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Dreamwave’s Over You bursts with raw psychedelic energy, channeling the chaotic thrill of garage rock through sharp guitars and a relentless driving rhythm. The Bristol outfit leans into their louder, more visceral side here, delivering a track that feels tailor-made for sweaty venues and late-night sing-alongs. Beneath the fuzzed-out edges and acid-tinged atmosphere lies a melodic core that keeps the song grounded and addictive.

Over You captures Dreamwave at full throttle—restless, loud, and electrifying, proving once again why their live reputation continues to grow across the UK psych scene.

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Almost 40 years of brutality. Continue reading…

Tinariwen: Hoggar (Wedge) Released 13 March 2026 CD | Vinyl | DL | Streaming The haunting strains of Tinariwen’s desert blues have made them a safe bet for diehard world music listeners. But Hoggar, their back-to-the-roots 10th album, surprises with renewed warmth, intimacy and a fierce political edge. Robert Plummer moves to the Sahel groove. […]

The post Tinariwen: Hoggar – Album Review appeared first on Louder Than War.

Zulavay’s Another Love captures the fragile moment when a spark appears unexpectedly—and the quiet strength it takes to walk away from it. Built around gentle melodies and introspective vocals, the track moves with a soft emotional pull, balancing longing with restraint. There’s a bittersweet honesty in the way the song unfolds, reflecting on connection, temptation and the choices we make to protect what already exists in our lives.

Another Love feels intimate and reflective, like a fleeting memory that lingers long after the moment has passed.

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Out of nowhere, Belgian black metal titans Possession unleashed a brand new album. Out now via Iron Bonehead Productions.

Ominous ambience and bells bring this record into existence with a simplistic but evocative introduction. Blazing riffs scold with profound clarity, a march of deathly sombreness. The way the vocals wrap around the guitars and ride the percussion is bewitching; snarling with an otherworldly presence. Possession has that all-encompassing sound that black metal bands often strive for yet many fall short of. These Belgian savages, however, carefully craft each intricate detail of their music whilst keeping that immediate and dangerous edge to things as we surge through deathly progressions and serpentine shifts, ever-evolving and moving with utmost menace. Glistening guitar work combines with the surging rhythmic darkness to conjure a tornado of emboldened and visceral evil with a tangible sense of urgency running through the heart of each moment. Despite it being seven years since their most recent splits and nine since the last album; the strength of this recording from its very opening makes it feel as if Possession never lost their grasp of your spirit, coming back with a force of spiritual ferocity to be reckoned with. The stunning Chris Moyen artwork enshrouding this album is a perfect indication of what lies within. A meeting of truly excellent and visionary artists both visual and musical.

Continuing, the vengeful spirit of “The Mother of Darkness” is palpable and each layer adds a wickedness to the flowing magnificence of the songs. With a supremely consistent atmosphere, everything sits in its rightful place, giving a feeling that the precise intent of this album was pondered upon and refined for a great time. This effort pays off and ensures the intensity and foul wishes of the band are upheld for every second of its 51 minute running time. Tracks such as “The Wild Hunt (Let Them Run)” show Possession at the top of their game in creating black metal that is restless, provocative and yet upholding of timeless sonic traditions. From the multi-faceted drumming to the ferocious riffing and predatory vocals; there is no weak link in this chain of barbarism. As the rusty odour of blood fills the air, the record draws us closer in as we progress. Lost in the endless passages the demonic energy flowing from oubliettes deep in the castle walls feasts. This blood rite of hunters and demons is one you shall not forget. Forged with iron and imbued with evil; the first act of “The Mother of Darkness” concludes with an outro before we begin its second coming.

The crawling bass lines have a spider-like nature as the ghostly vocals drape over you in cobwebbed eeriness. For me, Possession’s greatest strength is always being able to find the sonic descriptions of their lyrical content. The high-power riffing and dynamic lighter touches give a banquet of textures to the record as searing leads cast scorn atop mountainous rhythmic battery. The latter half of the record does not taper off, rather building in energy from the former half and continuing to churn forth something spectacular until its very last breaths. Those grooving moments add a bestial hunger to the record that the more atmospheric albums feed with poisonous anguish. Closing with the explosive and epic “Young Blood Ritual” was a master stroke, leaving you dying to listen to the whole thing again. It is hard to find a single thread to pull in this album as every element is so gorgeously thought out. I urge all fans of black metal to witness for themselves this unholy and monolithic structure that stands isolated in the Belgian woodlands. Its deathly presence will not be easily shaken and its addictive brand of darkness shall certainly draw you back time and time again…

A supreme force of black metal that is perhaps the crowning achievement for Possession, although with such a strong discography it would be a hard to pick one moment over another as victorious. Regardless, “The Mother of Darkness” is a majestic and towering album the provides the sound and vision to demonic castle spectres, wild hunts and black chapels; a bloody rite invoking something powerful and ancient. Every piece is a profoundly impactful part of a greater work that must be experienced in full. Every member of the band offers their best and the artwork, mix and master are of equally brilliant quality. This is a moment of significance in black metal that will cast a long shadow in the underground and likely stand triumphant for an eternity.

Brisbane — 20 March 2026 — Set aside the Epstein files, rogue Randy royals and whether Brigitte Macron has a winky or a pippy — the talk of the town is Scandal Tree and their stellar debut album, Never Look a Gift Foot in the Mouth. These Brisbane boys have made a big splash in […]

Houston, Texas-based black metal alchemists NECROFIER are pleased to present their new video for Fires Of The Apocalypse, Light My Path I. The track comes by way of the band’s Transcend Into Oblivion full-length, released February 27 on Metal Blade Records. NECROFIER is rewriting the rulebook in their own blood. Since 2018, the quartet has […]

Welcome to an Alter Bridge concert review that is, in all fairness, more than a review of their show at The O2 Arena in London. While this article is mostly about the live performance mentioned in the title, it does include a few bits about another show, earlier in the tour, in Hungary. 

Alter Bridge – Daughtry – Sevendust

The O2, London – 4 March 2026

Words: Bogdan Bele

Photography: Robert Sutton

And that is because I had the opportunity to see them in Budapest, as well, a few weeks prior to this. Yes, they are good enough to be worth seeing several times. Article over, thank you for reading.

Seriously, though, I was near Budapest for something else. When a guy who has been best friends with you (for more years than you care to admit) asks you to come see Alter Bridge with him as well, can you say no? Not that one would need a particular reason to see them, but you know.

And no, the same show it is not. First, because the Budapest one took place at Barba Negra, a tent-like venue that houses shows during the colder months of the year. It has a capacity of some 4,000, much less than the massive O2 Arena, at some 20,000.

Second, because the space restrictions made the Budapest affair a smaller one in terms of production – fewer screens behind the band, for one thing. In terms of performance, it would be hard to fault either. But now we are back in London. 

The O2 show is part of the UK set of dates of the tour that promotes the band’s latest, self-titled opus. And if there is one word I would use to characterise this band, it would be “consistent”. The new record is exactly what one would expect from Alter Bridge: powerful, riffy, impeccably executed technically, and, with a significant dose of emotion thrown in there, for good measure.

Their live performances are exactly that. This tour, apart from celebrating the new album, sees them, in my opinion, sounding better than they have ever done. Yes, the production is also bigger than it ever was. Yes, the lights and accompanying visuals look very good, too. There is no pyro, though there are some dry ice canons. But it does not feel like the show needs it.  

Now, I have seen Alter Bridge (as well as the members’ side projects, including covering Tremonti for MetalTalk last year) quite a few times over the years. They never disappoint (consistency, remember?).

The band is a true machine, fronted by Myles Kennedy, one of the best and most versatile singers in the business. His solo work, or what he does with Slash, is a very different animal from this.

However, I do not remember them ever sounding as good as they did on this tour. Both in Budapest and London, which are significantly different venues in size and in other aspects, the sound mix was very good, bordering on excellent. So much so that my friend, a professional musician in his own right, spent a large chunk of the Budapest show admiring the sound mix (true story).

But back to London. I have been to arena shows that, while I enjoyed them, did not sound great at all. And that is the polite way of putting it. As I said, not the case this time. 

While The O2 is not full to the brim tonight, the band, together with the other two acts, Sevendust and Daughtry, manage to attract a respectable crowd. It is a massive place, after all.

And that is the rather funny thing about Alter Bridge. They have grown to arena status at an almost imperceptible pace. Ever since three (then) former Creed members – guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Bryan Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips were joined, 21 years ago, by former Mayfield Four vocalist and guitarist Myles Kennedy, they slowly went from strength to strength, playing bigger and bigger venues.

They have done so with very little to no mainstream media presence.

Which is why, despite being, by all accounts, very popular, chances are that mentioning their name to 9 out of 10 people you meet in a pub would trigger an “Alter what?” or “Myles who?” response. That never stopped them from putting out excellent records and being, again that word, consistently fantastic live.

Tonight is no exception. The set is hard to fault from an Alter Bridge fan’s perspective, as it features some new tracks (three from the new record, to be precise), as well as all the fan favourites you would expect. 

The thing is, the band now has a massive catalogue, and that yields a lot of ‘impossible not to play’ cuts, and that poses a weird dilemma. I personally expect all those favourites, and I would be disappointed if they did not play them. I am sure most people in the room would not disagree with that statement.

You can not have Alter Bridge not play Open Your Eyes and Rise Today and Metallingus and Blackbird and Broken Wings and…Which is why the set heavily features songs from their debut, One Day Remains, or Blackbird, the sophomore effort. And this, despite the fact that later records are full of great tracks that could easily find their place in there.

Not a bad problem to have, I guess.

The new album is present from the start, though. The evening starts with Silent Divide and its major-ass-kicking riff, followed by the equally powerful Addicted To Pain. And at this point, one can see what incredible charisma Myles Kennedy has. The man gestures a bit, and that is enough to get everyone moving. 

The band continues to be the same machine it is known to be, and what better proof than the excellent Cry Of Achilles, with that fantastic guitar work by Kennedy and Tremonti. It must be said that, while Mark Tremonti is a guitar hero in his own right, Myles Kennedy is just the same, albeit different in style, and the soloing on this track is living proof of that.

They complete each other perfectly, and not many bands are lucky enough to have that much talent running their fingers across fretboards. Interestingly enough, that also happens on vocals. 

Playing Aces is the second track of the new, self-titled album, and this one gives Mr. Tremonti the chance to shine on the soloing front. 

I could not fail to mention the excellent Fortress, with the whole band truly shining. The groove of the rhythm section of Marshall and Phillips provides the perfect foundation. Then there is the fact that you get to hear Myles using his lower register on the verse, going all-out high in that chorus.

And speaking of vocals, Burn It Down shows that, in this band, just as the singer is an excellent guitarist, the guitarist can sing very well, if his solo project and Sinatra-singing projects were not clues already. Myles moves back to do some excellent guitar soloing in the meantime, as one does.

Not a bad way to take some vocal rest.

Speaking of how much the UK loves them, Myles does give thanks to London, the first city that truly embraced them, at one point in the set. 

I could go on, finding highlights literally across the whole set. They really are that good live.

There are some great sing-along moments on Open Your Eyes and the powerful Rise Today. So many years after it was first recorded, this song’s lyrics are more relevant than ever. 

We also get the acoustic moment everyone has been waiting for, Mr. Kennedy performing Watch Over You on acoustic guitar with a bit of Wonderful Life thrown in at the start, joined by the whole arena, and the whole band later on.

It is a beautiful, phone lights in the air moment. No matter how many times you hear and see this, it can never be enough. 

Metalingus ends the set, but they come back for an encore of the emotional Blackbird and Isolation, a somewhat unlikely pandemic hit. 

Were there major differences between the show in Budapest and the one in London, other than the production and venue sizes I already mentioned? The sound quality was very good for Alter Bridge in both venues. Daughtry and Sevendust had a much better mix in London, though. 

Coming back to Alter Bridge, in terms of the set itself, there were very few differences. In terms of musicianship, it was hard to fault anything on either of the shows. The reality is that Alter Bridge live is a mix of power and conveying pure emotion that you want to experience as many times as possible. Too bad the tour is over.

Sevendust

Kicking off tonight’s proceedings are Sevendust. The Atlanta, Georgia band play an energetic set. If you have never seen them live, you will not be disappointed, as their heavy riffs, as well as Lajon Witherspoon’s powerful delivery, always make for a good show.

They are joined on guitar for this part of the tour by Tim Tournier, none other than their and Alter Bridge’s manager, as well as the bass player on Myles Kennedy’s solo project. 

They are even dedicating Enemy to the douchebags, in the current context. A very apt thing to do.

It is a short set, well appreciated by many in the arena, with Face To Face and the aforementioned Enemy my highlights. 

Daughtry

Second on the bill tonight are Daughtry. Led by vocalist Chris Daughtry, these guys are one of those bands that you have to see live to truly appreciate.

Their emotional songs and the incredible vocal acrobatics, as well as the powerful presence of the singer, work very well on a stage. They have much more pop in the mix than the other two bands on the bill, combined with strong riffs and a lot of emotion.

The sound, much better than the one in Budapest, helps them get across much better. 

It is a longer set than Sevendust’s and, while focusing on their Shock To The System double release, it also gets into older tracks, like It’s Not Over, probably their best-known track.

It is interesting to see how much the older tracks, which sound like more traditional pop-rock, differ from what the more electronic-tinged, heavier thing they are today.

Another highlight is their cover of Journey’s Separate Ways (Worlds Apart). The recorded version features Halestorm’s Lzzy Hale, but Daughtry shows that he is perfectly capable of pulling it off on his own as well.

The post Alter Bridge Deliver Clockwork Class At The O2 first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.