Finnish melodic death metal band INSOMNIUM have released “Arch of the Sky,” the third single from their forthcoming tenth studio album, Netherworlds. The record will arrive on October 16, 2026. Inspired by Sámi mythology, the new song combines the band’s characteristic melancholy with progressive structures, shifting time signatures and contrasts between restrained passages and crushing […]
Kai Hansen is a Heavy Metal force of nature, first taking the Metal world by Storm as a founding member of Helloween, and then cementing his credentials with Gamma Ray. Now, it seems that he is a journeyman musician between both bands, and we are not complaining about that at all. Such credentials would be more than enough for most of us, but next Friday, Kai is releasing his solo album, Born With A Hammer, and here is what Hamburg’s ferocious axeman has to offer us.
The album kicks off with Feeding The Beast, and a slow, clean intro that leads us into Kai’s lamenting lyrics. His voice still soars after all this time. A machine-gun riff quickly kicks in, and we are well and truly into the land of God-given Heavy Metal.
This is a song about trying to find direction and purpose, but if we choose the wrong path, then all we will do is feed the beast. The production is tight and slick throughout, and the drumming is surely supersonic.
The second track, Welcome To Life, has a much more garagey feel, very different to the opener. It has an almost chaotic vibe compared to the opening track’s very polished finish. Nothing wrong with either approach. It is just very strange to find them next to each other on the same album.
The song feels like a barely held-together motorbike screaming along at a hundred and fifty, dropping bolts on the tarmac as it takes the rider into oblivion. All of which sits very incongruously with the song’s title, welcoming the listener to the world, to life, to meaning. And if that was not enough, it also has a slow-beat, almost reggae mid-section. Surprised? Damn right! Does it work? You betcha!
But the curveballs definitely do not stop there. Next up is I Don’t Care At All, and it starts with a funky, disco-type Metal crossover feel. Is that even possible? Yes, it is. But there is more.
The lyrics are sung like a pirate sea shanty. How unusual is that? But just like everything else we have got here, it really, really works. I was kind of expecting Borh Wiht A Hammer to be more of a straightforward Metal-type album taking much of its lead from the ’80s, and believe me, there’s nothing wrong with that. It turns a lot of things on their head.
I mean, sure, it is Heavy Metal at its core, but then it just seems to rampage through any genre it wants to, ramming them together like a kind of musical cockentrice.
Wait And See is much more focused. It is a heavy, very heavy track, bursting with screaming riffs and deep, brooding lyrics. If you want Power Metal, you have it with this song, as it forces its way into your senses like a Heavy Metal oil slick. This song is a glorious assault on your eardrums, relentless and intense.
There are no prizes at all for guessing the abbreviation, I.D.G.A.F.
I Don’t Give A Fuck. But control your indignation at the profanity. This song really gallops along, with the riff reminding me of Twisted Sister’s We’re Gonna Make It. I.D.G.A.F. has a totally single-minded focus, and its essence is the power of music taking precedence over everything else, and who can argue with that?
The title track, Born With a Hammer, is an eight-minute foray into epic territory. Playing both slow and fast, this song reminds me of a mix between the Beatles and Bohemian Rhapsody. The album’s eclectic mix is a revelation and an absolute pleasure to hear. How many influences can you cram into one album? Lots is the only answer you can give if your name is Kai Hansen.
But tradition abounds here as well, and End Of The Road is a much more standard Heavy Metal song for those who like their meat and potatoes and nothing else. This is glorious Metal, and that is also absolutely fine.
Kai Hansen is just as happy with regular Heavy Metal as he is when he is shoehorning the most impossible different genres into one song.
The shortest song on the album is Triple Trouble, a rapid-fire three-minute burst of turbo-charged Heavy Metal. Just when you thought double trouble was bad enough, trust Kai Hansen to up the game one more notch with trouble times three.
The album’s penultimate song, Invaders, might well have a clichéd title that has been used before, but there is nothing hackneyed about the driving hard riffs and insistent vocal attack. This is foot-stomping addictive Heavy Metal at its absolute best, with a chugging riff that you simply cannot resist.
The album then crunches towards its coda with Wonderland, and there is no let-up in pace as the track hammers its colours firmly to the wall of Metal. The riff is absolutely glorious, and the thundering drums and deep, growling lyrics complement the sound perfectly.
Born With A Hammer, then, is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Kai Hansen has, with this album, shown true regard for his existing fans. But he has also carved his way into new musical territory and genre collaborations that, on paper, should never have been made.
But the proof of this pudding is in the listening, and your ears will definitely thank you for pushing the play button with this burgeoning blast-bomb of raw, energetic Metal.
Kai Hansen releases Born With A Hammer on 18 September via earMusic. Get your pre-orders in via kaihansen.lnk.to/BornWithAHammer.
The streets are starving for new music from Weyes Blood. Natalie Mering released And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow, her last album, nearly four years ago. In the time since then, Mering has remained busy, collaborating with other artists and contributing to soundtracks and whatnot. A few months ago, for instance, she sang backup for Olivia Rodrigo on SNL. At last, Mering seems to be gearing up to release some new music of her own. Earlier this week, she debuted a couple of new songs at a special orchestral show in London.
Alice Cooper and Criss Angel release the first official clip from Welcome To Our Nightmare as Nita Strauss confirms her return for the upcoming Las Vegas shows.
Oasis have given their strongest hint yet that they’ll be returning to the road in 2027.
Last night, September 10, the Manchester band arranged a drones display over their hometown, with their logo, the date 14.09.26 and the time 4pm BST [16:00], illuminating the sky above the Etihad’s Joie Stadium, home to Manchester City Women’s football team.
The band have been teasing their return in recent weeks with a series of subtly coded videos on their social media channels. Eagle-eyed fans poring over the videos have suggested that Glasgow’s Celtic Park, Manchester’s Etihad Stadium and Knebworth, the site of their historic 1996 concerts, will be among the venues hosting shows next summer. There have also been nods towards gigs in Paris, Rome and Amsterdam.
Earlier this month, during an interview on UK radio station TalkSport, Noel Gallagher dropped a less-than-subtle hint about the band’s return, saying, “There’s no football tournament on next year, so we’ve got to do something in the summer, right?”
News of a 2027 tour is set to follow on from this week’s release of Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, a newdocumentary film charting the band’s hugely successful 2025 reunion tour, which grossed $405,428,435 according to Pollstar.
The film’s producer Steven Knight, who also created Peaky Blinders, House of Guinness and SAS: Rogue Heroes among others, says:“The Oasis world tour united generations, cultures and countries and spoke to a broken world about reconciliation.
“Don’t Look Back In Anger is not only your ticket to the show – it’s a backstage pass and a seat at the table when Liam and Noel sit down together for the first time in 15 years and tell it how it is and how it was.”
The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
“An epic summer for Oasis fans becomes a euphoric cinematic experience,” film magazine Empire stated.” It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely, maybe the decade’s best concert movie yet.”
Fred Durst received a congratulatory letter from World Trade Center officials on September 10. Twenty-four hours later, the towers fell. Continue reading…
Dutch black metal purveyors Cirith Gorgor are working hard on their next long player, which is going to be entitled The Sinner And The Devil. The recording process at Toneshed Studio in Horst, The Netherlands has been concluded. Mix is now on the schedule. More info in due time. Read more…
Cemented upon rebellious ideals that consistently buck the currents of popularity, the very nature of metal demands change. Yet some bedrocks of metal weather the winds of time and endure: thrash’s inevitable association with denim and cheap beer, OSDM’s obdurate immutability, and power metal’s lactose dependence persist. Yet perhaps none are as eternal as the legacy of traditional heavy metal bearing the banner of trve, and it’s under this standard that Fairfield, Connecticut’s Unknown marches. These Nutmeggers harbor loyalty for the olde school, and although they spice up sophomore full-length Graveyard of Empires with flavors of power and thrash, the overwhelming core of their concoction is one of classic heft. In the end, is it a draught worth quaffing, or a brew better left Unknown?
Though bits of other genres creep into Graveyard of Empires, Unknown’s comparators remain solidly rooted in classic heavy metal. Fans of Iron Maidenwill uncover plenty of familiar qualities, especially from their aughts-era output, while Manilla Road and Jag Panzer offer further reference points. Mainly, Unknown operates in soaring mid-tempos that conjure sweeping vistas and epic atmospheres (“Ardennes Offensive,” “Guns of August”). A fair amount of Saxon reveals itself as well, particularly with how Unknown’s guitar work seamlessly oscillates between valiant, lofty leads and straightforward power chords that drive momentum and musical tension. Even amongst these towering touchstones, though, Unknown crafts an identity outside their influences.
Unknown’s music ferries listeners to vibrant landscapes on Graveyard of Empires. Whiffs of Ancient Egypt (“Graveyard of Empires”), galloping western melodrama (“Warrior Ascension”), and tribal paradise (“Land of the Pure”) enrich the record with a wealth of backdrops that feel fleshed out and distinct. The opening triad of “Ardennes Offensive,” “Graveyard of Empires,” and “Guns of August” brim with fiery twin guitars that flit between beautifully built sustains gleaming with majesty and burly riffs that crunch and punch. “Reverie Code” and “Warrior Ascension” likewise crackle with evocative six-string action, and credit to Aamir Syed and Michael Dale for their savvy guitar work on Graveyard. Meanwhile, bassist Andic Salcedo and session drummer Nick Bellmore supply a rock-solid rhythm section, rarely calling attention to themselves but ably girding Unknown’s melodic nucleus while unleashing subtle performances that are easy to miss unless attuned to them.
Despite the many things Unknown does well on Graveyard of Empires, I often find the vocal decisions and deliveries too distracting to enjoy. Given vocalist Matt Fisher’s compelling performance on Unknown’s debut Vanishing Point, the shift in direction is puzzling. Where Fisher’s range mostly dwelt in a comfortable mid-register on Vanishing Point, Graveyard of Empires sees him deploy many more falsettos across the album (“Guns of August,” “I Am Death,” “On the Edge of Peace”). Fisher clearly has talent, but his upper reaches undercut performances when he pushes his deliveries past the brink of his ability to control them, which is a real shame because when he drops into a lower range or growls, things work much better (“Ardennes Offensive,” “Graveyard of Empires”). On Vanishing Point, Fisher did a swell job with the top rungs of his vocal range, particularly on tracks “Where Men Find Glory” and “Mission No. 84”, so the miss here is especially perplexing. More positively the bright mix sparkles, enabling guitars and drums to strut their stuff. Additionally, the runtime packs an avalanche of riffs and aural panoramas into just forty minutes.
Broadly speaking, there tend to be two types of Mixed albums in my mind. The first can be characterized by records that are generally fine and do most things right without kindling enough interest for higher engagement. The second involves LPs that boast a higher ceiling but accommodate a flaw too glaring to look past. Graveyard of Empires falls squarely into this latter camp with a baffling foible that eluded Unknown’s debut. Still, the band does so much right on every other front that I have faith they’ll smooth out the kinks next time around. Until then, I’ll revisit some of these tracks on occasion and leave the rest in the Graveyard.
Julia Wolf has shared a new track and brought in a scene legend to help her bring it to life. Oh yes. It’s Kellin Quinn.
The song is called ‘Lamb’ and finds Julia indulging in her love for mid-00s post-hardcore and emo in a big way. Jangly chords, grogeously emotional melodies and plenty of vintage melancholy, it is like a warm hug from a special period in music.
And in bringing in Kellin Quinn, delivering dulcet croons and harsh screams aplenty, she is paying tribute to those who were there as much as those who are still kicking and keeping the sound alive.
As a pair, the two are perfect together, and the result feels like an instant classic. One of the best collaborations of 2026 by a country mile.
And look out for a pretty amazing reference to Sleeping With Sirens’ ‘With Eyes To Hear And Ears To See’ in the quaint video.
It follows on from ‘Deep End’, which sounds a lot like this:
Julia is about to head out on the road on both sides of the Atlantic for an extensive tour. Here is where you can catch them.
SEPTEMBER
17 – AUSTIN Mohawk 18 – DALLAS The Bomb Factory 19 – HOUSTON Warehouse Live 21 – ORLANDO House of Blues 23 – ATLANTA Masquerade (Heaven) 25. CHARLOTTE The Underground 26 – NASHVILLE Eastside Bowl 28 – WASHINGTON 9:30 Club 30 – PHILADELPHIA Union Transfer
OCTOBER
02 – NEW YORK Irving Plaza 05 – BOSTON Paradise Rock Club 07 – TORONTO The Opera House 09 – COLUMBUS Newport Music Hall 10 – CLEVELAND The Roxy at Mahall’s 12 – GRAND RAPIDS Elevation 13 – INDIANAPOLIS Hi-Fi Annex 16 – DENVER Summit 17 – SALT LAKE CITY The Depot 20 – PORTLAND Wonder Ballroom 21 – SEATTLE The Showbox 23 – SAN FRANCISCO Great American Music Hall 25 – LOS ANGELES Fonda Theatre
NOVEMBER
17 – DUBLIN Button Factory 19 – GLASGOW Garage 20 – LEEDS Stylus 22 – BIRMINGHAM 02 Institute 2 23 – MANCHESTER Academy 2 25 – LONDON KOKO 28 – COLOGNE Luxor 30 – PARIS La Maroquinerie
Cemented upon rebellious ideals that consistently buck the currents of popularity, the very nature of metal demands change. Yet some bedrocks of metal weather the winds of time and endure: thrash’s inevitable association with denim and cheap beer, OSDM’s obdurate immutability, and power metal’s lactose dependence persist. Yet perhaps none are as eternal as the legacy of traditional heavy metal bearing the banner of trve, and it’s under this standard that Fairfield, Connecticut’s Unknown marches. These Nutmeggers harbor loyalty for the olde school, and although they spice up sophomore full-length Graveyard of Empires with flavors of power and thrash, the overwhelming core of their concoction is one of classic heft. In the end, is it a draught worth quaffing, or a brew better left Unknown?
