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Last month, Shannon Lay announced her new album Past The Veil and shared the title track. Now, the LA singer-songwriter is releasing a lush, placid new single called “Horizons.”

The post Shannon Lay – “Horizons” appeared first on Stereogum.

Indian / Canadian black-death mystics Nirriti present their debut album. Following the 2020 EP that ignited quite a blaze in the underground; I hold high expectations for this LP. Out via Iron Bonehead Productions on June 19th.

Serene strings and samples begin our journey of esoteric terror and violence. Noise, percussion, vicious dissonance; Nirriti make their presence felt with a volatile and convulsive concoction of twisted malevolence. The clanking of the bass cuts gloriously through the piercing guitar assault to give a real body to the mix which is intense and claustrophobic. Vocally the reverberate cacophony is perfectly suited to the trepanning instrumental fury. While the abyssal mix is raw and harsh; there is plenty of strength and everything is hard-hitting while retaining that sparse and discordant quality. The opening moments of this record are a lesson in hostility and extremity where both are pushed to the pinnacle.

At 44 minutes in length, this is a cumbersome album for the style. With a lot of aural torture that is all over the place and yet unified by this savage pulsating heart that dissolves into itself only to take new form; it is not an easy or straightforward listen. This is probably as far into noise territory as I personally venture, but the guitar work, inhuman drumming and vocals are unmistakably of the most deranged metallic constellations. Expect a cacophony of metaphysical upheaval that will certainly leave a mark.

This album is an overwhelming onslaught of bestial carnage. Blackened death metal noise with no limits. If you are curious how far into the extreme metal can be taken, this is a pretty good answer. It’s a bit less riff oriented than the likes of Tetragrammacide but has its own style that will certainly appeal to those into the more chaotic and feral corners of musical barbarism.

Def Leppard guitarist makes full circle return to band he formed as a teenager

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Fear Equation Announces Debut Full-Length Album Victims of the Future Out June 19, 2026
Progressive Heavy Metal Project Blends Traditional Metal, Thrash, and Melancholic Rock Influences
Fear Equation, the heavy metal and progressive metal project founded by Brandon DeLanzo in 2019, is set to release its highly anticipated debut full-length album, Victims of the Future , on June 19, 2026.
Combining the power and precision of traditional heavy metal and thrash with progressive songwriting and melancholic rock textures, Victims of the Future showcases Fear Equation’s unique approach to modern metal. Drawing inspiration from legendary acts such as Evergrey, Iron Maiden, Metallica, and Opeth, the album delivers a dynamic listening experience filled with soaring melodies, crushing riffs, introspective atmospheres, and memorable hooks.
“The first full-length album by Fear Equation. This release blends the sounds of traditional metal and thrash metal and mixes a healthy dose of melancholic rock,” says founder Brandon DeLanzo.
Since its formation, Fear Equation has focused on crafting music that balances technical musicianship with emotional depth. Victims of the Future represents the culmination of years of songwriting and artistic development, resulting in a record that appeals to fans of both classic and progressive metal alike.
The album was produced, mixed, and mastered by Adam Kephart at Second Guest Studios, bringing clarity and power to Fear Equation’s ambitious sonic vision.
As an independent and unsigned artist, Fear Equation continues to forge its own path, delivering authentic metal rooted in tradition while embracing progressive influences and modern production.
Album Details:
Artist: Fear Equation
Album: Victims of the Future
Release Date: June 19, 2026
Genre: Heavy Metal / Progressive Metal
For Fans Of: Evergrey, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Opeth
Label: Independent / Unsigned
Pre-save Victims of the Future now:
https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/fearequation/victims-of-the-future
For fans seeking powerful songwriting, thoughtful compositions, and a blend of classic and progressive metal influences, Victims of the Future is a debut release worth watching in 2026.
Follow Fear Equation

For updates, music, and upcoming announcements, stay connected with Fear Equation through their official social media channels and streaming platforms.

Connect:
https://www.facebook.com/share/18VCTQLF3a/?mibextid=wwXIf
https://fearequation.bandcamp.com/track/disconnected
https://open.spotify.com/artist/0XLLQEKAzpFbBmYsGYR6AY
Contact: Kurogasa55@yahoo.com

Ever since 2001, the smiling young collective known as the Kidz Bop Kids has offered up countless chirpy, family-friendly covers of pop hits. The Kidz Bop Kids have been through god knows how many iterations over the years. Zendaya was a Kidz Bop Kid once! So was Becky G! But even as the group itself has changed, their method has not. Sometimes, the Kidz Bop Kids’ lyrically edits of those pop hits can be very funny, as when they took on Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” two years ago. Sometimes, though, they can fundamentally change the meaning of a lyric, to the point where the guy who wrote the original song feels like he has to say something.

The post Noah Kahan Reacts To Kidz Bop’s Cop-Friendly “The Great Divide” Cover appeared first on Stereogum.

Japanese death metal quartet Defiled have spent three decades releasing records that are unique and stubbornly uncategorizable. From the innovative and boundary-pushing (2003’s Divination and 2011’s In Crisis), to the leaner, more modern era (Towards Inevitable Ruin through Horror Beyond Horror), their eight-album discography has wandered through as many genres as it has writers on this blog.¹ Divination and In Crisis sounded like stuffing Cryptopsy, Voivod, and Primus into a metal box and kicking it down a flight of stairs, but lineup turnover ushered in a disappointing shift on Towards Inevitable Ruin that persisted through the next three albums. Accordingly, my AMG colleagues had no shortage of criticisms, yet beneath every complaint—and AMG’s Law of Diminishing Recordings—lies the group’s unwavering shinjō:² write the music they want to write and don’t give a damn what anyone thinks, as long as it provokes a reaction. What reaction will Defiled’s ninth album, Altered State, draw?

As it turns out, a positive one. On Altered State, Defiled’s early, unhinged chaos has given way to a more controlled sound, though the quartet still brings plenty of rhythmic changes (“Dazed in Blindness”), odd time signatures (“Prophecies”), and off-kilter grooves (“Obsession”) that confirm the group’s trademark brand of wackiness is alive and kicking. Across approximately forty-three minutes, Defiled tear through fourteen tracks, loading songs like “Portal,” “The Degradation,” and “Genocidal Stage” with pit-igniting, muscular riffs that nod toward Sepultura’s classic era. The first seven tracks fly by, but with Altered State’s familiar grindcore-leaning structure, the feeling of fatigue begins to creep in, especially as many songs follow similar patterns. Fortunately, cuts like “The Ultra Death” and “Metamorphosis of Evil” help break that spell, injecting a welcome dose of Human-era Death into the mix. And while it remains a melting pot of genres, Altered State plants its flag firmly in thrash and death above all else.

Two enduring criticisms have plagued Defiled’s modern era, but Altered State shows meaningful improvement on both. 2024’s Horror Beyond Horror struggled not because of weak performances, but because its material failed to leave a lasting mark. Altered state largely flips that script, relying on a barrage of catchy riffing by Yusuke Sumita and Sinichiro Hamada to craft tracks that are both engaging and memorable in equal measure. From “Obsession” through “Genocidal Stage,” my head rarely stayed still, nodding in time as Keisuke Hamada’s assaulting blasts and jackhammer rhythms fuse with Sumita and Hamada’s down-picked guitar lines. Vocally, Hamada delivers a solid, deathly growl with a dusting of groove metal grit that sticks with Defiled’s usual approach. Though his delivery is throaty, consistent and appropriately abrasive, his phrasing doesn’t vary much. Long drawn‑out growls tend to appear in the same spots—always during intros and usually coming out of choruses or a bridge—making his performance predictable even as the instrumentation around it shifts and mutates, serving more as a functional piece than a standout characteristic.

Takachita Nakajima’s bass excursions revive some of the low-end grooves that defined Defiled’s early years (see “The Degradation” and “Metamorphosis of Evil”, for example), but recent releases buried them under bad production. While the mix here is still too loud and compressed to give his bass the adequate space it deserves, Altered State’s production is nonetheless a clear improvement. Its added warmth and body give the material a classic death metal heft that lets the songwriting land squarely in that sweet spot of ’90s nostalgia, while still remaining balanced enough for Nakakima’s bass ventures to occasionally surface beneath the nuances of Humada’s terrific drumming or Sumita’s and Keisuke Hamada’s sprinting riffwork.

In his review of Horror Beyond Horror, Felagund held out hope that the next writer to tackle Defiled would earn the honor of bestowing their first “Great” rating since In Crisis. I won’t be claiming that distinction with Altered State, but I do find myself in the welcome position of giving these Japanese veterans their strongest marks in a decade. Altered State succeeds by largely shedding prior missteps and packing itself with memorable material while still delivering the patented twists and turns that have defined Defiled’s sound for years. Hard to love but undoubtedly entertaining, Altered State is the first step in a course correction Defiled desperately needed.

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Rating: Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: defiledjapan.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/defiled
Releases Worldwide: June 12th, 2026

The post Defiled – Altered State Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Calculations are nearly complete.

The post The Dillinger Escape Plan Announce Their Final “Calculating Infinity” Shows appeared first on Theprp.com.

Audio Ink Radio reviews Olivia Rodrigo’s new album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love.” Here’s what we thought.

The post Olivia Rodrigo, ‘You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love’ – Review appeared first on Audio Ink Radio.

In the fall of 2020, riding high off the success of her pandemic-era classic Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers launched Saddest Factory Records, a new imprint operating under the umbrella of Dead Oceans, the indie mega-label that puts out Bridgers’ own records. She’s since applied the Saddest Factory branding to her SiriusXM show. In its half-decade of existence, Saddest Factory has released records by Muna, Claud, Sloppy Jane, and others, and it’s built up an identity. It may well hold onto that identity, but it won’t be keeping its name.

The post Phoebe Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Is Retiring Its Name After Trademark Dispute appeared first on Stereogum.