Mad About Rock

  Award-nominated independent rock and metal festival, Takedown Festival, has today announced the next wave of artists for its 2026 edition. The festival returns to Portsmouth Guildhall on Friday 3rd and Saturday 4th April 2026, once again delivering a packed lineup of heavy music to the south coast. Newly confirmed acts include Mouth Culture, the alternative rock Leicester collective known for their anthemic, high-energy chaos, and Zetra, the shadowy London duo bringing their unique brand of shoegaze-soaked metal theatrics. Both will take to the stage on Saturday, alongside Lastelle. On Friday, South Of Salem and Asomvel join the bill. This year’s event will be headlined by PRESIDENT, marking the masked collective’s first ever festival headline slot. Having quickly gained a reputation as one of heavy music’s most exciting and unpredictable new forces, their Takedown 2026 performance promises to be a defining moment in their rise. Also topping the lineup are Phil Campbell and the B...

  Hungarian alternative/groove metal force Nest of Plagues has dropped a brand new live album ‘Live At Akvárium’, showcasing the raw energy and emotional depth that has made them one of the region’s most exciting underground acts. The release comes as the band gears up for their “Hell Is A Place On Earth” Tour, which will see them storm stages across Romania, Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary this fall. NEST OF PLAGUES - DEAR ABYSS & HELL IS A PLACE ON EARTH (LIVE AT AKVÁRIUM) Following the release of their critically acclaimed 3rd album Hellsolation, Nest of Plagues are taking their uncompromising sound and message across borders. Blending crushing riffs, groove-driven rhythms, and elements of alternative metal, the band reflects on modern social struggles such as anxiety, depression, and loneliness - while encouraging fans to face these challenges together, finding strength in community. The band’s unique mix of heaviness and catharsis has earned them a reputation for powerful,...

  Notorious black metal collective WATAIN has issued the following statement: Ladies and gentlemen, followers, allies and supporters, this is a solemn transmission from the Temple of Watain. We hereby announce that in III years’ time - upon our 30th anniversary - Watain’s eighth and final full-length album will be released. The album will mark the closure of a thirty-year-long magical Work, the last crossroad of Watain, after which the band will cease to exist. The ending of a triad of decades during which we have shared our sacred path through this strange world with you, our loyal audience, on a steady course towards the beckoning darkness of The End. Over the course of the next three years, the reasons for this will be spoken of and accounted for. But for now we just want to say this: Have our songs and our art not always dealt with finitude and mortality, with DEATH and the beyond? Now it is time to claim our own conclusion, and shape it as we have shaped our stage and our ...

  Following last week’s announcement of IRON MAIDEN’s European festival & stadium tour for 2026, bringing their highly acclaimed RUN FOR YOUR LIVES WORLD TOUR to even more countries in Europe, Kilimanjaro Live, in association with Phantom Music Management, are delighted to announce that IRON MAIDEN will return to the UK next year for an enormous outdoor headline performance at the legendary Knebworth Park. Featuring a hand-picked bill of special guests, this will not just be a concert but an IRON MAIDEN curated weekend event with the biggest Eddie’s Dive Bar ever, various fun experiences currently being worked on, Maiden-themed food and other stands, plus much more besides including their very own take on the historic Knebworth Fayre! The specially invited supporting line up is: THE DARKNESS THE HU AIRBOURNE THE ALMIGHTY Manager Rod Smallwood comments, “We knew that we had to bring the Run For Your Lives show back to the UK again next summer as there was such a phenomenal d...

  Rising Manchester rock outfit Luna Marble unveil their brand-new single and music video ‘Crazy Loving’, taken from a debut album that blends the cosmic spirit of 70s classic rock with modern grit. Demonstrating the raw energy of a band on the rise, their first LP lands this November. To mark the occasion, Luna Marble will host an exclusive advance ‘Rock & Roll Circus’ launch party in October, ahead of the album's official release. Written by vocalist Maria Rico at just 18 (a standout female vocalist in a male-dominated rock scene), new track ‘Crazy Loving’ remains one of the band’s most personal compositions. “It was one of those songs that wrote itself,” Rico explains. “At the time I didn’t even know what it meant, but looking back, it feels like an unconscious reflection of that moment in life. The song talks about those early insecurities you have growing up, wondering who you are, and about finding comfort in other people and relationships.” 'Crazy Loving' arrives...

  Welsh hard hitters, HOUSE OF HOSTS, are rising fast. The band have just released their scorching new single and video, 'Pedestal' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yjDs_qCmLg The track is lifted from their forthcoming EP, 'Reckoning', out on Friday 26th September. With this in mind, we exclusively caught up with the band and asked them to give the tracks that have greatly inspired their sound: Daniel Foley-Griffiths (vocals) Track Choice: Five Finger Death Punch - Wrong Side Of Heaven, Righteous Side Of Hell. "The double album was beautifully constructed in a way that not only harnesses the pure rage and drive of the screams but balances out with the contrast of melodic choruses and harmony. For me it demonstrates perfectly that you can both be heavy and sinister but also delicate and tranquil." Beth Goodwin (drums) Track Choice: Avenged Sevenfold - Unholy Confessions "The Rev plays incredible melodic and syncopated drums that emphasise and com...

  Icons of melancholic doom and gothic metal, PARADISE LOST have released their long awaited 17th album, 'Ascension', today with Nuclear Blast Records. PARADISE LOST’s first album in 5 years, following 2020’s acclaimed Obsidian, was produced by the band’s revered guitarist Gregor Mackintosh and mixed/mastered by Lawrence Mackrory and is adorned with artwork by renowned British artist George Frederic Watts’ classic painting The Court of Death (1870-1902). Their latest, critically lauded masterpiece is evidence of a band still at the height of their prime 35+ years into a groundbreaking career. Soaked in misery and grief, Ascension soars with song’s like ‘ Tyrants Serenade ,’ ‘ Serpent on the Cross ’ and ‘ Silence Like The Grave ,’ that take listeners on an unforgettable journey through morose despair forged in soundscape of massive riffs and searing solos. Commenting on the record’s release, vocalist Nick Holmes states: "It took us nearly 40 years to get here but we're ...

  So goes the invitation that opens Alkaline Trio’s sparkling new single “Bleeding Out.” Yet another prime example of the Trio's insidious blend of melodic sweetness and lyrical darkness, “Bleeding Out” is buoyed by a relentless rhythmic backbone that repeatedly explodes into one of the band’s unmistakable singalong choruses — Be prepared for this one to stick in your head for days. “Bleeding Out” follows the recently released banger “Oblivion” as the second of three songs Alkaline Trio recorded with producer Travis Barker of Blink 182 — the first studio sessions to feature the current Trio lineup of founding guitarist/vocalist Matt Skiba, longtime bassist/vocalist Dan Andriano and drummer Atom Willard. Available now across digital platforms, “Bleeding Out” will also be released as a limited edition D2C exclusive colour vinyl 7-inch. Also unveiled today is the official “Bleeding Out” music video, which finds director Mark Eaton capturing the raw power of a close-quarters Alkaline ...

  Rising Welsh alt-metallers EDIT THE TIDE return with force this autumn, announcing the release of their sophomore EP, 'The Space Between Seconds', set to land on Friday 21st November. Melding the raw power of heavy, driving riffs with the emotional depth of soaring vocal harmonies, the new record is poised to cement the band’s place on the UK alternative scene. Ahead of the EP, the band have now unleashed their powerful new single, 'Dancing With Shadows', out now. Watch the video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN1qQaI1hCQ Listen to the band at https://open.spotify.com/artist/7pg0H8fNpMR7zXQjGsMRxQ Formed in 2023 and emerging from Bridgend, South Wales, EDIT THE TIDE have rapidly built a reputation for their high-octane live shows and emotionally resonant songwriting. Their debut EP, Reflections In Sound (April 2024), made a bold impact, earning radio support from Kerrang! Radio and BBC Introducing Wales and receiving critical acclaim in Powerplay and Devolution ...

  Of Mice & Men have released their new single ‘Troubled Water’ taken from their forthcoming ninth album Another Miracle out on November 14th via Century Media Records. Listen to ‘Troubled Water’ here and watch the video here . The new album finds the band at their most personal and most expansive, crafted entirely in-house - written, produced, and engineered by Of Mice & Men themselves. “The process of self-recording and self-producing this album as well the last two has seen us really trying to one up what we’ve done in the past - and it’s on us to do that,” drummer Valentino Arteaga explains. “On this album in particular, we wanted to push the boundaries of what that sounds like for our band.” Today (Sept 18th) they give listeners a taste of that via the electronic accents of their new single ‘Troubled Water’. They say, “‘Troubled Water’ is about setting boundaries, about vampiric and apathetic relationships with people who only seem to seek connection when it benefi...

  IRON MAIDEN have announced the first dates of a very busy schedule for 2026, starting with a summer return to Europe to predominantly play festivals and also stadiums in countries and regions not visited in 2025. The subsequent month will see the start of visits to many other parts of the world, all of which will be announced later. The initial European dates are as below and more headline festival shows will be announced by the festivals themselves in parallel with ironmaiden.com . It’s a busy year so following this there will be no Maiden shows in 2027. Says Steve Harris - “We are all loving this RUN FOR YOUR LIVES TOUR. The fans have been amazing, the set list is perfect for the 50th Anniversary, the show is arguably our best ever and ticket demand was incredible with pretty much everywhere sold out and over a million fans attending. So we all thought we should play some more shows in Europe before heading out to other parts of the world later in the year. Of course Simon Da...

  Parkway Drive are set for a landmark year of performances, a sold-out symphonic show at the iconic Sydney Opera House in June — a powerful culmination and celebration of their 20-year journey. From there, they co-headlined the Summer of Loud 2025 tour across the U.S., which saw them playing some of their biggest North American shows yet. The band's landmark year will conclude with the band’s highly anticipated 20 Year Anniversary Arena Tour across Europe and the UK this fall. Joining them on this momentous tour will be fellow Australians Thy Art Is Murder, a deathcore powerhouse, and The Amity Affliction, celebrated for their emotionally charged post-hardcore. This massive arena run will feature Parkway Drive’s most ambitious production to date, performed with the passion and power that has defined Parkway Drive as one of the most important forces in modern metal. Full list of EU/UK dates is below, and tickets are available via: https://parkwaydriverock.com/ 19.09.25 Germany –...

  Papa Roach & Carrie Underwood have officially gone GOLD with their collaboration “Leave A Light On (Talk Away The Dark),” as certified by the RIAA. The announcement fittingly came on World Suicide Prevention Day. The band recently reunited with 8-time Grammy Award winner Carrie Underwood for a powerful new live performance of the track, filmed at their show at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Watch the video HERE . The track has notched up over 218 Million streams so far. This performance highlights Papa Roach’s ongoing mission to shine a light on suicide prevention and mental health awareness. In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention all royalties from the song generated by both artists will be donated to AFSP in perpetuity ( www.AFSP.org ). The performance represents a pivotal step in the band’s commitment to using music as a force for healing and change. Earlier this year during their sold-out headline show at Wembley Arena the band p...

  As plans for BLOODSTOCK’s 25th anniversary get underway, the festival has unveiled another 27 bands for 2026’s monumental event. With heavyweights, cult favourites, and rising stars joining the awesome bands already announced, this year’s line-up is shaping up to be one for the ages. And there are still plenty more names yet to come, with approximately 125 bands in total set to appear. Did you know? BLOODSTOCK is going to open the Ronnie James Dio main stage on Thursday now as well! Early bird, campervan, and VIP tickets are already sold out and weekend tickets are over 90% gone, so act quickly to get tickets if you don’t want to miss out! And so to the bands… THURSDAY – RONNIE JAMES DIO STAGE Headlining the opening night on the Ronnie James Dio main stage are none other than British heavy metal legends SAXON . With over four decades of anthems and an iron-clad reputation for blistering live shows, SAXON’s triumphant return to BLOODSTOCK will kick off the weekend in classic style...