Blog
-
I just got a £50 Amazon gift card to spend in the Spring Deal Days sale thanks to this epic 67% saving on NordVPN – protect your browsing for only £5.19 per month
Don’t want to miss your favourite shows when you’re out of the country? Want an Amazon gift card to spend in the Spring sale? Looking for browsing protection and more? This deal has you covered -
Melechesh – New Single Launched
Melechesh are streaming a brand new song “In Shadows, In Light”, which serves as another taste of their oncoming EP release Sentinels Of Shamash (out on April 10th).
Read more… -
Sweet Pill – ‘Still There’s A Glow’
Sweet Pill’s sophomore release comes four years after their debut album ‘Where the Heart Is’. These four years have seen the band tour alongside La Dispute and The Wonder Years, head out on their own headline tour, and pick up acclaim from artists across the board. The burnout of constant touring, in the band’s own words, made the writing process for ‘Still There’s A Glow’ a challenge; though it’s a challenge that they’ve overcome successfully enough, as the end result feels deceptively effortless.
With a blend of pop-punk, math rock, and grunge revivalism, ‘Still There’s A Glow’ achieves a coherency even across songs like ‘Sunblind’ and ‘Rotten’, which respectively bring a lightness and a darkness to the album in equal measure. This isn’t a case of songs existing on a single spectrum, alternating between two poles – songs like ‘Tough Love’ and ‘Heading On’ sit on a different pole entirely.
The album opens with the brightness that the title ‘Sunblind’ suggests – upbeat and bouncy, with mathy fills and life-affirming lyrics. Zayna Youssef’s vocals fly over the instrumentals with confidence and introspection, often reminiscent of Hayley Williams in her sincerity. ‘Shameless’ follows ‘Sunblind’ and delivers a complementary flavour, retaining a musical lightness while introducing a darker lyrical element – “Glass half full, or is it really empty? I change the glass completely, shameless”.
That balance of light and dark ripples thoughout the album. The motif of fire in titles like ‘Sunblind’, ‘Glow’, ‘Smoke Screen’ and ‘Slow Burn’, alongside lyrics like “I feel flammable” (‘Smoke Screen’) and “Burning the house I grew up in” (‘Letting Go’), all hit at the album’s central theme. Fire destroys, but it cleans. It resets, allowing space for fresh growth. Youssef’s lyrics, whatever tone they strike in the moment, are all about moving forward and pushing through emotional and creative burnout.
‘Glow’, the single that lends the album its name, is filled with open sonic spaces that are uncrushed and confident in their dynamic changes. It rises and falls as guitars speak to each other while Youssef floats over everything. It’s a song that glows and luxuriates, only to be followed by ‘Slow Burn’, which sees the album at its most frantic. Balance and contrast, mirrored meanings, flickering and changing like flames.
The darkest song on the album is ‘Rotten’, with a filthy bass tone, screams layered into the mix like a pillow of broken glass, and an alternating tone between urgency and the doom-laden inversion of the open warmth of ‘Glow’. It’s a personal highlight, though perhaps one that is informed by the diversity of sounds that allow each song to remain distinct.
‘Still There’s A Glow’ is an album about overcoming the sophomore slump, and dealing with exhaustion and defeat while refusing to be overwhelmed by either. The sweet, sing-song guitars of closer ‘Letting Go’, a song about moving on from the past, signal a hopeful conclusion to the album’s emotional conflicts – hope, not born out of naïvety, but out of struggle and growth. That is the message that Sweet Pill have delivered here, both lyrically and musically – a confident growth into a newer and more mature style of songwriting and album composition.
Will Bright
-
Sweet Pill – ‘Still There’s A Glow’
Sweet Pill’s sophomore release comes four years after their debut album ‘Where the Heart Is’. These four years have seen the band tour alongside La Dispute and The Wonder Years, head out on their own headline tour, and pick up acclaim from artists across the board. The burnout of constant touring, in the band’s own words, made the writing process for ‘Still There’s A Glow’ a challenge; though it’s a challenge that they’ve overcome successfully enough, as the end result feels deceptively effortless.
With a blend of pop-punk, math rock, and grunge revivalism, ‘Still There’s A Glow’ achieves a coherency even across songs like ‘Sunblind’ and ‘Rotten’, which respectively bring a lightness and a darkness to the album in equal measure. This isn’t a case of songs existing on a single spectrum, alternating between two poles – songs like ‘Tough Love’ and ‘Heading On’ sit on a different pole entirely.
The album opens with the brightness that the title ‘Sunblind’ suggests – upbeat and bouncy, with mathy fills and life-affirming lyrics. Zayna Youssef’s vocals fly over the instrumentals with confidence and introspection, often reminiscent of Hayley Williams in her sincerity. ‘Shameless’ follows ‘Sunblind’ and delivers a complementary flavour, retaining a musical lightness while introducing a darker lyrical element – “Glass half full, or is it really empty? I change the glass completely, shameless”.
That balance of light and dark ripples thoughout the album. The motif of fire in titles like ‘Sunblind’, ‘Glow’, ‘Smoke Screen’ and ‘Slow Burn’, alongside lyrics like “I feel flammable” (‘Smoke Screen’) and “Burning the house I grew up in” (‘Letting Go’), all hit at the album’s central theme. Fire destroys, but it cleans. It resets, allowing space for fresh growth. Youssef’s lyrics, whatever tone they strike in the moment, are all about moving forward and pushing through emotional and creative burnout.
‘Glow’, the single that lends the album its name, is filled with open sonic spaces that are uncrushed and confident in their dynamic changes. It rises and falls as guitars speak to each other while Youssef floats over everything. It’s a song that glows and luxuriates, only to be followed by ‘Slow Burn’, which sees the album at its most frantic. Balance and contrast, mirrored meanings, flickering and changing like flames.
The darkest song on the album is ‘Rotten’, with a filthy bass tone, screams layered into the mix like a pillow of broken glass, and an alternating tone between urgency and the doom-laden inversion of the open warmth of ‘Glow’. It’s a personal highlight, though perhaps one that is informed by the diversity of sounds that allow each song to remain distinct.
‘Still There’s A Glow’ is an album about overcoming the sophomore slump, and dealing with exhaustion and defeat while refusing to be overwhelmed by either. The sweet, sing-song guitars of closer ‘Letting Go’, a song about moving on from the past, signal a hopeful conclusion to the album’s emotional conflicts – hope, not born out of naïvety, but out of struggle and growth. That is the message that Sweet Pill have delivered here, both lyrically and musically – a confident growth into a newer and more mature style of songwriting and album composition.
Will Bright
-
New Shane MacGowan Tribute Album Features Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Jesus And Mary Chain, & More
In late 2023, the music world was shaken by the death of the Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan. Now, Bruce Springsteen, the Jesus And Mary Chain, Primal Scream, and more are teaming up for a tribute album called 20th Century Paddy – The Songs Of Shane MacGowan, out in November. The Boss’ cover of the 1990…
The post New Shane MacGowan Tribute Album Features Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits, Jesus And Mary Chain, & More appeared first on Stereogum.
-
Do You Recognize These ’80s Faces?
Some of these familiar ’80s faces are gone, some are still with us, and many look very different today as time keeps marching on. Continue reading… -
Big Brave – To Release Next Long Player In June
On June 12th 2026, Canada’s Big Brave will put out their new studio record dubbed In Grief Or In Hope. The 8-piece outing was recorded, mixed and produced by Seth Manchester at Machines with Magnets. Mastered by Heba Kadry.
Read more… -
NINE TREASURES Announces First Ever US Tour As Support To Mushroomhead And Fear Factory This Fall ~ Tickets On Sale Now

Photo by Hattoo Chinese Mongolian progressive metal outfit NINE TREASURES will join Mushroomhead and Fear Factory this Fall for a month-long US run of live dates. The Soul Of A New War Machine Tour begins October 13th in New Haven, Connecticut and runs through November 11th in Nashville, Tennessee. The journey marks NINE TREASURES’ first ever US tour!
Comments the band, “We’re very excited and grateful for the opportunity to tour in the United States. It has such a deep rock and metal culture, and many of the bands that inspired us come from there. We’re also honored to share the stage with Mushroomhead and Fear Factory. It means a lot to bring our music and culture to American fans, and we’re looking forward to sharing the energy and spirit of NINE TREASURES with everyone on this tour.”
Tickets are on sale now at: ninetreasures.net/#tour. See all confirmed dates below.

NINE TREASURES w/ Mushroomhead, Fear Factory:
10/13/2026 Toad’s Place – New Haven, CT
10/14/2026 Aura – Portland, ME
10/15/2026 Wally’s – Hampton Beach, NH
10/16/2026 Capitol City Music Hall – Harrisburg, PA
10/17/2026 Sherman Theater – Stroudsburg, PA
10/18/2026 Tally Ho – Leesburg, VA
10/20/2026 Keswick Theater – Glenside, PA
10/21/2026 Preserving Underground – Pittsburgh, PA
10/22/2026 The Blue Note – Harrison, OH
10/23/2026 Arcada Theater – St. Charles, IL
10/24/2026 Epic Events Center – Green Bay, WI
10/25/2026 Apollo Theater – Belvidere, IL
10/27/2026 The Art Theatre – Hobart, IN
10/28/2026 Venue Event Center – Cadillac, MI
10/29/2026 Machine Shop – Flint, MI
10/31/2026 Agora Theater – Cleveland, OH
11/01/2026 Pierre’s – Ft. Wayne, IN
11/03/2026 Manchester Music Hall – Lexington, KY
11/05/2026 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
11/06/2026 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX
11/07/2026 Brewster Icehouse – Corpus Christi, TX
11/08/2026 AM/FM – Dallas, TX
11/10/2026 Pop’s – Sauget, IL
11/11/2026 Basement East – Nashville, TN
NINE TREASURES will be touring in support of their Seeking The Absolute full-length, released in December via Metal Blade Records.
Formed by vocalist/guitarist Askhan in 2010 in the autonomous region of Inner Mongolia in China, NINE TREASURES delivers a unique combination of heavy metal and traditional Mongolian instrumentation, utilizing both conventional vocals and Mongolian throat singing. Guitars, bass, and drums collide with indigenous string instruments including the morin khuur (horsehead fiddle), the tovshuur, and the balalaika, resulting in a sonic kaleidoscope that follows no set template.

Photo by Hattoo NINE TREASURES moves easily from a straight-up headbanging style to the more atmospheric progressive style. Guitar-wise, Askhan infuses a lot of Mongolian playing techniques and songwriting logic into his playing and is excited for the “fresh blood” it adds to the band’s sound. The quintet’s varied approaches and universal messaging will allow them to tour with any musically progressive band, be it Amon Amarth or Tool.
Playing 100-plus festival shows and headlining gigs per year in Asia, to audiences of up to 50,000, and with four albums to their name, NINE TREASURES are at the top of their proverbial game and ready to conquer the Western world. Seeking The Absolute is their first record for Metal Blade, and first LP to have a worldwide release.
Preview/purchase Seeking The Absolute at: metalblade.com/ninetreasures.
Watch NINE TREASURES’ video for “Seeking The Absolute” HERE, “Real Dream” HERE, and “Until Now” HERE.

Photo by Hattoo NINE TREASURES:
Askhan – guitars, vocals, balalaika, tovshuur
Orgil – bass, backing vocals
Saina – balalaika, backing vocals, guitars
Namra – drums
Nars – morin khuur, backing vocalshttps://www.facebook.com/ninetreasuresofficial
https://www.instagram.com/ninetreasures
Source: EARSPLIT PR

-
Corrosion Of Conformity – Release ‘You Or Me’ Track
To promote their forthcoming double album Good God / Baad Man, experienced stoner metal crew Corrosion Of Conformity stream a video clip for the newly streaming single “You Or Me”.
Read more… -
Drug Chruch Unleash Vibrant New Track ‘Pynch’
Drug Church have returned with a beautifully brash new track, continuing their ascent to the very top of the rock and roll pile.

It’s titled ‘Pynch’ and is a wonderful burst of energy and emotion that feels like the sun forcing its way through the darkest of clouds. The band’s trademark grit is still very much present, but there’s a brightness hiding within the cracks that feels fresh and new. It comes and goes like a flash in the pan, but the sentiment sitting at the heart of it remains. A reminder that life can throw you something, or someone, that completely changes how you look at the state of things.
As vocalist Patrick Kindlon explains, “It’s as close as we’ve ever come to a love song. This one is about meeting someone who won’t allow you to be a loser forever.”
It’s the band’s first music since their 2024 full-length ‘PRUDE’. Here is ‘Slide 2 Me’ from that very record.
The band will be making their way around the UK and Europe later this year on a headline run, with support coming from Liquid Mike and Downward (UK only).
Here are the dates:
06 – LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
07 – MANCHESTER Gorilla
08 – GLASGOW Slay
10 – BRISTOL Trinity Centre
11 – LONDON Electric Ballroom
13 – EINDHOVEN Dynamo
14 – HAMBURG Logo
15 – BERLIN Frannz Club
16 – POZNAN 2 Progi
18 – MUNICH Strom
20 -ZURICH Exil
22 – FRANKFURT Das Bett
23 – COLOGNE Luxor
24 – PARIS Glazart
26 – DONOSTIA Dabadaba
27 – MADRID Nazca
28 – BARCELONA La Nau
The post Drug Chruch Unleash Vibrant New Track ‘Pynch’ appeared first on Rock Sound.