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“Tyler The Creator made me realise that I don’t need to scream for a song to be heavy.” Freedom-fighting hardcore punk, Victorian doom metal and ‘angry dance music’: the best new metal bands you need to hear this month
Meet Pinkshift, Turn Cold, Opia and Vianova: the hot new metal bands causing a stir -
Mammon’s Throne – Launch ‘Every Day More Sickened’ Song
Sludge doom formation Mammon’s Throne has shared a video clip for “Every Day More Sickened”, the newest preview track off their soon-to-be-released studio album My Body To The Worms. The latter drops March 13.
Read more… -
THORNHILL – ‘Bodies Australian Tour’ With special guests Heavensgate, Paledusk & Ocean Grove
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 Once word of this show started to get around it was obvious that this would be one of the shows not to be missed. Thornhill themselves are riding on such a high upon their success and achievements of 2025. Their ‘Bodies’ album sits highly in my highlights of 2025. The bands relentless international touring through 2025 broke them in markets outside of Australia. It’s a bold move to focus on touring other countries while you have so much momentum here in your home. ‘Bodies’ claimed an ARIA award for best heavy record and the band only did a few showcases and listening parties here in Australia at the time of release, yet the band made one very big statement last year as a late call up to replace Alpha Wolf at Good Things.
Tonight is the last night of the “Bodies” Australian Tour run. It’s a homecoming and it’s the first time I am seeing Thornhill in this capacity, a theatre headliner. This is their show and their first truly defining moment as everything becomes bigger; bigger, better sound, bigger production and a stage that they were set to own. Tonight, already has something special scrawled all over it.
Heavensgate Billed with some of the most iconic bands at Good Things, Thornhill simply brought everything they had with them and that first Melbourne Good Things show despite technical issues and a three hour call up will remain one of my favourite Good Things sets ever. What I and every other attendee witnessed at that show was nothing short of brilliant. Thornhill, I have always liked, but after that set they became a band I fell in love with. I was no longer on the fence about them. I stood firmly as team Thornhill. It’s these moments that can define an artist and for me they did just that.
Heavensgate Tonight’s four band line up introduced me to two bands I had heard of but hadn’t checked out the first being Melbourne’s Heavensgate. Heavensgate are modern metalcore quartet who delivered a set of crushing songs that set the tone for tonight. I found their style fell into elements of melodic death metal too. The breakdowns were big, yet I found their sound and song structure a little messy and fragmented. In the moments where they found those deep heavy grooves they were incredible. I must admit metalcore like this isn’t really my thing. It didn’t engage me, but they did manage to get a bit of movement in the crowd tonight. Heavensgate are all great performers and have an energy about them that is undeniable; for me they didn’t capture me as a fan yet they did put energy in the room and I’m sure they did win over quite a few new fans.
Paledusk_The Forum Melbourne_270226 Paledusk from Japan, now these guys were the biggest surprise for me tonight. They brought an energy and sound that was just what the doctor ordered. Fun, energetic and eclectic. Nu-metal mixed with industrial, metalcore, industrial, pop-punk, EDM and a little eighties hard rock attitude and glitz I simply couldn’t take my eyes of them. In your head I guess you are trying to figure out how does this even work? I still can’t explain it, but it did work and it does work.
Paledusk_The Forum Melbourne_270226 Taking the stage in matching Adidas track suit tops seemed to give the idea of something different yet again. The intro tape threw yet another curve ball. All in all it was the bands performance that simply won me over. The songs were infectious and the chaotic arrangements and style mash ups were perfect. In reflection if I had to describe them in a comparison Paledusk are a party Mr. Bungle, eclectic, energetic and somewhat chaotic at times. Paledusk know how to make an impression and leave one stamped into your brain. Listening to them again on the way home in the car just dragged me further into the band.
Paledusk_The Forum Melbourne_270226 It was however the live experience and the set that Paledusk delivered tonight that made them possibly band of the night for me. Their energy is infectious and the need to move during their set is somewhat involuntary, it just happens. Kaito is one of those effortlessly charismatic frontmen that can change his stage persona perfectly to suit the songs and passages that dip and rise. I must give a huge shout out to DAIDAI the blonde guitarist who threw in so many massive spinning kicks and next level energy to the set. Let’s face it Paledusk’s thirty-five-minute set turned me into a fan. The next question is where do I see these guys again?
Paledusk Gallery
Ocean Grove Ocean Grove have had their backdrop up for all the support bands is clearly hiding Thornhills full stage, but now it’s time for the band that I have so much anticipation for. Ocean Grove are a band that I briefly stumbled across at Good Things in 2025. While I only caught a couple of mid set songs they impressed me enough to stop and check them out. Again, it’s what I saw and heard in that ten minutes that made me dive into their catalogue and history. Ocean Grove were a late addition to this show as Amira Elfkey. Now that I have pumped up their tyres and set my own expectations incredibly high for the band how did they do? They simply delivered a set that exceeded everything I was expecting. Ocean Grove make music that resonates, that hits me perfectly. That nu-metal infused, alternative hard rock sound is done so well and with so much of their own personality. It makes you want to form a circle pit or at the very least be involved in one. Melodic hooks amid soaring vocals, massive riffs and huge grooves only just begun to define their songs. Ocean Grove are simply pure fire live. They know how to work a room and unite an audience that possibly isn’t theirs.
Ocean Grove With songs like “Ask For The Anthem” you know what you are getting. The biggest surprise of the night was the performance of “Stratosphere Love” which saw Ocean Grove joined by members of Thornhill. By the end of their set Ocean Grove had circle pits, the audience bouncing and people being passed above their heads of a frequent basis. I can say that tonight the energy and execution of this set was nothing short of sublime.
Ocean Grove To sum it up in one final sentence, Ocean Grove are superb live and will be ones to watch as I am confident that within the next eighteen months, they will be major festival draw cards not only here in Australia but across the globe. I hate that I have found them so late but am so glad I have discovered them. With no disrespect Thornhill have their work cut out for them following this performance.
Setlist : Cell Division, Superstar, Ask For The Anthem, Intimate Alien, Last Dance, Raindrop, Stratosphere Love, Junkies, Fly Away
Ocean Grove Gallery
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 The main event has come. The Ocean Grove backdrop is lifted revealing the full Thornhill stage and the Forum loses its mind. Opening with ‘Diesel’ and ‘Revolver’ from the “Bodies” album it could have been assumed that we were getting the record from top to bottom with the singles left until last. The energy in the room is electric and pulsing. Vocalist Jacob Charlton is a moving, swirling, brooding frontman who prowls the stage as he delivers his intricate thought-provoking lyrics, captivating and enchanting the Forum. He has the capacity crowd in the palm of his hand as he takes us on this journey. In fact the whole band have this razor-sharp presence about them. They mystify and draw you in as they create this larger-than-life soundscape that is Thornhill.
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 ‘Mercia’ which opens the album levels up the frenzy in the Forum. We are taken back to 2019’s “The Dark Pool” album where we are treated to the stoner rock seasoned ‘Nurture’ and then assaulted with the intensity and ambience of ‘Lily & The Moon’ which has several little circle pits break out. Charlton’s clean vocals soar freely and perfectly above the power of the riff here. This really is something special.
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 ‘Hollywood’ which happens to be my favourite Thornhill song is just a blast. That cinematic soundscape is replicated flawlessly and I’m in absolute heaven right now.
If the songs and music weren’t transfixing enough, watching the Forum move and exist in the moment was simply incredible. Tonight is sensory overload. You can feel, breathe and almost touch the power and emotion in the room. The breakdowns certainly shifted something in you as they hit.
Production is next level as sonically they are on point, visually their production while not over the top was mesmerising and accompanied the music so well. It was almost like being brought into a dimension where everything just hit harder and connected you deeper.
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 This felt like such a special show. Everything around it just had an aura as if we were in a bubble so to speak.
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 ‘For Now’ is simply stunning, its delicate opening verse is haunting and the way the track builds just pulls you in and has you singing along for the rest of it, arms swaying lost in it all. Closing the set with ‘Obsession’ builds another level of mood and ‘Nerv’s’ intensity is pushes us all to the next level. From where I standing it sounds like every word is being sung back to the band overpowering Charlton at times. There is just so much power here, I’m smiling like a fool at what I am seeing and hearing. Such amazing energy.
For an encore Charlton takes to the microphone and says “Melbourne I’m spent, we want to play another song for you, but we don’t have one. Would you like to hear ‘Nerv’ again? This time I need you to sing it for me”. It’s a bold move playing the same song back-to-back, but what the hell it worked tonight, and the crowd sang it back leaving everything they had in the room too.
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 On reflection what a set, Ocean Grove brought it all with them tonight, but Thornhill gave something else. This was a very special show and one that will stay with me for a long time. Expectations were high and I can safely say they were exceeded. I left feeling exhausted; drained in the most euphoric of ways smiling from ear to ear. I simply can’t wait to see what is next for Thornhill. Will they be the next band we lose to an overseas market? Arenas here in Australia are the next obvious step but theatres like the Forum feel perfect for this band. Intimate enough to not lose its connective integrity, big enough to showcase a visual side to the band that you wouldn’t get at a daylight festival setting. Whatever capacity you get to see Thornhill in or for that matter Ocean Grove and Paledusk simply do it, you will not regret it. This show was so much more than I had dreamed it was going to be. Well done to all involved.
Thornhill_The Forum Melbourne_270226 Setlist : Diesel, Revolver, Mercia, Nurture, Lily & The Moon, Hollywood, Only Ever You, Under The Knife, Arkangel, Blue Velvet, Silver Swarm, Tongues, Casanova, For Now, Obsession, Nerv.
Encore : NervThornhill Gallery
The post THORNHILL – ‘Bodies Australian Tour’ With special guests Heavensgate, Paledusk & Ocean Grove appeared first on The Rockpit.
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BERNIE LaBARGE Deluxe Edition of ‘Barging In’ Out Now On MRC
MelodicRock Records is pleased to announce the Deluxe Edition release of the classic AOR album ‘Bargin’ In’ from Canadian guitarist/singer-songwriter Bernie LaBarge is out now. Now fully remastered and expanded to a 2-Disc set, the release features more than a dozen rare and unreleased tracks, including 1972’s “Catwalk” and a remix of “Work For Me” (famously covered by Long John Baldry). With help from remix engineers David Tedesco, Terry Brown, and Mike Duncan, along with mastering engineers JK Northrup, Joao Carvalho, and Abbey Road wizards, LaBarge brings a fresh shine to the original sessions — made possible by the original multitrack tapes digitized by Metalworks Studios in Toronto. LaBarge also honours mentors like Daniel Lanois and Canadian recording industry pioneer Jack Richardson, along with the many talented artists who helped shape the album. Born in Ottawa, Canada in 1953, Bernie LaBarge started playing guitar at age 11. During the 1970s he was the front man and/or guitarist for many popular Canadian bands (Bond, Rain, Sweet Blindness, Zwol, Stem, Stingaree, The Dexters). Over the years, Bernie has worked with Kim Mitchell, Long John Baldry, David Clayton-Thomas, The Shakers, Walter Zwol, Cassandra Vasik, The Irish Rovers, Doug Riley, Frank Biner of Tower of Power, John Sebastian, David Cassidy, Joel Feeney and Sass Jordan, among many others. He was nominated for Most Promising Male Vocalist at the 1984 Juno Awards for his album entitled “Barging In” (Sony). Disc 1: Bargin’ In 01. Can’t Hold On Forever 4:06 02. Stop The Game 4:03 03. Overnight Sensation 3:27 04. (You Gotta) Work For Me 3:35 05. Still In Love With You 3:33 06. Gun Shy 3:33 07. Take This Part Of Me 3:06 08. Bus Route 22 3:45 09. Annie 3:47 10. One Less Marianne 3:10 11. Take It As It Comes 3:44 Disc 2: Bonus Tracks 01. Listen To A Boy In Love 3:58 02. Turn On The Lights (Before You Leave) 4:01 03. Nancy Nancy 4:03 04. Every Little Thing 3:35 05. Little Angel 3:01 06. Give Up 3:23 07. Dream Away 3:48 08. It’s Real 3:42 09. (You Gotta) Work For Me (Remix) 4:10 10. Annie (Remix #1) 4:45 11. Catwalk 2:41 12. Can’t Hold On Forever 4:09 13. Annie (Remix #2) 3.50 14. Overnight Sensation 3:40 WebLinks: www.melodicrock.com / www.melodicrockclassics.com -
BERNIE LaBARGE Deluxe Edition of ‘Barging In’ Out Now On MRC
MelodicRock Records is pleased to announce the Deluxe Edition release of the classic AOR album ‘Bargin’ In’ from Canadian guitarist/singer-songwriter Bernie LaBarge is out now. Now fully remastered and expanded to a 2-Disc set, the release features more than a dozen rare and unreleased tracks, including 1972’s “Catwalk” and a remix of “Work For Me” (famously covered by Long John Baldry). With help from remix engineers David Tedesco, Terry Brown, and Mike Duncan, along with mastering engineers JK Northrup, Joao Carvalho, and Abbey Road wizards, LaBarge brings a fresh shine to the original sessions — made possible by the original multitrack tapes digitized by Metalworks Studios in Toronto. LaBarge also honours mentors like Daniel Lanois and Canadian recording industry pioneer Jack Richardson, along with the many talented artists who helped shape the album. Born in Ottawa, Canada in 1953, Bernie LaBarge started playing guitar at age 11. During the 1970s he was the front man and/or guitarist for many popular Canadian bands (Bond, Rain, Sweet Blindness, Zwol, Stem, Stingaree, The Dexters). Over the years, Bernie has worked with Kim Mitchell, Long John Baldry, David Clayton-Thomas, The Shakers, Walter Zwol, Cassandra Vasik, The Irish Rovers, Doug Riley, Frank Biner of Tower of Power, John Sebastian, David Cassidy, Joel Feeney and Sass Jordan, among many others. He was nominated for Most Promising Male Vocalist at the 1984 Juno Awards for his album entitled “Barging In” (Sony). Disc 1: Bargin’ In 01. Can’t Hold On Forever 4:06 02. Stop The Game 4:03 03. Overnight Sensation 3:27 04. (You Gotta) Work For Me 3:35 05. Still In Love With You 3:33 06. Gun Shy 3:33 07. Take This Part Of Me 3:06 08. Bus Route 22 3:45 09. Annie 3:47 10. One Less Marianne 3:10 11. Take It As It Comes 3:44 Disc 2: Bonus Tracks 01. Listen To A Boy In Love 3:58 02. Turn On The Lights (Before You Leave) 4:01 03. Nancy Nancy 4:03 04. Every Little Thing 3:35 05. Little Angel 3:01 06. Give Up 3:23 07. Dream Away 3:48 08. It’s Real 3:42 09. (You Gotta) Work For Me (Remix) 4:10 10. Annie (Remix #1) 4:45 11. Catwalk 2:41 12. Can’t Hold On Forever 4:09 13. Annie (Remix #2) 3.50 14. Overnight Sensation 3:40 WebLinks: www.melodicrock.com / www.melodicrockclassics.com -
Bullets And Octane Announce 2026 UK Tour
Los Angeles hard rock outfit Bullets And Octane have announced a run of UK dates for May–June 2026, bringing their explosive, high-energy live show back across the country. Known for their uncompromising sound, raw edge, and relentless touring history, Bullets And Octane continue to deliver straight-ahead rock with zero filler. The 2026 UK tour will […]
The post Bullets And Octane Announce 2026 UK Tour appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM!.
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Journey Kicks Off ‘Final Frontier’ Tour: Set List, Video
The band's Jonathan Cain thanks the fans for their "love and support over the years" as farewell run begins. Continue reading… -
Necrofier – Transcend Into Oblivion
Reviewed: March 1, 2026 Released: February 27, 2026, Metal Blade Records Rating: 4.5/5.0 Reviewer: The Elitist Metalhead It just occurred to me that Metal Blade […]
The post Necrofier – Transcend Into Oblivion appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
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Greyhawk – Warriors of Greyhawk
Reviewed: March 1, 2026 Released: February 12, 2026, Cruz del Sur Music Rating: 5/5 Reviewer: The Elitist Metalhead To be an actual metal elitist you […]
The post Greyhawk – Warriors of Greyhawk appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
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Leatherhead – Violent Horror Stories
Reviewed: March 1, 2026 Released: February 13, 2026, No Remorse Records Rating: 5/5 Reviewer: The Elitist Metalhead The New Wave of Traditional Heave Metal (NWOTHM) […]
The post Leatherhead – Violent Horror Stories appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
