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It’s been a while since Decibel checked in with avant-grind outfit Squid Pisser, led by Baxter Yogurt aka Tommy Meehan aka GWAR’s Grodius Maximus, but the band are back and gearing up for their latest release, Throat Slave. Dubbed a “full-length EP,” the new release comes with five new songs and some heady remixes. Of course, you’ll have to wait until August 28 to hear the full shebang but Decibel is give you a taste until then.

“Tumors” is the conclusion to the A-side of the EP, which features a number of electronic remixes on the flip side. In addition to the new song, Decibel spoke to Yogurt about the new EP, remixes and playing with a new lineup. Throat Slave is out August 28 on Skin Graft.

Talk to us about the song “Tumors.” What’s it about? 

Lyrically, “Tumors” is about identifying and removing malignant people from your life. There are emotional vampires out there who try to steal your light and then pretend it was theirs all along. They survive through manipulation, lies, and borrowed identities because there’s nothing substantial underneath.

The song is about finally sticking a fork in those people. They’ll move on and become somebody else’s problem, but not before they try to drain everything you’ve built and rewrite the story to make themselves look like the victim. Often, their own patterns will catch up with them though…

Experiencing people like that can leave you questioning yourself for a long time. A lot of abusive behavior is learned at an early age, and while that’s tragic, it’s still every person’s responsibility to break those cycles. Many never do. At a certain point, you stop trying to fix them. You have to learn to recognize them, keep your distance, and protect your peace.

Your new EP Throat Slave is a little weirder and a little more thoughtful than your last release. How do you balance serious topics like paranoia and self-examination with the ridiculous antics of the band? 

I’ll say this is probably the most personal record I’ve written lyrically and I also think it’s our most accessible. I don’t really know what’s weird anymore. I don’t pay much attention to what everyone else is doing. To me, making art that looks and sounds like everybody else is fucking weird. What’s the point? How desperate are we to be part of a scene? Take us or leave us, but we’re here to be as honest as we can be.

Squid Pisser has always been about shooting straight from the hip and from the heart. Life’s too short to make something you don’t actually believe in. We have a chance to build our own world, and I’m not going to second-guess myself. There’s definitely an absurdist side to what we do, but none of it feels calculated. We just follow whatever feels honest, and the music, artwork, videos, and live show grow naturally from there.

There are also a bunch of dance and electronic remixes on Throat Slave, which are maybe more extreme than the traditional songs. Did you give the remixers any guidelines or just encourage them to go wild? 

We’re fans of fucked-up music, so when it came time for remixes, we already had a pretty short list of people we wanted to ask. We had just played with Fartbarf earlier this year. Mark Fischer from Skin Graft introduced us to Hyper Gal and KK Null. DJ Embryonic Petite Sac and I go back more than twenty years. We’re lucky to know so many absolute freaks.

We wanted each artist to completely reinterpret the material through their own lens, and the only direction we gave them was to just go nuts.

I’ve always loved collaborating with people. Our first LP, My Tadpole Legion, had a bunch of guest vocalists all over it, and my old band The Manx was constantly doing collaborative releases. It’s one of my favorite parts of making music. You end up creating something that neither artist would’ve made on their own, and that’s exciting to me.

My understanding is that Throat Slave is the first time Michael Armendariz and Raz Azraai are involved on the record, instead of just playing live guitar for Tommy’s compositions. How did that affect the outcome of Throat Slave? 

Yeah, this is the first Squid Pisser record to feature guitar players other than myself, and that’s exciting. It’s starting to feel like a real band now.

We got some different flavors on this record with Michael and Raz spearheading two of the newer tracks, “Rats” and “Tumors,” respectively. I’m excited about the direction we’re headed, and there’s a real comfort in knowing we’ve got capable, creative minds bringing new ideas to the table.

Michael brings this disgusting thing to the fold. His taste is impeccable, all while oozing out of those little leather pants of his. He’s sensitive, thoughtful, hilarious, and just a nasty little boy.

Raz is probably the most technically-proficient guitarist I’ve ever personally known. He’s definitely overqualified for the job, but he gets what this band is all about and then brings his own kind of fuck to the pile. He and I also played together in Cancer Christ for years, so we’ve been through a lot together.

These guys are two of my best friends. It feels great to be in a band with people you genuinely enjoy being around.

The post Video Premiere: Squid Pisser – ‘Tumors’ appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

A phenomenon in every sense, Ren makes his debut on the cover of Rock Sound.

Honest, surprising and on the verge of something truly special, Ren tells us his extraordinary story and what his hopes for the future, both musically and societally, are.

You can pick up your copy, with a deluxe A4 poster print, only at SHOP.ROCKSOUND.TV

The post Ren Is On The Cover Of Rock Sound appeared first on Rock Sound.

Hey, here’s a random-ass combination! Right now, Guns N’ Roses are on one of their many global stadium tours. On Wednesday night, they hit Toronto’s Rogers Stadium. In the process, they crossed paths with big-voiced country star Chris Stapleton, who will headline a show at the very same venue tonight. Presumably, that’s why Stapleton put in a surprise appearance during GNR’s set last night.

The post Guns N’ Roses Bring Out Chris Stapleton In Toronto appeared first on Stereogum.

Two Shell use AI. They admitted it. For a while, there have been rumors about the pranksterish London dance duo and their reliance on generative AI to make so much music, and they confirmed it earlier this summer. In a Resident Advisor interview, one of the duo’s two masked, anonymous members said that they’ve used AI “for a couple of years now” and that they consider it to be “just another instrument, really.”

The post Two Shell – “Closer To The Sound” appeared first on Stereogum.

– August 6th, 2026 –

‘Perdition’s Crossing’ feat. Dave Eugene Edwards available on limited 12″ vinyl – LISTEN HERE

New Album Riders of the Setting Sun planned for autumn 2026 release

Colorado’s Wayfarer are back. “Perdition’s Crossing“, the band’s first new music since their widely acclaimed 2023 album American Gothic, is out NOW – and it signals a bold new chapter. Featuring the singular voice of David Eugene Edwards (16 Horsepower, Wovenhand), the track marks the beginning of a journey into territory the band hasn’t explored before: dark, cinematic Americana, more desolate than anything in their catalog, but no less haunting for it.

The track was recorded in Colorado, and was produced by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), engineered by James Barone (Beach House), mixed by Iver Sandoy (Enslaved) and mastered by Alan Douches (Converge etc).

Accompanying the single is a music video directed by Brendan McGowan, known for his visually striking work with Tribulation, Imperial Triumphant, and many others.

Watch it HERE

“Perdition’s Crossing” is a track from Wayfarer‘s forthcoming studio album Riders of the Setting Sun, an eight-track record due for release in late 2026 that sees the band push further into new sonic and emotional terrain. More details to follow.

To mark the occasion, Vesperian is releasing a strictly limited 12″ maxi-single of “Perdition’s Crossing” – 300 copies worldwide, pressed on black vinyl with a foldout sleeve featuring lyrics, band comments, and notes on each track. Artwork by graphic novelist Julian Brier. Side A carries the title track; Side B features two exclusives: a remix by Ben Chisholm of Chelsea Wolfe (who also produced the forthcoming album) and a field recording. 200 copies are available in the US, with 100 reserved for Europe exclusively through the Vesperian webstore, up for pre-order on July 23 and to be released in mid-August.

Wayfarer will perform at Fire in the Mountains this year, where the 12″ maxi-single – along with other Vesperian releases – will be available at the label’s festival stand. For all further details on availability at the festival and beyond, follow Vesperian on Instagram.

The band comments:
“We have long walked a path that was very much informed by Denver Sound legends like 16 Horsepower, and Wovenhand, among many others. To work alongside someone like David Eugene Edwards is not only a bit of a dream come true for us, but also a perfect way for us to start down new roads of the Wayfarer sound that are being fleshed out. We are excited for this collaboration to finally see the light of day.”

Discography:
Children Of The Iron Age (2014)
Old Souls (2016)
World’s Blood (2018)
A Romance With Violence (2020)
American Gothic (2023)
Perdition’s Crossing (2026)

Line-Up (left to right):
Joe Strong-Truscelli: Guitars
James Hansen: Bass
Shane McCarthy: Vocals, guitars
Isaac Faulk: Drums

Links:
https://www.instagram.com/wayfarercolorado
https://www.facebook.com/wayfarercolorado
https://wayfarercolorado.bandcamp.com

Kissin’ .

The post Kissin’ Dynamite share new single “I’ll Be” first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

(Andy Synn offers up three bite-sized bursts of brutal flavour for you to sink your teeth into) No matter how big of a music lover you are there are always going to be times when you’re just “not feeling it”. Case in point, I’ve been circling the idea of doing another edition of the “Best […]

The post SHORT BUT SWEET: DESPERATE CRY / PRIVATE PRISONS / SILURIAN appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has announced his new studio album, Hell Or High Water, which will be released on November 13th via Music Theories Recordings/Artone Label Group. To whet your appetite, the virtuoso has also revealed the first single from the album, “Now Or Never”, which you can hear below.
Read more…

Steve Earle and Los Lobos are both roots-music institutions who have been leaving their respective marks on the world since at least the ’80s, and they’ve got a lot of shared history. Over the years, Earle and Los Lobos have toured together, and they’ve shared god knows how many stages, but they’ve never collaborated until now.

The post Steve Earle & Los Lobos – “Volver A Celaya” appeared first on Stereogum.

Nikki Sixx has addressed Mötley Crüe’s use of backing tracks during a fan question-and-answer session on X. The bassist confirmed the band does use tracks, explaining that they took the idea from Queen’s use of tape during “Bohemian Rhapsody” and use them to add elements they cannot reproduce onstage, such as orchestras and saxophones. Sixx maintained that the band performs 100% live and that the tracks are synced to what the musicians are playing.

Asked by another fan why the band doesn’t play entirely live, Sixx replied that they do, and that anyone who told them otherwise lied to them. The comments follow years of accusations, circulating fan footage, and a 2023 lawsuit by founding guitarist Mick Mars alleging Sixx played no live bass on the 2022 stadium tour — a claim an arbitrator rejected in full in January 2026.

STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:

On today’s Metal Breakdown Daily, Scott Penfold breaks down the backing track argument properly — the distinction everybody shouts past, the fifty-year-old precedent Sixx is leaning on, and the one small piece of evidence that does more work than any denial. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play and take the show with you.

Let’s do this one properly, because it’s been argued badly for about four years.

What Sixx Actually Said

First, the thing most coverage today will get wrong.

Nikki Sixx did not deny using backing tracks. He confirmed it, in detail, unprompted.

Asked by a fan on X why the band uses them, he explained that the idea came from watching Queen use tape during “Bohemian Rhapsody.” That showed them they could bring in elements they physically cannot perform live — orchestras, saxophones and the like — and sync those to what the band is actually playing. His position is that the band plays 100% live, that this lets them deliver onstage what they made in the studio, and that it’s better for fans.

Then a second fan pushed harder, asking why the Crüe don’t play entirely live.

Sixx’s answer was four words. They do. You were lied to.

So there are two separate claims here, and if you don’t split them the argument goes nowhere:

• Do Mötley Crüe use backing tracks? Yes. Confirmed. Never really in dispute.
• Do the members play their instruments live? That’s the actual fight.

The Distinction Everyone Argues Past

Here’s the thing that turns this from a shouting match into an actual question.

There is a real difference between augmentation and replacement.

Augmentation is a 53-piece orchestra you cannot put on a tour bus. It’s gang vocals recorded by twenty people in a studio. It’s a siren, an intro sting, a keyboard pad. Every arena act on earth does some version of this, and has for half a century.

Replacement is different. Replacement is a musician standing onstage while a recording of that same musician plays underneath them, doing the work.

Sixx and John 5 are both claiming augmentation. Mars alleged replacement. Those are not the same accusation and they don’t have the same answer — which is why online arguments about it never resolve. Two people shouting past each other about different things.

The Queen Precedent Is Real, And It’s Older Than You Think

Worth confirming, because Sixx’s reference isn’t a dodge.

Queen have used tape for the operatic section of “Bohemian Rhapsody” since 1975. It isn’t a shortcut and it isn’t a scandal — that passage has something like 180 overdubbed vocal tracks on it. Four people cannot sing it. The band’s solution live was to leave the stage, let the tape run, and come back for the heavy section.

Nobody has ever accused Queen of faking a concert over it.

So the precedent Sixx is invoking is genuine, it’s fifty years old, and it’s about as respectable an origin story as exists in live rock.

Whether Mötley Crüe have stayed on the augmentation side of that line is the part nobody outside the band can verify from a phone video.

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About Those Video Clips

Because this is the evidence most people are actually reacting to.

Footage circulates regularly showing Sixx onstage with his hands apparently off the bass while the bassline continues. For a lot of viewers, that settles it.

John 5 addressed exactly those clips on the Thinking About Guitar podcast in May, and he was direct about it. His explanation: Sixx is often fretting a note with one hand while the other arm is in the air, or picking with one hand while gesturing with the other — and people watching a short clip don’t read that correctly.

He went further, saying every note is played by the band. Nikki plays every note. Tommy plays everything. He plays everything. Vince sings. And he conceded the rest openly: backing vocals on track, sirens pumped in, intros pumped in — but the music performed by the musicians.

You can take that or leave it. But it’s a direct response to the specific thing people point at, and it’s on the record.

The Part That Actually Persuades

And then John 5 said the smallest, best thing in the whole debate.

Nikki messes up. You can hear the mistakes.

That’s the argument. Not the denials, not the Queen comparison, not the manager statements. A tape doesn’t make mistakes. If a bassline is running from a hard drive, it runs clean every night, in every city, forever. Audible errors are the one thing a backing track structurally cannot produce.

It isn’t proof. Somebody determined to disbelieve will say the mistakes are in the parts that aren’t tracked. But of everything anybody in that camp has offered across four years of this, it’s the only argument that engages with how the technology actually works.

Where This Came From

None of this is new, and it hasn’t been quiet.

Mars announced his retirement from touring in October 2022 due to ankylosing spondylitis, with John 5 stepping in — a hire Sixx has since spoken candidly about, including admitting he still feels bad about how it went down with Rob Zombie.

In April 2023, Mars sued in Los Angeles County Superior Court, and his attorneys alleged he was the only member playing 100% live on the 2022 stadium tour, claiming Sixx did not play a single live bass note. The band and manager Allen Kovac rejected that. Sixx called it one of the silliest things he’d ever read, and made the obvious point — if he isn’t playing the bass, who is?

In January 2026, an arbitrator ruled comprehensively for Mötley Crüe, rejecting every argument Mars’s team presented.

And this is now a recurring fight for Sixx. Just six weeks ago we covered him going after Godsmack over the same subject, after backing track accusations reignited a tour feud going back to 2009.

He clearly regards this as an attack on the band rather than a technical question. Given it’s been aimed at him personally for four years, that’s not hard to understand.

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Where It Leaves You

The band’s position is now fully on the record and internally consistent: tracks are used for what can’t be played, the musicians play everything else, and the mistakes are audible because humans are making them.

The counter-position rests on fan footage and a legal claim that was rejected.

Nobody reading this is going to settle it from home. But you’ll be able to check for yourself soon enough — the Carnival Of Sins tour is out on the road right now, marking the band’s 45th anniversary with Tesla and Extreme.

Go and watch his hands.

TL;DR

• What happened: Nikki Sixx answered fan questions on X about Mötley Crüe’s use of backing tracks
• He confirmed the tracks exist — used for orchestras, saxophones and other elements the band can’t reproduce onstage, synced to the live performance
• His origin story: the band took the idea from Queen’s use of tape on “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• His denial: asked why they don’t play 100% live, Sixx said they do, and that anyone claiming otherwise lied
• John 5’s version (May 2026): backing vocals, sirens and intros are on track; all instrumental parts are played by the band; Sixx makes audible mistakes onstage
• The fan footage: John 5 says clips showing Sixx’s hands off the bass are misread — he’s often fretting with one hand while the other is raised
• The legal history: Mars alleged in 2023 that Sixx played no live bass on the 2022 tour. An arbitrator rejected his claims in full in January 2026
• The Queen precedent is genuine — tape has been used for the operatic section of “Bohemian Rhapsody” live since 1975

FAQ

Four years of accusations, one lawsuit, and a fifty-year-old Queen precedent. Have you seen the Crüe live recently — and what did you actually see? Let us know in the comments.

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The post Nikki Sixx Confirms Mötley Crüe Use Backing Tracks But Insists The Band Plays Every Note Live appeared first on Loaded Radio.