Three short years ago, two heavyweights of the metal scene joined forces for what would become known as the Double Trouble tour across Northern America. It was an ambitious and unlikely pairing, with the two co-headliners coming from completely different spectrums of the genre chart, but the Metal Gods gave their endorsement and the two […]Blog
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Double Trouble On The Menu Down Under With DEZ FAFARA From DEVILDRIVER
Three short years ago, two heavyweights of the metal scene joined forces for what would become known as the Double Trouble tour across Northern America. It was an ambitious and unlikely pairing, with the two co-headliners coming from completely different spectrums of the genre chart, but the Metal Gods gave their endorsement and the two […] -
Ghost Land Six Nominations At The Swedish GRAMMIS
Including Artist Of The Year & Album Of The Year.
The post Ghost Land Six Nominations At The Swedish GRAMMIS appeared first on Theprp.com.
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Album Review: The Exploited – Punks Not Dead
Album Review: The Exploited – Punks Not Dead
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Formed in Edinburgh back in 1978, Hardcore Punk heavyweights The Exploited – like Discharge and Charged G.B.H. – were the central, unholy trinity of the abrasive, in-your-face, fast-as-F, and likely to stop the grass growing, second wave of Punk bands.
The originators of the genre were united by an attitude, but the bands who would go on to be gathered under the banner, UK’82, were fast and furious, asked no quarter and gave none either. Rather this was something the public had not seen before and would go on to influence a whole host of young musicians, to form bands like: Slayer, S.O.D., Napalm Death, Agnostic Front and so many more, it’s an article all its own.
The band’s debut record, Punk’s Not Dead hit the shelves in April 1981 and, as you can probably deduce, was titled to take a shot at the critics who’d already announced the death of the genre. It was – and still is – a fearsome collection of fast and furious punk ragers that went someway to show the naysayers that the proliferation of the then-popular new wave and post- punk bands was no substitute for the real thing.
To mark the forty-fifth anniversary of such a landmark record, the fine folk at Cherry Red is issuing a new limited edition on black vinyl with a red splatter, and including an inner sleeve features a plethora of clippings and memorabilia.
Side one opens with the title track’s belligerent chanting rapid fire vocals, into the bass-heavy cover of little-know punk stapple, Mucky Pup – from the even lesser-known, Puncture – and Cop Cars, with its siren opening and charging percussion.
The first time The Exploited go over two-minutes is with the scratchy guitars of Free Flight, which is anchored to the ground by Gary McCormack’s meaty bass, concluding with an irreverent rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner. Army Life (Part II) reached a respectable number six in the UK Singles Chart upon release, recounting Wattie’s time as a teenage soldier on the streets of Northern Ireland in the early years of the Troubles. It’s built on an urgent riff and ballistic percussion courtesy of drummer Glen Campbell – no, not that one. Clearly not an accident, Blown to Bits follows, opening with a studio outtake and before cranking out a fat metal riff, from the strings of guitarist Big John Duncan.
Bringing the curtain down on side one is the album’s other chart botherer: the Top Five success of Sex and Violence which, after the revelation of a desire to visit Huddersfield, is five-minutes of some of the easiest lyrics you’ll be required to learn.
Over on side two comes a vitriolic verbal attack on SPG, a tight and energetic tune that has had crowds riled up for decades. Both Royalty and Dole Q veer into a style closer to new wave when compared to the band’s other output; Exploited Barmy Army fizzes with all sorts of vigour, simple but effective in its brevity.
Ripper feels dark, with only Big John’s cutting guitar slicing through the gloom; Out of Control and Son of a Copper lightens the mood with some fiery, punchy licks, leaving only the thrashy I Believe in Anarchy to take us out on a high and remind us that even though forty-five years have passed, Punk’s Not Dead still hits with the same belligerent attitude it did back years before most of us knew the Falkland Islands even existed, let alone find them on a map.
The album went on to reach number one in the Independent Album charts of 1981 and number twenty in the national chart, shifting around one-hundred-and-fifty-thousand copies and cementing its place in the pantheon of stone-cold classic punk records and making itself a must-have for any one with a penchant for aggressive guitar music.
Still going strong The Exploited is proving Punk’s Not Dead by touring the globe, still fronted by the legend that is Wattie Buchan, though the proposed spring 2026 tour across Europe seems to have been somewhat scuppered by Wattie’s ill-health.
Get well soon, Big Man.
The post Album Review: The Exploited – Punks Not Dead appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
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“Snatches of movie dialogue and trailers mixed with a musical wall of screaming guitars and stabs of distorted synth.” Rob Zombie goes full bore, full gore on blood-soaked eighth album The Great Satan
After a four-year hiatus, Rob Zombie returns to his frantic and frenetic Hellbilly roots -
Greek Black Metal Titans Yoth Iria Reissue Landmark Debut As The Flame Withers on Vinyl – @thebeast
Greek Black Metal Titans Yoth Iria Reissue Landmark Debut As The Flame Withers on Vinyl
Pagan Records is set to unleash a piece of Hellenic black metal history with a limited 2026 reissue of Yoth Iria’s seminal debut, As The Flame Withers . Originally released in 2021, this album marked a resurgence of the dark, occult spirit that defined ’90s Greek extreme metal, and now it’s back in a definitive collector’s edition.
This edition is strictly limited to 300 copies and pressed on 12” 180g smoked splatter vinyl, complete with a deluxe gatefold sleeve and printed insert, making it a must-have for collectors and fans of the scene. The recording, engineered at Pentagram Studio with George Emmanuel (Rotting Christ, Septicflesh, Lucifer’s Child), captures the full diabolical majesty of the album, while Harnasash Singh’s cover art seals the visual intensity.
Yoth Iria is the brainchild of two of Greek black metal’s most influential figures: Jim Mutilator, a founding member of both Rotting Christ and Varathron, and The Magus, mastermind of Necromantia and ex-Rotting Christ. Their collaboration on As The Flame Withers blends centuries-old Hellenic occult sensibilities with a forward-looking vision, producing music that is simultaneously ritualistic, crushing, and epic in scope.
Jim Mutilator’s history reads like a blueprint of Greek black metal: from the genre-defining Thy Mighty Contract with Rotting Christ to the swampy, dark atmospheres of Varathron’s His Majesty at the Swamp . The Magus’s work with Necromantia and contributions to Thou Art Lord and Rotting Christ helped define the sound that Yoth Iria channels so fully on this record.
Since The Magus’s departure in 2023, Jim Mutilator has steered Yoth Iria into a bold new era. Their sophomore album, Blazing Inferno (2024, Edged Circle Productions), introduced the haunting vocals of Rustam Shakirzyanov (aka “He”) and earned critical acclaim. Momentum continues as the band has recently signed with Metal Blade Records and is already in the studio crafting their third full-length, slated for Spring 2026.
Fans can also experience Yoth Iria live in 2026, with a European run that includes a confirmed appearance at Poland’s Mystic Festival. This reissue of As The Flame Withers is more than a collector’s item—it’s a reminder of the power and longevity of Greek black metal, and the living legacy of two of its foundational architects.
Order the limited edition vinyl here: Pagan Records
Listen online: YouTube
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Norman D. Loco – “I Want A Beer”
Sometimes titles are misleading. For instance, when I saw this song was titled “I Want A Beer,” a generic country song started playing in my head. But Norman D. Loco are a London-based band making eccentric indie rock music. And thank god for that. “I Want A Beer” sounds in the realm of Feeble Little…
The post Norman D. Loco – “I Want A Beer” appeared first on Stereogum.
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HILLBILLY VEGAS Share ‘I Hope You Know’, The First Single From Their Upcoming Album
Southern Rockers Hillbilly Vegas are sharing their new single & video for I Hope You Know. The track is the 1st single from the Oklahoma based band’s upcoming album A La Mode, which is slated for release in May via Quarto Valley Records. I Hope You Know is a song about the chaos of a […] -
Underscores – “Tell Me (U Want It)”
underscores had a big year in 2025, collaborating with Oklou, Yaeji, and Danny Brown. Now the rising hyperpop wunderkind is sharing her first new music of 2026 with the zippy anthem “Tell Me (U Want It).” The highly entertaining music video stars April Grey herself and has cameos from her peers Jane Remover, who unleashed some songs…
The post Underscores – “Tell Me (U Want It)” appeared first on Stereogum.
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Flesh And Blood With JOSH MIDDLETON From SYLOSIS
Sylosis have been hacking away at metal’s enduring coalface for the last 25 years. They exploded into the metal scene with their 2008 debut album Conclusion Of An Age, and have been repeatedly upping the ante for homegrown heaviness ever since. From the epic, thrash complexity of 2011’s Edge Of The Earth and its swiftly-assembled […] -
Gig review: SOLSTICE – Kidderminster Town Hall, 19 February 2026
There are a few bands I’ve seen over the years in fairly quick succession: Hawkwind in the early seventies. Magnum in the early 1990s. I’m getting that way with Solstice. I last saw the band barely six months ago at … Continue reading The post Gig review: SOLSTICE – Kidderminster Town Hall, 19 February 2026 appeared first on Get Ready to ROCK!.