Thrash metal veterans OVERKILL are apparently hard at work writing and demoing material for the follow-up to their latest album, "Scorched", which came out in April 2023 via Nuclear Blast.

Earlier today, OVERKILL shared a post from the band's drummer, Jeramie Kling, in which he wrote that he was "loving" his new electronic drum kit from Roland, which he is using during some of his current "writing" and "demoing" sessions.

In August 2024, OVERKILL confirmed Kling as the group's new drummer. Kling joined the veteran outfit as the replacement for Jason Bittner, who announced his exit from OVERKILL earlier that month.

A founding member of THE ABSENCE, Kling appeared on VENOM INC.'s second album, 2022's "There's Only Black", and has played with such acts as FORE, RIBSPREADER, GOREGÄNG and NECROMANCING THE STONE. He was also briefly affiliated with the reunited Florida death metal band MASSACRE, which led to the formation of INHUMAN CONDITION, alongside Terry Butler (OBITUARY, ex-DEATH) and Taylor Nordberg (DEICIDE). In addition to being a drummer, Kling is a recording engineer, producer and live sound engineer.

Bittner joined OVERKILL in 2017 and played drums on the band's last two studio albums, 2019's "The Wings Of War" and "Scorched".

Last November, Jason admitted to "Reckless" Rexx Ruger of Pod Scum that he "hadn't been happy" in OVERKILL "for, like, two fucking years. It wasn't a surprise that I quit. I'd been dissatisfied for a long time, but I'm a team player. I don't like to leave things. I love the guys personally. So I just kind of just hung in there, but I was not happy where I was career-wise, let's say, within the confines of that band. I wasn't a bandmember. And that's the main thing for me to keep doing this at this point in my lifetime." He added that he felt he wasn't "being paid fairly" for his time" but clarified that there was "no animosity" and called his decision to leave "just a business thing." He explained: "I can play five shows with SHADOWS FALL and make more money than playing 30 with OVERKILL."

In September 2024, OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni told Capital Chaos TV about Bittner's departure: "We kind of knew that that was coming. He had told us a while ago that he was just kind of burned out on too many things and had his hands in too many pots. So I think we kind of knew that was coming."

OVERKILL played its first concert with Kling on August 30, 2024 at the Posada Rock festival in Câmpulung Muscel, Romania.

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Posted by Overkill on Monday, August 18, 2025

During an appearance on the Mark And Me podcast, RISE AGAINST frontman Tim McIlrath acknowledged the role of luck and timing in the music industry but also emphasized that being prepared and putting in the hard work increases the chances of success. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I don't discount how much luck plays a role in all of our lives. It's, like, it's not a hundred percent luck, and I don't even think it's 95 percent luck, but there's a little bit of luck in there. A part of it is just being lucky, being in the right place at the right time, at the right time in culture and music and … making music at a time where people's appetite for that kind of music is peaking, maybe. But luck isn't enough to get you through. So you've still gotta have good songs, you've still gotta have a great live show. You've gotta be good people — people [whom other bands] wanna tour with. If we had a bad reputation as a band, no one's gonna take us on tour. No one's gonna bring us out. People aren't gonna root for us. People aren't gonna wanna work for our band. There's things like that that go on behind the scenes."

Reflecting on RISE AGAINST's early success, he continued: "I don't discount how much being a part of a community like the Fat Wreck Chords community, which first signed our band for our first two records — that was a huge sort of jump for us to immediately land in this community of bands that were super supportive of each other and with a label that had a reputation of being super fair with their roster and always was. So we had a great record label. Fat Mike was a bit of a mentor to us. The bands on Fat took us out, even though no one knew who we were, but NO USE FOR A NAME took us to Japan, and the MAD CADDIES were already a name before we were, and they were taking us around the world. We got to play for their fans. SICK OF IT ALL, who were signed to Fat, took us on our first European tour; the first time I was ever in the U.K., it was opening for SICK OF IT ALL. And being part of that family was a great launchpad for our band. And peaking in the early 2000s when bands like THRICE, THURSDAY, POISON THE WELL, TAKING BACK SUNDAY, JIMMY EAT WORLD, SPARTA, AT THE DRIVE-IN, all that shit was kind of happening right at that time, we got a call from DreamWorks, who signed us to a five-record deal. And then we just put our heads down and we made all five of those records. And all of them sold and recouped and nobody ever tinkered with any of them and we never had to go back in the studio and write a radio single or none of that shit. And that was partially due, I think we wrote good songs, but we also had a good team around us who protected us from the sharp teeth of the major label industry. And that's something that you can't just do by yourself as a kid from Chicago who has no idea how to get to Hollywood. You need to have a great manager and a great agent that can be, like, 'Hey, leave these kids the fuck alone. Let them make their songs. Let them go on tour with whoever they wanna go on tour with. They don't need your money. They're just gonna come and do what they do.' And we were able to do that, and people left us alone and we had a great career since then, where I think we were able to do our thing, exist just under the radar, but enough where we get to do this band, make music and kind of fulfill our artistic instincts and do it in a way, I think, we still honor who we were from day one."

RISE AGAINST's first new album in four years, "Ricochet", was released on August 15 on Loma Vista Recordings.

Produced by Grammy winner Catherine Marks (BOYGENIUS, FOALS, MANCHESTER ORCHESTRA, ST. VINCENT) and mixed by Alan Moulder (NINE INCH NAILS, PARAMORE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE KILLERS),"Ricochet" balances introspection with the incendiary, and offers righteousness without sanctimony as it chronicles our collective unravelling. The recently released "Ricochet" title track followed "I Want It All", "Prizefighter" and "Nod", hailed as a "particularly potent rallying cry for the moment" (Rolling Stone),and "the anthem we need right now" (Vice). Across the rest of the album, RISE AGAINST cover apocalyptic scenarios ("Black Crown"),false promises sold to the youth ("Gold Long Gone"),the necessity of resisting blind allegiance ("Soldier"),mental health ("Sink Like A Stone"),and the sensationalism of the algorithmic entertainment-industrial complex ("State Of Emergency"),all with a sense of optimism for real, lasting change.

Taking inspiration from one of their favorite literary works, Tim McIlrath and bandmates Joe Principe (bass/vocals),Zach Blair (guitar/vocals) and Brandon Barnes (drums) have absorbed the maxim that "in a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act." The mantra has permeated RISE AGAINST's growing body of multi-gold and platinum hits, filling arenas, topping charts, breaking records and earning billions of streams while uniting millions of listeners in a necessary embrace of vital, progressive issues.

Having made their triumphant return to Vans Warped Tour, while playing Los Angeles's Kia Forum, headlining festivals and touring across three continents this year, RISE AGAINST is getting ready to hit the road again this fall for dozens of arena and amphitheater shows in the U.S.

In the four years since 2021's "Nowhere Generation", the Chicago band's outspoken messages, bulletproof melodies and deep body of multi-gold and platinum hits have reached more fans than ever, uniting millions in a necessary embrace of vital, progressive issues. Whether they are singing about injustice, instability, environmentalism, animal rights or the way the social and economic decks have been stacked against the youth, RISE AGAINST continues to fill arenas, top charts, break records and earn billions of streams.

Legendary rockers FOREIGNER will mark their monumental 50th anniversary with a landmark performance at Ellis Island, New York on September 6, 2025, filmed on a closed set for a major documentary, due out in 2026, produced by Vertigo Live Productions.

Known for their explosive live shows and era-defining anthems, FOREIGNER have sold over 80 million albums worldwide, cementing their place as one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Their catalogue includes timeless hits like "Hot Blooded", "Juke Box Hero", "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Cold As Ice", "Urgent", "Feels Like The First Time" and the global No. 1 hit "I Want To Know What Love Is". On September 6, 2025, these songs and more will come to life again in an intimate, cinematic performance that includes original lead singer Lou Gramm and surprise guests — all in the shadow of the Statue Of Liberty.

Filmed where the story of modern America began, this concert places one of rock's most iconic bands at the gateway to the American Dream — with the Statue of Liberty as a symbolic and cinematic backdrop.

This is not just a concert — it's a filmed production on a closed set, captured for global release. Only 250 fans will witness this once-in-a-lifetime performance and appear in the finished film. Mobile devices will be sealed during filming; waivers will be required.

Vertigo Live is redefining live music experiences, capturing legendary artists in iconic locations. Each Vertigo Live event is designed as a cinematic experience first, with a live-on-set audience typically capped at just 250 attendees. Through exclusive live events and immersive concert films, Vertigo Live brings fans closer to the music than ever before. Past collaborations include "Duran Duran: A Hollywood High", an explosive performance set against the backdrop of the Capitol Tower and L.A. skyline; the forthcoming "Kaleo: Viva Roma - In The Shadow Of The Colosseum", which features the band performing in front of the world's most iconic arena, Rome's legendary Colosseum; and "Billy Idol: State Line", an unforgettable global first staged against the architectural splendor of the Hoover Dam.

In a recent interview with Ryan Vacey, music photographer and host of the Beyond The Vibe podcast, Gramm spoke about FOREIGNER's upcoming shows where he will guest on some of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group's biggest hits. The original FOREIGNER singer will share the stage with Luis Maldonado, who is replacing current frontman Kelly Hansen on lead vocals. Asked why now is the right time for him to return to FOREIGNER as a guest singer, Gramm said: "Well, I know that since we were inducted into the Rock Hall Of Fame, there's been a lot reinterest in the band — the early band and the band as it currently is. And I know [FOREIGNER's founding guitarist] Mick [Jones] is not in good health. I think if he was in good health, he would be out there with this band, and maybe I would be joining him. But he's not well enough to play, and I feel like I wanna help fly the flag for the band — the original band, and the current band right now, in these waning moments and moments when we're getting so much attention for what we've accomplished over the years. I wanna be out there as one of the original members to wave the flag."

FOREIGNER recently announced the September 12 release of extensive super deluxe editions of its 1981 smash multi-platinum album "4".

Recorded at the famed Electric Lady Studios in New York City alongside respected music producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange (DEF LEPPARD, AC/DC),"Foreigner 4 Deluxe" will be available in black vinyl and various other formats on September 12 via Rhino. The release will encompass newly remastered Stereo or Atmos versions, and a five-disc CD/Blu-ray package that includes a booklet containing over 60 exclusive photos, five previously unreleased songs, 14 early and alternate versions of various songs, 15 instrumentals, and 15 live performances from across the globe, spanning the band's 1981 and 1982 "4" world tour. The digital deluxe release will also contain alternate versions, instrumentals, and live performances from the era.

Originally released July 2, 1981, "4" spent more weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts than any artist in the history of Atlantic Records, including AC/DC, THE ROLLING STONES and LED ZEPPELIN, and went on to sell more than ten million albums worldwide. "4" is certified six times platinum in the U.S. (RIAA),four times platinum in Canada (Music Canada),platinum in Australia (ARIA) and Germany (BVMI),and gold in seven additional countries. It spawned three Billboard Hot 100 singles: "Waiting For A Girl Like You", "Urgent" and "Juke Box Hero". "Foreigner 4", as it's often referred to, is the fourth studio album by the legendary British-American rock band released during a time of transition as they famously went from six members to four.

To coincide with the deluxe package release, FOREIGNER — Luis Maldonado (lead vocals/guitar),Jeff Pilson (bass),Michael Bluestein (keyboards),Bruce Watson (guitars),Chris Frazier (drums) — will celebrate half a century of music with a new round of headlining tour dates which will include Gramm guesting on some of the songs he helped create almost 45 years ago. The upcoming "Foreigner 4 Deluxe Tour" signals yet another important transition for the band as these new dates will be the first major U.S. shows featuring Maldonado on lead vocals. On the season finale of "The Voice", it was announced that this year's summer tour would be the last for Hansen.

Of the transition, Maldonado had this to say: "Earlier this year, we toured Mexico and South America with the incredible Lou Gramm. We all had such a fantastic time performing and being together, and it's with that same excitement I look forward to working with Lou again. He was an integral part of the writing and recording of the 'Foreigner 4' album and his presence will add a historic dimension to our forthcoming tour."

Released in 1977, FOREIGNER's debut album produced the hits "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice" and "Long, Long Way From Home". The albums "Double Vision" and "Head Games" followed with more hits including "Hot Blooded", "Blue Morning, Blue Day" and "Dirty White Boy". Then came "Urgent", "Juke Box Hero" and "Waiting For A Girl Like You". Those songs helped give FOREIGNER's next album, "4", its impressive 10-week run at No. 1 on the Billboard chart. At the zenith of 1980s sound, FOREIGNER's fifth album, "Agent Provocateur", gave the world the incredible No. 1 global hit "I Want To Know What Love Is". This musical milestone followed the record-breaking song "Waiting For A Girl Like You".

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In a new interview with Metal Roos, legendary German guitarist Uli Jon Roth shared his thoughts on the importance of human creativity in a world where A.I.-generated music is becoming more common. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm not one for repeating the same thing over and over again. Each one of [my live performances], there are improvised little bits here and there. Some of them are very improvised. And that's what keeps him fresh. And that's what we all also did in the SCORPIONS. When I was [in SCORPIONS], no two shows were ever the same. We took chances.

"The spirit of rock, I always say, needs to have a touch of danger about it," Uli continued. "What that means — I'm not really interested in perfection in rock. In fact, it's almost anathema, because the original rock was not perfect. It came like almost a revolutionary kind of thing. [It] burst on to the scene with a completely new sound, a new attitude, new way of playing music. And this is what I am always tapping in to when I'm playing that kind of music. It needs to have that kind of frontier spirit almost. If you take that away, it loses the very essence of it, almost, And I have to say a lot of people have done that, particularly in later years, in the '80s or '90s and the 2000s. Rock became a lot more polished, and so much so that it started sounding very much the same. They took away all the edges and all the great ones from the early start, they had those edges, they were unique, and they were anything but smooth. They were kind of revolutionary in their own way. What [Jimi] Hendrix did, what CREAM did, LED ZEPPELIN, you name it. THE BEATLES, of course, in a completely different way, but earlier, they also were like that. And then if you start making everything the same and you take away that danger element, to me it just becomes fad and boring.

"There's now the trend of making all the vocals of using pitch correctors, to the point where it becomes ridiculous," Roth added. "They're taking away the essence of human expression and turning the voices into robot voices so that people… Because I guess a lot of the younger kids, they're used to all that because a lot of what we get now on social media or whatever is completely manufactured and absolutely not real. And the borders between real and what's not real are very shifting and it's coming to the point with A.I. that you really very often don't know whether it was machine made or computer made, digital, or whether it was actually flesh and blood in front of you. And that's actually a very interesting development, I find, and I'm not scared about it. I'm rolling with the punches there. But a lot of people are threatened, and I understand that.

This fall Uli Jon Roth will return to North America with an extraordinary new program titled "Pictures Of Destiny". This highly anticipated tour promises to be a mesmerizing three-hour extravaganza, including the premiere of compositions from his long-awaited "Requiem For An Angel". Uli will be accompanied by a full band and a string quartet, making for an ensemble of 10 talented musicians performing on stage. The music will be enriched by dynamic multimedia projections, offering audiences an immersive experience at seated venues.

Fans will have the opportunity to witness a stunning orchestral rendition of Roth's groundbreaking piece "Sails Of Charon", alongside several new compositions and material from his acclaimed "Transcendental Sky Guitar" albums. There will also be a couple of classic early SCORPIONS tracks, from Uli's "Tokyo Tapes Revisited" DVD, blending a touch of nostalgia with innovative artistry. While the show will include many beloved pieces, the spotlight will shine brightly on Roth's latest compositions, marking their debut in the United States.

As a special addition, Roth will showcase a collection of his original oil paintings, inspired by his music and songs, in each venue's foyer. Critics have described his artwork as "Rembrandt meets 'Star Wars'," and these visually striking works of art will be integrated into the performances to enhance the audience's journey.

Roth's tour offers more than just a concert — it is an emotional and artistic odyssey. Through his exceptional guitar artistry and evocative paintings, Roth invites audiences to immerse themselves in a world of profound beauty and inspiration.

In recent years, Roth has revisited the early music of his period with the SCORPIONS, which resulted in the "Scorpions Revisited" double CD and "Tokyo Tapes Revisited" DVD/Blu-ray releases.

Widely regarded as one of the greatest guitar players ever, Uli pioneered a unique style of guitar playing which — for the first time — combined complete mastery of the instrument with an intensely melodic and emotional appeal.

From his earliest days onwards, Uli has always been a bold and uncompromising musical innovator of the first order. Being the first guitar player in rock to incorporate complex melodic arpeggio sequences, Uli Jon Roth — in the eyes of many of his peers — practically reinvented modern guitar technique almost singlehandedly during his SCORPIONS tenure, but even more so during his ELECTRIC SUN days.

At last weekend's Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom, FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares was asked by Neil Jones of TotalRock when fans can expect to hear the band's first album with FEAR FACTORY's latest additions, singer Milo Silvestro and drummer Pete Webber. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Everybody wants to know. So the record will be out next year. We're done tracking it. All that's left now is to mix the record. We're obviously on tour right now, so when we can get home later on this month, we'll start mixing the album.

As for a tentative release date for the new FEAR FACTORY LP, Dino said: "Everybody wants to know the date. I would say in time for the summer festivals next year."

Referencing the fact that FEAR FACTORY is currently celebrating the 30th anniversary of its classic second album, "Demanufacture", on a European tour, Dino said: "Definitely I wanna get new music out for sure. But I love playing our old classic songs because look at these people. They wanna hear it. They wanna hear it. We feel at home. We feel like we're a part of these people. I've always thought that way since day one, and I'm just happy to do it again."

Dino also talked about the fans' reaction to Milo's addition to FEAR FACTORY, saying the Italian-born vocalist was "100%" well received by the band's longtime followers. "We took him through rigorous training 'cause he was pretty much fresh off the boat," Cazares explained. "And so, everything from how he performs live on stage, how to handle the media, how to handle the criticism online. I pretty much taught him everything I knew to get through all this and to be prepared for what's to come."

Asked when he knew that he definitely made the right choice by picking Milo to front FEAR FACTORY after a split with the band's original vocalist Burton C. Bell, Dino said: "Right in the rehearsal room. He was the only guy that showed up that didn't have to look at his phone for the lyrics, what he sang. I had a P.A. I played instrumentals through the P.A. And whoever was auditioning, I gave him the mic. Everybody was, like, 'Oh…' Milo was prepared. And then he was so prepared, he was saying, 'What about this song? I'm, like, 'Oh, okay.' Put another song. And then through the course of three days, he did 15 songs. And he didn't have to look at the fucking lyrics."

In a separate interview with the Mike James Rock ShowMilo spoke about what it has been like spending most of the last two and a half years on the road with such an internationally acclaimed metal act as FEAR FACTORY. He responded: "Yeah. I'm really thankful for all the fans that are accepting with open arms this new lineup of FEAR FACTORY because it's really not an easy thing… It's a really big legacy and we're trying to honor it as much as we can."

He continued: "I'm a really meticulous, picky individual when it comes to replicating something. We're playing 'Demanufacture' in its entirety [on the current tour], so I went back to the stems of the record and even listened to vocals closely and just tried to replicate every nuance that Burt did. So, yeah, we try to make it right and we appreciate that the fans are supporting this."

Elaborating on the way he approaches singing the parts which were originally written and recorded by Bell, the Italian-born Silvestro said: "I try to sneak in some bits of my vocal personality, but not too much to change it completely. I try to sound like the original singer, because his vocal legacy of the band is such an iconic vocal sound, and you wanna nail that style. I'm still working on playing a cappella and try to nail the sound more and more and more because I think this band deserves it."

Asked if he ever has to "take stock" and realize that he is now actually the vocalist of FEAR FACTORY, a band that he had been listening to for so many years, Milo said: "All the time. I've always been a hardcore FEAR FACTORY fan, and for me, this is beyond crazy. When people are, like, 'This is a dream come true,' I go, like, 'This wasn't even supposed to be a dream.' My dreams were right here [raises his hand to his nose level] — maybe having some kind of success with my own bands. But this is just right here [raises his hand way above his head] or maybe even higher. It's so crazy to the point of fucking with your brain… [It's] so surreal that it's kind of like a drug for my brain. Like, what's going on? I mean, I love it. Also, it wasn't like most of the bands, like Dino [Cazares, FEAR FACTORY's founding guitarist], all these artists, they progressively went higher and higher when they were young. In my case, I spent most of my life, up until I was 32, 33, as a local musician in Rome [Italy], and then all of a sudden — boom — big stages and festivals, interviews, being known. And I'm, like, what's going on? But it's cool — don't get me wrong — but sometimes it's just, like, 'Whoa.'"

Earlier this month, Cazares told Slovakia's Tomketoviny about Silvestro and Webber: "The fans are reacting great [to the new lineup]. It's been all positive reaction. Milo, obviously, he auditioned 'cause we were looking for a vocalist. We got more than 300 submissions of a videotape of… This was during COVID, so a lot of people couldn't get on a plane and come see me. So a lot of it was just done online. And so we had a lot of submissions, and it was a lot of stuff to go through. But one stood out, and that was Milo. And that was pretty much how he got the gig. When the travel ban was lifted, he was able to fly into L.A. and physically auditioned. So that worked out. And Pete — we had another drummer at the time [Mike Heller], but our drummer had some prior commitments and he couldn't make it. And then Pete filled in and we decided to keep Pete. We liked his attitude, we liked the way he played, and that's really important."

FEAR FACTORY kicked off a European tour celebrating the 30th anniversary of "Demanufacture" on July 18 at Turock in Essen, Germany.

FEAR FACTORY's current lineup features Cazares, Silvestro, Webber and Tony Campos on bass.

Ricky Bonazza (BUTCHER BABIES) is playing bass for FEAR FACTORY on the road in Europe while Campos is busy touring with STATIC-X.

Silvestro's addition to FEAR FACTORY was officially announced in February 2023.

FEAR FACTORY played its first headlining concert with Silvestro and Webber on May 5, 2023 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

In the fall of 2023, Dino told Nyva Zarbano that Milo "brings, obviously, a freshness that FEAR FACTORY needed. The last singer that we had, obviously he had a lot of vocal issues and he really couldn't sing or do any of this kind of heavy touring," he explained. "It just was a big setback for us. So bringing Milo into the band, obviously he's got a great voice, he's very talented, he's a multi-instrumentalist. He could play more than one instrument. The kid's very talented. Of course, the story is I found him on the Internet. He was releasing videos of him doing FEAR FACTORY covers and he was posting them on all the FEAR FACTORY fan sites. And I saw him there, and I was, like, 'Okay, that's really got my attention.' But we had many people audition, but he was the one that really stood out. And he's a huge fan of FEAR FACTORY. And he pretty much learned from listening to our older vocalist. So he learned a lot of his stuff. And so, I mean, if you close your eyes, you think it's the original singer."

In early 2023, FEAR FACTORY completed the "Rise Of The Machine" U.S. tour as the support act for STATIC-X. It marked the Cazares-led outfit's first run of shows with Silvestro and Webber.

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Aggression Continuum", was released in June 2021 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP, which was recorded primarily in 2017, featured Cazares, Heller and Bell.

In September 2020, Bell issued a statement officially announcing his departure from FEAR FACTORY, saying that he "cannot align" himself with someone whom he does not trust or respect, apparently referring to Cazares.

Bell later told Kerrang! magazine that his split with FEAR FACTORY had been a long time coming. "It's been on my mind for a while," he said. "These lawsuits [over the rights to the FEAR FACTORY name] just drained me. The egos. The greed. Not just from bandmembers, but from the attorneys involved. I just lost my love for it."

Steel City Kings, Malevolence, brought absolute devastation to the main stage at Bloodstock Open Air 2024, performing their crushing track “Slave To Satisfaction” live on August 10th, 2024 as special guests to Architects.

Fans at Bloodstock UK metal festival witnessed a set that went far beyond just warming up for Architects UK metalcore — this was pure headline-level energy. From the pit-igniting grooves of “Slave To Satisfaction” to the ferocity of their stagecraft, Malevolence’s Bloodstock main stage appearance is one for the history books.

West Coast crossover crew, Dead Heat, will release their crushing Process Of Elimination full-length on October 10 via their new label home, Metal Blade Records.

Process Of Elimination follows the band’s 2023 released Endless Torment EP. The record serves as a continuation and progression musically, while thematically it often touches on Dead Heat’s disdain for the powers that be.

“I feel like unconsciously the music has become more complex with the songwriting and how we play live as well. We all naturally wanted to become better musicians and it shows in our music and live presence,” elaborates guitarist Justin Ton. “Our music is a metal/hardcore twist, but I’d say we intentionally leaned more and more metal in our sound.”

Lead guitarist Ricky Garcia and Ton take guitar influences from Slayer and Sepultura, “but we also both add our own personal influences in the songs on Process… I drew a lot from Dark Angel and Demolition Hammer while also sticking to my hardcore tendencies with Leeway and Cro-Mags influences,” notes Ton. For his part, Garcia cites Kreator, Megadeth, and Pantera as influences, giving props to Marty Friedman and Chris Broderick for solos.

When Dead Heat test drove a few new songs live on their tour supporting Cavalera Conspiracy, the as-yet-unreleased songs were met with moshing and circle pits. Understandably so. “Everything from the riffs to the song structures and even adding in more thought-out electronic interludes help break the pacing from the sonic assault of the guitars,” says Ton.

“Lyrically, I wanted to touch on a bit of everything, with every song about a different topic,” explains vocalist Chris Ramos. “I feel like I was able to articulate a better understanding of what I was trying to express previously.”

“We are against all racist bigotry in this country,” furthers Ton. “Most of the band is of immigrant descent. We also seek for the world to stop supporting these corporate/political monsters that only seek out personal gain and nothing else.”

First single, “Perpetual Punishment,” opens the record with gentle guitar before kicking into aggro/hardcore mode. “We chose this song to start Process… because when it hits, it’s hard, and has a great flow,” states Ramos. “The song is about not wasting your time in life because tomorrow simply isn’t promised. If there’s something you want to do with your life, do it now, don’t waste your existence thinking about all the things you could have done. It’s a key theme I always try to portray in lyrical form, or even in random stage banter. I feel like it’s what keeps me going every day.”

Listen to Dead Heat’s “Perpetual Punishment” below.



Process Of Elimination was produced by the band with Paul Fig (Deftones, Trivium, Jerry Cantrell) and will be available on CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:

– Blood Moon (Red / Black Marbled – US)
– Dusk (Orange / Red / Black Marbled – US)
– 180g Black (EU)
– Yellow / Brown Merged (EU – Ltd. 300)
– Swamp Green / Bone Merged (EU – Ltd. 200)

Find all pre-orders here.



Process Of Elimination tracklisting:

“Perpetual Punishment”
“Annihilation Nation”
“Hidebound”
“The Order”
“Enemy”
“Seventh Gate”
“DH Stomp”
“Solace Denied”
“By My Will”
“Process of Elimination”
“Hatred Bestowed”

In a new interview with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach spoke about the recent passing of legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Bach said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, man. I was still recuperating from the concert, the 'Back To The Beginning' [charity event which marked Osbourne's and BLACK SABBATH's final performance], [when I found out Ozzy had died]. I never pay for streaming or whatever, but I saw, the day after that concert, there was some footage on YouTube from the pro-shot [livestream of the event], and I cried watching it 'cause I love BLACK SABBATH and I love seeing them, at their age, get together and play one last time. So I watched it and I was blown away. And so I invited my friends over, 'cause I've got quite the stereo system in my living room and I said, 'Come on over. Let's watch it.' So I went on YouTube and it was gone. Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager] must have had it pulled down; it wasn't on YouTube anymore. So I said, 'eff it.' I went to the 'Back To The Beginning' web site and I bought this stream. And it was only available for one more day. So I had this packed house — well, I just had a bunch of friends over — and I had paid the money for the stream, and we watched as much as we could. And it was just so heavy watching them that I wasn't prepared for him to die. I was still recuperating from watching that concert, which was only one week or a week and a half before he left us. So the day that he died, I was not prepared. I don't think any of us were prepared, because we had just seen that concert literally days before."

Sebastian continued: "I have this thing, man, that it's probably not right that I do this, but I learned this when my dad died in 2002. I cried so much that I had no more tears left. For months, I was so hurt that my dad died at the age of 57, which is how old I am right now — knock on wood. Anyways, so we all go through that. That's life. Every one of us has to deal with that. But what I did learn is that sometimes I have to compartmentalize things in order to get through the day. And some since my dad died, sometimes now when a family member dies or one of my heroes dies, like Ozzy or Gregg Allman or Eddie Van Halen or Neil Peart, sometimes I pretend that it never happened. I know that's kind of a lousy thing. I just lost my cousin Kevin — he was 52 — from cancer, and part of me refuses to accept that. In my brain, I'm, like, 'Fuck cancer. Fuck you. I'm not gonna let myself really feel that.' Of course, I do feel it, and sometimes it hits me, but when my dad died, I had no compartmentalization. So as I get older, maybe it's cold, maybe it's not right, but sometimes I just pretend that this never happened. And I still haven't accepted that Ozzy Osbourne is dead, because a part of my childhood dies with Ozzy, and I'm not a child. [Laughs] So I'd better get used to that."

Sebastian performed covers of Ozzy's "Crazy Train" and "I Don't Know" during his July 25 concert at the Labadie Rib Fest in Bay City, Michigan. Prior to launching into "Crazy Train", which was the fourth song of his set, Sebastian told the crowd:  "You know, they called him the Prince Of Darkness, but all he did was make us all fucking happy, man. That's it.

"This show tonight is dedicated to fucking Ozzy Osbourne tonight, Bay City.

"And they said that when he died, he was surrounded by his family and his friends after doing the best concert that he ever did in his whole life.

"We all love Ozzy.

"How many people wanna go fucking crazy tonight? Let's go off the rails on the crazy train."

Bach's current touring band includes his son Paris Bach on drums, "Bruiser" Brody DeRozie on guitar, and Fede Delfino on bass.

In 2014, Sebastian said his "ultimate dream in rock 'n' roll" when he was "fired" from SKID ROW in 1996 "was to possibly some day be like Ozzy Osbourne, in that he came up with [BLACK] SABBATH and then had a successful solo career."

That same year, Bach defended Osbourne against critics, telling TV Rock Live: "Some people think, 'Oh, Ozzy, he's not a great singer.' I say, bullshit. I think Ozzy is an amazing singer, because I feel what is in his crazy fucking mind. Like, he sounds, you know… crazy."

A decade ago, Bach released a cover of Ozzy's "S.A.T.O." as part of an album celebrating the legacy of legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT). Blessed by the Rhoads family and including a track by Randy's brother Kelle Rhoads, the CD was made available in January 2015 at the "Randy Rhoads Remembered" show at the Observatory in Santa Ana, California.

In addition to Sebastian, Bach's version of "S.A.T.O." featured Brent Woods (SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) on guitar, James LoMenzo (JOHN FOGERTY, BLACK LABEL SOCEITY, MEGADETH, DAVID LEE ROTH, WHITE LION) on bass, and Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, PRIDE & GLORY) on drums.

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

Nine years after their last album, Swedish metalcore legends, Adept, are back stronger than ever, unleashing another new single from their long-awaited fifth album, Blood Covenant, out October 24 via Napalm Records.

“Parting Ways” is a cathartic anthem built upon pummelling chugs, and serene, soaring melodies, putting their virtuosic songwriting command on full display. Arriving soon before their next string of European festival appearances at Reload, Summer Breeze Open Air and Rock The Lakes, “Parting Ways” holds no punches, and neither do Adept.

Formed in the early 2000s in Trosa, Sweden, Adept helped shape the early European metalcore landscape, rising to prominence through passionate songwriting, high-octane shows, and raw emotional energy. Following their fiery comeback at Core Fest 2024 and numerous explosive festival performances, the band is now getting fans ready for Blood Covenant, an album sure to be redefining their sound with sharpened aggression, cinematic scope, and lyrical depth.

Adept about “Parting Ways”: “‘Parting Ways’ is hard and melodic, blending new elements with the core sound that defines us. It’s a track that allowed us to push our boundaries while staying true to who we are, and we’re genuinely proud of how it turned out. We can’t wait to share it.”

Listen to “Parting Ways” here, and below:



Drenched in vivid hues of red, Blood Covenant is a raw, unflinching reflection on scars carried, battles fought, and a hunger for authenticity, in spite of a world so rife with insincerity. Opening with the intense title track “Blood Covenant”, the album sets a brooding tone that echoes through the record. “Heaven”, drags the listener through a guilt ridden storm of thunderous, fast-paced riffs, while the hard-hitting “Define Me” follows with an imposing attitude and snapping aggression, underlining its uncompromising message of self-reclamation. Both tracks are marked by Adept’s signature blend of emotional intensity and unrelenting breakdowns. “YOU” dives deep into the emotional wreckage of love lost, with swelling, cathartic guitar leads and honest, bleeding heart lyricism. “Time Is A Destroyer” pulses with urgency and existential dread, unfolding over a haunting acoustic backdrop accented by swelling strings, while “Parting Ways” lean into darker, more cinematic territory, introducing eerie ambient layers and post-metal textures that capture a moment of vulnerability wrapped in restrained heaviness and reflection. “Filthy Tongue” dives headfirst into brooding industrial terrain, fusing harsh textures and hypnotic rhythms into a raw, relentless beast. Tracks like “Ignore The Sun” channels melodic death metal energy, leveraging deliciously melodic shredding to increase the impact of its tectonic breakdowns. “The Rapture Of Dust”, the album’s closer, collapses the record into a final, sweeping moment of reflection—crushing and beautiful in equal measure.

Produced by Henrik Udd (Bring Me The Horizon, Architects) together with guitarist Gustav Lithammer and vocalist Robert Ljung at Henrik Udd Recording, the album boasts a sonically expansive and emotionally intimate production. Mixed by Henrik Udd and mastered by Thomas “Plec” Johansson (Soilwork, Dynazty) at The Panic Room, Blood Covenant wields immense weight and clarity without sacrificing any of its raw energy.



Blood Covenant will be available in the following formats:

– 1LP Marbled Translucent Orange – strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide (Napalm Records Mailorder only)
– 1LP Gatefold Black
– CD + Shirt Bundle
– 1CD Digipak, incl. 16p Booklet
– Digital Album

Pre-order here.



Blood Covenant tracklisting:

“Blood Covenant”
“Heaven”
“Define Me”
“YOU”
“Parting Ways”
“Filthy Tongue”
“Time Is A Destroyer”
“Battered Skin”
“No Matter The Years”
“Ignore The Sun”
“The Rapture Of Dust”

Guitarist and co-founder, Larry Gillstrom, of Canadian metal legends Kick Axe, passed away on Monday, August 4, 2025 following a battle with cancer.

Kick Axe shared the following statement:

“It is with heavy hearts we must announce the sudden passing of Larry Gillstrom on Monday, August 4th 2025.

Larry maintained a positive and upbeat attitude as he quietly fought a courageous battle with cancer, all while performing live shows with Kick Axe in 2024.

Along with Kick Axe performances in Calgary and Winnipeg; Larry’s final show was on Saturday, November 23rd, 2024 in his beloved hometown of Regina, where it all began.

Larry and the band were working on a new Kick Axe album until the very end.

Larry was truly a wonderful, inspirational person and musician who will be missed by his family, band mates, friends and fans worldwide. Details of a celebration of life will be provided at a later date.

In honour of Larry, please crank up your favourite Kick Axe song or album… and of course Stay On The Road To Rock Forever!”

* The Gillstrom and Kick Axe families respectfully ask for privacy during this time of personal grief

Everyone here at BraveWords offer our sincere condolences to Larry’s family, friends and fans, and to the Kick Axe family. RIP

In a recent interview with Brazil's A Rádio Rock, former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was asked about the possibility of new music from MR. BUNGLE, the experimental band in which he is joined by Mike Patton, Trevor Dunn, Trey Spruance and Scott Ian (ANTHRAX, S.O.D.). He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We're trying. We're trying. Scott Ian and I really want them to record more, to write more music, and we hope that it does happen eventually. But there's no guarantee."

MR. BUNGLE released "The Raging Wrath Of The Easter Bunny Demo" in 2020, an album that saw the Eureka, California-born band record songs from their 1986 cassette only demo. The collection's release was preceded by seven February 2020 shows (Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York). The newly revamped version of the seminal band sees Dunn, Patton and Spruance joined by Ian and Lombardo. Rolling Stone dubbed the album "a feast of ingenious riffs… and pure manic energy," Stereogum said "MR. BUNGLE are reliving their very earliest days and kicking a whole lot of ass in the process," and Decibel declared it "one of the best thrash records of the year."

MR. BUNGLE was formed in an impoverished lumber and fishing town by a trio of curious, volatile teenagers. Spruance, Patton and Dunn beget the amorphous "band" in 1985 up in Humboldt County, California, sifting through a variety of members until around 1989 when they settled on a lineup that managed to get signed to Warner Bros. Records. No one really knows how this happened and it remains a complete mystery that even the algorithms of the Internet can't decode. Up until 2000, they released three albums ("Mr. Bungle" in 1991, "Disco Volante" in 1995 and "California" in 1999),toured a good portion of the Western hemisphere and avoided any sort of critical acclaim.

Regarding Ian's addition to MR. BUNGLE, Patton told Metal Hammer: "I had no idea if he'd do it. We don't know each other very well, but I knew he was a fan and he had come to a bunch of our shows over the years and had been really nice. So, I thought, 'You know what?! Let's ask Scott if he would do it.' I reached out and... I think he was really freaked out. I think he thought I was going to send him the new BUNGLE thing, and I had to explain, 'No, I want you to be in the fucking band!'"

As for how the former SLAYER drummer ended up in MR. BUNGLE, Patton said: "Obviously, we used to air drum to his band back in the van in the old days of MR. BUNGLE. We're all SLAYER fans and, frankly, if you're not a SLAYER fan, then I don't trust you. That's it — that's the beginning and the end of that with Dave Lombardo. What can you say about the guy? He's amazing. Scott's been amazing as well, such a cool guy. All of us are in our 50s and it is just so much fun and so energizing to be doing what we are doing right now. Basically, in terms of Dave and Scott, it was like 'If we're going to do this, let's go to the source. Who inspired us back then? Who were we listening to?' and SLAYER and ANTHRAX were two of the biggest ones. The most amazing thing was that they were into the idea. We were really flattered, really amazed that they would do something as crazy as we are doing. We were so honored to play with those guys, because if it weren't for them then this music would never have been made in the first place."

Photo credit: Buzz Osborne

In a new interview with Viky Surmová of Project Backstage, FIREWIND guitarist Gus G. spoke about the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the follow-up to the "Stand United" album, which came out in March 2024 via AFM. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yes, I'm already working on the follow-up album. We just signed a brand new record deal. It should be announced pretty soon. And we are excited about it. And we're working on a really cool album. It's gonna be a concept album. Yeah, I can't tell you what it's about, but it's gonna be epic and massive. And I'm excited."

Gus continued: "Yeah, we even recorded the drums already, so we've got 10 new songs. We're ready to go. We're working on the vocals right now and lyrics and things like that. And we are aiming for next year release sometime. I don't know when, but hopefully as soon as possible. [Laughs]"

This past June, Gus told Dark Macek of the Brutally Delicious podcast about FIREWIND's touring activities in support of "Stand United": "It's been just a little over a year [since we released the LP]. Basically, we toured pretty hard for that album. We went on tour straight after it came out. I think last year we did about 80 shows, or 70-80 shows, something like that. Man, we were on the road for five months. But we did a European tour, we did an American headline tour, which we hadn't done in 13 years. We did a support tour where we supported DRAGONFORCE right after the pandemic, but our own headline thing we hadn't done since 2011. And yeah, we did that. We went to Asia. Then we did another tour in Europe. So we did a lot of stuff. We did a U.K. tour. We just wrapped things up this past February; that's when the world tour officially kind of ended."

Asked if this is the end of the "Stand United" album cycle, Gus said: "I think so, yeah. This year we're just taking it easy so we can write the next [album]. And we're just doing a few festivals scattered here and there this summer. This is actually the first official summer festival for us [at the Mad With Power in Madison, Wisconsin in early June], and then with FIREWIND we have four more gigs in Europe later this summer."

Regarding where he finds the inspiration to write new music, Gus said: "I can tell you it's getting tougher every time, but I don't know. I felt, to be honest — I don't want it to sound silly or anything, but the vibe that we get from the fans and the reception and the energy that we get after this tour ended, it was, like, 'Okay, I'm ready. Let's go back into it and do another one.' 'Cause we wanna get back out and do it all over again. And I had a lot of ideas, and I've been writing a lot. And since we decided to stay at home anyways, we didn't have a lot of tours coming up, I got creative. So actually I finished up… I shouldn't say too much about it, but I finished up nine tracks. And we've already done the drums for it last week. So I'm a little bit of a crazy workaholic guy. And I'm working on two albums parallel. I'm working on some solo stuff as well. But, yeah, my priority was FIREWIND. I wanted to complete FIREWIND album number 11. And we've done the drums for it. And this summer, I think I'm gonna be tracking the rest, like guitars and all that stuff, and write the vocals with [FIREWIND singer] Herbie [Langhans]."

When the interviewer noted that a band like BLACK SABBATH has also had a lot of singer changes over the years but has somehow managed to retain a signature sound, Gus concurred. "It's a very good example, actually," he said. "And BLACK SABBATH is always my go-to band, because [Tony] Iommi has always very troubled with the singer position in his band, and so have I. But I always looked at history: what did Lord Iommi do back then? What did he do? And what would Tony Iommi do in this situation? And he always came back with another amazing singer.

"I don't care what people say, but I think, in terms of BLACK SABBATH, their worst album, so to speak, is still, by comparison, much better than most metal albums out there," Gus explained. "The stuff the guy writes is just insane. So it depends which era you are into, of course. They have different eras — the '80s and the '90s albums, and the '70s, of course, is the classic stuff with Ozzy [Osbourne].

"Actually, one thing talking about singer changes — yes, it hurts the band, for sure," Gus admitted. "That's the downside. But the good thing is when someone new comes in, it's how you keep things fresh in a way. You bring new energy into the band. And that's what happened with us, with Herbie, five years ago when he came to the band, and he brought this new energy. And the first album we did [2020's 'Firewind'] was kind of put together — we rushed it, 'cause we had to go on this major tour and then everything got canceled 'cause of COVID. But then I think 'Stand United', we kind of found each other. I started writing more for the singer, a specific singer's voice. And I think this is what is happening right now. We're kind of capitalizing on that. And we've been building on that thing."

"Stand United" featured nine brand new songs produced with Dennis Ward (MAGNUM, UNISONIC),as well as a cover of the 1980s pop rock classic "Talking In Your Sleep", originally recorded by THE ROMANTICS but given a metal twist in the style of FIREWIND.

FIREWIND released a concert album/Blu-ray, "Still Raging", in September 2023 via AFM Records.

In early 2020, FIREWIND officially parted ways with guitarist/keyboardist Bob Katsionis and singer Henning Basse.

Gus and Langhans, who previously played with AVANTASIA and SINBREED, got to know each other back in the autumn of 2019, when the FIREWIND leader was looking for a suitable replacement for Henning Basse after the tour with QUEENSRŸCHE. Just a few weeks later, the recordings for "Firewind" were a done deal, ready for Swedish sound engineer Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, AVATAR, H.E.A.T.) to mix them in Lindell Audio Studios.

California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL will release their first new album in 34 years, "Extinction Level Event", digitally on September 5 via Reversed Records.

Limited collectors' edition sets, including signed copies and a limited-edition collector's red vinyl, will only be available until September 15.

"Extinction Level Event" track listing:

01. Extinction Level Event
02. Circular Firing Squad
03. Woke Up To Blood
04. Apex Predator
05. Sea Of Heads
06. Atavistic
07. Scaler Weaponry
08. Scarface The Room
09. E Pluribus Nemo
10. Terror Construct
11. Extraction Tactics

This past June, DARK ANGEL released "Circular Firing Squad", the second single from "Extinction Level Event". The LP's first single, the "Extinction Level Event" title track, was written by DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin a decade ago, long before he suffered from severe liver disease, and, to the surprise of everyone, passed away in 2023. It was recorded and mixed at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, executive produced by DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser.

Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.

Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.

The "Extinction Level Event" artwork and layout was designed by Cain Gillis, with concepts by Hoglan.

"Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I'm so stoked about this album," Hoglan previously said. "I'm really excited about DARK ANGEL right now, and everyone who's heard the new album is losing their minds. Every time I'd finish a song and send it over to the guys, everybody was, 'Gene, this is my favorite song!' 'No, this is my favorite song!!' 'Dude, this is totally my favorite song!!!' That's never a bad sign."

Hoglan and Christine wrote everything except for the title track on "Extinction Level Event". Other songs set to appear on the effort include "Atavistic", which is described as "a full-on three-minute thrash metal barrage", "Woke Up To Blood", the title of which stemmed from a dog attack, and "Terror Construct", which Gene wrote about the way the media and corporations team up to spread fear among the masses so they can continue to fill their pockets.

The seeds of "Extinction Level Event" were planted in late 2013 between the time when TESTAMENT stopped touring to work on their new record and Hoglan was scheduled to work on his next major project. After the first batch of writing sessions for "Extinction Level Event", Hoglan had to put writing for DARK ANGEL on hold until late 2022. With other obligations behind him, Gene laser-focused on DARK ANGEL, listening back to the jams he and Durkin made earlier, and writing more than 10 new songs over the next three months. With a full album of pummeling new songs, Hoglan flew to Vancouver to track the album at the Armory. There, he and his bandmates worked with Rob Shallcross and Mike Fraser, and over a few sessions, DARK ANGEL had recorded everything but the vocals.

Having passed away two years ago, Durkin's sudden death is still traumatic for DARK ANGEL and especially Hoglan. At the same time, he takes bittersweet pride in knowing that Jim's playing and performances live on through him and DARK ANGEL, not only when the band plays his old riffs, but also in the continued influence Durkin has on the band's new songs.

"One of the last things I told him was, 'Jim, dude, you're my original guitar hero," Hoglan recalls. "'My entire guitar style is based on your style because you are who I really learned how to play guitar from.' So, my guitar approach with DARK ANGEL is Jim Durkin's approach. When I write for the band, I'm thinking, 'What would Jim do here?' That's why his presence is massively all over this new record. Every single song. I wanted to make it to where people are like, 'Yeah, Jim wrote that riff. Oh, there's another Jim riff' because Jim wrote all the best riffs in the band, forever."

DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.

Photo by Alex Solca

In a new interview with Concrete Spew, CROWBAR frontman Kirk Windstein addressed the fact that he is sitting down during the early part of the band's U.S. co-headlining tour with EYEHATEGOD, which kicked off on August 7 at Conduit in Orlando, Florida, due to what he has previously described as "either a bad sciatica flare-up or potentially a ruptured disc" in his "lower spine". After the interviewer noted that the fact that he is sitting down "doesn't seem to have affected" his "playing at all", Kirk concurred. "It doesn't," he said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "It sucks, but at the same time, what's the other option? I'm physically unable to… I went and got acupuncture Monday in Atlanta, and I need to get an MRI. We have no days off at all. In fact, three of the shows — we have a matinee show. We have two shows in one day. So when I get home, I'll get an MRI to officially diagnose that it is a herniated disc, but my chiropractor and the acupuncturist both said it's a herniated disc, which is a real — that's real sciatica; that's what causes it. So I've gotta deal with that when I get home, and we'll see. But it's really hard to not push yourself. I mean, it's not affecting me playing and singing, although I tell you what — it's hard to sing sitting down. You can't really use your diaphragm, man. I have a very throaty voice, but I do sing from the diaphragm as well. But you know what? It's working. The fans are totally — they accept it. They just appreciate that I didn't cancel and just say, 'Fuck it. I can't do it.' I need help getting on and off the stage, but put me in a chair and we're rocking, man."

CROWBAR's tour with EYEHATEGOD will wrap up on August 31 in Pensacola, Florida.

When Windstein revealed less than two weeks ago that he would be sitting down during the early part of the trek, he explained in a statement:  "I don't call in sick. I'm there to give y'all a hundred percent and please the fans the best I can. So I'm probably gonna have to start this tour …. sitting down, but we'll be singing and playing top-notch the best I can do. I can't walk right now, and that's the truth. I've got a cane, I've got a walker, and I've never had this kind of pain in my life. I'm 60 years old, and I've never had this pain in my life. But anyway, I think positive; I don't think negative. So it's gonna be great, and we're gonna kick ass every night. So thank y'all so much."

In a 2020 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Windstein said that he finally addressed his substance abuse issues around 10 years earlier. "I started drinking at home instead of going out to bars, because it was easier for me to avoid cocaine if I didn't go out to where it would be," he explained. "I erased all the dealers from my phone. I quit drinking hard liquor for the most part, but I had a little hangout room where I would watch sports, play guitar and drink beer. Before that, I would go to a bar, not realize how I'd got home, pass out on the couch and wake up with two bags of coke. Then, of course, I'd go to the store to buy beer, because if I've got cocaine, I've got to have beer. And vice versa — if I went to a bar, I'd have two beers, then I'd be calling a guy trying to score. It was an ugly thing to go through, but they say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I really do believe that to be true."

Back in 2011, Windstein told the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner that he didn't go to rehab to beat his addiction. "I was in a downward spiral for years and years and years, and you know, you get to a point of, 'This is enough,'" he said. "I always make damn sure to say this: If I was a regular guy working at Home Depot and had a drinking problem, people wouldn't talk about it. But because I'm in a band... For me, I'm in a good place and take it a day at a time. It's a lifestyle change in general, not just about alcohol. It's about getting my life in order, eating right, working out right, getting out of debt, and try to be the best father I can be, the best musician. You live and you learn…. I never want to be back to where I was, let's put it that way. It hits you like a hammer, and it's not a good thing where you're a physical slave to drinking. You need to do a lot of soul-searching and find what works for you."

Windstein told Metal Hammer magazine that the support from his peers in the music industry "has been great. They all understand it," he said. "Everyone I've met in this business, they all understand it. It's part of it. It's like an occupational hazard. It's in your face 24⁄7, and what used to be fun, partying and cutting up with the guys became a really bad thing. Enough is enough. That's it."

CROWBAR released its most recent studio offering, the critically lauded "Zero And Below", in April 2022 via MNRK Heavy. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording And Production in Metairie, Louisiana, "Zero And Below" was the band's most unforgivably doom-driven record since their 1998 landmark effort "Odd Fellows Rest". Led by riff lord and vocalist Kirk Windstein, with guitarist Matt Brunson, bassist Shane Wesley and drummer Tommy Buckley, songs like "Chemical Godz", "It's Always Worth The Gain" and "Bleeding From Every Hole" are unapologetic emotional outpourings, with a bare-knuckle resolve alongside its soul-searching vulnerability, reliably delivered with crushing heaviness.

Five years ago, Windstein told the "Does It Doom?" podcast that he was really happy with the band's then-just-completed new album. "It's really a killer record — I love it," he said. "It's got a lot of [guitar] harmonies and it's got a lot more doomy riffs. We only had one proper fast song — one of our more upbeat, hardcore-type, MOTÖRHEAD speed, I call it, type tunes; we've only got one like that. Out of all 10 tracks, besides that one tune, there's only maybe two other fast, what I would consider fast, songs on the whole record. So it's kind of a throwback but a modern, more mature touch on it."

He continued: "We're all super, super happy with the way it came out. The production's amazing, again from Duane Simoneaux. The guitar tone's amazing. The songs themselves are great; I'm really happy. It's really one of the only CROWBAR records that I'm really happy with everything — every riff, I'm happy with the tones, with the production, with the lyrics, with the way I sang; the whole nine yards. So I'm really just loving it, to be honest — I really am."

Earlier in 2020, Windstein told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that he got "a lot of help" from Brunson and Wesley during the songwriting process for CROWBAR's latest album.

A new one-hour film about the "last chapter" of Ozzy Osbourne's life has reportedly been pulled from the BBC's schedule just hours before it was due to air.

Titled "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home", the film was described as "the moving and inspirational account of the last chapter of Ozzy's life, told through unique and intimate access to the whole Osbourne family, including Sharon, Jack and Kelly."

The documentary was set to air tonight (Monday, August 18) on BBC One and iPlayer at 9 p.m. U.K. time but has now been postponed without explanation and has been replaced by an episode of "Fake Or Fortune".

A BBC spokesperson told Rolling Stone: "The film has moved in the schedules and we'll confirm new tx [transmission] details in due course."

Filmed over three years, "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home" reportedly captures the extraordinary roller-coaster of their lives as Sharon and Ozzy attempt to complete their long-held dream of moving back to the U.K., Ozzy heroically battles to get fit enough to perform, and the family deal with the dramatic consequences of his ill health.

The film is full of love, laughter and tears and the kind of unforgettable family moments that we've come to expect from the Osbournes. It's a remarkably candid and uplifting tribute to one of the world's true icons, and documents the first family of rock as they are forced to accept, that, as Kelly says in the film, "Iron man wasn't really made of iron".

Clare Sillery, BBC head of commissioning, documentaries, previously said in a statement: "We are honored to have had the opportunity to film with Ozzy and his family. The film captures an intimate glimpse into their journey as they prepare to return to the U.K. It features family moments, humor, reflection and shows the enduring spirit that made Ozzy a global icon. We hope it brings comfort and joy to Ozzy's fans and viewers as they remember and celebrate his extraordinary life."

Ben Wicks and Colin Barr, executive producers at Expectation, added: "It was an incredible privilege to spend the last few years with Ozzy, as well as Sharon, Jack and Kelly. Ozzy wanted to make it back to the U.K. and appear on stage one last time — our film is an inspiring and poignant account of him fulfilling that dream. Ozzy was loved by millions around the world not just for his music, but for his sense of mischief and his honesty all of which we saw plenty of in the final years of his life. But one thing shone through even more brightly to us, and that was Ozzy's intense love for his exceptional family who were by his side through it all."

"Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home" is produced by Expectation in association with JOKS Productions Limited for BBC One and iPlayer. It was commissioned by Clare Sillery, BBC head of commissioning, documentaries. The BBC commissioning editor is Carl Callam. Executive producers for Expectation are Ben Wicks, Colin Barr, Rachael Barnes and Louisa McKay. The documentary is being distributed internationally by Banijay Rights.

Originally conceived as a series "Home To Roost", announced in 2022, the project evolved as Ozzy's health deteriorated into a one-hour film "Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home".

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the 76-year-old musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

FIREHOUSE and TRIXTER paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by performing a cover of his classic song "Crazy Train" during the two bands' joint concert this past Saturday night (August 16) at West Herr Riviera Theatre in North Tonawanda, New York. Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife/manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Ozzy played his final show a month and a half ago at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. The concert saw him and his fellow original SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward perform four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival titled "Back To The Beginning" served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

West Herr Riviera Theatre was the place to be last night. FireHouse and Trixter joined forces together to cap of the evening with a ride on the Crazy Train and a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne!

Posted by West Herr Riviera Theatre on Sunday, August 17, 2025

During an August 14 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson talked about his upcoming "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American solo tour, which is scheduled to kick off on August 22 in Anaheim, California. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We did three warmup shows over here [in California in April 2024] and then dived down to Brazil, did a bunch there, and then went back to Europe and did a load of festivals and headline shows and everything. So that went amazing. I mean, the reaction in in Europe was great. So the promoters are all getting on board now for 2027 for the new [solo] record, the new tour and everything now. So I'm, like, okay, that's all good. But the USA is unfinished business. So, yeah, I've gotta come over and just at least show the [solo] band, get the word out, have people's reactions. 'Cause I know the way that the world is now, is you wanna see it and people are gonna talk. And people that didn't go to the show, hopefully their buddies go, 'Wow, you should have been there.' But that's how you build, isn't it? It's old school, but it's how you build. I'm not gonna be building my audience on TikTok. That's for sure."

After "Trunk Nation" host Eddie Trunk noted that "it's amazing" Dickinson still has the drive and ambition to want to build his solo band at this point in his life and his career, Bruce said: "I'm not one for trying to do mission impossible, but I think you have to give everything a chance, and especially if you love what you do and you think the music is worth it. Then it's not an imposition in your life to go out and make the effort. And the band is incredible. I mean, they're on fire."

Dickinson also spoke about his plans for more new solo music following the release of his latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project", which arrived in March 2024. Bruce said: "We are gonna do a new album — we are recording the new album, rather — in January next year here in L.A. So, this is a great way of just getting the band locked in into the mentality of that. In fact, we were in the studio, well, just yesterday for three or four days, doing updates on the demos that we did with drum machines and things like that. Well, we've done them with the whole band now, and that just takes the songs to another level for the new album."

Asked if his next solo album will be "conceptual", like "The Mandrake Project" was, Bruce said: "Well, 'Mandrake' was kind of semi-conceptual. It was conceptual in its visual approach more than the music. There were elements of the music that were connected with the comic. And we've actually just published the book, the first book of the first four episodes of the comic. So that's something that people can get that's got some solidity to it. They can look at it and go, 'Oh, yeah, I get what this is all about.' But the albums have always got to be standalone units. And the stuff we've got — we've got 18 tracks demoed for the album. And we won't record 18 tracks, but I think we've probably settled on — nine, 10, 11 of them are absolute bangers, and the other ones we'll just see where we go with them and what it ends up like. But the band are on fire."

Regarding what fans can expect to hear on his next solo album, Bruce said: "It will be a different feel to the album because this is gonna be recorded live. I mean, 'Mandrake' was a bit like stitching together Frankenstein's monster, 'cause it was stuff from 2014 and then it was stuff from after COVID, and all of it glued together. So sonically it was a little bit all over the place."

Bruce also talked in more detail about the setlist for "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour, saying: "We'll do one [IRON MAIDEN song]. We're gonna prepare a couple. But we'll do one every show. One of them is gonna be 'Revelations'. The reason for that is because we're going down — in the middle of the tour, we go down for one show in Brazil, which is the 40th anniversary of me setting foot in Brazil with MAIDEN. It's São Paulo at this big festival called The Town. And so 'Revelations' is a really kind of seminal track because that was the track in which I split my head open with the guitar blood pouring down my face, that was on the front cover of every newspaper in Brazil the day after [the] Rock In Rio [festival in 1985]."

Asked by Trunk how he ended up splitting his head open, Bruce said: "I played guitar at the beginning of 'Revelations' on that tour. And I was so pissed off with the monitor guy, 'cause the monitors were sounding awful and everything, and it was all disorganized and yada, yada, yada. And only the biggest gig we'd ever done in our lives. So, I'm waving at him, 'Ah.' And then I took the guitar off, and I took it off in such a goofy way that the edge of the guitar hit me across the nose like that and split my head open. And I'm bleeding from a head wound and it's really hot, so it looks impressive — lots of blood. And it's all on TV — so it's on national TV — and I'm bleeding all over the place. And the Brazilians absolutely went bonkers. And the whole of South America saw it went, 'Oh my God. He's bleeding for his art.' And Rod [Smallwood], my manager, came up and I was, like, trying to wipe it off. And this roadie came up and said, 'Oh, no, no, no, no, no. Rod says, can you squeeze it and make it bleed some more? It looks amazing on the cameras.' So to this day, when you talk about that song and that festival in Brazil, they talk about that image and that moment that was like the image of the festival. It was during that song. So when you play that song, it has an extra meaning and weight down there. But it's quite a long song. So, we've got other songs in the set that we could do of our own stuff as well. So, I've got my eyes on another MAIDEN tune, which has never ever been played — ever."

Dickinson declined to name the other MAIDEN song he and his solo band will prepare for the upcoming tour, saying: "You have to find out yourself. It's all gonna come out [after we play it for the first time]. But you can keep people guessing. 'Are they gonna do it tonight? Where's it gonna be?' And things like that. And the thing is about this band is that they're good enough that we could go in the toilet and learn something five minutes before we go on stage and go and do it.

"We do try to vary the set a little bit so if people decide to come to the Boston show and then come to the New York show, yeah, we'll do something different in the New York show we didn't do in Boston and vice versa," Dickinson added. "So, that's nice. But, yeah, I'm gonna cover a lot of ground in the set. I don't believe in doing a set in which you make people suffer: 'You will get all of this album, whether you like it or not.' I'm there to entertain people and have a great time and show off the band. So, there's gonna be stuff from 'Accident At Birth' and 'The Chemical Wedding' — tracks that people have not heard ever. We're playing 'The Alchemist' and stuff like that, which everybody just goes, 'Oh my God.' And it's bone-crushingly heavy live. And we're doing 'Book of Thel'. And then there's other stuff. There's at least two or three songs off 'Mandrake'. We're gonna be doing 'Shadow Of The Gods', which we've never played, ever. So all of last year we'd never played that song. And it's probably one of the top songs off the record. So America's gonna get that song. Obviously we're gonna play 'Tears Of The Dragon', 'cause I think we'd be lynched if we didn't. But there'll be another couple of [songs from the reworked version of 'Balls To Picasso'] 'More Balls [To Picasso]' as well. And there's a song off 'Skunkworks'. There's nothing, at the moment, off 'Tattooed Millionaire'. And there's two or three options for doing things off 'Tyranny Of Souls'. So, really, it's a pretty across-the-board solo-track thing. And funnily enough, think throwing ahead to what we do in '27, I'm thinking, oh, my God. There's so many other tracks that you could drop in to a tour in '27, which we haven't played and we haven't played live as well. 'Cause I've got seven albums to pick from."

Earlier in the month, Bruce told Metal Hammer that his new solo material will include "bone-crushingly heavy" songs as well as moments that "are just like tugging at the heartstrings". "If it's heavy, it's heavy," he added, "but if it just happens to be acoustic, it's acoustic. That's the deal, you know? It's whatever the song dictates, whatever the story is you're trying to tell, but it's really exciting. I'm so stoked about these tracks. I played the demos to a few people in the record label and stuff, and everybody is like, 'Wow!'"

Dickinson previously told Charlie Kendall of Charlie Kendall's Metalshop that he will record his next solo album with Brendan Duffey, who "did an amazing job" remixing Dickinson's second solo album, 1994's "Balls To Picasso". "The amazing band that is gonna record the new record with me is gonna be the same band that toured in Europe with me, and it's gonna be the same band that's gonna tour with me in 2027 when we release the new record," he said. "Or at least that's the idea anyway, to release a new record [in 2027]."

Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on the "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will once again be his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.

"The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour kicks off in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues on August 22 and takes the band across North America including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky). The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the aforementioned prestigious The Town festival at the City Of Light in São Paulo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Photo credit: John McMurtrie

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, PRIMAL FEAR bassist Mat Sinner — whose real name is Matthias Lasch — addressed the fact that a lot of international musicians are canceling U.S. tours because they have decided that going through the complicated process of getting a U.S. artist visa may not be worth the financial and safety risks. The 61-year-old musician, who was born in Stuttgart, Germany and who also serves as PRIMAL FEAR's producer and one of the band's main songwriters, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "I hope that the so-called leaders, which are sometimes close to criminals, or are, get their shit together and give us a chance for a peaceful future.

"Look at PRIMAL FEAR — everybody's asking, 'Why don't you come to America?' We played seven tours in America [in the past]," he explained. "It was never a problem. All is cool. So now you hear reports that a lot of European bands, even that had working visas, were not allowed to enter the U.S. The immigration said 'no'. So all the costs you have, like lawyers, visa, social security, flights, paying the first rate for the bus, and all these things, how can you risk it to ruin a band without not having the proof that you can enter the country and play a tour? And this is so ridiculous. So, of course, if a fan from Texas writes, 'Why don't you come to Texas?' Yeah. Sorry, guy. It's not our problem. It's your problem."

After McKaysmith noted that it is "essential" for a band like PRIMAL FEAR to tour the U.S., considering that America is one of the biggest markets for heavy metal in the world, Sinner said: "Not essential under these circumstances. So, sorry, but I give a fuck. If the situation is that difficult and not clear that, for example, a German band invests a lot of money before they come to America and then didn't allow to get into the country and do the tour because of some — whatever — circumstances they don't like this or whatever, so this is just, for me, not the right way. An American band can come to Germany — they don't need a visa, they don't need nothing, they can play their concerts, they make the money, they go back to America. No problem. With us, for example, [they] said about the next football world championship [FIFA World Cup, which will be held in 2026] in America, yeah, the people can come, but they have to leave immediately. Yeah, what the fuck? So is that a welcome for the world? No — no, no, no, no, no. I don't like it. And I'm sorry for all our fans, and we have a lot of fans — we're selling the second most albums in the world in America. So I'm sorry for all the fans, but under these circumstances, it's financially too risky for us. I hope the time will change."

P and O work visas are assigned to touring artists before they can tour the U.S. The P-category visa applies to artists coming to the U.S. temporarily. These visas can extend for the run of a tour or periods of 12 months or more. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) O category non-immigrant classification includes the coveted O-1B visa, which covers individuals with an extraordinary ability in the arts or extraordinary achievement in the motion picture or television industry. The cost for such visas has reportedly surged from $460 to more than $1,615 per application. The visa fee itself could cost over $3,000 per artist, depending on whether the presenter decides to include fees to expedite the application or hires a lawyer to track the paperwork. USCIS has explained that the extra funds will better cover operational costs and improve processing times. However, immigration lawyers have argued that processing times have actually increased, making it more difficult for artists to plan U.S. tours. The changes have reportedly hurt smaller acts the most.

In a 2021, Sinner reportedly suffered an extreme adverse reaction to the COVID-19 vaccination, resulting in him receiving treatment for eight months at various hospitals. As a result of Sinner's health challenges, PRIMAL FEAR canceled all of its planned shows in 2021 and 2022, eventually recruiting Alex Jansen as Mat's temporary replacement.

Joining Sinner and vocalist Ralf Scheepers in PRIMAL FEAR's current lineup are the band's latest additions, Italian/Cuban sensation Thalìa Bellazecca (ANGUS MCSIX, ex-FROZEN CROWN) on guitar and André Hilgers (AXXIS, RAGE, SILENT FORCE, SINNER, BONFIRE) on drums. Also appearing with the group is Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson, who has been primarily a studio member of the band for much of the past decade but who has now rejoined PRIMAL FEAR's touring lineup.

PRIMAL FEAR's new album, "Domination", will arrive on September 5 via Reigning Phoenix Music. The LP was recorded in autumn 2024, produced by Mat Sinner and co-produced by Ralf Scheepers as well as Magnus Karlsson. Rounded off by multiple PRIMAL FEAR mixing/mastering engineer Jacob Hansen at his own studios in Denmark, the album artwork was designed by Death.Milk.Designs.

PRIMAL FEAR's new lineup made its live debut on May 9 at the 2025 edition of the Rock In Rautheim festival in Braunschweig, Germany.

This September, PRIMAL FEAR will return to the live front with its longest European tour since 2018. Reigning Phoenix Music labelmates ELEINE have been confirmed as special guests.

In August 2024, guitarists Alex Beyrodt and Tom Naumann, drummer Michael Ehré and bassist Alex Jansen announced their departures from PRIMAL FEAR, insisting that their exit was "triggered by decisions within the band that we do not agree with" but claiming that "there was no argument or bad blood."

Formed by Sinner in 1997 as an outlet for Scheepers (who had left GAMMA RAY and was a rumored candidate for the then-open JUDAS PRIEST vocal spot, but was considering early retirement from metal),PRIMAL FEAR has emerged as one of the most consistent European metal bands, rarely straying from its core PRIEST-styled power metal sound.

PRIMAL FEAR 2025 is:

Ralf Scheepers - vocals
Mat Sinner - bass, vocals
Magnus Karlsson - guitars
Thalìa Bellazecca - guitars
André Hilgers - drums

MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren's long-running BENT SEA project will release its debut album, "The Dormant Ruin", in September via Give Praise Records. The LP is now available for pre-order at this location.

BENT SEA began its offensive in 2011 by crash-landing the "Noistalgia" EP, an explosive homage to the beginnings of grindcore. Led by drummer/guitarist/songwriter Dirk Verbeuren with cohorts Sven de Caluwé (ABORTED) on vocals and Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH) on bass — replacing Devin Townsend, who guested on "Noistalgia" — BENT SEA churned out three more split releases and the guest-studded "Instagrind" series before suddenly falling silent.

BENT SEA anno 2025 mangles the blueprint of classic grind by infusing it with death/black/industrial elements, topped off with unhealthy doses of dissonance and an undeniable sense of urgency. This crushingly heavy record skillfully transcends the band's early output. In twenty songs and 33 minutes, just like the inevitable wrath of Mother Nature, no one will escape BENT SEA unscathed!

"The Dormant Ruin" was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, DARK FUNERAL) and features guest appearances by Kevin Sharp (VENOMOUS CONCEPT, ex-BRUTAL TRUTH),John Cooke (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT) and Sylvain Coudret (SOILWORK, SCARVE).

Track listing:

Side A

01. From The Beast's Mouth
02. Apathy And Irony
03. Tidal Fire
04. Curtailer Of Conceit
05. A Scopic Radiance
06. Shapeless Ones
07. My Fall
08. Meat Trade Misery
09. Final Corridor
10. Paragon Of Inhumanity

Side B

11. Locked In Glitch
12. Ominous Reversal
13. Prodigious Blight
14. Vermin Burning
15. The Voice They Cannot Be
16. Below The Cold Void
17. Sharpen The Blade
18. Stifled And Dreaming
19. Erased From The Earthly Crust
20. The Dormant Ruin

The official music video for "A Scopic Radiance" can be seen below.

In a 2016 interview with All About The Rock, Dirk stated about BENT SEA: "BENT SEA is a spur-of-the-moment type thing without any business plan. The idea from the get-go was basically 'no pressure' and I intend to keep it that way."

Back in 2012, Dirk told PureGrainAudio about BENT SEA's formation: "It just sort of happened. I used to play guitar, but in recent years my focus was exclusively on drums. My wife had been encouraging me to write my own music, so I decided to give it a shot. The result turned out to be BENT SEA."

Regarding the project's name, the 50-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based musician said: "It's taken from a song by British experimental duo ENDVRA which I accidentally came across in my tape-trading days. Their music has absolutely nothing to do with grindcore, but somehow BENT SEA popped up in my mind. I like that it's atypical, and that it conjures apocalyptic images echoing the intensity of my music."

Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD),who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

In interview with the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine described Dirk as "one of the most pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with guys I've ever met in my life. I'll walk up to him and he'll smile and lean forward and pat me on the back. He goes [adopts thin accent], 'How's it going, buddy?' I could say, 'Oh, man…'… anything. 'Oh, okay, buddy.' [He] smiles and pats me, 'cause he's just a happy guy. I've never, ever, ever seen him not smile."

On August 14, ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna and his tribute band to Ronnie James Dio kicked off a four-date tour of Florida at Capt Hirams in Sebastian. The group, in which Belladonna is joined by Mike Rivera on guitar, Rob Stokes on bass, and Jim McCourt on drums, is performing music from DIO, BLACK SABBATH and RAINBOW.

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

A decade ago, Belladonna spoke to Jay Nanda of the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner about the ANTHRAX frontman's involvement in "This Is Your Life", the tribute to album to Ronnie James Dio. Asked why ANTHRAX chose to record a cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Neon Knights", Belladonna said: "I think I suggested it. When we talked about doing something, collectively, we all like the song, so it was a no-brainer. We could pretty much pick anything… I went for the heavier."

Asked if recording the "Neon Knights" cover was a more emotional experience than some of the other cover versions ANTHRAX had recorded over the years, Belladonna said: "For me, no. I just love doing that type of thing, and it was another day for me to sing something of his. Obviously, I'm excited, because it is a record, but I don't think I did it any different. In fact, I only did a couple of takes. I mean, I actually have on video the first time I tried it, and it pretty much sounds like what it sounds like already. It was business as usual for me."

Regarding what Ronnie meant to him, Joey said: "Ronnie's an inspirational singer for me." He added: "I really believe that as you grow up, you're inspired by the people that perform and things that you would like to hear yourself be in that kind of category and have such a talent like he did and just be inspired. [He was a] great human being, great musician — just all that… He was just the slickest. He was so heavy but melodic, as well as his attitude about everything. He had great charisma."

Belladonna also spoke about the first impression Ronnie made on him. "He made me laugh big time," Joey said. "He just want[ed] to be funny. And yet he [was] so sincere and [could] have that serious point of view. You need to be enthralled with that when you're around him, to have him speak to you with that kind of attitude and spunk that he had. And I'd been around him when things weren't so good, which I won't bring up right now, but to have him share that with me, which was more private, about being in his band — things like that. Just to engage in that with me and run that by me."

Belladonna, whose most recent return to ANTHRAX was officially announced in May 2010, was originally the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the influential thrash metal group's classic lineup (alongside guitarists Dan Spitz and Scott Ian, bassist Frank Bello and drummer Charlie Benante),which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.

Hey everyone! The boys and I are gearing up for another fun run of shows celebrating Ronnie James Dio. Gather the wind and get tix asap. Last year they went fast. Don't be the last in line.

Posted by Jim McCourt on Monday, June 30, 2025

THE JOE PERRY PROJECT played the third concert of its U.S. tour Saturday night (August 16) at History in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

For the North American trek — which marks the first solo shows for the legendary AEROSMITH guitarist this year — Perry is joined by his AEROSMITH bandmates Brad Whitford (guitar) and Buck Johnson (keys),along with THE BLACK CROWES' Chris Robinson (vocals),STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Robert DeLeo (bass) and longtime JOE PERRY PROJECT drummer Jason Sutter.

The setlist for the Toronto concert was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Let The Music Do The Talking
02. My Fist Your Face (AEROSMITH song)
03. Mama Kin (AEROSMITH song)
04. East Coast, West Coast
05. Get The Lead Out / Heartbreaker
06. Twice As Hard (THE BLACK CROWES song)
07. Fortunate One (Joe Perry song)
08. Interstate Love Song (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song)
09. Combination (AEROSMITH song)
10. Get It Up (AEROSMITH song)
11. Vasoline (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song)
12. Won't Let Me Go (Joe Perry song)
13. Jealous Again (THE BLACK CROWES song)
14. Bright Light Fright (AEROSMITH song)
15. Last Child (AEROSMITH song)
16. Chip Away The Stone (Richard Supa Cover)
17. Draw The Line (AEROSMITH song)

Encore:

18. The Train Kept A-Rollin' (Tiny Bradshaw cover)
19. Walk This Way (AEROSMITH song)

Fan-filmed video can be seen below.

Due to a family emergency, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Eric Kretz is unable to participate in the JOE PERRY PROJECT eight-date tour, which will wrap August 23 in Port Chester, New York.

On Monday (August 11),Perry released the following statement via social media: "Unfortunately, due to a family emergency Eric Kretz will be unable to participate in the upcoming JOE PERRY PROJECT tour dates. Longtime JPP drummer Jason Sutter will join the band for the immediate future and Eric looks forward to rejoining the tour as soon as he is able."

Remaining THE JOE PERRY PROJECT 2025 tour dates:

August 17 - Muskoka, ON @ Kee to Bala
August 19 - Boston, MA @ Wang Theatre
August 20 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom
August 22 - Mashantucket, CT @ The Premier Theater at Foxwoods Resort Casino
August 23 - Port Chester, NY @ Capitol Theatre

When the tour was first announced in May, Perry said in a statement: "Well…it's time to let the music do the talkin again. I'm really excited about the JPP line up this year!!!! Most of these guys played with me at The Roxy in L.A. at the debut event for my latest solo album ['Sweetzerland Manifesto'] in January 2018. They're all busy as hell but thankfully they're able to carve out some time for this run. And I'm not only lucky enough to have Brad Whitford onstage with me but Chris Robinson of THE BLACK CROWES! [who sang 'Fortunate One' on 'Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII'], Robert DeLeo from STP!!! and Buck Johnson who plays keys and sings with AEROSMITH, the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES, and is also a solo artist in his own right."

For the shows, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee says "the set list is gonna include my fav JPP cuts, STP, BLACK CROWES, and with Brad we'll be hitting the AERO hits and some deep cuts and then ya never know!!!! Gonna be a BLAST, and if you've ever been to one of my shows you know the words GARAGE BAND on STEROIDS come to mind! See you there!!!!"

Perry launched THE JOE PERRY PROJECT back in 1979 after his departure from AEROSMITH. THE JOE PERRY PROJECT released three albums before Perry returned to AEROSMITH in 1984.

Prior to the current run of shows, Perry last toured with THE JOE PERRY PROJECT in 2023.

As co-founding member, principal songwriter, electrifying lead guitarist and co-producer of AEROSMITH, Perry has achieved permanent iconic stature in the pantheon of rock. He has helped to drive his band, over the course of five decades, to sales of more than 150 million albums, critical acclaim, four Grammy Awards (one of which includes the guitar-based instrumental "Boogie Man") and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the Songwriters Hall Of Fame. Joe's work with AEROSMITH has resulted in an unending array of accolades and honors. Beyond their Grammy Awards and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction, other key milestones over the past 50 years include 12 MTV Video Awards; two People's Choice Awards; six Billboard Music Awards; eight American Music Awards; 23 Boston Music Awards; and an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, "I Don't Want To Miss A Thing" (from the soundtrack to "Armageddon"). One of the world's true guitar heroes, he was immortalized in 2008 when AEROSMITH made history and created a cultural firestorm with the Activision-released "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith", an epic collaboration that marked the first music-based game to feature one band. As a solo artist, Perry has released six albums, including his 1980 debut, the critically acclaimed "Let The Music Do The Talking", which landed at No. 47 on Billboard's album chart. Most recently, Perry released "Sweetzerland Manifesto" in 2018 and "Sweetzerland Manifesto MKII" in 2023 (which included six tracks with alternate vocal appearances and mixes from the 2018 album). Since 2012, Perry has been a member of the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES — an American rock supergroup — alongside Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp. The group released three albums: "Hollywood Vampires" (2015) and "Rise" (2019),along with a live album, "Live In Rio" (2023). In addition, in 2014 Perry released "Rocks: My Life In And Out Of Aerosmith" (Simon & Schuster). Written with David Ritz, the book spent its initial two weeks on the prestigious New York Times bestseller list. To support the book, Joe embarked on a cross-country book tour with multiple nights in New York, his Boston hometown (three in-stores),Chicago, San Francisco, Phoenix, Los Angeles and a stop at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland. In addition, he made top-tier broadcast appearances on "The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon", "Conan", "CBS This Morning", "Fox & Friends", "Tavis Smiley" and "Larry King" alongside popular national radio including "The Howard Stern Show" and "Imus In The Morning". Perry also personally narrated the audio version of the book.

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy and guitarist Warren DeMartini played their fifth reunion show last night (Saturday, August 16) at the Silver Creek Event Center at Four Winds in New Buffalo, Michigan.

Playing alongside Pearcy and DeMartini were former RATT and QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, former RATT and ROUGH CUTT bassist Matt Thorr and former SLAUGHTER drummer Blas Elias. Thorr and Elias are both current touring members of Pearcy's solo band.

Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of the Joe E Bravo channel on YouTube).

The setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

01. Wanted Man (RATT song)
02. Slip Of The Lip (RATT song)
03. Lovin' You's A Dirty Job (RATT song)
04. Nobody Rides For Free (RATT song)
05. I Want A Woman (RATT song)
06. I'm Insane (RATT song)
07. Givin' Yourself Away (RATT song)
08. Way Cool Jr. (RATT song)
09. Lack Of Communication (RATT song)
10. Lay It Down (RATT song)
11. You're In Love (RATT song)
12. Back For More (RATT song)

Encore:

13. Round And Round (RATT song)

In a recent interview with Waste Some Time With Jason Green, Pearcy spoke about his reunion with DeMartini for a handful of shows this spring and summer. He said: "It's always been going around, 'You guys should get together.' I believe I actually approached Warren a few years ago. I go, 'Hey, why don't we try doing this [Jimmy] Page-[Robert] Plant [-style] thing or something.' And nothing became of it. So, I'm, like, hey, well, he's grooving. He's still that guy — he's the lead guitar player in RATT, the guy who co-wrote those songs; he's the guy. So I went about my business, as you know, and do my solo thing. And I have great players, but this is the real deal.

"So what happened was, over seven years later here, we get a contact from a promoter at M3 [Rock Festival], and it was, like, 'Well, I have this idea. Maybe we can get you guys back together and you can headline one of these nights.' And I'm, like, 'Okay. Yeah, right. Okay, well, let's see what happens.' So anyway, long story short, I said, 'Hey, whatever it takes, I'm in. Let's see if we can make this happen.' Well, it just happened to be the right timing for Warren too, to go, 'Hey, why not? Let's play again.' And here we are."

Regarding Pearcy and DeMartini's first reunion show, which took place in April at Mohegan Sun, Stephen told Waste Some Time With Jason Green: "It was fucking amazing. And we kind of blundered here and there and it's a given. We had a few rehearsals.

"The way Warren and I worked in RATT was we do like to be loosely tight," he explained. "We don't wanna be that technical out there when we play. So it kinda worked out the other day, like, 'Okay, we got our feet wet. Now we know what's happening.' So, some of those songs you may never hear us play again, that we played."

Asked if there are any other songs that he would like to perform at the future shows, Stephen said: "Oh, a hundred percent. And I think [Warren] would do it. I wanna play 'Eat Me Up Alive'. And that's a song Carlos and I wrote, so what the fuck? We played it before. That's a song I wanna do. I liked the couple songs Warren picked.

"For me, it's kind of cool, and even being this sobered up guy for years, is going out there and it's still the same as it was in '85, '86 with Warren up there," Pearcy added. "That's the vibe I got. I mean, we were able to sit there and chit-chat and didn't give a fuck on stage. 'Let's take a second out for us, dude. This is funny, huhThis is a trip, right?' That's our conversation up on stage."

Regarding the fact that drummer Bobby Blotzer and bassist Juan Croucier, who were both members of RATT's classic lineup, are not playing with Pearcy and DeMartini at the current shows, Stephen said: "People are already going, 'Oh, bring back the other guys.' Well, I don't really think they know how complicated it is or it would be, or if it even need be. Because the reason Warren and I are out here in the first place is to kick about the legacy of the music. Hey, we had great songs.

"It wouldn't have worked [with the other members], nor would I think I would've… Of course if you're really doing 'business business', you have to consider all aspects," he added. "But do I wanna fuck with our fans or our friends and go out there and pretend it's fucking cool and it's really not? You know what I mean? I mean, look, it took seven years for Warren and I [to play together again], and it was, like, 'Hey. Wow.' I never thought it would happen, but now we're talking about writing new music. So what the fuck?"

Asked if he thinks he will ever play under the RATT brand again, Stephen said: "Uh, well, I could say it would be cool, but I've proven it's not necessary right now. If you're doing 'business business', so to speak — but it's not necessary. That's why I've been out there busting ass for the last few years, is to establish that… It's irrelevant. I'm the guy who co-wrote or wrote those songs, created the band. Here I am — I'm singing. Because one day I'm gonna wake up and go, 'I don't wanna do this shit anymore.' And it happens… But, yeah, I think about that all the time. I mean, I'm fucking Evel Knievel right here, so I've gotta take it carefully."

Pearcy and DeMartini also performed a set of RATT classics at Rock The Dam 8 in Beaver Dam, Kentucky, on July 26 and at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 10.

"It's all good," Stephen said. "And I'll tell you what we've decided to move forward and because of that show, because we were touchy-touchy, if we wanted to stay out. And so we're gonna entertain some more shows. It's by overwhelming demand. I mean, this might be it, the last you'll see of RATT, for all I know. I don't know. But I'm enjoying this shit. It's fun again. It's been fun for me for the last few years, and I'd like to keep it that way."

During an appearance on the January 29 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Stephen said about the lineup of his new band with DeMartini: "We're gonna have Carlos out there, which is cool. And I'm bringing in Matt Thorr on bass, who's pretty much an original RATT guy from 1981, '82, when Jake E. [Lee] and Warren pulled in. And then we're taking Blas Elias on drums from SLAUGHTER and my band. And we're ready to go."

Added Warren: "When I moved up to L.A. to join RATT, I stayed at a house with Jake E. Lee for a few months, and, it was like a three-bedroom [house], and Jake had one, and Matt had the other, and this other musician had the third. And I was on the couch. But Matt goes way back with [RATT]. I'm actually kind of looking forward to checking that out again. He was playing bass at the time I joined [RATT]."

Regarding why they did not play the M3 show under the RATT banner, Pearcy said: "Well, I'll tell you right straight up — it's not about RATT. It's about the legacy of our music. And who better to deliver it, because we don't have all the proper original elements, which would include [late RATT guitarist] Robbin [Crosby]. So we just decided — no. This is great. This is perfect. I mean, we don't wanna hit a brick wall. We want this nice and smooth. So that's what we intend to do. It's not about that — it's about the legacy of RATT. Period."

DeMartini went on to say that he was open to playing more shows with Pearcy in the future, assuming that everything goes well with the current gigs.

"Since we announced the M3 show, other stuff has come up," he revealed. "When this [M3 concert] came up, I was treating it as a one-off, but everything has a momentum, or it can have a momentum. And in this case, it just feels better and better.

"I've always wanted to play these songs to the people, like we always have," he added. "So I'm totally game to doing more."

Asked if Blotzer and Croucier would have any involvement in M3 and other gigs Pearcy and DeMartini plan to play together, Stephen said: "No, no, no. Not on this. No. Like I say, we wanted it to be about the music and Warren and myself delivering it, because it is gonna be a little different. If you were to throw the other guys in the mix, it wouldn't be exactly what it is now, the opportunity."

On the topic of what he has been doing in the seven years since he last played with Stephen, Warren said: "What I always did and what I always do. When I'm not sort of dealing with all the stuff that we deal with in life, I drift back into the studio and either start working on something that I hear in my head or refining something that I have going. So it's been a really nice thing to be able to do all this time, because basically since Stephen and Robbin and I wrote 'Round And Round', it's, like, 'Okay, you can be a writer if you wanna be,' so that's what I do, basically."

Asked if he missed being on stage and being in front of an audience, Warren said: "Oh, of course. It's hard to find words to describe the kind of energy that we have with our audience. It's just fantastic… I did do some gigs with some friends, like the last one was with Billy Gibbons and Sebastian Bach, and we would all play each other's songs. It was two or three songs each. And stuff like that kind of kept it burning, but this is the real fire."

Last year, Pearcy celebrated the 40th anniversary of RATT's classic debut album, "Out Of The Cellar", by performing it in its entirety and in sequence for the first time.

RATT exploded on to the national scene in 1984 with the release of "Out Of The Cellar". Featuring an undeniable hook and legendary music video, lead single "Round And Round" hit No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100, while "Out Of The Cellar" reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top 200 and was certified triple platinum. Two more charting singles followed with "Back For More" and "Wanted Man". RATT started the tour as an opening act, but by the end of the tour had climbed to arena headliner.

RATT returned in 1985 with its second full-length album, "Invasion Of Your Privacy". Certified double platinum and also reaching No. 7 on the Billboard 200, "Invasion Of Your Privacy" also featured the classics "Lay It Down" (No. 40 on Billboard Hot 100) and "You're In Love".

"Dancing Undercover" followed in 1986 as RATT toured North America with a then-brand new Los Angeles band called POISON as the opening act. Lead single "Dance" hit the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned another music video hit with "Slip Of The Lip", while "Body Talk" was featured in a key scene in the Eddie Murphy film "The Golden Child". "Dancing Undercover" became RATT's third consecutive platinum album and reached No. 26 on the Billboard 200.

1988's "Reach For The Sky" saw RATT return to the Top 20 of the Billboard 200 album charts, peaking at No. 17. Driven by the bluesy hit and MTV favorite "Way Cool Jr.", "Reach For The Sky" was also certified platinum and became RATT's fourth album in a row to move well over a million copies. "I Want A Woman" was also a successful single and the video captured the excitement and energy of RATT live.

RATT released its last full-length record of the Atlantic era, "Detonator", in 1990. Music was changing, but "Detonator" was still a success, peaking at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 and going gold. It was the first RATT album to feature major outside songwriting contributions (Desmond Child, Diane Warren) and guests (Jon Bon Jovi, Michael Schenker). Lead single "Lovin' You's A Dirty Job" hit No. 18 on the rock chart while the power ballad "Givin' Yourself Away" reached No. 39.

In 1991, they released the single "Nobody Rides For Free" from the hit film "Point Break", starring Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze.

In January 2021, Pearcy told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he was open to the idea of making a new RATT album with all the surviving members of the band's classic lineup.

RATT hasn't released any new music since 2010's "Infestation" LP.

Just announced!
“ PEARCY | DE MARTINI” at Silver Creek Event Center - Aug 16, 2025...

Posted by Stephen Pearcy on Monday, April 28, 2025

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has completed recording its long-awaited follow-up to 2018's "No Cross No Crown" album.

On Saturday (August 16),CORROSION OF CONFORMITY shared a photo of guitarist Woody Weatherman and guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, along with the following message: "For all the freethinkers and beer drinkers… Woody and Pepper have just finished tracking one of the most meaningful and powerful records we have ever been a part of. This would not have been possible without the skills of all those that have joined this caravan, that is still in hot pursuit. Stanton Moore, Bobby Rock and Mr. Warren Riker between the speakers and never telling us to turn down…now he's off to mixland. There's many others that this would have not been possible without and whom will not be forgotten .This is what was in our head for three years and today we can say it is no longer ours.

"Thank you all …see you on the horizon

"Oh yeah .. It's a double album.

"FOREVER AMPLIFIED. COC".

Some of guitar-recording sessions for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's new LP took place at a private Miami, Florida studio owned by Barry Gibb of the BEE GEES.

On July 20, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY shared a photo of Keenan and Gibb at the studio and included the following message: "Beer drinkers and free thinkers… We wanna let y'all know we just finished trackin guitars in a very special place…

"Here's the deal… We were diggin around in the underground and fell upon an outing by a band called [KILL THE ROBOT] , the production caught our ear immediately as did the songs …clicked a lil deeper n' realized it was our dear friend Stephen Gibb's [Barry Gibb's son, who has previously played with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and CROWBAR] new outing… and was recorded and produced by [Warren Riker], another ol' friend who recorded the orginal 'Stare Too Long' and produced two [DOWN] records ..

"Didn't take long to start puttin the pieces together. Couple of texts and phone calls and we got the ultimate invitation… Come record at my father's place , where Warren and Stephen had built a dream studio. We stole the gas money and loaded the U haul n' headed to Miams.. We're goin to @officialbarrygibb of the friggin BEE GEES !! What followed next is way too epic to share…. but it took us to another level.

"We are forever grateful for sharing your world with us… never in our youth did we think we would be here tracking, and having Barry share his most prized instruments .. aka the Staying Alive Strat !!.. No Jive Talkin… We are humbled and definitely thank you Barry Gibb, Stephen Gibb and Warren Riker..

"Stay tuned! The new COC record is a monster!!

"See yall next tour with Alice [Cooper] and the mighty [JUDAS] PRIEST."

Last October, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recruited onetime DOWN guitarist and current PANTERA bass tech Bobby Landgraf to play bass for the band on the 2024 edition of the Headbangers Boat cruise. He has since joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in the studio and on the concert stage.

In September 2024, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's founding bassist Mike Dean announced his departure from the band.

Dean revealed his decision to leave CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in a statement posted on social media. He wrote: "Recently I made a decision to step away from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, a band started 40-odd years ago by Reed Mullin, Woody Weatherman, and myself.

"I'm extremely proud of everything we've done together, and look forward to hearing more from the band going forward.

"When I rejoined COC for the finishing touches of the 'Deliverance' album, I moved back to Raleigh, NC for an all-in creative campaign, but time, distance and side projects and life in general has changed all of that.

"Ever since Reed drifted away from the band and then passed away, it's been difficult for me to collaborate on new material with bandmates who live hundreds of miles away.

"I look forward to putting together a new Raleigh-based outlet to create new music with more alacrity and with more of an emphasis on my own ideas than in recent times. Also, I look forward to continuing to record and produce other artists.

"All the best to Woodroe, Pepper, and COC crew, and most importantly, many big thanks to the fans of all iterations of the band, who have made this real for all of these years. Salute!"

The remaining members of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY — Keenan and Weatherman — added in a separate statement: "We, Woodroe and Pepper, are in full support of Dean's future endeavors and wish him all the best in the quest. Thankful for the music made and (R)evolutionary paths created. That being said, this book of CORROSION is not finished, nor will the train stop.

"The opportunity to play music and create is something that we don't take lightly, and we will not waver. New COC recording is well underway and will be released in 2025.

"Much love and respect to all the free thinkin' beer drinkin' friends and fans worldwide, looking to making more. Without you, we are just growing deaf in a garage."

Two years ago, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY confirmed the return of Moore for its upcoming album.

Mullin died in January 2020 at the age of 53. The drummer, who co-founded CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1982 as a hardcore punk act alongside Weatherman and Dean, had missed a number of shows in the preceding four years due to a variety of health issues, including an alcohol-related seizure he suffered back in June 2016.

In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup DOWN, Pepper reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of Weatherman, Dean and Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalled back in 2017. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking."

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY recorded "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year at a North Carolina studio with longtime producer John Custer.

For all the freethinkers and beer drinkers….
Woody and Pepper have just finished tracking one of the most meaningful...

Posted by Corrosion Of Conformity on Saturday, August 16, 2025

AC/DZ, the long-running San Francisco Bay Area-based AC/DC tribute band featuring former EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and DEATH ANGEL drummer Will Carroll, paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne by performing a cover of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Children Of The Grave" during AC/DZ's concert last night (Saturday, August 16) at Vinnie's Bar & Grill in Concord, California. Video of the show can be seen below (courtesy of Walter Morgan).

As part of Jonathan Montenegro's "My 3 Questions To" series, Souza was asked to name his top three metal singers of all time. He responded: "I could go on forever; there's so many that I could say. But you have to give… For me, Bon Scott [AC/DC], Ronnie James Dio [BLACK SABBATH, DIO, HEAVEN & HELL] and, obviously, Rob Halford [JUDAS PRIEST]. But I then I could go Biff Byford [SAXON], I could go John Bush [ARMORED SAINT, ANTHRAX]. I have so many that I love and am influenced by — that I'm influenced by. They're such legends and they had such an impact on how singers like myself sing today, especially Bon Scott; I mean, my voice is a pretty much imitation of it."

Earlier this month, Souza announced the first two U.S. shows as part of his celebration of the 20th anniversary of EXODUS's 2004 album "Tempo Of The Damned". Souza will play at Piper's in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on September 27 and at the Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida on September 28.

As previously reported, Souza will embark on a 10-date solo tour of Latin America in September 2025. The trek will kick off on September 4 in San José, Costa Rica and end on September 14 in São Paulo, Brazil. At all the shows, Souza will also perform classic songs from his other former bands TESTAMENT (Zetro was the lead vocalist for LEGACY, an early incarnation of TESTAMENT) and HATRIOT, as well as the Bon Scott era of AC/DC. Backing Souza on stage at the shows — billed simply as ZETRO — will be the following musicians:

* Zakk Frye (SLIKK WIKKED) - Rythm Guitar/Backup Vocals
* Kyle Smith (SLIKK WIKKED) - Lead Guitar
* Andrew Dewar (VICIOUS INTENT) - Drums
* Donny "Death" Weissinger (NASTY TRAST, HATE GRENADE) - Bass

Seven months ago, it was announced that EXODUS had parted ways with Souza and had welcomed back Rob Dukes.

Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which, as stated above, later became TESTAMENT). He remained in EXODUS until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes became the singer of EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and stayed until 2014, when Souza returned.

EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.

Tonight we have an amazing night of Live music we are honoring the music of #acdc the #bonscott era featuring Steve...

Posted by Lommori Christine on Saturday, August 16, 2025