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28 àâã 2025
MISS MAY I Returns With Video For New Single 'Pray For Silence'
 Ohio metalcore favorites MISS MAY I are back with new music. Today, they have shared the video for "Pray For Silence". Watch it below.
"Pray For Silence" is described in a press release as "a vocally dynamic anthem, with a chorus that will instantly embed in your brain, heavy artillery riffing, and floor-shaking breakdowns. It's ultimately classic metalcore that swells with modern flourishes, ushering MISS MAY I into their next exciting era."
MISS MAY I comments: "I don't think we could have chosen a more honest and heartfelt song for our first release as the new lineup than 'Pray For Silence'. As life grows heavier and the world feels like it's at a breaking point, this song captures something we all crave — some peace, even just for a moment."
And this is just the first taste. Fans can expect a new album from MISS MAY I in 2026.
MISS MAY I will hit the road next month, touring as direct support to fellow 2010s faves BLESSTHEFALL. MISS MAY I will also appear at the Orlando edition of Warped Tour in November.
Last year, MISS MAY I joined the Solid State Records roster and released "Apologies Are For The Weak (Re-Recorded 15th Anniversary Edition)", the awesomely ambitious 15th-anniversary edition of the band's classic, beloved debut album "Apologies Are For The Weak". The LP was entirely re-recorded and featured cameos on every single song, including from Jake Luhrs of AUGUST BURNS RED, Brandan Schieppati of BLEEDING THROUGH and Scott Lewis of CARNIFEX.
In 2024, founding MISS MAY I guitarists B.J. Stead and Justin Aufdemkampe left the band. In their place, guitarist Elisha Mullins was welcomed into the MISS MAY I family.
MISS MAY I frontman Levi Benton told Rolling Stone Australia about Mullins: "He comes from being a producer. All this new music we're doing, it's stuff we've never had before, because we've never written with someone like this."
On a personal level, Benton said Mullins and the rest of MISS MAY I are "all cut from the same cloth. Elisha's from the Midwest, he's the same age [as us]. We listen to the same local bands. It's a natural fit. It's very cool."
Regarding what it was like working on new MISS MAY I material without their main songwriters, Benton said: "The funny thing was, it was a total lost thought. We weren't even thinking about it. We went into the studio and the rest of the guys were, like, 'Oh my God. Justin and B.J. were the main writers — we've got to change something up.' We went back to the drawing board, and that's when the anxiety hit. After years of touring, we didn't even think about writing [like that]. We spent a whole month with Elisha in the studio, just doing one song to get the vibe of how we write together. It was a mock-up of sorts, just a practice run; we ironed everything out."
Photo credit: Nate Black  | +1 |  |
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28 àâã 2025
MASTODON Will 'Definitely' Record A Studio Version Of BLACK SABBATH's 'Supernaut': 'We Have To'
 At this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom, MASTODON's Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher took some time out with Bloodstock TV host Oran O'Beirne to talk about their experience performing at the "Back To The Beginning" event, celebrating the life of Ozzy Osbourne and BLACK SABBATH. Asked if they knew about the concert far in advance, Brann said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was probably about six months, I think, before [it took place]. Maybe there was an original six bands that got chosen or whatever before some other bands got added later. And so we got an e-mail asking about it, if we were interested. And at first it was, like, 'Are you sure? Are you sure you don't have the wrong people or something?' Our manager actually joked that it was the fastest reply that they had ever gotten from us collectively." Bill quipped: "We replied, like, I think 0.10 seconds before they actually asked us to do it. We had already replied 'yes.'"
Brann went on to say that it was "the honor of a lifetime" to be asked to perform at "Back To The Beginning". "It's better than a Grammy," he said. "It's better than anything that anybody could ever bestow upon you to be called upon by the giant oak tree that is BLACK SABBATH. In other genres of music, the founders, they're not alive. So it was really, really an incredible honor just to picked to do it. And, yeah, so then it was the arduous task of picking the [SABBATH] song [to play at the event]."
Regarding how MASTODON ended up choosing "Supernaut" to play at "Back To The Beginning", Bill said: "'Supernaut', I've loved that song. I mean, all their songs are great, but that one I couldn't imagine coming to practice one day as [SABBATH guitarist] Tony Iommi and saying, 'I've got a good riff, man. You guys wanna see what I've got', and playing that riff, and just being like… You must have sold your soul to learn that riff. The devil gave you that riff. So to see that it wasn't chosen yet was — 'That's the one. Let's do that.'"
Added Brann: "So, obviously, there was the songs that SABBATH themselves were gonna do. And so they were doing their biggest hits and their biggest songs. Initially I wanted to do 'Children Of The Grave' just 'cause our band, we live in 6/8 [tempo], that heavy metal shuffle that that 'Children Of The Grave' invented for us. We have a lot of songs that are in that; that's a very, very comfortable wheelhouse for us. But I saw LAMB OF GOD had already picked that, which I figured it would be scooped up — that one — pretty quickly, being such an amazing song. But then [we saw] 'Supernaut' [was available], and I was, like, 'What about 'Supernaut'?' I felt like I could sing it, so it was kind of gonna kind of maybe come down to that, if I could pull it off, playing drums and singing it. And then when we got picked to open, I was, like, 'Man, I think if we crush this, it's gonna be the perfect opening kind of song.' It's a high-energy one. Some of the doomier ones might have been a little too slow to really kick things off. But this was the perfect one, I think."
Asked if MASTODON has recorded a studio version of "Supernaut", Bill said: "Not yet, but we've been talking about it, for sure. We have to. We've been playing it every night. We've recorded it a few times live, and it's come out… Who knows? Maybe we'll do a live version, do a studio version." Brann added: "We're definitely recording it."
Three days after MASTODON performed at "Back To The Beginning", Dailor took to his social media to share a few photos from the event, and he included the following message: "Such an unbelievable outpouring of love, friendship and gratitude. We were so honored to be asked to perform.
"For months I've been trying to conjure up in my mind what it was going to be like, but it ended up being unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life, a new feeling. It was such a beautiful experience. From the stage, the side stage, the dressing room and out in the audience, the love was just pouring out of everyone for the last time that we will all be able to let [BLACK SABBATH] and [Ozzy Osbourne] know just how very much they mean to every one of our lives.
"All the performers gave their all trying to make Dad SABBATH proud! When Ozzy hit the stage, there wasn't a dry eye in the stadium. It stayed like that until the fireworks went off after SABBATH.
"What an incredibly emotional day for everyone. I'll be riding this high for a long time and I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life. I'm so very grateful for this life experience.
"Thank you BLACK SABBATH for giving us a space to be creative and the greatest genre of music there is, heavy metal. Ozzy Osbourne, I love you, thank you for everything!! You mean the world to me. Also a major thank you to Mario Duplantier [GOJIRA], Eloy Casagrande [SLIPKNOT] and Danny Carey [TOOL] for jamming with me during 'Supernaut', three of the best drummers in the world and some of the finest human beings, you made the day even more special, I love you. Thank you Bill Ward for showing us the way. You're my greatest inspiration!
"What a day! Music never felt so powerful. Going to carry this into our next recording coming up soon!"
According to The Guardian, "Back To The Beginning" was livestreamed to more than five million fans worldwide (with peak audience of 5.8 million fans watching the livestream).
Ozzy played a five-song set with his solo band — consisting of guitarist Zakk Wylde, bassist Mike Inez, keyboardist Adam Wakeman and drummer Tommy Clufetos — before being joined by fellow original BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi (guitar),Geezer Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums) for four classic SABBATH songs: "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "N.I.B." and "Paranoid".
Ozzy's solo set consisted of four songs from Osbourne's 1980 solo debut album "Blizzard Of Ozz" — "I Don't Know", "Mr. Crowley", "Suicide Solution" and "Crazy Train" — along with his 1991 "No More Tears" ballad "Mama, I'm Coming Home".
The 76-year-old heavy metal singer sang while seated on a black throne and appeared overcome with emotion at times. "You have no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart," he told the crowd.
At the end of SABBATH's set, Ozzy said: "It's the last song ever. Your support has enabled us to live an amazing lifestyle, thank you from the bottom of our hearts." Osbourne was then presented with a cake, while fireworks lit up the stadium from overhead.
A message on screen then read, "Thank you for everything, you guys are fucking amazing. Birmingham Forever," before the sky lit up with fireworks.
More than 40,000 fans attended the event, which also saw performances from METALLICA, SLAYER, PANTERA, LAMB OF GOD and ANTHRAX, among others. Profits from the show will be shared equally between the charities Cure Parkinson's, Birmingham Children's Hospital and Acorn Children's Hospice.
There was also an online auction benefiting those charities. Items up for bid included two Gibson guitars signed by performers, a GUNS N' ROSES pinball machine, several gold record and CD displays including BLACK SABBATH's "Paranoid", LED ZEPPELIN's "Physical Graffiti" and METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets", plus more than a dozen travel packages.
A livestream of the daylong event was announced in June. While it was called a livestream, the video was delayed two hours from the in-arena start time.
The all-day event at Villa Park, produced by Live Nation, was hosted and compered by American actor Jason Momoa.
Curated by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, the event featured arguably the greatest lineup of rock and metal bands ever assembled on one day.
Two hastily assembled supergroups — dubbed Supergroup A and Supergroup B — performed at the event, with EXTREME's Nuno Bettencourt taking part in a five-song set of covers, while ex-Ozzy guitarist Jake E. Lee made an appearance for covers of "The Ultimate Sin" and "Shot In The Dark". Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing joined Morello, Billy Corgan (SMASHING PUMPKINS) and Adam Jones (TOOL) for a rendition of PRIEST's "Breaking The Law", while LIVING COLOUR's Vernon Reid hopped onstage for a cover of Ozzy's "Bark At The Moon", with GHOST's Papa V Perpetua (a.k.a. Tobias Forge) handling lead vocals. | +3 | |
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28 àâã 2025
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28 àâã 2025
MUDVAYNE Releases First New Song In 16 Years, 'Hurt People Hurt People'
 MUDVAYNE has released its first new single in 16 years, "Hurt People Hurt People". The track, which was produced by Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS, DEFTONES, FOO FIGHTERS, EVANESCENCE) and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KORN, MEGADETH, GOJIRA, TRIVIUM),marks MUDVAYNE's first new release through Alchemy Recordings, a record label created in partnership between Dino Paredes, former American Recordings vice president of A&R, and Danny Wimmer, the founder of Danny Wimmer Presents, the premier production company for rock music festivals in the United States. Other Alchemy artists include STAIND and CHEVELLE.
MUDVAYNE frontman Chad Gray stated about the track: "I think I wrote this song as a reminder to myself to break the cycle. We create our own suffering, our own hurt. It's time for us to create self-love and let go of the pain. It was never ours to begin with."
Prior to the arrival of "Hurt People Hurt People", the reunited metallers hadn't put out any new material since 2009, which means more than a decade and a half had gone by without a single fresh MUDVAYNE song.
MUDVAYNE formed in 1996 and has sold over six million records worldwide, earning gold certification for three albums ("L.D. 50", "The End Of All Things To Come", "Lost And Found"). The band is known for its sonic experimentation, innovative album art, face and body paint, masks and uniforms.
Gray spent 15 years fronting HELLYEAH, which released its sixth studio album, "Welcome Home", in September 2019 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the group's final effort with drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, who passed away seven years ago.
MUDVAYNE did not tour behind its fifth album, which was barely promoted and sold weakly upon release.
In July 2024, Gray was asked by Pablo of the Minneapolis, Minnesota radio station 93X if he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates had done any "file sharing" to create their new music. Chad responded at the time: "We've done it pretty much every fucking way you can do it at this point. But we did some file sharing and stuff like that. Greg [Tribbett, guitar] sent around some risks and then Matt [McDonough, drums] — 'cause Matt does a lot of like ambient-style music on his own, so he can definitely program. So he programmed some drums, and, obviously, when I get that… All I need is basically the guitar riff and I can start kind of feeling it out for melody and lyrical direction and shit like that. I don't need necessarily the whole thing. I can just have very basic shit for me to start writing… But I'll have the nuts and bolts, and, ultimately, that's what file sharing is all about. It's about getting the nuts and bolts of what you're wanting to do. And then from there, you go in the studio and you fucking tweak it, and you fucking add harmonies and you add fucking layers and fucking overdubs, and you can go crazy and then really make it special. So I'm excited about that. We haven't done that yet. That's the one thing we haven't done yet, is got in a room with a fucking producer."
Addressing the pressure he and his bandmates felt to make music of a high-enough quality to live up to the fans' expectations, Chad said: "Honestly, dude, if we were to go into a studio situation and we were to record something, if every single fucking person on our team — us, the producer, our fucking manager, our fucking lawyer — if everyone on our team is not fucking jumping up and down and high-fiving, then it ain't worth putting out. That's just me — I only wanna put out fucking great shit. And with great shit, [I mean] timeless. You wanna create timeless music, and you have to ask yourself the question, 'Is that timeless? Is this timeless music or is this a fucking fad? Are we following something here or are we leading something here?'"
Gray also talked about the relationship he has with his MUDVAYNE bandmates, particularly as it relates to the creative process. He said: "We are who we are. How we are with our personalities is almost the dynamic of what makes MUDVAYNE great. And it's not conflict or whatever, but we test each other. But I think that that comes across in the music we create. And I think we've always had that since the beginning or whatever. And I think that that's one of the things that kind of makes it great. Obviously, we overcome it and we get through it, but there are like times when we start writing, man, where it's, like, 'Do we want the same thing?' We're trying to mold it. But the good thing is that everybody in the band is really open-minded, and that's what it takes. But when we start, like, I have a vision, Matt has a vision, Ryan [Martinie, bass] has a vision, Greg has a vision, and they're not always the same. Through that, you bring it together, but you've gotta give a little, take a little, give a little, take a little, but you've gotta be willing to do that.
"But, yeah, it's really cool," he continued. "I like the dynamic we have. I like the personalities that we have in the band, and I think that, honestly, that's one of the things that makes it great. And I think that's one of the things that make it special.
"Our music is emotional music, whether it's helplessness or fucking anger or aggression or any fucking gamut — our music definitely covers the gamut of all emotions — and I think that those emotions are what bring people close to our music, because they can build a relationship with it," Chad added. "'Cause I'm not the kind of writer that's, like, 'This is what the song is. This is what the song's about.' I kind of get you going down a road, maybe reel you in a little bit so you kind of get the vibe on where I'm at, but I'm giving you off ramps all the way through it where you can take it and make it applicable to your life. But that's what makes it special, 'cause now you're building your own relationship with it and not what I'm telling you the relationship has to be. There's no boundaries on it, so it's pretty boundless."
In March 2024, Chad told The Jesea Lee Show that he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates were still "trying to figure out" where they wanted their new material to go. "Right now, we've got some, you can call them whole songs 'cause they have a start and a finish, but I feel like they're kind of half-songs," he said at the time. "I just don't think they're realized yet. I don't think we have figured out exactly how we want this to play out with what we're doing in our business or how we want it to sonically sound."
Gray continued: "Nothing inside of me wants to be the MUDVAYNE of [the band's 2000 debut album] 'L.D. 50'. I think that the more albums we wrote, the better we got as songwriters. A lot of people would probably disagree with me, but [2008's] 'The New Game' is probably one of my favorite fucking albums. It's got like 'Dull Boy' on it, it's got just some really quintessential MUDVAYNE stuff that's not anything like anybody else was doing. I feel like we fucking finally had kind of found our groove. 'L.D. 50', to me, was a very gratuitous, individual workshop, and we put all four pieces together and called it an album."
In October 2023, Gray told Australia's Heavy that he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates had "started putting some new stuff together a little bit and people that have heard [some of the early demo] stuff are really excited about it. Only the people that are closest to us have heard anything, and, like I said, it's really rough; it's demos," he explained. "But you can tell it's special. And I think that we have to make sure it's MUDVAYNE. We have to make sure that it's what we want. So we'll just have to see. We were working on it, working on it, working on it a little bit here and there.
"We all live states away from each other — nobody lives even close to each other — so it makes it a little bit difficult," he explained. "But we were able to get some stuff demoed up or whatever, but with us being so far apart, it's a little slow going. And then we just kind of hit a wall. We were, like, 'Okay, we've gotta get back into touring.' So we put everything together and we went back out [in the] summer [of 2023]."
In August 2023, Chad told The Oakland Press that he and his MUDVAYNE bandmates had "four [songs] in the pipe. I've written each one of them probably three different times, 'cause it's like nothing's good enough," he revealed. "We're gonna keep pushing. We're all getting along really good. We're all talking. Hopefully we all want the same thing from our music, so we'll see. It's definitely the thing that makes the most sense to do now."
As previously reported, MUDVAYNE will celebrate the 25th anniversary of "L.D. 50" on a U.S. tour in late summer and early fall. Support on the trek will come from STATIC-X and VENDED.
Released in 2000 via Epic, "L.D. 50" produced three singles — Dig", "Death Blooms" and "Nothing To Gein". "L.D. 50" peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and No. 85 on the Billboard 200. It was certified gold by the RIAA for shipment in excess of half a million copies in the U.S. alone.
MUDVAYNE completed its first headlining tour in over 14 years, "The Psychotherapy Sessions", in the summer of 2023. Support on the 26-city trek, which was produced by Live Nation, came from COAL CHAMBER, along with GWAR, NONPOINT and BUTCHER BABIES.
Previously, MUDVAYNE made waves in 2022 when they embarked on the "Freaks On Parade" tour co-headlined with ROB ZOMBIE. The 2023 tour, however, marked MUDVAYNE's first headlining endeavor since 2009.
Gray told The Oakland Press that his "main motivation for putting [MUDVAYNE] back together and coming back was our fans", including those who discovered the band during its absence. "There's so many younger kids that are coming up and coming into our world, the metal world, and they're learning about MUDVAYNE," he said. "So you have this, like, the ground's kind of rumbling and it goes out and touches more and more people, but we weren't out there to scratch that itch. You still have your actual fan base but you're accumulating new people. So when we came back it was very exciting for us. It was about our fans and giving those new fans the experience."
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28 àâã 2025
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28 àâã 2025
APOCALYPTICA's EICCA TOPPINEN: 'We've Been Always Very Grateful For Everything We Have Gotten From METALLICA'
 In a new interview with EMP, Eicca Toppinen of Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA spoke about the band's decision to record and release "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica, Vol. 2", the hotly anticipated sequel to their legendary debut record, "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos". Released in June 2024, the LP, produced by longtime collaborator and studio supremo Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, SOUNDGARDEN, TOOL, NINE INCH NAILS),continues the journey that began in 1996 when cellists from Helsinki's world-renowned Sibelius Academy played symphonic tribute to the biggest of the big four–heavy metal titans METALLICA.
"Since the very first album, we were thinking one day we want to make another one," Eicca said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). "There were so many cool METALLICA songs we couldn't play at that time, when we did the first album. But it took all this time, almost 30 years, and it started to feel like an exciting challenge. Now suddenly, after 'Cell-0' album, it felt like making a new METALLICA album is a step forward and not backwards. It's kind of a big challenge, how to reinvent what it means when APOCALYPTICA plays METALLICA in 2024, '25. It started to excite us because we still love the music and there were so many songs we wanted to play. And it was interesting that some of the songs we really wanted to play, they didn't end up in the album because we found that our version is nothing special. It's good, because it's a good METALLICA song, but an APOCALYPTICA version is not really exciting enough. So it became really like reinventing the wheel."
The first single from "Apocalyptica Plays Metallica, Vol. 2", "The Four Horsemen", a song that originally appeared on METALLICA's 1983 debut "Kill 'Em All", featured a guest appearance by current METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. Meanwhile, the "One" single saw METALLICA frontman James Hetfield joining proceedings for a soul-stirring, spoken word of those inimitable, now-immortal lyrics. Elsewhere, "The Call Of Ktulu" featured the original bassline laid down by METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, who tragically lost his life in a tour bus accident in 1986.
"In general, when we started to work on this album, we had no plans to involve METALLICA in any way, except just we told them that, 'Okay, we are working on the album,'" Eicca explained to EMP. "Then when working on the music, some cool ideas started to pop up, and, for example, the Cliff Burton thing. For me personally, 'The Call Of Ktulu' has been one of my favorite tracks from METALLICA. And just a couple of years ago, I realized that all these cool sounds, well, they're magical, and I realized that those sounds are actually from Cliff Burton. And [I thought], like, 'Wow, it would be so cool if we could get the original track and make [our version] around it.'
"When we had all these ideas, having a narrator in 'One' and a bass feature in 'The Four Horsemen', I messaged [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] and I said, 'Can we have a chat? I want to tell you what's going on.' And I was just presenting these ideas to him that, 'Okay, we've been thinking this and that and that,' just to check if they like the I ideas. And Lars, especially for Cliff Burton, he was, like, 'I always love that you guys think out of the box. But it might be impossible, because we need to figure out the permission from Cliff Burton's family, we need to figure out the label rights.' There are so many contractual things that are around his recording from '84. Stars were aligned and things happened, and we got it. It's never heard. Even Trujillo — Rob told me when he was in the studio recording bass for 'The Four Horsemen', he was, like, 'These guys, they really must love you, Eicca, because this is never heard, that this kind of thing would happen.' But I think we have built with METALLICA, over these decades, a very respectful relationship, a good friendship with them. And we've always been very grateful since the very first album. METALLICA gave a lot of great comments, positive comments. They praised the first album and stuff. So we've been always very grateful for everything we have gotten from METALLICA. And we never felt that we want anything from them. And even this time, we didn't go, 'Hey, guys, do you want to participate?' It was more, like, 'Hey, we think this would be fucking cool. What do you guys think?' And they were, like, 'Oh, yeah. Let's make these things happen.'"
At this past June Download festival at Leicestershire, United Kingdom's Donington Park, Toppinen spoke to Alex Alicia about APOCALYPTICA's plans for the coming months. He said: "We've been really focused on touring [in support of 2024's 'Apocalyptica Plays Metallica, Vol. 2']. In five months, we played 80 shows, in Europe and North America. So there was not so much energy to think about what happens next. And then I was busy in the spring. I scored one movie, a long feature. It's a really cool movie. So now when we started festival season, now we've started to talk, 'Okay, what could be the next thing?' Still we will tour with this METALLICA set till the end of next year at least. So I think we will do what we've been doing for a while already, that we will do singles, just individual collaborations with some people. And at the same time, we'll work towards something that's more wholesome, like an album kind of thing. But I think also we started to think about the album also from the perspective of what would be ultimately the greatest APOCALYPTICA show like, what all aspects it would include."
He continued: "Now it's great fun to play METALLICA, but this is so straightforward, like straight in your face all the time from the beginning to end. But APOCALYPTICA has so many more dimensions and I think, in a way, I don't know any other band that can go from so sensitive, so classical, so minimalistic into such a really powerful chaos and everything in between. So, we haven't done that kind of project. For example, a couple of years ago we did a tour in churches in Finland in the COVID times. And we made a special program for the church thing. I was, like, 'Okay, this is really cool to do as well,' and totally different thing than what we're doing now. And I think kind of a hybrid of those where there would be space for all kind of qualities that APOCALYPTICA has. So that's something what we are thinking… APOCALYPTICA can be this and that and that and that and then so many things. So it's exciting."
Also at this year's Download, APOCALYPTICA lead cellist Perttu Kivilaakso was asked by Daniel Steer of Mike James Rock Show if there are any musicians left on his "wish list" for possible collaborators on the band's future recordings. He responded: "We have worked with an incredible amount of amazing artists. And [METALLICA's] James Hetfield [who guested on APOCALYPTICA's cover of METALLICA's 'One' from 'Apocalyptica Plays Metallica Vol. 2'], of course, has probably been the top of the list, kind of the dream that it would be unbelievable if he someday does something for us. But, of course, there are still so many fascinating artists. For example, I think that the charisma and incredible person of Nick Cave, for example, could be something really cool to make a dark, gloomy thing with the cello and his expression. Or whomever, like Pink or somebody with a really, really great attitude.
"The lovely thing about APOCALYPTICA is that we are very versatile with our music, that it could go from very beautiful classical elements to brutal thrash metal," he explained. "And even still I would love to work more with the greatest growers — Alissa White-Gluz [ARCH ENEMY] or whomever — great artists there are. So the good thing is that the ideas never kind of end. You only end up having the problem with too many ideas and somebody in a business saying that, 'Not all is possible, guys. Come on.'"
Kivilaakso went on to say that he and his APOCALYPTICA bandmates are grateful to still have a global audience with their unique fusion of classical cello music with hard metal elements. "So far, that has been really working," he said. "And I just somehow started to appreciate more and more the fact that we still can do this for a living and entertain people around the world. And it makes us feel, I guess, blessed in that sense. And that gives you the sparkle to still continue and try to figure out more cool things."
As previously reported, Hetfield attended APOCALYPTICA's March 3 concert at the Paramount Theatre in Denver, Colorado.
Photo credit: Riki Murto | +1 | |
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28 àâã 2025
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28 àâã 2025
Longtime AYREON Vocalist EDWARD REEKERS Diagnosed With Lung Cancer – “I Will, With The Utmost Reluctance, Have To Withdraw From Public Life
 The Ayreon camp has shared a message from vocalist / longtime collaborator Edward Reekers, who has been a part of the Ayreon legacy as a guest singer since the project’s first record, The Final Experiment, released in 1995.
Reekers has issued the following statement:
“Dear all, I have some very sad news.
I was diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer. A cure is not an option anymore, only life-prolonging treatment(s). I will, with the utmost reluctance, have to withdraw from public life. The doctors are working on a treatment schedule and I expect to have some more clarity in the beginning of September.
I would like to thank all my friends and fans for their support and enthusiasm during the time I was given to do what I love to do most : making music.
And all my colleagues who accompanied me on my musical journey : thank you so much. Without you it wouldn’t have been half as much fun.”
Reekers was due to appear at Ayreon’s An Amazing Flight Through Time 30th Anniversary Shows in Tilburg, Netherlands this September. He has appeared on the following Ayreon releases: The Final Experiment (1995), Actual Fantasy (1996), Into The Electric Castle (1998), Universal Migrator Part 1: The Dream Sequencer (2000), Ayreonauts Only (2000), Ayreon Universe (2018) and Electric Castle Live And Other Tales (2020). | 0 | |
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28 àâã 2025
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28 àâã 2025
MIKE TRAMP: 'There Won't Be Any Album Released With New Music Under The Name WHITE LION'
 Founding WHITE LION singer Mike Tramp will release "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. III", the third album in a series where he reinterprets songs from his former band WHITE LION, on September 19 via Frontiers Music Srl. As was the case with "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. I" and "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. II" once again sees Tramp accompanied by his current solo band.
Asked in a new interview with the Thunder Underground podcast if there are any plans for him to release another studio album of all-new material, Mike said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, well, of course, it's a natural and a great question. I already have sort of… I mean, listen, I don't sit and write every day and I'm not in my studio every day and things like that — I definitely need breaks away from it — but over the last couple years while we were doing the volume one through three, I've completed a new Mike Tramp solo album. When that is coming out and how it's coming out, that's probably more the bigger question of how one releases an album today."
Mike went on to say that his record company has offered to release a new "hard rock" solo album from him, but he admitted that "that's a whole different can of worms because to write a new hard rock album, knowing that you're not going to play the songs live because you are touring as WHITE LION, you have to make that decision. What is the point? What is the point? Because I haven't written a hard rock album since 2009, and my heart isn't there. Going out and playing the WHITE LION songs is one thing, but as an artist, I'm not diehard hard rock. I have my classic albums that I listen to once in a while and that I grew up with, but to sit down and write 'Fight To Survive' at age 65…
"I have a few things in my mind that it might actually have to be maybe a little bit more of a project," Tramp explained. "It could be a concept album where the stories may be told through hard rock songs. But just to sit down and say, 'This is the new Mike Tramp hard rock album,' and that I truly believe in it, might not be something that I can do. And I will definitely bring in a few of my comrades out there in the world that I feel that I would wanna write this with. Because when I write my solo albums, it is the true style of Mike Tramp. I'm not the one who wrote the guitar riffs in WHITE LION. So it's a whole different can of worms. But it's all on the desktop. There's a lot of sticky notes on the refrigerator. [Laughs]"
When the interviewer noted that the record company would probably want a Mike Tramp hard rock album to be in the style of WHITE LION", Tramp concurred. "Yeah, they would want it for what they think is their audience," he said. "Of course, the albums would have to be released under 'Mike Tramp'. One thing is that I play live shows under WHITE LION. There won't be any album released with new music under the name WHITE LION."
Earlier this month, Mike was asked by Stefan Nilsson of Roppongi Rocks if he has any plans to release new music under the MIKE TRAMP'S WHITE LION banner. He responded: "Well, you're obviously not the first one who has [asked about] that. The difficult part is, and we all know that from all our favorite bands, what do they play live? The greatest hits — all the big songs. And it's just the thing — I mean, how is MIKE TRAMP'S WHITE LION going to sound? And MIKE TRAMP'S WHITE LION on stage is going to play songs from the four [WHITE LION] albums. We're not gonna say 'we're gonna play a new song' because that new song, it cannot be represented by the name. WHITE LION are the four albums. So, you know what? It would have to be a completely different project under another name. And I'm highlighting the word 'project', because it's not going to be a band. We're not gonna be able to tour under a new name when I can't go on stage without the WHITE LION name… And the money is also not big enough."
In a separate interview with Dawn Osborne of TotalRock, Tramp was asked if "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. III" is the final album in the series. Tramp responded: "I think when the first one came out, I was still very unsure about really what it was I was doing. To be honest, I think that I somehow both pushed myself into it and felt somehow obligated that since I couldn't go anywhere, regardless of if I showed up on stage with an acoustic guitar or two monkeys, they still will put WHITE LION on the poster. And so I had to find a way to deal with that. And I was speaking with Marcus [Nand], which now does the fine guitar work, and I had asked him if this was possible to sort of [put together] a refurbished version of the classic WHITE LION songs that sounds like how I sound today but at the same time is as close to the original as possible. So when we had done the first one, the first thing any interviewer did was, [they asked] will there be a number two? And, obviously, I started thinking about that. And as we got into number two, I knew there was gonna be a number three."
Asked if he has now re-recorded all the WHITE LION songs or if there are still some that he left out, Mike said: "No. No. And I really had hoped that I wouldn't get confronted with this, because somebody actually spoke to me the other day. He says, 'You know what? I know you you're talking about the completion of the trilogy.' He says, 'I think you [should] just record all the songs so that all the songs have been re-recorded and then that's that.' And I started thinking, 'Wow, okay.'"
Tramp continued: "It's sort of an easy thing to take on because most of the work is already there. Now jumping aside, doing the number three, we went in to do that album completely different than we did the first one. And had I known that we were going to do all three, I wouldn't have made the first one being like a 'greatest hits'. I would've balanced it. I wouldn't have put 'Tell Me', 'Wait' and 'Little Fighter', the big WHITE LION songs, on one album; I would've spread them out. Now as we're doing volume three, a lot of people have already said, when they hear this, this feels like a fresh new album. It's very heavy, it's the dark songs, et cetera, et cetera, and it doesn't just feel like you've just gone in there… Because there's a lot of songs that might not have been the familiar songs with the sort of average rock fan, the WHITE LION fan that knows the three songs. But for those who know the darker tracks from 'Fight To Survive' and 'Big Game' and things like that, this is an album that I really, really actually enjoy myself listening to."
In July, Tramp spoke about how this series of recordings came together, stating in a press release: "For me, the point of re-recording the old classic WHITE LION songs was all about letting the audience know how the band would sound if they come to see us live. Bringing the sound up today and away from a world no more.
"When I started with 'Vol. I', I must admit, I never thought I'd do 'Vol. II' and now 'Vol. III'," he continued. "But having done it all now, makes all the more sense to me. If I have to be active playing WHITE LION in 2025 and onward, there's got to be a natural progression in every way. That is exactly what this trilogy is all about."
In this final installment, Tramp revisits and reimagines ten more essential songs from the WHITE LION catalog, bringing them back to life with the passion, perspective, and authenticity that only decades of experience can deliver.
Once again backed by his trusted bandmates — Marcus Nand (guitar),Claus Langeskov (bass) and Morten Hellborn (drums) — Tramp offers fresh but respectful renditions of these classic tracks, capturing their spirit while elevating them with a more refined, seasoned sound.
"Songs Of White Lion - Vol. III" track listing:
01. Dirty Woman
02. Warsong
03. Fight To Survive
04. She's Got Everything
05. In The City
06. If My Mind Is Evil
07. Cherokee
08. All Burn In Hell
09. Don't Say It's Over
10. Radar Love
When "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. II" was first announced last year, Tramp said in a statement: "Would Leonardo Da Vinci have re-painted 'Mona Lisa', if he had gotten a second chance? That we will never know, but I can say for sure, that I am beyond thrilled to have gotten a second chance to re-record and sing the songs I wrote between 1983 - 1990. Today I have such a better understanding of how I want to express the songs in my voice than I had when I was in my 20s, it's just a fact, and I've grabbed the chance. 'Songs Of White Lion' is a whole new chapter. [As a] matter of fact, it is current."
Tramp spent most of 2024 and the first half of 2025 touring the U.S. and Europe with his band MIKE TRAMP'S WHITE LION, which doesn't included any other members of the original WHITE LION group.
Back in 2019, Tramp revealed in an interview that he had apologized to guitarist Vito Bratta for trying to resurrect his former band without his onetime songwriting partner and bandmate.
The Danish-born singer hasn't played with Bratta since WHITE LION performed its last concert in Boston in September 1991.
In the 34 years since WHITE LION broke up, Bratta's public profile has been virtually nonexistent, while Tramp has remained active, recording and touring as a solo artist and with the bands FREAK OF NATURE, THE ROCK 'N' ROLL CIRCUZ and, more recently, BAND OF BROTHERS. Tramp also attempted to revive WHITE LION with the 2008 album "Return Of The Pride", featuring new members. Two years later, Tramp ceded ownership of the name WHITE LION to Bratta in an out-of-court settlement.
Mainly active in the 1980s and early 1990s, WHITE LION released its debut album, "Fight To Survive", in 1985. The band had its breakthrough with the double-platinum-selling "Pride" album, which produced two Top 10 hits: "Wait" and "When The Children Cry". The band continued its success with the third album, "Big Game", which achieved gold status.
By the time WHITE LION released its final album, 1991's "Mane Attraction", alternative rock was in the ascendancy, leading to a swift decline of the so-called "hair metal" scene in terms of sales, popularity, radio play, and most importantly, relevance.
Mike released "Songs Of White Lion", in April 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl. "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. II" followed in August 2024.
Photo credit: Michael Anthony | 0 | |
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28 àâã 2025
TRIXTER Is Working On New Album Of 'Kick-A** Rock And Roll Music'
 In a new interview with Rock 100.5 The KATT FM's Cameron Buchholtz, TRIXTER bassist P.J. Farley, who has been performing semi-acoustic TRIXTER shows with TRIXTER guitarist/vocalist Steve Brown, confirmed that a new TRIXTER album is in the works. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, we have some songs written. We don't have a schedule or a label — we're not that far along yet — but we've been putting stuff together. And we have songs. So, we'll see what happens. Hopefully, if it makes sense — but I think it will. I think it's time [to release something new]."
Asked about "the vibe" of the new TRIXTER songs, P.J. said: "Just TRIXTER, man. Good rock and roll music. Really no other message than kick-ass rock and roll music."
Farley also offered an update on a documentary-style film which has reportedly been in the works for at least a couple of years and will cover P.J. and Steve's "journey together". He said: "The documentary is slowly in the works there. A good friend of ours, it's kind of a pet project of his. Again, [it's] another thing not on a schedule or any type of agenda other than — we'll get it together."
Brown and Farley's live performances also feature Ben Hans on percussion.
This past June, Steve told The Hair Metal Guru about TRIXTER's new music: "I have about 15 songs worked up and I'm really, really excited. I think when we do get around to making the record, it is gonna blow people away, I can honestly say, because I know I'm excited about it. So I know when I'm excited, by the time you hear it and the fans all around the world, they're gonna be blown away."
Brown continued: "The problem is that I always get booked to do other stuff. And it's, like, I've gotta make money. But also, P.J. and I, we started filming a documentary that's gonna be a partner with the record. And it's not a TRIXTER documentary, though it has a lot of TRIXTER in it. It's about the story of P.J. and I, of our musical journey together, that we've been playing together close to 40 years now. And though we still are in TRIXTER, he's done so many different things — he was in the band RA, he was in Lita Ford, he's in FOZZY, he's in this, he's in that. And likewise with me, whether it's playing with DEF LEPPARD, Dennis DeYoung, Eric Martin, all the stuff that we do. But we always come back together and that brotherhood and that bond that we have. So that's also the other thing. So there's a lot of great stuff happening. I tell all the fans, you've just gotta be patient."
This past March, Steve told Youngstown Studio's B.J. Lisko about the progress of the songwriting sessions for a new TRIXTER album: "Yeah, I'm actively working on songs right now. P.J. has got some ideas. We have some stuff in the works. We started shooting some documentary footage — not for a TRIXTER documentary, but something about P.J. and I, our journey together. It's gonna be really unique. And hopefully we're gonna have that done for next year or maybe the year after. And we're definitely gonna have a new TRIXTER record that accompanies that."
He continued: "I could easily put out another TRIXTER record in another couple of weeks, if I had to. It needs to be something that has more special meaning. And especially because it's sort of a different configuration now. So it needs to be that much more extra special for me to wanna commit to do that. But it's definitely in motion. And I will say I probably have 15 new songs that are that I'm extremely excited about and I can't wait for the world to hear it. Because, like everything that I do, I try to make it the best thing that I've ever done. So I'm really happy with this, where it's coming. And P.J. has come up with some great ideas, and I actually had him sing on a song that I wrote that I thought would be perfect. And it came out a hundred percent better than I thought it was gonna be."
Asked what, in his opinion, makes a good TRIXTER song, Brown said:"I think all the classic stuff. What I love is I love pop music that's got great guitars, of course. It's what I always tell people — it's like if you took VAN HALEN, KISS, CHEAP TRICK, BON JOVI and DEF LEPPARD, put it all together, those are probably my biggest influences as far as making records and what I envisioned TRIXTER to be when I was a little kid. That was the concoction that I put in the cauldron. And over the years, that's really it. So I think for me, it's always about melody, a great vocal hook melody, a lyric that you can get behind. I definitely think I took a strong influence from BON JOVI. And I remember when I started getting TRIXTER going, Jon's [Bon Jovi] advice was always, 'Make sure you have a good lyric and something that's powerful.'"
The original TRIXTER lineup — also featuring drummer Mark "Gus" Scott and singer Pete Loran — reunited in 2008 and lasted until 2017, during which time the band released two studio albums via Frontiers Music Srl — 2012's "New Audio Machine" and 2015's "Human Era".
TRIXTER toured extensively in the United States, Canada and Japan in support of its five major label releases. They have performed live in arenas and amphitheaters with crowds up to 35,000 people, appearing with such rock superstars as KISS, SCORPIONS, POISON, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER, CINDERELLA, TWISTED SISTER, DOKKEN, WARRANT, GREAT WHITE and FIREHOUSE. | 0 | |
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28 àâã 2025
TESTAMENT's ERIC PETERSON Says New Single 'Infanticide A.I.' Was Musically Inspired By Watching Horror Movies
 San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT have shared a video in which they discuss their recently released single "Infanticide A.I.". The track is taken from the band's upcoming new album, "Para Bellum", which is due on October 10 via Nuclear Blast.
TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson stated: "When we wrote the song. I think it was like 12 at night and we were done for the day for jamming, and Chris [Dovas, TESTAMENT drummer] was at the house and we were watching [the 2023 horror film] 'Evil Dead Rise'. And just within a half hour, I'm, like, 'Come on. We're going downstairs.' And just the imagery of that."
Added Dovas: "It just inspired us. We're, like, 'We're gonna go down and write some evil music. Come on, let's go.' I think we were drinking some Jäger[meister] or something like that. And, yeah, I don't know. We were just up really late. It was one of those nights where we were up till two, three in the morning just jamming, and it was kind of how that song was born."
Eric continued: "I think a lot of movies, for me, visually, horror movies, I think that inspires me to write music."
TESTAMENT bassist Steve DiGiorgio chimed in: "I always knew that was a strong one right out of the gate. I had a feeling it would be considered probably a single or a title track."
The music video for "Infanticide A.I.", directed by Joey Durango, can be seen below.
TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy previously stated about "Para Bellum": "The new album 'Para Bellum' consists of some fast, heavy and melodic tunes. Once again Peterson has found a way to keep the song writing fresh and modern sounding. It's gonna be hard to choose what songs to play live cause to many to choose from."
Peterson added: "It's been five years since our last record 'Titans Of Creation' was released. Since then, we all waited to get back to it and we all did in a big way! Now our long over due new record 'Para Bellum' is upon us and about to be released in October. We are super stoked and excited to release new blood and fury to you all! With our first single 'Infanticide A.I.' we're coming out swinging! But with new velocities of fury, while maintaining a balance that we all love and know from a TESTAMENT track. Enjoy!"
With every generation comes a great war. It may take years to fully reveal itself, but the seasoned warrior knows preparation is everything. Now in 2025, Bay Area thrash metal icons TESTAMENT return with their fourteenth studio album, "Para Bellum". Taken from the Latin phrase "Si vis pacem, para bellum" — "If you want peace, prepare for war" — the album stands as both a battle cry and an observation of humanity's uneasy alliance with its own creations. As technology accelerates and disconnection grows, "Para Bellum" sees TESTAMENT reflecting the modern chaos through music that's urgent, sharp, and unflinchingly human.
True to TESTAMENT's legacy, "Para Bellum" is a masterclass in dynamic thrash songwriting, guided by founding guitarist Eric Peterson and vocalist Chuck Billy, who continue to lead the band with vision and force. Each track on the album stands on its own — distinct in structure, key, and atmosphere — but when taken together, they create a record that flows seamlessly, puzzle-like, through eras and styles. From the haunting, groove-laden "Shadow People" to the whiplash intensity of "Infanticide A.I.", the band explores themes both timeless and immediate: technology's encroachment, supernatural dread, generational collapse, and duels worthy of a standoff in "The Gathering"-esque "High Noon".
"Who's the fastest?" Billy joked, "It sounds like there is about to be a draw." Songs shift effortlessly from pummeling thrash to eerie darkness, with Chuck stretching his voice across clean chants, guttural roars, and whispers of doom, all in perfect sync with the mood of each piece.
To the delight of many life-long TESTAMENT fans, this record also sees the inclusion of a ballad for the first time in many years. Precisely formulated to weave effortlessly with the album, "Meant To Be" contains a world of variety within itself; "I love how the song takes off at the end and just doesn't look back," explained Peterson. "It's different, but it fits. It's like a breath of fresh air." This also marks another novel moment for the band using true, orchestrated strings performed by world renowned cellist Dave Eggar.
A major evolution on "Para Bellum" is the addition of powerhouse drummer Chris Dovas, whose precision, speed, and instinctive dynamics infuse the album with fresh energy. Working closely with Peterson throughout the writing process, Dovas helped shape song structures, accelerated the workflow, and injected a level of versatility that amplifies the album's modern edge without straying from the TESTAMENT sound. "He's so inspired and quick to throw ideas back," said Peterson, who also embraced his own black metal influences more heavily this time, both vocally and in the guitar work. Tracks like "Infanticide A.I." and "For The Love Of Pain" reflect this genre-blending approach — tight thrash foundations with ripples of black metal atmosphere. "Eric and I have a lot of similar influences," explained Dovas, "We worked really closely on this album and had a great time."
Alongside Peterson, Alex Skolnick's guitar work remains both razor-sharp and exploratory. "This album captures many different sides of the band through the years, along with some fresh new sounds," Skolnick noted. "There's a little something for everyone. You will not be disappointed." Rounding out the rhythm section is the inimitable Steve DiGiorgio, whose walking bass lines add a unique low-ness, and technical depth, locking in flawlessly with Dovas's expressive drumming. Meanwhile, Chuck leads the lyrical vision with contributions from longtime collaborator Del James and other friends, weaving a mix of supernatural mythos, sociopolitical commentary, and apocalyptic dread.
Recorded with Juan Urteaga and mixed for the first time by Jens Bogren, "Para Bellum" is extremely polished and operating at full throttle. The cover art, once again painted by Eliran Kantor, captures the album's essence: a serene angel made of missiles, an explosion turned halo, surrounded by shovel-bearing cultists with books strapped to their faces. It's a visual metaphor for blind belief and self-destruction — created, notably, by hand — in an era flooded by A.I.-generated imagery.
In its opening notes, "Para Bellum" nods to the past by resurrecting a lost bridge from "The Legacy" — a full-circle moment that anchors the album's expansive sonic journey. And as it ends, it does so peacefully, with a moment of classical-esque finger picking long used by Peterson to warm up his hands before battle. From first note to last breath, "Para Bellum" is an album by warriors — crafted in chaos, and built to outlast the wars to come!
"Para Bellum" track listing:
01. For The Love Of Pain
02. Infanticide A.I.
03. Shadow People
04. Meant To Be
05. High Noon
06. Witch Hunt
07. Nature Of The Beast
08. Room 117
09. Havana Syndrome
10. Para Bellum
Photo credit: Fred Kowalo | +2 | |
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28 àâã 2025
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28 àâã 2025
TRIUMPH To Be Inducted Into Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame
 Canadian rock band TRIUMPH is among the nine legendary songwriters set to join the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
Eight other music creators will also be honored as part of Legends — a 2025 series of induction events saluting songwriters whose music has helped define Canada's cultural landscape for generations.
This year's inductees — TRIUMPH, François Cousineau, Andy Kim, Kate & Anna McGarrigle, Michel Pagliaro, Jane Siberry, Ian Thomas, Gino Vannelli and Florent Vollant — represent a rich cross-section of Canadian music history, from chart-topping hits and folk traditions to rock anthems, studio cabaret, and groundbreaking francophone and Indigenous voices. Though their styles and languages vary, they are united by a shared legacy of creativity, cultural contribution, and storytelling that resonates far beyond the stage. Together, they exemplify the depth, diversity, and enduring impact of Canadian songwriting.
"This year's Legends embody the values that define Canadian songwriting: artistic courage, cultural contribution, and storytelling that transcends genre and language," says Nick Fedor, executive director, Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame. "The Legends series is more than an awards show — it's a national stage for celebrating legacy, inspiring the next generation, and elevating the role of the songwriter in our cultural identity."
Following the celebrations in Toronto and Montreal, the Class Of 2025 inductees will be indelibly honored at the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame's permanent location at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre in Calgary, which features exclusive artifacts and one-of-a-kind memorabilia celebrating Canada's greatest songwriters and inductees.
Building on its successful 2023 debut, Legends returns to celebrate generational songs and songwriters with inductions into the Class Of 2025. These intimate, exclusive events will once again honor Canada's rich musical legacy in two of the country's most iconic music cities. This year's celebrations will take place at the Meridian Arts Centre in Toronto on October 17 and Espace St-Denis in Montreal on November 17.
Each evening will feature live tributes and special guest performances from emerging and sought-after artists, while also shining a spotlight on the Breakthrough Songwriter Award — an initiative that recognizes and amplifies Canada's most exciting emerging songwriting talent. This year's nominees will be announced soon, joining past honorees such as Jessie Reyez, Mustafa, Lowell and Charlotte Cardin.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame continues to invest in the future of Canadian music through initiatives like the Legends series, Song & Score Day, and special Hall of Fame Masterclasses presented by RBC — each designed to connect generations of music creators. Taking place in tandem with the Legends Induction events, these programs feature educational sessions, artist panels, and rare opportunities to engage with iconic and emerging songwriters. Full details will be announced soon.
Tickets for the induction event at Toronto's Meridian Arts Centre on October 17 go on sale today at 10:00 a.m. ET via Ticketmaster. Tickets for the Montreal event will go on sale at a later date.
The Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame (CSHF) is a national and non-profit organization that is dedicated to honoring and celebrating Canadian songwriters and those who've dedicated their lives to the legacy of music. The CSHF also works to educate the public about these achievements, and to foster the next generation of songwriters through year-round initiatives and events. In December of 2011, SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) acquired the CSHF; and the Hall Of Fame continues to be run as a separate organization, guided by its own Board of Directors, comprised of both Anglophone and Francophone music creators and publishers, as well as representation from the record industry. The CSHF's mandate aligns with SOCAN's objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization.
For more information about the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame, visit cshf.ca.
On June 6, TRIUMPH reunited for three-song reunion performance at the Rogers Festival At The Final in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, where TRIUMPH guitarist/vocalist Rik Emmett and drummer and vocalist Gil Moore and were joined by guitarist Phil X, drummer and keyboardist Brent Fitz and bassist Todd Kerns.
Prior to the Edmonton set, TRIUMPH's last performance took place at an invite-only event in November 2019 in front of a couple of hundred "superfans" at MetalWorks studio in Mississauga (a suburb of Toronto),Ontario, Canada where Moore, Emmett and bassist Mike Levine played a three-song set consisting of "When The Lights Go Down", "Lay It On The Line" and "Magic Power". It marked TRIUMPH's first performance in 11 years, as well as its first as a pure three-piece power trio in 31 years. Portions of the performance were included in TRIUMPH's 2021 documentary "Triumph: Rock & Roll Machine", which was produced by Banger Films and directed by Sam Dunn and Marc Ricciardelli.
Emmett, who quit TRIUMPH — acrimoniously, in 1988 — over music and business disputes, went on to pursue a solo career, while TRIUMPH carried on with future BON JOVI guitarist Phil X for one more album, 1992's "Edge Of Excess", before calling it a day the following year.
Emmett was estranged, both personally and professionally, from the two other members of the legendary Canadian classic rock power trio for 18 years before they repaired their relationship.
After 20 years apart, Emmett, Levine and Moore played at the 2008 editions of the Sweden Rock Festival and Rocklahoma. A DVD of the historic Sweden performance was made available four years later.
TRIUMPH is a celebrated Canadian rock power trio that rose to prominence in the late 1970s and 1980s with a blend of hard rock anthems and spectacular live performances. Formed in 1975 in Toronto by Emmett, Levine and Moore, TRIUMPH has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and earned 18 gold and nine platinum certifications in Canada and the United States. Its sound — marked by Emmett's virtuoso guitar work and the group's soaring vocals — produced classic rock staples like "Lay It On The Line", "Magic Power" and "Fight The Good Fight", helping define arena rock for a generation.
By the early 1980s, TRIUMPH was headlining arenas on international tours, renowned for its elaborate, high-tech live shows featuring state-of-the-art lighting, lasers, and pyrotechnics. After a decade and a half of relentless success, the band's legacy grew in the ensuing years, and earned the band some of Canada's highest honors. Among their numerous awards, TRIUMPH was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame in 2007, into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 2008, and into Canada's Walk Of Fame in 2019. Today, TRIUMPH continues to inspire new generations of fans around the world. From humble origins in the '70s to sold-out arenas and hall of fame accolades, TRIUMPH's career is a true rock and roll success story — a triumph in every sense of the word.
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28 àâã 2025
CRIMSON GLORY Is 'Three Quarters Of The Way Finished' With First New Album In More Than 25 Years
 In a new interview with Mark Kadzielawa of 69 Faces Of Rock, CRIMSON GLORY guitarist Ben Jackson and vocalist Travis Wills confirmed that the reactivated progressive metal band is working on its first full-length album in more than 25 years. Joining Ben and Travis in CRIMSON GLORY's new lineup are bassist Jeff Lords and drummer Dana Burnell, along with guitarist Mark "Borgy" Borgmeyer of the Sarasota/Bradenton, Florida hard rock act THE LOST BOYS.
Regarding the progress of the songwriting and recording sessions for the new CRIMSON GLORY LP, Ben said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's probably three quarters of the way finished. We're in the last couple months of work on it now, I think."
As for the musical and lyrical direction of the new CRIMSON GLORY material, Ben said: "It's not a concept album, but it's got a lot of really cool songs, all with interesting topics. The style really harkens back to the sound of the first two albums [1986's self-titled LP and 1988's 'Transcendence'] in a lot of ways. I think Travis, although he has his own unique voice and tone, he has the ability to sound like [original CRIMSON GLORY singer] Midnight here and there too, and channel some of that vibe, that Midnight vibe, which is great, in just enough of a way that I think the fans are really gonna love that. And all I can say is the songs are similar to the first two albums. In my opinion, it's even a little more progressive than the first two albums, this new album, even a little more modern, a little more progressive."
Travis, who was previously a member of the Dallas, Texas progressive power metal band INFIDEL RISING, chimed in: "Yeah. Well, I would say so. Jeff did almost all of the writing on the music. And then I wrote the melodies. And sometimes Jeff was, like, 'Yeah, I'm married to this part. Sing this this way.' And I'm, like, 'Okay,' which is fine with me.
"I think the fans are totally going to love this album," the singer continued. "There's a lot of hat tipping to Midnight, and the things that I think that the fans really love about Midnight, you'll hear the hat tipping to him in that. And that's because he's such a unique and incredible vocalist that me being able to have the ability to do some of the stuff that he can do — not perfect, but in a way that honors him — was important to me and I think it's important to the fans as well. And that was my goal."
Asked what he thinks he brings to the table with his contributions, Travis said: "Well, I don't think I strayed too far off the path of the first two albums. A lot of times, when a new singer comes and they allow them to write melodies and words, things can change. I don't think that I strayed too far off the path. So I think that when fans hear it, they won't — I don't know how to say this — they'll be happy with the results."
On the topic of how long it took for CRIMSON GLORY to write the material for the upcoming album, Ben said: "A few of the ideas for some of the songs on this album go back a couple years that Jeff had in the works — 'Armor Against Fate' and 'Indelible Ashes', these songs are a couple years old. A lot of them are songs that Jeff and Travis kind of brainstormed out in the last half a year. Some of 'em, they just got on a writer's flow and kind of banged out a bunch of songs. All of it's pretty fresh material, all written within the last couple years."
Ben also talked about CRIMSON GLORY's image, referencing the fact that the group started out by wearing full-face metallic silver masks before toning then down to smaller half-face masks. The guitarist said: "It's still just a dynamic look. We like to dress the part. We don't like to look like just your everyday bums up there. We experimented with some new modern masks [in 2024] when we first released the new look of the band being back, but I think we're already moving towards now going on a maskless look. We're getting ready to schedule some new photo shoots. We kind of showed the fans that we can do different variations of the masks, whether they're full face, half face, these modern, futuristic ones we worked with, but we can go with them or without 'em. They're not really so much needed for us."
CRIMSON GLORY's new lineup made its live debut on October 5, 2024 at the Keep It True Rising IV festival at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany.
The Keep It True Rising IV show marked CRIMSON GLORY's first live appearance in more than 12 years.
In January 2024, CRIMSON GLORY released the official lyric video for the first single to feature the band's new lineup, a song called "Triskaideka". Travis told The Metal Command about the fan response to the track: "At first, I was a little nervous when I was reading the comments, but then I was, like, it is what it is. I'm just gonna go out there, do my best and let the chips fall where they fall. The guys [in the band] obviously like what I've been doing with the songs, and that's really important. It's really important that the that the fans of the band dig it, and I'm really glad that they got a little glimpse of what my voice kind of steers toward that they can get on board with that."
He continued: "I've seen some real interesting comparisons, and while I don't hear it, I'm glad to read it. So that makes me happy, especially the Warrel Dane [comparison]. I'm, like, I don't hear it, but I'll take that. And, of course, the kind of Midnight overtone, I'm very glad to do that.
"Man, I'll tell you what, I was really scared going — not scared, but just nervous going into it, because when you're stepping into a legendary vocalist['s shoes], there's a lot of weight that is on your shoulders," Wills admitted. "And I had to think about it, if this is something that I feel like I could do. And I thought about it, and I'm, like, 'Yeah, I can do this.' And I'm glad that these guys trust me to bring that to the band."
Jackson told The Metal Command last year that the new CRIMSON GLORY music sounds "pretty close" to "Crimson Glory" and "Transcendence". "Obviously we're different now and we're evolving, as a band should," he explained. "It might have a little more modernisms about it, it might sound a little more modern. The production will probably be a little better and more modern than the productions on the first two albums because of things that you can do today in the recording world. The first album, when I listen to it, it sounds thick and everything, but the production's a little dated. Stylistically, the way we're writing, I think it's really right up the alley of what we were doing then. And, obviously, Travis is gonna bring something new to this, because he's a different guy, he's his own guy. Like he says, on some of these songs, he does little things that sort of tip the hat to the Midnight vibe, but he's really an original, and that's what we needed in a new singer. We didn't want a Midnight clone. We wanted somebody who was special, a real original. And we have that. Travis is very special, very original."
In February 2024, Jackson told The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show about how CRIMSON GLORY decided to become active again: "There was this really great singer named Mystique, a guy from Greece, and he was brought to our attention by a friend of ours. And the guy Mystique really caught our attention, got us kind of interested in maybe doing something with the band again. He sounded a lot like Midnight, which was appealing for us at first. And then we worked with the guy for almost a couple of years, writing some songs and discussing the possibility of him joining the band. And ultimately it didn't really work out with him. We didn't really agree on everything we were doing with the songwriting, but he was a cool guy. But it didn't really work out, so he's gonna go ahead and do a solo album. And we wish him well with that. But that's kind of what got us reinterested, actually, is our friend bringing this guy to our attention. And when it didn't work out with him, Jeff and Dana and I were already kind of amped up with some of the new songs that we were working on. And we said, 'Well, we'll find somebody and we'll just do this.' And we did. We looked at a couple other singers before we kind of happened upon the guy we have now, Travis."
Asked what excited him about Travis, Ben said: "Well, what excited me was, I guess, he sent us a version of him singing one of our classic songs, 'Painted Skies', and it sounded really good; he was really capturing the emotion of the song. And he didn't sound exactly like Midnight, like he was trying to copycat him; he kind of had his own sound, his own voice, but he was really, really nailing it and sounded really good with it. So I was, like, 'This guy is something else.'"
Jackson also touched upon the lack of involvement of CRIMSON GLORY's founding guitarist Jon Drenning with the band's current formation. Asked if Jon is contributing to any of the music writing, Ben said: "No, not this time around. He's just completely away from it. Around 2012, when we were sort of writing with [former CRIMSON GLORY and current QUEENSRŸCHE singer] Todd [La Torre] for what we were gonna make a new album with Todd, we started planning some specific evenings in which we'd all write together, and Jon was just not showing up that much. He came to a few and then sort of slacked off on it. And that's one of the reasons that led to Todd just kind of pulling out and going full force with QUEENSRŸCHE. And that was over 10, 11 years ago now, and we haven't really had any contact with Jon in the last 10 years — any of us. We wish him well and everything, but, yeah, I think from the time his son was born, he just kind of removed himself from the music business and wants to play the dad role. And that's understandable. It's not really in his priority list right now to be doing music and records and stuff."
In December 2023, Drenning said that he "would have loved to be a part of" the band's reformed lineup, but that his family life has prevented him from being involved in the legendary progressive power metallers' comeback.
Drenning made his comments one day after it was announced that CRIMSON GLORY was returning with new lead vocalist, new guitarist and immediate plans to release two new singles.
On December 23, 2023, Drenning released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "I wish Ben, Dana and Jeff all the best. I would have loved to be a part of this new chapter, but my priorities are not in sync with the band at this juncture. Indeed, being a father has shaped my priorities in ways I could never imagine. Mark Borgemeyer is a good friend and I can't think of a better candidate to fill my shoes. I share the same enthusiasm as the fans, and there may be another surprise for them around the corner…stay tuned."
CRIMSON GLORY had been largely inactive since La Torre officially quit the band in February 2013.
La Torre, who joined Seattle-based progressive metal icons QUEENSRŸCHE in June 2012 as the replacement for Geoff Tate, became an official member of CRIMSON GLORY in April 2010 and played a number of shows with the Florida metal act during the two-and-a-half-year period prior to his exit.
A "raw" version of a new CRIMSON GLORY demo track titled "Garden Of Shadows", featuring La Torre on vocals, was released in September 2012 and was supposed to appear on the band's new concept record, which was expected sometime in 2013.
In announcing his departure from CRIMSON GLORY, La Torre said that his involvement with QUEENSRŸCHE "had nothing to do" with his decision to leave CRIMSON GLORY, adding that the "main reason" for his "resignation" was "primarily" due to the latter band's "inertia status."
La Torre made his first public appearance with CRIMSON GLORY at ProgPower USA X as one of 17 guest performers paying tribute to Midnight.
Midnight passed away in 2009 due to long-term health complications.
Wade Black sang on CRIMSON GLORY's 1999 album "Astronomica" and took part in a subsequent European tour.
David Van Landing replaced Midnight briefly for the U.S. tour in support of CRIMSON GLORY's third album, 1991's "Strange And Beautiful".
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28 àâã 2025
MILLE PETROZZA Says KREATOR's Official Documentary 'Hate & Hope' 'Shows All The Facets' Of Being In A Band
 The official documentary about German thrash metal veterans KREATOR, "Kreator - Hate & Hope", premiered on July 2 at the 42nd Munich International Film Festival and will receive a theatrical premiere on September 4. The 110-minute film was directed by Cordula Kablitz-Post, who previously helmed the 2019 documentary about the German punk rock group DIE TOTEN HOSEN.
At the August 23 premiere of "Kreator - Hate & Hope" in Berlin, Germany, Kablitz-Post and the four members of KREATOR spoke to Kati Rausch of Music Interview Corner about the making of the documentary, which uses private archive material to tell the story of one of the longest-running and biggest bands of the German thrash metal scene.
Asked how he balanced the need to tell KREATOR's story while also retaining his privacy, KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think we found a very nice compromise of showing a little bit of personal stuff without getting too private. But I think the movie really benefits from the fact that there is more personal stuff and then there's the audience, and then there's stuff in the studio, then there's behind-the-scenes and backstage stuff. So it's a nice variety of — it shows all the facets. And it's the whole band… This is also like a certain… How do I put this? There's almost like a relationship with four people, plus the crew and plus the audience. So Cordula really managed to give the viewer a nice insight of how it is to be in a band. And it's not just the glory of the concerts, but also the waiting around and the stuff at the airport and there's so much more to it than just what people see on stage. And if you're interested in that, the movie is really, really good. And it's interesting. We take you kind of behind the scenes and also to some more personal stuff."
Petrozza also talked about the upcoming official German-language version of his autobiography, which he wrote with journalist, author and presenter Torsten Groß, "Your Heaven, My Hell - Mein Leben, Heavy Metal Und Wie Das Alles Passieren Konnte" ("Your Heaven, My Hell - My Life, Heavy Metal, And How It All Could Happen") will be published on August 28 via Ullstein Verlag. The book is available for pre-order now.
Regarding how opening up for his book compared to telling KREATOR's story in the documentary, Mille said: "The book is different, because this is present, and Cordula was on tour with us and the book was stopped at '93, I think, or '94, or maybe even '92. And so to me that didn't seem so private, because it almost seems like another life; it is long time ago. And it's probably more private… I decided both — I mean, I was making my peace with both the book and Cordula. So it was a decision to make, to open myself up and do this documentary and do this book. So it's all good. It's all good. I think the book is entertaining, and the movie is amazing. So I think it was about time to share some stuff. And, yeah, I never thought about it, but yeah. It wasn't hard. It was a decision."
A trailer for "Kreator - Hate & Hope", is available below.
Official "Kreator - Hate & Hope" description: "To their fans worldwide, they are gods, but their music seems possessed by the devil — more aggressive, faster, and more uncompromising than others. The German band KREATOR has long since reached the pinnacle of the thrash metal scene. The film 'Kreator - Hate & Hope' tells the forty-year history of the celebrated metal band for the first time, from their founding as a school band in 1982 in the Ruhr area to the grand international stages of their current world tour. Then as now, they stand against the hatred and the abysses of our society. Shrill tones, virtuosic guitar riffs, and energetic drumbeats process the turmoil in our civilization with tremendous willpower and creativity. Between Hannah Arendt quotes and headless corpses, emerges a well-crafted poetry of chaos full of symbols of horror — a musical Molotov cocktail against evil with a cathartic effect.
"For her new documentary, director Cordula Kablitz-Post ('Die Toten Hosen - You Only Live Once') goes on tour with the legendary thrash metal band from the Ruhrpott for a year: Wacken Open Air, Tokyo, Osaka, Bangalore, Los Angeles and finally 'Klash Of The Ruhrpott' in Gelsenkirchen, where Germany's metal greats gather. With private archive recordings and exciting interviews (Scott Ian / ANTHRAX, Chuck Billy / TESTAMENT, Bela B. / DIE ÄRZTE, guitarist Phil Demmel / formerly MACHINE HEAD, Maik Weichert / HEAVEN SHALL BURN, Nergal / BEHEMOTH, Lars Eidinger, Andy Sneap) they embark on a very honest and humorous journey into the wildly beating heart of German music history."
Last fall, Petrozza told Oran O'Beirne of Fistful Of Metal magazine about the KREATOR documentary: "I have to be honest with you, this documentary was not our idea, and in fact, we are not involved in the production side of it. The whole concept came from Cordula, who approached us with this proposition and she has full creative control. She is a very well-respected director who has produced some incredible cinematic documentaries in the past, so I'm very excited to see the finished film."
He continued: "I'm usually a control freak when it comes to things like this, so it's a very surreal experience not being in the driving seat when it comes to creative decision making, but I have total faith and trust in Cordula."
Regarding his upcoming book, Mille said at the time: "Well, I can tell you that the book is done. A friend of mine and I have been co-writing a book together looking specifically at the early years of the band, specifically up to 1992. The thing is, we have a German publisher and they're, hopefully, going to be making this book available in English. But as of now, we are looking to release the book in 2025."
He continued: "I can also tell you the working title of the book is 'Your Heaven, My Hell', and we go very deep into the struggles of starting the band, the impact of the tape-trading community back then, and loads of stores and interesting moments that led to the band being where we are today."
In 2001, Cordula founded Avanti Media Fiction, through which she primarily produces feature films and high-quality television and theatrical documentaries.
KREATOR recently entered Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren to begin recording its sixteenth studio album, tentatively due in early 2026. Bogren previously helmed KREATOR's "Phantom Antichrist" (2012) and "Gods Of Violence" (2017) LPs.
KREATOR's upcoming effort will be the follow-up to 2022's "Hate Über Alles", which was recorded at Hansa Tonstudio in Berlin, Germany. Helming the sessions for that LP was Arthur Rizk, who has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, CODE ORANGE, POWER TRIP and SOULFLY, among others.
"Hate Über Alles" marked KREATOR's first album with bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who joined the group in 2019.
KREATOR played its first show with Leclercq in October 2019 in Santiago, Chile.
Before joining KREATOR, Leclercq rose to fame with U.K.-based extreme power metallers DRAGONFORCE for whom he handled bass duties from 2005 until August 2019.
Some Impressions from last nights German premiere of HATE AND HOPE @lichtburgessen It was simply overwhelming to feel...
Posted by Kreator on Friday, August 22, 2025 | +3 | |
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28 àâã 2025
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28 àâã 2025
Watch: CRADLE OF FILTH Plays First Concert After ASHOK's Dismissal From Band
 CRADLE OF FILTH played its first concert following the departure of guitarist Marek "Ashok" Šmerda on Tuesday, August 26, just hours after the Czech-born musician revealed he was planning to leave the band at the end of the band's ongoing Latin American tour. Fan-filmed video of the show at Montevideo Music Box in Montevideo, Uruguay can be seen below.
Šmerda, who had played with the veteran extreme metal veterans for more than a decade, was fired by CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth after the guitarist shared a post on social media in which he described his time in the group as "a lot of work for relatively low pay, the stress is quite high, and we haven't felt for a while like this band actually prioritizing/caring about members". He also said that he asked to have his contributions "removed" from all of CRADLE OF FILTH's "upcoming releases", including the band's long-delayed collaborative track with pop superstar Ed Sheeran, explaining that it "this song feels like foolish clown antics for me at this point anyways — first it was charity single for kids, then for profit single, then on next album, and now who knows and I just do not want to be involved anymore, no disrespect to Ed Sheeran."
Ashok's announcement that he would depart CRADLE OF FILTH came just two days after his wife, Zoë M. Federoff, left the group mid-tour after serving as CRADLE OF FILTH's female vocalist and keyboardist for the past three years.
Federoff, who joined CRADLE in 2022, said on Sunday that she was leaving the band effective immediately, citing "personal reasons". She also shot down rumors that she was exiting the group due to problems in her marriage.
Šmerda and Federoff later issued a joint statement, calling CRADLE's management "dishonest" and "manipulative" and warning future members of the band to "read the contract".
The couple got engaged in 2024 and married in January.
A short time after Ashok shared his statement on social media, Dani announced Šmerda's immediate dismissal from CRADLE OF FITH, insisting that "despite all attempts to illegally defame and derail the band, CRADLE OF FILTH WILL NOT cancel any of our South American shows, though fans will have to bear with us being a band with only one guitarist live, that is of course until Ashok's temporary replacement is flown out to join the tour in a few days' time."
He continued: "Thank you for your understanding in this horrible matter, we are all in a state of shock over proceedings and will share our side to these unfortunate events in due course. Please, respect our decision to part with Ashok now rather than at the end of the tour and avoid speculation as more clarity on the situation will be provided.
"The rest of the band are cool, even if taken aback, and accusations toward management, who work very closely with me and the band are completely unjust and unfounded."
CRADLE OF FILTH's concert in Uruguay saw Dani joined by Martin "Marthus" Škaroupka on drums, Daniel Firth on bass, Donny Burbage on guitar and Kelsey Peters on keyboards and backing vocals.
It is not presently unclear who will temporarily replace Šmerda on some of the remaining shows on CRADLE OF FILTH's Latin American tour.
Born in Brno, Czech Republic, Šmerda had been the guitarist for CRADLE OF FILTH since early 2014 when he received the invitation to embark on a European tour with the band. Since then, he had become a full-time member, having toured all around the world with the group while simultaneously having contributed to the CRADLE OF FILTH releases "Hammer Of The Witches", "Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness Of Decay", "Existence Is Futile" and "The Screaming Of The Valkyries".
Se viene Ceadle of Cradle of Filth & Uada en MMBOX - 26/8
🗓 26 de agosto
📍 Montevideo Music Box
🎟 entradas en redtickets.uy
Junto a Uada y Souther Rising
Posted by Metalshows Uruguay on Monday, August 4, 2025
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28 àâã 2025
BON JOVI To Release New Version Of 'Forever' Album With BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, JOE ELLIOTT, JELLY ROLL And Others
 BON JOVI will release "Forever (Legendary Edition)", a new version of last year's "Forever" album, on October 24 via Island Records. "Forever (Legendary Edition)" will include guest appearances on vocals by Bruce Springsteen, Jelly Roll, James Bay, Robbie Williams, Jason Isbell, Ryan Tedder, THE WAR AND TREATY, DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, Lainey Wilson, Avril Lavigne and Marcus King, among others. Also included will be a new opening track, "Red, White & Jersey", which will be released on Friday, August 29, along with a new version of "Hollow Man", featuring Springsteen.
"This album is more than just a collection of collaborations, it is an album borne out of necessity," BON JOVI frontman Jon Bon Jovi says in a statement. "My vocal cord rehab was a well-documented journey that played out while releasing 'Forever' in 2024. I was singing well in the studio for recording, but the vocal demands and rigors of touring were still slightly out of reach for me. Without an ability to tour at that time, I continued working in the studio and called on some friends, great singers, artists, musicians and also just great people."
He continues: "The result is an album with a new viewpoint and new spirit — a collaboration album that proves we all get by in this world with a little help from our friends. I feel tremendous joy and gratitude releasing this album and I think it shows in the music. I can say with certainty that there is always something bigger than ME, and that's WE."
"Forever (Legendary Edition)" track listing:
01. Red, White & Jersey
02. Legendary (feat. James Bay)
03. We Made It Look Easy (feat. Robbie Williams)
04. Living Proof (feat. Jelly Roll)
05. Waves (feat. Jason Isbell)
06. Seeds (feat. Ryan Tedder)
07. Kiss The Bride (feat. Billy Falcon)
08. The People's House (feat. The War & Treaty)
09. Walls Of Jericho (feat. Joe Elliott)
10. I Wrote You A Song (feat. Lainey Wilson)
11. Living In Paradise (feat. Avril Lavigne)
12. My First Guitar (feat. Marcus King)
13. Hollow Man (feat. Bruce Springsteen)
14. We Made It Look Easy / Hicimos Que Pareciera Fácil (feat. Carin León)
In a cover story for the March 2025 issue of Sound On Sound magazine, Jon Bon Jovi confirmed that BON JOVI would release a new version of its 2024 album "Forever" as a collaboration with other artists. He told writer Joe Matera: "This is an album that we're very proud of, and I think it's the best BON JOVI record since 'Lost Highway' or at least 'Have A Nice Day'. We love every song on it and it was a joy to make this album, but I just wasn't ready to go and book shows post-surgery recovery. So, I reached out to a number of friends and I said, 'If you guys would sing a verse here and there, it'll give this great album another life.'"
He added: "My focus moving forward is on the re-release of 'Forever', and God willing, getting back out on the road and running that project through its life."
Produced by Jon with John Shanks, "Forever" featured Jon Bon Jovi once again alongside fellow founding BON JOVI members, keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres. They were joined by bassist Hugh McDonald and guitarist Phil X.
"Forever" contained 12 new songs, including the hit lead single "Legendary".
In August 2024, a duet version of the "Forever" song "The People's House" featuring THE WAR AND TREATY was released, accompanied by a lyric video. In October, the official music video for "The People's House" featuring THE WAR AND TREATY was released, accompanied by a statement from Jon Bon Jovi endorsing Kamala Harris in the 2024 United States presidential election.
"Forever" marked Jon Bon Jovi's return to the recording studio after surgery to repair his damaged vocal cords.
In June 2024, Jon told The Guardian that his damaged vocal cord is still not healed enough for him to resume touring. "It's a work in progress," he said. "There's no miracle. I just wish there was a fucking light switch. I'm more than capable of singing again. The bar is now: can I do two and a half hours a night, four nights a week? The answer is no."
Bon Jovi went on to say that making music will always be part of his life, regardless of whether he is able to return to full-scale touring. "It lights you up when you're out there. As long as I have the ability, I will write songs and make records."
Photo credit: Mark Seliger
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28 àâã 2025
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27 àâã 2025
ROB HALFORD Looks Back On JUDAS PRIEST's 'Turbo': 'When That Album Came Out, Everybody Wanted To Throw It In The Bin'
 In a new interview with U.K.'s Planet Rock, Rob Halford spoke about JUDAS PRIEST's upcoming appearance at the 2026 edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which will return to Catton Park, Walton-on-Trent, United Kingdom in August 2026 to celebrate its 25th anniversary. PRIEST's performance at the event will coincide with the 40th anniversary of the group's controversial "Turbo" album and the 50th anniversary of PRIEST's second LP, "Sad Wings Of Destiny". Asked how he and his PRIEST bandmates will choose which songs to play at Bloodstock Open Air, Rob said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "So difficult, mate. It's so difficult. This thing [my voice] that I'm using to talk to you with, I can belt it out for about an hour and 30, if I'm lucky. And it's a joy to be able to do this kind of singing with this beautiful band. But, yeah, you look at the songs, the hundreds of songs and the albums, and your head starts swiveling around like Linda Blair in 'The Exorcist'. And you just [think], 'Where are we gonna start? Where are we gonna start?'"
Referencing the fact that "Turbo" saw PRIEST using synthesizers for the first time, Halford continued: "You've got 30,000 metal maniacs singing 'I'm your turbo lover' [at PRIEST shows now], but when that album came out, everybody wanted to throw it in the bin," he said. "'What is this? This ain't metal.'
"You know how a lot of bands — we go through different moods, different textures, different feelings as you progress. And what I love about PRIEST is we can be a 'Painkiller', be a 'Turbo Lover', be your 'Invincible Shield'. So, the fact that PRIEST is able to kind of create all this kind of music, but still put the heavy metal label on to it is important.
"But I am happy that 'Turbo' is embraced," Halford added. "I listened to it for the first time in years just a few days ago, and I look at the videos that we made, and we all had hair. My hair went south; it went into the Gandalf region. But it's a good album. It was really well made. Yours truly was going through some difficult moments in life, but here I am by the grace of God and so on and so forth. But it's a good album. So we're gonna see what's on that record that we can bring to Bloodstock, besides 'Turbo Lover'. We'll see if maybe [we can add] a couple of other tracks. And then you've got all of the others to look at. So it is gonna be special, this particular Bloodstock, in more ways than one."
Back in 2017, Halford told "The Rock Brigade" podcast about "Turbo"'s more experimental sound at the time of its release: "Much like everything that we've done, we've kind of reflected on where we've been and what we are trying to aim for next. The big thing about this record is that for the first time in a long time, we were able to take our time.
"There was a period in the early '80s when PRIEST was literally banging out a record every year and a world tour every year. How did we do that, I don't know. It was just that we were running on fire, we were having the times of our lives, we had deadlines to meet, we had an incredible thing going with the label."
He continued: "So here's the deal. 'Turbo', the middle of the 1980s, right? We had a little bit of time to kind of pull back and take our time to make this record. So we were in a different place. I mean, I was in a different place, because I had so much coke up my nose, I don't know how I got through every day of the week, because I was raging at that point, personally. What I'm trying to say is, America in 1986 and the mid-'80s was… wherever you went, there was incredible things happening in rock and metal. I always kind of reflect as the '80s, particularly in America, as being one of the greatest decades for our kind of music. So we were wrapped up in all that, we were wrapped up in all that excitement and good times and party-party-party. And I think that we were just… we were making the record. The bulk of the record was made in America. Going down to Whisky, hanging out on the [Sunset] Strip, in Miami… Man, it was an absolute blast. And I think we were just… We were loving that moment, you know. The band was having a great time, and there was a lot of that in the music on 'Turbo'."
In 2017, PRIEST reissued "Turbo". The album was remastered and was made available via Sony Music on three CDs (the original album and two bonus discs) as well as one-LP 150-gram vinyl. Included on disc 2 and 3 of the CD reissue was, previously unreleased, "Live in Kansas City", a live recording from the band's 1986 "Fuel For Life" tour in support of "Turbo".
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27 àâã 2025
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27 àâã 2025
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27 àâã 2025
LIVING DEAD GIRL Reveals “We’ll All Be Dead” Video
 Living Dead Girl has released the official music video for “We’ll All Be Dead”, the second single from their new album, Conspiracy, due October 10th. Pre-orders can be placed here.
Regarding the album, vocalist Molly Rennick stated, “I am beyond thrilled to finally unveil Living Dead Girl’s second full-length album, Conspiracy. It feels like the perfect follow-up album to our debut Exorcism, staying true to the sound the band created back in 2021 but also showcasing both my personal and artistic growth over that time. Conspiracy is darker, heavier, more vulnerable, and more intense, but still has the sing-along choruses you’d expect from Living Dead Girl. I hope both new listeners and repeat fans alike fall in love with this album as much as I did creating it.”
The album was produced by Mitchell Marlow and demonstrates a sonic evolution for the band, highlighting its artistic and personal growth over the past four years, while staying true to the unique sound that has drawn so many fans to its lair. The distinct blend of heavy, drop-tuned riffs, hellbound screams, and catchier-than-a-cold choruses grabs you by the nape of the neck and refuses to let go.
Conspiracy artwork and tracklisting:
“Conspiracy”
“Poison Me”
“We’ll All Be Dead”
“Ugly”
“Succubus”
“The Disease”
“Eighteen”
“Brainwashed”
“Wild and Free”
“Unstoppable”
“Survival Mode”
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27 àâã 2025
SACRAMENTUM Founder NISSE KARLÉN Dead At 50 Following Battle With Mental Health
 Swedish melodic death/black metal band, Sacramentum, have announced the passing of founding member, Nisse Karlén, at 50 years of age following a battle with mental health.
The band shared the following message via social media on behalf of current and former members:
“With deep sorrow, we share the heartbreaking news that our dear friend, band member, and one of the founders of Sacramentum, Nisse Karlén, has passed away. He chose to leave this world due to struggles with mental health.
At this time, we kindly ask for privacy for his family, friends, and bandmates as we come to terms with this loss.
Thank you for everything, Nisse. You will always be with us.
Suicide is never to be glorified.
Suicide crisis helpline:
EU 116 123
US 988
Sacramentum.”
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27 àâã 2025
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27 àâã 2025
NIGHTWISH's FLOOR JANSEN: Why I Decided To Go Public With My Breast Cancer Diagnosis
 In a new interview with Hakos Pervanidis of the Metal Hammer Greece TV program TV War, NIGHTWISH's Floor Jansen discussed her decision to go public with her breast cancer diagnosis back in October 2022. Asked why she felt the need to share her diagnosis with her fans and not keep it private, the 44-year-old Dutch-born vocalist, who resides in Sweden with her husband, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl, said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a good question because, of course, at first I did not want to tell it to anyone. It's sort of your own thing until you share it with your family, share it with the people close to you, and it, all of a sudden, becomes a thing. But the thing that I found the scariest of everything, and which I'm sure many other people that have been sick, cancer or not, can relate to, you think that you're healthy and then you're not. And hopefully in Greece, surely the Netherlands where I'm from, Sweden, where I live, there are many tests that make sure that whenever there is something that grew in the time that in between the previous tests and then to see what's going on in your body, there is enough knowhow. So, had I not gone to a standard mammogram, I would've not seen it. And I think a lot of people take these tests either for granted or they don't fit them into their schedule. You don't think about getting sick until you do. And I wanted to warn everybody, women and men, do these checkups because they're there for a reason and it's lifesaving. It's not a cliché. And, yeah, in that sense, I found that even if I can convince one woman to take the mammogram or one man to go and check up the prostate when it's their time, do it. So that was my choice."
Jansen also talked about NIGHTWISH's surprise April 2023 announcement that the band was not going to be playing any live shows for the foreseeable future and would be not be touring in support of the group's latest studio album, "Yesterwynde", which arrived in September 2024 via Nuclear Blast. She said: "We have always toured with a hundred percent energy, a hundred percent of us. We give everything we have. You have to be able to keep that up, I think. If it starts to feel like you cannot, hard as it might be, you have to take the decision to not do it. But letting it all go felt way too hard, and we love making music. So that's when the decision came, 'Okay, if we can't guarantee this a hundred percent, then we do not. There is an album in the making. Let's make the album, let's release the album, and then we see when the battery is charged.' I hope tomorrow. I hope next year. That's not something for anyone to predict, unfortunately… And also, it's always the same thing. I think for many of us, it's very nice to also make this step away from the thing that we've been doing so intensely. I already notice now about coming back, in a metal festival in a different setting, that I look upon the whole thing differently. And it kind of helps. It brings light to situations. And I think it was a very smart move, and I think we're all dearly gonna miss it. But it's exactly that we will need to recharge the batteries."
Regarding her future plans when it comes to her music career, Floor said: "I'm working on a new album as we speak. So this summer I will do a couple of metal festivals throughout Europe and continue writing. In the fall, I will do a theater tour in the Netherlands, making my show into something really small and theatrical, without actors or something. It's still a pop show — not 'theater theater' but my music in that form. So I think it's gonna be a very nice challenge. I'll keep writing, and then the next year a new album will appear that as it starts to feel clearly is gonna be a whole lot heavier than the first. So, that's coming up."
On November 18, 2022, Floor revealed that she was "cancer free" after undergoing surgery to have a tumor removed following a breast cancer diagnosis. At the time, she wrote on social media that "the surgery took everything cancerous out and it hasn't spread!"
When Jansen went public with her diagnosis less than three years ago, she wrote on her social media: "The word cancer is a shocker. All that you found important in life before this diagnosis changes radically within minutes. Now I just want to be healthy again. I want to see my daughter grow into a woman; I want to live! And the scariest part of this diagnosis is that I thought I was healthy! I didn't feel the cancer, I didn't know it was there until I, as a 40+ woman, went to a standard mammogram checkup. Something many countries offer, for free even for the lucky ones. Had I not gone there, the tumor would have gone undetected. In a year from now this could have grown much bigger. The thought of that makes me share this story with you. A mammogram is lifesaving! It's uncomfortable and you might think that you won't have something in your breasts anyway but GO! And for the men reading this: remind your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister to go and get checked. Even without the luxury I as a western woman experience with free mammogram checkups: GO! Luckily, there are many organizations that offer information about self-detection if you do not have access or funds for a mammogram. If I might inspire you to take good care of yourself, then something good will come out of this cancer diagnosis."
Floor's debut solo album, "Paragon", arrived in March 2023.
As part of NIGHTWISH, Jansen has landed two No. 1 albums in Finland, and Top Five albums in Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.
Born in the Netherlands, Jansen joined her first band, one of the world's first symphonic metal bands, AFTER FOREVER, when she was only 16 years old. The group went on to release five albums from 2000 to 2007, before they broke up in 2009.
Jansen's next band, REVAMP, released two albums in 2010 and 2013, before she joined NIGHTWISH as a full-time member.
NIGHTWISH's first album with Jansen as the lead singer was 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which landed in Top 10s around the world. This was followed by 2020's "Human. :II: Nature.", which was also an international success.
Jansen has toured extensively with the band and appeared on three of NIGHTWISH's live albums "Showtime, Storytime", "Vehicle Of Spirit" and "Decades: Live In Buenos Aires".
In October 2023, Jansen and Van Dahl welcomed their second child, Lucy. Jansen and Van Dahl also have an eight-year-old daughter named Freja, who was born on March 15, 2017.
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27 àâã 2025
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27 àâã 2025
PAUL STANLEY Says 'I Was Made For Lovin' You' Is 'Biggest' KISS Song Of All Time
 Paul Stanley has revealed that "I Was Made For Lovin' You" is the "biggest" KISS song of all time.
Earlier today (Tuesday, August 26),the 73-year-old KISS guitarist/vocalist, who co-wrote "I Was Made For Lovin' You" with Desmond Child and Vini Poncia, took to X to write: "THE BIGGEST KISS SONG OF ALL TIME IS… 'I Was Made for Lovin' You' with 1.3 BILLION total streams on Spotify as of late August and approximately 850 THOUSAND daily streams!! Amazing and THANK YOU!"
Six years ago, Child said he was hurt when KISS publicly badmouthed "I Was Made For Lovin' You".
Although "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was a huge chart success for KISS 40 years ago, it was maligned by many of the group's fans who didn't appreciate the track's disco beat.
During an appearance on the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, Child said that he wrote "I Was Made For Lovin' You" with Stanley after befriending the KISS frontman in the late '70s.
"I was experimenting then with a drum machine, and the idea of having dance beats with rock had occurred to me," Desmond recalled. "So I kind of hoodwinked him into this idea of four-on-the-floor dance beat with these heavy guitars. Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] never bought it — he never liked it, [and] he [still] doesn't.
"I remember when they made a record — I think it was [1981's] '[Music From] 'The Elder'' — and they started doing hundreds of interviews saying, 'Well, this time, we're putting guards in front of the door to keep Desmond Child out,'" he continued. "And I was so hurt. I called Paul and I said, 'Paul, why don't you criticize your enemies, not the friends that put money in your pocket?' And he says, 'Well, you know, that's Gene — it's not me.' So, the next day I came home and there was a message on my answering machine. And it was, like, 'Hi. It's Gene. Sorry.' And he hangs up. [Laughs] That was his apology."
According to Child, he and Simmons eventually reconciled. "After all these years, he's been an amazing friend and supporter and, actually, mentor," Desmond said.
"I Was Made for Lovin' You" originally appeared on KISS's 1979 album "Dynasty". It was released as the A-side of their first single from the album. It was the band's second gold single, selling over 1 million copies. The single reached No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart. The song also became a Top 10 hit in Australia, reaching No. 6 on the ARIA charts in 1979. The song fared the best in Western Europe (Where it became a Top 20 hit in Sweden, a Top 10 hit in Norway, made it to the No. 2 position in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and in Holland it became a No. 1 smash).
In 2018, Simmons said that he hated performing "I Was Made For Lovin' You" because he is forced to sing like his grandmother. Asked in an interview with OK! magazine to name a song that he wasn't initially crazy about that ended up becoming a hit, Gene said: "Well, Paul Stanley comes in and he says, 'Did you write any songs?' I go, 'Oh, yeah. I've got one called 'Almost Human'.' 'Yeah? How does it go?' 'I'm almost human. I can't help feelin' strange.' 'Yeah, that's cool. That's a Gene song.' 'How about you, Paul?' He goes, 'I've got one. [It goes] 'Tonight.'' "Ooooh. That's cool. What's the next line?' 'I'm gonna give it all to you.' 'Oh, yeah. I know what 'it' means — I know exactly what you mean.' 'In the darkness.' [Claps] 'Love that!' 'There something I wanna do.' 'Yeah, I know what that 'something' is. Wow! That's a cool song. Okay, what's my part?' [Sings] 'Do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do, do.' 'You're killing me. Really? I'm gonna sing like my grandmother?' [Sings] 'Do, do, do…' I hate playing that song to [this] day. Stadiums full of people jump up and down like biblical locusts — they go nuts — with tattoos and grills on… 'Ahhhh!' They're all jumping up and down, and I'm going, 'Do, do, do, do, do, do… Kill me now.' Still — still to this day I hate that song."
After the female interviewer pressed him on whether the song ever grew on him after performing it for the last four decades, Gene said: "Well, how about you sing that song? You're a girl. I wanna sing guy stuff."
Stanley admitted in 2017 that the success of "I Was Made For Lovin' You" was "a double-edged sword, because it became such a massive hit but it was also so contrary and contradictory to what we had done before." He added: "The funniest thing is when we do festivals sometimes in Europe where it's very much… the bands are quite heavy, well, when we do an encore of 'I Was Made For Lovin' You', you suddenly have all these people with spikes in their eyeballs or bones through their noses singing along. So it's a song that seems to transcend everything — although it went through a period, certainly, of a big backlash against it."
THE BIGGEST KISS SONG OF ALL TIME IS… "I Was Made for Lovin' You" with 1.3 BILLION total streams on Spotify as of late August and approximately 850 THOUSAND daily streams!! Amazing and THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/nluHqcT1sw
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) August 26, 2025
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27 àâã 2025
STATIC-X's TONY CAMPOS Recalls 1999 Photo Shoot With OZZY OSBOURNE: 'He Was Just Such A Cool Dude'
 In an interview with PipemanRadio at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival in the United Kingdom, STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos spoke about legendary BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne who died late last month at the age of 76. Tony said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One of the coolest things that I can scratch off the list of shit I never thought would happen — we got to do a photo shoot with Ozzy back before our first Ozzfest in '99. And we're hanging out in our dressing room waiting for [legendary rock photographer] Ross Halfin to set up the photo shoot. And Ozzy just comes in and he just sits down and hangs out with us and starts telling us stories about BLACK SABBATH days, how he'd shoot heroin in his neck behind Tony Iommi's Marshall stacks. And we're all just like little kids listening to their grandpa tell stories. We were, like, 'Whoa, cool.' And it's just, like, he didn't have to do that. He was just such a cool dude, and he was awesome to us. And just getting to do Ozzfest that year was such a life-changing event for us. And I'm eternally grateful to him and Sharon for giving us that opportunity."
Ozzy and his wife and manager Sharon started their annual tour — Ozzfest — in 1996 after he was rejected from the lineup of what at the time was the top touring music festival, Lollapalooza. The first traveling version of Ozzfest in 1997 included MARILYN MANSON and PANTERA as part of the lineup.
Ozzy died on July 22 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 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.
Ozzy's death came a little more than two weeks after he took the stage for his final performance with BLACK SABBATH at Villa Park in the band's original hometown of Birmingham, United Kingdom. They performed four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne. | +2 | |
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Miss May I
