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Year two of the Run For Your Lives World Tour saw Iron Maiden play the Live Is Live Festival in Antwerp. This marked the band’s 31st performance in Belgium and came one week after their show at the Paris La Défense Arena, where a total power cut in the building brought everything to a sudden stop.

Iron Maiden

Live Is Live Festival, Antwerp – 29 June 2026

Words And Photography: Dennis De Loor

The mission for this evening was clear. Deliver a seventeen-song celebration marking Iron Maiden’s fiftieth anniversary. Every song in the setlist originated from the band’s first nine studio albums, although one notable omission deserves mentioning. Not a single track from No Prayer for the Dying made the cut.

Since last year, Iron Maiden have replaced their traditional stage backdrops with large LED screens, and it must be said that the visuals work exceptionally well without ever becoming overwhelming.

During the concert’s introduction, accompanied by The Ides Of March, the audience was taken on a visual journey through East London, passing Steve Harris’ childhood home, the famous Cart & Horses pub, widely regarded as Iron Maiden’s birthplace, and numerous other references guaranteed to delight devoted Maiden fans.

Unfortunately, the low evening sun made many of these impressive visuals difficult to appreciate.

The opening trio of Murders In The Rue Morgue, Wrathchild and Killers paid tribute to the Paul Di’Anno era. Since his passing in 2024, we will probably never know whether there had once been plans for him to join the band for selected performances during this anniversary tour. One can only imagine what an unforgettable moment that would have been.

One thing that certainly stood out was the remarkable progress made by new drummer Simon Dawson. Whereas Phantom Of The Opera occasionally showed some rough edges last year, the entire performance this time was delivered with razor-sharp precision.

The same, however, cannot be said for Bruce Dickinson’s French. It remains something of a mystery why he insists on addressing the crowd in French, both in France and in Belgium.

Following the crowd-pleaser The Number Of The Beast, it was time for this year’s welcome addition to the setlist. Infinite Dreams is making its return after last being performed in 1988 and replacing The Clairvoyant.

Next came three songs from the legendary Powerslave album, with Rime Of The Ancient Mariner providing both the musical and visual highlight of the evening. The only disappointment was the absence of fireworks during the song’s dramatic finale.

The classics Run To The Hills and The Trooper followed. During the latter, Iron Maiden’s legendary mascot Eddie made his customary appearance, wildly swinging his sabre as the crowd roared with approval.

Considering Bruce Dickinson’s medical history, it remains astonishing how much power and endurance his voice still possesses. His sustained high notes during Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son and Hallowed Be Thy Name were nothing short of remarkable.

The encore consisted of Aces High, Fear of the Dark and the immensely popular Wasted Years, written by Adrian Smith following the exhausting Powerslave tour.

Overall, Iron Maiden delivered exactly what generations of fans have come to expect over the past fifty years. A performance that was consistent, reliable, energetic and utterly uncompromising.

With the tour building towards EDDFEST, Iron Maiden will now finish the forthcoming live film at Knebworth. “You all know what happened in Paris, we all know what happened in Paris,” Steve Harris said, “so we’re gonna finish it off at Knebworth, and we’ll see you there.” 

Bruce Dickinson added, “We’re not going to lose what we did in Paris, but we’re going to add to it with some amazing stuff from Knebworth. So Knebworth, be on ya best behaviour.”

EDDFEST will host the Infinite Dreams Museum featuring the iconic pharaoh’s head from the World Slavery Tour, Eddie’s ray-gun from 1986’s Somewhere On Tour, the X-Factor electric chair, tank commander Eddie from the A Matter of Life & Death Tour, Baphomet from Number Of The Beast, the Phantom Of The Opera organ from the Maiden England tour, and personal band mementoes from Paul Di’Anno onwards.

“We’ve raided Eddie’s Archive, Steve’s garden and our very own offices, warehouses and homes to bring you some actual pieces of our history!,” Rod Smallwood said. Full details are at IronMaiden.com.

While Knebworth and EDDFEST are still to come, tonight’s celebrations were very much part of the same golden anniversary story. MetalTalk will have a report from the full Live Is Live Festival shortly, where 40,000 Metalheads had an extraordinary day under a pleasant summer sun.

As for this reviewer, Antwerp was more than just another date on the setlist. I would like to conclude by expressing my gratitude for having been able to fulfil a personal dream, while also paying tribute to the countless fans who patiently spend hours waiting in all kinds of weather for the chance to see their favourite band.

I salute you and UP THE IRONS!

The post Iron Maiden Celebrate 50 Years Of Metal Majesty In Antwerp As Knebworth Filming Confirmed first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

As impressive as Metallica already were when they came screeching out of the Bay Area in the early 80s, few could have possibly predicted the journey that their story would eventually take them on. From the early drama of Dave Mustaine’s dismissal to the gutting tragedy of losing Cliff Burton; from the shocking change in direction as the 90s dawned and eventual rise to the very top of the heavy metal tree; through breakdowns, fights, feuds, blockbuster movies and boundary-pushing experiments, theirs is a career like no other.

With most recent LP 72 Seasons now firmly bedded into their considerable back catalogue, we decided to rank every single Metallica studio album from worst to best. In the interest of keeping things straightforward and fair, we didn’t include the S&M live albums or their classic covers album Garage Inc, nor their bold but divisive Lulu experiment with Lou Reed. Here, then, is how Metallica’s main discography stacks up.

11. St Anger (2003)

Is it predictable that St Anger is rock bottom of another list like this? Yup. Is it still justified? Sadly, still yup. Metallica’s most hated album is far from the complete write-off many would have you believe; Frantic and the title track still go hard, songs like Invisible Kid and cult fan fave Dirty Window could have been world class with more work and the countrified re-dub of All Within My Hands the band have experimented with in recent years shows there’s a decent little song hiding under there.

Of course, none of that can cover for compositions that feel messy and disjointed and one of the most infamously disastrous production jobs in metal history. Artistically, St Anger is an interesting chapter in Metallica’s career at least: a raw, ugly cry from a band on the edge. Musically? This just ain’t it, no matter how you try to paint it.

10. Reload (1997)

When Reload hits the mark, it does so in style. Fuel might be basic as hell, but it remains a wonderfully simple, full-throttle burst of heavy metal adrenaline; The Memory Remains packs not just one but two of Metallica’s most earwormy moments (both its iconic chorus and Marianne Faithfull’s ‘Da da da daaa da, da daaaa’ refrain); The Unforgiven II is a more than worthy sequel to its predecessor and an outstanding power ballad in its own right.

That all said, Metallica’s confidence in their leftover material at this time was just a tad too optimistic, because Load’s sequel is packing way too much filler. James Hetfield’s wonderful lyrical streak was at least still in full flow, but even he wasn’t enough to save Reload from feeling largely unnecessary.

9. Death Magnetic (2008)

Critics were delighted with Metallica’s return to more traditional heavy metal fare (and solos!) when Death Magnetic arrived five years after the spectacular misfire of St Anger. In the cold light of day, it’s undoubtedly superior to its predecessor, featuring some full-on metal bangers (That Was Just Your Life, Cyanide) and two genuinely great power ballads in The Day That Never Comes and the severely underrated The Unforgiven III. Unfortunately, Death Magnetic as a whole is held back by two pressing issues.

Firstly, while a clear improvement on St Anger, the production is poor, Lars’ drums still sounding like they were recorded using kitchen utensils. Secondly, and not for the first or last time, many of the songs just go too long. The End Of The Line, All Nightmare Long and The Judas Kiss are all solid tracks pulled down by meandering riff repetition, while forgettable instrumental Suicide & Redemption feels particularly self-indulgent at a whopping ten minutes. Decent, but far from a classic.

8. Hardwired…To Self-Destruct (2016)

Hardwired…To Self-Destruct was both a refreshing reminder of Metallica’s ability to pen top-tier metal hits and frustrating further evidence of the problems that come with their now trademark lack of self-restraint. The first half of the record in particular is filled with killer material, from the pulsating thrash assault of Hardwired and Moth Into Flame to the groovy, Load-ish power of Now That We’re Dead and epic, anthemic closing moments of Halo On Fire.

The second half, however, is a big letdown, the likes of Confusion, Am I Savage, ManUNkind and Murder One largely plodding and toothless (a particular shame given the latter’s status as a tribute to the legendary Lemmy Kilmister). Luckily, Spit Out The Bone turns up right at the end to finish things on a big high. What a rager.

7. 72 Seasons (2023)

For the third time in a row, Metallica put out an album that was solid as hell and packing plenty of great moments, but a little bogged down by a lack of incisive editing and at least a couple of tracks that just didn’t quite measure up. What can’t be in any doubt, however, is that 72 Seasons is the best-sounding Metallica album in over 25 years, the likes of its rollocking title track, the triumphant Lux Æterna and majestic album-closer Inamorata sounding truly stadium-sized under the bedded-in fingers of Greg Fidelman.

Papa Het’s voice also has no right sounding this good this far into his career, the band’s talismanic frontman bellowing like a vengeful mountain god during the pounding If Darkness Had A Son. A couple of minutes snipped off here and there and a little more ambition on the musical side of things and this could have been special. As it is, 72 Seasons is still pretty damn decent.

6. Load (1996)

Throwing caution to the wind following the absurd success of The Black Album and confirming that their thrash metal days were well and truly behind them (at least for now), Load saw Metallica dip their toes into everything from grunge to alt-rock to country. The result is a deeply fascinating record that unquestionably features some of the Four Horsemen’s most boldly realised leaps of faith; both the emotional Bleeding Me and album-closing epic The Outlaw Torn remain deservedly thought of as two of the most compelling compositions of the band’s entire career.

There are missteps for sure, and it’s a little too long overall, but for many, Load remains the point where Metallica were still truly blazing their own trail and letting ambition guide their creative impulses. It also features some of Hetfield’s most impactful lyrics, his introspective self-dissection reaching a new level of insight and raw vulnerability.

5. Kill ‘Em All (1983)

Metallica would become far more layered and sophisticated in their songwriting as the 80s wore on, but even four-plus decades later, there’s still something so primal and satisfying about Kill ‘Em All’s snotty, ‘fuck-you’ attitude and relentless, proto-thrash assault. Smashing together Messrs Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton and Hammett’s love of punk rock fury and NWOBHM might with the subtlety of a brick to the groin (with some not inconsiderable help from a certain Mr Mustaine), the quartet kickstarted a movement and produced one of heavy metal’s all-time great debut albums in the process.

It’s easy to overlook just how stacked with classic ‘Tallica cuts Kill ‘Em All is, too: Hit The Lights, The Four Horsemen, Motorbreath, Whiplash, Seek & Destroy…plenty of bands could release all that, call it a day and consider their career a job well done. Incredibly, Metallica were only just getting started.

4. …And Justice For All (1988)

Depending who you ask, …Justice is for all intents and purposes the last of Metallica’s ‘thrash’ records, but sees the band turning their backs on the short, sharp shock stylings they had embraced with their debut in favour of the more epic fare that had become their bread-and-butter. The loss of bassist Cliff Burton can be felt keenly, not least in the controversial decision to completely flatten the mix of newcomer Jason Newsted’s contributions, but also in the subtle shifts away from more classical-leaning compositions that Burton had contributed to the band’s sound.

In its place is an almost prog-like approach to song structure, Metallica effectively crafting their own metallic symphonies with even the more straight-ahead fare of Blackened, …And Justice For All and The Frayed Ends Of Sanity having multiple movements and segments. Fans might still clamour for Justice For Jason, but …AJFA shows just how hard Metallica were fighting to reinvent themselves and push their artistry to new levels, towering ballad One awarding them a level of MTV-friendly success that few of their contemporaries have ever been able to match, certainly never surpass.

3. The Black Album (1991)

Responding to the overly-ornate compositions of their previous album, Metallica ground their sound into its essential dust on The Black Album, producing one of the best-selling records of all-time in the process. The band didn’t lose their thrash entirely – Through The Never and Holier Than Thou have the same bulldozer-through-a-China-shop power that Master Of Puppets used so excellently, while the likes of Sad But True, Enter Sandman and Wherever I May Roam deliver an enormity and instantly gratifying sound that better suited the arenas they were now playing.

Even with that, the band also found a whole new universe of depth and artistry with huge ballads like The Unforgiven and Nothing Else Matters, the latter even setting the stage for the band’s orchestral S&M thanks to some sublime arrangements by Michael Kamen. Naysayers might point to The Black Album as the point where Metallica stopped being Our Band, but therein lies the rub: Metallica were always too ambitious, too commercial and just too damn big to be satisfied with being the biggest fish in a small pond.

2. Ride The Lightning (1984)

There’s still a youthful rawness to …Lightning that captures the sparks flying between a youthful Hetfield, Ulrich, Burton and Hammett, the band already extricating themselves from their peers by sheer dint of having the finest songs and most ambitious compositions around. The album’s title-track is effectively a dry-run for the epic grandeur the band would ride so thoroughly on follow-up Master Of Puppets, while For Whom The Bell Tolls and Creeping Death awarded Metallica their first genuine arena-sized anthems.

There are also moments of respite and reflection; Fade To Black’s anti-suicide ballad might have ruffled feathers with the full-speed-or-nothin’ brigade, but the song’s beautiful composition, reflective lyrics and undeniable breakout headbangable moments showed that they had plenty to say and weren’t afraid to take chances on themselves.

1. Master Of Puppets (1986)

If you drilled down into the atomic structure of heavy metal, the genre’s evolution and its watershed moments, you’d probably find Master Of Puppets embedded at the core. Black Sabbath might have kickstarted the genre almost 16 years earlier, but Metallica codified metal with their third studio album in ways that are evident in the sheer mind-bending number of bands who have professed an undying love for the album over the subsequent decades.

Thrash gone cinematic, Master… refined and reinforced everything Metallica had done with their second album but bigger, better, harder and yes, more metal. From the delirious rampage of Battery to the tooth-gnashing militaristic blows of Disposable Heroes and careening violence of Damage Inc. to the iconic title-track, Metallica never again sounded as all-conquering as they would on Master Of Puppets, slower efforts like The Thing That Should Not Be introducing a sludgy dynamism that showed the band’s toolkit was varied.

Again wetting their beaks with ballad Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Metallica were carrying themselves away from being anybody’s back-up to instead be absolute champions in their own right. A tour with Ozzy Osbourne helped cement them as metal’s Hot New Things and even the tragedy of the crash that took bassist Cliff Burton couldn’t slow the unstoppable machine the band had set into motion by writing an album so undeniably massive and untouchable that it basically created a division between themselves and just about every other metal hopeful at that point.

A serious contender for the greatest metal album of all time, it’s no overstatement that the spirit of Master echoes in everything from Machine Head’s The Blackening to Gojira’s Magma and just about any other grandiose, epic metal effort put to tape. You can all rest easy: the Master is here.

When Silent Planet unveiled the routing for their summer 2026 European tour, fans were shocked to see dates in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv and Lviv set for June 20 and 21. The Cali metalcore band were going to become the first American musicians to play the war-torn country since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022: an endeavour so seemingly dangerous that no touring van company let them hire a vehicle. Now home following the trek, singer Garrett Russell sits down with Hammer to talk about what it was like – and why he thinks more artists should follow suit.

What made you want to play those two shows in Ukraine?

“I think the whole world watched in horror in February 2022, when Russia started invading. One of my best friends actually lives in Ukraine with his wife and two kids. Off the bat, I had that personal connection that made it even more visceral, I guess. And I’ve always been fascinated by Ukraine. I wrote about the Holodomor [for 2025 single Wick], which is when the Russians came in [in 1932] and caused a massive famine by taking all the grain and all the food. I’m inspired by the fortitude of the Ukrainian people”

What was the response when you announced the tour plans? Did anyone advise you against going?

“Some people we work with were concerned. None of the van companies would let us take their vans to Ukraine, because I guess they have policies against going to places that are considered warzones. The Ukrainian folks picked us up in Warsaw and drove us in.”

Warsaw to Kyiv is a 10-hour drive…

“It is quite the drive, to be honest, but we stopped in several beautiful small towns. We stopped in this idyllic restaurant that had incredible art on the wall. You see moments of the violence, but the way that they do and don’t react to bomb sirens and stuff is really interesting.”

What do you mean?

“The first day, when we were in Kyiv, we got all the gear in and they started plugging everything in, and I hadn’t eaten all day. I went to this grocery store and, as I’m walking out, Oleksandra – our tour manager, an amazing person – was like, ‘There you are! All the band’s in the bomb shelter!’ There was an air alert: a couple of Russian drones were flying over Kyiv. I checked my phone and there were 50 texts, like, ‘Where the fuck are you?!’ But you look around and no one seems concerned, and there’s supposedly an explosive drone somewhere over town. The danger is very real, but there’s also kind of a casual approach that people take to it.”

How does it make you feel, that something like that has become ‘normal’?

“In the middle of Kyiv, there are flags for every dead Ukrainian soldier. You could spend all day counting and you wouldn’t get through a 10th of them. You see crying mothers. When I came across this piece of pro-Russian, American, right-wing propaganda [after I got home], I felt this hatred come up in me that was new. It was more than ‘I disagree with you’; it was rage this time.”

How many sirens went off during your short time over there?

“Three. The second night we were at our hotel in Kyiv, we got woken up by one, so we went down to the bomb shelter. Then we went back to bed, and apparently there was another bomb warning that same night but I just slept through it. My bandmates went back down, so they basically didn’t sleep the night after the first show.”

There are flags for every dead Ukrainian soldier. You could spend all day counting and you wouldn’t get through a 10th of them.

Were you ever legitimately scared for your safety?

“The day before we went into Ukraine, Ukraine landed a huge blow to Russian oil infrastructure [drones attacked a Moscow oil refinery on June 18]. All of us received messages saying that Moscow is going to retaliate. Oleksandra explained to us the reality: from the outside looking in, you see ‘Ukraine does something, Moscow retaliates’, but it’s a war. If one side could land a bigger blow than the other, they would.”

You’re the first American band to play Ukraine since the war started. How does that make you feel?

“It makes me sad. What breaks my heart is bands have been playing Moscow for the last few years, and getting paid really well to do it, and it seems fucked-up that the country getting invaded by Moscow is not getting shows because of Moscow.”

It was probably the first time most of the people in those crowds had seen an international metal band in four-and-a-half years. The gigs themselves must have been wild.

“They really were. I was wandering around Kyiv before the show, and it felt like, every other street I was on, someone was on their way to the gig. We would hug and chat, and they’d tell me what they’ve been through. There was one gentleman [named Michael] who lost his leg in the war.”

You wrote about him on social media. Didn’t he crowd-surf?

“Yeah! Apparently his wheelchair broke because he was going so crazy, but he had a really good time. There were quite a few people who were in the military and got a day or two’s leave to catch the show. A lot of people at the show were still actively fighting Russia, or, in some cases, like Michael, were wounded and not serving anymore.”

Bands have been playing Moscow for the last few years, and the country getting invaded by Moscow is not getting shows

Would you urge other international artists to play Ukraine?

“Yeah. I really do believe, in the scheme of things, it’s safe. Touring is inherently dangerous: we went through a van flip [in November 2022] and my back’s not been the same since. I think a tour across the United States between November and February is probably more dangerous than going to Ukraine.”

So you want to go back?

“Oh, yes! We were already chatting with them about the possibility of returning next summer.”

Silent Planet will play Inkcarceration festival in Mansfield, Ohio on July 19 and support The Amity Affliction across the UK and Europe from September to October. Get tickets now.

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Singer says the best thing about being friends with the president is their “late-night drinking trick” phone calls. Continue reading…

Bloodstock Bound: Aethoria

As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.

Today we chat with Aethoria

Please introduce yourselves.

Hey! I am Mecia on the vocals, I formed the band with best friend & drummer Lee Alexander. Completing the line up, we then recruited Alex Coombes on guitar, Connor Sheppard on Bass & Jamie Gray on guitar joined us this year.

How would you describe your sound?

We’re all huge fans of a wide range of genres, and I think you can hear that in our songs. Some tracks definitely lean heavier than others; we like to think there’s something for everyone in our music.

We’re heavily influenced by bands we love, such as Alter Bridge and Evanescence, so you can expect plenty of big riffs, powerful melodies, and catchy choruses. At the same time, we try not to box ourselves into one sound, which means each song brings something a little different (are we confused perhaps? I don’t know!). Hopefully, there’ll be something in there for everyone to enjoy!

How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?

Big thanks to Will at Metathetic Music for getting us this spot, he applied for us whilst we were working together briefly last year.

What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?

It’s massive for us! We’re still early in our journey as a band, and while we’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point, there are so many amazing bands out there that you never take an opportunity like this for granted.

We’re genuinely so grateful to be part of Bloodstock 2026. We played the VIP stage last year, and the people, atmosphere, and the whole Bloodstock community were absolutely incredible. We had such a great experience, and we can’t wait to come back and hit the EMP Stage this year!

For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?

Five people absolutely having the time of their lives! You’ll see a band that just loves what they do, loves playing together, and puts everything into the music. If you’re into big riffs, strong melodies, and a good atmosphere, hopefully you’ll enjoy what we’re about.

What day are you performing?

Sunday

What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?

Jamie: Lamb of God, Sepultura, Life of Agony, Seething Akira, Nevermore, Leprous, Bleed from Within, Slaughter to Previal, Orbit Culture, Testament, Black Label Society, Body Count… I could go on… but I won’t make the list even bigger!

Alex: Aethoria (just kidding!) Fit for Autopsy, Northlane, Leprous, Orbit Culture, Carpenter Brut

Lee: Lamb of God, Slaughter to Prevail, Judas Priest, Black Label Society, Vended, Sepultura.
Connor: Lamb of God, Judas Priest, Black Label Society

Mecia: Dreamstate, Orbit Culture, Judas Priest, Saxon and our good friends in Cancel the Transmission!

Playing the EMP Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?

Hell yes! We’re finally releasing our debut album this year, and we couldn’t be more excited. Since day one, we’ve put everything we’ve got into this band—it’s not just a hobby, it’s really become our lifestyle. We plan to keep pushing forward, playing bigger shows, reaching more fans, and hopefully we’ll be tearing up one of Bloodstock’s bigger stages before too long!

Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?

Of course! I think we are in artist camping.

You’ve gotta keep hydrated at Bloodstock, what is your drink of choice for the weekend?

I am honestly confused by these answers I could legit not tell you who is winding us up and who isn’t…

Jamie: Goblin Piss, Mulled Wine, Kale Smoothies
Alex: Creamy pints & water
Lee: Gold cap milk & water
Connor: Anything that comes in pints
Mecia: gotta be a cheeky spiced rum & coke

See you at Bloodstock in a few weeks!

Thanks guys, see you there!!

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

The post Bloodstock Bound: Aethoria appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

We all know that for a great album, you need to have a vocalist who will immediately grab

Masterplan – Metalmorphosis (Frontiers Music Srl) [Matt Bladen]

With their first new music since 2013, power metal legends Masterplan return on Frontiers Music with Metalmorphosis, their sixth studio album of originals and the culmination of this bands journey so far as they fully step away from their label as a Helloween offshoot.

Now Roland Grapow (guitars) didn’t do himself or the band any favours with 2017’s PumpKings covers record but after and extended hiatus it seems Masterplan return revitalised and infused with a new creative energy that is all over this new album.

Since their emergence in 2001, they’ve been through a number of line up changes most notably vocalist Rick Altzi replacing Jorn Lande, but the current line up of Grapow, Altzi, keyboardist Axel Mackenrott (since 2003), bassist Jari Kainulainen (since 2012) and drummer Kevin Kott (since 2017), have all been a part of the band long enough to understand their roles in Masterplan and bring what fans expect.

So what do they expect? Well power metal melodies, prog metal technicality and theatrical diversity that makes for epic songwriting, anchored on this record by the Title Track which displays the heavier sound Masterplan have returned with on this album. 

CoreLeoni led by Gotthard founding member Leo Leoni, have announced the release of their new studio album ‘Generection‘, set for release on September 11th via Reigning Phoenix Music. Marking the band’s fourth album since its formation in 2017 and the second featuring vocalist Gent Bushpepa, ‘Generection‘ sees CoreLeoni returning to their roots with their heaviest and hardest-hitting […]

The post CoreLeoni Announce New Studio Album ‘Generection’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

Nobody is drinking alone at indigo at The O2 tonight. Rock ‘n’ roll legends George Thorogood & The Destroyers are in London for their final Baddest Show On Earth Tour, supported by the hot-shot guitarist, Jared James Nichols and his band.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers – Jared James Nichols

indigo at The O2 – 30 June 2026

Words: Sean Titley

Photography: Manuela Langotsch

This is a super modern venue, with air-con, excellent lighting and speaker systems. It has a semi-circular ground floor and a large seated balcony area that tapers like a steep-sided ice cream cone.

It is a visually impressive sight, but at times it can compromise sightlines, and the stairs are steep for those with accessibility issues or for those with vertigo. For the seen-it-all, done-it-all rock fans, they do not care.

This was their last chance to see a band some had followed since its inception in 1973.

George Thorogood & The Destroyers

One of the stranger moments of the night for me was that as a precursor to the show, the fantastic anti-war protest song Eve Of Destruction was played, its most famous version sung by Barry McGuire.

Bizarrely, I had reviewed Kreator, a fast Thrash Metal band, earlier in the year, who had also opened their show with this song. The read-across is worrying. It is an emotionally powerful song dealing with the current threats and realities of war, escalation and nuclear weapons. A total contrast to the rock ‘n’ roll fiesta to come.

The bass drum has the word ‘Destroyers’ and a wizard throwing stars in the air on it. All is dark with just the word and the picture back-lit in red, as to delighted whoops and cheers on comes the bandanna’d George Thorogood, all in black with a black guitar and his band behind him.

Running to the front of the stage, he mimes “I can’t hear you” to the crowd, eliciting a greater roar.

From Rock Party, to Who Do You Love?, and I Drink Alone, this is absolutely banging bar room rock ‘n’ roll which does not let up for the whole night.

We get the singalong classic One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer which those who have followed the instruction punch along to with extra exuberance. With Get A Haircut and the song he is probably best known for, Bad To The Bone, the fans upstairs and downstairs groove, rock, cheer and hold their arms aloft to every get down and boogie tune.

The Destroyers look very cool. Sunglasses on one, leopard skin print on the shirt of another, backwards cap on the saxophonist who blasts at least one mean solo.

The Destroyers are Jeff Simon (drums) and long-term band members but later joiners Billy Blough (bass guitar), Jim Suhler (guitar) and Buddy Leach (Saxophone, keyboard and maracas!).

All are superb, but rather like the teams around Kane, Messi or Mbappe, they are supporting George Thorogood, one of rock’s great front men, as well as an outstanding guitarist, singer and songwriter.  

The whole show is about non-stop fun. Musically, Thorogood is all about rhythm-heavy blues and rock ‘n’ roll, creating a driving beat that keeps the bodies in the club moving, and slide guitar with his cuffed finger glinting down the strings.

His solos are on point, and the longest of them is kicking. No one wants him to stop. He cannot stop playing with the crowd musically or with on-stage banter, mucking around with his wah-wah pedal, teasing riffs when they are not expected and when he takes off his bandana, combing not only his hair but his shirt, producing weird comb feedback. 

Also, Thorogood can really sing, belting out Bbbbbad To The Bone with some real menace but always with a wink in the eye. The man is an energy ball. At seventy-six years young, it is impressive.

Even drinking whiskey on stage during the show, which he throws to the ground, saying it’s tea. With a hell raiser like this, it is probably whiskey.

Having seen Ian Gillan (80) of Deep Purple and Alice Cooper (78) a week ago, headlining the stage at Hellfest, in France, it really does prove rock and Metal are wonderful for maintaining the thrill of life. 

There are so many in-jokes bantered on stage that it is hard to keep up. At one moment talking about the orange whip (a reference to the Blues Brothers), at another pretending to want to recreate a great moment from Elvis’s career by wiping a flannel (believe it was a towel in Elvis’s case) and then picking through the crowd to offer it to a pretty lady “fulfilling one of my rock ‘n’ roll fantasies.”

Then, at the end, he puts on his rock star cape to go off stage and falls around, parodying James Brown, before coming back to the front to take the appreciation from the aficionados.

This is vaudevillian showmanship but also emphasises the life he has led, meeting most of the greats, including Johnny Cash and touring with The Stones. 

Thorogood eulogises the UK. Wearing a Union Jack wristband, he talks of “deep appreciation for the loyal support of our English fans”. He honours Jagger, Richards, and Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones with great respect.

A lot of Thorogood’s stage mannerisms are Jaggeresque. Maybe not surprising, as he toured with them in the early ’80s. He also talks of loving the good women of England, but particularly the bad women of London, which gets shrieks from the female fans. 

Jared James Nichols came on for the finale Born To Be Bad. A natural Destroyer himself, he adds more good nature and first-rate guitar playing to the song.

George Thorogood said on stage that “It took me fifty years to get up here, I’m going to enjoy every minute of it”. It is clear he and everybody have.

Nobody wants to leave with repeated bows, roars and applause, but finally, with a mock tear and a big thumbs up, he surreally leaves to the tune of the British National Anthem. 

Jared James Nichols

Jared James Nichols, one of the leading younger figures in blues and hard rock guitar and his band, Brian Weaver on bass and Ryan Rice on drums, bounced onto the stage to a rapidly filling crowd.

Dressed in rock ‘n’ roll denim, long hair and a gentle giant smile, Jared delivered a set of two halves, 

The crowd took some time to pick up Jared’s initially more measured pace on Let’s Go, Ghost and Way Back, to the extent that Jared goaded the gathering, saying, “You’re so quiet, it’s cute. Guess that’s London”.

Jared’s guitar style is not flashy, although a few cheeky rock god arm raises were in evidence. This is more spare and elegant solos with unusual twists that catch the brain and insist on notice.

Famously playing without a pick, which he said causes him “to break a string every single day,” he generated a fuller sound which his gritty, vocal style matched. The band and he were fluent together, matching each other with flow and poise. 

Jared enjoys banter with the audience, including discussions about getting his hair cut, but maybe not like the person who had shouted at him that he should do this (probably a joke reference to the George Thorogood & The Destroyers song about hair cutting) and how crazy their recent Midlands (Wolverhampton) gig was.

“Maybe Londoners don’t know how to chug a beer,” egged on the Capital’s rock ‘n’ roll barflies to oil up in time for George Thorogood.

Once the music picked up pace at the back end of the set with Killing Time, Baby Can You Feel It, and Running Hot, the atmosphere changed, and rock fever bounced back at the stage with roars and appreciative head nodding.

This was equal measure blues and hard rock, with the final song, Keep Your Light On Mama, towards the end delivering something that could even set a Metaller’s head nodding.

The set was relatively short, but it was punchy and enjoyable and left the gig-goers keen for more.

The post George Thorogood / Final Baddest Show On Earth Tour Raises A Glass To Rock ‘N’ Roll first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

Some guitars become more than instruments. 

They turn into visual trademarks, sonic signatures, and cultural artifacts that fans recognize before a single note is played.

In rock history, a guitar can carry as much meaning as a jacket, a stage move, or a voice.

A custom guitar can mean several things. It can be an artist-designed instrument, a heavily modified factory guitar, a one-off stage creation, or a signature model tied permanently to one player. 

In each case, the guitar tells a story about what the musician needed, what they rejected, and how they wanted to be seen and heard.

1. Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstrat”

Eddie Van Halen’s “Frankenstrat” belongs at the top of any list about custom rock guitars because it captured the spirit of invention. 

Rather than accept what major guitar companies offered, Eddie built the guitar he wanted using mismatched parts, modified factory seconds, and odd-lot components.

His goal was practical and radical at once. 

Eddie wanted a guitar with the power and sustain often associated with Gibson instruments, but with the look, feel, and playability of a Fender-style guitar. 

At that time, that combination was not sitting on a store wall ready to buy. He had to build it himself.

Several details explain why the Frankenstrat became a rock design standard:

• Built with factory seconds and mismatched parts instead of a clean production setup
• Designed to chase a Gibson-like sound while keeping Fender-style feel and appearance
• Spray-painted in red, black, and white stripes that became instantly recognizable
• Nicknamed “Frankenstein” because of its pieced-together construction
• Built around tone, playability, dependability, and stage function

Every detail pointed to function first. Eddie cared less about cosmetic polish and more about a guitar that responded exactly how he wanted. 

Once a custom guitar becomes part of a player’s live identity, protecting it in a proper flight case matters just as much as pickup choice, setup, and stage reliability.

That attitude helped inspire generations of players to modify their own guitars rather than treat factory instruments as finished products.

“Eruption” made the guitar sound like a machine breaking loose. “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love” showed how it could cut through hard rock riffs with bite and authority. 

During early Van Halen live performances, the guitar became part of Eddie’s image, as bold and restless as his playing.

2. Brian May’s “Red Special”

Brian May’s “Red Special” has one of rock’s most personal origin stories. 

Built by May and his father Harold beginning in 1963, the guitar took more than a year to complete. 

Rather than copy a commercial model, they created an instrument that could meet May’s own musical ideas.

May wanted a guitar that could outperform many store-bought electric guitars. His father brought engineering skill, patience, and technical thinking to the project. 

Together, they built a guitar that became inseparable with Queen’s layered, orchestral guitar sound.

Unusual materials gave the Red Special part of its identity:

• Neck wood came out of an 18th-century fireplace mantel
• Position inlays were hand-shaped using a mother-of-pearl button
• Construction began in 1963 and lasted more than a year
• Built by May and his father rather than bought or factory modified
• Used by May on every Queen album and in Queen live shows for decades

Unlike many famous guitars, the Red Special was not bought, lightly adjusted, and taken on stage. 

It was created almost entirely as a personal solution.

That matters because May’s tone did not come only through amplifiers, pedals, or studio layering. It began with an instrument built around his hands and his imagination.

Queen recordings show the guitar’s range. “Bohemian Rhapsody” uses its layered voice as part of the song’s dramatic architecture. 

“We Will Rock You” gives it a massive, singing lead tone. “Brighton Rock” displays its sustain, clarity, and ability to handle May’s melodic phrasing during extended live features.

3. Jimmy Page’s Gibson EDS-1275 Double-Neck

Jimmy Page’s Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck became the visual center of Led Zeppelin’s most theatrical live moments. 

With a 12-string neck on top and a 6-string neck below, it gave Page a way to move between delicate shimmer and heavier electric passages without changing guitars mid-song.

“Stairway to Heaven” made the instrument mythic. In the studio, guitar parts could be layered and arranged with ease. 

On stage, Page needed one instrument that could carry the song’s different sections. The double-neck made that possible, while also giving the performance a grand visual identity.

Several design details explain its stage power:

• 12-string neck placed above the 6-string neck
• Mahogany body with a cherry finish
• Custombucker pickup setup linked to its signature model details
• Strong connection to “Stairway to Heaven,” “The Song Remains the Same,” and “The Rain Song”
• Massive body shape that made it visually dominant under concert lights

Page used the guitar because it solved a live arrangement problem.

“Stairway to Heaven” needed both 12-string shimmer and 6-string force, and switching instruments mid-song would have broken the drama. EDS-1275 let Page move between textures while keeping the performance intact.

Many players later picked up double-neck guitars because Page made them look essential. 

Yet the reason it worked so well had less to do with size alone and more to do with musical purpose. It solved a practical issue while making the performance feel larger than life.

4. Prince’s “Cloud” Guitar

Prince’s “Cloud” guitar looked like it belonged only to him.

Custom-built and made famous through Purple Rain, it became part of a visual identity tied to style, confidence, sexuality, and genre-crossing musical control.

Its body shape was flowing and sculptural, with curves that felt closer to fashion and stage design than standard guitar building. 

Created by a local Minneapolis luthier, the Cloud matched Prince’s artistic world, where rock, funk, pop, soul, and theatrical performance all met in one persona.

Key details connect the Cloud guitar to Prince’s image:

• Custom-built before its Purple Rain fame
• Designed by a Minneapolis luthier
• Later reproduced by Schecter guitars
• Known for a flowing body shape that matched Prince’s stage style
• Linked strongly to 1980s performances and visual identity

Purple Rain gave the guitar a place in pop culture memory. 

When Prince held it on screen and on stage, it did more than signal that he could play guitar. It announced him as an artist with total command over sound, image, and mythology.

Songs like “Purple Rain,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and “Computer Blue” show the world that surrounded the instrument. 

Prince could use guitar heroics when he wanted, but he never treated rock guitar as a narrow tradition. 

Cloud fit that attitude because it rejected ordinary shapes and carried a sense of motion even at rest.

5. Kurt Cobain’s Fender Jag-Stang

Kurt Cobain’s Fender Jag-Stang became the anti-hero guitar of grunge. 

Designed by combining elements of his favored Fender Jaguar and Mustang, it looked awkward, jagged, and personal. That was part of the point.

Cobain sketched the idea on a napkin, and Fender Japan later brought it into production. 

Its hybrid body shape, short-scale feel, and unconventional design made it fit the early-1990s rejection of polished guitar-hero culture. Instead of sleek perfection, it offered personality, discomfort, and edge.

Important features made the Jag-Stang fit Cobain’s playing and image:

• Jaguar and Mustang hybrid concept
• Napkin-sketch origin
• Fender Japan production connection
• Short-scale feel
• Asymmetrical body shape
• Neck single-coil and bridge humbucker configuration
• Versatile sound suited to clean tension and heavy distortion

Nirvana’s music gave the guitar its meaning. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Lithium,” and “Heart-Shaped Box” were not about technical display in the old rock sense. 

They relied on tension, abrasion, melody, and distortion. A strange hybrid guitar suited that world better than a polished luxury instrument.

Cobain’s connection to the Jag-Stang also shows how custom design can reveal personality. He did not chase perfection in a traditional sense. 

He wanted a guitar that matched his instincts, habits, and discomfort with standard rock roles.

6. Jimi Hendrix’s Monterey Stratocaster

Jimi Hendrix’s Monterey Stratocaster is remembered as much for its destruction as its design. Hand-painted with psychedelic artwork, the Fender Stratocaster became part of one of the most famous stage acts in rock history.

At the Monterey Pop Festival, Hendrix ended his performance by setting the guitar on fire. He later described the act as a kind of sacrifice, connected to love for the instrument. That moment turned a painted guitar into performance art.

Several facts made the Monterey Stratocaster a lasting rock image:

• Hand-painted Fender Stratocaster used at Monterey Pop Festival
• Burned at the end of Hendrix’s performance
• Connected to his “Wild Thing” performance
• Preserved mainly through photos and film after its destruction
• Psychedelic artwork tied directly to late-1960s counterculture

Its life as an object was short, but its image became permanent. The guitar survived as a cultural image rather than a playable artifact. 

That gives it a different kind of power compared with instruments that aged through decades of touring.

Bright paint, fluid shapes, and flower-like design choices matched the atmosphere of the era. 

Hendrix already had a reputation as a guitarist who could make the Stratocaster sound explosive, vocal, and unpredictable. At Monterey, the instrument also became a ritual object.

7. Eric Clapton’s “Blackie”

Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” proves that an iconic guitar does not need visual flash.

Built using parts of three 1950s Fender Stratocasters bought at a Nashville shop in the 1970s, it became one of the most important partscaster instruments in rock and blues history.

Clapton assembled the guitar to suit his playing needs. Its plain black look gave it a quiet authority, especially when compared with striped, painted, or sharply shaped guitars. 

Blackie’s significance came through tone, touch, and years of association with Clapton’s work.

Several facts shaped Blackie’s historical value:

• Built using parts of three different 1950s Fender Stratocasters
• Origin tied to a Nashville shop purchase in the 1970s
• Main Clapton guitar for years before retirement in the mid-1980s
• Sold for $959,500 in 2004
• Auction proceeds supported Clapton’s Crossroads rehab center

For many years, Blackie carried Clapton’s Stratocaster-based blues-rock period. 

Songs like “Cocaine,” “Wonderful Tonight,” and “Lay Down Sally” placed that tone in front of huge audiences.

Blackie also helped validate the idea that parts-built guitars could become historically important. Factory originality mattered less than musical identity.

Once a player uses an instrument long enough, every scratch, adjustment, and tonal quirk becomes part of its story.

8. Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Number One” Stratocaster

Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Number One” Stratocaster looked like it had survived a fight every night. 

Vaughan called it “Number One” and also referred to it as his “First Wife,” which says a lot about the emotional weight the guitar carried.

Identified as a 1963 Fender Stratocaster fitted with a 1962 neck, the guitar became central to Vaughan’s sound and image.

It was battered through intense stage use, heavy playing, sweat, travel, and physical attack. Its damage was not cosmetic theater. It came through real work.

Key details add to the guitar’s mythic status:

• 1963 Fender Stratocaster body
• 1962 neck
• Nicknamed “Number One” and “First Wife”
• Heavy visible wear caused by years of aggressive playing
• Strong connection to Texas blues tone
• Visual identity often copied by relic-style guitars

That battle-scarred look matched Vaughan’s playing. His Texas blues style was aggressive, muscular, and emotionally direct. 

He attacked the strings with force, yet kept a vocal quality in his phrasing. 

Number One looked like the right instrument for that kind of pressure.

Songs like “Pride and Joy,” “Texas Flood,” and “Lenny” show different sides of the guitar. 

It could snarl, cry, snap, and sing. Vaughan’s explosive live performances added to its reputation, turning visible wear into a sign of authenticity.

9. B.B. King’s “Lucille”

B.B. King’s “Lucille” has one of the greatest origin stories in music. In 1949, King rescued a $30 Gibson guitar out of a burning dance hall in Arkansas. 

Later, he learned the fire had started during a fight between two men over a woman named Lucille.

After that night, King gave the name “Lucille” to his guitars. The name became a reminder never to fight over a woman and never to run into a burning building for a guitar again. 

Over time, Lucille became inseparable with King’s voice-like phrasing and elegant vibrato.

Several details make Lucille more than a single guitar:

• Name traces back to a 1949 Arkansas dance-hall fire
• Original rescued guitar cost $30
• King used the Lucille name for later guitars as well
• Gibson began manufacturing the B.B. King signature Lucille model in 1980
• Gibson Lucille design was based on ES-355 ideas
• Hollow-body and solid-body design concepts shaped its feel and tone

Lucille’s sound was not about speed or aggression. It was about phrasing, space, and emotion. King could make a single bent note feel like a full vocal line. 

That expressive approach shaped countless rock guitarists who learned that power did not always mean volume or speed.

“The Thrill Is Gone” and “Every Day I Have the Blues” show how Lucille became more than a guitar name. It became part of a musical language. Blues may be the root, but King’s influence runs through rock guitar history at every level.

10. Randy Rhoads’ Jackson “Concorde”

Randy Rhoads’ Jackson “Concorde” helped create the sharp visual language of modern metal guitars. 

Commissioned by Rhoads and nicknamed “Concorde,” it moved away from classic blues-rock shapes and pointed toward a more aggressive metal style.

Its angled body looked fast, dangerous, and futuristic. 

That silhouette matched Rhoads’ neoclassical playing style, which combined metal power with classical-influenced runs, dramatic phrasing, and technical control.

Several points explain why Concorde mattered for metal guitar design:

• Commissioned by Randy Rhoads
• Nicknamed “Concorde”
• Sharp, angled body helped define later metal guitar aesthetics
• Connected to Jackson’s rise in heavy guitar design
• Visual influence seen in later pointed metal guitars
• Designed during the early-1980s metal era

Early-1980s metal needed instruments that looked as intense as the music sounded. 

Concorde answered that need. Its body shape suggested motion, attack, and precision. 

Later pointed guitars linked to metal players carried that idea even further.

Rhoads’ work with Ozzy Osbourne gave the guitar its setting. “Crazy Train,” “Mr. Crowley,” and “Flying High Again” placed his playing in front of a new generation of hard rock and metal fans. 

His solos were technical, melodic, and dramatic, and Concorde looked like a perfect match for that style.

Closing Thoughts

Iconic custom guitars matter because they carry more than sound. 

Some custom guitars are handmade. Others are modified, damaged, painted, renamed, or built for one specific performance need.

 In every case, the instrument becomes part of the artist’s language.

Great rock guitars are not only tools. They hold stories, choices, risks, habits, and emotion. 

Long after the last note fades, their shapes, colors, scars, and names keep speaking.