Black metal often builds its own world from the history, traditions and darker memories of a particular region. The French band Galibot, however, does not draw inspiration from frozen forests, pagan myths or medieval battles, but from the former coal mines of northern France. Their music brings to life the depths of the shafts, the […]
Marshall have revealed the details of a new amp which they have made in collaboration with Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.
The 1959BJA is a build on the brand’s iconic 1959HW platform, with a custom “Dookie Mod”, which has been inspired by the tone of the band’s 1995 album, built by the band alongside producer Rob Cavallo.
It is also baby blue in colour, which is a tribute to Billie’s first guitar, Blue.
Marshall’s Culture Marketing Director Steph Carter had this to say about the team-up:
“Billie Joe’s guitar sound is instantly recognisable. From the moment you hear those opening chords on Dookie, you know exactly who it is. Working with Billie to create an amp that captures that punch, aggression and clarity was an incredible project for our team.”
Whilst Billie Joe himself had this to add:
“I’m so overjoyed to have my own signature Marshall amp. These amps have been a part of my musical life, from my heroes down to little old me. Turn it the f**k up!!”
The amp will be available to buy from July 21 at www.marshall.com
Coal Chamber drummer Mikey “Bug” Cox has shared an encouraging update after undergoing what’s expected to be his final cancer-related surgery, telling fans the procedure was “a massive success” despite a rough go of it in the immediate aftermath. Cox went into the hospital Friday, July 10, and by the following evening had already posted from recovery — continuing a remarkably public, honest year-plus of sharing a stage-3 cancer battle that started back in April 2025.
STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:
Scott Penfold gives his honest take on today’s episode: why Mikey Cox choosing to document this entire journey publicly, pain and all, matters more than any polished PR statement ever could. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play to stream it live.
The Final Surgery, In His Own Words
Cox went into Friday’s procedure with characteristic bluntness and gratitude. “BIG DAY!!!” he wrote, explaining that he and his partner were at the hospital for what his medical team hoped would be his final cancer surgery. He reflected on “a long, difficult journey filled with appointments, tests, surgeries, and more uncertainty than I ever imagined,” while thanking his family, doctors, and fans for getting him there.
By Saturday evening, he’d posted again — and this update pulled no punches about what recovery actually looks like. Cox described being in significant pain, with a surgical drain and a cut ab muscle that makes every breath uncomfortable for now. But he was clear about the bottom line: the surgery itself was a success, and he’s now focused on regaining his ability to walk and getting into physical therapy. “I’ll be ready to go full steam in a few months,” he wrote.
A Battle That Started In April 2025
This surgery is the latest chapter in a fight Cox has now spent well over a year navigating largely out of public view. He was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer on April 1, 2025, and only revealed the diagnosis publicly in April of this year, just ahead of Coal Chamber’s set at Las Vegas’ Sick New World festival. He didn’t sugarcoat what the year involved, describing it as “dark” and “scary,” but was equally clear about his mindset throughout: “I didn’t want cancer to define me.”
By that April announcement, Cox was already declaring himself cancer-free after “brutal rounds of radiation, chemotherapy, and eventually surgery.” He turned the moment into something bigger than his own recovery, partnering with the Fxck Cancer charity to auction off a custom drum kit — built with components from ddrum, Scorpion Percussion, TRX Cymbals, and Gator Cases — to fund cancer support and research. In a later interview, Cox got specific about just how brutal the treatment had been: “I did five weeks of radiation, which, by the end of it, was pure hell.”
This latest surgery was scheduled to correct lingering functional issues left behind by that initial round of treatment — the kind of follow-up procedure that often gets lost in “cancer-free” headlines but is very much part of the real recovery process. The timing forced Coal Chamber to withdraw from their planned appearance at this fall’s Louder Than Life festival, a call the band didn’t make lightly. This isn’t the first time Coal Chamber has put a member’s health above the tour schedule — frontman Dez Fafara made the same call for his own health in early 2025.
Fafara has been visibly emotional discussing Cox’s battle in interviews, calling him “a great father, a great husband, a great man.” The two have history going back to when Cox joined Coal Chamber as a teenager, and Fafara has spoken to Loaded Radio directly about the band’s bond in the past. Watching Cox return to the stage at Sick New World this spring was, by Fafara’s own account, one of the more overwhelming moments of his career fronting the band.
Coal Chamber drummer Mikey “Bug” Cox underwent what’s expected to be his final cancer-related surgery on July 10
He says the surgery was “a massive success,” though he’s dealing with real pain and a tough recovery ahead
Cox was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer on April 1, 2025, and declared cancer-free in April 2026
He partnered with the Fxck Cancer charity to auction a custom drum kit for cancer research and support
The surgery’s timing forced Coal Chamber to withdraw from this fall’s Louder Than Life festival
Cox expects to be back on stage with Coal Chamber once recovery and physical therapy are complete
FAQ
Is Mikey Cox’s cancer surgery expected to be his last?
Yes. Cox’s medical team scheduled this procedure hoping it would be his final cancer-related surgery, aimed at correcting lingering issues from his earlier treatment.
What kind of cancer did Mikey Cox have?
Cox was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer on April 1, 2025, and was declared cancer-free in April 2026 after radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery.
Why did Coal Chamber pull out of Louder Than Life?
The band withdrew from the 2026 festival because Cox’s surgery and recovery timeline made the appearance impossible.
How is Mikey Cox doing after surgery?
Cox says the surgery itself was “a massive success,” though he’s in significant pain during early recovery and expects to need several months of physical therapy before he’s back to full strength.
Wishing Mikey Cox a full and smooth recovery — drop your support for him in the comments. Follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.
skyve returns with eternal time, a breezy summer anthem built around bright melodies, crisp production, and an effortlessly uplifting atmosphere. Blending infectious pop sensibilities with polished electronic touches, the track captures the carefree feeling of long sunny days and unforgettable moments. Smooth vocals and a memorable hook keep the energy flowing from start to finish, making it an easy companion for road trips, beach days, or late-evening drives. Light, fun, and instantly accessible, eternal time delivers exactly what a feel-good summer release should.
Lakeview are back once more and showcasing their crossover credentials in some style, with a new collaboration with a heavy music legend.
The song in question is ‘Kill Me First’, a smoky tale of valiance and character, speaking up on not letting anyone tell you that the life you lead should be put under a microscope and examined.
It’s a message that has as many roots as country music as it does metalcore, which is why the duo bring in one of the most positivity-driven, defiant figures in the scene; The Ghost Inside’s Jonathan Vigil.
Delivering a typically powerful refrain before one hell of a breakdown, it’s a little bit of everything good rolled into one fine package.
No-one is doing it quite like Lakeview right now, and that ain’t looking like it’s going to change any time soon.
Here we go:
It follows on from the excellent ‘Wreck My Night’, which sounds a lot like this:
Love has never been a one-size-fits-all experience. While people once placed significant importance on age when choosing a partner, modern relationships are increasingly shaped by something much deeper.
Shared values, mutual respect, emotional intelligence, and similar life goals often have a greater influence on long-term happiness than the number of years between two people.
As society becomes more open-minded, couples are finding that compatibility is built on understanding one another rather than fitting into traditional expectations.
Relationships Have Changed with the Times
Couples often meet at different stages of life, while sharing the same interests
The idea of the “perfect” relationship has evolved over the years. Many people are choosing to focus on education, careers, travel, or personal development before settling down.
Because everyone’s life journey is different, it has become more common for couples to meet at different stages of life while still sharing the same vision for the future.
Instead of asking whether two people are close in age, friends and family are more likely to wonder whether they communicate well, support each other’s goals, and genuinely enjoy spending time together.
Shared Values Build Stronger Foundations
Every successful relationship needs a solid foundation. While physical attraction may bring two people together, shared values often determine whether they stay together.
Couples who agree on important topics such as trust, honesty, family, finances, and long-term goals usually find it easier to navigate life’s challenges. Even when disagreements arise, having similar core beliefs makes it easier to find common ground.
Strong communication is essential for all successful personal and professional relationships
Age does not always reflect emotional maturity. Some people develop excellent communication skills and self-awareness early in life, while others continue learning these qualities much later.
Healthy relationships rely on patience, empathy, and the ability to resolve conflict respectfully.
Partners who listen to one another and work through challenges together are far more likely to build lasting connections than those who rely on age alone as a measure of compatibility.
These qualities often have a greater impact on relationship satisfaction than any specific age difference.
Compatibility Goes Beyond Numbers
Modern dating has encouraged people to think differently about compatibility. Instead of focusing on simple statistics, many singles look for partners who share their interests, lifestyles, and future ambitions.
Conversations about career aspirations, personal values, travel goals, and family plans often reveal much more about long-term compatibility than age ever could. This shift has helped many people feel more confident exploring relationships that might have been considered unconventional in previous generations.
For those interested in learning more about how relationship preferences continue to evolve, discussions around an attractive age gap have become increasingly common as people explore what truly contributes to compatibility.
Communication Creates Lasting Relationships
Strong communication remains one of the most important ingredients in any successful relationship.
Partners who feel comfortable expressing their thoughts, listening without judgment, and supporting each other’s growth tend to build deeper emotional connections. Open conversations help couples navigate financial decisions, career changes, family expectations, and personal challenges together.
These everyday interactions strengthen trust over time and create a partnership that is built on understanding rather than assumptions.
Society Is Becoming More Open-Minded
Social attitudes toward relationships have changed considerably over the past decade. Thanks to greater representation in media, online communities, and everyday conversations, people are becoming more accepting of relationships that do not follow traditional expectations.
Rather than judging couples based on appearance or age, many now recognize that every relationship is unique. What matters most is whether both partners respect each other, share similar values, and contribute equally to a healthy partnership.
This growing acceptance allows individuals to focus less on outside opinions and more on building meaningful connections.
FAQs
Is there an ideal age gap for couples?
No universal age difference guarantees success. One long-term study found that satisfaction in differently aged marriages may decline faster over time, particularly after financial shocks. Population-level findings cannot predict how any individual couple will develop.
Can an age gap affect family planning?
Yes. Fertility begins declining around age 30 for women and falls more quickly during the mid-30s. Male fertility can also decline, although the pattern is less predictable. Couples considering children may benefit from discussing timing and medical options early.
What financial issues should age-gap couples consider?
Different retirement dates can create gaps in income, health insurance coverage and access to retirement benefits. Couples should calculate how long their savings may need to last and decide how expenses will be handled when one partner retires earlier.
Should couples plan for future caregiving?
Yes. A significantly older partner may need assistance while the younger partner is still working or supporting children. Early planning should cover possible care arrangements, costs, available family support and who will manage practical responsibilities.
Which legal documents may be important?
Both partners should review their wills, beneficiaries, property arrangements, healthcare directives and powers of attorney. Clear documents become especially important if partners have children from previous relationships or want authority to make medical and financial decisions for each other.
Does a large age difference automatically create a power imbalance?
No. Age alone does not make a relationship unequal. Warning signs include controlling money, restricting friendships, constant monitoring, intimidation, manipulation or pressure around personal decisions. Such behaviour reflects control rather than a healthy difference in experience.
Every Relationship Has Its Own Story
No two relationships are exactly alike. Every couple brings different experiences, perspectives, and personalities into a partnership. While age may influence certain life experiences, it does not determine the strength of a relationship.
Successful couples understand that mutual respect, trust, emotional support, and shared goals create the strongest foundation for a lasting future. When two people genuinely enjoy growing together and supporting one another, age becomes just one small part of a much bigger picture.
Modern relationships continue to show that meaningful connections are built through understanding, communication, and shared values. As more people prioritize compatibility over convention, it becomes clear that lasting love is defined not by numbers, but by the quality of the partnership itself.
There was a time when Count Your Blessings felt like the album Bring Me The Horizon wanted to leave behind. The Sheffield metalcore heavyweights’ debut earned them a devoted MySpace following in 2006, yet simultaneously caused them to become one of the most divisive names in British metal. Tonight’s full album playthrough feels like BMTH reclaiming their own history, with the newly-released Count Your Blessings | Repented breathing new life into tracks that formerly served as a gateway into deathcore.
The preceding bands on the lineup serve as a reminder of how fantastic metal is in 2026. Still In Love’s Nick Worthington fronts a hardcore supergroup of former members of Dead Swans, Last Witness, and Brutality Will Prevail, alongside former BMTH guitarist Curtis Ward. The five-piece rip through a powerful set that incites a horde of stage divers, even in the astonishing humidity of the indoor stage.
With only two released tracks, Nashville’s Showing Teeth blend melodic choruses with deathcore growls to win over a huge portion of the eager crowd. Dying Wish follow them, Emma Boster commanding the stage, stomping across it and calling for more crowdsurfers to surge forward. Olli Appleyard, meanwhile, can’t contain his delight as Static Dress whip their audience into a frenzy that only intensifies when Showing Teeth and Dying Wish’s Emma join them onstage.
Showing Teeth: future metal star (Image credit: Eddy Maynard)
After a short animated introduction which serves as both a health and safety warning and a threat (“As long as you listen, survival rates remain encouraging,”) Bring Me The Horizon launch straight into Pray for Plagues without an ounce of theatrics. The brutality of these songs requires no arena polish, just an embrace of every blastbeat and over-the-top breakdown. Prior to the show, there were online murmurings over whether Oli Sykes would physically be able to perform the tracks as effectively as he could 20 years ago. Those doubts are dispelled from the first punishingly low growl.
Having no barrier for this duo of shows is certainly a bold choice, but it makes sense when watching the bodies launch forward, limbs flying, as Sykes gets more up close and personal with his audience than he’s been able to in many years. It’s a completely apt setting for the album that has become somewhat of a cult classic, loved by diehard fans but rarely acknowledged on stage.
Oli Sykes gets up close and personal (Image credit: Nat Wood )
Bring Me The Horizon could easily have put on a Post Human-style spectacle, but they’ve wisely decided to keep it stripped back and focus on the music. With the exception of some flames and a late-set confetti cannon, the production is minimalist, with only some backdrop visualisers to accompany the show’s brutality. Watching thousands of fans with knees far less reliable than they were two decades ago bouncing around, screaming every word to songs that they assumed they’d never hear live again, creates a moment where heavy music’s past and present collide.
A short encore sees the band blast through 2010’s Blessed With a Curse, 2008’s Suicide Season and Diamonds Aren’t Forever, and 2004’s RE: They Have No Reflections. It’s a fitting series of deep cuts for the devoted fanbase that have made the pilgrimage, and a near-flawless way to round off the night’s celebrations.
Bring Me The Horizon’s debut was once lauded as immature noise, but now fills this vast space as though every lyric is deathcore gospel. After spending 20 years refusing to be defined by Count Your Blessings, BMTH have proven that it was never something to run from.
Five Finger Death Punch guitarist Zoltan Bathory has opened up about the mindset and architecture behind the band’s forthcoming 10th studio album, Legacy, in a wide-ranging new interview with Finland’s Chaoszine. The album arrives digitally July 31 and in physical formats — CD, vinyl and cassette — on Sept. 18. Two singles have already been released: “De Oppresso Liber” and “Eye Of The Storm.”
Asked about the sense of calm and control the band maintains despite the chaos surrounding a major rock operation, Bathory said (transcribed by Blabbermouth): “You gotta have an idea of where you’re going. And we construct everything with that in mind. So it’s a well-contained nuclear explosion, Ivan [Moody, Five Finger Death Punch singer] being the explosion, and [the rest of us] are being the containers. [Laughs] Well, basically what it is, is that it’s the eye of the storm. We actually live in the eye of the storm. There’s stuff around us always crazy, and a peaceful moment is really the show. When you walk on stage, the same way how you disconnect the audience from everyday life, we are also disconnected. So you’re not thinking of anything else. That’s the show. That’s kind of our meditation in some way, because everything else falls away.”
“You have to have a plan. We always do. I like that part, the architecture of things, the chess game of life. I love that part. And so, of course, I have a plan. But I have to be flexible. I have to be able to adapt. So wherever something happens, you have to pivot, and you have to kind of go with the punches, so to speak… It’s like success. Everybody goes, like, ‘Okay, I wanna be successful.’ And success goes from here to here. That’s the line. It’s never a straight line. You’re just driving the car and dodging whatever is coming at you, the proverbial car. But, basically, that’s what it is. So, do we have a plan? Yes, absolutely, we have a plan. Do we roll with the punches? Yeah, we absolutely have to. So that’s kind of like you have to have the balance of you know where you’re going, but you have to be flexible. Darwin never said ‘the strongest survive.’ That’s a misquote. The most adaptable survive. So that’s really what it is, that you have to adapt to whatever comes,” he offered.
On the decision to title the album Legacy, Bathory said: “Well, obviously we had various ideas for the title. The obvious would have been the big [Roman numeral] ‘X’, [signifying that it’s album number] 10, but everybody has done that anyway. So we would be just another band [doing that]. But it was kind of the moment where we re-recorded our greatest hits, and that was the first moment when we were, like, ‘Wow, man, all these things that we have done, all this history we have done.’ And so we were kind of reflecting on that.”
And we were also talking about how every record that you make has a purpose. So literally every single record in any band’s career, not just ours, any band’s career, there’s a position that record is in and what it’s supposed to do,” he continued. “Like your first record — your first record is there to kick down the door. That’s your introduction. So your first record is introducing the band, and here you go. If it’s successful, then possibly you can make a second record. And if it was successful, then everybody’s looking at it, like, ‘Okay, was it a one-hit wonder? Can they do it again?’ So that’s your second record, is you have to prove that the first one wasn’t a fluke.”
“If the second record is successful, now it’s, like, ‘Okay, here comes the big third. Can they still do it?’ Then the fourth record, like, ‘Okay, now they earned a right to be here, so do they have anything else to say?’ Fifth record is when people are, like, ‘Okay, now we heard this band four times. Can they give us something new?’ And then if you do that, there’s the sixth record. And so every single one of these records has a position and what it’s supposed to do. And you have to kind of navigate that. You don’t wanna move away from your sound, because you have a sound. If you’re a band who has a sound — actually, that’s also not easy to achieve, but if you’re recognizable, like AC/DC. Why would they move away from that? That’s their sound. That’s what comes out of AC/DC. Same with Iron Maiden. Same with all these big bands. And Death Punch has a sound. So the navigation is, like, how do we keep that sound? Because this is what comes out anyway, so this is natural. But at the same time, you have to kind of progress. You have to kind of do different things,” Bathory mused.
“And there’s a limit to that too, because if I was, like, ‘Okay, let’s take half the record and we’re gonna experiment with things,’ that is a very different record. If you have — let’s say, I don’t know — 12 songs, you can sacrifice two, three maybe to, ‘Let’s do something interesting,’ before you start to sway the record into a totally different direction. So it’s kind of [like] cooking. How much salt, how much pepper. You have to kind of know what’s happening. And this was 20 years, 10th record, so it was really, like, well, I think we do have a legacy now. If somebody writes a book about hard rock, heavy metal 20 years from now, they’re not gonna leave us out of the book. We were here, and we did something in an era.”
On the distinction between fame and legacy, Bathory said: “I always say this, that there’s a big difference between being famous and having a legacy. [Like] the ‘Hawk Tuah’ girl or whatever the hell it was. That’s being famous for a minute. That’s not legacy. A legacy is something that you have to work at. You have to constantly build something that is here to stay. And I think at this point, we have that. We have a catalog. We have a history. It’s maybe time to do a documentary. It’s maybe time to do those kinds of things.”
On the songwriting and curation process that shaped Legacy, Bathory said: “Well, when you go to the studio, if you are a real band, you’re gonna go to the studio, and you know that you have a sound. The combination of these people, when you put them together, will result in something. Then that’s what that is. So we’re not going in a studio with the idea of, like, ‘Let’s do this,’ or, ‘Let’s do that.’ Just do your thing. Just play what you like. Do what comes out naturally. Because then that’s your true sound. That’s what you like anyway. Most importantly, it’s not even about serving any demographic; it’s about what you like. Because then whatever happens, we did something that we were happy with. Once I’m happy with what we did, then I don’t care who says what. Because the reason for your existence is that I like doing this and I did what I like. So nobody can have a problem with that. Now, if the fans like it, that’s awesome. If you have an audience for what you like, that’s a great connector, and that’s a connection between you and the fans.”
“But that’s always the idea. Nothing’s stupid. Bring any ideas, ‘cause you don’t know where something can go. That’s one of the things. And we always do that, and so many times there’s a crazy idea that’s out there. And by the time the song is done, it’s completely transformed. You don’t even recognize it from the original idea. So those are the rules. Bring whatever ideas you have. We’ll figure it out. Write everything that comes to you. Don’t try to fill a quota. Don’t try to fill an expectation. Just do what you wanna do. And then you live in that comfort zone of whatever we did, we are happy with. So that’s kind of how it goes.”
“Now, with that said, going to the studio with this record, we were kind of looking at it how far we came and what happened before. So, it wasn’t a conscious, like, ‘Let’s write this,’ but it’s more like we had more time, so this is the first time we actually have four years between two records. Usually it’s just two. And so we had a little bit more time. We had more time to write, so we had more songs. So we had maybe like 25, 30 songs that were pretty solid music-wise. Like, okay, these are songs. And if anything was conscious, the conscious decision was which one of these 25, 30 ideas will make it? That was conscious. Like, let’s pick the ones that will represent this band, what it is. So if you today ask me, ‘Hey, give me one Five Finger Death Punch record — one — that will represent the band,’ actually, I would give you this one. I would say, ‘Take this. This is Five Finger Death Punch. If you hear this record, this will give you the blueprint of what this band is.’ So that part was conscious, but not in the writing, but more of the picking of what song is gonna make it. That way it was conscious.”
Tomi Swick finds quiet beauty in resilience on Dandelion, a heartfelt blend of folk, Americana, and roots rock built around vivid storytelling and warm, organic instrumentation. Inspired by the image of a lone flower thriving in an unlikely place, the song transforms a simple observation into a moving reflection on perseverance and hope. Swick’s expressive vocals carry genuine warmth, while the understated arrangement allows the melody and lyrical imagery to shine naturally. Honest, uplifting, and elegantly crafted, Dandelion is a timeless reminder that strength often flourishes in the most unexpected places.
Blues Rock Review will once again be on hand to provide coverage of Playing With Fire, returning for its third consecutive year covering the annual concert series in Omaha, Nebraska.
This year’s event once again showcases an international lineup of acclaimed blues, blues rock and roots artists from across Europe and North America, while continuing one of the festival’s defining traditions: every concert is completely free to attend.
The three-night series takes place August 13-15 at Slowdown, located at 729 N. 14th St. in Omaha. Admission is free and open to the public until capacity is reached, with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Among the headliners is Scottish blues rock favorite King King, making its third consecutive appearance at Playing With Fire after becoming a fan favorite during previous visits to Omaha. The internationally diverse lineup also includes artists from Austria, Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States.
The festivities begin even before the opening night with a free pre-party on Wednesday, August 12, in the lobby of the host hotel, the Moxy Omaha Downtown. The evening kicks off at 7:00 p.m. with Little Joe McCarthy, followed by Jared William at 8:00 p.m., before Jeni Grouws and Andrew Bailie close out the night.
STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:
