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AVALAND’s third studio album “Chemical Poetry” is coming on October 30 via Storytium SAS. “This album is like a movie, a musical, or a play. Each song is unique, bringing the listener in a specific mood, atmosphere, and questioning”, the French band proudly describes. Indeed, the fantasy adventure metal opera “Chemical Poetry” takes listeners on a musical and emotional roller […]

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Like many musical artists, When Rivers Meet could have easily met their ending during the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic. Instead, they relied on online performances and conducted a weekly livestream to survive, then held on and waited.

On June 19, their brand new album, Rhythm Rust and Static, was officially released. The band, consisting of the husband-and-wife team of Aaron and Grace Bond, offers a collection of ten original tracks that listeners have described as a mixture of blues, rock, Americana, and folk.

Early in their career, Grace Bond performed in a Meat Loaf tribute band while Aaron played with various local rock bands. In 2016, the couple performed as Holmes and Bond, traveling in their Volkswagen camper van and playing anywhere they could. This marks When Rivers Meet’s fifth studio album, in addition to a collection of four live recordings, two compilation albums, and two EPs.

They have become hugely popular in the United Kingdom and have received multiple awards from the UK Blues Awards organization. Their success and popularity are even more extraordinary when you consider that these accomplishments were earned without the benefit of a record label or management.

Rhythm Rust and Static is the musical culmination of Grace Bond (vocals, mandolin, and violin) and Aaron Bond’s (guitar and vocals) current creative journey. Additional credits go to James Fox (vocals, guitar, and percussion), while the songwriting is shared by Fox, the Bonds, and Adam Bowers. Together, they have created another impressive recording.

The ten tracks feature outstanding musicianship, strong vocals, and a tremendous amount of originality. It is honestly difficult to place their music into any single genre. At different points while listening to this album, I hear a hodgepodge of styles and influences that make When Rivers Meet a truly unique band.

Rhythm Rust and Static opens with “The Tide Is Turning,” a terrific rocker that immediately grabs your attention. Grace Bond sings, “A record’s playing through a closing door. I swear I’ve heard that sound before. I know the tide is turning.” This tune may well reflect the band’s career so far and their realization that things are beginning to change for the better in their professional lives.

“Caught In The Middle” opens with a great guitar riff. “I know I’m falling by the wayside and I can feel it coming,” sings Aaron Bond, followed by Grace Bond with, “I’m caught in the middle, caught in the middle once more.” It’s a song about knowing something isn’t good for you but still being drawn back to it. Is there anybody out there who can identify with that? I sure can.

I love the guitar opening of “Fatal Attraction” and Aaron Bond singing, “Step into my parlour said the spider to the fly. Promise I won’t catch you in a web of lies.” He goes on to sing, “Damn this fatal attraction, I’m doing these things I shouldn’t do.”

What this song is about is pretty clear. It’s about being attracted to the things we know are no good for us and being tempted over and over again. Every once in a while, even though we try to do better, that temptation comes back around, and before you know it, you’re doing the things you know you shouldn’t do.

The final track on Rhythm Rust and Static is “Bring Life,” a beautiful tune that has to be, at least in part, about Aaron and Grace Bond’s new baby, who arrived in March. I love the harmony when they sing, “Bringing life into the world. A story waiting to be told. And I know my life is changing too. Bringing life into the world.” It’s a wonderful way to close the album.

When Rivers Meet has taken another positive step in its blossoming career with the release of Rhythm Rust and Static, and I’m fairly sure we’ll be hearing more great music from them in the future.

After checking, I found that the songs from this album, complete with lyrics, are available on YouTube, along with other music from the band. They’ll be touring the UK from July through October. If you have the opportunity, check for future tour dates and go see them live.

The Review: 7.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– The Tide Is Turning
– Caught In The Middle
– Fatal Attraction
– Bring Life

The Big Hit

– Bring Life

The post When Rivers Meet: Rhythm Rust and Static Review appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

It still feels ridiculous to say this, but Sugar, the extremely sick alt-rock power trio that Bob Mould led in the ’90s, are back together. They’re playing shows, and they’re putting out new music. Since reassembling last year, Sugar have released two singles, “House Of Dead Memories” and “Long Live Love.” The band will sell a limited 7″ with both songs on the dates of their upcoming North American tour. Today, they drop a third song, and it’s about phone addiction and AI thievery, two problems that didn’t exist during Sugar’s first run.

The post Sugar – “Keep Looping” appeared first on Stereogum.

Derbyshire Blues-rockers, These Wicked Rivers, release a new single titled ‘Horse To Water’ from their forthcoming third studio album ‘Fire and Folklore’ set for release via Fat Earth Records, October 2nd 2026. The new single, ‘Horse To Water’ draws on a difficult subject matter close to the band’s heart. It confronts the reality of addiction, […]

The post These Wicked Rivers Release New Single ‘Horse To Water’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

Soulseller Records proudly announces the signing of MØRKGRIM. Hailing from western Norway and Sweden, MØRKGRIM is a Norwegian/Swedish Folk-Black Metal entity devoted to occult heathen Norse traditions and the darker currents of the old ways. The upcoming debut, a concept album entitled “Sǫgur frá Norðfirði” (means “Tales from Nordfjord”), will be released on October 2nd 2026. A […]

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Necrosonic Festival returns to the Mansfield Tavern on Saturday, August 22 2026, and the full lineup has been revealed to the masses! With dual headliners Rivers of Nihil (USA) and our very own Psycroptic, alongside exclusive reunions, one-off performances and long-awaited resurrections ~ this year’s ritual is the most formidable yet. With a massive deference […]

On June 26th internationally, Caligari Records will release Citrinitas‘ highly anticipated second demo, Telestic Ekstasis, on cassette tape format. And today, the No Gleaming Light YouTube channel streams the demo in its entirety. Hear Citrinitas‘ Telestic Ekstasis in its entirety exclusively HERE. At the beginning of this year, Caligari revealed Unending Descent, the public debut of Finland’s Citrinitas. Mysterious to the extreme, the 13-minute demo was a multi-layered meltdown at the […]

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When it comes to alternative music, Canada may as well be the Phantom Zone: so many artists who fill arenas and enjoy legend status in the Great White North find themselves playing to far fewer people whenever they step beyond the border. Billy Talent and Alexisonfire aren’t as big here as they are at home, where pretty much everything they do charts in the top 10, but they’re each still pioneers of millennial post-hardcore with cult international followings. London demonstrates its dedication tonight, as thousands of fans come out during a 35-degree heatwave to see them play their respective 2006 albums in full.

“Tonight is all about gratitude,” says BILLY TALENT vocalist Benjamin Kowalewicz. The opening co-headliners swagger their way through second effort II with genuine glee, and during such standouts as Devil In A Midnight Mass, Red Flag and Fallen Leaves, Wembley Arena reaches the same level of joy, singing along en masse. The highlight of the set, though, is the video production the four-piece have brought with them. Throughout, vocal hooks from Kowalewicz and guitar lines from Ian D’Sa are paired with footage of the band laying down the exact same part in clubs 20 years ago. The videos run in perfect sync with the performance, making for a pleasing full-circle moment.

But, the second the Mississaugans leave the stage, it’s obvious who the crowd’s really here for. A wave of tatted, skate-apparel-sporting punks instantly surges forward in anticipation of ALEXISONFIRE, so enthusiastic that they’re happy to be rammed together in this scorching weather. The St Catharines aggressors stride out under ironic archive footage of the 1977 New York snowstorm, which inspired the imagery of their lauded breakthrough album Crisis.

Drunks, Lovers, Sinners And Saints starts with a declaration of their DIY ethos – “This is from our hearts! Sincerity over simple chords!” – which London recites like a pledge of allegiance. What follows is both rawer and more dynamic than the first show of the night, screamer George Pettit leading the band through passages of rampant hardcore before co-singers/guitarists Dallas Green and Wade MacNeil steal the grand, melodic highs. This Could Be Anywhere In The World, Boiled Frogs and the title track are all time-tested favourites that get a pit swirling in between moments of sweet reprieve.

It’s testament to Crisis’ excellence that, unlike so many front-loaded album-in-full sets we’ve seen, the deep cuts keep the energy high. Keep It On Wax hasn’t been played live since 2012, yet the audience fills in the gaps during MacNeil’s cries of “I! I guess! The only thing cheap to you is your friends!” Many a phone is held high for the following To A Friend, as Green flexes the vocal muscles that have made his indie solo project, City And Colour, a chart-topping juggernaut in its own right.

2006 b-side Thrones is played for the first time ever during the encore, cementing this evening as a truly special occasion. As Alexis then default to early hits Pulmonary Archery and Happiness By The Kilowatt, the set ends with the kind of rich, textured but savage material which made them once-in-a-generation. The self-described ‘only band ever’ have once again proved why no one else matters.

Billy Talent setlist: Wembley Arena, London – June 24, 2026

1. Devil In A Midnight Mass
2. Red Flag
3. This Suffering
4. Worker Bees
5. Pins And Needles
6. Fallen Leaves
7. Where Is The Line?
8. Covered In Cowardice
9. Surrender
10. The Navy Song
11. Perfect World
12. Sympathy
13. Burn The Evidence
14. Rusted From The Rain
15. Devil On My Shoulder
16. Reckless Paradise
17. Viking Death March

Alexisonfire setlist: Wembley Arena, London – June 24, 2026

1. Drunks, Lovers, Sinners And Saints
2. This Could Be Anywhere In The World
3. Mailbox Arson
4. Boiled Frogs
5. We Are The Sound
6. You Burn First
7. We Are The End
8. Crisis
9. Keep It On Wax
10. To A Friend
11. Rough Hands
12. Thrones (live debut)
13. Pulmonary Archery
14. Happiness By The Kilowatt

At the time of this posting, we are a just about three and a half months away from the 2026 edition of the famed New York Comic Con which will … Continue reading Flashback: New York Comic Con’s 2025 Photo Gallery Videos →

He was the Grammy-winning singer of "Spinning Wheel" and "You've Made Me So Very Happy." Continue reading…