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Org Music Continues Its Comprehensive Descendents Reissue Series With “Enjoy!”
Org Music continues its comprehensive Descendents reissue series with Enjoy!, the third installment in the campaign celebrating the band’s foundational catalog and the latest release since the group reclaimed ownership of their master recordings. Originally released in 1986, Enjoy! captures Descendents pushing fully into their instincts, doubling down on short, fast, melody-driven songs that balance juvenile humor with sharpened songwriting and unmistakable […] -
Reviews: Fossilization, Oreyeon, Patriarchs In Black, Rules For Radicals (Spike & Rich Piva)
Fossilization– Advent Of Wounds (Sentient Ruin/Everlasting Spew) [Spike]There is a specific kind of pressure that comes with a debut full-length, especially when your preceding EP was hailed as a subterranean masterpiece. Brazil’s Fossilization carry a heavy burden on Advent Of Wounds. It’s a record that attempts to document the slow, grinding entropy of the earth itself, but while it possesses a tectonic level of force, it occasionally feels like a series of monumental landslides rather than a single, cohesive tremor. It is a work of immense potential that sometimes struggles to find its own connective tissue.
The album opens with Cremation Of A Seraph, and the mission statement is immediately clear: this is death/doom intended to be felt in the marrow. The guitars emit a low-frequency dread that fans of Incantation or Dead Congregation will find familiar, yet there’s a professional sheen to the rot that suggests a band aiming for something more architectural. It flows into Disentombed And Reassembled By The Ages, a track that lives up to its name with a rhythmic structure that feels like bones being clicked back into place.
However, as the record moves through Scalded By His Sacred Halo and Terrestrial Mold, a certain disjointedness begins to creep into the frame. The band is exceptional at creating “moments”, a sudden, blackened blast beat here, a suffocating doom-crawl there but these elements sometimes feel like they’re being held together by the production rather than an organic songwriting impulse. It’s a collection of brilliant ideas that haven’t quite fused into a singular, breathing entity yet.
There is a noticeable shift in intent during the middle of the record. Servo and While The Light Lasts lean heavily into the “cavernous” aesthetic, utilizing dissonance and thick, clotted-cream distortion to create a sense of genuine peril. When they lean into the slow-burn, the atmosphere is undeniable; it’s when they attempt the more complex, high-velocity transitions that the gears occasionally grind with a bit too much audible friction. It’s the sound of a band pushing their technical limits, which is admirable, even if the results are sometimes slightly fragmented.
The finale, Temple Of Flies And Moss, brings the record back to its primary strength: pure, unadulterated weight. It’s a four-minute study in decay that finally allows the atmospheric dread to take the lead without being interrupted by the record’s more restless tendencies. It’s a strong, if somewhat abrupt, closing statement for an album that seems to be in a constant state of internal debate.
Is it a triumph? In terms of tone and sheer sonic presence, absolutely. Fossilization have managed to capture the sound of a world being reclaimed by the soil. But as a cohesive piece of songwriting, Advent Of Wounds feels like a high-end prototype, stunning to look at and terrifyingly powerful, but still waiting for that final, unifying spark to turn the potential into a masterpiece. They’ve dug the hole deep enough; now they just need to find a way to make sure every part of the collapse happens at exactly the right time. 8/10Oreyeon – The Grotesque Within (Heavy Psych Sounds) [Rich Piva]
La Spezia, Italy’s Oreyeon are such a great band. I have loved all of their releases, as they leverage influences from late 60s psych, to 70s rock and proto, to 90s grunge, a bit of prog, a dash of punk…all of which turns into a big bowl of awesome. This delicious dish continues on the band’s latest record, The Grotesque Within. Album four is a darker affair, bringing a bit of bleak atmosphere to their version of psych-leaning stoner doom.
Echoes Of Old Nightmares opens the record up in blistering fashion with a killer riff and a great stoner rock, melodic groove. Dig those harmonized vocals too, which is a nice addition to their already great sound. The guitar tone is perfect here. Nothing But Impurities Pt.1 has a crushing riff with some other great guitar work, reminding us why grunge is listed in their bio, in the best kind of way. Love the psych-y solo on this one.Nothing But Impurities Pt.2 turns up the grunge a bit more and turns the tempo down, bringing some serious AIC vibes which I am sure everyone will be there for. The title track brings the heavy, but the band’s sense of melody and the harmonized vocals creates this perfect balance for this track and across the seven songs.The cool bass line on Something Over There is what jumps out first, before the riff kicks in and what is probably the heaviest track on the record is unleashed. But never does the heavy overwhelm, with this one again heading out to the Pacific Northwest territory with zero complaints from me.The quirky I’m Your Mistake is different from the other tracks with its weird tempo and changes, but still keeps us on target. This may be my favourite on a record filled with great songs. The closer, Dead Puppet Eyes, has what may be synths opening up this spacey, proggy, but still nice and heavy coda to another great effort from an excellent band.
Let’s not take Oreyeon for granted as they keep steadily releasing killer record after killer record. Let’s put these guys up there with the leaders of the genre where they belong, especially given how excellent The Grotesque Within is. 8/10
Patriarchs In Black – Completely Covered In Black (NoLifeTilMetal Records) [Rich Piva]
Veteran rockers Dan Lorenzo and Johnny Kelly have been super prolific over the last five years or so with their doomy metal project with multiple guest vocalists Patriarchs In Black. Like a bunch of EPs and full length albums prolific. So why not continue the output with a covers album with some cool versions of 70s and 80s classics, with a couple of surprises along the way.
Did they need to do three Kiss songs? For me, sure, I love Kiss, but I am not sure everyone will want to hear Strange Ways, Almost Human, and Hotter Than Hell so close together on Completely Covered In Black. I might even say just give me a whole Kiss covers record with different vocalists, but that’s just me. All are great though, especially the guitar work on HTH. My other favourites include a slowed down version of Motörhead’s The Chase and the quirky Queen song selection, Dragon Attack.The Zeppelin covers are executed well, but I am not sure how many more versions of The Ocean and Immigrant Song we need, even if they are two of my favourites. The real treat here is the version of Peter Gabriel’s Games Without Frontiers, all metaled up but never mistreated, this one is worth it alone. Rob Dukes (former vocalist of Exodus) did a great job on this one.
Did we need a full covers record from Patriarchs In Black, with multiple Kiss and Zeppelin songs? Who cares, here we are with some fun stuff from the guys doing versions of songs they love on Completely Covered In Black. 7/10
Rules For Radicals – Rules For Radicals (Trench Art Noise) [Spike]
There is a specific, lean power in the number two. Without the safety net of a bass player or the decorative clutter of a second guitarist, a duo is forced into a constant, exposed dialogue where every missed beat or thin chord has nowhere to hide.Bury St. Edmunds’ Rules For Radicals don’t just inhabit this space; they weaponised it. Featuring Shannon Hope on drums and Jay Mills on guitar, their self-titled debut is a masterclass in sonic economy, a record that somehow translates the flat, windswept horizons of Suffolk into the vast, sweltering soundscapes of a high-desert psych-noir.
I caught them recently supporting IAN, and the transition from the stage to the studio hasn’t robbed them of their ability to utterly swamp a crowd. If anything, the isolation of the recording process has sharpened the edges of their “dialogue.”
The record opens with Suffolk Sands, a track that acts as a bridge between their local geography and their global sound. It’s a shimmering, atmospheric threshold that feels like heat rising off a tarmac road, quickly giving way to the rhythmic grit of Oxblood. Mills has a gift for finding that specific frequency of fuzz that feels like it’s vibrating in your sternum, while Hope’s drumming is less about “keeping time” and more about providing a physical counterweight to the guitar’s erratic, bluesy stabs.
On Outriders and God’s House, the band moves with a mechanical, almost predatory intent. These aren’t just jams; they are tightly wound compositions that rely on the silence between Hope’s snare hits to create a sense of impending disaster. It’s a stark, unpolished sound that manages to feel massive through sheer conviction.
The tectonic heart of the record, however, is Dry Crop. Clocking in at over eleven minutes, it’s a sprawling, hallucinogenic journey that demands total submission from the listener. It begins as a slow, parched crawl, a study in sustained tension, before eventually exploding into a feedback-saturated delirium. It captures that “swamping” live energy perfectly, showing a band that knows exactly how to build a crescendo until the room feels like it’s being reclaimed by the earth.
The energy shifts into a final act of defiance with the title track, Rules For Radicals. It’s a sharp, jarring finale that brings the focus back to the immediate friction between the two performers. No overdubs, no studio magic, just the raw, unvarnished sound of two people making a hell of a lot of noise in a very small space.
Rules For Radicals haven’t just made a “minimalist” record; they’ve created a document of sonic survival. They’ve proven that Bury St. Edmunds can produce a soundscape every bit as vast and terrifying as the Mojave. It’s honest, it’s loud, and for those of us who saw them tear the roof off while supporting IAN, it’s the definitive proof that there are indeed “more of us, always” lurking in the gaps of the local scene. 9/10 -
Nuclear Warfare – Drop ‘Nuclear War’ Song
German thrashers Nuclear Warfare have released a brand new single/video, “Nuclear War”. Recorded at Dual Noise Studio in São Paulo (Brazil). Mixed and mastered by Rogerio Wecko at Dual Noise Studio in São Paulo (Brazil). The song is taken from their oncoming full-length offering All Hail To The Liberator, due out on March 19th.
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blink-182 just played their “only show this whole year”
Having spent a great deal of time on the road since releasing 2023 awesome’s ONE MORE TIME… album, blink-182 are seemingly set to take the rest of this year off (or away from the public eye, at the very least).
The pop-punk legends hit the stage for their only gig of 2026 on February 22, headlining Innings Festival at Tempe Beach Park. While fans didn’t know it in advance, five songs into the setlist, right before DANCE WITH ME, bassist Mark Hoppus announced to the crowd, “This is our only show this whole year, so welcome to it.”
Does that mean Mark, Tom and Travis will be working on new music now? Or perhaps they’re simply just having a well-earned break? In July 2025, Tom did tell Kerrang! that, “I’ll probably start doing some demos for blink here shortly as well. I’ve got to start working on recording stuff now, because I’ll be gone for a bit of time when I would normally start next year…”
Watch Mark’s brief announcement at Innings below:
Check out the full Innings Festival setlist:
1. Feeling This
2. The Rock Show
3. Dumpweed
4. Aliens Exist
5. DANCE WITH ME
6. Bored To Death
7. EDGING
8. Up All Night
9. Stay Together For The Kids
10. I Miss You
11. Down
12. FUCK FACE
13. FUCK FAC
14. Anthem Part Two
15. Always
16. What’s My Age Again?
17. First Date
18. All The Small Things
19. DammitRead this next:
Posted on February 25th 2026, 12:51p.m.
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“It was super duper heavy!” The story behind the Dave Grohl song that Ozzy Osbourne rejected, which found a home on one of the most unexpected heavy metal albums ever released
My Tortured Soul could have been a very different song -
Spiritbox – To Tour Europe, Jinjer Supporting
In support of their latest album release Tsunami Sea, Spiritbox proudly announce a headline European tour scheduled in September and October. Jinjer and Dying Wish will be joining them as support on all dates.
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“Unmistakably the work of metal’s mouthiest frontman”: Every Megadeth album ranked from worst to best
The metal icons have released their final album and are on their last-ever tour – here’s how they got here -
Monstrosity – Streaming New Track
Before their new record Screams From Beneath The Surface officially drops on March 13th, death metal veterans Monstrosity offer in listening another new track in preview titled “The Atrophied”.
Read more… -
LIVE REVIEW: RED HOT SUMMER TOUR Featuring Paul Kelly, Miss Higgins, The Cruel Sea, The Cat Empire, Kasey Chambers & Jess Hitchcock
Werribee Mansion is without a doubt one of if not the most spectacular setting for the Red Hot Summer Tour. The beautiful gardens and historic structure play the perfect background to today’s show. I make mention of this because of the nature of this run of Red Hot Summer shows. Every performer on the stage today is a storyteller and much like the soul of the heritage of the Werribee Mansion, there were stories to be told and to be discovered. The gardens aren’t too bad either…
Jess Hitchcock opened things today with a great little set that not only introduced many to her but also gave us all a great feel for what she is about as a writer and performer. Hitchcock’s set was a fantastic summary of her career to-date along with a couple of choice covers from Sheryl Crow and Blondie thrown in for added familiarity. The beaming sun beating upon us this is sure to make for an amazing day if the weather gods are looking after us. Rumour has it, things may get a little damp around 2pm, but for now there is very little indicating that. After all it is Melbourne and anything can happen.
Hitchcock seems big stage and performance seasoned already at her young age. Her voice is one that will remain with you, it’s beautifully haunting and she is the next generation of the storytellers. I must admit I wasn’t too familiar with Jess Hitchcock, but by the end of her forty-minute set I simply couldn’t wait to hear more from her.
Knowing that she would be performing with Paul Kelly later tonight added yet another thing to look forward to, seeing what she contributes to his set, which I am calling early as the highlight of the day. I tip the hat to the team at Face To Face Touring for taking on new talent, giving them the exposure and opportunity.
By now the weather gods have had a change of heart, the sky has clouded over and there are a couple of large angry grey clouds circling us, taunting us. Within moments of Kasey Chambers starting her set drops started to fall from the sky. Lightly at first but by the time she was into her second song “Pretty Enough” the skies decided to open and drench us all. A sea of ponchos rose from bags as those of us with them took some sort of shelter in them, others decided to keep dancing in the rain and celebrating what became a highlight of today.
If I am completely honest, I have never been a fan of Kasey Chambers. I never got it or her and that’s a bad on my behalf because what I found during her set was that I became engaged in her, her songs, her story, her banter and her musicianship. Her courage and determination to deliver an absolute cracker of a set did not go unnoticed as she too got soaked as the wind blew the rain toward the stage.
I made mention of Chambers and her banter with the crowd and the one thing that stood out was her recollection of getting the call to become a part of this tour line up. The sheer excitement in her voice was genuine and infectious. Chambers telling us that she would have done it for free as it was a dream for her to tour the country and watch some of her favourite artists and Paul Kelly every night.
With songs like ‘Hey’, her brilliant cover of Eminem’s ‘Lose Yourself’ and the song that started it all for her ‘The Captain’ how could you really go wrong. Addressing the rain Chambers says, “I had picked out two dresses to wear and I’m glad I picked the black one over the white one, otherwise you all might have seen a little Fanny Lumsden.”
Chambers’ brand of country/folk songs personify what storytelling really is. I found something in her music and words that sits differently than it had. Kasey Chambers is now one of those artists I think I owe it to myself to go and check out again. Live she was incredible and her band were simply fantastic. There is a magic in her chemistry, and her set is one I would stand in the rain again to watch.
Just as it had started from nowhere the rain stopped just as unexpectedly. The heat was back; the clouds had their fun all the while the Red Hot Summer team gave us rain themed songs as the stage was dried and prepared for one of my favourite feel good, good time bands ‘The Cat Empire’.
I haven’t seen The Cat Empire since the “Stolen Diamonds” tour of 2019. What a show that was and it will go down as one of my favourite outdoor shows purely based on the good vibes and energy we all caught. While The Cat Empire from 2019 looks a little different today as there have been a few line-up changes since their Covid enforced hiatus. Founding members Felix Riebl (Vocals, Guitars, Percussion) and Ollie McGill (Keys, piano) are still leading and charging this band, who are so full of life. This band and performance from the band is simply sublime. The infusion of latin, jazz, funk, ska and reggae always gets people dancing. This was no exception today. The main area infant of the stage turned into a dance pit. People waving, smiling, dancing and just getting down is so much fun and I must admit they had me moving too.
Riebl is his usual charming self, commanding a crowd in the way only he does. The addition of bassist and vocalist Grace Barbe is great. Barbe brings this cool with her and locks into grooves with drummer Daniel Farrugia creating the rhythm that makes you want to move. Possibly the biggest and brightest personality on the stage today was percussionist Neda Rahmani, her smile alone could have lit up Werribee park in the dark on its own. Her outfit as vibrant as the music itself. Rahmani when not playing her percussive parts simply made the stage her dance floor. She was a whirlwind of energy; you simply could not help but smile when you caught some of that energy.
The brass trio were sensational as always and just lift this band so high. From the opening track “How To Explain?” To “Two Shoes” and “Blood On The Stage” this was a lesson in fun. The bands signature song “Hello” gaining the biggest response of their set. Fifty minutes passed in what seemed like five and as they say time flies when you are having fun.
For some reason it’s been thirty-one years since I last saw The Cruel Sea live. They have been a bucket list band to catch again, but the stars just hadn’t aligned themselves to make us cross paths again. I saw them at least once a year from 1990 to 1995 and every show was incredible, why I stopped going, I have no idea. Obviously, the bands limited appearances from 2001-2023 had a bit to do with that as did living in Tasmania.
Today another little tick came off the list as I got to witness Perkins, Gormly, Elliott and Rumour once again do their thing as The Cruel Sea. After such a long time would they still stand up against the memories of over half a lifetime ago; I wasn’t sure. The deep blues ambience of “Orleans Stomp” had me mesmerised, its plod and stomp taking me back to their 1994 masterpiece. In half a mind to close my eyes and let the music wash over me, the other half wanting to study the chemistry of the band feeding off each other. Guitarist Matt Walker complimenting Dan Rumour as if he had always been there. Just perfect.
The roar of the crowd as Tex Perkins took to the stage was immense and the big fella was just as I had remembered him all those years ago. Larger than life, cooler than cool and his voice just as I remembered it. His presence is massive to say the least. The eleven song, forty-minute set presented everything you could have wished for in a condensed set. Featuring an even split between their three monster albums from 91-95 the hits were there as well as giving us two songs from last years “Straight Into The Sun”. The setlist blended perfectly and it was just like being transported back to where it all began for me. As a storyteller Perkins is incredible, his vocal tone and delivery makes you listen and take in the tales being told. The band a perfect soundtrack to these tales.
The big hits in “Better Get A Lawyer”, “The Honeymoon Is Over” were the best received by the crowd who had finally managed to dry out a bit by now. Yet for me it was drenching myself in songs like “Orleans Stomp”, “4”, and “This Is Not The Way Home” that were the real moments for me, the ones that brought back my earliest memories of the band and their sound.
The introduction to “The Honeymoon Is Over” was tongue in cheek with Perkins referring to it as the bands “Bohemian Rhapsody”, the “You’re The Voice” of 1994, their “Accidentally Kelly St” of the week. Banter aside it really is one of the greatest Australian songs of all time and didn’t the crowd just lap it up.
Closing with “This Is Not The Way Home” just completed the circle as they had opened it, perfectly. In my opinion The Cruel Sea are worth the ticket price on their own. They have lost nothing at all. It certainly won’t be a thirty-one-year gap between seeing these guys again.
Missy Higgins is one of those interesting artists for me. Her voice is silk, her songs are infectious, retrospective and put her in the league of storyteller. As with all her peers today her set was an incredible overview of her career. Her songs are captures of a time, a place, a moment and a feeling. With each song you became connected to her personal journey. From missing someone to just wanting to escape the world with that special someone, the joy that being a parent brings all connect within.
Higgins and band are a very well-oiled machine, slick and make for a very easy listen. The hits were all here and as to be expected “Scar” got the biggest reaction. It was an incredible laid-back set that was yet another highlight in a stellar line up.
The intense sun during Higgins’ set had finally found a home behind the clouds. The breeze in the air was fresh, and conditions were perfect for tonight’s main event. Paul Kelly (that really should be Sir Paul Kelly if you ask me) is a national treasure, iconic, bold and a wordsmith songwriter that really does have the ability to transport you to a time or a place. In his seventy years on this earth Kelly has this incredibly unique way of telling his stories to lush musical soundscapes.
Kelly’s band are pure magic and the addition of Ashley Naylor on guitar is incredible. The rhythm section of Peter Luscombe (drums) and Bill McDonald (Bass) have this magic to them. Cameron Bruce (Keys) and Kelly’s nephew Dan Kelly (Guitar) add some youthfulness to the band, it’s the combination of all things that make this band work so well. Tonight’s secret weapon was Jess Hitchcock who simply lifted and elevated the performance to another level. Whether she was providing silky harmonies, belting out a Midnight Oil cover or duetting with Kelly she simply added something very special to the delivery of this catalogue of songs.
Having missed out on the shows that supported Kelly’s “Seventy” record this for me was a real treat. Top to bottom, the set was flawless and the song selection was perfect. “Houndstooth Dress” provided a brooding opening to the set with Kelly sat behind his keyboards. Such a mesmerising performance. When you watch Kelly play you see something much deeper than a performer on stage. You almost feel like you are looking into his soul. His eyes the doorway there and his smile the welcome. Then you hear the stories and feel the words. It’s hard to describe actually, but when you see him perform it will all make perfect sense.
In a set that included all of those iconic Paul Kelly radio hits, the songs that still rule commercial radio we got “Rita Wrote A Letter” and “Happy Birthday Ada Mae” from Seventy. Kelly certainly did his best to cover as much career and catalogue ground as he could. Each song was a magical wonderland of storytelling and Paul Kelly is the master of his craft.
Even though halfway through the set the skies opened again Kelly worked his way through the set. The rain, it was a minor setback. Some choosing to leave as the sky above rumbled, the rest simply didn’t seem to care as this was one heck of a performance. Possibly one of the best closing sets I have ever witnessed at a Red Hot Summer. Charismatic, charming, golden storytelling at its finest. From the smile on Kelly’s face you could tell he had an amazing time too.
This run of Red Hot Summer shows is not to be missed. Every artist on the line up delivered incredible performances. Despite Mother Nature being little temperamental and unpredictable it was a brilliant day out. The team at Face To Face need to be commended for putting together such a solid line up and I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
With special thanks to Leanne Menard & Face to Face Touring for the media access.
Photos by Shot by Slaidins
The post LIVE REVIEW: RED HOT SUMMER TOUR Featuring Paul Kelly, Miss Higgins, The Cruel Sea, The Cat Empire, Kasey Chambers & Jess Hitchcock appeared first on The Rockpit.
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Joshua – A Whole New Theory Redux LP (Immigrant Sun, Stiff Slack)
When we talk about the late-nineties emo and post-hardcore scene, it’s easy to get lost in the usual suspects from the Midwest or the D.C. beltway. But if you were paying attention to the tri-state area back then, specifically New York, you knew that Joshua was doing something that didn’t quite fit the standard “sad […]
