Deko Entertainment is putting out three classic hard rock live albums at once, pressed fresh on 180g colored vinyl: recordings from Dokken, Slaughter and Warrant, all newly remastered.
Dokken got its start in Los Angeles in 1978 and went on to become one of the defining names in melodic hard rock, landing Billboard Hot 100 hits with “Alone Again,” “In My Dreams” and “Burning Like a Flame.” The band has moved more than 10 million albums worldwide over the course of its career.
Slaughter came together a decade later in Las Vegas, and its 1990 debut, Stick It To Ya, went platinum out of the gate. That record threw off three Hot 100 singles: “Fly to the Angels” (No. 19), “Up All Night” (No. 27) and “Spend My Life” (No. 39), enough to put Slaughter among the top hard rock acts of the era.
Warrant formed in Hollywood in 1984 and racked up similar numbers, selling over 10 million albums worldwide. The band’s double-platinum debut, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, gave the world “Heaven,” which reached No. 2 on the Hot 100, and the releases that followed only strengthened Warrant‘s standing in rock history.
The first title in the series is Dokken‘s Live From The Sun, a double LP on blue vinyl in a deluxe gatefold jacket, with 100 copies signed by guitarist Reb Beach. The album was recorded Nov. 4, 1999, at the Sun Theatre in Anaheim, California, during the Erase The Slate tour, and runs through Dokken staples like “Alone Again” and “In My Dreams,” among others.
Beach looks back on that run fondly: “That was a great time in my life, and I had so much fun on that tour. I was a big Dokken fan, and I was so thrilled to play those classic songs every night. Luckily, I had a good show. There is a super long solo in the song “Too High To Fly” that was totally improvised every night, and I just lucked out that it was a good one, haha! That album rocks, for sure!”
Next up is Slaughter‘s Eternal Live, drawn from shows the band played in Mexico City and Las Vegas in late 1997. It’s hitting vinyl for the first time ever, packaged in a gatefold jacket on orange vinyl, with 100 copies signed by Mark Slaughter and Dana Strum. The record carries extra weight as a tribute to original guitarist Tim Kelly, who died in a car accident in 1998; these performances are among his last with the band, and include fan favorites like “Fly to the Angels” and “Up All Night.”
Closing out the set is Warrant‘s Live 86-97, making its vinyl debut as a double LP, with 100 copies signed by Erik Turner and Jerry Dixon. It was recorded Nov. 22, 1996, at Harpos Concert Theatre in Detroit, Michigan, during the tour behind Belly To Belly, and covers hits like “Heaven,” “Cherry Pie,” “Down Boys,” and more.
Original guitarist Erik Turner had this to say about the release: “Warrant Live 86-97 captures the energy, attitude, and good times that we are known for. These recordings are a snapshot of Warrant doing what we’ve always loved most, playing live. Crank it up!”
All three albums have been remastered specifically for this vinyl release and pressed on 180g audiophile-grade colored vinyl, giving fans a chance to hear these live sets with better sound and packaging worth holding onto.
Dokken‘s Live From The Sun, Slaughter‘s Eternal Live and Warrant‘s Live 86-97 are available for pre-order now through Deko Entertainment, here.
Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Bobby Rush are teaming up once again, with Shepherd revealing that work is nearing completion on the follow-up to their acclaimed collaborative album, Young Fashioned Ways.
Shepherd shared the news on social media, saying he recently spent the week finishing the upcoming record with Rush.
“Spent this week finishing up the next album from Bobby Rush and KWS, the follow up to our Grammy nominated album ‘Young Fashioned Ways,’” Shepherd wrote. “This one is gonna be 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥.”
No title or release date for the new album has been announced.
The project will follow Young Fashioned Ways, which brought together two generations of blues musicians.
In his review for Blues Rock Review, Lee Clark praised the collaboration, writing, “Young Fashioned Ways is a celebration of the history, culture, and soul of the blues, and shows off the unparalleled talents of two giants from different generations in the scene.”
The partnership brought together Shepherd, one of the most prominent blues rock guitarists of the past three decades, and Rush, whose career stretches back more than 70 years. Rush, 92, has remained remarkably active, continuing to record and perform.
Heavy metal fans didn’t wait for technology to catch up with them. Long before social media made “online community” a mainstream concept, metal devotees had already constructed a global network of handwritten address books, photocopied magazines, and cassette packages crisscrossing international borders. That network has since migrated through every technological shift the past three decades have produced, and it hasn’t lost a step. Of all the music fanbases that exist online today, metal’s may be the most organised, the most encyclopedic, and the most stubbornly durable.
The core fact about metal fandom is this: the community was always the point, not a byproduct.
Screen Time and the Deliberately Engaged Fan
The Dalmacija Portal Team, a Dalmatian lifestyle and entertainment editorial team tracking how regional audiences spend their digital hours, has noted something that maps cleanly onto this broader picture. Metal fans are not a young and restless crowd drifting between platforms. The fanbase skews older on average than most mainstream pop genres, which means the people most deeply embedded in these communities are digitally engaged adults who allocate their leisure screen time with real intention. They know what they want, they seek it out, and they sustain their engagement over years, not weeks. Combine that with the fact that metal fans define themselves by the community rather than by devotion to a single artist, and you have an audience that is perpetually in motion across multiple online destinations.
From their vantage point covering Dalmatian readers, the editorial team observes that the same adults who stream metal and follow genre podcasts move through several distinct categories of online entertainment in a single session. DalmacijaPortal draws that audience when it turns toward local culture, sport, and online entertainment closer to home, functioning as a regional destination that sits alongside global music platforms in the same person’s browsing day.
Cassette Dubs and Photocopied Pages: the Original Network
Before any of this was digital, it was physical, and it was remarkably well organised. The tape-trading network that ran through the metal underground in the 1980s and into the 1990s was an informal postal system for music that commercial distribution had no interest in carrying. A fan in Ohio could connect through a classified ad in a genre magazine with someone in Sweden or Brazil, and within weeks a cassette packed with rare demos and live recordings would arrive by mail. The music didn’t need a label. It needed someone willing to hit record and find an envelope.
Fanzines ran alongside that network as its editorial layer. These were self-written, hand-assembled, photocopied magazines that covered bands and subgenres the mainstream music press simply ignored. They circulated by mail and at shows, built reputations for their editors, and created a shared vocabulary for a scene that had no official spokesperson. The drive behind both practices was identical: metal fans wanted to talk to each other, share what they’d found, and document what mattered to them. The internet didn’t create that impulse. It inherited it.
IRC Channels and the Fan-Built Encyclopedia
When metal fans encountered the internet in the 1990s, they did what they’d always done: they built infrastructure. IRC channels gave fans real-time text conversation across countries and time zones for the first time, collapsing the weeks-long lag of postal correspondence into instant exchange. You could be in a channel with someone in Finland and someone in Argentina at the same moment, arguing about a demo recording that had never seen a commercial release.
The more lasting achievement of that era was the community-built database. Encyclopaedia Metallum, known as Metal-Archives, is a comprehensive catalogue of metal bands, albums, and releases compiled and maintained entirely by fans, with no label or commercial entity behind it. Its depth is the product of collective obsession, the same obsession that once fuelled fanzine editors and tape traders. What changed was the scale and the permanence. A photocopied zine might reach a few hundred readers; a fan-built database can be consulted by anyone on earth with a browser. The information didn’t change in character, only in reach.
Streaming, YouTube, and the Genre Podcast as Discovery Engine
Streaming platforms removed the last geographic and financial barriers that tape trading had been working around for decades. The full recorded history of metal became accessible to anyone, anywhere, including regional scenes from Eastern Europe or South America that had circulated almost entirely through underground networks. Fans no longer needed to know the right person in the right country to hear a record from a small label on another continent. They needed a subscription and a search bar.
YouTube extended that access into something richer. Alongside official uploads, the platform filled with fan-made scene histories, gear and production breakdowns, and documentary-style deep dives into specific eras and movements. The people making that content were not label representatives or professional journalists in most cases. They were fans who had accumulated enough knowledge to teach, working in the same tradition as the fanzine editor.
Genre-specific podcasts now occupy a similar role, functioning as long-form community conversation rather than broadcast entertainment. An interview-format show hosted by someone with deep genre knowledge draws a listener who treats each episode as a session with a knowledgeable peer. That dynamic, an informed voice in conversation with a curious and engaged audience, is precisely what an online metal radio stream and weekly interview podcast format delivers. The format is new; the relationship it describes is not.
Subgenres, Subreddits, and Bands From Everywhere
Metal’s online communities didn’t just replicate the old underground at greater scale. They fractured it, productively. The internet let fans organise not around metal as a single category but around its endless subdivisions: black metal, doom, death metal, progressive metal, and dozens of finer gradations within each of those. A listener obsessed with a specific strain of Nordic black metal can find a community of people equally obsessed with that exact thing, without having to wade through conversations about subgenres they don’t follow.
Reddit and Facebook groups sustain that daily conversation at every level of specificity, covering new releases, obscure recommendations, and the collective memory of albums and shows that defined a scene. The discussions are often serious, sometimes combative, always detailed. These are not casual listeners.
The other thing the internet did was globalise which scenes get heard at all. Bands from Scandinavia, South America, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe have reached worldwide audiences directly, without needing label infrastructure or distribution deals in foreign markets. A band recording in a country with no metal press and no local venue circuit can post their music online and find an audience in Germany or Japan. That shift has genuinely changed the geography of metal, bringing into the conversation scenes that the old tape-trading network could touch only partially.
The Thread from Tape Tree to Stream
The arc from cassette-dubbing to streaming algorithm is not a story about technology replacing community. It’s a story about a fanbase that refused to be passive at every stage of its history. When there were no platforms, fans built their own. When platforms arrived, fans built inside them, and around them, and often better than them. The intensity didn’t change with the medium.
Online metal radio streams and interview podcasts are the logical continuation of what fanzines and tape trees started: a dedicated editorial voice, an engaged audience, and the assumption that listeners want more than a playlist. They want context, conversation, and a place to belong. Metal fans have always known how to build that. They’ve been doing it since before anyone called it a community.
Ghost of Panama Subterranean Homesick Blues Review
This version of a legendary song reinterprets Bob Dylan’s counter-culture anthem with a fresh perspective. Ghost of Panama infuses the track with a pressing intensity that shifts the experience. Their rendition incorporates modern and futuristic sounds while preserving the urgency of the original. It feels as if this song has traveled through time, enhanced by innovative arrangements that elevate it to a new epic dimension.
The female vocals add depth to the track, creating an atmosphere distinct from the original. While certain elements of the classic are retained, the overall outfit of the song has significantly changed. This is no easy feat, as reimagining works by iconic artists is often daunting. However, Ghost of Panama has achieved a remarkable transformation.
Every note strikes with precision, and the band maintains a relentless pace. The rhythm demands attention, pulling listeners into a sensory experience. Breaks in the music allow for moments of reflection, highlighting the gravity of the lyrical content. The fusion of old and new establishes a bridge that connects the past with a forward-looking vision.
Subterranean Homesick Blues – Sound and Atmosphere
The energy is palpable throughout the track. Each section builds upon the last, creating a sense of urgency that drives the narrative forward. As the song unfolds, it feels like a journey through different layers of meaning.
Their interpretation presents a bold and courageous artistic choice. The decision to incorporate modern elements demonstrates a willingness to experiment and innovate. This spirit of exploration is evident in the arrangement and vocal delivery. Each aspect reflects a deep understanding of the source material while crafting something uniquely their own.
Subterranean Homesick Blues – Performance and Production
The production quality is top-notch, allowing every instrument to shine. The clarity of the instrumentation complements the evocative vocals beautifully. It feels polished yet raw, striking the right balance between refinement and authenticity.
The arrangement allows the vocal performance to take center stage, enhancing the emotional impact. The shift in dynamics creates a sense of unpredictability, keeping the listener alert and invested.
Ghost of Panama has successfully reinvigorated a timeless classic. Their reimagining retains key elements while introducing a fresh and modern interpretation. This balance cultivates a new appreciation for the original while standing alone as a stellar artistic achievement. The band’s vision and dedication shine through every second of the track.
An array of stars from the punk rock world joined forces at the weekend to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of The Ramones‘ self-titled debut album.
Green Day frontman Bill Joe Armstrong, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, Rancid mainman Tim Armstrong and CJ Ramone performed as a supergroup called The Cretin Family at the official Ramones 50th Anniversary Tribute at Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Sunday, August 30.
And they welcomed a string of special guests including Billy Idol, The Linda Lindas and musician/comedian Fred Armisen to the stage as they performed The Ramones’ hits.
Video of the performances can be viewed below.
On the influence The Ramones had on him, Tim Armstrong says: “From the moment I first heard The Ramones, music was never the same. They are my favourite band of all time!”
Billie Joe Armstrong adds: “The spirit of The Ramones is alive in every backyard punk show, punk club and festival. Generation after generation of cretins and weirdos become Ramones lovers.
“Kids are influenced by the Ramones and they don’t even know it yet.”
And Travis Barker says: “The Ramones are the blueprint. Punk rock wouldn’t be what it is today without them. I’m honoured to celebrate 50 years of one of the greatest bands ever.”
The Ramones’ debut album was released in 1976 and had a seismic impact on the punk scene which was in its infancy in the UK.
Generation X bassist Tony James says: “When that album came out, all the English bands tripled speed overnight. Before The Ramones, bands might sound like the MC5, but punk rock is totally down to the Ramones.”
On Sunday (Aug. 30), Iron Maiden played their second sold-out night in Toronto and Christopher Cross concluded his North American tour with Toto and the Romantics in the same city. Both the British heavy metal band and the American singer-songwriter used the opportunity to address the rising tensions between Canada and the United States.
The song begins with a beautiful and intense chord that captures attention. From the very first seconds, I was intrigued by the artistic vision behind this musical project. As the vocals enter, one can imagine a blend reminiscent of David Bowie and Lou Reed, giving a glimpse into the music that unfolds. Grumbeaux adopts an avant-garde approach that transports listeners to a parallel dimension. This artist’s artistic vision is undoubtedly unique. The track encompasses elements of alternative folk while intertwining them with more futuristic sounds. The bassline flows beautifully, adding depth to the overall composition.
The lyrics of this song hold significant weight, as they pay tribute to the unnamed passengers lost in California’s tragic “Deportee” plane crash. Author Tim Z. Hernandez dedicated over ten years to uncovering their identities, connecting with their families, and telling their stories through two books. Hernandez later penned the lyrics, and Grumbeaux masterfully turned them into a song filled with remembrance and dignity. The message behind this piece is profound and carries an emotional depth that resonates with those who listen.
Musically, this single strays from conventional paths. The combination of instrumentation and vocal delivery reflects sensitivity and strength. The layers of sounds are carefully crafted, capturing a mood that is both reflective and engaging.
Now Is Near – Sound and Atmosphere
Grumbeaux’s ability to convey a powerful message through melody is fantastic. The song stands as a reminder of the tragic circumstances and the lives that were lost, invoking a sense of responsibility to remember and honor them. Every element, from the arrangement to the production, contributes to the effectiveness of the storytelling. The experience is enhanced by the thoughtful composition, where each moment feels significant.
The nuanced approach taken by Grumbeaux encourages introspection and connection. It invites listeners not only to engage with the music but also to ponder the stories behind the lyrics. The sonic journey leads to a deeper understanding of the human experience, showing how music can serve as a bridge to the past.
Now Is Near – Performance and Production
The performance showcases Grumbeaux’s artistic identity, which is defined by innovation. There is a palpable passion present throughout the piece, which enhances its emotional impact. The artist’s dedication to honoring the memories of those lost is clear, and this deep respect resonates powerfully within the music.
“Now Is Near” is a track that successfully merges aesthetics with a profound narrative. It is a song that deserves recognition for its thematic depth and musicality. Grumbeaux presents a work that is not only an artistic expression but also a necessary reminder of the stories that shape us.
Bad Wolves’ cover of “Jolene” is out. Better Noise Music released it this morning, without Dolly Parton’s vocals, with proceeds going to her Imagination Library — the charity that provides free books to children from birth to age five. Parton died on August 25. She had heard the band’s demo, loved it, and was reportedly days away from going into the studio to record her part. Three days ago, guitarist AJ Rebollo quit Bad Wolves over the decision to put it out.
This is the part that complicates the story considerably, and it comes from the band’s founder rather than the label.
John Boecklin’s account, given when the cover was first announced last week: vocalist Sara “KILLBOY” Skinner is a big Dolly Parton fan and had posted a run of videos of herself covering “Jolene.” So the band decided to record a heavy metal version for their next album.
On hearing it, Better Noise CEO Dan Waite sent the finished demo to Parton’s manager, Danny Nozell, asking whether Dolly would guest on it.
The answer came back that Nozell had played her the track, that Dolly loved their version, and that she was going into the studio to add her vocals very soon. The band then sent the stems over for Parton’s own studio engineers to work with.
Then she died.
Boecklin’s stated position: like everyone, they were devastated by the news, and they would honour her legacy by donating proceeds from “Jolene” to the Imagination Library.
That’s a meaningfully different picture from “band covers dead icon’s song for attention.” Parton personally heard it, personally liked it, and was about to be on it. The stems were already with her people.
LIVE & LOUD: Stream the World’s Hardest Radio Station 24/7
His account: the band, as an entity, told Better Noise they had no interest in releasing the cover once Parton’s collaboration was no longer possible, because they felt it would understandably be read from the outside as capitalising on her death. More than one member pushed back. The label announced the release anyway.
On the charity element, he was explicit that donating to the Imagination Library is an incredible choice — while adding that he can’t help feeling there’s ill intent behind the decision to release the song at all.
He also described the wider pattern: the label disregarding decisions the band makes out of passion, and the volume of hate, negativity and harassment the group receives daily over choices made outside their control taking a massive toll.
Two people who were both in the room, describing the same events, and landing in completely different places. Boecklin’s version is about honouring someone who’d blessed the track. Rebollo’s is about a band being overruled.
Better Noise have not publicly responded to any of it.
The precedent everyone cites — and the part they leave out
Here’s the fact that should be in every article about this and is in almost none of them.
The comparison people keep reaching for is “Zombie.” In January 2018, Bad Wolves released their cover of The Cranberries’ song just four days after frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan died — and O’Riordan had been scheduled to record her vocals on it the day she passed. The band donated all proceeds from the track to her three children. It went multi-platinum and it made Bad Wolves’ career.
The parallel to “Jolene” is almost exact. Same setup, same tragedy, same charitable response, same outcome for the band.
What gets left out is what The Cranberries thought of it.
Speaking to ABC News Radio, drummer Fergal Lawler said he didn’t really like it and that it wasn’t his cup of tea. He went further: the whole thing seemed insensitive.
Guitarist Noel Hogan said he felt the cover was released a bit too soon, for his liking anyway.
So the precedent that’s being held up as proof this works — the record that built the band — was described as insensitive and rushed by the surviving members of the band whose song it was.
That doesn’t settle the current argument either way. Bad Wolves donated then and are donating now, and Parton’s blessing on the demo is real in a way O’Riordan never got to give. But it does mean the “we did this before and it was fine” defence is doing less work than people assume.
Eight and a half years later, the same company is running the same play, and this time somebody inside the band has quit over it.
For a group who broke enormous almost immediately in 2018, the last fortnight has been extraordinary even by their standards.
August 18 — announced on Skillet’s autumn US tour. August 25 — removed from it. Skinner said publicly that Skillet’s fanbase had investigated her background and reached two conclusions about her, only one of which is true, declining to say which. August 25 — Dolly Parton dies. August 28, morning — Better Noise announces “Jolene” is coming. August 28, evening — Rebollo quits. August 31 — the song comes out.
The lineup was already the product of heavy turnover. Original vocalist Tommy Vext left in 2021 amid extended public controversy and subsequent legal trouble. Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz replaced him, then departed to join Falling In Reverse as their bassist. Skinner came in this year and is the band’s third vocalist in five years.
Rebollo joined in 2023 and has now gone too.
That leaves Boecklin and Skinner, a new single, an album in progress that Rebollo says he loved making — and a considerable amount of noise around all of it.
Worth saying: “Jolene” is one of the most covered songs in popular music for a reason. Two chords, a modal riff, and a lyric about desperation so cleanly built that it survives any arrangement you drop it into. The White Stripes did it. Miley Cyrus did it. Pentatonix did it. It works because the bones are perfect.
A heavy version was always going to work musically. That was never the question.
The proceeds go to Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which posts free books to children from birth to age five and has given away well over 200 million of them worldwide. It’s the least contested thing in this entire story.
What’s happened: Bad Wolves’ cover of “Jolene” was released by Better Noise Music on August 31, 2026, without Dolly Parton’s vocals. Proceeds go to her Imagination Library.
The backstory: Parton heard the band’s demo via her manager, loved it, and was due to record her vocals shortly. Bad Wolves had already sent stems to her engineers. She died on August 25.
The fallout: guitarist AJ Rebollo quit on August 28, saying the band told the label they didn’t want it released and were overruled, and that he felt there was ill intent behind the decision.
The band’s founder’s position: John Boecklin said they were devastated by her death and would honour her legacy by donating the proceeds.
The precedent: Bad Wolves’ 2018 cover of The Cranberries’ “Zombie” came out four days after Dolores O’Riordan died, with proceeds to her children. It made their career — but surviving Cranberries members said publicly that it felt insensitive and came out too soon.
Still unsaid: Better Noise Music have not responded to Rebollo’s account.
FAQ
Did Bad Wolves release a Dolly Parton cover?
Yes. Their cover of “Jolene” was released on August 31, 2026 by Better Noise Music, without Parton’s vocals. Proceeds benefit Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, the charity that provides free books to children from birth to age five.
Was Dolly Parton going to sing on the Bad Wolves cover?
Yes. According to Bad Wolves founder John Boecklin, label CEO Dan Waite sent the demo to Parton’s manager Danny Nozell, who played it to her. Parton reportedly loved the version and was due to record her vocals shortly, with the band having already sent stems to her studio engineers. She died on August 25 before that could happen.
Why did AJ Rebollo leave Bad Wolves?
He announced his departure on August 28, 2026, saying the decision to release “Jolene” was the final nail in the coffin. He stated the band had told Better Noise they didn’t want the cover released once Parton’s collaboration became impossible, believing it would be read as capitalising on her death, and that the label proceeded regardless.
Did Bad Wolves do this with The Cranberries too?
In similar circumstances, yes. Their cover of “Zombie” was released in January 2018, four days after Dolores O’Riordan’s death — she had been due to record her vocals the day she died. All proceeds went to her three children and the song became the band’s biggest hit. Surviving Cranberries members Fergal Lawler and Noel Hogan later said publicly that they didn’t care for the cover and felt it was released too soon.
Who is in Bad Wolves now?
Founder and drummer John Boecklin and vocalist Sara “KILLBOY” Skinner. Skinner joined in 2026 as the band’s third vocalist, following Tommy Vext and Daniel “DL” Laskiewicz. Guitarist AJ Rebollo departed on August 28, 2026 after two years.
Dolly heard it and loved it. The band said no. The label said yes. And the last time this happened, the other band called it insensitive. Where do you land? Tell us below. And keep it locked on the Loaded Radio stream — follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.
If you love this music: 
STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:
LIVE & LOUD: Stream the World’s Hardest Radio Station 24/7