Former Boston drummer Jim Masdea has hit out at bandleader and guitarist Tom Scholz, labelling his old friend “the Donald Trump of rock ’n’ roll.”
Masdea met Scholz in 1970, when the two musicians auditioned for a Massachusetts Institute of Technology band named Freehold, which featured future Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau. When that band dissolved, Scholz formed the group Mother’s Milk, with Masdea, Goudreau and vocalist Brad Delp. But realising that the band was making little impact on Boston’s live circuit, Scholz decided to focus on recording demos in his basement that aimed to replicate the sound of the dream band he had in his head.
With Masdea and Delp, he recorded demo of songs such as San Francisco Day (later to be renamed Hitch A Ride), It Isn’t Easy (re-titled Something About You), Foreplay (originally composed in 1969), Peace Of Mind, Rock ’N’ Roll Band, Don’t Be Afraid (eventually included on the 1978 Don’t Look Back album) Ninety Days (later called More Than A Feeling). But when these demos caught the attention of Epic Records, Pure Management partners Paul Ahern and Charlie McKenzie decided that Masdea was surplus to requirements, and the drummer was ‘let go’ ahead of Boston signing their record deal.
Subsequently, Masdea’s drumming is heard on only one Boston song, Rock & Roll Band.
Speaking in a new interview with The Telegraph, Masdea suggests that it was his desire to write more for the band that led to his being ejected from the line-up.
“I tell Tom that I don’t just want to play songs, I want to write songs, to contribute songs to the album,” he recalls. “I’m gone a week later.”
“Tom Scholz is the Donald Trump of rock ’n’ roll,” he adds. “He’s not horrible, but he’s a narcissist. He believes it’s only him, that everything was only him.”
It’s unlikely that Scholz would be flattered by this comparison from his former friend. In 2008, after Republican Party presidential Mick Huckabee played More Than A Feeling at campaign rallies, Scholz stated, “Boston has never endorsed a political candidate, and with all due respect, would not start by endorsing a candidate who is the polar opposite of most everything Boston stands for.”
Carly Rae Jepsen writes a lot of songs. Next week, she’ll release her massive new double album Day And Night. We’ve already posted the singles “On Wires,” “After All,” “Don’t Leave Me On The Dance Floor,” and “Motivation,” and that’s really just scratching the surface. I have heard the whole thing, and I can tell you that it’s awesome. Jepsen also wrote the songs for an upcoming Broadway musical version of 10 Things I Hate About You, joining a creative team that also includes fellow millennial icon Lena Dunham. While she’s at it, Jepsen might write a song for Heated Rivalry, the HBO show that may or may not have inspired her infant son’s name.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CELTIC HILLS REPRESENT ITALY ON METALLURG MUSIC COMPILATION 8.1 WITH “I AM VRIL” FROM THE ALPE ADRIA TO THE INTERNATIONAL METAL STAGE
September 9, 2026 – The metal world has no borders, and Italian metal force Celtic Hills are once again proving it with their track “I Am Vril,” which will be featured on the international METALLURG Music Compilation 8.1 / Digital Magazine No. 8 , arriving September 17, 2026, through Metallurg Music in Poland.
For Celtic Hills, this is more than another compilation appearance. It is another step in an international journey that has been building for years.
With “I Am Vril,” Celtic Hills will once again take their place among metal artists from different countries and backgrounds, bringing the sound and identity of the Italian metal scene to an international audience.
The band’s connection to an international project like METALLURG comes naturally. Celtic Hills were born at the crossroads of the Alpe Adria , a region where cultures, languages and musical influences have long intersected. That same spirit of crossing boundaries has become an essential part of the band’s identity.
Their music draws from Heavy, Power, Speed, Thrash and Melodic Metal , combining powerful riffs and memorable melodies with epic atmospheres and storytelling inspired by history, mythology and legends .
Now, that identity is set to travel even further beyond Italy.
ONE BAND. AN INTERNATIONAL PATH.
The story of Celtic Hills has never been confined to a single territory.
The band has previously appeared on international compilations, including earlier editions of METALLURG , as well as Metal Music GlobAlliance and Mister Folk .
Their 2022 album Huldufólk further strengthened their international profile, earning recognition from Metal Pedia as Album of the Year 2022 , while European Metal Channel has repeatedly selected Celtic Hills among its Best European Metal Bands .
With every release and international appearance, the band has continued building a presence that reaches well beyond its Italian origins.
METALLURG Music Compilation 8.1 is the next chapter in that journey.
And this time, Celtic Hills arrive with a song that reflects the band’s increasingly international dimension.
“I AM VRIL”
Recorded and produced in Los Angeles by Eddy Cavazza , “I Am Vril” brings together the core elements of the Celtic Hills sound: crushing guitars, powerful melodies, epic atmospheres and relentless metal energy , all delivered with a sharper, contemporary production.
At the center of the band is founder Jonathan Vanderbilt on vocals and guitars, joined by an international lineup featuring Edi Žorž on guitars, Luca Fumagalli on bass and Luka Stone on drums .
Italy. Slovenia. United States.
The lineup itself reflects what Celtic Hills have become: a band whose roots are firmly planted in the Alpe Adria, but whose musical horizon has no geographical limits.
THE ALPE ADRIA MEETS THE WORLD
From their earliest releases to appearances on international compilations, Celtic Hills’ journey has been one of constant expansion.
Now, with METALLURG Music Compilation 8.1 / Digital Magazine No. 8 , that journey continues.
Italy has a voice on the compilation.
That voice is Celtic Hills.
And on September 17, “I Am Vril” will once again carry the spirit of the Alpe Adria onto an international metal stage.
The borders may be geographical.
The music is not.
COMING SEPTEMBER 17, 2026
METALLURG MUSIC COMPILATION 8.1 / DIGITAL MAGAZINE NO. 8
The full compilation will be available through Metallurg Music on September 17, 2026.
PRE-SAVE / FOLLOW THE COMPILATION ON BANDCAMP
https://metallurg.bandcamp.com/album/metallurg-music-compilation-81-digital-magazine-no8
CELTIC HILLS – “I AM VRIL”
Featured On: METALLURG Music Compilation 8.1 / Digital Magazine No. 8 Release Date: September 17, 2026 Label: Metallurg Music Recorded & Produced: Los Angeles by Eddy Cavazza
Celtic Hills Lineup: Jonathan Vanderbilt – Vocals / Guitars Edi Žorž – Guitars Luca Fumagalli – Bass Luka Stone – Drums
Before their new full-length Sternensegler officially comes out this Friday, Schandmaul have debuted a music video for the last new single titled “Zwei Raben”. Read more…
Went out three nights in a row Didn’t know what was About to unfold
Subject Sue began as an alter ego, but the separation between performer and person has apparently thinned, and you can hear that collapse in the way these songs handle intimacy. Desire becomes partly theatrical, partly confessional, and sometimes faintly ridiculous, which is exactly right. Clubs have always encouraged people to invent themselves for a few hours, then sent them home with makeup fading in the taxi mirror and a head full of decisions that seemed better under red light. Nightlife, in turn, is a place where fantasy and loneliness can occupy the same square meter.
Subject Sue’s Details In The Dark feels built for the hour when the club has stopped pretending to be a social space and has become something more private, a room full of people moving beside one another while each carries a separate crisis under the skin. The Amsterdam artist works in that unstable zone between desire and estrangement, where a glance across the floor can feel intimate for thirty seconds and absurdly remote by the time the bass turns over again.
Across six tracks, Sue treats darkwave and ethereal techno less as genres than as materials she can bend around a voice that never sounds entirely convinced by the scene surrounding it. The synthesizers are dense without turning blunt, the percussion keeps its discipline, and the vocals drift above the machinery with a cool distance that makes every romantic gesture feel temporary. There is pleasure everywhere, though it comes with the suspicion that pleasure has already started charging interest.
In Details In The Dark, synth lines stretch wide, then recede; voices stack until they resemble memories arguing over the same event; beats keep moving with the indifferent authority of a machine that has seen a thousand romances begin and collapse before breakfast. Sue’s music carries the cold poise of Boy Harsher or Minuit Machine, but her own instinct leans more toward psychological ambiguity than brute force. She seems fascinated by the gap between what happened, what was wanted, and what gets remembered later. The best moments make uncertainty itself feel physical, a pressure in the chest that still leaves room for dancing.
The accompanying video sharpens that idea by turning Sue into a modern Louise Brooks wandering through a glitch-struck universe that seems detached from ordinary chronology. Her severe bob and silent-era poise collide with digital ruptures, warped space, and fractured movement, giving the clip the look of a lost screen goddess accidentally uploaded into a corrupted future.
Watch the lyric video for Details In The Dark below:
Five years after the release of Le Tyran Et L’esthète record, black metallers Les Chants De Nihil are now ready to return with the follow-up. Dubbed Graines, it will be released on November 6th, 2026 through Les Acteurs De L’ombre Productions. Read more…
Next month, the Avalanches will release their long-awaited new album No Bad Memories, which has 25 tracks and a lot of collaborators listed. Last week, for instance, we learned that Mike Patton appears on three tracks from the LP, one of which also features Haley Joel Osment. It the rare LP to feature guest spots from Carly Simon, Rivers Cuomo, and Panda Bear. And the new singles just keep arriving.
Graveyard and Blues Pills will team up for a string of tour dates across Europe in late 2026 and early 2027. Spiders will be joining as support on all 2027 shows. Read more…
Iron Maiden is showing no signs of slowing down, extending its massively successful Run for Your Lives World Tour through the remainder of 2026. After conquering stages around the world, the band is heading to the U.S. before going back overseas. Their sold-out show on September 5th marked the first of two nights at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey. The U.S. tour features support from Megadeth and Anthrax, creating a stacked metal monster bill that makes this a must-see event of epic proportions for metal fans.
As the stadium lights dimmed, New Jersey was about to bear witness to an electrifying performance as Bruce Dickinson [vocals], Adrian Smith [guitar], Steve Harris [bass], Dave Murray [guitar], Janick Gers [guitar], and newest member Simon Dawson [drums] simultaneously came running onto the stage after the recording of “Ides of March”.
Bruce instantly seized the microphone for the opener, “Murders in the Rue Morgue.” He is part ringleader, part storyteller, part actor, and commanding vocalist, leading the audience through a mesmerizing journey and turning the Maiden’s lyrics into vivid thematic vignettes, whether portraying a condemned prisoner desperately trying to escape the hangman’s noose in “Hallowed Be Thy Name” or a British soldier charging into battle with the Union Jack in hand during “The Trooper,” evoking the doomed Charge of the Light Brigade. Every gesture was delivered with theatrical flair, which was as expressive as his voice.
By this point in the two-year tour, the setlist was hardly a secret, and fans knew the songs they were about to hear. That advance knowledge did little to diminish the excitement. In conversations with concertgoers before the show, it was clear everyone had arrived eager to hear their favorites; some younger fans were particularly eager to hear songs from the band’s debut album and Killers live.
All 17 songs in the set were drawn from their first nine albums, from their 1980 self-titled debut through 1992’s Fear of the Dark. The band digs deep with early classics like “Wrathchild,” “Killers,” “Phantom of the Opera,” “The Number of the Beast,” “Powerslave,” “2 Minutes to Midnight,” and “Run to the Hills.”
Over the past two decades, the band has repurposed its stage setup by using vinyl or cloth coverings that depict one main theme tied to the tour, but for this tour it received a massive technical upgrade. A giant video screen dominates the stage, displaying an ever-changing array of 3D-esque video imagery, while accompanying plasma screens at stage level extend the visuals across the width of the stage. Together, they created a seamless, immersive canvas that enhances the grandeur and atmosphere of each song. During “Number of the Beast” and “Iron Maiden,” flames shot up so high, they licked heaven. It elevated and emphasized critical moments. It may have been fast and gratuitous, but it was awesome.
Steve Harris was a formidable presence throughout the set, his two-fingered attack and distinctive trebly tone driving songs like “The Trooper” and “Rime of the Ancient Mariner.” When at the front of the stage, anchoring on his monitor, he pointed his Fender Precision bass like a shotgun while unleashing his trademark ferocious, almost primal bass lines. His presence in the band is larger than life, and when you think of Iron Maiden, he is the first member that comes to mind. He is the sonic ambassador between the rhythm of Simon’s drumming and the guitar playing. He holds the band’s songs together with rhythm, fury, and melodic grace, most notably during the instrumental interlude of “Seventh Son of a Seventh Son,” which builds to a bombastic finale.
Dave, Adrian, and Janick each owned their section of the stage, but when they met center stage for dueling solos, their chemistry exploded. Dave’s fluid, blues-influenced techniques married to Adrian’s harder-edged playing style created the guitar sound that has defined Iron Maiden for decades and ignited the New Wave of British Heavy Metal. Janick brings another dimension to the three-guitar attack, a formula the band has used since 1999, with each guitarist shifting between riffs, harmonies, and solos. “The Trooper” showcased the arrangement at its best, with all three guitarists and Steve Harris lined up across the stage beneath Eddie’s Light Brigade backdrop.
Simon brings a modern approach to Maiden’s music, while still respecting the intricate arrangements and rhythmic architecture. During “2 Minutes to Midnight,” his command of the groove and intricate fills demonstrates both his technical precision and musicality, adding a fresh punch to one of Maiden’s most recognizable songs. Rather than simply attempting to replicate Nicko McBrain note-for-note, but through subtle changes in dynamics, accents, and phrasing. Honoring Maiden’s legacy while giving these classic songs renewed energy and momentum.
No Maiden show would be complete without the band’s seventh member, the notorious and cadaverous mascot, Eddie, making two appearances throughout the night: a quick one early in the show as Eddie from the Killers LP and later on “The Trooper.”
The closing of “Aces High,” “Fear of the Dark,” and “Wasted Years” makes for a spectacular finale, leaving diehard fans and newcomers exhilarated, sweaty, and exhausted from singing, cheering, and chanting along to the songs that helped define the greatest genre in music history known as the New Wave of British Heavy Metal! It’s easy to forget how intimate Iron Maiden can make a stadium concert feel. Perhaps that’s the reward of a bond with their fans forged over five decades.
