Following a commanding and emotional main stage performance at Download Festival 2026 this past weekend, alternative rock force Røry has revealed details for her biggest headline run to date. Sneakily first announced via the stage banner behind her during the festival set, “The Bloodletting UK Tour” will storm through the country in January and February … Continue reading Røry announces biggest ever headline UK tour and sophomore album ‘Bloodletting’
Fashioned From Bone returns with their second EP, Burbach. The trio remains fully committed to their DIY ethos: songwriting, recording, and artwork are all handled independently.
Their new single, Black Steam, is dedicated “To all the broken dreamers and the ones who felt pressure to be something”. I love the riffs (what a sound!) and the band’s attitude. The rhythm section is powerful and precise and the vocals are intense but catchy at the same time. It’s a very cool song, amazingly written and performed by the band.
Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below, and follow Fashioned From Bone if you like what you hear.
It’s a magical corner of the musical world where a band can combine an infectious nature with extreme oddness, and it’s in that corner that Idaho’s Seven Chains makes their home. Make no mistake about it, third album Swollen, In Flux is one for the oddballs, but it’s impossible to escape how catchy, how downright irresistible their riffcraft often is, and how it’s likely to draw in listeners that might not always like things so strange.
Release date: June 26, 2026. Label: I, Voidhanger Records.
Seven Chains finds the roots of their sound in a couple of extreme metal’s great innovators of the avant-garde: Portal and Ved Buens Ende. The Portal influence is immediate and obvious: grinding, rough-edged and dissonant riffs that often hide melody in plain sight, but Seven Chains’ riffs are less rattly and abstract (so it’s a little like Portal-by-way-of-Immolation). The extremely deep, guttural vocals of Noah Lane Coleman also pull from Portal in their somewhat freeform, barely rhythmic delivery, adding to the more nightmarish aspects of the record. The VBE influence, meanwhile, comes across through the deliberate blackened aspects (slower tremolo harmonies), and a slightly nauseating quality of certain riff passages (so think VBE-by-way-of-Krallice at times).
On top of that, the band occasionally layers synths and passages of haunting female vocals either to accentuate the riffier passages or to inject sections of overt eccentricity right into a song. Take all these influences and elements, add in a dynamic rhythm section performance, and you have a deeply nuanced, layered record that on paper seems to want to be grating and uncomfortable to the listener.
But here’s the kicker: none of it ever feels off-putting or overly abrasive because the riffs and rhythms are so frequently irresistibly catchy, whether they’re spiraling up into some unholy vortex or simply chugging along in a more direct drive. Yes, they might be dissonant and allergic to major keys, but they’re still the types of riffs that make you want to dust off your guitar and jam. In this way – that magical weirdly catchy quality – there’s a certain affinity to Voivod on this record. No, it doesn’t really sound like Voivod, but it’s pretty impossible to imagine Seven Chains not being fans, and like Voivod, there’s a sense of deep artistry and a progressive nature here, but shit still rocks.
These songs are also impeccably written, flowing with almost narrative ease while using key big moments to anchor each track. “Whence Blood No Longer Flows,” for example, seems to build to a stark passage of just blast beats and female vocals, but it uses this detour to build an even stronger, more determined finish to the song. “Every Flame Structured, Every Face Ablaze” similarly uses an unconventional method – this time a passage that constantly slows down – to add further emphasis to its finish. “Gestating Ash (The Thickest Darkness),” meanwhile, ups the almost covert melody, both in the rhythm guitar passages and a neat, atmospheric lead that is more chords and strumming than it is a typical solo. Finally, monster closer “The Earth’s Tentacular Cross” gets downright danceable with some bass and synth action to cut through the general maelstrom of the metal.
The only real downside of Swollen, In Flux is that it’s not the most efficient record on the planet. Right in the middle is a 5-minute synth and spoken word track that somewhat stalls the momentum. Add in an intro and interlude and you’ve got over eight minutes of non-metal material on a merely 35-minute album. This is admittedly a very minor qualm, and truthfully, sometimes you don’t get this type of artsy, idiosyncratic metal without these types of diversions, but this stuff isn’t why we’re here.
Because when the metal is raging, Swollen, In Flux is a downright rad record full of unexpected twists, dynamic performances, killer songwriting, and enough great riffage to keep you endlessly entertained. If the idea of catchy Portal or death metal VBE ever appealed, or if you just get tickled pink by catchy oddballs of the musical world, get Seven Chains in your earholes pronto.
Shadowborne has released ‘Wolf And The Queen‘, fourth single taken from the debut album ‘Heaven’s Falling‘ to be released on June 19th by Scarlet Records. ‘Wolf And The Queen‘ explores a hidden bond between two powerful figures from opposing worlds. Set against a backdrop of war and destiny, the song captures stolen moments above the […]
The band that spawned a million teenage goths, Evanescence, perhaps unfairly, are only really remembered for their debut album Fallen, but there’s a lot more to them than just the radio singles that record let loose on the world.
Surprisingly Sanctuary is only their sixth studio record, their last The Bitter Truth came out in 2021, but it does prove to be their most aggressive, written at the time of Trump’s re-election and the massive turmoil in their native USA, it’s an album of anger and frustration, highlighted by single Who Will You Follow but also one that looks for hope and humanity on How Do I Heal.
It continues the bands journey towards a more modern and overall heavier sound, the piano driven style of their earlier work of course never going away, the fact that a few of the tracks were co-written by Amy Lee, Zakk Cervini and Jordan Fish, injects some more contemporary sounds as all three produce alongside Nick Raskulinecz so Sanctuary feels massive and polished.
The throbbing electronics pulsate beneath colossal djenty riffs of Troy McLawhorn and Tom McCord, the hooky grooves of bassist Emma Anzai (who debuts on this record) and the pounding drums of Will Hunt. There’s also an orchestra that emboldens a few of the tracks including the title track and Self-Destruct as the piano still plays a pivotal role on Forever Without You.
Of course Evanescence has always been the vehicle for the unmistakable and I think unmatched vocals of Amy Lee. On Sanctuary she gives a fantastic performance yet again, bringing agility, emotion and rage on About Us. Lee says that with album she has “a lot to get off my chest” on this album and you can definitely hear that she has something to say on Sanctuary.
The entire ethos of the record being that it’s not a way to escape, but a way to cope and it’s a hell of a record to do it with. As so many bands around try to emulate the records of the early 2000’s, Sanctuary feels full circle for Evanescence, retaining the style that took the rock world by storm back then but refined into a more modern beast.
It’s their most coherent and cohesive album since Fallen, bringing all of the sonic experiments they’ve done since then and now together in to a record that defines who the band are now. 8/10 Tarja – Frisson Noir (earMusic)
If you don’t know who Tarja is by now then I’m afraid I can’t really help you, the Godmother of symphonic metal, she has been one of the performers, that most symphonic metal artists has been compared to.
Her distinctive soprano was the focal point of Nightwish for year but since then she’s embarked on a solo career that has been just as significant and successful, combining the powers of the classical world and the metal sphere to great effect.
As a result her solo albums are always both dramatic and intimate the two genres colliding in glorious way. With Frisson Noir, her new record, Tarja has not only released another great album but perhaps her heaviest to date, especially on the metallic side, while also expanding more towards other sounds and textures.
The classical side is of course the most prevailing, delicate piano, stirring strings, from concert pianist Niklas Pokki and violinist Mervi Myllyoja on At Sea. Orchestral swells coming from Apocalyptica on Tango, while Anemoia features flamenco guitar from Julián Bedmar and cello from Valter Freitas. There’s even a shamisen from Sayo Komada on The Trace Outlives all adding depth
Alongside all this the guitars chug and the drums pound with modern hued riffage. Komada is one of a few guests that ads something to this record the most nostalgic being, Leap Of Faith a duet with Marko Hietala. The two former Nightwish vocalist joining forces again after Tarja appeared on the song Left On Mars from Hietala’s album Roses From The Deep, and while this will be welcomed many may scratch their heads about Dani Filth turning up on I Don’t Care and Chad Smith (RHCP) adds some drums to Against The Odds.
Now I will say Frisson Noir is an album that needs investment, even at 10 tracks it feels long, it’s over an hour in length and every second is full of grown up compositions and a serious po-face of every note being very important. If you can give it time then Frisson Noir will unfold into a great symphonic metal record, that leans more on the classical side. 7/10
A.A. Williams – Solstice (RPM)
A.A. Williams has been a very potent name in the world of emotionally intensive music for a while now, making her live debut at Roadburn Festival of all places, she has gone on to support some of the massive names who are often linked to festivals such as Roadburn and ArcTanGent.
Leading to two acclaimed albums and three EP’s, her evocative take on music layered orchestrations, post rock shimmers, heavy churning riffs and haunting ethereal vocals drawn from the 90’s scene of PJ Harvey et al, Williams’ classical training always on show often juxtaposed with the cacophony of heaviness in her music be that volume or emotional.
It’s the sort of music where dynamics are key, from a single piano to an epic wall of sound Williams performs music you need to listen to, it’s not the sort of thing you stick on a playlist, maybe you could call it mature but I would say that it’s deliberate, there’s a vulnerability on this record, the songwriting is stripped back, plaintive and poetic.
Solstice welcomes the summer from the long journey through winter with both caution and hope, Hold It Together for instance moves from a piano to a cinematic expanse easily, the fragility showing her emotional depth and introspection while the louder portions invite release and catharsis.
Now I’m usually someone who loves this sort of music, I’ve very much enjoyed (?) the previous releases by A.A Williams but Solstice to me feels a bit too piano heavy, slower and more maudlin than previous efforts. I’m all for sadness and misery don’t get me wrong but the middle of this album drags a little, with a few songs that sound awfully similar; piano, vocal, build, guitars, close.
Now maybe that reflects the mind-set of Williams but I feel it may have been better as two EP’s one loud, one quiet rather than a whole record. I’m not saying it’s bad, not at all the performance is as harrowing and mesmerising as usual, I’m just saying it’s a little too long and perhaps a little too stripped back in comparison to previous records. 7/10
Bloodhunter – Sons Of The Abandoned (ROAR)
Melodic death metal now from Spain as former Nervosa singer Diva Satanica returns with the new record from Bloodhunter, with some Spanish live dates alongside Crypta (again formed by ex-Nervosa members.
These live shows promise to be a melodeath feast so what can you expect from their fourth album? Bluntly. More of the same; blistering riffs, double kicks heaven, twin axe harmonies and Diva’s versatile vocal style which screams, roars and even adds some clean backing vocals for the first time.
Album four begins with the incendiary The Devil’s Own and the influences of Arch Enemy, Devildriver and Hypocrisy come through as the technically precise melodeath is joined by groove metal grunt, the lyrics dealing with human and historical themes while the musical palette is also expanded through some atmospheric moments that cut through the heaviness.
However there are not many as must admit I got to the middle of the record and was starting to lose my interest a little as the guitar/drum sound is very similar for every track, making many of them merge together into a melodeath malaise. Only The Night Before Dawn, which is an acoustic interlude, recapturing my interest.
Joining Diva are a couple of high profile guests as The Threshold Of Hell features Fernando Riberio of Moonspell while The Path That Never Ends has Laura Guldemond of Burning Witches, but besides a few songs the most appealing part of this record is a cover of Human Insecticide by Annihilator, if there was more of this on the record the balance would be better. Sons Of The Abandoned is a fine melodeath album but just that, fine. 6/10
Following the previously announced club shows in June 2026, The Last Internationale are adding four more dates to their German tour in November. The New York duo—featuring singer Delila Paz and guitarist Edgey Pires—will once again bring their explosive live show to Germany, with additional stops in Munich, Karlsruhe, Berlin, and Hamburg. For years, the… Continue Reading →
Uprising Festival will celebrate its tenth edition as Uprising X when it takes place at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton on 9 and 10 April 2027.
Founded in 2016 by Simon Yarwood and Matt Kirk, the festival has built a strong reputation for supporting both established and emerging Heavy and Metal acts while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.
With a strong focus on celebrating heavy and alternative music in all its forms, Uprising has earned a reputation for championing both established legends and the next generation of talent. “Let’s be straight, firstly, Uprising isn’t a place,” Simon Yarwood said. “We’ve had two homes already. It’s the people. Like moving home, you take your family with you, and your friends still come and see you, and you don’t know your forever home until you’re in it.
“Moving to KK’s feels right, it feels like home, and it feels like the family will love it, and the friends will visit as they have for the last 10 years, wherever we’ve lived.
“We can’t wait to start announcing the bands and open the doors for you in April at what is undoubtedly the best rock/Metal venue in the Midlands.”
KK’s Steel MillStarworks Warehouse, Frederick St, Wolverhampton WV2 4DU
Uprising Festival will celebrate its tenth edition as Uprising X when it takes place at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton on 9 and 10
Event Details
Uprising Festival will celebrate its tenth edition as Uprising X when it takes place at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton on 9 and 10 April 2027.
Founded in 2016 by Simon Yarwood and Matt Kirk, the festival has built a strong reputation for supporting both established and emerging Heavy and Metal acts while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming atmosphere.
With a strong focus on celebrating heavy and alternative music in all its forms, Uprising has earned a reputation for championing both established legends and the next generation of talent. “Let’s be straight, firstly, Uprising isn’t a place,” Simon Yarwood said. “We’ve had two homes already. It’s the people. Like moving home, you take your family with you, and your friends still come and see you, and you don’t know your forever home until you’re in it.”
Following the closure of Leicester’s O2 Academy, organisers searched for a new venue and selected KK’s Steel Mill as the next home for the event. The venue, associated with Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing, has become a respected destination for Heavy Metal events in the Midlands. “However Leicester, we aren’t done with you,” Yarwood said. “You haven’t seen the last of Uprising!”
Previous editions have featured artists including Paradise Lost, Napalm Death, Katatonia, Orange Goblin and Pitchshifter, while also helping showcase rising talent.
“We will continue to promote equitable lineups as a core ethos of our planning,” Matt Kirk, one of the festival owners, said, “as we believe it is our duty as organisers to ensure a fair and level playing field for all.”
