Rock News: February 2025

Singer Steven Tyler and guitarist Joe Perry (both pictured), plus bassist Tom Hamilton perform at Tyler’s sixth annual philanthropic event.

The event raises over $2.5 million to support Janie’s Fund, and the L.A. Fire Department Foundation and Disabled Firefighter’s Fund.

2/2 Grammy Rock Winners

The winners are: Rolling Stones – Best Rock Album: “Hackney Diamonds; The Beatles – Best Rock Song: “Now And Then”‘ and Gojira- Best Metal Performance: “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!).”

The Stones beat out The Black Keys, Pearl Jam and Green Day. The Beatles “Now And Then” was a John Lennon demo given the AI treatment.

St, Vincent took home the Best Rock Song (“Broken Man”); Best Alternative Music Performance (“Flea’); and Best Alternative Album (“All Born Screaming”) trophies.

2/5 Ghost Reveals “New” Papa

Ghost announces that Papa V Perpetua will be fronting the band for its 2025 touring cycle. 

Ghost founder/frontman Tobias Forge has had a number of identities throughout the band’s career (Papa Emeritus I-V and Cardinal Copia). 

2/7 Dream Theater Release “Parasomnia”

Dream Theater’s sixteenth studio album was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, the LP marks the band’s first release with drummer Mike Portnoy since ’09’s “Black Clouds & Silver Linings.”

“He (Portnoy) was gone for a long time,” noted keyboardist Jordan Rudess. “When I listen back to the music that we’ve been creating, it’s got his stamp on it.”

2/7 Jinger Unleash “Duél”

Three singles dropped from “Duél” prior to the set’s release. The last was “Kafka.”

“Being an artist is sometimes beautiful but most of the time it’s brutal… as our art is dissected word for word and ripped apart note by note,” said vocalist Tatiana Shmayluk talking about the song. “Most of the time it feels like a Kafka novel for a lifetime. It’s exciting but surreal and absurd at the same time.”

2/7 Thundermother Deliver “Dirty & Divine”

The band’s sixth studio set introduces new members; vocalist Linnea Vikström Egg and drummer Joan Massing. It also marks the return of bassist Majsan Lindberg.

“There’s that genuine Thundermother feeling. with my guitar playing and all of that,”” stated founding member/guitarist Filippa Nässil. “It’s still got a ’70s vibe, but the melodies are catchier and the vocals are obviously different.”

2/8 Papa Roach Supports Suicide Prevention

During their sold-out U.K. tour, Papa Roach presents a check for £20,000 (approximately $24,800) to the suicide prevention charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) before their show at Wembley Arena.

2/10 Led Zeppelin Documentary Is A Hit

“Becoming Led Zeppelin” has a record-breaking performance for its first weekend at the box office with a $3 million IMAX debut across 16 countries and territories.

It is the biggest opening weekend ever for an IMAX-exclusive music release. 

2/10 Jack White Questions Concert Length

Jake White takes to social media to address fans who feel entitled to extra-long performances.

“I think you’re talking about an arena laser light show with pyro, huge screens with premade videos, singers flying over the crowd, T-shirt cannons, etc, that’s not the kind of shows we’re performing,” writes White. “Leave everyone exhausted and inspired (hopefully) and most of all wanting more, without needing 3 hours to do it.”

2/10 Vince Neil Plane Crashes

A pilot is dead and several people injured after a small business jet, owned by Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil, crashes into a parked plane as it arrived at Scottsdale Airport east of Phoenix.

Neil was not on the plane.

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2/11 Jack White Helps Students Rock

Following the surprise release of a live EP Jack White offers a concert discount for students. “For every stop on the ‘No Name Tour’, a limited number of student tickets will be available to purchase in-person only at each venue’s box office on show day,” White’s post states. “These tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis with a valid student ID (1 ticket per student ID).” 

After the “No Name” album’s release White toured playing mostly small venues, and often with little advanced notice. 

“No Name” was White’s sixth solo album and first since his ’22.

2/11 “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” Garners A Billion

Queen’s “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” surpasses one billion streams on Spotify.

Written by Queen singer Freddie Mercury in ’79, the song originally appeared on Queen’ s ’80 album “The Game.”

2/12 Rock Hall Announces 2025 Nominees

Soundgarden, Bad Company and The Black Crowes are among the nominees for this year’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Bad Company and The Black Crowes are first time nominees while Soundgarden was first nominated in ’23.

2/12 Metallica Reveals Marching Band Winners

Metallica’s second “For Whom The Band Tolls!“ marching band competition winners are:

Large High School: Sonia Sotomayer High School – San Antonio, TX; Medium High School: Freehold Township High School – Freehold, NJ and Small High School: South Range High School – Canfield, OH

The top three in each category will divide a combined $115,000 in equipment.

Marching bands entered by covering a Metallica song.

2/13 Blink-182 Play A One-Night-Only Benefit Concert

100% of the ticket proceeds from the Hollywood Palladium show are donated to the Pasadena Humane Society, California Fire Department, LAFD Foundation and ARC Firefighter Fund.

2/14 Lacuna Coil’s “Sleepless Empire” Arrives

“(The album) captures the chaos of a generation trapped in a digital world that never stops,” writes the band. “Throughout every song, the journey is an undercurrent of rebellion, to reclaim oneself in an era that seems to have lost its sense of time and reality.”

2/14 Led Zeppelin Documentary Is In IMAX Theatres

“The film is told in Led Zeppelin’s own words and is the first officially sanctioned film on the group,” reads the promo material.

2/15 “Heavy Is The Crown” Is #1

It’s the second track from Linkin Park’s eighth studio album “From Zero,” to top Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart. “The Emptiness Machine” was the first.

The song also served as the anthem for Riot Games’ 2024 League of Legends World Championship.

2/18 Randy Blythe’s “Just Beyond The Light: Living With The War Inside My Head,” Is Out

“The book is a collection of stories about different experiences I’ve had with people and what I’ve taken away from those experiences,” notes Blythe.

2/18 Heart vocalist speaks out about opposing viewpoints.

In the pilot episode of “After Dinner Thinks With Ann Wilson” the singer says, “It’s just really hard to decide that you’re just gonna be quiet, with all the noise and confusion and chaos going on around us, especially surrounding truth and lies. There are all these cool people here, but I can’t talk to them, because it would just open up this big ugly chasm of derision between us.”

2/18 Gibson announces Brian May guitar.

Gibson Introduces the Brian May SJ-200 12-string acoustic guitar. Made in close collaboration and with significant design input from the legendary Queen guitarist, only 100 of these models will be available worldwide.

2/19 Lynyrd Skynyrd makes the Hall Of Fame

They famously played “Sweet Home Alabama,” but now Lynyrd Skynryd’s actual home state of Florida honors the band with induction into the State’s Arts Hall of Fame.

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2/21 Killswitch Engage Issue Ninth Album “This Consequence“ 

Killswitch Engage’s sixth album with singer Jesse Leach, who left in ’02, and was replaced by Howard Jones for three albums. Leach returned in ’12.

“”This Consequence’, to me, is the combination of everything the past five years has thrown at us as a band, as humans, and society as a whole,” explained Leach.

2/22 Sleep Theory Rule Mainstream Rock

Sleep Theory is #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart with “Stuck In My Head.”

It’s the Memphis four-piece’s third song to chart on Mainstream Rock following “Fallout” (#2 last August) and “Numb” (#9 in January ’24).

2/22 Shinedown Score Active Rock #1

Shinedown’s “Dance, Kid, Dance,” released in late January, is #1 is the band’s 22^nd to reach #1 Mediabase’s Active Rock chart.

“We just started writing, and let the new songs guide us,” offered vocalist Brent Smith.

2/25 “Son Of Southtown: My Life Between Two Worlds” Published

Born in Southdown, two exits from the Mexican border, Sonny Sandoval became the frontman for P.O.D. — a group too Christian for the world and too secular for the church. A blurb for the book says “he has defied every expectation, and has reached fans wanting to belong to something but never felt like they fit in.

“This book is a fast-forward look into the off scripted journey that is my life,” commented the author.

Publisher Hachette Books says the book is “a riveting and revelatory memoir about self-development and maintaining proper prospective through difficult times.”

2/25 Three Days Grace Play First Full Show With Singer Adam Gontier In 12 Years

Three Days Grace are the support for Disturbed on the U.S. leg of “The Sickness 25th Anniversary Tour“ at Ford Idaho Center Arena in Nampa, ID.

2/27 The Rock For Responders Benefit Concert

The event at the Battleship IOWA Museum in San Pedro, CA celebrates and supports firefighters, police, military, and disaster response agencies, highlighting their critical roles in ensuring community resilience and recovery. The program includes a concert by Kings Of Chaos featuring Sammy Hagar (pictured), Robin Zander (Cheap Trick), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple), Matt Sorum (Guns N’ Rose), Steve Stevens (Billy Idol)) and Orianthi (Alice Cooper).

2/28 Architects Issue “The Sky, The Earth & All Between”

The band’s eleventh studio effort includes the tracks, “Whiplash” and “Curse,” both produced by former Bring Me Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish.

“‘Whiplash’ marks the beginning of a new era for Architects, stated vocalist Sam Carter. “It is a song that speaks of tribalism, of a deepening chasm that lies between human beings. It gave us the opportunity to explore these concepts in a way that we haven’t before.”

2/28 Heart Returns

Heart kicks off their “Royal Flush” tour in Las Vegas.

The show marks Heart’s first live performance since the band postponed the remaining dates of its ’24 North American tour so singer Ann Wilson could undergo cancer treatments.

2/28 New York Dolls Co-Founder Dies

David Johansen dies at his home on Staten Island. He was 75.

The previous month Johansen revealed that he had been living with stage 4 cancer and a brain tumor. He had kept keep his illness private for years.

The legendary New York Dolls are widely acknowledged as a groundbreaking Punk band. While not a commercial success, they were a cult favorite but fell apart after two albums. They regrouped decades later.