Author: Editorial Team

A new supergroup has officially entered the fold. The Power Of 3, pairing singer-guitarist Orianthi, drummer Cindy Blackman Santana and bassist Rhonda Smith, has confirmed its self-titled debut album, arriving alongside a double single, “War In The Streets” backed with “Treat Me Like A Lady,” out now across streaming platforms.

The full album lands Dec. 11 through She2Music, produced by industry veteran Eddie Kramer, whose résumé includes work with Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Kiss and The Rolling Stones. The record also features a guest turn from Carlos Santana. Tracked entirely to analog tape, the album leans into the chemistry of three musicians whose combined résumés span Michael Jackson, Prince, Jeff Beck, Alice Cooper, Beyoncé, Lenny Kravitz, Carlos Santana and Pharoah Sanders.

“War In The Streets” sets the tone as The Power Of 3‘s mission statement — a call for unity dropped into a moment that could use one. Built on a heavy rock groove and anchored by an Orianthi solo that cuts through the mix, the track channels present-day tension into something closer to a rallying cry. The chorus came courtesy of Mark Davis, owner of the Las Vegas Raiders and a longtime champion of the band, while The Power Of 3 handled the verses and instrumentation before the song came together in the studio with Kramer.

The single’s B-side, “Treat Me Like A Lady,” shifts gears entirely — a loose, groove-first cut carried by Rhonda Smith‘s Motown-flavored bass work. Flirtatious and self-assured, it gives the band room to show off a different side without losing any of the technical firepower.

The Power Of 3 didn’t come together overnight. The idea traces back several years, when Raiders owner Mark Davis pushed Orianthi to put together a power trio in the spirit of Band Of Gypsys. Orianthi brought in Cindy Blackman Santana, well known for her work alongside Carlos Santana, Lenny Kravitz and Pharoah Sanders, and the pair rounded things out with Rhonda Smith — a bassist whose credits include stints with Prince, Jeff Beck and Beyoncé, and who currently holds down bass duties in The Cletones, house band for Jimmy Kimmel Live!

The trio has already tested the material live twice at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, most recently ahead of last November’s Raiders–Cowboys matchup, and is now gearing up to take the project on the road internationally.

“I know people all over the world want to see us,” Orianthi said. “And we can’t wait. It’ll be so much fun to get out there. Playing together with Cindy and Rhonda, this is like a powerhouse. It’s not just me… this is a real band.”

Orianthi has built a career as one of rock’s standout guitarists, earning multi-platinum sales and a reputation as a dynamic live performer. Her rise included high-profile work alongside Michael Jackson, Alice Cooper, Carlos Santana, Steve Vai and Richie Sambora, on top of a solo catalog defined by chart success and sold-out tours. Her most recent solo record, Some Kind Of Feeling, topped the U.K. charts, further cementing her status as one of rock’s most influential guitarists.

Cindy Blackman Santana ranks among the most accomplished drummers of her generation, known for blending jazz, rock and improvisation with technical precision. Her credits span collaborations with Lenny Kravitz, Pharoah Sanders, Ron Carter, Vernon Reid, Joe Henderson, Kirk Hammett, Jack Bruce, John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana. Whether leading her own projects or backing others, Cindy Blackman Santana has built a reputation for pushing musical boundaries.

Rhonda Smith stands as one of contemporary music’s most respected bassists, a Juno Award-winning artist whose career includes an extended run with Prince alongside credits with Jeff Beck, Beyoncé and Chaka Khan. Beyond her session and touring work, Smith has carved out her own solo path, earning recognition for her groove-driven playing and technical command of the instrument.

The post ORIANTHI, CINDY BLACKMAN SANTANA & RHONDA SMITH Unite As “THE POWER OF 3”, Reveal Debut Album & Share Lyric Music Video For “War In The Streets” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Five Finger Death Punch is taking its 20th Anniversary Tour global with a free livestream broadcast straight from Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The show goes live Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 9 p.m. Mountain Time, streaming exclusively through Veeps. Expect a full production overhaul — new visuals, new staging — built around a set list spanning the band’s two-decade catalog, plus fresh cuts off the band’s tenth album, Legacy. A trailer for the event is available below.

Legacy marks 20 years of Five Finger Death Punch, doubling as a look back and a signal that the band isn’t slowing down. The album hit digital platforms July 31 and is streaming everywhere now, with physical formats — CD, vinyl and cassette — arriving Sept. 18.

Merch drops alongside the stream too. Fans can grab several Legacy vinyl variants, CD and cassette bundles, and a dedicated 5FDP vinyl carry case. A handful of previously released vinyl pressings have already sold out, but current offerings include:

• Legacy LP (Clear Vinyl)
• Legacy LP (Amber Wave Vinyl) with alternate gatefold art
• Legacy CD
• Legacy CD (Gold Disc) with alternate cover and disc artwork

Everything is up for pre-order now through the Veeps event page and will also be featured throughout the broadcast. Tuning in costs nothing — the stream is free for anyone who wants to watch. More details are available on the event page.

Five Finger Death Punch already kicked off leg one of its 20th-anniversary run, working through North America alongside Cody Jinks and Eva Under Fire, with European arena dates joining Lamb Of God and Bleed From Within set for early 2027.

The anniversary tour doubles as both a retrospective and a forward-looking statement, tracing Five Finger Death Punch‘s path from its 2005 formation and 2007 debut, The Way Of The Fist, all the way to arena-headliner status. Setlists blend new Legacy material with the chart-topping anthems that built the band’s reputation.

Live Nation is behind the 48-city North American run, which launched July 20 in Camden, New Jersey, at Freedom Mortgage Pavilion and closes out Oct. 23 at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia.

Beyond the milestone celebration, Five Finger Death Punch is once again putting its platform to use for charity. The band has a long track record of supporting causes tied to U.S. military veterans and first responders, and this year that extends to backing Team USA ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games. A cut of ticket revenue from the 2026 North American leg will go toward high-performance programs supporting U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

The European leg with Lamb Of God and Bleed From Within kicks off Jan. 16 in Manchester, U.K., running through 21 cities before wrapping Feb. 22 in Helsinki.

Veeps, launched in 2018 by Joel and Benji Madden, has grown into one of the top platforms for streaming live music and entertainment, having hosted broadcasts for acts including Billie Eilish, Bob Dylan, Chris Stapleton, Foo Fighters and Kings Of Leon. The service is accessible via veeps.com and apps on Apple TV, Roku, iOS, Samsung and Android, and operates as part of Live Nation Entertainment.

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Arizona thrash institution Flotsam And Jetsam has dropped the official video for “The Edge Of Nowhere,” the third and final single pulled from Rats In The Temple, out August 28, 2026, on Napalm Records. The song opens on eastern-scale tension before the band lets loose, going full sprint into classic thrash territory.

Frontman Eric “A.K.” Knutson broke down the track’s meaning: “‘The Edge Of Nowhere’ is about knowing when to dig your heels into the ground and hold the line.

“We wanted to write a track that made people feel strong when things get tough. Always speak your mind. Even if 9 times out of 10, it takes you nowhere. You never know when you’ll get that one time that pushes you through.”

Closing in on four decades in the game, Flotsam And Jetsam hasn’t slowed down. Recent efforts like The End Of Chaos (2019) and I Am The Weapon (2024) have carried the torch lit by early classics Doomsday For The Deceiver(1986) and No Place For Disgrace (1988) — records that still earn the band festival slots across the globe decades later.

Rats In The Temple comes in swinging, packing 13 tracks steeped in death, abuse, betrayal and war, painting a bleak picture that hits closer to reality than fiction.

Knutson didn’t hold back when describing the record: “This record is a BEAST, truly our best effort to date!! Do yourself a favor. Dim the lights, grab a drink, put the headphones on, and crank this up. You will not be sorry you did!!!”

The current Flotsam And Jetsam roster might be the band’s deepest yet. Knutson remains the anchor, sharpening his delivery album after album, flanked by the guitar tandem of co-founder Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley. Drummer Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Accept) brings the precision, while bassist Bill Bodily rounds things out as the newest addition, bringing serious technical chops to the low end.

The new record also lands on a milestone: 40 years removed from the band’s debut, Doomsday For The Deceiver — one of a select few albums to ever pull a 6K rating from Kerrang! magazine. Original bassist Jason Newsted exited soon after to join Metallica, but Flotsam And Jetsam didn’t miss a beat, following up with 1988’s No Place For Disgrace. The band has kept building since, with Flotsam And Jetsam, The End Of Chaos, Blood In The Water and I Am The Weapon all landing among its strongest work.

Rats In The Temple kicks off with the stadium-sized hooks of “Harvesting The Hate” and “Damnation” before easing into the technical showcase “Absolution.” Gilbert and Conley‘s guitar interplay conjures grim imagery on “Blame The Knife” and the title track “Rats In The Temple,” then keeps flexing through “The Ghost Behind My Door” and “First On The Spike,” blending old-school thrash with modern bite. “The Edge Of Nowhere” builds tension before exploding straight into “Last Rites,” another highlight. Mary and Bodily drive the anti-war cut “A Taste For War,” their locked-in rhythm work summoning images of tanks rolling forward. “Her Blood Your Pain” brings ornate, near-medieval guitar harmonies, “Anthem For The Broken” goes full throttle, and “Not Going Down That Way” closes things out with heavy riffs and heavier subject matter. Throughout, Rats In The Temple stays gripping, cycling through a wide range of the band’s influences without ever losing its footing.

Rats In The Temple is available to pre-order here.

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Time To Kill Records has landed one of the underground’s most durable thrash institutions, officially bringing Whiplash into the fold. The New Jersey lifers, fronted by longtime frontman Tony Portaro, have spent over four decades grinding it out in thrash’s trenches, and the new deal puts a proper spotlight on a band that’s rarely gotten the shine to match its staying power.

The signing comes bundled with a release date: Whiplash‘s new album, Roar, arrives November 27, 2026. The record was tracked at Studio Mozart and Concrete Island Studio, with Portaro himself behind the boards as producer and Jamie King Audio handling the mix. Ten tracks deep, the album is built to replicate the chaos of a Whiplash set — sweaty, direct and unconcerned with anything resembling restraint.

Cuts like “Sonic Asylum,” “Bullet Train” and “Who Stole My Whiskey” aren’t chasing streaming playlists — they’re built for bodies colliding in a pit. Roar leans into exactly what’s kept Whiplash relevant since the Reagan era: riffs first, hooks second, trends never.

The album actually has a bit of a backstory. A limited batch of CDs quietly circulated under the working title Thrashquake during Whiplash‘s European run supporting Napalm Death on the Campaign For Musical Destruction Tour. Now it’s getting the full rollout it was always meant to have — new title, new cover courtesy of thrash-art legend Ed Repka, and a real international push behind it.

Portaro broke down the switch himself: “Thrashquake was the original title, and we made a limited number of copies available independently while we were touring earlier this year. As things developed and we started looking at the bigger picture for the worldwide release, Roar just felt like a stronger title and a better representation of the album as a whole.

“Partnering with Time To Kill Records allows us to take this record far beyond that initial tour release and give it the international campaign and worldwide distribution it deserves. With the new title, the new Ed Repka artwork, and Time To Kill behind the official release, Roar represents the definitive version of this album and the beginning of its real worldwide campaign.”

For Time To Kill Records, landing Whiplash is something of a coup — few acts carry the underground-thrash flag as convincingly as Portaro‘s band has for forty-plus years.

Whiplash got its start in Passaic, New Jersey, back in 1984, quickly carving out a reputation as one of the era’s defining East Coast thrash acts. Under Portaro‘s guitar work and vocals, the band’s blend of melodic speed metal and razor-edged riffing gave rise to the cult favorite Power And Pain in 1985, released via Roadrunner‘s Road Racer imprint.

Ticket To Mayhem (1987) and Insult To Injury (1989) followed, cementing Whiplash‘s identity within a New York scene that otherwise skewed heavily punk and hardcore. Lineup shuffles and stretches of inactivity ate into the band’s momentum over the years, but Thrashback surfaced in 1998 before another extended layoff.

Whiplash clawed its way back with Unborn Again in 2009, winning over both diehards and a fresh crop of thrash converts in the process. Portaro has anchored every version of the band through it all, keeping the power-trio format intact.

Now, in 2026, that same stubborn streak drives Roar — Whiplash‘s eighth studio full-length and its first release under the Time To Kill Records banner.

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Spiritbox‘s Courtney LaPlante has partnered with plugin maker MixWave on her first signature vocal plugin — a modular vocal processing suite built around her own tools and techniques, in development since 2021.

What it is: Rather than one fixed vocal sound, it’s seven rearrangeable processing modules — Pitch, Distortion, Compression, Modulation, Reverb, Delay, and Line Amplifier — meant to cover everything from subtle dynamic control to dramatic pitch-shifting and cascading delays, so vocalists/producers can either draw on LaPlante’s approach or build an entirely custom chain.

Demo: LaPlante showcased it in a vocal playthrough of Spiritbox’s “Keep Sweet.”

Pricing: $79 introductory (regular $139); $69 loyalty price for existing owners of MixWave’s Mike Stringer plugin.

Fits with Spiritbox‘s momentum this year — Grammy nominations, the Megan Thee Stallion crossovers, “Tsunami Sea” hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Hard Rock chart, and a European arena tour with Jinjer and Dying Wish coming up in September.

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Football season is almost here, and the Seattle Seahawks are marking the occasion with a special “Countdown To Kickoff.” The team opens its regular season at Lumen Field on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2026, against the New England Patriots, with kickoff set for 5:20 p.m. PT on NBC.

The home opener will also bring a halftime performance from Soundgarden, joined by Taylor Momsen of The Pretty Reckless and Mike McCready of Pearl Jam. McCready will handle the national anthem before kickoff as well, appearing on behalf of the Washington Innocence Project, one of the Seahawks‘ Spirit Of 12 partners.

Momsen, who has long counted Soundgarden and the late Chris Cornell among her biggest musical influences, previously joined McCready and surviving Soundgarden members Matt Cameron, Kim Thayil and Ben Shepherd for a performance of “Rusty Cage” at the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction last November at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. That same ceremony also saw Brandi Carlile lead a rendition of “Black Hole Sun” with Momsen on backing vocals, while Cornell‘s daughter, Toni Cornell, performed “Fell On Black Days” alongside Heart‘s Nancy Wilson.

Thayil, Cameron, Cornell and Shepherd were all inducted alongside original bassist Hiro Yamamoto, who played with Soundgarden from 1984 to 1989 and appeared on the band’s first two EPs and first two albums.

Thayil, Cameron and Shepherd are currently piecing together a new Soundgarden album built around unreleased recordings the band made with Cornell before his death in 2017. The trio is working alongside producer Terry Date, who previously helmed Louder Than Love (1989) and Badmotorfinger (1991), with mixing duties now underway with Joe Barresi, a producer and engineer whose credits include Avenged Sevenfold, Volbeat, Slipknot, Monster Magnetand Bad Religion, among many other rock heavyweights.

Soundgarden reunited in 2010 and released King Animal on Nov. 13, 2012, before effectively going on hiatus again following Cornell‘s death in May 2017.

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Pantera bassist Rex Brown has teamed up with Spector on a new instrument: the Euro 4 Rex Brown Signature bass.

“The new Rex Brown Euro Bass has been a labor of love,” Brown says. “We took our time with every detail. From the balance of the pickups to the backplate design, it features the same neck profile I’ve used on my Spectors for years. It all comes together in a bass I’m incredibly proud of and one I think players will really enjoy.”

The Euro 4 Rex Brown Signature carries Brown‘s signature tone and feel into Spector‘s Euro line. Built with players who want clarity, punch, and stage-ready performance in mind, the bass combines carefully chosen tonewoods and electronics with a comfortable playing feel.

Finished in flame maple with a Desert Gold top, the bass makes a strong visual statement right out of the case, echoing the look of Brown‘s original Spectors. An empress wood back keeps the instrument light for long sets, while a 3-piece maple neck and Indian rosewood fingerboard add stability and warmth. Brown‘s own neck profile carries over as well, giving the bass a familiar grip in the hands.

Under the hood, EMG PJ-X pickups pair with Spector‘s TonePump active preamp — a combination Brown has relied on for decades — delivering a punchy, articulate voice with strong low end and enough clarity to cut through a mix. A rear-accessible trimpot allows players to dial in output level to suit their rig.

The Desert Gold finish draws from the New Mexico landscape Brown now calls home, rounded out with smoke crown inlays, gold hardware, a script Spector logo and Brown‘s own logo on the back of the headstock.

Specifications:

• Flame maple top with empress back
• 3-piece maple neck
• Indian rosewood fingerboard with smoke crown inlays
• EMG PJ-X pickups with Spector TonePump active preamp
• Desert Gold finish
• Spector script logo and Rex Brown Signature logo
• Spector gig bag included

The Spector Euro 4 Rex Brown Signature bass is available now with a street price of $3,599.99.

Brown has never been one to coast on past achievements. Drawing on influences like John Paul Jones, Pino Palladino, Jaco Pastorius, Tom Hamilton, Pete Way and Geddy Lee, he’s built a career grounded in that history while staying focused on what’s next.

Brown and his Texas bandmates built a blueprint with Pantera that nearly every metal band since has studied closely. Late guitarist Darrell “Dimebag” Abbott remains a beloved, genre-defining player, and the rhythmic chemistry Brown shared with Pantera‘s late drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott has rarely been matched. Alongside vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, widely regarded as one of metal’s greatest frontmen, the band once known as Cowboys From Hell sparked a movement that reshaped heavy metal, influenced countless acts, and left a mark that lives on in tattoos worldwide — a legacy built across five multi-platinum albums released between 1990 and 2000 that still draw billions of streams annually.

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Kiss guitarist Tommy Thayer and Dan Reed, the acclaimed voice behind Dan Reed Network, have teamed up for a new project called Shogun Mojo. The pair’s self-titled debut album arrives Nov. 6, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official music video for the album’s first single, “Under The Gun,” can be watched below.

Shogun Mojo brings together decades of arena-rock pedigree, restless creativity and straight-up rock ‘n’ roll energy under Thayer and Reed‘s direction. Rounding out the lineup is a tight, Sweden-based rhythm section featuring drummer Robert Mehmet Ikiz, guitarist Roger Öjersson and bassist Bengan Jonasson, and together the band delivers a debut loaded with big hooks, driving energy and live-wire performances.

“In the first single ‘Under The Gun’… Tommy kills it, and Bengt and Ikiz lay down a killer funk groove,” Reed said. “As for the lyrics, they point at the current trends on earth of more division, more anger, and more fear. I’m simply saying we should be careful of the amount of negativity we populate our lives with, because we just might make it come true. If we bring on dystopia then we better be prepared for the ride.”

Thayer shared his own thoughts on the record: “I’ve always loved doing projects like this because they give me a chance to step outside of my usual world and just create, play guitar, and have fun making music.

“Dan and I go back a long way, and it’s been great getting to know Bengt and Ikiz over the past year and discovering the chemistry we have together.

“Shogun Mojo really came from that shared energy, getting in a room, playing, writing and seeing where it took us.

“There’s a great spirit and camaraderie in this band that comes through in the music, and I’m excited for people to finally hear what we’ve created together.”

Reed added more on the album’s origins: “This debut album is a reflection of all the rock records both Tommy, Bengt, Ikiz, and I grew up listening to! Even Brion James from my band Dan Reed Network has a co-write on the album called ‘Funk Party’! What we captured in the studio is playing live together as bands did in the ’70s, and the outcome is a record that’s groovy, rowdy funk rock celebration of life. At least that was the goal.

“In a world of A.I. music, we took it back to the roots of having fun writing in a room together and recording in a room together. We hope you feel what we attempted to capture.

“We are often told ‘people don’t want to hear guitar solos anymore’… so Tommy has a guitar solo in every song!”

Sonically, Shogun Mojo leans into the melodic punch of late-’70s and early-’80s hard rock, mixing Kiss‘s anthemic swagger with Reed‘s soulful, unmistakable vocal delivery. Fans of Dan Reed Network‘s Slam will find plenty to latch onto here — massive choruses, funk-driven grooves and feel-good energy — filtered through a warmer, more organic sound reminiscent of classic analog rock records.

Raw and unapologetically loose, Shogun Mojo‘s debut leans on big riffs, sticky melodies and a clear love for classic hard rock, updated for a new audience.

Shogun Mojo brings together four seasoned musicians with a wide range of global experience. Leading the way is Thayer, best known as lead guitarist of Kiss, a band whose catalog has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Raised in Oregon and shaped by 1970s hard rock, Thayer cut his teeth in Portland’s club scene before finding wider success with Black ‘N Blue and eventually stepping into Kiss in 2002.

On vocals, Reed — frontman of Dan Reed Network — brings a mix of rock, soul and storytelling to the band. His career has included multi-platinum success, world tours supporting The Rolling Stones and Bon Jovi, and a later move into filmmaking and visual art after relocating to Prague, where he now splits his time between music, family and film projects.

The rhythm section is built on deep musical chemistry. Sweden-based drummer and producer Ikiz brings a genre-blending style shaped by performances in more than 60 countries, fusing jazz sensibility with electronic textures. On bass, Stockholm’s Jonasson — known to bandmates as “Bengt” — contributes melodic, groove-heavy playing built from years across rock, reggae, jazz fusion and Scandinavian folk traditions. A longtime collaborator of Reed and Ikiz, Jonasson‘s instincts give the band much of its emotional depth.

Together, the four musicians form Shogun Mojo — a band where classic-rock pedigree and international influence come together into something distinctly its own.

The album was co-produced and engineered by Geoff Tyson, a protégé of Joe Satriani, and mixed by producer and artist Rob Daiker.

The post SHOGUN MOJO, Featuring TOMMY THAYER & DAN REED, Share New Single “Under The Gun” From Upcoming Self-Titled Album appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

In Flames and Trivium are teaming up for a sprawling European run in spring 2027, with Paleface Swiss and Vola joining as support on every stop. It’s one of the heaviest packages hitting the continent next year, pairing two bands with decades of influence behind them alongside two of the scene’s fastest-rising acts.

Billing will shift depending on where the tour lands. In the U.K. and Ireland, Trivium headlines with In Flames as special guest. Once the run reaches Scandinavia, the roles reverse, with In Flames on top and Trivium in support. Everywhere else in mainland Europe, the two bands will split the marquee as true co-headliners, with Paleface Swiss and Vola opening throughout.

Artist pre-sale tickets go live Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, at 10 a.m. CEST (9 a.m. BST), followed by general on-sale Friday, Aug. 28, 2026, at 10 a.m. CEST (9 a.m. BST). Purchase tickets here and here.

“We are excited to return to Europe with our old friends in Trivium!” In Flames said. “Paleface Swiss and Vola round out an amazing bill. You don’t want to miss this epic night of metal coming your way! See you soon…”

“We’re beyond stoked to be joining forces with our longtime friends In Flames once again for another legendary run across Europe and the U.K.,” Trivium said. “With Paleface Swiss and Vola joining us, this is going to be one hell of a bill. A new era of Trivium is about to begin. We’ll see you out there.”

In Flames comes into the run on a high note, having just torched its own Göteborg Brinner festival in Gothenburg following a two-month summer tour. The band is currently writing new material for its next studio album, with more details expected soon.

Formed in 1990, In Flames has spent more than three decades building a reputation as one of the genre’s most influential bands, known for pairing hook-driven songwriting with relentless heaviness. The band’s catalog now runs fourteen albums deep, and its résumé includes tours alongside Black Sabbath, Metallica, Iron Maiden, Megadeth, Judas Priest and Slayer. Starting with 1994’s Lunar Strain, the band’s twin-guitar interplay and melodic vocal work have carried through every era of its sound.

Trivium — fronted by vocalist and guitarist Matthew K. Heafy alongside guitarist Corey Beaulieu, bassist Paolo Gregoletto and drummer Alex Rüdinger — has spent more than two decades as one of the genre’s steadiest forces. The band’s breakout record, Ascendancy, earned Album Of The Year honors from Kerrang!, went gold in the U.K., sold half a million copies worldwide and later cracked Metal Hammer‘s list of the 15 greatest metal albums of the century. Since then, Trivium has picked up two more gold and silver certifications, landed six straight Top 25 debuts on the Billboard 200, and racked up a quarter-billion streams. With 2025’s Struck Dead EP hinting at what’s next and Rüdinger now behind the kit, this tour marks a fresh chapter for the band.

Zurich’s Paleface Swiss has broken out of the underground into one of Europe’s most buzzed-about live acts, mixing punishing riffs with raw emotional weight. Fronted by Marc “Zelli” Zellweger, the band’s 2025 album Cursed and its 2026 follow-up EP The Wilted have built a reputation for brutal songwriting and electric live shows.

Vola, hailing from Copenhagen, blends tech-heavy riffing, atmospheric songwriting and electronic textures into a sound all its own. Since breaking through with 2016’s Inmazes, the band has built a devoted global following and racked up tens of millions of streams. Its 2024 album Friend Of A Phantom, which featured a guest appearance from In Flames‘ own Anders Fridén, further showcased the band’s genre-blending approach.

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Walls Of Jericho, one of the genre’s most enduring and uncompromising bands, will finally release its new album, System Error: Humanity, on Nov. 13, 2026, via Napalm Records.

The record’s first single, “The Ascent,” landed to strong reviews, with Metal Injection singling out its “fierce breakdowns and demolishing riffs.” Walls Of Jericho has now followed it up with an equally punishing second single, “Agency.”

“Agency” opens at full sprint, all thrash-fueled velocity, before yanking the rug out with a bone-crushing breakdown. Frontwoman Candace Buckingham delivers what plays almost like a sermon on self-actualization, pushing listeners to stand up for their own rights.

“‘Agency’ is a song about freedom,” Buckingham says. “The kind that lives within you, the kind no one can take away, and the kind you have to fight for every single day.”

Walls Of Jericho built its reputation on genre-defining releases like 1999’s The Bound Feed The Gagged and 2004’s All Hail The Dead, records that cemented the band’s standing in the underground before it broke through more widely with With Devils Amongst Us All, The American Dream and No One Can Save You From Your Self. Years of relentless touring followed, with the band tearing through sets at Louder Than Life, Hellfest, Tied Down and Furnace Fest, among other major stages. Now the band returns with System Error: Humanity — a record that hits hard, confronts head-on, and still finds room to lift listeners while staying true to the sound that built the band’s legacy.

The album opens swinging with “True Til’ Death,” Buckingham‘s growls announcing the band’s return with full force. Tracks like “The Ascent” and “Untouchable” lean into dissonant, claustrophobic riffing, while thrashier cuts such as “The Flame” and “Agency” barrel forward at breakneck speed, loaded with riffs and solos. Lyrically, songs like “Agency,” “Borrowed Ground” and “Last Judgement” carry messages of reclamation and self-determination, urging listeners to push back against the world around them.

Guest spots come courtesy of Lamb Of God‘s Randy Blythe, who trades snarls with Buckingham on “Broken Mouths Can’t Speak,” and Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord, who adds fuel to the pit-starter “Humanity.” The record winds down through the slow-burning “A Brighter Fire” before closing on “The Reckoning,” an epic, bruising finale built around one of the album’s heaviest breakdowns.

Converge guitarist and veteran producer Kurt Ballou (Nails, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Code Orange, Every Time I Die) handled production, capturing the band’s live intensity without sacrificing polish. Walls Of Jericho comes back swinging with the same conviction that’s defined it from the start.

System Error: Humanity is available to pre-order here.

Walls Of Jericho is:

Candace Buckingham / Vocals 
Aaron Ruby / Bass 
Dustin Robert / Drums 
Bobby VaLeu / Guitar 
Kyle Gailey / Guitar 
Chris Towning / Guitar

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