Eagles have donated $2.5 million to FireAid, a benefit concert scheduled to take place at the 18,000-capacity Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California, on January 30.
The show, which is being organised by industry heavyweights Live Nation, AEG and Irving Azoff (Eagles’ longtime manager) will raise funds for those impacted by the wildfires still ravaging parts of Los Angeles. No acts have yet been announced for the show.
Earlier this week, Metallica‘s All Within My Hands Foundation announced it was granting $500,000 to relief efforts carried out by the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Recovery Fund and the Pasadena Community Foundation’s Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund.
The fires, which have been raging across Los Angeles since January 7, have already claimed 25 lives and led to the evacuation of more than 180,000 people. More than 12,000 structures have been destroyed and the cost of damage is currently estimated at $250-275 billion.
MusiCares, the charity that provides a financial safety net for those working in the music industry, has announced a $1 million pledge to support music professionals impacted by the fires, offering $1,500 in immediate financial assistance and $500 in food vouchers to those with three years music industry service.
For announcements regarding the FireAid concert, sign up at the FireAid Relief website.
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Before music’s biggest stars gather to honor the highest music achievements of the year, Julien’s Auctions and MusiCares® will come together to light up Music’s Biggest Night with this year’s best music memorabilia up for auction in the star studded MusiCares® Charity Relief Auction live at The Recording Academy in Santa Monica, California and online on juliensauctions.com on Sunday, February 2.
The Julien’s Auctions MusiCares Charity Relief Auction holds a vital place in supporting MusiCares’ mission to provide a safety net for music professionals in times of need. This annual event, held in conjunction with the MusiCares Persons of the Year celebration, raises essential funds that help music professionals recover from crises, including the unprecedented challenges posed by the recent wildfires in Greater Los Angeles. While the items on auction honor the legacy and creativity of music’s biggest icons, the funds raised have a very tangible impact—supporting services such as disaster relief, mental health resources, addiction recovery, and essential living expenses for those in the music community. This year, the auction takes on even greater importance as MusiCares continues its work to address both the immediate and ongoing needs of music professionals affected by these devastating events.
This Official Grammy®Week event precedes the 67th Annual Grammy Awards® Telecast. Proceeds will benefit MusiCares, the leading music industry charity. MusiCares provides the music community a support system of health and human services across a spectrum of needs including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, unforeseen personal emergencies and disaster relief.
It was announced today that more than 60 exclusive, one-of-a-kind items given by the world’s greatest music and pop culture icons of our time including instruments, stage worn wardrobe, personal items, signed memorabilia and more from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Coldplay, Dolly Parton, Lionel Richie, Meghan Trainor, Neil Young, Olivia Rodrigo, Ringo Starr, Slash, Quincy Jones and for the first time at Julien’s and MusiCares’ annual initiative, wardrobe from K-pop groups, Tomorrow X Together, Seventeen and NewJeans, will hit the auction block. More incredible items from several yet-to-be-revealed artists, including MusiCares 2025 Persons of the Year honorees The Grateful Dead, will be unveiled in the coming days.
Among the highlights announced today (with estimates):
A 2023 Martin DX-2E X Series Special acoustic electric guitar signed by the following music legends at the “Keep The Party Going: A Tribute To Jimmy Buffett” event held at The Hollywood Bowl in 2024: Snoop Dog, Eric Church, Paul McCartney, Zac Brown, The Eagles, Pitbull, Jake Owen, Sheryl Crow, Angelique Kidjo, JD Souther, Brandi Carlisle, Kenny Chesney, Jon Bon Jovi, Don Johnson, and Will Arnett ($3,000-$5,000).
A 2024 Fender American Vintage II 1951 Telecaster electric guitar in butterscotch blonde finish donated and autographed by Bruce Springsteen with his familiar signature and a distinctive “doodle” – this axe’s design and style is similar to the 1950s Fender guitar the twenty-time Grammy award-winning rock icon with fifty-one Grammy nominations has played since the 1970s ($2,000-$4,000).
A 1995 Gibson Les Paul Studio electric guitar in Wine Red finish with gold hardware accompanied by a second pickguard signed by the two-time Grammy award-winning rock and folk icon with twenty-eight Grammy nominations, Neil Young ($2,000-$4,000).
A black felt top hat with a black ribbon hat band, worn by Stevie Nicks during a promotional shoot for her 2024 musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live and signed with additional celestial doodles by the two-time Grammy award-winning Fleetwood Mac legend, with fifteen Grammy nominations ($1,000-$2,000) (photo credit: Mary Ellen Matthews).
A 2024 Gibson Slash Les Paul Standard electric guitar (pictured at top) in November Burst finish signed by the Guns N’ Roses legend and dated 2024 along with the Grammy award-winner and seven-time Grammy nominee’s signature Skully caricature ($2,000-$4,000).
“Julien’s Auctions is proud to partner again with MusiCares to celebrate the gift of music and its power to inspire and heal the world in our annual charity relief initiative,” said Martin Nolan, Co-Founder and Executive Director of Julien’s Auctions. “From signed guitars from The Boss to Olivia Rodrigo to stage worn outfits from Dolly Parton to global sensation NewJeans, the best of the best will be offered in this incomparable opportunity to own a piece of music history while making a difference.”
“Year after year, our partnership with Julien’s Auctions helps MusiCares provide vital support to the music community. The generosity of artists and fans fuels our mission to care for those who make music possible,” said Laura Segura, Executive Director of MusiCares.
MusiCares helps the humans behind music because music gives so much to the world. Offering preventive, emergency and recovery programs, MusiCares is a safety net supporting the health and welfare of the music community. Founded by the Recording Academy® in 1989 as a U.S. based 501(c)(3) charity, MusiCares safeguards the well-being of all music people through direct financial grant programs, networks of support resources, and tailored crisis relief efforts.
MusiCares is here to support the music community during times of disaster, such as the current wildfires in Los Angeles. Music professionals affected by these events can reach out for assistance with costs related to evacuation, relocation, instrument replacement, home damage, medical care, mental health services, and other essential living expenses. For more information or to apply for support, contact MusiCares at MusiCaresRelief@musicares.org or call 1-800-687-4227.
Julien’s Auctions Live and Online Auction MusiCares Charity Relief Auction An Official 67th Grammy Week Event Sunday, February 2, 2025 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Pacific Time (approximately) The Recording Academy MusiCares Foundation 3030 Olympic Blvd Santa Monica, CA 90404
Registration is required to bid in this online auction and can be done in person at the exhibition, or online before the sale at the JuliensAuctions.com Registration page to bid by phone, proxy or in person or by calling (310) 836-1818. For inquiries, please email info@juliensauctions.com or call 310-836-1818.
There are four ways to bid in Live Auctions:
– Bid with Julien’s Auctions online and live-in real time. – Bid over the telephone through an auction house representative. – Bid in person in the room at our auction events – Bid in advance by absentee bid. Absentee bid forms are available by calling 310-836-1818
For the moments that matter.
You know that moment when the lights dim, right before your favorite band starts playing? Or that feeling right before the credits roll on a movie that changed your whole world in an instant? The air is charged with anticipation and words are never going to do it justice because you just really had to be there.
At Julien’s, we exist to bring those moments back into your life through iconic artifacts and one-of-a-kind collections. Whether collaborating directly with artists, partnering with legendary estates, or working closely with discerning collectors, our auctions make culture pop with the promise of discovery and reconnection. From Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, and Ringo Starr to Lady Gaga, Banksy, and Kurt Cobain—from LA to the world, we are where originals find their kind.
Coal Chamber have officially cancelled their Fiend For The Fans Tour 2025, which was to feature support from Fear Factory, Twiztid, Black Satellite, and Frayle. Dez Fafara has issued the following statement:
“Hello everyone,
“First off let me say that we are sending prayers to all who are affected in these terrible California wildfires. We have many friends on evacuation or that have lost everything please donate or do what you can to help.
“At this time, I will be taking down the scheduled touring this year until quarter 4 to focus on my health.
“For everybody that has shown support and given me positive comments, sent our family prayers or contacted us with well wishes, I want to thank you so much. It means a great deal to not only myself but my family during this trying time.
“I’ve had a very blessed life and in all lives some rain must fall and certainly over the last few years. It’s been stormy for my family and I with my health.
“I’m looking forward to getting healthy. My attitude is positive and when I’m ready I’m gonna get back on the road harder than ever with both Coal Chamber and DevilDriver.
“There are a lot of things in the works with both of those bands, but I won’t go over them now because I want to focus on this announcement and I wanted you guys to hear it straight from me.
“To all those who supported me, been behind me, I’m so sorry that these tours have to come down but at this time I’m just not able to go do my job at 100%.
“Love one another and be good to one another.” – Dez Fafara
Today, Dirty Honey announces Mayhem And Revelry Live, the band’s first live-in-concert, double-vinyl CD and digital release, and its companion four-part video documentary, recorded live throughout North America, the UK and Europe on the band’s 2023-24 “Can’t Find the Brakes” World Tour.
Set for a February 21st release (Dirt Records), the album and video capture the band’s explosive energy and camaraderie with its audience and each other, and puts viewers front and center inside the barricade at the band’s sixty concerts. With 16 tracks total, Side One of the vinyl features recordings from the North American concerts, and the Side Two recordings are from the UK and European shows.
Said guitarist John Notto, “We are very proud to present to you this collection of live performances from around the world. Like my favorite live albums I listened to constantly as a kid, I believe this album features the band in its most honest form, feeding off the audience and walking the wire with a grin and a dash of reckless abandon that can only come from that magical place we get to onstage with you, the audience. We hope you enjoy listening to this as much as we enjoyed performing it.”
“To me, live albums have always been the quintessential corner stone for any rock band’s catalog,” vocalist Marc LaBelle added. “I grew up on Aerosmith’s A Little South of Sanity, AC/DC’s LIVE, The Stones’ Get Your Ya-Ya’s Out, and Zeppelin’s How the West Was Won. There’s something beautiful about a band’s unbridled live energy mixed with an audience’s excitement that breathes new life into songs. The guys in the band and I have long been told ‘your records are awesome, but you’re even better live,’ and I think that sentiment comes across loud and clear on Mayhem & Revelry.”
Mayhem And Revelry Liv credits:
Produced by Dirty Honey Recorded by Mike Dalke Mixed by Chris “The Raven” Albers Mastered by Mark Chalecki Art design by Michelle Holme
Dirty Honey Is:
Marc Labelle – Vocals John Notto – Guitars Justin Smolian – Bass Jaydon Bean – Drums
Alongside today’s kickoff of their North American tour supporting metal icon Kerry King, New Zealand modern groove metal trio, Alien Weaponry, are pleased to announce their heaviest, most powerful and mature offering to date, Te Rā, out March 28 via Napalm Records.
Since releasing their acclaimed debut Tū (2018), the band have been lauded for their kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Māori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. With their third full-length album, Alien Weaponry expand on their hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Gojira, Megadeth) and featuring a guest vocal appearance from longtime Alien Weaponry champion Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God, Te Rā’s gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill.
With today’s album announcement, the band have unleashed a brand new, grooving single, “Mau Moko”. Featuring te reo Māori lyrics, the track honors traditional Māori face tattooing while delving into the costs of maintaining customs that are at-odds with dominant cultural norms. Check out the track and its new music video below,
“Mau Moko” lyricist/bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds says: “Māori have a rich history of marking traditions that were nearly lost during colonization. These traditions are currently in the process of a much needed cultural revival, and I was inspired by that. I wanted the lyrics to remind people that moko is, and always will be, a part of who we are. With the song’s video, we wanted to show the darker side of the history of moko and how the head trade played a part in the near extinction of the tradition. We fought through it and continue to fight for its revival still today!”
On Te Rā, listeners can hear the band doubling-down on the aggression in the verses before applying temperance, especially in the case of “Taniwha”, a death metal-leaning banger featuring the particularly raw aforementioned guest vocal from Randy Blythe. Lyrically, there’s a noticeable tilt towards despondency, hopelessness, and frustration on Te Rā. While bassist Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds’ lyrics in Māori on songs like “Tama-nui-te-rā” and “Ponaturi” draw from the themes of history, battle lore and mysticism that made the first two albums so rich, frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong’s English-language lyrics illustrate the impact when culture collides with disenfranchisement day to day. “Crown” and “Hanging by a Thread” take us into the headspace where struggle pushes people to the brink of desperation, while on “Blackened Sky” and “1000 Friends”, Lewis addresses universal woes like the looming threat of World War III and the damaging effects of social media. On album closer “Te Kore”, Tūranga dives into primordial nothingness at the root of the Māori origin story, while on “Mau Moko”, he finds the middle ground between these perspectives. Taken as a whole, Te Rā grapples with what it’s like to be caught in the pull of divergent cultures – not just for the descendants of colonized people, but for all of us.
Alien Weaponry have solidified themselves as one of the greatest young metal bands of their generation with renewed musical tenacity and crucial messaging. Te Rā is a bold, unwavering cry for a future in which we can all take part in the legacy of peoples like the Māori and others all around us – people who, if they aren’t seen, most certainly need to be heard.
Alien Weaponry frontman/guitarist Lewis Raharuhi de Jong adds: “We really stepped it up this time, as we understood that this album had to go further. We went through a lot of songs and scrapped entire sections of songs. We kept working them and working them until we got them right. Then, with the way we were pushing ourselves musically, I knew it was important to challenge myself lyrically as well. This time I delved into difficult emotional places and mental states. There’s a lot of existential dread running through the album, and I tried to find the right words to describe the indescribable.”
Te Rā will be available in the following formats:
– 1-LP Deluxe Gatefold Splatter Vinyl w/ 20” Booklet, Patch, Slipmat – Napalm mail order only, limited to 300 – 1-LP Gatefold Marbled Vinyl – Napalm mail order only, limited to 300 – 1-LP Gatefold Black Vinyl – 1-CD Digisleeve – Digital Album
“Crown” “Mau Moko” “1000 Friends” “Hanging by a Thread” “Tama-nui-te-rā” “Myself to Blame” “Taniwha” (feat. Randy Blythe) “Blackened Sky” “Te Riri o Tāwhirimātea” “Ponaturi” “Te Kore”
“Mau Moko” video:
Alien Weaponry recently announced a massive North American tour with metal icon Kerry King, kicking off today. After the tour, the band will headline a home country run of New Zealand. Find the band’s tour itinerary here.
Alien Weaponry is:
Henry Te Reiwhati de Jong – Drums, Backing vocals Lewis Raharuhi de Jong – Guitars, Lead vocals Tūranga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds – Bass, Backing vocals
NY Daily News is reporting that the Bronx man found beaten to death Monday inside an ambulette he was driving was a groundbreaking musician and devoted member of a collective dedicated to promoting all genres of Black music.
Peter Forrest, 64, was known as P. Fluid when he sang in the original lineup of 24-7 Spyz, a South Bronx-based band that mixed metal, hardcore, punk and funk and opened for Jane’s Addiction on their Ritual de lo Habitual tour in 1990-91.
Forrest was also a founding member of the Black Rock Coalition, said his former longtime girlfriend Chiedza Makonnen, 55, who used to be known as Charmelle Dukes.
“He was my first love,” Makonnen said in a phone call from Ghana, where she now lives part time. “I knew Peter from when I was 18 until I was about 35.”
The pair met when Maconnen was visiting a cousin in Harlem from her home in Chicago and the two hit it off, embarking on a relationship that ended partly due to the demands of Forrest’s touring but later picked back up and included a six-year stretch of living together.
“Music was his life and advancing Black rock was his life,” she said. “He was passionate about that. He really helped pave that road for a lot of people to understand that Black musicians aren’t just rappers or R&B or soul, we’re rockers too.”
The first single from 24-7 Spyz was a cover of Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie,” and their debut album, Harder Than You, was released to critical acclaim in 1989.
(Image credit: Drumeo | Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
By his own admission, Dream Theater‘s Mike Portnoy doesn’t listen to pop music, so when the good people at ever-entertaining drummer’s website Drumeo set him a challenge of playing along to Taylor Swift’s global mega-hit Shake It Off, without revealing what he was listening to, the prog-metal maestro was more than a little confused. Not least when he’s told that the song has already had 3.3 billion views on YouTube.
“It sounds like something out of Disneyland in Japan,” he muses, after recording a first take drum part which he admits “is like completely pissing all over someone else’s art.”
“In my world you have a guitar solo, a keyboard solo, maybe a bass solo,” he adds, listening to the track without its rhythm track. “This has a talk solo. What kind of world is this that we’re living in?”
Baffled as he may be, Portnoy – whose CV also includes Liquid Tension Experiment, Flying Colors, The Winery Dogs, and a five year stint with Avenged Sevenfold – gamely attempts to play what he imagines the drums on the song may sound like, which, surprisingly, bears little resemblance to what the drums on the song actually sound like.
When the name of the song and the artist who recorded it is revealed to Portnoy, the drummer looks suitably mortified.
“Oh my god, that’s Taylor Swift?” he gasps. “Like, only the biggest artist on earth! Wow, I had no idea.”
“Taylor, I’m really sorry,” he continues “I still would play with you in a heartbeat. I swear I wouldn’t do that! I’m sorry I totally ruined your song.”
“My daughter is going to get a kick out of this,” he adds.
Watching the video below:
Mike Portnoy Hears Taylor Swift For The First Time – YouTube
And if you fancy watching former David Lee Roth sticksman Greg Bisonette playing along to System of a Down‘s Toxicity, Megadeth‘s Dirk Verbeuren creating new rhythm tracks for hit songs by The Killers and Paramore, or Red Hot Chili Peppers‘ drummer Chad Smith brilliantly reinterpreting songs by Bring Me The Horizon and Thirty Seconds To Mars, Drumeo is your friend.
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A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne’s private jet, played Angus Young’s Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.
(Image credit: Press/Hidden Mothers: Matthew Barsby/Lutharo: Michaelxcrusty)
Happy New Year! Alright, granted, it’s been a couple of weeks since the calendar officially switched over to 2025, but the sentiment stands as we return to you with a fresh selection of brilliant new bands.
Much as we did every month last year, we’ll be bringing you some of the most exciting and interesting new bands around over the next 12 months, kicking off with a diverse selection from both sides of the Atlantic, as well as proggy tech metal from Saudi Arabia.
Intrigued? Check out the feature below, and be sure to listen to our massive playlist featuring all the latest releases from these artists. Find someone you think we’re missing? Let us know in the comments!
“The plan was always to be really loud and really sad,” bassist Liam Knowles explains of Hidden Mothers’ origins. The name comes from Victorian-era photography, where mothers were ghostly figures obscured by sheets or framing tricks, but also “it was just something that sounded cool”, he laughs.
From initial conversations in a pub in late 2018, Hidden Mothers formed as a coalescence of their members’ influences, predominantly Alcest, Deafheaven and Oathbreaker.
Since their self-titled debut EP in 2020, though, they have undergone a remarkable evolution. Bassist Liam has also assumed vocal duties, along with guitarist Luke Scrivens, and you’ll find just as much Thrice and even Radiohead in their sound now. “There are a lot more facets to us,” Liam grins.
Their debut album is proof – five years in the making, Erosion / Avulsion expands in fresh directions, from lead single Defanged’s raging post-hardcore, to Death Curl’s serpentine post-metal and Grandfather’s soft, vulnerable croons. They’re also a band with a ton of heart; Luke writes all their lyrics, channelling his own experiences and thoughts.
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He explains that Defanged is about the “growing nastiness in society towards the most vulnerable”, but is also keen to stress that politics isn’t necessarily the quartet’s forte. “We write personal songs about what’s important to us,” Liam agrees.
Still Sickness deals with the aftermath of a mental health crisis, for instance, as an “honest representation of guilt and recovery”. Predominantly, though, Hidden Mothers aim to be a band that not only write serious songs, but support their scene, and the people within it. They actively promote their friends’ work on social media and onstage because, to them, the most important thing will always be “looking out for each other and helping each other out.” Will Marshall
Erosion / Avulsion is out now via Church Road. Hidden Mothers tour the UK from February 20 and play 2000 Trees in July.
Sounds Like: Post-hardcore meets screamo with a healthy dose of melody For Fans Of: Oathbreaker, Thrice, Holy Fawn Listen To: Defanged
Lutharo’s brand of high-octane heavy metal is hard to define – and that’s how they like it. “We’re like the lost and found bin of metal,” laughs vocalist Krista Shipperbottom. “I can’t just be like, ‘Oh, we’re a power metal band’ or, ‘We’re melodic death metal’, because that would be selling ourselves short.”
In truth, Lutharo are both of these things and so much more. Owing as much to Arch Enemy as they do to Judas Priest and fellow Canadians 3 Inches Of Blood, their music combines thrash metal riffs with grandstanding guitar heroics, while Krista switches between Angela Gossow growls and Rob Halford wails.
“Everything we do comes from the gut,” Krista says. “We’re never looking at a song like, ‘We want to be this genre’ or ‘Let’s copy this band.’ It comes from the heart.”
By Krista’s own admission, Lutharo’s 2021 debut album, Hiraeth, was “a little cookie-cutter”. However, their second album, Chasing Euphoria, hones their disparate elements into a sharpened edge that they wield against the world.
The band formed in 2014, while Krista and guitarist Victor Bucur were still in high school in Hamilton, Ontario. After a decade that felt “like pushing 20 boulders up a hill”, they feel they’ve finally hit upon their sound.
“The more time we spend together, the more we’re comfortable taking risks in front of each other,” Krista says.
“When I first started in this band, I was just like, ‘I gotta be tough so that people believe what I’m saying.’ Then in the last couple of years – and especially writing this album – I was like, ‘Screw that!’ I don’t need to be that person, I don’t want to be that person. Chasing Euphoria made us more comfortable in our musicianship. That whole album was me just emotionally vomiting. People are taking a piece of us with them when they listen.” Jon Garcia
Chasing Euphoria is out now via Reigning Phoenix. Lutharo tour Europe in April.
Sounds Like: The soundtrack to a battle against an army of skeletons atop a mechanised dragon For Fans Of: Unleash The Archers, Arch Enemy, 3 Inches of Blood Listen To: Time to Rise
LUTHARO – Time To Rise (Official Music Video) – YouTube
Pacific Northwest Winters have a reputation for harshness, but the damp, frigid reaches of rural Washington proved fertile ground for one-woman black metal outfit Hulder as she crafted her second album, Verses In Oath.
“While it is true that many people cope with seven months of dreary rain by holing up in their homes, it is important to note that the rain breeds life,” Hulder tells Hammer via email (her sole method of doing interviews to maintain privacy). “The cold season energises and inspires me in ways that are difficult to tap into during parts of the year when the weather grows warmer and life speeds up.”
Hulder’s life sped up significantly in 2024 as she traversed North America and Europe in support of Verses In Oath, marking her busiest touring year yet. “Even though constant travel and daily change isn’t the most natural-feeling environment for me,” she admits, “the collective magic summoned by the crowd when our set rolls around at the end of every night provides me considerable motivation to continue doing this.”
It’s no wonder audiences have responded so strongly to Hulder with an album like Verses In Oath to promote. Equally lush and brutal, its 10 tracks feature time-honoured black metal conventions – larynx-shredding vocals, tremolo-picked guitars and furious blastbeats – but are bolstered by atmospheric synths, thunderous production and evocative, folkloric lyrics that reinforce Hulder’s self-described “dark medieval black metal”.
Most importantly, this marriage of tradition and innovation happens entirely on Hulder’s terms. “I have always chosen to pursue that which makes the most sense without outside input. That won’t ever change,” she says.
“If there is anything I have learned these past few years, it is the importance of striving for self-sufficiency and not allowing anyone else to influence or overpower my own instinct.” Bryan Rolli
Verses In Oath is out now via 20 Buck Spin. Hulder plays Maryland Deathfest in May.
Sounds Like: A moonlit garden party right outside the gates of Hell For Fans Of: Wolves In The Throne Room, Spectral Wound, Panopticon Listen To: Boughs Ablaze
Ana.n7n
Meta is a complicated proposition in Saudi Arabia. Like many other Western genres, it was effectively outlawed for decades, promoters unable to book international bands while homegrown talent operated entirely underground. The ascension of a new king in 2015 changed attitudes somewhat – Metallica even played the country in 2023 – but the scene is only now starting to thrive.
“The scene has gone from… maybe not 0, more like 0.5, to a thousand in what felt like a second,” says Malik Zubaila, vocalist and synth player for Jeddah-formed tech-prog-metal band ana.n7n. “There are suddenly more venues, more opportunities. We hope we can build something special from there.”
Both Malik and his key songwriting partner, drummer Maan Balila, were initially emboldened to start making music when they studied abroad as teenagers. The pair’s union has led to the release of ana.n7n’s debut album Fi Maken Ma… Fi Zamen Ma, which translates to: ‘Somewhere, Sometime’.
The album is a wonderfully unusual mix of disparate influences, melding Malik’s love of electronic music, Tool and Nine Inch Nails with Maan’s obsession with nu metal (“Limp Bizkit is everything,” he smiles) and their desire to represent their own culture, with lyrics sung in their native Arabic. Needless to say, ana.n7n are far from your typical metal band.
“Culturally and historically, I don’t think there’s a lot of music that uses our dialect,” Maan says.
Music, though, is a universal language. And the intention of ana.n7n’s lyrics, exploring themes of societal decay, are certainly felt on the album, even if some listeners can’t understand them.
“It’s very important for us to tell stories and narratives that can be understood by any single person,” explains Malik. “Equally, we want to showcase who we are and where we’re from.” Stephen Hill
Fi Maken Ma… Fi Zamn Ma is out now via Wall Of Sounds
Sounds Like: Eastern mysticism and gorgeous folk melodies enveloping Tesseract’s juddering riffs and rhythms amid Tool’s darkest prog For Fans Of: Dead Letter Circus, Cloudkicker, Tesseract Listen To: Zanjabil Waeasal Walimun
Staff writer for Metal Hammer, Rich has never met a feature he didn’t fancy, which is just as well when it comes to covering everything rock, punk and metal for both print and online, be it legendary events like Rock In Rio or Clash Of The Titans or seeking out exciting new bands like Nine Treasures, Jinjer and Sleep Token.
Ringo Starr got help from a new group of friends Tuesday night at the first of his two benefit concerts at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
Jack White, Sheryl Crow, Billy Strings, Emmylou Harris and Molly Tuttle were among the special guests for the evening. The show featured country-tinged renditions of Beatles and Starr solo classics, including three songs from Starr’s new country-influenced album Look Up: The title track, “Thankful” and “Time on My Hands.”
You can see the full set list as well as some fan-shot video and photos from the show below. The concerts will be used to raise funds for Los Angeles wildfire relief.
Starr will perform a second show at the Ryman on Wednesday night. A TV special named Ringo & Friends at the Ryman, drawn from these performances, will air this spring on CBS and Paramount+. He will return to the road with his All-Starr band – Steve Lukather, Colin Hay, Warren Ham, Hamish Stuart, Gregg Bissonette and Buck Johnson – this June.
Ringo Starr, Jan. 14 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville Set List (As reported by SetList.FM)
1. “Matchbox” (with Jack White) 2. “It Don’t Come Easy” 3. “Time on My Hands” 4. “Octopus’ Garden” (Molly Tuttle, no Ringo) 5. “Don’t Pass Me By” (Jack White, no Ringo) 6. “Thankful” 7. “Honey Don’t” (Billy Strings, no Ringo) 8. “Without Her” (The War and Treaty, no Ringo) 9. “I Don’t Want to Spoil the Party” (Sheryl Crow, Molly Tuttle, no Ringo) 10. “Boys” (Ringo on drums and vocals) 11. “Have You Seen My Baby” 12. “You Don’t Know Me at All” 13. “Act Naturally” 14. “I Wanna Be Your Man” 15. “What Goes On” (with Billy Strings and Molly Tuttle) 16. “Look Up” 17. “Photograph” 18. “Yellow Submarine (with Jim Keltner and Jack White) 19. “With a Little Help From My Friends” (with Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee and previous guests)
Ranking Every Ringo Starr Album
Some LPs that initially failed to create much commercial interest ended up growing in both fan and critical estimation.
The first 25 years of the 21st century started with a bang for rock music. The genre had taken a hit as the ’90s closed, as boy bands, rappers and pop stars dominated the airwaves and charts.
But something happened right at the start of the 2000s: Rock music started to get popular again. Not that it ever went away; grunge holdovers and new forms of metal kept the music alive, albeit in new shades and textures, as more mainstream styles advanced.
As you will see in the below list of the Top 25 Rock Albums of the 21st Century (So Far), chosen by UCR’s staff, artists such as the Black Keys, the White Stripes and the Strokes paved the way for a commercial renaissance that’s carried over through the years.
Like all popular forms of music, rock has evolved. Records made in 1964 didn’t sound like those made only five years earlier; a 1977 album doesn’t have much in common with one from 1967. So, it only follows a well-traveled timeline that rock albums released in the 2000s – whether from 2001 or 2021 – bear scant resemblance to those that came out in the mid-’80s.
New artists such as Radiohead and Wilco gave music new life in the 21st century; it’s no surprise that their records land near the top of the list below. Some old favorites remain relevant, as Bob Dylan, David Bowie and Bruce Springsteen make clear. Rock music, despite the occasional bumps along the way, still thrives 70 years after its formation.
Top 25 Rock Albums of the 21st Century (So Far)
The first 25 years of the 2000s reveal the progression and nostalgia of the undying genre.
