Posted on October 8th 2026, 10:19am
Mic City Sons is a Melbourne band led by James Topping, who writes, records and produces the material in his own studio with a rotating cast of players around it. Guitar and synth driven alt rock with blues-edged leads and more space in the arrangements than the volume suggests. Topping relocated from Boston at the […]
French heavyweights RESOLVE return with their crushing new single Godtier, offering another glimpse into their recently announced third album, Spread My Ashes Into Space, due January 15, 2027 via Arising Empire. Following the first taste of their next chapter, Godtier pushes RESOLVE deeper into the ambitious world surrounding the upcoming record. Ferocious, expansive and driven […]Metallica might’ve ended their M72 Tour – for this year, at least – but the bands who took part in this summer’s European and UK legs are still giddy about joining the thrash legends on the road.
That’s certainly the case for Sweden’s Avatar, who Metallica gave a shout-out to on Instagram, thanking them for “raising the bar and keeping crowds across Europe and the UK on their toes!”
In a new interview with Metal Hammer, frontman Johannes Eckerström shared how Metallica aren’t just metal’s biggest band – they might also be its nicest…
“Seeing how they go the extra mile in how they treat their opening bands was really eye-blowing for me,” he says. “Honestly, the whole tour was incredible. We had dinner with them in Dublin, and at the final show [in London] James comes walking up in this Abba t-shirt, ‘Thank you for being here.’ All that extra effort to make us feel welcome, how they treated us and our crew, was just amazing.”
“It’s a very cool thing,” he continues. “I can remember being 11 and thinking, ‘What if I could meet my favourite bands, would they think I was cool?’ It doesn’t always work out that way, but this time it did. So, I recommend opening for Metallica when you get the chance.”
Avatar will get another chance next year, when they rejoin the M72 world tour in North America alongside Limp Bizkit. But for Metallica, the rest of their year is already accounted for. The band kicked off their residency at the Las Vegas sphere with two unique sets with eye-popping visuals that have gone viral over social media. Their residency is set to continue tonight (October 8) and continues with two shows a week until November 7, when the band will end the year with two shows at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut.
Avatar are set to tour the UK in November with support from Neckbreakker. The band also recently announced a special Feathers And Flesh 10th anniversary show at London’s Royal Albert Hall for March 30, 2027.
View Metallica’s upcoming tour dates on their official website. Avatar’s full tour dates can be viewed at Avatarmetal.com.
Read More: The first reactions to Metallica’s Sphere shows are in
Welsh ragga metal band Skindred release the video for their new single Big Em Up, taken from their recent Number 1 hit album You Got This, which opens with a simple but strong message of support for anyone suffering from mental health conditions, anxiety or depression. The message behind the song is a simple call […]
VIEW HEAVY DIGIMAG #476 HERE With Good Things fast approaching, we though it fitting to feature one of the main players in Millencolin on this weeks cover. We had a great chat with Eric about all things touring and what to expect. We also spoke with Lamb Of God, Primitive Ring, unpeople and more. There’s […]