The All-American Rejects’ 2025 viral House Party Tour is getting a second leg, as confirmed by frontman Tyson Ritter at SXSW over the weekend.
During a panel conversation on Billboard, the singer and guitarist Nick Wheeler revealed that their band would be heading back out on the road to carry on the magic of what they were doing last year, as well as revealing the launch of an interactive campaign so fans can help decide where these gigs will be – see that here.
Last May, during one of their tiny house party shows, Tyson told fans, “I want to thank you for coming out and giving a shit about a rock’n’roll band that supports the common man. We’re not trying to sell you finance tickets to Coachella, we’re not trying to sell you Ticketmaster fucking penalty fees, we’re not trying to sell you $25 parking. We’re just trying to sell you some songs you might have grown up with, and let you fucking let go with us in this non-denominational church of rock’n’roll.”
In much bigger places, catch the band on their Recess Tour:
The All-American Rejects 2026 live dates
June
9 Warsaw, Poland – Progresja 10 Berlin, Germany – Columbiahalle 11 Hradec Králové, Czech Republic – Rock for People 13 Leicestershire, UK – Download Festival 14 Manchester, UK – Manchester Academy 16 London, UK – O2 Forum Kentish Town 18 Tilburg, Netherlands – 013 Poppodium 19 Paris, France – Bataclan
Stoner rock is fun. Drinking beer is fun. So a stoner band titling their new album with an adjective for the taste of their favorite beer kind of just makes perfect sense. Karakuchi is kind of a compound word that captures the essence of “spicy mouth,” and is the core of the slogan for Kaleidobolt’s band members’ favorite beer. Immediate, sharp, intense, and refreshing all apply and the band thought, “Hey! Just like our songs!” and that is how Kaleidobolt’s fifth album came into its name. It’s fun!
Helsinki’s Kaleidobolt hasn’t always been so karakuchi, having started out with a more maroyaka sound (smooth and mellow), though it’s relative, of course. Those first four albums party hard, for sure. They’re just way more content to drift away with the bonfire smoke for a few bars before snapping back to the dance. Stoner rock got rolled up with psychedelic rock almost immediately and then laced with a little bit more prog with each album along the way until Kaleidobolt had conjured something energetic, noodly, groovy, wild, tempered, weird and wonderful in This One Simple Trick in 2022.
Now four years later, Kaleidobolt slam their empty cans against their foreheads in unison to declare, “the time for fun is now!” Just look at that album cover. Just listen to the amped up power trio overture that kicks off album opener “Tinkerbell,” its beats, riffs, and rhythms. There’s Motörhead in there! What better way to launch a statement of rough and rowdy, riffin’ and spliffin’, raucous intent?
Release date: March 6, 2026. Svart Records.
The eight songs that follow take the total to about 37 minutes of heavy psych-prog rock and roll that never stops rockin’, reelin’, and steamrollin’ with all the diesel-fueled cacophony of the raging automobeast on the album cover. The PR hype calls it all “hyperkinetic rock.” Indeed.
And, again, fun is the fuel so, even with the odd diversion into a deep, dank riff run, a psychedelic jam, a prog rock time and tempo shift, or even a spazzed out solo, Karakuchi always brings it back to smiles. The feel here is a spectrum of warm, from the brightness of sunshine in clear blue sky to the wafting heat of the fire under a sky full of stars, always with the bonding warmth of connection with friends.
Scandinavia has long been home to such amazing eclectic bands as Motorpsycho and Circle that start with a fairly straight-forward if unusual approach and then bend and twist and shape it into new and wonderful things over their careers. And, of course, Svart Records has always loved weird and eccentric bands. No surprise then that an album like Karakuchi features songs like “Friends Of Fire” with sections that recall acts as disparate as the aforementioned Motörhead, Foo Fighters, Thin Lizzy, and Norway’s Brimstone Solar Radiation Band. “A Chance Of A Lifetime” somehow channels Sweet and Black Sabbath via Valkyrie. Amazing. That they keep it all cohesive and fresh is testament to their commitment to tight execution as players and skills as songwriters.
Karakuchi definitely extends its arc over the latter half of its runtime, hewing much more closely to Motorpsycho than Motörhead, and that may be a sign of a band coming back to who they are or perhaps a sign of things to come, maybe both. Either way, this is an album that does exactly what it tells you it’s going to do from the get go, which is to have a blast. Things wind down a little toward the end the way every good party does, and even that feels like it’s just what the bad was after. If Karakuchi has a weakness, it’s that it really feels like a party album and so its impact may be fleeting in the same way. Winding down seemingly just as it gets fired up. Then again, you don’t skip the party just because it’s going to end anyway. You get the fuck down while the gettin’s good and Kaleidobolt’s got the soundtrack for that.
As a member of Rory Gallagher’s solo band, Irish-born bassist Gerry McAvoy lent his licks to classic albums, like 1971’s Deuce, 1973’s Tattoo, 1976’s Calling Card, and more. If you’ve heard hard-hitting blues-rocking songs like “Bad Penny” and “Shadowplay,” then you’ve heard what McAvoy brought to the party. Those songs sound free-flowing, which, according to McAvoy, is just how it was. “The sound I made within the band came naturally,” he tells ClassicRockHistory.com. Things got choppy in the late ‘70s and ‘80s when Gallagher’s drinking became a problem, but that’s not why McAvoy left Gallagher’s band. “I had always written
Salos – A Slaughter For The Empire (Self-Released)
Salos are 🜄 on guitar and 🜃 on drums, an instrumental duo from Kalamata who showcase that music can definitely speak louder than words. From their early rumblings in a decade ago, they have grown Salos into a project that brings together soaring post rock and complex prog metal with an explorative focus that is built on massive riffs and blissful atmospheres.
Arriving fully fledged on their debut, there’s maturity and experience pulsating in every guitar riff and drumbeat, the A Slaughter For The Empire is cinematic musical masterclass akin to bands that play with dynamics such as God Is An Astronaut and Russian Circles along with the ones that could easily hold their own in the prog realms like Earthside or Intervals.
On Arches they take a leap into some of the high profile juxtaposition of Mono or Pelagic with those guitar lines, heavy moments and the addition of sax from Greek jazz musician Yiannis Kassetas. With Slaughter they bring out the death/thrash metal battery, as We Deteriorate detonates when necessary. Hvitserkur, Leviathan and Sagittarius all have the impressive duality that Salos have crafted for this debut.
Salos shout about their talent louder than many other bands do, proving that’s vocalist isn’t always necessary, when you have a duo that sound like a collective. 8/10 Vanity’s Disciple – Blind Belief… Ill Intention (Self Released)
An amazing power/prog metal debut from Athens now as Vanity’s Disciple release their first album Blind Belief… Ill Intention. They kick off their recording career as a band with a with a concept album in nine chapters which is a bold thing to do but with a story that revolves around sin, belief and manipulation, they have crafted nine songs that drive the layered narrative which these virtuoso musicians are backing with some muscular heavy metal that brings both the US and European scenes together, where thrash, power, neoclassical and good old fashioned heavy metal combine with a sprinkling of prog when they launch into longer tracks.
Blind Belief… Ill Intention was written by guitarists Dimitris Kouroutis (rhythm) and George Rosenberg (lead), they are responsible for the music, lyrics and concept, as well as all the tasty riffs and solos on the record, showing that their playing is just a expressive as their writing. The duo have some excellent musicians with them as a part of Vanity’s Disciple as that darker, meaner steak comes from the history of bassist/drummer/producer Dimitris Sakkas, who has paid his dues in the extreme metal scene, so can blast with the best of them, bring nuance when needed, lay down the gallops and groove all while giving the album it’s polished heft.
Up front Vanity’s Disciple have brought in vocalist Jon Soti, he is the singer in the brilliant Floating Worlds, so I knew instantly what to expect and he brings his skyscraping, Geoff Tate meets Michael Kiske-like vocals to this record, adding drama and power brilliantly over yet more conceptual heavy metal. They’ve grabbed a few guests too with Mark Minoa brings a guest bass slot on Forged Faith while Soti is joined by powerhouse Stu Block of Into Eternity on the closing chapter Descend Decay, which you can imagine sounds like Into Eternity or IE.
Guest slots are all well and good but Vanity’s Disciple don’t need them, when it’s just the four of them they remind me of the brilliance of bands such as Queensyche, Savatage and Shadow Gallery, with Blind Belief… Ill Intention they have created a conceptual masterclass of a debut album. 9/10
Originally formed in Athens but having relocated to Glasgow, Winter Eternal is a one man black metal project that is five albums deep into existence. Their latest, Unveiled Nightsky is another set of melodic black metal tracks that are inspired more by the Scandinavian style than the Hellenic one.
Soulreaper peels off trem picking, clean leads and thrashy riffs from the opening moments of Born Of Winters Breath. The theatrical touches coming from that anthemic middle section of Omen Of The Cosmic Order where V.Nuctemeron’s drumming is relentless, as it is on the biting Nurtured By The Night which races by.
Unveiled Nightsky is a record that bring a lot of speed and often locks into headbanging rhythms. The balance between the black metal extremity and melodic moments is struck very well, with frenzied assaults such as Descent Into Hades Embrace, evolving into the likes of the mid-pace The Deceivers Tale or the dramatic Echoes Of A Fallen Crown.
Despite being a one man project the additional drummer and strings players all add depth to this great melodic black metal record. 7/10
Sinistrous Mist – A Voice Through Constellations (Self Released)
Over to the more vicious side of black metal now as Athens band Sinistrous Mist bring anti-Christian black metal that dwells in the shadow and darkness of the Hellenic Scene, but also fully utilises keys to great effect. Divine Black driven with the gothic twinge of Type O Negative. While Mother Mary is not a UFO cover but a track that builds on orchestrations, through throat shredding vocals and a symphonic closing moments where the drums hit full power.
It’s breathless stuff and shows that even though it’s a debut A Voice Through Constellations, it’s been composed by veterans who can manipulate multiple styles into incendiary black metal that’s got heavy cinematic leanings from the keys, the title track begins with some creepy carnival organs before unleashing hell again.
It seems they’re so focussed on the keys, drums and vocals, that their guitarist no longer seem to be in the band, still that only really matters on the live stage, as the core line up on this record deliver some really excellent atmospheric black metal for what is a debut. 8/10
Over the past three decades, Slovakia’s death metal underground has produced its share of dedicated bands, and Dehydrated are among those who have remained active through changing times. Formed in the turbulent early ’90s, the band has weathered lineup changes, long pauses, and the ever-shifting tides of the extreme metal scene, yet their commitment to raw, honest brutality has never faded. With a new box set revisiting over 30 years of music and memories, we spoke with the band about their beginnings in post-communist Slovakia, the spirit of the underground community that shaped them, and what still fuels their passion for death metal today.
Hey! Thirty-plus years in death metal is no joke. Looking back, do you still feel that same drive you had when you started in ‘91, or has it changed into something else entirely over time?
Hey! As for me, my enthusiasm is still the same as it was 30 years ago, playing in a band is the most beautiful thing that could have happened to me in my life, it fills me up inside, it is a total relaxation for me, I can switch off and forget about all the problems in life. I am always charged with positive energy after a rehearsal or concert and I am left with nice experiences and memories.
Making music that I really enjoy gives my life meaning. And when there is a positive response from the fans, it is even more beautiful, it pushes me forward and gives me incredible strength to keep going.
When you think of the early days in Slovakia, what was the scene like, and how did it shape what Dehydrated became? Did you feel like outsiders from the start, or were you already part of a tight underground community?
We started playing when we were 17 years old, it was a bit more difficult for us, we didn’t have money for equipment, only thanks to our parents we could buy something, everything was very expensive at that time, our small country Slovakia was going through not very good times, after the revolution and the fall of communism there was an incredible mess and chaos and it took a long time for things to get back in order.
Despite that, the underground scene started to form, even though there weren’t many bands, the few that were created were, in my opinion, very high-quality bands and of course our friends.
I can say that we were already part of this great community in the beginning. We visited each other, had fun and exchanged experiences. I like to remember those times and our beginnings.
Your sound has always balanced brutality and some twisted sense of melody. Was that something conscious from the start, or did it just grow out of jamming together in the rehearsal room?
The sound itself logically depends on the studio where you record, the technical equipment and the sound engineer himself.
But the truth is that our sounds on the recordings are quite diverse, we always tried to experiment a little and that’s why our recordings are quite different in sound, that’s what we wanted and that’s how we did it.
We had some idea and we stuck to it. As for the songs themselves, we created the vast majority of them as you said in the form of jamming, I have ideas in my head, I choose the best ones, we meet with the guys in the garage and speculate until we create something.
Then we record it, we listen to it at home and if necessary we edit it to the final form. If the song is ready, guitars, bass and drums, then the vocals come and we just embellish it.
After a long hiatus, coming back with Resurrection in 2017 – was it easy to reconnect with the old energy, or did you find yourselves having to relearn each other and the way you wrote music?
I don’t think it was a problem, maybe it’s because we have metal music in our blood, and those years of experience can’t just be erased. You just throw yourself into it and it works.
Lineup changes have happened, like many bands of your age. How much do you think the band’s identity relies on the people playing versus the music itself?
Changes in the band’s lineup can sometimes be beneficial, especially in the position of drummer or bassist…. nowadays it is quite difficult to maintain one lineup for the entire existence of the band, this can be seen even in big world bands.
In any case, in my opinion, every band should have at least one member from the beginning, the one who sets the direction and is the main engine or brain of the band. If all the members change in the band, the identity is lost.
They can just rename themselves and play pop music
Thirty years of recording, touring, and surviving the underground. Are there moments or periods that still stick in your memory as “this defined us” – either for better or worse?
During this long time in the underground, we have experienced a lot of good and bad, as a leader, I was often troubled by personnel changes in the band.
And the fans notice and remember this even after 30 years of the band’s existence. Maybe this somehow defined us, that despite frequent personnel changes, we did not stop our activities and are still functioning (even though we had a longer break, we did not give up and a rebirth came).
Nowadays, when I meet people who are still loyal to us, we often laugh and remember experiences from the past, for example, when Vlado Pagac sang with us and performed at a concert with a meat cleaver in his hand, or waved a prosthetic leg that we found on the road in a car
And basically all the things, as well as recording demos, albums, concerts, traveling, entertainment, experiences, meetings with fans…. all of that stuck in our memory, it cannot be forgotten!
When you write now, do you think about legacy or history at all, or is it just the drive to create something heavy and real in the moment?
I don’t think about history, history lives in me. And certainly when I write new songs, it influences me. I don’t want to lie to myself and certainly not to my surroundings.
I am convinced that every newly formed band has traces of history in it and it is audible, even if someone tries to be I don’t know how original.
There will always be that old message from the people who started first, and showed the rest of us the way and direction.
Slovakia isn’t always on the map for death metal (for last years), but your scene has its own flavor. How do you think your roots crept into the tonality, pacing, and aggression of your music?
We are a small country, but I think we have several excellent bands here whose quality can be compared to the big bands in the world.
I will mention a few names: ABORTION, DEPRESY, CRANIOTOMY, BLOODY REDEMPTION, SURGERY, MORNA, PERVERSITY…
I am not sure if our roots are heard in our work, our country has a tradition and history in dance music called folklore, it is cheerful music that is danced and sung by people dressed in beautiful costumes, in almost every region of the country there are different, hand-woven and typical, traditional ones. That is one of our symbols from history. But it is possible that someone will find something danceable in our music and not only brutal
Some bands grow heavier, some go more technical, some lean melodic. How would you describe the natural evolution of Dehydrated across all these years?
I like speed, technique and melodies. I’ve never been interested in just one thing. Even the natural development of the band hasn’t changed my mind.
I play what comes from my insides, and the ideas are diverse. I can’t judge for myself how we’ve changed, developed, moved somewhere, it’s better to leave this to our listeners.
What matters is whether they like it or not…
When fans listen to this new box set, what’s the one feeling or impression you hope comes through, old or new listeners alike?
So I really hope that this box set will find our new fans, that they will be interested and enjoy it.
It is a true cross-section of our work over more than 30 years and I believe that everyone will find something there that will please their ears and please their metal heart.
Reflecting on the band’s journey, are there lessons you wish you could tell the younger you back in 1991 before the first demo was recorded? Thank you for your time!
I would like to say only one thing to young bands starting out: don’t try to be perfect at all costs, to have a perfect sound, to not make a mistake. Nowadays, bands try to be perfect, flawless, and in the process they lose their naturalness, the recordings sound perfect but artificial, as if machines were playing instead of people…
May you all be happy and stay true to metal music.
Thank you for the space and support in your magazine.
Wolverhampton’s KK’s Steel Mill has become the true home for heavy metal in the Midlands, and tonight it played host to a thunderous double bill as Primal Fear rolled into town for the second and final date of their brief UK run. The night promised classic heavy metal in its purest form.
Kicking things off was powerhouse vocalist Ronnie Romero, whose résumé already reads like a who’s who of rock royalty. From the first note it was clear this was going to be a night driven by huge voices and even bigger songs.
Romero wasted no time setting the tone, storming out with ‘Backbone’, instantly commanding the stage with the confidence of a seasoned frontman. His voice, as always, rich, powerful and effortlessly high-flying, filled the venue with ease. ‘Never Felt This Way’ and ‘Eternally’ followed, giving the crowd their first real chance to warm up their vocal cords alongside him.
Photo Credit: Tim Finch Photography
It didn’t take long for Romero to lean into the classics that helped shape his career. A towering rendition of ‘Stargazer’ by Rainbow brought the room to life, his vocals soaring impressively through the epic track. If there were any doubters about his ability to handle the material associated with legends like Ronnie James Dio, they were quickly silenced.
Romero kept the momentum rolling with a muscular take on ‘Black Dog’, injecting his own flair into the classic while the band locked into its iconic groove. Original material like ‘Castaway on the Moon’ and ‘Bring the Rock’slotted comfortably alongside the covers, the crowd responding enthusiastically to Romero’s blend of classic rock spirit and modern power.
Closing his set in explosive fashion, Romero delivered a powerful one-two punch of ‘The Battle Rages On’ by Deep Purple and the ferocious ‘Kill the King’. Sandwiched between them were the punchy ‘Chased by Shadows’ and ‘Vengeance’, ensuring the energy never dipped.
Photo Credit: Tim Finch Photography
As the lights dimmed once more and the intro ‘We Walk Without Fear’ rumbled through the speakers, anticipation surged across the packed floor. When Primal Fear finally hit the stage with ‘Destroyer’ the room erupted. The band’s trademark blend of speed, precision and melody immediately took hold, with vocalist Ralf Scheepers unleashing a barrage of sky-scraping notes that proved his voice remains one of metal’s most formidable powers.
‘I Am the Primal Fear” and ‘Final Embrace’ followed in quick succession, the band locking into a relentless groove. The twin-guitar attack carved through the venue while the rhythm section drove everything forward with machine-like precision. ‘Nuclear Fire’ triggered one of the night’s first massive sing-alongs, its classic power metal hooks hitting just as hard as ever.
Photo Credit: Tim Finch Photography
The set continued to dig into the band’s deep catalogue with ‘Seven Seals’ and ‘The Hunter’ both delivered with muscular authority. Scheepers stalked the stage like a man possessed, commanding the crowd with ease. ‘Tears of Fire’ and ‘King of Madness’ kept the momentum surging, the band clearly feeding off the energy pouring back from the Wolverhampton faithful.
Things ramped up with the colossal ‘Fighting the Darkness’, its dramatic dynamics giving Scheepers plenty of room to stretch his voice to its limits. Classics like ‘Chainbreaker’ and the anthemic ‘Metal is Forever’ sent fists pumping across the venue, the latter turning the room into a unified choir of metal devotees.
Closing out the night, ‘Hands of Time’ and ‘Running in the Dust’ ensured the energy never faltered right up to the final note. As the band took their bows, it was clear Wolverhampton had witnessed a masterclass in classic power metal. The band now head off to Europe after this all too brief UK stint, we can only hope they’ll return sooner rather than later.
And they’re not coming alone. For the UK leg, Korn will be joined by Brit metal faves Architects (who themselves completed a headline arena run last autumn) and Youth Code – with Pixel Grip replacing Youth Code for the second half of the tour.
The big ol’ tour kicks off in Suttgart on October 18, tearing through massive UK venues like the AO Arena in Manchester on October 31 and The O2 in London on November 4, before wrapping up on in Milan on November 21.
