Fans searching for a complete list of Social Distortion songs will find a remarkable catalog that spans more than four decades of punk rock history. Social Distortion, led by vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter Mike Ness, has built one of the most respected songbooks in American rock music, blending punk rock, country, blues, and rock and roll across eight studio albums. From early recordings on Mommy’s Little Monster to later releases such as Hard Times, Nursery Rhymes, and Born to Kill, the band’s discography includes hundreds of songs that have helped define generations of punk rock fans. Social Distortion was formed in
Iconic British blues rocker Arthur Brown has revealed the title track of his forthcoming new full-length ‘Nature‘, which has been created in collaboration with Dan Smith. ‘Nature‘ is presented in the shape of a beautiful music video that has been pro-shot live at his flamboyant shows during Arthur Brown‘s recent touring across Europe. Arthur Brown […]
Finnish Turku-based melodic death metal band Frostbite Terror are set to release their debut album “Into The Frozen Depths’ on July 24th 2026 via Inverse Records. The new single and music video ‘Maan multa’ is unleashed today and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/frostbite-terror-maan-multa “This time we burrow in deep Finnish melancholy. We’ve got some beautiful […]
Experimental black metal project Agonanist, a one-man band headed by multi-instrumentalist Tyler Henthorn, break their six years of silence with their new album, The Spirit of Gravity, in August. Picking up where he left off on Agonanist’s first record, The Cynicism of Solitude, Henthorn uses microtonal guitars to create dissonant, enveloping songs, like “Effacement,” which you can stream below.
“Effacement” starts off running, blasting the listener with an atonal wall of sound and screams, a dissonant riff rearing its head out through the chaos and giving the listener a path through the song. Around the halfway point, Henthorn injects the song with bright guitars, taking the song in a new direction.
In addition to a premiere of the new song, Decibel caught up with Henthorn to ask a few questions about The Spirit of Gravity (out August 28 on Transylvanian Recordings).
Parts of this record were written or produced in Vietnam, right? Were you living there at the time or was it a conscious decision to visit and work on the record there?
In 2017, I fretted a guitar and a bass to 17EDO using a jeweler’s saw, and lived nomadically with only these two instruments. I wanted to be free of distractions, and forced to look for solutions in this tuning. The Cynicism of Solitude happened during this time in London and in Ho Chi Minh City. I didn’t really feel like leaving Vietnam, so I stayed 8 years. I think I wrote enough music while living there to make multiple full length albums.
It’s been six years since your debut, The Cynicism of Solitude. How has your approach to writing and recording for Agonanist changed?
It happened the same way the previous album did. I met a local builder in Saigon who made instruments for me in different tunings. I experimented in 12EDO, 15EDO, 17EDO, 22EDO until I had enough interesting pieces to put an album together.
The way that you write songs and the instruments you use often results in very dense, atonal compositions. What’s your approach to songwriting and how do you determine what’s not enough, too much or just right?
I write music with my ears. I try to observe the experience of listening, and I subtract a lot.
Andrew Lee (Ripped to Shreds), Colin Marston (Krallice, Gorguts) and Kevin Paradis (ex-Benighted) are on this record with special features. What did their involvement provide that you couldn’t do yourself?
I approached Andrew, Kevin and Colin with recorded demos, and gave them the creative freedom to put themselves into it. I think the result is far more interesting and complex than if I had done it all myself.
Vesperian presents “Moths“, the second single from Portland based DRY WEDDING, arriving alongside a new video and marking the announcement of the band’s upcoming third album, set for release on July 31 through Metal Blade Records.
Following the release of “Arrowhead“, which introduced listeners to the band’s most intense and expansive material to date, “Moths” deepens the sonic palette. The track leans into restraint and atmosphere while maintaining the raw physicality that defines the band’s sound. Layers of post punk tension, gothic country textures, and the weight of noise rock and doom converge into something both deliberate and volatile.
“As we began writing our third album, we wanted to push certain sonic elements further than ever. ‘Moths’ was an exercise in patience and restraint, and it quickly became a band favorite. Our new music video blends raw performance footage with Lynchian visuals to reflect the song’s lyrical themes, the tenebrous parts of ourselves that we hope to conceal and the all consuming impact of bringing them to light.” – Davey Ferchow, DRY WEDDING
Directed by Olivia Bayer, the video reinforces this duality, combining direct, unfiltered performance with a more abstract visual language. The result is a piece that mirrors the internal tension at the core of the track, where control and collapse coexist.
Artwork by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustration)
The band’s third album, “The Back Of Beyond“, will be released on July 31 via Vesperian. Recorded and mixed by Adam Pike at Toadhouse Recording and mastered by Adam Gonsalves at Telegraph Mastering in Portland, Oregon, the album further expands the band’s blend of post punk tension, gothic country atmosphere, noise rock weight and doom laden intensity. The album artwork was created by Adam Burke of Nightjar Illustration, with layout and design by John Haughm. The tracklist is as follows:
01. Arrowhead
02. The Serpent Box
03. Sure as a Gun
04. Blood-Red Vengeance
05. One Last Strand
06. Moths
07. Shifting Wilderness
Pre-orders for “The Back Of Beyond” are now available HERE through label, band, and retail channels. The album will be available in the following formats:
• Jewelcase CD
• Tape
• Digital
• Black vinyl
• Sea blue vinyl
With this new material, DRY WEDDING continues to refine a sound that resists easy categorization, moving fluidly between genres while maintaining a distinct identity rooted in intensity, texture, and emotional weight.
DRY WEDDING are a Portland based band operating at the intersection of post punk, gothic country, noise rock, black metal and doom. Now presenting their third album, the band have continued to evolve a sound that balances restraint and intensity, combining raw physical performance with a strong atmospheric and narrative dimension. Across their work, DRY WEDDING have developed an identity that feels both deliberate and unpredictable, equally focused on sonic detail and visceral impact.
Line up:
Davey Ferchow – vocals, guitar
Jarrod Green – guitar, synth
Chadwick Ferguson – bass
Tom Fuller – drums
Gothic metal titans Type O Negative have officially made history after their definitive 2003 anthem, “I Don’t Wanna Be Me,” was formally certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The prestigious milestone marks the very first time the legendary Brooklyn outfit has secured a gold single certification in their storied career. The long-awaited industry recognition highlights a massive, multi-generational streaming resurgence that continues to solidify the enduring legacy of the band’s late, iconic frontman Peter Steele.
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Want an in-depth audio breakdown of today’s hard rock and metal news highlights? Host Scott Penfold dives deep into the band’s history, the tragic story behind the lyrics, and their current cultural renaissance on today’s episode of the Metal Breakdown Daily! Catch all the breaking rock news by streaming directly inside the free Loaded Radio App available on Apple iOS and Google Play.
TYPE O NEGATIVE: THE CERTIFICATION MATRIX
Decades in the Making: Breaking the Single Certification Barrier
The official validation was handed down after “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” crossed the threshold of 500,000 certified equivalent units. According to modern tracking parameters established by the RIAA, one equivalent song unit represents a single digital download sale, or 150 on-demand audio and video streams across premium platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube.
While Type O Negative previously dominated the 1990s album market—landing a breakthrough platinum plaque for 1993’s landmark Bloody Kisses and a subsequent gold award for 1996’s atmospheric masterpiece October Rust—they had never historically crossed the finish line for an individual single.
Serving as the explosive second track on their sixth studio record, 2003’s Life Is Killing Me, “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” was originally distributed strictly as a radio promotional single. Over the last several years, the song has evolved from an alternative radio sleeper hit into a viral gateway track for a completely new generation of heavy music fans.
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The Bittersweet Inspiration Behind the Goth-Punk Masterpiece
Musically, the track stood out as a sharp stylistic detour from the slow, agonizing, doom-laden dirges that defined the band’s earlier catalog. Critically celebrated as a masterclass in “goth-punk-power-pop,” the song seamlessly injected old-school thrash dynamics and hyper-catchy hooks into a dark, sarcastic poem dedicated to self-loathing.
However, beneath the upbeat tempo and driving rhythms sat a deeply grim, autobiographical reality. Speaking candidly on the true conceptual inspiration behind the lyrics, Type O Negative guitarist Kenny Hickey revealed that the words directly captured the deteriorating internal mental state of frontman Peter Steele during the early 2000s writing sessions.
“At the time, Peter wasn’t really doing too well, health-wise,” Hickey reflected. “He was getting sick of addictions and sick of life, hence the title ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Me.’ He didn’t wanna be Pete anymore.”
The tracks’ cynical essence was famously visualized in a highly popular, comedic music video featuring actor Dan Fogler. The clip saw Fogler frantically dressing up as a series of pop-culture celebrities—including Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Eminem, and Britney Spears—before ultimately transforming into Steele himself.
Type O Negative effectively dissolved following the tragic passing of Peter Steele in April 2010 from heart failure at the age of 48. Born Petrus T. Ratajczyk in Brooklyn, New York, the 6-foot-7 frontman commanded the underground music scene with an unmistakable, floor-shaking bass-heavy vocal range that became the defining identity of East Coast gothic metal.
Before building the massive cult-like following that surrounded Type O Negative, Steele laid the foundation for his aggressive writing style with the heavy metal group Fallout and the highly provocative thrash band Carnivore.
Decades after their initial formulation, the Drab Four are experiencing a massive digital cultural renaissance. Algorithmic music discovery has introduced the band’s unique blend of dark humor, melancholic soundscapes, and heavy wall-of-sound production to younger demographics across the globe. This newly minted gold record stands as definitive proof that even in the streaming age, the shadow cast by Peter Steele remains as massive as ever.
Which Type O Negative song just went gold? The track “I Don’t Wanna Be Me,” originally released in 2003 on the band’s sixth studio album Life Is Killing Me, was officially certified gold by the RIAA.
How does a song get certified gold through streaming? The RIAA calculates single track certifications by combining traditional digital sales with streaming metrics. One certified song unit equals a single digital purchase or 150 on-demand audio/video streams.
What other gold and platinum records does Type O Negative have? The band has two certified albums: 1993’s Bloody Kisses is certified platinum (over 1 million units sold) and 1996’s October Rust is certified gold (over 500,000 units sold). “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” is their very first official gold single.
The Historic Win: Gothic metal pioneers Type O Negative have officially scored their first-ever RIAA gold single certification for the classic track “I Don’t Wanna Be Me.”
The Metric Milestone: The 2003 song crossed the 500,000 equivalent unit milestone through a massive surge in modern digital sales and on-demand streaming metrics.
The Tragic Backstory: Guitarist Kenny Hickey revealed the song’s cynical lyrics were completely autobiographical, capturing the late Peter Steele’s real-life battles with addiction and severe health issues.
The Modern Renaissance: Despite breaking up in 2010 following Steele’s tragic death, Type O Negative is currently experiencing an enormous wave of streaming popularity among a new generation of metal fans.
Brooklyn’s green flame refuses to burn out. As “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” takes its rightful place in the record books, it proves that Peter Steele’s dark humor and raw vulnerability are completely timeless.
Where does “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” rank in your personal list of favorite Type O Negative songs? Is it the definitive track from the Life Is Killing Me era, or do you think a classic like “Black No. 1” or “Christian Woman” should have been the first to cross the gold single finish line? Fire off your musical rankings, favorite album memories, and thoughts in the comments section below!
Dan Deacon has been in soundtrack mode for many years. Last year, he worked on the music for the HBO detective series Task, starring Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey. Now, he’s pivoting to a more light-hearted project, the Netflix film Little Brother, starring John Cena, Michelle Monaghan and Eric André. Along with today’s announcement of the soundtrack comes the single “Brothers,” which features André.
Here’s something crazy to consider: Pioneering doom metal titans Sleep are coming back, and they’re coming back without Matt Pike, the permanently shirtless wildman guitarist who has always been their most recognizable member. In fact, there’s only one returning Sleep member in this new lineup: Al Cisneros, the band’s singer, bassist, and lead songwriter.
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