The fast and nasty Oakland hardcore band Cell Rot put out an album called Parasite last year, the first half of a two-part project recorded with the iconic punk and metal producer Jack Shirley. Soon they’ll drop the second half, Paradise. On opening track and lead single “Paradise/Parasite II,” they hammer home the resemblance between those two words and the relationship between the concepts. “Paradise! Searchin’ for your paradise!” growls vocalist Kyle. “Parasite! You’re feedin’ like a parasite!”
PÆRISH have revealed everything you need to know about their upcoming full-length album, and it is arriving very soon indeed.
Set to be titled ‘Rita’, it will be released on October 16 via SideOneDummy. It serves as the follow-up to 2023’s ‘You’re in both dreams (and you’re scared)’.
Vocalist and guitarist Mathias Court had this to say about what the album represents:
“Rita is an album deeply shaped by childhood memories, the passing of time, and the need to preserve a sense of creative sincerity through the years. Its title refers to a bell tower I could see from the window of my family’s apartment in the South of France when I was a child. Saint Rita, patron saint of lost causes, embodied something both protective and luminous to me, but also the sacrifices and uncertainty that come with having a band and trying to make a living from it.”
The artwork looks like this:
Whilst the tracklisting is more like this:
1. Prince of Darkness 2. Heal 3. Vapor Cloud 4. What You Want 5. Always Assuming 6. Strawberry 7. Crashing In Circles 8. Wait For Dark 9. Hurry Slowly 10. Swamp Monsters Of Malibu 11. Soothe
You can also check out the new video for new track ‘Vapor Cloud’, a high-octane, brilliantly constructed, effortlessly catchy piece of alternative rock greatness.
The band had this to say about putting the video together and what inspired it:
“For Vapor Cloud, we wanted to create a music video that reflected the energy of the track: raw, fast-paced and spontaneous. The idea of featuring us behind the wheel, drifting Japanese cars, quickly became the starting point for the project.
Thanks to Loïc, our drummer, a passionate Japanese car enthusiast deeply involved in the French automotive scene, we were able to bring together a real community of collectors and drifters, along with a line-up of rare and iconic cars. We essentially created our own car meet.
Visually, we drew inspiration from the world of Asian films, video games and anime from the 80s and 90s, and their take on tuning and car culture. We were looking for a graphic, nocturnal and colorful aesthetic, almost dreamlike — a universe somewhere between a very real automotive culture and the fictional worlds that shaped our childhood.
Beyond our personal history, cars also hold a special place in PÆRISH’s story. While touring, particularly in the United States, they contribute to our sense of discovery and displacement: new models, different shapes, unfamiliar colors. Beyond speed and power, the car becomes a symbol of travel, of elsewhere, and of dreams.
With Vapor Cloud, we wanted the car to be much more than a visual element: an object of fascination, memory and dreams, set within an energetic and fast-paced world with a cinematic texture and patina, much like all of our music videos.”
And here is previously released single ‘Wait For Dark’:
Wembley Stadium holds a special place in the history of Bon Jovi. It has been seven years since the band last played the venue, and more than two decades since they famously performed the final concert weekends at the original Wembley Stadium in 2000, before it was torn down and rebuilt. Before that, there was the unforgettable three-night residency in 1995. This was never going to be just another stadium show.
The band’s 2026 global concert dates marked their long-awaited return to live touring, beginning at New York’s Madison Square Garden in July and taking in Dublin and Edinburgh and three sold-out nights in London.
Jon had undergone major vocal cord surgery in 2022, followed by years of rehabilitation, so getting back on tour meant a great deal personally. Paired with the release of the widely praised Forever album, this tour felt like a new chapter for one of rock’s most enduring frontmen.
Bon Jovi – Wembley Stadium, London – 4 September 2026. Photo: David Bergman
That emotional weight was palpable on this first London night as Jon Bon Jovi walked onto the stage wearing a blue military-style jacket, his unmistakable presence seemingly little changed through the decades.
He was joined by core members David Bryan on keyboards, drummer Tico Torres, bassist Hugh McDonald and lead guitarist Phil X, alongside touring musicians John Shanks (rhythm guitar) and Everett Bradley (vocals).
For the fans, it was a moment many had waited years to experience. For Jon, the significance of being back was evident in every greeting, every smile and every moment he took to absorb the packed, sold-out crowd’s response.
The production was suitably grandiose, with spectacular visuals framing the enormous stage. But underneath the spectacle, this was arena rock in its purest form. Bon Jovi and their catalogue of anthems were more than enough to generate the high-octane, larger-than-life atmosphere.
Bon Jovi – Wembley Stadium, London – 4 September 2026. Photo: David Bergman
For a generation of fans who “weren’t there the first time round”, the sound of roaring guitars shaking the upper rafters of a stadium is the very definition of a rock concert. We are lucky to have experienced a night that lived up to it.
Across two and a half hours, Bon Jovi delivered a gloriously indulgent evening spanning the band’s many eras, with a setlist heavily weighted towards the ’80s and ’90s.
Four decades on, the pull of these classics remains extraordinary. Songs that became the soundtrack of generations still feel fresh, current and capable of drawing fans of all ages into the same euphoric moment.
Their longevity is not simply a matter of nostalgia. It is a testament to the strength of the songwriting and the enduring connection these anthems continue to create.
Bon Jovi – Wembley Stadium, London – 4 September 2026. Photo: David Bergman
They opened with a nod to their hosts, a cover of The Beatles’ With a Little Help From My Friends, before sliding into Beautiful Drug, from Forever. We Weren’t Born To Follow, and Lost Highway came next, striking a balance between recent material and old favourites that held for the rest of the night.
“I have too many memories of this place,” Jon told the crowd before counting the audience down into the ’80s. The first notes of You Give Love A Bad Name sent Wembley into a frenzy, and from there it was one highlight after another. Born to Be My Baby followed, lifting the energy even higher.
“It’s good to be in 1986,” he said, and the stadium roared in agreement.
Legendary, from the new album, came with a striking starry visual backdrop, but the crowd was just as much a part of the show as anything on stage. Jon acted as a real-time conductor, orchestrating extended choruses and inviting thousands of voices to take over.
Many of the classics were treated to longer renditions, allowing the crowd to participate while the band delivered stunning instrumental solos, with Phil X’s performance being a particular highlight of the evening. His explosive guitar work added another dimension to the stadium-sized sound.
Bed Of Roses was one of the evening’s most moving moments, with Jon’s vocals shining through. Between songs, he kept pausing to greet the crowd, clearly moved to be back on a UK stage.
“1995 was the first time we played Wembley Stadium,” he said. “Came back in 2019. Forgot how much I missed this place.”
These Days offered a breather from the anthems, letting Jon’s vocal take centre stage again. This House Is Not For Sale gave Phil X room for a standout solo, and Fame landed as another highlight thanks to the interplay between Shanks and Phil X’s guitars.
It’s My Life stole the show outright, its chorus bouncing off every corner of the stadium. Livin’ On A Prayer brought the kind of mass singalong only a song of its size can pull off, topped with a huge vocal performance and an extended solo from David Bryan.
Bon Jovi – Wembley Stadium, London – 4 September 2026. Photo: David Bergman
“Are there any cowboys in London?” Jon asked, leaving little doubt that Wanted Dead Or Alive was about to follow. The song brought another wave of nostalgia, while Bad Medicine turned the whole stadium into one big party.
As the evening drew to a close, the band gathered in a circle, embraced and closed things out with Always. It was perhaps the most magical moment of the night. An emotional finale filled with powerful vocals, extended guitar solos and the unmistakable connection between a band and its audience.
Jon Bon Jovi looked genuinely moved by the response. This was not simply about returning to a famous venue, but about returning to the stage itself and sharing these songs once again with the fans who have carried them through the decades.
A triumphant first night at Wembley, with Jon’s vocal comeback proving every bit as meaningful as the band’s return to the stage, and a performance that promises even more to come.
Silvertomb have released “Graves In The Sky”, the newest single from their forthcoming studio album, The Interpretation Of Nightmares, which is set for release on November 13th through Steamhammer/SPV. You can watch the music video below. Read more…
If you have been yearning for the golden age of Megadeth, then the Dave Ellefson-led Kings Of Thrash may just be the vehicle to transport you back. Tonight in Dublin, alongside his former Megadeth buddy Jeff Young, lead vocalist/guitarist Chaz Leon and drummer Fred Aching, they brought The Mega Years Tour to the banks of the River Liffey for a night of nostalgic ear abuse.
Tonight is marked with a bit of sentimentality for me, as while touring their So Far, So Good….So What! album in 1988, Megadeth’s stop off at the Olympic Ballroom in Dublin was my maiden voyage in Thrash Metal concerts.
I remember the night vividly. I was nervously dropped off in an unfamiliar part of the city, and trusted enough by my Dad to bus it home on the 20B to Beaumont.
The night also saw another first. The breaking of my crowd surfing cherry, an out-of-body and near out-of-jeans experience, something not repeated tonight, I might add.
Kings Of Thrash – The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
And while this evening I was minus the mullet and the five quid bootleg t-shirt, when Into The Lungs Of Hell got its pistons pumping, you could have knocked me over with a feather as middle-aged hormones took hold.
Naturally, Kings Of Thrash are not a patch on the all-conquering Megadeth of that time, and it is pointless to overcompare. This is just a no-frills, riotous tip of the hat to a monumental period in Thrash Metal history.
What we got this evening was a prime selection of material from the first four Megadeth albums, which few would deny was the band at their creative best.
Kings Of Thrash – The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
Opener Rattlehead could not have kicked it off any better. 41 years on and this tune still makes your fillings rattle.
You have got to hand it to Chaz Leon. With a few nit picking purists always lurking about, taking on the Mustaine role is like wearing a target on your back. But his confident demeanour is backed by a man totally immersed in his role. He took on big boys like The Conjuring and Set The World Afire and did them real justice.
Kings Of Thrash – The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
Having ignored the tour’s set list up to this point, I must admit, I was hoping for but not expecting Anarchy In The UK. And to my joy, it was as gloriously ragged as it was in ’88.
While the set list is a generous selection, the fact that they were peppered out in a room with a capacity of about 250 made it a more authentic experience.
Kings Of Thrash – The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
Do not get me wrong. It is heartening when Thrash Metal bands get promoted to arena status, but the songs just do not hit home in the same way. But when you are in a tight space like The Sound House in what felt like 40 degrees, golden era tunes like Mary Jane and 502 were only going to land the way nature intended.
As ever, Ellefson takes everything in his stride. There was a look of great contentment in everything he did tonight. Even while Fred Aching was doing his drum solo, the revered bassist and coffee entrepreneur was happy to sign and take selfies without a hint of fuss.
Kings Of Thrash – The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
And his buddy Jeff Young looked to be having a jolly old evening too. He appeared at times in his own world, totally immersed in an odd-looking guitar that looked like a modified Steinberger that had grown a dodgy-looking head from somewhere.
Still, it was refreshing to see a guitarist not sticking to the Thrash Metal stereotype. And his odd-looking tool did not make In My Darkest Hour or Hook In Mouth sound any less bruising.
The first sign of a mosh pit sparked off during Good Morning/Black Friday, not a ferocious one though, but hats off to the group of teenagers for getting it going in the first place. This old git was not sacrificing his safe and snug stage right position for anything.
The Rust In Peace album got its moment in the spotlight as Dawn Patrol laid the foundation for Tornado Of Souls to wreak its usual havoc.
Kings Of Thrash – The Sound House, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
There was no leaving and dramatically returning for an encore carry-on tonight. Instead, Ellefson and Young declared their undying love for Iron Maiden, especially the Di’Anno period. That then heralded an impressive and Thrashed up version of Murders In The Rue Morgue.
How do you top that? Simple. You ram out Peace Sells in all its legendary glory. From hearing that immortal Ellefson bass line live for the first time as a young one all those years ago, to watching the video on Mick Wall’s Monsters Of Rock and, of course, hearing multiple plays on Tommy Vance’s Friday Rock Show, seeing it done basically in your face was a joy beyond measure.
I have not seen Megadeth since that memorable night in 1988, and in all honesty, in their current state, I have no great desire to again.
So if it is Kings Of Thrash from here on in, then that will do me just fine.
Lancaster, PA trio American Motors impressed us with their 2024 debut Content. Now they’re back to announce another album of scraping, pounding, ominous underground rock music. For Functional Music, out in November, the band once again recorded with the legendary J Robbins at his Magpie Cage studio in Baltimore, so Alex Steward’s drums thwack extra viscerally. Singer-guitarist Dustin White shared the following:
(We have another monthly collection of reviews and enthusiastic recommendations from Daniel Barkasi. This one dials in six albums released in August 2026.) When I titled this column, it can be taken as a literal statement for me – we’ve got three dogs, after all – but it’s generally a reference to the hottest period […]
TesseracT vocalist Daniel Tompkins and Chimp Spanner’s Paul Ortiz have harnessed the healing properties of music on their latest collaboration, Prince Of Failure. The pair have combined spacious arrangements, electronic textures and powerful guitar-work with intimate vocals on their extremely personal debut album. Here, they open a window into their working process and reveal this is just the beginning for the studio-based project.
For much of their lives, TesseracT’s Daniel Tompkins and Chimp Spanner’s Paul Ortiz have wrestled with the voices in their head that often make them feel conflicted and uncertain. In their new project, Prince Of Failure, music serves as a tool for self-discovery. And this is just the beginning.
“Prince Of Failure is what happens when experiences go unnamed for years,” says Tompkins. “If you have a shadow in the back of your mind, giving it a name can be a very empowering thing, to separate yourself from it. That’s what I’m giving shape to with this project. I’m 42 years old, and I’m discovering a side of myself that has been a mystery for a long time.”
The singer has reunited with Ortiz to put their mental struggles and a love for 2000s rock – which soundtracked important periods of their lives – at its tender core. A cinematic, ever-shifting sound punctuates its brutal honesty, delivering an experience full of rage and release, anger and acceptance.
Having released a synthwave album together as Zeta in 2019, Tompkins enlisted Ortiz for Ruins, a guitar-centric reworking of his 2019 solo record, Castles. Prince Of Failure was originally intended as another Tompkins solo outing with Ortiz producing. But the project changed after Tompkins was diagnosed with ADHD with autistic traits, and Ortiz became his confidant. “It’s been a poignant moment in my life – it’s made me question everything,” the singer says. “All my insecurities, I’m starting to understand, were born from this.”
Giving Prince Of Failure a name, he adds, has “allowed me to almost exorcise that part of me that was always telling me that I was doing something wrong. There’s been a lot of soul searching because I’m in an environment where relationships and being sociable are very important. But actually, growing up with this condition, having such an intense desire to be a singer and trying to force my way into this industry and build relationships, but also have that incredible awkwardness and anxiety – I can’t believe I went through with that.”
Many people living with ADHD also deal with rejection sensitivity, where just the thought of failing can create a debilitating emotional responses. Tompkins has been at war with himself: one part of him is driven to succeed in the industry, while another feels like an imposter, scared to enter in a place of potential harm.
“I want the bright lights; I want the chaos,” he admits. “But on the flipside I have these traits that tell me to step away and hide. So the album is about learning to stop fighting parts of myself. I spent years thinking I was failing at things because people found life easy, while I struggled with focus and overthought everything. I felt out of sync with people and I didn’t have the language for it.”
Ortiz hasn’t had a diagnosis, but screening results suggest he should get one. While writing their album the pair trauma-bonded, and the music is born of that. “I’ve had a lot of displacement,” Ortiz says. “I left home, came back home, went through a whole bunch of stuff with that, and you can hear that as the album transforms from warm nostalgia to something more introspective and gothic. The music has reflected our journeys. It’s very personal and sincere.”
There’s a powerful subversion of their struggles in their willingness to livestream and write in real time in front of their fans. On the surface, it shows their determination to succeed despite their challenges. Dig deeper, and it’s clear that they need those dopamine hits to quell the voices in their heads that tell them they aren’t good enough.
“I’d go on Twitch and livestream me writing an idea to the point I could send it to Dan,” says Ortiz. “Then I’d see that he’s live on Twitch, and he’s writing the vocals for it – sometimes within half an hour!” The pair often exchanged ideas in that way, evolving the songs right before their audiences.
“There are a lot of people who shy away from that because they feel like they’re going to get ripped off, or they’re giving things away too soon,” Tompkins says. “But, actually, that community is everything.”
There’s been very few times in my musical career where I’ve clicked with someone as I do with Paul
Dan Tompkins
Ortiz agrees: “Inviting people in helped keep us excited, because we were seeing their reactions and getting feedback. It’s a very new experience for me and I’ve loved it.”
There’s still a sense of mystery pertaining to the finished article, with the pair “closing the curtain” as they head into pre-production. But, as Ortiz says, “it’s an important antidote to the instant gratification of AI.” He continues: “I see a lot of charges from people – ‘Musicians are just mad because they can’t gatekeep music any more.’
“I don’t want to gatekeep anything. We’re showing people that the joy is in the process, not in jumping straight from nothing to finished product for likes and comments.”
The Prince Of Failure story avoids specific genre tropes; Ortiz says the prog lurks “in the background for a little bit of spice and complexity.” The music plays host to everything from dark, vampiric atmospheres stabbed with industrial crescendos to Holy Fawn-inspired “weird post-rock, shoegazey and black metal aesthetics” which darken its latter stages.
Daedric vocalist Kristyn Hope delivers a stunning duet on the disquieting Horizon, but ultimately the music serves a much larger, far more personal purpose. The rage, the pain, the uncertainty behind the songs is tangible; it fizzes and cries out of the speakers. “The more we worked on the album together, the more honest it became,” says Tompkins.
I was in a proper slump. It’s been the same with this: he’s saved me from feeling like I can’t do it any more. Twice
Paul Ortiz
“We were able to explore our insecurities together and get really deep with it. I think that we better understand each other now. There’s been very few times in my musical career where I’ve clicked with someone as I do with Paul. Without him, it’d be like losing an arm.”
There’s a fascinating sub-plot at play too – when TesseracT and Periphery emerged as frontrunners in the djent scene of the 2010s, Ortiz, operating under his pseudonym Chimp Spanner, was rightly regarded as one of the movement’s progenitors. Over time, his status has been eclipsed and he retreated into corporate music gigs. Tompkins provided a lifeline.
“Before we did Ruins, I hadn’t picked up a guitar and written anything for years,” Ortiz admits. “I was in a proper slump and it’s been the same with this: he’s saved me from feeling like I can’t do it any more. Twice.”
Tompkins calls their ability to confide in one another “liberating.” It’s a feeling neither wants to go without: “Prince Of Failure is something we’ve built with a long-term vision in mind,” says the singer. “We’ve already got reams of folders and old ideas; we’re evolving the project with every song.”
Don’t expect them to announce a tour, though – Prince Of Failure will remain a studio project for the foreseeable future, so they can write without limitations. “We can really push things if we’re not looking at something that has to be represented on a stage,” says Ortiz. “There’s scope for us to do things that are a lot more experimental.
“As someone who has these big pendulum swings between loving what I do and feeling like I could happily sell my guitars and never do it again, it’s really affirming to have a body of work that we’re both really proud of. That gets me excited and inspired to do more.”
Having fully intended to go to Kings Of Thrash anyway, the fact that Ireland’s XIII Doors were announced as the main support made this Tuesday night a much tastier prospect.
If you possess their fantastic debut album Into The Unknown, then you already know the story with this exciting four-piece. Chancers they are not. Their multi-genre repertoire, which accumulates to a premium brand of rock and Metal, shows that they are a band who thrive on experimentation and ambition.
And they know their way around an aul stage too.
XIII Doors – The Soundhouse, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
As is the case with the album, Unleash The Beast was the perfect opener tonight, because when these lads plug in, there is an untameable force about them.
It is over a year since they last played Dublin. That was as support to German legend Michael Schenker. And glancing around, there seemed to be a lot more punters familiar with the material, so much so that Into The Unknown and Face The Truth fared a lot better.
XIII Doors – The Soundhouse, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
As professional and musically meticulous as they are, they are not exempt from an onstage blooper, though. When bass Goliath Pat Byrne’s strap hilariously decided to have a break mid-song, WICKED drummer and now expert Guinness guzzler, Gunnar Coston was on like a flash to rescue his rhythmic brother.
A moment like this only heightened the mood in the room, which rose again at the finale of Sorceress Of Lies, where some fretboard keepie uppies rounded the tune off with an outlandish bit of class.
Even the mid-tempo See How You’ve Come So Far could not halt momentum. The only thing that could have done with a drop was the temperature, which felt like it was rising with every note struck.
XIII Doors – The Soundhouse, Dublin – 1 September 2026. Photo: Steven Maloney/MetalTalk
But soggy shorts aside, their 40 min set was utilised well, and having an eight-track debut album is handy for a support slot. They took it home with an energy-sapping Lean On Me, which showed in spades that they are as much about the vocals as they are about riffs and rhythms.
Just like last time, the chemistry with this band is beyond electric. The engine room of Pat Byrne and new drummer Jason Christy played like a pair who may as well be joined at the hip.
Add that to the guitar fire of main man DJ O’Sullivan and Flash Murphy, and you get one hell of a cohesive unit. The aforementioned Shannon man O’Sullivan, just over a week ago, was on the other side of the city, shoulder to shoulder with ex-Queensrÿche singer Geoff Tate.
Tonight he was front and centre doing Freddie Mercury Ay-Ohs with a bunch of sweaty Thrash Metal fanatics.
