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Clouds threaten, but the only inclement weather on Saturday is ‘November Rain’. Download Day Two sees us fighting for the Fox God with Babymetal, taking in the local Lvndmvrks and an evening with one of the most iconic rock acts of all time. We’ve brought our dogs for a cameo and we’re staying well away from the Ferris Wheel – let’s go!

Words: Kate Allvey // Photos: Emma Stone and Download Festival

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The Wildhearts

“Wakey wakey,” Ginger Wildheart yells across the stage, signalling an appropriately loud classic rock kick-off to the day. “We’re here to celebrate life!” The frontman’s zen optimism on ‘Failure Is The Mother Of Success’ and thundering Motorhead energy on ‘Suckerpunch’ beams through the cloud to brighten the morning for the Wildhearts fans who are out in force already. The surprise appearance of Maggie the Border collie is sweet, but ‘Diagnosis’ is the rousing and, in light of the vocalist’s recent cancer diagnosis, emotional highlight of the set.

South Arcade

The fizzy viral band are proving that they really do have some serious Y2K chops as ‘Supermodels’ draws the midday mosher crowd with its pep and pyro. South Arcade are rough, ready and eager to start a shoutalong on ‘Danger’, their freshness and passion a bright spot in the early part of the day. ‘Superman’s relentless shred and gleaming positivity sends surfers flipping over the barriers in force, much to South Arcade’s confusion and delight.

Landmvrks

We’re practically running to the Apex stage to catch the burst of energy that is Landmvrks and their snappy French metalcore, equal parts graceful and grating. It’s their Download debut, and they’re practically skipping with genuine glee at dropping ‘Blistering’. Their new song, ‘A Line In The Dust’, is evocative and destructive, with layers of melancholy beauty in the chorus, and ‘Sulfur’s delicacy amid all the distortion is what keeps us hypnotised. 

Die Spitz

Die Spitz are instantly intriguing, whether they’re thrashing or creating waterfalls of layered elongated sentiment. ‘My Hot Piss’ is so raw and so complex that we’re looking on in wonder as they’re constantly dipping between dark grunge tuning and a healthy dose of female rage. It’s when the punk-ish elements are pushed to the foreground that we’re treated to the full breadth of what these searing outsiders can offer. 

Black Veil Brides

The sun might be shining, but Black Veil Brides exist in a plane of perpetual midnight. From the confident and captivating ‘Knives and Pens’ to the masterfully vampiric corrupting howls of ‘Bleeders’, we’re enthralled, screaming along from the front to the far reaches of the field. They’re focusing on their latest record today, and ‘Hallelujah’s all sacrilegious drum-driven fury that hits hard. The rolling thunder of ‘Vindicate’ gives as renewed energy from a band always bettering themselves with every show.

Mouth Culture

Open and expansive, Mouth Culture are the kind of beautiful soundclash which keeps you on your toes every Download. ‘Everyday’ ushers us into an evening vibe with its ‘lighters up’ moment and provocative attitude. The crowd spills out from beyond the Avalanche tent by the time they drop ‘Don’t Pull Up’, drawn to the lighter end of the musical spectrum on display from Mouth Culture. While Download might not exactly be their home turf, Mouth Culture know how to win fans and influence people with a set that feels far too short.

Melrose Avenue

Melrose Avenue sound like the future, and we didn’t even realise it until halfway through their set. ‘Taste’ rushes and chimes, but it’s on ‘Inside Your Mind’ that the Aussies really start to hit their flow with one eye on the stadium rock . By the time they’ve reached ‘Cemetery Friend’, all blunt drum solos and raving metalcore, the Avalanche tent is packed and we’re convinced they’re going to be the next Parkway Drive. The newest song, ‘Bad Guy’, is a huge shredder of a track, but they’re more than capable of keeping it soulful on tracks like ‘Through Hell’ in case we need even more convincing. 

Babymetal

 

Last time they tried to play Download, Babymetal were rained offstage. This time, we’ve sacrificed an emo kid to the Fox God and the weather is just as glorious as their set. The energy on ‘PA PA YA!!’ is perfect; absolute festival gold and the culmination of a journey towards being taken seriously. The entire crowd have completely bought in to the Babymetal phenomenon and we’re whirling our shirts over our head for every second of ‘METALI!!’ Playful, unapologetically different and here to hype us up, the living anime goddesses don’t disappoint for a second.

Marmozets

The metal offspring of X-Ray Spex enter with a theatrical wail and the promise that if you don’t like their style, another genre of music will burst into their next song. ‘Mes Désirs’ is delightfully unpolished and after the gloss of a lot of the bands today, we’re relishing Becca Bottomley’s vocal whirlwind. She pirouettes above us as the determined pit grows to encompass the whole tent as ‘Move, Shake, Hide’ provokes a riotous party that kicks us into the evening.

Hot Milk

And the award for ‘Set Where You Have No Chance Of Getting Close To The Stage’ goes to the Mancunian duo embracing their dark side once again. “We’re gonna make this tent look like the best place to be in the whole festival,” Han Mee declares and she achieves it and more during the Nightmare Version of ‘Candy Coated Lies’. Our hands are raised and our sense of community is through the metaphorical roof as she lays her past bare on ‘Breathing Underwater’, a song which never loses its emotional impact no matter how many times we’ve heard it. Hot Milk’s set will be a massive highlight of the weekend for their growing fans, and we can expect to see them on a much bigger stage next time. 

Architects

The biggest clash of the weekend divides the crowd between those camping in the main field and the vast swathe of those jammed in for the sophisticated sound of Architects. It’s a set with unfortunate pauses and emotional confessions, but the memory of ‘Elegy’ blooming against the sunset to create an emotive and desolate scene is what will stick with us. ‘Whiplash’ is the sound of possibility, made to be played against open skies before ‘Doomsday’ feels like a sonic exorcism. It’s ‘Black Lungs’ with proves to be circle pit nitro and by the time they play ‘Blackhole’, we’re going absolute nuts, screaming our release to the stage. Raw yet considered, Architects present an all-consuming vision of their sound which magnetically attracts their half of the festival. 

Guns n Roses

Let’s be real for a second; Guns n Roses, a band in their sixties, were never going to put on the kind of show they did in the eighties, and planning a three hour career-spanning retrospective would be an ambitious move for any band of a certain ago. What we got instead of nostalgic cringe was professionalism, gorgeous vibes on the big hits, about a million shirt changes from Axel, a lot of filler that only the hardcore fans would delight in… and, most surprisingly, a moment of pure honesty. 

As an opening salvo, a blistering rendition of ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ can’t be bettered, and anyone who doesn’t get a few goosebumps during their cover of ‘Knocking On Heaven’s Door’ has to be slightly dead inside. Just hearing ‘Sweet Child O Mine’ live feels like a personal accomplishment and getting to see Slash do his thing is a bucket list item for all the guitar worshippers in the crowd. ‘November Rain’ will always pack one hell of a massive punch, and social media reveals at least three couples got engaged during that song. However, it was a quiet little cover of Jimmy Webb’s ‘Wichita Lineman’ that knocked us though. For five minutes, there was no posturing or image; they were just a really good band playing an old country song about loneliness, and it felt like they had revealed more about the men behind the icon label in those short seconds than we’d seen in years.  While their set might have disappointed some who were hoping to see their heroes turn it up to eleven, there was a lot to love and a lot more to respect about Guns n Roses’ set.

KATE ALLVEY

California rockers Rival Sons have announced their first run of US dates since 2024’s Two-Headed Beast schedule. The Domestic Bliss tour kicks off at the Knitting Factory in Boise, ID, on October 30, and finishes on November 29 at the Clyde Theatre in Fort Wayne, IN.

“A lot of irons in the Rival Sons fire right now, but we wanted to break off a quick one domestically, get out there and run it hot for a minute,” says frontman Jay Buchanan. “24 US dates in the fall, the Domestic Bliss Tour let’s go!”

“We are elated to get back out touring across the U.S., it’s been a while,” adds guitarist Scott Holiday. “We weren’t able to tour the US properly on the last two records, so it’s going to be great to get back to some of those territories we missed. We’re going to mix it up and try to play songs from across the catalogue – this is going to be fun for us!”

Support will come from Canadian blues rock duo The Blue Stones and Colorado rock’n’rollers The Velveteers, and tickets go on sale this Friday, June 26, at 10am local time. Full dates below.

Meanwhile, the band have also revealed that they’re currently working on their ninth studio album, the follow-up to 2023’s Darkfighter and Lightbringer sets.

“It’s been great to get back to writing and recording with my brothers in Rival Sons,” says drummer Michael Davis. “It’s early days, and we’re doing this one a bit differently, but I’m so excited about how it’s turning out!”

The new album is expected to be released in 2027.

Rival Sons: Domestic Bliss UK tour 2026

Oct 30: Boise Knitting Factory, ID
Oct 31: Seattle The Showbox, WA
Nov 01: Portland Roseland Theater, OR
Nov 02: Spokane Knitting Factory, WA
Nov 04: Sacramento Ace Of Spades, CA
Nov 05: Reno Grand Theatre At Sierra Resort And Casino, NV
Nov 06: Las Vegas Brooklyn Bowl, NV
Nov 07: Albuquerque Shine Theater, NM
Nov 09: Austin Emo’s, TX
Nov 10: Tulsa Cain’s Ballroom, OK
Nov 12: Moline The Rust Belt, IL
Nov 13: Green Bay Epic Event Center, WI
Nov 14: Milwaukee The Rave, WI
Nov 16: Silver Spring Fillmore Silver Spring, MD
Nov 17: Cincinnati Bogart’s, OH
Nov 18: Cleveland House Of Blues, OH *
Nov 20: New Haven College Street Music Hall, CT
Nov 21: Huntington The Paramount, NY
Nov 22: Worcester The Palladium, MA *
Nov 24: Buffalo Town Ballroom, NY
Nov 25: Montclair The Wellt, NJ
Nov 27: Memphis Minglewood Hall, TN
Nov 28: Indianapolis The Vogue, IN
Nov 29: Fort Wayne Clyde Theatre, IN

*support from The Blue Stones only

Find Rival Sons tickets.

Shinedown have spent most of the last two decades owning rock radio like it’s a lease they keep renewing without ever missing rent.

The post Shinedown Break Into Country Airplay for the First Time With ‘Searchlight’ appeared first on Audio Ink Radio.

Raleigh, North Carolina traditional heavy metal band CRIMSON STEEL have released their new single “Dark Rider,” the second single from their forthcoming full-length album Show No Fear, out October 2, 2026 via Heaven and Hell Records.

“Dark Rider” charges forward with classic heavy metal intensity, galloping rhythms, sharp riffing, and apocalyptic imagery. The track captures CRIMSON STEEL in full command of their traditional metal foundation, pairing high-energy musicianship with a cinematic sense of dread and momentum.

Built around visions of plague, death, famine, destruction, and unavoidable catastrophe, “Dark Rider” descends like an omen. Relentless percussion, forceful bass, soaring vocals, and layered guitar harmonies drive the song with urgency, giving it the feeling of a warning carried on steel and thunder.

Watch “Dark Rider” HERE! https://youtu.be/9VQ8EZP05co

Show No Fear presents CRIMSON STEEL in a fully realized narrative landscape shaped by fear, transformation, power, sacrifice, and perseverance. Across the album, the band brings together traditional heavy metal force, cinematic atmosphere, progressive-minded arrangements, and emotionally charged performances. The record moves with the scope of dark fantasy while staying rooted in the human struggle to confront fear, endure conflict, and emerge with strength.

With Show No Fear, CRIMSON STEEL delivers an album built for listeners drawn to classic heavy metal storytelling, soaring vocals, driving rhythms, and dramatic musicianship. The production preserves warmth and organic energy while giving the record the clarity and impact of a modern heavy metal release.

Show No Fear was produced by Wendy Brancaccio and recorded and mixed at Vintage Noise Studio with Wendy Brancaccio and Bill Spears. The album was mastered by Anthony Focx. Cover artwork and design for Show No Fear is by Johnathan @gerardster. 

CRIMSON STEEL:

Tina Langevin – Lead Vocals
David Ryan – Guitars, Backing Vocals
Joel McGee – Bass, Vocals
Will Adkins – Drums, Backing Vocals

Connect WithCRIMSON STEEL:

Official Website: https://thecrimsonsteel.com/

Bandcamp: https://crimsonsteel.bandcamp.com/album/show-no-fear

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrimsonSteelband/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/crimsonsteelband/

Source: C Squared Music

The Cure, The Twilight Sad & The Joy Formidable, Blackweir Live, Cardiff 24.06.26



Remember folks: “Goths Die In Hot Fields” and it didn’t get much hotter than today, the warmest June day on record saw 35,000 decamp to Blackweir Fields, Cardiff newest outdoor event space, to take in the indie/goth/rock pioneers, and Olivia Rodrigo’s favourite band.

Before all that though we made our way across the vast field filling up our water bottles and looking for the promised additional shade, which didn’t appear, we settled into place for Flintshire alt rockers The Joy Formidable (8).

They began the evening loudly with some jangling post rock guitars, alt rock grooves and dual vocals from guitarist Rhiannon “Ritzy” Bryan and bassist Rhydian Dafydd, accompanied by their current drummer and another member who shifted between keys and singing saw, they’re a big sounding band, despite basically being a duo, at a crossroads where post meet alt rock.

With the final “Diolch” they left the stage to applause from the early arrivers as the files began to fill for the headliners. This meant that The Twilight Sad (7) had a bigger crowd and while their style is a bit more theatrical, their music did sort of blend into one grungy post punk noise at times.

The issue is differentiation, the music is suposiyto be the focus here, each track adding to the stage performance, the licks and melodies of guitarist Andy MacFarlane, flowing through the body of vocalist James Graham who releases them into the world through his voice. I get it, but I did find little variation in what they do, still, it set the right moody atmosphere for what was to come.

Now the field felt like 35,000, all here to worship his gothness Robert Smith and as the chimes began the lights came down and Robert along with his band of misery makers took to the stage in Cardiff to a heroes welcome. Smith took his bows, stepped up the microphone and the magic began with Plainsong, Cardiff bewitched by The Cure (10) and the usual mammoth set list.

Much like New Jersey’s favourite son Bruce Springsteen, The Cure setlists are fluid beasts, often hooked around a few “key songs” and then drawing songs from across the various albums and styles The Cure have adopted over the years. Be that electronic industrial bruising, driving post punk, moody goth shoegazing or shimmering new wave pop.

There’s even time for, as my colleague put it, “Mr Smith’s House Of Funk” all bass and choppy guitars but mostly this was The Cure in goth opulence as six from this set of twenty eight(!) songs came from 1989’s Disintegration, with four from Head On The Door and the rest from another seven of their fourteen albums, even busting out Burn (very apt for the day) from their rarities collection and Wrong Number from their 1997 single release, as well as Hot! Hot! Hot! which too was apt for the day. 

Ultimately though, amongst the sold out crowd those that were down the front would have been hanging on every single song but for the rest it’s Pictures Of You, Just Like Heaven, A Forest, Disintegration , Friday I’m In Love, Lovecats and Boys Don’t Cry that illicit the biggest cheers.

With these in their arsenal and the shifting setlist, it’s easy to see why so many people would put The Cure as their favourite band and it’s a testament to the enduring legacy, as they managed to indoctrinate this hardened metalhead into the cult of Robert Smith.

A metal show can feel massive in the room and still look flat when someone posts the footage the next day. The breakdown hit, the pit opened, and the crowd knew every word, but online, the clip looks dark, muddy, and hard to follow.

For bands trying to grow, learning how to turn live shows into rewatchable clips matters. Those clips show promoters that people respond. They give fans something easy to share. They also give someone who has never heard the band a reason to think, “I need to catch them live.”

The best part is that rewatchable clips are not only for arena acts. Smaller metal bands can create them too by building moments that come across clearly on a phone screen while still feeling raw, heavy, and real.

Start With the Moment Fans Are Waiting For

Most live clips do not need a long intro. If the strongest part of the song is the breakdown, chorus, blast-beat switch, solo, or final crowd chant, start close to that moment.

That does not mean every clip has to open with chaos. Sometimes the silence right before everything drops is the hook. A vocalist stepping back from the mic, the drummer raising a stick, or the guitarist holding one ugly chord can build tension fast.

The mistake is posting footage that takes too long to show why the moment matters. Fans scrolling online do not have the same context as the people in the room. Give them a reason to stay within the first few seconds.

Make the Heavy Part Easy To Read

A breakdown can level a venue, but if nobody can tell what is happening in the footage, the clip loses power.

Metal is physical music. People want to see the drummer hitting hard, the vocalist commanding the room, the guitarist locking into the riff, and the crowd reacting. When everything is too dark or shaky, the weight of the moment gets lost.

Bands should think about what the audience can actually see when the biggest part of the song hits. If the vocalist disappears into the backline or the drummer is completely hidden, the footage may not show what made the room explode.

That does not mean choreographing every move. It means using movement, lighting, and spacing to help the song hit harder on video without making the performance feel staged.

Cue the Crowd Without Forcing It

Some of the best live metal clips work because the crowd knows exactly what to do.

A callout before a breakdown, a hand signal before a chant, a pause before a wall of death, or a repeated line before the final chorus gives the audience a role in the moment. That reaction is often what makes the clip worth replaying.

The trick is to keep the cue natural. Metal fans can smell desperation. If a band begs for a reaction every thirty seconds, the energy starts to feel forced.

A strong crowd cue builds anticipation and gives the camera something obvious to capture.

Choose One Visual That Sticks

A memorable live clip does not need ten different production tricks. Too many moving parts can distract from the song.

One strong visual is usually enough.

That could be a backdrop reveal, a sharp lighting change, a smoke burst, a banner drop, a synchronized blackout, or a stage prop that matches the band’s identity. The visual should support the music, not compete with it. If the crowd remembers the lighting cue but forgets the riff, the balance is off.

For smaller bands, the smartest move is often to make one moment feel bigger instead of trying to make the whole set look expensive. Save the strongest visual for the part of the song that already hits hardest.

When a clip depends on a banner drop, hanging lights, or a larger-than-life stage prop, production crews need reliable stage rigging before the cameras start rolling.

That kind of planning is not glamorous, but it helps the onstage moment feel effortless. Fans do not need to think about the setup; they just need to feel the impact.

Film for the Room, Not the Phone

There is a fine line between making a moment camera-friendly and turning the show into a content shoot.

The goal is not to perform for phones instead of the room. The goal is to make sure the best parts of the set can survive outside the venue.

Bands should think about where people naturally film from and whether the biggest moments are visible from more than one angle. A clip from the pit captures intensity, but a wider shot may capture the crowd reaction that makes the moment feel huge.

A good live moment should still belong to the room first. The camera should catch the energy, not become the reason for it.

Trim the Clip Before the Energy Drops

A rewatchable clip should not overstay its welcome.

Many bands post footage with too much dead space before or after the best part. The energy peaks, then the clip keeps going until the moment fades. That can make an otherwise strong performance feel weaker than it was.

The best live clips usually feel complete in a short window. They set up the moment, deliver the hit, show the reaction, and end before the energy drops. That makes people more likely to replay it and share it with someone who has never heard the band before.

That is what turns a live show into a rewatchable clip: the right section, the right ending, and no wasted time once the payoff has landed.

Capture Audio That Still Feels Alive

The visuals might get someone to stop scrolling, but the audio decides whether they stay.

Metal clips can be tough because phone microphones are not always kind to loud rooms. Cymbals wash everything out, guitars blur together, and vocals disappear.

Bands cannot control every fan-shot video, but they can be smarter with their own footage. A cleaner board mix, room mic, or reliable camera setup can make a huge difference.

A live metal clip should still feel dangerous, sweaty, and real. Some grit is part of the appeal. Total mud is not.

Keep the Moment Honest

The best live clips are built from real energy. They are the moments where the song, the band, the crowd, and the room all lock in at once.

That is why bands should not chase trends at the expense of their identity. The most rewatchable moment should feel like something only that band would do.

Maybe it is a brutal pit call. Maybe it is a haunting clean vocal section. Maybe it is a sudden tempo shift, a ritualistic lighting cue, or a chorus that the crowd screams back without being asked.

Whatever it is, make it clear. Make it honest. Make it hit hard enough that someone who was not there still wishes they had been.

A great live clip does not replace the show. It proves the show was worth being at.

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She’ll make you beg and plead

Make you dance to the gunshots

She whispered me a threat I won’t soon forget

Some people leave a relationship with memories; others leave it looking like evidence. In “Threats (If I Can’t Break Your Heart),” love has curdled into leverage, and the woman at its center treats affection as another surface to damage. She does not plead for devotion. She promises consequences.

Chicago’s BELLHEAD injects life into those consequences and revisits the scene of the crime in their video for “Threats (If I Can’t Break Your Heart),” directed by John Weaver. The striking new visual accompanies an expanded yellow-vinyl edition of Threats EP and a series of late-summer and early-fall tour dates.

Built from two basses and a drum machine, “Threats” prowls before it pounces. Karen Righeimer-Schock supplies the low-end pressure, dragging the song forward with a bassline that feels heavy enough to disturb the furniture, while Ivan Russia works the instrument’s upper register into serrated, almost guitar-shaped lines. The programmed rhythm advances from a measured trudge into an industrial stomp, leaving the arrangement plenty of empty space in which each scrape, throb, and breath can register.

Russia delivers the verses with a conspiratorial growl, recounting the exploits of a woman drawn to wreckage, revenge, violence, and the intoxicating moment before everything gives way. When the chorus arrives, that private warning becomes a communal chant. Righeimer-Schock’s voice later slips through the arrangement with chilling composure, embodying the song’s central figure rather than merely describing her.

She is less a conventional villain than a force that has learned to turn old damage outward. A corrupted nursery rhyme suggests she was shattered long before she began breaking other people, but the song offers no easy absolution. Hurt has hardened into appetite; intimacy has become another instrument of control. Recorded and mixed by Neil Strauch and mastered by Carl Saff, the track turns that cycle into something muscular, theatrical, and gleefully menacing.

Weaver’s video opens as though the viewer has arrived after the struggle. Plastic sheeting catches the cold light, evidence tags hang from covered forms, and numbered markers sit among overturned lamps and scattered debris. The room resembles a half-cleared crime scene, but BELLHEAD are already inside it, dressed in funeral black and performing as though nothing unusual has happened.

Righeimer-Schock stands behind an upright bass while Russia crouches at the front of the room, gripping a microphone as its cable coils around him. His gestures move between interrogation, confession, and accusation. Behind them, mannequin-like figures remain wrapped in translucent plastic, silent witnesses to whatever occurred before the camera arrived.

These claustrophobic scenes are interrupted by footage of the band performing beneath hard stage lights and heavy haze (joined by an unseen Wes Hayden and Kevin Epperson). The broader stage setup gives the chorus a larger physical impact, but the silhouettes and severe backlighting preserve the video’s atmosphere of concealment.

Elsewhere, Russia and Righeimer-Schock appear alone in a barren winter field. He advances toward the lens in dark glasses and a long black coat; she addresses it in a veiled hat, fur, and gloves, her hands raised as though delivering either a warning or a sentence. Stripped of the room’s props and plastic-covered bodies, these direct-to-camera passages make the threat feel suddenly personal.

By the final shot, bands of crime-scene tape have sealed off the entire room, leaving the musicians visible behind the warning. Whether they are victims, witnesses, suspects, or the people responsible is left unresolved. The only certainty is that the damage has already been done.

Watch the video for Threats (If I Can’t Break Your Heart) below:

Bellhead’s new video accompanies the expanded edition of Threats, now available as a limited 12-inch yellow-vinyl pressing. The ten-track edition places the record’s five original songs on Side A, while Side B is devoted to reinterpretations from BELLHEAD and several figures from the industrial and dark alternative underground.

Christopher Hall of Stabbing Westward contributes a club-driven mix of “Bad Taste” featuring his own vocals, while Walter Flakus revisits BELLHEAD’s 2022 track “Nothing As It Seems.” Clubdrugs dismantle and reconstruct “Heart Shaped Hole,” Frontal Boundary reshape “Shutters + Stutters,” and BELLHEAD return to the closing track from 2023’s Good Intentions with a new version of “Drugstore Keri.”

Threats is out now on expanded yellow vinyl. Order the album here.

BELLHEAD will carry the record back onto the road beginning July 31 in South Bend. The run moves through the Midwest, Great Plains, Southwest, Gulf Coast, and South, with appearances alongside Iron Years, Thief, Livernois, PIG, and Cyanotic, among others.

BELLHEAD Tour Dates:

• July 31 — LangLab, South Bend, IN
• August 2 — The Burlington, Chicago, IL — with Iron Years, Most Modern, and In a Darkened Room
• August 28 — Cactus Club, Milwaukee, WI
• September 1 — Coven, Omaha, NE
• September 2 — Kirby’s Beer Store, Wichita, KS
• September 3 — The Crypt, Denver, CO — with EhPh and Hypersomnia
• September 4 — Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM — New Mexico Goth Fest with Thief
• September 5 — Resonant Head, Oklahoma City, OK — with Mechanical Flesh, Blood Bells, Othering, and Later Laine
• September 6 — Kickback Bar, Houston, TX
• September 7 — The Crypt, New Orleans, LA — with Livernois
• September 17 — Rose Bowl Tavern, Urbana, IL — Bat Factory
• September 18 — Hi Tone, Memphis, TN
• September 19 — Birdie’s Cabaret Theater and Lounge, Little Rock, AR — with PIG and Cyanotic
• September 20 — Fubar, St. Louis, MO — with Spicy Kitty and Bitchface

Follow BELLHEAD:

• Website
• Bandcamp
• Facebook
• Instagram
• Spotify

The post “Bad Girls Take What They Want” — Chicago Duo Bellhead Revisit the Scene of the Crime in Video for “Threats” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

The Baltimore Soundstage was packed on June 17 as Spite brought their latest tour through Maryland. With a lineup built around some of the heaviest names in modern extreme music, the crowd arrived ready for a physical night, and by the time the headliners took the stage, the energy in the room had already reached a high point.

Spite wasted little time settling in. The California outfit delivered a set that leaned into the aggression and intensity that have made them one of deathcore's most recognizable acts over the past decade. Frontman Darius Tehrani remained the focal point throughout the performance, moving constantly across the stage while maintaining a strong connection with the audience.

What continues to separate Spite from many of their peers is their ability to balance heaviness with control. Even as crowd surfers moved toward the barricade and the pit remained active for much of the set, the band never appeared rushed or out of sync. Their performance felt disciplined without losing any of the raw energy that defines their sound.

The crowd played a major role in the atmosphere of the evening. Baltimore has long supported heavy music, and that support was evident throughout the night. Fans responded to nearly every song, creating the kind of environment that bands hope for when touring through smaller-capacity venues.

Rather than relying on elaborate production or lengthy interaction between songs, Spite kept the focus on the performance itself. The set moved efficiently from one song to the next, maintaining momentum from beginning to end. It was a straightforward approach that fit both the band and the audience, making for a performance that felt genuine rather than overly rehearsed.

By the end of the night, Spite had delivered exactly the kind of set their fans have come to expect: heavy, focused, and uncompromising. In a scene where trends come and go quickly, the band's commitment to a direct and effective live show remains one of its greatest strengths.

Thanks for reading!

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• Support The Metalverse and go ad-free.
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What is the Fosi Audio i5?

The i5 is an open-back, over-ear planar magnetic headphone featuring a 97mm driver—one of the largest in its class. It retails for about $550 and comes with both a single-ended 3.5mm cable and a balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn cable, along with a 6.35mm adapter. It's a wired-only, desktop-focused headphone.

Planar magnetic headphones work differently from traditional dynamic drivers. Instead of a voice coil pushing a cone, the entire diaphragm is embedded with a thin conductor and driven uniformly by magnets on both sides. The result is typically lower distortion, faster transient response, and a flatter, more detailed sound. The i5 takes that formula and scales it up—literally—with an enormous driver that Fosi claims improves dynamics and low-end extension.

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Build Quality and Design

Pull the i5 out of the box, and the first thing you'll notice is that this thing is big. The earcups are enormous, even larger than many HIFIMAN and Audeze designs, and the build feels premium for the price. You're getting polished walnut accents on the earcup exteriors, an aluminum rear grille, and a suede-wrapped suspension headband. The yokes are made from high-strength memory steel that retains its shape over time.

The headband uses a stepless silicone friction slider for sizing. It's a nice touch that lets you dial in the fit precisely rather than clicking through notches, though it is pretty rigid and takes some force to adjust it. The dual-axis earcup system lets the cups pivot both vertically and horizontally, which helps them sit properly on a wide range of head shapes. Once you find your position, the i5 locks in nicely.

Connections are handled by dual 3.5mm jacks at the base of each cup. A standard configuration that makes aftermarket cable swapping straightforward. The sealing ring that Fosi added between the driver and pad mount (a fix from early pre-production units that had sub-bass extension issues) works well.

The pad mounting system uses a Velcro-style attachment with a proprietary shape, which means pad-rolling with third-party options is difficult. Fosi does sell an optional non-fenestrated pad ($29) that increases bass presence if you want to tune the sound, but beyond that, your options are limited. Brands like HIFIMAN make pad-rolling feel effortless by comparison.

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Sound Quality

Overall Signature

The Fosi Audio i5 has a relaxed, smooth, and somewhat laid-back sound signature that leans warm without going dark. If you're expecting a forward, aggressive planar, this isn't it. What you get instead is a headphone that feels spacious and composed that resolves detail. The overall tuning lands close to the Harman over-ear target, which means it's versatile across genres while still having a distinct character. It's analytical without being too clinical, which is a balance a lot of headphones in this range struggle to achieve.

Bass

Open-back headphones don't typically win bass competitions, and the i5 is no exception—but it handles low frequencies better than most in its class. The bass is neutral and well-extended, digging cleanly down into sub-bass territory thanks to the large driver and the updated sealing ring that Fosi introduced to fix pre-production sub-bass rolloff. The quantity is on the polite side, though the texture and detail in the low end are excellent. Bass lines come through with clarity and definition that dynamic driver headphones often blur.

If you want more thump, Fosi's non-fenestrated optional pads do reportedly add meaningful bass presence.

Mids

This is where the i5's character gets interesting. The midrange is smooth and slightly recessed, creating an airy, transparent quality that I enjoyed. Vocals sit back in the mix rather than projecting forward, which gives the i5 a very "headphone disappears" quality as instruments feel spatially placed rather than close and immediate. The upper midrange has some frequency response irregularities that measurements show clearly, but in actual listening, the effect is often less dramatic than the graphs suggest. Real music is complex enough that these bumps and dips blend into a coherent presentation rather than calling attention to themselves. That said, genre and recording quality matter here—the i5 is revealing enough to make poorly mastered tracks sound noticeably uneven.

Treble

The highs are generally well-controlled. With that being said, during some songs, I did notice the i5 to have noticeable sibilance that could be harsh to my ears at points. With that being said, there is a good amount of air and energy up top to keep detail retrieval strong. Strings, cymbals, and high-frequency harmonics all reproduce cleanly.

Timbre, Soundstage, and Imaging

Timbre on the i5 is warm and natural—instruments sound organic rather than metallic or synthetic. Acoustic instruments and strings in particular benefit from the smooth, unhurried character of the signature.

The soundstage is a legitimate standout. The i5 throws sound that is exceptionally wide and tall, with a holographic, three-dimensional quality that is impressive. It's immersive in a way that makes orchestral music, jazz, and acoustic recordings feel genuinely expansive.

Imaging is also above average—instrument placement is clear and well-separated, though the laid-back midrange means vocalists can occasionally feel slightly diffuse in dense mixes. Percussion imaging is sharper than vocal and string placement. Layering is strong, and the planar driver's inherent speed helps pull apart complex arrangements cleanly.

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Comfort and Fit

For being over a 1lb headphone, the i5 is more comfortable than it should be. The wide suede headband distributes weight across a broad area, and the thick memory foam earpads seat around the ears gently rather than clamping hard. The dual-axis cup movement means the pads conform naturally to your head without creating pressure points. For longer listening sessions, while it initially feels heavy, I did get used to it, and it was actually quite comfortable.

That said, 1.2lbs is 1.2lbs. People with smaller heads may feel the cups sit a bit loosely, and anyone sensitive to on-head weight will likely feel these over an extended session. I wear glasses often when writing, so the oval cup shape also works better than a circular design for me, causing less temple pressure.

Since this is an open-back headphone, isolation is essentially zero. Sound leaks out freely in both directions. This is a headphone for your desk, your listening room, or your home studio.

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How Does It Compare?

Fosi Audio i5 vs. HIFIMAN Sundara ($299)

The Sundara is the classic benchmark for the sub-$500 open-back planar market, and it's a tough act to follow. The Sundara is brighter, more neutral, and more forward in the midrange—vocalists feel more immediate and present. The i5 counters with a significantly wider soundstage, a warmer and smoother presentation, and substantially better build quality, including more premium materials and a better cable package. The Sundara is easier to drive and more universally flattering across genres. For listeners who want intimacy and a reference-leaning sound at a lower price, the Sundara is still a strong pick. For listeners who want a more immersive, spacious experience with a premium feel, the i5 makes a compelling case for the extra investment.

Fosi Audio i5 vs. FiiO FT5 ($450)

Two company flagships in the same neighborhood. The FT5 brings a more V-shaped signature with punchier bass and a slightly more energetic, engaging presentation. It's warmer in the low end, more visceral, and arguably more fun for EDM and rock. The i5 is smoother and more refined, with a larger soundstage and a more composed top end. Both have excellent build quality, though the i5's walnut and aluminum construction feels a touch more premium. The FT5's modular cable system and versatile pad options give it a practical edge for customization. If you're chasing bass impact and energy, the FT5 edges ahead. If you want width, composure, and a more laid-back listening experience, the i5 wins.

Fosi Audio i5 vs. HarmonicDyne Baroque ($559)

A genuinely close fight at essentially the same price point. The Baroque uses a 60mm dynamic ceramic-metal driver rather than a planar, and the difference in character is clear. The Baroque is more neutral, brighter, more forward, and more aggressive—it climbs lower in sub-bass and higher in treble presence. The i5 sounds warmer, wider, and more relaxed. The Baroque is considerably easier to drive than the i5, making it friendlier with modest desktop setups. The build quality advantage goes to the i5, which uses more premium materials throughout. Sonically, this comes down to what you want: the Baroque for precision and energy, the i5 for space and warmth.

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Final Thoughts

Fosi Audio entered the full-size headphone market swinging, and by most accounts, they landed a hit with the i5. This is not a safe, hedged debut—it's a large, ambitious, premium-feeling open-back planar that competes credibly with established names in the mid-fi space. The soundstage is legitimately impressive, the build quality is excellent, and the smooth, spacious presentation is quite enjoyable for long listening sessions.

Is it perfect? No. The midrange quirks are real, even if the real-world impact is modest. The 1.2lb weight isn't for everyone. The treble can be harsh during listening, and you're going to need a real desktop amp to hear what this headphone is actually capable of—a dongle or laptop output will leave it sounding flat and underpowered.

But if you have the right source and a taste for a warm, wide, planar sound, the Fosi i5 is one of the more compelling open-back headphones at $549. For a first attempt, that's not just good—it's impressive from Fosi.

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Technical Specifications

• Driver Type: 97mm planar magnetic
• Diaphragm Thickness: 2μm nano-level
• Voice Coil: 1.3μm silver-alloy, sputter-coated
• Magnets: 22 N50-grade neodymium magnets per channel (symmetrically arranged), 44 total
• Impedance: 28Ω
• Sensitivity: 98 dB/mW @ 1kHz
• Frequency Response: 10Hz – 50,000Hz
• Maximum SPL: >120 dB
• THD: <1% @ 100 dB SPL
• Recommended Power: 100mW minimum / 500mW recommended
• Weight: Approximately 550g (approximately 1.2 lbs)
• Cable Included: 4.4mm balanced Pentaconn (approximately 5 ft), 3.5mm single-ended (approximately 5 ft)
• Termination at Earcups: Dual 3.5mm TRS (standard)
• Accessories: 6.35mm adapter, cable storage pouches, user manual
• Price: $549.99 USD

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Led Zeppelin‘s seventh studio album Presence wasn’t the easiest to make. Robert Plant was recovering after the August 1975 car crash in Crete that had left him with serious arm and leg injuries, and the band’s touring schedule had been pitched into turmoil.

The show had to keep rolling, and the following month the band gathered for writing sessions in Malibu Colony, 30 miles south of Los Angeles, before recording commenced at Musicland Studios in Munich, Germany.

Over the years Presence has frequently been cited as Jimmy Page‘s favourite album, presumably because – as with Led Zeppelin I – he was fully in control. With Plant’s input restricted, there were, as Tight But Loose editor Dave Lewis says, “no Mellotrons, acoustic guitars or keyboards of any kind – no Jonesy! It was all Jimmy. No one else really got a look in.”

Below, Jimmy Page recalls the recording of Presence.

A lot of people presume that Presence is your favourite album

I don’t know why they think it’s my favourite album; I don’t have any one favourite album because they all mean different things from the whole journey of Led Zeppelin. Presence was recorded in real stressful circumstances, Robert was in plaster with his leg and we didn’t know what the outcome was going to be of all that at the time.

It’s a very dark album, it’s really intense.

That’s the one where it took three weeks to record and do overdubs. We did it in the Musicland Studios, Munich and after us were the Rolling Stones. I called them up and asked if I could get a couple more days, because they were busy trying out various guitars, and they said OK. The tracks were done and Robert’s vocals were done and I was going to do what I had normally done and still do – the overdubs and production.

There was me and the engineer Keith Harwood, and whoever woke first would get the other up and we’d get straight into the studio and do the guitar overlays. It was the same with the mixing. Jagger was staying in the same hotel and I went up to see him to say thanks for letting us use the studio in their downtime. He said, “What have you done?” I said “I’ve done an album, do you want to hear some?” I put on Nobody’s Fault But Mine, which he sort of knew as a blues song and he was quite startled by it.

Although doing an album in three weeks was an exception, I never worked slowly, nor did anyone else. We were all very fast and to the point. If we were recording something and it wasn’t happening we would stop that number and do something else, there was no point labouring it. That’s something I brought with me from the session days – you know when the spark’s there and you know when it’s gone and there’s no point proceeding, especially if you have other numbers to do.

When Presence came out, everyone thought it was the direction Zeppelin would be taking in the future.

Yeah, for example, Tea For One is exceptional. It was to the point, recorded in a couple of takes. Robert’s vocals are tremendous. He was doing that his leg was in a cast, miles away from home.

Weren’t you particularly out of it during the recording of Presence?

I was into it. [laughs] I was seriously focussed. You don’t make music like that in such a short amount time falling about in the street drunk. You do it when you’re one hundred per cent focussed.

This interview originally appeared in Classic Rock’s Led Zeppelin Special, in November 2007.