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If you call yourself a fan of heavy music and your pulse isn’t already racing, you need to check your vitals right now. The absolute masters of Floridian metalcore, Wage War, are officially gearing up to bring their massive, unrelenting It Calls Me By Name world tour down under. This isn’t just another casual standard […]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Original Wayne Static Recording of “Hollow” Surfaces Online Following YouTube Removal

Previously unheard version remains available through alternate stream after initial upload is taken down
A previously unreleased recording of “Hollow” featuring the late Wayne Static has surfaced online, giving fans the opportunity to hear an earlier version of the song before it was reworked for Static-X’s Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 .
The recording was released by director Matt Zane , who is currently completing an unauthorized documentary exploring the lives of Wayne Static and his late wife, Tera Wray. While the song was initially uploaded to YouTube, it has since been removed from the platform. The recording remains available through an alternate streaming link.
“Hollow” would later become the lead single from Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 , the 2020 album built around vocal recordings Wayne Static left behind prior to his passing in 2014. At the time of the album’s release, members of the reformed Static-X stated that portions of the song had been unfinished and required additional work before its release.
Zane disputes that characterization, saying he believes the newly surfaced recording indicates the song was substantially complete before it was reworked.


“Let’s be honest, there was no reason to pull the music off this track and change it,” said Matt Zane. “But by doing so they get some of the publishing. Personally, I would have left it as Wayne intended.”


The circumstances surrounding the creation and subsequent release of “Hollow” remain a matter of public disagreement between Zane and those involved with the Project: Regeneration releases.
The release has already drawn attention within the metal community and was recently covered by ThePRP , which reported on the appearance of the original recording and the ongoing discussion surrounding Zane’s forthcoming documentary.
Zane has also announced that his documentary examining the lives of Wayne Static and Tera Wray is expected to be released free to stream in early 2027. The project has faced public objections from members of the current Static-X camp, as well as representatives of the estates of Wayne Static and Tera Wray. Zane has publicly stated that he intends to continue with the film.
For longtime fans, the release offers a rare opportunity to hear Wayne Static’s original performance and compare it with the version that ultimately appeared on Project: Regeneration Vol. 1 .
Listen Here
Alternate Stream:
https://videopress.com/v/rmGorEsz

Related Coverage
ThePRP:
https://www.theprp.com/2026/07/20/news/wayne-statics-original-unreleased-version-of-hollow-is-now-available/

Ned Collette has been kicking around some of the most potent corners of the underground for decades now. The Australian-born, Berlin-based singer-songwriter got his start in the instrumental post-rock band City City City but quickly moved on to wide-reaching singer-songwriter albums under his own name, which for a few years were credited to Ned Collette & Wirewalker. In recent years he’s been closely tied to Kentucky alt-Americana types like Ryan Davis (who put out 2024’s seriously great Our Other History on his Sophomore Lounge label) and Will Oldham (who wrote the liner notes for Our Other History).

The post Ned Collette – “Commandeered Parade” appeared first on Stereogum.

It’s that time of year again where we talk to as many bands as we can who are raring to blow you away at Bloodstock! Technologist will be rocking the New Blood stage on the Sunday… Simple things first – where are you guys from? Manchester, although originally our singer Andy is from Essex. How … Continue reading Road to Bloodstock 2026: Technologist

The Staind frontman just did something plenty of Nashville lifers never manage: Aaron Lewis has the best-selling country album in America, with “Give My Country Back” sitting at No. 1 on the iTunes Country Albums chart following its release last week — and he did it while telling everyone he’s cleaning up his life, revealing he’s quit drinking and smoking at 54.

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Lewis’s “Give My Country Back” is holding the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Country Albums chart, and it climbed all the way to No. 6 on the all-genres iTunes Albums chart — meaning the guy who screamed his way through “It’s Been Awhile” is now outselling most of country radio’s golden children. It’s his sixth solo studio album, out now through Big Machine Label Group.

Love him or can’t stand him — and with Aaron Lewis, there’s rarely much in between — the numbers don’t flinch.

From “Mudshovel” To The Top Of The Country Chart

Here’s the part that still makes people do a double take. This is the same man who fronted one of the biggest post-grunge bands of the early 2000s, a band whose brand of raw, bleeding-heart alt-metal defined a whole era of rock radio. And he’s spent the last 15-plus years quietly building one of the most distinctive careers in country music — while keeping the fiercely loyal audience that first latched onto his brutally honest songwriting back in the Staind days.

The receipts back it up. Lewis has landed two No. 1 Billboard Country Album debuts with “Town Line” and “Sinner,” dropped the platinum-certified “Country Boy” alongside George Jones and Charlie Daniels, and scored a gold-certified No. 1 hit with 2021’s “Am I The Only One”. His catalog has now blown past 5.7 billion career streams worldwide. In 2024, Pandora handed him its Billionaires Plaque for topping a billion streams on that platform alone.

That’s not a rock star dabbling in cowboy hats. That’s a career.

We Recommend – Staind Frontman Aaron Lewis Drops Controversial Pandemic Outburst, Believes Treatments Took More Lives Than Actual Virus

“The Realization That Life Is More Than Half Over Will Get You To Change”

What makes “Give My Country Back” land differently is where Lewis says he’s standing right now. At 54, he’s framing this record as a genuine turning point — and he’s being blunt about it, which, if you know anything about Aaron Lewis, tracks.

“This is the perfect record for where I’m at right now,” Lewis explained. “As you get older, you start realizing your time is coming to a close. I wasn’t living as cleanly as possible, so I quit drinking. I quit smoking cigarettes. I’ve done some kickboxing. I’m on a healthier routine, and I want to get better before I can’t.”

Then the line that hits hardest: “The realization that life is more than half over will get you to change, if you allow it. That’s where I’m at.”

For an artist who built his entire reputation on wearing every scar in public, that kind of admission is exactly the fuel his fans respond to — and exactly the kind of honesty his critics never quite know what to do with.

The Album Itself

Produced by Sol Philcox-Littlefield, “Give My Country Back” runs ten tracks and blends roughhewn honky-tonk roots with modern country muscle. Lewis co-wrote five of the songs with longtime collaborators Jeffrey Steele and Bobby Pinson, with additional contributions from Casey Bethard, Travis Meadows and others.

The title track and lead single is pure, undiluted Aaron Lewis — swampy country grit, stinging acoustic riffs, and an anthem rooted in freedom and frustration with the modern political climate. It’s a lane he’s driven straight down the middle of before, and clearly, his audience isn’t tiring of it. Other tracks include “The Door,” “Bad Thing To Be Good At,” “Too High For This,” “Let Go Like The Rain” and “People I’ve Known” — the kind of fearless, vulnerable songwriting that’s marked his solo country catalog from the start.

“My music is my life. Every one of those songs,” Lewis said. “If you listen to it all, you’ll probably know me better than I know myself.”

He’s currently out on his 2026 American Tour with his band, The Stateliners — the road being the place Lewis has always seemed most at home, whether the crowd showed up for the screaming or the twang.

Back in May, we covered the album’s announcement and the fiery title-track single when it first dropped — and the chart numbers now suggest the finished record connected exactly the way he bet it would.

Check This Out – Aaron Lewis Unleashes “Not Brainwashed” Apparel: Inside the Blacklisted Rockstar’s 2026 Political Crusade

Why This One Hits A Nerve

There’s a reason an Aaron Lewis chart headline travels further than most. He’s spent years being one of hard rock’s most openly political figures, and that’s made him a lightning rod — beloved by a base that feels unheard, dismissed by critics who wish he’d stuck to Staind. A country boy from Springfield, Vermont who grew up on his grandparents’ country eight-tracks, went multi-platinum in alt-metal, then circled all the way back to the twang he started with. That’s a genuinely American arc, and “Give My Country Back” leaning hard into patriotism and accountability only sharpens it.

Whatever you make of the man, the No. 1 says the same thing his whole career has: Aaron Lewis knows exactly who his people are, and they show up.

TL;DR

Aaron Lewis’s “Give My Country Back,” his sixth solo studio album, is No. 1 on the iTunes Country Albums chart and No. 6 on the all-genres iTunes Albums chart, out now via Big Machine Label Group. The Staind frontman, now 54, credits a personal reset — quitting drinking and smoking and getting healthier — as the heart of the record. The ten-track album was produced by Sol Philcox-Littlefield, and Lewis is currently touring on his 2026 American Tour with his band The Stateliners, adding to a solo country catalog that includes two prior No. 1 Billboard Country Album debuts and 5.7 billion-plus career streams.

FAQ

Aaron Lewis’s country turn still surprises people 15 years in — but a No. 1 album is a No. 1 album. Is he one of the most underrated crossover artists in music, or does the politics get in the way of the songs? Drop your take in the comments, and follow Loaded Radio for daily rock and metal news.

The post Aaron Lewis Says “I Quit Drinking, I Quit Smoking” As ‘Give My Country Back’ Hits No. 1 On iTunes Country Chart Above Every Nashville Star appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Many, many years ago, the idiosyncratic, art-damaged Albany project Self Defense Family emerged from the ashes of the hardcore band End Of The Year. It’s hard to even describe Self Defense Family; it’s basically a revolving-lineup collective that functions as a de facto solo project for sole permanent member Patrick Kindlon. When Kindlon started leading Drug Church around 2013, that band initially functioned as a Self Defense Family side project. Kindlon still likes to maintain that Self Defense Family is his main vehicle, even though it has gone inactive while Drug Church have taken off. Now, Self Defense is finally back.

The post Self Defense Family – “Reclusion” appeared first on Stereogum.

Hey, you know what’s a good song? Motherfucking “Svefn-g-englar,” the deathlessly beautiful 1999 classic from Sigur Rós. I’d read a whole lot about Sigur Rós before I finally bought an import copy of the Ágætis Byrjun CD for like $20, and that’s a heavy burden to put on a hyped-up new album. That time, though, the hype was justified. I heard “Svefn-g-englar,” and I felt like I was in space. North Carolina indie-dance-folk-pop duo Sylvan Esso evidently agree, since their new single samples Jónsi Birgisson’s operatic wail-sigh from that song.

The post Sylvan Esso Announce New Album <em>Ow ∞</em>: Hear The Sigur Rós-Sampling “Concrete Glen” appeared first on Stereogum.

Weezy’s final interview at 2000 Trees Festival was with the one and only (and former Band of the Day) Lastelle! Now this interview was on point and included sheer bravery from Adam protecting Weezy from a pesky bee who just wanted to join in! Despite the very short chaotic interuption they chatted all about their … Continue reading Video Interview: Lastelle at 2000 Trees Festival 2026

Where they from?
Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Spain won the World Cup on Sunday. Give Argentina some credit though; they did a Hell of a job honoring the New York Jets by scoring no points in a big game in MetLife Stadium! I heard Zach Wilson broke down in tears due to the moving tribute.

Why the hype?
With the amount of gravity blasting this band does, I was convinced that Isaac from Sulfuric Cautery was somehow involved in the project but, lo and behold, he is not! This band hyperblasts and eviscerates all on their own, topped off with generous doses of gore-soaked ‘oompa’ beats and an absolutely inhuman vocal attack, something for everyone! If you are in any way a devotee of the new wave of extreme ‘hypergoreblast,’ then you absolutely must check this shit out, but please remember to wear some gloves.

Latest release?
Split w/ Miserable Fuck, self-released. I can’t stress enough how much of an all-out attack this band’s music is. When they get going with the tin can snare and dual vocal thing, it’s like a boat crash to the ears. It’s enough to make you forget that the New York Jets are now relying on Geno Smith to end an 11-year playoff drought. God help us.

The post Blast Worship: Banzai appeared first on Decibel Magazine.

Chelsea Wolfe has shared the details of her upcoming 9th full-length, serving as the follow-up to 2024’s ‘She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She’.

Titled ‘The Dark’, it will be released on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings.

The artwork looks like this:

Whilst the tracklisting is more like this:



As well as including previously shared tracks ‘The Dark’ and ‘Death Is Not The End’, it will also feature ‘Cold’, an intimately gorgeous piece that has as much pop sensability squeezed into it as off-kilter intent.

Here it is:

Chelsea will also be playing a very special show at The Dome in London on August 18, where new tracks will be premiered. Tickets are available from right here.

If you can’t make that show, maybe you can catch her on her absolutely massive world tour that kicks off in September. Here are the dates.

SEPTEMBER

16 – SAN FRANCISCO Curran Theatre
18 – SEATTLE The Moore Theatre
19 – SALEM Elsinore Theatre
20 – PORTLAND Roseland Theater 
22 – SALT LAKE CITY The Union Event Center
24 – DENVER Paramount Theatre
25 – LAWRENCE Liberty Hall
26 – ST. PAUL The Fitzgerald Theater
28 – CHICAGO The Riviera Theatre
29 – COLUMBUS The Bluestone
30 – DETROIT Masonic Jack White Theatre

OCTOBER

05 – BOSTON Boch Center Shubert Theatre
06 – NEW YORK The Town Hall 
08 – MUNHALL Carnegie of Homestead Music Hall
09 – GLENSIDE Keswick Theatre
10 – WASHINGTON Sixth & I 
12 – ASHEVILLE The Orange Peel
13 – ATLANTA Buckhead Theatre
14 – NASHVILLE Marathon Music Works
16 – DALLAS Texas Theatre
17 – AUSTIN Emo’s
20 – TUCSON Rialto Theatre
21 – EL CAJON The Magnolia
23 – LOS ANGELES The Orpheum Theatre

NOVEMBER

21 – UTRECHT Tivoli Vredenburg
23 – BERLIN Admiralspalast 
24 – HAMBURG Große Freiheit 36
25 – COPENHAGEN Vega
27 – OSLO Betong
28 – STOCKHOLM Vasateatern
30 – TALLINN Helitehas

DECEMBER

02 – VILNIUS LOFTAS
03 – WARSAW Progresja 
05 – PRAGUE ARCHA+
06 – VIENNA Budocenter
07 – BUDAPEST Akvárium Klub
09 – MANNHEIM Capitol 
11 – FRIBOURG Fri-Son
12 – MILAN Live Club
13 – MUNICH Isarphilharmonie
15 – ANTWERP Trix
16 – PARIS Casino de Paris
19 – ATHENS FLOYD

The post Chelsea Wolfe Announces New Album ‘The Dark’ appeared first on Rock Sound.