Haken recently returned with their first new music in 3 years, and they continue with another brand new track titled “Bleeding Sky”. As with “In A Fever Dream”, this new track was co-produced and mixed by George Lever (Loathe, Sleep Token), crafting some of the most emotionally direct material of the band’s career so far. On this song, the band recruited Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood (Periphery) to play bass.
The band also recently announced a European headline tour for September & October 2026. Find the full list of dates below, tickets on sale now.
The band comments: “We’re really excited to bring this music to the stage. We’ve been putting together a brand new show and can’t wait to return to Europe for it.”
On July 24th, NYHC icons Madball will return with their tenth studio album, Not Your Kingdom, via Nuclear Blast. Seamlessly bridging the gap between old-school grit and the modern heavy music landscape, Madball remains an unrivaled force. Not Your Kingdom pairs the band’s trademark tales of street survival with a deeper, introspective edge, cementing the fact that hardcore still runs deep in their veins.
Madball has unleashed their second single, “Tethered”. The track serves as an unapologetic, deeply personal reflection on everything the band represents. Dissecting pivotal moments from both past and present, frontman Freddy Cricien proclaims: “I’m bound to all the things / That I’ve done and seen / Tethered to everything / All the good the bad / That made me.” Delivering the classic, high-octane groove that serves as the genre’s lifeblood, the track is paired with a music video directed by Freddy Cricien and Dave Causa who handled filming—a visual love letter to the streets of New York City where the band first took root.
Madball‘s Freddy Cricien comments: “‘Tethered’ is the opening song on the record and that’s ironic because it’s one of the last ones written for the album. I love the vibe, very bouncy groovy NYHC that really transported me back to the 90’s – hence the lyrics/theme. To my ears, it has a ‘nostalgic’ feel but still manages to come across as something new for us! Made sense for it to be the second single to demonstrate the diversity of the album – the whole thing is a story, a ride of sorts and this one as the opener really sets a good pace sonically and lyrically.”
Not Your Kindgom is available for pre-order here, in the following formats:
CD Jewel
Vinyl
Blue and White Propellor (NB MO LP exclusive (EU/US))
Blue Transparent (Retail US/EU)
Black & Opaque Skyblue (Coretex EU Exclusive)
Oxblood Opaque & Opaque Sky Blue (Revolver US Exclusive) Sold Out
Not Your Kindgom Cover Art T-Shirt
Not Your Kingdom was tracked at The Boneyard Studios in Nashville, TN, with additional interludes recorded by Jeff “Stress” Davis and Chuck Treece at Chop Shop Studios. The album was produced and engineered by the team of Andrew Baylis, Aiden Thompson, and Grady Saxman, with final mixing and mastering by Lee Rouse. The striking cover art features photography by the legendary Cornell Capa, courtesy of Magnum Photos and the Cornell Capa Estate.
Decades in, Madball remains the gold standard of New York Hardcore—proving they are not just survivors, but masters of the craft. Their live performances are a masterclass in controlled chaos, dripping with a ferocity and raw integrity that most bands can only hope to emulate. They’ve stayed sincere, stayed dangerous, and stayed at the top. Ain’t nothing changed.
The Mars Volta have unveiled an interactive project here, with a countdown timer on the cryptic website having concluded on June 9. Diehard fans have dug deep into the platform, with the general consensus being that the band are preparing a live album drawn from their 2025 touring cycle for Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío — and are giving fans a hand in shaping its contents.
The Mars Volta toured extensively in 2025 in support of Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío, performing the album in full throughout the run, which included an arena tour alongside Deftones. The album itself had an unconventional path to release: it leaked ahead of any announcement and was eventually officially released by the band with minimal fanfare.
The interactive platform provides audio previews of select live performances from the tour, with the various cities represented through enigmatic symbology rather than their names outright — a device that appears designed to discourage fans from voting for their hometown shows over the strongest performances. Fans have already reported deciphering the encoded city identifiers.
The Mars Volta are the experimental progressive rock band founded by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala following the dissolution of At the Drive-In. The band’s catalog spans albums including De-Loused in the Comatorium (2003), Frances the Mute (2005) and Noctourniquet (2012), and a 2022 self-titled reunion album. Lucro Sucio; Los Ojos del Vacío is their most recent studio release.
Wage War have announced the “Emergency Broadcast” fall 2026 headline tour, a 24-date North American run with We Came As Romans, Varials, and Cane Hill supporting all dates. The tour kicks off Oct. 25 in San Antonio, Texas and runs through Nov. 27 in Orlando, Florida. Presale tickets and VIP packages are already on sale here; general on-sale follows Friday, June 12 at 10 a.m. ET.
The “Emergency Broadcast” tour follows the band’s recently completed spring 2026 “It Calls Me By Name” headline run, in support of the It Calls Me By Name EP, released via Fearless Records.
Wage War “Emergency Broadcast” tour dates with We Came As Romans, Varials and Cane Hill:
Oct. 25 — The Aztec Theatre — San Antonio, Texas
Oct. 26 — White Oak Music Hall — Houston, Texas
Oct. 29 — House of Blues — Las Vegas, Nev.
Oct. 30 — Marquee Theatre — Tempe, Ariz.
Oct. 31 — Riverside Municipal Auditorium — Riverside, Calif.
Nov. 2 — Revel Entertainment Center — Albuquerque, N.M.
Nov. 3 — Diamond Ballroom — Oklahoma City, Okla.
Nov. 4 — Uptown Theater — Kansas City, Mo.
Nov. 6 — The Sylvee — Madison, Wis.
Nov. 7 — The Pageant — St. Louis, Mo.
Nov. 8 — KEMBA Live! — Columbus, Ohio
Nov. 10 — Egyptian Room at Old National Centre — Indianapolis, Ind.
Nov. 11 — The Andrew J. Brady Music Center — Cincinnati, Ohio
Nov. 13 — The Dome at Toyota Oakdale Theatre — Wallingford, Conn.
Nov. 14 — Starland Ballroom — Sayreville, N.J.
Nov. 16 — HISTORY — Toronto, Ont.
Nov. 17 — Buffalo RiverWorks — Buffalo, N.Y.
Nov. 18 — The Paramount — Huntington, N.Y.
Nov. 20 — The Fillmore — Silver Spring, Md.
Nov. 21 — Franklin Music Hall — Philadelphia, Pa.
Nov. 22 — The NorVa — Norfolk, Va.
Nov. 24 — Marathon Music Works — Nashville, Tenn.
Nov. 25 — The Fillmore — Charlotte, N.C.
Nov. 27 — Hard Rock Live — Orlando, Fla.
Wage War are Briton Bond on lead vocals, Cody Quistad on rhythm guitar and clean vocals, Seth Blake on lead guitar, Chris Gaylord on bass, and Stephen Kluesener on drums.
Knoxville, Tennessee deathcore band Whitechapel will celebrate their 20th anniversary with a special North American headline tour this fall, performing songs from their entire discography across 26 dates. Presented by Live Nation, the trek commences Nov. 11 in Atlanta, Georgia, and runs through Dec. 18 in Pelham, Tennessee. Chelsea Grin, The Acacia Strain, and Netherwalker provide support on all dates.
Guitarist Alex Wade said in a band statement: “We are excited to announce our ‘20th Anniversary Tour’ taking place this fall. We would have never believed we would have made it 20 years after we started this band in 2006, but here we are celebrating it, and we are proud that we are undertaking our largest headline tour to date to commemorate that. Joining us will be our friends who need no introduction, Chelsea Grin and The Acacia Strain, along with deathcore up-and-comers Netherwalker. We will be playing songs from our entire discography, no albums left out, so if you want to see us play our longest set in the biggest venues we’ve ever played, get your tickets now and don’t miss out!”
Limited artist presale tickets and VIP packages — including a general admission ticket, meet-and-greet and photo with the band, early entry, exclusive items including a foam hand, signed poster, and VIP laminate — are already on sale here. General on-sale follows Friday, June 12 at 10 a.m. local.
Whitechapel with Chelsea Grin, The Acacia Strain and Netherwalker:
Nov. 11 — Tabernacle — Atlanta, Ga.
Nov. 13 — House of Blues — Buena Vista, Fla.
Nov. 14 — House of Blues — North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Nov. 16 — The Fillmore Charlotte — Charlotte, N.C.
Nov. 25 — Royal Oak Music Theatre — Royal Oak, Mich.
Nov. 28 — Riviera Theatre — Chicago, Ill.
Nov. 29 — The Fillmore — Minneapolis, Minn.
Dec. 1 — Ogden Theatre — Denver, Colo.
Dec. 3 — The Union Event Center — Salt Lake City, Utah
Dec. 4 — Treefort Music Hall — Boise, Idaho
Dec. 5 — Showbox SoDo — Seattle, Wash.
Dec. 7 — Channel 24 — Sacramento, Calif.
Dec. 8 — House of Blues — Anaheim, Calif.
Dec. 9 — The Van Buren — Phoenix, Ariz.
Dec. 11 — The Aztec Theatre — San Antonio, Texas
Dec. 12 — Diamond Ballroom — Oklahoma City, Okla.
Dec. 13 — House of Blues — Houston, Texas
Dec. 14 — House of Blues — Dallas, Texas
Dec. 16 — The Andrew J. Brady Music Center — Cincinnati, Ohio
Dec. 18 — The Caverns — Pelham, Tenn.
Whitechapel’s most recent album, Hymns in Dissonance (March 2025, Metal Blade Records), debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Current Hard Rock Albums chart, No. 3 on the Independent Label Current Albums chart, No. 4 on the Current Rock Albums chart and No. 7 on the Digital Albums chart. Critics were effusive: Revolver lauded “a blistering attack of ground-fissuring blasts, terror-thrashed guitar melodies and guts-hucking mosh sections”; Metal Injection called it “heavy as shit, it’s unrelenting, and it will destroy you”; MetalSucks cited it as “one of Whitechapel’s heaviest offerings since the glory days of ‘The Somatic Defilement’ and ‘This Is Exile’”; and Blabbermouth praised its “white-knuckle, weaponized deathcore with brains, brawn, and a point to prove.” Thematically, Hymns in Dissonance functions as a sequel to This Is Exile.
Whitechapel formed in Knoxville in 2006, and the core lineup — vocalist Phil Bozeman, guitarists Ben Savage, Zach Householder and Alex Wade, and bassist Gabe Crisp — has remained intact since 2007, with drummer Brandon Zackey joining in 2022. Householder produced Hymns in Dissonance at his own studio, beginning the writing process in June 2023.
Butcher Babies have released “Blame It on the Wind,” the fourth single from their forthcoming album via Judge & Jury Records, produced by Howard Benson. The track arrives as the band wraps a run of Japan dates this month, following an extensive global touring campaign across the United States, United Kingdom, and Europe.
“Blame It on the Wind” is a hard rock track that shifts from a slow burn to a high-energy tempo, with comparisons drawn to In This Moment meeting Jinjer. The song was inspired by a 2012 late-night encounter in Los Angeles — a one-night stand that evolved into a lingering emotional connection vocalist Heidi Shepherd describes as one she couldn’t fully shake for years.
Shepherd said in a statement: “There are certain nights, certain moments, and certain connections you never fully shake. ‘Blame It on the Wind’ came from one of those nights that should have disappeared in the morning. In 2012, what started as a one-night stand morphed into a connection that would haunt me for years. A moment that we both knew was off-limits; however, the forbidden fruit continually pulled us back into that first night. I remember it so vividly; his scent, the way he said my name, his bootcut jeans, the balcony in his Santa Monica loft, and that very first touch. This song is about a lust you can’t leave, a denial of accountability, and a laundry list of excuses for following the white rabbit. I think sometimes we blame the setting for the choices we make because it’s easier than admitting someone genuinely got under our skin. That’s what this song is about for me.”
The forthcoming album, for which four singles have now been released, functions as a deeply personal love letter to Shepherd’s past — reflecting on experiences, relationships, heartbreaks, and hard-earned lessons spanning 25 years. It is, per the band, a record rooted in self-reflection and growth, honoring where she’s been while embracing the clarity of who she has become.
Butcher Babies upcoming dates:
June 6 — DEVIFEST 2026 — Osaka, Japan
June 7 — YOKOHAMA ReNY Beta — Yokohama, Japan
July 18 — Rock Fest — Cadott, Wis.
Sept. 18 — Louder Than Life — Louisville, Ky.
Butcher Babies, formed in Las Vegas in 2009, have built their catalog around the albums Goliath (2013), Uncovered (2014), Take It Like a Man (2015), Lilith (2017) and the 2023 double album Eye for an Eye / ’Til the World’s Blind. Judge & Jury Records was co-founded by multi-platinum producer Howard Benson and Neil Sanderson, drummer and songwriter for Three Days Grace.
Deep Purple singer Ian Gillan has spoken about the band’s upcoming studio album, Splat!, due July 3 via earMUSIC, in a new interview with Meltdown of Detroit’s WRIF radio station — including why the record represents the band’s heaviest work in many years. Splat! was once again produced by Bob Ezrin (Kiss, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper).
Asked why Splat! turned out to be such a heavy record, Gillan said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “Well, I think Simon [McBride, Deep Purple guitarist of the past four years] settled in, so it’s more relaxed as things come naturally. We find a good groove, and we tend to develop that, even if it’s just a simple structure. If it feels good, we put it to one side and think, ‘Well, this may be an idea that we can work on, develop that structure, without losing the feel.’ And so his energy is really… He’s an immaculate player — immaculate. And I think also you’ll find the drums and bass are higher in the mix on this record than they have been previously — on any record, I think, Deep Purple record. So it’s got a lot of energy.”
On the guitar-keyboards interplay showcased in the album’s first two singles, “Arrogant Boy” and “Diablo,” Gillan said: “Yeah. Well, we can’t escape what we are. And so this happens every night — they’re trading off in their playing. These guys play their instruments the same way as you and I use words in a conversation. We don’t think ahead; you sort of respond and get on with it. And so they talk to each other instrumentally all night long. It’s a joy to watch. But the other thing is they know when to back off and to be part of the rhythm section, too. My favorite part of the evening, actually, is when I’m not singing. I step back between the drums and the keyboards, and I’ve got the best seat in the house. The sound balance there is perfect. So, I just get off on that and forget to come back sometimes.”
“Diablo” features a guest appearance from Grammy-winning guitarist, singer, and songwriter Keith Urban on second guitar. McBride joined Deep Purple in July 2022, when guitarist Steve Morse officially left the band to care for his wife Janine, who was battling cancer. Morse had taken a hiatus four months prior with the hope of rejoining once her health improved.
Deep Purple has 86 tour dates scheduled across 28 countries, beginning with European summer shows in Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and Italy before the Splat! World Tour moves to North America.
Splat! is the latest entry in a late-career run that includes =1 (2024), Whoosh! (2020), inFinite (2017), and Now What?! (2013), all produced by Ezrin. The current Deep Purple lineup is Gillan (vocals), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Paice (drums), Don Airey (keyboards) and McBride (guitar). The band has sold more than 120 million albums since forming in 1968, was named Planet Rock’s “Fifth Most Influential Band Ever,” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016. The celebrated MK II lineup — Gillan, Glover, Paice, Jon Lord and Ritchie Blackmore — created defining albums of the early ’70s, including Made in Japan, widely regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time.
Testament frontman Chuck Billy has spoken about his upcoming memoir, Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy, due Nov. 10, 2026 via Permuted Press, in a new interview with Scott Davidson of Chicago’s Rebel Radio — including the emotional experience of receiving the foreword from Judas Priest singer Rob Halford.
When asked how he secured Halford and Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe to write the foreword and afterword, respectively, Billy said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth): “I did. And I had to get up a bunch of nerve to do it, because you wanna ask, but you don’t wanna be rejected. So it takes a minute to kind of get up the nerve to say, ‘Okay, I’m ready for the rejection if he says no.’ So when I wrote Randy, Randy was all in. He’s all, ‘Hell yeah. F*** yeah, man. I’ll do whatever you need.’ And then Rob as well. I finally had the nerve to reach out to Rob, and right away he came back saying, yeah, he’d be honored to do it. And within two days I had it. He wrote it. And it blew me away. It brought me almost to tears, the words he said, so it was awesome.”
Holding My Breath is co-written with Dave Erickson and structured as two interlocking testaments. The Old Testament covers the explosive birth of Bay Area thrash metal, the formation of Testament, rivalries, brotherhood and the chaos of becoming one of the genre’s most powerful voices. The New Testament is a rawer account — Billy at 38, blindsided by a devastating cancer diagnosis, drawing on his Native American and Mexican-American heritage, spiritual healers and visions, and the fierce love of the metal community. At the center is the legendary “Thrash of the Titans” benefit concert in 2001, which rallied old rivals into brothers and helped ignite a genre revival while keeping Billy in the fight.
Billy was diagnosed with germ cell seminoma — a rare type of cancer — roughly a quarter century ago, and has been cancer-free for over two decades following chemotherapy and traditional Native American healing, including the help of spiritual healers. He was declared cancer-free in 2002.
Billy has been honored with a California State Assembly recognition for his positive influence on Native communities, was part of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian exhibition “Up Where We Belong: Native Musicians in Popular Culture,” and won “Best Music Video” at the American Indian Film Festival for “Native Blood.” Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy is available for pre-order at chuckbillybook.com.
In a new interview with Matty Roberts of the Percussion Discussion podcast, former Motörhead and current Scorpions drummer Mikkey Dee discussed how he keeps his drumming in shape when off the road, and why his nearly six decades of experience have made him a more precise performer than ever.
Dee said (transcribed by Blabbermouth) about staying active between tours: “I do different projects… I play drums when I’m off, yes. But right now, the body, actually, after a long tour with SCORPS, it’s important for your body to rest also — your shoulders, your elbows, your wrists. But I am doing some shows with ‘Mikkey Dee With Friends’; we’re out playing some stuff. And I do session work… And so I try to play as much as I can, but I also need the rest for it.”
He elaborated on how maturity has reshaped his technique: “I think I’m way more mature on my drums. The routine I have, the lack of physical power you compensate with routine and knowledge, if you will. And I compare this to ice hockey as well, because when you were 20, you had so much physical ability, you were skating all over the place like a f***ing moron. And then when you meet the older guys, old pros and stuff, they spend maybe 40% of their energy because they are at the right place at the right time all the time. While we were skating 100% just to make it to these areas and to be right, but they already know that. Why do they do that? Well, because they have the routine and knowledge where to be on the ice. Same as a drummer. I know where to back off today. I know where I can push. I feel so much more secure behind the drums.”
On his reputation for zero-mistakes performances, Dee recalled what he told his new bandmates when he joined the Scorpions: “I told the Scorpions boys, I said, when I joined them [a decade ago], I said, ‘I don’t do f***-ups.’ And they were laughing, and I said, ‘No, no, I’m serious. I never f*** up.’ ‘Yeah, yeah, Mikkey. We understand. It’s okay. It’s no problem. Everyone f***s up.’ I said, ‘I don’t,’ because I don’t. I don’t f*** up. I do my homework, and I know by the time I sit behind the drum kit, I don’t f*** up. And that’s because of routine. You know how to prepare yourself. You do your homework in the right way.”
Dee also addressed the physical side of longevity at the drum kit: “You don’t have to have the same energy when you are 15, 20, 25 years old anymore. I hit the drums with a different approach. You don’t need that much muscle and energy. You have a different snap in a way. So, it compensates. And I try to stay fit, and I stay the f*** away from drugs, and I drink only beer. And so my hair keeps growing, and that’s about it. And I play a lot of hockey when I can, and I do sports and try to live a decent life. And keeping up on my drums. And that’s all I have to do, really, to stay on the level that I wanna be.”
Earlier this year, Dee announced more than a dozen European shows for 2026 on which he will perform Motörhead classics alongside The Drippers members Viktor Skatt (bass/vocals) and Stig William Rickard (guitar).
A Swede of Greek descent, Dee rose to prominence with King Diamond in the mid-1980s, recording the albums Fatal Portrait (1986), Abigail (1987) and Them before serving as a session drummer on Conspiracy (1989). He then joined Don Dokken for Up From the Ashes (1990), with the videos for “Stay” and “Mirror Mirror” receiving airplay on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball, and briefly filled in with World War Three. Having been courted by Lemmy Kilmister since 1985, Dee accepted the invitation in 1992, replacing Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor as Motörhead’s drummer; his first show with the band was Aug. 30, 1992, at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Following Lemmy’s death and Motörhead’s dissolution, Dee joined the Scorpions in 2016. His only studio album with them to date is Rock Believer (2022).
Rush kicked off their first tour in 11 years Sunday night (June 7) in Los Angeles, opening a four-night stand at the Kia Forum — the same venue that hosted the band’s final concert with the late drummer Neil Peart in August 2015. The show launched the “Fifty Something” tour, Rush’s first with new drummer Anika Nilles and new keyboardist Loren Gold.
The tour reunites classic members Geddy Lee (vocals, bass) and Alex Lifeson (guitar) with Nilles, a German drummer who toured with the late Jeff Beck in 2022, and Gold, best known as a touring member of The Who and Chicago. The band plays two sets per night, drawing from a pool of around 40 Rush classics, with each show conceived as a celebration of Peart’s life and legacy.
Setlist – Set 1:
(Tape) Where’s Rush? 1.- Xanadu (First time as show opener) 2.- Limelight (First time since 2013) 3.- Far Cry (with touring band introductions) 4.- Subdivisions 5.- Freewill (First time since 2011) (Tape) Neil Peart Tribute Collage 1 6.- Bravado (First time since 2013, dedicated to Neil Peart) 7.- Caravan (First time since 2013) 8.- La Villa Strangiato (First time since 2011) 9.- Vital Signs (First time since 2011) 10.- The Spirit Of Radio
Setlist – Set 2:
(Tape) Countdown 11.- 2112 Part I: Overture 12.- 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx 13.- 2112 Part VII: Grand Finale 14.- Distant Early Warning 15.- Red Barchetta 16.- Dreamline (First time since 2013) (Tape) “Bird-dy Lee” Sketch 17.- Natural Science (Tape) Neil Peart Tribute Collage 2 18.- Time Stand Still (with Aimee Mann; first time since 2011) 19.- Red Sector A (First time since 2013) 20.- YYZ 21.- The Garden (First time since 2013) (Tape) “South Park” Intro 22.- Tom Sawyer
Encore:
23.- By-Tor & the Snow Dog (First time since 2004) 24.- Working Man (Tape) Neil Peart Tribute
