Category: news

Starting mid-September, Spotify will begin tagging AI-generated artist profiles with a new “AI Persona” badge. It’ll show up on the artist profile, in search, and on track rows inside playlists. And by default, anything wearing it gets cut out of editorial and algorithmic recommendations unless you specifically follow the profile yourself. Spotify announced it on August 11. For a genre that’s spent two years watching fake bands rack up real streams, this is the first structural response anyone’s offered.

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What the badge actually does

Three things, and the third one is the one that matters.

It appears on the artist profile. It appears in search results. And it appears on the track rows in playlists — so if an AI act slips into a playlist you’re listening to, you’ll see it flagged in the moment rather than after you’ve already added the song to your library.

Artists can self-disclose as an AI Persona through Spotify for Artists. Spotify will also review profiles on its own and apply the badge where it decides one belongs. Anything flagged that way gets notified, and gets the chance to either self-disclose or appeal.

Then the real teeth: by default, AI Personas won’t be included in editorial or algorithmic recommendations. You’d have to follow the profile deliberately for it to reach you.

That’s not a warning label. That’s a demotion. The badge tells you what you’re looking at, but the recommendation exclusion is what actually stops these things from farming streams off Discover Weekly and mood playlists — which is exactly how the fake bands built their numbers in the first place.

It’s one piece of a wider 2026 push at Spotify around identity and transparency, sitting alongside Verified by Spotify, AI Credits, SongDNA, Artist Details and Artist Profile Protection.

Why this hits metal harder than most genres

Here’s the part the mainstream coverage will skip.

Heavy music is uniquely exposed to this, for a few reasons that stack on top of each other.

Metal fans consume by the album and by the deep cut. We follow bands with fifteen-year discographies and we go looking. That behaviour is exactly what algorithmic discovery is built to feed, and exactly what makes a listener vulnerable to a convincingly-titled fake act sitting in a “Modern Metalcore” playlist between two real bands.

The genre’s aesthetic is also, frankly, easy to fake at surface level. Corpse paint and a logo nobody can read is a look a machine can generate in seconds. So can a wall of downtuned riffing and a scream. What a machine can’t generate is fourteen years of somebody’s life, or the reason a song exists at all — but you don’t hear that in a fifteen-second playlist preview.

And metal runs on scarcity of trust. This is a scene built on tape trading and word of mouth, where knowing a band before anyone else was social currency, and where getting duped is genuinely embarrassing. AI acts don’t just take streams. They take the credibility of discovery itself.

We’ve already watched what happens when the industry gets sloppy about this. Beartooth hired a designer for the “Bullshit” lyric video this year, explicitly told them not to use AI, and the designer used it anyway and denied it — the whole thing got flagged on upload hours before the single dropped. Caleb Shomo and his brother rebuilt it themselves in a day. That’s a band with resources catching it by luck. Most bands don’t have that.

The loophole nobody’s talking about

Now the part I have questions about.

The badge is aimed at AI personas — profiles whose public identity may be generated and doesn’t represent a real person. It flags the fake band. It does not, as described, flag a real band using AI to write, produce, or generate parts of its music.

That’s a meaningful gap, and it’s the one that’s going to matter more in five years than the fake-band problem does today. Nobody’s inventing a fictional death metal act to steal your streams at scale forever. What’s coming is real artists, real faces, real tours, with an increasing amount of machine-generated material underneath — and no badge on any of it.

Spotify’s AI Credits and SongDNA tools are presumably meant to address some of that, and I’d genuinely like to see how far they go. But the AI Persona badge, on its own, answers a question the industry was asking in 2025. The 2027 question is different.

Give Spotify credit for the demotion mechanism regardless — the default exclusion from recommendations has real force behind it, and it’s a bigger concession than a label alone would have been.

Also Recommended – 13 Metal Albums Turning 40 In 2026, Including The One MTV Turned Into Its News Theme Song

What it means for you, practically

If you’re a listener: from mid-September, the fake stuff should mostly stop reaching you through discovery. You’ll still find it if you go looking, which is the correct outcome — nobody’s banning anything.

If you’re in a band: get your house in order. Verified by Spotify and Artist Profile Protection exist for a reason, and if you’ve been careless about who you hire for artwork or video, this is the year that becomes a real liability rather than an embarrassing one.

And if you want music picked by people rather than machines — well, that’s what we’ve always done here. No algorithm, no payola, humans choosing records. Turns out that was the right bet.

The badge is a start. The scene’s already got a long history of pushing back against manufactured everything, and this is just the newest version of a very old fight.

Check This Out – The 13 Greatest Frontmen In Heavy Metal History, Ranked

TL;DR

• What’s happening: Spotify will label AI-generated artist profiles with an “AI Persona” badge starting mid-September 2026.
• Where it shows: on the artist profile, in search results, and on track rows within playlists.
• The real consequence: badged profiles are excluded from editorial and algorithmic recommendations by default, unless a listener follows them directly.
• How it’s applied: artists can self-disclose via Spotify for Artists, and Spotify will also review and flag profiles itself — flagged accounts can self-disclose or appeal.
• The gap: the badge targets fake artist identities, not real artists using AI in their music.
• The bigger picture: it’s part of a 2026 Spotify push including Verified by Spotify, AI Credits, SongDNA, Artist Details and Artist Profile Protection.

FAQ

A badge on the fakes is a start — but is it enough, or is the real problem the AI creeping into records by bands you already love? Tell us below, and keep it locked on the Loaded Radio stream — follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Spotify Is About To Put A Badge On AI Bands, And Metal Has A Problem appeared first on Loaded Radio.

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The post Mark Boals recalls Yngwie Malmsteen asking what he was doing wrong after 8 years of vocal lessons first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

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 […]

Interview by Ali Williams After more than four decades of Candlemass, vocalist Johan Längquist is finally heading to mainland Australia. The delay has been long enough and Johan sounds genuinely thrilled about it. Speaking with HEAVY’s Ali Williams, he was still recovering from the thoroughly unreasonable business of moving house.  Australia is not entirely unfamiliar […]

Brutal Assault: How does it compare to UK festivals?

Words: Oli Gonzalez

“You’re gonna love the fortress!”
“Brutal Assault just puts our festivals here in the UK to shame”
“You’ll never want to go to another festival again after Brutal Assault”

Just a few words from friends about the infamous Brutal Assault (BA) festival. Taking place inside Josefov Fortress, Czechia, fans from across the world flock here every August not just for its mouth watering lineup but for the reported unparalleled festival experience on offer too! With a lineup featuring the likes of Wardruna, Primus, Body Count, Amenra (just to name a very select few) you can understand why. Still, like many Brits, my summer is often spent at Arctangent, Bloodstock, or both. Not this year though as 2026 saw my passport getting a new stamp for my first ever trip to Czechia and BA. So, how would BA compare to those other fantastic festivals in the UK? Had the bar and my expectations been set too high, or has BA really raised the standard for UK festivals to follow?

To answer this, we’ll examine everything about the festival experience – the campsite, the fortress itself, food and beverage options – as well as the value for money before wrapping this all up. As well as the bands too! First though, let’s talk about the nation’s capital…

A World Class City?

Many festival attendees decide to spend a day or two in Prague prior to or after heading to Josefov. I was one of those plodding around the historic cobbled streets sporting my black band t-shirt armour on the Sunday and Monday before BA. With an endless choice of bars, restaurants, and night life in a vibrant cosmopolitan city, you’ll never be bored here! If that’s not your thing, a visit to Prague Castle should be done or just exploring the city and marveling at the glorious architecture. For Brits, your money goes pretty far given the favourable exchange rate too. Add to this a ridiculously efficient public transport system and we’re onto a winner. So, if you’re considering coming to BA, a quick stop in Prague is highly advisable and for me, had already made the journey feel worth it even before the festival had begun!

Brutal Express Banter and Campsite Chaos

Getting to BA seemed a little daunting at first, but in retrospect it was so simple! Especially with the Brutal Express train option! Being sat on a camping chair in the middle of that train drinking beer and rum with some new Eastern European friends whilst listening to Asesino wasn’t exactly what I had envisioned. But it was awesome! Whilst it’s more expensive than other domestic options, it’s a rights of passage and should be done for first timers. Especially those who are anxious about travelling to the festival grounds for the first time (like me), providing an unofficial meet and greet.

Though navigating to and finding my way to Dagon campsite was a little more difficult than it needed to be, amplified by carrying a week’s worth of camping supplies in heat well north of 35°c. Some staff and/or volunteers seemed to be unsure on how and where to direct confused festival goers, so perhaps there’s a knowledge gap that needs to be addressed there. Or having some visual aids, road signs, and arrows would help, especially with many different languages being spoken here. In either case, once the bags were thrown into the tent, it was time to decompress and reflect. It seems like there’s a learning curve and a bit of research prior to this should have been done by myself. Still, the pre-pitched tent option was a wise choice; who really wants to be pitching tents up in near 40c heat after all? Also, with the unlimited access to showers and flushing toilets, and shaded areas from the trees and fortress walls, this is something I hadn’t seen in the UK before. The small things that made a huge difference as the festival progressed. As well as having friendly neighbours. First timers or those who like their sleep, definitely consider a prepitched tent in Dagon.

To wrap this section up, BA does some things better than the UK festivals I’ve attended, whilst offering valuable services we have here. Making the camp sites easier to find would be greatly appreciated as this seems so much easier in the UK.

Pre-show Antics, Arena Layout & Billing Ballaches

Festivals constantly walk a tight rope of offering a pre-show of bands that feels like it should be worth coming to, but not so stacked that it feels like you’re burning yourself out on day one! BA balanced smaller, up and coming acts on the Obscure stage (as well as the Keep Ambient Lodge, KAL, stage) alongside some larger established international heavyweights up on top of the bill (Filth, Ahab, and Sarcofago played by The Laws; more details coming later). This gave plenty of time for socialising and settling in without feeling guilty nor experiencing FOMO. The way a pre-show should be. Some in the UK have done it better, some have been worse. A solid effort from BA.

Whilst the arena layout may have been confusing on the map, it was very simple to navigate here, taking advantage of the fortress’s blueprint and design. The music took place across five stages. The KAL being one of the smaller stages for experimental music, the Octagon also being on the smaller end, the Obscure being the unofficial third stage hosting local acts and huge international heavyweights, and then the main stages. Main stages, plural. With the Sea Shepherd and Marshall stages being side by side, this meant minimal changes between bands, allowing you to catch many sets in a short space of time! Utilising these five stages has given BA the opportunity to curate a line up that’s the envy of festival bookers globally! However, with such a stacked lineup creates problems. Clashes! Whilst it’s inevitable, some painful choices had to be made. Also, bands like Der Weg Einer Freiheit and Conjurer felt far too small for the tiny Octagon stage (maybe 300 people maximum?) whilst social media has pointed to the likes of Vader and Deicide playing on the Obscure stage as being a booking disaster. What felt particularly painful was having some bands playing very late into the night, well beyond midnight in some instances. Whilst you can’t please everybody, it does make you question why you should part with your money for a ticket knowing that you can’t see every single band. Add to this problem, the weather.

There’s only so much the festival can do to protect their customers from near 40c heat; and they did a lot. Water fountains were readily available to stay hydrated, whilst a fire engine came by periodically to soak the sacred festival grounds or anybody who needed to cool down (seeing people follow the fire engine like kids following the Pied Piper was a site to behold). Have you ever seen that in the UK? Using Lemmy’s Bar as an example, this illustrates how BA have best leveraged the fortress system of tunnels and cellars to create a naturally cool shaded area and protection from the elements. Playing cards in here over a beer served in a glass (yep, in a glass – how many UK festivals would do that?) was necessary.

Though in the mid-afternoon, when the big lamp in the sky was at its most fierce, it was almost impossible to watch any bands. The primary reason many were here. Looking around the fortress, it felt as though they could use the walls as leverage to erect canopies and shaded areas to make things a little easier (probably A LOT easier said than done though). That’s why feelings of homesickness came about when thinking of watching bands in either the Yokhai tent at Arctangent and Bloodstock’s Sophie tent and feeling less of a victim to the mercy of the sun (wouldn’t that sound like a cool death metal album title?).

Now something many of us aging metal heads can relate to; the pain of standing all day. Knowing that bringing your own chairs into the arena was daunting. Though BA provided plenty of seated areas, some shaded too. As well as providing one of the festival’s unique selling points; the Natural Stand. Available for an extra fee, this meant having somewhere to sit whilst watching bands from an aerial view, which paid for itself later on! Highly recommended.

To wrap this up, BA has well and truly leveraged the unique advantages Josefov Fortress offers, though it feels like there’s still some areas for improvement. If you have the stamina to go late into the night and catch multiple multiple bands, then you’ll love BA. If not, staying in the UK may be better.

Food & Drink; Is It REALLY that cheap?

Maybe a few myths about paying 1990s prices for a beer had been generated. Still, BA is VERY competitive and affordable. Most beers would set you back 90czk (roughly £3), a bit less for a cola, whilst you could comfortably find a solid meal for 300ckz (roughly £10.50). So less than you’d pay at most UK festivals. What cannot be debated is the sheer quantity of options available. As well as your standard burgers and pizzas, you could dip your toes into local Czech cuisine, oriental dishes, as well as Mexican, Chilean, and even Egyptian food traders, literally spread across multiple streets, including the vegan cruelty free street! And fries, of course. It made BA seem more like a food festival at times, making it feel untouchable in terms of quality and overall value!

For Brits, be aware of the cup deposit scheme which seems commonplace in Europe but not here. Essentially, if you don’t have a cup, they’ll charge you extra to ‘rent’ one. Bring that back to the bar for your next drink, or either take it to a dedicated stand to get a refund, or keep it as a souvenir. The side effect of this is a much cleaner festival; I mean who really enjoys being stood ankle deep in plastic cups ?

To be honest, I was a little skeptical about the cashless payments via a chip in your wristband. But with people coming from all over the world, managing all these currencies would be an admin nightmare. The cashless system was a breeze and made things so simple! Add this to the sheer value and quality of options, and it’s clear that UK festivals cannot compete with what BA has to offer!

Wrapup and Verdict

So, the big question; how does Brutal Assault compare to UK festivals? Is it really better?

Without sounding like a copout, it really is a question without an answer as it’s as multifaceted as it is complex to answer. What can be said is that BA provides a one of a kind experience that leverages the almost unfair advantage it has with the unique structural properties of Josefov Fortress. Whilst some work can be done to optimise the campsite layout and in making the arena more comfortable in extreme heat, they seem like people who genuinely care and will not only accept feedback but will actively seek and act on it (plus they already did a lot to help with this, it should be said). Whilst offering an insanely deep and stacked lineup, it felt too much like a test of mental and physical endurance at times. Though the value for money and bang for your buck cannot be understated, especially as far as food and drink goes, or the band lineup itself.

With this being said, here’s my two cents on the subject. There’s no festival experience quite like BA. This must be experienced by all metalheads at least once in their lifetime.

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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A new documentary about late, legendary Rush drummer Neil Peart is to receive its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn, the team behind 2010's acclaimed Rush documentary Beyond The Lighted Stage, as well as Iron Maiden: Flight 666 and the Metal Evolution documentary series, Neil Peart: No One's Disciple, will premiere on September 16, with a subsequent public screening on September 19.

The 96-minute film will also air on Canada's CBC network on September 23 as part of the series The Passionate Eye.

According to a press release, Neil Peart: No One's Disciple “documents the late Canadian musician's tough start as a young artist, followed by his meteoric rise”, with the film-makers promising “an exhilarating and poignant tribute” to the late drummer.

The film includes interviews with Rush vocalist/bassist Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson, alongside reflections from other acclaimed drummers. It also features Lee and Lifeson performing Rush classics with the likes of Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Stewart Copeland (The Police), Danny Carey (Tool) and Gavin Harrison (King Crimson, Porcupine Tree) filling Peart's seat at the drum kit.

In an archival interview used in the documentary, Peart states, “I think it matters for me to play better all the time, and to play my best all the time, to keep it fresh and changing. It’s kind of my responsibility, I see it, as a drummer.”

Peart, 67, passed away on January 7, 2020, in Santa Monica, California after a three-year battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Announcing his death, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson called the drummer “our friend, soul brother and band mate”.

Later this week, Los Angeles-based eclectic rock alchemists SPIRIT IN THE ROOM will return to the road supporting Down and Helmet! The Strap It Down tour begins on August 15th in Atlanta, Georgia and closes on September 2nd in Chicago, Illinois. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.

SPIRIT IN THE ROOM w/ Down, Helmet:
8/15/2026 The Eastern – Atlanta, GA
8/16/2026 Piedmont Hall – Greensboro, NC
8/17/2026 The Basement East – Nashville, TN **
8/19/2026House Of Blues – Cleveland, OH
8/20/2026 Stage AE – Pittsburgh, PA
8/21/2026 Elevation – Grand Rapids, MI **
8/22/2026 Royal Oak Music Theatre – Royal Oak, MI
8/23/2026 History – Toronto, ON
8/25/2026 MTELUS – Montreal, QC
8/26/2026 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
8/27/2026 The Queen – Wilmington, DE **
8/28/2026 Lark Hall – Albany, NY **
8/29/2026 Town Ballroom – Buffalo, NY **
8/30/2026 The Fillmore Silver Spring – Silver Spring, MD
9/01/2026 Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH
9/02/2026 Ramova Theatre – Chicago, IL
** SPIRIT IN THE ROOM + Helmet only

The vision of Louisiana-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Dennis R. Sanders, SPIRIT IN THE ROOM unfurls through cigarette smoke, cheap booze, and distortion like an anachronistic fever dream soundtracked by a collision of gothic vocal hues, immersive alternative architecture, and jarring metallic catharsis. It’s scary at times. It’s sad at other times. If you ever wondered what goes on in the head of a film noir hitman, horror novel asylum inmate, or a golden age silver screen villain, it might sound something like SPIRIT IN THE ROOM.

SPIRIT IN THE ROOM’s released their Passengers EP in 2024. The offering includes three previously unreleased tracks (“Creepy Phone Calls,” “Show Me You,” and “Covenant”) as well as three additional tracks (“I Have A Heart,” “Affectionate Projectile,” “You Caught Hell”) that have been released throughout the years on YouTube, Bandcamp, and SoundCloud but never before available as a proper collection.

Find orders for SPIRIT IN THE ROOM’s Passengers EP at Bandcamp at THIS LOCATION and additional merch at the Housecore Records webshop at THIS LOCATION.

Watch SPIRIT IN THE ROOM’s video for “Creepy Phone Calls” HERE and lyric video for “Show Me You” HERE.

SPIRIT IN THE ROOM remains comfortable in the dark. Audiences initially met Sanders as part of Black Light Burns. However, he introduced SPIRIT IN THE ROOM during 2010 before revealing a series of projects: The Holy Phobia, Pt. 1 EP (2014), Demon (2015), and Spirit In The Room, Vol. 1 EP (2019), in between various singles and countless shows. SPIRIT IN THE ROOM released their Flamingo EP in 2022 via Housecore Records.

Maximum Volume Music hailed, “…a blistering heavy garage-come-industrial metal banger,” while Distorted Sound wrote, “we experience a whole range of feelings from paranoia to obsession that make Flamingo what it is: a musically progressive record with Sanders more than ready to take risks along the way.” In 2023, SPIRIT IN THE ROOM served as support for Pantera on four shows in the Western US.

https://www.facebook.com/spiritintheroomsounds

https://instagram.com/spiritintheroom

https://spiritintheroom.bandcamp.com

https://www.housecorerecords.com

Source: EARSPLIT PR

Interview: Wednesday 13 @ Bloodstock Festival

Interviewed by Cat Finch

We chat with Wednesday 13 ahead of his headline set on the SOPHIE stage at Bloodstock.

We get a preview of what the band have planned for the set, he talks about his love of the UK and it’s music history, revisiting his Murderdolls works, writing new material and he looks ahead to playing with John5.

You can listen to the interview below, or jump over to any of the usual streaming services!

Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube Music

Check out all of our interviews on the usual podcast channels!

Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Youtube Music

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

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Norwegian folk metal outfit Trollfest has announced its tenth studio album, Trollywood, due November 6 through Reaper Entertainment.

The new record takes aim at Hollywood, celebrity culture, and the entertainment business through a story involving trolls chasing fame while the machinery around them begins to fall apart. Musically, Trollfest continues to combine heavy metal with folk melodies, large choral sections, and the band’s offbeat sense of humor.

Trollywood also sees the band leaning into a heavier and more aggressive sound. The album builds on the elements that have defined Trollfest for more than two decades while adding larger riffs, more expansive arrangements, and the chaotic energy that has become part of the band’s identity.

The first track from the album is “Day Drinking,” a hook-heavy song built for the festival circuit. Its release also comes with a limited physical edition: a yellow 7-inch pressing available exclusively at Summer Breeze Open Air.

An official video for “Day Drinking” is also available alongside the single.

Only 100 copies of the single will be produced worldwide. The release includes “Day Drinking” along with the previously unreleased B-side “Fire Fine Firfisler,” making it the first physical single issued by Trollfest.

After more than 20 years as a band, Trollfest continues to push its own combination of folk metal, theatrical humor, and heavy riffs. Trollywood is set to continue that approach while putting a greater emphasis on the heavier side of the band’s sound.

The post TROLLFEST Announces “Trollywood” & Shares New Single “Day Drinking” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Anthrax have released the latest single and video, Everybody’s Got A Plan, from their long-awaited 12th full-length studio album Cursum Perficio out September 18 via Nuclear Blast Records and Megaforce Records (North America). The new video was mostly filmed on July 7 in Lisbon, Portugal when the multi-GRAMMY® Award-nominated New York hard rock titans – […]