Selfmadegod Records is excited to announce the signing of Polish brutal death/grinders FAM. The first fruit of this collaboration will be the band’s latest album, Pleasure Of Torture, set to drop in summer 2026. FAM (Furor Arma Ministrat) was formed in 2005 by Darek Młody and Stoker, members of DISSENTER. Band’s first release, Panzergrind EP, was recorded in 2006, while […]

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Two decades ago there used to be this amazing band in Columbus called El Jesus de Magico. One of their best songs was called “New Moses.” The first time I saw them perform it in 2005, I just about lost my mind. (That was around the same time I was getting into their peers Times…

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Montreal death metal legends Cryptopsy have officially unleashed the uncensored version of the music video for “Malicious Needs,” the harrowing finale of their latest JUNO-nominated album, An Insatiable Violence. Originally labeled too extreme for unfiltered consumption on YouTube, the video serves as a dystopian commentary on our toxic relationship with social media and digital fantasies. … Continue reading Cryptopsy release uncensored “Malicious Needs” video ahead of UK/IE dates

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The “Metal God” has spoken. In a candid new interview ahead of the North American premiere of the official Judas Priest documentary, The Ballad of Judas Priest, frontman Rob Halford addressed the “elephant in the room”: the involvement of estranged guitarist K.K. Downing.

Despite over a decade of public barbs and a fractured relationship that seemed beyond repair, Halford insists that telling the band’s 50-year story was impossible without Downing’s voice.

“I think that the love and respect that we still have for each other is still there,” Halford told Metal Hammer. “The fact that he’s as important to Judas Priest now as he was then in telling the story… It had to be that way because he was there at the very beginning.”

The ‘Honesty and Conviction’ Clause

While fans have long clamored for a permanent reunion following the band’s 2022 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance, Halford’s comments suggest that Downing’s departure in 2011 was a matter of artistic integrity rather than just “business.”

According to Halford, Downing’s presence in the film—co-directed by Sam Dunn and Tom Morello—allowed the guitarist to eloquently explain why he walked away. Halford emphasized that being in Judas Priest requires a level of conviction that goes beyond a paycheck.

“You really have to wanna get on that stage. You can’t hold anything back,” Halford explained. “If you’re not up there for the right reasons, then you don’t really have the right to be on that stage. If you’re not feeling that, then you do what K.K. did.”

We Also Recommend – Rob Halford Unmasked: 13 Surprising Facts About The Judas Priest Metal God

TL;DR: The Ballad of Judas Priest Update

• The Premier: North American debut at Hot Docs Festival in Toronto (April 26 & May 1).
• K.K. Downing: Confirmed to be interviewed for the film; Halford cites “continued respect.”
• The Production: Directed by Sam Dunn (Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey) and Tom Morello.
• The Cameos: Features Dave Grohl, Kirk Hammett, Billy Corgan, and the late Ozzy Osbourne.
• The Status: Halford shuts down “paycheck” reunion rumors, citing the need for “honest conviction.”

Information Gain: The Canadian Connection and the ‘Satanic Panic’ Legacy

The Ballad of Judas Priest isn’t just a highlight reel of “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight.” The film, which sees its North American premiere at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto, dives deep into the socio-political war the band faced in the 1980s.

During the height of the “Satanic Panic,” Judas Priest became a primary target of the PMRC and the infamous 1990 Reno subliminal message trial. By including Downing in this narrative, the documentary provides a unified front against the detractors of that era. For Canadian fans, the Hot Docs screening offers a rare look at unreleased archival footage that even the most hardcore “Priest-heads” haven’t seen.

Furthermore, the inclusion of Tom Morello as a director adds a layer of revolutionary context to the band’s working-class Birmingham roots. Morello’s involvement shifts the documentary from a standard biography into a study of rebellion—positioning Priest as the definitive blue-collar architects of heavy metal.

Check This Out – Judas Priest’s Enduring Legacy: 13 Fascinating Facts About The Heavy Metal Gods

A Legacy Beyond the Lineup

In the 2026 landscape of heritage rock, the “classic lineup” debate often overshadows the music itself. However, Halford’s pivot toward “respect over reunion” marks a significant shift in the band’s public relations. By acknowledging Downing’s “vital and important” contributions to the songwriting catalog alongside Glenn Tipton, Halford is effectively validating Downing’s legacy without committing to a messy professional reintegration.

The documentary also heavily features Halford’s landmark “coming out” on MTV, a moment the film frames as the ultimate “inclusive” turning point for the metal genre. With testimonials from Darryl McDaniels (Run-DMC) and Kirk Hammett, the film aims to prove that Judas Priest’s message was always about acceptance—even if that acceptance now has to exist at a distance from their former guitarist.

We Also Recommend – The Metal Gods Ranked: The Definitive Judas Priest Albums Ranked List That Crowns the True #1

The Monday Morning Verdict

By embracing K.K. Downing’s role in The Ballad of Judas Priest, Rob Halford has successfully “defused the bomb.” Instead of a documentary marred by omissions, fans are getting a definitive, archival-heavy look at the band’s soul. For those attending the Toronto premiere, this isn’t just a movie; it’s a testament to the fact that while band members may come and go, the “conviction” Halford speaks of is what keeps the Priest machine rolling into its sixth decade.

Don’t miss a beat of the heavy metal legacy. Stream Loaded Radio 24/7 for the best of Priest and beyond here.

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There are few bands that perfectly encapsulate the pure aggression that sits at the heart of deathcore quite like Bodysnatcher.

Over the last decade, Florida’s finest have put their stamp on the genre, ensuring that the honesty and heartfelt earnestness that sit at the forefront of hardcore are consistently channelled through their debauched and devastating compositions.

Though their all-out sonic assault has never been as prevalent, powerful, or punishing as on their new album ‘Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home’, which is out now via MNRK Heavy. A stunning display of unbridled battery, it’s a collection of songs that allows the band to exorcise their demons in an even more sensationally savage manner than ever before.

And as heavy music continues to recruit more and more avid followers, it is the perfect time for them to be truly hitting their stride.

To find out more about the making of the album and what it means for the band to still allow them such chaotic creative expression, Rock Sound sat down with drummer Chris Whited.

Rock Sound: Considering what Bodysnatcher have become known for over the years – crafting deathcore that is as emotionally dense as it is crushing – it feels like you have really upped the ante in a different direction this time around.

Chris: It’s definitely more pissed off and more angry. Instead of grieving things that have happened, this time we tried to find lyrics that everyone has dealt with, whether we’ve been through it personally or not. It’s a broader aspect of things that just makes us fucking pissed off, and I know it pisses other people off as well. Will Putney was like, ‘You know, whenever people think Bodysnatcher, they think aggressive, angry. Those are always the songs that perform the best. So let’s make a fucking aggressive, pissed off album all the way around musically and lyrically.’

RS: Saying that, that doesn’t mean that some of those personal feelings are still present here. You literally call our your Dad by name in the middle of ‘May Your Memory Rot’.

Chris: That one was a little different, the one that stood out from the rest. We got to the studio on Father’s Day, and I was just pissed off at, not necessarily the fact that my Dad was so shitty. I’ve written songs about him in the past, you know. But it was more the fact that my brother, who passed, had two daughters. So I have two nieces, one is 21, and the other is 17. And then I have a nephew from my sister, who also passed away, who is four, and my mum is raising them now. The kids in my family don’t have fathers. My brother fucking loved his kids; my sister’s baby daddy was a little different. He was a fucking Mexican Mafia guy, and he ended up getting killed. But I’m still thinking about how they don’t have fathers, and then thinking about how shitty of a person my father was and how little respect he had for us as his own kids. And it made me even more pissed off that he is still here.

And I just knew I wanted to say my Dad’s name. When I’m writing lyrics, I’m not a very poetic person. I’m writing them as if I were standing right in front of them, yelling these words at them. So with that one, it was just like, ‘Fuck you.’

RS: The thing is that everybody is bringing in their own sense of that here as well. There is experience, feeling and exorcism of emotion from all four of you planted in the band’s music. You’re not just comfortable sharing it; you want to put it into your art.

Chris: We basically came up with all of these different topics we wanted to be on the record. So, picking the songs we wanted, the lyrics that worked, and talking over everything. Say things like, ‘This part is sick, but let’s make it more direct. Let’s make this more aggressive. Let’s make a statement with these words.’ That was the process with every song.

RS: What are some examples of where you pushed the ante?

Chris: Well, ‘Violent Obsession’ is about finding the person who abused us and getting retaliation on them and making them pay for their abuse and basically doing worse things to them than they have done to other people. But then there is ‘Two Empty Caskets’, which is fucking crazy. That song is basically about a car accident where a drunk driver survives, but then the other driver dies, and it’s about them wanting to get revenge on the drunk driver for what they did.

The thing is, none of us has had that happen to us specifically, but we know a ton of people who have. Our photographer was in the studio with us when we were tracking the vocals to that song, and she was crying. We were like, ‘Fuck, are you okay?’, and she’s like, Yeah, I just got a phone call that my friend back just died, and he had gotten in an accident and died from a drunk driver.’ We were all jaw-dropping.

RS: The fact that even when you’re being more aggressive and direct than ever before, but still making sure that the things you’re writing about are pulled from real life, is very much something that continues to make you different to so many of your peers. Deathcore is a genre full of high drama and worldbuilding, but to keep it rooted in the real world is still so important.

Chris: There are many bands in our genre whose lyrics are made-up scenarios. So, it doesn’t really have any real emotional meaning. And even though a lot of these songs we didn’t go through these scenarios personally, a ton of people have, and that’s what we wanted to make sure we captured. We get tonnes of people coming up to us to say this song or that song means too much to them and has really helped them in that exact scenario. And that’s why we do it. I don’t want to write something that doesn’t actually mean something. Everything had to have an answer to me, and when a lot of people are connecting to that, it makes me really happy.

RS: Especially offering that up at a time when more eyes are on the genre than ever before. But it’s like, you have been doing this for as long as you’ve been a band. You haven’t just pivoted because of the attention it brings.

Chris: I think it’s beneficial to us that there are a lot of new listeners who haven’t necessarily been a part of the “hardcore” scene. There are a lot of normal people getting into it, and if you’re doing relatable lyrical content, it gives those people who haven’t been a part of it more of a reason to listen to it and be a part of it.

RS: Is there anything in particular that took you by surprise in terms of what you got down on paper throughout the making of the record? Anything that you couldn’t believe was about to be a part of the album’s story?

Chris: We just knew we wanted to make things more extreme, musically, in terms of how it made you feel. And that was before we even had vocals or lyrics. The intent just as the songs were starting to come together. So we got to a place where there are certain guitar tones for certain parts that are just way over the top. Even Putney was like, ‘Jesus Christ, this is fucking crazy’. So just the way that the record sounds stood out. Some parts make you really uncomfortable, which is what we have always wanted. It’s what we have always wanted the band to be like.

ember that you should always be your own favourite band. It’s easy for that to get lost in the static, but making sure you are in love with what you are making is so vital to the process.

Chris: Yeah, it’s very hard. Every time we’re writing for a new record, we’re like, ‘How the fuck are we going to make something heavier than the last record?’, you know? And we were so worried about writing this record. We were stressing so hard, and then it all just came together. There are a lot of my favourite songs we’ve ever put out on it.

RS: What does it mean for Bodysnatcher to be still the vessel for you to explore all of these things, both emotionally and sonically?

Chris: You know, with the times that we are in right now, it almost makes it easier to write about stuff that pisses you off. Because every single day you’re seeing something that pisses you off. Music has always been such a huge part of our lives, especially heavy music. We all love breakdowns so much, and I don’t think that’s ever going to change. The same with writing music that is heavy and has so much meaning. It’s going to be easy, because it’s just there and needs to happen. There is something that happens every day you have to deal with, and writing about it the way we do makes your headspace feel that little bit better. When you switch off to these things, that’s when horrible depression sets in, and letting that start to set in is really not good. It’s so much better to express those things. I get that some people get uncomfortable about talking about those sorts of things, but I promise that it will make things so much easier if you do.

RS: The thing is that you’re offering up that way of seeing things to the kids you used to be, who had to deal with it on your own. It’s for the kids like you who are now standing in the crowd, looking for that reassurance.

Chris: And I do see that every single night. I usually don’t think of things that way, and I wish I did. But when I go on stage tonight, I’m going to envision being in that crowd and what it would be like for them to see someone like me playing. 16-year-old me would probably think that it’s so fucking sick, but it’s hard to see things like that when you’re doing it every single day. You don’t see the growth either. Because you’re growing little by little every day, and you don’t notice how far you’ve actually come. But sometimes you’ve really got to take a step back and take a look outside and be stoked on what you’re doing.

The post INTERVIEW: Bodysnatcher On The Refined Anger Of New Album ‘Hell Is Here, Hell Is Home’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

“Cover Me Up” is probably one of Jason Isbell’s best-known songs, and that’s at least partially due to the fact that Morgan Wallen included a cover of the 2013 song on his 2021 album Dangerous: The Double Album. In the weeks following its release, though, Wallen was filmed drunkenly yelling a racial slur, after which Isbell famously pledged to donate his royalties from Wallen’s “Cover Me Up” cover to the NAACP. Wallen’s controversy certainly didn’t prevent him from becoming one of today’s biggest country stars, but at least his fellow Nashville resident Hayley Williams always seems prepared to humble him.

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The Strokes are entering into full-on blitz mode for 2026. They’re playing a bunch of festivals, starting with Coachella, and releasing Reality Awaits, their first new album in six years. Today they’ve filled in the gaps between all those fests with dozens more tour dates across North America and Europe, plus a two-night stop-off in Japan.

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