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  • Classic Cover: The Answer Lies In The Black Void – “Angel” (original by Massive Attack)

    Atmospheric doom duo The Answer Lies In The Black Void have revealed a unique reimagining of the Massive Attack classic “Angel”. The track is the second single taken from the upcoming Pelagic Records compilation, The Dungeon Tapes, which features previously unreleased music and covers from the label’s roster. For multi-instrumentalist Jason Köhnen, the choice of … Continue reading Classic Cover: The Answer Lies In The Black Void – “Angel” (original by Massive Attack)
  • DOEDSVANGR: Within The Flesh

    Out NOW Via Soulseller Records Words by: Courtney Stark Forged in the Nordic underground, Doedsvangr have carved a singular, bloodied path through the black metal landscape since their inception in 2014. Conceived by vocalist Doedsadmiral as an outlet for something far more uncompromising than most, the band quickly drew in a formidable lineup — members […]
  • Lip Critic – “Talon”

    Lip Critic’s Theft World is shaping to be as wild as its premise. The album was allegedly inspired by a real-life theft of frontman Bret Kaser’s identity by a fan who was convinced Lip Critic’s music contained clues for an elaborate scavenger hunt. Early singles “Legs In A Snare” and “Jackpot” have fleshed out the…

    The post Lip Critic – “Talon” appeared first on Stereogum.

  • Live report AXEL RUDI PELL & NEVERLAND, Fabrik, Hamburg – April 8th, 2026

    The start of 2026 seems to be all about excellent guitarists, at least in terms of the live shows I’ve attended. First there was Smith/Kotzen, then Michael Schenker, and tonight it’s the turn of German guitar wizard Axel Rudi Pell — all renowned names in the rock and metal community. Accompanying Pell and his bandmates… Continue Reading →
  • ENTHEOS To Join Jinjer On North American Spring/Summer Tour + Co-Headlining Dates With Crystal Lake Announced!

    Photo by Rachel Craig

    ENTHEOS will join Jinjer on their North American tour later this Spring. The journey begins on June 5th in Ottawa, Ontario and runs through July 24th in Las Vegas, Nevada. Additional support will be provided by Crystal Lake. As an added bonus, ENTHEOS has announced several co-headlining shows with Crystal Lake scattered throughout the tour featuring performances in Detroit, Montreal, Harrisburg, Salt Lake City, and Indianapolis.

    Comments vocalist Chaney Crabb, “We’re honored to be supporting Jinjer across the US and parts of Canada alongside Crystal Lake. In addition, we’ve announced a few exclusive co-headlining shows alongside Crystal Lake. We look forward to seeing you all on the road.” 

    Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.

    ENTHEOS w/ Crystal Lake Co-Headlining Shows:
    6/04/2026 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI **
    6/06/2026 Piranha Bar (Upstairs) – Montreal, QC **
    6/13/2026 Capital City Music Hall – Harrisburg, PA
    7/11/2026 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT
    7/16/2026 Black Circle – Indianapolis, IN

    ENTHEOS w/ Jinjer, Crystal Lake:
    6/05/2026 Bronson Centre – Ottawa, ON **
    6/07/2026 Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON **
    6/09/2026 Big Night Live – Boston, MA
    6/10/2026 Dome At Oakdale – Wallingford, CT
    6/12/2026 Paramount Times Square – New York, NY
    6/14/2026 The Fillmore – Philadelphia, PA
    6/16/2026 Roxian – Pittsburgh, PA
    6/17/2026 The Fillmore – Charlotte, NC
    6/18/2026 Buckhead Theater – Atlanta, GA
    6/19/2026 Brooklyn Bowl – Nashville, TN
    6/21/2026 House Of Blues – Orlando, FL
    6/23/2026 House Of Blues – Houston, TX
    6/24/2026 House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
    6/25/2026 Aztec Theatre – San Antonio, TX
    6/27/2026 Emo’s – Austin, TX
    6/28/2026 Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK
    6/30/2026 Marquee – Tempe, AZ
    7/01/2026 House Of Blues – San Diego, CA
    7/02/2026 The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA
    7/03/2026 The Fillmore – San Francisco, CA
    7/05/2026 Ace Of Spades – Sacramento, CA
    7/07/2026 Roseland Ballroom – Portland, OR
    7/08/2026 Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC
    7/09/2026 Temple Theatre – Tacoma, WA
    7/10/2026 Revolution – Boise, ID
    7/13/2026 Val Air Ballroom – Des Moines, IA
    7/14/2026 The Sylvee – Madison, WI
    7/15/2026 The Pageant – St. Louis, MO
    7/17/2026 INKarceration – Mansfield, OH ^
    7/19/2026 House of Blues – Chicago, IL
    7/21/2026 Summit – Denver, CO **
    7/22/2026 Revel – Albuquerque, NM **
    7/24/2026 House of Blues – Las Vegas, NV **
    ** No Crystal Lake
    ^ Festival date

    ENTHEOS released their “Empty On The Inside” standalone single last Fall with an accompanying video directed by Malcolm Pugh. Said Crabb, “’Empty On The Inside’ is a raw, cathartic song about pouring your entire soul into something that you thought would bring fulfillment to your life, but it only makes you feel empty in return. It is ENTHEOS in our purest form, expanding on our grunge and alternative metal sound. This track truly marks the beginning of a new era for our band.”

    Watch the video for “Empty On The Inside” HERE.

    Preview/purchase ENTHEOS’ “Empty On The Inside” and An End To Everything at: metalblade.com/entheos.

    ENTHEOS Live Lineup:
    Chaney Crabb – vocals
    Navene Koperweis – drums
    Scott Carstairs – guitar
    Michael Stancel – guitar

    https://www.facebook.com/entheosband

    https://www.instagram.com/entheosofficial

    https://www.tiktok.com/@entheosofficial

    https://entheosofficial.bandcamp.com

    Source: EARSPLIT PR

  • VOMITORY: In Death Throes

    Out NOW Via Metal Blade Records Words by: Liam Hedges Vomitory return this April with their tenth full-length album, In Death Throes, out through Metal Blade Records. Formed in 1989 in Sweden, Vomitory are well established masters of death metal. Their sound to me is best described as faster old-school death metal, particularly considering bands […]
  • Yes Previews Upcoming ‘Aurora’ Album With Epic Title Track

    "We're not trying to echo the past," stalwart guitarist Steve Howe says. "We're carrying the spirit of Yes forward." Continue reading…
  • Oathbound – Colors in Grey Review

    Despite the name, Oathbound are not sword-core like I (and probably you) first assumed, but instead position themselves as a progressive metalcore band. With that utter betrayal of expectations out of the way, Colors in Grey is this Seattle collective’s debut long-player following a popular EP in 2024’s Until It’s Gone. Composed of guitarists Taylor Harper and Viktor Schultz, bassist Steve Schwarz, drummer Travis Morlan, and vocalist Chris Fox,1 Oathbound already have big tour plans and an established fanbase and are driven by a mission “to offer catharsis, hope and connection through music that speaks from—and to—the soul.” I cannot knock the hustle of Oathbound. I can knock their use of both the American spelling of “colors” and the British spelling of “grey.” But can I knock Colors in Grey?

    I’m interested in what Oathbound believe qualifies music as “progressive.” If I were to hazard a guess from my time with Colors in Grey, big synthesizers and noodly guitar leads are the ticket, as Oathbound make ample use of both of these across the album’s half-hour runtime. Sometimes the synths accentuate riffs (“False Ideals”), and sometimes they shape the melody (“Set Adrift”); sometimes the noodling textures a chorus (“Insomniac”), and sometimes it ends a passage (“The Masks We Wear”). But as far as I’m concerned, playing At the Gates riffs between single-string chugs and synth breaks puts Oathbound more akin to Attack Attack! than any branch of the Prog Tree. With just enough hardcore barks and knuckle-dragging riffs to pass as heavy, Oathbound packaged Colors in Grey in a loud, compressed mix and stuffed it with enough Nü metal chugs (“Searching for an Answer”) and bloops (“Misunderstood”) and robo-voiced pop-hook choruses to accommodate radio.2 Think less Born of Osiris or Protest the Hero for Oathbound, and more Three Days Grace. Simply, Colors in Grey is SiriusXM bait.

    Oathbound have talent, but the production and songwriting woes of Colors in Grey don’t let it shine often. Many of the aforementioned nimble guitar leads are hopelessly buried beneath louder walls of sterile, generic rhythm guitars (“Misunderstood”) or drowned by the vocals placed so far upfront it violates my personal space (“Colors in Grey”). The drums sound big and fake like only metalcore can do, and the bass guitar is an implied presence at best. Nonetheless, Colors in Grey has its moments, like the beefy Amon Amarth stomp in “Misunderstood,”3 the bendy guitar solo on “Searching for an Answer” or the major surprise of “Hold On,” which swaps between punk riffs and spacious, epic doom-worthy leads.4 But Colors in Grey is a vocally dominated record with plain bad vocals. While Fox’s screams are a bit grating with his high register and strained delivery, they’re preferable to his cleans constantly reaching for buttrock anthemics and slathered in pitch-correction, rendering them toothless, robotic, and bereft of stank. With the skill Oathbound clearly possess, they could create a truly forward-thinking record. Colors in Grey isn’t it?

    Colors in Grey’s most damning quality, however, is that Oathbound built each song around its chorus while making the chorus universally its worst part. Whatever momentum or attitude Oathbound may have established on any given track evaporates at the chorus. Everything from the crushed production to the uninspired instrumentation to the insipid vocals conspires to turn these intended highlights into dull thuds. They’re superficially big but the hooks themselves are usually pretty undynamic and tuneless, not to mention hard to differentiate between each other due to their near-uniform performances. This total dedication to the chorus and to pop structuring deprives Colors in Grey’s verses, bridges and instrumentals the time to progress or develop, killing whatever progressive tendencies Oathbound have before they can take off. As a result, somehow the opening instrumental “Origins” proved to be the best track, because though it’s a basic, mostly-acoustic build-up for “Colors in Grey,” there isn’t a black hole chorus like the rest, and it lets the song build and grow.5 Chorus-centric music isn’t necessarily bad; hamstringing your song in favor of a lackluster chorus is.

    I don’t fault Oathbound for their ambitions towards mainstream attention—get heard, get paid, dudes—but I do fault them for their complete lack of audacity. There’s just not a challenging idea on Colors in Grey. Everything is pristine, calculated, and impossible to connect with. Colors in Grey isn’t bad because it’s completely unenjoyable, but because it showcases a talented band hampering their potential through cliché. And that’s worse than any absence of swords could ever be.


    Rating: Bad
    DR: 4 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps MP3
    Label: Eclipse Records
    Websites: facebook.com/oathboundband | oathboundband.com
    Releases Worldwide: March 3rd, 2026

    The post Oathbound – Colors in Grey Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.