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Seattle has always been a historic breeding ground for sonic rebellion, a place where raw, unfiltered frustration organically

On October 30th, 2026, British thrash legends Xentrix return with a new album, Allied With The Enemy. To promote it, the band announced a UK and Ireland tour (Cross-Atlantic Carnage) with Brazilian thrashers Nervosa. Check out all the album details available below. It will be released via Listenable Records.
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US heavy metal soldiers Stryper have shared a new video for the track “Throne Of Thorns” from their upcoming Frontiers Music Srl album, Throne Of Thorns, that drops on September 25th, 2026. This will be their 18th studio album.
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*** Please Note: The author of this article is also a participant in this project.***

Last year when I spoke with Apollo City Comics head Brandon Bloxdorf about the first edition of their anthology series, This Comic Kills Fascists, he had teased that the second volume was already in the works. The book itself thrives on that line where punk rock, comics, and politics meet. Many people think that the only thing punk rock and indie comics have in common is their DIY aesthetic. While that similarity is a big one, they share a lot of the same ideologies and beliefs in their art. 

That being said, Apollo City Comics is back again with This Comic Kills Fascists: Dos. This time it’s bigger and better with essays, comics, and resources to push back against the fascism that seems to be showing more of itself as each day goes on. However, they need your help:

INDIE COMIC CREATORS LAUNCH SEQUEL to PROTEST ANTHOLOGY

“WE the PEOPLE of APOLLO CITY COMICS in order to reform this union, have crafted essays, pinups, comix, and resources rejecting fascism, sexism, xenophobia, racism, and hate. 

JULY 4th—Inspired by the protest songs and civil rights rally’s APOLLO CITY COMICS is dropping the sequel to last year’s HIT protest Anthology “This Comic Kills Fascists”. Released January 2025 as part of a response to the election. This year’s follow up is sure to make conservatives and centrists squirm in the name of humanity.

Apollo City Comics is headed by Brandon Bloxdorf a punk rock bass player turned podcaster to editor in chief. Brandon put out a call in late 2024 to collect submissions for what was planned as a print at home zine, but when the submissions started coming…Bloxdorf knew this was NO zine, it NEEDED to be SEEN. 

The first volume scorched the Convention circuit across the US, and was ACC’s biggest seller both digitally and physically in 2025, so how do you follow up the biggest release? With an EVEN LARGER BOOK. “This Comic Kills Fascists dos” comes correct with resources, pinups, essays, poems, and yes COMICS too. Filled with biting satire and heartfelt declarations, this volume is the status quo’s worst nightmare. Rejecting the current state of affairs and speaking truth to power. These artists are mad as hell and they’re not gonna take it anymore.

The Kickstarter for the Comic Kills Fascists launches today. Click here, or head on over to the Apollo City Comics website for more information. The fight is never easy, but the fight is what keeps us going.

Rock 'n' roll was blasted across the country on America's 200th birthday. Continue reading…

Outspoken Staind frontman and solo country artist Aaron Lewis has unleashed a scathing public tirade against pandemic-era restrictions, masking mandates, and corporate vaccination campaigns. Appearing on the latest episode of The Right View With Lara Trump podcast to promote his upcoming solo country album Give My Country Back, the 54-year-old musician claimed that lockdown protocols completely stripped citizens of basic freedoms, while heavily implying that institutional medical treatments ultimately took more lives than the underlying biological virus itself.

Breaking the Rules: How Lockdown Defiance Birthed ‘Am I The Only One’

The fiery exchange began when Lewis reflected on the origin story of his 2021 gold-certified solo political anthem, “Am I The Only One.” According to statements the multi-platinum singer made to host Lara Trump, the track was born out of direct, intentional defiance of the local safety protocols and social gathering limits that governed the music industry during the height of the shutdown.

“Me and Jeffrey [Steele] and Ira [Dean] wrote the song in the middle of COVID shutdown,” Lewis openly confessed during the broadcast. “We broke the rules, and we got together and didn’t wear masks.”

Lewis didn’t hold back when looking back at the broader societal response to the containment efforts, branding the entire global mitigation strategy as a terrifying psychological anomaly.

“I found that to be the craziest thing that I’ve ever experienced in my 54 years on this Earth,” the vocalist vented. “And I never thought in a million years… I can’t even imagine all the grandfathers and the aunts and uncles and great-grandfathers that were rolling over in their grave, watching us give up every last bit of our freedom over fear.”

Disputing the Data: Staind Vocalist Questions Fatality Metrics

As the interview progressed, the rock veteran turned his sights toward the official global case-fatality ratios, challenging mainstream pharmaceutical narratives by drawing unfavorable comparisons between the coronavirus and standard seasonal influenza strains. Pointing to an early 0.007 statistical probability threshold he claimed to have tracked during the initial outbreak, Lewis insisted the threat was artificially inflated by systemic panic.

“The flu kills more people than that every year,” Lewis asserted to Trump. “Everything else was fear. I’m pretty sure the treatments killed more people than the actual virus.”

We Also Recommend – Aaron Lewis Overhauls the Formula: Staind Urgently Finishes Brand-New Studio Album Following Major Sonic Shift

Rejecting Mandatory Workplace Vaccinations

Expanding on his operational approach as a touring band leader and business executive, the singer confirmed that he enacted a strict zero-mandate policy across his entire payroll. He refused to receive the vaccination himself, while shielding his technical road crews and touring bandmates from any external immunization requirements.

“As a boss that is all about people’s rights and everything else, I didn’t get vaccinated,” Lewis stated. “I didn’t make any of my employees get vaccinated. None of my band got vaccinated. And when I got it, inevitably — I’ve been way sicker. Aside from losing my taste and smell, I’ve had colds that were worse.”

The controversial commentary surfaces at a critical juncture for the musician, as he prepares to drop his highly anticipated solo effort Give My Country Back on July 17, 2026. Whether these explosive public talking points help or hurt his charts, Lewis has firmly established that he has absolutely no intention of tempering his worldview to appease the mainstream music establishment.

Also – Aaron Lewis Unleashes “Not Brainwashed” Apparel: Inside the Blacklisted Rockstar’s 2026 Political Crusade

FAQ: Aaron Lewis Lara Trump Interview Details

TL;DR

• Aaron Lewis blasted pandemic-era restrictions during a guest spot on Lara Trump’s podcast.
• The Staind frontman claimed that COVID-19 medical treatments killed more individuals than the virus itself.
• He admitted to intentionally breaking social distancing and masking rules to write his 2021 hit “Am I The Only One.”
• Lewis confirmed he maintained a zero-vaccine mandate across his entire touring band and crew payroll.
• His brand-new solo country album, Give My Country Back, is set to debut on July 17, 2026.

Aaron Lewis continues to use his massive platform to challenge the cultural status quo, ensuring his solo country transition remains just as loud and combative as his multi-platinum nu-metal legacy.

What is your honest assessment of Aaron Lewis’s aggressive claims regarding the deadliness of pandemic treatments versus the actual virus? Do you respect his unwavering commitment to defending individual liberties and worker rights on the road, or do you feel this level of medical skepticism from a major rock figure carries a harmful message? Sound off with your tracking thoughts, album pre-order strategies, and commentary below!

The post Staind Frontman Aaron Lewis Drops Controversial Pandemic Outburst, Believes Treatments Took More Lives Than Actual Virus appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Zach Bryan is teasing new music on YouTube again, as he is wont to do. The country star is currently on his stadium tour — sadly without MJ Lenderman — promoting January’s With Heaven On Top. But he teased a new song called “Pocket Change” shortly after that release, and last month he released a track titled “Breakfast In Bed.” Now, he’s announcing a new EP called Young Manhood And Other Donatable Organs and sharing two videos of himself performing snippets of songs called “Lodi When” and “Better Friends” on acoustic guitar. Watch below.

The post Zach Bryan Previews Songs From New EP <em>Young Manhood And Other Donatable Organs</em> appeared first on Stereogum.

Four-and-a-half years after releasing debut T.S.N.R.I. – Impermanenza, Italian atmospheric folk/black outfit Duir returns with sophomore full-length Catarsi. Drawing similarities to Saor, Autrest, and Mossgiver, Duir plays a blend of black and folk metal rooted in evocative instrumentation—specifically the Irish flute, hurdy-gurdy, and bagpipes. Italian for ‘Catharsis,’ Catarsi tells the story of a World War I soldier caught at a crossroads of emotional turmoil and relays the narrative through six tracks totaling forty-seven minutes. Without a lyrics sheet or story details, I can’t comment on the tale itself, yet I admit it establishes a poignant backdrop for atmospheric metal. It’s evident that Duir possesses the skills and imagination to pull it off, but does Catarsi succeed in doing so.

What I enjoy best about Catarsi is Duir’s ability to construct rich layers of music overflowing with vivid textures. Their soundstage feels inhabited and natural, with folk instruments complementing the traditional juncture of guitars and drums. The resulting fusion entices with an understated beauty I heavily associate with folk-informed metal, allowing Duir to forge a path parallel to black metal while developing distinct aural tones besides. Compared to Impermanenza, Catarsi experiments with fewer components, focusing on a narrower scope of sounds and tempos. This allows Duir to fully explore their chosen milieu for the story they’re telling, though it also limits the paths Catarsi can take.

While the instrumentation skews Gaelic and Duir hails from Italy, Catarsi predominantly sounds regionally agnostic,¹ imparting an ambiguous rustic charm to the music. Catarsi swells with sumptuous folds as TZ supplies Irish flute and hurdy-gurdy, instilling wonderfully welcome supplements to the tremolos and mournful keening (“Della notte”) of guitarists MK and Skryer. Ever propelling the action forward, drummer P wields a deft touch as he unleashes fierce rolls (“Di nessuno”) and restrained timekeeping (“Manifesto”) in equal measure. Vocalist Vox in Umbra delivers a vicious performance as well, scouring eardrums with his heart-rending rasps (“Manifesto,” “Oltre l’alba”). And though I’m a sucker for punchy bass performances, Duir neither has nor needs any on Catarsi.² In all, the folk instruments supply ample counterpoints that engender the variety and depth that well-written bass lines typically apply to augment guitars and drums, begetting a well-balanced sonic spread on Catarsi.

I can’t deny that Duir’s performances here are genuinely stunning, yet as a whole, it leaves little impression once concluded. Most of this I attribute to the pervasive homogeneity across the album. Songs are winsome from moment to moment, but leave me with few anchor points to differentiate them. The guitars mostly trem-pick in steady rhythms or drop into passive, melancholic refrains, limiting Duir to only a couple modes of play. And although the flute and hurdy-gurdy bring an extra dimension to proceedings, making them more of a melodic centerpiece would have gone further than utilizing them as accents and flourishes. To be fair, I suspect I’m missing a key component by knowing there’s a story to Catarsi while being ignorant of the details, yet I wish Duir employed more obvious contrasts between the tracks. T.S.N.R.I. – Impermanenza better separated themes and motifs, and while Catarsi’s compositions are more mature, stronger song identities could have reduced the perception of uniformity. Still, Duir prevails on other fronts. The DR score of 8 strongly supports the complexity of their arrangements, and L.G.’s³ guest vocals on “Impeto” yield a clever change-of-pace midway through the album.

Though some flaws hold Catarsi back, Duir can clearly craft absorbing metal. It’s impossible to deny the allure of their music, and any song in isolation sells the vision of Duir’s niche in black metal. All told, though, I struggle to discern the nuances within Catarsi’s design, and without mile markers to segregate passages, its songs can easily slip into the background rather than demanding attention. Even so, Catarsi offers plenty of redeeming moments, and I expect other fans of this style may find more to love than I did.

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Rating: Mixed
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: AOP Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases Worldwide: June 26th, 2026

The post Duir – Catarsi Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

R.I.P. Kurt Cobain, you would’ve loved The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All, according to Dave Grohl. The manga series (which started on Twitter) is getting turned into an animated series, and details were revealed Friday (July 3) at the Anime Expo in Los Angeles, including that Nirvana’s “Breed” will be the opening theme.

The post <em>The Guy She Was Interested In Wasn’t A Guy At All</em> Anime To Feature Nirvana Theme Song, Dave Grohl Says Kurt Cobain Would’ve Loved The Manga appeared first on Stereogum.

Howzat .

The post Howzat launch video for new single “Hang On” first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.