This morning, two major forces announced they would be putting their proverbial heads together and releasing what should be a crazy record. Napalm Death and Melvins are no strangers to one another and now on April 10, they’ll be releasing Savage Imperial Death March via Ipecac Recordings.
Described as a “true collaboration — not a split, but a new album featuring members of both bands,” one can only imagine how wild this thing’s gonna get. Of course, the album title is the same name as the two bands’ tours from 2016 and 2025.
Napalm Death’s Shane Embury said he and the rest of the guys were excited to put this album out.
“I have loved the Melvins forever and their outlook on music. A chance to make an album of eclectic musical madness with them was truly an honor and a whole lot of fun, which surely is the whole point! Let’s do another one soon.”
Similarly, Melvins’ Buzz Osbourne gushed about his time with Napalm Death.
“Napalm Death are one of my favorite bands ever. It was an absolute pleasure and a dream come true to do this collaboration with them. We wrote songs together. I would write a riff and we would learn it and record it right there. They wrote stuff and we would learn it immediately as well. It was truly a 50/50 partnership.”
In addition to the album announcement, the duo put out the album’s first single “Tossing Coins Into The Fountain Of Fuck”. You can check that out below.
Savage Imperial Death March won’t be available until April, but you can preorder your copy today.
photo by Peter Gannushkin Soloist EMILY RACH BEISEL unveils the details of her alluring and introspective second album, Sumptuous Branching, through Chicagoâs avant/exploratory label Amalgam in April. EMILY RACH BEISEL is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, […]
James McMurtry does not talk much, and he does not volunteer myth. He answers questions carefully, sometimes obliquely, often economically, as if every word costs something. That reserve has become part of his public character, as recognizable as the stark clarity of his songs. McMurtry is a listener first, a keen observer of language and […]
Bring Me The Horizon announced a worldwide cinema event capturing their sold-out performance at São Paulo’s Allianz Parque Stadium, screening March 25 and 28 in theatres across 35+ countries. The band unveiled the trailer today for L.I.V.E. in São Paulo (Live Immersive Virtual Experiment), a filmed concert that played to 50,000 fans at the Brazilian stadium last year.
The cinema release comes via Trafalgar Releasing, Sony Music Vision, and RCA, with tickets on sale now through bmth.live. Countries include the USA, UK, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and Brazil. The film was co-directed by CiRCUS HEaD and uses multi-camera coverage, drone footage, and fan-submitted content to capture the performance. The band called it their best show yet.
The film expands the visual universe of the POST HUMAN series, blending cinematic production with raw fan perspectives and character cameos including E.V.E, Selene, and M8. The setlist spans the band’s catalogue from Sempiternal and That’s the Spirit through amo and the POST HUMAN albums, covering the evolution of their sound over the past decade.
Watch the trailer below:
Bring Me The Horizon have sold over 6.6 million albums worldwide and accumulated more than 9.4 billion global streams. The band has won BRIT Awards and earned Grammy nominations, establishing themselves as one of the biggest acts in modern rock. The São Paulo show represented a peak moment for a band that has consistently pushed scale and spectacle in their live performances.
The band will release L.I.V.E. IN SÃO PAULO as a live album on April 10 across all major streaming platforms, with vinyl and CD/DVD editions available. The cinema event runs for two nights only, with full screening details and ticketing available now at bmth.live.
On this edition of the “Popcast” Song of the Week, our critic Jon Caramanica dives into Zach Bryan’s “Appetite,” a redemptive and contemplative track about “the horrors that you visited upon yourself.”
Melvins and Napalm Death announced Savage Imperial Death March, a collaborative album arriving April 10 via Ipecac Recordings. The project pulls its name from the bands’ joint tours in 2016 and 2025 but marks their first full-length studio collaboration, with members of both bands writing and recording together rather than splitting the release.The first track, Tossing Coins Into The Fountain Of Fuck, premiered yesterday on SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal with Jose Mangin. The album was recorded at the Melvins’ Los Angeles studio with Buzz Osborne on vocals and guitar, Dale Crover on drums, Napalm Death’s Barney Greenway on vocals, Shane Embury on bass, and John Cooke on guitar. Osborne described the sessions as immediate, with both bands writing riffs and learning them on the spot. “We wrote songs together. I would write a riff and we would learn it and record it right there. They wrote stuff and we would learn it immediately as well. It was truly a 50/50 partnership.”
Embury called the collaboration “eclectic musical madness” and said working with the Melvins was “truly an honour and a whole lot of fun.” Greenway referenced collecting hard-to-find Melvins seven-inches on Bleecker Street in 1989, adding, “Had a great time with it all, and nice to work with fellow travellers in the Melvins who also couldn’t care about pandering to ‘demographics.’”
The eight-song album will be released on CD, digitally, and across four limited-edition vinyl variants: Black As Your Soul, Indie Exclusive Obnoxious Orchid, Ipecac Exclusive Absurd Aqua, and Revolver Exclusive Neon Coral. An abbreviated version of the album was released during the bands’ 2025 tour as a hyper-limited vinyl and CD edition. This version features new artwork by Mackie Osborne and two additional tracks, Awful Handwriting and Comparison Is The Thief Of Joy.
The Melvins play Sick New World this spring with California headlining dates surrounding the festival appearance. Napalm Death are currently touring Europe ahead of their North American trek later this spring. Pre-orders for Savage Imperial Death March are available now.
The 1960s reshaped popular music in ways that still ripple through every guitar-driven genre today. At the start of the decade, blues remained largely rooted in regional traditions, played in clubs, bars, and small venues by artists whose influence far outweighed their commercial success. By the end of the decade, that same music had become the backbone of a global rock movement.
Young musicians in Britain and America began studying the records of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, B.B. King, Elmore James, and John Lee Hooker with almost academic intensity. They learned the phrasing, the rhythms, and the emotional language of the blues, then amplified it with louder equipment, longer solos, and a new sense of ambition.
What emerged was blues rock, a style that respected tradition while refusing to be limited by it. Some artists leaned into experimentation. Others focused on raw power. Many found ways to balance authenticity with innovation. Together, they built a foundation that still supports the genre today.
These ten artists did not simply follow that movement. They helped define it.
Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix did not just change the sound of the guitar. He changed the expectations surrounding it. Before his arrival, even the most celebrated players operated within recognizable boundaries. Hendrix erased many of those boundaries almost overnight.
When he reached London in 1966, he entered a scene already filled with elite musicians. Yet within months, he was being spoken about in reverent tones by players who had previously dominated the conversation. His technique was extraordinary, but what truly set him apart was his imagination. He approached the guitar as a vehicle for emotion, texture, and atmosphere rather than simply a lead instrument.
His early albums, including Are You Experienced, Axis: Bold as Love, and Electric Ladyland, mapped out an entirely new vocabulary. “Red House” revealed his deep connection to traditional blues forms, while “Little Wing,” “Voodoo Child,” and “All Along the Watchtower” showed how far he was willing to stretch those roots.
Live performances elevated his reputation even further. Monterey Pop and Woodstock were not just famous appearances. They were moments when audiences realized they were witnessing something unprecedented. Hendrix’s mastery of feedback, dynamics, and tone never overshadowed the emotional core of his playing. The blues remained central, even at his most experimental.
Eric Clapton
Eric Clapton’s rise during the 1960s was built on discipline, study, and deep respect for American blues traditions. Long before international fame, he was known in London for his obsession with records by Freddie King, B.B. King, and Buddy Guy.
His breakthrough came with John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers. The album Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton introduced a thick, sustained tone that became the gold standard for British blues guitarists. It was not just about volume. It was about clarity, phrasing, and emotional control.
Cream pushed Clapton into new territory. With Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, he began exploring extended improvisation and heavier arrangements. Songs like “Crossroads” and “Badge” blended traditional structures with modern power, helping define the sound of late-1960s blues rock.
What separated Clapton from many contemporaries was his restraint. He rarely played simply to impress. His solos felt conversational, shaped by timing and nuance. By the end of the decade, he had become one of the most influential guitarists in the world.
Cream
Cream represented a radical shift in how blues-based bands could operate. As a power trio, they stripped arrangements down to their core and rebuilt them through volume and improvisation. Rather than treating songs as fixed structures, Cream treated them as frameworks. Onstage, tracks regularly expanded into long explorations where each member pushed the others toward new ideas. This approach added unpredictability and excitement to their performances.
Albums such as Fresh Cream, Disraeli Gears, and Wheels of Fire captured different sides of the band, from tight studio craftsmanship to sprawling live jams. Their ability to balance accessibility with experimentation set a new standard.
Despite their brief career, Cream’s influence was enormous. They demonstrated that blues rock could be technically ambitious without sacrificing emotional impact, opening doors for later hard rock and progressive acts.
The Rolling Stones
Before becoming one of the world’s biggest rock bands, The Rolling Stones were devoted blues disciples. Their earliest rehearsals revolved around learning American blues standards and studying the recordings of their heroes. This foundation shaped everything they did. Even as their songwriting evolved, blues remained embedded in their musical identity. Brian Jones’ slide guitar work and Keith Richards’ riff-based approach created a gritty, distinctive sound, while Mick Jagger’s vocals reflected deep blues phrasing.
Albums such as Aftermath and Beggars Banquet revealed how thoroughly the band had absorbed these influences. Songs like “Midnight Rambler” and “Sympathy for the Devil” carried blues sensibilities into broader musical territory.
Perhaps more than any other group, the Stones helped bring blues music into mainstream youth culture. Their success encouraged listeners to explore the original artists who inspired them.
Buddy Guy
Buddy Guy served as a living bridge between traditional Chicago blues and the emerging rock generation. During the 1960s, he was already an established figure on the blues circuit, but his influence grew as younger musicians began studying his work. His stage presence, wild bends, and expressive phrasing directly inspired Hendrix and Clapton.
Guy’s performances were explosive and unpredictable. He pushed the boundaries of what blues guitar could sound like, both technically and emotionally. Though mainstream recognition came later, his impact on 1960s blues rock was immense and enduring.
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac’s original incarnation revolved around Peter Green’s introspective guitar style. Unlike many contemporaries, Green favored subtlety over aggression, creating a sound defined by space and emotional depth.
Influenced heavily by B.B. King, Green developed a voice that was instantly recognizable. His playing conveyed vulnerability as much as confidence, giving early Fleetwood Mac a distinctive identity.
Their late-1960s recordings emphasized mood and atmosphere. Fleetwood Mac and Mr. Wonderful balanced traditional blues forms with personal expression, while “Black Magic Woman” and “Albatross” revealed Green’s melodic instincts.
This era proved that blues rock could be powerful without being loud. Restraint became part of the band’s appeal.
Paul Butterfield Blues Band
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band played a crucial role in bringing authentic Chicago blues into the rock mainstream. Led by harmonica player Paul Butterfield and featuring musicians like Mike Bloomfield and Elvin Bishop, the group combined technical skill with deep cultural awareness.
Their early albums, including The Paul Butterfield Blues Band and East-West, blended traditional material with extended improvisation. The title track of East-West in particular became a landmark for its exploratory structure.
The band’s integrated lineup and collaborations with veteran blues artists helped bridge social and musical divides. They demonstrated that authenticity and innovation could reinforce one another.
Johnny Winter
Johnny Winter arrived near the end of the decade but made an immediate impact. His fiery slide work, piercing tone, and relentless energy injected new intensity into blues rock.
After gaining national attention, Winter released Johnny Winter and Second Winter, showcasing both technical brilliance and deep blues roots. His playing drew from Texas traditions while embracing rock’s aggression.
Winter’s live performances became central to his reputation. His appearance at Woodstock confirmed his status as one of the era’s most exciting performers and pointed toward the heavier direction blues rock would take in the 1970s.
Canned Heat
Canned Heat approached blues rock with the mindset of historians as much as musicians. Bob Hite and Alan Wilson possessed extensive knowledge of early blues recordings, and that scholarship shaped their sound.
Their music leaned heavily toward boogie and country blues traditions, making it both accessible and authentic. Albums like Boogie with Canned Heat and Living the Blues produced enduring songs that captured the spirit of the era.
Through collaborations with artists such as John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat also helped revive interest in older blues figures, strengthening the genre’s connection to its roots.
John Mayall
John Mayall was not simply a performer. He was an architect of the British blues scene. Through his band, the Bluesbreakers, Mayall created an environment where young musicians could study, develop, and refine their craft. Eric Clapton, Peter Green, Mick Taylor, and many others passed through his ranks.
Mayall insisted on deep engagement with American blues traditions. His recordings emphasized authenticity, respect, and technical discipline. Albums like Blues Breakers with Eric Clapton and A Hard Road became foundational texts for the movement.
Without Mayall’s mentorship and vision, the British blues explosion of the 1960s would have been far less cohesive.
Following their breakout debut Better Days, Western Mass trio Hedge has announced a new six-song EP titled Freeze Frame, High Five. Arriving March 27 via Best Brother Records, the EP is preceded by the melodic new single “Hey Dude.” Vocalist Christopher Chaisson describes the track as a tribute to the bands that shaped his youth, […]
Flore Laurentienne released “Fleuve VII” today, the second single from Volume III, which arrives April 10 on Secret City Records. The track continues composer Mathieu David Gagnon’s series of pieces built from the same chord progression rearranged in different sequences, a compositional constraint he describes as evoking the ever-changing character of the St. Lawrence River.
The new album marks the end of a trilogy Gagnon started in 2019 with Volume I, conceived partly as homage to L’Infonie’s Volume 3, the first album from the cult Quebec collective that mixed jazz, prog, and classical music in the 1970s. Unlike his first three records, most of Volume III was developed with his seven-piece band during residencies and concerts before studio recording, shifting his process from solitary composition toward collaborative arrangement.
For the album sessions, Gagnon expanded beyond his core group to work with a 19-piece string orchestra, a cello quartet, a drum duo, and a guest harp duo. His regular touring ensemble includes violinists Mélanie Bélair and Chantal Bergeron, violist Ligia Paquin, cellists Annie Gadbois and Jean-Christophe Lizotte, drummer Robbie Kuster, and multi-instrumentalist Antoine Létourneau-Berger, with Léandre Bourgeois handling live sound engineering. The band members contributed to arrangements during the writing process, a shift from how Gagnon worked on earlier releases.
Gagnon’s music has had a busy year in commercial placements. Three pieces from his 2023 album 8 tableaux appear in Nino, the César-nominated film directed by Pauline Loquès and starring Théodore Pellerin. “Petit piano” from Volume I soundtracks Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2026 campaign featuring Jeremy Allen White. He also worked with Moog Music on a video demonstrating his use of the Minimoog, the analog synthesizer that anchors Flore Laurentienne’s sound onstage.
The project tours Europe this spring with dates at Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar Room in London, La Botanique in Brussels, and Centre des Arts in Enghien-les-Bains, along with stops in Bratislava, Prague, and Düdingen. The run precedes a Maison Symphonique show on June 26 as part of the Montreal International Jazz Festival, followed by the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on June 27. Since releasing Volume I in 2020, Flore Laurentienne has picked up three Félix awards, two GAMIQ awards, and a Polaris Music Prize long list spot.
Gagnon frames Volume III around cycles of growth and decay, light emerging from chaos. The opening track “Fleurs” recalls the sound of Volume II, while the closer “À travers les Chablis” points toward whatever comes next.
Flore Laurentienne Tour Dates Thursday, April 9 – Bratislava, SK – Nova Cvernovka Friday, April 10 – Prague, CZ – Palac Akropolis – Spectaculare Festival Saturday, April 11 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall – Elgar Room Tuesday, April 14 – Brussels, BE – Botanique – Rotonde Wednesday, April 15 – Düdingen, CH – Bad Bonn Thursday, April 16 – Enghien-les-Bains, FR – Centre des Arts Friday, June 26 – Montreal, QC – Maison Symphonique (Montreal International Jazz Festival) Saturday, June 27 – Ottawa, ON – National Arts Center (Ottawa Jazz Festival) Saturday, October 24 – Sherbrooke, QC – Granada Theatre
