Blog

Norwegian chameleon rejected the nation’s controversial black metal scene, then rejected his record label, and recently rejected synthpop. Now he’s rejected the tragedy of the band’s past – and partying too – to embrace freedom instead

(Here’s Wil Cifer’s review of the latest album, released last week via Flatspot Records, by the L.A. hardcore band Terror.) Yeah, I know this is a metal blog, but Terror crosses over enough to give hardcore-leaning headbangers what they are looking for. The focused intention this album (Still Suffer) hits you with is something that […]

The post TERROR: “STILL SUFFER” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Hell-Born Unleash New Single “In Scarlet and Death” + Pre-Orders Now Live for Upcoming Album “VII”
Polish blackened death metal veterans Hell-Born return with a vengeance, announcing their long-awaited new full-length album “VII” , set for release this July via Odium Records .
Leading the charge is the band’s first video single, “In Scarlet and Death” , a crushing preview of what promises to be their most ambitious and ominous material to date. Watch it now:

Originally formed in 1996 by Baal and Les , both associated with extreme metal giants Behemoth , Hell-Born have spent decades carving out their own legacy with a relentless blend of old-school black and death metal. With “VII” , they push their sound even further into dark, apocalyptic territory.
The album features seven tracks of punishing, no-nonsense black/death metal, laced with the eerie melodic touches the band is known for. Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Creme de la Creme Studio, “VII” stands as the band’s most complex and foreboding release to date.
Pre-orders are now live:
https://www.odiumrex.com/webshop
https://odiumrecords.bandcamp.com
Available formats include:
CD — 12-panel deluxe digipack in the shape of an inverted cross
LP — gatefold, heavy black vinyl
Vinyl Wooden Box — LP, CD, T-shirt, patch, and certificate (limited to 50 copies)
CD Wooden Box — CD, patch, and certificate (limited to 50 copies)
This isn’t some polished, overproduced trend-chasing record. This is the real deal. Raw, sinister, and built for diehard fans who still remember what extreme metal is supposed to feel like.
For fans of: Behemoth, Vader, Marduk, Immolation, Belphegor
If you’ve been waiting for something that hits like the late 90s but still sounds alive in 2026, “VII” is shaping up to be exactly that.

Stay connected:
https://www.facebook.com/officialHellborn
https://www.instagram.com/hellbornofficial
https://www.odiumrex.com
https://www.facebook.com/odiumrex
https://www.instagram.com/odiumrecords
https://www.odiumrecords.bandcamp.com
https://www.youtube.com/odiumrec
Contact: info@odiumrex.com

In a startlingly raw and emotional admission, Gene Simmons has opened up about the “dark cloud” that followed the late Ace Frehley for five decades. Appearing on the Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast this week, the KISS bassist and mogul didn’t hold back, confessing that the band’s decision to hide Frehley’s addiction from the fans was “stupid and shameful.” Months after the “Spaceman” tragically passed away on October 16, 2025, Simmons is finally speaking his truth—revealing that while the world saw a guitar god, he saw a “disease” that he should have fought harder to stop decades ago.

The Gene Simmons / Ace Frehley Confession: The Cheat Sheet

• The Venue: Inside Of You With Michael Rosenbaum podcast (April 2026).
• The Admission: Simmons regrets not staging an intervention for Ace Frehley decades ago.
• The “Shame”: Gene calls the band’s decision to “make believe” everything was okay at home a “shameful” mistake.
• The Ace Legacy: Despite their friction, Gene acknowledges Ace as a massive influence on legends like Eddie Van Halen and Tom Morello.
• The Tragedy: Ace Frehley died October 16, 2025, at age 74 due to blunt-trauma head injuries from an accidental fall.

The “Jekyll and Hyde” Reality of KISS

For 50 years, the friction between Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley was the stuff of rock and roll legend. But according to Simmons, the fans only ever saw half of the story. Comparing the band’s dynamic to a fractured household, Gene noted that while fans “love mom and dad,” they didn’t see the reality of why “dad” (Ace) was repeatedly kicked out of the house.

“It’s been up and down for 50 years with Ace,” Simmons told Rosenbaum. “When he’s straight—lovable, everything’s great. And when the stuff started to take hold, it was Jekyll and Hyde.” Simmons detailed how Ace would frequently fail to show up for recording sessions—even as far back as the Destroyer era—leaving the band to headline massive events like the Eurovision contest as a trio.

We Also Recommend – The Demon’s Dirty Secrets: 13 Gene Simmons Facts That Prove He’s Rock’s Ultimate Marketing Genius

The Intervention That Never Happened

Perhaps the most haunting part of the interview was Gene’s admission of personal regret. He revealed that even when Ace was at his most unreliable—once telling Gene, “If I don’t leave the band and if I do another tour, I’m gonna kill myself”—the band chose to keep up appearances for the sake of the brand.

“I should have, decades ago, took him aside—it’s called an intervention—and forced him to understand he’s not just hurting himself… but his family, his child and the fans,” Gene confessed. “It was a stupid and shameful decision on all our parts—I know mine too—to make believe he’s in the band and everything’s okay.”

The Legacy of the Spaceman

Despite the internal chaos, Gene was quick to defend Ace’s place in the pantheon of guitar heroes. He noted that guitarists from Eddie Van Halen to Tom Morello “cut their teeth” listening to Ace. Gene even shared a touching memory of how happy Ace was to learn KISS had been honored with the Kennedy Center Honors—a ceremony Frehley was looking forward to attending just before his death.

Even in their darkest moments, the two remained connected. “He’d call and ask for my favor: ‘Can you come up and write some songs with me?’ At the height of me telling him, ‘You’re a moron’… I got in my car, drove out to the desert where he was, and we wrote two new songs.”

Check This Out – KISS TO RELEASE NEW MUSIC: Gene Simmons Details 2028 Las Vegas Avatar Residency & ‘Mind-Blowing’ 4D Technology

The Final Curtain: Remembering Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley

Ace Frehley’s death on October 16, 2025, was officially ruled an accident by the Morris County Medical Examiner. The report confirmed that the 74-year-old suffered a stroke followed by a catastrophic fall in his home studio, resulting in blunt-trauma head injuries. He passed away surrounded by family after being removed from life support.

The Static & The Signal

Gene Simmons’s latest comments aren’t just about band drama; they are a stark reminder of the “hidden price” of rock and roll fame. For decades, KISS was a “merchandising machine” that required a united front, but Gene’s admission proves that the machine often ran at the expense of its members’ well-being. As the rock world continues to mourn the first loss among the four founding KISS members, Simmons’s words serve as a final, bittersweet apology to a “surrogate brother” he wishes he had saved.

The post SHAMEFUL AND STUPID: Gene Simmons Admits Failure to Save Late KISS Icon Ace Frehley appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Posted on April 29th 2026, 3:50p.m.

Woodsist, the record label run by upstate New York psych-folk institution Woods, has revealed the lineup for its annual autumn get-together, the Woodsist Festival. This year’s fest will take place Sept. 26 and 27 at Arrowood Farms in Accord, NY, headlined by ultra-mercurial cult favorites Destroyer and Cate Le Bon.

The post Woodsist Festival Announces 2026 Lineup With Destroyer, Cate Le Bon, & More appeared first on Stereogum.

Thinking too much about certain songs misses the forest for the trees. If the forest is on fire, don’t be busy counting how many spirals are on a stump. Shewolff’s latest single “Nails + Burn” is one of those tracks. It comes from the Belgian group’s thought-provokingly titled mini-LP WE’RE ALL GONNA FUKKIN’ DIE, releasing next month through Dying Victims Productions and De Pankraker Records. Though identifiably heavy metal, Shewolff adopt the punk desire to express oneself in the simplest term possible. The riff and structure is so basic you can see why Shewolff brings to mind 80s rough-and-tumble metal acts and why such a framework is strong 40 years later. While there’s a reflex to call Shewolff’s particular punk and heavy metal hybrid thrash metal, that incorrectly asserts that there’s a higher level of cognitive functioning they are accessing. No, “Nails + Burn” deliberately shuts its brain off to focus on raw power. Cavemen created fire with sticks and stones; Shewolff recreated it with bass, drums, and guitar. Listen to the track below.

…

…

WE’RE ALL GONNA FUKKIN’ DIE releases May 22 via Dying Victims Productions and De Pankraker Records.

Expanded Still Shinin' On shows come with news that singer Max Carl is retiring. Continue reading…

The post Album Review: Lair Of The Minotaur – I Hail I appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Kevin Morby is about to become a dad, and he’s also about to release Little Wide Open, the new album that he recorded with super-producer and the National member Aaron Dessner. I have heard Little Wide Open, and it rocks. You might’ve heard some of it, too, since Morby has shared singles like “Die Young”…

The post Watch Kevin Morby’s Flowery <em>Kimmel</em> Performance With Sylvan Esso’s Amelia Meath appeared first on Stereogum.