South Wales alt-rock band James Kennedy and The Underdogs will release their thunderous new single Revolution on 12 June 2026, featuring guest vocals from Skindred frontman Benji Webbe. The track is the second single taken from the band’s forthcoming album Rebel.
Revolution marks Benji Webbe’s first new release since Skindred’s UK Official Albums Chart Number One success with You Got This. Taking a darker and heavier direction than James Kennedy And The Underdog’s previous single Us And Them, the song blends alternative rock, Nu Metal and Benji’s trademark Ragga Rock style.
The track explores the revolving nature of social struggles while delivering a powerful call for change. James Kennedy and Benji Webbe previously shared a stage at Beautiful Days Festival, but this collaboration brings their musical chemistry into the studio for the first time.
“To sit and watch Benji do his thing in the studio was an absolute privilege.” James Kennedy said. “The man’s talent is mountainous. Everything you hear on the song was one take, no rehearsal, no preparation. He just pressed record and went for it.”
“James Kennedy and The Underdogs are the dogs bollox,” Benji Webbe said, “and I was totally down to get involved and spit some venom on this uncompromising groove, powerful piece of music and a call to unite.”
James Kennedy and The Underdogs have built a reputation for their high-energy live performances and are preparing to release their new album Rebel through Combat Records in October 2026. Revolution will be available on all major streaming platforms from 12 June 2026, with pre-saves available from here.
Mobile, Alabama-based deathcore quartet Wraithbearer premiere a new single and music video by the name of "Parasite Crown", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Dave Irwin of UNION251 guests on this particular track.
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Tomsk, Russia-based metal/hardcore band Tayga Hardcore Division premiere a new single and music video by the name of "Сибирская Стая". The track is taken from their new EP "The Beatdown Crusade", out in stores now via Vile Tapes Records.
Check out "Сибирская Стая" streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.
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Brotherhood, a key component of a successful band, is what binds a band together. Salty Dog contained those attributes to a “T” as was evident in their live show. Salty Dog started out as a club band to eventually playing theaters and then on to Arenas, where the band fed off the crowd/’s energy and […]
Chinese deathcore band Leviathan premiere a new single and music video by the name of "Destiny Rewritten", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Sev of Lie To The Silence guests.
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Sherbrooke, QC, Canada-based slamming deathcore four-piece Game Miscondvct premiere a new single and visualizer by the name of "J.T.T (JOCKSTRAPTESTICULARTORSION)", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.
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Michigan deathcore quartet Orgasmic Savage premiere a new single and lyric video by the name of "Sacrificial Betrayal", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.
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I have adored Khemmis for years so when I heard the news they’d be releasing their latest, and self-titled, record I was ecstatic. Formed in 2014 out of Colorado, United States, Khemmis’ brand of doom is a world removed from their contemporaries, focusing keenly on mythology and more grounded human elements. 2015’s Absolution was a strong start but it was their 2016 opus Hunted (ten years old already!) that blew the doors open. The following years saw more albums, EPs, even a Split with Spirit Adrift; their last full length was five years ago with 2021’s Deceiver and with with their debut UK show finally taking place at Damnation, Manchester, UK, in 2023, which I was present for, a wider international audience was able to see them perform. Slated for release June 12th their self-titled and fifth album is their second through Nuclear Blast Records and shall hopefully continue the band’s renowned high-end quality.
Opening right out of the gate with blast beats and a piercing cry, Khemmis demonstrate the last five year wait hasn’t been for nothing. It’s a wonderful start as the band throw you into the cleaner, melodic vocals their sound is synonymous for; this self-titled record is already bristling with energy so even as the intensity may drop they’ve still got you by the throat; there’s no telling where you could lead you next. This is aided by the mix, balancing riffs alongside vocals equally to create a sound where no single component seeks to overpower the other, as well as merge the multitudinous forces of Khemmis into a singular driving force. Whilst Khemmis’ branch of doom is unique against other acts, this self-titled work truly sports a morose underlining that hasn’t necessarily been as present in previous efforts.
Something Khemmis are so good at is taking us through the varying heights and depths of human emotion through their music. Take Corpsebloom Garden where the songwriting provides a steady pace to follow, those clean vocals ensnare you with ease as they form the crux of the song, yet the riffs are essential to carrying you through the songwriting’s emotive highs and lows. Such emotive wavelengths in metal are difficult to attain, especially as an audience able to recognise it as such. Khemmis have always championed the human soul in their approach to doom but rarely has that humanity been so reflected in their sound. It breaks this amorphous barrier between ourselves and the art, where the two parties fuse as one. Listening is therefore as natural as breathing.
This endless energy Khemmis bring is supplied in droves through the drums which are active at every given moment they can infer their strength. Whilst drum patterns may on the surface sound very contemporary, Khemmis aren’t seeking to inject their sound with copious and crushing amounts of drumming; their priority for the drums is twofold: instil a light cushioning audiences can bounce off from as the riffs propel them forth, and secondly ensure the momentum doesn’t wane unless that’s the songwriting’s impetus purposefully. There are drum fills and inclusions of sporadic bass drumming but not so much that it becomes detrimental to the band during a track.
Though Khemmis’ aesthetic has never aligned with most Doom bands, I feel like this self-titled record is the most triumphant sounding work they’ve ever done which, I know, juxtaposes against our previous observations of the morose nature their songwriting purports. This record embodies the idea feeling hopeful in our darkest moments. You can’t help feeling destitute and marooned by all things you’ve been taught give love and yet there is somewhere something letting light in, and perhaps you can see if you just open the door. This notion extends to the protection too for Khemmis have seemingly recorded their most explosive work to date. Doom often sees everything closed in, cut off, isolated, whereas Khemmis herein have blown all the windows out with their sound, the doors torn off every hinge, their sound escaping through every crevice of every brick. In spite of the apparent gloom this record is underlined with, Khemmis truly champion the joy and splendour of life with this record; the belief that the storm though calamitous is just a passing thing and not far following are clear skies.
In conclusion, this could be my favourite Khemmis record to come out since Hunted. While there is no one song I could describe as the record’s magnum opus, its selection is very strong and music therein keeps you invested from start to finish. With massive riffs that bring the hammer down yet simultaneously keeping the essence of their sound grounded, Khemmis reveal the conflict in the human heart. It’s very easy listening, each track will go by as quickly as they began but you’ll recall a great majority of what you heard after just your first listen. As a result you’re enticed to return, to feel hopeful once again. This band have no weak records and this self-titled opus reinforces the idea; considering three out of four members have been there since the beginning it’s no wonder their songwriting is so consistently strong. Whatever chemistry they possess, it works.
Massachusetts-based slam n' roll duo Frog Mallet premiere a new single and visualizer titled "Boiled in a Pot", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.
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Mystic Festival is going through changes! Both a new location and new dates were announced. Blind Bird tickets and VIP passes are now on sale at a discounted price, but both are only available in limited quantities!
The Shipyard endured a lot. Over the course of five long years, hundreds of bands from all over the world played nearly half a … Read More/Discuss on Metal Underground.com
