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26 май 2025

Pinhead

26 май 2025

Black Path

26 май 2025

Cromlech

26 май 2025

FASTER PUSSYCAT's TAIME DOWNE Says First Concert After Fiancée's Death Was 'Very Emotional'

In a new interview with Troy Patrick Farrell of the This That And The Other radio show, FASTER PUSSYCAT founder and frontman Taime Downe, whose fiancée went overboard this past March from the Royal Caribbean ship Explorer Of The Seas during the first day of this year's edition of The 80s Cruise, was asked how he is preparing for the band's upcoming U.S. tour, which is scheduled to kick off on May 30 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm just not. I'm not. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do, I guess. That's what I'm doing. So I'm just out there just talking to my friends. That's all I'm doing. Just talking to my peeps, getting shit ready to go. Talking to Chad [Stewart, FASTER PUSSYCAT drummer], talking to Sam 'Bam' [Koltun, FASTER PUSSYCAT guitarist]. Dealing with our agent. Dealing with other stuff. Dealing with stuff that's all moving forward. just doing that — trying to keep positive and move on with my day. Just try to [stay] as positive as possible."

Asked about the first show FASTER PUSSYCAT played after Downe's fiancée's death, which took place on April 13 at the 53rd anniversary of the Rainbow Bar And Grill in West Hollywood, California, Taime said: "It was a little tough, but it was fucking off the hook. It was really cool. It was very emotional, but it was good."

Although it was initially unclear if Downe's fiancée fell or jumped from the Explorer Of The Seas, a source told The Hollywood Reporter a few days later that security video appeared to show she jumped, dying by suicide. Insiders told TMZ that the footage showed the woman climbing the cruise ship's railing before stepping off. Downe was subsequently cleared of wrongdoing in the matter.

FASTER PUSSYCAT was performing on the 1980s-themed cruise from March 2 to March 9, traveling from Miami to Nassau, San Juan and Puerto Plata.

Originally formed during the mid-1980s glam rock era, FASTER PUSSYCAT has gone on to sell over two million albums worldwide, and has accompanied some of rocks most distinguished names on tour, such as ALICE COOPER, OZZY OSBOURNE, MÖTLEY CRÜE, GUNS N' ROSES and KISS.

FASTER PUSSYCAT is best known for its late 1980s hits "House Of Pain" and "Bathroom Wall".

The band broke up in 1993 but reformed in 2001 with Downe as the sole remaining original member.

They have released four albums: "Faster Pussycat" (1987),"Wake Me When It's Over" (1989),"Whipped!" (1992) and "The Power And The Glory Hole" (2006).

Earlier this month, FASTER PUSSYCAT released a new single, "Motorbike".

A limited-edition seven-inch of "Motorbike" printed on "Pussycat Purple" vinyl is available to order now. The vinyl B-side is FASTER PUSSYCAT's take on the INXS classic "Don't Change".

Faster Pussycat

26 май 2025

Ice Nine Kills

26 май 2025

SKILLET's JOHN COOPER Praises LINKIN PARK's Comeback: 'It's Wonderful To See Them Do Well And To See Them Rebrand'

In a new interview with Poland's Teraz Rock, John Cooper, the frontman and bassist for the Grammy-nominated Christian rock band SKILLET, spoke about LINKIN PARK's latest album, "From Zero", which came out last November. It marks 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. "From Zero" features LINKIN PARK's new singer Emily Armstrong and drummer Colin Brittain, who have joined returning members co-vocalist and main producer Mike Shinoda, guitarist Brad Delson, bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell and DJ/visual director Joe Hahn in the band's new lineup. Guitarist Alex Feder is filling in for Delson at all LINKIN PARK concerts for the foreseeable future.

John said about "From Zero" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's fantastic. My wife Korey [Cooper, SKILLET keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist] absolutely loves the record, so I think that I know every word on the record because my wife is playing it — always constantly playing that record. But it's really, really fantastic. I actually think it's kind of almost eerie how much [Emily] sounds like Chester when she screams. It's kind of eerie, actually. She sounds so much like him. Especially that it's a girl sounding like him, it's kind of mind-boggling to me. So, yeah, I think it's absolutely fantastic. But to be fair, my wife loves it exceedingly more than I do. I think it's fantastic. It was my wife's favorite album of the year. She has been just crazy about it. It's wonderful to see them do well and to see them rebrand."

John continued: "Look, this is my personal opinion. I don't know if everybody agrees with it. I don't mean it negative in any way. I actually mean it as a positive. I think that sometimes when you have a change of a major force — Chester was a force — the change can also be really, really good. But sometimes for me it, I almost view it as a new act. Maybe here's a good way to say it. U2 never changed Bono, but, to me, U2 is split into two different eras that are very, very different. You have early U2, 'War' and 'The Joshua Tree' and 'Rattle And Hum', which is just so amazing and so iconic. Nobody ever sounded like that before. Then you have the otherU2, which is also really, really good. But it's tough to compare because they're good for different reasons. Does that make sense? I actually view VAN HALEN and, as I call them, VAN HAGAR — both are really, really good. But David Lee Roth, are you kidding me? He is the best frontman of all time. But then you've got Sammy Hagar and you have some of VAN HALEN's best songs they ever wrote with him singing. That's kind of how I view the LINKIN PARK thing. I'm so happy for them that they rebranded but then did something that nobody would ever imagine, 'cause they kind of went back to their earlier sound with a singer that that kind of sometimes sounds eerily so much like Chester that it's kind of mind boggling. They wrote great songs. To me, it's sort of a new era. And I think that's fair. I think that that's a good thing, and I mean it nothing but positive. So I'm very, very happy for them. I think they made a really incredible record. Kudos."

Last September, more than seven years after Bennington's death, LINKIN PARK debuted Armstrong and Brittain on a livestream.

LINKIN PARK kicked off its North American tour on April 26 at Moody Center in Austin, Texas.

The deluxe edition of "From Zero" came out on May 16 via Warner.

"From Zero (Deluxe Edition)" 2CD is a limited pressing. It features a four-panel softpak packaging with 16-page booklet and showcases three new songs, five live tracks recorded around the world and all new, expanded packaging.

LINKIN PARK launched the 2025 leg of its "From Zero" world tour on January 31 at Estadio GNP Seguros in Mexico City, Mexico.

In late January, LINKIN PARK released an a cappella/vocals-only version of "From Zero", dubbed "From Zero - A Cappellas".

Last September, Mike addressed the scrutiny Emily would encounter as the replacement for an iconic singer like Chester, telling the KROQ radio station: "We've all talked about it with each other and with her a million times, and we're still talking about it. One difficult thing that people are experiencing is just that they've heard LINKIN PARK for so long with Chester's voice and the idea of somebody else being in that role, it feels really different. In the context of the [new LINKIN PARK] music, I know that I love it. I think her voice is incredible. And the best thing for people who have such a strong connection to Chester to know, just to know about me, is that Chester was a one-of-a-kind person and a one-of-a-kind voice, and Emily is also a one-of-a-kind person and a one-of-a-kind voice. She's not trying to be him. She's trying to be her. And it so happens that I think she singing on these songs sounds like LINKIN PARK."

Skillet

26 май 2025

GARY HOLT Was 'Absolutely' Surprised When He Found Out SLAYER Was Returning To Live Stage

During an appearance on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, SLAYER guitarist Gary Holt reflected on the band's two reunion performances last year — on September 22, 2024 at the Riot Fest in Chicago, Illinois and on October 10, 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. Holt, who is also a longtime member of EXODUS, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it [had] been years, but we rehearsed really hard for those shows. We put in the effort. I never stopped. I was on tour [with EXODUS] a month after the final SLAYER show. Only the pandemic slowed me down. So, my chops were up. So, it was just refamiliarizing yourself with the material a little bit."

Asked if he was surprised when he got the call letting him know that SLAYER was planning on returning to the live stage, Gary said: "Absolutely. People say, 'Oh, this and that. You planned this all along.' I'm like, look, I knew a little while before everybody else, but I didn't know forever. I knew early enough to sit down at home and start studying the songs, 'cause I wanted to be really prepared. But, yeah, I was surprised."

Holt continued: "I'm sure there were offers for the band forever, but they felt like it was time, and I'm more than happy to do it. And at least as of now, the current method, which has been [for SLAYER to play] a brief, minor, small little couple of shows [every year], that's fine because I'm fully committed to EXODUS. And so it allows me to do that and then go out [with SLAYER] and play with fire, which, that shit's expensive. EXODUS does not get pyro."

Last October, Holt told Chuck Armstrong of Loudwire Nights that the SLAYER performances at Riot Fest and Aftershock were "surreal. It was awesome," he said. "We rehearsed really hard for it, like full production rehearsal. In the past, when I did rehearse — SLAYER rehearsed in this tiny little music studio room with little half stacks. This was cool 'cause I got to play with the entire rig — three amps, six cabs all on. I got to redesign the rig based on my EXODUS rig. So it was the exact same identical thing tone-wise, just three times as large, which was awesome.

"We were nervous," Holt admitted. "Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] was nervous, and he sounded amazing. Sometimes you've just gotta forget about the time and how long it's been and just let muscle memory kick in and just do it. I mean, I only played one song I'd never played, and that was '213'. And 'Reborn' I'd only played, I think, once, so that was almost a new song — once or twice. Everything else was just refreshers."

Gary added: "I started working on the songs a long, long time ago, when the shows were first announced: 'All right, I'd better make sure I know how to play this shit still.' And I literally had to like dive into Internet tab on songs I'd played a hundred times. But then I'd [go], 'Man, I'm playing it wrong.' Then I just forget about it and just play, and then all right, my hands remember where the notes are.

"But it was spectacular," Holt said. "Losing the second show [at the Louder Than Life festival] due to the weather, the tail end of the hurricane, was a real, real bummer, especially for all the fans who flew in. I met people at the airport who flew in from England for it. And they had the best attitude about it. Obviously, it wasn't our fault. We tried everything we could. You can't control 50-mile-an-hour gusts. The crew had to evacuate, like, three times that afternoon. We never left the hotel.

"But it was amazing. It was surreal. It was like this moment. The crowd was just very happy. And we were happy, and everything was good."

At Riot Fest and Aftershock, SLAYER ran through a 20-song set that included opener "South Of Heaven", "Seasons In The Abyss", "Angel Of Death", "Hell Awaits", "Raining Blood" and the title track of SLAYER's final album, "Repentless".

SLAYER was also scheduled to play at the aforementioned Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on September 27, 2024, but that performance was canceled due to severe weather.

In a separate interview with Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco Bay Area radio station 107.7 The Bone, SLAYER drummer Paul Bostaph also reflected on the band's two reunion performances. Asked how he felt now that the gigs were behind him, Bostaph said: "How do I feel? Um, wow. That's a really good question. I'm kind of a bit drained. Sacramento was a lot of guests there, a lot of friends, not to mention the show. So it was a lot of energy just put out. But each one of the shows kind of felt that way because it was kind of overwhelming because I never thought it would happen again. So, yeah, it was a lot of relearning songs that you really thought you did know, but you hadn't played them for five years. So, I don't know — it was great. I feel like it was probably one of the best live experiences I had because the fans were really into it. They were hungry for it, and that kind of made it special."

Five years after SLAYER played the last concert of what was being billed as the band's farewell tour and just weeks after SLAYER guitarist Kerry King unveiled the details of his solo project, Kerry and his longtime bandmates announced that they would play at Aftershock, Riot Fest and Louder Than Life.

The lineup for SLAYER's comeback was the same as the one which last toured in 2019: King and Araya, along with Holt and Bostaph.

In September 2024, Bostaph told the Los Angeles Times that he was surprised when the reunion dates were lined up. "I'm, like, 'You're kidding, right?' I really put that to bed," the drummer said. "When something like that ends, I'm not going to do that to myself: Gee, someday it'd be great to get back together again. Life is life and this is how it is, and I'm moving on to whatever the next thing is. I put that to bed and then all of a sudden the call comes."

Last July, Kerry told Guitar World magazine that he "was very surprised" when Araya agreed to play three SLAYER shows in 2024. "I made my comments [about SLAYER being finished] based on [Tom] not wanting to play anymore. As far as I was concerned, we were done and never going to play again. To be honest, I don't know what switched.

"We've been turning down offers to play shows for at least three years. So, one came up that, I guess, enticed Tom to the point where he wanted to roll the dice and try a couple. I don't know, but that's all it is."

King previously told Total Guitar magazine about SLAYER's reunion shows: "It caught me off guard too. Do I wish the timing was different? Absolutely, but that's completely out of my hands."

In June 2024, King was asked by Jonathan Clarke, host of "Out Of The Box" on Q104.3, New York's classic rock station, about how SLAYER's reunion shows came about. He responded: "I'll put it in the perspective everybody can understand. We've been turning down offers since beginning of 2020, pandemic and all. And then it started getting near the five-year anniversary of us stopping playing, so I'm, like, 'You know what? This is a three-show package. I think it would be fun to do.' It's kind of a five-year anniversary of our last tour. We're never gonna tour again — it ain't gonna happen. We're never gonna record again; that's not gonna happen either. But to do commemorative shows, I think that's kind of fun. I don't have to be married to it for a long time. Kids don't have to worry about it coming around on tour because we said we wouldn't. There's not a whole lot of weird diabolical shit going on here. I think people have just gotta say, 'Hey, it's anniversary celebration shows.' That's gonna be the end of it."

Days after SLAYER's reunion was announced, Tom Araya's wife wrote on social media that she "harassed him for over a year" before he "agreed finally" to play more shows with the band. "We shared that news with SLAYER's awesome managers and they did the rest!" she explained. "So yes without Tom it wouldn't have happened.. without me BUGGING HIM it wouldn't have happened."

Kerry's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", arrived in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by King, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by Bostaph and the rest of Kerry's solo band, consisting of guitarist Phil Demmel, bassist Kyle Sanders and singer Mark Osegueda.

Earlier this year, SLAYER announced headline performances for the U.S., Canada and the U.K., marking the band's first U.K. and Canadian concerts in six years. The U.K. and Canadian dates will see SLAYER headlining at some of the countries' biggest venues, including the 35,000-capacity Blackweir Fields in Cardiff, London's 45,000-capacity Finsbury Park, and the 100,000-capacity Festival D'été De Québec in Canada.

In addition to the band's international headline dates, SLAYER will help celebrate BLACK SABBATH's incredible career at SABBATH's sold-out "Back To The Beginning" final concert, set for July 5 at Villa Park in Birmingham, England. The "Back To The Beginning" concert will mark only the third time SLAYER has shared a stage with BLACK SABBATH, following Ozzfest in 1998 and in 2004.

Marking the band's only U.S. East Coast performance in 2025, SLAYER will headline Hershey, Pennsylvania's 30,000-seat Hersheypark Stadium on Saturday, September 20.

Photo credit: Ryan Segedi

Slayer

26 май 2025

Amorphis

26 май 2025

Watch: Ex-SKID ROW Singer ERIK GRÖNWALL Rejoins H.E.A.T On Stage In Madrid

Ex-SKID ROW singer Erik Grönwall rejoined his former band H.E.A.T on stage this past Friday (May 23) at La Riviera in Madrid, Spain to perform three songs: "Breaking The Silence", "Inferno" and "Living On The Run". Fan-filmed video of the show — which was professionally recorded for future DVD and Blu-ray release — can be seen below.

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

H.E.A.T announced in October 2020 that Grönwall was exiting the band after a decade-long tenure and he was being replaced by H.E.A.T's original vocalist Kenny Leckremo.

Grönwall said at the time: "H.E.A.T has really been a place for me to grow as an individual, singer and frontman. The guys recruited this young Swedish 'Idol' guy and believed more in me and my potential than I did myself. I am forever grateful for that.

"Gentlemen it's been a pleasure touring the world with you. I've learned a lot from you, and you've made me stronger. I look forward to build more memories with you, just not collectively as H.E.A.T".

Leckremo appeared on the band's first two studio albums, "H.E.A.T" (2008) and "Freedom Rock" (2010),as well as the band's latest effort, "Welcome To The Future", which arrived on April 25 via earMUSIC.

Earlier this month, Grönwall left Michael Schenker's European tour in order to return home to Sweden and be with his ailing father.

Schenker was touring in support of his recently released "My Years With UFO" album celebrating the 50th anniversary of Michael's years with UFO.

Grönwall is the featured singer on the "Mother Mary" song on "My Years With UFO", which also includes a guest appearance by GUNS N' ROSES' Slash on guitar.

In March 2024, Grönwall — who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in March 2021 — announced his departure from SKID ROW. He said at the time that he decided that the travel and rigors of the road were not conducive to his overall health and recovery, and he wanted to focus on a lifestyle that is more amenable for his well-being, healing and family.

This past January, Grönwall was full of praise for H.E.A.T keyboardist Jona Tee, writing in an online post: "I had the privilege of getting to know Jona when I joined his band, H.E.A.T, back in 2010. We shared an amazing 10-year journey together, and along the way, he became my best friend. One of the greatest gifts and what I value the most from my time with H.E.A.T was the bond we built, it's a friendship I'll always treasure.⠀
⠀
"Now, I know many of you often give me credit for the music I release, but let me be very clear: I wouldn't be anywhere near the artist or singer I am today without Jona Tee.⠀He produces everything for my YouTube channel and nearly all my releases. He plays almost every instrument on those tracks. And, quite simply, he's a musical genius. He's also an incredible songwriter!
⠀
"Jona constantly pushes me to deliver my absolute best. He challenges me, calls me out when I'm bitching (I do the same - tough love is the best love),and never lets me settle for less than my potential. Honestly, working with him is one of the biggest honors in my career. He's also the godfather of my son."
⠀

Together we have done it, Madrid. La Riviera - SOLD OUT!
May 23 can NOT come fast enough.

Posted by H.E.A.T on Monday, May 12, 2025

H.E.A.T

26 май 2025

GHOST: Fan-Filmed Video Of Oslo Concert From 'Phone-Free' European Tour Posted Online

Fan-filmed video of GHOST performing the song "Square Hammer" on May 24 at Spektrum in Oslo, Norway can be seen below.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour kicked off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and concluded in Oslo. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour will launch on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrap up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

In a recent interview with Audacy, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge addressed the band's announcement last fall that GHOST's 2025 world tour would be "a phone-free experience", with guests maintaining possession of their phones at all times, secured in Yondr pouches. He said: "It's an experiment. And to be perfectly honest, my 16-year-old daughter was very, very, very, very skeptical of this idea. And then she was, like, 'No one's gonna buy a ticket.' And I was, like, 'I don't know. I have no idea what people [will do].' I just know one thing, and that is that over the years it's gone absolutely insane. If you have 10,000 people at a concert and 8,000 of them are holding a phone, there's something deeply disconnected. And, obviously, this implies that I had this conversation with my daughter, but we talk about a lot of things and we speak openly about things. But I was saying, like, 'That's like having an intimate moment with someone and that person would just take out the phone like that.' 'Oh, hold on. I'm just gonna take a photo.' I know some people do that.

"If I'm just speaking for myself — I know a lot of artists don't care and I know that there are plenty of upsides, especially commercially because you want people that… The whole thing in the business is, basically, 'Yeah, we want people to film because we want people to see the show, and that will sell more tickets.' Fine. I understand that there's a promotional tool with social media. I'm not gonna neglect that. Part of our success is obviously from social media… We started on MySpace. That was the root cause for our success at the time. I don't know if we would ever become anything if it weren't for MySpace. And, obviously, our TikTok has played a huge part.

"I'm not saying that all social media is bad," he clarified. "I'm just saying that when it comes to the actual live show, my calling, my reason for being there is the connection between myself and everybody that I brought with me that are working in tandem to give you an experience, that experience is completely decocked if everybody's just filming. Am I wrong? Am I right? I don't know. That's how I, and we, felt."

Forge went on to reference the fact that GHOST's feature film debut "Rite Here Rite Now" was filmed over two nights in September 2023 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles. The two concerts were device-free experiences; use of phones and smart watches was not permitted in the performance space. Upon arrival at the venue, devices were secured in individual Yondr pouches that were opened at the end of the event.

Tobias said: "This is where we put some practice into the theory. Some of the best shows we've ever done in modern time was — I mean, as far as how it felt for us, what the vibe was — was when we played in L.A., when we recorded 'Rite Here Rite Now'. We were all taken by the fact that people were there. The crowd was there. We have never seen people like that. That was, like, 10 years ago when you saw people engaging. And I get goosebumps when I think about that. And I was, like, 'Fuck, I wanna do that every night. I want everyone to feel like this,' because I know — and this is the conversation I had with my daughter. It's, like, 'I understand that you in theory think that this is like a downside, like a bad thing.' I want people to experience this. It's just two hours of your life. Come on. If you hate it, okay. We all felt so good when we were in L.A., and I know a lot of people said the same thing. It was a great feeling. Fans were saying afterwards, like, 'I was allowed to just sing along and just act… I could do whatever I want. I don't have to worry about someone filming me or…' I mean, I'm not gonna place all the words in everybody's mouths here, but it's a great feeling, and I wanna recreate that."

Forge previously discussed GHOST's phone "ban" earlier in March in an interview with Planet Rock. He said at the time: "I really wanna underline that the ban has nothing to do with, let's say, copyright control. It's not that we wanna sit on all the material and we don't want anybody to monetize [GHOST videos]; it has nothing to do with that."

Tobias continued: "The 'Rite Here Rite Now', the film, the essence of messaging in that film was exactly that, but also I, but us collectively, working, making that film… We filmed two shows in L.A. in front of audiences where they had to put their phones into pockets. You don't give it away. You have your phone; you don't have to worry about that. If you need to call, you can go out. If you need to take a photo, you can take a photo of yourself out in the lobby; that's fine. But what ended up happening was that we had such an engaged crowd that seemed joyous in a way that… I had to go back years and in time since I last saw a fully engaged crowd where everybody's actually watching [the show]. They don't have to watch me, but they're watching the band."

The 44-year-old Forge added: "I don't wanna turn this into an ageist thing where I'm gonna tell 14-year-olds everything was better back then. But I swear that the experience of shows and the making of memories, the making of magic, was much more powerful. Some of the best shows I've ever been to, I have maybe not even seen a picture from that because they all live here [in my head]. They live in my core. That's the memory I have of that. And that is an experience I wish for… Obviously, the part of our crowd that are older and more aware, maybe this becomes a little bit nostalgic then. But I really believe that the younger portion of our crowd will, as they did in L.A., come out saying, like, 'That was not only a great concert; that was also an overwhelming experience.' Because I do believe that you will feel that."

Through the use of technology like Yondr, fans are able to place their phones in a pouch that unlocks only after they leave the no-cell-phone zone. The pouch can also be unlocked at specific cell phone stations inside the venue.

Phone-free concerts are touted as a way to cut down on illegal filming and non-stop selfies that can take away from the performance.

Yondr founder Graham Dugoni said his company's pouches were created for "phone-free spaces" where "creativity and productivity could flourish in the absence of technology."

Phones, Apple watches and other communication devices are placed in the pouch and sealed using a magnetized lock, which can be opened with an unlocking base.

Musicians like Jack White, Alicia Keys, and comedians Dave Chappelle and Jerrod Carmichael have used Yondr pouches at their shows to encourage people to live in the moment.

A number of other musicians have come out in recent years to say that mobile technology is ruining the concert experience, including SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor. He told "Loudwire Nights" that "it's fine" if people want to take pictures of his bands' shows, but not so much if they are videotaping entire performances. "It's one thing to film it, it's another thing to just be staring at your screen while you're filming it," he said. "It's right there. Are you so terrified of real life that you can't do anything unless it's on that little four-by-four screen? Ugggh. It's very weird."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach in 2015 urged fans to keep their cell phones at the bottom of their pockets and just watch his performances. "Be in the moment," he said. "You're distracted and it's distracting to the performer as well. Like, put your fuckin' cell phone away, dammit! You're never even going to watch that footage."

The overuse of cellphones to capture grainy, blurry photos and videos at concerts has for years vexed and enraged artists like Bach, who lamented the fact that every one of his performances could be recorded and shared on YouTube almost immediately.

"If I go to a wedding and sing a song, it's on Blabbermouth the next day and everybody analyzes it," said Bach. "It's a really backwards way to watch a band. It's a drag sometimes when I go up there and the first thing I see is everybody getting their phones out and holding them toward my face. It makes you feel intimidated."

Back in 2012, Bruce Dickinson chastised a fan for texting during an IRON MAIDEN concert, calling him a "wanker."

When Axl Rose reunited with his former GUNS N' ROSES bandmates Duff McKagan and Slash for the first time in 23 years at the Troubadour in Los Angeles in April 2016, the concert was phone-free.

"God, it was wonderful," McKagan told The New York Times. "It was the old-school feeling, where people were dancing and getting down. It was really cool."

GHOST released its new album, "Skeletá", on April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.

The physical home video of "Rite Here Rite Now" was made available on December 6, 2024.

Ghost

26 май 2025

IHSAHN On EMPEROR Making New Studio Album: 'If We Do It, It Would Have To Be For The Right Reasons'

EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) has once again said that he would be open to the idea of him and his bandmates writing and recording a comeback album under the right set of circumstances.

EMPEROR's last studio album, "Prometheus – The Discipline Of Fire & Demise", was released in 2001 and was written entirely by Ihsahn. The band broke up shortly thereafter, with Ihsahn going on to pursue a solo career, while guitarist Samoth (real name: Tomas Thormodsæter Haugen) partook in a variety of bands, including SCUM and ZYKLON. EMPEROR has reunited frequently in ensuing years to perform live, but has continually resisted calls to release new material, something Ihsahn says he is no longer completely opposed to.

Asked in a new interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's Metal Global if there will ever be a follow-up to "Prometheus – The Discipline Of Fire & Demise", Ihsahn said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's very hard for me to answer because I've always said no, and then I said, okay, I also said that there would never be any more EMPEROR live shows. So I don't wanna make myself a liar. So if stars align, and we have been going with the live stuff for a long, long time. But if we were to make something, I think that the reason behind it would have to be right.

"I like to think that the reason that EMPEROR still gets to tour around the world, play these amazing places and have thousands of people singing back those old songs is because they know it's for real," he continued. "It's not made for some kind of commercial aspect or some kind of entrepreneurial idea. It's just music made for the sake of music. Of course there are lots of financial motivations to do such a thing, but then again, I don't think any of us would want that to be a motivation for us doing what we do. I think that would be kind of making everything that we did in the past into a lie. So, I'm not saying I'm going to make myself a liar if we end up doing something one day, and say no, and then we do it. But if we do it, it would have to be for the right reasons — [it would have to be] because we really wanted to and we felt that's the right thing to do."

Ihsahn previously discussed the possibility of new EMPEROR music in a January 2024 interview with Sam Acevedo of El Planeta Del Rock. Asked if he thought the prospect of him and his bandmates writing and recording a new album was " a lose-lose situation", he responded at he time: "Yes. I do. And if I had a dime, as they say, for every time people ask me, 'Will there be another EMPEROR album?' In the beginning, it felt maybe a bit annoying, but I've chosen to see it more as — of course, in there, in that kind of question, there's a compliment that people, like myself, who have a relationship to music from their youth or something that you're attached to, obviously it was important for someone, which is a great thing. And the question for another album is that they want to feel that again, they want to feel more of that, which is also great. But then, in practical terms, what kind of EMPEROR album could we make that would satisfy that desire?"

He continued: "I think it would be easy-ish to make something that sounds like early EMPEROR, but who would want a black metal album made to make money off some kind of conceptual idea for some kind of demand in the market? That goes against everything that the music is about, in some sense. And if the other way would — I mean, we ended up in a place where I wrote more and more of the music, and with the last EMPEROR album, I did everything. And then, if we followed that trajectory, it's very close to how I make my music today [as a solo artist]. And I don't think that's what people mean. So, do you want this kind of metal? This is kind of what I do already. If you want me to try to go backwards and try to be a teenager again and unlearn any experience I've had as a musician and us going to back and trying to be…"

Ihsahn added: "You see how this is quite impossible. So unless planets align in the ways that me and [EMPEROR guitarist] Samoth just really connect over a common idea that we really want to make, I really don't see that happening. And also, then again, name me one band who broke up and then did a reunion record where people were, like, 'Fuck. This is amazing. This is even better than the old stuff.' It doesn't really happen because it's impossible because you can't compete with nostalgia. And also it's a risk because I would say that the culture and the atmosphere in the band and the traveling crew that we have with EMPEROR is probably better than it's been ever. And we have such a great time doing what we do. We love playing the old songs. It's not like we go there, 'Ah, these old songs.' It's not maybe always that fun to rehearse 'I Am The Black Wizards', but performing 'I Am The Black Wizards' live is never boring. And we really make sure we enjoy it and really put ourselves out there a hundred percent.

"I don't really see any reason to kind of tilt and risk destroying that for what could possibly be reasons that are not compatible with the uncompromising nature of what EMPEROR was," Ihsahn concluded. "And hopefully the tradition that uncompromising attitude probably was what got us here in the first place."

In September 2023, Ihsahn was asked by GRIMM Gent if he thinks there will be any new EMPEROR music in the future. He responded: "It kind of came to a very natural conclusion — in the sense that by the last… I eventually started writing more and more of the material, and by the last record, I did everything. And 'Prometheus' was kind of — I did that very much as a solo thing, and it goes still under the EMPEROR umbrella. So creatively, when there's no melt anymore and Samoth and Trym were doing ZYKLON — we wanted different things creatively."

He continued: "At this point, it doesn't look like [there will be new EMPEROR music]. But I've said a lot of 'no's in the past, also, like, there would never be another EMPEROR show. And I feel stupid when I say stuff like that and end up doing it anyway, so just to not to open that box, but it's, like, I won't make myself into a liar if the situation should change and that the planets will align. With creativity and stuff like that, it's very, very hard to tell, because it's a very open, channeling process. But so far I'm very, very… I get to… Yeah, I've been releasing full-length albums consistently more or less every second year since I was 16 and continue to do so. So I'm in a very happy place."

Ihsahn also discussed the possibility of a new EMPEROR album in April 2023 in an interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast. At the time, he said: "Me and Samoth have discussed it at different points, especially since we've been doing these live things occasionally and now, I guess, more permanently in the end. But the discussion is really quite open. And I've talked about that in interviews as well.

"If it were to be, what kind of EMPEROR album should it be?" he continued. "Should it be something that the fans would want, as in something that maybe sounded like the early records? Which would be, in practice, kind of easy for us to do, but still it wouldn't really have the authenticity because it would be trying to recreate something that you did when you were teenagers, and it would almost be like the opposite of the motivation of all we did. If we were turning everything on its head and started creating music for the sake of pleasing some market or making money or any of that, it would kind of make everything that we did into a lie. And if we were to continue where we dropped out — I ended up recording and writing the entire last EMPEROR album on my own, in a far more experimental direction, and that's kind of where I just [laughs] disappeared into what I do. And should we pick up from that point? And then there wouldn't really be a point, if it wasn't a band effort and it was just me pushing in my direction.

"Basically, like I said with live shows, after every kind of anniversary thing that we did, 'It will never happen again,' so at this point I can't say that that will never happen, because I've seen it happen with the live shows that I never thought that we would do either," Ihsahn admitted. "But it would have to be at a point where we would get together and where the vision for what it could be, where that is in some way aligned, that we could create from the same uncompromising space and, I would say, without for a second dealing with what people might expect. Purely creating from that same state of mind, as we were back then. I think that would be the only way to properly do something that would be worthwhile for us to do, and down the line, for fans to experience too. I think if we started making records for those kind of 'un-black metal' reasons, it wouldn't be enjoyable for either us or anyone else… It would have to come from a creative place and not a practical, 'This could be smart. This could be…' None of that. And it would be futile.

"I think everybody, like you and me, who are drawn to this style of music, we're drawn to it because it feels uncompromising, it feels like something real," he added. "We are drawn to this music because we just want a pure experience."

Formed in 1991, EMPEROR's game-changing debut "In The Nightside Eclipse" (1995) created the template for symphonic, bombastic, melodic black metal, while the follow-up record, "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk" (1997) became an instant hit. They disbanded in 2001 following the release of "Prometheus – The Discipline of Fire & Demise". They reunited periodically between 2005 and 2014. In late 2016 it was announced that EMPEROR would reunite again for a special set of performances to celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk". This legendary album cemented EMPEROR's reputation as the flagbearers of black metal and is still recognized as one of the most influential in this genre.

EMPEROR completed its first U.S. tour in over 15 years in the summer of 2023.

Photo credit: Bjørn Tore Moen / Freeman Promotions

Emperor

26 май 2025

See 4K Video Of AC/DC's Concert In Chicago During Spring 2025 North American Tour

MusicJunkie422 has uploaded 4K video of AC/DC's May 24 concert at the Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Check out the clips below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)
02. Back In Black
03. Demon Fire
04. Shot Down In Flames
05. Thunderstruck
06. Have A Drink On Me
07. Hells Bells
08. Shot In The Dark
09. Stiff Upper Lip
10. Highway To Hell
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. Sin City
13. Rock 'N' Roll Train
14. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
15. High Voltage
16. Riff Raff
17. You Shook Me All Night Long
18. Whole Lotta Rosie
19. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

20. T.N.T.
21. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

AC/DC kicked off its 2025 North American "Power Up" tour on April 10 at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

AC/DC is performing in 13 stadiums coast to coast this spring. This run will conclude on May 28 in Cleveland, Ohio at Huntington Bank Field. Along the way, they are playing some of the most iconic and historic stadiums in the world. Support on the trek is coming from THE PRETTY RECKLESS.

After the North American leg of the "Power Up" tour, the Grammy-winning rock band will return to the road in Europe for 12 dates across 10 countries beginning on June 26 in Prague, Czech Republic. The tour includes AC/DC's first-ever show in Estonia and a return to Scotland for the first time in a decade.

AC/DC played the 24th and final concert of its "Power Up" European tour on August 17, 2024 at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland. The trek was the first run of gigs since AC/DC's return to the stage at 2023's Power Trip festival in Indio, California.

The "Power Up" European tour marked AC/DC's first with the band's new touring lineup, consisting of longtime singer Brian Johnson, founding member and lead guitarist Angus Young, as well as rhythm guitarist Stevie Young (who officially joined the band in 2014, replacing his uncle Malcolm Young, who retired due to dementia),drummer Matt Laug (who joined in 2023, replacing longtime drummer Phil Rudd) and former JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Chris Chaney, who came on board in 2024 replacing longtime bassist Cliff Williams. Williams retired from AC/DC after the conclusion of the 2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, although he did return to the fold briefly for the 2020 "Power Up" album and an appearance at Power Trip.

Prior to "Power Up", AC/DC's last tour took place in 2015 and 2016 and had a $180 million gross, with 2,310,061 sold tickets reported to the Pollstar box office.

AC/DC's latest album, "Power Up", came out in November 2020. The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust" was recorded over a six-week period in August and September 2018 at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver with producer Brendan O'Brien, who also worked 2008's "Black Ice" and "Rock Or Bust".

AC/DC's current tour comes eight years after Johnson bowed out a 2016 run of shows due to a hearing condition.

The band has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, including "Back In Back", which ranks as one of the top-selling LPs of all time.

AC/DC