Blog

  • GLADENFOLD – Soulbound

    The Finnish band Gladenfold has always belonged among those groups where melody and heaviness do not work against each other, but instead strengthen one another. Combining the momentum of melodic death metal, the elevated, hymnic character of power metal and the cinematic layering of symphonic metal, the band turns more consciously than ever toward a […]

    Source

  • Smashing Pumpkins Announce Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness 30th Anniversary Tour

    Smashing Pumpkins released their blockbuster double album Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness in 1995, so if we’re being sticklers here, last year would have been the year to head out on a 30th anniversary tour. But I’m not going to complain about the Pumpkins doing it in 2026. They put on an amazing show when they toured arenas in 2018 focusing on their output from 2000 and earlier (before the CIA got involved and/or Zwan happened). I expect this outing to be similarly entertaining.

    The post Smashing Pumpkins Announce <em>Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness</em> 30th Anniversary Tour appeared first on Stereogum.

  • OLHAVA – Memorial

    The Russian blackgaze duo Olhava returns with its sixth full-length album, Memorial, continuing the inner journey that began with Sacrifice. If the previous album placed destruction, self-surrender and the ritual of burning at its center, the new material dwells instead in the silence that remains afterward. It is not concerned with the first instinctive movement […]

    Source

  • Devin Townsend goes all out on new double-single ‘Prepare For War / The Big Snit’

    Devin Townsend goes all out on new double-single ‘Prepare For War / The Big Snit’

    Taken from ambitious, orchestral-metal opus ‘The Moth’

    DevinTownsend_TheMoth_3271_by Tom Hawkins.jpeg 

    “The Moth is about the journey—but it is also about arrival” 

    Canadian metal maverick Devin Townsend is set to release his ambitious, orchestral-metal opus ‘The Moth’, on the 29th May 2026 via InsideOutMusic.

    An album over a decade in the making, it existed in the back of Devin Townsend’s mind as his “life’s work”. Then, about six years ago, after an acoustic show in Amsterdam, Townsend was approached by the head of the North Netherlands’ Orchestra and Choir with an offer; and with that moment The Moth stopped being an idea and began to become a reality.

    Today he is pleased to reveal another part of The Moth narrative in the shape of the visceral and heavy double-single ‘Prepare For War / The Big Snit’. Watch the video, directed by Studio Sparks, here: https://youtu.be/wdhwXKtVBR0

    Devin comments: “This is a track that essentially acts as a ‘soundtrack for an unmade movie’ …if you think of it as a ‘song’ it’s not really going to work, but if you think of it as a cinematic ‘experience’ that is representative of the final moments before a ‘fundamental change’, it’s a cool adventure.

    Either viewed from the lens of the ‘war’ being that of two warring factions whose actions have culminated in a ‘final battle’, or the same thing being essentially a metaphor for an internal struggle, it works in the same light. The battle itself can be representative of a decision, loss, change, or whatever. But sitting with the difficulty of life and our natures can often be violent work, so ‘the fastest way out is through’ and this piece of music represents that process. The ending is meant to be a representation of a sort of personal awakening.

    The name ‘The Big Snit’ was taken from a short cartoon from the Canadian national film board by the same name I grew up with. If you get a chance, look it up on YouTube … I guess my version here is simply a kind of heavy metal version of that :)”

    Stream the single here: https://dvn.lnk.to/PrepareForWarTheBigSnit

    The Moth constitutes 3 distinct parts across its release. In addition to the main album, The Moth – The Afterlife highlights the grandeur of the orchestra & choir, in what might be considered a more pure version of The Moth experience. The Moth – The War is a recording of the live musical debut that took place in March 2025 in The Netherlands, showcasing the raw emotion of performing The Moth for the very first time. Pre-order now here: https://dvn.lnk.to/TheMoth

     

    The full track-listing is as follows:

    1.     Semi-prologue

    2.     War Beyond Words

    3.     The Moth

    4.     Ode To My Eye

    5.     Enter The City

    6.     Covered By Causes

    7.     Lexin

    8.     Runaways

    9.     A Proxy For God

    10.  The Mothers

    11.  Orion

    12.  Stay There

    13.  Home At Night

    14.  Intermission

    15.  Lexin Returns

    16.  The Clergy

    17.  Prepare For War

    18.  The Big Snit

    19.  Silver Princess

    20.  A Life in Review

    21.  Metamorphosis

    22.  Stained Hearts

    23.  Let Go

    24.  We Don’t Deserve Dogs

    Devin also recently announced his return to touring, with the 23-date UK & Europe ‘Metamorphosis’ solo tour. Tickets are on sale now. Full list of dates below:

    Tue 1 Sep – BIRMINGHAM – GLEE CLUB

    Wed 2 Sept  – BATH – KOMEDIA

    Thu 3 Sep – SOUTHAMPTON – 1865

    Fri 4 Sep – EXETER – PHOENIX

    Sun 6 Sep – LONDON – UNION CHAPEL

    Mon 7 Sep  – OSLO – SENTRUM SCENE

    Wed 9 Sep – GOTHENBURG – PUSTERVIK

    Thu 10 Sep – STOCKHOLM – NYA CIRKUS

    Sat 12 Sep – HELSINKI – FINLANDIA TALO

    Tue 15 Sep – HAMBURG – MARKTHALLE

    Wed 16 Sep – WARSAW – STODOLA

    Fri 18 Sep – VIENNA – SIMM CITY

    Sun 20 Sep – ZURICH – VOLKHAUS

    Tue 22 Sep – PARIS – LE BATACLAN

    Wed 23 Sep  – MARSEILLE – LE SILO

    Sat 26 Sep – MUNICH – WERK 7 THEATRE

    Mon 28 Sep – COLOGNE – STADTHALLE

    Tue 29 Sep – UTRECHT – TIVOLI GZ

    Thu 1 Oct – BRIGHTON – OLD MARKET

    Fri 2 Oct  – CARDIFF – THE GATE

    Sun 4 Oct –  GLASGOW – ORAN MOR

    Mon 5 Oct – MANCHESTER  – RNCM

    Tue 6 Oct  – LEEDS – HOWARD ASSEMBLY ROOMS

      

    If The Moth has a central gravitational theme, Townsend names it plainly: true self-acceptance. Something sturdier than slogans, closer to a practiced willingness to face what is uncomfortable without turning away. As Devin explains: “The most obvious metaphor for change within the concept of this project was a moth: from caterpillar to an entirely different creature—one so drawn to the light that it burns itself away. What remains is immutable—only the spirit.”

    At the hardest moments, when abandoning the project might have seemed rational, Townsend points to the team as the decisive factor. A host of incredible musicians and contributors participated throughout the course of this process, as well as the North Netherlands Orchestra & Choir and orchestrators Joseph Stevenson & Niels Bye Nielsen. Long time band members Darby Todd, Mike Keneally, James Leach played a huge part, as well as guests including the Steve Vai, Anneke van Giersbergen, Lynn Wu (Ou), and artists Travis Smith & Eliran Kantor, plus key creative consultation from Mike St-Jean. The technical teams that worked tirelessly included co-mixer Chris Edrich, recording engineers Ben Searles & Jacob Hermann, Atmos mixer Ron Searles, Mastering engineer Troy Glessner, choirs in various countries throughout the world, and peripheral individuals that helped land this behemoth of a plane.

    DEVIN TOWNSEND online:

    http://www.hevydevy.com

    http://www.facebook.com/dvntownsend

    http://www.omerch.com

    https://www.patreon.com/cw/DevinTownsend

    https://twitter.com/dvntownsend

    https://www.instagram.com/dvntownsend/

    www.tiktok.com/@dvntownsend

    https://www.youtube.com/user/poopynuggeteer/featured

    http://twitch.tv/devin_townsend

     

    INSIDEOUTMUSIC online:

    www.insideoutmusic.com

    www.youtube.com/InsideOutMusicTV

    www.facebook.com/InsideOutMusic

    www.twitter.com/insideouteu

  • SPEGLAS – Endarkenment, Being & Death

    The name SPEGLAS, from Stockholm, may so far have sounded familiar mainly to those who have followed the darker, black/death metal shades of the Swedish underground. Formed in 2015, the band has now reached its first full-length album after two EPs: Endarkenment, Being & Death was released on February 27, 2026, through Trust No One […]

    Source

  • Blondshell – “Heart Has To Work So Hard”

    It was only a year ago when Sabrina Teitelbaum released her previous Blondshell album If You Asked For A Picture. A few months after its release, she shared an expanded edition featuring contributions from artists like Conor Oberst, Samia, John Clacier, and more. What if I told you a new Blondshell album is already coming? We…

    The post Blondshell – “Heart Has To Work So Hard” appeared first on Stereogum.

  • THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Announces “The Rats In A Cage Tour”

    The Smashing Pumpkins will hit the road this fall for a North American tour marking the 30th anniversary of Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness.

    The run, titled The Rats In A Cage Tour, will cover 27 dates across the U.S. and Canada. According to the announcement, the band plans to perform “two unique sets” each night. One set will feature Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness performed in full, while the second will pull material “from nearly four decades of unruly hits and dark treasures.”

    Led by Billy CorganThe Smashing Pumpkins are set to launch the tour on September 30 in Columbus, Ohio. The final show is scheduled for November 12 at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, California.

    Fans looking to secure tickets early will have several pre-sale options. Citi cardmember and Verizon Access pre-sales begin Tuesday, May 19 at 10:00 a.m. local time. A Live Nation All Access pre-sale follows on Wednesday, May 20 at 10:00 a.m. local time.

    General ticket sales start Thursday, May 21 at 10:00 a.m. local time here.

    The post THE SMASHING PUMPKINS Announces “The Rats In A Cage Tour” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

  • The Smashing Pumpkins Announce ‘Mellon Collie’ 30th Anniversary Tour

    The Smashing Pumpkins have announced the details of ‘The Rats In A Cage Tour’, celebrating 30 years of their seminal album ‘Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness’.


    Set to make its way across North America from September to November, the band will be playing two unique and ambitious sets that not only give the album its moment in the sun but also so many other moments in their 40 years of music-making, with fan favourites, deep cuts and hits aplenty. So expected the unexpected.

    Vocalist/guitarist Billy Corgan had this to say about the tour, stating, “Staging a Mellon Collie-themed show is something we’ve discussed for over a decade, and finally the stars have aligned and exactly on the terms I’d set: which was to build a special night around its most enduring aspirations and ideas. With set 1 of the Rats In A Cage tour exclusively featuring Mellon Collie songs in a highly theatrical setting, and set 2 drawing from the rest of our canon so that there’s a decent amount of variance as to what songs we’ll play from night to night: from our first in ‘Gish’ to our last in ‘Aghori Mhori Mei’.”

    And here are all of the dates:

    SEPTEMBER

    30 – COLUMBUS Schottenstein Center

    OCTOBER

    02 – BOSTON TD Garden
    03 – BALTIMORE CFG Bank Arena
    04 – BROOKLYN Barclays Center
    06 – PITTSBURGH PPG Paints Arena
    07 – HAMILTON TD Coliseum
    09 – MONTREAL Bell Centre
    11 – MADISON Kohl Center
    13 – ST PAUL Grand Casino Arena
    14 – CHICAGO United Center
    16 – CHARLOTTE Spectrum Center
    17 – JACKSONVILLE VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena
    18 – TAMPA Benchmark International Arena
    20 – INDIANAPOLIS Gainbridge Fieldhouse
    22 – NASHVILLE The Truth
    24 – OKLAHOMA CITY Paycom Center
    25 – AUSTIN Moody Center
    27 – DENVER Ball Arena
    29 – SALT LAKE CITY Delta Center
    30 – LAS VEGAS MGM Grand Garden Arena

    NOVEMBER

    01 – PORTLAND Moda Center
    03 – CALGARY Scotiabank Saddledome
    05 – VANCOUVER Rogers Arena
    06 – SEATTLE Climate Pledge Arena
    08 – SAN JOSE SAP Center
    11 – PHOENIX Mortgage Matchup Center
    12 – LOS ANGELES Kia Forum

    Tickets will go on sale from May 21 at 10 am local on smashingpumpkins.com

    The post The Smashing Pumpkins Announce ‘Mellon Collie’ 30th Anniversary Tour appeared first on Rock Sound.

  • All Things Go NYC Announces 2026 Lineup

    All Things Go, the extremely fun festival that people love to call “lesbian Coachella,” remains a multi-city affair. Maybe we should call it “lesbian Rolling Loud” instead. Earlier this month, ATG organizers unveiled the impressive lineup for the festival’s DC flagship show. (It’s at Merriweather Post Pavilion, so it’s really closer to Baltimore, but sure, fine, “DC.”) Today, we learn the lineup for All Things Go NYC, the slightly smaller variation that goes down at Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium over the same weekend, Sep. 25-27. At this version of the festival, the entire bill is female.

    The post All Things Go NYC Announces 2026 Lineup appeared first on Stereogum.

  • Marisa Anderson’s (Tunefully) Un-American Activities

    The guitarist mined the scholar Harry Smith’s LP collection, recording her takes on songs rooted in regions the United States has been in conflict with since 1970.