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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WORLDWIDE PANIC FEATURED ON BRAVEWORDS WITH EXPLOSIVE DRUM PLAYTHROUGH FOR “THE GREATEST VILLAIN THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN”
Hard rock heavyweights Worldwide Panic are making serious noise once again, landing a feature on BraveWords with the release of a blistering new drum playthrough video for their track, “The Greatest Villain The World Has Ever Seen.”
Pulling back the curtain on the engine behind their crushing sound, the band delivers a no-holds-barred performance that showcases the precision, speed, and sheer power driving the track. The video throws fans straight into the action, offering a front-row seat to the intricate rhythms, thunderous fills, and razor-sharp transitions that define Worldwide Panic’s sonic assault.
Known for their hard-hitting style and relentless energy, Worldwide Panic continue to prove they are firing on all cylinders. This latest feature highlights not just their intensity, but the technical skill and passion that fuel every note.
The drum playthrough arrives alongside the release of their sophomore album, The Greatest Villain The World Has Ever Seen , a bold and dynamic record that pushes the band’s creative limits further than ever before. Packed with crushing riffs, cinematic depth, and unapologetic attitude, the album explores themes of power, corruption, inner conflict, and the blurred lines between heroes and villains in today’s world.
“This album marks an exciting time in Worldwide Panic history,” says vocalist and bassist Lane Steele. “This is a very eclectic, meaningful record filled with related themes and undeniable hooks. This record takes the band to new heights.”
With The Greatest Villain The World Has Ever Seen , Worldwide Panic aren’t just delivering a collection of songs—they’re crafting a full-scale experience. It’s loud, it’s intense, and it sticks with you long after the final note fades.
Fans can check out the featured drum playthrough now and dive into the full album to experience the chaos, control, and calculated aggression that define Worldwide Panic.
For press inquiries, interviews, or coverage opportunities, please contact:
Metal Devastation PR
zach@metaldevastationradio.com
Check it out here: https://bravewords.com/news/worldwide-panic-unleash-explosive-drum-playthrough-video-for-the-greatest-villain-the-world-has-ever-seen/


  Connect: 
https://linktr.ee/Worldwidepanic
Contact: Worldwidepanicband@gmail.com

The post NEQUIENT: Metal Injection Hosts Exclusive Stream Of Avarice, The Scathing Third LP From Chicago Grindcore/Hardcore Band; Album Out Friday On Nefarious Industries + New Tour Dates Announced appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.

Death albums ranked is a list with a problem most bands would kill for: there is no bad record on it. Chuck Schuldiner made seven studio albums in eleven years, changed the lineup on almost every one, and moved from zombie-movie song titles to lyrics about consciousness and mortality without once releasing something a fan has to apologise for. So this is a ranking of good against great, and the gaps are small until the top three, where they aren’t. Seven albums, counted down from 7 to 1, with the players on each and the case for each.

The ground rules. Death’s studio catalogue is seven albums, from 1987 to 1998; the demos, the Live In L.A. and Live In Eindhoven records and the Control Denied album Chuck made afterwards aren’t ranked. The criteria are the ones that always apply here: songwriting, impact, replay value, and how completely the record commits to what it’s trying to be. For Death that last one matters more than usual, because Chuck changed what the band was trying to be roughly every eighteen months, and the question for each album is whether it fully became the thing it set out to be.

A word on timing. Human turns thirty-five this month. Chuck died on December 13, 2001, at 34, which makes this December twenty-five years, and the players who made these records are still playing them: Death To All, with Gene Hoglan, Steve Di Giorgio, Bobby Koelble and Max Phelps, takes the catalogue to Australia with Dark Angel in January. The music outlived the man by a quarter of a century and hasn’t aged a day. That’s rare enough to be worth ranking properly.

Loaded Radio Recommends: 13 Chuck Schuldiner Facts That Reveal the Man Behind the Growl

#7. Scream Bloody Gore (1987)

The album that invented death metal, made by a nineteen-year-old playing everything but the drums, and the one Chuck grew out of fastest.

Released in May 1987 on Combat, Scream Bloody Gore is the first death metal album by most people’s reckoning, and it sounds like the genre being discovered in real time. Chuck Schuldiner played guitar and bass and sang; Chris Reifert, later of Autopsy, played drums; Randy Burns produced it in Los Angeles after the Florida sessions were scrapped. The titles tell you everything: ‘Zombie Ritual’, ‘Evil Dead’, ‘Regurgitated Guts’, ‘Baptized In Blood’, ‘Mutilation’. The riffs are thrash pushed past where thrash stops, and the growl is the one a thousand bands would copy.

It’s last because Chuck’s songwriting was still a year away from being Chuck’s songwriting; the riffs are great and the songs are riff collections. It’s also the record whose lyrics he spent the rest of his life distancing himself from. None of that makes it less essential. If you want to hear where the entire genre came from, this is where, and ‘Zombie Ritual’ is still the first song Death To All play most nights. Seventh of seven on this list is still a record that changed music.

#6. Leprosy (1988)

The album where Death became a band, and the one that built the Florida death metal sound in a studio called Morrisound.

Leprosy, November 1988, is the first Death album with a real lineup: Rick Rozz on second guitar, Terry Butler on bass, Bill Andrews on drums, Chuck out front. It was recorded at Morrisound in Tampa with Dan Johnson producing and a young Scott Burns engineering, which is the moment the studio that would define the genre got its start. Ed Repka’s cover, the disfigured faces in a bleak landscape, became as recognisable as the music. ‘Pull The Plug’ is the song, still a live closer; ‘Left To Die’, ‘Open Casket’ and the title track are the ones fans argue about.

It’s sixth because it’s a bridge: heavier and more structured than the debut, not yet technical, with Chuck’s lyrics starting to look at death from the inside (‘Pull The Plug’ is about euthanasia) rather than from a horror poster. The riffs are the best of the early era and the production is a huge leap. What it lacks is the complexity that was coming, and on a list where every album above it has that complexity, it sits here, with the understanding that for a lot of old-school fans this is the one.

#5. Spiritual Healing (1990)

The underrated pivot: Death stop singing about monsters and start singing about people, and James Murphy arrives.

Released in February 1990, Spiritual Healing is the album where Chuck turned the lyrics on the world. ‘Living Monstrosity’ is about babies born addicted to crack; ‘Altering The Future’ is about abortion; ‘Low Life’ and the title track go after poverty and televangelists. That shift, from gore to social commentary, is the thing that made everything after it possible, and it was unfashionable in 1990 death metal to the point of being brave. James Murphy, later of Obituary and Testament, replaced Rick Rozz and brought melodic lead playing the band hadn’t had; Butler and Andrews stayed; Scott Burns produced.

The music slows and widens: mid-tempo, melodic, with ‘Genetic Reconstruction’ hinting at the technical records to come. It’s fifth because it’s a transitional album, better than its reputation and less than its successors, and because what happened next defined it: Chuck pulled out of a 1990 European tour, Butler and Andrews went anyway with a stand-in singer, and Death effectively ended as a band and became Chuck’s project. Every album after this one has a different lineup. That starts here, and so does the Death most people love.

#4. The Sound of Perseverance (1998)

The last Death album, written as a Control Denied record and released as the most progressive thing the band ever did, with Chuck singing in a voice nobody had heard from him.

By 1998 Chuck wanted out of death metal’s box. He’d written an album for a new band, Control Denied, with a clean singer; Nuclear Blast wanted a Death record, so the material became The Sound Of Perseverance, released in September 1998 with Shannon Hamm on guitar, Scott Clendenin on bass and Richard Christy on drums. Chuck’s vocals moved up into a high, scraping shriek, the songs stretched past seven minutes, and the time signatures went wherever they liked. ‘Scavenger Of Human Sorrow’ and ‘Spirit Crusher’ are the heavy ones; the Judas Priest cover, ‘Painkiller’, closes it with Chuck finally singing the way he’d always wanted.

It’s fourth because it’s the most polarising record here, loved by the people who followed Chuck’s evolution and resented by the ones who wanted Leprosy again, and because ‘Voice Of The Soul’, the instrumental, is one of the most beautiful pieces of music in extreme metal, which makes the album impossible to rank lower. It’s the last thing he finished under the Death name; Control Denied’s one album followed in 1999, and the illness arrived the same year. Heard now, it sounds like a man who knew exactly where he was going.

#3. Individual Thought Patterns (1993)

The lineup record: Andy LaRocque, Steve Di Giorgio and Gene Hoglan on one album, playing the most technically dazzling music Death ever recorded.

Individual Thought Patterns, June 1993, has the best band Chuck ever assembled. Andy LaRocque, King Diamond’s guitarist, on leads; Steve Di Giorgio on fretless bass, playing it like a lead instrument; and Gene Hoglan, in from Dark Angel, on drums, bringing a precision and a swing the band had never had. Scott Burns produced at Morrisound. ‘The Philosopher’, the single and video, is the entry point; ‘Overactive Imagination’, ‘Trapped In A Corner’ and ‘In Human Form’ are the ones musicians still study.

It’s third because it’s the dizziest display of skill in the catalogue and, by a hair, the least song-driven of the top three: the playing occasionally outruns the writing. But the bass alone puts it here. Di Giorgio’s work on this record is why he’s on every list of the genre’s great bass players, and Hoglan’s arrival is the start of a partnership that carried Death through its two best records and carries Death To All today. If you want to hear how good a death metal band can be at its instruments, this is the answer.

#2. Human (1991)

The album that invented technical death metal, made with half of Cynic and a fretless bass, and the record Death’s whole reputation rests on.

Human came out in October 1991 and changed what the genre was allowed to be. Chuck brought in Paul Masvidal and Sean Reinert from Cynic, who were jazz-schooled, fusion-literate and nineteen, and Steve Di Giorgio for his first Death record. The result, produced by Scott Burns at Morrisound, is thirty-four minutes of riffs that turn corners nobody had built yet: ‘Flattening Of Emotions’, ‘Suicide Machine’, ‘Together As One’, ‘Lack Of Comprehension’ (the video that got it on television), and ‘Cosmic Sea’, an instrumental that sounded like nothing else in 1991 and still doesn’t. The lyrics went inward, to the mind and the body and what breaks them.

It’s second because it’s the most influential record here, the one that every technical and progressive death metal band descends from, and the one that proved death metal could be intellectual without becoming less heavy. Reinert died in January 2020; Masvidal has guested with Death To All on ‘Flattening Of Emotions’. Thirty-five years on this month, Human is the album that made the top spot possible, and the only reason it isn’t the top spot is that the record above it took everything here and made it sing.

#1. Symbolic (1995)

The synthesis: every idea from the previous five albums, played by Hoglan at his best, with melody finally given equal weight to brutality. The greatest death metal album ever made, and it isn’t a close argument.

Released in March 1995 on Roadrunner, Symbolic was recorded at Morrisound with Jim Morris producing, and the lineup was new again: Bobby Koelble on guitar, Kelly Conlon on bass, Gene Hoglan on drums. What’s different is the writing. ‘Symbolic’, ‘Zero Tolerance’, ‘Empty Words’, ‘Crystal Mountain’, ‘Perennial Quest’: these are songs first and showcases second, with hooks you can hum and riffs that resolve. The technicality is all still there; it’s just been put in service of something. Hoglan’s performance is widely regarded as the best of his career, which is a long career.

It’s first because it’s the one Death album that does everything the band ever tried to do, at once, without a weak track, and because thirty-one years later it’s still the record people hand to someone who’s never heard death metal and want them to understand it. Chuck’s place among the great metal guitarists was secured before this; his place among the great songwriters is secured here. ‘Crystal Mountain’ alone would get it into the top three. The rest of the record gets it to the top.

Check This Out: The Most Legendary Death Metal Bands of All Time

Death In 2026: Human At 35, Death To All, And 25 Years Without Chuck

The band ended in 2001 and the catalogue has never been more alive: the players who made it still tour it, and the anniversaries keep arriving.

Human turns thirty-five on October 22. Symbolic turned thirty last year. And on December 13 it will be twenty-five years since Chuck Schuldiner died of brain cancer at 34, four months after the illness forced him to stop playing, with Control Denied’s second album unfinished. The gap between how long he lived and how long the music has lasted is the story of the band now.

Death To All is how the catalogue stays on stage: Gene Hoglan, Steve Di Giorgio, Symbolic guitarist Bobby Koelble and Max Phelps on vocals and guitar, playing songs from all seven albums with Chuck’s blessing from his family. They take it to Australia in January with Dark Angel, Hoglan’s other band, in support. For the context behind the records, thirteen things about Chuck is the place to go, and for where Death sits among the bands that built the genre, the Big Four of death metal is the argument. He’s at the top of both.

The Full Ranking

7. Scream Bloody Gore (1987)
6. Leprosy (1988)
5. Spiritual Healing (1990)
4. The Sound Of Perseverance (1998)
3. Individual Thought Patterns (1993)
2. Human (1991)
1. Symbolic (1995)

TL;DR

• Seven Death studio albums ranked 7 to 1, and none of them is bad; the ranking is good against great, and the real gap is between the top three and everything else.
• The bottom three are the early Florida records: the debut that invented the genre, the one that built the Morrisound sound, and the underrated pivot from gore to social commentary.
• The Sound Of Perseverance, the progressive final album written for Control Denied, sits fourth; Individual Thought Patterns, with LaRocque, Di Giorgio and Hoglan, is third.
• Human (1991), which invented technical death metal with half of Cynic, is second; the album above it took the same ideas and made them songs.
• In 2026: Human turns 35 on October 22, Death To All tour the catalogue with Hoglan, Di Giorgio and Koelble, and December marks 25 years since Chuck Schuldiner died at 34.

FAQ

Where would you move an album? Tell us in the comments, and follow Loaded Radio for the rest of the death metal catalogues ranked and the 25th-anniversary coverage in December.

The post Death Albums Ranked: All 7 Worst To Best, And There Isn’t A Bad One appeared first on Loaded Radio.

They sounded like everybody — and nobody — else. Continue reading…

Duran Duran and Chic legend Nile Rodgers go way, way back together. When they first started, Duran Duran described their own sound as Chic meets the Sex Pistols, and they scored their first #1 hit in the US when Rodgers remixed their 1984 single “The Reflex.” Rodgers and Duran Duran went on to work together…

The post Duran Duran – “Free To Love” (Feat. Nile Rodgers) appeared first on Stereogum.

Korn has shattered a five-year silence with the surprise release of “Reward The Scars,” a pummeling new track recorded in collaboration with Blizzard Entertainment for the upcoming Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion. Marking their first original material since 2022’s Requiem, the pioneering nu-metal legends have officially returned to the studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz—the man behind their critically acclaimed 2019 effort The Nothing. The track, specifically written to capture the dark, atmospheric dread of the Diablo universe, arrives just as the band prepares to headline the massive Sick New World festival in Las Vegas this weekend.

The partnership is a natural fit for frontman Jonathan Davis, a notorious high-stakes gamer who has spent decades integrating dark, industrial aesthetics into Korn’s sound. With the Lord of Hatred expansion set to drop on April 28, “Reward The Scars” serves as the official sonic gateway to the game’s newest chapter. Fans won’t have to wait long to hear the band’s refreshed energy live, as the group’s return to the stage on April 25 kicks off a relentless 2026 world tour that spans South America, Europe, and the UK.

The Raskulinecz Connection: Korn’s Sonic Return

For “Reward The Scars,” Korn reunited with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Deftones, Evanescence), a move that signals a return to the heavy, layered intensity that defined the band’s late-2010s output. Raskulinecz famously helped steer the band back to their roots on 2016’s The Serenity of Suffering and 2019’s The Nothing, and his influence is palpable on the new track’s gritty, downtuned production.

While the band has spent the last several years focusing on solo projects and legacy tours, “Reward The Scars” marks a pivotal moment of creative growth. Written specifically for the Diablo IV universe, the track leans into the “Lord of Hatred” theme, providing a haunting backdrop for the expansion’s new classes—the Paladin and the Warlock—which are set to debut on April 28.

We Also Recommend – All 14 Korn Albums Ranked Worst to Best (The Definitive Nu-Metal Guide)

Sick New World and the 2026 World Tour

The surprise release comes just days before Korn headlines the Sick New World festival in Las Vegas on Saturday, April 25. The festival appearance serves as the official launch of a massive global itinerary that will see the band touring through South America in May with support from Spiritbox, followed by a sprawling European and UK arena run this fall alongside Architects. Get your tickets here.

Korn 2026 Tour Dates

(Full European schedule includes stops in Stuttgart, Munich, Paris, Berlin, and Milan through November 21.)

Jonathan Davis: The Gaming Frontman

Jonathan Davis’s involvement with Diablo IV is the latest chapter in his long-standing history with gaming culture. While the frontman’s specific fandom for the Diablo series has been a topic of debate among fans, his status as an avid gamer is undisputed. By “rewarding the scars” of the Diablo player base, Korn is bridging the gap between heavy metal and the dark-fantasy gaming community, ensuring their five-year hiatus ends with a definitive, atmospheric bang.

Make sure to tune in to the Loaded Radio 24-hour heavy metal stream and catch the Loaded Radio Podcast every week for unfiltered, high-octane interviews with the biggest names in hard rock and metal.

TL;DR:

Korn has released “Reward The Scars,” their first new song in five years, created for the Diablo IV: Lord of Hatred expansion pack (out April 28). Produced by Nick Raskulinecz, the track debuts just before the band’s headlining set at Sick New World in Las Vegas on April 25, which kicks off a global world tour including South America and Europe.

The post The Wait is Over: Korn Surprise Release “Reward The Scars”—Their First New Song in Five Years! appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Posted on April 23rd 2026, 4:20p.m.

Earlier this week, motherfucking Slayer announced that they were celebrating the 40th anniversary of Reign In Blood with a pair of special shows: one on September 4 in Shakopee, Minnesota and another on November 13 in Los Angeles, California. The list of supporting acts are stacked and all, but we should have known they weren’t done adding anniversary shows — it is a major milestone, after all.

Well, that’s exactly what happened. Earlier this morning, the iconic thrash metal band announced a third Reign In Blood 40th anniversary show. This time around, the show will take place in Los Angeles, California on November 14. That means the Kia Forum will host two consecutive nights of what could be one of the more killer shows of the year.

Slayer said they added the second date “due to overwhelming demand” after tickets for the November 13 show quickly sold out. The supporting acts/special guests for the second night will be the same as the first night — Cannibal Corpse, the Cavaleras playing Chaos A.D., and Crowbar.

Tickets for the second Los Angeles show will go live tomorrow at 10 a.m. PST. If you don’t want to wait, there’s always a pre-sale starting at noon today using the code RIB2026.

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The post Slayer Extend ‘Reign in Blood’ Victory Lap With Another Anniversary Show appeared first on MetalSucks.

Track listing:

01. You’ve Got Another Thing Coming

02. Lightning Strike

03. Breaking The Law

04. Beyond The Realms Of Death

05. Painkiller

06. Hell Bent For Leather

07. Rocka Rolla

08. Turbo Lover

09. Electric Eye

10. Crown Of Horns

11. Living After Midnight

12. Night Crawler

13. Heading Out To The Highway

14. Better By You, Better Than Me

15. The Sentinel

16. Diamonds And Rust

Order yours here: https://shop.judaspriest.com/products/the-best-of-judas-priest-cd

The post EXHUMED + IRON REAGAN: Tankcrimes To Repress Long Out-Of-Print Split Release On May 15th; Preorders Available appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.