Wardruna, the Norwegian group known for blending traditional Norse music with modern post-rock and folk influences, has released “Hibjørnen”, a new song and video from their recently announced forthcoming album, Birna (Sony Music/By Norse Music). The 10-track collection explores the natural world, with the bear as a central symbol.


“The rhythm of the bear embodies the very circle of life: When winter approaches, it goes to sleep in its den – back to the womb; its pulse slowing, its body encapsulated in an intermediate death,” Selvik explains. “Like a lullaby, ‘Hibjørnen’ takes on the perspective of the hibernating bear and its dormant dreams from inside the den. The listener returns from the den of the bear more attuned, aware and contemplative of nature’s wonders, just in time for the freshly sprung buds.” This cyclical process, so embedded both in nature and the worldview of older cultures, drives Selvik’s every creative work.


“Hibjørnen” (The Hibernator) is a notable contrast to Wardruna’s recently released song “Himinndotter,” offering a simpler and more direct approach, with a focus on voice, poetry and the lyre, creating a contemporary take on Norse oral traditions.







Birna was written and recorded over a three year period with music by Selvik and longtime collaborator/vocalist Linda-Fay Hella, and lyrics solely written by Selvik. Performers on the album, in addition to Hella and Selvik, include Eilif Gundersen (bukkehorn, lur, flute, backing vocals), HC Dalgaard (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Sondre Veland (percussion, backing vocals), John Stenersen (mora-harp) and Arne Sandvoll (percussion, backing vocals).


Wardruna will simultaneously release Live At The Acropolis on DVD/Blu-Ray. Featuring a September 2023 performance from the UNESCO World Heritage Site, the film includes the full show with additional interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.


Birna and Live At The Acropolis pre-orders are available here, with the new album available on limited-edition vinyl, CD and digitally.


Birna cover, photo by Tuukka Koski with artwork by Øivind A. Myksvoll.





Birna tracklisting:


"Hertan"
"Birna"
"Ljos til Jord"
"Dvaledraumar"
"Jord til Ljos"
"Himinndotter"
"Hibjørnen"
"Skuggehesten"
"Tretale"
"Lyfjaberg"


“Himinndotter” video:





"Hertan" video:





"Lyfjaberg" video:





From the Runaljod album trilogy (2009, 2013, 2016), exploring old Norse myths, traditions,

In a new interview with Ruben Mosqueda of We Go To 11, MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan was asked if the group's recently completed "The BIG Finish" farewell tour was just the end of extensive touring for him and his bandmates, with plans to make special appearances from time to time, or if MR. BIG is going to become a studio-only project going forward. Billy responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The end is the end. It's finished. If some extenuating circumstances come up, we might do a show or two, maybe, but touring and recording… We kind of wanted to put a period at the end of the sentence. And as I've said many times, we wanted to run over the finish line, not crawl over it. And for us, a fully functional band is on tour playing live and doing the thing and writing recording, and then go out on after the record and do another tour, to do that, we've done that for 34 years, and it's been an amazing run. We have friends all over planet earth. It's fantastic. And it's probably our greatest asset, personally, for me, the amazing people that we've touched around the world. But we decided to really, 'Let's do it the right way,' and not to have some continual farewell thing that goes on for an eternity."

He continued: "Our last show was in Romania. Unusual. That's where the roulette ball fell into that as we spun the wheel. And we had a great time. And our last shows in Europe, we did a bunch of shows in Germany. Amazing. We have a lot of friends in Germany. We had big hits in Germany as well. And all over Europe and England. We got to play Ireland — Belfast and Dublin. And I'm an Irishman, so that was very nice. We played Liverpool, the Holy Ground. It was quite amazing. I had to put one little BEATLES melody in my solo at the end. Pretty cool. So it was a nice way to go out. I'm glad we did it. We did it with as much class as we're capable of. We did the final tour, and I'm very, very pleased about it."

In a recent interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, MR. BIG frontman Eric Martin once again admitted that he was second guessing the group's decision to stop touring after the completion of "The BIG Finish" farewell tour. Asked what "The BIG Finish" means to him, he said: "Yeah, I'm not pulling the wool over anybody's eyes. It means the touring is over. Which kind of bums me out, because I was there in the meeting a year and change ago going, 'Yep. I agree. It's time that we call it quits.'

"I didn't wanna quit for the longest time," he admitted. "I mean, this was brought up, like, five years ago. 'Should we do a farewell tour?' We've got other projects going, and it's kind of hard to keep the MR. BIG thing alive. And I was, like, 'No,' cheerleading, 'Please, no. We've gotta keep it going.' But yeah, a year and a few months ago, I was totally in agreement with everybody going, 'Yeah, this is it.' I even thought of the name 'BIG Finish'. So I put the nail in the coffin. But now I'm, like, oh, I wish I had a nice big hammer to unclog that nail. 'Cause the band's so good and so tight. The crowd's coming out. New album came out. The momentum is there. And the band just sounds so tight on stage.

Circling back to what "The BIG Finish" means as far as the possibility of future MR. BIG live shows, Eric said: "What I mean by 'The BIG Finish' is there's no touring anymore. I would hope that we still leave the door open. I mean, I brought this up many times online. Even Nick D'Virgilio, our drummer, he goes, 'Man, we should do a residency in Indonesia or Japan or just anywhere,' like do a residency. And I go, 'Man, I just hope we can play in a few years, play four or five shows here and there, maybe play a festival with bands in our ilk.' It'd be great to keep that door open. And no response. I think also, a whole year and almost a half of touring, everybody just kind of wants to take a break. But I'm, like, 'Let's ride this wave, brother. Let's do this.' But yeah, no more touring. No more multiple dates. It's over. The big lady has sung."

This past August, Eric told Roppongi Rocks's Stefan Nilsson that there is no chance of him and his MR. BIG bandmates going back on their word that they would not tour ever again. "We're not the kind of band — when we say that we're gonna quit and it's over and we're not touring anymore… We may do a one-off here and there every couple of years or whatever, but we're not going to be like the MÖTLEY CRÜEs and the KISSes," he explained." And no offense to them, because the crowds keep coming to see 'em, but we're not gonna do it. We just maybe have too much pride in it."

Asked if there is a chance of MR. BIG making more studio albums in the future, Eric said: "I did an interview the other day with Billy, and… I'm not my brother's keeper. I don't know what he thinks. I know what I think, that I'd like to do albums. If we're not gonna tour anymore for different reasons — I mean, I just don't wanna tour lengthy…. This has been a year. I just can't do it. I'm too old to… Everybody goes, 'Oh, what about THE ROLLING STONES?' Yeah. What about THE ROLLING STONES? Flying in, playing one show and two weeks later playing another show. Yeah, this is back-to-back touring. Hardly any hotels. I mean, the bus will suffice, but it's like a big camping trip for older men. So, I would like to do other albums. But the interview went like this. The guy goes, 'You gonna do another album?' And I'm, like, 'I'd like to.' And Billy goes, 'No, that's it.' I'm, like, 'All right.' But he's the guy that always says, 'Never say never.'"

MR. BIG played the last show of its "The BIG Finish" farewell tour on August 23 at the Way Too Far Rock Festival 2024 in Bistrița, Romania.

After the concert, Sheehan took to his social media to share a picture from the gig and he included the following message: "Romania!!! Crowd was a little bit light, but they made up for it in enthusiasm! The last MR. BIG show (not MY last show, goddammit!!).

"What a great run we've had since 1988. We made Great memories and millions (literally) of friends all around the world. My unlimited love and respect to all who listened, watched, purchased records, tickets and T -shirts. — without you we would have been nothing. Fact. Moving on now to other adventures, but never forgetting this amazing experience."

Guitarist Paul Gilbert added: "What an adventure! MR. BIG wraps up over a year of touring! Many thanks to ALL! I'll get home just in time for my son's 10th birthday. I hope he remembers who I am!"

D'Virgilio, who joined MR. BIG in 2023 as the replacement for the late Pat Torpey, commented: "It has been an amazing run with @billysheehanonbass @paulgilbert_official and @iamericmartin I've been able to rock n roll all over the world with the guys and I will be forever thankful. Big Love for MR. BIG!"

MR. BIG's tenth studio album, "Ten", was released on July 12 via Frontiers Music Srl. The LP features 11 new original tracks written by Martin and Gilbert, along with André Pessis and Tony Fanucchi. "Ten" was produced by Jay Ruston and MR. BIG.

D'Virgilio missed most of the final European leg of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" tour due to his commitments with his band BIG BIG TRAIN. He was temporarily replaced on the trek by Edu Cominato, an experienced drummer from São Paulo, Brazil who has previously played with Sheehan and Martin, Jeff Scott Soto and Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE),among others.

When MR. BIG announced "The BIG Finish" tour last year, the bandmembers said that it was "time to mark the end of this chapter of their legacy" after drummer Pat Torpey lost his battle with Parkinson's disease in 2018. The first leg kicked off in Japan and Southeast Asia in July and August 2023, where the band performed for hundreds of thousands of loyal fans at 11 sold-out shows including Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

MR. BIG's last-ever live album release was "The BIG Finish Live", which came out on September 6 via the Evolution Music Group.

"The BIG Finish Live" is a brand-new live album and concert film of MR. BIG's "The BIG Finish" farewell tour, where the band played their million-selling "Lean Into It" album in its entirety, plus additional MR. BIG classics.

THE WHO guitarist Pete Townshend has confirmed that the band will be reactivated in 2025. In a new interview with The Standard, he said: "I met with Roger [Daltrey, THE WHO singer] for lunch a couple of weeks ago. We're in good form. We love each other. We're both getting a bit creaky, but we will definitely do something next year."

Asked if that involve a tour or an album, Pete said: "The album side of it… Roger's not keen. But I would love to do another album and I may try to bully him on that."

According to Townshend, any future THE WHO live performances would likely take on a more stripped-down format.

"The last big tours that we've done have been with a full orchestra, which was glorious, but we're now eager to make a noise and make a mess and make mistakes," he said.

This past June, Pete was asked by NME if he thinks there will be a new THE WHO album to follow up 2019's "Who" effort. The 79-year-old THE WHO guitarist said: "I don't think there [will be]. If there was a need or a place for a WHO album, could I write the songs for it within six weeks? Of course I fucking could; it's a piece of cake. The problem is I don't think Roger wants to do it again. For me it would be a joy because I love writing songs, I love writing to a brief, I love having a commission, I love having a deadline and I love the feedback.

"I was so pleased that the critical response to the last WHO album was so positive," he continued. "I wasn't expecting that and I was grateful for it and inspired by it. So where I am at the moment is I'm thinking, well, I might write the songs and then say to Roger, 'Either you sing on them or I'm gonna put them out as a solo album,' and WHO fans will love me for it."

Asked if it makes financial sense anymore for major established acts to make new albums, Pete said: "[Laughs] It's never been about the money. THE WHO never made any money from fucking records anyway. Our managers were criminals. I'd never seen a WHO royalty statement prior to our first audit, which we did while we were making 'Quadrophenia'. It emerged that [our former manager] had stolen all of my Italian publishing royalties to buy himself a palace in Venice. There are black swans in our business, and they're the ones that always mop up all the money.

"Look at the legendary Jimi Hendrix," he added. "I saw him in L.A. in the last two weeks of his life. He was happy, he was really nice to me, and he hadn't been always in the past. I said, 'How you doing?' and he said, 'Pete, I'm broke'. He was huge, and he was broke. [But] we didn't give a fuck about the money. I lived in a little house in Twickenham by the Thames. I was happy to be by the water. I had one car. I had a tiny little studio, I was really happy. I had a beautiful wife, lovely kids, great friends and never wanted for anything really, except some time to myself and some time to have with my family. So today I've got a sense that I'm lucky to be here and be fit enough to walk around the block and to work with younger musicians, to do some producing and mentoring."

This past January, Daltrey was asked by The Times if there will be more from THE WHO. The 80-year-old singer, who most recently played with Townshend in the summer of 2023, responded: "I can't answer that. I don't write the songs. I never did. We [Pete and I] need to sit down and have a meeting, but at the moment I'm happy saying that part of my life is over."

Regarding the fact that THE WHO sold its back catalog for a reported £100 million more than a decade ago, Roger said: "I found it hard to do. It was like selling the family silver, but then they made such a good offer. I'm a wealthy man, but I'm no good to society because I don't want anything. Still to this day I have that wartime mentality. I find it hard to throw anything away. My Merc is 20 years old and my jeans have holes in them."

Daltrey also discussed how the music business has changed over the last five decades, particularly as it relates to how artists are being compensated for their songs.

"Money doesn't make you happy," he said. "But I do think the industry has been stolen from young artists. There's no money in streaming, even if you write a great song. You can write a hit for Taylor Swift and, even if it gets a billion streams, you'll receive a check for about £3,000."

In October 2022, THE WHO released a new version of the "Who" album featuring an updated version of "Beads On One String" newly remixed by Pete Townshend and acoustic tracks from the band's only live shows of 2020.

The songs on the deluxe version of "Who" were recorded in Kingston on Valentine's Day this year exactly 50 years to the day since THE WHO's seminal show at Leeds which became the infamous live album "Live At Leeds".

The Eclipse YouTube channel has uploaded video of Yngwie Malmsteen's October 27 performance at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California during his "40th Anniversary Tour". You can now check out the clips below.

Yngwie's 40th-anniversary tour kicked off on September 26 in Fort Myers, Florida and will conclude on November 22 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Support on the trek is coming from singer-songwriter Kurt Deimer.

For more information, visit www.yngwiemalmsteen.com/tour.

Yngwie's latest album, "Parabellum", was released in July 2021 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group. Only four of the songs on the LP feature vocals. The album title is Latin, translating as "Prepare For War".

After working with some of the top hard singers of the past four decades, Yngwie now handles much of the lead vocals himself in his own band, backed by a lineup that includes keyboardist Nick Marino, bassist Emilio Martinez and drummer Kevin Klingenschmid.

Last month, Yngwie dismissed the notion that playing guitar is a "competition", explaining that "music and guitar playing comes from within". The 61-year-old Swedish-born guitarist, who made a name for himself by recreating the spirit of celebrated composer/musician Niccolò Paganini, but within the realm of heavy metal guitar, took to his social media on September 1 to write: "So I see a lot of these comments where people are saying I can't be as good as you or I gave up playing the guitar after I saw you.

"Music and playing the guitar is not a competition even though since the beginning of my career, that is what they wanted to portray. That's why they have all these best guitarist that guitars blah blah blah. Music and guitar playing comes from within and it's to be enjoyed at any level, no matter where you are in your life. Even if you are making a career out of it if you play with the thought that I'm going to compete with another guitar player or another musician, you will be miserable. Competition is for sports and athletes, not for guitar playing, period. It's not a competition. The instrument of the guitar is to be played and enjoyed at any level. Now go pick up that guitar".

In a 2006 interview with Australia's X-Press Online, Yngwie stated about where the idea to combine classical music and rock guitar came from: "I was the youngest member of my family. I have an older brother and sister and my mother, my father, my uncles, my aunts — everybody is a musician. My grandfather was a drummer. It's like music, music, music everywhere… and art, a lot of art and music. I had a very artistic kind of upbringing.

"As a little kid, I wasn't really into being a musician. My mother gave me a guitar on my fifth birthday and a trumpet on my sixth birthday, and so on, but when I was seven, I saw a TV news special about Jimi Hendrix. It showed him burning his guitar and you didn't even hear the music, just saw him burning a guitar, and I thought that was so cool. I already had a guitar, so I started playing that same day — September 18, 1970. I was only a little kid. One year later, my older sister Lulu gave me DEEP PURPLE's 'Fireball', which is a really hard rock album, and I went out and bought 'In Rock' the next day. I was listening to songs like 'Fireball', 'Flight Of The Rat' — just so heavy — so I learned how to play all these solos and stuff and, contrary to most people's opinion or theory, is that DEEP PURPLE, along with all other rock 'n' roll bands were all blues-based. Pentatonic scales and my classical influence did not come from them. A lot of people seem to think so, but no, no, no, no. I love these guys… my favorite band ever. My classical music didn't come from there, but my love for hard rock was definitely from PURPLE.

"What I wanted to do was try and take this whole thing with the double-bass drums and the Marshalls all the way up and all that shit, and play with counterpoints and pedal notes, inverted chords, Phrygian modes, inverted scales, diminished scales… all that shit. Then I saw a TV program: it was a guy playing violin. They said it was music from Niccolò Paganini. When I heard that, I said, 'Fuck, that's what I want to go for on the guitar.' So my guitar playing is 99.9 percent influenced by classical violin, mainly Paganini, Vivaldi and Tchaikovsky, and my songwriting is very Bach in the structuring, because I've always loved the counterpoint and the harmonic minor kind of things. But I love the sound of the metal ensemble. That's how it all started."

HarperCollins has set a November 21 release date for the English version of former SKID ROW and H.E.A.T. singer Erik Grönwall's autobiography, "Power – Music, Death, Life".

Grönwall shot to stardom overnight after winning the Swedish edition of Idol. In "Power – Music, Death, Life", we follow Erik's journey from his upbringing to the present day: his struggles to make it as an artist, his devastating leukemia diagnosis at the height of the pandemic and his miraculous recovery. The book also delves into how he became the lead singer of the legendary metal band SKID ROW, his time with the band, and the reasons behind his decision to later part ways.

This is not just a story about life in the limelight and being a rockstar — it's about staying true to your values, holding onto your dreams, and standing your ground, even when you're not the obvious choice.

"I never thought I would write an autobiography, let alone at the age of 36," Erik said. "But sometimes it feels like I've lived two lifetimes in just a fraction of one. I believe I have something to share that might give hope and inspiration to others who are struggling. Life after illness can actually turn out to be better than ever."

Erik went from auditioning for the competition show "Swedish Idol" back in 2009 by singing a cover of SKID ROW's "18 And Life" to fronting the band 13 years later.

Grönwall announced his decision to leave SKID ROW on March 27, 2024, saying that he wanted to "prioritize [his] health and full recovery."
⠀⠀
SKID ROW's longtime friend Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) handled lead vocals for the band's four concerts in late May and early June.

The SKID ROW members said in a statement that they are "proud of what they have created and accomplished with Erik over the past two years" and "wish nothing but the best to him and his health."

Grönwall, who was a member of the Swedish hard rock band H.E.A.T. for nearly a decade before exiting the group in October 2020, announced in September 2021 that he was cancer free after receiving a bone marrow transplant one month earlier.

Grönwall sang on four H.E.A.T. studio albums — "Address The Nation" (2012),"Tearing Down The Walls" (2014),"Into The Great Unknown" (2017) and "H.E.A.T II" (2020).

In September 2021, just four months before joining SKID ROW, Grönwall released his new cover version of "18 And Life" via all streaming platforms.

In 2018, Grönwall debuted in the U.S. for 10 million viewers in NBC's live broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's and Tim Rice's musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". Along with John Legend, Alice Cooper, Sara Bareilles and others, Erik played the key role of Simon Zealotes.

In late March 2022, SKID ROW released its first single with Grönwall, "The Gang's All Here". The song is the title track of the band's latest album, which arrived in October 2022 via earMUSIC.

SKID ROW played its first show with Grönwall on March 26, 2022 at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada as the support act on the rescheduled dates for SCORPIONS' "Sin City Nights" residency.

Grönwall lives in Knivsta, a city in Uppsala County in east central Sweden, with his wife and their five-year-old son.

Fan-filmed video of DREAM THEATER's October 23 concert at Palladium in Cologne, Germany can be seen below.

The progressive metal legends played their first concert with Mike Portnoy in 14 years on October 20 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.

The drummer co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours.

London marked the kick-off concert of DREAM THEATER's 2024-2025 40th-anniversary tour. The European leg of the trek — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — will run through November 24 in Amsterdam, hitting cities in numerous countries along the way.

The setlist for the London, Berlin and Cologne shows was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

Act I

01. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper (first time since 2017)
02. Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
03. Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu
04. The Mirror (first time since 2014, with "Lie" outro)
05. Panic Attack (first time since 2015)
06. Barstool Warrior (first time with Mike Portnoy)
07. Hollow Years (first time since 2010; demo version)
08. Constant Motion (first time since 2015)
09. As I Am (first time since 2019)

Act II

10. Night Terror (live debut)
11. This Is The Life (first time since 2012, first time with Mike Portnoy)
12. Under A Glass Moon (first time since 2017)
13. Vacant (first time since 2006)
14. Stream Of Consciousness (first time since 2004)
15. Octavarium (first time in full since 2006)

Encore:

16. Act II: Scene Six: Home
17. Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
18. Pull Me Under

In a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global, DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy spoke about what it was like to perform live again with the band after 14 years. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I said it to the guys right after the [first] show [of the tour in London on October 20], it's, like, 'We can all take a deep breath now and now we can start to have fun.' The first show was just so intense that even during the show, it just was a lot of concentration and there was so much expectations. And so now with that out of the way, we can actually take a deep breath and now start to enjoy it."

Asked if he was nervous before taking the stage in London, Mike said: "I'll admit — I was. I never, ever get nervous before a show, but it was nerve-racking. My first time back with the guys in, I guess, 14 years live, plus such a massive venue and so much expectations and focus on us that we knew we'd be under the microscope. So, yeah, it was actually nerve-racking."

Regarding whether the setlist for DREAM THEATER's 40th-anniversary tour will change as the tour progresses, Portnoy said: "Back in in my first tenure, I used to love changing the setlist every single night — not only to keep it interesting for the fans, but to keep it interesting for us as well, having been doing it for 25 years at that point before I left. So, that is something that I know is very special for the band and for the fans. But with me coming back now, we wanna get our tour legs back first. So the setlist will be what it is now for a little while. And then once everybody's comfortable, then we'll start to experiment and then I'll start to really get creative and start fucking with it. For the moment and for the the next little while, this is the setlist."

As for his mindset in picking the songs for the 40th-anniversary-tour setlist, Mike said: "I wanted to have a setlist that almost felt like a greatest-hits show. Not that we have a lot of hits, but ones that you know are popular, ones that you know that are always crowd pleasers. You always know which ones get the most energy, and we wanted to have a show that kind of represented the whole career of the band. It's impossible to cover every album, so that was never gonna be possible. We did that on the 20th-anniversary tour, but that was 20 years; there was eight albums to choose from. Now it's 16. So we can't possibly cover every album, but at least wanted to cover all of the different eras and throw in some surprises in there as well, a combination of both."

Portnoy co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with guitarist John Petrucci and bassist John Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010. Portnoy returned to DREAM THEATER in October 2023 after being replaced by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours.

London marked the kick-off concert of DREAM THEATER's 2024-2025 40th-anniversary tour. The European leg of the trek — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — will run through November 24 in Amsterdam, hitting cities in numerous countries along the way.

The setlist for both the London and Berlin shows was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:

Act I

01. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper (first time since 2017)
02. Act I: Scene Two: I. Overture 1928
03. Act I: Scene Two: II. Strange Déjà Vu
04. The Mirror (first time since 2014, with "Lie" outro)
05. Panic Attack (first time since 2015)
06. Barstool Warrior (first time with Mike Portnoy)
07. Hollow Years (first time since 2010; demo version)
08. Constant Motion (first time since 2015)
09. As I Am (first time since 2019)

Act II

10. Night Terror (live debut)
11. This Is The Life (first time since 2012, first time with Mike Portnoy)
12. Under A Glass Moon (first time since 2017)
13. Vacant (first time since 2006)
14. Stream Of Consciousness (first time since 2004)
15. Octavarium (first time in full since 2006)

Encore:

16. Act II: Scene Six: Home
17. Act II: Scene Eight: The Spirit Carries On
18. Pull Me Under

In an interview with Chile's Sonar FM, Portnoy was asked if he missed playing with DREAM THEATER during his time away from the group. He responded: "Well, of course, I always missed DREAM THEATER and the music and the guys and the fans. Not all DREAM THEATER fans went on the ride with me with all of my other bands. So, every time I would tour with SONS OF APOLLO or WINERY DOGS or SHATTERED FORTRESS or NEAL MORSE BAND, I would see someDREAM THEATER fans, but there's a big portion of the fanbase that wasn't with me for all those years. So yeah, I missed them and I missed the guys and I missed the music. We were always a family first and foremost."

Regarding the fact that he is once again in charge of coming up with the setlists for DREAM THEATER's live shows, Mike said: "Yeah, it's an area that was always my department and my passion. I always wrote all the setlists for DREAM THEATER, as well as any of my bands or projects. That's an area that's very important to me. And yeah, when I came back to DREAM THEATER, a lot of the things we have to figure out who's gonna be in charge of what. There's a lot of areas that I used to be in charge of, which now John [Petrucci, DREAM THEATER guitarist] may do, or maybe the band makes band decisions. So I have to kind of find my place within the band's chemistry now. But yeah, one of the things that they did give back to me was the setlist and writing the setlist. So yeah, it was something that was a lot of fun and exciting — a great open palette to work with, really. 40 years of music, and I haven't played any of this music with the guys in almost 15 years. So it's all so fresh. Back in 2010, I might have been bored with it, but now in 2024, I'm just as excited to play those songs as any of 'em."

On the topic of how different it is to play with DREAM THEATER in 2024 compared to how it was 14 years ago, Mike said: "There's two sides to that question. The first I'll say, personally, I think we're just all older and wiser, more mellow. I am not as much of a control freak as I used to be; I'm a lot more easygoing, a lot more mellow. So, yeah, there's the one side of the natural age of everybody just — we're now in our fifties and sixties, and I think we're just more mature and experienced. But the other side to that question is, like I just mentioned, finding my place within this new chemistry and overseeing every area. And then when I left the band, they needed to take some of these areas and divide them up amongst themselves and have different people overseeing different areas. And now that I'm coming back, I have to kind of see what's comfortable. I have to very much respect that they've had 13 years without me and they may do things a certain way differently now. So it's up to me to really be very respectful to that and not try to force myself in any of the areas. So anytime something comes up, whether we're talking about a setlist or the merchandise or how they wanna record in the studio, no matter what the subject is, it's always now, like, 'Okay, well, how do you guys do it now? How do you want me involved? Do you want me to oversee it? Do you want me to stay out of it? That's fine too.' And it's kind of like a learning process to find myself comfortable with the way that the band works now."

Portnoy recently told the "So...You Want To Be A Musician?" podcast about his mindset when rejoining DREAM THEATER: "At our ages, we realized when we decided to reunite and get back together, I'd be lying if I didn't say we didn't start to look in the mirror and look at the clock and say, who knows how much time we have left? The clock is ticking, and we realize we're not gonna be here forever. And we wanna spend whatever time we have left together making music with the people that we grew up with and the people that we love. So, yeah, that's kind of where we're at at this stage."

Portnoy admitted to Mariskal Rock that he "needed to get used to was being the 'new guy'" after rejoining DREAM THEATER, "being the new guy in a band that I helped form when I was a teenager. So it's a bit of a transition for me to go from being a bit of the leader, as I was back when I left the band, now I have to kind of find my way back into the chemistry and I need to respect the fact that they've been doing this for 13 years without me and they have maybe new ways of doing things, new ways of making decisions," he explained. "So … I have had to be very respectful for my role as the new guy and finding my way back into the chemistry of the band."

DREAM THEATER will release its sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marks the band's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".

"Parasomnia" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returns once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.

The first single, "Night Terror", is a musical thrill ride captured in the just shy of ten minutes listening experience. A music video for the song — directed by Mike Leonard — is now available.

ICED EARTH's founding guitarist Jon Schaffer has released his first statement since being sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service in connection with his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol. He will also have to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $200 financial assessment.

Earlier today (Friday, October 25),Jon issued the following statement via his attorneys Marc J. Victor and Andrew Marcantel of the Attorneys For Freedom Law Firm: "To my family, friends, and fans worldwide:

"I profoundly regret my actions on January 6th, 2021. I haven't been a perfect man, but for the majority of my life, I've been a very productive man, and have tried to live my life with integrity and a disciplined work ethic. I deeply love our country and the founding principles that have inspired people from all over the world to look at the USA as a beacon of hope for all of humanity. Having traveled the world for over 30 years and having performed in approximately 100 countries, it was always a great feeling and relief when the airplane would safely land at home on US soil.

"When the global pandemic came upon us, and chaos ensued all around the US in 2020, I was very concerned about what seemed to be a collapse of our country and the rule of law. When the 2020 election took place and I saw many public officials and media outlets reporting that the election was stolen, my concern deepened. This led to my decision to go to D.C. and have my voice heard. I'm not excusing my impulsive behavior. I was wrong, and I take ownership of my actions. I own the fact that I made a huge mistake, and I wish I never would have gone there. In fact, the consequences have been devastating on my life, family, friends, business, colleagues and business partners.

"I knew immediately that I had let my emotions get the best of me and made a terrible mistake. I drove home to Indiana the following morning on Thursday, January 7th, 2021. On the 8th I found my attorneys, and at my request they immediately reached out to the authorities. I willingly surrendered and cooperated with authorities. Initially, I was charged with multiple serious federal felony offenses and feared I may spend the rest of my life in prison. I spent several months in custody following my self-surrender. I was placed in solitary confinement with horrendous conditions, which was an extremely traumatic experience. I became the first person of the hundreds of co-defendants to enter a guilty plea, and have now been sentenced to probation.

"Until now, I have resisted the strong urge to issue a public statement due to my ongoing cooperation and the wishes of federal authorities. This extended period of silence has added additional challenges to my life as a public person. Since the beginning, I wanted to express my remorse for my actions and address the legitimate concerns of my fans worldwide. I watched as one media outlet after the next dragged my reputation through the mud and condemned me for not making any statement. However, I tried to be as productive as possible in lieu of my very damaged reputation and career.

"This whole situation has been extremely difficult. However, I know that I have become a better man because of it. I used to stay so busy that I didn't have much time for self-reflection. In the last three and a half years that's mostly what I've done. I have become a member of a wonderful church and improved myself spiritually, mentally, and physically. This personal revival has inspired me to continue writing and recording music. I'm certain there will be a very positive outlook in my future artistic creations.

"To my fans who have continued to support me throughout this deeply embarrassing ordeal, I want to apologize for letting you down and thank you for keeping me going. To those fans who I have lost due to my decisions that day, I certainly understand. I humbly ask everyone to allow me to demonstrate through my actions how far I've come. I wish to continue to use my art to unite people, and never to divide.

"Sincerely, Jon Schaffer".

"It says a lot about who you are in how quickly you came forward to accept responsibility," U.S. District judge Amit Mehta told Schaffer during today's sentencing hearing.

Schaffer apologized to his fans and said he deeply regrets the "pain and embarrassment" his actions have caused. "I'm sorry I let you down and I will work hard to rebuild your trust. You have my word: I will not let you down," Schaffer told the judge.

Schaffer's attorney Marc Victor told the judge the musician believed the 2020 election was fraudulent and that the country was "on the verge of a takeover" when he entered the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.

"He was wrong but that's what he believed," Victor said. "He was misled by people in the executive branch."

Earlier this month, the U.S. government requested that Schaffer be sentenced to three years of supervised probation, as well as an order that he pay $2,000 in restitution and the mandatory $200 special assessment. According to the government's October 14 sentencing memorandum, which was obtained by BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "Such a sentence would be sufficient to reflect the seriousness of this offense while also accounting for the three months defendant was detained following his arrest, the defendant's early acceptance of responsibility, and the substantial assistance he has provided to law enforcement pursuant to his cooperation plea agreement."

The memorandum went on to describe the extent of Schaffer's involvement in the events of January 6, 2021.

"The defendant was one of the first six people to breach the Capitol through the doors on the northwest side of the building near the Senate Parliamentarian's office," the document reads. "Schaffer wore a tactical vest and a hat that read, 'Oath Keepers Lifetime Member,' and he was carrying a can of bear spray. The menacing conduct of Schaffer and the others at the front of the line forced officers to retreat and allowed the mob to start pouring into the Capitol through this entrance.

"The defendant’s participation in the attack on the Capitol was not random; it was the culmination of weeks, if not months of increasingly violent calls by Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, the leader of the Oath Keepers, to oppose the lawful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joseph Biden. Schaffer was privy to some of these communications, as an Oath Keepers member, and he marched with the Oath Keepers during an event in D.C. in November 2020 to oppose the results of the election. At the same time, Schaffer did not participate in the Oath Keepers' planning and coordination for the attack on the Capitol (he was not part of any of the group's encrypted chats for the January 6 operation),and he did not enter the Capitol with them on January 6. For this reason, Schaffer was not charged with participating in a conspiracy with other Oath Keepers. Furthermore, Schaffer was inside the Capitol for less than ten minutes and did not directly harm or seek to harm any officers or property during this offense. Schaffer also has been cooperative with law enforcement since he turned himself in eleven days after the attack, proffering several times with law enforcement and providing fulsome, credible, and relevant information.

"On April 16, 2021, the defendant fully accepted responsibility and pled guilty, pursuant to a cooperation plea agreement, to one count of Obstruction of an Official Proceeding, and one count of entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The defendant was the first person to plead guilty to participating in the January 6 attack, and he agreed to permit the details of his cooperation plea agreement to be made public."

Last month, a federal judge agreed to push back Schaffer's sentencing hearing for the fifth time, this time to October 25 from the previously announced September 13.

Schaffer was initially scheduled to be sentenced on February 20, but his sentencing hearing has been delayed five times — first to April, then July, August, September and eventually late October.

The latest decision to postpone Schaffer's sentencing came less than three months after the Supreme Court sided with a January 6 Capitol riot defendant in a ruling that could affect hundreds of prosecutions, including the criminal case against Schaffer. U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves asked the judge to delay's Schaffer's hearing in light of the Supreme Court decision.

U.S. District Judge Amit P. Mehta had previously moved Schaffer's initial sentencing date from February 20, as the now-56-year-old ICED EARTH guitarist was scheduled to undergo an undisclosed medical procedure "with the need for a recovery afterwards."

In January 2022, Mehta granted the U.S. government's request to share sealed materials from the case involving Schaffer's role in the U.S. Capitol riot case as discovery to the three main Oath Keepers cases.

In May 2023, Mehta handed down an 18-year prison sentence for the leader of the Oath Keepers, Stewart Rhodes, for his efforts to overturn the 2020 election that ended with the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol.

As part of his April 2021 plea deal, Jon entered into a cooperation agreement with the government.

The government agreed not to oppose Schaffer's release during the sentencing phase.

Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon. The first charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, while the second carries up to a 10-year prison term. Each of the charges carry fines of up to $250,000.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer acknowledged that on January 6, 2021 he was in Washington to attend the "Stop The Steal" rally at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. to protest the results of the presidential election, which he believed were fraudulent. Schaffer wore a tactical vest and carried bear spray, a dangerous weapon and chemical irritant used to ward off bears. When the rally finished, Schaffer joined a large crowd that marched from the Ellipse to the Capitol, where a joint session of Congress, presided over by Vice President Michael Pence, was in session to certify the electoral college vote results. Shortly after 2:00 p.m., members of the mob forced entry into the Capitol building, disrupting the joint session and causing members of Congress and the Vice President to be evacuated from the House and Senate chambers.

In his plea agreement, Schaffer admitted that after arriving on Capitol grounds, he walked past barriers intended to restrict access to the public and to a set of locked doors on the Capitol's west side. At approximately 2:40 p.m., Schaffer positioned himself at the front of a crowd that broke open a set of doors being guarded by four U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) officers wearing riot gear. Schaffer admitted to being among the first individuals to push past the damaged doors and into the Capitol building, forcing officers to retreat. Schaffer and others advanced toward five or six backpedaling USCP officers while members of the mob swelled inside of the Capitol and overwhelmed the officers. The officers ultimately deployed a chemical irritant to disperse the mob. Schaffer was among the people who were sprayed in the face, after which he exited while holding his own bear spray in his hands.

As part of the plea deal, Schaffer agreed to cooperate with investigators and potentially testify in related criminal cases, according to CNN. In return for Schaffer's assistance, the Justice Department might later urge the judge to show leniency during his sentencing.

Also as part of the agreement, the Justice Department has offered to sponsor Schaffer for the witness protection program.

The Indiana chapter of the Oath Keepers distanced itself from Schaffer after his arrest, claiming he was not a member of the local group. But the national organization, which sold lifetime memberships for $1,200, had not commented on his alleged affiliation with the group.

At a November 2020 Donald Trump rally in Washington, D.C., Schaffer was videotaped walking behind a Florida couple, Kelly Meggs and Connie Meggs, who were accused of being among 10 members of the Oath Keepers to have played a leading role in the Capitol assault. In May 2023, Kelly Meggs was convicted of seditious conspiracy for his participation in the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and was sentenced to spend 12 years in prison.

Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.

British rock icons MAGNUM have announced the release of the band's final live album with founder Tony Clarkin. Recorded December 10, 2022, "Live At KK's Steel Mill" was the memorable night when they played the final show of their European tour at KK's Steel Mill in Wolverhampton and, as they had done on all previous nights, wowed their fans from the first to the last note.

The concert was recorded by state-of-the-art audio equipment, which later turned out to be a real blessing because it was — as we now know — the last official live recording starring Tony Clarkin. The guitarist and main songwriter died unexpectedly on January 7, 2024, just a few days before the release of MAGNUM's latest studio album, "Here Comes The Rain".

The album presents MAGNUM as an enthusiastically celebrated act whose repertoire of hits, classics, and newer material could hardly be more varied. "It was the perfect evening," recalls singer Bob Catley. "We finished our 'The Monster Roars' tour in Wolverhampton, KK's Steel Mill was packed out and the promoter was a passionate MAGNUM fan. I couldn't imagine a more worthy farewell to Tony than those recordings."

Due to the huge demand and to mark the first anniversary of Clarkin's passing, "Live At KK's Steel Mill" will be available via Steamhammer/SPV starting January 10, 2025, for the first time on double CD, triple LP, and for digital download.

"Live At KK's Steel Mill" track listing:

CD1

01. Days Of No Trust
02. Lost On The Road To Eternity
03. The Monster Roars
04. The Archway Of Tears
05. Dance Of The Black Tattoo
06. Where Are You Eden?
07. The Flood
08. The Day After The Night Before

CD2

01. Wild Swan
02. Les Morts Dansant
03. Rocking Chair
04. All England's Eyes
05. Vigilante
06. Kingdom Of Madness
07. On A Storyteller's Night
08. Sacred Hour

To pay tribute to their late bandleader, MAGNUM are set to play an exclusive series of "Tribute To Tony" shows in the U.K. in January 2025. As a special gesture, Clarkin's daughter Dionne will showcase two of her father's favorite instruments to the concerts — his red Telecaster and his white custom guitar, hoping that Clarkin will be watching from heaven.

Dionne says: "My father was an extremely modest and humble man who would probably be surprised at how much the large MAGNUM community continues to love him to this day. He always believed that few people would really care if one day he would no longer be with us. As it turns out, the exact opposite is the case: We all miss him, his huge artistic achievement, and his great empathy as a father, friend and musician!"

MAGNUM live 2025:

Jan. 21 - UK - London - O2 Kentish Town Forum
Jan. 22 - UK - Manchester - Academy 1
Jan. 24 - UK - Glasgow - The Garage
Jan. 25 - UK - Wolverhampton - KK's Steel Mill
Jan. 26 - UK - Wolverhampton - KK's Steel Mill

Clarkin died in early January at the age of 77. The news of his death came just weeks after it was announced that he had been diagnosed with a rare and incurable spinal condition. As a result of his diagnosis, MAGNUM canceled its previously announced spring 2024 tour.

Formed in Birmingham over 50 years ago by Catley and Clarkin, MAGNUM have cemented themselves as one of the U.K.'s finest hard rock exports, a largely American-dominated genre.

With their unique melodic skill and tasteful instrumentation, the group have released 23 studio albums over the years, with their most recent, "Here Comes The Rain", arriving in January.

Photo credit: Rob Barrow

Vicky Psarakis, former vocalist for The Agonist and now fronting SickSense, has shared a new cover via YouTube. This time she is celebrationg Halloween with the Saw movie theme music, "Hello Zepp", done acapella. Check it out below.










Rap metal sensation Sicksense - featuring vocalists Vicky Psarakis (ex-The Agonist) and Robby J. Fonts (Stuck Mojo) - have released their new single, "On Repeat". Check out the official video below.


The band's Earache Records debut, Cross Me Twice, will be released on February 14, 2025. I

Idle Heirs, the new band featuring vocalist Sean Ingram of Coalesce and producer Josh Barber sign to Relapse Records and prepare to release their debut full-length in 2025. 


Stay tuned for more updates as music and live performances are on the horizon.


For over a decade Sean Ingram’s focus had been elsewhere; due to the prolonged hiatus of Coalesce, music was no longer at the forefront of his artistic endeavors. When events - on both a global and personal level, and specifically, where the two intersect - conspired to bring Ingram & Barber to a place where music once again became essential, the seed for Idle Heirs was planted. Rather than the conditions being right for a musical reprise, the conditions had to be all wrong, leaving only one way forward. 




Together with producer and engineer Josh Barber, whose recording credits include Norma Jean, The Devil Wears Prada, Tech N9ne, and more, the two piece band from the Kansas City area is a tight knit unit that hums with creativity, and revels in the freedom of creating exactly what their hearts desire. Originally conceived as a private endeavor with the sole aim of articulating unresolved damage, Idle Heirs has bloomed into a fully realized project, with a blistering debut album on the horizon. 


There’s a leftfield turn for anyone expecting only to hear Ingram’s familiar throat-shredding vocals; within Idle Heirs he utilizes a broader range of vocal styles, a development of his craft that required considerable

Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of the legendary Grateful Dead, has passed away at age 84 years olg. The sad news was shared via his official Instagram page with the following statement:


"Phil Lesh, bassist and founding member of The Grateful Dead, passed peacefully this morning. He was surrounded by his family and full of love. Phil brought immense joy to everyone around him and leaves behind a legacy of music and love. We request that you respect the Lesh family’s privacy at this time."




 

 
 

 


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A post shared by Phil Lesh (@phillesh)

Virginia thrash titans Enforced are back with a vengeance, announcing their latest EP A Leap Into The Dark, released today. The six-song EP features three brand-new Enforced tracks alongside three explosive B-sides, including the fan-favorite "Casket" and blistering covers of English Dogs' "The Chase Is On" and Obituary's "Deadly Intentions". A visualizer for "Betting On The End" is streaming below.





A Leap Into The Dark is produced and mixed by the renowned Arthur Rizk (Blood Incantation, Power Trip, Kreator, Code Orange), capturing Enforced’s unrelenting ferocity in its purest form. Building on the hardcore thrash foundation laid by their precious albums War Remains (2023) and Kill-Grid (2021), the new EP serves as a harbinger of more to come. 







Tracklisting:


"Betting On The End"
"A Leap Into The Dark"
"Deafening Heartbeats"
"Casket" (2024 Remaster)
"Deadly Intentions" (Obituary Cover)
"The Chase is On" (English Dogs Cover)





Enforced will be hitting the road this October / November for a massive European tour alongside Gatecreeper and 200 Stab Wounds. The tour will kick off in Dublin, Ireland on October 30, 2024, and will make stops across The UK, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Denm

Nothing More will celebrate their self-titled album’s 10-year anniversary with Nothing More - 10th Anniversary Edition via Endurance Music Group and Better Noise Music, due November 22. The anniversary edition will include the original album’s tracklisting along with bonus remixes and acoustic versions in refreshed packaging and artwork.


Pre-orders are available now on CD, 2LP (translucent orange variant) along with throwback merch in the bands official store here, and streaming and digital downloads here. View the trac listing for each option listed below.


The band have today (October 25) released a remixed version of their current Top 5 Billboard Mainstream Rock radio single, “Angel Song” featuring Disturbed vocalist David Draiman, by Justin “JD” deBlieck (Motionless In White, Sevendust, Bad Wolves).







Stream “Angel Song” feat. David Draiman (JD Remix) across all digital platforms here. Listen below:





Nothing More’s tracklisting includes popular singles such as their #1 Mainstream Rock track "This Is the Time (Ballast)”, “Mr. MTV” (which peaked at #12), “Here’s To The Heartache” (peaking at #4), and the emotionally charged #3 charting hit “Jenny”—which sparked a viral global initiative with the #IKnowJenny campaign via the popular social networking site Tumblr. The campaign saw the band partner with mental health organizations including To Write Love on Her Arms, Young Minds, and The Jed Foundation to dissolve the stigma around emotional health issues and share their stories. Its impactful music video (see below) has received over 26 million views and it has garnered over 100 million streams globally.


Nothing More came out on June 24, 2014 via prominent independent rock label Eleven Seven Music, now Better Noise Music. It unleashed their soaring vocal melodies, meticulous atypical rhythmic structures, huge anthemic choruses, and lyrical content that embraced the art of storytelling. The album debuted at #33 on Billboard’s Top 200 charts while landing at #3 on US Hard Rock Albums, #8 on US Independent Albums, #11 on US Rock Albums, and #19 on US Digital Albums.





Nothing More – 10th Anniversary Edition Digital tracklisting:


"Ocean Floor"                 
"This Is the Time (Ballast)"       
"Christ Copyright"                      
"Mr. MTV"            
"First Punch"       
"Gyre"                  
"The Matthew Effect"     
"I'll Be OK"           
"Here's to the Heartache"         
"If I Were"          
"Friendly Fire"              
"Sex & Lies"      
"Surface Flames"                    
"Take a Bullet"  
"Jenny"  
"God Went North"        
"Pyre"
"This Is the Time (Ballast)" Remix **
"Jenny" Acoustic **
"This Is the Time (Ballast)" Acoustic **
"Here's to the Heartache" Piano Version **
"Mr. MTV" Live On SiriuxXM **


Nothing More – 10th Anniversary Edition Vinyl tracklisting:


Side A
"Ocean Floor"                 
"This Is the Time (Ballast)"       
"Christ Copyright"                      
"Mr. MTV"            
"First Punch" **
"Gyre"       


Side B
"The Matthew Effect" **  
"I'll Be OK"           
"Here's to the Heartache" **      
"If I Were" **
"Friendly Fire" **              


Side C
"Sex & Lies" **       
"Surface Flames"           
"Take a Bullet"    
"Jen

In a new interview with 13WHAM ABC Rochester's "ARC Rochester", Lou Gramm spoke about what it was like for FOREIGNER to finally get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on October 19. Lou, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Rick Wills were present to accept the award, while Mick Jones and Dennis Elliott sat out the ceremony. (Jones's daughter, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, was on hand to help accept the award.) Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi died in 2022 and 2014, respectively.

Gramm said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it was awesome. I hadn't been to the Rock Hall Of Fame in a while. And the place looks awesome. And there's a FOREIGNER display there, which is very cool. And we brought the jukebox from our tours back in the '80s and '90s, the big inflatable jukebox, so that looks awesome too.

"The induction ceremony … was just unbelievable," he continued. "And while Rick Wills and Al Greenwood and myself were there representing the band, it was unfortunate, but Mick Jones could not be there. He's not in the best of health. And Dennis Elliott couldn't be there either for one reason or another, but the three of us represented, and it was an incredible honor. And the show was one highlight after another, and the other people being inducted were very, very special too. It was just a night of celebration, complete with some, some live performances too. I had the opportunity to sing 'I Want To Know What Love Is' with Kelly Clarkson. And boy does she have a voice."

Elaborating on the experience of dueting with Clarkson, Gramm said: "I enjoyed it incredibly so. She very gracious, and during rehearsals we had a lot of laughs together and worked out some different parts and such. And the night of the big performance went very smoothly. And she's really got an incredible voice and she's just a very awesome person."

The Rock Hall induction ceremony included an all-star performance of FOREIGNER music featuring Sammy Hagar, Slash, Chad Smith, Demi Lovato and Kelly Clarkson. Lovato, Slash, Smith and FOREIGNER's current touring lineup played "Feels Like The First Time", with Hagar joining in for "Hot Blooded". Lovato took over the lead vocal for "Feels Like The First Time", followed by "Hot Blooded" with Hagar singing while being assisted by current FOREIGNER singer Kelly Hansen. Clarkson and Gramm then sang a duet of "I Want To Know What Love Is".

This past February, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

Elliot skipped the Rock Hall induction due to issues with the event schedule. Billboard magazine reported one of those issues was that only band members — and not their wives — would be allowed to walk the red carpet. But Elliot denied that in two Facebook posts on October 19 and October 21. "I DIDN"T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE RED CARPET!" he wrote in all caps. "I WAS UNHAPPY WITH THE SCHEDULING."

The induction ceremony was held at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. It aired live on Disney+. An edited three-hour prime-time special will follow, premiering on New Year's Day on ABC, and become available for streaming the following day on Hulu and Disney+.

In a new interview with "The Jasta Show", the video podcast hosted by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta, PAPA ROACH singer Jacoby Shaddix spoke about his band's plans for new music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We are the label now. So just this last go-around, we ended our contract with Better Noise Music, fulfilled our contract with them, and then we started taking meetings out there in the business. And we went and kind of met the wizard. And then I went and realized that I'm a fucking wizard. Come on — I'm a wizard. You can't be the only one. So then we realized we're gonna do this. We're gonna start our own label. So we get distributed through Warner ADA. And it's a label services, so we have a team of people that we access there, but then we also have our own team of people with our management and our independent staff that we hire as New Noize — marketing and social media and all that kind of stuff. And we've just built up something great together. And on this last album, 'Ego Trip', this was our first go as an independent. And we're on the heels of this thing now. We've had four No. 1s on rock radio, which, that blows my mind. We've been able to serve our fans up what they want and give give our people what they want. And that, to me, I'm like so fucking stoked. We just put the work in and we're seeing it happen. And now we're on the heels of that. We're promoting our song 'Leave A Light On'. And we're off the road right now, so now we're, like, 'All right, now it's time to pull the slingshot back.'"

He continued: "We've been getting in the studio for the last five months. I'd say probably about 10 days a month we're together. We'll go, write, create, step away, trip out on what we created and finetune it the next time. And now we've got seven or eight songs. And the first kind of go-around for us, we went in… 'Cause our current single, it's an acoustic song; it's very heartfelt. And we're, like, 'All right, let's flip the script. We need to go write the heaviest P-ROACH we possibly could ever write. Let's just go see what that sounds like. Let's go experiment in the studio.' And so we've done that a few times over, and some of the stuff that we're… We've drop tuned some of the stuff. We're messing with some of the tunings, which then adds even a heavier element to it. And you know I love heavy music. It's something that is in my blood as well. I'm a fan of many styles. And it just feels natural to wanna lean into that heavy sound for us right now. And I'm excited. I feel inspired about creating."

Regarding the possibility of collaborations on the new PAPA ROACH music, Jacoby said: "There's collabs that are gonna come together, but I think once we get to the end of the creative process, and then we look at the songs and we go, 'All right, what do we have as kind of like a body of work or what's gonna be the first single, and who can we get to collab on this or reimagine this song?'"

Shaddix also talked about how PAPA ROACH plans to promote its new music. He said: "Looking at this thing from not only an artist perspective, but as from a label exec perspective, it's exciting for me. It really takes my interest in what I'm creating to another level. Because after we get the art finished, it's like instantly I'm imagining in my mind, what could a video look like? Or what could a marketing campaign around this song look like? What are the pieces we can put together that make the song more than just it is, so we can just push it out into the world. And then once it's out, it's the world's. It's how do you make that those impacts? And we found a lot of different ways to do it. Social media has been a really big one for us. We pressed in really hard with that. And some of it, I'm just, like, 'Oh,' it's cringe and I hate it. And some of it I just do it and then I get to the other side of it, I'm, like, 'Actually, that was actually really cool.'"

PAPA ROACH recently united with eight-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood on a new recording of the band's multi-format hit single "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)". The official music video for the track — directed and filmed by Bryson Roatch and Jeff Johnson — was released in August.

The dynamic duet between PAPA ROACH and Underwood was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee, and continues the mission of the Californian band to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental health awareness, alongside partner organization(s) the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP),who will receive royalties generated from both artists from the song, in perpetuity. The release will also raise awareness for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the United States and Canada.

"Leave A Light On", a band favorite, was first performed by PAPA ROACH live last year on their tour with SHINEDOWN and SPIRITBOX. In each city, including Nashville where Underwood was in attendance, the song was preceded by an emotional video PSA delivered by Shaddix, who pledged a donation to the AFSP on behalf of each city's attendees, culminating in a $155,000 donation at the end of the tour.

The accomplishment motivated the band to commit even further by re-naming the single as "Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark)" , in conjunction with the AFSP's "Talk Away The Dark" campaign, and pledged a perpetual royalty from the song's use, in any manner, to the AFSP, continuing their mission to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide.

The compelling song has connected with audiences globally and became the band's 12th No. 1 and 26th Top 10 hit, reaching No. 1 at rock and Top 10 at Alternative in the U.S. The band's efforts in raising money for the AFSP have not ceased and are now estimated to be over $250,000 — and growing.

PAPA ROACH are two-time Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling leaders in alternative hard rock music, who in 2025 will celebrate the 25th anniversary of their iconic album "Infest". PAPA ROACH are not unfamiliar with calling attention to mental health and have been doing so since the seminal release of their first hit-single "Last Resort". Since then, the band has gone on to create 10 studio albums, their most recent, "Ego Trip", on their own label New Noize Records. "Ego Trip" has garnered over 450 million global streams to date and has produced four No. 1 singles bringing the band's total to 26 career Top 10 hits, and 12 career No. 1s. PAPA ROACH recently announced their headline "Rise Of The Roach" arena tour for 2025 in select cities throughout Europe, including London's famed Wembley Arena, where the band will be partnering with the suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) who are fighting to reduce the devastating impact of suicide in the U.K. There will be a £1 donation included on every ticket.

In a new interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", SABATON frontman Joakim Brodén was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2022's "The War to End All Wars" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we're working on new material always, it feels like. I mean, if we're done [with] an album, I feel like, 'Screw that. I don't wanna write music for a while now.' But there I am three months later writing new music. Maybe I'll sit with one of the guitarists on tour one day, and we'll be bored on a day off because there wasn't that much to do that day. It was Sunday. Everything's closed. So let's grab our gear and crank out a song because it's better than doing nothing."

He continued: "We already have some material. So it's not like we are, after this, gonna take a break and then start writing. We're in the works already."

Elaborating on how he feels after an album is completed, Joakim said: "For me, when an album is ready, I — sorry to say — fucking hate it, because first process… And I'm not the only songwriter in the band, but I'm the one who writes most of the music. And I'm involved with lyrics or in most of the songs and almost all of the songs in a musical way. So I spend months in the studio writing, alone or with somebody, then getting all the pre-productions ready, which is me again cleaning up takes and what are we gonna do putting it all together, delivering it to everybody in the band so they can practice. Then we go into the studio. And then I'm the constant in the studio, keeping track of everything, making sure everything is [as it should be], with the producer. So I'm there for the whole recording. Then I take a little break, and then the audio engineer starts mixing. And then I come in again for the mixing. And then, at that point, I'm already tired of the songs. And then all you do from that point on is try to find problems and errors. What went wrong? What's wrong here? Do we need to do a retake on something? Should we fix something? Oh, is that too loud? Do we need to EQ? So at that point I've programmed myself to only hear the problems with the album. So by the time like the master is done, I fucking hate it. I'm so tired of that music. So it'll take me a year or two before I can even, in some objective way, listen to it again."

SABATON recently announced that over 700 cinemas spanning 26 territories are taking part in the global premiere of their explosive concert film "Sabaton - The Tour To End All Tours" in Europe. The event will also land in nearly 500 North American cinemas for two nights only — October 30 and October 31. Go here to find the cinema and screening location nearest you and to purchase tickets.

Other participating countries include Australia, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.K.

The "Sabaton - The Tour To End All Tours" concert film was recorded at the sold-out Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam, where 16,000 fans gathered to watch the band during their 2023 European tour.

SABATON is currently serving as main support to JUDAS PRIEST on the legendary heavy metal band's fall 2024 North American tour.

In the more than two decades since their launch, SABATON have achieved quadruple-platinum sales, headlined major festivals and sold-out arena concerts across the globe, and earned a legion of loyal fans by carving out a reputation as one of the hardest working bands in rock. SABATON combines standout stage design and production with epic concept albums, linking real-life historical war events with classic kick-ass metal. To date, the band has released ten studio albums, amassed six gold, two platinum and one four-times-platinum awards, seen eight of its albums score Top 10 international chart status, and six claim the Top 5. The band has earned eight Metal Hammer/Golden Gods Awards nominations, taking home the award for "Breakthrough Artist" in 2011 and "Best Live Band" in three different years, and a Grammis nomination (Swedish equivalent to the U.S. Grammy) as "Best Heavy Metal" band. SABATON has also accumulated more than two billion streams across all streaming platforms.

Guitarist, singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Richie Kotzen released his brand new solo studio album, titled "Nomad", on September 27 via BMG. The effort was made available digitally, on CD and standard black vinyl.

Richie has premiered the official video for "These Doors", the fifth single from "Nomad". You can check it out below.

Written, recorded and produced by Kotzen, "Nomad" features eight new tracks showcasing Kotzen's multi-faceted musical styles with Kotzen playing almost every instrument on the album. On "Nomad", Kotzen expresses his diverse techniques and influences, from hard rock to '70s-infused soul and funk, jazz fusion to R&B. It's all intertwined with his own unique playing and songwriting approach, while retaining his ever-evolving signature style.

"I came up exposed to soul, funk and R&B music extensively but at the same time I was a hard rock fan all the way," explains Kotzen. "So I've got this sort of interesting dynamic happening with my music where you hear elements of PARLIAMENT or Curtis Mayfield but then at the same time you've got the BAD COMPANY early Rod Stewart influence as well. Then when I started taking the guitar more seriously, I was drawn into fusion bands like THE DIXIE DREGS, RETURN TO FOREVER and Allan Holdsworth's work. It is a wacky mixture but that is the formula for Richie Kotzen."

Earlier this year, Kotzen released the first two tracks from the album, hard-driving single "Cheap Shots" and follow-up single, "On The Table", a heavy-hitting rocker that had been living on his hard drive, waiting for the perfect lyric to complete it. A subconscious memory of his Brazilian father-in-law's first English words "The book is on the table" sparked inspiration and perfectly tied it all together.

While "Nomad" has no shortage of heavy guitar rockers, the sheer diversity of the album as heard on tracks such as "Nihilist", "This Is A Test" and the title track "Nomad" showcases not only Kotzen's musical range and vocal prowess, but his fearless imagination as a producer/arranger. Already globally renowned as an extraordinary guitarist, with "Nomad" Kotzen stands tall as a truly remarkable all-round lyricist-producer/arranger and singer.

"Nomad" track listing:

01. Cheap Shots
02. These Doors**
03. Insomnia
04. Nomad*
05. Escape
06. On The Table
07. This Is A Test
08. Nihilist

* Dan Potruch plays drums on "Nomad"
** Kyle Hughes plays drums on "These Doors"

Michael Kachko, BMG senior vice president says: "After working with Richie on the successful SMITH/KOTZEN project, we knew what an incredible songwriter and artist he is so we were excited to hear what he was working on as a solo artist. When he played us the new material, we knew immediately we wanted to be involved."

Kotzen states: "I was very much elated with the news that BMG wanted to release this album as I envisioned it without artistic compromise. I love the fact that the BMG team put their creative trust in me and my vision without re-design. So many times the business side of things can really interfere with the creative progress of a writer and with a team like this the focus is on what can we do to help you beyond what you've already done as a recording artist. The attitude seems to be, 'you've done the work as a writer, producer [and] musician, now let us take the ball and run'. This feels like the beginning of an amazing journey for me and a bit of a re-set in an industry that is becoming more complex to navigate for a lone artist."

Photo credit: Vecc Schiafino

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has donated $200,000 from a portion of ticket sales from the band's massively successful headlining arena and amphitheater North American tour this past summer/fall. The funds will be split between two charities handpicked by singer Ivan Moody and guitarist Zoltan Bathory.

Ivan chose Covenant House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping homeless, trafficked, and exploited youth and young families, in support of Youth Homelessness Awareness Month in November. With 34 locations across the Americas, Covenant House's mission is to provide shelter, support, and comprehensive services to youth facing homelessness. Highlighting this issue, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH leveraged their platform by including facts and resources for the cause in the music video for their 2023 single "Judgement Day". An acoustic version of the song is available as a bonus track on the digital deluxe edition of "AfterLife", alongside acoustic renditions of "The End", "Thanks For Asking" and "This Is The Way" (featuring DMX),marking the late rappers first No. 1 at rock radio.

"Many of our songs and music videos speak directly to the issues being addressed by Covenant House," says Ivan. "Our commitment to donating to support their programs and using our platform to raise awareness perfectly aligns with the band's and our fans' values."

"When a band like FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH approaches you about raising awareness and funds for children and youth facing homelessness and human trafficking, you say yes," exclaims Bill Bedrossian, president and CEO of Covenant House International. "For the past year, 5FDP has shared stats and stories about Covenant House on their social media platforms, and now their fans have joined the fight to end youth homelessness. We are thrilled to be in partnership with a group so devoted to the safety and well-being of young people."

Moody has made significant contributions to raising awareness in the recovery community. As someone in recovery himself, he has devoted both time and hundreds of thousands of dollars to support various recovery-focused organizations. Taking his commitment even further, he has established his own Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP),"Ciara Coral", in Cheyenne, Wyoming, dedicated to guiding and assisting addicts throughout the process of recovery and helping them regain control of their lives.

Zoltan chose to support the Call Of Duty Endowment, a non-profit organization that helps veterans find high-quality careers by supporting groups that prepare them for the job market and by raising awareness of the value that veterans bring to the workplace. His connection to this charity was forged when he was featured as a character — an in-game operator named Oz — in two "Call Of Duty" games: "Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare II" and "Call Of Duty: Warzone".

"Thank you to Zoltan and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH for their generous support that will make a significant impact in the lives of those who have served," said Helene Imperiale, senior director, Call Of Duty Endowment. "This donation is instrumental in helping us continue our mission and will assist approximately 150 veterans in finding high-quality careers."

Over the past two decades Zoltan and Ivan have raised millions of dollars for various causes and shown overwhelming support to first responders and the military including performing at military bases worldwide, employing veterans in their crew, highlighting veteran causes across their music/imagery and have donated proceeds from their 2019 No. 1 hit "Blue On Black" featuring Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Brantley Gilbert and Brian May to the Gary Sinise Foundation. The official video for the band's hit song "Wrong Side Of Heaven" brings awareness to the struggles of veterans suffering from PTSD and has garnered over 411 million views to date. The band also raised over $300,000 for various military organizations supporting veterans afflicted by PTSD through the campaign around the song in 2014. In 2016, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH were awarded the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award by the Association of The United States Army, an honor bestowed only upon Elvis Presley before.

Photo credit: Hristo Shindov

During a press conference announcing SCORPIONS' 60th-anniversary hometown concert in Hannover, Germany next July, former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee was asked how he came to join the German hard rock legends. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I played with MOTÖRHEAD, as you probably know, for close to 25 years. And unfortunately, Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD leader] passed away at the end of '15. And then Matthias [Jabs, SCORPIONS guitarist] called in early '16 and said, 'Are you in Göteborg [Gothenburg, Sweden], Mikkey?' I go, 'Yeah.' 'Can you come to Luxembourg tomorrow?' [Laughs] Basically, that's how it was. And I was basically gonna be standing in a little bit and helping out because James Kottak [then-SCORPIONS drummer] was battling a little bit of a health issue. But he did a great tour in Germany. And I was basically just standing by at that time. And we did rehearse a little bit secretly learning a few [songs]. And then I finished off the year and here I am, and we're going on the ninth year… Nine next year. But here we are and kicking ass like never before, I would say, and it's been a great journey so far for me."

Mikkey continued: "If you asked me, I'd say, 'Yeah, I've been playing with these crazy guys for about four years.' But we're talking nine, so time's flying. And we managed to create a great record [2022's 'Rock Believer'] over the COVID years. So it's gone so quick these nine years. I would say four, maybe five, but not nine. But here we are. So that's how it came about. So, something bad turned into something pretty good, I would say. And, yeah, as Lemmy's passing and then joining this band, I wanted to bring some power and tightness and a little bit of MOTÖRHEAD into the mighty SCORPS. And we've been friends, over the years, we'd seen each other at festivals and shows, so we kind of knew each other, but we never played together. And so there we are. Hopefully many more years to come. And we're starting off with the 60th [anniversary] next year, so that's a great honor to be a part of that."

In an April 2023 interview with Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules, Mikkey was asked how he landed the job as the drummer for SCORPIONS in 2016 after spending almost 25 years as a member of MOTÖRHEAD. He responded: "They [initially] called me in to be the stand-in for maybe James. Because they started to get tired of his problems. So they said, 'Look, if you could be a stand-in on parts of the European tour.' I said, 'Yeah. No problem.' But meanwhile, while I was secretly following the band around in Germany, we were rehearsing a couple of times — secretly. And I'm sure that they wanted to check me out there, of course. And you never know how things are gonna go with the social part or the musical part, but they loved it immediately. And my idea was to show them what they cannot be without, basically.

"James is a great drummer," Mikkey continued. "He did fantastic with SCORPIONS. He ran into some health problems that he had to deal with. I was never, and I will never, talk him down in any way, shape or form, but I would like to do, what I wanted to do at that point was to show what I can do and what you cannot be without. I said to the guys that I'm gonna Motörize them. 'I want it harder, tighter and heavier, and I'm gonna show you what kind of drummer I am. I'm gonna put much more energy into what we do, and hopefully that will contaminate the whole band and we can take it to another level. And I can inspire enough to you guys, and you will inspire me as well, of course.' Because playing pretty much the same stuff for 25 years is one thing. So this was a big challenge for me, of course, as well… And when that works out the way it did, it's a good thing. They have no attitude. I have no attitude. We knew each other before. We get along great. And now we're just gonna play great together. But of course, you never, ever, ever know. I might be an idiot getting out there with the SCORPIONS, being a complete prick about stuff. And they go, 'Holy shit. We don't remember you like this.' I might think that, 'Holy smoke. These guys are fucking morons. I can't deal with this.' But that was not the case. And of course, we got along great, and we still do. And we're having a blast on the road and in the studio. So, it turned out to be a win-win situation."

The now-60-year-old Swedish musician also elaborated on his comment that "secretly followed" the SCORPIONS around in Germany while Kottak was still playing with the band.

"I saw every single show because I had to sit and learn the set," Dee explained. "And I was sitting secretly up on the arena. Usually, they have it blocked off. If you draw a line on the short side of an arena, the stage and then backwards, it's never open for the public. I had to sit very, very far away up there with in-ears, so I could hear what was going on. And [James] knew that there was a drummer [acting as a possible stand-in], [but he did] not [know] who it was. And he played great. I mean, he shaped up and played fine. And then I went back [home] to Sweden. And then I got a call just right after the European tour, and they said, 'Look, can you finish out the year?' And I said, 'Absolutely. 'Cause I'm doing nothing.' And I realized at that time that [James is] not coming back, because we already did some rehearsals and I showed them kind of what they cannot be without; I was hoping. But he did great, and then, obviously, he kind of lost it there a little bit. You can't live everybody else's life, of course. I was not there to snag his seat in the SCORPIONS, but they had to do something, and that's what they chose to do. And here I was."

More than two years ago, SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker spoke to Spain's classic rock radio station RockFM about how he would compare the drumming styles of Kottak and Dee. Schenker said: "Every musician has his own style. James was great, and is still a great drummer — no question about this — but we had a little problem… well, he had a problem, and we tried to help him through the problem. In this case, we noticed that he need[ed] more time than we could give him because we were on tour. So in this case, Matthias had the idea to call Mikkey Dee, because he was available because of Lemmy's death. So, yeah, it was a great thing to see light in the distance because we were a little bit depressed because we [were] helping James so much, but he couldn't deliver the spirit we gave him. And so we split."

Rudolf continued: "We rehearsed with Mikkey Dee and we noticed immediately there's a new kind of kick-ass [energy]. Everybody has his own style, and Mikkey Dee is really a very — especially for me as a rhythm guitar player — he is a very influencing person. That means when I play my riffs, he knows how to make them more wild and more powerful. And that's very good — it's a synergy effect which even is added by Paweł [Mąciwoda, bass] because they are really a great rhythm team, Pawel and Mikkey Dee, and me as a rhythm guitar player, we can build a great basis for Matthias and Klaus [Meine, vocals]."

SCORPIONS will celebrate their 60th stage anniversary with a big concert in their hometown. The "60th Anniversary - Coming Home" event will take place on July 5, 2025 at the Heinz Von Heiden Arena in Hannover and will feature a number of special guests, including JUDAS PRIEST.

SCORPIONS' only continuous member has been Schenker, although Meine has appeared on all of the band's studio albums, while Jabs has been a consistent member since 1978, and Mąciwoda and Dee have been in the band since 2003 and 2016, respectively.

"Rock Believer" was released in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.

Kottak passed away on January 9 in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was born and lived until 1987, although further details about the exact circumstances of his death weren't available.

In addition to SCORPIONS and KINGDOM COME, Kottak had toured with such bands as WARRANT and even DIO for a short run. James was also involved in various other projects, including the 1990s band KRUNK in which he sang lead vocals and played guitar.

Kid Rock says that he doesn't agree with Eminem and Taylor Swift's political views, but he respects them for using their platforms to speak out.

Kid Rock, who is a longtime supporter of former U.S. president and current Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, took to his social media channels on Friday to share a video message in which he said: "I love Eminem. We've been friends for many years. I don't agree with his politics, but I do give credit to him and people like Taylor Swift for standing up and not being afraid to be vocal for that which they believe.

"Thinking differently and having the freedom to do so is what makes this country great," Rock continued. "My stance is unequivocally MAGA, because I know in my heart, mind, body and soul, that President Trump will make America great again. God bless the USA."

Eminem introduced former U.S. president Barack Obama in Detroit on Tuesday at a rally for Kamala Harris, while Taylor Swift publicly endorsed Harris in September after the debate with Trump, calling the Democratic nominee a "steady-handed, gifted leader."

In 2017, Eminem delivered an anti-Trump freestyle at the BET Awards, which included lyrics like "Any fan of mine who's a supporter of his / I'm drawing in the sand a line, you're either for or against."

In 2019, Rock tweeted about Taylor Swift, "Taylor Swift wants to be a democrat because she wants to be in movies….period. And it looks like she will suck the door knob off Hollyweird to get there. Oldest move in the book. Good luck girl."

Eminem appears on Kid Rock's 1998 track "Fuck Off", which was featured on Kid Rock's "Devil Without A Cause" album, and the 2013 music video for Eminem's "Berzerk" featured a Kid Rock cameo.

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Taylor Swift wants to be a democrat because she wants to be in movies….period. And it looks like she will suck the door knob off Hollyweird to get there. Oldest move in the book. Good luck girl.

-Kid Rock

— KidRock (@KidRock) August 9, 2019

Grammy-winning songwriter, solo artist and CREED frontman Scott Stapp performed at the Grand Ole Opry on Thursday, October 23. It was the rocker's first time inside the circle and the first live performance of his first-ever duet, "If These Walls Could Talk" featuring rock queen Dorothy. The acoustic ballad delivers two Grammy-worthy vocal performances that escalate to soaring climax as they depict the experience of suffering in silence. It was written by Stapp with Kylie Sackley (Sam Hunt, Keith Urban, Walker Hayes),Marti Frederiksen (AEROSMITH, Carrie Underwood, Ozzy Osbourne, Faith Hill) and Scott Stevens (HALESTORM, SHINEDOWN).

Fan-filmed video of Scott's Grand Ole Opry performance can be seen below.

Stapp's songwriting has long exemplified Music City's "three chords and the truth" ethos, baring it all to a multi-generational audience of rock, mainstream, and country fans with honest and authentic storytelling. From "Higher" to "Arms Wide Open", "My Own Prison", "One Last Breath", "My Sacrifice" and "Weathered", to solo singles "Purpose For Pain", "Higher Power" and current hit "Black Butterfly", Stapp has earned icon status with songs that continue to inspire stadium-wide singalongs.

Scott recently spoke about Nashville, his home since 2016, telling music journalist Melonee Hurt of The Tennessean: "I was unaware until I got into the community how big it is and how supportive and protective they are of people who are sincere… When they know your heart, they've got your back."

On being invited to take the Opry stage, Stapp said: "I am humbled by this invitation and grateful for the Opry's tradition of including outliers like me. The Nashville songwriting community has been an incredible source of inspiration and support through a life-changing era for me, so it is a distinct honor to step into the circle for the first time."

Stapp has had a transformative year with the chart-topping debut of his fourth solo album, "Higher Power" (released March 15 via Napalm Records) and the return of CREED, which "may be something this industry has never seen" (Pollstar). Their reunion tour quickly became "one of the hottest rock tickets of the year" (Billboard) and "one of the most anticipated tours of the summer" (USA Today),selling out amphitheaters and earning critical praise at each show. Due to fan demand, the tour was extended with an arena leg to include Nashville's Bridgestone Arena (November 8) and Madison Square Garden (November 29) to close out 2024.

In March 2024, "Higher Power" debuted to raves for its lyrical potency and powerful delivery. The album broke at No. 23 on the Billboard Top Current Album Sales chart (all genres) and Luminate reported it at No. 2 (Current Hard Music Albums),No. 4 (Current Digital Albums),No. 5 (Record Label Independent Current Albums),and No. 3 (Current Rock Albums). "Higher Power" follows 2019's "The Space Between The Shadows", which debuted at No. 3 on the U.S. Current Rock Albums chart, the U.S. Current Hard Music Albums chart, and the U.K. Official Rock And Metal chart, among countless other top chart positions.



Last night was a dream come true-stepping onto the Grand Ole Opry stage for the first time. Feeling beyond blessed to have been invited to stand in the circle where so many legends have stood before me🙏🏼 #GrandOleOpry #humbled #grateful #ifthesewallscouldtalk Dorothy Marti Frederiksen kylie sackley #scottstevens Andrew Wendowski Photography LLC Music Mayhem

Posted by Scott Stapp on Thursday, October 24, 2024



Scott Stapp and Dorothy duet at the Opry? Didn’t see this coming!!

Posted by Carl E Williams on Wednesday, October 23, 2024

Huge congratulations to our friend Scott Stapp of Creed on his unforgettable Opry debut! The Opry has never rocked like...

Posted by Operation Song on Thursday, October 24, 2024

David Coverdale, the powerful voice behind Whitesnake and former Deep Purple frontman, sees his solo work shine brightly in a new collection featuring remixed, remastered, and revisited versions of his solo albums Whitesnake (1977), NorthWinds (1978), and Into The Light (2000).


Into The Light: The Solo Albums are available through Rhino Records today as a 6CD boxed set. It comes packaged in a hardcover box featuring a 60-page book with rare photos, detailed liner notes, and a new interview with Coverdale. The newly remixed version of Into The Light is also available separately as a double vinyl album presented in a gatefold sleeve.


Watch "Love Is Blind" (Official Video 2024 Remix) below:







The boxed set features two versions of Coverdale’s solo albums: one newly remixed to deliver a more dynamic sonic experience and a second remastered from the original recordings for those who want to revisit the classic sound. The remixed versions feature significant updates (particularly to Whitesnake and NorthWinds) and utilize cutting-edge audio separation software. The track "Time & Again" from NorthWinds benefited from innovative voice extraction technology, allowing for new string and piano arrangements that Coverdale has envisioned for decades.


Coverdale shares, “The remixes are modern, using new technology to squeeze the best out of them… Truly exciting to revisit and take care of any technical ‘issues’ I had with the tracks all those years ago.”


Into The Light, Coverdale’s third solo album, boasts an impressive musical lineup that includes guitarists Earl Slick (David Bowie) and Doug Bossi, bassist Marco Mendoza (who later joined Whitesnake), legendary drummer Denny Carmassi (Montrose, Whitesnake), and keyboardist Mike Finningan (Jimi Hendrix). The remixed version of the album expands the original with songs like "Let’s Talk It Over" and "All The Time In The World". The collection also offers additional remixes, demos, and outtakes from the album, including "With All Of My Heart". Coverdale wrote the song for his wife and considers it one of the best he’s ever written.


The set also revisits NorthWinds, and Whitesnake Coverdale’s first two solo albums recorded immediately after leaving Deep Purple. Both albums have been reimagined and re-sequenced for the upcoming collection. NorthWinds includes some new arrangements and additional tracks like "Sweet Mistreater" and "Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth", breathing new life into this classic. Whitesnake features impossible remixes thanks to AI sound separation softwares, courtesy of technology that has only been available in the last couple of years.


Order here.





6CD tracklisting:


CD1: Into The Light (Remix)
"She Give Me"
"River Song"
"Don’t You Cry"
"Love Is Blind"
"Slave"
"Cry For Love"
"Living On Love"
"Midnight Blue"
"Too Many Tears"
"Don’t Lie To Me"
"All The Time In The World"
"Wherever You May Go"
"Yours For The Asking"
"Let’s Talk It Over"


CD2: Into The Light (Additional Remixes)
"Love Is Blind" (Band Version)
"As Long As I Have You"
"With All Of My Heart"
"Wherever You May Go" (Strings Version)
"Love Is Blind" (Strings Version)


Demos & Unfinished Symphonies
"Lust"
"Oh No Not The Blues Again"
"Into The Light Intro"
"Into The Light"
"You Make It Hard On Me"
"Would You Be Happy"
"Fooling Yourself"
"Make The Best Of It"
"Veda of Cassandra Blues"
"I Can See The Light"
"Another Fallen Angel"
"Itchy Finger"


Original Demos 1997
"Crazy ’Bout Cha" (Original Version of "Whipping Boy Blues")
"If You Want Me"
"Lay Your Love On Me" (Original Version of "Lay Down Your Love")


CD3: NorthWinds (2024 Remix)
"Keep On Giving Me Love"
"Sweet Mistreater"
"NorthWinds"
"Give Me Kindness"
"Queen Of Hearts"
"Only My Soul"
"Time & Again" (String Version)
"Say You Love Me"
"Shame The Devil, Tell The Truth"
"Breakdown"
"Time & Again" (Piano Version)
"Time & Again" (Strings Only)


CD4: Whitesnake MCMLXXVII (2024 Remix)
"Lady"
"Blindman"
"Goldies Place"
"Time On My Side"
"Peace Lovin’ Man"
"Sunny Days"
"Hole In The Sky"
"WhiteSnake"
"Celebration"


Young Lad's Blues (DC’s 1968 Home Demos)
"Sunny Days" (Original)
"Love Me In The Morning"
"I Will Love You"
"Moment In Time"
"It Would Be Nice"
"There Was A Time"
"Why?"
"I Still Love You"


CD5: Into The Light (Original Mix 2024 Remaster)
"She Give Me"
"River Song"
"Don’t You Cry"
"Love Is Blind"
"Slave"
"Cry for Love"
"Living On Love"
"Midnight Blue"
"Too Many Tears"
"Don’t Lie To Me"
"Wherever You May Go"


CD6: Whitesnake (Original Mix 2024 Remaster)
"Lady"
"Blindman"
"Goldies Place"
"Time On My Side"
"Peace Lovin’ Man"
"Sunny Days"
"Hole In The Sky"
"Celebration"
"WhiteSnake"


NorthWinds (Original Mix 2024 Remaster)
"Keep On Giving Me Love"
"NorthWinds"
"Give Me Kindness"
"Time & Again"
"Queen Of Hearts"
"Only My Soul"

A memorial show has been announced in tribute to Paul Di'Anno following the recent news of the former Iron Maiden singer's passing.


Di’Anno's manager Stjepan Juras, who on October 21 had the difficult job of announcing Paul's death, has shared the following update:


"After the indescribable shock and sadness when we found out about the sudden death of the true legend of rock and heavy metal music - Paul Di'Anno, the whole world united in order to pay the last respect to Paul and send him to the other world the way he knew and did it whole life; loud, fierce and energetic.




"Camden Underworld has always been Paul's favourite venue where he always had fantastic shows. In this club, his last show in 2023 was sold out, as would be this one in 2024, which he unfortunately did not manage to play. However, his friends Electric Gypsy, Gypsy's Kiss and Hi-on Maiden, who were supposed to play with him that night, will hold an unforgettable in memoriam show together with their guests, who will sing and play a Paul Di'Anno set from this tour.


"Singers Guzz Colins (Electric Gypsy) and David Smith (Gypsy's Kiss) will sing Paul's songs, and in the meantime we are expecting many other guests. Also guest musicians will be Terry Wapram (ex-Iron Maiden) and Tino Troy (Praying Mantis), and in the near future we expect the response of other musicians and friends, who due to the close date of this event have to schedule their previously agreed commitments.


"The show will take place on November 7 at Camden Underworld, and you can find out about ticket prices and program times at theunderworldcamden.co.uk.


"As merchandise (fc magazine/tour program, t-shirts, patches) was previously printed for the upcoming (cancelled) tour, a very limited number will be available at this event, so if you want to have it, hurry to the club as early as possible.


"You will be able to hear various anecdotes from the stage from friends who worked with Paul. We will raise a glass in his name and once again sing the legendary songs that he performed the loudest, so that he can hear us.


"See you at Camden Underworld."





Paul Di’Anno's Croatian compatriots in Warhorse, Hrvoje Madiraca and Ante Pupačić, paid tribute to Di'Anno following the tragic news of the metal legend's passing. Paul Di'Anno's Warhorse released their debut full-length album back in July via BraveWords Records.





Madiraca and Pupačić shared the following tribute to Paul via Facebook on Wednesday, October 23:


"R.I.P. dear Paul. Hope you'll continue rocking on the other side!


"As sad as we are, the fact that so many people around the world celebrate his legacy is just incredible!!!! True testament to his legacy and to the joy he brought to millions.


"Truth is - he was an incredible guy, not just a legendary singer!!!


"Rock on Paul, wherever you are!"





Di’Anno's manager Stjepan Juras issued the following statement on October 21, announcing Paul's passing:


"On behalf of his family, I am very sad to confirm the death of Paul Andrews, professionally known as Paul Di'Anno. Paul passed away at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66.


"Born in Chingford, East London on 17th May 1958, Paul first came to prominence as lead singer of English Heavy Metal band, Iron Maiden between 1978 and 1981. He sang on their groundbreaking debut album Iron Maiden, and the influential follow up release, Killers. Since leaving Iron Maiden, Paul Di'Anno had a long and eventful recording career with Battlezone and Killers as well as numerous solo releases and guest appearances.


"Despite being troubled by severe health issues in recent years that restricted him to performing in a wheelchair, Paul continued to entertain his fans around the world, racking up well over 100 shows since 2023.


"In 2024 he published his new album with the band Warhorse, and only few month later his retrospective album. His first career retrospective album, The Book Of The Beast was released in September 2024 and featured highlights of his recordings since leaving Iron Maiden.


"I was so proud to call him my friend and I ask his legion of fans to raise a glass in his memory."





Juras then issued the following update:


"Dear friends,


"Sometimes a man thinks he is strong and can handle anything. When I got the phone call yesterday morning about Paul's death, I stayed calm and tried not to break down, knowing that it was going to be a long day, a lot of phone calls, and something I had never faced before. All day and all night I answered literally thousands and thousands of messages, until I collapsed into bed in a sleepless dream. However, when I woke up in the morning and saw all the overwhelming messages of support, all the emotional memories and events, I couldn't stop crying, finally realizing how much Paul meant to people around the world and how much our frantic battle for his life meant to them.


"Paul definitely left too soon. Perhaps the year 66 sounded cool and close to his inimitable temperament, but there was much more ahead of him. I'm not trying to write his obituary, because that's impossible. Paul, both as an artist and as a person, is simply indescribable and those who never knew him personally will never be able to fully understand who Paul was and what Paul was like. I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the nice messages and help from all over the world and all those who are interested in being informed that Paul will be buried at the City of London Cemetary and that way he will be close to his mother and his friend Clive Burr. We still don't know what day it will happen, but we will let all our friends know everything in time. After the funeral, we will all go together to the nearby Cart and Horses, to raise a glass in memory of Paul, and at the same time we will all be able to donate to cover the costs of his funeral.


"What I'm about to tell you now sounds completely crazy, but that's exactly what happened. The book you see in the picture is the story of Paul and his and our fierce fight for his life. The same morning, when the book came out of the press, I received the news of his death. Just a few days earlier, he and I had joked that the contents of this book would completely shock the world and that he didn't know if he was ready for it, but we decided that for his sake and his future life, people needed to know what was going on, because only on that way everyone can help him. Unfortunately, he left too early, he was unable to sign the copy that I intended to give him on the tour in a few days. While I was returning from the printing office with a book in my hand, my heart could not stand it when I passed the Westin Hotel, so I turned towards the hotel and sat on the terrace where we spent a lot of time in recent years. I did not expect that the news of his death spread so quickly that at the same moment all the waiters stood in line and came to bow, sharing with me some of their memories with Paul.


"If the death of Bon Scott ended one era of rock, with the death of Paul Di'Anno also ended another era. He will never, ever be able to be replaced. A book about him is available at www.maidencroatia.com and will be soon at www.pauldianno.co.uk and I will also be happy to help his family financially to give Paul a dignified burial.


"When we have official news about the date of the funeral, we will inform you, and you will be able to find the notice on the Cart and Horses pages. Together with his family, we are working on this and we thank you once again for your great support and help. I'm sorry that we will all have to see each other in such terrible circumstances, but once again we will remember Paul and toast everything he has done.


"I can firmly promise you that I will never allow his legacy to be neglected. As long as I live, the story of Paul will live on. On his official pages and social networks, we will always share memories and thousands of photos and videos that we have taken, and together with all of you, we will make him immortal, even though he already is." - Stjepan Juras





Iron Maiden paid tribute to their former vocalist.


Said Iron Maiden: "We are all deeply saddened to learn about the passing of Paul Di'Anno earlier today. Paul's contribution to Iron Maiden was immense and helped set us on the path we have been travelling as a band for almost five decades. His pioneering presence as a frontman and vocalist, both on stage and on our first two albums, will be very fondly remembered not ju