Billy Corgan, the frontman of the iconic rock band, The Smashing Pumpkins, has announced a new solo project titled ‘Billy Corgan and The Machines of God’ who will commemorate the anniversaries of the legendary albums with sets drawn from Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness and the double album Machina/The Machines of God & Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music as well as the 2024 release, Aghori Mhori Mei with a national US tour set to kick off this summer. The tour, titled A Return To Zero, will launch on June 7th and feature the four piece group also embarking on previously-confirmed festival shows.
The A Return to Zero Tour will reintroduce a four-piece, two set guitar lineup in which music from these seminal Pumpkins albums were created. The shows will feature classic tracks and deep cuts from the highly acclaimed records. In addition to Corgan, The Machines of God will feature recently recruited Smashing Pumpkins guitarist Kiki Wong, drummer Jake Hayden and bassist Kid Tigrrr (Jenna Fournier).
Along with this touring announcement, The Smashing Pumpkins have revealed the details of the long-awaited and reconstituted release of the 2000 concept albums Machina/The Machines of God and its companion Machina II/The Friends & Enemies of Modern Music which have been extensively remixed and remastered. Corgan’s Madame Zuzu’s tea shop in Highland Park, IL will exclusively offer this expansive 80-song box set; featuring a 48-track ‘MACHINA’ plus an additional 32 bonus tracks of demos, outtakes, and live performances, marking the first time these two records will officially be united. Additionally, the rock band will release a 16-song reissue of the original Machina/The Machines of God vinyl on August 22nd, and pre-orders will begin on June 27th.
This year will also celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Smashing Pumpkins era-defining acclaimed album, Mellon Collie and The Infinite Sadness which set the sound for a generation. To commemorate the album, Corgan has partnered with Chicago’s Lyric Opera to world-premiere A Night of Mellon Collie and Infinite Sadness, a seven series performance taking place November 21-30, 2025.
TOUR DATES:
June 7 – Baltimore, MD // Baltimore Soundstage
June 9 – Boston, MA // Paradise Rock Club
June 11 – Muskoka, ON // Kee to Bala
June 12 – Toronto, ON // HISTORY
June 13 – Montreal QC // Beanfield Theatre
June 15 – New York, NY // Irving Plaza
June 16 – Philadelphia, PA // Theatre of Living Arts
June 17 – Allentown, PA // Archer Music Hall
June 19 – Detroit, MI // St. Andrew’s Hall
June 20 – Joliet, IL // Taste of Joliet*
June 21 – Grand Rapids, MI // Intersection
June 23 – Pittsburgh, PA // Roxian Theatre
June 25 – Cleveland, OH // House of Blues Cleveland
June 26 – Cincinnati, OH // Bogart’s
June 27 – Milwaukee, WI // Summerfest*
June 29 – Minneapolis, MN // Varsity Theater
*Festival Performance
Sparks announce extra dates on their MAD! tour which kicks off in Japan on June 8. The European leg of their world tour will now include 2 shows at Dublin’s National Stadium on July 15 and 16 before the band return to the UK for a date at Edinburgh Playhouse on July 18, ending at Wolverhampton’s The Halls on July 19. North American dates will be announced soon.
Ron and Russell Mael, and their band, wowed audiences and critics alike on their 2023 tour – including sold out shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall (two) and Sydney Opera House, a hometown triumph at Hollywood Bowl, and a headlines-stealing set at Glastonbury Festival. This new tour promises more musical thrills and unbridled joy from the career-spanning show.
Despite the efforts of Edgar Wright’s superb 2021 documentary The Sparks Brothers, which introduced the duo to a wider audience than ever before, the exact creative dynamic between the siblings remains inscrutable, as mysterious and unknowable as their private lives.
The one thing we know for certain is that Ron Mael is one of our most acutely perceptive observers of social mores. In a different discipline – dramaturg, cartoonist, novelist, cineaste, chronicler – he’d be a Moliere, a Hogarth, a Fitzgerald, an Altman, a Swift. He just happens to work within the medium of popular song. Another thing we know for certain is that Russell Mael has the asset of a talent to put those observations across in a uniquely arresting manner, captivating as a frontman and gifted with a countertenor voice of extraordinary range. The alchemy between Ron on keys and Russell on vocals – Two Hands, One Mouth, to invoke the name of one of their tours – is simply what they do. And they’ve rarely done it better than on MAD!, the band’s 28th studio album.
Most acts, by the time they’ve been making music together across seven different decades, would have slowed to a crawl, creakily playing the oldies on the heritage circuit and releasing nothing more modern than the occasional Greatest Hits collection.
Sparks aren’t most acts. If anything, their rate of productivity has sped up in recent years: since the millennium the duo have released eight new studio albums (including, in 2024, the original Sparks 2013 album recording of Annette), a radio opera (The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman), a side-project (Franz Ferdinand collaboration FFS), a live album, a film musical (2021’s Annette, which won a ‘Best Director award for Leos Carax and the Best Original Score for the Maels at the César Awards), and several compilations (notably 2019’s career-spanning Past Tense), toured the world numerous times, as well as appearing in the aforementioned The Sparks Brothers. Their laurels remain resoundingly unrested-upon.
The MAD! Tour:
Sun. June 8 – Kyoto, JP @ ROHM Theatre
Tue. June 10 – Osaka, JP @ Zepp Namba
Thu. June 12 – Fri. June 13 – Tokyo, JP @ EX Theater
Wed. June 18 – Thu. June 19 – London, UK @ Eventim Apollo
Sat. June 21 – Sun. June 22 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
Tue. June 24 – Glasgow, UK @ Royal Concert Hall
Thu. June 26 – Haarlem, NL @ PHIL Haarlem
Sat. June 28 – Brussels, BE @ Cirque Royal
Mon. June 30 – Paris, FR @ La Salle Pleyel
Tue. July 1 – Cologne, DE @ Live Music Hall (venue upscale)
Thu. July 3 – Copenhagen, DK @ The Koncerthuset
Fri. July 4 – Stockholm, SE @ Grona Lund Tivoli
Sun. July 6 – Berlin, DE @ Uber Eats
Tue. July 8 – Milan, IT @ Teatro degli Arcimboldi
Sat. July 12 – Bilbao, ES @ Bilbao BBK
Tue. July 15 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Wed. July 16 – Dublin, IE @ National Stadium
Fri. July 18 – Edinburgh, UK @ Edinburgh Playhouse
Sat. July 19 Wolverhampton, UK @ The Halls
Skid Row exploded onto the music scene in the late ’80s, becoming a predominant force in the hard rock and heavy metal genre. Known for their raw energy, melodic hooks, and a relentless edge, Skid Row earned global success with hits such as “18 and Life,” “Youth Gone Wild,” and “I Remember You.” The band became synonymous with the rebellious spirit of the late ’80s and early ’90s, selling millions of albums worldwide and solidifying their place in rock history.
Following the success of their last studio album, The Gang’s All Here, it’s easy to recognize the consistent quality that Snake Sabo, Scotti Hill, and Rachel Bolan have brought to every chapter of their discography.
The band’s fifth studio album Revolutions Per Minute represents a pivotal moment in the band’s career, with Skid Row stepping outside of their comfort zone and bringing new ideas and influences into the fold. The album showcases the band’s evolving style, combining their signature grit with a more modern, aggressive tone.
Newly mastered in 2025, this reissue edition of Revolutions Per Minute offers fans the opportunity to rediscover this classic album and appreciate its enduring impact.
REVOLUTIONS PER MINUTE TRACK LISTING:
“Disease”
“Another Dick In The System”
“Pulling My Heart out From Under Me”
“When God Can’t Wait”
“Shut Up Baby, I Love You”
“Strength”
“White Trash”
“You Lie”
“Nothing”
“Love Is Dead
“Let It Ride”
“You Lie” (Corn Fed Mix)
A family band like no other, Secret Monkey Weekend returns with sparkling sophomore album Lemon Drop Hammeron June 6. Comprising seasoned guitarist/vocalist Jefferson Hart and his stepdaughters Ella (bass/vocals) and Lila Brown-Hart (drums/vocals), the North Carolina trio’s harmony-heavy Beatles/Squeeze songwriting, charming lyricism, and familial chemistry is channeled into 10 tracks helmed by revered REM/Smithereens producer Don Dixon.
“I wasn’t prepared for Jefferson’s tremendous talent as a writer, player and singer,” said Dixon. “These three individuals have combined to make something I love [and] grown, literally and figuratively, in front of my eyes.”
Secret Monkey Weekend’s wildly atypical backstory is testament to the power of music even in the face of heartrending grief. Ella and Lila’s father Matt, a prominent area drummer who’d toured with Hüsker Dü’s Grant Hart, passed suddenly in 2012, when his daughters were aged just 4 and 9. Matt had played in bands with Jefferson and, after his friend’s passing, the latter started teaching Ella guitar. A relationship with their mom, Laura, slowly blossomed.
“Before you knew it, we were just making music for fun. It was very natural,” Jefferson told Durham Magazine. “[Ella and Lila] both expressed a want and need to play specific instruments.” Lila chose drums, like her dad; Ella picked bass, her father’s second instrument. And Laura is there as band mom, from initial sparks of inspiration to final mixes and shows.
Secret Monkey Weekend (a name derived from a vintage Tiger Beat magazine headline) began as purely organic family therapy, with no plans for anything more. Yet by 2016 they were playing casual shows and soon graduated to a busy calendar of club and festival dates. Debut album All The Time In The World, also produced by Dixon, followed in 2022. It’s a tale so remarkable that the trio is the subject of Emmy-winning 2023 PBS documentary, Secret Monkey Weekend.
Lemon Drop Hammer (a title inspired by Jefferson witnessing Laura assault a bag of congealed candy with said tool) is a singular combo of deft songcraft, wide-eyed youthful wonder, and music functioning in its highest form – as comfort and connection. Harnessing timeless Beatles/Kinks melodic instincts to fairy-dust power-pop guitar jangle, authentic first-person lyrics, and three contrasting voices that harmonize as only family can, it’s a record at once instantly classic and, with a teen and 22-year-old aboard, innately contemporary.
Buoyant album opener “So Much Joy” evokes heyday Yardbirds, it’s “woo-ooh” backups framing textured co-ed vocals. With Ella’s vulnerable, heartfelt lyrics voiced by her sister, “Things You Threw Away” recounts sorting through their late dad’s previously untouched possessions, revisiting and processing his loss as now young adults. Meanwhile, the summery “We Can Be Friends” is an innocent ode to childhood bonds forged over the simplest, smallest things, with a hook that could be the theme to a ’70s TV show.
Released on the band’s own Secret Monkey Records, Lemon Drop Hammer will be accompanied by regional touring and later standalone digital single “Grant Hart,” a fond tribute to their hugely influential late family friend.
Secret Monkey Weekend Tour Dates:
APRIL 17 – GAS HILL DRINKING ROOM – W/BOMBADIL – WINSTON SALEM – 8PM
APRIL 19 – BERKELEY CAFE – W/ TRICK THREAT – RALEIGH – 8PM
MAY 16 – HUGGER MUGGER W/ THE HOOTS – SANFORD – 7PM
JUNE 1 – CAT’S CRADLE BACK ROOM – ALBUM RELEASE PARTY w/ NIKKI MEETS THE HIBACHI AND DOUG DAVIS AND RADIO SILENCE -CARRBORO – 6:30PM
JUNE 12 – GAS HILL DRINKING ROOM W/ GORYANGO – WINSTON SALEM – 8PM
JUNE 21 – REGGIE’S W/ SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS – WILMINGTON NC – 8PM (TENT.)
JULY 13 – THE POUR HOUSE – ALBUM RELEASE PARTY w/ THE HOOTS AND STEPHEN’S PHARMACY – RALEIGH – 7PM
AUGUST 9 – THE KRAKEN – CHAPEL HILL NC W/ PROF FUZZ 63 – 8PM
AUGUST 10 – GARDEN GROVE BREWERY W/ PROF FUZZ 63 – RICHMOND – 8PM
Powerwolf will take over the USA and Canada once again on a new headline tour, beginning September 17, 2025 in Toronto, ON. Featuring label mates and power metal giants DRAGONFORCE as special guest support, the tour will make stops in major markets such as Detroit, MI, Vancouver, BC, Seattle, WA and many more.
This run will also see POWERWOLF performing at major festivals such as Louder Than Life and Aftershock for the very first time. Tickets for POWERWOLF’s newly announced North American headline tour dates will go on sale this Friday, April 11 at 10:00am local time, with individual presales beginning as early as today.
Don’t miss your chance to witness the legendary and unforgettable metal mass – featuring the utmost in production quality and cinematic performance – with this unprecedented line-up!
POWERWOLF 2025 North American Tour Dates w/ DRAGONFORCE:
Wednesday, September 17 – Toronto, ON @ Rebel
Thursday, September 18 – Detroit, MI @ Masonic Cathedral
Friday, September 19 – Louisville, KY @ Louder Than Life
Saturday, September 20 – St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
Monday, September 22 – Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live
Tuesday, September 23 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Eagles Ballroom
Wednesday, September 24 – St Paul, MN @ Myth Live
Friday, September 26 – Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Convention Centre
Saturday, September 27 – Calgary, AB @ Grey Eagle
Monday, September 29 – Vancouver, BC @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre
Tuesday, September 30 – Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre
Wednesday, October 1 – Portland, OR @ The Keller Auditorium
Saturday, October 4 – Sacramento, CA @ Aftershock Festival
Katatonia return with Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, set for release on June 6, 2025 via Napalm Records. Once again, the Stockholm-based unit masterfully navigates the tightrope act between nocturnal darkness and Scandinavian despair while subtly weaving a sense of hope into the listener’s heart. Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State marks the next step in Katatonia’s evolution, building upon the foundation of their previous album, Sky Void of Stars (2023) and also is an introduction to their two new guitarists. Katatonia in 2025 is composed of vocalist and founding member Jonas Renkse, bassist Niklas Sandin, drummer Daniel Moilanen, and guitarists Nico Elgstrand and Sebastian Svalland.
With the album’s lead single “Lilac”, revealed today, Katatonia offer a first glimpse of what fans can expect from the new record. The track showcases Jonas Renkse’s unmistakable vocals intertwining with hypnotic rhythms, heavy riffs, and progressive elements. Accompanied by an atmospheric official music video, “Lilac” speaks straight to the heart, proving Katatonia’s matchless ability to draw listeners into a whirlwind of stirring emotions.
Jonas Renkse adds: “We are proud and excited to announce our new album, Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, coming out via Napalm Records on June 6. As always, these songs are the stories that thrive in the corner of the eye, obscured by the light but waiting to come alive in the dusk of our morbid existence. Please enjoy the first scent – ‘Lilac’. ”
On Nightmares as Extensions of the Waking State, crystal-clear production highlights the interplay between silence and intensity, while the contrast of heavy riffs, delicate guitar harmonies, ethereal synthesizers, and atmospheric nuances create captivating tension. Tracks like “Thrice” and “Warden” pulse with dynamic energy, a near-ceremonial piece, “Wind of No Change”, merges subtle electronic textures with KATATONIA’s enigmatic soundscapes, while “Temporal” balances fragility and strength – its intense verses culminating in a soaring, emotionally charged chorus. The breathtaking “Efter Solen” (Engl. After the Sun), featuring Swedish lyrics, evokes echoes of Jonas Eika’s 2018 short story collection, with minimalistic yet striking instrumentation.
As soon as summer has shattered, KATATONIA will embark on an epic headline tour this fall across Europe and the UK together with label mates and Gothenburg’s top-notch metal export EVERGREY and Klogr from Italy. Kicking off on November 11 in Tampere, Finland, the tour will cover 31 major cities in total and culminate in a grand finale in Stockholm, Sweden on December 20. Tickets are available now. For more information, visit the official website – https://katatonia.com/
KATATONIA UK & EUROPE TOUR 2025 w/ EVERGREY & Klogr
11.11.25 FI – Tampere / Tavara-asema
12.11.25 FI – Helsinki / House of Culture
14.11.25 NO – Oslo / Rockefeller
15.11.25 SE – Gothenburg / Pustervik
16.11.25 DE – Hamburg / Gruenspan
18.11.25 PL – Warsaw / Progresja
19.11.25 DE – Berlin / Huxleys
20.11.25 DE – Leipzig / Täubchenthal
21.11.25 CZ – Prague / Palac Akropolis
22.11.25 AT – Vienna / Simm City
24.11.25 DE – Munich / Backstage Werk
25.11.25 DE – Stuttgart / LKA Longhorn
27.11.25 IT – Milan / Alcatraz
28.11.25 CH – Zurich / Komplex
29.11.25 FR – Lyon / La Rayonne
01.12.25 ES – Madrid / BUT
02.12.25 ES – Barcelona / Salamandra
03.12.25 FR – Toulouse / Le Metronum
05.12.25 UK – London / Electric Ballroom
06.12.25 UK – Glasgow / Garage
07.12.25 UK – Manchester / Academy 2
08.12.25 UK – Bristol / SWK
10.12.25 FR – Paris / Le Trabendo
11.12.25 LU – Luxembourg / Rockhal
12.12.25 DE – Frankfurt / Batschkapp
13.12.25 DE – Cologne / Live Music Hall
14.12.25 NL – Amsterdam / Melkweg Max
16.12.25 BE – Antwerp / Trix
18.12.25 DK – Copenhagen / Amager Bio
19.12.25 SE – Karlstad / Nöjesfabriken
20.12.25 SE – Stockholm / Fållan
Festivals 2025
03.05.25 BE – Izegem / Headbangers Balls Fest
22.06.25 BE – Dessel / Graspop Metal Meeting
05.07.25 DE – Mühlheim / Castle Rock
06.07.25 TR – Istanbul / Headbanger’s Weekend
26.07.25 PL – Ostrów Wielkopolski / Ostrów Rock Festival
30.07.25 RO – Braşov / Rockstadt Extreme Fest
01.08.25 DE – Wacken / Wacken Open Air
22.08.25 IT – Marina Di Altidona / Wondergate (Parco dei Due Ponti)
Stereolab announces their new album, Instant Holograms On Metal Film, due May 23rd via Duophonic UHF Disks / Warp. Their first new record in 15 years includes 13 new studio recordings as well as guest contributions from Cooper Crain, Rob Frye, Ben LaMar Gay, Ric Elsworth, Holger Zapf, Marie Merlet and Molly Read. Alongside the announcement, the group shares a first glimpse into their forthcoming project with “Aerial Troubles” paired with a Laurent Askienazy-directed music video.
Ahead of the album’s official announcement, a select number of fans received a package last week stamped “unsolicited Stereolab material.” Inside was a 7″ single containing “Aerial Troubles” on one side, an instrumental version on the flip, with a cryptic wordsearch insert. Similarly, posters with the band’s name appeared in several major cities with the same word grid printed on them.
The band’s sign-up website has also begun slowly revealing the album cover art on the Lab Report sign-up page, with different layers gradually appearing. The 7″ started landing with people on 2nd April 2025, sixteen years to the day after the group announced they were going on indefinite hiatus. As online speculation continues to grow, fans continue their attempts at solving the word search and fill-in word puzzle, wondering whether the single contained new music or something uncovered from the band’s archives.
Instant Holograms On Metal Film will be available on double vinyl LP in standard and colour variants, as well as compact disc and digital formats. The album will arrive two days ahead of the launch of their world tour in Brussels on May 25th. They will then take their discography across Europe with dates in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Paris, among others. They’ll be kicking off the North American leg of the tour this coming October with shows across the United States before heading back to perform a string of shows across the UK, including a newly announced London date at Brixton Electric on December 14th.
L.A. mystic-rockers Death Valley Girls announce the new 7″ “Sisters of the Moon” b/w “Fire and Brimstone.” Recorded before lead singer Bonnie Bloomgarden lost her Altadena home to the Los Angeles wildfires, the songs have taken on newfound spiritual weight in the wake of the devastation that impacted her.
The A-side, “Sisters of the Moon,” is a Fleetwood Mac re-imagination. Meanwhile, the back half puts a modern spin on the Link Wray classic “Fire and Brimstone.” The 7″ will be available digitally on April 8, 2025 and on vinyl April 25, 2025 via Suicide Squeeze Records.
On the 7″, singer Bonnie Bloomgarden shares: “I’m gonna be totally honest initially we just recorded these two songs because they are fun and we like them! But now with hindsight and the ability to see the abundance of synchronicities, messages, signs, and frankly supernatural guidance in both the words and meanings of the songs, and the art we chose to represent this 7” my mind is totally blown.
“We recorded the songs and finished the art/several months before I lost my home, my town, Altadena, and my spirit to the Eaton Fire. But, what’s so unusual is that the antidote, or the cure for what became hardcore ptsd, was all in this 7”!
“We have been saying for years that words are spells, intention is power, and belief can heal. But after the fire, I stopped thinking that was true. I thought I was dumb to be telling people that all they have to do is shift their perspective to be safe, I thought I had been giving really sh*tty advice.
“I felt stuck, blocked, and unsure if I would ever feel safe again, I thought I would be afraid of fire, one of the five elements, for the rest of my life. That’s when I realized, holy sh*t, I have to sing and promote this song about fire that basically tells the story of that horrible night. I became terrified of how to proceed with this 7” and in our live set. ‘Fire and Brimstone’ had become one of our fav songs to play. I thought to myself, ‘what would Tina Turner do?’ And I realized she would definitely keep it in the set and use the song to transmute fear into freedom.
“At practice I broke down, I could not stop crying, but my sisters held me. They kept singing, letting me get out some words when I could, but keeping it going when I couldn’t. It was the definition of support, of being held, of sisterhood. It was a long process the healing journey, but it was singing these words together that took me from being totally powerless, to now, a person with a spark of strength.
“And that is the exact message of ‘Sisters of the Moon’! It is astonishing, but that song became my anthem of connection, and feeling supported. Grieving and surviving a disaster, is a very lonely place. This song is literally about feeling connected! Google says it is about ‘connecting with divine wisdom and forging an unbreakable bond of sisterhood.’ I mean, that’s so cool, that’s exactly what I needed!
“Both songs somehow ‘randomly’ became the exact thing I needed to start to heal from this terrible time! And as always, if I learn anything helpful on my earth journey, I will share it with you. Here goes:
“You will be ok, time heals, I don’t know why. Do not hide from your feelings, experiencing them is the only way out, or through. exposure therapy works – but be slow, gentle, and work with someone, find anthems for emotions that make you stuck, and just play those songs as needed, even if it’s 10 times in a row. EMDR is miraculous, find a specialist, it is no longer cost prohibitive, and believe me, it helps heal PTSD 100% of the time. And when it is time to move on, walk away, cut the cord, know you will always be ok! You are being guided, and you are loved. Love, Bonnie”
Canada Post unveiled a new stamp to celebrate one of Canada’s most beloved bands, Blue Rodeo.
From the time it formed in 1984, the iconic group and its signature blend of country, folk and rock have helped define Canada’s musical identity – and 40 years on, Blue Rodeo continues to resonate deeply with loyal fans.
Led by the soaring harmonies and endearing melodies of principal singer-songwriters Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor, Blue Rodeo performed a first live gig in February 1985. The band – known for rootsy eclecticism and superb musicianship – quickly became a fixture in Toronto’s epic Queen Street West music scene.
In 1987, the group released a debut album, Outskirts, with the first single “Try” becoming an instant hit. The song helped certify the record double platinum the following year and was the driving force behind Blue Rodeo’s five 1989 JUNO Award nominations – the band won Group of the Year, while “Try” won Single of the Year as well as Best Video.
Building on this initial success, Blue Rodeo went on to release more than a dozen albums. Classic songs such as “Lost Together,” “5 Days in May” and “Hasn’t Hit Me Yet” propelled the band’s work to multi-platinum status and turned the group, along with its members, into Canadian legends.
Among countless accolades, Blue Rodeo has won 12 JUNO Awards, including induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame and earned a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement.
The band, which continues to tour and record, has sold more than four million albums and performed over 2,500 live shows, including more concerts at Toronto’s venerated Massey Hall than any other rock band.
The stamp features a collage of studio portraits of the seven current members of Blue Rodeo. From left to right, Mike Boguski, Jimmy Bowskill, Jim Cuddy and Greg Keelor appear in the front row, with Colin Cripps, Bazil Donovan and Glenn Milchem in the back row.
The stamp was designed by Jim Ryce. It features photography by Luis Mora and illustration work by Katy Lemay, along with flower illustrations from thegraphicsfairy.com. It was printed by Colour Innovations. The issue includes a booklet of six Permanent™ stamps and an Official First Day Cover. The cancel site is Toronto, Ontario, where the band is based; the cancel mark is a guitar pick with a flower at its centre, reminiscent of the floral details that appear on the band’s western-style shirts.
Stamps and collectibles are available at canadapost.ca and postal outlets across Canada.
GHOST has unveiled “Lachryma,” the second advance offering from the GRAMMY-winning Swedish theatrical rock icons’ feverishly anticipated new album, SKELETA, out April 25 via Loma Vista Recordings.
Arriving in tandem with a lucid nightmare of a video featuring Papa V Perpetua’s first full performance as newly anti-christened frontman, “Lachryma” is quite possibly the most emblematic example to date of GHOST’s signature balance of dark lyrical foreboding and irresistible melodic uplift. Following closely on the hooves of first SKELETA single “Satanized”-dubbed a “catchy goth-rock epic” by VICE and hailed by BROOKLYN VEGAN as “the band’s trademark occult rock sounding as equally eerie and triumphant as ever”-“Lachryma” supplants the demonic hooks of its predecessor with a purple haze of sonic flourishes that accomplish something even more insidious: a bonafide modern day rock anthem about weeping. The sweet turns sour, the vile rot attacks, yet you can’t stop singing along… even as the purple tears begin to fall, as they’re flowing.
GHOST’s sixth psalm, SKELETA, is its most unflinchingly introspective work to date. Where previous GHOST albums dealt largely with chronicling and/or observing outward facing subject matter-such as IMPERA’s meditations on the rise and fall of empires and its predecessor Prequelle’s evocations of the ravages of era-defining plagues-SKELETA’s lyrics render the distinct individual emotional vistas of each of its 10 songs in one-on-one fashion, at times as if in a dialogue with oneself in a mirror. The end result is a singular collection of timeless, universal sentiments, all filtered through a prism of a uniquely personal point of view.
The physical manifestation of SKELETA will be heralded by the recently announced SKELETA-Eve Midnight Sales. Reclaim the night with your fellow GHOST faithful, as you celebrate the arrival of SKELETA at one of the many participating stores around the globe at midnight (local). Fans who purchase the new album at these ceremonies can have it marked with a Grucifix stamp, as they join GHOST in reviving and continuing the hallowed rock and roll tradition of the midnight mass sale.
Beginning April 15 at the AO Arena in Manchester UK, SKELETA will be brought to life over the course of GHOST’s impending SKELETOUR WORLD TOUR 2025. The most ambitious incarnation of the GHOST live ritual to date, SKELETOUR WORLD TOUR 2025 recently revealed a first wave of more than 55 dates-including a historic first-ever headlining show at New York’s hallowed Madison Square Garden-with more shows to be announced soon. With tickets already selling at a brisk pace, the SKELETOUR WORLD TOUR 2025 ritual experience promises to expand the GHOST community to attract its largest and most diverse audiences to date. From lifelong disciples to the curious uninitiated first-timers to the outcasts and others who find solace in the ritual, all are welcome to escape the travails of daily life and to become one with the phantasmagoric spectacle that moved THE LOS ANGELES TIMES to rave “As far as live acts go, they’re one of the best in the business” and THE WALL STREET JOURNAL to anoint the band as “the next generation of arena stars.”
As GHOST continues to strengthen its bond with the world-spanning legion of kindred souls that commune with the band and each other at its vaunted live rituals, it’s no exaggeration to describe GHOST – and the uniquely intense connection formed with the faithful who find refuge in the personae, lore and world Forge has created – as a singular global phenomenon.
GHOST SKELETOUR WORLD TOUR 2025:
04/15/25 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
04/16/25 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
04/19/25 – London, UK – The O2
04/20/25 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
04/22/25 – Antwerp, BE – Sportpaleis
04/23/25 – Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle Frankfurt
04/24/25 – Munich, DE – Olympiahalle
04/26/25 – Lyon, FR – LDLC Arena
04/27/25 – Toulouse, FR – Znith Toulouse Metropole
04/29/25 – Lisbon, PT – MEO Arena
04/30/25 – Madrid, ES – Palacio Vistalegre
05/03/25 – Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion Zürich
05/04/25 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
05/07/25 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
05/08/25 – Amsterdam, NL – Ziggo Dome
05/10/25 – Lodz, PL – Atlas Arena
05/11/25 – Prague, CZ – O2 Arena
05/13/25 – Paris, FR – Accor Arena
05/14/25 – Oberhausen, DE – Rudolf Weber-ARENA
05/15/25 – Hannover, DE – ZAG Arena
05/17/25 – Copenhagen, DK – Royal Arena
05/20/25 – Tampere, FI – Nokia Arena
05/22/25 – Linkping, SE – Saab Arena
05/23/25 – Sandviken, SE – Goransson Arena
05/24/25 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum
07/05/25 – Birmingham, UK – Back to the Beginning
07/09/25 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
07/11/25 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
07/12/25 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
07/13/25 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
07/15/25 – Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
07/17/25 – Cleveland, OH – Rocket Arena
07/18/25 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
07/19/25 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
07/21/25 – Boston, MA – TD Garden
07/22/25 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
07/24/25 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07/25/25 – Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
07/26/25 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
07/28/25 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
07/29/25 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
07/30/25 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
08/01/25 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
08/02/25 – Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
08/03/25 – Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
08/05/25 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
08/07/25 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena
08/09/25 – Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
08/10/25 – San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
08/11/25 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
08/14/25 – Austin, TX – Moody Center
08/15/25 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
08/16/25 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
09/24/25 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
09/25/25 – Mexico City, MX – Palacio de los Deportes
