Category: news

Poison frontman Bret Michaels has cancelled all his upcoming dates on medical advice. The singer played what was billed as a “comeback show” after recent surgery at The Bowl in Sugar Hill, GA, on Friday night, but the rest of Michaels’ Live And Amplified touring schedule has now been shelved.

“Following Bret Michaels’ comeback show at The Bowl, doctors and paramedics determined immediately after the show that he still needs additional rest and recovery from his recent surgeries,” reads a statement released on social media. “Bret will be taking the next several months off to heal and get back to 100%.

“Dr Abby Borhan and Dr Patel stated, ‘We will be pulling Bret off the road for the time being. He wanted to attempt this show, but we feel there is a much-needed period of rest and slow recovery ahead, especially considering the heat and humidity during the summer months and the effect it can have on his blood sugar levels.”

Reacting to fans’ concerns, Michaels writes, “There are not enough words to tell you how much your incredible messages mean to me. In my nonstop spirit to go out and do what I love – which is to play music and to see all of you, all my family, friends and fans and meet everybody… It’s what I truly love – I may have just chosen to go sooner than I should have. We will come back better than ever. And I say this with much love and respect to everybody!”

The 63-year-old Michaels, who is a Type 1 diabetic, underwent surgery to have a kidney stone removed and a ureteral stent inserted.

Michaels’ touring schedule included a headline performance at the Mountain Music Festival in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, on Saturday. Full list of cancelled dates below.

Bret Michaels – Live And Amplified tour (cancelled dates)

Aug 22: Gatlinburg Mountain Music Festival, TN
Aug 28: Hinckley Frand Casino, MN
Aug 29: Huber Heights Rose Music, OH
Sep 05: Bedford Beats and Eats Festival, TX
Sep 06: Essex Junction Champlain Valley Exposition, VT
Sep 07: Canfield Fairgrounds, OH
Nov 13: Harris Tour at Island Resort and Casino, MI
Nov 14: Harris Tour at Island Resort and Casino, MI

Swedish metalcore phenomenon Thrown today announce their return to Australia after selling out their entire February 2025 headline tour and will be back February 2027. This will be the bands biggest headline tour to date with special guests Conneticut’s Boundaries, Pittsburgh’s 156/Silence and opening proceedings will be Australia’s own Volatile Ways. Full tour details below. […]

American heavy metal icons DOWN will unleash their long-awaited new studio album, Volume V, on November 20th via Nuclear Blast Records!

DOWN was never just a band. It’s a brotherhood rooted in childhood friendships that have endured for decades. It’s an homage to the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s music meant for anybody who has ever headbanged, played air guitar, or worn a weathered tour t-shirt like armor. For over three decades, the quintet of Philip H. Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Kirk Windstein, Jimmy Bower, and Pat Bruders have quietly built a legacy like no other. When these individuals congregate, magic ensues, conjured by earthquaking grooves, bellowing straight from the soul, and riffing loud enough to awaken an ancient deity.

This Fall, DOWN begins another chapter with Volume V.

“We were all excited about this,” smiles Anselmo. “There was a sense of lightness in the air. Everyone’s attitude was positive. There was more focus than ever. It just felt fresh again. Each one of us was individually striving for something, and I believe we achieved what we wanted to achieve. The record is a journey. It’s classic DOWN, but it’s also unique.”

“Everybody played their asses off, wrote great riffs, and Philip is singing amazing,” adds Windstein. “There’s so much electricity when we get together. To me, it’s the same vibe as our debut NOLA, but we’ve got another 35 years of experience as songwriters.”

“The five of us are from the same era, grew up together, and accomplished a lot on our own,” Keenan observes. “We all sounded different, but we’re still from the same 20-block radius. As far as what makes DOWN special, we knew one another before any of us had done anything. There’s history.”

DOWN’s bond runs deep. The guys initially crossed paths as teens in various local bands throughout New Orleans. Over the years, each musician went off and made a name for himself with Anselmo notably fronting Pantera, Keenan holding down guitar and vocals for Corrosion Of Conformity, Windstein leading Crowbar, and Bower slinging guitar in Eyehategod.

Two writing sessions yielded the bulk of material on Volume V. Upholding a tradition dating back to Down II, the members retreated to Anselmo’s home studio and their de facto clubhouse, Nodferatu’s Lair. Songs originated on the spot as they jammed face-to-face. Throughout 2025, the music naturally took shape. Keenan and Windstein chose to simultaneously record guitar together, giving the album a timeless punch.

Volume V – Track Listing:

1. The Myth

2. Merciful Fate

3. Turn Out The Light

4. The Message

5. Causeway Grief

6. Blood Oath

7. They Walk The Night

8. They Came From Dust

9. Ozz

10. Twice-Told Tales

The album opens with a blistering barnburner “The Myth.” It sets the tone with a powerhouse vocal, pummeling rhythms, and precise down-picking. Then, there’s “Merciful Fate” featuring King Diamond. It reaches an apex with a vocal duel between Anselmo and King Diamond and fret-burning solos executed at a breakneck pace of 120bpm. King’s wife Livia Zita even blesses the track with dark accents of her own.

Closer “Twice-Told Tales” caps the trip off with a heavy and hypnotic denouement. “It’s a conglomerate of tight riffs and blues rock mixed with the diligence of classic metal,” Anselmo reveals. “It’s an important song to us. I could feel Ozzy Osbourne’s influence on me in the strangest way.”

Lead single, “Blood Oath,” is anchored by an alternately hard-hitting and hummable riff, culminating on a clarion call chorus. With a sly tip of the hat to their stomping grounds, it practically bleeds old gold, black, and white. “Anybody who’s from New Orleans is going to get a kick out of the references to the city,” grins Anselmo. “Musically, it’s got a big hook. It’s a DOWN song, but it takes a turn.”

“You’ll know it’s DOWN right off the fucking bat,” adds Keenan. “It’s heavy in its attack.”

Watch DOWN’s “Blood Oath” video HERE. Stream the track HERE.

The record will be released on CD and digital formats as well as 2xLP in the following color variants:

Orange [World]
Yellow + Red Galaxy [Nuclear Blast US Exclusive]
Orange + Red Galaxy [Nuclear Blast EU Exclusive]
Black [Band Exclusive #1]
Clear, Black + Red Smoke [Band Exclusive #2]
Orange + Black Galaxy [Decibel Exclusive]
Smoke [Revolver Exclusive]

Find preorders at down.bfan.link/volume-v.

DOWN is amid their North American headlining tour with support provided by Helmet and Spirit In The Room. The Strap It Down tour commenced in Atlanta, Georgia on August 15th and will close in Shakopee, Minnesota on September 4th with a special performance as direct support to Slayer. The journey also includes slots on the 2026 installment of Zakk Wylde’s Berzerkus Festival featuring Lamb Of God, Black Label Society, and others on August 28th in Scranton, Pennsylvania and August 29th in Wantagh, New York.

Limited DOWN VIP ticketless packages are available now, featuring a soundcheck experience, meet & greet, photo opportunity, signed poster, and exclusive merch item. 

Visit down-nola.com/tour to secure yours.

In October, DOWN will perform at both Aftershock and Sick New World Texas. In December the band will headline day two (December 5th) of this year’s edition of the Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest Denver. The appearance marks the band’s first Denver appearance in over twelve years!

Tickets for all shows are on sale now. See confirmed dates below.

DOWN w/ Helmet, Spirit In The Room [remaining dates]:
8/23/2026 HISTORY – Toronto, ON
8/25/2026 MTELUS – Montreal, QC
8/26/2026 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
8/28/2026 The Pavilion @ Montage Mountain – Scranton, PA ** Berzerkus Fest w/ Lamb Of God, Black Label Society, more…
8/29/2026 Northwell @ Jones Beach Theater – Wantagh, NY ** Berzerkus Fest w/ Lamb Of God, Black Label Society, more…
8/30/2026 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
9/01/2026 Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
9/02/2026 Ramova Theatre – Chicago, IL
9/04/2026 Mystic Lake Amphitheater – Shakopee, MN ** w/ Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies, Hatebreed
US Festival Dates:
10/03/2026 Aftershock – Sacramento, CA
10/24/2026 Sick New World Texas – Fort Worth, TX
12/05/2026 Decibel Metal And Beer Fest – Denver, CO
** No Helmet, Spirit In The Room

DOWN:
Philip H. Anselmo – vocals
Pepper Keenan – guitars
Jimmy Bower – drums
Kirk Windstein – guitars
Pat Bruders – bass

http://www.down-nola.com

http://www.facebook.com/down

http://www.instagram.com/down_nola

http://www.nuclearblast.com

Source: EARSPLIT PR

When the Eagles announced their residency at Sphere in Las Vegas on June 13, 2024, the original plan called for eight shows over four weekends from September 20 through October 19. A few months earlier, reports suggested this was in the works, and the official announcement finally confirmed it. Nobody knew at the time just how large the residency would eventually become. Those first eight announced concerts marked the beginning of what grew into the longest-running residency in Sphere history. At the time of the announcement, we were all getting older, and it seemed possible that this could be one

The post The Eagles’ Las Vegas Sphere Residency: How It Began appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Frontier Touring is excited to announce the return of high-octane, GRAMMY®-nominated Icelandic rockers KALEO, bringing their celebrated Way Down Under We Go Tour to Australia and New Zealand in February. Kicking their latest world tour off with a 28-date run across North America this month, for a band whose music has travelled far beyond the […]

Alternative rock outfit Anberlin has announced CURRENCY, the band’s highly anticipated ninth studio album and the first full-length release to feature Matty Mullins as lead vocalist. Marking the beginning of a bold new chapter, CURRENCY builds on the momentum of 2024’s Vega, where Mullins made his recording debut on two tracks, and signals a renewed […]

Icelandic folk metal band Hrafnablót has announced their debut album Guðlaugar Saga will be released on September 11. Coinciding with the announcement, the group shared a new music video for the track “Heljarhlíð,” which serves as the third preview from the forthcoming record. The new single channels melodic death metal influences, introducing harsh vocals from keyboardist Ólafur Daði Jónsson paired with the soaring clean deliveries of frontwoman Hugrún Hanna Stefánsdóttir.

Operating out of Reykjavík, the sextet blends Icelandic folklore, Nordic folk metal, and extreme metal intensity to create their immersive sound. Guðlaugar Saga operates as a cohesive conceptual epic following a modern woman transported back to the settlement age with nothing but her clothes and a taser. The upcoming album will feature seven full songs alongside two spoken word pieces, offering listeners a dynamic sonic journey as the band prepares for the official September launch.

• Bandcamp

The post Hrafnablót Announces Debut Album Guðlaugar Saga And New Single Heljarhlíð first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Few packages hitting Australian shores this year carry the sheer, unapologetic sonic weight of the upcoming Australia 2.0.2.6 tour. Headlined by LA neo-industrial heavyweights HEALTH, alongside French synthwave master Perturbator, the line-up is an absolute dream for anyone who loves their music dark, heavy, and deeply visceral. But if you think this run is just […]

Words and interview by Kyra Jade I don’t know many people who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to interview Mastodon’s drummer Brann Dailor. We all have our bucket list interviews and this had Simon, AKA HEAVY MAG’S ‘Professor of Mastodon‘, written all over it. The universe had other plans this time and Si’ was living […]

Award-winning roots, blues, and Americana artist Sunjay has released his upbeat new single, “It Must Be Love”, ahead of his forthcoming tenth studio album, Split The Sheets, arriving on 18th September 2026. Stream the single now! Written by Robert Lee McDill and famously popularised by Don Williams, “It Must Be Love” captures romance in its … Continue reading Sunjay shares vibrant new single “It Must Be Love” ahead of tenth studio album ‘Split The Sheets’