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Daniel Tompkins is the voice of TesseracT, and Prince of Failure is the singer’s new creative outlet. Tompkins collaborated with Paul Ortiz (Chimp Spanner) to create a 12-track album that evolved over the past few years. It isn’t the result of a single moment. This emotionally intense debut release features music that emphasizes the emotional… Continue Reading →

Florida-based melodic death metal formation The Absence have begun recording their seventh full-length instalment, the successor to 2024’s The Absence. More info in due time.
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Hellfest 2026. Clisson, France. Do I love seeing incredible major headliners? Of course I do. However, this festival also gives me the chance to see if things I discovered throughout the years are as good live as they are on albums.

At the end of the year I started writing here on MetalTalk, I remember putting Blood Incantation’s then-new record in my list of albums of the year. That thing had brutality, melody, and it was really technical.

I have been meaning to see Blood Incantation since, and seeing that they were playing at Hellfest has made me very happy. Fine, call it Bogdan’s weird band of the day.

They have two massive totems with cryptic symbols on the sides of the stage. How they carry those around is anybody’s guess. And they sound like Death one minute and like Pink Floyd meets King Crimson meets Jean Michel Jarre the other.

It is seamless, very technical, and so easy to get lost in It is incredible.

The best word for this progressive Death Metal extravaganza is cinematic. With growling vocals, odd time signatures and fabulous playing, it is a great performance.

The stage is covered in blue, red or green light, and they also use stroboscopes a lot, creating that cosmic atmosphere.

All the above combined turn this into a true concert experience for those willing to listen and get lost in the music. It is funny when they announce the last song, to last “2-3 minutes”. And it’s about a quarter of an hour.

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HELLFEST 2026

Prepare to be consumed by the relentless energy of the most influential bands in Heavy Metal as they ignite the Hellfest stages with blistering performances. The immersive atmosphere of Clisson will immerse you in a dark, captivating experience like no other.

With its unparalleled lineup and unwavering commitment to the spirit of metal, Hellfest 2026 promises an unforgettable journey into the depths of sonic mayhem. Read all the Heavy Metal News at MetalTalk.

MetalTalk Hellfest 2026 coverage can be found at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2026.

This year’s MetalTalk team is:

Bogdan Bele

Sean Titley

Photography: 

Luke Vaughan

For Hellfest 2025, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2025.

For Hellfest 2024, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2024.

For Hellfest 2023, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2023.

For Hellfest 2022, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2022.

The post Blood Incantation Deliver A Cinematic Progressive Death Metal Journey At Hellfest first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

Prior the beginning of their European tour, starting tomorrow in Portsmouth (UK), King 810 now present a brand new single called “Hungry Gods”.
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The story of Motörhead’s divisive Iron Fist and Another Perfect Day albums and the chaos that surrounded them

Hellfest 2026. Clisson, France. Helloween are on their 40th anniversary tour. Blueprint writers of the Power Metal genre, they are a heavyweight warm-up act for Iron Maiden and Sabaton to follow later in the day. Warm it is too, the heatwave here is roasting the crowd as the band come on to March Of Time.

Having first seen them, supported by Overkill, almost 40 years ago, it is a poignant moment. Time waits for no one, and the long-haired, blonde Adonis who was an eighteen-year-old Michael Kiske when he first laid down some of the vocals is much changed. 

With age comes experience. The three vocalists, Kiske, Kai Hansen and Andi Deris, work through their back catalogue with aplomb, whilst their established guitarists bring technical precision, layered harmonies and crisp, clear riffing. 

Their act is now supported by a superb digital movie backdrop to support their screens, which, in the searingly bright sun, is rarely done justice except for the sequences with The Keeper Of The Seven Keys, a purple-robed figure with a galaxy of stars in its hood who exhorts pumpkins to stay united. 

Twilight Of The Gods is a beautiful song and goes down well with the crowd who are singing, clapping and punching the air in time to their favourites. Future World gets the best reaction and even a crowd surfer or two. This Is Tokyo, a recent release, is a modern classic, showing their continued relevance. 

Bright streamers of blue and white, red and white and multi-colours are fired from cannons over the gathered masses. A spectacle in the bright white light of the French summer.

Finishing with a medley of Eagles Fly Free and Dr Stein, this generates a spontaneous ceilidh in the crowd.  Probably due to time constraints, there is only a short homage to their most loved fourteen-minute track, Keeper Of The Seven Keys, the band are lovingly cheered as they happily throw plectrums and drumsticks to the smiling faces.

Pumpkins once more united.

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relentless

The post Four Decades Strong: Helloween Unite The Pumpkins At Hellfest 2026 first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

Hellfest 2026. Clisson, France. Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs, Pigs (aka Pigs x7) come on to AC/DC’s For Those About to Rock (We Salute You). More than usual, this is a deserved salute.

It is scorchingly hot, dust in the air and even Mad Dogs have made for the shade. 

Their backdrop is a stairway of Pigs x7 to which the 5-piece walk on casually dressed, not hinting at the sonic assault to come. Come it does though, the pits open and the band pulse into their opening number.

Contrasting styles of performance stand out. The lead guitar, Adame Ian Sykes, with a ’70s Angus Young reminiscent style, the barefoot bassist, John-Michael Joseph Headley, a Malcolm Young and lead singer and keyboard player, Matthew Baty, a punk Freddie Mercury. 

Then you have the more conventional act of Sam Grant, guitar and Ewan Mackenzie on drums. 

The sound is Hawkwindesque but heavier more punk, more attitude. Full power Stoner Metal with mesmeric pace, but no bong head will be in the fevered pit. It is fun, but there are no quarters asked for or given. 

“What a time to be alive,” screams Baty. “We know it’s hot as hell, but keep moving.” The pit obeys.

Baty screams, “We are from Newcastle, England. We’re not built for this heat.” Still, the band gives back all the energy from the fans with full-body moshing on every pounding beat, of which there are so many.

It has been a manic, loud, beast of a set that the crowd have loved, all overseen by the famous statue of Lemmy, who would have fully approved of the balls-to-the-wall nature of this must-see act. 

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HELLFEST 2026

Prepare to be consumed by the relentless energy of the most influential bands in Heavy Metal as they ignite the Hellfest stages with blistering performances. The immersive atmosphere of Clisson will immerse you in a dark, captivating experience like no other.

With its unparalleled lineup and unwavering commitment to the spirit of metal, Hellfest 2026 promises an unforgettable journey into the depths of sonic mayhem. Read all the Heavy Metal News at MetalTalk.

MetalTalk Hellfest 2026 coverage can be found at https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2026.

This year’s MetalTalk team is:

Bogdan Bele

Sean Titley

Photography: 

Luke Vaughan

For Hellfest 2025, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2025.

For Hellfest 2024, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2024.

For Hellfest 2023, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2023.

For Hellfest 2022, visit https://www.metaltalk.net/tag/hellfest-2022.

The post Pigs x7 Bring Relentless Stoner Metal Assault To Hellfest first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

This is the debut album from US grindcore band Fake Dust. Decrepitizing Din of the Cerebral Psyopticon assaults the listener with 20 minutes of withering material spread out across 19 tracks. Fake Dust are not messing around. This is a ferocious mix of grindcore and powerviolence that will knock your socks off. The obvious reference … Continue reading “Fake Dust – Decrepitizing Din of the Cerebral Psyopticon (Review)”

Before heading out to the final touring route later this year, the legendary rock wizards Uriah Heep will perform a string of summer shows in Germany.
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English funeral doomsters Aphonic Threnody announce the release of their eighth studio album, Grace My Heart. Due out on August 7th, it’s comprised of 8 new songs that were mixed and mastered by Riccardo Veronese. For a preview, give a listen to the first single – the album’s title track.
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