In a new interview Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, drummer Jason Bonham — son of the legendary LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham — spoke about what it has been like to perform in front of full houses with his LED ZEPPELIN EVENING show across North America this fall. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I always find it's a pinch-yourself moment because I look at it as I started this purely as a therapeutic way to get the LED out of me. After playing with the real McCoy, the real deal, in [December] 2007 [at London's O2 arena], I remember when it stopped, it was a huge, 'Now what?' … Because I just spent six weeks with the [surviving LED ZEPPELIN] guys every day [in preparation for the London show]. Every day we were together, hanging out, telling stories. They would tell me things that I didn't know — now I'm a grown-up — they would tell me all these different things. So, suddenly you feel part of it. And my mom said, 'Are you gonna be okay when it stops?' I'm, like, 'Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've got this.' Because you've been given the keys to the kingdom, and you sat in the throne of the greatest rock and roll band in the world. So when it stopped, it was hard, I must say. And then when the idea came, 'Why don't you do a band, a tribute thing", I'm, like, 'Are you kidding me? I've just played with [the original guys]. I don't wanna tarnish that.' So it became more therapeutic. And I realized it's about the fans. The reason why we're still doing it, after I got over the my stories and me — 'it's about me and my dad' — it's not. It's about our love for dad, me and everyone, because we all have stories of what he meant to us. I lost my dad; you lost your drummer. So that's the only reason — the love and the passion that we do it and still do it. Because there's a lot of other things that I like to do."

Jason Bonham spent nearly a decade touring as JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE before changing the band's name to JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING. Bonham later explained that the switch was prompted by a request from the LED ZEPPELIN camp, who wanted to use the "Experience" name for a project involving the archive of ZEP live recordings.

JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE was formed in 2009 to pay tribute to Bonham's father, who died in 1980 at the age of 32. "It was meant to be part of my way of expressing my love for music and expressing myself with a tip of the hat to my father," Jason told Mixdown in a 2017 interview. "Soon after doing the 28 shows that we did with an orchestra, everyone said, 'You're not going to stop now, are you? You haven't been here, you haven't played there…' And so I said, 'As long as you guys want me to do it, I'll do it.' It's really fan-based. It's not us and them; it's about love for LED ZEPPELIN, and that's how it's grown, as a very honest, natural, fan-based show. You guys all knew him as Bonzo; I knew him as dad, and there's a great interaction."

Jason launched JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE two years after taking part in LED ZEPPELIN's aforementioned one-off performance at London's O2 Arena tribute concert for friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The rare live set, which saw Jason behind the drums in place of his late father, was released in 2012 as "Celebration Day".

He told the Chicago Tribune about JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING: "We're not LED ZEPPELIN. We are fans. We love the music. We give it 150 percent energy and time to make it as good as we can make it to give people that feeling and make people go back to their youth.

"I never wanted it to be we are just playing music. It had to be personal with stories to tell people what Dad was like at home. It's nice to know that so many people love hearing that music played in a live environment."

The performance includes LED ZEPPELIN favorites as well as deep cuts. For this year's tour, JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING has worked up a number of fresh inclusions on the setlist, such as "Friends", "Achilles Last Stand" and the arrangement of "Dazed And Confused" from "The Song Remains The Same" concert movie.

"The hardest thing is picking the songs," Bonham told the Chicago Tribune. " "There's more deeper songs — 'In The Light', 'Friends', 'Four Sticks' — songs that never got played live and never made it to a ZEPPELIN show. The list could go on for the more obscure ones that fans like to hear. Of course we still do 'Kashmir', 'Stairway To Heaven' and 'What Is And What Should Never Be'. We started doing 'Dancing Days', 'Houses Of The Holy' and 'That's The Way'. This show is one of the most fun things to do because I get to play all this great music in front of people that really appreciate it."

In a new interview with the Disturbing The Priest With Brandon Battick podcast, former VENOM and current VENOM INC. frontman Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan spoke about his insistence on touring America year after year even when so many other European artists have stayed home due to an increase in the cost of obtaining short-term work visas, making touring much more expensive for international musicians. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I spent a lot of time there, and it's very dear to my heart. I love the U.S. so much, and I love the fans so much; they've been very loyal. I hear that a lot [about] the visa thing. Yes, it's very expensive. Yes, it takes a lot out of you and yes, you have to be able to do that, but it's not impossible… They talk about making a living, so they go, 'Well, it's impossible. We can't afford to go.' Of course you can afford to go. Of course you can. It's, do you want to go? If you wanna go and make a million bucks, then it's not affordable to go.

"If I don't make any money but we break even because we came, is there any value in that? Well, to me, there is," he continued. "I want everybody [who is working on the tour] to be paid [for their work] … but if I don't make any personal money to take away, it doesn't bother me, because the value is that somebody comes to the show and wants an album signed, maybe wearing your shirt, wearing patches of you, have bought your albums. That means something to them. Then they bought tickets to come and see you. Maybe they paid for a meet-and-greet or something. It's, like, they're investing in you. I think they deserve to have something given back to say thank you. And if that means I've gotta spend everything that I can to do that, to be there, to meet them, to say thank you and to give them the [best] shows that I can possibly give them, then I think that's my duty after 40-odd years.

"I don't need anything," Dolan explained. "Really, I don't need anything. I need to eat, I need to sleep. I'm a very simple person. I'm not into things. It doesn't bother me. I don't need things. I like people. And so, for me, that's the whole thing. So, yeah, it's expensive. And if you wanna make a lot of money out of it, maybe you won't. But if that's your whole reason for doing music, you shouldn't be doing that anyway, because not everybody can be METALLICA or THE ROLLING STONES. But that shouldn't stop you if it's who you are. And it's what I tell young musicians. When they go, 'Yeah, how do we do it? And I wanna do this and that.' I said, 'Well, first you have to find out if it's who you are.' You have to have a personality. Because you might think you wanna do it, but it might not be who you are, because you might have to sacrifice relationships, you might have to sacrifice work, money, food, sleep. If you can do all the shit stuff and you still wanna do it, then it's who you are. But if none of that sounds good to you, that's not who you are. Play for fun. Go and do your band at a weekend and do all your favorite songs and write with your friends and your buddies, play in the garage and play some local shows. But if you wanna commit to it as a career, it has to be who you are as a person. And if that's it, you'll never stop and you'll never retire, 'cause it's not something we can retire from. You're not working at a car factory. You're not working in a post office. You're not working at a regular job. So it doesn't end. It just stops. But it doesn't end. But knowing that you may not make a million dollars — there's a possibility you may, but you may not — you have to decide it's who you are and you don't care. If you make it, you make it, you make the money, you make the money. If you don't make the money, it doesn't matter. You can't stop doing it. And that's the frame of mind I take when I come to America. So when people go to me, 'Yeah, we had to cancel 'cause of the visa,' I say, 'Well, you didn't apply in time.' I've been coming over there for, fuck knows how long, since the '80s. I've always got my visa. So I've always applied in time. I had the money to pay for it. I've always been able to fly there and do the shows. It's not very complicated. It's just a bit lengthy, a bit boring and a bit costly. But you can do it if you wanna do it. So do it. Just do it."

Founding VENOM INC. guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn recently announced that he is not planning to return to the band.

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

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

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

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

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

Earlier this year, VENOM INC. recruited Marc "JXN" Jackson as the band's new drummer. Jackson was previously a member of M:PIRE OF EVIL, the group formed in 2010 by Dunn and Dolan.

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

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

Photo credit: Fernando Serani (courtesy of Nuclear Blast)

In a new interview with Ethan Dometrius, POISON frontman Bret Michaels spoke about the band's plans to return to the road in 2026 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of POISON's debut album, 1986's "Look What The Cat Dragged In". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So here's the deal. I go through '25. We're doing a bunch of these big festivals [with my solo band] … So I'm doing a bunch of those. And then 2026, C.C. [DeVille, POISON guitarist] and Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist] and Rikki [Rockett, POISON drummer], I'm here because of them, because of us having each other's back in the beginning, through the middle, through right now. And it'll be four years since we've toured, since 'The Stadium Tour', together, and we're just hoping to make this absolutely 40 awesome dates, and just putting every, as we do, putting every ounce of energy on that stage and just bringing an absolute party."

Regarding POISON's mindset when performing live, Bret said: "POISON just goes out there. And I say this, that stadium tour, I was so grateful to be on it. And I just hit that thrust and I couldn't stop… I told 'em, I said, 'I can't stop smiling right now. It's ridiculous.' And we just went out there, and we play real live music. We don't mess around. We just give it, thrills and frills and good times."

Speaking specifically about DeVille's skills as a guitar player, Bret said: "I kid you not, and I get it, POISON's had some good parties, some good times, some highs, lows — that's what you go through as a human being and as a musician — but C.C. and Bobby and Rikki, and I like to put myself in there, we grew up just playing real live music, and C.C. can play; that guy can play… And C.C. up there, his tribute [on 'The Stadium Tour'] to Eddie [Van Halen], who was a friend and he loved, I thought it was not only engaging but it was really sincere. He wasn't doing it just to throw it away; he really meant it."

This past October, Rockett was asked by SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he and his POISON bandmates will embark on a headline tour in 2026 or if they will package with another band, possibly as part of another stadium tour. The 63-year-old Rikki, whose real name is Richard Allan Ream, said: "It's not figured out. We have agreed to do a minimum of 40 dates and maybe more. So whatever it works out to be, but it's for sure gonna be that many, at least. And I don't know. I mean, if there's somebody that we can package with that makes sense, great. If there isn't, then we'll headline. Whatever makes sense. I don't know who's going out yet that year, in '26, but if it makes sense to package with somebody, we'll do it. If it doesn't, we'll do it ourselves. It's like Bret said, if you can't do it right, do it anyway. But we'll be doing it right. [Laughs]"

In September, Bret told Arizona Republic about POISON's plan to tour in 2026: "Yeah, that would be incredible. We've just got to work out all the moving parts. But all original members. There's so much planning goes behind that. When I'm out as Bret Michaels, it's simpler because I'm making all the end decisions. When you're in a band like POISON, it's a committee. You go in there, and you figure it out together. You make sure everyone's good. And hopefully, we can make that work in '26."

Asked if things were "good" between him and his POISON bandmates during the 2022 "The Stadium Tour" with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and Joan Jett, Bret said: "Absolutely. I want to be very clear. Other than an occasional throw down fistfight — I'm not making this up — we're like best friends. But there's no gray area. All of a sudden, we'll get in a fistfight. But the next day, we'll go out and play. We'll work it out like a band of brothers. 'The Stadium Tour' was amazing. We were having fun. We didn't get too many soundchecks. We just dealt with what we were given and were grateful to be there. DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY, they were amazing. They played great. But we just came out, and we knew we had one hour at 6 o'clock to go out there and give it everything we had. And it was one of the only stadium tours that from Live Nation's lips to everyone's ears, it was 98 to 100% filled when POISON went on."

Earlier in September, Michaels released a statement via social media in which he said that he was planning to "perform limited shows" in 2025 to focus primarily on his health, "starting with my diabetes which needs a tune-up, not to mention a little R&R." He added that 2026 "would be the perfect" time for a POISON 40th-anniversary tour, "with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world."

Bret's explanation came two days after Rockett revealed on social media that Michaels was no longer interested in touring with POISON next year.

On September 10, the POISON drummer took to his official Facebook page to write: "I keep getting asked multiple times a day, 'Why isn't POISON touring in 2025 now?' Super simple answer, Bret doesn't want to." The following day, Rikki clarified: "People, I never said that Bret is cancelling the 2025 tour. It didn't get booked. I said the reason POISON isn't touring in 2025 is because Bret doesn't want to. Doesn't matter what the reason for him is as far as what I said. I'm simply telling you why so that CC [DeVille, POISON guitarist], Bobby [Dall, POISON bassist] or myself doesn't get blamed. It isn't dirt. It isn't a fight. Just the facts, ma'am. Surmise what you want from it. You will anyway!"

Just six months ago, Rikki wrote on social media that POISON would be touring in 2025." He added at the time: "As usual, there will be no backing tracks. Live, raw and uncut. Warts and all."

Ten months ago, Bret spoke about POISON's plans to regroup for more shows following the band's 2022 participation in "The Stadium Tour" alongside MÖTLEY CRÜE, DEF LEPPARD and Joan Jett. During a February 25, 2024 question-and-answer session aboard the Rock Legends Cruise XI, he said: "When we go back, I think in 2025, it's always been, to me, all-original POISON. We'll have C.C and Bobby and Rikki and myself and go do another big stadium tour and arena tour in 2025."

Regarding his motivation for going back out on the road with POISON after spending most of his time touring with his solo band, Bret said: "We've known each other since we've been in junior high school… I wouldn't be here without Bobby or Rikki or C.C. And then, as you go along, we've been together a long time — still great friends. If anyone saw 'The Stadium Tour', that was a party. And when you're out there with that DEF LEPPARD and MÖTLEY and Joan, you're talking A-plus awesomeness. And we just came out and brought it.

"For me, what it is, we do about a couple of years solo, and then we'll go out and do 35 or 40 dates with POISON," he explained. "And we set it up, we schedule it."

POISON's long-delayed North American trek with DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE and JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS was originally planned for 2020 and later moved to 2021 and then to 2022.

In 2018, POISON completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

Back in 2018, Dall said that POISON "should" be making a new studio album but claimed that he didn't know if it would happen. "I'm not going to bullshit you and say there's any [new music] in the process [of being made]," he told All That Shreds. "Would I like there to be? Yes. But, it's a matter of everyone having the time. Everybody in the band has other commitments. Some members have younger children than others. So between those two issues, it's difficult, and, you know, [there are] health issues as we get older. Should we be making a new record? Yes, definitely. But will it happen? I don't know."

In a 2017 interview, Rikki acknowledged that part of the reason the band hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans."

More recently, Rockett admitted that he and other members of POISON harbored some resentment toward Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.

"I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away," Rockett said. "There's definitely some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want POISON to be important too, and I would like [him] to put a little more energy into POISON."

Photo credit: Mark Weiss

SOUNDGARDEN's surviving members reunited last night (Saturday, December 14) for a special "brief encore performance" at the 13th annual SMooCH concert benefiting Seattle Children's Hospital's uncompensated care fund. Kim Thayil, Matt Cameron and Ben Shepherd performed under the anagram alias NUDEDRAGONS at Showbox in Seattle, joined by singer-songwriter Shaina Shepherd. Also appearing on the bill for the Nordstrom-backed benefit gig wereSebadoh, Doug Martsch of BUILT TO SPILL and GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan.

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

Featured songs:

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

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

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

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

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

Finally- the final band announcement!! We are to stoked to announce that Nudedragons will be returning to the stage, and...

Posted by SMooCH Seattle Musicians for Children's Hospital on Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Former Skid Row singer, Erik Grönwall, has shared a new video featuring a performance of the traditional Christmas classic, "Oh Holy Nights". Check it out below.


Grönwall: "Special thanks to Alunda Församling for letting us borrow your beautiful church."







Live In London, Skid Row's first official live album and concert film in a 35+ year career, is now available on heavyweight 2LP gatefold, CD + DVD, digital download and all streaming services via earMUSIC.


"Youth Gone Wild" is the latest video from the full program, and captures the rapture of a sold out 02 Forum Kentish Town London gone wild for the Skids and the culmination of a dream years in the making.


"As teens, we dreamt of playing places like the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ and CBGB in New York City... our dreams became bigger with London, England at the forefront. We fantasized one day to headline a show in the very city where so many of our favorite bands came from," the band says.





Following the release of their critically acclaimed, hugely fan-embraced 2022 album The Gang's All Here, the band took the 02 stage on October 22 and delivered a Skid Row set for the ages. Running through their multi-platinum career, the packed venue could barely contain the band's and the fans’ energy on "18 And Life," "Monkey Business," "I Remember You" and so many other peak Skid Row moments.


Live In London is a defining live rock album... a band playing at the top of their game in front of a crowd that expected no less. Both Skid Row and the 02 public went far beyond expectations...and now the world can share in that moment.

Swedish alternative metallers Days Of Jupiter are proud to announce the release of their long-awaited fifth studio album, The World Was Never Enough. Already teased with three singles throughout the year, fans of the band will be able to enjoy the full album on February 7th, 2025 (RPM). Pre-order or pre-save the album here.


Striving to spread the DOJ sound into new territories, the work contains ten varied tracks - and their brand new single "Desolation" confirms the band's mission. Lyrically referring to the album title, the stirringly emotional ballad focuses on the band's more melancholic side, after the previous singles - the opener "Original Sin", "Machine" and "The Fix" - revealed heavier sounds from the Swedes' song arsenal. The message behind "Desolation" was perfectly visualized by Andreas Lundin (Litbox Productions), a long-term partner of the quintet.







The World Was Never Enough album details and previous singles are available below.

Crucial Velocity recently announced Controller, the follow-up to their self-titled 2023 album release, is forthcoming and due to drop January 10, 2025. Heavier, leaner and darker than the debut album, Controller is ready for the masses. 


They have released a music video for new single “Hollow”.


The track moves as a commentary on humanity’s failure to learn from history, opening with Georg Hegel’s timeless quote: 'The only thing that we learn from history is that we learn nothing from history.' Accompanied by a video by Wayne Joyner, known for his work with Dream Theater and Tremonti, “Hollow” showcases the band’s vision of melding dark atmospheres with hook-driven harmonies.




Crucial Velocity's Nate Bauer explains “‘Hollow’ was written after a conversation with a friend about ideology. Ideology, in my opinion, is the root of all evil. Ideology pushes politics and religion into dangerous cult like territory. Ideology promotes thoughtless thought in that you basically surrender yourself to whatever the ideology is without feeling the need to really think about what it is you are following. People placing complete trust in the ideology and the leaders who promote them. We have seen this happen over centuries with the rise of very evil leaders or civilizations. And yet, here we are in 2024 and supposedly intelligent people are still being caught up in dangerous ideological movements. We need to get back to pragmatic thought. Deep thoughtful thought. Androo O'Hearn captured the anger in the lyrics with his death metal growls while still maintaining the melodic approach that defines the Crucial Velocity sound.”


“On the new album, Controller, we took the elements that we loved from the debut and basically magnified them. The songs are more concise and heavy yet always melodic. There is a flow and a consistency throughout. We do not shy away from our

Germany's Rage returned to Wacken Open Air in 2024 for a special 40th band-anniversary show. Check out pro-shot video of "Refuge", "A New Land" and "Higher Than The Sky" below.





In March 2024, Rage released a new double studio album, Afterlifelines. Details are available below.







Afterlifelines tracklisting:


CD1
"In The Beginning"
"End Of Illusions"
"Under A Black Crown"
"Afterlife"
"Dead Man's Eyes"
"Mortal"
"Toxic Waves"
"Waterwar"
"Justice Will be Mine"
"Shadow World"

In a new interview with the "Everblack" podcast, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY and CAVALERA frontman Max Cavalera reflected on his four-decade career as a professional musician. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I don't really think of life in terms of time that much. I'm a kind of guy that I live a lot in the moment. I'm not a future guy and I'm not that much of a past guy. I'm more of a present guy, and I like to enjoy the moment that I'm in, whatever that is, and make the best of the situation. And sometimes the moment, it can be a little bit more struggling or you could be in a moment where you're just really enjoying the fruits of the labors. I had had both. A good example is the early beginning of SOULFLY — very struggling, complete crazy, a lot of doubt, self-doubt, and 'I don't know if I can do this under a different name' and all this shit. But I'm a guy that I live in the moment, so the now is what's happening… And then whatever happens later, whatever — I roll with it.'

He continued : "Don't get me wrong — I love the records, I love the body of work. It's a huge body of work — so many songs, it's crazy. I've actually been thinking about that, maybe do a book of touring stories. Because I was on a web site the other day — I forgot the name of it — that had every show I've ever done. Some fucker put all that together, and I was fucking blown away, because I forgot half of it. But he had it, and it kind of blew my mind, all the shows. I kept reading and going, 'Holy shit, this is crazy.' And everybody always wants to know about touring, like, 'How is touring?' So much happens on tour. Of course, American tours are different than European tours. South American tours are different than Australian tours, and then you can elaborate and all that. So I've been kind of messing around with this idea for a little bit, but I think I might be able to turn that into a book. I think that would be really cool for me and for the fans."

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

Max and Igor recently revisited their earliest SEPULTURA releases, "Morbid Visions" and "Bestial Devastation", and re-recorded them and put them out, along with a re-recorded version of guitarist Andreas Kisser's first album with SEPULTURA, "Schizophrenia".

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

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

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

Century Media has released the remix / remaster of Sacramentum’s The Coming Of Chaos. A visualizer for "Awaken Chaos" is streaming below:





Sacramentum’s sophomore album The Coming Of Chaos, is newly remixed and remastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound (Dissection, Opeth, Marduk). The revamped version of this 1997 album comes with brand-new artwork by Kristian “Necrolord” Wåhlin (Dissection, Bathory, Edge Of Sanity) as well as special liner-notes by the band in the CD format, and is also available as LP on 180g vin

THE KOVENANT returned to the live stage last night (Saturday, December 14) at the Eindhoven Metal Meeting festival in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. The band, which won a Norwegian Grammy equivalent, called Spellemannsprisen, in 1999 in the category of "Best Hard Rock Album" for the "Nexus Polaris" LP, performed that effort in its entirety at Eindhoven Metal Meeting with a lineup that featured all the original members back in action, including vocalist and bass guitarist Nagash, drummer Hellhammer, keyboardist Sverd, guitarist Astennu and female vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva.

Earlier today (Sunday, December 15),Sarah took to her social media to write: "Seriously, hands down, the most incredible experience ever. So humble, so grateful and so ready for what's next. I think this morning, I'm on a major come down, as usual I wear my heart on my sleeve and will always say what I feel, and I have to say, not only do I love these guys so much, but the crew also. What a team. I met some old friends and met some new friends that I had only met online and worked with. It's been a long time since I've cried laughing, and I cried a lot.... laughing.. think maybe a bit of wee came out too.... Thank you."

THE KOVENANT will also perform on the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise in late January and early February, and at the Karmøygeddon Metal Festival in Kopervik. Norway in early May. The band's set will include tracks from "Nexus Polaris" and "Animatronic", along with classics from THE KOVENANT's debut album, "In Times Before The Light".

While the band faces challenges with the absence of founding member Psy Coma due to health issues, Knut Magne Valle from the legendary band ARCTURUS has stepped in to ensure that the magic continues to flow seamlessly.

THE KOVENANT was formed in 1993 under the name COVENANT by two black metal artists known as Nagash (Stian Arnesen) and Blackheart (Amund Svensson),who released the debut album, "In Times Before The Light" (1997). The band signed with the German record company Nuclear Blast in 1998 and recruited four other members to form an actual band: Astennu (of DIMMU BORGIR, CARPE TENEBRUM),Sverd (of ARCTURUS),Sarah Jezebel Deva (of CRADLE OF FILTH and others) and Hellhammer (of MAYHEM and others). With these new recruits, they released their second album, "Nexus Polaris", which was hugely successful and is largely considered their best album to date by fans.

Following a dispute with a Swedish electronic band of the same name, in 1999 COVENANT changed its name to THE KOVENANT. The name change also signaled a musical shift into an industrial metal-influenced sound.

In the beginning THE KOVENANT had a sound much similar to DIMMU BORGIR. Indeed, Nagash has played in the band and is a longtime friend to the lead vocalist Shagrath. On the "Nexus Polaris" album, the band developed a more industrial sound but still with a strong symphonic black metal influence. A re-release of "Nexus Polaris" was made in 2002. The original tracks were left untouched but two versions of "New World Order", a song from their 1999 album "Animatronic", were included as a bonus.

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Ace Frehley has confirmed that he has commenced work on "Origins Vol. 3", the sequel to Ace's 2016 and 2020 collections of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist. "I'm working on 'Origins Vol. 3', 'cause that's the next record I'm putting out next year in 2025," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "So, we're starting to gear up for that and figuring out which songs [to include on the LP]. I have a long extensive list and we're slowly whittling it down to which ones we're gonna track."

Frehley went on to say that he is once again working with TRIXTER's Steve Brown, who produced and co-wrote all the material on Ace's latest solo album, "10,000 Volts", which was released in February via MNRK Music Group (formerly eOne Music).

"'Origins Vol. 3' will probably be out before the end of 2025," Ace revealed. "I usually put out a record every year, year and a half, two years now. I have two more albums on my record deal with MNRK Music. And everything's great."

Released in September 2020, "Origins Vol. 2" featured cover versions of THE BEATLES' "I'm Down", DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'", LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appeared as a bonus track. Guests on the set included CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

Released in April 2016, "Origins Vol. 1" debuted at No. 23 on The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 16,000 equivalent album units. The CD featured KISS frontman Paul Stanley joining Ace on FREE's hit "Fire And Water", Slash trading leads on THIN LIZZY's classic "Emerald", Ford singing and playing lead on THE TROGGS staple "Wild Thing", then-ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace on the classic KISS composition "Parasite", and PEARL JAM's Mike McCready playing guitar with Ace on KISS's "Cold Gin".

In a 2016 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Frehley admitted that doing the first covers album was "the record company's idea. To be honest with you, initially, I wasn't that excited about the project, because I had just come off the high of the success of 'Space Invader', which is all originals except for a cover of 'The Joker'," he said. "It was almost, like, 'Okay, I'm going to go through the motions and get this out of the way and then jump into the studio for my next real studio album.' But I've gotta tell ya, man, once I started the process and started remembering the groups that influenced me, narrowing down which songs I thought were going to be best for the record, and then started the recording process; I really started getting more excited about it."

The official music video for the "10,000 Volts" track — directed by Alex Kouvatsos from Black Wolf Imaging — was released in late November 2023. A clip for "Cherry Medicine", which was directed by Justin H. Reich of Three Thirty-Three Creative and produced by Reich and Steve Seabury, followed in February.

Ace's next all-original album will be the follow-up to "Spaceman", which was released in October 2018 via eOne.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons co-wrote two tracks on "Spaceman", "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Gene's bass playing.

Photo credit: Jayme Thornton

Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with MEGADETH and ANGRA, has shared the Leo Liberti Films-directed music video for his new solo single, "Talking Dreams". The track is taken from his latest solo album, "Theory Of Mind", which was released in November.

The official YouTube description of the "Talking Dreams" music video, courtesy of Loureiro, reads as follows: "'Talking Dreams' unveils the poignant tale of a dancer confined to the shadows of the stage. Though her soul belongs to the spotlight, she finds herself entangled in mundane tasks, lost in dissatisfaction, trying on costumes that never seem to fit. In contrast, Kiko Loureiro stands on stage, his back turned to an absent audience, immersed in a performance unseen and unheard. Meanwhile, in an alternate timeline, the dancer moves — but in reverse, her graceful motions rewinding through time.

"This narrative is a metaphor for the human journey: a life spent ignoring our true purpose, our innate gifts, our deepest calling. It reflects the tragedy of living as spectators in our own stories, wearing roles that don't resonate and rarely stepping forward as the protagonists of our lives.

"In the climactic moment, the dancer faces the reality of her own mortality. In desperation, she pursues the dream she had always longed for — only to realize it is too late. Life, after all, has its own rhythm, and its tempo waits for no one.

"The video's retro aesthetic evokes the theatricality of existence, a grand spectacle where we are often cast in parts we never chose. A movie in which we live as characters we don’t like and almost never as the protagonists."

Kiko previously stated about "Theory Of Mind": "When I set out to write this album, 'Theory Of Mind', it felt more like an exploration than a project. Music, for me, has always been about uncovering the hidden layers of thought and emotion, and this album took me into new territories — ones where psychology and technology intersect with the core of what makes us human. But this wasn't just a conceptual or intellectual exercise for me. I had personal experiences that led me to create this music, experiences that reshaped how I see the world and how we understand each other.

"The concept of 'theory of mind' isn't new. It's a psychological term, first developed to describe the unique human ability to recognize and interpret the mental states of others. We use it every day, often unconsciously, to navigate the social world, to empathize, to predict what others might feel or think. It becomes even more profound when applied to those who experience life differently for whom 'theory of mind' may not come naturally. In them, the gaps in understanding can be bridges to deeper ways of seeing the world. This album seeks to capture that complexity — the struggle, the beauty, and the unknown that comes with interpreting the minds of others. I've seen this first-hand, both in my own life and through people close to me. Watching someone struggle to connect with others on an intuitive level or seeing how people are often misunderstood because they process the world differently — it all started to shape my thinking. How do we understand those whose minds work in ways we can't immediately grasp? How do they understand us? These questions weighed heavily on me and became a driving force behind this album. I wanted to reflect on those personal experiences musically, creating an emotional landscape where the listener could step inside that journey, even if just for a moment.
But there's another layer to this album that extends beyond psychology and into the future of technology.

"We are on the verge of a new era where machines — artificial intelligence — are approaching what scientists refer to as 'theory of mind'. This marks the moment when AI not only calculates and processes information but begins to perceive, empathize, and interact as humans do. What intrigued me is how AI, now convincingly mimic human understanding of mental states, even outperforming humans in 'theory of mind' tests. It's one thing to create music that evokes human emotion, but what does it mean when a machine can understand and resonate with those emotions too? Imagine a world where technology not only responds but feels.

"Each track on the album is a chapter in this story, and I hope listeners feel the evolution. The opening song begins with an intricate awakening motif, almost like the first realization of self-awareness, like when a child first grasps that other people have thoughts, emotions, and experiences separate from their own. The music builds from there, layering with complexity, much like how we learn to navigate the minds of others — tentative at first, and then more certain, with moments of tension and harmony.
There's a rhythmic pulse throughout the album. It represents that shared essence we all have the need to connect, to feel understood. I incorporated melodies and counter-melodies, verses and choruses, peaceful and aggressive, dissonant or consonant that mirror the interplay of thoughts in dialogue, where communication is imperfect but still profound. The tension and release echo the internal conflicts we all experience—wondering if we truly understand others or if we're just projecting our own thoughts onto them.

"There's a vulnerability in the tracks' melodies, a fragile but fierce will to connect. In a way, it's a meditation on empathy, on the effort it can take to truly see someone for who they are.
The use of AI as an inspiration for some of the album's themes might seem abstract. As I wrote and composed, I kept coming back to the question: What happens when machines learn to understand us on an emotional level? When we teach them to interpret our mental states? Does it make them more human, or does it reveal more about what it means to be human ourselves? Should I let AI start making all the music, what about me, how can I express myself?

"'Theory Of Mind' isn't just about understanding — it's about the desire to understand. Whether it's a person who feels misunderstood, or a future AI learning to perceive our emotions, the album is an invitation to explore that space. To sit with the complexities, to feel the tension, and ultimately, to wonder — where do we go from here?"

In November 2023, Kiko announced his decision to "extend" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, explaining that he didn't want to "hinder any of the band's plans or the hard work of all the incredible people involved in the tour."

Kiko revealed in September 2023 that he would sit out the next leg of MEGADETH's "Crush The World" tour in order to stay home with his children back in Finland.

One day after Kiko's announcement that he was "extending" his absence from MEGADETH's touring activities, band leader Dave Mustaine released a statement in which he said that he loves Loureiro and respects and fully supports Kiko's decision. He described Kiko as "a top-notch professional, a maestro" and thanked the guitarist "for his dedication and hard work these past nine years, helping us to achieve a Grammy on 'Dystopia' and the additional awards we have received on this latest record 'The Sick... The Dying...And The Dead'." Mustaine added: "I could not have done this without Kiko Loureiro."

MEGADETH played its first concert with Kiko's replacement, Teemu Mäntysaari on September 6, 2023 at Revel in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari was born in Tampere, Finland and began playing guitar at the age of 12. In 2004, he joined the band WINTERSUN. He has also been a member of SMACKBOUND since 2015.

Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.

In a recent interview with Japan's Young Guitar, Kiko was asked about the possibility of a future guest appearance with ANGRA. He responded: "In the last two albums from ANGRA, not being in the band, I did record a guest solo. I was touring a lot and I have small kids, so I didn't wanna travel more to do a guest appearance. It might be in the future. I'm friends of everybody. I have a great history with ANGRA. Same goes with MEGADETH. I'm still friends of everybody, and I don't wanna burn bridges."

He continued: "I'm proud of all the albums I recorded with ANGRA. I'm proud of the albums that I recorded with MEGADETH, the two albums I recorded with MEGADETH, all the concerts and tours we did together. So, guest appearances, recording a solo, helping somehow or just hanging, I'm happy to do it, because I like all those people as friends and family, because I shared so many great moments of my life with the guys from ANGRA, of course, many, many years, and also almost nine years in MEGADETH as well."

METALLICA's fourth "Helping Hands Concert & Auction" took place last night (Friday, December 13) at YouTube Theater in Los Angeles.

In addition to METALLICA, this year's "Helping Hands Concert & Auction" featured a performance by Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony, Joe Satriani and Kenny Aronoff, as well as by SistaStrings, the sisters-turned-classically trained duo named 2023's "best instrumentalist" by the Americana Music Association.

Hosted once again by Jimmy Kimmel, this year's event marked the return of All Within My Hands' "Helping Hands Concert & Auction" to Los Angeles — where the previous "Helping Hands" show in December 2022 raised approximately $3,000,000 — 100% of which went directly to All Within My Hands' efforts supporting workforce education, the fight against hunger, disaster relief and other critical local services.

METALLICA's setlist for the fourth "Helping Hands Concert & Auction" was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

Acoustic

01. Low Man's Lyric (with Avi Vinocur) (also with Henry Salvia; first performance since September 13, 1998)
02. Helpless (DIAMOND HEAD cover) (with Avi Vinocur) (also with Henry Salvia; first performance since April 7, 2018)
03. Away From Home (BACHMAN–TURNER OVERDRIVE cover) (with Avi Vinocur) (also with Henry Salvia; live debut)
04. If Darkness Had A Son (with SistaStrings) (also with Avi Vinocur and Henry Salvia; live debut of acoustic rendition)
05. Nothing Else Matters (with SistaStrings) (also with Avi Vinocur and Henry Salvia)

Electric

06. Orion
07. The Shortest Straw
08. Until It Sleeps
09. Screaming Suicide
10. The Unforgiven II (with Avi Vinocur) (first performance since September 16, 2015)
11. Fuel (with Avi Vinocur) (also with Henry Salvia; new arrangement)
12. Hit The Lights (with Jeff Ament)
13. Master Of Puppets

100% of ticket and auction proceeds from this year's "Helping Hands Concert & Auction" benefited All Within My Hands, with 100% of ticket and auction proceeds going directly to those in need.

Established in 2017 as a way to give back to communities that have supported METALLICA over the years, All Within My Hands has raised over $15 million — providing $8.2 million in grants to career and technical education programs including the ground-breaking Metallica Scholars Initiative, now in its sixth year, over $3.6 million to combat food insecurity, more than $3.5 million to disaster relief efforts.

All Within My Hands was established by METALLICA to invest in the people and places that have supported the band. It also allows METALLICA's fans to engage in philanthropy and volunteerism. The Foundation is dedicated to creating sustainable communities through workforce education, the fight against hunger, and other critical local services. All expenses of the Foundation are covered by the band, the board, and a few special friends so that 100 percent of donations go to the organizations it supports. AWMH is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Last year, All Within My Hands donated a portion of all ticket sales from METALLICA's "M72" world tour back into the communities visited during each tour stop. In partnership with local promoters, the Foundation worked diligently to find organizations that aligned with the AWMH mission and actively put funds to use to better the lives of people in need.

The METALLICA family and the All Within My Hands foundation board members are committed to running an organization of the highest integrity where expenses are kept to a minimum and are paid for entirely by the band, the board, and friends who have worked with the band over many years and are excited to help in this mission. As such, 100% of all donations from fans and third parties go to the organizations AWMH supports.

In January 2022, METALLICA announced the appointment of Peter Delgrosso as executive director to All Within My Hands. Pete had served on AWMH advisory board since 2018 and is focused on the future of the foundation.

METALLICA's 2021 "The Metallica Blacklist" compilation generated more than $1 million in donations. All the profits from the "Blacklist" project were divided evenly between All Within My Hands and charities chosen by the participating artists.

Setlist from last night with two novelties: ‘Low Man's Lyric’, which hadn't been played since September 13, 1998, and...

Posted by Metallica Inc. on Saturday, December 14, 2024

KING DIAMOND will release a new single, "Spider Lilly", on Tuesday, December 17. A teaser for the song's accompanying music video can be found below.

KING DIAMOND performed "Spider Lilly" live for the first time at the kick-off concert of the band's long-awaited North American headlining tour, which launched on October 15 at Boeing Center at Tech Port in San Antonio, Texas. The "Saint Lucifer's Hospital 1920" trek ran through December 6 in Dallas, Texas. Support came from OVERKILL and NIGHT DEMON. Additional backing vocals for the KING DIAMOND set were provided by the special guest Myrkur.

Last month, the KING DIAMOND shows in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (November 20 at Edmonton Convention Center),Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada (November 21 at TCU Place),Calgary, Alberta Canada (November 22 at Grey Eagle Event Centre),Portland, Oregon (November 24 at Keller Auditorium) and Seattle, Washington (November 25 at The Moore Theatre) were canceled due to "unforeseen circumstances".

KING DIAMOND's setlist for the fall 2024 tour included two new songs, "Electro Therapy" and the aforementioned "Spider Lilly".

KING DIAMOND 2024 touring lineup:

Andy La Rocque - guitar
Mike Wead - guitar
Pontus Egberg - bass
Matt Thompson - drums
Myrkur - additional backing vocals, keyboards

Titled "The Institute", KING DIAMOND's first studio LP in 18 years is tentatively due in 2025 via Metal Blade. It will be made available as a two-LP horror concept story, with the second part arriving at a later date.

In October 2023, KING DIAMOND released a music video for the 2019 single "Masquerade Of Madness". The clip was directed by David Brodsky and Allison Woest of MyGoodEye Visuals.

At the time of the video's release, King commented: "'Masquerade Of Madness' was released digitally in 2019 before our North American tour. During rehearsals, we took one full day to film 'Masquerade Of Madness' with David Brodsky and Allison Woest. We spent all day and all night recording while performing the song with our full tour stage show choreography. After the tour, Covid happened.

"The video was all but forgotten as the world came to a standstill — we never saw a single frame from all the footage. Years later, as things began to pick up and writing began for both new MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND records, we wondered, what happened to that video from four years ago? So we decided to check in with David Brodsky and a couple of weeks later, we had the first cut of the video.

"I was speechless! I had nothing to criticize and after just a few notes from Andy La Rocque, the video for 'Masquerade Of Madness' was finished! There's so much mood and black and white is used in a perfect way with Jodi's performances. The visuals fit the music flawlessly and this is now among my favorite KING DIAMOND videos along with 'Sleepless Nights' and 'Welcome Home' — and not to forget of course, our double live DVD."

A month after KING DIAMOND released "Masquerade Of Madness" in November 2019, KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque told The Metal Voice that he came up with the music for the track first before passing it off to King, who "needed to arrange a few things and change just a small few things for making it work with his vocals. And then, of course, he wrote the lyrics for it," the guitarist revealed. "So we [went] a little back and forth until he felt like, 'Okay, this is cool, man. This is the right key to sing in,' and all that."

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the band's last album, 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

KING DIAMOND released a DVD/Blu-ray, "Songs For The Dead Live", in January 2019 via Metal Blade Records. The set captures 1987's seminal "Abigail" album in its entirety, twice, and in very different locales: Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015. The performances feature KING DIAMOND's current band, comprising of guitarists La Rocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and Matt Thompson.



Spider Lilly 🕷️ December 17

Posted by King Diamond on Friday, December 13, 2024

In a new interview with Thomas S. Orwat, Jr. of Rock Interview Series, LAST IN LINE bassist Phil Soussan once again confirmed that he and his bandmates — frontman Andrew Freeman and original DIO members Vivian Campbell (DEF LEPPARD) and Vinny Appice (ex-BLACK SABBATH) — are working on material for their fourth studio album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We had got together, and in the crazy way that we do, we usually get together and get into a room. And we don't really bring in ideas. We just get into a room and plug in and start banging around and seeing what comes out, seeing what sounds cool. And we've got a whole bunch of embryonic ideas, and so we're working that at the moment. We do have to work around the DEF LEPPARD schedule, obviously; that's part of the parcel of what we do, and it's fine. And Viv has some personal things that he has to do as well, which is not my business to talk about. So that's going to mean where it's gonna be a little hard for us to get together as much to do this record. However, the [2023] 'Jericho' album, we got together and recorded half of those ideas just before the pandemic. It wasn't a plan. We found ourselves in L.A. 'Let's go into a studio and let's just do that.' And it turned out to be somewhat prophetic because of what happened with the pandemic. At least we had half an album to work on. But in the process of doing that, we found that we were able to work on a record remotely, using file transfers and doing things. So, half of 'Jericho' was done that way. And a lot of this album is probably going to be done in a similar kind of way as well. And the plan is probably to get back out on the road again after the summer of '25."

Asked if there has been any thoughts of maybe going out on a tour opening for a bigger band and getting more exposure to LAST IN LINE, Phil said: "It would be great, if it would work out and if everything made sense. Just prior to the pandemic, we were really on a good roll, and we had been going to Europe quite a lot and we had done tours opening for SAXON, for example, that was just terrific. It was a lot of fun for everyone on the tour together, and we had a great time. When that whole period came along, it really disrupted a lot of our plans. We had plans to go to South America, to Japan and back to Europe, a bunch of festivals in Europe, and all of that vaporized. And it's been hard trying to get that impetus back on track again. Not for any crazy reasons. One of the reasons, which is no secret, it's extremely expensive to try to get to Europe now, what with the kind of costs involved in touring — the fuel costs and the transportation costs and the way that the exchange rates have been, it's almost been a little prohibitive. And we've sort of been waiting for an opportunity to be able to go there and do that. We'd love to, sooner rather than later, I hope. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed."

Regarding how difficult is it for a band at the level of LAST IN LINE to make a profit going out on the road, Phil said: "It's not really about making a profit. It's about, basically, being able to cover everything, cover all the expenses. We're very passionate about what we do, and I think I am personally, and that's always been my mantra, is to be passionate about what I'm doing and let the money take care of itself. So it's not just about trying to make money, but sometimes it's just cost prohibitive to be able to do something. I mean, if you figure the expenses of — I don't wanna get into details, but once you start adding these numbers up, then you realize it's going to be really in the whole to do a tour. But if we can cover it and get close to covering it, then that's fine. I mean, thank God that we don't all live paycheck to paycheck and we're able to be able to do these things and get together with our fans in a way that works for everyone. I mean, that's the most important thing, is getting the music in front of the people who love our band and being able to find a way to do it."

LAST IN LINE's third album, "Jericho", came out in March 2023 via earMUSIC. The LP was helmed by Chris Collier, who has previously worked with KORN and WHITESNAKE, among other bands. LAST IN LINE's first two albums were produced by former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

Last year, Vivian told Classic Rock magazine about the "Jericho" songwriting process: "One thing we insist on in LAST IN LINE is that we have to be in the room together when we cut the tracks, old school, because that's how we did the early DIO records with Ronnie [James Dio]. We started this record in January 2020 in L.A., intending to finish it that April, and then obviously COVID happened and things got… discombobulated. It wasn't until February 2022 that we were able to get back into the studio, but that break only made the record stronger."

In 2022, LAST IN LINE surprised fans by releasing a unique version of THE BEATLES classic "A Day In The Life", which was made available on the limited 12-inch silver collector's EP with the same name.

Formed in 2012 by Appice, Campbell and bassist Jimmy Bain — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — LAST IN LINE's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released in February 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly died at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album before beginning work on the follow-up release, 2019's "II", which was also made available through Frontiers Music Srl.

Photo credit: Jim Wright

Kingmaker is delighted to announce the publication of Genesis: 1975 To 2025 - The Phil Collins Years by Mario Giammetti on April 17, 2025.


Originally published in 2021 as Genesis: 1975 to 2021 – The Phil Collins Years and out of print since late 2022, Genesis: 1975 To 2025 – The Phil Collins Years features fully revised text, new interview content and two additional chapters to bring the Genesis story completely up to date. As well as providing a detailed appraisal of The Last Domino? tour, the book also covers other recent events in the world of Genesis, including the sad loss of Richard Macphail and the forthcoming reissue of The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.    


Genesis: 1975 To 2025 – The Phil Collins Years is the definitive biography of one of the world’s greatest rock bands following the departure of Peter Gabriel. It contains numerous exclusive interviews with band members and all of the important personalities who were part of the story of Genesis from 1975 onwards, including Ray Wilson who fronted the band for 1997’s Calling All Stations album and subsequent tour before the return of Phil Collins in 2007.

Mob Rules continues with their flagship German power metal, they’ve been known for in the scene. Founded in 1994, since their legendary debut album Savage Land (1999) and its glorious successor Temple Of Two Suns, they have been delivering anthemic and highly melodic power metal that has taken on symphonic and progressive traits over the years.


Their discography, which now comprises nine studio albums, contains highlights throughout, above all the hit-packed “Among The Gods”, the epic “Radical Peace” with the long track “The Oswald File” and their chart-breaker “Beast Reborn”, which pushed Mob Rules to #37 in the German album charts. Most recently, the band around frontman Klaus Dirks thrilled with the best-of compilation Celebration Day - 30 Years Of Mob Rules, including some new recordings and cover versions of Iron Maiden, Ghost, Dio and others.


Mob Rules are currently back in the recording studio, working under the direction of Markus Teske (Symphony X, Vanden Plas, U.D.O. and others) on their tenth, as yet untitled studio album, which is scheduled for release in late summer 2025. However, they would like to release a first forerunner at the beginning of next year.




“All the songs have been written and large parts of them have already been recorded,” reveals the frontman and goes into even more detail: ”You can look forward to an album that is special in many respects, with which we have managed to build a bridge between yesterday and today. In other words, our own band history partly served as inspiration. The material is multi-layered and conceptually structured. This much can already be revealed: In addition to the CD and vinyl, there will be an additional physical product of the album, in which we have brought in all our creativity and spared no expense or effort to offer the fans the ultimate experience of the new record. More will be revealed in due course, but we can already tell you that the first single will be called 'Back To Savage Land'.”





Mob Rules are also expecting a breath of fresh air from their new label partner ROAR (Grave Digger, Mystic Prophecy, Sacred Steel and others).


“We were very pleased about the great interest and the resulting signing of Mob Rules with the newly established label ROAR,” comments singer Klaus Dirks and adds: ”As a band, we find everything we could wish for there, both structurally and in terms of know-how and the human component. We have a long-standing relationship of trust with some of the employees there. Among them is Markus Wosgien, who has followed Mob Rules with great inter

Kobra And The Lotus guitarist, Jasio Kulakowski, has released a new solo single, "Fall". Check out the official video below.


Jasio: "My first release as a solo artist, 'Fall', is out on all streaming platforms. It’s a 2-track single including an unplugged version as well. I wrote, produced and mixed this at my home studio in Canada, mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, USA.


This song is able to make me laugh and cry at the same time and it embodies everything I got into making music for 20 years ago - that’s a beautiful feeling. I love it and I hope you will check it out.




I shot this around various places in southern Utah. The main performance bits are done sitting on a rock in the middle of the canyon narrows in Zion National Park while people were traipsing

Progressive metal titans Sacrosanct have inked a worlwide record deal with powerhouse label ROAR, who will release the band's forthcoming studio offering, entitled Kidron. Slated for a March 7, 2025 release, the album preorder is available here.


The band comments: "We are thrilled to be part of the new ROAR family! Yes, it took another year to get everything up and running, and yes, we are all sure it was worth it! Thanks to Markus Wosgien for making this possible for us! With him and Lambros at ROAR we have strong partners at our side who support us in taking Kidron out into the world! On CD, vinyl and live! Stay tuned!"


An official music video for the band's first single, "Avenging Angel", is now premiering below. 




It's the first track written for Sacrosanct’s fifth, new album Kidron and kind of a signature-song for the record. The song talks about Francis, their mascot and combines Sacrosanct’s distinctive melancholic mood, but at the same time is comprehensible without being commercially appealing. A complex, but catchy progressive metal hymn.


Sacrosanct, established in 1988, are a well-respected name in the metal scene, most known for their three classic albums during the early 1990s: Truth Is – What Is, Recesses For The depraved and Tragic Intense.


The Sacrosanct signature sound gradually progressed from sophisticated thrash metal to a more edgy, melodic and atmospheric aural landscape. The brainchild of founding member and lead guitar player Randy Meinhard (ex-Pestilence) returned in 2018, after a 25-year hiatus, with their fourth album “Necropolis”, which was highly acclaimed and bears all of the hallmarks and intricacies that defines Sacrosanct, with a strong emphasis on melancholic melodies and harmony guitar parts as well as a focus on thought-provoking lyrics. Six years later, Sacrosanct return with the even more powerful, still complex, but catchy Kidron, introducing their new singer Max Morton, who outshines the album with his clear, dynamic and unique voice. “The album combines all our trademarks, has a unique atmosphere due to all the circumstances we had to go through and is accessible and complex at the same time,” comments Randy Meinhard.


The special thing about Sacrosanct is that every album sounds different. “We always write and play songs in our own way. We can't and won't deny our roots. Of course, our first albums were more thrash-heavy, but there was a lot more going on in the songs. You just can't reduce us to that. I p

Off the backs of their latest single release, "Hellraiser," and their North American Tour with Raven to support the full-length release of the latest album Sunburn, Wicked is back with more high energy rock ‘n' roll.


Wicked is set to release yet another single; "Reptile Roots" on Friday, December 13. Pre-save here.







Not only will there be a reckless new hard rock track to crank up, but a new music video to accompany it, which will give a look back in time to scenes from the "It's Summer Somewhere Tour" that the band just completed.


The band will be celebrating their single release with an intimate hometown show on December 13 at LUX located on 666 South Ave. Rochester, NY 14620, before they break into the new year and embark on their trip to NAMM to play the Anaheim, CA House of Blues with Metal Allegiance, as well as OTTTO and Lost Legacy on January 23.


With no stopping in sight, join Wicked as they rip through the end of 2024 and into 2025 with a mission to put that reckless fun back into rock ‘n’ roll!


"You all have been asking for it after every show, from NY to LA and Toronto to Mexico City. Well now you've got it! I give you ‘Reptile Root

Legendary guitarist Phil X’s own band, Phil X & The Drills, has unveiled a new single “Don’t Wake Up Dead”, featuring Korn drummer Ray Luzier, out now via Frontiers Music Srl. The track comes with brand-new artwork created by Thomas Estrada. The video is accompanied by a new visualizer, available below.


Phil X commented on the single:


“'Don’t Wake Up Dead' is a look at how people just go through the motions of life just to get to the end of their day. I know because I, myself, have been there. To put it into impactful words, if you’re not waking up ready to conquer all obstacles, you’re waking up dead. Plus… Put to music that’s like downing a triple espresso is pretty awesome."