Hi there little headbangers! Yeah, I’m back. Sadly, I think this might be the last go round here in the Void. I’m getting old and my energy for keeping up with this thing has really waned. You probably already knew that since I’ve knocked this whole blog back to a year end sort of thing rather than keeping up with things throughout the year. So, let’s go out with a bang. Hell, maybe I’ll resurrect the thing when I finally retire from my day job.
2025 was kind of a bummer, man. Fucking Ozzy died. Even though we all knew it was on the horizon, it was still a shock to see it in print. The dude was at the genesis of this art form we all cherish. There will never be a talent or character like Ozzy. Legend. Maniac. Hero. I will say that it was damn lovely that he was able to go out on his own terms and play one last show in front of his fans. Just a storybook ending.
Other deaths of note this year were Ace Frehley of Kiss (another legend of 70’s metal), Brent Hinds of Mastodon (just a tragic end after splitting with Mastodon), John Sykes of Whitesnake/Blue Murder/Thin Lizzy, Tomas Lindberg of At The Gates, Les Binks of Judas Priest (Stained Class, motherfuckers!), and a personal sad one for me in Coburn Pharr, former vocalist of Annihilator (go listen to Never, Neverland).
Bands hanging it up in 2025 were Orange Goblin and Whitesnake. Dave Mustaine announced that Megadeth’s new album in 2026 will be their last. Exodus saw the firing of longtime vocalist Steve “Zetro” Souza (replaced by former Exodus singer Rob Dukes). Longtime duo behind Katatonia, Jonas Renske and Anders Nystrom, split ways with Jonas keeping the Katatonia name going. Finally, Arch Enemy and vocalist Alissa White-Gluz parted ways after four albums together.
On the positive side, Soundgarden got elected to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame. It also sounds like we might get one more Soundgarden album based on recordings the band did before Chris Cornell’s death. Also, Alex and Geddy of Rush have recruited a new touring drummer and will be touring as Rush in 2026. So excited to see them playing their songs again live. Not to be outdone by their Canadian brethren, Triumph is also reuniting for a lengthy tour in 2026.
On the personal side, I kind cut back the numbers of shows that I attended, but still managed to see a choice number of shows. I started the year off by seeing Mike Portnoy’s return to Dream Theater and their 40th anniversary tour. I got to see Harakiri For the Sky for the first time. I was lucky to see an intimate spoken word show by Randy Blythe of Lamb of God while promoting his new book. I saw a banger of a double bill with Chicago instrumental bands Russian Circles and Pelican. I went to see Rivers of Nihil and ended up catching Covid for the second time (the first time I caught it was also at a Rivers of Nihil show…I’m no longer allowed to see them live). I stepped out of my metal bubble and went to see Wu Tang Clan with the punk rock wife. I celebrated the life of Ozzy at a Brown Sabbath show, which is a Latin rock Black Sabbath cover band based in Austin. I got to see the winner of last year’s Golden Flip Flop, Anciients. Austin has a psychedelic music fest called Levitation Fest and one day had Blood Incantation, Acid Bath, The Sword and Mastodon. Let me tell you, Mastodon sounds really different without Brent. Their performance really made me sad. Finally, I rounded out the live music year seeing the double bill of Judas Priest and Alice Cooper. Rob Halford will never die.
So, that’s it. Let’s start the countdown tomorrow, shall we? There were some pretty solid releases this year and some really ambitious swings by some bands. You’ll see some familiar names and some new surprises.
DISPATCHES FROM THE VOID 