It’s been two years since drum legend Carmine Appice and his reformed Cactus — singer Ed Terry, guitarist Artie Dillon and bassist James Caputo — first unbarred the doors to the Temple Of Blues – Influences And Friends, a 15-track slab of headbanging, hip-swinging heavy blues rock whose subtitle roped in a host of special guests, all of whom held the band very close to their hearts.
Now the Temple opens again with its sequel, Temple Of Blues II, due out April 3 via Cleopatra Records. This time there’s an all-star aggregation that recalls Ted Nugent, Billy Sheehan, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Dee Snider and Pat Travers from volume one, alongside an all-new wave of heavy hitters including Steve Morse (Deep Purple), Tracii Guns (L.A. Guns), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot), Alex Skolnick (Testament) and a whole lot more.
The album’s second track, “The Little Red Rooster” (featuring Twisted Sister‘s Dee Snider on lead vocals and L.A. Guns‘ Tracii Guns on guitar) is out today. With a little help from A.I., a Western-themed video was created and edited by Dominic Esposito/Deville Films and co-directed by Carmine Appice. Watch it below.
Vinyl and CD pre-orders for Temple Of Blues II are available now here, while pre-orders on all digital outlets are available here.
“It was great working on ‘The Little Red Rooster’ with Dee and Tracii,” says Appice. “I arranged it with the drums first, then sent it to Artie Dillion and Ed Terry for their feedback. We created the demo with Ed‘s amazing vocals for Tracii, Dee, and James Haslip, who finished the song. Ed was gracious, sitting on the sidelines for this one so Dee could sing the lead vocals. It was such an honor to have Dee on the song and to have him make an appearance in the video, especially since he’s retired now. The song rocks!”
“Cactus! The name conjures such amazing memories for me,” exclaims Dee Snider. “An inspiration for the rock I would play in the years to come. Can you imagine what it was like to ‘get the call’ that your heroes want you to rock with them? Mind-blowing! And now to be asked for the second time!? What a treat to dig into a blues classic like ‘The Little Red Rooster’ with Cactus!!! Hell yeah!!”
“The Little Red Rooster” is the follow-up to the first single, “Back Door Man” (featuring MR. BIG bassist Billy Sheehan and guitarists Eric Gales and Artie Dillon), which was released February 18. As Carmine enthuses about the track, “When we finished ‘Back Door Man’ and listened to the whole mix, it blew me away. Billy and Eric are amazing together on top of my drums.”
‘’A relentless, uncompromising collection of thrash metal anthems – a pure masterpiece!“Spark Rock Magazine (CZ) “The Californian pioneers of thrash metal return hungrier than ever with their twelfth album, GOLIATH, which more than lives up to its name” Metal Hammer (IT) Bay Area Thrash metal pioneers EXODUS are about to release their new single “Promise You This” tomorrow, March 18 – […]
No—Nine Inch Nails are not breaking up, but Trent Reznor confirmed there are no current touring plans, while leaving the door open for a future return.
TL;DR
Trent Reznor clarified that Nine Inch Nails are not done—but they’re stepping away from touring for now and shifting focus toward new music.
It didn’t feel like a normal ending.
If you’ve seen Nine Inch Nails live, you know the difference between a great show and something that feels final—and this one leaned hard into that second category.
The Sacramento stop of the Peel It Back tour wasn’t just another date. It felt like a closing statement.
And then Reznor spoke.
What That Final Night Actually Felt Like
The show opened in a way that immediately stripped things down.
Just Trent Reznor. A piano. And “Something I Can Never Have.”
No spectacle. No noise. Just tension and vulnerability sitting in the middle of an arena.
From there, the performance expanded outward—band members joining him on a secondary stage before the full transition to the main stage hit with “Wish.” It wasn’t just a setlist progression. It felt like a deliberate build from isolation to full impact.
Visually, the show leaned into abstraction—smoke, shifting light, and a kind of controlled chaos that mirrored the music itself. Songs like “March Of The Pigs,” “Copy Of A,” and “The Perfect Drug” didn’t just land—they felt sharpened.
Then came the closer.
“Hurt.”
And it hit exactly the way you’d expect—quiet at first, then swallowed by the crowd as thousands of voices carried it to the end.
That wasn’t just a finale. It felt like a punctuation mark.
Earlier on the tour, Reznor hinted that this could be the end of touring—something that quickly spiraled into speculation that Nine Inch Nails might be done altogether.
He addressed that directly on stage.
Not shutting the door—but definitely not keeping it wide open either.
Reznor made it clear:
This was the last show of the current tour
There are no upcoming shows booked
There are no immediate plans to tour again
But he also corrected the narrative.
Nine Inch Nails are not breaking up.
They’re stepping back.
He also admitted something more revealing—that before this tour, he wasn’t even sure if the band could still do it at the level it needed to be done… or if it still meant something.
Reznor confirmed the focus is shifting toward new material—writing, creating, and figuring out what the next version of Nine Inch Nails even looks like.
And that’s always been the real driver behind this band.
Not momentum.
Not obligation.
But purpose.
If that’s there, they come back.
If it’s not, they don’t force it.
Trent said (as seen in the video above): “As some of you may know, this is the last show of the tour. And to be clear, I think I said something the other day that then got misconstrued into something that is not intentionally necessarily true. What I said was, this is the last show of this tour, and we don’t have any shows booked, and we don’t have any plans to book any shows any time in the future so far. That doesn’t mean we may not tour again. We may tour again. It won’t be next month, it won’t be this year.
I never said we were intentionally stopping, and I never meant that. But, to be truthful, we didn’t tour for a while before this tour because, frankly, I didn’t know if we could do it well, and if it still mattered, and if really [felt] like we had something to say. And the combination of this band, and this crew, and a lot of hard work, and we put on a show that I’m really f*cking proud of. I thank you for coming and attending. I appreciate it. It makes us all feel like we have a f*cking purpose.”
And, what we’re going to do is work on some new music, and make some new shit. And if we feel inspired, and if we feel we can beat this [tour], we’ll see you again. And I hope to see you again, and I hope you come see us if we do.”
Why This Moment Feels Bigger Than A Normal Tour Ending
Nine Inch Nails have disappeared before.
That’s not new.
What’s different here is how self-aware this moment feels.
Reznor didn’t sell this as a farewell.
He didn’t frame it as a break either.
He framed it as uncertainty—and that’s something you don’t usually hear at this level.
Most bands keep moving.
Nine Inch Nails stop, reassess, and rebuild.
That’s why every return actually matters.
What Happens Next Isn’t Guaranteed—And That’s The Point
There’s no forced continuation here.
No promise of another tour cycle.
No timeline.
Just the idea that if something meaningful comes out of the next phase, they’ll bring it back to the stage.
And if not?
They won’t.
That’s not how most bands operate—but it’s exactly how Nine Inch Nails always have.
So the real question isn’t whether they’ll tour again.
No, but there are no current plans to tour again in the near future.
Did Trent Reznor Say NIN Is Breaking Up?
No—he clarified that the band is not breaking up, only stepping away from touring for now.
Will Nine Inch Nails Release New Music?
Yes, Reznor confirmed they are planning to work on new material.
When Could Nine Inch Nails Tour Again?
There is no timeline. Reznor said it won’t be soon, but didn’t rule it out.
What Was The Final Song Of The Tour?
“Hurt” closed out the Sacramento finale.
Nine Inch Nails Bio
Nine Inch Nails is an industrial rock project founded by Trent Reznor in 1988. Known for blending electronic textures with aggressive rock elements, the band became one of the most influential acts in alternative and industrial music. Albums like The Downward Spiral and Pretty Hate Machine helped define an era, while Reznor’s evolving creative approach has kept the project relevant across decades. Alongside collaborator Atticus Ross, Reznor has also earned critical acclaim for film scoring, further expanding the scope of Nine Inch Nails beyond traditional releases.
International Mesopotamian metal pioneers MELECHESH have unveiled their new single, “In Shadows, In Light,” taken from the band’s forthcoming digital EP Sentinels Of Shamash, scheduled for release on April 10th via Reigning Phoenix Music. “In Shadows, In Light” continues MELECHESH’s tradition of weaving esoteric philosophy, ancient symbolism, and relentless sonic power into a singular musical experience. The track explores hidden cosmic knowledge and […]
Ukrainian metal outfit Jinjer are coming back to our neck of the woods this summer for a North American tour in support of their latest release Duel. Spanning nearly 40 cities across the U.S. and Canada, the tour will also see Crystal Lake and Entheos providing direct support at select dates.
Set to kick off on June 5 in Ottawa, Ontario and coming to a close on July 25 in Long Beach, California, the tour will see Jinjer hitting venues in Boston, New York City, Philly, Dallas, Chicago, and a whole list of other major stops. Included in the tour are major festival stops, including Vans Warped Tour, Inkcarceration, and Festival Au Lac.
Speaking of the tour, Jinjer bassist Eugene Abdukhanov said the band was excited to bring the show back to our shores after a tour across Europe.
“After finishing a hugely successful run across Europe, we’re excited to return to North America for our first headline tour there since 2024. This will be the final tour in support of the Duél album cycle, and we feel like we really saved the best for last. We can’t wait to see old friends and new faces across the U.S. and Canada. Having Crystal Lake and Entheos joining us makes this lineup even stronger.”
Artist pre-sale starts today at 2 p.m. local time, with more pre-sales taking place throughout the week. Tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday, March 20 at 10 a.m. local time. You can find the full list of dates below.
JINJER 2026 NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
Fri, Jun 5 | Ottawa, ON | The Bronson ** Sat, Jun 6 | Granby, QC | Festival Au Lac ^ Sun, Jun 7 | Toronto, ON | Danforth Music Hall ** Tue, Jun 9 | Boston, MA | Big Night Live Wed, Jun 10 | Wallingford, CT | The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre Fri, Jun 12 | New York, NY | Palladium Times Square Sat, Jun 13 | Washington, DC | Warped Tour ^ Sun, Jun 14 | Philadelphia, PA | The Fillmore Philadelphia Tue, Jun 16 | McKees Rocks, PA | Roxian Theatre Presented by Citizens Wed, Jun 17 | Charlotte, NC | The Fillmore Charlotte Thu, Jun 18 | Atlanta, GA | Buckhead Theatre Fri, Jun 19 | Nashville, TN | Brooklyn Bowl Sun, Jun 21 | Buena Vista, FL | House of Blues Tue, Jun 23 | Houston, TX | House of Blues Wed, Jun 24 | Dallas, TX | House of Blues Thu, Jun 25 | San Antonio, TX | The Aztec Theatre Sat, Jun 27 | Austin, TX | Emo’s Sun, Jun 28 | Oklahoma City, OK | Diamond Ballroom Tue, Jun 30 | Tempe, AZ | Marquee Theatre Wed, Jul 1 | San Diego, CA | House of Blues Thu, Jul 2 | Los Angeles, CA | The Wiltern Fri, Jul 3 | San Francisco, CA | The Fillmore Sun, Jul 5 | Sacramento, CA | Ace of Spades Tue, Jul 7 | Portland, OR | Crystal Ballroom Wed, Jul 8 | Vancouver, BC | Commodore Ballroom Thu, Jul 9 | Tacoma, WA | Temple Theatre Fri, Jul 10 | Garden City, ID | Revolution Concert House and Event Center Mon, Jul 13 | West Des Moines, IA | Val Air Ballroom Tue, Jul 14 | Madison, WI | The Sylvee Wed, Jul 15 | St. Louis, MO | The Pageant Fri, Jul 17 | Mansfield, OH | INKarceration ^ Sat, Jul 18 | Grand Rapids, MI | Upheaval ^ Sun, Jul 19 | Chicago, IL | House of Blues Tue, Jul 21 | Denver, CO | Summit Music Hall ** Wed, Jul 22 | Albuquerque, NM | Revel Entertainment Center ** Fri, Jul 24 | Las Vegas, NV | House of Blues ** Sat, Jul 25 | Long Beach, CA | Warped Tour ^
^ Not a Live Nation Tour Date | ** Without Crystal Lake
Today, Slovakian death metallers Hrob premiere the new track “Zotročený Oheň” at heavily trafficked web-portal NoCleanSinging.com. The track is the second to be revealed from the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Brána Chladu, set for international release on April 27th: Memento Mori will handle the CD version while Night TerrorRecords will handle the vinyl and cassette versions. Hear Hrob‘s “Zotročený Oheň” in its entirety exclusively HERE. Slovakia’s Hrob was founded by […]
Post-hardcore outfit Thrice are currently working their way through Europe and the UK after the release of their latest album, Horizons/West. We caught up with Ed Breckenridge to discuss that and their ongoing longevity. Hey, how’s it going? We’re doing alright… I really love touring Europe and the UK and we were fortunate to make … Continue reading Interview: Thrice
Cherry Red [Release date : 27.03.26] The Lovin Spoonful lineup – John Sebastian, Zal Yanovsky, Joe Butler and Steve Boone – coalesced in New York’s folk music hub, Greenwich Village in 1964, honing their sound in the city’s nightclubs before … Continue reading →
Heavy Blog Is Heavy is responsible for the worldwide video premiere of “Christofascist Zombie Brigade,” the new track by Chicago grindcore/hardcore quintet NEQUIENT. The song is the latest warning shot fired ahead of their incoming third album, Avarice, nearing release through Nefarious Industries. Produced by Sanford Parker (Eyehategod, Yob, Wovenhand) and mastered by Collin Jordan (Harm’s Way, […]
Goose. Geese. Now, Wildgoose. None of these musicians sound the same, but they are all magical in their own distinct way. The latter, lo-fi folk musician Natalie Wildgoose, is the latest to add to the growing fowl-rock canon. Her new single “River Days” is simply gorgeous. I hear a bit of Julia Jacklin and Adrianne…
