For decades, DEAN GUITARS has been one of the most recognizable names in heavy music, with its sharp-edged instruments becoming synonymous with everyone from DIMEBAG DARRELL to countless thrash, death, and shred guitarists. Now, however, the company finds itself facing perhaps the biggest challenge in its history. According to recently […]
Metal stories
ARCHGOAT Return from the Abyss with New Album ‘Nightbringer, Lightbringer’
There are few bands in extreme metal as stubbornly devoted to their own path as ARCHGOAT. Trends come and go, production gets cleaner, genres split into increasingly obscure subgenres—but the Finnish veterans continue marching through the darkness with all the subtlety of a battering ram wrapped in barbed wire. Five […]
END IT Declare War On Banana Man, Accidentally Lose To Banana Man
Hardcore has finally found its greatest enemy. Not cops. Not landlords. Not Nazis. Not Live Nation. Not $42 merch fees. A guy in a banana costume. Baltimore hardcore band END IT recently played Toronto with TERROR, PAIN OF TRUTH, and START TODAY, and somewhere in the crowd was a man […]
Ira Black’s New Band APOCÆLYPSE Ask Who’s Really in Control on “INTELL-I-GENTS”
Most metal veterans eventually start a side project. Some record a blues album. Some buy motorcycles. Ira Black decided to build an entire futuristic metal band and put himself behind the microphone. The longtime guitarist known for his work with VIO-LENCE, METAL CHURCH, LIZZY BORDEN, I AM MORBID, and WESTFIELD […]
When Metal Bands Went Full Hollywood: The Most Expensive Heavy Music Videos Ever Made
Metal has never been known for throwing money around. Most bands are happy if the van survives the tour and nobody has to sleep on a venue floor. But every now and then, somebody in the heavy music world decides that a normal music video isn’t enough. Why shoot in […]
Report: Maryland Deathfest 2026, Part 2
(Continued from here) The nature of a festival like this is that after spending several days running between stages and watching dozens of bands, it’s difficult to remember every performance. By the end, what stays with you are the truly exceptional moments — something unexpectedly spectacular, something predictably spectacular, or […]
Report: Maryland Deathfest 2026, Part 1
Late May, Memorial Day weekend — which means it was time once again for one of America’s finest and most eclectic metal festivals, the annual Maryland Deathfest. This is the kind of event people buy tickets for before a single band has even been announced. Because of the reputation. And […]
J NOIRE Drops Debut Single “Radiate” — Modern Rock With a Dark Edge
Not exactly metal, but definitely something fans of darker, atmospheric rock music may want to keep on their radar. Nashville-based artist J NOIRE has officially debuted his first single, “Radiate,” through newly launched VAUX RECORDS — the label founded by former RISE RECORDS owner Craig Ericson, whose résumé includes helping […]
UADA Cancel All 2026 Live Activities Due To Family And Health Issues
Black metal purveyors UADA have announced the cancellation of all scheduled live appearances in 2026 due to personal and health-related circumstances within the band’s camp. In a statement shared with fans, the band said: “Due to circumstances beyond our control — including family surgery and some minor health issues within […]
99-Year-Old Crowd Surfer Proves It’s Never Too Late To Party — Just Maybe Don’t Try A Stage Dive At 100
At 99 years old, most people are expected to slow down. Pauline Kana decided to crowd surf instead. The internet-famous “Gangster Granny” has officially earned a Guinness World Record after becoming the oldest person ever to crowd surf at a concert, proving that the urge to raise hell doesn’t come […]