Daniel O’ Day and other members of punk band River City Rebels return with a new collective project delving into one of the most relevant music genres of now: ska. A completely different sound than the glam punk style of R.C.R., Steppin Razor Blades take a hold of the elements of 2-Tone, or New Tone as it’s being called in 21st-century America, and take it to the dancefloor and leave it there.
Their debut album Stay Sharp is a 10-song collection that commands you to move for every tune. With strong keyboard chords, a reliable saxophone, and powerful drum fills, Stay Sharp is musically pleasant to the ear, near impossible to not dance around to, and has politically conscious lyrics that appropriately fits its 2-tone grooves.
Standout tracks for me include “Friend to a Memory”, “Ska Boy//Ska Girl”, “True Drug Lords” and “Coming of Age”.
While Ska in itself is a hard genre to master, 2-Tone is a different beast; and Steppin Razor Blades are quick to tame it. This is a great example of how to blend ska and punk to near perfection. I can’t recommend this album enough to punks of all ages.
Stay Sharp by Steppin Razor Blades is available now on Bandcamp.
(Below you’ll find Daniel Barkasi’s extensive report on the first day of Fortress Festival 2026 in England, accompanied by his great own photos. His report on Day Two lies ahead.) Intro: When one has an incredible experience, it’s only natural to chase that down to re-experience it again. My experience at Fortress Festival last year […]
Sturgill Simpson kept his new Johnny Blue Skies album Mutiny After Midnight off streaming services at first, but, as promised, the album went live at DSPs this week with a bonus “Whiter Shade Of Pale” cover. That means a lot of people are hearing the new tunes for the first time and are therefore learning about Simpson’s sexual/political lyrical exploits, like the part on opening track “Make America Fuk Again” where he declares, “I got that Hunter Biden energy/ I’ll make a hooker fuck around and fall in love.”
Baltimore weirdos Nuclear Tomb have never been interested in coloring inside the lines. On new full-length Epoch Inhumane, the Maryland thrash unit continue to mutate their sound into something sharper, stranger and more hostile: part classic technical thrash, part punk snarl, part prog-damaged nightmare fuel. Think Voivod, Pestilence, Coroner and Atheist getting shoved through a Baltimore sewer pipe and coming out covered in rust, paranoia and bad intentions.
Out June 12 via Rotted Life Records, Epoch Inhumane follows the band’s Terror Labyrinthian and finds Nuclear Tomb pushing harder in every direction: faster riffs, bigger hooks, more dynamic turns and a bleak lyrical focus on real-world collapse. The band spent the last two years writing, touring and testing the new material in front of audiences from Texas to Quebec, and that roadwork shows. Epoch Inhumane feels less like a studio construction than a volatile organism that has been sharpened in public and finally captured on tape.
“Epoch Inhumane definitely feels like the most fully realized version of our vision that we’ve captured to date,” the band tell Decibel. “It’s an album for people who want their metal ripping, honest, and not afraid to take some chances. I think people who dug Terror Labyrinthian are gonna find a lot to love in Epoch Inhumane, and the people who hated it are gonna hate this one even more!! We really tried to up the ante and just write an honest record reflecting where we’re at and the often insane and horrific times we’re all living through. There was a big push this time around to make things across the track listing even more dynamic and varied, but I think we also somehow came out with an album that’s more cohesive and focused than before. Thanks to all of the freaks who give a shit, weirdo thrash is the law.”
The touring landscape has officially entered unchartered progressive waters as a legendary rock institution proves they are completely unwilling to rely on standard nostalgia. Following an incredibly emotional opening night that shattered an 11-year performance hiatus, Canadian progressive rock architects Rush returned to the stage at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles for night two of their monumental “Fifty Something” world tour. Proving that no two nights on this massive Live Nation trek will mirror each other, the band executed a radical structural layout swap—dropping massive setlist staples to deliver a staggering multi-song movement that left the Southern California audience completely stunned.
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Want the direct, real-time tracking on rock reunion setlists, exclusive musician adjustments, and live arena tracking metrics shaping the global stadium circuit? Turn up the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast on your preferred streaming network to catch our comprehensive breakdown of this historic tour, or stream 24/7 commercial-free music directly through our native digital deck below.
Rewriting the Script: The 35-Song Rehearsal Matrix
Prior to launching this historic 2026 stadium campaign, insider reports from the rehearsal studio indicated that founding members Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson had tracked, rehearsed, and polished between 35 and 40 compositions. Because only 24 tracks made the official cut for opening night, purists knew it was only a matter of time before the deep-cut rotation would begin.
While commercial standard anthems like “Tom Sawyer” and “Working Man” remained fixed anchors of the production layout, and indie darling Aimee Mann returned to reprise her guest vocal spot on “Time Stand Still,” the band aggressively purged their primary instrumental movements. Massive progressive centerpieces including “La Villa Strangiato,” “Vital Signs,” and “Natural Science” were entirely dropped from the evening.
In their place, the band re-engineered the framework, dropping in 12 stunning tour debuts that spanning decades of their discography. Tracks like “The Analog Kid,” “Leave That Thing Alone,” “Anthem,” and “Witch Hunt” returned to the live environment with massive sonic velocity.
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The Return to Syrinx: Executing the Full 2112 Movement
The true crowning achievement of night two centered around the massive expansion of their sophomore set. On opening night, the band only presented a condensed three-part curation of their 1976 multi-movement epic, 2112. For night two, Rush decided to give the Los Angeles crowd a bucket-list memory, seamlessly executing all seven parts of the magnum opus from “Overture” right through to the frantic sci-fi chaos of the “Grand Finale.”
Driving this terrifyingly complex musical machine is powerhouse German fusion drummer Anika Nilles, alongside touring keyboard veteran Loren Gold. Stepping into the physical space left by the late, legendary lyricist and timekeeper Neil Peart, Nilles has completely silenced any lingering skeptics. Her technical execution of Peart’s signature polyrhythmic movements—performed with a set of Neil’s own sticks resting directly on her stage riser—has been met with universal praise from rock historians globally.
Complete Rush Live Setlist: Kia Forum, Los Angeles
Set 1
Xanadu(Featuring double-neck guitar and bass layouts)
The Spirit Of Radio
The Analog Kid(Tour Debut)
Freewill
Subdivisions
Bravado
Leave That Thing Alone(Tour Debut)
The Trees(Tour Debut)
Headlong Flight(Tour Debut)
Limelight ### Set 2
2112 Part I: Overture
2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
2112 Part III: Discovery(Tour Debut)
2112 Part IV: Presentation(Tour Debut)
2112 Part V: Oracle: The Dream(Tour Debut)
2112 Part VI: Soliloquy(Tour Debut)
2112 Part VII: Grand Finale(Tour Debut)
Animate(Tour Debut)
Closer To The Heart(Tour Debut)
A Passage To Bangkok(Tour Debut)
Time Stand Still(Featuring Special Guest Aimee Mann)
YYZ
Anthem(Tour Debut)
Red Barchetta
Witch Hunt(Tour Debut)
Tom Sawyer – Encore
Finding My Way
Working Man
FAQ: The Rush 2026 Reunion Tour
Is Rush touring with a full-time new drummer in 2026?
Yes. Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson officially recruited German drum virtuoso Anika Nilles to fill the legendary drum throne for the “Fifty Something” world tour, supported by additional keyboardist Loren Gold to fill out their complex studio arrangements live.
Why are the setlists changing so drastically between shows?
Alex Lifeson verified that the band deliberately rehearsed nearly 40 songs so they could actively rotate deep tracking choices across multiple-night stands in major metropolitan markets, giving fans a unique performance experience.
Will Aimee Mann perform at every stop of the Rush tour?
No. Singer Aimee Mann appeared as a special regional guest specifically for the initial hometown launch window at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles to perform her original studio vocal tracks on “Time Stand Still.”
Formed in Toronto, Ontario in 1968, Rush evolved into one of the most intellectually ambitious, commercially bulletproof progressive rock acts in music history. Achieving an astonishing string of 24 gold and 14 platinum studio albums, the core power-trio framework of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart built a multi-generational empire defined by intricate instrumental mastery and high-concept philosophy.
Following the final curtain fall of their R40 anniversary tour in 2015 and the tragic passing of Peart from glioblastoma in 2020, the music world believed the book was permanently closed. Their surprise return to the stage for this massive tour—re-engineered with absolute humility, class, and a determination to celebrate their legacy without compromising their technical standard—sets a magnificent, historic benchmark for rock and roll preservation.
Now that the staggering rotation of the second night at the Kia Forum has officially been logged into the ledger, the floor belongs to the Loaded Radio family. Were you inside the building to witness the full weight of the “2112” suite, or does a rotating setlist have you tracking ticket availability for their upcoming multi-night arena runs? Drop your regional routing plans and dream tracking requests in the comments section below!
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Decibel celebrates the 40th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie and its iconic gateway metal soundtrack with not one but TWO covers honoring The Reformatted Edition of the soundtrack and the lasting impact of both the movie and the original soundtrack on ’80s metal fans.
All Decibel subscribers will receive the “A” version of the cover, featuring Optimus Prime, as part of their subscription (along with a Spirit Adrift flexi disc), while the “B” version of the cover, featuring Unicron, will be offered as a Decibel webstore exclusive. Please note that the “B” version of the issue does NOT include the Spirit Adrift flexi disc.
NOTE: This is a pre-order due to be released on or around July 1, 2026. All details, including release date, are subject to change.
Earlier this spring, The New York Times published a huge package on the 30 greatest living American songwriters. Taylor Swift was in there, obviously. She sat for an interview, which basically turned her into the headliner for the entire thing. One person who was not on the list was Randy Newman, and that was certainly one of the more puzzling omissions. On Tuesday night, under the aegis of the Disney corporation, Taylor Swift and Randy Newman sang together.
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