C+C Music Factory, the ’90s music group responsible for classic hip-house tracks like “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” and “Things That Make You Go Hmmm…,” have been back in the news lately for disreputable reasons. Last week, C+C were announced as part of the extremely ’90s-heavy initial lineup for Donald Trump’s Freedom 250 concert series, the Great American State Fair. While other acts dropped out, rapper Freedom Williams, who guested on some of C+C’s biggest hits, defended his involvement in a saucy seven-minute rant filmed while he was on the toilet, essentially arguing that he needs the money and a gig’s a gig. Williams acquired the legal rights to the C+C Music Factory trademark for live performances in 2003, and he controls the longstanding C+C Instagram account.
In a new interview with Talk Is Jericho, the podcast hosted by wrestling superstar and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante discussed the band’s long-awaited 12th studio album, Cursum Perficio, which will be released Sept. 18 via Megaforce in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast in Europe. It is the band’s first record in 10 years since 2016’s For All Kings, which debuted in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200. The phrase “Cursum Perficio” is Latin for “My journey has come to an end” or “I complete my journey.”
Benante said (transcribed by Blabbermouth) about the response to lead single “It’s For The Kids”: “Well, for me, I’ve been waiting so long for this moment because I’ve lived with this song for so long. And I knew once people heard it… You know how it is, man. It’s like when you have a song, and you think it’s really good, but you can’t really… How do you know how good it is until people hear it, and then you get that feedback? And it’s so important, for me at least, to hear that feedback.”
On why “It’s For The Kids” was chosen as the first single, Benante explained: “The first song, we wanted to release something that really represents the band and shows that we’re not slowing down. We’re hitting as hard as we feel we are. So it was definitely a statement. Someone said this was a love letter to our fans, and when they said that to me, I was, like, ‘You’re right.’ That’s exactly what this is.”
On why it took a decade to follow up For All Kings, Benante said: “The honest answer I can give is, me personally, I didn’t have it to write. I didn’t feel it. It just wasn’t the right time. I was, like, ‘Well, I don’t have anything to say right now. I don’t think the band has anything to say.’ And then the whole pandemic happened, which we started to actually write before the pandemic, and then that happened, and then that set us back — what? — two years. But a lot of these songs on this record — there’s a song called ‘Target On My Back’ [‘T.O.M.B.’]; that’s from 2015. There’s a lot of stuff that was old that I had, and then there’s some new songs that I felt, ‘This is too good to hold back and wait. I want this out.’”
Benante described how the songwriting process evolved: “A song like ‘It’s For The Kids’ — I would do these demos and I would put them in a Dropbox, and then Scott [Ian, Anthrax guitarist] would listen to them… I would just do the demo and throw it in there. So all of a sudden, we started to get an abundance of these songs, and then we would get together — me, Scott, and Frankie [Bello, Anthrax bassist] — and kind of play them live. And it was such a great feeling to be back with them and just playing some new songs. If you’re in a band, you kind of know what that feels like. It’s almost like spring training. You’re getting together with the guys again, and you’re doing the thing that you love, but there’s this new vibe happening.”
Benante spoke movingly about the song “The Long Goodbye”: “For me, it’s a very personal and emotional song. It’s about Scott‘s dad, who had Alzheimer’s. And it’s called ‘The Long Goodbye,’ and that, to me, even when I talk about it, I think about his dad, ’cause I loved his dad. His dad was one of the greatest — just such a great person. And it makes me sad just to think about that whole thing that happened because it brings me back to my parents and stuff like that.”
Benante also described how the album title came to him: “I was watching this documentary on Marilyn Monroe, and in her home in L.A., in Beverly Hills, she had this tile, this plaque, and it said ‘Cursum Perficio.’ And when I was watching it and the narrator was saying what it was and what it meant, dude, a light just went off in my head. I’m, like, ‘That’s it. That’s the title right there.’”
On the album cover, Benante said: “I was looking for an artist who did… those old Harry Houdini posters, the way they looked, like a Coney Island type of art. I was watching this magician, David Blaine, doing a docuseries, and after every episode, there was a piece of art that would basically summarize the episode. And when I saw the art, I’m, like, ‘That’s it. That’s exactly the style that I want.’ So I went to the credits, and I found the artist’s name, and we contacted him… It’s a very strange kind of Salvador Dalí-esque type of piece of art. And there are a couple of Easter eggs in the art. I see fans trying to pick it out… but each character on the cover has a backstory too, which will come out later.”
Cursum Perficio was recorded at Dave Grohl‘s Studio 606 in Los Angeles during 2022 and produced by Jay Ruston and Anthrax. The album will be available in multiple limited formats, including standard CD, black double LP with pop-up gatefold, and various exclusive vinyl variants.
Cruise to the Edge, progressive rock’s largest festival at sea, has announced its 2027 edition. For the first time, the cruise runs six nights — April 2 to April 8 — sailing from Miami, Florida aboard the Norwegian Jewel, with stops at Cozumel, Harvest Caye, and Costa Maya. The 2027 edition is headlined by Kansas, Steve Hackett, Big Big Train, and Asia.
Returning cruise favorites include Haken, Pendragon, Neal Morse & The Resonance, Von Hertzen Brothers, Caligula’s Horse, Temic, Crown Lands, Spock’s Beard, Moon Safari, Thank You Scientist, Rendezvous Point, Lari Basilio, Gazpacho, Mike Keneally & Beer for Dolphins, Marbin, and others. Joining the cruise for the first time are The Dear Hunter, Lunatic Soul, Voyage 35, Ozric Tentacles, Spafford, and Dim Gray, among others. Returning as hosts are Jon Kirkman, Roie Avin, and Mike Dawson.
Beyond concerts, guests can look forward to artist photo experiences, Q&A sessions, theme nights, dueling pianos, late-night karaoke, “Wheel of Prog — Live” and the “CTTE Late Night Live” open-mic hosted by Rob Rutz. Returning as hosts are Jon Kirkman, Roie Avin, and Mike Dawson.
On-sale dates:
2026 alumni — June 1, 2026 at 2 p.m. ET
Past alumni — June 3, 2026, at 2 p.m. ET
General on-sale — June 8, 2026, at 12 p.m. ET
Cruise to the Edge is truly the greatest prog-rock show on Earth and is a can’t-miss event for prog enthusiasts throughout the world. For more info, visit this location.
Representatives for Balmora tell Loudwire that the band has bowed out of their summer touring while taking the time to determine their future. Continue reading…
After seven years since Embrace Of The Godless Aeon, I wasn’t sure what to expect, but they actually came through. This feels like proper Hecate Enthroned again. That old cold, symphonic black metal atmosphere is back, and it hits way better than I thought it would.
The keyboards are the star for me. Pete White really went off on this record. They’re not just sitting in the background – they carry the songs and give everything that melancholic, majestic feeling the band had in their best days. When they swell up during the slower parts it actually gives me chills.
“Spirits Stir Within Our Ancestors Tombs” is a hell of an opener. Starts strong and just keeps building. Joe Stamps sounds really nasty on vocals, the shrieks have bite and the deeper parts add some weight. The whole thing has that old British black metal darkness to it, mixed with the symphonic side they always did well. I also really like “Steed of the Still Water” and the title track. They have these slower, more atmospheric sections that actually feel emotional. And the closer “Into a Vale of Endless Snow” is probably my favourite – it takes its time and then really opens up towards the end.
The production feels right too. Warm enough but still has some edge. You can hear the guitars and the keys clearly without everything turning into a blurry mess. Overall I’m surprised how much I’ve been returning to this record. It’s got that old school vibe I was missing from them, especially the keyboard work. For me this is easily their best album in a long time.
If you used to like Hecate Enthroned back in the day, I think you should check this one!
Converge are a hardcore band from the US and this is their eleventh album, (or twelfth if you count their collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe). A second Converge album in the space of a few months you say? Apparently so. Love Is Not Enough hasn’t even cooled, yet Converge are back at it again, treating the … Continue reading “Converge – Hum of Hurt (Review)”
Yetti and EASTRN unleash pure adrenaline on Keep Moving, Don’t Stop, a relentless drum & bass weapon built around explosive drops, driving basslines, and unstoppable forward momentum. From its opening moments, the track locks into a high-energy groove that never lets up, balancing razor-sharp production with an infectious sense of urgency. Designed equally for intense workouts and peak-time dancefloors, it thrives on kinetic energy and precision-engineered impact rather than unnecessary complexity. Fast, powerful, and irresistibly propulsive, Keep Moving, Don’t Stop lives up to its title with thrilling conviction.
Ahead of Hawxx dropping a new album, they performed at Uprising last weekend.
We chat to them at the festival about the new album, how it came together and they pride they have in it. They praise Uprising itself and the festival’s organisation, talk about avoiding being pigeon holed, their post-album plans and more
You can listen to the interview on this very page below!
Or if you prefer to listen on the go, check out the interview on our podcast platforms:
