New band of the day : Versaints facebook page Something is stirring out in the hills. Hailing from Ludlow in the verdant green of Shropshire, Versaints have created a powerhouse take on post punk in etienne with a thrilling visceral raw sound that somehow manages to reinvent the wheel – yes they are that […]
The post New band of the day : Versaints ‘like the Fontaines of all knowledge seeking Nirvana’ appeared first on Louder Than War.
NappyHigh, Blu, and Ivan Ave come together on LoveIt, delivering a smooth and soulful hip-hop cut built around laid-back production and effortless chemistry. Warm textures, understated grooves, and mellow rhythmic elements create an easygoing backdrop for the contrasting vocal styles, allowing each artist to bring their own character to the track. The production keeps the atmosphere rich without becoming overly dense, giving the verses plenty of room to breathe while maintaining a steady flow. Relaxed, melodic, and effortlessly cool, LoveIt captures the timeless appeal of soulful hip-hop while bringing together three distinct voices in a naturally cohesive collaboration.
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Sun Records/ Wicked Games Records [Release date 18.09.26] Nicole Atkins returns with her first all-new album in over six years. The album came together at the behest of her close friend and touring partner Chris Isaak, who signed her to … Continue reading
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It’s fair to say that more than a few eyebrows were raised last year when Slaughter to Prevail were announced as Bloodstock headliners. A new name at the top of the bill is always something to celebrate, but there were more than a few grumbles that the Russian/UK deathcore crew were either not big enough or not musically in keeping with the tradition of Bloodstock to truly fit the bill. So STP arrive at the festival very much with plenty to prove and a lot of cynics to win over.
With all of this for context, it’s actually quite impressive how emphatically they ram those doubts back down people’s throats this evening. Because Slaughter to Prevail look every inch the consummate modern metal festival headliner this evening.
The reasons they succeed are simple, yet stunningly effective; firstly, they bring a show, a sense of theatre and an aesthetic that should appeal to all fans of heavy music. There is fire, loads of it, there are explosions, tonnes of them, there are massive party cannons full of streamers going off over the crowd and there are the masks. There are plenty of bands in masks in metal (in case you hadn’t noticed), but STP’s might just look the coolest. Frontman Alex Terrible in particular has an amazing silver skull visage with a moving jaw that makes him look like Skeletor if he was reimagined for a Hellraiser movie. Again, a simple idea, but gnarly as hell in practice.
So they look the part and, luckily, they sound the part too. Any of the objections people have made to Slaughter to Prevail making dumb, simplified, meat-headed metal on record feel completely redundant the second you’re stood in a field and those riffs slam you in the gut. This is pummeling, crushing, groove-laden metal that just feels good to hear live, the likes of Russian Grizzy In America, Babayka and Viking all kicking like a mule and lapped up by the crowd.
Speaking of the crowd, the online suggestions that STP would pull the smallest headline crowd in Bloodstock history are laughably wide of the mark. The field is equally as full as it was for Lamb of God on Friday night, and these people are enjoying every second. When Alex Terrible tells everyone to wave their hands or crouch to do a ‘jumpdafuckup’, it stretches all the way back past the sound desk. If people were coming here purely out of curiosity or just to see Slaughter to Prevail fail then it would appear that they’ve all been won over.
There’s also the fact that STP treat this show as if it is something truly special to them. Alex speaks with humility to the crowd on more than one occasion, letting them know how nervous he is and how humbled he is to have been asked to headline this festival. It’s a sweet thing to see from a man who has an unbelievable, almost inhuman growl in his repertoire.
If there’s one slight concern with their performance, it’s that Slaughter to Prevail could add a bit more dynamism to their music, the Rammstein-esque Behelit standing out as something quite different from the rest of their set. But this is a mere nitpick; with a first showing this strong, you wouldn’t bet against them tweaking things to address that the next time they come round. And, let’s have it right, when they do, they’ll be headlining again.
Chrysalis [Release date 28.08.26] Ten Years After are a British blues rock group who really don’t get enough love. After several breaks, reunions and line-up changes, they’re still going strong, after their formation in the mid 60s. With their roots … Continue reading
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Posted on August 9th 2026, 11:10am
Some bands are so interesting, that you simply can’t pass up the opportunity to interview them. Which is why at Wacken Open Air, we got the chance to interview Dirty Shirt from Romania.
Benedetta
Hello guys, how are you doing guys?
Dirty Shirt
Great, thank you. I have to accommodate with the heat. The heat is strong with this one.
Benedetta
So how does it feel to play in Wacken on the 35th anniversary of the festival?
Dirty Shirt
It’s awesome, for us it’s the third time playing at Wacken and it’s really great to play this time at an evening hour. First time it was in 2014 when we played Wacken Metal Battle, we had the second place and we won here. And the second time it was in 2019 and now it will be the third time playing at Wacken.
Benedetta
Do you think that the life of an artist is lonely?
Dirty Shirt
No, why do you say that? To the contrary. No, we have a big family, besides our band, the fans. It’s like a big family. It’s not lonely. We are in the band like a close family and we are back at home, we meet our real life family. So we are never alone. We are always surrounded with close people but also with fans and it’s nice.
Benedetta
Do you think that in 2026 is harder or is it going to be possible to reach an equality with men and women in the metal industry?
Dirty Shirt
Sorry, I didn’t think like that because we are people. I don’t think it’s a contest here. So everyone has his place. If she’s a good voice, why not? I think it’s really incredible to see how the things have changed in the last 10 years. Because until 10 years ago it was a very macho movement with very few female vocalists or musicians. But in the last 10 years the number of bands with female vocalists or instrumentists exploded. In our band until 2017 we were only guys and in the last 9 years now we have 3 backing vocals, we have also a violin player who is a girl. So yes, the things are changing. Then to arrive to equality, I think this depends also on the taste. You cannot force it, naturally there should be an equilibrium between the music you love and the people who are playing it. And in society also.
Benedetta
So, after Wacken, what are the plans for Dirty Shirt for the rest of 2026?
Dirty Shirt
We are working on the new album, and we are pretty far ahead in the game with many songs already recording in their final state. So, it’s progressing real quick. We have some nice guests We started recording the drums for the next album after the new one. It’s a double album. One year maximum between them: 10-11 songs the first volume, 10-11 songs the second volume. We already released two singles. The first one, it was last year, it was “FOMO“. And the second one, it was this year, “Büntetö“. It was a Gypsy Hungarian song with a Hungarian band as featuring. We have a lot of featurings. In this album, we started a crazy idea to collaborate with many artists we met or we love a lot. So, we can announce Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull already recorded a song. It will be released in September. And then we can announce also Jared from (hed)p.e. from United States. There will be other very big ones.
Benedetta
Guys, thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me. Is there anything else that you want to add to our readers?
Dirty Shirt
Invite us to play in Italy. We have an Italian in our band. And he told us that it’s difficult to play in Italy. So convince us that it’s not so difficult. I don’t know, invite us to a big festival or something. Come to the show.
The post Interview with Dirty Shirt first appeared on FemMetal – Goddesses of Metal.