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Posted on April 23rd 2026, 1:00p.m.

The Ramones, as a band, just missed the rise of the internet as a tool to connect with their fans, when they called it quits in 1996. However, their fans have used it as a way to document their love and devotion for the band. Jenn Beckwith has compiled a book that’s part band history and retrospective, powered by and for fans of NYC’s greatest export.

Plenty of words have been written about the Ramones over the last fifty years by critics. In the case of All Good Cretins Go To Heaven, it’s all about the fans whose participation helped make this book possible. While Ramones books in general will have crossover with each other, this book seems to fill the gaps more than most. It jumps around a lot, but it works because of the way it’s organized. It feels like a Ramones song: regimented but efficient.

Starting with a foreword written by Rock ‘n’ Roll High School director Allan Arkush’s memories of working with the Ramones, All Good Cretins Go To Heaven delves into the lives of Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy before they adopted their monikers. Their early history may seem deceptively simple, but there is so much to cover between their origin and the tension they sometimes felt for each other. Although the section is slim and repeats a good number of familiar facts, the context is still important to understand the extent of Ramonesmania. 

Each band member also receives a page and a half dedicated to them and their tenure in the band. No Ramone is left out, including Clem Burke’s very short stint as Elvis Ramone. An endearing part of this book is the chapters on Ramones fans sharing their pictures and stories about members of the band throughout the years, along with some fan art and Ramones-inspired bands like the hockey-themed Hanson Brothers and the baseball-themed Urban Outfielders, as well as many tribute bands.

Beckwith also delves into what makes a Ramones song and how their influences were the building blocks for their songs. While it may seem odd to see comparisons to Shakespeare and Aristotle, they serve as a good setup for the Ramones’ ideology, which is also discussed. This section functions as more of a dissection than a deep dive that approaches their framework without fully excavating their inner workings. It almost feels like the psychology of the band more than anything. This isn’t your regular book about a band you love. At times, the level of detail borders on what would almost feel like a stalker’s notebook if all of this info wasn’t already part of the Ramones’ public lore.

My one complaint is that there aren’t very many acknowledged blemishes. If you pick up this book, you probably know what these familiar warts are. While a few things are mentioned, a lot of the band’s documented tension remains untouched. Maybe it wasn’t always relevant to the narrative of this book, but these things still happened. A band with that long of a tenure is certain to have something in their past that should be acknowledged.

 All Good Cretins Go To Heaven is a 280-page love letter to one of punk rock’s first and finest. Between the number of pictures and the book’s fast pace, Jenn Beckwith’s book is a quick read. Releasing on the fiftieth anniversary of the Ramones’ self-titled debut, it’s a must-have for that obsessive Ramones fan in your life. Pick it up today at the Diwulf Publishing’s website.

In wake of their upcoming studio release Shadows And Dust, set to hit the streets on June 6th, Canadian heavy metallers Iron Kingdom offer in listening the second new track in preview “Blood And Steel”.
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Pre order now here : judaspriest.lnk.to/TheBestOfJP Judas Priest today announce the upcoming release ‘The Best Of Judas Priest’, a career spanning collection celebrating one of the most influential and enduring […]

The post JUDAS PRIEST – ‘THE BEST OF JUDAS PRIEST’ OUT JUNE 19th 2026 appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.

TUSKALIVE : KREATOR EXODUS CARCASS NAILS ICEHALL HELSINKI FINLAND THE 21st OF APRIL 2026 The “Klash of the Titans” thrash package arrived in Finland. Nearly […]

The post Kreator Carcass Exodus Nails : IceHall Helsinki Finland appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.

After the phenomenal success of Iowa, Slipknot took a break. But where there had once been unity, there was now conflict. Yet they produced something that defied any expectations…

Slift reveal 2026 tour itinerary

German death-doom outfit Décembre Noir has received a fair amount of praise here over the years, with four of their five albums garnering ‘Great’ to ‘Good’ ratings from three of AMG’s finest—Madame X, Huck N’ Roll and, most recently, Ferox, whose review of 2023’s Your Sunset | My Sunrise cited a band that may be resting on laurels, perhaps having lost touch with its muse. Whether those issues led Sebastian Görlach, founding guitarist and one of two main songwriters, to depart the band in the Spring of 2024 is unclear. It is, however, germane since he has returned with a new death doom project, Avertat, and a debut album, Dead End Life. While Görlach admits it was hard to walk away from his “baby,” Avertat offers him the opportunity to reunite with “the same forces that have always defined his relationship with metal: emotional truth, atmospheric depth, and the ability to transform darkness into sound.” All that’s left to decide is whether Avertat, and more importantly, Dead End Life, has any future.

On Dead End Life, Avertat draws from the same well of desolate darkness that Décembre Noir has plumbed for years. Add a fair amount of My Dying Bride to the mix, and you can sense what Avertat is about. From skins to strings, Görlach impressively handles all of Dead End Life’s instrumental responsibilities, even contributing his own deathly growls—here, a satisfying mix of Mikael Akerfeldt and Lars Dotzauer.¹ Tracks adhere to a tried-and-true formula, oscillating between speedier, chug-heavy melo-death (“Your Hate,” “The Sea”) and slower-paced, melancholic doom (“[7],” “Call to Death”). And while the addition of clean vocals is hardly groundbreaking, the crisp, prog-poppy tones of non-metal newcomer Enrico Langguth—eerily reminiscent of Tim Charles (Ne Obliviscaris)—are refreshing and bright, serving as a dynamic counterpoint to Görlach’s gruffness.² Langguth’s emotively hopeful delivery both assuages and drives home the pain of Dead End Life’s deeply emotional stories, which are as heavy as Avertat’s music.

Avertat wastes no time getting down to its bleak, loss-is-life business. Album opener “Your Hate” sets the tone, its chunky, angry riffs, razor-sharp leads, and driving drum beats employed to tell the story of an abused child grown up to take care of his abusive parent as Görlach roars the lyric, “Whenever your hand rises, time blurs within me, I am the child that endures it,” before pleading, “When will you stop, when will you stop living?” This anguish cedes to another as the beautiful piano intro of “[7]” introduces us to the painful tale of Marianne Bachmeier.³ Doomy chords and lilting leads are the backdrop as Langguth croons a mother’s lament, “Seeking out for her smile, I always search for her hand, always held onto her so close”⁴ before death-heavy riffs and Görlach’s growls come crashing in, “Every shot looses the chains, gifts me freedom for the moment,” reflecting a mother’s vigilante-fueled grief and anger. Whether it’s the Line of Deathless Kings-like lilting leads and doomy riffs of “Call to Death” and “Last Request,”—the former a song about war as told through the eyes of war, replete with some Bolt Throwerish chugs—or the long-form doom-goodery of “My Blood,” recounting a father’s pride, Avertat packs a wallop.

Barely shy of 39 minutes, Avertat doesn’t loiter, and despite the brevity of this kind being rare in the genre, it definitely increases Dead End Life’s replay value. In fact, as the final strains of “Last Request” faded from my speakers, I found myself longing for another song, settling instead to start Dead End Life again. Görlach’s production—yes, he produced Dead End Life too—is warm and enveloping, leaving little for me to quibble with. I suppose, if pressed, I could say I connected least with the blast beats of “The Sea,” as they ran rampant under slower-paced guitars and vocals, but honestly, ’twas a small thing. I just wish there was MOAR!

Avertat delivers a heartfelt experience on Dead End Life, rife with emotional and musical heaviness—elevated by the back-and-forth vocal trade-offs of Görlach and Langguth. While I can’t pontificate on Décembre Noir’s future without Sebastian Görlach, I can absolutely say that Avertat’s future looks bright, despite a recipe that peddles in darkness. I will absolutely be here for whatever comes next, and so too should you.

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Rating: 3.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320kbps mp3
Label: Lifeforce Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 24th, 2026

The post Avertat – Dead End Life Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

On the 28th of August 2026, hard rockers Airbourne will return with their sixth full-length instalment dubbed Airbourne. Recorded by Mike Fraser, mixed by Zakk Cervini, and mastered byTed Jensen. To promote the new offering, the band presents a video clip for the first single “Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)”.
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German black metal act Nargaroth is premiering “Twisted Steel”, the second single off their next studio record Apocalyptic Steel. The latter comes out on June 26th, 2026 via Season Of Mist.
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