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Three stages and plenty of conflicts.

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

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

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

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

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

The post NIGHT RANGER Announces “Best Of” Compilation Featuring Newly Remixed and Remastered Classics appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

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

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

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

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

The post BRUCE DICKINSON Releases Award-Winning Orchestral “Tears of the Dragon” Video, Winner of Eight Film Festival Awards appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

“I think a lot of people think that we hate that record or are embarrassed about it, ’cause we don’t play it and stuff, but really we were just always disappointed with how it sounded.”

The post Bring Me The Horizon’s Oli Sykes Talks Re-Recording “Count Your Blessings” & Plans To Film Their Upcoming Unbarricaded 20th Anniversary Show appeared first on Theprp.com.

Josh Conway, one of the founding members of the Grammy-nominated, TikTok-viral, Stereogum-endorsed group the Marías, is releasing his first solo album. Earlier this year, his bandmate María Zardoya released her own solo project under the name Not For Radio. Conway, the drummer-producer-songwriter, will release his debut solo LP plum in just a few weeks ago.…

The post The Marías’ Josh Conway Announces Debut Solo Album <em>plum</em>: Hear “Crumble” appeared first on Stereogum.

Baltimore pop-punkers Pinkshift are on a seriously prolific run right now. They released their album Earthkeeper last August, then followed it with the single “Snow” a few months later. Today, they drop a new song called “When We Were Friends,” a pogo anthem about post-breakup clarity. Here’s what they say about it: This song was…

The post Pinkshift – “When We Were Friends” appeared first on Stereogum.

Every metal fan has spent hours staring at them: the “witch” in the Mapledurham woods, the girl by the pool, and the man taking a fist to the jaw. For decades, these figures were anonymous icons—nameless faces that defined the aesthetic of heavy music. But as we move through 2026, the masks have finally slipped.

From models who had no idea they were posing for “Satanic” legends to a party-goer who became the face of the Nu-Metal era, the real stories behind these covers prove that rock immortality often happens when you least expect it.

TL;DR:

The anonymous figures on metal’s most iconic covers aren’t just art—they are real people with wild 2026 lives. The Deftones pool girl (Lisa Hughes) is now signing copies for her daughter’s friends, the woman on Black Sabbath’s debut (Louisa Livingstone) is an electronic musician, and the face of Converge’s Jane Doe (Audrey Marnay) finally met Jacob Bannon in early 2026.

1. The Poolside Muse: Deftones, ‘Around the Fur’ (1997)

The Figure: Lisa Hughes

2026 Update: Living in Sault Ste. Marie / Daughter’s Cool Mom

The cover of Deftones’ Around the Fur is one of the most candid shots in music history. It wasn’t a professional model or a staged set—it was Lisa Hughes, a young woman hanging out at a late-night party in Seattle where the band was staying. Photographer Rick Kosick took the shot with a fish-eye lens at 4:00 AM, catching her in a bikini looking both annoyed and iconic.

In January 2026, a documentary by Jenkem Magazine revisited the shoot, and Lisa returned to the very condo where it happened. She revealed she was “oblivious” to who the band was at the time and was just having a “kick-ass time.” Today, Lisa lives in Sault Ste. Marie and laughs that she still gets into clubs for free once bouncers realize who she is. She’s even been known to sign copies of the record for her daughter’s friends.

Check This Out – Deftones Albums Ranked Worst To Best (2026 Definitive Ranking)

2. The Ultimate Sacrifice: Pantera, ‘Vulgar Display of Power’ (1992)

The Figure: Sean Cross

2026 Update: New York Consultant

The legend used to be that Pantera paid a fan $10 per punch to get the perfect shot for Vulgar Display of Power. Vinnie Paul loved telling the story of a fan getting hit 30 times for the sake of art. However, photographer Brad Guice eventually set the record straight: the man getting “hit” is professional model Sean Cross.

The shot was a carefully timed interaction in a studio. Cross would push his face against the “puncher’s” fist to create the skin-rippling effect while his hair was blown by a fan. In 2026, Cross is far removed from the modeling world, living in New York where he runs a consulting firm. While he didn’t actually lose any teeth for the shot, he remains the face of the most famous “punch” in thrash history.

3. The Woman in the Woods: Black Sabbath, ‘Black Sabbath’ (1970)

The Figure: Louisa Livingstone

2026 Update: Electronic Musician (Indreba)

For 50 years, the “witch” on the cover of the first-ever heavy metal album was a ghost. In 2020, she was identified as Louisa Livingstone, who was an 18-year-old model at the time. Photographer Keith “Keef” Macmillan took her to Mapledurham Watermill at dawn, pumped in dry ice, and told her to stand still in the freezing cold.

Livingstone famously admitted that Black Sabbath “isn’t really her kind of music.” After the shoot, she continued modeling and acting before moving into astrology. In 2026, she lives in Europe and produces experimental electronic music under the name Indreba.

4. The Gothic Embrace: Type O Negative, ‘Bloody Kisses’ (1993)

The Models: Kim Wadsworth & Gabriella Gerard

2026 Update: Private Legacies

The two women locked in a “bloody” embrace on Peter Steele’s masterpiece were Kim Wadsworth and Gabriella Gerard. The photo was taken by John Wadsworth (Kim’s husband at the time), and the “blood” was actually a mixture of food coloring and corn syrup.

In 2026, the image remains a gothic touchstone. While Gabriella has stayed largely out of the spotlight, Kim Wadsworth’s family has occasionally shared “behind-the-scenes” insights into the 1993 shoot, confirming that the “vampiric” models were actually close friends having a laugh between takes. Kim eventually moved into the high-end beauty and styling industry.

We Recommend – Type O Negative Albums Ranked: The Definitive “Drab Four” Takedown (2026 Update)

5. Down in a Hole: Alice in Chains, ‘Dirt’ (1992)

The Figure: Mariah O’Brien

2026 Update: High-End Interior Designer

Many fans originally thought the woman buried in the desert on the Dirt cover was Layne Staley’s late girlfriend, Demri Parrott. In reality, it was model Mariah O’Brien. The shoot was grueling; she was built into a set in a Hollywood studio, covered in clay, and had to hold her position for eight hours.

O’Brien appeared in films like Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, but she has since successfully transitioned to a career in interior design in Los Angeles. In 2026, she is the owner of Mariah O’Brien Interiors, proving she’s much better at building rooms than being buried in them.

6. The Burning Martyr: Rage Against the Machine, ‘Rage Against the Machine’ (1992)

The Figure: Thích Quảng Đức

2026 Update: Historical Icon

Unlike the other staged photos, the man on the RATM debut was Thích Quảng Đức, a Vietnamese monk who performed self-immolation in 1963 to protest the persecution of Buddhists. The photo won a Pulitzer Prize. In 2026, his heart remains unburned and is kept as a holy relic in the Reserve Bank of Vietnam—a hauntingly real testament to the “Rage” the band would later preach.

7. The Face of Hardcore: Converge, ‘Jane Doe’ (2001)

The Figure: Audrey Marnay

2026 Update: High-Fashion Icon / Meeting with Jacob Bannon

For twenty years, Jacob Bannon maintained that the crumbling face on Jane Doe was a composite sketch. That changed in 2021 when French supermodel Audrey Marnay proved the artwork was based on a 2001 Marie Claire shoot. In February 2026, Bannon finally met Marnay in person, bridging the gap between the fashion world and the hardcore underground. Marnay remains a massive force in French cinema and high-fashion today.

FAQ: People Immortalized on Album Covers

• Who found the Deftones girl? Lisa Hughes was officially interviewed by Jenkem Magazine in January 2026, ending decades of fan speculation.
• Is the Black Sabbath mill still there? Yes. The Mapledurham Watermill in Oxfordshire still stands and is a popular 2026 pilgrimage site for metal fans.
• Did the models on ‘Bloody Kisses’ get paid well? In 2026 retrospectives, it’s revealed most iconic models were paid standard day rates—often just a few hundred dollars—never knowing the images would end up on millions of shirts.

STAY LOUD: Catch the full breakdown of what’s happening in hard rock and metal on the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast with Scott Penfold. Visit LoadedRadio.com or download our free app now.

Which of these “Then vs. Now” reveals surprised you the most, or is there a mysterious cover model we still haven’t found? Let us know in the comments.

The post Immortality by Accident: What Happened to the Real People on Your Favorite Metal Album Covers? appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Their first full-length statement drops on September 4 via Atlantic

Step into the venue.

The post The Acacia Strain Release “Chain” & “Fresh Bones” Live Video appeared first on Theprp.com.

“‘Blood Of Your Empire’ was born out of my own struggle with existential crisis and trying to make sense of belief, mortality and humanity’s relationship with faith.”

The post PRESIDENT Debut “DOOM LOOP” Video, Announce Their Debut Album “Blood Of Your Empire” appeared first on Theprp.com.