As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Death Brigade
Please introduce yourselves.
I’m Kieran Hall – Drummer Rest of band are: Anthony Gill – Vocalist Charlie Cozza – Lead Guitar Paul Hanlon – Rhythm Guitar Reece Witcombe – Bass
How would you describe your sound?
We play Blackened Death Metal and everything we do is inspired by the grim dark world of Trench Crusade
How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Through Somerset’s M2TM competition
How tough was the competition this year?
It was a tough competition, we are a relatively new band having formed only in August 2025 and playing against experienced bands that have been entering the competition for years was daunting but we took on the challenge!
What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
It’s an insane privilege and one we’ve still not fully processed – we never expected to win the competition in our first year and we’re not sure anyone else ever has either so it’s a huge honour to represent Somerset on the stage!
For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
We bring a high intensity show that combines the lore of the subject matter with brutal blackened death metal and an unrivaled atmosphere
What day are you performing?
Sunday 9th August
What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
Definitely Lamb Of God, and some of us are partial to a bit of Bodycount as well!
Playing the New Blood Stage is just the first steppingstone in a bands journey. What’s next in your plans for world domination?
We’re hoping to use our appearance on the New Blood stage as the launchpad for greater things – we’re going to release a full length album later in the year and we’d like to play shows across the country, maybe even come back for the Sophie stage at next year’s Bloodstock!
Are you camping with the fans? Which campsite are you heading for?
Since we won M2TM we’re going to enjoy the perks that come with that so we’re camping in the Artist / VIP area.
You’ve gotta keep hydrated at Bloodstock, what is your drink of choice for the weekend?
We love a bit of Road Crew (the Motorhead beer) in our band, so we’ll definitely take a few crates of that along with us – but definitely drink lots of water!
See you at Bloodstock in a few weeks!
Thank you – we can’t wait to play, and we hope to see you in the Trench of Death
The Rush Sphere residency rumors just went from whisper to roar. According to a new report from The Sun’s Bizarre column, the Canadian rock legends have been quietly negotiating with Las Vegas Sphere bosses for some time, and contracts could reportedly be locked down within the next couple of weeks.
That report lands just days after longtime radio host Eddie Trunk told his SiriusXM audience that a Rush residency at the venue is already a “done deal” — one he claims will consist of between 16 and 18 performances next year. Nothing is official yet, but the smoke around this one is getting very thick.
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Scott Penfold breaks down the Rush Sphere report — and why the world’s most advanced venue is becoming rock’s new arms race — on today’s Metal Breakdown Daily. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play to stream the broadcast natively.
What The Report Actually Says
Per The Sun’s source, Rush’s massive North American audience, deep catalog and legendary live reputation make the band a natural fit for the Sphere, with negotiations described as having been underway behind the scenes for a while. The claim: a signed deal could arrive within weeks.
The tabloid report would be easy to shrug off on its own — but it doesn’t stand alone. Fan site Rush Is A Band flagged Eddie Trunk’s on-air comments days earlier, in which the veteran broadcaster characterized the residency as finalized and pegged it at 16 to 18 shows in 2027. Two independent signals pointing at the same target is usually where “rumor” starts becoming “announcement pending.”
For now, treat it as unconfirmed — but well-sourced smoke.
Why The Sphere Makes Perfect Sense For Rush
The Sphere is a 17,600-capacity venue just off the Strip that has redefined live production since opening in September 2023, wrapping audiences in the world’s highest-resolution LED display and the HOLOPLOT-powered Sphere Immersive Sound system. U2, Phish, Dead & Company and The Eagles have all held residencies there — and Metallica made history as the first metal band to headline the venue, with a residency that has kept expanding, now stretching from this October into March 2027.
Now consider Rush: a band whose catalog is practically built for a 16K wraparound canvas. “2112.” “Cygnus X-1.” “Red Barchetta.” Entire albums of science fiction, dystopia and cinematic storytelling that have been waiting fifty years for a screen big enough to hold them. If any classic rock catalog was born for this venue, it’s this one.
And Rush wouldn’t be alone in the queue — TOOL’s Adam Jones recently confirmed his band is in talks for a Sphere residency of their own. The Sphere gold rush is officially on, and the heaviest catalogs in rock are lining up.
What makes this report believable is the year Rush is having. The “Fifty Something” tour — the band’s first with Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson joined by drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold — was initially announced as a 22-date run and sold out immediately. It has since ballooned to 58 shows across 24 cities, with more than half a million tickets sold for 2026, plus South America and Europe dates added for early 2027 — the band’s first European shows since 2013.
Not bad for a band that, just a few years ago, would only say a return was “not impossible”. The demand question has been answered emphatically. A Vegas residency isn’t a gamble at this point — it’s the logical next move for a band celebrating Neil Peart’s legacy in front of the biggest audiences of their career.
What Happens Next
If The Sun’s timeline holds, an official announcement could arrive within weeks. Watch for how a 2027 residency would slot around the already-announced South American and European legs — and whether the Sphere production leans into the band’s visual universe the way U2 and Metallica’s shows have.
Loaded Radio will keep you posted the moment anything is confirmed.
The Sun reports Rush is in talks for a Las Vegas Sphere residency, with contracts reportedly weeks from being signed
Radio host Eddie Trunk claims the deal is already done and will consist of 16 to 18 shows next year
Nothing has been officially confirmed by Rush or the Sphere
The Sphere has hosted U2, Phish, Dead & Company and The Eagles, with Metallica’s residency running October 2026 through March 2027 and TOOL also in talks
Rush’s “Fifty Something” tour has sold over half a million tickets across 58 shows, with South America and Europe dates set for early 2027
FAQ
Is Rush doing a Las Vegas Sphere residency?
Nothing is officially confirmed. The Sun reports Rush has been negotiating with the Sphere for some time and a deal could be signed within weeks, while radio host Eddie Trunk has claimed the residency is already finalized.
How many shows would a Rush Sphere residency include?
According to Eddie Trunk’s comments on SiriusXM, the residency would consist of between 16 and 18 performances next year.
Who is in Rush’s current lineup?
The “Fifty Something” lineup features founding members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson alongside drummer Anika Nilles and keyboardist Loren Gold, with the shows celebrating the life and legacy of late drummer Neil Peart.
Which rock bands have played residencies at the Sphere?
U2, Phish, Dead & Company and The Eagles have all held Sphere residencies, Metallica’s residency runs from October 2026 into March 2027, and TOOL has confirmed it is in talks for a future residency.
Is Rush touring in 2026 and 2027?
Yes. The “Fifty Something” tour spans 58 shows across 24 cities in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico in 2026, with South America and Europe dates following in early 2027 — the band’s first European shows since 2013.
Would you fly to Vegas to see Rush inside the Sphere? Tell us which Rush song needs the 16K treatment in the comments below, and follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.
In January 2015, just eight months on from the May 2014 release of their self-titled debut album, Los Angeles ‘power trio’ California Breed announced that they were splitting up. Original drummer Jason Bonham had exited the band in June 2014, and although vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes and guitarist Andrew Watt recruited ex-Queens of the Stone Age drummer Joey Castillo to replace Bonham for live shows, former Deep Purple legend Hughes decided that the project had run its course. At the time, the least-well known member of the band, Andrew Watt made it clear that he didn’t want the band to break up, and pledged to “continue the quest to bring rock n roll back to the people that are hungry for it.”
Eleven years on, it’s fair to say Watt has over-delivered on that promise. In the last year alone, the 35-year-old New Yorker has produced albums for The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, performed alongside Guns N’ Roses duo Slash and Duff McKagan as a tribute to his friend Ozzy Osbourne at the Grammys, played in Eddie Vedder’s backing band at his Ohana festival, and appeared on US TV alongside Michael Stipe (ex-R.E.M.). Dig a little further back, and he’s also produced albums for Iggy Pop (2023’s Every Loser), Pearl Jam (2024’s Dark Matter), and Elton John and Brandi Carlile (2025’s Who Believes in Angels?). Oh, and he also co-wrote and produced a couple of songs on the new Madonna album, Confessions II: chances are that he’s not pining too much for the days when California Breed supported Alter Bridge. Not that working with legends comes without a different type of pressure.
“If I make the shittiest Rolling Stones album of all time, it’s on me,” Watts admits in a new interview with The Times newspaper. “It’s not on them because they can play You Can’t Always Get What You Want for the rest of their lives. I put myself on the line to potentially get the shit kicked out of me.”
Watt reveals that he was working with pop star Dua Lipa when he got an invitation to tea with Mick Jagger, as a prelude to working with The Rolling Stones.
“If you talk to anyone who’s worked with the Stones, they’ll say the same thing: there’s always a point where it’s informal, but Mick is interviewing you,” Watt says. “We were chatting, listening to music, and suddenly Mick was grilling me: what my process was, what I would do with the band. I thought we were just having a cup of tea and some biscuits.”
Asked if the Stones are willing to be bossed around in the studio by a 35-year-old, Watt says, “I’m a New Yorker. I say what’s on my mind. I am here to produce, to give my opinion -otherwise what the fuck am I doing? So I do. On everything. And these guys were gracious enough to come down to my level and listen. They might not agree with me, though.”
In the interview, Watt also pays tribute to Paul McCartney’s tireless energy.
“Paul McCartney has more energy than you and I combined” he tells interview Will Hodgkinson. “Paul is playing two-and-a-half-hour shows each night, he gets on the bus with his boys afterwards, a margarita is poured for him – he’s unbelievable.”
I’ve been on a bit of a thrash bender in June, and Ruyned will conclude this month’s kick for ol’ Grin. The Romanian trio sends me deep into the heart of July with turbocharged, high-octane riffing and a moderate case of whiplash. Profanum Sacrificium, Ruyned’s sophomore LP, plays thrash the way the olde school intended—at furious speeds with the subtlety of an uppercut to the jawbone. My elevator pitch for Ruyned is, ‘Midnight but faster,’ yet the crew also channels Kill ‘Em All-era Metallica and a stripped-down Hellripper. With blistering paces in all the right places, does Profanum Sacrificium satisfy listeners’ need for speed?
Profanum Sacrificium is a tale of two halves, covering a pair of narrative arcs that relate accounts of violence and death. The front-end scorches with instantaneous shots of adrenaline and describes the heinous depravity of the Vampire of Düsseldorf. “Speedchain” and “Sex’n Speed” reek of OG Metallica, where “Hit the Lights” seems a major inspiration for both “Speedchain”‘s thunderous opening as well as the primary hook in “Sex’n Speed.” “Sex Commander 666” sprints into Motörhead territory, opening with a solo that Fast Eddie Clark would approve of before slinking into a funky swagger that reminds me of “Love Me Like a Reptile.” Where Ruyned plays a touch too close to influence on the first two, “Sex Commander 666” exudes a freshness that hints at touchstones without plaguing me with questions of where I’ve heard a riff before. Meanwhile, “Orgasm Through Death” slows proceedings down appreciably, with Bogdan Mateescu’s tortured, blackened rasps guiding listeners through a plodding march that amplifies the drama.
The second half of Profanum Sacrificium shifts to a separate narrative, describing centuries-long witch hunts from post-medieval Europe steeped in folklore and flames. Musically, this pulls Ruyned away from the straightforward ragers that define Profanum Sacrificium’s first half and into darker, more novel waters. The most immediate difference is that more time gets dedicated to instrumentation on the back half, with two instrumentals and less vocal focus towards the ends of tracks “Malleus Maleficarum” and “Witches Gallöw.” Originality flares here as well, where the instrumentation is reminiscent of bands like Bütcher and Toxic Holocaust, but the songs don’t blur with comparisons. “Profanum Sacrificium,” “Malleus Maleficarum,” and “Witches Gallöw” could pass for decade-old Kreator B-sides sung by Tapping the Vein-era Tom Angelripper, boasting snappy melodic riffing supported by Mihai Marinescu’s machine-gun blast drums and Tiberiu Olescher’s mid-range bass attack.
In all, Ruyned zips through half an hour of breakneck thrash with enough energy and grit that it’s unerringly easy to enjoy despite some bumps along the way. Even before I discovered Profanum Sacrificium’s two narrative arcs, the musical split between them stood out. While each half succeeds on its own, together they present a whole too disjointed to flourish without an interceding mixer. Ruyned’s instrumentals also undercut Profanum Sacrificium’s potential, where the three of them total four-and-a-half minutes of fluff. The remainder of Profanum Sacrificium barely contains enough meat to qualify for LP status, leaving the album longing for another well-developed song or two rather than three throwaway tracks.1 Still, the rest of the album supplies plenty of good thrashing, and with a little more consideration to songwriting cohesion, Ruyned possesses the pizzazz to set barns ablaze their next time out.
After several listens through Profanum Sacrificium, I’m convinced Ruyned can write first-class thrash. Rapidfire riffs and blackened edges give Ruyned a sense of familiarity, and if they can take care to push further away from genre greats and commit to more unified songwriting, they’ll menace listeners with an all-killer fusillade next time. Until then, Profanum Sacrificium serves as a fun diversion when time doesn’t allow for a longer dive, but it ultimately doesn’t threaten what other acts have done in the space this year.
Rating: Good DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3 Label: Osmose Productions Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook Releases Worldwide: June 26th, 2026
Famous Strangers Track By Track Run Down of Their Self-Titled Album
This album brings together both Famous Strangers past and present work, weaving through a wide range of themes. It moves from inspiring words meant to uplift and energize the listener, to moments of space-travel escape, to deeply personal and subtly seductive reflections and beyond. As the bands first album, they’re incredibly excited to finally share our art with the world.
Fire Inside This began as a simple progressive metal riff but evolved right up to the studio, where the chorus and ending were finalized. After extensive preproduction, the song truly came together. Lyrically, it’s about grounding the listener in the moment and embracing mistakes to honor the journey that shaped you, while holding onto the peace within.
Far away from Home Written early on while we were still finding our sound. It started with a punk riff that everyone ran with, keeping the song fun and energetic a tribute to punk. The chorus evolved significantly from preproduction to recording. Lyrically, It’s about being abducted by Aliens! It came from a playful place, and having full creative freedom helped the song come together in a way that felt natural and true.
Ghosts of Men This began as one of the earliest songs written with the band and was later completely rewritten. Originally shelved, it resurfaced when we wanted a raw rock ripper and quickly morphed into its final form, coming together almost instantly and earning its place on the record. Lyrically, it’s a new and deeply personal track, drawn from real experiences and recurring patterns in my life. It’s raw, vulnerable, and unfiltered but that’s the point.
As Your Leader As Your Leader is one of the earliest songs written for the band and has been with us since the beginning, taking on new life as the lineup came together. While it carries a lot of anger and frustration, at its core it’s about community, connection, and the belief that we’re stronger when we come together, all wanting the same things in the end peace, health, and the freedom to live fully.
Please Her This started as a single rock riff and evolved through preproduction as arrangements shifted, especially once Amanda’s vocals came into the mix. The song eventually came full circle, landing as a straightforward hard rock ‘n’ roll track. The title seems to give it all away.. it’s playful and confident about staying true to yourself, knowing your worth, and making sure your cup is overflowing, because every person deserves to feel that way.
Desire A song was born from my first Bloodstock Festival in the UK a very rock ‘n’ roll, Mötley Crüe style night that sparked both the riff and the story behind it. Written by Jeff Kittlitz, the song captures that instant connection you feel when you lock eyes with someone special. What started as a wild night turned into something deeper – a love song with a bigger meaning. Amanda adds – Bringing it to life has been a blessing, and after taking the time to find the right vocal approach, it finally feels like I’m delivering the song the way Jeff intended.
Rain Rain was written in a small town in England on a rainy day, born from a quiet moment on the couch with an acoustic guitar. What started as a simple blues idea came together back in Canada, becoming the first song that truly pulled Amanda in her lyrics completed it in a way that felt almost magical. Lyrically, the song digs deep into fear, pain, and feeling trapped, and finding the strength to finally let go and choose yourself. It’s one of our softer tracks, showing another side of the band, and we’re excited to share it on the new record.
As long-serving co-vocalist and bassist with The Moody Blues, John Lodge helped keep the Moodies’ flame burning even after the band had stopped touring. Born on July 20, 1943, his distinctive falsetto harmonies and bass-playing helped shape the band’s iconic sound and cement their status. In addition to gigging right up to his unexpected death in October 2025 at the age of 82, he also released a handful of solo albums, including his 2023 updated version of Days Of Future Passed, which was praised by critics and fans alike.
Right to the very end, John Lodge, The Moody Blues’ bassist, co-vocalist and songwriter never lost his passion or drive for playing and recording music. “I play music every day,” he told this writer in 2024. “I’ve loved it since it took hold of me when I was 13. And I love writing songs and discovering something new all the while.”
It was precisely that sense of wonder and exploration, coupled with a technical finesse and melodic flair, that propelled Lodge from his earliest musical beginnings until his final days. And in anchoring The Moody Blues for 50 years, he helped the band become one of prog rock’s most pioneering, enduring and biggest-selling forces. His bass playing was never just about rhythm; it carried a tunefulness and emotion that set him apart from so many of his contemporaries.
Lodge’s story began in Erdington, Birmingham, where he was born on July 20, 1943 to working-class parents, Olive and Charles. While there were no instruments, gramophone or sign of Lodge’s future talents, his musical curiosity was piqued when his uncle made him a cat’s-whisker crystal radio just at the moment when electrifying new sounds came sweeping from across the Atlantic.
“My first real musical encounter was rock’n’roll on Radio Luxembourg 208,” he recalled. It was through that crackling static that a lifetime’s obsession began as Buddy Holly, Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis took up residence in the young Lodge’s imagination. By his early teens, his fascination evolved into active experimentation. During lunch breaks from Central Grammar School, he would sit in Eddie’s Café listening to those same artists belting out of a Rock-Ola jukebox.
Fascinated with the left-hand lines of the rock’n’roll pianists that he heard, he began translating them to the bottom four strings of his acoustic guitar – and so unwittingly developing the distinctive and melodic style that would come to define his playing.
But it was at a performance by local act The Tremors that Lodge experienced the revelation that would change his life – the sight of a real electric bass. Soon after, he made his way to Jack Woodruff’s music shop in Birmingham and bought a Tuxedo bass, which soon gave way to the sunburst Fender Precision bass that underpinned many of The Moody Blues’ most celebrated recordings.
His path to The Moody Blues was set in motion in the early 60s. Joining El Riot And The Rebels, he formed lifelong friendships with future Moodies bandmates Roy Thomas and Mike Pinder, while the band cut their teeth in a fiercely competitive local scene that also included The Spencer Davis Group and various factions of The Move such as Carl Wayne And The Vikings.
Though he turned down an offer of turning pro by joining The Moody Blues in favour of continuing his mechanical engineering studies at the Birmingham College Of Advanced Technology, Lodge never stopped playing, honing his craft with a variety of local bands.
In the wake of The Moody Blues’ struggle to follow the global success of their 1964 hit Go Now and the lukewarm response to their debut album The Magnificent Moodies the following year, the band began to lose momentum. Disheartened by their inability to recapture that early success, singer-guitarist Denny Laine and bassist Clint Warwick both left. It was then that Lodge – along with singer-guitarist Justin Hayward – accepted the invitation to join, marking the beginning of a bold new era for The Moody Blues.
After famously being told that they were the “worst fucking band in the world” by a disgruntled audience member after a show in Stockton, the band set about reinventing themselves. Recognising their core sparks of four voices, Hayward’s acoustic guitar, Thomas’ flute, Lodge’s melodic bass playing, Graeme Edge’s drumming and a desire to write their own material, their new direction was cemented with the introduction of Mike Pinder’s strange new tape-based keyboard, the Mellotron.
While many commentators have, over the years, cited that as the band’s secret weapon, it was the combination of these elements that truly created the magic for which the band became known. As Lodge later noted, regardless of who wrote a particular song, it would become a Moody Blues number by virtue of the individual members’ contributions in bringing it to life.
We weren’t thinking about being pioneers. We were just young and couldn’t believe our luck recording our own music
John Lodge
In 1967 that alchemy came into its own. When Decca asked them to fuse Dvořák’s New World Symphony with pop for their new Deram imprint – a label set up to show off the company’s advances in sound fidelity – the band saw their moment. Instead of following orders, they filled the studio with their own songs, resulting in their groundbreaking second album Days Of Future Passed. It’s widely acknowledged as one of the very first progressive rock albums.
“We weren’t thinking about being pioneers,” Lodge recalled. “We were just young and couldn’t believe our luck recording our own music.”
His early compositions were small in number but big in impact. His main writing credit on the album – the urgent, propulsive Lunch Break: Peak Hour – hinted at the energy and invention he’d soon bring to the band’s sound. He wasn’t content to simply hold down the bottom end. Treating the instrument as a melodic engine, he soon established himself as one of the true bass innovators of the era.
Graeme Edge, Ray Thomas, John Lodge, Mike Pinder and Justin Hayward in 1971 (Image credit: Getty Images)
His approach came fully into focus with Ride My See-Saw (1968), a song whose surging energy often brought their concerts to a euphoric close. By the following year, on Eyes Of A Child, Candle Of Life and Send Me No Wine, Lodge had broadened his palette as a songwriter, while keeping his bass lines rooted at the heart of his sound. And as his confidence grew, so did his voice – either blending harmonies or taking the spotlight – to stand with Hayward not as a foil, but as a true counterpart.
Fuelled by a combination of youthful exuberance and a formidable creative drive, The Moody Blues released three albums in short order – In Search Of The Lost Chord (1968), On The Threshold Of A Dream and To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969). Between the recording sessions, the band also completed two successful North American tours. These were the heady days of flower power and psychedelia, and while Lodge’s bandmates and musical peers sought to find meaning via chemically-altered states of consciousness and Eastern philosophies, the bassist found comfort in his Christian faith.
They launched Threshold Records, one of the first artist-run labels and set about signing other artists
Notably, unlike many of the musicians of the time whose words were treated with almost mythical reverence, Lodge never claimed to hold the answers to the social, political and philosophical questions of the day. Indeed, The Moody Blues’ final two singles before their 70s hiatus – the Lodge-penned Isn’t Life Strange (1972) and 1973’s I’m Just A Singer (In A Rock’n’Roll Band) – found them sailing against the prevailing tide of The Big Artistic Statement, which, somewhat ironically, were both big statements to make while entirely in keeping with Lodge’s clear-eyed view of the world.
By the end of the 60s, The Moody Blues were looking to take full control of their destiny, a move precipitated by Decca’s marketing team suggesting a cover of Somewhere Over The Rainbow. With the blessing of Decca chair Sir Edward Lewis, the band launched Threshold Records, one of the first artist-run labels. Initially designed as a home for their own albums, the band set about signing other artists – with Lodge discovering and producing Trapeze, featuring Glenn Hughes and Mel Galley, who’d later find fame with Deep Purple and Whitesnake respectively.
Though he enjoyed the experience, the label’s success alienated Lodge. “It got too big,” he later recalled. “I remember later going to the Threshold Christmas lunch and, apart from the band, I didn’t really know anyone there!”
The passing of time has obscured just how huge The Moody Blues were as the 1970s began; this was a band so ambitious they ended up reshaping the sound of live music itself. Touring American arenas alongside Canned Heat and Jefferson Airplane, they found their lush, orchestral sound struggling to fill the space. Enter young Philadelphia engineer Gene Clair, whose ingenuity would change everything. He built the Moodies the world’s first hanging PA system – a breakthrough that brought power and precision to their live shows and became the blueprint for modern touring.
That newfound clarity was evident in the studio. On A Question Of Balance (1970), the band stripped things down, chasing the immediacy of the stage. The result was leaner and more direct – from Lodge’s driving Tortoise And The Hare to the lilting Minstrel’s Song, along with his bandmates’ contributions – a record that fused technical innovation with a human touch.
They brought together prog aficionados with mainstream pop fans, which Lodge would attribute to their ‘truthfulness’
The band’s six-year hiatus between Seventh Sojourn (1972) and Octave stemmed not from internal tensions but maturity. While Pinder wanted to move to the US, Lodge didn’t want to miss his children growing up, though he did find time to record Blue Jays with Hayward in 1975, while his solo album Natural Avenue two years later saw him cutting loose with Faces’ Kenney Jones, among others.
The Moodies’ renewed commercial success throughout the 80s found them in the unusual position of bringing together serious prog aficionados with mainstream pop fans, something that Lodge would later attribute to the “truthfulness” that lay at the heart of their music. But as the musical landscape shifted in the 1990s with the rise of MTV, they made the strategic choice of leaning into touring and releasing long-form live videos rather than pushing new albums. Their reputation as a live act grew – and Lodge’s role remained vital as his voice and bass playing continued to provide the band’s foundation.
Playing into his 80s, he never lost the enthusiasm and passion that music had given him since childhood; and his pride at being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018 was enormous. His final release, the EP Love Conquers All, was both a celebration and an acknowledgment of the health challenges he’d recently faced. With his wife Kirsten, son Kristian, and his son-in-law, Yes singer Jon Davison, all contributing, the record became a family affair.
Lodge’s passing leaves an undeniable void, but also a legacy for the ages. Unburdened by trends or sell-by dates, his songs remain timeless and his bass lines continue to burrow deep into both the ear and the heart. Through them, the joy, curiosity, and humanity that defined his music live on, resonating as vividly as ever.
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I’ve been on a bit of a thrash bender in June, and Ruyned will conclude this month’s kick for ol’ 
