Category: news

Now with Mario Quintero of Spotlights/Sisters on vocals and guitars.

The post Revamped Molly McGuire Stream “It’s Not For You” From Their Upcoming New Album “Disaster In Reverse” appeared first on Theprp.com.

Welsh post-hardcore outfit Holding Absence have unveiled a lyric video for the title track of their forthcoming album, Modern Life Is Lonely. The band recently delayed the album’s release from August 28th to September 18th due to a manufacturing issue, subsequently promising to make the title track available early. The lyric video for “Moder… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Gold-certified nü-metal band From Ashes To New have just begun streaming a reworked version of their track “Die For You“. This updated take features a guest spot from the sisterly alt-pop duo Neoni. From Ashes To New vocalist Matt Brandyberry said of getting to work with them on this version: Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Australian alternative metal five-piece Windwaker have unveiled a music video for their new track “do or die”, which premiered today, streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. The song is taken from the group’s forthcoming third studio album “smile, you’re on camera”, due out October 23rd, with Headstrong Films Production behind the … Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

Finnish melodic death metal band CROWEN have released “I Live on Darkness and Sorrow,” the first single and music video from their forthcoming debut album. The full-length record is currently scheduled to arrive later in 2027. Listen to “I Live on Darkness and Sorrow” and watch the video Built around a dark and melancholic atmosphere, […]

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For a long time, the producers of Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic that came out earlier this year, reportedly planned to include a story arc about one of the many children who accused Jackson of sexual abuse. After filming an entire third arc about Jackson’s decision to settle out of court with the family of Jordan Chandler, the 13-year-old boy who first sued Jackson for abuse in 1993, the producers reportedly had to scrap that part of the movie, which showed Jackson as “the naïve victim of the money-grubbing Chandler,” after lawyers discovered that the settlement forbade Jackson and his estate from including the Chandler family in a movie.

The post Michael Jackson Movie Sequel Will Address Child Abuse Allegations From “His Point Of View,” Says Jaafar Jackson appeared first on Stereogum.

MTV have decided that they will no longer celebrate the ‘Best Rock’ video of the year at their annual Video Music Awards.

When the full list of nominations for the 2026 MTV VMAs were announced earlier this week, the ‘Best Rock’ category was notable by its absence, as NME reports.

While the music channel will honour genres including Pop, Dance, Hip-Hop, R&B, Latin, K-Pop and Country, there is no longer a standalone Rock category: instead viewers will be asked to vote for the best Alternative video, for which the nominees are:

Geese – Taxes
MGK & Fred Durst – Fix Ur Face
Noah Kahan – The Great Divide
Olivia Rodrigo – The Cure
Sombr – Homewrecker
Tame Impala – Dracula
Twenty One Pilots – Drag Path

Rock music was first recognised at the VMAS in 1989, when Guns N’ Roses (Sweet Child O’ Mine), Aerosmith (Rag Doll), Def Leppard (Pour Some Sugar On Me) and Metallica (One) faced off in the ‘Best Heavy Metal Video’ category, with Gn’R taking home the award.

That year ‘alternative’ music was labelled ‘Post-Modern’, a category contested by R.E.M., The Cure, The Escape Club, Love and Rockets, and Siouxsie and the Banshees.

The Best Heavy Metal Video category was later changed to Best Metal/Hard Rock Video, then Best Hard Rock Video, then Best Rock Video, finally becoming simply Best Rock.

The 2025 Best Rock category was contested by Coldplay (All My Love), Evanescence (Afterlife), Green Day (One Eyed Bastard), Lenny Kravitz (Honey), Linkin Park (The Emptiness Machine) and Twenty One Pilots (The Contract), with the only English artist nominated emerging as the winner.

There are no rock artists nominated for Video Of The Year, Artist Of The Year, Song Of The Year or Best New Artist in 2026.

This year’s VMAs will be held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on September 27, if you still care.

Swedish death metal trio FILTH have unveiled “Sadistic Ways,” the second track from their forthcoming album, Death Exhibition. The band’s sophomore full-length will be released internationally on September 11, 2026, through Me Saco Un Ojo Records and Rotted Life. The new track is currently streaming through the Death Metal Promotion YouTube channel. It follows “Mental […]

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SMOULDER Announces New Album ‘Witch Wife In An Alien World,’ Premieres “Water Wars” Video

Canadian-American epic heavy metal/doom outfit Smoulder has announced its long-awaited third studio album, Witch Wife In An Alien World , due later this year via Cruz Del Sur Music. The band has also teamed up with Decibel to premiere the official video for the album’s first single, “Water Wars.”
The new album is scheduled for release on October 9 in Europe and November 6 in North America .
While Smoulder’s music has always drawn heavily from classic heavy metal, epic doom and traditional metal, Witch Wife In An Alien World finds the band pushing further into darker and more extreme territory. Greek black metal is among the newer influences incorporated into the band’s sound, adding another layer to a style that has never been particularly interested in staying inside one box.
The eight-track album was recorded at Soundwell Studio in Espoo, Finland with Valtteri Kallio and Swift Road Studios in Chicago, Illinois with Vincent Ippolito. Roland Rodas handled mixing and mastering.
The current Smoulder lineup features vocalist Sarah Ann , guitarists Collin Wolf and Shon Vincent , bassist Adam Blake and drummer Kevin Hester .
“Water Wars” opens the new album with a blast of riff-heavy, speed metal-inspired aggression. According to Sarah Ann, the song was deliberately chosen to kick off the record with an immediate jolt.
“You know how Judas Priest kicked off their masterpiece Stained Class with ‘Exciter,’ then jolted into a bunch of ’70s rock bangers?” Sarah Ann explained. “That’s kind of how we felt with starting the album on ‘Water Wars.'”
She continued: “‘Water Wars’ is our most Judas Priestian, riff-laden, speed metal banger yet — with a dark, and frankly increasingly prescient, lyrical theme.”
Sarah Ann also emphasized that the song should not necessarily be viewed as a complete representation of what listeners will find across Witch Wife In An Alien World .
“It opens Witch Wife In An Alien World with a jolt, and isn’t necessarily representative of the album … although no song truly is. It’s a weird record,” she said.
And weird, by Smoulder’s standards, sounds like a pretty good thing.
The lyrics to “Water Wars” tackle the increasingly contentious issue of access to clean water and the role water resources play in global conflicts and environmental crises. Sarah Ann points to attacks on water infrastructure, disputes over water access and the growing demands of technology and industry as inspiration for the song.
“It felt appropriate to address this growing crisis,” she said.
Elsewhere on Witch Wife In An Alien World , Smoulder ventures even further from its traditional epic metal foundations.
One of the album’s most distinctive tracks is “Noitien Loitsu,” the band’s first song to feature both English and Finnish vocals. The track draws directly from Sarah Ann’s Finnish heritage and her current life in Helsinki.
The song celebrates the forest near the home Sarah Ann and guitarist Shon Vincent share in Finland, switching between English and Finnish throughout the verses and even combining both languages in the chorus. The track also features a guest guitar solo from Bootleg Henkka , Smoulder’s live guitarist and a member of Finnish epic black metal band Havukruunu.
The album’s title itself was inspired by Sarah Ann’s experiences living in Finland and the dramatic contrast between the country’s quality of life and the increasingly hostile political and social realities she sees elsewhere in the world.
Smoulder says the record addresses real-world issues while exploring a growing sense of alienation in an era where technology has made global communication easier than ever.
The band’s willingness to explore new territory should come as little surprise. Smoulder has consistently treated epic power doom metal as a starting point rather than a limitation. The band’s musical evolution has also included increasingly prominent black and death metal influences, something that is expected to become even more apparent once the group takes the new material to the stage.
The cover artwork for Witch Wife In An Alien World was created by British fantasy and horror illustrator Ian Miller , whose extensive résumé includes work associated with Warhammer , Magic: The Gathering , Wizards and numerous fantasy and horror publications. Miller has also created artwork for metal acts including Stormkeep and Ulthar.
Unlike Smoulder’s previous two albums, 2018’s Times Of Obscene Evil And Wild Daring and 2023’s Violent Creed Of Vengeance , which featured artwork by legendary illustrator Michael Whelan, the new cover is intended to reflect the darker and more uncomfortable themes explored throughout the album.
With the album completed, Smoulder’s attention is turning toward the live arena.
The band’s current live lineup includes musicians with backgrounds in death and black metal, including guitarist Nigge of Finnish black-thrash outfit Terror Cross. According to Sarah Ann, the goal is to make Smoulder’s live performance heavier, darker and more crushing than ever.
“Having a crushing live show has become priority number one for us,” she said.
She added: “You have choices as a band: you can go the costumes route, go the lightning and props route, or go the lurid and atmospheric and dark. All choices are valid, but for us, the final option resonated.”
Witch Wife In An Alien World will be released through Cruz Del Sur Music in multiple formats, including CD, vinyl LP and digital editions. The vinyl edition will feature a foiled cover, 12-page booklet, poster and download code.
Pre order: https://smoulder.bandcamp.com/album/witch-wife-in-an-alien-world
Witch Wife In An Alien World Track Listing:



“Water Wars”
“Shadow Of The Vulture”
“Noitien Loitsu”
“Crush The Neophytes”
“Empathy’s Wrath”
“Their Name Lives On”
“Cathedral Of The Trees”
“Smouldering Remains”

With Witch Wife In An Alien World , Smoulder appears ready to once again prove that “epic doom metal” doesn’t have to mean standing still. The band is taking its traditional heavy metal roots, throwing black metal, doom, speed metal and increasingly confrontational lyrical themes into the cauldron, and seeing what crawls out.
And judging from “Water Wars,” whatever it is, it’s going to be loud.
Watch the “Water Wars” video premiere via Decibel and pre-order Witch Wife In An Alien World through Cruz Del Sur Music. https://www.decibelmagazine.com/2026/08/21/track-premiere-smoulder-water-wars/

Ghost Hounds have released their new single “Pale Horse,” a track from the band’s new album, Justified, out now via Maple House Records.

“Pale Horse” pairs stomping drums with heavy guitar work while continuing a larger narrative that the band began exploring on previous songs “Something Wicked” and “Sinner’s Prayer.”

“If ‘Something Wicked’ is the Prelude, ‘Pale Horse’ is Chapter 1. When Thomas initially brought this song to me and Tyler, following ‘Something Wicked’ and ‘Sinner’s Prayer’, it became clear to me that this project had a clear concept. A story told in books, movies, even TV shows- stories about an Apocalypse and the end of the world as we know it… a story that is rarely put to song and I think that’s made it all the more exciting! Thomas started playing this eerily cool riff, Tyler caught onto it immediately and I listened to the riff and read the lyrics, the melody of the chorus felt like it wanted to be anthemic. ‘Pale Horse’ has quickly become a band favorite but moreover, this song begs the question, are we living in the times the old folks warned us about?” SAVNT said.

The band has also released an official music video for “Pale Horse.”

The song arrives alongside Justified, which finds Ghost Hounds continuing to blend rock, blues, soul and country influences. The album centers on themes of redemption and resilience while expanding the roots-rock sound the group has developed across its previous releases.

Ghost Hounds are fronted by SAVNT, whose influences range from Sam Cooke, Prince and Lenny Kravitz to Willie Nelson, Keith Urban and Brooks & Dunn. He joined Ghost Hounds before the band went on to perform stadium dates opening for The Rolling Stones.

The group also includes founder, producer and guitarist Thomas Tull, guitarist Tyler Chiarelli, fiddle player Kristin Weber, keyboardist Joe Munroe, bassist Bennett Miller and drummer Sydney Driver.

“The way Thomas writes, he knows what the guy in his song had for breakfast that morning. He’s really building a character,” SAVNT said.

Justified is available now via Maple House Records.

The post Ghost Hounds unleash “Pale Horse” appeared first on Blues Rock Review.