Charlie Puth appears to possess some legitimate intelligence when it comes to music theory; unfortunately, he is not opposed to artificial intelligence. Today Moises, an AI music production platform, announced that they’ve welcomed Puth onboard as their Chief Music Officer.
The post Charlie Puth Joins AI Company As “Chief Music Officer” appeared first on Stereogum.
I’m going to come out and say it. Arch Enemy has done untold damage to female-fronted metal bands. While their influence is undeniable, every iteration of the band has featured monotone vocals, cringe-inducing lyrics, and leather-clad frontwomen. As a woman, I have no issue with these things in a vacuum, but in the larger music sphere, they created simultaneously high and absurdly low standards. Requiring frontwomen to be stereotypically hot, thin, and sport bright hair, while also plummeting standards on the musical side with their milquetoast melodeath slop. This is an ill omen for North Carolina’s Blackwater Drowning, seemingly following in Arch Enemy’s footsteps on a surface level, but do they make the same mistakes from a musical perspective, or are they influenced only in aesthetics?
Blackwater Drowning’s sophomore album, Obscure Sorrows, is at times a grab bag of popular metal cliches. Their latest is full of groovy, djent-laden riffs and chugging, staccato metalcore. Light orchestration adds obligatory bombast to intros and a few sections, while uninspired cleans occasionally show up as if they are a necessary evil. Vocalist Morgan Riley has more range and skill than their clear inspirations (Arch Enemy), but ultimately sits in the mid-range for far too long, and her clean singing lacks skill and panache. The highlight of Obscure Sorrows is guitarist Ron Dalton’s playing and the rich production (courtesy of Cryptopsy guitarist Christian Donaldson). Dalton’s riffs cover a wide range of styles, and the album highlight “Heir Of The Witch” is where the band should focus their sound, with its rolling energy and massive groove. Bassist Aria Novi shines due to the quality production, and frequently bolsters Dalton’s riffs and drummer Aamon Dalton’s technical hammering. There is no lack of talent across the band, but the whole crew seems too comfortable sitting in the mid-range, making for an album that bleeds together.
Obscure Sorrows’ biggest sin is its inability to shake things up. Across the ten tracks, they all sit in such similar spaces that they are hard to tell apart. Even song lengths are eerily similar, and they tend to reach for the same tired notes, making for music that lacks hooks. It feels harsh to lay so much at the feet of Blackwater Drowning, because the band clearly isn’t lacking in technical skill, but I think comparing songs to each other and treating the album as a whole shows a record that is far too safe and too middling in its soundscape. Clean singing makes occasional appearances but rarely stands out except on “Teeth and Claws,” which features some genuine atmosphere and brooding emotion.
Obscure Sorrows isn’t bad by any stretch, and the album opener, “The Sixth Omen,” features a roaring intro riff, even if it devolves into an uninspired chorus. The production elevates the album, and the clarity and crunch on display are admirable even if the source material doesn’t necessarily do it justice. “Washed Out, Washed Away” is backed by a crushing blackened death riff, and “Where Men Fear To Tread” showcases Morgan Riley’s skill on the low end alongside an anthemic chorus bookended by a teetering solo. “Teeth And Claws” evil lead riff helps the track ascend the mid-range soup and features some creative cleans from Riley.
In the end, Obscure Sorrows is an album I wanted to love, and with a bit of editing, variety, and focus on groove, Blackwater Drowning could truly stomp fools on their next record. As it stands, their latest is a competent, if safe, drop in the female-fronted melodeath bucket. Fans of the genre may get more out of it than I did, and they easily beat Arch Enemy at their own game, but Blackwater Drowning has a bit of work to do before they can truly drop the barn burner I know they are capable of. Luckily, this is a young band with a hopefully long career ahead of them, and as many say, the third time is the charm.
Rating: Mixed
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Bleeding Art Collective
Websites: blackwaterdrowning.com | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: February 27th, 2026
The post Blackwater Drowning – Obscure Sorrows Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
Some people seemingly love to rub their talents in your face. Some of the most insufferable folks that do that are those badass shredders that can rip through the most insane guitar solos that make you question what the hell you’ve been doing with all your free time. Megadeth‘s guitarist Teemu Mäntysaari is probably the worst offender after a recent video showcases him ice skating while playing “Let There Be Shred”.
If you were like so many other people that claim to play guitar and you’ve got a dusty axe sitting in the corner of your room, prepare to feel extreme shame. Sure, Mäntysaari is a professional and likely has been playing longer than you have owned your discount Yamaha guitar, but still. The dude’s already a master — what hope does anyone like you or me have?! Especially when Teemu himself didn’t feel too bothered by the act.
“This was so much fun. [I’m] combining two of my favourite things, guitar and ice hockey!”
“Let There Be Shred” was one of the better tracks on Megadeth’s latest and final self-titled studio album. Later today the band will be playing the first of what’s soon to be a long list of farewell tour dates. Though you’ll have a couple of years still to catch Dave Mustaine and company live, you can also just get it out of the way by heading to any one of the dates listed below.
Megadeth live dates
3/4 Moncton, NB Avenir Centre
3/6 Québec City, QC Videotron Centre
4/23 Lima, Peru Costa 21
4/26 Bogotá, Colombia Movistar Arena
4/27 Bogotá, Colombia Movistar Arena
4/30 Buenos Aires, Argentina Tecnópolis
5/2 São Paulo, Brazil Espaco Unimed
5/4 Santiago, Chile Movistar Arena
5/5 Santiago, Chile Movistar Arena
5/8 Monterrey, Mexico Arena Monterrey
5/10 Mexico City, Mexico Arena Ciudad de Mexico
5/11 Mexico City, Mexico Arena Ciudad de Mexico
5/13 Guadalajara, Mexico Arena Guadalajara
5/17 Columbus, OH Sonic Temple
5/25 Valencia, Spain Roig Arena
5/27 A Coruña, Spain Coliseum
5/29 Bilbao, Spain Bizkaia Arena BEC
6/2 Hanover, Germany Heinz von Heiden Arena
6/4 Gdansk, Poland Mystic Festival
6/6 Maastricht, Netherlands South of Heaven
6/7 Gelsenkirchen, Germany Amphitheater
6/10 Hradec Králové, Czechia Rock For People – Park 360
6/11 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg Rockhal
6/14 Ferrara, Italy Ferrara Summer Festival – Piazza Ariostea
6/15 Zurich, Switzerland Halle 622
6/16 Vienna, Austria Gasometer
6/18 Dessel, Belgium Graspop Metal Meeting
6/23 Istanbul, Türkiye Kucukciftlik Park
6/26 Helsinki, Finland Suvilahti – TUSKA
6/28 Almaty, Kazakhstan Spartak Stadium
8/8 Sturgis, SD Sturgis Buffalo Chip
8/29 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
8/30 Toronto, ON Scotiabank Arena
9/3 Montréal, QC Parc Jean Drapeau
9/5 Harrison, NJ Sports Illustrated Stadium
9/6 Harrison, NJ Sports Illustrated Stadium
9/9 Boston, MA TD Garden
9/11 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
9/12 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
9/15 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
9/19 Shakopee, MN Mystic Lake Amphitheater
9/22 Tinley Park, IL Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
9/25 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
9/26 Los Angeles, CA BMO Stadium
9/29 San Antonio, TX Alamodome
11/7 Auckland, New Zealand Spark Arena
11/11 Adelaide, Australia Entertainment Centre
11/13 Melbourne, Australia AAMI Park
11/15 Sydney, Australia Allianz Stadium
11/18 Brisbane, Australia Entertainment Centre
The post Watch: Megadeth’s Teemu Mäntysaari Rip Through “Let There Be Shred” While Ice Skating appeared first on MetalSucks.
Long before feminism had a name, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz was already arguing for a woman’s right to think. Born in 1651 in colonial Mexico, she grew up in a world that didn’t believe girls required an education. As a child, she asked to attend university disguised as a boy, but she was refused. Since the institutions wouldn’t let her in, she simply educated herself in private, mastering everything from Latin to complex theology.
By her teenage years, her intelligence had become impossible to ignore. Scholars and officials held public examinations to test her knowledge, and she passed them repeatedly. However, she knew that in her society, marriage would mean the end of her intellectual life. She chose the convent instead. This was not out of a religious calling but was a strategy to secure the time and space to write. Within her convent cell, she managed to build one of the largest private libraries in the Americas.
She produced a massive body of poetry, plays, and philosophical essays that treated her as an intellectual equal to any man. When church authorities finally attacked her for engaging in theological debate, she responded with “Respuesta a Sor Filotea.” This text dismantled the idea that women should remain silent. Her argument was rational: if God granted women intelligence, it was a contradiction to forbid them from using it.
She famously wrote:
“One can perfectly well philosophize while cooking dinner.”
With that single line, she rejected the idea that a woman’s mind had to shrink to fit a domestic role. Eventually, the pressure from the church became overwhelming, and she was forced to sell her library and stop writing entirely. Her story ended in a gradual, forced silencing rather than a grand spectacle. Though she lived centuries before organized movements, she remains a definitive example of someone who refused to ask for permission to exist as an intellectual. She simply did it.
The post She’s In Charge: Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz – The 17th Century Feminist Nun first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.
Live Nation moves Saturday, September 26 BMO Stadium concert to Sunday, September 27 amid college football restrictions.
The post IRON MAIDEN's Sold-Out Los Angeles Show Moved Because Of Football appeared first on Metal Injection.
Brazilian death/thrash metal band The Troops of Doom officially announce an important change in their lineup for the upcoming 2026 European tour. Guitarist Marcelo Vasco […]
The post Troops Of Dooms recruites the Sodom guitarist Frank “Blackfire” Gosdzik appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on tour with MACHINE HEAD, IRON REAGAN and HAVOK:
June 03 – Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore Detroit
June 05 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fillmore Minneapolis
June 07 – South Bend, IN @ Four Winds Field
June 09 – Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
June 11 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Paramount
June 12 – Boston, MA @ Roadrunner
June 13 – Bethlehem, PA @ Wind Creek Event Center
June 16 – Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
June 17 – Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
June 19 – Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom
June 20 – Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Center
June 21 – San Antonio, TX @ Boeing Center at Tech Port
June 23 – Albuquerque, NM @ Revel Entertainment Center
June 24 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee
June 25 – Los Angeles, CA @ Hollywood Palladium
June 27 – San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are: Jesse Leach (vocals), Adam Dutkiewicz (guitar), Joel Stroetzel (guitar), Mike D’Antonio (bass) and Justin Foley (drums).
https://www.killswitchengage.com/
An unexpected little break there.
The post The Amity Affliction’s “Bleed” Music Video Lands Online appeared first on Theprp.com.
Doom OGs Trouble had a track called “Misery Shows” back on their third full-length in 1987 and that song title probably offers the best description of of the gnarly sludge on display on French duo Azken Auzi‘s new record, Infernua. These dudes—Ludo (vocals/guitar) and Fred (drums)—don’t sound like Trouble, but Infernua is as misery soaked as gets, and it definitely shows. The six-tracker grinds along at a glacial pace, peppered only by occasional bits of sampled dialogue and Ludo’s wretched vocals. It’s as black and bleak as the trio of ravens perched on the cover.
Infernua is the follow-up to the band’s 2022 self-titled effort. It’s set for release on CD, viny and digitally on March 6 via Argonauta Records. Place your preorder here.
The band described the making of Infernua:
The post Full Album Stream: Azken Auzi –<em>Infernua</em> appeared first on Decibel Magazine.