Known for her “country arena rock” performances and chart-topping releases, Jessica Lynn continues to establish herself as a formidable force in music. Hailing from New York, the singer-songwriter is captivating global audiences with her high-energy stage presence and relentless drive and is back with a new single. Stream – here “‘Truckin’’ is about forward motion […]
The post Jessica Lynn Releases New Single, ‘Truckin’’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.
The Rock Orchestra have announced their explosive 2026 UK arena tour, Arena Of Fire, bringing a powerful fusion of Heavy Metal with classical orchestration to stages across the UK this October.
After performing to more than half a million fans worldwide and topping the Official UK Rock & Metal Albums Chart with their debut album Classics Vol. 1, The Rock Orchestra return with their most ambitious production yet.
Arena Of Fire promises a two-hour spectacle combining a full orchestra, choir, iconic rock anthems and large-scale pyrotechnics.
“Arena Of Fire is the most explosive version of The Rock Orchestra we’ve ever created,” Nathan Reed, Creative Director and Producer, told us. “We’ve taken the scale and emotion of our orchestral arrangements and built a huge arena experience around them, with fire, pyrotechnics, incredible performers including The Fuel Girls, and a full choir driving the power of the music.”
Audiences can expect orchestral interpretations of tracks including Nothing Else Matters, Bring Me To Life and Paint It Black, alongside music from AC/DC, System Of A Down, Linkin Park, Motörhead and Iron Maiden.
The show transforms the arena into a cinematic experience, blending dramatic lighting, fire effects, and immersive visuals with powerful musical arrangements to deliver a bold reimagining of some of the genre’s most legendary songs.
“It’s dramatic, intense and completely immersive,” Reed said. “We want audiences to feel the energy of rock and Metal on a huge cinematic scale.”
2026 UK Arena Tour Dates include Leeds, Liverpool, Bournemouth, Belfast, Dublin, Cardiff, Birmingham, London and Brighton. Tickets start from £38 and are available now via the official website.
Akem Manah – Threnodies (Black Lion Records) [Mark Young]
There are often albums that for one reason or another slip through the net when it comes to having a review ready for the day of release.
I have a few this month, starting here with the Doom/Death/Gothic metal Akem Manah, who drop their latest via Black Lion Records for your perusal. I hope the band forgives me for quoting their own words here, but in terms of providing a description its way better than I could conjure up:
‘Threnodies is a cycle of human unravelling in ten dirges for those who sought the truth behind the world and found only the abyssal chaos staring back’.
So, taking that statement to heart and having that as this albums letter of intent they start off with The Inevitable Fate Of Francis Cobb (Intro) a short instrumental that acts to settle us in for the tales to be told.
Suitably gothic, it does exactly what you expect it would do prior to The End Of Earnest Hollow arriving in that slow and unhurried manner.
Akem Manah – Threnodies (Black Lion Records) [Mark Young]
There are often albums that for one reason or another slip through the net when it comes to having a review ready for the day of release.
I have a few this month, starting here with the Doom/Death/Gothic metal Akem Manah, who drop their latest via Black Lion Records for your perusal. I hope the band forgives me for quoting their own words here, but in terms of providing a description its way better than I could conjure up:
‘Threnodies is a cycle of human unravelling in ten dirges for those who sought the truth behind the world and found only the abyssal chaos staring back’.
So, taking that statement to heart and having that as this albums letter of intent they start off with The Inevitable Fate Of Francis Cobb (Intro) a short instrumental that acts to settle us in for the tales to be told.
Suitably gothic, it does exactly what you expect it would do prior to The End Of Earnest Hollow arriving in that slow and unhurried manner.
UK underground Metal outfit Tyrannus return with their sophomore studio offering, Mournhold, the follow-up to 2022’s debut release Unslayable. Sound-wise, drawing from ’80s Thrash, atmospheric Black Metal, and elements of post-punk, they say that this time around they have added a “sharper focus and refinement.”
Release Date: 15 May 2026
Words: Jools Green
Unslayable was influenced by Lovecraftian horror. This may still be the case with Mournhold, as the superb cover art suggests as much but lyrics, often being the wonderfully ambiguous creation that they are, mean there could be other factors cleverly woven into their content too.
So I am not going to make any guesses. However, the superbly striking cover art suggests it still plays a part.
Opening piece Violent Inheritance develops out of a sonic wave. I love the dramatic extremes of pace and intensity across this piece, particularly the way it switches and stops suddenly, delivering icy riffs, mournful melody and even the leadwork is broad ranging, sometimes haunting, other times searing. The vocal delivery is both acidic, scathing and well-protracted. It is a superb listen.
On the next piece, Orbus Non Sufficit (which translates from Latin as the world is not enough), the haunting opening quickly builds into driving blackened riffs and powerfully punctuated scathing vocals. I like the delivery of this piece. It is dark, intense and largely unrelenting, not ebbing back until midway for a spoken element, slightly after which you get a few dramatic drops and builds. The regular backing chants of “Orbus Non Sufficit” add further depth, making another excellent piece.
A heavy chugging driver with an addictive repeat from the offset, Seize The Stars develops heady Thrash overtones and acerbic vocals with dramatic squealing waves of thrashy leadwork. Plunging back midway, this still delivers an ominous intent, even more so as it builds back up to more of that thrashy lead work ebbing out on chants of “Seize the Stars.”
Flesh Eternal takes a different slant with its post-punk influences. I love the loose but catchy bass lines, drum rhythms and haunting keyboard repeat, and you see a different side to the vocals, which are cleaner. The pace switches up midway, and the riffing intensifies, carving a path for a swathe of soaring leadwork ending on sonic noises that fade out towards the end.
Reignfall, the first single released from the album, is an up-tempo Thrashy number that becomes more intense as it progresses. You cannot help but get caught up in those hugely engaging Thrash-rich riffs and squealing leads. It is a heady beast of a track.
Penultimate offering and title track Mournhold emerges out of a wall of riffing, quickly developing pace, punch and a subtly catchy edge. The lyrics are delivered with a well-phrased punch, and the second half lead work elevates the piece and sets it on a frantic up-tempo drive to the close. A well-composed and engaging track.
Final and longest piece at seven and a half minutes, Back To Grey opens on a reflective, haunting, melodic repeat rapidly building into a sharp Thrashy drive that twists and turns alongside dramatic drops. Lyrics are delivered with acidic punch and precision, and the second half develops a subtly blackened melodic feel alongside the sharp, haunting lead work, fading out as it began, but with added impactful drum beats.
Tyrannus release Mournhold on 15 May 2026 via True Cult Records. It will be available as a vinyl in heavyweight transparent deep purple vinyl and include a full colour printed double-sided lyric sheet, a professionally dubbed tape, with full colour on-body tampography print and a two-sided J-card.
First editions will be limited to 50, and reservations are getting snapped up fast. A limited-edition digipak CD and a digital download are available to pre-order at Mournhold | Tyrannus.
The post appeared first on INFRARED MAGAZINE.