Like the bastard child of classic thrash and extreme metal, Sweden’s Dead Sleep emerge with an EP that is raw, aggressive and full of punk energy. The trio refuses to stick to any rules, and these 5 songs see the band with a sharper, heavier sound that’s coming directly for you.
Vocalist and bassist Anna Wagner says that “the songs revolve around themes of power, motherhood and society’s long-standing fear of women who step outside imposed rules” and they waste little time getting up to speed on fiery opener “Repulsion”. With drummer Per Olofsson hitting the crap out of those skins, guitarist Marcus Bader plays some scintillating riffs, before the phlegm sounding vocals appear. The interplay around the 3-minute mark makes for joyous listening with a gritty bass line to boot.
A glorious guitar tone comes flying out for the start of “Hell Hath No Fury” and continues to pummel your senses furthermore. It’s a short, punk fuelled blast of rage filled with raucous drum rolls accompanied by darker, venomous lyrics, and then without pausing for breath, they blast your eardrums again with “Children of the Blade”. With lyrics inspired by the biblical myth of King Soloman and the two mothers fighting over a baby, the lead solo has me smiling before they settle into a steady but awesome rhythm that will get heads banging all over the place. It’s not complicated, but it’s focused where it needs to be and more refined to deliver maximum effect.
With drums and guitars swapping positions at the start of “Leech from Cachtice, Wagner’s bass comes to install more evil into the song. They speed up about a minute into the song, and you get that sense of early Venom and black metal with controlled yet over the top solos that have a real presence. The rhythm throughout the song is a great listen and works so well, before we arrive at the final blast, “Bring Me The Head” that has a mighty scream and a chuggy thrash riff that is impressive. Their relentless pace is ramped up further with more blistering guitars and devastating drums as their stripped down and unpolished music is unapologetically brutal.
‘Death Is Not The End’ is a true slow-builder, with layer upon layer of delicate tranquility flowing into each other, before a crushing crescendo sends you hurtling into the depths.
Whilst ‘The Dark’ is a country-twinged piece of acoustic storytelling, that strips back everything even further than they already were.
The result of both is absolutely beautiful, the sort of music that stops you in your tracks and lingers on your skin. A glimpse of what is to come, and what is to come is going to be spellbinding.
If that wasn’t enough, Chelsea has also announced the dates of a huge world tour taking place later this year. Making its way across the US and Europe, here are all the places you will catch her.
SEPTEMBER
16 – SAN FRANCISCO Curran Theatre 18 – SEATTLE The Moore Theatre 19 – SALEM Elsinore Theatre 20 – PORTLAND Roseland Theater 22 – SALT LAKE CITY The Union Event Center 24 – DENVER Paramount Theatre 25 – LAWRENCE Liberty Hall 26 – ST. PAUL The Fitzgerald Theater 28 – CHICAGO The Riviera Theatre 29 – COLUMBUS The Bluestone 30 – DETROIT Masonic Jack White Theatre
OCTOBER
05 – BOSTON Boch Center Shubert Theatre 06 – NEW YORK The Town Hall 08 – MUNHALL Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall 09 – GLENSIDE Keswick Theatre 10 – WASHINGTON Sixth & I 12 – ASHEVILLE The Orange Peel 13 – ATLANTA Buckhead Theatre 14 – NASHVILLE Marathon Music Works 16 – DALLAS Texas Theatre 17 – AUSTIN Emo’s 20 – TUCSON Rialto Theatre 21 – EL CAJON The Magnolia 23 – LOS ANGELES The Orpheum Theatre
NOVEMBER
21 – UTRECHT Tivoli Vredenburg 23 – BERLIN Admiralspalast 24 – HAMBURG Große Freiheit 36 25 – COPENHAGEN Vega 27 – OSLO Betong 28 – STOCKHOLM Vasateatern 30 – TALLINN Helitehas
DECEMBER
02 – VILNIUS LOFTAS 03 – WARSAW Progresja 05 – PRAGUE ARCHA+ 06 – VIENNA Budocenter 07 – BUDAPEST Akvárium Klub 09 – MANNHEIM Capitol 11 – FRIBOURG Fri-Son 12 – MILAN Live Club 13 – MUNICH Isarphilharmonie 15 – ANTWERP Trix 16 – PARIS Casino de Paris 19 – ATHENS FLOYD
Gamers around the world have been drooling with anticipation since it was announced that The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time is being remade for the Nintendo Switch 2, with the release date pencilled in for some point this year.
The original game was released for the N64 console back in 1998 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest video games ever made, and while we patiently wait for further details to emerge, there’s plenty for Zelda fans to get excited about this Prime Day, including a price drop on the Lego Great Deku Tree. The recreation of the Ocarina Of Time favourite is down from $520.92 to £459.
Be warned though, Prime Day comes to an end just before midnight tonight (June 26) so if you see something you like, grab it fast!
With so many great discounts on Zelda merchandise in this Prime Day sale, picking just one to highlight here was a challenge. In the end, I went for this fabulous Lego deal on the Great Deku Tree set with a nice 12% discount.View Deal
The Lego Nintendo Deku Tree is made up of 2500 pieces, so it should keep you entertained for a while. Not only that, but this Lego model can be turned into either the Ocarina Of Time version, or the Breath Of The Wild version. It also comes with three Link minifigures and Princess Zelda.
Speaking of Link’s first outing on the original Switch console, The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild- Creating A Champion book has been reduced from £47.99 to £28, and it’s an essential addition to any Zelda fan’s bookshelf. It features 424 pages of sketches, illustrations and commentary related to the award-winning video game.
Speaking of books, The Legend Of Zelda Encyclopedia has also had a price cut – down from £33.50 to £27.01. It’s a comprehensive 320-page bible dedicated to the iconic series. And you can even carry a Zelda memento around with you, thanks to the super-cute Korok key-chain which is down from £12.54 to just £9.90.
If you’re exploring Tears Of The Kingdom on your Nintendo Switch, you can light up the Depths with this lovely Heart Container light. It has a Prime Day discount of 20%, with the price chopped from £24.99 to £19.89. It gently pulses when switched on too and is powered by batteries or via the included USB cable.
While we wait for the Ocarina Of Time remake, you can show your love of the game with 15% off this classic t-shirt. Amazon have cut the price from $19.99 to $16.99 – and it’s available in a variety of colours.
My final pick goes to the Manga collection Twilight Princess Complete Box Set which spans 11 volumes. The Master Sword has been taken to the list price and it’s now down from $129.99 to $101.33.
How timely to be releasing a song called “Blue Vs. Pinkerton” this week! Just a few days ago Olivia Rodrigo sat down with YouTube music critic Anthony Fantano and named Weezer’s blown-out sophomore LP as one of her all-time favorites. Now Johanna Samuels has used the eternal debate between the band’s first two albums to illustrate the teenage search for identity.
More than 20 years ago, the instrumental trio Russian Circles came together in Chicago, and they’ve been making vast, searching post-metal ever since. These days, the three band members all live in different parts of the country, and they’ve got other things going on. Bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook, for instance, recently took part in the Botch reunion, and he’s in SUMAC with Aaron Turner; he lives on Vashon Island, outside Seattle. Guitarist Mike Sullivan, meanwhile, lives in LA, while drummer Dave Turncrantz remains in Chicago. But Russian Circles still get together to make music and tour, and they’ve just announced a new album called Nine.
Norwegian prog rockers Green Carnation have announced the third part of their epic A Dark Poem trilogy of albums, The Messiah Complex, will be released through Season of Mist on September 4.
And the band have shared their first new music from the album with the release of a video for new single, Unconditional Artificial Chemistry.
“A Dark Poem is by far our biggest achievement since Light of Day, Day of Darkness”, Green Carnation vocalist Kjetil Nordhus says. “Our new album trilogy returns to the epic storytelling that put us on the map back in 2001. While the reception to Part I and Part II has been overwhelmingly positive for us, we do believe that Part III saves the best for last. The Messiah Complex ties the whole story together with our most uncompromising statement to date.”
“The intention behind A Dark Poem was to build a completely new musical universe”, Green Carnation bassist and primary lyricist Stein Roger Sordal says. “While the direction revealed itself as the creative journey unfolded, The Messiah Complex was carefully planned with a clear vision for where we wanted the story to end. Our goal was for all three parts to stand on their own, but Part III brings them all together into a unified whole.”
“The video for Unconditional Artificial Chemistry tells a meta story about the danger of artificial intelligence”, Nordhus continues. “We all know, if we are being honest with ourselves, that A.I. is going to take control of our lives. There are powerful people who stand to profit from it and that makes its takeover inevitable.
“The video shows this happening before our eyes. As soon as the A.I. takes control, our likeness is corrupted. Before the song is even finished, we’re completely destroyed.”
A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex will be available as a CD digipack, in various coloured vinyl formats with a gatefold sleeve, and there will also be a limited edition A Dark Poem, Part I-III Colored LP Box Set (includes demos and outtakes)/.
Green Carnation will perform all three parts of A Dark Poem at a special live show at the Kilden Performing Arts Centre in their hometown of Kristiansand in Norway.
Green Carnation: A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex 1. Unconditional Artificial Chemistry 2. The Messiah Complex 3. Broken Souls, Common Enemies 4. A Dark Poem – Orchestral Suite
Download XXIII Festival (2026) – Review by Howard Keogh
Photos by Enda Madden
Download Festival is still evolving. This year’s lineup brings together a hugely diverse selection of styles and genres in a maelstrom of musical mayhem. 2006 also saw new partnerships with the Final Fantasy gaming franchise and author Rebecca Yarros. In a nod of respect to past glories, the Lemmy Forever Initiative brings a miniature urn containing the star’s ashes to the Download site.
DAY 1 – FRIDAY
Creeper
Blood thirsty rockers Creeper are busy at this year’s Download, playing two sets, and hosting a DJ set. Their set unfolds as a gothic comic book brought violently to life featuring “Mistress of Death,” and “Headstones”, where Will von Ghould prowls the stage with the confidence of a man who knows exactly what kind of story he’s telling. “Razor wire” sees Hannah Greenwood deliver a standout vocal performance. It seems vampires do come out in the daylight.
Periphery
From the off, it’s a brutal assault of guitar backed by soaring vocals. Periphery deals in precision, brutality, and shifting time signatures. Riffs appear, disappear and mutate before your brain has properly processed them. Today, we witness the first live performance of material from the new album “A Pale White Dot.” Unfortunately, guitarist Jake Bowen was missing due to a family emergency; however, that didn’t stop the delivery of a killer set. By the end, Periphery has demonstrated once again that technical proficiency need not come at the expense of emotion.
Daughtry
Chris Daughtry has vocal agility, power, and huge range…gifts that are all on display today. Daughtry understands something many bands forget: songs matter, big choruses matter. His voice remains a formidable instrument, carrying effortlessly across the field. The song “Pieces” is dedicated to anyone who has experienced loss or darkness. Warm sun adds to the feel-good factor as the crowd claps along and gets to participate in “Over to You.” The highlight of the set, however, is the evocative “Heavy is the Crown.”
Halestorm
Lzzy and Arjay Hale first surfaced at Download back in 2012. Since then, Lzzy has developed that increasingly rare quality of absolute command. Some performers ask for attention. She simply grabs it. From the moment she steps forward, the stage belongs to her. “Fallen Star” opens the set, before Lzzy gets her voice warmed up with a massive scream that launches into “I Miss the Misery.” All the favourites are there with “Love Bites” up next. New music “Watch out!” from the 2025 album “Everest” is dedicated to “all the bitches in the audience” before we hear “Freak like me.” Lzzy pushes her voice close to breaking point on “I Get off” to a rapturous reception from the crowd. The voice remains astonishing: powerful enough to cut through any mix and nuanced enough to carry genuine vulnerability.
Limp Bizkit
After a rousing performance in 2024, Limp Bizkit are enjoying a huge resurgence and return to triumphantly carry on the party as first-time Download headliners. A countdown onscreen hits zero, and a bizarre image of mother and baby flashes onscreen before a dedication to former bass player Sam Rivers and band friend Dougie Miller. Limp Bizkit emerge to a reception that borders on delirium. It would be easy to dismiss them as a relic from the turn of the millennium. Yet, standing in a field filled with thousands of people losing their minds to those songs, such arguments feel academic. “Break Stuff” appears early, setting the tone for what is to come, and the crowd are lapping it up. A lyric board onscreen ensures the whole crowd can sing along to a rollicking performance where Fred Durst has the crowd wrapped around his little finger. The set is chaotic, self-aware and relentlessly enjoyable. The crowd wants riffs, they want choruses, and they want to jump around screaming lyrics that some here today first learned twenty-five years ago. That is exactly what they get!
Cavalera
Max and Igor Cavalera return to play the Dogtooth tent, which is full of die-hard fans, and they carry with them an entire legacy. Opening with the thunderous “Refuse, Resist”, these icons of tribal thrash blast their way through an electric set. The songs remain ferocious. Age has done nothing to soften their impact on a crowd responding to the ancient rhythms. Time has not stilled the fire in their bellies as the Dogtooth crowd moshes through “Territory” and Black Sabbath classic “Symptom of the Universe.”
DAY 2 – SATURDAY
The Wildhearts
Today, we celebrate life with Ginger, who, unfortunately, was recently diagnosed with Mantle cell Lymphoma. It’s an early start, but one supported by a big crowd and a warm media presence. Ginger shouts, “Some of us didn’t make it here today”, and tells those that did to raise their hands in celebration of life. The band tears through their set with the energy of musicians determined to prove they still belong among the festival’s heavy hitters. “Suckerpunch” and “Diagnosis” go down well, and even Ginger’s dog gets to appear on stage. This is rock n’ roll at its finest.
Tailgunner
Tailgunner ticks almost every box on the classic heavy metal checklist. Heavy metal has spent decades borrowing from its own past, but Tailgunner wear their influences with genuine pride rather than irony. Rushing onto the stage with a sense of urgency that doesn’t relent, vocalist Craig Cairns dashes around the stage like a scalded cat. The band’s performance feels like a transmission from an era when guitar solos were mandatory, and every chorus demanded a raised fist. The enthusiasm is infectious. New album title track “Midnight Blitz” and “Tears in Rain” are just some highlights. Recent lineup changes led to rumours that a Download appearance might not happen; however, luckily for all, this was averted. Download crowds can be notoriously difficult to win over early in the day. Tailgunner completely nailed it.
Those Damn Crows
Eerie squawks of crows herald the arrival onstage of a band riding the crest of a wave. The Welsh rockers have spent years building momentum the hard way, and Donington feels like another significant step forward. A huge crowd are here to witness the band’s first live show in eight months. Shane Greenhall announces, “It’s been a while; I wanted to smell the grass.” A great and melodic set that includes “Man on Fire”, “No Surrender” and “Sin on Skin” is completed with Shane delighting the assembled masses by the announcement of new material in the works and a potential UK tour in October. This powerful show is bound to have won over many new fans.
Self-Deception
Modern rock can often struggle to stand out, but this Swedish outfit understands how to command attention. The set is built on huge hooks, electronic textures and enough energy to power half the festival site. Opener “One of Us” is heavy, so the band sprays down the crowd with water pistols afterwards. The crowd response grows song by song. The band moves with confidence, feeding off the audience. Singer Andreas Clark asks, “Anyone Married?” as the genre shifts the energy again for the song “Wedding.” Later, he instructs the crowd to make room for Patrik Hallgren on bass, who takes up position playing from the centre of a furious circle pit. The atmosphere is electric, and we leave with a sense that many may have arrived curious, but all will have left converted.
Architects
Architects headline the Opus stage tonight to a massive crowd, and the anticipation is palpable. Few British rock bands have evolved as dramatically over the past decade; Sam Carter remains one of metalcore’s most compelling frontmen. The set opens with “Elegy” and the ferocious “Whiplash,” before Carter dedicates “Doomsday” to former band-mate Tom Searle. The set is stopped twice due to health concerns from security as multiple circle pits erupt. Overall, however, Architects deliver a set that balances crushing heaviness with enormous melody.
Blood Incantation
The stage is set with an otherworldly backdrop and two giant obelisks on either side of the stage. This band take the whole idea of progressive to the next level, weaving strands of Psychedelic material with death metal, electronic flourishes and a dash of Hawkwind to create a truly malevolent force. The band has virtually created their own genre that takes the listener on a roller coaster ride through the cosmos with musical elements of light and shade.
Guns ‘n’ Roses
Forty years in and back to headline Download, for many in attendance, this is the reason they’re here. Uncharacteristically for Axel, the band arrives onstage ten minutes early, for what has been billed as a three-hour-plus set. The opener “Welcome to the Jungle,” “It’s So Easy”, and “You Could Be Mine” bring us back to the eighties. GNR first performed at the Donington festival way back in the “Monsters of Rock” days in 1988. Now mid-way through a world tour, and some cracks are starting to show in Axl’s vocals as he struggles to hit the higher notes.
DAY 3 – SUNDAY
Mammoth
Arriving on stage with a humble “Hi”, it’s straight down to business with virtuoso guitar licks from the family gene pool. Wolfgang Van Halen has spent much of his career exceeding great expectations as the son of a guitar icon, yet Wolfgang himself remains an engaging presence, displaying humility and confidence. Mammoth‘s continued success has been built on the undeniable fact that the songs are great. The band’s performance is packed with huge riffs, choruses and the kind of effortless musicianship that comes from years of dedication rather than inherited reputation. It was two years ago when Mammoth first played Download. Opener “The End” is swiftly followed by “Another celebration at the end of the world,” and a well-received set closes with “Don’t Back Down.”
Dogstar
A quick sound check from a certain Keanu Reeves bass creates quite the stir before the set starts. Such is the buzz surrounding Dogstar that every photographer on-site is in the pit. New album “All In Now” provides most of the material played today. The main attraction here seems to be Reeves; however, in reality, it is just three friends playing straight-ahead rock n’ roll. The show is enjoyable and convincing if unremarkable. Their performance is understated and melodic, but you can’t avoid the feeling that the band are trying to underplay their celebrity member.
The Pretty Reckless
This band seems to have grown up with Download Festival, now returning to the Main stage slot. The husky vocals of Taylor Momsen are punctuated with great guitar licks. Momsen possesses the sort of charisma that cannot be taught, and a voice as smooth as smoke & whiskey. Mid-set, Momsen takes a walk in the pit to meet the punters. “Witches Burn” is dedicated to the ladies, and audience participation is the order of the day during the classic “Make Me Want To Die.” The Pretty Reckless has long occupied a unique space between classic hard rock and contemporary alternative music. Today, they sound completely at home.
Ankor
A relentless dance beat provides the intro before Ankor explodes onto the stage with a show full of infectious fun and energy. Sticky-sweet lyrics provide a counterpoint to raw vocals, ably delivered by Jessie Williams, who immediately commands attention. She pouts and struts across the stage like a naughty girl, mixing sing-along choruses with intense growls, while the rest of the band provides the energy of a small power station. The Band have spent years quietly building a reputation as one of modern metal’s most exciting prospects, and today feels like a significant step forward. What stands out most is their confidence. Circle pits evolve as energy levels hit fever pitch. Bass player Julio Lopez takes off on a crowd surfing journey towards the end of a frantic show.
Tom Morello
Tom Morello doesn’t merely perform songs; he presents ideas. The riffs that helped define generations of alternative music remain astonishingly powerful, but it is Morello’s ability to connect those songs to larger themes that elevates the performance. Veteran fans who remember the original impact of Rage Against the Machine stand alongside younger attendees discovering these songs for the first time. The solos are still extraordinary, and the energy remains intact. The thunderous riff to “Soldier in the Army of Love” blasts its way across the arena before Morello addresses the audience. “Anyone love rock n roll and hate fascism?” He proceeds to create “An anti-fascist earthquake.” The audience erupts, bouncing up on cue together. Morello is a political force for good and perhaps needed more today than ever.
Linkin Park
How time flies! It’s been 12 years since Linkin Park last headlined Download Festival. They return with new singer Emily Armstrong following the tragic loss of Chester Bennington in 2017. Questions surrounded their future, their return, and whether the old songs could ever feel complete again. New track “The Emptiness Machine” opens this celebration, first for the band’s return and, as pointed out by co-vocalist Mike Shinoda, for the first Female to Headline Download Festival. The production is spectacular, and the sound is tight and focused. The set includes all the classics like “Numb” and “Papercut.” The set closes with “Faint.” By the end of this performance, all those questions have disappeared, and Linkin Park has smashed any doubts. Eventually, the house lights come up and the spell breaks, but what a way to end Download 2026.
And so, another Download Festival comes to an end, stages are already being dismantled, campsites are emptying, and multitudes of fans begin their individual journeys home. Some near, some far, but all happy having had a great weekend’s entertainment. Hell, there was even a secret set from those mighty Newport Helicopter pilots, “Skindred” added for good measure.
In cars, campers, trains, and airports, discussions about the weekend experiences will begin, and the memories will hopefully last forever.
