Los Angeles rockers Blacklist Union have teamed up with Lorraine Lewis of Femme Fatale and ex-Vixen fame for a brand-new take on the Johnny Cash and June Carter classic Jackson. Released through BLU Records, the single transforms the legendary country duet into a sleazy hard rock and punk-fuelled anthem packed with outlaw swagger and raw attitude.
Frontman Tony West joins forces with Lewis on the track, delivering a reimagining described as Johnny Cash by way of The Ramones.
The release follows the acclaim surrounding Blacklist Union’s 2025 album Slay The Dragon, produced by Christopher Johnson, whose previous credits include Evanescence, Scott Weiland and Josh Todd.
Founded in Los Angeles in 2006 by Bronx-born vocalist Tony West, Blacklist Union blend hard rock, punk and alternative influences inspired by The Ramones, Bad Brains and the New York hardcore scene.
Lorraine Lewis (Femme Fatale / ex-Vixen) alongside Blacklist Union frontman Tony West
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
“Working with Tony has been icing on the cake for me,” Lorraine Lewis said. “Having newly signed with Cleopatra Records, Femme Fatale are slated to release our full album in August. The timing couldn’t be more perfect for the Faster Pussycat and Blacklist Union tour.”
The official music video for Jackson was directed by former Saliva member Paul Crosby.
September
The Brook, Southampton466 Portswood Rd, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin
Event Details
Blacklist Union will hit the road across the UK and Europe alongside Faster Pussycat and Femme Fatale during September 2026, performing in 19 cities including London, Glasgow, Barcelona, Cologne, Berlin and Milan.
Good Charlotte have announced a run of UK and European tour dates, and they’ll be bringing Yellowcard along for the ride.
With the band set to headline Slam Dunk Festival this weekend, it’s not long until they’ll be back on UK soil.
The pop-punk legends will play a run of arena shows across the UK and Europe in October, and with Yellowcard joining them, it’s set to be a big one.
Actually, it’s going to include some of the biggest shows the Madden brothers have ever played on this side of the world, including nights at London’s O2 and Manchester’s Co-op Live.
Fingers crossed we get to hear that epic GC x YC collab live.
Tickets go on sale May 29 at 10am local time.
Check out the full list of dates below.
NOVEMBER
8: STOCKHOLM Hovet 11: MUNICH Zenith 13: BRUSSELS Forest National 14: DÜSSELDORF Mitsubishi Electric Halle 16: AMSTERDAM AFAS Live 17: PARIS Zenith Paris La Villette 19: LONDON The O2 20: MANCHESTER Co-op Live
Good Charlotte are on the cover of Rock Sound right now, where Benji joined us to chat through 30 years of GC, their biggest live shows to date, and the importance of the band’s eighth album ‘Motel Du Cap’.
Benji also told us about working with Yellowcard on their collaborative single ‘Bedroom Posters’, and finally having the chance to tour together after so many years.
“We were all kids when both of our bands started out.. I’ve always felt like Ryan’s voice is different from anyone else in the scene. They’ve been through similar experiences to us, and they survived it too. They learned a lot of meaningful lessons from it, and now they’re in the best place they’ve ever been. I love the song we did with them, and I’m really excited to do more shows together. I’ll do anything with those guys.”
Glaswegian interdimensional space rockers The Cosmic Dead have finished their tenth album.
The Cosmic Dead are from Glasgow, Scotland. They are heavy psych stoner rock purveyors said to be “inter-dimensional space-travelling explorers,” a feat presumably accomplished through the application relevant necessary agents. Their first album came out in 2011 (I think), and nine more have since materialized, counting the latest. The band is now Omar Aborida (bass, guitar), Tommy Duffin (drums), Calum Calderwood (fiddle), and Luigi Pasquini (synth).
There are four long tracks on the record. “Furthur” is a sixteen-minute quest that is primarily instrumental for the first few minutes with what sounds like chanting urging you on. Later on, the chanting is more recognizably singing, although it maintains a ritual quality even then. The music is spacey and groovy, spiced with many boops and beeps. Aggressive passages do emerge, particularly in the final third. It is something to experience. “Stronger” is a radio-length song with Primus-like rhythms. It leads you to bloom inside smiles that break through in the form of moderately displaced lips.
“Aurora” is very contemplative. As it moves along, the music quickens and becomes searching. I did a lot of looking around, but I never actually found anything. The guitar is fantastic. “Aether” is the final piece of the puzzle. It presents a mystical desert vibe and had me thinking about djinn riding gigantic dangerous beasts across sand dunes that they were merely displaying to onlookers, not threatening them. The composition evolves into a more active stance, bringing you along with it. While all the music on the record is compelling, this song is the one I will remember longest. Recommended.
Beyond The Beyond comes out on Friday, April 17th through Heavy Psych Sounds Records. Listen and buy at the links below.
Blaze Bayley, Jase Edwards, Jeff Hateley and Steve Danger hit the road in May to celebrate 40 years of their classic, unchanged lineup — a rare and powerful milestone in British rock. British rock legends Wolfsbane return to the road this May as Blaze Bayley, Jase Edwards, Jeff Hateley and Steve Danger celebrate an extraordinary milestone — 40 […]
Another taste of that new album we know is on the way, this one takes things in a more vicious direction, featuring some fantastically ferocious vocals from frontwoman Chrissy Costanza. Overflowing with emotion and blisteringly powerful, it’s another sign that their next era is going to be something very special.
Speaking about the track, the band have shared:
““Dead Man Walking” is about how the cost of survival was the person you used to be. It explores the return home from war only to find that, although everything looks the same, you yourself are so deeply different that you no longer fit. There’s a stranger staring back at you in the mirror, the ghost of someone you once were. Everyone thinks you’re fine because you made it out alive, but they don’t realise you never really did.”
Against The Current will return to the UK and Europe for a run of headline shows this Autumn.
Take a look at the full list of dates below.
OCTOBER
30 – GLASGOW SWG3 (TV Studio) 31 – LEEDS Leeds Beckett Students Union
NOVEMBER
01 – MANCHESTER Academy 03 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute 04 – LONDON O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire 06 – PARIS Le Trianon 07 – SAARBRÜCKEN Garage 08 – BRUSSELS Ancienne Belgique 11 – KÖLN E-Werk 12 – UTRECHT TivoliVredenburg 13 – HAMBURG Grosse Freiheit 36 14 – BERLIN Metropol 16 – VIENNA Simm City 17 – MUNICH Muffathalle 19 – ZURICH Komplex 457 20 – STUTTGART LKA Longhorn 21 – WIESBADEN Schlachthof
The band are also back on the cover of Rock Sound, celebrating their past, present and future in a brand-new interview.
Get your magazine alongside a world exclusive t-shirt design, only at SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV
You can also pick up a special ‘Chrissy’ cover variant, with deluxe A4 poster print, at SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV
If you, like many of us here at Last Rites, are an ancient, or at least ancient-adjacent, then perhaps you’ve been listening to death metal for quite some time. For my part, I happen to be falling apart enough to have been there since its inception, which equates to four decades of having my head bashed in by metal’s most brutal off-shoot. I have indeed ingested some rather questionable and / or damaging fare in that span, and at this point my only hope for being startled by a release in the same way I was for, say, the Deicide debut or the way Symphonies of Sickness dragged grind into the game is for a modern record to very literally spew lethal refuse into my face the moment the music escapes from the speakers.
Release date: May 29, 2026. Label: Pulverised Records.
Yes, I realize ‘physical impairment’ isn’t necessarily the end-goal of every death metal record, but I’m just trying to find a practical way to illustrate why some death metal bands in the modern age that receive wide acclaim elsewhere might not get the same—if any—applause in the tumbledown halls of Last Rites. The answer is pretty straightforward: The LR collective has been cramming this shit into our ears for long enough that a Xerox of a photocopy of a facsimile of Left Hand Path or Cause of Death probably won’t titillate the dangus the same way it did decades ago. That is not, in fact, intended to be some sort of lame flex, it is simply the fallout of overexposure.
Does that mean the death metal needle only moves around these parts when the death metal itself is so buried in the underground that it literally needs to crawl from a toilet to catch our attention? Not necessarily. Check out our collective No. 1 album from 2025, Unbirth’s excellent Asomatous Besmirchment. Sure, it’s not exactly as… basic as, say, Frozen Soul, but it’s also not exactly Sulfuric Cautery’s Killing Spree, which also made our list.
Bottom line: At this point on the timeline, there are as many death metal bands swimming in the public pool as there are bacteria, so if you’re stepping up to the plate playing “good old fashioned death metal,” it better cross all the i’s and dot all the t’s if you hope to catch the attention of those who’ve been toiling in the death metal mines for decades.
Have you yet had the pleasure of New Jersey flatteners Funebrarum? Being “active” over the course of the last three decades and releasing only two full-lengths leading up to Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence isn’t exactly the most ideal route to renown, but what Funebrarum lacks in quantity is outweighed by quality, so we’re still very much operating in the black. And if you’ve still managed to avoid dipping thy blessed piggies into the pool, know that, as much as I triple heart their punishing debut Beneath the Columns of Abandoned Gods, I think at this point I’d recommend working backwards from Beckoning because this record marks a terrific place to start for anyone interested in what it might feel like to be brought to your end at the behest of straight-up DEATH METAL that both hits like a sloooowly rumbling tank AND transforms into a Mecha that uses a fusion-powered hammer to pound your pulp until full evaporation.
Caveat numero uno: You gotta love it slow, baby.
Slow, yes, but not exactly funereal slow—the kind of slow that makes you think of giants on a crucial trek, not sap running down a 300 year-old oak. And those sluggish stretches are often spiced with atmospheric keys and / or a penchant for crushing with the sort of serious weight that might leave you wondering if the planet’s just been tea-bagged by Galactus. Point of fact: As much as I’d agree that Funebrarum is a band largely rooted in a… less swift form of death metal, calling them death / doom isn’t terribly accurate because, despite a foundation clearly built on rotted death metal, there’s also a ferocity built into each song that conjures a parallel dimension where the early interpretation of Carcass might’ve ended up on Peaceville rather than Earache. That is to say, there’s a distinct doomed grind element here whenever the record decides to hustle, and it hustles nearly as often as it slogs.
“Anhela Odor Mortuorum (The Adepts)”: A rotted death metal grinding wheel that catches you in its cogs and pulverizes your bones into a grouting paste—hey, that’s just the sort of reduce, reuse, recycling we need in our world today. That crumbling decay that chews the corners here (and up and down the entirety of the record) is certainly magnified by sole founding member / chief architect Daryl Kahan’s approach to some of the most decrepit, rumblingest vocals you’ll hear from a living creature that’s not an irascible grizzly bear with a festering thorn in its paw. And what’s this we hear? Why, it’s extreme metal’s busiest gadabout Phil Tougas, the newest recruit to the ever-shifting gaggle packed in behind Kahan. Tougas is actually… a little restrained on this record? Is that even possible? Did Kahan chain one of Phil’s arms to a radiator? Whatever happened, Tougas gives the whole of Beckoning the Void of Eternal Silence a perfect little pinch of noodling melody, but it’s never used to a degree that might make trick the listener into believing this is anything but a vehicle bent on flattening with relentless brutality.
If you need another taste of what’s in store, cram “From Rotting Burial Shrouds” into your worried ears, a song that emphasizes the more hostile face of the band for the bulk of its run, but still manages to sliiiide into that absolutely crushing groove that guides the overall vibe of Beckoning’s 50-ish minutes. That’s not Tougas on the pretty little splash of melody this time around, but rather GOREMENT legend Patrik Fernlund. Squeeee! Squeeeee, I say!
Caveat numero two-o: Don’t come to this party looking for innovation.
Does that come across as a slight? If so, it’s fully unintentional. Again, this is all caps DEATH METAL that doesn’t bother with infusing Tubular Bells, “Us and Them” or some farkakte Dream Theater potpourri into the mix. Instead, heed the following directions: Pound, grind, rumble, grumble, repeat as necessary, just as Funebrarum has done basically since day one. In the hands of a lesser band, that might result in something far less convincing, but here the outcome is an absolute triumph. GET SQUASHED.
