(We venture off our usual beaten paths today with the following very engaging interview conducted by Comrade Aleks with a member of the Puerto Rican band Moths, whose progressive metal goes off in very interesting and often unexpected directions.) Things happen and it’s difficult to support each new release in time, but I believe that […]
The post AN NCS INTERVIEW: MOTHS appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.
This year, the small town of Scarborough, UK was home to the 4th annual Fortress Festival, which contained a roster of excellent black metal bands from around the world. This is a report of the final day of the festival, the pre-show and Day 1 can be found here.
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The second day of Fortress had an even greater density of bands than the first, but armed with an understanding of the layout and secret corridors of Scarborough Spa, I charted out a battle plan. The agenda featured a higher number of American bands or bands that had somewhat recently toured in the US before, making tradeoffs a bit easier. Also exclusive to the final day was the introduction of a dungeon synth stage, which I did check out (particularly Fief), but it filled up quickly for most acts. I am a dungeon synth novice and am not sure I got enough of a read on the conjurations that I popped in and out of, but either there was a large appreciation for the acts that performed, an interest in recharging in the fully seated theater area as a reprieve, or a combination of both.
The lines from day one to pick up wristbands were replaced with a line to procure merch, as word had spread of a limited amount of specially-created shirts for Gallowbraid’s live debut with a reference to the festival, similar to a special edition of Agalloch merch the year prior. A bit of a puzzling situation this year was the merch area, which had ample room and was well organized by the operations team. Despite a festival that included UK, worldwide exclusives and debuts, some bands just chose… not to have a presence. Merch is usually individually handled, but I found it to be a bit odd for certain acts not to bring a little something to a rabid fanbase. This was certainly just a noticeable minority situation since Gallowbraid ended up selling out in record time, as well as Fortress’ own merch being picked clean from the first day. The relaxed vibe of the merch area and its proximity to the atrium meant that you could sometimes catch a band member in passing, so make sure to come in with a game plan and a sharpie if you have your eye on a particular piece of memorabilia.
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A Forest of Stars
After a raucous close to the first night, A Forest of Stars opened up the day and instilled a fair amount of class via a full playthrough of the recently released Stack Overflow in Corpse Pile Interface, their first album in eight years. Anticipation for their set was high; they were slated to play the very first Fortress Festival in 2023 but caught an illness. I was curious how their vein of avant-garde black metal would compare to the prior day’s Dødheimsgard set, and the contrast was apparent.
A Forest of Stars were far less bombastic. They were refined and imparted a sort of dreamlike effect. I was particularly captivated by The Gentleman, who had a multi-instrumental command center at the far left of the stage, switching between keyboards, xylophone, and a pair of standing rack toms. It was very cool to see his syncopated sticking with the main drummer, especially while standing, eyes fixed center stage to keep the beat. Accompanying the seven-piece band were evocative and fitting artwork scenes taken from the namesake album, and it’s no surprise that they fit perfectly with the music, as they were all developed by frontman Mister Curse. And as a surprise, at the end of the set, the visuals gave way to announce the first headliner for Fortress Festival 2027, the venerable Emperor!
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This Gift is a Curse
Much like there were death metal traces in Akercocke’s set the day before, Sweden’s This Gift is a Curse brought a heavy dose of sludge and rage to open up the Ocean Room on the second day. Frontman Jonas A. Holmberg was pissed, and he let the audience know it via a barrage of scorching screams and literally lashing a couple of heavy ropes that were on the stage. The band produced an outsized amount of sound, particularly from the energetic drummer who may have had the smallest kit out of anyone at the festival and used it to produce everything from traditional blast beats to hardcore-adjacent grooves. I will admit, I was a bit distracted during the set, as someone near me in the audience was doing some impressive hyper-fast sketches of all of the band members individually during the whole set. This coincidentally turned out to be Anaïs Chareyre-Méjan of Domhain, who played at Fortress a few years prior. Art begets art, I suppose.
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Abigail Williams
Unfortunately, there was nothing that Abigail Williams was going to be able to do at Fortress that would top me seeing them back home years ago. At a certain point through the band’s progression, frontman Ken Sorceron moved to Olympia, WA and played a house show in Tacoma at someone’s basement that I randomly wound up in. To this day, I can’t find any details of what the heck that show was, and wonder if I hallucinated the whole thing. The billing this time around was a far grander stage, although they had a stripped-down presence on it, no props or extraneous equipment, just the four of them playing a selection off of the latest two albums, Walk Beyond the Dark and A Void Within Existence. Throughout the years, Abigail Williams has gone through some stylistic changes, and although I would have liked to see more from the Becoming era, I can understand the need to focus on the more recent offerings given some of the newer band members. Ken’s vocals have always been the best part of the band for me, and were the highlight of the set, despite some technical difficulties that were quickly laughed off.
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Fluisteraars
One of the last announcements for Fortress was Fluisteraars, which hands down caused me to book my tickets this year. I had worked Roadburn in 2024 and managed to miss both of their sets due to neither of them being on the main stage, which was incomprehensible to me considering that they’d immediately fill up anything short of the main stage, especially in their home country. Similarly, they made their debut in the UK at Fortress in 2024 at the Ocean stage, packed that to the brim, and clearly needed to make a return on the main stage this year. Since then, I’ve coped with continuously playing their live recording of their Rock in Bourlon set, which is of exceptional quality. From the moment they took the stage, I was struck by how unassuming their presence was: no usage of the stage screens, diminutive and normal black attire, and almost no banter. The music spoke for itself, and time was not wasted, which was a necessity, as they featured the 20-minute-long “Verscheuring in de schemering” on the setlist. Bob Mollema and Mink Koops have always had an interesting creative dynamic, with Bob’s sing-song shrieks interweaving with Mink’s beautiful compositions perfectly. As a special surprise, they closed with “Zwarte Zomermaan,” a brand new song off of their upcoming Jacht der Mysteriën album. It’s always a bit tough to follow along to a song that’s never graced the public’s ears before, but much like their performance that night, I know it’s going to be special.
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Antrisch
Bavarian period-piece black metal outfit Antrisch prefaces all three of their albums as “expeditions,” which is apropos, as they took the audience through a cataclysmic journey throughout the ages with their set. From Spanish conquistador delusions of grandeur to the doomed Arctic voyage of the Royal Navy, Antrisch teetered between providing wailing black metal riffs and a serious stage show. They took their recreations seriously, adorned in what first appears to be British naval conductor hats, which were eventually shed for frilly canvas ruffle shirts via a set change. Vocalist Maurice Wilson engages well with the audience, staring intently throughout the set while recounting past horrors through a series of haunted howls.
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Vinterland
There are certain prototypical vanguard bands that I feel like I’ve missed the zeitgeist on, probably because I was still learning to walk at the time, such as early ‘90s group Vinterland. I made sure to check out their 1996 release, Welcome My Last Chapter, a pioneering melodic black metal album that still holds up today, with obvious comparisons to fellow Swedes Dissection. Given both bands came up at around the same time, it was yet another impressive signing by Fortress, given it’s been thirty years since their first and only LP release. Vinterland showcased the continued relevance of their music amongst modern acts, playing the entire release in full without missing a beat. I particularly enjoyed the interplay of their understated visual backdrops with the fog, giving an effect of them performing right from a dark Swedish forest. They represented their landmark release well, and it will be interesting to see if they’ll continue from the momentum of touring to manifest a new release. Another performance billing coup from the team at Fortress.
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Vespéral
There’s no other way to put this, but Nakkabre (Mathias Fortier) of Quebecois quintet Vespéral is a black metal Freddie Mercury. I truly hope he considers that a compliment because I mean that in the best way possible. Vespéral is a relatively new band, and performed their La mort de l’âme album in full. In doing so, they ended up easily being the most unexpected, show-stealing performances of the entire festival. The atmospheric nature of their latest record was translated through the lighting, smoke, and melodrama. Vocalist Nakkabre, who only recently took over the duties, convulsed on stage, delivering the French vocals with an angry exasperation and swirl of his cape. There was a flamboyant punk delivery of it all, causing some of the more successful crowd surfing of the day. Easily the surprise of the festival, and their performance on the Ocean stage felt like a situation that many Fortress bands have faced, where they start on the smaller stage and then return to headline. This will be somewhat true, with many members of Vespéral returning as Conifère to the UK for Tynebound Festival later this year.
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Misþyrming
I had seen Misþyrming once before in 2024 in their home turf of Iceland at Ascension Festival. Since then, they’ve been extremely active, playing an aggressive worldwide tour schedule, as well as doing a collaboration with Nergal of Behemoth. They were excellent the first time I saw them, but it was clear that they sounded more confident this time around. Frontman Dagur Gíslason had a high degree of swagger, delivering a high-energy set of acidic Icelandic vocals, and dare I say he looked slightly less grim this time, having legitimate fun. Both his vocal stylings and guitar tunings are some of my favourites in black metal currently, and along with Magnús Skúlason’s pounding percussion, the entire soundscape was perfect. It’s very possible that Misþyrming has a bigger presence the bigger the stage is, and I am not at all surprised to see that they’re at the forefront in terms of the modern black metal scene.
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Gallowbraid
I could not believe what I was seeing when Gallowbraid was announced for Fortress. Being in the Pacific Northwest, I had followed the trajectory of Fortress 2025’s headliner Agalloch since their debut, so I naturally came across any inspired or adjacent acts along the way. I remember listening to 2010’s Ashen Eidolon when it was first released, thinking it was a gem of a debut, and then relegating it as an obscure classic in the coming years (similar to me coming across Thayer Cabin at the time). Somehow, curator Gary Stephenson had convinced a band that had only ever released a single EP and had never performed live to travel across the world and perform after sixteen years. It was an audacious announcement, and something that I think sets Fortress apart.
Apparently, Gallowbraid had far more resonant underground appeal from this single EP than I realized. To be fair, it’s an extremely well-crafted EP, and it was performed in full as the closing headliner to an unforgettable weekend. Gallowbraid is the project of Jake Rogers, and I haven’t seen his other projects Visigoth and Caladan Brood live either, so to see a band perform for the first time live is a very special thing. Sixteen years of anticipation bubbled over to euphoria, with the audience breaking out in applause and elated cheers as they took the stage. Time rewound but then froze a bit; the fact that the EP was played true to form from all those years ago, but at the same time within the lens of a group of musicians that weren’t necessarily part of that initial release. The performance was extremely on-point, particularly Jake’s clean vocals, which was louder and rang out in clarity, gracing a virgin set of eardrums.
With this amount of precision from the group, it seemed like something was brewing, and as a surprise at the end of the set, they confirmed new music was coming and performed new songs “Leafdance” and “Stormcloud Memories.” This unexpected set now dovetailed into a new chapter in this band’s history, and the enormity of it all led me to delirium. I looked over to the audience at some point, and saw a lone lit lighter in a sea of phone cameras. The old with the new, emblematic of this set, and I ended Fortress with in disbelief, with an incredulous smile. I have never seen a festival end on such a high note, awash in fan-service and managing to resurrect a band at the same time.
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The curtain closes on Fortress Festival 2026. A perfect full moon appears precisely on the last night of the festival, as black metal revellers spill out, awash in moonlight. I came away thoroughly impressed, from the curation of the lineup, the novelty and taste of the venue, to the operations keeping the steady flow of excellent music afloat. For some of the sets, this would be the first and maybe last time a performance like this would occur, an unreplicable experience. A particular shoutout to founder Gary Stephenson, who was not just soaking in his handiwork but scurrying from stage to stage, attending to fires, directing the troops, and being extremely engaged in making sure things were moving. It’s clear that his and the extended team’s passion fuels the festival.
The momentum continues into next year’s edition, which falls on a UK bank holiday (May 29-30) and is bound to sell out. The first tranche of bands has been announced, which includes Emperor, Miserere Luminis, Yellow Eyes, Sinmara, Forteresse, Havukruunu, and many others. The Fortress team has also managed to Lazarus project a couple of bands for exclusive worldwide performances, including Germany’s Gràb and the first-ever live performance of Canadian atmospheric black metal band Gris. In four years, Fortress’ reputation, dedicated community, and excellent roster have convinced bands across the world to make the trek to the diminutive town of Scarborough. Make sure to march alongside them; you won’t regret it.
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Special thanks to Jay Valena of Oskoreien for many of the pictures, whose work and music can be found here. At the time of publishing, Fortress Festival 2027 is already 70% at capacity, and information on lineup announcements and tickets can be found here.
When: The 4-part series will begin streaming from July 9.
Where: You can watch The Man Will Burn through HBO Max – also available via NOW TV or Amazon Prime Video.
A new four-part series examining the annual Burning Man festival is to be broadcast on HBO Max – just a month after it made its debut at the 2026 Tribeca Festival.
Directed by Jehane Noujaim and Vikram Gandhi, The Man Will Burn will be shown on HBO from Thursday, July 9. It’ll examine the roots, impact and the challenges of organising the massive gathering in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert, which once a year, is transformed into Black Rock City – a “temporary metropolis” for the people who make the journey to celebrate arts, culture and community.
A statement reads: “The Man Will Burn documentary series features the artists, builders, and participants of the global Burning Man cultural movement.
“Filmed over five years, the series highlights the impact of participating in Black Rock City at a moment when many are asking deeper questions about community, and what it means to be part of something greater than themselves.”
If you’re based in the UK, you’ll be able to watch The Man Will Burn through an HBO Max subscription. You can also sub to the network via NOW TV or Amazon Prime Video.
The first episode will be broadcast from July 9, with the other three episodes dropping on a weekly basis.
If you’re going to be out of the UK on holiday or away with work and don’t want to miss the first episode of The Man Will Burn, you can use a VPN to help you.
Virtual Private Networks are used to change the location of your IP address, enabling you to watch any show outside of a streaming territory.
NordVPN is our service of choice and it’s currently available at a great price and with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
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1. Install a VPN. As we’ve mentioned above, NordVPN is Louder’s current favourite.
2. Choose the location you wish to connect to in the VPN. If you’re outside the UK on holiday and want to watch the The Man Will Burn as soon as it arrives on HBO, just select ‘UK’ from the list.
3. Sign in to your HBO/NOW TV/Prime Video account and relax. You’re all set to watch the first episode of The Man Will Burn.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example:1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service).2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad.We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
It’s been more than a year since King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard’s last album, an eternity by this band’s standards. Never fear, though; Australia’s reigning psychedelic rock band is about to drop another conceptual opus on us.
The post King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard Announce 28th Album <em>Alien Metal</em>, Brooklyn Rave appeared first on Stereogum.
A new chapter begins. German metal veterans BRAINSTORM have officially announced their brand-new studio album, Nightfall. The band’s forthcoming full-length will be released via Reigning Phoenix Music in Spring 2027, marking the next milestone in a career spanning more than three decades. Following the critically acclaimed Plague Of Rats, BRAINSTORM continue to expand the lyrical […]Hanabie. are back with a new banger, set to be the opening theme for new anime ‘Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games’.
Titled ‘Life Is Short, O Brave Girl’, it’s a breathless piece of glitter-speckled metalcore genius. Crossing boundaries with a fearlessness and ferocity, it jumps between kawaii exploration and rollicking heaviness with the flick of a wrist. It’s a story in its own right, which is what makes it perfect to be the soundtrack to something as vibrant as an anime.
It also manages to hit the heart of what said anime is about. According to a press release description, “Based on the popular manga series, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games follows Mitsuki Aya, a student at the prestigious Girls’ Academy who discovers her refined and idolised classmate is actually a hardcore, trash-talking fighting game enthusiast. Despite the academy’s strict ban on gaming, the two bond through their shared passion and begin a series of intense battles that spark both rivalry and friendship.”
Yukina from the band had this to say about putting it together:
“Since this is an anime theme song, I read the original work and immersed myself completely in its world while writing the song!
“For the lyrics, I included words that fans of Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games will hopefully recognise and think, ‘Oh!’ when they hear them. I also reflected on my own youth, remembering the things our faculty advisor said to us when we were attending an all-girls school and passionately playing in a band while being obsessed with heavy music, as well as the rebellious spirit I felt during those days.
“I hope this song becomes one that overflows with energy for anyone who is passionately devoted to something!”
Sounds sick, right? Well have a listen and get excited.
The band kicked off 2026 with the release of a new EP titled ‘ICONIC’.
Here is the title track:
The post Hanabie. Share Thrilling New Track ‘Life Is Short, O Brave Girl’ appeared first on Rock Sound.
– July 8th, 2026 –
Available Today via Metal Blade Records – Listen / Watch / Share
Photo Credit: Sylwia Makris & Christian Martin Weiss
Iconic Swedish heavy metallers Amon Amarth approach a new way of songwriting on their first-ever acoustic excursion “Upphaf“. The song strips away the fury of modern melodic heavy metal to reveal the ancient, skeletal frame of a Norse epic. Reimagined for the gathering space of a longhouse hearth, the song features hypnotic melodies and mesmerising quires. The stripped-back composition carries the solemnity of an oral history whispered under the shadow of the Allfather, proving the band’s interest in Oden cuts just as deep by firelight as it does on epic global stages. The single serves as the quiet moment to what lies ahead, before the fury of their next studio album.
“Upphaf” was produced by Jacob Hansen and is available via Metal Blade Records across all digital retail alongside its video directed by Pavel Trebukhin.
Listen / Share / Playlist “Upphaf” HERE
“Upphaf” Single Artwork
Watch Official Music Video HERE
From Amon Amarth‘s 1992 formation in Tumba, Sweden, to the worldwide fame they’ve found in the ensuing years, their lyrical, live and recorded musical legacy speaks for itself. Over the past few years the band have performed globally and alongside legendary acts such as Slayer, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Pantera in addition to monumental sold out takeovers of Los Angeles’ The Forum and Denver’s historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre to name a few. Across seas, Amon Amarth have headlined multiple major rock and metal fests including an epic performance at Germany’s Wacken in 2024 for 85,000 rabid fans which was deemed “a 19-song masterclass in unbeatable, indefatigable force…a repertoire of songs that can conquer the biggest crowds on the planet,” by Louder. Elsewhere on UK/European soil, the Viking lords have twice headlined the UK’s storied Bloodstock festival, made four appearances at Download (2008 – 2019), and performed at Summer Breeze eight times (2003 – 2024) – six of them as headliner.
Their rapidly increasing sales and touring numbers, plus pre-release buzz to Amon Amarth‘s 2026 North American tour with Dethklok and Castle Rat, has managed to garner mainstream success without sacrificing either of their constantly evolving creativity or heaviness. Audience demographics run the gamut from pre-teens to 60-somethings, an inclusive metal experience for those who appreciate epic positivity and powerfully inspirational lyrics.
Amon Amarth continues to garner universal musical respect and reverence from fans and critics, and an ever-growing popularity in North America. In Europe, Amon Amarth reached #1 on German album charts with Jomsviking, Berserker, and 2022′s The Great Heathen Army also topped the US Billboard Hard Rock Albums chart, the Canadian Billboard Top Current Albums chart, and earned a Swedish Grammy nomination for hard rock/metal album of the year.
Their cultural influence cannot be overstated. To wit: The Row. The consensus is that the legendary “Viking row” by audience members first began during the 2009 Amon Amarth set at Bloodstock. Fans get on the ground and, in unison, imitate rowing an invisible longship in a powerfully unifying experience. With the 2022 release of the single and video “Put Your Back into the Oar,” frontman Johann Hegg said, “we thought it was a good idea to write a song about The Row! This one is for you, the fans, wherever you are-and may Oden guide you as you row to your destiny in uncharted seas!” The phenomenon has now spread to other artist’s’ concerts and global events including 2026 World Cup audiences – but thanks to video footage, it’s safe to say Amon Amarth audiences began the now-iconic trend.
Over 30 years later, Amon Amarth remains a band of brothers, and that loyalty and unity allow for harmony and a united front that conquers both the stage and record. Hegg’s powerfully rendered lyrics on last year’s “We Rule The Waves” sum up the band’s unrelenting intent. “From cradle until the grave / As long as the sun sets in the west / We rule the waves / Our restless hearts / Have brought us far / As far as Vinland’s shores / We’ve gone further / Than any man has ever gone before.”
Amon Amarth Lineup:
Johan Hegg – Vocals
Olavi Mikkonen – Guitar
Johan Söderberg – Guitar
Ted Lundström – Bass
Jocke Wallgren – Drums
Amon Amarth Live Dates:
UK:
Oct 09: England – Manchester, O2 Apollo
Oct 10: England – London, Eventim Apollo
Oct 11: England – Wolverhampton, Civic Hall
EU:
Oct 13: France – Paris, Zenith
Oct 14: Luxembourg – Esch sur Alzette, Rockhal
Oct 16: Germany – Stuttgart, Schleyer-Halle
Oct 17: Germany – Frankfurt, Festhalle
Oct 18: Belgium – Antwerp, Lotto Hall
Oct 20: Netherlands – Den Bosch, Mainstage
Oct 21: Germany – Hamburg, Sporthalle
Oct 23: Sweden – Gothenburg, Scandinavium
Oct 24: Sweden – Stockholm, Hovet
Oct 26: Finland – Helsinki, Ice Hall
Oct 27: Estonia – Tallin, Unibet Arena
Oct 29: Poland – Gliwice, PreZero Arena Gliwice
Oct 30: Germany – Leipzig, Quarterback Immobilien Arena
Oct 31: Germany – Oberhausen, Rudolf Weber Arena
Nov 02: Hungary – Budapest, Barba Negra
Nov 03: Austria – Vienna, Gasometer
Nov 04: Germany – Bamberg, Brose Arena
Nov 06: Czech Republic – Prague, O2 Universum
Nov 07: Germany – Berlin, Velodrom
Nov 08: Germany – Munich, Zenith
Nov 10: Italy – Milan, Alcatraz
Nov 11: Switzerland – Zurich, The Hall
Nov 13: Spain – Barcelona, Sant Jordi Club
Nov 14: Spain – Madrid, Vistalegre
Nov 15: Portugal – Lisbon, Sala Tejo
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