Oh boy, that’s a massive, eerie wall of sound. Josh Tillman returned today with new song “The Payoff,” the follow-up to January’s single “The Old Law.” It’s a lush, all-consuming psych-rock mammoth. It features a grandiosity and grittiness that reminds me of The White Album, with melting strings, gravel-fed guitars, and big chord changes. “The…
The post Father John Misty – “The Payoff” appeared first on Stereogum.
(Andy Synn is in Seattle right now… which makes it the perfect time to talk about ferocious French furies Beyond the Styx, righr?) If you’re reading this… and you must be, because you’re seeing these words… then I’ll be in Seattle attending this year’s edition of Northwest Terror Fest, which means I won’t be online […]
The post BEYOND THE STYX – DIVID appeared first on NO CLEAN SINGING.
We’ve Got A File On You features interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.
The post We’ve Got A File On You: Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew appeared first on Stereogum.
This Boards Of Canada rollout is getting real. Last month, the Scottish electronic duo mailed a mysterious VHS tape to fans, shared an excerpt of new music, and finally, officially announced Inferno, their first new album since Tomorrow’s Harvest in 2013. Today we get a proper lead single. “Introit” and “Prophecy At 1420 MHz” are…
The post Boards Of Canada – “Introit / Prophecy At 1420 MHz” appeared first on Stereogum.
American thrash metal pioneers Flotsam And Jetsam are gearing up to unleash their explosive Napalm Records debut album, Rats In The Temple, on 28th August 2026.
The legends from Arizona have been a fixture of the metal scene for the better part of the last four decades. With modern renaissance records like The End of Chaos (2019) and I Am the Weapon (2024), capturing the glory of their inceptional material, the Kerrang! championed classic Doomsday for the Deceiver (1986) and No Place for Disgrace (1988), it’s no wonder they’re still raising hell for their throngs of dedicated fans along festival circuits internationally.
Rats In The Temple lunges out full force with 13 rabid onslaughts of ornate guitarmonies, pummelling double bass kicks, hypnotic bass grooves, and exalted frontman Eric A.K. Knutson’s unmistakably haunting wail. As the temple is besieged by vermin, Flotsam And Jetsam line the walls with grim tales of death, abuse, betrayal, and war, inviting listeners into a dark world not too distant from our own.
Frontman Eric A.K. Knutson said about the album: “This record is a BEAST, truly our best effort to date!! Do yourself a favor. Dim the lights, grab a drink, put the headphones on, and crank this up. You will not be sorry you did!!!”
Pre-order Rats In The Temple here.
Rats In The Temple opens strong with the stadium-ready hooks and dizzyingly precise performances of “Harvesting The Hate” and “Damnation”, before delving into thrash virtuosity on “Absolution”. The iconic guitar duo of Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley paint vividly ghoulish images on tracks like “Blame The Knife” and “Rats In the Temple”, then continue to flex their metal muscle on “The Ghost Behind My Door” and “First on the Spike”, invoking pure first-wave excellence with a pummeling modern menace.
“The Edge of Nowhere” builds inescapable suspense before firing listeners out of a gun, full throttle into “Last Rites”, another standout track for the band. The legendary rhythm duo of drummer Ken Mary and bassist Bill Bodily take center stage on the anti-war anthem “A Taste For War”, their methodical syncopation invoking images of tanks and boots on the ground. “Her Blood Your Pain” brings ornate, medieval guitarmonies before “Anthem For The Broken” goes full balls to the wall, and “Going Down That Way” hits listeners with heavy riffs and even heavier truths. Rats In The Temple remains enthralling throughout, giving listeners entry to numerous of the band’s metal chambers, sampling a refined and eclectic serving of influences.
Churning like magma beneath the Earth, Flotsam And Jetsam have only been growing more and more fiery with time, and Rats In The Temple sees the band exploding to the surface in a magnificent and awe-inspiring blaze. For fans new and longstanding, you cannot escape them; they’re through the walls.
The post Thrash Legends FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Announce New Album “Rats In The Temple” appeared first on Sonic Perspectives.
Sublime are making their Rock Sound cover debut, celebrating 30 years of culture, family and music.
As they prepare to release their new album, Jakob Nowell and Bud Gaugh detail what it means to bring the culture, energy and emotion that has surrounded the band for the last 30 years crashing into 2026 in style.
The post Sublime Are On The Cover Of Rock Sound appeared first on Rock Sound.
Along with fellow wonderkid Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd (KWS) was once branded the heir to heroic, blues revivalist Stevie Ray Vaughan (SRV). Even if you dismiss the triple-pronged, abbreviated initials that both guitarists are best known for, shrugging off the dogged critics and straight-up ‘SRV-clone’ accusations can’t have been easy in those early days for such a prodigious talent.
Bringing in the entire Double Trouble band for his second LP Trouble Is… (1997) probably didn’t help matters either, but it’s not every day you’re a self-taught, Fender Strat-wielding teenager. But just like the gusty first few lines that buccaneer this record, Kenny defiantly surfaced ‘up from the ashes, out of the flames’ and now stands as one of the most respected and electrifying guitarists on the planet.
It’s hard to believe 30 years has passed since his breakout debut Ledbetter Heights (1995), which helped redefine modern blues rock. Going gold within months, pinching Platinum by early 1996, it’s a scorching listen of raw, youthful energy, and fulminating, guitar-driven blues, named in honor of a historic neighborhood in his hometown paying tribute to blues legend Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter.
And yes, there’s more than a few rampant shades of SRV with the patented Strat tone down pat and emotive phrasing, but what blues players in recent times haven’t been influenced by the iconic Texas bluesman? It’s certainly nothing to be ashamed of. Given he was just 17 when he recorded the album, it’s fascinating to hear Shepherd’s seasoned maturity on this highly polished revisit, with all 12 tracks evolving into more richer and deliberate arrangements.
Of course, the most noticeable difference is the presence of Noah Hunt — the long-time, unique voice of KWS’s band since 1997, replacing stellar blues vocalist Corey Sterling, who was the raspy lead singer during the original recording.
While Kenny’s technical prowess is still on full display and the fiery fretwork still smokes, there’s plenty of subtle tweaks and tinkering to be discovered on Ledbetter Heights (30th Anniversary Sessions). The brakes are firmly applied to the tempo of sprawling opener “Born With A Broken Heart” with the keyboard taking its fair share of the limelight, while Kenny’s solo continues to pick up steam and inevitably burn the house down.
Hunt lends emotional depth and mellowness to the intoxicating, powerful potion of “Deja Voodoo.” It’s blues with a big punch, as Kenny’s spellbinding guitar wig-out makes every note talk. The tone, the licks. Wow. The same can be said for the pure emotion of “Shame, Shame, Shame,” where the keyboard is again off the charts and Hunt’s soulful touch taking Kenny’s wailing guitar to a place us mere mortals could only dream of landing.
Legendary drummer Chris “Whipper” Layton (a founding member of SRV & Double Trouble) is once again the rhythmic engine, keeping the wander crisp and tight on the greatly refined “One Foot On The Path.” Those fingers once more effortlessly dance across the strings on the melodic and meaningful “Everybody Gets The Blues,” before “Riverside” is trickled down in cadence and given a fresh identity.
The funky title track “Ledbetter Heights” brings the passage of time full circle, as Kenny lets rip on the 1995 guitar rig he used for the original recordings, only this time it’s entouraged by years of touring, recording, and collaboration.
I’m sure many other KWS fans always wondered what this album would sound like with Noah Hunt at the helm. While it’s impossible to recapture the fearlessness and groundbreaking nature of the original, there’s a deeper picture of nuance and intention on this rare second look, manifested by the coruscating chemistry that emanates between Shepherd’s undeniable six-string mastery and the hauntingly beautiful vocals of Hunt.
Both these men have been flying high for well over a couple of decades and like a fine wine, age is only staggering them to greater heights. And Ledbetter ones at that.
The Review: 8.5/10
The post Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Ledbetter Heights (30th Anniversary Sessions) Review appeared first on Blues Rock Review.
Posted on May 7th 2026, 3:00p.m.