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While the band’s 2026 album and world tour are intended as a final chapter, the bassist admits new music could still happen down the line.

The post JAMES LOMENZO Doesn't Totally Rule Out More New MEGADETH Music appeared first on Metal Injection.

Posted on March 5th 2026, 3:03p.m.

Are Courtney Love And Melissa Auf Der Maur Reuniting Hole?

Not exactly. Courtney Love confirmed she and Melissa Auf Der Maur are planning to tour together, but she insists it is not a full Hole reunion.

TL;DR

• Courtney Love teased a possible tour with former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur.
• Fans immediately speculated about a Hole reunion.
• Love clarified: “Not a reunion baby… me and @xmadmx touring new songs.”
• The collaboration could support Love’s upcoming solo album.
• A new documentary about Love, Antiheroine, premiered at Sundance 2026.

The Instagram Post That Set Fans Off

The speculation began when Courtney Love posted a video of Melissa Auf Der Maur on Instagram, soundtracked by Hole’s 1998 single “Malibu.”

Love tagged the bassist and wrote a simple but provocative caption:

“So do we tell the kids about the tour?”

For longtime fans of the influential alternative rock group, that was enough to spark immediate rumors that Hole might be returning.

Auf Der Maur responded in the comments with a cryptic line of her own:

“It starts with eternal love.”

Within hours, the internet began buzzing about the possibility that two key members of the band might finally share a stage again.

Browse upcoming heavy metal concerts and ticket availability here

Courtney Love Quickly Clarified: “Not A Reunion”

As speculation spread across fan forums and social media, Love stepped in to clarify the situation.

Her response was direct:

“Not a reunion baby. Me and @xmadmx touring new songs.”

So while the collaboration is real, the return of Hole as a full band appears unlikely — at least for now.

Still, the idea of Love performing alongside one of the group’s most beloved former members is more than enough to stir excitement among fans of 1990s alternative rock.

Why This Still Feels Like A Big Deal For Hole Fans

Even without the official Hole name attached, the pairing of Courtney Love and Melissa Auf Der Maur carries enormous nostalgia.

Auf Der Maur joined Hole in the mid-1990s and appeared on the band’s landmark 1998 album Celebrity Skin, which featured the hit single “Malibu.”

That record marked a major evolution in the band’s sound, blending alternative rock with polished songwriting and massive mainstream success.

Seeing those two musicians reconnect on stage — even under a different banner — will inevitably feel like a partial revival of that era.

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2026 Is Shaping Up To Be A Major Year For Courtney Love

The potential tour arrives at a time when Love appears ready to step fully back into the spotlight as a musician.

Earlier this year, a new documentary about her life titled Antiheroine premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.

Directed by Edward Lovelace and James Hall, the film follows Love over a five-year period in London as she worked on her first new album in more than a decade.

The project explores her career, controversies, and creative process while she prepared new material.

Major Artists Appear In The Documentary

The film includes commentary from several prominent musicians who have crossed paths with Love throughout her career.

Among those appearing in the documentary:

• Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day
• Michael Stipe of R.E.M.
• Former Hole members Eric Erlandson, Melissa Auf Der Maur, and Patty Schemel

Producer Julia Nottingham explained the motivation behind the film in an interview with Variety, noting that Love’s story extends far beyond the headlines that often defined her public image.

New Music From Courtney Love Is Finally Coming

Love has also confirmed she is working on a new album, which will be her first since 2004’s America’s Sweetheart.

The upcoming record is expected to feature contributions from both Michael Stipe and Melissa Auf Der Maur.

Speaking about the project in the documentary, Love described the album in deeply personal terms.

She suggested it could be viewed as a “recovery record” or even a reflection on surviving some of the darkest chapters of her life.

“The more I write these songs,” she explained, “the more I get further and further away from the shit.”

The Big Question Fans Are Asking

While Love insists the upcoming shows are not a Hole reunion, the idea of seeing her perform alongside a key member of the band’s most famous lineup is still electrifying for longtime fans.

And once those two share a stage again, it’s hard not to wonder:

Could a true Hole reunion eventually follow?

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FAQ

Is Hole officially reuniting?

No. Courtney Love has said the upcoming collaboration with Melissa Auf Der Maur is not a Hole reunion.

Who is Melissa Auf Der Maur?

Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian musician best known as the bassist for Hole during the Celebrity Skin era and later as a member of The Smashing Pumpkins.

When was Hole’s last album released?

Hole’s last studio album, Nobody’s Daughter, was released in 2010.

When will Courtney Love release her new album?

A release date has not yet been announced, but the album is currently in development.

Hole Band Bio

Hole formed in Los Angeles in 1989 and became one of the most influential alternative rock bands of the 1990s. Fronted by Courtney Love, the band gained critical acclaim with albums such as Live Through This and Celebrity Skin. Known for their raw songwriting and confrontational energy, Hole played a major role in shaping the sound and attitude of the alternative rock era.

The post Courtney Love Sparks Hole Reunion Buzz With Surprise Tour Tease Involving Melissa Auf Der Maur appeared first on Loaded Radio.

Last year, the great veteran singer-songwriter Cass McCombs released his album Interior Live Oak. McCombs’ old friend and collaborator Chris Cohen co-produced the LP. Cohen, formerly of Deerhoof and the Curtains, has released a bunch of his own albums; the most recent is 2024’s Paint A Room. Now, McCombs and Cohen have gotten together to…

The post Cass McCombs & Chris Cohen – “Steel Reserve” & “Ignis Fatuus, Hinkypunk, Sharkfins And Ambergris” appeared first on Stereogum.

(In this latest of Daniel Barkasi’s monthly album reviews for NCS he focuses on records released in February 2026.) With the snow thawing in our area – a much different tale for many in the northeast US – leaving the house has become much more of a normal feat, without the risk of slipping on […]

The post OBSCURITIES – VOLUME XXV: 28 HEAVY DAYS LATER appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.

After weeks of hints and interviews of “well, we’re looking into it”, it seems we’ve finally gotten some solid confirmation that Ozzfest will be returning in some capacity in the somewhat near future. That information is courtesy of a recent episode of The Osbournes podcast, where matriarch and Ozzy’s widow Sharon Osbourne shared details about the festival’s resurgence.

According to Sharon, Ozzfest will indeed be back next year, though in a limited capacity to start. The show will first launch as a two-day event at Villa Park in Birmingham, U.K. You may recall that that was the location where Ozzy and Black Sabbath’s farewell show took place last July. Then following that event, Ozzfest will head across the pond to North America for just one two-day event. No traveling Ozzfest — yet.

Sharon said the she and the organizers opted to do things this way to make sure they weren’t overcommitting to something that wouldn’t do well. She said next year’s Ozzfests will serve as a sort of litmus test to see what type of demand organizers can expect for a traveling festival.

“We wanna do two days in Aston Villa and then come to America. And we wanna hear from everyone where we should go in America. And also we’ve gotta find a lot of young, new talent, because that’s what Ozzy would want…And then see how it does. And then if people want it, we’ll be there [in the] following years.”

It’s good to see a focus on younger bands with Ozzfest in the future. That being said, later in the same interview Sharon was asked who she could see playing Ozzfest and she said she could “see Rob Halford there”. So maybe Judas Priest could be a headliner? It’s way too early to tell but that would make sense at least.

At the end of the day, Sharon said she was excited to get the festival off the ground and running, since it was something she and Ozzy had discussed before his passing, which she discussed during her recent appearance at MIDEM 2026 at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, France.

“There was no plans to stop it. Ozzy and I would talk about it, and he’d say, ‘Do you think Ozzfest would work without me?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s a brand. It will work without you.’ And he said, ‘We should do it.’”

The post Sharon Osbourne Confirms Ozzfest 2027 Coming to Birmingham and One North American City appeared first on MetalSucks.

Ten years ago, Justice Tripp made the fateful decision not to sing a great hardcore song. Tripp was up onstage with has band Angel Du$t at Washington, DC’s St. Stephen’s Church, a local institution that’s been hosting punk shows for decades. (Fugazi’s second show was at St. Stephen’s in 1987.) That night, Angel Du$t were playing the record-release show for Turnstile’s Move Thru Me EP. Some members of Turnstile were in Angel Du$t at the time; others were moshing and stagediving for them. It was beautiful even before the grand finale, and the grand finale is something that I never get tired of watching.

The post Angel Du$t Are One Of The Best Rock Bands In The World appeared first on Stereogum.

I don’t have much of a preamble this time around, but I’ve finally made my way through my backlog (not including my still-formidable Bandcamp wishlist). This means that all of this installment’s picks are relatively recent, with a stray few that had been sitting on my hard drive since autumn. In any case, enjoy my latest name-your-price finds, and, as usual, be sure to support the artists by buying some tunes or merch!

–Alex Chan

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Dungeon Keeper – Dungeon Metal Masters (October 31, 2025)

I was not surprised to find that this came out last Halloween. Dungeon Keeper’s scuzzy and punky take on black metal is brimming with spite and spit in equal measure. Dungeon Metal Masters will take you right back to the 90s for some filthy second-wave goodness, without all that pesky murder and fascism. It’s important to make that distinction these days, but don’t just take it from me! The band says it right there on their Bandcamp page—“Dungeon Metal against Nazi Scum”—and if you don’t like that message…well, into the dungeon with you.

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The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir, Isleptonthemoon, and Wounds of Recollection – All Things Which Came Before (November 28, 2025)

This split (or perhaps split-personality) EP features three tracks from three separate yet connected black metal entities: The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir, Isleptonthemoon, and Wounds of Recollection. All are the work of solo musician Annos, and between the three monikers, the man has something like 18 releases under his belt. TBMBMC is characterized by riffy atmospheric black metal while the other two projects hew closer to blackgaze, leaning into emo/screamo and post-rock to varying degrees. Considering that this EP is my first taste of Annos’ work, I already know that this is going to be a hell of a rabbit hole.

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Recvrse – Suffer & Remember (January 29, 2026)

A friend recommended this to me a few weeks ago, and it hit like a brick to the skull. Recvrse play blistering, confrontational hardcore that has no time for pleasantries or compromise. Dual vocalists bark out polemics like “LET THE PEOPLE DIE OR THREAD THE NEEDLE’S EYE […] IF ISAIAH WAS RIGHT ARE YOU FASTING OUT OF SPITE?” as blast beats and huge, crusty riffs explode like molotov cocktails. It would be a disservice to say that Suffer & Remember is a fitting soundtrack for 2026 thus far, as the album’s themes—and righteous fury—extend far beyond the current year.

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Nightmarer – Hell Interface (January 30, 2026)

What, pray tell, is a Nightmarer? A machine that produces nightmares? In what furnace was its brain? And what eldritch dials and levers cover the surface of its Hell interface (or is it a Hell interface of the mind)? I’ll be damned if I know, but it’s clear that this brief follow-up to 2023’s Deformity Adrift is an unnerving descent into madness helmed by a capable crew of noisemakers. The lineup is leaner and meaner this time around, but don’t let that fool you into thinking that the band has lost their edge. All-in-one guitarist and bassist Simon Hawemann summons storm clouds of dissonance to suit Paul Seidel’s tectonic, percussive assault. Christian Kolf from Valborg and Owl joins on vocals, supplementing John Collett’s golem-like growls with his own gravelly shouts.

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Ominess – Ominess (January 31, 2026)

Transylvanian Recordings describes Ominess’ self-titled debut as “Gothic Bruja Doom Metal,” and y’know what? That pretty much nails it, and it’s better than the pun I had in mind*. However, if you must know more, this witch’s brew is thick with sludgy, downtuned riffing and laced with vocals that shapeshift between sultry incantations, demonic roars, and blood-curdling screams. It’s genuinely unnerving at times, but all the more alluring for it. 

* “Witches’ Broom Metal” because it’s like a witch’s brew, but witches also fly on brooms, and broom rhymes with doom…

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letterstoyou – …maybe someday became today (February 1, 2026)

Annos isn’t the only multi-project Bandcamp phenom in this article! That’s right folks: there is a new Damián Antón Ojeda pseudonym out there, and the joke here is that it’s not even that “new.” Ojeda has been quietly releasing material as letterstoyou for the better part of the last year, and I just found out about it. Can someone do me a favor and keep a running list of everything the guy puts out? 

Let’s back up a bit. Ojeda is the relentlessly prolific musician behind Sadness, Trhä, life, and roughly a dozen others scattered throughout the black metal, shoegaze, emo, and electronic corners of Bandcamp. The vast majority of his work is, at the very least, pretty good, but the sheer amount of material is daunting. Between the “big three” aforementioned projects, Ojeda racked up over 20 releases in 2025 alone. 

So, where does letterstoyou fit into the larger Ojedo-verse? Well, this latest EP is on the emo/screamo side of the spectrum, placing it closer to his work in life, but it leans further into the guitar harmonies and huge breakdowns that you might find in early-aughts metalcore. Think Ampere meets Killswitch Engage and you’ll be partway there. Even if none of the proper nouns I’ve name-dropped in this section ring a bell for you, ...maybe someday is as good a place to start as any.

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