New Brunswick’s own Jon Mckiel is about to loop back into our lives. The sample-based singer-songwriter is set to follow up 2024’s Hex this September with new album Gold Horatio.
The post Jon Mckiel Announces New Album <em>Gold Horatio</em>: Hear “Rosemary” appeared first on Stereogum.
Most readers know Edgar Allan Poe as the master of ravens, haunted chambers, and doomed lovers. What many overlook is that Poe may have been just as influential as a literary theorist as he was as a poet. Long before creative writing programs, literary manifestos, or modern discussions about artistic intention, Poe developed a radical theory of poetry that would reshape the way poets approached language, emotion, and artistic structure.
Today we often assume poetry should express personal feelings, political beliefs, social concerns, or autobiographical experiences. Poe disagreed. He believed poetry served a very different purpose. For him, the highest goal of verse was not truth, morality, or instruction. It was beauty.
This idea sounds deceptively simple. In reality, it helped transform modern poetry. From the French Symbolists to modern songwriters, from T.S. Eliot to countless Gothic and alternative artists, Poe’s theories changed how generations of writers understood the relationship between language, emotion, and imagination.
To understand Poe’s influence, we must first understand the literary world he challenged. During the nineteenth century, many critics believed poetry should elevate society through moral instruction. Literature was often expected to teach virtue, reinforce religious values, or communicate philosophical truths. Art had a responsibility beyond itself.
Poe rejected this assumption almost entirely. In essays such as The Poetic Principle, he argued that poetry should not function as a sermon disguised as literature. Instead, he believed poetry’s highest purpose was the creation of beauty and emotional elevation.
One of his most famous statements remains startling even today:
“We have taken it into our heads that to write a poem simply for the poem’s sake, and to acknowledge such to have been our design, would be to confess ourselves radically wanting in the true poetic dignity and force.”
The passage reveals how frustrated Poe had become with critics who demanded practical purposes from art. He believed poetry possessed its own legitimacy. A poem did not need to teach a lesson in order to justify its existence. It could exist simply because it created a powerful aesthetic experience.
This was a revolutionary argument. Modern readers often take artistic freedom for granted, but Poe was challenging deeply rooted assumptions about what literature was supposed to accomplish. His ideas would later become foundational to aesthetic movements across Europe and America.
Poe’s definition of beauty differed significantly from conventional notions of prettiness or decoration. For him, beauty was an emotional state. It represented a moment when ordinary reality seemed to dissolve and something greater became briefly visible through art.
In The Poetic Principle, he wrote:
“It is in Music, perhaps, that the soul most nearly attains the great end for which, when inspired by the poetic sentiment, it struggles.”
Notice that Poe does not discuss facts, arguments, or moral lessons. Instead, he focuses on emotional and almost spiritual experience. Poetry should move the reader. It should create a sensation that transcends ordinary language.
This emphasis on emotional effect explains many of his creative decisions. Poems such as The Raven, Annabel Lee, and Ulalume are less concerned with realistic storytelling than with atmosphere. Their power emerges through repetition, rhythm, sound, and imagery. Poe wanted readers to feel a poem before they analyzed it.
Modern poets often pursue exactly the same objective. Whether we are reading Symbolist verse, contemporary Gothic poetry, or even certain forms of alternative music lyrics, we frequently encounter works that prioritize mood and emotional resonance over straightforward narrative. Much of that lineage begins with Poe.
Perhaps Poe’s most lasting contribution to modern poetry was his belief that sound itself possesses artistic power. He viewed language not merely as a vehicle for ideas but as a musical instrument capable of generating emotional responses independent of literal meaning.
This becomes obvious in The Raven. The poem’s famous refrain works because of its sound as much as its symbolism. The repeated “Nevermore” creates a hypnotic rhythm that gradually transforms a single word into an emotional force.
Consider the opening lines:
“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary…”
The alliteration, internal rhyme, and rhythmic flow immediately establish atmosphere before the narrative fully develops. The language functions almost like music. Readers experience the mood long before they begin interpreting symbols.
This insight would prove enormously influential. Decades later, French Symbolist poets such as Baudelaire, Verlaine, and Mallarmé would embrace similar ideas, pushing poetry even further toward musicality, suggestion, and emotional nuance. In many ways, Poe helped prepare the ground for modern poetry’s fascination with sound itself.
One of Poe’s most controversial ideas had little to do with beauty itself and everything to do with artistic creation. Romantic poets often described inspiration as a mysterious force that arrived unexpectedly. The poet became a visionary, waiting for genius to strike like lightning. Poe distrusted this image.
In his famous essay The Philosophy of Composition, he presented a radically different view of artistic creation. Rather than portraying The Raven as the product of spontaneous inspiration, Poe claimed he designed the poem step by step, making deliberate decisions about length, mood, structure, and even the choice of the word “Nevermore.”
Whether every detail of Poe’s account is literally true remains debated by scholars. What matters is the theory behind it. Poe wanted readers to see poetry as a form of artistic engineering. Great poems were not accidents. They were constructed.
He famously wrote:
“It is my design to render it manifest that no one point in its composition is referable either to accident or intuition.”
The statement shocked many readers because it challenged the Romantic myth of the inspired genius. Poe argued that emotion and beauty could be produced through careful craftsmanship. The poet was not merely a dreamer. The poet was also an architect.
This idea continues influencing writers today. Novelists outline stories. Songwriters carefully structure choruses and emotional climaxes. Screenwriters analyze pacing and narrative beats. Much of modern creative practice assumes that powerful emotional effects can be intentionally designed. Poe helped popularize that way of thinking long before it became common.
The most fascinating part of The Philosophy of Composition may be Poe’s explanation for the poem’s central symbol. He did not begin with a raven because he happened to dream about one. According to his account, he began with the emotional effect he wanted to create and then worked backward.
Poe believed the most poetic subject was the death of a beautiful woman. He further argued that the ideal speaker would be a grieving lover. Once he established those emotional foundations, he searched for a symbolic figure capable of delivering the poem’s recurring refrain.
The raven emerged not merely because it was mysterious but because it could plausibly repeat a single word while also carrying rich symbolic associations. Darkness, memory, mortality, prophecy, and the supernatural all converged within a single image.
Whether readers agree with Poe’s reasoning is almost beside the point. The essay reveals a writer thinking analytically about emotional effects. He treats atmosphere as something that can be designed rather than discovered.
Modern horror, Gothic fiction, cinema, and even advertising frequently operate according to similar principles. Creators often begin with a desired emotional reaction and then build every artistic decision around achieving that effect.
If Poe’s influence had remained confined to American literature, his place in literary history would still be secure. What transformed him into a truly international figure was the extraordinary impact he had on French poetry.
During the mid-nineteenth century, Charles Baudelaire encountered Poe’s work and immediately recognized something revolutionary. Baudelaire saw in Poe a writer who valued atmosphere, musicality, symbolism, and emotional suggestion more than straightforward realism. The connection felt so profound that Baudelaire devoted years to translating Poe into French.
His admiration was unmistakable:
“The first time I opened a book by him, I saw with amazement and delight not merely subjects dreamed of by me, but sentences thought by me.”
Baudelaire’s translations introduced Poe to an entirely new generation of European writers. Among them were Paul Verlaine, Stéphane Mallarmé, and other Symbolist poets who would help reshape modern verse.
The Symbolists embraced many of Poe’s central ideas. They believed poetry should suggest rather than explain. Musicality became more important than narrative clarity. Symbols acquired emotional resonance that could not be reduced to simple definitions. Language itself became an instrument capable of evoking states of mind.
In many respects, the Symbolists transformed Poe’s theories into a full literary movement. What began as a set of provocative essays evolved into a new understanding of what poetry could accomplish.
The influence of these ideas extended far beyond Symbolism. Once poets accepted that sound, atmosphere, and emotional suggestion could be as important as narrative or argument, the possibilities of poetry expanded dramatically.
Modernist writers such as T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, and Wallace Stevens approached language in ways that would have been difficult to imagine without the groundwork laid by Poe and the Symbolists. Poetry increasingly became a space where ambiguity, fragmentation, mood, and symbolism could flourish.
Even readers who have never opened The Poetic Principle continue encountering Poe’s influence. Contemporary poetry often values imagery over explanation. Song lyrics frequently prioritize emotional atmosphere over literal storytelling. Gothic music, dream-pop, darkwave, and alternative rock regularly employ techniques rooted in the aesthetic principles Poe helped articulate.
What once seemed like a controversial literary theory gradually became one of the defining assumptions of modern artistic expression. Poe argued that beauty and emotional effect deserved a place at the center of art. More than a century later, countless writers and musicians continue working within the creative landscape he helped establish.
One reason Poe’s literary theories remain relevant is that they anticipated a fundamental shift in how modern audiences experience art. Today, people often encounter music, poetry, film, and visual media through emotion before analysis. A melody creates a feeling before its lyrics are fully understood. A film’s atmosphere can linger long after specific plot details fade from memory. An image may resonate emotionally even when its symbolism remains difficult to explain.
Poe recognized this phenomenon long before modern psychology began studying emotional response. He understood that artistic experiences often operate below the level of conscious interpretation. The reader, listener, or viewer reacts first and analyzes later.
This insight helps explain why so much contemporary art feels closer to Poe than to the literary conventions of his own era. Whether we are discussing dream-pop, darkwave, cinematic soundtracks, Gothic literature, or experimental poetry, creators frequently prioritize atmosphere, mood, and emotional resonance over direct explanation.
The goal is not always to communicate a message. Sometimes the goal is to create an experience.
Perhaps nowhere is Poe’s influence more visible today than in modern music. Although songwriters operate within a different artistic medium, many employ techniques remarkably similar to those described in The Poetic Principle and The Philosophy of Composition.
Repetition, musicality, symbolic imagery, emotional suggestion, and carefully controlled atmosphere all play central roles in songwriting. The listener often responds to sound, rhythm, and emotional tone before fully processing the lyrics themselves.
This principle can be found across genres. Gothic rock, dream-pop, darkwave, post-punk, alternative music, and even contemporary pop frequently rely on mood as much as narrative. Artists create emotional worlds through recurring imagery, sonic textures, and carefully structured repetition.
Poe would likely recognize this approach immediately. In many respects, his theory of poetry anticipated the way modern audiences engage with music. The emotional effect remains the primary objective. The medium has simply evolved.
Despite his enormous influence, Poe’s ideas remain controversial. Many writers and critics continue arguing that literature should engage directly with politics, philosophy, morality, or social issues. Others maintain that art possesses intrinsic value independent of practical concerns.
This debate has never truly disappeared. It simply takes different forms in different eras.
Poe did not argue that truth or morality were unimportant. Rather, he believed poetry operated according to different principles. The poet’s responsibility was not identical to the philosopher’s, politician’s, journalist’s, or preacher’s. Poetry occupied its own artistic territory.
Modern readers may agree or disagree with Poe’s conclusions, yet the questions he raised remain remarkably relevant. Should art primarily educate? Should it challenge social structures? Should it express personal experiences? Or should it pursue beauty, emotion, and aesthetic intensity?
The fact that these questions continue generating passionate discussion demonstrates how profoundly Poe influenced the conversation. More than 175 years later, artists are still responding to arguments he first articulated in essays that many readers rarely encounter.
When readers think about Poe’s legacy, they often picture ravens, crypts, pendulums, heartbeats beneath floorboards, and moonlit tombs. Those images deserve their place in literary history. Yet focusing exclusively on Poe’s stories and poems risks overlooking one of his most important achievements.
Poe helped redefine what poetry could be. He argued that beauty deserved its own artistic legitimacy. He elevated sound, atmosphere, rhythm, and emotional effect to central creative principles. He treated poetry as both music and architecture, capable of producing carefully designed emotional experiences.
The consequences of those ideas extend far beyond nineteenth-century American literature. Through Baudelaire and the Symbolists, Poe helped shape modern verse. Through modern poetry, his influence reached contemporary music, visual culture, and countless artistic movements that continue valuing mood, symbolism, and emotional resonance.
Perhaps Poe’s greatest achievement was transforming a question many readers never consciously ask:
What is poetry for?
For Poe, the answer was never instruction or utility alone. Poetry existed to create moments when language transcended ordinary experience and briefly touched something deeper.
Whether we encounter that experience in a nineteenth-century poem, a Gothic song, a Symbolist masterpiece, or a contemporary lyric, we are still inhabiting the artistic world Poe helped build.
Edgar Allan Poe’s influence extends far beyond literature. His vision of beauty, mystery, and emotional intensity continues inspiring artists, musicians, and dreamers around the world. Explore our collection of Gothic-inspired apparel and artwork celebrating Poe’s enduring legacy.
Experience the mood, mystery, and emotional intensity that Poe believed stood at the heart of great art. Continue the journey through the official Edgar Allan Poets playlist, where Gothic beauty, symbolism, and atmosphere come alive.
Poe believed poetry should primarily create beauty and emotional elevation rather than serve moral, political, or philosophical purposes. He argued that artistic effect was the highest goal of poetic expression.
The Poetic Principle is Poe’s major essay on poetry, where he argues that beauty represents the central objective of verse and that poetry should focus on emotional and aesthetic experience.
Through Baudelaire’s translations, Poe profoundly influenced French Symbolist poets such as Verlaine and Mallarmé. His emphasis on musicality, atmosphere, and suggestion became foundational to the Symbolist movement.
Yes. Many contemporary songwriters use techniques Poe championed, including repetition, musicality, symbolic imagery, emotional atmosphere, and carefully structured artistic effects.
Poe helped establish many of the artistic principles that continue shaping modern poetry, music, Gothic culture, and creative writing. His ideas about beauty, atmosphere, and emotional effect remain remarkably influential.
The post How Poe’s Poetry Theory Changed Modern Verse Forever appeared first on Edgar Allan Poets – Noir Rock Band.
It appears that the great Philly DIY punk trio Control Top isn’t around anymore, which sucks. But Control Top hadn’t released anything in a long time anyway, and I’d rather have a new band putting out records than a silent Control Top. Earlier this year, Alan Creedon and Alex Lichtenauer, two thirds of Control Top, announced that they’d formed a new bicoastal duo called Index, and they shared their debut single “Cellophane.” Today, Index announce plans for Vis Interiae, their first full-length.
The post Index Announce Debut Album <em>Vis Interiae</em>: Hear “Fractured” appeared first on Stereogum.
Before we even talk about what the ER3SE sounds like, you need to know who Etymotic Research is, because that context changes everything. Founded in 1983 by Dr. Mead Killion, the name "Etymotic" literally translates to "true to the ear."
Etymotic's roots are deep in hearing science. Their engineers and audiologists have filed over 100 patents, and they're widely credited with inventing the insert earphone back in 1984. The same balanced armature driver technology they helped develop has since become the gold standard for high-fidelity IEMs worldwide. Their flagship ER4 series, now in its modern SR and XR iterations, has been a benchmark for audio engineers and audiophiles for decades.
The ER3SE sits in the middle of their current lineup, below the ER4 series, above the dynamic-driver ER2 models, and carries the "Studio Edition" designation, meaning it targets a flat, diffuse-field neutral frequency response. This is not an IEM designed to make your music sound exciting. It's designed to make your music sound accurate.
Right out of the box, you get a clear sense that Etymotic isn't in the business of impressing you with packaging. The box is straightforward, functional, and gets out of the way. Inside, you'll find the earphones themselves, an assortment of silicone double-flange and triple-flange tips, foam tips, a carrying pouch, a shirt clip, a filter removal tool, and replacement filters.
What actually impressed me is the earphone hardware itself. The shells are CNC-machined anodized aluminum—which, at this price point, stands out immediately. Most competitors in this range are still rocking plastic housings, so the metal construction here feels noticeably more premium when you hold it. The bodies are slim, cylindrical, and almost pipe-like in design. There's nothing flashy about them —no chrome accents, no aggressive angles. Just clean, minimalist engineering.
The detachable cable uses MMCX connectors, though Etymotic uses a slightly modified version with a small raised bump that ensures a proper fit and prevents rotation. It's a smart design choice for preventing loose connections, but it does mean some third-party MMCX cables won't seat correctly. The stock 4-foot cable is lightweight and flexible, though it's a step down from the ER4's longer 5-foot twisted cable.
One omission at this price: no 1/4" adapter. For an IEM positioned as a studio tool, that feels like a slight oversight.
The ER3SE sounds like a faithful scientific instrument. If you want the raw truth of what's actually in a recording—no warm coloring, no exciting bass shelf, no treble shimmer added to make cymbals sparkle—this is your IEM. The overall character is flat, linear, and analytical. What goes in is what comes out, with impressive speed and clarity across the full range. For listeners who live on Harman-tuned sets or modern V-shaped IEMs, the first listen will feel almost stark. Give it time. The neutrality reveals details you didn't know were missing. With that being said, for strict music listening, this will not be a "fun" as other sets and is much more geared towards studio use and live performance uses.
There's no getting around it: if you're looking for bass impact, the ER3SE isn't your IEM. The low end here is tight, fast, and accurate. Sub-bass only shows up when the track actually contains sub-bass. If there's nothing there in the recording, you'll hear nothing—which is exactly the point. The attack from the single BA driver is sharp and clean. The weakness is that the decay is a bit quick, meaning bass harmonics and natural rumble don't linger the way they would on a dynamic driver. You get precision, but you lose texture. Rock, jazz, and acoustic music shine here. EDM and hip-hop can feel more metallic or too gentle.
This is where the ER3SE earns its reputation. The midrange is flat, uncolored, and tonally accurate in a way that makes vocals and acoustic instruments sound completely believable. Male and female vocals sit naturally in the mix without being pushed forward aggressively. Instruments sound lifelike and correct in tone. The clarity and articulation here are excellent for the price, and this is the range where the Etymotic house sound is at its most compelling. There's no masking, no smearing, and no artificial warmth being added. Everything sounds exactly as it was recorded.
The treble on the ER3SE is linear and extended. It doesn't add sparkle or sizzle— again, by design. What it does do is resolve fine detail accurately without crossing into sibilance or harshness on well-recorded material. There is a notable compensation hump in the 2-5 kHz region, which accounts for ear canal resonance and ensures the perceived response at the eardrum is flat.
Timbre is one of the ER3SE's strongest areas. Instruments sound natural and correctly weighted across the frequency spectrum. The BA driver's speed lends excellent transient accuracy—things start and stop cleanly, which is what gives live instruments their realistic quality. On the soundstage, the ER3SE is honest about its limitations: deep-insertion IEMs by nature create an intimate, in-head presentation rather than a wide, airy stage. The width and depth are reasonable for the format, and layering is impressive. Where it genuinely excels is in imaging precision. Instruments are placed with surgical accuracy within that stage, and separating individual elements from a complex mix is unusually easy. It's a small but detailed stage, and everything in it is exactly where it should be.
Here's where the ER3SE gets complicated, and it's something you need to understand before purchasing. Etymotic's deep-insertion design is not like wearing standard IEMs. The triple-flange silicone tips go significantly deeper into your ear canal than you might be used to, and for some people, this takes days to adjust to. For others, it never clicks. The first session may feel unusual or mildly uncomfortable.
Once you find the right tips (and take the time to seat them properly), the comfort is actually quite good for extended listening sessions. The shells are tiny and light, so there's no driver housing pressing against the outer ear. The seal is airtight when done correctly, and that's what unlocks the ER3SE's killer feature: passive noise isolation rated at 35 dB with silicone tips and up to 42 dB with foam tips. That number is remarkable. Most custom IEMs only reach 25-28 dB. Foam earplugs typically cap out at around 32 dB. When the ER3SE is seated properly, the outside world essentially disappears. For commuting, office use, or any high-noise environment, nothing in this price range comes close.
The foam tips tend to be the comfort sweet spot for many people (including myself). They seal well, feel softer during deep insertion, and deliver maximum isolation. Tip selection really matters here: the sound and isolation performance vary significantly depending on which tips you use and how deep you go.
This is the comparison most ER3SE buyers will eventually ask about. The ER4XR is Etymotic's flagship XR-series model—and our full review is live on The Metalverse—so the contrast is worth examining closely.
The ER4XR adds a tasteful bass boost compared to the ER4SR, making it the more listener-friendly flagship. Against the ER3SE, the ER4XR delivers noticeably better transient dynamics. Kick drums and bass guitars have more separation and finesse. The midrange is similarly analytical, though the ER4XR's slightly richer character gives vocals a bit more body. Treble extension on the ER4 is superior, with better high-frequency detail and a more dynamic response.
Critically, the ER4's drivers are manufactured in the U.S. with tighter channel-matching tolerances (within 1 dB from 100 Hz to 10 kHz), and each unit ships with a signed performance certificate. The ER3 is made in Asia with slightly looser tolerance specs—though Etymotic themselves acknowledge that most ER3 units would pass ER4 standards in testing. The ER4XR is roughly $100 more and delivers a meaningfully better technical performance for it. If you're serious about reference-quality listening and plan to keep these for years, the jump to the ER4XR is worth it. If budget is the constraint, the ER3SE is the closest you'll get to that house sound for less money.
The Etymotic ER3SE is an excellent IEM, but an excellent IEM for a specific kind of listener. If you want accurate, uncolored sound reproduction, world-class passive isolation, and a compact BA-based design that will hold up for years, it delivers on all fronts. The midrange is stellar, the imaging is precise, and the build quality is solid.
The honest caveat is the value equation. At around $200, it sits in an awkward spot between the more affordable ER2SE (which offers a very similar experience) and the superior ER4XR (which isn't that much more expensive for what you get). Bassheads and casual listeners should look elsewhere. The deep-insertion fit will not work for everyone. And the BA timbre, while generally natural, can occasionally drift toward metallic territory.
But if you're a musician, audio engineer, critical listener, or just someone who wants to hear music exactly as it was recorded without the genre-specific coloring that almost every other IEM in this range applies—the ER3SE is one of the most accurate and honest tools you can put in your ears at this price point.
System of a Down guitarist Daron Malakian used his band’s stadium platform at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week to settle an old score, leading the crowd in a pointed anti-Oasis chant before launching into “Needles.” The moment revives a beef that traces back more than two decades, to a scathing insult Noel Gallagher lobbed at System of a Down during a U.S. radio interview in the early 2000s.
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Playing the first of two nights at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, July 13, Malakian stepped up to the mic mid-set and started working the crowd, asking them a crude call-and-response question before getting them chanting along. He then introduced “Needles” — a song famously built around a tapeworm — with a twist: “Just for fun today I’m going to name the tapeworm. Today I’m going to name the tapeworm ‘Oasis,’” he told the crowd, leading them in a chant directed squarely at the reunited Britpop band before the song’s opening notes kicked in. He later posted a clip of the moment to his own Instagram, making sure it reached beyond the stadium.
This wasn’t a one-off. Malakian took a similar shot at Oasis back in 2025, sharing a photo of himself in front of a Chicago billboard carrying a blunt anti-Oasis message, captioning it as a happy coincidence of timing and location.
The root of it goes back to an early-2000s interview Noel Gallagher gave to Los Angeles radio station KROQ, where he was asked about System of a Down and didn’t hold back, calling them the worst band he’d ever had the misfortune of hearing. It’s the kind of line Gallagher has made something of a career habit of — he’s also taken shots at Sum 41, described Jack White in distinctly unflattering terms, and mocked Kaiser Chiefs fans in one of his more memorable put-downs.
None of that seems to have cost him much: Oasis themselves are part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class, alongside Phil Collins — another longtime target of Gallagher’s barbs, who once called Oasis “rude, horrible” right back at him. Collins recently joked he’s already bracing for an awkward pre-ceremony lunch with the Gallaghers this year.
This London run is part of System of a Down’s broader 2026 touring push, which has kept the band unusually active after years of limited touring. Following the second Tottenham Hotspur show on July 15, the band heads to Warsaw for two nights on July 18 and 19, and they’re already confirmed to co-headline the inaugural Sick New World Texas festival on October 24 in Fort Worth.
Malakian led the crowd at System of a Down’s July 13 Tottenham Hotspur Stadium show in an anti-Oasis chant, tying it into the band’s song “Needles” before posting video of the moment to Instagram.
The feud traces back to an early-2000s interview in which Noel Gallagher called System of a Down the worst band he’d ever heard on Los Angeles radio station KROQ.
No. He also posted a jab at the band in 2025, sharing a photo taken in front of a Chicago billboard carrying an anti-Oasis message.
Yes. Oasis are part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s 2026 induction class, alongside Phil Collins, another frequent target of Noel Gallagher’s public insults over the years.
The band plays a second London show on July 15, followed by two nights in Warsaw, Poland on July 18 and 19, before co-headlining Sick New World Texas on October 24.
Was Daron Malakian right to hold onto this one for 20-plus years, or is it time to let it go? Let us know in the comments. Follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.
The post System Of A Down’s Daron Malakian Led An Anti-Oasis Chant By Naming A Tapeworm ‘Oasis,’ Reviving Noel Gallagher’s 20-Year-Old Diss appeared first on Loaded Radio.
Flotsam And Jetsam have released the official music video for “Harvesting The Hate”, the second single from their upcoming album Rats In The Temple, scheduled for release on August 28, 2026, through Napalm Records.
Opening the record, “Harvesting The Hate” wastes no time delivering relentless thrash, driven by pounding double kicks and the twin-guitar attack of Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley.
Frontman Eric “A.K.” Knutson explained the song’s message: “Another heavy, dramatic beast of a song from our arsenal of madness. This one asks you to look in the mirror, to find the true problem in your life. And stop harvesting the hate!”
For nearly four decades, Flotsam And Jetsam have remained one of thrash metal’s most consistent acts. Recent releases such as The End Of Chaos and I Am The Weapon have reinforced the band’s reputation while staying connected to the legacy established by Doomsday For The Deceiver and No Place For Disgrace, two records that helped define the group’s early years.
According to the band, Rats In The Temple features 13 tracks built around themes including death, betrayal, abuse and war, presenting a darker reflection of the world around us.
Speaking about the new album, Knutson said: “This record is a BEAST, truly our best effort to date!! Do yourself a favor. Dim the lights, grab a drink, put the headphones on, and crank this up. You will not be sorry you did!!!”
The current Flotsam And Jetsam lineup features Knutson alongside founding guitarist Michael Gilbert, guitarist Steve Conley, drummer Ken Mary (Alice Cooper, Accept) and bassist Bill Bodily. The band considers this lineup one of its strongest, combining veteran experience with technical precision across every position.
Rats In The Temple also marks the 40th anniversary of the band’s debut album, Doomsday For The Deceiver, the landmark release that famously earned a rare 6K rating from Kerrang!. Although bassist Jason Newsted left shortly after to join Metallica, Flotsam and Jetsam continued building their catalog with No Place For Disgrace before expanding it with later releases including Flotsam And Jetsam, The End Of Chaos, Blood In The Water and I Am The Weapon.
The new album kicks off with “Harvesting The Hate” and “Damnation”, two tracks that combine memorable hooks with razor-sharp musicianship. From there, “Absolution” leans into technical thrash, while “Blame The Knife” and the title track showcase the chemistry between Gilbert and Conley. “The Ghost Behind My Door” and “First On The Spike” continue the record’s aggressive pace, blending classic thrash influences with a modern edge.
Later in the album, “The Edge Of Nowhere” builds tension before giving way to “Last Rites”. Ken Mary and Bill Bodily take the spotlight on the anti-war track “A Taste For War”, while “Her Blood Your Pain” introduces melodic guitar harmonies ahead of the full-speed attack of “Anthem For The Broken”. The closing stretch continues with “Going Down That Way”, wrapping up an album that explores multiple sides of Flotsam And Jetsam‘s sound while staying rooted in the band’s thrash foundation.
The post FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Shares Second Single, “Harvesting The Hate” From Upcoming Album “Rats In The Temple” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
(written by Islander) Let’s cut to the chase and then come back and fill in the details. What you’re about to hear is a song called “Street General“. Its lyrical protagonist is an evil force, a leader of killers who stalk the streets at night in search of innocent souls to destroy. The song as […]
The post AN NCS PREMIERE: DECEPTOR — “STREET GENERAL” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.
The Australian-born, Berlin-based DJ and producer Samantha Poulter has been making music under the name Logic1000 for years. She has remixed people like Dua Lipa and Caribou, and she released her debut album Mother in 2024 and a celebrated installment in the DJ-Kicks mix series last year. Today, Logic1000 announces a new album called Confirmation!, which will feature contributions from collaborators like Christine And The Queens, yunè pinku, Jam City, FAUZIA, and Tiffi M.
The post Logic1000 Announces New Album <em>Confirmation!</em> Feat. Christine And The Queens, Jam City, yunè pinku, Kučka, & More appeared first on Stereogum.