Pop Against Identity! Charli XCX’s freedom to reinvent By Neil Davenport “My heritage could give me quite the USP,” sings Charli XCX on ‘SS26’, the second track on her dazzling new album, Music, Fashion, Film. It is a line grounded in truth. Charli has never traded on her mixed ethnicity for identitarian kudos. She has […]
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Linkin Park, The Smashing Pumpkins and the Ramones are going to represent alternative music on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.
The three bands are on the list of names who’ll receive stars on Los Angeles’ Hollywood Boulevard in the Recording category next year, alongside fellow musicians David Guetta, Lil Wayne, Sia, Grandmaster Flash, Marc Shaiman and Karol G.
The 2027 set of inductees, 32 in total, also includes actors Elle and Dakota Fanning, Kate Hudson, Idris Elba, Delroy Lindo and Sam Rockwell, plus Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos and comedy duo Cheech And Chong, for their contributions to film.
Actors Pedro Pascal, David Alan Grier, Adam Scott, Lisa Kudrow, Keke Palmer and Raven-Symoné, presenter Jeff Probst and writer/producer Bill Lawrence will receive stars for their contributions to TV.
Radio host Charlamagne Tha God will receive a star in the Radio category, while actor/comedian Jo Koy, dancer Roberto Bolle and Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger will be in Live Theatre/Live Performance. Race car driver Jimmie Johnson will be added to Sports Entertainment.
Peter Roth, Walk Of Fame Selection Chairman, says that “these 32 extraordinary individuals have each made a lasting impact on audiences around the world through their talent, creativity, and dedication to their craft”.
“We are honoured to recognise their remarkable contributions and look forward to celebrating them as they take their place in Hollywood history,” he adds.
Linkin Park are one of the best-selling heavy metal bands of all time, their 2000 debut album Hybrid Theory having shipped more than 32 million units worldwide. They also won Grammy Awards in 2002 and 2006. They went on hiatus in 2017, following the death of longtime lead singer Chester Bennington, but reunited with Emily Armstrong on vocals in 2024 and released their comeback album From Zero the same year.
The California band join a select list of hard rock and heavy metal acts to have a star on the walk. Kiss received one in 1999, followed by Ozzy Osbourne in 2002, Alice Cooper in 2003, Mötley Crüe in 2006 and Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash in 2012. Def Leppard had their name added to the walk last year.
The Smashing Pumpkins, founded in Chicago in 1998, have sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and also won two Grammys. Led by singer/guitarist Billy Corgan, they continue to successfully tour and record, their latest album being 2024’s Aghori Mhori Mei.
The Ramones started in New York City in 1974 and released their self-titled debut album in 1976. The album, which has been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA), was a seminal text in punk rock, inspiring the Sex Pistols, The Clash and others. They disbanded in 1996. In 2014, drummer Tommy Ramone, the last surviving member to have performed on Ramones, died aged 65.
Green Day, pop-punk superstars inspired by the Ramones, received a star on the walk of fame last year.
This week, Wacken Open Air, the world’s biggest dedicated metal festival, will descend upon the Schleswig-Holstein region of Northern Germany for four days of heavy metal heaven, celebrating its 35th anniversary with a lineup boasting over 150 bands. With headliners Def Leppard, Judas Priest and Sabaton overseeing a stacked bill, the festival announced a total sell-out last week, meaning 85,000+ metalheads will be let loose on the fesitval’s (un)holy grounds. Last year, Metal Hammer spoke to Wacken co-founder Thomas Jensen about how the idea for a fun local festival for friends ended up becoming one of the biggest annual events in the metal calendar.
When Thomas Jensen co-founded Wacken Festival in 1990, the idea was simple. Book a few bands, get some beers in, and invite some mates to have the time of their lives. Thirty-five years later, the idea is still the same, except those ‘mates’ have ballooned to 85,000 metal fans.
“It’s pretty crazy,” he admits, bristling with pride. “I can’t believe how much it’s grown.”
Growing up, Thomas became obsessed with legendary performances. Queen at Wembley Stadium; Led Zeppelin at Knebworth; Motörhead at Hammersmith. But the chances of anything like that coming to his hometown – Wacken, a small village about an hour’s drive north of Hamburg – were slim to none.
So, in 1988, Thomas flew out to Donington to attend Monsters Of Rock. Headlined by Iron Maiden and Kiss, the iconic festival only cemented Thomas’s ambitions to bring the music he loved to his hometown.
“It was incredible,” he enthuses. “During [David Lee] Roth’s set, you could see Maiden building their set and it looked amazing.”
I can’t believe how much it’s grown
Thomas Jensen
A year later, Thomas and co-founder Holger Hübner started making plans to host an event. The inaugural Wacken, held on August 24-25, 1990, had just six bands – mostly local – and attracted 800 people. This year’s four-day bill in July/August will be headlined by Guns N’ Roses, Machine Head, Gojira and Papa Roach, with a crowd of 85,000.
The festival might attract seasoned headliners, but Thomas also wants to give established bands a chance to step up. Last year, they showed they were ahead of the curve by getting Korn to headline (they close Download and top the bill at Hellfest this year). Now, Papa Roach will be the next nu metal stars to get the bump up to headliner status in the 2020s.
“Papa Roach is a great one for us,” Thomas says. “The team have been wanting them for a long time, so we’re really happy that they’re finally confirmed. We also got Gojira before they’d even got the invite for the Olympics. I had no idea they were doing it; I’d been doing interviews, and had the TV on with a cup of tea and the sound off. All of a sudden I saw this strange thing – ‘Hey, that looks like a metal band… Holy shit, Gojira at the Olympics!’ I had to crank up the volume. I think it’s great.”
Over the last three decades, many bands have risen through Wacken’s ranks. Amon Amarth first played the festival in 1999 on one of the small stages. Last year, they headlined to the sight of 85,000 fans rowing in a field. When Jinjer played in 2019, their early morning slot opening the Louder stage attracted an enormous crowd that confirmed the colossal buzz around the Ukrainian band. They returned in 2023 to an even bigger crowd on one of the festival’s two main stages.
In 2004, Wacken established the Metal Battle, which invites bands from around the world to compete and earn a chance to play at the festival. And with eight stages plus sideshow entertainment, there are many other international acts in the mix – Indian nu metallers Bloodywood planned their first overseas tour around a set there in 2019.
“That’s our duty; to push the boundaries a bit,” Thomas says. “This year we’ve got Hanabie coming from Japan, Skynd coming from Australia. If you’d told me we would get these kinds of bands in 1990… It’s great just how diverse the scene is now. The beauty of a festival is being able to put all those kinds of bands together and have people discover new things as they walk by a stage.”
The Wacken site is now so large, it also takes over the neighbouring villages of Gribbohm, Bokelrehm and Holstenniendorf. It includes a post-apocalyptic-themed area called the Wasteland – complete with performers in Mad Max-style gear called the Wasteland Warriors – and a medieval village called Wackinger. There’s a farmer’s market, an outdoor swimming pool and a full metal church.
As Wacken’s profile has grown, multiple documentaries have been made – and screened – at the festival. Meanwhile, the 2024 metal comedy Heavier Trip is all about the protagonists’ journey to play there.
Thomas has seen the scene weather ups and downs, with interest in metal rising and falling – but he’s excited about the state it’s in at the moment. With bands such as Sleep Token and Ghost landing No.1 albums, there’s an influx of fans.
Things are so much healthier now for the metal scene
Thomas Jensen
“There’s a lot of great festivals out there now, and I’m glad to see the development of places like Bloodstock or even some of the smaller independent festivals,” he says. “I remember when I managed Saxon [Thomas looked after the NWOBHM legends from 2000- 2016], we’d only be able to put on shows in Wolverhampton and London, that’d pretty much be it. Things are so much healthier now for the metal scene than at the beginning of the century, let’s put it that way.”
Next summer, Wacken celebrates its 35th birthday, having missed a couple of years to Covid. According to Thomas, it’ll be the biggest one yet.
“It’s going to be great,” Thomas says with a smile. “The whole point of the festival was to put on a party with our mates and listen to the music we love – and we’re still doing it.”
Wacken Open Air 2026 takes place from July 29 to August 1. For the full line-up, visit the official Wacken Open Air Website.
Cartel have announced the details of their first full length album since 2013, and they are picking up right where they left off.
Titled ‘Learning How To Cope’, it will be released on September 18 via Field Day Records.
Vocalist Will Pugh had this to say about the contents of the record:
“This music saved me. It helped me reconnect with empathy, with community and with the idea that everybody belongs. That ethos – honesty, openness, and taking care of your people – is what this record is built on. It feels different, but it still feels like Cartel.”
And the artwork is looking a little something like this:
The band have also shared two new tracks that are set to appear on the album.
The first is ‘Shirts & Skins, a wonderfully heavy piece of modern pop-punk that probes at the abject state of things on the streets right now, written in the wake of the ICE raids took place in Minneapolis.
Will had this to add about the subject matter:
“We’re way past the point of being able to sit back and just provide the safe space that people can go andget away from everything. Society has been doing that long enough and not having difficult conversations – and that’s just kind of over. If you’re not going to say something now, when are you ever going to fucking say something?”
And the second is ‘Deadbeat Drag’, a quintessential piece of damning storytelling that leaves the claws firmly out.
The band are also set to support State Champs across the US later this year. Here are all the dates:
NOVEMBER
05 – ALLENTOWN Archer Music Hall
06 – BUFFALO Riverworks
07 – INDIANAPOLIS Deluxe @ Old National Centre
08 – ST. LOUIS The Pageant
10 – DALLAS Echo Lounge
12 – PHOENIX The Van Buren
13 – LAS VEGAS Brooklyn Bowl
14 – RIVERSIDE Riverside Municipal Auditorium
15 – SACRAMENTO Ace of Spades
17 – PORTLAND Roseland Theater
18 – SEATTLE The Showboat
20 – SALT LAKE CITY Rockwell at The Complex
21 – DENVER Summit Music Hall
23 – DAVENPORT Capitol Theatre
24 – LOUISVILLE Mercury Ballroom
25 – COLUMBUS Newport Music Hall
27 – SAYREVILLE Starland Ballroom
29 – BALTIMORE Nevermore Hall
DECEMBER
01 – RICHMOND The National
03 – NASHVILLE Brooklyn Bowl
05 – ST. PETERSBURG Jannus Live
06 – ORLANDO House of Blues
The post Cartel Announce New Album ‘Learning How To Cope’, First In 13 Years appeared first on Rock Sound.
23rd July 2025
Support: Tender Vendetta, Blanco Negra
Photos: Tim Finch Photography
We look back at the epic Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts show through the eyes of our photographer Tim Finch!
Photo credits: Tim Finch Photography
For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.
The post Live Gallery: Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts – Wolverhampton appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
23rd July 2026
Support: Tender Vendetta, Blanco Negra
Words & Photos: Tim Finch
Thursday nights are not usually reserved for unfiltered rock and roll, but those good people at KK’s Steel Mill had other ideas, with Georgia’s Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts bringing their brand of swaggering, high-energy rock to Wolverhampton, backed by support from Blanco Negra and Tender Vendetta. It’s an occasion for KK’s big room tonight, purely as the Lounge is otherwise occupied, but the huge stage gave each band the chance to really strut their stuff.
Blanco Negra had the task of getting the crowd moving early, and they wasted little time in doing exactly that. The Black Country three piece opened with the punchy ‘Wild and Crazy’, immediately establishing their upbeat hard rock credentials before rolling into ‘(You Set My) Heart on Fire’
The middle of the set kept the momentum high. Sunshine Girl’ brought a welcome melodic lift, while ‘Nothing’s Going To Stop Me Now’ delivered the kind of feel-good anthem that had heads nodding throughout the venue. Closing with the recently released ‘Hard Cold Lover’, Blanco Negra left a lasting impression adding a pink twist to their impressive sound.. While many in attendance had arrived for Tuk Smith, Blanco Negra ensured they earned plenty of new admirers.
With only six songs to make an impression, Tender Vendetta wasted no time getting down to business. Opening with ‘Kamikaze Love’, the Wolverhampton outfit immediately injected a shot of energy into KK’s Steel Mill, delivering a set packed with attitude. They may have been one of two support acts for Tuk Smith, but they approached the evening like it was their own headline show.
The momentum continued through ‘Daisy Chain’ and the brooding ‘Drown’, their performance tight throughout. A spirited cover of The Beatles’ ‘Helter Skelter’ proved to be a smart choice, taking the classic and giving it a heavier, dirtier punch that fitted naturally alongside their own material.
Closing with ‘I’ll Do Me’ and ‘Life’s A Bitch’, Tender Vendetta finished on a high, leaving the audience warmed up and fully engaged ahead of the night’s main event. Their stage presence continues to grow with every performance, and the chemistry between the band members is becoming increasingly apparent, a band destined for bigger things.
KK’s Steel Mill is built for rock’n’roll, and Tuk Smith & The Restless Hearts arrived in Wolverhampton with to make the venue feel like home. Tuk wasted no time in delivering exactly that, stepping out with the confidence of a frontman who knows how to command a room and a band that clearly understands the power of a great live show.
From the opening moments they played with a raw, relentless energy. The set moved between swaggering rockers and more melodic moments without ever losing momentum, with Smith throwing himself into every song. There was banter between tracks, Tuk happy to return to Wolverhampton, even joking with one attendee “didn’t I dance with you last time? Didn’t you grab my ass?”
Tuk Smith has a clear affection for the classic ingredients of rock music, but the songs never felt like exercises in nostalgia. There was a sense of urgency running through the entire set, with the band sounding hungry and determined. The Restless Hearts brought the muscle, Smith brought the charisma, and together they created a set that was as much about connection as it was volume.
Photo credits: Tim Finch
For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.
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Look, I’ll freely admit that I listen to and love some truly pretentious death metal. Hell, I ranked Ingurgitating Oblivion’s last album as my seventh favorite in 2024, and that album has its head so far up its ass that it popped back out of its neckhole while shrinking its spine into a Jimothy monster. The world, however, requires balance. I need music that’s barely graduated elementary school as much as I need the PhDs in my life. Minneapolis’ Nothingness is here to say “fuck school!” and beat you with a textbook rather than read it.
“Skull Evulsion” is our most primitive effort that spends most of its time going at a relatively feral speed and sports a fantastic echoing BLEGH right when you need it. “Trenchant Glunch” starts with a stuttering beatdown before firing off some wonderfully violent and layered tremolos supported by potent blasts, along with a breakdown that has a rather delightful bit of a bounce to it. The aptly titled “Incredible Violence” marches through your ears with a militant start but unloads the album’s best strut-savy riff around the one-minute mark. “Umbral Spear” spends a few second being fancy with a synth, but that small moment of breathing room makes churning guitar work all the more impactful when it returns. The guest lead on that track is also a nice touch.
Truly, vocalist Barclay Olson is the star of the show. He consistently switches up what he’s doing add a lot of flavor to each song. He has some strong bellow and raspy highs, but he gets downright vomitous at times. The layered vocal outro on “Incredible Violence” sounds like someone falling into a hellvoid; He’ll intentionally reduce enunciation to get these gnarly sounds like he’s choking on his own vomit; and my favorite moment is late on “Trenchant Glunch” when it sounds like someone is shoving a wad of cotton balls down his throat like this Godzilla gif:
Where Nothingness struggles a bit is trying to reach beyond their strengths. Three of these nine tracks float around the seven-minute mark. Closer “Novus Hegemonikon” is the best of the three. It opens with some bongos and wooden frog instrument sounds to set the stage that we’re shifting toward the end. From there, the song effectively builds on itself and continues to bring some new, but not outlandish or ill-fitting elements and ideas into the fold. The practice of a slightly longer closer that tries some new things is a well-practiced approach across metal and works quite well here. “Vanquishing Providence” and “Divine Irresponsibility,” on the other hand, don’t work quite so well, in no small part because they are sat right next to each other in the middle of the album. Neither song is offensive on its own, but they have similar tempo swings and neither one really comes across like a particularly cohesive song that justifies its length; they each feel like some cool parts sewn together and that makes the middle of the album drag a little bit. Godslaughter is not ruined by this, but the experience is dampened a bit.
I guess what I would say is, there’s no need for these boys to be reaching for an associate’s degree when crafting their next album. Sure, audit a few classes and weave in those learnings a bit here and there with songs like the closer, but Nothingess is most impactful when they’re tearing up high school diplomas and smooshing faces into goo on the playground to make their album art.
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