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Right back into it as the full capacity of the 2026 2000trees Festival descends and the main arena warms up for action. Bands old and new from near and far brace for impact as the alternative scene’s most voracious community seeks out its yearly fix of the best there is to offer. 

2000trees Festival 2026 – Thursday

Still In Love

Arriving on stage with an unassuming “Ello”, the Metallic Hardcore mega-group throws us right in at the deep end, with piercing screams and an aggressively paced assault on the senses.

Sounding as if it were ripped straight out of the brains of Bring Me The Horizon or Architects in the late noughties, it is a no-brainer for Still In Love to be zooming up the M5 to join the Count Your Blessings 20-year anniversary show, not least given that current Still In Love guitarist Curtis Ward was a fundamental part of Bring Me The Horizon in their early days.

With their debut set to celebrate its first birthday at the end of this summer, packed with huge live dates, performances like this are sure to drag a rabid horde of spin-kicking Hardcore kids along for the ride, ravenous at the thought of what is next.

Cowboy Hunters

Channelling the same pissed-off racket that we have come to love the Lambrini Girls and Soft Play for, Cowboy Hunters live in the outrageous and seek to conquer our brains, already delirious from the summer heat.

The combination of outright aggression and hilarious wit tying the songs together with the most off-the-cuff tangents you could not think of refuses to surrender your attention as if the whole show was improv and never to be seen again.

Mariachi El Bronx

Listening to mariachi music in the grilling midday heat, you would be forgiven for thinking that our tiny little strip of Gloucestershire countryside had been transported directly to Latin America for a short while.

Needless to say, the stars have aligned with this one. The Mexican alter ego of one of 2000trees favourite bands gives some much-needed downtime as we all figuratively sit down for a cocktail by the pool, with a local Taco stall definitely benefiting from the vibe.

Frontman Matt Caughthran brags that they are the only band to play as a mariachi band and as a punk rock band in the same day in the history of 2000trees, a record I think they will hold onto for quite some time. 

A stark contrast to their other identity, the show was a dreamy mirage of seductive guitar licks and triumphant trumpets, a beautiful moment to put ourselves back together ahead of a rowdy evening.

Truck Violence

You do not need to hear Truck Violence to feel them. Vocalist Karsyn Henderson channels every sound and lyric through his body and face as if it were some sort of interpretive dance.

The show takes a journey through flavours of ruthless Hardcore all the way through to folk and Midwest-influenced tenderness, even as far as touching on spoken word.

Few would have expected a banjo to make an appearance on the heaviest stage of the festival, but somehow it absolutely works, both cutting through the rage with a stripped-back section but also playing the banjo in a way that felt subtly menacing.

Native James

It has been a huge summer for Native James with a first appearance here at 2000trees preceded by his festival opening set on the Avalanche stage of Download festival.

The breakout star has us eating from the palm of his hands, belting out sing-alongs and joining in with not one, but two walls of death spanning the entire forest crowd.

The singer jokes that we are going to form a cult after this, but honestly, if these are the vibes, who would not sign up?

Delilah Bon

If rebellion is the name of the game, then Delilah Bon stands on business. The cries to “keep politics out of music” didn’t just land on deaf ears with this artist, but they had their vitriol chewed up and spat right back at them.

Punk is alive and well where it really needs to be, and Delilah just gets it!

An emotional run-down of songs addressing as many of the world’s problems as you can pack into a 50-minute show, she is clearly with her people, whooping and cheering to every spit of defiance.

Don Broco

There was a brief moment less than a week ago where it seemed we may have no headliner at all today, let alone one of the calibre of the bullish Bedford boys.

A last-minute dropout from much hyped and long-booked intended headliners Alkaline Trio, due to an untimely bout of sickness for frontman Matt Skiba, had the festival organisers scrambling right as the gates were set to open.

Kidnapped directly from their Biffy Clyro support set at Finsbury Park, Don Broco have barely had an opportunity to come to terms with the headline show, let alone discover any nerves.

Stomping out into the Gloucestershire sunset, you need not question whether the returning headliners are up to the task. They could not look more comfortable rolling out long-time favourites and future classics from their latest album Nightmare Tripping.

Considering the turnaround, the band packs an impressive light and pyrotechnics show to complement their cheeky stage performance, which even includes a compulsory World Cup-style hydration break.

It is impossible to please everyone, and it is certain that there will be some extremely upset Alkaline Trio fans in the fields this weekend. But in the absolute bleakest of circumstances, it must be said that 2000trees have pulled off some miracles here to deliver a headliner that was perfectly fitting of the role and delivered a performance that was worthy of the honour.

Hyro The Hero

If you can drag yourself away from the bright lights and booming tunes of the main stage, there is plenty of entertainment to be had tucked away in the forest with Hyro The Hero.

Armed with a touch of Dutch courage, the American rap-rocker is plenty loose on stage, creating his very own mosh pit, bouncing off his supporting musicians and tying them up with his mic cord. If he seems untethered mid-song, he is off the wall between songs.

Launching hopefully playful abuse at the crowd, claiming he hates the UK, you are reassured he does not truly mean that as he even joins us in the crowd for a song.

Packed with his own material and a couple of wildly popular covers such as the House Of Pain’s Jump Around, the set is exactly the atmosphere you want for the first full day of a festival with infectious party energy.

Closing out for the evening, the artist downplays the show with “yeah I had a good time”, and you know what, so did we.

The post Don Broco Answer The Call As Thursday Roars To Life At 2000trees first appeared on MetalTalk – Heavy Metal News, Reviews and Interviews.

They’ve also confirmed the previously leaked details for their new album “Fatal Paradox”.

The post Hatebreed Premiere “Kill Count Increase” Music Video appeared first on Theprp.com.

Hardcore Legends Hatebreed Announce New Album After Six Year Wait

Studied, imitated, but never replicated, the Grammy-nominated hardcore legends HATEBREED have remained a fixture of the hardcore and metal scenes for the better part of three decades. After writing the playbook with their genre-defining releases Under The Knife (1996) and Satisfaction Is The Death Of Desire (1997), HATEBREED continued to carry the banner for metallic hardcore with albums like Perseverance (2002), The Rise Of Brutality (2003), and Supremacy (2006) dominating charts globally.

In recent years, the band’s undisputed offensive continues with modern records The Concrete Confessional (2016) and Weight Of The False Self (2020), remaining fixtures on charts globally. The band’s core values of self actualisation, perseverance, and honest living have carried them from backyard and basement shows to festival dominators, selling out shows consistently across the world, effectively practicing what they’ve preached.

Today, the band announces its long-awaited studio return with FATAL PARADOX, arriving November 6 via new label BLKIIBLK.

HATEBREED also offer the first taste of new music with the video for “KILL COUNT INCREASE”. Watch it here

Enlisting long-time collaborator Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Accept, Shadows Fall), “Kill Count Increase” is crossover excellence with accelerating speeds, crushing riffage, and frontman Jamey Jasta‘s venomous bark inciting crimson flashes of carnage.

“‘Kill Count Increase’ is the lead track on Fatal Paradox and a perfect way of summing up our first album in six years from the start,” Jasta states. “It’s straightforward, in-your-face Hatebreed. Fast. Hard. It gets down to business and comes up for air two-and-a-half minutes later. The room and everyone in it gets wrecked and comes back wanting more.”

Holding no punches, and taking no prisoners Fatal Paradox see the Connecticut-born juggernaut operating at full tilt, bludgeoning listeners with a barbarous blend of breakdowns, d-beats, and dogpiles. Whether it’s the thrash stylings of “Kill Count Increase” or “Total Invincible,” capital H hardcore excellence of “The Carrion Choir” and “Truth Is A Lion,” rage remains the unifying spark to blow the keg in glorious flashes of violence.

FATAL PARADOX TRACK LISTING:

“Kill Count Increase”
“The Carrion Choir”
“Decisions Become Destinies”
“Total Invincible”
“Fatal Paradox”
“Still A Threat”
“Sacrifice Season” (Feat. John Tardy)
“Truth Is A Lion”
“Make The Demons Obey”
“None Left To Save”
“Poison Planet”

HATEBREED will spend the summer doing what they do best – touring and bringing venues across the U.S. to their knees. All upcoming dates are below. Get tickets here.

HATEBREED ON TOUR:

7/21 — Sauget, IL — Pop’s Nightclub & Concert Venue
7/22 — Fort Wayne, IN — Century Music Hall
7/23 — Toronto, ON — Phoenix Concert Theatre
7/24 — Buffalo, NY — Town Ballroom
8/19 — Mack’s Creek, MO — Gathering of the Juggalos*
8/20 — Albuquerque, NM — El Rey
8/21 — Tucson, AZ — Rialto Theatre
8/22 — Las Vegas, NV — House of Blues
8/23 — Anaheim, CA — House of Blues
8/24 — Sacramento, CA — Ace of Spades
8/25 — Boise, ID — Treefort Music Hall
8/26 — Spokane, WA — Knitting Factory
8/28 — Edmonton, AB — Pawn Shop Live*
8/29 — Calgary, AB — The Arrowhead
8/30 — Regina, SK — Casino Regina Show Lounge
8/31 — Winnipeg, MB — Burton Cummings Theatre
9/2 — Sioux Falls, SD — The District
9/3 — Kansas City, MO — Warehouse on Broadway
9/4 — Shakopee, MN — Mystic Lake Amphitheater (Supporting Slayer)
9/5 — Davenport, IA — Capitol Theatre
9/6 — Milwaukee, WI — The Rave
9/8 — Pittsburgh, PA — Roxian Theatre
9/9 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore
9/10 — Albany, NY — Empire Live
9/11 — Quebec, QC — Envol et Macadam*
9/12 — Ottawa, ON — The Bronson
9/13 — Norwalk, CT — District Music Hall
9/19 — Pinellas Park, FL — England Brothers Park (Supporting Turnstile)
10/10 — Birmingham, AL — Furnace Fest*
*Festival Date

For all the latest news, reviews, interviews across the heavy metal spectrum follow THE RAZORS’S EDGE on facebook, twitter and instagram.

The post Hardcore Legends Hatebreed Announce New Album After Six Year Wait appeared first on The Razor's Edge.

Hatebreed are back once again to reclaim their place at the top of the hardcore pile with their first full-length album in six years.

The record is set to be titled ‘Fatal Paradox’ and will be unleashed on November 06 via their new label BLKIIBLK. It serves as the follow-up to 2020’s ‘Weight Of The False Self’.

The artwork looks like this:

Whilst the tracklisting looks like this:

1. Kill Count Increase
2. The Carrion Choir
3. Decisions Become Destinies
4. Total Invincible
5. Fatal Paradox
6. Still A Threat
7. Sacrifice Season (Feat. John Tardy)
7. Truth Is A Lion
8. Make The Demons Obey
9. None Left To Save
10. Poison Planet

You can also check out opening gambit ‘Kill Count Increase’ right now. As classic and quintessential as Hatebreed gets, it is rallying, raucous and ravenous in approach, execution and intent. Sharp riffs, pummelling breakdowns and Jamey Jasta sounding utterly dominant, it is exactly how every album should begin.

Jasta had this to say about it:

‘Kill Count Increase’ is the lead track on Fatal Paradox and a perfect way of summing up our first album in six years from the start. It’s straightforward, in-your-face Hatebreed. Fast. Hard. It gets down to business and comes up for air two-and-a-half minutes later. The room and everyone in it gets wrecked and comes back wanting more.”

The post Hatebreed Announce New Album ‘Fatal Paradox’ appeared first on Rock Sound.

Tom Morello has launched the Mary Morello Memorial Project in memory of his mother, who passed away on July 12, aged 102.

Rage Against The Machine’s guitarist and his family are aiming to continue his mother’s activism and advocacy for social justice and peace.

In a statement posted on social media, the guitarist wrote:

“The Morello Family invites friends, family, and all those whose lives were touched by Mary Morello to honor her memory by helping to keep her legacy of compassion, courage and service alive. Donations to the Mary Morello Memorial Project will support organizations that were deeply meaningful to Mary throughout her life, and reflect the causes she passionately believed in and was proud to work alongside (see below).

But we also invite you to “do as Mary did”, and engage first hand in CARING, SERVICE & ACTION. Between now and Oct. 1st (which would have been Mary’s 103rd birthday) get out there and DO SOMETHING: volunteer, protest, speak up, speak out, walk a picket line, do political art & music, and help those in need in anyway you see fit in your community. Share your efforts on Instagram and tag @MaryMorelloMemorialProject so as a community we can continue Mary’s work for peace, equality and justice.

The Mary Morello Memorial Project proudly supports:

UFW Foundation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)
The Midnight Mission Jail Guitar Doors USA
Orphans of the Storm
All Chicago Corazón con Cuba
PCRF – Palestine Children’s Relief Fund
CNAY | Center for Native American Youth”

A post shared by Tom Morello (@tommorello)

A photo posted by on

In 2023, Tom Morello posted footage from his mother’s 100th birthday party online.

Asked by Metal Hammer if she was proud of what her son had achieved in life, the guitarist replied, “She’s very proud. But she was just as proud of me when I was playing Little League baseball, and if I’d been a plumber or a dishwasher, she would be just as proud.”

Lambchop’s newest song is the story of a family struggling through the Great Depression. You’re intrigued, aren’t you? You should be. For many years, sole permanent Lambchop member Kurt Wagner has brought tons of gravitas to his lush country-rock songs, so you already know you want to hear him use that voice on a subject that demands such gravitas.

The post Lambchop – “The New World Wave” appeared first on Stereogum.

Psycroptic have been a cornerstone in the tech death scene since the turn of the century. Their 2003 classic, The Scepter of the Ancients, is a legendary record that helped define the genre.¹ Since then, these Tasmanian devils have churned out seven albums of inventive tech death, setting a standard that few have matched and even fewer have surpassed. 2015’s self-titled release marked the point at which Psycroptic truly settled into their modern form. And although Kronos’ review of follow-up As the Kingdom Drowns found it to be the stronger record, I’ve always had a soft spot for the self-titled effort. 2023’s Divine Council, on the other hand, was a record that proved to be comparatively modest. Enter The Pulse of Annihilation, the group’s ninth record.² With Kronos relinquishing his tenured stewardship of the quintet’s output, he now passes the scepter to me.

From the flashy, virtuosic riffage of Joe Haley’s guitar work, to brother David Haley’s impossibly precise drumming and Jason Peppiatt’s steadfast bark, every element on The Pulse of Annihilation is undeniably Psycroptic. The caravanning acoustic passages that helped define the group’s self-titled record resurface again on “A Sword of Me” and “Our Pillars Fall,” providing moments of calm before torrents of syncopated riffing and lightning-fast scales slam the accelerator to the floor. “To Embrace This Curse,” “Annihilation Pulse” and “Gathering a Venomous Herd” remove subtlety altogether, immediately launching into frenetic picking and turbocharged double bass patterns that aim to tear your face off and succeed in spades. Returning from Divine Council is the twin vocal attack of Peppiatt and Jason Keyser (Origin), who once again split the record’s roars and growls. Fortunately, the dramatic clean belting that occasionally felt forced on prior records has been dialed back, allowing the vocals to sit more naturally within the material, even if they remain far from The Pulse of Annihilation’s main attraction.

Psycroptic have always placed their trust in Joe Haley’s inhuman ability to write some of the most badass riffs on the planet, and The Pulse of Annihilation is no exception. His fretwork twists and turns through cuts like “Foraging the Crown,” “No Blade of Grass,” and “To Embrace This Curse,” darting in multiple directions at once while locking into his brother’s rhythmic prowess. And just when the material threatens to disappear into a maze of technicality, Haley reels it back with a steady stream of memorable, hook-laden phrasing. “Gathering a Venomous Herd” is a legit Song O’ the Year candidate thanks to the guitar work alone, giving bands like Gorod a run for their money. Its serpentine passages, mechanical bends, squeals, and hammering scales unfold with surgical precision, creating a labyrinth of thrashy Revocation-esque shredding that never gets old. Likewise, the rhythmic pummel of “To Embrace This Curse” is impossible to ignore, as Haley unleashes a barrage of intricately woven guitar patterns that pound your ears to dust with sheer groove.

But the real secret sauce to The Pulse of Annihilation is its consistency. In fact, this is one of Psycroptic’s most consistently entertaining records of their modern era. While still operating within relatively traditional song structures, the material on The Pulse of Annihilation feels leaner, more urgent, and more energized than much of Psycroptic’s recent output. Transitions feel smoother, and the arrangements flow more naturally rather than being stitched together. It’s as if they stripped their sound back to its essentials, allowing their chemistry to guide the songwriting rather than getting lost in excess. That said, not every track hits with quite the same force. Mid-album cuts like “Our Pillars Fall” and “No Time for the Weak” don’t quite hit as hard as The Pulse of Annihilation’s stronger tracks, but they’re far from filler. Both songs still showcase noticeably sharper pacing and construction than much of Divine Council, and there’s more than enough creativity on display to carry you through to the title track “Annihilation Pulse.”

If Divine Council left you wondering whether Psycroptic were beginning to plateau, The Pulse of Annihilation puts those concerns to rest. By tightening their songwriting and focusing on groove without sacrificing their trademark technicality, Psycroptic have crafted one of the most rewarding releases of its modern era. After more than two decades in the game, The Pulse of Annihilation proves that these Tasmanians have plenty left in the tank and they’re showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

---

Rating: Very Good
DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kbps mp3
Label: Metal Blade
Websites: psycroptic.bandcamp.com | psycroptic.com | facebook.com/psycroptic
Releases Worldwide: July 17th, 2026

The post Psycroptic – The Pulse of Annihilation Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

Love it or loathe it, progressive rock polarises opinion like no other type of heavier music. In 2016 – after much drawn-out, passionate debate – we presented our list of the 10 essential prog albums from the 1970s.

Rooted in the psychedelic late 60s, prog built up a real head of steam in the early 70s as rock musicians freed themselves of the limitations of four-minute songs and standard time signatures and revelled in the freedom to stretch out a single track over a whole side of vinyl, draw on unlimited musical sources and create music in more complex, and sometimes staggering time signatures.

The results could range from the dizzy heights to the gruesome depths. Case in point, Yes went from the triumph of Close To The Edge to the nadir of Tales From Topographic Oceans in 16 months.

Prog has twisted, turned, explored and exploded in the five decades since; but the 70s are truly the first step of the genre’s journey to maturity. So, with epic songs, intricate harmonies and psychedelic album designs aplenty, we take you through that decade’s highlights.

Jethro Tull: Aqualung (Island, 1971)

The definitive Jethro Tull album. One of their strengths has been their constant musical evolution, aided and abetted by a bewildering, ever-changing cast of musicians alongside leader Ian Anderson and – until 2011 – his long-time lieutenant guitarist Martin Barre. The title track and Locomotive Breath are among the most celebrated and heavy tracks in Tull’s enormous repertoire, with acoustic tracks like Mother Goose providing the light relief.

Yes: Close To The Edge (Atlantic, 1972)

Their final album with Bill Bruford suggests that the drummer’s timing was impeccable in every sense, striking out for King Crimson just as Yes reached their peak with this fifth album. Best known for its sprawling title track, it also features two other Yes staples, And You And I and Siberian Khatru. Jon Anderson’s lyrics are of course utter nonsense, but the music is sublime from start to finish. Don’t be put off by artist Roger Dean’s uncharacteristically dull cover – inside lurks one of the most enduring 70s prog albums. Despite 1974’s worthy Relayer, Yes would never recapture this sort of form again.

Pink Floyd: The Dark Side Of The Moon (Capitol, 1973)

Belying the myth that prog is a minority interest, Pink Floyd’s monumental The Dark Side Of The Moon has sold in excess of 35 million copies since its release. Packaged in Storm Thorgerson’s iconic artwork, it was recorded over seven months at Abbey Road in London. Containing a host of key Floyd tracks, including Time and Money, this was a (slightly) more democratic Floyd than would later emerge under bassist/vocalist Roger Waters. Whether you’re a prog aficionado or not, Dark Side is the soundtrack of a generation.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Brain Salad Surgery (Castle Music, 1973)

‘Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends…’ Containing the monumental Karn Evil 9 suite alongside their marvellous adaptation (or mauling, depending on your point of view) of the hymn Jerusalem, ELP’s fifth album Brain Salad Surgery is their most consistent studio release. There was always a power struggle within ELP, and after Works Volume 1 provided Keith Emerson and Greg Lake along with Carl Palmer a side of vinyl each, the writing for the band was very much on the wall.

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Virgin, 1974)

In which some public school boys, plus a chap on drums called Phil Collins, created a concept album tour de force. And no self-respecting prog band should be without at least one fully fledged concept album in their armoury. With The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, Genesis wisely chose to eschew the dungeons and dragons, swords and sorcery nonsense that blights so many prog concepts. Instead, singer Peter Gabriel’s vivid imagination conjured up an unsettling vision involving a young man called Rael who undergoes a weird transformation among a cast of oddball characters who wouldn’t look out of place among the pages of a Lewis Carroll novel.

King Crimson: Red (EG, 1974)

Having announced themselves in fine fashion with In The Court Of The Crimson King, Robert Fripp’s King Crimson would continue to enthrall lovers of more complex, challenging prog for half of the next decade. One of Crimson’s enduring features was that their only constant was change. With their ever mutating line-up and sound, Red showcased the formidable trio of Fripp, bassist/vocalist John Wetton and ex-Yes drummer Bill Bruford. The music is by turns beautiful and utterly brutal. Starless remains as haunting now as on its release, with Wetton’s commanding voice at its finest.

Supertramp: Crime Of The Century (A&M, 1974)

Supertramp are a stark contrast to most of the 70s prog bands featured here. Far more orientated towards the mainstream than their peers and later with a successful propensity for crossing over into pop rock waters, Supertramp brought plenty of jazz influences to their music. With Roger Hodgson’s high-pitched vocals contrasting with Rick Davies’ lower register and John Helliwell’s saxophone given a prominent role, Supertramp were a very different proposition to the likes of Yes, Genesis, etc. Crime… features long-time ‘Tramp favourites including the infectious Bloody Well Right and the stirring Asylum.

Kansas: Leftoverture (Kirshner, 1976)

By some distance Kansas were the finest of the American prog bands. Having rapidly released three frustratingly inconsistent albums, their fourth, the punsome Leftoverture, caught light with the marvellous Carry On Wayward Son. From its glorious acapella opening to the crunching guitar riff and stunning instrumental interplay, this is the Kansas rocker par excellence, complete with Steve Walsh’s crystal clear vocals. Elsewhere The Wall’s glorious, soaring guitar, the epic Magnum Opus and Cheyenne Anthem make this the most compelling 70s US prog album.

Rush: 2112 (Mercury, 1976)

Originally heavily influenced by Led Zep and Cream, Canadian trio Rush gained momentum when they recruited drummer extraordinaire Neil Peart for their second album. After some promising earlier works, 2112 is Rush’s crucial 70s album. With a whole side of vinyl devoted to the wondrous seven-part title track – complete with the ‘We have assumed control…’ grand finale – the five shorter tracks, A Passage To Bangkok, The Twilight Zone, provided a neat contrast. The production of 2112 may sound a little dated now, but live still retains all of its original power.

UK: UK (EG, 1978)

Already proven as a compatible rhythm section as part of King Crimson, bassist/vocalist John Wetton and drummer Bill Bruford formed an unlikely quartet with guitarist Allan Holdsworth and keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson to create UK. The result was one of the decade’s most distinctive prog albums with some superb ensemble playing. Wetton’s bass is at its adventurous best, and Jobson’s otherworldly violin is like nothing else heard in the 70s. In The Dead Of Night is a moody 13-minute suite, while shorter pieces such as Time To Kill and the wonderful jazz fusion of Nevermore provide more instant gratification.

One of our very favorite albums of 2025 was Burnover, a big breakthrough for the Burlington, Vermont indie rock rambler Greg Freeman. It’s a work of deeply felt country-rock choogle that earned Magnolia Electric Co. comparisons, and it earned Freeman a whole lot of momentum. Today, Freeman announces All Set The Bone, his first album as a full-time musician.

The post Greg Freeman Announces New Album <em>All Set The Bone</em>: Hear “Indu” appeared first on Stereogum.

And new music from Trivium is on the way.

The post Trivium Announce North American Tour With In Flames, Orbit Culture, Fit For An Autopsy & Frozen Soul appeared first on Theprp.com.