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  • DS Show Review: Scott Reynolds and Chad Price at Jugband Coffee and Tea, Long Beach, CA (5/24/2026)

    The Descendents have had a bit of a resurgence in the last decade and a half. Unfortunately, ALL has been left in the corner with very little attention outside of some one-offs for special occasions like Riot Fest and Jon Snodgrass’s Buddies Fest in Chicago. However, that hasn’t stopped either Chad Price or Scott Reynolds from making music or touring. Fans from California were treated to a mini-tour by Chad and Scott over Memorial Day Weekend, featuring some of their solo material and songs from their time in ALL. Their Long Beach stop, a small coffee shop, was the perfect place to see such a special show.

    After a combination of bar shows and house shows, Chad and Scott made a stop at Jugband Coffee and Tea. The crowd was a good mix of hipsters and punk rockers of all ages. The shop itself is pretty cool, located in the Bluff Heights Neighborhood of Long Beach. A wall full of stringed and brass instruments hung on the wall with an upright piano just below. The space is mostly used for jazz and bluegrass, but it lent itself well to the show ahead. Opening the show were Will Huse and Joseph Bailey, each playing an acoustic guitar. They were a nice start to the show and set a tone for the afternoon’s sets. Their songs were calming, with Joseph’s lead parts melding well with Will’s parts to create a mellow vibe.

    Chad and Scott’s performances were similar in the way that they built their setlists: a good mix of ALL songs paired with cuts from their solo stuff. The difference lies in each of their presentations. Chad’s set was more reserved and melodic. If you’ve heard his music post-ALL, it varies from the harsher sounds of A Vulture’s Wake to the calming, more picked sounds of his latest project, Chad Price Peace Coalition. Most of Chad’s set catered to the latter. He performed five ALL songs, opening with “Until I Say So,” but also including “Pummel’s” opener “Self Righteous,” which is a Karl Alvarez-penned song. Rounding out the set with songs like “Ice,” “Peachy Tuscadero,” and Drag the Rivers’ “Waste of Time, Valentine,” Chad played an unhurried mix of songs, and you could tell he had the time of his life doing so.

    There was a very clear contrast between Scott’s and Chad’s almost regimented performance. He’s much looser about his sets and the way he presents. Scott was very upfront that he is human and makes a lot of mistakes. You could tell that, leading up to his set, Scott was a ball of nerves. Scott’s sets are more chord-based, almost campfire-like, as he is constantly telling stories about the songs, so much so that, at one point, he stopped in the middle of one to dissect a reference for the crowd. Scott opened with the only non-ALL cover during the set, a one-person jazzy rendition of the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” From there, the set jumped between solo material, ALL songs, and a couple of Goodbye Harry tracks as well. Scott closed his set with the ALL favorite, “Dot” from the album Percolater, a definite fan favorite.

    Jugband Coffee and Tea was the perfect venue for this show. The store itself had a “Kids on Coffee” sign, and the menu board declared, “We are all kids on coffee.” The amount of love shown between the performers and the fans was one of those perfect storms you don’t always see nowadays. Yet, a show this niche had a crowd that recognized how special it was. To have Chad and Scott play a brunch-time set starting at eleven in the morning and stick around to talk to us was an experience not unheard of in punk rock, but definitely appreciated. Even if you weren’t a deep-cut fan of ALL, this was a real treat.

  • Album review: Evanescence – Sanctuary

    Posted on June 1st 2026, 9:57a.m.

  • “I walked through it all and felt like spitting on the lot of them”. How Pete Townshend’s disgust with the hippies inspired The Who’s most epic song

    Warning: Contain’s rock’s most epic scream

  • Kallai – Forever Could Never Be

    When it comes to contemporary underground music, very few bands have succeeded in gaining the attention of the

  • VoïVod / Symphonique Turns Progressive Thrash Into Cinematic Sci-Fi Grandeur

    VoïVod release Symphonique on 5 June 2026 via Century Media Records. Photo: Stéphane Bourgeois

    VoïVod have always been in a vortex of their own. Never following trends, their progression and approach from debut War And Pain, way back in 1984, made them pioneers of a sound that is instantly recognisable and distinctly unique. I was not ready for the Progressive Thrash style of the band from Quebec back then. 42 years later, and I am still not a massive fan, but I have huge appreciation for their style, approach, and ability to regenerate, to craft and develop to suit their own desires and needs. Few bands have a more determined self-direction.

    VoïVod – Symphonique

    Release Date: 5 June 2026

    Words: Paul Hutchings

    With 16 albums under their belts, it is more of a challenge for the band to surprise, but with Symphonique, they have managed to twist out another unique release that will delight both hardcore and less dedicated followers in equal measure. 

    VoïVod release Symphonique on 5 June 2026 via Century Media Records.
    VoïVod release Symphonique on 5 June 2026 via Century Media Records.

    VoïVod are not the first band to record with an orchestra. Deep Purple’s Concerto For Group And Orchestra is older than me, whilst S&M by Metallica is now 27 years old, Rage’s Lingua Mortis featured the Lingua Mortis Orchestra in 1996.

    Two weekends ago, I saw We Lost The Sea deliver Departure Songs with a chamber orchestra. Everyone is at it, so it must be a bit good to stand out. 

    For me, this record stands alongside Septicflesh’s Infernus Sinfonica MMXIX and Triptykon’s Requiem (live at Roadburn 2019) in the upper live album rankings of modern times.

    Symphonique is something special. Few bands’ music works as well alongside orchestral reworkings. This has been described as similar to epic pieces of cinema, and there is a cinematic soundscape that presents with this release. The carefully curated setlist intertwines gloriously with the full orchestra, the Quebec Symphony Orchestra no less, whose sweeping movements enhance the progressive and futuristic sound that VoïVod bring to the table. 

    Recorded on 4 June 2025 at the Grand Théâtre in Québec City, Canada, this live recording spans the band’s catalogue, although there is emphasis on their earlier works, with nine of the 12 songs coming from the 1984-1989 era.

    Opening with the blistering, explosive Experiment from 1988’s Dimension Hatröss, the album is described by Michel ‘Away’ Langevin as “a longtime dream turned reality.”

    Over a glorious 76 minutes, VoïVod prove their individuality with arrangements transporting you on a journey through a dystopian soundscape. Cleverly and painstakingly crafted by guitarist Daniel ‘Chewy’ Mongrain and orchestrated by Hugo Begin, several of the tracks are from their earlier works, especially the classic Nothingface and Dimension Hatröss.

    This is unsurprising given the classical interests that influenced the band from their early years. At times the combination of orchestral movements and the band is intense. There are sections in The End Of Dormancy, for example, which come straight from a movie soundtrack. 

    It is genuinely surprising and yet so obvious that the interplay between VoïVod and the orchestra works so well. As Snake bellows “All systems go,” at the start of the first single Forgotten In Space you prepare for a journey, best described by bassist Rocky. “Forgotten In Space transports us to a Mad Max-esque science-fiction universe. Denis ‘Piggy’ D’Amour (founder guitarist who died in 2005) was even inspired by it when composing parts of the original version.

    “This incredible symphonic masterpiece, orchestrated by Hugo Begin, offers a powerful orchestral introduction that takes us on a musical journey where the fusion of Metal and classical music invites us to imagine, for six minutes and 27 seconds, that humanity itself may have been forgotten in space.”

    To immerse yourself in this release is easy. Trying to listen to anything else is another matter. By the time you get to their now staple cover of Pink Floyd’s Astronomy Domine, which concludes the evening, you will merely be hoping that this incredible show can be brought closer to home.

    As Away says, “It’s the closest we’ve ever come to sounding like a dystopian sci-fi movie soundtrack, another dream of ours.”

    VoïVod release Symphonique on 5 June 2026 via Century Media Records. Pre-orders are available from voivodband.lnk.to/Symphonique-Live.

    Canadian sci-fi Metal innovators VOIVOD have announced a fresh batch of 2026 tour dates, spanning North America and an extensive Summer run across Europe and the UK.

    June

    08jun7:30 pmVoivod, LondonThe Underworld

    09jun7:30 pmVoivod, SouthamptonThe 1865

    10jun7:30 pmVoivod, BristolThekla

    11jun7:30 pmVoivod, NottinghamRescue Rooms

    12jun7:30 pmVoivod, ManchesterRebellion

    13jun7:30 pmVoivod, GlasgowSlay

    15jun7:30 pmVoivod, BelfastLimelight 2

    16jun7:30 pmVoivod, DublinWhelans

    17jun7:30 pmVoivod, LimerickDolans Warehouse

    VOIVOD UK Tour 2026 Poster
    VOIVOD UK Tour 2026 Poster
    The post VoïVod / Symphonique Turns Progressive Thrash Into Cinematic Sci-Fi Grandeur first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

  • Monolord Reach A New Creative Peak On Neverending

    Monolord - Neverending is earning Album of the Year praise, delivering masterful doom, blues and psych with stunning confidence.

    I rarely review albums in the stoner/doom scene anymore. That is primarily because the scene is thankfully saturated with people who can knock it out of the park with such things. I still listen to full albums when they are released, but these days, especially these days, the album has to punch hard on sonic and emotional levels for me to reach for my keyboard. But that is what Neverending, the sixth studio album from Monolord, did.

    Monolord – Neverending

    Release Date: Out Now

    Words: Sunil Singh

    Monolord release Neverending on 29 May 2026 via Relapse Records. The album cover features a painting by M.K. Cooper
    Monolord release Neverending on 29 May 2026 via Relapse Records. The album cover features a painting by M.K. Cooper

    To be honest, that is all that Monolord knows how to do, knock you out with their alchemy of doom, melody, and deep nods to ’70s blues/psych. It was the perfect moment in their career to work with legendary producer Sylvia Massy, who worked on Tool’s groundbreaking Undertow album 33 years ago.

    Sylvia Massy’s recording magic took Monolord to a higher realm of artistic expression with each instrument on point and Tomas V. Jäger’s vocals have never sounded better. It did not hurt matters that Massy’s studio in Ashland, Oregon, with its vintage vibe, gave the band a physical space to tap deep into their reservoir of songwriting talents, humanism, and collective consciousness of our planet’s plight.

    Here is a detailed breakdown of the album.

    Iodine

    Banger opener. What else did you fuckin expect? A relatively short song that serves as an aural “amuse-bouche”, getting you primed for the whole meal of an album ahead. So many small musical delights. The almost immediate gearing of the guitars down to something fainter, but more ominous.

    Then halfway through the song, it begins to bloom into the full Monolord sound, smoothly moving into that now familiar guitar tone of Tomas V. Jäger. In spite of being just a 3-minute song, everything you need to know about the band’s sound in 2026 is on display here.

    You Bastard

    The groove of this song is snarly and filthy, but is wonderfully paired with melodic vocals to balance out the overall complexion of this song. The dissonant guitars and drums do not compete with the soothing vocals. They both work in harmony to elevate each other.

    In the end, it’s a favourable duel of heavy and light that yields a song that you can whistle and bang your head to. And man, is Esben pounding the shit out of those drums at the end. He went full Bill Ward here.

    Inside A Collider

    Confession. I rewound this song more than a few times before it finished. In fact, on one occasion, I started listening to the album from the beginning, fearing I was missing so many of Monolordisms.

    The melodic middle, almost flirting with Rainbow-like moments, hits both softly and heavily, already showing the songwriting growth on this album. And of course, the song ends on the most beautiful guitars, with the band moving in slow, majestic unison. Dio would throw the horns in approval.

    Easily could have been an album closer.

    Crystal Bridge

    This song feels like it was written for a swamp creature, the way it bursts out of the gates with its doom riff. But the song slowly finds its level, eventually surprising the listener with one of those beautiful moments. Think Planet Caravan, but not as gloomy.

    But, before we have too much time to dwell on that, the song punches back with heaviness with the riff that opened the song. This is a perfect example of a song that meanders, but without feeling self-indulgent. It is such a tricky thing to do these days, as many bands layer a song with too many different elements for its own sake.

    Monolord is intentional and dialled into the full spectrum of their musical capabilities. This song is emblematic of that.

    Oozing Wound

    The halfway mark of the album has a song that starts like a caged animal finally breaking free, but then it gears down to one of my favourite instrumental passages on the whole album.

    “It’s the first song we’ve done in a drop tuning,” Jäger said. “We usually play in B, but Oozing Wound, You Bastard, and It’s Neverending are all drop A. Except for one part, Oozing Wound is almost the same riff all the way through. It’s repetitive, but we do different stuff with it, like remove the guitar and have just bass and drums in parts and then remove rhythm guitar when I play the solo melody.”

    Very few bands I know just have that signature tone that permeates the sound of a band. In this song, it is not only evident, it struts and swaggers.

    “The lyrics are about being stuck on a bad road,” Jäger said, “feeling trapped with someone who takes advantage of you.” The band is firing on all doom cylinders at this point.

    The Masque

    A really buoyant song that harnesses the confident vocals and just some classic rock hooks. Such a brilliant move to throw in such a song, and give the album even more texture, stretching the soundscape even more.

    Invisible

    This song is a great follow-up to The Masque. Similar length and similar vibe of being easy on the ears. It would have been cliché to quickly go back to something darker and gloomier. The musical and emotional balance of this album is one of the many strengths of this album.

    It’s Neverending

    Of course, Monolord set us up for an album finale that was going to show all the teeth and claws at its disposal, but with a surprising twist. The opening vocals, Death Metal in nature, are provided by former Entombed bassist Jörgen Sandstrom.

    This is the first time a Monolord song has not had Jäger on lead vocals. To hand them over to someone else for your album closer shows a level of creativity, collaboration, and humility that few bands I know possess.

    “I did the growling on the demo, but it took me forever to record,” Jäger said. “It was more like to illustrate the idea. But Jörgen’s voice is so powerful, and his performance on the song is really great.”

    Jäger eventually slides his voice in, perfectly in a section that is quieter and more reflective, reprising the song’s title with a musical outro that feels eerily similar to the one in Black Sabbath’s Heaven And Hell.

    “When we got the vocals finally in place, I remember I just burst into laughter,” bassist Mika Häkki said. “That was just my sincere reaction to how happy that end result made me. Jörgen must have opened some new portal of some kind with those screams!”

    This is the satisfying conclusion to an album that has to be considered as Album Of The Year.

    “It’s been a wild ride and still is,” drummer Esben Willems said. “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished along the way, and in many ways, this album feels like the essence of everything we’ve done so far.

    “My mindset is the same it’s always been, to be the absolute best the three of us can be.”

    Monolord are the doom merchants that the world needs and deserves.

    Monolord released Neverending on 29 May 2026 via Relapse Records. Available as multiple limited-edition vinyl variants, CD and cassette, as well as digital, for more details visit relapse.com/pages/monolord-neverending.

    Monolord US Tour Poster 2026
    Monolord US Tour Poster 2026

    Monolord have expanded their U.S. tour plans, adding a late Summer leg for the East Coast. Mizmor opens the Western U.S. dates, Khemmis opens on all Eastern U.S. dates with the exception of the Muddy Roots Festival.  Tickets and full dates can be found at monolord.com.

    Monolord European tour dates:

    May 28 Malmö, SE Plan B
    May 29 Stockholm, SE Slaktkyrkan
    May 30 Gothenburg, SE Monument
    July 30 Ghimbav, RO Rockstadt Extreme Festival
    August 7 Kortrijk, BE Alcatraz Festival
    October 6 Hamburg, DE Bahnhof Pauli
    October 7 Haarlem, NL Patronaat
    October 8 Eindhoven, NL Effenaar
    October 9 Sint-Niklaas, BE De Casino
    October 10 Paris, FR La Maroquinerie
    October 11 Nantes, FR Le Ferrailleur
    October 12 Toulouse, FR Le Rex
    October 13 Lyon, FR Jack Jack
    October 14 Aarau, CH KIFF
    October 15 Munich, DE Backstage
    October 16 Osnabrück, DE Bastard Club
    October 17 Cologne, DE Gebäude 9
    November 4 Copenhagen, DK Stengade
    November 5 Berlin, DE Columbia Theater
    November 6 Dresden, DE Beatpol
    November 7 Warsaw, PL Hydrozagadka
    November 8 Krakow, PL Hype Park
    November 9 Brno, CZ Kabinet Múz
    November 10 Budapest, HU Dürer Kert
    November 11 Vienna, AT Arena
    November 12 Zagreb, HR Vintage Industrial Bar
    November 13 Milan, IT Legend
    November 14 Bologna, IT FreakOut
    November 15 Karlsruhe, DE P8

    The post Monolord Reach A New Creative Peak On Neverending first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

  • Live Review: The Cookie Jar Complot – Manchester

    Live Review: The Cookie Jar Complot – The Peer hat, Manchester

    26th May 2025
    Support: Mrs Frighthouse, She The Throne
    Words: Matthew Williams

    On one of the hottest days of the year so far, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about the prospect of spending several hours underground in a Manchester basement, but what transpired was a night of contrast and spell binding music that thrilled and enchanted all who dared to brave the heat.

    As I got to the venue, we were told that things were running slightly late and Holy Wounds were unable to play, so we waited for the fun to begin, and boy did the fun begin in earnest with the rhythmic power of She The Throne. Having seen them live before, they bring a mysterious feel to the stage and allow the music to speak for itself. Faces hidden, they open with “Larentia” and stand over their bank of switches and keys, playing an array of noises with piercing, wailing vocals as landscapes shift on the screen behind them. The heavy pulsing beat is dictated by the hooded figure as the programmed loops build tempos for the beautifully nightmarish songs, with “Nephilim” up next.

    The crowd are hypnotised not just by her voice but with her expressive arm and body movements, as we watch in a trance like state. There are screams, computerised vocals to compliment the slow, heavy drone influence that gets more pained and anguished during “Clonus” as the crushing imagery adds to the narrative. The immersive sounds are wide ranging and I can feel the floor vibrating during final track “Clare” due to the deep bass, but the music has gorgeous repetitive beats whilst remaining innovative. The hooded figure kneels in front of the speaker holding a shaker box, with a contact mic inside, pressing the kill switch as clanging chains create unfathomable noises complimenting the reverb and feedback to end a quite absorbing set.

    I reviewed Mrs Frighthouse’s album back in September last year and was intrigued by how they would pull this off live. One half of the wife and wife duo, Carys, places flowers around the stage before they begin as the screen behind has a warning message about surgical images being used during the first and last song. The begin with “DIY EXORCISM” as red lights flood the stage, adding to the tense dramatic nature of their performance. Their blend of high-pitched vocals from Carys, are fractured by low end vocals from Luna and they get darker and more sinister with “Eyeliner”.

    This isn’t just about music, this is visual art in action, yet they are besieged by several tech issues on the night, with the visuals having to be reset, and Carys has a long-standing issue with the mic until eventually the sound guy came to help. But after a hug and a kiss they preserved and played a haunting new song, which allowed the vocals to shine before “Seagulls (Part 1)” and then the majestic “White Plaster Roses”. The music is dark and moody, as “Veil” creates more tension and suspense in the venue.

    “Seagulls Part 2” puts a smile on my face, as the duo now seem back on track and we are fully immersed in their world of horror movie soundtrack music with deathly, hallowed screams. “Our Culture Without Autonomy” is followed by “Let My Spit Be Poison” but it’s “My Body is a Crime Scene” that proves to be most memorable. Carys is almost statuesque in posture, staring intently into the distance, swaying gently, before they hug, and this frantic rant about coercive control spills forth. It’s powerful and dramatic, all adding the tension of the stage theatrics as they end with the title track off their album, “Solitude Over Control”, with more moody pianos and slow pulsing beats as they conclude their mesmerising display.

    Having never heard of The Cookie Jar Complot previously, the trio completely won me over from the word go. I walked in as “Cookies” began and for the next 45-60 minutes I was in a happy place. In stark contrast to the two previous acts, their music is full of happy melodies fuelled by the marvellous bass playing from Philipp. With guitarist Sven thanking us for “coming out on this hot day” they are compelling and full of groove.

    Their instrumental music is described as post-rock, but to me it seems the anthesis of the melancholy-based genre, as their bend of jazz beats with the bass playing off the guitar is joyful and euphoric. By the time we get to hear “Beaver Deceiver” followed by “Cicades” their rhythms are flowing effortlessly, and we get bass string plucking from Phillip and fretboard solos from Sven. Sadly, there are a few technical issues once again, before Philipp informs us that the next song is “Cranes x 3, Cranes, Cranes, Cranes” with is oozing with melody before bursting into life.

    I wasn’t quite prepared for the uplifting music that was being played by the trio, as they switch tempos with ease as billowed smoke gently fills the room. They play “Turns Out” and “Golden Boy”, but drummer Gilles informs us that the backing track has gone, yet they persevere without it. They have excellent camaraderie on stage, and the click track appears to come back just in time for “Birds Are A Lie” which has bluesy undertones over the spaced-out rhythm. They finish with the brilliant “Bats, Bringers of the Night” and leave us all smiling as they encourage all inside to “have a chat with them over a beer”.

    A night of contrasting musical genres, but one that will last long in the memory.

    For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

    The post Live Review: The Cookie Jar Complot – Manchester appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

  • Album review: THIRSTY QUIREBOYS – God Bless America: The Best Of Thirsty

    tqWebsite [Release date 05.06.26] The band Thirsty were formed in 2014 by former (and founder) Quireboys guitarist Guy Bailey, and over the next decade released three albums. With lyrical help from Russian poet Irina D, there was a different feel … Continue reading →

    The post Album review: THIRSTY QUIREBOYS – God Bless America: The Best Of Thirsty appeared first on Get Ready to ROCK!.

  • “Half brooding romantic, half back-of-the-class smart-ass.” Type O Negative do both doom and gloom on October Rust

    October Rust: the culmination of Type O Negative’s progress from ugly ducklings to uglier swans

  • Fires In The Distance – Circadian Promise

    https://www.metalourgio.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Fires-In-The-Distance-Circadian-Promise-768×768.jpg