You’d be hard-pressed to find a more respected and talented drummer than Megadeth’s Dirk Verbeuren, who cut his teeth with Scarve and Soilwork before joining Megadeth in 2016. Since then, Verbeuren has become a trusted confidante to Megadeth’s Commander-in-Chief, Dave Mustaine. The 51-year-old drummer has appeared on the band’s last two records, 2022’s The Sick, the Dying… and the Dead!, and 2026’s Megadeth. Like most of the world, Verbeuren was a bit bummed to hear that Megadeth would be hanging it up after this coming touring cycle—which will be a long one—but he’s come to terms with it. “At first,
Kingdom Collapse create the soundtrack to survival. The San Antonio, TX hard rock band alchemizes unfathomable tragedy, trauma, and loss into massive and magnetic anthems powered by pummeling instrumentation and arena-size hooks that remind you to never give up. And they do all of the above flawlessly on their new single “Watch You Bleed.”
“‘Watch You Bleed’ wrestles with the desire for revenge and realization that holding onto that negativity only ends up hurting yourself in the end,” declares vocalist Jonathan Norris.
Bassist Aaron Smith offers insight into the video, saying, “We decided to showcase the struggle between those feelings of anger while also coming to terms with letting them go. We wanted to depict the fight of good and evil that we all wrestle with internally.”
Kingdom Collapse originated out of the childhood friendship between aforementioned vocalist Jonathan Norris and bassist Aaron Smith, who grew up together, found music around the same time, and recognized its power after Jonathan endured the loss of his father at eight-years-old.
In order to cope, he immediately retreated into music and the embrace of a small community — which included Aaron’s family. This was the turning point where both boys realized the power of friendship, the power of music, and their potential together. “I saw my father die right in front of my eyes,” Jonathan sighs. “I didn’t even know what was happening. In some ways, that darkness has never left. Music became my light. I connected with it, and it gave me hope for the future. Kingdom Collapse is a band that carries that torch.”
Jonathan and Aaron each made the rounds in local bands and even collaborated a few times on short-lived projects. When they finally joined forces in Kingdom Collapse, it was as if everything they’d gone through as friends prepared them to make a statement together.
Jonathan tapped Aaron to play bass, and they rounded out the line-up by welcoming guitarist David Work and drummer Gaston Flores into the fold. Their quiet and devoted grind paid off when their breakout track “Uprise” resonated on a global scale, gathering 5 million-plus Spotify streams and bulldozing the way for 2022’s independent Unbreakable EP. The latter housed their biggest single to date “Unbreakable,” which has generated north of 11 million Spotify streams and hit No. 1 on Octane. Unafraid to put in the work, the four-piece didn’t bother with day jobs and went all-in on music, hitting the road for hundreds of shows a year. They shared stages with everyone from Three Days Grace and Nothing More to From Ashes To New, Fire From The Gods, ATTACK ATTACK!, and Adelita’s Way.
In 2025, they caught the attention of Mascot Records and inked a deal with the label. Now, Kingdom Collapse hold nothing back on their new single.
Kingdom Collapse are touring the US through the summer, supporting Saliva on a sprinkling of dates before heading out with Red through June. The band will also hit several festivals in the summer.
Upcoming Tour Dates
WITH SALIVA:
4/16 — Fort Worth, TX — Tannahill’s Tavern & Music Hall
4/18 — Midland, TX — La Hacienda Event Center
4/19 — Dallas, TX — The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
WITH RED:
5/11 — Fort Myers, FL — The Ranch Concert Hall
5/12 — Savannah, GA — Victory North
5/14 — Greenville, SC — The Radio Room
5/16 — Reading, PA — Reverb
5/19 — Asbury Park, NJ — House of Independents
5/20 — Pittsburgh, PA — Jergels
5/22 — Leesburg, VA — Tally Ho Theater
5/23 — Columbus, OH — The King of Clubs
5/24 — Lakewood, OH — Mercury Music Lounge
5/26 — Joliet, IL — The Forge
5/27 — Racine, WI — Route 20
5/30 — Ringle, WI — Q&Z Expo Center
5/31 — Sioux Falls, SD — Big’s Bar
6/2 — Lincoln, NE — Bourbon Theatre
6/4 — San Antonio, TX — The Rock Box
6/7 — Houston, TX — Scout Bar
FESTIVALS:
7/17 — Grand Rapids, MI — Upheaval Festival (Belknap Park)
7/18 — Cadott, WI — Rock Fest
7/25 — Menahga, MN — Mid Summer Music Fest (Rock Week)
Brooklyn legends They Might Be Giants have unleashed their new single + visualizer “Outside Brain.” The track comes off their highly anticipated new LP, The World Is to Dig, arriving April 14 in all formats at TMBGshop.comand on streaming services, plus an exclusive 180-gram vinyl colour variant will be available at indie retail shops on April 17.
The thunderous ‘Outside Brain’ is propelled by John Flansburgh’s smooth vocals as he unfurls a lyrical panic attack, all backed by Dan Miller’s rip curl guitar and Danny Weinkauf’s fluid bass lines.
John Flansburgh says, “‘Outside Brain’ is about mania and panic and is as much about the feelings of those twisted emotions as it is about any real storytelling in the lyrics. I was trying to capture that nightmare fear of being chased or running away from something. Our drummer, Marty Beller, did a great job creating claustrophobia out of a relentless beat. I’m a fan of the Bobby Fuller Four (a garage band from the ’60s that is a little lost to time beyond their hit ‘I Fought the Law’), and I feel like we captured a piece of their very rare vibe in this track.”
The World Is to Dig is the band’s first full-length since 2021’s Grammy-nominated BOOK, blending sharp songwriting and bold experimentation into a refreshingly original, 18-song collection.
Lyle McGuinness Band – Acting On Impulse (LP/CD) Erstaunlicherweise sind McGuinness Flint ziemlich gut im Rockzirkus vertreten, wenn es auch gerne mehr sein könnte. Und
KATAKLYSM – FREEDOM OR DEATH TOUR 2026 March 8, 2026 – Budapest, Barba Negra On the second Sunday of March, Barba Negra’s Blue Stage once again hosted what promised to be an excellent death metal night, with Norway’s Blood Red Throne, Polish veterans Vader, and Canada’s Kataklysm delivering the soundtrack for our headbanging. The prestigious […]
Alright, ladies and gents, maybe the empire is falling, maybe we’re on the verge of World War III, maybe the end-times are upon us. but through whatever may come, by the grace of Lord Anthony Frank Iommi Jr. and so many others, we have heavy metal to sustain us. Metal won’t put gas in the tank or food on the table, but if you have to grit your teeth and endure some bullshit, there is no better soundtrack. With that in mind, let’s see what your pals at Last Rites have been listening to.
As is quite typical the staff listening habits vary a great deal, but in a few instances they have converged, resulting in a three-way tie for album of the month. First in our winner’s triumvirate is Desert Collider with Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity. A review of this fuzzy behemoth of an album by Dan “The Man” Obstkrieg can be found right here. Secondly, we have long-running Polish black metal quartet, Furia, with 2023’s Huta luna. And, finally, closing out our trio of winners is Floridian/Canadian symphonic black/death/doom group Worm with its latest album Necropalace.
For our group discussion this month, let’s keep it light and easy: after a long cold winter, what kind of metal do you reach for to thaw your blood out for spring? Personally, I find myself enjoying brutal death metal more as the temperature rises. Something about the genre’s suffocating intensity warms my bones.
That’ll just about do it for this month. Be sure to have a listen to the staff-curated Spotify playlist below, and share your own playlist in the comments. Until next time, well, lets hope shit doesn’t get too much worse (It will).
Zach Duvall Sigh – everything Blut Aus Nord – Ethereal Horizons Furia – Huta Luna Worm – Necropalace Fluisteraars – Gegrepen door de Geest der Zielsontluiking Vader – Tibi Et Igni
Andrew Edmunds Paul Chain – Alkahest The Byrds – Untitled Watchtower – Control And Resistance Vanexa – Back From The Ruins Yattering – Genocide Repulsion – Horrified
Danhammer Obstkrieg Egregore – It Echoes in the Wild The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis – Deface the Currency Shane Parish – Autechre Guitar Worm – Necropalace Cradle of Filth – Cruelty & the Beast DJ Food – Kaleidoscope
Spencer Hotz Emerson, Lake & Palmer – Tarkus System of a Down – System of a Down Baazlvaat – Ridiculed by the Common Soldiery King Crimson – Three of a Perfect Pair Iniquitous Deeds – Incessant Hallucinations Gorrch – Stillamentum
David Fonseca Monstrosity – Millenium Heavy Load – Death or Glory The Ruins of Beverast – Foulest Semen of a Sheltered Elite Judas Priest – Priest … Live! Furia – Huta Luna Enshine – Elevation
Lone Watie Lovebites – Outstanding Power Desert Collider – Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity Silent Stream Of Godless Elegy – Iron Beyond Creation – Earthborn Evolution Lazuli – Être Et Ne Plus Être Parallel Or 90 Degrees – Aftersometimelater
Isaac Hams Fire Magic – Memories of Fire Lola Young – I’m Only F**king Myself Desert Collider – Generation Ship: Endless Drift Through Infinity Stormkeep – Tales of Othertime Absu – Tara Forest Stream – Tears of Mortal Solitude
Wolf Rambatz Buzzkill – Wasteland Weedpecker – V Maddie Ashman – Her Side Station Model Violence – Station Model Violence Mod Lang – Borrowed Time Neural Indent – Thalassaeglean Unguents
Blizzard of Jozzsh Grouper – Dragging a Dead Deer Up a Hill Lamb of God – Into Oblivion Embalmer – There Was Blood Everywhere Dio – Holy Diver Sleep – Sleep’s Holy Mountain Darkthrone – Plaguewielder
Jeremy Morse Exhumed – Red Asphalt Converge – Love is not Enough Tyrant Trooper – Insane Sickness Visceral Decay – Obsessive Pathology to Eliminate the Scum Human Race Vore – Lord of Storms Danzig – III: How the Gods Kill
A volatile mix of art-school attitude, stripped-down instrumentation, and downtown New York energy propelled Yeah Yeah Yeahs from the early 2000s underground to global visibility. The band formed in New York City in 2000 when Karen O and Nick Zinner shifted from an acoustic project called Unitard into a louder direction, soon adding Brian Chase on drums just before a key opening performance for the White Stripes at Mercury Lounge. That early show helped define their trajectory, as the group quickly became known for an intense live presence and a sound that blended garage rock, punk, and art rock. By
Three distinct voices, three personalities, and one very specific creative vision turned TLC into one of the most important R&B groups of the 1990s. The group took shape in Atlanta in 1990 after Crystal Jones created the original concept and recruited Tionne Watkins and Lisa Lopes. Following an audition arranged through Perri “Pebbles” Reid, Jones was replaced by Rozonda Thomas, and the group’s identity was finalized with Watkins as T-Boz, Lopes as Left-Eye, and Thomas as Chilli. Signed through Pebbitone and LaFace, they entered the studio with producers including Dallas Austin, Jermaine Dupri, and Marley Marl, establishing a sound built
Symphonic metal band Derdian are pleased to announce the release date of the highly anticipated first live DVD of their career. ‘A New Era in the Rising Sun‘, recorded during their latest tour in Japan in September 2024, will finally be released on April 10th via Bandcamp, available on the band’s official shop. Pre-orders are […]
