Some bands mellow with age – but not thrash icons Slayer

Taylor Swift’s “I Knew It, I Knew You” brings warmth, nostalgia, and country charm to the “Toy Story 5” soundtrack in a heartfelt new song.

The post Taylor Swift Finds the Heart of ‘Toy Story’ in ‘I Knew It, I Knew You’ — Song Review appeared first on Audio Ink Radio.

REVIEW BY ALI WILLIAMS Opening night is where a tour discovers whether months of planning have produced a finely tuned live show or merely several adults standing beneath expensive lights, hoping everybody remembers the same arrangements. The Superjesus chose Brisbane’s The Triffid to open their national Jet Age 25th Anniversary Tour, performing the album in […]

Watch “Poison” HERE! https://youtu.be/Of3zuRnXivo

ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD has unleashed an epic and cinematic reimagining of ALICE COOPER‘s iconic track “Poison“. This release sees the symphonic progressive metal ensemble join forces with Los Angeles based symphonic/melodic metal band, ANTHEA. 

The alluring gothic mood of “Poison” is enhanced through ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD’s immersive musical arrangement. Intensity arises from the ferocious heaviness of the metal instrumentation while orchestral and synth layers sculpt an enveloping atmosphere. Haunting harmonies and technical prowess on display from ANTHEA’s vocalists Diego Valadez, Juna Pina, Astrid Anaya, and Mel Del Real elevate the track with a touch of the ethereal. 

ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD honor the character and impact of the original song while infusing the arrangement their own distinctive compositional qualities. Produced by ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD, “Poison” was recorded at Counter Communications with engineering, mixing and mastering by Chris Wirsig. The track’s cover art was created by JD McGibney.

About ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD:

Based out of Los Angeles, CA, ANGELSON THE BATTLEFIELD began as a side project for guitarist JD McGibney (ex-VOODOO KUNGFU) before augmenting to a full line-up in 2021. Alongside McGibney, the instrumental symphonic progressive metal band is now comprised of Jason Klein on bass (ex-BUTCHER BABIES), Eddie Trager on drums (ex-NEKROGOBLIKON) and Chris Wirsig on keyboards (award winning TV and film composer).

The ethos of the band is to empower listeners through music, to assist individuals who are fighting on their own battlefields and to help them find courage. ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD strive to improve awareness of and discourse around mental illness through the power of heavy metal.

The band made their live debut at the 2022 “This Is My Brave” mental health fundraiser, where the band helped to raise around $30,000 to donate to local Los Angeles mental health charities.

2024 saw ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD open for Taiwanese folk metal artist NiNi at her debut USA headline show in November of 2024. In the following year, the quartet embarked on their debut headline West Coast tour across October/November of 2025.

In 2025, ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD’s 2024 single release “Modern Prometheus” was long listed in the 2025 GRAMMY Awards in three categories: Best Metal Performance, Best Instrumental Composition and Best Arrangement – Instrumental or A Capella. Additionally, “Modern Prometheus” was nominated in the Hollywood Independent Music Awards in 2025.

Following the band’s haunting interpretation of “Phantom of the Opera” featuring guitarist Eli Santana (IGNITE, ex-HUNTRESS, ex-HOLY GRAIL), ANGELS ON THE BATTLEFIELD deliver untamable power in the new single “Poison” featuring ANTHEA. 

Official Website: https://onthewingsofdragons.com/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AngelsOnTheBattlefieldBand/ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/angels_on_the_battlefield/ 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@angelsonthebattlefield 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aotbband

Source: C Squared Music

I first listened closely to Jared James Nichols‘s music back in 2018. He was the special guest on the L.A. Guns tour, which brought them to Leiden in The Netherlands. Back then, it was already impressive what the singer/guitarist brought to the stage, and the audience’s enthusiastic reaction spoke volumes. Eight years later, Nichols is… Continue Reading →

The post Denny Blair Waiting On The World To Change (No More Waiting) Review appeared first on Edgar Allan Poets – Noir Rock Band.

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Voivod has never been a band that does things the conventional way, so it’s no surprise that their latest release, Symphonique, pairs four decades of dystopian prog-thrash with a full symphony orchestra. The live album captures the third of three orchestral shows the band performed, recorded last summer with the Quebec Symphony Orchestra in Quebec City. Drummer Michel “Away” Langevin spoke to Rodrigo Altaf about how the project came together, what’s next for the band, and why playing with an orchestra is beautiful, nerve-wracking, and everything in between.

The song selection for Symphonique was deliberate. Away says the band gravitated toward tracks with a more progressive rock approach, ones built around multiple movements rather than straightforward thrash. “We sort of stayed away from the really trashy stuff,” he said, “although we kept from the first album, ‘Nuclear War,’ because we thought it could sound like a very scary military march with an orchestra.” They also chose to include Syd Barrett‘s “Astronomy Domine,” which Away says “turned out very good.” The overarching framework was cinematic. “We figured the order of the songs to make it sound like a soundtrack for a movie or something like that.”

Arranging those songs for orchestra fell largely to Hugo Bégin, working in close collaboration with guitarist Daniel “Chewy” Mongrain, who teaches jazz at the college level and brought substantial chart knowledge to the sessions.

“He was the one giving cues to the arranger,” Away explained. “Ideas like, let’s say, the band could stop there, the orchestra could keep going, and then Snake could sing alone with the orchestra.” For his own part, Away fed the arranger a very specific sonic vision: “I really wanted it to sound like a dystopian movie, mainly influenced by the early cyberpunk movies like Mad Max, Blade Runner, Terminator. And I also mentioned Planet of the Apes, because they had some avant-garde music mixed with the soundtrack. As soon as I heard the orchestrator’s first demos, I immediately felt like I was in a sci-fi movie.”

Many of Voivod‘s songs were already drawing from modern composers like Shostakovich, Bartók, and Penderecki long before the orchestra showed up, which helped make the pairing feel earned rather than grafted on. “It might seem like a strange match for many people,” Away acknowledged, “but it was more organic and natural than people would think.”

The process took about two years from song selection to stage, and playing the material live with a full orchestra brought its own unique pressure. “As a drummer, it was especially stressful,” Away said, “because if I miss one beat or one bar, the whole orchestra gets lost.” He also had to stay locked in visually with conductor Dina Gilbert, who developed cues with the band throughout the process. “There are many breaks where we have to look at each other, and then we start again.” By the third concert, the Quebec City show that ended up being recorded, the nerves had settled enough for Away to actually enjoy it.

The orchestral setup also meant Voivod had to think differently about who was holding the reins at any given moment. Songs like “Forgotten in Space” and “Cosmic Drama” open with the orchestra alone before the band enters, and the arrangements throughout are built to give both sides real sonic space. “We couldn’t go crazy with rearranging every single part,” Away said, “but we really wanted the songs to be different than the originals, while keeping the strange vibe of Voivod‘s music.”

One dimension of the show that remains locked in the vault for now is the visual component. Away put significant work into the stage visuals, supplying original artwork that was animated by multiple artists in a range of styles, from traditional 2D to 3D CGI, with some AI animation in the mix. “The only problem is it made for a very fantastic experience for the public, but to film it and release it on Blu-ray or DVD was really out of our range financially.” A video release could still happen: Voivod has a symphonic show planned for January in Saguenay, the northern Quebec city where the band formed in 1983, this time with the local orchestra. “Maybe we can film this one,” Away said, hopefully.

The artwork for Symphonique is Away‘s own, depicting Voivod‘s recurring alien protagonist, the Kögel, recast in the image of the Phantom of the Opera. “It’s like a Kögel turning into the Kögel of the opera,” he said. Chewy pushed for warm, luminous colors over the cold palette Away had initially explored, a choice that reflects the visual spectacle of the shows themselves. “I got the vinyl copies a couple of weeks ago, and it looks really amazing.”

Beyond Symphonique, Away laid out a formidable list of active projects. A new studio album is in progress, recorded in stretches of three songs at a time around the band’s touring schedule at Radical Studio, where they’ve been working for over a decade. Three songs are already tracked, with more planned for the fall. The album is a concept record with the Kögel returning as a central figure, and Away says the symphonic experience has bled directly into the writing. “It might sound a bit like a dystopian movie soundtrack, hopefully.” He put the release window for late next year.

Also in the pipeline: a video game called Nuclear Warrior, built around late-1980s and early-1990s arcade aesthetics with Chewy adapting Voivod music into 8-bit format; a long-awaited documentary called We Are Connected, which has finally cleared its music rights; and a reissue campaign covering the band’s self-titled album and both Catharsis and Infini from the Jason Newsted years. Further down the road, Away is still hoping to release material from the Eric Forrest era, including a concept album that was demoed in the late 1990s and professional multi-camera footage from the Dynamo festival circa 1995-1996. “That’s a dream of mine,” he said.

On the lyrical side, Away noted that Snake‘s writing has shifted away from distant science fiction scenarios toward present-day subject matter, though the line between the two keeps blurring. “The science fiction is here, and it has caught up with the Voivod concept for sure.”

Voivod heads to Europe for a run of shows in June, July, and August, with a return to the United States in October and a potential Canadian run in September under consideration. The set list for the touring cycle has been significantly refreshed, Away said, with songs the band hasn’t played live in decades making the cut. For a band with a back catalogue too large to pull even one song from every album, that counts as a serious event.

Symphonique is out now. Grab your copy here.

The post MICHEL “AWAY” LANGEVIN Talks Inception Of VOIVOD’s Live Album “Symphonique”, Reveals Their Upcoming Record Is Well Underway: “It Might Sound A Bit Like A Dystopian Movie” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Wild Thing is one of the most covered songs of all time – but it very nearly vanished into obscurity

It’s hard enough to walk away when it’s familiar

I saw the cost in your eyes of all my failures

We found a bond in the beauty of a flame

Stood in together but it didn’t burn the same 

Parasocial love is the bargain-bin séance of modern fame: strangers staring into the glass, inventing a person from fragments, then getting offended when the real one has bones, bills, bad moods, and a private life. They think they know your motives, your secrets, your breakfast, the shape of your loneliness. They imagine being you, being near you, being chosen by you, until the fantasy becomes a little apartment with no doors. The cruel joke is that all this imagined closeness creates distance. Everyone feels intimate, nobody is touched, and the room gets colder.

Stare Away’s video for Familiar takes this heartache into poignant territory: telling the story of how the camera can be a trap, a lover, a heckler, and possibly a union grievance filed by your own nervous system. Directed by Brooklyn’s Gabriel Stanley, the clip takes Ben Nelson’s bright, synth-heavy ache and throws it into a room full of hands, bodies, stares, and theatrical trouble.

Nelson, the New York City artist behind Stare Away, sings straight into the lens with the dazed concentration of a man trying to finish a thought while being spiritually repossessed. Around him, disembodied arms drag, clutch, adore, and interfere, the kind of devotion that looks flattering until it starts feeling like a very bad meet-and-greet. The video’s central gag, if you can call emotional suffocation a gag, is that the artist becomes the audience’s object, pulled through the machinery of attention while still expected to look good under practical lighting. Show business remains undefeated, and possibly sticky.

The song itself, from the upcoming album In Absence, due July 31 via A La Carte Records, carries a dark elegance: the synths shine hard, the bass drives with purpose, and Nelson’s thundering voice tugs our heartstrings. There is a heartfelt power in the vocal and melody that recalls the Scottish band Lowlife, that same wide-open ache where post-punk grandeur meets bruised romantic confession. Familiar is about the last words that never quite arrive, and the private aftermath of a bond that once felt sacred but could no longer hold its heat.

The lyrics circle the difficulty of leaving something known, even after love has become damaged by failure, silence, and uneven devotion. Images of an open-window song, a needle spinning beside an empty room, and a sanctuary turned into a house of sighs give the track its wounded center: the question of whether someone will keep dancing alone, or find another body to share the memory with.

“I felt something very heavy when recording the opening riff, it had a much larger story to tell,” says Ben Nelson. “The moment I knew where the bass guitar was going to drive and where the melodies would rest, it brought a balance I needed at the time.”

In the video, the forced perspective gives it a funhouse intimacy, making the viewer complicit in all the grabbing and gawking that ensues. Performers keep hauling their deepest wounds onto stages and screens, which can be cathartic in the way surgery is cathartic: messy, necessary, and best handled with decent lighting. People connect to it, truly – but parasocial devotion takes that gift and stuffs it into a souvenir cup. The artist bleeds; the crowd applauds, projects, assumes, diagnoses, and sends heart emojis like tiny invoices. Everyone claims intimacy, while genuine reciprocation stays scarce. The performer gives a diary entry, a nerve ending. Mostly, though, they receive mirrors held by strangers who love their own reflections.

“One of the great things about Ben’s music and Familiar, in particular, is the driving nature of the arrangements,” says director Gabriel Stanley. “I wanted to explore a forced perspective and thought it would be really interesting to flip the idea of parasocial relationships on its head, giving the viewer a look from the eyes of the artist instead of how it’s normally portrayed…Real fans, practical lighting, and old school camera moves with modern lenses felt like a great way to set the tone for anyone hearing the song for the first time while watching this video.”

By the time Nelson reaches the stage, Familiar has turned heartbreak into a public event, which is probably why pop music exists and why therapists keep calendars.

Watch the video below:

Stare Away’s new album In Absence is out on July 31, 2026, via A La Carte Records. Listen to the previous single Parting Ways below, and order the album here.

Stare Away will be taking the show on the road this summer with Casket Cassette. Tickets on sale here.

• July 25 — Phoenix, AZ — Valley Bar
• July 26 — Houston, TX — White Oak Music Hall
• July 29 — San Antonio, TX — Paper Tiger
• July 30 — McAllen, TX — The Gremlin
• July 31 — Dallas, TX — TX Tea Room
• August 1 — Atlanta, GA — The Earl
• August 3 — Washington, DC — Pie Shop
• August 5 — Philadelphia, PA — PhilaMOCA
• August 6 — New York, NY — Nightclub 101
• August 7 — Chicago, IL — Downstairs @ Subterranean
• August 12 — Minneapolis, MN — 7th St. Entry
• August 13 — Denver, CO — Skylark
• August 15 — Salt Lake City, UT — Kilby Court
• August 16 — Seattle, WA — Black Lodge
• August 18 — Portland, OR — Holocene
• August 19 — San Francisco, CA — Killowatt

Follow Stare Away:

• Instagram
• YouTube
• TikTok
• Bandcamp

The post “In the Beauty of a Flame” — NYC’s Stare Away Sings of Doomed Romance and Parasocial Devotion in Video for “Familiar” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.