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6 ñåí 2025
JOSEY SCOTT On BOBBY AMARU: 'He's Not SALIVA. He Has Never Been SALIVA'
 In a new interview with Youngstown Studio's B.J. Lisko, original SALIVA singer Josey Scott, who left the band in 2011 and was replaced the following year by Bobby Amaru, was asked if he foresees a time in the future when he might be team up with the current version of SALIVA and move forward as a unified force. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "All I can do, to answer your question — no, I don't, because it would be sort of a bastardized version of it if I went with the lineup that they have now. Not to speak ill of those musicians — I think they're very great musicians; Sebastian LaBar [who plays guitar for the Amaru-fronted version of SALIVA] I love dearly. He's the son of a legend, Jeff LaBar from CINDERELLA. I adore him. I adore their drummer Sam [Sammi Jo Bishop]. I don't know the other [musicians in the Amaru-fronted version of SALIVA].
"Me and Bobby have just butted heads," Josey, whose real name is Joseph Sappington, continued. "And he's talked crap about me in the press and just done all these sort of… I don't wanna talk ill of… My mother used to say, 'If you don't have anything nice to say about somebody, don't say anything at all.' But it's just — I don't know. I don't want to give the fans the Temu [Chinese e-commerce site] version of SALIVA with some kind of a bastardized version that Bobby puts together.
"He's not SALIVA. He has never been SALIVA," Scott added. "He definitely went out there and did his thing and filled in the space. And he's written some songs or whatever. But he said in the press my analogy of, if this was a David Lee Roth-Sammy Hagar situation [with VAN HALEN], I'd be glad to do this with Bobby because he would have as many hits as I had. And he told the interviewer, 'Let's face it, Josie's no…' — I think he said 'Bruce Dickinson' or something. I didn't even say IRON MAIDEN. I was talking about the analogy — certainly not comparing myself to the great David Lee Roth or the great Sammy Hagar. [I was] just using that as a one-two analogy between the two of us.
"It's just a dirty situation," Josey said. "It's just a sticky situation. And I respect the fact that he did what he did, but if that's the case, if his stuff that he did with SALIVA is equally as important as mine, then let him play his songs and I'll play my songs and we'll see how it shakes out. But that's not what he does. He goes out and plays a couple of covers, a couple of his songs, and the rest of the set is my songs, man. It's my music. So it's just a sort of a dirty, just gross situation and I have no interest in dealing with Bobby Amaru. I have no foresight of seeing anything down the road."
Regarding whether it is his hope and desire that he and the members of his new band can eventually perform under the SALIVA name, Josey said: "I would like to get my name back because it's not like that was a name that all five of us came up with. That was my name. That was what I came to the table with. I put that band together one member at a time. And if [late SALIVA guitarist] Wayne Swinny was here, he would tell you that. God rest his soul. And the other three guys, [former SALIVA drummer] Paul Crosby and [former SALIVA bassist] Dave Novotny and [former SALIVA guitarist] Chris D'Abaldo, they will tell you that I came up with that name. That's my name.
"So all I can do is say a Hail Mary that that name comes back home to its rightful place. And now if that happens, I will be glad to pour my heart and soul back into that name and to do a new SALIVA record and to even bring in — as much as Dave Novotny wants to be involved. I think the last time we tried to get him involved, he was, like, 'Man, I'm making about the same money I was making at the job I have now.' So, he has his boys that he's busy raising, being a father, and I respect that. I'm a father as well, and God knows I adore my children. And that's the one drawback from this life, is being away from your family and your children. But yeah, as much as they've wanted to be involved, I would welcome him with open arms. Chris D'Abaldo, same thing. Paul Crosby, same thing. It's our name. It's not anybody else's name, and anybody else that tells you that [it is their name] is full of shit. Just plain and simple."
In an October 2024 interview with Youngstown Studio, Amaru was asked if replacing Scott 13 years ago initially posed similar challenges to the ones Blaze Bayley and Tim "Ripper" Owens had to overcome when they replaced IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson and JUDAS PRIEST's Rob Halford, respectively. Bobby responded: "I don't wanna throw [Josey] under the bus, but he's no Bruce Dickinson and he's no Rob Halford. So there's that. Let's go ahead and get that out of the way. Now he thinks he is, but he's not. Those dudes are extremely hard to replace. It's very, very, very hard. And I like Ripper. I like that record that [PRIEST] did [with Ripper], man. I remember it was, like, 'Jugulator' or something. It was an awesome record. And I think people do give Ripper credit for a lot of that stuff. Now when you talk about replacing Bruce Dickinson, I don't even know who it is or have no idea what you're talking about. 'Cause I don't know. But the Ripper stuff I do remember and was more familiar with."
He continued: "I think no matter what, any band [where] you replace [the singer] — so VAN HALEN, David Lee Roth [leaves the band], they get Sammy Hagar, and people hated it, even though it was good. And then it was, like, you still had MTV, you still had things that were, like… The label was, like, 'Look, just write great fucking songs and we're not gonna lose.' And that's what they did. They wrote great fucking songs, man. So that's why it worked. Then it's, like, 'Okay, cool. All right, this isn't working out. Now we're gonna go get Gary Cherone.' Now the fans are, like, 'Wait, wait, wait, wait a second. Hold on. Hold up. Now you're throwing us for a loop.' And it doesn't work the same.
"I think sometimes it works or it doesn't," Bobby added. "I mean there's been singers to come into bands and it just doesn't… And I think that you would know right away if it's a good fit or not. But I think when I came into the band, I never tried to be him. I never wanted to be him. Some people would say that they thought there were similarities in the voice or whatever. But I mean, people think that I have similarities to Chester's [Bennington] voice and other people singing. And I don't see it. I mean, I can maybe hear some similarities, but I hear the difference. When I track something or whatever, I can definitely hear the difference. But maybe subconsciously when people are hearing the music of some of those bands that you kind of get familiar with a vocal or a sound or something. But I think when I came in, I just wanted to be myself and just do what I could do. I like writing songs. I like working in the studio. I like being on stage. And I'm a diehard musician at heart. And that was the approach. And it doesn't always work when you take an approach of, 'I've gotta be this' or 'I've gotta be like this so people will like me.' People are gonna like you or hate you either way. It's like Coke [and] Pepsi. I would think that me coming into the band, that was all it was — just let's keep it alive and have some fun."
Asked what the fan reaction was like when he first joined SALIVA and how it has evolved over the years, Bobby said: "It was super mixed at first, and I get it. I can't blame them. Most of the negative stuff I felt like never really came from people who had seen the band. I think it just came from that approach of, 'Oh, it's not the same' or 'it never will be the same.' But they're right. It never will be the same. And I think that fans get so invested into the catalog and these bands and these songs that they forget that it's a business. It is a business at the end of the day. It's bands' livelihoods and things and the show must go on."
He continued: "It's no disrespect to what SALIVA was before at all — I've never disrespected that one bit — but when you come into something and when the other person quits and basically abandons and leaves everyone high and dry and they just disappear for a decade and stuff. And then you start hearing all these crazy stories about how it was in the band and you're just, like…. Dude, there was part of me that, at first, was, like, 'Do I even wanna do this?' This is scary kind of stuff that you would hear. And people would come up to me at shows and tell me stories, and I'd be, like… [It would] make you wanna run kind of stuff. But I stuck through it, man. I was, like, that's not me. I'm not that. And [there was] almost like a black cloud over the SALIVA name or something. But you fight through it, man, overcome and just get through it. And I don't wanna talk crap about anybody or the past or whatever, but those were challenges for me because I was coming into something that I was not aware of and I had no idea all of these kinds of things. So on top of people nitpicking what you're doing or how you should be, I just stuck to my guns, man, and just said, 'I'm just gonna do things the way I wanna do them.' That 'Love, Lies & Therapy' record that we did, I pretty much did the whole record. And the band wanted me to do that. Wayne was, like, 'Dude, let's make this your record.' I think that was kind of the turning point of starting to get more and more fans knowing this version of SALIVA and stuff. Now it's just go do what we do and go onstage and give people a killer show."
Bobby added: "I go to merch booth every night and a lot of these shows, there's a line really, really long. And I'll stand there for three hours sometimes, man, shaking everyone's hands and doing that. And that's super important, because I feel like if those people don't like you, they're not standing in line. And it's important to be able to tell them 'thank you' for everything, whether they were a fan from the get-go, from 20 years ago, or they started listening to the band when I got in, whatever that may be. I mean, there's a lot of that, man. There's a ton of people that are, like, 'I was never a SALIVA fan before.' I've had a lot of people say that about this latest record ['Revelation']. They hear 'High On Me' on the radio, and they're, like, 'That's not SALIVA. There's no way.' And then they become a fan through that. And that's just showing you music evolves and can evolve and you don't have to just put out the same thing over and over again. If it's a good song, it's a great fucking song, people will react."
In September 2024, Amaru and SALIVA bassist Brad Stewart were asked by Joshua Toomey of Talk Toomey if there had been any "confusion in the marketplace" over the fact that Scott had been performing with his solo band in the last couple of years under various names, including JOSEY SCOTT – THE ORIGINAL VOICE OF SALIVA and JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA. Brad replied: "There is, actually." Bobby concurred, saying: "Yeah, I think he's just kind of made it confusing. Josey's just being Josey, what he always was. He always thought he was like a one-man thing, and he's doing what he's gonna do. I think for us, though, we spent a lot of time, I spent a lot of time, too, when I got in the band just hearing a lot of 'noes' from radio stations and from managers and a lot of damage control, and that stuff that just kind of really… I'm not talking shit; I'm just being real. This is what it was. I got in the band, and there was a lot of roadblocks — a lot of roadblocks — and everything always led back to one person causing those roadblocks. I think it's just another roadblock.
Continued Brad: "And bridges burned into the ground that you're trying to sort of rebuild, in a lot of ways, at radio and places that there was a lot of self-sabotage that was going on there that was unfortunate. And for a lot of the times that [Bobby] spent in the band before I joined in 2015, it was all about sort of rebuilding bridges, man. And, 'Hey, this is not the SALIVA, though, that did or whatever happened with you guys at the station or somewhere else. We're sorry, but this is not the same band, and we're here now to rock and we're ready to do it. And then we're gonna kick some ass.' And so it was a lot of that — it still is, even in some places."
Added Bobby: "Even for someone like [Josey], you go away for so long and you come back, he's gotta be humbled at this point with some of the shows he's doing. 'Cause we hear about it and stuff. We're just kind of, like, whatever, let him do what he wants to do. But you're not gonna use the [SALIVA] name — don't use the name — because then all it does is it just steps on everything that I and we've worked hard for the last 13 years."
In May 2024, Scott was asked by Tulsa Music Stream if it was his hope that he and the members of his new band could eventually perform under the SALIVA name. He responded: "Of course that's my hope, because I've always wanted the name to sort of go full circle and come back home. Whether that happens remains to be seen. I think there's things that I think are fair and things that the other camp thinks are fair. And we'll see. We'll see how it all shakes out."
Asked if he was in communication with the band which is continuing to perform under the SALIVA name, consisting of Amaru and Stewart, about coming to a resolution on the usage of the SALIVA name, Josey said: "Uh, yes," before adding, "Basically, all I've been trying to do this whole time is appease the other side. I'll leave it at that."
He continued: "At the end of the day, as I've always said, this business is not about band names and it's not about personalities, it's not about Josey Scott and it's not about Bobby Amaru. It's about songs, songs, songs, songs. At the end of the day, when we all put our head on the pillow at night, it's always going to be all about songs."
In September 2023, Stewart and Amaru spoke to Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station about the fact that Scott embarked on a tour under the JOSEY SCOTT'S SALIVA banner which saw him performing a lot of the band's classic songs without any of the other original SALIVA members. Brad said: "It's an interesting thing because we've been doing this version of the band [with Bobby on vocals] since Josey originally left 11, 12 years ago. So we've kind of kept the fires burning and put out new records and new music and stuff. So it's an interesting situation that we're in now, to be quite honest, so we're just trying to figure out how to make it work for both parts of it — both versions of it, I should say."
Bobby commented: "I think it's good that [Josey's] trying to connect with fans and tour and play music. I think it's an awesome thing. He should have been doing it long ago."
Referencing Swinny, who died in March 2023 while on tour with the group, Amaru added: "I think what we're doing here [with the current SALIVA touring lineup] is we're just trying to do what Wayne would have wanted and we're honoring Wayne. This [latest SALIVA] record ['Revelation', which came out in early September 2023], I know how important it was to him and I think the world should hear it. We're going out every night, we're playing songs from it. And this tour has been great. The fans have been awesome, man."
In May 2023, Josey weighed in on the announcement that SALIVA's surviving members would carry on following the death of the group's last remaining original member, the aforementioned Swinny. Josey told Rock 100.5 The KATT's Cameron Buchholtz: "I'm very close with Bobby and I know in my heart and in my soul that Bobby will do the honorable thing. He never hasn't done the honorable thing. And I just trust in his steering the ship at this point, and I know he's gonna do the right thing. And I know it's all gonna work out; it's all gonna be great."
SALIVA's current lineup consists of Amaru, Stewart, Bishop, LaBar and Josh Kulack (guitar).
SALIVA reunited with Scott for a one-off appearance at the 2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton, Virginia. Scott performed three songs with the group at the event, which also saw SALIVA play with Amaru.
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6 ñåí 2025
RATT's STEPHEN PEARCY On Being Called A 'Hair Metal' Band: 'It Doesn't Bother Me In The Least'
 In a new interview with Dennis Wood of WOKW 102.9 FM's "Back To The 80s", RATT singer Stephen Pearcy was asked what he thinks it was about the 1980s that made that era so magical. Pearcy said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Forty-plus years later, I call it the 'Sunset Strip Experience'. It was so new, refreshing and it was open to anybody — DURAN DURAN, VAN HALEN, MÖTLEYs [CRÜE], RATTs — and anything went. And there was no discrimination, there was nothing. It was just pure color. Everything was new. Everybody got a shot at it. But it wasn't even just the decade of decadence. It was a decade of color, excitement, danger. That decade is — it was just so colorful and new. And that's what I think people are discovering now, the new generations, the new, whatever you wanna call it. It's not just this angst and this bummer stuff that everybody had to deal with in the '90s. Granted, there were great bands that came out of that whole, what they call the Seattle scene. Well, let me tell you, the Sunset Strip Experience scene will never go down. It's more alive than ever before."
He added later in the chat: "It's a decade that'll never be repeated. The '80s were a very special, special thing. A time, a place — it was just an era that it'll never be duplicated. So, of course, everybody wants to relive it. It was a great thing. It was a good feeling. So everybody's embracing it. And it's good to see. For me, seeing my peers who were starting to fall victim to, like, 'Ah, we can't do this.' 'Ah, we don't wanna do that.' Now they're embracing it. Of course, you should embrace it. It happened once. If you can keep it going and have fun with it, do it. Why not?"
Pearcy was also once again asked for his opinion of the label "hair metal," the pejorative term which was coined in the late 1990s as a way to disparage acts thought to have been all flash and no substance. He said: "You had to be labeled, and now it's 'hair metal'. It doesn't bother me [in] the least. Some guys are bothered by it. To me, it's, like, hey, look, come on. They've gotta label you. What do you wanna be? So, it doesn't bother me personally, as long as they keep sending in the checks, you know what I mean? And I've gotta tell you, some of these bands, they're being played on radio and stuff more now than they ever were then. So there is a plus side to this whole hair metal, whatever you wanna call it. If they wanna pigeonhole you in that, great."
Earlier this year, Pearcy was asked by LifeMinute if he was ever bothered by being called a "hair metal" band. Stephen said: "You know what? When it first pretty much started, [they] were starting to introduce our bunch of bands as that, I thought it was funny. Everybody's all uptight. And I'm, like, 'It's kind of cool,' I go, 'because you're gonna be played now on a lot of places and be identified with the '80s scene just being called hair metal. So do something with it.'
"I have a friend, and there's this band called HAIRBALL," he continued. "They dress up like Alice Cooper and they have three singers. It's like an act that tours. They're insane. So HAIRBALL, cheers… I go out there and sing with 'em once in a while. But it's funny."
The use of the term "hair metal" became widespread after grunge gained popularity at the expense of 1980s metal.
One musician who has been very vocal about his dislike of being called "hair metal" is Sebastian Bach. In July 2020, the former SKID ROW frontman said that "When I 1st aspired to be a vocalist of a band it was called rock n' roll Heavy metal Heavy Rock Hard Rock Glam metal Nobody in the 80s ever started a hair metal band."
He added: "Being labeled something that I never set out to be labeled gets under my skin. It's a pain when people try to rewrite history. Believe me none of us ever set out to be in a hair metal band that did not exist in the 80s."
That was not the first time Bach reacted negatively to the term "hair metal." In a 2012 interview with The New York Times, he famously said: "I am the man who put the hair in hair metal. I also headlined Broadway musicals. I acted in millions of TV shows. I didn't get to star in 'Jekyll And Hyde' on Broadway because of my haircut. My voice has gotten me everything in my life, not my hair."
In August 2020, TWISTED SISTER's Dee Snider addressed Bach's Twitter tirade in which the former SKID ROW frontman took issue with being called "hair metal". Dee told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk": "[I've been doing my radio show] 'House Of Hair' [for more than two decades], and it resonates with people," Dee said. "For the fans, they don't find it offensive. Whatever it is, it's just a term.
"I didn't name 'House Of Hair'. I got shit about it. But to me, I just say, you know what? You're fighting a losing battle. Sebastian's losing shit. Life's too short.
"I'm the original hair farmer. Whatever. As long as they remember me."
Elsewhere, TESLA bassist Brian Wheat said that he found the term "hair metal' "condescending. What does fucking hair have to do with the music?" he said in an interview with "The Cassius Morris Show". "Should we be called 'cock metal' because we all have big dicks? Seriously, it's, like, 'hair metal' — what does that have to do with [anything music-related]? It's condescending. It's a putdown. It's almost like saying, 'Well, the music's not valid. They just had good hair.' That's what it's like.
"I don't like it," he reiterated. "Just talk about the music, because that's what what matters. Not about the hair. If you wanna call it anything, call it '80s metal — call it 1980s rock. 'Cause that's what it was — it was rock that came out of the '80s and early '90s. THE BLACK CROWES came out a year later than TESLA, and they're not called a hair metal band.
"Why call us a hair metal band when all we were doing was imitating AEROSMITH?" Wheat added. "I think we're very parallel to an AEROSMITH. I think, personally, if you can't go see AEROSMITH and you wanna see a good version of AEROSMITH, go see TESLA. They're very similar. I mean, Jeff Keith looks like Steven Tyler; he sings like Steven Tyler."
Back in April 2021, legendary DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch told the "Cobras & Fire" podcast about the "hair metal" label: "Generally, it's not a genre that you look at too seriously. It was the one that allowed me to have a career. So I respect it in that sense; it's what got me here. There are bands from that genre that I really, really like — RATT being one; I like RATT. I love their songs, and I love Warren [DeMartini, RATT guitarist], and I just like what they do, and what they did back then. So, I don't know — there's a few things that I like about it. But generally, I'm a product of the '60s and '70s, and that's where my heroes are from — from those eras."
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6 ñåí 2025
MIKE MUSHOK Says New STAIND Music Is In The Works: 'I'm Real Excited About That'
 In a new interview with Anne Erickson of Audio Ink Radio, STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok spoke to about the "electronic element" which was incorporated into the band's latest album, "Confessions Of The Fallen". Released in September 2023 via Alchemy Recordings/BMG, STAIND's first new LP album since 2011 was produced by Erik Ron (GODSMACK, PANIC! AT THE DISCO, BLACK VEIL BRIDES). Asked if he thinks STAIND's future efforts will follow a similar experimental path as "Confessions Of The Fallen", Mike said: "I do think that that's gonna happen. Yeah, definitely. In fact, there's some new music kicking around, and it's definitely still kind of following that same vein a bit. So, I'm real excited about that as well. So, yeah, I definitely think that we'll continue down that path, for sure."
Regarding when STAIND fans can expect to hear new music from the band, Mike said: "I don't know. That's a great question. But yeah, there's a bunch of songs kicking around. Aaron's [Lewis, STAIND frontman] super busy, always out playing. So, hopefully this fall we can maybe start to solidify some of these ideas and figure out exactly where we are. But yeah, there's a bunch of songs kicking around."
Back in December 2023, Mushok told Germany's Riot Vision about the electronic element on "Confessions Of The Fallen": "Well, that was something that Aaron really wanted to explore. We had talked about it before, but we'd never really done it. So he really wanted to make that a part of what we were doing. And it was funny, 'cause I do remember saying to him, like, 'I play guitar. I don't know how to do that.' So that's where I feel like Erik played a really big part in helping make that a part of what this album sounds like. Some of those verses where you hear [and] it's like more electronic[-sounding], that's a guitar part I wrote just played on a synthesizer, [using] some crazy sound. So he was able to take some of those things that I wrote and adapt it to kind of bring in some of those elements into the music. And I think he did a great job. I like it. I'm pretty happy with it."
Asked what new musical elements he would like to explore on future STAIND albums, Mike said: "I don't know. To me, it's just really about trying to write great songs. It's really just kind of trying to take what we do and make it better. And I don't really have any kind of guidelines. If it calls for more electronics or — I don't know — a guitar solo or whatever the case may be, whatever really the song calls for, I think that that's what the best thing to explore is. But I was very happy with the process of making this record and how it came out. Some records have been really difficult to make. This one wasn't one of those. The way we did it, it took us a while, but we got there. And by the end of the day, once we got there, I was really happy with the end results."
When "Confessions Of The Fallen" was announced in April 2023, Lewis stated about the LP's musical direction: "I did want to modernize the sound and bring us up to date. You can certainly recognize the band but at the same time you can hear that we've been paying attention and understand what kind of sounds and approaches we can use that maybe weren't around the last time we did this."
STAIND has released eight albums since 1995, including 2011's self-titled effort. The band has had a number of hit songs during its first two decades, including the Top 10 smash "It's Been Awhile" from the No. 1 album "Break The Cycle". Follow-up LPs "14 Shades Of Grey" and "Chapter V" also topped the Billboard chart.
STAIND released its first album in nine years, "Live: It's Been Awhile", in May 2021 via Yap'em/Alchemy Recordings. The "Live: It's Been Awhile" album was accompanied by "The Return Of Staind", a two-part global streaming series in partnership with Danny Wimmer Presents.
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6 ñåí 2025
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6 ñåí 2025
Watch: MEGADETH's DIRK VERBEUREN Plays 'Life In Hell' During Drum Clinic At Amarin Percussion in Burbank
 Video of MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren playing the band's song "Life In Hell" during his August 23 drum clinic at Amarin Percussion in Burbank, California can be seen below.
"Life In Hell" is taken from MEGADETH's latest studio album, "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!", which came out in September 2022. The LP sold 48,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart. It marked MEGADETH's eighth top 10-charting album.
MEGADETH's previous top 10 entries on the Billboard 200 were "Countdown to Extinction" (No. 2, 1992),"Youthanasia" (No. 4, 1994),"Cryptic Writings" (No. 10, 1997),"United Abominations" (No. 8, 2007),"Endgame" (No. 9, 2009),"Super Collider" (No. 6, 2013) and "Dystopia" (No. 3, 2016).
In an August 2024 interview with Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz, Verbeuren was asked if he has any "routines and stretches and wellness things" that he has to do to prepare for a tour. He responded: "These days, yes, I do. I do a lot of stretching and yoga, and not every day, but almost every day I do some fitness, some workouts. It's mostly just so that I'm gonna be in shape for the show and that I can give it my all without hurting myself or without getting too exhausted. That being said, the beginning of a tour is always gonna be a little bit brutal because you always need that first week to kind of acclimatize and get used to playing the whole show again, get used to playing 90 minutes of pretty much uninterrupted metal at a hundred percent. So it's always a little bit of adapting, but once you're kind of in the water, it starts getting easier over time. Like now, we're three weeks in, my body's used to it now, so now it's just about keeping it up. But, of course, when I was younger, I was, like everybody on tour, partying, drinking. Nowadays I haven't been drinking for almost 20 years now. I live pretty clean, just because I feel better that way — my body feels better, my mind feels better. I can be present every day and just give every show the best I can."
When host Darren Paltrowitz noted that "the happiest clean-living people play the angriest music", Dirk said: "I think the thing with metal music, the anger or the aggressiveness of it, it resonated with me as a teenager, because we all go through that kind of angsty phase, figuring out the world. So it really resonated with me. And not only metal, also rap and hip-hop and electronic music. There's all kinds of different things I listened to that kind of got me through that phase of kind of figuring things out. But I think that ultimately it sticks with you for the love of the music because of the musicianship and just the sheer power and energy of it. So I don't see it so much as necessarily aggression in the sense of it's aggressive towards anyone. It's more like we're expressing this energy that's in all of us because in the end, we're all the same."
On August 14, MEGADETH announced that its upcoming LP will be the band's last. The Dave Mustaine-led outfit will also embark on a farewell tour in 2026.
Mustaine and the rest of MEGADETH have yet to reveal the final album's title, release date or the band's remaining tour dates.
In a press release announcing MEGADETH's final album and farewell tour, Mustaine thanked fans for their commitment and love while celebrating the band's impact on the music world.
"There's so many musicians that have come to the end of their career, whether accidental or intentional," Mustaine said. "Most of them don't get to go out on their own terms on top, and that's where I'm at in my life right now. I have traveled the world and have made millions upon millions of fans and the hardest part of all of this is saying goodbye to them."
He continued. "We can't wait for you to hear this album and see us on tour. If there was ever a perfect time for us to put out a new album, it's now. If there was ever a perfect time to tour the world, it's now. This is also a perfect time for us to tell you that it's our last studio album. We've made a lot of friends over the years and I hope to see all of you on our global farewell tour.
"Don't be mad, don't be sad, be happy for us all, come celebrate with me these next few years. We have done something together that's truly wonderful and will probably never happen again. We started a musical style, we started a revolution, we changed the guitar world and how it's played, and we changed the world. The bands I played in have influenced the world. I love you all for it. Thank you for everything."
The follow-up to 2022's "The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead!" will be released via Mustaine's Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group's new BLKIIBLK label, and is expected next year.
Fans can register for early access to exclusive information and offers surrounding the upcoming final album on MEGADETH's web site. Pre-orders for the LP will start on September 25. The initial run of farewell tour dates will also be announced later this year.
For its final album, MEGADETH is once again working with Chris Rakestraw, a producer, mixer and engineer who previously worked on MEGADETH's last two LPs, the aforementioned "The Sick, The Dying... And The Dead!" and 2016's "Dystopia".
🔥 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗱! 🔥
Amarin Productions proudly presents @dirkverbeuren of @megadeth in an exclusive 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗺 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰 – a...
Posted by Amarin Percussion on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 | 0 | |
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6 ñåí 2025
MOTÖRHEAD Guitarist PHIL CAMPBELL: 'There'll Never Be Another One Like LEMMY'
 In a new interview with Australian Musician editor Greg Phillips, former MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell was asked if it gives him a great deal of satisfaction to see people still holding late MOTÖRHEAD leader Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister "in such high regard" a decade after his death. Phil said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, well, he deserved it. Lem, he was such a unique character, and he was honest. He was an honest person, an honest player. Just the vibe about him, he was so unique. There'll never be another one like Lem. He loved meeting the fans and everything. And the music inspired so many bands as well. And he stuck to his guns. He wouldn't compromise for anyone. His lyrics were amazing, although in the music business very well underrated, I think. His lyrics are absolutely incredible. He was always reading a book. And he had his personal gambling machine in the dressing room where he'd win his own money back. I'd often go into his dressing room and give him my loose change — I'd give him, like, five coins or 10 coins, whatever I had lying around, and he'd stick them in. And that's just what he enjoyed. And there won't be another character like Lem coming around anytime soon. But yeah, it's greater that he's honored and remembered. And yeah, he should be, 'cause he was an icon of rock and roll, I think."
Campbell was a member of MOTÖRHEAD from 1984 through 2015, and for the last 20 years of the band's existence was its sole guitarist, appearing on classic releases such as "Orgasmatron", "1916" and "Bastards", among others. With Lemmy's 2015 passing, MOTÖRHEAD came to an abrupt end.
In his current band PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS, Phil is joined by his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla.
PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS released their third album, "Kings Of The Asylum", in September 2023 through Nuclear Blast Records. It was PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS' first studio release to feature singer Joel Peters.
In October 2019, Phil released his first-ever solo record, "Old Lions Still Roar". The album, which had been in the works for more than five years, included guest appearances by Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST),Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER) and Alice Cooper, among others.
Lemmy died on December 28, 2015 at the age of 70 shortly after learning he had been diagnosed with cancer.
MOTÖRHEAD had to cancel a number of shows in 2015 because of Lemmy's poor health, although the band did manage to complete a European tour a couple of weeks before his death.
In June 2020, it was announced that Lemmy would get the biopic treatment. The upcoming film, "Lemmy", will be directed by Greg Olliver, who previously helmed the 2010 documentary of the same name, "Lemmy".
A custom-made urn containing Lemmy's ashes is on permanent display in a columbarium at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, California.
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Watch: BRUCE DICKINSON Performs In Houston During 'The Mandrake Project Live 2025' North American Tour
 Bruce Dickinson played the fifth show of his first extensive North American solo tour in almost 30 years in support of his current studio album, "The Mandrake Project", on August 28 at the House Of Blues in Houston, Texas. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below (courtesy of Space City Shows).
Joining the IRON MAIDEN singer on "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour is once again 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.
The setlist for the Houston show was as follows:
00:53 Accident Of Birth
05:32 Abduction
09:28 Laughing In The Hiding Bush
14:40 Shadow Of The Gods
23:16 Chemical Wedding
28:47 Flash Of The Blade (IRON MAIDEN song)
33:45 Resurrection Men
41:19 Rain On The Graves
46:07 Drum Solo
47:16 Frankenstein (THE EDGAR WINTER GROUP cover)
53:27 The Alchemist
1:00:42 Book Of Thel
1:10:00 Road To Hell
Encore:
1:15:59 Tears Of The Dragon
1:25:25 Gods Of War
Dickinson kicked off "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour Friday night (August 22) at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California.
Dickinson's 16-song setlist at the House Of Blues included the live debut of "The Mandrake Project" track "Shadow Of The Gods" as well as the first-ever performance of the IRON MAIDEN song "Flash Of The Blade", from the band's 1984 album "Powerslave".
Prior to launching into "Flash Of The Blade", Dickinson told the crowd: "Nobody has ever played this song, apart from on the record, of course, but nobody has ever played this song. And it's a song that I wrote. So I don't know whether any of you have got any clue what song it might be. But like usual, it's a conundrum. I shall not tell you. You will just have to figure it out. It probably won't take long… You'll die as you lived in a flash of the blade."
Bruce talked about the setlist for "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour during an interview last week with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station. He said: "We are doing a mixture of songs from 'Accident Of Birth', from 'Chemical Wedding', from 'More Balls To Picasso', obviously from 'Mandrake', and that's, frankly, more than enough for a full show. And in actual fact, I've got seven solo albums to pick from, so if I end up doing — as I will do, in probably in '27 — end up doing another tour with another album, then I'll still have plenty of songs to pick from, from those albums. 'Cause there's songs that people go, 'Why haven't you played that song?' I said, 'Well, I can't play every single song. You have to wait. We'll do it next time.' But 'Shadow Of The Gods', for example, off 'Mandrake', has never been played live until now. So we're gonna play that song every night, because it's a really cool track and it's the most requested track off 'Mandrake'. We've not played it, so we're gonna do that one every night."
Regarding the addition of "Flash Of The Blade" to the setlist, Bruce said: "We've actually dropped a MAIDEN song in there. We haven't done that, like, ever. And so I said we're not a MAIDEN covers band, but I'm gonna do one song, and it'll be a song that I wrote. We're not covering [a song] that [MAIDEN guitarist] Adrian [Smith] wrote with me or [MAIDEN bassist] Steve [Harris] or something. And my wife said, 'You should do this song,' song X. I went, 'Oh, why?' She said, 'Well, nobody's ever played it. You've never played it. Why have you never played that song?' I said, 'Well, I don't know.' She goes, "Everybody wants you to play that song.' I said, 'Who's everybody?' And she's on social media, so she does all this stuff. I don't do social media. So I have no clue. And so I mentioned it to the band. I said we should do it. What do you think if we tried to learn this?' And they dogpiled me, like, 'Oh my God, that would be amazing.' So anyway, next day they'd learned it and they played it to me instrumentally. I was just, like, 'Holy crap. Now let me see if I can still remember how to sing it.' So we're gonna do that."
Dickinson also confirmed that some of the shows on "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour will see him play another MAIDEN song, "Revelations". He explained: "Now, I've gotta learn another MAIDEN one as well, because we're doing a festival in São Paulo in the middle of the tour. We dip down to Brazil [to play] this huge festival. And it's actually 40 years since I set foot in Brazil [for the first time] with Rock In Rio. So I thought, well, for the anniversary, I'm gonna go down there. I really do have to do a kind of a MAIDEN track in celebration of the fact that, 'Yeah, look, it's been 40 years.' And there was a famous incident where I'd split my head open with the edge of a guitar, blood pouring down my face. That was the image that that still played on national TV now when they talk about Rock In Rio; they use that moment. And that moment was during a song called 'Revelations', which happened to be a song that I wrote. So I thought, 'Hey, we'll get the band to learn 'Revelations'.' And then my wife came in and said, ['You've gotta play 'Flash Of The Blade']. I went, 'Okay, okay, okay.' Well, now I just love it. I'm just, like, 'Yes, absolutely.' So we're gonna play ['Flash Of The Blade' Friday] night and then the secret will be out and social media will be, like, 'Oh my God, they played that song.' So if you wanna hear that song, whatever the hell it is, or you might not give a stuff — I don't know. So we'll be dropping that in and out here and there, teasing people a little bit. But it's such a blast on the tour. Such a great fun playing with these guys."
Asked what it is like going from playing stadiums with IRON MAIDEN to performing mostly in theaters with his solo band, Bruce told WRIF: "There's no comparison. One is one type of thing, one is the other type of thing. So I don't go into a theater going, 'Oh my God. I wish I was playing a stadium.' No, I relish the idea of going into a theater. It's great. And the same thing — if I go into a stadium, I don't go, 'Oh, I wish I was playing a theater.' No, I'm playing a stadium. That's what you're doing and that's what's in front of you."
He continued: "I love performing and I love wherever I am, whether it's three people, 300 or 300,000. Things change a little bit, techniques change a little bit from one to the other to the other, but it's still a performance and you're still trying to do the best thing by everybody there. So, yeah, I love it."
Dickinson also talked in more detail about "The Mandrake Project Live 2025" North American tour, which will take his solo 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). The tour also includes a quick return to Brazil for the prestigious The Town festival at the City Of Light in São Paulo.
"It's the same band that did the tour last year," Bruce said. "We did 55 shows together. So, we're a crew now. This is not me standing on the spot and saying, 'Oh, nobody else come within 10 feet of me. Your aura is disturbing my vibe.' No. I mean, we are a band — we sweat together, we get messy, and eye contact. It's a great rock and roll band. And we have fun. We're heavy emotional creatures on stage. So we can play to make you wanna jump up and down in pogo. We can play to make you cry and we can play to put a smile on your face. And hopefully all of those things. So when you leave the show at the end of the evening, we hope we've made your life better."
He continued: "We're a great crew. It's a great show live. We've got a video wall. We've got MAIDEN's sound engineer, MAIDEN's monitor engineer, MAIDEN's lighting engineer as well. And they all love doing it because they love getting their hands dirty in theaters. [MAIDEN's lighting designer] Rob Coleman, on the lights, gets to play and go, 'Hey, yeah, that's weird. Look at that structure on stage. If I put a lamp there' and blah, blah, blah, 'I can get a really great effect.' So we can kind of do things on the fly in theaters or work with what we've got. It's fantastic. You can improv a little bit there. And it's not the same show every night. With MAIDEN, it is. I mean, sure, there are variations in the way that this song is better one night than it was last night and things like that. But with this band, we're so flexible, we can go, 'What's the setlist today? Well, let's shift things around a bit. Let's do that. Oh, we haven't done that song for a while. Let's drop that one in there.' And [if] we're playing Boston and New York back to back, [we can go], 'Oh, yeah. We should definitely play two different songs so people don't go, 'Ah, I went to both shows and they did the same stuff.' [We want them to go], 'Ah, they did something different.'"
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.
Roy played guitar on Dickinson's 1994 album "Balls To Picasso" and went on to produce, co-write and perform multiple instruments on Bruce's subsequent three solo albums, "Accident At Birth" (1997),"The Chemical Wedding" (1998) and "Tyranny Of Souls" (2005).
O'Callaghan is an Irish musician who joined WHITESNAKE in 2021 and toured with the David Coverdale-fronted outfit the following year. She also hit the road with Dickinson in 2023 as part of a performance of Jon Lord's "Concerto For Group And Orchestra" on nearly a dozen dates in Europe and South America.
Californian drummer Moreno previously played on "Tyranny Of Souls" and has worked with BODY COUNT, Jizzy Pearl, Dizzy Reed and Steve Stevens, among others.
Italian keyboard wizard Mistheria has collaborated with an array of artists live and in the studio, including Rob Rock, Mike Portnoy, Jeff Scott Soto and Joel Hoekstra.
"The Mandrake Project" arrived on March 1, 2024 via BMG.
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 previous solo studio album, "Tyranny Of Souls", in 2005.
Dickinson's reworked version of his classic 1994 album "Balls To Picasso", now titled "More Balls To Picasso", arrived on July 25.
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. | +2 | |
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5 ñåí 2025
JACK OSBOURNE Opens Up About OZZY OSBOURNE's Death: 'He Got To Say Goodbye In Such A Profound Way'
 Jack Osbourne has opened up about his father Ozzy Osbourne's passing. Speaking in a YouTube video posted on Wednesday (September 3),the 39-year-old revealed how he found out about his dad's July 22 death at Harefield Hospital in west London. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " I left [the United Kingdom] on the 13th of July. I came home [to Los Angeles], and, yeah, my dad was great. He was in a good mood. He was happy. [On July 22] I woke up in Los Angeles to a knock on my house door at around 3:45 in the morning. Someone who's worked for my family for probably 30 years now was knocking on my door, and when I looked through my window and I saw it was him, I just knew something bad had happened. And I was informed that my father had passed."
Regarding his initial reaction to hearing about Ozzy's death, Jack said: "I immediately — I don't know — [I felt] just pain, just sadness and pain and just so many thoughts. You go through this of feeling sad and frustrated and angry and this part of you that's, like, 'I have to get there right now. I have to.' But there was a level of like, okay, he's not not suffering anymore. He's not struggling.' And that is something. I wish he was still here, I wish he was still with us all, but he was having a rough go. And I think people saw that at the ['Back To The Beginning'] show [on July 5]. But no one expected it to happen as quickly as it did. And when it did, it was not anything that was on our radar. I know leading up to it, there was all sorts of stuff going around about my dad going to Switzerland and he was gonna euthanize himself and this was all planned and this was this… It was not — absolutely not. That is categorically untrue and ridiculous.
"My dad, he was so happy that he did the show and he was happy to kind of move into this next phase of his life," Jack continued. "He wanted to, to spend more time in England. He wanted to spend more time with my kids. He wanted to spend more time with just exploring different things as much as he could."
Jack said that he flew to England that day and arrived at the airport just as the news about his father's death broke around the world. "It was, like, text and call and texts like you've never… I'll tell you what — I was so grateful, though, that I was on a plane to where my phone wasn't ringing; I was just getting texts," he said. "And so many people reaching out — friends of mine and colleagues. And that's something that has been really unique about this experience, is — as overwhelming as it can be with the outpour of love and people reaching out, it's also been really validating because I know my dad was a special guy and he meant a lot to a lot of people. He meant something very different to me than 99.999% of the world. But the common thread is that he was loved. He was loved so much, and a lot of people are gonna miss him."
Jack reflected on his relationship with Ozzy, saying: "He wasn't just a father to me. He was my colleague. We worked together in so many capacities. I had recently moved. There was a period where I was between houses and I moved back in with him. So he was my housemate in my late thirties. And it was awesome. Me and the kids were living here. Just a friend, a text buddy, a joke cracker.
"I was so lucky," he continued. "I had such a great relationship with him, and I'm so grateful. And I think that's been — the overwhelming feeling has been gratitude. Deep gratitude. I'm so grateful that he was my father. And I'm sure people think, 'Well, yeah, why wouldn't you be?' But the material component of it pales into comparison for the stuff that really, really made him a father. He was deeply complicated. He was funny and weird and awkward and clumsy and just hilarious and so insightful.
"I've said this before, but I think my father was probably one of the most deliberate people you've ever come across. He knew what was going on all the time, and people may have thought he was checked out, but most of the time he wanted you to think he was checked out. But he was very aware always."
Referencing the aforementioned "Back To The Beginning" concert, which marked Ozzy's and BLACK SABBATH's final performance, Jack said: "One thing that has kind of stuck with me about my father's exit was how there is almost a perfection to it. He got to say goodbye in such a profound way. He got to thank his fans. He got to see his friends he hadn't seen in such a long time. He got to perform. I mean, there was so much accomplished before the full stop. And a lot of that stuff, when the time is right, we'll talk about. It's been overwhelming ultimately. I know I was shocked at the outpouring of love. Shocked. And I think it's been beautiful, and as I said earlier, it's been validating to see that kind of outpouring of love. And I mean this — for people listening or watching — people that sent cards and did posts and whether they laid flowers up at the Birmingham Bridge or dropped them off at the house, we saw it all. We read all the letters. It didn't go unnoticed. And I speak for the family when I say this, is that we are so grateful for that, and it meant so much. And, as I said earlier, it was validating, 'cause I know we weren't alone.
"Yeah, it's been a hard six weeks as a family," Jack added. "We're all kind of navigating it together and alone and in our own ways. I think it's common. And the price we pay for loving someone so much is grief. And it's the pain of grief when they're gone. And I'm okay with that."
In conclusion, Jack said that he wanted to record his latest podcast "just to say thank you to everyone and let everyone know that the family is doing okay. We're hanging in there. We're doing what we can to support each other and love each other. And, yeah, my father's legacy will continue.
"I think Ozzy Osbourne does not end because he passed away on July 22nd," he added. "As I've been saying, he's exploding through the universe, and we're all seeing it."
Ozzy died of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate filed in London also said Osbourne suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.
A private funeral service for Ozzy was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife and manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).
The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.
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RALF SCHEEPERS Always Had Confidence PRIMAL FEAR Would Continue, Despite MAT SINNER's Health Challenges
 In a new interview with Chris Akin Presents, PRIMAL FEAR vocalist Ralf Scheepers addressed on the fact that PRIMAL FEAR bassist Mat Sinner received treatment for eight months at various hospitals after he allegedly suffered an extreme adverse reaction in 2021 to the COVID-19 vaccination. As a result of Sinner's health challenges, PRIMAL FEAR canceled all of its planned shows in 2021 and 2022, eventually recruiting Alex Jansen as Mat's temporary replacement. Speaking about some of the obstacles that he and his PRIMAL FEAR bandmates faced leading up to the release of their new album, "Domination", Ralf said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was hard times, [I have] to admit. So, starting with the illness of Mat, I mean, he said it in several interviews already that he's got this heart attack from the jab. And I don't wanna go into details, because everybody has a different opinion about it, but the fact is that he had the problem and he was really in hospital for more than a year, and he was suffering more than two years coming back to life. He was dead, really, but they brought him back. But that was the time when we released [PRIMAL FEAR's previous album, 2023's] 'Code Red' already, so it was before 'Code Red'. So, when we were touring with 'Code Red' with the other members, then [longtime PRIMAL FEAR guitarist] Magnus [Karlsson] wrote several [songs] for the new album again, as he got fitter and fitter that, which is great. So we were really happy to have [Magnus] back, not only as a writing member, but now also on stage again, which is great. So the preparations for 'Domination' were pretty much like we've always done it the last 15 years — it's a writing trio, [with] Mat, Magnus and I — and that's how we always proceed, writing songs coming from our soul, from our blood, without trying to be somebody else, just doing the things natural, what we love to do. And that's what you can exactly hear on 'Domination' now."
Asked if there was ever a point when he thought PRIMAL FEAR could be "over", particularly at the height of Sinner's aforementioned health challenges, Scheepers said: "Not over. I always knew that there's gonna be sort of PRIMAL FEAR, and, of course, I was hoping Mat will survive, and I was happy he did. But, of course, you always have this worst-case scenario where you think, what's gonna happen? But I didn't really wanna think about it, [and] it didn't happen. So I knew, for me, I'm always gonna be a musician and gonna be in a band no matter what happens. And I always knew that this is gonna continue somehow, because I always was the guy who continued in a way, no matter what obstacles overcame in the past. So for me, it was clear that I always continue no matter how. There's always gonna be some kind of PRIMAL FEAR."
Two months ago, Sinner (a.k.a. Matthias Lasch),who also serves as PRIMAL FEAR's producer, told Spain's Stairway To Rock about his current health status: "Well, it will be never like it was before. I was having a very evil heart attack after the COVID injection. So the COVID injection destroyed my heart. So I was in a hospital for one year. And in the first month, I was in a coma. Then I was paralyzed. I couldn't move my hands, my feet. I was three times reanimated. I was dead. They brought me back to life. And very, very slowly, some parts came back. First, my voice was coming back. My hands were moving, but my legs were not moving. So I was in a wheelchair for a longer time. From a wheelchair with a lot of training, I was able to go in such a machine — what you say with the old people, walking. I don't know the English word, but you know what I mean… And then slowly, slowly, slowly it was getting better. But I could play bass and I could compose songs, but sitting in a chair, but not far away from walking on a stage. But the last year I made a very good progress so that some things are possible again, which were not possible one year ago. So when I was lying there alone, paralyzed somewhere, my biggest dream was to play one more show."
Asked if he has any memories of the time he spent in a coma, Mat said: "Only stupid things. I got morphine, and I liked that. I had weird hallucinations. But that was not in heaven. No, no. I wasn't there. So many people say, 'Oh, I saw God' or something like that. [I saw] nothing… Just stupid things."
Regarding whether his health challenges served as a lyrical inspiration for "Domination", which will arrive on September 5 via Reigning Phoenix Music, Sinner said: "Well, if you read the lyrics of the new album very carefully, you will find some lines which are connected. But with the next album, I don't write about this. I look into the future now. This is the most important thing for me."
Joining Sinner and Scheepers in PRIMAL FEAR's current lineup are the band's latest additions, Italian/Cuban sensation Thalìa Bellazecca (ANGUS MCSIX, ex-FROZEN CROWN) on guitar and André Hilgers (AXXIS, RAGE, SILENT FORCE, SINNER, BONFIRE) on drums. Also appearing with the group is Karlsson, who has been primarily a studio member of the band for much of the past decade but who has now rejoined PRIMAL FEAR's touring lineup.
"Domination" was recorded in autumn 2024, produced by Mat Sinner and co-produced by Ralf Scheepers as well as Magnus Karlsson. Rounded off by multiple PRIMAL FEAR mixing/mastering engineer Jacob Hansen at his own studios in Denmark, the album artwork was designed by Death.Milk.Designs.
PRIMAL FEAR's new lineup made its live debut on May 9 at the 2025 edition of the Rock In Rautheim festival in Braunschweig, Germany.
This September, PRIMAL FEAR will return to the live front with its longest European tour since 2018. Reigning Phoenix Music labelmates ELEINE have been confirmed as special guests.
In August 2024, guitarists Alex Beyrodt and Tom Naumann, drummer Michael Ehré and bassist Alex Jansen announced their departures from PRIMAL FEAR, insisting that their exit was "triggered by decisions within the band that we do not agree with" but claiming that "there was no argument or bad blood."
Formed by Sinner in 1997 as an outlet for Scheepers (who had left GAMMA RAY and was a rumored candidate for the then-open JUDAS PRIEST vocal spot, but was considering early retirement from metal),PRIMAL FEAR has emerged as one of the most consistent European metal bands, rarely straying from its core PRIEST-styled power metal sound.
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5 ñåí 2025
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Announces 'Best Of - Volume 2' Collection Of Re-Recorded Versions Of Band's Biggest Songs
 FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is marking its 20th anniversary with the release of two definitive greatest-hits collections: "Best Of - Volume 1" (available now) and, announced today, "Best Of - Volume 2" (due on October 24, 2025). Both collections feature newly re-recorded versions of the band's biggest anthems, created in response to their former label's sale of the original song masters — made without the band's knowledge or the opportunity to reclaim their legacy.
Turning that setback into something powerful and positive, the band chose not to simply remix or remaster but to fully re-record fan favorites across two volumes of greatest hits — both as a tribute to the songs and to the fans who've stood with the band over the last two decades.
While respecting and honoring the original recordings and those who helped shape them, the band is excited to revisit and bring renewed intensity to tracks like "Sham Pain", "Blue On Black", "Trouble" and "Burn MF". Together, the two "Best Of" collections celebrate the band's respect for the past while reintroducing the music for a new era. See the full album track list for "Best Of - Volume 2" below.
Leading the charge as the first single from "Best Of - Volume 2" is the 2025 version of "The End" featuring BABYMETAL. BABYMETAL vocalist Su-Metal comments: "We were invited to take part in a 20th-anniversary collaboration project featuring guest artists on past songs. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BABYMETAL had performed at the same festival overseas back in 2015, so I was really happy thinking they might have remembered me from then. I sang Japanese lyrics inspired by and based on the original lyrics of 'The End', and spent a lot of time experimenting to figure out what kind of voice would best suit such a deep, cool track. My favorite part of the song is the flow from the section starting with 'Negai o kakete' right after the chorus into the break — I loved how my voice gradually got covered and engulfed by Ivan's growl, which gave me chills. I hope listeners will enjoy that moment as well."
With over 13 billion streams, countless No. 1 hits, and multiple gold and platinum certifications, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH remain one of the most dominant rock acts of the 21st century. Their 20th anniversary continues with "Best Of - Volume 2", out October 24 via Better Noise Music, featuring 16 re-recorded classics plus three never-before-heard live versions of "Wash It All Away", "Wrong Side Of Heaven" and "Jekyll And Hyde".
"Best Of - Volume 2" is being released worldwide in multiple formats, including standard CD and vinyl, a limited edition CD exclusive to Walmart, multiple collectible vinyl editions available at Best Buy, Walmart, the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH webstore, indie retail, and a Revolver magazine exclusive.
To commemorate the band's 20th anniversary, a special merchandise collection is also available now in the official FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH webstore.
"Best Of - Volume 2" track listing:
01. Hell To Pay (2025 Version)
02. The End (feat. BABYMETAL) (2025 Version)
03. M.I.N.E (End This Way) (2025 Version)
04. Hard To See (2025 Version)
05. Got Your Six (2025 Version)
06. Cold (2025 Version)
07. Burn MF (2025 Version)
08. Never Enough (2025 Version)
09. Sham Pain (2025 Version)
10. Blue On Black (2025 Version)
11. I Apologize (2025 Version)
12. Trouble (2025 Version)
13. When The Seasons Change (2025 Version)
14. Cradle To The Grave (2025 Version)
15. My Nemesis (2025 Version)
16. Walk Away (2025 Version)
17. Wash It All Away (Live)
18. Wrong Side Of Heaven (Live)
19. Jekyll And Hyde (Live)
FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is a multi-platinum, chart-topping hard rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada known for their high-energy performances and impactful music (over 13 billion streams globally). The band has held firmly to a top three position on the Billboard Hard Rock chart for the last five years and amassed a record-setting 12 billboard mainstream Rock Airplay No. 1s in a row, the longest run of leading consecutive entries in the history of Mainstream Rock Airplay. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has 29 top 10 hit singles and 17 Active Rock No. 1 singles to its name, and the band has released nine consecutive studio albums since 2007, seven of which were certified gold or platinum by the RIAA, as well as two chart-topping greatest-hits albums. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is known not just for teaming up with established artists like Rob Halford, Rob Zombie, Jamey Jasta, Steve Aoki and Max Cavalera, but also known for elevating newcomers by exposing them to their worldwide audience. Founding guitarist Zoltan Bathory in 2023 was added as a playable character in the iconic "Call Of Duty" video game series adding another major achievement to the band's growing legacy. In addition, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has earned numerous national and international awards and honors, such as the prestigious Soldier Appreciation Award by the Association of The United States Army, an honor bestowed only upon Elvis Presley before. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is also well known for their charitable efforts and has donated over a million dollars from ticket sales, record royalties and streaming revenue. The band has released several videos of some of their biggest hits partnering with leading organizations in the fight against suicide prevention, youth homelessness, to support cancer survivors, veterans suffering from PTSD and to bring relief to the families of fallen first responders. The City Of Las Vegas, Nevada recognized FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's relentless charitable efforts by officially declaring November 1 as "Five Finger Death Punch Day". In addition, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frontman Ivan Moody was awarded the key to The City Of Cheyenne, Wyoming, honoring the betterment of the city through his philanthropic endeavors. Having become one of the most recognizable names in music, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH frequently plays all major festivals and sells out arenas around the world. FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH concluded a two-year long stadium tour across the globe with METALLICA at the end of 2024.
Photo credit: Chad Martel
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5 ñåí 2025
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5 ñåí 2025
STATIC-X Celebrate 25th Anniversary Of Wisconsin Death Trip With Limited Edition Box Set
 With the band recently celebrating the Gold and soon to be Platinum certification for their single “Push It,” metal icons Static-X are releasing a 25th anniversary edition of their legendary debut, Wisconsin Death Trip.
Released in 1999, the album introduced the world to the iconic lineup of Wayne Static, Koichi Fukuda, Tony Campos and Ken Jay. Spawning unforgettable hits as “Push It”, “I’m With Stupid” and “Bled For Days”, the album found its way into pop culture through music videos, multiple video games and inclusion on various movie soundtracks. Years after its release, the album still find new audiences with Metal Hammer declaring the album one of the “Top 20 best metal albums of 1999” in 2021.
The anniversary edition – Wisconsin Death Trip (25th Anniversary Corrosive Edition) – is the ultimate death trip, containing 2 handmade, orange and black eclipse vinyl with remastered versions of the original album audio, presented in a comprehensive box set, filled with bonus tracks and never seen artwork available worldwide on December 12.
The band reunited with the original producer Ulrich Wild as well as original photographer Exum to deliver a whole new experience for the album.
The album has been remastered by Wild, and a second disc of demos, alternate versions and rare tracks are included making the album total runtime over an hour and eleven minutes. Exum unearthed hundreds of never-before-seen photos from the shoot and the band have used them to completely redesign the packaging.
Limited edition deluxe versions include signed prints, laser engraved ID tag, ID bracelet with QR code linking to the full 8mm BTS video footage of the Wisconsin Death Trip photo shoot, pill bottle, stickers and more and is only available at static-x.com.
Wisconsin Death Trip (25th Anniversary Corrosive Edition) tracklisting:
“Push It”
“I’m With Stupid”
“Bled For Days”
“Love Dump”
“I Am”
“Otsegolation”
“Stem”
“Sweat Of The Bud”
“Fix”
“Wisconsin Death Trip”
“The Trance Is The Motion”
“December”
“Down ”
“Head”
“Head (Titan AE)”
“S.O.M.”
“So Real”
“I Am” (Unedited)
“Wisconsin Death Trip” (Unedited)
“Love Dump” (Demo)
“I’m With Stupid” (Single Edit)
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5 ñåí 2025
SLIPKNOT's 'Duality' Surpasses One Billion Streams On SPOTIFY
 SLIPKNOT's classic song "Duality" has surpassed one billion streams on Spotify.
Billions Club is a playlist first launched in 2020 which includes all of the songs on Spotify that have surpassed one billion streams on the platform. After the achievement, Spotify gifts artists the Billions Club plaque.
"Duality", which is featured on SLIPKNOT's 2004 album "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)", joins other tracks — including METALLICA's "Nothing Else Matters", "Enter Sandman" and "Master Of Puppets", AEROSMITH's "Dream On", SURVIVOR's "Eye Of The Tiger", ABBA's "Dancing Queen", PAPA ROACH's "Last Resort", GUNS N' ROSES' "Paradise City", EVANESCENCE's "Bring Me To Life" and VAN HALEN's "Jump" — to reach the achievement. The milestone has reportedly been achieved by nearly a thousand songs so far.
"Duality" is the first SLIPKNOT song to surpass the one-billion mark on Spotify. The band's second most played track is "Psychosocial", which has garnered around 765 million streams, "Before I Forget" comes in the third place, having racked up 667 million listens so far.
Speaking to MTV ahead of "Duality"'s release more than two decades ago, then-SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison said: "It's got one of the heaviest grooves we ever came up with. It's a dark song, but the chorus is very liberal as far as tones and things that we've never done before, and the things we've done with [singer] Corey's [Taylor] voice are really wild."
"Duality" reached No. 5 in the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 6 in the Hot Modern Rock Tracks in the U.S., while getting to No. 15 in the U.K.
Billboard reported last month that SLIPKNOT is close to completing a deal to sell its music catalog for approximately $120 million. The deal between members of the long-running metal band and HarbourView Equity Partners includes the rights to SLIPKNOT's publishing and recording masters royalties. It reportedly covers the band's archival catalog but does not extend to future releases.
Based on streaming data and other metrics, Billboard estimates that the band's music has generated $15.5 million in annual revenue over the last three years, while publishing brought in an additional $5.2 million per year.
Since releasing its debut album in 1999, SLIPKNOT has captured a Grammy Award alongside 11 nominations, scored a number of platinum and gold album certifications around the world, and logged billions of global streams and video views to date. Rolling Stone cited the seminal platinum-selling 2001 album "Iowa" among "The 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time," while The Ringer attested, "They're the most important heavy band of their era."
SLIPKNOT's latest full length album, "The End, So Far", landed at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart and at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, marking their sixth Top 10-charting album on the Billboard 200.
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5 ñåí 2025
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5 ñåí 2025
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