The aggressive guitar attack and emotional intensity that became central to Frank Iero first developed in the New Jersey punk and hardcore scene long before My Chemical Romance became one of the defining rock bands of the 2000s. Born on October 31, 1981, in Belleville, New Jersey, and raised in Kearny, Iero spent much of his youth immersed in underground music. Health problems during childhood, including recurring ear infections and bronchitis, kept him indoors frequently, pushing him deeper toward music as an outlet. He attended Rutgers University briefly before focusing entirely on performing and recording. During the late 1990s and
Modern metal unit GUNDRIVER have released the first single off of their upcoming new album, Give War a Chance.
“One Man Army” puts GUNDRIVER‘s no-frills, hook-heavy approach to metal at the front and center. The song is not only a preview of what the band has in store with Give War a Chance, the track is an unapologetic deceleration of intent.
Due out this fall, Give War a Chance – featuring Ronnie Romero on vocals, promises to be one of 2026’s most unforgettable albums.
GUNDRIVER is a hard-hitting modern metal force built on precision, power, and intensity. Led by founding members Tom Potter (Guitars) and Alex Rivas (Drums), the band features Ronnie Romero (Vocals), and Rev Jones (Bass).
The band blends elite musicianship with a raw, confrontational edge. Their sound is equal parts war cry and warning, driven by massive riffs, soaring vocals, and a relentless rhythm section. GUNDRIVER isn’t chasing trends, they’re delivering a statement.
For fans of: Metallica, Pantera, Black Label Society, Godsmack, Disturbed, Rainbow, UFO, Anthrax and A7X.
BIO:
GUNDRIVER is a modern metal project engineered for impact and built by seasoned musicians who understand both the craft and the cost of doing it right. Combining elite-level talent with a deliberate, no-compromise approach, the band is positioned to cut through an increasingly crowded heavy music landscape.
At the core of the project is founding members Tom Potter and Alex Rivas, who drive the vision, direction, and execution of GUNDRIVER as both a band and a broader creative platform.
The band’s name refers to attack helicopter pilots, drawing from Potter’s experience as a U.S. Army combat veteran who flew Apache helicopters.
The lineup features internationally recognized vocalist Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Elegant Weapons), whose commanding voice brings both melody and force to the band’s sound, while bassist Rev Jones (Michael Schenker, Leslie West, Paul Gilbert) anchors the low end with decades of professional touring and recording experience.
GUNDRIVER’s music is defined by massive riffs, tight arrangements, and a tone that blends classic heavy metal influence with modern aggression. Lyrically and thematically, the band leans into confrontation, challenging listeners rather than accommodating them.
With releases like “Give War a Chance,” GUNDRIVER signals its intent clearly: this is not passive listening. It’s a direct, high-volume statement.
Operating independently through its own infrastructure, the band maintains full creative control, allowing it to move faster, push harder, and deliver music without dilution.
GUNDRIVER is a band built on chemistry, vision, and a record that speaks for itself.
For over three decades, Hecate Enthroned have remained one of the defining names of the UK symphonic black metal underground, balancing grand atmosphere with the cold aggression that shaped the genre’s early years. With their new album, The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried, the band returns after a lengthy silence since Embrace Of The Godless Aeon, diving deep into ancient British mythology while staying connected to the darkness and identity that first defined Hecate Enthroned in the 1990s. I spoke with the band about evolution, legacy, atmosphere, and why the old spirit still matters.
Hello! After the gap since Embrace Of The Godless Aeon, what did The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried need to accomplish for you creatively?
Joe: The new album needed to show our growth and development as a band, while at the same time staying true to our origins. We are an ever changing band, constantly inspired by new things and experiences, but we’ll never stray too far away from the symphonic black metal core.
Why did ancient British myths and legends feel like the right thematic direction for this record?
Joe: I felt that Welsh and English mythology would strongly represent the band’s identity, creatively and thematically. We have all grown up with and been around these myths and legends, they are a part of where we are from and so we feel connected to them, but they are also things that our wider audience may not ever have heard of and so it’s really cool to be able to share these things with them.
What still defines the “traditional Hecate Enthroned way” for you after all these years?
Dylan: A true belief and passion for our music and not compromising who we are and what we do.
Do you think symphonic black metal has lost some of its darkness by becoming too polished or cinematic over time?
Dylan: Many different elements, sounds and instruments can be dark or menacing its how the music is crafted, to hear those elements more clearly only intensifies what they are. Mix and Production has a big role in the dynamics of a song and to make the overall sound what you want, whether it be dark, brooding, uplifting, epic or aggressive.
Looking back at The Slaughter Of Innocence, did you realize at the time how influential that era would become?
Dylan: No, at that time we were young and very excited about recording our music and touring just focusing on what we were doing as a band. The Black Metal scene was very different then and not as evolved or as big as it has become so we would never of expected the scene to develop as it has and for those albums to become so iconic.
Were there any production choices you deliberately avoided to preserve the album’s menace?
Joe: It was less about what to avoid and more about what to include. We worked with Dan Abela again on this album, whom we also worked with on ‘Embrace of the Godless Aeon’ and he has a fantastic mind for this kind of music and how to ensure that it retains its “menace”.
Does writing symphonic material feel more instinctive now than it did in the 1990s?
Dylan: We have always wrote in the same way as a joint production working on ideas and putting songs together. It’s probably become more instinctive as we have been doing it for so long and some of us have been together for 30 years, the writing has become intuitive between us.
How connected do you still feel to the original UK underground scene that shaped the band?
Dylan: As I said, the scene has changed so much and not many of the old bands still exist but yes there are a few of us left and we still play together and are in contact, it’s good to remember old times and create more. The UK BM scene for me is the healthiest its been, so many bands now and very good bands too, young talent coming through creating their own presence and time, and that has to be a good thing.
Was there a specific track that became the emotional centerpiece of the album during recording?
Joe: I think this will be different for everyone, but I think for me both ‘Deathless in the Dryad Glade’ and ‘Into a Vale of Endless Snow’ carry a lot of weight when it comes to the atmosphere that defines this album.
At this stage of the band’s history, what feels more important to you: preserving the legacy or still challenging yourselves creatively? Thank you!
Joe: It’s very much a mixture of both. It’s always important to grow and challenge yourself creatively, but you should never abandon your roots either.
After disbanding Crystal Viper in 2025, Marta Gabriel started a new outfit called Leatherwitch. The debut album, “First Spell” is an apt title for a thunderous debut, which has the potential to cast a spell over listeners. “First Spell” marks a new beginning in Gabriel’s career, with Leatherwitch serving as a new outlet for her… Continue Reading →
Who knew that in 2026 we’d be listening to the 11th album from Robin Beck, the queen of melody rock is one of the genres great survivors, filling this new record with a “mosaic of sound” each of the tracks showcasing different styles, approaches but most importantly that voice that was all over the radio back in the 80’s.
A defiant, empowering album title this whole record just shouts “here I am world, take your best shot” Beck herself Living Proof that the most honest rockers never fade away, they just keep the wheels spinning and get rocking. The title track opens the record saying exactly that, the bluesy hard rock style seeming to be the go to sound of Beck in 2026, Na Na Na coming back with some filthy bluesy melodic rock straight out of the Aerosmith songbook.
It’s on Karma and Never Gonna Let You Go where things take an 80’s turn as the synths are turned on for some classic sounds of that decade. The blending of rock and pop coming from Beck’s experience and distinctive vocal alongside some of the brightest writers in the melodic rock world such as James Christian (House Of Lords), Tommy Denander (Radioactive), Peppy Castro (Balance), Steve Bondy, Emil Theilhelm, and Johan Kullberg.
It’s probably due to this writing team that every song sounds different, Voodoo takes the strut of Prince sleaze bleeds into Trouble Or Nothing as the bounce of Toto appears on Don’t Tempt Me. Living Proof is a jukebox of anthemic rocking produced by Christian and Castro and mixed by the legendary Chris Lord-Alge so it retains a slick contemporary feel. Robin Beck is still the first lady of melodic rock and this is Living Proof. 8/10
Frontline – Rebirth (Frontiers Music Srl)
Frontline are framed as ‘German melodic rock pioneers’ formed in the glory days of AOR (well 1989) they return after nearly 20 years with their new album, conveniently titled Rebirth, it’s an album that serves as tribute to guitarist/songwriter Robby Böbel.
Original singer Stephan Kämmerer returning to the fold teaming up with new guitarist/producer Christian Mühlroth to write the album that will appeal to their old fans, wins them new ones and pays tribute to their departed guitarist. Diego de Sousa Pires, Eric Juris and Andreas Latzko completing the new era of Frontline where veteran instinct is matched with new blood.
Rebirth is Frontline coming back to life with the sounds of their youth, slick AOR from the Journey-like Bunting Horizon, emotive balladry on After You’re Gone and One Life One Love, as there’s anthemic tones Burning Shadows, all the songs featuring bright and melodic guitar riffs Shattered Glass Dreams and Heart On The Dashboard, the guitar joined by walls of synth.
Now at 14 songs Rebirth is a bit of investment in terms of time, but then fans have been waiting for nearly two decades so you can forgive them for wanting to give them as much as they can for their money and the majority of the album will give you just what you need as an AOR/Frontline fan. 7/10
Von Groove – Born To Rock (Frontiers Music Srl)
Another band returning after 20 years are Canadian trio Von Groove. Formed in 1990, the released their debut in 1992 with Deen Castronovo in their ranks, however they went on hiatus in 2001 with the members doing other things. However it looks like the band have something to prove as they release Born To Rock, their new record on Frontiers.
Recorded by the classic original trio of Mladen (guitars), Michael Shotton (drums/vocals) and Matthew Gerrard (bass), they have very easily rekindled that (Von) groove for more melodic rock. Having not heard of the band before this record my immediate comparisons were Mr Big (Born To Rock), Bryan Adams and Def Leppard, who they’re closest too on tracks like Angela and Do It All Over Again (it’s those harmonies).
Born To Rock is a powerhouse record of 90’s melodic rock, with track names like Undefeated, Champion and Fearless, Von Groove aren’t here as a nostalgia act, they’re back to take back their position in the melodic rock scene, Born To Rock, Too Late To Stop! 8/10
Confess – Metalmorphosis (Frontiers Music Srl)
Mixed and mastered by Erik Mårtensson of Eclipse and opening with a track that steals the riff from Ozzy’s Miracle Man, Metamorphosis is the fourth record from Swedish rockers Confess.
If you’ve heard Crashdiet, then you’ll recognise the vocals of John Elliot, his sleazy delivery similar to Joe Elliot of Def Leppard as the band shift from their sleaze metal beginnings into arena baiting anthems where they honk on bobo for The Warriors as the influences of Ratt, Warrant and Motley Crue come through strongly.
Confess refining their odes to the Sunset Strip with modernity that effortlessly balances radio friendly numbers like Wicked Temptations or the balladry of Beat Of My Heart and the dramatic closer Silvermalen, merging them with heavier sounds such as Euro metal of the title track and Plague Of Steel, the galloping classic metal of Pursuit Of The Jenny Haniver and the Running To My Death.
Behind the vocals of John Elliot is a rock solid groove from the rhythm section of drummer Samuel Samael and bassist Lucky, changing genres at will while Ludwig Nordlander and Asser Hakala trade off solos and riffs like it’s 1987 all over again.
Six years since their last record Confess, reward the wait with their strongest effort yet, keeping sleaze sound they began with but cranking it up. 8/10
Gavin Adcock’s path to country music started on a cattle farm in Watkinsville, Georgia, and ran straight through the football fields of Oconee County High School and Georgia Southern University. Born Gavin David Adcock on October 9, 1998, in Athens, Georgia, he grew up in a rural Georgia environment that later became central to the rowdy country, country rock, outlaw country, and southern rock identity of his music. Before songs became his public calling card, Adcock was known as a football player, earning All-Region honors twice in high school before playing nose tackle at Georgia Southern University from 2019 to
The Clash has been the subject of many books and documentaries, but only one of these has extensively captured the band: Pat Gilbert’s Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash. Originally released in 2004 to commemorate twenty-five years of London Calling’s release, Aurum and the Quarto Group have re-released Gilbert’s tome on the only band that matters with a new edition, expanded by about 10,000 words and edited for accuracy. It is the quintessential and most complete book about The Clash.
Courtesy of the Quatro Group
The first quarter of the book is dedicated to the backgrounds of the essential players of The Clash, namely Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon, by exploring their childhoods through meeting and forming the band. Each of these chapters starts with Gilbert giving an idea of where each of the band members were at the time of the interview. Gilbert’s talks with Joe happened weeks before his untimely passing in the early 2000s. Mick’s conversation happened weeks after and provides a somewhat somber tone for the book.
These introductions don’t just give us each member’s background, but also how they remember their time in The Clash. It makes me wonder if Strummer’s death softened Mick’s memories of his former bandmate and how things ended. Would the memories feel more raw if Joe were still alive? It’s mentioned that Joe and Mick were talking in the months before Joe’s death, and while they may have worked out their issues then, the passing of anyone will make someone look back with a softer heart.
It’s interesting to see who is canonized and who is considered a bit player. The expanded sections seem to be reserved for Strummer, Jones, and Simonon. People like Topper Headon, Keith Levene, or Terry Chimes, who actually played in the band, are held in the same reverence as some of the other adjacent figures of The Clash, like Don Letts and Kosmo Vinyl. However, Clash Manager Bernie Rhodes does get one of these extended origins. He’s treated like another member of the band, not only because of his importance to The Clash but to the UK punk scene in general. Fans of The Specials will recognize the name shouted at the beginning of the song “Gangsters,” which documents their experience with him. Most accounts about Bernie Rhodes are not flattering, no matter how much the band praises his support and how much it helped them.
The research Pat Gilbert has culled and updated is nothing short of a Herculean task. This book has some sort of history for nearly every person and place, even if it’s a paragraph or two. Sometimes with punk rock books, it’s hard to wade through what’s lore and be able to pull facts from legend. Gilbert does a great job of taking everyone’s account and weaving their memories into a finite version, but also succeeds in making England’s punk rock scene feel cohesive rather than just each band sticking to the pockets of their own scene.
Sometimes the piling of the details can get to be a bit much. Gilbert’s writing is dense, but it would have to be given the amount of information he’s unloading, between his own research, interviews, and the amount of information to update in the years since his book has been released. It seems that he makes some sort of reference to every book written about the Clash. Gilbert is not overly friendly with the band, at least not in this writing, but there is some camaraderie. Even so, this book is immensely entertaining. He does keep things as structurally disciplined as you can in regards to an English punk band in England’s punk rock scene.
“Passion Is a Fashion” is hands down the best book you will ever read about the Clash. While it takes a moment to start with the actual story proper of the band itself, once it gets going, be prepared to have your brain overloaded. Every nook, cranny, and nugget about the Clash is explored and done so thoroughly. Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash is the only book that matters when it comes to the story of the Clash. Its telling of the band’s rise and fall and the impact they’ve had on music, not just punk rock cannot be overstated, but is well written with Pat Gilbert’s pen.
Passion Is a Fashion: The Real Story of the Clash by Pat Gilbert is available through the Quarto Group.
Review: Ayreon – ‘30th Anniversary – An Amazing Flight Through Time’ Music Theories Recordings – May 22nd, 2026 Reviewer – Chris O’Connor Tilburg, September 2025. Fifteen thousand devoted Ayreonauts (as fans of Arjen Lucassen are affectionately known) gathered to celebrate three decades of Ayreon, transforming the city into a temporary sanctuary for progressive rock and […]
Milk St. channel heartbreak, dissociation, and emotional survival into Just So, a raw and deeply human indie rock anthem balancing dark lyrical weight with bursts of restless energy. Beneath its driving instrumentation and ragged melodic charm lies an honest reflection on grief, family fracture, and learning to navigate emotional chaos without losing yourself completely. The contrast between vulnerable songwriting and buoyant momentum gives the track a powerful emotional duality, transforming pain into something strangely uplifting and cathartic. Gritty, open-hearted, and emotionally fearless, Just So captures the beauty of finding resilience inside emotional collapse.
