Rock News

On Tuesday (October 15), the lineup was revealed for the 2025 Sick New World Festival, with Metallica and Linkin Park chosen to headline the stacked one-day Las Vegas music fest. Sick New World 2025 will take place on Saturday, April 12th at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. It will also feature sets from other celebrated hard rock acts like Queens of the Stone Age, Evanescence, Gojira, AFI, Cannibal Corpse, Tomahawk, Ministry, 311, the Flaming Lips, Mastodon, Filter, Refused, Three Days Grace, Testament, the Hives, Quicksand, and many more, including Acid Bath’s first show in nearly 30 years. This year’s iteration of Sick New World Festival  marks the third year of the Vegas hard rock fest, with System of a Down serving as the headliner at both of the first two editions. (Consequence of Sound)

Sum 41’s Deryck Whibley made sexual abuse allegations against the band’s former manager, Greig Nori, in his just published memoir, Walking Disaster: My Life Through Heaven and Hell. Nori responded to those allegations with a statement shared with the Toronto Star that read, “The accusation that I initiated the relationship is false. I did not initiate it. Whibley initiated it, aggressively.” During what he calls “an extremely heavy week,” Whibley shared an emotional Instagram video on Tuesday (October 15) that slams Nori’s statement. “I take no pleasure in coming out with the truth about what happened between me and my ex-manager,” Whibley said. “I stand behind every word that’s in my book. I’m not a liar. Greig Nori, if you think I’m a liar, there’s only one way to settle this. Under oath, in front of a judge, in front of a jury. Anytime you want. I’m ready. Whenever you are.” (Rolling Stone)

Alice In Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell has just announced details for his I Want Blood 2025 North American Tour. Cantrell revealed the dates for his upcoming jaunt in an Instagram post on Tuesday (October 15), also disclosing that the opening act for his entire tour will be Filter. The 26-date run gets started on January 31st in Niagara Falls, Ontario, then hits major music markets throughout the U.S. over the next month, before finishing up with a hometown show on March 9th at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. The tour announcement comes just days before the release of Cantrell’s highly-anticipated new solo album, I Want Blood, which is set to be released on Friday (October 18). In addition to the just-announced tour, Cantrell has a record release show scheduled on Thursday (October 17th) at Pappy + Harriet’s in Pioneertown, California, along with a brief three-date tour of South America planned for early November. (Consequence of Sound)

Bruce Springsteen: Backstage and Backstreets primetime TV special will be broadcast on ABC on Sunday, October 20 at 10 p.m. ET. The hour-long program is hosted by Good Morning America’s George Stephanopoulos, and features a behind-the-scenes look at Springsteen’s live show along with new interviews with Bruce and the rest of the band. It was filmed during the final weeks of the 75-year-old musician’s ongoing world tour with the E Street Band, and includes footage from their recent shows in Washington, D.C., and Asbury Park’s legendary Stone Pony which Springsteen made famous. In a trailer for the special, Springsteen shares a positive update on the health of his wife/bandmate Patti Scialfa, who was diagnosed with blood cancer back in 2018. “She’s doing good; we caught it early, which was important,” Springsteen says. “It’s a tough disease, it’s very fatiguing.” (Rolling Stone)  

During a new interview with Rolling Stone to promote his forthcoming memoir, Brothers, Alex Van Halen disclosed that both Ozzy Osbourne and Chris Cornell were once considered as possible replacement frontmen for Van Halen. Osbourne was approached to potentially lead the band in 2001, following the end of Gary Cherone’s run in 1999. Alex revealed that he and his brother Eddie discussed a possible Ozzy-fronted Van Halen album with Sharon Osbourne, but the launch of MTV’s The Osbournes reality show dashed those plans.

“Yes, we were discussing it,” Ozzy confirms. “It is something that if it had come to fruition, would have been phenomenal. Eddie and Alex were great friends of mine for a very long time and it’s a regret of mine that we never got it together.” Alex also recalled a jam session involving himself, Eddie, and Cornell shortly before the Soundgarden singer’s tragic death in 2017, when they briefly considered him for the Van Halen frontman role. (Consequence of Sound)

On Tuesday (October 15), Sphere Entertainment Co. announced the location of its second Sphere entertainment venue will be in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi’s Sphere will be a 20,000-capacity venue that will feature the same technological advancements as the original Las Vegas Sphere, which opened in 2022 with a celebrated residency by U2. The Abu Dhabi Sphere plans to host concerts and other special events year-round, much like the Las Vegas Sphere, which has featured high-profile shows by Phish, Dead & Company, and the Eagles.

Sphere Entertainment Co. originally planned to open their second venue in London, but mayor Sadiq Khan shot down those plans due to high energy concerns and the “significant light intrusion” it would bring to the city. “The vision for Sphere has always included a global network of venues, and today’s announcement is a significant milestone toward that goal,” said James L. Dolan, Executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sphere Entertainment. “We are proud to collaborate with DCT Abu Dhabi to develop Sphere in their city.” (Consequence of Sound)

A new documentary focused on the Beatles historic first trip to the United States in 1964 is set to premiere on Disney+ on November 29. The Martin Scorsese-produced Beatles ‘64 will feature never-before-seen footage of the Fab Four and their passionate fans at the height of Beatlemania. Beatles ‘64 is directed by David Tedeschi, and includes brand new interviews with surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. The documentary also includes “a more intimate behind the scenes story” of the band’s legendary performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964, which was seen by a record-breaking 73-million people, along with rare footage of the Beatles’ first American show at the Washington D.C. Coliseum. A synopsis of the documentary proclaims that “Beatles ’64 presents the spectacle, but also tells a more intimate behind the scenes story, capturing the camaraderie of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as they experienced unimaginable fame.” (Billboard)

A new supergroup called Silverlites has been formed by R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck, the Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson, Screaming Trees drummer Barrett Martin, and singer Joseph Arthur. The band just shared their lead single, “Don’t Go, Don’t Stay,” ahead of the upcoming release of their self-titled debut album on November 15th via Sunyata Records. Silverlites' 12-track record was engineered by Seattle studio mastermind Jack Endino and mixed by Daniel Sanint at Flux Studios in New York City. Martin introduced the band with an Instagram post, writing, “Hi everyone, I'd like to announce a new recording project called "Silverlites," which I recorded and produced during the pandemic and is soon to be released. It started in a Nashville hotel room in 2019, where I recorded the initial acoustic guitar tracks. We hope you like the songs, as we spent the pandemic years doing various recording and mixing sessions.  It's old school songwriting, just like us.” (Consequence of Sound)

Newly discovered master recordings of unheard Jimi Hendrix material is now up for sale in an auction dedicated to his work. Hendrix’s unreleased demo tapes were recorded back in 1968, two years before the rock legend’s untimely death. The tracks featured include early demo versions of “Up From the Skies,” “Ain’t No Telling,” “Little Miss Lover,” and “Stone Free,” and are said to be vastly different from their finished, officially released versions. The master tape is expected to fetch at least £200,000 during the auction, which will be live-streamed online from London on November 15. Mark Hochman, the music consultant for the auctioneer Propstore, said the winning bidder will have “the kudos of having your own Jimi Hendrix songs which only you can listen to. These versions have never been heard before, circulated or broadcast and are very different in sound and length to the more common examples.” (NME)

During a lengthy promotional interview for the Cure’s forthcoming record, Songs of a Lost World, the band’s frontman Robert Smith took aim at Ticketmaster. On the band’s 2023 world tour, Smith intentionally kept their ticket prices down by refusing to allow Ticketmaster to institute their dynamic pricing model, while also convincing the ticketing giant to issue partial refunds to fans who paid “unduly high” fees. “I was shocked by how much profit is made [by ticketing],” Smith said. “My fights with the label have all been about how we can price things lower. You don’t want to charge as much as the market will let you. It was easy to set ticket prices, but you need to be pig-headed. We didn’t allow dynamic pricing because it’s a scam that would disappear if every artist said, ‘I don’t want that!’ It’s just driven by greed.” (Billboard)

In the current issue of Metal Hammer, a fan asked Slayer guitarist Kerry King who he would like to portray him in a biopic about his thrash metal band. King responded by listing a couple of A-list movie stars from the Fast & Furious series. “The only one that loosely fits the description [to play me] is Vin Diesel,” King suggested. “If you go down that road you might also say The Rock, but I’m not nearly that giant! That would be awesome, though – I’ll say The Rock, because I like a lot of the stuff he’s in.” King recently got Slayer back together for their first live show in nearly five years during a triumphant headlining gig at Riot Fest in Chicago in September. Unfortunately, Slayer's next scheduled show on their Farewell Tour at Kentucky’s Louder Than Life Festival had to be canceled due to Hurricane Helene. (NME)

In a new episode of The Metallica Report podcast, the band’s frontman James Hetfield opened up about what he would like the group’s live show to sound like in the future. The success of Metallica’s recent album, 72 Seasons, both in the studio and on stage, gives the heavy metal legends the confidence to not rest of their past hits alone and to continue to evolve their live show. “We know people want to hear the ‘best of,’ and you’ve got to challenge them to listen to some of the new stuff as well,” Hetfield admits. “Because we certainly don’t want to be a legacy band that just plays their greatest hits and then that’s it.” Metallica is set to launch the 2025 leg of their M72 World Tour beginning in April, along with opening acts Pantera, Limp Bizkit, Suicidal Tendencies, and Ice Nine Kills joining them on select dates. (Consequence of Sound) 

The All-American Rejects pulled out of the lineup for When We Were Young only one week before the music festival is set to take place in Las Vegas. The 2024 emo gathering is scheduled for October 19 and 20, and the lineup will no longer include the Stillwater, Oklahoma indie rock band after a “management change” at the festival. The All-American Rejects made the announcement on Instagram on Friday (October 11), writing: “We have spent months tirelessly preparing a once-in-a-lifetime show that we were so excited to bring to you. However, there has been a management change within the WWWY operation, and they are no longer able to accommodate us in the previously agreed upon line-up, which has made it impossible for us to continue.” The Rejects were set to play their self-titled 2002 debut album in full at the festival, which features headliners My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, and A Day to Remember. (NME) 

Esme Bianco came forward back in 2021 with rape accusations against Marilyn Manson. At a press conference held on Thursday (October 10), the onetime Game of Thrones actress publicly denounced District Attorney George Gascón for waiting over two years to take action on her case. “Despite a thorough investigation and hundreds of pieces of evidence being submitted to the District Attorney’s office, I am still waiting for justice,” Bianco said in a statement. “In the meantime, I have received death threats, while my abuser continues to perform publicly.” Bianco appeared at the press conference alongside Nathan Hochman, who is running against Gascón in the upcoming election. Hochman says Gascón has been “catastrophically incompetent” as L.A.’s district attorney. “Hundreds of women who have been victims of unspeakable crimes have not had their day in court because of Mr. Gascón,” Hochman said. (Variety)

Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher took to X on Thursday (October 10) to let fans know that he and his brother Noel don’t have any big plans to do a series of press interviews around their hotly anticipated reunion tour. Liam responded affirmatively to a post that suggested fans should respect that the relationship of the Gallagher brothers is more important than Oasis is, and that the media was partly responsible for their long history of fighting. “RESPEK,” Liam tweeted. The Britpop singer also went on to share his thoughts about why he doesn’t want to give interviews going forward. “We don’t want to do interviews coz we’re scared of the media asking us intrusive questions and trying to pick holes in our relationship,” Liam wrote. Liam went on to say that he “can’t be arsed” when it comes to doing interviews, and he dismissed anyone hoping the Gallagher brothers will do a big press conference promoting the forthcoming Oasis reunion by writing, “They ain’t getting 1.” (Consequence of Sound)

In order to share resources and show support to the mission of World Mental Health Day, Paramore’s Hayley Williams took to Instagram on Thursday (October 10) to share her own personal struggle with depression. Williams shared the post via her hair dye cosmetics brand account, Good Dye Young, where she opened up about her own mental health issues. “In 2018, after years of struggling with my mind and some frustrating health issues, I finally got diagnosed with depression and a specific kind of PTSD,” Williams wrote. “It can seem pretty impossible to thrive, holistically, in the modern world. I hate thinking about how many people are stuck without answers or any tangible help. Small wins do help. I’ve always turned to music, some form of community… but sometimes you just need more support than these things can give.” Williams provided links to Inclusive Therapists, The Trevor Project, and Therapy for Black Girls for anyone who needs help with their own mental health struggles. (Rolling Stone)

During an appearance at the Bloomberg Screentime conference on Thursday (October 10), Snoop Dogg shared some exciting new details that will get music fans even more excited about his forthcoming new album, Missionary. Snoop revealed a couple of big name special guests that will be featured on his long-awaited record, which is due out sometime in November. “I got a feature from Jelly Roll and Sting,” Snoop revealed. “I’m so happy that me and Sting have a record that’s so good.” Snoop is also reconnecting with seven-time Grammy Award-winning rapper/producer Dr. Dre on Missionary, as the two hip-hop legends are once again working on a record together at long last. “1993 was the last time he produced a whole Snoop Dogg album,” Snoop said. “So this is a reunion, and it's a collaboration between two friends who genuinely love each other. We know we’re better together.” (Rolling Stone)

Coldplay’s Moon Music debuts at the top of the Billboard 200 Albums chart this week, their fifth No. 1 album of their celebrated career. This marks Coldplay’s first chart-topper in over ten years, while also representing the UK rock band’s biggest total sales week since 2015, and their best vinyl sales week ever. Elsewhere in the Billboard 200 Top 10, Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet drops one spot to No. 2, after spending four nonconsecutive weeks at No. 1. Chappell Roan’s The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess falls one slot to No.3, Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time stays at No. 4, Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft is remains at No. 5, Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department moves up one spot to No. 6, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion drops a slot to No.7, Future’s Mixtape Pluto falls five spots to No. 8, Noah Kahan’s Stick Season drops one slot to No. 9, and Wallen’s Dangerous: The Double Album stays at No. 10. (Billboard) 

Disturbed announced on Instagram on Thursday (October 10) that in 2025 they will embark on a 25th anniversary North American tour for their 5x-platinum debut album, The Sickness. The Chicago hard rock band will play their breakthrough record in its entirety during their 34-date jaunt, along with a second set filled with hits from throughout their chart-topping career. The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour starts up on February 25 in Nampa, Idaho, then hits arenas in major music markets throughout the US and Canada over the following months, before winding down on May 17 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Three Days Grace and Sevendust have been tapped to open the first half of the tour, with Daughtry and Nothing More supporting Disturbed on the second half of their run. The band also announced that UK and European dates will be announced soon. (Billboard) 

Details are becoming clearer about the Cure’s first new studio album in 16 years, Songs Of A Lost World, before its release date on November 1. The UK goth-rock legends have just shared a haunting new single from the forthcoming record, “A Fragile Thing,” as well as disclosing the full tracklist for their upcoming 8-song collection. Frontman Robert Smith opened up about the meaning behind “A Fragile Thing” in a clip from an interview about the Cure’s long-awaited 14th studio album, revealing that the song’s original title was “Kill the Sun.”

“It’s the ‘love song’ of the album, but it’s not really a love song in the way that [1989’s] ‘Lovesong’ is a love song,” Smith shared. “It’s about love and how love is the most enduring of emotions. It’s the most powerful emotion, and it’s incredibly resilient. And yet at the same time, incredibly fragile. You feel sometimes you’re in danger of destroying something, and yet you kind of know that it can’t be destroyed.” (Billboard)