|
| |
 |
  |
17 ñåí 2025
 | +2 |  |
|  |
17 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| +1 | |
| |
![=]](/img/news-bord-shr.gif) |
|
  |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
BLUTGOTT Unleashes New Single / Video “Beasts Of War” (Debauchery Version)
| 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
HYPOCRISY – “Chapter 4” Of Reissue Campaign Announced With Virus, A Taste Of Extreme Divinity Albums
 Swedish death metal masters continue their reissue campaign with “Chapter 4” featuring 2005’s Virus and 2009’s A Taste Of Extreme Divinity.
Both albums are remastered with never-before-released demos added as bonus tracks. The albums are out digitally NOW with CD/vinyl editions out November 7. Preorder now at the Nuclear Blast webshop.
Special rare vinyl signed by Peter Tägtgren and Mikael Headlund and Chapter 4 shirts are available at the Hypocrisy official shop.
Virus was the first Hypocrisy album with former Immortal drummer Horgh.
| +2 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
STEEL PANTHER Is Recording Four New Songs At DAVE GROHL's Studio
 In a new interview with Rob Chapman's "Lo-Fi Podcast", drummer Stix Zadinia of California glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER confirmed that he and his bandmates have entered Dave Grohl's Studio 606 with longtime producer Jay Ruston to begin recording their first new music since 2023's "On The Prowl" album. Asked when fans can expect the effort to see the light of day, Stix said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We don't have a release date." He then explained: "We manage our band. We are the merch company. We are the record company. We're maybe one of the biggest DIY bands — except for METALLICA. But we don't have a label. And we have a booking agent, but we do it ourselves. So we are not on any sort of label timetable. And so what we decided was, 'Look, we have the time now. Let's go track four songs.' We will probably go back and do another four, and whether we do another four or not and do a full-length release, I'm not sure. I don't know if we're gonna drip singles out like people are doing now. I don't know. I don't know if we're gonna do an EP. So the future for us of how to get this out and when to get it out, we're a little uncertain, but if I had to guess, I would say it will be top of '26. Maybe a single will come out before then, for Christmas. But we're gonna go back in and track four to eight more songs over the next few months."
Stix added: "This process is different, 'cause usually we go in, we go, 'Okay, here's the 14 songs. Let's go. Here's the studio time. Boom.' And we go do it. This is a little bit different, and it's a little more freeing because we can really put our energy into a smaller amount of songs so you can spend more energy per song."
Zadinia also talked about the experience of recording at Studio 606, saying: "That board, that's the infamous Sound City Neve board, complete with Paul McCartney's signature on it. And so being in that room, I guess Dave Grohl built that studio 20 years ago — it's 20 years old now — he built it for rock. Honestly, dude, it's probably the best rock room in L.A. And I've been to Abbey Road and the BBC studios, and I've been to those kinds of places, and I would say, pound for pound, if you're gonna do rock and roll drums and guitars and basses, 606 is — you can make an argument for it being in the best room in the world."
Ten months ago, STEEL PANTHER's debut album, "Feel The Steel", was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales in excess of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.
"Feel The Steel - 15th Anniversary Edition" was released worldwide on November 15, 2024. The 15th-anniversary edition features two tracks that were only released on the original Japanese import: "You Don't Make Me Feel Dumb" and "I Want Your Tits". The album was produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, COREY TAYLOR).
Formed in 2000, STEEL PANTHER specializes in imitating and exaggerating the less flattering aspects of 1980s hair metal, with unrepentantly crude, non-PC sexual content as a favorite lyrical theme.
The group's music has been described as "VAN HALEN meets MÖTLEY CRÜE meets RATT meets 'Wayne's World', complete with operatic shrieks, misogyny, shredding guitar solos and libidinal overdrive."
Seventeen years ago, STEEL PANTHER changed its name from METAL SKOOL to its current moniker and shifted the focus of its act from '80s metal covers to originals.
STEEL PANTHER's sixth studio album, "On The Prowl", was released in February 2023.
In September 2022, STEEL PANTHER announced the addition of Spyder as the band's new bassist.
In January 2025, Stix was asked by the "Iron City Rocks" podcast if he thinks STEEL PANTHER would have had the same staying power without songs that contain what some critics say are racist, misogynistic and lewd lyrics. Stix said: "No, there's no way. I think that had we come out with lyrics that were, like, typical of a band in 1983 or in 1987, I don't think it would have flown, because what we sing about, I think people latch on to the lyrics and I think lyrics matter.
"We're in a really weird time, and I think when we put our first record out, the really weird time — and I use air quotes with that — was starting around then," he explained. "But we had been grandfathered in because of what we had established since the '90s. And the '90s were not the really weird time as far as the political correctness. So we became this place for people to be able to come, have so much fun and not worry about offending people. And we just wrote songs that we wanted to write, and nothing was ever really intentional and it was all super from the heart. Now, I think an interesting question would be if we came out in 1985, how would we be viewed with the lyrics that we have? But I think it could have been insane 'cause I think our songs are just as good [as], if not better than, most of the bands back then. And I know that might sound blasphemous, but if you don't think that about your own band, then what are you doing in that band?"
Zadinia added: "I'm proud of that — I'm proud of not playing by the rules. And I'm proud of doing just what comes from the heart for us 'cause, ultimately, we get to keep playing these songs for people who wanna come see it, who listen to it, who may use it as a tool for that escapism. And I'm proud of that. I think it's more satisfying than if we were being told what to do, what can go on a record. We are our true own bosses, and it's awesome."
Photo credit: David Jackson | 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
SISTER Reveal The Way We Fall Album Details; Band To Tour Scandinavia With WEDNESDAY 13
 Swedish metal band, Sister, will release their new album, The Way We Fall, on November 21 via Icons Creating Evil Art.
The record marks a powerful follow-up to their 2021 album Vengeance Ignited, pushing the band’s trademark blend of punk-fueled rock and horror-inspired theatrics into darker, heavier territory.
Known for their explosive mix of punk attitude, dark theatrics, and raw rock ’n’ roll energy, Sister return with their most powerful and uncompromising record to date. The Way We Fall captures the essence of Sister’s unique sound: heavy riffs, infectious hooks, and a sinister atmosphere that blends chaos with melody. Fuelled by themes of darkness, rebellion, and survival, the album is a testament to the band’s ability to evolve while staying true to their trademark style.
Sister had this to say about their new album: “With The Way We Fall, we managed to catch the raw essence that is, and has always been, Sister together with the best songs we’ve ever written, all captured in a thunderous production. This album contains the most intense and powerful songs in the band’s history, and it feels like all the pieces are finally put together. A darker and harsher side of Sister is revealed in The Way We Fall, as we constantly strive to evolve and put out the best album we possibly can.”
With songs like the thunderous “Howling Hell”, “Blood Sacrifice”, the dystopian anthem “The Way W Fall” and the spell-binding nightmare ”Let Me Be Your Demon”, this album is for those who can take it raw.
The producer Jona Tee (H.E.A.T, New Horizon) had this to say about the new album: ”This is the third album i’m producing for and with Sister. I love how we have evolved and work seamlessly together. Not 5 minutes pass without a good story that cracks everyone up. Musically this one is full of catchy tunes with the right amount of Sister-darkness, and I really believe we’ve made a banger with this one.”
The album will be available on CD, limited bone white vinyl, and in exclusive pre-order bundles via Icons Creating Evil Art. Pre-order here.
Tracklisting:
“The Way We Fall”
“Howling Hell”
“Tanz Der Toten”
“Blood Sacrifice”
“Let Me Be Your Demon”
“Blinded And Buried”
“Rose Red”
“Die To Live”
“Mortal Sin”
“When She Dies” | 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
| +1 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
BURNED IN EFFIGY Unleash “Masquerade” Music Video
 Neoclassical melodic death force Burned In Effigy has released the official music video for “Masquerade”, the second single off their forthcoming new album, Tyrannus Aeternum.
The band comments on the concept behind the song: “This quick-paced track is themed by lyrics inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s ‘Masque Of The Red Death’, in which nobles host a masquerade in a secluded abbey, hoping to avoid a plague that is decimating the general population. Musically, this is one of our fastest and most melodic songs on the new album. The music video, made by Alex Zarek, encompasses a romantic demise while dancing with death.”
Rising from the heart of the Midwest metal scene, this Chicago-based quintet has announced a fall release for their second full-length, Tyrannus Aeternum. Following the 2022 release of their debut album, Rex Mortem, Burned In Effigy has sharpened their sound to a lethal edge. The result is an 11-track onslaught that blends the band’s skillful musicianship and technicality with volcanic brutality.
Tyrannus Aeternum is set for release on October 31, 2025. Pre-order the album now at this location.
Tracklisting:
Befouled Benefaction
Retribution
Masquerade
Procession
Wage Of Exile
Sacrificial Seance
Monstrosity Reborn
Gallows Hymn
The Racking
Crown Crusher
Citadel | 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
SPOCK’S BEARD To Release The Archaeoptimist Album In November; “Invisible” Single Streaming Now
 Following their recent signing to the Madfish label, legendary prog outfit, Spock’s Beard, have announced their new album, The Archaeoptimist. Set for release on November 21, the new album sees the group at their effervescent and experimental best delivering some of their finest work from a career spanning more than 30 years.
Speaking on the news, frontman Ted Leonard shared: “The new album is largely the brainchild of Ryo and a co-writer, Michael Whiteman, with lyrical contributions from Alan and myself. While not a concept album, the title is taken from one of the tracks called ‘The Archaeoptimist’. This epic follows the story of a young girl being raised by her father in a post-cataclysmic world and her pathway from being an inspiration to a leader. Other songs vary in theme from obsession with one’s work or task to musings about the passage of time forging ahead despite obstacles.
Musically, while tipping a hat to the Spock’s legacy, the new album has an energy that arguably surpasses many or our previous releases due, in no small part, to the addition of Nick Potters on drums. He’s an amazing and well-rounded musician who has perfect pitch and a great singing voice (yes, we found a drummer that is an amazing singer…named Nick!). Between Michael and Ryo’s writing, this album also has a melodic complexity that may sound new to fans. Anyone who has heard Ryo improvise will have likely picked up on a fusion influence and that certainly shows up in the writing.
I can’t speak for everyone, but I’m very proud, excited, and honestly relieved that it turned out as good as it did. Everyone put in a ton of work but none so much as Ryo in pushing this over the line.”
Stream/download the new single, “Invisible”, here. Listen to the track below.
At the centre of this particular storm is Ryo Okumoto, whose fingerprints are all over the album, not just as a performer, but as a driving creative force. Teaming up with co-writer Michael Whiteman (I Am the Manic Whale) and longstanding band members Alan Morse & Ted Leonard, Ryo has helped shape an album that is undeniably Spock’s Beard with a characteristic wry smile to boot.
The album was produced by Okumoto and recorded at each band member’s respective home studio. Esteemed producer Rich Mouser (Dream Theater/Weezer) takes up the mixing and mastering duties.
The Archaeoptimist will be available on November 21 in the following formats:
– 2LP red vinyl gatefold edition
– 2LP black vinyl gatefold edition
– 2 Disc CD/DVD edition of The Archaeoptimist, features 5.1 & hi-res 24/48 stereo mixes and is presented as a digipack CD including an 8-page printed lyric booklet
– digipack CD, includes a 12-page printed lyric booklet
Pre-order here.
The Archaeoptimist tracklisting:
“Invisible”
“Electric Monk”
“Afourthoughts”
“St. Jerome In The Wilderness”
“The Archaeoptimist”
“Next Step” | 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
CHUCK BILLY Recalls DAVE MUSTAINE 'Having A Fit' After TESTAMENT Was Able To Use Full Gear On JUDAS PRIEST Tour
 On the latest episode of The David Ellefson Show, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy once again reflected on his band's first-ever U.S. arena tour, which took place in 1990, with JUDAS PRIEST as the headliner and MEGADETH as additional support. Billy said, addressing co-host David Ellefson, who was the bassist for MEGADETH during the aforementioned trek (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I remember we just flew in from doing big tour over in Europe. And I guess the biggest memory is the band you played in. [Laughs] No offense, Dave, but the other Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader]… I don't know if you remember that tour… Because things were growing for us, we had ordered a brand new Voelker drum riser built on a riser. All these cabinets showed up, backdrops. And I don't know if you remember, Dave [Mustaine] pulled them from us all on the start of that tour. He'd seen it and he said we couldn't use all of that, so we couldn't use our riser, backdrops and stuff. And my band nudged me on, because every day K.K. [Downing, then-PRIEST guitarist] or [Glenn] Tipton [PRIEST guitarist] would come in and say, 'Hey, you guys good? You guys need anything?' And [my bandmates would] be elbowing me, 'Dude, say something, say something.' I'm, like, 'No, no, no.' And then one day [they went], like, 'Dude, just go talk to Rob [Halford, PRIEST singer], please.' So I went in there and I told Rob what was going on, and that day he was, like, 'What? That is ending today.' And he went in to production and said, 'TESTAMENT gets everything up there. Get their drums up there, get their backdrops, get everything up there.' And when we went on that night, I know Dave [Mustaine] was side stage by the monitors — not you, Dave; the other Dave — and his arms were crossed. And he was just having a fit that we were having everything again. And it was crazy, but that was the biggest start of that tour for us. 'Cause things were starting to happen, and we were, like, 'Oh, man, we just bought this big show to play for JUDAS PRIEST and MEGADETH, man.' And in the end we got to use it, and it ended up being great and it was amazing."
Billy added: "That was probably the highlight, opening up for… Myself, I played JUDAS PRIEST songs on guitar all through high school. They were my biggest heroes ever. And that tour was just like a dream come true for me."
Chuck previously talked about TESTAMENT's 1990 tour with JUDAS PRIEST and MEGADETH during a September 2020 appearance on MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn's "No Fuckin' Regrets With Robb Flynn" podcast. Billy said at the time: "For the PRIEST tour, we decided we were gonna spend some time on production. We bought a big, fancy Voelker Rack drum set. We bought two new scrims, full-on backline — the whole deal. Nice-looking show. And we get to the first show, and Dave Mustaine sees us have it up, and he says we can't use it. [So] we had a little problem the first week of the tour."
He continued: "I was pissed, because we just spent all this money, and those were the days when they were hand-painted backdrops — these backdrops were 15, 20 grand; they weren't cheap then. So we were, like, 'We're coming out to represent. PRIEST tour in arenas, man. We're coming out.' But Dave threw his weight around and said we can't use all of our new stuff. So for the first week, we were, like, tails between our legs, playing. And all the guys in our band said, 'Chuck, you seem to be friends with Rob [Halford]. Go in there and tell him. He keeps telling you guys, 'If you guys need anything, just ask.' Go in there.' And I'd had it. And I said, 'You know what? I'm gonna.' So, I went in there. It was, like, three or four days into the tour. I go in the [PRIEST] dressing room. I said, 'Hey, Rob. You got a minute? I need to talk to you.' I go, 'I don't know who to talk to, but I'm gonna come to you. And if it's your guys' decision, hey, I'm down with it, but I thought I would just bring it up. We bought all this stuff for this tour to put on a nice show, and the MEGADETH guy says we can't play, 'cause they said you guys wouldn't let us use it.' And he was, like, 'What? Who said that?' Right there, he went and got his tour manager and said, 'Get in here.' [Rob] said, 'Do you know anything about this? Them not letting TESTAMENT not use their gear?' [The tour manager] says, 'No.' And [Rob] goes, 'You make sure tonight they get the damn gear up there.' So we had a full-blown show. And who comes sidestage to watch the show? There goes Mr. Mustaine. Mr. Mustaine is standing there, just pissed off — he just had that look. And we were looking over just, like, 'Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, Dave.' We were putting it on, throwing it down. And that's how that tour started."
Billy added: "This was, like, our first step into an arena: 'Oh, man. Maybe we're making it. We're doing it.' And to get shut down the first time, we weren't having it."
According to Chuck, it was a "great" experience touring with PRIEST for the first time. "They always came in the dressing room, every day, and said, 'How are you guys doing? Are you guys good? Do you guys need anything?'" he said. "And we were just too shy to ask. We did find out that they really were who they were. They stepped up and made it happen, and we had the full show the rest of the tour, man — and [full] sound at that point too."
At the time of TESTAMENT's first tour with JUDAS PRIEST, Billy and his bandmates were on the road in support of their fourth album, "Souls Of Black", which was written and recorded over the course of several weeks in early 1990.
Last week, TESTAMENT released "Shadow People", the second single from the band's upcoming album, "Para Bellum", which is due on October 10 via Nuclear Blast.
When "Para Bellum" was first announced in August, it was accompanied by the official music video for the LP's lead single, "Infanticide A.I.", directed by Joey Durango.
| +3 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| +2 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
EXTREME Shares Cinematic Video For 'X Out' From 'Six' Album
 EXTREME has released the official music video for the song "X Out". The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Six", which was released in June 2023 via earMUSIC. The clip amplifies the song's haunting imagery and themes of faith, meaning and mortality.
EXTREME guitarist commented Nuno Bettencourt: This song was always sonically cinematic to me. It instantly conjured up images of 'Mad Max', 'Dune'."
EXTREME singer Gary Cherone added: "The lyric is a lamentation, captured in a nightmare reflecting on the fleeting nature of life and the question of meaning in the face of the inevitable."
"Six" propelled EXTREME to new heights, driven by standout singles such as "Rise" — featuring a solo praised by the press as "the guitar solo of the century" — alongside "Banshee" and "Other Side Of The Rainbow", and supported by a globe-spanning tour across the U.S., Europe, India, Japan and Australia. Bettencourt also reaffirmed his stature as one of rock's most commanding players with a historic performance at Ozzy Osbourne's "Back To The Beginning" farewell concert. That milestone appearance led to his invitation to serve as music director and guitarist at the 2025 MTV VMAs, where he delivered a powerhouse tribute to Osbourne alongside Steven Tyler, Joe Perry and Yungblud.
"Six" landed at position No. 10 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart with first-week sales of 12,500 copies. The set marked EXTREME's first studio album since 2008. The act was last in the Top 10 with "III Sides To Every Story", which debuted and peaked at No. 10 back in October 1992.
In 2023, Nuno told Tiago Ribeiro, that he was thrilled with how "Six" turned out. "I would put our album up against anybody's album; I feel that confident," Nuno said. "And I think the album itself — never mind me or EXTREME — if I heard that album and it wasn't us, I would think the same way I think about the album now. I think it belongs there. I think it's a well-made album. I think the songs are there. I think that the musicianship, the chemistry and the guitar playing. But I think, more importantly, what's really there and what people are connecting with is the mythology of rock and roll. I think that's really what's missing a lot in guitar-driven music, is that…
"I think when people saw a guitar player that's in a band with songs and arrangements and the videos and everything, it was almost like seeing something that… People are saying it's so fresh, but for us, it's, like, this is like going back for us," he explained. "This is more of a reminder than it is anything else that you can still be passionate and have fire and do all those things. And the people are letting us know that they're starved — they're starved for rock and roll like this, I think."
In September 2023, Nuno told American Musical Supply about the long delay in getting "Six" released: "The recording [of 'Six'], a lot of people are saying like, 'Man, [it took] 15 years,' obviously, minus a few of the handmaid's tale years, pandemic years. But the album itself probably, if you add it up, it took the same length as an album takes to record. It didn’t take 15 years to record the album. It's just that we probably had, like, three albums' worth of material. The guys kept coming out to L.A., and we would do a crop of songs, and we'd write another crop of songs or record another couple crop of songs."
Bettencourt went on to say that he and his EXTREME bandmates had "set a bar" for themselves. "You really have to be super proud and super excited to share your music with anybody, even if it's your brother or it's your family member or if it's Tom Morello that you happen to know," he explained. "Once you have that feeling of, 'Would you play these songs in front of your peers?', then you kind of know you got something there and you're ready to go."
| +2 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
DEICIDE Recruits EXMORTUS Guitarist JADRAN 'CONAN' GONZALEZ
 Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE have recruited Jadran "Conan" Gonzalez (EXMORTUS) to replace longtime guitarist Kevin Quirion. Conan will make his live debut with DEICIDE on the band's upcoming tour with BEHEMOTH in Latin America, which kicks off on September 19 in Curitiba, Brazil.
Conan comments: "I'm thrilled and honored to jam amongst such legends as Glen [Benton, bass/vocals] and Steve [Asheim, drums] and to hang with the rest of the team. I thank them for having me on board. I'm looking forward to unleashing hell in Latin America on this tour."
Quirion exited DEICIDE in April 2025, explaining in a social media post: "So after 15 years I decided to leave the band. Mainly I'm just done with touring and would like to spend the extra time with my family. I will still be writing songs and have already sent some to Derek Roddy and Sean Baxter to release under the COUNCIL OF THE FALLEN name. There will be no labels or shows, just putting out EPs whenever we feel like it.
"It was nice meeting a bunch of fans, bands, promoters etc and I wish everyone the best."
Quirion appeared on the last three DEICIDE albums: "In The Minds Of Evil" (2013),"Overtures Of Blasphemy" (2017) and "Banished By Sin" (2024).
Last October, DEICIDE canceled the last three shows of its North American tour with KRISIUN, INFERI and CLOAK in order to return home "to protect" their "families and properties" as Floridians prepped for the second storm to hit the Gulf Coast in a little over two weeks.
DEICIDE's latest album, "Banished By Sin", was made available in April 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.
In February 2024, DEICIDE released the second single from "Banished By Sin", a song called "Sever The Tongue". The track was recorded at Smoke & Mirrors with engineer Jeramie Kling, while the mixing and mastering was handed by Josh Wilbur.
DEICIDE collaborated with David Brodsky from My Good Eye: Music Visuals for a visually arresting video for "Sever The Tongue" that complements the track's blasphemous undertones.
To close out 2023, DEICIDE celebrated Christmas with another blasphemous song called "Bury The Cross...With Your Christ".
DEICIDE played its first show with guitarist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE, INHUMAN CONDITION) on May 21, 2022 at the Rickshaw Theatre in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Previous DEICIDE guitarist Chris Cannella amicably left the band in January 2022 after a three-year run.
Chris joined DEICIDE in 2019 following the departure of guitarist Mark English.
English became a member of DEICIDE in 2016 after the exit of longtime guitarist Jack Owen.
Photo credit: Deidra Kling | +3 | |
| |
17 ñåí 2025
JUDAS PRIEST's Version Of 'War Pigs' Featuring OZZY OSBOURNE Will Arrive 'Soon': 'We're Finalizing Some Artwork', Says ROB HALFORD
 In a new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford reflected on the recent passing of legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne. Asked if he had a story in his experiences with Ozzy that spoke to who he was as a person beyond the concert stage, Rob said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "He gave everything on stage. When he walked out on the stage, he was always beaming. He loved his fans with such an extraordinary passion, but that existed offstage as well. Whenever I'd see him, if I went to see a show, the first thing he would say to me was, 'Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy yourself? Was it great?' And so that part of him as a person — he was always giving stuff. He was always giving out. He wasn't a taking kind of a guy. He was always pushing stuff forward, paying it forward, whatever that expression is. So that part of Ozzy that we probably didn't see much of existed when he wasn't on stage."
Halford continued: "He was an extraordinary man. And I think that opportunity that you had through Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manager] and working with 'The Osbournes', which was the first-ever reality TV show, he became our friend. You may not have ever met Ozzy, but you knew him as a family guy, and you knew him as being — he's like us. There's Ozzy on stage, but look at him at home. And I think that that's what drew him even further into us with our love for Ozzy Osbourne and everything that he's left us with."
In early July, PRIEST released a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs" ahead of the "Back To The Beginning" concert, which marked the original SABBATH lineup's last-ever performance.
PRIEST was unable to appear at "Back To The Beginning" on July 5 in Birmingham, United Kingdom because the band was scheduled to perform at SCORPIONS' huge hometown 60th-anniversary concert at the Heinz Von Heiden Arena in Hannover, Germany on the very same day.
"It was a really difficult thing to say, 'I can't do it,' but that was just the way the chips fell on that particular event," Rob told Full Metal Jackie. "However, we were there in spirit, as we said in that brief little thing that we said for Ozzy on the big video screens. And probably even more important, the PRIEST homage to BLACK SABBATH with our — it's not really a version; it's JUDAS PRIEST playing BLACK SABBATH's 'War Pigs' to about as close as we possibly could. 'Cause you don't mess with a song like that. You give it the sounds that you have with your guitars, with your drums, with your bass, with your voice, and you do it in respect, and you do it in a way of saying thank you for BLACK SABBATH and what they did and what they leave us with with their great music."
Speaking in more detail about PRIEST's rendition of "War Pigs", Rob said: "It's close to five million views on the BLACK SABBATH official site, which is very generous of them to put us on there. 'Cause we're friends. We've been friends forever. What is cool and what is kind of waiting in the wings is Ozzy singing with me doing 'War Pigs' together. We've been able to do that. So that's just kind of — it's there. We're just having to go through all the rigmarole of legal clearance and so on and so forth. But when Sharon said, and this is just so beautiful, when she approached me with this idea, she said, 'I love your version of 'War Pigs'. Is there a way we can get Ozzy [on it as well]?' I said, 'You're asking me? This is gonna happen.' So we were able to make it work. So you get Ozzy singing a line, and then I'm singing a line and Ozzy's singing a line and I'm singing a line, and it's the first-ever time in my entire life that I've been able to do a duet with Ozzy. And I'm so eternally grateful and blessed and grieving that I was able to do that. But when you hear it, it's just colossal. If you think that you've heard the one experience of PRIEST's 'War Pigs', but when you hear PRIEST's 'War Pigs' with Ozzy singing on that track, it's just going to a really special place.
Asked if there is a timeframe or when fans can expect to hear PRIEST's version of "War Pigs" that also includes Ozzy, Rob said: "Yeah, the green button's almost ready to go. We're finalizing some artwork and bits and pieces that you have to go through, but I think it's gonna be pretty soon."
Last month, Rob told Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about Ozzy's passing: "Oh, man. I got a call the day [Ozzy's death] happened. I just put the phone down in my hotel room in — I think I was in Leeds, in England, and I just curled up in a ball and bawled my eyes out for hours. I just couldn't believe it. I still can't believe it now. I'm still grieving, like so many people. And then we had a show the next day. So, God, how do you process all of this tragedy, all of this love, because I've never seen such an outpouring of love. And we did the show and we came to the song that we'll be playing when we come to see you guys — it's called 'Giants In The Sky', from the 'Invincible Shield' album — and that song talks about people that we love in music that have moved on to this beautiful place. We reference Lemmy [MOTÖRHEAD] and Ronnie [James Dio] and Paul Di'Anno [IRON MAIDEN] and Jill [Janus from] HUNTRESS and Chris [Cornell from SOUNDGARDEN] and all of these greats, Janis Joplin, Freddie Mercury. And then for that show we added Ozzy at the end. And I said to everybody, this just so much to try and comprehend and so tough, but Ozzy would say, 'Let's party. Let's rock and roll. Let's live it up. Let's enjoy.' That was in his heart, his soul, and his spirit. Whenever we did shows together, he would always say that to me after, 'Did you have a good time?' 'Yeah. Yeah.' 'Did you have a good time? Did you really have a good time?' The stuff he pushed out from himself to his fans to everybody, the generosity, the caring, all of the incredible things that he did in music, he was the embodiment of kindness in that respect.
"So it's great that we are talking about him now and we should keep talking about him forever, like I always talk about Ronnie, I talk about Lemmy," Rob added. "These are all friends of mine. And we have to celebrate — we have to celebrate. That's the way of helping you through the grief. You think about the memories, you think about the joy, you think about the good times, and that's what we will always do with Ozzy."
Asked if he remembered the last time he had a conversation with Ozzy or the last time he was in contact with him, Rob said: "No. We used to text occasionally. 'Cause he's another guy I was in awe of. I'm still in awe of Alice [Cooper]. [Laughs] 'Oh my God. He's Alice Cooper.' And I used to feel the same whenever I was in Ozzy's presence, because he had this larger-than-life personality. It'd been a while since we've been in touch. But, again, I just have the wonderful memories of the two opportunities I was able to sing for him with SABBATH. And then this recent opportunity to cover 'War Pigs' [with PRIEST], which we still play at the start of our show, which is one of the greatest metal songs ever written. So that connection will never be severed in that respect."
JUDAS PRIEST paid tribute to Ozzy during the band's July 23 concert at Scarborough Open Air Theatre in Scarborough, United Kingdom. Introducing the aforementioned song "Giants In The Sky", Rob acknowledged the BLACK SABBATH frontman's death a day earlier, saying: "Okay. Look, it's been tough, the last 24 hours, right? It's been tough. But he would want us to be doing this. He would want us to be together, he would want us to be having a good time, which is what we're doing right now. We love you, Ozzy."
After a brief pause amid chants of "Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!", Halford continued: "This next song is all about him and all of the other greats that we've lost. Their music lives forever. They used to be down here on the earth plane. Now they're in the sky plane, as we call it. This is 'Giants In The Sky'."
During the song — a tribute to musicians now gone — the screen displayed images of the likes of Ronnie James Dio, Lemmy, Freddie Mercury, Taylor Hawkins and Christine McVie, finishing on two gigantic images of Ozzy.
A few hours after Ozzy's passing was announced on July 22, JUDAS PRIEST released the following statement via social media: "Our hearts are broken like millions around the world. Words can't express the love and loss we are all feeling.
"Sharon, may God surround you and your beautiful family with love, peace and light.
"Ozzy, you will never leave us — your music is eternal. God blesses you now more than ever after you blessed us all through your magnificent life.
"Rob, Glenn, Ian, Richie & Scott".
In August 2023, Halford picked BLACK SABBATH's classic 1970 self-titled debut album as one of the albums he'd be willing to listen to in perpetuity if he found himself stranded and alone on an island. He said: "I would have to go with BLACK SABBATH, the original 'Black Sabbath' album that I think is the motivator for all great things in heavy metal."
Back in 2020, Halford broke down his top 10 favorite albums in an interview with Rolling Stone and explained how they helped make him who he is. Among the records included on the list was BLACK SABBATH's debut. At the time, Halford said about his choice: "They were local guys from the same neighborhood, the same neck of the woods as PRIEST. We literally grew up together, inventing this great music that we love and cherish so much called heavy-metal music.
"I chose the 'Black Sabbath' album just because, like so many bands, your first one or two records really establish who you are as a band," he explained. "It's a bit like PRIEST with 'Rocka Rolla' and 'Sad Wings Of Destiny'; 'Sad Wings Of Destiny' becomes the one we love so much because it becomes defining. With 'Black Sabbath', here was the first example of what heavy metal music should sound like, just the texture, the tone, the structure of all of the material, Ozzy's very unique voice. It's just become a very important record in the discography of BLACK SABBATH."
Halford joined SABBATH for two gigs to support Ozzy Osbourne on his last shows for the "No More Tours" tour in November 1992 in Costa Mesa, California after SABBATH's singer at the time, Ronnie James Dio, refused to take the stage. Rob also performed with SABBATH members Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward on August 26, 2004 at the Camden, New Jersey stop of Ozzfest after Ozzy came down with an "attack of bronchitis" and was unable to take part in the concert.
Asked which SABBATH tune he'd most enjoying performing with the band, Halford told The Georgia Straight: "Ooo, that's a good question. Um, I'd probably say the actual song 'Black Sabbath', which is, to me, the most evil song that's ever been written. [Laughs]. It's very fucking scary. There's something very malevolent about that song. It's just the whole — it's the way it starts, and then it's almost deathly quiet, and then that opening line: 'What is this I see before me?' You know, I just get goosebumps thinking about it now. And when I sang that song live, it makes you feel really… Wow… I can't describe it. It's just very overwhelming, the emotion is very overwhelming. And when you see Ozzy singing it you can see him change, you know, his whole demeanor, he just changes as a person to sing that song. It's really spooky."
| +4 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
17 ñåí 2025
| +11 | |
| |
16 ñåí 2025
ROBB RIVERA Says 'It's Time' For NONPOINT To Release A New Full-Length Album: 'We've Got 16, 17 Songs'
 In an interview with Thunder Underground, NONPOINT drummer Robb Rivera spoke about the band's plans to release new music. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We've got 16, 17 songs. We've got quite a few, and a lot in the can that we haven't gotten to yet. But, yeah, I've been at my house with my electronic kit, recording drums… I think I put up a video of a new song somewhere. And the process is good. We've taken our time with it. It's been two years we've been writing this thing, maybe even more. We just got a bunch of ideas. And next year it's gonna come out."
Asked if NONPOINT's next release will be a full-length album or if it will be another EP, as was the case with 2021's "Ruthless" and 2023's "Heartless", Robb said: "Full album this time. At least that's the plan. Right now I'm looking at maybe 10 songs, which is, that's a full album these days, I guess. The EP idea was a great experiment. We just wanted to try things out. It worked. Some people liked it, some people didn't. Me, I personally just like doing the singles. I just think you can focus on the one song. But I think we're so happy with this new music that we wanna put out 10 [songs]."
After the interviewer noted that NONPOINT used to release albums more frequently, Robb concurred. "Yeah, we were actually just talking about that," he said. "Every two years we had an album out. [It was a cycle of] record, tour, write, record, tour, write. It became too much. We never really took a breather. We did 10 albums that way. And so we took our time — well, we had to take our time with 'Ruthless' because of the pandemic. We were gonna release everything in 2020, and everything shut down. The EP was already recorded. We recorded in February [of 2020], and then the pandemic happened. So we shut down all plans. We had actually gone dark online. We were not gonna say nothing for a while. And then, so then when we decided to do [new versions of] 'Alive And Kicking' and 'Frontlines', quarantine version, just to be visible and stuff. And then we started putting merch, we did the masks and all this other stuff.
"But a full album, I think it's time," he added. "Since 2018 — it's eight years without a full album. But it's not like we haven't had new music. We put out two EPs, we put out [the 2024 single] 'Underdog', so we put out 11 songs, which is really, if you look at it, it's a full album. It's just done in parts."
NONPOINT has been captivating audiences with its energetic sound and passionate performances for over two decades. Formed in 1997, the band has consistently pushed the boundaries of what modern rock can be, combining heavy metal, nu-metal, and hard rock into a unique and powerful musical force. Over the course of its 28-year career, NONPOINT has released several critically acclaimed albums and garnered a reputation as one of the most exciting live acts in the industry.
Throughout its career, NONPOINT has been celebrated for their signature sound and powerful lyrics, which often tackle social and political issues. Their hard-hitting sound and emotional live performances have earned them a dedicated fanbase, as well as recognition from the music industry. NONPOINT has received multiple award nominations and has been praised by publications such as Rolling Stone, Revolver and Alternative Press.
NONPOINT is:
Elias Soriano (Lead Vocals)
Robb Rivera (Drums)
Rasheed Thomas (Guitar, Backing Vocals)
Adam Woloszyn (Bass)
Jason Zeilstra (Lead Guitar) | 0 | |
| |
16 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 ñåí 2025
| +1 | |
| |
16 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
16 ñåí 2025
ALCATRAZZ Release Re-Recording Of “Hiroshima Mon Amour”; Audio Streaming
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16 ñåí 2025
| 0 | |
| |
16 ñåí 2025
| +1 | |
| |
16 ñåí 2025
| +1 | |
| |
|
|
  |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Biohazard
