The Holy Metal Mass: Powerwolf’s Unstoppable Reign
By the time the final chords echoed through London, one thing was brilliantly clear, heavy metal theatre is alive, well, and armed with pyrotechnics! For tonight, descending into London’s OVO Arena Wembley on 7th March, it felt less like arriving at a typical arena rock show and more like stepping onto a mythological battlefield. The night was a masterclass in heavy metal theatre, kicking off with an atmosphere so intensely smoky you could practically swing a broadsword through it. While the heavy fog blanketing the stage during the opening sets may have kept the bands shrouded in shadow, it only amplified the raw, thundering energy of the “Wake Up The Wicked tour”. This wasn’t just a gig; it was a monumental heavy metal event.
The evening’s theatrics began with the undeniable, foot-stomping force of Wind Rose. Heralded by the atmospheric intro tape Of Ice and Blood, the Italian quintet emerged through the thick stage fog, bringing their signature “dwarven metal” to life with staggering, arena-ready bravado. They kicked things off with the booming “Dance of the Axes,” immediately getting the crowd axe-swinging and chanting along from the very first axe-wielding riff. Despite the smoke obscuring the finer details of their intricate, mythic dwarven battle armour, their massive vocal hooks and driving rhythms cut straight through the haze.
As they powered through “The Great Feast Underground”, “Mine Mine Mine!”, and the crushing “Trollslayer”, the energy in the room reached a fever pitch. By the time they launched into their viral, infectious cover of “Diggy Diggy Hole” and closed with the unifying roar of “Rock and Stone” capped off brilliantly by a club-ready remix playing them off stage they had successfully transformed Wembley into a raucous, celebratory underground mining hall.
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
As the fog rolled on, Swedish power metal legends HammerFall took the stage with the subtlety of an atom bomb. Kicking off with the thunderous “Avenge the Fallen”, they bathed the venue in blood-red light and proved exactly why they remain undisputed pioneers of the genre. Frontman Joacim Cans is an absolute master of crowd control, his soaring, classic metal vocals completely unfazed by the dense atmosphere as the band tore through legacy crowd-pleasers like “Heeding the Call” and “Any Means Necessary”. The mid-set was a masterclass in forged-steel riffs and blazing solos, featuring heavy hitters like “Hammer of Dawn”, “Renegade”, and the anthemic “Hammer High”. They kept the relentless pace surging with “Last Man Standing”, “Let the Hammer Fall”, and “The End Justifies”, before celebrating their heritage with “(We Make) Sweden Rock” and “Hail to the King.”
When they finally struck the chords of their legendary closing anthem “Hearts on Fire”, thousands of hands shot into the smoky air in unison. As the outro tape “Dreams Come True” played them off, their status as heavy metal royalty was firmly cemented.
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Then, the smoke finally began to clear, and the massive stage production was unveiled. It was time for the high priests of heavy metal to take the pulpit. Beyond the set itself, the sheer visual spectacle of Powerwolf’s performance deserves its own sermon. The stage design was nothing short of a heavy metal masterpiece, meticulously crafted to resemble an imposing medieval castle. Complete with towering stone-like walls, gothic archways, and a grand altar, it served as the perfect fortress for the band’s high-energy antics.
Powerwolf exploded onto the stage, wasting absolutely no time as they launched straight into “Bless ’em With the Blade”. The blistering pace of this newer track set an impossibly high bar for the evening, immediately whipping the crowd into a frenzy. Before anyone could catch their breath, the band seamlessly transitioned into the stomping groove of “Armata Strigoi”. Attila Dorn’s booming, operatic vocals commanded the arena, followed by the swashbuckling energy of “Sinners of the Seven Seas”.
By the time the familiar, driving riffs of “Amen & Attack” rang out, the venue had transformed into a unified choir. Keyboardist Falk Maria Schlegel abandoned his organ to march across the stage as the band delivered the undisputed classic, “Army of the Night”, and the sheer momentum of hearing these two massive anthems back-to-back was staggering. The band shifted gears with “Dancing With the Dead” and “Incense & Iron”, giving the Greywolf brothers a chance to showcase their incredibly tight, synchronised guitar work while Dorn brandished a massive, smoking incense burner. Following this, the dramatic and historically tinged “1589” added a touch of grim storytelling to the set, before the mood lifted instantly with the infectious pop-metal sensibilities of “Demons Are a Girl’s Best Friend”.
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
The atmosphere grew darker as the slow, doom-laden chords of “Kreuzfeuer” echoed through the arena, an endless display of pyrotechnics erupting from the stage casting the band in a hellish glow. This simmering tension was shattered by the breakneck speed of “Fire and Forgive”. The band followed up with the glorious, tongue-in-cheek absurdity of “Resurrection by Erection,” much to the joy of the ecstatic crowd before beautifully contrasting the frantic pace with their signature power ballad, “Where the Wild Wolves Have Gone”. Lit by a sea of mobile phone torches, Attila’s soaring vocals proved that beneath the camp, the corpse paint, and the ornate vestments, there was some truly breathtaking musical talent on stage.
Reinvigorated, the band charged into the final stretch of the main set with the aggressive “Heretic Hunters” and the symphonic grandeur of “Joan of Arc”. The climax arrived with “We Drink Your Blood.” As the song that arguably broke Powerwolf into the mainstream metal consciousness, it was the perfect closer. The crowd chanted the chorus with an almost religious fervour as the band took their temporary leave from the stage.
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
The darkness was eventually pierced by the haunting, choral intro tape of “Agnus Dei”. As the intro peaked, a massive explosion heralded the start of the encore with “Sanctified With Dynamite”. They followed this up with “Blood for Blood (Faoladh)”, keeping the crowd bouncing in unison. But everyone knew what was coming next. The unmistakable “Hu! Ha!” chants signalled the start of “Werewolves of Armenia”, the ultimate heavy metal party anthem. The band and the audience fed off each other’s energy for one final, glorious battle cry, before the outro tape “Wolves Against the World” played them off the stage.
Ultimately, the night was a blazing, unmitigated triumph that solidified Powerwolf’s undisputed reign over the power metal genre.
Cenobia has released her first new single and video of the year, Make Us Whole Again.
The captivating rising Aussie is following up her 2025 debut single Devour Me and its follow-up Throne Of Want with a ‘story of reflection, regret and loss,’ according to a press release. ‘The piece of herself she sought to destroy was never truly gone, and now she must face the truth. Can we ever escape our trauma, or do we learn to live with it? Perhaps there is a chance to be made whole again.’
While Cenobia isn’t anonymous, she certainly lets her music do the talking. A bio on Spotify simply states that, ‘She writes music for him. He will never hear it.’ And with over 120,000 monthly listeners, it’s clear that a lot of people are hearing it – check out Make Us Whole Again below:
Gary Holt joins Loudwire Nights to help fans get ready for Exodus' new album, 'Goliath,' and says their next record is already nearly wrapped up. Continue reading…
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The band describe Street Noise as the ideal opening statement for the album, saying it sets the aggressive tone for what follows. “On this song,” the band says, “Ray West does a great job channeling the energy of our day to day dealings in NYC”.
Described by the band as an emotionally and musically Heavy collection that balances power, dynamics and melody, The Brutal Divine marks Spread Eagle’s long-awaited fourth studio album.
Produced by bassist Rob De Luca, the record blends the group’s classic hard rock roots with a darker, weightier edge while keeping the grit, attitude and live-wire energy that made their name. The band also say they have turned years of touring into a Metal-punk thrill ride.
Lyrically, the album questions how free-thinking people really are before moving towards themes of hope and community. The line-up features Ray West on lead vocals, Gianmaria ‘Jommy’ Puledda on guitars and vocals, Rob De Luca on bass and vocals, and Rik De Luca on drums. Pre-orders are available from ffm.bio/thebrutaldivine.
Spread Eagle – The Brutal Divine – Due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Spread Eagle – The Brutal Divine
1. Flat Earth Vultures 2. Street Noise 3. Gunflower 4. Jail Rat 5. Forbidden Local Honey 6. Pushed To The Limit 7. Ant Farm 8. Scars In Our Eyes (City Kids) 9. Inside A Shrunken Head 10. Makebeliever
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
September
The Brook, Southampton466 Portswood Rd, Portswood, Southampton SO17 3SD
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise,
Event Details
Spread Eagle have announced their new studio album, The Brutal Divine, due on 12 June 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band have also shared their first single, Street Noise, alongside a lyric video, with The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 starting this month.
The Brutal Divine Tour 2026 begins on 20 March in Thomasville, Pennsylvania, with further dates across the US, UK and Europe. Tickets and full dates are available from spreadeagle.us/tour.
There was a time during the most frustrating depths of lockdown when Neal Morse seemed to be at his most prolific. Let’s be honest, the guy is an absolute cornerstone of all things prog, and with his various collaborators and frankly formidable array of projects seemed during that period to be cranking out something new every month.
I suspect that this was more to do with the inability to cut anything new face-to-face back then meant that projects that never saw the light of day, plus a plethora of live recording got to see the light of day in a positive bow wave of releases.
The master of all things progressive varies his style enormously, but for me the releases branded under the Neal Morse Band (or N.M.B. as it has morphed into this time around) always ticked my boxes more than many projects have because fundamentally it was often a bit heavier than Transatlantic, Morse, Portnoy and George, Flying Colours and most definitely Worship, despite the fact that musicians were shared across so many of the projects.
Absolutely a cross-project cornerstone of the last few decades has been former and once more current Dream Theater maestro Mike Portnoy, and the NMB output often felt closest to that of that most successful of Prog Metal acts in style, whilst clearly being Mr Morse at its heart.
This album may mark something of a change then…
Portnoy’s much publicised return to Dream Theater means a huge chunk of his availability just disappeared well into the medium term, because DT are both globally successful, and fairly prolific as well in terms of recorded outlay, so the reality is that we are unlikely to see Portnoy sitting behind Morse live or in the studio as frequently.
It’s also been a while since the NMB released a studio album, and clearly Portnoy’s shift back to DT has precipitated one (I am reluctant to say) final studio opus from this fluid and frankly spot on line-up. Time was a pressure here, with a limited window of Portnoy’s availability for direct collaboration compressing writing and recording somewhat, yet as is so often the case that pressure has resulted in one of the most dynamic and fresh sounding releases of the NMB range.
OK, there’s a bit of after the fact polishing going on here, with all the members of the band able to come back and tweak the core tracks cut in the studio from their home studios, but that hasn’t taken away the energy and dynamism of L.I.F.T. A challenge often laid against Morse and his projects is their repetitive nature, but this one feels both of that stable and clearly moving the dial into fresher territory.
There is a feeling here that they want to cram as much as they can into the record stylistically too, and there are many moments that feel like a nod to heights of the past, but it’s also thematically contiguous, with a lot of lyrically influence from Morse’s religious inclinations, but let’s face it they’re as constant in his recorded output since he left Spock’s Beard as Portnoy.
Unlike many of previous releases though, the energy here makes the album fly by despite it’s run time. When you have an hour and ten minutes of music, sounding concise is something of a challenge here, but the band pull it off because they have distilled all their writing experience together into one polished whole. Not so much a Best of Compilation, as a stylistic compendium of what they all do best, this is one of the freshest slabs of Prog to hit my platter in some considerable time. 9/10
Fangus – Emerald Dream (From The Urn Records) [Rich Piva]
I first heard of the band Fangus when interviewing Sons Of Arrakis for The Rich & Turbo Heavy Half Hour while discussing the Montreal scene and some cool bands that we may not have been familiar with that we really should be.
I immediately went and grabbed the EP and was blown away by the frantic 70s proto metal vibe, and, of course, the organ. That EP, Meet The Reaper, was so cool and had an aura of mystery to the mad men behind this organ driven goodness. Thankfully, out of the shadows they come with their debut full length, Emerald Dream, and boy does it rip the place up and take that raw, early EP sounds to another level on these eight tracks.
The opener, Howling Hammer kicks it off with a cool, heavy 70s riff that Leslie West would be proud of, the drums kick in and sound great, and then the organ. Oh, the organ. A man named Chub plays all the keys on the record and I bow to his greatness. What an amazing opener and just a frantic, LSD fuelled proto trip that will leave you wanting more and more, which is what you get as Pyre Of Love keeps this amazing energy and vibe going.
The organ here is next level, which I have now said for two weeks in a row, with the Gjendferd record from last week being another example. While Gjenferd is firmly rooted in the 70s too, they lean a bit more proggy and classic rock, while Fangus goes full Sir Lord Baltimore without ever letting their foot off the gas.
Layers of keys kick off Psychoïd Telepath, and while the pace slows just a bit, the proto psych vibe does not. This track could absolutely be in a classic B horror movie and steal the show. An organ solo kicks off Quest For Fire before the riff kicks in and the guitar and organ meld to form one epic monster ready to tear up 1976 Montreal. The title track opens up with an operatic organ solo that slowly builds up to that perfect pairing of instruments that is like a freight train off the tracks heading right towards your city center.
For a second it looks like someone jumped in the engine and took control, until it all goes off the rails again. Fangus has the fast slow/loud quiet thing down pat with the killer heavy psych of Time Gambler. The guitar work on this one is just massive. Shapeshifter sounds like Witchfinder General, with an organ. Enough said. Somehow the band saved the best track for last, as the energy on Stardust Regulator is off the charts, making me try to figure out a way to see these guys live at some point.
Fangus really kills it on their debut full length. Emerald Dream is non stop 70s inspired proto psych heaviness driven by amazing organ and guitar work, great song writing, amazing sound, and next level playing all around. I am not sure how a debut could be much better, given this album has been blasting non stop and am getting really good at air organ. Killer, next level stuff. 10/10
Red Sun Atacama – Summerchild (Mrs Red Sound) [Rich Piva]
Red Sun Atacama are a psych punk band out of Bordeaux, France. Psych punk you say? Yup. Up tempo rippers with some serious mind bending guitar work, cool tempo changes, and a frantic energy that landed their last album, Darwin, in my top 20 of 2022. The band is back with their new record, Summerchild, with very similar (killer) results.
The band self describes as “desert punk” and I can certainly get behind that, especially with the stoner gallop of a track like Conveyor, with its big chunky riff and punk rock tendencies all encompassed by a nice thick layer of fuzz. The opener, Passenger, is a straight up punky QOTSA style ripper that sets the stage nicely for the rest of the record. The snotty vocals add to the desert punk thing they have going on too, which all works great.
It’s not all breakneck punk speed, as RSA can plant their feet firmly in the (French?) desert with a trippy slow burn too, like on Weightless. At least that is what you think you are getting until you remember these guys love big riffs too. I dig the guitar work on the back half of this one. Great stuff. Speaking of rippers, Commotions lives up to its name with the drum work standing out on this psych punk explosion. That is until it slams on the breaks and goes all quiet…until the (of course) big riff breaks through the wall and the reverb drenched vocals grab you.
Graze The Sun may be my favourite on the record, with some more killer guitar work, a 90s feel, but also this Hanoi Rocks with lots of Fuzz thing that I hear. Not sure anyone else will but I hear it, and it is wonderful. The riffs are endless on this one too. This one shows how RSA have mastered the start fast, slow down, end fast formula. The title track is ear worm material, showing off the band’s pop sensibilities while still channelling Rated R/SFTD era QOTSA.
Thankfully Ragdoll is not an Aerosmith cover, but it is eight minutes of what RSA does best; snotty desert punk with a side of psych, with the psych being layered on heavy over this one. The closer, the very chill and perfectly titled Sundown, is just the thing needed to come down from the wild ride that is Summerchild.
A worthy follow up to their last killer record, Summerchild will show the Red Sun Atacama are the real deal and in no way any sort of side project or one off thing. Eight driving songs touching on a bunch of genres but never veering off the path of awesome. 9/10 White Skies – Shouting At The Hurricane (Conquest Music) [Simon Black]
I first came across White Skies opening up for Ten at a show in Cardiff about 18 months ago and was hugely impressed by them at the time. It was a tough gig to open, as despite the calibre of the headliner the promoters at The Globe elected to do zero publicity whatsoever, so the room was rather depressingly sparse for them (never mind for the headliners), yet they did an admirable job of delivering their well-crafted Melodic / AOR Rock to an audience that had never heard of them.
It was good enough for me to splash out on their debut CD Black Tide that night, and the album did not disappoint either, so spotting this sophomore in the slush pile at Musipedia Towers (well, more of a two up, two down to be honest) was a no-brainer for me.
Shouting At The Hurricane does not buck the trend. It’s a consistently strong album, which, as the title implies has a slightly rougher edge to it than its predecessor. Not in terms or recording or quality, but it’s definitely more a Hard Rock affair than their debut, although there’s plenty of steady synth-laden hooks that the fan base isn’t going to see too much of a step beyond their debut.
To be fair, the band may be new, but the members are all old school pros. White goes all the way back to one of the late 80’s incarnations of Samson, and many things since, but the rest of the band have been around the block some as well. That’s always a help when everyone has a depth of writing and recording experience and often means they tend to cut straight to the point with little padding when the chemistry is right. Which it certainly is here.
When an album kicks things off with the two banging singles, then I usually start to worry that there is a risk of shooting the load a little early, but in this instance, I need not have lost anymore hair than time and genetics have already taken so cruelly from me. These two are obvious singles to be fair, particularly 88 Crash, which has all the anthemic hallmarks of a track that they will be closing their live sets with forever, but quality and consistency are in harmony here. This album is positively dripping with catchy anthems however…
…And so well delivered to boot. The arrangements are crisp, precise and well-tailored, but there’s enough freshness in the performance that this feels neither derivative, unoriginal nor stale. Whichever way you look at it, this is a sub-genre mostly played by and listened to by folks who have circled around the sun for a fair few turns to the power of ten, but when something rocks up feeling that it just fell out of this decade as well as any since the mid-80’s so effortlessly.
Mainly through that reliable formula or good musicians, who know what they are doing and who know how to trim the fat from their work what you end up with is this: a strong, well-crafted and refreshing record for a band who are rapidly becoming a firm favourite. 10/10
RAVE GOD by XTR HUMAN takes that old 90s rave rush – that big-eyed, bad-decision bliss – and feeds it through the iron lungs of Industrial EBM and Techno.
The setup is simple and savage: hammering kicks, hard-charging rhythm, synths with enough voltage to make your dental fillings nervous. This is a fast, aggressive, ecstatic techno track with a real appetite for motion, the kind of tune that seems to regard standing still as a character flaw. Stabel knows exactly how to ride that pressure. He doesn’t decorate the beat so much as drive it like a stolen sedan. You can practically see the Gruftis turning into steam around it.
There is a beautifully ridiculous grandeur to the title. RAVE GOD sounds like the sort of thing somebody would spray-paint on a warehouse wall at 4:12 a.m. after a spiritual experience involving fog machines and a hot stranger named Luca. Yet Stabel earns it by understanding that big dance music lives or dies on commitment. If you’re going to aim for ecstasy, you’d better arrive with your shirt half-open and your pupils talking in tongues, because this track shows up fully caffeinated and ready to throw elbows.
The video gives the song a fitting bit of mythology. It follows XTR HUMAN from the vacant, vitamin-D glaze of Los Angeles sunshine living into Berlin’s basement-fed underworld, ending with him at the club door as the bouncer, gatekeeper, grim saint of selective debauchery. It is a sharp little transformation story, and a funny one too, because becoming the man who controls access to the night is about the most Berlin ending imaginable. Of course, there are cameos from half the cool crypt in Tinseltown: Male Tears, Inhalt, Sleek Teeth, Mellow Code, Blood Handsome, and friends, turning the whole thing into a beautifully dressed roll call of nocturnal suspects.
Stabel sums it up with winning understatement: “I’m really happy with how it turned out. It’s a fun video,” he says. That modesty is almost funny when the song itself feels like it wants to punch a hole through the ceiling and let the moon in. With a remix by HOUSES OF HEAVEN and a release through Wie ein Gott Records on April 3rd, 2026, RAVE GOD arrives ready to rule the door and the floor alike.
Watch the video for “RAVE GOD” below:
The Rave God EP will be released on April 3rd, 2026, just in time for spring, just in time for the Berlin sun to finally emerge from its winter k-hole.
Downriver, Michigan/Dallas, Texas-based deathcore duo Glockmouth premiere a new single titled "Myspace Revival is so 2000 and Late", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. Vocalist Alex Koehler (ex-Chelsea Grin) guests on that particular track.
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Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
Photo Credit: Louise Phillips
