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JETHRO TULL's IAN ANDERSON Opens Up About Health And Importance Of Early Detection

In a new interview with Phil Aston of Now Spinning Magazine, JETHRO TULL leader Ian Anderson, who will turn 78 in August, spoke about the physical demands of his live performances and the increased difficulty in playing a full-length concert with his bandmates. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It depends what you do. You can be physically animated, but there's a degree to which you can only do so much if you're playing a flute. If you are [THE ROLLING STONES'] Mick Jagger and you're just running around with sort of shout-out vocals, then, yeah, no disrespect, but Mick Jagger didn't set the bar very high in terms of vocal skills right from the very beginning. So he's a shouter, and he doesn't have to really hit the notes or necessarily be terribly great on intonation or phrasing or anything. He's a shouter, and he runs around in a very animated way, and that's great for someone who's — whatever — a couple of years older than me, or three years older than me. That's fine. But it's not that easy if you're trying to play a flute, which is in itself quite a… You have to really try and maintain a lot of balance and a very, very delicate touch with the instrument and the contact with your mouth... So there is a limit to what you can do. And it tends to be that if I'm not playing the flute, I'm singing. I don't have a lot of time off in between the elements of what I do and then having to start again. So it's two hours of aerobics. In that sense, it's good for health to carefully increase the pulse rate, carefully increase your respiration rate. And I seem to have overcome my problems with finding out late in life that I was asthmatic. That is now virtually completely under control and it doesn't cause me problems at all. In terms of physical prowess, I am currently — well, I have an appointment with a surgeon on the 5th of August to discuss whether or not I'm gonna have to have a knee replacement because the wear and tear to my right knee is quite considerable and I'm frequently in quite a lot of pain now, which I wasn't… A year ago it was episodic; it wasn't constant. Now it is constant. And so I am gonna have to look at that and see what options there are. The options, if it's knee replacement, according to the book, it's a 12-week recovery period, and I don't have 12 weeks, as far as I can see, either this year or next year where I have that time. It will mean having to make time, presumably early next year, if I have to do that. But it may be there's some — there is a new wonder injection, which is long lasting, which I'm hoping I can arrange to get. But as to whether it's applicable in my case remains the subject of further X-rays. But it's something I'm gonna have to do and have to face up to the fact that there are these physical limitations that…"

He continued: "Luckily, I'm not in a position of poor old Ozzy Osbourne or equally poor old Phil Collins, or Billy Joel or a whole bunch of other people whose performance has been essentially terminated forever because, although they're still alive [Editor's note: the interview was conducted shortly before Ozzy's July 22 passing.], they're not physically capable of doing concerts. And that's hopefully a way off in my life. But you've gotta face reality. I'll be 78 in a couple of weeks' time. And that's bringing with it a few issues. Well, when I say a few, actually only one. But there are other things that I've had — wrist problems and other knee problems and ankle problems and back problems — but they're all fine at the moment except for one knee, which is annoying."

Anderson also talked about the importance of early detection in preventing serious health issues, including various types of cancer. He said: "Well, unlike the people that I suppose I'm speaking on behalf of, who actually do have prostate cancer or colon cancer or DVTs [deep vein thrombosis] or whatever, I'm not talking about these things from a personal songbook. I have not got colon cancer, but every three or two or three years, I have a colonoscopy. My brother died of colon cancer and elsewhere it is in the family by marriage. And so my children have a slightly elevated risk of having colon cancer, and I try and persuade them that they should have a colonoscopy every so often. I mean, polyps grow quite quickly, but they may be slow growing beyond that and not necessarily be the cause of death because they may be very slow growing. Even a stage one cancer may still be growing at a slow rate that surgeons will decide that, 'Look, it's not worth it, 'cause you're probably gonna die next year from something else anyway.' But nonetheless, I think you should be checked out for these things because the statistical risk, as you get older, is considerably higher. And so certainly having a regular... Doctors are increasingly disinclined to do a manual prostate exam, I think partly because they're just a bit twitchy about sticking their finger up somebody's bottom. It's one of those things that I think these days, it's a difficult thing to cope with. People will react to it in different ways. And so a PSA test is not terribly accurate, but it's a better indicator than finding out all too late that you do have a full-blown prostate cancer. So, I actually had two PSA tests recently, simply because I feel that one is not sufficiently indicative. And so I had two a month apart to make sure that they were both pretty much the same. And usually once a year I do have a manual prostate check as well, if I can find a willing finger. So, I look out for those things. In terms of deep vein thrombosis, it is potentially a killer and something that, again, that has nothing to do with age, really. I mean, a lot of people who've had DVTs, they're athletes in their early twenties who've had an injury and become immobilized for a while and taken a long flight and pay the consequences. It happens to pilots too, who sit down in a seat for hours for the greater part of maybe eight or 12 hours and do it on a regular basis. There is a real risk of getting a blood clot in the lower limbs. So it's something that people should be aware of."

Anderson added: "I'm boring enough to, every year… I just had my blood test. Again, I had two separate blood tests a month apart just to make sure that the readings were all gonna be the same. And it's something I just do every year. I check my blood pressure, I check my pulse rate at different times of the day, and I do it just because I wanna have early warning. If there's something that doesn't look right, then you've got a better chance of dealing with it if you catch it early. And so far, I've been lucky. Other than the inconvenience of a needle stuck into a vein, other than that, or an occasional finger in the bottom, I don't have any downside to doing that. Of course you get a little tense and a little bit concerned of about the results, but so far I've been lucky. But it doesn't stop me doing it. I don't think, 'Oh, well, I'm lucky. I don't have to do this again now for 10 years or something.' It's an annual event for me."

JETHRO TULL's 24th studio album, "Curious Ruminant" was released in March.

"Curious Ruminant" consists of nine new tracks varying in length from two and half minutes to almost seventeen minutes. Among the musicians featured are former JETHRO TULL keyboardist Andrew Giddings and drummer James Duncan, along with the current bandmembers David Goodier, John O'Hara, Scott Hammond and, making his recording debut with JETHRO TULL, guitarist Jack Clark.

1

SKOLD To Release New Album In October 2025; “Pop The Smoke” Single Streaming

“Pop The Smoke” was released on August 1 as the second single from the upcoming new studio album by Skold, the solo project of the versatile Swedish musician, producer and multi-instrumentalist Tim Skold. Check it out here.

“It’s a song a”out wanting to disappear, as in completely vanish and not make a big deal about it,” says Skold of the downtempo, sombre track, which has followed the recent AI referencing “All Humans Must Be Destroyed” stream. Both songs are included on the album, which is entitled Caught In The Throes and will be issued via Metropolis Records on October 10.

Well known for his contributions to genres that include industrial rock, metal and electro-industrial, Skold started out in the late 1980s with the hard rock band Shotgun Messiah, before launching his solo career in 1996 with a self-titled album on RCA Records. It featured the songs “Chaos” and “Hail Mary”, both of which were subsequently utilised in movies and video games.

His talent attracted the attention of industrial music pioneers KMFDM, leading to his involvement in their albums Symbols (1997), Adios (1999) and ‘Attak’ (2002), plus a later return for Blitz (2009). He also co-founded MDFMK with KMFDM mainman Sascha Konietzko, releasing a self-titled album in 2000.

Skold joined Marilyn Manson in 2002, producing, writing and performing on their chart-topping album The Golden Age of Grotesque (2003) and Eat Me, Drink Me (2007), as well as the singles “Tainted Love” and “Personal Jesus”.

Leaving Manson in 2008, Skold continued his solo career with albums like Anomie (2011), The Undoing (2016), Never Is Now (2019) and Dies Irae (2021), each of which showcased his evolving sound and production skills. He also produced and co-wrote for the albums Infamous (2012) and Reincarnate (2014) by the US metal band Motionless In White, both of which achieved significant chart success.

Other recent collaborations have included three albums as Not My God with Nero Bellum of Psyclon Nine (2020-23), a 2024 record entitled Love Ghost x Skold with alt-rock band Love Ghost that blended emo-tinged nu-metal with contemporary hip-hop and alt-rock influences, plus 2025 work with Ye.

Tracklist:

“All The $ In The World”
“Cold As Ice”
“=’s (Private Libertine)”
“House Of A Thousand Lies”
“The Great Theatricality”
“All Humans Must Be Destroyed”
“In A Grave (Specter)”
“Soon Enough”
“That Kind Of Magic (Confessions Of A Supermodel)”
“Do You Really?”
“The Inconsolable”
“Wrong Everything”
“Pop The Smoke”
“Digging My Own Grave”

HALESTORM's LZZY HALE On OZZY OSBOURNE: 'So Many Of Us Wouldn't Be Here If It Wasn't' For Him

During an appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale spoke about the recent passing of legendary BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne. She said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm a little shaken, as everybody else is. This is a tough one. I mean, Ozzy, there's this rolling — something that we all think about as bands, like, 'Hey, we're all safe. Ozzy's still here.' [Laughs]"

Referencing the fact that HALESTORM played at the "Back To The Beginning" event, which marked Ozzy and BLACK SABBATH's final performance, Lzzy said: "I'm grateful to have been part of that last show and get to see him perform and get the audience involved and trying to break out of the chair and just be a part of it with everybody. And the intensities of all the feelings of just being so honored to be there at that event, but also wanting to dominate and prove you're worthy of being there, but then you're amongst all of your friends. And then we're all emotional because it's the last time that we're gonna see all of these guys perform together and then, to top it all, then we hear of Ozzy's passing. And again, there's this just whole other well of emotion that is just kind of bubbling to the surface where we're just, like, oh my God, thank you so much, Ozzy, for everything that you have gifted the world. And so many of us wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. So, yeah, it's a crazy moment. [Laughs]"

Asked to elaborate on the experience of performing at "Back To The Beginning" and sharing the stage with so many legendary rock musicians, Lzzy said: "My only regret was not saying hi to Ozzy. We talked about this before, 'cause he would get kind of wheeled in, then get mobbed and kind of wheeled out. So we kind of [thought], 'Oh, we'll find our moment somewhere,' and that everything got a little busy. But [we] spent some time with Sharon [Osbourne, Ozzy's wife and manger]. She's so incredibly sweet. And then also Tony Iommi [BLACK SABBATH guitarist], who's just a gem of a human, and all the different walks of life. I mean, I got to meet Steven Tyler [AEROSMITH] for the first time, which was incredible, and talk to Axl Rose [GUNS N' ROSES]. Apparently Axl Rose was very impressed by my paparazzi, I guess, that was surrounding me. I don't know. We had a funny moment. But just being able to be there and to honor these men, it was just such an incredible experience. And then they all had kind of a platform out for us in the middle of the audience so we could all see the full show, and standing there and just…

"I've never been to a concert like that where everybody is there for the exact same reason," Lzzy added. "You know how it is, Jackie — you go to so many concerts — and everyone has their own agenda at a concert. Some people are there casually. Some people are there diehard, like right in the front, barricade, like, 'This is my spot.' Some people wanna go crazy, some [of them] just wanna absorb it. And it just felt like everybody was there for the same reason. Everybody was just there to be present and to soak everything in every moment. There was no casual concertgoer there. [Laughs]"

Lzzy previously talked about Ozzy's passing during a July 23 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". She said in part: "It's sad to see Ozzy go. Obviously, we just saw him [at 'Back To The Beginning'], and [he was] hungry till the end. I mean, the guy was just ready to be on that stage and clapping. There was such joy in his face even then. But we just didn't think it was gonna be that fast. So I don't know. There's so many emotions. We're so grateful to have been there, but at the same time it's so sad to see one of the greats go. I mean, it's Ozzy. He's supposed to always be here."

Reflecting on HALESTORM's three-song performance at "Back To The Beginning", which included a rendition of Ozzy's "Perry Mason", Lzzy said: "We had such a wonderful time at 'Back To The Beginning'. It was just such a mix of emotions. We were so grateful to be there and to celebrate these men, obviously with BLACK SABBATH and then Ozzy, and really kind of sitting with all of the feelings of how deeply ingrained what they gave to the world is in what we do. And then to kind of look around at all of these rock titans — Steven Tyler and METALLICA [were] there — and everybody had the same feeling, that same childlike wonder and really just kind of looking around and saying, 'Look, none of us would've existed in a band if not for these men.' So it was really wonderful to be a part of that.

"We didn't get a whole lot of interaction with Ozzy," Lzzy admitted. "He was kind of getting wheeled in and out and doing the thing. And I spent some time with [Ozzy's wife and manager] Sharon. She's so incredibly sweet. And then Tony Iommi and everybody. One of our regrets that we had said right after the show is, like, man, we should have spent more time with Ozzy. But again, this is how life goes, and we were just absolutely grateful to be there and to experience all of it."

Ozzy died the morning of July 22, his family announced in a statement.

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

No cause of death was given, but Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN's DARON MALAKIAN Is 'Not Interested' In Replacing SERJ TANKIAN With New Singer: 'We Tried' And 'He Sounded Good'

In his recently released memoir, "Down With The System", Serj Tankian revealed that his SYSTEM OF A DOWN bandmates had auditioned a new vocalist after he had asked out of the group in 2017. Serj said that his disdain for touring led to his decision to tell his bandmates to carry on without him so they could continue living their dream. Tankian later learned that the band had begun looking at new singers, and he also shared that in "more recent years", he had pitched a close friend as a potential replacement but he didn't think the band ever seriously considered the offer.

During an appearance on Ultimate Guitar's podcast "On The Record", SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian was asked about Tankian's revelation about a possible replacement singer in SYSTEM and why it ultimately didn't pan out. Daron said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was something that I never really wanted to do. For me, SYSTEM OF A DOWN is us four. If one of us four isn't doing SYSTEM OF A DOWN, I don't really wanna do SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Did we think about that? Sure. But did we really pursue it deeply? No. We tried. I don't wanna get into names. We tried, and whoever we tried, he sounded good."

Malakian continued: "People would think, 'Oh, Daron is the one that would want that.' I was the one that was most against it. I was, like, 'I don't wanna look to my left and see other people.' SYSTEM is SYSTEM, and if that's not gonna be SYSTEM, then I don't know if that's the SYSTEM I wanna be a part of.

"But, yeah, all that kind of happened because there was a time we were kind of, like, 'Well…' 'Cause when we took our hiatus, we didn't know what was gonna happen. Some of us expected that it might only have been a couple years and maybe we would've come back."

According to Daron, he has always maintained a positive relationship with his SYSTEM bandmates Tankian, drummer John Dolmayan and bassist Shavarsh "Shavo" Odadjian. "Look, man, we all get along really well now," he said. "But, yeah, through the years there's been frustrations with each other, for one reason or another. Some of it's [Serj's] fault, some of it's my fault, some of it's John's fault, some of it's Shavo's fault. It's not all, like, 'Oh, it's just between Daron and Serj.' It's a band, and we have four really different personalities in the band. But now we get along really well. The thing is, as friends, we've always gotten along. It's band politics and the band is where our disagreements were. We never really had problems with each other outside of the band. 'Cause you've got some people that are, like, 'I can't stand to be in the room with that guy.' We were never that — we were never that. We always had respect for each other. We always loved each other. We always considered each other brothers. And still are, and still feel that way, and we're still proud of what we've achieved with each other as a band and as four Armenian guys too; that's also something.

"So yeah, I'm not interested or really kind of never was interested [in having a different singer in SYSTEM OF A DOWN]," Daron revealed. "I think Serj might have said something in his book about [how the guy we tried out not ended up not working out] because the guy couldn't do the growls or something, and that's why we didn't [pick him to replace Serj], and that's not true. [Serj] and I have never had this conversation of why it didn't happen. But really the reason why it didn't happen is I kind of was the one that was, like, 'I don't think I wanna pursue this. I don't wanna do this without him.' … Looking on the outside of the band. I'm a fan of that. I'm not trying to change that. Never was."

In a July 2024 interview with the "Broken Record" podcast, Tankian was asked if he would be okay with SYSTEM OF A DOWN going on without him, with a different singer in his place, Serj said: "Absolutely. I've offered them that opportunity and been very supportive of it many years. If they wanted to do that, if they wanted to continue in a way that I didn't — for example, if they wanted to tour a lot and I just wanna do a couple of shows here and there, because I'm not into touring a lot, to be fair to them, if they wanted to do that, I'm totally open to it still. I'm not sure they want to do that. They haven't until now, and I think it would take something away from the prestige and legacy of the band itself, but as friends and as someone who cares very much about my partners, I would be okay with it."

Regarding what it is about the four members of SYSTEM OF A DOWN as individuals, the alchemy of them together, that makes the band so great as a unit, Serj said: "Everything that each person is — from their personality to their playing style to how they think, how they feel and the combination thereof — make SYSTEM OF A DOWN what it is. If you take any particle away from this compound, it's not going to be SYSTEM OF A DOWN. It could be called SYSTEM OF A DOWN, but it's not going to really be SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Even the stubbornness and the creative differences, everything, the push and pull, the manicness, the calmness, all of the above is what makes who we are."

In June 2024, Serj was asked by Metal Hammer magazine about comments from his Dolmayan in 2023 in which the drummer claimed that Serj "hasn't wanted to be in the band for a long time." Serj said: "John means the world to me. He's my brother-in-law, I love him, and I saw him just yesterday, but there are times he's got mad and said fucking shit. And look, there's times I've gotten mad and said fucking shit, too. The option has always been there for the band to move on without me, and John knows that.

"In the end, to me SYSTEM OF A DOWN is beyond the band," he continued. "It's our relationship together. And it means more to me than the band itself, or even the music itself. And that is hard for other people, maybe even other people in the band, to understand. But, as I saw from the stage at Sick New World [festival in Las Vegas in 2023], the multi-generational appeal of the music we have made is mind-blowing, bro. Our music is more timeless than we ever imagined, and that is the hugest compliment for any artist."

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 20 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

Tankian previously addressed how his relationship with Malakian has evolved over the years, particularly as it relates to their collaborative partnership, in May 2024 in an interview with Tom Power, host of "Q" on Canada's CBC Radio One. He said: "Well, changing the dynamic is basically years of time and the progression of the band, the success of the band, everything that happened in between the day that we met and now, basically, so 25, 30 years. A lot changes in that time. And so I think that's a part of it.

"Daron's been a lifer and he's incredibly serious about his music and he's incredibly protective of his music and vulnerable due to his music," Serj explained. "All of those things kind of go together. So it's those things, I think, that created some of the creative differences that we started finding. And it's also our progression. Listen, when Daron and I started working together, I didn't really write a lot of instrumental music — I mostly wrote lyrics; I was the lyricist; I was the singer. And he didn't write any lyrics; he just wrote music. But as time progressed and I played more musical instruments and I started becoming a songwriter/composer and he started writing more lyrics, we started kind of covering each other's territory. And I was okay with that. If he wrote lyrics, I was trying to encourage him to write more, because I believe in artistic growth. I believe in progression. I don't believe in things staying the same way, for music's sake. Otherwise the music becomes the same thing over and over again. That progression is necessary in every artist's life or in every group's life. So I was very encouraging of that. And I just wish that I got some of that back. And so that wasn't the case, and it was disappointing. And it became a creative difference over the band's path, and whatnot, over time."

Asked why he wanted to write about this in his book, Serj said: "A lot of it has been publicized in a very sensationalist format by media, music media mostly, and I kind of wanted to put it in a proper perspective and grounding perspective, but with love and with balance and understanding that these things happen. This is normal. You have a relationship and you have differences in opinion as [to] how you wanna go forward, whether it's a band or a marriage or whatever it is. And these things happen. And so I wanted to take that aspect out, I wanted to take the sensationalist aspect out of the whole thing and be, like, this is not only what happened, but this is how I see things."

Last year, SYSTEM OF A DOWN announced a run of 2025 North American shows that will kick off at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on August 27-28 with special guests KORN, as well as two nights at Soldier Field in Chicago (August 31-September 1) with AVENGED SEVENFOLD and a final stop at Rogers Stadium in Toronto on September 3 and September 5 with DEFTONES.

This past spring, SYSTEM OF A DOWN completed a nine-show "Wake Up!" South American stadium tour. The trek kicked off on April 24 in Bogota, Colombia at the Estadio Nemésio Camacho El Campin, followed by a show in Cercado De Lima, Peru at the Estadio Nacional. The tour moved on to Chile, Argentina and Brazil, wrapping up with a run of five shows in Curitiba, Rio De Janieiro and São Paulo. The concerts were SOAD's first trip to South America since 2015.

"Down With The System" was released in May 2024 via Hachette Books.

4

System of a Down

GLENN HUGHES On 'Chosen': 'I Think This Will Be The Last Rock Album I Make'

In a new interview with Phil Aston of Now Spinning Magazine, rock legend and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Glenn Hughes spoke about the tour in support of his upcoming studio album, "Chosen", set for release on September 5, 2025 via Frontiers Music Srl. He said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I'm hoping this tour for me is a rekindle of a burning desire to continue. I don't want it to be the last thing I do. In today's age, you never know what's gonna happen tomorrow. 'Cause I've been doing the [DEEP] PURPLE setlist for quite a while now, and I'm done with that. I think there'll only be one PURPLE song in the show. So for me, doing this particular show with three songs from 'Chosen' will be a dramatic piece of work."

On the topic of where "Chosen" sits in his discography and what might be coming next, Glenn said: "I can give you an exclusive. I think this will be the last rock album I make, but it might not be the last album I make. I'm not saying I've got plans, but I am thinking about things that won't be too far away from what I've been doing. And if you like albums like 'Feel' and 'First Underground [Nuclear Kitchen]', you'll know what I'm hinting at. It'll be more for the vocals than heavy guitar. But at some point — I think you might un understand me here — it's always been about that voice, and when you take away disrupting instruments so you can hear that voice…"

He continued: "When I did the Jon Lord tribute at the the Albert Hall, when you had myself and you had a 73-piece orchestra and that was it, and no drums and no guitar, that's what I consider to be the pure Glenn Hughes voice. And as I close out my career, whenever that's going to be, I want my voice to be… The only thing you wanna hear, if you're coming to see Glenn, is that voice. I'm not being disrespectful to anybody I'm working with, but this voice [which] has been given to me is really a humbling gift sent to me. It's not really me. I'm just portraying what God has given to me."

Elaborating on how he wants his voice to be the focal point in his music going forward, Hughes said: "In the production quality of the ['Chosen'] album, Søren [Andersen], my guitar player, helped me do it. But he also understands the predicament we're in right now, realizing my age, and how many years have I got left to do this? I think what I and the people around me want to portray is that we've got this voice.

"People say, 'Is Glenn the last man standing from his peer group?'" he continued. "I can't say that myself. I have a lot of good friends, and you know who they are in my age group. But if I am the last man standing, please just listen to that voice. I'm talking in the third person. I'm not saying anything about how good it is or bad it is, but let's just take a listen to the voice.

"When we talk about the stratospheric voice, and if you understand R&B music and black music like I do, if you think about Smokey Robinson or Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder and Prince, for example, those guys use their voice in the same kind of fashion," Hughes added. "They just sing R&B falsettos. And that's the way I do it. But it's something I only do feel when I feel it necessary in the moment. And by the way, each night I sing live, I might be doing it in places I never did it before. But I don't really think about those moments. All I'm only thinking about is delivering the song. The people know the melody. I never change the melody. I never change the lyric. But I really do enjoy being Glenn."

This year will also see Hughes busy touring across Europe and South America, with "The Chosen Years" tour starting in Zoetermeer, Netherlands, on September 2 and ending on November 29 in Bogota, Colombia.

Hughes is a true original. No other rock musician has carved such a distinctive style blending the finest elements of hard rock, soul and funk. That astonishing voice is his calling card. He's known as a singer's singer. Stevie Wonder once called Glenn Hughes his favorite white singer.

After a nine-year hiatus as a solo artist, Hughes is back with "Chosen", his brand-new solo record: an album which presents Glenn in his most hard rockin' fashion. An explosive record that offers Glenn at his absolute best with a state-of-the-art album, both from a songwriting and production standpoint.

Glenn, a native of Cannock, England, absorbed all kinds of influences, including early British hard rock, THE BEATLES and, most importantly, American soul and R&B. The sleek Motown sound from Detroit and the gritty Stax/Volt sound from Memphis left their mark on him.

Hughes first found success in the early '70s with the band TRAPEZE before joining DEEP PURPLE in 1973 during a pivotal lineup change that introduced him and David Coverdale to the group. Despite initial skepticism, the revamped band silenced critics with the release of "Burn" (1974),a powerful album that revitalized PURPLE's sound and remains a classic. During this era, the band headlined the iconic California Jam in front of over 300,000 fans, toured the world aboard their private jet The Starship, and released two more studio albums, "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band", before disbanding in 1976.

Glenn's first solo album "Play Me Out" was released in 1977. He joined former Pat Travers guitarist Pat Thrall to form HUGHES/THRALL, which released an acclaimed self-titled album in 1982. Throughout the '80s and '90s, Glenn Hughes made countless guest appearances (both credited and un-credited) as a vocalist, bass guitarist or songwriter on other artists' albums. The endless list includes — among others — Gary Moore, John Norum and Tony Iommi of BLACK SABBATH.

Since 1992, Glenn has started a prolific solo career with a dozen studio albums where he explored all the different sides of his songwriting and influences: from hard rock to funk and more contemporary sounds. He collaborated — among others — with such musicians as Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS),Dave Navarro, John Frusciante and many others. He also founded or took part in some amazing musical alliances such as CALIFORNIA BREED (with Jason Bonham and Andrew Watt),BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION (with Joe Bonamassa and Jason Bonham) and THE DEAD DAISIES.

Glenn has collaborated with Robbie Williams on his new single "Rocket", which was released on May 22, 2025. The track also features a collaboration from Iommi and will be the first time Glenn has been featured on a record with Tony since 2005, when they released "Fused" together.

Glenn also recently joined forces with SATCHVAI, a new collaboration by legendary guitar icons Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, by writing and singing on their new single "I Wanna Play My Guitar".

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See VINCE NEIL's Entire Concert In Bethel, New York

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil played his third concert in nearly 10 months this past Sunday night (August 3) with his solo band at Bethel Woods Center For The Arts in Bethel, New York. Also appearing on the bill were POISON's Bret Michaels and RATT's Stephen Pearcy.

While introducing the second song of his set, a rendition of MÖTLEY CRÜE's classic "Shout At The Devil", Vince told the crowd (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): " You know what?! I've done a couple of shows, and I just wanted to let you guys know that I had a medical thing happen a few months ago. The doctor told me, 'You're probably never gonna go on stage again.' And I said, I looked at him, I go, 'Fuck you, man.'

"This is what I do," he continued. "This is what I love to do, 'cause you people out here make me wanna come back and see you time and time and time again. So, thank you. I love you guys."

The setlist for Vince's concert in Bethel was as follows:

01. Dr. Feelgood (MÖTLEY CRÜE song)
02. Shout At The Devil (MÖTLEY CRÜE song)
03. Looks That Kill (MÖTLEY CRÜE song)
04. Smokin' In The Boys Room (BROWNSVILLE STATION cover)
05. Kickstart My Heart (MÖTLEY CRÜE song)
06. Girls, Girls, Girls (MÖTLEY CRÜE song)
07. Wild Side (MÖTLEY CRÜE song)

Fan-filmed video of the entire show can be seen below, courtesy of the NY Gig Trippers channel on YouTube.

Prior to this past Friday's (August 1) concert at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, Massachusetts, Neil hadn't performed live since hitting the stage with MÖTLEY CRÜE last October at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California.

Neil's backing group still consists of bassist Dana Strum and guitarist Jeff "Blando" Bland from SLAUGHTER, along with drummer Zoltan Chaney.

Five months ago, MÖTLEY CRÜE's Las Vegas Residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM, originally scheduled for March 28 - April 19, 2025, was moved to September 2025 due to a required medical procedure advised by Neil's doctors. The new show dates 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.

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🎟️ We are giving away TWO LAWN TICKETS to a few lucky winners for Bret Michaels & Vince Neil with Stephen...

Posted by Bethel Woods Center for the Arts on Tuesday, July 29, 2025

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METALLICA Has Already 'Had Meetings' About Las Vegas Sphere Residency: 'Hopefully' It Will Happen, Says ROBERT TRUJILLO

During an August 7 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo addressed the rumor that the band is in talks for a Sphere residency in Las Vegas in the fall of 2026 after the group's scheduled "M72" world tour dates conclude with another European run next July. Asked how he feels about the potential for doing a residency at the Sphere and whether he has been to the venue already to check it out, Robert said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I haven't actually been there and checked it out yet. I like that. It's a mystery to me. Because everybody I know has, and they're just, like, 'Oh my God. This is incredible.' And I love all that. I love the visual experience. We have talked about it, we've met, had meetings about it. And I'm already thinking, like, 'Imagine this, imagine that,' 'cause METALLICA's music is so visual. I mean, imagine a song like 'Orion' and what you can do with that. The possibilities are endless. So, for me, it's like a dream come true.

"We'll see what happens," he continued. "I know we're talking about it, and hopefully this is gonna happen. And the fact that [METALLICA drummer] Lars [Ulrich] talked about it on '[The] Howard Stern [Show]' yesterday is a great thing. It means that it's in the works.

"We've been going through so much lately," Robert explained. "There's been so much going on that sometimes you'll have a meeting about that, and then all of a sudden something else happens, and then you're in that mode, in this mode and whatnot. But it's definitely something that we wanna do and we're excited about, and we'll just have to wait and see how and when and if we can do this… No heavy rock band has [played at the Sphere yet], and there's a lot of history with our music and I think there's potential for a lot of visual stimulation on this. And I can't wait to be a part of it. So let's see what happens."

During an appearance on the August 6 episode of "The Howard Stern Show" to announce the launch of METALLICA's own SiriusXM channel, Lars was asked if there was any truth to the rumor that METALLICA is in talks for a Sphere residency in Las Vegas. Lars said: "I'm not going to confirm anything, because there's nothing to confirm. But I'm not going to deny it, because we're all such fans of this venue. All of our managers and our production people have been there and looked at it. It's something that we're considering, [but] nothing is etched in stone or green-lit. It's something that we're looking at at some point when the 2026 tour is done."

Ulrich continued: "I was there seeing U2 the first night, when they took that stage, I wanted to see it for myself before I saw it on YouTube or read about it. I was there, like everybody else that was there that night, I was completely blown away, and felt that was the beginning of another chapter in live performances.

"I'm not going to bullshit you, I would fucking love to do it, let there be no question about it," Lars added. "It's not signed, sealed and delivered, but speaking to me and asking my opinion, I would fucking love to do it."

Asked by host Howard Stern if METALLICA would be interested in performing during the halftime show at the 2026 Super Bowl, which will take place in the legendary heavy metal band's longtime hometown of San Francisco," Ulrich said: "Fuck yeah — of course we would. First of all, we would do it. Second of all, to do it in San Francisco would be a dream come true and would be the right fit. We haven't been approached. ... Certainly as somebody who's represented San Francisco all over the world and shouted for decades about San Francisco and our love for the Bay Area, that part of it is the right fit. Ultimately it's not our decision."

This past April, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett was asked by The Hollywood Reporter if he and his bandmates would entertain the possibility of performing at the Las Vegas Sphere, the 17,600-capacity venue which has transformed live entertainment since opening in September 2023. He responded: "Oh, heck, yeah! That's a great example of how venues are changing. That's using modern technology to the fullest, to really up the levels of production and entertainment, connected to A.I. and making it a crazy experience."

A massive, spherical venue known for its immersive entertainment experiences, including concerts and films, featuring a state-of-the-art 16K resolution wraparound screen and a powerful sound system, the Las Vegas Sphere is nestled near the Venetian Resort and Wynn Las Vegas just off the Las Vegas Strip.

The Sphere has already hosted residencies from a number of legendary rockers, including U2, PHISH, DEAD & COMPANY and THE EAGLES.

U2 opened the building with 160,000-square-foot LED screens and 4D features, playing to more 700,000 fans across 40 sold-out dates from September 2023 through March 2024. The shows commemorated one of U2's most successful albums, the chart-topping 1991 release "Achtung Baby", played in its entirety, along with select tracks from other U2 LPs.

A global news event which saw the world's biggest rock band open the world's most state-of-the-art venue, "U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere" quickly became a pop culture moment and a must-see for music lovers everywhere. The show's stunning visuals and live music performance, combined with the venue's immersive technology elements, including the world's most advanced audio system, became an instant social media sensation as hundreds of thousands of fans shared their "U2:UV" experience across multiple platforms generating billions of impressions, making "U2:UV" a truly global phenomenon. One of the band's most ambitious creative projects to date, it saw them work once again with longtime creative collaborator and show director Willie Williams, artists including Es Devlin, John Gerrard and Marco Brambilla, and longtime partner and producer Brian Eno.

The first sports event to take place was the NHL Draft with the UFC following in September 2024.

Sphere's next-generation technologies include the world's highest-resolution LED display that wraps up, over and around the audience, creating a fully immersive visual environment. The venue also features the world's most advanced concert-grade audio system, Sphere Immersive Sound, powered by HOLOPLOT, which delivers audio with unmatched clarity and precision to every guest.

Last October, Sphere Entertainment, the company behind Sphere Las Vegas, announced plans for a new venue in Abu Dhabi.

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System of a Down

BAD WOLVES Announce Deluxe Edition Of 'Die About It' Featuring Nine New Songs

BAD WOLVES will release a special deluxe edition of their album "Die About It" on September 19. The Better Noise Music release will contain nine new tracks, including a rebooted "Say It Again" featuring Lauri Ylönen of the long-running Finnish rock outfit THE RASMUS.

BAD WOLVES drummer and founder John Boecklin shared about the track: "This song has always meant a lot to me — I've always loved it — but I never expected it to evolve the way it did with THE RASMUS. In my opinion, it's some of the best lyricism on the album, and I'm really glad it's finally getting the spotlight it deserves. It's truly some of our best work."

"This song hit me hard and energized me," says Ylönen. "It used to be one of my top workout songs before I got to sing on it!"

Originally released on November 3, 2023, via Better Noise Music, "Die About It" showcases 13 tracks that push the band's sound in new directions, blending heavy riffs and distinctive melodies. The album has surpassed 32 million streams, with accompanying videos amassing over 3.8 million views.

"We're proud to announce 'Die About It (Deluxe)'," says Boecklin. "It's fun for us to be able to continue celebrating the 'Die About It' album in this way. It gives us a chance to revisit our material with a different perspective and refresh the release that we're still in love with. There are songs that were written during the album sessions that you never got to hear and some fun reinterpretations of tracks that you've already heard. Lots to dig in on here, see you soon Wolfpack!"

"Die About It (Deluxe)" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Bad Friend
03. Die About It
04. Savior
05. Hungry For Life
06. Legends Never Die
07. NDA
08. Move On
09. Masquerade
10. Say It Again
11. It's You (2 Months) (feat. KILLBOY)
12. Turn It Down
13. Set You On Fire
‎14. Hungry For Life (feat. Daughtry)

Plus nine new tracks:

15. Hanging On To Thunder (feat. Stand Atlantic)
16. Made For The Misery
17. Home
18. Because Of You
19. All I Need Is Hope
20. Say It Again (feat. The Rasmus)
21. Legends Never Die (Orchestral)
22. Bad Friend (Live)
23. Legends Never Die (Live)

BAD WOLVES arrived with the rarity and the force of a lightning bolt in 2018 with their chart-topping version of THE CRANBERRIES' "Zombie". This collective of tried-and-true musicians rallied around an unconventional vision for heavy music, grafting rafter-reaching hooks to pit-splitting riffs and mind-bending rhythms with a penchant for unexpected twists and turns. Their full-length debut, "Disobey", bowed in the Top 25 of the Billboard 200 and delivered a platinum single and a gold single. On its heels, they showed no signs of stopping with "N.A.T.I.O.N." (2019). However, "Dear Monsters" kickstarted another season in 2021 as "Lifeline" netted their sixth No. 1 at Active Rock Radio. Reaching a critical high, Billboard hailed the latter as "BAD WOLVES' most diverse and far-reaching album to date." Reaching over 2.7 billion total streams, and over 800 million video views, they've sold out headline shows on multiple continents and toured with everyone from PAPA ROACH and HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD to VOLBEAT.

Photo credit: Clay Patrick McBride

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DEFTONES Share New Single 'Milk Of The Madonna' From Upcoming 'Private Music' Album

DEFTONES have shared their latest single, "Milk Of The Madonna". The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Private Music", which will arrive on August 22 via Reprise/Warner.

DEFTONES notably recorded and co-produced "Private Music" in various locations in California, including Malibu and Joshua Tree, as well as Nashville, Tennessee with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz. It marks their third collaboration with Raskulinecz who had previously helmed "Diamond Eyes" (2010) and "Koi No Yokan" (2012).

In other news, DEFTONES have just received several new RIAA certifications, recognizing recent sales milestones. "White Pony" is now RIAA-certified double platinum, "Diamond Eyes" is RIAA-certified platinum and notable singles "Change (In The House Of Flies)" is RIAA-certified four times platinum and "Be Quiet And Drive" is RIAA-certified double platinum.

Earlier this year, DEFTONES launched their first North American headline tour since 2022 produced by Live Nation, and it proved to be their most significant and successful yet. DEFTONES saw 100% sellout business of an extensive arena run, including legendary venues such as Madison Square Garden in New York, TD Garden in Boston, and even a two-night stand at Kia Forum in Los Angeles. Of the latter, Los Angeles Times raved, "DEFTONES have never been bigger, or more definitional for what young people want out of heavy music in all its gradients. A band ahead of their time for 30 years and counting."

The next round of dates commences on August 22 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia and continues in arenas across Canada and the United States, including Rocket Arena in Cleveland, Ohio on September 10 and Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado on September 15. This second leg comes to a close on September 17 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. DEFTONES welcome PHANTOGRAM and IDLES as direct support on select dates. THE BARBARIANS OF CALIFORNIA will open all shows.

Formed in Sacramento, California in 1988, DEFTONES have always defined boundless creativity in the music space. Across nine studio albums, they have carved out an unmistakable sonic identity — ferocious yet dreamlike, while making space for constant refinement and surprise. Now, decades on from the groove-forward sound of their era-defining debut, "Adrenaline", and following a long line of masterpieces including 2000's "White Pony", 2010's "Diamond Eyes" and 2020's "Ohms" — an album that earned them their second and third Grammy nominations — they return with one of the most focused statements of their career: "Private Music". Joining the band's creative core of Chino Moreno, Stephen Carpenter, Abe Cunningham and Frank Delgado (as well as touring bassist Fred Sablan, who appears on the album) is Raskulinecz. The result is a lean, masterfully paced 11-song set that plays like a new DEFTONES benchmark. Meditating on the beauty and peril of nature, the challenge of cultivating a positive mindset and visions of a journey beyond the physical realm, private music showcases DEFTONES at their most evolved. At once a psychedelic voyage and a skull-rattling wallop, it's the latest peak in a catalog filled with immersive, emotive triumphs.

"Private Music" track listing:

01. My Mind Is A Mountain
02. Locked Club
03. Ecdysis
04. Infinite Source
05. Souvenir
06. Cxz
07. I Think About You All The Time
08. Milk Of The Madonna
09. Cut Hands
10. Metal Dream
11. Departing The Body

DEFTONES recently announced the 2025 installment of their music festival, Dia De Los Deftones. The event, which returned in 2022 for the first time since 2019, will take place on November 1, 2025 at Petco Park in San Diego. Joining the influential alt-metal outfit at this year's event will be CLIPSE, 2HOLLIS, RICO NASTY, DEAFHEAVEN, REGULO CARO, ECCA VANDAL, GLARE and UNIVERSITY.

In 2022, DEFTONES recruited Fred Sablan as their new touring bassist following the departure of Sergio Vega. They were also joined by second guitarist Lance Jackman.

Sablan made his live debut with the DEFTONES in April 2022 at the opening concert of the band's spring 2022 U.S. tour at the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter in Portland, Oregon.

Sablan is best known as the former bassist for MARILYN MANSON, having toured and recorded with the shock rocker between 2010 and 2014. He has also played bass for CHELSEA WOLFE and PETER HOOK AND THE LIGHT, and is a member of the punk-rock supergroup HEAVENS BLADE alongside YOUTH CODE singer Sara Taylor, former ROB ZOMBIE bassist Piggy D. (on guitar) and SUICIDE SILENCE drummer Alex Lopez.

Vega, who officially joined DEFTONES in 2009, confirmed his exit in March 2022, just days after a new photo of the band without him emerged online on various digital service providers. At the time, he took to social media to share a video explaining his perspective on the split. In the Instagram video, Vega detailed the contractual issues that created a rift between himself and the group's core members.

Jackman is known for his work in Sacramento bands EIGHTFOURSEVEN, HORSENECK and WILL HAVEN.

Photo credit: Jimmy Fontaine

DRAGONFORCE's MARC HUDSON Teams Up With NETFLIX Show 'Dan Da Dan' For Voice Acting Performance

DRAGONFORCE and pop culture have always gone hand in hand — so frontman Marc Hudson's latest collaboration with the hit anime TV show "Dan Da Dan" is total perfection! The charismatic singer lends his voice to Hayashi in the English dub of the Netflix show, delivering an impressively commanding exorcism through the power of heavy metal music. Episode six of season two of "Dan Da Dan" — episode 18 overall — will be released on Netflix and Crunchyroll on August 7.

Hudson comments on the collaboration: "I'm beyond thrilled to announce that I had the incredible opportunity to be a voice actor in 'Dan Da Dan' — one of my all-time favorite anime series! I play the role of the vocalist for Hayashi in Season 2, Episode 6, and getting to perform the exorcism song as part of the character was an absolute blast.

"After making 'Starbound Stories', an album deeply inspired by anime, I was so happy to be invited to actually sing on an anime — it felt like everything had come full circle. This show is wild, creative, and full of heart, and it was a real privilege to be a part of it.

"As the vocalist of DRAGONFORCE, I've had the chance to perform on some amazing songs and albums, but this was a whole new and exciting experience. I can't wait for everyone to see the episode!"

Last year, Hudson and his DRAGONFORCE bandmates released the "Warp Speed Warriors" album via Napalm Records. The LP stands as the legendary band's most ambitious and innovative release to date. On it, founding guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, Hudson, bassist Alicia Vigil and drummer Gee Anzalone explore a wider range of varying musical styles than ever before, evolving their sound throughout the exciting musical journey while still staying true to their roots.

Hudson's debut solo album, the aforementioned "Starbound Stories", came out in 2023 via Napalm Records. The LP was an outstanding musical adventure balanced between power metal, video game soundtracks, Japanese music and even pop influences, showcasing virtuosity throughout all of its grand instrumentation. For the album, Hudson again worked with ex-DRAGONFORCE bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who has since moved on as a member of thrash legends KREATOR and extreme metal supergroup SINSAENUM.

This past June, DRAGONFORCE unleashed a new official music video for an alternate version of its recent album track "Burning Heart", featuring ARCH ENEMY frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. Originally released as a bonus track on select editions of DRAGONFORCE's celebrated 2024 album "Warp Speed Warriors", the special version supported by White-Gluz's distinctive vocals is now out as its own single.

Formed in 1999, DRAGONFORCE has earned their reputation as the world's fastest band via its power metal anthems filled with spectacular guitar solos, including the iconic platinum-selling hit "Through The Fire And Flames". Several of the songs on "Warp Speed Warriors" have already gained over a million streams on Spotify.

In May 2024, DRAGONFORCE teamed up with "Brawl Stars", a hit multiplayer mobile game with over one billion downloads, to celebrate a brand new character entering the game with a new song, "A Draco Tale", and music video.

DRAGONFORCE's platinum-selling single "Through The Fire And Flames" brought the London-based Grammy-nominated extreme power metal group international acclaim and was featured as the most challenging song on "Guitar Hero III".

In March 2019, the "Through The Fire And Flames" music video reached a new milestone: it surpassed one hundred million views on YouTube — DRAGONFORCE's first music video to do so.

"Through The Fire And Flames" is the leadoff track from 2006's "Inhuman Rampage" album, which was officially certified gold in July 2017 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of half a million copies.

Photo credit: Vincent Grundke

ADRIAN BELEW, TONY LEVIN, STEVE VAI And DANNY CAREY Share 'Frame By Frame' From Upcoming BEAT Live Release

Legendary former KING CRIMSON members Adrian Belew and Tony Levin banded together with guitar virtuoso Steve Vai and explosive TOOL drummer Danny Carey to create BEAT, a creative reinterpretation of the three iconic 1980s KING CRIMSON albums "Discipline", "Beat" and "Three Of A Perfect Pair". In 2024, the ensemble staged 65 standing-room-only shows in North America. They followed this touring with an expansive run of Mexico and South America in 2025. A live release, "Beat Live", will arrive on September 26 in partnership with InsideOut Music/Sony. The official music video for the set's second single, "Frame By Frame", can be seen below.

On September 1, BEAT will perform a record-release show at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, Japan.

Belew reflects: "You're walking on stage with three virtuoso musicians, world-class professionals who have seen it all but are still having fun playing this music which is timeless and unlike anything done before or since and the audience knows every word and are so thrilled with the performance the energy and love beaming back at you is overwhelming. What could be better?"

Vai shares: "Touring with BEAT has proved to be so much more than I could have expected. Performing this music with Adrian, Tony and Danny has been one of my favorite touring experiences and we are now at the top of our game and captured the magic on 'Beat Live'."

Levin offers: "The band rocks. So glad we got high quality recordings of what it is we do live — innovation meets classic material."

Carey states: "I look forward to every show I get to perform with Tony, Adrian and Steve with excitement and awe. Playing gigs with musicians of this caliber is a dream come true. These songs are fun and challenging and the promise of inspiration, execution, and surprise has never let me down. I can't wait to do more!"

"Beat Live" will be released in three configurations. A three-LP set, a Blu-ray release accompanied by two CDs and a 12-page photo booklet, and lastly a limited collector's edition that will contain the Blu-ray, two CDs, a bonus CD and a 36-page artbook.

The Blu-ray track listing features "Neurotica", "Neal And Jack And Me", "Heartbeat", "Sartori In Tangier", "Model Man", "Dig Me", "Man With An Open Heart", "Industry", "Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part III", "Waiting Man", "The Sheltering Sky", "Sleepless", "Frame By Frame", "Matte Kudasai", "Elephant Talk", "Three Of A Perfect Pair", "Indiscipline", "Red" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet". The concert film was directed by Scrote, with a collective delivering the editing amongst whom include Scrote, Steve Vai, Alan Berry and Don Adams. The bonus material video was directed and edited by Alan Berry. Additionally, a mid-tour interview captured by Sweetwater is included in the program. Videography was captured by Alan Berry, Mike Skillsky, Jon Luini and Dan Ermey. Art direction by Scrote and designer Dan Ermey. Photography compliments of Alison Dyer, Tony Levin, Peter Dervin, Jerry LoFaro, Mike Skillsky, Dan Ermey and Jim Snyder.

On the audio side, "Beat Live" was produced by Scrote and mixed by Bob Clearmountain, assisted by Ira Becker. Mastering by Emily Lazar at The Lodge, assisted by Bob DeMaa. Audio editing by Scrote, Steve Vai and additional audio production assistance by Bill Mims.

The bonus CD contained in the deluxe set features the track listing "Neurotica", "Neal And Jack And Me", "Heartbeat", "Sartori In Tangier", "Frame By Frame", "Industry", "Larks' Tongues In Aspic Part III", "Elephant Talk", "Matte Kudasai", "Three of a Perfect Pair", "Indiscipline" and "Thela Hun Ginjeet".

The vision for this undertaking emanated from initial dialogue between Angelo Bundini a.k.a. Scrote and Adrian Belew. Tour producer Bundini recalls: "When Adrian called me to help bring his idea to fruition, I immediately thought it best to focus on the '80s albums: 'Discipline', 'Beat' and 'Three Of A Perfect Pair'. These three records famously mark Adrian and Tony's entry into KING CRIMSON. Their fluid, melodic virtuosity, and Fripp's and Bruford's dramatic precision created a totally unique, dynamic push and pull that would influence nearly every rock musician and/or band going forward for years, if not decades, to come."

Photo credit: Alison Dyer

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PARKWAY DRIVE's BEN GORDON Explains How He Ended Up Teaching Actor CHRIS HEMSWORTH To Play Drums

Ben Gordon, drummer of PARKWAY DRIVE, spoke to Australia's "Today" about how he trained actor Chris Hemsworth to play drums in preparation for playing live on stage with Ed Sheeran, as captured in the upcoming docuseries "Limitless: Live Better Now". The follow-up to Hemsworth's hit docuseries "Limitless" is set to premiere on August 15 on Disney+ and Hulu, and will also be available on National Geographic starting August 25.

In "Limitless: Live Better Now", which was filmed across six countries over two years, Chris tests his limits by drawing from cutting-edge science and the wisdom of elders to push himself like never before. With no previous experience, he learns to play the drums for a live performance with Grammy Award winner Ed Sheeran in front of 70,000 fans; scales a dizzying 600-foot climbing wall in the Swiss Alps to break out of his comfort zone and embrace risk; and takes part in South Korean Special Forces training, enduring electrocution and pepper spray to confront his long struggle with chronic pain and reconfigure his response to it — all to uncover tools we can use today to live healthier, happier lives.

The first episode of "Limitless: Live Better Now", dubbed "Brain Power", gives Hemsworth the unenviable task of learning the drums in just two months so he can perform live with Sheeran.

Regarding how he ended up teaching Hemsworth to play drums, Gordon told "Today" (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Yeah, it was good fun, actually. I've been friends with Chris for about seven, eight years now. We met from a mutual friend when he moved to Byron, and we've been mates ever since. So when he got challenged by Ed Sheeran to learn the drums for 'Limitless', I guess I was the obvious choice to call because, I guess, I'm his only friend who's a professional drummer. So he gave me a call and asked if I would help out. And initially I was just gonna help him out behind the scenes. But as it turned out, they filmed our sessions and they wanted us to be part of the episode."

Asked if Hemsworth was any good and whether he has "chops" as a drummer, Gordon said: "No. I'll have to qualify that answer. When he first came to me, he was really bad… I have a lot of admiration for him because the whole premise of the episode was him finding something that he wasn't gifted at, which was quite hard 'cause he's very talented in many areas, and diving into something that he finds uncomfortable. So, no one in the world is good at everything, even Chris Hemsworth, so he found something he's not good at, which was the drums. He was a complete novice. He had no idea about it. He had no rhythm. But that was kind of the challenge and that's what makes the episode fun… He's got the physique. He just lacked the coordination and the rhythm, but he got there in the end."

Joining Hemsworth on this transformative journey in "Limitless: Live Better Now" are returning expert Dr. BJ Miller, a renowned palliative care physician, plus a powerful lineup of inspiring voices, including cognitive scientist Dr. Maya Shankar, Gordon, neuroscientist and Professor Abigail Marsh, free solo climber and wingsuiter Steph Davis, former members of South Korea's military, MMA fighter Kim Dong-hyun, freestyle motocross legend Robbie Maddison and more. Together, they offer fresh insights into how we can build stronger minds, bodies and connections.

Official "Brain Power" episode description: "Inspired by the benefits of learning a new skill, which aids memory and cognitive function, Chris Hemsworth takes up drumming. When he is invited to join Ed Sheeran onstage at a stadium concert, Chris has just months to master the instrument and conquer his nerves to perform in front of 70,000 fans. It's a challenge that pushes him beyond his limits."

Speaking about the experience of preparing to play drums live with Ed Sheeran after only two months of training, Chris told The Hollywood Reporter: "I was in and out of a press tour at the time. I had other work obligations. I have three kids, and I couldn't cancel them, so they were still there. [Laughs] I would've liked to have sent them off somewhere else for a couple of weeks and applied my complete focus to this, but I wasn't able to do that. So it was more just narrowing my focus and understanding what was in front of me and separating from the other things, places and different directions I was being pulled in. Two weeks out was when that really hit home. I had about six to eight weeks to learn, and I kept putting it off. And about two weeks out, I realized I didn't know the song. I was in the space of no return. It was too late basically. So I went home and started drumming, and I literally blistered up my fingers that week. When I did the show, I had Band-Aids all over my fingers. So I thought of nothing else, and while it's not the best way of working, I operate a little better in that space sometimes. Fear can be a pretty good motivator until it's breathing down your neck. Sometimes, the reality is not as vivid. So I certainly was terrified, but the experience and the elation and the somewhat out-of-body feeling that I was absorbed in while playing — and then, afterward, the kick of endorphins — was unlike anything else I've ever experienced. It was not just the juxtaposition of potentially going from fear or failure to success; it was being a part of something far bigger than myself. 70,000 people were singing along in unison and moving to this beat, this track, this song, this artistic creation that Ed assembled, and I was a piece of that puzzle. It felt how universal prayer or meditation or something on a big global scale might feel like. And as silly and orchestrated in whatever ways it was, there was something else I got a glimpse of, and it was pretty special. I'm very thankful for it."

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OZZY OSBOURNE's Private Funeral Service Was 'Very Beautiful', Says ROBERT TRUJILLO: 'It Felt Like There Was A Closure'

A private funeral service for Ozzy Osbourne was held on July 31 on the 250-acre grounds of the house the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer and his wife and manager Sharon bought in 1993 in Buckinghamshire, England. Only 110 of the singer's friends and family members attended the service, including his SABBATH bandmates, Robert Trujillo (METALLICA),Rob Zombie, Zakk Wylde, Marilyn Manson and Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT).

Trujillo reflected on the service during an August 7 appearance on SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk". He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It was a small group of people, but it was very, very beautiful. And in the end, the speeches were actually… I mean, it was very sad, but at the same time some of the speeches were — as you could imagine — pretty funny. And there were a lot of tears. [The members of] SABBATH kind of ended with their speech, especially with [bassist] Geezer [Butler]. Geezer broke down into tears. He had a hard time, obviously, speaking, and then he came back up and he delivered an amazing eulogy."

Trujillo continued: "It had been raining at the beginning of the service, about an hour — I don't know — longer than an hour before. And then as it sort of progressed through the service, the weather would change and different things would happen. When Kelly [Osbourne, Ozzy and Sharon's daughter] was singing, her lyrics flew — the wind blew her lyrics away. It was almost like Ozzy was having fun with her. And then when Geezer spoke, actually spoke, the sun came out. I'm not kidding. The sun actually came out, and then it was beautiful from that moment on — a very magical moment.

"And again, it's sad, but at the same time, people [were] sharing stories," Robert added. "And all of a sudden, there was laughter, and 'I remember this', 'I remember that'. There were so many stories. I mean, we'd be on the phone forever on this interview. So, it felt like there was a closure from this. And I'm glad that we went — my wife Chloe and I went — and shared that and were able to have that moment with the family and everything. So it was very beautiful. And again, heartfelt words from so many people and kind of reconnecting with different musicians and bandmates, crew members, all that."

The day before the private funeral, thousands of fans gathered in the streets of Birmingham to pay tribute to Ozzy. His wife and manager Sharon, along with their children Aimée, Kelly and Jack, joined mourners for the emotional tribute.

According to The New York Times, Ozzy died of a heart attack. A death certificate filed at a registry in London and submitted by Osbourne's daughter Aimée Rose Osbourne also indicates that the legendary BLACK SABBATH singer had suffered from coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease. The certificate, which lists his occupation as "Songwriter, Performer and Rock Legend", further states that Osbourne died of "(a) Out of hospital cardiac arrest (b) Acute myocardial infarction (c) Coronary artery disease and Parkinson's disease with autonomic dysfunction (Joint Causes)," according to The New York Times. The document also says that the heart attack occurred "out of hospital."

Two days after Ozzy's death, Daily Mail reported that an air ambulance was called to Welders House, the BLACK SABBATH singer's mansion in Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom mansion, on the morning of July 22. Just 15 minutes later, at 10:30 a.m., the chopper landed in a field near the Osbourne estate. Around 12:30 p.m., the paramedics returned to their base 27 miles away at RAF Benson, near Wallingford, South Oxfordshire.

"We can confirm that our helicopter was dispatched to provide advanced critical care at an incident near Chalfont St Giles yesterday," a spokesperson for the Thames Valley Air Ambulance wrote to the Daily Mail.

Ozzy's 85-year-old sister Jean Powell also spoke to The Mirror about the singer's death and said that it was unexpected. "He was frail but it still came as a shock," she said. "He still had plans and things he wanted to do. We don't know the details of his death; it's still too early. It's just so sad. I'm just thankful he died in England."

Ozzy died the morning of July 22, his family announced in a statement.

"It is with more sadness than mere words can convey that we have to report that our beloved Ozzy Osbourne has passed away this morning. He was with his family and surrounded by love. We ask everyone to respect our family privacy at this time," the family said.

Osbourne had battled a number of health issues over the past several years, including Parkinson's disease and injuries he sustained from a late-night fall in 2019.

Back in 2011, Ozzy spoke about what he wanted his funeral to look like, telling The Times: "I want to make sure it's a celebration, not a mope-fest. I'd also like some pranks — maybe the sound of knocking inside the coffin, or a video of me asking my doctor for a second opinion on his diagnosis of 'death'. There'll be no harping on the bad times. It's worth remembering that a lot of people see nothing but misery their whole lives. So by any measure, most of us in this country — especially rock stars like me — are very lucky. That's why I don't want my funeral to be sad — I want it to be a time to say, 'Thanks'."

Ozzy also addressed his death in his 2010 autobiography "I Am Ozzy". He wrote at the time: 'Eventually death will come, like it comes to everyone. I've said to Sharon: "Don't cremate me, whatever you do.' I want to be put in the ground, in a nice garden somewhere, with a tree planted over my head. A crabapple tree, preferably, so the kids can make wine out of me and get pissed out of their heads. As for what they’ll put on my headstone, I ain't under any illusions. If I close my eyes, I can already see it. Ozzy Osbourne, born 1948. Died, whenever. He bit the head off a bat.'"

Ozzy played his final show a month ago at Villa Park in Birmingham, United Kingdom. At the time he told fans: "You've no idea how I feel. Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Ozzy's final concert saw him and his fellow original SABBATH bandmates Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward perform four songs for more than 40,000 people in the stadium and 5.8 million more on a livestream. The festival titled "Back To The Beginning" served as a tribute to the legendary heavy metal act, including additional performances from such other groups as METALLICA, GUNS N' ROSES, SLAYER, TOOL, PANTERA and ALICE IN CHAINS. Ozzy also played a five-song solo set while seated in a bat-adorned throne.

In a 2023 interview with Rolling Stone, Osbourne said he would "die a happy man" if he could perform one more show to express his gratitude to his fans from the stage.

"If I can't continue doing shows on a regular basis, I just want to be well enough to do one show where I can say, 'Hi, guys. Thanks so much for my life.' That's what I'm working towards, and if I drop down dead at the end of it, I'll die a happy man," he said at the time.

When Ozzy announced that he was retiring from touring in 2023, he said in a statement: "In all good conscience, I have now come to the realization that I'm not physically capable of doing my upcoming European/U.K. tour dates, as I know I couldn''t deal with the travel required. Believe me when I say that the thought of disappointing my fans really fucks me up, more than you will ever know. Never would I have imagined that my touring days would have ended this way."

Osbourne leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and their children, Aimée, Kelly and Jack, as well his two older children, Jessica and Louis, from his first marriage to Thelma Riley, and grandchildren.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

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TOM KEIFER Is Still 'Collecting Ideas' For Next Solo Album: 'It's Getting There'

In a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer was asked if he is still working on material for the follow-up to his sophomore solo album, "Rise", which was released in September 2019 via Cleopatra Records. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, it's kind of the way it always goes. Song ideas are floating around, and once you get a pile where it feels like there's an album there, you get to work and start recording. So, [I'm] still kind of in that collecting the ideas and kicking around song ideas and stuff. It all starts with songs."

Asked how big the "pile" of song ideas is right now, Tom responded: "I don't know. Sometimes it's bigger than you think, and that's when you go, 'Whoa, it's time to make a record.' So, I don't know. I have little things that I've sung into voice memos and little lyrics that I've jotted down. I don't know. It's getting there. It's getting there. [There's] all kind of ideas, and then you kind of look at it and you say, 'Which are the best ideas?' And then you start to finish 'em, if that makes sense."

A year ago, Keifer told Rock 100.5 The KATT FM's Cameron Buchholtz about his songwriting process: "Music is kind of floating in the air. Songs are, they're always out there somewhere. It's just when the inspiration strikes you. I like to keep it organic and wait for a strong emotion or a feeling to hit that really feels like a song. And you kind of collect those. I call 'em like the little seeds of songs — you get these chorus lines in your head. I just kind of let 'em brew. And the ones that I remember I feel like are maybe the strongest ones or the best ones and then eventually those are the ones that get written. So, yeah, since 'Rise', there's been a lot of ideas floating in and out. I'm kind of keeping track of 'em. I'd say albums are kind of like a lightning strike — you kind of know when you're ready and when you have one, and just boom, it falls out."

He added: "The writing process is — I know this might sound weird, but it's almost every day, because ideas go in and out of your head all day long, and the first question as a writer is, 'Hmm, is that a song?' And if one really sticks with you, you eventually write it. At least that's how I work."

Asked how he keeps track of all of his musical ideas and whether he sings melodies into his phone, Tom said: "Usually I don't. I didn't for years. Every once in a while I will now, if there's something that I think that's really good that I won't remember. But my natural filtration process used to be was not to record anything, and for decades that's how I did it, because I figure if I forget it, then it's not memorable. Now that I'm getting a little bit older, if something goes through my head that I think is really strong and I'm afraid that I'm gonna forget it, I might sing that into the phone. [Laughs] But I still try to do the natural filtration process where you see what sticks with you. It's always worked for me. I've heard other songwriters say they do it that way, too — see what really sticks with you. And if it keeps haunting you and keeps coming back to you, then maybe there's something there, I guess is the best way to put it."

In March 2024, Tom told SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he will release a new studio album "at some point." He added: "Inspiration hits at the oddest times. When the first solo record [2013's 'The Way Life Goes'] was released, we were so focused on touring that I just thought, 'Man, I'm never gonna write another song again. The inspiration's not coming, and I don't know when we're ever gonna get another record done.' And then, for some strange reason, when we got off the road in 2018. we just ended up in the studio and all these songs just fell out and we had 'Rise' in about six months' time, between the writing and the recording and mixing and all. So I feel that coming again."

He continued: "I think that we all want to make another record, and there's definitely some ideas for some songs starting to drift into the antenna. That's how it always starts for me, is you get ideas for songs and you sing them into a voice memo or you jot down a line. I don't usually finish them when they come to me that way; I just kind of store these ideas, and then at some point you've got a pile of them, you go, 'Let's go make a record.' And then you finish out the songs and you record them. So, yeah, that process is going on all the time, of just collecting the ideas. You get an inspiration driving down the road, and you pull out the voice and then when you sing a chorus line into something and then don't come back to it for who knows how long, but usually you come back to when you have a pile of those. And then you finish them out."

Keifer went on to say that he usually blocks everything else out and just focuses on finishing the songs when it's time to make an album. "Yeah, that's kind of when it gets serious," he explained. "And that comes when you feel like you've got a bunch of ideas, because you don't wanna go with the first 10 ideas you have. So then you feel, like 'Whoa, this is really starting to pile up.' Okay, then you go through and you pick, like, what are the best ideas here? And with the solo stuff, I write most of it with [my wife] Savannah, and she writes the same way, and she stockpiles ideas, and we just get to a point where we, like on 'Rise', we just started kicking ideas back and forth at each other, and then, before we knew it, they were finished. But, yeah, that's the point where you've got to block the rest of the world out. And that's what happened when we got off tour in 2018 and I had a ton of ideas and Savannah had some ideas and we kind of were going through 'em. And boom, it's, like, we just started finishing 'em. It was, like, 'Man, that's a great idea. Let's finish that one.' And then next thing I know, I'm up in the studio with the band and we're tracking them. And that record went really fast, compared to the first one, which was the better part of 10 years putting that one together, and it was recorded with session musicians and stuff. And there were a lot of obstacles that came into play with that record, but we eventually got it done and sounding the way we wanted it. And then, very pleasant surprise when we made 'Rise', it was the opposite experience. I mean, it was, like, no obstacles. It was, like, 'All right, we're making a record. Block the world out.' Boom, all of a sudden it's done. Every record's different."

Tom's #KEIFERBAND is rounded out by Savannah Keifer, Tony Higbee, Billy Mercer, Kendra Chantelle, Jarred Pope and Kory Myers.

In 2023, Keifer told "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" that he hadn't "recorded anything" new since "Rise". "Some song ideas are starting to bubble," he said.

"The pandemic kind of threw a wrench in everything, obviously," he explained. "We were in the middle of working 'Rise'; we were on the second single, 'Hype', and were about to go out on that 'Big Rock Summer Tour' [with RATT, SKID ROW and SLAUGHTER]. And 'Hype' was kind of moving up the charts, and then everything got shut down. All the creative juices, all the energy during that couple of years just kind of… I know some people got creative; some people didn't. I didn't. [Laughs] So, it's starting to come back now. I think getting back out on the road last year kind of ignited that spark again. But, yeah, we definitely wanna do a follow-up to it.

"I would say records come in their time; I don't like to rush them," Keifer added. "But, yeah, there will for sure be a follow-up. And that antenna is starting to go up and song ideas are starting to kind of come in. Yeah, it's coming."

According to Tom, the pandemic-related break from touring came just at the right time. "I kind of needed it," he said. "We toured so much with this band leading right up to the last tour, right before the pandemic. We were actually out early that year, in 2020, 'cause the 'Rise' tour was still kind of continuing; we were still working the record. So it was 10 years straight for me — or not quite 10 years at that point. But there were three CINDERELLA tours prior to that. So I'd been on the road, like, 12 years straight. So I was crispy by the time that pandemic hit. None of us wanted that forced on us, obviously, but I guess it forced me to take a break, which I probably needed."

Although CINDERELLA hasn't released a new studio album since 1994's "Still Climbing", the band started playing sporadic shows again in 2010 but has been largely inactive for the last few years while Keifer focused on his solo career.

In March 2022, Keifer said that he was "not prepared" for the 2021 passing of CINDERELLA guitarist Jeff LaBar. Jeff was found dead by his wife in July 2021 inside his apartment in Nashville. He was 58 years old.

FIRSTBORNE Feat. Ex-LAMB OF GOD Drummer CHRIS ADLER: 'Rescue Me' Video Released

Hard rock and heavy metal powerhouse FIRSTBORNE has released "Rescue Me", the third emphasis track from the group's debut full-length album, "Lucky", due which arrives today (Friday, August 8) via M-Theory Audio. It is available from all digital outlets, as well as on CD and limited-edition (300) amber wave-colored vinyl.

FIRSTBORNE features legendary drummer Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH),virtuoso guitarist Myrone (known by some as the originator of soft shred),and electrifying vocalist Girish Pradhan (GIRISH AND THE CHRONICLES, THE END MACHINE). Formed in 2019, FIRSTBORNE blends high-energy riffs, soaring vocals, and thunderous rhythms to create a modern yet timeless sound rooted in classic metal, hard rock, and shred guitar.

Myrone states about "Rescue Me": "'Rescue Me' was the first song we wrote in person after being penpals for four years. For me it was this crazy feeling of anticipation as we had been working so hard to get into the same room and we finally did it, almost like a 'dog catches car' moment. After we finished setting up, Chris looked at me and was, like, 'Well, what do you got?' and that opening riff is the first thing that fell out of me."

FIRSTBORNE, which originally also included current MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo, first gained attention through a series of independently released singles and EPs between 2020 and 2023, showcasing its signature fusion of melody, technical precision, and relentless groove. In late 2023, FIRSTBORNE recorded their debut full-length album, "Lucky", with acclaimed producer Eugene "Machine" Freeman (CLUTCH, KING CRIMSON, CROBOT). That album will be released on July 18 via M-Theory Audio.

Myrone explains how the album came together: "When Chris, Girish and I got connected in 2019 I said my number one goal in life was to get us all in the same room to jam. Four years later not only did we get in the same room, we went to Machine's barn in Texas for a month to create 10 piping hot metal jams for the whole world to enjoy. I had written around 150 song ideas before stepping in the studio, and we ended up using none of them. What you hear on the record was entirely written and recorded in Texas."

With Adler's iconic drumming, Myrone's signature guitar work, and Pradhan's dynamic, powerhouse vocals, FIRSTBORNE are a force to be reckoned with in the hard rock and metal scene — delivering high-energy anthems that bridge the gap between old-school metal and modern intensity.

FIRSTBORNE's self-titled debut EP came out in 2020 and marked Adler's first dedicated band release since his departure from MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD.

"Firstborne" included five songs and two lyric videos. The EP represented several years of dedicated introspection and refined effort to the idea of a heavy and positive message.

Adler and Myrone began collaborating in early 2019 after Myrone noticed Adler's e-mail address attached to a Bandcamp sales notification email. Adler had been a fan of Myrone's talent for years prior and as soon as they connected, it was game on.

A chance meeting in India, almost a second home to Chris after eight visits, was the spark needed to form the international group FIRSTBORNE and for Chris to return to the studio. Adler met and shared the stage with Pradhan during a six-week clinic tour of India in the fall of 2019. After the first show of the clinic tour, Adler immediately called Myrone, noting he'd "struck gold" in their search for a singer for the then-unnamed project.

Myrone is a Los Angeles-based producer/guitarist who pioneered the "soft shred" genre. In the last few years, he has released several albums and EPs of instrumental guitar music and racked up millions of Spotify streams. In addition to his own recordings, he has collaborated with Rivers Cuomo (WEEZER),SZA, Little Boots, Michael Christmas and Deaton Chris Anthony. More recently, Myrone was Guitar #1 in the L.A. production of "Rock Of Ages", the 29th-longest running show in Broadway history.

Adler is a Grammy-winning American metal drummer from Richmond, Virginia. Chris founded LAMB OF GOD in 1994 and helped usher in what critics have dubbed the "New Wave Of American Heavy Metal." LAMB OF GOD's discography with Chris includes multiple gold records and platinum DVDs as well as five Grammy nominations.

Chris received a Grammy for playing drums on legendary thrash metal band MEGADETH's 2016 record "Dystopia". Chris also toured with MEGADETH in support of the record while juggling and occasionally combining tour dates with LAMB OF GOD.

Chris has collaborated and contributed to records with PROTEST THE HERO, TESTAMENT, THAIKKUDAM BRIDGE, Michael Angelo Batio and Ron Jarzombek.

In 2018, Chris created an artist management firm Kintsugi Management.

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Watch: CROWBAR's KIRK WINDSTEIN Performs While Seated At U.S. Tour Kick-Off

CROWBAR kicked off its U.S. co-headlining tour with EYEHATEGOD last night (Thursday, August 7) at Conduit in Orlando, Florida. Fan-filmed video of the show can be seen in the YouTube playlist below, courtesy of IFM RAW. (Note: After each song, the YouTube player automatically jumps to the next song in the playlist.)

Earlier this week, CROWBAR frontman Kirk Windstein revealed that he would be "sitting down" during the early part of the trek, which will wrap up on August 31 in Pensacola, Florida, due to what he described as "either a bad sciatica flare-up or potentially a ruptured disc" in his "lower spine". He said in part: "I don't call in sick. I'm there to give y'all a hundred percent and please the fans the best I can. So I'm probably gonna have to start this tour …. sitting down, but we'll be singing and playing top-notch the best I can do. I can't walk right now, and that's the truth. I've got a cane, I've got a walker, and I've never had this kind of pain in my life. I'm 60 years old, and I've never had this pain in my life. But anyway, I think positive; I don't think negative. So it's gonna be great, and we're gonna kick ass every night. So thank y'all so much."

In a 2020 interview with Kerrang! magazine, Windstein said that he finally addressed his substance abuse issues around 10 years earlier. "I started drinking at home instead of going out to bars, because it was easier for me to avoid cocaine if I didn't go out to where it would be," he explained. "I erased all the dealers from my phone. I quit drinking hard liquor for the most part, but I had a little hangout room where I would watch sports, play guitar and drink beer. Before that, I would go to a bar, not realize how I'd got home, pass out on the couch and wake up with two bags of coke. Then, of course, I'd go to the store to buy beer, because if I've got cocaine, I've got to have beer. And vice versa — if I went to a bar, I'd have two beers, then I'd be calling a guy trying to score. It was an ugly thing to go through, but they say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and I really do believe that to be true."

Back in 2011, Windstein told the San Antonio Metal Music Examiner that he didn't go to rehab to beat his addiction. "I was in a downward spiral for years and years and years, and you know, you get to a point of, 'This is enough,'" he said. "I always make damn sure to say this: If I was a regular guy working at Home Depot and had a drinking problem, people wouldn't talk about it. But because I'm in a band... For me, I'm in a good place and take it a day at a time. It's a lifestyle change in general, not just about alcohol. It's about getting my life in order, eating right, working out right, getting out of debt, and try to be the best father I can be, the best musician. You live and you learn…. I never want to be back to where I was, let's put it that way. It hits you like a hammer, and it's not a good thing where you're a physical slave to drinking. You need to do a lot of soul-searching and find what works for you."

Windstein told Metal Hammer magazine that the support from his peers in the music industry "has been great. They all understand it," he said. "Everyone I've met in this business, they all understand it. It's part of it. It's like an occupational hazard. It's in your face 24⁄7, and what used to be fun, partying and cutting up with the guys became a really bad thing. Enough is enough. That's it."

CROWBAR released its most recent studio offering, the critically lauded "Zero And Below", in April 2022 via MNRK Heavy. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Duane Simoneaux at OCD Recording And Production in Metairie, Louisiana, "Zero And Below" was the band's most unforgivably doom-driven record since their 1998 landmark effort "Odd Fellows Rest". Led by riff lord and vocalist Kirk Windstein, with guitarist Matt Brunson, bassist Shane Wesley and drummer Tommy Buckley, songs like "Chemical Godz", "It's Always Worth The Gain" and "Bleeding From Every Hole" are unapologetic emotional outpourings, with a bare-knuckle resolve alongside its soul-searching vulnerability, reliably delivered with crushing heaviness.

Five years ago, Windstein told the "Does It Doom?" podcast that he was really happy with the band's then-just-completed new album. "It's really a killer record — I love it," he said. "It's got a lot of [guitar] harmonies and it's got a lot more doomy riffs. We only had one proper fast song — one of our more upbeat, hardcore-type, MOTÖRHEAD speed, I call it, type tunes; we've only got one like that. Out of all 10 tracks, besides that one tune, there's only maybe two other fast, what I would consider fast, songs on the whole record. So it's kind of a throwback but a modern, more mature touch on it."

He continued: "We're all super, super happy with the way it came out. The production's amazing, again from Duane Simoneaux. The guitar tone's amazing. The songs themselves are great; I'm really happy. It's really one of the only CROWBAR records that I'm really happy with everything — every riff, I'm happy with the tones, with the production, with the lyrics, with the way I sang; the whole nine yards. So I'm really just loving it, to be honest — I really am."

Earlier in 2020, Windstein told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that he got "a lot of help" from Brunson and Wesley during the songwriting process for CROWBAR's latest album.

AEROSMITH Bassist TOM HAMILTON's Band CLOSE ENEMIES Releases New Single 'More Than I Could Ever Need'

CLOSE ENEMIES — the all-star band featuring Tom Hamilton (AEROSMITH),Tony Brock (THE BABYS),Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crow),Trace Foster (AC/DC's tech guru) and Chasen Hampton — has released a new single, "More Than I Could Ever Need", through TLG|ROCK, distributed through Virgin Music Group.

"More Than I Could Ever Need" is a deeply personal and haunting rock ballad written by Hamilton as a tribute to his wife of almost 50 years. The song is a moving ode to commitment, passion, and the kind of love that only gets stronger with time.

This past June, CLOSE ENEMIES released its fourth single, "Rain", via TLG|ROCK, distributed through Virgin Music Group. It was the follow-up to "Sweet Baby Jesus", which came out in April. "Inside Out" was released in February, with CLOSE ENEMIES' debut single, "Sound Of A Train", arriving in January.

Foster and Stroud spoke to the "Is Breakfast Included?" podcast about how the band came together more than two years ago. Peter said in part: "I'm sure each of us have our own perspective. It was sort of in layers. Trace and I had already been working on another band project, trying to get something off the ground, and then just out of the blue — I think it was at the when an AEROSMITH tour had to go on a hiatus — apparently Tom and Trace had been speaking where Tom said, 'Man, I got all these songs I would love to try to do something with,' and the light bulb goes off in Trace's head, and he goes, 'I know just the guy to come up, and maybe we can get together and help you with that.' So he asked if I'd be interested in going up there and just jamming around, and I said, 'Yeah, well, I think I know just the drummer who would be into it.' And that was Tony Brock, who's a longtime buddy of mine. And we had always been trying to figure out some way to play together. And I figured that Tony and Tom might find some common ground and a good comfort zone playing-wise. So that was sort of the initial get-together."

Trace added: "I had this other band, and I thought we're riding around in a van, doing shows and not making any money. And I'm, like, if I'm gonna do this, I need to up my game, because at our age to be driving around in a van, not to make any money… So I called Peter. Why not? Why not start there? I just thought we could add him to the band I was already in. And then we did it. And it started to work really well. And then, of course, like every other band that you've been in in your life, somebody does something wrong and they're out of the band. Me and Peter were, like, 'This isn't worth it. Let's just wait.' And then, like he said, we started putting this other project together, 'cause we did all kinds of writing and we got the guy from Atlanta, Gary Stier, that was in my original band in Atlanta. I started writing with him, and then I brought Peter in. Peter knows Gary, of course. So the band that I was in in Atlanta all knew Peter, but I didn't so that's the weird thing. And then it just kind of went from there. Everybody's schedule didn't always jibe, and we just tried to make it work, and then we were in Las Vegas with AEROSMITH and I literally went, 'Man, we really gotta do something.' And then I just looked at Tom, and it was one of those moments where you go, 'This is the guy. He's asking for some help,' and this and that. I just walked up and I said, 'Hey…' I didn't ask him. I basically told Tom, I said, 'Hey, we're gonna come to Boston and work on your songs.' And he was, like, 'Well, let me think about that.' And then like an hour later, he was, like, 'I think that's a really good idea.' So that's how it started. And once Tom and Tony played together, it was pretty much a given."

Peter continued: "That was a great five days. I loved it, too, where Trace suggested to Tom, 'Hey, why don't we come up for a couple days, two or three days?', and he goes, 'How about five?' First he was, like, 'Well, let me think about it.' He was like, 'How about five? You guys wanna move up here?' I was, like, 'Man, there you go. I said, 'That's a reflection of somebody who knows hard work right there.'"

CLOSE ENEMIES made its live debut on October 11, 2024 at Eastside Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.

In a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Tom said about CLOSE ENEMIES' debut gig: "I was a little bit nervous, you know. But that feeling, it energizes you. It doesn't hold you back. It makes you want to dive in deeper and deeper."

Speaking to AARP, Tom described Hampton as "a gifted singer who really made the songs come to life."

"When I joined, these guys had worked up a bunch of great songs, and I was able to contribute something I had," the bassist continued. "Hopefully, when the time comes, we'll work up some others I've had in my pocket for a while. All of these guys are great musicians, and it's an honor and a challenge to be part of it all. I'm looking forward to seeing how people like it. I think they'll be pleasantly amazed."

The members of AEROSMITH made the announcement that they were retiring from touring on August 2, 2024 — nearly one year after singer Steven Tyler fractured his larynx during a September 2023 show.

The "Peace Out" tour came to a halt after what turned out to be a final gig in Elmont, New York on September 9, 2023. That show came just three dates into the trek, which was supposed to last through February 2024. Tyler said in a statement at the time that the injury caused bleeding but that he hoped he and his AEROSMITH bandmates would be back on the road after postponing a few shows.

The rescheduled "Peace Out" tour was due to begin September 20, 2024 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with special guests THE BLACK CROWES.

Photo credit: Rick Diamond (courtesy of O'Donnell Media Group)

JOHN 5 Announces More 'Ghost' Album Details, Shares Music Video For 'Deviant'

John 5 will release a new solo album, "Ghost", on October 10. Produced by Barry Pointer, the LP's second single, "Deviant", features drummer Stephen Perkins and bassist Bryan Beller of THE ARISTOCRATS. "Deviant" follows previously released singles "Hollywood Story" and "Fiend".

The Michael Sarna-directed music video for "Deviant" can be seen below.

John 5 comments: "'Ghost' is perhaps my proudest achievement to date. To me, the meaning of life is doing what you love. And this is what I love. I am surrounded by ghosts in my life and I needed to honor them with this album. It is what I was meant to do.

"I'm so happy to have had some incredibly talented friends join me on this album. On 'Deviant', Stephen Perkins's drums helped bring the track to life. And having the great Bryan Beller on bass... you can't get much better than that."

The full track listing for "Ghost" is as follows:

01. Wicked World
02. Deviant (ft. Stephen Perkins on drums)
03. Strung Out
04. L.A. Express
05. Hollywood Story
06. Fiend (ft. Kenny Aronoff on drums)
07. Ghost
08. Moon Glow (ft. Matt Bissonette on bass and Marco Minnemann on drums)
09. You, Me And The Devil Makes Three (ft. Tommy Lee on hand claps and foot stomps)
10. Executioner (ft. Gregg Bissonette on drums)

John 5's longtime drummer Alex Mercado is featured on all other tracks.

On September 12, John 5 will join his MÖTLEY CRÜE bandmates as they kick off their highly anticipated 10-show residency at Dolby Live at Park MGM in Las Vegas, Nevada. September 12 also marks the release of "From The Beginning, The Definitive Collection Of Mötley Crüe Hits" via BMG.

Following the MÖTLEY CRÜE residency, John 5, along with Alex Mercado, will also head out with fellow guitar great Richie Kotzen for the first time ever on an extensive co-headlining tour beginning October 16.

Says John 5: "I've got a brand-new show and a whole bunch of songs we haven't played in a long time plus all your favorites. I'm super excited! I love touring with other great guitarists like Richie Kotzen! It's gonna be a Noodle-Palooza."

For over 30 years, John 5 has been one of the most in-demand guitar players on the planet. As well as being a songwriter/guitarist for hire, John 5 has shared the stage as axe-man for Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Rob Halford. He has also worked with an impressive array of names, from all walks of music, including KD Lang, Rod Stewart, David Lee Roth, Alice Cooper, Tina Guo, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, Meat Loaf, Dolly Parton and Ricky Martin. In October 2022, it was announced that John 5 would be joining MÖTLEY CRÜE as their guitarist following Mick Mars's decision to retire from the road. John 5 continues to tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE, including an upcoming residency in Las Vegas in 2025.

John's most recent solo album, "Sinner", came out in 2021. The first single from the LP, "Qué Pasa", featured a guest appearance by MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine. "Sinner" also included a guest appearance by original KISS drummer Peter Criss on a cover of "Georgia On My Mind", a 1930s classic by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell that became famous thanks to Ray Charles decades later.

In the last four years, John 5 has been involved in numerous projects, including completing his documentary, which includes testimonials from the likes of Joe Satriani, Rob Halford, the late Gary Rossington, Michael Anthony and Rudy Sarzo, among others. He's also announced the opening of his KISS museum, featuring his own personal mementoes and rare artifacts from the group's early years.

Slash has called John 5 "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around," and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder."

John 5 has released ten solo albums to date, as well as a remix album.

Photo credit: Ross Halfin

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