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5 ìàé 2025
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5 ìàé 2025
ANDREAS KISSER Is 'Not Really Concerned Too Much' About His Post-SEPULTURA Future: 'I'm Gonna Keep Doing Music'
 In a recent interview with Jarek Szubrycht of Poland's Mystic Festival, SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser spoke about the band's decision to embark on what will turn out to be a three-year farewell tour by the time it concludes in late 2026. Asked why now was the right time to call it quits, Andreas said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it was a great momentum. 40-year anniversary is a great mark. We have an amazing history behind, coming from Brazil, playing almost 80 countries around the world, bringing the Brazilian music to heavy metal, to thrash metal, to heavy music in general. And we did a great album, [2020's] 'Quadra', our last one. We survived the pandemic situation, the lockdown. I went through also a personal experience with my wife. She passed away after [a battle with] cancer two years and a half ago, and it gave me a whole new perspective of life — when you respect finitude, when you respect dying, when you don't deny that. We have a tendency not to talk about dying, to talk about death in general, and after her passing, a big part of myself died with her. But at the same time, other parts came to be — new experiences, new ideas, new horizons, new situations. I didn't choose that way, but it came to be. And dying and death has been my biggest professor, my biggest teacher. And it felt that for SEPULTURA, it would be the same, really, to give a rest. I was feeling very pressured to write another album, to do another cycle, to do another tour. It's not easy to write an album. You really have to be focused a hundred percent on [it]. And we decided to quit, to stop for a while."
Kisser continued: "We are recording a live album on this tour. We're gonna put out the live album. And so we still have stuff to do in the next two years. We are not in a hurry. We say goodbye, but relax. We're doing [it] our own way. We'd like to fulfill our last wishes, let's say go to Iceland for the first time, go to places in Africa and stuff, play in places that we've never been before, do partnerships and tours. A lot of stuff are happening and proposals [are coming in]. We'd like to go everywhere in the world, really enjoy this moment, and really afterwards just breathe a little bit… And it feels great. It's still exciting. This is the best tour we['ve done] in Europe in our history. A lot of people are coming to see SEPULTURA for the first time. Other fans, they met at a SEPULTURA concert. Now they're married. They have their kids with us. It's great. It's a fantastic feeling. And it's a very thankful spirit, that we say to our fans, 'Thank you so much for keeping this bad for 40 years so much alive and relevant.'"
Regarding how he plans on spending his time once SEPULTURA has completed its farewell tour, Andreas said: "Since I joined SEPULTURA in '87, we never stopped — never. Even on the lockdown, we created an album. When we changed singers and managers and stuff, we were always rehearsing, we were always working towards the future and et cetera. And it feels like it's a good momentum because we're still young enough to be motivated to start something else from scratch. Of course, I'll be involved with music. That's what I do, I love to do. I'm not gonna quit SEPULTURA to sell cars or something like that. I'm gonna keep doing music. I still study music and et cetera."
Andreas added: I'm not really concerned too much about [my post-SEPULTURA] future. Like I said, we have another two years of this touring. I like to enjoy the moment, like we are doing here. Every show has been amazing. It's a fantastic feeling. I have so many different options. I already have another band called DE LA TIERRA. I have a radio show in São Paulo with my son for 13 years now. And I have some parallel things that I already do that I might have more time, really, to dedicate to those. And I also wanna do a guitar lesson, finally a video talking about my style, SEPULTURA's music, acoustic guitar and stuff, to put more time on that and really do that. A lot of people ask for that as well, so I wanna really have more time to do this. And I know so many musicians, so many bands. I'm really talking to people, 'Oh, let's do this, let's do that.' I have an idea to do a reggae project with Derrick [Green, SEPULTURA frontman]. Who knows? [Laughs] I like to keep it open. I mean, it's a little scary, but at the same time it's very exciting to feel that freedom that we could really express and really see what happens. I think that's why we are stopping — to get away of the comfort zone, to get away [and] artistically having different air to breathe."
Less than four months ago, Kisser was asked by Reality Check TV about the possibility of reuniting with original SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera and drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera for a final show to cap off the band's ongoing farewell tour. He said: "I hope so. The idea is to do a very last show [in 2026] in São Paulo, Brazil, where we have all the guests, friends to celebrate our history."
He continued: "There's no reason to be fighting. We just go on stage, enjoy ourselves. We know how to play the songs. It's gonna be a party for the fans. Forty years of history, it's a lot — many albums, many different changes and different styles of music. And it's gonna be an amazing party — I hope so — and hopefully everybody will be a part [of it]."
SEPULTURA kicked off the North American leg of the massive "Celebrating Life Through Death" farewell tour on September 17, 2024 at the Concord Music Hall in Chicago, Illinois. The band played a career-spanning set that honors SEPULTURA's 40 years of existence. Joining SEPULTURA on this tour were Florida-based death metal veterans OBITUARY, iconic New York hardcore pioneers AGNOSTIC FRONT, and São Paulo, Brazil's death/thrash metallers CLAUSTROFOBIA.
SEPULTURA is putting together a live album commemorating their last run of shows. The band is recording 40 songs in 40 different cities for what will be a "massive compilation of our best, most energetic moments on stage," according to a statement released by SEPULTURA in December 2023.
Asked in a new interview with Germany's Moshpit Passion if SEPULTURA's final show will also be included in the package, Andreas said: "Who knows? Everything is possible. We did three big shows in São Paulo [Brazil] before we went to the States. And we recorded the whole show — the cameras, DVD and stuff. Of course, this stuff that we're recording for the live album is audio only. And we are planning to have the last farewell show in São Paulo in 2026, so we like to go places, we like to visit places that we've never been before. We like to do our goodbye in a relaxed mood — no hurry. There's no reason really to rush anything. We are enjoying the moment so much. We are celebrating the momentum. It's fantastic. It's amazing. So it's something that is gonna be on the recording as well, this great vibe, the connection we have with the crowd and stuff. But, yeah, everything is possible. I mean, of course, the last show, [it] would be great to have a register. We like to invite all the ex-members, including the brothers, Cavalera brothers. Let's see what happens. We're working towards that, to have a big celebration for the fans."
Acknowledging the fact that SEPULTURA had an acrimonious split with Max Cavalera nearly 30 years ago, Andreas said: "We don't care who is right or wrong. We're never gonna get to that point. [Laughs] We have different point of views and different perspectives about same historical events and stuff. So let's jam, let's have a good time for the fans, for us, for ourselves, and really close this amazing 43 years or 44, whatever it's gonna be at the time, in peace with ourselves, and really reach for something different afterwards. At least in my point of view, I like to, of course, continue with music and everything, but maybe do something different. Who knows?"
In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, Derrick was asked about his plans for after the completion of the farewell tour. Derrick said: "I want to do a lot more with the TV show I'm working on, 'Highway To Health'. I've also been interested in doing voiceover work in animation or commercials. Musically, I'd like to do something outside of metal with more singing, but if somebody approaches with something I think is intriguing, I'm definitely open to that, because I never want to step away from music."
Asked if Andreas and Derrick will still work together in the future, Kisser quipped: "Nah. We only talk to each other by contract. When the contract is done, we're done. [Laughs] No, of course there are a lot of possibilities. I would love to work with Derrick outside of SEPULTURA. We have the idea for a reggae project on the cards, which we have a great name for. The comfort zone is the worst thing that can happen to an artist. It would be boring to stop SEPULTURA and do something else that is SEPULTURA-like."
SEPULTURA kicked off its farewell tour on March 1, 2024 at Arena Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. The sold-out show marked the band's debut performance with drummer Greyson Nekrutman, who previously played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.
SEPULTURA announced drummer Eloy Casagrande's departure on February 27, 2024, explaining in a statement that he was leaving to join "another project", with Eloy later confirming that he is the new drummer of SLIPKNOT.
The news of Eloy's exit from SEPULTURA came just two months after the band announced it would celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2024 by embarking on a "farewell tour" which will cover the entire globe.
In SEPULTURA's statement, the remaining bandmembers expressed their shock over Casagrande's departure, saying they were "taken by surprise" that their now-former drummer would "abandon everything related to SEPULTURA" less than a month prior to the start of the tour.
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5 ìàé 2025
JOHN DOLMAYAN On New SYSTEM OF A DOWN Music: 'Don't Expect It, But If It Happens, It'll Be A Nice Surprise For All Of Us'
 In a new interview with Argentina's Rock & Pop FM 95.9 radio station, SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan spoke about the band's stalled attempts to record a follow-up to its "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize" LPs, which came out in 2005. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I would say that if you are satisfied with what you have, then you don't need more. It's like if you go to dinner and you just keep eating, eventually you're not gonna be hungry anymore. But if you know what you wanna eat and you look forward to that and you enjoy it, then you won't be hungry. Now if SYSTEM OF A DOWN makes more music, and that's not impossible, although after 25 years, it's unlikely. I would say that don't expect it, but if it happens, it'll be a nice surprise for all of us."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 20 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.
Last year, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian, while promoting his memoir "Down With The System", was asked in an interview with The Jesea Lee Show what it would take for him and his bandmates to release a new studio album. He responded: "Egalitarian approach to everything within the band. [In other words] kind of more equality in terms of sourcing of the music, in terms of splitting everything, including publishing, in terms of ideas, in terms of sharing the vision — that kind of stuff."
He continued: "It's in the book. We call it a manifesto jokingly because I wrote points down that, years ago when I had some new songs that I thought would be amazing with SYSTEM, and so I played it for the guys. And I said, 'Guys, I've got an idea of a vision, a different way forward that I think would be very beneficial for the band.' And I presented it — we call it a manifesto in the book almost half jokingly, but bringing a manifesto to rock musicians is… [Laughs] I guess it doesn't work — it doesn't work. But I was trying to instill the same type of egalitarian principles as I love as an activist within whatever I do. And at that time, it didn't work, but maybe it will one day. We'll see."
SYSTEM OF A DOWN launched its South American tour on April 24 at Estadio Nemésio Camacho El Campin in Bogota, Colombia. The nine-show "Wake Up! South America" tour then played in Cercado De Lima, Peru at the Estadio Nacional before moving on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil, wrapping up with a run of five shows in Curitiba, Rio De Janeiro and São Paulo. The concerts are SYSTEM OF A DOWN's first visit to South America since 2015.
SYSTEM OF A DOWN added second shows as part of the band's one-of-a-kind massive stadium events this year. The run of 2025 North American shows will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 27-28 with special guests KORN, as well as two night at Soldier Field in Chicago (August 31-September 1) with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and a final stop at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on September 3 and September 5 with DEFTONES.
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5 ìàé 2025
MAX CAVALERA: 'Metal Is The Most Positive Thing In The World'
 In a recent interview with Prescription Punk Rock, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera spoke about how heavy metal music, arguably more than any other genre, has a reputation for the effect it has on its listeners' behaviors and mental health. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Metal is the most positive thing in the world, but I know it [has a] negative image. I understand. But once you are inside of the metal, it makes you a great person. I think in metal — I hope at least — there's less racism, there's less sexism, there's less prejudice, and there's more friendship. There's more bond. Also because you're part of something outside of society, I think it's cool too. It's a unique thing. You're part of something that's special. You feel very kind of proud to be part of something unique like this. And I think it's cool like that."
He continued: "When you are in the airport and you see another guy [wearing] a heavy metal shirt, you go, 'Oh, fuck, yeah. How're you doing, man?' We have to do that. It's our code… There's people that fucking, even when they don't recognize me, I still [go], 'What's up, man? Fucking cool fucking shirt, man.' A lot of times, of course, they [go], 'Oh, it's Max, man. Can we get a picture?' and this and that. But some other times it's been where the guy probably doesn't know who the fuck I am, and I just give him props because he is wearing a CELTIC FROST shirt. And I'm, like, "Fuck, yeah, dude. Cool shirt, man.' Let him know."
Last month, SOULFLY parted ways with the band's longtime bassist Mike Leon.
Leon, formerly of HAVOK, joined SOULFLY in September 2015 as the replacement for STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos, who left SOULFLY in May of that year.
SOULFLY will perform tonight (Saturday, May 3) at Mexico City's Nu Metal Revolution, with Max's son Igor Amadeus Cavalera of CAVALERA band, GO AHEAD AND DIE and HEALING MAGIC filling in on bass.
SOULFLY is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Totem", which came out in August 2022 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2018's "Ritual" was recorded at Platinum Underground in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino and Arthur Rizk with assistance from John Powers. Produced by Max Cavalera alongside Arthur Rizk (KREATOR, MUNICIPAL WASTE, CODE ORANGE),the LP boasts guest appearances from John Powers (ETERNAL CHAMPION),Chris Ulsh (POWER TRIP),and John Tardy (OBITUARY). Rizk was also responsible for playing lead guitar on the record. The artwork for the album was created by James Bousema.
In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the band's 2021 and 2022 run of shows.
Guitarist Mike DeLeon has been touring with SOULFLY for two years. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.
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5 ìàé 2025
See ACCEPT's Entire Performance At 2025 Edition Of M3 ROCK FESTIVAL
 Fan-filmed video of ACCEPT's entire May 3 concert at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland can be seen below.
The band's setlist was as follows:
01. The Reckoning
02. Humanoid
03. Restless And Wild
04. Straight Up Jack
05. Midnight Mover
06. Demon's Night / Starlight / Losers And Winners / Flash Rockin' Man
07. Princess Of The Dawn
08. Metal Heart
09. Teutonic Terror
10. Fast As A Shark
11. Balls To The Wall
In a recent interview with Mark Strigl, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the band's touring plans beyond a couple of U.S. festival appearances this year, including the one at M3. He said: "We're [planning] on another tour in the fall, which I cannot talk about quite yet, but there will be more shows in the U.S. later in the year. They haven't been announced yet, so I can't really say much… And other than that, we're going to Europe. We actually tried to lay low this year because we're gonna be very, very busy next year when we have the 50-year anniversary tour coming up and an album in the works for that. And so there's a lot of stuff happening next year, and we kind of wanted to lay low this year, but then we aren't. All these shows came in, so we're still quite busy."
Asked if longtime ACCEPT producer Andy Sneap will 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 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."
Asked what continues to drive him creatively to keep making new music with ACCEPT, Wolf said: "Well, we're still hungry. I still have the energy and I still have the passion for it, so I don't ever feel like I'm at this point where I've kind of had enough or I wanna retire or anything like that. I'm still full force in it, man. And so is everybody in the band. And that is, I guess, what keeps us motivated and what keeps it going. And it's a lot of fun to create stuff that actually means something to the fans. It would be one thing if we were releasing albums and everybody said, 'You know what? Just play the old songs. We don't really need any new stuff.' But the opposite is true. People are really eating the stuff up, and they're really, really happy and they're respecting the fact that we are still working so hard. So the old songs and the new songs kind of live side by side when we perform live. I mean, at one point the classics are always gonna be the classics and they're gonna be featured on radio more and that sort of thing. But when it comes to live performances. I think the fans really appreciate the fact that we play new stuff."
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.
ACCEPT and KK'S PRIEST recently joined forces for a summer/fall 2024 North American tour. The run began on August 31, 2024 in Los Angeles, California, visiting a slew of major cities in the USA and Canada — such as Toronto, Montreal, New York and Nashville — before coming to an end in San Francisco, California on October 7, 2024.
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. | 0 | |
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5 ìàé 2025
Watch: GENE SIMMONS Plays First Two 2025 Shows With His Solo Band
 KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and his solo band, GENE SIMMONS BAND, kicked off their 2025 tour Friday night (May 2) at Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City, Georgia. The band — consisting of Gene on bass and vocals, Jason Walker on guitar and vocals, Brian Tichy on drums and vocals and Brent Woods on guitar — reportedly played only six songs before the rest of the gig was scrapped due to bad weather. A second show followed Saturday night (May 3) at Beaver Dam Amphitheater in Beaver Dam, Kentucky. Fan-filmed video of both concerts can be seen below.
Simmons recently postponed nearly 20 dates on his solo tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND to 2026. Gene currently has dates scheduled through August 3 in Sturgis, South Dakota.
In a recent interview with 95.9 The Rat's Carl Craft, Gene discussed the "Personal Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day" experience he is offering to his fans during his tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND. The experience in question, called "The Ultimate Gene Simmons Experience", offers fans the opportunity to not only meet Simmons and his band but to assist him with load-in at the venue and setting up the stage, attend soundcheck and spend time backstage. The roadie will also join Simmons for a meal, and the 75-year-old rock legend will introduce the fan during the gig. The experience costs $12,495 — plus the original ticket price and comes with a bass guitar Gene previously used — and is only available to one fan per venue.
Asked how he came up with the price tag of $12,495 for the experience, Simmons said: "Here's the deal: when I was a kid and I went to see [Jimi] Hendrix or somebody, of course I enjoyed the show and really got off on it — we talked about it forever and stuff — but I didn't know what it was like. What's the beginning of the day like? What's it like to sit and have breakfast or lunch with my favorite rock stars, and then get in the limo, go to the gig, set up the drums, do soundcheck and then be on stage with your video, 'cause nowadays everything's on video. You can't take a poop without a camera coming in under the stall. And then you get pulled up on stage to sing along with them. Now, having said that, we only do one roadie for a day per show. And I'll tell you why — because nowadays everything is so litigious. That's a big word, like gymnasium. That means everybody sues everybody for no reason. So if you get a paper cut, somebody gets sued. And that's just the way life is here in America — much more in California, by the way. It's crazy out here. So, I can't even, if I wanted to, bring out do roadie for a day with 10, 20, 30, as many people [as we would like]. So we do one, because the insurance costs for that are astronomical. And so this ain't cheap. It's not for everybody. And for that one person, you do have to pay premium numbers. That's just life."
Gene went on to say that the $12,495 price tag doesn't "just" include "the classic stuff. It's also exposure, financial and legal exposure," he explained. "Somebody has a bad experience and they sue you and it costs you hundreds of thousands of dollars. You need insurance for everything. Do you have a car? You've got insurance. Everything in life, apparently… In fact, you buy anything — a tool — they give you insurance. Would you like the one-year or three-year? Everything's insured."
Simmons is offering another package called the "Gene Simmons Bass Experience", which gives one fan and three guests the chance to meet the KISS icon backstage. With this package, the fan will be able to take home one of Simmons's bass guitars, which can be signed and personalized for $6,500 for a "non-stage-played" instrument, and $12,500 for one that Simmons previously played at a show in addition to the ticket cost.
Simmons's $12,495 "Personal Assistant And Band Roadie For The Day" experience is limited to one per show and includes the following perks:
* You will meet up with Gene and GENE SIMMONS BAND members early in the day (either at his hotel or designated location) to go over the band's show day schedule.
* You will be on the GENE SIMMONS BAND team crew for the entire day!
* You will get a GENE SIMMONS BAND crew member shirt and hat
* You will get a GENE SIMMONS BAND crew member VIP laminate
* You will have a meal with Gene Simmons (at the hotel or backstage at the show)
* You will arrive and load in to the venue with the band
* You will help the band set up for the show
* You will hang out backstage
* You will sit in on soundcheck
* Gene Simmons will bring you on stage during the show and introduce you
* You will get a setlist signed by Gene Simmons
* You can take photos throughout your entire experience
* You may bring one guest
* You may bring four items for Gene to sign (no instruments, parts, etc.)
* And… you get a Gene Simmons (KISS-rehearsal-used) bass signed by Gene Simmons
For more information, visit GeneSimmonsAxe.com.
During an appearance on a December 2024 episode of Billboard's "Behind The Setlist" podcast, Gene spoke about how he now tours and performs with his solo band. He responded: "I thought I could stay away from the stage [after the completion of KISS's 'End Of The Road' farewell tour]. It bears noting that there's a magic that happens up there that words don't really sort of describe. It's a feeling, and it's tough to talk about feelings. It's probably closer to… There used to be a guy named Dr. [Arthur] Janov and he had a kind of a strange hippie point of view about people having their stuff pent up. So you put people in a padded room. And it was called scream therapy. You go in there and you just let loose and reportedly — I was never part of that, but reportedly — people would come out drenched in sweat and relieved and tired and you expel all this stuff. And going through life, there are rules. You can't compliment women too much. There's no more hugging. There's all these rules. You can't do trans jokes, gay jokes, Jew jokes, black — you can't do any of that stuff because we're very sort of… There are subtle rules that we all have to be aware of. Not on stage. You are free. You just expel all this energy, and it's this celebration of life with the fans and you, and you get to this kind of joyous place. So the GENE SIMMONS BAND is a chance for me, with some friends who are monsters on their instruments, to go out there and just have a great time. It bears noting we don't have managers, road crew, nothing. No trucks, nothing. The local promoters provide the backline, and we just get up there and play. And there are no set-in-stone setlists. Fans can yell, 'Hey, why don't you do 'Almost Human' from 1804?' You betcha. And you break into it. Or, 'Do you guys know 'Whole Lotta Love'?' 'Yeah, I think so.' And you break into it. Or you jam. And at every show we bring fans up on stage. 'Can you sing?' 'Can you play? Let's have a party.'"
When asked how the idea for touring without managers and a road crew came about, Simmons replied: "Actually, it was done by black musicians when they played the Chitlin' Circuit, what used to be the black clubs, 'cause they couldn't play white clubs. So Chuck Berry, as an example, famously would show up with his guitar, and there was a local band. Now, I don't do that — I take my band with me — but Berry would show up, and he'd tell the guys, 'Study the records, learn these songs, I'm gonna show up,' and no rehearsal, nothing. Just let it happen. And you can be as tight as THE [ROLLING] STONES. I don't know if you've ever seen THE STONES live. No matter how much they rehearse, there's this kind of sloppy, greasy way of doing it. And you never quite know where the end of the song is — it never quite ends — because there is no end; you just kind of feel it. So it's very easy. We have a lot of fun. The fans are, as they say on the street, digging it. And then you die. That's all there is."
Regarding what the difference is to him financially when he plays shows with his solo band compared to how it was with KISS, Gene said: "I make more [with my solo band]. Yeah, there's no managers, no private jets, no 20 tractor trailers, no 60-man crew, no huge shows. And the pyro alone for every [KISS] show was 10 grand, sometimes 50, depending if you go outdoors — enormous, enormous costs for doing that — but proud to have done that with [fellow KISS founder] Paul [Stanley] and the rest of the guys in the band. But this is a decidedly different thing. It's almost as if you decided to rent some amps in a garage and plug in and then everybody from the neighborhood comes in and you have a much different relationship. There's none of that sort of prepared thing. It's very informal and an awful lot of fun."
In addition to Simmons, the GENE SIMMONS BAND members include guitarists Brent Woods (WILDSIDE, SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL) and Zach Throne (COREY TAYLOR) alongside drummer Brian Tichy (LYNCH MOB, THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, PRIDE & GLORY, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT).
Back in 2017 and 2018, the GENE SIMMONS BAND played a number of shows with a lineup that consisted of Simmons alongside guitarist/bassist Jeremy Asbrock, guitarist Ryan Cook, guitarist Phil Shouse and drummer Brent Fitz.
Six years ago, Simmons stated about his solo shows: "Doing these smaller concert halls, which hold a thousand to three thousand people, means they get filled up by real diehard fans. They don't want to hear the 'same old, same old.' They want to hear nuggets, as they say. It's a hoot for me because I've never really had a chance to do this stuff live. It's been a lot of fun." Gene told the Chicago Sun-Times: "By the end, I get the chance to bring as many people from the audience as we can fit on the stage to sing with me."
Regarding how the idea for a solo tour came about, Simmons told Australia's Advertiser in a 2018 interview: "The GENE SIMMONS BAND was not a plan or anything. About a year ago, a corporate event asked me to be keynote speaker … then they said, 'Won't you get up and sing a few tunes?' I explained that you can't just do that, you've got to have a band and rehearse and all that. They said, 'Well, we'll pay you X dollars more,' and I said, 'I like you!' "So I put together a band from Nashville — these guys back up Kid Rock and lots of other people — and without a single rehearsal, I just told them which songs I wanted to do and they learned them. It just sounded natural — there is such a thing called chemistry. They don't teach that anywhere — I mean, they do teach 'chemistry' but not the kind I'm talking about. It felt right and as soon as the videos went on YouTube and such, people were calling. This little GENE SIMMONS BAND never tried to be KISS… It was just a little bit of fun and stuff. Now all of a sudden, we're headlining festivals in the Czech Republic, Canada, Germany… It's crazy."
Posted by Jim Burson on Friday, May 2, 2025
Posted by Jim Burson on Friday, May 2, 2025
Gene Simmons tour in Peachtree City
Posted by Andre Turner on Saturday, May 3, 2025
TONIGHT (FRIDAY 5-2): We are excited to host Gene Simmons Band at the Fred tonight!
🎟 Tickets are still available for...
Posted by Frederick Brown Jr. Amphitheater on Friday, May 2, 2025
🚨SEASON OPENER🚨 - https://mailchi.mp/rumseyrecords/buythedamtickets-13360266
Posted by Beaver Dam Amphitheater on Saturday, May 3, 2025 | +2 | |
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5 ìàé 2025
Watch: DAVID LEE ROTH Plays First Full Show In More Than Five Years At 2025 Edition Of M3 ROCK FESTIVAL
 VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth played his first full solo concert in more than five years Saturday night (May 3) at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.
Roth's setlist was as follows, according to Setlist.fm:
01. Panama (VAN HALEN song)
02. Drop Dead Legs (VAN HALEN song)
03. You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover)
04. Unchained (VAN HALEN song)
05. Dance The Night Away (VAN HALEN song)
06. Runnin' With The Devil (VAN HALEN song)
07. Mean Street (VAN HALEN song)
08. Atomic Punk (VAN HALEN song)
09. And The Cradle Will Rock... (VAN HALEN song)
10. Jamie's Cryin' (VAN HALEN song)
11. I'm The One (VAN HALEN song)
12. Everybody Wants Some!! (VAN HALEN song)
13. Romeo Delight (VAN HALEN song)
14. Hot For Teacher (VAN HALEN song)
15. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love (VAN HALEN song)
16. Jump (VAN HALEN song)
Fan-filmed video of the performance can be seen below.
Roth will also perform in Saratoga, California on September 12 as part of the Mountain Winery's 67th Summer Concert Series.
Roth originally left VAN HALEN to pursue a solo career following the success of the band's album "1984", but he returned for a stint in 1996 and then took over as VAN HALEN's frontman again from 2007 until 2020, although the band had not toured since 2015.
In recent months, Roth has been releasing solo versions of several VAN HALEN classics, including "Jump", "Unchained", "Everybody Wants Some!!", "You Really Got Me", "Dance The Night Away", "Panama" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love". The tracks were laid down on May 3, 2022 during a session at Henson Recording Studio in Hollywood, California. Joining Roth in the studio were Al Estrada on guitar, Ryan Wheeler on bass and Francis Valentino on drums. A total of 14 songs were recorded in two hours. The music and the vocals were tracked live with "no samples" and without the pitch-correction technology Auto-Tune.
In January 2022, Roth canceled the remaining farewell shows he was set to play in Las Vegas after he vowed to retire from performing live.
In a statement, event organizers said the cancelations were made "due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID and out of an abundance of caution for those working and attending the shows."
When Roth's Vegas residency was first announced, organizers promised "a changing set of 26 instantly recognizable songs, including 'Jump', 'Panama' and 'California Girls...'"
In March 2020, Roth postponed the final six shows of his Las Vegas residency due to the coronavirus pandemic that is spreading across the globe.
Roth's last Vegas residency kicked off on January 8, 2020 with a 15-song set that included 10 VAN HALEN classics and five songs from his solo career. Backing the singer were lead guitarist Al Estrada from the VAN HALEN tribute band ERUPTION, rhythm guitarist Frankie Lindri, bassist Ryan Wheeler, keyboardist Danny Wagner and drummer Mike Mussleman.
Roth explained that he chose Vegas as the place to debut his new band because "this is where you come to celebrate and do the victory dance, whatever that means to you."
In a February 2020 interview with StarTribune, Roth openly wondered whether his first tour since VAN HALEN completed its 2015 run of shows would be the last time he would perform.
"I'm calling it 'The Last Tour'," he said at the time, "and then underneath it in parentheses: 'Unless It Isn't'. ... At my age, everything is a possible farewell tour."
"It's been a long great trip, a long great run," he continued. "But this kind of music requires the kind of energy that people in their 20s bring. You know what NFL stands for: Not For Long. It's similar in rock. I remember the days when we would stand around and say, 'Let's go have a cigarette.' And that's what we did: Four guys having one cigarette. I remember those days. They go by fast, so enjoy them while you're in them."
In February/March 2020, Roth performed as the opening act for the North American leg of KISS's "End Of The Road" farewell tour.
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5 ìàé 2025
DEMON HUNTER Releases New Single 'I'm Done'
 DEMON HUNTER has released a new song, "I'm Done". The track, which was made available via the band's own label Weapons MFG, was produced by DEMON HUNTER guitarist Jeremiah Scott and vocalist Ryan Clark, and was mixed and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris.
The "I'm Done" music video was directed by Clark and can be seen below.
"I'm Done" is the sixth standalone single since the arrival of DEMON HUNTER's eleventh studio album, "Exile", in October 2022. It follows "The Brink", "Some Of Us", "Worlds Apart", "Black Stained Glass" and "Falling Apart" (with SET THE SUN).
"Exile" was DEMON HUNTER's first album issued on Weapons MFG. It debuted at No. 9 on Billboard's Album sales chart; No. 1 in Christian sales; No. 3 in Hard Music and Independent; and No. 4 in Rock.
Scott produced and mixed "Exile", which boasted guest appearances from Max Cavalera (SOULFLY),Tom S. Englund (EVERGREY),and Richie Faulkner (JUDAS PRIEST). Darren Craig (SLIPKNOT, Rihanna, Kanye West) directed the first music video for the album, "Freedom Is Dead".
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5 ìàé 2025
IRON MAIDEN's BRUCE DICKINSON Shares Advice For Young Artists: 'One Of The Most Important Things Is Self-Belief'
 Prior to IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson taking part in the Musicians Institute's MI Conversation Series on April 21 in Hollywood, California, the Musicians Institute YouTube channel got to hang with him in the green room and ask him some questions before he hit the stage. Regarding what advice he would give to artists, Bruce said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One of the most important things is self-belief. And you can't teach that. That's character. And self-belief is so important. I've played with people who have been astonishing musicians but were forever doomed to be playing in their bedroom because they had no self-belief because they did not go out there and put themselves out there and perform so the people notice them. I mean, it's like if you're the greatest guitar player in the world and you sit in the middle of a tent in the Sahara Desert, you are never gonna make it. Sorry. The universe is not fair like that, because you'll need it, because you'll get knocked over, knocked down, and other musicians will try and put you down as well because they're all trying to step on top of you to do X, Y, Z. And try not to just go down the rabbit hole of a particular type of music, even if you love that particular type of music."
He continued: "There's an irony. Yes, you need the self-belief, but if you make the performance all about yourself, people will walk away, because nobody's that interesting. Nobody's that interesting. What you need to do is have the self-belief to use whatever talent it is you have to tell a story, to say something, to have some feeling inside that you can express that's real and authentic, and then people will listen because it resonates with them. So yes, you need the self-belief, but we don't need to hear all about you. It's like a game of tennis. I mean, when you're performing live, it is like a game of emotional tennis, 'cause you knock it out there and they knock it back and you go, 'Hey, let's recirculate that' — boom. And then you chuck it out again and you gradually warm up the pot. That's why concerts are always better at the end than they are at the beginning. [Laughs]"
As for what keeps him inspired, Dickinson said: "Whatever the last thing I did, that's what keeps me going — not the thing I did 40 years ago or anything else like that. Oh, that's great, but I did that 40 years ago. I don't listen to a lot of stuff that I did, and when I do, I hope I'm sometimes pleasantly surprised, and sometimes I'm mildly appalled, , so I go, 'Oh my God. I can't believe I did that. Oh, wow. What were we thinking?' Or I hear some technical thing like, 'Oh my God. That note's just a little bit dodgy. How did we let that go?' So stuff like that. You become hypercritical. And I try and avoid it, because what you want is… It is an instant reaction people get to music, and if you then try and pick it apart, then you kind of destroy the moment. There are moments of technical excellence that coincide with emotional impact. And when you do that, you're, like, 'Hey, we were a 10 today.' But sometimes you don't — sometimes you get an emotional, nine and a half and a technical five. But what's more important? For the audience, I argue it's always the emotional nine and a half, except for, obviously, the geeks on YouTube that go, 'I don't like him because he can't sing a high D above C…' 'Fuck off. You know what I mean? [Laughs]"
Bruce also touched upon how music distribution has changed over the years, and what it really means for artists' livelihoods. He said: "Obviously when the whole file-sharing thing kicked off in the very early days, the major labels didn't understand what was about to hit them, so they all went bust. People who loved listening to music, they were, like, 'Hey, cool. All of our favorite music is suddenly free,' which was very nice for them. It was not a great disaster for established bands with a live following because they could still sell enough product, physical product, to make it worthwhile doing a record, but they could still go out and tour and make their money and make a living and merchandising, and so on and so forth. So yeah, great. But for everybody else on the planet that was up and coming, struggling to work, Spotify [was a] catastrophe… So you have to use your creative imagination in trying to present what you are doing in a way that people are excited about it. That's always been the case, but it's just the media in which you have to do it is now different. Now it's online, it's Instagram. And I know there are people who sit in their den with their podcast mic on and do basically kind of like a live broadcast every week with subscribers. And that's the way they make music and do it. But it's not the same as going out there with a live concert and building a physical community in one place that does that space. But it may be a way to alleviate some of the problems associated with kind of digital distribution. The good thing is that record labels, all the record labels that have evolved from the ashes of the old system are all very tech savvy and realize that you can stop people giving your music away, you can still sell records and things like that and that there are other avenues. There is endless appetite for consumption of music, so somebody somewhere must be making some money out of it."
Dickinson's latest solo album, "The Mandrake Project", arrived in March 2024 via BMG.
Bruce's "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will kick off in Anaheim, California at the House of Blues on August 22 and take the band across North America including shows in New York, Los Angeles, Texas, Florida and Canada, with festival appearances at Rocklahoma (Oklahoma) and Louder Than Life (Kentucky),with more to be announced. The tour will also include a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious The Town festival at the City Of Light in São Paulo.
Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on the "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will once again be his 2024 backing band, featuring Dave Moreno (drums),Mistheria (keyboards) and Tanya O'Callaghan (bass),alongside the group's latest additions, Swedish guitarist, songwriter and multi-platinum-credited producer Philip Näslund and Swiss session and touring guitarist Chris Declercq (who played on Dickinson's "Rain On The Graves" single). Bruce's longtime guitarist and collaborator Roy "Z" Ramirez is not part of the touring lineup.
Prior to the April 12, 2024 Whisky A Go Go show, Bruce last performed with his solo band on in August 2002 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.
Bruce and Roy recorded "The Mandrake Project" largely at Los Angeles's Doom Room, with Roy doubling up as both guitarist and bassist. The recording lineup for "The Mandrake Project" was rounded out by Mistheria and Moreno, both of whom also featured on Bruce's last solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.
Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith.
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5 ìàé 2025
SCORPIONS Cancel Third Concert In A Row Due To KLAUS MEINE's 'Bacterial Bronchitis'
 Hard rock legends SCORPIONS have been forced to cancel their concert tonight (Saturday, May 3) at Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa in Quito, Ecuador. According to a statement posted on the band's social media, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine, who will turn 77 later this month, "has still not recovered from the virus that forced the recent Buenos Aires [April 26] and Bogota [April 30] cancellations for SCORPIONS and was diagnosed with a bacterial bronchitis which caused his unfortunately inability to sing."
SCORPIONS add in the same statement: "The band send their deepest apologies to all their loyal fans in Ecuador and are again extremely disappointed not to be able to play in one of their favourite countries. They'll make every effort to return to Ecuador and South America in the future."
Meine told the Phoenix New Times in a 2017 interview that the aging process has forced the SCORPIONS to scale down their touring activities — they no longer play three shows in a row or even attempt to perform some of the earlier songs in the original key. He said: "When you listen to songs from 'Blackout', like 'No One Like You', [or] 'Big City Nights', it's physically impossible [now] to do those songs in the original keys. You want to play those songs, but you want to survive 100 shows a year. So some of the songs we play in different keys, but the energy is still there. You're still at the top of your voice. Even now, you've got to go to the edge, but maybe the edge has moved a little bit."
Back in May 2022, Meine assured fans during an interview with Jorge Botas of Portugal's "Metal Global" that there was no more talk of retirement, as there was back in 2010 with what was purported to be a final SCORPIONS album and a farewell tour that never quite took hold. "No, we scratched that word [retirement] out of our [vocabulary]," he said. "It's not there. We don't think about it and we don't talk about it and we take it as it comes.
"We're just growing older and we do what we do and we hope our fans enjoy it as much as we do," Klaus added. "But who would have thought we're still around after celebrating 50 years of being recording artists — our first album came out in 1972 and now 'Rock Believer' looks like it hits the big time with the fans and so many positive reviews from all over the world. And after all these years, who would have thought? And it's a wonderful thing.
"But all we know is [that] the road ahead is way shorter than what's behind us. And we never take it for granted —we never take success for granted. We work hard on what we do because we still love it and we still enjoy it. But it's what it is. And I think every artist knows what I'm talking about, because to go out there, play a great show for the fans and not let 'em down, it takes a lot of preparation, takes a lot of work. And being the singer, you try to make sure your pipes are in a good condition.
"It's a lot of things," Meine said. "And we don't know what the future will bring. Take a look at the next corner, and you never know what's going on. But right now, life is good. We have a great new album out there. And we have a lot of fun. We enjoy it."
Meine previously discussed SCORPIONS' aborted retirement in a 2018 interview with SiriusXM. "The thing is we have a much different view now," Klaus said. "And it's a young generation — that's the fuel that keeps us going, and it's really motivating.
"To be honest, every other year, you take a look around the corner: 'Can we do this?' 'Can we still deliver on the same high level, the way we used to do it?'" he admitted. "And that's the only way, and it's only fun if you can go out there and play a great rock show, wherever you do it. Like in the last couple of weeks, we had so much fun. But then you get sick on the road, like I did last year with the severe laryngitis. What can you do? There's not a chance. And then sometimes, of course, you ask yourself, 'How long can we do this?' Especially for singers — and I know I'm not the only one. But it's always, sometimes you ask yourself, 'Klaus, c'mon, how long can you keep up this level?' And then you go out there, everything feels good."
Circling back to SCORPIONS' 2010 "farewell tour" announcement, Klaus told SiriusXM: "Of course, we had our moment of doubt when we said, 'Okay. Maybe we should retire. Maybe this is a good moment.' And then we realized we were wrong, because there's still a lot of sting in the tail, so to speak, and it still feels good. There's such a demand for the SCORPIONS, and we're one of the few bands who play this global stage. If there wasn't this kind of demand, of course, there's no point after so many years, and you'd better go, 'Well, I go home and take it easy.' But there's such a strong demand and that really feels good and challenging — it's a challenge. Of course, you don't do it for the business. It's a good business, yes, but you don't do it for the business and for the money — you do it for the fun, you do it for what's inside of you, what's in your blood, what's in your veins, and that's the rock and roll music. And you wanna go out and play in front of an audience, because that's what it's all about."
SCORPIONS' latest album, "Rock Believer", was released in February 2022. The album was recorded primarily at Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
SCORPIONS originally intended to record the new album in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.
It is with further regret that Scorpions will be unable to perform in Quito tonight, May 3rd. Klaus has still not...
Posted by Scorpions on Saturday, May 3, 2025
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5 ìàé 2025
DOUG ALDRICH Is Feeling 'Good' Five Months After Completing Radiation Treatment For Throat Cancer: 'Chops Are Back'
 In a new interview with Australia's Bumping Into That Sound podcast, former WHITESNAKE and DIO and current THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist Doug Aldrich offered an update on his health, nearly eight months after he underwent a "very successful" surgery following a throat cancer diagnosis. Doug said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "[My cancer diagnosis] set me back. I found out, basically, in the summertime last summer and then it took me a while to get the doctors all lined up to do the operation and all this stuff. And so I squeezed in a DEAD DAISIES run in the U.K. We did a bunch of dates. And then I got home and I was trying to work it so I could get the surgery and then be healthy enough to go do the European dates that we had at the end of [2024], and then I would do the radiation treatment after that. But the doctor was, like, 'Look, I don't think you should wait. I think you should just do the operation, get healthy, and then start the radiation.' And that's what I did. so I got Reb Beach from WINGER and WHITESNAKE to come in and fill in for me [for the European tour]. And I got the operation. It was on my tonsil, the cancer. And so they took out the tonsil, which is not a lot of fun. And they took out some lymph nodes right here. It's healed up really nicely."
He continued: "It took me a while to learn how to eat again 'cause your jaw's basically — I could barely open it; I could only suck milkshakes and stuff. So then I got that together, and then they said, 'Okay, now we do the radiation.' And the radiation is when they take the, the radio beams and they just basically, every day for 15 minutes, they fry it — they fry your neck. And I thought it was just gonna be right here [isolated in one spot]. But they basically go all the way across for 15 minutes. And so that was the whole thing where I was burnt — I was tired and just felt beat up and I couldn't really… Even if my guitar was right there, I'm sitting here talking to you, I'd be, like, 'Man, I'm gonna go lay down, man. I need a nap.' I'd feel okay after the session every day. They gave me Saturday and Sunday off every week. It was six weeks. And I got finished up right before Christmas. But, man, it was just brutal. So I didn't play. I played when I was recovering from the surgery, but then the radiation, I was just resting. I didn't have any energy. Mind you, had I had a gig to play with THE DEAD DAISIES, I would've done it and I would've been fine. I would've done it. But there was some periods where my neck was not in good condition. It was basically fry burnt, and it didn't look good. So that wouldn't have gone over too well."
Doug added: "So I was at home and I just rested, and so my chops went away. I mean, I picked up the guitar in December [2024], and I'm just like, 'Wow. I feel weak.' So I'm just now — I mean, I started playing right before Christmas, and in January I was playing as much as I could, but it takes time, man. When you go back down that far, and it's just now that… my chops are finally getting… I'm not gonna say I'm back a hundred percent, but I feel pretty damn close. I feel good… Yeah, it just took effort. I didn't realize that it was gonna take that much effort to come back. When you put down the guitar for a couple weeks, sometimes you come back and you're more fresh. You've still got your strength and everything. But I lost — not that much weight, but probably about 20pounds or 30 pounds and just overall muscles. I'm still working on putting weight back where it wants to be and keeping it away where I don't want it to be. So that's cool. But yeah, I feel good. Chops are back."
This past February, Doug was asked by Ernest Skinner of Canada's Border City Rock Talk how he found out about the seriousness of his diagnosis. Doug said at the time: "Once I met with the oncologist, he said, 'Hey, this is very treatable. You're gonna be fine. It's gonna be a pain in the ass, but it's very treatable.' But prior to that — it was about two or three weeks [earlier] when I got the news that it was cancerous, it was definitely cancer — I didn't know what kind of cancer [it was] and how advanced it was. That's the scary part, because, man, I was, like… It was just a nerve-racking situation because I've got kids. I've lived a great life, I'm super blessed and lucky, and if it's my time, I'll go, but I don't wanna leave yet because I've gotta help my kids get through life a little bit."
Doug continued: "It was definitely a setback mentally. And I just had to kind of go, 'Look, I'm gonna leave it in God's hands and just whatever it is, it is, and I'll just deal with it my best I can.' And then the doctor said it was very treatable and it would be a pain in the ass. It would be a surgery and also radiation. And I thought, 'Okay, the surgery is the worst part of it,' but actually radiation is [the worst]… Fortunately, I didn't have to have chemo, so that was good. They took out my tonsil where it was, and then they took out a bunch of lymph nodes right here. And the scar is pretty good, actually."
Earlier that same month, Doug told Ralph Rasmussen of Radio Bypass that "everything" was "good" following his treatment. "I got done with all the radiation treatments in December, and then it's just been a quick six weeks or whatever," he said. "It's just flown by. But I've been feeling good. Everything's kind of getting back to normal. I'm starting to go to the gym a little bit and work on my muscles and stuff and getting going again like that. So I'm good. I've been playing a lot. There's a few little issues that pop up — I get some swelling sometimes. After they do that surgery on you, there's some restructuring of your nasal cavity and stuff like that in your throat. So there's a little bit to get used to, but I can't complain. I'm doing really good. And after what I went through, I'm definitely feeling blessed."
Aldrich previously discussed his cancer battle during an appearance on the December 16, 2024 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". Regarding how he got diagnosed with throat cancer, Doug said: "I never thought I would get cancer. It just never occurred to me. I've always been super healthy and — knock on wood — I never had a major anything. And one day, I think it was in May [2024], I was about to go on tour with THE DAISIES and I was shaving and I saw a little lump on my neck. And I was, like, 'Well, that looks when you're sick, you've got swollen glands or something.' It was on one side. And I thought, 'That doesn't hurt at all. My throat doesn't [hurt]. Nothing hurts.' And I went on tour, and I said, 'Hey, something like that could be a viral thing. Let it roll for a couple weeks, and if it doesn't change, then make an appointment to see your doctor.' And so I went and did the dates — it was, like, three weeks of dates or something in the U.S., I believe. And I got home and got an appointment. It took a little time. As you know, to get a doctor's appointment it takes a minute. So it was another few weeks before I got in. And immediately they looked at it in order for me to get a CT scan, [and] after reading that they were concerned there was something in there. It wasn't a major concern. Then I did a little MRI of the neck, and that's when they could measure the bump, and they realized that this was really concerning. [And they told me] I should go see an ear, nose and throat doctor. And my doctor was, like, 'Hey, it could be cancer. It could be cancerous, but it could be benign. It could be whatever. Don't worry about it yet.' But already my mind was starting to get a little bit nervous. So I go to the ear, nose and throat doctor, and he goes, 'I see it. It's on your tonsil. And if you don't mind, I'm gonna grab a piece of it with the tweezers and I'll send it in for a biopsy,' which, actually, just for those people that care about this stuff, you could go get a biopsy and it would cost you thousands of dollars or insurance or whatever. The way this guy did it was old school — he just ripped a chunk off my tonsil and sent it in and it saved me a ton of money to do that. So it came back positive for HPV 16 throat cancer. Definitely not good. So, right then you start freaking out, like, 'Oh, man. Okay, what stage is it?', whatever. And it's very difficult to get definitive answers on stuff, 'cause nobody really knows until you do all these tests and all this stuff. So there's probably three or four weeks before you find out what stage it is or whatever."
Doug continued: "So that's how it started. And then I went and started going through the process. By that time, I was doing a lot of tests and stuff. I have insurance for me and my family, and I maxed out my deductible. So that was good. But insurance is a whole another thing. Doctors' bills — you get bills; every day there's bills from this and that, and you don't know what to pay and what not to pay. It's very confusing. But anyway, that's how it started. That's how it was diagnosed. And I immediately got in with… My wife got me into a doctor at UCLA Medical Center, which is close in L.A. And then my sister's boyfriend is a plastic surgeon, and he got me in with a doctor for a second opinion from Cedar Sinai in L.A. And that's the guy I went with, a guy called Dr. Ho."
Asked by host Eddie Trunk to clarify that he "had no symptoms" beyond this little bump and that he wasn't "in pain or anything", Doug said: "Nothing. Sometimes people lose weight. I had no symptoms — nothing. It was just a bump, and it was not super noticeable, but then, of course, once you see it, you can't unsee it. And another thing that's important for people [to know] is that the most important thing you can do to protect yourself is get checked. Well, this particular cancer, it usually gets discovered by a dentist. But I don't have many problems with my teeth, and a dentist is expensive. So I would be, like, 'Look, my kids, I wanna make sure they're checked, and [they have] braces and whatever they need to do. That's what I'm gonna spend my money on.' I was, like, 'I don't need to go to the dentist. I just brush my teeth and floss. That's it.' But had I gone to the dentist, he would have seen this before it… It's called metastasizing when it switches from the actual tumor to a lymph node, and that's what my neck bump was; it was a lymph node that had gotten swollen. So a dentist would have seen that thing on my tonsil a lot sooner and it would have been much easier to deal with, or my treatment would have been much easier to deal with. But it got discovered when it was already metastasized in the lymph node and then the question was, what stage is it? How big is it? How far did it go?"
Doug added: "So the bottom line is you've gotta get diagnosed of where you're at, and you need to go to an oncologist. And I would recommend [for you to] go to a big hospital in your area and make an appointment, start making appointments with whoever you can. And that's what my wife did. She reached out to UCLA because we've used them before for kids and stuff. And so she got me that one. And the guy, he had been there a long time, had a great record, and UCLA is great and everything, but he said, 'We don't really do stages anymore. It's kind of an old thing that they did with cancer. They call it stage 1 through 4, whatever.' Basically, he goes, 'I don't know what yours is exactly. It could be 2, it could be 3, it could be 1 and a half, whatever. But you're gonna need surgery.'
"When it's in your throat, you've got all these things that are connected in there. So they're looking down your nose, looking in your throat, looking at X-rays and scans and all this stuff. And by the way, around that time too, the doctor ordered a PET scan, which is a full-on body [scan] to see if the cancer has spread to like your lungs or your liver or kidneys or whatever, and that's scary. When you start thinking, like, 'When is my appointment? Oh, it's in two weeks. It could be right now growing anywhere.' And you don't know, so you've gotta get this PET scan. But, fortunately, so far and at that time, I was all clear everywhere except for that spot. So he said, 'You've gotta operate,' and he goes, 'The good thing is I'm a great surgeon. I can do the outside part on your lymph nodes, but I can't do the inside, which is gonna be a robotic surgery. I need somebody else to do that.' And then when I met with Dr. Ho at Cedar Sinai, he was younger. He had probably had more up-to-date kind of training in terms of robotics. And he goes, 'I'm gonna do both surgeries myself.' And he was very confident."
According to Aldrich, another issue had come up during that time which affected the way he went about his surgery. He explained to "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "There's a nerve in your neck that connects your shoulder that's involved in this area. And when they do the surgery, if they clip that nerve, then you're have a real hard time lifting your arm, which wouldn't affect my guitar playing, but I wouldn't be able to lift my arm up very well. And I'm thinking not just about playing guitar, but I'm thinking about, like, shooting a basketball with my kids or something. So I asked him about it, and he goes, 'We'll do our best. I think we can save that nerve.' And he did. So first thing [they did was the] surgery, and then after surgery, they decide what kind of treatments, whether they got it all and you don't need to do anything, or if you have to have radiation, or chemo, or both. And I had to get radiation."
In late September 2024, Doug's wife Daniela "Danni" Aldrich said that his surgery, which she described as "five long hours of multiple steps", "went incredibly well", adding that "Doug pushed through like the fighter he is. Even the nurse called him a superhero for his strength and determination right after!" she wrote. "He is the strongest person I know."
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."
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5 ìàé 2025
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5 ìàé 2025
KERRY KING: Why I Will Always Play SLAYER Songs With My Solo Band
 During a recent press conference to promote his appearance at the Bangers Open Air 2025 festival in São Paulo, Brazil, Kerry King spoke about why the setlist for the performances from his solo band includes some of the SLAYER classics he wrote or co-wrote. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Part of the reason I'm doing SLAYER songs in my set is because it's part of my past, part of our legacy, and if SLAYER never comes down here again, I play these songs so people in South America, wherever I play, they can still enjoy the songs that I've written over the last 40 years. So, to me, it's an extension of SLAYER because SLAYER went away. SLAYER got taken away from me as well. I planned on being SLAYER forever. And I still am; we're just not playing that often. But I like to give fans a taste of what I am now, what I was then, songs they're probably never gonna see again live. I wanna give that to them. I wanna show people that were too young to see SLAYER the first time how cool it was, because I think we do the SLAYER songs justice. And me moving forward, I'll have more and more solo material, but I'm not ever gonna forget that I was in SLAYER and I'll always play some of that too."
The setlist for King's solo shows usually contains several SLAYER songs, including "Repentless", "Hate Worldwide", "Chemical Warfare", "Disciple", "Raining Blood", "At Dawn They Sleep" and "Black Magic".
Last year, King told Metal Hammer magazine that he wanted the setlist for the shows from his solo band to only include SLAYER songs that he "wrote or co-wrote. So nobody can say 'he's playing Jeff [Hanneman, late SLAYER guitarist] songs,' because although I love Jeff songs and he was such a big part of my life, I don't want to rely on it this year, this album cycle," he explained. "At some point, I will play 'Angel Of Death', but there's so many fucking faceless haters on the Internet, I don't want to give them ammunition."
SLAYER made two festival appearances in September and October 2024 after a five-year hiatus.
This past March, the band announced a run of 2025 North American and European dates, marking SLAYER's first U.K. and Canadian shows in six years. They expanded that run last month with the addition of the only East Coast performance of the year, in Hershey, Pennsylvania in September.
King's debut solo album, "From Hell I Rise", came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music. All material for the LP was written by the 60-year-old SLAYER guitarist, who was accompanied during the recording sessions by the rest of his solo band, consisting of drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER),bassist Kyle Sanders (HELLYEAH),guitarist Phil Demmel (formerly of MACHINE HEAD) and vocalist Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL). Helming the sessions at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles in 2023 was producer Josh Wilbur, who had previously worked with KORN, LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and BAD RELIGION, among others.
Prior to "From Hell I Rise"'s arrival, Kerry admitted to France's Loud TV that launching a new project several decades into his career was "a lot more difficult than I thought. I've been kind of pampered for the last at least three decades," he said. "And starting over, even though I have a gigantic history in SLAYER, starting over, you're still starting over — you're lower on the bills, you're not making the [same kind of] money. Having to figure out how to make sure everybody in my band makes money so it's worth their time. But, yeah, never for a second did I consider not going on, because at this point in life, any record could be your last. I don't think this is my last record, but I have to move on like it is. So put it out, hope the fans like it, hope the fans show up. I like it. I think the fans are gonna like it, and I think we're gonna have a lot of good times."
Asked if the lineup for his solo band is made up of "friends", Kerry said: "Absolutely. The thing that meant the most to me about moving forward in this project was getting my friends. I could get anybody in the biz — I can get people I don't know, people I've never met, but I have enough friends in this business to know that I could put a band together of outstanding musicians that are friends that, after the show, we can get on the bus and have a drink and just have fun. No drama. Nothing weird is gonna happen that we don't foresee. I look forward to getting out on the road with these guys and having a good time."
King told Rolling Stone about the decision to call the band KERRY KING: "It was going to be KING'S REIGN for a long time, which is really cool. But even with that one, I went to the guys, like, 'I'm not a vain dude. I don't want my name to be a part of it.' We talked about BLOOD REIGN for a while, but it didn't work. Every time I came up with anything remotely cool, it was taken by some obscure band in Eastern Europe. It became KERRY KING because I love that logo."
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5 ìàé 2025
HELIX Shares Music Video For New Recording Of 'Rock You' Featuring PHIL X, BRENT FITZ And TODD KERNS
 Last month, Crown X Recordings, Canada's premier reissue label, announced the release of "Helix 50 - The Best Of", a career-spanning collection celebrating five decades of one of Canada's most legendary hard rock bands. The compilation features an all-star re-recording of HELIX's multi-platinum hit "Rock You", alongside international chart-toppers from their major label debut "No Rest For The Wicked" (1983),through to "Vagabond Bones" (2009). An all-new track completes the circle. Using cutting-edge audio technology, every track has been expertly remastered for both CD and vinyl at Iguana Recording Studios in Toronto, Ontario for a new sonic experience.
The official music video for the all-star recording of "Rock You" — featuring founding vocalist Brian Vollmer and longtime bassist Daryl Gray, along with special guests Phil X (BON JOVI),Brent Fitz (Slash),and Todd Kerns (Slash) — can be seen below. The track is available for streaming in both stereo and Dolby Atmos.
HELIX's newest studio track "Stand Up" will be released on all streaming platforms Friday, May 18.
"Helix 50 - The Best Of" is a definitive collection including the classic remastered hits "Heavy Metal Love", "Deep Cuts The Knife", "Wild In The Streets", "Running Wild In The 21st Century", "Good To The Last Drop (Radio Version)" and "Animal Inside". Additionally, unplugged versions of "(Make Me Do) Anything You Want", "The Kids Are All Shakin'" and "Dream On" have been remixed for a fresh, updated sound. Released in both CD and LP format, the CD version includes the bonus tracks "That Day Is Gonna Come", "Sleeping' In The Dog House Again", featuring Kim Mitchell, and "Look Me Straight In The Heart", a duet with Lee Aaron.
Fans will be able to order a Deluxe Signed Bundle exclusively through the band's webstore starting Wednesday, May 21. This edition is limited to 300 units and comes in a special gatefold format that holds both the CD and 180g marble color vinyl. This hand signed bundle also includes a record slip mat, a "Helix 50" guitar pick and a "Helix 50" can koozie.
Standard single CD and LP versions will be available in retail stores this July.
The band will celebrate the release of "Helix 50 - The Best Of" with a special unplugged show on Wednesday, May 21, as part of the McBowl Concert Series, an annual charity event in Mississauga, Ontario. Brian Vollmer and Daryl Gray will be joined by former HELIX guitarist Sean Kelly, who will also host a retrospective discussion on the band's history. Before the performance, Vollmer will launch "Helix 50 - The Best Of" via a livestream event, sharing stories from the band's iconic career.
"Helix 50 - The Best Of" track listing:
01. Rock You (2025)
02. Heavy Metal Love (2025 Remastered)
03. Deep Cuts The Knife (2025 Remastered)
04. Wild In The Streets (2025 Remastered)
05. Running Wild In The 21st Century (2025 Remastered)
06. (Make Me Do) Anything You Want (2025 Unplugged)
07. The Kids Are All Shakin' (2025 Unplugged)
08. Animal Inside (2025 Remastered)
09. Good To The Last Drop (Radio Version)
10. Stand Up (2025 Remastered)
11. Dream On (2025 Unplugged)
CD Bonus Tracks
12. That Day Is Gonna Come
13. Sleepin' in the Dog House Again
14. Look Me Straight In The Heart
HELIX was formed in 1974 in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. In 1976, the twin-guitar attack of Brent "The Doctor" Doerner and Paul Hackman joined the band, helping shape the group's signature sound. After releasing two independent albums, HELIX signed with Capitol Records, launching their major-label career with "No Rest For The Wicked" (1983),featuring the breakout hit "Heavy Metal Love". The band gained further international success with "Walkin' The Razor's Edge" (1984),driven by their iconic anthem "Rock You", which received major MTV airplay, along with a controversial X-rated version of the video.
Throughout the 1980s, HELIX continued to release acclaimed albums and tour worldwide, sharing stages with KISS, ALICE COOPER, MOTÖRHEAD and Ian Gillan. Despite the tragic loss of guitarist Paul Hackman in 1992, Brian Vollmer carried the HELIX torch forward, working with various top-tier musicians, including members of BRIGHTON ROCK, KILLER DWARFS, HAREM SCAREM and CRASH KELLY.
HELIX's legacy was further cemented in 2003 when they were humorously featured in an episode of the "Trailer Park Boys" television show sparking renewed interest in their music. In 2005, Vollmer released the book "Gimme An R!", documenting his life on the road and in the studio. In 2010, Vollmer released "Smash Hits…Unplugged", an acoustic reimagining of HELIX classics, some of which are now featured on this latest compilation.
Today, HELIX continues to tour and record, with "Helix 50 - The Best Of" serving as a monument to their enduring legacy. | 0 | |
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5 ìàé 2025
See AC/DC's Entire Detroit Concert During Spring 2025 North American Tour
 Fake Fan has uploaded video of AC/DC's entire April 30 concert at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. Check it out below.
Featured songs:
Intro 0:00
If You Want Blood (You've Got It) 1:17
Back In Black 6:45
Demon Fire 11:05
Shot Down In Flames (missing; see separate video below)
Thunderstruck 16:02
Have A Drink On Me 22:01
Hells Bells 26:39
Shot In The Dark 32:35
Stiff Upper Lip 36:14
Highway To Hell 40:34
Shoot To Thrill 45:00
Sin City 51:10
Rock 'N' Roll Train 57:51
Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap 1:02:47
High Voltage 1:08:04
Riff Raff 1:15:12
You Shook Me All Night Long 1:21:25
Whole Lotta Rosie 1:25:25
Let There Be Rock 1:31:52
Angus 1st Solo (On The Riser) 1:41:33
Angus 2nd Solo (Top Of The Stage) 1:45:11
End To Let There Be Rock 1:52:48
Encore:
T.N.T. 1:53:46
For Those About To Rock (We Salute You) 1:57:47
AC/DC kicked off its 2025 North American "Power Up" tour on April 10 at the US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
AC/DC — guitarist Angus Young, vocalist Brian Johnson, rhythm guitarist Stevie Young, drummer Matt Laug and bass player Chris Chaney — 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 will play some of the most iconic and historic stadiums in the world, including Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on May 24. Support on the trek is coming from THE PRETTY RECKLESS.
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 "Power Up" European tour marked AC/DC's first with the band's new touring lineup consisting of Johnson, Angus and Stevie Young, Laug and the latest addition to the group's touring lineup, Chaney.
The European tour was the first run of gigs since AC/DC's return to the stage at last year's Power Trip festival in Indio, California.
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.
Laug is an American drummer who has played with many bands/artists such as Alanis Morissette, Alice Cooper, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and Vasco Rossi. Matt moved to Los Angeles after graduating from South Florence High School in 1986 and after attending college in L.A., Matt became a sought-after studio drummer.
In 2001, Laug supported AC/DC as part of SLASH'S SNAKEPIT on the North American and European legs of the "Stiff Upper Lip" tour.
In its announcement about Laug's addition to the band's Power Trip lineup, AC/DC offered no explanation for the absence of the band's longtime drummer Phil Rudd, who rejoined AC/DC for the recording of the group's comeback album, "Power Up", which came out in November 2020.
Rudd was ousted from AC/DC when he was sentenced to eight months of home detention by a New Zealand court in 2015 after pleading guilty to charges of threatening to kill and drug possession. He was replaced on the band's "Rock Or Bust" tour by Chris Slade, who had previously served as AC/DC's drummer between 1989 and 1994, playing on the album "The Razor's Edge".
Rudd, who appeared on all but three of AC/DC's 18 previous studio albums, toured in support of his 2014 solo debut, "Head Job". It was the release of that album that led indirectly to Rudd's arrest, with the drummer allegedly so angry at a personal assistant over the way the record was promoted that he threatened to have the man and his daughter killed.
AC/DC postponed the last 10 dates of its spring 2016 North American trek after Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss." The band went on to complete the European and North American legs of its "Rock Or Bust" tour with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist." At the time, Johnson had been AC/DC's singer for 36 years, ever since replacing the late Bon Scott in 1980 and making his debut on the classic "Back In Black" album.
To enable him to perform live with AC/DC again, the now-77-year-old Johnson worked with audio expert Stephen Ambrose, who said he could help resolve the singer's hearing problems.
Ambrose, who invented the wireless in-ear monitors that are widely used by touring artists today, claimed to have invented a new type of ear-bud that would allow Johnson to perform without causing further damage to his eardrums. After three years of experimenting and "miniaturizing" the equipment, Johnson previously said the technology could allow him to tour again.
Chaney is best known as the bassist of JANE'S ADDICTION and as a member of Alanis Morissette's touring and recording band. Chaney was also a member of TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS and CAMP FREDDY, as well as being a prolific and versatile session musician, having played with artists including Joe Cocker, Shakira, Slash and Avril Lavigne to Sara Bareilles, Gavin Degraw, Cher, SHINEDOWN and Celine Dion. Chaney is also a founding member and partner in the all-star supergroup ROYAL MACHINES along with Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION),Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY),Josh Freese (FOO FIGHTERS) and Billy Morrison (BILLY IDOL).
Bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement at the end of AC/DC's 2015-2016 "Rock Or Bust" tour, which also saw Johnson leaving. However, Williams — and Johnson — took part in the recording sessions that resulted in "Power Up". Both of them were also part of the AC/DC lineup that performed at Power Trip.
During an October 2020 interview with Dean Delray's "Let There Be Talk" podcast, Cliff was asked if Johnson's departure from the road was what led to his desire to stop touring. Cliff responded: "It was before then. I spoke to Angus about it initially. I was at a point — and this is at the beginning of the 'Rock Or Bust' tour — that I just felt, for me, it was time to hang it up. I knew that I didn't wanna keep doing these two-year tours, and I didn't wanna hold them back, so I made them aware of the fact that this was gonna be my last go-round. It was a tough tour to finish. God bless Axl for coming in and helping us out, finish it up. He did a great job. And at the end of that, I was definitely — that was it for me. Done — just done. That compounded the whole thing."
According to Williams, he wanted to take part in the recording sessions for "Power Up" as a tribute to Angus's late brother, founding AC/DC rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who died in 2017 from effects of dementia at age 64. Malcolm is credited as a writer on all 12 tracks on "Power Up".
"If 'Back In Black' has [late AC/DC singer] Bon Scott all over it, for me, 'Power Up' has got Malcolm Young," Cliff said. "This is for him. And it's the band that we played together with for 40-plus years. And I wanted to do that — I wanted to come back and do that.
"We did some rehearsals earlier [in 2020] before this darn COVID thing popped up, and we had great rehearsals," he continued. "The band was playing really well. So [they asked me], 'Do you wanna do a few shows? 'Sure'. A few shows. We were planning on doing that. Everyone goes home to their respective homes, and bang, we've been here ever since [because of the coronavirus-related shutdown]."
Cliff went on to confirm that his commitment to AC/DC was only for "a few" dates in support of "Power Up".
"For both [my mental and physical] health," he said. "I definitely have some physical issues, which I won't bore you with the details of. But, yeah, it's tough. I'm very grateful for everything. It's been fantastic. But I just don't wanna do that anymore."
Williams previously revealed that a "terrible" bout with vertigo contributed to his 2016 retirement. He also admitted the return of both Johnson and drummer Phil Rudd convinced him to rejoin the group. "It was like the old band back together," he told Rolling Stone. "It was not like starting over again, but as close to the band that's been together for 40-plus years as we can possibly make it. I didn't want to miss that."
The follow-up to 2014's "Rock Or Bust", "Power Up" 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". | +2 | |
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5 ìàé 2025
See SEBASTIAN BACH Perform At 2025 Edition Of M3 ROCK FESTIVAL
 Fan-filmed video of Sebastian Bach's entire May 2 concert at the 2025 edition of the M3 Rock Festival at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland can be seen below.
Joining Bach on stage at the gig were the other members of his current touring band: his son Paris Bach on drums, "Bruiser" Brody DeRozie on guitar, and Fede Delfino on bass.
Featured songs:
00:00 What Do I Got To Lose?
04:40 Slave To The Grind
08:50 Here I Am
14:02 Big Guns
18:15 Sweet Little Sister
22:44 18 And Life
28:47 Can't Stand The Heartache
32:20 Freedom
36:02 Piece Of Me
38:48 Future Of Youth
43:10 Monkey Business
54:00 I Remember You
59:15 (Hold On) To The Dream
01:04:40 The Threat
01:09:30 American Metalhead
01:15:20 Youth Gone Wild
Sebastian's latest solo album, "Child Within The Man", came out in May 2024 via Reigning Phoenix Music.
2024 was a remarkable year for the singer, songwriter, author, Broadway star and actor. "Child Within The Man" — his first album in more than 10 years — was well-received, with Associated Press saying "…it shows a fierce performer in prime fighting form…his vocals remain sharp and his songwriting talents as cunning as ever," while Ultimate Classic Rock noted: "Bach's voice has lost none of its rage or range, even in the highest registers…" In addition, the album's "(Hold On) To The Dream" track was included in Consequence's "30 Best Metal & Hard Rock Songs Of 2024" which described the song as "...a late-career masterpiece from the former SKID ROW singer. Baz hits some of the highest notes of his career on the sweeping ballad, an inspiring anthem about perseverance."
On the touring front, Sebastian performed a record 91 shows in 2024. The dates included two successful North American tours — one around the release of the album, followed by another leg of fall shows — and a series of overseas appearances just before the album's release.
In January, Sebastian was back on TV when he appeared on Food Network's "Worst Cooks In America Celebrity Edition: Heroes vs. Villains". In addition, last June Sebastian was the subject of an A&E "Biography: Rock Legends" special. This follows his 2023 appearance as "Tiki" on Fox's "The Masked Singer".
"Child Within The Man" has yielded the following singles/videos, all of which have impacted the rock charts: "Freedom", "What Do I Got To Lose?", "Everybody Bleeds" and "(Hold On) To The Dream" (along with the "(Hold On) To The Dream" alternate video),"Future Of Youth" and "To Live Again".
"Child Within The Man" was recorded in Orlando, Florida; produced and mixed by Michael "Elvis" Baskette; engineered by Jef Moll, assistant engineered by Josh Saldate and mastered by Robert Ludwig of Gateway Mastering. Bach wrote or co-wrote all the album's 11 tracks and sang all lead and backing vocals.
"Child Within The Man" features guest appearances from John 5 (MÖTLEY CRÜE, ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON),Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) and Orianthi (ALICE COOPER, MICHAEL JACKSON) — who all co-wrote their respective tracks with Bach — and two tracks co-written with ALTER BRIDGE's Myles Kennedy ("What Do I Got to Lose?" and "To Live Again"). Devin Bronson (guitars),Todd Kerns (bass) and Jeremy Colson (drums) round out the players on the album.
Prior to "Child Within The Man"'s arrival, Bach hadn't released a full-length disc since "Give 'Em Hell", which came out in March 2014.
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5 ìàé 2025
MÖTLEY CRÜE's JOHN 5 Shares 'One-Take' Guitar Playthrough Video For 'Dogs Of War'
 MÖTLEY CRÜE guitarist John 5 has shared a "one-take" guitar playthrough video for the band's song "Dogs Of War". Check it out below.
John 5 wrote in a caption accompanying the YouTube release of the playthrough video: "OK kids here's a little 'Dogs Of War'. There are a few diminished chords, add9 chords all sorts of good stuff."
John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues.
The original "Dogs Of War" music video, which was made available in April 2024, is an animated, all-CGI affair directed by Nick DenBoer.
Last July, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx told Janne Innanfors of the Swedish radio station Rockklassiker about the mixed response to "Dogs Of War" from the MÖTLEY CRÜE fans: "We like the fact that there was kind of a knee-jerk reaction, because at least people were listening. It's a very strange time now where, whether it's a news cycle or socials, everybody has turned into a critic. And I always say, they've never erected a statue of a critic. It's never happened, right? It's always the artist. But now everybody's a critic. So within a short amount of time, we get, 'We love it.' 'We hate it.' 'You're over.' 'You've reinvented yourself.' 'It sounds like 'Shout At The Devil'. 'It sucks.' And we just kind of sit there and go, 'That's cool, guys, but we didn't really ask for any input from you.' We're just artists writing music, and we're pretty cool. I'm happy with it. I like it."
During an appearance on SiriusXM Fight Nation's "Busted Open" show, Sixx spoke about "Dogs Of War", which was made available via MÖTLEY CRÜE's new deal with Nashville's Big Machine Records. He said: "A lot of people said it's a different sound, but I'll be honest with you, I don't necessarily agree with that. If you listen to the verses, they're very similar to a lot of stuff that we've done — that simple, grinding thing with those almost CHEAP TRICK melodies. And the riff, I mean, it could be off of 'Dr. Feelgood'. So I don't really feel like it's that different. I think what's different for people is that when we were working on the song, Tommy [Lee, CRÜE drummer] had the idea to just let the bottom fall out in the verses, which is not really what we do. We usually go for it, and [it's] really unique for Vince [Neil, CRÜE singer]."
Vince chimed in: "I don't ever sing like that. But it works in the song." He added that "Dogs Of War" "was very easy to sing."
Nikki elaborated on the CRÜE songwriting process, saying: "I think what we do together is we all kind of know each other so well, we know each other's strengths and weaknesses. And for me as a lyricist, I'm always thinking about Vince and his tempo as I write. So it's not like out of the wheelhouse, but it's nice to know each other so well, if that makes sense."
When "Dogs Of War" was first released, Neil described the track as "like old school meets new school. It's got that old-school vibe about it, but it's new music. Nikki came up with it and he sent me the music and I thought it was really cool. So I started singing it and we got in the studio and it turned into the song I think the fans are really gonna like it."
Last October, MÖTLEY CRÜE released the "Cancelled" EP, featuring the title track, MÖTLEY CRÜE's cover version of the BEASTIE BOYS classic "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)" and "Dogs Of War". All three songs were recorded in April 2023 with longtime producer Bob Rock.
MÖTLEY CRÜE's deal with Big Machine sees the band and the label working together again after making the 2014 project "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe", which featured CRÜE tracks covered by country stars RASCAL FLATTS, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Darius Rucker and more. Big Machine also partnered with John 5 for the release of his 2021 album "Sinner".
MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.
In 2018, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin". | 0 | |
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5 ìàé 2025
GENE SIMMONS Reflects On KISS's Debut Album: It's 'Probably The Most Honest Record We've Ever Done'
 In a new interview Terrie Carr of WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons reflected on the band's classic debut studio album, which was released in February 1974 via Casablanca Records. Much of the material on the LP was written by Simmons and KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley, with the two of them splitting the lead vocal duties fairly evenly. Gene said about the effort (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think probably it's the most honest record we've ever done. It doesn't have to be the best, but painters and artists talk about the honesty of innocence before you learn to do things. Like kids — the most honest art is when a small child dips into mud or poop in the bathtub and starts creating imagery and stuff. That's the most honest expression of art before you know form and function and any of that stuff. So we didn't know anything about the recording process. We barely knew how to tune the instruments, and we sort of could write songs and based on our love of… We were Anglophiles. We loved the English version of what the Americans invented, which was rock and roll and blues, and it became rap and all that. It all started here [in the U.S.], but come on, the English gave us THE BEATLES and [LED] ZEPPELIN and stuff, and we gave them THE GRATEFUL DEAD. It's just leagues apart. Nothing American ever rose to that level with people that play guitar. Nothing — not even close. And when you list the top — I don't know — 10 bands of all time, they were all English or Irish. THE BEATLES and THE [ROLLING] STONES and the English invasion and stuff — on and on and on. Amazing songs. And so we started writing songs like that, and not copying or anything, but within that vein. And it came easy. Paul and I were long students of songwriting and the English bands and everything. THE KINKS — oh my goodness, those early years. 'Waterloo Sunset' was so, so simple, stripped of even production.
"The thought behind those songs [on KISS's first album] was we wanted to put together the band we never saw on stage," Simmons explained. "So on one hand we had sort of this love of Anglophile music and those English bands, but then there was the sameness of, if you didn't know much, you couldn't tell the difference between THE KINKS or THE STONES or THE BEATLES and everything. They all had basically the same hairstyle type, same age — except THE BEATLES, everybody sang, everybody was a star. That was a major, major difference. And so we looked at THE BEATLES as a template. Wouldn't it be great if everybody sang lead? That was like, 'Wait a minute.' In THE STONES, it was [Mick] Jagger. In THE KINKS, it was Ray Davies — like on and on and on. AEROSMITH, it's Steven [Tyler] — nobody else sings. But in KISS, everybody sings songs. And that was a thing that was appealing to us. Now, putting that together, you have to go through auditions, and eventually we found the right mix, those original guys. Having said that, sadly, not everybody is designed in their DNA to run marathons. Some people are just shooting stars — they just go for a little while. And Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist] and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer] were so perfect for the original lineup, but they just weren't designed to last 50 years. So they were in and out of the band three different times."
Less than two months ago, Simmons confirmed to Las Vegas Review-Journal that KISS will perform without makeup at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas as part of the three-day "KISS Army Storms Vegas" event, which runs from November 14 to November 16.
"KISS Army Storms Vegas" celebrates the KISS fan club's 50th anniversary and will be the band's first live performance since Simmons, Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer wrapped up their "End Of The Road" farewell tour at Madison Square Garden in New York in December 2023.
When KISS officially announced the "KISS Army Storms Vegas" event, the band said that Stanley and Simmons — along with "special guests" — would play at least one show "unmasked," meaning without their iconic makeup. It was later revealed that Thayer would also be part of the event.
KISS had previously set a 12-show residency at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas in 2021 and 2022 but ultimately canceled all of the dates.
Simmons told Rolling Stone in a November 2023 interview that the second Madison Square Garden "End Of The Road" concert would mark "the final KISS-in-makeup appearance."
Simmons recently postponed nearly 20 dates on his forthcoming solo tour with the GENE SIMMONS BAND to 2026. Gene is now expected to launch the trek on May 2 in Peachtree City, Georgia, with dates scheduled through August 3 in Sturgis, South Dakota.
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5 ìàé 2025
POSSESSED's JEFF BECERRA Pays Tribute To Late Guitarist BRIAN MONTANA: 'He Was Jovial And A Gentleman'
 Vocalist/bassist Jeff Becerra of pioneering death metallers POSSESSED has commented on the passing of the band's former guitarist Brian Montana. The 60-year-old musician died on Monday, April 28 during a shootout with police.
According to a press release from the South San Francisco Police Department, "South San Francisco Police Department received a 911 call [on Monday] regarding an active disturbance where a suspect was brandishing a firearm at a neighbor on the 300 block of Arroyo Drive. Officers began arriving on scene at 5:55 pm and immediately requested additional units because the suspect with the firearm was now actively shooting into an occupied residence. The suspect then re-positioned himself into a driveway of that neighboring residence and concealed his location behind parked vehicles while still armed.
"Over the next 25 minutes, the suspect armed himself with three different types of firearms (handgun, shotgun, and rifle) and fired at officers from different locations within the driveway while seeking cover and concealment using both vehicles in the driveway and landscaping. Officers used police vehicles as cover from the barrage of gunfire and were able to return fire. Officers were able to strike the suspect, effectively preventing him from continued shooting at officers and nearby residences.
"Once the suspect was confirmed he was no longer a threat to officers, an approach to take him into custody was made and he was found to be non-responsive. Life saving measures were performed and medical personnel were called to the scene. The suspect succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
"One resident from the home that the suspect was shooting at sustained a non-life threatening injury and was transported to a local trauma hospital. Nearby residences were also checked and officers confirmed no one else was injured. No officers were injured during this critical incident."
A witness told CBS News about the incident: "My understanding is they had a dispute over a tree that was hanging. This is how foolish this kind of thing is. A dispute over a tree that one of them cut back, which is his right …and then somebody tried to settle it with a gun."
The South San Francisco Police Department said it will release more information, including audio and video recordings, at a later time.
POSSESSED shared a comment about the shooting via the band's Instagram Story early Friday, May 2, writing, "Very tragic news. Our sympathies to the Montana family and friends," above an image of a news article. The band also posted a message that read "Rest In Peace Brian Montana" via Instagram Story on Wednesday, April 30, according to the Daily Mail.
A longer tribute to Montana from Becerra via the official POSSESSED account added: " I just feel like people should know that Brian Montana was a very nice guy. He was jovial and a gentleman. He was into martial arts and he was an excellent guitar player. Brian was always cracking jokes and he was a good person. Although we weren't in touch often and more than a phone call here and there. The Brian I know is from when we were still just kids back in the beginning of POSSESSED. He was nothing like what I'm seeing being written about him. In fact, I think that's one of the reasons that led to him leaving POSSESSED. He just wasn't willing to be as dark as we wanted him to be at that time. We were going for that evil imagery, and Brian was just so lighthearted, even goofy in a good way."
Jeff continued: "He was obviously going through some struggles and I think this is the time to be respectful towards the Montana family and friends as this is a tragic time for them.
"I'm sure there’s a lot more to this story but that would be up to Brian's family to tell or not to tell. I know that I still feel this is a great loss and I'm deeply saddened."
Montana joined POSSESSED after answering a newspaper ad placed by founding members Mike Torrao and Mike Sus. He played on the band's 1984 demo titled "Death Metal", which is credited with giving the genre its name. Montana left POSSESSED shortly after the demo's release and was replaced by future PRIMUS guitarist Larry LaLonde.
"I left the band because Torrao had a terrible attitude problem and wouldn't stop ragging at me," Montana said in an interview with Voices From The Darkside. "He was like some senile old lady that just wouldn't shut up. He had a problem with my image. He didn't think I was evil enough or something. He was always ragging on me to wear an upside-down crucifix and be satanic."
POSSESSED originally split in 1987, leaving behind a short but highly influential legacy, most notably the band's 1985 "Seven Churches" debut, widely considered to be the first-ever death metal album. Internal tensions after the release of 1987's "The Eyes Of Horror" EP led to the band's dissolution, with LaLonde joining Bay Area tech-thrashers BLIND ILLUSION, then PRIMUS, while Becerra, guitarist Mike Torrao and drummer Mike Sus each going separate directions.
Two years after POSSESSED's split, Becerra was the victim of a failed armed robbery attempt, subsequently leaving him paralyzed from the chest down and sending him into a spiral of drug and alcohol abuse. POSSESSED was reactivated by Torrao in 1990 with a completely different lineup, but only released two demos before dissolving in 1993. Becerra then reformed POSSESSED in 2007 with his own lineup, which released its first studio album in 33 years, "Revelations Of Oblivion", in 2019.
🚨 Officer-Involved Shooting Update 🚨
On 4/28/25 at approx. 5:52 PM, SSFPD responded to a 911 call on the 300 block of...
Posted by South San Francisco Police Department on Tuesday, April 29, 2025
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by POSSESSED OFFICIAL INSTAGRAM (@possessed_official)
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4 ìàé 2025
Ex-SEPULTURA Drummer IGOR CAVALERA On Satanic Imagery In Early Brazilian Extreme Metal Scene: 'It Was An Act Of Rebellion'
 Former SEPULTURA drummer Igor "Iggor" Cavalera was a guest on a recent episode of White Centipede Noise, a podcast focused exclusively on noise, based out of WCN Studios in Potsdam, Germany. Asked about the fact that many of the early extreme metal bands in Brazil — including SEPULTURA, SARCOFAGO, HOLOCAUSTO and VULCANO — embraced satanic imagery and themes in the 1980s despite being based in what is largely considered a Catholic country, Igor said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "For us, explaining the first wave of black metal that we had in Brazil, it wasn't really about worshipping Satan, but it was about attacking the church, which it has a huge difference. For us, it was way more political. 'Cause the church is controlling everything in South America, and they're involved in politics, and as we all know, they're the most evil thing. They came in and they really raped the land with the colonization and everything. So for us to go against the church, it was an act of rebellion. And for us it also made more sense to attack that than just attack the government in general because they're the same thing in our view. So when you had the SEX PISTOLS going like against the queen, for us, our form of aggression was, like, 'No, let's destroy the church.' 'Cause they're all connected. So I guess that's where it kind of like blurs where we've also never been Satan worshippers; that wasn't our thing. Of course, I study a lot of like the dark side of things, I read a lot of books, but I was never… 'Cause I believe they're all the creation of the same thing — the evil and the good and Satan, in my opinion, is also a creation of the church. So for us to worship that, it was almost, like, 'Oh, how come you don't accept Jesus, but you accept that one, which is kind of like — they're the yin-yang.'"
He continued: "So that's where that movement started from. It was about that aggression. And then, of course, musically, it was an extreme form of showing how we wanted to rebel. And then, of course, metal by being one of the styles that we liked the ideas, but we didn't like how metal was made in Europe or in America, 'cause it was too polished. And they were talking about dragons and slaying castles. And we're, like, 'That's not our reality.' So I guess that's where it started."
This past February, Igor launched a solo tour of the United Kingdom during which he performed electronic music from the repertoire of his solo discography inspired by the varied sub genres of avant-garde, drone, industrial and harsh noise.
Along with older brother Max Cavalera, Igor is a founding member of the Brazilian thrash metal band SEPULTURA. Igor is now the drummer for CAVALERA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SOULWAX, PETBRICK and other projects. Cavalera is one half of the DJ duo MIXHELL, an electronic music project he founded with his wife, Laima Leyton, in 2006. With MIXHELL, he has toured the globe, performing in festivals such as Glastonbury, Bestival and Reading.
In 2013, Igor moved to London with his family and in 2016 joined the Belgian band SOULWAX, recording drums for their album "From Deewee" and touring as part of "Transient Program For Drums And Machinery". Soon after, he founded PETBRICK with Wayne Adams — a project that involved melting noise and crushing electronics over grinding drumming.
Igor has been performing live with analog modular gear, drum pads and visuals for intimate crowds at experimental festivals such as Dio Drone (Florence) and clubs such as Cafe Oto and Iklectik (London). His latest releases include "Aural Manifestations" on Damian Records in America and Deepthroat Records in Europe and "Alucinações Sônicas" on Hospital Productions.
Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their son (who was born in January 2006).
In 1996, Max Cavalera exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band split with Max's wife Gloria as their manager.
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4 ìàé 2025
DROUTH Reveals Title Track From Upcoming The Teeth Of Time Album
 Portland blackened death-metal band Drouth has unveiled the title track from their impending album, The Teeth of Time, that’s out May 16 from Eternal Warfare Records.
Commenting on the single, the band states:
“‘The Teeth Of Time’ was an obvious choice for us to make the title track and centerpiece of the album, as it encapsulates the lyrical and musical themes most central to Drouth at this moment. It is the fullest realization of our artistic ambition yet, and having our friends Laurie Sue and Christy Cather contribute guest vocals was truly an honor—their projects, Ludicra in particular, are huge sources of inspiration for us and we knew their distinctive styles would fit perfectly with the song.”
Adding about the record, the band has said:
“We are proud to present The Teeth Of Time, a culmination of several years of blood, sweat and pain. It is a nightmare made manifest, and we are both eager to share our creative work and grateful to the many people who helped make it possible.”
Preorder on Bandcamp.
Tracklisting:
“Hurl Your Thunderbolt Even Unto Death”
“False Grail”
“The Teeth Of Time”
“Through A Glass, Darkly”
“Exult, Ye Flagellant” | 0 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
LOVEBITES Streaming “When Destinies Align” Video From No More Tragedy Live Release
 No More Tragedy is the new live release from Japan’s Lovebites. No More Tragedy is out now on Blu-ray, DVD, and CD and features the entire show at Tokyo Garden Theater held on September 1, 2024.
New video and track for “When Destinies Align” – taken from their 2020 album Electric Pentagram is available now.
Lovebites recently announced vinyl reissues of their four full-length albums and four EPs.
The albums were previously available on vinyl, but in limited quantities. Releases included in the campaign are The Lovebites EP, Awakening From Abyss, Battle Against Damnation, Clockwork Immortality, Electric Pentagram, Golden Destination, Glory, Glory, To The World, and Judgement Day.
The reissues will be available on August 12 via Victor Records and Tower Records. Each vinyl is limited edition on colored vinyl. A special synthetic leather record bag is also available.
The power metallers will perform at the hallowed Budokan in Tokyo on March 29, 2026. Applications to attend the show for non-Japan residents are available now. | +1 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
D-A-D Live At Wacken Open Air 2019; Pro-Shot Video Of Full Performance Released
 Danish hard rock act, D-A-D, performed on the Louder Stage at the 2019 edition of Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival. WackenTV has released professionally-filmed footage of the band’s full set. See below.
Setlist:
“Burning Star”
“Evil Twin”
“Bad Craziness”
“Nothing Ever Changes”
“Everything Grows”
“A Prayer For The Loud”
“Grow Or Pay”
“Riding With Sue”
“Reconstrucdead”
“Monster Philosophy”
“No Doubt About It” (with Laust setting drums on fire)
“Jihad”
“Sleeping My Day Away”
“Disneyland After Dark” | 0 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
BEHEADED Details New Album Għadam; Band Shares Trailer For Cinematic Music Video “Il-Kittieb”
 Maltese award-winning death metallers, Beheaded, will delve deep into their island’s native folklore and beliefs on new album, Għadam, scheduled for release on July 25 via Agonia Records. Watch a cinematic trailer for upcoming single and music video, “Il-Kittieb”, directed by Raul Noise, below
Għadam is an album that marks a significant evolution in the band’s journey making it the first death metal album ever written in Maltese, tying Maltese horror, literature and death metal into a cohesive concept. The album incorporates musical influences rooted in the island’s heritage, blending the band’s signature ferocity with elements of traditional religious and folklore music, creating a unique fusion that pays homage to the band’s cultural origins. With Għadam, Beheaded not only pushes the boundaries of their sound but also cements their legacy as pioneers of Maltese death metal.
Għadam is based and inspired by the books of Maltese horror author Anton Grasso including the title itself. The work comprises nine songs that all use the title of a book by the author, which are then interpreted in a story, theme or subject different from what one finds in the book. It is also worth mentioning that on Għadam, one finds passages, phrases, subjects from classic works of local poetry, as well as excerpts taken from prayers and religious references.
The idea behind the choice for Għadam to be a work written entirely in Maltese is that it pays homage and explores the local cultural heritage in the context of everything related to horror, fear, superstitions, the occult, the macabre, folklore and how these exist hand in hand with faith and devotion.
Beheaded comments: “Għadam, the band’s seventh album, is a dark narrative unfolding across the nocturne-esque Maltese landscape. It delves into the island’s folklore, where superstition and fervent religious devotion create a chilling atmosphere. This journey into the abyss is led by the authoritative voice of Anton Grasso’s works, the infamous Maltese horror writer, whose stories serve as a guiding light through the gloom. While retaining the essence of their signature sound, Beheaded infuses Għadam with the haunting sonorities of traditional religious harmonies and funeral marches, creating a sonic tapestry that is both brutal and profoundly unsettling.”
The album was recorded and mixed at MK2 Recording Studios (Italy) by Davide Billia (Antropofagus, Coffin Birth) with analog synth engineering done by Nicolò Brambilla at Echoes Studio (Italy) The song “Irmied” was recorded at Railway Studios (Malta) by Peter Borg and performed by Simone Brigo on a traditional hand made harp guitar courtesy of Josef Camilleri (Cross Guitar Work). Għadam was mastered by Wojtek Wiesławski at Hertz Studio (Poland). A photo shot by Raffaele Montepaone graces the cover artwork.
New single, album formats, and pre-orders coming soon.
Tracklisting:
“Għadam”
“Xtrajt l-infern”
“B’niket inħabbru l-mewt”
“Iħirsa”
“Il-Kittieb”
“Ix-xjaten ta’ moħħi”
“Iljieli bla qamar”
“Jidħaq il-lejl”
“Irmied”
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4 ìàé 2025
TOWER OF BABEL To Release Days Of Thunder Album In July; Title Track Music Video Posted
 Joe Stump’s Tower Of Babel – the hard rock quintet who bring the finest European ingredients to their no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll – will release Days Of Thunder on Silver Lining Music on July 4.
Joe Stump’s supreme six-string shredding skills are known throughout the rock and metal scenes, both as the lead guitarist of Alcatrazz and as the shred specialist associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, and having torn new earholes with their 2017 debut Lake of Fire, Stump & co take it a step further and higher with 10 glorious slices of riff-driven, Rainbow/Deep Purple styled anthems.
Along with the soaring vocals of Jo Amore, the tight-fist-drumming of Mark Cross, the multi-dimensional Mistheria (aka The Maestro) on keyboards, and Nic Angileri nailing down the rhythms on bass guitar, Stump has once again prevailed in bringing heavy, energetic, yet gloriously melodic music to the table with a style and panache rarely seen in 2025.
“All of my influences are the classic European hard rock masters, whether it’s Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker or Gary Moore,” offers Stump. “Naturally, the record gives a modern take on those classic sounds. I also love classical music of course, like Bach, Tchaikovsky, Vivaldi, and I wear all those influences on my sleeve. I do have more of a metal background, and my touch is quite a bit more aggressive, but this Days Of Thunder record is more of a hard rock album than it is a metal record.”
Released today, title track and first single, “Days Of Thunder”, propels itself off with typically blistering Stump riffs which shimmer with dazzling technique, Amore’s vocals helping to further evoke the classic era of 80’s European rock.
Joe Stump comments: “It’s a badass tune that has a Rainbow vibe to it but heavier and reminiscent of early ‘classic’ Dio, something you could hear on the Dream Evil or Holy Diver albums. The band just went for it and the track immediately took on a life of its own… Jo’s great vocals, Mark’s killer playing and of course The Maestro destroying on the keys, it all matches up perfectly!”
The “Days Of Thunder” video, by Very Metal Art, can be found below.
On Days Of Thunder, songs such as “Sacrifice” and “The Princess” dance the edge of speed and classic fireball rocking, the latter allowing some outrageous solos to unfold from both Mistheria and, of course, Stump, who proudly re-establishes his pedigree as one the world’s best axesmiths. The mysterious and hazy groove of hip-swinger “Alone In The Desert” is a smokey backbeat dragging you into its soulful swagger. All in all, taking a ride with Days Of Thunder is a Jedi mind trick of vintage sounds with ultra-fresh and vibrant sensibilities that will transport you back to the Hammersmith Odeon and the days when unabashed hard rockin’ talent, power, colour, and flare were celebrated and venerated.
Days Of Thunder is produced by Mark Cross. Mixed by George Aspiotis and Mark Cross at Studio Aspiotis, Greece. Mastered by Ade Emsley at Table of Tone Mastering, London, UK.
Days Of Thunder will be available on CD and digital formats. Pre-order here.
Days Of Thunder tracklisting:
“Dominum”
“Rules Of Silence”
“Days Of Thunder”
“Blind Are Your Eyes”
“Alone In The Desert”
“In The Heat Of The Night”
“Sacrifice”
“Black Knight’s Prelude”
“Trust Me”
“The Princess” | 0 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
SPIDER ROCKETS Release “Dirty And Bad” Lyric Video
 New Jersey’s own Spider Rockets are kicking the door down with the release of their new single “Dirty And Bad”, the first taste of their upcoming album Dirty And Bad, dropping May 23rd via FireRock Music Group.
“Our single ‘Dirty And Bad’ is part midnight confession, part battle cry — made for the wild-hearted and restless souls chasing the fire in their veins. It’s about letting go, living loud, and diving headfirst into the moment. Raw. Unfiltered. Unapologetically alive,” says vocalist Helena Cos.
“Dirty And Bad” hits hard with filthy riffs, sultry vocals, and a pounding rhythm section that refuses to let up. It’s alt-rock grit meets classic rock swagger, built for late nights, loud rooms, and anyone who’s ever lived without apologies. Lyrically, it’s a fearless dive into indulgence, lust, and the reckless thrill of now — no regrets, no looking back.
The track sets the stage for Dirty And Bad, a full album packed with the same punch, recorded between two studios — a polished space in Pennsylvania and a raw industrial zone in New Jersey — capturing the perfect clash of clean and dirty sounds.
Tom Collier, President of FireRock Music Group, says it best: “Spider Rockets are the total package. Great musicians, extremely talented. Dirty and Bad takes you on a musical journey matched by only a few. This is a breakout album — the time is now for Spider Rockets to show the world what they’re made of.”
The full Dirty and Bad album drops May 23, 2025 — and the title track already fires the first shot, loud and unapologetic. Save and add the single here.
For Spider Rockets, Dirty And Bad isn’t just an album, it’s a battle cry. A statement. A call to arms for rock fans everywhere. Mark your calendars for May 23rd and prepare for the ride.
Tracklisting:
Dirty And Bad
Monster Of Your Dreams
The Storm
Rock Your Ass Off
Casual Violence
Do Your Thing
Sucker
Everything To Everyone
Drive
Welcome To The Show | +1 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
BIG BIG TRAIN Announce New Live Album, Are We Nearly There Yet?, Available In September; “Black With Ink” Streaming
 Big Big Train will issue a new live album, Are We Nearly There Yet?, on September 19 (streaming from November 3). Sub-titled Live Around The World, the album collects together a series of performances recorded in 2024 and 2025 on the band’s tours, which visited the UK, US, Canada, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Norway, Denmark and Portugal as well as co-headlining Cruise To The Edge in both years. The album has been compiled by bassist Gregory Spawton and lead vocalist Alberto Bravin.
“Apart from Summer Shall Not Fade, which captured our show headlining the 2018 Night Of The Prog festival in Germany, our previous live albums have been based around shows in London,” drummer Nick D’Virgilio explains. “Having spread our touring wings internationally much more in the last few years, we wanted to mix it up and release a live album drawn from the almost 40 shows we’ve played around the world since March 2024.”
“While our engineer Rob Aubrey will be spending the coming months taking the lead mixing our next studio album, mixing has fallen to me for Are We Nearly There Yet?“, Alberto Bravin comments. “It’s been really interesting to go back through all the performances and choose what we thought were the most appropriate ones to include on this live release. That doesn’t always mean the best technical performance – sometimes a song had a unique vibe on a particular night which we wanted to celebrate.”
The first song to be made available from Are We Nearly There Yet? is “Black With Ink” (listen below), recorded in London in October 2024. “’Black With Ink’ didn’t get massive attention when we originally released it on the Common Ground album in 2021,” guitarist/keyboardist Rikard Sjöblom says. “I always thought it could be a kick ass tune live and that’s exactly how it turned out. Back when we originally recorded the song, it was David Longdon’s idea that the lead vocals should be shared around the band and on tour it has been real fun for me, Nick, Clare Lindley and Oskar Holldorff each to get to sing a verse.”
Are We Nearly There Yet? will be released via Big Big Train’s own label English Electric Recordings on 2CD and 3LP housed in a gatefold sleeve, via Bandcamp high resolution download and streaming. The 3LP version of the album will be available as limited edition 180 gram transparent violet vinyl (exclusive to Burning Shed and The Bandwagon USA) and 180 gram black vinyl. Pre-orders will be accompanied by a signed Are We Nearly There Yet? art card.
Pre-order from Burning Shed, The Bandwagon USA, Bandcamp.
Tracklisting:
Part One – The Lives Of Us
“Light Left In The Day”
“Oblivion”
“Beneath The Masts”
“Skates On”
“Miramare”
“Love Is The Light”*
“Last Eleven”
Part Two – The Lives Of Others
“The First Rebreather”
“Black With Ink”
“A Mead Hall In Winter”
“Snowfalls”
“The Florentine”*
“The Transit Of Venus Across The Sun”
“Apollo”
(* Not on 3LP version)
“Black With Ink”: | +1 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
FLIGHT OF ICARUS To Release Terra Nova Album In June; Title Track Music Video Streaming
 Flight Of Icarus is set to release their new album, Terra Nova, via Battlegod Productions on June 13.
Oskar and Elisabeth from Flight Of Icarus: “Terra Nova is heavier and more guitar driven than our previous two. Each album has amped up the intensity just a notch, but this time it felt more natural. The pop melodies and the Icarus atmosphere is still very much present but the music is leaning more towards a metal edge, if you will. Every song brings something unique to the overall picture as we have experimented more with different styles and various sub-genres.”
Peter Kotevski, President Battlegod Productions, “Very impressed the first time I heard them, the vocals really grabbed me and the music just flowed along nicely. Great songs, awesome album and it really stands out to all other label releases due to it have a commercial sound and vibe. An enjoyable album to listen to and also fresh at the same time.”
Purchase:
– Australia $20, Shipping $3.50 here
– Europe/US 13.00 Euro, Shipping 17.00 Euro here.
Swedish pop metal duo, Flight Of Icarus, originated back in 2016 when Oskar Frantzén discovered the utmost unique and beautiful singing voice coming from his wifes best friend; Elisabeth Särnefält Rösehag. What was meant to be a quick one-off single release became so much more.
After years of playing in various metal bands, Oskar shifted gear to put his mind towards contemporary rock with a strong, solid splash of pop. After months of trying different singers on a new song, one voice would suddenly echo through the walls… and what a voice that was. Never would he expect that the talent needed for this one song was present right there in his very own home.
Elisabeth Särnefält Rösehag, a close friend to the family, was quickly approached to record vocals on what ended up being “Dawn Of A New Day”. Realising this song was something out of the ordinary, Oskar got in touch with long-time friend Oz Hawe Petersson (guitarist of Osukaru) in hopes of getting a few names of whom to contact for radio airplay. It took Oz half a listen before the duo instead was offered an all inclusive management deal with his agency Blindfoldead International MGMT. A new partnership was born. The single became a self-titled album full of powerful pop euphoria and modern day AOR nostalgia.
The duo had taken the moniker of Flight Of Icarus (inspired by the Iron Maiden song) and saw themselves compared to the likes of Roxette and Heart, with the pump of Meat Loaf and West End Musicals A touch of Within Temptation a nice mix with Evanescence and Battle Beast. The year was 2018 and Flight Of Icarus had made everyone sure they were here to stay.
In 2021 the duo released their follow-up album, Cleo, with a concept of which the world needed at the time. While everyone was isolated from each other, Flight Of Icarus provided us a tale of hope and grandeur where the character of Cleo painted us a brand new world. The music was a mix of cinematic pop and upbeat heavy metal, topped with gorgeous vocals and intersonical soundscapes. An evolution well received from critics all over.
Shortly after the release, the world opened up and Flight Of Icarus was ready for the stage. After a successful show at Scandirock Melodic in the spring of 2022, the band proved their place for a world-wide audience. Whispers endured and people wanted more.
Tracklisting:
“Icarus Rise”
“Terra Nova”
“Lost Highway”
“To The Sun (And Back Again)”
“Through Space And Time”
“Deus”
“God Bless”
“War Cry”
“Nangilima”
“Liberi”
“Flight Of Icarus” [Iron Maiden cover] – CD exclusive bonus track
“Terra Nova” video:
Lineup:
Elisabeth Särnefält Rösehag: Lead & backing vocals
Oskar: keyboards
Erik Söderman: Guitar solo on “Terra Nova”
Bobby Rösehag: Additional guitar on “Terra Nova”
Rickard Andersson: Duet vocals on “To the Stars (And Back Again)”
Magnus Dahlin: Drums
Disa Frantzén: Backing vocals | 0 | |
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4 ìàé 2025
Former EXODUS Singer STEVE 'ZETRO' SOUZA Announces Backing Musicians For 2025 Latin American Tour
 Former EXODUS singer Steve "Zetro" Souza will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's 2004 album "Tempo Of The Damned" on a solo tour of Latin America in September 2025. At all the shows, the details of which will be announced soon, Souza will also perform classic songs from his other former bands TESTAMENT (Zetro was the lead vocalist for LEGACY, an early incarnation of TESTAMENT) and HATRIOT, as well as the Bon Scott era of AC/DC.
Backing Zetro on stage at the shows will be the following musicians:
* Zakk Frye (SLIKK WIKKED) - Rythm Guitar/Backup Vocals
* Kyle Smith (SLIKK WIKKED) - Lead Guitar
* Paul "MX" Marsciano (NASTY TRAST, Joey Belladonna) - Drums
* Donny "Death" Weissinger (NASTY TRAST, HATE GRENADE) - Bass
SLIKK WIKKED is a metal/thrash band that was started in 2013 by Zakk Frye in Rochester, New York. Since then, they have released two EPs, including the thrash anthem "Black Wind Of Death", followed by the full-length album "Savage", all of which are available on YouTube and Bandcamp. Zakk also owns and runs 10th Ward Productions, the team helping bring Zetro back to the masses.
Dates for Zetro's tour are now being booked starting in late summer and continuing through the year. More details will be released within a month or so.
Zakk tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "We will be performing a full 90-minute set of all the deep classics from EXODUS and TESTAMENT/LEGACY. And also ripping tunes from HATRIOT and even AC/DC. This will be an action-packed balls-to-the-wall metal show for all Zetro fans. They will not want to miss this."
Any venues interested in booking Zetro dates can contact Zakk Frye at 10th Ward Productions via [email protected].
Three months ago, it was announced that EXODUS had parted ways with Souza and had welcomed back Rob Dukes.
Souza joined EXODUS in 1986 after previously fronting the band LEGACY (which, as stated above, later became TESTAMENT). He remained in EXODUS until their hiatus in 1993, but rejoined them for two years from 2002 to 2004. Dukes became the singer of EXODUS in 2005 (following Souza's departure) and stayed until 2014, when Souza returned.
Souza discussed his most recent split with EXODUS during a new episode of his Zetro's Toxic Vault YouTube series in which he is joined by his longtime friend and co-host Walter Morgan. Addressing the reasons for his departure, Zetro said in part: "I've been doing this since 1986 —1986, in June, I joined EXODUS for the very first time. I was 22 years old. I'm now 61. So to have kind of a rollercoaster ride in music has actually been kind of exciting,. It kept my life going. Certain things happen and certain things go on, and you kind of have to deal with them as they happen, like anything."
Clarifying that he "did not quit" EXODUS and "was let go", Souza continued: "I don't read much of what goes on the Internet. With no disrespect to anybody, I don't give a fuck what anybody thinks about me or what you say… But I was made privy by my son of something Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter] had responded to me saying that I didn't quit; I was let go. And I have to agree with his analogy. Being in a band is like a marriage — it truly is — and the marriage was over. And it was. Now, I was never gonna quit, meaning maybe I guess I would never leave the marriage, for whatever reason. But I truly think that it was probably the right thing for me especially, and I hope it's the right thing for them as well."
Regarding his mindset after his latest departure from EXODUS, Souza said: "People were calling me — my friends and my family — asking me if I was okay. And I was fine. I was, like, 'I'm great.' I'm really, really happy and more content. And again, we're in April now, and this went down in January. And actually, I knew in December — I knew before anybody knew, before it was announced. And I was cool with it."
Speaking directly to the EXODUS fans, Zetro said: "I'm gonna miss you guys. I really am. But for me, my life has changed a lot. What I liked when I was younger in my twenties and my thirties are not necessarily what I'm into anymore. I love my family. I mean, I came home and got married to Vickie, who I've been with for 17 years, and she is the love of my life. And you know how hard it is to go away from the love of my life at this point, at 61 years old for five weeks, six weeks at a time? It wasn't easy for me, even though it may not have shown on stage, and it definitely didn't show when I was with you guys, with you fans, and anybody that approached me because I would never want anyone to have an awful experience with me. But I think it was time, honestly.
"I had told Gary, and I told them that I would like to do this till I was 70 and probably not much more than that, but I think in the back of my mind I think I was kind of already done with the rigorous life of touring, 'cause it's very demanding," Souza admitted. "And the business doesn't care about what you have going on. [I'll] give you an example — in 2016, my mother died and I was in El Salvador on tour. I should have been at her bedside, but I wasn't, because I had to do this. I've had dogs pass. I've missed graduations from my children. Any musician that has been in my position can absolutely relate with this, because it is part of it. And a lot of times people don't necessarily think of that. And then there's the guys, there's the musicians that really like to do this, and they'll go out and they'll hit it hard. They'll go from one thing to another."
Elaborating on his reasons for wanting to spend less time on the road, Zetro said: "I've changed over the past few years, even in the last 10 years since I've been back. And I think I'm more interested in what's going on in my house and around what I'm doing here. I like to see my dogs every day. I have three pugs that absolutely love. I have a grandson now. I never get to see them. I wanna see my wife every day. I wanna sleep in my bed every day. It's been something that mentally has gone on and changed. But again, I would've never quit because I'm not a quitter in that type of respect. Everybody's, 'Oh, well, you quit in 2004.' No, I had to leave the band because I had a union job, three little kids and a wife, and I was trying to balance working as a foreman, as a union job, being a father, coaching baseball and soccer, and being a husband and playing in EXODUS, and I couldn't balance all three. The thing that I loved the most was playing in EXODUS, but, unfortunately, it could not take care of my wife and my kids and ballerina signups, baseball signups. The business wasn't paying that much at the time, so I needed to go and take care of my family… So coming back into the band in 2014, kids are grown, I'm set in my job. I was very, very excited. And again, I had a really good time over the last 10 years playing in the band. And it was one of those things that I have to say I'm kind of glad that I've ended up where I'm at right now, I don't like airports anymore. I don't like sleeping on the tour bus anymore… So I'm not saying that this was a decision that I would've made, but I'm saying for myself and to have a few months to look at it, it was definitely the right decision."
Souza went on to say that EXODUS fans should continue to support the band now that Dukes has returned to the group.
"I look at it now as, what about all you guys that are big fans of Rob's era? Just think — now you get to come back and see Rob maybe for the next 10 years and see him continue on," Zetro said. "So if you were fans of his era, like you were fans of my era, or both eras — I know there's some of you [that are] 'I'm [Team] Zetro' or 'I'm [Team] Rob', or whatever, 'I'm cool with whatever EXODUS does,' I get it. And I totally understand that, and I respect every one of you for those things. But now maybe for the last part of the band they get to enjoy Rob and Rob's era of the band. I mean, Gary's gonna continue to write music and record music. And Gary Holt doesn't know how to write a shitty riff. Okay? So you EXODUS fans know what you're gonna get from that, and that's what I have to say."
Souza also addressed the possibility of another reunion with EXODUS down the line, saying: "Will I ever grace the stage with them? No, definitely not. I think it's been done. This was the third time that I had joined the band, so I think it would be a bit redundant to try to do this or do this again. So just so you guys wanna know, I have no desire to do that ever again. It's been done. If you saw my last concert in Los Angeles at the Regent [in December 2024], then you truly saw the last concert that Zetro will ever sing with EXODUS."
Zetro added that he went out on top, both in term of his live performance with EXODUS and his relationship with the band's fans.
"If you saw us on the last tour with HAVOK, then, honestly, I was singing better than I've ever sung through the years," Souza said. "So I don't feel that it was something that, vocally… I did my job — I did my job quite well — and even they'll tell you that. And the fans, you guys know that I bring it. Every time I come, I bring it. And that's just the way it is. And if you walked up to me for a picture or an autograph, I never would say no and I've never pushed you guys away. I would hang out and talk to you about stuff. How many of you fans have spent time after the show talking to me about whatever? Horror, movies, metal sports, whatever. I'll sit out there and talk to you guys 'cause I've never considered myself above anybody."
Asked what specifically he didn't enjoy about the touring lifestyle, Zetro said: "Too much time in the day. Waiting to wait. It's a lot of waiting. Going to an airport, waiting four hours for the flight, getting on the flight for five hours, getting to where you've gotta go. Then you have another six-hour layover before you have another five-hour flight. And line one, line two, security this, security that. I don't have the patience for that anymore. The bus — I know this sounds very pompous. I was very fortunate to get to tour in a bus. I know bands that do not tour in buses… But for me, the bunk started to be very, very uncomfortable. And the only time I could get in there was when I truly had to sleep. But as soon as I woke up, I got up. So there's too much time in a day for you to go to museums or comic bookstores or me to go buy toys and whatever I do on the road. It is just a lot of downtime, and I feel as now 61 years old, I wanna do other things in that downtime. And I don't wanna be doing this, and all of a sudden I end up getting sick or my wife end up getting sick and one of my children, and I have to come home and I've got six months to live, or they've got six months to live and I've missed all of this with them and I missed it all. I don't want to do that anymore. I've missed too much over the years, and it's just kind of where I've been mentally — especially the last few years I've been thinking about that."
EXODUS played its first concert with Dukes in nearly 11 years on April 5 at the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Philly at the Fillmore in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Dukes previously joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005),"The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007),"Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS's classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).
In a recent interview with CBS SF, Holt was asked if there was any thought of even considering a different singer with the band after parting ways with Zetro. Gary said: "You mean now? No. I don't like change, for one. I never intended to make any of these vocalist changes. Not Rob the first time, and not Steve [now]. But at 60 years old, all of us, we all demand to be happy and be surrounded by happiness. We did some amazing music with Steve back. Amazing. [EXODUS's latest LP] 'Persona Non Grata' is my second favorite album in our whole catalog. But we're moving forward."
He continued: "I didn't want to bring in a young guy. Yeah, we could have brought in some 30-year-old guy who's young and has abs and can still jump off drum risers. [Laughs] That sounds appealing, but I like familiarity. Rob keeps me laughing, and he's an amazing singer. And he's one of my best friends. So that was kind of a no-brainer. I mean, I don't know how much longer we could play this kind of ferocious stuff. Over the years, we've just gotten faster and the songs have gotten harder to play as the arthritis gets worse. So we're going to just keep going for it as long as we can."
After interviewer Dave Pehling noted that Holt wrote in his just-released memoir, "A Fabulous Disaster: From The Garage To Madison Square Garden, The Hard Way", that the EXODUS members were at the best place that they had been in their whole career, Gary said: "It's one of those things. And I've got nothing but love for [Zetro]. It's not like the last time he left the band, when it was on really bad terms. At 60 years old, this job gets fucking hard. And if you don't like to travel, and no longer like to be out on the road and and you want to cut the touring way back and all that, we can no longer make a living at this. We literally would have to go get day jobs. That's pretty much what happened. One guy wasn't enjoying it anymore. And none of us enjoy being away from home all the time. It sucks. My happy place is being around my family. I can speak for all of us, Steve included. But while I can — this whole age thing — while I can still tour for six weeks and crush it and go out and play seven, eight, nine shows in a row, I'm going to do it. Until I can't, and then I'll slow down. But if we start slowing down now, eventually it's just going to come to a stop."
When EXODUS announced Souza's latest departure on January 15, the band wrote in a statement: "We thank Steve for his years fronting the band and all the killer music we made during that time. We wish him only the best in the future and much success with anything he does.
"And please help us welcome Rob Dukes back to EXODUS! We are beyond stoked to have Rob back ripping up the stage with us and he's looking forward to crushing everything like only he can.
"Next chapter begins, new record rolls along as planned and the beatings will continue."
Although EXODUS rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX — the aforementioned "Bonded By Blood" LP inspired the likes of TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, VIO-LENCE and many others to launch their careers and is considered one of the most influential thrash metal albums of all time.
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4 ìàé 2025
INSULT Feat. Former ONSLAUGHT Members STEVE GRICE And JASE STALLARD: Debut Album 'Reside Infernus' Announced
 Metal On Metal Records has announced the signing of INSULT, a not-so-new thrash metal band from Bristol, United Kingdom, featuring original ONSLAUGHT drummer Steve Grice and bassist Jase Stallard, who played on the latter band's first two albums.
INSULT's debut album, "Reside Infernus", will be released on May 23. The band's first digital single, "0-60, Death Or Glory", which was made available in March on most digital streaming platforms, can be heard below.
Every self-respecting metalhead should be familiar with the talent of ONSLAGHT's rhythm section and the band's classic albums "Power From Hell" — released 40 years ago! — and "The Force". But where have the INSULT guitarists and the vocalist been hiding all these years? That is a mystery, as they surely have the chops to match, and they elevate the debut album of INSULT to the next level. Well, at least the vocalist Jase Howell (formerly a roadie for ONSLAUGHT) was already singing in INSULT back in the mid-1980s, as this is when the band was originally formed — even though, at that time, they only performed live covers songs. It wasn't until their 2022 reunion that they began working on their own music.
Grice first contacted Metal On Metal Records last year and sent several rehearsal and demo tracks over the months. They definitely sounded promising, but when Metal On Metal finally heard the finished album, there were no doubts left. This Bristol-based band's brand of thrash metal is old school and infused with punk, and — unlike the pure punk demos of ONSLAUGHT — undeniably catchy. A couple of tracks instantly brought "Kill'Em All"-era METALLICA to mind: the riffs and the energy are absolutely on par.
The band commented: "Our initial reason for putting INSULT together again came under very sad circumstances; we had no idea where the path was going to take us. Two years on, getting asked to join Metal On Metal Records is nothing short of incredible. We're beyond excited and honored to be part of such a killer, respected label, and we're looking forward to an intense and successful ride together." | 0 | |
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Robert Fripp & Toyah
