In the wake of the news that noise rock two-some ’68 was coming to an end, folks all over the internet have clamored for one thing to become reality: that vocalist Josh Scogin step in as Greg Puciato’s replacement in metalcore supergroup Better Lovers.
It’s not that hard to see the throughline, really. Scogin once fronted mathcore outfit The Chariot, so it’s obvious to some people that the dude has the sort of chops to hold down a band like Better Lovers. It makes so much sense that the topic has reached a fever pitch, that on top of addressing the rumors previously, the man himself took to social media to further dispel any confusion.
“To the rumors of me joining Better Lovers.
“First of all, let me say that I am humbled (and honestly flattered) that folks would think of me as a good frontman (front person??) for Better Lovers. That machine is such a powerhouse of greatness, that even throwing my name in the mix is high praise.
“But… As much as I love the dudes and the music, I am not joining Better Lovers. I don’t really join bands. I start them. And as fun as it would be to lock ourselves in a room and create music together, I just have some other ideas brewing for now, that I want to explore.
“Plus it is really important to me that folks realize
“The story arc of ’68 is a standalone story and it has nothing do with any external situations (like joining another band) It is its own trajectory. Set in motion from the very beginning.
“Anyway — I’m very excited to see what’s next for Better Lovers. We all chat pretty often — So I know they are cooking.
“So I encourage you to enjoy their story as it unfolds. Also don’t miss the season finale of ’68 this May/June — very (very) last show in Atlanta on June 20th.
“— No A.I. was used to write this. Just a dude, his thoughts and poor attention to punctuation and spelling.”
So there you have it. Straight from the source. Dude’s not in Better Lovers. After all, ’68 still has some time left on their farewell tour before he’s free and ready to collaborate with anyone else.
All devotees to progressive, technical, and melodic death metal, tune in. Liminal Shrines, the second LP from Toronto-based quartet GUTVOID, is now streaming in its entirety, preceding its release on Profound Lore Records this Friday.
GUTVOID was formed by guitarist Daniel Bonofiglio and guitarist/vocalist Brendan Dean, followed shortly thereafter by bassist Justin Boehm and drummer D. W.Lee. Blending modern death and doom soundscapes with progressive rock and metal songwriting foundations, GUTVOID creates a monster seething with gut-wrenching riffs, cavernous vocals, and prog virtuosity. With the release of the Astral Bestiary EP in 2019, the debut album Durance Of Lightless Horizons in 2022, and the Breathing Obelisk EP in 2024, the band has continued to build on their sound, focusing on more elaborate yet intentional song structures while deepening the depth of their aggressiveness and technicality.
Now, GUTVOID delivers their incinerating second album, Liminal Shrines, which marks the first half of a two-part concept. Writhing with energy, the album showcases the band at their most intricate, aggressive, and creative thus far, further expanding and building on their cosmic horror infused atmospheres and origins through six immersive and devastating movements. Liminal Shrines was recorded at Boxcar Sound Recording, Mount Wexler Studio, and Dystonic Sounds, was mixed and mastered by Greg Dawson and BWC Studios, and features cover art by Kjell Åge Meland.
Immerse yourself in the world of GUTVOID and listen to the rapturous Liminal Shrines, now streaming at YouTube RIGHT HERE.
Liminal Shrines will be released on LP, CD, and digitally this Friday, March 20th. Preorders and presaves can be placed via Profound LoreHERE.
photos by Junaid Malik
GUTVOID will record the sister album to Liminal Shrines in the months ahead.
It’s a double dose of brand new music from Hunnu Rock pioneers The Hu.
The Gold-certified global phenomenon deliver “The Men” which is accompanied by an official music video, alongside “Warrior Chant,” both out now via Better Noise Music.
Traditional Mongolian strings herald the arrival of “The Men.” This organic swell gives way to a gritty and gruff groove-laden riff topped off with hypnotic vocals. The band’s signature hybrid of indigenous instrumentation, heavy-as-a-2×4 guitars, and transfixing tribal chanting makes for another essential anthem from The Hu. It’s tailor-made for an epic battle scene, climax of your favorite video game, or workout session. At the same time, it’s evocative of the musicians’ own tradition and heritage.
About “The Men,” Galaa commented: “‘The Men’ is written based on Mongolian philosophy of ‘Man’s Inner Spirit’ or ‘Хийморь’ and the importance of inner strength and kindness of a man to the world. Energy of men should always be reinforced with positiveness, strength and generosity, so this song try to encapsulate that ancient wisdom and share to the rest of humanity. Lyrics are chants that guides young and old men alike to be headstrong and to have dream that cultivate goodness. We only wanted to focus on the positives that can make a man ponder about who he is in this world and wonder about how he can have positive inner spirit when listening to it. Hope our fans will be able to capture every fiber of Mongolian Man’s way of living through this song.”
Then, there’s “Warrior Chant.” It lives up to its title with a hard-charging chorus and a tight and taut metallic soundscape. Between the horse head fiddle and instantly recognizable delivery, it immediately amplifies everything that fans have fallen in love with about the band in the first place.
Regarding “Warrior Chant,” Galaa added: “‘Warrior Chant’ has our signature rhythm that our fans fell in love with and everyone who will listen and know us will say that it is ‘our song.’ Our third album has bit of everything, rhythm-wise, and we see that as a progress of expanding the Hunnu Rock genre… Enkush and I focused on horse head fiddle solos by imitating the horse gait and you will hear the rhythm throughout the song.”
The Hu will team up with Cello Metal standouts Apocalyptica for a run of shows this May and June. The tour kicks off on May 12 in Silver Spring, MD and will take them across the country before wrapping in Anaheim, CA on June 7. Joining The Hu and Apocalyptica will be platinum-selling Finnish rock band The Rasmus.
Tickets and additional information on VIP packages is available here.
In addition to closing all shows on this tour, The Hu are celebrating the recent release of their latest single “The Real You,” which is “the representation of our new album, The Hun,” says Temka – Temuulen N (band’s tovshuur player, throat singer). “The Real You” is one of the few songs from The Hu in which Western music components are prominent.
And in other The Hu news, the band recently appeared on the song “Pray to the Sun,” featuring Declan de Barra, from the Netflix Japanese manga series One Piece. It’s another instance of the band and its music connecting with passionate fandoms, as their song “Sugaan Essena” was also prominently featured in the Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order video game.
The Hu + Apocalyptica with The Rasmus 2026 Tour Dates:
5/14 — New Haven, CT — College Street Music Hall 5/15 — Stroudsburg, PA — Sherman Theater 5/18 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave / Eagles Club 5/19 — Green Bay, WI — EPIC Event Center 5/20 — Maplewood, MN — Myth Live 5/22 — Memphis, TN — Minglewood Hall 5/23 — Irving, TX — The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory 5/24 — San Antonio, TX — Aztec Theatre 5/26 — Houston, TX — Warehouse Live 5/27 — Oklahoma City, OK — Diamond Ballroom 5/29 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren 5/30 — Las Vegas, NV — The Theater at Virgin Hotels 5/31 — Valley Center, CA — Harrah’s Resort SoCal – The Events Center 6/4 — Reno, NV — Grand Theater 6/6 — Los Angeles, CA — The Wiltern 6/7 — Anaheim, CA — House Of Blues
The Hu with Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, + Orgy Tour Dates:
8/20 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre 8/21 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 8/23 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 8/24 — Charlotte, NC — Truliant Amphitheater 8/26 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center 8/27 — Mansfield, MA — Xfinity Center 8/29 — Burgettstown, PA — The Pavilion at Star Lake 8/30 — Darien Center, NY — Darien Lake Amphitheater 9/1 — Toronto, ON — RBC Amphitheatre 9/2 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center 9/4 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre 9/5 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre 9/6 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center 9/9 — Maryland Heights, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre 9/10 — Kansas City, MO — MORTON Amphitheater 9/12 — Greenwood Village, CO — Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre 9/14 — West Valley City, UT — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre 9/16 — Airway Heights, WA — BECU Live at Northern Quest 9/17 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre 9/18 — Ridgefield, WA — Cascades Amphitheater 9/20 — Concord, CA — Toyota Pavilion at Concord
Ellefson-Soto have dropped two new cover tracks today — one from the king of rock and roll, one from the kings of L.A. punk — both recorded live during sessions at Battery Studios in London last July.
The duo, comprising former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto, has taken on Elvis Presley‘s “Jailhouse Rock” and Fear‘s “I Don’t Care About You”, with both tracks captured and filmed live at the legendary London facility as part of the Rogue Recording sessions.
Ellefson makes no secret of where the inspiration came from. “The band Fear has been a staple of our attitude and style of music from the beginning,” he says. “And Elvis Presley has only become more legendary in recent years with so many films and documentaries about his iconic life. Let’s face it — he’s the one who showed us all how rock stardom was done from the start. So we thought it fitting to honor the king of rock and roll and the kings of punk rock at the same time.”
Soto frames the releases as a bonus for fans already plugged into the band’s 2025 album Unbreakable. “We wanted as many tools as possible to lure you into our recent album ‘Unbreakable’ so we all met up in London to make a few more videos for ya!” he explains. “BUT these two songs are NOT on the album — instead they are two cover jams that gave us more reason to have fun together… familiar in the punk world, Fear‘s ‘I Don’t Care About You’ and Elvis‘s ‘Jailhouse Rock’, delivered with in-your-face, no-mercy power!”
Both covers were recorded by Alessio Garavello at Rogue Recording, with video editing handled by Elia Turra. Blackstar Amps provided the backline for the sessions.
The timing puts the releases squarely ahead of the band’s upcoming live dates: a show at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood on 04/09, followed by a run aboard the Monsters Of Rock Cruise from 04/12–17.
Ellefson-Soto — rounded out by guitarists Andy Martongelli and Walter Cianciusi, and drummer Paolo Caridi — have two studio albums to their name via Rat Pak Records: Vacation In The Underworld (2022) and Unbreakable (2025).
Below rock bottom under the weight of truth.Yet in facing truth there is a spark that reveals there’s more to you than your darkest place… Recently, Melbourne progressive-death outfit Growth emerged with their first new music in over half a decade with the blistering, Remember Me As Fire and Forward, Further, Spirit Killer. Both tracks come from the first new music […]
In the ’80s and ’90s, Australian duo Dead Can Dance released a bunch of albums of rapturous, evocative music that drew on traditions from across the world. They were a key part of the 4AD roster, and their music never fit comfortably into any goth, post-punk, art-rock, or dream-pop categories. Dead Can Dance broke up…
“For those we’ve lost, we are forever grateful for the love you taught us.”
The melodic hard rock band Hardline have released a new digital single and lyric video for “When You Came Into My Life”. The song is taken from the upcoming studio album Shout.
In addition to the nine songs which were composed for Shout by singer Johnny Gioeli, keyboard player Alessandro Del Vecchio, and guitarist Luca Princiotta, the cover version of the Scorpions classic “When You Came Into My Life” is definitely one of the biggest surprises on the new studio album.
Gioeli says: “A friend from Norway played me the song, I’d never heard it before. But it’s a real smash hit, which we’ve recorded in typical Hardline style out of respect for the Scorpions.”
The lyric video for the song is a tribute to the loss of personal animals and to neglected and abused dogs, as well as the loss of a loved one.
“Alessandro and I are great dog lovers,” says Gioeli. “For a number of years now, I’ve flown dogs from animal shelters as a pilot, saving them from being put down because nobody wants them. On tour, we will hand out glow sticks for a small donation, which people can hold up while we play the song and think of someone they have lost and who was particularly important to them.”
Shout will be released on April 17 through Steamhammer worldwide in the following configurations:
CD DigiPak
LP, 140 g, black vinyl, padded inner sleeve, coloured insert
Exclusive CD/LP Bundles with a shirt only at the Steamhammer shop
