POISON frontman Bret Michaels has explained his reasons for not wanting to tour with POISON in 2025.

Earlier today (Thursday, September 12),Michaels released the following statement via social media: "To clear the air of any confusion, I just want to clarify to all the amazing family, friends and fans who I remain forever grateful for, that it's no secret I have stated previously that in 2025 I'm planning to perform limited shows to focus primarily on health, starting with my diabetes which needs a tuneup, not to mention a little R&R as everyone knows my tireless work ethic and passion for performing music, as well as some much-needed personal family time...like I recently stated, I'm like a classic muscle car - still fast and still fun to drive, just need a little more maintenance lol

"However, in 2026, I'm excited to say it will be POISON's 40th anniversary since the release of 'Look What The Cat Dragged In' in 1986…so it would make perfect sense to have the possibility of a reunion in 2026. In my opinion, it would be the perfect 40th Anniversary Tour, with 40 awesome limited dates to go out, play real live hit songs, and rock the world…for example, in 2018, POISON headlined and rocked, and in 2022 (four years later) POISON joined DEF LEPPARD, MÖTLEY CRÜE, Joan Jett and CLASSLESS ACT and rocked the Stadium Tour and now, four years after that, POISON hopefully will continue to rock the world in a 2026 headlining tour.

"Again, although none of this is confirmed and it takes much coordination & planning to have a successful tour...good things happen in 4's for POISON - 4 original band members, 40th anniversary, 40 limited dates, Parti-Gras 4.0 and May The 4's be with you!

"To all the incredible fans, thank you for continuing to rock the world not only with the Bret Michaels Parti-Gras currently touring but also with POISON. I appreciate you letting me take a minute to clear any confusion. Stay tuned & have an awesome day!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

To clear the air of any confusion, I just want to clarify to all the amazing family, friends and fans who I remain...

Posted by Bret Michaels on Thursday, September 12, 2024

DEAD ICARUS, the new band of former ATREYU lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas, as well as Gabe Mangold of ENTERPRISE EARTH and Brandon Zackey, will release its debut album, "Zealot", on October 31 via MNRK Heavy.

Produced and co-written by Mangold, "Zealot" is a precise and pummeling execution of airtight technical riffs, miles of solos, blast beat assault and battery, and screamed, growled, and sung vocals.

Today, the band has shared the video for the latest single "Bearing Burdens And Saving Skin". Watch it below. The song kicks off with furious hardcore energy and evolves with guttural death growls and monster, chunky breakdowns.

"I couldn't be more excited and proud to shared our first full length album 'Zealot' with the world," Varkatzas says. "To be a zealot means to be fanatical and uncompromisingly devoted to one's beliefs. A lot of emotion and energy went into its crafting. I worked very hard to step up my vocal performance and really committed to holding nothing back and trying new things in order to match the dynamic nature of the songs."

He continues: "We kick things off with 'Bearing Burdens And Saving Skin', a fast, chaotic, catchy ripper. Lyrically, the song deals with dishonesty and unrelenting revenge. We match it with a dark and wild video by MyGoodEyeVisuals, which was shot in a cemetery inside a haunted house and serves as a precursor to the subsequent videos we have in the works. Be ready, we are just getting started..."

DEAD ICARUS leans on the uncanny creative union between vocalist Varkatzas, guitarist and producer Gabe Mangold, and drummer Brandon Zackey. The band truly gets its wings from the undying commitment made by its members. The musicians pursue their artistry with a resolute sense of focus, manifesting in the precise execution of airtight technical riffs, virtuosic solos, blast beat assault and battery, and hard-hitting vocals.

Countless fans worldwide initially got to know Varkatzas as co-founder and original frontman for influential Southern California metalcore stalwarts ATREYU. After two decades earmarked by chart-shaking success, a pair of gold albums and gold singles, sold-out shows around the globe, and critical renown, he embarked on his next chapter in 2020. Enter Mangold. Celebrated as guitarist for ENTERPRISE EARTH, he and Alex instantly clicked and forged a musical partnership, yielding their 2024-released "Ad Infernum" EP. Inciting critical applause, Revolver promised, "Fans of old-school ATREYU will definitely enjoy."

DEAD ICARUS will embark on its first tour this September with ENTERPRISE EARTH and NEKROGOBLIKON. More worldwide touring is planned for 2025 and beyond.

"Zealot" track listing:

01. The Unconquerable
02. Bearing Burdens And Saving Skin
03. Zealot
04. 1 Million Days
05. Temptations Kiss
06. Fountains Of Death
07. Casting Spells
08. Hell Opens Its Mouth
09. Vade Retro Satana
10. Secrets In The Dark
11. Betrayal Shaped Daggers

A staple of Ozzfest in the mid-2000s with two gold albums, ATREYU is one of the defining bands of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal, alongside groups like AVENGED SEVENFOLD and LAMB OF GOD. Metalcore classics like "The Curse" and "A Death-Grip On Yesterday" were powered by Alex's distinctive scream.

POWERFLO — vocalist Senen "Sen Dog" Reyes (CYPRESS HILL),vocalist/guitarist Billy Graziadei (BIOHAZARD),bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY) and drummer Fred Aching — is back.

The hard rock supergroup will release its new album, "Gorilla Warfare", on November 1 via New Damage Records.

Alongside the album announcement, the band is also sharing the video for the title track. Watch it below. The song and video features Ernie C of BODY COUNT.

"We bring it to a new level with 'Gorilla Warfare'," says Graziadei about the album. "The second record always defines a band, I'm proud as hell of this release. Metal, punk, and hardcore all held together by the power flow of Sen Dog spitting mad verses all over it! The album is the best of CYPRESS HILL, BIOHAZARD and FEAR FACTORY, all combined into one massive beating! We even have a bit of BILLYBIO mixed into the fray."

As for the title track and first single, he continues, "I finished working on the song but felt it needed something else. After working on some ideas, I wasn't feeling it so I called up buddy Ernie C from BODY COUNT to see if he was down for helping me out. He came into the studio, loved the vibe and laid down some pure fire! That became the title track and the first single!"

"Gorilla Warfare" track listing:

01. I'm A Killer
02. You Ain't My Judge
03. Gorilla Warfare (feat. Ernie C)
04. War Machine
05. The Wrong One
06. Head Strong
07. Isolation
08. Big Dog
09. Fuck Em All
10. Drinkin' Beer And Gettin' Loud

POWERFLO combines the passionate, chaotic, and authentic urgency of a brand-new band with the unrivaled experience of its trailblazing members. All the members are genre giants who shaped heavy music and hip-hop and continue to innovate in this band. Their collective creative fingerprints are all over subculture, including early mashups of hardcore and rap, metal and industrial, and more.

"POWERFLO's mix of agit-rap, thrash metal, and punk attitude is a revelation to those who only know Sen Dog from his CYPRESS HILL joints," wrote long-running metal tastemaker Revolver. "His vocals are clear and sharp, and he drives the band's full-throttle crunch like a natural-born frontman. POWERFLO are energetic, pissed off, and built to last, with bite and hooks.

The blistering second album, "Gorilla Warfare", is a full-circle moment for the guys and the genre.

The groundbreaking "Judgment Night" soundtrack, released in 1993, was an early building block of the rap-metal mashups to come and featured both CYPRESS HILL and BIOHAZARD. Sen appeared on BIOHAZARD's classic third album, "State Of The World Address" (1994). Christian appears on CYPRESS HILL's "Skull & Bones" (2000) and "Stoned Raiders" (2001) and performed as part of their live band many times.

POWERFLO's self-titled debut arrived in 2017. Produced and recorded by Billy and mixed by Tue Madsen (MESHUGGAH, DARK TRANQUILITY, SICK OF IT ALL),the second album came together with even more confidence, ambition, and fearlessness. "Gorilla Warfare" cements POWERFLO as a heavy hitter with a bright future and career, even as it brings its members full circle with a genre they helped pioneer.

As Billy points out, "The three of us are survivors. We've experienced many great times and challenges. POWERFLO is so enjoyable because we have a blast doing this band together."

Photo credit: Melissa Castro

DROWNING POOL's new single, "Revolution (The Final Amen)", will be released on September 20 via SBG Records. It marks the first piece of music founding DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce and his longtime bandmates — drummer Mike Luce and bassist Stevie Benton — have completed with singer Ryan McCombs in 13 years. SiriusXM Octane will premiere the single on September 19. A teaser is available below.

In celebration of the new single, DROWNING POOL will be at Will Call Bar in Dallas, Texas on September 20 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. for "Hard Rock Happy Hour". Chazz from Power Chords will be interviewing the band. Don't miss this exclusive event — grab a drink and rock out with the band!

In a recent interview with iHeart Radio personality Debbie Sexxton, Pierce stated about "Revolution (The Final Amen)": "Yeah, it was great working on the song together. It's the first one with all of us back with Ryan, and we spent a lot of time on it. We started on it, actually, beginning of last year. And just between touring and stuff like that, we weren't able to get it down yet. But the whole process, all of us working together, I mean, we literally sat down at a table and we all had different ideas and every one of us kind of approached the song in a different way. And then we came together as a band. It was just amazing. That sounds like a DROWNING POOL song. That's what we want it to sound like. It sounds like us with Ryan."

Regarding the lyrical themes covered in the new DROWNING POOL single, Pierce said: "We spent a lot of time trying different things out to make sure all the bases were covered and we came across with the message lyric-wise too. We had a couple of different rewrites and redrafts just to make sure the flow is right to get the point across. It's more of a general thing about what's going on now. We definitely need a big change — not specific to any country or government or religion as much as just as a whole. It's more [about] planet earth."

Earlier in August, Pierce told the "Thunder Underground" podcast about the musical direction of the new DROWNING POOL song: "I'm so excited, man. It just came out naturally. We never tried to write like a 'Bodies Part Two' or a 'Tear Away Part Two'. We just write what we feel at the time, and the excitement that we had and the energy we have with Ryan being back in the band, the song definitely has that vibe to it. It's in drop C [tuning], and I got a new wah pedal in the studio when I was doing the song. So I'm wah-pedaling all over just like on [DROWNING POOL's] 'Sinner' record. So it has that old-school vibe to it. The people that have heard it so far, that's what they relate it to. It's got that same type of energy. It's its own song and entity. But yeah, it's intense, man. It's a banger."

Asked if the idea is for DROWNING POOL to put out standalone singles going forward or if he and his bandmates are working on an album, C.J. said: "Well, we wanna put out some singles, and stuff that we're doing with Ryan. And yes, we wanna do a full-length record. But we have a lot of stuff coming up in the works. We just did a bunch of shows in Poland for our troops back in December and January. We did a 17-song jam and acoustic set. And I've always wanted to do that. And we kind of fell into it 'cause they asked us to do it over the holidays right before that happened. So it kind of threw us into acoustic mode, which we've never done. And I love the way that set came out. Some songs, they sound heavier, some songs sound a little different, some sound exactly the same, but acoustic style. So I wanna record that as a whole to get that out there. There's a handful of songs we're doing now with Ryan off [DROWNING POOL's] 'Desensitized' [album]. It's the 20-year anniversary. So we talked about re-recording a few songs with Ryan's voice on it since we do those now. And then we're coming up on the 25-year anniversary of the 'Sinner' record, so I've been putting a lot of stuff together with that, that we have with [original DROWNING POOL singer] Dave Williams. I have so much video and songs we did. And there's a couple of things and ideas we had with Dave I wouldn't mind doing with Ryan and making them solid as well. So there's a lot of stuff in the works, man, on top of writing new songs. So, we wanna get a couple of new things out so you can hear what we're doing with Ryan and then definitely wanna do a full-length record with him in the process of doing these other things. But the writing hasn't stopped, man. Since he's walked into my house last year, the ideas — I mean, it's been 13 years and a lot has happened to all of us in that time frame, and so there's a lot to write about, a lot to share, and it comes out through the music, dude. It's killer."

In July, McCombs was asked by 94 Rocks KFML's "The Dark" rock music program if the sound of the new DROWNING POOL material harkens back to what Ryan did with the band in the past, McCombs said: "It's C.J. It's Stevie. It's Mike. It's myself. We did a couple of really — not to toot our own horn — I think we did a couple really good albums back in the day. And we pick up right where we left off.

"I think the coolest thing about DROWNING POOL is it's really easy with DROWNING POOL to separate things with the singers, as far as eras go, but there's always been the DROWNING POOL sound," Ryan continued. "There's always been a certain aspect of just the tones and everything. So it's still just like it always has been — DROWNING POOL."

In June, Pierce told Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio that he and his DROWNING POOL bandmates are once again working with producer Shawn McGhee. "He has his own studio," C.J. explained. "We did the last record with him as well. We did [2022's] 'Strike A Nerve' [with him]. And he's just a great guy to work with. He's on the same page as us and a great friend and a great musician and a killer producer and mixer. So, we love working with Shawn. He really knows how to capture what we're trying to do, man. That's the kind of producer you want. We put him in a driver's seat and somebody you can trust to have that outside ear to take what we have already and elevate it."

Asked what fans can expect from the new DROWNING POOL music, Pierce said: "It just came out naturally. We just started writing. We were all excited to be together again. And we never try to be that kind of band to [go], like, 'Okay, let's write 'Bodies Part Two' or 'Sinner Part Two'. We just write what we feel. And then this came out naturally just to have that 'Sinner' record foundation with Ryan singing on it, man. It's probably the closest thing we've had that's like that, that's a good blend of us and Ryan and stuff from the Dave Williams days. And it came naturally and organically and, dude, it's slamming."

Regarding what it has been like having Ryan step back into the band and if that familiarity was there again, C.J. said: "Yeah, it was there like that and then some, man, 'cause we're all different people. And getting to know all of us, the new us — new and improved, hopefully.

"We just did the [Welcome To] Rockville festival, and just to see friends say that, 'cause people are just now seeing us with Ryan again," he continued. "[People are telling us], 'Man, I can just tell you guys are having so much fun with it. It's awesome to see you guys'. You can tell when a band's up there doing it for real. There's no going through motions with us. And we're having fun with it."

Five months ago, Pierce told Tulsa Music Stream about the new DROWNING POOL music: "It's the first time we have new music with Ryan McCombs in 13 years. And everything's organic and natural. We just started jamming and it just came out like that. It's not trying to push anything or any agenda. We just had this great writing relationship, and it was awesome to click like that again, especially with everybody in the band. Before we finish up the lyrics and all the singing, we're all sat down at the table and bounce ideas off each other to finetune the songs. It's awesome to work with my brothers like that, to have that kind of relationship where everybody has some input and say into it. So when the song comes out, all four of us love what we do with it."

Asked if he and his bandmates usually discuss where they want their new music to go or if they just generally stick to a tried-and-tested formula, Pierce said: "It's actually none of those things at all. Sorry. The answer is none of the above. I mean, some people, they approach it like that. I know some bands have the songwriter in the band or two guys writing everything, and some people don't. I love the fact that we all just get in a room and jam. It's a feeling thing. Music's expressing what's going on at the time. So, the way ideas usually come up with us in DROWNING POOL, it's just, 'Hey, man, I have this feeling, this idea. What do you think about this or this subject matter?' If something comes up, like, 'We should write something about that.' It's different. It's not really a set formula. We need to sound like this; we need to sound like that."

He continued: "It was unfortunate that we lost Dave Williams in 2002 from cardiomyopathy, but it also allowed us to work with other singers. They all have their own style and where they fit within the music Mike, Stevie and I write, So that was also fun. I wouldn't say challenge as much as just coming up with you feel and then see how it works with the strong points of the singer that's singing to it as well. So it just comes up. Everything's, again, whatever you feel at the time; that's what we write. It's never been trying to follow the trend, which is I'm fine with bands that do that or trying to fit in here and there. We try to keep it a hundred percent original."

Pierce added: "There's a few bands out there that have that formula — like AC/DC, as an example — and that works for them and that probably works for them to stick with it. With us, we've kind of been all over the board with, obviously, singer changes and stuff. But everybody knows 'Bodies'. And that's the core sound of what we have anyway. And the excitement of Ryan coming back in the band with the new songs that we have are equal to, if not more jamming than, 'Bodies'. And not intentional, like 'we have to like write a 'Bodies Part Two'' or another song [like that]. It's we just have that fire again. So it just comes out like that."

Earlier in April, Pierce spoke to Pierre Gutiérrez of Rock Talks about how the new DROWNING POOL music compares to "Strike A Nerve", the band's first record in seven years, which came out in September 2022 via T-Boy/UMe. It marked the band's third album with singer Jasen Moreno, who joined DROWNING POOL in 2012. Asked if the material is "more balanced" than "Strike A Nerve", C.J. said: "I wouldn't say more balanced. With Jasen Moreno on the last couple of records, we just started going up a heavy thing. Plus our career, just things that were going on at that time — I write what's going on in my life at the time; it's art, it's music — and just things were getting more intense with Jasen. Not just Jasen, but the music business, everything. So the music got intense as well, as you hear. And then with Ryan back in here, we still have that same intention, but Ryan brings a different kind of aspect and the delivery to the songs. There's definitely the style that we had on the two records we did with Ryan that's there, but we still have that heaviness going on as well. So it's definitely the heaviest stuff we've done with Ryan, for sure. So it's all heavy, brother. There's definitely a few songs that may be… We had '37 Stitches' and songs like that with Ryan. We have one or two songs that are kind of more in that mellow zone with him as well that we're working on. But, yeah, the last few records, we were pretty much just slamming, just full-on super-heavy stuff, man, which I enjoy as well. So you're gonna get a mix of it. I feel like with Ryan, we can get more of a mix of styles in there as well… It's intense, man. It's intense music. That's what we write."

McCombs played his first shows back with DROWNING POOL in March 2023 at Club L.A. in Destin, Florida and at the inaugural Throwdown At The Campground festival in Fruitland Park, Florida.

The longtime SOIL frontman, who has lived in Swindon, England since 2018, originally joined DROWNING POOL in 2005 and appeared on two of the band's studio albums, "Full Circle" (2007) and "Drowning Pool" (2010),as well as a live album, 2009's "Loudest Common Denominator". He rejoined SOIL after exiting DROWNING POOL in 2011.

McCombs is continuing to front SOIL and will carry on recording and performing with both bands.

DROWNING POOL's debut album, "Sinner", was certified platinum within six weeks of its release in 2001, while the CD's first single, "Bodies", was one of the most frequently aired videos on MTV by a new band. DROWNING POOL reached out to an ever-greater audience with dynamic performances at Wrestlemania XVIII and Ozzfest during the summers of 2001 and 2002. Unfortunately, their streak of success was not to last. Shortly after rousing the crowd at Ozzfest in Indianapolis, Indiana, on August 3, 2002, vocalist Dave "Stage" Williams was found dead of natural causes on the tour bus.

Photos courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group

Paramount+ has released a new clip from the upcoming docuseries "Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story Of '80s Hair Metal".

In the clip, which premiered via Entertainment Weekly, RATT singer Stephen Pearcy tells a tale about something the band's one-time tourmate Ozzy Osbourne would partake in while staying at hotels.

"In nice hotels, you put your shoes out, have these shined," Pearcy says. "So [Ozzy] goes hobbling down the hall, and he literally pulls his pants down and he just takes a big shit in these shoes. He just had a laugh about it, like 'Ha ha!' They're gonnna wake up. The guys are gonna go out and grab his shoes and just [put their hands] in Ozzy's [shit]. So, anyway, he was fucking nuts."

"Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story Of '80s Hair Metal" will premiere September 17 exclusively on the service in the U.S. and Canada and September 18 in additional international Paramount+ markets. Directed by Jeff Tremaine ("Jackass", "The Dirt"),the three-part series showcases the notoriously wild '80s hard rock phenomenon and features interviews with those who lived it, including Bret Michaels (POISON),Pearcy, Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME),Dave "Snake" Sabo (SKID ROW) and Riki Rachtman (MTV's "Headbangers Ball"),along with Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT) and Steve-O, among many others.

"I'm honored to be part of this docuseries, named after the hit POISON song 'Nothin' But A Good Time'," said Michaels. "I'm excited for viewers to take a fresh look at the fans and bands, highs and lows, and to celebrate the music and good times of the '80s and beyond. I hope the audience enjoys it as much as I did, and I can't wait for them to have insight into some of those notoriously crazy moments!"

Based on the acclaimed book "Nöthin But A Good Time: The Uncensored History Of The '80s Hard Rock Explosion" by esteemed rock journalists Tom Beaujour and Richard Bienstock, the series delivers a fresh and shockingly candid behind-the-scenes look at one of music's most iconic eras. Each episode showcases the insanity and blazing ambition that has enthralled generations of music lovers and continues to influence culture to this day.

"This docuseries is a celebration of the most outrageous decade in rock 'n' roll. It's my love letter to the '80s," said Tremaine.

"Nöthin' But A Good Time: The Uncensored Story Of '80s Hair Metal" is executive produced by Jeff Tremaine and Shanna Newton for Gorilla Flicks; Eric Wattenberg, Scott Lonker and Will Nothacker for Wheelhouse's Spoke Studios; Erik Olsen; and Bruce Gillmer and Michael Maniaci for MTV Entertainment Studios. Richard Bienstock and Tom Beaujour serve as co-executive producers.

When the "Nöthin But A Good Time: The Uncensored History Of The '80s Hard Rock Explosion" book was released, Pearcy said in a statement: "If you want to relive the explosive decade, this is as close as you're gonna get. All right here, right now."

Michaels added: "From the streets to the Strip, the studio to the stage, this is an epic tale told by the people that lived it. It's a backstage pass to the wildest and loudest party in rock history ― you'll feel like you were right there with us!"

Paramount+, part of Paramount's global portfolio of multimedia entertainment and news brands, is a direct-to-consumer digital subscription video on-demand and live streaming service, combining live sports, breaking news and A Mountain Of Entertainment. The streaming service features an expansive library of original series, hit shows and popular movies across every genre from world-renowned brands and production studios, including BET, CBS, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, Paramount Pictures and the Smithsonian Channel. Paramount+ with Showtime, the service's cornerstone plan, is also home to Showtime content, including scripted hits and critically acclaimed nonfiction projects and films. This premium plan includes unmatched events and sports programming through the local live CBS stream, including golf, basketball and more. All Paramount+ subscribers have streaming access to CBS News Network for 24/7 news and CBS Sports HQ for sports news and analysis.

For more information about Paramount+, please visit www.paramountplus.com, and follow @ParamountPlus on social media.

With 25 years of reign and seven acclaimed albums under their belts, Grammy-nominated metalcore pioneers AS I LAY DYING are back with an unmissable new album that will define their legacy for years to come. Poised to be one of the most highly anticipated metal comebacks in years, the band's eighth full-length studio album, "Through Storms Ahead", will drop on November 15, 2024 via Napalm Records.

Featuring explosive new tracks "Burden" and "The Cave We Fear To Enter" — which arrived earlier this summer as the band's first new musical offerings in five years — "Through Storms Ahead" is an evolution of newly explored elements that further bolster the proven lineup of vocalist Tim Lambesis and guitarist Phil Sgrosso alongside recent newcomers Ryan Neff (bass, clean vocals),Nick Pierce (drums) and Ken Susi (guitar).

In celebration, AS I LAY DYING just dropped the eviscerating new metalcore anthem of the year "We Are The Dead". Featuring the gut-punching vocal talents of famed guest vocalists Alex Terrible (SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL) and Tom Barber (CHELSEA GRIN, DARKO),the latest album single arrives with an equally gripping new music video — proving equal parts mesmerizing, eerie and brutal. The video features appearances from both special guest vocalists.

Sgrosso offers about the track and video: "'We Are The Dead' represents the more brutal territory from our new album, spotlighting our thrashier tendencies that we still enjoy mixing in amongst our more melodic sound. I think this is the meanest we've ever gone in terms of aggression, and who better to join us than two of deathcore's finest, Alex Terrible of SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL and Tom Barber from CHELSEA GRIN. Shout out to our third-time video collaborator Tom Flynn for jumping in with us and pulling off another visually creative undertaking for the track."

Featuring immense, stunning production by guitarist Phil Sgrosso and Hiram Hernandez, mixing by Aaron Chaparian, mastering by Ted Jensen and album art once again created by Corey Meyers, "Through Storms Ahead" proves that good things come to those who wait. The album features crystal clear, punishingly precise technicality and quality — proving keen attention to detail and thoughtful exploration throughout "Through Storms Ahead".

A melancholic guitar-driven introduction track blasts into a deft explosion on first song "A Broken Reflection", showcasing the masterful melding of skills that the new incarnation of AS I LAY DYING brings to the table. The clean vocals of bassist Ryan Neff absolutely soar throughout, fortifying the high-end of the track's multi-layered attack of searing, heart-wrenching guitar harmonics, driving bass, pummeling drums and the furious low-end gutturals of iconic frontman Tim Lambesis. Streamed over a million times within days of its initial release, first single "Burden" annihilates with instantly gripping energy, charging in with an intensely catchy chorus, multiple breakdowns and ingenious guitar soloing from Phil Sgrosso. "Whitewashed Tomb" bleeds in with a cinematic underscore before its potent vocal lines, hair-raising, rhythmic guitar leads and ominous, reverberating electronic atmosphere takes over. Melodic "The Void Within" and "Taken From Nothing" evoke classic AS I LAY DYING style blended with modernized metalcore passages, while tracks such as "Strength To Survive" and "Gears That Never Stop" showcase the vital songwriting prowess of the band in 2024. Blending metallic battery with dominant accessibility, the tracks further attest that "Through Storms Ahead" won't pause for a single moment of mediocrity. Title track "Through Storms Ahead" bludgeons with intense drums and an earworm chorus, while acclaimed second single "The Cave We Fear To Enter" begins pensively before charging into an emotive melodic metalcore opus.

"Through Storms Ahead" track listing:

01. Permanence
02. A Broken Reflection
03. Burden
04. We Are The Dead (feat. Alex Terrible, Tom Barber)
05. Whitewashed Tomb
06. Through Storms Ahead
07. The Void Within
08. Strength To Survive
09. Gears That Never Stop
10. The Cave We Fear To Enter
11. Taken From Nothing

AS I LAY DYING is preparing to kick off their massive European "Through Storms Ahead Tour", featuring support from CALIBAN, DECAPITATED and OV SULFUR, on November 15 in Würzburg, Germany. Before those shows, U.S. fans can catch AS I LAY DYING at the iconic New England Metal & Hardcore Festival on September 22.

In June 2022, drummer Jordan Mancino announced that he would sit out AS I LAY DYING's tour due to "a number of ongoing internal issues" that "have not yet been resolved."

Mancino's announcement came less than a month after bassist/vocalist Josh Gilbert revealed that he was leaving the band. In a statement, the remaining members of AS I LAY DYING said that Gilbert "decided to exit" the group "to pursue other musical opportunities."

Josh was the second AS I LAY DYING member to leave the band in less than a year. In August 2021, guitarist Nick Hipa confirmed his exit from AS I LAY DYING, explaining that he could no longer justify being part of "a superficial pursuit" of the "story and meaning" that the band's 2018 reunion was built upon.

Lambesis was famously convicted in 2014 for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his estranged wife.

In May 2014, Lambesis was sentenced to six years in jail after pleading guilty to paying a San Diego police officer posing as a hitman $1,000 to kill his wife. Approximately two and a half years later — on December 17, 2016 — he was discharged from a California detention facility and was transferred to the Division of Adult Parole Operations.

In June 2018, AS I LAY DYING played its first show with Lambesis in five years and released a new single. Lambesis also owned up to his crimes in a long apology on the band's Facebook page after his release.

The return of AS I LAY DYING raised some questions, particularly since Hipa categorically denounced the band's disgraced frontman as a "sociopathic narcissist in definite need of rehabilitation" in a social-media post back in 2014.

In September 2021, AS I LAY DYING released a new song called "Roots Below" which was originally a B-side leftover from when the sessions for "Shaped By Fire".

Photo credit: Ben Alexis

MASTODON and LAMB OF GOD have shared a collaborative new single called "Floods Of Triton". The track, which was recorded prior to the launch of the two bands' recently completed "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour, can be streamed below.

Out now via Loma Vista Recordings, "Floods Of Triton" is a high-energy rager that effortlessly evokes the spirit of the bands' respective early works while also harnessing the stylistic expansiveness that has forged them into icons of heavy music. The track was recorded at MASTODON's own West End Sound in Atlanta and was produced by MASTODON and Tyler Bates, highly regarded in his own right for his scores for "Guardians Of The Galaxy", "John Wick", "MaXXXine" and more.

In an interview with Rolling Stone, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor stated about how "Floods Of Triton" came together: "We [in MASTODON] were just talking about the possibility of doing more collaborations because we don't do it enough and it's a fun thing to do. We had the tour coming up, so [LAMB OF GOD] were at the forefront of my mind. We had the main two riffs of the song since about 2006, which maybe ironically is when our two bands first legitimately toured together. So we had this song, and we thought Randy's [Blythe, LAMB OF GOD frontman] voice would be perfect on it. I thought it would be a really cool thing to cement our friendship even further."

Added Blythe: "I've known Brann and Bill [Kelliher, MASTODON guitarist] longer than MASTODON has existed. For me, making music with people that I like as human beings is one of the coolest parts of my job. As they asked, I was like, 'Yeah.'"

Asked who wrote the lyrics to "Floods Of Triton", Blythe said: "I wrote about 80 percent of the lyrics. I liked the idea of a true collaborative effort, so I asked [MASTODON bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders] if he had lyrics, and he's like, 'Yeah. I've had some stuff I've written.' So we went back and forth in the studio. We didn't map the song out beforehand. It was once we were in the studio that we discussed where things would go. I believe I wrote, 'See beauty in destruction.' And then Troy had the other line, 'The sea beast laid to rest,' which of course is references a LAMB OF GOD song and a MASTODON song. So it was very much a collaborative arrangement, even once the base of the song was in place. It was vocally collaborative as well."

The "Ashes Of Leviathan" tour celebrated the 20th anniversary of MASTODON's "Leviathan" and LAMB OF GOD's "Ashes Of The Wake" albums, both of which were released on the same date in 2004 (August 31).

"Ashes Of Leviathan" took MASTODON and LAMB OF GOD through the U.S. and Canada, culminating on the exact 20th anniversary of each album on August 31 in Omaha, Nebraska at the Astro Amphitheater.

"Leviathan", released on Relapse Records, was MASTODON's first concept album, loosely based on the 1851 novel "Moby-Dick" by Herman Melville. Three magazines named the LP "Album Of The Year" in 2004: Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer. In 2009 and 2015, MetalSucks named "Leviathan" the best metal album of the 21st century. "Leviathan" was also released with an audio DVD in a limited-edition set with a black-and-gold slipcase.

MASTODON's latest album, 2021's "Hushed And Grim", was a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound. The effort was produced by David Bottrill (TOOL, RUSH, MUSE, PETER GABRIEL) and was MASTODON's most expansive song cycle to date, featuring 15 distinct tracks. It achieved the band's third consecutive No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart and earned MASTODON a Grammy Award nomination for the track "Pushing The Tides". Additionally, the album's single "Teardrinker" secured a top 10 position on the rock radio charts, a further testament to the band's widespread acclaim.

Roundly regarded as a cornerstone of modern metal, "Ashes Of The Wake" features beloved songs such as "Now You've Got Something To Die For", "Omerta" and the blistering "Hourglass". On August 30, Epic Records and Legacy Recordings marked the two-decade anniversary of the pivotal release with "Ashes Of The Wake (20th Anniversary Edition)", featuring new mixes by Justin K Broadrick (GODFLESH, JESU),HEALTH and KUBLAI KHAN TX and MALEVOLENCE, as well as demo and live versions of the album's classic songs.

LAMB OF GOD is Blythe (vocals),John Campbell (bass),Mark Morton (guitar),Willie Adler (guitar) and Art Cruz (drums). Formed in 1994, the Richmond, Virginia-based band have released nine critically acclaimed albums, received five Grammy Award nominations and are widely regarded as one of the most influential and innovative forces in heavy music. The band's most recent collection, "Omens", arrived in late 2022, with Kerrang! noting that the album finds the band "as reliably heavy, violent, and pissed off as ever," and Consequence saying the "album will break you down to nihilistic pieces."

In a new interview with Guitar World magazine, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless once again spoke about the use of backing tracks during the group's live performances. He said: "It's because we don't have the personnel. We were doing stuff from 'The Crimson Idol', and there's a 100-piece orchestra going on there; taking that on tour would be impossible financially.

"The first time we did 'Crimson Idol' live, we did it without the orchestration," he continued. "Did it sound good? Yeah. But when we did it with the orchestration, I stood in the middle of the room in rehearsal, and I swear to you, it was like a religious experience. I thought to myself, 'If I'm a fan, this is what I want to hear.' So that's the reason I do it. It enhances the experience. I want people to hear the records the way they were intended to be heard, not like a facsimile version."

When the interviewer noted that "people assumed it was [Blackie's] voice and the guitars being simulated with tracks," Lawless said: "All somebody has to do is record it and listen to all the mistakes. Then they would understand. You can try as hard as you can, man, but you're gonna screw up. Rock 'n' roll was never meant to be perfect. And even if you try, it ain't gonna be."

This past June, Blackie was asked by Ultimate Classic Rock about some fans' belief that none of W.A.S.P. concerts are actually live. He responded: "Well, if they're crazy enough to believe it, that's their business. But if they genuinely feel like that, then don't go.

"Listen, God blessed me with this foghorn in my throat. Like anybody who's got one, we like showing 'em off — and I'm no different.

"I'm sorry if this sounds arrogant, but there will be times where I'm up there and I hear what's coming out of me, when I'm sustaining a note or something. I'm thinking to myself, 'Wow, that's pretty cool,'" he continued. "I'm not sure most people would have the opportunity to experience something like that in their lives. So from my perspective, I'm pretty appreciative of it. As I said, when you've got this thing that really not a lot of people can do, you like to show it. [Laughs]

"Let me add one more thing. I grew up listening to 'Live At Leeds' [by THE WHO]. Even though I didn't realize it at the time, there are overdubs on it. But it's pretty raw. It sounds like it was done by a three-piece band. For the most part, it's pretty realistic. But they don't do it like that anymore. What they were doing was giving you a reflection of 1970. They were giving you a snapshot of that timeframe. And that's what bands did. But when technology changed and we had the ability to make it sound bigger and better, who's not going to do that? I mean, you can do the 'Live At Leeds' version. We used to. Was it good? It was okay for what it was. But you know, if I'm going to see a show — and this is my personal opinion — I want that thing to sound like the record. I don't care what QUEEN says, or any of these other bands, 'Oh, we're doing that live.' No, you don't have 20 guys behind that stage singing. [Laughs] You just don't. They're all getting help out there. The bottom line is to give the audience a good show. Who cares how it gets there?"

Lawless added: "There's the argument that some of these girl singers out here now, they don't sing a note and they probably don't. Hey, listen, if I'm going to go see Yngwie [Malmsteen], I want to see Yngwie play. But there are some guys in some rock bands that if they didn't play and it was recorded, it wouldn't bother me one iota. Because I'm not going there to see that. I would be going to see the songs. But if somebody's got a dangerous instrument that they're really good at and can do something that few people can do? Yeah, I wanna hear 'em do it. So in my opinion, I'm giving them that, but I'm also giving them the best of both worlds."

Blackie previously addressed W.A.S.P.'s alleged reliance on backing tracks last November in an interview with Canada's The Metal Voice. At the time, he said: "The conclusion that I came to was this. Up until about five years ago, we did everything — it was literally a four-piece band; what you heard is what you got. And I came to the conclusion that we did the anniversary tour for 'The Crimson Idol'. We then brought in all that orchestration. And I stood in the middle of the room and I listened to that in rehearsal for the first time. It was like an out-of-body experience. I mean, it was unbelievable. And I remember thinking, 'I've never heard this sound like this other than the record.' And I thought, 'this is what I wanna do from now on. I want it to sound exactly like the record.'"

He continued: "When you listen to a record like 'Live At Leeds' [from] THE WHO, that's a rock band doing a three-piece musical version of 'Tommy' or some of the other earlier songs. It's great for what it is, but it doesn't sound like 'Tommy'. What they do now with all the pieces that they take out, those performances sound like the record. And so you have to make a decision as an artist: what do you want that performance to sound like?"

Lawless added: "Now as a singer, I take a lot of pride in what I do. When you've been given a gift like I've been given, most singers I know wanna show that thing off, and I'm no different. So, yeah, that's me singing out there. But as far as any other orchestra tracks or backing vocal tracks, I'm sorry, there's just not enough of us on stage to make it sound like that record — it's impossible. So, again, the artist, the individual artist has to make the decision of what do they wanna sound like when they go out. And from that first time, like I said, I stood in the middle of the room, and I listened to that orchestration, it blew me away. And I thought, 'This is what I'm doing from here on out. Now I know why THE WHO do it, or other bands like that. They want them to sound like the record."

Blackie also talked about W.A.S.P.'s alleged use backing tracks during a May 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said: "About 10, 12 years ago, we did 'The Crimson Idol' the first time in its entirety with orchestration. Now, prior to that, we had just done — I call it the 'Live At Leeds' version… Because if you look at what THE WHO did with the 'Live At Leeds', which we all thought was live at the time, and we now realize there are overdubs on those as well, like most live records. We would take the bare-bones approach to doing it. Well, we decided to take an approach where we tried to make it sound exactly like the record. And we had never used orchestration or anything like that. So we went in the studio, we took all the tracks off the record as far as the orchestration, we took the background vocal tracks, we took doubles on leads — we did everything. And we took it and we tried to make it sound as much like the record as we could. I stood in the middle of the room that first night in rehearsal, and I swear to you it was like an out-of-body experience. I had never heard anything sound like that before. I had never played with a live orchestra before. And so this was the closest thing you would get to doing something like that.

"Listen, I understand both sides of the argument on it," he continued. "For me personally, when I'm up there, I'm singing my ass off. But what's wrong with having enhancement to make something sound exactly like the record? Because you're not gonna get a band like QUEEN or any other band that does big productions like that… Four guys cannot go out there and reproduce that record. It's impossible. It won't happen. So do you want it to sound like the record or do you want it to be just a general live performance? And that's a question of taste.

"If you're gonna start making records where you have a lot of orchestration and things like that going, it is impossible to make it sound like that record unless you have that," Lawless added. "And you can also make the argument, which has been going on Broadway for the last 20 years, the musicians' union has been fighting this fiercely but technology rolls on and it's not gonna stop, where they no longer have live music in Broadway productions. And the musicians' union has had a fit over that. Well, even before that happened, when you had keyboards introduced that had entire orchestras in them, you've got one guy now replacing a hundred and twenty different people. So where do you draw the line?

"Like I said, I understand if somebody wants a true, organic experience, but from my perspective, I looked at it and I said… Once I heard it sound exactly like the record, I thought, 'I cannot go back to this again.' I mentioned THE WHO a second ago, the 'Live At Leeds' approach. THE WHO used tapes for years until they started hiring all these other guys to go out with them. But even still, a lot of the keyboard stuff — 'Won't Get Fooled Again', things like that — that's all on tape."

"When I go out on that stage, I take a lot of pride in this gift that God's given me," Blackie added. "And I like to show it off; I'll just be flat-out honest with you. But I think people wanna see that or they wanna hear it. So I don't think there's anything wrong with it. If you've got a guitar player that is really, really good, people are going there to see that. But again, when I went into rehearsals that one night and I heard what it sounded like when it sounded like the record, I thought, 'I can never go back.' Like I said, it was a flat-out out-of-body experience."

Asked what percentage of the vocals during W.A.S.P.'s live concerts are on tape, Blackie said: "You mean from my lead vocals? For my lead vocals, I would encourage people to go… We did five shows where I was sitting. Go look at those last couple. You're gonna hear it loud and clear. 'Cause when we were in Sofia, I cracked a couple of times, which I normally don't do. But it was getting towards the end of the tour. I mean, it wasn't anything catastrophic, but for me, I don't normally crack. But it happens. It's part of the live experience. But when we start doing the choruses and things like that, myself and Mike Duda and Doug Blair, we're all out there singing, but we're using backups behind that too. Because when we did it in the studio, we were using three and four tracks at a time to create that. You cannot make those choruses sound huge like that with just individual vocals creating that, because when you're doing it in the studio, you double and triple tracks. I mentioned QUEEN a while ago — they were using 24 tracks of vocals to create those sounds. You cannot create those chorus sounds by two or three guys doing that. It is impossible… Unless there's 20 guys in that room doing that, it ain't gonna sound like that… If you're doing 24 tracks of vocals to create that chorus effect, a handful of guys cannot do that, even with electronic doublers. And then you can get into that argument — okay, you're using mechanical effects to enhance one guy out there. I mean, where do we draw the line with this now?"

W.A.S.P. has been criticized for the group's supposed use of backing tracks, including for Blackie's lead vocals, for at least several years, as Metal Sludge pointed out in 2019 after Lawless and his bandmates performed at the Helgeåfestivalen in Sweden.

In recent years, more and more artists have been given a pass for relying on pre-recorded tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent. For better or worse, pre-recorded tracks are becoming increasingly common for touring artists of all levels and genres and they're not just used in pop music — many rock artists utilize playback tracks to varying degrees.

In a new interview with Jon Wiederhorn of Guitar World magazine, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian said that he and his bandmates hope to finally release the long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "For All Kings" album in early 2025.

"We're taking our time and not rushing anything because we want it to be exactly how we want it," Ian said.

"We're not in a place in our lives anymore where we could have dropped everything and said, 'All right, we've got two months of studio time. Let's finish writing and then get in there and record it all and do the vocals. Mix, master and we're done — like in the old days.' We have families and commitments now, so it can't work that way anymore and hasn't in a long time."

Regarding the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Ian said: "There are crushing riffs and great, hooky choruses. Even some of the thrashiest songs have great choruses. We're always looking for the hook, and I think we've accomplished that."

He added: "With the songs we've written, we'd be able to put together a nine- or 10-song record that would be thrashier than anything we've done in a long time. But there would also be a way to make it a very different kind of album depending on which songs we choose. And I can tell you, I know which way I'm leaning. And I think we're all on the same page. We want this record to punch people in the face. And then we can use the bonus tracks for other things, but in the context of the record, I really want it to hit hard."

As for his expectations for the new ANTHRAX album, Scott said: "I'd like to think this record will be a slew of songs that people are going to be very excited about hearing live for the next few years. I generally feel the riffs, the grooves and the breakdowns – we used to call them mosh parts in the old days — I think they're gonna connect with our fans. And a lot of these songs are tailor-made for our live show, so I hope we'll be playing them for a long time."

Last month, ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante told Metal Hammer magazine about the band's upcoming LP: "There's a song which has the same kind of epic feel as 'In The End' [from 2011's 'Worship Music'] and 'Blood Eagle Wings' [from 'For All Kings']. It revolves around the journey we've been on in the band. And there are three songs that don't sound like anything we've done before. One called 'The Edge Of Perfection' I had way before COVID, and it has just stayed with me — the melody and the chords, but also the aggression."

In January 2024, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello told Rodney McG about the long delay in getting new ANTHRAX music out: "There wasn't a rush, obviously. I know it's been eight years since our last record, but we wanna make sure it's right, and it is [right]. We are very confident. I'm not worried about how right it is. It's right on exactly where I think, and the rest of the band think, we need to be. I love that it's more complicated for me to play. I love the challenge of that. I think we stepped it up a little bit, the heaviness. Again, everybody's gonna prop their record. Doing this for so long, this is how I feel.

"I don't wanna get complacent," he continued. "I want the challenge, 'cause I'm a fan. I'm a fan, and it has to stimulate me. And it has to get me going on stage."

As for the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material, Bello said: "On this record, there's stuff that we've never done before. I'm just saying right out — there's stuff, in a heavy way, which I'm very proud of. I like that we went that way with it and just went, 'What the fuck was that?' Some of the things that Charlie Benante does on drums, Scott and I were just, 'What the fuck was that?' And that's great, 'cause you wanna raise your game after that. I think it makes everybody step up a little bit. I'm doing some bass stuff that I had some fun with on this that I would never have done. I think there's a lot of cool stuff that's going on vocally, melody-wise. I'm really happy where the next ANTHRAX record is going."

Last October, Ian told "THAT Rocks!" that he and his ANTHRAX bandmates had "only really been working on" their new LP "for a year-ish, I would say… But then once lockdown and all that stuff happened, we just all walked away; nothing creative was happening at all with us through that whole period," he explained. "And then, slowly but surely, when we started playing shows again in '21 and going into '22, that's when we started working again, really. And then in the last year, we really started to put stuff together and Charlie and Frankie and I getting together and having writing sessions and arranging stuff."

In September 2023, singer Joey Belladonna was asked by Tulsa Music Stream if he is typically presented with finished lyrics to sing or if he gets to contribute a lot lyrically to the content. Joey said: "I love doing lyrics, but there's a lot of lyrics that Scott — he just loves to do it. It's his thing. He just digs into such — these topics that he likes to go and get into, and we all kind of have our own little thoughts on the songs. But I get in there and I really kind of — I dig into the whole thing a lot further. There's a lot of stuff that I have to… When you start singing on something, you really have to find the pockets of what you wanna do, what kind of tone I wanna throw on it and how I wanna go for a certain range for certain things and how I approach it is very important. There are lyrics, but at the end of the day, I have to go in there and still sing as good and catchy and appropriate as I can to make this stuff my thing, my style. Obviously, we're not the hit-oriented type of thing, but I'm always going for something cool to catch you off guard and neat and different. I have my own style, so I just kind of do my thing."

During an August 2023 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Ian said about the musical direction of the new ANTHRAX material: "Certainly of the nine [songs] we've tracked so far, from a riff point of view, it's definitely — I mean it's riffs with all capital letters. Like if you were going to write, you would write 'riffs' in all capitals with an exclamation point. The riffs are killer. It's very riff-centric. There's a lot of faster uptempo material, certainly."

Ian added: "I will say there is a song — I won't say any titles yet, 'cause it's still probably a working title — there's definitely one song, it's the fastest thing we've ever done. There's another song that we haven't recorded yet that's also in the vein, more of a 'Gung-Ho' or a 'Caught In A Mosh'. Because Charlie and I talk all the time. I said, 'We still need something that's like a three-and-a-half-minute just ripper. You know, something like that.' And then we come up with something like that and I'm, like, 'Hey, I forgot I'm 60 now, and now I have to play this song for the next three years.' Just make my life harder."

Earlier last year, Benante was asked by Robert Cavuoto of Metal Rules why it has taken so long for ANTHRAX to complete the writing process for a new LP. Charlie said: "If we didn't get hit with this whole global pandemic thing, it would have been out probably two years ago, three years ago. But we all know what happened. But now, being that some of the songs were [written] before the pandemic hit, they're old to me. So now there's a bunch of new songs that kind of came in the mix. So that's a good thing. You can never have enough… We're still working on the older ones because we really like a lot of those."

ANTHRAX celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2021 with a number of special activities and events. Formed by Ian and bassist Dan Lilker in Queens, New York on July 18, 1981, ANTHRAX was one of the first thrash metal bands to emerge from the East Coast and quickly became regarded as a leader in the genre alongside METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH.

Active over the past five decades, ANTHRAX has released 11 studio albums, been awarded multiple gold and platinum certifications, received six Grammy nominations, toured the world since 1984 playing thousands of shows, including headlining Madison Square Garden and playing Yankee Stadium with the "Big Four".

"For All Kings" was called by some critics ANTHRAX's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the group experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with
NTHRAX's inclusion on the "Big Four" tour, and continuing with the release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

Photo courtesy of HERFitz PR

Southern rock icons VAN ZANT have reunited and returned to the studio for what will be their first new album in nearly two decades. Titled "Always Look Up", the album will also mark the duo's first foray into Christian music, while holding firm to their southern rock roots. Available on CD, vinyl and streaming, "Always Look Up" will be released everywhere November 22, 2024 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The Van Zant musical dynasty built its foundation firmly on family. Donnie Van Zant co-founded .38 SPECIAL and brother Johnny Van Zant is the current lead vocalist for LYNYRD SKYNYRD after the passing of their brother Ronnie Van Zant, who fronted and co-founded the iconic Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame rock band.

But throughout their four decades of climbing the southern rock and country charts together and separately, faith has stayed just as important of a factor in the equation, so much so that the guys decided to finally share their inspirational side with the upcoming new album.

"This has been on our bucket list for quite some time to do a gospel record," says Donnie of the sessions that started during the pandemic. "We're both big believers in Jesus Christ, so that's really how it started."

In spite of their enormous successes, including .38 SPECIAL's more than 20 million album sales and LYNYRD SKYNYRD continuing to sell out arenas and amphitheaters, much of what makes VAN ZANT so relatable is the fact they'll be the first to admit their flaws and struggles.

"I'll be honest with you, the devil was my best friend at one time," says Johnny. "I'm not gonna lie about that and there ain't too much that I didn't try over the years, but I always kept hearing our dad speaking the Bible [in my mind]. Our dad should've been a preacher, because boy when he started talking the gospel, you didn't get up and move. Of course, as kids, I think we listened to half of it and tried to consume what we could, so that was always in the back of my head. I always believed in Jesus Christ, but I wasn't saved and I felt like I had my personal connection, just like the song 'It's Up To You' that's on this new album. Over the years, that voice of my dad was reminding me to try to be a better person. I made lots of mistakes, lots of things that hopefully I don't get to the pearly gates and they're closed for me. I'm trying to get through them now!"

Adds Donnie: "We've tried our very best to just write about truth, about people, about problems and situations and just try to be true to ourselves. We don't write nothing that's B.S. We try to touch people emotionally and spiritually. If we can do that, I think we've done our jobs."

VAN ZANT released the first single, "Jesus Christ", in August. Inspired by a painting hanging in Johnny's Sulfur Water Studios, the song speaks about the crucifixion and resurrection with vivid lyrical descriptions. The follow-up single, "There You Are", came out today.

"Always Look Up" track listing:

01. Awesome God
02. Stand Up
03. Warrior
04. There You Are
05. Speak His Name
06. Why God Brought Me Here
07. Praying
08. It's Up to You
09. Holy Moment
10. Leaning On The Cross
11. Jesus Christ

Recording lineup:

Johnny Van Zant: Lead Vocals
Donnie Van Zant: Vocal, Guitar
Mark Matejka: Lead Guitar, Rhythm, Slide
Carl Lindquist: Lead Guitar, Rhythm, Slide
Jimmy Carter: Bass Guitar
Shawn Fichter: Drums & Percussion
Jeffrey Roach: Keyboards
Chris Hurst: Keyboards
Dennis Wage: Keyboards

Photo credit: Doltyn Snedden for DS Creatives Agency (courtesy of Frontiers Music Srl)

On September 7th, former Guns N' Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke played Piper's in Pompano Beach, Florida.


Prior to kicking into a rendition of the Bob Dylan classic "Knockin' On Heaven's Door", which GN'R covered on Use Your Illusion II in 1991, Gilby dedicated the song to a pair of friends who passed away earlier this year - Brit Turner (drummer for Blackberry Smoke), and Wayne Kramer (guitarist / vocalist for MC5). Fan-filmed footage can be seen below.


Joining Gilby on stage in Pompano Beach were bassist EJ Curse, and drummer Matt Starr.

In a new interview with Metal Express Radio's Bryce Van Patten, TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy was asked how the songwriting process has changed since the band's early days in the late 1980s and 1990s. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Oh, it's night and day. Before, back then, we all lived the same place, we all had to go to the same studio, where now it's by e-mail, sharing the songs. Everybody has home studios to work out demos. Definitely a different writing process, but still Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] is one of the main writers. And ever since we brought in our new drummer, Chris Dovas, he's been here two years — he was 24 when he came into the band; he's 26 [now]. But he's a smart kid. [He] graduated [from] the Berklee [College] Of Music. [He] knows theory [and is] great in the studio with Pro Tools. He's really into modern bands and new and upcoming stuff, and he's got an old soul so he knows the history of the music. But I think him working hand in hand with Eric as long as they did, he really pushed Eric and drove Eric to get challenged. And I wouldn't say 'copy', but I think Chris and what he listens to and the style Eric likes, it brought an influence to the new songs."

Regarding the musical direction of the new TESTAMENT material, Chuck said: "To me, the new songs sound current, they sound fresh. They're touching what a lot of new upcoming bands are making good names for themselves are doing. So, again, it's raising the bar one more time. And I think when fans hear this record, especially new, younger fans are gonna go, 'Whoa. That's TESTAMENT. I know the TESTAMENT I know from 30-something years ago and grew up with, but what is this?' I'm excited for that because I wanna hear what people think. I'd love to see the expression of them hearing it for the first time. That would be great, because it does sound new and modern and fresh, even though we're still being challenged."

Asked if he and his TESTAMENT bandmates have more freedom to do whatever they want now than they did when you were on a major label like Atlantic, Chuck said: "Totally. When we were on Atlantic, that was a big machine. They had an A&R department, they had the radio department, they had tons of departments, tons of money, and they were always influenced by how well their big-selling artists were, which were radio bands and they were pushing radio. So that A&R guy would be whispering in our ears, 'What's the next radio song?' And we're thinking, "Well, we're not a radio band. That's not us.' And even to this day, when I hear some stuff like [on the SiriusXM channel] Ozzy's Boneyard or something, they play ballads by us, and it's, like, that doesn't represent us, but that represents that era in thinking maybe of what TESTAMENT did or what they chose to expose us to the public, which it's misrepresenting us. So, yeah, the freedom's huge now, especially being with Nuclear Blast as long as we have. There's no deadline. It's just, 'When you're ready, you have a record, give it to us.' And that's been really nice. And the beauty about this record is that usually we have Andy Sneap mix our record, so we usually write a record and give it to him and then it's done, written in stone, can't go back. But this record, we had to pick a somebody to mix it, which wasn't available till early next year, January. So we decided, 'Okay.' We tried to get all the tracking done before we went to Europe this June or July, and we got most of it done. And right now, Steve's [DiGiorgio, TESTAMENT bassist] finishing the bass this week, Eric's finishing up his rhythm guitars. I've still got three songs to sing. Alex [Skolnick, TESTAMENT guitarist] hasn't started on his lead yet. So between this tour and then after the U.S. tour, we get another break where Alex will finish up, we'll do the background vocals and get a chance to really live with the songs, talk about it and maybe go back and change some things or maybe add something, which we never had that opportunity to do before. So I think that's one difference on this record that we get to live with it and make sure it's right."

Earlier this month, Peterson told Brutal Planet Magazine that TESTAMENT has tapped Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, KREATOR, PARADISE LOST, SOILWORK and AMON AMARTH, among others, to mix the band's upcoming studio album. The LP will mark TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2020's "Titans Of Creation", which was co-produced by Juan Urteaga, who previously worked with TESTAMENT on "Dark Roots Of Earth" (2012) and "Brotherhood Of The Snake" (2016).

Peterson said about TESTAMENT's next LP: "It's, like, 90 percent done. And it's gonna get mixed in December by Jens Bogren. He's a producer from Sweden, and he's done — God, he's done KREATOR, he's doing the new BEHEMOTH right now, he's done IN FLAMES, ARCH ENEMY. A lot of European bands. We usually work with Andy Sneap, but he's [the touring guitarist] in JUDAS PRIEST and he's just, like, 'Bro, I need some time off.' It's a good switch, though. I think Jens will do a good job. And yeah, there's a lot of crazy stuff on this record. I'm excited for everybody to hear it."

Last month, Billy told Oran O'Beirne of Overdrive.ie about the musical direction of the new TESTAMENT material: "We always try to outdo ourselves or make a better record or write better songs. It's always a challenge for ourselves, and I think this time we really took a long time to create the record. We kind of got everybody in the same room to really go through the songs and kind of put their two cents in to the arrangements. I think by having Chris — he's a younger drummer, a really great drummer — but I think he brought you know a new fire to Eric in the writing process. And I believe because we're going on 37 years of making records, it's kind of full circle right now. We're kind of inspired by new generation, I guess, of music and metal. And Chris is a big part of that. He's a big fan of that. So I think he inspired Eric just to write some really aggressive, fast, creative riffs. And it really inspired me to really push myself to try to do a little more screaming, death vocals, melodic stuff. We even went as far as writing — I don't wanna say 'ballad', but it's something really catchy that's really slow that's something we haven't done in over 30 years. So I think just the overall songs and the confidence in the writing this time really is gonna stand out on this record."

Earlier last month, Skolnick told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" about TESTAMENT's upcoming LP: "Well, I think everybody knows we went through a couple different drummers the past couple years, I know it's very 'Spinal Tap'… Life imitating art. There were scheduling conflicts with Gene Hoglan. Then we got Dave Lombardo, who was amazing, but when it came to going all in on a next record, Dave was overbooked. And we needed somebody [who could step in]. And we've got a new drummer. His name's Chris Dovas. He wasn't even born when the first TESTAMENT record came out. But I've gotta say he is lighting fires. He's lit a fire under everybody and just great to play with. He nails everybody's parts from before, but he has his own style. And I'm excited about the next record. It's actually gonna come out next year."

This past June, Chuck told Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone about the lyrical themes covered in the new TESTAMENT songs: "[It's] not as focused [on], like, the aliens, creating mankind and that kind of stuff, but there is some of that. There's a lot. Each song definitely has its own identity lyrically. And again, we're writing stuff that is real, that happens with the environment; we're singing about that again. A.I., we're singing stuff about that. That's a big thing. So, there's always an inspiration for songs. I think it's a little easier. There's so much going on in our world to write about now. It's a crazy world today, so there's a lot of stuff to talk about. And I like singing about what's real and what's going on instead of some fantasy lyrics, because, for me, I think when I sing 'em, I have more conviction, I believe in 'em a little more. And maybe it's easier for me to remember the lyrics live. [Laughs]"

Naming specific tracks, Chuck said: "There's a song, 'Havana Syndrome', which is about the Havana Syndrome. People, look that up. There's 'Infanticide A.I.', which is another song going A.I. direction. And there's actually a slower song. We haven't done a slower song. I'm not gonna say 'ballad', but I'm gonna say a slower song that has a lot of groove and soul, called 'Meant To Be'. And it's like a classic TESTAMENT-type ballad, I guess, if you wanna use that word. But we've got a little bit of everything, but, again, I think it's really sticking to TESTAMENT, having to have some melodic stuff, even though there's some really brutal lyrics and real brutal, more of a death voice. I still put the hook in with more of a melodic hook or something. It's still classic TESTAMENT. If you listen to it, you'll go, 'That's TESTAMENT, but a little more octane to it.'"

Also in June, Chuck told Canada's The Metal Voice that he writes most of TESTAMENT's lyrics with Del James. "Del, he works with GUNS N' ROSES," Chuck said. "He's been working with them and wrote with them a long time ago. I think he had big hits like 'November Rain' with them. And we've been working [together] for over 20 years. So I always go down and work with him because I come up with a lot of the ideas and concepts, but he really interprets and gets the right words, how to say what I'm thinking. And we work fast. When we get together, we'll knock out like two songs in a day. So we don't mess around. We get there, say hello to each other, we sit down and we go right to work. It's about what we do."

Prior to joining TESTAMENT as a full-time member, Dovas filled in for Lombardo on the first six dates of TESTAMENT's summer/fall 2022 leg of "The Bay Strikes Back Tour".

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Explore DFW (Dallas, Texas Metroplex) has uploaded video of Glenn Hughes's entire September 6 concert at the Granada Theater in Dallas, Texas during his summer 2024 tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of DEEP PURPLE's "Burn" album. You can now watch the footage below.

In early May, Hughes spoke to Guitar Interactive Magazine about his upcoming studio album, tentatively due in early 2025. The long-awaited follow-up to 2016's "Resonate" was recorded in June in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Hughes said: "In between interviews today, I'm writing a new song number four. So it's going really, really well. I wrote the music about six months ago and I finished all the music about three weeks ago and I'm now writing lyrics. We go in the studio on June the 1st. And in 19 days, the album will be finished. So I presume it'll be out next March."

Asked who will accompany him during the recording sessions for his new album, Glenn said: "Søren [Andersen, guitar] is back with me, and Ash Sheehan, my drummer from my band, and Bob Fridzema [on] keyboards. I think my friend Chad Smith [RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS] will be guesting as he'll be in Copenhagen sometime in June. Chad has played on every album I've done in the last 15 years."

Regarding why he is only spending 19 days recording his new album, Hughes said: "If all the music is ready and all the lyrics are ready, I don't see any reason why it can't be done in that time, because I normally come in the studio with everything finished. This time it's gonna be a real… Look. I've got how many days now, about — I don't know — three weeks before it's the 1st of June. I'm still traveling. I've got a couple of days off, so I'm spending most of my time… I've got four lyrics written now, I've got six to go. I should be on point. So if I've got it on point by the 31st of May, I'll be okay."

The 73-year-old Glenn, who recently released a new album from his supergroup BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, previously discussed his plans to record a new solo album last October 2023 in an interview with Brazilian music journalist Igor Miranda. Asked how "Resonate" has aged for him musically since its release nine years ago, Glenn said: "I love the album. It's one of my favorite albums. I think a lot of people across the world, the rock fans love that album. I was at home writing that album and I went to Copenhagen and I had a really great time making that album. And the next one hopefully will be as strong."

In September 2023, Glenn told the "Iron City Rocks" podcast about where he draws his lyrical inspiration from nowadays: "I don't write about politics. I write about the human condition. I write about how are we feeling, what are we going through, are we going to get through this — you know, acceptance, staying in the present moment. This is the big thing for me. People call it woke, awakening, if you will… For me, it's all about staying present in this moment right now, and I'm writing about that."

"Resonate" was released in November 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. It featured Glenn's then-live solo band members, Søren Andersen (guitars and co-producer),Pontus Engborg (drums) and Lachy Doley (keyboards),in addition to longtime friend Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),who joined them in the studio for the opening and closing numbers.

Last year, Hughes launched his solo tour under the banner "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live – Celebrating The 50th Anniversary Of The Album Burn". Glenn performed DEEP PURPLE's legendary rock album "Burn" and also ran through DEEP PURPLE MKIII and MKIV songs.

Hughes spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of DEEP PURPLE, appearing on the classic albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".

Hughes, who was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016 along with fellow DEEP PURPLE members Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, Jon Lord, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice, spent more than three years recording and touring as the frontman of the supergroup THE DEAD DAISIES.

Glenn's BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION supergroup with guitarist Joe Bonamassa, drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) released its fifth album, "V", in June.

Image credit: George s Pogacich

Vocalist Michael Sadler of Canadian progressive music icons SAGA has been diagnosed with a rare form of aggressive cancer.

The news of his health setback was broken on social media late Wednesday night (September 11) by the 70-year-old singer's wife Gwen.

She wrote: "Dear all, Michael has asked me to share some important personal news with you. On September 5th, during a meeting with his doctor, Michael was informed that his diagnostic test results confirmed a highly aggressive form of muscle invasive cancer. It is a rare type that occurs in only 3-5 % of the cases.

"To protect his life, his doctor will be performing an urgent, high risk, multi-organ, open surgical procedure tomorrow, September 12th.

"Due to how fast this has all developed, we regret to say that most of our extended family, close friends and partners have not heard from us directly yet. We are sorry that you have to hear about this on social media but we have no control over the timing of everything.

"Michael is, as you can imagine, very anxious but also feeling guilty about being sick and not being able to handle his work. Especially right now, with the band and the upcoming shows in October, he is keenly aware of the expectations and wants to make sure he is well and ready. All we can do at the moment is to keep him distracted, reassure him and help him stay in a positive frame of mind during this difficult time. He is expected to be in the hospital for a couple of weeks, with a shorter stay ideally.

"Michael and our family are deeply aware that he is just one of many worldwide currently facing this terrible disease and more. In fact, we have near and dear members of both families dealing with their own battles with cancer and other equally devastating diseases.

"We have much to learn in the coming days and are truly humbled and grateful to our families, the band and crew, our dear friends and all who've been so supportive, and kind to us during this time.

"I will do my best to share updates about Michael whenever possible. To reduce his stress, we kindly request that you refrain from sending Michael direct messages at this time.

"Thank you all so much for your support and understanding. With our warmest regards, Gwen Sadler".

SAGA has released nearly two dozen albums so far, including the band's latest, "Symmetry", which came out in March 2021 via earMUSIC.

SAGA formed in 1977 in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, and released its first album in 1978. Since that time, SAGA has sold ten million albums and performed in over 20 countries to over 15 million people.

For over 45 years, SAGA has led the way in music innovation and audience interaction. Throughout this time, the band has released nearly two dozen studio-recorded CDs under the umbrella of major record companies and has filmed over 20 music videos. Their hits include "Don't Be Late", "Wind Him Up", "On The Loose", "The Flyer" and "Scratching The Surface".

SAGA is widely regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock bands in Canada and around the world.

SAGA is: Michael Sadler, Dusty Chesterfield, Ian Crichton, Jim Gilmour and Mike Thorne.

Dear All,

Michael has asked me to share some important personal news with you.

On September 5th, during a meeting...

Posted by SAGA on Wednesday, September 11, 2024

Jon Bon Jovi reportedly helped save a woman who was hanging off a bridge in Nashville.

According to the Metro Nashville Police Department, the 62-year-old BON JOVI frontman was filming a music video around 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday (September 10) on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge when he saw the woman hanging off the ledge. Jon approached the woman who appeared to be getting ready to end her life by jumping off the bridge and spoke with her and convinced her not to commit suicide. He eventually helped her back onto the pedestrian walkway and gave her a hug before they walked off together.

Both the Nashville Fire Department and the Metro Nashville Police Department responded to the scene.

A surveillance video of the incident released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department can be seen below.

"It takes all of us to help keep each other safe," Metro Nashville police chief John Drake said in a statement posted to social media.

Jon reportedly has extensive training in interacting with people in crisis due to his Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation.

The organization's purpose is to "recognize and maximize the human potential in those affected by hunger, poverty and homelessness by offering assistance in establishing programs that provide food and affordable housing while supporting social services and job training programs," according to its web site.

Image courtesy of Metropolitan Nashville Police Department via YouTube
A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge Tue night. Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety. "It takes all of us to help keep each other safe,"--Chief John Drake https://t.co/1YejKJ2WgM

— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) September 11, 2024

LINKIN PARK officially kicked off its comeback mini-tour Wednesday night (September 11) at Kia Forum in Inglewood, California. The show featured LINKIN PARK performing a two-hour set in a very rare 360-degree circular setting, allowing for a unique production as well as a greater-than-usual number of tickets sold at the venue.

As was the case with LINKIN PARK's September 5 one-hour global livestream of a concert in Los Angeles, the Kia Forum gig showcased new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who have joined returning members Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Joe Hahn in the band's new lineup. Guitarist Alex Feder was filling in for Delson for the livestream and the Kia Forum show and will continue to tour with LINKIN PARK for the foreseeable future instead of Delson.

LINKIN PARK's 26-song set at the Kia Forum kicked off with "Meteora" cut "Somewhere I Belong" and included "Hybrid Theory"-era track "My December" and "Keys To The Kingdom", the opening song from 2014's "The Hunting Party" album. LINKIN PARK also played its new single, "The Emptiness Machine", which was released last week. The track will appear on the band's upcoming album "From Zero", which will arrive on November 15 via Warner. It will mark LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before the death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington.

The setlist for the Kia Forum show was as follows:

01. Somewhere I Belong*
02. Crawling*
03. Lying From You
04. Points Of Authority*
05. New Divide*
06. The Emptiness Machine*
07. The Catalyst*
08. Burn It Down*
09. Waiting For The End*
10. Castle Of Glass*
11. Joe Hahn Solo
12. When They Come For Me / Remember The Name*
13. Lost In The Echo*
14. Given Up*
15. One Step Closer*
16. Lost
17. Breaking The Habit*
18. What I've Done*
19. Leave Out All The Rest*
20. My December*
21. Friendly Fire*
22. Numb
23. In The End
24. Faint*

Encore:

25. Papercut*
26. Keys To The Kingdom*
27. Bleed It Out

Fan-filmed video of the concert can be seen in the YouTube video series below.

In an interview with Billboard about LINKIN PARK's comeback, Shinoda explained that drummer Rob Bourdon — who had founded the band with Mike and Brad — had decided to exit LP.

"Rob had said to us at a point, I guess it was a few years ago now, that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the band," Shinoda said. "And we understood that — it was already apparent. He was starting to just show up less, be in less contact, and I know the fans noticed it too. The 'Hybrid Theory' re-release [in 2020] and 'Papercuts' release [this April], he didn't show up for anything. So for me, as a friend, that was sad, but at the same time, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, and obviously everybody wishes him the best."

According to a press release, Shinoda, Delson, Farrell and Hahn "quietly began meeting up again in recent years" and "rather than 'trying to restart the band,'" they worked with numerous musicians and "found a special kinship with Armstong and Brittain."

Regarding the band's new lineup and future plans, Shinoda said in a statement: "Before LINKIN PARK, our first band name was XERO. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future — embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what LINKIN PARK has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead."

"The Emptiness Machine" is said to "channel the DNA of LINKIN PARK." Shinoda said the band feels "really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we've made together," adding that they are "weaving together the sonic touchpoints we've been known for and still exploring new ones."

In a new interview with Germany's Moshpit Passion, vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL talked about when fans can expect to hear the follow-up to 2023's "Scorched" album. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, we just kind of slot it into a timeframe. We're looking at, I suppose, the majority of the first half of 2025 as being that timeframe for the writing. And probably recording by the end of 2025 and then releasing in 2026. Now I don't know who we're gonna release with — I mean, I assume it's Nuclear Blast; they have one more option. There's no direction that we're looking at."

Ellsworth also talked about how OVERKILL approaches "directional changes", both in terms of the music and the personnel within the band. He said: "I don't think directional changes are necessarily recognized by the outside. It's more recognized by the inside, because I'm involved in all the interior workings of the band. We're like the mechanics that keep the machine running, so we know when something needs to be changed, whether it be an individual… Jason [Bittner, now-former OVERKILL drummer] was coming to the end. Listen, he's a great drummer — don't get me wrong; he's a good friend — but it was, like, you just felt that change was coming because… Tension can be a good thing in a heavy metal band, but too much tension can bring you to your own demise; it can destroy everything. So I think that reinvention, especially at this age, is not necessarily the right way to think of things. I think the way to think of it, at [the age of] 65, is what are my strengths? And can I make my strengths stronger? Now when I talk to you about dropping the cigarettes and the vaping, I got stronger. Which is fucking weird for like a guy who's been doing this for… Guys don't live as long as this [laughs], let alone in rock and roll. So I think the fact that I can put cigarettes down and go, 'I can sing all the time now,' it's only gonna make the records better. And I think that that was one, for sure, one of the feelings that we got through 'Scorched' was, like, 'Listen to this fucking…' We sound like a fucking young, fucking hungry, fucking we-fucking-mean-it band. And that's what the fucking metal is all about. So I'm not gonna overthink it. I'm not gonna reinvent, but I'm gonna play to the strengths."

OVERKILL played its first concert with new drummer Jeramie Kling (VENOM INC.) on August 30 at the Posada Rock festival in Câmpulung Muscel, Romania. Kling joined the veteran outfit as the replacement for Bittner, who announced his exit from OVERKILL earlier in the month.

When OVERKILL announced Kling's addition to the band on August 23, the group said in a statement: "We're gearing up for an epic European and North American tour this August through December and are excited to announce a special addition for the tours. Here comes a thunderous old friend, who had done work with us, as well as THE ABSENCE & VENOM INC. Please welcome, with drum sticks in hand, Jeramie Kling!"

Jeramie added: "Words cannot express how stoked I am to share the stage with my good friends in OVERKILL. We will be laying waste to everyone throughout Europe and North America (with KING DIAMOND). Check the dates online and come out to see an unforgettable night of metal \m/".

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

Bittner joined OVERKILL in 2017 and played drums on the band's last two studio albums, 2019's "The Wings Of War" and 2023's "Scorched"

When Bittner has announced his departure from OVERKILL on August 5, he said in a statement: "On August 1, 2024, I played the Vagos Metal Fest in Portugal, and it was the last show I will play in the band OVERKILL.

"For a while now I have been juggling a few different bands along with OVERKILL, and I knew at some point something would have to give since I simply can’t be three places at once. Over the course of this last year, my schedule has reached that breaking point.

"At this time SHADOWS FALL is working towards completion of our new material that will take us back out on the road sometime in 2025, as well as our fall shows we have booked for the rest of this year celebrating 20 years of 'The War Within'. Compounded on top of this is my new band, Metal Blade recording artists CATEGORY 7, whose album just hit the shelves last month and will start touring soon through 2025. All of this adds up to something having to 'take a break', so as of today I no longer play drums in OVERKILL so I can concentrate solely on the bands that I am a full member/owner of.

"Now don't worry — they currently have another great drummer already learning the material, and he will be ready to do battle for the upcoming tours.

"I would like to thank EVERYONE in the OVERKILL extended family for 7 1/2 years of laughs, killer shows, and fun around the globe. All our crew members throughout my run, our agents Dolores Lokas and Mike Monterulo, my tech Animal for always having my back (Shake and Bake),as well as all of our crew past and present, the SKULLKRUSHERS (much love Jurgen),and all the fans who supported my tenure in the band, I love you all, thank you, and will miss you on the European and KING DIAMOND tours… but I'll see you out there with SHADOWS FALL and CATEGORY 7."

After nearly 40 years, Billy Greer has concluded his journey as bassist and co-lead vocalist for the band KANSAS.

KANSAS and its entire organization extend heartfelt gratitude to Billy for his decades of exceptional musicianship.

Billy joined KANSAS in 1985 and has been an unwavering presence with the band since.

"For 39 years, Billy has been a loyal, dedicated, and immensely talented bandmate. He's travelled around the world with us including USO tours," comments KANSAS original member Phil Ehart.

Original KANSAS guitarist Richard Williams adds: "[Billy] stood shoulder to shoulder with us through both the ups and the downs. His voice, both singing and emceeing, has been a constant with us on stage. The entire KANSAS family will miss him."

Billy has appeared on stage with KANSAS for more than 2,300 live performances. He performed on the studio albums "Power", "In The Spirit Of Things", "Freaks Of Nature", "Always Never The Same", "Somewhere To Elsewhere", "The Prelude Implicit" and "The Absence of Presence". Billy is also featured on the live releases "Live At The Whisky", "King Biscuit Flower Hour", "Device Voice Drum", "There's Know Place Like Home", "Leftoverture Live & Beyond" and "Point of Know Return Live & Beyond". Billy was also lead vocalist and bassist for the side project NATIVE WINDOW.

In the last 18 years, Billy has taken charge of the emcee role on stage enhancing the connection between the band on stage and the audience.

Billy's departure will not impact any KANSAS performance scheduling. A new KANSAS bassist will be announced soon.

In a 2023 interview with 100% Rock Magazine, Greer stated about his long stint with KANSAS:"I consider myself lucky. There have been a couple of incarnations along the way, but we've managed to push through the rough times. I was part of those rough times. In the '90s when grunge became the flavor of the month, that set us on a course for doom. We kept going. Those were some dark times. Playing small clubs from Tuesday through Thursday to get to the good gigs on the weekends. It was a rough go for a lot of years, but we slowly made our way back."

September 6, 2024 – After nearly 40 years, Billy Greer has concluded his journey as bassist and co-lead vocalist for the...

Posted by Kansas on Friday, September 6, 2024

U.D.O., the German heavy metal band fronted by former ACCEPT vocalist Udo Dirkschneider, kicked off its 2024 North American tour on Friday (September 6) at Artie's Bar & Grill in Frenchtown, New Jersey. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below.

U.D.O.'s setlist was as follows:

Setlist:

01. Isolation Man
02. Break The Rules
03. Forever Free
04. Metal Machine
05. Midnight Mover (ACCEPT)
06. Wrong Side Of Midnight
07. Fight For The Right
08. Heart Of Gold
09. Man And Machine
10. One Heart One Soul
11. Touchdown

Encore:

12. I Give As Good As I Get
13. They Want War
14. Animal House
15. Fast As A Shark (ACCEPT)
16. Balls To The Wall (ACCEPT)

The trek will make its way through two dozen cities, closing on October 10 in Columbus, Ohio. Support on the trek is being provided by MIDNIGHT HELLION, KILLDEVIL THEORY and POWER THEORY on select dates.

Remaining tour dates:

With MIDNIGHT HELLION, POWER THEORY:

Sep. 07 - The Vault - New Bedford, MA
Sep. 08 - Reverb - Reading, PA

With MIDNIGHT HELLION, KILLDEVIL THEORY:

Sep. 11 - Southport Music Hall - Jefferson, LA
Sep. 12 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
Sep. 14 - Fitzgerald's - San Antonio, TX
Sep. 15 - Trees - Dallas, TX
Sep. 17 - Rockhouse - El Paso, TX
Sep. 18 - The 44 - Glendale, AZ
Sep. 20 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
Sep. 21 - Stages - Santa Ana, CA
Sep. 22 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA
Sep. 23 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
Sep. 25 - Rickhouse - Denver, CO

With MIDNIGHT HELLION:

Sep. 27 - The Vixen - Mchenry, IL
Sep. 28 - The Forge - Joliet, IL
Sep. 29 - BMI Event Center - Versailles, OH
Oct. 02 - Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
Oct. 03 - Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON
Oct. 04 - Token Lounge - Westland, MI
Oct. 05 - Q & Z Expo - Ringle, WI
Oct. 06 - Shank Hall - Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 09 - Blue Note - Harrison, OH
Oct. 10 - The King of Clubs - Columbus, OH

Tickets, as well as VIP upgrades which include a meet-and-greet with U.D.O., a photo op, autographs, and more are available at national-acts.com/UDO.

U.D.O.'s North American tour was originally scheduled to take place in November/December 2023 but was postponed "due to an insurmountable combination of logistical, cargo, and rental equipment problems."

In a 2023 interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM, Udo, who turned 72 in April, touched upon the setlist for the U.D.O. North American tour and whether it would include any of ACCEPT's classic songs. He said: "The promoter said, 'Yeah, we heard Udo said he never, ever will play any ACCEPT songs.' Yeah, of course. I mean, when I did the DIRKSCHNEIDER tour [focusing on ACCEPT material] also here in Europe, the whole DIRKSCHNEIDER thing [lasted] for nearly three years; I mean, it was a never-ending tour. It was nearly 300 shows, and I was really tired. I said, 'Come on. U.D.O. has also enough songs. I don't wanna play any ACCEPT songs anymore.' Okay. [I] was a little bit too quick [to say that]. So the promoter in America, he said, 'Yeah, but when you come on tour, you have to play 'Balls To The Wall'. You cannot be in America without 'Balls To The Wall'.' And then he said, 'Can we put this in the contract?' And I said, 'Don't worry. We don't have to put this in the contract. I know that we have to play 'Balls To The Wall' in America. Of course.' And, yeah. So maybe we play one or two ACCEPT songs; I mean, I know which ones are in America famous enough. But we don't make a mix, like 50 percent of ACCEPT and [50 percent of] U.D.O. Maybe [we'll play] two [ACCEPT] songs, and then give the people what they want."

U.D.O. released a new album, "Touchdown", in August 2023 through Atomic Fire Records. The 13-track LP was recorded at various locations with producer Martin "Mattes" Pfeiffer and was mixed at Redhead Studio (Wilhelmshaven, Germany) while the mastering was handled by Stefan Kaufmann at ROXX Studio (Solingen, Germany),The record also includes a guest appearance by violinist Stefan Pintev on the title track, and bass tracks were recorded by former ACCEPT bassist Peter Baltes. Artwork was provided by Martin Häusler who was also responsible for shooting band photos in support of the new album campaign.

In April 2023, Baltes officially joined U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER, the two bands fronted by Udo Dirkschneider. The former ACCEPT bassist had been playing bass for U.D.O. since September 2022, initially as a temporary replacement for U.D.O.'s then-bassist Tilen Hudrap who was hospitalized after the band's show in Munich, Germany.

DIRKSCHNEIDER is the name of Udo's band which performs ACCEPT material exclusively.

Although Udo announced nine years ago that his initial DIRKSCHNEIDER tour would mark his final time performing ACCEPT songs, he has continued to play select shows under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner.

Four years ago, Baltes and former ACCEPT drummer Stefan Kaufmann were part of the songwriting team for U.D.O.'s album called "We Are One", a collaboration with Das Musikkorps der Bundeswehr, the military band of the German federal armed forces.

LINKIN PARK guitarist Brad Delson has explained his absence from the band's upcoming reunion tour.

On Thursday (September 5),LINKIN PARK held a one-hour global livestream of a concert in Los Angeles showcasing new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who will join returning members Mike Shinoda, Delson, Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and Joe Hahn in the band's new lineup. Guitarist Alex Feder was filling in for Delson for the night.

Earlier today, Delson released the following statement via social media: "Beyond excited to share this new chapter with the world.

"Bringing our vision to life is the culmination of many twists and turns, as we continue our unique journey together as a band. We couldn't do it without a belief in what is possible, even when things seem impossible; without the ability to listen, particularly when emotions run deep; and without the support and love of everyone around us. Thank you thank you thank you.

"In awe of @emilyarmstrong and @colinbrittain for their talent, passion, and partnership. Deep gratitude to all my bandmates for their humility, hard work, and friendship.

"I've always felt deeply connected to and proud of our live performances. Over the years I've realized I thrive most when I'm actively working with my bandmates behind the scenes — in the studio, collaborating on our new music, and helping build our live show.

"I am so proud of everything we continue to create together. While I will not be performing on tour in this new chapter, I am super excited to introduce Alex — my handsome deputy on the road. Alex is a world-class musician, a kind and thoughtful friend, and we are truly fortunate he'll be contributing his unique talent to our LP universe.

"Fresh eyes, honest appreciation, and devoted teamwork have brought us to this special moment. The privilege of sharing our creativity with you. Thank you for joining us on the journey."

LINKIN PARK also released a new single, "The Emptiness Machine", and announced an upcoming album "From Zero", which will arrive on November 15 via Warner. It will mark LINKIN PARK's first full-length effort since 2017's "One More Light", which was the last LINKIN PARK album before the death of lead vocalist Chester Bennington.

LINKIN PARK's global livestream featured performances of "The Emptiness Machine" as well as the LP hits "Somewhere I Belong", "Numb", "Faint", "Bleed It Out", "One Step Closer", "What I've Done" and "In The End".

Later this month, LINKIN PARK will embark on a six-date arena tour, making stops in Los Angeles, New York, Hamburg, London, Seoul and Bogota.

Pre-sale tickets for the "From Zero" tour will be available for the LP Underground fan club members starting on September 6. The general sale will start on September 7.

In an interview with Billboard about LINKIN PARK's comeback, Shinoda explained that drummer Rob Bourdon— who had founded the band with Mike and Brad — had decided to exit LP.

"Rob had said to us at a point, I guess it was a few years ago now, that he wanted to put some distance between himself and the band," Shinoda said. "And we understood that — it was already apparent. He was starting to just show up less, be in less contact, and I know the fans noticed it too. The 'Hybrid Theory' re-release [in 2020] and 'Papercuts' release [this April], he didn't show up for anything. So for me, as a friend, that was sad, but at the same time, I want him to do whatever makes him happy, and obviously everybody wishes him the best."

According to a press release, Shinoda, Delson, Farrell and Hahn "quietly began meeting up again in recent years" and "rather than 'trying to restart the band,'" they worked with numerous musicians and "found a special kinship with Armstong and Brittain."

Regarding the band's new lineup and future plans, Shinoda said in a statement: "Before LINKIN PARK, our first band name was XERO. This album title refers to both this humble beginning and the journey we’re currently undertaking. Sonically and emotionally, it is about past, present, and future — embracing our signature sound, but new and full of life. It was made with a deep appreciation for our new and longtime bandmates, our friends, our family, and our fans. We are proud of what LINKIN PARK has become over the years, and excited about the journey ahead."

"The Emptiness Machine" is said to "channel the DNA of LINKIN PARK." Shinoda said the band feels "really empowered with this new lineup and the vibrant and energized new music we've made together," adding that they are "weaving together the sonic touchpoints we've been known for and still exploring new ones."

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