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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OPHIOLATRY CONFIRMED FOR FESTIVAL FRANCO DO ROCK 2026

Canadian/Brazilian Brutal Death Metal Veterans Set to Bring Serpent’s Verdict to One of São Paulo State’s Biggest Free Rock Festivals

The return of Ophiolatry continues to gain momentum.
Fresh off the success of their critically praised comeback album Serpent’s Verdict and their recent signing with the legendary Combat Records, the Canadian/Brazilian brutal death metal force has been officially confirmed to perform at Festival Franco do Rock 2026 on July 26, 2026 , at Parque Municipal Benedito Bueno de Morais in Franco da Rocha, São Paulo, Brazil .
Drawing an estimated 20,000 attendees each year, Festival Franco do Rock has become one of São Paulo state’s premier free rock and metal events. Organized by the City of Franco da Rocha through the Municipal Secretariat of Culture in partnership with Coletivo Franco do Rock , a collective representing more than fifty active local rock bands, the festival has earned a reputation for celebrating and preserving Brazil’s thriving underground rock and metal scene.
For Ophiolatry, the performance represents a homecoming of sorts. Originally formed in Brazil in 1998 before evolving into a Canadian/Brazilian collaboration, the band has spent nearly three decades forging a reputation for uncompromising brutality, technical precision, and deeply rooted artistic vision. Their music blends devastating death metal with themes inspired by indigenous Amazonian spirituality, ancestral struggle, resistance, and spiritual reckoning.
Released through WormHoleDeath Records, Serpent’s Verdict marked the band’s first full-length album in seventeen years and has been widely praised for its relentless intensity and mature songwriting. Featuring thirteen crushing tracks mastered by legendary producer Dan Swanö (Opeth, Dissection, Dark Funeral), the album showcases Ophiolatry at their most focused and devastating.
The band’s current lineup features:
Jaime Verón – Vocals
Jhorge “Dog” Duarte – Drums
Diego Santiago – Bass
Joubert Thaumiel – Guitar
Known for explosive live performances fueled by blistering blast beats, crushing riffs, intricate musicianship, and ferocious vocal delivery, Ophiolatry is expected to deliver one of the festival’s most intense performances as they continue supporting Serpent’s Verdict while preparing for the next chapter under the Combat Records banner.
Fans attending Festival Franco do Rock can expect a set spanning the band’s celebrated catalog alongside material from their acclaimed latest release.
Festival Information
Festival: Festival Franco do Rock 2026
Date: July 26, 2026
Venue: Parque Municipal Benedito Bueno de Morais
Location: Franco da Rocha, São Paulo, Brazil
With renewed international momentum, a growing global fanbase, and one of the strongest lineups in the band’s history, Ophiolatry continues proving that true underground death metal only grows stronger with time.
For interviews, media inquiries, and additional information, please contact:
Email: zach@metaldevastationradio.com


 Contact & Links
Combat Records
https://www.combatrecords.net
https://www.instagram.com/combat_records
https://www.tiktok.com/@combatrecords_offical
info@combatrecords.net
Ophiolatry
https://www.instagram.com/ophiolatry
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063556233508
https://www.youtube.com/@ophiolatryofficial2679
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5X09NvSKxkSu1ohjHQaC0v
https://ophiolatry.com.br
band@ophiolatry.com.br

(DGR is playing the game of review catch-up. Is today’s four-album installment the first inning of nine, or the first half of two? We shall see.) I say this every time I’ve done it in its twice-yearly fashion, but smaller review collections like this are not ones that I feel good about doing. It doesn’t […]

The post CLEARING THE SLATE ISSUE ONE appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

Hey, here’s a good lyric: “I got my own place but got no rent to pay ’cause it turns out the landlord is in prison/ But still when it’s late, I’ll take the B48 down to your house like I’m on a mission.” I love that kind of specificity. That line comes from “I Wanna Be Your Man,” the latest single from the craggy-voiced New York singer-songwriter Hank Heaven. They sing it with conversational ease over a spare acoustic guitar and some slow-swelling strings and woodwinds. I hear a nice contrast between the stately arrangement and Heaven’s dazed drawl.

The post Hank Heaven Announces New EP <em>Welterweight</em>: Hear “I Wanna Be Your Man” appeared first on Stereogum.

For the first time since 2020’s “The End, So Far,” Slipknot are deep into writing a new album — and guitarist Jim Root just confirmed real details for the first time. Speaking on the Ride Bynd podcast, Root revealed the band is working with producer Matt Wallace, best known for his work with Faith No More, with roughly 50 song arrangements already taking shape. It’s the band’s first new material written around drummer Eloy Casagrande, and according to Root, it doesn’t sound like anything Slipknot has done before.

STREAM THE METAL BREAKDOWN DAILY NOW:

Scott Penfold gives his honest take on today’s episode: why Eloy Casagrande might be the single biggest creative shot in the arm Slipknot has gotten in a decade, and what “sounds like nothing I’ve ever heard before” actually means coming from a guy who’s written riffs for this band for 25 years. Download the free Loaded Radio App on Apple iOS and Google Play to stream it live.

How Slipknot Is Actually Writing This Record

Loaded Radio has been tracking this album cycle since March, when Root first confirmed the band had paused touring entirely to focus on writing — six arrangements in hand at the time, with a stated goal of 20 to 25 before pre-production. That number has since roughly doubled. Root described the actual writing process as close to a garage-band jam session: two-hour sessions that yield three or four usable song ideas, with percussionist Clown arranging the raw material into finished structures. “It’s so organic and it’s so real,” Root said. “It’s almost frightening.”

Why Eloy Casagrande Changes Everything

The through-line in everything Root says about this album is Eloy Casagrande. The former Sepultura drummer officially joined Slipknot in April 2024, and this is the first full album written specifically around what he brings to the kit. Root’s praise for him borders on reverent: he compared Casagrande’s discipline to a martial arts master, and said his range of influences — from deep technical drumming to Police drummer Stewart Copeland-style feel — keeps pushing the material somewhere new. “I’m learning shit from him, too,” Root admitted.

Also Recommended – Slipknot Albums Ranked: Every Masked Masterpiece From Worst to Best

What It Actually Sounds Like

Slipknot spent much of the last two years leaning into nostalgia, touring behind the 25th anniversary of their 1999 self-titled debut. Root was direct about the new material not following that same path: “The new shit we’re writing does not sound like that at all. We’re not de-evolving into that sort of thing.” Instead, he described a record pulling in multiple directions at once — some of the fastest, most technical riffing he’s written, alongside genuinely melodic, almost Pink Floyd-adjacent clean passages. “This is the closest I’ve heard to the music that I can hear in my head that I can’t get out that I’ve ever been,” Root said. “And it’s exciting.”

The Lineup Question Nobody’s Answered Yet

One thing conspicuously unresolved: Slipknot still hasn’t officially named a permanent replacement for former sampler and keyboardist Craig Jones, who departed in 2023. The role has been filled live by an unidentified masked member, with fan speculation pointing toward Jeff Karnowski, a past collaborator of Clown’s from his pre-Slipknot project Dirty Little Rabbits — but nothing’s been confirmed. Whether that member factors into the new album’s writing process remains an open question heading into this next era.

Slipknot Members 2026: Current Lineup And Who’s In The Band Now

TL;DR

• Jim Root confirmed Slipknot has roughly 50 song arrangements in progress for their next album
• Producer is Matt Wallace, known for his work with Faith No More
• It’s the first Slipknot album written specifically around drummer Eloy Casagrande
• Root says the new material doesn’t resemble the band’s 1999 self-titled era at all
• No album title, tracklist, or release date has been announced
• Slipknot’s touring schedule remains empty, with the band’s full focus on writing

FAQ

Fifty arrangements and counting — what era of Slipknot are you hoping this new album channels? Let us know in the comments. Follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Jim Root Says New Slipknot Music Already Has 50 Arrangements In The Works — And It Sounds Like Nothing They’ve Made Before appeared first on Loaded Radio.

We named Man/Woman/Chainsaw a Band To Watch two years ago, and the singles from their debut album Cannonball have been validating that choice. The young London group plays artsy, orchestrally infused alt-rock — not unlike their forebears Black Country, New Road, but with less theater-kid energy and more of a pleasing radio-friendly edge. This week they’ve added one last single to a list that already includes “Only Girl,” “Nosedive,” “Get Up And Dance,” and “Goddamn, Lizard Man!“

The post Man/Woman/Chainsaw – “Something Else To Give” appeared first on Stereogum.

Photo courtesy Martha Reeves Martha Reeves has spent more than six decades giving people reasons to dance. Her voice powered Motown landmarks like “Dancing in the Street,” “Heat Wave,” “Jimmy Mack,” and “Nowhere to Run,” songs that still spill from radios and playlists with enough spark to lift a room. Now, as she approaches her […]

Elvis Presley’s recorded catalog is one of the largest and most varied in popular music, moving from Sun Records rockabilly and rhythm and blues to movie soundtracks, gospel, country, Christmas music, home recordings, rehearsals, and commanding live performances. This complete A-to-Z guide brings together the songs, alternate performances, informal recordings, and archival releases represented across his career. Elvis Presley was born on January 8, 1935, in Tupelo, Mississippi. Raised in a close-knit family, he absorbed gospel music in church and heard country, blues, and rhythm and blues throughout the South. After his family moved to Memphis in 1948, those influences

The post Complete List Of Elvis Presley Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

The latest single from Pink Eye Club, Windmill scene mainstay and disco luminary Haydn Davies, reminded me that I have an unfinished podcast I must listen to. The other day I started listening to Dr. Laurie Santos’ latest hot take on her podcast The Happiness Lab, which eloquently broke down why small talk sucks. Now Davies’ new track — which previews his forthcoming album Emotional Dance Music, due out in October — made a spunky soundtrack for this opinion.

The post Pink Eye Club – “Small Talk” appeared first on Stereogum.

It has been 46 years since Liverpool lads Echo & The Bunnymen started making theatrically bummed-out psychedelic goth-pop anthems, and they aren’t done quite yet. For half a decade, Echo & The Bunnymen have been talking up a new studio album, their first record of new material since 2014’s Meteorites. (They also dropped a collection of re-recordings called The Stars, The Oceans & The Moon in 2018, but that’s not what we’re talking about here.) Now, they’re finally ready to announce the impending arrival of that album, which is called Apples For Isaac.

The post Echo & The Bunnymen Announce First New Album In 12 Years <em>Apples For Isaac</em>: Hear “Brussels Is Haunted” appeared first on Stereogum.

– July 16th, 2026 –

“The Pulse of Annihilation” Full-Length To Drop This Friday On Metal Blade Records!

Watch/stream PSYCROPTIC’s “Ashes Of A New Dawn” HERE

“Ashes Of A New Dawn” is the latest single from technical death metal architects PSYCROPTIC. The track, and accompanying video, comes off the band’s new full-length, The Pulse Of Annihilation, set to drop this Friday, July 17th on Metal Blade Records.

Comments bassist Todd Stern, “Loooooove this song. It’s the type of song that gives you imagery as you listen. Slow, melty intro… next thing you know you have to run for your life. Great moments of intensity, all in good fun. It’s aggressive as fuck but it’s also like a party song! Highly recommended.”

Adds vocalist Jason Peppiatt, “Lyrically, this song is kind of a sequel to ‘Ashes Of Our Empire’ off the Divine Council album but musically it’s a total Joe Haley riff fest!“

Watch PSYCROPTIC‘s “Ashes Of A New Dawn” video HERE

Watch PSYCROPTIC‘s previously released video for “Gathering A Venomous Herd,” HERE and “No Blade Of Grass” HERE

Photo by Rae Chatten

Across The Pulse of Annihilation, PSYCROPTIC sounds focused, disciplined, and fully aware of their trajectory. Complexity remains foundational, but it is now guided by compositional restraint and veteran confidence. With this release, the band reaffirm their status not merely as technical death metal stalwarts, but as architects actively shaping its future, proving that mastery, sharpened by time, only grows more lethal.

Notes Stern, “My favorite thing about the catalog of this band is that it truly gets more mature with each release. Our newest material is the most ‘grown,’ so to speak. This record maintains the razor-sharp wit that PSYCROPTIC is kinda known for, but it also has this element to the song writing that feels a bit more masterful than ever before. Hopefully everyone is as excited to hear The Pulse Of Annihilation as we are to share it with the world!!“

In advance of its release, The Pulse Of Annihilation will be streaming in its entirety on YouTube tonight, July 16th at 7:00pm PT / 10:00pm ET where fans can join the band in a live chat! Stop by HERE and join the fun!

The Pulse Of Annihilation features cover art by Belial Necroarts (Gaerea, In Aeternum) and will be available on digipak CD and digital formats as well as vinyl in the following color variants:

World Ablaze (Tiger’s Eye) – (US)
Sleepy Hollow (Radioactive Dust) – (US)
180g Black – (EU – Ltd. 500)
Barren Waste (Swamp Green Gold Melt) – (EU – Ltd. 250)
Fires Of Time (Gold Black Splatter) – (EU – Ltd. 250)

Find all pre-orders at: metalblade.com/psycroptic

In celebration of the record’s release, PSYCROPTIC will host a special Reddit AMA on Friday, July 17th at 6:00pm PT / 9:00pm ET at THIS LOCATION. Don’t miss it!

The Pulse Of Annihilation Track Listing:
01. Ashes of a New Dawn
02. Gathering a Venomous Herd
03. A Sword of Me
04. No Time for the Weak
05. Our Pillars Fall
06. Annihilation Pulse
07. No Blade of Grass
08. To Embrace This Curse
09. Forging the Crown

PSYCROPTIC will join labelmates Rivers Of Nihil for a short run of Australian dates with support provided by Growth and Slaughtercult. From there, PSYCROPTIC will unite with The Zenith Passage (also on Metal Blade) for four shows in Japan. See all confirmed dates below and stay tuned for additional live dates to be announced in the weeks to come.

PSYCROPTIC w/ Rivers Of Nihil, Growth, Slaughtercult:
8/13/2026 Magnet House – Perth, AU
8/14/2026 Lion Arts – Adelaide, AU
8/15/2026 Max Watts – Melbourne, AU
8/21/2026 Manning Bar – Sydney, AU
8/22/2026 Necrosonic Festival – Brisbane, AU

w/ The Zenith Passage:
8/24/2026 Socore Factory – Osaka, JP
8/25/2026 3Star Imaike – Nagoya, JP
8/26/2026 Space Odd – Tokyo, JP
8/27/2026 Space Odd – Tokyo, JP

For over two decades, PSYCROPTIC has operated at the vanguard of technical death metal, defined by instrumental precision, structural intelligence and an uncompromising creative ethic. From their Tasmanian origins to commanding stages worldwide, the band have built a reputation on rhythmic complexity, exacting musicianship, and a refusal to plateau.

At the core of this next phase is guitarist and principal songwriter Joe Haley. Over time, Haley’s compositional voice has evolved from pure technical density into something more architecturally deliberate. On The Pulse Of Annihilation, riff construction feels sharper, transitions more fluid, and thematic motifs more intentional. Haley’s writing demonstrates a seasoned understanding of pacing-knowing when to constrict, when to expand, and how to weaponize silence and space within otherwise relentless arrangements. Experience has not diminished intensity; it has refined its delivery.

The record features the dual-vocal assault of Jason Peppiatt and Jason Keyser (Origin), a partnership that debuted on PSYCROPTIC‘s previous full-length, Divine Council. Peppiatt’s commanding growl intertwines with Keyser’s razor-edged articulation, creating a dynamic vocal interplay that adds dimension and contrast to the band’s dense instrumentation. This twofold approach heightens the record’s impact, featuring layered, confrontational elements that remain tightly synced with the band’s intricate foundation.

“…an outstanding addition to their legacy, one that both exemplifies and builds on their musical talent without ever losing what makes them a unique band in the local and international scene.” – Wall Of Sound

“…exactly what a veteran band should sound like: confident, focused and inspired. Rather than chasing trends or attempting a dramatic reinvention, PSYCROPTIC double down on their greatest strengths -world-class riff writing, elite musicianship, and impeccable songwriting. The result is an album that stands comfortably alongside the finest releases in their catalogue and may ultimately be remembered as one of the defining technical death metal records of 2026.” – Metal-Roos

“…these Tasmanian juggernauts have delivered something special on The Pulse Of Annihilation. That pulse grows faster every day, never knowing when the tipping point will inevitably come and the annihilation of the world we know, and love, mostly, will begin our abrupt and bloody end. The world is facing its toughest battle yet. The survival of humanity rests upon the shoulders of the very people who want to see us annihilated. We are the pulse. They are annihilation. This album kicks ass.” – Crannk

“Where sheer density once dominated, a clearer structural approach now prevails: riffs land with greater precision, and transitions flow more organically. Even amidst the complexity, there is room for dynamics and deliberate moments of calm. This controlled approach sacrifices none of the music’s intensity; instead, it makes it more impactful.” – Deaf Forever

“The Pulse Of Annihilation demonstrates that brutality and technical sophistication can be a blast. Lean, hard-hitting tracks like ‘Ashes Of A New Dawn,’ ‘Gathering Of A Venomous Herd,’ ‘No Blade Of Grass,’ and ‘To Embrace This Curse’ combine blistering precision with genuine impact.” – Metal Hammer (DE)

“…beyond their resilience and staying power, PSYCROPTIC has come to realize that speed isn’t always about tempo, nor technicality solely about riff writing… Pacing and timing are as crucial to the band as their awareness of when to pull back or push forward. They carefully choose bass frequencies to enhance or diminish impact and utilize space to build tension in songs designed to intensify and overwhelm. While a steady, relentless percussion anchors the sound, dual vocals, guttural and sharp, add nuanced interplay that reflect the undulating moods created through perception and grace. During moments without blast beats, guitar riffs feature well-placed notes that feel natural rather than shoehorned in.” – Asphyxium

“…like a ball of steel rubber bands that if you agitate, it will explode. Long time fans will not be disappointed with the high level of energy and aggression on the album, and their musicianship might win them over some new fans also.” – Metal Temple

“An album of intricate, complex, and, above all, exciting guitar riffing.” – Metal Addicts

“…how brutally heavy music should sound.” – Devolution Magazine

“Fingers and limbs fly at high speed as if with accelerated insectile minds of their own, discharging demented and diabolical flurries of sound accentuated by rapidly pulsating thrusts and knee-capping beats.What a riff-packed thrill-ride this is, but that will come as no surprise to the band’s fiendish fans. It’s also infectious despite its brain-scrambling effects, but that’s no surprise either, is it?” – No Clean Singing on ‘Gathering A Venomous Herd’

PSYCROPTIC:
David Haley – drums
Joe Haley – guitars
Todd Stern – bass
Jason Peppiatt – vocals
Jason Keyser – vocals

https://www.psycroptic.com
https://www.facebook.com/psycroptic
https://www.instagram.com/psycroptic_official
https://www.nightshiftmerch.com/collections/psycroptic
https://www.impericon.com/collections/psycroptic

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