Isaiah Rashad is back among us. It’s been nearly five years since the elusive Chattanooga rap great released The House Is Burning, his most recent album. It’s been about four years since Rashad was the victim of a terrible invasion of privacy when a sex tape leaked. Earlier this week, Rashad announced a new album…
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I felt a lot of dread about this album. As a huge fan of the classic eras of Metal Church, my Steely sense warned me this was going to be an epic dumpster fire, and I didn’t want to see a beloved band hit the rocks (again). After the tragic passing of on and off vocalist Mike Howe following 2018s Damned if You Do, things looked mighty precarious at the Church camp. They eventually got Marc Lopes from Ross the Boss to step in for 2023’s Congregation of Annihilation, but that effort didn’t work too well. Lopes was streeted rather unceremoniously thereafter, and Metal Church announced the addition of Megadeth’s long-running bassist David Ellefson, new frontman Brian Allen (ex- Vicious Rumors, ex-Dark Sky Choir), and ex-Flotsam and Jetsam drummer Ken Mary for 14th album Dead to Rights. The internal drama and major lineup shuffles were red flags, and when the early singles felt underwhelming on cursory listens, I couldn’t help but suspect the best days for the band had already disappeared in the rearview mirror for good.1 I dreaded handing a beloved band another bad review, but felt like that particular train was heading my way. After a few days with Dead to Rights, however, I feel very differently. It won’t elbow any of the classic albums out of the way, but it’s a surprisingly solid and consistently entertaining platter that sounds like the Metal Church I knew and loved. Here’s to happy surprises.
I heard opener “Brainwash Game” several months back as a lead single and didn’t care for it much. Upon hearing it again in the context of the album, however, I found it much more satisfying. It’s simple and thrashy with beefy riffage, and some of the vocal layering reminds me of the Mike Howe glory days, even though Brian Allen is closer to David Wayne in delivery. Allen does a good job finding that fragile sweet spot where aggressive vocalizing doesn’t lapse into Screechville. The chorus works well enough, and there’s some nifty soloing to boot. The title track is a burly, rowdy bandit with Allen laying down manic vocals over biting riffs that keep you invested and headbanging along. The chorus is pure 80s Metal Church, and this one could have been a bonus track on The Dark, which is a good thing indeed. “Deep Cover Shakedown” keeps the momentum going with more riff thunder and a memorable chorus. The guitar phrasing over the chorus is especially effective.
As Dead to Rights rolls along, Metal Church sound as if they’re in a better place, with the writing tighter and much more interesting than last time. They revive their once-prominent penchant for fusing hard rock elements into metal on “Feet to the Fire,” and it works well. They loop in a mellow prog element at the midpoint of the otherwise hard-edged burner “The Show,” and that too pays dividends. “No Memory” is just a badass tune with a seething energy, and one of my favorites here. When Allen intones “Pain has no memory,” it cuts deep. Are there less successful tracks? “F.A.F.O” is a rudimentary thrasher with more balls than brains, but it isn’t really bad. Aside from that, the album holds up surprisingly well with good and very good cuts all over the landscape.
I suspect that the addition of Dave Ellefson helped elevate the overall writing quality this time out. The man’s a very well-seasoned vet, and Megadeth’s best days came when MegaDave had the other Dave to write with. Kurdt Vanderhoof and Rick van Zandt step up to churn out a ton of aggressive, hooky riffs here, where these felt in shorter supply on the last few albums. Brian Allen does a good job vocally, bringing a David Wayne energy to the table without overdoing things and becoming irritating like Marc Lopes did last time.2 It’s like fate put the right people together at the right time to make a successful Metal Church again, against all odds.
Dead to Rights is a good and at times very good album from a band that really needed a win at this point in their decades-long career. It sounds close enough to their classic era to make older fans happy, and it shows these olde dogs can still churn out an album’s worth of quality material when the stars align. Now they just need to hold this lineup together at all costs. Don’t wander off, Dave! The Church needs your support.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 5 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Rat Pak Records
Websites: metalchurchofficial.com | facebook.com/officialmetalchurch | instagram.com/metalchurchofficial
Releases Worldwide: April 10th, 2026
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Brooklyn-based guitarist Ava Mendoza is always getting up to something interesting. Last year we highlighted her work with Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet and Mama Killa, a wild record she made with gabby fluke-mogul and Carolina Pérez. Today comes news of Alive Alone, Alive Together, a new Mendoza album that features legendary jazz drummer Hamid Drake…
The post Ava Mendoza Announces New Album <em>Alive Alone, Alive Together</em>: Hear “Dust From The Mines” appeared first on Stereogum.
Blues rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa has released a new live performance video of “Bullfrog Blues,” taken from his upcoming live album The Spirit of Rory: Live From Cork, due out June 19.
The performance captures Bonamassa leaning into his slide guitar work, delivering a gritty and expressive take on the Rory Gallagher staple. Filmed in Cork, Ireland, the video highlights both the raw energy of the performance and Bonamassa’s deep connection to the material.
The project pays tribute to late Irish blues legend Rory Gallagher, whose influence on Bonamassa dates back to his earliest years as a guitarist. For Bonamassa, recording the album in Gallagher’s hometown carried particular significance.
“I never had the honor to meet him, but his music and musicianship loom large in my life,” Bonamassa writes in a personal foreword accompanying the release. “From my first time hearing Irish Tour ’74 I was captivated by the sheer intensity of the man and the ferocity of his approach to the electric blues.”
The Spirit of Rory: Live From Cork was recorded with the blessing of Gallagher’s family and in front of audiences deeply connected to his legacy, adding further weight to the performances.
Bonamassa will support the release with an extensive run of tour dates across the U.S. and Europe throughout 2026.
The “Bullfrog Blues” performance video is available now.
U.S. Spring Tour 2026
April 10-12, 2026 – Miramar Beach, FL – Sound Wave Beach Weekend (Sold Out)
EU/UK Spring Tour 2026
April 22 – Hamburg, DE – Barclays Arena
April 24 – Rotterdam, NL – Rotterdam RTM Stage
April 25 – Paris, FR – La Seine Musicale
April 27 – Esch-sur-Alzette, LU – Luxembourg Rockhal
April 29 – Mannheim, DE – SAP Arena
May 1 – Chemnitz, DE – Stadthalle Chemnitz
May 2 – Nürnberg, DE – PSD Bank Nürnberg Arena
May 3 – Zürich, CH – Hallenstadion
May 6 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
May 7 – London, UK – Royal Albert Hall
U.S. Summer Tour 2026
June 26 – Bethel, NY – Bethel Woods Center for the Arts w/ JJ Grey & Mofro & D.K. Harrell
June 27 – Atlantic City, NJ – Ocean Casino Resort
June 28 – Newark, NJ – New Jersey Performing Arts Center
July 29 – Vienna, VA – Wolf Trap w/ Gov’t Mule
July 31 – Bangor, ME – Maine Savings Amphitheater w/ Gov’t Mule
August 1 – Gilford, NH – BankNH Pavilion w/ Gov’t Mule
August 3 – Hyannis, MA – Cape Cod Melody Tent
August 5 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater w/ JJ Grey & Mofro
August 7 – Selbyville, DE – Freeman Arts Pavilion
August 8 – Baltimore, MD – Pier Six Pavilion w/ Gov’t Mule
August 9 – Youngstown, OH – The Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre w/ Gov’t Mule
August 12 – Highland Park, IL – Ravinia Festival
August 14 – Interlochen, MI – Kresge Auditorium
August 15 – Welch, MN – Treasure Island Resort & Casino w/ Gov’t Mule
August 16 – Lincoln, NE – Pinewood Bowl Theater w/ Gov’t Mule
August 19 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Civic Center
August 21 – Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater
August 23 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre
EU Fall Tour 2026
October 21 – Helsinki, FI – Veikkaus Arena
October 23 – Stockholm, SE – Avicii Arena
October 24 – Oslo, NO – Oslo Spektrum
October 25 – Gothenburg, SE – Partille Arena
October 27 – Copenhagen, DK – K.B. Hallen
October 29 – Rostock, DE – Stadthalle Rostock
October 30 – Berlin, DE – Uber Arena
October 31 – Dortmund, DE – Westfalenhalle
November 3 – Basel, CH – Baloise Session
November 4 – Milan, IT – Unipol Forum
The post Joe Bonamassa tips hat to Rory Gallagher with “Bullfrog Blues” appeared first on Blues Rock Review.
UK pop queen Lily Allen roared back into the headlines with the release of last year’s messy, brilliant breakup album West End Girl, and she’s on a big North American tour right now. She’s doing great! But performing at Radio City Music Hall is hard work, and it’s probably a lot easier to make a few hundred bucks by sending someone a quick video message. Perhaps that’s why Lily Allen is back on Cameo.
The post Lily Allen Is Back On Cameo, Will Do Any “Dumb Shit” You Ask For appeared first on Stereogum.
Willow Avalon snagged none other than Jason Isbell for her new duet. “Cardinal Sin,” from the Georgia-born country singer’s forthcoming Pink Pocket Pistol, is about a marriage falling apart due to infidelity. They sought a ’60s country feel for the album, and in pursuit of that vision here they deployed a string section and an…
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(written by Islander) As another largely abysmal week in global events draws to a close, we’re premiering an animated lyric video for “Abyssus“, a song by the Italian extremists Insania.11 that draws its inspiration from Nietzsche’s famous quotation about what happens if we stare for too long into an abyss. More specifically, the song “stares […]
The post AN NCS VIDEO PREMIERE: INSANIA.11 — “ABYSSUS” appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.