Category: news

– September 9th, 2026 –

Metal Blade Records – the fiercely independent label that launched Metallica, Slayer, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth, Armored Saint, and dozens more genre-defining icons, and is the longtime home of King Diamond, Killswitch Engage, Whitechapel, Cattle Decapitation and many more – proudly celebrates its 45th Anniversary in 2027. Founded in 1982 by Brian Slagel with little more than an unwavering belief in underground heavy music and the drive to get it heard, Metal Blade has grown from a grassroots passion project into one of the most influential independent labels in metal history. To mark this milestone, Slagel announces a brand-new podcast series: Metal Blade Records’ 45th Anniversary Podcast.

Beginning in JANUARY 2027, Slagel will release one new episode per week throughout the entire year, available on all major podcast platforms. Each episode will feature an in-depth conversation with past and present Metal Blade Records artists and others involved in the making of some of the label’s most celebrated releases – a deep dive into the stories, struggles, and creative visions behind 25 landmark albums that helped shape the course of heavy music. Episodes will drop weekly, branded as the Metal Blade Records’ 45th Anniversary Podcast.

Comments Metal Blade Records founder, owner, and CEO Brian Slagel: “I’m super excited to host this new podcast celebrating 45 years of Metal Blade Records! Following my podcast 100 songs that define heavy metal, the concept is basically the same! Going to be fun to talk to everyone each episode!“

Pantheon Media CEO, Christian Swain added, “Brian Slagel didn’t just witness the rise of heavy music-he built the platform that launched it. Partnering with Brian on 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal showed us how passionate this community is for authentic, deep-dive storytelling. We’re thrilled to host the Metal Blade Records’ 45th Anniversary Podcast on Pantheon as Brian opens the vault on 25 landmark albums that reshaped the musical landscape. Nobody tells these stories better.“

The weekly podcast will include bands like Amon Amarth, Armored Saint, Bitch, Bolt Thrower, Cannibal Corpse, D.R.I., Fates Warning, GWAR, Lizzy Borden, Omen, Six Feet Under, The Black Dahlia Murder, Unearth, and more! Check in each week to see who Slagel speaks to and which albums will be discussed.

The Metal Blade Records’ 45th Anniversary Podcast will be available on all major podcast platforms beginning JANUARY 2027. New episodes drop weekly throughout the year. Keep an eye on Metal Blade‘s site HERE for updates and links.

Metal Blade Records‘ greatest achievement is not simply the catalog it built, but the philosophy that constructed it. From the very beginning, the label has prioritized music over the mainstream, careers over trends, and long-term partnerships over short-term gain. That commitment to artist development has remained the label’s foundation for 45 years. Today, its roster reflects metal’s extraordinary diversity – death metal, black metal, thrash, progressive metal, metalcore, darkwave, doom, and countless styles in between – all sharing the same home because they embody the passion, creativity, and individuality that have always defined Metal Blade Records.

About Pantheon Media:
Where fans belong. Pantheon Media connects audiences with music, sports, and pop culture through podcasts, interactive audio games, and livestream experiences where fans connect, participate, and shop. With a network featuring The Metallica Report and Rock N Roll Archaeology, Pantheon helps artists, creators, and brands turn compelling storytelling into engaged communities, deeper fan relationships, and new revenue opportunities. Learn more at: pantheonpodcasts.com

About Metal Blade Records:
For 45 years, Metal Blade Records has stood at the forefront of heavy music, discovering, developing, and championing artists that define generations of metal. From underground trailblazers to genre-defining icons, the label’s unwavering commitment to authenticity, innovation, and uncompromising music has remained unchanged. Forty-five years later, the same philosophy that launched the classics continues to introduce the next generation of metal.

Metal Blade Records launched Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint, Fates Warning, GWAR, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth, Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decapitation, 200 Stab Wounds, and dozens more genre giants, and has been the longtime home of King Diamond and Killswitch Engage, shaping four decades and counting of hard rock, metal, and extreme music culture. Brian Slagel worked as a record store clerk when he founded Metal Blade in 1982, reserving a spot for a young Lars Ulrich on his Metal Massacre compilation series. Metal Blade grew from humble beginnings in Los Angeles to become an international powerhouse, selling millions of albums while remaining fiercely independent. In 2017, Slayer‘s Kerry King inducted the label into the Hall of Heavy Metal History. Slagel‘s first memoir, For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records, arrived the same year, with its follow-up, Swing of the Blade: More Stories from Metal Blade Records, in 2023. He launched the podcast 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal in late 2024 and the weekly interactive audio trivia game, Metal Mondays, the following year.

Metal Blade Records – Forging Metal Since 1982

Find Metal Blade Online:
Official Website: https://www.metalblade.com
Official Bandcamp: https://metalblade.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/metalbladerecords
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/metalbladerecords
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/MetalBladeRecords
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/metalbladerecordsofficial
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/metalbladerecords.bsky.social
Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MetalBlade
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@metalbladerecords
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@metalbladerecords
Museum: https://www.metalblade.com/museum

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Arriving on vinyl for the first time this November.

The post Creed Announce Newly Remastered 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition Of “Weathered” appeared first on Theprp.com.

Led by frontman Nate Valdez, Southern Colorado’s Graveyard Choir brings a chillingly authentic edge to modern Americana. Drawing directly from Valdez’s real-life experiences working at a mortuary, the band weaves haunting melodies with deep meditations on life, mortality, and the human condition.

Their standout single “Memphis 3” is a gripping Southern Gothic murder ballad inspired by one of America’s most controversial true-crime cases. Dripping with mournful storytelling and vivid imagery, the track moves through the dark streets of a city haunted by tragedy and unresolved grief. 

Musically, it strikes a brilliant balance, combining a captivating groove and fiery intensity with sticky hooks and deeply evocative lyrics. It’s an amazingly written, atmospheric piece of storytelling that lingers long after the final note.

Give it a go by clicking on the Spotify player below and follow Graveyard Choir if you like what you hear. 

https://instagram.com/graveyardchoirband
https://facebook.com/GraveyardChoir

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Between the Buried and Me have spent the summer on the road, with the band heading out on the second leg of their North American tour in support of their latest album, The Blue Nowhere, as well as returning to Japan and Australia for the first time in over 6 years. The band continues their live activity later in 2026 with a Latin American tour, as well as appearances at Louder Than Life and Warped Tour in the US.

Today, they are pleased to launch a stunning live recording of new album favourite “Psychomanteum”, captured at The Caverns in Pelham, TN. The audio was mixed by Jamie King and the video was filmed by BTBAM and edited by Adam Halpern, with single artwork by Corey Meyers.

Tommy Rogers comments: “Never in a million years did we imagine we’d one day play a show inside a cave. We knew we had to document the evening somehow. It was a magical and unique night, filled with cold, damp air and our music echoing through ancient rock. What an unforgettable experience!”

The Blue Nowhere has been hailed by Consequence as “another mind-bending prog metal journey,” with Revolver noting the band’s music is as “complex as ever,” and Loudwire praising the album as “another characteristically compelling and eccentric record” from the genre-defying architects of modern progressive metal. The album is available on multiple vinyl variants and CD here.

The Blue Nowhere celebrates its 1st anniversary this coming weekend. Stream it now here.

Between the Buried and Me have built a reputation as one of heavy music’s most forward-thinking and creatively ambitious bands. Over the past 25 years, they have released eleven albums, from their 2002 self-titled debut to 2025’s The Blue Nowhere, blending technical mastery with conceptual depth. Throughout their career, their albums have consistently landed on year-end best-of lists, earned a GRAMMY nomination in 2019 (with the award’s website praising their music as “versatile, imaginative, and absolutely crushing the band’s music”), been dubbed “prog metal heroes” by Kerrang!, and been praised by Guitar World for their “epic” and “hugely diverse” sound.

The full list of upcoming live dates is as follows:

September 20th – Louder Than Life Festival, Louisville, KY
October 8th – Circo Volador, Ciudad de México, Mexico
October 10th – Rock al Parque Oficial 2026, Bogotá, Colombia
October 11th – Yield Rock Bar, Lima, Peru
October 13th – Teatro Cariola, Santiago, Chile
October 15th – Uniclub, Buenos Aires, Argentina
October 17th – Hangar 110, Sao Paulo, Brazil
November 14th – 15th – Warped Tour, Orlando, Florida

The post BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME Release “Psychomanteum (Live At The Caverns 2026)” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Here’s a funny one. This year, the MTV Video Music Awards have dropped the show’s Best Rock category for the first time in the show’s 37-year history. But today, the folks at MTV have announced that the network’s highest lifetime achievement honor, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, will be bestowed upon Nirvana. Finally, some institutional recognition for Nirvana!

The post Nirvana Are This Year’s VMAs Video Vanguard Award Winners appeared first on Stereogum.

Touring wide open.

The post Neurosis Announce New U.S. Shows Into 2027 appeared first on Theprp.com.

Battle-hardened Gloryhammer expands their complex universe with a new single. “Warriors of Auchtermuchty” is set in their main antagonist Zargothrax’s hometown and focuses on the eponymous steadfast fighters swearing allegiance to their emperor. Powered by choirs and highly contagious melodies, Gloryhammer up the stakes with a sing-along chorus enriching the power metal epic. The showdown of their storytelling-heavy fifth album, Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath, coming October 16 via Napalm Records, is imminent — will you join them on their inescapable quest?

Gloryhammer about “Warriors of Auchtermuchty”: “Gloryhammer has been awarded the world record for using the word ‘Auchtermuchy’ the most times in a song. We hope you like saying it as much as we do.”

The enemies of Dundee tremble as exalted power metal heroes Gloryhammer announce their long-awaited fifth album, Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath! Due for release on October 16 via Napalm Records, the album is a direct sequel to 2015’s Space 1992: Rise of the Chaos Wizards, continuing the epic saga of the McFife dynasty. Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath follows Angus McFife V, the Crown Prince of Fife, last seen in 2022’s single “Fly Away,” as he ventures into a perilous journey across spacetime that will lead him to the distant future of 1993, where his destiny lies.

Across 11 tracks, the band of heroes draws upon a more diverse range of influences than ever before, without ever compromising on the hook-driven, memorable songwriting that they are known for. From classic power metal to thrash, high-energy synth rock to vast, sweeping orchestral soundscapes and more. Produced by the band themselves and mixed by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe), this is Gloryhammer as you’ve never heard them before.

Will Angus and his allies prevail in this titanic struggle? Or will the galaxy plunge into demonic chaos? Join Gloryhammer and find out —For the Eternal Glory of Dundee!

Gloryhammer about the new album: “Mighty warriors, rejoice! The almighty Gloryhammer return triumphantly with a new chapter in the long and tumultuous history of the Intergalactic Empire of Fife. Multidimensional wormholes, abandoned space stations, and EPIC BATTLES await at the final frontier of Space 1993. FOR THE ETERNAL GLORY OF DUNDEE!”

Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath is available to pre-order here, in various limited formats:

• 1-LP White Label Edition, incl. LP-Sized Booklet 24 pages, Certificate, Covercard – strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only – SOLD OUT!
• Wooden Boxset, incl. Digipak CD, 5 Miniatures, 7” Bonus LP, Autographed Card – strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only – SOLD OUT!
• 1-LP Gatefold Cross Fuchsia, incl. LP-Sized Booklet 24 pages – strictly limited, Napalm Records EU Shop only
• 1-LP Gatefold Marbled, incl. Lyric Sheet – strictly limited, Napalm Records US Shop only
• 1-LP Gatefold Black, incl. Lyric Sheet
• Digipak CD
• Digital Album

“Ultra Portam Astralem” opens Space 1993: Wrath of Kor-Virliath with menacing drums and fanfare, shaping the cinematic setup of the album. The origin of the perilous undertone is explained in the following “Ultimate Sacrifice,” a sweeping power metal track: The Space Kingdom of Fife has been forsaken, and Kor-Virliath seeks a new way to seize power after Zargothrax’s failed ritual. Previously released as a standalone single, “On a Quest for Aberdeen” shines anew in an album version, and the place of its vibrant story and rousing character, Angus V, is now fully revealed as it takes its place among the wider narrative of the album. At this point in the story however, peace isn’t an option yet: Aberdeen is overrun by demons in “Die with a Sword in My Hand,” and with a sentiment such as the one contained in this song’s title, epic battles will surely follow. With a chorus full of gang shouts, this track is certain to become a live favourite. “Silver Talon” keeps morale high by addressing the mighty galactic fleet, stunningly rendered on the album artwork against the backdrop of the pestilential Terrorvortex. Ser Proletius’ legendary Space Knights of Crail join their ranks with the ace pilots whose campaigns are illustrated amidst a stunning orchestral landscape in “Starfighters of Leuchars.”

Afterwards, Gloryhammer expand upon the story behind the birthplace of Zargothrax, where the battle-hardened “Warriors of Auchtermuchty” swear their allegiance to their emperor with an inescapably catchy sing-along chorus. Elsewhere in space, majestic melodies echo through the derelict halls of an abandoned spaceship, as Angus is guided to an unexpected long-lost ally, taking him one step closer to the ultimate goal of “Pax Galactica.”

Electronic soundscapes lead into energetic “Demonic Devotion,” which has the song’s protagonist, long trapped in his own mind, trying to reconcile with the destruction in his wake, while “Hammer of Fate” sets the scene for what’s to come, but is it the fate we have all come to expect? The story concludes with the bombastic monolith of “The Celestial Warhost of the Dundonian Empire Marches to Space Against the Dark Sorcerer: Final Assault on Battlemoon X-22,” an epic nearing 13 minutes of playtime, split into four ever-so-theatrical chapters. As previously seen with Gloryhammer, the narration is expanded through voice lines of a host of legendary characters as they engage in mortal battle to change the fate of the galaxy…

The post Power Metal Titans GLORYHAMMER Release Epic New Single “Warriors Of Auchtermuchty”  appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

(written by Islander) Hymns of Despair is the entirely fitting name of the debut album from Chicago-based Shrineburner. Press materials we’ve received describe the music as “earthquake-inducing”, and as “a sonic glacier of abyssal doom/sludge metal infused with fringes of psychedelic, cosmic, blackened elements”. As you will soon discover through our full streaming premiere of […]

The post AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): SHRINEBURNER — “HYMNS OF DESPAIR” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.