Author: Editorial Team

Sun Dont Shine — formerly known as Eye Am — will release their debut full-length, Birth To Death, on April 1 through Corpse Paint Records. The band brings together Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Down, Kingdom Of Sorrow) on guitar and vocals, former Type O Negative members Kenny Hickey on guitar and vocals, Johnny Kelly on drums, and Todd Strange (Crowbar, Down) on bass.

Ahead of the album’s arrival, the group has unveiled a new single, “Power To Live”, along with an official video shot and edited by Mike Holderbeast. A press statement describes the track as “a fierce and unflinching track that confronts humanity’s refusal to learn from its own violent history while defiantly clinging to survival, awareness, and the will to keep going.”

Written by Hickey and Windstein, “Power To Live” was tracked at OCD Studios in the summer of 2025. Duane Simoneaux handled production, Vinnie LaBella co-produced, and Andrew Spaulding served as executive producer.

The song took shape after a discussion about its cover art, when Hickey pointed out how troubling it is that humanity continues to repeat cycles of violence. That idea became the foundation of the track — facing history’s failures head-on while choosing persistence over defeat.

“The track is a challenge to the times we’re living in,” Sun Dont Shine explains, “an insistence on survival and consciousness in the face of cycles that refuse to break.”

For the artwork of “Power To Live”, Sun Dont Shine worked with visual artist Nadiya Vizier (Crowbar, Sailor Bob tattoo). To coincide with the single, the band and Vizier are releasing a limited art collaboration available exclusively with the track. The run includes 100 hand-signed posters autographed by Vizier, a custom sticker sheet, and 10 ultra-limited trucker caps featuring original artwork tied to the release. Each item was created specifically for “Power To Live”, reflecting the urgency and message behind the song. All pieces are directly linked to the streaming release and are available only while supplies last.

Musically, “Power To Live” leans into Sun Dont Shine’s mix of weight and atmosphere. Windstein’s dense guitar tone locks in with Hickey’s melodic phrasing, while Kelly drives the track with tight but forceful drumming and Strange anchors it with a heavy low end. The result feels seasoned and deliberate — four experienced players building tension and releasing it with impact.

The video for “Power To Live” expands on the song’s themes with stark, unsettling visuals. Instead of telling a literal story, it blends performance footage with mood-driven imagery to highlight the friction between destruction and endurance. The approach reflects Sun Dont Shine’s broader mindset: capturing emotion as it happens rather than polishing it into something safe.

The post SUN DONT SHINE Releases “Power To Live” Music Video appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Alternative metal outfit Tomahawk is officially back in action in 2026. Tomahawk will hit the road this summer for their first live dates in 13 years. The month-long U.S. tour celebrates the band’s 25th anniversary and reunites them with Melvins for the first time since the 2003 Geek Show run.

The lineup remains intact: Duane Denison, Mike Patton, John Stanier and Trevor Dunn. Tomahawk last toured behind Oddfellows in 2013. They resurfaced in 2021 with Tonic Immobility, released during the pandemic, and the material has yet to be performed live.

Denison comments on the upcoming dates: “In the spirit of the Olympics, Team Tomahawk has decided to rise up and go for the gold once again — also competing will be our cohorts the Melvins.”

Buzz Osborne from the Melvins adds: “This tour is a no brainer. I can’t wait. A Melvins/Tomahawk trek will be a stone groove.”

The current Melvins lineup features Osborne alongside Dale Crover, Steven McDonald and Coady Willis.

Tickets go on sale Friday, February 27 at 10 a.m. local time. An Ipecac pre-sale begins Wednesday, February 25 at 10 a.m. local time (password: Flashback). Tickets are available here.

Tomahawk — guitarist Duane Denison (The Jesus Lizard, The Unsemble), vocalist Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, Faith No More, Fantômas), drummer John Stanier (Helmet, Battles) and bassist Trevor Dunn (Mr. Bungle, Fantômas) — first emerged in 2001 with their self-titled debut Tomahawk. They followed with Mit Gas (2003) and Anonymous (2007) before issuing Oddfellows in 2013. That record delivered their strongest chart debut, landing at No. 9 on the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart. The A.V. Club graded it “A-,” Revolver rated it “4 out of 5 stars,” and Pitchfork wrote that “this lurid, thorny, profoundly weird music — just comes tearing out.”

After extensive touring and festival appearances, the members shifted focus to other projects in 2014. On their 20th anniversary, they returned with their fifth full-length, Tonic Immobility. Now, marking 25 years, Tomahawk is back on stage.

The post TOMAHAWK Announces First Tour in 13 Years To Feature Special Guests MELVINS appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

James LoMenzo was not expecting it. When Dave Mustaine announced he wanted to record his own version of “Ride the Lightning,” — the title track of Metallica‘s 1984 album, for which Dave holds a co-writing credit following his 1983 departure from the band — for Megadeth‘s self-titled final album, the bassist’s first reaction was visible surprise. But surprise gave way quickly to something else.

“I was delighted. I was surprised. My eyebrows went up, but I was kind of delighted that he was gonna even go there,” LoMenzo told Portugal’s Metal Global (via Blabbermouth). “Because there’s always that subliminal undercurrent tension — you know, ‘Oh, Metallica [versus] Megadeth.’ And I always thought, like, Megadeth, for God’s sake, I always thought Dave won in a way, because he’s built this giant thing all by himself. And it made a lot of sense to me logically. It seemed like if this is the last thing we’re gonna do, then we should go out, end with a bang, but also kind of address the full history of this band. And that’s like step one. So I thought it was great in the end. But yes, my eyebrow went up when I heard him say that. Yeah.”

When the interviewer offered that Megadeth tops Metallica on riffs and solos, LoMenzo pulled back diplomatically. “I can’t go on board with you there. I mean, I’m a company guy — sure, I think we’re better, but semantically, I don’t really believe that,” he said. “It’s all about taste and approach, right? And I think if Dave had stayed there [in Metallica], it would’ve certainly been a lot more complex, but they would’ve not lost any energy that they had, Metallica. It comes down to, like, who do you like better — Motörhead or the Ramones? One seems silly, one seems really serious, but I love them both. And it’s similar kind of driving music.”

The decision to frame Megadeth as the band’s final album came later in the process than most people might assume. LoMenzo says the band walked into the sessions with no such intention. “No, no, no. This came about, like, three-quarters through,” he said. “We were proceeding as if we were just doing another record, and as time went by… After we finished the record was basically when Dave had this meeting with us and said, ‘You know, guys, this is kind of where we’re at right now. And maybe instead of going out with a whimper, maybe we go out with a big, giant victorious thing.’ And I think it was probably easier to make that decision after hearing the music that we had. ‘Cause if we weren’t convinced with the record, who’d wanna say, ‘Oh, this is our last record. Sorry, this is the best we can do.’ No, we were pretty excited with it.”

He pointed to the broader context of bands like Ozzy Osbourne winding down their careers as part of what made Mustaine‘s call feel right. “Dave‘s not that guy [who comes back and leaves repeatedly]. So when he said that, I heard him loud and clear. It was, like, ‘No, we have to really go out the right way if we’re gonna do this at all.’”

Making the record without knowing its finality turned out to be an asset, LoMenzo argues. “It was actually a pleasure making the record without any expectation,” he said. “And those are the best albums. The ones I love the best are when the band just jumps in, and everybody who’s got something throws it all together, and then you see what you have.”

He singled out new guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari as a revelation. “The kid came through with flying colors. He just has so many great riffs, and his ability to perform is just unmatched. I’ve really not seen anybody who’s quite that fast, as far as picking things up and putting his own stamp on it.”

The moment the album’s weight fully landed on LoMenzo came through the closing track. “When I finally heard ‘The Last Note’, and I really heard ‘The Last Note’, the last version of it, it put a lump in my throat ’cause I could really feel Dave‘s journey,” he said. “And I didn’t expect that. I didn’t expect him to be that candid and honest about things.”

Megadeth also topped the charts in Australia and Austria, and placed in the top five in Finland, Sweden, Belgium, the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and New Zealand. The album was produced by Chris Rakestraw, who previously helmed The Sick, The Dying… And The Dead! and Dystopia, and released through Mustaine‘s Tradecraft imprint on Frontiers Label Group‘s BLKIIBLK label.

The post MEGADETH’s JAMES LOMENZO Recalls His Reaction To DAVE MUSTAINE’s Idea Of Recording Rendition Of METALLICA’s “Ride the Lightning” For Farewell Album appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Primal Fear are keeping the momentum from Domination firmly rolling. With the second leg of their European tour kicking off in London on 03/11, the German power metal outfit has dropped “One”, a previously unreleased track from the Domination recording sessions. The song is a straightforward anthem built around the idea of human solidarity — a call to stand together rather than turn on each other — and it slots naturally alongside the material on the parent album, combining hard-hitting riffs with the melodic sensibility the band has made their signature over nearly three decades.

Bassist, vocalist, and producer Mat Sinner laid out what the track brings to the table. “‘One’ is a continuation of the Domination atmosphere,” he said. “A massive riff, true Primal Fear melodies, a driving groove, and Ralf‘s [Scheepers] characteristic vocals. It’s like a teaser for the second leg of our European tour as well as our upcoming South American run. Our cover artist Death.Milk.Designs has created a killer video clip with a collection of awesome scenes. Enjoy listening and watching the video. We’re incredibly excited for the next part of the tour!”

Domination landed on 09/05/2025 through Reigning Phoenix Music and made an immediate impact. The album scored Primal Fear their fourth consecutive German Top 10 entry, with strong chart showings across Europe, the U.S., and Japan. The first leg of the Domination European tour — a 21-date run — backed that up on the road, with crowds singing back tracks like “Destroyer” and “I Am the Primal Fear” from night one. The run also marked the long-awaited live return of Sinner and culminated in the band’s first Spanish headline dates in seven years.

The record was tracked at Dennis Ward‘s Kangaroo Studios — known for work with Helloween and Angra — in autumn 2024, with Sinner producing and Ralf Scheepers and Magnus Karlsson co-producing. Mixing and mastering were handled by Jacob Hansen — the man behind records by Amorphis and Volbeat — at his studios in Denmark.

Domination followed 2023’s Code Red, which reached some of the highest chart positions of the band’s career. For the new album, Primal Fear welcomed guitarist Thalìa Bellazecca and returning drummer André Hilgers into the fold, with Karlsson also rejoining the live lineup after several years away. The result is a record that covers a lot of ground — from the hard-charging opener “The Hunter” and first single “Far Away” to the mid-tempo “Tears Of Fire”, the epic ballad “Eden” (featuring Ad Infinitum‘s Melissa Bonny as a guest), neck-breakers like “Scream” and “Crossfire”, and the string-and-piano-driven closer “A Tune I Won’t Forget.”

The current Primal Fear lineup is Ralf Scheepers (vocals), Mat Sinner (bass, vocals), Magnus Karlsson (guitars), Thalìa Bellazecca (guitars), and André Hilgers (drums).

The post MAT SINNER Describes PRIMAL FEAR’s New Song “One”: “A Massive Riff, True PRIMAL FEAR Melodies, A Driving Groove, & RALF’s Characteristic Vocals” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

There are bands that reinvent themselves with every record, and then there are bands that know exactly who they are. Hardline fall firmly into the second category — and on Shout, due April 17 via Steamhammer, they’re not apologizing for it.

The record is the band’s seventh studio effort, but the shadow of their 1992 debut Double Eclipse looms large over it — intentionally so. That album established the blueprint: hook-heavy hard rock with a melodic consistency that few bands in the genre have ever matched. Everything Hardline have done since has operated within that framework, and Shout does not attempt to break from it.

Vocalist Johnny Gioeli — also known for his work with Axel Rudi Pell and Crush 40 — is direct about what the band was going for. “Our current album features our typical choruses and the classic songwriting style of Double Eclipse supported by a contemporary production and state-of-the-art sound,” he says. “The album gives you that feeling you get when you roll down your car window and turn up the radio on full blast.”

He leaves no room for ambiguity on the band’s creative direction. “This band doesn’t want to reinvent its music. Hardline is Hardline, and our fans know what to expect from us!”

Gioeli leads a roster that blends American and Italian talent. Flanking him are keyboardist Alessandro Del Vecchio (also of Vanden Plas and Jorn), guitarist Luca Princiotta, bassist Anna Portalupi, and drummer Marco Di Salvia — a unit that has clearly found its footing as a cohesive creative force.

First single “Rise Up” is the album’s opening statement, described as a direct reflection of the melodic consistency that has defined the band across three decades. The video is available to watch below.

Shout arrives 04/17 through Steamhammer in the following configurations: CD DigiPak; LP (140g black vinyl with padded inner sleeve and coloured insert); exclusive CD/LP bundles with a shirt available only through the Steamhammer shop; and digital download and streaming. Pre-orders are live here.

The post HARDLINE Connect New Record “Shout” To 1992 Landmark “Double Eclipse”: “Our Upcoming Album Features That Classic Songwriting Style” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

If you ever wondered what the internal gravity of Van Halen really looked like from the inside, Michael Anthony has a pretty straightforward answer: it was always the brothers, and then everyone else. Not in a hostile way — just the reality of a bond that ran deeper than music.

“Even from the beginning of Van Halen, it was always the brothers,” Anthony told WRIF’s Meltdown (via Blabbermouth). “Eddie and Al had this bond that, unlike any bond I had ever seen brothers have, musically and also as human beings. And so people naturally say it’s the brothers and everybody else. But they always supported one another in anything that they did. And so, you know what?! Thinking about it, I guess it was the brothers and everybody else.”

The split, as it turns out, came down to something far more mundane than creative differences. “The biggest thing when the band was together with Sammy is Eddie and Alex both smoked a lot, and Sammy and I didn’t smoke,” Anthony said. “So everything was — it was smoking or non-smoking. It came down to what buses you rode on or the dressing rooms. There was always the smoking and the non-smoking.”

Anthony and Hagar‘s friendship grew into something that outlasted the band itself. Anthony recalls that cars were the unexpected entry point. “When I first met him, it was on a band level, and then as we hung out more and more, his affection towards cars really grasped me,” he said. “I only owned, like, two cars before Sammy joined the band, and much to my wife’s dismay, I ended up owning about 10 cars.”

Geography sealed it. Both men are Southern California beach dwellers at heart, and that shared lifestyle kept them close long after Van Halen was done. “Sammy and I, we just get together as much as we can now when we’re around,” Anthony said. “He’s got a place in Hawaii, so he spends a lot of time over there now.”

The weight of how Van Halen ended still sits with Anthony. In a separate interview last Junewith Get On The Bus, he was candid about his one lasting regret. “When Van Halen was really firing on all 12 cylinders, we’re living the dream, it’s the fairy tale or whatever,” he said. “And the first time it ended when Roth left the band, luckily, Sammy joined the band, and it was like a rebirth. And, obviously, the band was even bigger at that point or whatever. But the only regret I have is the way it all ended. It should have gone out with a fricking bang that shook the world, and it was more like a whimper, the way everything ended.”

His falling out with Eddie Van Halen was left unresolved at the time of Eddie‘s death in October 2020. “Unfortunately, Eddie and I never [made amends] — we had some issues, and I’m sure that if he had not passed when he did that we would’ve reconciled or we would’ve really calmed all that stuff down,” Anthony said. He had heard through Wolfgang Van Halen that a large-scale reunion was in the works. “They were planning on coming to all of us and putting together a big reunion tour with all of us. And at that point in Ed’s life, I think he was a little bit more, like, ‘Hey, the past is the past. Let’s all… fricking water under the bridge,’ that whole bit. But, unfortunately, it was not to be.”

In December 2023, Anthony attended a Mammoth WVH show at the House of Blues in Las Vegas — his first face-to-face with Wolfgang in two decades. The meeting clearly mattered to both men. “We talked, we sat and talked, and there was a lot of closure for me there,” Anthony said. “Valerie [Bertinelli] was there. So it was a great night. Besides the fact that Wolf is a great guy, great musician, his band kicks ass.”

Wolfgang framed it simply. “He’s family,” he told Loudwire in January 2024. “It was long overdue. I think we had planned that at least since I’ve been touring, and it just worked out, and it was very wonderful to see him.”

On social media, both men made the reunion public. Wolfgang posted backstage photos with the caption: “Ran into an old friend at the @mammothwvh show in Vegas tonight. (Love ya, Mikey).” Anthony responded in kind, sharing his own photo and writing: “Went to see Mammoth WVH last night here in Vegas, and they threw it down! Love ya Wolf, so great to see ya! (Proud of you brother!!)”

Anthony holds no resentment about being replaced. “Eddie wanted to play with his son,” he said. “The way I kind of feel is that Wolfgang probably wasn’t excited, really, about being in Van Halen. That’s why in his band, he doesn’t play any Van Halen, ’cause he wants to carve out his own niche. But just to be able to get up and play with his father, I can totally understand that.”

The post MICHAEL ANTHONY Recalls VAN HALEN Band Dynamics: “EDDIE & ALEX Had This Bond That Was Unlike Any Bond I Had Ever Seen Brothers Have” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Adrian Smith of Iron Maiden has made his position on artificial intelligence in music crystal clear: he wants nothing to do with it.

In a recent interview with Argentina’s UnDinamo – La Última Radio De Rock, the guitarist was asked about AI as a compositional tool and held nothing back (via Blabbermouth): “No, I don’t like it. I don’t like it. I mean, people seem to be craving more reward with less effort. I think part of the enjoyment and the fun is the journey of getting there, the process, and the struggle. It makes you feel good when you get it. If someone just gives you something, it’s all finished and done.”

He also tied it back to what he and Richie Kotzen do under the Smith/Kotzen banner: “And I think from our point of view, the albums that Richie and I do are pretty organic. There are no loads of overdubs. It’s just two guitars [and our] voices. A few overdubs, of course, but we try to keep it organic, keep the human feel.”

Smith also took a shot at bands leaning on backing tracks live: “A.I., it just makes me shiver. And when you hear about bands canceling gigs, ’cause they’ve lost their laptop computer — I mean, come on.”

When asked whether AI poses a threat to younger musicians trying to break through, Smith pointed to a broader problem with how the industry has shifted: “The record industry is dying on its ass because of music streaming. People aren’t getting paid or can’t earn any money out of music. Sure, you can make an album on your computer, and anyone can make an album, so it’s kind of cheapened everything. There’s no struggle anymore. You used to have to save the money and work to buy an hour in the studio. It was so expensive.”

He kept going: “Yeah, it’s difficult for young bands now, difficult for young bands. I’m glad I was born when I was, because I got the best of both worlds. With Maiden, we can make the whole thing solvent by doing shows, but records are — it’s tragic. People expect it for nothing; they want music for nothing. They don’t wanna pay for it.”

This isn’t the first time Smith has sounded off on the topic. Last April, in an interview with Andrew McKaysmith of the Scars And Guitars podcast, he was equally blunt when asked if he’d ever use AI to write songs: “No way. I don’t know. I don’t even wanna think about it. I mean, A.I. What was it someone was telling me the other day? Somebody, as a birthday present or as a present to his friends, he had a song written by A.I. for each one of them, using their voice. And it’s just mind-boggling. It’s like the beginning of the end. I mean, social media’s bad enough. But this is just another level.”

Smith also drew a distinction between modern convenience tools and actual musicianship: “I can’t see it having any effect. I mean, even digital recording and Pro Tools now have enabled anyone to make up something that — you can present something that sounds respectable, but it’s all done by computers. At least I grew up old school, where you had to actually play in the studio; you couldn’t tune it up afterwards. So that makes you more of a craftsman. Digital recording we use because it’s convenient, and it saves time, and it saves money.”

He wrapped it up with a laugh: “A.I., man, I don’t know. [Laughs] I don’t know.”

On the music front, Smith/Kotzen‘s second album, Black Light/White Noise, came out via BMG in April 2025. The 10-track record was cut at The House in Los Angeles, produced by Adrian and Richie Kotzen, and mixed by Jay Ruston.

The post IRON MAIDEN’s ADRIAN SMITH Unleashes On AI And Music Streaming: “People Aren’t Getting Paid Or Can’t Earn Any Money Out Of Music” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Nonpoint are heading out on the road this spring for “The Outta Control Tour,” bringing Soil and Sumo Cyco along for the ride. The U.S. run kicks off 04/25 in Tampa, Florida, and wraps 05/14 in Chicago, Illinois.

The tour gives fans an early look at new Nonpoint material, with the band set to perform tracks from their forthcoming album alongside the catalog that’s defined their career.

For Soil, this marks their first U.S. tour in two years — a return that’s been a long time coming for the Chicago-based metal outfit, who also have new material slated for later this year. The run also reunites Nonpoint with Sumo Cyco following frontman Elias Soriano‘s recent collaboration with the band.

Soriano laid out what to expect on the road: “We’re gonna be playing some new tracks on this tour that are some of my favorites on the new record. One being our lead track, ‘Is It’. It’s about that internal conflict where you question getting too involved. Did I push too hard? Did I ask too much?”

He went further into the track’s meaning: “It’s that feeling of wondering if doing what you thought was right actually meant being okay with hurting the people around you.”

And there’s more to look forward to beyond the new solo material: “We’re also performing our collab with Skye from Sumo Cyco, ‘Red Yeti’. That one is gonna blow people away. Add the return of Soil to the stage after some time off in the U.S., new production, and you’ve got a night people are going to talk about.”

Soil‘s Tim King is equally fired up about the pairing: “During all the years Soil and Nonpoint have been friends, we’ve never done an actual tour in the States together. I’m excited to see our two bands finally being brought together here. This will be a great tour for the fans.”

Check out the full itinerary below, and grab your tickets here.

• 04/25 – Tampa, FL @ Ritz Ybor
• 04/26 – Destin, FL @ Club LA
• 04/28 – Greenville, SC @ Radio Room
• 04/29 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Elevation 27
• 05/01 – Hartford, CT @ The Webster
• 05/02 – Warrendale, PA @ Jergels
• 05/03 – Harrisburg, PA @ XL Live
• 05/05 – Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents
• 05/06 – Leesburg, VA @ Tally Ho Theater
• 05/08 – Daytona, FL @ Daytona Intl Speedway (Nonpoint only)
• 05/09 – Biloxi, MS @ Mississippi Coast Coliseum (Nonpoint only)
• 05/10 – New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
• 05/12 – Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
• 05/13 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theater
• 05/14 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge

The post NONPOINT Announces US 2026 “The Outta Control Tour” With SOIL & SUMO CYCO appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Dave Mustaine has been talking about the guitar work on Megadeth, the band’s final self-titled album and their first record to top the Billboard 200 Chart — and he’s got a clear idea of where complexity becomes a problem.

In a recent interview with Loudwire, Mustaine reflected on what strikes him most about the new record when stacking it up against the band’s earliest material: “Well, there’s a lot of things that run through my head, but I think, as far as the music and everything is concerned, listening to what we just did and comparing it against the very earliest stages of Megadeth, there’s so much, I think, life, in the tracks.”

The album has already drawn praise for its guitar work, with The Guardian noting that the parts are “performed with the kind of technical precision for which Megadeth have long been famed,” while NME points to a collection of “shreddy-guitar solos to make your head spin.” But Mustaine is quick to draw a line between technical and needlessly complicated.

“As far as the guitar is concerned, playing Megadeth music, it’s kind of like a Chinese finger puzzle,” he explained. “Some of the riffs are a little difficult. Sometimes, they border on being difficult to the point where it’s not worth the complexity for the music,” he explained.

He was equally direct about where his own taste sits: “But, you know, there’s a lot of bands that have music that’s like that, and that’s not really one of my particular tastes. When it gets too complicated, I can’t figure it out.”

That nitpicky approach to how riffs are played is something Marty Friedman ran into firsthand when he auditioned for the band, as he recalled in a recently surfaced interview from the early ’90s (via Ultimate Guitar).

Far from feeling confident coming out of the audition, Friedman was convinced he’d blown it entirely: “I thought, ‘Well, if they really are that nitpicky, I must have just really, completely fucked up this audition.’ I played everything in weird positions, but apparently, they thought it was cool, and I quickly learned the way everything really goes. It worked out really good.”

You can watch the full Mustaine interview below.

The post DAVE MUSTAINE Makes Surprising Confession About His Own MEGADETH Guitar Riffs: “Sometimes They Are Difficult To The Point Where It’s Not Worth The Complexity” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Gus G., the Greek guitar virtuoso best known for his work as Ozzy Osbourne‘s guitarist and as the driving force behind Firewind, is back with his fifth solo album. Steel Burner drops on April 24, 2026, through Metal Department Records — his first solo outing in five years.

Steel Burner balances instrumental showcases with vocal collaborations featuring some well-respected names from the metal world. Doro Pesch appears on “Nothing Can Break Me”, a metal anthem built around themes of inner strength and perseverance. Dino Jelusić (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra) features on “No One Has To Know”, a modern hard rock track that aims at the artificial personas people project through social media. Matt Barlow (Iced Earth, Ashes Of Ares) lends his unmistakable voice to “Dancing With Death”, an epic metal track with a contemporary edge that digs into the darker territory of addiction. Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Vandenberg, Michael Schenker Group) contributes to two tracks, a collaboration that grew naturally out of a recent joint world tour with Gus G.

The title track “Steel Burner” is out now on all streaming platforms, and the official music video is available to watch below.

The album grew out of an unexpected source. The title track was originally commissioned for a company that manufactures industrial machines used to shape metal, with the track taking its name and energy directly from a machine called the Steel Burner. That spark ended up setting the tone for the entire record.

Gus G. spoke about what drove the project: “This is my first solo album release in five years. As I’ve been pretty busy in the post-pandemic world with heavy touring, I always had the idea to put out another solo album at some point. This time around, I felt I wanted the best of both worlds — being able to explore guitar instrumental music, but also collaborate with singers I love and am a fan of.”

Production duties went to Dennis Ward (Helloween, Pink Cream 69), who handled mixing and mastering, delivering a sound that holds up across both the instrumental and vocal cuts.

Steel Burner arrives April 24, 2026 on Metal Department Records.

The post GUS G. Announces New Solo Album Featuring DORO PESCH, MATT BARLOW, RONNIE ROMERO & DINO JELUSICK, Shares Music Video For Title Track “Steel Burner” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.