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!

• Read more of the latest rock/metal news here
• Subscribe to our Metal News Email list for weekly updates!
• Support The Metalverse and go ad-free.
• Follow us on Social Media | Instagram | Facebook
• Listen to our metal Spotify Playlists!
• Join our free 5-day music marketing email course!

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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

Thanks for reading!

• Read more of the latest rock/metal news here
• Subscribe to our Metal News Email list for weekly updates!
• Support The Metalverse and go ad-free.
• Follow us on Social Media | Instagram | Facebook
• Listen to our metal Spotify Playlists!
• Join our free 5-day music marketing email course!

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.

Blight Town, Shyeye, Murals And DIV3R will be opening select dates.

The post Hail The Sun Announce Fall Tour With A Lot Like Birds, The Fall Of Troy & More appeared first on Theprp.com.

The post Rose Hound Rat Rod Review appeared first on Edgar Allan Poets – Noir Rock Band.

Scar .

The post Scar Chamber featuring Babylon A.D. guitarist Ron Freschi to release debut album ‘Ugly On The Inside’ first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

The teenage hardcore punk band set out to introduce themselves to an apparently unfamiliar audience.

The post XCOMM Release Pro-Shot Footage Of Their Entire 2026 Washington, DC ‘Vans Warped Tour’ Set appeared first on Theprp.com.

The post Sharbel Wahbee Built from what broke me Review appeared first on Edgar Allan Poets – Noir Rock Band.

The post The Colinizers Gravitational Bull Review appeared first on Edgar Allan Poets – Noir Rock Band.