Author: Editorial Team

Cleopatra Entertainment has announced the theatrical release of Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, the documentary film directed by Wes Orshoski. The film is opening in U.K. cinemas at Birmingham’s Mockingbird Cinema, followed by screenings in the U.K.’s Light Cinema chain. Its North American theatrical premiere for public audiences is set for June 9 at the Lumiere Music Hall Theater in Beverly Hills, California, at 7 p.m. — the same date as the North American digital VOD and DVD/Blu-ray release.

A question-and-answer session with Orshoski will immediately follow the Beverly Hills screening. In a new interview with Billboard, the director discussed the experience of filming Paul Di’Anno over the course of six years.

“I filmed with him on and off from 2017 to 2023,” Orshoski told Billboard. “Paul could be an absolute sweetheart, a lovely man, and he could be an absolute demon. I tried to show both sides in the film. I enjoyed being around the easy-joking, funny guy quite a lot. When he was in a great mood, he could be super fun and a blast. Zero ego. But when the Mr. Hyde side of him reared its head, it could be ugly for everyone within earshot. And he was sort of unapologetic about that nastiness. That said, several times I would see him blow up, and then I would notice that he would almost immediately feel awful about it.”

“You have to understand, I was filming him during some of the worst times in his life,” Orshoski continued. “I mean, imagine where your mental health would be if you were stuck in a wheelchair for almost a decade, and desperately trying to put your life back together, and you have a camera on you. I know I, for one, could not endure that.”

The director described a specific moment of conflict — and its aftermath: “After the film had dragged on for a few years, I remember filming him in his care center in Croatia, and on this particular day, we really got into it with the camera rolling, just yelling at each other. I watched it a few years later with a different sort of perspective and realized he was absolutely right about everything he was barking at me about. I called him up to apologize. He was in Mexico at the time, and he couldn’t have cared less. He was more interested in what sort of tacos he was going to order for lunch. So as much as he was rightly known as The Beast, there was a certain amount of grace there, too.”

On reaching out to Iron Maiden‘s camp, Orshoski said: “The very first thing I did after signing a contract with Cleopatra was call Iron Maiden management. Maiden manager Rod Smallwood was very kind, but immediately told me that neither he nor any of the current band members would be participating. Obviously, it was a massive bummer, but not unexpected. In the end, though, I’m very happy to say that Steve Harris and the rest of the guys do appear in the film.”

The film chronicles two Iron Maiden fans who encounter Di’Anno at a low point in his life and set out to restore his health and relaunch his career. Along with Harris, it features appearances from James Hetfield (Metallica), Gene Simmons (Kiss), and members of Exodus, Slayer, Megadeth, Overkill, and Sepultura. Metal Hammer described 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 to its subject.” At the same time, Metal Talk called it “a raw, dark and intimate documentary detailing the tragic final years of Iron Maiden‘s original singer.” Paul Di’Anno died in 2024.

The post PAUL DI’ANNO Documentary Director WES ORSHOSKI On IRON MAIDEN Members Declining To Participate: “It Was a Massive Bummer, But Not Unexpected” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

In a new interview with Andy Guitar, Joe Satriani reflected on taking part in the 2024 “The Best of All Worlds” tour with Sammy Hagar, during which Hagar and his bandmates in The Circle — including Satriani and ex-Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony — performed Van Halen material largely. Satriani discussed how he approached the challenge of learning and reproducing Eddie Van Halen‘s guitar parts.

Satriani told Andy Guitar (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Well, I definitely started with original recordings and just used my ear to get the chords and the arrangement. And that’s the easy part. The hard part is the quirky fingering string choices. Every guitar player we have our own pluses and minuses, and it might be speed, timing, touch, tone, intonation — all kinds of things that certain people have a lot of, and then there are areas where we’re kind of deficient. And so, yeah, you have to kind of come up against that and see, like, ‘Well, how do I measure up in that particular area, and how do I work around it?’ But I think one thing that really helped me was this amazing community — these guitar players of all ages dedicated so many hours to figuring out exactly how Ed played a lot of these songs. And so I would, after I learned the song, I’d go, and I’d spend an hour or two on YouTube just watching how other people address this immense problem of trying to emulate Ed‘s playing. And you can’t capture the magic, but you can get pretty close to the fingering, and some players are better than others.”

He added: “There are players out there like Phil X [Bon Jovi and Triumph] who will play great Van Halen songs without any vibrato bar. And it reminds you that the spirit is sometimes more important than just imitating the part. There are a lot of ways. And then when you go deep into any live clips or if you have memories of seeing Van Halen, as I do, you remember, like, ‘Oh, yeah, [Ed] played it differently every single time.’ He shocked you with how he would just forget about some part or purposely not play it the way it is on the record, and just replace it with something you never expected. And you loved it anyway.”

Satriani also spoke at length about the experience in a separate December 2023 interview with Ultimate Guitar‘s Justin Beckner. He described the particular difficulty of shifting his own deeply ingrained stylistic habits to serve Van Halen‘s music: “The main thing is that for the last five decades I’ve tried so hard to be myself and to be me and not copy anybody. I’ve been lucky, since the late ’80s, to have a solo career, so I really had a job that forced me to be myself as much as possible. So I made a point not to play like anybody.”

Satriani identified three specific areas where Eddie‘s sensibility differed sharply from his own. First, timing: “He plays so on the beat and makes it feel like he’s pushing the beat, but he’s actually not. It’s really amazing how he does it. I thought, ‘Oh, that’s me, sitting on the backbeat as much as I can,’ because I’m playing the melody. When you play the melody, you don’t wanna be on top… And all of a sudden, you go to play a song like ‘I’m the One,’ and it’s like, ‘No, you have to be the guy way in front.’ Every nerve ending in your body is saying, ‘Sit back.’ But to make the song work, you’ve gotta sit forward.”

Second, technique: “Our vibratos aren’t that different. He holds his pick [with his thumb and middle finger], so he’s always got [his index] finger for tapping, and I don’t. The way that he would do the tapping, when he would use it, [was] opposite of the way that I had forced myself to go with it.” Third, right-hand speed: “One of the things that Eddie had was this super-tight swing that was ultrafast with his right hand. I remember hearing for the first time and thinking, ‘Well, I’m gonna have to work on that.’ That’s gonna take me, I thought, three months of 45 minutes a day just working with a metronome to work that into my bag of tricks.”

Satriani, Hagar, and Anthony previously worked together in the supergroup Chickenfoot, recording two albums between 2009 and 2011 and touring across America — though the group never performed any Van Halen material. Hagar and Anthony had also performed the Van Halen catalog with guitarist Vic Johnson and drummer Jason Bonham in Sammy Hagar and the Circle before the “Best of All Worlds” run.

The post JOE SATRIANI On Preparing To Play EDDIE VAN HALEN’s Parts: “I’d Spend An Hour Or Two On YouTube Just Watching How Other People Address This Immense Problem Of Trying To Emulate ED’s Playing” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Canada has a strong affinity for rock and roll, and there are plenty of big venues in major cities like Toronto and Vancouver that host the modern era of guitar-wielding superstars.

However, the old guard of rock are more frequently found strutting their stuff at the country’s string of land-based casinos, rather than rattling eardrums at urban stadia.

There are a few reasons behind this slow and steady shift, so let’s look into what’s fueling the trend of heritage rockers wowing crowds at gambling venues.

It’s Safe Money

Casinos have traditionally hosted live events to provide customers with something to do when they’ve had their fill of gambling. That means the financial side of the shows is a little different from a typical gig.

Selling every ticket to a heritage rock group’s tour show simply isn’t necessary, because the casino knows it’ll make money from the fans who show up in many more ways. They’ll see the show, splash out on dinner, spend time enjoying the casino’s table games in person, and play online slots like these while chilling in their rooms.

Because of these multiple revenue streams, casino venues can afford to pay bands competitive fees, with little risk attached. The money’s safe for all parties.

Fans are Affluent

Another upside to casinos booking heritage rock tours for their on-site venues is that they tend to attract an older crowd with much more disposable income. And when people visit casinos with spare cash, they’re much more likely to spend some of it on the gaming floor, even if the main reason they’re at the property is for a show.

This is an upside for casino revenues and reflects that the price of food and drink at these venues can be quite a bit higher than at an equivalent location on a standard city street. Affluent fans are less likely to recoil from a $10 beer than a teenager looking to watch the latest pop act.

The Logistics Make Sense

Canada is a big country, to put it mildly, so touring is a struggle on any scale. Casino venues take the sting out of this by creating a logical series of stopping points from west to east, or whichever direction suits the band best.

Moreover, casino venues are generally smaller-scale than stadiums, so they’re not only easier to sell out and create a good atmosphere, but also don’t require the same level of complexity from a production standpoint. Lighting, sets, and effects needn’t be a burden on the budget, while in-house tech teams iron out any other kinks quickly.

Comfort Sells

Last of all, if you’re an aging heritage rock act, you’ll have had quite enough of staying in sleazy motels and cold tour buses. So the prospect of being put up in a five-star suite by a casino, and only having to get the lift down to the venue where you’re playing, will be tantalizing.

So, from the Fallsview Casino in Niagara to the Hard Rock Live in Ottawa, Canada’s casino venues will continue to be a top pick for heritage rock tours.

The post How Canada’s Casino Venues Have Quietly Become A Backbone Of The Heritage Rock Touring Circuit appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

As creativity doesn’t move within the confines of specific timelines, it didn’t take Richie Kotzen long to start working on new music. Fresh off a world tour, inspiration struck, and he immediately went into the studio, breathing new life into a track he had been sitting on, patiently waiting for just the right moment to complete.

Today, Richie Kotzen has surprised fans with the digital release of his newly recorded song, “Catch a Star.” Stream it below.

“After coming off the road with Smith/Kotzen, I fully intended to take a long break from live performance and recharge creatively,” says Richie Kotzen. “While going through old archives, I rediscovered “Catch A Star” in a semi-completed form, and for whatever reason, the direction suddenly became obvious to me in a way it hadn’t before. Once that happens as a writer,” Kotzen continues, “you must trust your instincts and follow the momentum. That’s exactly what happened with this song.”

Playing all the instruments on “Catch a Star,” Kotzen digs into his Philly musical roots with soaring verses, soulful melodies and choruses, and driving rhythms, as he pushes both his guitar and bass techniques and style in new and innovative directions.

“What I love about ‘Catch A Star’ is how direct it is,” says Kotzen.  “The chorus arrives immediately, the arrangement stays intentionally simple, and the focus is really on the melody, lyric, and atmosphere. This is also one of those recordings where I handled every instrument and vocal myself, layering each part individually in the studio. In the past, I probably would have held onto a song like this until I had enough material to complete a full album, but these days I feel more inspired by releasing music in real time rather than waiting indefinitely for a larger project to materialize.”

While there are currently no immediate touring plans, Richie Kotzen continues to create and wanted to share “Catch A Star” with the people who have supported and accompanied him throughout his musical journey. 

“If it eventually leads to a full-length album, great,” states Kotzen, “and if it doesn’t, for now, that’s fine too.”

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Greta Van Fleet is set to play a rare intimate show at the Bowery Ballroom on May 27, marking the band’s first live performance since September 2024.

After spending the last several years headlining arenas and major venues, Greta Van Fleet will step into one of New York City’s most iconic smaller clubs for a one-night-only appearance. The group last performed in the city at a sold-out show at Madison Square Garden.

Tickets for the event will only be available through in-person purchase beginning May 26 at 9:00 a.m. at the Bowery Ballroom box office. Organizers expect heavy demand for what is shaping up to be one of the most talked-about rock shows of 2026.

The performance signals the beginning of a new chapter for the Grammy-winning Nashville-based band, which has built a strong following through extensive touring, platinum-selling releases, and a reputation for high-energy live performances.

Since emerging from Michigan, Greta Van Fleet have developed into one of modern rock’s most recognizable acts, connecting with longtime classic rock fans as well as younger listeners discovering the genre.

The Bowery Ballroom appearance gives fans a chance to see the band in a far more personal setting than the arenas and stadiums they have become known for playing in recent years.

Additional ticket details have also been released. Sales begin Tuesday, May 26, at 9:00 a.m. at the Bowery Ballroom box office located at 6 Delancey St, New York, NY 10002. Tickets are priced at $20, including fees, with a two-ticket limit per person on a first-come, first-served basis. The venue is cashless and accepts physical credit cards, debit cards, and tap-to-pay options. Wristbands will be distributed to hold places in line, and attendees under 16 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.

The members of Greta Van Fleet — brothers Josh Kiszka, Jake Kiszka, Sam Kiszka, and drummer Daniel Wagner — have remained active during the band’s time away from the stage.

Sam Kiszka and Daniel Wagner recently appeared on The Dreamin’ Kind, the 2026 release from Langhorne Slim. Jake Kiszka also appeared in the Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere biopic as a guitarist performing in a New Jersey club scene.

Meanwhile, Mirador — the project formed by Jake Kiszka and Ida Mae member Chris Turpin — recently issued the EP The Gathering At Badon Hill.

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Haken have released their first new music in three years with the track “In A Fever Dream”. The song marks a new chapter for the U.K. progressive metal group, including the band’s first time working with an outside producer.

For the new single, Haken teamed up with George Lever, known for his work with Loathe and Sleep Token. According to the announcement, the collaboration helped shape “some of the most emotionally direct material” in the band’s career so far.

The track also features bassist Bryan Beller, recognized for his work with The Aristocrats, Dethklok, and Joe Satriani.

An official visualizer for “In A Fever Dream”, created by Oli Kember, has also been released alongside the single.

Earlier this year, Haken parted ways with guitarist Charlie Griffiths and bassist Conner Green.

Throughout 2024, Haken toured extensively in support of their latest studio album, Fauna. The band’s “An Evening With” shows featured two sets per night, including a full performance of Fauna followed by additional material pulled from across the group’s catalog.

One of the standout performances from that run took place on September 21, 2024, when Haken returned to London’s O2 Forum Kentish Town. The concert was filmed by Paul Green Productions and later released as Liveforms: An Evening With Haken, with mixing handled by Jens Bogren, whose credits include Between The Buried And Me and Ihsahn.

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Geoff Tate has released a performance video for “The Answer,” a track from his upcoming album Operation: Mindcrime III. The video was filmed May 16 at The Rose Music Center at The Heights in Huber Heights, Ohio, directed by Philipe Rossi of Strak Productions, with audio mixed by Nick Bedrosian. In a recent appearance on the “Let There Be Talk” podcast hosted by comedian Dean Delray, Tate discussed the new record in depth.

Operation: Mindcrime III is released under Tate‘s own name rather than the Queensrÿche banner and serves as the third installment in the saga that began with Queensrÿche‘s 1988 landmark Operation: Mindcrime and continued with Operation: Mindcrime II in 2006. The 13-song concept album shifts perspective from the protagonist Nikki to the antagonist Dr. X. Tate explained: “Dr. X’s perspective is completely different, ’cause he’s not the victim at all. So it’s very aggressive.”

On the lead single “Power,” Tate told Delray: “It’s a cool track… very, very energetic, very up, and kind of says a lot in a very short time, which I like.”

Tate described his approach to the album’s lyrical architecture: “I sort of look at it as a story, and I write the story out first… then I kind of dissect it and create chapters, and those chapters turn into songs… It’s a very methodical, structural process for me.”

Asked whether the new material sounds like Queensrÿche, Tate was direct: “Yeah. Well, part of the whole writing process was keeping the music in the universe of ‘Mindcrime’, writing within that style, I guess you’d say.”

He also described the unconventional recording process: “We recorded… set up in hotel rooms backstage at shows, venues. I think one track was recorded in a church… We recorded one of the songs, parts of it, in this castle in Italy. Do you remember that character Casanova? Well, he was imprisoned in this castle way back when…”

Operation: Mindcrime III was produced by John Moyer, bassist of Disturbed, who has worked with Tate on four consecutive albums beginning with The Key in 2015. The album also marks the recording debut of guitarist Kieran Robertson, a Scottish-born musician who relocated to the United States nearly a decade ago and co-wrote many of the album’s songs.

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Night Ranger has announced Best Of, a compilation due Aug. 28 via Frontiers Music Srl. The 18-track collection brings together newly remixed and remastered versions of the band’s classic material alongside recent standouts. The release is available on CD and on vinyl as a double LP in three variants: standard black, gold and orange splatter. A preview — a 2026 remaster of “Don’t Tell Me You Love Me,” originally released in 1982 — is available now.

Bassist and vocalist Jack Blades said: “We’ve been so fortunate to have had so many songs that have connected with people on a really deep level over the years. So being able to put this collection together — with such care into how these songs sound now — is really something special. To have this body of work — newly remixed and remastered with such amazing attention to every sonic detail — is something we are very proud of. We hope everyone who has loved Night Ranger over the years enjoys listening to this as much as we do.”

The compilation features bonus tracks including a live performance of “Wasted Time” filmed at Sweetwater Studios (with an exclusive video), a live version of “Feliz Navidad” and “Hole in the Sun” as a Japan-only bonus. The current Night Ranger lineup is Blades (bass, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead guitars), Kelly Keagy (vocals, drums), Keri Kelli (lead guitars) and Eric Levy (keyboards).

Best Of is available for pre-order here, with a lot of variations and exclusives to offer.

• Limited Edition Gold Vinyl
• Limited Edition Orange Splatter Vinyl
• Classic Black LPs
• CDs
• Limited Edition Test Pressings
• Exclusive Album T-Shirts
• Likited Edition KiT Albums
• +Exclusive Collector Bundles

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Bruce Dickinson has released the official video for “Tears of the Dragon,” a newly filmed orchestral production that has won Best Music Video at eight international film festivals. The video was shot in September 2025 at a disused brewery in São Paulo, Brazil, and directed by Leo Liberti and Antoine de Montremy. It features the Almai orchestra conducted by Antonio Teoli, Brazilian ballet dancer Renata Bardazi and the House Band of Hell.

The video has won Best Music Video at the LA Film Festival IAF, LA Film Awards, NY International Film Awards, Eastern Europe Film Festival, Sweden Luleå International Film Festival, World Premiere Films Awards (which also awarded Best Editing), Asian Independent Film Festival and Berlin Music Video Awards (Bronze). Nominations are pending at the Cannes Film Awards, Cannes World Film Festival, International Sound & Film Festival, Rome Prisma Film Awards, Tokyo Lift-Off, Filmmaker Sessions and NY Short Cinema Awards.

“Tears of the Dragon” appears on More Balls to Picasso, Dickinson‘s reworked version of his 1994 solo album Balls to Picasso. In an August 2025 interview on the “Full Metal Jackie” radio program, Dickinson explained the origins of the project: the label wanted a Dolby Atmos upgrade of his catalog. That process led to new orchestral versions of “Tears of the Dragon” and “Change of Heart,” a horn section on “Shoot All the Clowns” — contributed by professors at Berklee College of Music — and a full remix by Brendan Duffey.

Balls to Picasso was Dickinson‘s second solo album and his first with guitarist Roy “Z” Ramirez and the Tribe of Gypsies. Produced by Shay Baby, it was released in 1994 and charted at No. 21 in the UK. Dickinson is the vocalist of Iron Maiden and a multidisciplinary figure whose other pursuits include a career as a commercial airline pilot — flying three configurations of Iron Maiden‘s Ed Force One, including a 747 — a BBC radio show, a podcast, television documentaries, films, novels, memoirs, film scripts and comics. He also co-created a multi-million-selling beer with Robinsons Brewery.

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Lion’s Share has released a performance video for “We Are What We Are,” a track from the Swedish band’s comeback album Inferno, released earlier this year via Metalville. The song has surpassed one million streams on Spotify, spent eight consecutive weeks on U.S. metal radio charts and received a perfect 10/10 review in Powerplay magazine. The video was directed by Tom Wouda, who also helmed the clip for the band’s earlier single “Pentagram,” and was filmed in an abandoned industrial ruin.

Vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson said: “‘We Are What We Are’ is a reminder of who we are as a metal community — ignoring all the politics and bullshit out there and just living and breathing heavy metal. The song is an anthem for every metal fan who has ever felt like an outsider. We are what we are, and we’re proud of it.”

Guitarist Lars Chriss noted that the filming location took on extra significance after the shoot: “The industrial ruin we filmed in was incredible — there’s nothing like capturing music in a place that has its own history and atmosphere. And part of the structure actually collapsed after we finished filming, which made it feel even more intense in retrospect.”

Inferno marks Lion’s Share‘s first album in 17 years. The band is set to appear at Sweden Rock Festival on June 5. Metalville is also reissuing the band’s 2009 album Dark Hours on vinyl on August 28, available in standard black and a limited yellow pressing, alongside a new CD edition.

Lion’s Share was formed in Sundsvall, Sweden in 1987 and has toured with Motörhead, Dio, Saxon, Manowar, U.D.O., Iced Earth and Nevermore. The current lineup is Johansson (vocals), Chriss (guitars), Andy Loos (bass), Kay Backlund (keyboards), Anuviel/Saecred Spirit (keyboards) and Fredrik Johansson (drums), with Magnus Ulfstedt handling drums on tour.

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