Category: news

Finnish GRAIN OF PAIN released their second full-length album, Behind Us All, on March 27, 2026, via Noble Demon. Led by Timo Solonen, the formation further deepens the dark, melodic doom/death metal approach established on The Moon Lights The Way, placing equal emphasis on heavy guitar themes, melancholic melodies, and the emotional weight often associated […]

Source

Savatage is one of those rare bands that has had more than one classic lineup, and in their case, the first of them was mostly in place by the time 1986’s misguided Fight For the Rock dropped. While their previous album, Power of the Night, was a far more commercial and radio-friendly affair than the two albums that preceded it, their debut with powerhouse bassist Johnny Lee Middleton was a poorly thought-out and poorly executed continuation in that direction.

The album also performed poorly, so Savatage decided to confer with veteran producer Paul O’Neill, under whose guidance the band reinvented themselves as a quasi-progressive – and quite aggressive – metal band on the following year’s excellent Hall of the Mountain King. The songwriting was both epic and concise, the performances absolute fire, and the response rabid. A muddy mix and an embarrassing music video for the title track notwithstanding, it was clear that Savatage had found their voice. All they needed to do next was hit the gas, which they began doing by bringing Jersey kid Chris Caffery into the fold for the following tour.

What followed was nothing short of Savatage’s creative peak. Under O’Neill’s guidance, the band began exploring their more theatrical tendencies without betraying their metal roots, and Gutter Ballet strikes the perfect balance between heaviness and opulence. It certainly didn’t hurt that the band effortlessly infused epics like “Gutter Ballet” and ballads like “When the Crowds Are Gone” into their infamously crushing concerts without sacrificing an ounce of that heaviness. Savatage’s 1989-1990 era would come to be regarded by diehards as the band’s live and creative peak, and later live albums from this era stand as compelling evidence in support of this argument even all these decades later.

This is why Madness Reigns From the Gutter is such a welcome album. Not only does it do a damn fine job capturing a band my inner teenager still regards as fucking magical, it also offers a rare glimpse into the band during that curious transitional period between their shamelessly metallic roots and the dive into Broadway metal that would define much of their later output.

Disclosure: Savatage was my favorite band by a significant margin for most of my teenage years, and while with the benefit of hindsight I have many criticisms, my adoration for this band – and this era in particular – has never wavered. I must also confess to a fascination with bands in their transitional phases, Damaged Justice-era Metallica and Marillion’s early Hogarth years, for example.

Madness Reigns From the Gutter could only outdo its outstanding peek into a phase I was too young to enjoy in the moment (I was an eleven-year old synthpop kid when this tour took place) with an accompanying DVD, for which I’m damn near certain the video footage simply does not exist. What a damn shame. I’ve previously written – and I stand by this a good quarter-century later – that Ghost in the Ruins/ Final Bell ranks right up there with Iron Maiden’s legendary Live After Death, and full concert footage of either of these Savatage live albums are among the very few things I’d sit down and watch today.

The time: June 29, 1990. The place: The Palace, near the corner of Vine and Hollywood in sunny El Lay. The tour: in support of Gutter Ballet. And the reason for recording the show: a live radio broadcast of the set, presumably on Z-Rock or KNAC. The band wastes no time in getting things nice and heavy – set opener “City Beneath the Surface” allows madman Jon Oliva to greet his adoring fans with a jovial “Hi! Welcome to hell!” only to follow with a song about freaking cocaine, another about terrorism and nuclear annihilation, and still another about a really horny young woman.

As expected, the band is fucking lit throughout – the Elder Oliva screeches like a damn banshee and dominates the audience with the humor and aplomb only the most charismatic front-men command, while Middleton holds down the fort in conjunction with the inimitable Dr Killdrums (whose performances must be seen to be believed – I only learned that by seeing him play at Progpower USA in 2004). The addition of Caffery on both rhythm guitar and the occasional keyboard allows the Younger Oliva, the irreplaceable Criss, to really let loose on lead guitar. The man possessed a flair for the dramatic that matched the dynamics his band flaunted, and to this day I remain unconvinced that even the most advanced guitarists of the current neo-shred era would have been able to carry Savatage to the heights they attained during their time with him.

Criss was of a rare breed, a shredder who wasn’t showy, a blistering soloist who remained humble enough to allow the song dictate to him. The Younger Oliva didn’t merely play guitar – he sang with it, and his playing shines through as a singular, intangible voice that no other player before or since has been able to approach, regardless of their proficiency. To hear the Younger Oliva solo is to hear a soul baring itself. There’s no feeling like it, and being able to hear it on Madness Reigns From the Gutter is a goddamn privilege.

Which raises my one complaint about the mix: why isn’t the Younger Oliva’s guitar just a hair louder in the mix? It goes without saying that the target demographic for this release regards Criss as one of the finest of his craft. While the mix is outstanding in every other way – Middleton’s bass is especially prominent but by no means overpowering – the latent guitarist in me aches to hear the Oliva I’ll never see perform wail away in all his glory. At several moments during this absolutely stellar performance – during “Crowds,” for example, where Criss is absolutely weeping with his fingertips, or “Hounds,” where he’s running for dear life – I find myself absolutely bleeding to more clearly be reminded why Criss is still my favorite guitarist of all time, over thirty-three years after first hearing him.

I must state, though, that despite this single but considerable gripe, it is not only refreshing to hear classics like “24 Hours Ago” and “Strange Wings”  presented with production worthy of the material, it’s also an absolute delight to hear a band at their creative and performative apex captured with such formidable fidelity. If this is the closest I’ll ever come to witnessing this iteration of Savatage at this particular stage in their career, I’ll f*cking take it.

Side note: “Crowds” is also noteworthy for the additional work Criss lays down over Jon’s final, inconsolable verse (“I wasted my time until time wasted me”), where what surely started as licks improvised in the rehearsal room meant to heighten the tension of that famously despondent lament are heard evolving into what would become the harmony solo on “Believe,” the closing cut of the following year’s Streets. I’ll never forget Jon’s surprise when I asked him about that when I interviewed him in advance of the US release of Ghost in the Ruins. “Holy sh*t!” he exclaimed. “I can’t believe you noticed that!”

Another highlight is the aforementioned “Hounds,” which I regard as one of the finest moments in Savatage’s storied career, where the final lick of one of Criss’s finest solos is extended for what seems like an unnerving eternity in order to simulate the terror of said hounds actually hunting you down. “Strange Wings,” which in a just world would have propelled Savatage to stadium status, and the absolutely essential “Gutter Ballet” are both duly served with the fervor they demand, the latter in a mostly unbroken spate of all but one (you already know which one) of their title tracks up to that point, after which we are treated to an unexpected performance of “Thorazine Shuffle,” where Middleton transposes to his instrument what on the studio recording had been a subtly eerie acoustic guitar melody to disquieting effect. Backing tracks? Pfft. Not for these dudes.

Madness Reigns From the Gutter then wraps up with Mountain King’s closing cut,“Devastation,” which turns out to be not just an apt conclusion for this set, but for this era. Caffery would soon leave the band as they proceeded to go full Broadway for Streets, which turned out to be laudable effort and a fitting capstone to the Jon Oliva era of the band, though in retrospect I personally think they went a bit too far. But I digress. What matters is that as excellent a document of this era as Ghost in the Ruins was, Madness Reigns From the Gutter exceeds it in all regards.

Release Date: June 19th, 2026
Record Label: earMUSIC
Genre: Heavy Metal

Musicians:

• Jon Oliva / Vocals, keyboards
• Criss Oliva / Guitars
• Steve Wacholz / Drums
• Johnny Lee Middleton / Bass
• Chris Caffery / Guitars

Madness Reigns From The Gutter Track-list:

1. City Beneath the Surface
2. White Witch
3. Of Rage and War
4. She’s in Love
5. Mentally Yours
6. 24 Hours Ago
7. Legions
8. Strange Wings
9. Hounds
10. Temptation Revelation
11. When the Crowds Are Gone
12. The Dungeons Are Calling
13. Holocaust
14. Sirens
15. Power of the Night
16. Hall of the Mountain King
17. Gutter Ballet
18. Thorazine Shuffle
19. Devastation

Order the album here.

The post SATAVAGE – Madness Reigns From The Gutter (Album Review) appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

In 2002, I spent several weeks travelling in Mongolia, learning about this stunningly vast nation, which is a land of endless steppe. With The Hu set to release their third studio album, HUN, on 24 July via Better Noise Music and an Autumn UK Tour, which will follow a set with Iron Maiden in Knebworth, the chance to spend an hour in the company of Galbadrakh ‘Galaa’ Tsendbaatar and reconnect with Mongolian culture was one not to miss.

The Hu were formed in 2016 in Ulaanbaatar with an aim “to show the versatility of Mongolian ancient instruments and traditional music culture, to the world,” Galaa said. “We have been touring extensively, and through our music, we sing about our ancestral history, the pride as a nation and our philosophical take on life, which can be very different from the West. People seem to resonate and seem to like it, so we’re very happy with what we have accomplished so far.”

The name Galbadrakh Tsendbaatar has a meaning which is quite literal. “The first part of my name is fire,” Galaa said. “An eternal fire, if you will. I am the youngest of my family, and in the Mongolian culture, the youngest son is the one who inherits everything. For my name means fire, but on the other hand, we call our family household the home fire too. So, like my name being an eternal fire, I am the one who would carry the torch of our family tree and move forward.”

To appreciate this is to understand how this underpins his life and your philosophy. Galaa’s symbol is also blue thunder, and this came when The Hu’s producer had an idea of including four elements in the Mongolian culture, wind, lightning, fire and water.

“Because my name is literally fire, I thought that I was gonna play was the fire horse and fiddle [Morin Khuur or horsehead fiddle, nicknamed The Fire]. If you closely see our instruments, those elements are represented. The Toughho basically represents the water and Jaya’s wind instrument represents the wind. Enkush’s horse head fiddle is in the colour of fire, and mine is blue thunder.

“When we first started, and everybody was grabbing all their instruments, I thought I would be grabbing the fire one because my name is Fire. But the producer told me that because of my personality as a human, I was mostly suited to carry the lightning as leader of the group. That’s why I was tasked to represent the blue lightning, and that has stuck with me since then.

This goes a long way in describing the colours and meaning in the language of Mongolia and the language communicated through The Hu’s music. The journey for the band in their earlier days follows the usual pattern of gaining musical influences, along with time spent at Mongolian academies of music.

For Galaa, this journey was one he is still passionate about. “I have so many unsung heroes, like guides. When you’re in the music school, you are exposed to so many different pieces, both modern and traditional.

“For me specifically, there’s a person called Okna Tsahan Zam. The literal translation is The White Road. He is from the Kalmyk nation. He’s an amazing musician. There’s a band called Huun-Huur-Tu, an amazing band of the a federal republic in south-central Siberia people.”

Here, you find a reason why ancestral history, pride as a nation and a philosophical take on life are vital to both The Hu and Galaa. “You have to understand that we’re one ethnic group, right? The division of Mongolia as a nation was really recent. If we think about the vast human history, it just happened.”

Tuva is now a federal republic in south-central Siberia, with a federal republic in south-central Siberia an autonomous republic within the Russian Federation. “But as an ethnic group, we are the same from the same family tree,” Galaa says. “Therefore, our songs and the way we represent the music are the same, so I’m equally inspired by them.”

This makes you think of a land that does not really have borders, of a time of nomadic people to whom the arbitrary lines of modern geography were maybe not so relevant.

HUN is the new album, and this is something special from the Hunnu Rock pioneers. Driven by Galaas’ Morin Khuur and throat singing, the band merge their music with heavy guitars and drums. You wonder if creating for The Hu is an intuitive process, or do they spend time experimenting in the studio to successfully blend the traditional with modern rock instruments.

“I wouldn’t label it as difficult per se,” Galaa says, “because we actually do change up the chords and change up the tuning of our traditional instruments a little bit. Just a little so that it’s easier to play with guitars.

“But, it’s all about balancing. Generally speaking, the guitar riff and the horsehead fiddle riff are similar, right? So, because it’s similar, we’re able to balance it out in ourselves and manipulate it however we want. Using it together is not so much of a problem. Coming up with the song itself, the story and how we’re going to deliver it and the elements of it all requires the most attention and balance.”

We spoke The Hu when they were in Wisconsin. They head out into the US again in August and September with Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson and Orgy, before hitting Europe in October. This is a band that loves to tour, and the way Galaa explains it, they have it organised very well.

“All of us eight members, we try to be very supportive of each other,” he says. “We have each other’s backs. Humour is a great medicine. We like to be humorous at all times, and that helps the band’s morale. When we’re on tour, it keeps the energy very light. Recently, we got into going to the gym. We have been influencing each other, and most of us go to the gym now. We find that like sweating it out helps the most, especially when the humour does not work.”

It may be that a lot of Western audiences encounter The Hu as something novel, possibly as a fusion. To understand it from their perspective, to get to the bottom of how intrinsic Mongolian philosophy and culture are to how an album is built, brings a fresh perspective.

Their new album is brilliant. How would Galaa describe what makes HUN different from previous records to someone new to The Hu?

“I would encourage people to call it the хүн (pronounced khun or hoon),” he says. “Not The HUN. There’s a difference between the two. Because we’re representing Mongolian culture, this album is something that tested our boundaries a lot because we experimented with the songs. We do have some of our traditional songs, but we try to include so many new ones as well.

“HUN means king in Mongolian. There’s also ‘khun’ in the global scale, which means a person or a human. So I would love it if we could call it The хүн, but, you know, we understand.

“We wanted to sing about the simple human life on this earth. The original name was to be ‘between the heaven and earth. Between the sky and earth. But it was too long, and we wanted to just simplify it, so we called it the human because humans do live between heaven and the earth.

“We’re singing about the simple human experiences, good and bad. We wanted to sing about it in a sarcastic way. We wanted to sing it in a way that would be understood. We sing about the good side of it, and what is the important part of the human experiences and what it ‘khun’ to be human. We offer that Mongolian way of thinking on all of these songs, and that’s the very important part of it. We’re simply singing about the human experiences on earth. If it serves as a guide to a good life, we would love that, and if it serves as a reminder to people to find whatever is right for them, that will be great, and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Having spent a couple of weeks horse riding across the north of Murun in Mongolia, it is a very spiritual experience because of the vast open spaces and the closeness to nature. The ‘khun’ is based on Mongolian philosophy and Kimori, which is defined as the inner spirit.

“In Mongolian philosophy, humour is a positive energy that contains inspiration, power, and goodwill,” Galaa explains. “So for us, humour is essential to be high because everyday life will be impacted by how high your energy is and how good your pure intentions are. We prioritise this as a nation. In Mongolian philosophy, that humour needs to be high and needs to be respected.

“So basically, as a human, your intentions and the goals, the positivity and the power and the inspirations, those are the things that you have to guard and have to keep very high. So by separating that concept alone, it encourages people to prioritise themselves, so that you’re a better human. We believe everybody, men and women, as humans, you have humour. It is a very good part of being a good human. An essential part of being a good human, if you will.”

I ask if Kimori is based on Shamanism, Buddhism or a separate belief system developed by the Mongolian people. “Mongolia has a religious freedom and everyone is free to practice whatever they like,” Galaa says. “We don’t see Shamanism as a per religion type of thing. It’s more of a way of living, right? For Buddhism, specifically, I’m not sure if that’s the main religion itself that has the humour sewn into it.

“But humour is a concept that was given by our ancestors and the way of living. Humour is not attached to any type of religion. It is something that we live by, and it’s separate.”

For now, The Hu are bringing traditional Mongolian instruments and Heavy music to the world. “Growing up, as youngsters, the generations above us had formed bands, as any teenagers do,” Galaa says. “In those instances, they had the base of traditional backgrounds. Then they would move on to like playing bass guitar, so they would find solace together.  I definitely knew that it was possible and it wasn’t like an alien concept if you will. We knew that it could be combined and mixed together.”

For a lot of Western audiences, their first experience of Mongolia is through the music of The Hu. Does that create extra pressure or responsibility for you? Galaa says it is nothing negative, “but it’s a lot of responsibility for sure.”

With Mongolian history and concept of wisdom, there are so many more topics for the band to write about in the future. “I always like to say that the Hunnu Rock genre that we introduced to the world is limitless,” Galaa says, “because of the versatility of our traditional music instruments and the way of throat singing.

“Throat singing is something very spiritual for me and something very powerful because the way that we imitate nature like predators, the sound of water, there are so many ways of throat singing. It represents something very deep within.

“I think in that way, it actually makes our songs deep and ancient, and it resonates in your heart because of that. Putting that in the right place is our job. To make it musically sound is our job, and throat singing is a very deep thing for me.”

While The Hu will stay consistent with their roots, there is space and time for an evolution of the Hunnu rock genre. “We’re gonna experiment on so many levels musically and tonality-wise,” Galaa says. “But we’re always gonna keep the roots steady, as you can hear from our third album as well. The content of our songs is limitless. We have the whole of centuries to sing about. We’re gonna connect the present to the past using these, ancient musical instruments, and we’re gonna keep doing what we do. But again, there will be evolution to the concept as well.”

If, after 50 years, someone listens to the music of The Hu, the Galaa hopes that people will think of the “good things that the Mongolian people have offered and brought to human history. There are so many facts that we know of rooted from the Mongolian culture. For example, like the Silk Road, the mailing system, and the core of the human rights convention was implemented in the early Mongolian society, no matter the governmental structure back then.

“We want the world to see. We want to offer how the Mongolian people think. In the distant future, we are known as a nomadic people and we look ahead and try to find the balance of everything in life. Our culture represents that, right? So global warming and all the issues that we have, so much of it was answered by our ancestors.

“We want the good side to be spoken about in 50 years. We won’t deny the bad, but the good was also there as in any human history. So we want that to be a reality as well.”

Next up is the album HUN, out 24 July 2026. “We hope that through our songs, we offer a guide,” Galaa says. “Salvation for some, and wisdom to others, and we hope whoever is listening will get something out of our music that will impact their lives in a positive way.

“Because we did pour our hearts into this craft. Hopefully melodically that will resonate with you in some way, and the lyrics will guide you to something better.”

HUN will be available in digital and CD formats worldwide from 24 July, with multiple vinyl editions and exclusive box sets arriving on 11 September. Pre-orders are available from thehu.lnk.to/hun.

For a full list of dates and tickets, visit the band’s website here.

The post Interview – The Hu: Bringing Mongolian Wisdom To The World Through Music first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

Coal Chamber has announced the cancellation of its Louder Than Life festival appearance to allow drummer Mikey Cox to undergo cancer surgery. Cox revealed in a social media statement that he has passed the necessary medical tests and has received clearance to proceed.

In his statement, Cox wrote: “I’m going to be vulnerable and open about my situation as it directly impacts our fans and family. I’ve been going through a battery of tests to determine whether the cancer has spread to other areas of my body, and I’m grateful to report that all of those tests have come back clean. That has allowed our doctors to finally give us the green light to schedule what we hope will be my final cancer surgery. Out of an abundance of caution and for the sake of my long-term health and recovery, this surgery is going to take me out for the next few weeks, which means we will no longer be able to make our Louder Than Life appearance. As gutted as I am, I know this is the right choice for me and the best choice for the band and our future.”

Cox was diagnosed with Stage 3 cancer on April 1, 2025. In a separate statement, vocalist Dez Fafara addressed fans on his KillerTube channel: “Anytime I’m talking to Mikey, I always end the conversation with, ‘Everything’s gonna be all right.’ The recovery is going to be difficult but we’re ready to support him in every way. We fully expect him to come through this stronger than ever, and then we are going to be back on that stage, I promise you that.” Fafara noted that Coal Chamber’s return to stages at Sick New World 2023 and Inkcarceration 2023 — the band’s first shows in eight years — was an emotionally overwhelming experience: “It was one of the greatest moments of my life. I was not prepared for the emotion of it. I literally cried on stage.”

Coal Chamber was formed in Los Angeles in 1993. The band’s classic lineup features Fafara, guitarists Miguel “Meegs” Rascon and Nadja Peulen, bassist Rayna Foss and Cox. Their four studio albums — Coal Chamber (1997), Chamber Music (1999), Dark Days (2002) and Rivals (2015) — were all released via Roadrunner Records.

The post COAL CHAMBER Cancels Louder Than Life Appearance to Allow Drummer MIKEY COX to Undergo Cancer Surgery appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Early next year, in January and February, power metal masters Sabaton will embark on extensive touring run across their homeland.
Read more…

When I see the words “Greek metal,” the first act I think of is Rotting Christ, the great Athens black metal band that’s been making sacrilegious, lightly Satanic music sound ancient and tribal for decades. But now, a very different metal warrior has emerged from the nation of Greece: Father Dionysios Tabakis, a 53-year-old Greek Orthodox priest who makes devotional microtonal drone music at home and who has never played a live show. Earlier this year, he released his debut album Paradise Metal, a strange and expansive record that has become a bit of an internet sensation.

The post Father Dionysios Tabakis, Greek Orthodox Priest Behind Acclaimed Drone Metal Album, Readies First Live Show appeared first on Stereogum.

by Geoff Bailie

When Jon Davison joined Yes in 2012, it was in the midst of a bit of a crisis. Benoit David had been well received by fans in concert, and the Fly From Here album got great reviews. Unfortunately, like Trevor Horn before him, touring and singing a lot of the back catalogue had taken its toll on Benoit’s voice, and he had to bow out. Davison took up the position initially for a tour, and 14 years later is still the band’s frontman. The first Davison era album, Heaven & Earth, came in 2014 to mixed reactions which, to be honest, have not improved with time. The band have since admitted, the album was rushed, plagued by, perhaps, a poor choice of producer, and so the material did not get fully developed. They took a step back from recording again until 2021’s The Quest, which arrived out of lockdown collaborations, following the sad passing of Chris Squire, and was the first of the (so far) trio of releases on Inside Out Music. 2023’s Mirror To The Sky came following the death of the other member of the rhythm section, Alan White, with long established touring drummer Jay Schellen filling that position, alongside Billy Sherwood on bass. Mirror… felt like a step forward, and the recently released Aurora continues that trajectory.

When we spoke to Jon recently (Interview with Jon Davison), he explained that while this line up had spent many years playing, largely, the Yes catalogue together, the process of working as a recording band creating new material has been evolving over those years.

As a fan of Yes-Whole, The Prog Report set me the challenge of creating a playlist of 10 tracks from the Davison era that really stood out to me. Structured to be a balanced listen in order rather than a top 10, here are my choices:

1. Aurora – from Aurora (2026)

With a piano opening that calls back Awaken, and the magnificent orchestrations of Paul K Joyce, which have featured on the last 3 albums, heralding the arrival of the band, Aurora is a strong opener. The chorus of the song is one that stays with you, and the second part of the song is instrumental with guitar and keyboard soloing, while interacting with the orchestra. It’s a great album opener, and therefore a great playlist opener showing all of the current band members in their best light.

2. To Ascend – from Heaven & Earth (2014)

A shift in tone with this Jon Davison/ Alan White song which starts as an acoustic, pastoral piece. Steve Howe’s Portuguese guitar is an instantly recognisable Yes-Sound, joined by Chris Squire’s bass and distinctive voice, and Geoff Downes’ piano. Alan White’s drumming is gentle, leaving the focus on the vocals and harmonies. There is a really nice acoustic take on this track on the Japanese edition of the album and it was one of the album tracks played live on subsequent tours. If you search on YouTube you can find a version that Jon Davison performed at the Alan White tribute concert in 2023 which segued into I’ve Seen All Good People.

3. The Western Edge – from The Quest (2021)

With a seven year gap and the passing of Squire, Billy Sherwood was established in the band, bringing his bass guitar style and, on this track, his own vocals and writing talents. The Davison/ Sherwood/ Howe vocals form the new Yes Choir, while Steve adds some soaring slide guitar in his distinctive style.

4. All Hands On Deck – from Aurora (2026)

One of the surprise tracks on Aurora, where a heavy Steve Howe riff combines with Sherwood / Schellen to produce this powerful rock tune. Davison sings in a lower register than usual, joined by Howe taking lines in the chorus. The Hammond / guitar combination brings to mind the early Yes albums, before a Moog riff from Downes lands. The song drops back to an acoustic guitar and some atmospheric keys – and 3 minutes and 5 seconds later, it’s gone! It’s one of those tracks that really isn’t anything Yes have done before, and it’s great to see the band unafraid of trying this sort of approach out.

5. Subway Walls – from Heaven & Earth (2014)

For many, this was the stand out track among the under-developed Heaven & Earth songs, and it’s perhaps the most proggy song on the album. Davison and Downes co-wrote it and the latter adds some great Hammond soloing to the middle section before Howe’s guitar joins. It all builds to a busy ending with Steve cutting loose on the guitar. One does wonder, with a bit more time and production consideration whether this could have been developed further – but I enjoy it for what it is.

6. Ariadne – from Aurora (2026)

I haven’t been deliberately avoiding Howe co-writes but this Davison/ Sherwood / Downes retelling of Greek mythology is a really strong collaboration which evolved from The Quest sessions. Schellen is a key player on this one and locks into a triplet shuffle. The various sections combine and reprise in the way that we like best in prog making this a true mini-epic.

7. Circles of Time – from Mirror to the Sky (2023)

After the energetic Ariadne, Jon Davison and Steve Howe’s acoustic duet on this simpler acoustic track is joined by some percussion, additional vocals and electric guitar embellishments. It’s that classic kind of Yes “complex simplicity” that has always been part of their arsenal, and was a great addition to their recent, and hopefully future, cycle of touring.

8. The Ice Bridge – from The Quest (2021)

The first new Yes track we heard in many years was the lead single from The Quest album, and showed the band stepping ahead from the less developed material of the previous album. Sherwood’s bass is strong and the Howe/ Downes guitar / keyboard interplay in the latter part of the track worked well on the subsequent tour as well as on record.

9. Mirror to the Sky – from Mirror to the Sky (2023)

By a few seconds (compared with Aurora’s Counterpoint) this is the longest Yes track of this era and, let’s face it, we love long songs! Beginning with an atypical guitar part from Howe, joined by Downes on piano, and then the full band join with a driving rhythm, again highlighting how strong the current rhythm section can be. Once again the guitars are to the fore, and the opening riff is reprised before a slower section, where the orchestra joins to add subtle colours to the bass and guitar duet. A closing orchestral interlude precedes the return of the band for a rising closing section, instrumentally reprising the chorus melody. It’s a triumphant combination of the strings and horns with the symphonic sounds of the band itself.

10. Watching The River Roll – from Aurora (2026)

Although classed as a bonus track (a phenomenon of the Inside Out albums), Billy Sherwood’s reflection on the passing of time and loved ones is a really fitting end to that album – and this playlist. The Portuguese guitar and then bass drum/ bass guitar thump bring a past Yes classic to mind! The lyrics about the constant state of change could well be about the band itself. Sherwood sings the verses, while Davison joins in the chorus, as Howe adds “watery” guitar tones, supported by Downes’ Moog melodies. The final 90 seconds of this song have, for me, all of what’s great about this current Yes line up: Schellen and Sherwood playing what’s right for the tune, with the right amount of complexity and adventure; Downes’ tasteful keys and soloing; Steve Howe adding multiple guitar colours, some new/ some familiar, and; Jon Davison at the fore with strong vocals, backed by harmonies from the rest of the group.

Have a listen and let me know what you think!

The post 10 Best Songs from Yes Studio Albums 2014 – 2026 appeared first on The Prog Report.

The Warning, the rock trio of sisters Daniela “Dany,” Paulina “Pau” and Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal from Monterrey, Mexico, has announced their fourth studio album, Everything’s Falling, due August 28 via Lava/Republic Records. The announcement arrives alongside “Ritual,” the third single from the record, following “Kerosene” and “Ego.”

The band describes “Ritual” as an exploration of the pull of anxious thought patterns. In a press statement, The Warning said: “‘Ritual’ is about getting trapped in those thoughts and letting them keep you from actually living in the moment. It’s one of those songs that just kind of wrote itself — there was something really automatic about the process, which felt fitting for a song about falling into patterns.” On the album as a whole, the band added: “Everything’s Falling is a snapshot of where we are in our lives right now — the chaos, the beauty, the uncertainty. We’ve never made a record that felt this immediate or this personal.”

The Warning formed in 2013 and broke through internationally with their 2022 album Error (Lava/Republic), followed by Keep Me Fed in 2024. The band has accumulated more than 710 million streams and received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Rock Song for “Qué Más Quieres.” Their most recent release before Everything’s Falling was a live album recorded at the Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City in 2025.

The post THE WARNING Announces New Album “Everything’s Falling” & Shares Latest Single “Ritual” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

U.S. hard rock band Godsmack have announced that former Dream Theater drummer Mike Mangini has joined the band for their The Rise Of Rock tour after the departure of Wade Murff. He made his live debut with the group on June 12th at the Morton Amphitheater in Riverside, Missouri. The band will be touring the U.S. in the next few months, followed by European shows in July and August too.
Read more…

Umeå, Sweden based four-piece Moloken recently announced their self-titled fifth album for a September 25th release via Discouraged Records, marking a powerful return after six years of silence. The announcement was accompanied by the first single and video “A Night Vision Revealed (Asterion, Pt. I)”, and now, the band follows up with the second single “Fault Line”.
Read more…