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16 ñåí 2025
MAX CAVALERA Defends AXL ROSE Against Online Criticism: 'Who Gives A F*** What Somebody Weighs?'
 During an appearance on a recent episode of the GUNS N' ROSES-centric Appetite For Distortion podcast, former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY frontman Max Cavalera addressed the incessant online criticism leveled at Axl Rose over the GN'R singer's supposed weight and diminished vocals, saying (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "My wife showed me the other day where there was some people shit talking Axl, and it's, like, come on, man. Fuck you all. It's such bullshit. Leave the guy alone. 'Cause I had a little bit of that. You gain a couple pounds and people gotta talk shit about your weight. What is this? Are we models? Are we Vogue models or are we rock and rollers?"
The Brazilian-born musician, who has lived in Phoenix, Arizona for more than three decades, continued: "It was never about the fucking weight. Who gives a fuck what somebody weighs? It's about the music, man. It's about what they play. It's about what you like in the music. So, yeah, I heard that and I was, like, totally, I was, like, 'Fuck this shit.' This is just cowards [talking shit online]… It's, like, what? Are you never gonna get old? Dude, it happens to everybody. All of us, most of us are gonna get old, and you're not gonna be the same… I fucking wear that shoe with pride, the white hair and the stitches. I take pride in that. It took a long time to get that."
Max went on to say that he "never got to meet Axl, but I'm sure we'd hit it off pretty good. I kind of heard that some of his assistants are Brazilian," referencing Rose's management company Team Brazil and the singer's longtime personal assistant Beta. "That is so cool."
Back in May 2016, Max weighed in on Axl filling in for AC/DC singer Brian Johnson on the legendary Australian rock band's European and North American tours after doctors told Johnson he faced "total hearing loss." Asked by Metal Wani for his opinion about the Axl-AC/DC pairing, Max said: "I don't know… It sucks, I think. I like AC/DC, man. They always were outlaws back in Australia. We used to watch 'Let There Be Rock', the movie, as kids in Brazil, and I remember [seeing an] AC/DC album [where they] had jail tattoos and shit. Bon Scott was badass, Brian Johnson was badass. But I don't think Axl really fits AC/DC. AC/DC is more, like, yeah, outlaws, and I don't think Axl is too much of an outlaw to fit in. But I don't know… It's not my band. I don't call the shots."
SOULFLY's thirteenth album, "Chama", will be released on October 24 via Nuclear Blast Records. "Chama" was recorded at the Platinum Underground Studio in Mesa, Arizona by John Aquilino. John has worked with Max and company multiple times before and is not only a talented engineer but a family friend. The album was produced by SOULFLY drummer and Max's son Zyon Cavalera and Arthur Rizk. The latter was also responsible for the mixing and mastering.
Last month, SOULFLY released a Costin Chioreanu-created lyric video for "Storm The Gates", the first single from "Chama". The track was described in a press release as "a battle cry against control and greed."
Rizk has not only worked with the Cavalera family numerous times before, but has also helped to shape the world of heavy metal in the modern day. SOULFLY enlisted Carletta Parrish to create the album artwork. For the album, Igor Amadeus Cavalera (GO AHEAD & DIE, NAILBOMB, HEALING MAGIC) played bass and Mike De Leon played guitar. The album also features Dino Cazares (FEAR FACTORY) on one of the tracks.
This past May, SOULFLY recruited Chase Bryant (WARBRINGER) to play bass on the band's European tour, which kicked off on June 7 at the South Of Heaven festival in Maastricht, Netherlands.
A month earlier, SOULFLY parted ways with the band's longtime bassist Mike Leon.
Leon, formerly of HAVOK, joined SOULFLY in September 2015 as the replacement for STATIC-X bassist Tony Campos, who left SOULFLY in May of that year.
In August 2021, SOULFLY parted ways with longtime guitarist Marc Rizzo due to personal differences. FEAR FACTORY's Dino Cazares played guitar for SOULFLY on the band's 2021 and 2022 run of shows.
Guitarist Mike DeLeon has been touring with SOULFLY for more than two years. Prior to hooking up with SOULFLY, DeLeon had been a member of PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo's solo band PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, which he joined in 2015 as the replacement for Marzi Montazeri. More recently, Mike filled in for Zakk Wylde at the first rehearsal for the fall 2022 PANTERA shows.
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16 ñåí 2025
Watch: DARK ANGEL Performs In San Antonio During First North American Tour In More Than Three Decades
 California thrash metal pioneers DARK ANGEL performed a Vibes Event Center in San Antonio, Texas on Friday, September 12. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert, courtesy of the montopolisTHRASHER channel on YouTube, can be seen below.
DARK ANGEL is touring in support of its first new album in 34 years, "Extinction Level Event", which was made available digitally on September 5 via Reversed Records.
This past June, DARK ANGEL released "Circular Firing Squad", the second single from "Extinction Level Event". The LP's first single, the "Extinction Level Event" title track, was written by DARK ANGEL guitarist Jim Durkin a decade ago, long before he suffered from severe liver disease, and, to the surprise of everyone, passed away in 2023. It was recorded and mixed at the Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, executive produced by DARK ANGEL drummer Gene Hoglan, produced and engineered by Rob Shallcross and mixed by Mike Fraser.
Durkin died on March 8, 2023 at the age of 58. An original member of DARK ANGEL, Durkin played on the band's first three albums — 1985's "We Have Arrived", "Darkness Descends" and 1989's "Leave Scars" — before departing the group in 1989. He was part of DARK ANGEL's lineup when the band reformed in 2013, and had been playing with them, on and off, ever since.
Prior to his death, Durkin had been sitting out some of DARK ANGEL's gigs. He was replaced at the shows by Hoglan's wife Laura Christine, who has since joined DARK ANGEL as a permanent member.
The "Extinction Level Event" artwork and layout was designed by Cain Gillis, with concepts by Hoglan.
"Musically, lyrically, and vocally, I'm so stoked about this album," Hoglan previously said. "I'm really excited about DARK ANGEL right now, and everyone who's heard the new album is losing their minds. Every time I'd finish a song and send it over to the guys, everybody was, 'Gene, this is my favorite song!' 'No, this is my favorite song!!' 'Dude, this is totally my favorite song!!!' That's never a bad sign."
Hoglan and Christine wrote everything except for the title track on "Extinction Level Event". Other songs appearing on the effort include "Atavistic", which is described as "a full-on three-minute thrash metal barrage", "Woke Up To Blood", the title of which stemmed from a dog attack, and "Terror Construct", which Gene wrote about the way the media and corporations team up to spread fear among the masses so they can continue to fill their pockets.
The seeds of "Extinction Level Event" were planted in late 2013 between the time when TESTAMENT stopped touring to work on their new record and Hoglan was scheduled to work on his next major project. After the first batch of writing sessions for "Extinction Level Event", Hoglan had to put writing for DARK ANGEL on hold until late 2022. With other obligations behind him, Gene laser-focused on DARK ANGEL, listening back to the jams he and Durkin made earlier, and writing more than 10 new songs over the next three months. With a full album of pummeling new songs, Hoglan flew to Vancouver to track the album at the Armory. There, he and his bandmates worked with Rob Shallcross and Mike Fraser, and over a few sessions, DARK ANGEL had recorded everything but the vocals.
Having passed away two years ago, Durkin's sudden death is still traumatic for DARK ANGEL and especially Hoglan. At the same time, he takes bittersweet pride in knowing that Jim's playing and performances live on through him and DARK ANGEL, not only when the band plays his old riffs, but also in the continued influence Durkin has on the band's new songs.
"One of the last things I told him was, 'Jim, dude, you're my original guitar hero," Hoglan recalled. "'My entire guitar style is based on your style because you are who I really learned how to play guitar from.' So, my guitar approach with DARK ANGEL is Jim Durkin's approach. When I write for the band, I'm thinking, 'What would Jim do here?' That's why his presence is massively all over this new record. Every single song. I wanted to make it to where people are like, 'Yeah, Jim wrote that riff. Oh, there's another Jim riff' because Jim wrote all the best riffs in the band, forever."
DARK ANGEL released two albums with Don Doty on vocals — the aforementioned "We Have Arrived" and "Darkness Descends" — before he exited the group and was replaced by Ron Rinehart (after a brief stint with Jim Drabos in 1987). The band issued two more studio LPs — "Leave Scars" and "Time Does Not Heal" — before calling it quits in 1992.
In a recent interview with San Antonio Current, Hoglan stated about his songwriting approach for "Extinction Level Event": "Really, the best way to move forward with a new set of DARK ANGEL material would be to acknowledge those earlier eras, of course. They're very important parts of the DARK ANGEL legacy. But anybody who knows DARK ANGEL — who's familiar with our trajectory — also will be very cognizant of the fact that we've never repeated ourselves on record. The first album, 'We Have Arrived', did not sound like 'Darkness Descends', and 'Darkness' didn't sound like 'Leave Scars' and 'Time Does Not Heal'. So, anybody who considers themselves a DARK ANGEL fan, they will be well aware of the evolutionary process of DARK ANGEL, the non-repeating of sounds and approaches. So, ultimately, I just kind of felt, 'Well, hey, what if we were to just take the approach of what if DARK ANGEL just kept putting out records throughout this entire 30-plus-year period. Where would the band be right now?' And that was kind of the most appealing approach.
"I'm not going to try to replicate 'Darkness Descends', or 'Time Does Not Heal' or 'Leave Scars' or 'We Have Arrived', for that matter," he clarified. "But, writing from here and now, this is very, very DARK ANGEL — what it's like to write as a DARK ANGEL of our current abilities and mindsets and approaches. So, that was the best way of moving forward with writing new material — for me anyway. That made it really, really exciting."
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16 ñåí 2025
SAXON's BIFF BYFORD Completes First Round Of Chemotherapy For Bowel Cancer Treatment
 SAXON frontman Biff Byford has shared a new video message in which he offered an update on his battle with bowl cancer. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's Biff here. Just checking in to let you know how things are going. Yeah, so I went through the first chemo. I'm feeling pretty good, actually. A bit brutal at times, but I had a week off, so I'm feeling good now."
Referencing SAXON's upcoming tour, Biff continued: "Yeah, Belfast is sold out, by the way, so get your tickets bought for the rest of the shows. Everything's going well. So, yeah, I'm gonna be out getting fit, exercising in a couple of weeks, [getting] ready [for the tour]. At the moment, [I'm] writing the new [SAXON] album. There's a track playing in the background, actually. If you can listen, check it out.
"So, yeah, we'll see everybody in November," he added. "And I'll give you an update later on, next month, to see how everything's going. So yeah, keep the faith and peace and quiet. See you soon."
Although Biff released a video message last month in which he implied that he underwent an operation to remove "a small tumor" from his "prostate gland", he later clarified that he was actually diagnosed with bowel cancer, which is cancer that is found anywhere in the large bowel, including the colon and rectum. Byford is now being treated with chemotherapy for "a short period", resulting in the cancelation of a couple of shows and the postponement of several others.
On August 19, Biff released the following message via social media: "Firstly thanks to everyone for their wonderful messages of support it really does mean a great deal to me.
"Following Friday's post I just wanted to clear up a couple of things that seem to have been slightly misinterpreted. Firstly, I just want to quickly clarify that I actually have bowel cancer not prostate cancer although I did have a scan on my prostate. Also, as reported in some media, we have not postponed all of our upcoming shows, only the shows that clashed with my chemotherapy treatment sessions.
"All of our special UK & Ireland 'Hell, Fire & Steel' tour dates this November are still going ahead as planned. There are not many tickets left now for these shows so grab them quick so as not to be disappointed. This will be the very last time we play our classic hit album 'Wheels Of Steel' from start to finish in the UK. We are also still playing Metal Hammer Paradise in Lübeck, Germany this November too. All of the rescheduled shows will be announced here imminently too.
"Tickets for all shows are available from www.saxon747.com.
"Thanks again for all your amazing support."
Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the U.K.
Byford underwent surgery on July 8 to remove the cancer.
According to Cancer Research UK, patients are likely to have chemotherapy after surgery for colon cancer if they have stage 2 cancer and their cancer has features which increase the risk of it coming back, or if they have stage 3 cancer. Patients don't usually need chemotherapy if they have stage 1 colon cancer.
Biff previously said that his cancer was revealed when he underwent an MRI scan on his prostate gland before he went to America a few months ago.
According to the singer, his operation was "successful" and the doctors "got all the cancer out, but they just need to make sure there's none floating around in my bloodstream." He added that his prognosis is "good" and his "cure is progressing."
In August 2024, Biff underwent a "procedure" to treat atrial flutter, a type of heart rhythm abnormality, or arrhythmia, that causes the heart's upper chambers (atria) to beat too quickly.
In September 2019, Biff suffered a heart attack and underwent an emergency triple bypass surgery.
SAXON's latest album, "Hell, Fire And Damnation", marked the band's first release with new guitarist Brian Tatler (DIAMOND HEAD).
"Hell, Fire And Damnation" was produced by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, EXODUS, ACCEPT) and Byford, with Sneap mixing and mastering.
In early 2023, SAXON guitarist Paul Quinn announced that he was stepping back from touring with the band. As a result of his decision, SAXON canceled its April 2023 South American tour as well as the appearance at the Monsters Of Rock cruise. Quinn has since been replaced on the road by Tatler.
Brian has been touring with fellow guitarist Doug Scarratt, drummer Nigel Glockler, bassist Tim "Nibbs" Carter and Byford since mid-2023, but continues to be a member of DIAMOND HEAD.
Byford and Quinn are the sole remaining original members in SAXON's current lineup.
Originally from South Yorkshire, England, SAXON has gone on to sell about 23 million albums and has produced such classic songs as "Denim And Leather", "Princess Of The Night", "Wheels Of Steel" and "Power And Glory". | +2 | |
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16 ñåí 2025
P.O.D.'s MARCOS CURIEL: 'We're Probably The Truest Form Of Rock And Roll There Is'
 In a recent interview with American Musical Supply, P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel was asked if it's "accurate" to say that he and his bandmates are still "hungry" and "have something to prove, like there's a chip" on their shoulders. Marcos responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think it's very accurate. Nobody's ever given us anything. We've had to work super hard to get to where we're at and always kind of prove ourselves over and over again. No matter what accolades and what we've accomplished, it always feels like we're trying to prove ourselves to show it to ourselves, but show it to people around us. 'Cause this industry's constantly evolving and there's people coming and going and you get new heads in there that they're, like, 'What?' And you're, like, 'Bro, I've been here for years. Who are you?' But I've gotta prove myself to you now. And we just kind of gave up on that, because whether you love P.O.D. or you hate P.O.D., you know who P.O.D. is. That's the bottom line. So we're done trying to prove ourselves. We're done trying to cater and please people.
"I like to refer to ourselves as the old freight train — solid steel," he continued. "Trends come and go, and we'll just keep chugging right along, and we stay relevant because we're not following the trends. We're doing what we've always done. We're being 100 percent organic, P.O.D. ourselves, four kids from a garage that grew up with a dream. And we have our own sound. And it's hard to have your own sound. People are still trying to find their sound, and people are chasing sounds. We got our own, and that's what I love about it. 'Cause whether you like it or don't, that's our sound, baby."
When one of the interviewers noted that P.O.D.'s sound has sometimes been "pigeonholed" as part of the "nu metal" movement when there is "so much more" variety to P.O.D.'s music, Marcos concurred. "This band has kind of had that curse," he said. "Whether it's the 'nu metal' label, whether it's the 'Christian' label, hether it's… I don't know. There's just so many different — the 'positivity' label. There's so many different things that when we started wasn't cool to some people. But I like to take it back, 'cause I'm a big music lover — we are as a band — and we're probably the truest form of rock and roll there is. You go back to the roots, you've got Elvis Presley, who was God-fearing. He had his struggles. And you've got Johnny Cash. God-fearing individuals that made kick-ass music. P.O.D. does the same thing. We were inspired, though, by the Santanas, the Bob Marleys, the U2s, and we were, like, 'Why can't we do this with our sound?' Now it's kind of a trend, which is fine, to be a little more positive, because it was all about being emo, dark, evil, pissed off, which is fine. But if you do your research with P.O.D., there's a little bit of everything. We have party songs, we have songs dealing with so many different issues, but we always bring it back to a positive place."
This past May, Marcos spoke to the Rock Brothers Podcast about P.O.D.'s musical evolution since the band's formation more than three decades ago. He said: "When we started, man, it wasn't like everybody opened their arms and welcomed us in. There's a lot of taboo when it comes to P.O.D. There's the spiritual angle, then there's the rap angle, ethnic angle, the reggae. We like to mix it up. And a lot of people that listen to metal or rock have tunnel vision. And throughout the years, we just stayed consistent, doing us.
"We come from an era where everybody sounded different," Marcos explained. "Right now a lot of bands sound alike. When we grew up, it was RAGE [AGAINST THE MACHINE], BODY COUNT, [RED HOT] CHILI PEPPERS — just those three alone. NIRVANA, PEARL JAM, they all sound different, and they all have their own unique sound. And the thing about P.O.D. — I don't care whether you love us or hate us, when you hear us, you know who we are. And that right there is a blessing in itself. We're not chasing the carrot. At one point some people try to get us to do that, and we're, like, 'Dude, we're just P.O.D. Take it or leave it.'"
Elaborating on some of the pushback he and his P.O.D. bandmates received early on, Curiel said: "What's crazy is when we got signed to Atlantic, back then it wasn't even a thing for rock bands to be adding features. But we're hip-hop fans, so we were, like, 'Hey, man, why don't we add H.R. from BAD BRAINS or Eek-A-Mouse?' And the label at the time was, like, 'What are you guys doing? You're a rock band.' And we were, like, 'Exactly. This is what we think is cool and this is what we like.' And look at it — now everyone's doing features.
"The evolution is organic," Marcos explained. "It's not contrived. And we always hear bands that are, like, 'Oh, you need to check us out, man. We do this, do this.' And we listen and we're, like, 'I get you're trying to do that. I get it, but it doesn't sound fresh. It doesn't sound organic.' And I'm not a music snob, 'cause we're all about vibes and how it feels when you hear something. 'Oh, that's sick.' And when it's organic, I think people are just drawn to it. And some people don't get it. They're, like, 'What is this?'"
P.O.D. joined U.S. hard rockers GODSMACK as special guests on their March/April 2025 European tour. The trek kicked off on March 22 with a sold-out show at the Sofia Arena in Bulgaria and then made stops in Romania (Bucharest),Hungary (Budapest),Poland (Gliwice),Austria (Vienna),Croatia (Zagreb),Czech Republic (Prague),Germany (Munich, Berlin, Offenbach),U.K. (London),Belgium (Brussels),before finishing with two shows in Germany, Hamburg, and finally April 12 at the Turbinenhalle in Oberhausen.
In May last year, P.O.D. released its 11th album, "Veritas", via Mascot Records. The album was a Top 10 hit across the U.S. Billboard Current Hard Rock, Current Rock, and Current Alternative album charts, and has already surpassed 48 million streams.
P.O.D. has released several singles from the album including "Drop", "Afraid To Die", "I Got That" and "I Won't Bow Down".
"Drop" features a vicious vocal feature from LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe, while the equally eruptive single "Afraid To Die" features JINJER vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk.
As well as releasing "Veritas", P.O.D. has toured with SKINDRED, who between them brought the party in a major way to the U.K. They bulldozed through Europe with euphoric festival sets at Graspop Metal Meeting, Summerside and Rock For People. They supported MUDVAYNE, took on their blistering U.S. "I Got That" headline tour with special guests BAD WOLVES and NORMA JEAN, and festival stops at Louder Than Life, Aftershock, Sonic Temple, Welcome To Rockville and made waves on the ShipRocked cruise. They spent October 2024 touring Latin America, playing Knotfest and headline shows in Brazil as well as shows in Chile, Colombia and Mexico.
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16 ñåí 2025
SNOT's JOHN FAHNESTOCK: 'We Wouldn't Be Back If It Wasn't For' Our New Singer ANDY KNAPP
 In a new interview with Two Dudes Talk Music, bassist John "Tumor" Fahnestock spoke about SNOT return to the live stage and the reactivated Santa Barbara-based metal/punk rock hybrid's plans for the coming months. Referencing the fact that Andy Knapp of fellow Southern California band STRONGER THAN MACHINES made his live debut with SNOT on January 17 at the Parish room at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California, John said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Honestly, now it's a whole different ball game with Andy Knapp. We finally felt we found our singer. In the past it was more of a, like, 'Hey, let's get out and play these songs 'cause we wanna jam them again.' Mikey [Doling, SNOT guitarist] and Jamie [Miller, SNOT drummer] and myself, we love playing these songs. And it wasn't about, like, 'We're back.' But now SNOT is back. We finally found a singer [who is] exactly what we've been looking for. And what he's pulling now is just mind-blowing. The response, how people are embracing him on social networking, coming out to see the band, was totally unexpected. Yeah, we wouldn't be back if it wasn't for Andy Knapp. So I just wanna say that there's no other 'after Andy.' This is one and all, this is the final hurrah. And if we're gonna break and we're gonna go again, this is why we're back right now."
Asked if that means that there will be more touring and new music coming from SNOT next year, John said: "Well, we're already booked into 2026. We've already got two [new] songs that we knocked out with [producer] Chris Collier, who works with KORN. In November, we finalize the vocals, and then we hope to drop something in the beginning of the year. That's what's going down. And it's from the heart. It sounds just like fucking SNOT. 'Cause the way Mikey writes and the way I write and the way everything jells… And Jamie just finished the drums. He took a break from BAD RELIGION, and we instantly got him in the studio. So everything's laid down. We're just working on the vocals now."
Earlier this month, Doling told Ore Bihovsky of TotalRock's "Louder" radio show about SNOT's return to the live stage: "I'm really excited, first of all. Just having SNOT back — [I] never expected it. We found a new singer who's amazing, and he made it all possible. And we put some tickets on sale and they're all selling out, all the shows, and we're pretty blown away. We're very grateful to be doing it and super stoked."
Asked how it feels to have Knapp fronting SNOT, three decades after the band's formation and 27 years after the passing of the group's original vocalist Lynn Strait, Doling said: "Honestly, it feels kind of like it used to, with Andy. Andy brought energy to the band that we haven't seen or had since Lynn Strait… Having Andy in the band, he's brought that energy again to us. The shows are full of energy. It's wild, man."
After Ore noted that this is the first time that he has heard the members of SNOT say that the band is officially "back", Doling clarified: "Well, before, when we [played gigs with other vocalists], it was more like we wanted to fucking just get together and play. We weren't really focused on new music or promotion or selling shows. We didn't give a shit. We just wanted to go out and play. This time, we feel like we found the right singer. Also, that it's the right time to actually bring it back full blown. So we're getting in the studio, we're recording new music, we're booking tours. We've got the booking agent. And we're just going full-on, man, and it's great."
Asked about new SNOT music and whether the band is working with a record label at the moment, Mikey said: "I think what's going on is that… There's been a couple of labels that reached out, but they were not the ones that we'd be interested in working with. And I wanted to wait till we started thinking about that kind of stuff until we recorded a couple songs and see where we are. Well, we have recorded a couple of new songs, and we're working with Chris Collier, the producer — a fantastic producer. He just did the last couple of KORN records, he's done the last few PRONG records. He's amazing, and he and I click musically. So, we're working together on some new songs. It's going very well. It's funky. It's punk. It's got attitude. It's cool. It sounds like old SNOT. And we're trying to keep it like that. We don't wanna change the sound. We wanna keep it like 1996, '97 — lots of wah pedal, lots of grooves, some heavy punk influences. It's cool."
Regarding when fans can expect to hear some new SNOT music, Doling said: "I'm hoping by the end of the year or maybe the beginning of the year 2026. I think we're going to drop a single, and maybe a couple months after that drop something another one. It'd be cool to have two songs out next year. And during the next year, we're gonna try to complete an entire album. So I've got — I don't know — seven or eight new songs written. We've recorded two. It's just a matter of having the time to get in the studio. We're playing so much, we're out on the road, and getting everybody in the same room, it's a little hard. It is challenging, but, we're making it happen."
This past July, SNOT entered Dead End Studios in Palm Desert, California with Collier to lay down tracks for two brand new songs.
SNOT recruited former GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin to sit behind the kit for the band's performance in May at the Welcome To Rockville festival at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Due to Miller's touring commitments with BAD RELIGION, he was unable to make the date.
In April, SNOT recruited Doc Coyle (GOD FORBID, ex-BAD WOLVES) as the band's touring guitarist after the group's recent split with Sonny Mayo.
The news of Mayo's departure was broken by Doling, who stated in a video message at the time: "Sonny Mayo has decided to quit SNOT. SNOT doesn't fit into his life right now, and he just wants to focus on himself and his life. And SNOT's just too busy for him to be able to continue.
"So I'd like to wish Sonny Mayo the best of luck in his future, and I wanna thank him for all he's contributed to SNOT over the years. We love you, brother," Mikey continued.
"That being said, our very, very good friend from GOD FORBID, formerly BAD WOLVES, Doc Coyle, is going to be filling in on guitar for the upcoming shows. And we're excited to have him on board. And thank you very much, Doc Coyle."
SNOT disbanded in 1998 following Strait's death, putting an end to a career that generated considerable promise but only one studio album, "Get Some". The band had been writing material for its sophomore CD and had completed 10 songs at the time of Strait's tragic passing. As a memorial to Strait, SNOT eventually decided to release those tracks, with lyrics and guest vocals provided by a host of stars from the alt-metal community. The resulting album, "Strait Up", was a fitting tribute from Strait's peers and friends, featuring members of LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, SLIPKNOT, SEVENDUST, (HED) P.E., COAL CHAMBER, SUGAR RAY, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SOULFLY, and more.
SNOT in 2014 recruited Carl Bensley (VITIATE, CONSUME THE FIRE) to sing for the band following the departure of Tommy "Vext" Cummings (ex-DIVINE HERESY, BAD WOLVES).
According to the Los Angeles Times, Lynn died in died in a car accident in December 1998 as he attempted to drive across Highway 101 in Mussel Shoals, California. The 30-year-old singer died instantly after his 1992 Ford Tempo was broadsided by a southbound full-size pickup truck about noon. Also killed was Strait's small bulldog, SNOT's mascot Dobbs, who adorned the cover of the band's debut album, the 1997 Geffen Records release "Get Some". Strait, a Santa Barbara resident, was crossing the highway after visiting his girlfriend in the community. Lynn apparently pulled into the path of the truck, which was going about 65 mph. The impact sent Strait's car spinning into the center divider where it stopped, a California Highway Patrol officer told the Los Angeles Times at the time.
Cummings fronted SNOT in 2008-2009 before he and Mayo exited the group amid "strained relationships."
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16 ñåí 2025
See SCORPIONS' Entire Concert In Bucharest, Romania During 60th-Anniversary Tour
 Legendary hard rockers SCORPIONS played at Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania on September 11 as part of their 60th-anniversary tour. Fan-filmed video of the entire concert can be seen below.
The setlist for the "Coming Home To Romania - 60 Years Of Scorpions" show was as follows (with time stamps for video):
00:00 Intro
03:08 Coming Home
07:05 Gas In The Tank
10:48 Make It Real
15:00 The Zoo
21:50 Coast To Coast
27:20 Top Of The Bill / Steamrock Fever / Speedy's Coming / Catch Your Train
36:15 Bad Boys Running Wild
40:30 Delicate Dance
46:00 Send Me an Angel
50:23 Wind of Change
56:05 Loving You Sunday Morning
1:00:15 New Vision (Mikkey Dee drum solo)
1:07:37 Tease Me Please Me
1:13:05 Big City Nights
1:22:25 Still Loving You
1:28:45 Blackout
1:33:10 Rock You Like a Hurricane
Last month, SCORPIONS recruited ALICE COOPER bassist Chuck Garric to play bass for the band for their five-show residency at PH Live at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Nevada. Garric filled in for longtime SCORPIONS bassist Paweł Mąciwoda, who was unable to make the shows due to an unspecified scheduling conflict.
SCORPIONS' performances at PH Live kicked off on August 14 and ran through August 23. The band previously enjoyed sold-out residencies in 2002 and 2024.
In January, SCORPIONS postponed their 2025 Las Vegas residency due to drummer Mikkey Dee's recovery from his hospitalization.
SCORPIONS' latest studio album, "Rock Believer"Peppermint Park Studios in Hannover, Germany and was mixed at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, Germany with engineer Michael Ilbert, who has earned multiple Grammy nominations for his mix work with producer Max Martin on albums by Taylor Swift and Katy Perry.
SCORPIONS originally intended to record "Rock Believer" in Los Angeles with producer Greg Fidelman, whose previous credits include SLIPKNOT and METALLICA. However, because of the pandemic, some of the initial work was done with Greg remotely, after which SCORPIONS opted to helm the recordings themselves with the help of their engineer Hans-Martin Buff.
SCORPIONS' latest album marked their first release since 2017's "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", which was an anthology of new and classic material.
SCORPIONS' previous full-length collection of new recordings was "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD. | +1 | |
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16 ñåí 2025
CHERIE CURRIE On Decision To Stop Touring: 'There Just Comes A Time When You Have To Say 'Enough''
 In a new interview with The Rockpit, Cherie Currie, the trailblazing rock icon and former frontwoman of the groundbreaking band THE RUNAWAYS, spoke about her decision to embark on her final Australian tour. Set to take place in September, the trek will mark the first time Currie has graced Australian stages since her debut Australian tour in 2016. Cherie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I still love doing shows here and there, and I've been doing festivals, things like that. And I really miss doing the really intimate things where I can shake people's hands and put the microphone in front of your face and we sing together. It's so important to me to have that connection with the audience. And I just really realize that there just comes a time when you just have to say 'enough'. And I have loved performing THE RUNAWAYS songs. I'm the only one that does it. But I just have that feeling like right now it's just time to hang it up a little bit — the touring. It's tough. So, what do I say? One thing I'll miss are the fans, but it's so important to really pay homage to them because it wasn't for the fans, I wouldn't be coming out there."
Asked if she has any plans to release a new studio album at some point in the not-too-distant future, Currie said: "No plans to do that. I do a lot of session work and I perform on a lot of tribute albums and I do duets with other artists. And that's really fun. I've got a studio in my home, so I don't have a producer telling me what to do. And I just get to be my authentic self, and they're very happy with what I deliver. So, I really do enjoy that. And I'm gonna continue doing a show here and there. I'll always sing, because I do love it and I do love performing and I was born to do it. So, I'll do a show here and there. It's gonna be sad to say goodbye to touring, but that's okay."
As one of rock's true pioneers, Currie exploded on to the music scene in the 1970s as the unmistakable teenage voice of THE RUNAWAYS, delivering anthems like "Cherry Bomb" that redefined what it meant to be a young, fearless woman in rock 'n' roll so much though that she was described as the "lost daughter of Iggy Pop and Bridgette Bardot".
Alongside her bandmates in THE RUNAWAYS, she shattered barriers, inspired generations of female rockers, and cemented her place in music history.
But Cherie is more than just a rock legend. She's a style icon, celebrated for her edgy, daring style that continues to influence trends today. Her iconic corsets, platform boots, and glam-punk flair are still a source of inspiration in pop culture.
Currie's talents have also shone beyond the stage. As an actress, she starred alongside Jodie Foster in the 1980 classic "Foxes", a film that captured the spirit of youth and rebellion. More recently, her life and career were immortalized in the acclaimed biopic "The Runaways", starring Dakota Fanning as Cherie and Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett.
For this farewell tour, Currie promises fans a high-energy setlist packed with RUNAWAYS hits, solo favorites, and surprises, celebrating her remarkable journey in rock.
Currie's latest solo album, "Blvds Of Splendor", was released in April 2020 as a digital release via Blackheart Records. The LP featured guest collaborations with Billy Corgan of SMASHING PUMPKINS, Slash and Duff McKagan from GUNS N' ROSES, as well as Juliette Lewis, Brody Dalle, THE VERONICAS and ex-GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER drummer Matt Sorum, who also produced the set. | +1 | |
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16 ñåí 2025
DISTURBED Inducted Into ILLINOIS ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME
 DISTURBED was inducted into the Illinois Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on Sunday, September 14th at the Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, Illinois. The members of DISTURBED were inducted by Frank Mastalerz, who has been in the concert industry, booking and producing shows for over 30 years.
In his acceptance speech, DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's been a great honor. We've come a long way from playing in a public storage unit back in the '90s and playing all the great bars — anyone who'd let us play, from Champs to Sidetracked to J.J. Kelley's. And Frank would always be there from the beginning promoting and supporting all local, original bands and still keeping it alive to this day."
Dan added: "But thank you all, thank you to our families, our kids who were a big part of this journey and the sacrifices to allow us to go out on the road and do what we do. And my brothers David [Draiman, DISTURBED singer], Mike [Wengren, DISTURBED drummer], John [Moyer, DISTURBED bassist], who's in Texas right now, and Fuzz [Steve Kmak], our original bass player. Jeff Battaglia, our former manager. And Q Prime, who we are with now. Thank you very much, guys. What a great honor."
Wengren said: "I just wanna say thanks to my kids, our kids, our families, especially the ones that can't be here tonight. Without all of our dedicated fans, we wouldn't be here, especially here in Illinois, Chicago, South Side."
Addressing the fact that DISTURBED was originally supposed to perform at this year's Illinois Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, Mike added: "And, hey, just for the record, we did wanna perform tonight, but they told us we couldn't 'cause they were worried we were gonna burn their banners down too," apparently referring to reports that pyrotechnics during DISTURBED's March 2025 concert at the United Center in Chicago caused damage to the Chicago Bulls' NBA championship banners.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Donegan, Wengren, of Chicago's Archer Heights neighborhood, Kmak, from Oak Lawn, and Draiman, of Chicago's North Side, formed DISTURBED in 1996 and once lived together in Evergreen Park.
"Back then, we didn't have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. We'd work our day jobs, come home and make fliers and cassette tapes and spread out and go to every concert that came to town to promote," Donegan told the Chicago Tribune back in 2016. "All the bands who came up like we did at the time — SOIL, NO ONE, CRASH POET and BALLISTIC — this is what we and our buddies from the South Side had to do to promote. You had to be your own street team or recruit friends to get the word out. I'm not knocking today's technology, but for us that work ethic made us continue to always know that nothing is going to come easy."
Donegan went on to say that DISTURBED and other bands from the South Side had to work harder to be embraced by the fans than the North Side acts.
"The South Side bands were more of the outcasts. That gave us more of a reason to not just push open doors, but knock them down to be heard and taken seriously," Donegan said. "We weren't really welcomed into clubs like the Metro and Double Door. So we made a name for ourselves in clubs like Sidetracked (Lemont),Champs (Burbank),O'Malley's (Alsip) and J.J. Kelley's (Lansing)."
DISTURBED kicked off the U.S. leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" on February 25 at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, Idaho. The trek celebrated 25 years of DISTURBED's seminal debut album which launched the band into public consciousness and is one of the most important and influential heavy metal albums of all time.
Later this year, DISTURBED will embark on the European leg of "The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour" with support from MEGADETH.
Since "The Sickness" was released in 2000, the album was certified five times platinum by the RIAA, spent a total of 106 weeks on the US Billboard 200 chart, and Revolver named it one of "Top 25 Debut Hard Rock Albums." Billboard said of the title track upon release: "'Down With The Sickness' is, of course, the quintessential DISTURBED song, harnessing all the band's seethe and its now-famous tribal beat and guitar chug into three and a half minutes of alt-metal mayhem. It's menacing, it's rhythmic, it's rebellious."
In February, DISTURBED released a new single, "I Will Not Break", via the band's own label, Mother Culture Records.
PUT YOUR FISTS UP!! And welcome home Chicagoland's own DISTURBED for a special performance at the Illinois Rock and Roll...
Posted by 95.9 The River on Wednesday, February 26, 2025 | +1 | |
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16 ñåí 2025
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16 ñåí 2025
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's JESSE LEACH Announces Launch Of His First-Ever Signature Necklace
 KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach will come to York, United Kingdom to officially launch his jewelry line in collaboration with Black Feather Design at Nox Of York on Friday, October 10, 2025. The day will start with a ticketed live question-and-answer session, hosted by Kerrang! and Planet Rock's Steve Beebee at Bedern Hall, on Bartle Garth just off Goodramgate.
This will be a great chance for fans to get an insight into Jesse Leach. There will be the opportunity for fans to ask their own questions at the end. Jesse will then come to Nox Of York (around 100 yards away on Goodramgate) where the official jewelry launch and signing will take place for dedicated fans to come and have a meet-and-greet with the metal icon.
Hannah from Nox first met Jesse back in 2023 when they headlined U.K.'s Bloodstock Open Air festival, where she frequently works as artist liaison.
"To work with Jesse on this collaboration for the last two years has been a true honor," she says. "His creativity and patience with the process has been incredibly validating and we're so proud to to have been trusted with such a special piece."
Jesse commented: "I am honored and stoked to talk about the launch of my first-ever signature necklace."
This event is on sale now on the Nox Of York web site at £15 per ticket and will be seated, limited to 50 capacity. Doors open from 10:30 a.m. and the event will start at 11 a.m. for approximately one hour.
In a video message, Jesse said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " Hey, good people. This is Jesse Leach from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, and I'm honored and stoked to talk about the launch of my first-ever signature necklace. This is with the help of Black Feather Design.
"I met Hannah from Black Feather at the Bloodstock festival in England a few years ago, and ever since then I've been watching what they do and their jewelry and their vibe, and I love it. So between Hannah [and] Oli from Black Feather and myself, we talked about a collaboration, and it's finally here. You may have seen it online already. There is a pre-order up, but I'm here to talk to you about it in person, and I'm actually wearing it, which is super cool. This is the large design and there's a smaller design as well. And as you can see, two axes crossed with a feather.
"I've already gotten questions about what it means," he continued. "So the feather is my love of nature and of birds, especially birds of prey and raptors. I have a red-tailed hawk tattooed across my chest. And here where I live in the Catskill mountains, I get to watch bald eagles hunt on a regular basis. Very fascinating, if you've never seen it. So [I] just love birds and nature. The axes represent my love of fire. And also I chopped wood for a living when I was younger. And it represents heritage as well. It's how we were able to survive, heat our homes, eat, gather around as a community. So it just seemed like those things put together was a really good representation of me and what I love.
"So we're gonna launch this thing in person on October 10th, which is a Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Bedern Hall in York, England," Jesse added. "I'll be doing a Q&A followed by an in-store appearance at Nox Of York, where you can come hang, get a photo, have a chat and check out the jewelry line. So again, you can pre-order this, and also be sure to get your tickets to come hang and see me. And let's do this. My first-ever signature series necklace. I cannot wait for you guys to see this in person.
"Thank you so much to Hannah and Oli for helping me come up with a design. Thank you for believing in me, and let's do this thing. I'll see you guys on October 10th. Can't wait. All hails." | +1 | |
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16 ñåí 2025
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16 ñåí 2025
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16 ñåí 2025
DIMMU BORGIR's SILENOZ Wants To Do A 'Proper Tour' Of U.S. After Release Of New Album: 'It's Not Gonna Be Easy', He Admits
 During an appearance on a recent episode of the Iblis Manifestations podcast, DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Silenoz (real name: Sven Atle Kopperud) once again confirmed that he and his bandmates are working on the long-awaited follow-up to 2018's "Eonian" album. Speaking about how DIMMU BORGIR's longtime record label, Nuclear Blast, feels about the lengthy gaps between the band last couple of records, Silenoz said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "We have been fortunate in the sense that we've had priority on the label, obviously. And, yeah, sure, if we were a band that was less popular or less successful in the eyes of the label, we would probably got like a phone call, 'Hey, we need the album now.' But they never stressed us once about, 'Oh, we need the album now. We need the album now,' because they know that if we get to spend the time we need on the music, they will get a product that they can support and sell, and it will sell. So from their point of view, they know that they not to interfere with our creativity. And that's another thing that I'm really proud of, is that we never compromise, despite what probably common people think, 'Oh, they do what the label tells them to do,' blah, blah. No, never. We've always done it our way. And we even told the label a few times that, 'Let's hold on and let's do it this way.' And then the label has come back to us and said, 'Yeah, you made the right choice.' At least we know what we think is best for our art, and so we never had any issues there."
Regarding the fact that DIMMU BORGIR's next album will once again arrive nearly a decade after the band's previous collection of new material, Silenoz said: "We said [after 'Eonian' came out], 'Oh, it's not gonna take eight years until the next one.' But if you shave off the pandemic years, it's not gonna be eight years, really. Because we spent our time well, and we have been crafting the new stuff. Not to talk too much about it, 'cause it's still in the process, but great songs take time. Sometimes it doesn't have to take long to make a great song, but you never know. There's no template for that. And you just have to take the time it takes. As long as we can craft it in our tempo, it's gonna be good."
Looking ahead to the release of the new DIMMU BORGIR LP, Silenoz said: "I think for the next year it's gonna be a very eventful thing for us, with the new album coming out and things are on schedule, as much schedule as we can say. So, we're looking forward to the next few couple of years. And, yeah, I can't wait to share the new stuff. It's always something I look forward to. And once it's done, to get the physical copy in your hands and you can see the physicality of your work, so to speak… It's something you don't take for granted. And let's face it, we could probably record an album every second year or whatever, but what's the point? If you don't have the right intent and conviction behind it, then it's bound to flop and fail."
Asked if DIMMU BORGIR will tour in support of the new album, Silenoz said: "Yeah, I think so. We're gonna do as much as we make room for, I guess, in our day and age. [Laughs] I don't know how it's gonna be with the U.S. yet right now. I know it's doable to do a tour there, but it's not gonna be easy, with new costs and the tripled, quadruple costs and whatnot. But that's another thing that obviously fans maybe don't think about. It's getting more and more widely known now that's the case. But we'll see how we can get around it. We haven't been on a proper tour in the States for 10 years, at least — 12, 14 years, something like that. We had a few shows, one-offs here and there — New York, Chicago, I think it was, and a couple in Canada — but not like a tour. So, that'd be good if we can get that sorted. I'm looking forward to that… We'll definitely have a proper headline tour [in Europe]. So, yeah, next year should be good."
At this year's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, Silenoz was asked how he knows that a DIMMU BORGIR album is finished and it's time to unleashed it on to the rest of the world. Silenoz said: "Well, it's always that time where you can work and work and work on it, but at the same time you have to let it go. It's the same when you have a kid and it grows up. You have to let it out of its shell somehow, and once that's done, yeah, then it's done. But certain albums, we live with the songs for so many years before we actually record them. So we can go back and forth, back and forth, and when we finally then go to the main studio to record all the parts again, then we pretty much have everything set. 'Cause we demo everything down to the smallest little detail before we go and record actual albums, so we can live with the songs and figure out the small tweaks here and there. Even after months and maybe even years, you can go back, and it's, like, 'Yeah, let's tweak it a little bit there.'"
Regarding what advice he would give to young up-and-upcoming musicians who have a vision of starting a band, Silenoz said: "Well, I would say try and find your place in the group or in the band constellation and do whatever you are good at. And there's a place for everybody in the band in that sense. And try and figure out who is the more leader type, because not everybody can be a leader. Let's face it — being in a band is not a democracy. It only works up to a certain point. Everybody wants to be there when you take the easy decisions and the cool decisions, but when you have to do the bad decisions and the negative ones and all that stuff, then that's when you separate from the democracy and to the leadership."
Asked if the leadership of DIMMU BORGIR is a 50-50 split between him and vocalist Shagrath (real name: Stian Tomt Thoresen),Silenoz said: "You know what? I think there's very few things that we disagree on. I tend to look at all the other stuff that we actually do agree on. And we have the same drive now more than probably ever, although that probably sounds a bit weird, but that's a fact. And I think we have the respect for each other and for our brand and for our history and legacy to not mess it up, if you know what I mean. So, yeah, if there's a hard decision to be made, then we do it together."
This past June, DIMMU BORGIR announced Kjell Åge "Damage" Karlsen as the band's new guitarist. Karlsen, who previously played with Shagrath in the long-running Norwegian rock act CHROME DIVISION, made his live debut with DIMMU BORGIR on June 27 at the Tons Of Rock festival in Oslo, Norway.
Longtime DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Galder (real name Thomas Rune Andersen) announced his departure from the band in the summer of 2024, explaining that he wanted to reactivate his OLD MAN'S CHILD project.
The now-48-year-old Galder played his final concert with DIMMU BORGIR on August 17, 2024 as the headliner of the main stage at Dynamo Metal Fest in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Galder is a founding member of the melodic black metal band OLD MAN'S CHILD, with whom he released one EP and seven studio albums between 1994 and 2009.
DIMMU BORGIR's current lineup is officially a duo comprising Shagrath on lead vocals and Silenoz on rhythm guitar. They are joined by session musicians Karlsen on guitar, Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski on drums (since 2008),Geir "Gerlioz" Bratland on keyboards (since 2010) and Victor Brandt on bass (since 2018).
DIMMU BORGIR's latest album, "Eonian", came out in 2018. The LP was released right in time for the band's 25th anniversary in 2018, about eight years after its predecessor, "Abrahadabra". Since then, DIMMU BORGIR has played various tours all around the world, including shows at leading metal festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Hellfest.
DIMMU BORGIR released a collection of its cover songs, "Inspiratio Profanus", in December 2023 via Nuclear Blast Records. "Inspiratio Profanus" featured the first single "Black Metal" by VENOM, "Perfect Strangers" (DEEP PURPLE),"Burn In Hell" (TWISTED SISTER) and renditions from CELTIC FROST, as well as other influential artists.
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16 ñåí 2025
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16 ñåí 2025
Watch: CANDLEMASS Performs With Singer MESSIAH MARCOLIN For First Time In Nearly 20 Years
 A one-off world-exclusive CANDLEMASS concert featuring the band's former vocalist Messiah Marcolin took place Saturday night (September 13) at this year's edition of the Rock Hard Festival Greece in Athens, Greece. It marked Marcolin's first performance with CANDLEMASS in nearly 20 years.
The band's setlist for the show was as follows:
01. The Well Of Souls
02. Dark Are The Veils Of Death
03. Mirror Mirror
04. Darkness In Paradise
05. Bewitched
06. Samarithan
07. Black Dwarf
08. Crystal Ball
09. A Sorcerer's Pledge
Encore:
10. At The Gallows End
11. Solitude
Fan-filmed video of the entire gig can be seen below.
Back in May, CANDLEMASS leader Leif Edling reiterated that the band's reunion concert with Marcolin would be a one-off event, with no chance of further dates being added.
In an interview with Sakis Fragos of Rock Hard Greece, Edling stated about CANDLEMASS's concert with Messiah: "Well, it feels great. And we [are celebrating CANDLEMASS's] 40-year anniversary with many happenings, so this is one of the happenings that we have. So we have a special EP out with a couple of tracks, and we will have a special line of merchandise out. And we will do special shows in Sweden, and we will also do the thing with Messiah Marcolin in Athens. So there's several ways we can celebrate. We put a lot of old photos up on social media right now, for example, and I think there's a documentary about CANDLEMASS being filmed during the year as well. So, we celebrate in many ways."
Regarding the possibility of more concerts with Messiah being added, Leif said: "Yeah, it will be a one-off show. Absolutely. And we have no recording plans, we have no reunion plans. There are no plans whatsoever but just one show and one show only. So that's the entire thought behind it. Go down to Greece where we have a lot of true fans, loyal fans, and have a blast. Play a great show and enjoy ourselves for the 40-year anniversary's sake. Not many bands survive to have a 40-year anniversary. So we feel very lucky that we have managed to survive this long."
Asked if he saw the concert in Athens as "the perfect closure" of CANDLEMASS's chapter with Messiah, Leif said: "I think we had a closure, like, 20 years ago, actually. [Laughs] I mean, we didn't know that we would survive one year after Messiah left. And we didn't know that we would be playing 20 years after. So this is a bonus. And it's a bonus for all the people that would like to see us live with Messiah. So why not? Let's do it. Let's have fun for an evening in Athens."
On the topic of the setlist for the Rock Hard concert, Edling said: "I think we'll do the classics with a couple of surprises. So, I'm sure people will enjoy the setlist that we are discussing right now, actually. But I don't wanna give anything away right now. Let it be a surprise. So I don't think anybody will be disappointed. That I can say."
During the chat, Leif also reflected on some of the "biggest challenges" CANDLEMASS's career, particularly in the first couple of decades of the band's existence. He said: "Well, difficult times — I guess it was when Messiah left the first time, and also the second time. It's not easy for a band to recover after that. We had quite a few changes of singers, and every time you make a singer replacement, you go through a difficult time. But it's been 40 years, so I think it's also kind of a natural thing, when you have such a long career. So, I don't think of it as we have a band with a lot of problems or anything. I mean, if you change a singer every eight years or whatever, I think that's quite natural that some members come and go. If it's not the singer, maybe it's the guitar player or the bass player or the drummer. So this happens in every band on the planet — they change the personnel. But we have four people playing for 40 years together — me, Jan [Lindh, drums], Mats [Björkman, guitar] and Lars [Johansson, guitar]. And now we have Johan [Längqvist, vocals] back in the band, and it's fucking fantastic. So I think we are very lucky to have survived these 40 years, and we are lucky enough to still be regarded as a headliner band or co-headliner band. And we play great shows for a lot of people. And every gig we play, we have all the hands in the air and people are cheering. So it makes me feel fucking fantastic every time, because you still attract people, you still make people happy with your music. That's absolutely fantastic."
In an interview with Finland's Chaoszine, Längqvist (a.k.a. Johan Langquist) was asked if he would be a part of CANDLEMASS's performance featuring Messiah. He responded: "No, I'm not a part of that performance, because the Greeks, they loved CANDLEMASS from the very beginning, and we are very popular in Greece. And I think the reason is because [Messiah] has a part of their history, the music listeners in Greece. So I do respect they wanted us to do a gig with Messiah."
Johan continued: "What can I say? I wish him the best. And he was a character in the band and we've actually met two nights together, partying together. And I wish him the best. I hope they're gonna make a great show down there. Yeah, that's it."
As the godfathers of epic doom metal, CANDLEMASS defined the genre with releases such as "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986) and "Nightfall" (1987). Through their evil riffs, crushing rhythmic attack and dramatic vocals, they changed the landscape of metal worldwide. Led by Edling, CANDLEMASS reunited with Längqvist in 2018, 32 years after the singer performed on "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus".
Längqvist originally exited CANDLEMASS after "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" and was replaced by Marcolin.
Marcolin exited CANDLEMASS for the presumably final time in 2006, one year after the release of the band's self-titled album. He was later replaced by Robert Lowe (SOLITUDE AETURNUS),who sang on the band's "King Of The Grey Islands" (2007),"Death Magic Doom" (2009) and "Psalms For The Dead" (2012) LPs. CANDLEMASS's frontman between 2012 and 2018 was Mats Levén, who previously recorded and toured with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and THERION. Seven years ago, CANDLEMASS fired Levén and rehired Längqvist.
Back in October 2022, Messiah and longtime CANDLEMASS guitarist Mats "Mappe" Björkman joined Canadian metallers ANVIL on stage at the Slaktkyrkan venue in Stockholm, Sweden to perform the classic ANVIL song "Metal On Metal". The event marked the first time in 16 years that the two musicians performed together.
CANDLEMASS's latest EP, "Black Star", came out on May 9 via Napalm Records.
Johan's solo project JOHAN LANGQUIST THE CASTLE released its self-titled debut album on CD and vinyl on June 27 via I Hate Records. The record was initially made available digitally without a label in 2024.
CANDLEMASS's mark on the genre and their legacy can be heard in bands such as OPETH, GHOST and PARADISE LOST. In 2019 CANDLEMASS were nominated for a U.S. Grammy Award with the album "The Door To Doom". One could say that CANDLEMASS reached a full-circle moment when BLACK SABBATH's Tony Iommi played a solo on one of the tracks on the record.
CANDLEMASS was formed in 1984 in Upplands Väsby, Sweden, by bassist and main songwriter Edling. The band quickly became pioneers of a slower, heavier, and darker style of metal that came to be known as doom metal — a direct sonic descendant of BLACK SABBATH, but with its own epic and gothic twist. Their debut album, "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" (1986),is today considered a genre-defining classic, but at the time it flew under the radar. Ironically, the album's status grew over the years, making it one of the most celebrated and influential doom metal albums of all time. In 1987, the band recruited Marcolin, whose operatic, vibrato-rich singing style and monk-like stage persona became an identifiable part of CANDLEMASS's visual and sonic identity. With Messiah on board, CANDLEMASS released the albums "Nightfall" (1987),"Ancient Dreams" (1988) and "Tales Of Creation" (1989) — a trilogy that cemented their legacy and built a loyal international fanbase.
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15 ñåí 2025
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15 ñåí 2025
MEGADETH Drummer DIRK VERBEUREN's BENT SEA Project Releases 'Apathy And Irony' Music Video
 MEGADETH drummer Dirk Verbeuren's long-running BENT SEA project has just released its debut album, "The Dormant Ruin", via Give Praise Records. The LP is now available for order at this location.
The official music video for the latest BENT SEA single, "Apathy And Irony" can be seen below.
Dirk said: "This one is about how we know we're destroying our planet, yet no one seems to be willing to put a stop to it... The apathy of humankind and the irony of 'progress', which is increasingly looking like it's our downfall."
BENT SEA began its offensive in 2011 by crash-landing the "Noistalgia" EP, an explosive homage to the beginnings of grindcore. Led by drummer/guitarist/songwriter Verbeuren with cohorts Sven de Caluwé (ABORTED) on vocals and Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH) on bass — replacing Devin Townsend, who guested on "Noistalgia" — BENT SEA churned out three more split releases and the guest-studded "Instagrind" series before suddenly falling silent.
BENT SEA anno 2025 mangles the blueprint of classic grind by infusing it with death/black/industrial elements, topped off with unhealthy doses of dissonance and an undeniable sense of urgency. This crushingly heavy record skillfully transcends the band's early output. In twenty songs and 33 minutes, just like the inevitable wrath of Mother Nature, no one will escape BENT SEA unscathed!
"The Dormant Ruin" was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, DARK FUNERAL) and features guest appearances by Sharp, John Cooke (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT) and Sylvain Coudret (SOILWORK, SCARVE).
Track listing:
Side A
01. From The Beast's Mouth
02. Apathy And Irony
03. Tidal Fire
04. Curtailer Of Conceit
05. A Scopic Radiance
06. Shapeless Ones
07. My Fall
08. Meat Trade Misery
09. Final Corridor
10. Paragon Of Inhumanity
Side B
11. Locked In Glitch
12. Ominous Reversal
13. Prodigious Blight
14. Vermin Burning
15. The Voice They Cannot Be
16. Below The Cold Void
17. Sharpen The Blade
18. Stifled And Dreaming
19. Erased From The Earthly Crust
20. The Dormant Ruin
The official music videos for "A Scopic Radiance" and "My Fall" can also be seen below.
In a 2016 interview with All About The Rock, Dirk stated about BENT SEA: "BENT SEA is a spur-of-the-moment type thing without any business plan. The idea from the get-go was basically 'no pressure' and I intend to keep it that way."
Back in 2012, Dirk told PureGrainAudio about BENT SEA's formation: "It just sort of happened. I used to play guitar, but in recent years my focus was exclusively on drums. My wife had been encouraging me to write my own music, so I decided to give it a shot. The result turned out to be BENT SEA."
Regarding the project's name, the 50-year-old Belgian-born-and-now-Los-Angeles-based musician said: "It's taken from a song by British experimental duo ENDVRA which I accidentally came across in my tape-trading days. Their music has absolutely nothing to do with grindcore, but somehow BENT SEA popped up in my mind. I like that it's atypical, and that it conjures apocalyptic images echoing the intensity of my music."
Verbeuren had been playing with SOILWORK for more than a decade before joining MEGADETH in 2016 as the replacement for Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD),who called Dirk "probably [one of the] top three drummers in the world."
In interview with the KATT Rock 100.5 FM radio station, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine described Dirk as "one of the most pleasant, easy-to-get-along-with guys I've ever met in my life. I'll walk up to him and he'll smile and lean forward and pat me on the back. He goes [adopts thin accent], 'How's it going, buddy?' I could say, 'Oh, man…'… anything. 'Oh, okay, buddy.' [He] smiles and pats me, 'cause he's just a happy guy. I've never, ever, ever seen him not smile." | 0 | |
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15 ñåí 2025
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15 ñåí 2025
DEICIDE’s Legion Album Reissued On Metallic “Rainbow Inferno” Vinyl This Friday
 Florida death metal legends Deicide, will see their 1992 album, Legion, reissued on vinyl this Friday, September 12, via Real Gone Music.
If Deicide’s first album defined death metal, their second album supercharged it. Impossibly fast tempos, headspinning arrangements, just plain evil guitar tones… when somebody like bassist and vocalist Glen Benton labels the album “***kin’ over the top,” you know where you’re headed (if you said hell you’re getting warm) when you insert the needle into this Legion’s vinyl vein.
As always with this band, holding the barely controlled chaos together is drummer Steve Asheim, whose double kick BPM approaches 4 digits amidst guitar squalls from the Hoffman brothers. The material on Legion has stood the test of time, too, with “Trifixion” and “Dead But Dreaming” enduring fan favorites.
Indeed, Legion (which, along with their self-titled debut, is one of the best-selling death metal records ever) is reckoned by many to be Deicide’s best album; it’s certainly their most brutal. Remastered for the format and pressed in metallic “rainbow inferno” vinyl, complete with a highly flammable lyric insert.
Order here.
Tracklisting:
Side One
“Satan Spawn, The Caco-Daemon”
“Dead But Dreaming ”
“Repent To Die”
“Trifixion”
Side Two
“Behead The Prophet (No Lord Shall Live)”
“Holy Deception”
“In Hell I Burn”
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15 ñåí 2025
MÖTLEY CRÜE's VINCE NEIL Reveals He Suffered Stroke Last Christmas
 MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil has revealed that he suffered a stroke last Christmas, leading to the postponement of the band's Las Vegas residency.
The residency, which was originally scheduled for March 28 - April 19, 2025, ended up being moved to September 2025 due to what MÖTLEY CRÜE said in March was "a required medical procedure advised by Neil's doctors."
In a new interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Neil opened up about his previously undisclosed medical condition, saying: "I had a stroke. My whole left side went out… I had to learn to walk again, and that was tough. The doctors said they didn't think I'd be able to go back on stage again. I go, 'No, no, I'm gonna do it. Watch and see.'"
Neil continued: "I went from people carrying me to the bathroom, because I couldn't walk myself, finally to a wheelchair. I graduated to a walker, and then I had a cane. Now I don't need anything. But it's like a full-time job getting back to where you feel good again."
Vince added: "It takes a while to get your brain to start moving your legs, for them to do what your brain wants to do. You try to walk but it doesn't come out right."
The 64-year-old singer said that he worked with a football coach in Nashville, where Neil resides, and has been "doing a lot of running," adding, "It's been tough, but I'm back, I'm 90, 95 percent to where I was before, and it's going to be great."
Prior to Vince's August 1, 2025 concert at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts with his solo band, Neil hadn't performed live since hitting the stage with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2024 at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.
The new show dates for MÖTLEY CRÜE's Las Vegas residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM will take place September 12 through October 3. Tickets from the original dates will remain valid for the newly announced dates.
The CRÜE's third Vegas residency is being billed as a "tell-all show [that] will immerse the audience in the band's history, leading all the say through their record-breaking 'Stadium Tour'." They previously set up shop in Vegas in 2012 for "Mötley Crüe Takes On Sin City" and in 2013 for "Evening In Hell".
In October 2024, MÖTLEY CRÜE released a new EP, "Cancelled". Produced by Bob Rock, the EP marked the band's first release with Big Machine and included three new tracks: Top 5 Rock Radio hit "Dogs Of War" a cover of the BEASTIE BOYS' "Fight For Your Right" and the title track, "Cancelled".
This past February, Neil's Learjet aircraft was involved in a collision in Scottsdale. Vince was not on his jet when it collided with another plane in the fatal incident, leaving one dead and several hospitalized.
John 5 joined MÖTLEY CRÜE in the fall of 2022 as the replacement for the band's co-founding guitarist Mick Mars. Mick announced his retirement from touring with MÖTLEY CRÜE in October 2022 as a result of worsening health issues. | +1 | |
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15 ñåí 2025
MIKE TRAMP Doesn't Believe Fans Will Ever Hear Any More Music From Former WHITE LION Guitarist VITO BRATTA
 In a new interview with Anthony Bryant of The Hair Metal Guru, ex-WHITE LION singer Mike Tramp was asked if he thinks fans will ever hear from his former bandmate, guitarist Vito Bratta, musically again. Tramp responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "No. Did you see how quick [of a response] that was? And I am probably about the most frustrated person because I feel that I constantly have to be on the defense. Because he has chosen to go into his cave. There's no pictures existing. There's none of anything. He doesn't even wanna come out and just make a quote or something like that. So he's chosen that it's better to keep the mystery and stay silent, but that mystery and staying silent can only last for so long because as days go by, I am pushed to having to reveal more than I really wanted to, because the truth of the matter is I do know the facts, I do know the truth about everything about Vito Bratta. I just wish that he'd just come out and just say something. He can put me down, he can do whatever [he wants]. But he's not gonna silence me. He's not gonna stop me from playing music."
Tramp continued: "I've invited him many ways. I've even asked him, I says, 'If you wanted to do a project that wasn't called WHITE LION', sort of like — not comparing ourselves, but when [Jimmy] Page and [Robert] Plant got together the first time [after LED ZEPPELIN's split]. They didn't call it LED ZEPPELIN. They did the 'Walking Into Clarksdale' project, just to see where their songwriting would go."
Asked what Bratta's response is when Tramp approaches him about making music together again, Mike said: "[He tells me] 'Oh, I don't wanna talk about it.' That's how quickly that's getting shut down."
In July 2024, Tramp was asked by The Rock N' Roll & Coffee Show, what Bratta thought about Mike releasing the first two albums of reimagined WHITE LION songs with a lineup that includes guitarist Marcus Nand. Tramp said: "I can't sit here and completely honestly confirm what Vito thinks. He did give Marcus his blessing and so on. I have a feeling that it might awaken a few wounds. I mean, there are times when I sit and watch a JOURNEY [video] with Arnel Pineda singing, and I close my eyes and go, '[Steve] Perry's back.' And I think, man, how does Steve Perry feel? Probably one of the greatest voices next to Freddie Mercury. How does he feel? Has it really, really ever been completely confirmed that that's where he wanted to be, that's what he wanted to happen?
"You almost feel like my woman went away with the pool boy," Mike continued. " It's, like, 'Well when he can do it, we'll bring someone in who can do it and he's gonna be 100 percent.' And there will be people in the 25th row that [do] not know it's Steve Perry up there, I'll guarantee you.
"I haven't really gotten the chance to really say this in any interviews, and that is that when I turned to Vito three days before we were playing the final [WHITE LION] show on the first tour with the new rhythm section, and something had happened, and we were backstage waiting for the power to come back, I turned to Vito and go, 'When we play Boston the day after tomorrow, it's the final show. I'm done.' And Vito, with the classic Vito look, just goes to me. 'Okay.' Just like that. The day after the show, I fly back to Los Angeles, he flies to New York and stuff like that. And I've said this many times, but I don't think people listen. There [was] not one person in the big WHITE LION machine — record company, managers, publishers, merchandisers, road crew and Vito — who said, 'Let's just give Mike a couple of days to fucking calm down. And then we'll say, 'Okay, how about a break right now? And let's regroup and see where we're going with the next…' And up until today, and up until also tomorrow, not one single time in even in between the lines, in a hidden way or a sign in the sky has Vito ever come out with even anything that just smelled like, 'I would like to do something with Mike.' Not necessarily a WHITE LION reunion."
Tramp added: "If Vito had called me and [said], 'Let's do what Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did.' They knew they weren't gonna put LED ZEPPELIN back together because they felt John Bonham was [impossible to replace]. 'Let's do an album together. We're not gonna go out touring. Let's do something, let's see how strong our songwriting is.' Not a single word, but I have had to defend every time I brought WHITE LION back in one way or another — either with lawsuits, that I came too close to, 'Oh, you're calling it…' and stuff like that, all those things. And every time, after the smoke clears, I call Vito and he tells me 'you're my friend' and stuff, and we talk and we don't fucking get any further than just the weather today. But I still have to defend. And Vito has not done the courtesy, both to me and the fans… And as I say that, I consider Vito my friend, and I would do almost anything for him. He has not gone out and told the fucking world that 'I'm not coming back on stage. I'm not recording anything else. There will not be a reunion.' Instead, there's this old interview [that Vito gave to] Eddie Trunk. Eddie was part of WHITE LION at the beginning, so him and Vito and I have always been very, very, very close. And Vito is up there talking to Eddie — it's almost probably even 10 years ago — [and saying] 'Oh, well, the door's not closed.' Door's not closed? But it leaves me being sort of the bad guy, but I'm not gonna feel like the bad guy. I'm just going out there. I've been the only person keeping WHITE LION alive since WHITE LION broke up. One way or another, you can't do an interview or anything with me without WHITE LION being mentioned."
In 2023, Tramp was asked in an interview about the possibility of WHITE LION reforming for a tour. He said: "When we broke up in '91, we always knew we would never go back together. And a lot of people always talk about reunions. WHITE LION reuniting would not be a better WHITE LION than WHITE LION was, so I'm out there performing the songs, not trying to recreate WHITE LION."
Asked if he has ever thought of calling his solo band WHITE LION and touring with new members, Mike replied: "I can't call it WHITE LION." Pressed about whether he would call his band WHITE LION if he could, Mike said: "I tried, and it cost me money. [Laughs] I think that the audience now is understanding that I'm just keeping the songs alive, and I'm able to perform it in a different way. I'm able to show the image that I'm not coming out there and doing a show but I'm gonna take them through like a greatest hits. I like to tell stories about what the songs are. You can't always do that on a festival when you have one hour, but that is my goal, that I will keep the songs alive. And I think that all the fans and the music fans know who Mike Tramp is and it doesn't need to be called WHITE LION. But it's called 'Songs Of White Lion'."
Back in 2019, Tramp revealed in an interview that he had apologized to 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.
Speaking to SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation", Tramp said that he and Vito are once again on speaking terms following his ill-fated attempt to bring back WHITE LION a decade and a half ago.
"I have, over the past couple of years, been the one out there basically both admitting and apologizing that the only thing that I never planned to do in my career and wanted to do was go back and rehash a version of WHITE LION that had nothing to do with WHITE LION, nothing to do with the guys that played in the band," Mike said. "Mike Tramp's heart was not in it. It was just a moment of weakness, not believing enough in my solo albums. [You listen to] some guys saying, 'Hey, if you put a new WHITE LION together, you can play festivals and get much more money.' And then you fall for that and you engage in it and you go out there, and then you realize it's not what you wanna do. And then, of course, Vito did not want the name WHITE LION to be used without him being in the band. And it actually took a couple of years for me to really understand how much it meant to Vito. And when Vito one day told me in one of these conversations… First of all, he told me, 'Mike, I'm not against you. I just don't wanna turn YouTube on and see the title 'WHITE LION live in so and so,' and somebody doing 'When The Children Cry' solo and it's not me. WHITE LION was you and me, it was our band, we wrote the songs. That is the memories I want for the rest of my life.' And when he told me that, I had tears in my eyes and I totally understood it, because I had also gotten to that point that when we closed WHITE LION, we felt that this is where we wanted to stop it. There was something, going into the '90s, that didn't agree with the things we were looking at, and we wanted to somehow end it on a higher level than something that would not represent us in the future. But it just took many years to really understand it."
Asked if he understands why Vito doesn't want to play music professionally anymore, Mike said: "Yes, I do, because there are actually times when I also don't feel like doing it anymore. When all the magic around us, the stuff that made us fall in love with rock and roll — first of all, our heroes, then the industry, then the touring stuff — when all of that was really exposed that it was a two-faced kind of thing, that the people we thought loved us — and I'm not talking about the fans; I'm talking about the people that made money from us, and stuff like that — turned their back on us and stabbed us in the back, it really ripped us apart. And maybe it's just that I came from a different background than Vito, that I maybe was a little bit stronger or just of a different nature that I just fought back, but Vito just said, 'I just don't wanna deal with this.' And I understand now — I understand it from every conversation that I have with him."
Tramp also once again closed the door on a possible WHITE LION reunion, saying: "I can't be Mike Tramp 1988. I can't sing like that, and I'm not going up on stage and doing a half-assed job, which most of the bands out there are doing."
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.
"Songs Of White Lion - Vol. III", the third album in a series where Tramp reinterprets songs from WHITE LION, will arrive on September 19 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Mike released "Songs Of White Lion", in April 2023 via Frontiers Music Srl. "Songs Of White Lion - Vol. II" followed in August 2024. | 0 | |
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15 ñåí 2025
JON SCHAFFER On Being Among Over 1,500 Capitol Riot Defendants Pardoned By TRUMP: 'I'll Always Be Grateful'
 ICED EARTH founder and guitarist Jon Schaffer recently sat down with Marc J. Victor and Andy Marcantel of Attorneys On Retainer to tell his side of the story regarding his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot at the U.S. Capitol, and provide a client testimonial for the Attorneys For Freedom law firm. You can watch the entire 75-minute chat below.
Speaking about his political activism prior to the events of January 6, 2021, Jon said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm very pro founding principle America, and we've obviously drifted pretty far from that. So that's bothered me for a long time, for whatever reason. It probably has a lot to do with my father and studying. And I just love the story of the founding of this country. As imperfect as we are, it's the best. And we can be better — we can definitely be better than what we are now.
"I don't like to get into the left-right part of this, 'cause that's not where my passion is," Jon explained. "It's pro freedom. And I want our country and the world to get back to that, and that's what I've tried to express. And a lot of people have put me in a box of being a right-wing extremist and this kind of stuff. And I don't consider freedom to be extreme."
During Schaffer's detention hearing in the U.S. District Court in July 2021, his lawyer, the aforementioned Marc J. Victor, told a federal judge that the guitarist had gone through "two months of hell" after he was detained, with other inmates allegedly targeting Jon with death threats and allegedly assaulting him with human excrement while he was behind bars.
"It was intense," Jon told Attorneys On Retainer. "I mean, it was definitely intense. I was in general population for a couple days, but because I was all over the news, they moved me into solitary.
"I've been through a lot of intense things in my life, lived hardcore, being a teenager splitting from home, starting a heavy metal band and doing what you've gotta do to make that happen was intense. But dude, nothing compared to J6," Schaffer continued. "So it was a crucible. And I'm thankful for it. I feel blessed in so many ways because you find out who really loves you, who are the parasites, who are the ones that really love you. And I'm blessed, man, 'cause there were a lot of people that stood beside me, even if they didn't publicly. And I get that, but that doesn't matter… It was a blessing, the entire thing was, because it got me… I stepped off the hamster wheel of the music business and was able to look at my life and reflect, and for that, as brutal as it was, that time of self-reflection, which is all you can do… I mean, it took probably three weeks for me to be able to get a Bible. We weren't allowed to go to the library. They denied us access to the law library. There was literally nothing. And it's been an incredible journey, and it's life-changing in all of the good ways. And that's what I can say about it."
Reflecting on his success as the leader of what was considered to be one of the premier American power metal bands of the late 1990 and early 2000s, Jon said: "I've never been one to buy in to the rock star lifestyle anyway. I don't need the hero worship, I don't desire it, but I am a songwriter. That was my driving force. That was the thing that made me climb through all of the mountains of shit that I did for decades. It's because of that. I had these ideas, heart and soul, totally in, and to be able to make that happen in a production and to see the final result was very satisfying. That was the most satisfying part of my career. All the rest of it was… I actually didn't like it. I didn't like the business. I don't like dealing with the media. I don't like those things. I don't like the drama. I don't like the narcissism. I don't like all of that part of it. It's too much. It's very ego driven, and actually it's a very superficial kind of lifestyle. The songwriting and the song craft is not, and the passion and love of playing, it's not, but when you get into the business professionally, it changes, and you get a little bit jaded. At least I did. And it was an awesome career, and it was an awesome life. And I got to experience many amazing things and travel all over the world and meet some incredible people and visit all these different cultures. And it was awesome. And maybe the songwriting thing will come back, but at this particular point in my life, without the desire to write songs, that spark isn't there, then I don't wanna deal with all the rest of it. The only reason that I endured all of it was because of the song craft."
Last fall, Schaffer was sentenced to three years of probation and 120 hours of community service in connection with his involvement in the January 6, 2021 riot. He was also ordered to pay $1,000 in restitution and a $200 financial assessment. Schaffer later became one of about 1,500 people accused of crimes related to the riot who were pardoned by President Donald Trump.
Schaffer's sentencing had been delayed for years, initially due to his ongoing cooperation with the Justice Department's investigation into the Capitol riot, and then as a result of the Supreme Court's decision to hear another defendant's appeal of the obstruction statute used in hundreds of January 6 cases.
Regarding being pardoned by Trump, Schaffer told Attorneys On Retainer: "It was a huge deal. And I have to say that's what makes me think Trump is not your regular politician, because there's so many promises made and almost none of them ever kept. And that was just an amazing thing. Because I know some people there, I'm sure, did some bad things, and what I did was stupid, that's for sure. We believed that our… And I think our country's in serious trouble — I mean, serious, serious trouble — but at that point, and you gotta preface it with the whole summer of love and all that; that's the mindset that people were in. But I'll always be grateful to President Trump for this, big time, and I know everybody else will be too."
Addressing the fact that he agreed to cooperate with investigators when he pled guilty to federal charges in April 2021 and potentially testify in related criminal cases in hopes of getting a lighter sentence, with some people assuming that he had valuable information about other members of the Oath Keepers extremist group to give to authorities, Jon said: "It's quite possibly the hardest part of it. As much wreckage as the whole thing caused, and I own my behavior, so I'm not the victim here. I screwed up, that's for sure. But the fallout — there was a lot of that with family and friends, business, all that stuff — but I think that was the thing that bothered me the most. 'Cause the people that know me, they know my honor's a big deal. My word is a big deal."
Although Schaffer was initially charged with six crimes, including engaging in an act of physical violence and targeting police with bear spray, he pleaded guilty to only two charges: obstruction of an official proceeding of Congress; and trespassing on restricted grounds of the Capitol while armed with a deadly or dangerous weapon.
Following the initial reports that Schaffer was involved in the riot, his ICED EARTH bandmates distanced themselves from his actions. Singer Stu Block and bassist Luke Appleton later posted separate statements on social media announcing their resignations. BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch also quit DEMONS & WIZARDS, his long-running project with Schaffer. The allegations also apparently affected Schaffer's relationship with his longtime record label Century Media, which had released albums from both ICED EARTH and DEMONS & WIZARDS. As of mid-January 2021, the Century Media artist roster page did not list either band.
This past April, Schaffer told Riffs From The Couch that his newfound faith and his relationship with Jesus Christ played a significant role in helping him get through his ordeal.
"Well, I would say that as brutal as it's been in the big picture, it's been the biggest gift of my life to go through this, not only for the cause, but for the fact that it is what led me to Christ," Jon said.
"My life's journey has been incredible — I mean, you can't make this stuff up — and so it's, like, it took that to break my stubborn… I was very stubborn, very, very hardheaded and very driven," Jon explained. "But I realized that all the things that I'd been writing about [in my songs] and the sort of the warnings and stuff through the catalog and various projects, and that I feel like God was working through me and I didn't even know it. And so when I was locked up in solitary, the only book that I could get was a Bible. And even that request took about three weeks to get it. And I started reading and… 'Cause I was a Christian when I was a kid. Then I went to a religious school and things changed for me after that experience. And I'll get into more of that in my testimony. But if it wasn't for this, I am certain that I was on a path to destruction and that it took this and this time, these years of solitude, to understand and learn, and I'm still learning. I have a lot to learn. I think there's a lot to the Bible. But I look at the Bible as a… We're in a fallen state, and the Bible is like the operator's manual to help you not just live, but thrive in the fallen state. And Jesus is the only way — that is absolutely clear to me now. And this has come in various steps of my…"
Schaffer added: "I've always been awake to corruption and held very strong views against government corruption and what's happening and this level, but when you start to understand it from a biblical standpoint, then it gets real and that's when the dots start connecting. And I just feel like — without getting too deep in the weeds about everything that happened — if it wasn't for what happened, I would not have been saved and called by Christ. And I feel like this is the beginning of a new chapter. I don't know what that looks like, and that's okay, 'cause he's in the driver's seat."
Earlier in April, Schaffer teased a possible return to music, telling the It Is Later Than You Think podcast of Cornerstone Church, a non-denominational Church in Trafalgar, Indiana: "There's a few releases that I've got up my sleeve that we're gonna be working on. In terms of new material, I'm gonna give that a little bit of time. I need to know that there's clear artistic direction and not something that's manufactured by me. Because I've done enough records in my career to know some of 'em were wedged into schedules because tours on either side and you're kind of forced into a writing mode because of schedule pressures and other commitments. And sometimes working under pressure is really great, and other times you're going through the motions. And so whatever I would do going forward, I only wanna do something that's gonna be great. I don't want anything to be forced. And I want it to glorify God. And I think there's just so much, from a creative standpoint… There's actually been some biblical stuff throughout my catalog anyway, but from the eyes of a Christian now, like, man, there's so much inspiration there that hopefully would have a good effect on people. So I hope that comes back to me. I hope that it's, like, 'Okay, it's time. Activate.' But I don't know… I think it's just gonna take a little bit of time to feel free again. Even if it was all an illusion anyway. With my lifestyle, man, I felt like I was. But when I started waking up, I knew it was all B.S. I could [force creativity], but it's not gonna be great. I want it to be great… I know the rough spots in the catalog. I know how it works, and if that's my calling, to be creative again, then I'll do it. But I don't know. It's gotta be something. It'll move me. I'll know it, put it that way. It'll be unstoppable. That's the way it was before. So it's, like, 'Oh, here it comes. I can't stop it. It's going.' But we'll see. Yeah, it's not my timeline. I've surrendered that."
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Carach Angren
