Journey guitarist Neal Schon has issued a response to claims made by vocalist Arnel Pineda that he was effectively pushed into participating in the band’s Final Frontier farewell tour against his wishes — and while Schon stops short of dismissing Pineda‘s account entirely, he points to the real reason the singer had little room to walk away: a contract with touring giant AEG that specifically requires Pineda‘s participation for the tour to proceed.
The situation has been building quietly for a while. Pineda, who joined Journey in 2007 at age 40 after being discovered via YouTube, has recently gone public with a string of personal difficulties — including a divorce proceeding that has produced serious allegations — and with his growing concern about his voice holding up over a demanding tour schedule, particularly in cold outdoor conditions.
He says he raised the alarm twice before the Final Frontier dates launched in late February. “If you’re planning to do a farewell tour, you better tell me,” he reportedly told the band (via Ultimate Classic Rock), “because my issues and my personal problems are getting more intense and I don’t know if I want to go with you.” He says he prepared a formal resignation. He never received a reply.
“As they say, silence can be louder than explaining,” Pineda said. “I said to them I wanted to retire because of my personal problems. No answer. Obviously, they don’t want to find another singer.”
He also revealed that he skipped rehearsals entirely and only discovered the full scope of the Final Frontier format — two extended sets per night — when he returned from the Philippines. His current position is that of someone who knows exactly what leverage he doesn’t have: “They can fire me any time they want,” he said, “but they’re not.”
Schon‘s official response is measured and stops short of directly addressing Pineda‘s version of events. “For clarity, no one was ever prevented by me from making their own personal decisions,” he wrote. “At the same time, we were all advised by our representatives that there are contractual obligations tied to touring that need to be honored.”
He added, “Touring at this level involves many moving parts, and decisions are made collectively with our team, including management, agents, and promoters. Like any long-running band, there are moments where people feel the pressure differently. I respect that, and I have nothing but appreciation for what everyone brings to the stage.”
His closing line had the tone of a man trying to move the conversation forward: “My focus has always been — and remains — delivering the best possible experience for our fans and keeping the music alive.”
What the setlists make plain is that Journey has been quietly adjusting the show to accommodate the reality on stage. From opening night in Hershey, Pennsylvania, through early April dates in Wichita, Kansas, other singers have been handling six songs per show. By the most recent run of dates, that number has crept earlier in the set, with four of the first ten songs now being taken by stand-ins.
The tour is not a short one. Journey has 60 confirmed Final Frontier dates in the US for 2026, with reports of at least another 40 shows to be announced for 2027. Whatever the internal tensions, Pineda appears set to remain on that stage for the foreseeable future — one way or another.
This Top 10 Eric Carmen songs list looks at the solo work of ex-Raspberries band member Eric Carmen. Eric Carmen was the driving force in many ways in The Raspberries. As time went on, it became apparent that Eric Carmen’s ability to write great songs, juxtaposed with his beautiful tenor voice, would lead to a successful solo career. After releasing four albums with The Raspberries from 1972 to 1974, Eric Carmen went out on his own in 1975. Eric Carmen’s solo career began with incredible success. His first solo album, titled Eric Carmen, proved more successful than anyone would have
Read it in the stars: an Astral Spectre is upon us. German multi-instrumentalist Tenebros has spent the past six years mixing up a potent blend of black and heavy metal across three long players that take the NWoBHM energy, blackened aggression, and the occultic flair of 70s hard/prog rock.1Astral Spectre’s third revelation, 2026s Cosmic Mirage, is poised to be the project’s most ambitious record, taking their established sound and putting it through “more sophisticated arrangements” and utilizing “professional mixing for the first time.” It all looks good to me, but are Astral Spectre the real deal, or is Cosmic Mirage just that?
Astral Spectre’s sound is indebted to the proto-metal and progressive rock of the 1970s, but Cosmic Mirage is no mere exercise in nostalgia. Take Nite and give them Blue Öyster Cult’s guitar tone, longer songs, a meaner blackened rasp, a Hammond organ, and (sometimes) a clarinet, and you’d get Cosmic Mirage. Black metal manifests in Tenebros’ aforementioned rasping, foreboding tones and odd blast beats (“Chronomancer,” “Dancing with Ghosts”), but Astral Spectre’s bread and butter is warm, lively rock n’ roll. NWoBHM twin guitars soar over most tracks, dominating “Stardrifter” and “The Witch’s Waltz” while keys fill out the middle ranges where a rhythm guitar typically would. The organ towers over Cosmic Mirage, adding weight and texture to Astral Spectre’s sound while lending Cosmic Mirage a deeper gothic edge (“The Witch’s Waltz”). Astral Spectre also use clarinet on certain tracks, imbuing snaky, sultry leads to “Death of Osiris” while trading solos with the guitar on “The Demon’s Offer.” Overall, though Cosmic Mirage evokes a specific scene and era of music’s past, Astral Spectre stand on their own through creative utilization of its various pieces.
Cosmic Mirage is at its best when Astral Spectre simply floor it. The opening duo of “Stardrifter” and “Chonomancer” bubble over with energetic hooks, roaring with Iron Maiden gallops and punchy, off-kilter keys that don’t let up and make for one of the best one-two punches I’ve heard this year. Tenebros’ drumming deserves recognition, as he can lend songs like “Cosmic Mirage” and “Stardrifter” ridiculously propulsive energy while laying down serious groove over the Opeth-meets-Maiden “Death of Osiris.” The drumming is brisk, but so slick that it feels laid back, working nicely with Tenebros’ thrumming yet reserved bass playing. But where Cosmic Mirage shines brightest is in its solos, where fast, classically-influenced and highly melodic playing evoke the likes of Adrian Smith (“Stardrifter”), Ritchie Blackmore (“Dancing with Ghosts”) and Eddie Van Halen (“Death of Osiris”). When it all comes together, Astral Spectre sounds like a souped-up Kansas or Blue Öyster Cult crushing it with Tribulation. And that’s just beautiful.
The only knock against Cosmic Mirage is when Astral Spectre’s progressive tendencies come at the expense of hookiness. Astral Spectre flexes their songcraft on longer cuts “Death of Osiris” and “Cosmic Mirage,” and though both songs have good moments, they are bogged down by slow passages that aren’t as vital as the faster, more rockin’ tunes. “Death of Osiris” in particular languishes in repetition for its first half, riffing on a thoroughly cliché “Egyptian” melody before sliding into an Iron Maidenesque bass-plucked build-up to the clarinet solo, where things finally take off.2 “Cosmic Mirage” starts strong with a driving beat and strong hooks before dropping into a spacey, Pink Floyd-like passage that just doesn’t demand your attention as much, and by the time Astral Spectre get their momentum back, the song is basically over. Also, Cosmic Mirage’s clarinet, while it weaves compelling melodies and lends the album a uniquely mellow mood, is always way upfront in the mix and tends to drown out the guitar. This and an understated bass presence are the only gripes I have with the otherwise warm and open mix of Cosmic Mirage, just as Astral Spectre’s few hiccups regarding their longer songs are the only real problems I have with the album at large.
Cosmic Mirage has more going on than it seems at first glance. Besides some missteps in the longer songs, Astral Spectre crafted an ambitious, engrossing, and deviously fun album that anyone with a love for twin guitars should get behind. Tenebros is a phenomenal musician and the fact that Astral Spectre aren’t signed baffles me. As rich as it is immediate, Cosmic Mirage has grown on me with every listen, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it continues to grow well into the year. Chase the mirage!
It’s April and you know what that means. It means that March fucking flew in, punched us in the nose, and left. Thank the metal gods we’ve got music to keep us steady. We had a bunch of favorites last month, and here they are.
No/Más – No Peace
Deathgrind from the US
I won’t pretend that I was as familiar with No/Más as much as I was with the fact that I should be, but No Peace has proven a wonderful place to rectify that. 22 minutes of blistering deathgrind with a welcome emphasis on sick riffs and plenty of swaggering grooves and mosh parts in amongst all the expected blasts and punk beats to grant the album a level of variation and memorability that can often elude music this violent. Stand-outs like “Blood Soaked Soil” and the title track show off a lot of the band’s range within tight sub-two-minute runtimes, while sixth track “Leech” provides a highlight that borders on straight crossover thrash with its killer riffing and catchy harmonised leads.
– Ellis
Alicia Cordisco – My Restless Temple
Power metal from the US
Another month, another hell of an Alicia Cordisco record in our roundup article. This time it’s her solo project, and My Restless Temple is a far cry from last year’s melodic black metal release: this time Cordisco’s stylings are of the power metal variety. As per usual, the guitar work is killer, with hooky riff after hooky riff ruling the runtime and soaring leads that uplift the spirit. Along for the ride are a number of vocalists, primarily Jordan Rutledge (also of Cordisco’s side project Justicar) and Aya Druïd, the latter of whom’s vocal timbre has an uncanny resemblance to that of Amy Lee of Evanescence fame. Also joining the festivities are vocalists Kristin Starkey (Twilight Force), Bethany “Beef” Pitts (Transgressive), John Yelland (Judicator, Behölder), and Lux Edwards (Soulmass), plus bassist Joshua Payne, who handles the low end across the album. All work together with glorious synergy in service of Cordisco’s tremendous songwriting, and it amounts to an exhilarating yet thoughtful listen that’s worth revisiting several times over.
– Kep
Axe Dragger – Axe Dragger
Trad heavy metal from the US
Blame it on me being a guy in his mid 40s, but when I first saw mention of Axe Dragger, I rolled my eyes and assumed it was some lame attempt to cash in on the surge of popularity surrounding Castle Rat (the first song on Into the Realm is literally “Dagger Dragger”). Boy, oh boy, was I ever wrong; this is a full-on supergroup comprised of such metal legends as Bob Balch, Pete Campbell, Terry Glaze, and Frederik Isaksson, and this is most certainly not another “doom ‘n’ roll” album. This is true, in-your-face traditional heavy metal from the early ‘80s, so get ready to bang your head after you cut the sleeves off all of your t-shirts. I hope your body is crop top ready, because you’re gonna want one by the time you get to the end of this record.
– Kirk
Dropkick Murphys / Haywire – New England Forever
Hardcore Punk from the US
THE BOYS ARE BACK THE BOYS ARE BACK THE BOYS ARE BACK AND THEY’RE LOOKING FOR TROUBLE!!!!!!!!!!!
– Ellis
Foetorem – Incongruous Forms of Evergrowing Rot
Death metal from Denmark
Y’all may remember that death metal is my true love, and Denmark’s Foetorem came directly for my heart with this one. The project’s first proper release, Incongruous Forms brings the grimy, gristly goods in the form of utterly filthy riffs that lurch, groove, plod, toll, and brutalize in equal measure. This is death metal of the doom-tinged variety, with plenty of grisly atmosphere and an overall feel of grime and entrail stench. The band’s overall mix is a well-balanced one and the riffs feature a surprising amount of variety, from your typical gritty chugging to nifty bile-drenched angularity to Autopsy-core slow gore death, even going so far as to expand the texture and get atmospheric with clean tones on “Mors Viaturis – The Death Traveler”. There’s no denying that even here on their first record Foetorem have the juice—but I wouldn’t be too eager to drink it.
– Kep
World I Hate – Total Nuclear Annihilation
Hardcore from the US
The third entry on my provisional AOTY list to clock in at under 18 minutes—after the Crush Your Soul and Killing Pace LPs detailed in our Jan and Feb spotlights respectively—Total Nuclear Annihilation is every bit the ripper its runtime, title, artwork and creators’ previous efforts all promise. Hard, fast and mad as hell, the band’s label Convulse Records puts it best: ‘This is bludgeoning hardcore for end times. The bomb’s gone off and now you’re stuck here. Tough luck. You won’t survive.’ Shout-out Milwaukee.
– Ellis
Ravenspell – Obsidian King
Power metal from Canada
I realize this is kinda early to start talking about what’s going to be Album of the Year, but I need y’all to understand something: THERE’S A SONG ON THIS ALBUM THAT DIRECTLY REFERENCES ARMY OF DARKNESS. It even opens with one of the best quotes in the movie much less all of cinema. If that’s not Album of the Year worth, I don’t know what is. Yeah, sure, power metal isn’t as “kvlt” as death metal or black metal, but this album is fun and doesn’t take itself too seriously, because I think one think we as music fans forget is that metal is an incredibly unserious music genre. We just take it really seriously. I have a better idea: Start listening to Obsidian King and let your body do whatever feels natural. You won’t regret it.
– Kirk
Power Paladin – Beyond the Realm of Enchantment
Power metal from Iceland
Sometimes a band just finds that je ne sais quois between albums and releases something that’s on an entire different plane than their previous material. That’s what Power Paladin have done here, in my opinion: they found it. I did not care for their first record With the Magic of Windfyre Steel (2022), though it had its share of fans, but Beyond the Reach of Enchantment has proven to be an addictive listen for me in the short nine days (as of writing) since it came out. These are lively, triumphant tunes, and the band now feels less like a cheesy facsimile of power metal tropes and more like an actual good metal band playing power metal. The individual performances are great across the board and frontman Atli Guðlaugsson puts up a particularly great showing, playing the ideal slick but powerful partner to some nifty riffage. Keep an ear out for the soaring tones of Majestica’s Tommy Johansson on “The Arcane Tower”, too, the two voices pairing remarkably well. This record is a super fun listen, which is all I want, really.
– Kep
Zerre – Rotting on a Golden Throne
Thrash metal from Germany
If 2025 was The Year I Became a Death Metal Guy, then 2026 is looking like it’s going to be The Year I Become a Thrash Metal Guy. Yeah yeah, I still think of thrash as “if shitty American pilsner needed a music sponsor,” it’s incumbent to remember that German beer is exponentially better than American beer. So, if German beer is better than American beer (which it is, don’t bother arguing), then German thrash is better than American thrash (which the existence of Kreator proves beyond the shadow of a doubt). When paired with last month’s pick of Lead Injector, you’ll have a really hard time arguing with how utterly unfuckwithable German thrash is.
– Kirk
Seclusion – Sobrevivencia
Oi!/Hardcore from the US
I’ve got well into what you could probably call “sensitive tough guy” music lately, which is ironic considering I’m probably more of an “insensitive weak guy” myself, but anyway… like a couple of my 2025 favourites in Skinhead and Recollection, Washington D.C.’s Seclusion combine the gruff voice of a frontperson who sounds like they’ve smoked a whole pub with that gloriously catchy brand of punk that sits right in the sweet spot between Oi! and hardcore. This is music to pile on your mates to, dedicated to “all those in struggle for human, earth, and animal liberation” to make it that much sweeter.
– Ellis
Goatsmoker – E.R.I.S.
Stoner/doom from Denmark
I’m not going to count the number of goat-themed metal bands because these are short write-ups, but Denmark’s Goatsmoker is another in a long line of goat bands that will likely outlive us all. At this point, it should be no surprise to our readership that I love me some good, old-fashioned stoner/doom. The heavier the riffs the better. And Goatsmoker’s riffs are thick, viscous, and filthy as hell. Just massive, oppressive, and absolutely devastating stuff.
– Kirk
Dionysiaque – La tourbe des rêves
Doom metal from France
I readily admit that I didn’t expect to like this album. The first Dionysiaque outing—despite near-universal praise from those in the scene who tried it out (including our own Westin)—didn’t vibe with me. That’s why it’s so damn cool that La tourbe des rêves utterly hooked me within the first half of its first track, and just kept reeling me in with the remaining runtime. These Frenchmen fucking RIFF, man, heavy bands of thick doom licks offset by passages of raw, pulverizing thrash. Vocalist N.C. has a tone rarely heard in metal these days: stentorian baritone, theatrical and rough around the edges, captivating and downright spooky at times. He pushes those pipes into shouting screams, too, plus even throws in a wail or two. And the whole thing is thematically tight as a drum? Yeah, turns out I’m gonna be running this record back a whole hell of a lot.
Spanish death dealers Caustic have never moved quickly in their pursuit to release new music—there’s a six-year gap between their first two albums, a ten-year gap between the second and third and now eleven years to Inner Deflagration, Caustic’s fourth album. Formed in 1992, Caustic are a product of their time, delivering pure, riff-focused death metal with technical precision.
Given the nature of the songs, comparisons to bands like Cannibal Corpse, Cryptopsy and Deicide are inevitable, but there’s a strong undercurrent of groovier ’90s bands like Dying Fetus and Pyrexia. The tight songwriting also means the 10 tracks on Inner Deflagration breeze by, leaving you wanting more.
Inner Deflagration is out on April 10 via Horror Pain Gore Death but the whole album is below for your early listening. Hopefully it won’t be another decade until the next one!
Read it in the stars: an Astral Spectre is upon us. German multi-instrumentalist Tenebros has spent the past six years mixing up a potent blend of black and heavy metal across three long players that take the NWoBHM energy, blackened aggression, and the occultic flair of 70s hard/prog rock.
, then 2026 is looking like it’s going to be The Year I Become a Thrash Metal Guy
