Author: Editorial Team

At no point over the last 25 years has Green Carnation ever shied away from a challenge. Whether completing one of the most ambitious individual epics in metal’s historic archives or performing their acoustic verses under a mountain dam, the prog bards have always flashed a flare for the dramatic. However, from the very beginning, there was one tale – or three, to be exact – that eluded the Norwegians. That is, until now.

Having reached crushing new peaks and delved into their deepest, darkest, and most personal depths during the first two parts of A Dark Poem, today, Green Carnation are bringing their critically-acclaimed album trilogy to a bold conclusion. With the announcement of A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex, the band is putting the finishing touches on another masterpiece that stands as one of the defining statements in their storied career.

“A Dark Poem is by far our biggest achievement since Light of Day, Day of Darkness”, Green Carnation vocalist Kjetil Nordhus says: “Our new album trilogy returns to the epic storytelling that put us on the map back in 2001. While the reception to Part I and Part II has been overwhelmingly positive for us, we do believe that Part III saves the best for last. The Messiah Complex ties the whole story together with our most uncompromising statement to date”.

“The intention behind A Dark Poem was to build a completely new musical universe”, Green Carnation bassist and primary lyricist Stein Roger Sordal says. “While the direction revealed itself as the creative journey unfolded, The Messiah Complex was carefully planned with a clear vision for where we wanted the story to end. Our goal was for all three parts to stand on their own, but Part III brings them all together into a unified whole”.

A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex comes out September 4, 2026, on Season of Mist, in the available formats:

• CD Digipack
• 12” Vinyl Gatefold (Black)
• 12” Vinyl Deluxe Gatefold (Silver and green marbled)
• 12” Vinyl Deluxe Gatefold (Transparent red and black marbled)
• 12” Vinyl Deluxe Gatefold (White with black splatters)
• 12” Vinyl Deluxe Gatefold (Turquoise and black marbled)
• 12” Vinyl Deluxe Gatefold (Transparent orange and black marbled)
• Limited-edition A Dark Poem, Part I-III Colored LP Box Set (includes demos and outtakes)

Part I and Part II of A Dark Poem left fans and critics more than satisfied, but Part III arrives as the trilogy’s missing key. On The Shores of Melancholia, Green Carnation unfurled their ode to Arthur Rimbaud’s Ophelia amidst grand and gloomy peaks of crushing heaviness, while Sanguis took a deeply personal turn with the most raw and aching ballads that the band has ever penned. The Messiah Complex ties the whole story together with masterful strokes of prog.

“The first two parts of the trilogy can stand on their own”, Nordhus says, “but in order to truly understand A Dark Poem, you have to hear Part III”.

All the complexities of A Dark Poem won’t be revealed until the 16-minute orchestral suite that closes The Messiah Complex finally sees the light of day. But if the opening of Part III is any indicator, the ending won’t be happy. Lead single “Unconditional Artificial Chemistry” is powered by doomy riffs and a heavy groove. Just don’t get too lost in its pitch-perfect chorus.

“With every byte and code I will comply”, Nordhus sings without missing a beat, though his cold hard stare into the video camera betrays a fatal flaw in the system. “But given time I won’t ask why”.

While inspired by a Shakespearean tragedy, A Dark Poem addresses the rapidly failing relationship between our inner lives and the outside world. “We’ve lost faith in the world we once knew and that’s leading to a personal feeling of dystopia”, Nordhus says. The collective anxiety over encroaching technology, power-hungry leaders and social division that stirred below the surface of Parts I and II surges to a raging head on The Messiah Complex. In the video for “Unconditional Artificial Chemistry”, director Rikard Amodei uses artificial intelligence not as a cheat code but as a glitch that exposes its potential to destroy us.

“The video for ‘Unconditional Artificial Chemistry’ tells a meta story about the danger of artificial intelligence”, Nordhus says. “We all know, if we are being honest with ourselves, that A.I. is going to take control of our lives. There are powerful people who stand to profit from it and that makes its takeover inevitable.

“The video shows this happening before our eyes” Nordhus continues. As soon as the A.I. takes control, our likeness is corrupted. Before the song is even finished, we’re completely destroyed”.

The video for “Unconditional Artificial Chemistry” was directed and edited by Rikard Amodei.

Catch Green Carnation during their upcoming hometown shows and European summer festival dates.

During their headlining show in September at the Kilden Performing Arts Centre, the band will perform A Dark Poem in its entirety for the first and final time. Already, fans from 18 different countries have purchased tickets for this once-in-a-lifetime event.

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Rock and metal icon Rob Zombie has released the official music video for “Tarantula”, another standout track from his latest studio album, The Great Satan, available now via Nuclear Blast Records. The video arrives as fans continue to celebrate Zombie‘s acclaimed eighth solo album, which has earned widespread praise from critics and listeners alike.

A favorite among fans since the album’s release, “Tarantula” now gets a fitting visual counterpart. Bathed in stark yellow light and shot with a gritty, stripped-down aesthetic, the performance-focused video captures Zombie and his band tearing through the track with relentless force and precision.

Released earlier this year, The Great Satan marked Zombie‘s first studio album in five years and featured standout cuts including “Punks and Demons”, “Heathen Days”, “(I’m a) Rock ‘N’ Roller”, “F.T.W. 84”, “The Black Scorpion”, and “Tarantula”. The record further cemented his status as one of heavy music’s most distinctive creative voices, delivering another collection of memorable, larger-than-life anthems.

Purchase or stream The Great Satan here.

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Deep Purple has just released their new single “Guilt Trippin’”—just days ahead of the worldwide release of their highly anticipated new studio album Splat! out July 3 on earMUSIC.

“Guilt Trippin’” begins with a deceptively gentle piano intro and soon bursts into one of Splat!’s most unpredictable and exhilarating moments—featuring one of Ian Gillan’s most memorable vocal performances on the album. Behind the music lies another one of Splat!’s wonderfully bizarre stories: “Guilt Trippin’” imagines God and Charles Darwin sharing a drink in a pub, reflecting on how things on earth have not exactly worked out according to plan. The accompanying video follows a fly and a sycamore-seed spaceship on a wild ride through the increasingly absurd and dreamlike world of Splat!

“The song starts, and I’m in the studio. I don’t have any words for it yet,” Ian Gillan explains. “So I just started screaming. It was the pure joy of yelling it. I vowed when I was 40 that I’d stop screaming by the time I was 60. Now I’m looking back and thinking, ‘Whatever happened to that?’ So we’ll give it a go.”

Deep Purple, Gillan, Roger Glover, Ian Paice, Don Airey, and Simon McBride, are currently on a major run of European summer dates before the Splat! World Tour heads to North America. Tickets are available via Deep Purple’s official website.

Splat! has already received enthusiastic first fan and media reactions, with early press praising the album’s Deep Purple spirit. Uncut calls Splat! “distilled, high-octane Purple at its finest,” while Classic Rock praises the album for delivering “everything that makes Deep Purple one of the greatest acts in hard rock.”

Splat! is available for pre-order in multiple formats including CD, vinyl, and limited editions. Further exclusive fan items are only available on the official Splat! shop.

Splat! will be available July 3 in multiple formats:

• Limited Box Set, containing: 2LP Gatefold (180g). 12-page vinyl-sized booklet. CD Digisleeve. 3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the DEEP PURPLE Tour 2024. Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track “GUINNESIS” (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)
• CD (Digisleeve)
• 2LP Gatefold (black, 180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
• Limited Purple 2LP Gatefold (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
• Limited Transparent Yellow 2LP (180g) + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
• All LP editions include a rich 12-page LP-sized booklet with illustrations and all song lyrics – available exclusively with the first pressing.

Further exclusive items are available via the official artist store, including:

• Limited 2LP Picture Disc + 12-page vinyl-sized booklet
• Limited Cassette
• A strictly limited canvas signed by all band members and limited to just 199 copies worldwide
• Additional apparel and merchandise items

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AC/DC has announced the AC/DC PWR/UP Pop Up, a free, open-to-all fan experience that will travel with the band’s 2026 North American stadium tour, opening in every city on the final leg of the “Power Up” (stylized “PWR/UP”) world tour. Each location will open the day before the show and on show day, giving fans a dedicated gathering place before the band plays.

Each AC/DC PWR/UP Pop Up will feature exclusive merchandise and limited-edition fan collectibles — including premium apparel, accessories, posters and pieces created specifically for the pop-up. Fans attending each city’s stop will have early access to a limited quantity of the official city event shirt and poster, available at the pop-up one day before they go on sale online or at the stadium. Additional offerings include AC/DC-themed food and drink menus, iconic props, custom visuals, interactive photo moments, ticket giveaways and on-site chances to enter to win a guitar signed by guitarist Angus Young — the guitar will travel the full North American run and be signed by Young in Philadelphia before being awarded to one fan who entered in person.

Fans attending AC/DC PWR/UP Pop Ups at U.S.-based stops will also have the chance to win an AC/DC-themed pinball machine created by Stern Pinball. Select locations will feature live performances from local School of Rock house bands and local radio broadcasts. Each pop-up will host a PWR/UP Fan Preview event — a special first-look gathering for press, media, partners and fans, with 100 fans selected by random draw given the opportunity to enter early alongside press and receive an exclusive gift created only for the preview event. Fans can register at pwruptour.acdc.com for the chance to be selected.

Pop-up locations and dates:

• July 10–11 — Charlotte, NC — Charlotte Beer Garden
• July 14–15 — Columbus, OH — Newport Music Hall
• July 18–19 — Madison, WI — The Annex
• July 23–24 — San Antonio, TX — Hard Rock Cafe
• July 27–28 — Denver, CO — BrewDog
• July 31–Aug. 1 — Las Vegas, NV — Hard Rock Cafe
• Aug. 4–5 — San Francisco, CA — Hard Rock Cafe
• Aug. 8–9 — Edmonton, AB — Starlite
• Aug. 12–13 — Vancouver, BC — Commodore Ballroom
• Aug. 26–27 — Atlanta, GA — Hard Rock Cafe
• Aug. 30–31 — Houston, TX — Heinke and Pilot
• Sept. 3–4 — Notre Dame, IN — The Bend Lounge
• Sept. 7–8 — St. Louis, MO — Ballpark Village
• Sept. 11–12 — Montreal, QC — Foufounes Electriques
• Sept. 15–16 — Toronto, ON — The Steam Whistle
• Sept. 19–20 — Winnipeg, MB — The Pyramid
• Sept. 24–25 — New York, NY — Hard Rock Cafe
• Sept. 28–29 — Philadelphia, PA — Hard Rock Cafe

The AC/DC PWR/UP Pop Up is overseen by Perryscope Productions, the band’s longtime merchandising partner. Full location details, hours, menus, giveaway schedules and PWR/UP Fan Preview registration are available at pwruptour.acdc.com. The “Power Up” world tour takes its name from AC/DC’s 2020 studio album, which debuted at No. 1 in 21 countries. The tour launched with the band’s long-awaited return to the stage at the Power Trip festival in California in 2023 and has since sold out dozens of stadiums across four continents. The 2026 North American run marks the final leg of the tour.

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Twisted Sister has added three new fall 2026 dates featuring ex-Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach on lead vocals, bringing the total number of announced shows to nine. The new additions are Oct. 18 at Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana in Gary, Indiana; Nov. 14 at The Event Center at Hollywood Casino in Charles Town, West Virginia; and Dec. 11 at Ferg’s Pavilion in St. Petersburg, Florida. Tickets go on sale to the general public June 26; presales begin June 24 at 10 a.m. local time with the code “TWISTED2026.”

Bach addressed his love for Twisted Sister in a March 2026 interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF, describing himself as one of the band’s most devoted S.M.F.s (translated via Blabbermouth): “I am a fan of Twisted Sister. And I’ll tell you right now, I’m probably a bigger fan of Twisted Sister than anybody watching this. I love that band. I love the album ‘You Can’t Stop Rock ‘N’ Roll’ with songs like ‘The Kids Are Back’, ‘Ride to Live, Live to Ride.’ I love ‘Shoot ‘Em Down’, ‘Destroyer’, ‘Tear It Loose’. When they were a club band, they would come out there like a punk rock band or a total thrash metal band. I mean, if you listen to their version of ‘It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It)’ by the Rolling Stones, it’s like a speed metal tempo. Well, that’s the kind of energy that I’m gonna bring.”

Bach was emphatic that his commitment to his own catalog won’t change: “I’ll never stop singing ‘18 and Life’, ‘I Remember You’, ‘Youth Gone Wild’, ‘Monkey Business’, ‘Slave to the Grind’ — I’ll never stop doing that. So I’m not stopping my solo band. I’m continuing my solo band, but I’m doing shows with Twisted Sister that are bigger than my solo band. So it’s a step up for me. I’ll have a nicer dressing room and stuff. You cannot even challenge me on whether I love the music. I really do love the music. You can’t fake love — and I love Twisted Sister.”

On the March 3, 2026 edition of SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk, Bach described the emotional phone call he had with Dee Snider before agreeing to take the role. Snider, who stepped down from Twisted Sister’s 2026 shows due to arthritis and bone-on-bone knee deterioration — his doctor telling him the jumping and movement required on stage was no longer medically advisable — personally blessed his replacement. “I called him and he goes, ‘S.M.F. Number Two.’ He’s always called me that,” Bach said. “And I go, ‘Well, I guess I really am S.M.F. Number Two.’ And then I asked him, what did the doctor say? He says that he has arthritis, that his knees are going out, he has bone on bone. The doctor said that he should not be jumping around. And he goes, ‘Well, that’s not an option’ — because he wants to do the full show moving around, and the doctor said, ‘You can’t do it.’ So he said, ‘You have my full blessing.’ He goes, ‘I love you.’ I told him I loved him, and we were both kind of getting teary eyed.” Bach said Snider may even join the band onstage for select dates: “I asked him, ‘Hey, you wanna come out and jam with us?’ He goes, ‘Yeah.’”

Twisted Sister co-founder Jay Jay French — also speaking on Trunk Nation — put Bach’s role in historical perspective: “In the 53-year history of the band, we’ve had 20 people who’ve been in and out of Twisted Sister. They said Steve Perry could never be replaced in Journey. And he was. That Freddie Mercury could never be replaced [in Queen]. And he was. And guess what? Baz is gonna be an unbelievable replacement.” French confirmed the full lineup: Bach on vocals alongside French and guitarist Eddie Ojeda, Russell Pzütto on bass (a longtime member of Snider’s solo touring band, filling in for Mark “The Animal” Mendoza), and Joey Cassata — who played drums on Ace Frehley’s final original solo album, 10,000 Volts — on drums, replacing Joe Franco, who is unavailable for the fall dates.

The full run of announced 2026 dates:

• Sept. 4 — Palmer, AK — Borealis Theatre
• Sept. 6 — Salem, OR — The Pavilion at the Oregon State Fairgrounds
• Sept. 12 — Durant, OK — Choctaw Grand Theater
• Sept. 27 — Puyallup, WA — Washington State Fair
• Oct. 8 — Niagara Falls, ON — OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
• Oct. 10 — Windsor, ON — The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
• Oct. 18 — Gary, IN — Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
• Nov. 14 — Charles Town, WV — The Event Center at Hollywood Casino
• Dec. 11 — St. Petersburg, FL — Ferg’s Pavilion

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Former Godsmack drummer Shannon Larkin has addressed the debate over whether ex-Dream Theater stickman Mike Mangini is “overqualified” for his new role in Godsmack, coming out firmly in defense of the band’s decision. Mangini joined Godsmack in early June following the abrupt departure of Wade Murff, who left to fill in for Black Veil Brides on their European tour; Mangini made his live debut with the band on June 12 in Riverside, Missouri.

Larkin said during a June 19 livestream on his official YouTube channel (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “The talent level of Mike Mangini being supremely high in the drum world does not mean that Mike Mangini can’t come in and slam a drum like me or John Bonham or whoever plays a simpler style of music. And for what it’s worth, these people that feel this way, prog rock nation or whatever, they probably only heard the songs that everyone hears from Godsmack, and they don’t listen to the rest of the records where we’re not progressive, but we play more intricate metal riffs and songs, like ‘Locked & Loaded’, like ‘Livin’ In Sin’. I mean, I could name songs that aren’t just ‘Keep Away’ and ‘Voodoo’ and ‘Speak’ and ‘Cryin’ Like a Bitch’ or whatever.”

Larkin pushed back on the common fan comparisons — invoking Rod Morgenstein’s tenure with Winger and Terry Bozzio’s time with Missing Persons as precedents for technically elite drummers taking high-profile gigs in simpler-sounding rock bands — and argued that technical ability alone doesn’t determine a drummer’s suitability. “My point is: it’s about feel and vibe,” he said. “You gotta have the talent to get the audition and get in there, but then, for whatever reason, Wade Murff, it didn’t work.” Larkin said he watched video from Murff’s shows and that the tempo push-and-pull between Murff and frontman Sully Erna wasn’t as seamless as the decades of chemistry Erna and Larkin had built. “My boy, my friend Sully Erna is a perfectionist, especially when it comes to drums because he’s so good as a drummer. That dude’s my level.” Larkin also noted that Godsmack performs with no click tracks or backing tracks — making feel and tempo intuition between drummer and frontman especially critical.

On the broader question of critics calling Mangini overqualified, Larkin tied it to a point about humility: “With accomplishment on your instrument also comes these scores of hours, weekly or daily, of practice. And so once you get to the level of a Mike Mangini, you gain humbleness. It just happens with greatness.” He predicted Mangini’s tenure will stick: “It looks like Mike has joined the band. Is that forever? Probably. And I know if anybody can do it, Mike Mangini can do it. He has the beast in him, too, to be a big rock drummer and not have to do a zillion notes or something. So don’t underestimate big Mike. And he’s got a Boston accent, fits in with the guys. He’s an interesting drummer to watch, that’s for sure. He’s quirky. He does some cool, quirky, crazy stuff back there. So he’s a showman.”

Godsmack is currently on tour in North America with support from Stone Temple Pilots and Dorothy. Larkin retired from Godsmack approximately a year and a half ago following the tour in support of the band’s Lighting Up the Sky album. He was joined in that departure by guitarist Tony Rombola; Erna stated both had left “on good terms” to pursue a quieter life away from touring. Larkin had been Godsmack’s drummer since 2002, previously having played with Wrathchild America and Ugly Kid Joe. Godsmack’s live album Live at Mohegan Sun (May 1, 2026, Primary Wave), recorded Oct. 26, 2024 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut, documents the final performance of the classic Godsmack lineup of Erna, Rombola, bassist Robbie Merrill and Larkin.

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Sumerian Records has announced Sending Hearts To All My Dearies – A Tribute To The Smashing Pumpkins, a new compilation honoring the music and influence of The Smashing Pumpkins. The digital edition will arrive on August 14, 2026, followed by a deluxe double-LP vinyl release featuring several exclusive multi-color variants on October 16, 2026.

The project received the backing of Billy Corgan, who also provided its title. The name comes from a lyric in “Mayonaise”, a standout track from The Smashing Pumpkins‘ landmark album Siamese Dream. The collection brings together artists from across the alternative, rock and metal worlds to reinterpret material spanning the band’s entire career.

Among the featured songs are new versions of classics such as “Bullet With Butterfly Wings” and deeper cuts including “Jellybelly”, highlighting the lasting reach of The Smashing Pumpkins‘ catalog more than 30 years after the band’s emergence.

Leading the album’s rollout is Tame Impala‘s take on “Hummer”, originally featured on Siamese Dream. The new rendition expands on the psychedelic elements of the original recording while incorporating the distinctive production style associated with Kevin Parker.

Reflecting on the song’s significance, Parker said: “‘Siamese Dream’ was the soundtrack to my high school years and ‘Hummer’ is the song that takes me back there in the most potent way.”

Rather than serving as a straightforward covers collection, Sending Hearts To All My Dearies – A Tribute To The Smashing Pumpkins brings together artists influenced by The Smashing Pumpkins‘ songwriting, experimentation and emotional depth, such as Yonaka, The Midnight, Carpenter Brut, Meg Myers, Palaye Royale, Between the Buried and Me, Alice Glass, Nita Strauss, and others, allowing them to revisit familiar songs through their own creative perspectives.

Since forming in Chicago in 1988, The Smashing Pumpkins have remained one of alternative rock’s most influential acts. The group has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide while earning two Grammy Awards, seven MTV Video Music Awards and an American Music Award.

Their catalog includes releases such as Gish, Siamese Dream, Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness, Adore and Machina/The Machines Of God. Both Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness were later recognized by Rolling Stone among its “500 Greatest Albums Of All Time”.

Beyond the music, the band’s visual identity has become a lasting part of alternative rock culture, from the artwork of Siamese Dream and the famous Zero shirt to videos like “1979” and “Ava Adore”.

In recent years, The Smashing Pumpkins continued to expand their catalog with releases including Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun., Cyr and Atum. The latter served as a follow-up to both Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness and Machina/The Machines Of God.

The band’s latest studio effort, Aghori Mhori Mei, reunited original members Billy Corgan, Jimmy Chamberlin and James Iha around a guitar-driven approach that drew inspiration from the group’s early 1990s work.

With contributions from a wide range of artists and the approval of Billy Corgan himself, Sending Hearts To All My Dearies – A Tribute To The Smashing Pumpkins looks set to offer a fresh perspective on one of alternative rock’s most influential songbooks.

Pre-order Sending Hearts To All My Dearies – A Tribute To The Smashing Pumpkins here.

The post TAME IMPALA, PALAYE ROYALE & NITA STRAUSS Among Artists Featured On New “The Smashing Pumpkins Tribute Collection” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

The Pineapple Thief has unveiled “Hold The Ashes”, marking the band’s first release through InsideOut Music.

The new track arrives after the completion of recording sessions for the group’s next studio album, which has yet to be officially announced. Alongside the release, The Pineapple Thief is preparing for a series of European festival and headline appearances this summer before heading to North America for a newly announced tour scheduled for late 2026.

A video for “Hold The Ashes” has also been released. Directed by the band’s longtime collaborator Jeremy George of Blacktide Productions, the clip features The Pineapple Thief performing the song at School Farm Studios in the U.K.

Discussing the inspiration behind the track, frontman Bruce Soord said: “One thing is certain, one day we’ll all be ashes. It’s the ‘gift from the gods that comes to us all’. For some reason, when writing this song, I couldn’t stop singing about ‘ashes’ in the context of understanding what life is about. ‘Writhing in constant conflict’. Why? So take these ashes and scatter them far and wide. You know, make the most of it.”

With a catalog that now spans 16 studio albums, The Pineapple Thief has established itself as one of modern progressive rock’s most consistent acts. The current lineup features Bruce Soord on vocals and guitar, Jon Sykes on bass, Steve Kitch on keyboards, and Gavin Harrison on drums.

Founded in 1999 by Bruce Soord, the band has also released six EPs along with multiple live and compilation recordings. Gavin Harrison, known for his work with Porcupine Tree and King Crimson, became a permanent member during the cycle for Dissolution.

The group’s most recent studio effort, It Leads To This, arrived in February 2024 and earned strong chart results, reaching No. 1 on the U.K. Rock Chart and No. 2 on the U.K. Independent Albums Chart.

With a new album completed and fresh music now available, The Pineapple Thief is set to begin its next chapter with “Hold The Ashes” leading the way.

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Documentary filmmaker Wes Orshoski has opened up about how Iron Maiden ultimately came through for his film Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer — despite initially declining to participate when he first approached the band’s camp in 2017. Orshoski, co-director and producer of the acclaimed 2010 Motörhead documentary Lemmy, was speaking on the latest episode of The David Ellefson Show, hosted by former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson.

Orshoski recounted how he captured the first face-to-face meeting between Di’Anno and Iron Maiden bassist Steve Harris in nearly three decades at a May 2022 Maiden concert in Croatia. He said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “The day after I signed the contract to make this film in 2017, I called [Iron Maiden’s longtime manager] Rod Smallwood. He said, ‘I love the Lemmy film and I love what you do, but we’re not gonna be involved in this.’ And so five years later, I snuck my camera in with Paul. I guess if you wanna get into a concert in Croatia, go in with the rock and roll legend in the wheelchair. I didn’t wanna take my camera out, so when Steve came into the room, I just filmed it on my phone — and a couple other people were filming it on their phones. Whether Maiden would sign off on it was a big stressful situation for years. And Maiden, in the end, were super cool and allowed me to [use the footage in the film].”

Orshoski said only Harris came to meet Di’Anno that night: “Yeah, that broke my heart. I was, like, ‘Oh, man, how cool would it be if Dave [Murray] walked in, or Adrian [Smith], or even Bruce [Dickinson]?’ But, no, Steve was the only guy. In that moment, if you guys re-watch it, it’s all about that initial moment when they see each other and they smile. Because they haven’t hung out in 40 years, so they don’t really know each other anymore, but in that moment, there’s tenderness. And then they kind of default to that shy British thing.”

Orshoski also reflected on what Di’Anno’s financial trajectory might have been had he not sold his Iron Maiden songwriting rights for a modest sum years ago. “I’ve often wondered if Paul had never sold those rights, what his situation would’ve been like,” he said. “Instead of living in a small three-room apartment in Salisbury, would he have a house and money to afford private health care?” He suggested, however, that given Di’Anno’s personality, the money likely would have been spent regardless: “The big problem with Paul — somebody says it in the film — is whereas when Ronnie James Dio went solo or when Ozzy [Osbourne] went solo, they had infrastructure. They had good management. They had a great band. And Paul didn’t really have any of those things. He made an AOR album out of Maiden.”

Maiden’s cooperation extended to the most poignant moment in the film. Di’Anno died on Oct. 21, 2024, at his home in Salisbury at the age of 66. The following evening, Iron Maiden — who happened to be playing the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota on Oct. 22 — held an unannounced moment of silence in his honor. Orshoski said: “The next morning I got a call from Dave Shack in Iron Maiden’s office, and he’s, like, ‘We wanna give you this footage.’ It’s just another example of them being super cool. They allowed me to license the music and video elements, and then they called and gave me this, which I augmented with fan footage so that you could feel what it felt like to be in the rafters in that arena.”

Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer features appearances by James Hetfield (Metallica), Gene Simmons (KISS), Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris and members of Exodus, Slayer, Megadeth, Overkill and Sepultura. Metal Hammer describes the film as “a harrowing insight into Di’Anno’s frustration and frailty at a desperately low ebb with an abrasively real, warts-and-all approach.” Metal Talk calls it “a raw, dark and intimate documentary detailing the tragic final years of Iron Maiden’s original singer.” Orshoski began shooting in 2017; his other directing credits include The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead.

One of the icons of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Paul Di’Anno — born Paul Andrews on May 17, 1958, in Chingford, East London — fronted Iron Maiden on two of heavy metal’s most foundational albums: the 1980 self-titled debut and the celebrated 1981 follow-up, Killers. He left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson. His subsequent career included work with Battlezone and Killers, as well as numerous solo releases. His final career retrospective, The Book of the Beast, was released in September 2024.

Di’Anno spent the final chapter of his life wheelchair-bound but defiant, ultimately relocating to Zagreb, Croatia, where crowdfunding organized by Kastro Pergjoni — who runs the Cart & Horses pub in London, birthplace of Iron Maiden — and Croatian fan Stjepan Juras helped him access affordable medical care and turn his health around. He performed more than 100 shows after 2023. He died of a tear in the sac around the heart, which caused blood to fill around it from the main aorta; the death was instantaneous. He was laid to rest on Nov. 21, 2024, at the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium in Manor Park, East London.

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Former Nightwish singer Tarja Turunen has reflected candidly on the misery she experienced during her final years with the Finnish symphonic metal band in a new interview with Albert Perera of Metal Hammer Spain, contrasting that period sharply with the happiness she now feels as a solo artist. The interview coincides with the release of Tarja’s new album, Frisson Noir (June 12, earMUSIC), which has been described as the heaviest record of her career.

Asked whether she might one day write an autobiography addressing her side of the 2005 Nightwish split, Tarja said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Maybe one day. I wrote a book during COVID. It’s not really a biography. It’s about my career, where I didn’t involve too much about my past with Nightwish. Maybe one day I can go back. Maybe. It’s just perhaps. I don’t feel like I am in need of explaining too much. But I can tell you this — I was not really involved in that biography [the authorized Once Upon a Nightwish]. They’d made me only one interview on the phone, 20 minutes, and that’s it.”

Recounting how her touring outlook has transformed since leaving Nightwish, Tarja said that Sharon Den Adel of Within Temptation — with whom she toured roughly two years ago — was astonished at how relentlessly she stays on the road. “I really enjoy that. I’m like a glowing light bulb on my shows. I’m really happy. Very happy. And I’m happy to hear that you saw that in me, because it’s really real,” she said. Tarja acknowledged the personal toll of extended touring as a mother — leaving family behind for weeks at a time, the physical demands of the road — but said the quality of her crew and musicians transforms those hardships: “I have the best team of people. I have a beautiful crew, musicians. We all are like a happy bunch family. They are there to support me, and if I have a shitty day, like everybody does, they are there to give me a shoulder to cry on.”

The contrast with the Nightwish era couldn’t be starker: “I would never, ever, ever, ever be willing to go back where I was with the days in Nightwish. It was so miserable. It was not happy times. Why? You do music — it should be happy. I want the people to come to my shows, and they also go back home happy.”

Turunen was fired from Nightwish at the end of the band’s 2005 world tour by being presented with an open letter — signed by the other members and published simultaneously on the Nightwish website — accusing her of allowing business and financial matters to overshadow the band’s emotional core. Nightwish keyboardist and primary songwriter Tuomas Holopainen later called it “the most difficult thing I ever had to do.” Tarja’s response has been consistent over the years: “Maybe one day I’ll forgive, but I will never forget.” In 2019 she told Kerrang! that a reunion was “a very long distance away” and that she and Holopainen had been in touch but not seen each other in a long time. A December 2017 onstage reunion with then-Nightwish bassist/vocalist Marko “Marco” Hietala at a Raskasta Joulua concert in Hämeenlinna, Finland sparked reunion speculation that Tarja quickly quashed.

Tarja’s husband and manager Marcelo Cabuli, who had been blamed in the authorized biography Once Upon a Nightwish: The Official Biography 1996–2006 for the events leading to her dismissal, sued the book’s publisher Like Kustannus Oy and author Marko “Mape” Ollila for defamation; the Helsinki District Court dismissed the lawsuit in 2011.

Frisson Noir spans 10 tracks and features guest appearances from Dani Filth (Cradle of Filth), Apocalyptica, Marko Hietala and Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers). It was mixed by Grammy-winning producer Neal Avron, known for his work with Linkin Park, Skillet and Disturbed. earMUSIC describes the album as “a powerful statement of identity, strength and belonging.”

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