For the mainstream Rock audience, Blodwyn Pig is one of those bands that are not really well known. Even as a big-time rock fan myself, growing up in the seventies, I had never heard of them before. It wasn’t until I was playing in a rock band in which everybody in the group was 10 years older than me and grew up in the 60s that I was introduced to this group. I’m not even sure if any of their music is on CD. I discovered them while looking through the record collection in my lead guitarist’s house. I was
Australia, stretch your necks and brace your ear drums, because the metal gods have smiled upon us once again. After nearly three long decades of waiting, industrial symphonic black metal royalty The Kovenant are finally crossing the equator to make their monumental Australian debut this week. Let that sink in for a second. Thirty years. […]
Public Image Ltd – September 10, 2026 – The Belasco Theater
Thursday night’s Public Image Ltd (PiL) show in downtown Los Angeles started with John Lydon walking to the stage carrying a lyric book titled “Farty Tales”, stepping to the microphone, and saying “Hello L.A. I’m nervous – it’s my fucking hometown, isn’t it? And we know what kind of cunts you can be…”
Public Image Ltd
Los Angeles was the fifth stop on PiL’s This Is Not… The Last PiL Tour, with 38 more US dates to come. You never know what you might get at a John Lydon-led show. The former Sex Pistols frontman famously broke up the legendary punk band in 1978 by telling the San Francisco crowd “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated” before walking off the stage and into the night. There are many stories of his on-stage (and off) antics, but on this night, he was there to have a good time and put on an amazing show for a rabid fanbase that stood in line for hours in the 100+ degree heat to see the show.
The controversial icon has more than cemented his place in music lore – from turning down the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by calling it a “piss stain”, to a boat party on the River Thames with the Sex Pistols performing their new single “God Save the Queen” (“God save the Queen…The fascist regime”) during Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, as police descended on the boat to shut it down. Those events were almost 50 years ago, but nothing has slowed John Lydon down, and the current formation of PiL is no exception.
Before a note was played, John took to the mic to mention that he was nervous. In an interview with Medium he said, “I get terrified before going on stage. I can’t eat; my stomach is in knots. Why? Because it’s so bloody important to me! When you look out into an audience, you owe them absolute honesty. You don’t go through the motions. Have I mellowed? Absolutely fucking not!” Once the music kicked in, any sense of nervousness disappeared, replaced by that famous sneer. The current iteration of the band is comprised of Lu Edmonds on guitar, Scott Firth on bass, and Mark Roberts on drums. They were tight and carried the sonic momentum with ease, but make no mistake, all eyes were on John. He commanded the room’s attention from the get-go, and his expressions, gestures, and fierce and fearless vocal stylings let you know that he was in charge and there to deliver, and that this night was vitally important to him.
After the show opened with “Home”, John spoke into the mic and said, “Sorry the voice is a bit fucking rusty, but…I’m only 70. Two bouts of really fuck you and die flu…and pneumonia. And you’re still here. Cunts.” The audience had a laugh, but John pointed to one person in the middle of the room who apparently didn’t and said, “Try smiling – this is fun” …and fun it was. PiL hadn’t played in Los Angeles since 2018, and both the fans and band made up for lost time. Everywhere you went in the 100-year-old Belasco Theater, people were having the time of their lives – great music coupled with an electrifying and one-of-a-kind performer, equaled a night out that none of the 1500 in attendance will soon forget.
Public Image Ltd are:
John Lydon – Vocals
Lu Edmonds – Guitar
Scott Firth – Bass/Keyboards
Mark Roberts – Drums
Setlist:
1) Home
2) Know Now
3) World Destruction
4) This Is Not a Love Song
5) Poptones
6) Death Disco
7) Warrior
8) Shoom
9) Open Up
Encore:
10) Public Image
11) Rise
Plague Vendor
Sometimes when making plans to see a legendary band in concert, it is good to arrive early and catch the opener. Thursday night was such an occasion. In a style entirely opposite of PiL, Plague Vendor hit the stage at 8:00pm sharp and completely made it their own. From vocalist Brandon Blaine throwing himself repeatedly to the ground, executing handstands and strutting like a peacock, to guitarist Henri Cash matching Brandon’s energy step for step, these guys were here to put on a rock show, and make you remember who they were. Luke Perine on drums and Michael Perez on bass were somewhat more sedate in their movements, but masterfully drove the rhythm section of the high-octane operation.
Plague Vendor has opened for such notable acts as Muse, Deftones, The Offspring, and Social Distortion – that doesn’t happen by accident. They were a force to be reckoned with, with great songs and off-the-chart attitude, and in each of the mentioned examples, it took a very confident band to take the stage after them. A highlight from their set was Brandon jumping off stage and standing on top of the barricade chugging a beer, before jumping into the crowd to perform in the eye of the storm while moshers circled around him.
Do yourself a favor and get to the show early if you’re seeing PiL in the US – Plague Vendor is the real deal, and will leave you smiling and wondering what the hell you just witnessed.
Plague Vendor are:
Brandon Blaine – Vocals
Michael Perez – Bass
Luke Perine – Drums
Henri Cash – Guitar
Brooks RobinsonPhotographer & Writer
Brooks Robinson is an LA-based concert photographer, and 30+ year freelance camera operator for film, television, and music videos. He has photographed some of the largest film/TV projects in history, and hundreds of music videos in MTV's heyday.
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There is something wonderfully unfashionable about Embers of Dawn. At a time when extreme metal can sometimes feel obsessed with either maximalist technicality or increasingly abstract experimentation, the Florida/California-based outfit are doing something considerably more direct: taking the industrial metal, gothic rock, cyber-metal and melodic death metal vocabulary of the 1990s and early 2000s, stripping … Continue reading Album Review: Embers of Dawn – Infernal Culture
Album Review: The Cartographer – The Collapse Of A Bitter End
Reviewed by Dan Barnes
Formed back in 2013, Derbyshire quintet The Cartographer is all set to release the debut album, The Collapse of the Bitter End this month, taking their modern metalcore-meets-the New American Wave of Heavy Metal so prevalent in the early years of the millennium, and filtering it through lived-experience.
Having supported the likes of Loathe, Hacktivist and King 810, as well as appearing at UK Tech Fest and at the 2025 Bloodstock Open Air, the band have built on those and their multiple extended players when approaching this first full-length.
The album’s opening track, Blood, was also the first single, and kicks the record off with industrial beats and a screeching electronic riff; huge percussive slabs crash as drummer Josh Woodhouse delivers monstrous detonations from the kit and Jay Roberts barks barbaric vocals. Second single, Griefworn begins with a racing energy and driving rhythms, so bristling with Slipknot-ire that you can almost feel the heat of flames on your face as you listen. Build around a gritty and unstoppable progression this one is sure to find an audience and should become a future classic.
Those Slipknot vibes can also be heard in the alternative and groove-laden Snake Tongue, which had bassist Tom Broadhead picking out some industrial-coloured bounces, as guitarists Dan Gorman and Josh Pearson fire hard-hitting machine-gun riffs before brutal beatdowns. All Things Rot in Silence deals with issues of neglect while dropping massive beats; Dirt slows things down a little with a coarse progression and a raging anger.
The sub-three-minute Apparition is likely to join Griefworn as some of the first names on the setlist going forward, as The Collapse of the Bitter End’s gloves come off and The Cartographer serve up a near perfect blend of fast, twisting thrash that tickles the fancy in all the right places.
The white-knuckle ride that is Soul Chamber brings back those grooving, bouncing riffs, adds some fearsome pounding and a big breakdown, without ever letting go of the grip around your neck. The accompanying flourishes may provide some distraction, but this one never loses its savage intensity.
Closing duo of Into the Gloom and Exodus are both marked with Blood’s industrial scent, the former perverting its melodic underscoring with a dark and menacing vocal; the latter is haunting in its approach and, sitting together, they form a yin-and-yang fit. Both display more metalcore aspects than anywhere else on the record and, at times, bring to mind Parkway Drive.
The Collapse of the Bitter End is an intensely personal record for the five people involved and is the cumulation of all the turmoil and uncertainty that comes with being in a band and dreaming to make it. Members have come and gone in the now-thirteen years of The Cartographer’s existence, and all will have left something of themselves in the DNA of the music.
The trials and tribulations can be heard in every track, but so can the victories over all the battles thrown in their path. Jay refers to this as the end of one era for The Cartographer and the beginning of another. Hopefully, with a settled line-up and a debut album now under their belts, the future may be a might less fraught and blue skies lay ahead.
The Bleeding have become of the biggest, rising names in death metal, particularly across the UK. Formed in 2010 from London, The Bleeding have applied the ethos of old school death metal with a modern sheen and as of this stage in their career their multiple records have been received with praise galore. However The Bleeding come to a crossroads, with every member bar lead guitarist Tasos Tzimorotas being a new addition as well marking their debut album credit with the band. One could therefore deem Godless Communion, their fourth full length release, as the opening to a new chapter. With a release date of September 18th and back with a label, Redefining Darkness Records this instance, The Bleeding are poised to remind fans what they’re made of. Given the dramatic change in lineup I was highly curious how this record would feel to listen to.
With searing riffs and an energy synonymous to The Bleeding’s pedigree, the band throw you into the thick of it right out of the gate, all the more literally since an audio clip of a great drawbridge lowered precludes the record before they kick start their onslaught. I don’t know whether it’s been a while since I last listened to these guys but The Bleedjng seem to have ramped their tempo up by an even greater degree; the speed they’re able to summon is frightening, conjuring to mind that frantic bloodlust when hurled into the midst of apathetic and total carnage. But The Bleeding are particularly apt at bringing their performance under heel, steadying their slaughter, summoning these riff couplets that fall again and again like controlled detonations. Though they play at rapid-fire speeds they understand how to convey feeling and impact through such ferocious playing whilst altering the songwriting’s direction, and lethality, on a whim.
The drums, against the stellar and slicing guitar work, manages to stand out as a premier quality of the record. Now, the production manages to grant the drumming enough audibility that one can follow its patterns, even as riffs intensify and your own composure is compromised, and blast beats are given room to breathe and convey their salacious rampancy, the drums aren’t in your face. In fact the mix is delicious because the band have enabled the drums to merge with the rest of the band’s piledriving performance whilst still provided moments to stand on their own merit. It’s a very fine thing, just a little more in either direction and the drums could have been swallowed and overtaken by any other component the record purports but it sits just right. The drums are integral in providing that heavier bass into the record, alongside the bass guitar itself, as double bass drums are employed and the band’s already manic momentum trebles on the spot.
Godless Communion is perhaps one of the year’s most warranted loud experiences. By this I mean The Bleeding beg you to crank the volume as high as your device will go; you’ll get a grand kick out of Godless Communion nevertheless but given the power and unrelenting momentum the band perform with, you’ll find yourself endlessly tempted to keep raising the volume to and beyond the maximum limit. It’s when the band undergo those collective pummellings where every piece of instrumentation is firing all cylinders, and the production, the mix, has aided in meshing everything together into a most vicious recipe where only chaos and murder are the result. This isn’t a record you dissect and decipher it’s minutiae, it’s the kind you hurl yourself headfirst in to let loose all the difficulties and frustrations you’ve been tolerating as of late. You are unleashed.
In addition, not one track here exceeds five minutes in length. The Bleeding generally haven’t been concerned with longer tracks, they’ve always championed the shorter piece to dish out as much damage as possible. However Godless Communion, throughout its heinous songwriting and veritably murderous aesthetic, only takes that notion and highlights it for every single fan who has not considered it a prior thing. Only two tracks are longer than four minutes here, so the rest of the record, playing with such intensity, is akin to receiving a boxing fight with prime Mike Tyson, bitten ear and all, as The Bleeding offer absolutely zero mercy for your soul. One track ends, you might get a single breath in, and then they’re going at it all over again with no opportunity for salvation and that savagery is ever present across every track. There are no “slower” pieces herein, nothing to deter the record’s end goal of utter subjugation.
In conclusion, it’s easily The Bleeding’s most searing release to date, closing what is sure to be viewed as a new chapter on their career with a Cannibal Corpse, thoroughly apt considering The Bleeding’s monstrous presence. Wielding guitars like boulders in a landslide the band bring riffs in quick and unrepentant succession in a myriad of forms that keeps each track effortlessly engaging and dangerous. It’s that very sense of morbidity laced into their sound that will keep you coming back for Godless Communion, that maddening high the deranged and insane no doubt experience daily when entertaining thoughts of pristine killing. Godless Communion is an explosive experience, so much so, you’ll still be expecting another blast even come its final conclusive heatwaves.
One of the many joys of writing album reviews is the amount of selection we get to choose from, so when I saw some industrial metal available, I couldn’t resist a bit of a delve into a genre that I’ve always loved. There’s something about huge industrial beats, dramatic drums, crushing guitars and pounding bass that I enjoy, so I was intrigued by this one.
GodFrost are based in Tokyo, with Frost contributing guitar, bass and programming, with guest vocalists Luna Midnight and Sara. Both bring a different sound to proceedings, with Luna kicking things off on opening track “Nefarious” and it’s got pretty much everything you want from an industrial metal song. The vocals add variety over the hypnotic beat with an almost nu-metal style rap in-between the cleaner words.
Sara adds her prowess on the next two songs, “Escape from Reality”, which is slowed down, and has a menacing element, before her higher tone bursts over the top, like a temptress luring you into her trap. It’s emotional and contrasts well to Luna’s style, as the raw, cold and atmospheric music whirls around in the background. “Hanging Doll” sees both credited for their vocal and lyrical contribution, and again it offers a slower paced beginning before the soaring vocals take over, with a spooky spoken word element incorporated into the track.
Signed now to Brutal Records, the EP is impactful and innovative, mixing doom and gothic noises, and “Bloodcurdling Scream” has a proper 90’s industrial base to it. With a mix of low and high vocals from the returning Luna, it’s both heavy and engaging, as the intensity ramps up and the words and intermittent screams flow across the composition.
The final track, “Seasons End”, caught me completely off guard, as the solemn, sobering somewhat melancholy track, doesn’t follow what has already happened. However, it is sung with clarity and feeling by Luna once again and provides a stark contrast to the harsh industrial nature of the previous songs, yet it allows the music to flow effortlessly as the words are both dramatic and heartfelt.
Australia, stretch your necks and brace your ear drums, because the metal gods have smiled upon us once again. After nearly three long decades of waiting, industrial symphonic black metal royalty The Kovenant are finally crossing the equator to make their monumental Australian debut this week. Let that sink in for a second. Thirty years. […]
Photo gallery by Em Eaton TERRA VALĒ ~ MONOCHROMIA AUTOPHAGIA
