Paul Rodgers carried the blues into hard rock with a voice built for weight, fire, and restraint. Born in Middlesbrough, England, on December 17, 1949, Rodgers began his professional path playing bass in the Roadrunners before moving into the lead vocal role. The band later became the Wildflowers, a lineup that included Micky Moody, later of Whitesnake, and Bruce Thomas, later of Elvis Costello and the Attractions. By 1968, Rodgers had joined Free as lead singer and songwriter, setting in motion a career that would move through Free, Bad Company, the Firm, the Law, Queen + Paul Rodgers, and a
Canadian prog genius Devin Townsend has some good news for his fans. He’s just released a new double single and a video to go with it. It’s for the songs “Prepare For War / The Big Snit”. Devin recently announced the long-awaited release of his ambitious, orchestral-metal opus The Moth, out on May 29th 2026 via Inside Out Music, an album over a decade in the making. Read more…
So far, Australia’s Swapmeet have shared “I Know!” and “Sand” from their upcoming debut album Mount Zero. The former is straight-up banger, whereas the latter is more of an evocative reverie. Today’s “2 C U” is both of those things, operating as an enrapturing anthem about infatuation. About the song, the quartet says, “2 C…
Static-X has canceled its remaining tour dates for 2026, citing serious medical issues affecting an undisclosed member or members of the band. The announcement came via social media on Monday, May 18.
The band’s statement read: “Due to serious medical issues, Static-X will be forced to cancel our remaining tour dates in 2026. The situation is unavoidable and requires immediate attention. We are very sorry for the inconvenience, and we promise to return to the stage, bigger, stronger and faster in 2027. We appreciate your continued love and support and look forward to seeing you all again very soon! Sincerely, Static-X.”
Static-X‘s most recent releases are Project Regeneration Vol. 1 (July 2020) and Project Regeneration Vol. 2 (January 2024), both featuring the original lineup of Campos, drummer Ken Jay, and guitarist Koichi Fukuda alongside the masked frontman Xer0, widely believed to be Dope singer Edsel Dope. The lineup honors the memory of late Static-X frontman Wayne Static, who died in November 2014.
Massacre Records is proud to announce a partnership with Polish extreme metal legends Behemoth for the worldwide physical edition of their exclusive release I, Scvlptor, featuring 8 unreleased songs. Due out September 4, 2026 on CD, LP, MC and Limited Edition Box Set. Read more…
The Swedes Gold Spire have joined forces with Awakening Records for the release of their second long player, Steps Into Shadow. The latter drops June 19, 2026. Read more…
Listenable Records has released a limited deluxe edition of Gojira‘s landmark 2005 album From Mars to Sirius — a double gatefold zoetrope picture disc featuring exclusive, never-before-seen band photos. The first pressing is limited to 3,000 copies worldwide and is available to order now.
Released in September 2005, From Mars to Sirius was Gojira‘s third studio album: a concept record addressing environmental collapse, life, death, and planetary rebirth through a space travel narrative. It has since been named one of Rolling Stone‘s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time” and remains one of the most cited metal records of the 21st century.
Gojira‘s momentum has only accelerated since. In February 2025, the band won the Grammy Award for “Best Metal Performance” for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!)” — a version of the French Revolution-era standard “Ah! Ça Ira!” that Gojira performed at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, making them the first metal act ever to perform at the Games.
Heavy metal history is littered with stories of “evil” imagery, but for a select few bands, the darkness became a physical, claustrophobic reality. From the “Ghost in the Black Cloak” that paralyzed Black Sabbath at Clearwell Castle to the literal bloodletting inside Slipknot’s vocal booth, these five albums were forged in environments that can only be described as supernatural warfare.
As we look back in 2026, these sessions remain the most documented instances of when the occult, mental fractures, and heavy riffs converged to nearly destroy the artists involved.
TL;DR:
While most bands struggle with bad monitoring, these five legendary acts survived sessions involving genuine paranormal sightings, self-mutilation, and even murder. This is the definitive countdown of the “Cursed Five” that define the dark side of the recording booth.
5. Nine Inch Nails: ‘The Downward Spiral’ (1994)
The Location: 10050 Cielo Drive, Beverly Hills (The “Tate House”)
In 1992, Trent Reznor moved into a secluded home at 10050 Cielo Drive to build a studio he called “Le Pig.” It was the same house where the Manson Family brutally murdered actress Sharon Tate and four others in 1969. While Reznor initially claimed he didn’t know the house’s history, the “curse” of the location manifested as a deep, suffocating isolation that birthed industrial metal’s most claustrophobic masterpiece.
The session was so dark that Marilyn Manson—who was there recording his debut—reportedly engaged in rituals to appease the house’s spirits. Reznor eventually moved out after a chance encounter with Sharon Tate’s sister, admitting that the house’s sadness had finally “slapped him in the face.”
4. Ghost: ‘Prequelle’ (2018)
The Location: Artery Studios, Stockholm, Sweden
In 2026, Tobias Forge is a global stadium-filler, but during the Prequelle sessions, he was a man on an island. Forge was recording the album in total isolation while embroiled in a brutal, public lawsuit with his former “Nameless Ghouls.”
The “curse” here wasn’t a spirit, but a legal and psychological execution of the band’s identity. Forge has since admitted the studio felt “heavy” with a morbid energy he attributed to the spirit of the “Black Death,” which gave tracks like “Rats” and “Faith” their desperate, survivalist edge.
3. Black Sabbath: ‘Sabbath Bloody Sabbath’ (1973)
The Location: Clearwell Castle, Forest of Dean, England
Facing a massive case of writer’s block, Black Sabbath moved into the dungeons of Clearwell Castle. The inspiration returned, but it brought company.
Tony Iommi and Ozzy Osbourne both documented sightings of a “figure in a black cloak” that would vanish into solid stone walls. The band was so terrified they began sleeping in the same room with their lights on. Iommi found the title track’s legendary riff in that dungeon, but the band fled the castle the second the tape stopped rolling, convinced the fortress had a “will of its own.”
The Location: Sound City Studios, Van Nuys, California
The Iowa sessions are a gold standard for “intentional hell.” Producer Ross Robinson pushed the “Nine” into a state of psychopathic friction.
To record the title track, Corey Taylor stripped naked, shattered glass on the studio floor, and began cutting himself with the shards to achieve a vocal performance that sounded like a genuine death rattle. The session was so toxic that the band members refused to look at one another, creating an atmosphere of pure, unadulterated hatred that many members admit nearly ended the band before the album even hit the shelves.
The ultimate “cursed” artifact. The recording of this album involved a slow-motion car crash of suicide and murder.
It features the lyrics of vocalist “Dead” (who took his own life before recording) and the performances of guitarist Euronymous and bassist Varg Vikernes. Shortly after the sessions, Vikernes murdered Euronymous. The final record is a macabre document featuring the victim and the killer on the same tracks—a reality so dark that the album cover (the Nidaros Cathedral) was allegedly the duo’s next target for arson.
The Loaded Radio Ritual Check
What happened to the ‘Le Pig’ studio at the Tate house? The house was demolished shortly after Reznor moved out. However, Reznor famously took the front door—the one where the word “PIG” was written in blood—and installed it as the front door to his new studio in New Orleans.
What is ‘Sisu’ in the context of these sessions? Sisu is the Finnish concept of white-knuckled determination. While most of these bands aren’t Finnish, the term is frequently used in 2026 to describe the sheer endurance required to finish these “cursed” records without losing one’s mind.
Why does ‘Iowa’ sound more aggressive than modern Slipknot? Because the aggression wasn’t staged. The “cursed” nature of the session was a result of genuine, un-filtered mental health crises and substance abuse within the band at that specific moment in 2001.
The Loaded Radio Vault
At Loaded Radio, we don’t just cover the music; we cover the focal points where history and the heavy music mythos collide. These five albums represent just some of the genre’s darkest corners.
STAY LOUD: If you want to dive deeper into the occult history of your favorite bands, catch the latest episode of the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast. Scott Penfold breaks down the “Nuggs” of metal history every morning. Head to LoadedRadio.com or download our free app now.
Legends of modern heavy music, Killswitch Engage return to Australia and New Zealand in 2026, bringing more than two decades of genre-defining metal to the stage with their biggest Antipodean headline shows yet, joined by special guests, British heavyweights, Sylosis.
The Western Massachusetts metallers helped redraw the map for modern metal in the early 2000’s, fusing blistering European‑inspired guitar work, East Coast hardcore energy and emotionally charged, uplifting lyrics into a sound that changed the game for a generation of bands and fans.
Across a landmark career, Killswitch Engage have earned three Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance, multiple gold and platinum records, billions of streams and forged a reputation as one of the most powerful live acts in heavy music. From classic albums like Alive Or Just Breathing, The End of Heartache and As Daylight Dies through to chart‑topping releases Disarm the Descent, Incarnate and 2019’s Atonement, they’ve consistently raised the bar while packing out venues and festival main stages around the world.
Fresh from celebrating 25 years as a band and the release of their latest album This Consequence, which featured blockbuster single “I Believe,” the biggest radio hit of their career, Killswitch Engage are set to deliver a career‑spanning set for their Australian and
New Zealand fans.
Expect a night that runs from era‑defining anthems to new favourites, all delivered with the intensity and heart that has seen them share stages with everyone from Iron Maiden and Slayer to My Chemical Romance, Mastodon, Slipknot and Parkway Drive.
Spotify Presale: Tuesday, May 19: 10am AEST (CODE: KSE26)
Promoter Presale: Wednesday, May 20: 10am AEST (CODE: KSEAUS)
General Onsale: Thursday, May 21: 10am AEST sbmpresents.com/tour/killswitch-engage-2026
