Swedish metallers SOILWORK have released an official live video for their latest single, "Spirit Of No Return". Check it out below.

Last month, SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid spoke to Germany's Moshpit Passion about "Spirit Of No Return", which came out in October. The track marks a significant milestone in the band'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

When Summer Breeze first announced the line-up for the 2024 edition, a band name truly stuck out. Not your traditional heavy metal act, but one with a Celtic flavour. But indeed, an incredible heavy metal past. We are talking about the Celtic-punk phenomenon Flogging Molly. Who? Here’s some background. After “Fast” Eddie Clarke left Motörhead in 1982 during the Iron Fist tour, he joined forces with Humble Pie drum legend Jerry Shirley and a new singer from Dublin by the name of Dave King. Fastway was formed and the band’s debut album went through the roof, hitting the Top 40 in the US, which Motörhead had never done. To this day it is one of the finest debut albums in hard rock/metal history in 1983. And King’s voice led the charge with such classic as "Easy Livin’”, "Say What You Will”, "Feel Me, Touch Me (Do Anything You Want)" and the epic "We Become One”. Fastway disbanded after three albums (including 1984’s All Fired Up, 1986’s Waiting For The Roar) and the Trick Or Treat soundtrack in 1986. After the Katmandu project, King formed Flogging Molly and the rest is history. 



So when I saw that Flogging Molly was added to the Summer Breeze bill, I thought, what the hell. Let’s try and cross paths with the legendary voice of Fastway, Dave King. And the festival organizers made it happen. And he was gracious enough to talk about his present and his past. So, Fastway fans, here is an excerpt from my jaw-dropping chat:    


BraveWords: Where were you when “Fast” Eddie died? When we lost all the original Motörhead members, that was tragic.




King: "Philthy used to live with me in LA. He used to stay in my flat. But Eddie had health issues, but I didn't even know Eddie was sick. I was in the middle of a tour in Europe, like festival season, when I heard he passed away. Myself and Eddie hadn't talked in a few years you know. It was sad, but there were a lot of issues there between the two of us."


BraveWords: Were you actually a Motörhead fan when you got hired?


King: "Yeah, I mean I literally had seen Motörhead three weeks before he left."


BraveWords: Although I was too young to attend, Fast Eddie's final show with Motörhead was on the Iron Fist tour at Toronto's CNE in 1982. That's when then band imploded.


King: "He was very upset at the thing they did with Wendy O' Williams from The Plasmatics. Eddie was very upset by that. I've got a great story. I was at a pub called the Prince Of Wales in London. And a lot of people drank there. Joe Strummer drank there. So did Lemmy. They hired a friend of mine to help me out, help me adjust. They just hired him so that I'd be OK. Because it was a whole new world to me you know. I was 18 years of age and knew fuck all, and we are in the Prince Of Wales pub and my friend went over to talk to Lemmy and he asked him, 'Do you think you'll ever get back together with Eddie?' He said 'No' and he pointed at me. I was at a pinball machine and Lemmy points at me and says "Because of him." 


BraveWords: So did you get along with Lemmy at all?


King: "Lemmy was fine, Lemmy was brilliant. He was a fucking genius. He didn't give a fuck. He ruled his world. Flogging Molly toured with Motörhead a few times and he was always, always, always a really intelligent, smart man. His company was great. Him and Eddie always got on after he left Motörhead."


BraveWords: What was your fave Motörhead record then?


King: "I'm the live album guy. No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith was my album. UFO, their live album as well. I was really into live albums.  I think that's the reason Flogging Molly is a live band, I love live music."


BraveWords: Where would you want to record your live record then?


King: "Well, we have a plan."


BraveWords: Are we talking about the plan?


King: "No, I can't talk about the plan yet, but we have one in the works and obviously it's going to be very special. Hopefully it will pan out the way I feel it. Because I think it's important, for us anyway, it will be an important record. Our next album will be a live album. Especially playing these metal festivals as well. You feel that energy and you miss that. The comraderie of people, looking out into the audience, A sea of people, it's uplifting it really is."



BraveWords: Last question. Who is your rock star?


King: "Probably him. Freddie Mercury (shows me that tattoo on his finger). I'm mean there's lots. He brought a lot of joy. The first few Queen albums are just fucking mint. And he's given me one of the greatest compliments anyone has ever given me. He said he hated me. And I asked why he hated me. Because he heard me sing. On the first Fastway album. Jokingly. Cause he heard me sing. I knew the rest of the band. I'd met Brian and Roger. Brian May told me Freddie was a big fan of mine."


BraveWords: So what do you think was your peak vocal moment in Fastway?


King: "Oh fuck. I don't, maybe 'We Become One'. But 'All Fired Up' is a good one for me because I'm just SCATTIN'. Eddie Kramer who produced it said, you're not going to beat that first take."    

Stay tuned for our entire chat in the coming days. 








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Featured Video

SLAYER guitarist Kerry King and his solo band paid tribute to former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno by playing a cover of the MAIDEN classic "Killers" during their concert on Friday (December 6) at the Good Things festival at the Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne, Australia. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Di'Anno, whose real name was Paul Andrews, passed away on October 21 at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.

An official statement shared to Di'Anno's Facebook page on November 11 with permission from the late musician's family revealed that his cause of death was caused by a "tear in the sac around the heart."

Earlier this year, King was asked by Riff X's "Metal XS" if he had heard MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project". He responded: "[I] haven't heard Bruce's new album, but I have a friend who told me it's better than MAIDEN. [It] wouldn't surprise me. Nothing against MAIDEN, but their songs have gotten so long, man, I just can't be bothered with it. And my attention span isn't that much."

Kerry was seemingly referencing MAIDEN's latest two double-albums, 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2021's "Senjutsu", the former of which contains the song "Empire Of The Clouds" clocking in at 18 minutes, and three songs on "Senjutsu" running for over 10 minutes.

Earlier this year, King told American Musical Supply that he would possibly start including some cover songs in his band's set as the band's tour progressed. "Covers, it's in the mix," he said. "My spin on it is I want to — I wanna throw in a cover every show, once we get used to it and being out, and I wanna play stuff that people can't see or hear anymore, like say for instance, 'Ace Of Spades'. You're never gonna see MOTÖRHEAD again. So, I think that's cool to do. Or for instance, songs that bands don't play anymore, like 'Killers' from IRON MAIDEN. I don't think they're ever gonna play that again. I don't think METALLICA is ever gonna play 'Damage, Inc.' again. So I wanna do things that actually aren't just me having fun. I want it to be fun for the fans to where they see it, it's the only place they can see it."

Kerry's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", was released in May via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist. Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles last year was producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.

King's solo band also includes drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER) on drums, Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH) on bass, Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) on guitar and Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL) on vocals.

King and his new band will hit the road for the 28-date North American headline tour in early 2025. With MUNICIPAL WASTE as special guest and ALIEN WEAPONRY supporting, the tour is set to launch in San Francisco on January 15, 2025, and wrap at House of Blues in Las Vegas on February 22.

LINKIN PARK, SCORPIONS, KORN and MUSE will headline the 2025 installment of Hellfest, set to take place June 19-22, 2025 in Clisson, France.

Hellfest is an annual open-air festival and one of the biggest metal festivals in all of Europe.

After canceling the 2020 and 2021 installments due to the ongoing pandemic, Hellfest returned in 2022 and was held over two weekends, with seven days of performances from many of the biggest metal and hard rock acts in the world.

In 2023, Hellfest moved to a four-day format to welcome more than 200 bands on the six stages of the festival.

Hellfest, which drew 180,000 people in 2019, generally features a lineup which is 90 percent made up of international acts and 20 percent of spectators coming from abroad.

In the heart of the festival, the Hell City Square offers a walk into partner booths, a gallery of exhibitors, a huge metal market with a decoration worthy of the greatest science-fiction movies.

Earlier today (Monday, December 9),the Hellfest organizers released the following message: "Hellbangers, the wait is finally over — the lineup for Hellfest's 18th edition has been unveiled!

"This year, 184 bands and artists will storm the six stages of Hellfest, with one last very special guest yet to be announced. Among them, 106 will make their debut in Clisson, a testament to how alive and dynamic the 'extreme music' scene remains.

"We're thrilled to welcome LINKIN PARK back to Hellfest for only the second time in the festival's history, celebrating their remarkable comeback. Alongside them, hard rock legends SCORPIONS and nu-metal pioneers KORN will take the stage, setting the tone for an unforgettable weekend. And for the first time ever, British powerhouse MUSE will grace Clisson with their stadium-filling rock, a bold choice that's sure to win over even the doubters.

"On Friday, Mainstage 2 will shine a spotlight on women in music, with a lineup featuring female-led or all-female bands like WITHIN TEMPTATION, HEILUNG, EPICA, SPIRITBOX, KITTIE, FUTURE PALACE, Amira Elfeky, Charlotte Wessels, and SUN. With more than 42 bands including female musicians, this year's Hellfest promises to champion diversity like never before.

"This edition also highlights the rise of a new generation of headliners, the emergence of groundbreaking phenomena, legendary reunions, all while paying tribute to the pioneers of the genre who continue to uphold the legacy of our music.
Discover the full lineup and start planning your Hellfest experience — we'll see you in 193 days at CLISSON ROCK CITY!"

Thursday, June 19:

Mainstage 1:

KORN
TILL LINDEMANN
AIRBOURNE
APOCALYPTICA
SKINDRED

Mainstage 2:

ELECTRIC CALLBOY
ULTRA VOMIT
IMMINENCE
KIM DRACULA
SEVEN HOURS AFTER VIOLET

Warzone stage:

HELLACOPTERS
TURBONEGRO
SOFT PLAY
STREET DOGS
TEEN MORTGAGE

Valley stage:

ORANGE GOBLIN
MONKEY3
CHAT PILE
SLOMOSA
TAR POND

Altar stage:

JINJER
WHITECHAPEL
FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY
MENTAL CRUELTY
WALKWAYS

Temple stage:

ALCEST
SUNN 0)))
IHSAHN
THY CATAFALQUE
WHITE WARD

Friday, June 20

Mainstage 1:

MUSE
THE HU
THE CULT
THE WARNING
LAST TRAIN
VOWWS
CACHEMIRE

Mainstage 2:

WITHIN TEMPTATION
HEILUNG
EPICA
SPIRITBOX
KITTIE
FUTURE PALACE
AMIRA ELFEKY
CHARLOTTE WESSELS
SUN

Warzone stage:

SEX PISTOLS (with Frank Carter)
THE DAMNED
LES GARCONS BOUCHERS
REAL MCKENZIES
LEFTOVER CRACK
LION'S LAW
MIKE MCCOLGAN AND THE BOMB SQUAD
CHUBBY AND THE GANG
BETON ARME

Valley stage:

RUSSIAN CIRCLES
PENTAGRAM
MASTERS OF REALITY
DOPETHRONE
ARABROT
SANDRIDER
DIRTY SOUND MAGNET
CASTLE RAT
WORMSAND

Altar stage:

EXODUS
SACRED REICH
TANKARD
3 INCHES OF BLOOD
NERVOSA
BURNING WITCHES
NIGHT ETERNAL
HEXECUTOR
FURIES

Temple stage:

IN EXTREMO
WIND ROSE
TROLLFEST
SOWULO
MÅNEGARM
LUC ARBOGAST
SKILTRON
PERCHTA
MORGARTEN

Saturday, June 21:

Mainstage 1:

SCORPIONS
JOE SATRIANI + STEVE VAI
BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION
MYLES KENNEDY
TREMONTI
SOUTHERN RIVER BAND
AUDREY HORNE
LUCIE SUE

Mainstage 2:

JUDAS PRIEST
DREAM THEATER
SAVATAGE
PEYTON PARRISH
BEYOND THE BLACK
FREAK KITCHEN
ROSS THE BOSS
MAJESTICA
ADX

Warzone:

TURNSTILE
DEFEATER
TERROR
STICK TO YOUR GUNS
NASTY
CHISEL
SPY
PEST CONTROL
LAST HOUNDS

Valley stage:

HAVE A NICE LIFE
WINDHAND
MY SLEEPING KARMA
CONAN
STONED JESUS
MARS RED SKY
MIDNIGHT GHOST TRAIN
HOWARD

Altar stage:

LEPROUS
HAKEN
VOLA
THE OCEAN
VULTURE INDUSTRIES
PERSEFONE
URNE
SYK
VESTIGE

Temple stage:

BLOOD FIRE DEATH (a tribute to Quorthon and the music of BATHORY)
ABBATH
DEAFHEAVEN
GRIMA
SPECTRAL WOUND
AGRICULTURE
TRYGLAV
WITCH CLUB SATAN
LUNAR TOMBFIELDS

Sunday, June 22:

Mainstage 1:

LINKIN PARK
CYPRESS HILL
REFUSED
EAGLES OF DEATH METAL
DEAD POET SOCIETY
BLACKGOLD
ASHEN
BASTARDANE

Mainstage 2:

FALLING IN REVERSE
A DAY TO REMEMBER
MOTIONLESS IN WHITE
LORNA SHORE
POPPY
NOVELISTS
BLOOD COMMAND
CHAINSAW MOTEL

Warzone stage:

KNOCKED LOOSE
WALLS OF JERICHO
GORILLA BISCUITS
GUILT TRIP
GOOD RIDDANCE
PAIN OF TRUTH
GOUGE AWAY
CALCINE

Valley stage:

JERRY CANTRELL
HEALTH
KYLESA
THOU
PRAYERS
FAETOOTH
CROWS
BLACK BILE

Altar stage:

DETHKLOK
UNLEASHED
CATTLE DECAPITATION
GUTALAX
SIGNS OF THE SWARM
UNE MISERE
GUINEAPIG
TSAR

Temple stage:

EISBRECHER
KOVENANT
PRIEST
SHAARGHOT
UNTO OTHERS
ALUK TODOLO
CEMETARY GIRLZ
GRAVEKVLT

🩸 𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗢𝗙 𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗦 🩸

Hellbangers, the wait is finally over—the lineup for Hellfest's 18th edition has been unveiled!

This...

Posted by Hellfest Open Air Festival on Monday, December 9, 2024

“Welcome Year Zero!,” says Super7, announcing the addition of Ghost’s Papa Emeritus II to their new 7” scale deluxe figure world.


This articulated figure is inspired by the charismatic frontman’s onstage guise in the Infestissumam album era, features intricate sculpt and premium paint detailing, includes a soft goods robe and staff accessory with Grucifix detail, and comes packaged on a die cut card back. Available and shipping now from Super7.com.







Ghost recently announced their 2025 world tour. Details can be found here. Watch a video trailer below.





Tour dates:


April
15 - AO Arena - Manchester, United Kingdom
16 - OVO Hydro - Glasgow, United Kingdom
19 - The O2 - London, United Kingdom
20 - Utilita Arena Birmingham - Birmingham, United Kingdom
22 - Sportpaleis - Antwerpen, Belgium
23 - Festhalle - Frankfurt, Germany
2 - Olympiahalle - München, Germany
26 - LDLC Arena - Lyon, France
27 - Zénith de Toulouse - Toulouse, France
29 - MEO Arena - Lisboa, Portugal
30 - Palacio Vistalegre - Madrid, Spain


May
3 - Hallenstadion - Zürich, Switzerland
4 - Forum - Assago, Italy
7 - Uber Arena - Berlin, Germany
8 - Ziggo Dome - Amsterdam, Netherlands
10 - Atlas Arena - Łódź, Poland
11 - O2 Arena - Prague, Czech Republic
13 - Accorhotels Arena - Paris, France
14 - Rudolf Weber-ARENA - Oberhausen, Germany
15 - ZAG Arena - Hannover, Germany
17 - Royal Arena - Copenhagen, Denmark
20 - Tampereen monitoimiareena - Tampere, Finland
22 - Saab Arena - Linköping, Sweden
23 - Göransson Arena AB - Sandviken, Sweden
24 - Oslo Spektrum Arena - Oslo, Norway


July
9 - CFG Bank Arena - Baltimore, MD
11 - State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GA
12 - Amalie Arena - Tampa, FL
13 - Kaseya Center - Miami, FL
15 - Lenovo Center - Raleigh, NC
17 - Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse - Cleveland, OH
8 - PPG Paints Arena - Pittsburgh, PA
19 - Wells Fargo Center - Philadelphia, PA
21 - TD Garden - Boston, MA
22 - Madison Square Garden - New York, NY
24 - Little Caesars Arena - Detroit, MI
25 - KFC Yum! Center - Louisville, KY
26 - Bridgestone Arena - Nashville, TN

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their "Mandylion" album, the lineup of Dutch rockers THE GATHERING that recorded the LP — including singer Anneke Van Giersbergen — will reunite for two exclusive shows at Doornroosje in Nijmegen, the Netherlands on Friday, August 29 and Saturday, August 30, 2025. Fans can expect to hear all "Mandylion" tracks as well as more songs from the band's Anneke era.

THE GATHERING says: "After so many years, we are very excited to celebrate this anniversary together, an album that still means so much to us."

The lineup for the Nijmegen concerts will consist of the following musicians:

* Anneke Van Giersbergen - vocals
* Hugo Prinsen Geerligs - bass
* Frank Boeijen - keyboards, backing vocals
* Hans Rutten - drums
* René Rutten - guitar
* Jelmer Wiersma - guitar

Ticket sale starts Friday, December 13 at 10:00 CET via the Doornroosje web site.

In November 2014, THE GATHERING celebrated its 25th anniversary with a one-time special show at Doornroosje in Nijmegen. All past and present members of THE GATHERING — from 1989 until 2014 — appeared on stage and performed in this unique show together.

Van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since released several albums on her own and with her AGUA DE ANNIQUE solo project.

In 2005, Century Media celebrated the 10th anniversary of "Mandylion" by releasing a special deluxe edition of the album. The double-CD set featured new artwork, a 16-page booklet with song-by-song liner notes from the band and never-before-seen photos from the album's recording sessions. CD2 contained the first demo recordings THE GATHERING did with Van Giersbergen in June 1994 and early 1995. "Solar Glider" was a previously unreleased instrumental while "Third Chance" appeared two years later in a different version on the "Nighttime Birds" album.

In a 2007 interview with PopMatters, Van Giersbergen stated about her decision to leave THE GATHERING and launch AGUA DE ANNIQUE: "I had been in THE GATHERING for 13 years, and I had never done anything for 13 years in my life. It's been my whole adult life, so to leave that, on one hand, was a very clear decision and a very strong feeling, and I was ready. In 13 years, things had changed in my personal and musical life. It was difficult as well, because the guys, they were like brothers, so to leave that and to change that relationship has been a long process and was probably one of the hardest things I did.

"I told them at the beginning of March, and so we really took some time to assess the situation," she continued. "Also, the guys, they wanted to see what their plans would be next. Of course they were not happy with my decision, but they are respectful and they have good spirits to continue. Of course, I put a big stamp on the sound and the look of THE GATHERING, but on the other hand I'm not the only singer in the world, so it's going to change, but it's not going to stop."

Regarding her reasons for leaving, Anneke said, "There were a lot of physical reasons, but they all came out of one big feeling in my heart that it was time to change. I was supposed to do this record besides THE GATHERING, and I was given time and it was all okay, but I like to do other small projects and work with other people a lot. I had some plans, and the feeling became stronger to develop that more seriously and also especially to be with my family a little bit more. Now, I can direct everything I do from this one agenda, and it feels very good to be the director of your own life. In a way THE GATHERING was officially a bigger band, and we were day and night constantly working with it, and it was quite intense, all the processes. So a lot of small things became one big feeling, like, 'Okay, I'm ready.'"

To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mandylion, we will share the stage with Anneke van Giersbergen once again! The...

Posted by theGathering on Monday, December 9, 2024

In a new interview with The Logan Show, RIVAL SONS singer Jay Buchanan was asked if he and his bandmates are working on the follow-up to the two albums they released in 2023: "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer". He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Scott [Holiday, RIVAL SONS guitarist] and I, we're talking about it right now, about getting started on writing the next RIVAL SONS record. So we're doing that. I think Scott's working on producing a rock band, and I'm working on producing a couple of artists as well in our downtime. I'm finishing up the writing for a solo record in tandem with beginning the work on another RIVAL SONS album."

Regarding whether it is safe to say that the next RIVAL SONS record will once again be produced by Dave Cobb, Jay said: "More than likely. I mean, we've been together a really, really long time, but we've gotta talk with Dave. I think that something like that, even though we've worked together so much, everybody has to come together and feel really good. Things have to align properly. We always talk about it and see where everybody's heads are at.

"I love working with Dave," he added. "Gosh, we've recorded nine records with that man. That's a lot of time together… He's just so damn good at what he does. We love Dave, and I do. He's a good friend and an extremely talented person."

Asked if Cobb is "essentially almost like a silent member of RIVAL SONS now", having done so many albums with the band, Jay said: "Well, you could say that from a recording standpoint. When we've gone in to make records, we do 'em with Cobb, but I think that the band… We've covered so much ground, we've covered so much ground artistically and literally all over the world touring so much over the years, I think that when it comes to a certain degree of record making, he's like a fifth member that way, but it's only within that vacuum of when we're making the records. Because who the band is outside of when we're go in to make records is so much more. Our live show and the actual ethos and who the band is at its core, I think, is just so much more than what we do in the studio, because the writing takes place outside of the studio or outside of Cobb's purview, or so much of it. Dave Cobb, he'll lend a hand on inspiration and writing here and there, but I think that when we're writing, it is very much like that. But I think that the more the band has grown, I think that it's less and less so, and it's less and less so that way, because we, and I think that Cobb would agree, that him watching us grow the way that we have, like our creative approach and everything. It's wonderful to work together knowing each other so well. Cobb knows me just about as well as anybody else does. And having a shorthand of communication definitely helps out when you're in the studio. A lot of the time you'll just be thinking the same thing, and I think that that just comes from making so many records together that you can be on the same page. And then at other times be on a completely separate page because you're so close. It's like family."

In June 2021, RIVAL SONS delivered two live performances from Catalina Island, California which were originally streamed via Veeps to fans at home across the world, many of whom were still in lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, for the first time, these performances are being made available to watch on YouTube and to stream on audio platforms. Both performances are being premiered via YouTube and released in their entirety digitally. "A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 1)" was released on November 22; "A Pair Of Aces: Live From Santa Catalina Island (Part 2)" will be released on December 13.

RIVAL SONS play rock 'n' roll in its purest form without apology or pretense. They simply plug in, turn up, and rip on a path of their own. Along the way, they've architected a critically acclaimed catalogue, including "Pressure & Time" (2011),"Head Down" (2012),"Great Western Valkyrie" (2014),"Hollow Bones" (2016) and "Feral Roots" (2019). The latter represented a creative and critical high watermark, scoring a pair of Grammy Award nominations in the categories of "Best Rock Album" and "Best Rock Performance" for the single "Too Bad". Elevating the band to another level, "Do Your Worst" vaulted to No. 1 at Rock Radio as their biggest hit to date, tallying north of 60 million streams and counting. Speaking to their impact, Rolling Stone attested, "RIVAL SONS have done their part to introduce new fans to rock." Beyond sharing stages with everyone from BLACK SABBATH, THE ROLLING STONES and AC/DC to GUNS N' ROSES and Lenny Kravitz, they've ignited television shows such as "The Late Late Show With James Corden". During 2021, they launched their own label Sacred Tongue Recordings distributed by Thirty Tigers and celebrated the anniversary of their debut album with live streamed performances from Catalina Island Casino.

In 2023, they continued to subvert expectations with two full-length LPs — the aforementioned "Darkfighter" and "Lightbringer". Though the genesis of these albums is intertwined, they also speak to the band's perpetual progression forward.

The band once played over 250 shows in a year, and they are regulars on the festival circuit both through Europe and North America. One of the most hard-working rock'n'roll bands out there, 2024 saw the band complete extensive European festival dates throughout the summer, and then embark on "The Two-Headed Beast" tour with CLUTCH across North America.

Photo credit: Patrik Skoglöw

In a recent interview with Taylor Guitars, TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick was asked if there is a song in the band's setlist that he is tired of playing live every night. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I had this conversation with [MEGADETH leader] Dave Mustaine at one point about [the classic MEGADETH song] 'Peace Sells'. And I told him, 'There's no way you actually want to [play that song every single night]' — with respect to the song; it's an epic song. But, yeah, he admitted if it were up to him, he probably wouldn't play that song. Maybe not every night, but he's gotta play that [song] every single set."

Alex continued: "I don't know if we really have anything like that. And we always rotate the songs too. So a song like 'Souls Of Black', for example, that comes in the set but it goes, too. It's not always in the set. The only one we have that's always in the set, no matter what, is 'Into The Pit', and it's so short and so fast that you don't really get tired of it."

Skolnick joined TESTAMENT in 1985 at the age of 16 and stayed with the band for eight years before leaving in 1993 and going on to study at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music.

In addition to playing with ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO and TESTAMENT, he has worked as a sideman with such artists as vocalist Ishtar of the French band ALABINA and Jewish folk singer Debbie Friedman. He has also guested on an album from RODRIGO Y GABRIELA.

Six years ago, the ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO — comprised of Skolnick, drummer Matt Zebroski and bassist Nathan Peck — released "Conundrum", its first album since 2011.

TESTAMENT's latest album, "Titans Of Creation", came out in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. A follow-up effort is tentatively due in 2025.

During a recent appearance on the "Axe Lords" podcast, Alex was asked why it was important for him to show off his skills as a lead guitarist during TESTAMENT's early years, with the song "Practice What You Preach" containing a one-minute-20-second solo in what is a five-minute track. He responded: "Well, you could get away with it back then. Now, I don't think they'd let me do a solo that long. [Laughs] I still do [the long solos] live. But, yeah, part of that, for me, I felt like there was something to prove, because the area of music that we were coming from, it was kind of garage rock in some ways. There were a lot of examples of garage rock — VENOM, for example. I don't know if they're considered the first black metal band or the first death metal band… VENOM was kind of a garage band. MOTÖRHEAD, obviously — an awesome kind of garage band. The early SLAYER stuff, it was kind of raw and garage band. It was awesome. I wouldn't have it any other way. But I didn't hear anybody playing…"

He continued: "The guitar players that I liked — I was a huge fan of the virtuoso guys: Randy Rhoads, Uli John Roth, of course, Eddie Van Halen, even though, VAN HALEN was much more commercial than the music that we were doing. We all loved VAN HALEN. So I was gravitating towards those players. And there was always a rivalry between Southern California and Northern California. And we had this scene of all these fast, heavy bands, but down in Southern California, you had the glam commercial bands, and some of them — DOKKEN, RATT, a few others — had just unbelievable guitar players. I loved [RATT guitarist Warren DeMartini's] playing. Still do. I mean, those records come on, if I hear that on SiriusXM or whatever, I'm just knocked out. It really holds its own. So I was coming more from that place lead guitar-wise. I just thought, 'Okay, you know what? We need heavy, Northern California, fast, aggressive music, but that has soloing of this quality.' Nobody was doing it. So that's kind of where I was coming from at that time. Now things have changed now. Now it's okay to do that. At the time, I was also getting a lot of criticism for it. I remember people saying, 'You sound like an L.A. player. You should go join a glam band.' But now you've got ultra-heavy bands with great guitar players — too many to name. There's REVOCATION, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHILDREN OF BODOM — may he, Alexi [Laiho], rest in peace. There's so many. It's totally okay to be a virtuosic player in heavy music, but it was not at the time."

The reunited SNOT has announced three club shows in January and February 2025, leading up to the band's appearance at the Welcome To Rockville festival in May 2025 in Daytona Beach, Florida.

In addition to guitarists Mikey Doling and Sonny Mayo, bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock and drummer Jamie Miller, SNOT's 2025 lineup will include an as-yet-undisclosed new singer whose identity will not be officially revealed before SNOT plays its first reunion gigs early next year.

Asked in a new interview with The Kevin Powell Podcast how SNOT plans to announce its new vocalist, Doling said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Let him come on stage. That's it. And figure out who he is on your own. If he says his name, great. But the last thing I wanna do is go on the Internet and put his name out there, and then people go to his social media and whatnot and start scrutinizing him before he even gets on stage. Because that's what will happen. I mean, you're living in the shadow of the great Lynn Strait [SNOT's late vocalist]. So it's gonna be a rough road for him. He's gotta prove himself on stage first. And, we're giving him that comfort. 'Cause like I said, if I said his name right now, we'd have a lot of people just going right to his social media.

"But he's awesome," Doling continued. "Let me just say when he sent me his audition reels, tapes, recordings, I was blown away like I've never been blown away since [the demise of the original SNOT lineup]. And I sent it to Tumor first thing, my right arm, my bass player from SNOT. He usually doesn't like anything. He's very cynical. He's the greatest guy ever, he's my brother, but he's a cynical person at times. And he called me right away and just said, 'Holy shit balls.' That's a quote. 'Where'd you find this guy? We found our dude. We found him.' And that's how it went down. Then, of course, I sent it to Jamie and Sonny, and they both agreed he's the guy. And here he is. We got him."

SNOT disbanded in 1998 following Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.

SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).

Reflecting on SNOT's original split and 2014 comeback, Doling told The Kevin Powell Podcast: "Un-fucking-fortunately, our singer Lynn Strait, the great, mighty Lynn Strait, who I miss and love so much, he passed away in a car accident and it put a halt to SNOT. We just couldn't go on without him at that point. And so we stopped for many years. And then we kind of got back together with some friends, and it wasn't real serious — [we] just [played] some shows. I don't really wanna say their names right now, but they're cool people and they helped us out."

As for how SNOT's latest reunion is different from the band's 2014 comeback, Doling said: ""This one, it's serious. We're back-back. We got the booking agency. We got high-level shows and festivals. This is the real deal for us. We're back right now. And, yeah, that's where we are right now. And we're hungry to do it again. I'm very excited about it."

SNOT 2025 dates:

Jan. 17 - Anaheim, CA - The Parish at House Of Blues
Jan. 18 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
Feb. 08 - Santa Barbara, CA - SohO
May 15-18 - Daytona Beach, FL - Daytona International Speedway (Welcome To Rockville)

Doling previously discussed SNOT's reunion during an appearance on an episode of the "Talk Toomey" podcast. Regarding how the band's comeback happened, Mikey said: "Well, let's see. About a year ago, I was seeing the festivals that were coming in 2024, and I was noticing there were so many bands out there from our genre. You have the COAL CHAMBERs, the MUDVAYNEs and just so many bands out there killing it. And I'm sitting there thinking, 'Man, SNOT, it's time that we get on board with this.' So I talked to the dudes. We didn't even have a singer at that point. So anyway, so I reached out to the band and said, 'Hey, man, I think we should find a singer and play some festivals and have some fun.' And they were, like, 'Yeah, well, we're in if you can find us the right singer.' So, I looked around for a while. I had no luck. But I kept looking. And then I reached out to Alex Gilbert over at TKO — it's our booking agency — and I asked him, I said, 'Hey, man, I'm currently looking for a vocalist. And if I put all this work into putting SNOT back together, would you be interested in booking some shows and festivals for us?' And he said, 'I'll put the feelers out there and let's see how it goes.' So, a year went by. I didn't hear anything back. I kind of thought, 'All right. No interest.' So about three months ago, Alex called me. So I'm looking at my phone, like, 'Whoa, it's Alex from TKO.' I answered and I asked him how he's doing. And he said, 'Hey, man, I'm getting a lot of interest for SNOT. It's a lot. Everybody I talk to wants the band.' So I told him, 'Look, man, we're into it.' I didn't even let him know we didn't have a singer yet at that point. And I said, 'Let me get back to you. I'll talk to the guys.' So I instantly jumped on social media for a little something about looking for a vocalist for SNOT. And I got a lot of response. I got, like, eight videos and audio of dudes who just didn't fit. What they did is they would sing with the album, 'Get Some', and it just didn't fit. So I almost kind of gave up. And so right there at the end, before I threw the towel in on the whole thing, a friend of mine from Santa Barbara hit me up, texted me and said, 'Hey, I found the guy for SNOT.' And, I was, like, 'Yeah, sure,' in my mind thinking, 'Yeah, yeah. Right. Right.' So I jumped on the phone with him — let's say it's a girl, with her — and she said, 'I saw a guy. He has a band. And he reminded me of Lynn. It was goosebumps,' she said. And I said, 'Cool.' And Lynn is one of his favorite all-time singers. So, she put me in contact with him. And, again, I asked him, I said, 'Look, we're looking for a singer. Do me a favor. Set up a camera, microphone and sing along to 'Get Some', our album. And so about three or four days go by and then I get some videos on my phone. So I'm watching the video, and immediately it just punched me in the face how good it was. I was, like, 'Wow, this is the guy.' What he did is he set up in front of his — he has a little rehearsal spot, drums and amps, and he put 'Get Some' through his P.A. system and he wrapped the cable from the microphone around his arm and laid into it as if he was doing a show. He did, like, five songs and he was absolutely incredible, nailing it. He looks right. He's got the whole punk vibe that we're looking for. And he just nailed it, man.

"Singing like Lynn Strait is not easy, man. And he absolutely fucking rocked it, to the point where I had to sit down; I was so blown away. And so I immediately contacted Tumor, John Fahnestock, bass player for SNOT. And Tumor, [he is the] best guy in the world, but [he] hates everything. I sent it to him, and he called me right away. He was, like, 'Dude, holy shit. You found our guy.' That was the first thing he said. 'Who is it? Is this real?' I was, like, 'It's real.' So then I sent it out to the rest of the guys, Jamie and Sonny, and, and yeah, boom, it's there."

Doling added: "So, I talked to the [singer] guy, which I'm not gonna give up his name yet. I'm gonna keep that on the DL [down low] right now for a while until we start doing some shows. People can figure it out on their own. I don't want them knowing too much yet. I wanna keep it tight for now. But anyway. So then I contacted Alex at TKO and he started talking to promoters and we're just getting 'yes', 'yes', 'yes' all over the place right now. And we're gonna start doing some shows, man."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.

SNOT's most recent U.S. tour, during which the band performed "Get Some" in its entirety, kicked off in late November 2014 in Palm Desert, California and wrapped in late December 2014 in Pomona, California.

Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and guitarist Sonny Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."

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Italian metallers, Labyrinth, have released "Out Of Place", the new single from their new album, In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye, set for release on January 24 via Frontiers Music Srl. Watch a music video below, and pre-order the new album here.


Vocalist Roberto Tiranti describes the new single by saying: “The song essentially talks about my/our feeling of feeling alien and out of this historical period, in which we no longer recognize the world for what it was and sometimes we struggle to recognize ourselves. Everything has changed too quickly in these last five years to the point of taking our breath away. The only safe harbour was and is music, a fixed point in our lives.”







Labyrinth express their enthusiasm about the new album: “In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye is our latest work. As the years go by, we feel increasingly free from formulas and stylistic boundaries that sometimes trap a band within a specific musical genre. With this album, we set out to achieve total freedom, allowing each of us to fully express ourselves."


“Perhaps for this reason, combined with the reality of living in increasingly dark times, this work has become our heaviest, fastest, and angriest album to date, while still making it to keep our typical melodic/melancholic touch. We are very proud of it, and today, that's what Labyrinth are”, they continue.


Labyrinth are considered as one of the leaders of the entire New Wave Of Italian Power Metal. Formed in the early 90’s, with the release of their 1998’s album Return To Heaven Denied, considered a milestone for the genre, they caught the attention of the entire European scene, gaining success and building their important career made of great albums and tours.


Together with acts like Rhapsody Of Fire, Lacuna Coil, they helped the entire Italian heavy metal scene to reach the next level globally.


Over the years the band went through difficult times and several lineup changes, taking a break from 2010 to 2017 and, in the spring of 2016, the band’s founding members Andrea Cantarelli and Olaf Thorsen received a call from Frontiers, asking them to discuss with singer Roberto Tiranti the possibility of a comeback for the band.


Now with In The Vanishing Echoes Of Goodbye, the third album for Frontiers Records, once again they delivered the goods, turning their music heavier than in the past but keeping the speedy power metal attitude with unforgettable hooks, epic prog infused metal songs, and some great melodic numbers, resulting in a record that is going to become another milestone for the Italian metal masters.


Starting with the opener “Welcome Twilight”, with its Epic Latin choruses, through songs like “Out Of Place”, “The Right Side Of This World”, you can find the band’s typical band’s trademark, with a stellar performance and a powerful production.


Alongside the original members Roberto Tiranti (vocals), Olaf Thorsen (guitars) and Andrea Cantarelli (guitars), the lineup is completed by Oleg Smirnoff (keys), Nik Mazzucconi (bass) and Mattia Peruzzi (drums).

Former Megadeth guitarist, Kiko Loureiro, has announced a string of Brazilian tour dates in support of his new album, Theory Of Mind. Joining Loureiro for the "Theory Of The Mind Tour 2025" is special guest, former Megadeth axeman, Marty Friedman.


Says Kiko: "Big news, Brazil! I’m hitting the road with my amazing friend and guitar legend, Marty Friedman as a special guest! The Theory Of Mind tour is going to be something you’ve never seen before."


Brazil tour dates:




May
30 - Recife/PE - Clube Internacional
31 - Fortaleza/CE - Armazém


June
1 - Belém/PA - Music Park
4 - Belo Horizonte/MG - Mister Rock
6 - Rio de Janeiro/RJ - Sacadura 154
7 - São Paulo/SP - Tokio Marine Hall
8 - Curitiba/PR - Ópera de Arame

GUNS N' ROSES announced they will return to the road on a massive 2025 European and Middle East Tour, headlining stadiums and festivals throughout the summer with special guests PUBLIC ENEMY, RIVAL SONS and SEX PISTOLS featuring Frank Carter on select dates. Kicking off on May 23, the 24-date tour will see the Los Angeles legends perform in Saudi Arabia, Georgia, Lithuania and Luxembourg for the first time. The 2025 dates also see the powerhouse rock band return to familiar stages in Bulgaria, Serbia, Turkey, Portugal, Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, Germany, UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Poland, Hungary and Austria. For full tour schedule see below.

GUNS N' ROSES will kick off their 2025 world tour in grand style at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a highly anticipated show presented by MDLBEAST. Renowned for revolutionizing Saudi Arabia's entertainment scene, MDLBEAST brings their unmatched expertise to the band's Riyadh debut, promising a groundbreaking musical experience. With a legacy of delivering unforgettable live events, MDLBEAST is set to raise the bar for live music in the region, making this historic performance on May 23, 2025, a night to remember.

Tickets will be available starting Tuesday, December 10 at 9 a.m. local time with the band's Nightrain presale. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on sale beginning Friday, December 13 at 9 a.m. local time on gunsnroses.com.

Mastercard cardholders have special access to presale tickets in Norway, Finland, Lithuania, Sweden and Denmark. Mastercard presale starts Wednesday, December 11 at 9 a.m. local time. Plus, Preferred ticket access to some of the best tickets are available in the U.K. from Friday, December 13 at 9 a.m. local time. Check out priceless.com/music for details.

GUNS N' ROSES 2025 tour dates:

May 23 - Riyadh Kingdom Arena, Saudi Arabia
May 27 - Abu Dhabi Etihad Arena, UAE
May 30 - Shekvetili Parka, Georgia^
Jun. 02 - Istanbul Tüpraş Stadyumu, Turkey^
Jun. 06 - Coimbra Estádio Cidade de Coimbra, Portugal^
Jun. 09 - Barcelona Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Spain
Jun. 12 - Florence Firenze Rocks, Italy*^
Jun. 15 - Hradec Kralove Rock For People, Czech Republic*^
Jun. 18 - Dusseldorf Merkur Spiel-Arena, Germany^
Jun. 20 - Munich Allianz Arena, Germany^
Jun. 23 - Birmingham Villa Park, UK
Jun. 26 - London Wembley Stadium, UK
Jun. 29 - Aarhus Eskelunden, Denmark+
Jul. 02 - Trondheim Granåsen Ski Centre, Norway+
Jul. 04 - Stockholm Strawberry Aren, Sweden+
Jul. 07 - Tampere Ratina Stadium, Finland+
Jul. 10 - Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium, Lithuania+
Jul. 12 - Warsaw PGE Nardowy, Poland+
Jul. 15 - Budapest Puskás Aréna, Hungary+
Jul. 18 - Belgrade Ušće Park, Serbia+
Jul. 21 - Sofia Vasil Levski Stadium, Bulgaria+
Jul. 24 - Vienna Ernst Happel Stadion, Austria#
Jul. 28 - Luxembourg Open Air, Luxembourg#
Jul. 31 - Wacken Festival, Germany*

* Festival appearance
+ with PUBLIC ENEMY
^ with RIVAL SONS
# with SEX PISTOLS featuring Frank Carter

GUNS N' ROSES last performed in November 2023 at the Hell & Heaven festival in Mexico.

The band kicked off the North American leg of its 2023 world tour in August 2023 with two shows in Canada. The trek included a stop at the Power Trip festival in Indio, California where the Axl Rose-fronted outfit performed alongside fellow rock icons METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, TOOL and AC/DC.

During recent appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan confirmed that he and his bandmates have been working on fresh material. "There's definitely a desire and a plan for new music," he said. "Yeah, for sure."

Addressing the fact that GUNS N' ROSES hasn't performed live since completing a North American tour in November 2023 at the Hell & Heaven Metal Fest in Mexico, Duff said: "You can go on a tour and you can have peaks and valleys on the tour. And we never do. It's always, like, every gig is super special. Even when we extended our tour — after touring for so much, extending it for another four weeks, that can destroy a band. I've seen it happen. That's too long. You went too long. And everybody's starting to snap at each other and the crew and all that stuff. But it doesn't happen with our band or our crew. So we ended on this really highlight, which was Mexico City, this huge gig we did. And we played two nights at the Hollywood Bowl right before that. It was really special. We had THE BLACK KEYS opening at the Hollywood Bowl — a really cool, different sort of show. So I think we ended and were, like, 'Oh, man. Let's not end. Let's get back to this soon.' But I think for me, I know I had to rest — I had to rest my body. A lot of hours on stage. A lot of traveling. And I've gotta listen to my body these days. I've gotta listen. So I had to rest. I think we all need to rest. [GUNS N' ROSES guitarist] Slash, he'll go out and tour, like, four weeks later [with one of his projects] and do it all over again. I'm, like, 'Okay, dude. More power to you. I'm gonna go to Hawaii. I'm going to Hawaii, man.'"

GUNS N' ROSES released a four-song EP, "Hard Skool", in February 2022. The effort, which was exclusive to the GUNS N' ROSES' official store, contained the two new songs the band released in 2021 — the title track and "Absurd" — as well as live versions of "Don't Cry" and "You're Crazy".

The legendary hard rock outfit has not released a full-length effort since 2008's "Chinese Democracy", which included only singer Axl Rose from the band's classic lineup. McKagan and guitarist Slash reunited with Axl in 2016 and have since released several standalone singles — "Absurd" (stylized as "ABSUЯD"),"Hard Skool", "Perhaps" and "The General" — but have not made any announcements about another LP.

This past June, Duff was asked during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" if he thinks GUNS N' ROSES will ever release more "newly written music" again as opposed to continuing to rework and put out previously composed songs. The GN'R bassist responded: "Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely. There's new material. I don't know how we're gona put it out. I think that's a question too. Like, do you put out a record? Do you just keep putting out singles? I don't know what the right answer is there in this day and age."

If and when it happens, the new GUNS N' ROSES studio album will be the first under the GUNS banner since "Chinese Democracy" and the first to feature Slash, Rose and bassist Duff McKagan since 1993.

Photo courtesy of The Oriel Company

Legendary Iron Maiden drummer, Nicko McBrain, has announced that he is stepping away from touring. He played his final show with the band on December 7 at at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil.


W.A.S.P. frontman, Blackie Lawless, has shared the following via waspnation.com:


"Nicko McBrain… A great warrior just left his drum throne live for the last time. Very few in the history of percussion have left such a distinctive mark as this man. His accolades, his rewards and trophy's have been too numerous to count. But the thing I felt when I heard last night would be his last live show all but sent me into a tail spin. Yes he's admired the world over, but for me he's my friend, and I say without reservation whatsoever... I love this man. Having been part of the same management family as Maiden for the last 40 years I can tell you first hand, Maiden is Rock's answer to the mafia... once you're in, you never leave... you are family FOREVER. They are unmatched in class with a fierce dedication to one another.




"He is beyond Blessed still, and all in our family say, Godspeed young man. - Blackie Lawless





On December 7, in between performing "Stranger In A Strange Land" and "The Writing On The Wall" at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil, Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson addressed the crowd, saying "For 42 years Nicko's been in this band. He was a drummer before I was a singer, he was a pilot before I was a pilot, and now he's not leaving the band, but he's just not playing live with us anymore. So, we have a lot more music to get to tonight, and I want the rest of the night to be a celebration of Nick, a celebration of the joy that he's brought to everybody around the world, not just here in Brazil."


Check out Dickinson's speech below, as well as McBrain's final moments on stage with the band.








McBrain issued the following statement regarding his departure before the show:


"After much consideration, it is with both sorrow and joy, I announce my decision to take a step back from the grind of the extensive touring lifestyle. Today, Sat, Dec 7th, Sao Paulo will be my final gig with Iron Maiden. I wish the band much success moving forward.


"I will, however, remain firmly part of the Iron Maiden family working on a variety of projects, my long time managers, Rod Smallwood and Andy Taylor, have in mind for me. I’ll also be working on a variety of different personal projects and focusing on my existing businesses and ventures, including The British Drum Company, Nicko McBrain’s Drum One, Titanium Tart, and of course, Rock-N-Roll Ribs!


"What can I say? Touring with Maiden the last 42 years has been an incredible journey! To my devoted fan base, you made it all worthwhile and I love you! To my devoted wife, Rebecca, you made it infinitely easier and I love you! To my kids, Justin and Nicholas, thank you for understanding the absences and I love you! To my friends that are always there for me, I love you! To my bandmates, you made it a dream come true and I love you!


"I look into the future with much excitement and great hope! I’ll be seeing you soon, may God bless you all, and, of course, “Up the Irons!”


Manager Rod Smallwood on behalf of Iron Maiden:


“And we all love you too!!


"Thank you for being an irrepressible force behind the drum kit for Maiden for 42 years and my friend for even longer. I speak on behalf of all the band when I say we will miss you immensely!


"Ever since Rock in Rio in 1985 we have had a special relationship with Brazil so to bow out of touring in front of 90,000 fans here in Sao Paulo over 2 nights is poetic and you are deserving of all the accolades I am sure these marvellous fans will give you on this last show.

Hailing from the UK, Sorceress Of Sin will release their new album, Ennea, on December 20th via Wormholedeath Records. An album teaser is available below. 


"We are delving deep into the heart of Greek mythology, channelling the power and passion of the Olympian gods into our music. Expect a breathtaking fusion of epic storytelling and heavy metal, where gods and mortals collide in a symphony of sound."







Tracklist:


"Odyl"
"Reina"
"Poseidon"
"The Quest"
"Nymphet"
"Clarity of Confusion"
"Trickster"
"Destructive Descent"
"Artisan"


"The Quest"





Album Teaser

Alissa White-Gluz has apologized to ARCH ENEMY fans for not being able to perform up to her usual high standards during the band's ongoing Mexican tour.

The 39-year-old Canadian-born singer took to her social media on Sunday (December 8) to write: "Mexico - I [love] you! I am seriously blown away by this country. The nature is diverse and gorgeous; the people are warm, friendly, funny, creative and welcoming; the history is fascinating; the architecture is jaw-dropping; the rich culture of music and art is full of colour and beauty; the food is incredible (every city is like a vegan paradise)… I could go on.

"Thank you so much for your understanding and well-wishes. I feel extremely guilty that I cannot give a normal show because you guys absolutely deserve it. I insisted that we should reschedule but that was apparently not possible.

"This might be TMI [too much information] but since the news is out already I just want these amazing fans in Mexico to know how serious this was and that it absolutely is killing me to not be able to give you 100%.

"Trust me - I have broken my ribs on stage and not missed a show, I have performed through bronchitis, complete laryngitis that took months to heal — everything. This is different.

"I had a doctor come to my hotel bed two days in a row and she said 'she is experiencing a total collapse.' My body is so exhausted that I have a hard time walking. I'm confused. Dizzy. Shaking.

"A bacterial infection lodged in my ears and then aggressively spread to all the soft tissues of my upper body. Ears, eyes, throat, lungs, nose… I had pus leaking out of my EYES. Blood leaking out of my nose. I was freezing and sweating simultaneously and had a fever of 102F for over a week. And yes, I did several shows in this state. I was going into shock. It was an infection that was probably lingering for a long time and finally started winning — my body was losing and it was happening quickly. I think if I didn't get the antibiotics when I did I would be hospitalized or dead right now. I have never experienced a more scary medical situation before in my life. This is also the most pain I have ever experienced and I have a very high pain tolerance (like most women).

"I can feel the love from you guys and it is honestly helping me heal. Thank you for your smiling faces in the crowd — they really do cheer me up.

"It will be several weeks or months before I fully recover but when I do — I am demanding that we come back here so I can give you guys the best concert of your lives. Seriously — I have fallen in love with you, Mexico, and I WILL be back to give you 1000% AWG."

ARCH ENEMY played a full set without White-Gluz on December 3 at El Foro Jai Alai in Tijuana, Mexico after the singer became "very sick" and was unable to join her bandmates at the gig.

ARCH ENEMY's Tijuana performance was part of the group's 18-date tour of Mexico, which launched on November 12 in Toluca and is scheduled to wrap on December 11 in Mexico City.

White-Gluz, former vocalist of Canadian extreme metallers THE AGONIST, joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 as the replacement for Angela Gossow. Angela, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001),stepped down as frontwoman and is now focusing on management, while Alissa took her place.

ARCH ENEMY's new album, "Blood Dynasty", is slated for release on March 28, 2025 via Century Media Records.

The band has released three songs so far from "Blood Dynasty": "Dream Stealer" in July, "Liars & Thieves" in October, and the title track, "Blood Dynasty", in December.

"Dream Stealer" marked ARCH ENEMY's first new music since the release of the "Deceivers" album, which came out in August 2022.

"Dream Stealer" was mixed by Jens Bogren and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios.

ARCH ENEMY played its first concert with new guitarist Joey Concepcion on April 24 at Musinsa Garage in Seoul, South Korea. The show was part of ARCH ENEMY's 2024 Asian tour.

In December 2023, ARCH ENEMY announced that it had "amicably" parted ways with longtime guitarist Jeff Loomis.

Jeff, who was the main songwriter in his previous group, 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 the aforementioned "Deceivers".

Mexico - I 💙 you! 🇲🇽

I am seriously blown away by this country. The nature is diverse and gorgeous; the people are...

Posted by Alissa White-Gluz on Sunday, December 8, 2024

The iconic Norwegian artist, Mortiis, has signed a multi-album deal with Prophecy Productions. His upcoming new studio album will be released via the label in 2025.


Mortiis comments: "After many years of existing on the fringes of the music industry, doing things my way and on my own, I am excited to be teaming up with Prophecy Productions, a label of creativity and vision", the Norwegian mastermind writes. "I think my upcoming album will have a good home there."


In the beginning there was black metal. The artist Håvard Ellefsen known as the musical entity Mortiis started out as a bass player in and during the formation of Emperor in 1991 and 1992. He is credited on the Wrath Of The Tyrant demo/album (1992), the"Emperor EP (1993), and the 1994 7" EP "As The Shadows Rise".




After parting ways with the Norwegian black metal pioneers, Mortiis embarked on a solo career, the so called 'Era I', that lasted from 1993 until 1999. In this highly creative period, the Norwegian released six full-length albums (including the The Song Of A Long Forgotten Ghost demo and Crypt Of The Wizard). His music during this phase was entirely composed on synthesizers. The resulting sound was described by Mortiis as 'dark dungeon music' and has been named as a fundamental influence on the later dungeon synth genre. On The Stargate (1999), the last album of this era, a wider range of instruments was implemented as well as additional vocals from Sarah Jezebel Deva.


In the next decade, Mortiis evolved into a band that marked the beginning of the short-lived 'Era II', which only consists of the rather electropop oriented 2001-album The Smell Of Rain. When The Grudge came out in 2004, the album had a hard impact of the scene and started 'Era III'. The Norwegian and his band had turned to heavy industrial rock and as a result made many new friends. A host of musician friends gathered on the remix album Some Kind Of Heroin (2007) that included contributions by and collaborations with The Kovenant, Velvet Acid Christ, and Girls Under Glass among many others.


'Era III' ended with Mortiis releasing Perfectly Defect as a free internet download album in 2010 due to a serious disenchantment with the music industry. This was followed by a factual hiatus between 2011 and 2015, although it was never officially announced. In 2016, the next full-length The Great Deceiver surprised global followers of the band that had long hoped for a new release. Although the style of the previous phase is largely continued, it is named 'Era 0'. On the gargantuan remix album The Great Corrupter, Mortiis again teamed up with a host of exciting artists including musicians from Godflesh, Frontline Assembly, Die Krupps, Merzbow, and Apoptygma Berzek among a multitude of others.


What comes around, goes around and the now experienced and matured musician decided to return to the music of 'Era 1' as the 2020 album Spirit Of Reb

In a new interview with France's Metal Obs', ex-MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman was asked what it was like to rejoin his former band twice on stage over the course of a six-month period last year — first in February 2023 at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan and then in early August 2023 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was good fun — nothing but pure fun. And [it was] wonderful to watch the audience react to it, because it was just a wonderful experience for everybody, especially those of us on stage because the audience was… We did it because we knew that the audience would get something that they can remember, something they can go home with and have a memory. And we just enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot."

Regarding what it was like meeting up with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine again, Marty said: "It was great. We never really lost touch. But there's never much that we have to talk to each other about, so we don't talk to each other every month or anything. But it's always been friendly, so when the chance came for us to play together, it was just natural."

Marty previously discussed his onstage reunion with MEGADETH this past April in an interview with Finland's Chaoszine. He said at the time: "Oh, it was fantastic. Budokan was the one thing that was kind of like unfinished business within the relationship between me and Dave, which has always been fantastic and still is. But there was just that one little thing that was there that was just kind of left hanging there. And Dave was so gracious to invite me to play at the Budokan in Japan, and it was just a great, great way to tie things up — wonderful for me, wonderful for the band. But the fans, watching the fans who were there that night, it was just really something special, something unusual. The look of the fans was different from a normal show. People were in disbelief, and people were laughing and crying and big smiles and it was just kind of a really special event and I'm really glad that it happened."

As for the Wacken show, Marty said: "That was kind of more coincidental because MEGADETH was playing there and I was playing there on — I forgot who [played the festival] first, [if I played] the day before the day after — but we were both in the same place, and [we said], 'Let's do it again.' And it was a thrill there as well."

He added: "I'm just the biggest fan of those guys, ans anytime they ask me to play, I'm happy to do it. And I just wish them all the best with their lineup that they've got now and I'm glad to see them kicking ass."

The interviewer then noted that former MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro suggested in an interview that he would have liked Friedman to rejoin MEGADETH after Kiko exited the group in the fall of 2023. Asked if he was actually approached about coming back to MEGADETH when Kiko decided to leave the band, Marty said: "No, and I don't think that's realistic. I don't know anything about it. I don't think Dave would think that I would be a candidate to join the band, or rejoin the band, and it's certainly not something that I thought of. I think they're absolutely doing just fine the way they are."

On the topic of MEGADETH's current guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who officially joined the band in November 2023, Friedman said: "I met him for a moment at Wacken. [He] seemed like a very cool guy, and I wish him nothing but the best. He's gonna have a good time with those guys."

When the interviewer asked for more details about Friedman's meeting with Mäntysaari, pointing out that Marty is one of Teemu's "biggest influences", Marty said: "I really didn't have too much time to chat with him very much, because at the time Kiko was still in the band and he was there just kind of watching everything and just kind of being a fly on the wall and watching how the band does its business. He was a very polite, cool guy. And, unfortunately, I didn't get to see him play there. Yeah, I didn't really know what was going on in the band, but I just was there to do my show and hooked up with them for a show and he was there. And next thing you know, he's in the band. So all the best to him."

He continued: "I'm glad to hear he's a fan of mine because that's gonna help in MEGADETH. One of the things I remember about being in the band was it was really difficult for me to play the other guitar players' guitar work. Luckily, when I was in the band, they only had like three albums out before I joined the band. But it was very, very difficult for me to even try to play Chris Poland's stuff, and I was not suited for that at all. So, if the new guy is familiar with my stuff, it's gonna make his life a lot easier, and hopefully he'll put his own stamp on things and he'll make a whole lot of new fans too."

Mäntysaari was welcomed into MEGADETH after first temporarily filling in for Loureiro.

Earlier this year, Kiko told Guitar World magazine about whom he wanted as his replacement in MEGADETH: "Actually, I even mentioned to management and Dave that I thought bringing Marty Friedman back would be amazing. I have no idea if they're talking about it or talking to him, but I did say that. But again, I have no idea beyond that, and I don't want to make anything more complicated."

Loureiro went on to say that he was warmly embraced by MEGADETH fans during his nine-year stint with the group.

"The fans never said anything bad about me or complained, which was amazing," he said. "But I'm a fan, and I always understood that Marty was a part of those iconic albums like 'Rust In Peace' and 'Countdown To Extinction'. I understood that Marty was the guy who helped create that sound and style, you know? From the moment I joined MEGADETH, I knew the fans could show me love, but I would never win their hearts over Marty."

The 37-year-old Mäntysaari, who was scouted and selected by Loureiro for MEGADETH, 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.

At last year's Wacken Open Air, Marty performed four songs with MEGADETH: "Trust", "Tornado Of Souls", "Symphony Of Destruction" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".

At Budokan, Friedman came up on stage for three songs toward the end of MEGADETH's main set: "Countdown To Extinction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Symphony Of Destruction".

Four years ago, Friedman admitted that money was a major motivator for him when he was approached about taking part in a reunion of MEGADETH's "Rust In Peace" lineup.

Friedman had met with Mustaine and then-bassist David Ellefson at the 2015 NAMM show in Anaheim, California to discuss the reunion, which would have seen him and drummer Nick Menza back in the mix.

Friedman opened up about his reasons for turning down the MEGADETH reunion in Mustaine's latest book, "Rust In Peace: The Inside Story Of The Megadeth Masterpiece", which details the making of the iconic record "Rust In Peace".

"My main thing was I'd be happy to do it, but I'm not going to take less money than I'm already making to do it," Marty said in part.

"I'd been in Japan for more than ten years cultivating a career with solid rewards. I was making money not only for myself but also for my management and staff. My manager has been with me fifteen years.

"Everything was sound and solid professionally, and when the offer came up to all of a sudden join MEGADETH again, as long as I would not be making less money, I was ready to go," he said. "But I was certainly not going to take a loss to join a band that, frankly, at that point, didn't seem like they had too much to offer musically. A couple of members of the band had recently quit, and musically I hadn't heard anything that they've done in a long time. I didn't know about how relevant they continued to be in the music business. It wasn't like MEGADETH was on the tip of people's tongues, at least not in Japan. I had reached the point where people stopped immediately connecting me to MEGADETH and were talking about the things that I had done in Japan."

According to Friedman, part of the reason he turned down the MEGADETH reunion is the fact that the group is largely seen as Mustaine's solo project, with members coming and going every couple of albums.

"Had it been more of a band situation and not such a one-man, Dave Mustaine-main-man party, I might have considered doing it for a little less," Marty said. "But, at the end of the day, MEGADETH is so much Mustaine because that's the way he engineered it. I didn't feel that kind of camaraderie, the four-man diamond, THE BEATLES, KISS, METALLICA. I felt like I would be going out there and tour and it was going to be Mustaine's big success. If I'm going to do that, I'm certainly not going to lose money to do that; I was doing great on my own in Japan."

Mustaine told Loudwire that he was put off by Friedman's financial demands when the topic of a "Rust In Peace" reunion was broached.

"Marty has a really successful career in Japan where he makes quite a lot of money," Dave said. "And this is the part where I thought it was a little weird, where he said he said that he has to pay all his team while he's gone instead of just himself. 'Cause I thought we'll pay you what you're making so that's switching horses in the middle of the river — it's no big deal unless you fall off. And then when we found out that he wanted to sell his merch, his this, his that, his this, his that, then he wanted this crazy amount of money and he wanted to fly first class everywhere. I said to our management, 'I can't deal with this.'"

In a 2016 interview with the "Eddie Trunk Podcast", Mustaine confirmed that MEGADETH didn't hold any rehearsals with Friedman while attempting a reunion of the "Rust In Peace" lineup.

"Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?'" Dave said. 'So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

Canadian thrashers Triskelyon have a new music video, "Endgame Euphoria", in support of their third album, Shattered Elysium unveiled this past September via Moribund Records. Check it out below.


Band founder Geoff Waye comments:


"'Endgame Euphoria' is the final music video from Shattered Elysium. The track critiques both the media's fixation on 'bad' news and the audience's morbid fascination with watching disasters unfold, often with a mix of glee and dread. Whether the tragedies are natural or man-made, they dominate the headlines and can distort perceptions. A line from the song encapsulates this sentiment: 'Braindead salivating / Fixate on tragedy / Cheerlead downfall / Revel in the anarchy.' While staying informed is important, so too is knowing when to step away and enjoy life."







Shattered Elysium runs the gamut from pure '80s thrash and speed Metal to classic power Metal, and traditional metal, and even includes some brutal death-thrashers. It attains an impressive new milestone in classic thrash metal, with far-reaching appeal across all heavy metal sub-genres. “Shattered Elysium” truly resurrects the glory days of the 1980s, while maintaining a fresh and modern sound!


In keeping with Triskelyon's tradition of closing their albums with an iconic cover, this release delivers a thunderous metal rendition of Duran Duran's mega-hit “Hungry Like the Wolf.” This powerful transformation is destined to become a radio sensation and ignite a storm of social media buzz!


The album features a thrilling list of guest musicians that includes the vocal talents of Amanda Kiernan (Into Eternity, The Order of Chaos), Eric Forrest (E-Force, ex-VoiVod), Tiina Teal (Détente), Amanda Jackman (Category VI), Armin Kamal (Infrared), Dale Drew (Sea Dogs), Fíochmhar (Artach), and Des Mason & Pete Healey

In a new interview with Mexico's Euphonico, vocalist of Simone Simons of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA confirmed that she and her bandmates have completed work on the follow-up to 2021's "Omega" album. Regarding the inspiration for the LP's first single, "Arcana", she said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it was kind of a lot of things coming together. Rob [Van Der Loo, EPICA bassist] and I are, besides colleagues, we're also really good friends. And he had a deck of tarot cards with him. And I thought, 'Just for the fun of it, let's do a session. Let me draw some cards and then you explain to me what they mean.' And it was a very enlightening experience, I guess. The song, the music was also written by Rob. And then I came up with the idea, like, 'What if I write a song that's kind of inspired by the meaning of the tarot cards and the session that I had with him and what I think it meant for me at that time in my life and where I am now?' So, yeah, it's a very — how do you say? — soul-searching kind of topic, and that's something EPICA has been writing about for quite a while, but so far we haven't touched on the tarot subject. So I thought this could be a cool topic to integrate in the new album, which is all about reinventing yourself, like a rebirth, renewing yourself. So it kind of a cool thing to draw inspiration from."

Elaborating on the writing and recording process for EPICA's upcoming album, Simone said: "I think 'Arcana' was one of the songs that came together quite quickly. We had many writing camp sessions in Holland. We rented a house where we were meeting a couple times for, like, a week in a row, and we were all just sitting together. And Rob had also kind of a clear view of what he wanted vocal-wise, and then he just let me do my thing. And it went very naturally to write the lyrics.

"The vocal recordings [for the new EPICA album] took place in the summertime, which is a good time to do so because autumn [and] winter is a time when everybody gets sick," she explained. "So, for me, it's great if I'm in the summer in the studio, so I'm in a good shape or not running a risk of getting a cold and that it affects the voice, because I did have to record albums back in the day where I did get sick. And luckily you can't hear it. I know which songs are the ones. But it was a very smooth process. We worked together with the same producer, Joost Van Den Broek, who became a little bit like the seventh EPICA bandmember. And it's great working with him. Yeah, we were diving into all the little details and we were really concentrated on making the songs as a band together.

"I think people that don't know EPICA, they don't know that we don't live in the same village," Simone added. "We live, actually, in four different countries. So for us to get together and really work on the songs is tricky. And we started doing that already for 'Omega', and we really liked that, to clear our touring schedule, because we tour a lot and to really be there together and not everybody at home in their home studios. You get a total different result if everybody's there in the same room; you feed off each other's creativity, and that's very beneficiary for the songs."

Asked if there is a main songwriter in EPICA or if everybody contributes to the songwriting process, Simone said: "Everybody gets to write songs. And some songs, I think the guys did write demo songs on their own, because we all have our home studios, and when we were together in the writing camp, then we were sparring off ideas and sending each other the files, and then everybody was working on a random song at the same time. There was a funny moment where, I think, Coen [Janssen, EPICA keyboardist], Ariën [Van Weesenbeek, EPICA drummer], Rob and I were sitting in the living room area, but kind of far apart from each other, and Coen was working on a song and he thought he had his headphones plugged in, but it was running out of the speakers. And then we said, 'Oh, cool. That sounds great. Which song are you working on?' And he was, like, 'Oh shit, you guys could hear what I was working on.' So it was everybody in different rooms. Isaac [Delahaye, EPICA guitarist] was in the attic playing the guitar, and I had to wait until very late before I could go sleep 'cause he went on writing music, recording guitars until almost one o'clock in the morning. But it was a really lovely experience. And everybody gets to write songs and everybody gets to work on those songs. So, we all put our little own salsa on the songs. [Laughs]"

"Arcana" marked EPICA's first new release since "Omega" and the collaboration EP "The Alchemy Project".

The single is now available on all streaming platforms. It also includes "The Ghost In Me (Danse Macabre)", EPICA's recently released collaboration with Europe's second-most visited theme park, Netherlands's magical De Efteling, and their much-anticipated new attraction, Danse Macabre.

The previously released music video for "Arcana", directed by Remko Tielemans, can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Spain's Mariskal Rock, Simone stated about EPICA's upcoming album: "I'm so happy with the songs, I'm so proud how everything turned out and it's gonna be another amazing EPICA album. We added a couple of new elements, but also went back to the roots, the old EPICA. And yeah, I just can't wait for people to hear this.

"I loved 'Omega' and we toured so much with 'Omega' and had wonderful experiences, but then when you reach the end of a touring cycle, you start to get itchy and feel, 'Okay, now it's time to do the new album. Can we do it as good or maybe even better than the last album?' That's always the thing we strive for, ways to renew ourselves a little bit. And we feel a very strong spiritual connection also that it's our ninth album. So there's gonna be themes around the symbolic meaning of nine, the number nine."

Elaborating on the musical direction of EPICA's next album, Simone said: "The songs are heavy. There's a beautiful ballad, a very cinematic song, very uptempo, very doomy, melancholic and amazing, amazing power riffs. It's the most epic EPICA, I think, so far. Yeah, I think so. I mean, I'm feeling it. I'm very happy with it. I'm proud of it."

In November 2022, EPICA released "The Alchemy Project" through Atomic Fire Records. The EP was co-written and performed with diverse guests ranging from extremists like FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, Niilo Sevänen (INSOMNIUM) and Björn "Speed" Strid (SOILWORK) along with melodic masters like Tommy Karevik (KAMELOT),keyboard legend Phil Lanzon (URIAH HEEP) and Roel Van Helden (POWERWOLF) to a once-in-a-lifetime song with Simons, Charlotte Wessels and Myrkur.

Just one day after the release of its anniversary reissues "We Still Take You With Us" and "Live At Paradiso", EPICA celebrated 20 years of existence live in September 2022 at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands, the same place where they played their first show (supporting ANATHEMA) back in 2002.

EPICA was formed by guitarist Mark Jansen after leaving AFTER FOREVER in 2002, and the band quickly gained attention outside their home country, taking big steps towards becoming the leading symphonic metal superpower they have long proven to be. After their ambitious debut "The Phantom Agony" (2002) and the surprisingly eclectic sophomore work "Consign To Oblivion" (2005),the road took them to new heights via their first concept masterpiece "The Divine Conspiracy" (2007) and their global breakthrough "Design Your Universe" (2009). 2012's opus "Requiem For The Indifferent", 2014's bedazzling "The Quantum Enigma" and "The Holographic Principle" (2016),cemented their reputation as not only one of the hardest-working metal bands in the business but also as one of the best. With "Omega", the final part of the metaphysical trilogy they began with "The Quantum Enigma", they reclaimed the throne without so much as the blink of an eye, amassing three million-plus streams during the first week of the album's release.

Photo credit: Tim Tronckoe