Category: news

The Staind frontman just did something plenty of Nashville lifers never manage: Aaron Lewis has the best-selling country album in America, with “Give My Country Back” sitting at No. 1 on the iTunes Country Albums chart following its release last week — and he did it while telling everyone he’s cleaning up his life, revealing he’s quit drinking and smoking at 54.

STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:

Scott Penfold covers the day’s biggest rock and metal headlines on The Metal Breakdown Daily. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play to stream the broadcast natively.

Lewis’s “Give My Country Back” is holding the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Country Albums chart, and it climbed all the way to No. 6 on the all-genres iTunes Albums chart — meaning the guy who screamed his way through “It’s Been Awhile” is now outselling most of country radio’s golden children. It’s his sixth solo studio album, out now through Big Machine Label Group.

Love him or can’t stand him — and with Aaron Lewis, there’s rarely much in between — the numbers don’t flinch.

From “Mudshovel” To The Top Of The Country Chart

Here’s the part that still makes people do a double take. This is the same man who fronted one of the biggest post-grunge bands of the early 2000s, a band whose brand of raw, bleeding-heart alt-metal defined a whole era of rock radio. And he’s spent the last 15-plus years quietly building one of the most distinctive careers in country music — while keeping the fiercely loyal audience that first latched onto his brutally honest songwriting back in the Staind days.

The receipts back it up. Lewis has landed two No. 1 Billboard Country Album debuts with “Town Line” and “Sinner,” dropped the platinum-certified “Country Boy” alongside George Jones and Charlie Daniels, and scored a gold-certified No. 1 hit with 2021’s “Am I The Only One”. His catalog has now blown past 5.7 billion career streams worldwide. In 2024, Pandora handed him its Billionaires Plaque for topping a billion streams on that platform alone.

That’s not a rock star dabbling in cowboy hats. That’s a career.

We Recommend – Staind Frontman Aaron Lewis Drops Controversial Pandemic Outburst, Believes Treatments Took More Lives Than Actual Virus

“The Realization That Life Is More Than Half Over Will Get You To Change”

What makes “Give My Country Back” land differently is where Lewis says he’s standing right now. At 54, he’s framing this record as a genuine turning point — and he’s being blunt about it, which, if you know anything about Aaron Lewis, tracks.

“This is the perfect record for where I’m at right now,” Lewis explained. “As you get older, you start realizing your time is coming to a close. I wasn’t living as cleanly as possible, so I quit drinking. I quit smoking cigarettes. I’ve done some kickboxing. I’m on a healthier routine, and I want to get better before I can’t.”

Then the line that hits hardest: “The realization that life is more than half over will get you to change, if you allow it. That’s where I’m at.”

For an artist who built his entire reputation on wearing every scar in public, that kind of admission is exactly the fuel his fans respond to — and exactly the kind of honesty his critics never quite know what to do with.

The Album Itself

Produced by Sol Philcox-Littlefield, “Give My Country Back” runs ten tracks and blends roughhewn honky-tonk roots with modern country muscle. Lewis co-wrote five of the songs with longtime collaborators Jeffrey Steele and Bobby Pinson, with additional contributions from Casey Bethard, Travis Meadows and others.

The title track and lead single is pure, undiluted Aaron Lewis — swampy country grit, stinging acoustic riffs, and an anthem rooted in freedom and frustration with the modern political climate. It’s a lane he’s driven straight down the middle of before, and clearly, his audience isn’t tiring of it. Other tracks include “The Door,” “Bad Thing To Be Good At,” “Too High For This,” “Let Go Like The Rain” and “People I’ve Known” — the kind of fearless, vulnerable songwriting that’s marked his solo country catalog from the start.

“My music is my life. Every one of those songs,” Lewis said. “If you listen to it all, you’ll probably know me better than I know myself.”

He’s currently out on his 2026 American Tour with his band, The Stateliners — the road being the place Lewis has always seemed most at home, whether the crowd showed up for the screaming or the twang.

Back in May, we covered the album’s announcement and the fiery title-track single when it first dropped — and the chart numbers now suggest the finished record connected exactly the way he bet it would.

Check This Out – Aaron Lewis Unleashes “Not Brainwashed” Apparel: Inside the Blacklisted Rockstar’s 2026 Political Crusade

Why This One Hits A Nerve

There’s a reason an Aaron Lewis chart headline travels further than most. He’s spent years being one of hard rock’s most openly political figures, and that’s made him a lightning rod — beloved by a base that feels unheard, dismissed by critics who wish he’d stuck to Staind. A country boy from Springfield, Vermont who grew up on his grandparents’ country eight-tracks, went multi-platinum in alt-metal, then circled all the way back to the twang he started with. That’s a genuinely American arc, and “Give My Country Back” leaning hard into patriotism and accountability only sharpens it.

Whatever you make of the man, the No. 1 says the same thing his whole career has: Aaron Lewis knows exactly who his people are, and they show up.

TL;DR

Aaron Lewis’s “Give My Country Back,” his sixth solo studio album, is No. 1 on the iTunes Country Albums chart and No. 6 on the all-genres iTunes Albums chart, out now via Big Machine Label Group. The Staind frontman, now 54, credits a personal reset — quitting drinking and smoking and getting healthier — as the heart of the record. The ten-track album was produced by Sol Philcox-Littlefield, and Lewis is currently touring on his 2026 American Tour with his band The Stateliners, adding to a solo country catalog that includes two prior No. 1 Billboard Country Album debuts and 5.7 billion-plus career streams.

FAQ

Aaron Lewis’s country turn still surprises people 15 years in — but a No. 1 album is a No. 1 album. Is he one of the most underrated crossover artists in music, or does the politics get in the way of the songs? Drop your take in the comments, and follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Aaron Lewis Says “I Quit Drinking, I Quit Smoking” As ‘Give My Country Back’ Hits No. 1 On iTunes Country Chart Above Every Nashville Star appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Their new single, “Think Bad,” serves as a reminder that reckless behavior can lead to significant losses. In this track, the band delves deeper into rock ‘n’ roll, transitioning from their typical fast-paced, wall-of-sound style to a more mid-tempo groove that showcases a ZZ Top-like toughness. It’s a no-frills song that is both energetic and catchy, delivering a punch while maintaining appeal. The production is excellent, featuring a really cool solo section as well. 

Many, many years ago, the idiosyncratic, art-damaged Albany project Self Defense Family emerged from the ashes of the hardcore band End Of The Year. It’s hard to even describe Self Defense Family; it’s basically a revolving-lineup collective that functions as a de facto solo project for sole permanent member Patrick Kindlon. When Kindlon started leading Drug Church around 2013, that band initially functioned as a Self Defense Family side project. Kindlon still likes to maintain that Self Defense Family is his main vehicle, even though it has gone inactive while Drug Church have taken off. Now, Self Defense is finally back.

The post Self Defense Family – “Reclusion” appeared first on Stereogum.

Hey, you know what’s a good song? Motherfucking “Svefn-g-englar,” the deathlessly beautiful 1999 classic from Sigur Rós. I’d read a whole lot about Sigur Rós before I finally bought an import copy of the Ágætis Byrjun CD for like $20, and that’s a heavy burden to put on a hyped-up new album. That time, though, the hype was justified. I heard “Svefn-g-englar,” and I felt like I was in space. North Carolina indie-dance-folk-pop duo Sylvan Esso evidently agree, since their new single samples Jónsi Birgisson’s operatic wail-sigh from that song.

The post Sylvan Esso Announce New Album <em>Ow ∞</em>: Hear The Sigur Rós-Sampling “Concrete Glen” appeared first on Stereogum.

Weezy’s final interview at 2000 Trees Festival was with the one and only (and former Band of the Day) Lastelle! Now this interview was on point and included sheer bravery from Adam protecting Weezy from a pesky bee who just wanted to join in! Despite the very short chaotic interuption they chatted all about their … Continue reading Video Interview: Lastelle at 2000 Trees Festival 2026

Where they from?
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Spain won the World Cup on Sunday. Give Argentina some credit though; they did a Hell of a job honoring the New York Jets by scoring no points in a big game in MetLife Stadium! I heard Zach Wilson broke down in tears due to the moving tribute.

Why the hype?
With the amount of gravity blasting this band does, I was convinced that Isaac from Sulfuric Cautery was somehow involved in the project but, lo and behold, he is not! This band hyperblasts and eviscerates all on their own, topped off with generous doses of gore-soaked ‘oompa’ beats and an absolutely inhuman vocal attack, something for everyone! If you are in any way a devotee of the new wave of extreme ‘hypergoreblast,’ then you absolutely must check this shit out, but please remember to wear some gloves.

Latest release?
Split w/ Miserable Fuck, self-released. I can’t stress enough how much of an all-out attack this band’s music is. When they get going with the tin can snare and dual vocal thing, it’s like a boat crash to the ears. It’s enough to make you forget that the New York Jets are now relying on Geno Smith to end an 11-year playoff drought. God help us.

The post Blast Worship: Banzai appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Chelsea Wolfe has shared the details of her upcoming 9th full-length, serving as the follow-up to 2024’s ‘She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She’.

Titled ‘The Dark’, it will be released on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings.

The artwork looks like this:

Whilst the tracklisting is more like this:



As well as including previously shared tracks ‘The Dark’ and ‘Death Is Not The End’, it will also feature ‘Cold’, an intimately gorgeous piece that has as much pop sensability squeezed into it as off-kilter intent.

Here it is:

Chelsea will also be playing a very special show at The Dome in London on August 18, where new tracks will be premiered. Tickets are available from right here.

If you can’t make that show, maybe you can catch her on her absolutely massive world tour that kicks off in September. Here are the dates.

SEPTEMBER

16 – SAN FRANCISCO Curran Theatre
18 – SEATTLE The Moore Theatre
19 – SALEM Elsinore Theatre
20 – PORTLAND Roseland Theater 
22 – SALT LAKE CITY The Union Event Center
24 – DENVER Paramount Theatre
25 – LAWRENCE Liberty Hall
26 – ST. PAUL The Fitzgerald Theater
28 – CHICAGO The Riviera Theatre
29 – COLUMBUS The Bluestone
30 – DETROIT Masonic Jack White Theatre

OCTOBER

05 – BOSTON Boch Center Shubert Theatre
06 – NEW YORK The Town Hall 
08 – MUNHALL Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
09 – GLENSIDE Keswick Theatre
10 – WASHINGTON Sixth & I 
12 – ASHEVILLE The Orange Peel
13 – ATLANTA Buckhead Theatre
14 – NASHVILLE Marathon Music Works
16 – DALLAS Texas Theatre
17 – AUSTIN Emo’s
20 – TUCSON Rialto Theatre
21 – EL CAJON The Magnolia
23 – LOS ANGELES The Orpheum Theatre

NOVEMBER

21 – UTRECHT Tivoli Vredenburg
23 – BERLIN Admiralspalast 
24 – HAMBURG Große Freiheit 36
25 – COPENHAGEN Vega
27 – OSLO Betong
28 – STOCKHOLM Vasateatern
30 – TALLINN Helitehas

DECEMBER

02 – VILNIUS LOFTAS
03 – WARSAW Progresja 
05 – PRAGUE ARCHA+
06 – VIENNA Budocenter
07 – BUDAPEST Akvárium Klub
09 – MANNHEIM Capitol 
11 – FRIBOURG Fri-Son
12 – MILAN Live Club
13 – MUNICH Isarphilharmonie
15 – ANTWERP Trix
16 – PARIS Casino de Paris
19 – ATHENS FLOYD

The post Chelsea Wolfe Announces New Album ‘The Dark’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

Backtracking once more to the golden decade of the 1990s, Louder Than War’s self-confessed music nostalgist Martin Gray revisits for its 30th anniversary (albeit belatedly) the near-flawless debut album from quite possibly the greatest Welsh band of modern times: Fuzzy Logic by Super Furry Animals. My first inaugural encounter with Super Furry Animals came – […]

The post Super Furry Animals : Fuzzy Logic (1996) – Revisited (album reappraisal) appeared first on Louder Than War.

– July 21st, 2026 –

Band Confirms Headlining Dates Surrounding North American Tour Supporting Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats And More!

Stream MESSA’s “At Races (Cold Cave Remix)” HERE

Italian doom metallers MESSA are pleased to present their latest single: a Cold Cave remix of “At Races.” The original track appears on the band’s critically lauded full-length, The Spin, released last year via Metal Blade Records. The Cold Cave remix gives the enveloping track a darkwave/synthpop touch.

Photo by MESSA

Offers vocalist Sarah, “Who knows me personally and is close to me in real life is aware of my adoration for Cold Cave. From the lyrics to the sounds, the spectrum of feelings, the somber aesthetic and visuals. On a private sidenote, even though I love all of their catalog, their album Cherish The Light Years particularly helped me navigate some hard moments and kept me going. Few bands deal with the inadequacy of being in this world as perfectly as they do. Knowing I am not the only one that feels a deep connection to their material, it’s an incredible pleasure to share this collaboration. Hope you’ll dance to it, sing to it, get carried away. And I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did, under a starry Summer sky.“

Stream MESSA‘s “At Races (Cold Cave Remix)” HERE.

Following their Summer festival appearances, MESSA will return to North American stages this Fall as direct support to Uncle Acid And The Deadbeats. The journey runs from September 5th through October 11th and includes several headlining dates scattered throughout. From there, the band will embark upon a European headlining tour from October 27th through November 21st with support provided by labelmates The Night Eternal. See all confirmed dates below.

MESSA Live:

Summer Festivals
7/25/2026 Rock N Bol – Sardegna, IT
8/08/2026 Palp Festival – Couvert du Goly, CH
8/29/2026 Suburbiae Unexpected Fest – Teramo, IT

US Dates
w/ Uncle Acid and the Deadbeats:
9/05/2026 Acid Bath After Party @ Eulogy – Asheville, NC **
9/06/2026 Richmond Music Hall – Richmond, VA **
9/08/2026 Neighborhood Theatre – Charlotte, NC
9/09/2026 The Masquerade – Atlanta, GA
9/10/2026 Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
9/11/2026 White Water Tavern – Little Rock, AR **
9/12/2026 The Studio @ Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
9/13/2026 Levitation Festival – Austin, TX
9/15/2026 Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque, NM
9/16/2026 La Rosa – Tucson, AZ
9/18/2026 The Portal @ AREA15 – Las Vegas, NV
9/19/2026 Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA
9/20/2026 The Bellwether – Los Angeles, CA
9/21/2026 The Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA
9/22/2026The Alpine – Reno, NV **
9/24/2026 Knitting Factory – Boise, ID
9/25/2026 Roseland Theater – Portland, OR
9/26/2026 The Showbox – Seattle, WA
9/27/2026 The Cobalt – Vancouver, BC **
9/29/2026 The Complex – Salt Lake City, UT
9/30/2026 Gothic Theatre – Englewood, CO
10/02/2026 Varsity Theater – Minneapolis, MN
10/03/2026 Slowdown – Omaha, NE
10/04/2026 Concord Music Hall – Chicago, IL
10/05/2026 Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI **
10/06/2026 Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON
10/07/2026 Theatre Beanfield – Montreal, QC
10/08/2026 The Palladium – Worcester, MA
10/09/2026 Nevermore Hall – Baltimore, MD
10/11/2026 Irving Plaza – New York, NY
** MESSA Headlining Date

EU/UK Dates
w/ special guest The Night Eternal
10/27/2026 Le Dodu – Marseille, FR
10/28/2026 Sala Salamandra – Barcelona, ES
10/29/2026 Sala Copernico – Madrid, ES
10/30/2026 Antirouille – Montpellier, FR
10/31/2026 Westill Fest – Nantes, FR
11/01/2026 Petit Bain – Paris, FR
11/03/2026 Cathouse – Glasgow, UK
11/04/2026 Rebellion – Manchester, UK
11/05/2026 Rescue Rooms – Nottingham, UK
11/06/2026 Thekla – Bristol, UK
11/07/2026 The Garage – London, UK
11/09/2026 13 – Tilburg, NL
11/10/2026 Kavka – Antwerp, BE
11/12/2026 Franz Club – Berlin, DE
11/13/2026 Logo – Hamburg, DE
11/14/2026 Rockpalast – Bochum, DE
11/15/2026 Artheater – Cologne, DE
11/17/2026 Das Bett – Frankfurt, DE
11/18/2026 Backstage Club – Munich, DE
11/19/2026 Dynamo – Zurich, CH
11/21/2026 Live Club – Trezzo sull’Adda, IT

MESSA‘s signature sound absorbs influences from jazz and blues, punk and prog, and black metal and dark ambient, but their restless experimentalism has extraordinarily smooth and assured results. The Spin incorporates another new element, interpolating an ’80s goth rock vibe in typically full-blooded fashion. “We don’t like to repeat ourselves and we constantly try to find a new language to express while keeping our identity,” stresses the band. “This time we delved into a territory we had never explored before, which is the decade of the 1980s. We are aware that many bands before us took inspiration from that era, but we decided to be careless and run away with it mainly because we get involved and question what we do. We are not part of the ‘dark scene’ in any way. The influence for this record looks back to the early goth rock/dark wave rather than the later emanations of the genre.” In addition to Sisters Of Mercy and Virgin Prunes, the band cites records by Killing Joke, Mercyful Fate, Jimmy Page, Journey, The Sound, Boy Harsher, and Vangelis as impacting significantly upon the creation of The Spin.

Decibel Magazine championed, “a sweeping statement that draws equally from doom and goth rock, with hefty doses of classic heavy metal and jazz thrown in.” Deaf Forever concurred, praising the band’s, “strongest album to date,” that, “definitively establishes MESSA as one of the most exciting and creative bands of the modern era.” New Noise Magazine hailed, “a deeply rewarding album from a band whose time has come,” further elaborating, “…though all of their output makes for easy recommendations, it’s The Spin that finally shoulders MESSA out of the niche, best-kept-secret parameters they’ve been snagged in and onwards towards the oh, so elite, ‘many are called but few are chosen’ province of unequivocal, rock n’ roll preeminence. This is analogous to Soundgarden’s flight path from Badmotorfinger to Superunknown.” Added Metal Hammer Germany, “Anyone who appreciates the free-spirited combination of an exceptional voice with plenty of quiet moments and some blaring riffs will find MESSA to be the perfect band.”

The Spin earned a host of year end list spots globally including #2 on Decibel Magazine‘s Top 40 Of 2025 and #5 on Metal Injection‘s 2025 Albums Of The Year and has surpassed 4 million streams within a year on Spotify alone.

The record is available now on CD, vinyl, and digital formats.

Preview/purchase the record at: metalblade.com/messa

Watch MESSA‘s previously released videos for “Reveal” HERE, “At Races” HERE, “The Dress” HERE, and “Fire On The Roof” HERE.

MESSA:
Sara – vocals
Marco – guitars/bass
Alberto – guitars
Rocco – drums

Fine MESSA Online:
https://messaband.com
https://www.facebook.com/MESSAproject
https://www.instagram.com/messa_band
https://messa.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnSGTv_yAuP0cO2_D8rVqPg

Buy iTunes Artist Page Artist News

Self Defense Family have returned with their first new music in six years, and Patrick Kindlon has a lot to get off of his chest.

The track is titled ‘Reclusion’ and serves as the band’s first release since a string of singles back in 2020.

And in picking up where they left off, the band are dealing out tension and tenacity in abundance. Like a rubber band stretched to its absolute limit but that refuses to snap, it is a knife-edge of a listen. A gruelling, churning, fantastically discomforting piece of relentless emotional release.

Dishing out gorgeously brash poetry by the bucketload, vocalist Patrick Kindlon has seemingly turned his attention to the things that are good in his life. But clearly, he cannot shift the feeling that something bad is just around the corner. It’s a fascinating juxtaposition, that makes for an even more compelling and cathartic experience.


This is what he had to say about what the track represents and where it fits in future plans:

“I’ve been trying to write lyrics about family and animals instead of songs about being atomized and thinking everyone is crazy. But it turns out even my love songs are about being atomized and thinking everyone is crazy. Call it a creative through line, I guess.

We’ve been playing together forever, so meeting up to write and record some songs is just a natural thing that happens. We recorded last year, but I’ve been holding up the process. Typically I go into the studio and write while I record, and it’s only ever about conveying a moment. But this time I’m struggling with the idea of getting things ‘perfect.’ A silly idea. But some of these songs are about things I want to get right the first time. I’ve got a family I love but everyone is dying on me. I’d like to have lyrics that do it all justice.”

The post Self Defense Family Share Cathartic New Track ‘Reclusion’ appeared first on Rock Sound.