Metal Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Metallica‘s Lars Ulrich has thanked fans after being “blown away” by messages of support following the passing of his father.The drummer announced his father’s death in a post that was shared on his official Instagram page on December 20. He wrote: “Torben Ulrich: 1928-2023.

Anthrax’s Scott Ian celebrated his 60th birthday in style on New Year’s Eve, inviting a list of famous friends for an “epic” party jam.The festivities took place at the Galpin Speed Shop in Van Nuys, California, and Ian’s eye-watering guestlist included Metallica’s Robert Trujillo, Robb Flynn from Machine Head and Jerry Cantrell from Alice in Chains.Ian’s Anthrax bandmates Charlie Benante and Frank Bello were also in attendance, as was Fall Out Boy’s Andrew Hurley and Whitfield Crane from Ugly Kid Joe.The group all took part in a communal jam session. Check out footage from the night below.Writing about the night on Instagram, Ian said: “Greatest birthday party entrance of all time.

David Ellefson has opened up about the sex scandal that led to him being fired from Megadeth.In 2021, allegations against the former Megadeth bassist surfaced after several explicit screenshots and videos – which Ellefson said were “some private and personal conversations and interactions” – were shared on social media with some claiming that he’d groomed an underage girl.Ellefson denied any wrongdoing at the time saying explicit text messages were between consenting adults and that the woman was not underage at the time.That same year, he filed revenge-porn charges against the person whom he alleged illegally leaked a video and screenshots that prompted the allegations against him, and he met police in Scottsdale, Arizona, pursue the charges.The situation has now been resolved and the ex-bassist took the time to reflect on the incident. “There’s two sides to it.

Bring Me The Horizon have shared details of a new song titled ‘Kool-Aid’, and teased a reunion with producer Dan Lancaster.The new track comes following the band teasing fans with the idea of a new release last month – sharing an Instagram Story, containing details of three new songs and sharing a snippet of ‘Kool-Aid’.They went on to build hype for the track again earlier this week, sharing an official newsletter, stating that the song is “coming soon” and available to pre-save/pre-add.Now, frontman Oli Sykes and co.

Cradle Of Filth members Marek “Ashok” Šmerda (guitar) and Zoë M. Federoff (keyboard/vocals) have announced that they will be getting married.The announcement comes after Federoff joined the line-up for the symphonic black metal act back in 2022, following the departure of Anabelle Iratni.

The Offspring, Yungblud and The Prodigy confirmed as headliners.The upcoming instalment of the rock festival will return later this summer, running between June 12 and 15 and held at the Park 360 in Hradec Králové, Czechia.Now, organisers have revealed a new list of artists set to perform at the event, including three new headliners.

Mr Bungle, has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his girlfriend.The musician – who was a founding member of the band – was arrested yesterday (January 2) after human remains of a person suspected to be his girlfriend Alice “Alyx” Kamakaokalani were found.As reported by local ABC affiliate KRCR, police in Capitola, California discovered the remains in a wooded area of a Berkeley park and later took Lengyel into custody without incident.The discovery comes after 54-year-old Kamakaokalani was reported missing, last seen on December 3, 2023, and an investigation into her disappearance was launched by the Capitola Police Department and El Cerrito Police Department.According to KRCR’s report, the police asserted that foul play was involved, and Lengyel was later identified by authorities as a suspect.DNA evidence has not yet confirmed whether or not the remains belong to Kamakaokalani.“The diligent work of our investigators, in coordination with our law enforcement partners, has led to the apprehension of Theobald Lengyel in connection with the tragic homicide of Alice Kamakaokalanil,” a Capitola police statement read (via Blabbermouth). “We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the victim during this difficult time.”Lengyel and Kamakaokalani were previously married, and outlets such as Stereogum report that Lengyel had previously been investigated for domestic violence.

The Osbournes Podcast, Sharon – wife of former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne – was asked if Ozzfest, which last took place in 2018, could ever make a return.Ozzy brought up the topic of bringing the festival back, asking his wife: “Not just one [at] the fucking Forum, but a whole Ozzfest [tour]?” Sharon replied: “Yeah, sure. Of course.”Their daughter Kelly then commented that artist managers need to be “realistic” when it comes to booking fees.

Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison is suing the band, accusing them of profiting off his death and failing to return his possessions. Jordison, who founded the metal band in 1995 alongside Paul Gray and Shawn “Clown” Crahan, was fired from the band in 2013, with the band citing personal reasons.

Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain has admitted that he feared he would never be able to play drums again, after suffering a stroke in January.McBrain suffered a minor stroke in January which left him partially paralysed on his right side from the shoulder down.He underwent 10 weeks of “intensive therapy” in an effort to get back to full strength, and by May he was ready to start rehearsals with the rest of the band, ahead of their recent ‘The Future Past’ tour.Now, in a new interview with Metal Hammer magazine, he has opened up about the experience. “It was very, very difficult,” he said.“When it first happened, I thought, this is it, I’m not going to be able to play.

Metallica‘s James Hetfield has looked ahead to 2024 and shared his hopes to continue to “try and improve myself”.The metal legends have spent 2023 touring the world as part of their ‘M72’ shows, which are set to continue into the new year.Frontman Hetfield has since reflected on another year of touring and new music with the band, which also included the release of their new album ‘72 Seasons‘ in April.“I usually don’t put a lot of stock into New Year’s stuff, but reflecting on the past year, [I’m] super grateful for what I’ve got, what I’ve gone through,” he said during a new episode of The Metallica Report (per Blabbermouth).“[I] always really look forward to what the next year will bring. The older I get, the harder and easier it gets.

Metallica have released footage of ‘The Unforgiven’ from their first-ever concert in Saudi Arabia earlier this month.The metal icons performed at Soundstorm festival in Riyadh on December 14 as their final show of 2023, which also marked their first gig in the country.The show was originally billed as the first-ever from a major international heavy metal act in the country, but Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy performed in Riyadh on December 1.Metallica performed a 16-song setlist that included favourites like ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Master Of Puppets’ and ‘Enter Sandman’.Now the band have shared an eight-minute, professionally shot performance video of ‘The Unforgiven’ from the show. Check it out below.You can find fan-shot footage and the full setlist from Metallica’s first show in Saudi Arabia here.A spokesperson for Heavy Arab Entertainment (per Metal Injection) said of Cryptopsy’s historic performance: “We take immense pride in pioneering the organization of the first-ever international metal band in Saudi Arabia, and we are incredibly honored to have Cryptopsy, alongside [support bands] Creative Waste and Necrosin, marking a significant milestone in the history of the Saudi metal scene.”“Our commitment to promise and deliver, even in the face of imperfections, has truly been the driving force behind this milestone for the scene.

Dream Theater‘s Mike Portnoy, who recently returned to the band following a 13-year absence, has played ‘Pull Me Under’ for the first time in 13 years on Drumeo. Portnoy was recently featured in a 14-minute video for the YouTube drum education resource, Drumeo, depicting him discussing and playing through the band’s iconic ‘Images And Words’ cut, ‘Pull Me Under’.The video begins with Portnoy speaking about the significance of the track to Dream Theater’s career, describing it as “the song that put Dream Theater on the map”.“It’s pretty safe to say, if we didn’t write that song, I wouldn’t be sitting here today,” he said.

Metallica’s Rob Trujillo has revealed why the band tweaked their setlist for the ‘M72’ world tour in a new interview. Trujillo spoke with Classic Rock as part of the magazine’s year-end review about their ‘M72’ world tour, which saw the band perform two dates with completely different setlists in almost every city.

Ozzy Osbourne has shut down hoaxes claiming his death on The Osbournes podcast, stating: “I’m not going any-fucking-where”.Towards the end of the boxing day (December 26) ‘New Year’s special’ episode of The Osbournes, the Prince of Darkness took a moment to address unverified claims that he had died. “The thing on YouTube, it’s got ‘Celebrities Who Died Today’, and there’s a picture of me,” he said, pointing out the phenomenon.With a reference to Monty Python, he humorously clarified: “I’m not dead! I’m not really dead, just a little flesh wound.” Later, his wife Sharon Osbourne poured in on the issue, calling the outlets that have spread this misinformation “sick fuckers”.Wrapping up on the topic, the Osbournes’ son Jack praised fans who have called out such publications by commenting on their inaccurate reports, before Ozzy looks into the camera and says: “I’m not dead, I’m not going any-fucking-where.

Vended have announced a massive UK and European tour set to kick off in the spring of next year.The band, which includes Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor‘s son Griffin and Slipknot percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan’s son Simon among its bandmembers, will play the first show of their tour on April 25, 2024 at Turock in Essen, Germany.From there, they will make stops in cities including Hamburg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Helsinki, Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Zurich, Milan, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, Antwerp, Birmingham, Liverpool, Dublin, Belfast, Glasgow, Nottingham, Brighton and Swansea. The tour will wrap up on June 2, 2024 at Sub 89 in Reading.Bands Profiler and The Gloom In The Corner are set to serve as opening support for the shows.

Metallica are among investors in a $13.7million (£10.8million) funding round for the new artist-to-fan platform Medallion.The heavy metal veterans supported the platform – which allows artists to have a dedicated hub for releases, concerts, merchandise and more – for its Series A round.The round, co-led by Dragonfly and Lightspeed Faction, was secured with the support of Metallica’s Black Squirrel Partners alongside fellow musicians like Guy Lawrence of Disclosure, Jungle, Tiga and more. Various other tech investors included Coinbase Ventures, Infinite Capital and J17.Other music industry investors include Bill Silva Entertainment, Foundations Artist Management, Mt Joy, Method and TAG Music.Medallion, which launched in 2022, enables artists to cultivate a community-focused digital environment that allows for better fan engagement.As we continue to build the best direct-to-fan platform for music artists, we are thrilled to announce our $13.7 million Series A financing, led by @dragonfly_xyz and @lightspeedvp @FactionVC.

Slipknot‘s former singer Anders Colsefni will play his first show with his band Painface in almost a decade next year – and Corey Taylor is going.The band will be performing at the Patio Nightclub in Las Vegas on January 27 and Taylor is set to watch it. He replaced Colsefni as Slipknot’s frontman in 1997.Painface have played sporadic shows since they reformed in 2010 but haven’t played a gig, they estimate, since 2015.Taylor took to X/Twitter to share his excitement for the show, writing: “Hope to see everyone at this show on Jan.

Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich, has died at the age of 95.Lars took to social media today (December 21) to share the news. A cause of death was has not been shared at the time of publishing.

Metallica‘s Kirk Hammett has revealed that the band snuck the Batman theme song into the riff of one of their tracks.The song ‘Shadow Follows’ which appears on Metallica’s 11th album ’72 Seasons’ features a riff that happens about four minutes and 20 seconds in, which refers to the theme of the 1960s Batman TV show. The riff was nicknamed “The Batman Riff” during the production of the track.In an interview with Total Guitar, in which Hammett was asked about the superhero reference, the guitarist said: “That’s really funny, because we called that riff ‘The Batman Riff’, and I know exactly what you are talking about.”Fans had been speculating about the similarities between the riff and the signature Batman sound online, with many taking to Reddit to see if anyone heard the similarities.

Wargasm have announced new UK tour dates in Spring 2024 in support of Poppy. The electro-metal duo took to social media on Monday (December 18) to announce their first tour dates since their nine-date headlining UK and Ireland tour behind their debut album, ‘Venom’.

Sleep Token’s drummer, II, has given the band’s first video interview to discuss his drumming techniques and influences.These performances are interspersed with interview clips in which II – his voice masked behind a distorted voice filter – divulges into his approach to drumming, techniques, and influences. In one excerpt, he touches on the wide range of influences which shape his style.

BBC News.The men, all aged in their 20s, were killed in the Shejaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City and had used leftover food to write signs pleading for help, according to an Israeli military official who spoke anonymously.They were reportedly at a distance of tens of metres away from the soldiers, and had emerged shirtless from a building, where one was carrying a stick with a white cloth attached.The IDF said that it “expresses deep remorse over the incident and sends the families its heartfelt condolences”.A post shared by

Sleep Token have kicked off a new era by unveiling updated masks during their London show this weekend.The anonymous masked alt-metal band performed a sold-out show at London’s OVO Arena Wembley this Saturday (December 16) where they teased the next chapter with striking new looks.The band also took to Instagram over the weekend to share close ups of the new masks, which were designed by Lani Hernandez-David.“A New Era,” they captioned the posts. Check them out below.A post shared by Lani Hernandez-David (@_lani_mask_)A post shared by II (@ii_sleeptoken)A post shared by III (@iii_sleeptoken)A post shared by IV (@iv_sleeptoken)While the band formed back in 2016, a string of January releases including ‘The Summoning’ contributed to the skyrocketing of streams and new listeners in 2023.They are due to head back out on the road next year, supporting Bring Me The Horizon on their 2024 Australian tour.Kicking off on April 14 at the Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Oli Sykes and Co.

Metallica played their first ever show in Saudi Arabia this week – check out fan-filmed footage below.The metal icons performed at the Soundstorm festival in Riyadh on Thursday (December 14) in their final show of 2023, running through a 16-song setlist including hits such as ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’, ‘Master Of Puppets’ and ‘Enter Sandman’.When it was announced on November 27, Metallica’s performance was billed as the first ever show from a major international heavy metal act in the country, but technical death metal band Cryptopsy got there first when they played in Riyadh on December 1.Check out fan-filmed footage and view the setlist below:METALLICA LIVE AT RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIAA dream came true

lipknot’s founding member and percussionist Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan has spoken to NME about the band’s upcoming tour, as well as numerous new releases, career highlights and the importance of nostalgia.Earlier this week, the masked metal icons announced news of a 2024 UK and European tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut album. As tickets have gone on sale, Crahan has opened up to NME about why it was so important for the band to go back to their roots, and revealed that there are plenty of surprises in store for the new year.“25 years is swirling in our brain now,” Clown told NME.

Slipknot have added a second London show to their 25th anniversary UK tour next year – find all the details below.The masked metal band are due to return to these shores in December 2024 following a run of dates across Europe. Corey Taylor and co.

Iron Maiden‘s Bruce Dickinson has spoken about the lack of arena-level rock and metal bands.The frontman gave his thoughts in an interview with Swedish radio station Bandit Rock, where he spoke about a recent conversation he had with a Brazilian promoter. Dickinson was in Brazil to promote his upcoming solo album, ‘The Mandrake Project’.According to Dickinson, the promoter was complaining about the lack of headliners.

Slipknot have announced a 2024 UK and European tour to celebrate 25 years as a band – find all the dates below and purchase tickets here.The metal giants will kick off the tour at Ziggo Dome in Amsterdam on December 5, 2024, before heading onto a trio of shows in Germany, followed by dates in Zürich and and Paris. The band will then continue on to Leeds, Glasgow, Manchester and Birmingham and will wrap up at London’s O2 Arena on December 20.General sale tickets will be available from this Friday (December 15) at 9am GMT.

System of a Down‘s Serj Tankian and Black Sabbath‘s Tony Iommi have teamed up to release their collaboration ‘Deconstruction’ – listen to it below.The single was co-written with the CEO of Gibson Guitars, Cesar Gueikian, and has been released on Gibson Records. The three have released the single under the name ‘The Gibson Band’, which will feature a rotating cast of musicians that will steadily release music to fund various philanthropic causes around the world.In the case of ‘Deconstruction’, all proceeds will be going to Armenia Fund’s Artsakh Refugee Initiative.

Knocked Loose have announced their return to the UK and Europe for a 2024 tour.The Kentucky metalcore band shared details of their upcoming tour on social media, also hinting at “special guests” that are soon to join the band. The tour will take place across February and March next year, with stops in Paris, Milan, Berlin, and London.The band recently released their two singles “Deep in the Willow” and “Everything is Quiet Now” back in June.

Power Trip‘s late frontman, Riley Gale, has spoken out after criticising the band’s reunion.Power Trip treated fans on Friday, December 1, with a surprise gig in Austin, Texas. It was the first performance from the thrash metal band since the unexpected death of frontman Riley Gale in 2020.

Sleep Token have performed their song ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ live for the first time – check out the footage below.The London band gave the title track from their 2023 third album its stage debut as they kicked off their European ‘Rituals’ tour in Munich, Germany on Tuesday night (December 5).Per Setlist.FM, ‘Take Me Back To Eden’ was the penultimate number in Sleep Token’s 17-song set at the city’s Zenith venue.Fan-shot footage of the eight-minute-plus performance captures a dazzling light show that adapts to the track’s epic finale.

Architects have released a surprise single, ‘Seeing Red’ – listen to the heavy new track below.Released on December 4, the fiery new track sees the Brighton quartet at their most brutal, featuring spirited guitar riffs, pummeling breakdowns, and guttural vocals, all culminating in a melodic hook which finds frontman Sam Carter sarcastically tackling his critics: “Read me all my rights / I’ll never grow tired of your great advice / Won’t somebody tell me / What I believe”.The track was released alongside a video by drummer Dan Searle, which depicts the band performing the track against a black backdrop and a minimal set design.Watch the video for Architect’s ‘Seeing Red’ below:In addition to the release of ‘Seeing Red’, the band have also announced a North American tour, scheduled for Spring 2024. Spanning 13 dates, the tour commences on May 2 in Toronto’s Rebel, and concludes in Columbus, Ohio’s Sonic Temple on May 13.

Limp Bizkit will be performing at next year’s Download Festival.Following the nu metal band’s huge show at Gunnersbury Park this summer, the band will be returning to the UK for their first performance at Donington Park in Leicestershire since 2013.“Known for their high-energy performances and ground-breaking fusion of rock, hip-hop, and metal, Limp Bizkit are set to bring their infectious sound and electrifying stage presence to the hallowed grounds of Download Festival,” the festival commented, per Metal Hammer.“Returning to the festival after ten years with their string of hits spanning nearly two decades, Limp Bizkit are set to show audiences why they’ve rightly cemented their place as one of the most influential and enduring acts in the rock genre.”Limp Bizkit join a line-up featuring headliners Queens Of The Stone Age, Avenged Sevenfold and Fall Out Boy. Other acts playing include Royal Blood, The Offspring, Machine Head, Pantera, Bad Omens, Corey Taylor, While She Sleeps, Sum 41, Billy Talent, The Used, Babymetal, Bowling For Soup, Heilung, Polyphia, Thy Art Is Murder, The Black Dahlia Murder, Biohazard, and Fear Factory.

Power Trip surprised fans on Friday night (December 1) for a surprise gig in Austin, Texas.It’s the first performance from the thrash metal band since the unexpected death of frontman Riley Gale in 2020. Aged 34, Gale was later confirmed to have died from fentanyl.