CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is putting the finishing touches on its long-awaited follow-up to 2018's "No Cross No Crown" album.

Earlier today (Tuesday, August 12),CORROSION OF CONFORMITY shared a photo of several of the band's guitars in the recording studio and included the following message: "Spending a few days tightening up a couple riffs and solos on the New Album then it's straight into mix mode. Gettin close folks!!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"We love you all..

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Spending a few days tightening up a couple riffs and solos on the New Album then it’s straight into mix mode. Gettin...

Posted by Corrosion Of Conformity on Tuesday, August 12, 2025

In a new interview with Matt Bingham of the Z93 radio station, GREAT WHITE rhythm guitarist and keyboardist Michael Lardie paid tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who died late last month at the age of 76. Asked if he has any Ozzy memories to share, Michael said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "A couple of things. We did do [the] Roskilde [festival] in Denmark, and they were the headliner — Ozzy solo. So we were able to see him — not really talk to him so much. But the best story I have is we were both on a flight to London together, the band and Ozzy and his solo band. And he was walking around the plane, saying hi to [original GREAT WHITE singer] Jack [Russell], and we were talking and chatting and all that stuff. And he's got a DAT player. I don't know if you remember those, the digital cassettes. And he's going around to the guys in the band and our management at the time, and he goes, [adopts British accent] 'This is my new record. Would you go take a listen to it?' And it was 'No More Tears'. And when you first put the headphones on and you hear that riff, you're just, like, 'Oh, my…' To me, that was kind of the height of his prowess as the Prince Of Darkness. He had a great guitar player with him, and it was just a great marriage of everything. And that record just had so much toughness and energy. And it was a treat to see him on the plane, for one, but then to be able to listen to that record before pretty much anybody else did, certainly the general public…"

Reflecting on Ozzy's legacy, Michael said: "You think about people that have been so important to our genre of music. He was pretty much the guy that made this style of music with SABBATH, and it kind of leapt on to… And I don't know how it couldn't be in anybody's DNA that plays hard rock. You've gotta have SABBATH in your thing. I mean, I remember listening to 'Master Of Reality' when I was like 12 and learning 'Sweet Leaf'. So that that part of what he meant to all of us is an incredibly cool thing. And the fact that we actually had some up-close-and-personal stuff with him as well is something I'll always treasure."

Asked by Bingham if the passing of some of these rock legends, like Ozzy and Jack, makes him "start to wonder" about GREAT WHITE's future at all and how long he and his bandmates want to stay out on the road, Michael said: "Well, it's hard to say. It all feels pretty good for us still at this point. And we were clocking the number of years — like Audie Desbrow, the [GREAT WHITE] drummer, and I have been in the band since '85, so this year is our 40th year. So when you look in those terms, of course you see your mortality on some level. You don't know how much longer you can actually do this, but at this point I can say that everybody's healthy, happy and still loves doing this. So it's hard to say — five, seven, ten years. It's hard to say, but we are blessed with having a catalog of music that people seem to respond to, and they wanna keep coming and seeing us. So, it's kind of that push-[and]-pull between the audience and us. If we have the ability to go out and play and we're still healthy enough to do it well, which is obviously very important to us, we're gonna keep doing it. The only thing that's probably difficult for what we do, the way we travel now, it's a different thing because we're like the weekend warrior. Like for this weekend, we're gonna come and see you guys. We're gonna be in Bay City [Michigan] on Friday and Morton, Minnesota on Saturday, which is like an hour and a half out of Minneapolis. So we got a back-to-back coming. So it's early flights. So that's probably the only downside I could possibly come up with. I mean, the fans have been fantastic. We're still getting 45 to 50 shows a year."

Ozzy died the morning of July 22, his family announced in a statement.

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler says that getting the call to play with one of his favorite bands, MEGADETH, was "a really important part" of his "journey" as a musician.

Adler played drums on MEGADETH's 2016 album "Dystopia" and took part in most of the band's live shows in support of the CD between January and May of that year. On those shows in late 2015 and early 2016 where Adler was unable to perform with MEGADETH, he was temporarily replaced by Tony Laureano (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, NILE, ANGELCORPSE),the veteran extreme-metal skinsman who had worked as the band's drum tech since 2011. Since May 2016, MEGADETH has utilized the services of Dirk Verbeuren, the Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer who had previously played with SOILWORK for more than a decade.

In a new interview with Metal Master Kingdom, Adler stated about what it was like to work on "Dystopia" with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's certainly a really important part of my journey. And it was a very special time because I was actually in Los Angeles recording the drums for [LAMB OF GOD's] '[VII:] Sturm Und Drang' — I think it was for that album — and I got the call early in the morning in a hotel room from Dave asking… He had come to the same conclusion … that 'I don't think this softer side of things is gonna work out for me.' So what he asked me was, 'Hey, Chris. I know we met a couple years ago. We got along. People are telling me even better things about you now. Would you like to help me write a thrash record?' And so right away I knew, like, 'Okay, boom.' 'Cause I would not want to… I mean, I'd be very thrilled to get in a room with him no matter what, but I definitely wouldn't be interested in writing, like, 'Super Collider 2'. If you are calling me to do a thrash record and I can do what I do, or maybe not… I understand there's some boundaries in MEGADETH. It's always gonna be Dave, and it's not gonna be this kind of pummeling rhythmic thing, like LAMB OF GOD. It's gonna be a speed metal kind of thing. So there's some guardrails there. But as long as we can explore all of that, that would be great. And he sent over some demos. We went back and forth. And then I moved to Nashville and was there for months. It was just Dave and I, and we basically wrote the entire thing, then brought the other guys in to kind of do their parts."

Adler continued: "I remember when I was 14 years old on a skate ramp hearing them for the first time and that really setting my sight or setting the point on the horizon of where I wanted to be. So that was wildly amazing for me. It didn't sit well with everybody, but it was an incredible opportunity for me to do that. So yes, that record was incredibly important because not only was I in the band, but I had a big hand in writing it and just hanging out with just Dave for months outside of Nashville, it was a thrill of mine."

Former LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler says that getting the call to play with one of his favorite bands, MEGADETH, was a "dream come true".

Adler played drums on MEGADETH's 2016 album "Dystopia" and took part in most of the band's live shows in support of the CD between January and May of that year. On those shows in late 2015 and early 2016 where Adler was unable to perform with MEGADETH, he was temporarily replaced by Tony Laureano (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, NILE, ANGELCORPSE),the veteran extreme-metal skinsman who had worked as the band's drum tech since 2011. Since May 2016, MEGADETH has utilized the services of Dirk Verbeuren, the Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based drummer who had previously played with SOILWORK for more than a decade.

Adler previously discussed his collaboration with Mustaine this past May in an interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio. Chris stated at the time:  "Oh, man. [It was a] dream come true. Yeah. Everybody loves to pick on Dave, and I feel bad for him. He had a rough time growing up, and I know his whole story, and we spent a lot of time talking about stuff. And Dave's a really — he's a very nice guy. He's troubled, but in a way that makes him one of the best in the world. And, man, can that guy play guitar — it's unreal.

"When I was a kid, skateboarding or whatever, I got the cassette tape, listened to all this punk rock and all that stuff and I heard that MEGADETH song, and that really set me on the path to do everything that I did," Chris explained. So to get that call was a dream come true."

Reflecting on his studio sessions with MEGADETH, Chris said: "It started with… We met a few times just to see if we'd be able to get along. We had met in 2005 on a tour and got along then fairly well. And so he brought me to Nashville. I think for about two or three months he rented me a house in Nashville near him. And we would get together at a studio that was kind of in the middle and just jam all the time. It was just me and him for, I think, two months, kind of writing the stuff and going over the stuff. They had a great engineer, Chris Rakestraw, that was there helping us put parts together and thinking about stuff. And I was totally wide-eyed, [and it was] like a dream-come-true kind of moment. But I was still professional about it in that I know I'm only here for the session work. But that turned out so well that basically he asked me to be in the band, and two years later we're touring the world and the thing wins a Grammy, which was insane. [That was] maybe another thing that caused tension in LAMB OF GOD. I had done a record with PROTEST THE HERO that won them a [Canadian] Grammy [equivalent]. Now I go join MEGADETH and that wins a Grammy. What's going on here? But, yeah, it was a thrill."

Elaborating on his personal relationship with Mustaine, Adler said: "Because of really who he is and the attention that he would have in any room that he would walk into, it's hard to get into that inner circle. But once you're in, he's the most generous, nicest, kindest guy. He's got a beautiful family. They're all wonderful people. I understand the defenses, the walls that are built up a little bit, just for his own protection, really. Maybe he could have said things differently here and there along the way. It's not for me to say. But we had a amazing time together, and I still consider him a friend and it was an honor to be a part of that for as long as I was."

Dirk was recommended for the MEGADETH job by Adler, who called Verbeuren "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."

During a July 2016 press conference in Tel Aviv, Israel, Mustaine said that Adler was never a full-time member of MEGADETH and was merely "a session guy" for the "Dystopia" album and some of the subsequent shows. "It was what you could call 'work for hire,'" he said.

Four months earlier, Mustaine told the South Orange, New Jersey radio station WSOU that he "thought it was really inspiring being around [Chris] and his positive energy and really optimistic outlook towards life and music in general. It was good for me [and] it was good for the band."

Asked in a 2021 interview with Saint Virus Bar how he landed the MEGADETH gig, Chris said: "I'm in L.A. I'm recording drums for [LAMB OF GOD's 'VII: Sturm Und Drang' album]. We had been on tour in 2005 with MEGADETH. And I get a call really early in the morning — like, six in the morning. And it is Dave Mustaine's guitar tech, a guy named Willie G who I became good friends with along the tour; a great guy. And Willie's, like, 'Hey, your phone's gonna ring in about five minutes, and you should answer it.' I'm, like, 'Okay. Sure.' And the phone rings in five minutes, and it's Dave. And Dave's, like, 'Hey, I enjoyed touring with you. Good chat now and then.' He's not a particularly social guy on tour, but we did hang out a couple of times for breakfast or whatever. And he's, like, 'There's a lot of people that I really trust that tell me you're somebody that I think I should be talking to right now. I'd really like to go back and make a pretty sick thrash record, and I'm interested in having you be a part of that, if you'd like to be.' And it was a 'Candid Camera' kind of moment. 'Is something happening?' It really was the band that changed my life, and now I'm on a phone call that's about to change my life again."

Back in October 2015, Adler spoke to the "Eddie Trunk Podcast" about what he thought about MEGADETH's "Th1rt3en" (2011) and "Super Collider" (2013) albums and how that affected his involvement in the making of "Dystopia". He said: "They were not my favorite MEGADETH records, but I think it's great that that band has been able to do those things — whatever they wanted to do — and not try to please everybody, and it's not gonna be the same every single time. Just even creatively, within LAMB OF GOD, doing this song that we have, 'Overlord', it's nice to be able to just, once in a while, stretch out and do something people might not expect or just indulge your creative path in a different way. So I think it's cool that [Mustaine] did that. But, yeah, it was super intimidating for me to come in and do that, because this guy's my hero. Now, the big thing was none of the material was stinker stuff. I mean, the guy is writing amazing stuff just all day long; in his sleep he's writing better riffs than… well, the whole world. So there was never a time where I came in and said, 'I really don't like this. This sucks,' or something like that. It was just more like, 'Well, what do you think about speeding it up? What do you think about making this part a little bit shorter, making this part a little bit longer?' And I felt like it was important for me to do that, because he could have hired anybody to come in there and just do what they were told. And I felt like the reason that he did call me, and maybe that the reason there were no other auditions, is because he didn't want me to come in there and just say, 'Yes, yes, yes.' I felt like it was important for me to try and contribute. And when it became obvious that he was open to it, I was thrilled to be now in the process and not just be a hired guy."

Regarding some MEGADETH fans' desire to see the band make an all-out thrash album and how "Dystopia" fit into that, Chris told the "Eddie Trunk Podcast" at the time: "Well, I am a MEGADETH fan, and that's exactly what I want as well. And now I'm in MEGADETH, and I seem to have the ear of the creator. So, I feel like it's absolutely the best that MEGADETH can be right now at putting out a thrash metal record. And that is not in any way… I'm not trying to step back from that idea, but 1990 is never gonna happen again; it's just not gonna happen. You can't write 'Peace Sells Part 2', LAMB OF GOD couldn't write 'New American Gospel Part 2'. People move on from those times, including the listeners. Everybody wants the album you did two albums ago, and that's just always the way it's gonna be for every band. So I think Dave was on the same page as me, which was: 'Now is the time to really speed things up. Let's get thrashy.' And I think that's why he called me, and I pushed for that the whole time. And I didn't have to push hard; it was already there. The material is insane."

In a 2015 interview with "The Jasta Show", Chris stated about the songwriting sessions for "Dystopia": "When I first heard the demos, it was well played and it was drum machine, drum samples and stuff, and it wasn't really, kind of, my style of playing. It felt like, kind of, what had been going on before, where it was just [hums a basic beat]. And I really wanted to not have to do that. And so, right away, I brought that up [to Dave]. I said, 'Listen, I'm thankful that you're calling me. But are you calling me because somebody is telling you to call me, or are you calling me because you've heard what I've done and you want me to do some of that — at least some of that — on your record. Because this stuff that's on here is not… that's not cool.'"

Adler went on to say that Mustaine was open to suggestions during the songwriting process. "For example, we did a [cover of a] song called 'Foreign Policy' by FEAR — and old punk rock tune — and it was fun," he said. "And it's a punk rock tune. But as we soon as we learned it… We learned it and played it in one day. And I'm throwing in a ton of double bass. And he stops the song in the middle. He's, like, 'Woah woah woah. What's with the double bass? It's a punk rock song. What are you doing?' I was, like, 'Yeah, it's a punk rock song. But FEAR was a punk rock band. MEGADETH is a metal band. This is MEGADETH. Let's do this the MEGADETH way.' And we kind of moved on to other things. And the next day he came back in. He said, 'You know what?! I was thinking about that last night. You're right, man.' He was, like, 'Let's do this. Let's make it MEGADETH.'"

At last weekend's Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom, STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos spoke to Neil Jones of TotalRock about the status of the band's upcoming documentary film "Evil Disco: The Rise, Fall, And Regeneration Of Static-X". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it's been in the works for a couple of years now. It gets pushed back when we've gotta go tour and do other things. But it's in the works. It's close to being done. I think when we get done touring for the year, we'll revisit that and try and finish it up."

Asked what it's like being involved in a documentary about himself, Tony said: "Weird. I'm not the kind of dude that likes to look at myself too often. I mean, let's face it, I ain't the handsomest fellow in the world. But, yeah, it's just weird. But it serves a purpose."

Last fall, Tony told Rock News Weekly about the upcoming documentary: "I think it's gonna be cool, man. It's gonna be a really cool look back at the history of the band and the history of [late STATIC-X frontman] Wayne [Static] and how he affected all our lives."

In March 2024, STATIC-X celebrated the 25th anniversary of the band's debut album, "Wisconsin Death Trip", by releasing a trailer for "Evil Disco: The Rise, Fall, And Regeneration Of Static-X".

In a message accompanying the YouTube release of the trailer, STATIC-X members Campos, Ken Jay (drums),Koichi Fukuda (guitar) and Xer0 (vocals) wrote: "25 years ago today, STATIC-X unleashed 'Wisconsin Death Trip' onto the world. On this very special anniversary, we would like to share a teaser for the first ever official STATIC-X documentary film titled 'Evil Disco: The Rise, Fall, And Regeneration Of Static-X'.

"Thank you all for 25 years of amazing memories… So much more to come!"

Although the identity of STATIC-X's touring singer has not been officially revealed, strong rumors suggest that DOPE's Edsel Dope is the anonymous, somewhat ominous new frontman of STATIC-X who is wearing a mask in the likeness of late frontman Wayne Static while performing alongside Campos, Jay and Fukuda.

In a fall 2023 interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Campos addressed STATIC-X's reliance on a "masked" vocalist instead of hiring a proper replacement for Wayne, saying: "It's been really cool, man, how people have embraced that idea of having the character up there being the representative of Wayne's vibe and spirit without us being, like, 'Hey, here's STATIC-X with their new singer.' That's not what we wanted to do. So, we were just, like, 'How do we represent Wayne in a cool way?' And I think this is a really cool way to do it."

He continued: "I keep coming back to the IRON MAIDEN analogy — not only was Wayne our Bruce Dickinson [IRON MAIDEN singer], but he was also our Eddie [IRON MAIDEN mascot]. He was the mascot for the band. So how do you represent that? And I think the Xer0 character does a good job at it."

When Hall noted that it must be "a pretty powerful experience" for him to be looking over and seeing Xer0 channeling the spirit of Wayne during STATIC-X's live shows, Tony said: "When we first started and I'm up there headbanging doing my thing, out of my peripheral vision, I see that figure with the hair and I'm playing the songs again, it's just like 20 years ago; it was just that vibe again. And having Koichi and, and Kenny up there, it was really cool, man. And especially those first couple of weeks, we'd be done with the show and we'd be back in the dressing room, and we'd all be, like, 'Fuck, Wayne should be here.' But we definitely feel this vibe and presence."

Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Dope told Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio that the reason Xer0's identity has not been officially revealed is that he wants to make sure that STATIC-X is "properly represented, because I would never be interested in looking at a photo of STATIC-X or reading a liner note that mentions me as being the singer of STATIC-X. Edsel Dope has no interest in being the singer of STATIC-X," he clarified. "There's one living, breathing singer of STATIC-X, and that's Wayne Static. And then there's a character, an entity, for lack of better words, that was created in order to allow STATIC-X to have a future and to continue and be the legacy act that they are and tour and perform, and we gave that character a name that is respective to STATIC-X and fits the branding of what STATIC-X is, and that's what the importance is. It's the importance of recognizing the character as opposed to recognizing the person behind the character."

Back in October 2019, a photo was posted online clearly showing that Dope and Xer0 shared the same neck tattoo. However, Edsel later posted a lengthy statement on his band's Facebook page attempting to quash the rumors, implying Xer0's distinctive body ink was in fact a Photoshop job. Dope even provided a photograph of himself supposedly observing a STATIC-X performance sidestage to prove he and Xer0 were not the same person.

STATIC-X's "Project Regeneration Vol. 1" LP came out in July 2020. The first of two volumes, it featured 12 brand new tracks, containing many of the final vocal performances and musical compositions of Wayne Static, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" lineup of Campos, Jay and Fukuda. A follow-up album, "Project Regeneration: Vol. 2", arrived on January 26, 2024. A collection of 14 brand-new songs, the LP was produced by Xer0 and mixed/mastered by longtime collaborator Ulrich Wild.

In a recent interview with WBUR's Jim Sullivan, Joe Perry once again spoke about the possibility of AEROSMITH playing one final concert, a year after the legendary rockers announced that they were officially retiring from touring due to singer Steven Tyler's vocal injury. AEROSMITH made the announcement on August 2, 2024 — nearly one year after the now-77-year-old singer fractured his larynx during a September 2023 show. Perry said about the likelihood of another AEROSMITH performance: "I would bet that there's an AEROSMITH show left. There's been talk about doing a documentary; that might be part of it. I've been spending a lot of time with Steven and he just doesn't want to tour and he can't tour. It's tough. I'm not sure I would want to go out and book another 40-city tour. It's a long way to the top and staying there takes it out of you, especially an AEROSMITH tour."

Tyler most recently appeared at BLACK SABBATH's "Back To The Beginning" charity concert, where he performed three songs alongside several other iconic musicians. The AEROSMITH singer covered "The Train Kept-A-Rollin'" with Ron Wood, Nuno Bettencourt, Tom Morello, Andrew Watt, Rudy Sarzo and Travis Barker, before belting out AEROSMITH's "Walk This Way" and LED ZEPPELIN's "Whole Lotta Love" with a nearly identical lineup of backing musicians, except for Barker being switched out with Chad Smith from the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS for these last two songs.

This past June, Perry told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he is "always hoping" for another AEROSMITH concert "but going on the road, it's a big deal pulling that together. It's one thing to sit there and look online and see who's touring and stuff, and there's dates that show up, but there's so much planning, and what it takes out of you physically, it's a lot more than people realize," he explained. "It's one thing when you're doing it when you're 25 or 30, but it's another when you're starting to get up there like us. It's a really physical thing, going out on stage. And all that energy that you're putting out, that you're transferring to the audience, it takes something out of you in a physical and emotional way. And all of that energy that you give, that's flowing out there, that's making people feel good, it takes it out of you."

Perry added: "We talk probably a couple of times a week, and [Steven and I] played together up at a charity up in San Francisco [in late April]… So I don't know, man. But we're talking about it. I mean, except for anything on the calendar, we're all alive and well. So, we'll just have to see. I know there's gotta be at least another AEROSMITH gig, and I'm not looking forward to putting the setlist together for that one. But I don't know, man. We'll just have to see. I've always played like every show's the last one. I hate to sound like it's a downer, but I give it up every night."

Asked by host Eddie Trunk if Tyler seems well enough to be able to play a full AEROSMITH concert and whether he thinks Steven "would like to do that", Joe said: "I think he would. I think it's just a matter of getting there. We're up there [in age], man. And it's a lot. It was interesting, with COVID and everybody being home for that length of time, it was, like, 'Oh, so this is how other people live.' Actually sleeping in your own bed every night and hopefully not feeling shitty from COVID. In the beginning, it was pretty bad. But it really, really opens your eyes. I don't think I've gone a year without something on the calendar and having to be somewhere. So that's the bigger picture. [We enjoy being home] or doing other things. We all have stuff we like to do. And you can't [do those things when you are touring], whatever it is. So, I've got enough left in me. I still wanna do it. But right now, for [THE JOE PERRY PROJECT], I'm gonna be taking it out [this August] and giving it up, and I'm just glad I've got these guys to open up enough time to come along. So, we'll see what happens."

THE JOE PERRY PROJECT, featuring Perry with musicians from AEROSMITH, THE BLACK CROWES and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, will play eight U.S. tour dates in August.

The 2025 lineup of THE JOE PERRY PROJECT will feature AEROSMITH guitarists Perry and Brad Whitford with the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers' touring keyboardist/backing vocalist Buck Johnson, along with THE BLACK CROWES' Chris Robinson on lead vocals and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' Robert DeLeo on bass and Jason Sutter on drums.

Perry and Tyler performed together for the first time in nearly two years at a private concert the singer hosted on April 30 in San Francisco, California. The event was a benefit for Janie's Fund, the initiative Tyler created in order to bring hope and healing to girls and young women who have experienced trauma.

AEROSMITH's "Peace Out" tour came to a halt after what turned out to be a final gig in Elmont, New York on September 9, 2023. That show came just three dates into the trek, which was supposed to last through February 2024. Tyler said in a statement at the time that the injury caused bleeding but that he hoped he and his AEROSMITH bandmates would be back on the road after postponing a few shows.

The rescheduled "Peace Out" tour was due to begin September 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with special guests THE BLACK CROWES.

Tyler released a solo LP in 2016.

Arcadea unveil a final preview of their forthcoming album, the ultra-groovy, synth-driven The Exodus Of Gravity (August 22, Relapse Records), with today’s release of “Lake Of Rust” and its hypnotic lyric video that once again builds on the surreal, Skinner-created album artwork.

“Lake Of Rust” explodes with a steady blast of synth stabs as Brann Dailor’s heavy metal vocal delivery tears across the stereo field. “This is where our hero is crossing this giant lake of lava with floating icebergs in it,” Core Atoms explains. “They’re heading towards the galactic lighthouse where New Arcadea’s mysterious source of light originates. This is everything they see on their adventure. In terms of human emotion, it’s power, anger and revenge. It’s about getting there and saving the day no matter what.”

Musically, the track draws from Dailor’s affinity for progressive and electronic music: “I like synth-based music, and that’s a big part of my musical catalog at home: seventies French electronic stuff, in the realm of Arcadea,” he says in a newly published interview with Revolver. “Some of my favorite stuff from the bigger prog groups out there, like Genesis, are the synth moments. I wanted to make an album that sounded like those moments.”



Arcadea previously previewed the twelve-song collection with “Fuzzy Planet” and the mesmerizing intergalactic love story depicted in the accompanying video as well as the debut of the album’s title track, “Exodus Of Gravity.”

Recorded at West End Sound, in the basement of Mastodon’s Ember City practice space, The Exodus Of Gravity is self-produced by Arcadea and engineered by Tom Tapley. The collection is available on a variety of limited-edition vinyl colorways, cassette, and digitally. Pre-orders are available here, with digital pre-saves available here.



The Exodus Of Gravity tracklisting:

“Dark Star”
“Exodus Of Gravity”
“Fuzzy Planet”
“Lake Of Rust”
“Gilded Eye”
“2 Shells”
“Galactic Lighthouse”
“Starry Messenger”
“Silent Spores”
“The Hand That Holds The Milky Way”
“Sparks”
“Planet Pounder”

Ricky Warwick, one of rock’s most compelling voices and frontman of The Almighty, Black Star Riders and Thin Lizzy, has returned with his powerful new single, “Angels Of Desolation”, which features Tuk Smith from Biters on backing vocals.

The video sees Ricky joined by The Fighting Hearts who are Ben Christo – guitar, Richard Vernon – bass and Jack Taylor – drums.

The track is taken from his recently released album Blood Ties, and is a soul-baring and anthemic track, which perfectly sets the stage for his upcoming UK tour with The Fighting Hearts in September.

Ricky says, “’Angels Of Desolation’ is a song of personal redemption. Finally calling out and confronting the demons of regret and resentment. It’s not about seeing the whole journey, but taking the first step on a new path of change.”

The track blends raw honesty with heavy melody — the kind of emotionally charged songwriting that has become Ricky’s signature. Coated in grit and delivered with conviction, the single carves a new space in his growing legacy of honest, unflinching rock‘n’roll.



The single is taken from Ricky’s latest studio album Blood Ties, which is his most successful solo album to date earning a place in the Top 25 official UK album charts earlier this year, as well as receiving a wealth of praise from media and fans alike.

As a solo artist and an esteemed singer/songwriter in his own right, Ricky Warwick has also collaborated with some of the finest musicians on the planet and with Blood Ties, has enlisted some notable guests including Lita Ford, Billy Duffy (The Cult) and Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke).

Blood Ties is available here on coloured vinyl, signed CD, collector’s bundles and more.



Tracklisting:

“Angels Of Desolation”
“Rise And Grind” (Feat. Charlie Starr)
“Don’t Leave Me In The Dark” (feat. Lita Ford)
“The Crickets Stayed In Clovis”
“Don’t Sell Your Soul To Fall In Love”
“Dead And Gone”
“The Hell Of Me And You” (feat. Billy Duffy)
“Crocodile Tears”
“Wishing Your Life Away”
“The Town That Didn’t Stare”

Retired Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain and his Iron Maiden cover band, Titanium Tart, recently completed a string of live tour dates for Florida. Eric Hutcheson Inc. has shared multi-angle footage of the band performing Iron Maiden’s “No More Lies” at The Barn in Sanford, FL on July 25. Check it out below.



Titanium Tart performed at Captain Hiram’s in Sebastian, FL on July 17th, and fan-filmed video of the entire show can be viewed below.

Setlist:

“Number Of The Beast”
“No More Lies”
“The Clansman”
“Infinite Dreams”
“The Parchment”
“Stranger In A Strange Land”
“Darkest Hour”
“Moonchild”
“Rime Of The Ancient Mariner”
“Heaven Can Wait”

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has shared a new video message in which he spoke about the frailty of life in the wake of the recent deaths of 1980s legends like Ozzy Osbourne, Hulk Hogan and Malcolm-Jamal Warner — icons who shaped a bold, unforgettable decade. The 55-year-old musician, who left KORN in early 2005, at the same time announcing that he kicked his addictions to drugs and alcohol by becoming a born-again Christian, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Happy Sunday. Crazy week last week, Ozzy, gone. Hulk Hogan, gone. Malcolm-Jamal Warner — is that his name? All of them [were a] big part of my childhood.

"I don't say this to brag at all because literally any of you guys could achieve the spiritual heights that you want to achieve," he continued. "Anybody can open that door and seek and find, but I have spent years developing my spiritual life and strength and had so many experiences, but that does not make me immune to the fading nature of this life that we live.

"Even though I know what I know what I know is true, and I know what I'm gonna experience on the other side, because I experience it, a lot of it, some of it now on this side of death, but, man, it's brutal," Welch added. "The fading nature of life is just crazy. The cycle of life goes on and on, but it's hitting me now. Getting older and heroes like Ozzy passing on. My parents are getting older. My daughter just turned 27. So, yeah, I feel it like everybody, man.

"No matter what spiritual wisdom I've gained, I still feel the sting of the fading nature of our natural life. But I am so positive for the future, but just reflecting. [I] wanted to give you guys an update. Be blessed."

Less than a month after leaving KORN, Welch — wearing a white robe and sporting a long beard — was baptized in Israel's Jordan River, along with about 20 other members of the Valley Bible Fellowship, the Bakersfield, California, church in which he spoke two weekends earlier. At the time, Brian told MTV News that he decided to be baptized in the Jordan after receiving a divine message.

Welch officially returned to KORN in 2013, one year after joining the band onstage at the Carolina Rebellion festival in Rockingham, North Carolina to perform "Blind".

Since his conversion to Christ 20 years ago, Welch has been very open about how God changed his lifestyle and restored his relationship with his daughter.

In recent years, Brian has been preaching that people don't have to wait until they die to see if having an encounter with the presence of God is real.

Both Welch and KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu have had highly public, though separate, conversion experiences, ones that have been greeted with a certain amount of skepticism.

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HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger recently went on Side Jams With Bryan Reesman to talk about his love for photography, Leica cameras, and documenting band life on the road. The episode features many of his photos.

Hottinger recalled HALESTORM playing last month's "Back To The Beginning" event in Birmingham, United Kingdom, which marked Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH's performance. "We were so excited just to be asked to play that show," he said. "We're, like, 'Oh my God, all right!' And the vibe was so awesome. Everyone was so happy, such a together thing celebrating Ozzy and SABBATH's music. None of these bands would exist if it wasn't for them, and everyone, I think, felt the gravity of it. We were talking to Adam Jones from TOOL, and he was, like, 'Yeah, sometimes you get bucket list things that you didn't even know were on the list.' That's what's fun about playing rock and roll. And just metalheads in general, hard rockers, it's such a great community. These bands and all the fans that are lifers for the genre, everyone was so just together and on a great vibe. I've never felt anything like it at a show."

The guitarist photographed HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale with many of the rockers that were there, and he took some live shots as well. "I got so annoying," he joked. "Anytime we were hanging out with somebody, I was, like, 'Can I get your picture with Lzzy?' 'I want to get your picture.' I really liked the one of Lzzy and Arejay [Hale, HALESTORM drummer]. I had my tech give me my camera when I gave him my guitar, and they were walking up to the front to wave goodbye. I have some of Lzzy and Arejay both, posing, like, 'Yeah, we did it!' We just went through it, we didn't know if it was good, and it was such an intense experience. You had 15 minutes, like Live Aid sets, and it went by so fast. It was awesome."

Given how many photos he has shared on social media, with many more in his archives, Hottinger has enough material to publish a HALESTORM photo book. "Oh, easily," he said. "I just have to figure out how to put that together. I'm going to talk to somebody at some point. I just need some of the end goal details. What are we printing this on? Where's the format where I can print them all out however I want? And then put it together. I'll get there one of these days."

During a July 23 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Lzzy paid tribute to Ozzy, who died earlier that week at the age of 76. She said in part:  "It's sad to see Ozzy go. Obviously, we just saw him [at the 'Back To The Beginning' concert in Birmingham, United Kingdom on July 5], and [he was] hungry till the end. I mean, the guy was just ready to be on that stage and clapping. There was such joy in his face even then. But we just didn't think it was gonna be that fast. So I don't know. There's so many emotions. We're so grateful to have been there, but at the same time it's so sad to see one of the greats go. I mean, it's Ozzy. He's supposed to always be here."

Reflecting on HALESTORM's three-song performance at "Back To The Beginning", which included a rendition of Ozzy's "Perry Mason", Lzzy said: "We had such a wonderful time at 'Back To The Beginning'. It was just such a mix of emotions. We were so grateful to be there and to celebrate these men, obviously with BLACK SABBATH and then Ozzy, and really kind of sitting with all of the feelings of how deeply ingrained what they gave to the world is in what we do. And then to kind of look around at all of these rock titans — Steven Tyler [AEROSMITH] and METALLICA [were] there — and everybody had the same feeling, that same childlike wonder and really just kind of looking around and saying, 'Look, none of us would've existed in a band if not for these men.' So it was really wonderful to be a part of that.

"We didn't get a whole lot of interaction with Ozzy," Lzzy admitted. "He was kind of getting wheeled in and out and doing the thing. And I spent some time with [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon. She's so incredibly sweet. And then [BLACK SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi and everybody. One of our regrets that we had said right after the show is, like, man, we should have spent more time with Ozzy. But again, this is how life goes, and we were just absolutely grateful to be there and to experience all of it."

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

Technical deathcore juggernauts Reaping Asmodeia have officially released their venomous new single “Sanctuary Of Poison” , accompanied by an exclusive lyric video, which can be seen below. Both the single and video are available now via Blood Blast Distribution.

Following up their punishing previous track “Shattered Leviathan”, this is the second installment in a trilogy of meticulously crafted songs showcasing the band’s signature blend of technical brutality and groove.

Produced by the band with engineering from Adam Tucker (Signaturetone Recording), Mike Byrne (Transient Audio), and Daniel Koppy (vocal production), and mixed/mastered by Zack Ohren at Castle Ultimate (Suffocation, All Shall Perish), “Sanctuary Of Poison” delivers a dark, groove-driven sonic assault rooted in technical deathcore.



“’Sanctuary Of Poison’ was written from a different perspective within the band,” says drummer Daniel Koppy. “We wanted to explore a darker, groove-oriented sound by emphasizing the nine-string register, while staying true to our technical roots.”

The lyric video offers fans a powerful audiovisual experience that complements the band’s evolving sound — dynamic, melodic, and relentlessly aggressive.

In the latest edition of "Newsmaker", FOX 10 Phoenix's John Hook caught up with Nancy Wilson of HEART. She talked about the band's current tour, her musical impact and the legacy of HEART. Asked if she still feels the buzz, the thrill, the excitement, even nerves when she goes out on that stage, Nancy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, absolutely, I do. If I did not feel nervous, I always want to check the pulse, or if I don't feel nervous, I feel like, 'Oh, no…' I'm scared to not feel nervous because it's an important exchange that you have that's a live experience, 100% live, on a big rock stage that only happens one time. There's no pre-record going on, so it's edgy and it's happening once only that particular night… We're 100% skin in the game… [And] if you're not a little bit nervous, you're phoning it in, and it's not authentic."

She continued: "We're passionate and we're kind of put on the earth to do what we do. We're musicians since we were really young kids. Even before we had any kind of sexual identity attached to anything, we were like already good as young kids. So, we just thought, 'Why not? We're just gonna barge right in and be proficient and do the 10,000 hours of homework.' And somehow, 50 years later, it actually pretty obviously worked."

After Hook noted that HEART's songs have stood the test of time, Nancy said: "Oh, well, you just hit it on the head. Since we started going back out in 2024, and now we're out until 2026, it's really a great… The most exciting and rewarding part of it is to see the little kids that are showing up and their parents and college-age kids are coming to the HEART shows. A lot of people just started hearing us in the '80s; they didn't even know about the mid-to-late-'70s version of this band. So it's a multi-generational experience. And the band HEART being called HEART, it lives up to its namesake because we have a lot of heart with what we do, and we bring the family together for these rock shows. And that, to me, is the most important thing that could happen with something you put into the world that, it translates, it echoes forward into new generations and all of the rest."

The 2025 leg of HEART tour saw Nancy's sister, HEART singer Ann Wilson, performing while seated in a wheelchair.

HEART's "Royal Flush" tour kicked off on February 28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The trek made stops in cities including Milwaukee, Montreal, Toronto, Boston and more before wrapping April 16 in New York City.

This past March, the 75-year-old Ann explained on an episode of her "After Dinner Thinks" podcast why she has been performing in a wheelchair: "I think some people thought that I was in a wheelchair because of cancer, which I just kicked its ass and I'm nice and clear now. It's not about cancer. It's about me being a klutz and missing a step and falling into a parking lot and busting my elbow in three places and then having to have it pinned back together with screws and all that kind of stuff."

Ann added that she doesn't "have the use of my left arm right now," which has proven difficult as she tries to sing while one of her arms is "in a sling. You don't have the same balance," she explained. "So, I had to get used to that. And singing on stage, I really think that the pain level is still way too high for me to take it out of the sling. So I chose to sit because then I can just concentrate on singing and not on keeping my balance and having somebody out there catching me when I reel to the side."

Earlier in March, HEART announced the "An Evening With Heart" spring/summer 2025 U.S. tour. The trek, which saw the band performing two separate sets each night, kicked off May 31 at the Hard Rock in Atlantic City and concluded on June 28 in Hollywood, Florida.

The current members of HEART feature Nancy Wilson (rhythm, lead and acoustic guitar, backing and lead vocals),Ann Wilson (lead vocals and flute),Ryan Wariner (lead and rhythm guitar),Ryan Waters (guitars),Paul Moak (guitars, keyboards and backing vocals),Tony Lucido (bass and backing vocals) and Sean Lane (drums and bike).

In December 2023, HEART played its first three concerts in more than four years — in Highland, California, at Greater Palm Springs in Palm Desert, California, and in Seattle, Washington.

Prior to HEART's December 27, 2023 show in Highland, the band's last performance took place in October 2019 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

HEART toured North America in the summer of 2019 after a nasty split that kept the Wilson sisters estranged for three years.

HEART's 2013 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame saw Ann and Nancy reunited with the four musicians who helped HEART achieve its initial success in the mid-1970s — guitarist Roger Fisher, bassist Steve Fossen, drummer Michael DeRosier and longtime guitarist-keyboardist Howard Leese.

The Wilson sisters' reunion with HEART's original lineup at the Rock Hall ceremony marked the first time the group played together in 34 years.

When Ann and Nancy formed HEART, the idea of two women leading a rock band was still groundbreaking. From the moment 1975's "Dreamboat Annie" was released, they became stars. With hits like "Magic Man", "Crazy On You", "Barracuda", "Alone", "What About Love" and "These Dreams", the band became one of the biggest hit-makers in the '70s and '80s, selling more than 35 million records. In 2012, their memoir "Kicking & Dreaming: A Story Of Heart, Soul And Rock & Roll" became a New York Times bestseller.

Lansdowne Books has launched a pre-order for Richard Morton Jack's new book, "Led Zeppelin: The Only Way To Fly", for delivery in September.

The product of years of research, this enormous book contains the most detailed and accurate account yet of the pathway to LED ZEPPELIN's formation and the events of their tumultuous first year. Alongside it is a wealth of rare material concerning the members' earlier careers, and reproductions of virtually every piece of press they received between getting together in August 1968 and the release of "Led Zeppelin II" in October 1969.

Bulging with barely seen archival information and imagery, and featuring a long introduction by the renowned music journalist Chris Welch — who knew them from the start, toured with them and visited them at home — it is simply essential for their many admirers.

The 348-page "Led Zeppelin: The Only Way To Fly" will be made available as a limited-edition large-format hardback, quarter-bound in cloth.

The first 250 pre-orders of the book will receive an exclusive poster.

Richard Morton Jack is the editor of the music reference books "Galactic Ramble" and "Endless Trip", and the author of "Psychedelia: 101 Iconic Underground Rock Albums 1966-70". He founded Sunbeam Records, which has reissued over 100 rock, jazz and folk albums, and edits the rock history magazine Flashback. He is the co-founder of the music marketplace and archive elvinyl.com.

My new limited edition book, LED ZEPPELIN: THE ONLY WAY TO FLY, is published by Lansdowne next month and can be...

Posted by Richard Morton Jack on Friday, August 8, 2025

In a new interview with Stefan Nilsson of Roppongi Rocks, VENOM INC. bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan confirmed that there are plans for the band to release a follow-up to its second album, "There's Only Black", which came out in 2022. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET):  "Yes, the writing's been going for a while. I mean, when we did 'There's Only Black', the idea was that album was gonna be in two parts, part one and part two. And [the lyrical concept] was beyond death, beyond what we see, beyond what our conceptions are of life or the universe or everything else. And so I'd written it initially about Dante's Inferno, but it was now obviously questioning life and our existence and why are we here, or what are we here for? And what happens after we're not here? So it was about the spirit of life, spirit of energy. And so we'd written enough for two albums. Of course, what's happened happened, and we're now in a position where, okay, we have the second album ready to go. But with the new players, I wanted to obviously embellish them, embrace them and their styles. And so I've been doing some rewrites, and at the minute I think we're about probably a mix away from the EP, which will be the lead-up to the new album, which should go out in March of 2026. So that's the target. Right now I've got the artist for the front cover, the back cover, I've got the producer, I'm doing the layouts, and we're just playing around with the demos to see what we like. So, yeah, it's kind of exciting. And it's always nice to record new music, and you do get excited about that. But it feels like a new beginning. And it's very positive at the moment."

VENOM INC.'s current lineup consists of Dolan alongside Marc Jackson (ex-M:PIRE OF EVIL, ACID REIGN) on drums and Curran Murphy (ex-ANNIHILATOR, NEVERMORE) on guitar.

Last month, Dolan spoke to Soundterror about the circumstances that led to Jeff "Mantas" Dunn's announcement last December that the guitarist was officially out of VENOM INC.Tony said:  "Mantas, he'd had a heart attack about four or five years ago and died. They brought him back to life, and about 11 weeks later, he was out touring again. But then he took a second heart attack, and then he was, like, 'My mind's fucked. And I don't wanna travel,' so he just stopped. He didn't wanna play any more live shows. So I was, like, 'Oh, shit. Well, what do I do? I've still got an album to do with Nuclear Blast. I've still got shows coming up that I could do, offers.' And I thought, 'Okay, well, I'll just carry on.' And I got Curran Murphy, who was with ANNIHILATOR and NEVERMORE, and his band had opened for me on a tour, and I thought, 'That's the guy [who can fill in for Mantas].' So I approached him, and that's who's now playing guitar. And the idea was originally that Mantas would get better and return, but he decided not to."

Dolan also addressed Mantas's comment from this past February that the guitarist was "fucking done with" VENOM INC. and that he would " never speak" to Dolan again. Asked if he has had any contact with Mantas since then, Dolan said: "Not after [that] statement. No. I was, like, 'Okay. Well, I don't get.' He was saying that there was no communication, but I have all the communication. Even my drummer was talking to him… And he was the one telling me, 'I'll talk to you next week. I'll talk to you next week.' I sent him a whole list of American dates and I said, 'I know you said you didn't wanna tour, but just let me know. You don't have to do all of them. You could come and do some of them. You come and play New York and then go home.' But he didn't wanna travel, so he wouldn't respond. He kept putting me off saying, 'I'll talk to you next week, I'll talk to you next week.' And then, all of a sudden, he was releasing videos and music… And I'm in the press telling everybody I'm waiting for him to come back and all the time he's recording new music. And then he blames me. It's, like, well, you left. You've just left. You recorded new music. You just done your videos. And now you blaming me. For what? He knew that Curran was covering for him, and Curran Murphy, every time anybody said to him, 'What's it like being in the band?', [he always said] 'I'm only here until Mantas gets better and comes back. That's all I'm here for.' He never committed to being in the band," Tony explained. "I never said it in the press. And they kind of were pointing at me as if I'm doing damage management. It's, like, what damage management? You were sick' You'd said you don't wanna tour. I'm hoping you want to, so I'm just waiting for you to come back.' And he never came back. So, for me to see the third time he did that to me, made statements in the press about what he was going to do… I get sent screenshots. People were going, 'Oh my God. I can't believe what he just said.' And I said, 'Neither can I.' And they're going, 'Well, did you talk?' I said, 'No, I'm still waiting for him to talk'. So I was just as shocked as everybody else.

"But at the end of the day, he's not dead," Tony continued. "And he's my brother and I love him, regardless of what he says about me or anything else. I couldn't love him for four years and then not like him in a week. So he's still my brother. When he [nearly] died, I was the first one there. I looked after him and his wife, and I was driving her to the hospital twice a day. And I bought him coffee machines and I was supporting them. And as soon as he could get out to earn money, I got out there to earn the money so they could be okay. So to then be like I didn't give a shit… And he was, like, 'Well, he was always working.' It's, like, well yeah, because I have to earn money, 'cause I live in London and I have to pay my rent. The band doesn't pay me enough. I have to have a job and I have a very demanding job, and so I do my job. So it wasn't that I didn't care and it wasn't that I was not communicating. He was not communicating, but blames me, of course. And it's, like, okay, well, he can blame me. But at the end of the day, I want him to not be dead and I want him to be at peace and not have another heart attack. And if this is how he is gonna survive, then great. That's good. It's better than not being here."

Asked if he thinks it's possible that one day he will sit down with Mantas and work things out between them, Dolan said: "Not now. He said too many bad things about me that are untrue, and it's not fair. And I just think, hang on. I'm the same person that I was back then, the same person that VENOM tried to destroy my band, the same person that they stole all my money, the same person that they embezzled and they didn't give me my publishing and I didn't get any money from advances, and I didn't get paid for any tours, and I never got paid for any albums. And they took my publishing money off my records, including [VENOM frontman] Cronos [Conrad Lant], and then laughed about it in public. It was, like, 'We get his money.' Now I go out and play shows. If I play 10 VENOM songs in a tour on a show, I don't get the money. They get the money. It's their royalties. So I'm still making that money for them, but I don't care about that.

"I brought Abbadon [original VENOM drummer Antony Bray] back [to play with VENOM INC.] after everything he did because I didn't care. Mantas was, like, 'Don't bring him back after everything he did.' And I was, like, 'But it's not important to me.' Money's not important to me. I mean, if I can eat and sleep and I have a house and I have a car that works and I have food and clothes and everybody's okay, that's all right. I don't need more than that. But what I do wanna do is play music and meet people. That's why I'm doing this. So I don't care. And I thought in the back of my mind, [Abaddon] changed. He'd grown up. And he's in his sixties. He's not gonna be the same. But I was wrong. And Mantas said to me, 'I told you. I told you he wouldn't change.' And I was, like, 'Okay.' And so they wanted him not to be in the band anymore. And I fought for several months to keep him in the band. And eventually [Abaddon] walked away and then blamed me. I was, like, 'Okay. Right.' So, they all blame me for their own demise. And it's, like, 'Well, I'm just doing what we set out to do, what we agreed to do, and I haven't changed my mantra, and I'm not going to change it. This is what we decided to do, and I wanted you to be part of it, not not to be part of it.'"

As for the possibility of Dolan, Mantas and Abaddon ever playing together again, Tony said: "No, never. No. No. And I don't think [there is any chance of the original VENOM reunion either]… Well, that's up to Cronos, but that's never gonna happen either, because they did the same thing to him. They said so many bad things about him and did so many bad things towards him. And now because they haven't got VENOM, they wanna [say], 'Let's forget about all that.' Well, he doesn't need to, does he? He's still VENOM. He still plays his shows. He's still making albums. He's signed to Spinefarm. He doesn't need them. He has a band. So I don't know, but I can't see that happening. But certainly for myself, no. I'm much happier not being oppressed by them. I don't have to deal with any of the bad politics or any of their bullshit. I don't have to. I can just be free and just play music, and that's all I wanna do."

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

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

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

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

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