McFly have been revealed as one of the first acts who will be playing at a new venue in London, set to open this Summer.
That venue is the British Airways ARC, a new state-of-the-art 3800 capacity room in Olympia, situated above the history-soaked West Hall. A part of a full transformation of Olympia, the renovation will also feature a 1,575-seat theatre, a host of new bars and restaurants, 2 hotels and 550,000 sq ft of office space.
But the music is where we are focusing right now. And McFly will be playing on June 18, following Self Esteem’s two-night stint as the official opening on June 16 and 17. The Zac Brown Band will be playing on June 25 whilst Khalid will be heading over there in the Autumn on October 24. Basically, there’s a bit of everything going on.
Tickets for all shows will go on sale on March 27 from right here.
Call Of The Wild Festival returns to Lincolnshire Showground from 28th – 31st May 2026, and the momentum behind this year’s event shows no signs of slowing down. With headliners Florence Black, Onslaught, and Von Hertzen Brothers already anchoring the weekend with three distinct, high impact headline sets, organisers have now unveiled a powerful new […]
Jamie Campbell Bower has just released a beautiful, cinematic new single, Waiting For Your Love.
A couple of months on from bringing Stranger Things 5 to an end and saying farewell to his iconic role as Henry Creel / Vecna, Jamie’s attention has turned back to music. And for his first new tune of 2026, he’s actually reunited with his brother Sam Bower – who used to play guitar and sing alongside Jamie in defunct punk band COUNTERFEIT.
Initially teasing Waiting For Your Love, Jamie posted on X: “March 19… Sees the first collaboration between me and Sam since COUNTERFEIT. Who’s ready? I’m scared.”
Yesterday (March 18), he also wrote, “I made a song, it’s called Waiting For Your Love, it’s out tomorrow. Sam wore slippers to help make this track. That seems important.”
Fair play, guys, we’d absolutely love to know what was in those slippers because this is stunning…
We at MetalTalk are always excited when British prog Metallers HeKz announce a brand new album drop. Many of us prog Metal fans first came across HeKz at the Chiswick Invasion, a yearly event set up by Thomas Gers to raise money for the Nordoff Robbins charity. This set of gigs held in a school hall in London, W4, were endorsed by Iron Maiden and their management team. Us music journo’s were absolutely blown away by the debut of this talented band.
Fronted by the very talented singer/bassist Matt Young, HeKz were as polished as any seasoned old school prog band, and we were all very excited about the future of Matt Young et al.
Fast forward to the now, where HeKz are flying the prog Metal flag with Qisma, their fifth studio album, and it certainly delivers.
HeKz – Qisma – It certainly delivers
From the eerie aural masterpiece that kicks off the album, The Gates of Kybagrad prepares you for the journey ahead, worthy of a cinematic soundtrack. Lucas, Bigelow, Spielberg or the director of Sinners, can you hear me?
Qisma is the title track, which powers into a fast slice of prog with violins, guitars, keys and vocals all clashing into a euphoric sound, stating the future is here.
Visionary bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Matt Young has created what he calls his “boldest artistic statement to date”, in an album designed to captivate prog devotees and welcome newcomers alike into HeKz’s richly textured sonic landscape. Qisma is an evocative Arabic word meaning fate, destiny or divine will.
The Future Is Here is the first single from this Magnus Opus and is the “perfect introduction to Qisma,” says Young. “It sums up exactly what HeKz is about. Music and lyrics working together to tell a story, with no boundaries on where that story can go.”
True that, Matt. This song has everything. The violin is such an instrument to take us to another level with piping keys, hints of global music sounds from almost speakeasy Louisiana vibes to sleazy blues to choral notes to West End anthems and everything in between. Truly epic.
“Qisma takes everything fans love about HeKz,” Matt continues, “soaring melodies, compelling storytelling, theatrical grandeur and amplifies it beyond recognition. We’re exploring exciting new sounds and textures that even surprised us in the studio.”
Defiance shows off Young’s vocal pipes and storytelling. I could literally listen to his voice all night. You can hear the magnificence of legendary John Mitchell throughout.
Captured is off the scale with crescendos that build and build, then the wonders of the violin chime in. This is truly an adventure in music and catchy as can be. I will never forget first listening to this song – a pinch me moment.
I’m loving the AI soundbites at the end of each track, too, which punctuate each song to perfection.
Venom kicks off with a violin intro like no other, with notes of mysticalness, fast-paced guitars join in, and are joined by the badass backline of HeKz and the soaring chords of Young’s vocals.
And then it is time for the biggie, the super long and super indulgent The Great Out There, which is prog luxury. Bliss. Soooooo long, I had to create extra download space on my laptop.
Now onto Disc 2 and The Road Home and another nod to East meets West choon. This is a masterpiece of what a song should be. I want to listen to it over and over again, very, very loud, and sing along at the top of my voice with some ‘air’ violin too. Sorry neighbours.
Break the Spell crashes in with my favourite keys/choral/axe mash-up. Deep and dark. Then onto Overlord. HeKz are truly spoiling us with another 21 minuter. From classical to Metal in one riff, then onto a multi-layered, all-prog guns blazing production.
Virtual Utopia should be reclassified as Aural Utopia as we carry on the magic musical carpet trip of Qisma.
As we conclude this mammoth journey, so vast that I feel like I needed my passport, A Leap Of Faith is the ultimate way to end. A joyous and upbeat ending to what has been a trip. I feel like I need a 39p energy drink after this.
Buy, download, Stream, blag, borrow or go to a live show to hear this majestic new drop from the best of British bands. We all need HeKz in our lives.
Matt Young concludes with palpable pride. “This album is a celebration of the power of doing things your own way. There’s simply no chance we could have made an album like this as part of someone else’s system.
“We’ve made Qisma on our own terms, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it with the world. Long may independent music thrive.”
Leo’s The Red Lion, GravesendCrete Hall Rd, Northfleet, Gravesend DA11 9AA
Their brand new album Qisma (out 3 April 2026) is a dark, cinematic prog metal journey packed with soaring vocals, epic storytelling, and jaw-dropping musicianship.
Event Details
Their brand new album Qisma (out 3 April 2026) is a dark, cinematic prog metal journey packed with soaring vocals, epic storytelling, and jaw-dropping musicianship. From the haunting The Gates of Kybagrad to the monumental The Great Out There, this double album is pure prog indulgence.
Frontman Matt Young calls it their boldest statement yet and honestly, it shows. Violins, crushing riffs, theatrical soundscapes, this one has everything.
Presented as a double album, Qisma features guest contributions from prog rock royalty.
Adam Holzman (Steven Wilson, Trifecta, Jane Getter) – keyboards
Mark Bogert (Knight Area, Magoria) – guitar
Moyano el Buffalo (King Lizard, Diamond Black) – percussion
John Mitchell (Frost*, Asia, Lonely Robot, Arena) – vocals, co-production, mixing and mastering
Qisma releases on 3 April 2026 and will be available on CD, Vinyl and via streaming services. Pre-orders are available from www.hekztheband.com.
HeKz Album Launch Show Poster
HeKz are:
Matt Young – Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, Rhythm Guitar, 12 String Guitar Tolis Zavaliaris – Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Fretless Guitar Lucia La Rezza – Violin, Cello, Double Bass Jerry Sadowski – Drums
Guest Appearances:
Adam Holzman – Keyboards, Moog John Mitchell – Vocals Mark Bogert – Lead and Rhythm Guitars, Acoustic Guitar Moyano el Buffalo – Percussion Stella D Angelo – Choir Duncan Greenway – Choir
Produced by Matt Young and John Mitchell
Mix and mastered by John Mitchell
Music, lyrics, sound design and story by Matt Young
Kingdom Collapse create the soundtrack to survival. The San Antonio, TX hard rock band alchemizes unfathomable tragedy, trauma, and loss into massive and magnetic anthems powered by pummeling instrumentation and arena-size hooks that remind you to never give up. And they do all of the above flawlessly on their new single ‘Watch You Bleed‘. “‘Watch You […]
Thirty-five years into their existence, Oslo Black Metal legends TULUS return with their eighth full-length studio offering, Morbid Desires. This is another superbly catchy slab of Norwegian darkness, delivering lyrics, as always, written in old Norwegian by the hugely talented Hildr, wife of vocalist/guitarist Blodstrup, and encompassing dark-folklore themes.
The well-versed, nine-track Morbid Desires follows on from what TULUS achieved with their predecessor, 2023’s Fandens Kall and exceeds what they accomplished with that excellent release.
TULUS – Morbid Desires: black to the core Norwegian darkness returns.
One of the things I love about every subsequent TULUS release is their bold desire to be a little more adventurous with each album. But with the sound shaped by Blodstrup’s raw, rugged vocal delivery and Crowbel’s somewhat unique approach to his bass work, this adds a unique quality to their sound.
Opening with Salme II, this features clean vocals from Lars Erik Westby and follows on from the original saga, Salme from the Evil 1999 album. It is a farewell hymn for The Collector, a morbid and mysterious figure of the forest. Seemingly loved, his passing is mourned by the woodland creatures, reflecting on his demise and subsequent otherworldly existence.
It is very much in the same vein as the first Salme, but with a more sophisticated edge. The addition of a haunting keyboard opener adds a reflective edge, and the return of the Spanish guitar builds on the otherworldly atmosphere, with the haunting clean vocals building on that reflective, mystical atmosphere.
Lars Erik Westby has done a superb job here, balancing perfectly with the raw main vocals and Black Metal riffs. As a result, it is a wonderfully quirky and uniquely TULUS piece which, despite these seemingly un-Black Metal inclusions, is black to the core, pushing the boundaries whilst being an engaging and moving listen.
Skabb melds a slower-paced, rolling black groove balanced against acidic vocals with bursts of piano popping up across the duration, adding a quirky edge to the sound. I love how, in the final twenty seconds, the pace builds, and a bizarre and deranged twist in the sound manifests alongside a deranged scream.
The next piece, the self-titled single Tulus, apparently contains “the essence of the band, from the darkness and soot to the pale dawn, the murky fog, the cold in your sweat, and the noise in your heart.”
It certainly epitomises the TULUS sound, and it is a hugely engaging pitch-black offering based around a catchy, raw, rolling groove and offset by a grim vocal delivery. The high point is the superb bluesy leadwork midway, which really elevates the piece.
Kistesmed bursts forth with an intense drive as it opens, which is melded with pounding but sharp rhythms alongside the raw, protracted, and very dramatic vocal delivery. Some bleak, cold swathes are unleashed amidst the ebbing and building. So, no surprise that this grippingly sombre yet pounding beast’s title translates as Coffinsmith.
The next piece, Vanvidd, is as catchy as it gets. You cannot help but get caught up in the “madness” of its grippingly engaging rhythms, with vocals that have a slightly deranged edge to their delivery, and the soaring burst of mid-point lead work elevates the piece superbly.
Upping the excitement is Hedengangen, a punchy driver with rapid vocal delivery that twists and writhes as it progresses and delivers Thrashy leadwork early into the first half of the track. The pace drops slightly midway, but the punch remains, allowing the vocals to deliver superbly expressive protraction before resuming the previous driving pace.
Fossegrimens Vakt, which translates as The Watch Of The Waterfall, is a magnificent piece. It is a sultry builder, opening with extended clean reflective guitar work, with the equally reflective but dark melody building in layers. Then the vocals arrive, raw with sinister protractions and accompanied by a subtle but darker groove.
The second half leadwork is reflective, sublime and with a hint of darkness. This is a superbly expressive piece and one of my favourites across this excellent album.
Harbouring a dark and sinister rolling and repeating groove that grabs your attention from the offset is Skauånd, a massively engaging piece that rolls along effortlessly. This also brings to the fore, more so than other pieces, Crowbel’s superb bass lines. Another big hit with me, it is pure Black Metal excellence.
Final piece Sabbat is the album’s longest track at a whopping eight and a half minutes. Said to have been created as a tribute to Black Sabbath, it has definitely got a Sabbath groove in there, whilst still being very much TULUS.
They throw everything into this piece, cowbells, harmonica, flamboyant drum bursts and multiple drum solos, the like I have never heard from drummer Sarke before. With wistfully eerie swathes harbouring distant vocals, a few riffs definitely have a bit of a Tony Iommi feel to their delivery and a sexy burst of blues/rock lead work.
It might be a long piece, but it is a well-filled time frame. Sometimes, you hear a piece, and you can just sense the enjoyment felt by a band when performing it, and this is one of those pieces.
TULUS release Morbid Desires on 287 March 2026, via Darkness Shall Rise Productions. It is a superbly engaging offering from end to end, their best to date.
Pre-orders are available from here as a CD, cassette, vinyl, in a choice of four colours or digital download, so go and give your ears a treat.
