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Victor Willis, the singer-songwriter who fronted the disco group Village People in costume as a policeman or naval officer, has died. “It is with profound sadness that I must announce the death of my husband, VICTOR WILLIS,” reads a statement posted to Willis’ Facebook page. “Victor passed away on Tuesday June 30, 2026 as a result of a short, but aggressive illness. The family request privacy at this time of great loss.” Willis was 74.

The post Village People’s Victor Willis Dead At 74 appeared first on Stereogum.

Velvet .

The post Velvet Rush signed to Frontiers Music Srl + drop video for new single “Nature of The Beast” first appeared on Sleaze Roxx.

Reviewed: July 1, 2026 Released: June 5, 2026, Northern Silence Productions Rating: 5/5 Reviewer: The Elitist Metalhead One of the best bands you’ve never heard […]

The post Horn – Apokalyps 1618 appeared first on Metal-Rules.com.

Asbury Park, New Jersey’s Solace observes their thirtieth anniversary this year, and to celebrate it, the quintet emerges to share fifth full-length, Fading Failing Ruin. After dropping debut Further in 2000 and follow-up 13 in 2003, Solace has adopted a lax release schedule, doling out two more platters in 2010 with A.D. and 2019 with The Brink. Between those two albums, Solace welcomed vocalist/keyboardist Justin Goins, drummer Timmy Gitlan, and bassist Mike Sica,¹ leaving guitarists Tommy Southard and Justin Daniels as the threads of continuity. Despite the band’s longevity, Fading Failing Ruin is my first encounter with these Garden State stoners and their hypnotic grooves. Seven years after stepping up to The Brink, can Solace’s Fading Failing Ruin reach new highs, or does it just go up in smoke?

In my estimation, stoner metal simultaneously sprawls over an expanse of possibilities while often being limited by an overdrawn subject matter and blending into a cloud of faceless fuzz tones. Luckily, Solace has honed a singular identity and stands apart from contemporaries and genre-mates. Though they hail from Jersey, Solace adopts the southern charm of Corrosion of Conformity, instilling a folksy swagger to Fading Failing Ruin that feels genuine and expressive. Besides CoC, Solace rubs elbows with Kyuss’ mellower rhythms and Cathedral’s riff-heavy trudges without ever risking confusion with them. Over nine tracks, Fading Failing Ruin guides listeners through ‘apocalyptic, infernal, and end time themes’² by way of ponderous riffs (and track lengths) drenched in delicious, southern-fried stoner doom.

Picking up where The Brink left off, Solace smacks you in the gob with their doleful guitar duo and slow-burn song structures. “Spiral Will” kicks off with a defiant lead that gives way to anthemic verses and a chorus I can’t seem to shake. “Beyond Below” and “Malengine the Scaffold” operate in a similar space, beginning with fuzz-soaked guitars that construct sullen layers as tension mounts until Solace unfurls slick variations and solos. “A God Changes His Plans” and “Culling the Herd,” the shortest songs on Fading Failing Ruin, afford opportunities for Solace to cut loose, pushing tempos higher and putting a heavier emphasis on guitar theatrics, which Southard and Daniels excel at. Goins, meanwhile, croons with conviction, landing somewhere between Live’s Ed Kowalczyk and Pepper Keenan. His vocals are a critical piece of Solace’s sound, and where original singer Jason’s vocals fit the band’s style early on, particularly the punkier forays of their first two albums, Goins adds a renewed vitality as the band focuses more on controlled pacing. Lastly, Gitlan and Sica’s rhythm section supports the band well enough, supplying the right backing without ever stepping into the spotlight.

Through sixty-seven minutes of stoner metal, Solace crafts distinctive songs that crackle and pop. Unfortunately, one glaring issue saps my enjoyment every time I listen, and its name is ‘bloat.’ Fifteen-minute “Wraths Object the Big Fall” is the biggest offender, and each time the song comes on, I find myself checking whether the music accidentally stopped, as it takes twenty seconds or so for any music to be heard. From there, Solace dithers for over six minutes before starting the song in earnest. I can’t for the life of me explain this build in a way that justifies the time, but after a handful of listens, I eventually began fast-forwarding the track to start at 6:43 or skipped it altogether. The rest of the song is solid, though still overlong, and similar issues creep into Fading Failing Ruin’s other compositions. Ultimately, Solace delivers under an hour of extremely strong riffs and music, yet in its current form, the album’s length extends past the quality of the product they peddle.

Still, Solace cultivates an engaging listen for the majority of Fading Failing Ruin, and thirty years in, they still have plenty of gas in the tank. Despite my complaint about bloat, I recommend giving Fading Failing Ruin a spin, whether you’re a fan of the genre or not. Big riffs and impassioned clean singing may sound like basic building blocks, but when they’re done this well, they stand out. So if your world goes to shit and life seems like a Fading Failing Ruin, go look for Solace.

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Rating: Good
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Magnetic Eye Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: July 3rd, 2026

The post Solace – Fading Failing Ruin Review appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.

The new record arrives August 28 via Spinefarm Records

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When speaking about the history of Hungarian black metal, names such as Tormentor and Sear Bliss inevitably come to mind — but Witchcraft must also be part of that list. Formed in Budapest in 1996, the band has long secured its place among the pioneers of the Hungarian underground. Now, Witchcraft returns to celebrate its […]

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Recommended for fans of: Moonspell, Anathema, Tiamat I always try my best to ensure that each edition of The Synn Report is different from the last, in the sense that I never want to have too many Black Metal, or Death Metal, etc, entries in a row. For example, so far this year we’ve had some […]

The post THE SYNN REPORT (PART 196): TODOMAL appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

BraveWords Records is honored to release Greg Fraser’s instrumental guitar version of ‘O Canada‘. The single can be streamed and purchased on Bandcamp or listened to on YouTube. Greg Fraser is a founding member of Storm Force who are releasing their second album ‘Truth‘, on August 14th via BraveWords Records. Pre-order ‘Truth‘ – here Join […]

The post Storm Force’s Greg Fraser Releases A Guitar Instrumental Of ‘O Canada’ appeared first on ROCKPOSER DOT COM.

Alongside performances with Megadeth, Sound and Fury, and a New York show with Acid Bath and Thou

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Progressive trio Stick Men will release its first new studio album in more than 10 years when Let’s Thrak Again arrives on September 4. The record serves as a tribute to King Crimson‘s 1995 album Thrak, with the project receiving the approval of Robert Fripp.

To introduce the album, the band has shared “Swimming In Tea”, the only track on the record featuring vocals. Markus Reuter handles lead vocals before the song shifts into one of Tony Levin‘s trademark Chapman Stick performances.

Rather than presenting a single version of the album, Stick Men has created two separate editions. Reel One was mixed by Stefano Castagna, while Reel Two was handled by Fabio Trentini. Each mix features its own sequencing and sonic character, giving listeners two different interpretations of the same material.

The band explained its approach: “‘Let’s Thrak Again’ is 60 minutes of pure, kinetic energy. We didn’t just write 12 new compositions; we designed an entirely new sonic vocabulary for them.”

The trio also discussed the decision to release two distinct versions of the album.

“Our audience listens deeply. They don’t just want to hear the notes; they want to understand the architecture of the sound. By having Stefano and Fabio approach the exact same music with completely different visions, we are handing the listener the ultimate audiophile puzzle. It’s a roll of the dice, a sonic triptych, and a tribute to the heavy, mechanical impact of the original Thrak era.”

Pre-orders for Let’s Thrak Again are available now through Bandcamp. The 26-track release will be offered on vinyl, CD and digital formats. The album artwork was created by Ritxi Ostariz.

The lineup brings together three musicians with decades of experience in progressive and rock music. Tony Levin, known for his work with Peter Gabriel, John Lennon, Pink Floyd and King Crimson, performs on his signature Chapman Stick, a 12-string tapping instrument that allows him to combine bass lines and melodic passages at the same time.

Alongside him is longtime King Crimson bandmate Pat Mastelotto, whose hybrid drum setup blends traditional percussion with electronic elements, loops and samples to create the band’s rhythmic foundation.

Rounding out the trio is composer and multi-instrumentalist Markus Reuter, who performs on his custom-built eight-string Touch Guitar. Using a similar two-handed tapping technique, Reuter moves between atmospheric textures, layered chords and lead work, helping the three musicians create a sound that reaches far beyond what is typically expected from a trio.

The post STICK MEN Returns With First New Album In More Than A Decade Paying Tribute To King Crimson’s “Thrak” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.