Progressive tech death outfit Obscura announced a new world tour and released a music video for “Stardust” off their now year-old album A Sonication. If you’ve been meaning to catch these guys live, now’s very likely your best chance to do so.
With an eye on the forthcoming long ass list of tour dates for their ‘A Sonication World Tour’, band mastermind Steffen Kummerer said the music video was a great way to set the stage for their travel around the globe.
“We are pleased to present our new music video, created once again in collaboration with our long-time director Mirko Witzki. Stardust, taken from our latest album A Sonication, reveals a more melodic, fragile, and atmospheric side of the record. Join us on the road across North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia as part of the A Sonication World Tour (2025–2028).”
The tour will see Obscura play shows in North America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. Not exactly a real world tour since Europe, Africa, and South America are missing, but we’ll let that slide…
Still, you can find the full list of tour dates below. Just know it’s a loooong ass list, so chances are they’ll be hitting a venue near you.
OBSCURA // A Sonication World Tour 2026
Stardust // USA 2026 w/ Allegaeon, Cognitive, Cryptosis
03.13 West Hollywood 03.14 Tucson 03.15 El Paso 03.16 Austin 03.17 Oklahoma City 03.18 Haltom City 03.19 Corpus Christi 03.21 Atlanta 03.22 Raleigh 03.23 Philadelphia 03.24 Brooklyn 03.25 Hamden 03.26 Rochester 03.27 Lakewood 03.28 Detroit 03.29 Joliet 03.30 Kansas City 03.31 Colorado Springs 04.01 Salt Lake City 04.02 Reno 04.03 Roseville 04.04 San José
The Sun Eater // Asia 2026 w/ DVRK, Japan dates incl. Fallujah*
EVERGREY, Gothenburg’s masterminds of melancholia, offer up another outburst of beautiful darkness and turn their inner fire into something unstoppable: their intense fifteenth album, Architects Of A New Weave, will be released on June 5th via Napalm Records.
Tom Englund about Architects Of A New Weave:
“We’ve literally never had this much trouble picking singles. And honestly? That’s the best problem we could possibly have. Every song on this record is fighting to be the one you hear first—because we poured everything into making an album we’re flat-out obsessed with. Like always there are no fillers, no compromises, just twelve tracks we’re stupidly proud of and will be for the rest of our lives. Pre-order the album now and join the weave!”
This is the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed: a plunge into thinning air, burning worlds, and lingering guilt—only to break free with fierce momentum. The album refuses to wallow. It ascends—fast, heavy, and cinematic. But it refuses to hide in the dark. It rises: quick, fierce, and utterly transformative.”
Dive into Architects Of A New Weave’s standout tracks like ‘The World is on Fire’, ‘Leaving The Emptiness’, ‘Heaven’, and ‘The Prophecy’, and the breathtaking title anthem ‘Architects Of The New Weave’. Their choruses break through like sunlight piercing storm clouds: enormous, cinematic melodies that pull you upward, riffs with genuine weight and bite, and vocals dripping with raw, unflinching truth. In one breath, you’re shouldering buried longing; in the next, you’re weightless, fearless, endless. Scars transform into badges of survival, fractures fuel reinvention. In the second half of the album, fellow Gothenburg icon Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect, Grand Cadaver, Cemetery Skyline) joins Tom S. Englund in vocal duties for ‘A Burning Flame’, the voices of the two scene legends intertwined compellingly.
Architects Of A New Weave was produced by Tom S. Englund and Vikram Shankar, with a stellar mix by Adam “Nolly” Getgood.
Among other exclusive formats, Architects Of A New Weave comes with a bonus album, containing bonus tracks ‘Heights’ and ‘One Heart’, as well as an album mix of the previously released standalone single ‘OXYGEN!’ (2025). Additionally, it features a demo version of ‘Longing’, instrumental tracks of ‘Leaving The Emptiness’, both new songs, as well as a live version of ‘Falling From The Sun’, the hit single from the previous record, Theories of Emptiness (2024) and continuation of ‘Ominous’ from A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) (2022).
1 Welcome To The Pattern
2 The Shadow Self
3 Architects Of The New Weave
4 The World Is On Fire
5 Heaven
6 The Script
7 Leaving The Emptiness
8 Longing
9 A Burning Flame
10 Call Off Your Lions
11 Chains Of Shame
12 The Prophecy
Welcome to this weeks edition of Devil’s Island! Every week we maroon a band or artist on the island and see what they get up to, how they cope with being all alone on a small island in the middle of the ocean. It’s not your average desert island and we’ll see just how each person copes with the extreme conditions.
This week when we arrived at Devil’s Island we find Naked Sunday sat on the beach. The island is far from their home, so how did they end up here and how did they cope with life on Devil’s Island?
Find out now…
Welcome to The Razors’e Edge and our somewhat lovely, warm desert island. Don’t worry about it’s name I’m sure it’s not as bad as that would suggest.
You’re marooned here on this island, but before you ended up shipwrecked you chose one album that you couldn’t live without. Which album did you each chose and why?
Well Chinese Democracy by Guns n Roses for myself Martin, if we’re going to be marooned I may as well enjoy in my eyes one of the finest albums made, and a proper copy not a pirate copy gaarrrhh, I know Laura would choose any thing Motley Crue, Liam Foo’s and Alex Ufo.
Just behind that palm tree is a shack for each of you to stay in, with enough space for you to put up a poster on the wall of one album cover. What album cover do you each chose?
I think for me Martin, it would very easily be Aerosmith Get a Grip that cover is udderly brilliant, Laura would be Shout at the devil Motley Crue so she can still do all her devil worshiping, Liam still pushing the Foo Fighters thing The Colour and the Shape , just so each night when we’re bored he asks us what colour and shape he’s thinking of, Alex weirdly has gone for a bolder more defined choice in Led Zeppelin 3 so if we find any psychedelics we can trip out.
There’s also a bar on this here island. But alas each of you only get to choose one drink for the entirety of your stay. What’s your tipple of choice?
Newcastle Brown Ale for me, Wye-Aye man I’m gooonnna take the dog for a walk, Laura is the Fireball Queen so that’s for her, Liam is taking staropramen, and Alex is more sophisticated..Red Wine. Oddly enough I hear the pirates stole our Rum supply.
Your suitcases were lost when your ship sank, but you each managed to salvage one item of band merch. What’s the merch and for what band?
I got my Kiss Coffin, its a little big but acts as a boat to catch fish. Liam gone with a set of Dave Grohl Drum sticks (firewood in my eyes) Alex went with his personalised plectrum, said he wasn’t being picky and Laura she chose a Yungblud thong, may as well top up that tan.
You’re sat on the island thinking “I’m stuck here on this island with my bandmates for eternity”… who would you rather have been shipwrecked with?
In all honesty Gillian Anderson, I think that would sort me out perhaps she could help solve the mystery of why we are stuck? Laura would probably prefer Josh Todd of Buckcherry, she claims just for conversation, Alex and Liam both want Dave Grohl, I’ve told them one of them will have to have the watered down version Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen.
There’s a walkman in your pocket, on the tape inside is the recording of the one live show that stands out for you. It could be any show, from any band, anywhere in the world. What show is on that walkman?
QUEEN The Freddie Mercury Tribute, that way we get a varied mix, it could help us when Under Pressure, or when one of us wants to Break Free.
You’re getting desperate, you decide the only course of action is to put a message in a bottle and hope someone finds it. Your message could be to any member of any band, but should be the most suitable for a rescue attempt. Who is it?
It’s David Bowie, everyone knows that, even though sadly he’s passed away, I know Dave would come back to help us, he could be our hero…just for one day.
You’ve been stuck here a while and food supplies are running low. There’s only one thing for it… which fellow band member gets sacrificed to help the others survive?
Alex, I’ve always looked at him like lovers do and thought, you’d make a good steak, bit of Fireball for seasoning and good to go, it would be a fitting tribute to Naked Sunday, we strip him down… then eat him, perhaps we will cover a Cannibal Corpse track in his honour.
Finally, when the ship sank you each managed to save one person from the wreckage. That person is the one musician that has influenced your career the most, shaped your way of thinking and your outlook on life. Who did you save?
I saved Jim Morrison and he then led me to the desert he said we were going to put a festival on, he said …if you book them they will come, I’m still sat on this goddamn island and no ones arrived.
Laura saved Nikki Sixx, but I had to get rid of him, he kept talking too much.
Liam saved Dave Grohl currently they have a band together that’s a tribute to drinking tea, they are called the Typhoo Fighters, and Alex saved none other than Frank Zappa, he’s hoping by saving Frank we don’t sacrifice him.
After more than a year since the initial announcement that Nevermore was being revived by drummer Van Williams and guitarist Jeff Loomis, we now know who’s filling in the remaining spots in the band. And no, you won’t recognize these names because it seems they’ve gone with a trio of insanely talented, yet relatively unknown, individuals.
According to the band, the new Nevermore lineup features Williams and Loomis, as well as Jack Cattoi on guitar, Semir Özerkan on bass, and new vocalist Berzan Önen. You may not know them, but trust me when I say they sound absolutely perfect for the job in the documentary directed and produced by Ola Englund that went live not long ago. In the aforementioned documentary, you can hear the new lineup perform “The River Dragon Has Come”, “Engines of Hate” and “The Heart Collector” and boy howdy, do they all rip shit.
Speaking of the new lineup, Williams said he felt the timing for this announcement felt natural and that the lineup ended up being exactly the spark that a new Nevermore needed.
“It’s been brewing for quite a while and has just started to manifest itself into the now. So what better time is there to kick things off than now?”
As you can tell almost immediately in the documentary, Cattoi, Özerkan, and Önen immediately fit in to the fold. Obviously, people wondered how someone would be able to replace the late Warrel Dane on vocals, but Loomis said he knew Önen was the right guy from the job as soon as he watched his audition video.
“[Önen] really stood out strong in so many ways upon a first listen. I could really feel the emotion and passion when I heard him sing for the first time. He wasn’t just going through the motions. I could tell right away that he was a fan of Warrel’s singing just by the way he delivered and said certain words. I was really blown away at first watch.”
Naturally, there’s likely going to be some push back from the former members of Nevermore — especially ex-bassist Jim Sheppard who once called the push to revive Nevermore “completely disrespectful.”
Still, the band is pushing forward with new music, having signed with Reigning Phoenix Music for the eventual release of their new tunes. To that end, Reigning Phoenix Music Co-Founder Gerado Martinez admitted he was stoked that this iteration of Nevermore signed with his label.
“There are no words to describe how proud and excited RPM is at the prospect of being part of Nevermore’s next chapter. Having been a fan since 1995 when I saw them on tour with Death, I’ve followed them on their entire musical journey and cannot wait for what is yet to come.”
With the new lineup cemented and a new label chosen, the band will now prepare for their first live appearance taking place on April 1 (not a prank) in Istanbul, Turkey. Hopefully they won’t run afoul of any local laws or customs.
So there you have it. New Nevermore has a debut show lined up, the new dudes sound absolutely spot on, and there’s new music on the horizon that Williams describes as follows:
“If the new music had to be described by one word, that would have to be delicious. Because it’s so good it’s gonna leave you hungry for more.”
Baltimore (MD) – Street Metal gang, Total Maniac, are set to release sophomore album, Love Overdrive, on March 27!
The album’s first single, “Drinkin’ Our Way To Hell,” is streaming now at: youtu.be/Ylq6yZNyOdg. The song is also available on Bandcamp.
With Love Overdrive, Total Maniac has upped the ante! The quintet’s music can veer from ripping thrash to sleazy hard rock, from d-beat menace to anthemic choruses. Capturing the wild energy and irreverent humor of their live shows and packed with their strongest, most memorable material yet, the album is sure to catch the attention of heshers and open even more doors for the band!
FFO: Inepsy, Motorhead, Judas Priest, BAT
Love Overdrive will be available on 12″ vinyl LP and digital formats.
Diamond Dustin – Vocals Mike Brown – Guitar Nick Etson – Guitar Ben Martin – Bass Vaughn Volkman – Drums
Album engineer: Kevin Bernsten at Developing Nations Studio.
Mastered by: Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.
Catch Total Maniac at these upcoming shows:
March 27 at Metro in Baltimore, MD – LP Release Show – with Hirax, Savage Master, Desolus, and Devil Lust
April 18 at Ottobar in Baltimore, MD – Grim Reefer Fest
BAND BIO:
Gutter dwellin’ rock n roll from Baltimore, MD!
Formed in 2018 by members of Nux Vomica, Deathammer, and Raw Filth who wanted to strike a sound somewhere between their love of 80’s metal and rock n roll swagger with punk grit. Months of gigging and developing their style led them to comparisons with classic bands straddling those same lines such as Motörhead and Venom, with their self released demo in 2019.
After some lineup changes and higher profile gigs opening for BAT, Poison Ruin, and a spot on Maryland Deathfest, they released their self-titled full length in 2022. Total Maniac sets apart from their contemporaries by authentically not giving a fuck about fitting into a narrow box.
Several more high profile gigs, festivals, and DIY tours followed. It’s not uncommon to find them on a bigger stage opening for major metal acts such as Midnight or Sodom one night, and then a sweaty packed dive bar playing alongside crust punk bands the next month.
Opeth’s February 7th stop at The Fillmore Philadelphia felt less like a tour date and more like a gathering of longtime friends trading in dynamic, soul-crushing prog metal. The room was jammed wall-to-wall—pushing nearly 2,800—with anticipation thick before the lights dropped.
Katatonia opened masterfully, delivering a tension-and-release masterclass with melancholic melodies and thick modern production that cut through the dense crowd. For longtime fans, Anders Nyström’s absence added quiet emotion, but the lineup stayed tight and committed, blending older staples like “Soil’s Song” and “July” with moodier newer tracks. The crowd treated them like co-headliners, singing along from the first chorus.
Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt strode out with his signature understated swagger, dissolving formality with dry humor. Glancing at his tourmates, he said touring with Katatonia felt like traveling with best friends—then grinned: “…they’re also a pretty decent band.” It drew a huge laugh and set the tone for his deadpan, self-aware banter: the perfect foil to the music’s intensity. Anecdotes about run-ins with James Hetfield and ex-bandmate Martin Lopez (soon heading our way with Soen!) further cemented him as one of prog’s most engaging frontmen—even if he still won’t cave to endless crowd requests! Just kidding; they’d play till morning if he did.
This was the The Last Will and Testament tour, so the new album got solid representation, but older-material fans weren’t shortchanged. Covering eight albums over nearly two hours, the band wove a perfect story: growls from “Demon of the Fall,” the quiet pastoral beauty of “To Rid the Disease,” prog-paced gems like “The Devil’s Orchard,” and classics like “Master’s Apprentices” into “Godhead’s Lament.” The band was terrifyingly tight—articulate guitars, locked-in rhythm, keys in perfect balance, and Mikael’s roars-to-cleans cutting through flawlessly.
The emotional high point of the set was the closer. Ending with “Deliverance” was a logical choice, and the crowd clearly recognized it as soon as the chromatic, palm-muted intro started. After a varied set, finishing on one of their heaviest and most familiar songs gave the show a clear sense of conclusion. The mid-section’s slower, groove-oriented riff kept the audience moving, and the well-known stuttering ending had most of the room following along until the final abrupt cutoff.
In the end, the night felt like a complete portrait of Opeth, masterfully ferocious and technically dazzling. The balance between crushing heaviness, intricate progressive passages, and Mikael Åkerfeldt’s sharp-witted charm made the performance more than just a tour stop; it was a reminder of why the band continues to stand at the forefront of modern progressive metal. Now, stepping into the 5°F windy slap was another story and a reminder of how far from my Florida home I was. But even though I’d brave that Arctic blast again in a heartbeat in order to see Opeth, perhaps consider stopping by us next time, guys?
Does A New Forensic Paper Actually Undermine The Kurt Cobain Suicide Ruling?
Short Answer: The researchers argue their findings raise inconsistencies, but Seattle authorities say nothing presented qualifies as new evidence.
TL;DR:
A peer-reviewed forensic paper tied to an independent private-sector research team is drawing attention after suggesting elements of Kurt Cobain’s 1994 death may not align with an “instantaneous gunshot” interpretation. The Seattle Police Department and King County Medical Examiner have responded firmly: their original conclusion — suicide — stands, and the case will not be reopened.
A Case That Refuses To Stay In The Past
Kurt Cobain’s death is one of those cultural fault lines that never fully seals. Decades pass. Generations change. Yet every few years, something pulls the story back into the headlines — and back into public argument.
This time, it’s a forensic analysis authored by an unofficial team of researchers and scientists who revisited autopsy and crime scene materials. Their conclusion doesn’t accuse. It doesn’t name suspects. But it does something almost guaranteed to ignite controversy:
It questions whether the long-accepted narrative tells the complete story.
Why this matters now isn’t complicated. Cobain wasn’t just a musician. He became a symbol — of a generation, of fragility, of brilliance colliding with self-destruction. When new claims surface, they don’t land in a vacuum. They collide with memory, mythology, and emotion.
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office responded to media inquiries by reaffirming that the original investigation followed established forensic procedures, including a full autopsy conducted in cooperation with law enforcement. Their position remains unchanged: no new evidence has emerged that would justify reopening the case.
Similarly, the Seattle Police Department stated detectives concluded Cobain died by suicide — and that conclusion continues to represent the department’s official stance.
In other words: debate may rage publicly, but institutionally, nothing has moved.
What The New Paper Claims
According to reports, independent researcher Michelle Wilkins — identified as part of the investigative team — told the Daily Mail that their exhaustive review raised concerns they believe are inconsistent with an instantaneous gunshot death.
The peer-reviewed paper reportedly outlines multiple points the researchers characterize as “unusual,” suggesting an alternative interpretation of the events surrounding Cobain’s death.
The authors’ stated objective is not prosecution, but transparency. Their message is essentially this:
If the conclusions are wrong, demonstrate why.
Peer Review Is Not A Verdict
Here’s where nuance gets lost in the noise.
Publication in an academic journal means a paper met editorial and methodological standards. It does not mean its conclusions are legally validated or universally accepted as fact.
That distinction is critical — yet often blurred once headlines and social media enter the picture.
A forensic interpretation can challenge discussion. It can provoke scrutiny. But reopening a closed legal case typically requires something more concrete than reinterpretation:
New, verifiable evidence.
Authorities argue that threshold hasn’t been crossed.
Why This Debate Never Dies
Because Kurt Cobain’s story was never just forensic.
There’s a deeper layer here that rarely makes headlines.
At what point does revisiting a decades-old death serve truth — and at what point does it risk reopening wounds for surviving family, friends, and fans?
Scrutiny is healthy in a democracy. But so is responsibility.
Cobain’s death was not entertainment. It was a human catastrophe that rippled through countless lives.
Yet the public appetite for re-examination remains insatiable.
The Reality Check
No arrests are being pursued. No case is being reopened. No official ruling has changed.
What has changed is the conversation — again.
And maybe that’s the real story.
Not whether minds will change… …but whether they ever could.
FAQ
Was Kurt Cobain’s death officially ruled a suicide? Yes. The King County Medical Examiner ruled Cobain’s death a suicide in 1994.
Are Seattle authorities reopening the case? No. Both the Medical Examiner’s Office and Seattle Police Department have stated their conclusions remain unchanged.
What does the new forensic paper suggest? The researchers argue their review identified elements they believe warrant further scrutiny.
Does peer review validate the homicide theory? No. Peer review evaluates academic rigor, not legal truth.
Are the researchers seeking criminal charges? No. Public statements indicate their focus is transparency and re-examination.
Kurt Cobain Bio
Kurt Cobain was the singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter of Nirvana, the Seattle band that helped push grunge and alternative rock into the mainstream in the early 1990s. Born in Aberdeen, Washington, Cobain rose to global fame through landmark releases like Nevermind and In Utero, becoming one of the most influential — and scrutinized — figures in modern music. He died in April 1994 at age 27, and his legacy continues to shape rock culture, songwriting, fashion, and the way artists talk about fame, pain, and authenticity.
I have, this very day, received an email about the upcoming release of a mighty box set of vintage Michael Schenker Group live stuff from the glory years in the 1980s. Schenker and MSG were untouchable back then. That legendary debut album was just the start of it. And the first CD in this box […]
Real extreme music thrives on confrontation, and Master’s Ashes arrive with plenty of it on their debut single, “Defiance Disorder,” which we’re premiering today along with an accompanying lyric video. Featuring current and ex-members of Crisis, Voivod, Dystopia, Crowbar and The Convalescence, the band pulls from the bleak, dystopian heaviness of the early ’90s while sharpening it into something unmistakably current. “Defiance Disorder” is the opening salvo from their forthcoming debut album, How The Mighty Have Fallen, due out April 17, 2026 via Time To Kill Records.
Musically, the track is relentless and suffocating, balancing oppressive atmosphere with blunt-force aggression. Lyrically, it cuts even deeper. “Defiance Disorder” confronts the cycle of violence inflicted on children and teens in America and the psychological fallout that follows – trauma that often manifests later as vengeance, retaliation, and, in its most horrific form, mass murder. It’s an uncomfortable subject, delivered without metaphor or distance, and it sets the tone for an album that, adequately to the times we’re living in, functions as a full-scale protest rather than passive commentary.
About the track, Master’s Ashes tell Decibel:
“’Defiance Disorder’ speaks to the deadly combination of mental illness in teens and the culture of gun violence in America. This nexus creates monsters fed on 24-7-365 violence all around them. It’s a suffocating reality we all have to live with and it’s spreading to all corners of the globe.”
With How The Mighty Have Fallen, Master’s Ashes present a scorched-earth debut, dark, aggressive, and openly hostile toward political complacency and false authority. No gods, no masters – only resistance, firm and strong.
Check it out below. The album is out on April 17th and you can pre-order here straight away.
perhaps she could help solve the mystery of why we are stuck? Laura would probably prefer Josh Todd of Buckcherry, she claims just for conversation, Alex and Liam both want Dave Grohl, I’ve told them one of them will have to have the watered down version Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen.
