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British metal heavyweights CONJURER have unveiled a new live video for ‘The World Is Not My Home’, recorded at their sold-out November 2025 London headline show at The Underworld. Watch: https://youtu.be/VDk9jmeZScY It’s the second video from their landmark performance, following April’s ‘The Searing Glow‘ release. Catch CONJURER on tour in the UK, EU, and North America this year:  UK13/06/2026 Donington, […]

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Princess Goes first met onstage over a decade ago while performing in the award-winning rock musical Hedwig and the Angry

Canadian progressive rock duo Crown Lands have never done things the easy way, and their new album, Apocalypse, out May 15 via Inside Out Music, makes that abundantly clear. Built by two people, Kevin Comeau on guitar, bass, and bass pedals, and Cody Bowles on drums and vocals, it’s a boldly cohesive concept record that pushes their sound into more expansive territory than anything they’ve attempted before.

The album moves through diverse sonic landscapes, from the cinematic instrumental opener “Proclamation” to the driving urgency of “Foot Soldiers of the Syndicate,” through the melodic weight of “Through the Looking Glass” and “Blackstar,” and out the other side into the sprawling 19-minute closer “Apocalypse” itself, a multi-part epic that gives the duo room to fully stretch out.

Robert Cavuoto spoke with Bowles about how it all came together, and the drummer and vocalist didn’t take long to get to the heart of what makes writing as a two-piece both liberating and genuinely difficult.

“The power of two is a beautiful boon because we can riff off each other and there’s no one else to tell us no or give us any other input,” Bowles said. “When we write together, everything we make is made live in the room. It’s just our pure chemistry together where we piece things together, we figure out what works, what doesn’t work, and there’s this really beautiful alchemy that happens. We find a 15-second passage with an amazing riff that becomes one of the parts in ‘Apocalypse,’ and then we stack that against something else, and we have a working open demo session where we’re live recording everything, testing everything, ABC-ing everything, and deciding what part goes next until we get to the end of the song.

“There is a downside to a lack of true democracy. If one of us doesn’t want to do something and no one concedes, nothing happens. But that limitation actually becomes a strength if you can surmount it and create around it. If I hear something Kevin does and I say we really need a chorus, and he says no, I don’t think we do, I say, fine, I challenge you to make a chorus. And then he makes one. It becomes ‘Blackstar.’”

That particular track had been sitting in their ecosystem for years before Bowles finally pushed Comeau to finish it, and the same dynamic shaped “Beardless Part One,” where another challenge to write a bigger chorus produced one of the record’s most striking moments. It’s a creative friction that, rather than stalling the band, keeps pushing them further than either would go alone.

The two-piece setup itself was never a deliberate choice so much as an organic one. Bowles originally planned to just sing, having never done so before he walked into a jam session with Comeau at around age 19. “A voice came out, and I was like, oh shoot, this is amazing,” he said. “I got to keep doing this.” He had been a drummer his entire life, his father’s favorite band was Rush, and he’d been listening to them almost exclusively until grade eight. When Comeau started playing kick drum with his foot to keep the beat during their early blues rock jams, Bowles took over the kit almost by accident. “Kevin said, ” What am I going to do with my foot? And he started playing bass pedals. And I was like, you know what, I’m going to sing and play drums. Screw it. I learned how to sing while playing drums. It’s kind of just like a product of the environment.”

The vocal comparisons that tend to follow Bowles around, particularly to Geddy Lee and Robert Plant, are ones he accepts with some humility but also genuine context. His blues rock influences pulled him toward Steve Marriott, John Fogerty, and Plant early on, while the band’s progressive pivot brought Lee‘s angular melodic sensibility into sharper focus. “I lean toward it almost instinctively,” he said. “But it’s all just me.”

For Apocalypse, the band made a conscious decision to abandon one of their longest-held rules: if you can’t do it live, don’t record it. The shift began with their Fearless record, when Comeau insisted on adding bass guitar alongside everything else and then promptly had a custom double-neck built to perform it. By the time Apocalypse came around, they had fully committed to putting the art first and figuring out the live arrangements afterward. That meant complex harmonies Comeau can’t easily replicate on stage, layered instrumentation requiring creative workarounds, and ultimately the decision to bring in two additional touring musicians to help bring the material to life in a live setting. “We decided, you know what, this music is going to outlive us,” Bowles said. “We’re going to make music for the sake of the art, and how we figure it out live, we’ll get there.”

That artistic freedom is all over the record’s individual tracks. “The Fall” grew out of a riff Comeau was playing that initially felt a little too close to Pink Floyd‘s “Run Like Hell,” and the course correction produced something that married Floyd‘s atmospheric quality with a more Kiss-influenced drum approach from Bowles, who credits Peter Criss as a direct inspiration on the track. “Through the Looking Glass” took shape around a massive chorus melody that Bowles had been reluctant to pin any specific lyric to, until a conversation in the studio with producer Nick landed on a dragon imagery concept Bowles had initially dismissed entirely. “I was saying no the whole time,” he admitted. “And then I was like, okay, I lost the bet. Upon the dragon’s wings, we fly. Whatever.” The song became one of his favorites on the album.

The vintage gear the duo leaned on throughout recording also played a significant role in shaping the record’s character. Comeau brought in original Moog synthesizers, old Taurus pedals, and vintage Leslie cabinets, while Bowles tracked portions of the album on a 1970s Slingerland black gold kit alongside a more modern-sounding setup used for the title track and other material. “We definitely lean toward the classic-sounding gear,” Bowles said.

The concept threading through Apocalypse acts as a prequel to the band’s earlier material, telling the origin story of their overarching villain, the Syndicate, and its figurehead, Blackstar. “That angular riff became ‘Blackstar’ because it sounded angry and mean, almost like a montage of him conquering other worlds,” Bowles said. “And ‘Through the Looking Glass’ sounded like the good guys, the ebb and flow before the Syndicate arrived on their home planet.”

Releasing the 19-minute title track as the lead single was as deliberate as everything else on the record. “People statistically wouldn’t get to it if we just threw out the whole record without having a spotlight shone on it,” Bowles said. “So we shone a spotlight on it. We put it out first as a statement: we just did two instrumental records, but we haven’t lost the plot. We’re a prog band. Here we are with our new prog label, Inside Out. Here’s this amazing story that we came up with. Live with it, digest it, read it, and get it.”

Apocalypse is available for pre-order now at this location.

The post CODY BOWLES Explains How CROWN LANDS Threw Out The Rulebook To Make “Apocalypse” – One Of The Most Ambitious Prog-Rock Records You’ll Hear This Year: “We’re Going to Make Music For The Sake Of The Art” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.

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Swedish occult rock icons Ghost have just sent shockwaves through their global congregation by teasing a brand-new cinematic venture slated for a worldwide IMAX and theatrical release this August. Following the massive box-office success of their 2024 hybrid film Rite Here Rite Now, the band has confirmed that their next big-screen liturgy will feature exclusive, never-before-seen footage captured during their critically acclaimed “Skeletour”.

Most notably, the production centers on the band’s historic two-night stand at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes this past September, where the ritual was secretly filmed entirely on 16mm celluloid to achieve a gritty, vintage-rock aesthetic. As Tobias Forge and his Nameless Ghouls continue to dominate the 2026 North American tour circuit, this upcoming IMAX event is being positioned as a “must-see” cultural milestone that bridges the gap between their live performances and the dark, evolving lore of the Clergy.

“Old School Magic”: The Phone-Free 16mm Ritual

While their previous film utilized high-definition digital technology, Ghost’s next cinematic outing is leaning into a raw, retro-inspired visual style. During the final dates of the 2025 “Skeletour,” the band confirmed they had filmed their massive performances on September 24 and 25 at the 20,000-capacity Palacio de los Deportes.

“We shot it all on 16mm, for the rest of the world to see at some point,” the band shared, hinting at the analog nature of the project. To ensure the footage captured the “pure energy” of the crowd, the Mexico City shows were strictly phone-free, utilizing Yondr pouches to prevent any digital leaks. Frontman Tobias Forge has frequently praised this approach, noting that the absence of mobile devices creates a “time travel” experience where the audience is fully immersed in the occult spectacle.

Check This Out – Ghost Albums Ranked Worst To Best — The Definitive List

The IMAX Advantage: A Massive Scale for the Clergy

For the first time, Ghost is moving their theatrical presence into the IMAX format, promising fans a towering visual and auditory experience that traditional screens cannot match. The film release is timed to coincide with the band’s ongoing 2026 tour, which has been lauded by critics for its brutalist cathedral stage designs and the debut of the “Grucifix” lighting rig.

FAQ

When does the new Ghost movie come out? The new concert film is officially scheduled for a global theatrical and IMAX release in August 2026.

What footage will be included in the new Ghost film? The production features 16mm footage shot during the band’s two-night stand at the Palacio de los Deportes in Mexico City on September 24–25, 2025.

Is this a sequel to Rite Here Rite Now? While details are early, this film is expected to be a standalone document of the “Skeletour” era rather than a direct narrative sequel.

Who is the frontman for the current Ghost tour? The 2026 ritual features Papa V Perpetua (Frater Imperator) leading the Nameless Ghouls following the transition from Papa Emeritus IV.

Also – Tobias Forge Hits Pause on Ghost — But Film Projects, a Secret Album, and Scuba Diving Say Otherwise

STAY LOUD: Catch the full breakdown of today’s stories on the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast, or crank the hard rock and metal 24/7 on our live digital stream at LoadedRadio.com.

TL;DR:

Ghost confirms a new concert film hitting theaters and IMAX this August. The project features 16mm footage from their 2025 Mexico City ritual and documents the massive Skeletour era.

 

 

 

 

 

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The post GHOST SURPRISE REVEAL: New IMAX Feature Film Hits Theaters This August Following “Secret” Mexico City Sessions appeared first on Loaded Radio.

For the past decade, Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder has been bringing his Ohana Festival to Doheny State Beach in Dana Point, CA once a year. Vedder pretty much always headlines one night of the festival with an ad-hoc band of his friends, and Pearl Jam usually play, as well. This year’s edition will return to the beach in September, and it’ll once again feature Vedder as a double-duty headliner, both solo and with Pearl Jam. The rest of the lineup is cool because it’s clearly a reflection of Vedder’s taste, not another version of the same festival lineup that we keep seeing.

The post Ohana Festival Announces 2026 Lineup appeared first on Stereogum.

Balashtoth will release a new single titled “Self = Dark Side” on May 14. The song will be available on all major streaming platforms and Bandcamp, while the official video will premiere on YouTube the same day at 15:00. The new track is the second single taken from the upcoming first Balashtoth full-length album, “Equation […]

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Two Midwwestern shows have been announced.

The post Failure Expand Fall North American Tour appeared first on Theprp.com.

A week-long routing run.

The post Coheed And Cambria Announce Fall Mini-Tour With The Home Team appeared first on Theprp.com.

HarperNonFiction has announced the upcoming publication of Hello Boys and Girls!, the “thrilling, hilarious and deeply personal” autobiography of Iron Maiden’s legendary drummer, Nicko McBrain. Set for release on 22nd October 2026, the book will be available in hardback, ebook, and audio formats. McBrain, who joined Iron Maiden in 1982 and made his recording debut … Continue reading Nicko McBrain announces autobiography ‘Hello Boys and Girls!’

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Metalcore powerhouse As I Lay Dying has officially announced a massive return to American soil, confirming a late 2026 U.S. tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their landmark album, Shadows Are Security. Following a year of intense global touring that included divisive stops in Russia and Israel, frontman Tim Lambesis will lead a completely overhauled lineup through a final run of anniversary shows beginning November 20 in Roseville, California.

The upcoming trek marks a significant turning point for the band after the near-total collapse of their previous roster in late 2024, which left Lambesis as the sole remaining member amid renewed personal controversy. With local and artist presales launching this week, the band is framing these dates as the definitive end of the Shadows era before pivoting toward a new studio album and further U.S. touring in early 2027.

The “New Chapter” Lineup: Who is in As I Lay Dying Now?

The 2026 tour will be the first chance for many U.S. fans to see the latest incarnation of the band following the mass exodus of longtime members Phil Sgrosso, Ken Susi, Nick Pierce, and Ryan Neff in October 2024. Lambesis quickly rebuilt the group with seasoned veterans of the metal scene to maintain the band’s momentum.

The Current As I Lay Dying Lineup Features:

• Tim Lambesis – Vocals
• Chris Clancy (Mutiny Within) – Bass & Clean Vocals
• Bill Hudson (NorthTale) – Guitar
• Don Vedda – Guitar
• Tim Yeung (ex-Divine Heresy, Morbid Angel) – Drums

Lambesis noted that reconnecting with the “mindset that shaped Shadows Are Security” has been “nostalgic and deeply motivating,” directly influencing the writing process for the band’s next full-length record.

Check This Out – Metalcore Bands Ranked: The 13 That Actually Defined The Genre

Shadows Are Security: Final 20th Anniversary U.S. Dates

The newly announced run is billed as the “final” chance to witness the 2005 classic performed in this anniversary setting.

• 11/20 Roseville, CA – Goldfield Trading Post
• 11/21 Los Angeles, CA – The Whisky
• 11/22 Phoenix, AZ – Crescent Ballroom
• 11/24 Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole
• 11/25 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater
• 11/27 Corpus Christi, TX – House Of Rock
• 11/28 Dallas, TX – Trees
• 11/29 Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
• 12/01 Denver, CO – The Federal
• 12/02 Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep

Also – TIM LAMBESIS Talks New AS I LAY DYING Music, AUSTRIAN DEATH MACHINE, Life After Incarceration & More On The Loaded Radio Podcast

Ticketing and Presale Information

Fans looking to secure tickets early have multiple opportunities this week:

• BandsInTown Presale: Launches Wednesday, May 13 at 10:00 AM local time (Password: AILD).
• Local Presales: Thursday, May 14 at 10:00 AM local time.
• General On-Sale: Friday, May 15 at 10:00 AM local time.

Get your tickets here.

FAQ

Is As I Lay Dying still together? Yes. Despite a total lineup collapse in late 2024, Tim Lambesis rebuilt the band with four new members and released the single “Echoes” in late 2025.

Who is the new singer/bassist for As I Lay Dying? Chris Clancy (formerly of Mutiny Within) has taken over bass and clean vocal duties, replacing Ryan Neff.

What is the controversy with Tim Lambesis? While the band returned in 2018 following Lambesis’s 2013-2016 incarceration, his 2024 internal band disputes led to the mass departure of his entire lineup, who cited moral and safety reasons for leaving.

Will there be a new As I Lay Dying album? Lambesis has confirmed that writing for a new studio album is underway and has been influenced by the Shadows Are Security anniversary mindset.

STAY LOUD: Catch the full breakdown of today’s stories on the Loaded Radio Daily Podcast, or crank the hard rock and metal 24/7 on our live digital stream at LoadedRadio.com.

TL;DR:

As I Lay Dying will bring their Shadows Are Security 20th anniversary tour to the U.S. in late 2026 with a brand-new lineup. These are the “final” dates before the band focuses on a new album and 2027 touring.

The post AS I LAY DYING U.S. TOUR REVIVAL: Tim Lambesis Confirms “Final” Anniversary Dates Amid Lineup Overhaul and Global Controversy appeared first on Loaded Radio.