(written by Islander) For people of a certain age and living in a certain time, melodic death metal opened a magical musical portal. Principally originating in Sweden, it eventually led enormous numbers of listeners around the globe (including this writer) into new worlds. Other portals forged of metal were opening at the same time, and […]
The post AN NCS ALBUM PREMIERE (AND A REVIEW): VANIR — “WYRD” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.
Athens, Georgia roots-rockers Futurebirds have been around for more than 15 years, and they’ve got a bunch of records to their name. The band’s membership includes three singer-songwriters: Daniel “Womz” Womack, Carter King, and Thomas “Tojo” Johnson. When you’ve got that many people writing tracks, you have to release a lot of music. Two years…
The post Futurebirds Reteam With Brad Cook & Waxahatchee For New Double Album <em>Far Out Country</em>: Hear Three Tracks appeared first on Stereogum.
Grey Scale Festival returns this summer, bringing the post-punk, industrial, EBM, and darkwave scenes of northern and southern Germany into conversation across a two-city weekend. Split between Munich and Berlin, the festival widens its scope without losing its pulse, gathering together artists from across the darker edges of electronic and guitar music for two nights that feel less like parallel events than parts of the same larger exchange. In that sense, Grey Scale is not simply expanding geographically; it is tracing the live wire running between different regional scenes, showing how much shared ground still exists between club heat, cold romanticism, and the enduring appetite for beautifully severe sound.
On Friday, June 12, the festival takes over Munich’s Muffatwerk; on Saturday, June 13, it makes its first move into Berlin at Columbiahalle. Between them, the lineups pull together coldwave, post-punk, EBM, industrial, and electronic pop with style, force, and a welcome taste for mischief.
The twin dates play off one another beautifully. Munich goes broad, bringing together veterans, club agitators, and post-punk stalwarts for a marathon evening that reads like a guided tour through several decades of beautifully bruised underground music.
Munich opens the weekend with a formidable spread of artists drawn from several corners of the European underground. Lebanon Hanover lead the bill alongside a rare live set from CURSES, joined by Ancient Methods, Years of Denial, Bleib Modern, Rhys Fulber, The Empire Line, Unhuman & Petra Flurr, and Spit Mask. The event takes over the Muffatwerk All-Area, with doors at 16:00 and music beginning at 17:00.
Grey Scale Festival Berlin arrives at Columbiahalle with headliners IC3PEAK, CURSES, AIGEL, and QUAL… with more artists to be announced. Doors are set for 17:30, with a start time of 18:30.
Put together, the two nights make a strong case for Grey Scale as more than another stop on the summer calendar. This feels like a snapshot of dark alternative culture in the present tense: international in scope, gloriously cross-pollinated, and still hungry for volume, tension, and the sweet relief of surrendering to a beat.
And additional artists are still to be announced for both events.
Tickets available here!
Lebanon Hanover are the long-running coldwave duo of Larissa Iceglass and William Maybelline, formed in 2010. Splitting time between stark electronics, skeletal basslines, and deadpan romanticism, they became key figures in the modern post-punk revival. Their music turns alienation, longing, and European noir into elegantly severe songs for modern restless nights.
CURSES is the Berlin-based project of Luca Venezia, a New York-born musician and DJ merging post-punk, new wave romance, dark disco, and EBM propulsion. Built for both clubs and midnight headphones, his work balances ghostly vocals, live guitar, and sleek machine rhythm with cinematic, heart-stung intensity and afterhours elegance.
Bleib Modern are a German post-punk band whose records move between coldwave chill, shoegaze blur, and urgent guitar-driven gloom. Emerging in the mid-2010s, they built a loyal following through restless touring and a steady run of albums. Their sound couples emotional heaviness with taut rhythm, atmosphere, and momentum live alike.
Rhys Fulber is a Canadian electronic musician and producer best known for Front Line Assembly, Delerium, Conjure One, and a vast body of studio work. A key architect of industrial and EBM’s modern shape, he combines precision programming, melodic drama, and club instinct across decades of innovation in countless forms worldwide.
Ancient Methods is the long-running project of German producer Michael Wollenhaupt, first launched as a duo before evolving into a solo force. Fusing industrial techno, EBM, wave, and punishing machine rhythm, he built a reputation for severe, body-moving sets and records that treat the club like a steel-walled pressure chamber.
Tickets available here!
IC3PEAK are the Russian audiovisual duo of Anastasia Kreslina and Nikolay Kostylev, formed in Moscow in 2013. Blending witch-house, industrial pop, rap, and performance art, they became known for icy electronics, confrontational imagery, and politically charged work. Their music fuses menace, vulnerability, and rebellion into stark, unforgettable spectacle.
QUAL is William Maybelline’s solo outlet beyond Lebanon Hanover, pushing harder into EBM, synth-punk, and industrial electronics. Where his duo work often feels austere and distant, QUAL hits with menace, velocity, and body-moving force. It is dark club music sharpened by dread, wit, and cruel melodic precision after midnight always.
AIGEL are the Tatar-Russian duo of vocalist and poet Aigel Gaisina and producer Ilya Baramiya, pairing sharp lyric writing with electronic pop, hip-hop, and club music that hits like a warning siren in heels. Since 2016, they have turned personal upheaval, political pressure, and theatrical force into songs with real bite.
Follow Grey Scale Festival:
The post Grey Scale Festival Returns With a Two-City Weekend of Post-Punk, Industrial EBM, and Darkwave in Munich and Berlin appeared first on Post-Punk.com.
No. The suspension has been lifted, and the investigation has been dropped with no punishment issued.
The U.S. Army has officially cleared the pilots involved in the Kid Rock helicopter flyover, ending the investigation and lifting suspensions—closing the story without consequences despite widespread criticism.
It didn’t look like this would end quietly.
Two Apache helicopters fly over a celebrity’s mansion. Video goes viral. Questions start stacking up about military protocol, taxpayer resources, and whether this crossed a line.
Then the suspension hits.
At that point, it felt like this was heading somewhere serious.
Instead, it stopped just as quickly as it escalated.
Over the weekend, two AH-64 Apache helicopters conducted a low flyover over Kid Rock’s Nashville property—an estate he’s long referred to as “The Southern White House.”
The footage spread immediately. Kid Rock was seen poolside, saluting as the helicopters hovered overhead.
That moment flipped from spectacle to controversy almost instantly.
Critics pushed back hard, raising concerns about:
The response from the Army followed quickly:
At that point, the expectation was clear—there would likely be consequences.
Kid Rock didn’t exactly cool things down.
Speaking to WKRN, he brushed off the situation, suggesting the pilots would be fine and referencing his connection to Donald Trump. That comment added another layer to the conversation—because now the story wasn’t just about what happened, but who was connected to it.
When asked about the situation, Trump acknowledged the pilots “probably shouldn’t have been doing it,” but followed that with a more casual tone, suggesting they may have simply been fans.
That response didn’t shut anything down. It kept the conversation moving.
Now the final update is in.
U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed the outcome publicly:
His statement was direct and left little room for interpretation:
“Carry on, patriots.”
That line is going to stick to this story long after the headlines move on.
The event itself was always going to draw attention.
What’s going to keep this story alive is how it ended.
Because now the focus shifts.
Not on what happened—but on whether the response matches the situation.
Some will see this as a non-issue that was overblown from the start.
Others are going to look at the same outcome and question how decisions like this are made, and whether they would land the same way under different circumstances.
That split reaction is exactly why this story isn’t going to disappear overnight.
But hey! If you wanna catch Kid Rock live in 2026 you can grab your tickets here.
Thank you @KidRock.@USArmy pilots suspension LIFTED.
No punishment. No investigation.
Carry on, patriots.
https://t.co/Zqhv1Zx1iG
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) March 31, 2026
What happened with the Kid Rock helicopter flyover?
Two U.S. Army Apache helicopters flew over Kid Rock’s Nashville property, sparking criticism and an official investigation.
Were the pilots punished?
No. The Army lifted the suspension and ended the investigation without punishment.
Why was this controversial?
The incident raised questions about military protocol, use of taxpayer-funded resources, and political optics.
What did Pete Hegseth say?
He confirmed the pilots were cleared and told them to “carry on, patriots.”
Kid Rock is an American musician known for blending rock, hip-hop, and country influences. He rose to prominence with Devil Without A Cause and has remained a highly visible and polarizing figure due to both his music career and outspoken political views.
The post U.S. Secretary Of War Clears Kid Rock Helicopter Flyover—No Punishment, Case Closed appeared first on Loaded Radio.
Singer-songwriter Tracey Nelson is based in New York, but he’s evidently friends with all the countrified indie rockers of Asheville, North Carolina. Last month, Nelson signed to the new K Records imprint Perennial and shared “Dolly’s Coat,” a collaboration with the very busy MJ Lenderman. Today, Nelson announces his album Hercules, and Lenderman produced and…
The post Tracey Nelson Announces New Album <em>Hercules</em> Produced By MJ Lenderman & Featuring Wednesday appeared first on Stereogum.
Hungarian rockers The Trousers continue their surge with the release of their explosive album, Necessary Evil. We exclusively checked in with band and asked them to give us a track by track breakdown of the album:
ALL THROUGH THE NIGHT
I like to talk about the music more than the “message” of the lyrics. Of course the lyrics are always meaningful, just like in this one, which reflects on the conflicts of the intimate life. But let’s see the music! This is a fast punkish song, an ideal opening track. A typical The Trousers song: the riffs hit hard, but the vocal is very melodic. We follow the footprints of Thin Lizzy, 70’s Cheap Trick, Aerosmith or The Hellacopters in here: every song has top be a hit, but every song gotta have hard guitar riffs.
RESTLESS IN PEACE
The title is based on some playing with the words: who is gone that will rest in peace (RIP) but I bet I never will! The riff, somebody said, is very Michael Schenker-ish. I love UFO! This was the first song that came into being for this record. Very melodic, the vocals are layered: I tried to learn something from Jerry Cantrell in the previous years. We try to solve it with female vocals, and it gives the songs a bit of a southern rock feeling. This is new for us, just like the more massive sound. The slide guitar solo in the middle is unusual.
SECOND HAND SUICIDE
That was the first single of this record. It starts with a slow, threatening intro, like for example “Hells bells” by AC/DC, than it busts out with a heavy riff in drop D. This song is sad but not depressive and full of power, which makes it sound so heroic. A Canadian rock radio called it “an instant rock classic”.
LAURA PALMER
This is the favorite song of our drummer Sam. The heavy garage rock riff and the doubled snare might remind you of MC5, who we supported in Budapest back in 2018. The rest of the song is different, especially the solo part with some minor scales included. The title, of course is a reference to the deaf beauty of Twin Peaks, although the lyrics are not directly refer to the story. A bit mysterious.
CONDEMNED TO BE FREE
This title is coming from philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre: you are fully responsible for yourself, no excuses! The music is a midtempo monster with acoustic guitar and fuzz-like tones, a bit reminds me of US alter-rock giants Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. We all love them, especially our guitarist Pete. A hypnotic tune but not really for playing live.
NECESSARY EVIL
The title track- we put everything together in this song: AC/DC, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin – the best of the 70’s. But of course its more than the sum of its parts: a real The Trousers composition again with female vocals in the refrain, a southern rock vibe. In a good song there is always a bit demonic – that’s what the title refers to, but also the fact that when you go through hard times it will make you stronger and integrated after a while.
FACE FROM THE SUN
A typical The Trousers composition: fast, Motörhead-like tempo and riffing, but the refrain is rather similar to a 60’s beat or psychedelic garage rock piece. It’s fun to surf between the genres, and create something unusual. I also like the solo part – there is only bass and drum underneath the guitarsolo in the fist part – its also so 60’s and early 70’s, when there was only one guitarist in the bands: Cream, Hendrix, Zep, Sabbath, ZZ Top…
FALL FROM THE PAIN
This is the tune when the psychedelic blues is coming in: slow tempo, slide guitar and harmonica. There was no song with harmonica in our catalogue before. It’s a complex song for a garage rock band like us, but it also shows that we cannot be forced into one category or sub-genre. It’s rock that comes form the 70’s but breathes in the 2020’s.
ON THE RIVER AGAIN
I think that over the past 15 years our style was crystallized: every song has to be a potential single, every song must have a killer riff and every song has a catchy refrain. This song is a prototype of this approach, although it doesn’t have one, but two refrains one after the other. That’s why its so special. One of the greatest tunes of album, one of the greatest songs of The Trousers. And the bridge is almost indie-rock like, for example Interpol. Bring everything together that you love and create something unique.
DRIVE ME TO THE STARS
The finale of the album is also special. I had a dream of my late brother who passed four years ago due to ALS. He was a great musician. In my dream I met some homeless people in the US who told me they were keep praying to the Lord to drive them back to the stars and finish their suffering. In the dream I clearly heard the refrain of the song. Two decades ago with our band The Rag Doll we had a song with the same title, and I included a part of that song into this – so I wrote this song together with my brother in the end. The end of the song gets fast and furious – a long guitar solo that releases the pressure. I think it’s an epic finale.
The post The Trousers Track By Track Run Down of Their Album ‘Necessary Evil’ appeared first on The Razor's Edge.
For several years No Clean Singing has been a proud sponsor of Culthe Fest in Münster, Germany, and we’re helping to spread the word about it again this year. The 2026 edition of the fest is imminent — it will take place over two days on April 4th and 5th. The fest will include performances […]
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Blood Incantation and Emperor recently embarked on the “Imperial Wrath” tour, with very limited dates in North America. Their show at the Concert Hall in Toronto marked the beginning of the 12-day trek, and things got off to a darkly immersive start.
For those of you who are not familiar, The Concert Hall is an iconic venue in Toronto. Having served as a Masonic temple from its opening in 1918 until the mid 60’s, it slowly transitioned to other functions, and operated under several different names, such as Rockpile and Club 888. At one point in the mid 2000’s, it was the home of MTV Canada, and the place received its current name in 2017. Through the decades, this location has hosted some pretty remarkable shows, including a legendary performance by Led Zeppelin in 1969, in which Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of Rush were in attendance.
If you’re a follower of Sonic Perspectives, you might remember we covered a show at The Concert Hall almost exactly two years ago (Find the story here). Some things never really change, and just like in 2024, this was a very cold evening in the city, and the issues of getting into this venue on time are still present. As a consequence of the issues at check-in, the merch line was still quite long when Blood Incantation came to the stage, at 8 PM sharp.
Having released what was arguably the best metal album of 2024, Absolute Elsewhere, Blood Incantation continues its trajectory toward becoming a stable live act, attracting larger crowds with each new tour. The last time they played here, at the tail end of that same year, it was a sold-out show. And just like the last time, their set tonight included “Absolute Elsewhere” in full. Their show is a continuous experience, where one song flows into the next with no break. With influences ranging from Death and Morbid Angel to Pink Floyd and Tangerine Dream, some of their songs go from a mellotron solo to a blast beat in a split second. Guitarists Paul Riedl and Morris Kolontyrsky alternate the leads, with Paul managing the vocals. And by vocals, I mean growls that would make Opeth’s Mikael Akerfeldt run for cover. Jeff Barret (fretless bass) and Isaac Faulk (drums) admirably hold the fort in the rhythm section, while keyboardist John Gamiño added the ambient layers that gave the band a cosmic feel.
In a full circle moment, Blood Incantation ended their set with “Vitrification of Blood (Pt. 1)”, the first song of their first album, 2016’s “Starspawn”. As more and more prog elements are added to their sound, they are clearly on an upward trajectory, and one can’t help but feel that their best album is yet to come.
Emperor came to the stage at 9:30 PM, and they had some catching up to do. The band hadn’t played in Toronto since 2018, and fans were eager to get their satanic fix for the night. As was expected, all the classics were present in their repertoire, including some deep cuts. They kicked it off with “Into the Infinity of Thoughts”, and the crowd erupted into utter chaos. In case you’re wondering, obviously classics such as “Thus Spake the Nightspirit”, “Curse You all Men!”, and ‘I Am the Black Wizards” were played. These days, my mind says pit, but my knees and shoulders say balcony, so after the first three or four songs, I had to make my way to the back of the venue.
The Norwegian stalwarts are a rare case of a band sounding tighter live than in the studio, and tonight was no different. The core of the band – Ihsahn (vocals, guitar), Samoth (guitar), Trym Torson (drums) – has the help of Secthdamon (bass) and Jørgen Munkeby (keyboards). Visually, there’s no corpse paint or spike-laden clothes. Just five regular guys playing face-melting, bone-crushing, legion-summoning metal. Fully conscious of the impact that their seminal albums had on the scene, Emperor has no desire to continue to release new music. Instead, their shows are a celebration of their legacy, and their followers embrace this philosophy in full. At this stage in their career, if the fans want to experience something new, their best bet is Ihsahn’s prolific solo output.
Their show reached a climax with “Inno a Satana”, and concluded with a definitive version of “Ye Entrancemperium”. As the final notes echoed into the cold Toronto night, it was hard not to feel like this was a passing-of-the-torch moment—whether intentional or not. Blood Incantation is clearly shaping the future of extreme music with its fearless experimentation, while Emperor continues to embody its spirit in its purest, most authoritative form. Different paths, same darkness—and for one night at The Concert Hall, they converged in spectacular fashion.
The post CONCERT REVIEW: EMPEROR & BLOOD INCANTATION Turned Toronto Into Extreme Metal’s Darkest Coronation appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.