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4 ñåí 2025

Will There Ever Be A Reunion Of BRITNY FOX's Classic Lineup? JOHNNY DEE Doesn't Think So
 In a new interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru, former BRITNY FOX drummer Johnny Dee was asked about the possibility of a reunion of the band's classic lineup. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I'll say what I always say, which is I'm always optimistic and open. But I have to say after the last [attempt] — there's been various times [where we tried to put it back together], but after the last thing, I just don't… I don't know, man. I don't think so. 'Cause we tried. Billy [Childs, bass] tried to talk to Mike [Michael Kelly Smith, guitar], and Mike tried to talk to Dean [Davidson, vocals/guitar] and Dean tried to get over whatever he hates about all of us, and this and that. And I literally thought for a little bit that, man, this might actually fucking happen. And then all of a sudden, as quick as that came, it was gone again and Dean just disappeared and didn't wanna do it. And that was that. So I don't see how it could ever happen. And I think even Tommy's [Paris, later BRITNY FOX vocalist] over it now, so it's really a bummer."
Asked about the fact that Dean never does interviews, Johnny said: "Yeah, I think he's not a… I guess he's not a very talkative guy, really. I mean, he'll talk your fucking ear off if you get him on the phone, but it's gotta be what he's talking about. You know what I mean? He's not good with any kind of… I know he blew up his social media thing because he couldn't deal with the negativity or getting into shit with people. If anyone addressed him in a negative way, he would lose his shit, just like he always did. He couldn't just sit back and go, 'You know what? If that's your opinion, fine. I don't really give a fuck.' But he gets really, really testy about people that talk shit. So I don't think he wants to put himself in that position where something might be brought up and then he has to get nuts on film or whatever. But it's a shame, really, because he's showed that he could hang out up there with a lot of other musicians, but some aren't cut out for all the rest of parts of it. I guess it's just a bit of a flaw in that sense. You've gotta have some steel fucking balls and you can't let shit get to you too much, 'cause you'll never go anywhere. But I think he's just quiet and happy to be away from any bullshit."
He continued: "Really, for me, the bottom line is music is everything, and if you can't do it, there's a major hole in your soul somewhere. And that would just eat at me. I fucking love the fact that I have two great bands and I'm still playing shows and making music and entertaining people, making people happy. When I see people and how much they appreciate it, I'm just, like, this is the best gig ever, to be able to do that. So I feel that, but then I don't really understand how come everybody that plays music doesn't feel the same? But I guess they don't get that same reaction, or they just can't deal with certain parts. Some people don't like to fucking leave home. Some people don't like to be on stage or whatever, or eat fucking bad food, or whatever reason it is that you have to adapt to these things to make your career work. Some people just figure it's not worth it, and that's fine. That's their priority. But when you see somebody that actually should be or wants to be doing it, but can't make it happen, then it's, like, 'I wonder what's going on there?' So that's why I feel like it probably won't happen, because those guys, in particular, have been away from it for so long. It'd be really hard to come back at this time because shit's so different now."
BRITNY FOX's self-titled debut became one of the best-selling first albums of 1988, peaking at No. 39 and going gold. The first two singles, "Long Way To Love" and "Girlschool", both broke the top 100.
After Davidson exited BRITNY FOX, he was replaced by Las Vegas native Tommy Paris, who sang on the band's last two studio albums, 1991's "Bite Down Hard" and 2003's "Springhead Motorshark".
In 2010, Davidson unsuccessfully attempted to reunite the surviving members of the original BRITNY FOX lineup.
In April 2015, BRITNY FOX announced that it had reformed, featuring a lineup of Childs, Dee, Paris and new lead guitarist Chris Sanders, and that the band was recording a new album. Two years later, Childs stated that the album project had been abandoned, but he stopped short of saying that the band had broken up.
In 2022, Childs formed his own incarnation of BRITNY FOX without the involvement of any other past members. They toured throughout 2023.
As of 2023, Smith confirmed in several interviews that he was in touch with all surviving original members of BRITNY FOX and was considering bringing the band back for a reunion with the lineup from the first two albums. Smith also teased the possibility of a new studio album.  | 0 |  |
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4 ñåí 2025

Watch: TOM KEIFER Performs CINDERELLA Classics In Paw Paw, Michigan
Silver Stallion Videos has uploaded video of CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer's entire September 1 concert at Warner Vineyards in Paw Paw, Michigan. Check it out below.
Featured songs:
Life Was Here 0:00
Hot & Bothered 4:21
Heartbreak Station 9:35
The Death Of Me 16:31
Bad Seamstress Blues/Fallin' Apart At The Seams 20:29
Coming Home 26:36
Nobody's Fool 30:54
Solid Ground 35:48
Night Songs 40:46
Somebody Save Me 45:46
The Last Mile 49:24
Shake Me 53:41
Shelter Me 59:56
Don't Know What You Got (Till It's Gone) 1:05:00
With A Little Help From My Friends 1:14:22
Gypsy Road 1:20:12
In a recent interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Keifer was asked if he is still working on material for the follow-up to his sophomore solo album, "Rise", which was released in September 2019 via Cleopatra Records. He responded: "Well, it's kind of the way it always goes. Song ideas are floating around, and once you get a pile where it feels like there's an album there, you get to work and start recording. So, [I'm] still kind of in that collecting the ideas and kicking around song ideas and stuff. It all starts with songs."
Asked how big the "pile" of song ideas is right now, Tom responded: "I don't know. Sometimes it's bigger than you think, and that's when you go, 'Whoa, it's time to make a record.' So, I don't know. I have little things that I've sung into voice memos and little lyrics that I've jotted down. I don't know. It's getting there. It's getting there. [There's] all kind of ideas, and then you kind of look at it and you say, 'Which are the best ideas?' And then you start to finish 'em, if that makes sense."
A year ago, Keifer told Rock 100.5 The KATT FM's Cameron Buchholtz about his songwriting process: "Music is kind of floating in the air. Songs are, they're always out there somewhere. It's just when the inspiration strikes you. I like to keep it organic and wait for a strong emotion or a feeling to hit that really feels like a song. And you kind of collect those. I call 'em like the little seeds of songs — you get these chorus lines in your head. I just kind of let 'em brew. And the ones that I remember I feel like are maybe the strongest ones or the best ones and then eventually those are the ones that get written. So, yeah, since 'Rise', there's been a lot of ideas floating in and out. I'm kind of keeping track of 'em. I'd say albums are kind of like a lightning strike — you kind of know when you're ready and when you have one, and just boom, it falls out."
He added: "The writing process is — I know this might sound weird, but it's almost every day, because ideas go in and out of your head all day long, and the first question as a writer is, 'Hmm, is that a song?' And if one really sticks with you, you eventually write it. At least that's how I work."
Asked how he keeps track of all of his musical ideas and whether he sings melodies into his phone, Tom said: "Usually I don't. I didn't for years. Every once in a while I will now, if there's something that I think that's really good that I won't remember. But my natural filtration process used to be was not to record anything, and for decades that's how I did it, because I figure if I forget it, then it's not memorable. Now that I'm getting a little bit older, if something goes through my head that I think is really strong and I'm afraid that I'm gonna forget it, I might sing that into the phone. [Laughs] But I still try to do the natural filtration process where you see what sticks with you. It's always worked for me. I've heard other songwriters say they do it that way, too — see what really sticks with you. And if it keeps haunting you and keeps coming back to you, then maybe there's something there, I guess is the best way to put it."
In March 2024, Tom told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he will release a new studio album "at some point." He added: "Inspiration hits at the oddest times. When the first solo record [2013's 'The Way Life Goes'] was released, we were so focused on touring that I just thought, 'Man, I'm never gonna write another song again. The inspiration's not coming, and I don't know when we're ever gonna get another record done.' And then, for some strange reason, when we got off the road in 2018. we just ended up in the studio and all these songs just fell out and we had 'Rise' in about six months' time, between the writing and the recording and mixing and all. So I feel that coming again."
He continued: "I think that we all want to make another record, and there's definitely some ideas for some songs starting to drift into the antenna. That's how it always starts for me, is you get ideas for songs and you sing them into a voice memo or you jot down a line. I don't usually finish them when they come to me that way; I just kind of store these ideas, and then at some point you've got a pile of them, you go, 'Let's go make a record.' And then you finish out the songs and you record them. So, yeah, that process is going on all the time, of just collecting the ideas. You get an inspiration driving down the road, and you pull out the voice and then when you sing a chorus line into something and then don't come back to it for who knows how long, but usually you come back to when you have a pile of those. And then you finish them out."
Keifer went on to say that he usually blocks everything else out and just focuses on finishing the songs when it's time to make an album. "Yeah, that's kind of when it gets serious," he explained. "And that comes when you feel like you've got a bunch of ideas, because you don't wanna go with the first 10 ideas you have. So then you feel, like 'Whoa, this is really starting to pile up.' Okay, then you go through and you pick, like, what are the best ideas here? And with the solo stuff, I write most of it with [my wife] Savannah, and she writes the same way, and she stockpiles ideas, and we just get to a point where we, like on 'Rise', we just started kicking ideas back and forth at each other, and then, before we knew it, they were finished. But, yeah, that's the point where you've got to block the rest of the world out. And that's what happened when we got off tour in 2018 and I had a ton of ideas and Savannah had some ideas and we kind of were going through 'em. And boom, it's, like, we just started finishing 'em. It was, like, 'Man, that's a great idea. Let's finish that one.' And then next thing I know, I'm up in the studio with the band and we're tracking them. And that record went really fast, compared to the first one, which was the better part of 10 years putting that one together, and it was recorded with session musicians and stuff. And there were a lot of obstacles that came into play with that record, but we eventually got it done and sounding the way we wanted it. And then, very pleasant surprise when we made 'Rise', it was the opposite experience. I mean, it was, like, no obstacles. It was, like, 'All right, we're making a record. Block the world out.' Boom, all of a sudden it's done. Every record's different."
Tom's #KEIFERBAND is rounded out by Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Kendra Chantelle, Jarred Pope and Kory Myers.
In 2023, Keifer told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he hadn't "recorded anything" new since "Rise". "Some song ideas are starting to bubble," he said.
"The pandemic kind of threw a wrench in everything, obviously," he explained. "We were in the middle of working 'Rise'; we were on the second single, 'Hype', and were about to go out on that 'Big Rock Summer Tour' [with RATT, SKID ROW and SLAUGHTER]. And 'Hype' was kind of moving up the charts, and then everything got shut down. All the creative juices, all the energy during that couple of years just kind of… I know some people got creative; some people didn't. I didn't. [Laughs] So, it's starting to come back now. I think getting back out on the road last year kind of ignited that spark again. But, yeah, we definitely wanna do a follow-up to it.
"I would say records come in their time; I don't like to rush them," Keifer added. "But, yeah, there will for sure be a follow-up. And that antenna is starting to go up and song ideas are starting to kind of come in. Yeah, it's coming."
According to Tom, the pandemic-related break from touring came just at the right time. "I kind of needed it," he said. "We toured so much with this band leading right up to the last tour, right before the pandemic. We were actually out early that year, in 2020, 'cause the 'Rise' tour was still kind of continuing; we were still working the record. So it was 10 years straight for me — or not quite 10 years at that point. But there were three CINDERELLA tours prior to that. So I'd been on the road, like, 12 years straight. So I was crispy by the time that pandemic hit. None of us wanted that forced on us, obviously, but I guess it forced me to take a break, which I probably needed."
Although CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's "Still Climbing", the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while Keifer focused on his solo career.
In March 2022, Keifer said that he was "not prepared" for the 2021 passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar. Jeff was found dead by his wife in July 2021 inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.
❌TONIGHT❌
Mon, 9/1… Paw Paw, MI Warner Vineyards with LA Guns & Yet Again 🎟️s & all dates at tomkeifer.com/events/ #livemusic #concerts
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4 ñåí 2025

BURNING WITCHES Guitarist COURTNEY COX Tours With Three Herniated Discs: 'I Have To Be Really Careful'
 BURNING WITCHES guitarist Courtney Cox went on Side Jams With Bryan Reesman to talk about being a foodie and a fitness buff. She also discussed her life in Germany as she moved there three years ago. During the interview, the guitarist revealed that she has been playing and touring with lower back issues for years.
"I have three herniated discs in my lower back from a nasty car accident from when I was way younger, so I really have to be careful," she explained. "I was too scared to have surgery, and then I was suggested not to have the surgery because I was too young. So I've kind of just dealt with it. At first I had to have an epidural every three months just to live. But as I've gotten older, sometimes it acts up if I move the wrong way or lift something the wrong way. Knock on wood, so far I've been okay."
When asked if there was any surgery she could do now, Courtney replied yes. "Actually, the other guitar player, Romana, just had the surgery done," she said. "She had the same problems I have in her lower back, and we actually almost had to end our last U.S. tour early because she moved the wrong way. Then being in a van for hours on end, she could barely walk. She was in and out of urgent cares and getting this shot and that shot. But then when we finally got home, she went in and had the back surgery."
"I don't normally notice it," Courtney added about her back. "Obviously, with the strap, you can adjust and move, but with your central gravity and stuff, you have this piece of wood, so you're constantly trying to fight not going forward and always trying to be conscious of keeping your shoulders back... The show must go on, though."
Cox originally hails from Philadelphia region of Pennsylvania. After leaving her hometown of Essington at nineteen to further pursue her music career in Los Angeles, California, she became lead guitarist for the world-renowned tribute band THE IRON MAIDENS. During her 14-year run with THE IRON MAIDENS, Courtney also lent her guitar skills to other bands such as FEMME FATALE and THE STARBREAKERS.
After stepping in for BURNING WITCHES guitarist Larissa Ernst as a stand-in during Ernst's maternity leave, Cox joined the band as a full member in 2023.
BURNING WITCHES' sixth studio album, "Inquisition", came out on August 22, 2025 via Napalm Records.  | +1 |  |
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4 ñåí 2025

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4 ñåí 2025

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4 ñåí 2025

JOEY ALLEN Says WARRANT Is 'Financially Better Now Than We Were In The Heyday': 'Well Into Six Figures For Everybody'
 In a new interview with The Chuck Shute Podcast, WARRANT guitarist Joey Allen spoke about his decision to leave the band in 1994 and his eventual return a decade later. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I wasn't really in a good place, to be honest with you. When you're in a band, you rely on the other three or four people in the band to get up in the morning and show up to work, so to speak. And there was one person that I couldn't rely on. And I decided that I would take my life into my own hands and be responsible for myself. So that's what I did. And it wasn't fun being in school and being in class with a bunch of pocket protectors, dudes, and learning IT and data and everything I did, Microsoft certification. But in hindsight, it was probably one of the best things I ever did because, one, both Jerry [Dixon, WARRANT bassist] and Erik [Turner, WARRANT guitarist] have told me, 'You didn't miss anything while you were gone.' It was really dark for the band. And I got an education and worked in private business for eight years, and it's helped me with what I do today with Pearl Drums. I'm hitting my 20-year mark with Pearl in August. And it's a great bunch of people I work with at Pearl. They're some of the best in the industry. I've learned tons from guys that have master's degrees and economics and that have run businesses, and it's just a different world, having a day gig and working in business and then being in a band.
"But this band has matured so much over the last 20 years," Joey revealed. "We're still friends. We've always been friends — Steven [Sweet, WARRANT drummer] and Jerry and Erik and I. Erik and I have known each other the longest of anybody, really — a few years before WARRANT even started. And now Robert's [Mason, WARRANT singer] been in the band longer than Jani [Lane, original WARRANT singer] ever was, so I've been in a band longer with him. But it's like five grownups going on tour. And everybody's smart. There's no low-IQ guys. There's no passive-aggressive [behavior]. If there's a business decision that's gotta be made, we sit down and we talk about it like adults, and everybody's got an opinion. And nine out of 10 times when we roll out of a meeting, everybody's in a great mood. Every once in a while, you get a situation where you might disagree, but it's not a negative thing. It's always learning. Everybody always learns, and everybody's great. Everybody's in a good place. The band's never been in a better place. We've worked hard, man. I mean, I've been back in the band 20 years now, 21 years."
When host Chuck Shute suggested that WARRANT is a "side hustle" for Allen, considering that Joey has worked in sales for Pearl for the past couple of decades, the guitarist clarified: "Well, Pearl has been around 80 years next year. Pearl's a worldwide business. And I'm really blessed that… I take it for granted sometimes. My education really helped me out, to be honest with you — knowing data and knowing how to navigate Excel spreadsheets close to the advanced stage, and just knowing how to communicate with people properly and not blow up and say the wrong thing when you get frustrated. There's frustrations everywhere. The band's taught me a lot of that. But the band is in a great place. The band is financially better now than we were in the heyday. So side hustle, to me, would be, like, is it something where it's just kind of icing on the cake? And the band is a viable business. I mean, at 40 to 50, 40 to 60 gigs, it's a very viable business."
Asked if WARRANT is "the only source of income" for some of the other members of the band, Joey said: "Absolutely. Absolutely. And a great source of income. Well into six figures for everybody. I don't wanna talk about money — it's not important — but WARRANT has worked very, very, very, very hard, and we've gotten to the place now to where it's a great business. And we're gonna keep on going. And we've got some things up our sleeve. We'll see what we do this year, maybe early next year. And it's all good."
Regarding how WARRANT goes about touring and playing shows nowadays, Allen said: "We have five band members and four crew members. One crew member handles merchandise, and that's a great business for us on the road. And then we've got a stage left tech, a stage right tech, and then a tour manager that does front of house.
"We've got a very tight ship," he explained. "We don't use a tour bus. It's a waste of money. And we fly in and out of every gig, and we drive. I drove almost five hours Saturday from Farmington, Pennsylvania all the way up to Elmira to go play Tag's. So there's a band van that's got five band guys in it, and then there's two crew bands with gear. We take enough gear to get through a show, and backline's on the rider. And that's what we do."
Allen went on to say that VIP experiences with fans are providing artists like WARRANT with an additional source of revenue that wasn't available when the band first started. "Yeah, it's cool," he said. "I'd say 9.9 outta 10 people have a good time. You get to come in, you get to say hi to the band. You get a picture. We hang out while we sign something for you. And then that's it. And sometimes there's 20 people, sometimes there's four people. It's an opportunity there for everybody. It's just another opportunity for income for the band, because, basically. we make money touring. That's how the band makes money."
Joey continued: "We haven't had a proper record deal since Sony/Columbia, from my perspective, and we still have catalog with them and we're square with them. So there's all kinds of different revenue streams. But as far as business is concerned, I'm really proud to say that this business is viable. The guys that manage the portion of the business that's the money do a great job. And no complaints. And [this is] coming from a guy that's worked for Pearl, which is a huge company worldwide, and I'm right under that executive level at senior sales, and I know enough to get in trouble. But seeing how a major corporation like Pearl works and seeing how WARRANT works, WARRANT's run pretty well. No drama. There's no drama. There's no infighting. There's no low-IQ band members.
"There's a lot of low-IQ musicians out there," Joey added. "It's unfortunate. They probably don't think they are, but I'd love to give everybody an IQ test. In the industry — they've got the egos because they've sold records, but just because you've sold records and you're successful doesn't mean you're smart. I know a lot of rich people that aren't smart. There's a difference. And it is what it is. It is what it is."
Mason replaced Lane in 2008 and has brought a degree of stability to WARRANT after Lane's unceremonious departure and subsequent 2011 death.
WARRANT's latest studio album, "Louder Harder Faster", was released in May 2017. The disc was recorded with Jeff Pilson — a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others — and was mixed by Pat Regan, except for the song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink", which was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).  | +1 |  |
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3 ñåí 2025

GENE HOGLAN Says DEATH's 'Symbolic' Was 'Absolutely Hated' When It Was First Released
 In a new interview with "The Garza Podcast", hosted by SUICIDE SILENCE guitarist Chris Garza, legendary extreme metal drummer Gene Hoglan reflected on his work on DEATH's classic 1995 album "Symbolic". "Symbolic" stands out as unique in DEATH's catalog — the moment guitarist/vocalist Chuck Schuldiner married his progressive direction with more song-based material, not to mention it is also one of Schuldiner's sonically richest-sounding recordings, courtesy of producer Jim Morris. Gene said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "When we released it — if 'Symbolic' is a classic record now, it was not at all received that way in any way, shape or form. No. It was hated. Hated. Hated. Absolutely hated. One hundred percent hated. The only people who didn't hate it were some of the journalists who reviewed it, but the fans hated it. Everybody hated it, because they were, like, 'What the hell did you do to my favorite band? Where's 'Scream Bloody Gore'? Where's 'Leprosy'? Where's 'Spiritual Healing'? This is musical bullshit, melodic. What is this?' The world wasn't ready. They weren't used to it. They were used to hearing their death metal really, really brutal and not melodic. And so that is one thing that I will give DEATH, Chuck, whoever was involved in it."
Speaking broadly about DEATH and Schuldiner's influence on the metal genre as a whole, Hoglan said: "It's one thing if you're involved in a musical genre that is accepted and you come in and you play a popular style of music and you do it well, that's one thing. Chuck, although he did not invent death metal, DEATH was a very important band in the overall creation of death metal. So, brutal death metal, Chuck and DEATH were a part of its infancy. Then when it came to technical metal, there were a couple other bands, like WATCHTOWER and that sort of thing. CYNIC was kind of doing their thing a little bit in the demo era sort of thing. Maybe MESHUGGAH to some slight degree — maybe by '91, '90, when [DEATH was] tracking 'Human'. There was ATHEIST doing some technical stuff. Other bands that were doing — MEKONG DELTA, on the more technical side of metal. But DEATH had a real stamp on the technical metal side. That's two genres that they had an important part of, being a part of. And then along comes the melodic death, melodeath, melodic death metal, whatever, DEATH had a real part with the 'Individual Thought Patterns' and the 'Symbolic' releases. Both of those albums had an impact on the melodic side of death metal. There wasn't a lot of melodic death metal going on at the time. CARCASS was just starting to lean towards that with the 'Heartwork' record, leaning away from just straight blasting grind… But there you go. Those are three genres that DEATH had… Like I said, it's one thing if you join a genre that is established and yeah, you do some cool things and your band gets popular doing it, that's one thing. But to help be the creators of three different genres, there's something to be said for that. So, way to go, Chuck. Way to go, DEATH. Absolutely."
The April 2008 remastered reissue of "Symbolic" via Roadrunner Records included the original album tracks plus several previously unreleased, ultra-rare, mostly instrumental demo recordings that were completed in early 1994 with the lineup of Schuldiner, Hoglan and Steve DiGiorgio (bass). The package also came with brand new liner notes written by longtime metal journalist Don Kaye.
This fall, Hoglan will take part in a month-long North American celebration of two of DEATH's landmark albums, "Symbolic" and "Spiritual Healing" (1990),with DEATH TO ALL, the touring tribute to Schuldiner and DEATH.
Hoglan is joined in the DEATH TO ALL lineup by fellow DEATH veterans DiGiorgio (bassist on 1991's "Human" as well as "Individual Thought Patterns") and Bobby Koelble (guitarist on "Symbolic"),as well as Max Phelps (EXIST, ex-CYNIC) on guitar and vocals. DEATH TO ALL celebrated "Scream Bloody Gore" (1987) and "The Sound Of Perseverance" (1998) across North America in 2024.
Along with the dual album celebration, each night will showcase classics from DEATH's catalog.
The fall tour will feature special guests GORGUTS and PHOBOPHILIC.
In November, Decibel Books will release "Born Human: The Life And Music Of Death's Chuck Schuldiner", the fully authorized biography of the legendary DEATH frontman. Authored by accomplished journalist David E. Gehlke ("The Scott Burns Sessions: A Life In Death Metal 1987-1997", "Turned Inside Out: The Official Story Of Obituary"),the book features exclusive interviews, contributions, stunning new Ed Repka cover art and previously unreleased, hand-selected photographs from those who knew Chuck best. "Born Human" brings life to the dramatic story of the man who blazed an iconic path in metal music, laying the foundation for generations to come.
A visionary whose groundbreaking recorded output earned him the title of "Godfather Of Death Metal," Schuldiner is one of the most influential figures in heavy metal history. Chuck channeled a tragic childhood into music that was brutal, technical, melodic and progressive, making his band, DEATH, a leader within the metal underground throughout the 1980s and 1990s. His uncompromising approach was accompanied by an often-tumultuous relationship with bandmates, the music industry and the press at large, obstacles he went to great lengths to overcome. When he finally found peace, Chuck was stricken with terminal brain cancer in 1999. He succumbed to the disease in 2001 after a remarkable fight that defied the odds.
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3 ñåí 2025

JERRY CANTRELL On ALICE IN CHAINS: 'We Planned On Doing Much More This Year, But It Just Didn't Work Out'
 In a new interview with Cleveland.com, Jerry Cantrell was asked about ALICE IN CHAINS' plans for the coming months. "We're just wrapping the 'I Want Blood' chapter," he replied, referencing his latest solo album, "then I'll take the winter off and see where we're at. [ALICE IN CHAINS] intended to work but had a little bit of a health scare with Sean [Kinney, drummer], so we had to cancel some shows. We also had a tour planned for, like, right now that kind of fell through. So we had some bad luck; we planned on doing much more this year, but it just didn't work out. We'll take a look at it again probably early next year and figure out what we're gonna do, whether go in and make another record or do some shows — or both."
This past May, ALICE IN CHAINS canceled all of its previously announced concerts due to Sean's health. The decision came after a previous gig was called off on May 8 because Kinney experienced medical complications.
ALICE IN CHAINS was scheduled to appear at a few festivals in May, including the MMRBQ in Camden, New Jersey, Sonic Temple in Columbus, Ohio and Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach, Florida. They had also lined up several other headlining shows, in Nashville, Tennessee and Dothan, Alabama.
Kinney had recovered enough in time to join his ALICE IN CHAINS bandmates at the final BLACK SABBATH/Ozzy Osbourne show on July 5 in Birmingham, United Kingdom.
In the last four years, Cantrell has released two solo albums, 2021's "Brighten" and 2024's "I Want Blood", and has toured extensively in support of both efforts, performing material spanning his solo career and ALICE IN CHAINS.
ALICE IN CHAINS regrouped in 2006 with singer William DuVall joining the band, and released its third LP with DuVall in the lineup, "Rainier Fog", in August 2018.
Prior to joining ALICE IN CHAINS, DuVall was a member of punk rock bands AWARENESS VOID OF CHAOS, NEON CHRIST, BL'AST! and FINAL OFFERING. DuVall's long musical history also includes COMES WITH THE FALL and Cantrell's solo work.
Cantrell befriended the members of COMES WITH THE FALL in the early 2000s, playing shows with the band on the West Coast, then enlisting the musicians to tour with him as both opening act and backing group in support of his album "Degradation Trip".
DuVall appears on the last three ALICE IN CHAINS albums: 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" and the aforementioned "Rainier Fog".  | +3 |  |
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3 ñåí 2025

JACK OSBOURNE Slams 'Pathetic' ROGER WATERS After PINK FLOYD Founder Trashes OZZY OSBOURNE
 Ozzy Osbourne's son Jack has blasted Roger Waters after the PINK FLOYD co-founder claimed in an interview that he "never did" care about BLACK SABBATH and "couldn't give a fuck" about Ozzy.
While speaking with The Independent Ink, Waters said: "Ozzy Osbourne, who just died, bless him in his whatever state that he was in his whole life. We'll never know. Although he was all over the TV for hundreds of years with his idiocy and nonsense. The music, I have no idea. I couldn't give a fuck."
Waters added: "I don't care about BLACK SABBATH, I never did. Have no interest in biting the heads of chickens or whatever they do. I couldn't care less, you know."
On Tuesday (September 2),Jack took to his Instagram Stories to write: "Hey Roger Waters, fuck you. How pathetic and out of touch you've become. The only way you seem to get attention these days is by vomiting out bullshit in the press. My father always thought you were a cunt. Thanks for proving him right."
During a 2004 chat with Rolling Stone, Osbourne said that the PINK FLOYD classic "Money" was one of his favorite rock songs, adding that it stirred up vivid recollections from his wilder years. "Reminds me of my LSD days. I'm glad I survived," he reminisced.
Waters reportedly gave a mean review of BLACK SABBATH's debut song, "Evil Woman", in 1970, saying at the time: "Well, well, well… I'm speechless — well, almost… You keep thinking it's going to start. You think that for the first minute, but then, if you are really perceptive, you realize it isn't going to start, and that’s all there is."
Ozzy died on July 22 of a heart attack, his death certificate revealed. The certificate also reportedly said the 76-year-old musician suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease.
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3 ñåí 2025

FIMBUL WINTER Feat. Former AMON AMARTH Members: Debut EP, 'What Once Was', Due In November
 FIMBUL WINTER, the new Swedish death metal band featuring three former AMON AMARTH members, will release its debut EP, "What Once Was", on November 14. The project consists of original AMON AMARTH members Niko Kaukinen on drums and Anders Biazzi (formerly Anders Hansson) on guitar, and former AMON AMARTH drummer Fredrik Andersson on lead guitar. Completing the lineup is Clint Williams on vocals.
According to a press release, FIMBUL WINTER fuses decades of experience with a fresh, uncompromising energy. "What Once Was" delivers a sound that is cold, intense, and fiercely authentic — a bold statement from a band built on unfinished business and a shared passion for the roots of Swedish death metal.
"What Once Was" track listing:
01. Storms Rage
02. What Once Was
03. Mounds Of Stones
04. A Soul That Soared
05. In Solitude's Embrace
Lineup:
Niko Kaukinen (AMON AMARTH founding member) - Drums
Anders Biazzi (AMON AMARTH founding member) - Guitar
Fredrik Andersson (ex-AMON AMARTH) - Lead Guitar
Clint Williams (MUNITIONS) - Vocals
Session bass by Tobias Cristiansson (NECROPHOBIC, GRAVE, DISMEMBER)
The idea for FIMBUL WINTER's formation was born out of a spontaneous reunion performing the AMON AMARTH demo from 1994 called "The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter". That reconnection quickly turned into something more serious: a desire to create new music that captures the spirit of the early Swedish scene, without compromises and without dilution of intensity. The result is "What Once Was", where FIMBUL WINTER delivers a sound that is cold, uncompromising, and fiercely authentic. As torchbearers of the Swedish melodic death metal tradition, the band channels decades of experience while staying true to the sound that defined them, from rediscovered riffs originally written for AMON AMARTH to entirely new compositions.
FIMBUL WINTER is not a side project or nostalgia trip. It's a band built on unfinished business and a shared intent to continue shaping the sound they helped create.
Regarding how FIMBUL WINTER came together, the band said: "The idea started with Niko wanting to play the demo 'The Arrival Of The Fimbul Winter', which he recorded over 30 years ago, at his 50th-birthday party. Fredrik thought it sounded like fun and offered to play the guitar. After that Anders was asked to join in and then with the addition of friends Linus Nirbrant on bass and Clint on vocals, a selected amount of friends got to experience this unique lineup and hear the tracks that once laid the foundation to what was to become. Having so much fun playing together and realizing all three former members had a ton of killer old-school material, the decision to keep on playing and to eventually record new songs was made."
Andersson was fired from AMON AMARTH in March 2015, just as the band was preparing to enter the studio to begin work on its 2016 album "Jomsviking". AMON AMARTH opted to enlist a session drummer, Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY, CUT UP),during the recording sessions for the disc, but hired Jocke Wallgren to join them on the road. Wallgren was named a permanent member of AMON AMARTH in September 2016.
In a 2016 interview with Brazil's "Wikimetal" podcast, AMON AMARTH guitarist Olavi Mikkonen stated about the band's split with Andersson: "I don't really wanna go into details regarding Fredrik, but, basically, we just separated. It's kind of like a marriage that doesn't work, and you get divorced. And that's kind of what happened to our band."  | 0 |  |
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Ex-MEGADETH Bassist DAVID ELLEFSON On Heavy Metal Community: 'We're A Tribe Of Quirky Misfits'
 In a new interview with the That Metal Interview podcast, former MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the changes in the music industry since he first started in the 1980s and 1990s. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I got in under the wire. I got in when there was still an opportunity to have a career, make a living, basically pay for your life so you can keep making more music. For me, that was the goal. It wasn't just to acquire a bunch of toys and then retire. It was, like, no, this is what you do. And so I've tried to be a good steward of the money I've made and the things so that I can pay the bills and not have to stress. 'Cause believe me, me and Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader], we were homeless in those early years. Man, that was rough. And I never called home for money. I said, like, 'I've gotta make this on my own, man.' And by doing that, it makes me appreciate. It's the old saying, you know the price of everything but the value of nothing. And I think by going through what we went through, putting MEGADETH together and then starting all these new bands, 'cause you all start from the beginning, you start at the beginning, you appreciate the value of it. And that's why I think I appreciate the value of camaraderie, the value of when you have real musical companionship with people, and the value of when you put something out and it connects with people and you feel that it's connecting, that you really feel like we're building a community here with what we're doing. And I think the community, to me, at this point in my life is always more important. And we're a tribe. We're a tribe of kind of quirky misfits, and we do the best we can to integrate into normal life. But let's face it, we're the black T-shirt crowd. I was at a Comic-Con this weekend with [former MEGADETH guitarist] Chris Poland, and it's the gathering of misfits — the wanted and the unwanted. And that's who we are."
He continued: "I've gotten to make music for the masses who consumed music through radio and MTV and these things, and I've gotten to make music that's just kind of for the little clique of weirdos that we all are. I think, look, the music industry, it was all kind of born… [Late AC/DC singer] Bon Scott said it best, 'The guitar man got famous, the businessman got rich.' [Laughs] Look, there's two sides to it. There's the music industry, which is where you make music and you sell that music as a product. And it used to be done through record companies and now it's done through Spotify, YouTube, digital, more of the digital means… But then the other side of it is the entertainment industry. So when you go on stage, you're not really in the music industry anymore. Now you're in the entertainment industry. So when you get on stage, what makes you a compelling product? 'Cause that's what you are at that point. You're a product. And if you don't like that, then don't get in the business. Again, it's kind of the circus. That's why I think KISS learned how to breathe fire and put makeup on: 'Let's go to the circus.' And for those of us, it's so weird that my generation, we grew up as these big KISS fans with all this sort of fantasy thing, and then our generation was the opposite of that. We're, like, jeans and t-shirts, and our connection was that we were no different than the audience. And that was our connection. And generations kind of go through these cycles. And so for our generation, and AC/DC was like this, I would say, there was a connection of that the musicians were just like us. They were one of us. We were like them. They were like us. METALLICA were the kings of this, and they still are. Their whole show is very fan-driven — the snake pit, just everything about what they do. And they were the leaders of the thrash movements. And I'm lucky that I got to be part of that and help expand and develop and color that as well.
"When you're on that stage, you've gotta be doing something that is compelling, to make people watch you on the stage," Ellefson added. "So that, to me, is kind of the mindset of it. And, of course, for us musicians, we take our songs on the stage because that's the reason we're on the stage, quite honestly. But, again, it's not the music business; it's the entertainment business. Record companies, or in this case, Spotify, YouTube, whatever, they sell the music. When you get on a stage, there's a promoter. Their job is to sell the concert ticket. So that's really what it is, in my view."
Ellefson was originally in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.
Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 21 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefson's place for the album's touring cycle.
Ellefson sued Mustaine in 2004 for $18.5 million, alleging that the MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist still owed him substantial merchandise and publishing royalties. In January 2005, the case was dismissed in court, and five years later, Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH.
In his first book, Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 15 years ago.
Ellefson was fired from MEGADETH more than four years ago after sexually tinged messages and explicit video footage involving the bassist were posted on Twitter.
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3 ñåí 2025

DESTRUCTION's SCHMIER On Official Band Documentary: 'We Had To Face A Lot Of Problems, And It's In There'
 Schmier — founder, bassist, and frontman of DESTRUCTION — and Denise Dörner, co-director of the acclaimed new documentary "The Art Of Destruction" about the iconic German thrash metal band, sat down for a discussion at the Beyond The Gates festival in Norway. They explored the film's making, from exclusive behind-the-scenes tales to the intense legacy of German thrash history.
Regarding what his initial reaction was when the idea of a DESTRUCTION documentary was first proposed, Schmier said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Nobody ever asked me to do a movie about my band, so I was, like, 'It's cool, but how is it gonna be?' We didn't know at that time. And I didn't know we were gonna film for four and a half years. We thought it's gonna be one tour, a little filming here, a little filming there, and then that's it… That's why the movie turned out so cool, because we had to face a lot of problems, and it's in there."
Asked if it felt strange for him and his DESTRUCTION bandmates to allow that degree of access to the group as well as to him personally, Schmier said: "I think it just happened, because we got closer [to the filmmakers] over time. In the beginning, you feel uncomfortable when somebody walks behind you with a camera all the time. But over time, we became closer to them as friends and humans, and then they got very close. And I also watched some documentaries at that time to get an idea, how is it gonna be? And I think the best documentaries that I watched was the Liebling documentary ['Last Days Here'], the Bobby Liebling [PENTAGRAM frontman] one, or Lady Gaga ['Gaga: Five Foot Two'] or the ANVIL one [Anvil! The Story Of Anvil'] — documentaries that are real, that show the real thing, not just praising the band, just catching the moment and catching the stuff behind the curtain. So when I had the first cut, I was, like, 'How many scenes do we have to delete here?' But they convinced me that it's cool to leave stuff in that also maybe at the moment it feels weird for you as a musician, but it reveals something behind the curtain that's cool."
Founded in Weil am Rhein in 1982, the thrash metal band DESTRUCTION is one of the "Big Three" of German thrash metal alongside KREATOR and SODOM. With their uncompromising music and energetic live performances, they have won millions of fans worldwide and released numerous albums that are considered classics of the genre. The documentary "The Art Of Destruction" by Ili Jelusic and Denise Dörner offers a unique insight behind the scenes of this influential band. Schmier and guitarist Mike Sifringer, both in their mid-50s, are transitioning to a new phase in their lives and dream of touring the world together with SODOM and KREATOR. But unexpected events call their plans into question and threaten the existence of the band.
Over a period of five years, the filmmakers accompanied the band and collected exclusive material that stands out from traditional, interview-heavy documentaries. In reportage-like scenes, the viewer dives deep into the world of DESTRUCTION and experiences the highs and lows of life as a heavy metal musician, from gigs in small, sweaty clubs to huge open-air stages. Schmier always remains true to his convictions and leads the band through every challenge.
"The Art Of Destruction" uncompromisingly shows what it means to live a life for heavy metal, providing intimate insights into the passion and fighting spirit of one of thrash metal's most influential bands.
DESTRUCTION's 16th studio album, "Birth Of Malice", was released on March 7 via Napalm Records.
Schmier is joined in DESTRUCTION's current lineup by guitarists Martin Furia and Damir Eskić, along with drummer Randy Black.
"Birth Of Malice" was recorded at Switzerland's Little Creek Studio by V.O. Pulver. Guitarist Martin Furia mixed and mastered the masterpiece at The Black Mancave in Hannover, Germany.
DESTRUCTION's massive career has seen many successes, with the band hitting stages at the world's biggest festivals around the world like Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Graspop Metal Meeting and México Metal Fest.
In August 2021, DESTRUCTION officially parted ways with Sifringer and replaced him with Martin Furia. The Argentinian-born, Belgian-based Furia is best known for his work as sound engineer and producer for such bands as NERVOSA and EVIL INVADERS.
Sifringer was the only member of DESTRUCTION to have remained constant throughout the band's career. Schmier appeared on DESTRUCTION's first three albums before exiting the band and being replaced by POLTERGEIST vocalist André Grieder. André's sole recorded appearance with DESTRUCTION was on the "Cracked Brain" album, which came out in 1990. Schmier rejoined DESTRUCTION in 1999.
DESTRUCTION 2025 is:
Schmier - Bass, Vocals
Martin Furia - Guitars
Randy Black - Drums
Damir Eskić - Guitars  | +3 |  |
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3 ñåí 2025

DREAM THEATER's JAMES LABRIE On Reunion With MIKE PORTNOY: 'It Just Feels Right'
 In a new interview with The Prog Report, DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie discussed the band's reunion with Mike Portnoy in October 2023, 13 years after the drummer first left the progressive metal titans. Asked how many shows into the band's 40th-anniversary tour it took before "the shock" of him "turning around and seeing Mike back" behind the drum kit "died down a little bit" for him, James said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was probably the first five, six shows — it just felt a little surreal, 'cause, yeah, I'd turn around and we're, like, both looking at each other, whatever, smiling or making faces at one another. But, yeah, I'd say maybe after the first five shows, then it just became, like, 'Okay, it's cool.' This is a great new beginning once again, you could actually say. And it just feels right."
Referencing the fact that Portnoy was replaced in 2010 by Mike Mangini, who played with DREAM THEATER across five studio albums and accompanying world tours, LaBrie added: "I've said it in several interviews. It's funny. You get away, and Mike Mangini is a phenomenal drummer — he was incredible in the band and that, and he has his style of playing and being involved in the music and the writing and all that stuff. And then coming back to Mike Portnoy, I was just reminded, and we even talked about it while we were writing [the latest DREAM THEATER album] 'Parasomnia', and he has a very specific vibe and feel and groove to when he plays. And you just feel that, and then you're reminded and you're, like, 'Wow. Yeah. There it is. There it is. That's exactly what it used to be like.' And it's good. It's like a coming home — for all of us. For all of us. For sure."
This past January, LaBrie was asked by This Day In Metal if it's fair to say that his face-to-face meeting with Portnoy in March 2022 "was maybe one of the last dominoes to fall before the classic DREAM THEATER lineup reunited", James said: "Yeah, for sure. When Mike and I met — you're referring to our initial meeting at the Beacon Theatre [in New York City] when we were playing there and he came out to the show. But, yeah, that was somewhat the catalyst that really kind of busted the door wide open with the possibility that we could all start really thinking about. Is this something that we should be seriously considering, a reunion? And things inevitably did lead to that, but I think there were some precursors, like Mike had already done [DREAM THEATER guitarist] John Petrucci's solo album, then he did his solo tour, then he also worked with John and Jordan [Rudess, DREAM THEATER keyboardist] on the latest LIQUID TENSION [EXPERIMENT] album. So all these things were kind of just slowly but surely ensuring that he was walking through the door of being back in the fold."
James continued: "[Mike] coming back in, though, when it actually did happen, it was very natural. There was no — I don't know — feelings of whether or not, 'Hey, is this really gonna work? Is this gonna be what we remember the band as?' And if there were any apprehensive feelings, that just definitely was never a part of it. To be quite honest with you, I joke around, in some of the interviews I've said it felt like Mike went out for a coffee and he came back and we just started writing. But it was very smooth, seamless. And we were joking a few times, saying stuff like, 'Oh my God…' Because once you actually get into that environment and you start writing the album, you start remembering the chemistry that was almost palpable. And it was within the first day or two days of starting to write [the upcoming DREAM THEATER album] 'Parasomnia', we were joking around, we were laughing, it was, like, 'Oh my god. I remember that, that whole interaction, that whole analytical approach to the songs and how they slowly but surely evolve into a complete composition.' So it was all this familiarity going on, going, 'Oh my god. That's exactly the way it used to be. This is where we are today, but it doesn't seem that we've missed a step.' So it was extremely effortless, so to speak. It was just doing what we know how to do when the five of us get into the studio."
The progressive metal legends played their first concert with Portnoy in 14 years on October 20, 2024 at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom.
The drummer co-founded DREAM THEATER in 1985 with Petrucci and Myung. Mike played on 10 DREAM THEATER albums over a 20-year period, from 1989's "When Dream And Day Unite" through 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", before exiting the group in 2010.
London marked the kick-off concert of DREAM THEATER's 2024-2025 40th-anniversary tour. The European leg of the trek — presented as "An Evening With Dream Theater" — ran through November 24, 2024 in Amsterdam, hitting cities in numerous countries along the way.
Portnoy told "Coffee With Ola" about how it feels to be back in DREAM THEATER after a 13-year absence: "It feels great. I mean, it's funny because for the whole world, they're just starting to see the reunion now, but we've been together for a year behind the scenes. So it's been over a year for us behind the scenes and making the new record, but it's only now in the past couple weeks since the [40th-anniversary European] tour began and since the first music video [from the upcoming DREAM THEATER album] came out that people are actually seeing us back together again. But for us, it's, like, it's old news… It is exciting, though. And you could feel the excitement and the love and the emotions at every show. And every night James welcomes me back on from stage. And it's been overwhelming, the amount of love and everybody being so welcoming back and everything."
DREAM THEATER's sixteenth studio album, "Parasomnia", came out on February 7, 2025 via InsideOut Music. The LP marked the band's first release with Portnoy since 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings".
Regarding what it felt like to be writing and recording with DREAM THEATER again, Portnoy said: "To be back with these guys, it feels really special. It feels like family, really, honestly. John and me and DREAM THEATER bassist] John Myung have been playing together almost 40 years at this point. We formed the band when we were teenagers and met at college, the first month of college. So, for us, it's deeper than just being in a band together. We've been through life together. We met our wives together, our wives played in a band together, we ad our families at the same time, we've been to the funerals of each other's parents and siblings and things like that. So, we've been through all these life experiences together. It goes beyond just the music for us. All that being said, it also, at least to me, felt like no time had passed. It did not feel like 13 years. Once we started writing together, it felt so natural and so fresh. 'Night Terror' was the first thing we worked on, and it just came out so naturally. There wasn't much thought needed to go into it. It was, like, 'Okay, here we are where we just left off.'"
"Parasomnia" was produced by John Petrucci, engineered by James "Jimmy T" Meslin, and mixed by Andy Sneap. Hugh Syme returned once again to lend his creative vision to the cover art.
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3 ñåí 2025

Original TESLA Members BRIAN WHEAT And TOMMY SKEOCH Working On New Band With Ex-W.A.S.P. Guitarist CHRIS HOLMES And Ex-SALIVA Singer JOSEY SCOTT
 TESLA bassist and founding member Brian Wheat has teamed up with original TESLA guitarist Tommy Skeoch in a new band called TERMINAL. Joining the duo in the new group are former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes and original SALIVA singer Josey Scott.
Earlier today, Wheat shared a photo of him with Skeoch, and he included the following message: "It's good to reconnect with my old pal Tommy Skeoch. We're working on a new band together called 'TERMINAL' with Chris Holmes and Josey Scott from SALIVA. We look forward to presenting you with our new brand of music.
"No, I am not leaving TESLA. I'm just starting another new band with my old friend …..also look for me and Alex with VIOLET BREED and a lot of new exciting TESLA stuff coming up in the works."
"Love you all, B Dub".
On July 24, Wheat joined BAD MARRIAGE on stage in Webster, New York, marking the first time in nearly 20 years that Wheat and Skeoch — who is also BAD MARRIAGE lead guitarist — had performed live together. Wheat, Skeoch and the rest of BAD MARRIAGE ripped through the TESLA classics "Rock Me To The Top" and "Little Suzi".
Seven months ago, Wheat brought up his current relationship with Skeoch while speaking to Ernest Skinner of Canada's Border City Rock Talk about his friendship with Holmes. He said: "Me and Chris are gonna do a band or a project, whatever you wanna call it, together. And Tommy has agreed to do it as well. So the three of us have talked about putting together a project, band, whatever you wanna call it this day and age, but me and Chris have already started to work on some songs. And I know me and Tommy know how to write songs together 'cause we did a lot in TESLA. So the next step would be to get me and Tommy and Chris together, whether it's on a Zoom, working together like that or whatever, and write some material, and then find a singer that would be the right singer for that project.
"But, yeah, me and Chris are pretty good buddies," Brian continued. "We see each other when I'm at my house in Italy. He's there all the time. He lives in France. And I'm in Florida now for the winter. Tommy's in Florida. So we've all talked about it. So it's just when we get around to doing it. And it's just carving out a time where Chris isn't busy doing MEAN MAN, I'm not doing TESLA or VIOLET BREED, and Tommy's not doing BAD MARRIAGE.
"I'm looking forward to it, because I like Chris and I wanna work with Tommy again," Wheat added.
In February 2022, Skeoch, who left TESLA in 2006 to receive treatment for substance-abuse issues, reconnected with Wheat for the first time in more than a decade and a half aboard that year's Monsters Of Rock cruise. The charter cruise featured performances by Skeoch's then-band RESIST & BITE while Wheat was onboard showing his art.
In an interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Skeoch was asked if he exited TESLA of his own accord or if he was asked to leave. Tommy said: "I was fired. I was getting fucked up and I was definitely in the wrong about a lot of stuff, and they put up with it for a long time. But at the same time, none of us were angels, and we put up with a lot of stuff from the other guys for a long time too, and they're still there. So I felt like a little scapegoated by the thing. And the other thing is they didn't want people — I guess for the benefit of my family, so it wouldn't look bad — they said, 'Tommy's just gonna spend time [with his family].' That's why nobody knows, and that's why you're asking this question. Everyone's confused on even what happened. Basically, I was fired. I was getting fucked up, and I kept fucking up, and I kept telling 'em I wouldn't, and I just couldn't stop."
Skeoch added that he accepts responsibility for the circumstances that led to his departure from TESLA. "I do, of course," he said. "But I also believe we put up with a lot of shit for a long time from almost every other guy in the band, and they're still there. So I don't know what's up with that; that's a little weird to me."
Skeoch was a founding member of TESLA and played on the Sacramento five-piece defining albums, including 1986 debut "Mechanical Resonance" and 1990's "Five Man Acoustical Jam".
Tommy, who was fired due to substance abuse issues in 1994, rejoined when TESLA reformed more than two and a half decades ago following a brief hiatus.
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A post shared by Brian Wheat (@brianwheat)  | +1 |  |
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3 ñåí 2025

SNOT Hopes To Complete New Full-Length Album In 2026: The Material Is 'Funky. It's Punk. It's Got Attitude.'
 In a new interview with Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show, SNOT guitarist Mikey Doling spoke about the band's return to the live stage and the reactivated Santa Barbara-based metal/punk rock hybrid's plans for the coming months. Referencing the fact that Andy Knapp of fellow Southern California band STRONGER THAN MACHINES made his live debut with SNOT on January 17 at the Parish room at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California, Doling said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm really excited, first of all. Just having SNOT back — [I] never expected it. We found a new singer who's amazing, and he made it all possible. And we put some tickets on sale and they're all selling out, all the shows, and we're pretty blown away. We're very grateful to be doing it and super stoked."
Asked how it feels to have Knapp fronting SNOT, three decades after the band's formation and 27 years after the passing of the group's original vocalist Lynn Strait, Doling said: "Honestly, it feels kind of like it used to, with Andy. Andy brought energy to the band that we haven't seen or had since Lynn Strait… Having Andy in the band, he's brought that energy again to us. The shows are full of energy. It's wild, man."
After Ore noted that this is the first time that he has heard the members of SNOT say that the band is officially "back", Doling clarified: "Well, before, when we [played gigs with other vocalists], it was more like we wanted to fucking just get together and play. We weren't really focused on new music or promotion or selling shows. We didn't give a shit. We just wanted to go out and play. This time, we feel like we found the right singer. Also, that it's the right time to actually bring it back full blown. So we're getting in the studio, we're recording new music, we're booking tours. We've got the booking agent. And we're just going full-on, man, and it's great."
Asked about new SNOT music and whether the band is working with a record label at the moment, Mikey said: "I think what's going on is that… There's been a couple of labels that reached out, but they were not the ones that we'd be interested in working with. And I wanted to wait till we started thinking about that kind of stuff until we recorded a couple songs and see where we are. Well, we have recorded a couple of new songs, and we're working with Chris Collier, the producer — a fantastic producer. He just did the last couple of KORN records, he's done the last few PRONG records. He's amazing, and he and I click musically. So, we're working together on some new songs. It's going very well. It's funky. It's punk. It's got attitude. It's cool. It sounds like old SNOT. And we're trying to keep it like that. We don't wanna change the sound. We wanna keep it like 1996, '97 — lots of wah pedal, lots of grooves, some heavy punk influences. It's cool."
Regarding when fans can expect to hear some new SNOT music, Doling said: "I'm hoping by the end of the year or maybe the beginning of the year 2026. I think we're going to drop a single, and maybe a couple months after that drop something another one. It'd be cool to have two songs out next year. And during the next year, we're gonna try to complete an entire album. So I've got — I don't know — seven or eight new songs written. We've recorded two. It's just a matter of having the time to get in the studio. We're playing so much, we're out on the road, and getting everybody in the same room, it's a little hard. It is challenging, but, we're making it happen."
This past July, SNOT entered Dead End Studios in Palm Desert, California with Collier to lay down tracks for two brand new songs.
SNOT recruited former GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin to sit behind the kit for the band's performance in May at the Welcome To Rockville festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Due to SNOT's regular drummer Jamie Miller's touring commitments with BAD RELIGION, he was unable to make the date.
In April, SNOT recruited Doc Coyle (GOD FORBID, ex-BAD WOLVES) as the band's touring guitarist after the group's recent split with Sonny Mayo.
The news of Mayo's departure was broken by Doling, who stated in a video message at the time: "Sonny Mayo has decided to quit SNOT. SNOT doesn't fit into his life right now, and he just wants to focus on himself and his life. And SNOT's just too busy for him to be able to continue.
"So I'd like to wish Sonny Mayo the best of luck in his future, and I wanna thank him for all he's contributed to SNOT over the years. We love you, brother," Mikey continued.
"That being said, our very, very good friend from GOD FORBID, formerly BAD WOLVES, Doc Coyle, is going to be filling in on guitar for the upcoming shows. And we're excited to have him on board. And thank you very much, Doc Coyle."
SNOT disbanded in 1998 following Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.
SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).
According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.
Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."
SNOT press photo courtesy of Alcatraz festival
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3 ñåí 2025

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3 ñåí 2025

Former CRADLE OF FILTH Keyboardist ZOE MARIE FEDEROFF Addresses DANI FILTH – “We Will Probably And Unfortunately See You Next In Court”
 When Cradle Of Filth keyboardist / backing vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff – who had been with the band since 2022 – recently quit, and shortly thereafter her husband, Cradle Of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Smerda was fired, due to contractual disputes, social media erupted with both sides posting highly detailed accounts of what transpired, as they saw it.
Earlier today, September 1st, former Cradle Of Filth keyboardist / backing vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff shared the following comments:
“We’d like to issue a statement in response to the most recent one by Dani Filth. We consider it a positive step.
We know your mother is battling cancer and we wish her well in this. As I recall I’m one of the first people in the band that you told. I’ve been praying for her ever since, and I condemn anyone who tries to drag her into this.
That said, we didn’t go public with personal issues we’ve had involving anyone’s day to day behavior. We strongly support anyone’s journey in sobriety. Our focus remains the business issues and the business environment. We dispute any claim that alcoholism or alcohol use led to this current situation. We maintain it was months of trying to talk to you, Dan, trying to get you to understand the plight of the people who work for you. Your silence and stonewalling became deafening. We left because every indication you gave instilled in us the impression that you didn’t care, and what’s worse, you did indeed allow management to mislead and lie to us. The responsibility for these things at the end of the day falls on you.
We are disappointed that you went for personal issues and speculation on our marriage, and we still have no plans to go for personal attacks on you. We want the best for you and your new family with Sofiya. We want you to get better as a leader, Dan. We want you to run the band better and treat people better. No one wants the end of Cradle Of Filth as an artistic concept. It’s an institution of great creativity that gives people joy. We and others want the end of you letting bad deals hurt people. We tried to talk to you for months about all of this. It didn’t have to go this way. Take care of the people who write music for you and play shows for you.
We will probably and unfortunately see you next in court, but never doubt for a moment I can see the human being in you and the twinges of a conscience.
Peace be with you.”
In a separate post, also dated September 1st, Marek “Ashok” Smerda wrote:
“To Dan after last post,
And I believe this will be end of public statements from my side and my wife’s as long as it is end from his side. I know this is grating everyone… me too, but private convos did not sort anything for months. Understand it was last resort to go public.
I am usually most silent person even when I am hurt, which is probably why it took 12 years to properly say all of this.
Here are my hands. The hands I used to serve you for 12 years. To write and play music for you. I gave you these hands.
Your mom is always great person to me and I wish her healing. Her heart is huge as far as I ever knew. However it feels low to me to use her right now as excuse when we all know she’s been sick since last year. Everyone has been there for you and supportive Dan. We all give so much love and support to her as soon as you tell us.
I lost my own mother to sudden medical tragedy and I never even said goodbye to her- there was no time. She never saw me on stage with Cradle. She haunts me every day. But her memory tells me to be better man and treat others better. I would never use her as excuse for hurting others.
But if you respect mothers, then why twist our tragedy of miscarriage into something that was not true of my wife- she never drink while pregnant. However her doctor told her the lack of sleep, irregular schedule, constant pressure of management threatening her job if she did anything they didn’t like… all of this more than likely contributed to her body rejecting pregnancy. She exhibits high signs of the stress she is under. It is true we cannot blame it all on you, but for you to assume she was drinking with the pregnancy was low, because we all know there is very little that is worse to accuse woman of than killing her own child.
I saw many times rest of the band would protest or argue with you and management, but only Zoe was singled out to be mocked and punished. Even now your “fans” call her crazy but I can guarantee every man in the band has said same things she is saying. I am saying it too. There was never same respect for my wife there was for opinions of the men.
You once had my respect and full loyalty. Respect you lost while ago and loyalty you threw away not long ago. Even when I stopped respecting you, when it was obvious you did not care about us, I stayed loyal. Until… you respond to heartfelt plea to give us better chance for living with that sordid contract, which every session member knows you sent with instructions to sign as soon as possible. No one has a shitty contract just lying around to be sent by mistake.
To not take ownership even now for the many ways in which you screw us all, it is not surprising but it is still sad Dan… cuz again, even after years of being treated disposable I wrote my heart and soul into albums for you… because I love music and I love the joy of the fans. It is sad that you could not take responsibility for these issues in private, and now they are public, so we all are caught in giant storm. This is on you for not allowing anything to be handled privately. Just ignore, ignore, ignore everything we tried to tell you for long time.
I wish I could see a man when I look at you, Dan, but I don’t. I see excuses.
In time all will come to light as I do not believe we will be last to say something- although it is now obvious why 40 other ex members never did say much. It has been hell for us to speak up. But I do not regret it.
Treat my brothers still in the band better, if there is any honor left in you. They are damn good people and will always have my love and support. That is entire goal we have.”
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3 ñåí 2025

CRADLE OF FILTH Frontman DANI FILTH – “I Want To Make One Final Statement About Recent Events”
 The recent resignation of Cradle Of Filth keyboardist / backing vocalist Zoe Marie Federoff, and subsequent dismissal of her husband, Cradle Of Filth guitarist Marek “Ashok” Smerda, due to contractual disputes, resulted in an unparalleled online firestorm with all parties involved sharing lengthy statements for the world to see.
Earlier today, September 1st, Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth took to social media with the following comments:
“After a long day of reflection on the road, I want to make one final statement about recent events.
First, I’ll acknowledge that in my last message I let fatigue and frustration steer me into sharing more personal detail than was probably necessary. For that, I apologise. The truth of my account remains, but out of respect for everyone involved, I will not be commenting further on personal matters in public.
What I must address, however, are the claims of “theft” and “exploitation” made against me, the band, and our management. These allegations are false and damaging. We maintain clear records that show otherwise, and any dispute will be dealt with properly, not through trial by social media.
I also want to speak of something more personal. As Zoe and Ashok are only too aware, my mother is currently battling stage 4 cancer — a fight that takes all her strength. She has seen the wave of online attacks aimed at me, and it has only added to her distress. Whatever else is said, I hope we can all agree that dragging families into this storm is a cruelty none of us should wish on another.
To Zoe and Ashok: despite everything, I do wish you well. We shared great times together, and I’ll always be grateful for those memories. But I won’t let unfounded slander define this band or diminish the work we’ve put into it.
The show must go on — and it’s not a Christmas pantomime. Our focus remains on delivering these shows with the passion our fans deserve, and on building a stronger, clearer foundation for all our musicians moving forward.
Onward!
— Dani Filth / Cradle Of Filth”
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2 ñåí 2025

JUDAS PRIEST's SCOTT TRAVIS On 'Nostradamus' Album: 'I Don't Think It Was Our Strongest Release'
 In a new interview with Chris Akin of The Classic Metal Show, JUDAS PRIEST drummer Scott Travis was asked if he and his bandmates still look back fondly on their controversial symphonic heavy metal concept double album about Nostradamus, which came out more than a decade and a half ago. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it would depend on who you talk to in the band. [Laughs] For me personally, yeah, I don't think it was our strongest release, and it was meant to mimic — not mimic, but it was meant to go after the sort of, not the crowd, 'cause it was definitely for the PRIEST fans, but the… What am I trying to say? It was trying to go after something that could be made more than just a rock band doing a rock album and releasing it and doing a tour. In other words, it was meant to be something that maybe could have been turned into some kind of theater show or could have gone on to be a bigger production. I'm not really sure. I just remember hearing the talk about the idea initially to do an album based around Nostradamus's life and things like that."
Referencing the fact that "Nostradamus" arrived three years before the departure of founding PRIEST guitarist Kenneth "K.K." Downing and a decade before the retirement from the road of fellow PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton, Travis added: "Thinking back on it, it was also near the end of the K.K.- Glenn relationship. Do you know what I mean? 'Cause they were still in the band, but there was a lot of fracture there. And again, I was witness to it. And I could tell things probably weren't gonna last. I didn't know what would happen or that K.K. would actually leave the band — I certainly didn't predict that — but I could just tell that they weren't getting along and everybody as a group was kind of just spreading out and living in different parts of the world."
Last October, JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill told Chris Akin Presents about "Nostradamus": "It was probably something we needed to get out of our system. But it's one of those albums — it's very long, very complicated as well, and it is designed to be listened to in one sitting, which is one of the reasons that we don't play any songs from that record. It's great — I mean, it is, at heart, a great heavy metal record; it really is — but it's picking out the songs that would fit into the set at the moment. And there's not anything there that would enhance the set. But for the sake of it, we could do that — [play a song] from 'Nostradamus' — but it wouldn't have helped the set in any other way. And it is difficult to do, when you're getting a setlist together, because you have to find that blend of new material, obviously old favorites that you'd get lynched if you didn't play, and then you've got a whole melting pot there of stuff that we can pick out of. And it gets more difficult with each album, because every time you put a new song in, you've got to drop someone's potential favorite. But we do our best, and I think we've got it pretty much right up until now anyway."
Released in 2008, "Nostradamus" was criticized by fans for not sounding like classic PRIEST and for consisting almost entirely of slow, doomy, operatic, keyboard-heavy anthems, apart from a token couple of mid-tempo songs.
The two-CD, 23-track journey through the life of the controversial, 16th-century prophet "Nostradamus" shifted 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at No. 11. At the time, this was the band's highest-ever chart position in the U.S. In Canada, the CD opened at position No. 9 after moving close to 4,000 units.
In a 2020 interview with The Flying V Documentary TV Channel, Downing said about "Nostradamus": "A lot of people probably don't understand or quite get 'Nostradamus', but it was great for us — it was great for us to express and to exhibit what we could actually do as musicians. And also it was something original. And I love it. The downfall of 'Nostradamus' was probably the one thing that I actually thought, naively, was gonna be the best thing about 'Nostradamus', and that is the fact that I wanted to take people back to how it used to be," he continued.
"Years ago, when you had a big concept album, like when I first got [THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's] 'Electric Ladyland', for example, we used to go in our bedroom, close the curtains, put the headphones on and just disappear into our world for however long it took to get through the album and just absorb it and just be at one with it. And I wanted people to experience 'Nostradamus' like that."
Back in 2018, Downing described "Nostradamus" as "our chance to create something different in the music place that we don't always go to. We have lots of great musicals, and we go into great, prestigious venues, like the Royal Albert Hall or Carnegie Hall — great theaters around the place," he said. "To create something and not let everyone else have all of the spoils — 'Phantom Of The Opera' and 'Cats' and all of these musicals and stuff like that. Why can't we, JUDAS PRIEST, put something that's rock and metal into that musical and entertainment place?
"Okay, we might have been going off on a tangent, getting on the wrong track as far as everybody wanting a [classic-sounding] JUDAS PRIEST record, but looking at the bigger picture of broadening the scope and the horizons of what a rock and metal band can do, it's an opportunity kind of missed through no fault of anyone's except our own record company and management, or whatever, decisions," he continued. "It wasn't to be, and probably it was a good decision. But it's a dream — it's a dream for me. I often think about it."
In a 2009 interview with PyroMusic.net, PRIEST singer Rob Halford also defended "Nostradamus", saying: "For us in the band, it was just a wonderful opportunity to complete an idea that we'd had and we'd talked about for many, many years. Growing up as we did, there were a lot of those types of concept records around in the '70s and we always wondered how we would tackle that kind of endeavor. So 'Nostradamus' turned out to be a real satisfying experience for us all."
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2 ñåí 2025

Watch: Walk For Ex-MASTODON Guitarist BRENT HINDS Held In Atlanta
 A "march" for former MASTODON guitarist Brent Hinds was held in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday, August 31. A large crowd of people, including Brent's longtime MASTODON bandmates Bill Kelliher and Brann Dailor, gathered and walked from Elmyr to the Star Bar and celebrated Hinds's life after he was tragically killed late last month in a motorcycle crash. Photos and video from the event can be found below.
Brent was reportedly riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle late on August 20 when he was hit by an SUV turning left and failing to yield at the intersection of Memorial Drive SE and Boulevard SE, less than two miles from downtown Atlanta, according to Atlanta police.
Hinds was found unresponsive by officers who responded to the crash around 11:35 p.m. and was pronounced dead by medical workers.
According to an incident report uploaded online by the Atlanta Police Department, the driver who hit Hinds remained at the scene and spoke with investigators. She told the police that she was "positive the light was green" as she turned and kept going straight when she hit Hinds on his motorcycle. However, one witness who spoke to officers said that he looked at the light at the time of the incident and saw it was red. The same witness and a second witness both said that Brent was "driving fast" when the crash occurred.
A 911 caller who said one was "two cars back" from the accident described seeing Hinds going "up in the air" immediately following the impact and spinning "a couple of times. And then he fell. It looks like his left leg buckled over his right leg. I was two cars back, so I didn't get to see the full impact, but I heard the impact and [saw Hinds] spinning."
The reporting police officer wrote: "At the moment I arrived on scene [Hinds] was breathing and moving with visible injuries to his head, arms and torso. He was transported … to Grady [Memorial Hospital] where he perished from his injuries."
Dailor paid tribute to Hinds at the end of MASTODON's August 22 concert at the Alaska State Fair as part of the ConocoPhillips Alaska Concert Series at the Borealis Theatre in Palmer, Alaska, Dailor stepped out to the front of the stage and told the crowd: "We lost somebody very special to us yesterday. Brent Hinds, 25 years with us as our guitar player, one of the most creative, beautiful people that we've ever come across in this world, tragically left us. Very, very unfortunate. We loved him so, so, so very much. And we had the ups and downs of a 25-year relationship. You know what I mean? It's not always perfect, it's not always amazing, but we were brothers to the end. And we really loved each other and we made a lot, a lot of very beautiful music together. And I think that that's gonna stand the test of time, evidenced by you people here tonight."
Brann continued: "So we will continue to play Brent's beautiful, beautiful music that he helped us make, that we formed this band together and traveled the world together, slept in a van together, laid our heads down on beds of fucking kitty litter, got way too drunk to remember anything the next day about a thousand, million times over and over again with the love that we shared and the beauty, all the audiences that we played, for all the stages we stepped on."
He added: "I don't know. We're just at a loss for words. We're absolutely devastated and crushed to lose him and to be able to never have him back again."
A few hours after Brent's death was made public, MASTODON commented on his passing in a statement on social media, writing: "We are in a state of unfathomable sadness and grief… last night Brent Hinds passed away as a result of a tragic accident. We are heartbroken, shocked, and still trying to process the loss of this creative force with whom we've shared so many triumphs, milestones, and the creation of music that has touched the hearts of so many. Our hearts are with Brent's family, friends, and fans. At this time, we please ask that you respect everyone's privacy during this difficult time. RIP Brent."
In March, MASTODON revealed that the band and Hinds had "mutually decided to part ways" after "25 monumental years together."
Since 2000, Hinds had served as lead guitarist and vocalist for MASTODON, alongside bassist/singer Troy Sanders, Dailor, and guitarist Bill Kelliher.
MASTODON's lineup had remained the same for 25 years, recording eight studio albums, beginning with 2002's "Remission" until the band's latest LP, 2021's "Hushed And Grim".
When MASTODON announced Brent's departure from the band on March 7, they wrote in a statement: "Friends and Fans, After 25 monumental years together, MASTODON and Brent Hinds have mutually decided to part ways.
"We're deeply proud of and beyond grateful for the music and history we've shared and we wish him nothing but success and happiness in his future endeavors.
"We are still very inspired and excited to show up for fans in this next chapter of MASTODON. As we move forward, all 2025 touring plans will remain intact. We look forward to seeing you on the road."
Hinds later claimed he had been ejected from MASTODON and called his former bandmates "horrible humans" in a social media post.
Hinds was involved with several music projects apart from MASTODON, including the group GIRAFFE TONGUE ORCHESTRA — alongside members of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and ALICE IN CHAINS — as well as LEGEND OF THE SEAGULLMEN and the long-running project FIEND WITHOUT A FACE.
More recently, Hinds had a tour, "An Evening With Brent Hinds", set for November and December throughout Europe.
"I'm a free spirit," Hinds said in the MASTODON documentary "The Workhorse Chronicles". "I enjoy life and I live it to the fullest."
Brent played his first show since exiting MASTODON on March 21 with his band FIEND WITHOUT A FACE at 529 in Atlanta, Georgia.
MASTODON has had nine Billboard 200-charting albums and has been nominated for a Grammy Award six times. The band won a "Best Metal Performance" Grammy for "Sultan's Curse" in 2018.
MASTODON's latest album, "Hushed And Grim", was a double LP recorded at the band's Atlanta studio, West End Sound.
MASTODON recruited Ben Eller, a guitarist known for his popular YouTube channel, to step in for Hinds when the band played at TOOL's "Tool In The Sand" festival in the Dominican Republic in March. For MASTODON's spring 2025 tour and other recent shows, the band enlisted Canadian musician Nick Johnston. Johnston has six solo records under his belt, and has also worked with POLYPHIA, Guthrie Govan, PERIPHERY and many others.
March of William B Hinds!
Posted by West End Motel on Monday, September 1, 2025
Memorial Parade for Brent Hinds, in Little Five points yesterday. To say Farewell to an Atlanta legend 🤘MASTODON FOREVER
Posted by Jack Calatayud on Monday, September 1, 2025
Brent Hinds March❤️ Thank you to everyone who came out to honor Brent Hinds. The love, stories, and memories shared...
Posted by Video Rahim Hakmati on Monday, September 1, 2025
Yesterday, a large crowd of people gathered and marched from Elmyr to the Star Bar and celebrated the life of Brent...
Posted by Tim Jones on Monday, September 1, 2025
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