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Posted on May 26th 2026, 10:37a.m.

For nearly a decade in the late 70s and early 80s, The Cars were one of America’s most popular bands

Bowie and Petty loved him, Jagger danced onstage with him, Slash jammed with him – this how Lenny Kravitz’s retro mix of rock, soul and funk made him a crossover star

Posted on May 26th 2026, 10:01a.m.

With one big single, and a little help from an Iron Maiden tour, the Brummie underdogs found their footing across the pond

Posted on May 26th 2026, 9:57a.m.

Avatar brought their Heavy Metal circus to The Dome at The Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford on their Don’t Go In The Forest Tour ’26. Opening the show were Frozen Soul and Fleshgod Apocalypse. The venue has a theatre and a “dome” area, which is standing room only and can hold up to 2,000 people. Tonight, we were in the dome.

Avatar – Fleshgod Apocalypse – Frozen Soul

The Dome At Toyota Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford – 19 May 2026

Words And Photography: Jody Wilk

Frozen Soul

Hailing from Texas, Frozen Soul were first to hit the stage with a short 30-minute set that got the fans moshing and crowd surfing right from the start.

This five-piece band is comprised of Chad Green on vocals, who has the look of a wrestler and the voice of a demon, Samantha Mobley kept the bass dark and heavy with Michael Munday and Chris Bonnar on guitar. Matt Dennard held it all together on the drums.

With their most recent video, Chaos Will Reign, released just two weeks ago and having over 100,000 views, I was expecting a killer show, and that is what we got. Frozen Soul are touring in support of their No Place Of Warmth album, which was released on 8 May via Century Media Records.

They played eight songs from of this album, two from of Crypt of Ice, and one off from Glacial Domination. Check out their website for tour dates starting up again in August.

Fleshgod Apocalypse

Fleshgod Apocalypse hit the stage at 8 pm, bringing a unique blend of death growls and opera-like vocals mixed up in a cauldron. Add to that stellar drumbeats, piano and killer guitar riffs, and you get the unique sound that is Fleshgod Apocalypse.

This Symphonic Death Metal band hails from Italy, formed in 2007, and will keep you in a sensory overload from start to finish. Frontman Francesco Paoli took to the front and centre of the stage on bass and lead vocals with Veronica Bordacchini on a riser behind him, singing operatic and clean vocals.

Francesco Ferrini rocked out on the piano, another anomaly for a Death Metal band, and Fabio Bartoletti on guitar and Eugene Ryabchenko round out this unique band.

They played Ode to Art (de’ Sepolcri), Minotaur (The Wrath of Poseidon), Sugar, and about five other songs. But one thing is for sure, the crowd wanted more. They certainly need more than a 30-minute set next time around.

Avatar

Swedish heavy metal band Avatar brought their unique brand of music to the stage at 9:00 pm to a venue packed with people ready for the main act.

Fresh off the stage of Sonic Temple Festival two days earlier, Avatar hit the stage with a slow, dark and theatrical start. The band was rolled out onto the stage on a riser in almost complete darkness with only some faint blue lights and lots of smoke.

Johannes Eckerstrom, shrouded in a cloak, carrying a medieval lamp, was followed by the two halves of the drum kit being wheeled in behind them. The song was Captain Goat from their current album and tour namesake, Don’t Go In The Forest. We were not allowed to photograph the first song because of the almost non-existent lighting.

With their heads banging and hair flying, and in stark contrast to the previous song, Silence In The Age Of Apes had the mosh pit roaring and the crowd surfers flying to some great Heavy Metal music. The show was just beginning, and I think these guys got the award for the most synchronised windmill hair spins, if there is such a thing.

With Johannes donning makeup and an outfit like a medieval court jester, and drummer John Alfredsson’s dark eyeliner and demonic stare, Avatar do not set out to perform a heavy set of Metal mayhem, as they are out to give you a full night of entertainment. 

With the album Don’t Go in the Forest having been released late last year, it was great to see that they played six songs from it throughout the night, mixed in with fan favourites.

The drum riser was configured so that it could be split down the centre and moved to the sides to change up the stage for different songs. The spotlight rigs behind the band were on wheels and would move around during some of the songs, adding to the circus-like atmosphere.

If you have never attended an Avatar show, you would not understand. One thing I did miss about this show was that they did not play Puppet Show, the song where Johannes goes out into the crowd and makes balloon animals and plays the trombone. 

A few of my favourite songs of the night were The Dirt I’m Buried In, Colossus, and Legend Of The King, where they bring a throne adorned with lion’s heads on the arms to the front and center of the stage, and guitarist Jonas Jarlsby takes a seat wearing a crown and gold jacket to play for the fans.

They finished their regular set with Tonight We Must Be Warriors, before beginning the encore set of three songs, which ended with Hail The Apocalypse. 

The Don’t Go In The Forest tour stop at The Toyota Oakdale Theatre in Wallingford, Connecticut was a huge success right from the start. With the Death Metal of Frozen Soul, to the melding of symphonic and growling vocals of Fleshgod Apocalypse, to the Heavy Metal circus that is Avatar, the fans were left tired and sweaty from moshing and crowd surfing.

They will be sure to return next time Avatar are in town. 

The post Avatar Unleash Their Heavy Metal Carnival At The Toyota Oakdale Theatre first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

Iron Maiden have released a short new video documenting their recent show in Athens

Hard rock band Phantomy releases a new EP titled ‘First Takes’. The EP is digitally released on May 26th via Inverse Records. Listen to ‘First Takes‘ on streaming services – here In the summer of 2025, Phantomy emerged victorious from a battle of the bands competition after crushing their enemies. Little did they know… that they […]

The post Finnish Hard Rockers Phantomy Release New EP ‘First Takes’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

Following up on their 2022 debut release Rzeki Goryczy, Polish Black Metal outfit Piołun return with their second album Exolvuntur. “Stylistically, it is a continuation of Rzeki Goryczy,” Band founder Sorh says. “However, it presents Black Metal that is more dynamic and melodic.”

Piołun – Exolvuntur

Release Date: Out Now

Words: Jools Green

Sorh, the former guitarist with the Black Metal bands Blaze of Perdition and Oremus, and currently with Manbryne as XCIII, explains that “The album’s concept revolves around the cycle of life and death, referring to human transience in the face of ruthless nature.”

Exolvuntur manifests as “a thirty-seven-minute journey where the wildness of traditional Black Metal intertwines with nostalgia and melancholy.”

Musically, like its predecessor, Exolvuntur continues to be heavily inspired by the ’90s Scandinavian and Polish Black Metal, with Sorh emphasising that it’s delivered with “a refined, contemporary edge.” Overall, I think it is a very engaging listen.

As previously stated, Exolvuntur finds inspiration from the cycle of life and death, with each piece looking at the concept in a different way. Opening piece Manifest Kresu gives a bleak but somewhat honest view of the seemingly pointless circle of life, that the only purpose of being born is to die.

I love this quintessentially nihilistic Black Metal outlook. Musically, it bursts forth from a wall of riffs and drum battery into a cold, raw wave of engagingly undulating riffs with the vocals delivered with precise punch, the bleak riffing matching the bleak lyrics perfectly.

Sierpniowy Brzask, which translates as August Dawn, continues on the theme with a more darkly poetic approach. When the lyrics are translated, they make a fascinating read whilst still maintaining the poetic quality, albeit on the subject of reapers, sickles and fly-infested, stinking corpses among the field of grain.

To my mind, this is slightly reminiscent of Baudelaire. This bleak content is subtly reflected in the riffs and pace, and there is a more reflective tone to the vocal delivery, too. It is a great piece.

Czas reflects on what is left in this world after death, a headstone, bones and ashes and contemplates further on how time is the judge and executioner. Manifesting musically as an intense driver that runs away, rather like time and life, this is interspersed with slightly more reflective swathes that echo a hint of melody within the raw driving riffs and completed with a harsh vocal delivery.

Koło Życia takes another bleakly philosophical yet poetic look at the circle of life and death, and how from the dawn, death closes the circle of life. I particularly like how the harvest is collected with the reaping sickle. Also, heralding death is referenced. Musically, the opening pace reflects the daily drudge of life before opening out into a wall of frenzy, icy riffs that subtly mutate and evolve as they progress. The chant of “Biada! Biada!” rips into your very being. I love this piece. It is woefully expressive and hugely engaging.  

Moribunda looks at “the art of dying”, bidding farewell to life with hope of something after, but going to eternal darkness. I do like the mix of plodding doomy blackened riffs and more driving waves of icy riffing. The expressive protraction on the vocal delivery and the sudden dramatic stop at the end is impactful, making once again an excellent piece.

Próba Sznura lyrically delivers a descriptive, bleakly poetic look at death by hanging. As it opens and progresses, pounding rhythms meld with a hauntingly reflective melody alongside acidic, protracted vocals. I love the brief but slick switch in the second half to a clean melodic swathe. Overall, it is a powerful listen.

Final offering Hiems has a very icy Scandinavian feel to the riffing. It is dark, haunting, and reflective. The lyrics speak of ice, frost and bleak, barren landscapes and how nature kills and reclaims, closing this circle of life and death finally. A powerful and darkly poetic final piece.

Exolvuntur is a very deep, well-considered, and delivered album, both lyrically and musically. I am sure there is so much more hidden within the lyrics for native Polish speakers to discover and ponder. For the rest of us, it is a superb Piołun album to enjoy purely on its musical merits.

Released last Friday via Malignant Voices, Exolvuntur is available in CD, LP, and digital formats, along with T-shirts, and can be pre-ordered via Malignant Voices: http://sklep.malignantvoices.com (Poland) with Worldwide orders from https://malignantvoiceswebshop.bigcartel.com.

The post Piołun / Exolvuntur Is A Haunting Meditation On Life And Death first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.