Here Nevermind is now, three-and-a-half decades later.

Nirvana's massive 1991 album will celebrate its 35th anniversary in September. The RIAA Diamond-certified Nevermind made worldwide stars out of the trio -- made up of frontman Kurt Cobain, bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl -- while launching the generation-defining grunge scene of the '90s.

Needless to say, Nevermind also had a huge impact on Butch Vig, who produced the album.

"It was a zeitgeist moment for me, making that album," Vig tells ABC Audio. "It changed my life. Everyone, including the band and everyone close to the band, Nevermind changed their life, and I'm very thankful for that."

Thirty-five years later, Vig doesn't put on Nevermind and listen to it himself, though he doesn't have to go far to hear its songs, which include the iconic anthem "Smells Like Teen Spirit," "In Bloom," "Come as You Are" and "Lithium," out in public.

"It's nice that [Nevermind is] out there in the world, that it's omnipresent," Vig says. "I go into a coffee shop and there's a kid there with a Nevermind T-shirt on or a Nirvana T-shirt on."

Nirvana followed Nevermind with 1993's In Utero. They disbanded a year later following Cobain's death by suicide in 1994. 

Today, the legacy of Nevermind continues to live on, even in new ways. The album track "Something in the Way," for example, experienced a resurgence when it was used in the 2022 movie The Batman.

"It's one of those albums that just has connected with so many people, and continues to do that," Vig says. "There's something in there, this incredible energy and power and mystery."

"[There are] so many things going on in Kurt's voice when he sings, and it still affects people," he continues. "That's a cool thing." 

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Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale has announced a new signature guitar with Epiphone.

The Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom comes in a black diamond holographic sparkle finish, and is "designed to match the force of her performances: powerful, unapologetic, visually striking, and built to deliver night after night," according to a press release.

"Lzzy has always brought a rare combination of power, precision, and unmistakable style to the stage," says Epiphone product manager Aljon Go. "The Lzzy Hale Explorer Custom captures that same energy in an instrument that looks unforgettable, plays fast, and delivers the clarity and punch players need to own the moment."

The guitar costs $999, and is available now via Epiphone.com.

Halestorm, meanwhile, will launch a U.S. tour in September with BABYMETAL.

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Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has announced a launch event celebrating the release of his upcoming book, In My Darkest Hour.

The event takes place Sept. 8 at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City, and will feature a conversation with Mustaine. Tickets include a pre-signed copy of the book.

For more info, visit KaufmanMusicCenter.org.

In My Darkest Hour, which will be released Sept. 8, recounts Mustaine's battle with throat cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 2019. It marks Mustaine's third book, following Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir and Rust in Peace: The Inside Story of the Megadeth Masterpiece.

Megadeth, meanwhile, is set to launch a North American tour with Iron Maiden on Aug. 29. It's part of their world farewell tour in support of their final, self-titled album.

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Jack White has shared a response after country artist Charley Crockett reportedly said he lost respect for the "Seven Nation Army" rocker.

As you may recall, Crockett made headlines in July after the self-described "satanic doo wop" group Twin Temple said that they'd been dropped from opening for Crockett due to their use of "Satanic imagery." White then got involved when he invited Twin Temple to open for his upcoming show in Los Angeles, which they then accepted.

According to Rolling Stone, Crockett addressed the whole saga in a since-deleted Instagram post, in which he wrote that White "used it to sell tickets too and I lost a lot of respect for him." Crockett also maintained that Twin Temple was not let go due to "Satanic imagery," but rather because of "production requests" that "raised eyebrows," and that Crockett's tour "couldn't accommodate them physically."

"We told em the vibe just wasn't right for an all ages audience, and we paid em in full," Crockett reportedly wrote.

White, meanwhile, has now taken to his Instagram to reply to Crockett, writing, "I never said nothing about this young buck before but since he's trying to drag me into this here rodeo again, here's my official response to Cowboy Charley's accusations."

The rest of the post contains the lyrics to the 1984 hip-hop song "Rappin' Duke," a novelty track in which artist Shawn Brown pretends to rap from the perspective of actor John Wayne. The track begins, "So you think you're bad, with your rap/ Well I'll tell ya pilgrim I started the crap."

White's LA show with Twin Temple takes place Sept. 29.

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Pearl Jam's massive 1991 debut album, Ten, celebrates its 35th anniversary on Aug. 27. 

"Ten to me is deep in my heart," guitarist Mike McCready tells ABC Audio. "It's a record that sounded like a band that was together for many years but wasn't, in my mind."

Indeed, the members of the original Pearl Jam lineup — McCready and guitarist Stone Gossard, bassist Jeff Ament, vocalist Eddie Vedder and drummer Dave Krusen — had already been a part of several other bands, including Green River, Mother Love Bone and Temple of the Dog.

"It's the combination of efforts of those five guys that had been in a bunch of bands for a long time, and then all coalesced into one," McCready says.

In recording Ten with Pearl Jam, McCready sensed its significance pretty much from day one.

"Ten was the example of the first situation I was in when everything was firing on all cylinders," McCready says. "From the first day Ed showed up and we worked on 'Once,' and the five of us were in the room, I knew this was gonna be special. I didn't know to the extent, but we all knew it was gonna be something."

That "something" turned into a defining and seminal record of the '90s grunge and alternative scene on the way to earning Diamond certification by the RIAA and spawning classic singles including "Even Flow," "Alive" and "Jeremy."

Three-and-a-half decades later, McCready calls performing Ten songs live a "mythical," "spiritual" experience.

"We feel that the crowd has lifted 'Alive' and 'Even Flow' and these songs to a song that's bigger than when we first recorded it," McCready says. "It's more of a universe in itself." 

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Tool/A Perfect Circle/Puscifer frontman Maynard James Keenan is launching a new restaurant.

Queen B Sushi is set to open its doors on Sept. 4 in Cottonwood, Arizona, where Keenan's Queen B Vinyl Café is also located.

"Led by Chef Brett Vibber, Queen B Sushi's opening lineup brings together Chefs Thomas Kato and Sher Chase to deliver world-class artistry from day one," Keenan writes in an Instagram post.

Queen B Sushi joins Keenan's long list of non-musical ventures, which also includes winemaking and jiujitsu.

Keenan's most recent musical project is the Puscifer album Normal Isn't, which dropped in February.

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The memoir of late L7 bassist Jennifer Finch will be published on Jan. 19, 2027.

The book, titled Shooting Up and Making Out: A Memoir of My Life in LA and L7, was completed before Finch's death on July 18 following a diagnosis of brain cancer. She was 59.

"Jennifer's memoir was the last major project she completed before she passed away," says the book's co-writer Jeff Alulis. "She and I worked together for two years to make sure she was happy with every word of it, 
and with someone as intentional and thoughtful as Jennifer that was no small task!"

Alulis adds, "I'm heartbroken that she won't get to see it published, but I'm thrilled to share her life and legacy with the world."

Along with the memoir announcement, Rolling Stone has published a piece featuring L7's Donita Sparks, Hole's Courtney Love and Melissa Auf der Maur, Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and The Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan sharing their remembrances of Finch.

L7 is set to launch a farewell tour in October.

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The nominees for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards have been announced.

The best alternative category nominees are Twenty One Pilots' "Drag Path," mgk and Fred Durst's "FIX UR FACE," Noah Kahan's "The Great Divide," Tame Impala's "Dracula," sombr's "Homewrecker," Geese's "Taxes" and Olivia Rodrigo's "the cure."

Unlike in previous years, the nominations list does not include a best rock category.

The 2026 MTV VMAs will air live on Sept. 27 starting at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+. Voting is open through Sept. 25 at 6 p.m. ET via Vote.MTV.com.

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A new trailer for the upcoming Oasis documentary Don't Look Back in Anger is out now.

As previously reported, the film follows the "Wonderwall" outfit's 2025 reunion tour, which marked the first time the formerly feuding brothers Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher had shared the live stage in 16 years. 

"The songs are one thing, but I'd forgotten what he means to people," Noel says in a voiceover, presumably referring to Liam. "I certainly wasn't prepared for the intense outpouring."

Don't Look Back in Anger is set to hit theaters and IMAX on Sept. 11. Limited IMAX early access screenings will take place Sept. 9. Tickets are on sale now.

The doc will be available to stream on Hulu and Disney+ later in 2026.

Disney is the parent company of Hulu and ABC News. 

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The Smashing Pumpkins will launch their Rats in a Cage tour in September. Each show will feature one set dedicated to the 1995 Pumpkins album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness in honor of its 30th anniversary, as well as a second, career-spanning set.

"The Rats in a Cage tour is interesting, because I've made the choice that we're gonna play the Mellon Collie set first," frontman Billy Corgan tells ABC Audio. "Which means you're gonna have 15-18,000 people in a room wondering, 'OK, now what are they gonna do?'"

Indeed, the RIAA Diamond-certified Mellon Collie has some of the biggest Pumpkins hits, including "1979," "Tonight, Tonight," "Zero" and "Bullet with Butterfly Wings," which spawned the famed lyric that inspired the tour's name.

"We're planning something sort of different," Corgan says. "It'll be interesting 'cause some people will take the journey and other people will think, 'What are they doing? Because I came here to celebrate, and they're taking me through a funeral.'" 

The Rats in a Cage tour kicks off Sept. 30 in Columbus, Ohio.

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Ozzfest will officially be making its return in the hometown of its late namesake, Ozzy Osbourne.

The famed heavy metal festival, which has been dormant for nearly eight years, is confirmed to take place at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, in 2027.

A post to the Ozzfest Instagram teases "more info on everything coming soon!" 

Following Ozzy's death in July 2025, his widow, Sharon Osbourne, started teasing the return of Ozzfest, which was last held in 2018. During a March episode of the Osbournes Podcast, Sharon said that she hoped for the festival to be held in Birmingham in 2027, followed by a return to the U.S.

Ozzy performed at Villa Park during 2025's massive Back to the Beginning concert, which marked his final live performance before his death just over two weeks later.

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The reunited Faith No More has added a show in Brazil as part of their 2027 live comeback.

The concert will take place Jan. 15, 2027, in Rio de Janeiro. System of a Down will also be on the bill.

Presales begin Tuesday at 10 a.m. Brasilia Time, and tickets go on sale to the general public on Friday at noon Brasilia Time. For all ticket info, visit FNM.com.

Faith No More announced in July that they were reforming, ending the band's 10-year hiatus. The "Epic" rockers haven't performed live in 2016, and subsequent attempts at returning to the live stage were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health issues affecting frontman Mike Patton. 

Faith No More's 2027 plans also include January and February dates in Australia and New Zealand, which will feature System of a Down, as well.

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Ritchie Blackmore is reflecting on his recent reunion with Deep Purple.

Blackmore joined the band onstage at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York, on Aug. 12 for a performance of “Smoke on the Water," his first performance with the band in over 30 years.

“It was very moving because I went on very quickly and had to play immediately,” Blackmore told Guitar Player. “I couldn’t warm up, but I wasn’t there to be playing correct notes. I was there to see old friends [who] I hadn’t seen in 40 years and were all getting older.”

He added, “I think we realized it could be the last time we see each other, maybe.”

Blackmore co-founded Deep Purple in 1968, then left the group in 1975 to form his band Rainbow. He was part of Deep Purple's 1984 reunion and last played with them in 1993.

And while the reunion was an emotional one for Blackmore, he does say it wasn’t quite perfect.

“It was tricky; I didn’t play anything too technical, as I felt I should stick to the rudiments of being simple. I still lost my place at one point, but it’s not why I was there,” he said. “I was there to heal any wounds — but there weren’t any wounds. Everyone was like, we were in the army, all along the Western front and we were all getting together again. Very emotional moment.”

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Former Slipknot turntablist Sid Wilson is marking the end of a chapter in his life.

Following the news that he'd parted ways with the masked metal outfit, Wilson updated the bio section on his Instagram to read, "@slipknot 1997-2026."

According to outlets including the Knotfest website, Slipknot confirmed Wilson's departure in an update late Friday. The news followed a TMZ report published in July that Wilson had been fired from the band.

With Wilson no longer in Slipknot, only four members of the group's classic nine-piece lineup remain: frontman Corey Taylor, percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan, and guitarists Jim Root and Mick Thomson. Bassist Paul Gray died in 2010, while drummer Joey Jordison was let go from the 'Knot in 2013 and died in 2021. Percussionist Chris Fehn and sampler Craig Jones parted ways with Slipknot in 2019 and 2023, respectively.

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Multiple artists shared updates on their upcoming albums over the weekend.

Queens of the Stone Age revealed that their next record, the follow-up to 2023's In Times New Roman..., is called Perfecth.

In a video skit posted to the band's Facebook, frontman Josh Homme says that the record will arrive Sept. 30 before then accidentally stabbing his band with a knife, causing blood to shoot out everywhere. The video ends with the date Sept. 30 crossed out and a voiceover teasing that the album is "coming soon sometime."

Meanwhile, Courtney Love announced that her long in-the-works solo album is done.

"It's kinda been done," Love said in a video posted to her Instagram. "It's a really good record, I put a lot into it."

Also in the video, Love said that she got really sick when she traveled to England in 2019.

"My body just exploded," she said. "I was in hospitals a lot, and almost died."

Love said that she's better and healthy now. In the post's caption, she writes, "When I made [the album] i believed this was my last record so I made the record I always wanted to make. I was in the hospital mostly but when I wasn't all I did was write & record it." 

She also thanked Green Day's Billie Joe Armstrong, R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe and her former Hole bandmate Melissa Auf der Maur for their support.

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In 2025, Evanescence's Amy Lee, Poppy and Courtney LaPlante dropped a bombshell on the world of hard rock and metal with their collaborative single, "End of You." With the track's one-year anniversary approaching in September, Lee looks back at "End of You" while speaking with ABC Audio.

"[Producer] Jordan [Fish] reached out to me, Jordan and Poppy had been working on a song and they just had the idea, 'Wouldn't it be cool to make this an all-girl collab?'" Lee remembers. "Then we got Courtney, too, and everybody put in their spices and it turned into a song that blew up."

"End of You" didn't just blow up, it made history, becoming the first song led by three women to hit #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Airplay chart since it began in 1981.

"It was really, really cool to see such a fantastic response," Lee says. "I'm not surprised, from the beginning I was like, 'People are gonna love this!'"

"People are gonna love to see us join forces, see strong women in heavy music join forces, because women are kinda ruling heavy music right now," the "Bring Me to Life" singer recalls thinking. "It deserves to have a little bit of light shined on that." 

Evanescence recently wrapped a U.S. tour in support of their new album, Sanctuary, which featured Spiritbox on the bill. They'll launch a U.K. and European tour with support from Poppy in September.

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Rise Against has premiered two new songs.

The tracks are called "Katy Bar the Door" and "Living Undercover." They follow Rise Against's 2025 album, Ricochet.

You can catch Rise Against live touring the U.S. with Alkaline Trio starting in September.

("Living Undercover" video contains uncensored profanity.) 

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Late former Mastodon guitarist Brent Hinds is posthumously featured on a new CKY song called "Beware of the Heartless."

"We were reminded that it was a year since our friend Brent passed away," says CKY guitarist Chad I Ginsburg. "Brent played a solo on a song we recorded called 'Beware of the Heartless' and I thought, 'why would I leave this on my computer?'"

Ginsburg continues, "Brent took the time to play on it and we loved him, and in honor of his passing, we were too bummed out in the moment to think about that s***, but I want to throw it out there because I don't want to hold onto it forever. I want to let go of it and give it to everyone."

Hinds died Aug. 20, 2025, in a motorcycle accident. He was 51. 

Mastodon, who had announced they were parting ways with Hinds in March 2025, is set to release a new album called Marrow Deep on Aug. 28. 

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Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced a vinyl reissue of the band's 2006 album, Stadium Arcadium, in honor of its 20th anniversary.

The four-LP set is due out Oct. 2. It'll be available in canary yellow and apple red vinyl at all retailers, brown smoke and orange smoke vinyl in independent record stores, and blue marble and ruby red marble exclusively through the RHCP webstore.

The original Stadium Arcadium marked the ninth Chili Peppers studio effort and spawned the hit singles "Dani California," "Snow (Hey Oh)" and "Tell Me Baby." It also marked their last album before guitarist John Frusciante's departure from the group in 2009.

Frusciante later returned to RHCP in 2019, and they put out two new albums in 2022: Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen.

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Skillet has announced a new EP called After the Storm.

The set is due out Oct. 9. It also includes the previously released single "Scream."

"After the Storm is special to me because it reignites what Skillet was always meant to be—which is music that helps lift people out of dark times," says frontman John Cooper in a statement. "I wrote these songs because I needed to be lifted out of my own darkness."

A second cut, titled "Lift Me Up," is out now.

After the Storm follows Skillet's 2024 album, Revolution.

Skillet will launch a U.S. tour in September.

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