BIOHAZARD And LIFE OF AGONY Announce New Dates For UK/EU Co-Headlining Tour; Support Act Confirmed

BIOHAZARD And LIFE OF AGONY Announce New Dates For UK/EU Co-Headlining Tour; Support Act Confirmed

For the first time ever, Biohazard and Life Of Agony will share the stage on a monumental international co-headlining tour. New dates have been announced for Belfast and Dublin, Ireland, as well as a new show confirmed in Köln, Germany.

Additionally, support on the tour will come from modern rock band, LYLVC.

Two of the heaviest bands to ever call Brooklyn, NY home, the metal titans will now launch the tour on February 22 in Dublin, Ireland. The tour wraps March 29 in Amsterdam.

For ticket links, head here.

Tour dates:

February
22 – Belfast, Ireland – Limelight (New Date)
23 – Dublin, Ireland – The Academy (New Date)
25 – Nottingham, UK – Rock City
26 – Glasgow, UK – SWG3
28 – Newcastle, UK – NX Newcastle

March
1 – Bristol, UK – O2 Academy
2 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Institute
4 – London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town
5 – Manchester, UK – O2 Ritz
7 – Den Haag, Netherlands – Paard
8 – Brussels, Belgium – La Madeline
9 – Köln, Germany – Carlswerk Victoria (New Date)
11 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
13 – Lausanne, Switzerland – Les Docks
14 – Wurzburg, Germany – Posthalle
15 – Karlsruhe, Germany – Substage
17 – Krakow, Poland – Studio Krakow
18 – Warsaw, Poland – Progresja
19 – Brno, Czech Republic – Sono Centrum
21 – Seraring, Belgium – OM
22 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Halle
23 – Berlin, Germany – Huxley’s Neue Welt
25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Poolen
27 – Hamburg, Germany – Markthalle
28 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje
29 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg


ANGUS McSIX Releases New Single “6666”; Official Music Video Streaming

ANGUS McSIX Releases New Single

True to the motto #onebetter, Angus McSix won’t settle for 666 — no, it has to be “6666”. The new song includes everything that made the album Angus McSix And The Sword Of Power the most successful power metal debut of 2023, skyrocketing to number 10 on the Official German Album Charts, as well as a few surprises…

At their start, Prince Angus McSix (Thomas Winkler / ex-Gloryhammer) is overwhelmed by the dark Seebulon (Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann / Orden Ogan) and a horde of orcs. He is frozen and taken to an unknown location somewhere in space and time. Telepathically, he manages to call his brother Adam for help before his voice fades into eternity. Adam hears him and sets off immediately. Although he doesn’t know where Angus is, he knows he can locate him with the power of the six Sixtus Stellar Superlords.

And so, Thomas Winkler, who is now stepping back to spend more time with his family, passes the sword to exceptional vocalist Sam Nyman (Manimal).

“It was a tough decision to go down this path, and even harder to find a suitable singer”, explains Winkler. “But Seeb and I created such an amazing project with Angus McSix that we didn’t want to let it die. I’m glad we found Sam and am absolutely thrilled with his vocal performance.”

“You can’t replace a Thomas Winkler, which is why we didn’t search for the next ‘Angus.’ Sam brings his own style, so he needed his own character: Prince Adam McSix,” explains Seeb.

With its new lineup, Angus McSix have created an absolute hit track that is now already released as the first single from the upcoming, yet untitled album. Watch the official video For “6666”:

Guitar amazon Thalestris (Thalia Bellazecca, ex-Frozen Crown, Primal Fear) continues with the new lineup, with “Ork Zero” (Gerit Lamm, ex-Xandria) now on drums. What happened to Skaw!? It’s possible that we’ll find out in the next music video…

“6666” was once again written, produced, mixed, and mastered by top-charting producer Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann at his Greenman Studios. Levermann also took on the role of director for the new music video.

The new album is planned for early 2026, but first, you can catch the band on two major tours. In January/February, Angus McSix are main support on the Orden Ogan “Tour Of Fear” with opening act All For Metal. A big European tour with Wind Rose and Orden Ogan will follow in October.

Tour dates and tickets available here.

Angus McSix is:

Prince Adam McSix – Sam Nyman (vocals)
Archdemon Seebulon – Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann (guitar, vocals)
Amazonqueen Thalestris – Thalia Bellazecca (guitar)
Ork Zero – Gerit Lamm (drums)

(Photo – Andi Brüser)


Armstrong MetalFest 2025 – Early Bird Tickets On Sale Now

Armstrong MetalFest 2025 - Early Bird Tickets On Sale Now

Celebrating 15 years of bringing extreme metal music fans from across Canada and beyond to British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Western Canada’s largest mountain mosh pit Armstrong MetalFest launches its early bird tickets/weekend passes, which include on-site camping for their 2025 lineup being held on July 11-12 in Armstrong at the Hassen Arena.

Secure your spot at this legendary event at a special discounted rate. Don’t miss the opportunity to snag your tickets early and be part of the metal mayhem that awaits! A limited amount of early bird tickets will be on sale until the AMF 2025 lineup is announced in the coming months.

All tickets provide General Admission and grant access to the festival grounds, camping area, and arena from 9 AM on Friday, July 11, until 10 AM on Sunday, July 13. Free camping is included.

Weekend Passes are available here.

Tickets will be mailed starting after March 1st if you have chosen the “Ticket Mailed” option.

Please Note: RV / Non-Hookup RV / Vehicle Passes: Make sure to reserve your vehicle spot to get the best location on the grounds. A fee is required for a weekend pass per vehicle in addition to your day or weekend pass. RV hookups include water and power. If you choose to park your vehicle outside the camping area in the main parking lot, then a vehicle pass is not required.

This 15th annual gathering of metalheads will again witness two days of unforgettable moshing, headbanging, and camping. From iconic headliners to promising newcomers, the 2025 lineup is set to showcase the best of diverse metal genres, ensuring an electrifying experience for all. In addition to the performing bands, Armstrong Metal Fest brings back the following on-site activities.

Yeti Games: Participate in this year’s Yeti Games with six extreme skill-testing events! 20 participants compete for a chance to win two free passes to next year’s metal fest. The last person standing wins…

Email jessevalstar@gmail.com to sign up.

There might be openings at the last minute, so show up for the opening ceremony. AMF may have a jersey with your number on it!

Metal Market Madness: The metal market will be a bustling hub of activity, featuring a diverse array of vendors offering everything from band merchandise to unique collectibles. Seize the opportunity to grab exclusive items and immerse yourself in the metal culture.

Thrash Wrestling: Experience an electrifying event featuring the high-octane clash of titans! Join AMF on Saturday for an unforgettable afternoon of fierce competition, heart-stopping moments, and pure wrestling mayhem!

About: Since 2009 (minus pause years 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid pandemic), West Metal Entertainment and Armstrong Metalfest have not only fostered the talent of hundreds of local bands, but have imported well-known, international acts to the quiet, little Canadian town of Armstrong, British Columbia.

Each year hundreds of metal music fans from Canada and the USA descend into the picturesque Okanagan Valley and under the blistering sun, they spend three days camping, taking in a tonne of heavy metal fun over two days, spectating wrestling events, participating in scavenger hunts, and catching up with their extended metal family.

The festival has seen such renowned headliners as Kataklysm, Cattle Decapitation, Archspire, Nekrogoblikon, Origin, Rivers of Nihil, Warbinger, Fallujah, Striker, and Beyond Creation as well as emerging artists from across North America. At the end of the revelry, the festival disappears without a trace, leaving the landscape as pristine as it has always been.

West Metal Entertainment is a non-profit society that not only puts on the Armstrong Metal Festival every year in Armstrong, B.C. but also gives bands opportunities to play at different venues throughout the region including all-ages shows, to encourage musical passion in kids as well as adults.

Watch the official video recap of AMF 2019 below. Video created by Mayne Brand Productions.


2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Hits Highest Viewership Ever

2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Hits Highest Viewership Ever

HITS Daily Double is reporting that ABC rocked New Year’s Day in a big way with the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, which drew 4.6m viewers – the most eyes in the ceremony’s history.

The number represents a 49% jump from last year’s viewership, which checked in at 3.09m. In fact, the three-hour broadcast was the most watched New Year’s Day prime-time entertainment program since January 1, 2019.

The broadcast topped all broadcast programming in the 18-49 demo with a .50 rating, up 39% from 2024, the ceremony’s best showing since March 21, 2004. That’s the biggest New Year’s Day broadcast entertainment since January 1, 2020.

The ceremony, which hit Hulu on January 2 , was produced by Joel Gallen and Tenth Planet Productions, with executive producers including Gallen, John Sykes and Joel Peresman.

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honored inductees: Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest. Alexis Korner, John Mayall and Big Mama Thornton were honored for Musical Influence, while Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick and Norman Whitfield were feted for Musical Excellence. Suzanne De Passe was the recipient of the Ahmet Ertegun Award.


W.A.S.P. Announce New Tour Dates For Mexico, South America, Europe, UK

W.A.S.P. Announce New Tour Dates For Mexico, South America, Europe, UK

W.A.S.P. have updated the itinerary for their “Album ONE Alive” tour, marking the 40th anniversary of the release of the band’s first album. To celebrate this classic metal album, W.A.S.P. are, for the first time in 40 years, playing the entire album from top to bottom, start to finish. In addition, W.A.S.P. will be appearing at a number of European festivals, performing their greatest hits.

The updated itinerary can be found below. For tickets, head here.

Formed in 1982, W.A.S.P. is set to bring this universally acclaimed “classic” album to life. Lead vocalist Blackie Lawless says, “It was an angry record made by an angry band. It was a record that not only reflected the attitude of the band members who made it, but also a record that reflected its time.” This record became a central piece of the 80s metal scene and remains one of the best metal debut albums of all time.

Along with bassist Mike Duda and lead guitarist Doug Blair, whose tenures in the band are 29 and 26 years respectively, W.A.S.P. is joined by long-time drummer extraordinaire Aquiles Priester.

Lawless and company will deliver the ultimate incredible spectacle, bringing W.A.S.P.’s most colorful history to life by performing this revered album in its entirety… ONE more time… ONE last time… Album ONE Alive!

Headline Shows Performing Album ONE Alive:

April
29 – Montevideo Music Box – Montevideo, Uruguay
30 – Teatro Flores – Lomas De Zamora, Argentina

May
2 – Cúpula Multiespacio – Santiago, Chile

June
7 – Astra – Berlin, Germany
10 – Le Forum – Vaureal, France
11 – Effenaar – Eindhoven, Netherlands
12 – Rockhal – Esch-sur-alzette, Luxembourg
13 – Schlachthof Wiesbaden – Wiesbaden, Germany

July
11 – Hangar – Belgrade, Serbia
16 – Live Club – Trezzo Sull’adda Mi, Italy
29 – Salle de l’Abeille – Riddes, Switzerland
30 – Komplex – Zurich, Switzerland

August
3 – Backstage Halle – Munich, Germany
4 – LKA Longhorn – Stuttgart, Germany

Festival Shows Performing Greatest Hits:

March
1 – Titans Of Metal 2025 – Ciudad De México, Mexico

May
4 – Bangers Open Air Brasil 2025 – São Paulo, Brazil

June
6 – Mystic Festival – Gdańsk, Poland
8 – Rock Hard Festival – Gelsenkirchen, Germany
14 – Into The Grave – Leeuwarden, Netherlands

July
10 – Area 53 Festival – Leoben, Austria
12 – Midalidare Open Air – Mogilovo, Bulgaria
13 – Rockwave Festival 2025 – Malakasa, Greece
18 – Sun And Thunder Festival – Málaga, Spain
26 – Steelhouse Festival – Abertillery, UK
30 – August 2 – Wacken Open Air – Wacken, Germany

August
1 – Skogsröjet Festival – Rejmyre, Sweden
6 – Leyendas del Rock Festival – Villena, Spain
8 – Alcatraz Festival – Kortrijk, Belgium

About W.A.S.P.:

Few bands in the history of rock n’ roll have ever incited the love, the hate, the raw emotional effect this band has had on the world. From the very beginning, in the small venues of Los Angeles California, and later to the numerous countries worldwide that banned these Winged Assassins from performing live, the band’s unique style of shock and rock caused religious organizations, local city councils, parliaments, and the Washington D.C. senate to hold hearings in an effort to bar this group from selling records and trashing stages everywhere they played.

The band’s founding member, frontman Blackie Lawless, has led the group as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold out shows across the globe for 4 decades.


“Tupac stopped me from committing a murder.” Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav on the night Tupac Shakur talked him out of crushing a thief’s skull with a fire extinguisher

“Tupac stopped me from committing a murder.” Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav on the night Tupac Shakur talked him out of crushing a thief’s skull with a fire extinguisher

Flavor Flav and Tupac Shakur

(Image credit:  Clarence Gatson/Gado/Getty Images)

On August 18, 1990, Public Enemy‘s Fear Of a Black Planet tour rolled into the Myriad Convention Center in Oklahoma City. Joining the New York rappers on the tour were Ice Cube, Heavy D, Queen Latifah and Oakland’s Digital Underground, who then featured a young Tupac Shakur as a back-up dancer. For the teenage Tupac, touring with Public Enemy was a dream come true: a couple of years earlier, he’d bunked off school in order to catch Flavor Flav at a local radio station, hoping to get a photo with the rapper, and now he was on tour with his heroes.

In Oklahoma, Tupac proved his loyalty to Public Enemy by helping apprehend a man who’d broken into the band’s dressing room, and stolen some of their personal effects, including Chuck D’s jacket and plastic Uzi machine guns belonging to PE’s Security Of The First World dancers. He also saved Flavor Flav from getting carried away when exacting vengeance upon the thief, as Flav recalls in a new interview with Rolling Stone.

“We found one of the guys,” Flav tells writer Jason Newman, “took him into the dressing room, and the group is interrogating this guy. ‘Hey, where’s our stuff at? Where’s our stuff at?’ Next thing you know, my group start punching on the guy. Tupac was like, ‘Man, y’all step back, man. Let me show y’all how this is done.’ Tupac took off his belt and started beating the guy with his belt.

“The guy was on the floor,” Flav continues. “I grabbed a fire extinguisher on the wall and was just waiting for that clearance because I was going to hit this guy in the fucking head with this fucking fire extinguisher. But Tupac pushed me up against the wall real hard, and I dropped the fire extinguisher. ‘What the hell is wrong with you, man? You’re gonna fucking kill a guy.’ Tupac stopped me from committing a murder by accident.

“If it was not for Tupac stopping me from hitting that guy with that fire extinguisher, I would not be sitting here with you. So thank you, Tupac, for saving my freedom and my life.”

Five years on, with Tupac now a star in his own right, he wrote to Chuck D while imprisoned in New York, to thank him for mentoring him on that tour.

“Back in the dayz, on tour with u, I learned so much from what u did and how u did it,” he wrote. “It may be hard 2 C but u have alwayz played a major role in what it is I do 2day.”

The latest news, features and interviews direct to your inbox, from the global home of alternative music.

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary Dies

Peter Yarrow, who was part of Peter, Paul & Mary and helped popularize folk music in the early ’60s, has died. He was 86.

According to The New York Times, Yarrow died in his Manhattan home on Tuesday. His death was confirmed to the paper by his publicist, who noted Yarrow had been battling bladder cancer for the past four years. (His daughter had been posting updates about his health recently.)

Yarrow – along with Paul Stookey and Mary Travers – formed Peter, Paul & Mary in New York City in the early ’60s and found fame as part of the Greenwich Village folk scene that helped give birth to Bob Dylan around the same time.

READ MORE: Bob Dylan Albums Ranked

The trio was one of the first acts to have a hit with one of Dylan’s songs; their 1963 cover of “Blowin’ in the Wind” reached No. 2 and won a pair of Grammys for Pop Vocal Group and Folk Record.

Even though Peter, Paul & Mary often shared lead vocals on their songs, Yarrow took the spotlight on a few of the trio’s hit singles, including “Puff the Magic Dragon,” which he cowrote.

Yarrow was born on May 31, 1938, in Brooklyn. In addition to his work with Peter, Paul & Mary, he had a solo career in the early ’70s that yielded a pair of songs that hovered outside of the Top 100. He also cowrote “Torn Between Two Lovers,” a No. 1 single for Mary MacGregor in 1977.

He was also an activist spanning decades and subjects, protesting the Vietnam War in the ’60s and advocating for anti-bullying programs in schools in more recent years.

In 1970 he was convicted of taking “improper liberties” with a 14-year-old girl and served three months in prison. “I do not seek to minimize or excuse what I have done and I cannot adequately express my apologies and sorrow for the pain and injury I have caused,” Yarrow told The New York Times in later years. He was pardoned for the crime in 1981 by President Jimmy Carter.

Peter, Paul & Mary broke up in the early ’70s following the charges against Yarrow.  All three members pursued solo careers.

What Songs Did Peter, Paul and Mary Sing?

Throughout the 1960s, Peter, Paul & Mary scored more than a dozen Top 40 hits, including the Top 10 “If I Had a Hammer” in 1962 (also a Grammy winner for Pop Vocal Group and Folk Record), “Puff the Magic Dragon,” Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right” and their only No. 1, 1969’s “Leaving on a Jet Plane,” written by another rising artist they supported, John Denver.

Peter, Paul & Mary also had two No. 1 albums: a self-titled debut in 1962 and In the Wind from 1963. Their 1969 LP, Peter, Paul and Mommy, won a Grammy for Children’s Album.

Travers died in 2009 at age 72 of leukemia; Stookey, who was born in 1937, is still alive.

Stookey issued a statement (per The New York Times) calling Yarrow his “creative, irrepressible, spontaneous and musical younger brother” and that he “grew to be grateful for, and to love, the mature-beyond-his-years wisdom and inspiring guidance he shared with me like an older brother. … Perhaps Peter was both of the brothers I never had and I shall deeply miss both of him.”

In Memoriam: 2024 Deaths

A look at those we’ve lost in 2024.

Gallery Credit: Allison Rapp

2025 Classic Rock Power Rankings

Which classic rock stars currently wield the most power? We asked our writers to look at the current landscape and determine which bands or artists could make the biggest waves in 2025 as measured in terms of album sales, ticket sales and cultural impact. Here’s who they chose:

10 (Tie). U2

U2 have spent much of the past decade mining their (admittedly impressive) past, mounting an epic 30th anniversary The Joshua Tree celebration tour, re-recording many of their biggest hits for the acoustic Songs of Surrender collection, and breaking in the Las Vegas Sphere with an Achtung Baby-themed residency. They seem focused on adding to their legacy with their next album, which is currently in some unknown stage of gestation. In November 2024, Edge reported that he and Bono work working on “Sci-fi Irish folk music” with producer Brian Eno, although he noted the album may end up going in a totally different direction.

Evan Agostini, Getty Images

Evan Agostini, Getty Images

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10 (Tie). Foo Fighters

Over the past two decades Foo Fighters have become the ubiquitous and almost universally beloved ambassadors of rock, filling arenas and stadiums all around the world. Dave Grohl kept himself and the band in the headlines with fun stunts such as a Bee Gees cover album, his annual holiday Hanukkah Sessions video series featuring covers of songs by Jewish artists, and a host of other collaborations and guest appearances. However, his good guy image took a hit in September 2024 when he revealed that he’d fathered a child outside of his marriage. The band canceled their few publicly announced concerts and have not announced any plans for 2025 as of yet.

Foo Fighters Perform At Power To The Patients Concert

Paul Morigi, Getty Images

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9. Stevie Nicks

Although she hasn’t released a solo studio album in over a decade, Stevie Nicks looms large in modern culture, headlining arena shows and teaming up with Billy Joel for massive stadium shows throughout 2024. She also released the politically charged “The Lighthouse” single and appeared on Saturday Night Live in the midst of election season. If it wasn’t obvious before, it seems pretty clear Nicks is the one most in charge of Fleetwood Mac‘s future – or more accurately, lack thereof – as she repeatedly insisted there would be no reformation without the late Christine McVie and no reconciliation with Lindsey Buckingham.

Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

Jamie McCarthy, Getty Images

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8. Guns N’ Roses

After spending most of the last seven years on the road, Guns N’ Roses took 2024 off entirely. Slash and Duff McKagan instead focused on solo projects, but the group is gearing up for a massive world tour in 2025, and a recent survey revealed the band was second only to Pink Floyd when it comes to new tattoos. A new album featuring Slash, Duff and Axl Rose remains one of the most tantalizing prospects in all of rock. In May 2024, Slash reported that the group was “trying” to record one, without offering more details.

Guns N’ Roses

Guns N’ Roses

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7. AC/DC

At the end of the Rock or Bust tour in 2016, it certainly seemed like AC/DC‘s days as one of rock’s most powerful groups may have been at an end, as various health or legal issues put the touring future of everybody but guitarist Angus Young in doubt. Despite the 2017 death of his brother Malcolm, the group regrouped to record 2020’s excellent Power Up, waited out the pandemic and returned to the road last year with a new rhythm section. They’ll return to the United States for their first extended stadium tour in nearly a decade this summer.

AC/DC

Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

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Read More: 2025 Rock Tour Preview

6. Eagles

Three decades into what might be the most profitable second act in rock history, the Eagles are taking their sweet time saying farewell on their Long Goodbye tour, which kicked off in the fall of 2023 and is still going strong with no clear end in sight. The band has been thrilling fans and raking in big bucks during their current Sphere residency, which grossed $44.1 million with its first eight shows and is slated to continue through April 2025. It seems unlikely they’ll record another studio album, seeing as how it’s been almost 18 years since 2007’s Long Road Out of Eden, although we’d certainly love to see them take a shot at it. Oh and nearly 50 years after its release the Their Greatest Hits: 1971-1975 album still earned a spot on 2024’s best-selling albums list.

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

Ethan Miller, Getty Images

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5. Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan doesn’t tour like a modern-day superstar. He keeps impressively busy, performing 78 shows at theaters and festivals across the world in 2024. It’s been almost five years since he released a new studio album (2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways), but whenever he does so again it’s sure to get a lot of attention. If his Nobel Prize and reported $300 million catalog sale don’t earn him a spot on this list, how about the fact that he’s currently the subject of a major Hollywood movie, or that the fact that he’s tweeting kinda like a normal person all of a sudden has sent the rock world into a tizzy?

Corbis, Getty Images

Corbis, Getty Images

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4. Bruce Springsteen

You know your career’s going pretty good if you feel the need to deny reports that you’re a billionaire, as Bruce Springsteen did last October. He got at least halfway there when he sold his catalog for $500 million back in 2021, and Springsteen was the biggest-earning rocker on the road in 2024, bringing in $251 million from 44 shows. He’ll be back on tour in Europe in 2025, and rumors are swirling that a major archival release is also on the way. Oh, and he’s about to get his own big-screen movie, too.

Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images

Kevin Dietsch, Getty Images

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3. Metallica

Metallica continued their reign as the undisputed kings of metal in 2024, earning $179 million on the road with just 24 shows on their innovative M72 tour, which finds them packing the same stadiums for two night with completely different set lists. Country superstar Morgan Wallen was the only thing keeping 2023’s 72 Seasons at No. 2 on the album charts, ending a No. 1 streak that dated all the way back to their self-titled 1991 album. They’ll be back on the road in 2025, and since there’s no real update on a new record, can we mention that we’re overdue for another installment of the Garage Days cover series?

Metallica Performs At SoFi Stadium

Monica Schipper, Getty Images

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2. Paul McCartney

First point: Paul McCartney is a Beatle, one of only two still roaming the planet. He’s also one of the most popular touring attractions in the game, still delivering 36-song sets at arenas and stadiums around the world. His new albums make big splashes, too – and it seems he’s close to releasing another one, reportedly with help from producer du jour Andrew Watt. He also reportedly became a billionaire last year – how did that take so long, exactly?

Sir Paul McCartney – Liverpool show – DEC 18 – photoshot

Sir Paul McCartney – Liverpool show – DEC 18 – photoshot

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1. The Rolling Stones

63 years after their formation, the Rolling Stones remain rock’s most powerful band. They earned $235 million with just 18 shows in 2024, a staggering $13 million per night average. They’re still vital in the studio too: 2023’s Hackney Diamonds earned critical raves and reached No. 2 on the charts. And they still own their own publishing, bucking an industry trend. No word yet on the Stones’ plans for 2025 yet but whatever they do is likely to make a big impact.

Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

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The 40 Most Important Rock Albums Turning 40 in 2025

A look back at 1985’s biggest and most influential rock albums.

Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening

SAVATAGE – Forgotten Songs Compilation Streaming Via YouTube

Rock Duck Radio producer Mark Christopher Garrett has shared a compilation of “forgotten” Savatage songs. Check it out below.

“Savatage has a lot of classic hits; these are not them. These Savatage songs are the lost and forgotten songs discarded in one way or another from their intended release album. Some have been released on special or limited edition album runs, others are alternate takes on familiar Savatage songs that were released. Either way, here they are in one place, Savatage: The Forgotten Songs.”

Tracklist:

“Criss Oliva Guitar Intro”
“Target”
“Living On The Edge Of Time”
“Lady In Disguise”
“Before I Hang”
“Stranger In The Dark”
“Fighting For Love”
“The Message”
“Metalhead”
“Larry Elbows” (alt. take)
“Jon Oliva Rap”
“Criss Oliva Guitar Outro”

The legendary Savatage (Johnny Lee Middleton – bass, Chris Caffery – guitars, Al Pitrelli – guitars, Jeff Plate – drums, and Zak Stevens – vocals) have announced tour dates across Europe for summer 2025, with a mix of festival appearances and headline shows.

Says Zak Stevens: “As you can imagine, there are so many special things about these shows that are racing through my mind. We get to play a series of headline shows for the first time in over twenty years that will put us right back in front of all of the unbelievable fans who have given us so many unforgettable memories over the last three decades. Here’s our chance to directly give back to everyone who’s been there supporting us all these years! All the great festival shows are going to be off-the-charts amazing. It’s even hard to imagine the scale of excitement that’s going to take place with those shows.”

Savatage mastermind Jon Oliva expressed his disappointment at not being able to join the band for the shows, but shared his excitement, stating: “I am very excited for the guys to be doing some shows. Unfortunately, due to health issues, I will not be able to join the guys for this run. Hopefully, this is just temporary. I will continue working in the studio on new music for the future. These shows will be awesome and I will be working with them to get it all ready for you. I know everyone is going to love it!!! Me and the guys are very excited and ready to kick ass! So from me, thank you all for the support for all these years and we can’t wait to rock you!”

For further details, including ticket/festival links, head to Savatage.com. Find a video trailer below.

South American dates:

April
19 – São Paulo, Brazil – Monsters Of Rock
21 – São Paulo, Brazil – Espaço Unimed (Headline Date)
23 – Santiago, Chile – Masters Of Rock

European dates:

June
13 – Leeuwarden, Netherlands – Into The Grave
14 – Oberhausen, Germany – Turbinenhalle (Headline Date)
16 – London, UK – Shepherds Bush Empire (Headline Date)
18 – Zurich, Switzerland – Komplex 457 (Headline Date)
19 – Munich, Germany – Tonhalle (Headline Date)
22 – Dessel, Belgium – Grapop Metal Meeting
24 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz (Headline Date)
26 – Barcelona, Spain – Rock Fest
28 – Thessaloniki, Greece – Rockwave


Top 20 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1985

Top 20 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1985

Heavy music was at war with itself in 1985 — and from the conflict emerged a slew of groundbreaking albums from one of hard rock and metal’s most consequential years.

Our list of the Top 20 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1985 shows just how diverse the year was, running the gamut from proto-extreme metal to esoteric synth-rock.

Glam metal extended its commercial reign, bolstered by the likes of Motley Crue and Ratt. Other hard rock elder statesmen, such as Aerosmith, AC/DC and Kiss, also released new albums, hellbent on proving they could still rock alongside the bands they had practically birthed.

But a backlash against this poppy, sex-obsessed strain of hard rock was brewing in the underground. The nascent thrash metal revolution reached a fever pitch in 1985, with three members of the “Big 4” releasing landmark albums — almost as if they were setting the stage for Metallica‘s earth-shattering Master of Puppets the following year. Other promising upstarts such as Exodus and Overkill made their mark on the scene, blowing the lid off the thrash movement.

Other ’70s holdovers continued embracing the technology and trends of the time, scooting further away from traditional hard rock but still keeping the core tenets intact. Meanwhile, some artists foreshadowed the alternative rock and metal boom of the ’90s with music that boldly defied easy classification.

See all of these triumphs and more in our list of Top 20 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1985.

Top 20 Hard Rock and Metal Albums of 1985

Thrash, glam and synths collide in a groundbreaking year.

Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli

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