Paradise Lost

More than three decades into their career, and with over two million albums sold, Paradise Lost remain the undisputed kings of metal’s dark side. Formed in Halifax in 1988, the band quickly became noted as the pioneers of gothic metal through their early groundbreaking albums like 1991’s aptly-titled ‘Gothic’, a mixture of heaviness intertwined with shadowy melody and atmosphere.

Never a group to remain creatively static, across their career they’ve explored a myriad of avenues of dark music, from sludgy doom-death roots, to conquering the metal mainstream with the enormous, lush sounds of 1995’s ‘Draconian Times’, to more experimental, electronic leanings, leaving an influence on a trail of artists.

Now, in 2025, the Yorkshire quintet return with their staggering 17th album, ‘Ascension’, a record that sees their crown continue to gleam as it underlines just how they attained their position. The albums 10 tracks traverse the multitude of sounds in the band’s arsenal, from full-bore heavy metal to sky-high melody, all the while keeping a minor-key melancholy that remains irresistible.

The NEW album ”Ascension”, is out September 19th, via Nuclear Blast Records, Pre-Order and Pre-Save: paradiselost.bfan.link/ascension

Godsmack

Godsmack is an American alternative metal/hard rock American band originally from Lawrence, Massachusetts. The current lineup consists of Sully Ema, Robbie Merrill, Tony Rombola and Shannon Larkin.

Judas Priest

THE NEW ALBUM. INVINCIBLE SHIELD. OUT NOW.

Primus

Primus is a rock band formed in California in the mid-1980s by two ex-members of thrash metal band Blind Illusion, Les Claypool and Larry Lalonde. Les (vocals and bass guitar) has been the only constant member. They have had two guitar players (although Larry has held onto the role for the past 16 years) and many different drummers (although Tim Alexander and Bryan Mantia were the only ones who recorded with the band, and Jay Lane was the only other one who had creative impact) in the past.

Their music has proven difficult to define; while usually considered by critics to be funk-metal or alternative metal, Primus has been called everything from "thrash funk" (as the band blends funk-style bass technique with thrash influenced guitar riffs and songs tempos), to "alternative rock" to "the Freak Brothers set to music." Les Claypool himself once described their music as "psychedelic polka." Thanks to the diversity of their sound they have been able to gain fans from nearly all rock subgenres. Primus is the only band to have their own ID3 genre tag in Winamp. They are characterized by their irreverent approach to music — they release their records on Claypool's Prawn Song Records label, a parody of Led Zeppelin's Swan Song, and their catchphrase was, for several years, "Primus Sucks!". In 2003 the band dropped that catchphrase, as well as Tim Alexander's nickname "Herb".

Early Days (1984–1991)
Primus began as Primate in the mid-1980s with Claypool and guitarist Todd Huth. Drummer Peter Libby was added in later, although the band would go through many other drummers throughout their early history. They formed in El Sobrante, California, United States. After rising to local music scene stardom with their brand of funk/metal fusion, Huth and current drummer Jay Lane left in 1989 to pursue other projects. Claypool recruited death metal guitarist and one time Joe Satriani student Larry LaLonde (usually referred to as "Ler" later) and eclectic drummer Tim "Herb" Alexander. Primus gained even greater popularity and soon released their first album, Suck on This, a live recording culled from two of their Berkeley concerts. The album was financed by Les' father.

In their early days, Primus were heavily associated with the Bay Area Thrash scene. Opening for bands such as Testament and Exodus they picked up a following of fans who were involved in the scene as a result. Today, Primus is one of few "alt-metal" bands commonly enjoyed by "true metal" fans, perhaps as a result of this.

It is an infamous fact that after the death of their bassist Cliff Burton in 1986, Metallica strongly considered Les Claypool (a close friend of the band) to be Cliff's replacement. After much deliberation, James Hetfield decided that Claypool was "too funky for Metallica", and Jason Newsted was chosen instead. The rest, for both Metallica and Primus, is history.

Primus played a number of early shows at Barrington Hall, a notoriously free-wheeling Berkeley student housing co-operative. Barrington Hall is often referenced in the band's music: the song "Frizzle Fry" refers to a Barrington party, and the album Tales from the Punchbowl refers to the LSD-spiked punch that was frequently served at Barrington social events.

In 1990 the band released their first studio album, Frizzle Fry also on Prawn Song and released singles for "John the Fisherman" and "Too Many Puppies." With a music video — featuring Kirk Hammett — a studio album, and a tour with Jane's Addiction, Primus's popularity grew to the point where they attracted attention from Interscope Records, who signed them in 1990.

Peak Years (1991–1996)
Primus' major label debut was Sailing the Seas of Cheese supported by singles "Jerry Was a Race Car Driver," and "Tommy the Cat (featuring Tom Waits)," which both appeared on MTV (a third single "Those Damned Blue-Collar Tweekers" was also released but did not feature a video). The band also appeared in Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey and made music for Beavis & Butthead. With a major label behind them, Sailing the Seas of Cheese went gold and the band toured in support of Rush, U2, Anthrax, and Public Enemy. Today, Sailing the Seas of Cheese is considered an alternative rock classic by many critics.

After the release of Sailing the Seas of Cheese, in 1992 Primus released a cover song EP Miscellaneous Debris, with their version of XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel" managing to break airwaves.

In 1993, Primus released Pork Soda, which managed to debut at #7 on the Billboard Top 10. The album was darker than previous Primus efforts, dealing with murder, suicide, and alienation. The band has commented that prior to recording, they had been touring for nearly two solid years and were thus in a somber mood. "My Name Is Mud", "DMV", and "Mr. Krinkle" were hits, the latter inspiring a video featuring Claypool in a pig suit and tuxedo playing upright bass in an abandoned warehouse as a carnival of oddities parades behind him, including Claypool's wife and her twin sister. The band reportedly put their heart and soul into the video, but it received next to no airtime on MTV.

Pork Soda also carries the distinction of being the first full length album recorded at Claypool's house. The band would subsequently record all of their albums in his home studio.

In 1993, Primus headlined the alternative rock festival Lollapalooza. They also made an appearance at the Woodstock '94 Music Festival where they performed "My Name is Mud" with predictable results (Claypool claims to still have mud in his speakers). It was clear that Primus-mania was growing, and the band was churning out material frequently. In the previous four years they had released three albums, an EP, six music videos, and a home video. To top that all off, they toured with Rush, who they consider to be one of their biggest influences.

During a lull in 1994, the original Primus lineup consisting of Claypool, Huth, and Lane reunited to record Riddles are Abound Tonight under the band name Sausage. Among the pre-Primus songs they recorded were "Temporary Phase", "Prelude to Fear", and "Shattering Song." The video to "Riddles Are Abound Tonight" featured the band in blue leotards performing on stationary bicycles.

In 1995, Primus released their fifth album, Tales from the Punchbowl. It was very well received and contained Primus's most successful single to date, the Grammy-nominated "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver." The ubiquitous song was accompanied by an equally ubiquitous video with the band members dressed up in cartoonish plastic cowboy costume (similar to the suits worn in the then current Duracell battery commercials). So great was their popularity that the band was invited to perform on David Letterman and Conan O'Brien's shows. Two other less successful singles, "Mrs. Blaileen" and "Southbound Pachyderm" (the latter of which featured a claymation video that apparently only got played on MTV a small number of times) were also released.

Many falsely believed "Wynona" was about actress Winona Ryder. Claypool has acknowledged several times that the song is not about Ryder, indicating that the song's name is spelled and pronounced differently. While this placated Ryder, her then boyfriend Soul Asylum vocalist David Pirner took offense and renamed one of his songs "Les Claypool's a Big Fucking Asshole" in concert. Claypool was apparently not even aware of this at the time, although this did cause tension between fans of Primus and Soul Asylum for a brief period.

Mantia Era & Hiatus (1997–2002)
Disturbed by their sudden fame, Primus gradually began to disown "Wynona." It would not be long before Claypool stated that they would stop playing it altogether. Nonetheless, Alexander left the band in 1996 due to creative differences. Rumored replacements for Alexander included Mike Bordin of Faith No More, but in the end he was replaced by Bryan "Brain" Mantia of Limbomaniacs and Praxis. Mantia was one of the many drummers Claypool auditioned for the original line-up of Primus before settling with Alexander — Mantia bowed out beforehand due to a foot injury.

With Mantia aboard, Primus was asked in 1997 to compose the theme song to South Park after the show's creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone professed to be big fans. (Les Claypool was an early supporter of their Spirit of Christmas video postcard/demo.) Primus also contributed to the South Park "Chef Aid" album with the song "Mephisto and Kevin", telling the story of Gopherboy. By this time, bands that were influenced by Primus's bottom-heavy rock — such as Tool, KoЯn, and Limp Bizkit— were starting to gain a growing audience in the alternative metal genre which Primus had helped to promote.

1997's Brown Album was a departure from previous Primus leaving the majority of fans disappointed. Critically, it was Primus's least successful album, having received, for the most part, adverse reviews. Commercially it did not do as well as previous efforts. Both singles "Shake Hands With Beef" and "Over the Falls" flopped. The band would later distance itself from the album. Claypool would go so far as to comment in concert, "does anyone want to hear anything from the Brown Album? Me neither."

Antipop was released in 1999, and was the first album to feature heavy input from outside musicians and producers. The album was seen as a 'return to form' by most long term Primus fans, featuring harder edge song-writing fans had been craving as well as greatly improved production over the previous album. The band toured with Ozzfest and released a video for "Lacquerhead" that was banned from MTV because of its drug content, even though it was an anti-drug song.

In 2000, Primus performed a cover of the Black Sabbath classic "N.I.B." with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals. This track appeared originally on the album "Nativity in Black, Vol. 2: A Tribute to Black Sabbath". The single hit number 2 on the Billboard Modern Rock tracks, the band's highest charting single in nearly a decade. The track would later be released on Ozzy's Prince of Darkness box-set in 2005.

After touring to promote Antipop throughout 2000, citing studio mismanagement and general dissatisfaction, Primus went on indefinite hiatus in 2001.

During the hiatus, Alexander released two albums with the band Laundry and performed with Blue Man Group, A Perfect Circle, and Born Naked, among others. Claypool explored the jam band scene with Oysterhead (featuring his friend Trey Anastasio of Phish as well as Stewart Copeland) and his own Colonel Les Claypool's Fearless Flying Frog Brigade. He also collaborated with Mantia in Colonel Claypool's Bucket of Bernie Brains. LaLonde joined Mantia to produce two experimental No Forcefield records, and tried unsuccessfully to start a recording studio.

Reformation (2003–Present)
In late 2003, Claypool reunited with LaLonde and, in a surprise move, Tim Alexander to record a DVD/EP called Animals Should Not Try to Act Like People, which Claypool described as the first DVD with supplementary music, as opposed to the contrary. The band staged a two month tour in which they performed two sets per show, the second consisting of their 1991 release Sailing the Seas of Cheese in its entirety. 2004 saw them continue touring, and even performing their 1990 release Frizzle Fry in its entirety. For these two tours, the band sold recordings directly recorded from the sound-board online, following an example of other bands such as Phish. The performance in Chicago was video taped as well, and was released on the 'Hallucino-Genetics' Live DVD. The band's style as of their last EP was based on the jam band style with extended soloing from band members and less focus on lyrics. This follows the musical evolution of Les Claypool's work during the Primus hiatus, it is unknown whether this style was simply temporary or if the band has permanently switched over to it.

On July 19, 2005, it was announced that Primus was going to release a new full-length album by spring of 2006 with an international tour following shortly thereafter. The release would have been the first full-length Primus album since 1999's Antipop, and the first full-length album with Alexander on drums since 1995's Tales From the Punchbowl.

Later that year, the band performed at Lollapalooza in July and Vegoose in October while still spending time recording new songs; no new tracks were performed at these festivals.

As spring of 2006 came and went, Primus' reported new album did not materialize. The band has been tight-lipped about the album's progress, although an update on Tim Alexander's website stated that he was still working on new Primus material at the time.

Primus performed at the 1st Annual Hedgpeth Festival in Twin Lakes, Wisconsin that year in July. No new tracks were performed, and no word was given by any of the members regarding the new album.

October 17th saw the release of the band's first ever greatest hits compilation album They Can't All Be Zingers on Interscope Records as well as a DVD released on Prawn Song Records called Blame It on the Fish: An Abstract Look at the 2003 Primus Tour De Fromage. The DVD contained live footage from the band's 2003 reunion tour, interview segments, behind the scenes footage, and other assorted material including a 30 minute mockumentary about the band in 2065.

In November 2006, the band commenced the month-long Primus: The Beat a Dead Horse Tour 2006. During the tour, Primus began performing "Wynona's Big Brown Beaver" for the first time in 7 years. The music video game Guitar Hero 2 for the Playstation 2 was also released in November and featured the Primus song "John the Fisherman." The game would later be released for the Xbox 360 in April 2007.

In 2008, Primus continued their post-hiatus trend of performing at large outdoor festivals when they played the Rothbury Music Festival over the July 4th weekend in Rothbury, Michigan and the Outside Lands Festival during late-August in San Fransisco, California.

Side Projects
Since reuniting in 2003, the band members have balanced their Primus duties with a number of various other projects. Les Claypool continues to tour and record with his "Fancy" band. They have released one full-length album, Of Whales and Woes (2006), and a live DVD, Fancy (2007). Claypool has also tried his hand at cinema, writing and directing the jam band spoof Electric Apricot: Quest for Festeroo (2006), and playing the role of a preacher in James Isaac's indie horror film Pig Hunt (2008). He also published his first novel, South of the Pumphouse (2006), and even started his own wine company, Claypool Cellars.

Tim Alexander released the debut album titled This Is a Dream from his project Fata Morgana, which was written, produced, and almost entirely performed by Alexander. He is also playing shows and recording material with his other group Into The Presence consisting of Nicki Tedesco and Luis Carlos Maldonado. Both albums feature a number of guest performers, many of whom Alexander has worked with at one time or another throughout his career.

Larry LaLonde joined the touring band for System of a Down vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Serj Tankian in 2007 in support of Serj's debut solo album, Elect the Dead, which also subsequentally features several appearances by former Primus drummer Bryan "Brain" Mantia.

Arch Enemy

For decades, Arch Enemy has stood as a global powerhouse, synonymous with precision, brutality, and melodic perfection. As one of the most influential forces in metal, they have conquered stages worldwide and defined the very blueprint of modern melodic death metal. For this band, led by founder Michael Amott, standing still has never been an option—evolution is their only constant. The year 2026 marks the dawn of a monumental new era. Following the success of their Blood Dynasty cycle, Arch Enemy is stepping into a bold new chapter of their storied history. With the arrival of the formidable Lauren Hart as their new frontwoman, the band has transformed into a revitalized and more lethal version of itself. Lauren Hart brings a raw, unbridled energy and a commanding vocal ferocity that fuses perfectly with the band’s legendary twin-guitar assault. This transition is far more than a lineup change; it is a powerful rebirth. Arch Enemy is ready to reclaim the throne, proving that their darkest and most intense era is only just beginning.

Within Temptation

🎧 Within Temptation x Smash Into Pieces - ‘Somebody Like You’ is out now! Stream the song: wt.lnk.to/wtsipsly

Slaughter To Prevail

Kostolom is the epic second LP from the duo Alex Terrible and Jack Simmons’ band Slaughter to Prevail. The album expands on the dynamic extremes of their 2017 debut, Misery Sermon — pairing Alex’s dark, cathartic lyrics with Simmons’ pummeling riffs and tense, cinematic solos. “We wanted to make each song for us stand out in a different way,” the guitarist says. “On some of the songs, we focused on wanting to keep it uptempo, building to a breakdown as the focal point. Other songs it was about groove or the chorus — ‘how can we make this melodic?’ The albums we love the most have those dynamics, and we want to use them to make each part hit harder.”

The songs evolved over several years, the first demos constructed shortly before the release of Misery Sermon. And they finally finished the material in late 2020, with everyone (Alex, Simmons, bassist Mikhail Petrov, guitarist Dmitry Mamedov) having tracked their respective parts at home. (Evgeny Novikov recorded his drums at a nearby studio in Moscow.)

Tracks like “Made in Russia” and “Head on a Plate” pile-drive their detuned riffs straight into your skull, offering a platform for Alex at his most menacing. But the frontman also stretches out across the record, adding clean choruses to anthems like “Baba Yaga” and “Your Only.”
Alex’s words — largely sung in Russian, with occasional bursts of English — are also more balanced than the bleak song titles may suggest. “The lyrics,” Simmons says, “are quite personal to anyone who listens, I think — of personal struggle, keeping a positive mental attitude and going through the shit to have a better life and achieve your goals.”

As always, Slaughter to Prevail aim to provoke you, even as they empower you. “We want something that causes an emotion — whether it’s good or bad, disappointment or excitement or whatever,” Simmons says. “We don’t want something that’s stereotypical.”

Airbourne

When Airbourne entered Music Farm Studio in southeastern Australia to track their new self-titled album, the sixth in a recording career now two decades deep, they effectively drew a line in the Byron Bay sand. This was the moment. Time to dig deep, to show the values they keep close, the traditions they uphold, the music that defines them. While history proves these Melbourne-based musicians – brothers Joel and Ryan O’Keeffe, vocals / guitar & drums respectively, bassist Justin Street and guitarist Brett Tyrrell – to be ever ready for a challenge, this one was larger than the band. Their mission was to create not just the greatest body of work in the Airbourne canon, but to scale the highest possible peak. Simply, this is ‘Airbourne’, band and album, at the very peak of their powers, pushing themselves to the limit in single-minded pursuit of the “iconic, gargantuan” release they had in their sights from the start; a release – produced by Brian Howes (who helmed 2013’s ‘Black Dog Barking’), engineered by Mike Fraser (who worked on 2010’s ‘No Guts. No Glory’ and 2016’s ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell’), mixed by Zakk Cervini (BMTH, Architects) and mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen – that pays heartfelt tribute to the enduring spirit of fallen rock’n’roll idols like Bon Scott and Lemmy, John Bonham and Malcolm Young, revered artists kept alive in the hearts and minds of fans.

Deafheaven

DEAFHEAVEN.COM

Alcest

Guilt Trip is a UK Metal/Hardcore Crossover band.

Bloodbath

Death is fucking everywhere. It’s time for another deep dive into the horrors of mortality and the foul side of the supernatural. It’s time for Survival Of The Sickest, the sixth full-length album from Bloodbath, Sweden’s undisputed masters of old school death metal.

Bloodbath began life as a humble tribute. Formed by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström (both of Katatonia), Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) and Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity) in 1998, they devoted themselves to resurrecting the increasingly forgotten art of pure death metal. Inspired by the greats and grotesques of the Swedish and Florida scenes, Bloodbath pooled their talents and discovered that they were more than equal to the achievements of the genre’s revered ancient gods. Kicking off with the release of four-track EP Breeding Death at the turn of the century, the Swedes have since evolved and mutated multiple times, releasing a succession of peerless, face-ripping death metal masterpieces along the way. Whether fronted by Åkerfeldt (on seminal debut Resurrection Through Carnage and merciless third album The Fathomless Mastery), or by Hypocrisy’s Peter Tägtgren (on 2004’s crushing Nightmares Made Flesh), Bloodbath steadily became a revered benchmark for deathly, old school evangelism.

In 2014, Bloodbath unveiled a new frontman – legendary Paradise Lost vocalist Nick Holmes, now redubbed Old Nick – and yet another macabre musical evolution. With a line-up of Renkse, Nyström, Per ‘Sodomizer’ Eriksson, Martin ‘Axe’ Axenrot and Holmes, the only way to go was grim. Darker and nastier than any previous record, Grand Morbid Funeral was widely hailed as a masterpiece, and a new era had begun. Three years later, the maliciously blackened death tirade of The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn took Bloodbath even deeper into blasphemous, bloodstained depths, adding yet another gleaming gem to one of death metal’s most impressive catalogues.

Fast forward to 2022 and the world is in flames. Survival Of The Sickest offers no respite from the horrors of reality. Instead, with the addition of new guitarist Tomas ‘Plytet’ Åkvik (Lik) onboard, Bloodbath’s latest and greatest album gleefully confronts the slavering ghoul lurking in the shadows, and treats him to ten songs of ripping death metal frenzy. From the thuggish brain-smash of opener Zombie Inferno, to the bleak, obsidian ooze of the closing No God Before Me, Survival Of The Sickest is the sound of a great band on blistering form.

“We started writing during the second half of lockdown. It was all quite easy going, just file sharing and all the usual stuff you luckily can do when being thousands of miles apart,” says Nick Holmes. “I usually write all of my stuff with Anders, and Jonas writes all his own tunes. Our new guitar player Tomas, has written a couple of songs on there too. We had plenty of time to work on everything. Lockdown did us a favour!”

In contrast with The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn, which borrowed heavily from the blackened end of the death metal world, the new Bloodbath goes straight for the jugular in true old school fashion. With strong echoes of everything from Morbid Angel and Death through to Deicide and Obituary, songs like the rampaging Putrefying Corpse, the disgustingly slow and heavy Dead Parade, and the deliciously twisted Tales Of Melting Flesh breathe fresh fire into an arcane, perpetually rotting formula.

“I guess we were going back for more of the Florida sound and style this time,” Holmes agrees. “We also decided to drop the make-up for this new chapter. It was fun at first, but it had run its course, so we’ve jettisoned all of that now. All aspects considered, this album is probably closest to Nightmares Made Flesh, that same sort of vibe. I honestly think it’s the best album I’ve done with Bloodbath. You tend to say that with new records, but I absolutely love this one. It’s super heavy!”

Alongside Bloodbath’s official alumni, Survival Of The Sickest boasts a smattering of irresistible cameos from the great, good and ghoulish of the metal underground.

“We’ve got some great guests on there, too. Barney from Napalm Death is on one song, and we got Marc from Morgoth as well as Luc from Gorguts on a few others. We got people to sing certain parts, just to add a different texture. Barney’s bit really suits his voice and his style. I think you can tell we had a lot of fun writing this one. It’s super heavy and in your face, so hopefully it’ll do the trick.”

In terms of subject matter, Bloodbath have always stared death in the face. On Survival Of The Sickest they evoke their most horrifying sonic scenarios to date, from the death-by-munching nightmare of Malignant Maggot Therapy, to the murderous nihilism of Affliction Of Extinction. Revelling in bloodstained darkness has always been the Bloodbath way, but this time they really sound like they are having fun.

“This album is predominantly about zombies, really!,” laughs Holmes. “I’d say the songs are a little more thoughtful on this one. We tackle some environmental stuff as well as the usual gore, but it’s all die-hard horror, and I love having fun with that. The titles say it all, you know? The artwork is pretty gory too, so it all does what it says on the tin.”

A glorious comeback from a legendarily wicked musical force, Survival Of The Sickest provides yet more proof that Bloodbath are the kings of the old school. This is death metal at its ugly best: vicious, unrelenting and irrevocably sworn to the black. Time for another Bloodbath!

Emperor

The official Emperor facebook.

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Amenra

Amenra is a progressive/sludge/post-metal band formed 2003 in Belgium (Kortrijk, West-Flanders).

Amenra delivers dark, heavy and sludgy post-hardcore in the vein of Cult of Luna, Isis and Neurosis. Intense, noisy and gloomy almost spheric at times. Rich and Textured riffs. Thunderous low tones. High impact percussion and cutthroat vocals splattered with a healthy dose of religious iconography. Coalesce into a beautiful pitch black collection of staggering proportion.

Discography:

Mass I: Prayer I - VI Full-length, 2003

Prayer 8 : Offerande (split with VUUR) Split album, 2004

Prayers 9 + 10 EP, 2004

Gameness/Amen Ra/Gantz/Vuur 4-way split Split album, 2004

Mass II: Sermons EP, 2005

Mass III Full-length, 2005

Amenra & Hitch Split Split album, 2007

Mass IIII Full-length, 2008

Mass Hysteria

Paradise Lost

Performers