Jethro Tull have attracted some unlikely fans over the years, from Stephen King to Nick Cave. But among the most surprising are a pair of punk singers whose own music sits worlds away from the prog giants.
The brand new issue of Prog magazine sees Tull frontman Ian Anderson answering questions from a range of famous friends and fans, including members of Yes, ELP, Opeth and more.
One of the questions comes from ex-Stranglers vocalist Hugh Cornwell, who asks Anderson whether he felt like the rise of punk was “a seismic moment in rock music or just another phase in its history”, leading to an amusing story about an iconic punk singer who sheepishly asked Anderson for an autograph.
“I saw the whole thing as being somewhat inevitable,’ says Anderson in response to Cornwell’s question. “The MC5 was punk to me, then along came the Ramones. And then it crept into the world of British music in the mid-70s.
“I do remember Joey Ramone coming up to me at one point to ask for an autograph. He was a bit bashful: “It’s not for me, it’s for my mother.”
Ramone wasn’t the only punk musician who expressed a sneaking admiration for Jethro Tull. Answering a question from ex-Gentle Giant singer Derek Shulman about the most unexpected Tull fans he’s ever met, Anderson responds: “There have been a few unlikely musicians, none more so than [ex-Sex Pistols singer] John Lydon.
“He once came over to me at an event. He had obviously had a few beers, but he was being completely over the top, saying how much he loved the Aqualung album and that particular song.”
Read the full interview with Ian Anderson in the brand new issue of Prog. Order it online and have it delivered straight to your door.
Danish band Carbon Tomb’s music is surprisingly fluid, nuanced, and even catchy for dissonant death metal. The songs are diverse and narrative, and the album is more interesting and memorable than one would think. The band even share a member of Dysgnostic, whose album just dropped recently. Their eagerly awaited debut album is streaming in full now. Be […]
Ukrainian one-man black metal act Severoth has unveiled details and first single in regards of new LP announcement. Entitled Waves, it will be set free on September 4th, 2026 in digital, vinyl and CD formats through Avantgarde Music. Recorded and mixed by Severoth at Nordlys Home Studio in 2025. Read more…
Outbreak brought one of the hottest new bands around straight from Manchester after a huge weekend opening for Bring Me The Horizon. Showing Teeth from Nashville, Tennessee, took over London with their first-ever headline show, which completely sold out, proving they are already making a serious mark on the UK scene.
Even with only two released songs, Showing Teeth hit the stage with confidence from the very first second. Opening with Bad Exchanges, the pit exploded almost instantly.
The venue may have been small, but it was packed, and the energy inside felt huge.
Showing Teeth – Barfly, Camden – 14 July 2026. Photo: Carol Giannattasio/MetalTalk
Most of the set was made up of unreleased tracks, including Disfigured By Fear, Shallow Grave, Make It Out, and Fame Is A Gun. If these songs are anything to go by, the band’s debut record is shaping up to be something special.
Heavy riffs, crushing breakdowns and raw emotion all came together in a set that never slowed down.
Showing Teeth – Barfly, Camden – 14 July 2026. Photo: Carol Giannattasio/MetalTalk
One of Showing Teeth’s biggest strengths is vocalist Addison, or whatever we wanna call her. She is easily one of the most exciting new voices in heavy music right now. Her harsh vocals have a raw edge that stands out from the crowd, giving every song its own identity.
She owns the stage with confidence, and it is impossible to look away once she takes control.
Showing Teeth – Barfly, Camden – 14 July 2026. Photo: Carol Giannattasio/MetalTalk
One of the funniest moments of the night came when she shared the story behind one of the band’s recent collaborations with Shyeye. BBC Radio 1 presenter Daniel P. Carter, who was in the crowd, introduced the song on air, but instead of saying it featured Addison from Showing Teeth, he accidentally called her Addison Rae.
The room burst into laughter before the band launched straight back into the chaos.
Showing Teeth – Barfly, Camden – 14 July 2026. Photo: Carol Giannattasio/MetalTalk
RIP pushed the crowd even harder, but Labyrinth took things to another level. The room split in two for a wall of death before erupting into stage dives, flying bodies and non-stop moshing.
Showing Teeth closed the night with Fame Is A Gun, another unreleased track, promising everyone they would be back soon with plenty of new music.
Showing Teeth – Barfly, Camden – 14 July 2026. Photo: Carol Giannattasio/MetalTalk
If this headline show proved anything, it is that Showing Teeth are not just another rising band, they are one of the most exciting names in the heavy scene right now.
Judging by the reaction inside the room, this will not be the last time they will be playing sold-out shows, and the venues are going to get larger.
To promote recently released debut record First Spell, Polish musician Marta Gabriel and her Leatherwitch announced another set of European headline shows in November. Read more…
German heavy metallers Generation Steel are streaming two new songs, “Witches Cross” and “Steelmachine”, from their upcoming full-length Steelmachine set to come out on October 12th, 2026 via Fireflash Records. It was produced, mixed and mastered by Piet Sielck. Read more…
Firmly at the frontline of their genre for over two decades, Tasmanian Technical Death Metal outfit Psycroptic are set to unleash studio full-length number nine, The Pulse Of Annihilation, and as always, it is an excellent release.
The element which consistently makes them stand out for me has always been guitarist and principal songwriter Joe Haley’s compositional and playing style. It is complex, uniquely distinctive and immediately recognisable.
But at the same time, I never underestimate or overlook the brutal dynamism in the drum department from Joe’s brother and co-founder, Dave. His playing style both complements and bolsters the guitar work superbly and builds on their sound’s brutal edge as always.
Psycroptic / The Pulse Of Annihilation Is Technical Death Metal At Its Brutal Best
“The Pulse Of Annihilation is pretty much the culmination of everything that has come before,” Joe says. “As with past releases, we never force anything stylistically and just let the songs manifest of their own accord – maintaining progression while remaining very much Psycroptic. Because of this, I feel this is our most epic, thrashing, technical, while grooviest release yet.”
Another aspect that benefited the previous release, Divine Council and continues on The Pulse Of Annihilation is the return of Origin’s Jason Keyser as guest vocalist. This adds a greater dimension and contrast to Jason Peppiatt’s vocals as well as adding texture to the overall sound, as Psycroptic continue to challenge themselves and push their capabilities with every release.
As it opens, the first track, Ashes Of A New Dawn, is chillingly engaging and powerfully dark. The intro sets the scene, then rapidly makes way for an instantly recognisable trademark Psycroptic style riff pattern. It is densely crushing throughout, with the dual vocals utilised to maximum effect. Overall, a stunningly good start to the album.
This is followed by the album’s first single, Gathering A Venomous Herd. This is about as fast and intense as it can get in the riff department, but maintains that famously engaging Psycroptic bounce, something that could easily be lost in such a fast piece. It is guaranteed to set your head spinning with excitement.
After a reflective opener, A Sword Of Me builds in steady increments, the twin vocals forming a dialogue effect and the bursts of spiralling riffs exuding technical excellence.
No Time For The Weak is a sharp, driving piece that packs a punch, and again, you get a strong definition of contrast between the two vocal styles. A superbly phrased piece.
Opening again with a reflective, slightly exotic intro, Our Pillars Fall builds on and out of that opener, rapidly becoming a complex offering with heady riffs that twist and turn, spiral and repeat. The more melodic, reflective chorus midway and towards the close breaks the piece up nicely and adds variance and extra interest.
After the opening drum battery, Annihilation Pulse harbours a slightly thrashy undercurrent. But gradually the technical riffing gathers strength, spiralling out in bigger and bigger flamboyant and powerful bursts. I like the vocal layering here as it builds on the depth and atmosphere of the piece superbly.
No Blade Of Grass comes in fast, dark, and intense, with the vocals delivered again in a two-way dialogue effect to the greater part. A fast-paced and punchy offering.
Penultimate piece To Embrace This Curse continues to forge forward in a similar fast, dark, and intense vein to that of its predecessor. It really comes into its own in the second half with the fluid melding between chugging and complex technical passages.
I love the dark, haunting build on the final track, Forging The Crown, rapidly elevating to frantically intense swathes of technical riffing. Here, the well-phrased vocals burst through with dramatic impact, contrasted with dramatic drops where the vocals course over with more of an acerbic fluidity to their delivery. The close reflects the dark, haunting opening.
Maintaining control and continuity, The Pulse of Annihilation was produced once again by Haley at his Crawlspace Productions studio.
The cover artwork, which I love, is by Belial Necroarts. It is unnervingly ominous and visually descriptive. The aim, to which I think it succeeds brilliantly, is to “mirror the themes of tension, collapse, and calculated devastation woven throughout the record.”
Psycroptic released The Pulse Of Annihilation on 17 July 2026 via Metal Blade Records. It will be available as a CD, limited edition vinyl in a choice of five colours or as a digital download and is a superb listen from start to finish. For more details, visit MetalBlade.com/Psycroptic.
Switzerland-based melodic death metal crew Irony Of Fate revealed that they have parted ways with three members: vocalist Cveti Stojmenova, drummer Kevin Lütolf and guitarist Dr. Grü. The band now runs as a four-piece, with two new members: drummer Sandro Kernen and vocalist Jessica. Read more…
German power metal project Ristridi have released “Silver and Steel,” the latest single from their upcoming album, Ride the Storm. The independently released digital album will arrive on August 21, 2026. Inspired by Geralt of Rivia, the central character of Andrzej Sapkowski’s The Witcher saga, “Silver and Steel” explores the conflict between Geralt’s reputation as […]
