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Story & photos by Ron Lyon

Grammy Award-winning guitarist and 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) brought his trademark fire to a very different kind of stage on February 26, 2026, the auditorium of historic Manual Arts High School in South Los Angeles, California.

Partnering with Gibson Gives and national nonprofit Music Will, Morello surprised students with a generous donation of new Gibson guitars ahead of Music in Our Schools Month. But this wasn’t a ceremonial handoff and photo op. It was loud, personal, and deeply inspiring.

Students took the stage for three live performances, ripping through original songs and covers while Morello watched closely, smiling, nodding, and offering thoughtful feedback. Morello invited the entire student body to the front of the stage during the final performance, raising his arm in encouragement as students fed off the moment.

When the students ripped into Rage Against The Machine’s “Killing in the Name” and the vocalist unleashed a full-throttle scream, Morello beamed like a proud bandmate rather than a rock icon. For many in the room, this wasn’t just a school assembly, it was maybe to coolest day this school had ever seen.

Wearing a simple “Listen to the Kids” T-shirt, Morello later addressed the crowd, emphasizing creativity, access, and the life-changing power of music education. “Access to instruments changes what’s possible,” echoed organizers from Music Will, reinforcing the mission behind the morning’s surprise.

The event closed with a jubilant group photo: students gathered around a row of gleaming Gibson guitars, faculty and organizers standing shoulder to shoulder, and Morello at center, celebrating the next generation of musicians.

At Manual Arts High School, rock ‘n’ roll wasn’t nostalgia — it was possibility.

Members of Children Of Bodom returned to the stage Thursday night in Helsinki, performing the first of two tribute shows honouring late frontman Alexi Laiho. The concert, titled Children Of Bodom – A Celebration Of Music, took place February 26 at the Tavastia club and marked the first time several core members had performed the band’s material together in years.

Bassist Henkka Seppälä, keyboardist Janne Wirman and drummer Jaska Raatikainen were joined by early guitarist Alexander Kuoppala, back with the group’s music live for the first time since the early 2000s. Lost Society vocalist and guitarist Samy Elbanna handled Laiho’s former roles on guitar and vocals. Laiho, the band’s primary songwriter and defining figure, died in December 2020 in Helsinki following long-term health issues.

The set drew heavily from the band’s most recognized material, opening with Living Dead Beat and moving quickly through staples including Sixpounder, Bodom Beach Terror and Silent Night, Bodom Night. Later highlights included Needled 24/7, Follow The Reaper and Downfall. The encore run closed with Are You Dead Yet?, Hate Me! and Hate Crew Deathroll, before a final second encore performance of In Your Face.

When the shows were first announced last October, the musicians said the goal was to honour both the band’s catalogue and their late bandmate. “We want to celebrate the life’s work of our band and at the same time the musical legacy of our friend and bandmate Alexi,” they said in a joint statement.

The Tavastia club carries particular weight in the band’s history, having hosted key early performances during Children Of Bodom’s rise from Espoo in the 1990s. Fan-filmed footage from the February 26 concert surfaced online shortly after the show ended. A second performance is scheduled for February 27 at the same venue.

The tribute concerts follow a period of renewed archival activity around the band. An official oral history book arrived in August 2025 via Rocket 88, compiling interviews with Seppälä, Wirman, Raatikainen and Kuoppala alongside other former members and associates. The band’s final live document, A Chapter Called… Children Of Bodom (Final Show In Helsinki Ice Hall 2019), was released earlier through Spinefarm.

For now, the Helsinki shows stand as focused live commemorations rather than a formal reunion, with no additional performances announced beyond this week’s pair of dates.

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The post Children Of Bodom Members Reunite For Alexi Laiho Tribute appeared first on Montreal Rocks.

A relentless force in the underground scene, Brisbane metal outfit Dreamkillers are known for their raw intensity, genre-defying sound, and fiercely DIY ethos. Fusing thrash, English punk and melodic metal into a sonic assault that is both unrelenting and emotionally charged, while still maintaining a surprising sing-along quality, Dreamkillers continue to evolve without compromise. That […]

Think Like A Key 2025 Seeking for truth in the farthest reaches of the earth, Tbilisian fantasist sees the stars closer to home. Sculpting expectancy must be a sign of a true artist, and Nash Albert’s sophomore solo effort, from … Continue reading →

The post NASH ALBERT – Kingdom Of Love appeared first on DMME.net.

IRON MAIDEN today announce the highly anticipated Australian dates of their critically acclaimed RUN FOR YOUR LIVES WORLD TOUR. Since the band’s first visit to Australia in November 1982, playing to 2000 fans at the Capitol Theatre in Sydney as part of the Beast On The Road Tour, Iron Maiden have returned regularly, playing bigger […]

Harry Styles’ new album Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally arrives next week. So far the pop giant has shared the atmospheric lead single “Aperture,” and tonight Fred again.. debuted the track “Coming Up Roses” during his concert in London.

The post Fred again.. Debuts New Harry Styles Song “Coming Up Roses” appeared first on Stereogum.

Today, the band dropped the video for the first single “SONG OF THE SWAMP” and it’s the most brutal song they’ve released in years — if not EVER!

What populates the thick and humid swamps of Florida? Alligators, anacondas, and other cold-blooded animals that can eviscerate your existence with a single bite. Fittingly, Wage War’s absolutely savage new track, “Song of the Swamp,” sounds exactly like how you would feel if any or all of the above-mentioned predators sank their teeth into your flesh. Rife with bloodthirsty screams, deadly riffage, and pummeling percussion that’ll make you feel like the speedbag at the local boxing gym, it rages from start to finish. You will be, as the lyrics snarl, “overpowered” by every note. And that’s just how metal masochists like it!

Head to the swamp and watch the video here.

“The tone setter,” the band declares. “‘SONG OF THE SWAMP’ is rooted in where we’re from. Driven by Florida and the raw aggression of nature, it’s a heavy track built on tension and hostility.”

Regarding the EP as a whole, the band says, “It Calls Me By Name is about being drawn to your roots. This isn’t a concept EP but is meant to live in its own world. Five tracks shaped by Florida, the swamp, and the relentless aggression of nature. Built heavy, but still driven by the hooks that have defined us. It’s our signature sound amplified and pushed further into metal than we’ve ever taken it.”

IT CALLS ME BY NAME TRACK LISTING:
“SONG OF THE SWAMP”
“4×4”
“BLINDFOLD”
“KARMA”
“PURIFY”

Wage War will waste no time bringing these leviathan-sized new songs to fans, as the band will return to the road this spring on the “It Calls Me By Name Tour,” featuring support from Nevertel and Orthodox. The tour kicks off on April 28 in Phoenix and runs through May 31 in St. Petersburg, Florida. All dates are below. Get tickets here.

WAGE WAR ON TOUR:
WITH NEVERTEL + ORTHODOX:
4/28 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren
4/29 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory North Park
4/30 — Anaheim, CA — House of Blues
5/2 — San Francisco, CA — The Fillmore
5/3 — Sacramento, CA — Ace of Spades
5/5 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union Event Center
5/7 — Denver, CO — The Ogden Theatre
5/8 — Omaha, NE — The Admiral
5/9 — Minneapolis, MN — First Avenue
5/12 — Chicago, IL — House of Blues
5/15 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore
5/16 — Pittsburgh, PA — The Roxian Theatre
5/17 — Baltimore, MD — Nevermore Hall
5/20 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza
5/22 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium
5/23 — Allentown, PA — Archer Music Hall
5/26 — Richmond, VA — The National
5/27 — Raleigh, NC — The Ritz
5/29 — Atlanta, GA — The Masquerade (Heaven)
5/30 — Jacksonville, FL — FIVE
5/31 — St. Petersburg, FL — Jannus Live

The post Wage War Announce New EP Out 4/17 Announce Spring Tour + Drop Brutal “SONG OF THE SWAMP” Video appeared first on Go Venue Magazine.

Cloaked in the skin, of flesh and blood and bones
Of the one now buried deep down below
Stand before this copy, move between
Take me by the hand, take this life from me 

There are artists who move between mediums as though crossing from room to room in the same house. E.K. Wimmer wanders that corridor with a steady hand. Known widely for his work as a film composer (particularly his score for the 2018 documentary Scary Stories, which traces the uneasy folklore of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark), Wimmer has long understood how sound can press against an image until it breathes. In Albuquerque, under the name Blood Relations, that instinct turns inward and burns low.

Drain the Light carries the hush of a chapel before the service begins. A church organ opens and closes the record, tolling in slow arcs, as if marking time for the living and the gone. “Drain the Light has been the longest I’ve ever worked on a record, not just with Blood Relations, but with any solo project or band,” Wimmer says. The songs were written, set aside, returned to, and searched again for the right words. He speaks of shelving tracks, of resuming them after Ritual, of finding the thread at last: “I wanted the whole album to be tied together through this dark church organ, which opens and closes the record, almost like a funeral service. Death has always been a constant theme…however, Eulogy was an album mostly about the loss of my parents, whereas Drain the Light is album about the loss of friends and even the death of oneself to an extent.”

The record settles into a classic Deathrock cadence: lean guitars, graveyard rhythm, guided by the spirit of Specimen, Skeletal Family, Altar De Fey, 13th Chime, and kindred outsiders from Japan, Spain, and Switzerland. Wimmer once allowed Blood Relations to shapeshift freely; here, he chose focus. “It was really important for Drain the Light to not be too many sub-genres shoved together. I wanted a straightforward album that wasn’t too confusing to describe, and so I settled on a classic Deathrock sound.”

Ash recurs in the lyrics: fire’s remainder, cremation’s quiet. He considered naming the album Ashes, but reverence intervened. In Paris, wandering The Louvre, he found instead a sculpture from 1711—The Death of Dido by Claude-Augustin Cayot. Paired with the line drain the light from Crack the Sky, the vision fixed itself. Stone, song, and memory met. The title was waiting.

After the haunting organ instrumental opener All That Remains, Watch Them Fall is a meditation on survival’s burden, steeped in the ache of outliving those once held close. The gloomy musicality is immediate: a haunting deathrock guitar line circles overhead while the rhythm section moves with graveyard patience. Wimmer’s crooning feels like a lone figure howling at the moon, voice stretched between endurance and exhaustion. Each passing feels abrupt, unfinished; ash gathers at the song’s edges.

On Crack the Sky, the tempo tightens, but the mood remains stark, channeling the passionate vocals of Curses here, especially. Restless and fevered, it moves through dust-choked memory and sacred violence. The gloomy musicality takes shape in churning minor-key riffs and tom-heavy percussion that thuds like distant artillery. Figures run across a barren landscape, wounded yet upright. The horizon splits open, light drained away, leaving isolation ringing through reverb and restraint.

Night Folds In leans into gothic unease. Identity loosens its grip as the living confront their own reflection. The gloomy musicality here is spectral and slow-burning: echo-laden guitars shimmer in cold arcs while the bass stalks beneath. Burial and doubling hover at the margins. The self recedes; what remains feels borrowed.

With The Waxing Moon, intimacy settles into still air. The gloomy musicality softens but does not brighten—clean guitar lines glisten under a patient drum pattern, as if suspended in silver light. Sensation fades into a dream. The track drifts without urgency, surrender arriving like a tide that never turns. Return Me sharpens the ache. A plea rises from emotional vacancy, framed by brittle guitar and a bassline that moves like a pulse under glass. The gloomy musicality underscores estrangement from one’s own flesh. Regret hangs thick; there is no refuge for restless bones.

On Crawl into the Flames, earth and fire converge. The gloomy musicality grows heavier: distorted chords grind forward while drums march with ritual insistence. Roots twist with veins; sorrow reshapes the body. Submission feels inevitable, transformation slow and absolute. Death Never expands the scope. The gloomy musicality here feels vast, almost liturgical, with sustained guitar tones and measured percussion echoing into open space. Love persists beyond the grave’s seal. Death stands patient and absolute; devotion presses onward into the void. Black Candle turns ritual inward. The gloomy musicality flickers in tight, circling riffs and a bassline that coils with intent. The act of lighting becomes reckoning. Ash and bone mark the aftermath; desire burns low and controlled.

Closing with I’ll Still Remember, the album exhales. The gloomy musicality remains steadfast: measured drums, restrained guitar, a voice worn but steady. Memory becomes a sanctuary. Acceptance arrives without spectacle. What lingers is recollection held close, as the final notes recede into quiet dusk.

Listen to Drain The Light below and order the album here.

Blood Relations:

• Instagram
• YouTube
• Spotify
• Bandcamp

The post “How These Hands Have Gathered Dust” — New Mexico’s Blood Relations Shares “Drain the Light” LP appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Matteo Mancuso has released his new single “Solar Wind,” featuring Steve Vai. The track appears on Mancuso’s upcoming sophomore album Route 96, due April 24 via Music Theories Recordings. An official video for the song is available now.

“Solar Wind” opens the new album and pairs the young Sicilian guitarist with Vai, the multi-Grammy Award-winning instrumentalist widely regarded as one of the most influential players of the past five decades. Vai has previously praised Mancuso as one of the most exciting emerging guitar talents, making the collaboration a notable moment for both artists.

Mancuso said of the track, “Solar Wind is a really special song to me. I believe Steve brought a whole new dimension to the music. I was listening to a lot of his solo records like Passion And Warfare while composing this music. He sent back his parts in just a couple of weeks and what he played was spectacular. It’s not shreddy, I wanted something melodic rather than over the top, but still very Vai-like.”

The new album’s title references both Mancuso’s birth year and the 96kHz audio sample rate Vai recommended he use during recording. “Solar Wind” follows the previously released single “Isla Feliz,” which features Gypsy jazz guitarist Antoine Boyer.

Mancuso first gained international attention in 2023 with his debut album The Journey. His technical ability and compositional approach drew praise from guitarists including Tosin Abasi, Al Di Meola, Dweezil Zappa and Vai. The release led to international touring and sold-out shows across Europe and the United States.

According to Mancuso, Route 96 reflects a more confident and streamlined creative process compared to his debut. While The Journey was largely arranged in rehearsal, the new album was more deliberately composed and orchestrated. Mancuso is joined on the record by Riccardo Oliva on bass and Gianluca Pellerito on drums. The album was recorded at Fico D’India Studios in Casteldaccia, Italy and produced by Mancuso alongside his father, Vincenzo Mancuso.

Tour Dates

2/26 – Lansing, MI – Grewal Hall at 224
2/27 – Chicago, IL – Vic Theatre
4/09 – Catania, Italy – Zo Centro
4/12 – Palermo, Italy – Teatro Politeama
4/13 – Rende (CS), Italy – Auditorium Unical
4/14 – Bari, Italy – Teatro Forma
4/15 – Grassina, Italy – Viper Club
4/16 – Torino, Italy – Hiroshima Mon Amour
4/17 – Milan, Italy – Alcatraz
4/19 – Padova, Italy – Hall
4/20 – Bologna, Italy – Locomotiv Club
4/21 – Rome, Italy – Auditorium Parco della Musica
4/23 – Berlin, Germany – Lido
4/24 – Hamburg, Germany – Fabrik
4/25 – Frankfurt, Germany – Zoom Frankfurt
4/28 – Munich, Germany – Ampere
4/30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso
5/01 – Nijmegen, Netherlands – Doornroosje
5/03 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg – Rockhal
5/05 – Paris, France – Alhambra
5/06 – Barcelona, Spain – Sala Apolo
5/07 – Madrid, Spain – Sala Villanos
5/09 – Stockholm, Sweden – Debaser Hornstulls Strand
5/10 – Göteborg, Sweden – Pustervik
5/11 – Helsingør, Denmark – The Culture Yard
5/13 – Glasgow, UK – Oran Mor
5/14 – London, UK – Islington Assembly Hall
5/16 – Athens, Greece – Gagarin 205
7/16 – Pori, Finland – Kirjurinluoto
8/17 – New York, NY – Full Moon Resort

Route 96 will be available April 24 through Music Theories Recordings.

The post Matteo Mancuso and Steve Vai unite on new single appeared first on Blues Rock Review.

Brisbane’s long running, uncompromising metal-punk juggernaut Dreamkillers have just released their new album, Proiphys Cunninghamii. which features no less than 8 songs including the recently released, Shirley, a tribute to the Skyhooks legend. They are also giving their fans plenty of bonus material on the Physical version, Proiphys Cunninghamii Deluxe EP which has an extra […]