring with the 40th-anniversary [of 'Balls To The Wall'] tour. And maybe after that, there's time for some new music. We're always ready to create new music. I mean, Sven already said, the cool thing about us is we have all the generations here combined, and, for example, [fellow U.D.O. guitarist] Andrey [Smirnov] and me, we look at music so differently, and sometimes it's like close to being like a fight but then we take the advantages of everybody and just combine it to create something new about it. And I would love to continue that for sure."

Added Sven: "And wherever you go, they [Dee and Andrey] have their studio set up anyway; they're playing guitar the whole day. So, we have some ideas, but it's nothing written in stone yet when the next studio album will be."

Udo chimed in: "And also, what will be interesting, I think, is now Peter [Baltes, former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER bassist] is also involved in songwriting. I know Peter songwriting-wise — I mean, when I was in ACCEPT a long time — but that will be very interesting. So I'm really looking forward also to the next U.D.O. album now."

"Touchdown" was crafted with producer and mixing engineer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer at Redhead Studio in Wilhelmshaven, Germany and mastered by Stefan Kaufmann at ROXX Studio in Solingen, Germany. The record includes a guest appearance by violinist Stefan Pintev on the closing track, and bass tracks were recorded by Baltes. Artwork was provided by Martin Häusler who was also responsible for shooting band photos in support of the album campaign.

In April 2023, Baltes officially joined U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER, the two bands fronted by Udo Dirkschneider. The former ACCEPT bassist had been playing bass for U.D.O. since September 2022, initially as a temporary replacement for U.D.O.'s then-bassist Tilen Hudrap who was hospitalized after the band's show in Munich, Germany.

DIRKSCHNEIDER is the name of Udo's band which performs ACCEPT material exclusively.

Although Udo announced 10 years ago that his initial DIRKSCHNEIDER tour would mark his final time performing ACCEPT songs, he has continued to play select shows under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner.

Heljarmadr, the vocalist for Dark Funeral, has checked in with an update on his new EP, which was released on January 1st.


"Thank you all for the great appreciation you have given to A Poison To The Firmament! We will continue to defile the heavens after the strike of midnight, when the second song (which concludes this EP) is unleashed on all platforms, surely one of the first black metal releases of 2025.


There will be a physical CD-single in a great looking, luxurious digipack, but it's been delayed by the printing company. I'll open for orders when we have them in hand and can approve the quality.

American Musical Supply has shared video of former Danger Danger guitarist Andy Timmons performing "The Loner" by Gary Moore this past New Year's Eve. Check it out below.





The Reddcoats, featuring Matt Bissonette, Gregg Bisonette, Andy Timmons, Mike Medina, Wally Minko, and Ron Pedley, returned in 2024 with a new studio album, titled The Reddcoats 2. Watch a lyric video for “All For Me” below.




Matt Bissonette shares, “The Reddcoats has been a labor of love for the last five years, and we are so happy to be done with our second album with the extra thought out title The Reddcoats 2. What a blast to be playing challenging, fun music with our friends.  They are like family, and the good thing is they don’t live with us! I love this band…”


Ron Pedley offers, “Matt and I met right after high school in college at North Texas. We became fast friends and had a mutual love of both jazz and rock music. This music is genre busting, super creative and extra original. I’m proud to have played my small part.”  


Mike Medina adds, “Ron Pedley and I went to school back in the late 70s at the University Of North Texas. I remember him being a part of a select pop group called The Zebras. He was into the synthesizer thing very early on.”


Drummer Gregg Bissonette states, “Andy Timmons is an incredible musician, singer-songwriter, friend and human! I first heard about Andy years ago when he was playing with Danger Danger.  I then heard about his phenomenal playing from every great guitarist I knew.”


Guitarist Timmons shares, “Wally Minko is an incredibly gifted keyboard player that brings a lot to the table with his wealth of music knowledge. And he’s a snappy dresser!”


Matt Bissonette adds, “Mike Medina is a ten trick gift shop! He does it all, not only is he mixing and co-producing The Reddcoats, he plays bass, drums, guitar and the flambazoid.  And, most importantly he is a great humanoid!!!”


Lastly, Wally Minko offers, “Gregg’s a very nice fellow, and he’s starting to sound pretty good on the drums. But the really cool thing about him is that every time he opens his mouth, he sounds EXACTLY like Winnie the Pooh. It’s shocking, actually.”


Boasting one of the most powerful collective pedigrees in rock ‘n’ roll, the have individually logged thousands of shows alongside history’s biggest icons, millions of records sold, and dozens of awards between them. After circling each other for years, these five musicians came together in 2020 releasing a self-titled independent EP. This new album continues to build on the vision these five players set in to motion over the pandemic. While they individually navigate multiple on-going commitments creatively apart from one another, the spark that started to burn has only become more intense versus fading. This lead track “All For Me” exhibits a musical collaboration that is just beginning to build and broaden the potential of prolific setting that has no boundaries. Representing a confluence of influence and experience, they manage to surprise on each and every track.


“When I go see a concert, I typically want to hear something different after a half-an-hour,” explains Matt. “I always thought it would be interesting to have a band where everyone gets the spotlight and does his own thing. I love funk, heavy metal, jazz, bebop, and Latin, and you’ll hear all of that. It can be really earthy and greasy one minute and heavy the next. Since everyone is so proficient, it’s like we’re always switching the radio and reaching for the next level. The instinct is to do something that will stick in your head.”


As the story goes,

In a new interview with Andertons Music Co, SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root was asked about his songwriting process and whether he is "a riff player" or someone who constructs songs with more of "a theoretical approach". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm still trying to figure that out. I think that's the eternal [thing], because [with] writing, there's no rule book. You can do it however it comes to you, whether it's noodling around on the couch and then something comes to you or it's sitting in front of the Pro Tools rig or if it's at a band rehearsal and then the drummer plays something and then you just happen to play something along with it and somebody's, like, 'What was that?' And then it can evolve into a song.

"You hear a lot of people say a song will write itself, and sometimes that happens, and when it does happen, those tend to be the really good ones," Jim explained. "Or it could be a song that you just work on for years and it just stays in demo form and then you just keep revisiting it. And maybe a year after you started working on it, you hear it differently, and you're, like, 'Oh, wait a minute.' And then, all of a sudden, something unlocks and then it comes together better that way. That's why, I think, a lot of the times in the movie industry, they say they never finish a movie; they abandon it. And I think that rings true with what we do, too, in the studio. It's, like, how deep in do you wanna go, or can you go? And you could infinitely work on things until you're… you can drive yourself crazy and end up cutting your ear off or whatever, you know what I mean? It's hard… At some point you just stop.

"When we were working on [2019's] 'We Are Not Your Kind' [album], that was kind of the deepest we were able to go into a record," Root revealed. "I mean, I started working on that record a couple of years before we even got together to do pre-production for it. And we had so many songs that it got to the point where, sitting with Clown [percussionist Shawn Crahan] and [singer] Corey [Taylor] and [producer Greg] Fidelman, we were just trying to figure out, like, 'Which ones are we cutting?' 'Cause you know, the money's cutting off at this time and the studio time's cutting off at this time and there's a deadline and there's a schedule and there's a budget, and you've got these five extra songs that we need to figure out which ones we're focusing on. And it's, like, 'Jesus, how do we figure this out?'"

Asked if having less money and time in the studio inspires greater creativity or if he prefers the freedom to go longer while making new albums, Root said: "That's hard to say because we haven't had a chance to do either enough times to figure it out. It's, like, how many times are you gonna make a record in your life and in your career? You're playing shows constantly — you might do hundreds or thousands of shows — but you're only gonna be in a studio six or seven times in your career, ten times maybe, depending on how long your career is. Some people twice. So, that's one of those things where there's always gonna be a learning curve. But I think we work really well under pressure in some cases, in most cases. There are exceptions to that rule, of course, but I think if we know there's a clock ticking over our heads, it'll inspire us to really dig down in deep and find what it is we're looking for."

Root also talked about his songwriting and playing chemistry with fellow SLIPKNOT guitarist Mick Thomson. Asked if he feels it's his role to embellish what Mick's gonna play, Jim said: "It depends on the song, the writing process, whether it's something that I came up with at home, whether it's a band situation or whether it's one of those things where somebody hears something and then we start working on it off of that. But if I'm at home, and the only reason I'm talking about this is because it's what I'm most familiar with, I always write thinking about what not just Mick is gonna be doing, but what Clown or [percussionist Michael] Pfaff or any of the other guys are gonna be doing, and I always think about leaving space. The only question is, what's Corey gonna do? So if I write a four- or five-minute-long arrangement and I've got it set up so there's an intro and then there's a verse line and then a pre-chorus and a chorus and then a middle eight section or a breakdown and then it all repeats or whatever, I might give it to him and he might wanna sing a chorus over what I thought was a verse or he might take this little pre-chorus section and want that to be the verse. So I have to be real free with what I write so that I don't get married to how it is in my head. That way, I'll send it off to Corey first and see if it's… And sometimes he'll just write over what I give him and we won't change anything. And other times it's that evolution. And then, as far as guitar parts, like I'll always do a left and right guitar track. And even in the studio, Mick and I will do hard left and right tracks. But there might be songs where, if it happens to be a song that I wrote at home, he might wanna be, like, 'That rhythm's really cool, but I have this idea and I'm gonna play this.' And that's great 'cause it adds a whole another new dimension to the song that I wouldn't have thought of, which is great. When you become so attached to something and you're so in your head with it, you can't look at it objectively, but you give it to somebody like Mick and he hears it from a totally different standpoint and a different style of playing even, and he does something that wouldn't even occur to me. And then all of a sudden that's the thing that takes the song and lifts it to where it needs to be."

SLIPKNOT recently completed the North American portion of the "Here Comes The Pain" tour. This year the nine celebrated the 25th anniversary of their seminal debut album, "Slipknot", which catapulted the band back in 1999.

SLIPKNOT's 14-song set consisted of nothing but material from that LP, including two tracks which hadn't been performed in almost 25 years.

"Nothing you will hear tonight was written after 1999," Taylor has been telling the crowd at all the shows, which normally open with "(sic)", "Eyeless" and "Wait And Bleed", and include "No Life" and "Scissors", neither of which had been played live since 2000. Other rarely performed songs include "Get This" (played for the first time since 2019),"Me Inside" (first time since 2015) and "Only One" (2012).

As has been the case with all of SLIPKNOT's shows in 2024 so far, the band adopted a classic look, bringing back the 1999 red jumpsuits and elements of their early masks into their modern versions, tying into the fact that SLIPKNOT is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Produced by Live Nation, the "Here Comes The Pain" tour's highlights included Los Angeles's Intuit Dome, Austin's Moody Center and more with direct support from Kentucky's young and vibrant hardcore/metal forerunners KNOCKED LOOSE. ORBIT CULTURE and VENDED provided support on select dates.

Finnish epic metallers Wintersun have released a statement on their plans for 2025 and a new album is “about 80% complete.” The band finally released Time II in August 2024. 


Wintersun states: “Wow! What a year 2024 was! The year of the dragon! 🐉 We finally released the long-awaited Time II album and other material in our Time Package Indiegogo pre-order campaign! Once again, thank you to everyone for supporting us! ❤️ We hope you've enjoyed all the content! 🤘 What's next?


“Next, work continues on the upcoming Wintersun album, which is about 80% complete. However, the remaining 20% still presents challenges. Rest assured, we will overcome the obstacles! Thanks to all the audio technology innovations, the album already sounds fantastic. And thanks to you guys for providing us with the resources to upgrade and take our production to the next level!




“The funny thing is that all the Wintersun material you've heard so far is quite old. The Forest Seasons album is the newest material you've listened to from Wintersun, written around 2014-2015 and released in 2017. TIME I & II albums were written around 2004-2006. So, hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, you'll be able to hear something ‘fairly fresh’ from Wintersun. Until then, please stay patient! We are working as fast as we can!”


“We wish everyone a great New Year! 🎉🥳 May the flames in the darkness reach the stars and ignite the passions of your heart!”


12 years following Wintersun's Time I, the Finnish heavy metal quartet led by Jari Mäenpää released their new album, Time II on August 30, 2024 via Nuclear Blast Records. Check out a lyric video for 13-minute album closer, the sterling "Silver Leaves" is streaming below:





Check out the previously released lyric video for 12-minute "Storm":





Jari Mäenpää on Time II: "Time II is an epic journey from light to darkness and back to light, exploring the universe and energy, contrasting dark stormy landscapes to calm and beautiful cherry blossom tree gardens with misty, snowy mountains that will leave you breathless. It has songs with furious speed of drums, guitars, and bass and beautiful melodic slower songs with a magical exotic influence. It has massive orchestrations and choirs spiced with ancient world instruments and glimmering synths. It has Jari's soaring, clean singing contrasted with his aggressive style. It is a highly detai

WITHERING SCORN, the new band featuring former MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover and his brother, and fellow ex-MEGADETH member, Glen Drover, along with former FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase and German singer Henning Basse, who has previously played with FIREWIND, METALIUM and MAYAN, is continuing work on its second album. The effort will be the follow-up to WITHERING SCORN's debut, "Prophets Of Demise", which came out in July 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl.

On Thursday (January 2),Shawn released a video update about the upcoming LP, in which he said: "Right now I'm working on song eight, the epic song. We don't have a songtitle for it yet, so we have fake names for these songs. This one's the epic one, because it's a long song. I'm working on lyrics. I just started tonight. It's proving to be a bit of a bitch, but I enjoy the challenge. So I'm excited about that. Joe is, I believe, finishing up this song for bass. Glen is done with the guitars. I'm done with drums. And once Joe is done and I'm done with lyrics, we'll send it to Henning."

He added: "Again, we're really excited. These songs are really sounding awesome. We're super proud of 'em. So we can't wait for you guys to hear them, hear this record later this year."

WITHERING SCORN was formed in 2020 by Glen and Shawn, who previously played together in MEGADETH, as well as in EIDOLON. The pair have teamed up once again for their latest musical offering and are joined by DiBiase, who played with FATES WARNING for 14 years on multiple records and world tours, and Basse.

Shawn previously said about "Prophets Of Demise": "The four of us have been musicians most of our lives. At this point, we are pretty honed in as to what we want to do musically, and that is to create a 100% uncompromising heavy metal record, which is exactly what we have done. No punches pulled, no holds barred... just flat-out HEAVY METAL!!!"

In a January 2021 interview with the "Nothing Shocking" podcast, Shawn stated about the new project: "We've been talking about doing something. Glen owns his own studio up in Canada, so why not utilize the fact that we don't have to go and pay huge studio costs and et cetera, et cetera, and get some friends together that we admire and that we respect and work on a record. And that's exactly what we're doing.

"We have Glen and myself, of course, and we have a bass player named Joe DiBiase, who was in a band called FATES WARNING out of Connecticut for years and years and years," he continued. "A great player; a friend of ours. So he's gonna play bass on it. And we have a singer from Germany who was in a band called METALIUM for a number of years, and his name is Henning Basse, who is a fantastic melodic singer.

"It's a slow process, because life gets in the way," Shawn added. "We all have things that we deal with, so we do that. But when we have the time, we work on it, and so far it's turning out to be really exciting. We're pretty happy with the material we've done so far."

Asked how the new band is different and similar to his previous collaborations with Glen, Shawn said: "It's been really similar to the first band that Glen and I did years ago, which was a band called EIDOLON. We released, actually, five records on Metal Blade in the early 2000s, right before we both got into MEGADETH. And the dynamic of that was that I write most of the material. Although Glen does contribute to some of it, I usually have the main germ of ideas, and, of course, he records all that stuff. So he's kind of a studio guy. He's the guitar player, but he handles all of the studio recording affairs, and I just kind of take on the job of creating most of the music. And we finetune it — he tweaks it and kind of makes it his own in a way. But that's kind of the working relationship we have with that. Because if Glen wrote all the music, I'd basically be doing nothing, and he would have to tackle all the work on his own. So we made a decision years ago — that was back in the mid-'90s, actually, when we put out our first bit of music, before we got signed to Metal Blade — that's always been the working dynamic, is I create most of the material, and he handles all the recording affairs with that. And it's worked out quite well. So that's what we're doing this time as well."

Shawn also talked about the status of ACT OF DEFIANCE, which he formed in late 2014 with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick, former SCAR THE MARTYR singer Henry Derek Bonner and SHADOWS FALL's Matt Bachand (bass).

"It's certainly in limbo," Drover said. "Chris joined IN FLAMES a couple of years back, which is a great gig for him. They're great guys, a great band, and he fits with those guys like a glove. So he's quite happy and content to be doing that. With that said, he was so busy — he basically was gone for pretty much a year touring in support of their latest record they put out — and now with what happened in March of [2020]," referring to the coronavirus pandemic, "everything came to a screeching halt.

"Honestly, I don't know what the [other] guys are doing," he continued. "I talk to Henry and Matt a little bit here and there, but it's more just, like, 'How are you? I hope you're doing well.' We really don't talk about music a whole lot; none of us do. But we're all still friendly. Actually, Henry has released a couple of things — different kinds of music — on his own, which makes him happy, so more power to him. For me, I wanted to do something with my brother again and create some new music. And, like I said before, with the situation we are in, why not utilize that and create some music. So that's what we're doing."

Shawn joined MEGADETH in 2004 as the replacement for Nick Menza, who had only just rejoined the group. Drover performed on four MEGADETH studio records: 2007's "United Abominations", 2009's "Endgame", 2011's "TH1RT3EN" and 2013's "Super Collider".

Glen Drover left MEGADETH at the end of 2007 and was replaced by Broderick, who previously played with NEVERMORE and JAG PANZER.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Shawn Drover (@shawn.drover)

Kręcioła TV has shared pro-shot video of Electric Callboy's entire August 1st show at Pol'and'Rock Festival 2024 in Broczyno, Poland. Check it out below. 


Setlist:


"Tekkno Train"
"MC Thunder II (Dancing Like a Ninja)"
"Spaceman"
"Hate/Love"
"Everytime We Touch" (Maggie Reilly cover)
"Castrop X Spandau"
"Arrow of Love"
"Hypa Hypa"
"Parasite"
"RATATATA"
"Hurrikan"
"MC Thunder"




Encore:
"Pump It"
"Mindreader"
"We Got the Moves"





Electric Callboy recently shared the following message with their fans:


"The wait is over – we‘re hitting the road with our new tour!


Every concert on this tour will be a massive celebration, and we’re so pumped to make each one unforgettable. We’ve been working hard on new music and some cool surprises, and we’re ready to make this our biggest, most electrifying tour yet.


Tickets are available now! Make sure to grab yours before they’re gone."


The band has followed up with a tour trailer, which features a sneak peek of their new single. Check it out below.





Tour dates:


November 2025
1 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Royal Arena
5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hovet
12 - Antwerp, Belgium - Lotto Arena
14 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
15 - Leipzig, Germany - QUARTERBACK ARENA
16 - Dusseldorf, Germany - PSD Bank Dome
17 - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
19 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
20 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyer-Halle
23 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena
24 - Budapest, Hungary - MVM Dome
26 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
27 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle
28 - Berlin, Germany - Uber Arena
29 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclays Arena


January 2026
17 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Ahoy RTM
18 - Paris, France - Zénith Paris (La Villette)
20 - Lyon, France - Radiant
22 - Barcelona, Spain - Sant Jordi Club
23 - Madrid, Spain - WiZink Center
25 - Lisbon, Portugal - Sala Tejo/MEO Arena





There is a lot to celebrate for Electric Callboy these days. Two years after the release of TEKKNO (2022), their label Century Media Records, their agency CONTRA Promotion as well as their management Exact Management surprised the band in Cologne while being a part of one of the biggest TV shows in Germany.


After multiple awards for their singles "Hypa Hypa" and "We Got The Moves" in Germany, Switzerland and Austria, the TEKKNO album has reached Gold status in Finland. Furthermore, the album has surpassed half a billion streams worldwide and the music videos for their singles are close to a quarter billion views. With over 250,000 tickets sold for their TEKKNO World Tour alongside playing in front of millions of people headlining festivals all over the world, this has been the most successful tour in the band's history. Their amazing live energy was also honored by Heavy Music Awards in the UK, winning an award for the third year in a row and the second time as "Best International Live Artist".