Category: news

  • The first half of 2026

    So, what do we have here again? Six months, 180 days, a flood of new LPs, new bands, old bands, comebacks nobody saw coming… As always, I want to pause for a moment and look back at the best releases of the first half of 2026. Nothing is settled yet. We’ll take full stock at the end of the year.

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    In no particular order…
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    Vol.II by Angine de Poitrine

    🇺🇸 Best album of 2026? Already, and it isn’t even close. Angine de Poitrine plays music that comes from Mars, except calling it Martian undersells it. Vol.II doesn’t feel original, it feels new, the kind of new where we don’t have the coordinates yet. There’s psych in it, math rock, hard rock, quarter tones bending every note slightly off, but the duo never stays still long enough to belong anywhere, and it grooves the whole time. The most innovative record of the year, and somehow the most fun too. Pure mastery. [bandcamp // spotify]
    🇫🇷 Meilleur album de 2026 ? Déjà, et ce n’est même pas serré. Angine de Poitrine fait une musique qui vient de Mars, sauf que parler de Mars, c’est encore trop peu. Vol.II ne sonne pas original, il sonne nouveau, ce genre de nouveau dont on n’a pas encore les coordonnées. Il y a du psych, du math rock, du hard rock, des quarts de ton qui décalent chaque note, mais le duo ne reste jamais en place assez longtemps pour appartenir à quoi que ce soit, et ça groove du début à la fin. Le disque le plus innovant de l’année, et sûrement le plus fun aussi. La maîtrise absolue. [bandcamp // spotify]

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    ZUZAX by Damaged Bug

    🇺🇸 The one, the only, the genius (yeah!), John Dwyer is BACK with Damaged Bug, sharper than ever. ZUZAX is the best album the project has ever made, and it pulls off the trick Dwyer loves most: it sounds futuristic, all synths and squirrely electronics, yet it never forgets to bring the jams and the melodies. Krautrock grooves, pop hooks smuggled in sideways, and that restless chaos only he can make feel this infectious. [bandcamp // spotify]
    🇫🇷 L’unique, le seul, le génie (yeah !), John Dwyer est de retour avec Damaged Bug, plus affûté que jamais. ZUZAX est le meilleur album du projet à ce jour, et il réussit le tour de force que Dwyer préfère : ça sonne futuriste, tout en synthés et bidouilles électroniques, sans jamais oublier les jams et les mélodies. Des grooves krautrock, des hooks pop glissés en douce, et ce chaos permanent que lui seul rend aussi contagieux. [bandcamp // spotify]

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    Smokin’ In The Kitchen by Natural Child

    🇺🇸 This is the sound of a porch somewhere deep in America, the kind of afternoon you spend playing cards and drinking cold beers because it’s just too hot to do anything else. Natural Child have always understood that feeling, and Smokin’ In The Kitchen might be their finest distillation of it yet: the best mix of classic country and modern accents you’ll hear all year. The perfect way into Wooden, their new LP, out now. [bandcamp // spotify]
    🇫🇷 C’est le son d’un porche quelque part au fin fond de l’Amérique, un de ces après-midis passés à jouer aux cartes et à boire des bières fraîches parce qu’il fait bien trop chaud pour faire quoi que ce soit d’autre. Natural Child a toujours compris cette sensation, et Smokin’ In The Kitchen en est peut-être la plus belle traduction : le meilleur mélange de country classique et d’accents modernes de l’année. La porte d’entrée idéale vers Wooden, leur nouveau LP, disponible dès maintenant. [bandcamp // spotify]

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    Florida Water Blues by Twisted Teens

    🇺🇸 Imagine Country Teasers colliding with Parquet Courts, Viagra Boys, and a chain-smoking Midwest diner waitress; somehow, it works brilliantly. Few records this year carry an identity this sharp. Florida Water Blues drops you straight into Florida, deep in the swamps: it’s humid, it’s a lot to take, the voice is raw as an open wound and the whole thing sits right on the edge of lo-fi. Press play and it’s 7 p.m., the sun is going down, the air won’t move, and a storm is quietly building on the horizon. [bandcamp // spotify]
    🇫🇷 Imaginez Country Teasers percutant Parquet Courts, Viagra Boys et une serveuse de diner du Midwest qui enchaîne les clopes ; contre toute attente, ça fonctionne à merveille. Peu de disques cette année ont une identité aussi nette. Florida Water Blues vous largue directement en Floride, au cœur des marais : c’est humide, c’est beaucoup à encaisser, la voix est brute comme une plaie ouverte et l’ensemble frôle en permanence le lo-fi. On appuie sur play et il est 19 h, le soleil se couche, l’air ne bouge plus, et un orage se prépare doucement à l’horizon. [bandcamp // spotify]

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    Yo-yo EP by Finale

    🇺🇸 I’ll say it again: Finale might be the best band in Spain right now, and this new EP only strengthens the claim. Yo-yo carries on their tradition exactly as we love it: clear, cathartic, post-punk to the bone, super energetic and wound up as tight as a nerve. Four tracks that don’t waste a second. [bandcamp]
    🇫🇷 Je le redis : Finale est peut-être le meilleur groupe d’Espagne en ce moment, et ce nouvel EP ne fait que renforcer cette conviction. Yo-yo poursuit la tradition du groupe exactement comme on l’aime : clair, cathartique, post-punk jusqu’à l’os, super énergique et tendu comme un nerf. Quatre morceaux qui ne perdent pas une seconde. [bandcamp]

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    In Light Of Recent Events by Eddy Current Suppression Ring

    🇺🇸 When one of the best bands on the planet drops a surprise album, you get on your knees, thank the heavens, and hit play. Seven years after All in Good Time, Eddy Current Suppression Ring return with a record as powerful as it is energetic, the sound of a band that has quietly become one of the finest underground acts anywhere on earth. [bandcamp]
    🇫🇷 Quand l’un des meilleurs groupes de la planète sort un album surprise, on se met à genoux, on remercie le ciel, et on appuie sur play. Sept ans après All in Good Time, Eddy Current Suppression Ring revient avec un disque aussi puissant qu’énergique, le son d’un groupe devenu, sans faire de bruit, l’un des tout meilleurs de la scène underground mondiale. [bandcamp]

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  • Review PSYCROPTIC “The Pulse of Annihilation”

    For more than two decades, Tasmania’s Psycroptic have been a respected force in technical death metal. Formed in West Hobart in 1999, the band released its debut, The Isle of Disenchantment, in 2001. Now, with The Pulse of Annihilation, Psycroptic deliver their ninth studio album and their first release through Metal Blade Records. Across nine tracks, the… Continue Reading →
  • ADRIATIC To Celebrate 20 Year Anniversary With Special Show At CROWBAR BRISBANE

    Brisbane’s Balkan metal hardcore djent folk outfit Adriatic are turning 20, celebrating the milestone at Crowbar Brisbane on July 31 with Parhelion (NSW) and Krave, plus an array of guest musicians and special guests. This will be much more than another metal concert. It will be a show, a performance, an experience! To top it […]
  • GURU GURU Bring Their Bittersweet Concert To CD And LP

    GURU GURU Bring Their Bittersweet Concert To CD And LP

    When GURU GURU left the stage of Karlstorbahnhof, in Heidelberg, on December 12th, 2015, they couldn’t have known it was the Krautrock veterans’ last performance with guitarist Hans Reffert who passed away two months later, aged 69. They might not … Continue reading →

    The post GURU GURU Bring Their Bittersweet Concert To CD And LP appeared first on DMME.net.

  • Jonathan Cain Tells Bruce Springsteen to ‘Shut Up’ About Politics

    Journey keyboardist describes the Boss as an "annoying, bitter old man." Continue reading…
  • Concert Review: Mammoth and Big Wreck Rock the Astro with an Unforgettable Performance

    REVIEW BY DAVID TAYLOR AND PHOTOS BY ROBERT A CHADWICK | Go Venue Magazine

    On Saturday, July 18, Mammoth returned to Nebraska to play the Astro Theater for the first time ever in La Vista. Initially, this performance was supposed to occur in November, but due to winter weather, they luckily managed to postpone it. You couldn’t asked for a better night to see one of the best live bands working today.

    Big Wreck from Canada opened up. I was not familiar with them and left quite impressed. The lead singer, Ian Thornley, sounded amazing. I loved the band dynamics, especially between bassist Dave McMillan and guitarist Paulo Neta. They’re heavy and melodic, reminded me a little bit of Alter Bridge, which is who they will be touring with later this year. I saw like two different families with children who were singing along to them, which I was really cool to see an opener have fans like that. Solid set from Big Wreck and go check out their latest album, The Rest Of The Story.

    Finally, after an eight month delay, the crowd was ready for Mammoth. I want to preface that this was my sixth time seeing these guys, so it already felt like coming home. Wolfgang Van Halen is talent encarnate. The best part of the performance was him being the keyboard on “Stone” to begin with in a slow, moody version backlit light the opening of a Looney Tunes cartoon and then eventually the whole band comes in and rips it up. I was quite impressed with the upgrade of their live performance of the video backdrop, showcasing these insane visuals that thank goodness wasn’t made with A.I., Wolfgang promised us that. I appreciate that Wolfgang isn’t the best public speaker, he sometimes says too much and that’s just shows how human he is. A very talented human, that is. I got really emotional when they performed “Distance”, showing old home videos of Wolf and his dad, Ed. I’m so glad Mammoth pulled such a large crowd for their Omaha area headline debut. They deserve all the love they receive and I can’t wait for their next album. And be sure to check out their latest album, The End.

    Mammoth

    [See image gallery at www.govenuemagazine.com]

    Big Wreck

    [See image gallery at www.govenuemagazine.com] All images © Robert A Chadwick | Robert Chadwick Photography


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    The post Concert Review: Mammoth and Big Wreck Rock the Astro with an Unforgettable Performance appeared first on Go Venue Magazine.

  • Previously unheard 40-year-old Guns N’ Roses rehearsal tape surfaces online

    A previously unheard tape of an early Guns N’ Roses rehearsal has surfaced online. The 40-year-old recording contains early – often significantly different – versions of several songs that featured on the band’s debut album, Appetite For Destruction, including Nightrain, My Michelle, Out Ta Get Me and Rocket Queen, as well as Move To The City, which appeared on the band’s debut EP Live ?!*@ Like a Suicide.

    “Here is a completely unreleased rehearsal tape from 1986 of Guns N’ Roses,” says uploader Red’s GNR Videos! “Some of the recordings are incomplete, unfortunately. Once again, this tape has been hoarded for a long time by select members of the GNR community who believe hoarding these rarities for no good reason is better than letting the community hear them. For the love of God! Please release the rarities!”

    It’s not clear when the recording was made. The cassette is dated January 1, 1986, but the writing has been crossed out, suggesting that the songs may have been taped on another date. However, it’s likely they were recorded at the Gardner Studio, a rehearsal space behind the Sunset Grill on Hollywood Boulevard, where Guns N’ Roses spent several months working on their songs in late 1985 and early 1986.

    “We stole wood, we built a loft and slept above the equipment,” frontman Axl Rose told Hit Parader in late 1986. “But, you know, we almost miss it. Every weekend, the biggest party in LA was down in our place. We’d have 500 people packed in an alley and our old roadie was selling beers for a buck out of his trunk. It was like a bar and everyone had their whiskey. We could get away with whatever we wanted, except when the cops came.”

    Guns N’ Roses signed to Geffen Records in March 1986, and Appetite For Destruction emerged in July 1987.

  • I BUILT THE SKY Announce Special Melbourne Show

    For well over a decade, Melbourne guitarist and composer Rohan Stevenson has quietly turned I Built The Sky into one of Australia’s most respected instrumental progressive acts. Completely independent, Ro has amassed more than 70 million streams, built a worldwide audience across YouTube, Spotify and social media, toured internationally throughout Europe, the UK and India, […]
  • MONTIX73 Shares Latest Song “The Rot Inside the Skull”

    Montix73 is an independent Italian artist and writer blending melodic metal with cinematic atmospheres and emotionally driven storytelling. His music explores themes of inner conflict, resilience, and transformation, combining modern production tools with a strong personal artistic direction. The Rot Inside the Skull is a collaboration between Montix73 and Bassano SGA, born from the meeting […]
  • GRĀVELŌRD Share New Track “Arson & The Architect”

    Mainstays of the Philly area local metal scene for over 10 years, GRĀVELŌRD strives to create aggressive, direct music that pulls no punches. Inspired by a mix of old school nu-metal, Scandinavian melodic metal, and contemporary electronic stylings, the group continues to push the boundaries of modern metal while staying true to the artists that […]