A new wrestler is making her WWE debut next week and she’s got a bit of a connection to our world, too. Rayne Leverkusen will be joining the major wrestling promotion’s developmental show next week as the “Maiden of Metal,” Lizzie Rain. For those in the know, “maiden” is particularly telling, as she’s also the niece of late Iron Maiden drummer Clive Burr.
Last night during the brand’s April 21 episode, a vignette aired showcasing Rain, who said both she and heavy metal will “never, ever, never ever die.” She’s acting with a sort of old school heavy metal style, which again, makes sense given her connection to Iron fucking Maiden.
Known for her in-ring appearances for European promotions like PROGRESS, Hustle, ATTACK!, and EVE, Rain signed with WWE back in February. When she tried out during last year’s Summerslam, she was considered by those in attendance as the best performer among the hopefuls.
Her connection to Iron Maiden is possible because her uncle Clive Burr played with the band from 1979 to 1982. He’s got credits on all three of Iron Maiden’s first albums, Iron Maiden, Killers, and The Number of the Beast. Unfortunately, he passed away in 2013 due to complications from multiple sclerosis.
Rain revealed her relation to Burr in an episode of Wrestling with Johners, where she admitted that her “Maiden of Metal” persona is a direct reference to her connection with her uncle. She did admit, however, that she never got close to Burr because he was too sick by the time she got to know him. Still, it’s gotta be pretty cool that she’s going to be making her debut a few months before her famous uncle is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
We’ll definitely keep an eye on her progress at NXT. Who knows? Maybe this time next year she’ll make the main roster and kick some ass on some bigger stages.
Courtney Love, by her own admission, has quickly gone from “Geese-curious” to Geese appreciator. In a couple of Instgram reels earlier this year, the Hole frontwoman said she was still “trying to get” the Brooklyn band, later updating fans that she was “fully liking it” despite “gatekeeping elder millennial troll fans.” Now, a few weeks after she posted on her story from a Geese show in the UK, she’s singing along.
Athenian heavy metal force Medusa’s Wrath have released “Breaking the Spell,” a blistering new single and lyric video that serves as the first salvo from their highly anticipated sophomore album, The Seventh Plague of Babylon, set for release on June 5, 2026. Driven by loud “punch and grind” guitars, a tight emphatic rhythm section, and vigorous vocals, “Breaking […]
Former Slipknot drummer Jay Weinberg has revealed the surreal circumstances surrounding his 2013 audition, admitting he discovered Joey Jordison was out of the band just 24 hours after his first jam session. In a wide-ranging conversation on The Garza Podcast, Weinberg reflected on his decade-long tenure, his “shock” dismissal in 2023, and his transition into a prolific solo era featuring collaborations with members of Deafheaven and Code Orange. Despite the abrupt end to his time with the “Nine,” Weinberg maintains he has “no regrets,” citing a philosophy of impermanence as he prepares to launch his new project, Portraits Of An Apparition, later this year.
The Cryptic Audition: 24 Hours to Joey Jordison’s Departure
The transition between Joey Jordison and Jay Weinberg has long been shrouded in mystery, but Weinberg has finally pulled back the curtain on the timeline. Speaking with Chris Garza (Suicide Silence), Weinberg confirmed that his initial invitation to Los Angeles was “cryptic in nature,” with the band providing almost zero information about the role he was auditioning for.
“I got a phone call that was cryptic… the stakes around that information were high,” Weinberg explained. He revealed that he had his first jam session with the members of Slipknot in December 2013, only to see the official announcement of Jordison’s departure hit the news cycle exactly one day later.
Weinberg’s time with Slipknot spanned nearly ten years, covering three studio albums: .5: The Gray Chapter (2014), We Are Not Your Kind (2019), and The End, So Far (2022). His dismissal in November 2023—coming just two days after the band’s final tour date in Mexico—sent shockwaves through the metal community.
While Weinberg was “heartbroken and blindsided” by the phone call, he told Garza that he has made peace with the outcome. “The only constant in life is impermanence,” Weinberg noted, echoing a philosophy that has guided him through his post-Slipknot transition. After a stint as the live drummer for Suicidal Tendencies, Weinberg is now focusing on a solo trajectory that leans into his multi-instrumental roots.
The Solo Era: Sandstone, Drone Operator, and New Collaborations
Since departing Suicidal Tendencies earlier this year, Weinberg has been meticulously building a “collaborative singles series” that showcases a heavier, more industrial side of his playing. In November 2025, he released “Sandstone” featuring George Clarke of Deafheaven, followed by the March 2026 assault “Drone Operator” alongside Jami Morgan and Shade Balderose of Code Orange (under their Nowhere2Run moniker).
These tracks are expected to form the backbone of a larger solo project, with Weinberg handling drums, guitars, bass, and keyboards on the recordings.
Portraits Of An Apparition: Summer Release and 2026 Tour
The most anticipated development in Weinberg’s schedule is the debut of Portraits Of An Apparition. This new project is a collaboration with Mark Whelan (Fuming Mouth) and noise artist Conner Sullivan (Argus). Described as a “doomy dance party” inspired by the likes of Godflesh and Merzbow, the band is slated to release their debut album in Summer 2026.
Fans in the UK and Europe can expect to see Weinberg back on stage this September, with confirmed dates including a headline stop at Club Cheek in London on September 6, 2026.
Jay Weinberg revealed he learned Joey Jordison was leaving Slipknot just 24 hours after his own first jam with the band in 2013. Reflecting on his shock 2023 firing, the drummer maintains he has “no regrets” and is moving forward with a solo collaborative series and his new band, Portraits Of An Apparition, which launches a UK/European tour in September 2026
This is the debut album from Italian black metal band Atlantic Ridge. Brought to us by members of Bedsore and Thecodontion, Atlantic Ridge contains 41 minutes of atmospheric black metal, with added funeral doom and a touch of sludgy post-metal. Atlantic Ridge have crafted an engaging record of esoteric depth. As a rough starting point, … Continue reading “Atlantic Ridge – Atlantic Ridge (Review)”
This is the fourth album from Indonesian one-man black metal band Pure Wrath. Bleak Days Ahead is the 41-minute folow up to 2022’s well-received Hymn to the Woeful Hearts. The artist behind Pure Wrath has returned, accompanied by a cast of associates that bring drums, additional vocals, and saxophone to the table. Bleak Days Ahead … Continue reading “Pure Wrath – Bleak Days Ahead (Review)”
Wisconsin bestial death metal savages Pig’s Blood return with their third album. Out via Dark Descent Records on the 24th of April.
Scathing guitars and ferocious drums joined by malicious vocals propel straight into an onslaught of violent and hostile extremity. The primal rage and visceral atmosphere conjures a blood-stained tapestry of pure evil carnage. This is simple, furious and heavy to the bone with no frills. Grinding guitar tons and rumbling bass twist together atop punchy and hard drum work with the vocals in the foreground; reminiscent of Black Witchery or Profanatica but with more emphasis on the death metal side of things. Walls of venomous barbarism crumble and give way to more melodic passages while keeping the frenzied pace and intensity of the record holding strong. A lot of people might quickly lump this band into the “war metal” pigeonhole but it just doesn’t sound that way to me. Sure it has the bestial lust but the more mid-paced sections and melodic moments definitely don’t fit that description and the overall atmosphere is firmly that of a death metal record. Arbitrary genre debates aside, the malignant approach to the mix feels raw, nasty and stripped back which perfectly suits the disdainful approach to the music itself. A ravenous and putrid start to this blasphemous tome of destruction.
Some sections on this record go into this doomy territory that reminds me of Finnish bands like Demigod or Funebre which push the dynamics into some cool directions. Never going too far into the atmospheric side of things, the relentless tempests of brutality always come back to punish with no remorse. From each track we hear an eruption of profane metallic aggression which certainly feels consistent in energy and approach while varying things just enough to keep them interesting throughout. For me the band really hit their peak in the slower tremolo-picking and more doomy drawn out moments, where it feels everything is hit that bit harder and gives a more palpable sense of dread to things. The somewhat chugging riffs, on the other hand, feel a bit misplaced to me. These somewhat more hardcore influences that creep in here and there are the parts that I struggle with. That said the death metal attack is definitely dominant over the feebler parts and as such they do not spoil the record. Songs like “Commitment to Death” are thoroughly killer and showcase the band at their best. From start to end “Destroying the Spirit” is a heavy, bludgeoning listen. While I am not totally blown away, I have found it to be reliably enjoyable throughout.
A barrage of menacing death metal in the primordial vein. This is a straightforward and violent opus of malign desecrations. If you seek 33 minutes of pulsating evil mixed with morbid hooks and a rough-the-the-touch delivery; the new Pig’s Blood is the sadistic soundtrack of your nightmares.
