Wage War composed of Briton Bond on lead vocals, Cody Quistad on rhythm guitar and clean vocals, Seth Blake on lead guitar, Chris Gaylord on bass, and Stephen Kluesener on drums, are thrilled to announce their forthcoming EP, titled It Calls Me By Name. The band will unleash the latest beastly addition to its catalog on April 17 via Fearless Records. You can now pre-order it here.
The band has also dropped the video for the first single “Song Of The Swamp” and it’s the most brutal song they’ve released in years — if not EVER!
What populates the thick and humid swamps of Florida? Alligators, anacondas, and other cold-blooded animals that can eviscerate your existence with a single bite. Fittingly, Wage War‘s absolutely savage new track, “Song of the Swamp”, sounds exactly like how you would feel if any or all of the above-mentioned predators sank their teeth into your flesh. Rife with bloodthirsty screams, deadly riffage, and pummeling percussion that’ll make you feel like the speedbag at the local boxing gym, it rages from start to finish. You will be, as the lyrics snarl, “overpowered” by every note. And that’s just how metal masochists like it.
“The tone setter,” the band declares. “‘Song of the Swamp’ is rooted in where we’re from. Driven by Florida and the raw aggression of nature, it’s a heavy track built on tension and hostility.”
Regarding the EP as a whole, the band comments: “It Calls Me By Name is about being drawn to your roots. This isn’t a concept EP but is meant to live in its own world. Five tracks shaped by Florida, the swamp, and the relentless aggression of nature. Built heavy, but still driven by the hooks that have defined us. It’s our signature sound amplified and pushed further into metal than we’ve ever taken it”. Wage War will waste no time bringing these leviathan-sized new songs to fans, as the band will return to the road this spring on the It Calls Me By Name Tour, featuring support from Nevertel and Orthodox. The tour kicks off on April 28 in Phoenix and runs through May 31 in St. Petersburg, Florida. All dates are below. Get tickets here.
Wage War on Tour with Nevertel + Orthodox Dates:
4/28 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren 4/29 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory North Park 4/30 — Anaheim, CA — House of Blues 5/2 — San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore 5/3 — Sacramento, CA — Ace of Spades 5/5 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union Event Center 5/7 — Denver, CO — The Ogden Theatre 5/8 — Omaha, NE — The Admiral 5/9 — Minneapolis, MN — First Avenue 5/12 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues 5/15 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore 5/16 — Pittsburgh, PA — The Roxian Theatre 5/17 — Baltimore, MD — Nevermore Hall 5/20 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza 5/22 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium 5/23 — Allentown, PA — Archer Music Hall 5/26 — Richmond, VA — The National 5/27 — Raleigh, NC — The Ritz 5/29 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade (Heaven) 5/30 — Jacksonville, FL — FIVE 5/31 — St. Petersburg, FL — Jannus Live
Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has shared his thoughts on the band’s latest nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s class of 2026, calling it an honor while acknowledging the institution’s long-standing controversies. The comments came during a recent appearance on the Rock Of Nations With Dave Kinchen & Shane McEachern podcast.
Maiden has been eligible for Rock Hall induction since 2004, yet this marks only the third time the band has received a nomination — previously in 2021 and 2023. When one of the hosts pointed out that the Hall needs to “get it right this time,” McBrain kept his expectations measured.
“Yeah. You just never know, do you? I mean, it has been a long road. Many nominations — I’m not sure how many this is; maybe the third or fourth one, perhaps.”
The 2026 nominee class spans rap, R&B, hip-hop, Britpop, blues rock, metal, and pop — a range that McBrain addressed directly, questioning what the Hall actually represents at this point.
“Yeah, in the greater scheme of things, it’s not really a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame anymore, but it’s still a wonderful accolade to be given finally to hopefully — the guys may go, ‘Yeah, we’re gonna induct them.’ But at the end of the day, it’s really something that the whole of the band has talked about over the years, and it’s not something that’s voted for by your fans, although they do open it up to their fans to be voted in. At the end of the day, it’s the board that decides. And so that kind of puts a bit of a question mark about the authenticity of fans voting you in. But, yeah, it’s still, in my book, something that’s a great accolade to even be considered again.”
McBrain also acknowledged the broader issue of aging and death outpacing recognition, a pattern that has left too many artists without their due.
“I mean, mind you, if you think to yourself, there’s so many great bands out there that have not been inducted or even nominated over the years, and as you say, certain members are getting long in the tooth or passing away, and you look back and go, in retrospect, man, these guys should have been [inducted] and they weren’t. But, yeah, it’s something that there’s a lot of controversy over it, and there has been.”
On the subject of Jann Wenner — the Rolling Stone co-founder and longtime Rock Hall board member who faced years of criticism for alleged bias against metal and other genres, and who was removed from the board in 2023 after making comments widely condemned as denigrating to Black and female musicians — McBrain was cautiously optimistic.
“And if somebody who was very controversial is no longer a part of the voting board as such, then who knows where it may go? As I said, for me personally, it’s a lovely accolade to have, but one that it’s steeped with controversy in terms of what the Maiden camp feels.”
The official 2026 inductees will be announced in April, alongside the “Musical Influence,” “Musical Excellence,” and “Ahmet Ertegun Award” recipients.
Should Iron Maiden be inducted, the recognized lineup would include current members Bruce Dickinson, Steve Harris, Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, and Janick Gers, along with former members Dennis Stratton, Paul Di’Anno, Clive Burr, and McBrain himself.
For context, the only metal or metal-adjacent acts recognized by the Hall to date are Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, AC/DC, Judas Priest, Kiss, Van Halen, Rush, Guns N’ Roses, Ozzy Osbourne, and Deep Purple — while bands like Iron Maiden and Motörhead remain on the outside. Guns N’ Roses were inducted in their first year of eligibility.
Iron Maiden placed fourth in the fan vote for the 2023 induction class, only to be passed over once again.
The band’s own members have historically taken a relaxed stance on the whole affair. Harris told Rolling Stone that recognition, while appreciated, was never part of the plan: “I don’t mind that we’re not in things like that. I don’t think about things like that. It’s very nice if people give you awards or accolades, but we didn’t get into the business for that sort of thing. I’m certainly not going to lose sleep if we don’t get any sort of award, not just that one, any award. I don’t think we deserve to have this or that necessarily. With what we do, whatever comes of it is great. Whatever doesn’t come of it is great, too.”
Dickinson took a considerably sharper line back in 2018, calling the Rock Hall “an utter and complete load of bollocks” during a spoken-word show in Australia and describing the Cleveland institution as “run by a bunch of sanctimonious bloody Americans who wouldn’t know rock and roll if it hit them in the face.”
He later told The Jerusalem Post that his remarks were taken out of context.
“I’m so annoyed with that coverage because they took my statement out of context to make it seem like I was upset that we weren’t in the Hall of Fame. “I’m really happy we’re not there, and I would never want to be there,” he continued. “If we’re ever inducted, I will refuse — they won’t bloody be having my corpse in there.
“Rock and roll music does not belong in a mausoleum in Cleveland,” Bruce added. “It’s a living, breathing thing, and if you put it in a museum, then it’s dead. It’s worse than horrible, it’s vulgar.”
Finnish power metal pioneers Sonata Arctica have unleashed a brand-new single titled “Freedom Concept.” The track arrives as a powerful statement in the band’s 30th anniversary year, followed by an extensive touring schedule, and delivers the melodic intensity and energy fans have come to expect.
“Freedom Concept” captures the signature blend of soaring melodies, driving rhythms and emotional depth that has defined Sonata Arctica for three decades. At the same time, the song explores a thoughtful and timely subject: the complex idea of freedom and the responsibility that comes with it.
Frontman Tony Kakko comments: ”Freedom Concept” , a song about understanding and misunderstanding the concept of freedom, often forgetting it comes paired with responsibility, and how what ever values and thoughts you may have are not automatically transferred to your offspring and how in most cases that’s an effin great thing…(breath in) has been sitting on my desk for a while and we figured this kind of melodic power metal blast we’re known of would be a good way to celebrate the 30th anniversary ”tourette” we’ve started at the end of January 2026 WHILST also working on our next studio album. This song’s NOT gonna be on it. So…extra special snack in between meals. Enjoy!”
Zacky Vengeance, founding guitarist of Avenged Sevenfold, has released “Lighthouse,” his second solo single under his real name, Zachary Baker. The full-length Dark Horse follows on 04/03 via his own Vngnz Records label.
Growing up in Olympia, Washington, Zacky was influenced by punk rock and metal bands. He picked up the guitar at a young age, inspired by bands like Metallica and Misfits. His first guitar was a hand-me-down from his father, which he used to hone his skills and develop his signature style.
As a founding member of Avenged Sevenfold, Zacky has played a crucial role in the band’s dynamic. His rhythm guitar work complements lead guitarist Synyster Gates, creating a powerful and cohesive sound. Together, they have crafted some of the most memorable riffs and solos in modern metal.
The album’s title track arrived in December, blending Americana influences with personal storytelling — a deliberate step away from his hard rock roots. Speaking toRock Feed, Vengeance was direct about where the project came from: “Honestly, it just came from a place inside of me that I didn’t fully know existed,” he said. “It was just this longing to create something using my own voice, telling my own story, adhering to the rules that I wanted to follow, which are far different from what you’d get from a lot of producers or a lot of record labels.”
He reached back into years of lived experience to fuel it: “Just taking everything that I’ve ever learned — from the entirety of the first time I ever picked up a guitar to the first time we ever filled up our van with gas and drove on the back roads using a shitty old Rand McNally map to get to the next city, and driving across the country, stopping every single place, the fights we would get into, the stories that we would have, drunken nights, just everything.”
“I wanted to capture all of that, stories of falling in love and stories of loss and all the heartache — everything that’s real about me, but I wanted to sing it in my own voice, which is something that I never really loved. I never really liked my own voice, so I was, like, ‘I don’t have one of these great voices,’ like a great rock singer or a great country artist who has all these pitch-perfect vocals. And then I was, like, ‘But I gotta get it outta me.’ And I didn’t know why or how it even came about, but it was literally like a therapy session.”
On the musical direction, he was equally clear about what this record is and what it isn’t: “This is very real. It’s not a humor album. It’s not contrived in any way. I’m not gonna throw on a cowboy hat and boots and try to make my way to Nashville. I’m going to remember that I love going to Nashville. I named my son Tennessee. I’ve spent vacations in Gatlinburg, and I’ve been to West Virginia, North Carolina, Texas, and Georgia, and I love being in Oregon and fishing.”
“And I’ve done everything in between. I’ve lived a lot of life, and now I get to tell my story. I get to sing it in my own voice. It’s gonna piss a whole lot of people off. Everything about this is great.”
The early reactions from people around him were lukewarm, and he admits it hit hard: “In the very first few songs, the reaction was completely, like, ‘Huh. Yeah. Okay, okay. Well, when are you guys gonna write the next ‘Hail to the King’?’ And I was, like, ‘Never. That’s not how we operate.’ And it kind of made me get in my own head a little bit. I started developing a little bit of timidness about, ‘No one’s gonna take this seriously.’ I kind of got depressed about it.”
“And then I just found myself, throughout the early days of bringing this to life and thinking about how it was really helping me write these songs and helping me feel better in these therapy sessions and getting stuff off my chest, I kind of got depressed again. I started drinking a whole lot, and I was, like, ‘I’m just not gonna do anything. I’ll wait till Avenged goes back on tour.’ And it’s kind of like waiting to die.”
What changed his mind was watching Avenged Sevenfold take the same kind of risk on a larger scale and come out the other side.
“Avenged, we kind of had this kumbaya moment where we’re like, let’s just be fearless and let’s make Life Is But a Dream… and do whatever we want and make the art alongside Wes Lang, who’s one of the greatest artists that we love, and let’s make these songs that people are not know what to expect… And then next thing you know, we’re playing in front of 40,000 people in India and selling out stadiums in Indonesia and headlining and selling out Rock In Rio off an album that the radio stations wouldn’t even play.”
“And it’s just, like, we have fans that respect what we do. And it gave me this excitement, like, ‘Hey, stop drinking yourself to death. Find purpose in every day. Finish these songs. When you get sad, when you’re depressed, put the bottle down, march up in the studio, start saying your truth. Tell your story. Be honest and be open. You’re not perfect.’”
He kept the recording process deliberately stripped down and closed off — no producers, no outside opinions: “I’m so far from perfect as a person, but I’m very much myself. I’m uniquely me. My music sounds like me. It’s coming from my voice. It’s my story. I was, like, ‘What do I like about it?’ I love that it’s imperfect. I haven’t changed the guitar strings on this old Telecaster in three months. They’re rusty. My fingers are bleeding. It’s perfect. I love how it sounds. This thing’s a little bit out of tune. I can’t really hit that note. My voice is cracking. The mic’s a little too hot. There’s a buzz on it. It’s perfect. I like this. I love this.”
The decision to work without a producer was intentional and non-negotiable: “For this first attempt at it, it had to be me finding myself, creating and then breaking any rules that I thought existed. And I didn’t wanna get into a studio with a producer. I didn’t want the input. I didn’t want people to tell me what is possible and what’s not possible. I knew it would be dead in the water because the second that I opened up and showed it to certain people — and this isn’t my band, by the way; this is management or friends or whatever — they instantly shut it down. They didn’t like it. They didn’t get it. They didn’t understand it. I was, like, ‘I can’t show this to anybody until I do it.’”
Those people, he acknowledged, came at it from a business angle: “Of course. And it’s been the bane of our existence for so long. People look at bands as, ‘Oh, you did ‘Hail to the King’. It has the most streams. We need another ‘Hail to the King’.’ It’s, like, that’s not how it works. We didn’t set out to write ‘A Little Piece of Heaven’ to try to mimic some other hit song. We didn’t write ‘Hail to the King’ with the intention of trying to write a hit. We didn’t write ‘Bat Country’. Our songs are crazy. They’re ambitious. ‘The Stage’… It’s not how it works.”
On the album’s release, he said the priority was giving the music space to land the right way.
“I really wanna get it out early-ish in 2026. I’m so excited to share it, and I don’t have this hard-pressed timeline. I know it’s important. I love the artwork. I love the idea of putting out a vinyl record. All that’s getting built now. Everything’s completely finished. And it’s just giving it enough time for people to hear ‘Dark Horse’ and make their determination on if it’s sincere enough for them.”
“If they like it, if they hate it, if they find it to be gimmicky — that’s just not gonna happen. That’s one thing that’s not gonna happen. They’re gonna hear it and say, ‘Okay, this is real. There’s sincerity behind this. This is a side of Zack that we didn’t fully know. But it makes sense.’”
After more than four decades on the road and in the studio, Sepultura are preparing to close the book at the end of this year. With over 40 years behind them, 14 gold records, and shows in more than 80 countries, the Brazilian/American outfit carved out a global presence and helped shape modern metal in the process.
The band is currently out on its Celebrating Life Through Death farewell tour, bringing its catalog to fans one last time. Faced with the question of how to properly mark the end, Sepultura chose to document one more creative statement. The result is The Cloud Of Unknowing EP, due April 24 through Nuclear Blast Records.
Described as one of the band’s most varied and emotionally charged releases, The Cloud Of Unknowing spans four tracks. The EP works as a final snapshot of what Sepultura built over the years, balancing aggression with atmosphere and depth.
The Cloud Of Unknowing EP will be available in the following formats:
Oxblood
Transparent Petrol (Nuclear Blast exclusive)
Crystal clear (band exclusive)
Transparent red (band exclusive)
All LP variants come with a CD of the EP in a card wallet.
The band has now shared the track “The Place”. Vocalist Derrick Green explained the meaning behind it: “This song deals with immigrants who have come to a place seeking refuge and start a new life. Once assimilated into a false sense of security and relentless propaganda, they began to act out against what they hate about themselves. The transition begins to escape from the self-hatred and the lashing out against people who believed in the same ideas. I feel the lyrics truly follow the transitions of the song. Starting with disappointment and arriving at anger.”
The final North American leg of the Celebrating Life Through Death tour pairs Sepultura with Exodus, Biohazard, and Tribal Gaze. The run launches April 29 in Montclair, New Jersey, and hits cities across the U.S. and Canada, including Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. The tour wraps May 29 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles. Along the way, the band will also appear at major festivals such as Welcome To Rockville and Sonic Temple.
As the end approaches, The Cloud Of Unknowing stands as the last studio statement from Sepultura—a final release that captures the band’s intensity and perspective before the curtain comes down.
Chrysalis Records has confirmed the next installment in its ongoing UFO reissue campaign: the band’s 1981 album The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent.
The expanded edition arrives May 1, 2026, available as a three-LP tri-fold sleeve 180-gram vinyl set and a 2CD digipak. The record has been newly remastered from the original tape transfers, delivering a sharper and more detailed sound compared to previous editions.
First released on January 16, 1981, The Wild, The Willing And The Innocent documented UFO during a strong creative stretch. The album combined melodic hooks with tight, driving performances, anchored by Phil Mogg’s distinct vocal style. It also introduced keyboardist and guitarist Neil Carter, who stepped in for Paul Raymond. Carter contributed backing vocals and added saxophone to “Lonely Heart”.
Looking back, Phil Mogg said: “Neil had a box of tricks. Getting the backing vocals was great, though I still don’t think he’s forgiven me for making him play saxophone. He was a great add to the band. Plus, he was a nice bloke.”
Drummer Andy Parker added: “Neil was just an incredible musician. He brought another energy into the band.”
The deluxe package includes a newly mixed version of Live At The Hammersmith Odeon, recorded January 29, 1981, and mixed by Brian Kehew. The performance captures the band in full stride onstage. Also featured are the original seven-inch edits of the singles “Couldn’t Get It Right” and “Lonely Heart”, along with an alternate mix of “It’s Killing Me”.
Completing the set are newly written liner notes by Michael Hann, built around fresh interviews with Phil Mogg and Andy Parker, plus a selection of previously unpublished photos from the period.
“The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent is, hands down, the best UFO studio album: it’s melodic, it’s experimental, it’s memorable, and it rocks. It was the perfect encapsulation of everything UFO could be.” – Michael Hann, Liner Notes.
Pre-order The Wild, the Willing and the Innocent Expanded Edition here.
Iron Maiden have confirmed the Japanese dates for their ongoing Run For Your Lives world tour. The shows will close out the full two-year run and serve as the final opportunity to see the large-scale production and career-spanning set built around material from the band’s first nine albums.
The 2026 dates are set for:
Nov. 24 – K-Arena, Yokohama – Japan Nov. 25 – K-Arena, Yokohama – Japan
Founding bassist Steve Harris said: “We are very excited to be bringing this ‘Run For Your Lives’ tour to Japan later this year. And even more so as we are ending the entire two-year world tour in Yokohama.
“I have always loved spending time in Japan, and we enjoy coming back whenever we can to play for our fans there. So it feels extra special for us to be sharing the final two nights of this incredible tour with you all in Japan. It’s going to make it a truly memorable occasion for us all.”
Longtime manager Rod Smallwood added: “We are delighted to be returning to Japan once again. I know it may seem a long time for our Japanese fans to wait to see this show, but it means a lot to us to finish the tour there, and I can promise our fans that they are in for a treat with this setlist and production. We are very excited to share it with you! The band have been loving revisiting this era and especially enjoy playing these songs with the state-of-the-art visuals we’ve created to accompany them. We’ve got all the big ones from the early days, including ‘Hallowed Be Thy Name’, ‘Run To The Hills’, ‘Phantom Of The Opera’, ‘Trooper’, ‘Number Of The Beast’, ‘Killers’, ‘Powerslave’, ‘2 Minutes To Midnight’ and more. Plus there’s some true epics including ‘Rime Of The Ancient Mariner’ and ‘Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son’, which will be even more special because these shows will be at the very end of the ‘Run For Your Lives’ tour, and so the final time the band will ever be playing a number of these songs.
“One thing to add, it was really special on our European dates last year to see that the vast majority of our fans appreciated and respected our request to severely limit their use of phones at our concerts, ideally just keeping it in their pockets the whole time, especially in those standing areas in front of the stage. Our fans’ understanding and cooperation made a colossal difference to the atmosphere of every show and increased the enjoyment enormously for the band and fans alike. Therefore we ask all our fans in Japan to do the same and enjoy the show ‘in the moment’ rather than film on their phones. Please keep them in your pockets.”
Tickets go on sale April 25, with more countries to be announced soon.
The spring/summer 2025 European leg of the Run For Your Lives tour kicked off May 27, 2025 in Budapest, Hungary and wrapped August 2, 2025 in Warsaw, Poland. The run marked Iron Maiden’s first shows with drummer Simon Dawson, who stepped in following the departure of longtime drummer Nicko McBrain in December 2024.
With Into Oblivion, Lamb Of God’s tenth studio album and the first since 2022, set for release on March 13 through Epic Records, the band is marking the drop with a series of nationwide listening parties running March 13 through 15.
More than 140 independent record stores across the U.S. are taking part. Confirmed locations include Amoeba Music, Waterloo Records, Generation Records, Repo Records, and Plan 9 Music.
Stores hosting the events will carry exclusive Into Oblivion merchandise. Fans can expect free Lamb Of God swag while supplies last, along with prizes and an indie-only, limited Poltergeist vinyl variant of the new record.
If you can’t make it out in person, pre-orders are live now. Remaining limited vinyl editions are still available, along with a collectible Into Oblivion CD that comes packaged with a companion zine. The zine includes album art sketches, handwritten lyrics, and previously unreleased studio photos. Additional album-themed merchandise is also up for grabs.
Details for the Into Oblivion release-weekend listening parties are available through participating stores. Fans are encouraged to reach out directly to their local retailer for specific timing and event information.
Into Oblivion Release Weekend Listening Parties Fans are encouraged to contact their local retailer for event details and timing.
California: Burbank, CA – Run Out Groove Records Corona, CA – DBZ Books N Records Davis, CA – Armadillo Music Escondido, CA – Track City Records Los Angeles, CA – Amoeba Hollywood Los Angeles, CA – Nivessa Napa, CA – Folklore Novato, CA – Watts Music Orcutt, CA – Paradise Records and Trading Post Palm Desert, CA – Dale’s Records and Skateshop San Diego, CA – M-Theory Music San Jose, CA – Streetlight Records Santa Cruz, CA – Streetlight Records Ventura, CA – Salzer’s Records
Colorado: Englewood, CO – Sold Out Vinyl Records Greeley, CO – Downtown Sound Records & Tapes Littleton, CO – Vinyl Valhalla
Connecticut: Fairfield, CT – Vinyl Street Co. Milford, CT – Static Era Records Torrington, CT – Revolution Records Wallingford, CT – Redscroll Records
Delaware: Newark, DE – Rainbow Records
Florida: Dunedin, FL – D & J Records Miami, FL – Technique Records Orlando, FL – Park Ave CDs Sarasota, FL – Salty Dog Records Spring Hill, FL – Rockit Records St. Augustine, FL – Tonevendor Stuart, FL – Vintage Vibes Records West Palm Beach, FL – Rust & Wax Record Shop
Georgia: Brunswick, GA – Lou’s Record Store Carrollton, GA – The Vinyl Frontier Macon, GA – Fresh Produce Records
Idaho: Boise, ID – The Record Exchange
Illinois: Champaign, IL – Exile on Main Street Charleston, IL – Positively 4th Street Records Chicago, IL – Bucket O’Blood Books & Records Chicago, IL – Shuga Records Edwardsville, IL – Trusty Chords Record Shop Elmhurst, IL – Elmhurst Records Evergreen Park, IL – The Record Shop on 95th Freeport, IL – Re-Spun Records & Resale Morris, IL – Vinyl Revival Normal, IL – Waiting Room Records Oak Park, IL – Val’s halla Records Plainfield, IL – Left Round Records Rockford, IL – Culture Shock Woodstock, IL – The Records Department
Indiana: Evansville, IN – Atmosphere Collectibles Evansville, IN – Space Monkey Records
Kansas: Overland Park, KS – Vinyl Heaven
Kentucky: Bowling Green, KY – Hard Copies Bowling Green, KY – Mellow Matt’s Music & More Paducah, KY – Timeless Vinyl
Louisiana: Mandeville, LA – 22 Sound Records
Maryland: Baltimore, MD – The Sound Garden Hagerstown, MD – Hub City Vinyl
Massachussets: Turners Falls, MA – Music Connection
Michigan: Grand Blanc, MI – Electric Crown Records Livonia, MI – Rock City Music Company Sterling Heights, MI – Village Vinyl Trenton, MI – Slick Disc
Minnesota: Burnsville, MN – South Metro Music Golden Valley, MN – Down In The Valley Maple Grove, MN – Down In The Valley
Mississippi: Hattiesburg, MS – T-Bones Records & Cafe
Nebraska: Lincoln, NE – First Day Vinyl
New Hampshire: Manchester, NH – Music Connection Whitefield, NH – Chris’s Nostalgia Shop
New Jersey: Belvidere, NJ – The Vintage VU Lanoka Harbor, NJ – Yearbook Records Milltown, NJ – Revilla Grooves Point Pleasant, NJ – Clarizio Music
New York: Horseheads, NY – Squatch Den Records New York, NY – Generation Records Poughkeepsie, NY – Darkside Records Syracuse, NY – The Sound Garden West Babylon, NY – Looney Tunes Williamsville, NY – Hi-Fi Hits
North Carolina: Mooresville, NC – Sell Your Soul Records Raleigh, NC – Schoolkids Records Raleigh, NC – The Pour House Music Hall & Record Shop Sylva, NC – In Your Ear Music Wilmington, NC – Schoolkids Records Wilmington, NC – Yellow Dog Discs
North Dakota: Minot, ND – Budget Music & Video
Ohio: Cleveland, OH – The Vinyl Groove Records Columbus, OH – Used Kids Records Marietta, OH – First City Records Urbana, OH – Broken Melody Records
Oklahoma: Owasso, OK – Screaming Earth Records Tulsa, OK – Josey Records
Oregon: Portland, OR – Music Millennium Portland, OR – Vinyl Resting Place
Pennsylvania: Bethlehem, PA – Compact Disc Center Collegeville, PA – MaTones Music Doylestown, PA – Siren Records Easton, PA – Spin Me Round Hamburg, PA – Everlong Records Kutztown, PA – Young Ones Records Lancaster, PA – Dreamin’ Human Lansdowne, PA – Rock N Roll Knife Fight Philadelphia, PA – Repo Records Wilkes-Barre, PA – Gallery of Sound
South Dakota: Rapid City, SD – Black Hills Vinyl
Tennessee: Clarksville, TN – AndVinyl Records
Texas: Abilene, TX – Record Guys Amarillo, TX – High Fidelity Records Arlington, TX – CD Warehouse Records & Tapes Arlington, TX – ZT Records – Parks Mall Austin, TX – Waterloo Records Beaumont, TX – For the Record College Station/Bryan, TX – Curious Collections Frisco, TX – ZT Records Garland, TX – Dead Wax Records Huntsville, TX – Volume Music Keller, TX – County Line Records Klein, TX – Music Town Spring, TX – Sound Revolution Sugar Land, TX – ZT Records – First Colony The Woodlands, TX – Volume Music The Woodlands, TX – ZT Records – Woodlands Mall
Utah: Taylorsville, UT – Graywhale
Virginia: Charlottesville, VA – Plan 9 Music Fredericksburg, VA – BUMRUSH Vinyl Shop Richmond, VA – Plan 9 Music
Washington: Aberdeen, WA – The Tangerine Tree Edmonds, WA – Musicology Co Everett, WA – Apollo Exos Records & Beer Longview, WA – Square Dog Music Lynnwood, WA – Silver Platters Port Orchard, WA – C-Side Records Poulsbo, WA – Rockin Rubys Records Spokane, WA – Resurrection Records
West Virginia: Barboursville, WV – Orbit’s Record Shop New Martinsville, WV – Kraken Records Shepherdstown, WV – Admiral Analog’s
Wisconsin: Appleton, WI – Eroding Winds Green Bay, WI – Rock N Roll Land Greenfield, WI – Volta Records Oshkosh, WI – Eroding Winds South Milwaukee, WI – Omen Alternative Music and Media West Bend, WI – Beat Goes On Records and More
Scottish metal heavyweights, Bleed From Within, are preparing to take their adrenaline-charged live show further across the Northern Hemisphere.
Later this week, they’ll be hitting the UK and Ireland for an extensive 11-show run, followed by a colossal month-long trek across North America.
To set the tone, Bleed From Withinhave released a blistering live video for their track “Zenith”, the title track from their highly-acclaimed, latest studio record. The video was filmed during the Zenith UK/EU Headline Tour across September and October 2025, the band’s biggest headline tour to-date. The video captures their high intensity live performances at numerous sold-out shows across the continent.
Bleed From Within commented: “”Zenith” was very nearly one of the lead singles during our album campaign. In light of this, we decided to cut together some of the incredible footage captured by our dear friend and long time content king, Tom Armstrong and give it a proper music video as we approach our next round of touring.
The final result is a snapshot of the biggest headline tour we’ve ever done up to this point. The Zenith tour travelled across UK and Europe and was a massive step up for our band. We were consistently blown away by the support shown by our fans. The tour culminated with 2 sold out shows at the Glasgow Barrowlands, the venue that we’ve been dreaming of headlining since we started this band 21 years ago. Surrounded by fans, friends and family, we celebrated everything that we’ve worked towards over the last 2 decades.
Please enjoy this video as much as we have. It’s been incredible to watch these moments back and relive everything we shared with our fans. Thank you for your support. We’ll see you very soon on the road around the UK, Ireland and North America!’”
UK & Ireland “The Dying Sun Tour” Dates:
01.03 – Edinburgh @ The Liquid Room *SOLD OUT 02.03 – Edinburgh @ The Liquid Room *SOLD OUT 03.03 – Aberdeen @ Lemon Tree 05.03 – Dublin @ The Academy 06.03 – Liverpool @ o2 Academy *SELLING FAST 07.03 – Leeds @ Stylus 08.03 – Nottingham @ Rock City 10.03 – Norwich @ Epic Studios *SELLING FAST 12.03 – Bristol @ Electric Bristol 12.03 – Southampton @ The 1865 *SOLD OUT 14.03 – Birmingham @ o2 Institute *SELLING FAST
Supports: Disembodied Tyrant and Baest
North America “The Zenith Tour” Dates:
02.04 – Worcester MA, The Palladium *SELLING FAST 03.04 – Montreal QC, Theatre Beanfield *SOLD OUT 04.04 – Toronto ON, Opera House *SELLING FAST 06.04 – Philadelphia PA, Theatre of the Living Arts 07.04 – Lakewood OH, The Roxy 08.04 – Millville PA, Mr Smalls 10.04 – Detroit MI, St Andrew’s Hall 11.04 – Grand Rapids MI, Elevation 12.04 – Chicago IL, House of Blues 14.04 – Minneapolis MN, Varsity Theatre 15.04 – Lincoln NE, Bourbon Theatre 17.04 – Englewood CO, Gothic Theatre 19.04 – Boise ID, Shrine Social Club 20.04 – Seattle WA, The Crocodile 21.04 – Portland OR, Hawthorne Theatre 22.04 – Roseville CA, Goldfield Trading Post 24.04 – Los Angeles CA, The Regent Theatre 25.04 – Pomona CA, The Glass House 26.04 – Phenoix AZ, Crescent Ballroom 28.04 – Austin TX, Come and Take It Live 29.04 – Dallas TX, Granada Theater 01.05 – Tampa FL, The Orpheum 02.05 – Atlanta GA, The Masquerade (Hell) 03.05 – Greensboro NC, Hangar 1819 05.05 – Richmond VA, Canal Club 06.05 – Baltimore MD, Nevermore Hall 07.05 – New York NY, Gramercy Theatre
Supports: Sylosis, Great American Ghost, Life Cycles
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Joe Perry opened up about one of the most personal chapters of his career: selling his 1959 Gibson Les Paul and the long road to getting it back.
Across decades with Aerosmith, Perry built a serious guitar collection. He’s owned everything from coveted ’59 bursts to a Gibson B.B. King Lucille Custom featuring his wife Billie’s face, the Guild X-100 Blade Runner tied to the “Walk This Way” video, and even a few instruments he built himself.
But the centerpiece has always been his 1959 Les Paul — the guitar he leaned on throughout the ’70s before it eventually landed with Slash.
The 1959 Les Paul guitar became his main weapon during Aerosmith’s peak years. Then 1979 hit. Internal tensions boiled over while the band was working on Night In The Ruts, and Perry exited the group.
Money was tight. “I needed money for Christmas,” says Perry. “And I remember selling it for $4,500.”
Parting with the band meant parting with the Les Paul that defined much of that era. When Aerosmith reunited in 1984 and signed a stronger deal with Geffen Records, Perry decided it was time to track the guitar down.
By then, late-’50s Gibsons were climbing fast in value, “I started making calls and talking to some of my techs, and it seemed like every six months, the dollar signs in front of those ’59s were going up. But I really wanted to try and get back some of the guitars I’d had, and I remember calling everybody.”
And the break came from inside his own band. Fellow Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford had a lead: “[Brad] said, ‘I know where it is.’” remembers Perry. “I said, ‘Really? Where?’ He opened up Guitar Player, I think, and there was a spread of Slash’s guitar collection, and right in the middle of it was my ’59 Les Paul – right there in the magazine.”
Through time, we became friends, remembers Perry: “We’d gotten to be friends, and when I asked him, he went, ‘Oh, man… don’t ask me that.’ I said, ‘I’ll buy it back and pay whatever you want.’ But he said, ‘Don’t ask me, please!’
“It got to the point where he wouldn’t take my calls because he knew I was gonna ask him,” Perry admits. “He hated saying no, and I realized I was potentially losing a friend over this thing. I finally said, ‘Listen, I’m not gonna ask you again. It’s not even an issue. It’s your guitar. This is fucking up our friendship, so no more.’”
Years passed. As Perry approached 50, a major birthday party was planned. He invited Cheap Trick to play, with plans to join them onstage. The party took place at a restaurant he and Steven Tyler owned in South Boston and just before he stepped onstage, his tech handed him something unexpected.
“When we were getting ready to go up and do the set … I got up on stage, and my guitar tech goes, ‘Slash wanted me to give you this,’ and it was the ’59. It was dead silent in the room. I was just blown away. But that was it – I got it back.”
After years of chasing it — and nearly straining a friendship in the process — Joe Perry had his ’59 Les Paul back in his hands. For a player whose sound helped define American hard rock, that guitar wasn’t just another collectible. It was part of the story.
