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1 июн 2025
FINGER ELEVEN Completes Work On First New Album In 10 Years, 'Last Night On Earth'
 In a new interview with 105.7 The Point radio station, FINGER ELEVEN guitarist James Black offered an update on the band's upcoming studio album under FINGER ELEVEN's new recording deal with Better Noise Music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Our new record is done. We don't have a release date yet, but it's done.
"Last year we put a song out with [Better Noise Music] that was sort of a test balloon, let's say. But the record's done now, and we're just working on getting the promo ready and everything else.
"We thought last year we'd put [a single called] 'Adrenaline' out and a couple months later we'd be done with the record," he continued. "And it took us a whole other year to finish it. But that wasn't 'cause we were trying to perfect it. It's just trying to make every second of it have a buzz to it. And it's good. I feel really good about it."
Asked when fans can expect to see the new FINGER ELEVEN album released, James said: "I don't know. The release date's not locked in yet, but I'm hoping before the end of the year. I mean, it's done. It's called 'Last Night On Earth'."
This past March, FINGER ELEVEN lead vocalist Scott Anderson told Skratch N Sniff about "Adrenaline": "The new single, I'm excited about it only because there was a promise of, like, 'Oh, okay. This song has a lot of energy.' But for the song to cross the finish line, to complete it and keep that energy up and not lose what's special about whatever demo you were working on, that's what I like most about it.
"We went across the U.S. with CREED last year, and a song like that, you kind of feel, like, okay, it can hang in a giant venue," he continued. "FINGER ELEVEN very often tries to make big music. And so it kind of passed the litmus test there. And it's got this nice kind of hype song quality about it and I really enjoy it."
Anderson added: "The new album is going to have quite a few of those. There's a lot of rockers on the new record. And there's a few kind of songs in between and then there's a mellow tune, but they're all of a really crazy quality, which I'm so excited to let everybody finally hear. And they will be able to hear it very soon — sometime this year."
Asked how the fact that FINGER ELEVEN hasn't released a studio album since 2015's "Five Crooked Lines" changed the writing process, if at all, Scott said: "One of the greatest things that that kind of time can give you is some objectivity. You can take a look at a song and go, 'Oh, okay, that's really good. But you know what? It needs work. This part is not working.' And the scary process of opening up an idea and hoping that it gets better through that, I mean, you've gotta do it. And if you work on a new song and it loses its luster of the newness, then you come back to it and go, like, 'Okay, I see exactly what this is. Let's figure out how to make it better.' And we've been doing that. We haven't necessarily taken a break as a band through those 10 years. It's just that every single one of us has a family now, and there's all kinds of stuff that has taken priority. But we've been making music, believe it or not, all the way through this. So when it came time to say, 'Okay, it's time to put a record out' — it's a very democratic process — we all sat down and said, 'Okay. Let's look at this list of songs and what are our favorites and should we work on. And let's just go one by one.' And we're finally almost done."
Regarding FINGER ELEVEN's label switch from Wind-Up and Concord Music Group to Better Noise Music, Anderson said: "I suppose when you're with a label and then, depending on the size of the label, you've got more resources, but then you have more people sort of keeping tabs on what you're doing. So it's a double-edged sword. So, the nice thing is we've been our own sort of producers, A&R guys throughout most of this process. And now I think we're about to give a label a really, really strong piece of ammunition, sonically, so to speak. And so I'm proud.
"Sometimes you'll deliver a record and you might not get the support that you're looking for," he explained. "There's a million reasons why a song hits or it doesn't hit. But I've got a really great feeling about our team now. And it's so strange to say at this point in my career. It's, like, oh, okay, this is a very, very strong record. I think it's going to surprise a lot of people, just because you go, 'Okay, these guys have been around for a minute,' and you can tell that we still care a lot. And it doesn't matter what I say. You've just gotta listen to the record and go, like, 'Oh, okay. I get it.' It's not just a slapdash pile of songs. We're still pretending like we're 17 and this is the most important thing in the world."
Upon its release last August, "Adrenaline" was one of the most added tracks in the U.S. In Canada, it achieved the No. 1 most added spot for two consecutive weeks.
FINGER ELEVEN is the alternative rock band originally from Burlington, Ontario and now based mostly out of Toronto. They are one of the best-selling Canadian bands of all time, have released a series of consecutive hit albums and become among the greatest live bands to ever emerge from the great White North. "The Greyest of Blue Skies", their debut, broke FINGER ELEVEN into the international mainstream, achieving gold status in the United States and platinum in Canada, and smashing the first single "One Thing", across the radio and Billboard charts. Their 2007 album, "Them vs. You vs. Me", launched the single "Paralyzer", setting radio records in the U.S., peaking at No. 1 internationally and going five times platinum, the band's second million-plus seller. They won the Juno Award for "Best Rock Album Of The year" the following year and set an incredible run at rock radio, with an unbeaten 14 weeks at the top spot. "Life Turns Electric", was nominated for a Juno Award for "Best Rock Album Of The Year". "Five Crooked Lines" continued to electrify audiences the world over and their 2023 "Greatest Hits" includes their biggest smash hit in a decade, "Together Right", which topped the radio charts for an amazing five-week run.
FINGER ELEVEN consists of Scott Anderson (vocals),James Black (lead guitar, backing vocals),Rick Jackett (rhythm guitar),Sean Anderson (bass) and Steve Molella (drums).
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1 июн 2025
ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMANN: 'As A Musician, You Have To Constantly Adapt' To Social Media And Technological Advancements
 In a new interview with Carlos Guimarães of Portugal's Caminhos Metálicos, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann was asked if he it's difficult adapting to all the social media platforms and technological advancements which have changed the way artists create and promote their music. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it is difficult. But it's the same in everyday life too, isn't it? I mean, we used to get mail and regular postcards and things, and now it's all in this thing [shows his smartphone] and it's all digital and you have to sign up for an app and you have to get a verification code and all that shit all day long. So it's not just in the music business; it's everywhere. And I think we sort of live in the times that are — it's almost like a revolution. It's almost like the technical revolution that happened a hundred years ago, and now in the digital sort of transformation where everything becomes digital.
"Just the other day I wanted to go to a concert, and I was put on a guest list," he continued. "And I had to get this e-mail — there was a link — and I had to download an app and register and [get] a code, and I was worn out after 20 minutes. It was a very simple thing, but nothing is as simple anymore as it used to be… But certain things get easier; other stuff gets more difficult. I remember the good old days when we had to use roadmaps and street city maps and try to find our way through…
"I guess we're right in the middle of it all," Hoffmann added. "And, of course, as a musician, you have to constantly adapt to all the social media and TikTok and this and that, and sometimes it's a bit much for me, but I have no choice. I mean, nobody has a choice, really. It's, like, stay on it, at least to a degree, or to fall away. And I don't think we can afford to fall away. 'Cause some musicians say, 'Ah, it's all bullshit. I don't wanna deal with it.' But more and more realize you can't do that. If you wanna stay relevant, if you wanna stay in the business, you have to stay current with what's going on."
A month ago, Hoffmann told Mark Strigl that longtime ACCEPT producer Andy Sneap won't be involved with the band's upcoming 50th-anniversary album, Wolf said: "He will not be on this one, because he asked for a year off from us. I asked him, I begged him to produce his album, but then we found a good buddy of his. His name is Zeuss [Chris Harris]. He's producing it."
Hoffmann continued: "[Andy is] kind of part of the family now, but he's been touring so much with [JUDAS] PRIEST [as that band's touring guitarist], and he's been working so much in the studio last year. I think he did SAXON, he did PRIEST, he also did DREAM THEATER — he's done a bunch of stuff. So when I said, 'Hey, can we work this year again?' He said, 'Man, can I please have a year off?', which is understandable."
Regarding ACCEPT's upcoming 50th-anniversary tour, which is expected to launch at the end of the year, Wolf said: "It's gonna be a retrospective of the whole 50-year career and, of course, it's gonna feature a lot of the important stuff from the '80s and some deeper cuts. And we're gonna perform with guest singers and guest players, and it's gonna be super exciting, like a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You only have one shot at a 50-year anniversary… I don't think we'll get a chance for another one."
Sneap produced ACCEPT's last six studio albums: "Blood Of The Nations" (2010),"Stalingrad" (2012),"Blind Rage" (2014),"The Rise Of Chaos" (2017),"Too Mean To Die" (2021) and "Humanoid" (2024).
Zeuss has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, QUEENSRŸCHE, SHADOWS FALL, DEMON HUNTER, OVERKILL and REVOCATION, among many others.
Over the past five decades, ACCEPT has sold millions of albums and inspired countless musicians. Their energetic live performances and iconic albums such as "Balls To The Wall", "Restless And Wild" and "Metal Heart" have left a lasting mark on the heavy metal genre. Hoffmann's guitar style and musical vision have made the band one of the most respected on the heavy metal scene.
After a hiatus in the band's career, Wolf was introduced to New Jersey singer Mark Tornillo in 2009. The chemistry and fit between them was so remarkable, ACCEPT reformed and almost immediately rose to global success with chart-topping albums. ACCEPT continues to be celebrated for each of their new records with Mark, who is now the longest-reigning frontman of ACCEPT, placing the Hoffmann-Tornillo partnership firmly in the Metal Hall Of Fame.
For decades, ACCEPT has been recognized as a guarantee of high quality and each of their albums has reached the top of the charts, delivering energy, melodies, killer riffs and an impressively powerful stage presence for 50 years.
Tornillo joined ACCEPT in 2009 as the replacement for Dirkschneider, who was the band's original lead singer. Mark can be heard on ACCEPT's last six studio albums.
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1 июн 2025
SIXX:A.M./Ex-GUNS N' ROSES Guitarist D.J. ASHBA: 'It Would Take A Lot For Me To Join Another Band At This Point'
 During a May 28 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", former GUNS N' ROSES and SIXX:A.M. guitarist Darren James "D.J." Ashba was asked if he would ever consider joining a rock band again or putting one together. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Man, it's hard. It would take a lot for me to join another band at this point. I've been touring since I've been 13. I'm kind of at a point right now where GDM [Ashba's solo dance/rock hybrid, which he calls Guitar Dance Music] is so freeing because I don't have to really answer to anybody. Even my label, Universal, has been extremely supportive. They're just letting me be an artist. I'm a big priority there, but I have no A&R person. I can release whatever I want whenever I want. So the freedom of where I'm at in life right now and being able to just truly get my vision from my soul to the ears of the audiences — that's unfiltered. And I'm in a really unique position. So I don't think so."
Ashba continued: "I was in arguably one of the biggest bands in the world. [I am] very, very blessed to have rode that train and had the best time of my life. So I'm smart enough to know — I've seen guys, friends that join these huge bands, and sadly, some of 'em have just… Where do you go from there? I was smart enough to know I'm never gonna join a band in this lifetime bigger than where I've been or create a new band bigger than where we took SIXX:A.M., probably. So I'm at a really cool point in life where, let's try something new. Let's try something completely different. Create something that wasn't here before. That's kind of the road I took. And if I fail, it's all on me. If we can get this thing to crack, then awesome. It opens the door for hopefully other guitar players."
D.J. added: "I think this is just the beginning. We're right at the beginning of EDM… The new thing is becoming live performance with DJing, and you are seeing it happen. But six years ago when I started this, there was very, very, very little of that going on. So we're right at the forefront of kind of a… You can feel it in the air. It's changing. I think this thing's about ready to go. It's got a lot of eyes on it. I'm not gonna give up. So eventually they're gonna have to accept me."
Asked about any possible future activities for SIXX:A.M. and whether he is still in contact with his SIXX:A.M. bandmates, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and vocalist/producer James Michael, Ashba said: "Yeah, I talked to Sixx, like, two weeks ago. We talked for quite a while just to catch up. We're still all great friends. Me and James talk, but James lives in Ireland now. He's pretty much just at a point in his life where he's kind of… I mean, I read it on the Internet like you guys do. He's putting out videos where he's retired. And I have nothing but mad respect for James and Nikki. There has been talk, 'Hey, let's get together and create some new shit.' But if it never happens, it never…
"SIXX:A.M.'s been weird," D.J. explained. "It's a labor of love. We've never looked at it like a band. I know the world and the label, when 'Life Is Beautiful' hit, they're, like, 'You guys are now a band,' and we're, like, 'No. We're just three producers, three best friends that love to create songs together.' So we've never truly looked at SIXX:A.M. like a band. We still, to this day, don't have a drummer. Every time we tour, we have to get a drummer. But it's one of those weird, weird projects that the radio loves us. Every time we release a song, it seems to get a lot of love there. The fans have been incredibly supportive. And listen, I'm open to doing… That would be the only way I would come back and do a band thing would be if Nikki and James wanted to do another tour. I'd absolutely be down for that. But outside of that, I have no interest of joining a new band or doing anything band-wise. But that would be the one exception, for sure. But I would say, I don't know, honestly. I think we're all pretty open to the possibility of us doing something else in the future. We've never really closed the book on it. I'm down. I know Sixx is busy doing his thing, and James is doing whatever he's doing. So I think if the timing was right, I think we'd all be probably down to do something in the future.
"We've just never seen ourselves like a band," Ashba repeated. "And we just love writing songs. It's a lot of fun. It's therapeutic. It's effortless for us. When we get in a room, we can't write songs fast enough. It's just this weird chemistry the three of us have, and we laugh our way through every record we've ever made. We'll sit on the floor in hotel rooms and order pizza and just laugh our way through the lyrics. And we just always have had such a fun time. And I think it's because the lyrics to our songs cut pretty deep in all three of us. We all dig pretty deep into those wounds. So I think laughing our way through it is kind of a weird — it's very therapeutic, I think, for the three of us. It's our therapy session. [Laughs]"
When host Eddie Trunk suggested that "the likelihood of another" SIXX:A.M. record or a single is "maybe a little higher than actually going out and playing shows," Ashba said: "Yeah. I have no idea. I know if we three were to walk into a room, we'd have four songs written easily before we left the room. That's just how we've always been. I can't explain it. Something magical happens when we get in a room together, and it'd be hard for us to be in the same room without writing a song. So, who knows? I don't know what the future holds."
Regarding how SIXX:A.M.'s hiatus came about, Ashba said: "I do know at the time, I had been touring with GN'R around the world, like, six times or something crazy. We would tour for, like, eight months out of the year, and then as soon as I'd get off tour with GN'R, SIXX:A.M. would book me to go out on another tour. So for six, seven years, I really didn't get much of a break. And I know Nikki was kind of doing the same thing with MÖTLEY. So me and him were burning hard at both ends of the candle. So I think everybody just needed a break. We were just so burnt. And I think it was much, much needed at that point."
As previously reported, SIXX:A.M. will release "Prayers For The Damned & Blessed Deluxe Edition" on June 6 via Endurance Music Group. The new album will be available as a special limited-edition smoke-colored three-LP set as well as on all streaming platforms.
Nearly a decade after the release of SIXX:A.M.'s 2016 albums "Prayers For The Damned" and "Prayers For The Blessed", this deluxe edition set features both albums together with brand-new renditions of "Maybe It's Time" (Piano Version),"Prayers For The Damned" (Piano Version),and an alternative mix of "We Will Not Go Quietly".
Originally formed in 2007, SIXX:A.M. — whose name is a combination of all of the members' last names (Sixx, Ashba, Michael) — emerged as a passion project for Sixx, initially coming together to record a companion soundtrack for his The New York Times best-selling memoir "The Heroin Diaries". Over the years, the trio toured the globe and released six studio albums, a live album, multiple hit singles, including "Life Is Beautiful", "Stars", "Lies Of The Beautiful People", and — from "Prayers For The Blessed" — "Maybe It's Time". SIXX:A.M. announced their hiatus in 2021, marking the end of an era for the band.
With over 500 million streams across digital platforms, SIXX:A.M.'s music continues to resonate with fans worldwide. As the first time both original albums have been available on vinyl in years, this is a must-have for collectors of rock history and fans alike.
"Hits" was released in October 2021 via Better Noise Music. The album was a retrospective celebration of SIXX:A.M.'s biggest hits and fan-favorite songs that also included five previously unheard tracks and mixes, marking the band's first official album with new material since 2016.
Inspired by the release of Sixx's "The First 21: How I Became Nikki Sixx", SIXX:A.M. members Michael, Ashba and Sixx made "Hits" available as a companion piece to the book.
To date, SIXX:A.M. has three U.S. Billboard top 20 albums and a string of hit singles, with its full catalog consisting of five studio albums — "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" (2007),"This Is Gonna Hurt" (2011),"Modern Vintage" (2014),"Prayers For The Damned" and "Prayers For The Blessed" (2016) — and three EPs, "X-Mas In Hell" (2008); "Live Is Beautiful" (2008) and "7" (2011).
Photo courtesy of Reybee, Inc.
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1 июн 2025
DOUG ALDRICH Recalls Meeting RANDY RHOADS: 'It Blew Me Away' That 'He Remembered My Name'
 In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, former WHITESNAKE/DIO and current THE DEAD DAISES guitarist Doug Aldrich reflected on an encounter he had with one of his early guitar heroes more than four decades ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I had the opportunity to meet [legendary Ozzy Osbourne guitarist] Randy Rhoads when I was a kid, when I was 18. I first came to L.A. and a guy that I made friends with — I met him at the Troubadour — he called me on my phone. I just had a little apartment, like a little studio, and my phone did get cut off after I was here about three months. But before it got cut off, this guy called me and he said, 'Hey, Randy's gonna be playing a couple songs down at the Whisky [A Go Go] tonight. Do you wanna go see that?' I'm, like, 'Randy? Randy who?' And he's, like, 'Randy Rhoads.' I go, 'You mean the English guy from Ozzy's band?' He goes, 'He's not from England. He's from Burbank.' I go, 'Randy Rhoads, the guitar player, the blonde guy, who plays the Les Paul and the cool kind of weird flying V...' He used to take lessons from Randy. He goes, 'I used to take lessons with him.' I'm, like, 'Oh my God.' So we go meet Randy. And about a week later, my buddy calls me back and he goes, 'Hey, Randy's playing again. He's in town again. He's gonna play again with Kevin DuBrow. Do you wanna come see him?' I go, 'Hell yeah.' And I walked in the Whisky. And I had met him and I told him how much I was blown away by him on the previous thing, but when I walked in a week later, he goes, 'Hey, Doug. How're you doing, man?' I was just, like, 'Whoa, whoa, Randy. Wow.' It blew me away. I mean, I was just a kid, and he remembered my name. And I was just out of my mind with that."
Rhoads and two others were killed on March 19, 1982 when the small plane they were flying in at Flying Baron Estates in Leesburg, Florida struck Ozzy's tour bus, then crashed into a mansion. Rhoads was 25 years old.
Back in March 2020, Aldrich paid tribute to Rhoads on the 38th anniversary of the legendary OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist's passing. Aldrich took to his Instagram at the time to share a Ross Halfin photo of Rhoads, Osbourne and Rudy Sarzo onstage at the July 1981 Day On The Green concert in Oakland, California and he included the following message: "It was 38 years ago that we lost Randy..... I was so fortunate to have seen him play live in Philadelphia. After I moved to LA, I actually got to meet him. I met a kid called Eddie who called me and asked me if I wanted to go see DEBROW [sic] at the Whisky... He said Randy was gonna jam a couple songs.... I'm like who? Randy Rhoads? The English guy from BLIZZARD OF OZ? He goes no, he's not English... he's from Burbank... I'm like what??!!!! He goes yea, I used to get guitar lessons from him... I was in shock!!! Haha...
"So yea, we went and somehow got in and then walked to the backstage door... Eddie knocked.. the guard said you kids can't come in here... Right then, Randy goes 'hey Eddie!' Eddie's looks up the stairs and says hi Randy... Randy goes... Hey let those guys up..... i walked up those stairs in one step and shook his hand:) He was so cool.. a real star...he played a Dean V that night. I guess he borrowed it? Anyone know?
"Anyone know Eddie? We lost touch after my phone got disconnected....
"Still can't believe it this all happened. Grateful:)
"P.S. the next weekend after I met Randy, Eddie called and said hey Randy's gonna jam at the Whisky again and asked if I wanted to meet up? What do you think I said?"
In a 2017 interview with Listen Iowa, Doug confirmed that Randy was an influence on him as a young man learning to play guitar. "Of course he was," he said. "There was only one Randy, so you can't copy him. But I loved him. I loved the fierce attack when he played, and the way he played with so much passion and energy. His riffs were so angular and classic, even Baroque-ish. Even his soloing was so cool. He was a different kind of person I could relate to. I'd look at Eddie Van Halen and think that he's so cool. But I couldn't play like that. Somehow I could relate to Randy easier. I love how he played."
Aldrich played with DIO for a short period between 2002 and 2006. He was also a member of WHITESNAKE from 2002 to 2014 before leaving to spend more time with his family. The guitarist played on two WHITESNAKE studio albums, 2008's "Good To Be Bad" and 2011's "Forevermore", and appeared on several live releases, including 2013's "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain/The World Records".
Aldrich left WHITESNAKE 10 years ago, saying in a statement that he "had several recording and live commitments," so he "needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal." He added: "Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable." | +4 | |
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1 июн 2025
WEDNESDAY 13: 'I've Learned How To Adapt In This Business'
 In a new interview with Metallerium, heavy horror punk icon Wednesday 13, who is perhaps best known as the frontman of renowned horror punk supergroup MURDERDOLLS, was asked about the changes in the music industry since he launched his career more than three decades ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's constantly changing. It's always gonna change. When MURDERDOLLS started, that was part of the end of the era where they gave big money and you had big crews and you had two tour buses or whatever, and a quarter-of-a-million-dollar music videos. I got to be a part of that for a short time. But over the last 20 years, so much has changed. I've learned to adapt to anything. This, how I function and run my band and crew — right now my band and crew is 10 people. That's more than I've ever had. And I've never had 10 people before. That's a lot for me. If that's all I get, I'm good. If I could somehow make a little more money and get a bigger bus or a few more people one day, that's good. But if I stay where I am, I'm good. And I've been able to make this work for me because I've set my own rules. If I'm not on a record label a year from now, I'll still be able to tour like this. So I've just learned how to adapt in this business. And I'll be around for a long time — I hope."
Wednesday 13's latest full-length album, "Mid Death Crisis", came out on April 25 via Napalm Records.
In a recent interview with Radioactive MikeZ, host of the 96.7 KCAL-FM program "Wired In The Empire", Wednesday 13 was asked if paying tribute to MURDERDOLLS on several tours in 2023 and 2024 influenced the songwriting process for "Mid Death Crisis". He responded: "A hundred percent. Just revisiting that music and having that fresh on my mind when I started writing, that's what I wrote. So I wrote a punk, glam, hard rock record. This isn't a metal record. Probably the heaviest song on the album is 'When The Devil Commands'; that is as heavy metal as it gets. From that point on, it's pretty much a rock and roll record. So, yeah, that's what influenced that. And that's what I started off doing. This record's more in league with my first three than my last three albums. And it's crazy 'cause my first album turns 20 years old this April. So, I sort of planned this album to come out the same month, the same time, 20 years later — album number 10 comes out 20 years later, same month. So it's sort of just to show how far I've came since then or how far I've went or however you wanna say it. But I'm still here and I think I still do it pretty good."
Wednesday 13 previously described "Mid Death Crisis" as a fun, campy, "leave-your-brain-at-the-door" rager and a true return to his hard-rocking roots. Produced by guitarist Alex Kane (LIFE, SEX & DEATH, ENUFF Z'NUFF, ANTIPRODUCT) and mixed by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, PRONG, DEVILDRIVER) the album oozes infectious 1980s sleaze metal energy, further accented by a blitzing guest vocal from FASTER PUSSYCAT's Taime Downe.
Eerie introductory track "There's No Such Thing As Monsters" vibrates with electricity before industrial-tinged "Decease And Desist" kicks in full blast. Wednesday 13's trademark crooning wastes no time entering the fold as he careens through the high-octane horror anthem, before tracks like "Rotting Away" and "Blood Storm" ensnare with metallic goth-punk energy that will have crowds moving wall to wall. Featuring FASTER PUSSYCAT's Taime Downe on guest vocals, standout heavy rocker "No Apologies" is a fast-romping exorcism of toxic demons, while the triumphant mini-murder ballad "Decapitation" riles up listeners with a catchy lead riff before making a hard left into a theatrical bridge straight out of a sinister '60s sock hop! Ragers like "In Misery", "Xanaxtasy" and "Sick And Violent" explore various genres of metal, injecting the album with elements of gripping heaviness for any listener, while downtempo stunners "I Hurt You" and "My Funeral" approach a more pensive territory.
WEDNESDAY 13 is:
Wednesday 13 - Lead Vocals / Guitar
Jack Tankersley - Guitar
Troy Doebbler - Bass
Mike Dupke - Drums
Ashes - Lead Guitar
Photo credit: Anabel DFlux
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1 июн 2025
IRON MAIDEN Manager Blasts 'Selfish' Fans Who Didn't Respect Request To Keep Phones In Pockets: 'I Wish You Nothing But A Very Sore Arm'
 IRON MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood has thanked the band's fans for coming out to the first two shows of the "Run For Your Lives" world tour, which kicked off on Tuesday, May 27 at Papp László Sportaréna in Budapest, Hungary. The concerts marked MAIDEN's first live appearances with new drummer Simon Dawson, who replaced longtime drummer Nicko McBrain last December.
On May 30, Smallwood shared the following statement via MAIDEN's official web site: "Well, what a way of starting this monumental tour with a couple of sold-out nights In Budapest. It was the perfect place to open this tour — a great venue, an incredible city, in fact, one of my favourites, and you very passionate Hungarian fans. And of course, not forgetting the travelling fans that came from far and very wide to experience the excitement of the big reveal! To see hundreds of fans and FC members in the aptly-named Heroes Square the day before the first show was fantastic as always.
"We were delighted to see the reaction and appreciation for the new production that has enabled everyone to experience these iconic songs in a way we've never been able to before. This was quite an operation to achieve but we will let you have more insight into that very soon.
"We also want to acknowledge the amazing welcome you gave Simon on his first shows with us. He felt your support from the start — and asks me to thank you all.
"A huge thank you to every one of you who kept your phones down, respected the band and your fellow fans, and embraced the show the way it's meant to be experienced — in the room with us. That was a great boost for us and the band appreciated it greatly. It is so much better when they can see you unencumbered and that drives them on without that distraction. For the selfish few that didn't and just had to keep videoing… I wish you nothing but a very sore arm!
"But they were few, and we do hope this support from fans, especially in the floor area in front of the sound desk, continues in Prague [on Saturday] and beyond. As I said before, by all means take the odd quick pic as a memento of a great night, but otherwise please keep your phone in your pocket.
"On we go now to the first huge outdoor show and another fantastic sold out crowd waiting for us. We're starting to hit our stride already and it's going to be some ride for these next couple of months.
"See you there."
The "Run For Your Lives" world tour marks 50 years since bassist Steve Harris formed MAIDEN in late 1975 and to celebrate this, fans are promised a very special setlist spanning the nine studio albums from "Iron Maiden" to "Fear Of The Dark", with the band's most spectacular and elaborate show ever.
The Budapest concerts will be followed by 31 further stadium, festival and arena shows around Europe. With over a million tickets already sold, and most shows sold out, fans are advised that additional tickets will be made available closer to the show — and on the day — with the release of venue and production holds.
Earlier this month, Smallwood took to MAIDEN web site to share a post titled "Put away your phones and get ready to Run For Your Lives!" in which he urged fans to experience the shows "in the moment" rather than on smaller screens at a later date.
"We really want fans to enjoy the shows first hand, rather than on their small screens," Smallwood wrote. "The amount of phone use nowadays diminishes enjoyment, particularly for the band who are on stage looking out at rows of phones, but also for other concertgoers.
"We feel that the passion and involvement of our fans at shows really makes them special, but the phone obsession has now got so out of hand that it has become unnecessarily distracting especially to the band. I hope fans understand this and will be sensible in severely limiting the use of their phone cameras out of respect for the band and their fellow fans."
"Run For Your Lives" world tour is one part of IRON MAIDEN's 50th-anniversary celebrations and will feature many fan "meet-up" events in the cities the band is playing. As was debuted successfully in Australia on the last tour, these will include Eddie's official pop-up dive bar which will be open for pre-show and post-show gatherings in 20 cities on the tour. They will be serving Trooper beer and Darkest Red wine, with food, exclusive merch and further entertainment. Details are available on ironmaiden.com. But please note the band will not be at these events. Additionally, there is both a feature-length documentary film coming to cinemas worldwide later this year, via Universal Pictures Content Group, and an official hardback book providing a magnificent visual celebration of 50 years of IRON MAIDEN, being published by Thames & Hudson. More details on both of these exciting releases will be announced soon.
Dawson previously played with Harris as a member of his BRITISH LION project.
McBrain played his last-ever gig with MAIDEN five months ago in São Paulo, Brazil.
The 72-year-old British musician, whose real name is Michael Henry McBrain, announced his retirement on December 7, 2024 in a statement on MAIDEN's web site and social media. He also said that night's concert at Allianz Parque in São Paulo, Brazil would mark his final show with the iconic heavy metal act.
Despite the fact that he was stepping away from touring, McBrain said that he would remain closely connected to IRON MAIDEN and continue to be involved in "a variety of projects" with the band, while also focusing on personal ventures and his existing businesses.
On December 8, 2024, IRON MAIDEN announced Dawson as its new touring drummer.
Budapest… we are here!
#IronMaiden #RunForYourLivesWorldTour #Budapest
Posted by Iron Maiden on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Right at this very moment Iron Maiden are about to kick off their Run For Your Lives tour in Budapest. Lights are...
Posted by Metal Pilgrim on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
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1 июн 2025
FIREHOUSE Singer NATE PECK Is 'Excited' To Play New Single 'Mighty Fine Lady' Live
 FIREHOUSE has just released a new single called "Mighty Fine Lady". The song marks the band's first release with FIREHOUSE's new lead vocalist Nate Peck, 2023 "American Idol" golden ticket recipient from Season 21, who officially joined the group last May. He replaced late FIREHOUSE frontman C.J. Snare, who died on April 5, 2024 at the age of 64 following a lengthy battle with cancer.
In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Peck stated about how "Mighty Fine Lady" came about (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "That song came about — I hit up [FIREHOUSE guitarist] Bill Leverty one day [earlier this year], and I was, like, 'Hey, man, let's work on a song.' And he has all these all these riffs that he's put down into his computer. And he sent me over a riff, and I came up with the first verse and the song was written rather quickly. But we're really excited about the song. We're excited to play it live."
According to Peck, "Mighty Fine Lady" was written primarily "over the phone. I'd send a voice memo, on the iPhone," he explained. "I'd send [Bill] over kind of like the melody and everything, singing, and he would send a guitar track back through the phone, and [we] just kind of [put it together] over the Internet."
Asked if FIREHOUSE has been working on any other news songs since the completion of "Mighty Fine Lady", Nate said: "We would like to work on some more. I think we've got a couple more in the works, but [we're gonna] kind of let this one ride out a little bit and see what happens."
Earlier this month, Leverty reflected on Snare's illness and Peck's eventual addition to the band, telling The Hair Metal Guru: "It was about two and a half years before [his death that] C.J. was fine. Then he had some stomach pain. And we were playing at a gig in Milwaukee. And he walks over to me, kind of like when I'm starting the intro to 'Love Of A Lifetime' or something, and he's just, like, 'Man, I've never felt this bad.' And I'm going, 'You wanna stop and take a break?' And he said, 'No, I'll get through it.' Because he had the 'show must go on' vibe. Man, that guy was tough. So we finished the show and, and I'm, like, 'Man, maybe go get that looked at. And he said, 'Yeah, it'll probably go away.' We didn't know what it was. And then it didn't get any better. We had a little time off. So he went to the doctor — actually, he went to the emergency room. And they said, 'Yeah, you've got an obstruction, a bowel obstruction, so we've gotta remove that.' So [after] surgically removing it, he was back two weeks later singing. You'd never know that he had a scar from having that taken out — and he had gotten some really bad news with it, lab results and stuff like that. And he's, like, 'Look, I wanna keep this private. I don't wanna talk about it.' Let's not mention this. But it was very bad news. And biopsy lab results were not good at all. So that was his first surgery to have it removed. He had another major surgery that was a 12-hour procedure, and he was back singing in six weeks. And you would never know it. He had a scar [about 10 inches] long… And you would never know it with this guy. That's how tough he was. And then, that was about two years that he was doing great, and then he started getting sick again. And so he went in for a third surgery. And that's about the time when Robby Lochner [JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE] said, 'Yeah, I know you guys have a lot of shows on the books and you might need a substitute. And you've gotta check this guy out.' And I'd never heard of him. And I don't watch 'American Idol'. I shouldn't. I should now because… But I checked out Nate's Instagram and he's got all these songs that he sings from the greatest singers of all time, in my opinion. And he just knocks 'em outta the park. And he's just singing live. He got a camera here, and he's just singing into his microphone, and it's just awesome. And so I called him and I said, 'Hey, I'm Bill from FIREHOUSE. We've got a couple of shows coming up. Would you be interested in filling in for C.J.? C.J. should be back around July.' And he said, 'Oh, I would love to.' I sent him the song list. I said, 'Do you know any of our songs?' He says, 'No. I've heard 'Love Of A Lifetime' before, but I don't know any of the songs.' So I'm, like, 'Well, I'll send you the songs. And we'll be talking on the phone. And you can get ready by kind of practicing or whatnot.'"
Bill continued: "We didn't have any rehearsals with the guy. We had a long soundcheck that day of the New England Rock Fest, which was his first gig, and he just crushed it. I mean, he was really nervous, but he just nailed it. And I sent some video over to C.J., and I was talking to [C.J.] on the phone. He was, like, 'Man, that guy's good.' He goes, 'Bill, that's your guy.' And I was, like, 'Wow.' So the plan was for C.J. to come back in July. C.J. was feeling rough. He had lost a lot of weight. He was really weak. And we were, like, 'Look, man, when you're ready, come on out. We'll have Nate there too. And then you can get out, sing the first song or two, say 'Hey', introduce Nate and you guys sing a couple songs together. You go take a break, come back out, do an encore or whatever, and whatever you feel will do.' But unfortunately, C.J. had a sudden cardiac arrest. And I talked to him the day before. He said, 'Things are looking good, man. I'm, I'm gaining weight. Things are looking up,' is what he said. I said, 'Great.' And the next day he passed… I remember I got the phone call. We were in Texas, and we were connecting. And I said, 'Everybody, come on over here,' 'cause I had just gotten a phone call, and I told everybody that C.J. passed away last night. And we were just sitting in that airport going… We were not at all expecting that, ready for that. It was brutal. It really was."
According to Leverty, Snare gave FIREHOUSE his blessing to continue with Peck as the frontman. "The thing about him is he never wanted us to cancel a show," Bill said. "Even after he got sick, he didn't want us to cancel a show. Especially once we got Nate. Once we got Nate, he's, like, 'Okay, that guy can sound like FIREHOUSE. So, that's your guy.'
Asked if C.J. and Nate ever had a chance to speak to each other, Bill said: "Oh, yeah. All the time. They talked almost daily. C.J. gave him a lot of advice. And one of the things that he would tell Nate is that you're running a marathon, not a sprint. So keep that in mind. Don't come out and blow your voice out in the first song, 'cause you've gotta control yourself, hold it back a little bit, and take care of yourself. And Nate's followed his advice really well."
Regarding how "Mighty Fine Lady" came about, Bill said: "Well, Nate started it. He was, like, 'Send me a riff.' And I was, like, 'Well, okay.' So I'm down here [in my studio], and I dug up a riff or I came up with a riff that would be, I think, something cool that we could maybe do live and maybe turn into a song. And I sent it to him, and he sang on his little iPhone rig, and sent it back to me in a voice memo with the verse, what is the verse now. And I was, like, 'Man, that is so good and sounds so cool. Let me write some music that would be more fitting for a verse, because what you got is a melody and the lyrics are perfect.' So I sent him back something that was more like a verse. 'Cause he sang over the intro riff, and that intro riff on that song, that's the only time you hear that riff, which is kind of what started the song. The only time you hear it in that song is just right the intro. So I sent him back that verse, and he sang on that, and he's, like, 'Oh, yeah. I like that a lot better.' And I said, 'Okay. Now what you're singing about here is the hot chick. So we've gotta come up with something kind of a little classy to make it the hook or what the topic is about.' And we bounced a bunch of stuff back and forth and we came up with 'Mighty Fine Lady'. And we got a chorus together. And so then after the chorus, you kind of have a song, but you've gotta get little pieces to get from the verse to the chorus and little pieces to get from the chorus back to the second verse, and then a solo, and then a little bridge maybe, which we wrote. And he just came up with all these creative ideas and all these great melodies. So then I was, like, 'Well, the song's written,' and [drummer] Michael [Foster] lives an hour away, so he's coming over here playing drums as it's being done. He's putting in his cool stuff, that intro and everything. And so then, we're, like, 'Well, Nate, let's fly you here to Virginia to record it.' And I had him scheduled — he was gonna fly in on a Friday night. We were gonna record Saturday. He was gonna fly out Sunday. And Friday night we went to dinner and we're just hanging out. And I'm, like, 'All right, well, let's go back. You wanna just sing it through to get the rough idea together?' And he sang it through, and it was perfect. So I'm, like, 'Let's not mess with that.' The next day we went through it with kind of a fine-tooth comb and couldn't really find anything to nitpick about. We tried some other options on stuff and kind of fiddled with it a little bit. But it was done that first night, that first take he did. And the guy's just got all these really cool ideas and everything, and the natural way that he sings without even trying just has that bright tone that C.J. was kind of known for. And Nate's got it. To me, it's magic. And we're super fortunate to work with him."
Asked if there are plans for FIREHOUSE to write and record more new music, Bill said: "We would love to. And we're going to. We'll figure out what the next one is, and we'll crank it out. We won't let it out until it's done. It might take a little bit. But in the meantime, that's where you can get 'Mighty Fine Lady' is at firehousemusic.com. We don't have it on any of the streaming stuff as of right now. It'll eventually be up there. But, right now, if you support the band directly, there aren't a bunch of middlemen in there. And it's way better for us."
According to Leverty, completing "Mighty Fine Lady" "was a lot of work. But it was labor of love in putting it together," he said. "A lot of hours mixing it. I think I spent more time mixing it than I did recording everybody else put together, just because I'm not a mix engineer, but I want it to compete with our old stuff, I want it to compete with our third record too, which was mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, the greatest mix engineer out there — one of the greatest. And you want it to compete with the stuff that's out there now and to sound not too far removed, but we also want it to sound like our classic kind of vibe. So there was a lot of experimentation and a lot of work to get it to sound the way it sounds, and we're real happy with the way it turned out."
Peck performed an outstanding audition for "American Idol" judges Luke Bryan, Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Richie praised Nate's performance, saying: "That was brilliant... The best rock singer EVER that we've had. You've got it!" Perry looked to the sky and said: "Actually, he's SO good!" High praises from all three judges got him unanimous consent to move onto the next level of the competition. Peck ultimately decided to leave the show to pursue his career in music his own way: playing live music in Nashville's booming rock scene and guest singing with national artists like JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE.
Peck has been singing with FIREHOUSE since October of 2023.
Snare died was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2020 and took a hiatus from the band in 2023 to undergo abdominal surgery. However, his daughter is reported to have stated the official cause of death was cardiac arrest, according to TMZ.
In a statement on FIREHOUSE's social media, Snare's bandmates said he died "unexpectedly" despite his long illness.
They shared their "great sorrow" at losing their "brother… the rock and roll warrior.
"We are all in complete shock with CJ's untimely passing," they wrote.
"CJ was was arguably one of the best vocal talents of a generation, touring the world with FIREHOUSE non stop the past 34 years.
"Our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Snare family, Katherine Little, friends, and all our beloved fans all over the world."
FIREHOUSE hasn't released a studio album since 2011's "Full Circle", which featured re-recorded versions of some of the band's older songs. The group's last collection of new material, "Prime Time", came out in 2003.
FIREHOUSE reached stardom during the early '90s with hits like "Reach For The Sky", "Don't Treat Me Bad" and "All She Wrote", as well as its signature power ballads "I Live My Life For You", "Love Of A Lifetime" and "When I Look Into Your Eyes".
At the 1992 American Music Awards, FIREHOUSE won the award for "Favorite Heavy Metal/Hard Rock New Artist". They were chosen over NIRVANA and ALICE IN CHAINS.
Formed nearly four decades ago, FIREHOUSE's classic lineup consisted of Snare, Leverty, Foster and bassist Perry Richardson. Richardson left in 2000 and was replaced by Allen McKenzie in 2003. | 0 | |
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1 июн 2025
Watch: Ex-MEGADETH Guitarists KIKO LOUREIRO And MARTY FRIEDMAN Perform 'Tornado Of Souls' At Brazilian Tour Kick-Off
 Former MEGADETH guitarists Kiko Loureiro and Marty Friedman kicked off their joint Brazilian tour last night (Friday, May 30) at Santo Rock Bar in Santo André, which is located in the state of São Paulo. The show also featured Felipe Andreoli on bass, Bruno Valverde on drums, and Alírio Netto on vocals, in a night that brought together iconic tracks from MEGADETH and Loureiro's former band ANGRA, as well as technically and emotionally powerful instrumental moments.
The setlist was as follows:
01. Intro
02. Blindfolded
03. Reflective
04. Overflow
05. Pau De Arara
06. No Gravity
07. Carry On / Spread Your Fire / Nova Era / Morning Star / Evil Warning / Speed (ANGRA medley)
08. Conquer Or Die (MEGADETH)
09. Killing Time (MEGADETH)
10. Dystopia (MEGADETH)
11. Jam
12. Mindrise
13. Dilemma
14. Nothing To Say (ANGRA) (feat. Alírio Netto)
15. Angels And Demons (ANGRA) (feat. Alírio Netto)
16. Late Redemption / Heaven And Hell (ANGRA) (feat. Alírio Netto)
17. Hyperdoom (Marty Friedman)
18. Tornado Of Souls (MEGADETH) (Kiko Loureiro and Marty Friedman)
19. Asa Branca / Brasileirinho (Brazil medley) (Kiko Loureiro and Marty Friedman)
20. Tearful Confession (Marty Friedman)
21. Rebirth (ANGRA) (feat. Alírio Netto, Kiko Loureiro and Marty Friedman)
Encore:
22. Stormbringer (DEEP PURPLE)
Fan-filmed video of the gig can be seen below.
Last year, Kiko — who announced his exit from MEGADETH in September 2023 — revealed that he recommended to Dave Mustaine that he be formally replaced by one of his predecessors, Friedman. The gig eventually went to Finnish guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari, who was welcomed into MEGADETH in November 2023 after first temporarily filling in for Loureiro.
"Actually, I even mentioned to management and Dave that I thought bringing Marty Friedman back would be amazing," Kiko told Guitar World magazine. "I have no idea if they're talking about it or talking to him, but I did say that. But again, I have no idea beyond that, and I don't want to make anything more complicated."
Loureiro went on to say that he was warmly embraced by MEGADETH fans during his nine-year stint with the group.
"The fans never said anything bad about me or complained, which was amazing," he said. "But I'm a fan, and I always understood that Marty was a part of those iconic albums like 'Rust In Peace' and 'Countdown To Extinction'. I understood that Marty was the guy who helped create that sound and style, you know? From the moment I joined MEGADETH, I knew the fans could show me love, but I would never win their hearts over Marty."
Loureiro officially joined MEGADETH in April 2015, about five months after Chris Broderick's exit from the group.
In September 2023, Friedman was asked by Metalhead Marv of This Day In Metal what it was like to rejoin MEGADETH twice on stage in the space of six months earlier that year — first in February 2023 at Tokyo, Japan's famed Budokan and then in early August 2023 at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. He responded: "It was wonderful. We have a wonderful history together, so when something special like that came up, it was kind of a definite thing that I wanted to do. And we both enjoyed it immensely. And I just hope the fans enjoyed it as much as we did. For us, it was just a really nice, nice thing to do to kind of just put an exclamation point on the thing that we did in the history of the band. And, of course, I'm the biggest fan of whatever they do in my absence and just rooting them on the whole way."
At the 2023 Wacken Open Air, Marty performed four songs with MEGADETH: "Trust", "Tornado Of Souls", "Symphony Of Destruction" and "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due".
At Budokan, Friedman came up on stage for three songs toward the end of MEGADETH's main set: "Countdown To Extinction", "Tornado Of Souls" and "Symphony Of Destruction".
After his Tokyo reunion with MEGADETH, Marty told The Aquarian Weekly: "What I think is great about MEGADETH is that being a legacy act, there's also new kids discovering them, and then they discover you and look to see what you're doing now, so they get that experience of Marty Friedman as well.
"I've always been rooting for MEGADETH and they really did great," he continued. "A lot of the things that they did in my absence led them to a very, very good place, and a lot because of Dave's [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] effort and the bandmembers' efforts. When they made it to Budokan, I was just so glad to hear that. Then they offered me to play and it was just the cherry on top. I had such a great time playing with them. It was something that the fans enjoyed as much as I did."
Marty also reflected on the experience of performing with MEGADETH at Budokan in a separate interview with The Entertainment Outlet. He said about sharing the stage with Mustaine again: "It was great. It was something that Dave and I both wanted from day one, and we got it. There was just a lot of good feelings in that building that night — not just between us, but you could see in the audience, there was just something different about it. People were screaming, they were crying, they were smiling. It was a little bit different reaction from a normal show. And it was a great moment, I think."
Friedman revealed that the biggest challenge he faced during his Budokan appearance with MEGADETH was performing his guitar solos the same way fans remember from his original stint with the band.
"If there was any challenge at all, I guess it would be playing the solos the way the fans remember them, which is something I wanted to do," Friedman noted. "My playing has evolved so much since those songs came out, and there are so many nuances I would naturally do differently now. I had to resist the urge to play it like I would in 2023 and stick to the original way. For example, in a couple of those songs, I entered the solo on the downbeat, with the first note being the root of the chord. I would definitely avoid both of those things now, but apparently, I was fine with it back then."
HOJE !!! @kikoloureiro e + @martyfriedman
@bruno_valverde @felipeandreoli @alirio_netto
HORÁRIOS
20h Bar Aberto...
Posted by Santo Rock Bar on Thursday, May 29, 2025
It’s coming soon!! I’ll join my friend Kiko Louriero in his home country of Brazil for all these Brazil dates!! Let’s make some history together!
Posted by Marty Friedman on Saturday, May 3, 2025
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1 июн 2025
BLACKIE LAWLESS: No Plans For W.A.S.P. Acoustic Album But 'Never Say Never'
 In a new interview with Andy Dax of Streetteam Berlin, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless was asked if there are any plans for the band to release an album of "acoustic" versions of some of W.A.S.P.'s most popular tracks. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, first and foremost, we're a rock band. There's a place for acoustic stuff. If you look at [W.A.S.P.'s fifth studio album, 1992's] 'The Crimson Idol', it's sprinkled all throughout that album. But to try to sit and think, would I do something like that? It's never really crossed my mind, to be honest with you, because, like I said, we're a rock band first and foremost. But you never say never. Down the line, if I get a good idea and I feel strong enough about it, then yeah. But at this moment, nothing that I can think of."
Asked if there is a new W.A.S.P. album in the works at the moment, Blackie said: "Well, we started working on stuff a couple of years ago for a new album, but COVID happened. And then when we were on tour in Europe two years ago, when my back got broken, we had to go through all that. And so those plans all got put on the back burner because, with all the touring and everything we're doing, the schedule's been pretty intense. So will there be new music at some point? Yes, there will be. But when, I can't tell you."
Blackie previously addressed a possible follow-up to W.A.S.P.'s 2015 album "Golgotha" during a July 2024 interview with George Dionne of KNAC.COM. He said at the time: "We have been, and last year, we had done quite a bit of work in between the American tour and the European tour, we did a lot of recording, a lot of demoing. And I thought I liked what I was hearing, and then I came back. I had a problem with my back last year when we were in Europe, and, actually, my back got broken while we were over there, so I had to have a couple of surgeries when we got home from the tour. And it gave me a lot of time to sit around, twiddle my thumbs and just listen to stuff. And I listened to the demos that we did, and there is some good moments, but it's not consistent. 'Golgotha' was a very consistent record. I mean, 'Golgotha', I think, is one of the best things I've ever been a part of. And to try to at least do something on that level…"
He continued: "Today, a band like us, it's all about your legacy, because we're not making records anymore to sell records. I mean, those days are gone. But what we do, or what any artist does when they make a new record now, they are competing against their past. So your new album effectively becomes your opening act, and it's an opening act that's going up against songs that the audience has heard and romanced in their heads for decades. That's stiff competition. So when something new comes out, for it to even be remotely considered good, in all honesty, it has to be better than the original stuff, and that's no joke.
"It had been a while since I listened to 'Golgotha', and I listened to it — I don't know — a couple months ago, and it was, like, 'Wow, this is a pretty good record,'" Lawless added. "And it has to be that good to compete with the 'L.O.V.E. Machine's and the 'I Wanna Be Somebody''s of the world. Because, again, people are romancing those songs in their head, and rightfully so.
"Music does a funny thing to our sense of time. It creates memories, the same way smell does and things like that. We remember where we were when we heard a certain song, and those are very powerful memories. And I'm glad we have that, but at the same time, when you're the person that has to create new music, you're constantly going up against that legacy.
"So, again, the new album will always be your opening act, and your opening act has to try harder just to get noticed," Blackie concluded.
W.A.S.P.'s latest release was "ReIdolized (The Soundtrack To The Crimson Idol)", which came out in February 2018. It was a new version of the band's classic 1992 album "The Crimson Idol", which was re-recorded to accompany the movie of the same name to mark the 25th anniversary of the original LP's release. The re-recorded version also features four songs missing from the original album.
Blackie also spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for W.A.S.P.'s new LP in an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said: "We still are [working on it]. What happened was when we came back from the European tour, I had to have surgery and stuff, about a year prior to that, we had been working on a lot of new stuff. And when I came back, I've had a long time to go through those early demos, of what we have been working on. Listening to it with fresh ears, some of it's really good, but there's not enough of it yet where I would be comfortable in saying, 'Okay, this is finished, and let's go with it.' I'd like to go back and visit the drawing board, so to speak, and see what else is there. Because even from a two-year period of when we started working on that before to where we are right now, you're gonna gain so much, you're gonna grow so much."
Blackie continued: "I've learned you don't make records or I don't make records anymore that are spread out over a two- or three-year period, because the guy you are when you first start making it is not the guy you are when you finish making it. Get in, six months top to bottom, get that thing cranked out, because, like I said, if you don't, you end up running the risk of it kind of being a schizophrenic type of record where you've got one type of one thing and then the other half is something else and it has no real cohesiveness."
Asked what kind of stuff inspires him now, Blackie said: "Well, when we got ready to start this record a couple years ago, my mindset was I wanted to do a heavy, nasty, stinky rock and roll record. And that's where my heart was at. But when I started to write, that's not what was coming out. And so when you first start the process, you think, 'Okay. We'll go along with whatever comes out to begin with, but I wanna try to start steering this ship in a different direction as time goes by.' And that's just not what was happening. It was stuff that was more in-depth. And I thought, we did call 'Golgotha', that's one of those thinking man's records, and I thought, I don't wanna do that this time. I wanna do something that's a little lighter, like I said, a little nastier, stinkier old-time rock and roll, but as hard as I was trying to force it in that direction, that's not what was happening. Now, when we get done with this tour and the European tour next year, then it'll be time to start looking at that again in earnest. So who knows where we'll come out of it again? To give you an honest answer, I'd need a crystal ball right now to tell you that, 'cause I don't know."
In November 2023, Blackie addressed the high musical standard of W.A.S.P. most recent albums, telling Canada's The Metal Voice: "Nobody makes money making records anymore. So if you're going to make records now, you're doing it because of your legacy. And if you're going to do that, then you really have to make sure that it's as strong as it can be, because it's always gonna be measured against what you did to begin with."
He continued: "All bands, they make their bones the first five years they're together, the first five or six records they make; their whole legacy is cemented there. It doesn't mean you can't make good records later on down the line, but everything is gonna be constantly compared to that… In other words, think of whatever new record you do now as your opening act. It's always gonna be compared to that early stuff. And so for it to get an honest review or a fair shake, so to speak, that new record has to maybe be even better than the original stuff was, because people have had so many years to romance those older songs in their heads. And when you go up against people that have been doing that for a long time, it's hard to erase those memories, and you don't wanna do that anyway. But you just want the new stuff to have a chance to compete. And the only way that new stuff can do that is they have to be solid records."
W.A.S.P. kicked off the North American leg of the "Album ONE Alive" tour on October 26, 2024 at Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo, California. The 39-city run made stops across North America in Vancouver, British Columbia; Toronto, Ontario; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Dallas, Texas; New York City; Orlando, Florida; and more before wrapping up on December 14, 2024 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, California.
Along with bassist Mike Duda and lead guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band are 30 and 19 years respectively, W.A.S.P. is joined by longtime drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.
Because of the extensive back injuries Lawless suffered during the European leg of W.A.S.P.'s 40th-anniversary tour, the band's previously announced 2023 U.S. tour was canceled.
W.A.S.P.'s massive European leg of the 40th-anniversary world tour wrapped on May 18, 2023 in Sofia, Bulgaria at Universidada Sports Hall.
W.A.S.P. wrapped up its first U.S. tour in 10 years with a sold-out show on December 11, 2022 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. This marked the 18th sold-out shows for the U.S. tour, which kicked off in late October 2022. W.A.S.P.'s performances included the return of the band's classic song "Animal (Fuck Like a Beast)", which hadn't been played live in over 15 years. | +2 | |
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1 июн 2025
Watch: TIM 'RIPPER' OWENS Performs Songs From His Era Of JUDAS PRIEST In Lima, Peru
 Former JUDAS PRIEST and current KK'S PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens performed on May 25 at Yield Rock in Lima, Peru as part of his South American solo tour. Backing Owens at the gig were Fabio Carito (bass),Marcus Dotta (drums),Bruno Luiz (guitar) and Wander Cunha (guitar). Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen below.
In a recent interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, Owens was asked if he has ever thought about writing an autobiography. Tim responded: "Yeah, I'd like to do one. I just don't know if I can talk about everything in my career. I don't know if it's right. There's bands that can do that because they were known as being — they'd come up in the '70s and '80s, so there's there's things they'd done and in their career and they like to talk about it because they were into that. But I don't know. I don't necessarily wanna throw people under the bus.
"I think it might be a little bit boring 'cause I'm not gonna talk about everything. On the other hand, I guess I do have a lot to talk about, and maybe talking about everything would be a pretty good idea. It could make me look a little more adventurous, too. I can make things up.
"I've said this: I will write a book, but I'm not writing a book that's not paying me. 'Cause I see so many musicians and so many people write books, and I know they haven't made much money from it. I'm not saying I'm gonna be super rich, but I've always said if I'm writing a book, it's paying me — it's paying me to write the book. I'm not just putting it out there to put it out there. I've gotta retire at some point.
"But, yeah, I've had one hell of a career. Just a kid from Akron, Ohio that's done and played with the musicians that I have, and all because of JUDAS PRIEST giving me a break and a chance to sing for 'em. And, yeah, just a book on who I've played with and when I've jammed with them, whether it was Ace Frehley [KISS] or Scott Ian [ANTHRAX] or whoever it's been, it's pretty crazy 'cause, again, I'm still just a fan and a kid from Akron, Ohio that gets to do what I do."
Owens previously discussed the possibility of writing a book in January in an interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast. He said at the time: "I've never been offered [a book deal]. I'm not writing a book unless I get paid money, 'cause they loosely made a movie about me; I didn't get paid nothing for that. So, they would have to pay me some money. But I don't know how to do it 'cause I don't wanna… I'll probably hurt some feelings doing that book. But I won't spill all the beans. I might be in trouble if I spill all the beans."
He continued: "I would be nice about it. But it is a great story, isn't it? I mean, it's an amazing story. And it's continued to be. I love when people go, 'What have you done since JUDAS PRIEST?' More? I don't know. I've toured the world more. I've played in front of the same amount of crowds, sold more records. This is all after JUDAS PRIEST. So I think it's pretty crazy when someone says, 'What have you done?' Or they diss me by saying, 'Oh, the guy that used to be somebody.' I'm, like, 'What do you mean used…?' I'm doing more now than I ever did in my life. So it's kind of, like, 'I don't know what you're talking about.'
"I've done a lot," Owens added. "I said I've been fired from more bands than people have been in, so it's kind of funny. But, yeah, I've met so many great people. And I always say JUDAS PRIEST was my college, and they opened up the door for me to make a living out of it. And I've worked hard at trying to make sure I'm in top form and ready to go."
The 2001 Warner Bros. movie "Rock Star", starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, was loosely based on Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group.
Asked in a 2014 interview with Russia's Classic Rock magazine how much of "Rock Star" was styled after him, Tim said: "When they first [got the idea to do] the 'Rock Star' movie [under its original name 'Metal God'], it was really gonna be about me. And then JUDAS PRIEST pulled away from it, because they didn't like some things. So [the producers] really made their own movie, I think. The similarities were that I auditioned for JUDAS PRIEST and I sang one line of a song and hit a note and made the band. But then a lot of the things, they kind of went out… I mean, I wasn't that kind of fan when I made the band, because I was that kind of crazy kid in high school in the '80s. But this was 1996, so I wasn't living at my parents' with posters on the walls. I mean, it was still pretty cool. I mean, to have a movie loosely based on you is pretty cool."
Regarding whether it was ironic that the "Rock Star" movie became almost prophetic in the sense that Mark Wahlberg's character in the film ends up playing small clubs with his own material after the band's original lead singer rejoins the group, Owens said: "For me, the movie was almost [like real life]. Rob [Halford] came back [to JUDAS PRIEST], which was good for me, to be honest. My career, I went on to do a lot of stuff. It was better for the band, it was better for Rob. So it was kind of funny. I think I became a little bit bigger than the coffee shop singer that Mark Wahlberg was in the movie in the end, just playing there. I still get to play in front of thousands of people in Russia. But it is similar how he went on to do his own thing."
Owens joined PRIEST in 1996 after being discovered when PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was given a videotape of Tim performing with the PRIEST cover band BRITISH STEEL. JUDAS PRIEST at the time was seeking a replacement for Halford, who has since rejoined the band. Asked in an interview with The Vinyl Guide podcast what kind of advice or preparation he had for stepping into those shoes, Owens said: "Well, listen, I was confident. They were confident with my voice. I knew some fans wouldn't like me, but I also knew that I could sing really good, and I could sing really good live. One advantage I felt I had as a singer was I could sing what I recorded in the studio; whatever I recorded, I'm gonna be able to sing that live. And I felt when fans came to the show, they would be happy that they have someone who's coming in the JUDAS PRIEST that could still keep the voice going. So if someone didn't like me, there's nothing I could do. K.K. [Downing, then-PRIEST guitarist] used to always say, ''The proof is in the pudding. Come to the show and see.' And I think a lot of people used to come to the shows and they just couldn't wait to hate me. They hated me showing up and wanted me to fail. And so many of 'em, I'd win 'em over when I started singing, because they could tell that I loved it; I loved what I was singing, and I wanted to do the songs justice. So I always felt confident."
Addressing the fact that the two albums PRIEST recorded with Owens — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — sold poorly, and he was ultimately pushed out to clear the way for the return of Halford, Tim said: "It was a really bad time of heavy metal. So it wasn't like I joined them in the heyday. I mean, when Rob left JUDAS PRIEST, they were playing in front of a couple thousand people on the 'Painkiller' tour, a lot of shows So, it really wasn't a great time of heavy metal. So I understood that, and I understood people would want Rob back. But all I cared about was getting on stage and sound[ing good]. I just wanted the band to be happy and me to be happy with me doing it. That's all I worried about."
He added: "I know a lot of the the musicians at the time, especially the hair metal bands, because hair metal was gone at that time, they hated me in L.A., 'cause they were, like, 'Who's this guy? He comes from Akron, Ohio. What's he done? How's he here?' And I still am the same Ohio guy, [with the] same friends. I have the same attitude. And all of us are the same. I tell musicians this all the time: we're all the same. I mean, nothing different."
Asked if he had any sort of communication or relation with Halford at that time, Owens said: "No, just in the press. They always tried to get us to say mean things and bad things. And every now and then, one of us would say something. Now, this was pre-Internet. So, I couldn't imagine doing that nowadays, how screwed up it would be. But, no, because there was a respect. I don't think Rob liked me much, probably at the time, because someone's going to his band, his songs and singing this, but we always had this respect. And when we met each other, we always had great talks. And I think it made a lot of people mad that we liked each other. I think it made a lot of people mad, and I think it still does. But whenever I've seen him, I love talking to him, and he knows what's going on with me, and he's, like, 'Oh, I see that you're playing in Russia,' whatever."
Tim continued: "Back in those days, [journalists] would have the old tape recorder hidden. Now they could just turn their phone on, and no one would know it. But you would do an interview, and then they go, 'All right, the interview's over.' And then they'd turn the tape recorder off, but they'd have another one going in their pocket trying to get you to say stuff. And you know this, doing interviews, you get people to feel comfortable so you talk like you're friends. And then you just start saying stuff. And I put my foot in my mouth a few times. Oh, now I do all the time, because now — I always do."
In 2019, Owens told Ultimate Guitar that he believes his era of JUDAS PRIEST is largely overlooked. "Yeah, I think it definitely deserves more [attention]," he said. "I mean, they don't do anything. [Laughs] It's kind of amazing that they just totally erased it that they won't play... I mean, 'Burn In Hell' [off 'Jugulator'], the crowd would like to hear 'Burn In Hell'.
"They don't have to give me a tribute or anything, but it would be nice to play a song from... You know, that was a pretty big thing, I did two studio records, two live records, and a DVD, starting from '96 to 2004. So it's kind of crazy that it's just been erased and they won't even play a song from it live, because it is JUDAS PRIEST."
"Demolition" and "Jugulator" are included on "50 Heavy Metal Years Of Music", JUDAS PRIEST's limited-edition box set which contains every official live and studio album to date plus 13 unreleased discs. Released in October 2021, it is the most extensive release of previously unreleased music the band has made from its vast archives.
Hoy #TimRipper llega a nuestro escenario!!!
Les dejamos los horarios, ultimas entradas en puerta!!!
Posted by Yield Rock on Sunday, May 25, 2025 | +1 | |
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1 июн 2025
KELLY HANSEN On 'Emotion' Of His Upcoming Final Concert With FOREIGNER: 'Hopefully I Can Hold It Together And Do It'
 In a new interview Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, FOREIGNER's longtime singer Kelly Hansen spoke about his decision to retire from touring with the band later this year. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, let me just be clear — for me, it's gonna stop. I'm doing all the shows through the end of the summer, and then our rhythm guitar player [Luis Maldonado], who's very talented guy, great singer, great musician, he's been in the band almost five years, he's going to be the new lead vocalist of the band. So I'm stepping away. I'm passing the mic. So this will be my last year as the lead singer of the band, but I am gonna do all the shows through the summer."
Hansen announced he's stepping down rom FOREIGNER earlier this month live during a special appearance on NBC's "The Voice". In a moving segment that aired nationally, Hansen introduced Maldonado as his official successor — a moment that symbolized both an end and a bold new beginning for the powerhouse group.
Asked by Carr when he knew that "this is gonna be it for me", Hansen said: "Well, I brought the idea of me finally letting go to [FOREIGNER's founding guitarist] Mick Jones in 2022. So we talked about it, and he was very supportive. He didn't want me to leave. And we've done so many great things together. But I felt like [since] I've been in this business almost 50 years, I've been in the band 20 years and I'm singing a catalog of songs that every singer couldn't even dream of having. But it's a very demanding catalog of songs, and it doesn't get easier. I mean, the song demand never changes, but as you age, you change. And I don't wanna be out there doing these songs less than the best I can or that the songs deserve. So what we decided to do was when we started kind of putting things in motion, it made all the sense in the world to go inside the band to a guy who's been with the band almost five years, who's an amazing vocalist, and have him be the singer. And it just all made sense to do it that way. And then we were talking about how we were gonna make this transition, and 'The Voice' called us and they said, 'We want you to play on our finale show.' And I had the idea. I called my manager, I said, 'Why don't we do the handoff live on 'The Voice'?' And he thought that was a great idea, and 'The Voice' just thought that was a great idea. And so that's how we made it happen. It was really serendipitous."
Asked how he thinks it's going to feel for him to play his final FOREIGNER concert, Kelly said: "I don't even wanna think about it, because I know the whole tour's gonna be emotionally up and down. It's gonna be a blast and I know there's gonna be some surprises and it's gonna be really fun.
"When you play a show, at least for me, in order to communicate the music and the songs and the lyrics, you have to open yourself up emotionally to get that out," he explained. "But what that does is that also opens it for stuff to come in, and so you're very raw, and that means that any emotion you feel will be right on top, just bubbling right on the top. So hopefully I can hold it together and do it."
Kelly also talked about his future plans, including a possible continuation of some of the philanthropic work that he has done with FOREIGNER. He said: "I don't have any concrete plans for right now. First thing I'm gonna do is I'm gonna take a break. And then I'm looking forward to where the wind takes me. There are a lot of possibilities. I mean, the band has been working with Shriners [Hospitals For Children] and the Grammy Foundation for 15 years, bringing choirs on stage during 'I Want To Know What Love Is', which I've really loved. And I think we get the better end of the deal because they raised recognition about the lack of funding for school music programs, and we get to see the looks on their faces when they're on stage, maybe for the first time in front of thousands of people. And it's really amazing to see that. So I hope maybe that will happen for me in some way. But like I said, for right now, no concrete plans."
When Hansen announced his departure from FOREIGNER on May 20, he said in a statement: "Being the voice of FOREIGNER has been one of the greatest honors of my life. But it's time to pass the mic. Luis has the voice, the energy and the soul to carry these songs into the future. I couldn't be prouder to hand this off to him."
Jones said that "in 1976, my goal was to assemble the finest group of musicians I could find" and "Results have shown that it worked!" He added that "about thirty years later, Jason Bonham encouraged me to do it all over again and create a brand-new FOREIGNER, and the magic was still there," explaining that "I was especially fortunate in the choice of lead singer."
In the statement, Jones called Hansen "one of the best" frontmen in music and said he "breathed new life into our songs" over a 20-year span. "His boundless energy and flawless talent has helped us climb the mountain and set up the opportunity for FOREIGNER vocalist and guitarist Luis Maldonado to bring us home," Jones said. "I wish Kelly great happiness in his next endeavors after our summer tour, and I look forward to welcoming Luis to his new position."
Before Luis joined FOREIGNER, he was best known as the guitarist for TRAIN and for his work with Lisa Marie Presley. He now steps into the spotlight as FOREIGNER's new lead singer. Maldonado brings a rich blend of vocal power, stage charisma, and musical versatility that makes him a natural fit to lead the next chapter of the band's journey.
"This music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember," said Maldonado. "I'm ready to honor FOREIGNER's legacy and bring my heart to every performance."
Hansen joined FOREIGNER in 2005 and played a crucial role in revitalizing the band's live presence. His powerful vocals and magnetic stage presence helped introduce FOREIGNER's timeless hits to a new generation of fans across the globe.
FOREIGNER's tour continues through 2025 and will feature both Hansen and Maldonado on stage in a symbolic handoff. The transition coincides with major milestones for the band, including next year's 50th anniversary of its formation in New York in 1976.
FOREIGNER replaced original singer Lou Gramm with Hansen. Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.
Photo credit: Karsten Staiger
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1 июн 2025
PARADISE LOST Welcomes Back Drummer JEFF SINGER
 British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST have been rejoined by drummer Jeff Singer. Jeff previously played with the band between 2004 and 2008 and appeared on the albums "Paradise Lost" (2005) and "In Requiem" (2007).
Earlier today (Saturday, May 31),Singer released the following statement via social media: "When I got a call asking if I would drum for PARADISE LOST again, it was clear the time was right and we could actually make this happen. Nothing could make me prouder. Firstly, the band, management and fans have always made me feel part of the family and secondly as a fan of the band it is a dream and something I have thought about a lot over the years. PARADISE LOST are in my blood. I can't wait and am so excited to get out there with the lads playing the songs I love and meeting our amazing loyal fans again."
Less than a week ago, PARADISE LOST parted ways with its drummer of the past two years, Guido Zima Montanarini. The band announced his exit in a social media post on May 29, saying: "We've made the difficult creative decision to part ways with our drummer, Guido Zima. We thank Guido for his contributions to the band and wish him all the best in his future endeavors."
When Guido first joined PARADISE LOST in March 2023 as the replacement for Finnish drummer Waltteri Väyrynen, PARADISE LOST guitarist Greg Mackintosh said in a statement: "We welcome Guido as PARADISE LOST's new drummer. He cut his teeth with us on our European tour at the end of 2022. Guido did such a good job that we have decided to make him our new drummer and he will be playing on all upcoming PL shows and working on new material with us for our next album."
PARADISE LOST just completed "The Devil Embraced" North American tour. The trek kicked off on May 16 at the Milwaukee Metal Fest and concluded on May 24 at Maryland Deathfest.
In September 2022, Väyrynen left PARADISE LOST to join OPETH. At the time, he issued a statement saying that his decision involved "absolutely no bad blood or drama whatsoever."
In a recent interview with Alejandrosis, PARADISE LOST guitarist Aaron Aedy spoke about the status of the follow-up to the band's latest album, "Obsidian", which was released in May 2020 via Nuclear Blast. He said: "It's not fully mixed yet, but it's recorded." Asked if he could give fans some details about the musical direction of the new PARADISE LOST material, Aaron said: "No. It's like opening your presents before Christmas. No, I don't wanna go into the new album too much just yet, 'cause I'll wait to see what it's like when it's mixed. It's almost finished, but not quite."
This past March, Mackintosh told Chile's PowerOfMetal.cl that PARADISE LOST's new LP would likely be released "September time." He added: "It's been the longest time we've ever had between albums. But that's kind of because of the pandemic as well… So shit happens. And, yeah, hopefully it'll come out September, October time this year."
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of their fourth album, "Icon", PARADISE LOST re-recorded the LP for a special new release. There was also "an extra special vinyl" version of the album, both of which were made available in December 2023.
"Icon 30" is a totally re-recorded version of "Icon", and PARADISE LOST once again worked with longtime collaborator and producer Jaime Gomez Arellano.
PARADISE LOST recorded the vocals and drums for "Icon 30" at Jaime's new studio Arda Recorders in Porto, Portugal. The rest of the album was completed at Mackintosh's Black Planet Studios. "Icon 30" also features brand new artwork created by Scott Robinson and new liner notes from Kerrang!'s Nick Ruskell.
"Icon" marked a departure from the death-doom sound of PARADISE LOST's early work and was the last album to feature Matthew Archer on drums.
In February 2018, "Icon" was inducted into the Decibel "Hall Of Fame", with the magazine naming it influential to the development of the gothic metal subgenre.
Formed in Halifax, West Yorkshire, in 1988, PARADISE LOST were unlikely candidates for metal glory when they slithered from the shadows and infiltrated the U.K. underground. But not content with spawning an entire subgenre with early death/doom masterpiece "Gothic" nor with conquering the metal mainstream with the balls-out power of 1995's "Draconian Times", they have subsequently traversed multiple genre boundaries with skill and grace, evolving through the pitch-black alt-rock mastery of 1990s classics "One Second" and "Host" to the muscular but ornate grandeur of 2009's "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" and "Tragic Idol" (2012),with the nonchalant finesse of grand masters. The band's "The Plague Within" (2015) and "Medusa" (2017) albums saw a much-celebrated return to brutal, old-school thinking, via two crushing monoliths to slow-motion death and spiritual defeat.
Paradise Lost welcomes back Jeff Singer on drums.
*And The Planets Aligned*
"When I got a call asking if I would drum...
Posted by Paradise Lost on Saturday, May 31, 2025
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31 май 2025
STRAY FROM THE PATH Surprise Releases Final Album 'Clockworked'
 STRAY FROM THE PATH — Drew Dijorio (vocals),Tom Williams (guitar),Anthony Altamura (bass) and Craig Reynolds (drums) — has surprised released its final album, "Clockworked" today (Friday, May 30) via SharpTone Records. The band also dropped the video for "Shot Caller". Watch it below.
STRAY FROM THE PATH comments: "We are excited and grateful to announce our final album 'Clockworked' is out now. Available in record stores today, shipping immediately from web stores and streaming in its entirety on all platforms."
The band continues: "The four of us, Anthony, Craig, Drew and Tom, have been touring together as a unit for almost 10 years, and now it feels like the right time to put the band to rest.
"We've gone on to make amazing records together, tour the world, and have been fortunate to gain the support of people, more than we could have asked for. We get to go out on our own accord, on a final record and do some final tours celebrating the band one last time with the people who gave us a great career.
"Listen to 'Clockworked' and keep your eyes peeled for further touring announcements."
STRAY FROM THE PATH finishes by saying: "This is a mutual decision — there's no bad blood, we love each other, and we love you all. In the next couple weeks, we will be announcing our final tour dates, and after 2025, we will be putting the band to rest. Looking forward to celebrating the band one last time together for the rest of 2025."
"Clockworked" track listing:
01. Kubrick Stare
02. Fuck Them All To Hell
03. Shot Caller
04. Can't Help Myself
05. Clockworked (feat. Florent Salfati)
06. Shocker
07. Bodies In The Dark (feat. Jeff Moreira)
08. Can I Have Your Autograph?
09. You're Not That Guy
10. A Life In Four Chapters
Over the course of two decades, STRAY FROM THE PATH has unleashed a series of fan-favorite albums, including "Villains" (2008),"Make Your Own History" (2009),"Rising Sun" (2011),"Anonymous" (2013),"Subliminal Criminals" (2015),"Only Death Is Real" (2017) and "Internal Atomics" (2019). Meanwhile, 2022's "Euthanasia" represented a critical high watermark. Of the latter, Alternative Press raved, "After two decades of politically incendiary, hip-hop-indebted metalcore, this is their bleakest and most furious." Rating it 4 out of 5, Kerrang! hailed it as "scorching." In 2024, STRAY FROM THE PATH returned to the studio with longtime producer and frequent collaborator Will Putney (BODY COUNT, KNOCKED LOOSE, VEIN.FM) for what will become their final release — "Clockworked". | +1 | |
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Finger Eleven
