Over the past few months there’s been a struggle over control of Levon Helm Studios, the studio space and live music venue in Woodstock, New York. The late Levon Helm, legendary drummer and singer for the Band, founded the studio in the ’70s, and he began holding his Midnight Ramble shows in 2004. After his 2012 death, his singer-songwriter daughter Amy Helm has been essentially running the venue and performing at the Rambles. In May, the venue’s board removed Amy and installed longtime shareholder Brian Parillo, a friend of Helm, as CEO of the space.
Der Rock ’n Roll Photography Workshop geht 2026 in die fünfte Runde. Gemeinsam mit dem vielfach ausgezeichneten Fotojournalisten Pep Bonet bekommen sechs Fotograf:innen die Chance, Wacken Open Air aus einer Perspektive zu dokumentieren, die nur wenige erleben.
Das Motto in diesem Jahr:
HARDER
Gesucht werden keine reinen Bandfotograf:innen. Gesucht werden Menschen, die Geschichten sehen. Die Crew hinter den Kulissen. Fans im Matsch. Ehrenamtliche. Freundschaften. Momente, die Wacken ausmachen.
Euch erwarten:
Kostenfreie Teilnahme am Workshop
Festival-Ticket
Unterkunft während des Workshops
Crew-Catering
Shuttle ab Hamburg Hauptbahnhof oder Flughafen
Voller Fotozugang inklusive Akkreditierung
Wenn eure Bilder mehr erzählen als nur den nächsten Circle Pit, dann zeigt sie uns.
As Bloodstock gets closer, we delve deep into the line up to find out more about some of the bands playing the New Blood and EMP stages at this years event.
Today we chat with Joakem
Please introduce yourselves.
Joakem is the brainchild of vocalist, keyboardist, and composer Stelios Ioakim. The band was formed in 2018 alongside the release of our debut album Mind Matter. Since then, we’ve been performing both locally and internationally, playing headline shows and supporting some legendary names in the industry.
How would you describe your sound?
Depends who’s asking. If it’s my mom’s aunt, I’ll just say “rock” and hope she knows what I mean. If it’s a music enthusiast (especially a prog snob like myself) then I’d say Progressive Metal.
How did you land your spot on the Bloodstock bill?
Last year, we reached the finals of the first ever Metal 2 The Masses competition held in Cyprus, but we didn’t manage to qualify for Bloodstock. We decided it was time to step up our stage setup and overall live presence and apparently it worked because this time we secured a spot at Bloodstock.
What does playing at Bloodstock mean to you?
With the release of our new singles and our upcoming second album, this feels like the perfect time to showcase our music and introduce the new era of Joakem’s sound to the UK audience. It’s definitely a big milestone for us.
For people who’ve never seen you live, what can they expect at Bloodstock?
We’ll be performing a mix of older material and our freshly released songs. Expect proggy heaviness, powerful grooves, and melodic hooks that will stick with you long after the show.
What day are you performing?
Sunday
What other bands are you looking forward to watching at Bloodstock this year?
There are loads of bands on the lineup that I’m excited to see live, but my top two would probably be Lamb of God – for the fifth time – since Randy Blythe had a huge influence on my extreme vocals, and Leprous because, well, PROG!
Over the years and the hundreds of concerts that I have seen and reviewed, there have been few shows where I think wow! Where do I start with this? Possibly the one show I never reviewed, but thought how on earth would I sum this one up was Pink Floyd’s The Wall. So where am I going? Well, quite simply, having watched the second night at Wembley Stadium for My Chemical Romance, I find myself thinking exactly the same.
Many times, reviewers will state that something is fantastic, outstanding, the best thing ever. But that really does apply to this show. It really is something quite spectacular and really leaves you buzzing and wanting more.
It is split into two sets, the first part of the show revisiting 2006’s The Black Parade, and the second in the round on a separate stage in the middle of the stadium playing a greatest hits of the other albums.
My Chemical Romance – Wembley Stadium, London – 10 July 2026. Photo: Matty Vogel
The Black Parade is not so much the band playing the album, but an entire theatrical experience. Though the show follows the album as written and tells the story of the patient and his end of life following a cancer diagnosis, there is also a theatrical subtext around this show, based on the imaginary totalitarian country of Draag.
With actors playing parts before the show starts, it is clearly setting up something that is going to be grandiose and spectacular.
Certainly, the easiest way to get everyone standing for the show is to ask the audience to stand for the national anthem of Draag, a classical piece simply titled Over Fields, and of course, they do.
My Chemical Romance – Wembley Stadium, London – 10 July 2026. Photo: Matty Vogel
Once the opening notes of The End ring out and the band hit the stage, there is no sitting down. It is all or nothing now, and the band are on fire, as is the stage on many occasions due to perfectly timed pyro.
This is a glorious rendition of The Black Parade, with the songs taking on a life of their own, which is at times clearly enhanced by the actors and the stunts that revolve around the band.
I have no intention of running through every song played. The Black Parade is complete and in the order per the album, although this part of the set lasts for nearly ninety minutes.
The songs are direct, powerful and meaningful. The anthems anthemic.
My Chemical Romance – Wembley Stadium, London – 10 July 2026. Photo: Matty Vogel
There is plenty of audience participation, and in particular, the semi-title track of Welcome To The Black Parade has everyone in the audience yelling out the lyrics at the top of their voice. It is even more impressive in the live environment than it is on record.
With the theatricality competing with the musicality, the audience is asked at the end of the song to vote to decide the fate of some ‘criminals’ who are to face the firing squad.
With the soldiers and individuals arranged around the second stage, the vote is cast, and unsurprisingly, with a fusillade of pyro and smoke effects, the execution takes place.
Mama is quite simply something else. This is a song that quite simply has the hairs on my arms standing up as it starts in a waltz style. With the addition of strings and two opera singers, Lucy Joy Altus and Charlotte Kelso, entering the stage, this piece is simply taken to another level.
My Chemical Romance – Wembley Stadium, London – 10 July 2026. Photo: Matty Vogel
Teenagers has the whole crowd bouncing and shrieking out with glee the chorus line of “Teenagers scare the living shit out of me.”
The first half ends with a reprise of The End and sees a clown character, Columbina, enter the stage with a knife and the intention of dispatching lead singer, Gerard Way. Perhaps this element of the show provides a serious nod to Alice Cooper as the knife strikes and the blood sprays.
With Gerard lying on stage, a taped rendition of blood is played out whilst Columbina cavorts around the stage before stripping off the outfit to show a suicide belt, which then explodes. Tasteful, probably not, but certainly a spectacular end to the first part of the show.
Realistically, most fans would happily have left at this point. The buzz around the stadium was something else. But within five minutes, all eyes are on the second smaller stage ‘in the round’, as cellist Clarice Jensen takes to the stage to play her solo piece From A To B.
My Chemical Romance – Wembley Stadium, London – 10 July 2026. Photo: Matty Vogel
As the band duly arrive the familiar chords of I’m Not Okay from the Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge album ring out, and the audience goes wild, arms waving and fists punching.
Now we are simply into a heads-down rock ‘n’ roll show. Gone are the theatrics, the pyro and fireworks. Now this is My Chemical Romance stripped back on a small stage and showing that they can rock out with the very best.
Na Na Na Na sees the audience jumping so enthusiastically, I am sure it must have registered on the Richter scale.
My Chemical Romance – Wembley Stadium, London – 10 July 2026. Photo: Matty Vogel
With a number of special dedications arising, the tunes come thick and fast. Summertime, The Ghost Of You and a live debut of Zero Percent has the audience eating out of their sweating palms.
S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W is dedicated to long-time band friend Lauren Valencia, before long-time favourite Helena sees the audience ecstasy rise a further level.
Demolition Lovers is played for the first time on the tour and closes the night out as the fireworks fly into the night sky.
What an end to an outstanding show. Twenty-six songs, and two and a half hours of prime, highest-quality entertainment. You just could not ask for more, unless, of course, you can get a ticket for Sunday night.
In a move that has left the global metal community in absolute shock, Dave Mustaine has officially confirmed that Megadeth will cover Metallica’s legendary track “Ride the Lightning” for their upcoming final studio album. This announcement, made earlier today, marks the ultimate reconciliation and a historic full-circle moment for one of thrash metal’s most enduring sagas.
Mustaine, who was a founding member of Metallica and co-wrote the title track of their 1984 masterpiece, shared a powerful teaser on social media. “It’s time to close the circle,” Mustaine stated. “This song has always been a part of my DNA, and recording it with Megadeth is our way of honoring the roots of this genre and the journey we’ve all been on.”
A Farewell to Remember
The cover will be featured as a special bonus track on Megadeth’s 17th and final studio record, which is set to be accompanied by a massive worldwide farewell tour. Fans have long speculated about a final collaboration or tribute between the two giants of the Big Four, but a full-blown studio cover of a song Mustaine helped create is beyond what anyone expected.
Industry insiders are already calling this the most significant moment in thrash metal history since the Big Four shows of 2010. As the band prepares to take their final bow, “Ride the Lightning” serves as a bridge between the past and the future, proving that the legacy of these titans is truly immortal.
Their biggest album, their longest tour yet – Mastodon hit their prog stride with 2009’s Crack The Skye, emulating their 70s heroes with an astro-political conceptual masterpiece. In 2010 drummer Brann Dailor told Prog about how their fourth album came together.
It may seem a little odd now, but when Mastodon started out in 1999, most people believed they were a metal band – nothing more. It was only when the conceptual Leviathan album was released in 2004 that everyone noticed they actually had a lot more sophistication and complexity to their musical aspirations than could be accounted for by any abiding interest in metal. It’s a point that drummer Brann Dailor, is keen to make at once.
“For us, the most important era in music – the one that really inspired what we do – was the early 70s. It was all about bands experimenting, taking risks, without thinking about the commercial problems they might be causing for themselves. It was the artistry that mattered.”
When Dailor names the specific bands with whom Mastodon feel most associated, you appreciate that they’re a progressive act who happen to have metallic elements, rather than a metal band who’ve indulged in other types of music.
“We embrace the spirit of early 70s prog as being the way that you should always approach music,” Dailor says. “When you listen to the fantastic albums made by King Crimson, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd… we’ve wholeheartedly taken on their ethos. They taught us that you didn’t have to dumb anything down to make your point. On the contrary, it was – and is – important to stick to what you believe in.”
He should know what he’s talking about – it’s mainly down to him that Mastodon took their current musical path of making concept albums. “I plead guilty to that, which means you either buy me a drink, or poison me, depending on whether you feel it’s something Mastodon should be doing!” he laughs. “I was reading Moby-Dick when it struck me that it could make a good storyline for an album, and that’s how Leviathan happened. Since then, we’re just far happier working within a conceptual idea.
What he doesn’t mention until pressed by Prog is that he’s also the person charged with coming up with the initial concepts. “I’m the one who has the first thoughts along those lines. I can get inspiration from almost anywhere, but what I might put forward to the others [guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders] isn’t anywhere close to the final story.
“All of us play around with the ideas, until we work them into a shape that makes some sort of sense to us. I always try to ensure that what I first propose is something I know the others would appreciate: after all this time, I know them well enough to reject anything I believe they’d hate without even thinking.”
Dailor has already come up with the basic concept for the successor to 2009’s Crack The Skye. And Mastodon are already working on the songs to bring this fresh story to life. “I don’t want to give away too much as this stage, but like everything we’ve done so far it is partly mythological in structure. Does it have anything to do with Crack The Skye? To some extent there’s a connection, but it’s a loose one.
“It’s what keeps us going: the opportunity to go further than we’ve ever done. And this time there’s a lot to live up to. The music is still heavy in parts – that’ll never disappear – but there’s also a groove that I’d describe as being close to mid-70s Led Zeppelin.”
Dailor is more than happy with the commitment made to Mastodon by current label Warner Bros. “This is the last album we owe them under the current agreement, but I hope they decide we’re worth picking up for a contract extension. We’ve enjoyed working closely with them.
“And it’s not their fault we haven’t had huge sales. It’s the times we live in. Someone recently told me that if you took into account all the illegal downloading that goes on, then the 350,000 sales we had with Crack The Skye probably equates to over a million copies in earlier days. How do I feel about it? It’s hard to have an opinion, because that’s going to change nothing. I’m just happy we have a career.”
However, there’s one disappointment as far as Crack The Skye is concerned. Such was the visual potential and breadth of the storyline – taking in Czarist Russia, astral and time travel, wormholes and religious beliefs – that the band hoped to turn it into a movie. Dailor admits they’ve had to let such ambitions drift away to join so many other dashed dreams.
I just love the fact that each year seems more full on than the previous one
“It’s something we really did wanna do,but in the end the cost was just against us. We spent all the budget we had on getting the clips done which were used as backdrops for the live shows; I think that was money well spent. Right now, the only hope we’d have is if the four of us took time out to write a treatment for the proposed film, and then one of us gets all done up in business clothes and tries to sell the idea to a movie studio in Hollywood. It might work, but that’s not what we’re about at all. So we’ll put this one down as the ambition which got away.”
Although their new album right at the core of plans for the coming months, there are also a series of summer shows coming up. There’s just a possibility that they’ll debut at least one new song. “The problem is that every time we’ve tried this sort of thing before it’s gone so wrong. We’d have to be really careful to choose the right sort of track. In all honesty, we might chicken out.
“I just love the fact that each year seems more full on than the previous one. Someone, somewhere always appears to have plans for us!”
In 2023, Jess Williamson released Time Ain’t Accidental, which earned a spot on our list of the best country albums of that year. Now, the Texas-born singer-songwriter is announcing its followup, A Mile South Of Heaven, out this fall. She’s sharing the lead single “Goodbye To All That” today, and it’s an emotional, pedal steel-filled tune inspired by Joan Didion.
With Bloodstock now just around the corner, it’s time for the final flourish of Metal 2 The Masses news. The last batch of finalists heading to the Stowford Press New Blood Stage has arrived, closing out months of regional battles in style. Applications for venues and regions to take part in 2027’s battle will open … Continue reading Bloodstock 2026 unleashes M2TM finalists, beverage lineups, 2027 ticket details and more!
