Category: news

Sleep Token’s third album, 2023’s Take Me Back To Eden, has been officially certified platinum by the RIAA — and it arrives with a footnote that says more about the band than the plaque does. It’s the first platinum album in the long history of Spinefarm Records, the label that has been putting out heavy music since 1990. The masked, anonymous London collective also picked up a gold certification for The Summoning on the same day, capping a record that has now passed two billion global streams.

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A faceless band from London just handed a decades-old metal label its first ever platinum record — Scott Penfold unpacks the Sleep Token platinum milestone and what it says about where heavy music is heading on tomorrow’s Metal Breakdown Daily. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and stream the broadcast now.

The Numbers Behind The Plaque

Take Me Back To Eden was released on May 19, 2023 via Spinefarm, closing out the trilogy Sleep Token built on the label alongside 2019’s Sundowning and 2021’s This Place Will Become Your Tomb. Those three records established the whole apparatus — the mystique, the lore, the fanbase that treats a release like scripture — and Eden is where it detonated.

Two billion global streams later, the RIAA has made it official. The Summoning, the track that became the band’s crossover moment and the entry point for a huge slice of the current fanbase, is now certified gold alongside it.

For Spinefarm, a label with a catalogue stretching back more than three decades of heavy music, this is the first release to reach platinum status. That’s a genuinely remarkable line item — and it belongs to a band whose members have never shown their faces.

Certification Is A Lagging Indicator, And This Proves It

Here’s the thing worth sitting with. Take Me Back To Eden came out over three years ago. In the time since, Sleep Token have gone from a cult concern to arena headliners with two sold-out U.S. tours, released a chart-topping follow-up, and picked up Grammy nominations. The platinum plaque is arriving well after the cultural moment it’s measuring.

That’s how RIAA certification works in heavy music. Sales and streaming thresholds accumulate quietly while the band’s actual trajectory moves at a completely different speed, and a certification announcement is often the first time the industry formally acknowledges something the audience settled two years earlier. Anyone who watched the Sleep Token phenomenon build in real time knew Eden had crossed over long before a certification body said so.

Which makes today’s news less a surprise and more a receipt.

Also Recommended – Every Sleep Token Album Ranked Worst To Best (One Clearly Stands Above The Rest)

What Sleep Token Have Done Since

The band’s fourth album, Even In Arcadia, landed May 9, 2025 via RCA Records, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, and stayed on the chart for 36 consecutive weeks. It was certified gold by the RIAA in January 2026.

It also delivered the band’s first Grammy nominations at the 68th Grammy Awards — Best Metal Performance for Emergence and Best Rock Song for Caramel. Drummer II picked up his first Grammy outright for his featured performance on Yungblud’s Changes (Live From Villa Park).

The Even In Arcadia campaign was backed by Sleep Token’s first-ever sold-out U.S. arena tour, a run that would have seemed absurd to predict when Sundowning came out in 2019.

Also – Sleep Token Members DECODED: 13 Facts That Finally Explain Vessel, The Cult, and The Real Story

Anonymity At Platinum Scale

None of this should work. Sleep Token formed in London in 2016 and perform entirely in cloaks and masks. Only two members — singer and multi-instrumentalist Vessel and drummer II — are credited with playing or writing anything across all four albums. The band barely does press. There is no frontman doing morning radio, no viral interview clips, no personality-driven promo cycle.

And they just gave a three-decade-old metal label its first platinum album.

That’s the part worth chewing on. In an era where artist identity is supposedly the whole product, the biggest crossover success modern heavy music has produced belongs to a group nobody can identify. If you want the full backstory on the lore, the masks, and how the Cult of Sleep actually functions, our complete Sleep Token breakdown goes deep on all of it.

Check Out – Sleep Token Lore Explained: What The Band Actually Reveals — And What It Doesn’t

TL;DR

• Sleep Token’s Take Me Back To Eden has been certified platinum by the RIAA
• It is the first platinum album in Spinefarm Records’ history
• The single The Summoning was certified gold at the same time
• The album was released May 19, 2023 and has surpassed two billion global streams
• Follow-up Even In Arcadia hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2025, spent 36 consecutive weeks on the chart, and went gold in January 2026
• The band earned their first Grammy nominations for Emergence and Caramel, while drummer II won a Grammy for his feature on a Yungblud track

FAQ

A faceless band just handed a 35-year-old metal label its first platinum record — say what you want about Sleep Token, that is a genuinely historic thing to pull off. Where does Take Me Back To Eden rank for you against Even In Arcadia? Let us know in the comments, and follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Sleep Token’s Take Me Back To Eden Goes Platinum, Becoming The First Platinum Album In Spinefarm Records’ Entire History appeared first on Loaded Radio.

M. Shawn Crahan, aka Slipknot percussionist and founding father Clown, has launched an intriguing new side project, O’ Day Monster, sharing the AI-created video for debut single Un Life.

At present, there are no more details about the project, but Crahan explains its origins by stating, “I wanted to create the spaceship I could drive with my words.”

As with previous Crahan side projects, O’ Day Monster share precious little musical DNA with Slipknot.

The 56-year-old Iowa-born musician’s latest musical venture has emerged in tandem with the launch of a new one-stop online portal, theclown.com, featuring links to Crahan’s various side-projects, his podcast The Electric Theater, and his whiskey brand lipknot No. 9 Iowa Whiskey.

In an introduction to the website posted in a section labelled Thoughts, Crahan explains why he has launched the site, and says, “I can’t wait to go down this wormhole and share thoughts with you about vision and one’s self, concentrated on output.”

His introduction in full reads:

“Welcome everyone, to the new home of all my artistic endeavors. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know it’s been a challenge to get the .com to a place where I feel I can contemplate, and present, all my creative memories caught with one brush – or several brushes combined. And yes, sometimes there’s no brush that can express the deep inner self.

“It’s been difficult for me to share all these expressions of mine, mainly because of time. With that said, I believe I’m at a crossing where my heart is telling me to share the life I have lived. It’s been an incredible journey so far, and I need to utilize some time and get busy now, to reveal all that has been hidden behind the curtain. Forms and brushes, like fingerpainting when I was young.

“My mother and I shared the love of writing; she encouraged me to write exactly how I truly felt. And to revise, revise, revise so the work could be it’s truest self. Then there’s painting, drawing, performing, directing, producing, single frames, moving frames, Polaroids, scans, 3-D animation, AI images, coding, level creation for video games, recording my songs in Pro Tools, using plugins to expand my experience, exploring gear, connecting dots, and my newest path – modular synths controlled voltage, frequency, vibration and circuitry. There’s much, much more to find and explore in the lane known as my life. It’s time to grab it all, and move it to it’s new home, here at the .com.

“This is where you get the unedited me. The no-filtered me. The no-paraphrasing me; you’ll get no lies from me. Just the racing thoughts of imagination that make their way to some sort of canvas or canvases, time-stamped and put here, in it’s resting place.

“As always, it’s going to be a great while before it’ll all be up, if indeed it can be put up. It takes a lot of work, but that’s what’s next – the time to explore all this together. I can’t wait to go down this wormhole and share thoughts with you about vision and one’s self, concentrated on output.

“I was told once I was like a Renaissance artist, meaning I would do a little bit of all of it, and that’s exactly what I’ve done with my life. Make the love I have for art be the introduction to creating further interests. This has been my personal hobby to create, calculate, and then demand output. You can use all methods, old and new. I’ve come to learn to utilize fear and misunderstanding to dig so deep within my own ability to conjure the scratch. To dream about shedding a tear because of the depth of the subconscious, and the ultimate need to then bring it to life – to feed the knowledge and hopefully set forth a possible understanding that brings lives together, or apart.

“One last thing before I am done here. Check out my new project called O’ Day Monster on the feature page here. I’ve entered a time in my life where I wanted to create something I could conduct and drive, with words. I wanted to create the spaceship I could drive with my words. I’ve always wanted to have someone sing my words with the conviction that the subject matter demanded. Many close friends and I came together to help bring the battle of “me against me” to life. This has been my suffering, and salvation, my entire life. You know, the “I’m my own worst enemy” kind of situation. I am very blessed to have several friends who believe in me, the music, and my words enough to bring all this new color to life to taste and smell. To hold and connect with.

“Either way, the choice is yours. I just know I’ve never had a choice – in the end, it just simply is me. And I want it to find those to whom it speaks, those who take something from it. I hope you enjoy this world I’ve created. Maybe the feeling you get when you arrive is an internal feeling. One that feels like you’ve been here before. Familiarity would be nice. So explore, and hopefully I’ll see you somewhere here beneath all the shadows.

“To all that helped bring my art, my vision, and my scratch to life: Thank you with all my heart. I hope you all enjoy what we have put together for you. It’s not much yet, but it will keep expanding outwards – until it is no more.

“Until then, ‘Enjoy, thank you, and live your life’.”

Watch the video for Un Life below.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE




Massachusetts Thrash/Death Metal Force Maidenhead Unleash New Album Maximum Clonage August 14 Featuring Randy Burns, Chris Poland, Glen Drover, and Rich Gray


FOR FANS OF: Megadeth, Sodom, Death
Massachusetts and Rhode Island thrash/death metal powerhouse Maidenhead is set to unleash its crushing sophomore full-length album, Maximum Clonage , on August 14, 2026 . Independently released, the record marks the band’s most ambitious and technically accomplished work to date, combining the relentless speed of classic thrash with the precision, atmosphere, and brutality of old-school death metal.
Mixed by legendary producer Randy Burns , whose iconic résumé includes work with Megadeth, Death, Nuclear Assault, Kreator, and Possessed, Maximum Clonage delivers a massive production that perfectly complements Maidenhead’s razor-sharp riffing, intricate songwriting, and uncompromising aggression.
The album also boasts an impressive lineup of guest musicians from some of metal’s most respected acts. Former Megadeth guitarist Chris Poland delivers a blistering guest solo on “Kill Or Be Killed,” while former Megadeth and King Diamond guitarist Glen Drover tears into “False Masked Hero.” Adding further firepower, Rich Gray of Annihilator performs bass on six of the album’s eight tracks.
“Maximum Clonage is a big step forward from Maidenhead’s first release, Decapitation Of A Maiden, in terms of songwriting, technicality, performance and presentation and will keep the listener on their toes,” says guitarist and primary songwriter Zack Roberts .
Founded in 2013, Maidenhead has steadily built a reputation throughout the underground with a sound rooted in the traditions of Megadeth, Slayer, Morbid Angel, and Death while carving out an identity all their own. Since the release of their debut album, Decapitation Of A Maiden , the band has shared stages with respected names including Artillery, D.R.I., Prong, Pyrexia, Deceased, and Blood Feast , while expanding their touring footprint across the East Coast before successfully completing their first California tour in 2025.
Maximum Clonage also introduces guitarist Vance Simmons and vocalist Zeping “Bella” Song on their first full-length studio performances with the band, showcasing a refreshed lineup firing on all cylinders.
The album follows the successful release of the singles “Death March” and “Magia Obscura,” both of which offered fans an early taste of the band’s evolution toward a more dynamic, technical, and devastating sound.
Track Listing

1.Enter the Killing Floor
2.Maximum Clonage
3.False Masked Hero
4.Death March
5.Kill Or Be Killed
6.Magia Obscura
7.Burst Stream of Destruction
8.Hasta La Proxima
Featured Guests

Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth) – Guest guitar solo on “Kill Or Be Killed” Glen Drover (ex-Megadeth, ex-King Diamond) – Guest guitar solo on “False Masked Hero”
Rich Gray (Annihilator) – Session bass on Tracks 2 through 7
The visual presentation of Maximum Clonage is equally ambitious, featuring seven unique pieces of artwork centered around the band’s gas mask-wearing mascot, Nada , navigating the dystopian world of the album. Cover art and most illustrations were created by Yosafat C , with Miguel Ayuso providing the artwork for “Death March.”
To support the release, Maidenhead will embark on the Maximum Clonage Tour , including multiple dates opening for Raider on their Eastern Conquest Tour .
Maximum Clonage Tour Dates

July 26 – Pub on Park – Cranston, RI
July 31 – Lucky 13 Saloon – Brooklyn, NY
August 1 – Shatfest VII – Bellows Falls, VT
August 2 – Cherry Street Station – Wallingford, CT
August 18 – Bar Freda – Ridgewood, NY *
August 19 – Nine Cafe – New Haven, CT *
August 20 – Platinum City – Taunton, MA *
August 21 – Jewel Music Venue – Manchester, NH *
August 22 – Midnight’s – Brattleboro, VT *
August 29 – The Cellar on Treadwell – Hamden, CT
Opening for Raider on the Eastern Conquest Tour.
With a growing national touring presence, acclaimed collaborators, and their strongest material yet, Maidenhead continues to establish itself as one of the most exciting rising forces in modern American thrash and death metal.
Maximum Clonage arrives worldwide on August 14, 2026 .
Lineup

Zack Roberts – Guitar / Backing Vocals
Zeping “Bella” Song – Vocals
Lawrence Lee – Bass
Vance Simmons – Guitar
Andre Forero – Drums
For More Information

Connect: 
MaidenheadUSA.com
https://maidenhead666.bandcamp.com/
Facebook.com/MaidenheadUSA
https://www.youtube.com/@MaidenheadOfficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1z7IVuXBf353WnbIYNOzmN

Contact:
Zack Roberts
MaidenheadOfficial666@gmail.com

When Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman kicked off their co-headlining tour back in April, Katie Crutchfield had a surprise: She was pregnant. Crutchfield reportedly introduced her final song of the night by saying, “This is a song about having a baby. This one’s going to hit a little different for me now.” That baby is here now, so it’ll hit even more different in the future.

The post Kevin Morby & Waxahatchee Announce New Coolest Baby appeared first on Stereogum.

Chris Garza is back. The founding guitarist of Suicide Silence has confirmed his return to the deathcore pioneers roughly seven months after stepping away, and he’ll be onstage for the band’s full Reminders Of Hell Tour this fall with Emmure, AngelMaker, and Synestia. The announcement, posted July 21, contained no statement, no explanation, and no drama — just two words and a couple of emojis. After nearly 25 years without a break, that’s about as fitting a comeback as it gets.

STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:

A founding member walks back through the door with a two-word post — Scott Penfold breaks down Chris Garza’s return to Suicide Silence and what it means for the Reminders Of Hell run on today’s Metal Breakdown Daily. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and stream the broadcast now.

The Two-Word Announcement

Garza had been absent from several recent Suicide Silence tours, and when the Reminders Of Hell dates were unveiled earlier this week, his status was still an open question. That question got answered on July 21 with a post that could not have been more Garza about it: “Okay. I’m back!”

That’s the entire statement. No lengthy note about the time away, no thank-yous to the fanbase, no vague hints about what comes next. Just confirmation, delivered the way a guy who has been in the same band since 2002 confirms things.

Why He Stepped Away In The First Place

Rewind to December 8, 2025. That’s when Garza announced he was going on hiatus to press the reset button, explaining that after an unbroken run of touring and band duties stretching back to the band’s formation in 2002, he needed to step back from live activity and clear his head before making decisions about his future.

He was clear at the time that the break was temporary. Still, when a co-founder steps away from a band he built — and stays away long enough that a major tour gets announced without him — the fanbase starts doing math. Yesterday’s post ended that speculation cold.

Worth remembering how much of Suicide Silence’s history runs through this one guy. Garza has been present for every era of the band: the Riverside garage days, the genre-defining run of The Cleansing, the loss of original vocalist Mitch Lucker in 2012, the arrival of Eddie Hermida, the divisive self-titled record, and the return to form that followed. He’s the constant. That’s what makes his return more than a lineup footnote.

Also Recommended – Deathcore Bands Ranked: The Top 13 That Still Define Heavy Music Right Now

The Reminders Of Hell Tour

Garza will be onstage for the entire run, which pairs Suicide Silence with fellow deathcore heavyweights Emmure alongside Canadian melodic deathcore act AngelMaker and symphonic deathcore risers Synestia. It’s a genuinely stacked package, and it’s the band’s biggest headlining North American statement in years — one they’ll now make with their founding guitarist back in the fold.

Tickets go on general sale Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m. local time.

Reminders Of Hell Tour dates:

11/06 Riverside, CA @ Riverside Muncipal Auditorium
11/07 Mesa, AZ @ The Nile Theater
11/09 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
11/10 Dallas, TX @ South Side Music Hall
11/11 San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Event Center
11/13 Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
11/14 Orlandlo FL @ Vans Warped Tour
11/15 Greenville, SC @ Radio Room
11/17 Greensboro, NC @ The Pyrle
11/18 Baltimore, MD @ Soundstage
11/20 Philadelphia, PA @ TLA
11/21 Worcester, MA @ Palladium
11/22 Brooklyn, NY @ The Brooklyn Monarch
11/24 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
11/25 Toronto, ON @ The Concert Hall
11/27 Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving
11/28 Cleveland, OH @ Globe Iron
11/29 Detroit, MI @ St. Andrews Hall
12/01 Chicago, IL @ House Of Blues
12/02 Minneapolis, MN @ Myth
12/04 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
12/05 Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex
12/06 Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
12/08 Seattle, WA @ The Showbox
12/09 Portland, OR @ The Hawthorne Theater
12/10 Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades
12/11 Reno, NV @ Cargo Concert Hall
12/12 San Jose, CA @ The Ritz

Canadian fans get two shots at this one, with Montreal’s Club Soda on November 24 and Toronto’s Concert Hall the following night — the band’s first Canadian headline dates since the 2023 co-headlining run with Chelsea Grin.

Check This Out – Blackgaze: Why the Most Controversial Genre in Metal is Stronger Than Ever in 2026

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A post shared by GARZA (@chrisgarza)

TL;DR

• Chris Garza has confirmed his return to Suicide Silence in a post shared July 21
• He announced it with just two words and two emojis, with no accompanying statement
• Garza went on hiatus in December 2025 to press the reset button after nearly 25 years without a break
• He will be onstage for the band’s entire Reminders Of Hell Tour with Emmure, AngelMaker, and Synestia
• The tour runs November 6 through mid-December across North America, including Montreal and Toronto
• Tickets go on general sale Friday, July 24 at 10 a.m. local time

FAQ

Founding member walks back in, says two words, and picks up his guitar — that’s exactly how it should go. Which Suicide Silence era are you hoping the setlist leans into? Let us know in the comments, and follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Suicide Silence Co-Founder Chris Garza Ends His Hiatus With A Two-Word Post And Will Play The Entire Reminders Of Hell Tour appeared first on Loaded Radio.

The group will also be celebrating that anniversary on the road this fall.

The post Staind Release “Fade” Video From Their Upcoming “Break The Cycle (25th Anniversary Live)” Album appeared first on Theprp.com.

Tickets, showtimes, and participating theaters now revealed

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Madball’s new album “Not Your Kingdom” arrives tomorrow, July 24th.

The post Madball Announce Fall European Tour With Desolated, Combust & Expectations appeared first on Theprp.com.

Italian death metal force GORGE have unveiled “Without Inheritance”, the second single taken from their forthcoming debut full-length “Deeds of Horror”, due out on August 27, 2026 via Time To Kill Records. Showcasing another facet of the band’s songwriting, the new track highlights GORGE‘s ability to balance crushing aggression with sharp rhythmic interplay, combining hard-hitting grooves, constantly shifting dynamics and a wide-ranging riff […]

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Featuring stops across the East Coast and Southeast

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