Hot on the heels of their appearance at Sick New World, Bring Me The Horizon have announced that they are heading back to North America for another round later this year.
Photo by Jenn Five
The Third Ascension Program will see the band taking over even more cities, mostly hitting up Canada this time around.
They will once again by joined by Motionless In White and The Plot In You. Here is where you can catch them if you haven’t had a chance yet.
SEPTEMBER
20 – VANCOUVER Rogers Arena 23 – EDMONTON Rogers Place 24 – CALGARY Scotiabank Saddledome 26 – WINNIPEG Canada Life Centre 30 – QUEBEC CITY Videotron Centre
OCTOBER
02 – OTTAWA Canadian Tire Centre 03 – HAMILTON TD Coliseum 06 – LONDON Canada Life Place 08 – GRAND RAPIDS Van Andel Arena
And if you fancy a taster, the band gave their ‘NeX GEn’ track ‘YOUtopia’ its live debut at a special underplay at the Hollywood Palladium last week.
The news comes hot on the heels of the band revealing the details of a rerecorded version of their debut album ‘Count Your Blessings’. Count Your Blessings: Repented’ is set for release on July 10, with the tracklisting featuring what looks like a previously unreleased track.
The band will also be playing two special shows in Manchester on July 10 and 11 where they wil perform the album in full for the first time, with support coming from Static Dress, Dying Wish, HERIOT, Rolo Tomassi, Car Underwater and Still In Love (featuring original guitarist Curtis Ward, by the way).
There was a time in my youth when bands like California’s Atreyu, Killswitch Engage and their ilk were all I wanted to listen to. Whether this was due to the novelty of the sound in its era, coinciding with my novice experience with metal as a whole, or perhaps the reflection of my own earnest angst resonating from the common themes of the scene, records like As Daylight Dies or Lead Sails Paper Anchor marked core albums in my metallic upbringing. However, with only two exceptions, I never kept up with any of these bands as time passed. My tastes shifted and evolved. For a time, I forgot entirely about Atreyu, until the itch to sing a few of their songs in the car became too much to bear. And so, when I saw Atreyu were not only still active, but about to release a new record aptly entitled The End is Not the End, I had to know how almost 20 years of time away changed my appreciation for Atreyu.
One thing that 20 years did not change was Atreyu’s style. Since my introduction to them with Lead Sails Paper Anchor, an album I still hold in high regard for better or for worse, they firmly entrenched their metalcore base with poppy beats, addicting choruses, and earnest, if ham-fisted, lyrics. Thankfully, they also boasted one of the better vocalists in a style hell-bent on employing whiny tenors with unrefined technique, both in harsh and clean styles. If anything, Brandon Saller has only gotten better with time and practice. The rest of the lineup shifted and swirled until settling into its current form in 2020,1 but other than a marked uptick in pop-centric songwriting, Atreyu preserved the core of their 2007 sound remarkably well.
This both works in their favor and leaves me cold. On one hand, killer hit-makers that are impossible to resist (“Break Me,” “All for You”) recall the shockingly effective simplicity of post-grunge-pop acts like Daughtry or Shinedown at their peak. On the other hand, a distinct lack of unique ideas or distinct identity for the vast majority of its 45-ish minute runtime (with the exception of “Ego Death” and “Children of the Light”) leaves me starving for something of substance. At times, as in the generic “Death Rattle,” small songwriting choices (the crowd-core “MOTHERFUCKER” shout being one) cause a minor recoil in my spine as it recalls the more embarrassing moments of my teen years. However, album standouts “Children of Light” and “In the Dark” evoke a legitimate callback to classic In Flames-style melodic death metal, rippling with energetic gallops and even a cool tandem guitar/saxophone solo. These songs don’t go so far as to abandon Atreyu’s pop sensibilities or cheesy lyrics, but they are big fun nonetheless and are sure to please crowds mightily.
Yet I struggle to recall anything from The End is Not the End once it… well… ends. As happy as I am pulling my favorite songs like “All for You” or “In the Dark” for playlist duties—which would eventually allow them to find purchase in my memory—I can’t help but stew in disappointment that nothing here sticks with the immediacy of past bangers like “Doomsday,” “When Two Are One” or “Falling Down.” I can appreciate that The End is Not the End is an altogether more hopeful and uplifting record compared to that angsty, bitter predecessor of my youth, but the shift in tone hasn’t helped the songwriting. On that front, The End is Not the End sounds like Atreyu going through the motions, spinning their wheels, and making very little forward momentum. In turn, I found very little here to grab onto and even less that grabbed me first.
I still want to go to bat for these guys. As many times as I’ve heard my comrades and co-conspirators belittle Atreyu, I can’t help but protect the soft spot I have for them. At the same time, The End is Not the End is not going to convince any of the naysayers, and hasn’t won me over either. There are great songs here with choruses that I would have a blast belting out at a drop of a hat. A couple of small sparks of unexpected heft remind me that Atreyu are, indeed, part of the metal landscape, albeit on the poppiest fringe of the core region. All in all, though, I’m not going to think at all about The End is Not the End 20 years from now. Alas.
HELLS BELLS FESTIVAL 26-27 June 2026 Plac Gryfitów, Łasztownia
Three winners to join the billing; Important schedule update for the live final in Szczecin
Hells Bells Festival has opened the public voting phase for the Hit The Bell band contest. With hundreds of applications arriving from around the world, the festival is now handing over the power to fans to help decide which acts will join the 2026 lineup on the banks of the Oder River.
A total of three emerging bands will secure a spot at the debut edition. The selection process is as follows:
One band will be selected directly by the fans through online voting
One band will be chosen by a professional jury during the live final at Dom Kultury Słowianin
One band will be hand-picked by the festival jury as a “Wild Card” entry, based on artistic merit rather than vote count or final performance
The festival has also announced that, due to technical reasons beyond the organisers’ control, the date for the “Hit The Bell” Grand Final at Dom Kultury Słowianin has been moved. The live showdown will now take place on Saturday, 30 May, with five finalists competing for the Jury Prize at one of Szczecin’s most iconic cultural venues.
The “Hit The Bell” winners will join a line-up that covers heavy metal, punk, rock and extreme metal. Across three stages, the festival will deliver everything from the traditional heavy metal of the legendary Dirkschneider and Grave Digger to the extreme of Possessed, Vader, NunSlaughter, and Dead Congregation. The thrash metal contingent is bolstered by the technical assault of Gama Bomb and the legendary FrankBlackfire, while the fuzz-drenched riffage of Belzebong provides a stoner-doom counterpoint.
The punk and hardcore legacy of Discharge, UKSubs, Cockney Rejects, TheLastResort, and local icons TheAnalogs and Dezerter stands alongside the horrorcore energy of Słoń and the avant-garde darkness of Furia and Dola. Furthermore, the festival remains a vital platform for the new generation, showcasing the rising power of The Materia, The Stubs, Owls Woods Graves, Hamulec, My Own Abyss, Seks W Czasach Wojny, Pretensje, Drowned In Silver and Diving Stove.
Above: Possessed
As previously announced, the festival has entered its next pricing tier. This pool of tickets will be available only until 31 May 2026 (or until sold out): Full Weekend Pass (PLN 409), Friday Ticket (PLN 199), Saturday Ticket (PLN 229). The festival also continues to offer the discounted Youth Pass (ages 13-18) and Family Pass (adult with child under 13).
A new Northlane era is loading. The heavy music trailblazers have returned to the fore with their exhilarating new single “Evian,” out now via independent release. Another bold step in Northlane’s evolution, “Evian” shapeshifts through a duality of euphoric trance and seismic breakdowns. The song expands and contracts as its affecting lyrics explore facing trauma to be better for the […]
Toronto indie-pop duo Ducks Ltd. are students of the jangle. The same is true of New Jersey’s Real Estate. In either band’s music, you can hear echoes of many decades of shimmery, spangly cult-beloved underground music. Today, Ducks Ltd. and Real Estate frontman Martin Courtney get together to cover an underappreciated jangle-gem: the late Go-Betweens…
The “Post Human” era is officially far from over. Following a massive weekend at Sick New World, Sheffield legends Bring Me The Horizon have announced their return to North America for “The Third Ascension Program” this fall.
This second expansion of their viral 2026 touring cycle isn’t just another run of dates—it’s a long-awaited homecoming for Western Canada, marking the band’s first performances in select cities in nearly 15 years. Backed by industrial titans Motionless In White and melodic metalcore heavyweights The Plot In You, Oli Sykes and company are set to bring their high-concept, cyberpunk live experience to the Great White North and beyond.
The Third Ascension Program:
The Fall Leg: Kicks off September 20 in Vancouver, BC, focusing heavily on Canadian arenas.
The Lineup:Motionless In White returns as main support, with The Plot In You joining the bill.
The Significance: First time the band has played select Western Canadian cities since 2011.
The Anniversary: Announcement follows news of Count Your Blessings | Repented, a full re-recording of their 2006 debut arriving July 10.
Tickets: Presales start Wednesday, April 29; General on-sale Friday, May 1.
For fans in Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary, the “Third Ascension Program” is more than just a concert announcement—it’s the end of a decade-plus wait. Bring Me The Horizon has spent the last few years dominating UK arenas and headlining major US festivals, but large swaths of Canada have been left out of the rotation until now.
The fall run promises the full NeX GEn experience: a multi-sensory, “video game” inspired production featuring cutting-edge AI visuals and a setlist that bridges the gap between their deathcore roots and their chart-topping alternative metal present.
The tour announcement coincides with a massive nostalgia bomb for the “Sempiternal” and “Suicide Season” faithful. Oli Sykes recently confirmed that the band’s seminal 2006 debut, Count Your Blessings, has been fully re-recorded for its 20th anniversary. Titled Count Your Blessings | Repented, the project drops July 10, featuring modern production and re-tracked deathcore vocals that have already begun teasing on social media. Fans are already speculating if the fall tour setlist will include a special “Repented” segment to celebrate the release.
“The Third Ascension Program” Fall 2026 Tour Dates
Featuring Motionless In White and The Plot In You:
09/20 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
09/23 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
09/24 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
09/30 – Quebec City, QC – Videotron Centre
10/02 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
10/03 – Hamilton, ON – TD Coliseum
10/06 – London, ON – Canada Live Place
10/08 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
Spring 2026 “Ascension Program 2” Dates (Current Leg)
Featuring Motionless In White and Amira Elfeky:
04/28 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
04/29 – Montreal, QC – Bell Centre
05/01 – Worcester, MA – DCU Center
05/02 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
05/04 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
05/05 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
05/07 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
05/09 – Daytona, FL – Welcome To Rockville Festival
05/11 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
05/12 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
05/13 – Saint Paul, MN – Grand Casino Arena
05/15 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
05/16 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple Festival
The Loaded Radio Final Word
Bring Me The Horizon is currently one of the most exciting bands in heavy music because they refuse to stay in one lane. Between re-recording their raw deathcore debut and touring a futuristic arena show with Motionless In White, they are catering to every generation of their fanbase. If you are in Western Canada, do not sleep on the Friday on-sale—these Rogers Arena and Rogers Place shows have been fifteen years in the making and will likely sell out in minutes.
The Bottom LineBring Me The Horizon has announced “The Third Ascension Program” North American fall tour with Motionless In White and The Plot In You, focusing on Western Canada. The run follows the band’s spring leg and the upcoming re-recorded 20th-anniversary edition of Count Your Blessings.
(written by Islander) Five years after Le Cœur Bat (2021), and more than a decade after Un petit peu d’amour pour la haine, the genre-blurring French collective Non Serviam are returning with a third album named La Lune Dont Mon Âme Est Pleine, now set for release on June 12th. The new full-length is described […]
Loathe have finally confirmed the details of their long-awaited new album, the follow-up to 2020’s instant classic ‘I Let It In and It Took Everything’.
The record is set to be titled ‘A Stranger To You’ and will be released on July 17 via SharpTone Records.
The artwork looks like this:
Whilst the tracklisting looks like this:
1. Entrance 2. Block Of Flats 3. Fortress Down 4. Gemini 5. Nothing Like The Knife 6. Harder To Pretend 7.اثينا 8. Revenant 9. The Way It Breaks 10. Meet My Maker 11. Fangs 12. The Ladder 13. Gifted Every Strength 14. No Stranger To You…
As you can see, the album will include ‘Gifted Every Strength’, which was released last year and sounds like this:
It will also feature the newly released ‘Revenant’, a collaboration with NOWHERE2RUN, the new project from former Code Orange members Jami Morgan and Eric “Shade” Balderose.
Musically, it is as sporadically dense as it is bristling with hedonistic and guttural outbursts. Intense and unpredictable, it’s a claustrophobic, forward-thinking, brutal and sensationally constructed piece of modern heavy music. Unlike anybody else and still very much the tip of the iceberg in terms of what it feels like this record is going to represent, it’s one hell of a statement to make.
Get stuck in.
The band are due to hit the road in the coming weeks.
MAY
09 – PERTH Magnet House 11 – ADELAIDE The Gov, Adelaide 13 – MELBOURNE The Forum 14 – SYDNEY Metro Theatre 15 – NEWCASTLE King St Bandroom 16 – BRSIBANE The Tivoli, Brisbane
JUNE
03 – PRAGUE O2 Universum 05 – NUERBERG Rock Am Ring 06 – NUERBERG Rock Im Park 09 – ZURICH Komplex 457 10 – STUTTGART Im Wizemann Club 11 – ASCHAFFENBURG Colos-Saal 13 – NICKELSDORF Nova Rocks 14 – HRADEC KRALOVE Rock For People 16 – SAARBRÜCKEN Garage 17 – DORTMUND FSW 19 – CLISSON Hellfest 20 – DESSEL Graspop 22 – HAMBURG Docks 24 – COPENHAGEN Copenhell 25 – BERLIN Huxley’s Neue Welt
There was a time in my youth when bands like California’s Atreyu, 
