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[Cover art by Matt Stephens – sole full-time member of the band]

If you’re reading this, there’s a very good chance that you are a music obsessive. More than likely, that means you consume other forms of media with a similar vigor and passion. For those of us wired this way, it’s impossible not to spend time lusting after the opportunity to experience our favorite records, movies, games, etc., for the first time all over again. More importantly, we think through what the ideal experience would be for that. How different would our favorite old movie be if we had our first experience with it on the big screen with a modern sound system? Would we be as blown away by our favorite band if our first experience with them had been live, with zero context from their recorded materials? Would we even like our favorite childhood video game if we experienced it as an adult first?

So, what’s the ideal first listening experience for Anticholinergic Derangement? Why, being higher than RFK Jr. snorting heroine and the dust of bear bones off of a raccoon penis, of course! I picked a day when I knew my wife would have to work and I had zero other obligations on the calendar. I imbibed in a hearty dose of a substance that is very legal in my state…and waited. I sipped some coffee while listening to Enslaved’s Vikingligr Veldi followed by Swans’ Filth. I could only barely make it through the first half of the latter before I knew I was on another planet and it was time to get the Effluence train moving.

I set up shop at the kitchen table, grabbed my best headphones, opened my laptop, hit play and started typing out every thought that came through my stupid brain. What you have below is my unfiltered, immediate reaction to Effluence’s most insane work. I didn’t edit anything after the fact, so get ready for nonsense and typos.

I would encourage you to hit play and follow along. May your first journey be as unnerving, hilarious and incredible as mine was.

Molluscan Hemolymph Extraction (3:34)

• Starting off in a space horror movie – nice
• Phantom of the Opera and The Toxic Avenger are banging
• There’s more of a Gigan weirdness to this album that I’m really digging
• Haunted circus has landed
• These transitions back into brutality have been excellent
• How has it only been 2:30 seconds in and THIS MUCH has already happened?
• My VCR in hyper rewind
• Lololol that bass wobble into blasting outro was awesome

Dissected Infantile Hypothalami (3:02)

• Killer Devourment-style riff going into the super slow beatdown
• Wasn’t expecting to hear synths doing a dance around hyperblasts today
• Jeeeeeesus that meathead chug in the middle is glorious
• Someone taped over my brutal metal with free jazz here

Cyclical Triform Aiolomorph (5:08)

• Club meet skull
• Creepy crawlies coming out of walls and ceilings in a horror movie trailer
• Pennywise the DANCing clown
• I think someone’s trying to play the X-Files thing on theramin and getting pissed about being interrupted by blast beats
• Bass scrambling my brains like that you’re brains on drugs commercial
• Pennywise is back! But is there weird moaning in the back?
• A violin of knives
• That moment around 3:45 startled the shit out of me
• Is there an ASPCA for musical instruments? I think we have to call them on this guy

Demophoön (4:13)

• What a horrifically violent start to the song
• Hahahaha the fucking tamborine
• This is so wild in good headphones. So many tiny little things happening all over the place with quick notes jumping ear to ear or up and down. Makes it feel like the different instruments are fighting across your head in a war for attention
• This wobbly bit near the end into that sample was uncomfortable

The Medusae And The Class Of Drugs Known As Death Inducers (4:32)

• AHH, got me again
• The proggy bits are almost like someone having a bad trip while trying to cover Pink Floyd from memory
• That nature soundscape in the middle is creeping me out
• Now we’re in a submarine…but is it yellow?
  • How could I know? I said we’re IN it
• I’m getting the sense this may be more of a submersible looking for the Titanic situation
• Oh, what up Pocahontas 
• Back to the sewer!

Eγχριστον (The Enchristation) (5:32)

• This is the worst 80s porn soundtrack ever
• Listen to those eerie ghosts back there
• Ooo we’re dancing at a lovely ball with a slight sprinkle of blood in the air
• Jazz getting another colonoscopy
• This is the part in the old sci-fi when we’re discovering the final truth through some metaphorical vagina that gives us rebirth
• I’m too high for this talking bit. That was creepy as fuck
• Oh good, now there’s laughs. 
• Wait, was that just flutes and not laughs?
• The ancient community makes their last stand agains a volcano sized Hypnotoad

Milking The Paidiska (3:36)

• Weird to think that this sort of brutality right off the bat almost feels like a palette cleanser at the moment
• Nice dummy beat down parts in this one
• This would the song you use to trick some no/bullshit brutal death metal fan into listening to this definite bullshit brutal death
• Ok, maybe not, there was a drum circle
• That lead was an excellent little change-up to throw in

Antibody Conjugated Substance (2:19)

• Did this get cowritten with Mr. Bungle in their heyday? 
• That little picking-up-pennies chug into weird melty riffs to speed up was sick
• The keys and sustained notes are overwhelming in a great way here

Endogenous Polypharmaceutical Communion Rite Of The Oracular Virgin Priestess (35:27)

• Fuck, here we go. If you want to be the best, you gotta beat the best. Lock in
• I genuinely burst out laughing when that first brutal part kicked in. This is absolutely insane
• It is very upsetting how often these instruments sound like people screaming (yes, I know there are actual screams, too)
• Giant spiders sprinting across pianos
• Christopher Walken playing flute
• Jesus christ, I’m only three minutes in
• That sounded like a woman falling into a pit of vermin but with the Looney Tunes sound fade
• This is giving me Classic arcade game vibes with some unintelligible villain bellowing threats
• This guy listened to the creepy samples of kids on the nearby playground that Chris Barnes worked into Tomb of the Mutilated and said, “I can make that worse”
• What are these bird noises?
• These instruments are layered and blended together so well at times that I can’t tell what is what
• The song has a real sense of improv chaos to it
• Like this is what some guy’s off-off-off-off Broadway one-man shows taking place under an old pier would sound like
• Now we’re having an episode of Buffy where we flashback to her communicating with the first slayer
• This is so far removed from brutal death metal right now and somehow makes perfect sense on this album
• I’m only at the 11-minute mark, but this song is incredible so far
• There’s a phenomenal layering of uncomfortable notes and noises blended into upbeat birds or notes and the tension is really striking
• This is Indiana Jones appearing over the horizon in the desert coming toward his destination pyramid
• OH MY GOD WHAT THE FUCK?!?! That transition with the tortured murdered struggling woman is horrifying 
• FUCK the slowed down last scream was even worse
• That was circus bubbles music in a toilet
• These riffs have been numerous and absolutely killer during this stretch
• Bass said “bitch, what am I chopped liver?” and popped some bops in the fight
• Sparring with the piano again. It following the kick rolls was a killer touch
• Wany’s World tiddly-dee thing after it got punched in the nose twice
• We’re halfway folks!
• Nope. Nope. Nope. Don’t like this screaming. Not one bit
• Holy fuck, that layered keys, flute, whatever the fuck is creepy and oppressive as hell
• Oh good, an evil gospel
• Yet, again the transitions back to “standard” violence are pulled off perfectly and right when you need them
• This is the music during the most violent kill in some old Giallo movie 
• This drum solo during an avalanche is pretty awesome
• Back to communicating through lights and keyboards with aliens
• Hahahahah that transition back to the brutality made it sound like a punch of birds simultaneously got kicked by the drums
• Whoa this is more like a Swallow The Sun riff there for a sec
• Back to rattling tin cans, warning of an impending tornado, with Satan playing the role of Paul Revere
• Korean Jesus, I know you’re busy with Korean shit (this isn’t racist, it’s a 22 Jump Street reference), but please guide me through these final 10 minutes
• We are going on one whacky journey right now
• Alfred Hitchcock sharpening knives floating on a wooden platform in a river
• Are we doing a tango? Or samba or something? I’m picturing perfect posture and spinning red skrits/dresses
• Now we’re kinda getting into an 80’s action build up montage
• Haha the vocals
• This is crowd pleasing headbanger…with flute?! Did I turn on Korpiklaani?
• You could genuinely dance to this whole stretch
• This kind of reminds me of The Faceless a bit and then they added seem keyboards by The Doors (fuck you, Danhammer)
• As I’m approaching the end of this song, I’m almost tempted to start it over and listen to it again. This has been very compelling
• PURE CINEMA! MASTERPIECE! BRAVO! BRAVO!

Inoculation With Aντίχριστος (4:55)

• How could there possibly be more?
• Hey, don’t forget we can clobber you to death with pure ignorance too
• Fuck up that whammy bar, big bro
• Phasers set to KILL
• Slowly melting in sewer rot
• I think this was added to the album to test your endurance and take any last glimmer of hope you may have had after the previous 35 minutes and kicked its teeth in
• The snare is doing a river dance on your will to live
• Sure, might as well have one more final creepy outro
• I wanna go again, I wanna go again!!!

The post Effluence – Anticholinergic Derangement Review appeared first on Last Rites.

The aggressive guitar attack and emotional intensity that became central to Frank Iero first developed in the New Jersey punk and hardcore scene long before My Chemical Romance became one of the defining rock bands of the 2000s. Born on October 31, 1981, in Belleville, New Jersey, and raised in Kearny, Iero spent much of his youth immersed in underground music. Health problems during childhood, including recurring ear infections and bronchitis, kept him indoors frequently, pushing him deeper toward music as an outlet. He attended Rutgers University briefly before focusing entirely on performing and recording. During the late 1990s and

The post Complete List Of Frank Iero Bands And Musical Projects appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

Modern metal unit GUNDRIVER have released the first single off of their upcoming new album, Give War a Chance. 

“One Man Army” puts GUNDRIVER‘s no-frills, hook-heavy approach to metal at the front and center. The song is not only a preview of what the band has in store with Give War a Chance, the track is an unapologetic deceleration of intent.

Stream “One Man Army” on Spotify and YouTube.

Due out this fall, Give War a Chance – featuring Ronnie Romero on vocals, promises to be one of 2026’s most unforgettable albums.

GUNDRIVER is a hard-hitting modern metal force built on precision, power, and intensity. Led by founding members Tom Potter (Guitars) and Alex Rivas (Drums), the band features Ronnie Romero (Vocals), and Rev Jones (Bass).

The band blends elite musicianship with a raw, confrontational edge. Their sound is equal parts war cry and warning, driven by massive riffs, soaring vocals, and a relentless rhythm section. GUNDRIVER isn’t chasing trends, they’re delivering a statement.

For fans of: Metallica, Pantera, Black Label Society, Godsmack, Disturbed, Rainbow, UFO, Anthrax and A7X.

BIO:

GUNDRIVER is a modern metal project engineered for impact and built by seasoned musicians who understand both the craft and the cost of doing it right. Combining elite-level talent with a deliberate, no-compromise approach, the band is positioned to cut through an increasingly crowded heavy music landscape.

At the core of the project is founding members Tom Potter and Alex Rivas, who drive the vision, direction, and execution of GUNDRIVER as both a band and a broader creative platform.

The band’s name refers to attack helicopter pilots, drawing from Potter’s experience as a U.S. Army combat veteran who flew Apache helicopters.

The lineup features internationally recognized vocalist Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Elegant Weapons), whose commanding voice brings both melody and force to the band’s sound, while bassist Rev Jones (Michael Schenker, Leslie West, Paul Gilbert) anchors the low end with decades of professional touring and recording experience.

GUNDRIVER’s music is defined by massive riffs, tight arrangements, and a tone that blends classic heavy metal influence with modern aggression. Lyrically and thematically, the band leans into confrontation, challenging listeners rather than accommodating them.

With releases like “Give War a Chance,” GUNDRIVER signals its intent clearly: this is not passive listening. It’s a direct, high-volume statement.

Operating independently through its own infrastructure, the band maintains full creative control, allowing it to move faster, push harder, and deliver music without dilution.

GUNDRIVER is a band built on chemistry, vision, and a record that speaks for itself.

gundriver.com

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Source: ClawHammer PR

For over three decades, Hecate Enthroned have remained one of the defining names of the UK symphonic black metal underground, balancing grand atmosphere with the cold aggression that shaped the genre’s early years. With their new album, The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried, the band returns after a lengthy silence since Embrace Of The Godless Aeon, diving deep into ancient British mythology while staying connected to the darkness and identity that first defined Hecate Enthroned in the 1990s. I spoke with the band about evolution, legacy, atmosphere, and why the old spirit still matters.

Hello! After the gap since Embrace Of The Godless Aeon, what did The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried need to accomplish for you creatively?
Joe: The new album needed to show our growth and development as a band, while at the same time staying true to our origins. We are an ever changing band, constantly inspired by new things and experiences, but we’ll never stray too far away from the symphonic black metal core.

Why did ancient British myths and legends feel like the right thematic direction for this record?
Joe: I felt that Welsh and English mythology would strongly represent the band’s identity, creatively and thematically. We have all grown up with and been around these myths and legends, they are a part of where we are from and so we feel connected to them, but they are also things that our wider audience may not ever have heard of and so it’s really cool to be able to share these things with them.

What still defines the “traditional Hecate Enthroned way” for you after all these years?
Dylan: A true belief and passion for our music and not compromising who we are and what we do.

Do you think symphonic black metal has lost some of its darkness by becoming too polished or cinematic over time?
Dylan: Many different elements, sounds and instruments can be dark or menacing its how the music is crafted, to hear those elements more clearly only intensifies what they are. Mix and Production has a big role in the dynamics of a song and to make the overall sound what you want, whether it be dark, brooding, uplifting, epic or aggressive.

Looking back at The Slaughter Of Innocence, did you realize at the time how influential that era would become?
Dylan: No, at that time we were young and very excited about recording our music and touring just focusing on what we were doing as a band. The Black Metal scene was very different then and not as evolved or as big as it has become so we would never of expected the scene to develop as it has and for those albums to become so iconic.

Were there any production choices you deliberately avoided to preserve the album’s menace?
Joe: It was less about what to avoid and more about what to include. We worked with Dan Abela again on this album, whom we also worked with on ‘Embrace of the Godless Aeon’ and he has a fantastic mind for this kind of music and how to ensure that it retains its “menace”.

Does writing symphonic material feel more instinctive now than it did in the 1990s?
Dylan: We have always wrote in the same way as a joint production working on ideas and putting songs together. It’s probably become more instinctive as we have been doing it for so long and some of us have been together for 30 years, the writing has become intuitive between us.

How connected do you still feel to the original UK underground scene that shaped the band?
Dylan: As I said, the scene has changed so much and not many of the old bands still exist but yes there are a few of us left and we still play together and are in contact, it’s good to remember old times and create more. The UK BM scene for me is the healthiest its been, so many bands now and very good bands too, young talent coming through creating their own presence and time, and that has to be a good thing.

Was there a specific track that became the emotional centerpiece of the album during recording?
Joe: I think this will be different for everyone, but I think for me both ‘Deathless in the Dryad Glade’ and ‘Into a Vale of Endless Snow’ carry a lot of weight when it comes to the atmosphere that defines this album.

At this stage of the band’s history, what feels more important to you: preserving the legacy or still challenging yourselves creatively? Thank you!
Joe: It’s very much a mixture of both. It’s always important to grow and challenge yourself creatively, but you should never abandon your roots either.

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Gavin Adcock’s path to country music started on a cattle farm in Watkinsville, Georgia, and ran straight through the football fields of Oconee County High School and Georgia Southern University. Born Gavin David Adcock on October 9, 1998, in Athens, Georgia, he grew up in a rural Georgia environment that later became central to the rowdy country, country rock, outlaw country, and southern rock identity of his music. Before songs became his public calling card, Adcock was known as a football player, earning All-Region honors twice in high school before playing nose tackle at Georgia Southern University from 2019 to

The post Complete List Of Gavin Adcock Songs From A to Z appeared first on ClassicRockHistory.com.

The Clash has been the subject of many books and documentaries, but only one of these has extensively captured the band: Pat Gilbert’s Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash. Originally released in 2004 to commemorate twenty-five years of London Calling’s release, Aurum and the Quarto Group have re-released Gilbert’s tome on the only band that matters with a new edition, expanded by about 10,000 words and edited for accuracy. It is the quintessential and most complete book about The Clash.

The first quarter of the book is dedicated to the backgrounds of the essential players of The Clash, namely Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon, by exploring their childhoods through meeting and forming the band. Each of these chapters starts with Gilbert giving an idea of where each of the band members were at the time of the interview. Gilbert’s talks with Joe happened weeks before his untimely passing in the early 2000s. Mick’s conversation happened weeks after and provides a somewhat somber tone for the book.

These introductions don’t just give us each member’s background, but also how they remember their time in The Clash. It makes me wonder if Strummer’s death softened Mick’s memories of his former bandmate and how things ended. Would the memories feel more raw if Joe were still alive? It’s mentioned that Joe and Mick were talking in the months before Joe’s death, and while they may have worked out their issues then, the passing of anyone will make someone look back with a softer heart.

It’s interesting to see who is canonized and who is considered a bit player. The expanded sections seem to be reserved for Strummer, Jones, and Simonon. People like Topper Headon, Keith Levene, or Terry Chimes, who actually played in the band, are held in the same reverence as some of the other adjacent figures of The Clash, like Don Letts and Kosmo Vinyl. However, Clash Manager Bernie Rhodes does get one of these extended origins. He’s treated like another member of the band, not only because of his importance to The Clash but to the UK punk scene in general. Fans of The Specials will recognize the name shouted at the beginning of the song “Gangsters,” which documents their experience with him. Most accounts about Bernie Rhodes are not flattering, no matter how much the band praises his support and how much it helped them.

The research Pat Gilbert has culled and updated is nothing short of a Herculean task. This book has some sort of history for nearly every person and place, even if it’s a paragraph or two. Sometimes with punk rock books, it’s hard to wade through what’s lore and be able to pull facts from legend. Gilbert does a great job of taking everyone’s account and weaving their memories into a finite version, but also succeeds in making England’s punk rock scene feel cohesive rather than just each band sticking to the pockets of their own scene.

Sometimes the piling of the details can get to be a bit much. Gilbert’s writing is dense, but it would have to be given the amount of information he’s unloading, between his own research, interviews, and the amount of information to update in the years since his book has been released. It seems that he makes some sort of reference to every book written about the Clash. Gilbert is not overly friendly with the band, at least not in this writing, but there is some camaraderie. Even so, this book is immensely entertaining. He does keep things as structurally disciplined as you can in regards to an English punk band in England’s punk rock scene.

“Passion Is a Fashion” is hands down the best book you will ever read about the Clash. While it takes a moment to start with the actual story proper of the band itself, once it gets going, be prepared to have your brain overloaded. Every nook, cranny, and nugget about the Clash is explored and done so thoroughly. Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash is the only book that matters when it comes to the story of the Clash. Its telling of the band’s rise and fall and the impact they’ve had on music, not just punk rock cannot be overstated, but is well written with Pat Gilbert’s pen.

Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash by Pat Gilbert is available through the Quarto Group.

Review: Ayreon – ‘30th Anniversary – An Amazing Flight Through Time’ Music Theories Recordings – May 22nd, 2026 Reviewer – Chris O’Connor Tilburg, September 2025. Fifteen thousand devoted Ayreonauts (as fans of Arjen Lucassen are affectionately known) gathered to celebrate three decades of Ayreon, transforming the city into a temporary sanctuary for progressive rock and […]

The post Review: Ayreon – ‘30th Anniversary – An Amazing Flight Through Time’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

Milk St. channel heartbreak, dissociation, and emotional survival into Just So, a raw and deeply human indie rock anthem balancing dark lyrical weight with bursts of restless energy. Beneath its driving instrumentation and ragged melodic charm lies an honest reflection on grief, family fracture, and learning to navigate emotional chaos without losing yourself completely. The contrast between vulnerable songwriting and buoyant momentum gives the track a powerful emotional duality, transforming pain into something strangely uplifting and cathartic. Gritty, open-hearted, and emotionally fearless, Just So captures the beauty of finding resilience inside emotional collapse.

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