Let’s be honest for a second. When you hear that Karnivool is touring, your ears instantly prick up. They are the undisputed kings of Australian progressive rock, a band that makes complexity sound like second nature. But when the tour announcement dropped, the words Car Bomb and TesseracT were slapped on the bill alongside them, […]
Bloodstock Open Air has unveiled a fresh wave of updates for its 25th anniversary event in 2026. The festival has confirmed the first winners of the Metal 2 The Masses finals, adding twelve emerging acts to the New Blood Stage line-up. Sanguisugabogg will replace Of Mice & Men, while additional attractions include a Sophie Lancaster Foundation treasure hunt, a screening of Devin Townsend’s The Moth and expanded festival activities.
“Due to circumstances beyond our control, we sadly won’t be able to make it out to Europe this summer as planned,” Of Mice And Men said. “Thanks to all the fans, festivals and promoters we were looking forward to playing for.”
Bloodstock have announced Sanguisugabogg will step into their shoes. “Seems like your favourite death-dealing degenerates just hocked up their hairball of a logo all over your Bloodstock flyer,” the band said. “We can’t wait to be in England to melt faces and rock out at Bloodstock. So pack up your broomsticks and your toast and beans and let’s party together. We couldn’t be any more psyched!”
You can catch them as direct support to Leprous on Saturday on the Sophie Lancaster stage. Rumours that you can win a prize for correctly spelling their name in a Bloodstock Spelling Bee are unfounded.
Regicide – Moshing The Roof On Festival 2024 – The Hairy Dog, Derby – 13 April 2024. Photo: Paul Hutchings/MetalTalk
The first batch of Metal 2 The Masses winners to play the Stowford Press New Blood Stage have been revealed. On Friday, East Anglian aggressors Regicide, Belfast Death/Thrash champions Microtonal, modern melo-death crew Atarka, who won the Birmingham round, and explosive hardcore five-piece Bailed Out from Leeds, have been announced.
Saturday welcomes Sheffield metalcore victors Descendancy and cathartic Northants noiseniks Dead Bait.
Sunday adds diverse Scottish top dogs Chekhov’s Gun, whose striking sound is matched by a visceral live show, fronted by a flamboyant Lithuanian ballroom dancer, Manchester’s Prog Metal quintet Technologist, doom-inspired Sunk, who came first for the South Coast region, collaborative Cyprus conquerors Joakem, and formidable death metal unifiers Ka’aper, comprised of both Russian and Ukrainian musicians.
Lots more bands are to be confirmed still, as the Metal 2 The Masses finals around the country continue – See poster blow for further dates.
Bloodstock has announced 27 more bands for its 25th anniversary celebration next year, including British Heavy Metal legends Saxon who will return
Event Details
Bloodstock has announced 27 more bands for its 25th anniversary celebration next year, including British Heavy Metal legends Saxon who will return to Derbyshire to become the festival’s first ever Thursday main stage headliner.
On 26 August, Bloodstock announced that they would be opening the main stage on Thursday evening for the first time in their 25-year history, celebrating the anniversary with an even bigger bang than usual.
Time
August 6, 202610:00 am – August 9, 202611:00 pm(GMT+00:00)
At the Sophie Lancaster Foundation charity stand, next to the main stage, you will be able to get an entry form and then hunt for 10 special S.O.P.H.I.E. signs around Bloodstock. A recommended donation to the charity is £2. One winner will get a pair of Bloodstock 2027 weekend tickets. Competition closes at 4 pm on Sunday.
For early birds, Wednesday night is movie night in the Midgard campsite. Kicking off at 7:30 pm, the first showing at Midgard Movies will be Devin Townsend’s The Moth. Two more movies will follow, and you can have your say on which ones! Head to the Bloodstock Facebook Page to cast your vote.
Bloodstock 2026 Poster
Bloodstock 2026 will be held over the long weekend of 6-9 August 2026.
Take Part: Are you at Bloodstock this year? Who are you looking forward to seeing? Want to get in touch and tell us how it’s going? Email MetalTalk Editor Steve Ritchie to tell us how it’s going for you. Bloodstock@MetalTalk.net
Rising UK alternative outfit unpeople have announced their debut album We Are Unpeople, due for release on October 9 via SharpTone Records. Accompanying the announcement is the new single Friends. Built on massive choruses, vocal harmonies and unabated heaviness, the album reflects the band’s belief in music as a force for unity.
Friends is essentially a love song from the perspective of someone who is wholly sceptical about the very concept of love and what it’s come to mean in a modern context,” vocalist Jake Crawford said.
“I am essentially saying I am going to kill the very concept of love before it’s even had a chance to get a hold of me. I am that afraid of being that vulnerable. I’d rather not bother than risk saying something I don’t mean, and then pay for it emotionally down the line.
“I’m fully aware that this is not necessarily healthy, but the mind takes you to some strange places when strong feelings are involved.”
Comprised of Jake Crawford, Luke Caley, Em Lodge and Richard Rayner, unpeople have quickly established themselves as one of the UK’s most exciting new alternative bands, earning themselves a reputation for creating music that feels equally at home on the biggest rock stages and the heaviest festival bills.
Originally used to describe those considered politically unimportant or without value, the term ‘unpeople’ has since become another way to dismiss those whose views differ from our own.
The band have reclaimed the phrase entirely, transforming it into a celebration of shared humanity, individuality and belonging.
Following appearances alongside major acts and a busy summer festival schedule including Download, Reading & Leeds and Copenhell, unpeople continue their rapid ascent. “We Are Unpeople is released into the world on 9 October 9,” the band said, “and we couldn’t be more proud of it. We collectively put our absolute everything into it, and we can’t wait to share it with you all.” For more details, visit bfan.link/unpeople-friends.
Michigan Metalcore veterans Still Remains have announced their return with the new EP Spirit Breaker, to be released on 12 June 2026 via Arson Theory. Marking the band’s first new music since 2013, the five-track release was produced and co-written by Lee Albrecht. Frontman T.J. Miller says the EP balances the classic Still Remains sound with modern influences.
“For this record, we tried to stay true to the sound that our fans have grown to love,” T. J. Miller said, “but also evolve a bit and add some more modern influences into our sound. We wanted this to sound like an updated version of the classic Still Remains sound, and I think we pulled it off.
“This is easily the most personal and emotional record we’ve done from a lyrical standpoint.”
The release follows comeback single The Wound And The Weapon, which featured a guest appearance from Guy Kozowyk of The Red Chord and marked the band’s first new music in over twelve years.
Motörhead have announced the seventh Lemmy Forever ceremony, taking place at Download Festival 2026 on June 12 at 3:00 PM in Donington. The event will celebrate the life and legacy of Lemmy Kilmister, with a portion of his ashes being permanently enshrined at Lemmy’s Lounge inside a custom vessel inspired by one of his favourite pastimes, a classic fruit machine.
The ceremony forms part of the ongoing Lemmy Forever initiative, which has previously honoured Lemmy at locations including Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, The Rainbow Bar & Grill, Stringfellows, Bloodstock Open Air and his hometown of Burslem. Following the passing of longtime Motörhead guitarist Phil Campbell, a close friend of Lemmy will oversee this year’s ceremony and continue the tradition of keeping his legacy alive.
Lemmy – Motörhead – Hellfest 2022
Motörhead manager Todd Singerman said the ceremonies ensure that fans who cannot visit Lemmy’s resting place in Hollywood still have meaningful locations where they can gather, share stories and raise a glass in his honour.
“It remains a responsibility we proudly carry,” Singerman said. “Not everyone can make the pilgrimage to visit Lemmy in Hollywood, so we are bringing Lem back to his fans.
“These places meant something to him, and they mean something to the people who loved him. It’s important that they have somewhere they can come, raise a glass, share a story, and spend a moment with him.”
The event will also pay tribute to Phil Campbell, who passed away in March 2026. Singerman noted that both Lemmy and Phil remain deeply connected to the Motörhead family and fan community.
After Download Festival, the same ashes will be transported to Manchester Apollo on June 16 for another Lemmy Forever ceremony. There, friends and fans will celebrate Lemmy’s extraordinary life and enduring influence on Heavy Metal and rock ‘n’ roll.
The ashes enshrined at Download Festival will return annually before making their way back to Manchester Apollo, creating a lasting place where fans can remember one of music’s most iconic figures.
Indonesian melodic post-black metal band Finsmoonth will release their sophomore album, Chrysalis of Astral Tears, on June 13, 2026, through Disaster Records. The album will be available in CD format. The new record is shaped around vulnerability, inner fracture, loss, hope, and the slow transformation of pain into light. Across six tracks, Finsmoonth guide the […]
Geoff Tate – Operation: Mindcrime Part III (Self Released)
20 years since Part 2 and 38 years since the influential Part 1, Geoff Tate returns with the third part of his conceptual magnum opus Operation: Mindcrime. In case you didn’t know Operation: Mindcrime, by Queensryche is seen as one of the most important concept records in progressive music history up there with The Wall it’s a dystopian tale of “political manipulation, revolution, and identity.”
It features tracks that are considered classics and much the same way Roger Waters did with The Wall, when he left Pink Floyd, Geoff Tate has made it his mission to adopt Operation: Mindcrime as being the foundation of his solo career. This means that both Queensryche and Tate perform songs from this album right and as we speak Tate is on a tour playing the album in full for the last time.
In 2006 just before he left the band they released a second chapter of the record but it didn’t quite hit the heady heights of the first record, inspired by The Bush era, it reshaped some of the lore while adding more.
So what about Part III, the first released under Tate’s name alone? Well he returns to the world of Mindcrime with a record that has the spirit of the first one. The advancement of technology and current American culture all influencing the story this time round as it takes the perspective of Dr X, the originals main antagonist, perhaps making you re-evaluate the character after all these years.
While he may not quite have the highs he did then, Tate is still a great vocalist, embodying the characters fully to tell these stories with drama and pathos of a thespian, his biggest influence being Tom Jones when delivering power in the lows and mids. He’s joined by the excellent vocals of Clodagh McCarthy as Sister Mary.
The band are also highly skilled; Kieran Robertson, Dario Parente, and Amaury Altmayer sharing the guitars, as Robertson and Tate take keys and bulk of the writing too, Rich Baur is a star behind the kit while bass and production comes from Disturbed’s John Moyer, his groove powering Set You Free.
The music is the right mix of progressive metal, on I’ll Eat Your Heart Out and You Know My Fu*king Name, introspective balladry from Do You Still Believe, tinged with electronics, and anthemic choruses on The Answer and Power.
Operation: Mindcrime III then. It was never going to surpass I, but it is better than II, so if you’re a Tate fan, or even a Queensryche loyalist, you’ll get a lot out of it too. 8/10
Cyhra – Requiem For A Pipe Dream (Reigning Phoenix Music)
It’s been 10 years since Swedish supergroup Cyhra formed, an alliance between, vocalist Jake E (ex-Amaranthe) and guitarist Jesper Strömblad (The Halo Effect/ex-In Flames), they were joined by drummer Alex Landenburg (Kamelot), guitarist Euge Valovirta (Suburban Tribe) and bassist Peter Iwers (The Halo Effect/ex-In Flames).
They’ve released three records but the line up today sees Iwers having departed as Valovirta and Strömblad playing bass in the studio, adding Marcus Sunesson (Ronnie Atkins) as another guitarist. Valovirta also plays the keys and co-produces alongside Jake E.
So album four seems Cyhra as a well honed veteran unit, on this record, they’re looking to cement who they are, more ferocious, bigger, bolder but more vulnerable and melodic, there’s no room for compromise or slavish following of what’s hot and what’s not, Requiem For A Pipe Dream is an album more collaborative than any previously, each member bringing influence from their previous alliances into Cyhra.
This chemistry can be heard on track such as Ghostbound where the anthems of Amaranthe merge with the double blast of In Flames, the electronic creepiness comes in on Miss Me When I Gone, it’s melodic metal with a harder edge and some shifts that may take you by surprise. In The Centre Of A Miracle is an emotive Euro-ballad while Skin From Bones takes breakdowns and puts them with some rap vocals.
Though for many the style they’d want from Cyhra is bonus track Hold Your Fire which features Samy Elbanna from Lost Society. Requiem For A Pipe Dream has Cyhra roaring back with their most cohesive and diverse record yet. 8/10
Erik Grönwall – Bad Bones (Greenwall Entertainment)
Erik Grönwall is a bit of melodic rock superstar, he’s been the voice of H.E.A.T, Skid Row and Michael Schenker, so a set of pipes that’s in demand and he’s finally doing something for himself with the release of Bad Bones.
A solo record where he can put wrote the songs he wants bringing his brilliant vocals to what is fully his own music rather than stepping into the shoes of someone else. He describes it like so “it’s time to tell my own story”, Bad Bones a personal and honest record that follows it’s own path.
So what kind of performer does Erik want to be outside of other people’s bands? Well he seems to stick to the melodic rock style, from the bouncy title track, the stomp-clap of Save Me, through the Scorpions strut of Twisted Lullaby, to emotional balladry of Praying For A Miracle and Written In The Scars.
However there’s even forays into Queen/Broadway on Who’s The Winner Now and blues on the hip shaking How High, all slickly produced, performed well and sung with that skill that sees him as a go to voice for so many classic bands, Bad Bones shows what Erik Grönwall can do when left to his own devices. 7/10
Leatherwitch – First Spell (Listenable Records)
Heavy metal lives in the heart of Marta Gabriel, the ex-frontwoman of Crystal Viper, she’s a very in demand session musician and has turned these skills into her new project Leathewitch.
A solo record, Marta writes/sings/plays/produces everything on First Spell, with Giuseppe Taormina adding guitar solo. It’s very much the creation of Marta, paying homage to her influences through her keenly trained heavy metal instincts.
Erupting with metallic power, Heroes And The Dice, is inspired by D&D with classic metal melodies, while Beast Inside is precision speed metal, Bound By The Night and Silver Stallions both have Maiden gallops.
It’s not all full speed ahead as The New Beginning slows it down for some metal balladry as the 80’s metal sound returns for Two Tons Of Steel, continuing right through to a very true cover to Walls Of Jericho/Ride The Sky by Helloween.
Anyone who has heard anything that Marta Gabriel has been involved in, will find no surprises on First Spell, but a whole load of heavy metal worship from one of the genres most loyal warriors! 7/10
If you like Amorphis, Swallow The Sun, Insomnium, etc, then the third album from Fires In The Distance, the impressive quartet from Newington, Connecticut, should right up your street. Six songs that stretch over close to 50 minutes means long epic pieces that provide ample opportunity to flex both the mind and body. The latter is in some of the dynamic musicianship on offer, the former in some of the subject matter to which the band connect.
“Our music comes from raw feeling,” said founding guitarist and songwriter Yegor Savonin. “Each new record depicts a different experience and time period in our lives, with which the sound and atmospherics evolve and reflect this as well.”
Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise – It really is an album to immerse yourself in
It really is an album to immerse yourself in, and I probably have not given myself enough time to really get deeply involved. However, there is no problem enjoying the quality here on the behemoth of a collection of tracks.
Mid-album sees Lightless Days Of A Songless Bird, a gargantuan piece that has a title which fits the genre so well, but which is so well balanced that you cannot help but play it over again. Huge riffs, melancholic passages and epically soaring soundscapes all wrapped up in a majestic nine minutes. A huge song amongst a collection of massive tracks indeed.
Utilising keyboards and synths to add texture and layers to their songs, Fires In The Distance’s sound is refreshing in the world of Melodic Death Metal.
“This album is a little bit darker than the others,” explains Yegor Savonin. “It delves into the concept of spiritual death and losing your soul while still living and explores the existential concepts of accepting and coming to terms with and embracing the bleaker side of realities which we will all face at one point or another.”
By This Time Tomorrow sees guest Johan Reinholdz, of Dark Tranquillity / Andromeda, provide some searing lead work on a track that also has an unusual change of tempo mid-song.
A personal song to Savonin, it resonates deeply. “It’s essentially about a grieving process and letting go of something that was a huge part of your life. Also, understanding that sometimes, when you’re completely broken, shattered, no one’s gonna be there for you, not because of apathy but circumstance. Accepting that, being okay with it, and moving on.”
Guttural vocals dominate, but the cleans take on a huge part of the freshness here. Once The Silence Takes Your Place is a case in point, with the delivery of new vocalist Brendan Hayter (guitar/additional lyrics) and bassist Craig Breitsprecher (backing vocals) raging over the delicate melodies that cascade across the dynamic passages. It’s all anchored by Jordan Rippe’s solid drumming.
This is not a jolly record. “Circadian Promise ruminates on mental health, existentialism in the form of mortality salience, and perseverance, but this time with a focus on seeking acceptance of the inevitable (including aging and death among the “circadian promises” of the title). Yet there’s a sense of optimism, albeit challenging, in its quest for solace through realism”.
Aided by a clean production from longtime producer Dave Kaminsky and Randy Slaugh, this is a bleak yet uplifting release that should propel Fires In The Distance to the next level.
With touring planned, they are a band to keep an eye and an ear out for as the year pans out.
Fires In The Distance release Circadian Promise on 12 June 2026 via Prosthetic Records. For more details, reach out to the band on Bandcamp.
NECROMONGER opens the crypts once again with “Bloody Picasso”, the third advance single taken from their upcoming debut album “Emanation of the Dying Perceptions”. If the previous singles already hinted at the sickening nature of this new Bulgarian entity, “Bloody Picasso” delves even deeper into its universe of horror, decay, and mental decomposition. […]
BLACKSTAFF will unleash its earthshaking new EP, Drowner, on July 10th. Born in the Cascade Mountains of Washington state in 2022, BLACKSTAFF is the passion project of multi-instrumentalist and dark fantasy nerd Dustin Cleary. Inspired by thirty years of reading and writing horror and fantasy books, a decade of practicing Germanic heathenry, and a lifetime of video and tabletop […]
Let’s be honest for a second. When you hear that Karnivool is touring, your ears instantly prick up. They are the undisputed kings of Australian progressive rock, a band that makes complexity sound like second nature. But when the tour announcement dropped, the words Car Bomb and TesseracT were slapped on the bill alongside them, […]
