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Smokey Goretooth back atcha with a new “Do I Suck?,” MetalSucks’ version of “Am I The Asshole?” where we take real life horror stories and bring them to our readers to decide if the OP sucks for some bullshit they may or may not have done.

This week’s entry comes from a young rapscallion with, at the very least, good music taste. Let’s get into it…

I (18F) work at a clothing store in my town part-time. It’s a small store and isn’t a chain or anything so we can be a lil more flexible with how we do things when it comes to store policies, when we open and close etc. The other day I was working a closing shift and usually when I am and it’s slow my boss says that I can close the store a little early (like 30 minutes or something) so I can get out of there quicker because we usually close by ourselves. It was a really slow night and I was getting ready to close maybe like 15 or 20 minutes before our posted closing time and I had already brought the sign inside and everything but I didn’t lock the door yet.

As I was folding stuff and trying to clean up two people (F, old) came in to look around. I went up to them and asked them if they were looking for anything in particular and they said no, so I said to let me know if they need help but that we were closing soon just as a heads up. One of the ladies looked at me and said how it wasn’t even 9 o’clock yet so she didn’t understand why the store would be closing so early at all. I looked at my watch and it said 8:50, which is basically 9, but whatever I shrugged it off and kept trying to clean.

So then it’s like 9:10 or so and these ladies are still just looking and touching stuff and messing up everything I had already fixed. That was pissing me off and I still had to count down the register and do all my closing paperwork but I can’t just make people leave so I was thinking of some sort of other plan. I had already checked in on the two of them one more time and they insisted they didn’t need help so I reminded them that at that point the store was closed. One of the ladies said that she was still looking and didn’t appreciate being rushed, which made me even more mad because if you’re just looking and not buying anything then why the hell are you still here? So I tried to think of the most annoying thing I could do and then I thought about something that always upsets my mom, and that was me blasting music. In particular, she can’t stand when I play Vulvodynia because she said she doesn’t understand the lyrics and it was just angry noise. I usually listen to my own music anyway while I’m closing so to me, I was more just doing what I always do and anyone who’s walked by the store after 9 pm before when I was working knows that.

So I stopped our store playlist and put on Vulvodynia pretty loud and kept going about my business. Then the one rude lady came up to me and said what I was playing wasn’t appropriate for the store and made her feel uncomfortable as a customer. I said that after store hours I can play whatever I want and that if she would like to purchase something I can help her but other than that I needed them to leave because it was after closing time. So then she said that she didn’t see anything she wanted and that I was being really rude and she was going to tell my boss about it. Then I said that I’m just doing my job and that if she were an actual customer she would buy something but if not she’s just loitering. The other lady grabbed her by the arm and tried to walk out with her, but this lady started cursing at me saying how I don’t deserve my job and that the way I dress (I was wearing an all black dress and silver jewelry so nothing over the top) wasn’t appropriate for the clientele that I’m lucky anyone ever gives me attention since that’s all I want and that’s why I dress this way. She was outside the door at this point still leaning in and yelling at me so I said back to her something like “At least I get attention and I’m not old and sad like you are!” I know that was inappropriate but she had the fuckin attitude first, not me.

Next time I came into work my boss pulled me aside and told me that someone did complain about me and wants me fired so I knew it was that old bag of bones. My boss asked me what happened and I told her, and even told her to review the security footage so she could see that I didn’t do anything wrong. She did watch the footage and could tell by the lady’s body language and how she was leaning in the door at the end that she was being aggressive, but she also said that I can’t talk to customers like that. Our cameras don’t record audio but she probably wouldn’t have heard what I said anyway over the music. I ended up only getting a verbal warning but do I really suck for doing this?

As a former retail baddie, I’m 100% on your side young queen. What do you think, readers?

The post Do I Suck For…Blasting Vulvodynia To Make Customers Leave My Store? appeared first on MetalSucks.

Last updated October 20, 2026. We update this page as lineups, prices and sell-outs change.

Metal festivals 2027 start in the second week of January and don’t let up until October, and for the first time in years the calendar has a shape: Iron Maiden finishing Run For Your Lives at Sonic Temple and Boardwalk Rock in May, Slipknot playing baseball stadiums all summer, the first Ozzfest without Ozzy, and a cruise season so crowded that ShipRocked was booked solid four months out.

This guide covers every major US rock and metal festival and cruise for 2027, in calendar order, plus the European giants American fans fly for, with dates, headliners, starting prices and what’s already gone. Last year’s guide covered thirteen. This one covers forty, and tells you which ones not to wait on.

The 2027 Calendar At A Glance

Dates and prices as published on October 20, 2026. ‘From’ prices are the lowest published tier and exclude fees unless noted. Sold-out status is the organizer’s.

January: The Cruise Season

January 2027 belongs to the boats. 70000 Tons Of Metal sails from Miami January 14–18, the Emo’s Not Dead cruise January 22–26, and ShipRocked January 24–30, and only one of the three still has cabins.

70000 Tons Of Metal is the purist’s pick: sixty bands on Royal Caribbean’s Freedom Of The Seas, each playing twice, from roughly 10 a.m. to 5 a.m., with Arch Enemy, Exodus, Hammerfall, Moonspell, Primal Fear, Evergrey, Obscura, Forbidden and Uli Jon Roth among the forty-three names confirmed so far. Round trip to Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. Public booking opened September 7 and is still open; the fare covers your room, food and every set. Wolfheart are premiering their next album, unreleased, on board.

ShipRocked, January 24–30 on Carnival Horizon, is the active-rock boat and the one that sold out first: Papa Roach, Ice Nine Kills, Nothing More, Highly Suspect, Badflower, Of Mice & Men, Wargasm and nearly thirty more, with a first-ever stop at Roatán, Honduras, before Cozumel. It was booked to capacity in September; the only route on now is the priority waitlist. The free pre-party is January 23 at The Hangar in Coconut Grove, Miami.

The E.N.D. Cruise (Emo’s Not Dead), January 22–26 on Norwegian Joy to Great Stirrup Cay, has Yellowcard, Mayday Parade, Dance Gavin Dance, Don Broco, The Ghost Inside, Silverstein, Saosin and Hawthorne Heights, and ‘a limited number of cabins’ left as of this writing. Its four previous sailings all sold out.

Australia’s Hellbound II (January 17–21, Carnival Splendor, with Parkway Drive, The Amity Affliction and Thy Art Is Murder) is on the list for completeness: the first edition sold out in under ten minutes.

February And March: Legends, 311, And The Desert

Rock Legends Cruise XIV sails February 21–25 with Foreigner and Lou Gramm; the 311 Caribbean Cruise, March 10–15, is already sold out; and The Mojave Experience, March 19–21 in Joshua Tree, is the first land festival of the year.

Rock Legends, Miami to Costa Maya on Independence Of The Seas, is a charity cruise for the Native American Heritage Association, and this year’s draw is Foreigner’s 50th-anniversary set with Lou Gramm back on stage, plus Collective Soul, Gin Blossoms and Mark Farner. Cabins are ‘limited’ per the organizers.

311’s cruise (Norwegian Jewel, Miami to Ocho Rios and Grand Cayman) replaces the band’s usual 311 Day arena show and sold out in July; The Pharcyde and Jeff Rosenstock are on it. If you missed it, you missed it.

The Mojave Experience is the desert-rock gathering built around the Palm Desert lineage: Clutch, Corrosion Of Conformity, Fu Manchu, Red Fang, Nebula, Brant Bjork and Fatso Jetson at Joshua Tree Lake, March 19–21. Twenty-four acts announced; passes on sale now. Second edition, and the only festival on this list where the setting is the headliner.

April: Prog, Creed, And A Day To Remember Get Boats

Three more Sixthman charters fill April: Cruise To The Edge (April 2–8), the Creed Summer Of ’99 & Beyond Cruise (April 17–21), and A Day To Remember’s first Big Ole Boat Show (April 28–May 2).

Cruise To The Edge is the prog boat and the only three-port charter on the calendar: Miami to Cozumel, Harvest Caye in Belize and Costa Maya on Norwegian Jewel, with Kansas, Steve Hackett, Big Big Train, Asia, Haken, Spock’s Beard, Neal Morse and Caligula’s Horse. From $1,499 per person, double occupancy, and not yet sold out.

Creed’s fifth voyage pairs two pool-deck Creed sets with Breaking Benjamin, Sevendust, Hoobastank, Our Lady Peace, Hinder, Fuel and Drowning Pool, hosted by Eddie Trunk. The previous four sold out; no sell-out notice yet for this one.

A Day To Remember’s Big Ole Boat Show is new: Miami to Nassau on Norwegian Jewel with Knocked Loose, The Devil Wears Prada, Dying Wish, Comeback Kid, Spite and The Callous Daoboys, two ADTR sets, a cannonball contest and onboard tattooing. First wave only so far; more acts promised.

May: The Month Everything Happens

May 2027 is the densest month on the US calendar: Welcome To Rockville (May 6–9), the Monsters Of Rock Cruise (May 6–11), Sonic Temple (May 13–16), Boardwalk Rock (May 14–16) and Maryland Deathfest (May 27–30), with Iron Maiden playing the last two shows of Run For Your Lives in the middle of it.

Welcome To Rockville, Daytona International Speedway, is Danny Wimmer Presents’ Florida flagship: 210,000 people and 160-plus bands in 2026. The 2027 lineup hasn’t dropped (it historically lands in mid-November), but passes have been on sale since June: 4-day GA $370, VIP $755, with a $1-down layaway. Buy before the lineup if you’re going regardless; the price only goes up.

Sonic Temple, Historic Crew Stadium in Columbus, sold out at 184,000 in 2026 and has the most interesting partial lineup in the country: Iron Maiden headline Friday, May 14, with A Perfect Circle, Meshuggah, Testament, Primus, Clutch, Bullet For My Valentine, Sleep Theory, Hanabie. and The Warning among the twenty-six announced; the full bill is due this week. DWP has the stadium through 2030.

Boardwalk Rock, Ocean City, Maryland, skipped 2026 and comes back loaded: Korn on Friday, Bad Omens on Saturday, and Iron Maiden on Sunday, May 16, the final show of the Run For Your Lives tour, with Alice In Chains, Judas Priest, Breaking Benjamin, Marilyn Manson, Motionless In White, The Prodigy, Slash and Cypress Hill underneath. Presale is October 22 at 10 a.m. ET, general sale an hour later. If you want to see Maiden’s last North American show of this era on a beach, this is it.

Maryland Deathfest XXII, Baltimore, is the extreme end: Autopsy’s 40th anniversary, Enslaved playing Vikingligr Veldi, Candlemass, Voivod deep cuts, Obscura, Exhumed, Demolition Hammer, Anaal Nathrakh and YOB across seventy-plus bands and three venues. Four-day passes were under a hundred remaining in August; assume gone and look for single-days.

Also in May: Northwest Terror Fest IX in Seattle (May 6–8; Napalm Death, Deadguy playing Fixation On A Coworker, SubRosa, early-bird gone), and the Monsters Of Rock Cruise’s first West Coast sailing, Los Angeles to Ensenada on Norwegian Joy, May 6–11, with Tesla, Extreme, KK’s Priest, Sebastian Bach, Winger, Queensrÿche, Y&T and Slaughter, from $2,099. Milwaukee Metal Fest usually lands the first weekend of June and hasn’t announced 2027; Decibel’s Philadelphia Metal & Beer Fest is likewise unannounced.

June And July: Warped, Slipknot’s Stadium Summer, And The Midwest

June and July bring the Vans Warped Tour’s two 2027 stops (Washington, DC, June 19–20; Long Beach, July 24–25), Rock Fest in Cadott (July 15–17), Inkcarceration and Upheaval on the same weekend (July 16–18), Fire In The Mountains (July 22–25), and Slipknot’s thirteen-stadium run across the US and Canada from July 16 to August 18.

Warped’s 2027 format is two weekends, no lineups yet, 2-day GA at $149.98 with fees. The DC dates at the RFK Campus are showing sold out on resale sites, which tells you how to treat Long Beach. Warped is not returning to Canada.

Rock Fest, the camping festival on its own purpose-built grounds in Cadott, Wisconsin, announces in January (2026 was Limp Bizkit, The Offspring and Gojira). Inkcarceration, inside the Ohio State Reformatory where The Shawshank Redemption was shot, has early-bird 3-day GA at $345 and VIP at $640; the 2026 bill was Bad Omens, Limp Bizkit and Disturbed. Upheaval, in Grand Rapids, is 250 miles away the same weekend, so the Midwest gets a choice. Fire In The Mountains, on Blackfeet Nation land in Montana, has Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Nevermore and Russian Circles in its first wave and is the most unusual ticket on this list.

The thing that reshapes the summer is Slipknot. The (sic)est Stadium Tour opens at Wembley on July 3, then runs Nationals Park (July 16), Citi Field (18), Montréal (21), Toronto (23), Soldier Field (25), Hersheypark (28), Fenway Park (31), Nashville (August 3), Houston (6), Commerce City (9), SoFi Stadium (13), Golden Gate Park (15) and Chase Field (18), with Bring Me The Horizon on every US date and Lamb Of God, Lorna Shore, Acid Bath, Motionless In White and others rotating. It isn’t a festival; it’s bigger than most of them, and the Marilyn Manson booking on the Wembley and South American dates is the year’s running argument.

September And October: Rocklahoma, Louder Than Life, Aftershock And Ozzfest

The fall anchors are Rocklahoma (September 3–5, Pryor, Oklahoma), Riot Fest (September 17–19, Chicago), Louder Than Life (Louisville, dates ‘to be announced soon’) and Aftershock (Sacramento, expected October), plus the first Ozzfest since 2018, which has no date yet.

Rocklahoma, fresh off its 20th anniversary, sells passes now with a 20 percent-down plan and announces its bill in late February (2026: Slayer, Godsmack, Papa Roach). Riot Fest has a Friday confirmed for September 17 at Douglass Park and a presale already run; the lineup lands in late spring.

Louder Than Life and Aftershock are the two biggest open questions. DWP drew 410,000 across Louder Than Life and Bourbon & Beyond in Louisville in 2026 and signed a ten-year deal there; Aftershock sold out at 180,000 and has Discovery Park through 2035. Both will announce dates within weeks and lineups by spring; 2026’s Louder Than Life had My Chemical Romance, Iron Maiden, Tool, Pantera and Megadeth, and Aftershock had Tool, My Chemical Romance and Limp Bizkit. Expect the third weekend of September and the first weekend of October respectively.

Ozzfest 2027 is confirmed in two forms and announced in none: a one- or two-night show at Villa Park in Birmingham, where Ozzy played his last show, and two US dates Sharon Osbourne says are ‘in the works.’ No cities, no dates, no lineup, and a stated intention to lean on young talent beyond rock and metal. It’s the first Ozzfest without Ozzy. We’ll update this section the hour it’s announced.

The European Festivals Worth The Flight

For American fans, the European summer is the real festival season: Rock am Ring (June 4–6), Download (June 9–13), Hellfest (June 17–20, already sold out), Graspop (same weekend), Copenhell and Tons Of Rock (June 23–26), Wacken (July 28–31), Bloodstock (August 5–8) and Summer Breeze (August 18–21, sold out).

The headline pattern is already visible. Faith No More are everywhere: Rock am Ring, Nova Rock, Copenhell, Mystic Festival in Poland. Judas Priest, weeks after Ian Hill’s retirement, headline Copenhell and Tons Of Rock, where Mötley Crüe also top the bill. blink-182 headline Rock am Ring and Graspop’s 30th. Mercyful Fate headline Bloodstock, Brutal Assault and Dynamo. Electric Callboy headline Bloodstock’s Saturday and Wacken’s first wave, alongside Five Finger Death Punch and Helloween’s 40th-anniversary set.

What’s gone: Hellfest’s 20th-anniversary four-day passes, €389, sold out on July 7; it expands to ten stages and 300 bands and hasn’t named a single one. Summer Breeze’s 30th sold out eleven months early. Download is the fastest-selling in its history with nothing announced; the first names come November 12, and 3-day camping is £325. Wacken’s cheaper tiers are gone and the €364 Louder tier is what’s left; it’s sold out ten years straight.

What’s still open and worth knowing: Rock am Ring from €249 with the strongest confirmed bill in Europe (blink-182, Turnstile, Faith No More, Bring Me The Horizon, The Prodigy, Evanescence, Parkway Drive); Bloodstock at £235 with Motionless In White’s first European festival headline; Brutal Assault, inside an 18th-century fortress, from €219.90 with Mercyful Fate, Emperor and Carcass; and Dynamo in Eindhoven from €99 with Architects, Mercyful Fate and Cavalera playing Chaos A.D. If you only fly once, Hellfest resale or Rock am Ring are the plays. And if the band you want is Metallica, they’re not on any festival bill yet; their 2027 is a tour.

Not Coming Back (Or Not Yet)

Several names fans still search for have no 2027 edition: Blue Ridge Rock Festival, Psycho Las Vegas, Mayhem Festival, Heavy Montréal and Oblivion Access are dormant; Sick New World, Knotfest’s North American and international editions, Headbangers Boat and Milwaukee Metal Fest haven’t announced.

Blue Ridge collapsed mid-weekend in 2023, cancelled 2024, and still owed refunds a year later; any site selling ‘2027 Blue Ridge’ passes is not the festival. Psycho Las Vegas last ran in 2022 and its ‘postponement’ never ended. Mayhem’s 2024 one-off didn’t lead anywhere. Heavy Montréal hasn’t staged a festival since 2019; the closest 2027 equivalent is Slipknot at Parc Jean-Drapeau on July 21.

Sick New World plays its first Texas edition this Saturday, October 24, at Texas Motor Speedway, with System Of A Down, Deftones and Slayer’s Reign In Blood 40th; a 2027 Las Vegas date hasn’t been announced. Knotfest’s only branded festival on the calendar is Mexico in December 2026; Australia promised a 2027 return with no dates. Lamb Of God’s Headbangers Boat sails its 2026 edition October 30 and usually announces the next one immediately after. Milwaukee Metal Fest, Furnace Fest and Decibel’s fests will announce over the winter. Bookmark this page; we’ll add them.

TL;DR

• The 2027 US calendar runs from 70000 Tons Of Metal (January 14–18) to Aftershock (October, dates TBA), with May the busiest month: Welcome To Rockville, Sonic Temple, Boardwalk Rock and Maryland Deathfest inside three weeks.
• Already sold out: ShipRocked, the 311 cruise, Hellfest (four-day), Summer Breeze. Nearly gone: Maryland Deathfest four-day passes, Wacken’s cheaper tiers, Emo’s Not Dead and Rock Legends cabins.
• Iron Maiden play their last two Run For Your Lives shows at Sonic Temple (May 14) and Boardwalk Rock (May 16); Slipknot play thirteen US and Canadian stadiums July 16–August 18.
• Cheapest confirmed ways in: Dynamo Metalfest from €99, Warped Tour 2-day $149.98, Brutal Assault from €219.90, Rock am Ring from €249, Inkcarceration early-bird $345, Rockville 4-day $370.
• Not happening: Blue Ridge, Psycho Las Vegas, Mayhem, Heavy Montréal. Not yet announced: Louder Than Life and Aftershock dates, Ozzfest 2027 (UK and US), Sick New World Las Vegas, Download’s lineup (November 12).

FAQ

Every festival on this page gets updated the day its lineup drops. Download the free Loaded Radio app for Apple iOS and Google Play for The Metal Breakdown Daily, and follow Loaded Radio so you hear about the on-sale before it’s a sell-out.

The post Metal Festivals 2027: Every Rock And Metal Fest And Cruise, By Month appeared first on Loaded Radio.

The post Wendy Eisenberg Releases Surprise New Companion Album <em>Wweennddyy Eeiisseennbbeerrgg</em> appeared first on Stereogum.

Faster than it takes for hair to dry
Faster than the other dogs, tearing down wet clothes

Leaving a city can be a straightforward matter of roads, tolls, gas, and mileage; escaping a family that confuses love with obedience can be considerably messier. Cruelty acquires the respectable name of discipline, old wounds get passed off as birthmarks, and the people who bite hardest still expect you to come when called. Eventually, survival requires finding a gap beneath the fence, with the rest of the pack still tearing into one another behind you.

Based between Amsterdam, Berlin, and Cologne, post-punk quintet SMILE explores that vicious family logic on “Gotta Run,” a new single introducing their forthcoming second album, Gun-Shy, due January 22, 2027, via Vienna’s Siluh Records.

A deep drumbeat and a thick, dirty bassline drive the song forward, with the guitar sawing beneath a rhythm section that fills most of the available floor space. Rubee Fegan’s abrasive, near-spoken delivery recalls Kim Gordon’s work with Sonic Youth, rising to shouts as the pressure builds. The arrangement carries the unruly physicality of late-’80s and early-’90s alternative rock, giving its agitation plenty of room to move. Later, gentle guitar strumming opens space around the voice, the rhythm eases, and Fegan lowers her volume as the song gradually slows to a halt.

The lyrics render escape as a bodily ordeal: exposed skin, chafed thighs, the raw friction of getting away. Kinship offers scant protection in a yard where littermates bite until they scar, then wave the damage away as a birthmark. Choosing a switch lends punishment the grotesque sheen of consent, while the shift from “You wouldn’t recognize if they came back” to “You wouldn’t recognize if I came back” turns estrangement inward. The scrawny runt slips beneath the fence as the others rage in the yard. To be “not quite homesick yet” feels like a welcome reprieve from the pack.

Created by Rubee Fegan, Taylor Cappage, and Olivia Martinez, the accompanying video carries that restlessness through Albuquerque, New Mexico, Fegan’s hometown. Dressed as a pink poodle, she walks and drives through a city caught in handheld fragments: power lines, passing cars, scrap heaps, neighbourhood walls, a black cat, neon signs against the dark. The mountains remain visible beyond the sprawl. Read alongside the lyrics, the costume gives the song’s imagery of training, captivity, and escape an absurdly cheerful public face.

Writing in the album’s press text, Annika Henderson, better known as Anika, offers a suitably breathless account:

“Lead single, ‘Gotta Run’ is an escape room of urgent, punk, claustrophobic, yet upbeat sounds, held in by fast drums. They’ve got a point and won’t stop til you join their side, til you cave in. The accompanying playful video of handy cam street scenes, fishnets and animal heads, place you in a seedy pseudo-reality, more akin to computer game, GTA.

“The goal is to get out.” They tell me. “GTA 6, first person, free world exploration style. It’s about leaving and why; what a violent system teaches the body to do even after escape.”

Broken cars, broken cities, in this gritty existence; Bright lights and dogs drooling; Motorcycles ripping up tarmac; You gotta run but where or why?

The flow breakdown comes early, yet not letting you off the leash for long. Lock jaw, it transforms into a whole different song. Now they play with their food, their catch, or perhaps stop to catch their breath. Gotta run faster than it takes wet hair to dry – become slack now. Taunting you, yet your legs and arms are bound.”

Watch the video for Gotta Run below:

Gun-Shy was recorded with Olaf Opal at Bear Cave studio in Cologne, drawing on demos that include recordings made in Albuquerque. The sessions retained some first takes alongside more deliberately crafted studio elements, carrying the music’s initial impulses into the finished record.

Formed by friends during the pandemic, SMILE is comprised of Rubee True Fegan, Marius Szarnych, Sebastian Lessel, Max Schmidt, and Lars Fritzsche. The new album follows their 2022 debut EP, I Hate It Here, and 2023 debut LP, Price of Progress. Since then, support dates with Fontaines D.C., tours with Touché Amoré, and shows alongside Squid have sharpened the band’s command of dynamics and intensity.

Gun-Shy is out on January 22, 2027, via Vienna’s Siluh Records. Listen to Gotta Run below, and order the single here.

Follow SMILE:

• Instagram
• Bandcamp
• Spotify
• Siluh Records

The post “I Slipped Right Under That Fence” — A Dog Makes Its Getaway in Post-Punk Outfit SMILE’s Video for “Gotta Run” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

 Standalone version of ‘The Moth (The War-Live in Groningen) out 6^th November 2026

 Canadian metal maverick Devin Townsend released his long-awaited, ambitious, orchestral-metal opus ‘The Moth’, earlier this year in May. A new stand-alone live version of the album, titled ‘The Moth (The War-Live in Groningen), is set for release as a CD & Blu-ray edition, as well as digital audio, on 6^th November 2026.

You can watch the newly released live performance of “War Beyond Words (Live in Groningen)” now here: https://youtu.be/cfQYwUz-3SE

‘War Beyond Words’ typifies the immensely broad palette that is The Moth. From the delicate opening stringed melodic motif through cinematic grandeur to pounding polyrhythms, not to mention Townsend’s unique combination of operatic grace and dexterous screams.

An album over a decade in the making, it existed in the back of Devin Townsend’s mind as his “life’s work”. Then, about six years ago, after an acoustic show in Amsterdam, Townsend was approached by the head of the North Netherlands’ Orchestra and Choir with an offer; and with that moment The Moth stopped being an idea and began to become a reality. Featuring the full orchestra and choir conducted by Jukka Isakilla, principal conductor of the Metropole Orchestra and long-time collaborator with mutual friend Steve Vai, on the 27^th & 28^th March 2025, The Moth was premiered live in its entirety. It is this performance documented on ‘The Moth (The War – Live in Groningen). Originally included as part of the deluxe artbook edition, this is now available as a standalone CD & Blu-ray Digipak version. Pre-order now here: https://dvn.lnk.to/TheMothLive

If The Moth has a central gravitational theme, Townsend names it plainly: true self-acceptance. Something sturdier than slogans, closer to a practiced willingness to face what is uncomfortable without turning away. As Devin explains: “The most obvious metaphor for change within the concept of this project was a moth: from caterpillar to an entirely different creature—one so drawn to the light that it burns itself away. What remains is immutable—only the spirit.”

At the hardest moments, when abandoning the project might have seemed rational, Townsend points to the team as the decisive factor. A host of incredible musicians and contributors participated throughout the course of this process, as well as the North Netherlands Orchestra & Choir and orchestrators Joseph Stevenson & Niels Bye Nielsen. Long time band members, that are well established names in their own right; Darby Todd (drums), Mike Keneally (guitars/keys) and James Leach (bass) all played a huge part in this performance, as well as vocal guests Anneke van Giersbergen and Lynn Wu (Ou). Even Steve Vai is credited with co-writing the delicate ‘Intermission’. Devin himself freely pays tribute to the substantial team that helped him land this behemoth of a plane at this special, and so far singular, performance from Groningen. 

DEVIN TOWNSEND online:

http://www.hevydevy.com

http://www.facebook.com/dvntownsend

http://www.omerch.com

https://www.patreon.com/cw/DevinTownsend

https://twitter.com/dvntownsend

https://www.instagram.com/dvntownsend/

www.tiktok.com/@dvntownsend

https://www.youtube.com/user/poopynuggeteer/featured

http://twitch.tv/devin_townsend

INSIDEOUTMUSIC online:

www.insideoutmusic.com

www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV

www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic

www.twitter.com/insideouteu

Five-time Grammy Award-winning blues guitarist and vocalist Robert Cray has announced his first new album in seven years. All Over Again will be released February 12, 2027, via Thirty Tigers.

Produced by longtime collaborator Steve Jordan and recorded at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the album finds Cray addressing America’s racial history, political divisions and the country’s future through his signature blend of blues, soul and R&B.

“1965, when voting rights for Black people were enacted, wasn’t that long ago,” says Cray. “I turned 12 that year, and my parents were finally able to vote. I’m not the first to write these types of songs. But I know why they are written — it’s just too bad that we have to.”

The album’s new single, “Push Through,” addresses the current political climate and calls for Americans to defend voting rights and the progress made during the civil rights movement.

“We have the right to choose what we demand. Just get out the vote and on the streets and stand,” Cray sings on the track.

The recording sessions in Muscle Shoals also held personal significance for Cray. At age seven, he and his siblings spent several months living with their grandmother in Alabama before joining their father, who was stationed in Germany. During that time, Cray experienced segregation firsthand, including separate schools and drinking fountains.

Returning to Alabama decades later provided an opportunity to reflect on those experiences and their connections to the country’s current political divisions.

All Over Again reunites Cray with Jordan, whose musical relationship dates back to 1986. The two musicians were recruited by Keith Richards to perform with Chuck Berry for the concert film Hail! Hail! Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Several songs on the album address personal and political subjects. “With Everyone” pays tribute to Cray’s mother, Maggie Cray, who died in 2020, while also examining the country’s political climate. “Long Way Home” explores the consequences of dishonesty and division, while “Tacky Wack” offers criticism of the current presidential administration.

The album also features Cray’s interpretations of three classic R&B recordings: Wilson Pickett’s “For Better Or Worse,” Bobby Womack’s “I’m In Love” and Jimmy Hughes’ “Neighbor, Neighbor.”

The closing track, “Soul Shot,” celebrates the musicians and recordings that established Muscle Shoals as an important center of American soul music. The song was co-written by Cray, Jordan, pianist Clayton Ivey and organist Spooner Oldham.

Throughout his career, Cray has worked with numerous blues and rock legends, including B.B. King, Buddy Guy, John Lee Hooker, Albert Collins, Eric Clapton, Chuck Berry and The Rolling Stones. His recordings have earned multiple Grammy Awards and helped establish him as one of the leading figures in contemporary blues.

With All Over Again, Cray continues to use his music to address social issues while drawing on the blues and soul traditions that have shaped his career.

“We move forward,” Cray says. “We don’t move back.”

The post Robert Cray announces first new album in seven years appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

Whether it’s a clash of generations, old-school vs. new-school, genre mash-ups, or simply doubling down on a specific subgenre, there’s something special about great artists collaborating on each other’s records. This is by no means a grading exercise or a top 10, it’s simply a list of 10 blues rock collaborations that are must-hears.

B.B. King & Eric Clapton – “Riding With the King”

A B.B. King and Eric Clapton classic. As a youngster just discovering blues, this was my absolute go-to. Incredible guitar playing, outstanding vocal performances packed with feel, and irresistible groove throughout the track. Essential track, as well as the album as a whole.

Koko Taylor & Buddy Guy – “Born Under a Bad Sign”

The Queen of the Blues herself – Koko Taylor teams up with the legendary Buddy Guy to add grit to this Albert King classic. Delivered with unmatched emotion and attitude, this 1993 version can’t be missed.

Albert King & Stevie Ray Vaughan – “Don’t Lie To Me”

Taken from their 1983 televised live recording In Session, this performance is truly electric, showcasing two completely mind-blowing guitar gods having fun. Throughout the entire session there’s almost a master – disciple dynamic between the two, which is funny in hindsight considering how massive a name SRV is, and how big a legacy he’s left behind.

Buddy Guy & Junior Wells – “Messin’ With the Kid”

Buddy Guy and Junior Wells join forces on “Messin’ With the Kid”. Widely known as an upbeat Chicago Blues standard, this version is slightly more laid back but not any less funky. Amazing brass parts powering the already groovy rhythm section. Junior on the vocals, and Buddy delivering his signature-style solo. Tasty!

Howlin’ Wolf, Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood, Charlie Watts & Bill
Wyman – “Highway 49”

Picked out from The London Howlin’ Wolf Sessions, a killer slide riff kick-starts this blues shuffle performed by an all-star lineup. Energy simply bursts out of this one, with Howlin’ Wolf’s unique vocals sending chills down your spine. A true clash of blues and rock legends.

John Lee Hooker & Bonnie Raitt – “I’m In the Mood”

John Lee Hooker’s dirty guitar playing and soulful vocals are complemented so nicely by Bonnie Raitt’s spicy ad-libs on this track. The recording session for this was apparently so electric that Bonnie recalls needing a moment to compose herself afterward. That genuine emotion truly shines through the record itself.

Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones – “Hoochie Coochie Man” (Live)

One of the most recognisable blues tunes of all time. Rock n’ roll bad boys, The Rolling Stones have always worn their influences on their sleeves, and Muddy Waters is the absolute top of that list. Recorded on a whim in Chicago in 1981, a truly memorable live performance

The Marcus King Band & Warren Haynes – “Virginia”

Oh what a tune! This track is what got me obsessed with Marcus King. Incredible guitar playing, even better vocal performance, all spiced up by Warren Haynes’ southern swagger and otherworldly guitar playing. Rich guitar tones, conversational solos, the band pumping the energy. Just incredible!

Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ – “Don’t Leave Me Here”

A groovy track packing tonnes of soul picked straight off a 2017 collab album titled TajMo. Tight production, two great blues vocals, a luxurious brass section, fiery harmonica solos, delicious guitar licks, a true masterclass by these two blues heavyweights.

Albert Collins, Robert Cray & Johnny Copeland – “T-Bone Shuffle”

Guitar mastery overload in this blues standard recorded in 1985 by a truly impressive line-up. A relentless shuffle, and three blues guitar giants having the time of their lives trying to challenge each other.

Different styles, different eras, different tempos, but all 10 are absolute blues masterpieces. Did I miss anything blatantly obvious? Any hidden gems you love? Let me know in the comments below.

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