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  • Big Ass Night Of Deathcore With Bodysnatcher

    Bodysnatcher - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    A big ass night of brutal Deathcore with Bodysnatcher, Ingested, Psycho-Frame and BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. graces the sticky floor of London’s The Garage, in Bodysnatcher’s first-ever headline tour of the UK.

    Bodysnatcher – Ingested – Psycho-Frame – BIG ASS TRUCK I.E.

    The Garage, London – 18 March 2026

    Words: Lucy Dunnet

    Photography: Antonio Giannattasio

    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E.

    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. have finally hauled their asses to the UK, and as far as international debuts go, they obliterate it. The Californians wheel out a furious amount of hardcore stomp that threatens to steal the show – despite them being only the first band of a four-band bill, and on a Sunday night, no less.

    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. - - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. – – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Vocalist Abel Abarca is as charming as he is brutal, screaming for London to open up a pit in the first second.

    The sticky floor of the Garage becomes a hardcore playground, with circle pits, two-stepping and flying spin kicks accompanying the thunderous chugging exploding off the stage. “Every show has been dope as fuck,” barks out Abel, to which someone from the crowd shouts, “and it’s about to get doper!”

    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. - - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. – – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    And so it does. Even with song names like BIG ASS BEER and BEEF, there’s no silliness to BIG ASS TRUCK I.E.; just big, heavy, ass-kicking chaos. 

    Psycho-Frame

    A chill takes over the air, and that’s not just thanks to the icy blue lighting or the sub-zero air conditioning blasting from the ceiling: Psycho-Frame have taken to the stage. The Florida/Missouri-based band have only been around since 2023, but have already picked up tours with the likes of August Burns Red, Malevolence, and now Bodysnatcher, and are being praised for their revival of the mid-2000s chaotically raw “Myspace era” Deathcore.

    Psycho Frame - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Psycho Frame – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Brandon Lopez’s bass is suffocating in its denseness, as every snare drum and every machine gun riff attempts to slice the air into a tornado of shrill aggression.

    Dual vocalists Michael Sugars and Hunter Young are a constant yo-yo of shrill squeals and guttural growls, and go on a slight tangent about how hating Wetherspoons (oh, the blasphemy) before getting specific and demanding 500 spin kicks.

    Psycho Frame - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Psycho Frame – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Security realises almost too late that now might be a good time to bring out more muscle and a reverend, as the crowdsurfers begin to storm forth. Psycho-Frame are a unrelenting black hole of Deathcore hypnosis, and it is to chants of “PSYCHO FRAME” that they ditch the stage. 

    Psycho Frame - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Psycho Frame – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Ingested

    With their greased-up, long locks dripping from their faces, Ingested take up tonight’s Deathcore baton. Like demonic bacteria eating their way out of an infected alien, the Manchester Deathcore outfit pulsates with acidic aggression.

    Ingested - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Ingested – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Vocal duties are performed by Adam Mercer, who signed on just nine days before the tour commenced as a result of Ingested firing their previous vocalist, Josh Davies, when abuse allegations surfaced online.

    Ingested - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Ingested – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Adam is a monster of a vocalist, with screams that sound like they’ve come directly from the belly of hell. But it takes a while for the crowd to warm up and get nasty in the pit.

    When they venture into old Ingested territory, the dial finally enters the red zone, with Pantheon breaking out fists, crowd surfers and low-rent violence. “No rules, no holds barred, you know what time it is. If you came here to punch someone in the face, fucking follow through,” screams Adam.

    Ingested - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Ingested – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    There’s a sludgy bite to Ingested’s slam-smacked Deathcore, and despite the air of uncertainty to their performance, drummer Lyn Jeffs, guitarists Sean Hynes and Andrew Virrueta, and bassist Thomas O’Malley are a crushing unit. 

    Bodysnatcher

    “OPEN IT! OPEN IT!” The Florida-based “big dumb-guy” Deathcore force Bodysnatcher are the last treat of the night, and a solid contender for slower is heavier. Their crawling riffs pound in a threateningly sluggish tempo before every disgusting breakdown skull-slams the crowd.

    Bodysnatcher - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Bodysnatcher – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    This is the first Bodysnatcher headline tour on this side of the pond, ahead of their upcoming album Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home, out 10 April, and London is here to celebrate with them. Bodies pile together at every chugging crank, the sound somehow as crisp as it is filthy, every riff and every beat enunciating their ferocity.

    Bodysnatcher - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Bodysnatcher – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Vocalist Kyle Medina isn’t content with the crowdsurfers paying rent, “that’s fucking three. I want a hundred more.” With all this numerical precision, security should’ve been using a crowdsurfing clicker counter.

    Bodysnatcher - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Bodysnatcher – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    Tracks like King Of The Rats and Murder8 elicit maximum energy, like blasts from an industrial power house, and headbanging so deep there’s risk of spine damage. Kyle takes a moment to reminisce about a trip to Japan, where he met a guy who “only ever watches bands from the UK”, but because of a previous Bodysnatcher tour with Ingested, he had in fact heard of them.

    Bodysnatcher - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Bodysnatcher – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk

    “Also, Wetherspoons is fucking awesome,” laughs Kyle.

    Mechanically brutal, down-tuned fun alternating with slow chugs of death, Bodysnatcher made a delicious dent with their first UK headline tour. Bring on the new album. 

    Bodysnatcher - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Bodysnatcher – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Ingested - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Ingested – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. - - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. – – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. - - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. – – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    Ingested - The Garage, London - 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    BIG ASS TRUCK I.E. – – The Garage, London – 18 March 2026. Photo: Antonio Giannattasio/MetalTalk
    The post Big Ass Night Of Deathcore With Bodysnatcher first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.
  • Anthrax’s Next Album is Coming Out a Little Later Than Originally Estimated

    anthraxband

    Last month, Anthrax bassist Frank Bello estimated that the band’s follow up to 2016’s For All Kings would be released this May. There was much rejoicing. Yayyy Unfortunately, that’s not the actual timeline according to drummer Charlie Benante, who in a recent interview said the wait will have to be a few months longer than that.

    News of the new timeline came about during Benante’s appearance on the Everblack podcast. While discussing the forthcoming album, Benante revealed that it won’t actually come out until September instead of May. What’s actually coming out in May is the album’s first single.

    “No, it doesn’t come out in May. We’re putting out our first song and video in May.

    “The record is not coming out till September. We pushed it back a little bit. We just had to do a couple of other things to it. And then we had to, of course, get a release date set. So it got moved to September. And that’s it. It’s coming out in September, but the first song and video will be out in May.”

    Honestly at this point, I’ll take that single in May. It’s been far too long since we all got some new Anthrax, so its eventual release is more than anticipated at this point.

    During his chat, Benante also explained how he saw the current music industry and what releasing new music is like these days.

    “It’s such a different time nowadays. If this was 20 years ago, we’d be talking differently about how we’re going to roll this record out. But these days it’s like I’ve often said: what does a new record mean to people these days?

    “I just feel like music has become so disposable that if I was going to make another record and put my heart into it, I want people to anticipate it. I want them to get ready to hear it. Because this record is not three or four songs deep with good songs and then the rest is shit. Every song on this record stands on its own.

    “I mean, when one song finishes and the next one comes up, it’s just like, ‘Holy shit. This one’s fucking just as good as the last.’”

    The post Anthrax’s Next Album is Coming Out a Little Later Than Originally Estimated appeared first on MetalSucks.

  • Ain’t Announce Debut EP How They Faked The Moon Landing: Hear “Grazer”

    In 2024, we listed South London five-piece Ain’t as one of that year’s Best New Bands. They’re released a few great singles since then, including “Pirouette,” “Jude,” and “Long Short Round.” Today, they’ve returned with a new track and the announcement of their debut EP How They Faked The Moon Landing, out May 22. Aside…

    The post Ain’t Announce Debut EP <em>How They Faked The Moon Landing</em>: Hear “Grazer” appeared first on Stereogum.

  • Album Stream: Everyone Loves Metal Covers of ’80s Hits, Especially Iron Savior!

    It’s definitely strange times when I agree, and am on the same page, with Iron Savior. Not that I actively dislike or have issue with the German power metal veterans, it’s just that they’re not my thing. Case closed. Simple as that. Where our Venn diagrams overlap, however, is in the mutual love of ‘80s pop/rock. And metallized covers of that decade’s hits and misses. So, when Iron Savior announced the March 27th release of their ‘80s covers album, Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy, I was as excited about it as many people weren’t. The first single from the 17 track record was their rendition of A-Ha’s “Take On Me,” the video of which you can view below and witness the band having the time of their lives and as much fun as allowable by law (especially drummer Patrick Klose!). In advance of the collection’s release, we’re running what I guess you’d call a visualiser stream of the entire thing; 17 videos of various descriptions followed by song-by-song commentary by guitarist/vocalist Piet Sielck, who was hopefully wearing leg warmers underneath his parachute pants when he shared his thoughts.

    Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy

    “After the huge success of the 2002 Condition Red bonus track, Seal’s ‘Crazy’ (which was actually used in a HBO TV show) we had been asked by fans and media almost constantly to do a complete cover tracks album. So…two decades later here we are! Awesome Anthems of the Galaxy continues the transformation from pop to metal in Iron Savior style, starting with Seal’s ‘Crazy’ and Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams.’ We are absolutely proud of the outcome, which never loses the original vibe of the tracks, yet is 100% Iron Savior. Just listen yourself. I guarantee a lot of smiles while doing so!”

    “Fame” (Original by Irene Cara)

    “A timeless classic from the late ‘70s, if I’m not mistaken, which in my history books is something like the mother of all dance movies [the movie actually came out in May of 1980, so it can be assumed the theme song was written during production in the ‘70s —KSP]. The track was a bit challenging because of all the ‘70s funky stuff, especially in the guitars. Always loved the catchy chorus line, happy to have this classic on the album.”

    “All I Need is a Miracle” (Original by Mike and the Mechanics)

    “Even though it’s not the most well-known song by Mike and the Mechanics, this one is maybe the most special song on this album. When it came out, I was always stunned by the musical skills and performance of these outstanding artists. The melody and how it evolves throughout the song is simply amazing. The progression of the harmonies and how they blend together with the development of the melody is what makes this song so special. But besides this, it really grabbed my heart from the very first time I listened to it.”

    “When the Rain Begins to Fall” (Original by Jermaine Jackson and Pia Zadora)

    “Last year, my wife and I took a short vacation to our preferred place in Spain. The flight was an early one so we decided to get a taxi to get us to the airport at 5 AM. Sitting in this cab for whatever reason, fate decided to play, and ‘When The Rain Begins To Fall’ came on the radio. Even though it was just a short trip, of course I took all my equipment with me so once we arrived in Spain at our destination, I immediately started to record this one. I had already forgotten about the existence of this song, but listening to it on the radio, of course brought this one back to my mind, and I added it immediately to the list.”

    “Maniac” (Original by Michael Sembello)

    “I am aware that this is not the very first version of this song, but it just had to be on the album. Being a child of the ‘80s, of course I remember the video to it, where the protagonist rehearses for the final show. I think everybody in my age immediately sees the close-up of the dancing feet to the beat. Also, the guitar solo is outstanding and has been a challenge. I adapted most of the original, but added some Iron Savior metal-style stuff here and there. I just love this track and unless you haven’t seen the video check this out immediately…”

    “Take On Me” (Original by A-Ha)

    “‘Take On Me’ for sure is one of the most successful pop songs ever. So in the beginning it was more a ‘must’ than a ‘want.’ But during the process of transforming it, I started to love this version more and more. Today I am more than happy to have this classic on the album and I’m proud of the outcome!”

    “Relax” (Original by Frankie Goes to Hollywood)

    “Originally built on provocation and groove, ‘Relax’ is reborn as a driving, riff-heavy anthem that turns restraint into raw energy. ‘Relax’ is one of my all time favorite non-metal songs. It’s been on my mind for a very long time to do this and I really think this version serves the original well. We did a good job in transferring the vibe and the energy of the original into the Iron Savior cosmos.”

    “What a Feeling” (Original by Irene Cara)

    “This track is just loaded with positive energy, great melodies, so of course it’s a must have on this album that mainly focuses on the masterpieces of the ‘80s.”

    “Against All Odds” (Original by Phil Collins)

    “This was the first song I recorded for the album. So, it could be called the prototype where I actually tried it out if it would be possible for me to transform a mega-hit like this into a metal version. It started out with the idea to change the ballad groove into a slow stomping beat. I am proud of this song and I think Phil Collins if he ever listens to it would appreciate my work. I really like the guitar solo which is not happening in the original, but I think it adds a new vibe.”

    “Separate Ways” (Original by Journey)

    “A Journey classic which, is hard to believe, I did not know! When this song came out, I was listening to metal like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Motörhead and Saxon; definitely not Journey. Way too many keyboards, too little guitars, and all-in-all not metal enough for me. I was listening to pop songs, but Journey was something in between; it was not pop and it sure wasn’t metal. Anyways, during my research for songs, I stumbled over this one and put it on the list immediately. for me. It’s one of the best songs that Journey ever put out.”

    “Suburbia” (Original by Pet Shop Boys)

    “By the time I got to this one it was clear that the album would focus mainly on the ‘80s. And how could you do an album like this without a Pet Shop Boys song on it? ‘Suburbia’ is not really the greatest hit of the Pet Shop Boys, but for me, together with ‘It’s A Sin,’ it is the best song they ever put out. The chorus line melody is so extremely super catchy. I cannot put that into words.” [Laughs]

    “Here Comes the Rain Again” (Original by Eurythmics)

    “Since we already did a Eurythmics cover version a couple of years ago, it was obvious that we should do another big Eurythmics hit. ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’ was pretty much my first encounter with Annie Lennox. This one was quite challenging because the Eurythmics had a very special way of writing, producing, and performing. The metal transformation was not easy, but I think we succeeded quite well!”

    “She’s Like the Wind” (Original by Patrick Swayze)

    “Even though I actually never watched the movie Dirty Dancing, this song was all over the radio and it was just impossible to not listen to it. At this time I have been fed up a little bit with all the dance movies, but when I listened to it during the research for this album, I was surprised how much I actually like it nowadays. Again I decided to let go of the ballad beat and use that slow eighth beat.”

    “(I Just) Died in Your Arms” (Original by Cutting Crew)

    “It was a really big hit and one of the first songs that came on my mind for this album. A true melody, monster with an awesome choral line, great guitar and keyboard work. Sounds like this sound may be easy, but in fact, it is not. It’s the sum of all the tiny details, a small chord progression here, a little melody there, that makes the difference.”

    “Forever Young” (Original by Alphaville)

    When it came to picking the songs for Awesome Anthems, Alphaville’s “Forever Young” was one of the songs that almost popped up immediately. I think we did a very interesting yet powerful version of this all time classic with all the typical Iron Savior trademarks.

    “Since You’ve Been Gone” (Original by Rainbow)

    “Of course I own the original vinyl album, Down to Earth. A very special album for Rainbow, because it was the first album after the departure of Ronnie James Dio. Graham Bonnet did an excellent job on this album though Dio is just Dio. Some of you may know, that I am a huge Guardians of the Galaxy fan. Since this track is part of the soundtrack, I was forced by myself and my family to put this on the album.”

    “Call Me” (Original by Blondie)

    “Always loved Blondie as an artist, so I was determined to have a song from her on the album. ‘Call Me’ has been the one that appeared to be the best in terms of metal transformation. The chord progressions are already quite metal-like. In the beginning, I wasn’t sure if a Blondie track would work out and if it would be possible for me to sing it in an appropriate way, but I think it worked out really nice. Love this one!”

    “Catch Me I’m Falling” (Original by Real Life)

    “If I remember correctly, Real Life only had two big hits. But even though ‘Send Me an Angel’ has been the more successful song, I always liked this one better. The up-time tempo at the great chorus melody does the job on this one for me, especially in the end when the chorus gets altered.”

    The post Album Stream: Everyone Loves Metal Covers of ’80s Hits, Especially Iron Savior! appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

  • ANTHRAX Lays Out New Timeline For Their Long-Awaited New Album

    Anthrax Studio

    “We pushed it back a little bit. We just had to do a couple of other things to it. And then we had to, of course, get a release date set.”

    The post ANTHRAX Lays Out New Timeline For Their Long-Awaited New Album appeared first on Metal Injection.

  • Reviews: Agabas, What The Fire Left, Eye Of Melian, Irreversible (Matt Bladen & Spike)

    Agabas – Hard Anger: Deluxe Edition (Mascot Records) [Matt Bladen]

    Deathjazz? Yeah ok, I mean they are Norwegian so if there was one musical scene that will happily donate weirdest thing you’ve ever heard it’s them.

    Originally self released in June 2025, Agabas have now signed to Mascot Records to release a Deluxe Edition of their most recent album Hard Anger. It features the original nine tracks plus three bonus cuts not on the original release, so it is worth it if you’ve heard the record before, but if you haven’t then, what do should you expect from Agabas?

    Well the Trondheim six piece of Sondre Sørensen Brønstad (vocals), Oskar Myrseth (guitar), Jarand Aga Baas (guitar), Johan Jamtfall Eriksen (bass), Alexander Dellerhagen (saxophone) and Bjørn André Syverinsen (drums) all hold jazz performance master’s degrees bachelor’s degrees in music technology and musicology.

    So they mean business and know exactly what they’re doing and what rules they’re breaking with their intense, savage, mind bending style, blending influences from all over the place and inviting ‘Saxpits’ when they play live. Agabas do something that’s unique, a hard feat to achieve in the music industry, a lot of bands use sax but they don’t put it with crushing modern tech metal, filled with hardcore ferocity.

    Clad in paisley and with a eye for the absurd or the ironic, their music isn’t to be taken lightly, not only is it as heavy as a safe full of anvils, with strong experimental tendencies, it’s got a strong political ideology in the lyrics creating an inclusive space against the tyranny, war and genocide we find ourselves surrounded by.

    This Deluxe Edition closes with a cover of The Wizard by Black Sabbath, showcasing that even the old school can be re-written with the virtuosity on offer here. If you’ve not heard Agabas before then I suggest you pick up this Deluxe Edition of their debut album and experience Deathjazz for yourself. 8/10

    What The Fire Left – What The Fire Left (Independent) [Spike]

    Knoxville, Tennessee, isn’t usually the first place you look for the sound of systemic collapse, but Aspen, the multi-instrumentalist architect behind Laang and Abyssius, has managed to bottle the specific humidity of a life under pressure. The debut self-titled effort from What The Fire Left is a documented study in atmospheric sludge that trades overt political rhetoric for something far more unsettling: the quiet, cumulative weight of psychological decay.

    It is a record that understands that the real damage isn’t the fire itself, but what happens to the foundations in the aftermath.

    The experience starts with Ash, and immediately, the Fall Of Efrafa DNA is evident. There is a down-tuned, brooding restraint to the guitars that feels heavy-set rather than just loud, joined in their dissonance by a bowed cello. It’s a sub-three-minute preamble that establishes a soundscape of attrition, leading directly into the frantic, heart-attack pulse of Refusal. Here, the “metallic” storm peaks, showcasing a technical dexterity that survives the high-velocity churn of the low-end. It’s a rhythmic defiance that feels properly, painfully human.

    One of the record’s most sophisticated moments arrives with Silence. In a genre that often fears the quiet, Aspen uses these two minutes to create a sense of genuine claustrophobia. It isn’t an “interlude”; it’s a physical representation of the “psychological decay” mentioned in the band’s manifesto, the sound of the walls closing in when the noise stops. It provides a stark, necessary counterweight to Hope, which, true to the record’s cynical core, feels more like a desperate, clawing survival instinct than any kind of optimism.

    Musically, the production maintains a lean, “no safety net” honesty. You can hear the grit under the fingernails of the tracks, particularly on the finale, Bone. At nearly four minutes, it’s the record’s longest and most architectural movement. The guitars and the cello stop playing riffs and start creating weather systems, building a massive, tectonic pressure that eventually just… peters out.

    By the time the final vibration of Bone disappears into the silence, you’re left sitting in a room that feels significantly more haunted than it did forty minutes ago. Aspen has managed to take the misery of the modern world and turn it into an atmospheric weight that stays with you, a heavy and necessary reminder that sometimes the most powerful noise is the one that forces you to face the quiet. 8/10

    Eye Of Melian – Forest Of Forgetting (Napalm Records) [Matt Bladen]

    A Tolkien themed album from Delain’s Martijn Westerholt and Auri’s Johanna Kurkela? It’s going to be dramatic, spectral and ethereal, invoking the singing spirit from Tolkien’s works. Martijn Westerholt shares keys and orchestrations with Mikko P Mustonen while Johanna Kurkela brings the brilliantly ghostly vocals and violin you will have heard in the Auri project as Robin La Joy provides backing vocals.

    Stylistically there’s much here that sounds like Auri, the orchestrations taking the place of the folk additions that come from Troy Donockley in Auri, making it a more cinematic affair all round. That being said Troy’s brilliant uilleann pipes and flute appear here alongside Patty Gurdy’s hurdy gurdy on Dawn Of Avatars and Elixir Of Night, these folk touches joining Johanna’s violin for added beauty.

    Now there is a lack of ‘metal’ on this record, it’s keys and orchestrations that take the lead here but it is a dense and complex record that also features a cover of Bruce Dickinson’s Tears Of A Dragon from his Balls To Picasso album, showing that all the participants are still very aware of their metal roots. A record full of stories and soundscapes you will definitely remember Forest Of Forgetting. 8/10

    Irreversible – Vessel (Dipterid Records) [Spike]

    Ok, so this is an album, right. It’s got one track per side, used to call that a single. And that’s where my narrow thinking brain started this review from.

    Most bands spend their careers trying to write a three-minute hook that sticks. Atlanta’s Irreversible have decided to go the other way entirely, releasing a self-produced document in Vessel that consists of just two twenty-minute tracks. It is a bold, arguably reckless move that pushes the constraints of the format until they snap. Esus and Thoth aren’t just songs; they are a pair of “metallic storms” that move through distinct movements like a grand opera, if that opera was designed specifically to punch you straight in the face.

    The experience is a cinematic descent into what the band calls “postmodern absurdism” and mass psychosis. It doesn’t just use film samples as a gimmick; it weaves snippets from Blue Velvet, Memoria, and The Beast into the very fabric of the noise. It creates a dense, disorienting texture where the “shimmer” of a dream state is constantly being interrupted by the “shove” of their sludge-heavy roots.

    The first movement, Esus, is a masterclass in building a “terrific elegance” out of total chaos. It begins with a deceptive, atmospheric drift, a shimmering, hazy preamble that suggests a more cerebral, ambient record before the bottom falls out and the sludge takes over. The transition into the heavier sections is handled with a sophisticated, almost orchestral precision. It took me a few listens to properly “get it,” but once the internal logic of the movements settles in, the forty-minute runtime feels less like an endurance test and more like a documented descent.

    The flip side, Thoth, doubles down on the “mass psychosis” theme. It’s a rhythmic, stuttering ache of a track that utilizes filmic silence just as effectively as it uses the low-end churn of the guitars. The production which is handled by the band themselves maintains a high-fidelity clarity that allows the samples to sit perfectly within the mix. You aren’t just listening to a record; you’re inhabiting a space where the boundaries between a dream and a nightmare have been entirely erased.

    Is it an easy listen? Don’t be daft. Vessel is an exhausting, demanding bit of work that requires you to do a fair amount of the heavy lifting yourself. But for those willing to commit to the pace, Irreversible has delivered something genuinely interesting. They’ve proven that you can take the raw, bruised-rib honesty of noise-metal and apply it to a canvas large enough to hold the end of the world. By the time the final vibration of Thoth eventually dissipates into the silence, you’re left with the realization that the best art shouldn’t just entertain you, it should challenge your right to be comfortable in the first place. 8/10

  • Elijah Wood Not Beating The “DJ Frodo” Allegations With Lord Of The Rings Rave

    Elijah Wood is a music guy. We know this. Way back in 2005, Wood used some of his Lord Of The Rings money to launch an indie label and put out an Apples In Stereo record. (He was in their “Dance Floor” video, too.) He starred in a Flying Lotus clip. In 2021, Wood reunited with the rest of the LOTR cast to rap about the movies with Run The Jewels and Method Man on Colbert. Wood also DJs! But he does not go by the name DJ Frodo. He wants to make sure you know that he’s not DJ Frodo. He’s been insisting this for years.

    The post Elijah Wood Not Beating The “DJ Frodo” Allegations With <em>Lord Of The Rings</em> Rave appeared first on Stereogum.

  • Afroman Wins Defamation Case Over Music Videos Mocking Ohio Cops

    This week, Joseph Foreman, AKA 51-year-old musician Afroman, was tried for defamation. In 2022, cops raided his home under suspicion of drugs and kidnapping, but they found nothing. Following the incident, Foreman was inspired to make numerous comical bangers using the absurd security footage of cops wrecking his own property — “Randy Walters Is A Son Of A Bitch,” “Lemon Pound Cake,” “Batteram Hymn Of The Police Whistle Blower.” I do not support AI usage, but these videos are very funny. Unhappy about how they were portrayed after raiding Foreman’s home, officers claimed that they “suffered humiliation, ridicule, mental distress, embarrassment, and loss of reputation.” After the three-day trial, the jury sided with Foreman.

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  • TV Star – “Reality Cheque”

    Music For Heads is approaching. The debut album from Seattle-Tacoma rock band TV Star drops at the end of April, and we’ve sincerely enjoyed its early singles “Out Of My Bag” and “Texas Relation.” This new one might be my favorite so far. The cheekily titled “Reality Cheque” brings together elements such as chiming indie-pop…

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  • Metal Injection’s Pick Of The Week: BLOODBATH’s Nightmares Made Flesh

    bloodpick

    Featuring Peter Tägtgren on vocals and future Opeth drummer Martin Axenrot, Bloodbath’s second album remains a landmark in modern death metal.

    The post Metal Injection's Pick Of The Week: BLOODBATH's Nightmares Made Flesh appeared first on Metal Injection.