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Words and Pix by Ali Williams Coolangatta was built for days like this. Ocean in one direction, music in the other, and a crowd happily wedged somewhere between sunscreen, surf culture and the sort of festival optimism that only arrives before anyone has lost their mates, their sunnies or their ability to make responsible beverage […]

Recently, it seems you can throw a rock and hit a book about an overlooked punk rock scene. While punk rock has affected a good portion of the planet, each scene has its traits. While a lot of these traits can be traced back to either the New York or London scene, what’s evident is that a lot of the sentiments from the regionally cultivated scenes are universal. Thomas Michael Swenson’s book, Where’s Next, Columbus?: A Native Punk Mixtape, explores punk rock through a Native American lens. Pulling its title from not only a Crass song but also a Smithsonian Museum Exhibit that celebrated the incorrectly praised explorer, “Where’s Next, Columbus?” questions common assumptions about Native Americans, but it is not the focus. It doesn’t just re-contextualize punk as a whole as it relates to Native Americans, but also how it relates to sub-genres like hardcore, Oi!, and pop punk. 

Born into Alutiiq culture in Kodiak, Alaska, Thomas Michael Swenson gives us his bona fides on how he got into punk rock, starting with a box of records procured by his mom in exchange for controlled substances. In this collection of records, he found the Ramones’ album Rocket to Russia, along with a George Carlin record and lots of rock from the ’60s and ’70s. This, combined with repeated viewings of the punk rock film Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains, a film that featured members of the Clash and the Sex Pistols would provide Swenson’s punk rock foundation. While his mom was working, He would make mixtapes with tracks off these records. Something he continues to do at the beginning of each chapter, resulting in a playlist that makes reference to punk bands like The Germs and OFF!, but also makes room for Native American punk bands and their relation to punk rock as a whole whether they sound traditionally punk or not.

Swenson goes over what sets his region’s punk rock scene apart from others, such as James Cook’s monument, the colonial history, and their looming presence over the Native Americans who live in Alaska.  A show from Canadian Hardcore band DOA kind of set the scene on its path. It’s relatable as each region has that show or band that lit the powder keg, whether it be the Ramones first playing England or the Stooges playing for the first wave of punks. His arguments for punk rock are simple: punk is definitely political, and being born native is to be born into politics given the government’s treatment of Native Americans and the shrinking sovereignty they are experiencing.

Each chapter’s connective tissue is a little too transparent, but serves as a decent preview for what’s to come and even if each section’s thesis is stated too bluntly. Whether this is on purpose or not, it feels a little clunky mechanically, but works as a bit of a highlighter rather than a deterrent. While the text may be dense, as is par for the course on a lot of academic books, this keeps a reader from getting overloaded. In general, the actual mixtapes from each chapter are pretty cool. A good portion of these chapters center around a non-native setup, then provide their arguments using examples from Native American punk scenes across the country. Swenson shouts out a good number of bands, from old-school hardcore punks Skate Death, who played with DOA at that fateful show in Alaska, to Sub Pop artist Ya Tseen, and pop-punkers Friends of Cesar Romero.

While there have been a few academic books that seem to stretch their material, Where’s Next, Columbus?: A Native Punk Mixtape is not one of them. Each point is argued thoroughly without overdoing or repeating itself too much. Swenson’s experience and assertions regarding punk rock are more than valid and should translate well into other aspects of life and art, much like punk rock in general. If you are one of those people who feel like punk doesn’t have much to say, then you’re looking in the wrong places. Swenson’s book is a good place to start. Where’s Next, Columbus?: A Native Punk Mixtape by Thomas Michael Swenson is available through The University of Oklahoma Press.

Don Broco are hitting the road across the UK & EU this year, and they have announced the bands that are going to be joining them.

Kicking off in Antwerp on June 04, their European dates will see them team up with Snayx and Slay Squad.

After a well-deserved break, they’ll be back for those UK shows in September, where they’ll be joined by Unpeople and Ando San.

SEPTEMBER

28 – LINCOLN Engine Shed
29 – SHEFFIELD Octagon

OCTOBER

01 – EDINBURGH Corn Exchange, Edinburgh
02 – MANCHESTER Academy, Manchester
03 – LIVERPOOL Guild of Students
04 – NEWCASTLE City Hall
07 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Academy
10 – NORWICH UEA, Norwich
14 – BRISTOL The Prospect Building

These shows will be the first chance to see some of the songs from Broco’s latest album ‘Nightmare Tripping’ live.

If you still need to brush up on the lyrics, Rock Sound have an exclusive transparent green cassette edition of the album for you. Limited to just 300 units worldwide, you can pick yours up now – here.

The post Unpeople, Ando San & More To Support Don Broco On UK/EU Tour appeared first on Rock Sound.

The trick to aging gracefully is to stay pissed off. It’s not an easy task, yet Gadget make it look effortless. The Swedish grindcore unit are long in the tooth, initially forming in 1999, though with that age comes expertise and efficiency. For the most part, their new EP Coerced scans as you’d expect grindcore to–abrasive, explosive, and economic–though it runs smoother because Gadget are veterans. Intensity is in abundance here, with the troupe only pumping the breaks on the five-minute noise track “False Pulse.” Even it, however, is the product of a learned hand. It utilizes dynamics and a slowly-unfolding structure to invert Coerced’s mode of operation rather than pad its runtime. The rest of the EP is a blistering appraisal through demonstration of new vocalist Emilia Henriksson’s cutting shrieks and how seamlessly Kristofer Jankarls fits into Gadget as the second guitarist and vocalist. These two aren’t necessarily new to the group, since they joined in 2023, but new is relative when you’re talking about a band that hasn’t released music since 2016 and spent four years writing their comeback EP. Stream all of Coerced below before it releases this Friday.

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The band comments:

This is Coerced – eight tracks that we finally recorded last year. Originally it was intended as a 7″ EP but it grew out of that fast. Mainly written during the pandemic it pretty much shares the style of the last EP, but it also delves deeper in other noisier and weirder territories. It’s massive and harsh, and most importantly: it’s our first proper with the new lineup. With Emilia and Kristofer joining the band it made it what it is. Without them it probably wouldn’t have been possible. It’s been fun, difficult, and challenging. Actually, two out of five had to wear long-term ECG monitors during this process. Coerced is probably the most focused and best output since the Funeral March LP and we’re really excited that it’s finally finished.

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Coerced releases this Friday via De Nihil Records.

Ian Gillan says the new album revisits "the fun of the music we made from '69 to '73." Continue reading…

Band:	Frozen Soul
Release:	No Place of Warmth
Genre:	Death Metal
Country:	America
Release Date:	8th of May, 2026
Released via	Century Media Records

Everything is bigger in Texas. That definitely counts for the music scene as well. Death Metal and hardcore have always been huge there. And one of the best bands to come out of that state in recent years is Frozen Soul. Over the last eight years, the five-piece stepped out of the underground and built a strong name for themselves. Right now, they are easily one of the hottest or better said coldest bands in death metal.

No Place of Warmth, out May 8 via Century Media / Sony Music, is their third full-length. It comes with eleven tracks that will drag you straight into the ice age. The record opens with a dark synth intro. It slowly builds tension before turning into the massive title track. Thunderous drums and heavy, galloping riffs. What a way to kick things off!

The production sounds bigger than ever. It’s clean, but organic at the same time. Majestic, yet ruthless. The Bolt Thrower influence is impossible to miss. At the same time, the band leans even harder into breakdowns and hardcore elements. One of the biggest surprises are the guest parts on the new records. Gerard Way, Robb Flynn and Devin Swank all did a fantastic job. And yes…Gerard Way doing death metal vocals was definitely not on my bingo card for 2026. But somehow, it works. His feature actually hits pretty hard.

Tracks like “Invoke War” bring that stomping groove. It feels like a group of cavemen marching into battle. Heavy and simple in the best way. It also shows how much Chad Green has improved. His vocals sound even more raw and brutal than before.

On the other side, you have songs like “Absolute Zero“. Fast, aggressive and straight to the point. That main mosh riff is just stupid heavy. The song writing in general feels tighter this time. More confident and direct. Maybe that comes from how the band approached the recording. They entered the studio with a blank slate and wrote most of the material on the spot. You can feel that energy. It sounds alive.

“Chaos Will Reign” delivers thick, tank-like riffs and a crushing mid-tempo groove. Pure Bolt Thrower worship, but with added hardcore punch. Meanwhile, the band also shows a more melodic side. Just listen to the ending of “Ethereal Dreams“. The use of hammer and anvil sounds (“Frost Forged“) is a nice touch. It actually feels like something is being forged while the song plays. It adds a lot to the atmosphere.

Overall, No Place of Warmth feels like the next big step for Frozen Soul. Bigger, heavier and more confident. With every release, the band keeps improving. It really makes you wonder if there is even a limit to their brutality and heaviness. This might be their strongest record so far. Maybe even one for the ages. Death metal rarely sounds this ruthless.

Stay cold

Eight years ago, Basement released ‘Beside Myself’. The band took a break after this release, extended into uncertainty by successive lockdowns. In one world, this could have been the last anyone ever heard of Basement. Thankfully, driven by renewed perseverance and creativity, Basement have now found themselves reborn with ‘WIRED’, their fifth full-length record. Both sonically and musically bold, ‘WIRED’ is a deliberate statement – energetic, dark, and catchy.

Title track and lead single ‘WIRED’ presents all the elements of the album’s writing and production that make it work. A jungle-esque beat drives the verses, steely, overdriven bass and cleaner guitars layering on top of each other, before the chorus kicks in, drops down, builds up and releases tension with the regularity of breath. The only moments where the instrumentation drops down are filled with distorted feedback, keeping the tension high. All of this happening alongside Andrew Fisher’s emotive and at times soaring vocals.

The urgency of the album’s opening two tracks – ‘Time Waster’ and ‘WIRED’ bubbles to the surface throughout. ‘Pick Up The Pieces’ starts with Fisher’s distorted vocals and alternates between a bouncing drum-and-bass led verse and a roaring chorus. ‘Sever’ is a stabbing number, with a more open chorus contrasting its unrelenting verses, eventually fully opening in the song’s final moments, before Fisher’s vocals crash into white noise.

When the energy is dropped, it’s for a quieter, moodier, atmosphere. There is a consistent tonal through-line which carries the album between its faster and slower paced moments – ‘Broken By Design’ and ‘Head Alight’ are certainly quieter than ‘WIRED’, but they all feel part of the same family. A large part of this is production choices, leaning into a dirtier bass and slightly subdued vocals across the album, but the songs themselves avoid sounding sluggish, instead settling into their own grooves.

Those tamer, slowcore grooves run through the album – in the case of ‘Deadweight’, literally slowing the song down for its choruses – which keeps ‘WIRED’ humming with a dancing rhythm regardless of tempo. Hooks rise and fall, vocals alternate between clean and distorted, creating an elevated sonic space which is as comfortable with harshness as it is with Basement’s catchier side. Songs like ‘The Way I Feel’ hold these two juxtaposed elements in accord with each other, allowing the vocals in the chorus to become distorted to the point of being illegible – what is left is the tune and the groove, and both wash over you with the waves of fuzz and gain.

‘WIRED’ comes to a close with ‘Summer’s End’, a distinctly nineties song. The bass is still steely, but with a touch of chorus to give it a Cure vibe, which complements the upbeat drums. Fisher floats above and below the music, his vocals swimming with a fuzzed-out lead guitar soloing its way through the second half the song. It’s a summery song, dripping with a nostalgic poppy energy, and a simple and infectious rise and fall vocal line which becomes inescapable by the song’s end.

As rebirths go, ‘WIRED’ is a worthy one. Easily more adventurous than ‘Beside Me’, with a dedication to pushing both songwriting and sonic textures, this is Basement finding what worked for them in the past and holding on to its core while jettisoning anything that would push them into self-pastiche. A band returning from a break must be able to answer the question of whether it was worth it. Basement have answered with a resounding yes.

WILL BRIGHT

Necrosonic Festival returns to Mansfield Tavern on Saturday, August 22 2026 and the full lineup has been revealed to the masses! With dual headliners Rivers of Nihil (USA) and our very own Psycroptic, alongside exclusive reunions, one-off performances and long-awaited resurrections ~ this year’s ritual is the most formidable yet. With a massive deference to […]

Much-missed Huntress singer Jill Janus had one of the most unusual career paths in heavy metal history

Ten long years passed since Grond released Worship the Kraken, a fun and meaty slab of Bolt Thrower-meets-Autopsy-meets-Lovecraft madness. With such a protracted lull in recording activity, I was sure there was never going to be another Grond record, but lo and behold, The Temple peeked above the horizon just enough for me to catch it on the approach. I quiver with anticipation to see what cosmic horrors await me there.

Grond is the same stomping monstrosity that left the world all those years ago, muscular and be-tentacled as ever. Their Bolt Thrower riffs and nasty bass tone still take center stage, ensuring that any listener’s face scrunches up in grotesque relief (“Weddigen,” “Submergence”). A Temple of Void-like doom/death shroud adorns The Temple in shadowed moods and ominous atmosphere, creating a vastness of scale and stature Worship the Kraken didn’t have (“U-29,” “Dreadnought”). Much like other modern old-school revival acts like Frozen Soul, simplicity is Grond’s best friend, choosing reliable parts and pieces of the death metal arsenal to ensure maximum impact in their songwriting. Thankfully, Grond’s high-fantasy horror theme, frightful guitar pyrotechnics in solos and flourishes (“Dreadnought”), and beefy production help set The Temple apart from contemporary examples of the style and make for a highly engaging 48 minutes.

At first, though, I wasn’t sure if The Temple justified its ten-year incubation period. It’s their slowest, their longest, and arguably their simplest record in terms of structure. I wondered if this meant it offered less substance or weaker engagement. I was wrong. Without sacrificing heft or extremity, Grond doubled down on accessibility and groove to make The Temple their most easily digestible outing thus far (“Pour le Merite,” “Radiant Fury”), but they made considerable effort using accessibility to their advantage. In place of compositional complexity, odd time signatures, or speed, wild lead guitar exhibitionism, gut-punching bass burbles, and clever drum fills abound. This trade, in turn, makes even the most straightforward cuts exciting and distinctive (“The Temple”). Furthermore, revisits uncover even more nifty details and entertaining embellishments—again sourced primarily from the guitar work—that bring depth and charm to The Temple for which initial impressions don’t account.

The Temple boasts many traits and nuances that not only make it a joy to return to, but also help shrink its inflated runtime, yet some areas could still use a trim. At a bloated six-and-a-half minutes, the title track only barely justifies its length with the strength of its guitar work, but would be stronger still with a full minute or so hacked off the first half for brevity. In fact, most of The Temple’s nine tracks toy with that ambitious six-minute barrier. While a vast majority of them don’t feel nearly that long, they all have at least one small grouping of measures that, if culled, wouldn’t detract from the compositions to which they belong (“Weddigen,” “Dark Solitude of the Sea,” “U-29”). Additionally, instrumental intro “Rotter Himmel” adds very little to the whole except to tumble right into the opener proper. At three minutes, it begs either to be nipped, tucked, and integrated into “Weddigen,” or to be cut altogether.

Aside from a spot of bloat, there’s a lot to enjoy in The Temple. It’s a rare kind of classically informed, doom-tinged, mid-paced death metal that grows with every spin. Grond achieved that grower status with their third LP, and it was worth the ten-year wait. It might not be a groundbreaking album, but competes well in its field and pairs very nicely with other Lovecraft-inspired death metal from the likes of Sulphur Aeon or Corpsessed. So if that’s your bag, Grond’s your monster. Choose your vessel, and enter the gate The Temple!

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Rating: Very Good
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: ~260 kbps VBR mp3
Label: XTreem Music
Websites: grond.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/grondrus
Releases Worldwide: April 30th, 2026

The post Grond – The Temple Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.