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Sigh + Craven Idol @ Downstairs at The Dome, London 11th July 2026 Review by Demitri Levantis Photos by The Flâneur Japan’s leading black metal […]

The post Sigh + Craven Idol @ Downstairs at The Dome, London appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE



Soldiers of Steel Festival Returns in 2026 With Four Days of Heavy Metal, Two Stages, and a Massive Underground Lineup


Seattle, Washington is set to become a gathering ground for metal warriors once again as Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026 returns August 13th-16th, 2026, bringing four days of pure heavy metal, two stages, and an unforgettable lineup to The Substation.
Celebrating the strength, tradition, and diversity of the underground metal scene, Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026 will feature legendary acts, rising forces, and some of the most dedicated musicians keeping the spirit of heavy metal alive. Fans can expect a weekend packed with crushing riffs, soaring vocals, blistering solos, and the unmistakable energy that only a true metal festival can deliver.
The 2026 edition features an impressive lineup including Sanctuary, Liege Lord, Hellwitch, Saint, The Accused A.D., Sacred Blade, Blood Star, Skelator, Ironflame, Leathurbitch, and many more.
Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026 Lineup

Thursday, August 13th

Blood Star
Skelator
Dark Meditation
Hadean
Friday, August 14th

Liege Lord
Sacred Blade
The Accused A.D.
Tower Hill
Soul Grinder
Adamantis
Infinity Dream
Subversion Trigger
Saturday, August 15th

Sanctuary
Hellwitch
Saint
Widow
Heavy Metal Shrapnel
Telomyras
Ironflame
Chamber Mage
Old Dirty Buzzard
Leathurbitch
Sunday, August 16th

Stainless
Additional bands and vendors to be announced
This year’s festival is supported by an incredible group of sponsors and partners dedicated to keeping the underground metal scene thriving, including Silk and Steel, Lakeside Music Studio, House of Records, Diane Webb Photography, Metal Devastation PR, and Metal Devastation Radio.
Metal Devastation PR and Metal Devastation Radio are proud to sponsor Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026 and continue their mission of supporting independent artists, festivals, and the worldwide metal community.
With additional vendors, sponsors, and announcements still to come, Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026 is shaping up to be a must-attend event for fans of traditional heavy metal, power metal, thrash, and underground metal from across the globe.

Event Details

Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026
August 13th-16th, 2026
The Substation
645 NW 45th St
Seattle, WA 98107
Tickets and information:
https://soldiersofsteel.com/
https://namelessgraverecords.com/collections/concert-tickets


https://www.eventbrite.com/e/soldiers-of-steel-2026-tickets-1980151459319
Soldiers of Steel Festival 2026: Four days. Two stages. One mission. Keep heavy metal alive.
#SoldiersOfSteel #SoldiersOfSteelFestival #HeavyMetal #SeattleMetal #UndergroundMetal #TraditionalMetal #MetalFestival #SupportTheUnderground
Photo credit Diane Webb Photography

While any band, metal or not, would kill to have a classic in their discography, I often feel that having one can do their other albums a disservice. Some classics continue their perpetual status by virtue of self-fulfilling “this is good because we have been told it must be” prophecy (Tomb of the Mutilated), while some keep their status because fans refuse to accept anything else as even capable of touching this particular sound (None So Vile, Dopethrone, Destroy the Opposition) irrespective of the quality of follow-up releases. Over the last decade or so, Gorguts has usurped Meshuggah for the band everyone mines for inspiration, with fantastic results. Hailing from Denmark, Carbon Tomb are here to scourge the earth with their debut album Passage to a Neutron Star, and they too have thrown their hat in the Gorguts ring. Show of hands, who’s expecting an Obscura clone?¹ Well, you’re wrong, and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

The backbone of Carbon Tomb plays heavily on Gorguts more straightforward yet just as foul From Wisdom to Hate. The discordant and oppressive approaches you expect are all present, but in a far more digestible form despite the raw ugliness of the notes. Alternating between grindcore-tier assault and full speed ahead spirit with sudden half-time slowdowns and twanging leads, Passage to a Carbon Tomb manages to draw from more than one spirit of disharmonic masters. The alien soundscapes of Artificial Brain collide with wailing and gnashing of Teeth (“A Hidden Creature”), oppressing the listener with haunting clashes of notes while always being ready to collapse into a foul riff or grim lead. “Reversed Head Renewal” channels the riff-centric Gorguts in all its glory, high trems riding out over a bass that clangs like The Iron Giant taking a jog. Title track “Passage to a Neutron Star” alternates between blast beats galore and sudden, brief measures of brvtal Ulcerate-isms before the vocals turn more throaty in style and the chord progressions become more slammy to follow suit. All of this should be a disjointed, inapproachable mess, but it is not, and at its peak, there are signs of some truly incredible things brewing in the Carbon Tomb camp.

Those signs find themselves in the album centerpiece, “The Dog Hunter” and “Of God’s Neglect.” These two songs are a perfectly complimentary pair of violence, fusing skull-liquifying riffcraft and supremely emotive introspection in equal turn. “The Dog Hunter” centers around a riff channeling Human Cull violence which slowly unravels with drummer Mikael rocking the bat-on-an-oak-tree sounding snare in various permutations, impossibly catchy without losing a drop of its oppressive atmosphere. “Of God’s Neglect” features a positively tear-jerking synth(!!) lead over more midpaced and mournful grooves, a flourish which appears completely out of nowhere and somehow fuses with the main spirit of the album masterfully, without ever seeming like an afterthought or unnecessary gimmick. This is the closest moment of raw melody on the entire album, and despite being a complete inversion of everything Carbon Tomb seem to stand for—ugly, dissonant notes and speed, suddenly slathered with slow, singable beauty—it doesn’t just work; it’s absolutely delightful and an instant contender for Song of the Year. A complete album with this dual approach would have me ready to give the highest marks, and it’s exciting to see that in an already very good album, ideas of proper greatness are gestating.

It helps that Carbon Tomb have a good ear for good production and album flow, with a decently dynamic master, especially for the genre. Drums are well articulated and clear despite the (usually) blast-heavy presentation, and vocalist/bassist Jappe Tander keeps his instrument center stage without ever overwhelming the depressed-alien riff construction of guitarist Richardt. Jappe’s vocal style also features some decent Gorguts nods, emulating Luc Lemay’s hoarse roar when not engaging in subterranean gutturals. The only big knock against Passage to a Neutron Star is that the mid-stretch is so S-tier that the back third seems to suffer a superficial dip in quality despite none of the songs themselves suffering from any serious bloat or superficiality.

Carbon Tomb have come out of nowhere and offered a devastating blow to listeners around the world with a debut of excellent quality and composition. I won’t yet go so far as to declare it an instant classic, but the giants it stands on are of some very broad shoulders indeed, allowing the band to reach where few young outfits could hope to tread. Passage to a Neutron Star has announced Carbon Tomb as big-time players in the world of grindy dissodeath, and I cannot wait to see what stars await us in the future.

---

Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: July 17th, 2025

The post Carbon Tomb – Passage to a Neutron Star Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

The Larches are set to release their powerful new EP, Nihilistic Majesties, on Friday 24th July. With the alt-metallers on the rise, we checked in and asked the northern heavyweights to give us this exclusive track-by-track breakdown of their new EP: “Raxidermy” (Noah Annandale) “Raxidermy”’s origins are based on my own personal experiences with childhood … Continue reading Exclusive track by track: The Larches – ‘Nihilistic Majesties’

Melissa Auf der Maur, who has provided both her musical talents to iconic groups Hole and the Smashing Pumpkins, is releasing her first new music in 16 years. The Montreal-born musician and artist announced BASS WOMB ROOM: My ’90s 4-Track Demos x Field Recordings, which is out September 4 via Envision Records.

The post Melissa Auf Der Maur Announces First New Music In 16 Years, Hole Tease Something For Friday appeared first on Stereogum.

The first single is now airing on SiriusXM.

The post Hatebreed’s Ninth Album “Fatal Paradox” Due Out In November appeared first on Theprp.com.

Featuring support from Drook and sueter7

Source

Cloven Hoof have set September 25, 2026 as the release date for their tenth studio album, Never A Prophet In Your Own Land, through High Roller Records. The first taste of the record arrives with the lyric video for the single “Iron Mask”.

The upcoming album brings together different sides of Cloven Hoof‘s sound, mixing mid-paced material, faster tracks, epic arrangements and classic heavy metal anthems. Frontman Harry “The Tyrant” Conklin of Jag Panzer, who has led the band’s vocals for the past three and a half years, once again delivers a standout performance.

Bassist Lee Payne credits the singer for raising the bar, saying: “The praise is all Harry‘s. We are indeed fortunate to have such a brilliant vocalist and frontman in the band.”

Payne also explained that the new release follows its own path instead of revisiting the approach of the previous record.

“Never A Prophet In Your Own Land is not in fact a direct continuation of [2024’s] Heathen Cross. Heathen Cross had its own darkly heavy and brooding atmosphere. Never A Prophet In Your Own Land resembles A Sultan’s Ransom more closely, yet this resemblance was not contrived or planned. It just turned out that way.”

Speaking about the writing process behind Never A Prophet In Your Own Land, Payne emphasized the band’s current creative momentum.

“We wanted to make this album as rich and varied as we could, to show how far the band has progressed musically.

We are in a golden place right now, and the whole record-writing process happens organically.

This album has everything you could wish for in the heavy metal genre. It shows our versatility in a way that A Sultan’s Ransom did eclectically. But it takes this versatility one step further in the most satisfying album we have ever done.”

One of the enduring names to emerge from the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, Cloven Hoof trace their roots back to 1979, when they first performed under the name Nightstalker. Two years later they adopted the Cloven Hoof name, with the original lineup of vocalist David Potter, guitarist Steve Rounds, drummer Kevin Poutney, and bassist Lee Payne performing under the stage identities “Earth”, “Fire”, “Water” and “Air”.

After recording demo versions of songs including “Return Of The Passover” and “Nightstalker”, the band issued the EP The Opening Ritual in 1982 through Elemental Music. Their first full-length, Cloven Hoof, followed in 1984, with Fighting Back arriving in 1986, Dominator in 1988 and A Sultan’s Ransom in 1989.

Following a break during the 1990s, Cloven Hoof returned in 2006 with Eye Of The Sun. The band added Resist Or Serve in 2014 before releasing Who Mourns For The Morning Star? in 2017, both through High Roller Records. That album opened the door to the group’s first North American tour. Since then, Cloven Hoof have expanded their catalog with Age Of Steel in 2020 via Pure Steel Records, Time Assassins in 2022 through FM Revolver, and Heathen Cross in 2024 on High Roller Records.

Two years ago, Payne spoke highly of Conklin‘s arrival in the lineup, stating: “Harry Conklin is a world-class vocalist. He is super dedicated and highly professional, and we knew he would fit in the band seamlessly. Harry is an astounding singer. He is so versatile. He can sing high, low, and always with power and passion. He knows how to live and sell a song. Harry is like an actor telling a story. No one interprets my lyrics like Mr. Conklin. I can’t praise him enough.”

The post CLOVEN HOOF Announces Tenth Album “Never A Prophet In Your Own Land” Featuring The Return Of JAG PANZER’s HARRY CONKLIN As Lead Vocalist appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

Held in the scenic lakeside surroundings of Peurunka in Laukaa, approximately 25 kilometres north of Jyväskylä, John Smith Rock Festival has firmly established itself as […]

The post JOHN SMITH ROCK FESTIVAL 2026: Three Days of Great Bands, Sunshine and Rain appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.

Italian death metal act Into Darkness take a page from the classic Dutch death metal scene on their new album, Route to the Other Side. The quartet’s first proper album in a prolific 15-year career, Route to the Other Side is both a musical tribute and an extrapolation, building on the albums that inspired frontwoman and guitarist Doomed Warrior.

Lyrically, Into Darkness are interested primarily in astronomy and, as a result, Route to the Other Side is a concept album out the solar system we live within. Speaking with more clarity about the album, Warrior tells Decibel:

“The first time I heard The Rack by Asphyx, I knew this was the music I wanted to dedicate my life to. Route to the Outer Side is our own voice, built upon the masterpieces that shaped us. If even one person with the same passion for death metal truly connects with it, then we’ve achieved our goal.

“Route to the Outer Side is deeply rooted in Dutch death metal: Pentacle, Asphyx, Sinister, early Soulburn, Pestilence… This album is filled with small tributes, born from admiration rather than imitation.

“Route to the Outer Side is more than an album about the outer solar system. It’s the result of years of passion, dedication and a lifelong devotion to the old-school and underground scene. It’s our contribution to keep the flame alive.

“Astronomy has fascinated me since childhood. The lyrics on this album are an invitation to curiosity, to perseverance and to the sense of wonder that science inspires. You don’t need to be a scientist to appreciate the universe – only brave enough to keep exploring.”

You can journey to the other side right now, because Decibel has an exclusive stream of Into Darkness’ new album below. If you dig what you hear, you can score it on digital and physical formats via Bandcamp. It’s out officially on July 24 via Dying Victims.

The post Full Album Stream: Into Darkness – “Route to the Other Side” appeared first on Decibel Magazine.