Author: Editorial Team

Five Finger Death Punch has announced the European leg of its 20th-anniversary world tour, a 21-city run scheduled for January 16 through Feb. 22, 2027. Special guest Lamb Of God will appear on most dates; Scottish metallers Bleed From Within will round out the package. Tickets go on general sale May 8 at 10 a.m. local time (France: May 13). For more information, head over here.

Founding guitarist Zoltan Bathory said in a statement: “We built this band like a battleship, twenty years of everything life could throw at us, and we’re not just still here, we’re still growing. New fans discovering us every day, the fanbase is bigger now than it’s ever been. This world tour is the celebration that this milestone deserves. First leg is America in 2026, then Europe in 2027, and we’re not stopping there! South America, Australia, and Asia are all in the talks. This is going to be a big two or three years for Five Finger Death Punch, and we’re just getting started.”

Five Finger Death Punch‘s tenth studio album is expected later in 2026, with the first new single due this month. The European run will showcase material from the new LP alongside the band’s catalog of No. 1 hits. The North American leg of the 20th-anniversary tour runs July 20 through Oct. 23, 2026 — 48 cities opening at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey, with outlaw country artist Cody Jinks and Eva Under Fire as support.

The 21-date European run opens Jan. 16 in Manchester (AO Arena) and visits Glasgow, Dublin, Birmingham, and London before crossing to the continent for stops in Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Lodz, Prague, Munich, Stuttgart, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Zurich, Vienna, Berlin, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, and Helsinki, wrapping Feb. 22. Lamb of God will not appear at the Copenhagen date; the Prague date will feature Czech support Dymytry in their place.

Lamb Of God‘s latest album, Into Oblivion, is out now. Bleed From Within has built a reputation as one of heavy music’s most exciting live acts through relentless touring and critically acclaimed releases.

Five Finger Death Punch was formed in Las Vegas in 2005 and released its debut album, The Way Of The Fist, in 2007. The band’s most recent studio releases — Best Of: Volume 1 and Best Of: Volume 2 — feature newly re-recorded versions of the band’s biggest hits, including No. 1 single “I Refuse” (featuring Maria Brink) and “The End” (featuring Babymetal). Both collections were created in response to the sale of the band’s original masters, which occurred without the band’s knowledge or opportunity to reclaim them.

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Lex Legion, the new band featuring four-fifths of King Diamond‘s classic late-’80s lineup, has released the official music video for its second single, “Gypsy Tears.” The clip was directed by Patric Ullaeus of rEvolver Film Company. The band comprises guitarist Andy La Rocque, drummer Mikkey Dee, guitarist Pete Blakk, and bassist Hal Patino — the four instrumental members who appeared together on King Diamond‘s Them (1988) and Conspiracy (1989) — joined by vocalist Nils K. Rue of Pagan’s Mind.

Dee said of the new track: “It’s now time to release our second single, ‘Gypsy Tears.’ Another great song with a lot of fire and bite, this one is a real driving banger! The video, which is more of a short movie, does a great job of telling the story in the lyrics.”

Rue described the song: “At its core, the song is a dark portrait of obsession, told through the eyes of a watcher who cannot let go. The video re-imagines this as a timeless story of love and longing that stretches beyond reality itself. Through layered metaphors, the lyrics transform personal conflict into vast, symbolic landscapes — where emotional collapse feels like war-torn ground.”

Blakk added: “‘Gypsy Tears’ is the essence of me, Mikkey, Andy, and Hal. With Andy and me trading off solos and the power of Mikkey and Hal‘s rhythm section all supporting the powerful vocals of Nils, the song really brings a new dimension to metal in 2026. The video is tasteful, mystical, and raw. It’s a piece of art that will leave no one untouched.”

Pre-order the album here.

In an recent interview with The Metal Crypt, La Rocque explained how Lex Legion came together: “The story started back in 2008 when Pete and I talked about maybe doing something together. Then, many years later, during the pandemic, Pete continued writing a few riffs and played them for Mikkey, who thought, ‘This sounds really good. I want to be a part of this.’ They called me and asked if I wanted to join. I said, ‘Sure, man. We’re doing nothing really with King Diamond because we have a pandemic now.’ Hal Patino was also asked during that period. In the very end, everything went quite fast. We got a record deal, and everything was really smooth.”

On what separates Lex Legion from his work in King Diamond, La Rocque said: “This is totally unique. No one is writing this kind of music, and there’s a big hole for us to fill. The album is a journey, and every song is like the beat of a movie. The song style is different [to King Diamond] but still from the same era. The riffs are different, and the arrangements are a little less progressive and a little more straightforward.” He was emphatic that no King Diamond material crossed over: “The songs we write for Lex Legion are completely different and have nothing to do with King Diamond in that sense. I don’t want people to believe that I have some songs that were intended for King Diamond that I’m using here. No, not at all.”

Lex Legion‘s self-titled debut album will be released in June 2026 via MNRK Music Group. The group draws comparisons to heyday Iron Maiden, Queensrÿche, and Accept.

Between them, the five members of Lex Legion span decades of high-profile work. Dee went on from King Diamond to become the longtime drummer of Motörhead and later Scorpions. La Rocque has remained with King Diamond to this day while producing and collaborating widely. Rue has been the voice of Pagan’s Mind since that progressive metal band’s formation in 1997.

The post LEX LEGION – Featuring Four Former KING DIAMOND Members Plus PAGAN’S MIND Vocalist – Releases Music Video For Second Single “Gypsy Tears” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Swedish progressive metal veterans Evergrey have released a new single, “Leaving The Emptiness,” along with an accompanying music video. The track is taken from their 15th studio album, Architects Of A New Weave, due June 5, 2026, via Napalm Records.

Frontman Tom S. Englund said: “Our new single is a high-energy firecracker that makes you want to jump — we know, because we just played it in Brazil twice and people were more in the air than on the ground. But don’t let the adrenaline fool you. Underneath the surge is something rawer — a song about the moment you stop running from what hurts and finally turn to face it. ‘Leaving The Emptiness’ hits hard because it earns it.

“The tension between the euphoric, major-key drive and the weight of the lyrics is completely intentional — we want you to feel joy and ache at the same time, because that’s what it actually feels like to face your demons and come out the other side. We also made a video that matches that energy in every way, and we genuinely cannot wait for you to see it. If you’ve ever stood in a crowd and felt the music pull something out of you that you didn’t know was still there — for us, this is that song,” Englund added.

Pre-order Architects Of A New Weave here.

Architects Of A New Weave will be released in multiple formats, including a 2-LP Gatefold Deluxe Edition (with a bonus LP and LP-sized 16-page booklet, exclusive to the Napalm Records mailorder), a 2-CD digipack (with six bonus tracks), and standard vinyl and digital editions.

The album arrives just days before Evergrey take the stage as special guest to Iron Maiden for two shows on their “Run For Your Lives” World Tour. Standout tracks from Architects Of A New Weave include “The World Is On Fire,” “Leaving The Emptiness,” “Heaven,” “The Prophecy,” and the title track.

Evergrey was formed in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1995. More than 30 years and 15 albums into their career, the band has built a devoted global following through relentless touring and a catalog that spans melodic progressive metal to gothic darkness. Their previous album, A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament), was released in 2022.

The post EVERGREY Release Music Video For “Leaving The Emptiness” From Upcoming Album Of “Architects Of A New Weave” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin has addressed his retirement from the band in a May 1 livestream on his official YouTube channel, describing his exit as a warm and mutual parting after the tour behind Lighting Up The Sky. He said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “With the Godsmack thing, I tell you, people, it ended beautifully, and there were no hard feelings. And Godsmack 2.0 is coming, with Wade Murff on the drums and Sam Koltun on guitar. And it’s gonna be badass, ’cause I know [Godsmack frontman] Sully Erna, and he’s badass, and he’ll make a badass record. And Godsmack will persevere, 2.0. And no hard feelings on this side, because it’s all love.”

Larkin also put his 40-year career in perspective and spoke to the depth of his friendship with Erna: “The touring — I’ve been touring for 40 years. It was the greatest years of my life. Until it wasn’t. And so I stopped. And it was okay. And Sully understood, ’cause he knew me from the Wrathchild days, since 1986, [198]7, we met. That’s for real. There were no cell phones or the Internet, people. We wrote our numbers down after having met one another, and stayed in touch for 17 years before I joined Godsmack. So, we were friends way before that, and so now we’re friends way beyond that. And that’s important, I think, especially in moving on.”

In April 2025, Erna released a statement confirming that Larkin and guitarist Tony Rombola had left Godsmack “on good terms, but for no other reason than to fulfill their desire to live a simpler and quieter life away from touring.” Erna and bassist Robbie Merrill subsequently recruited Evanescence drummer Will Hunt and Dorothy guitarist Sam Koltun for a European tour in the spring of 2025.

Godsmack released a live album and Blu-ray, Live At Mohegan Sun, on May 1 via Primary Wave. Captured during the band’s sold-out Oct. 26, 2024, performance at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, the release marks the final show of the classic Godsmack lineup of Erna, Rombola, Merrill, and Larkin.

During an April 23 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk,” Erna officially introduced Wade Murff as the band’s new permanent drummer. He said, “Sam‘s on board now full-time, and he’s gonna be the new player from this point forward. And the drummer that we chose, his name is Wade Murff. He’s worked with Daughtry and some other acts. A fairly under-the-radar kind of guy. A strong player. A great dude.” Erna added, “I really feel that the fans will be able to come and enjoy the music as they have always known it, because it won’t sound foreign to them, like there’s a new singer singing Godsmack stuff.”

Based in Los Angeles, Murff began playing the drums at age 4. He cites Led Zeppelin‘s John Bonham and Van Halen‘s Alex Van Halen as his early rock inspirations, and Slayer‘s Dave Lombardo and Pantera‘s Vinnie Paul Abbott as the players who drove him toward heavy music. His touring credits include Daughtry, Prong, Sebastian Bach, Orgy, and Doyle (of The Misfits).

Promoted by Live Nation, Godsmack‘s “The Rise Of Rock” 2026 North American tour — featuring Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy as special guests — kicks off May 10 in Bristow, Virginia, and wraps Sept. 26 at Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater in Nampa, Idaho, with stops in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Phoenix, and California.

Larkin joined Godsmack in 2002 after years with Wrathchild (later Wrathchild America and Souls At Zero) and Ugly Kid Joe. Rombola had served as the band’s lead guitarist since the mid-1990s. Godsmack‘s most recent studio album, Lighting Up The Sky, came out in February 2023 via BMG, co-produced by Erna and Andrew “Mudrock” Murdock (Avenged Sevenfold, Alice Cooper).

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Armored Saint bassist and longtime Fates Warning member Joey Vera says he remains hopeful that the progressive metal band will play live again, despite no concrete plans on the horizon. In a new interview with George Dionne on The Rock Is George podcast, Vera said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Man, I wish I had an answer for you… I don’t have any news on that, and I’m bummed about that because I do get asked about it a lot. And I’m still in touch with Jim [Matheos, Fates Warning guitarist] and with Ray [Alder, Fates Warning singer]. We text each other. And we’re sort of, like, ‘Hey, we miss you guys. Let’s go out and do this again.’ And they’re, like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.’ Well, everybody’s busy, which is kind of true. Everybody’s doing other things at the moment.”

Vera continued: “But I haven’t given up. I would love to do more shows. And I know that offers is coming in from promoters, ’cause sometimes they come to me. And I’m, like, ‘Hey, man, I got no pull here. You gotta go to the booking agents, and you gotta go to Matheos and Ray.’ But the interest is still there, and I hope that one of these days I can have something better to tell you.”

Four years ago, Vera told VWMusic about how he came to join Fates Warning: “I’d been friends with Jim Matheos and the guys since 1984. In fact, they asked me to fill in for Joe DiBase back in 1989, when he had a family emergency during their No Exit tour — I flew out and played four shows on the East Coast. One day, I got a call from Jim in 1996, and he asked me if I wanted to play on their new album. I said, ‘Hell yes.’ I didn’t know then that I’d still be working with them after all these years, but it’s been one of the most fulfilling things I’ve done.”

In February 2024, Alder told The Metal Gods Meltdown that Matheos has no interest in writing new Fates Warning music: “Jim doesn’t wanna write any more music for the band. I think he just kind of feels it wouldn’t be honest — he wouldn’t be honest with himself or to the fans. He’s just really not into it at the moment. Maybe he becomes inspired or bored. I don’t know. We’ll see.”

In May 2023, Alder elaborated to Rock Hard magazine: “With Fates Warning, after we did the last album and Jim saying he doesn’t wanna write any more Fates Warning music, I have to do something. I’m a singer. Music is my life.” Alder also noted that future touring remains complicated by scheduling: drummer Bobby Jarzombek is now the full-time drummer for country star George Strait, who does one-off shows rather than extended tours. Fates Warning last performed live in April 2019, closing out a North American tour.

Fates Warning formed in Hartford, Connecticut, in the early 1980s around vocalist John Arch, releasing three albums that shaped progressive metal — Night On Bröcken (1984), The Spectre Within (1985), and Awaken The Guardian (1986) — before Arch departed and was replaced by Alder. Vera has held the bass chair since 1996. The band’s most recent studio album, Long Day Good Night, was released in 2020.e.

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Former Metallica bassist Jason Newsted has publicly revealed that he was diagnosed with throat cancer in May 2025 and has since been given a clean bill of health. Speaking on an upcoming episode of Dean Delray‘s “Let There Be Talk” podcast, the 63-year-old Newsted said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “In one week, it’s gonna be a year. On May 8th of 2025, I underwent a procedure for throat cancer. And so they took a bunch of stuff out of there, and then they went in with lasers and took a bunch of stuff out. So the cavern inside my head is different from it was, but we got it early. And I got my ‘free and clear’ about three weeks ago. So I beat it.”

“I didn’t feel any different [before being diagnosed]. I had a little bit of an earache and a jawache. And my singing was being affected a bit,” Newsted recounted. “In February of last year, I was [hosting] my brother and his wife [at my home] here in Florida,” he continued. “They were visiting. And I felt [a lump on my neck], and then [my wife Nicole‘s] sitting next to me, and she goes, ‘What is that?’ And I go, ‘Um, hmm.’ So I went in next week, got everything checked out. The doctor calls and says — Instead of just telling you what’s up, he says, ‘You need to come in.’ That’s not good. And so I went in, and he dropped it. And I’m, like, ‘Who are you talking to? What, what, what? [I’m] Superman. Fuck you. There’s no way, man. Shit bounces off me. What are you talking about? That’s not how it is.’ I expected [something like that to happen] maybe 20 years from now or something.”

“But then I started thinking about it. And our accelerated lifestyle [when I was still in Metallica]. And what we were talking about before, with the big tours, you’re doing a couple of hundred 20 shows a year for a few years in a row, these types of things. Those touring years are dog years. Those are four or five into one, really, if you put the math down and the taxing on your cells and three flights a day and ‘expand, contract’ however many times. That kind of shit, it’ll get you. So I was trying to reason — of course you’re always trying to fucking reason, like, ‘What’s that [about]?’ And I go, ‘Wait a minute. What about my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy, my boy?’ — all across, all our comrades. No need to name-drop. All those [other musicians] that are [at the same level or higher], homie hit it way harder than I ever would’ve hit it. He’s still fucking smoking. What? Me? Wait a second, man. What the fuck?’ And then they told me what it was, and they’re very easy to define. And that’s my advantage in this,” he elaborated.

Newsted said the illness prompted the first real period of rest in his life — and a full sobriety he would never have chosen voluntarily: “I promised myself I was going to rest, and that was the first time I’ve done that in my life. There’s no way, with my arrogant, spoiled ass, that I would’ve stopped smoking weed, that I would’ve stopped drinking, that I would’ve stopped doing all the things. But the great spirit got my attention and said, ‘That’s not good right now, man.’ And so now I’m more clear-headed than I’ve been in my entire adult life. And so there are blessings within everything. The lemonade I’m making this summer, bro — sweet.”

Newsted simultaneously announced the first-ever North American headlining tour with Jason Newsted & The Chophouse Band — an 18-date run from July 1 through July 25, 2026. The tour opens at Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, Massachusetts, and closes with a two-night stand at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee, on July 24-25. Ten of the dates are in support of Blackberry Smoke.

Stops include Albany, New York; Alexandria, Virginia; Grand Rapids, Michigan; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Columbus, Ohio, among others across the South, Midwest, and East Coast. The 2026 lineup features Jesse Farnsworth on guitar and vocals, Jimbo Hart on bass and vocals, Humberto Perez on guitar, and Robert John-Tucker on drums and vocals.

When the tour was announced in April, Newsted said, “I’ve realized that this is where I can place my energy effectively now. The Chophouse Band plays everything from bluegrass to fucking slabs of metal. We’re covering a lot of ground. There could be a country flavor to a song, but it’ll still have sharp teeth. We are looking forward to an exciting summer!”

Named after Newsted‘s four recording studios across the U.S., The Chophouse Band has existed since 1992, when Newsted founded The Chophouse Records Studio in San Francisco. The band has performed periodically at benefit shows supporting veterans’ relief, animal rehabilitation, and youth music education. Newsted has described the sound as rooted in bluegrass, folk, soul, rock, and metal.

Newsted left Metallica in 2001 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame alongside Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett, and bassist Robert Trujillo in 2009. He shelved his heavy metal solo project Newsted in 2014 after two years, saying it had cost him “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

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The Ballad Of Judas Priest, the official documentary chronicling the 50-plus-year history of the metal legends, received its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Film Festival in Toronto on April 26. Following the screening, co-director Sam Dunn spoke to Now Toronto about one of the film’s most fraught negotiations: securing the participation of former Judas Priest guitarist Kenneth “K.K.” Downing. Dunn said, “The big one for Tom [Morello] was getting K.K. Downing involved. It was tricky at first attempt, because, obviously, he’s not in the band [anymore]. There’s still some animosity there, and, genuinely, it took some work to get K.K. on board. Frankly, I don’t know if Morello, if he hadn’t been there, it might have been a much, much bigger challenge. Tom Morello‘s a massive fan of the band, a big fan of K.K.‘s playing, so he really connected with K.K. and got him over the line. So, that’s a whole other story that wasn’t in the film.”

Dunn explained the limits on what Downing could address on camera: “There are still outstanding legal issues with K.K. and the band. This is the honest answer. And, so there’s a lot of caution exercised on both sides around what got said. We had to move through it without digging into all the details because it’s still fresh, still raw.”

On the decision not to include former Judas Priest singer Tim “Ripper” Owens — who fronted the band between 1996 and 2003 while Rob Halford pursued a solo career — Dunn said: “No. Controversial response, Judas Priest fans. Again, so much story. We wanted to obviously reference Tim, but it’s tricky. Not to get in the weeds, but in a story of this scale, when you’re into the second, third, or third quarter of the story, it’s like what to [include] and what not to [include] become big questions.”

In February 2026, Halford told Germany’s Metal Hammer that including Downing in the documentary was essential: “I think that the love and respect that we still have for each other is still there. And the fact that he’s as important to Judas Priest now as he was then in telling the story, it had to be that way — because he was there at the very beginning, before I even personally joined the band. The fact that we still play a lot of songs that K.K. wrote with me and with Glenn [Tipton] — it’s really important and vital. And I think it sends a message out to the fans that even though there is a separation, that respect for each other is important.”

Pressed on the possibility of a reunion, Halford said: “When you go to work with music, you really have to wanna get on that stage. You can’t hold anything back. You have to be there for the right reasons. If you’re not up there for the right reasons, then you don’t really have the right to be on that stage — you can’t just be going through the motions. And if you’re not feeling that, then you do what K.K. did.”

The Ballad Of Judas Priest received its world premiere at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in February. The film is a Banger Films production co-directed by Dunn and Tom Morello (Rage Against The Machine, Audioslave, Prophets Of Rage), produced by Scot McFadyen and Dunn, and presented and distributed by Sony Music Vision.

Downing left Judas Priest in 2011 amid claims of internal conflict and was replaced by Richie Faulkner. In his 2018 autobiography Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest, Downing described sending two resignation letters — one measured, one furious — and later acknowledged the angrier letter as likely the reason he was never invited to return. He told Classic Rock magazine that the frustration behind it stemmed from guitarist Glenn Tipton‘s close relationship with manager Jayne Andrews, which he had resented since 1985.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than 15 years ago and announced in early 2018 that he would sit out touring in support of Firepower. He has been replaced on the road by producer and guitarist Andy Sneap — also known for his work with NWOBHM revivalists Hell and cult thrashers Sabbat. Judas Priest‘s current touring lineup is Halford, bassist Ian Hill, Faulkner, Sneap, and drummer Scott Travis. The band received the Musical Excellence Award at the 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony; the inductees included Downing, Hill, Halford, Tipton, Travis, and late drummers Les Binks and Dave Holland.

The post “The Ballad Of JUDAS PRIEST” Co-Director SAM DUNN On Getting K.K. DOWNING Involved: “It Was Tricky — There Are Still Outstanding Legal Issues” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

The track pairs Kings Of Thrash vocalist Chaz Leon with Gabriel Connor, frontman of Los Angeles theatrical rock outfit Red Devil Vortex, in a dual vocal performance. Former Exodus singer Steve “Zetro” Souza also appears as a guest. Mixing duties were handled by Grammy-winning producer Cameron Webb, whose credits include Motörhead, Danzig, and Godsmack.

Young has spoken about the song’s origins, tracing it back to drum recordings made by the late Megadeth drummer Nick Menza during the production of a documentary about his life (transcribed by Blabbermouth). “During the making of the Nick Menza film, I acquired several demo recordings of Nick playing various drum progressions,” Young said. “In essence, the introduction, verses, and chorus of ‘Bullets Ready’ came from playing along to one of Nick‘s energetic grooves.

“During Megadeth‘s ‘So Far, So Good…So What!’ tour, it was often David, Nick, and me that would conduct the soundchecks,” Young continued. “It was a surreal and nostalgic feeling to be playing along and writing riffs with my long-lost friend. Nick’s playing inspired so much of this song, and his spirit is forever encapsulated inside this recording.”

The accompanying music video was shot in Hollywood and directed by Kings Of Thrash drummer Fred Aching. Additional footage was captured at the Nelson Valley Ghost Town in El Dorado Valley, Arizona — the same location used in the film 3000 Miles To Graceland.

Kings Of Thrash formed in April 2022 following a joint appearance by Ellefson and Young at an Ultimate Jam Night at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, where the two performed classic Megadeth material alongside Leon. The band was built around Ellefson‘s vision of a live show devoted to early Megadeth albums and seldom-played deep cuts from that era — a concept dubbed “The MEGA Years.”

In November 2022, the group played four proof-of-concept dates in San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Hollywood. The Whisky A Go Go show was captured on camera and later released as The Best Of The West – Live At The Whisky A Go Go, a double live album and DVD issued by Cleopatra Records in spring 2023 on digital and vinyl. In 2025, the band released its first original track, the thrash/punk-leaning “Lockdown,” with a music video also directed by Aching.

The band is currently on a global tour with upcoming dates in Canada, the U.S., Norway, Ireland, and the U.K.

The post KINGS OF THRASH (Featuring DAVID ELLEFSON & JEFF YOUNG) Taps STEVE “ZETRO” SOUSA For New Single/ Music Video “Bullets Ready” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Wendy Dio, widow and longtime manager of the late Ronnie James Dio, confirmed during an April 29 appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that Metal Blade has extended an offer to release the long-awaited reissue of Hear ‘N Aid — the 1985 metal all-star charity project spearheaded by Ronnie James Dio.

She said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “We have been working on that. We’ve had a couple of little things that have happened. But Metal Blade has offered us a deal for this. And hopefully it could come out, yes, soon. And we’re working on a book as well, a Hear ‘N Aid book of photos, because we have so many photos from that time. So, yeah, there’s a lot of Hear ‘N Aid stuff in the works right now. As I said, we have an offer from Metal Blade, and we’ve been working on getting that together. It’s just a lot of stuff, red-tape stuff that has to be done before you can put something out.”

On plans to also record a new version of “Stars” with current artists, Wendy Dio said: “Not at the moment, but I would still like to do that. At the moment, we’re trying to get out the Hear ‘N Aid, the original one, on vinyl and on CD. So we’ve been trying to work with that at the moment, and that is what we will put out. In the future. I would like to do that. Yes, I definitely would.”

On what else the reissue package will contain, Wendy Dio said: “With the book that we’re working on, we are getting people to write, [some of the artists] that were [there], like [Judas Priest‘s] Rob Halford. And [prominent U.K. music writer, journalist, and industry executive] Dante Bonutto, who actually wrote the foreword for the original record, is going to write something for us. So, yeah, we’ve been working on that. It’s been a very long, hard road to get it out, but we will get it out. We never give up.”

On May 20 and 21, 1985, 40 artists from the metal community gathered at A&M Records Studios in Hollywood, California, to record “Stars” under the Hear ‘N Aid banner, raising money for famine relief in Africa and around the world. Participants included members of Mötley Crüe, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Blue Öyster Cult, and Spinal Tap. Contractual disputes with labels pushed the release to New Year’s Day, 1986 — on vinyl and cassette only, never on CD or digital.

Former Dio guitarist and current Def Leppard member Vivian Campbell told Guitar Interactive magazine in 2023 about the project’s origins. “When we did that, we were at Rumbo Recorders in L.A. recording the [Dio] Sacred Heart album,” Campbell said. “And it was a really dark time for Ronnie and for the band. I mean, nobody wanted to be around Ronnie.”

Campbell and late Dio bassist Jimmy Bain hatched the idea after doing a radio interview on KLOS in Los Angeles. “The DJ asked us, he said, ‘How come nobody from the hard rock world was invited to participate in that?’ And we thought, ‘You know, you’re absolutely right.’” Bain coined the name on the spot, and Campbell spent weeks cold-calling musicians — going through his publicist’s Rolodex, dialing up names like Jon Bon Jovi and Neal Schon — to assemble the roster.

Campbell recalled the day of the recording: “I remember the day we were doing it at A&M, with a film crew in there, and the guys from Spinal Tap even showed up. And that made it great because that brought a little much-needed humor to the whole situation. And all these great guitar players — we had Yngwie [Malmsteen] there and George Lynch and Neal Schon, guys who were blazing guitar [players]. And I just remember I was so busy making sure that everyone had a limo ride, had a flight, had a hotel room, had something to eat. And then, at the end of the day, it’s, like, ‘Okay, now you’ve gotta play guitar.’ It’s, like, ‘What?’”

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Type O Negative drummer Johnny Kelly has uncovered an unreleased song from the October Rust recording sessions while going through a collection of old cassettes. In a new interview with Scott Penfold of Loaded Radio, Kelly said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “I dug up a whole bunch of cassettes recently, and I found a lot of stuff — demos. I actually found a song that we never used.”

The cassette originated from writing sessions Kelly attended at keyboardist Josh Silver‘s home. “I would go to [Type O Negative keyboardist] Josh‘s [Silver] house when we were working on the records. I would always go home, say, after the day we were working on a song. This was back when cassettes [laughs] were being used. CDs really weren’t standard yet, as far as in the studio for refs and stuff like that. So I have a bunch of ref[erence] cassettes from demos that we did and stuff. And then I was just listening to them, and I came across the song. Part of it wound up getting cannibalized. Parts of the song wound up on other songs, on Life Is Killing Me and stuff like that. But it’s a complete song.”

Kelly said the track was cut from October Rust for not being strong enough, but could work as archival material three decades later: “At the time, the song wasn’t strong enough to be on October Rust. And if we were releasing October Rust today, it still wouldn’t make the record… But 30 years later, to release it as a bonus track on something, it’s worth it — it’s worth it for that. Now, if we can get a good transfer from a cassette and actually get a good mastering out of it and make it sound good…”

On the timing relative to a previously announced live album, Kelly said: “This year is the 30th anniversary of October Rust, but I don’t know if it’s good policy to have the [previously announced Type O Negative] live record coming out this year and a box set for October Rust. Maybe. I don’t know. We’ll have to see. But right now I’m just going through the cassettes and seeing what I have.”

Kelly confirmed the live album is likely heading to Nuclear Blast: “We were gonna put it out with one label, and now I believe we’re doing it with Nuclear Blast.” A release is tentatively planned for late 2026 or early 2027.

Type O Negative formed in Brooklyn, New York, in 1990 around frontman Peter Steele (born Petrus T. Ratajczyk on Jan. 4, 1962), alongside Silver, guitarist Kenny Hickey, and drummer Sal Abruscato, who was later replaced by Kelly. The band built their catalog through albums including Bloody Kisses (1993) — featuring “Black No. 1” — October Rust (1996), World Coming Down (1999), Life Is Killing Me (2003), and Dead Again (2007). Steele died in April 2010 of heart failure at 48, effectively ending the band.

The post JOHNNY KELLY Found An Unreleased TYPE O NEGATIVE Song From “October Rust” Sessions: “It’s A Complete Song, Worth Putting It Out As A Bonus Track” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.