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Out NOW Words by: Arlena Laessaari Ukrainian electro-gothic rock outfit Metameria has just released their third full length album, Electro Romantic. Since forming in Kherson in 2015, the project has evolved significantly. Driven by vocalist and multi instrumentalist Ihor Salivanov, the band has recently transitioned into a studio project following his relocation to the United […]

Formed in California in 1981, Metallica was born after Lars Ulrich (drums) posted an advert in a local newspaper to which James Hetfield (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) responded. These two have formed the backbone of the band, along with Kirk Hammet (lead guitar), who replaced original guitarist Dave Mustaine in 1983; Mustaine went on to form Megadeth. The band has had multiple bassists throughout its tenure, including Cliff Burton, Jason Newsted, and current member Robert Trujillo. The band was influenced by acts like Black Sabbath, Queen, and Led Zeppelin, as well as the new wave of British heavy metal bands,

The post Top 10 Metallica Songs appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Love makes junkies of us all, and Mirror Tapes’ debut single, Love Drug, captures how addiction can transform even the best of us. It shows how, in a moment, a responsible adult with good intentions and a working phone charger can become someone rereading old messages like sacred texts, mistaking a stranger’s scent for a sign, taking the long route home past a bar they vowed never to enter again, and reacting to unanswered texts as if it were a medical emergency. Infatuation creates its own chemical concoction: adrenaline, illusion, fear, and the simple thrill of seeing their name appear on your screen. Love Drug embodies that chemical foolishness, shaking it up until its metaphorical cap pops off.

The song has a nicely narcotic pull. The Brooklyn project comes stumbling out of the gate with a droning analogue synth, an acoustic guitar strummed like someone trying to keep their cool at 3 a.m., and then, bang, the machine drums arrive with the brisk indifference of a bill collector. It is post-punk, shoegaze, and neo-psychedelia shoved into the same cab, with everybody arguing over who gets to pick the next bar.

The chorus rises big and bleary, guitars piling up until they form a woozy wall, while the voice treats lost love less like memory than dependency. Romance here has side effects, withdrawal symptoms, and probably a terrible payment plan. You can hear The Dandy Warhols in its louche stretch, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in the black-leather throb, Eels in the damaged-pop aftertaste, and a little Madchester mischief in the way the rhythm seems to have raided the medicine cabinet before finding the dance floor.

The video, directed by Emma Volodchinskaia, takes the song’s premise into Los Angeles nightlife and lets it sweat under cheap light. Shot with an old-school VHS look, it moves through psychedelic fragments, clubland haze, and half-remembered scenes that feel fun even when they seem ready to fall apart in the editing bay. That slight disjointedness works in its favour; heartbreak rarely arrives with a clean storyboard.

Watch the video for Love Drug below:

As debuts go, Love Drug has the good sense to sound a little reckless. Mirror Tapes are already reaching for scale, but the track’s best moments come from its scuffed glamour and bad-idea momentum. The single lands ahead of the band’s live debut on April 25 at Francis Kite Club in New York City, supporting Mark Crozer of The Jesus and Mary Chain, which feels like a properly fuzzy omen.

Listen to Love Drug below:

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The post Brooklyn’s Mirror Tapes Drifts Through Los Angeles Nightlife in Video for Debut Single “Love Drug” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Manchester’s grimmest weekend, Offal Fest 2026, has announced a change of scenery. The festival will no longer be taking place at The Bread Shed and is instead moving over to Boundary (part of The Union) this July. The move was a bit of a forced hand due to some internal maintenance issues at the original … Continue reading Offal Fest doubles capacity with move to Boundary and reveals day splits

The two cringiest dudes in “rock” music are apparently feuding. Despite previous collaborations together, MGK and Yungblud may no longer be friends after the former rapper’s new collab with Fred Durst seemed to diss the British star.

The post Machine Gun Kelly Seemingly Disses Yungblud On New Fred Durst Collab “Fix Ur Face” appeared first on Stereogum.

Some bands come at you like a broken bottle in a back-alley argument; others build their case slow, like a machine assembling itself in front of your eyes while you’re still deciding whether to dance or duck. ADMIN, crawling out of Brooklyn with a pedigree stitched together from Monograms, Grim Streaker, and Balaclava, lands somewhere in that second category, and What Happens feels like the moment the gears finally catch.

The track opens a door into their upcoming EP Mirrored Construct, and you can hear the intent right away: rhythm first, then everything else snaps to attention. Arif Hama’s bass circles and stalks a tight figure that keeps tugging your spine into alignment, while Piyal Basu’s drums hit with a clipped insistence that suggests discipline rather than abandon. Over that, Amelia Hazen’s guitar cuts in angles, jagged but deliberate, leaving space for Ian Jacobs’ synths to smear a cold gloss across the surface. It’s a controlled burn.

There are ghosts in the room: The Fall’s clipped agitation, Gang of Four’s funk-laced groove and taut tension, the long corridors of Chameleons and Franz Ferdinand – ADMIN studied the files and dossiers, then fed them into something leaner, more immediate. Jacobs lays it out plainly: “It was more about locking into a mood,” he says, and then sharpens the idea with, “Something steady, hypnotic but still fully alive.”

That balance is the gamble here: repetition can either numb you or wire you tighter, and ADMIN chooses the latter, riding the groove until it feels like a compulsion. Produced by Jacobs and mixed by Digo Best, with Jeff Berner capturing it at Studio G, the sound holds together with a kind of stern clarity. Nothing spills over, nothing gets indulgent. You feel the pressure in the repetition, the way it coils and recoils, urging movement while keeping a firm grip on its own pulse.

“The song is also about spinning away from the mundane in life and aiming to create something more, focusing on what’s really important. Living. Exploring. Feeling. Getting out of the sedation and routines that are so easy to get caught up in… Cycles that can be broken,” Jacobs adds.

Listen to What Happens below and order the single here.

ADMIN have always seemed built for the stage, where volume and bodies can push this material into something unruly, but What Happens proves they can lock it down in the studio without losing that sense of imminent release. It’s a song about breaking cycle: you have to repeat something long enough before you can finally tear it apart.

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The post Brooklyn Outfit ADMIN Break the Cycle with the Taut Post-Punk Groove of “What Happens” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

This year The Rockpit is catching up with seven bands set to tear up this year’s Mayhem Festival in Nottingham—already shaping up as a strong contender for festival of the year— first up we turn our attention to one of the UK’s most exciting rising acts, South of Salem. Blending gothic overtones with hard rock swagger, the band have been building serious momentum, and their theatrical edge makes them a perfect fit for a festival stage. We spoke to the band ahead of their set to see what’s in store.

What does Mayhem Festival represent for South of Salem?

It’s an awesome event and really shows how the passion and dedication of a great team can create an incredible event with an even more amazing line-up.

What first pulled you into rock and roll?

I grew up with music. My parents were both into 1950s rock n roll and 1980s rockabilly and took me to lots of live shows in London growing up. As I approached my teens I discovered the likes of Alice Cooper, Kiss, Marilyn Manson and Motley Crue and something within their music resonated with me.

How has your sound evolved since your early releases?

My old bands were very punk inspired. Horror and stage theatrics have always been at the core of them but as I became a better song writer and discovered more inspiring bands like KoRn and Motionless in White, the style evolved into its own monster.

What inspired your latest material thematically?

We’re currently working on a new album and I think lyrically, at least, it has been inspired by some negative experiences we’ve gone through as a band, the growing popularity of AI and technology and the violence that the world seems to be experiencing.

How important is the horror aesthetic to your identity?

I have always love horror. My body is covered in horror tattoos and I have a collection of over 3000 horror DVDs. I think my love for horror has definitely shaped my image and what I consider fun (ie horror conventions and cinema trips). I’d happily be in a band that didn’t focus on horror, but I’d be more likely to lose interest.

What’s the darkest song you’ve ever written and why?

A song on the new album that can’t be named just yet. I wrote that after losing a friend, but after the loss of my step-dad the song took on a whole new level of significance.

How do you translate your theatrical style to festivals?

Festivals often give us a bigger stage to play with. We always like bringing the whole show to those kind of gigs because a lot of people won’t be there for us.

What’s your writing process like as a band?

I leave all the bass and drums to Dee and James. They are masters in their craft and always exceed all and every expectation. I am incredibly lucky to work with them. Although I am not an amazing guitarist I tend to write all of the chord structures and vocal melodies and then get a guitarist that knows what they’re doing to flesh it out with lead lines and riffs. On the new album however a lot of the riffs were composed by me due to line-up changes.

What song defines your current chapter?

I would say the title track of our second album Death of the Party. The tongue in cheek title, the dichotomy of good and evil, the punchy riffs, it sums us up pretty well and is a great prelude to what’s coming.

How do audiences respond differently across countries?

Every country seems to enjoy our stage presence and high energy set. I think where lyrics may be lost in translation the riffs do the talking.

What’s the most chaotic live moment you’ve had?

We had a gig where the drum kit started falling apart and the festival stage hand sat staring at it eating a peanut butter sandwich instead of helping. It was quite a challenge to piece together a drum kit that is being hit by James whilst simultaneously trying to sing.

How do you balance fun and darkness in your music?

Much like I balance fun and darkness in life. I poke fun at the bad and enjoy the good. My lyrics are often play on words that blunt the sharp tip of the point I’m making.

Who influenced your stage persona ideas?

Alice Cooper is a big one for me. Off stage I’m really shy and, through a childhood of bullying and belittlement, have a crippling lack of confidence. I chose (like Alice) to put on a stage persona that radiates confidence.

What makes a great South of Salem live set?

The energy and the fact that we genuinely love what we’re doing. People can spot a fake from a mile away.

How do you keep your shows unpredictable?

We’re just us and that in itself is unpredictable. You never know what you’re gonna get with SOS.

What’s your biggest goal for this year?

Finishing our new album. We are buzzing to release this monster of a record.

How do you want people to feel after seeing you live?

Happy. I see music as an escape so I hope people can find that in us.

What’s next after Mayhem Festival?

We have an EU tour with John 5 (ex Marilyn Manson / Rob Zombie and current Motley Crue guitarist) – cannot wait for that and then it’ll be all about the new album.

How has your fanbase evolved?

It’s grown so fast and has a real family atmosphere to it. I think we are starting to see a younger audience find us on their own via Spotify and TikTok etc so that’s very cool.

What keeps your creative fire burning?

My brain doesn’t let me stop. I hate resting and not achieving something. I think if I didn’t have a creative outlet like South of Salem I’d go insane.

What is the meaning of life?

42

If you could be a fly on the wall anywhere in rock history, where would it be?

I’d love to have seen some of the hair/glam metal bands back in they heyday on the Sunset Strip or some of those early Slipknot rehearsals where they were starting to put on masks and getting excited they were onto something big.

What’s the biggest myth about the band?

That we once released a cover of Savage Garden’s ‘To The Moon and Back’… who knows what to believe? Maybe we did, maybe we didn’t.

What should Nottingham expect from your set?

High energy, lots of lights, lots of horror references and 5 of the nicest, approachable and cheerful goths you’ve ever seen.

 

 

Mayhem Rock Festival

 

The post INTERVIEW: South of Salem – Joey Draper appeared first on The Rockpit.

Australian Metal legends Frankenbok will drop their brand new album, The Arriba War Honkle, on May 29 via XMusic. To give you a taste, the first single is a blinder and is aptly titled, F.A.F.O. “F.A.F.O. is a raw, unflinching dive into the disposable whirlwind of modern dating. With razor-sharp riffs and biting satire, the […]

I am the autumn in the scarlet
I am the make-up on your eyes

Grief alters scale. A room becomes a chapel, a shirt becomes a relic, a song once heard in passing acquires the weight of fate. For Be My Wife, the project of the Paris-based creative director Federico Nessi, music arrives with that kind of double exposure: part performance, part offering, part self-invention undertaken at a moment when the old coordinates of a life have given way.

That doubleness gives unusual force to Nessi’s cover of the Breeders’ Off You, a song already marked by frailty, distance, and intimate exhaustion. The circumstances of this recording press close to the skin. “I’m now working on new music and planning some performances in the summer. But in the middle of all this, my father passed away… April 12th would have been his birthday, so I endeavored to develop a cathartic offering to him. I’ve been listening to a lot of Title TK by The Breeders, and Off You is the song I’ve always loved the most off that album. In the last few weeks, I read that the song was written by Kim Deal while she was caring for her sick mother. Having taken care of my father for the past two years, I took that as a sign and decided to make a cover of it for my dad’s birthday. Initially, I wasn’t planning on properly producing it or releasing it, but over the weekend, I kept being sucked deeper and deeper into the creative process.”

The cover recasts Off You through a somber electronic frame that faintly recalls John Foxx’s Metamatic era, with its clean synthetic surfaces, blue-lit remove, and human feeling held just beneath the glass. The video is simple: a one-take performance by Nessi, dressed in his father’s clothing, ending with the lighting of a birthday candle. Yet simplicity here carries unusual pressure. The borrowed garments place memory in plain view; the candle, modest and ceremonial, turns the frame into a site of address. You feel a son reaching across absence with whatever remains at hand: voice, fabric, breath, ritual. The cover honors the Breeders’ original while opening a narrow passage into private mourning, and through that passage, something almost unbearable becomes briefly shareable.

Watch the video for Off You below:

Nessi has spent more than two decades moving through image-making, performance, and the long private apprenticeship of devotion to music, and this venture gathers those experiences into a form at once theatrical and painfully direct. Its sensibility draws from post-punk, no wave, industrial, and goth, yet it also makes room for the suave ache of the classic crooner, for camp wit, for queer contradiction, for the small absurdities by which people survive devastation. The name itself, borrowed from a beloved David Bowie song and a Max Linder film, contains that tension between romance and performance, ardor and artifice.

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The post French Experimental Synthpop Artist Be My Wife Shares Video for Cathartic Cover of The Breeders’ “Off You” appeared first on Post-Punk.com.

Their North American tour with Shadow Of Intent, AngelMaker and Synestia kicks off tonight.

The post Mental Cruelty Launch “Helheim” Live Video From March 2026 Wiesbaden Show appeared first on Theprp.com.