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‘Who By Numbers’ Expanded Reissue to Include 92 Unreleased Tracks
Highlights include 11 original demos for the album, concert appearances, tracking sessions, early mixes and guide vocals. Continue reading… -
The Who By Numbers Super Deluxe Edition is Coming!
THE WHO
THE WHO BY NUMBERSTHE CLASSIC ALBUM REVISITED AS A
SUPER DELUXE EDITION 5 CD/1 BLU-RAY SET
FOR ITS 50th ANNIVERSARYFEATURING 92 UNRELEASED AUDIO TRACKS, A FULL UNSEEN CONCERT, 100-PAGE BOOK AND NEW PETE TOWNSHEND ATMOS & STEREO MIXES
LIMITED EDITION 5 CD/1 BLU-RAY SUPER DELUXE EDITION
3 LP SET, 2 CD SET & LIMITED COLOURED VINYLRELEASED 30th OCTOBER
AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER NOW
https://thewho.lnk.to/TheWhoByNumbersHEAR THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
IMAGINE A MAN – PETE VOCAL (EARLY MIX)
https://thewho.lnk.to/ImagineAMan-EarlyMix“The Who By Numbers is a tricky album to talk about. It’s the only one where I allowed songs that were so personal to be used by The Who” ~ PETE TOWNSHEND
“In some ways, The Who By Numbers is my favourite [Who] album. For me, songs like ‘Imagine A Man’, ‘How Many Friends’ and ‘However Much I Booze’ expose our vulnerabilities, and the album is wonderful for that” ~ ROGER DALTREY
The Who By Numbers, released in early October 1975, is the seventh studio album by The Who and marked a watershed moment for the band, as its songs were, for the most part, more introspective and personal than those they had released previously. The record was a commercial success, peaking at #8 on the US Billboard chart and #7 in the UK, partly due to the success of one of the album’s lighter moments, ‘Squeeze Box’, which became an international hit, reaching the top ten in the UK, top 20 in the US and #1 in Canada.
50 years on, The Who By Numbers is to be reissued this October as a 5CD/1Blu-Ray Super Deluxe Edition boxset featuring a 100-page hard back book with photos, memorabilia and exclusive notes from Pete Townshend and Who expert Andy Neill, 92 unreleased tracks and mixes, brand new Atmos, 5.1 and Stereo mixes by Pete Townshend, 11 of Pete’s original demos for the album, tracking sessions from Ramport and Shepperton Studios, early mixes, guide vocals, the fullest version of Live At the Vetch Field, Swansea, Wales, 12 June 1976 released to date and on the Blu-Ray audio and video from a previously unreleased Who concert shot on 2” videotape from Metropolitan Stadium, Pontiac, Michigan.
The Who’s show at Pontiac, Michigan, on 6 December 1975 set the record at the time for the largest-ever indoor rock concert attendance, with 76,896 people. The entire show has been exhumed from The Who’s archives and professionally cleaned up, with remastered audio. It now stands as one of the few existing visual records of this memorable Who tour, their last with the irrepressible Keith Moon.
Six months later, The Who played three British football grounds under the banner Who Put The Boot In. The first of these, at The Valley, the home of Charlton Athletic, was recognised by the Guinness Book Of World Records as the world’s loudest rock concert. The third show at Swansea FC’s Vetch Field was recorded for a proposed live album, and over the years, songs from the Swansea concert have appeared on official Who releases. Now, the available original mix tapes have been remastered and returned to their original order. The show was Keith Moon’s last proper show before a British audience, capturing the level of performance power The Who attained over the year-long tour.
Produced by Glyn Johns, who had previously worked with the band on their 1971 album Who’s Next, The Who By Numbers, despite its light-hearted John Entwistle-drawn sleeve and massive hit single, features some of the darkest songs ever recorded by the band. This new super deluxe edition sheds light on the making of the album and the state of mind of its composer, Pete Townshend. As he puts it in the 100-page making-of-the-album book that accompanies the box set, “I could feel a new wave or reaction and rebellion coming in the music business, the big bands were becoming careless and self-indulgent. I wanted my songs to continue to have a cathartic function for our audience. When punk hit a few years later, I was not surprised.”
THE WHO – THE WHO BY NUMBERS
SUPER DELUXE EDITION
100-PAGE HARDBACK BOOK AND GATEFOLD DISC HOLDER IN A 12” x 12” HARDBACK SLIPCASEDISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A Man
6. Success Story
7. They Are All In Love
8. Blue Red And Grey
9. How Many Friends
10. In A Hand Or A FaceDISC TWO: PETE TOWNSHEND’S DEMOS
1. Keep Me Turning (Version 1) (Previously Unreleased)
2. Slip Kid (Version 1)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Blue Red And Grey ((Previously Unreleased)
5. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
6. How Many Friends (Previously Unreleased)
7. Keep Me Turning (Version 2) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Imagine A Man (Previously Unreleased)
9. Slip Kid (Version 2) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Round And Round (working title for In A Hand Or A Face) (Previously Unreleased)
11. There Ain’t No Way Out (working title for However Much I Booze)DISC THREE: TRACKING SESSIONS: RAMPORT & SHEPPERTON STUDIOS
1. Ramport Jam (Excerpt) (Previously Unreleased)
2. She Loves Everyone (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Control Myself (Dreaming From The Waist Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
4. There Ain’t No Way Out (However Much I Booze Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Goin’ To Frisco/Round And Round (In A Hand Or A Face Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Hi-Heel Sneakers Jam with Nicky Hopkins (Studio Outtake) (Previously Unreleased)
7. Pete And Keith “The Artiste” (Studio Dialogue) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Success Story (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Imagine A Man (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
11. They Are All In Love (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
12. She Loves Everyone (Retake With Nicky Hopkins) (Previously Unreleased)
13. Squeeze Box (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
14. Instrumental 1 (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
15. I’m Dreaming (Dreaming From The Waist Retake) (Previously Unreleased)
16. Every Minute (Blue Red And Grey Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Instrumental 2 (Rough Mix) (Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
18. The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #1 (Radio Commercial) (Previously Unreleased)DISC FOUR: EARLY MIXES & GUIDE VOCALS
1. Slip Kid – Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix Without Overdubs) (Previously Unreleased)
2. However Much I Booze – Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box – Alternate Roger Vocal (Previously Unreleased)
4. Dreaming From The Waist – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story – John Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love – Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red And Grey (Unedited Version) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
10. In A Hand Or A Face (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
11. They Are All In Love Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
12. Squeeze Box (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
13. Imagine A Man (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
14. They Are All In Love (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
15. How Many Friends (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
16. The Who By Numbers US Radio Spot #2 (Radio Commercial) (Previously Unreleased)
17. Keith Moon And John Entwistle Preview (The Who by Numbers With John Peel, BBC 1975) (Previously Unreleased)
18. However Much I Booze (Live At The Summit, Houston, USA, 20 November 1975) (Previously Unreleased on disc)
19. Slip Kid (Live At Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA, 11 March 1976) (Previously Unreleased)DISC FIVE: LIVE AT THE VETCH FIELD, SWANSEA, WALES, 12 JUNE 1976
1. My Wife
2. Baba O’Riley (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box
4. Behind Blue Eyes
5. Dreaming From The Waist
6. Amazing Journey (Previously Unreleased)
7. Sparks (Previously Unreleased)
8. The Acid Queen (Previously Unreleased)
9. Fiddle About
10. Pinball Wizard
11. I’m Free
12. Tommy’s Holiday Camp
13. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me
14. Summertime Blues (Previously Unreleased)
15. My Generation/Join Together/My Generation Blues (Previously Unreleased)
16. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Previously Unreleased)DISC SIX: BLU RAY
The Who By Numbers
Pete Townshend Atmos Mix (Previously Unreleased)
Pete Townshend 5.1 Mix (Previously Unreleased)
2026 Stereo Mix (Previously Unreleased)1. Slip Kid (Previously Unreleased)
2. However Much I Booze (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box (Previously Unreleased)
4. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red Grey (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Previously Unreleased)
10. In A Hand Or A Face (Previously Unreleased)LIVE AT METROPOLITAN STADIUM, PONTIAC, MICHIGAN, 6 DECEMBER 1975 (VIDEO)*
Unreleased Concert shot on NTSC 2” videotape)
1. I Can’t Explain (Previously Unreleased)
2. Substitute (Previously Unreleased)
3. My Wife (Previously Unreleased)
4. Baba O’Riley (Previously Unreleased)
5. Squeeze Box (Previously Unreleased)
6. Behind Blue Eyes (Previously Unreleased)
7. Dreaming From The Waist (Previously Unreleased)
8. Boris The Spider (Previously Unreleased)
9. Magic Bus (Previously Unreleased)
10. Amazing Journey / Sparks (Previously Unreleased)
11. The Acid Queen (Previously Unreleased)
12. Fiddle About (Previously Unreleased)
13. Pinball Wizard (Previously Unreleased)
14. I’m Free (Previously Unreleased)
15. Tommy’s Holiday Camp (Previously Unreleased)
16. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me (Previously Unreleased)
17. Summertime Blues (Previously Unreleased)
18. My Generation/Join Together/Road Runner/My Generation Blues
19. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Previously Unreleased)*Mono
THE WHO – THE WHO BY NUMBERS
2 CD DELUXE VERSIONDISC ONE: THE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A Man
6. Success Story
7. They Are All In Love
8. Blue Red And Grey
9. How Many Friends
10. In A Hand Or A FaceDISC TWO: SESSIONS, DEMOS & MIXES
1. Slip Kid (Demo)
2. However Much I Booze – Alternate Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
4. Control Myself (Dreaming From The Waist Tracking Session) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Imagine A Man – Pete Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
6. Success Story – John Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
7. They Are All In Love Alternate Roger Vocal (Early Mix) (Previously Unreleased)
8. Blue Red And Grey (Unedited Version) (Previously Unreleased)
9. How Many Friends (Acoustic Stripped Mix, 2026) (Previously Unreleased)
10. Round And Round (working title for In A Hand Or A Face) – Demo (Previously Unreleased)
11. Squeeze Box (Live At Vetch Field, Swansea, 12 June 1976)
12. Dreaming From The Waist (Live At Vetch Field, Swansea, 12 June 1976)
THE WHO – THE WHO BY NUMBERS
3 LP DELUXE VERSIONTHE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED & LIVE AT SWANSEA
SIDE ONE
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A ManSIDE TWO
1. Success Story
2. They Are All In Love
3. Blue Red And Grey
4. How Many Friends
5. In A Hand Or A FaceSIDE THREE
1. My Wife – Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976
2. Baba O’Riley – Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976 (Previously Unreleased)
3. Squeeze Box – Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976
4. Behind Blue Eyes – Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976SIDE FOUR
1. Dreaming From The Waist (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976)
2. Amazing Journey (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976) (Previously Unreleased)
3. Sparks (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976) (Previously Unreleased)
4. The Acid Queen (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976) (Previously Unreleased)
5. Fiddle About (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976)SIDE FIVE
1. Pinball Wizard (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976)
2. I’m Free (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976)
3. Tommy’s Holiday Camp (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976)
4. We’re Not Gonna Take It / See Me, Feel Me / Listening To You (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976)
5. Summertime Blues (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976) (Previously Unreleased)SIDE SIX
1. My Generation/Join Together/My Generation Blues (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976) (Previously Unreleased)
2. Won’t Get Fooled Again (Live at Vetch Field, Swansea 12 June 1976) (Previously Unreleased)
THE WHO – THE WHO BY NUMBERS
THE ORIGINAL 1975 ALBUM REMASTERED ON COLOURED VINYLSIDE ONE
1. Slip Kid
2. However Much I Booze
3. Squeeze Box
4. Dreaming From The Waist
5. Imagine A ManSIDE TWO
1. Success Story
2. They Are All In Love
3. Blue Red And Grey
4. How Many Friends
5. In A Hand Or A FaceTHE WHO
THE WHO BY NUMBERSTHE CLASSIC ALBUM REVISITED AS A
SUPER DELUXE EDITION 5CD/1BLU-RAY SETFEATURING 92 UNRELEASED AUDIO TRACKS, 100-PAGE BOOK
AND NEW PETE TOWNSHEND ATMOS & STEREO MIXESRELEASED 30 OCTOBER
LIMITED EDITION 5CD/1BLU-RAY SUPER DELUXE EDITION
3LP SET, 2CD SET & LIMITED COLOURED VINYL
https://thewho.lnk.to/TheWhoByNumbersHEAR THE PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
‘IMAGINE A MAN ‘- PETE VOCAL (EARLY MIX)
https://thewho.lnk.to/ImagineAMan-EarlyMixABOUT THE WHO
The Who are one of the top three greatest rock legacies in music history, with nine US and 10 UK top ten albums and 14 UK top ten singles.
They have played over well over 2,000 gigs in a career spanning over 50 years, including venues such as Woodstock, Monterey Pop, Glastonbury (twice), Hyde Park (four times), The Isle Of Wight (three times), the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympics, Desert Trip, Shea Stadium, The Superbowl half time show and Live Aid to name but a very few.
Emerging in the mid-1960s as a new and incendiary force in rock n’ roll, their brash style and poignant storytelling garnered them one of music’s most passionate followings, with the legendary foursome blazing a searing new template for rock, punk, and everything after.
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the band has placed 27 top-forty singles in the United States and the United Kingdom and earned 17 Top Ten albums, including the 1969 groundbreaking rock opera Tommy, 1970’s pummelling Live At Leeds, 1973’s Quadrophenia and 1978’s Who Are You. The Who debuted in 1965 with a trio of anthems ‘I Can’t Explain’, ‘Anyway Anyhow Anywhere”’ and ‘My Generation’. Since then, they have brought the world hits such as ‘Pinball Wizard’, ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’, ‘Who Are You’ and ‘You Better You Bet’.
In 2008, they became the first rock band ever to be awarded the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors. The Who has performed all over the world, including global music events for the Super Bowl XLIV Halftime Show in 2010 and closing the Summer Olympics in 2012. The Who continued their charity work by playing a concert in January 2011 to raise money for trials of a new cancer treatment called PDT. In December 2012, they performed at the Hurricane Sandy Benefit in New York.
Alongside his groundbreaking work with the Teenage Cancer Trust in the UK, in November 2012 Daltrey, with Townshend at his side, launched Teen Cancer America.
Both Roger and Pete delivering their own memoirs (Pete’s Who I Am was released to much acclaim in 2012, and Roger’s Thanks A Lot Mr. Kibblewhite; My Story was embraced by critics in 2018) it’s fitting that the two remaining Who members have shared their incredible legacy in literary fashion, for few bands have had a more lasting impact on the rock era and the reverberating pop culture than The Who.
The band released their first new album in thirteen years, the critically acclaimed WHO in 2019 and toured the world with their Moving On! and The Who Hits Back! symphonic shows with a full orchestra, which were commemorated in 2023 with the album The Who With Orchestra Live At Wembley, recorded at London’s legendary Wembley Stadium. 2025 saw The Who say goodbye to their legions of loyal fans in the USA on their The Song Is Over: The North American Farewell Tour, but their music will live on forever.
The post The Who By Numbers Super Deluxe Edition is Coming! appeared first on The Who.
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Swansea Sound announce album, pre-post-truth, and Tour
LTW’s favourite Indie supergroup, Swansea Sound are back with their third album pre-post-truth for release on 13th November and announce a pre Christmas tour Formed during lockdown, the band, Hue Williams (ex-The Pooh Sticks), Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey (Heavenly), Bob Collins (The Dentists) and Ian Button (Death In Vegas, Railcard) recorded three singles without […]
The post Swansea Sound announce album, pre-post-truth, and Tour appeared first on Louder Than War.
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Reviews: The Barbarians Of California, God’s Hate, RAD, Sunscorched (Spike & Matt Bladen)
The Barbarians Of California – Megatons (Villains For Good) [Spike]
Every now and then, an album lands on the desk that completely bypasses your critical brain and hits you straight in the chest. Megatons the second full-length from The Barbarians Of California, is a total riot from start to finish. Behind the wheel are Aaron Bruno (frontman of AWOLNATION) and producer Eric Stenman, but don’t let the mainstream pedigree fool you. This isn’t a glossy side project designed for radio playing; it’s a massive, aggressive slab of metallic hardcore that sounds like a band having the absolute time of their lives.
From the moment The Gnarlycore Class and Vanilla Latte kick down the door, the level of aggression on display is incredible. The riffs are thick, heavy, and played with a lethal amount of groove. But what really sets this record apart is the sheer, unadulterated sense of fun baked into every single bar. At its core, this is big, loud, ridiculously heavy music crafted by musicians who obviously know their way around a song, and it put a massive, unabashed smirk on my face from the first spin. In a genre that can sometimes take itself far too seriously, there’s zero shame in making heavy music that is this enjoyable.
Take a track like Bomb To A Knife Fight, it’s got one of the meanest breakdowns you’ll hear all year, paired with a completely absurd hook that you’ll be shouting around the house for weeks. Then you hit Really Really Rad, which starts as a thrashing, riff-heavy assault before pulling a wild 180 and turning into an electro-dance party at the end. It shouldn’t work, but because they commit to the madness with total conviction, it rips.
By the time you get through the thrashy chaos of Earthquake and the Mario-esque shouting on This Is Shredical, you realise this is an album built entirely for the stage. It’s one of those rare records that instantly made me pull up my browser and start hunting down their touring schedule. You can practically smell the spilled beer and feel the floorboards flexing just listening to it. I want to see and experience these tracks in a packed, sweaty venue as soon as humanly possible.
They even know how to stick the landing. Dropping an acoustic breather like Shark Out Of Water right before the crushing finale of I Am The Submarine shows a band that understands pacing and drama as much as brute force. Megatons is a loud, furious, and joyously unhinged record that proves heavy music can be as fun as it is dangerous. An absolute blast. 9/10
God’s Hate – Won’t Be Disgraced (Closed Casket Activities) [Matt Bladen]
God’s Hate play hardcore. Aggressive, antifascist, straight edge, metallic hardcore that deliberately antagonizes those who try to spread hate, marginalise and generally be horrible human beings.
Musically threatening with songs full of punishing breakdowns, shifting pace and punishing stomps. They’re also physically stacked as Gods Hate were formed by professional wrestler, imposing man mountain and former AEW World Trios and World Tag Team Champion Brody King on vocals and Twitching Tongues frontman Colin Young on drums/vocals.
They live by the credo of Life Is Hard – Be Harder and this is music for the resilient, a call to arms to fight back against oppression of all kinds and when someone like Brody is barking at you, it’s worth listening. Colin sets the blistering pace, locked in with bassist Alec Faber and guitarist Anthonie Gonzalez while brother Taylor (also of Twitching Tongues) gives lead guitar blasts.
Won’t Be Disgraced follows two full length records and while only three tracks long, it begins with a Bolt Thrower-esque grind on the title track, before I Am The Cure crushes with blast beats as the dual vocals used for maximum rage as it builds into a cry of “straight edge” before a disgustingly slow breakdown and solo section ensues which moves to the punishing finale Warriors Will Reign.
God’s Hate then are band who look and sound imposing but have their ideologies aligned in the right way, their music is about triumph over adversity and the only ones that should be scared is if you wear a red cap with snow infamous phrase on it. 8/10
RAD – Rad To The Bone (Self Released) [Matt Bladen]
Gnarly crossover skate thrash now from RAD who bring the spirit of the Californian skate culture to Southern England influenced heavily by Suicidal Tendencies as they play songs that are about the camaraderie of the skate scene along with classic cult films, the sort of thrash meets hardcore that often leads to two-stepping inside the bowl of a skatepark.
Andy Mansell (vocals), Ben Swanson (guitar) Ben Watson (guitar), Warren Bennet (bass) and Kieran Stanley (drums), play music for the escapists, a way to get away from the drudgery of modern life with homages to VHS classics such as Rambo (First Blood), Cyberdyne Systems (Terminator), If It Bleeds (Predator) and Point Break which is possibly the ultimate skate/surf action movie.
They use these cinematic influences to speak about broader issues such as governmental corruption and the influence of technology but it’s all done with thrashy riffs, solo guitar fireworks, hearty chugs and shouted vocals primed for shouting back, as there’s rarely a stop for breath, the six cuts here coming at you like karate kicking madman.
Rad To The Bone and decked out in dayglo shorts and massive white sneakers RAD come straight outta your local skatepark and get radical with this new record. 8/10
Sunscorched – Blood Of The Badlands (Bölverk Collective) [Spike]
One of the best things about Musipedia of Metal is stumbling across something you’d never normally find on your own, only to realize within a track or two that you need to buy a copy for your physical collection immediately. Blood Of The Badlands by Arizona trio Sunscorched is exactly that kind of discovery. Coming off a stack of modern hardcore and metalcore, this record is a complete change of pace and a damn impressive one at that.
Instead of the usual cold, snow-covered Norwegian forests or burning European cathedrals, Sunscorched takes black metal out into the sun-bleached desert. It trades classic goth-black tropes for a cinematic, dusty Western atmosphere where blood, revenge, and the sheer weight of the universe crushing down on an unforgiving landscape. If you’re a fan of bands like Wayfarer, this sits in that same sun-baked territory, but it carves out its own bitter path.
For me, Stranger’s Land is the absolute standout track of the record. It opens with the sound of crackling campfires and distant dogs calling across the dark, setting an outlaw-style acoustic undertone before the heavy riffs drop. The way it transitions with Whiskey And Oak, weaving sharp, abrasive black metal tremolo with that dusty narrative weight is fantastic. You can practically feel the grit in your teeth as the storm rolls in over the ridge.
What gives the record its real spine is how it handles historical grit without relying on theatrical gimmicks. Slaughter At Camp Grant tackles the brutal 1871 massacre of 140 Apache people, delivering a punishing, fast-thrashing assault driven by Austin Kruger’s raw, scraping vocals and Rory James’s battering drum work. It’s bitter, dark, and uncomfortable, exactly as history should sound when set to heavy music.
They aren’t afraid to bring unexpected textures into the noise, either. The Gallows Tree incorporates haunting slide guitar licks beneath a mid-tempo, crushing stomp, while Thousand Year Drought lets Mitch Wilson’s lead guitar spiral into chaotic, blistering solos. By the time the instrumental title track closes things out, surprising you with moody acoustic passages, weeping violins, and a subtle, jazzy swing, you’re left with a record that feels like a complete journey.
Blending the bleak atmosphere of black metal with the unvarnished grit of the American Southwest shouldn’t work this seamlessly, but Sunscorched pulls it off with total conviction. It’s a brilliant, unexpected find and a release I’m genuinely excited to add to my shelf. 9/10 -
Beartooth – ‘Pure Ecstasy’
We might be tempted to call ‘Pure Ecstasy’ a return to form for Beartooth, but what even is the form we’re looking at? After years as the world’s premiere misery merchant, Caleb Shomo took a hard left turn with 2023’s ‘The Surface’ which was, dare we say it, optimistic and full of the hope that the world will become a better place. In the interim between then and now though, the vocalist has opened up about his sexuality and left his marriage, and it’s a truth universally acknowledged that personal turmoil makes for darker records. So, yes, we are back to the Beartooth of a few years ago, and the frustration which permeated their sound is back in force for the fans who like their Beartooth dark and bitter as espresso. But the present state of affairs is far deeper than that. ‘Pure Ecstasy’ is a record for those angry and torn between their commitments and living their truth, and every listen makes it crystal clear exactly when and why Shomo was putting his thoughts to music. It’s like listening to the audiobook of someone’s diary, backed with an unhealthy amount of shred, equal parts inspiring and insightful. We’re there with him for every second of his personal anguish.
The internalised hatred that spews forth in the opening thirty seconds of ‘Pure Ecstasy’ is the sound of someone on the edge of a cliff. “I’m not the battle, I’m the fucking war,” he screams on the title track, and there’s no end to the fighting inside just yet. ‘Stadiums’ is the most Nine Inch Nails moment of the record, all Reznor whispers and unflinching riffs. It might be a bit cliche to be screaming against the “self made prison” of being a successful rock star, but we can forgive the mild hypocrisy when the guitars are this gutsy. The one thing that seemed to flow through Beartooth last time they were this heavy was sadness. With ‘Sorry’, that’s been burned away by rage. No more apologies for being yourself, only fury against the barriers which held you back (even if they’re self-inflicted). These are the songs which are going to resonate for many Beartooth fans.
However, even though the riffs are addictive, there’s a distinctly disjointed quality on each song. The aforementioned ‘Stadiums’ features an ironic baseball organ section, and even the absolutely stirring ‘Beautiful Again’ channels Disney soundtracks on the verses. You could absolutely imagine an animated animal singing a SFW remix of ‘Free’ in front of a castle before setting out on a quest. But that’s what you get when you’re listening to the private, reworked for public consumption: not all of it has to make sense aside from an internal logic. There isn’t a song written for anyone except Shomo himself on this whole record, making the album effectively an update to his own personal emotional bulletin. Perhaps this is the most powerful thread he’s carried through all of his music: his unflinching and admirable commitment to be honest to himself. This spirit finds form in songs like ‘Lose You To Find Me’, Beartooth’s Y2K Emo Moment, and it’s oddly charming to feel their awkward rebirth along with them.
If the fury and conflict sent you into a spin, this record ends with a definitive resolution – a distinct and clear resolution to the entire saga. ‘I Made It’ is the sound of triumph, of burning your bridges to light your way forward. It is the perfect metaphor for the experience of listening to ‘Pure Ecstasy’: yes, it will be a record that burns the bridges for some fans put off by the cute moments and the lack of sadness, but it’s also one that lays a path for fans who love the heavier, conflicted sound, to find their way back home. Now the cards have been reshuffled both personally and musically, the future’s looking vibrant for Beartooth.
Kate Allvey
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Triumph Has Talked About New Music
Gil Moore tells UCR there are a lot of "options" on the table, plus some exciting additions to the next leg of their current reunion tour. Continue reading… -
Europe Release New Single ‘Scandinavian Eyes’
Europe return with another striking glimpse of their forthcoming studio album ‘Come This Madness‘, unveiling the anthemic new single ‘Scandinavian Eyes’, which arrives with a melody that gets under your skin almost immediately. ‘Come This Madness‘ is set for release on September 25th via Silver Lining Music. Pre-orders are available – here. Built around a […]
The post Europe Release New Single ‘Scandinavian Eyes’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.
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OVÁTE – Ανακοίνωσαν το νέο τους άλμπουμ “Rúin”
https://www.metalourgio.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Ovate-768×384.jpg -
Escape The Fate Announce New Album ‘The Last Goodbye’
Escape The Fate have announced the details of their new full-length album ‘The Last Goodbye’, the follow-up to 2023’s ‘Out Of The Shadows’.
The record will be released on October 02 via Big Noise.
The artwork looks like this:
Whilst the tracklisting is more like this:
1. Last Goodbye
2. Comatose
3. Coffin Kingdom
4. Paranoia
5. Idle Potential
6. Déjà Vu
7. Devil In Wait
8. Money Power Fame
9. Hurt
10. Medicine
11. Other Side
12. Bedroom Wall
13. Remedy Of Numbness
You can also check out ‘Paranoia’ right now, serving as the third taste of the record following on from ‘Idle Potential’ and ‘Déjà Vu’.
A vicious blend of classic rock riffing and dramatic metalcore flair, it further extends everything Escape The Fate has become. Bold, brutal and emotionally brash.
Vocalist Craig Mabbitt had this to say about it:
“Paranoia is a deep dive into what’s become a consistent state of mind of mine, putting those feelings into song helps to suppress.”The post Escape The Fate Announce New Album ‘The Last Goodbye’ appeared first on Rock Sound.