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New Orleans thrash metal icons Exhorder will close out the year with a final US headlining tour. The Tour Of Unsound Minds: Act II will commence on September 25th in West Virginia and run through October 18th in Indiana. Support will be provided by Intoxicated, No/Más, Phantom, and Parabellum on select dates. Vocalist Kyle Thomas comments, “Here… Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

70000TONS OF METAL, The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise, just announced that Public Sales for the 2027 sailing will begin on Monday, September 07, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT / 18:00 CET via 70000tons.com. Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com

After announcing his dream show at London’s Brixton Academy, James Marriott has shared a wonderful new track.

‘Burn Down The Disco’ may imply that he wants to step away from the dancefloor, but based on the shimmering grooves and foot-tapping beats of the track, it’s going to be impossible to do that. Pulling on the most racuous elements of mid 00s indie chaos and forcing it through a modern lens, it’s going to be stuck in your head for months to come.

James had this to say about it:

“Burn Down The Disco is the unveiling of obsession within a relationship. The deconstruction of the version of yourself you display to someone, to be replaced by unabashed, destructive yearning. I wanted to write a song which hit you hard and fast, whose lyrics matched the energy of feeling like you’re losing your mind for someone. It felt like the right teaser of the energy the live shows will take on from now on. It was also the perfect excuse to be a (terrible) superhero in a music video, having never reached these levels of anti-pop before.”

James will be taking over Brixton Academy on September 17 for a show that he calls a dream come true.

He had this to say about it:

“Brixton has been my dream venue for many years now, having seen a multitude of artists there that are so so important to me (including Tyler the Creator’s first show back in the UK). Years ago it was teased that we’d support another artist there and I remember crying with a member of the band thinking about playing on that stage. To think now, a matter of years later, we’re not only playing it, but headlining it, is astoundingly special to me.”

You can grab your ticket from here.

The post James Marriott Shares Glittery New Track ‘Burn Down The Disco’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

Fun fact for fans of AMG lore: I originally found this very metal blog back in early 2010 while searching for reviews of Audrey Horne’s self-titled third album. I auditioned for a writing job, and my first review posted a mere month later. Since then, I’ve reviewed all the Audrey Horne releases, and I admit to being a big fanboy of their retro-leaning hard rock style. At their best, they craft irresistibly fun, punchy anthems, and even at their worst, the music is still pretty damn entertaining, and it never ceases to amuse me that the band features Ice Dale of Enslaved and I fame. 2022s Devil’s Bell had big moments, but felt a bit flat compared to prior platters like Youngblood and Pure Heavy. Now comes 8th album, Achilles, and it’s everything you expect from the band. There’s a strong focus on hooks and replay factor while keeping that 70s rock vibe intact. But can they get the wheels back on the Hornemobile for another monster of a rock album?

The opening title track kicks the party off with a hard-charging attack. Charismatic frontman Toschie leads you on a rowdy ride backed by galloping, churning riffs and a thumping bass rumble, and it’s exactly what I want from Audrey Horne. Then things get moody and introspective with a thick 70s prog rock vibe. Soon it steers back into rocked-out festivities with dominating guitar lines and a kinda sorta Iron Maiden vibe. It’s a cool trip. “In the Eye of a Hurricane” is the perfect Audrey Horne song with a raucous, uncouth vibe and a huge chorus designed to destabilize stadiums. “Vampires” is another win, simple and uber cool, a rock song that gets under your skin on first listen and never lets go. I’ve had this one on replay an obscene amount, and I can’t get enough of it. In a just world, “God Damn Beautiful” would be a huge hit for the band and garner heavy radio play since it’s a dangerously infectious earworm monster. It features bassist Espen Lien on vocals instead of Toschie, though you may not notice at first. He does a bang-up job selling the song, and The Night Flight Orchestra will bitterly wish they wrote this one.

Despite this killer start, Achilles can’t maintain the same level of awesome sauce, and the back half is less memorable. While “Insanity” is pure rock fury and “Hell is Eternity” is like a drunken Iron Maiden doing a rock song, other cuts like “Six Feet in the Ground,” “Running Through the Night,” and closer “New Star Falling” are just okay. They’re pleasant enough, but they don’t hit anywhere near as hard as the better tracks, and at times they’re overly similar to the recent material from The Night Flight Orchestra. There’s an uneventful interlude included as well, and it seems to serve no particular purpose. This makes Achilles very front-loaded, as you get the best 5 cuts within the first 7 tracks. However, at a tight 44 minutes with all cuts in the 3-5 minute frame, it’s a pretty easy, breezy spin.

I’ve been a big fan of Toschie’s vocals and overall frontman persona since I discovered Audrey Horne. He’s one of the best hard rock vocalists out there, and he brings a lot ot personality and gravitas to the material. He’s in great form here, delivering his usual sleazy, ne’er-do-well vocals in a way that feels like he’s about to do something illegal. He’s buoyed by the high-flying leads from Ice Dale and Thomas Tofthagen (ex-Sahg) as they draw inspiration from classic rock acts like AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, and Led Zeppelin, but also rock very Maiden-esque harmonies when things kick into high gear. Behind them, the big bass presence from Espen Lien is counterpointed by rock-solid kit work from Kjetil Greve. Audrey Horne have been around the block and play the kind of music they love, and it shows, even when the writing isn’t consistently great.

Achilles is a bit better than Devil’s Bell. It has big moments and memorable romps, but it has a few lower-tier nuggets that drag it down a notch or two. I may want another album as strong as Youngblood, but I’ll settle for releases like this because Audrey Horne are so damn fun and the perfect soundtrack for summer beer chuggery. You like fun, right? Does anyone remember laughter? Ah, fuck you all, I’m getting drunk.

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Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: NA | Format Reviewed: FUCKING STREAM
Label: Napalm
Websites: audrey-horne.bandcamp.com/album/achilles | facebook.com/audreyhorneofficial | instagram.com/audreyhorneofficial/?hl=en
Releases Worldwide: September 4th, 2026

The post Audrey Horne – Achilles Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Ahead of their North American headlining tour, with support coming from Carnifex, Extermination Dismemberment and Mauled, All Shall Perish have unleashed “Be As Kings, Be As Gods”, their first new song in 15 years. You can stream that track below.
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Colin Newman and Malka Spigel return as Immersion with What Is Lost Will Return, a bold, hypnotic and deeply melodic five-star album of electronic psychedelia and restless invention.

The post Immersion ‘What Is Lost Will Return’ – 5 stars for highly influential duo of Wire’s Colin Newman and Minimal Compact’s Malka Spigel appeared first on Louder Than War.

Australian metalcore outfit Polaris have released “Without You”, a brand-new single paying tribute to their late guitarist Ryan Siew. The single is the band’s first new material since Siew’s death in 2023. Watch the music video below.
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Wage War are kicking things up a notch with the announcement of their new full-length album ‘Landfall’.

The album is set for release on October 09 via Fearless Records, and picks up where their EP ‘IT CALLS ME BY NAME’ left off earlier in the year.

Guitarist/vocalist Cody Quistad had this to say about the purpose of the album:

One of our main goals was to put forth the most identifiable sonic footprint of who we are as a band,.This record had to stand on its own two legs. We didn’t tie it to anything popular or trendy; we strictly did what we do as Wage War and leaned into it. It’s like we cherry-picked the best parts of every iteration of Wage War and turned them up to 11.”

The artwork looks like this:

And the tracklisting looks like this:

1. Landfall
2. Sweet Dreams
3. Silk
4. Figure 8
5. God Complex
6. Stay With Me
7. Silence Has Spoken
8. Way Of Pain
9. Red Dot
10. Blindfold
11. Spellbound
12. Song Of The Swamp
13. Silhouette

‘Sweet Dreams’ and ‘Song Of The Swamp’ first appeared on ‘IT CALLS ME BY NAME’, so you will already be familiar, but the band have now added the title track to their teaser offerings.

A guttural, crushing, unrelenting example of what happens when the band let the heaviness loose, it stalks and strikes with intent and intensity.

The band had this to say about what the song means:


“‘Landfall’ is a song about imminent danger and the realisation that we aren’t in control. Referencing our Florida roots, the hurricane imagery became a way of talking about that feeling of being completely at the mercy of something bigger than yourself. Musically, we wanted the verses to feel heavy and threatening, with the chorus being somber and inevitable.”

The band will also be returning to the UK and Europe at the start of 2027 for a headline tour, with support coming from Invent Animate and Windwaker. Here are the dates:

JANUARY 2027

15 – CARDIFF Y Plas / Cardiff University Students’ Union
16 – LONDON O2 Forum Kentish Town
17 – MANCHESTER O2 Ritz Manchester
19 – GLASGOW SWG3 Galvanizers
20 – BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute Birmingham
22 – PARIS Le Trabendo
23 – ANTWERP Trix
24 – AMSTERDAM Melkweg
28 – COLOGNE Carlswerk Victoria
29 – MUNICH Technikum
30 – BERLIN Columbia Theater

The post Wage War Announce New Album ‘Landfall’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

Ahead of their North American tour supporting All Shall Perish and Carnifex, alongside Mauled, brutal death metal outfit Extermination Dismemberment have released a brand-new single called “Annihilation Order”. Check out the music video below.
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I’ve always been fascinated by Japanese culture, but more importantly, I admire its people. 

That fascination has persisted throughout my life, stemming from childhood when I was just captivated by the beauty and courage of one of the world’s most historic civilizations. Like so many of my fellow knuckleheads, I was obviously drawn to the samurai, both their history and their larger-than-life presence in pop culture. 

Cliché, I know. 

But, eventually, there was the music: the mighty Loudness, G.I.S.M., Intestine Baalism, and Wormrot. 

Needless to say…I was hooked. Like a winter’s flu, it was contagious. Intoxicating even. The Japanese peoples’ sincere approach to their creative output is unmatched. 

Simply put, the Land of the Rising Sun and the arts are synonymous with each other. And in my humble opinion, nothing quite captures that like its obscure interpretations of various mediums: anime, theater, cinema, architecture. But again, for the purpose of this review, I’ll focus on Japan’s gift of sonic ecstasy.

In terms of extreme metal, the now legendary avant-garde black metal project Sigh continues cementing itself as one of the most entertaining, thought-provoking, and creative bands in the genre. The band has come a long way since its debut full-length Scorn Defeat, famously released on Euronymous’ Deathlike Silence Productions back in ‘93. To this day, it’s the project’s most trve black metal release. Then, in ‘95, Infidel Art dropped, showcasing a more unique spin on its black metal foundation — more synthesizers, doomier passages, and just a holistic new venture from the Hellhammer and Venom roots. From there, it was off to the races.

Hail Horror Hell incorporated classical instrumentation — orchestral-like — and copious amounts of jazz influence. 

A few years later, the psychedelic tones on Imaginary Sonicscape. 

There’s the traditional singing on Gallows Gallery. 

The sitar and saxophone from Dr. Mikannibal on Scenes from Hell. 

So on and so forth. 

Across the spectrum, therein lies a consistent focus on Japanese horror, too. Movies like Jigoku and Kyofu Kikei Ningen dig their curved claws into Sigh’s sound. While that isn’t too far out of the ordinary in our lovely metal counterculture, there just seems to be something different here. If the large majority of bands are straight-to-Shudder horror directors, Sigh is Alfred Hitchcock. 

Their last original record Shiki — obviously not including I Saw the World’s End: Hangman’s Hymn MMXXV (Hangman’s Hymn re-recording, duh) — is simply beautiful. It’s at times atmospheric, folky, and exquisitely produced. Not to mention a self-admitted deeply personal album for the project’s mastermind, Mirai Kawashima. But the qualities of each aforementioned record were seemingly stepping stones to their most recent opus, Goh-Ka. 

The word “goh-ka” has a triple meaning: 業火 infernal fire scorching sinners, 劫火 a huge fire that burns down the world at the end of time, and 業果 karma. According to Kawashima, the album’s primary theme is Kuso-zu, a series of Buddhist paintings depicting the nine stages of human body decomposition after death. These artworks encourage meditation on life’s impermanence, death’s inevitability, and detachment from physical attractiveness and worldly attachments, all a reminder of the harsh reality that beauty is fleeting and death is inevitable.

Amen. 

If that doesn’t convince you to at least give this a try, joining Kawashima and Dr. Mikannibal is a murderer’s row of contributors, including Frédéric Leclercq of Kreator fame on bass, Mike Heller of Raven and Malignancy behind the kit, and a guest appearance from the legendary Mikael Åkerfeldt of Opeth.

All of that said, you probably — or at least shouldn’t — need convincing once you dive in. 

“Kuso-shi 1, 2, 3” is the lead-off batter with nine minutes of what makes Sigh so alluring — Lucio Fulci-reminiscent horror synths, traditional Japanese instrumentation, black metal necro vocals, and infectious riffing. Now, if you’re a noob, that probably sounds like an Adderall-fueled fever dream, but I assure you it’s compositionally sound…and then some. Oh, and the clean vocals add a pretty captivating layer, too. And while there are various roads to travel within the confines of this little-big tune, it never truly escapes into disorganization. Instead, it flows like the opening credits of a ‘70s film, even if the lead guitars are comparable to something straight from the ‘80s. 

“Jigoku-Zoshi 1 – Unkamusho” may exonerate a more traditional approach — at least for Sigh’s standards — to heavy music in its modest runtime with some quintessential chunky riffage and hammer-on-pull-off (hey, now) melodeath moments, but “Anzenshokon” blasts back off into the realm of weird with a folky/cosmic absolute banger in what’s a mashup of Enslaved’s Below the Lights and Monumension. The kit work here is top-notch, the clean leads are hypnotic — the songwriting is just perfect, waltzing like cherry blossom petals wrapped in spring winds. 

Cinematically, “Kuso-shi 4, 5, and 6” holds its place as the first act’s finale, drawing the pacing back, instead focusing on synths as the song’s main protagonist. Sure, there are some memorable moments from the stringed tools and stellar drumming, but this one really showcases the more atmospheric qualities the project has become tied to over the years. The final minute-and-a-half sounds like Rush’s 2112 fell into the gravitational pull of a black hole—heavvvvvvvyyyyyy. After the brief interlude “Shoso,” we’re met with the album’s single “Unputenpu,” otherwise known as the track featuring our pal from Opeth. Aside from the sweet solo from Mr. Åkerfeldt, “Unputenpu” is, without a shadow of a doubt, the catchiest song on Goh-Ka. The chorus is mesmerizing, and you’ll find yourself humming it for days on end, even if Japanese isn’t your mother tongue. 

If you’re searching for more of that ‘90s Sigh vibe, you’ll probably find yourself most in tune with either “Jinmenjushin” or “Jigoku-Zoshi 2.”  There’s some black and doom metal just begging for your attention in those back-to-back offerings. And circling back around to one of my previous points, that’s what this record does so well. Instead of throwing it all at the proverbial wall and hoping tracks just stick, the album is very pinpointed in its approach to an actual narrative. But if you’re not a nerd like me, just look at it as a way to stick to a certain rundown of Goh-Ka songs — in its intended sequential order — for whatever mood you’re in. If you’re looking to chill, the first few are great. If you’re wanting to bang your head (for metal-health-drive-you-mad purposes), those two are fair choices. For what it’s worth, the latter two aren’t by any means similar to Scorn Defeat if you’re not that into black metal. Instead, think of it more so as a nod to Imaginary Sonicscape or Dødheimsgard’s 666 International.

After two brief instrumentals, the album’s closer “Kuso-shi 8 and 9” sits as the most prog-rock-infused track, like an even darker interpretation of In the Court of the Crimson King with thicker riffs and shrieked vocals. For eleven-and-a-half minutes, there’s no shortage of Sigh’s DNA (hey, now). Jazzy parts? Check! Clean singing? Check! Classical instrumentation? Check! Synths? Double check!

Pound for pound…a phenomenal record. One that needs and deserves to be spun time and time again. 

Like a setting and rising sun. 

Quick lesson: Japan lies to the east of mainland Asia, meaning the sun appears to rise over it from the perspective of neighboring countries like China, hence the name “Land of the Rising Sun.” 

And perhaps this is the most fitting way to end a review of a record so obsessed with death.

Because Goh-Ka is, in many ways, an album about the inevitable setting of a sun. Flesh rots. Beauty fades. Empires collapse. Even the world itself, according to Buddhist tradition, eventually burns away. 

Yet somewhere beyond all that decay, another sun rises. 

Yeah, maybe not here. 

But somewhere. 

Overall, Goh-Ka is a reminder of the willingness to acknowledge that nothing here lasts, and perhaps more importantly, that nothing needs to. 

The cherry blossom is beautiful because it falls. 

The corpse is horrifying because it was once alive. 

The sun is meaningful because it sets.

As much as I cherish an album like this, as I’m sure many of you will, one day, it will be forgotten. As will you. As will I. As will it all. 

But that’s what makes moments like this so pure. Finding something like Goh-Ka keeps us in the here and now, while still allowing us to question, digest, and ultimately, understand that all is cyclical. From a record’s spin to life itself. 

‘Cause, in the end, even if we do end up as a mere pile of ash or dirt, somewhere out there, a new flower will bloom, new life will grow, and a new sun will rise. 

Not here—somewhere. 

That’s life.

That’s death. 

 

The post Sigh – Goh-Ka Review appeared first on Last Rites.