The song contest has camp, glitter and pyrotechnics. And, this year, protests over Israel’s participation.

UK antifascist blackened death/thrash trio Tyrannus caught my attention with the be-castled cover art for their upcoming sophomore record, Mournhold. Having never listened to them prior, I gravitated towards the promise of yet another robust hybrid of styles and sounds. With bands like Antiverse and Skeletonwitch to call on as points of comparison, Tyrannus all but guarantee my appreciation. This is the kind of genre-blending that I crave on an hourly basis. Does Mournhold have the goods to satisfy my voracious needs?

Lead single “Reignfall” demonstrates that Tyrannus aren’t fucking around, boasting an adrenaline-fueled cataclysm of riffs, shreds, pummels, and roars. It is an ideal case study for what Mournhold captures, ensaring the icy raze of black, the fiery vitriol of thrash, and the swaggering aggression of death in one fell swoop. Separated from those superficial attributes, it embodies the Platonic ideal of a great metal track. And so, Tyrannus publish their infernal formula, and Mournhold’s multifaceted application of that formula brews excitement and fun at every turn. Tightly packed into 40 minutes, seven tracks tear through a blunderbuss of cool ideas, hooky motifs, and fun deviations from the expected.

Most surprising of these diversions is center cut “Flesh Eternal,” which recalls the gothic swing of Tribulation if they took the ashen path to black/thrash. A really cool song on its own, “Flesh Eternal” more importantly cements Tyrannus as versatile songwriters and shrewd album composers. It resolves the aggressive black metal scorch of the first three songs—the best of which (“Orbus Non Suffict,” “Seizing Stars”) fulfill the gap left by Skeletonwitch after Serpents Unleashed. At the same time, it sets up the second act, beautifully bisecting Mournhold’s story with something a little more rock-oriented as a palette cleanser. That brief reprieve allows me to properly prepare myself for “Reignfall.” A barnburner of devilish nature, “Reignfall” Hellrips my face clean off with speed-metal riffs, righteous dive-bomb solos, and downright ignorant grooves charred by black metal rasps. A second twist that I hoped for but dared not expect, Mournhold’s back half transitions to altogether darker and moodier spaces than the front. “Slower” and longer form compositions (“Mournhold,” “Back to Grey”) reside in those spaces, creating an expanded stage for Tyrannus’ final ideas to land and settle.

This arrangement allows listeners to bask in more instrumental noodling and melodic storytelling as Mournhold comes to a close, but the risk of drag creeps in. “Mournhold” is certainly thrashy and aggressive enough in its second half to offset that inertia, but at six-and-a-half minutes, it rubs against bloat with a cocky smirk. Closer “Back to Grey” toys that line even more salaciously, teasing attention spans to their limit at nearly eight minutes. Luckily, its classic heavy metal gallop and olde-timey meloblack charm make it hard to hate. Like many tight runtimes, though, 40 minutes suffers more noticeably when any one song overstays its welcome; Mournhold’s final couplet gently cross that threshold. Cutting a minute from each—perhaps fewer repetitions of a riff here, and trimming an intro or bridge there—would make them stronger and thus improve the whole in kind.

Mournhold doesn’t need much improving, though, to be an unqualified success. It’s a rip-roaring fun time, with a youthful personality as exuberant as it is infectious. Tyrannus improved in every aspect on the promise of their debut, refining their voice into something highly recognizable and alluring. If this is just the beginning for Tyrannus, I tremble to think of what they might accomplish on future records. That’s a later Ken problem. For now, I’m content and gunning to storm castles and slay eldritch monsters for an eternity with Mournhold. Join me!

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Rating: Great!
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: True Cult Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: May 15th, 2026

The post Tyrannus – Mournhold Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

(written by Islander) In January of this year we had the pleasure of premiering a video for the first single off the debut EP from a two-piece raw black metal outfit named Zaraza. Those two, Azara and Mictlantecuhtli, introduced their music with these words: “Rising from holler and rust, gnawing at the marrow of time, […]

The post AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: ZARAZA — “GNAWING AT THE MARROW OF TIME” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

The post Bjarte K. Helland Scorched Review appeared first on Edgar Allan Poets – Noir Rock Band.

Lauren Sanderson has joined forces with Fred Durst for a brand-new version of “COME SAY SUM”, one of the standout tracks from her recent musical era. The collaboration marks an unexpected- yet fitting- meeting point between a new wave of alternative rock and one of nu metal’s most recognizable voices.

Originally released as a solo track by Sanderson, “COME SAY SUM” already stood out for its blend of rap-rock energy, punk attitude, and strong early-2000s alternative influences. With the addition of the Limp Bizkit frontman, the song gains a new edge, amplifying the confrontational and rebellious spirit that defines the track.

Lyrically, the song revolves around standing up to criticism and negativity, channeling frustration into a statement of self-confidence and resilience. Even the title – “come say some” – captures the track’s fearless attitude, challenging detractors to speak directly rather than from the sidelines.

Durst’s appearance not only adds a nostalgic layer for longtime nu metal fans, but also reinforces Sanderson’s growing connection to the genre’s ongoing revival, where heavy guitars, hip-hop influences, and unapologetic attitude continue to shape the alternative music landscape.

Accompanied by an intense music video filled with visual nods to rap-metal aesthetics, the release highlights the chemistry between both artists while embracing the chaotic energy that made the genre so influential in the first place.

Watch music video

• Lauren Sanderson
• Fred Durst

The post Lauren Sanderson recruits Fred Durst for a new version of “COME SAY SUM’’ first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.

Today, American thrashers Desolus stream the entirety of their highly anticipated second album, Dwellers of the Twilight Void, at the New Wave of Old School Thrash Metal YouTube channel. Set for international release on May 15th via Hells Headbangers, hear Desolus‘ Dwellers of the Twilight Void in its entirety exclusively HERE. It was but 2024 when Desolus burst onto the international metal map with their Hells Headbangers debut […]

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Nick Hakim seems due to really, properly blow up, and a brilliant new album might get him there. The Queens-based musician always pops up in fascinating places — in the past few year’s he’s had credits on albums by Adrianne Lenker, Pink Siifu, Eddie Chacon, Lil Yachty, and Zooey Celeste — and his own catalog…

The post Nick Hakim – “Real Here Now” & “Water” appeared first on Stereogum.

Mastodon drummer Brann Dailor recently sat down with Blabbermouth to talk about his vocal contribution to King Ultramega, the Soundgarden tribute act fronted by Metal Allegiance‘s Mark Menghi — and the conversation quickly turned to where Mastodon stands now, with a new album finished, a new guitarist in the fold, and the shadow of Brent Hinds‘s August 2025 death still present in everything the band does.

Dailor told Blabbermouth: “I just see myself as more of a drummer, but I’ve always sung my whole life. I was always in the ‘select’ choir. I could always do it, and I’d open my mouth in the van and sing along to Stevie Wonder and Iron Maiden and all of that stuff. I could do a pretty good King Diamond and Ozzy [Osbourne], so I’d be up there and singing and Brent was listening intently and at a certain point, he was like, ‘You got to start singing, dude, I’m sorry.’ In approaching something like this with Chris Cornell, which is kind of a bluegrass thing, that’s way out of my wheelhouse, and he’s really going for it, full-on Chris Cornell vocal prowess on full display. So it was really intimidating to consider doing it, much like a ‘Stairway to Heaven’ [Led Zeppelin]. But I looked at it as a pretty cool opportunity to sink my teeth into something I wouldn’t normally do.”

On the personal weight the “Dead Wishes” cover carried, Dailor added: “I brought my mom in because she was a big fan of Chris Cornell and Soundgarden from the beginning. I remember her listening to this song and being like, ‘Oh, that’s different for Chris.’ When I got asked to do it, I listened to the song and I was like, ‘Wow. It’s cool. It’s different from something I would have done.’ I thought of my mom. She passed a few months ago. I was like, ‘She would be over the moon about this. She would love it so much. I’m going to dig in and do my absolute best.’”

When Blabbermouth asked whether he’d want to front a band of his own, Dailor said it would have to come with a character: “For my synth band, Arcadia, I’ll do that. We put out a video for the song ‘Fuzzy Planet’. I’m this kind of debonair clown in the video. I could do it if I could be a character. I don’t know if I could just walk out there, just me, pick out a cool jacket to wear from H&M. [Laughs] Phil Collins, he took his shirt off, he put on some white overalls, like the ‘everyman’ and got out there and was blue collar. To answer your question, I would do it, but I would have to be another person.”

The biggest news: the new Mastodon album is done. “Our new album is finished as of last week,” Dailor said. “There would be some new music very soon. We’re very excited about it. It was a hard record to make. It was a very emotional time for us. I lost my mom, we went through all this turmoil with Brent, and then he passed away. It’s been tough. It’s all in the music, it’s all in the songs, and I’m excited to release it and get it out there into the world because we’ve been sitting on it for a while. A lot of this stuff, at least the skeletons of what this album is, we’ve been sitting on for two years now. A lot was going on.”

On the back-to-back losses that shaped the record, Dailor said: “I really thought that this record was going to be without any loss. I’m like, ‘We can concentrate on mythological creatures again. We don’t have to go down these roads of unpacking a grief cycle.’ No, we got a two-fer. That’s life. As you start getting older, you start losing your loved ones. Tomorrow is not promised. We’re trying to make the best of it and try to figure out what happened to us this past year, so that’s what the new album is going to reveal.”

On Hinds‘s absence from the sessions and the way things ended between them: “Toward the end, unfortunately, it was hard to get him to come down to the space. He was interested in doing other stuff, which was fine. It was a confusing time. [Laughs] I was the one going, ‘Come on, man. Come down. Let’s riff.’ He was a free spirit. He wanted to ride his motorcycle around and do this and that. He was wherever the wind took him. Unfortunately, it was not down to the practice space to work on riffs.”

“I’m sad the way things ended. Nobody wanted that. I always thought the future version would be coming back together and be like, ‘Dude, what the fuck? All that shit?’ It’s really sad that it’s not a possibility. I’m still here, and the other guys are still here, and we are still as dedicated as ever to Mastodon, to this musical project that we started 26 years ago.”

New guitarist Nick Johnston has since completed the album with the remaining trio of Dailor, bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, and guitarist Bill Kelliher. Dailor on the choice of Johnston: “He’s not trying to be Brent. There’s never going to be another Brent, obviously. He broke the mold, as they say. [Laughs] He was the wild, wild dude. I loved him to death. We had a really close musical relationship.”

“With the search for a new guitar player, Nick was always sort of in the back of my mind because I liked his style. He has an interesting style. I was always looking for the yin and the yang with Bill. Bill‘s the riff guy and plays all the heavy stuff, and I loved the combination of him and Brent. Brent was the chicken-picking and all that. Nick is very much like that. He’s proggy and in a whole other world of guitar playing, and combined with Bill, makes for something really interesting. And he’s such a sweetheart and a nice, down-to-earth guy. He’s a great person and an incredible player. Holy shit, the stuff he pulls off is really amazing, and you wouldn’t know it by meeting him because he’s such a humble guy. He just wants to do an awesome job, preserve Brent‘s memory more than ever now, and get closer to the solos in how they are supposed to be played. I think some of Brent‘s solos are really iconic like that. They deserve to be played as close to the emotion that Brent put in them as possible. Nick is doing that. The new stuff: Nick brings a whole different flair to his solo sections, but I can also hear the homages to Brent. I loved that he was able to do that, fold it in, and bring some of Brent‘s personality and what he did for us in Mastodon to the band.”

The post MASTODON’s BRANN DAILOR: “Our New Album Is Finished as of Last Week… It Was a Very Emotional Time for Us” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

French heavy metal force Seven Metal Sins return with “Eternal Downfall”, the new single taken from the band’s forthcoming debut album “Legacy Of Chaos“, set for release in June 2026. Following the release of “Hypocrisy” and the recent unveiling of “Wolves Of The Last Dawn”, the new track further consolidates the band’s uncompromising approach to heavy and power […]

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Beartooth has officially detonated the next phase of their career. On May 15, 2026, the band announced their sixth studio album, Pure Ecstasy, set for release on August 28 via their new label home, Fearless Records. Accompanying the news is the premiere of the crushing title track, a song Caleb Shomo describes as a high-velocity collaboration involving Periphery’s Misha Mansoor and former Bring Me The Horizon keyboardist Jordan Fish. This record marks a “Nuclear” shift for the band, moving from a solo studio project into a fully collaborative powerhouse.

The “Pure Ecstasy” Evolution: Beyond the Basement

Following the chart-topping success of 2023’s The Surface, which yielded multiple number one rock radio hits, Caleb Shomo is no longer fighting from his basement. Pure Ecstasy represents a massive creative leap, featuring 11 tracks that channel the “chaos and clarity” of hard-won personal growth.

The title track, released today, serves as the album’s opening manifesto. Shomo revealed the song’s origin was a high-friction studio session with Misha Mansoor that focused on “the dumbest heaviest chugs we could chug.” The track was later expanded upon with Jordan Fish, whose influence helped crack Shomo “fully open” during the writing process.

A Collaborative Revolution: The End of the Solo Era

For the first time in Beartooth history, Shomo has stepped away from performing every instrument in the studio. Pure Ecstasy signals a new era of vulnerability and shared vision:

• The Lineup: Bassist Oshie Bichar, guitarists Zach Huston and Will Deely, and drummer Connor Denis played larger roles than ever before.
• The Sessions: Recorded at the legendary NRG Recording Studios, the album features Connor Denis performing drums across the entire record, a first for the band’s studio process.
• Songwriting Giants: In addition to Jordan Fish and Misha Mansoor, early songwriting contributions came from Skyler Accord (Issues, Twenty One Pilots, Bilmuri).

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The Path to “Pure Ecstasy”: From Pain to Possibility

Since emerging in 2013, Beartooth has transformed anxiety and depression into modern rock anthems, racking up over 1.3 billion streams globally. While previous records focused on turning pain into a weapon, Pure Ecstasy explores the aftermath of that fight.

“Song one is always a crucial part of an album to me. It’s gotta lock you into the vibe out of the gate,” says Shomo. The accompanying music video for the title track, directed by Zebulon Griffin, visually captures this raw, disorienting entry point into the new era.

‘Pure Ecstasy’ Official Track Listing

1. Pure Ecstasy
2. Eyes Closed
3. Bullshit
4. Beautiful Again
5. Stadiums
6. Free
7. Sorry
8. Lose You To Find Me
9. You
10. For Me By Me
11. Made It

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FAQ: Beartooth ‘Pure Ecstasy’ Release

When does the new Beartooth album come out? Pure Ecstasy is scheduled for global release on August 28, 2026, via Fearless Records.

Who worked on the new Beartooth album? Caleb Shomo collaborated with Jordan Fish (ex-Bring Me The Horizon), Misha Mansoor (Periphery), and Skyler Accord. This is also the first album where the full touring band contributed to the studio recordings.

Where was ‘Pure Ecstasy’ recorded? The album was tracked at NRG Recording Studios, marking a departure from Shomo’s traditional home studio recording process.

Band Bio: Beartooth

Formed in 2013 by Caleb Shomo, Beartooth has become a dominant force in modern heavy music. With gold and platinum certifications and a reputation for high-energy live performances, the band has toured with heavyweights like Bad Omens and Slipknot. Pure Ecstasy is their sixth studio album and their first release under Fearless Records.

STAY LOUD: Catch the full breakdown of today’s stories on the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast with Scott Penfold, or crank the hard rock and metal 24/7 on our live digital stream at LoadedRadio.com.

TL;DR:

Beartooth will release their new album Pure Ecstasy on August 28, 2026. The title track, co-produced by Jordan Fish and Misha Mansoor, is out now.

With Jordan Fish and Misha Mansoor adding their sonic fingerprints to the record, is ‘Pure Ecstasy’ the moment Beartooth transcends the genre for good? Let us know in the comments.

The post Beartooth Announces New Album ‘Pure Ecstasy’: Caleb Shomo Levels Up with Jordan Fish and Misha Mansoor appeared first on Loaded Radio.