MARILYN MANSON returns with the next entry in his ongoing creative resurgence, announcing the forthcoming new album One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2, co-produced and co-written with Tyler Bates, set for release on August 14 via Nuclear Blast Records.
To mark the announcement, MANSON has unveiled the album’s first single, ‘Exit Wound,’ available now on all streaming platforms.
Dark, cinematic, and unrelentingly visceral, ‘Exit Wound’ continues the evolution of the sound found on Chapter 1 while pushing deeper into unsettling atmosphere, crushing industrial textures, and haunting melodic tension. The track serves as the first glimpse into a record that further expands the conceptual and sonic world established by its predecessor.
One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 will arrive days before the start of his late summer co-headline tour with ROB ZOMBIE. Visit MarilynManson.com for a complete list of MANSON’s 2026 worldwide tour dates.
One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 Tracklist:
Unalive
Don’t Answer The Door
Front Toward Enemy
All The Vilest Things
None of the Suns
Lucifer’s Teardrop
The Arsonist
Exit Wound
Enantiomorph
One Assassination Under God – Chapter 2 is available now for pre-order in a variety of formats including a limited box set and accompanying apparel at https://mm.bfan.link/oaug-ch-2
MARILYN MANSON & ROB ZOMBIE Co-Headline Tour Dates w / THE HU & ORGY
Aug 20 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre ^+ Aug 21 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre ^+ Aug 23 – Alpharetta, GA @ Ameris Bank Amphitheatre ^+ Aug 24 – Charlotte, NC @ Truliant Amphitheater ^+ Aug 26 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center ^+ Aug 27 – Mansfield, MA @ Xfinity Center ^+ Aug 29 – Burgettstown, PA @ The Pavilion at Star Lake ^+ Aug 30 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater ^+ Sep 1 – Toronto, ON @ RBC Amphitheatre ^+ Sep 2 – Cuyahoga Falls, OH @ Blossom Music Center ^+ Sep 4 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre ^+ Sep 5 – Tinley Park, IL @ Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre ^+ Sep 6 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center ^+ Sep 9 – St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheater ^+ Sep 10 – Kansas City, MO @ Morton Amphitheater ^+ Sep 12 – Greenwood Village, CO @ Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre *^+ Sep 14 – West Valley City, UT @ Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre ^+ Sep 16 – Airway Heights, WA @ BECU Live at Northern Quest + Sep 17 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheatre ^+ Sep 18 – Ridgefield, WA @ Cascades Amphitheater ^+ Sep 20 – Concord, CA @ Toyota Pavilion at Concord ^+
Norwegian one‑man metal force Tonic Breed, led by creator and multi‑instrumentalist Patrik K. Svendsen, returns with a brand‑new 2026 single, “Name Dealer”, a high‑intensity track featuring two legendary guest musicians, Tommy Aldridge (Whitesnake, Ozzy Osbourne) on drums and Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake) on lead guitar. The single follows Tonic Breed’s earlier 2026 release, “Close In,” which featured Charlie Engen (Five Finger Death Punch), continuing Svendsen’s ongoing tradition of bold collaborations and creative reinvention. Since transforming Tonic Breed into a solo project in 2019, Svendsen has pushed the project into new territory with each release. With “Name Dealer,” he once again avoids repetition, opting instead for a fresh, unexpected direction while preserving the intensity, energy, and melodic edge that define the Tonic Breed identity. “I haven’t followed the same path as the previous release. Because of that, I think this song will once again come as a surprise to fans. If you’ve followed Tonic Breed over the years, I hope you’ll find it worth a listen,” says Svendsen.
“Name Dealer” wastes no time. The track launches with immediate force and maintains its momentum from start to finish. Musically, it blends sharp riffing with a hook‑laden chorus, a twist not typically associated with Tonic Breed’s catalogue. The single was recorded across three different locations in Norway and the United States, then mixed and co‑produced by Adrian Bjerketvedt, who also contributed atmospheric keys that elevate the track’s depth and dimension. For Svendsen, working with Aldridge and Hoekstra marks a milestone moment in the Tonic Breed’s journey. “It’s an absolute honor to have Tommy Aldridge and Joel Hoekstra on this song. Their performances exceeded all expectations, and I couldn’t be happier with the result. Having the opportunity to collaborate with musicians of their caliber means a great deal to me, and it’s something I’m truly grateful for,” adds Svendsen.
Technical death metal artisans ALLEGAEON are pleased to present their “Dark Matter Dynamics” performance video. The track, which features guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Adrian Bellue, comes off the band’s most recent full-length, The Ossuary Lens, out now on Metal Blade Records.
Comments guitarist Greg Burgess, “‘Dark Matter Dynamics’ is a very special song for me. Having the opportunity to explore my love for steel string acoustic music, and bringing it into the fold with ALLEGAEON, will forever be a source of pride. Not only that but exploring this marriage of two styles with an acoustic heavy weight Adrian Bellue was equally special.”
Adds vocalist Ezra Haynes, “‘Dark Matter Dynamics’ is here and I am pumped! Over recent years, we’ve grown close with our good buddy, Adrian Bellue, and I’m thankful Greg introduced us! He rips on the guitar and he’s an even better friend. We’re especially excited to play ‘Dark Matter Dynamics’ Saturday night at Flatline Fest in Denver with Adrian himself!
“The chorus gets me hyped! I think it’s the most jump-worthy ALLEGAEON riff ever written! This song has that classic, science-based ALLEGAEON vibe and theme, and it sonically showcases the album’s range, letting the track breathe with a soulful, atmospheric instrumental piece that contrasts perfectly with the heavy riffs surrounding it. Please enjoy ‘Dark Matter Dynamics.’“
Watch ALLEGAEON‘s “Dark Matter Dynamics” video, shot by Kyle Lamar:
Watch ALLEGAEON‘s previously released video for “Driftwood” HERE, “The Swarm” HERE, “Wake Circling Above” HERE, and “Imperial” HERE.
The video comes in advance of the band’s upcoming performance at this year’s Flatline Fest in Denver, Colorado this weekend alongside labelmates Cattle Decapitation, The Zenith Passage, and more!
ALLEGAEON Live: 6/15/2026 Flatline Fest – Denver, CO
The Ossuary Lens serves as ALLEGAEON‘s seventh full-length overall, but it’s the first to feature the return of original vocalist Ezra Haynes since his 2015 departure following the Elements Of The Infinite album. The record was recorded with producer Dave Otero at Flatline Audio studio in Denver. It marks the sixth album recorded with Otero. It’s of no surprise then that the sound on The Ossuary Lens pummels the listener, though the ferocity is balanced by the overt melodies. It’s the most triumphant and cohesive body of work that they’ve ever laid down.
“Haynes’ presence has an immediate effect, his more gravelly vocal adding further extremity to ALLEGAEON’s hyper-technical form of death metal,” wrote Consequence upon hearing lead single, “Driftwood.” Decibel Magazine called the record, “a fine listen if you want tech-death that doesn’t require a master’s degree in engineering to enjoy… They take a maximalist approach, their mix of rapid-fire riffs, symphonic keyboards, and zero-g drumming crushing songs like ‘Chaos Theory’ and the black metal-edged ‘Dies Irae’ between walls of sound.” Rock Hard Germany commended, “some of their most technically spectacular numbers. Audacious, successful…,” while Blabbermouth crowned it, “an astonishing piece of work.”
Bursting out of the isolated peninsula of Zeeland at the southwestern point of the Netherlands, Dutch groove–hardcore youngsters Inherited have announced their new EP, ALL 4 ONE, which will be released on 2 October via Mascot Records. Leading the charge for Zeeland Hardcore (ZLHC), Jamie Versprille (Vocals), Marvin Wesdorp (Guitar), Midas Giele (Guitar), Lucas Camonier (Bass) and Neill Ray (Drums) are battering down the doors of the underground circuit and carving their name into every stage they touch. On their new song, ‘INHERITED’, the first to be taken from the EP produced by Robin Adams (Architects, Guilt Trip, Blood Youth) and mastered by Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood (Periphery), they celebrate everything that came before them. Hardcore surges through their DNA. Vocalist Jamie explains, “The song ‘INHERITED’ is about this. It’s all about where we come from: our family, our blood, everything that shaped us. It is what we have been given, and we owe it everything. That’s why we carry that legacy forward.”
Their pathway was laid out 30 years ago by Zeeland’s death-metal firebrands, Polluted Inheritance. Inherited’s Lucas Camonier (Bass) and Marvin Wesdorp (Guitar) are the sons of Polluted Inheritance’s Ronald Camonier and Erwin Wesdorp. Identity is everything to them. A sense of community is at the heart of Inherited, both of their hometown of Zeeland and their roots. Nature and nurture are the pistons working in tandem, propelling Inherited forward. Formed in 2024, the high school friends’ – three of which are still in their teens (Neill, Midas and Marvin) – played their sixth-ever show was on the hallowed stage of Germany’s Wacken Open Air festival, the result of them winning the Dutch Metal Battle 2025, which saw the band hire a double-decker bus to transport 100 fans, 200 miles from their hometown to the final. They don’t see obstacles; they see only opportunities. The band’s ‘group chat’ caught alight. “It spread like wildfire. People were fighting for spots. The whole place was filled with our people. We were able to get everybody in the room jumping,” remembers Marvin.
This sense of togetherness is directly linked to their hometown of Zeeland – the least populous province of the Netherlands – which is made up of a number of Islands and peninsulas, much of it below sea level. “We want people to stand up and pay attention to Zeeland. It’s really isolated. Even people from the Netherlands forget about it. The only thing that connects us to the rest of the country is a five-mile tunnel. We’re proud to be from here,” says Jamie. The EP was recorded at Robin Adams’ studio in Leeds, UK. It was from here that the five tracks, totalling just over 15 minutes of lightning rod energy, were crafted. It whiplashes its way through the band’s roots on ‘INHERITED,’ and keeping friendship circles tight on ‘WASTED SPACE,’ whilst ‘WON’T BREAK’ is a call for empowerment. The title track is an emotional call to arms. “If you’re going through hard times, you help each other. Life can be tough, but we will always stick together,” affirms the singer. Forged in the underground scene, they’ve journeyed across the Netherlands underbelly; dive bars, a Skate Park, a barbershop, and a giveaway store. They’ve played underground bunkers in France and a youth-oriented chapel in Belgium. The underground ethic runs deep in the band, but they’re also headlining 400-cap venues with people pouring out of the door. They’ve supported Pro-Pain, Dark Angel, Bodyfarm, Master and hit the festival circuit; Wacken-Open-Air, Dynamo Festival, South of Heaven and more. Inherited will feature on BandCamper, a Dutch national TV show filming in spring 2026 that travels across Zeeland in search of new musical talent.
Their music carries a message of empowerment, perseverance, community, brotherhood, and family. The bloodline runs strong.
ALL 4 ONE track list:
1. INTRO 2. WASTED SPACE 3. WON’T BREAK 4. ALL 4 ONE 5. INHERITED
‘Until Now’ featuring none other than the legendary guitarist Ronnie Wood of The Rolling Stones, is the latest single from Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour’s Watching The Tide, which will be released on 28 August via Provogue / Artone Label Group. The single is the latest gem from the tantalising prospect of the wealth of material that sits in The Colonel’s shimmering vault. Listen to the song HERE. For an album whose title references the guitarist’s most famous co-write – Otis Redding’s 1967 standard (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Watching The Tide saw Cropper roll back the years. Writing alongside Jon Tiven, the acclaimed songwriter/producer and Midnight Hour vocalist Roger C. Reale – then tracking at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio C with a crack-squad band including Ana Grosh (vocals), Nioshi Jackson (drums), engineer Eddie Gore (keys/percussion), and a wishlist of guitar heroes (Eric Clapton, Billy Gibbons, Brian May, Ronnie Wood) – the 83-year-old sounds ageless and energised. To anyone who knows the roots and branches of American music, the passing of Steve Cropper in December 2025 was seismic. As a guitarist, songwriter, producer and engineer – not just for the iconic Stax record label but on a forest of sessions and solo releases – the Tennessee soul man was the DNA that coursed through the post-war era, his fabled right hand setting the pace of rock ‘n’ roll for 60-plus years.
It’s a huge statement for a musical colossus who towered over the rock ‘n’ roll age. Yet to play this posthumous release is to hear an all-time great still at the top of his game, blending the burning passion of youth with the wisdom of an old master. Steve Cropper might have left us, but Watching The Tide indicates that there is much more still to hear from him. ‘Until Now’ makes stellar use of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood’s stinging slide, as Tiven recalls the session, “Ronnie Wood got back to me about 10 minutes after I sent off my email: ‘Oh, this looks like a lot of fun. I’ll jump in. Ron plays some unbelievable slide guitar on that one, which makes it all the better. But when you listen to Until Now, it’s not really a blue song, per se. It’s more of a song with blues changes that breaks out of the genre. The only other guitar you hear on Until Now is Steve – and it’s so atypical of what you would normally hear from him. It’s just a completely different approach, and it knocked me out.”
‘Until Now’ follows the first song to be released from the album, the tough Southern-smoked blues of ‘Ticket First’, which started with a joke and ended up with Cropper and fellow rock royalty Clapton riffing nose-to-nose. “I told Eric, ‘Man, you just turned that song inside-out – I think we’re gonna have to give you a writer’s credit,” recalls Tiven of the legendary British guitarist’s transcendent solo. “And Eric said, ‘Well, anything to get my name next to Steve Cropper’s…’”
Never a showy player, the Missouri-born, Memphis-raised guitarist was prized as the greatest engine room on the Southern scene, the push-pull of his rhythm work as undeniable as a locomotive piston. Just as vital, Cropper was a walking encyclopaedia of his adopted home city’s musical forms – blues, soul, R&B, gospel – and this served him well as the trusted first lieutenant of Stax co-founder Jim Stewart and cornerstone of the label’s house band, Booker T. & The M.G.’s. “Working with Steve was easy,” nods Tiven, “because he knew how to get the best out of everybody.”
Even for a writer who left his thumbprint on the great American songbook, the twelve new tracks on Watching The Tide show that his creative spirit endures through a vast musical legacy and a collection of unreleased works that will continue to reveal the depth of his talent and be shared with the world.
Tracklisting:
1. Tandoori Chicken 2. Ticket First ft. Eric Clapton 3. My Angels Are Calling ft. Brian May & Billy F. Gibbons 4. Until Now ft. Ronnie Wood 5. Blood From A Stone 6. Here & Gone ft. Ana Grosh 7. It’s Gonna Get Worse 8. Down & Out 9. Stand Right Here ft. Billy F. Gibbons & Ana Grosh 10. Tipoff To The Ripoff 11. House of Cards 12. Tandoori Chicken Part 2
Defiled aren’t relics or custodians for the old-school. While the Japanese legends have shared stages with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation since the early ‘90s, they’ve carved their own unmistakable path through death metal’s hallowed crypts. With their new album, founding member Yusuke Sumita and his band of technical masters continue to alter the genre in unthinkable ways. On Altered State, they deliver a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.
“Fourteen pinpoint brawlers in 43 tightly wound minutes evince zero body fat or DM stasis”, Decibel writes in a 7/10 review of Altered State.
“Defiled are once again pushing the boundaries of extreme music”, Metal Insider writes in a track-by-track breakdown of the band’s new album. “Rather than following the established rules of death metal, the band’s ninth studio album explores overlooked corners of the genre, blending old-school brutality with progressive rhythms, crossover thrash influences and unconventional songwriting”.
Altered State is released today, Friday, June 12 on Season of Mist, and you can hear all 14 mind-altering songs by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
“Like many other bands, our musical roots are heavily influenced by early ‘90s death metal and ‘80s thrash and hardcore, however, our interpretation is different and has branched off from the current scene”, Sumita says. “On Altered State, there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens, but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed. We invite anyone to join us in exploring the outermost edges of the genre”.
After hearing them pound out three albums in four years, metalheads would be forgiven for assuming Defiled had reached the highest level, that there were no horrors left for them to reveal. Altered State quickly quiets any leftover suspicions. “Dazed in Blindness” opens the album with flurry of expert moves not taught in any rule book before lead single “Portal” opens with a reminder that the band can sharpen even traditional riffs into a series of tempo shifts that unlock another plane of existence.
“Both musically and lyrically, Altered State is an expansion of The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Sumita explains. “The music is a combination of old-school death metal, technical-thrash riffs and the rhythmic changes of progressive rock. The lyrics are based on the dystopian world presented in George Orwell’s science-fiction masterpiece 1984. They express the madness that everyone living in the present currently feels”.
Though still influenced by sounds that came out of the underground during the ‘80s and ‘90s, Altered State delves even deeper into Defiled’s psychic perception of our warped reality. Occultists gather around the shapeshifting groove that seizes hold over “Obsession”. The band isn’t afraid to wind through the darkest and most mysterious corners of our collective consciousness. But listen closely to this album and all secrets will be revealed.
“Receive the power”, Defiled command on the album’s title track with a chaos that only they can control.
Artwork by Wes Benscoter
Tracklist 1. Dazed in Blindness (2:59) 2. Altered State (3:05) [WATCH] 3. Obsession (3:04) [WATCH] 4. Portal (3:39) [WATCH] 5. Necro-Force (2:31) 6. The Degradation (3:51) 7. Genocidal Stage (2:27) 8. Metamorphosis of Evil (3:11) 9. The Ultra Death (2:42) 10. Zombified (2:17) 11. Lunatics (3:07) 12. Prophecies (3:29) 13. Demolition (3:25) 14. Apocalyptic End (3:25)
Hear Defiled perform songs from Altered State during the band’s current Japanese tour, as well as their upcoming shows with Brujeria.
Defiled 2026 Altered State Japanese Tour, remaining shows:
June 12 – Tokyo @ Earthdom June 13 – Fukushima @ Sora June 13 – Sendai @ Solfa June 14 – Aizuwakamatsu @ Karando June 14 – Niigata @ Rocka June 15 – Nagano @ Rosebery Cafe June 16 – Kofu @ Bodega June 17 – Iida @ Space Tama June 18 – Nagoya @ Studio 246 June 19 – Osaka @ Hokage June 20 – Okayama @ Dogvult June 20 – Hiroshima @ Agit June 21 – Fukuoka @ Reflex June 21 – Sasebo @ Distortion June 22 – Mabi @ Branch
Defiled 2026 Japanese Dates with Brujeria
September 15 – Tokyo @ Cyclone September 16 – Osaka @ Socore Factory
Defiled truly are their own island. While active since 1992, during death metal’s golden era, the Tokyo legends are neither relics nor custodians for the old-school. They do not follow Western traditions. They cannot be reduced to tokens like kimonos or samurai. Like the Japanese salamander, they continue to evolve in isolation, free from passing trends. Founding member and guitarist Yusuke Sumita and his band of warriors remain masters of the form, but their upcoming ninth album bears only a passing resemblance to the genre’s past or present. On Altered State, Defiled unleash a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.
“Like many other bands, our musical roots are heavily influenced by early ‘90s death metal and ‘80s thrash and hardcore, however, our interpretation is different and has branched off from the current scene”, Sumita says. “On Altered State, there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens, but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed”.
Though they’re indifferent to scenes within the larger world of metal, Defiled’s presence has spread far and wide for more than three decades. The band’s 1994 debut EP, Defeat of Sanity, quickly proved prescient after inspiring the name of their future Season of Mist labelmates Defeated Sanity. Their first three full-lengths – Erupted Wrath (1999), Ugliness Revealed (2001) and Divination (2003) – were allmixed by none other than the legend himself, Jim Morris, at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida. Early successset them upon a war path through the Japanese underground and onto the international stage. Defiled ransacked Milwaukee Metal Festival and banged heads with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation.
Since signing with Season of Mist in 2003, Defiled have shown no sign of slowing down. Despite enduring some changes between 2011’s In Crisis and 2016’s Towards Inevitable Ruin, the personnel around Sumita is now locked in with Keisuke Hamada pounding on drums, Takachika Nakajima nailing down bass and Shinichiro Hamada handling both guitars and vocals. Starting with Infinite Regress in 2020, this lineup is currently riding a seemingly endless hot streak. After reaching The Highest Level in 2023, they topped themselves once more with 2024’s Horror Beyond Horror.
“Horror Beyond Horror again finds Defiled stuck on the upswing”, Decibel wrote in an 8/10 review. “With their eighth studio album since 1992, the Tokyo death metal longhairs’ third pandemic-era disc completes a four-year hothouse of peak ability, creativity and volatility”.
Metalheads can be forgiven for assuming Defiled had already reached peak shredding, that there were no horrors left for them to reveal. But Altered State quickly quiets any leftover suspicions. Lead single “Portal” opens with a reminder that this band can sharpen even traditional riffs before breaking into a series of tempo shifts that unlock another plane of existence. Though still influenced by sounds that came from the underground, the album delves even deeper into their psychic perception of our warped reality with a twist of inspiration from Stravinsky. Occultists gather around the shapeshifting groove that seizes hold over “Obsession”.
“Both musically and lyrically, Altered State is an expansion of The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Sumita says. “The music is a combination of old-school death metal, technical-thrash riffs and the rhythmic changes of progressive rock. The lyrics are based on the dystopian world presented in George Orwell’s science-fiction masterpiece 1984. They express the madness that everyone living in the present currently feels”.
Altered State isn’t afraid to wind through the darkest and most mysterious corners of our collective consciousness. But listen closely to Defiled and all secrets will be revealed. “Receive the power”, the band command on the album’s title track with a chaos that only they can control.
Production credits Recorded at Studio Zot in Tokyo, Japan Producer – Yusuke Sumita Sound Engineers – Shinichiro Hamada and Keisuke Hamada Mixing and Mastering Studio – Studio Nest in Chiba, Japan Mixing and Mastering Engineer – Kenji Kikuchi
Songwriting credits: Music and lyrics by Yusuke Sumita
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 