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Six years after their last release, “Seven – The Pact Of Debauchery”, ECNEPHIAS—a leading band in the Italian Dark Metal and Gothic/Extreme scene—officially announce their long-awaited return with a new album titled “Liturgia Della Notte”.Founded in 1996 and led by frontman and composer Mancan, the band has distinguished itself over the years with a unique sound that […]

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The best new metal songs this week come from Sleep, Anthrax, Cancer Bats, Electric Callboy, Northlane and Like Moths To Flames. Sleep’s “The Morrisist” arrived alongside the announcement of Hempispheres, their first album since 2018 and their first without founding guitarist Matt Pike, out September 3 digitally via Third Man Records.

Cancer Bats released their eighth album Give Me Dirt today, produced by Kurt Ballou. Electric Callboy’s TANZNEID also landed today, featuring “Heartclub.” Anthrax shared the video for “Everybody’s Got A Plan” from Cursum Perficio, out September 18. Northlane’s “CUT_it” previews Anemoia on October 30, and Like Moths To Flames released “Where the Quiet Devours Me Whole.”

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On today’s Metal Breakdown Daily, Scott Penfold gets into the heaviest new music week of the summer — Sleep rebuilding without the man who defined their sound, two albums landing on the same Friday, and the Canadian hardcore band who spent twenty years getting to this record. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and take the show with you.

Two full albums landed today. One doom institution announced its first record in eight years with a completely different guitarist. And somewhere in the middle, Anthrax put out a tour video and Electric Callboy remembered they can actually play.

Big week. Here’s what’s worth your time.

Sleep — “The Morrisist”

This is the one.

“The Morrisist” arrived Wednesday alongside the announcement of Hempispheres — Sleep’s first album since 2018’s The Sciences, out digitally September 3 with vinyl following October 30, through Jack White’s Third Man Records.

And it’s their first without Matt Pike.

That deserves a moment. Pike’s guitar has been the sound of this band since Al Cisneros and Chris Hakius started it in 1990 — the enormous, filthy, Iommi-worshipping tone that essentially invented what stoner doom became. He’s gone, and in his place is Bubba Dupree, guitarist for first-wave DC hardcore band Void. The press materials call it a pick nobody would have seen coming, and for once that’s accurate rather than promotional.

Behind the kit: Dale Crover of the Melvins. The record was cut at the Melvins’ own studio with longtime engineer Toshi Kasai.

Cisneros described the first jam as being obviously right, and put his finger on why — it had the quality of blue sunglasses-era Iommi. If you know exactly which era he means, you already know whether you want this.

“The Morrisist” itself is fuzz-drenched, hypnotic and enormous. Not an attempt to recreate The Sciences, and not an attempt to sound like Pike is still in the room. Five tracks total on the album, and Cisneros has written a comic book to go with it, because of course he has.

They’re touring North America from September through November, including Levitation in Austin and a Vancouver date on September 20.

Track of the week, no argument.

Anthrax — “Everybody’s Got A Plan”

The third single from Cursum Perficio, out September 18 via Megaforce and Nuclear Blast — Anthrax’s twelfth album and their first in a decade.

The video premiered through Revolver and it’s a straight tour montage, built around footage from the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica in Lisbon where they were supporting Iron Maiden. Frank Bello called it a good representation of a day in the life of the band on tour.

Charlie Benante says it’s long been one of his favourites on the record, and pointed at the line it hangs on: everybody’s got a plan until they get punched in the face. That’s Mike Tyson, 1987, and it’s escaped into the language so completely that most people quoting it have no idea where it came from.

Scott Ian’s take — they wanted to capture the band having fun on tour, and this was a plan that didn’t end with a punch in the face.

It follows “It’s For The Kids” and “The Edge Of Perfection”, the latter being the one Ian called the greatest song in Anthrax history.

Cancer Bats — “Give Me Dirt”

The title track from the album that came out today, and there’s a lot going on here.

Give Me Dirt is the eighth Cancer Bats record, out via Bat Skull Records with New Damage in Canada and Marshall Records for the rest of the world. It lands in the Toronto band’s twentieth year, and it was produced by Kurt Ballou — Converge, Kvelertak, High On Fire, Every Time I Die — alongside Zach Weeks at GodCity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts.

The Canadian detail worth flagging: Liam Cormier’s vocals were tracked by Ian Romano at Camera Varda Studios in Welland, Ontario. Six-time Juno nominees making their best-sounding record with a Boston hardcore producer and a Niagara-region vocal booth.

The process shows. All four members — Cormier, drummer Mike Peters, bassist Jaye Schwarzer and Jackson Landry, who replaced Scott Middleton in 2023 — wrote it jamming in one room. Cormier then took the riffs to rural Nova Scotia and wrote the lyrics on forest roads, dirt bike trails and North Shore beaches.

The title track is the centre of the record and it earns the position — big, dirty, groove-driven hardcore with the Southern rock undertow this band has been chasing since Hail Destroyer. Guest spots across the album include Nate Newton of Converge, Brooklyn Doran and Efrem Schulz.

Twenty years in and they sound like they mean it more than ever.

Electric Callboy — “Heartclub”

TANZNEID also arrived today, and “Heartclub” is the reason to pay attention to it.

Here’s the thing about Electric Callboy: the jokes are so effective that people forget they’re a genuinely excellent metal band. “Heartclub” is the correction. It’s one of the record’s actual new songs rather than a studio version of a live favourite, and it’s abrasive, fast and mean — cult-leader growling over a riff with no wink attached.

The lyric is the surprise. It’s a straight attack on social media — the perfect version of yourself, hate as a membership requirement, chasing hearts and likes that never reach your soul. The line it resolves on is “I was born enough,” repeated until it sticks.

That’s not a gimmick song. That’s a band using the biggest platform they’ve ever had to say something.

The rest of the album is exactly what you’d expect — RATATATA with Babymetal, a collaboration with The Offspring, a Sum 41 cover with Frank Zummo. But “Heartclub” and “The Saviour” are the two that remind you these guys can genuinely play.

Northlane — “CUT_it”

The second single from Anemoia, out October 30 — and released independently, which for a band with a No. 1 album in Australia is a real statement.

“CUT_it” is about burnout. Marcus Bridge has been direct about it: grinding through when you’re completely spent, mentally and physically, with deliberately visceral imagery rather than analysis. Musically it’s built on a low-end groove that bends under its own weight before the whole thing gives way.

The detail that tells you where this record is heading: Jordan Fish executive produced it. The man who shaped Bring Me The Horizon’s entire electronic evolution from Sempiternal through Post Human, and who left that band in December 2023, is now steering the most electronics-forward band in metalcore.

The whole album started when guitarist Jon Deiley saw a trance set by UK producer Evian Christ and started wondering whether that emotional scale could work with guitars. There’s a track called “Evian” on it. The debt is credited.

Like Moths To Flames — “Where the Quiet Devours Me Whole”

And the one most outlets are filing wrong.

The Columbus, Ohio metalcore band released this on Tuesday, and it’s being reported as their fourth standalone single in a year. It isn’t standalone. All four are tracks on an EP — Does Heaven Ever Mourn For Me, arriving September 18, with this as the third of five.

Which reframes the whole thing. This hasn’t been a band dripping out singles because they’ve got nothing bigger. It’s been a slow reveal of a complete record, and only now are the pieces visible.

The track itself is the most atmospheric thing they’ve done — quieter dynamics, more space, Chris Roetter’s vocal working restraint rather than volume before it opens up. Sixteen years in from When We Don’t Exist, and they’re still finding new room to move.

They’re out with Saosin in October and November on that band’s 20th anniversary tour for their self-titled debut, alongside Silent Planet and Save Us.

That’s The Week

Six tracks, and not one of them sounds like the others — a doom institution rebuilding from the ground up, two albums out on the same day, a thrash legend on a stadium stage, and a German band in matching outfits writing the most pointed lyric of the bunch.

If you’re catching up, our previous new metal songs roundup is worth a scroll, and the 2026 festival calendar has plenty of these names on it.

All six are in rotation on the Loaded Radio stream this weekend.

TL;DR

• Sleep — “The Morrisist” — from Hempispheres, out September 3 digitally via Third Man Records, vinyl October 30. Their first album since 2018 and their first without Matt Pike, who’s replaced by Void’s Bubba Dupree, with Dale Crover of the Melvins on drums
• Anthrax — “Everybody’s Got A Plan” — third single from Cursum Perficio (September 18). Video shot on tour supporting Iron Maiden in Lisbon
• Cancer Bats — “Give Me Dirt” — title track from their eighth album, out today. Produced by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, vocals tracked in Welland, Ontario. The Toronto band’s 20th year
• Electric Callboy — “Heartclub” — from TANZNEID, out today. One of the album’s genuinely new songs, and an unusually pointed lyric about social media
• Northlane — “CUT_it” — second single from Anemoia (October 30), released independently. Jordan Fish executive produced
• Like Moths To Flames — “Where the Quiet Devours Me Whole” — third of five tracks from the EP Does Heaven Ever Mourn For Me, due September 18

FAQ

Six tracks, two albums in one day, and a version of Sleep nobody predicted. Which one’s going straight into your rotation? Let us know in the comments.

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The post Best New Metal Songs This Week: Sleep Announce Their First Album Without Matt Pike, And Cancer Bats Turn 20 With Kurt Ballou Behind The Desk appeared first on Loaded Radio.

A tour can blur together quickly. One night, you are loading into a basement venue. The next morning, you are six hours down the highway with ringing ears and a box of cold pizza on the floor of the van.

Social media captures pieces of that experience, but most of those posts disappear into the feed. A metal band tour zine gives you a place to hold onto the stories and images that fans never saw.

The strongest zines do not feel like oversized flyers. They feel personal, focused, and worth keeping. The following elements can help you create one that tells a real story without polishing away everything that made the tour memorable.

1. A Clear Story

Before choosing photos or arguing about fonts, decide what period the zine will cover. A single tour is an obvious choice, but you could also focus on an album cycle or the year your lineup finally found its identity.

A clear theme gives the issue some direction. Without one, the finished project may feel like a stack of leftover images with captions added afterward.

Ask yourself what changed during that period. What would a fan understand about the band after reading the final page? That answer should guide what stays and what gets cut.

2. Untold Tour Stories

Fans have already seen the polished announcements and short performance clips. The zine should give them something they could not get from the feed.

Write about the tiny venue that somehow became the loudest night of the run. Tell the story of the show that nearly fell apart before doors opened. Include the strange moment that turned into an inside joke for the rest of the tour.

These stories do not need to sound legendary. They need to sound true.

Keep each entry centered on one moment, and let the details do the work. A short, honest paragraph will usually land harder than a full page of exaggerated road-warrior mythology.

3. Live Photos With Context

A sharp photograph is useful, but technical perfection should not be the only standard. Sometimes the image that best captures a show is grainy or slightly off-center. It might have been taken from the side of the room just as the crowd pushed toward the stage.

Choose photos that reveal something about the night. A drummer sitting alone before the set can say as much as a wide shot of the final breakdown. An empty

venue before doors open can also create tension when it appears beside a packed-room photo later in the issue.

Use captions when they add information the image cannot provide. Readers can already see that someone is holding a guitar. Tell them why that moment mattered.

4. Setlists and Song Notes

Handwritten setlists carry the marks of the night. They get folded into pockets, taped to floors, and changed minutes before a band walks onstage. That makes them ideal zine material.

Pair a setlist with a short note about why the order changed or which song felt different on the road. Maybe a new track finally connected with a crowd. An older song might have returned after years away.

Lyric annotations can work too, especially when a line took on new meaning during the tour. You do not need to explain every song. Choose the notes that show how the music changed once it left the rehearsal room.

5. Voices From the Whole Band

A tour affects every member differently, so the zine should not read like one long official biography. Give everyone a chance to leave a mark on the issue.

The drummer may remember each room by how it sounded. The vocalist may focus on the conversations that happened after the set. Another member may have disposable-camera photos or notes scribbled during long drives.

Keep those voices distinct. Editing for clarity is fine, but rewriting every contribution in the same polished tone will flatten the personality out of the project.

That contrast is part of what makes a band interesting. Let it show on the page.

6. One Digital Bonus

A physical zine can still lead to something online, but restraint matters. One carefully chosen extra feels deliberate. A QR code on every other page starts to feel like homework.

Use the digital element to extend the story. It could lead to an unreleased demo or a private playlist built around the tour. A longer cut of one performance could work just as well.

Whatever you choose, make sure the destination works on a phone and will remain available after the first run sells out.

The zine should still feel complete without the link. The bonus should add another layer to the experience, not hold the best material hostage.

7. A Print-Ready Layout

The best metal band tour zines feel raw and personal, but the finished layout should still look intentional. Use type that readers can follow, and make sure the page order is easy to understand.

Review the issue as one continuous object rather than a folder of separate images. Check that spreads appear in the right order. Important details should also sit far enough from the edge that they will not disappear during trimming. Before sending the zine out for production, take time to prepare the file for professional printing so that the pages retain their intended details and layout.

DIY character does not come from preventable mistakes. A crooked photocopy style can be an artistic choice. Missing text or muddy images usually are not.

Print a rough copy first and flip through it at normal reading distance. You will catch problems on paper that are easy to overlook on a screen.

A Physical Record of the Tour

Your first issue does not need to document every show your band has played. Start with one period that deserves more than a disappearing post, and build the zine around the moments that people still bring up.

A strong issue gives fans a closer look at the people behind the songs. It also creates a record the band can return to years later.

Keep the first run manageable. Let the design reflect your sound, but do not lose sight of the stories that made the project worth creating in the first place.

Long after the van is unpacked and the final date fades from the calendar, the zine can still put a fan back in the room.

Thanks for reading!

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When Ireland’s Leadbelcher signed to Apocalyptic Witchcraft for the release of their debut album, label head Conor Droney described the band and their output as follows… “Leadbelcher sound like Ireland’s decay given physical form, a suffocating collision of scum-soaked death metal, grinding blasts, and d-beat filth. Heaven’s Bloated Corpse is violent, rotten, and completely uncompromising.” It’s a neat, accurate summation of […]

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A signed poster from a club show or an original pressing you spent years hunting down can mean far more than its price tag. These pieces bring back the bands and concerts that shaped your connection to heavy music.

Protecting heavy metal memorabilia does not mean hiding every item in a dark closet. It means knowing which pieces need extra care and balancing preservation with display. A few thoughtful habits can help the collection hold up without stripping away the character that made it worth keeping.

1. Decide What Deserves Extra Protection

Not every item needs museum-level treatment. A current tour shirt can stay in regular rotation, while a fragile original from the 1980s probably deserves more careful handling.

Start with pieces that would be difficult or impossible to replace. Limited pressings and signed items should move to the front of the line, especially when they connect to a specific memory. Fading ink or cracking fabric can be an early warning sign. Bent corners and warped packaging also deserve attention.

Condition is not the only factor. A mass-produced item tied to a milestone show may matter more than a rarer piece you bought later. Build your protection plan around what you would regret losing, then give fragile or irreplaceable items the safest spots in the room rather than the most visible shelves.

2. Store Vinyl Without Warping It

Metal collections grow fast. One favorite album becomes several pressings, then a shelf of colored variants. Before long, the furniture is carrying more weight than expected.

Keep records vertical with enough support to stop the row from leaning sharply. Do not pack them so tightly that pulling out one album damages the sleeve beside it. Because stacked albums put uneven pressure on the discs below, storing vinyl records upright is one of the simplest ways to protect rare pressings from gradual damage.

Outer sleeves can preserve the artwork, while fresh inner sleeves can replace rough or dirty ones. Keep the shelf away from radiators and sunny windows. Damp corners are a poor choice too.

3. Protect Paper From Light and Adhesives

A poster pulled from a venue wall or a setlist caught after the encore may already show wear. That history is part of its appeal. The goal is not to make the item look untouched; it is to prevent new damage.

Use acid-free backing, and avoid permanent adhesives that can stain the paper or make removal nearly impossible. When possible, leave a little space between the item and the front glazing.

Sunlight can slowly fade signatures and printed artwork. Hang signed albums and posters on walls that receive less direct light. UV-filtering glazing helps, but it does not make constant exposure harmless.

For a prized piece you want to see every day, display a quality reproduction and store the original more carefully.

4. Preserve Vintage Tour Shirts Carefully

A vintage tour shirt is clothing, but it can also be a time capsule. The fabric may feel thin, and the print may already be starting to crack.

Avoid narrow wire hangers that concentrate the shirt's weight at the shoulders. A padded hanger can work for sturdier fabric. More fragile shirts are often safer folded with suitable tissue supporting the creases.

Let the shirt's condition guide how you clean it. A newer cotton shirt can usually handle more care than a decades-old piece with a brittle print. When the fabric feels weak, aggressive washing may do more harm than the dirt itself.

That does not mean an old shirt has to remain untouched forever. Wearing it to one special show may matter more than keeping it sealed away. Preservation should protect the memory, not remove all the fun.

5. Record the Story Behind Each Piece

A collection loses part of its meaning when nobody remembers where an item came from. The story may be personal rather than valuable on paper, but it is still worth recording.

Write down when and where you found an important piece. Identify signatures while the details are still fresh. A ticket confirmation or photo can help preserve the context.

Keep receipts and certificates with your collection records instead of tucking them behind the display. Loose paperwork can shift and press against a delicate surface.

Photograph valuable items from multiple angles. Those images make changes easier to notice later. They also explain why a battered flyer or marked-up setlist matters.

6. Support Heavy and Awkward Displays

Some metal collectibles were never designed to sit safely on a shelf. Deluxe box sets and signed drumheads need different support than a framed print. Artist-used gear can create its own challenges.

Make sure each item rests on a stable surface without leaning against fragile packaging. Heavy pieces should never sit on records or paper memorabilia. Folded shirts should stay clear of anything that could compress the fabric.

Wall-mounted pieces need hardware suited to their actual weight. A large frame may be fairly light, while a compact display case can be surprisingly heavy.

Keep breakable pieces away from shelf edges and busy walkways. A room can still feel packed with personality without turning every surface into a hazard.

7. Rotate the Collection and Check It

Displaying everything at once can feel satisfying, but rotating your memorabilia gives each piece a break from light and dust. It also brings overlooked items back into view instead of letting them disappear behind newer finds.

Use each change as a quick inspection. Look for leaning records or fading signatures. Check for cracking prints or moisture marks before the damage gets worse. Warped packaging may mean an item needs better support.

A few minutes every several months is usually enough. You may only need to strengthen a shelf or replace a sleeve. Moving a frame out of direct sunlight can also make a difference.

Keep the History Behind the Music Intact

The best way to protect your heavy metal memorabilia is to remember why you collected it in the first place. A record can bring back the first time a riff stopped you in your tracks. A shirt or setlist can put you right back in the room where you saw a favorite band.

Thoughtful preservation does not require sealing everything in boxes. It means giving meaningful pieces the support they need while keeping enough of the collection visible to enjoy.

When the records can still spin, and the shirts can still tell their stories, the history behind the music stays alive.

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• Read more of the latest rock/metal news here
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Latest track from the new album, released on 4 September, produced by legendary engineer Jens Bogren and with artwork by Pär Olofsson Physical pre-orders, including limited marbled vinyl editions, are available through The Circle Music Bergen, Norway & Athens, Greece; 5 August 2026:  Bergen-based melodic black metal outfit Sworn have released the second single “The Entropic Void” from […]

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“Allocated Savagery” is the latest single from veteran German thrash legion, EXUMER. The track comes by way of the band’s latest studio album, Death Mask Messiah, set for release on August 28th through Metal Blade Records. Death Mask Messiah is inspired conceptually by US politics of the last decade, the pandemic, the use of misinformation to stir up […]

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Members of Guns N’ Roses, Godsmack, Extreme and more also guest on that record.

The post Hear Marilyn Manson & Mudvayne Vocalist Chad Gray’s Guest Spots From Billy Morrison’s New Album “HOLLOW” appeared first on Theprp.com.

(written by Islander) We’ve arrived at another Friday when Bandcamp relinquishes its share of sales to artists and labels. The timing is always a bit awkward for me because I usually post roundups of new music on Saturdays, too late to help people take advantage of Bandcamp’s temporary boon to music-makers. Of course, our usual […]

The post SEEN AND HEARD ON A BANDCAMP FRIDAY: CH’AHOM, WELLNESS CHECK, DUMAL appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

Italian post-black metal collective DIE SÜNDE have signed with Time To Kill Records for the release of their debut full-length album, “Effemeridi”, scheduled to arrive before the end of 2026. Emerging as one of the best-kept secrets of Italy’s increasingly vibrant underground, DIE SÜNDE have quietly built a strong reputation through two highly acclaimed EPs: their self-titled debut in 2020 and “Strega” in 2022. […]

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