Liverpool’s No Play Festival has just got that little bit bigger, with some of the finest UK talent joining the party.
A little bit of everything is set to make their mark across Liverpool City Centre on September 05, taking over five venues. The latest additions are Dream State, Love Rarely, Crowquill, So Far So Good, Without Love, Vienna, Breakfast with Bears, Bye Bye, Omoia, Horsebastard, Syntara and Face It Tega.
They join the already announced Stick To Your Guns, Spy, Pest ControlRoman Candle, Spaced, Liquid Mike, Last Wishes, Bodyweb and more.
Twenty-fifth album from the rock legends, featuring covers of Amy Winehouse and Chuck Berry, and appearances by Paul McCartney and Robert Smith. Continue reading…
Karen Dió has revealed she is going to be playing a handful of shows in support of her upcoming new EP ‘Fugaz’.
The EP is set for release on August 21, and the tour will be making its way around the country in September. So a few weeks to get stuck in, learn the words, and prepare yourself for a shift. Because these are going to be hot, sweaty and wild.
Here is where you will be able to catch Karen:
SEPTEMBER
07 – GLASG0W King Tut’s 08 – MANCHESTER Deaf Institute 09 – LONDON 100 Club 12 – BRIGHTON Green Door Store
Ferret Music, the label that played a huge part in the influential movement of hardcore and metalcore in the 2000s, is well and truly back.
Founded by Carl Severson, who has now reclaimed the name and catalogue from Warner Music, the label was home to many of the benchmarks in heavy music, from Disembodied to The Devil Wears Prada, Ice Nine Kills to Killswitch Engage. Giving some of the biggest bands in the world currently a place to cut their teeth, the intent within its return is clear. Continue to nuture and develop the new breed.
Carl had this to say about the news, explaining, “I started Ferret as a way to be more a part of hardcore. My friends all had talent and were in a band (Endeavor, Ferret 01) and I wanted to do more than carry things to contribute to what they were doing. It was a passion that turned into a life and into a career. For the vast majority of its initial existence I worked with my friends, worked with bands we loved listening to and it was just honestly an adventure. We grew and eventually saw behind the curtain and ventured beyond it. Things changed. My friends didn’t, and we still love listening… So here we are.”
And that’s not all, as the first two bands of the new era have also been revealed.
They are Long Island’s BORE and Michigan’s Wounded Touch.
BORE’s Danny Kopij had this to say:
“Ferret was a label we always looked up to. From Cult Classic to Hot Damn! to A Great Artist to Versions and so on, the music that Carl, Rick and everyone else curated over the years became intertwined with our musical DNA. So to get to be a part of the Ferret family, let alone to get to be here for the revival is nothing short of the honor of a lifetime. Looking forward to this next chapter of our band and to get to do it Ferret Style.”
Whilst Wounded Touch’s Nick Holland had this to say:
“Any time someone has asked us “who would your ideal label be to sign to,” we always would include Ferret to not only be smartasses, but out of legitimate sincerity as they were always the holy grail label of our youth. Most of our childhoods were shaped by the Ferret catalogue, so we’d have been championing this return out of sheer excitement regardless. But to instead get to be directly involved as boots on the ground for the return of Ferret and count ourselves among the pantheon of genre defining records released under that name is a validation that can’t be bought, traded or diminished. We’ll do everything in our power to earn the privilege of being asked to be a part of it and to be at the forefront of this return.”
Additonally, Ferret have kicked off their rebirth with a repress of some special releases from its catalogue.
They are Remembering Never’s ‘God Save Us’ and Torn Apart’s ‘The Fifty-Ninth Session’. There are also represses of two releases from the Good Fight Music catalogue, the imprint in which Carl has been working since Ferret, and those are Old Wounds’ ‘Suffering Spirit’ and Racetraitor’s ‘Creation and the Timeless Order of Things’
Now here’s a band with pedigree! Norway’s black metal squad Mortem have been around since 1987, right at the forefront of the infamous second wave. Though their heyday produced only the Slow Death demo and their debut record, Ravnsvart, took until 2019 to release, their individual band members have kept themselves busy. Consisting of guitarist/keyboardist Steinar Sverd Johnsen, vocalist Marius Vold, drummer Jan “Hellhammer” Blomberg, and newcomer bassist Tor Stavenes, Mortem’s genealogy traces lines through the likes of Mayhem, Arcturus, Thorns, 1349, Emperor, and way too many other bands. Now, almost forty years since their inception, Mortem are unleashing their sophomore album Mørketid, promising in their promo “eight tracks of savage, eerie, and often epic black metal.” Will Mortem’s collective experience translate to top-shelf black metal, or will Mørketid’s time under the sun be short-lived?
“Mørketid” is the Norwegian word for polar night, where the sun stays below the horizon for weeks during the winter months. It’s an eerie time that Mortem capture well on Mørketid. Between the persistent tremolos and rasps across Mørketid, an unsettling and understated melody gives the project an uncanny feel. Mortem’s keyboard presence does a lot for Mørketid’s texture, bestowing a creepy music box melody to “Aftermath” and a beefy Dimmu Borgir symphonic gothicness to “Ditt Ødes Ære.” But overall, if you’ve heard Mayhem’s early stuff, you know what to expect from Mortem. Buzzsaw guitars, phlegmy rasps, and drawn-out staggering through the dark are the name of the game here, highlighted on songs like “The Mighty Odious” and “Mørkets Ormebol.” Mortem have been around long enough to get these fundamentals down pat.
Though Mortem clearly put in the work, there are yet few standout performances on Mørketid. Outside of some surprisingly shreddy solos across Mørketid’s back end (“Den Sanne Gud,” “Aftermath”), Johnsen’s riffs are murky and standard-issue black metal, and while I appreciate Stavenes’ pronounced bass presence and the punchiness that comes with it (“Skyggeånd”), it nonetheless stays too firmly in the pocket. Similarly, Vold’s rasps are thick and gritty but rarely venture off from his slow-n-low mode, making his vocal presence seep into the background. Johnsen’s keyboards and Hellhammer’s drumming deserve note, however, as spidery key runs on “Mørketid” and “Mørkets Ormebol” do the heavy lifting in building mood and identity on their tracks, and shifting grooves and blasts all across Mørketid are its most varied and exciting asset. Mortem’s songwriting approach likely contributes to the muted performances: they’re hellbent for murk. But Mortem have ludicrous talent in their ranks, and I think a few more standout moments would’ve easily elevated Mørketid.
And therein lies Mørketid’s biggest issue: memorability. Besides “Blodvassen Grunn,” where Mortem open the blinds a smidge for a touch of lightness in their style, Mørketid is monotonously dark. Over-repetition plagues many of Mørketid’s tracks, watering down the vitality of songs like “Mørkets Ormebol” and “Skyggeånd” while inflating Mørketid’s runtime. None of Mortem’s songs are extraordinarily long, sitting around four to six minutes on average, but I often found myself checking the time halfway through each song anyway. Production owns some of the blame here; though everything’s clearly audible, everything sounds crushed and undynamic, wearing on both the ears and mind. There are times when Mortem flirt with variety, like the darkly groovy second half of “Aftermath” and the time “Den Sanne Gud” gets quiet and threatens to veer into an Iron Maiden epic,1 but these are few and far between on Mørketid. I don’t think I can give high marks to something I can’t remember after many listens.
It’s crazy to think that a band whose line-up is as storied as Mortem’s could struggle with a sophomore slump this far into their career, but here we are. Mørketid isn’t a bad record, but one that’s played too safely to truly stand out. Production issues and monotonous songwriting knock it down a notch further. Mortem occupy a space in metal’s history where a subpar record isn’t going to blemish their legacy. They were instrumental in founding one of its most iconic sub-genres. But Mørketid wasn’t released in 1987, and so has to stand up against the scores of other black metal releases from the decades since then. Sadly, it doesn’t.
Wir haben aus dem Matsch des letzten Jahres gelernt und die Infrastruktur auf dem Infield und dem Campingplatz massiv für euch umgebaut!
Freut euch auf doppelt so viele Bodenplatten an den wichtigsten Wegen und Ständen, deutlich mehr Sitzgelegenheiten zum Energietanken und extra überdachte Flächen, die euch vor Sonne und Regen schützen.
Wir haben ordentlich aufgestockt, damit ihr die beste (und trockenste) Zeit des Jahres habt.
Denn es heißt nicht umsonst: Wacken, Rain Or Shine!
Ihr habt noch kein Ticket? Dann wird es jetzt aber Zeit! Die Tickets werden knapp!
Pawn Pawn capture the magnetic tension of unspoken desire on I Can Only Tell You With My Eyes, a sleek synthpop gem wrapped in darkwave aesthetics and irresistible grooves. Pulsing analog synths, crisp electronic beats, and shimmering melodies create a nocturnal atmosphere where vulnerability and seduction coexist effortlessly. The expressive vocal performance adds emotional depth, drawing listeners into a world of longing conveyed through subtle gestures rather than words. Stylish, immersive, and packed with infectious hooks, I Can Only Tell You With My Eyes is a captivating slice of modern synth-driven pop that lingers long after the final beat.
Hellfest 2026 has reached its conclusion. It was, pretty much like every edition, a very hot festival, literally and figuratively. Literally, because the temperatures hit 40 degrees Celsius at times, and figuratively, because we saw some absolutely incredible and unique performances on Hellfest’s stages.
Here are some quick final conclusions, as we bring a close to our Hellfest 2026 coverage.
Hellfest 2026. Photo: Luke Vaughan/MetalTalk
What a MetalTalk Team
We need to start with this. Despite the scorching heat (did I mention it was hot?), the MetalTalk team was unrelenting in making sure you got the best possible coverage. And I like to think we achieved that.
Everyone was on the ball, the dedicated WhatsApp group was buzzing, and we barely managed to actually see each other for the occasional pint in the press zone.
The MetalTalk Team at Hellfest 2026
In the picture, from right to left, we have Mr Sean Titley, a man of great words. He has spent his Hellfest running around from one stage to another and one rock and Metal subgenre to another, writing about a lot of them for you.
Next, we have the inexhaustible Mr Luke Vaughan, the man responsible for most of the fabulous images MetalTalk has published from this incredible festival.
Both Sean and Luke were covering Hellfest for the first time, and they were immediately at home. With your permission, the last one on the left is me, Bogdan Bele. I just want to reiterate what an honour, privilege and pleasure it has been to work, talk, and laugh with these extraordinary gentlemen.
Of course, we had the full support from home in the UK of our MetalTalk Editor Steve Ritchie and MetalTalk Head of Event Editorial, Ian Sutherland.
Deep Purple – Hellfest 2026. Photo: Luke Vaughan/MetalTalk
The Heat and How Hellfest Faced It
I might have mentioned that it was extremely hot (did I?). Well, everyone put up with it using whatever methods available. That was until the last day of the festival.
On Sunday, the French press announced that all state-financed festivals would not sell alcohol, together with some other restrictions. Hellfest not being in that category, it was still allowed to sell it, but there would be no spirits, and the dosage on the others would be halved. Beers would therefore be only sold by the half-pint.
There were also notices everywhere, and while there were water points in several places, visitors inevitably faced a queue.
Hellfest 2026. Photo: Luke Vaughan/MetalTalk
It was indeed hard to breathe, both outside and in the tent stages. If you were in the Temple or Altar, you were in the shade, but in the festival version of an oven. If you were outside. You get the picture.
Funnily enough, at one point, during a show in one of the tents, a circle pit was moving the air enough that it got cooler. And then there was Napalm Death guitarist John Cooke getting sick from the extreme heat, with the band having to cut the performance short. Find out more about that in the review of that show.
In terms of issues caused by this, while I imagine the medical staff were pretty busy, I personally saw the emergency helicopter twice, and not a lot of people on stretchers. I hope that means everyone was ok. I also hope that those affected made it home all right.
Hellfest 2026. Photo: Luke Vaughan/MetalTalk
Hellfest 2027: A Massive Twentieth Edition
As this edition came to an end, some details about the next edition have been announced by the organisers. Namely, the festival will redevelop its site, moving from six to no less than ten stages. It will also include 300 bands, as opposed to the 183 it had this year.
The capacity promises to remain the same, 70.000 people per day.
Ticket prices have not been announced, but they will increase. An announcement as to how much they will increase has not yet been made, but as passes go on sale 7 July 2026, it is not long until we know. For more details, keep an eye on hellfest.fr/en.
As ever, expect them to sell out almost immediately, as one can only imagine what a monster lineup that will be.
A little taster in the 2027 edition trailer:
See You Next Year, from Hellfest XX!
As always, the MetalTalk team will try its best to bring you the best coverage from Hellfest XX 2027. Until then, from Hellfest, we were MetalTalk and we wrote Rock ‘N’ Roll.
HELLFEST 2026
Prepare to be consumed by the relentless energy of the most influential bands in Heavy Metal as they ignite the Hellfest stages with blistering performances. The immersive atmosphere of Clisson will immerse you in a dark, captivating experience like no other.
With its unparalleled lineup and unwavering commitment to the spirit of metal, Hellfest 2026 promises an unforgettable journey into the depths of sonic mayhem. Read all the Heavy Metal News at MetalTalk.
To walk away from the world’s hottest rock band at the very peak of their popularity takes a certain amount of chutzpah, but then David Lee Roth never did lack confidence. When the Indiana-born singer quit Van Halen – or was fired from the Pasadena band, depending on whose version of rock history you choose to believe – on April 1, 1985, ostensibly to focus upon directing his (ill-fated) Crazy From The Heat movie, the rock world went into mourning. But everyone knew that the louder-than-life Roth wouldn’t be quiet for long.
Forty years on from the release of his thrilling debut album Eat ‘Em And Smile, here are our picks for ‘Diamond’ Dave’s finest solo songs.
10. Slam Dunk! (1998)
With nu metal at its peak, no-one paid much attention at all when DLR released his fifth solo album DLR Band – featuring future Marilyn Manson / Mötley Crüe guitarist John 5 and future Korn drummer Ray Luzier – in 1998: the fact that the album was released on the singer’s own Wawazat!! Records label speaks volume about how the industry viewed Roth at the time. Truthfully, the world wasn’t missing out on a whole lot, but the opening track – essentially a sneaky re-write of VH’s Hot For Teacher – is a zinger.
9. Knucklebones (1988)
Roth knew exactly what he was doing when he recruited crack musicians Steve Vai, Billy Sheehan and Greg Bissonette to back him post-Van Halen: this was a unit capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone in rock. The opening track of the group’s second album Skyscraper perfectly illustrates their confidence and verve, with the singer’s ‘Stop dreaming and start driving Stevie!’ exhortation to Vai ahead of the solo, this was classic DLR.
8. Sensible Shoes (1991)
Offering a sonic relocation from California to the Bayou for five minutes, the second single from Roth’s third solo album A Little Ain’t Enough is a sleazy, bluesy, mid-pocket rocker that could have fitted perfectly on Aeromsith’s Permanent Vacation album. Roth’s harmonica playing is wonderful here, although he didn’t sound entirely believable delivering lyrics such as ‘I look good and I’m funny, so why am I lonesome honey?’
7. Damn Good (1988)
Famously, Van Halen declared that in their world, every night was a Saturday night. Damn Good, from Skyscraper, is the sound of the party winding down, a bluesy last-whiskey-of-the-night, you’re-my-besssssht-mate kind of song, with Steve Vai playing twelve string guitar and Roth delivering nostalgia-laden lyrics that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on a Bruce Springsteen album.
6. It’s Showtime! (1991)
That title couldn’t be more David Lee Roth, a perfect encapsulation of his gleefully cheesy showbiz trouper persona, but really this highlight fromA Little Ain’t Enough is all about the dazzling, jaw-dropping freetboard skills of the brilliant Jason Becker. Check this out, then seek out the 2012 documentary Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet for a heart-melting, inspirational look at the guitarist’s life post-DLR.
5. A Lil’ Ain’t Enough (1991)
David Lee Roth’s career might have already have been on the slide by the time he released his third solo album, but you’d never guess it from the album’s cocksure, strutting, ‘Everyone look at me!’ title track. The song is arguably most memorable for its eye-popping video, which features the presence of ‘blacked-up’ people of short stature and young ladies in what the Daily Mail would call ‘barely there’ attire. And people wonder why grunge happened…
4. Just Like Paradise (1988)
As perfect a pop-rock song as Roth ever sang with VH, Just Like Paradise is one of those sun-streaked, convertible-top down, speeding-down-the-Pacific Highway songs which instantly transports the listener to California. When Roth sings ‘Girl we we’ve been meant for this since we were born’ he sounds like the cat that got all the cream.
3. California Girls (1985)
Truthfully we could have compiled a Top 10 DLR Cover Songs list here, with the likes of Just A Gigolo and That’s Life contributing massively to the singer’s popularity in the mid ‘80s, but that’d be cheating, so we’ve confined ourselves to selecting this one, the outrageously upbeat Beach Boys cover at the heart of Roth’s Crazy From The Heat EP. If ever there was a man born to sing this song…
2. Goin’ Crazy (1986)
The second single from Roth’s brilliant debut solo album, 1986’s Eat ‘Em And Smile, is the perfect distillation of the DLR ‘brand’, a song deliberately designed to make the listener feel like this is Roth’s world, and we’re lucky to live in it. Every time Roth sings ‘I wanna live it up, wanna quit my job, Tell the boss to go to hell!’ you can imagine thousands of blue collar American males punching the air in ‘Fuck yeah, Dave!’ solidarity.
1. Yankee Rose (1986)
Now this is how you make a comeback. The gloriously OTT first single from Eat ‘Em And Smile had the rock world believing, if only for four minutes, that leaving Van Halen was the smartest move DLR ever made. With lyrics such as ‘”Are you ready for the new sensation?” and “Well, guess who’s back in circulation?’” this is Roth in irresistible dick-swinging megastar mode, and it’s a trip. Steve Vai’s ‘talking guitar’ might as well have shrieked ‘Fuck you Eddie!’
Now here’s a band with pedigree! Norway’s black metal squad Mortem have been around since 1987, right at the forefront of the infamous second wave. Though their heyday produced only the Slow Death demo and their debut record, Ravnsvart, took until 2019 to release, their individual band members have kept themselves busy. Consisting of guitarist/keyboardist Steinar Sverd Johnsen, vocalist Marius Vold, drummer Jan “Hellhammer” Blomberg, and newcomer bassist Tor Stavenes, Mortem’s genealogy traces lines through the likes of Mayhem, Arcturus, Thorns, 1349, Emperor, and way too many other bands. Now, almost forty years since their inception, Mortem are unleashing their sophomore album Mørketid, promising in their promo “eight tracks of savage, eerie, and often epic black metal.” Will Mortem’s collective experience translate to top-shelf black metal, or will Mørketid’s time under the sun be short-lived?
