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Whether it’s a clash of generations, old-school vs. new-school, genre mash-ups, or simply doubling down on a specific subgenre, there’s something special about great artists collaborating on each other’s records. This is by no means a grading exercise or a top 10, it’s simply a list of 10 blues rock collaborations that are must-hears.

B.B. King & Eric Clapton – “Riding With the King”

A B.B. King and Eric Clapton classic. As a youngster just discovering blues, this was my absolute go-to. Incredible guitar playing, outstanding vocal performances packed with feel, and irresistible groove throughout the track. Essential track, as well as the album as a whole.

Koko Taylor & Buddy Guy – “Born Under a Bad Sign”

The Queen of the Blues herself – Koko Taylor teams up with the legendary Buddy Guy to add grit to this Albert King classic. Delivered with unmatched emotion and attitude, this 1993 version can’t be missed.

Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Don’t Lie To Me”

Taken from their 1983 televised live recording In Session, this performance is truly electric, showcasing two completely mind-blowing guitar gods having fun. Throughout the entire session there’s almost a master – disciple dynamic between the two, which is funny in hindsight considering how massive a name SRV is, and how big a legacy he’s left behind.

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – “Messin’ With the Kid”

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells join forces on “Messin’ With the Kid”. Widely known as an upbeat Chicago Blues standard, this version is slightly more laid back but not any less funky. Amazing brass parts powering the already groovy rhythm section. Junior on the vocals, and Buddy delivering his signature-style solo. Tasty!

Howlin’ Wolf, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts & Bill
Wyman – “Highway 49”

Picked out from The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions, a killer slide riff kick-starts this blues shuffle performed by an all-star lineup. Energy simply bursts out of this one, with Howlin’ Wolf’s unique vocals sending chills down your spine. A true clash of blues and rock legends.

John Lee Hooker & Bonnie Raitt – “I’m In the Mood”

John Lee Hooker’s dirty guitar playing and soulful vocals are complemented so nicely by Bonnie Raitt’s spicy ad-libs on this track. The recording session for this was apparently so electric that Bonnie recalls needing a moment to compose herself afterward. That genuine emotion truly shines through the record itself.

Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones – “Hoochie Coochie Man” (Live)

One of the most recognisable blues tunes of all time. Rock n’ roll bad boys, The Rolling Stones have always worn their influences on their sleeves, and Muddy Waters is the absolute top of that list. Recorded on a whim in Chicago in 1981, a truly memorable live performance

The Marcus King Band & Warren Haynes – “Virginia”

Oh what a tune! This track is what got me obsessed with Marcus King. Incredible guitar playing, even better vocal performance, all spiced up by Warren Haynes’ southern swagger and otherworldly guitar playing. Rich guitar tones, conversational solos, the band pumping the energy. Just incredible!

Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ – “Don’t Leave Me Here”

A groovy track packing tonnes of soul picked straight off a 2017 collab album titled TajMo. Tight production, two great blues vocals, a luxurious brass section, fiery harmonica solos, delicious guitar licks, a true masterclass by these two blues heavyweights.

Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland – “T-Bone Shuffle”

Guitar mastery overload in this blues standard recorded in 1985 by a truly impressive line-up. A relentless shuffle, and three blues guitar giants having the time of their lives trying to challenge each other.

Different styles, different eras, different tempos, but all 10 are absolute blues masterpieces. Did I miss anything blatantly obvious? Any hidden gems you love? Let me know in the comments below.

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Metal Breakdown Daily is one page, every weekday: the episode on the player below and the three stories in print, so you can listen, read, or both. Today it leads with Nevermind and Back In Black: Nirvana’s 1991 album has passed AC/DC’s 1980 one to become the sixth best-selling album of all time, by exactly one thousand equivalent sales, and the way that number is counted is the whole argument.

Then Alice Cooper, whose memoir Devil On My Shoulder is the No. 1 nonfiction book in the UK and No. 4 on the New York Times list, which puts two metal autobiographies in the Times top ten at once. And Metal Allegiance, who have announced their January 28 NAMM-week show at the House Of Blues Anaheim with members of Opeth, Overkill, Mastodon, Queensrÿche and Armored Saint, and both David Ellefson and Marty Friedman.

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Scott Penfold opens today’s Metal Breakdown Daily with the thousand-copy gap between Nevermind and Back In Black and what the count really measures, then Alice Cooper’s bestseller and the Metal Allegiance bill, and takes a side on the number that should bother everyone: nothing released since 1991 is in the all-time top ten. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and stream the show now.

Nevermind Passes Back In Black For Sixth Best-Selling Album Of All Time

Nirvana’s Nevermind now stands at 66,832,000 equivalent album sales to Back In Black’s 66,831,000, according to the data firm Chartmasters, moving it to sixth on the all-time list and AC/DC to seventh.

The top ten, with Chartmasters’ figures: Michael Jackson’s Thriller (131,253,000), the Eagles’ Hotel California (74,695,000), the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack (73,267,000), Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours (73,108,000), Jackson’s Bad (70,196,000), Nevermind, Back In Black, Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon (63,623,000), the Beatles’ Abbey Road (61,075,000) and Led Zeppelin IV (60,696,000).

How the count works matters. Equivalent album sales combine physical albums, downloads, streams converted by formula, and every single and compilation appearance of the songs on the record. On physical albums alone AC/DC are comfortably ahead, roughly 37 million to 30 million. Nirvana close the gap and pass on everything else, most of it streaming. AC/DC sold more records; Nirvana are being played more now.

Two details from the archive. Kurt Cobain took guitar lessons for two days in eighth grade, specifically to learn “Back In Black,” then quit. And when Classic Rock asked Malcolm Young about Nirvana in 1992, his full review was: “Singer’s a blond feller. Bit of a poser.” Nevermind turned thirty-five last month. Back In Black is forty-six. They’ll trade places again; the margin is a rounding error. The part that isn’t a rounding error is in The Take.

Alice Cooper’s Devil On My Shoulder Is The No. 1 Book In Britain

Alice Cooper’s memoir Devil On My Shoulder is No. 1 on the UK Sunday Times nonfiction list, up from No. 7 the previous week, and No. 4 on the New York Times nonfiction list, No. 3 at Publishers Weekly and No. 9 in Canada.

The structure is the sell: the book is written in two voices, Vince Furnier and Alice, the angel and the devil, and Cooper says that isn’t a device so much as the story itself. “Me and Alice were getting creative with the truth long before the age of fake news,” he writes. The chapters run from a Phoenix childhood built on comics, horror movies and baseball, through the Earwigs becoming the Alice Cooper band, rehab, and a cast that includes Salvador Dalí, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon and Tiger Woods. He also puts the chicken story to bed: it never happened.

Kirkus praised “a careful consideration of his lyrics and stagecraft” over the usual score-settling. Publishers Weekly found him “surprisingly humble, funny, and personable,” which anyone who has spent five minutes with him could have told them. The book arrives fifteen months after The Revenge Of Alice Cooper reunited the surviving original band to the best reviews of his late career, and six days before the Alice’s Attic tour opens across North America on October 27, with the Criss Angel co-production Welcome To Our Nightmare in Las Vegas at the end of November.

The detail worth sitting with: Dave Mustaine’s In My Darkest Hour is on the New York Times list at the same time. Two metal autobiographies in the top ten of the most respectable book chart in America, in the same week, one by a 78-year-old four decades sober and one by a man who beat throat cancer. For a genre that was supposed to be a phase, that’s a lot of hardcover.

Metal Allegiance Announce January 28 NAMM-Week Show In Anaheim

Metal Allegiance will play their annual NAMM-week show on January 28, 2027 at the House Of Blues Anaheim, with Fredrik Åkesson, Bobby Blitz, John Bush, Todd La Torre, Troy Sanders, Angel Vivaldi and Marty Friedman joining the core of Mike Portnoy, David Ellefson, Alex Skolnick and Mark Menghi; tickets go on sale Thursday, October 22 at 10 a.m. ET.

The guests, by band: Åkesson from Opeth, Blitz from Overkill, Bush from Armored Saint, La Torre from Queensrÿche, Sanders from Mastodon, the solo guitarist Angel Vivaldi, and Friedman, who also plays his own opening set. Wicked and Lost Legacy open, and more guests are promised. Skolnick and Portnoy have anchored the project since Menghi founded it in 2014; it has two albums, the 2015 self-titled debut and 2018’s Volume II: Power Drunk Majesty, and a standing date in Anaheim the week the music industry descends on the NAMM convention.

The format hasn’t changed in a decade: a rotating cast playing the songs that made them want to do this, in a 1,700-capacity room, for one night. It’s the best bar band on earth.

Look at who’s in that room, though. David Ellefson and Marty Friedman, the bassist and lead guitarist on Rust In Peace, on the same stage in January, while Megadeth’s farewell tour carries on without either of them. Nobody has announced they’ll play a Megadeth song together. Nobody needs to.

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The Take: Nirvana Didn’t Beat AC/DC. They Took The Last Seat At The Table

The argument everyone will have today, streams versus sales, is the wrong one. Give AC/DC the trophy for biggest-selling hard rock album on physical copies; they earned it. The number that should bother everyone is a different one: the newest album in the all-time top ten came out in September 1991.

In 2026 the only honest measure of whether a record is alive is whether people who weren’t born when it came out choose to play it. Not inherit it; choose it. That’s what the streaming component measures, and Nevermind is being chosen, every day, by people who have never owned a physical object with music on it, slightly more often than Back In Black. That is not a fake win.

The counter-argument is fair: AC/DC’s audience is older and owns the vinyl, so of course it doesn’t stream, and equivalent sales flatter whatever is popular with teenagers this year. Fine. But the kids putting “Smells Like Teen Spirit” in short videos aren’t doing it out of loyalty to Seattle. They’re doing it because the song still sounds like something is about to break.

Now look past both bands. Nothing from the last thirty-five years, in any genre, has sold its way into that top ten. Not Adele. Not Taylor Swift. Not Eminem. The album, as a thing people bought sixty million times, ended somewhere around the time Kurt Cobain was learning “Back In Black” in a bedroom in Aberdeen. Nirvana didn’t beat AC/DC today. They took the last seat at a table nobody else is ever getting into.

TL;DR

• Nevermind has passed Back In Black to become the sixth best-selling album of all time: 66,832,000 equivalent album sales to 66,831,000, per Chartmasters. On physical copies AC/DC still lead, roughly 37 million to 30 million.
• Alice Cooper’s memoir Devil On My Shoulder is No. 1 on the UK Sunday Times nonfiction list and No. 4 on the New York Times list; Dave Mustaine’s memoir is on the Times list the same week.
• Metal Allegiance play the House Of Blues Anaheim on January 28, 2027 with members of Opeth, Overkill, Armored Saint, Queensrÿche and Mastodon, plus David Ellefson and Marty Friedman; tickets on sale October 22 at 10 a.m. ET.
• The Take: the newest album in the all-time top ten is thirty-five years old. Nirvana didn’t beat AC/DC; they took the last seat at the table.

FAQ

Metal Breakdown Daily is Loaded Radio’s weekday hard rock and metal news show: three stories, one opinion, a new episode every weekday on the free Loaded Radio app for Apple iOS and Google Play. Follow Loaded Radio for the full stories behind every episode.

The post Metal Breakdown Daily: Nirvana Pass AC/DC For The Sixth Best-Selling Album Ever, Alice Cooper Has An International Best Seller, And Metal Allegiance Put Two Rust In Peace Megadeth Alumni On One Stage appeared first on Loaded Radio.

They've been on a brief hiatus before returning to the road again in early November. Continue reading…

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Home prices in Seattle have fallen, sales have slowed, and buyers have more properties to compare. Yet the city remains an expensive place to purchase a house, with the median sale price still above $850,000.

For sellers, the challenge is no longer simply getting a property listed. Pricing it correctly, presenting it well, and dealing with problems before buyers discover them can influence how quickly a sale moves forward.

Home Prices Fall as Sales Slow Down

Seattle’s median home sale price reached $854,593 in September 2026, down 2.7% from the same period in 2025, according to Redfin’s Seattle housing data.

The number of completed home sales also declined. September recorded 1,943 sales, compared with 2,263 a year earlier, representing a 14.1% decrease.

Buyers are not necessarily abandoning Seattle. They are purchasing fewer homes, and more sellers are adjusting their expectations.

Source: Redfin, September 2026. Figures cover all residential property types within Seattle city limits.

One number deserves particular attention from homeowners preparing to sell. Nearly one-third of active listings had experienced a price reduction.

That does not mean every seller must lower their asking price. It does suggest that setting an ambitious price and waiting for buyers to accept it has become riskier.

Redfin also found that Seattle homes sold for an average of 0.8% below their asking prices. On an $850,000 listing, that percentage represents $6,800.

More Homes Are Available Across the Seattle Region

Seattle’s slowdown is part of a wider shift across Washington.

The Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported 24,965 active listings across its 27-county service area at the end of September 2026, an increase of 24.5% from the previous year.

Pending sales fell 15.1% to 6,231, and completed transactions declined 8.9% to 5,623.

The number of homes available for sale reached its highest September level since 2014. Buyers had more properties to inspect, but fewer were moving forward with purchases.

King County, which includes Seattle, recorded a 31.1% increase in active inventory. Its median sale price across houses and condominiums remained at $850,000, unchanged from September 2025.

For single-family homes alone, the county median was $949,975.

Those county figures should not be confused with Seattle city statistics. They cover a much larger area, including Bellevue, Redmond, Renton, and other communities.

For someone selling a home, additional inventory means greater competition from similar properties. Buyers may be able to compare several houses in the same price range instead of making a decision after visiting only one or two.

Are Seattle Home Prices Falling Everywhere?

Not every Seattle neighborhood has experienced the same changes.

In Central Seattle, Redfin recorded a median sale price of $974,702 during the three months ending September 2026, a decline of 7.2% from the same period a year earlier.

The Central Area recorded a median of $843,764, down 18.5%. Madison Park remained substantially more expensive, with a median price of $1,961,950 despite a 12.4% annual decline.

These neighborhood figures illustrate why citywide averages cannot tell a homeowner what their particular property is worth.

They also require careful interpretation. A neighborhood’s median can change because expensive or inexpensive properties account for a larger share of sales, even if individual home values move less dramatically.

A three-bedroom house near a popular school, for example, competes with a different set of properties than a small condominium in a nearby commercial district.

Before listing a home, sellers should examine recent completed sales involving comparable properties. Current asking prices show what other owners hope to receive, not necessarily what buyers have agreed to pay.

Why Are Buyers More Cautious in Seattle?

Higher borrowing costs remain one obstacle. Even a relatively small change in mortgage rates can alter the monthly payment on an expensive Seattle property.

Consider an $850,000 home purchased with a 20% down payment. The buyer would borrow $680,000.

At a 6% fixed interest rate over 30 years, principal and interest would total $4,077 per month. At 7%, the same loan would require $4,524 per month.

That is an additional $447 every month, before property taxes, insurance, and maintenance.

Buyers also have to consider employment stability and the amount of savings left after purchasing a property. A household may qualify for a mortgage but hesitate to commit much of its income to a single expense.

Meanwhile, sellers who purchased or refinanced when mortgage rates were much lower may be reluctant to accept a reduced sale price.

The result can be a market with more homes available but fewer completed purchases.

What Should You Do Before Listing Your Property?

A slower market does not mean every seller needs to renovate the house. Expensive improvements can consume money without producing an equivalent increase in the final sale price.

The priority should be addressing problems buyers can identify during a viewing or inspection, then presenting the property at a price supported by recent local sales.

Set the Asking Price Using Recent Sales

Start with homes of similar size, age, condition, and location that have sold recently.

If three comparable properties sold for $790,000, $815,000, and $825,000, listing a similar home at $950,000 needs a convincing explanation.

Substantial renovations, a larger lot, or a superior location might justify a premium. An owner’s emotional attachment to the property does not establish its market value.

Pay attention to the number of days competing listings have remained unsold and any reductions in their asking prices.

Handle Visible Maintenance Problems Before Showings

A dripping faucet, damaged gutter, slow-draining sink, or stained ceiling can distract buyers from the rest of the house.

Some problems also raise questions about hidden damage. A minor leak near a window may cause a visitor to wonder if water has entered the wall. A persistent drainage problem may lead to concerns about the plumbing system.

Seattle’s rainy climate makes signs of moisture especially relevant. Homeowners should check gutters, downspouts, exterior drainage, and areas around windows and doors.

Slow drains, recurring backups, or sewage odors deserve professional attention rather than a cosmetic cover-up. 

Sellers dealing with these problems can arrange Drain Cleaning in Seattle before putting the property on the market, particularly when ordinary cleaning has not resolved the blockage.

Keep receipts for completed repairs and disclose known defects as required by Washington law. Repair documentation can help answer questions when a buyer requests information about the property’s condition.

Make Small Improvements That Buyers Will Notice

Fresh paint in damaged areas, clean windows, functioning light fixtures, and repaired cabinet hardware can improve the presentation of a property without requiring major construction.

Small fixes such as sealing gaps around windows and doors can also improve comfort, particularly when soundproofing repairs help reduce unwanted outdoor noise.

Outdoor areas deserve attention too. Clear walkways, trimmed vegetation, and properly maintained steps make it easier for visitors to inspect the exterior.

For older homes, focus on repairs that improve function and safety. A beautiful photograph will not compensate for an obvious roof leak or a bathroom fixture that does not work.

Prepare the Home for Listing Photographs

Many buyers first encounter a property through photographs rather than an in-person visit.

Clear countertops, remove unnecessary belongings, clean reflective surfaces, and make sure rooms are well lit.

Photographs should represent the actual house accurately. Wide-angle images can help show the layout, but misleading room proportions may disappoint buyers when they arrive.

A floor plan can also help visitors understand how rooms connect, particularly in older Seattle homes with unusual layouts or additions.

Review the Inspection and Disclosure Requirements

Washington sellers may be required to provide a seller disclosure statement under the state’s residential real property disclosure law, subject to statutory exceptions.

The disclosure addresses known conditions involving the property, including structural systems, utilities, environmental issues, and other matters specified by law.

Sellers should review the requirements in Washington Revised Code Chapter 64.06 rather than assuming that a fresh coat of paint or completed repair removes the need to answer questions about past problems.

When a significant defect is discovered, a qualified inspector or contractor can help establish the nature of the problem and the work needed to resolve it.

Should You Renovate Before Selling a Seattle Home?

A complete kitchen renovation may look attractive in listing photographs, but spending $50,000 on the project does not guarantee that the final sale price will increase by $50,000.

The decision depends on the condition of the existing kitchen and the expectations of buyers shopping in that neighborhood.

A clean, functional kitchen with slightly older cabinets may not justify replacement. On the other hand, damaged countertops, unsafe electrical work, or leaking plumbing can affect a buyer’s assessment of the property.

Sellers should separate necessary repairs from improvements intended mainly to change the appearance of a room.

Before approving major work, compare the estimated renovation expense with recent sale prices of similar renovated and unrenovated homes. A local agent can help identify which features buyers are currently paying more to obtain.

How Long Does It Take to Sell a House in Seattle in 2026?

Redfin reported a median of 19 days on the market for Seattle homes in September 2026, unchanged from a year earlier.

That measure does not mean every home sells within three weeks. Some receive offers quickly, and others remain listed for considerably longer.

Condition, location, asking price, property type, and the number of competing listings influence the time required to find a buyer.

Even after an offer is accepted, a financed purchase can require additional time for the mortgage process, appraisal, title work, inspections, and closing arrangements.

Sellers planning to move on a fixed date should leave room for unexpected delays rather than scheduling everything around the median marketing period.

The Bottom Line

The latest statistics point to a more demanding market for sellers, but they do not establish that every homeowner should delay selling.

Seattle’s median home price remains high by national standards. Well-maintained properties with realistic asking prices are still finding buyers, and some attract multiple offers.

However, the combination of falling citywide prices, fewer completed sales, and more listings means sellers have less room to rely on the market alone.

Someone who needs to relocate for employment may benefit from selling now rather than waiting for an uncertain change in prices. Another homeowner with no immediate reason to move may prefer to examine rental options, renovation plans, or future market conditions before making a decision.

For owners proceeding with a sale, the September data provide a clear starting point. Homes are selling, but buyers have more choices and are more willing to negotiate. Accurate pricing, documented repairs, and a property that is ready for inspection can help a listing compete without unnecessary spending.

Glamorous alt-pop powerhouse DIAMANTE has announced her highly anticipated forthcoming album SUPERNOVA, out 8th January 2027 via Sumerian Records. SUPERNOVA will be DIAMANTE‘s third full-length album and the latest body of original music since 2021’s critically acclaimed American Dream LP.

In celebration of the announcement, she’s released her latest offering ‘Hollywood Blvd‘ and the accompanying official video. Most recently, DIAMANTE shared ‘Cool Down’ after taking this year’s Louder Than Life festival by storm. Pre-save SUPERNOVA at the link here, listen to ‘Hollywood Blvd’ here, and watch the official video here or in the thumbnail below.

TRACKLISTING
1. 1987
2. All for the Glory
3. Silver Bullet
4. Bite of the Beast
5. Diamonds & Roses
6. Cry Wolf
7. Hollywood Blvd
8. Snakebite
9. Heavy
10. Cool Down
11. Mirror, Mirror
12. Acid Rain
13. Don’t Let Me Love You
14. Supernova

ABOUT DIAMANTE:
With her iconic 80s glamour and undeniably powerful vocals, Diamante has become a beacon in today’s music scene, seamlessly weaving the vibrant energy and bold aesthetics of the era while forging her own distinct identity with contemporary flair. She first turned heads with her debut album “Coming In Hot” in 2018 soon after followed by her sophomore full-length “American Dream” including her smash-hit re-imagination of Goo Goo Dolls classic ‘Iris‘ featuring Ben Burnley (Breaking Benjamin), earning widespread acclaim and further propelling her into the spotlight. Diamante has toured alongside prominent acts such as Nita Strauss, Shinedown, The Pretty Reckless, Breaking Benjamin, and Three Days Grace while performing at major national festivals including Sonic Temple, Louder Than Life, and Welcome To Rockville.

The alt-pop powerhouse has begun a new era after signing with her new label home Sumerian Records, and released the irresistibly catchy ‘1987‘ and ‘All For The Glory‘. She then contributed to the American Psycho Comic Series Soundtrack with her spin on Pat Benatar‘s classic ‘Love Is A Battlefield‘, and collaborated with labelmates Kittie and The Pretty Wild for an emotional cover of Metallica‘s ‘The Unforgiven’ for the Queen Of The Ring Soundtrack. With her empowering anthems and rebellious spirit, the sky is the limit as Diamante continues to prove she is a force to be reckoned with, both in the studio and on stage.

The post DIAMANTE announces new album ‘SUPERNOVA’ first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

These tracks simply did not live up to the guitarist's standards. Continue reading…

Slam Dunk have added a new band to their already stacked line-up, and it is a returning hero, making their way back to the UK for the first time in 17 years.

Oh yes, it is Cobra Starship. The band last played the festival way back in 2009, ahead of the release of their scene classic ‘Hot Mess’, and last played in the UK in 2010 before disbanding.

Now Gabe Saporta and Co will be returning for a long-awaited reunion in May next year.

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They join the already announced Bowling For Soup, Simple Plan, Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake, The Interrupters, Killswitch Engage, Beartooth, Wage War, The Amity Affliction, Melrose Avenue, From Ashes to New, Sleeping With Sirens, The Used, The Main, We The Kings, The Academy Is…, Cute is What We Aim For, Knuckle Puck, The Front Bottoms, Love Rarely and more.

Slam Dunk will be taking place May 29 and 30 at Temple Newsam Park and Hatfield Park respectively. Tickets are available now from right here.

Cobra Starship are part of Made In Chicago: A Rock Sound Tribute, covering Fall Out Boy’s classic track ‘I Don’t Care’, of which the video stars Gabe himself.

You can pick up your copy right now from SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV

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Newcastle based melodic punkers MONKIE MIND are back with their blistering new single and music video, Ignite. Formed

Mere days away from the release, Monumental, Ukrainian modern metal architects IGNEA open another door to their upcoming studio album. “Harmony Manufactured” is fast and heavy and features guest vocals from Britta Görtz of melodic death metal band HIRAES who recently floored audiences as an interim front woman for Heaven Shall Burn. On IGNEA’s new single, her vocals create intense harmonies with Helle Bohdanova’s vocals to unfold another facet of Monumental.

IGNEA’s new record is set around the concept of nostalgia and draws from architecture in its aesthetics. “Harmony Manufactured” draws its brutal sound from Bauhaus buildings. Monumental releases this coming Friday via Napalm Records.

Helle Bohdanova about “Harmony Manufactured”:
“The song ‘Harmony Manufactured’ is a tribute to industrial design, the Bauhaus school, and the birth of technical aesthetics, celebrating objects in which function and beauty coexist perfectly. The Bauhaus believed in the unity of art, craft, and technology, and that well-made things shouldn’t be a privilege but part of everyday life. In this song, the mechanical intensity is combined with a melody that reflects the elegance of everyday products emerging from the production line: stylish, timeless, and capable of evoking nostalgia, like a tubular-steel chair that has outlived three generations of owners.

In the video, though, it is the human body that is treated as the peak of design. After all, it is humans who carry the most beauty and enduring memory.

We’re extremely grateful to have Britta as a guest on ‘Harmony Manufactured’. Her voice is the technical aesthetics of extreme vocals, and she has elevated this song enormously. I hope we’ll be able to perform it live together someday.”
 
Britta Görtz adds:
“Helle and I have a lot of mutual respect and appreciation for each other, so joining forces on a song felt like a very natural thing to do. I love the strong artistic vision that she and IGNEA brought to ‘Harmony Manufactured’, especially the way they explore the themes of nostalgia and Bauhaus through their music. It’s always inspiring to work with artists who have such a clear creative identity, and it was a pleasure to become part of their musical world for this song. Having Helle come all the way from Ukraine to my hometown Hannover for the video shoot made the whole experience even more special!”

Watch the official video for “Harmony Manufactured” (feat. Hiraes) NOW!

Monumental is IGNEA’s second full-length album that was written during the full-scale war in Ukraine. The recording process mostly took place in the winter of 2025-2026, during icy temperatures and long power outages in Kyiv.
 
Helle Bohdanova says about Monumental:
“Back in the 17th century, nostalgia was considered a deadly disease—and in many ways, it still is. It’s a universal feeling experienced by every human being, pulling us toward a past that felt gentler than it truly was, especially during the bitter moments of the present. Much of this album was inspired by modernist architecture—concrete giants built to signal progress and a brighter future, now slowly decaying. They’ve become a sort of memory box: monuments to unrealized dreams, where the future that was once imagined never arrived, yet continues to echo through the ruins and bright mosaics.”

Pre-order your copy of Monumental NOW:

On Monumental, IGNEA takes the listener on nostalgic rides, with all their ups and downs, expressed in music and lyrics, carrying a sense of gentle sadness and reflection, as nostalgia can bring back beautiful memories, darkened by the awareness that these moments will never happen again.

Following Dreams of Lands Unseen (2023), the band navigates through unique facets of the past across nine tracks—from the grandeur and ambition of Cold War space dreams to the melancholy of urban decay and forgotten modernist structures, all the way to the emotional weight of personal and collective memory. All lyrics on Monumental were written by vocalist Helle Bohdanova. The music was composed by keyboardist Yevhenii Zhytniuk, with additional contributions from Helle Bohdanova. Mixing and mastering were handled by Grammy Award-nominated producer Jacob Hansen, known for his work with bands such as DELAIN, Amaranthe, Volbeat, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, and Epica.

Monumental tracklisting:

1. Darkness     
2. Dreams of Lands Unseen     
3. Presence of the Past             
4. Prefab (feat. Combichrist)
5. What Buildings Dream of    
6. I am in Hell 
7. Between No Longer and Not Yet      
8. Harmony Manufactured (feat. Hiraes)
9. Nadir           

Monumental will be available in the following formats:

• 1-LP Splatter Vinyl, incl. LP-Sized Booklet – strictly limited (Napalm Records EU Shop only)
• Bundle 1-CD Jewelcase + T-Shirt (Napalm Records EU Shop only)
• 1-LP Solid Silver Vinyl
• 1-CD Jewelcase
• Digital Album

Musically, Monumental blends technical metal riffs, industrial textures, atmospheric interludes, grandiose choruses, and melodic passages to mirror “nostalgic rides,” where darkness, reflection, and awe collide. Visually and conceptually, IGNEA drew inspiration from retrofuturism, modernist and monumental architecture, and industrial design, creating a world where sound, imagery, and memory converge. The album stands as an ode to the past, a meditation on lost and unrealized futures, and a celebration of the enduring beauty hidden within forgotten places.
 
IGNEA Live 2026
 
Supporting EVERGREY’s Architects Of A New Weave European Tour 2026
w/ Stellar Circuits
11.11.26 SE – Lund / Mejeriet
12.11.26 SE – Stockholm / Kollektivet Livet
13.11.26 SE – Linköping / Paletset
14.11.26 SE – Gothenburg / Filmstudion 2
15.11.26 NO – Oslo / Salt
17.11.26 DE – Hamburg / Logo
18.11.26 DE – Berlin / Hole44
19.11.26 DE – Munich / Feierwerk
20.11.26 AT – Vienna / Weberknecht
21.11.26 IT – Milan / Slaughter Club
22.11.26 CH – Aarau / KiFF
23.11.26 BE – Antwerp / Zappa
25.11.26 UK – Southampton / The Brook
26.11.26 UK – Birmingham / Asylum
27.11.26 UK – London / The Underworld
28.11.26 UK – Leeds / The Key Club
29.11.26 IE – Dublin / Opium
30.11.26 UK – Belfast / Limelight 2
01.12.26 UK – Glasgow / G2
02.12.26 UK – Newcastle / Anarchy Brew
03.12.26 UK – Manchester / Rebellion
04.12.26 UK – Bristol / Strange Brew
05.12.26 UK – Nottingham / Saltbox
07.12.26 FR – Paris / Petit Bain
08.12.26 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof
09.12.26 DE – Karlsruhe / Substage
10.12.26 DE – Dortmund / Junkyard
11.12.26 NL – Rotterdam / Baroeg
12.12.26 NL – Maastricht / Muziekgieterij
 
IGNEA are:
Helle Bohdanova – Vocals
Yevhenii Zhytniuk – Keys
Dmytro Vinnichenko – Guitars
Oleksandr Kamyshyn – Bass
 
IGNEA online:
WEBSITE
FACEBOOK
INSTAGRAM
NAPALM RECORDS

The post IGNEA feat. Hiraes release new single, “Harmony Manufactured” + video! first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.