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  • 10 Modern Blues Rock Guitar Masters of Tone

    Few phrases carry as much weight among guitar players as “great tone.” It is the elusive quality that separates a good guitarist from a truly unforgettable one. Tone is more than the gear someone uses or the pedals on their board. It is the sum of touch, phrasing, feel, and musical identity. When a guitarist finds their tone, you can recognize them within seconds.

    Blues rock has always been a genre defined by tone. Legends like Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Rory Gallagher, and Stevie Ray Vaughan built their reputations not just on technical skill but on a signature sound that immediately stood out from everyone else. Their guitars sang, growled, and roared in ways that became part of their musical DNA.

    Today’s blues rock scene is full of players carrying that tradition forward. Modern blues rock guitarists continue to explore new sonic territory while honoring the classic sounds that shaped the genre. Some lean into vintage gear and raw tube amplifier warmth. Others push things further with heavier textures, fuzz drenched riffs, or modern production techniques.

    The following artists represent some of the most compelling tone builders in modern blues rock. Their sounds are unmistakable, their guitars speak with authority, and each has carved out a sonic identity that keeps blues rock vibrant in the 21st century.

    Samantha Fish

    Samantha Fish has developed one of the most recognizable guitar tones in modern blues rock. Her sound blends gritty blues tradition with modern rock attitude, resulting in a tone that is both fierce and soulful.

    Fish’s playing often balances swagger and restraint. Her guitar can snarl through aggressive riffs or glide through melodic lines that feel almost vocal in their phrasing. The tonal palette she brings to the stage is wide, shifting from slide guitar grit to fiery lead work.

    Fish continues to refine a sound that blends blues authenticity with contemporary edge. Her guitar voice is bold, confident, and impossible to mistake for anyone else. Her latest album, Paper Doll, earned a Grammy nomination and was voted Blues Rock Review’s #1 Album of 2025.

    Christone “Kingfish” Ingram

    Christone “Kingfish” Ingram has quickly become one of the most celebrated blues guitarists of his generation. While his technical ability is extraordinary, it is his tone that truly sets him apart. Kingfish combines the warmth of traditional blues guitar with modern punch. His sound is thick and vocal like, allowing him to stretch notes into emotional statements that feel almost conversational.

    Kingfish is a player who understands how tone can amplify storytelling. When Kingfish hits a sustained note, it carries the emotional weight of the song. It is the kind of tone that feels deeply rooted in blues history while still pointing toward the future. Not only was Kingfish featured in the film Sinners, but he got the biggest platform of his career when he performed at the 2026 Academy Awards.

    Philip Sayce

    Philip Sayce has built one of the most electrifying tones in modern blues rock. His sound is explosive, raw, and deeply rooted in the spirit of Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan while still feeling unmistakably his own. When Sayce digs into a note, the guitar practically seems to tear through the speakers.

    A big part of his tone comes from his dynamic touch. Sayce has an incredible ability to move from whisper quiet passages to ferocious overdriven blasts simply by adjusting his picking attack and guitar volume. That sensitivity allows his Stratocaster to breathe in ways that many players struggle to achieve. His tone can shift from soulful blues warmth to volcanic fuzz within the same song. In a genre where authenticity matters, Sayce’s tone feels like a direct extension of his personality. It is emotional, intense, and completely alive.

    Eric Steckel

    Eric Steckel has spent much of his career redefining what modern blues rock tone can sound like. From the time he emerged as a teenage prodigy, Steckel’s playing stood out for its massive sound and fearless approach to amplification.

    Steckel’s tone leans toward the heavier side of blues rock, often drawing comparisons to Gary Moore. His guitar voice is thick and powerful, with soaring sustain that allows every note to hang in the air. Steckel refers to his style as “blues metal.” What makes Steckel particularly compelling is the clarity within that power. Even when he pushes his amps into searing overdrive, his phrasing remains articulate and expressive.

    Joe Bonamassa

    Few modern guitarists have explored tone with the dedication of Joe Bonamassa. Over the course of his career, Bonamassa has built a reputation not only as a virtuoso guitarist but also as one of the world’s most passionate collectors of vintage amplifiers and guitars.

    That obsession with gear is not just about collecting rare instruments. It is about chasing the perfect sound. Bonamassa’s tone is rich, warm, and layered with the harmonic complexity that only vintage equipment can produce. Whether he is delivering soaring lead lines or understated melodic passages, Bonamassa’s guitar voice is elite.

    Kenny Wayne Shepherd

    Kenny Wayne Shepherd has been a defining voice in modern blues rock since bursting onto the scene in the mid 1990s. His guitar tone blends Texas blues fire with arena rock power, creating a sound that feels both classic and modern.

    Shepherd’s Stratocaster tone is thick, vocal, and filled with sustain. His phrasing often leans into long expressive bends that echo the influence of Stevie Ray Vaughan while maintaining a character that is entirely his own. Even at high gain levels, his tone remains clear and articulate. His guitar voice carries the weight and authority of a seasoned blues rock master, proving that great tone is something that evolves over time.

    Gary Clark Jr.

    Gary Clark Jr. has become one of the most distinctive guitar voices of the modern era. His tone blends blues, rock, soul, and psychedelic textures into a sound that defies easy categorization.

    Clark’s guitar tone often carries a gritty edge, frequently driven by thick fuzz and powerful distortion. Yet beneath that sonic intensity lies a deep understanding of blues phrasing and groove. Clark’s guitar can feel haunting, aggressive, or hypnotic depending on the moment. It is a tone that reflects both tradition and fearless experimentation.

    Jared James Nichols

    Jared James Nichols has built one of the most raw and unmistakable guitar tones in modern blues rock. His approach strips away excess and focuses on pure power, often delivering crushing riffs and blistering leads with nothing more than a Les Paul and a roaring amplifier.

    One of the most distinctive elements of Nichols’ sound is his pick free playing style. Using only his fingers, he produces a thick, aggressive tone that feels incredibly physical and direct. The attack of each note carries a percussive punch that gives his playing a unique character. His tone feels unapologetically loud, gritty, and alive, capturing the spirit of classic rock guitar while pushing it into modern territory.

    Joey Landreth

    Joey Landreth has quietly become one of the most respected tone craftsmen in modern blues and roots rock. Known for his deeply expressive slide playing, Landreth produces a warm, vocal guitar tone that feels both intimate and expansive.

    Much of his signature sound comes from the way he approaches slide guitar. Rather than relying on brute force, Landreth focuses on nuance and control. His notes glide with remarkable smoothness, often blooming into rich sustain that allows the emotional weight of each phrase to linger. The result is a tone that feels incredibly human, almost like a second voice within the song. His tone is subtle but unmistakable, proving that power in blues rock does not always come from sheer volume. Sometimes it comes from restraint, feel, and a deep understanding of how a single note can carry an entire melody.

    Eric Gales

    Eric Gales is one of the most unique guitarists in modern blues rock, both in sound and in approach. A right handed guitarist who plays left handed and upside down, Gales has developed a tone and style that stands completely apart from anyone else. His guitar sound combines blues, rock, funk, and psychedelic elements into a powerful sonic blend. Gales’ tone often carries a deep saturated warmth that allows his rapid fire runs and expressive bends to cut through with clarity.

    In recent years, Gales has received two Grammy nominations and contributed to the soundtrack for the film Sinners, which went on to win two Grammys and just won “Best Original Score” at the Oscars. His guitar tone remains one of the most recognizable and electrifying voices in modern blues rock.

    The post 10 Modern Blues Rock Guitar Masters of Tone appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

  • Skindred: “We needed to regenerate and solidify that it’s the three of us”

    Last month, Arya Goggin returned to Skindred​’s spiritual home of Newport. It had been several years since the drummer had last been, and almost a quarter of a century since he and guitarist Mikey Demus decamped to the city in south-east Wales, having become newly anointed members of the band.

    Back then, you’d find that iteration, completed by founding bassist Dan Pugsley and vocalist Benji Webbe, in the basement of St Joseph’s Boxing Gym. There, in a space dubbed ​‘the crimson room of doom’ due to the lurid colour of its walls, they rehearsed the songs from the band’s debut album, 2002’s Babylon, while working on the material that would eventually become their second, 2007’s Roots Rock Riot.

    On this visit, however, much had changed, yet some things remained the same. As Arya exited Newport train station and turned left, he was greeted by a sign for the taxi rank, below which someone had stuck an obnoxiously large Skindred sticker, much to his amusement. A few moments later, Arya ran into singer Benji in a nearby newsagent.

    “Have you seen that sticker?” Arya asked his bandmate, pointing in its direction.

    “Seen it?” replied Benji. ​“I fucking put it there, bro!”

    Skindred Kerrang Cover 2026

    There’s a celebratory air as K! sits down with Benji, Arya and Mikey in an east London bar, the light dappling on the water nearby, while a gentle breeze blows the flags atop the moored canalboats. The camaraderie between this trio is similarly sunny, exhibiting the kind of excitable interplay you’d expect from a band teeing up their first album rather than their ninth. Today happens to be Benji’s birthday, which he’s spending doing one of the things he loves most, celebrating Skindred – specifically the forthcoming LP You Got This – before he and his wife Julie head back to Newport to continue the festivities.

    The sticker story is told not just because it’s funny, but because it illustrates the DIY spirit Benji still employs in championing the band he’s fronted since 1998. He even gets the stickers printed himself, regularly ordering 200 at a time, while continuing to haggle over the price when he does.

    “He asks me for 50 quid,” Benji says of the supplier, ​“and I say, ​‘I’ll give you 25!’”

    Benji remains an irrepressible force of nature who, like the very best frontmen, never appears to be ​‘off’. During the course of a few hours in his company, he sings at the top of his lungs, throws shapes and has at least three outfit changes – the most striking being a combination of green blazer, yellow shirt and black slacks, accessorised with a huge red hat that appears to be made from the fur of the Download Dog.

    As a result, we barely walk a few hundred yards between a photo studio and this bar before he’s recognised by two guys in their mid-20s, who excitedly admit they had a selfie taken with him at a show a decade earlier – this time, however, they opt for fist bumps and compliments.

    Despite being an iconic presence who radiates charisma, he never misses a chance to heap praise on Mikey and Arya, who he refers to as ​“the geniuses behind me onstage”.

    “They’re the people who keep me standing up front,” says Benji. ​“I couldn’t do it on my fucking own. We’re a gang.”

    At the end of last year, that gang lost a long-standing member, following the departure of bassist Dan Pugsley after 27 years of service. It’s a change that was deftly communicated via a statement at the time, as well as a social post from Dan, with little comment made since. Not because there was any major drama behind it, mind – it was simply a matter of changing priorities.

    “We have absolute respect for how long he was in the band,” explains Benji, sipping a beer. ​“And we have respect for his talent, commitment and contribution – everything. There’s no bad blood towards that, but it was very obvious after making [You Got This] that [Dan] wasn’t happy, and he hadn’t been happy for quite a while, and that unhappiness filtered into us. So, unfortunately, a parting of ways seemed the only logical thing to keep this band together and moving forward, because none of us wanted to split up.”

    These days, bass duties are handled by Tommy Gleeson, former touring guitarist with Feeder, who’s long been in Skindred’s circle, having covered for Mikey a decade ago when the guitarist’s daughter was born. In the interim before Tommy’s appointment, they had performed as a trio with bass parts on tape, which they admit wasn’t ideal given they played two massive shows in the Philippines that necessitated Benji and Mikey having to cover more ground than usual. But it was something they felt they had to try to confirm they were capable of it.

    ‘No retreating, no surrender,’ as the lyrics to their song Kill The Power remind us.

    They also needed to try writing and recording as a trio, which they got the chance to do on the album’s title-track. For a time, Benji had wanted the name of their latest album to be ​‘01633’, the telephone area code for Newport, before the affirmation ​‘You Got This’ delivered by an encouraging spin class teacher took him in another direction. Feeling they were missing a lead single, following Dan’s departure, the remaining trio penned You Got This the song – an opportunity they welcomed, given that the record’s creation didn’t have the happiest associations up to that point.

    “We needed to regenerate,” explains Arya. ​“And the best way to regenerate is to write and solidify that it’s the three of us.”

    The results, no doubt galvanised by the good vibes in the studio, is a delightfully raucous ragga-metal banger. And the sound of a band who have most definitely got this.

    Skindred Paul Harries 2026 10

    Much has happened to Skindred since they were last the subject of a K! Cover Story, in August 2023, not least winning a MOBO Award for Best Alternative Act – a category first added in 2022 – and a remarkable first to achieve 23 years into a career.

    For Benji, who would perform the musical hits of the day outside Mr Kong’s chip shop in Newport’s Ringland Shopping Centre as a child, it was a recognition of the Caribbean influence he’s always incorporated into his sound.

    Not everyone was so keen on his efforts, though…

    “Mr Kong, the owner, used to shout at me, ​‘You’re banned, you fucking bastard!’” cackles Benji.

    And for many of the singer’s peers now that aren’t partial to the rock and metal side of things, it was a true validation of his life’s work.

    “When I walk around I hear, ​‘That’s the guy with the MOBO,’” he says. ​“For me, as a black artist, the award really opened up some doors for people to respect what I do, as Skindred may not be on their radar, but the MOBO makes them see what I do.”

    “The MOBO really opened up doors for people to respect what I do”
    Benji Webbe

    Another new development for the frontman centres on writing. On previous records he’s covered themes of rebellion, fighting the forces that oppress us, love and acceptance. But as the years have passed and the albums piled up, he’s begun to focus more on his own life, particularly his experiences as a kid who was orphaned by the age of seven, growing up in Wales, where there weren’t many black kids listening to the Sex Pistols, let alone pledging to become a rock star.

    Skindred’s most recent single, Can I Get A, is a prime example. Despite its soaring melodic irresistibility and Arya’s Phil Collins-inspired drum break, its words touch upon a childhood of deprivation (‘Sleeping on my mate’s damn settee / Trying not to sleep in an old dirty shed / Where the rats run past’) and the lengths one occasionally goes to in making ends meet. Despite admitting he was ​‘crap at crime’, Benji’s lyrics recall an incident when he stole from someone’s purse then helped them look for it, knowing the money was in his pocket.

    Was he ever reluctant to include less glamorous details about himself, given his characteristic positivity?

    “It’s therapy,” Benji says of his willingness to be open about his past to illustrate his remarkable trajectory to the life he has now. ​“The best lines in that song are, ​‘I can have anything, anything I want / Anything I put my mind to, I’m gonna get it’ – it’s from the perspective of an orphan who’s got fuck all, back when I spent a lot of hours as a child worrying about my life. I’m not ashamed of that. If I can do this after where I’ve come from, then people listening can be – and have – what they want.”

    Arya agrees with his bandmate. ​“That song could have a different meaning to people if its mantra wasn’t, ​‘I can get anything.’ Benji has never shied away from his background, but this is the first time in a song that he’s discussed it in a linear way, with a message.”

    “Everyone around me had parents growing up, a mum and a dad,” adds Benji. ​“I was feral, but I was also scared. That’s why, as I say in the song, I was crap at crime. So instead of stealing cars and acting like a prick, I preferred to stand outside the fish shop, singing songs and begging people for 50 pence for my efforts. I thank God to this day that I didn’t want trouble, and I never had trouble.”

    Skindred Paul Harries 2026 5

    How, then, do the members of Skindred stay out of trouble within their own ranks now? Benji, evidently, has changed a great deal, but has their ethos altered over the course of its almost three decades?

    Towards the end of last year, when K! caught up with them in the studio, they didn’t shy away from the fact that their creative dynamic continues to be the subject of push and pull, between Benji’s expansive storytelling and Mikey and Arya’s drive to condense and compel, sonically. And while the process continues bearing delicious fruit, it doesn’t necessarily get any easier.

    “When I write, I give birth to these beautiful babies,” is how Benji put it at the time. ​“And when I take them to the rest of the band, they start pulling those babies apart. It can be gut-wrenching, but I’m cool with it, because I know in the end it’s all for the greater glory.”

    “In 2026, the culture is: talk to each other, especially as grown men who weren’t necessarily brought up to be able to talk about what’s happening,” explains guitarist Mikey of why it all works, both creatively and personally. ​“We have to be those people who communicate in order to keep things moving in the right direction. Because people who don’t have that don’t stick around.”

    It’s important to note that Benji’s explorations of his own life on You Got This aren’t limited to his past. Glass is a slower, dubbier offering, with the frontman’s vocals switching between longing on the verses and a mixture of anguish and celebration on its chorus. Much like Saying It Now from 2018’s Big Tings, it finds him reflecting upon loss, as the past eight years have been replete with the deaths of more friends and loved ones, including his childhood pal Trevor, the only other black kid Benji knew who shared his love of the Pistols.

    A couple of days after this interview, it’s announced that former Motörhead guitarist and fellow Welshman Phil Campbell has died, aged 64, following a major operation. Phil, you may recall, provided the scorching solo on Skindred’s song Machine from 2018’s Big Tings, while Benji co-wrote the track Dead Roses from Phil’s sole solo album, 2019’s Old Lions Still Roar.

    ‘The topic of payment for the same came up,’ Benji recalled of writing Dead Roses in a social post following the news of Phil’s death. ​‘Phil left the room and returned a few moments later, carrying a shoe box. ​“I know you’ll like what’s in here,” [Phil] said to me. He paid me with a pair of killer shoes, which still tickles me. I was very happy with the arrangement and still wear those shoes on special occasions.’

    “As you get older, people become more important to you and, sadly, you begin to lose them along the way,” says Benji now, his voice becoming mournful. ​“But your memory of what they did for you stays with you. I’ve lost people who encouraged me as a child and as a young adult. There are people who came to our show in Cardiff in support of our last record [2023’s Smile] who have since passed, so they won’t get to see the things we’re going to achieve. That’s why the song talks about raising a glass to those who have empowered you.”

    Even when revisiting his own losses, he does so through the lens of educating listeners, readying them for hardships they may yet to experience.

    “Death came to visit my household a lot when I was a child, and I think that never leaves you,” reasons Benji. ​“It makes you want to prepare others for that pain, which doesn’t go away and it doesn’t heal.”

    In the absence of healing from these emotional fissures, his next best option is celebration in the form of You Got This’ closing track, Give Thanks. In it, he acknowledges those who have made him the man today, whether it’s his bandmates (‘For my good, good bredren next to me’), his wife Julie (‘For my girl who is the backbone for me’) or his older sister, Lynette, who died in 2018 (‘For the memory of my sister Letty’). In addition, with its vibrant bounce, Give Thanks is a full-hearted embodiment of the Jamaican sound system tradition, which brings a community aspect to music – something Skindred have always advocated.

    “Death came to visit my household a lot when I was a child, and that never leaves you”
    Benji Webbe

    As well as winning a MOBO, since Skindred last hit the cover of Kerrang!, they’ve also appeared on BBC Breakfast News to discuss how they’ve been introduced to a new generation via TikTok, performed on Later… With Jools Holland where they rubbed shoulders with the likes of Take That, and headlined the OVO Arena Wembley.

    “It’s a good time to be in Skindred,” reflects Arya. ​“In terms of everything we’ve been through and everything we want to achieve. The three of us look back and go, ‘[You Got This] is a wicked record.’”

    Their last full-length effort, Smile, reached Number Two in the UK Album Charts, narrowly losing out on the top spot to singer-songwriter Cian Ducrot. Ask the trio what they’ve left to achieve, then, and while the answers are too numerous to mention – and some can’t be announced yet – one accolade is top of the pile.

    “We got to Number Two, which was awesome,” says Mikey. ​“So we’re still hungry to get to Number One.”

    “If you want to see a ragga-metal punk band get to Number One, you know what to do,” chimes Arya.

    “If you want to make history, come and be part of history,” adds Mikey.

    Despite being Skindred’s loudest cheerleader, Benji keeps things philosophical as he prepares to return home for his birthday bash.

    “Everyone gets given a card to play,” he says, putting his massive red hat back on, safe in the knowledge he’ll turn heads when he reaches Paddington Station. ​“This is the only fucking card I’ve got, and it’s a very good card, and I’m going to continue to play it. I do a lot of other things but nothing hits like the ​’Dred. Nothing. But you have to enjoy where you are on the way to where you’re going, because if you never get there, at you least you had a fucking good time trying.”

    You Got This is released April 17 via Earache – get your exclusive yellow marble vinyl now.

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    Posted on March 18th 2026, 12:50p.m.

  • Angine de Poitrine Reveal New Album ‘Vol. II’

    Angine de Poitrine, one of 2026’s most talked-about bands, have announced the details of their hotly-anticipated new album.


    If you’ve been living under a rock or not been on the Internet for a few weeks, here’s a little rundown of who exactly Angine de Poitrine are. An anonymous duo, Khn de Poitrine (microtonal guitars, vocals) and Klek de Poitrine (percussion, vocals), they make the sort of music that ensnares the senses as much as it boggles the brain. Rhythmic, challenging and utterly unique, made even more so thanks to their fantastical costumes, the pair have gone down a storm over the last few months.

    Their spectacular session for KEXP has racked up over 3.5 million views in a month, whilst their streaming numbers have gone through the roof.

    And now, a new record is about to send them even further into the stratosphere.

    Titled ‘Vol. II’, it will be released on April 03 and follows on from 2024’s ‘Vol. 1’.

    The artwork looks like this:


    Whilst the tracklisting is more like this:

    1. Fabienk
    2. Mata Zyklek
    3. Sarniezz
    4. UTZP
    5. Yor Zarad
    6. Angor

    You can check out the opening two tracks right now, too.

    Here is ‘Fabienk’, a funk-laden epic brimming with building rhythms and high-pitch melodies.


    And here is ‘Mata Zyklek’, a driving tour-de-force full of off-kilter noises and striking riffs.


    The post Angine de Poitrine Reveal New Album ‘Vol. II’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

  • Geoff Tate unveils new single “Power” from upcoming album ‘Operation: Mindcrime III’

    Geoff .

    The post Geoff Tate unveils new single “Power” from upcoming album ‘Operation: Mindcrime III’ first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

  • Teenage Cancer Trust announce new mosh-pit art exhibition and print series

    The Teenage Cancer Trust have announced a special new mosh-pit art exhibition and print series.

    Open now (March 18) till April 9, the charity collection – which is entitled Good Energy – captures the ​“visceral bond of artist and crowd”, with contributions from YUNGBLUD, Bring Me The Horizon, Enter Shikari, Skunk Anansie, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter and many more.

    “Good energy is that feeling when a gig locks in and the crowd becomes part of the show,” explains Micky England, Head of Music Merchandise and E‑Commerce. ​“We have created stunning limited edition artworks featuring Frank Carter crowd-surfing, an intimate gig with The 1975, Nia Archives lost in the spotlight and many more special moments chosen by the artists for this project. Each image has been captured by incredible photographers who really get live music and reinterpreted by experts White Duck Editions into beautiful silk screen prints. 

    “These are shots you want on your wall to remember how it felt to be right there in it and they are hand-signed by your favourite artists. Every sale helps fund vital support for young people with cancer across the UK.”

    Frank Carter says of his photo, which sees him atop the crowd during Sex Pistols’ show at the Royal Albert Hall last year, ​“The picture was taken in the legendary Royal Albert Hall. I honestly never thought I would have a chance to play such an iconic venue and to play there with the Sex Pistols was a dream come true. Seeing a mosh-pit inside such a prestigious venue felt like the definition of Good Punk Energy and before I had time to reconsider I dived in.

    “There is so much misery and suffering in the modern world, people want a chance to escape. When the crowd comes with the same energy as the band onstage and everyone moves as one… that’s where the best energy is born and it moves everyone present. It’s a gift to be part of that and is the reason why we do what we do.”

    Check out some of the available snaps below, and head over to the online store now.

    Teenage Cancer Trust Good Energy mosh pit art exhibition Frank Carter
    Teenage Cancer Trust Good Energy mosh pit art exhibition Enter Shikari
    Teenage Cancer Trust Good Energy mosh pit art exhibition YUNGBLUD

    Posted on March 18th 2026, 12:37p.m.

  • How to Spot a Great Deal on a Used Guitar

    How to Spot a Great Deal on a Used Guitar

    Start With Smart Pricing Research It takes more than luck to discover real value in a second hand instrument. The smart consumer will start by researching the current price of similar models on various platforms. Auction platforms, speciality music stores, … Continue reading →

    The post How to Spot a Great Deal on a Used Guitar appeared first on DMME.net.

  • An Interview With Felix Robinson, Formerly Of Angel & White Lion

    As bassist for Angel in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Felix Robinson helped shape the cult group’s pop-meets-heavy-meets-glam image, appearing on 1978’s White Hot, 1979’s Sinful, and the live album, 1980’s Without a Net. After Angel’s ugly end, Robinson landed on his feet, picking up studio work and eventually helping to found White Lion. Like Angel, White Lion featured great musicianship and had huge promise, but Robinson didn’t stick around. Robinson provided bass and more to White Lions’ debut, 1986’s Fight to Survive, and left to pursue a career in production and sound work. In the years since, he’s

    The post An Interview With Felix Robinson, Formerly Of Angel & White Lion appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

  • Mirror Revelations To Release New Album On May 22nd; Share New Single And Video “Desafiar”

    Toluca, Mexico trio Mirror Revelations announce their new album ‘Ígnea’ and signing to Fuzz Club. Due out May

  • Cultist – Spiritual Atrophy

    Although Calgary isn’t exactly a hotbed for death metal, the city hosts a healthy mix of metal acts. Hazzerd, Mares of Thrace, and Riot City call the Canadian city home, as does death metal troupe Cultist. Formed in 2015, the band recorded debut full-length Manic Despair in 2020. It took over a year to release the album, which finally hit shelves in early 2022. Four later, the Cowtown collective returns with follow-up Spiritual Atrophy, primed with half-an-hour of vintage death metal vitriol to proselytize you into brain-bludgeoned bondage. Does Cultist slip you some spiritual healing, or will Spiritual Atrophy have you asking for the Kool-Aid?

    Fans of Manic Despair will quickly recognize that Spiritual Atrophy marks a new chapter in Cultist’s sound. Bassist/vocalist Vanessa Grossberndt and drummer Jim Petigo have been consistent fixtures in the band’s lineup over the last six years, but there’s been a revolving door for guitarists since Brodie Wylie left the band in 2021.1 Whether by design or just a byproduct of altered chemistry, Spiritual Atrophy forsakes the arcane mystique of Manic Despair and instead adopts a more straightforward attack, focusing on riffs and repetition over mood and tension. Where Cultist’s debut leans toward Incantation or Autopsy, Spiritual Atrophy more closely echoes the likes of Morbid Angel and Immolation. Even the album art recalls Unholy Cult with Harnessing Ruin’s color palette. Despite using a similar bag of tricks as legendary DM stalwarts, though, Cultist’s latest feels more like a retread of what you’ve heard before rather than constructing a fresh take upon proven elements.

    Where the rhythm section shaped Cultist’s identity on Manic Despair, Spiritual Atrophy sacrifices drum ‘n’ bass thunder for the almighty riff. New guitarist Betzi Poitras hews leaden earworms with razor-sharp riffing, and in isolation poses a promising new direction. Comprehensively, though, her barbed cuts bleed out the magic that defined Manic Despair. This alone isn’t damning, as the urge to reinvent and evolve is as natural as Steel’s back hair. Unfortunately, the replacement magic manifests as a finely-crafted routine we’ve seen countless times before, and fails to maintain intrigue as Cultist’s hand dips into the careworn, upturned top hat time and again. Grossberndt‘s bass still rumbles and bounces with occasional spotlights (“Phenomena”), and her gutturals get augmented with contributions from Poitras and Petigo, broadening the vocal diversity. Although I prefer Grossberndt‘s deeper, most unhinged growls,2 I appreciate the expanded range. Meanwhile, Petigo’s drumming maintains the blast-beaten fury from the debut, but his progressive flourishes have dwindled, and the overall drum presence is too far back in the mix. It’s a shame, because Petigo’s contributions were previously a cornerstone of Cultist’s atmosphere, and Spiritual Atrophy suffers from his diminished role.

    Listening to Spiritual Atrophy can be a frustrating experience, not just because of the step backwards in originality, but the missteps outweigh what Cultist does so well. In a vacuum, individual moments on Spiritual Atrophy burn with a corrosive glow. The central riff from “Reality Shaper” could be a lost cut from Domination or Close to a World Below, but over four-and-a-half minutes, the pointed, serpentine lick is filed to a nub through repetition. This over-dependence on the same or similar riffs (“Neophyte,” “Spiritual Atrophy”) kills momentum throughout, making active listens feel much longer than thirty minutes. Spiritual Atrophy’s two instrumentals also undercut the listening experience, with intro piece “Divination Whispers” building to a moment that never arrives. Interlude “Perversion of Survival” does the same, alluring with its promising, sci-fi oriented forty seconds, only to be jettisoned for a tune that’s entirely agnostic to the lead-in. The instrumentals are solid on their own, and don’t necessarily belong on the cutting room floor—I only wish they’d been integrated with more consideration.

    Though I’m left disappointed with Cultist’s latest offering, promise lurks around Spiritual Atropy’s corners. Frantic, off-kilter riffs, tortured vocals, and bursts of scathing venom supply the building blocks for nasty death metal magic. If Cultist can refine their songwriting and add more depth to their soundscape, their next LP could convert the masses.

    Rating: Disappointing
    DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 319 kbps mp3
    Label: Awakening Records/Futhark Records
    Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
    Releases Worldwide: March 20th, 2026

    The post Cultist – Spiritual Atrophy appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

  • Roman Candle Announce Debut Album ‘Unadulterated’

    Roman Candle have shared the details of their long-awaited debut album, their first body of work for Sumerian Records.


    The album is set to be titled ‘Unadulterated’ and will be unleashed on April 24.

    The artwork looks a lot like this:


    Whilst the tracklisting is a bit more like this, with some absolutely sensational song names

    1. Blasphemous Act
    2. This Band Has Led Me To Places I Wouldn’t Go With A Gun
    3. Can We Watch Something Happy?
    4. Lady Lazarus
    5. Bite Harder Than You Bleed
    6. I Can’t Stop Winning
    7. Fire In The Night Sky Forever
    8. My Silence Costs More Than You Can Afford
    9. Nothing Is Original
    10. On Second Thought Maybe Gaslighting Is Real
    11. For Once My Hands Are Still
    12. How To Be Considered When You’re Not In The Room

    The band have also shared another taste of the record, following on from the release of ‘Bite Harder Than You Bleed’ and ‘Can We Watch Something Happy?’

    That comes in the form of ‘Blasphemous Act’, a sensationally atmospheric and blood-curdlingly brash assault on the senses. A dizzying blend of razor-sharp riffs and banshee howls, it shows off the band at their most brilliantly crushing and creative.

    Vocalist Piper Ferrari had this to say about the track and what it represents for her:

    “‘Blasphemous Act’ was the last song we wrote for the record, and it hit with such ferocity that it forced its way onto the album in the eleventh hour. The name came from a Magic: The Gathering card, but the song took on a life of its own — this unhinged, teeth-bared spiral of obsession and retribution. Lines like ‘your neck in my teeth is all that I need’ and ‘karma is owed, paid in full’ captured a darker, more primal side of the band that we didn’t even know we were still capable of tapping into. By the time it explodes into that repeated ‘run for your life’ refrain, it felt clear: the record wouldn’t be complete without this song.”

    The post Roman Candle Announce Debut Album ‘Unadulterated’ appeared first on Rock Sound.