The Dead Daisies are cranking it up with the physical release of ‘Live Plus Five‘, arriving on CD and Vinyl Friday May 1st and May 15th in the USA & Canada. This release captures their blistering ‘Live At Stonedead‘ performance at the UK’s Stonedead Festival along with an additional five explosive bonus tracks from unforgettable […]
Poison The Well are thrilled to release Peace In Place, their first album in 16 years, today, March 20 via SharpTone Records, and to celebrate the band has shared the video for “Weeping Tones”.
“There’s a quiet loss of control that comes from feeling like you can’t fully be yourself anymore,” offers singer Jeffrey Moreira. “When you have to shrink who you are just to avoid judgment or conflict, it starts to feel like something is being taken from you. That’s what “Weeping Tones” is about.”
He continues: “This video reflects that struggle, but it also holds onto something stronger — the one thing no one can take from you: Your ability to give your love and energy to the people who matter most. No matter how heavy the world gets, no matter how much it tries to pull you apart, you can always choose to keep walking until you reach what matters most — hold it close, and never let go.”
PTW recently announced their Spring 2026 headline Converge tour, it will be supported by Balmora, SPY, The Armed, and The Barbarians of California appearing on different segments. Tickets and more information are available here. All dates are below.
Poison The Well On Tour With Balmora, SPY, The Armed, and The Barbarians of California Dates:
4/2 — Cleveland, OH — House of Blues* 4/3 — Chicago, IL — Concord Music Hall* 4/4 — Pontiac, MI — The Crofoot* 4/6 — Pittsburgh, PA — Preserving Underground* 4/7 — Toronto, ON — HISTORY* 4/9 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium* 4/10 — Queens, NY — Knockdown Center* 4/11 — Philadelphia, PA — Fillmore* 4/12 — Baltimore, MD — Nevermore Hall* 4/25 — Las Vegas, NV — Sick New World% 5/7 — Denver, CO — Summit& 5/9 — Austin, TX — Stubb’s Outdoors& 5/10 — Houston, TX — House of Blues& 5/12 — Phoenix, AZ — Nile Theater& 5/13 — Los Angeles, CA — The Belasco& 5/15 — Anaheim, CA — House of Blues& 5/16 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory North Park& 5/17 — San Francisco, CA — The Regency Ballroom&
%Festival Date *SPY and Balmora &The Armed and The Barbarians of California
As of 2026, it’s been 40 years since the formation of Black Death, the group that evolved into Norwegian black metal pioneers Darkthrone. Darkthrone are a big enough deal that we published a ranking of their albums in 2013, and they’re prolific enough that they’ve released plenty more albums since then. Soon, they’ll add another…
(written by Islander) I’m writing this on Friday morning. My spouse and I are about to begin the long trek from where we live to Sea-Tac airport. From there we’ll fly to Walla Wall in eastern Washington to spend a long weekend with two other couples who are a lot of fun to hang out […]
Four decades after the band’s creation, Darkthrone are releasing a new album on May 8 titled Pre-Historic Metal. Yes, Fenriz and Nocturno Culto are back with a new slab of eight songs to get your black metal fix. This news comes shortly after the release of their boxset The Fist in the Face of God.
Speaking of the new album, Fenriz explained what the forthcoming album represents:
“It means that we are metal. With very loud guitars. ‘Frightfully barbaric but not without finesse’, I call it. We collaborated in the studio more than ever, who’s playing what is still in a purple haze, but last but not least it was a sort of hardening of the arteries – we decided to tighten the tourniquet and do eight effective songs brimming with riffs instead of the airy plodding we so much enjoy usually.”
The new album was recorded at Chaka Khan Studios in Oslo, with production work conducted by Ole Øvstedal, Silje Høgevold & Mads Luis. Mastering was carried out by Jack Control at Enormous Door, and Maor Appelbaum Mastering.
Pre-Historic Metal will be released on May 8 via Peaceville Records, but you can preorder your copy today.
Pre-Historic Metal Tracklisting: 1. They Found One Of My Graves (05:17) 2. Pre-Historic Metal (04:19) 3. Siberian Thaw (06:45) 4. Deeply Rooted (04:58) 5. The Dry Wells Of Hell (06:12) 6. So I Marched To The Sunken Empire (03:21) 7. Eat Eat Eat Your Pride (04:51) 8. Eon 4 (05:24)
This week’s most notable metal releases come from Blue Medusa, Exodus, Fit For An Autopsy, Ice Nine Kills, Cage Fight, and Infected Rain, each bringing a distinct approach to heaviness and songwriting.
TL;DR
Blue Medusa debut with “Checkmate”
Exodus deliver “Promise You This”
Fit For An Autopsy release “The Wretch” with Will Ramos
Ice Nine Kills drop “Hell Or High Slaughter”
Cage Fight release “Pick Your Fighter” featuring Julien Truchan
Infected Rain return with “Stranger”
I go through new releases every week, and when the lineup spans this many styles without feeling scattered, it usually means there’s at least one track that sticks.
This week leans into contrast—new projects establishing themselves while veteran bands stay firmly in their lane.
Blue Medusa open strong with a debut that doesn’t ease in.
Fronted by Alissa White-Gluz, “Checkmate” immediately sets a tone built around control and atmosphere rather than chaos. The production leans modern and layered, giving the track a cinematic feel while still carrying enough weight to land. It feels like a calculated introduction—one designed to establish identity from the first listen instead of gradually building toward it.
Exodus – Promise You This
Exodus deliver exactly what you’d expect—and that’s the point.
“Promise You This” is driven by sharp, aggressive riffing and a pace that never lets up. There’s no attempt to reshape their sound or modernize it unnecessarily. Instead, the band doubles down on precision and energy, reinforcing why they’ve remained a cornerstone of thrash for decades. It’s familiar, but in the way fans want it to be.
Fit For An Autopsy – The Wretch
Fit For An Autopsy continue refining their sound with a track that leans into control as much as intensity.
“The Wretch” builds gradually, moving through atmosphere before locking into heavier sections that feel earned rather than immediate. The band has been shifting toward a more layered approach over time, and this track continues that direction—balancing weight with pacing instead of relying purely on constant aggression. And the track strait up pulverizes.
Ice Nine Kills – Hell Or High Slaughter
Ice Nine Kills take a sharp turn stylistically with “Hell Or High Slaughter.”
Written for the Ready Or Not 2: Here I Come soundtrack, the track leans fully into a hair metal aesthetic, trading their usual metalcore structure for something more theatrical and tongue-in-cheek. The guitars, vocal delivery, and overall tone all reflect that era, while the accompanying video doubles down on the concept with a clear visual nod to classic ‘80s excess.
It’s a deliberate stylistic pivot—and one that shows how far the band is willing to stretch its identity when the concept calls for it.
Cage Fight – Pick Your Fighter (feat. Julien Truchan)
Cage Fight take a more direct route.
Featuring Julien Truchan, “Pick Your Fighter” is built on groove and immediacy. It hits quickly, keeps its momentum, and doesn’t stretch beyond what it needs to do. That restraint works in its favor, giving the track a focused, aggressive edge that doesn’t lose energy.
Infected Rain – Stranger
Infected Rain close out the week with a sharp contrast between sound and visuals.
“Stranger” leans fully into aggression on the audio side—driven, intense, and direct—while the accompanying video takes a more theatrical and unsettling approach. The visuals introduce a darker, almost eerie tone that adds another layer to the track, giving it a different kind of impact beyond just the music itself.
It’s that split between what you hear and what you see that makes the release stand out.
As December Falls have released their ace cover of ‘Message Man’ by Twenty One Pilots, originally recorded for Rock Sound’s ‘Blurryface Reborn’.
Taking the essence of the original and adding the band’s fiery blend of pop-punk sensibility and furiously glitchy British rock, it shows off the track’s brilliance from a different angle and at a different pace.
It also pushes vocalist Bethany Hunter into previously uncharted waters, showing off her rapping skills as much as her knack for delivering powerful melodies.
The band will be hitting the road with Black Veil Brides across the US next month. Here are all the dates you need to know.
They will also be hitting the road across the US with Black Veil Brides. Those dates look like this:
APRIL
25 – RIVERSIDE Municipal Auditorium 26 – RENO Grand Sierra Resort 28 – SEATTLE Showbox SoDo 30 – SALT LAKE CITY The Union
MAY
01 – DENVER Fillmore 02 – OMAHA ASTRO 04 – DALLAS House of Blues 05 – HOUSTON House of Blues 06 – SAN ANTONIO The Aztec 08 – ATLANTA Tabernacle 11 – GREENSBORO Piedmont Hall 12 – NORFOLK The Norva 14 – PHILADELPHIA Fillmore 15 – PITTSBURGH Stage AE 17 – DETROIT The Fillmore 19 – INDIANAPOLIS Egyptian Room 21 – MINNEAPOLIS The Fillmore 22 – CHICAGO Ramova Theatre 23 – MADISON The Sylvee 25 – TORONTO History 26 – MONTREAL M-Telus 28 – NEW YORK Palladium Times Square 29 – SILVER SPRING Fillmore 30 – WORCESTER The Palladium
Norwegian black metal legends Darkthrone have announced that they’ll be releasing their 22nd album, Pre-Historic Metal, on May 8, and shared the title-track.
With a cover featuring drummer Fenriz going metal with a gardening fork, and arriving as the band celebrate their 40th year, they promise a primitive, barbaric record.
“Prehistoric is a loose term,” asserts Fenriz. “I just figure it’s our vibe, our take on things and it’s more a statement that we use old style to create something new.
“It means that we are metal. With very loud guitars. ‘Frightfully barbaric but not without finesse’, I call it. We collaborated in the studio more than ever, who’s playing what is still in a purple haze, but last but not least it was a sort of hardening of the arteries. We decided to tighten the tourniquet and do eight effective songs brimming with riffs instead of the airy plodding we so much enjoy usually.”
Check out what he means in the title-track!
Check out the Pre-Historic Metal tracklisting:
1. They Found One Of My Graves 2. Pre-Historic Metal 3. Siberian Thaw 4. Deeply Rooted 5. The Dry Wells Of Hell 6. So I Marched To The Sunken Empire 7. Eat Eat Eat Your Pride 8. Eon 4