Aaron Turner will probably go to his grave before revealing specifics on the concept behind Celestial. Turner and the rest of his bandmates are unified in believing that the work of deconstructing towers and deciphering sgnls is best left to the listener. That said, the towers referenced on four of the songs on Celestial (and its companion EP, SGNL>05) were directly inspired by the Orly Airport towers in Chris Marker’s groundbreaking 1962 photomontage (and later inspiration for 12 Monkeys) La Jetée, where the soundtrack supplies a sense of movement to enhance the static images. That’s kinda the wavelength that Celestial is on, as embodied by the title track, which bends time and space repeatedly in just shy of 10 minutes.
It’s worth noting that the concept of the towers in Celestial ties in particularly well with the meaning of the Tower card in the Tarot deck, which broadly represents upheaval and change. Deconstructing the tower is a way of memorializing the old and ushering in the new, which is what Celestial accomplished in hindsight. The first full-length album from Isis is very much a marker of transition from the more primordial sludge metal of earlier releases to the more polished post-metal sound that defined the band from Oceanic onward. Turner describes it as a “work on becoming,” with the idea that it’s often more interesting to observe how things are being put together than engage with the final form. Celestial is unquestionably a middle point between two distinct periods in the band’s oeuvre.
Celestial is a strong, confident, mature and focused work in the vein of Cave In’s Jupiter or Botch’s We Are the Romans—just one that happened to struggle to capture the limelight with stiff competition from the two near-flawless albums that followed it. We salute the rawness and immediacy of Celestial, as well as its sonic experimentation: The then Boston-based quintet was taking inspiration from everywhere and applying it to an expansive canvas. The jump between the industrial grind of “Celestial (the Tower)” to the comparatively quiet melodicism of “Gentle Time” (featuring an early vocal turn by keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer) represents a huge pendulum swing, but the tone, tension, emotional heft and uncomfortable sense of menace are constant throughout.
To hear the band members tell it below, this is the album where Isis dropped its obsession with administering sonic punishment and opened the door to exploring nuance. You can hear that on all of the “SGNL” tracks, transient seemingly random bursts of noise that subtly shift attention and prime the listener for what’s to come. The Isis lineup that coalesced on Celestial—featuring Turner, Meyer, bassist Jeff Caxide, guitarist Mike Gallagher and drummer Aaron Harris—later focused on exploring the less ugly components of the band’s sound. Thematically speaking, Celestial is opaque compared to the rest of the Isis catalog. But when it comes to totemic riffs, it remains unsurpassed. Welcome to the Decibel Hall of Fame for the second time; we hope you’ll be back.
Need more classic ISIS? To read the entire seven-page story, featuring interviews with all five members who performed on Celestial purchase the print issue from our store, or digitally via our app for iPhone/iPad or Android.
Creativity rarely follows a straight line. Whether you’re writing music, a book, or a comic, inspiration and frustration can hit at different times. Take comic book writer Justin Heggs. After writing the first issue of Death Metal Duck in 2007, he decided to quit writing and step away from comics completely. While his artist on the book, Cam Hayden, continued to level up his skill, it took Heggs about seven or eight years to jump back on the wagon and finish the book he had started.
Together, they tell the story of Curtis, who was once the frontman of thrash metal band Puke Hammer. After the band fizzled out, Curtis settled into being a dad and husband. Time hopping back and forth, we learn about Curtis’s metal past, the contrast of the present, and the potential future where both of those things merge. Curtis’s second chance plays out in a story that has as much heart as it does angst. Justin and Cam talk to us about the journey to getting Death Metal Duck published and the surprising reactions they’ve received from it.
How did this idea come about?
Justin Heggs: Do you know the book, The History of Marvel Comics by Sean Howe? I got to the chunk in the 1970s, and they were talking about everyone who was working there. They hit on Steve Gerber and stuff like that. I really got interested in his story. Because of Steve Gerber and Howard the Duck, I think the name Death Metal Duck came from that. That was the initial thing for it, but once I had the name, I think it just sort of came out. That first 20 pages, like the first chapter of it, was written pretty quickly. The ducks were just sort of a tribute to Steve Gerber.I think ducks in general have a pretty big place in comics, in the history as far as the different characters that have been in it. So yeah, it definitely fit.
Dying Scene: Did you have any bands, eras of music, or subgenres that kind of shaped the tone of the book for you?
Justin Heggs: When I was writing the first issue, that was right when The Grinding Wheel by Overkill came out. That whole album is basically the soundtrack of me writing the first chapter of the book; that was a huge thing. I don’t know if it made its way in there or anything recognizable, but if I listen to that now, that’s what’s in my memory for sure. Then, as far as music, Children of Bodom was the one that’s mentioned in the book. Alexi Laiho and his playing were kind of supposed to be what he would be styled after, what I had in my mind for sure.
Dying Scene: Cam, how different were the earliest versions of the ducks in this world? Did they all kind of stay the same, or did you change anything up a bit?
Cam Hayden: A lot of it was locked in when we did the initial first issue. We kind of took a first crack at it about ten years prior. When we went to finish it off, I wanted to go back and redraw the first issue because I’d gotten ten years more experience. As far as the character designs and things like that, we had to lock those in early. They stayed pretty consistent as it progressed to the version that we have now.
Dying Scene: Did the story change at all in those ten years from the initial idea to the finished product?
Justin Heggs: Yes, I think so. I stopped writing after Death Metal Duck after the first issue came out in 2017, so I didn’t have the rest of the story finished yet. I just had some notes and such. When I came back to finish it in 2024, some of my notes were there, but I think it changed from what it would have been back then because it’s a lot more. I’ve been saying it’s a little autobiographical of myself. I think it took a more real turn. I was thinking maybe Spinal Tappy or something like that. I don’t think the story ever really ended up leaning that way. It always just sort of came out a little more… I don’t know about serious, but sincere or something like that.
Dying Scene : I don’t think that would have been a bad comic, but I think this is the better version of that story.
Cam Hayden: I do think it sort of sets that up a little bit. I think when people see it on the table, their first thought is probably, “This is going to be this crazy gonzo rock story with just excess and mayhem.” Then we pull a bit of a switcheroo on them when they read it. They find that it kind of hits them differently than they’re expecting, which is good so far. There’s just that sincerity that sort of hits them in the feels a bit.
Dying Scene: Trying to juggle art and grown-up shit hit me really hard. Were there any world rules or logic rules for Death Metal Duck, or just ducks as humans?
Justin Heggs: I really like the collaborative nature of comics, working with somebody else like this. So I try to, if I don’t have a specific thing that I’m picturing for whatever reason, like maybe later down the road that has to come back so it has to look a certain way, I really like just handing it out there and seeing what comes back. There were no rules other than when he’s older, he has a bald spot. Like he’s got three pieces of hair when he’s younger, two pieces later, so you know when the flashbacks are. Other than that, it was anything goes. Cam came back with things like, they don’t wear shoes or any of that sort of stuff. That was all him, which is awesome.
Cam Hayden: Which sort of cuts off the ability to give them like Gene Simmons KISS boots and stuff like that.
Justin Heggs: No need for platforms.
Cam Hayden: So they’re fully decked out in every other way, except they just got their bare feet hanging out. I guess they’re gnarly enough.
Dying Scene: Were there any tiny details that you added that readers may miss? Any kind of heavy metal Easter eggs or anything like that?
Justin Heggs: There’s a couple. I think there’s a few connections that maybe people miss or don’t pick up on maybe the first time through. I wrote it sort of dishing out the information a little bit at a time and sometimes out of order.
I still sometimes have people surprised, like, “Who’s Michael?” And he shows up four pages later. So, you know, you’ll piece it all together. I didn’t want to have a scene where they just sort of explained that. It just sort of comes in. So I think there’s some of that that gets missed, little details. There are definitely a couple of rock legend cameos in there that Cam put in.
Cam Hayden: Yes, I grew up reading Mad Magazine, so I was a big fan of the Will Elder Chicken Fat. I like to put little things in the background just for some visual spice, I guess. They’re definitely sprinkled throughout. Little callbacks to metal things and comic things.
Justin Heggs: There’s definitely a duck Lemmy. I’ll say that.
Dying Scene: Cam, were there any key decisions outside of the “no shoes” you had for the character designs?
Cam Hayden: Not really. When I got the script, I just started drawing it and sort of feeling it out. I didn’t do a lot of planning ahead. I just wanted to see how it would come out when I just started drawing it. If there were any changes along the way, then I would go back and make adjustments. I kind of just wanted to follow my intuition on it.
I didn’t want to make them look like Disney ducks. I wanted them to be fairly human-looking because it lends itself more to realistic band equipment and things like that. I didn’t want it to look like a Disney rip-off. I wanted it to look more underground, which I tend to lean towards anyway. Not a ton of pre-planning. I just kind of did what I do, for better or worse.
Dying Scene: How did you guys come up with the band name?
Justin Heggs: I think that’s something I had. I don’t know where Puke Hammer came from. I think the idea was that the logo could definitely be very splatter-heavy and unreadable. That was supposed to be one of the ideas as well: having Puke in there and then Hammer.
Dying Scene: And it’s like the most metal name anyway. How has Puke Hammer not been taken all this time?
Cam Hayden: Puke Hammer and the title Death Metal Duck, both of those just knocked it out of the park. Coming up with those, they’re very direct and attention-grabbing. It’s all good. My hat’s off to you.
Dying Scene: How did you incorporate metal aesthetics without parodying them too much?
Cam Hayden: I think because I’ve played in bands, I sort of understand the seriousness of it. I know some people look at stuff like that, and it’s done in a jokey way, and it’s sort of ridiculous. I think it is, in a lot of ways, sort of like a uniform, like a musical tribe. I know it can be kind of goofy and zany, but the script didn’t call for it to really be like that.
In most cases, there are a couple of instances where we kind of lean into the funny aspects of it. Anyone who likes metal is aware of that. I’m a big fan of KISS. Part of the attraction of KISS is how goofy they are and the way they fall on their face all the time. They’ve got some great albums and then they’ve got some just absolute stinkers. Their costumes, their get-ups, on one hand, they’re kind of goofy.
On the other hand, that’s what drew me to them in the first place, and it’s awesome about them. I still love bands like Ghost and GWAR, all that stuff. It’s visually awesome. It’s entertaining. I think I wanted to approach it in a respectful way because I’ve played in bands similar to that. I love bands that are like that, so I respect it.
Dying Scene: Do you have a page or panel that you feel captures the book, what the book is about?
Cam Hayden: I don’t know. The splash page turned out pretty good.
Justin Heggs: I definitely have panels that are like… There’s one where Murphy’s exhaling and he’s like, “Have you been crying?” I was like, “Holy shit, that’s all I do now.” I really like that. That was mostly just for the detail of a duck exhaling smoke. There are a lot of pages that have a lot of meaning for me, but I don’t know. It might be them on stage.
Cam Hayden: Yeah, there are a lot of different layers going on. Maybe I’m too close to it as well.
Dying Scene: Did you have a way to figure out the dialogue? Did it start feeling more autobiographical than you were expecting it to be as you were going through?
Justin Heggs: When I came back to start writing again, that was literally the day that I told Cam that I was going to finish Death Metal Duck. So that was me coming back after a long time off from writing anything at all. A lot of that coming back into the music stuff that Curtis is doing, there were a lot of feelings of that coming back into the writing part of it for me. There are definitely some parts in there that are text messages that I have with friends and stuff like that on Instagram or just whatever, talking about what I was going through at the time. Reading it back now, I put a lot of that in there. It was definitely affected for sure.
Dying Scene: Outside of Howard the Duck and Metal, were there any non-metal inspirations that shaped the comic?
Cam Hayden: I would say that even though Puke Hammer is a metal band, as a guy who plays in bands, I can say that it is very representative of my experience as well in bands that are not necessarily metal bands. I think that’s true for a lot of my friends who are in bands, who are our age, and who have had a family kind of land in the middle of what they thought was being on the verge of taking off in their band situation and just having everything kind of reprioritized and the card deck reshuffled. If you’re looking just at music, I think any sort of genre of music, I think it’s applicable too. I find a lot of the band dynamics transfer pretty readily across every band that I’ve ever been in, at least.
Justin Heggs: I think for me it just ended up being the importance of creating. If that’s something that you’re drawn to, we would have printed this and sold it ourselves at the shows that we happened to go to. It would have been similar to the other 2017 version where if you bought it or if you read it, you got it directly from us because that was the only way to get it. We were totally going to do that, you know, no big deal, and then it got picked up; it blew up into something different.
The importance of creating it as part of the story. Like, if that’s in you, then bottling that up doesn’t work. That’s what Curtis is doing. That’s why it’s not so much that there are obstacles he has to overcome, whatever it is. And like, that’s what the story is that kind of goes pretty smoothly for everybody once they decide what they want to do. But that’s the story, you know, like these things happening for all these characters and based on just going back and tackling that dream again, right?
Dying Scene: What was your collaborative process like? How did you guys divy up the work, if you will?
Justin Heggs: I think once I had sent Cam the script, I just sort of stepped back. I didn’t know if he was going to send character sketches or anything like that. I think the first thing that he sent me was the first three pages done. As far as what he’s doing and what I’m doing, I wrote it. There were very little changes or anything like that. Anything that has to do with that was all his department.
Cam Hayden: There may have been a couple of instances where I would send a page and you would have a couple of notes on it, but it was nothing, no crazy redraws or anything. It’s kind of just you fire me a script, and I would turn it around and shoot it back at him. And then usually it was, it was okay.
Dying Scene: Were you guys mostly on the same page?
Justin Heggs: There were a couple of things I noticed. There’s maybe two word balloons that I think Cam added in that sort of move the story forward a little bit between panel progressions. And it was like, “Oh, yeah, you know, that works or whatever,” just sort of like, I think he put it like a “so” just to sort of move the scene on. I was like, “Yeah, that works perfectly.” I think those were the only things that I noticed. Other than that, I think it was pretty accurate to what I had written.
Like, the old version of the book was like, one of the best things I had done up to that point. I was super proud of it. Getting the art back for the redraw of what turned into all of this blew my mind. Cam definitely leveled up a few stages for all of that. So I was very grateful for all that. I think the detail that blew my mind was in the word balloons for when Curtis is talking to his daughter, Macy, and he says, “What are you going to scream when I’m on stage?” And she says, “shit.” The word balloon’s tail is all squiggly, and it just sort of comes up. It was just perfect and not a detail that I had added in at all. He did the lettering and the art as well. The lettering is a huge part of it. Stuff like that was genius. It communicates just with a squiggle in the balloon line.
Cam Hayden: Yeah, for me, I think it was kind of when the scripts for Part Two and Three came in, because where we left off in Part One, it definitely could have gone into kind of this gonzo, crazy rock story. I was pretty blown away just by how deep the script was. For anyone who’s seen any of my other work that I do, it’s pretty lowbrow, just goofy comedy, horror stuff. It put me in a bit of a different ballpark than what I’m normally functioning in. The depth of the story kind of blew me away and knocked me into another lane, which I think is good. I think a lot of people who buy it, who are familiar with my previous work, are impressed with the script that Justin has done for this, as I was as well.
Dying Scene: Are you guys going to do any more?
Justin Heggs: It’s hard to say. I definitely have a story for it now, but I don’t know if it’ll be like the next thing we do or anything like that, trying to get this one sold as much as possible. Get that out there, but there is definitely a Side B for this. I mean, it took us ten years to make this one. Maybe we have to wait ten more years for the sequel. That just might be how it works.
Cam Hayden: We are getting a really good response from it, though. If there are people who want more, and there’s a script ready.
Dying Scene: Did you pitch it to Black Panel Press, or did they have a copy of the old one and pick it up?
Justin Heggs: When Cam was probably halfway through redrawing the first issue, I was like, “Holy shit, we should pitch this instead of just trying to do it ourselves.” I think by that time, we had the first issue done, the first twenty pages, which is a great amount to be able to send to people because it breaks off the story in a nice little cliffhanger or whatever. We were able to send twenty pages to all the places you can think of that you would want to publish your stuff. Black Panel got back to us probably a month later, and just based off of those twenty pages, was interested in it.
Dying Scene: I like their lineup of books because they’re very unique in what they choose. What feedback have you received from comic readers that surprised you?
Justin Heggs: I guess I’ve been surprised that everyone’s been pretty positive about it. That’s been a pleasant surprise, just because I’ve never put anything out there beyond personally selling it to someone at a convention. People in stores that I don’t go to and don’t know have bought and read the book. It seems like it’s been received pretty well. I think it’s personal, but it also sort of makes it more general because everybody is kind of feeling some piece of something that I’m mentioning in the book. That’s why I’m happy when anybody says that they connected with it, or what they took out of it, maybe not music. Just the parenting stuff or getting older. I guess 100% of us are doing that.
Dying Scene: Have metal fans read it? Do you know if they like it?
Justin Heggs: I think so. I don’t know if they’ve specifically said, “We represented the music well,” or something like that. When we were at TCAF (Toronto Comics Art Festival) selling it, there were people who came the second day because someone told them on the first day that there’s a book called Death Metal Duck.” All walks of life, right? So, I mean, I hope they liked what we did afterwards. That definitely brought them in.
OZRIC TENTACLES RETURN WITH THEIR NEW SINGLE ‘SPACE PLATFORM’
Photo by Simon J Evens
THE FIRST SINGLE FROM THE NEW STUDIO ALBUM HARMONIC MIND SET FOR RELEASE ON KSCOPE ON 18th SEPTEMBER
Following the recent announcement of their new albumHarmonic Mind, Ozric Tentacles today share the album’s first single, ‘Space Platform’. From chief Ozric Ed Wynne himself – “Hey everyone, hope you’re doing well n stuff. Here’s the first taster for the upcoming Harmonic Mind. Space Platform is a bit like a launch pad to the new Ozric world. Twisting and turning through the lines and spaces of the Harmonical mind landscape. Hang onto the turf lest you float away.”
Harmonic Mind, the band’s 17th studio album, is another welcome chapter in the ever-evolving Ozric’s story. Named after the geometric structure and harmonic nature of existence, the album weaves together soaring guitar melodies, intricate rhythms, lush synth textures and deep, hypnotic grooves into the kind of free-flowing psychedelic odyssey that has become their trademark.
Recorded at the band’s home studios as it gradually took shape across Scotland, Devon and finally Glastonbury, Harmonic Mind also captures something a little different. Featuring the full touring line-up – including drummer Pat Garvey, bassist Corey Wallace, percussionist Paul Hankin and multi-instrumentalist Saskia Maxwell – the album has a natural energy that reflects the chemistry of the band’s live performances, with each player bringing their own voice to the music.
A LIMITED PURPLE VINYL LP EDITION IS ALSO AVAILABLE THROUGH OFFICIAL KSCOPE AND OZRIC TENTACLES STORES.
From the driving pulse of “Guardstones” to the cosmic momentum of “Space Platform”, Harmonic Mind is packed with the flowing musicianship and exploratory spirit that fans have come to expect and adore. “Malachite” pays tribute to one of Ed Wynne’s favourite minerals, while also giving centre stage to his custom sandalwood acoustic from Kif Wood Guitars, complete with a beautiful malachite inlay around the sound hole. It’s one of many moments that highlights the warmth and detail running throughout the album, alongside the fluid interplay between Ed Wynne’s guitar and Silas Neptune’s ever-shifting synth landscapes.
Produced by Ed Wynne and Silas Neptune, with mastering handled by Silas for the first time, the album feels both fresh and reassuringly familiar. Even the return of the beloved Erp on the cover art offers a knowing nod to longtime listeners. There’s no radical change of direction here, just Ozric Tentacles doing what they do best.
Ozric Tentacles – Harmonic Mind
1. Guardstones [06:40]
2. Space Platform [05:57]
3. Harmonic Mind [09:12]
4. Malachite [07:52]
5. Tillamook [09:11]
6. Sumipad [04:54]
Since emerging from the UK’s festival scene in the early ’80s, Ozric Tentacles have remained one of psychedelic music’s true originals. More than four decades on, they’re still pushing forward, still exploring new sonic possibilities, and still making music with the same spirit of curiosity and freedom that first set them apart. 2026 sees Ozric Tentacles continue their extensive touring schedule with a large run of Autumn/Winter shows and a number of co-headline shows alongside The Orb.
OZRIC TENTACLES TOUR DATES
2026
22nd August – Down the Hill Festival, Aarschot, Belgium 31st August – Honey Fest, Honeystreet, Devizes, England
4th September – Existence Festival, Tetbury, England 17th September – Foxlowe Arts Centre, Leek, England 18th September – Equinox Festival, Coningsby, England
16th October – Gazarte Ground Stage, Athens, Greece 17th October – WE, Thessaloniki, Greece
11th November – Buttermarket, Shrewsbury, England 12th November – Boilershop, Newcastle, England (with The Orb) 13th November – Lemon Tree, Aberdeen, Scotland 14th November – Queen Margaret Union, Glasgow, Scotland (with The Orb) 15th November – Platform, Morecambe, England 18th November – Social, Hull, England 19th November – O2 Academy, Leeds, England (with The Orb) 20th November – O2 Academy, Liverpool, England (with The Orb) 21st November – Bodega, Nottingham, England 22nd November – Club 85, Hitchin, England 25th November – Con Club, Lewes, England 26th November – O2 Academy, Bournemouth, England (with The Orb) 27th November – O2 Academy, Bristol, England (with The Orb) 28th November – O2 Academy 2, Oxford, England
2nd December – The Church, Ipswich, England 3rd December – Hare & Hounds, Birmingham, England 4th December – O2 Ritz, Manchester, England (with The Orb) 5th December – O2 Kentish Town Forum, London, England
2027
25th February – De Helling, Utrecht, The Netherlands 26th February – De Pul, Uden, The Netherlands 27th February – Poppodium Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands
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Following the announcement of their upcoming album ‘Generection‘ and the recent release of its first single, ‘Generation Rock‘, which perfectly captured the record’s generational spirit, CoreLeoni, led by Gotthard founding member Leo Leoni, have unveiled an official music video for “Howling At The Moon.” The new single offers another powerful glimpse into their forthcoming studio offering, […]
Much of underground metal is fueled by the devotion of single-minded enthusiasts. For every obscure band that spends years lingering between major releases, there are several solitary creators like Gary Brents or Damián Antón Ojeda whose prolific output forms a substantial part of the genre’s global ecosystem. Die Entweihung is one such project, serving as the creative outlet for Israeli multi-instrumentalist Denis Tereschenko. Over the past 15 years, Tereschenko has released an astonishing 11 full-length albums under the Die Entweihung banner. I’d never encountered his work before, but the project’s latest release, Worldwide Terror, landed in our overflowing promo bin promising a blend of progressive thrash and classic heavy metal. Joined by vocalist Alena 7, Tereschenko aims to deliver a forward-thinking, challenging record fit for a turbulent era. With that much experience behind him, does Die Entweihung’s twelfth full-length live up to its ambitions?
The particular brand of thrash on Worldwide Terror feels ripped straight out of the mid-80s. This is a vintage flavor of the style that largely eschews modern production and tonecraft for an analog-flavored, heavy metal-adjacent payload that recalls early Overkill, tempered with flashes of Voivod. The eponymous opener sets the stage with the expected power-chord gallop, but tempers its aggression with subtle melodic keyboard lines throughout and largely succeeds as a piece of throw-back enjoyment. Tereschenko deploys plenty of energetic, odd-meter riffs, and his active bass work and grounded drumming style provide some much-appreciated instrumental meat even as the song rides a standard structure for just a tad too long. On tracks like this and “Warriors of the Lie,” Die Entweihung reads as competent prog-tinged retro thrash executed with just enough personality to keep things engaging, but the same cannot be said for much of the album’s runtime.
Alena 7’s vocal performance on Worldwide Terror recalls the hard-rocking delivery of Doro Pesch or Lee Aaron, lending Die Entweihung a distinctive, campy personality even when the vocal lines themselves fall short. She switches between throaty mid-growls and charmingly unpolished operatics, but too many songs are undermined by grating melodies. The hooks on “Newborn,” “Really Your Life, and “Eight Billion Headed Whore” are particularly tough to stomach, actively detracting from the listening experience. Thrash may not be known for stellar vocal performances, but the record’s heavier traditional-metal leanings and vintage production place far more emphasis on the vocals, making their inconsistencies difficult to ignore. As a result, the back half becomes a slog, particularly when the shaky vocals are compounded by increasingly uninspired songwriting.
There are plenty of exciting instrumental moments on Worldwide Terror, but the disparate pieces rarely coalesce into satisfying songs. Die Entweihung largely deploys all-too-familiar riffs and songwriting clichés that just fail to register as anything interesting. Tereschenko is a skilled musician who understands the assignment, yet his compositions too often feel plodding and directionless. Every track stretches past the five-minute mark, and there simply isn’t enough substance to justify those runtimes. “The Darkest Morning” and “Newborn” push seven and eight minutes, respectively, and while both feature dynamic shifts and notable turns, their transitions are clumsy enough that every minute of their length is felt. Occasional flourishes, like the strings and saxophone interjections on “Generation of Pawns,” add some welcome texture but can’t rescue songs that fundamentally lack momentum. Moreso, the record features two full-length instrumentals (“Generation of Pawns” and “The Brightest Night”) which offer little structural variation and ultimately feel more like unfinished compositions in search of vocals.
It brings me no joy to pen such a negative review of a small artist, but I struggled immensely to make it through repeat listens of Worldwide Terror. Die Entweihung has delivered an album of overlong songs built around riffs that are simultaneously boilerplate and ineffective, further kneecapped by some genuinely unpleasant vocal lines. It’s clear that Tereschenko is both a veteran of the scene and a talented musician, but this entry in his prolific catalog is best left unattended.
The Sex Pistols, The Stranglers, The Undertones & Panic Shack – Cardiff Castle – 01.08.26
This castle has seen many things, but tonight may be something new, as the keep towers over the castle grounds there is a rumbling…the Punks are coming.
Celebrating 50 years of Punk, the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter are here to take us on a journey from Punk’s inception, and those turbulent and innovative days back in the late 1970s.
Starting the afternoon were Welsh band Panic Shack (7), bringing an energy that was truly infectious. Hailing from Cardiff, the male-backed band ripped through a confident and electrifying set of punk rock tunes. Sarah Harvey (lead vocals), Meg Fretwell (guitar, backing vocals), Romi Lawrence (guitar, backing vocals), Emily Smith (bass) and accompanied by Nick Doherty-Williams on drums engaged with the crowd and looked every bit a headline act in waiting, songs such as Jiu Jits You, Tit School and Ick were standouts in a set that should ignite the interest of any punk rock fan young and old, a tremendous outing by the five piece that set the tone for the evening ahead.
Following Panic Shack were Norther Irish stalwarts The Undertones (7). Kicking off with Jimmy Jimmy and flowing into You’ve Got My Number (Why Don’t You Use It) and Male Model the audience was hooked, by the time the indelible Teenage Kicks arrived the tempo shifted upwards. Ending a well balanced set with My Perfect Cousin The Undertones proved to be a more than welcome addition to the lineup.
Soon it was time for The Stranglers (8) to take the stage. Toiler On The Sea beginning what would be a fantastic set, the audience with them every step of the journey. Duchess & ‘Nice ‘n’ Sleazy’ preceded the ever popular ‘Golden Brown’ & ‘Peaches’, their unique sound complimenting the speed and energy of the support bands, ‘Always the Sun’ a tempo shift before ‘Hanging Around & ‘No More Heroes’ round of a brilliant set and very much laid the way for the main act to take to the stage.
The Sex Pistols (8) need no introduction, but for those very few amongst us who aren’t familiar with one of British Punks originators, Guitarist Steve Jones, Drummer Paul Cook, Bassist Glen Matlock definitely made themselves and their legacy known. Front man Frank Carter, of Gallows & Rattlesnakes fame felt a perfect addition to the band, ‘Holidays in the Sun’ beginning a raucous set of Punk classics. Not long into the set the brilliant ‘Pretty Vacant’ was sung by Carter in the thick of a circle pit, surrounded by feverish fans young and old, very much showing the world that Punk is not dead. As ‘God Save The Queen’ was displayed on the huge screen and guitar chords rattled it really was a pinch me moment, these songs helped to usher in a movement and still resonate as strongly today as ever. As the band prepared for ‘No Feelings’ Carter demanded all Men to vacate the mosh pit, creating a Women’s only space as the drums pounded and guitars rang. Finishing their ferocious set with ‘E.M.I.’, a cover of ‘My Way’, then straight into ‘Anarchy in the UK’ was the perfect statement to punctuate a fantastic night of nostalgia and everlasting punk energy, you really had to be there.
Music can often feel like a journey. The listener is taken on an emotional ride with the musicians at the helm, inviting us to reflect on our own lived experiences as their music scores the way. The fittingly titled ‘Takeoffs & Landings’ by Leeds-based instrumental post-rockers Din Of Celestial Birds charts both a physical and emotional voyage for the band. Since the release of their 2023 debut ‘The Night Is For Dreamers’, the band has taken their sound on the road with critically acclaimed appearances around the globe. During these upward career trajectories, the band has also experienced personal losses, with some of the music here written as catharsis and a tribute in the face of the most challenging experiences. Anyone who has seen them live already knows of the profoundly intimate and genuine relationship Din Of Celestial Birds has with their fans, and whilst the songs that make up ‘Takeoffs & Landings’ are written about their personal experiences, the band are keen for these tracks to be open to interpretation to the listener also.
The title track opens the album in spectacular fashion as flickering guitar melodies are propelled along by energetic drums and a pulsating bass line, with the whole track feeling like it’s about to leave the runway and soar high above the clouds in a vast expanse of blue. It’s simultaneously life-affirming and bittersweet, the feeling of leaving something behind as you venture into uncharted territories. ‘Marmoris’ follows in similar fashion, with the graceful guitar melodies of chief songwriter Andie Gill and fellow six stringers Tom Hazelhurst and Chris Core intertwining to mesmerising effect. It’s hard to avoid the flying metaphors with an album called ‘Takeoffs & Landings”, but the songs here are filled with such soaring movement and wonder that the feeling of propelling motion is ever present. Indeed, in the album’s quieter passages, there is a sense that even when time appears to stand still, life subtly moves ever forward, like on the spacious and stirring ‘From This Summit We Can See The Heavens’, which conjures a twinkling tapestry as enormous as a starlit sky. Likewise, the epic grandeur of ‘You Are My Temple’ manages to sound both tender and colossal as subdued passages give way to galaxy-sized melodies and riffs that pack serious heft.
Elsewhere the breathtaking beauty of the second half of ‘When Suddenly…” is the most heartrending music the band have penned thus far, as plaintive pianos give way to charging drums, melancholic synths and an epic choral-like zenith that carries the listener up into the warm glow of the heavens. The affecting ‘I Hope That Road Leads You Somewhere Beautiful, Somewhere You Belong’ is another highlight. It’s a deeply personal track, penned following the tragic death of Gill’s partner Roisin in early 2025 during a time of intense grief. The song is also a beacon of light, a memorial of sorts and a reminder that those we lose shine on in the light they leave behind. The shimmering guitar melodies are heartbreakingly delicate, buoyed by sensitive synths and delicate drum patterns, adding to the track’s fragile, beguiling nature.
Huge credit goes also to producer Joe Clayton, who manages to capture the band’s full splendour in dazzling aural technicolour. The band themselves have admitted to wanting a richer sound for this album, to make use of the possibilities that the studio can provide, with synths and double tracked guitars creating a more intricate sound than we’ve heard from them before. This also is what lends the music its more cinematic feel, with Clayton making even the smallest detail visible within the radiant panorama. With ‘Takeoffs & Landings’, Din Of Celestial Birds has documented the adventures and personal odysseys that they’ve traversed over the past few years, and have entrusted us to accompany them too. But more generously, with these mesmerising songs, they’ve provided a soundtrack we can apply to our own lives; music that we can take into our hearts, to be a source of comfort in our own journeys too.
Much of underground metal is fueled by the devotion of single-minded enthusiasts. For every obscure band that spends years lingering between major releases, there are several solitary creators like 
