Back in 1980, Twisted Sister were still a few years from superstardom. They’d already been around since 1972, growing out of a band called Silver Star, who styled themselves as New Jersey’s New York Dolls. A year later, though, they changed their name and shifted their direction as well.
Constantly gigging, forever sharpening their sound, and undergoing a veritable plethora of line-up changes, Twisted Sister as we know them best would not emerge until 1982. But already they’d made appearances on major label comps, and they’d recorded, too, the first couple of live shows featured on 2016’s so-aptly titled box set Rock ‘N’ Roll Saviors – The Early Years.
Now the most ferocious of those performances, from West Islip NY in1980, makes its stand-alone debut as Hammerheads – and what a show it is. Opening with a positively roof-raising rampage through “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You),” the 12 song concert sees these legends of crazed, cross-dressing hard rock mayhem absolutely slaying on stage, with – among so many more – future smash “Rock’n’Roll Saviors,” a fiery “Johnny B Goode,” and one of the all-time great “Born To Be Wild”s.
It’s a devastating concert – the sound of a band that, still awaiting their first major break, have already put all the pieces in place. Now all they need do is wait for the world to catch up with them.
Which, of course, it would. Around 18 months later, two of the songs featured here, “What You Don’t Know” and “Under The Blade”, would feature on the band’s first ever release, the UK-only Ruff Cuts EP, and hit #2 on the UK metal charts. Others – “Bad Boys (Of Rock’N’Roll)” and “Destroyer” – would make it onto their debut album, Under The Blade; one more, “I’ll Never Grow Up,” would be added to the album when the band was picked by Atlantic Records.
All adding up, then, to one of the most explosive live shows of the era, and now one of the most dynamic discs you’ll have heard in years. And, for vinyl lovers, this is Hammerheads’ first ever appearance in that format. Make sure you listen on maximum volume.
Texas-based rock band THE SPEAKER WARS — featuring legendary drummer Stan Lynch (ex-Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers) and acclaimed singer-songwriter Jon Christopher Davis — bring holiday cheer with the release of their new Christmas song, “Brighten the Corner.” The track arrives alongside an official visualizer, available below.
For a limited time, fans who purchase THE SPEAKER WARS’ debut self-titled album via the Frontiers US webstore will receive a free download of the new single, along with an exclusive Christmas card signed by founding member Stan Lynch, while supplies last.
Stan Lynch shares:
“THE SPEAKER WARS are wishing y’all a soulful, joyful and peaceful Holiday Season.”
1. You Make Every Lie Come True 2. It Ain’t Easy 3. Taste Of Heaven 4. Never Ready To Go 5. The Forgiveness Tree 6. When The Moon Cries Wolf 7. Trader’s South 8. Leave Him 9. Sit With My Soul 10. I Wish You Peace
STAN LYNCH, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, long-time drummer and founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, announces today the formation of THE SPEAKER WARS. After two decades of recording and touring multiple albums with The Heartbreakers, STAN moved to the other side of the recording console and shifted his focus to production and songwriting. Over the years, STAN has written and produced hits for artists in multiple genres, including the Eagles, Don Henley, Tim McGraw, The Mavericks, Ringo Starr, The Byrds, Toto, and The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
While writing in Nashville, a publisher introduced STAN to Texas singer-songwriter, Jon Christopher Davis, who was gathering material for a solo record on a major label. After accumulating an album’s worth of songs, Jon abandoned working on a solo record and the two decided to start a band to perform the newly created material. Adding Jay Michael Smith on guitar, Brian Patterson on bass, Steve Ritter on percussion, and Jay Brown on keyboards, THE SPEAKER WARS was born.
THE SPEAKER WARS are: Stan Lynch – Drums Jon Christopher Davis – Vocals Jay Michael Smith – Guitar Brian Patterson – Bass Steve Ritter – Percussion Jay Brown – Keyboard
The Metal Voice recently had an exclusive interview in studio with new band Terminal consisting of former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, former Tesla guitarist Tommy Skeoch and Tesla bassist Brian Wheat.
Watch the full interview below.
When asked how CHRIS HOLMES feels about getting inducted into the Metal hall of Fame on Jan 21, 2026
” It’s good. I’m still doing it 40 something years later in the (music) business, I’m being inducted because of Chris Holmes, who I am, not the people I played with.. And that’s good. That’s what I’m happy about. I’ll put the the trophy proudly on my mantel, at my house. It’ll be an achievement that I’m proud to have to show off. “(Chris Holmes)
When about their new band called Terminal
“In 2022 I played on the monster cruise and I ran into Brian (Wheat) the bass player of Tesla and I talked to him and we were on the boat and we became pretty close friends. You know you can tell if you’re going to like somebody in about 10 minutes, 20 minutes of meeting somebody when you’re around them. You usually can tell if they’re if they’re compatible with your personality. And then when I went to visit him, he was like, I’ve been wanting to put a band together. He has a few other projects going. He’s got a one called Violet Breed. He was talking to me about putting a project together. I go, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” And um so I gave him a few ideas of songs and we’re taking the steps and putting this project together. We got the people together. When I do Mean Man and my band, I don’t create the music and stuff to be put on (Radio) air. So in this situation, Brian writes this stuff to be put on the airways, and we’re doing music for that. And um we are going to submit the songs to a guy named (original Saliva singer ) Josey Scott. He’s already agreed to join the project, but we gotta get his voice on the music to see how it works. He’s the next step, And Tommy Skeoch he’s a guitar player in Tesla that had left 15 years ago and he’s done a few other projects. So, it’s kind of cool. We’ll have the drummer come in tomorrow.” Chris Holmes
“What happened was this: we were on the (Monsters Of Rock) boat in 2022, and I had seen Chris’ documentary, the ‘Mean Man’ documentary, and a friend of mine said, ‘You gotta watch this, this dude in W.A.S.P.,’ which was Chris. I said, ‘Yeah, I met that cat a long time ago.’ So I watched it and I really connected to him and his story. So when he was on the boat, when we were on the boat, I said, ‘I wanna meet the guy.’ So I went up to him and I introduced myself to him. I said, ‘Hey, man, I’m Brian from TESLA. Nice to meet you. I saw your documentary.’ And we just kind of hit it off. He said, ‘Hey, let’s have coffee or lunch’ or whatever. We were eating at the buffet, and we were talking, and I said to Chris, ‘Chris, all those years you were in W.A.S.P. Why didn’t you join some other band after you were out of W.A.S.P.?’ And he said, ‘Well, no one wanted to play you in a band with me.’ So I said, ‘Well, fuck, I’ll play in a band with you, man.’ And that’s kind of what happened. And then what happened from there was we just started hanging out. And they live in France, and I have a house in Italy, and they came and visited me. And we were talking on the phone and stuff. And on paper, I went, ‘Oh, this would be cool.’ So I knew me and Chris could get along. So that’s that. So me and Chris said (to each other), ‘Well, I’ll be in a band with you.’ And we’re just talking. Me and Tommy, before that, had reconnected after all our years in TESLA and all the shit we went through and all the shit that people who interview us say and all kinds of shit, ’cause they like to pit us against each other, and we reconnected. So I thought to myself, I said, ‘Man, Chris Holmes…'” Brian Wheat
When asked about the musical direction of the music
“We just kind of come in and see what we all kind of bring to it. And that’s kind of what we’re doing and what’s happening. And it’s pretty rocking, but it’s got even more melodic elements in it and different things.”- Tommy Skeoch
“Whatever the sound is of me, my poppy BEATLES thing, Tom’s heavy edge, Chris’ heavy metal stuff, you put it all together and then what Josey sings, that’s gonna be the sound. I can’t define what the sound’s gonna be.” Brian Wheat
When asked how many songs have been recorded
” Five. We don’t have any vocals yet (and no lyrics). We got five from the beginning to end(music). He’s (Josey Scott) is going to write the lyrics and he’s a songwriter in his own right.”- Brian Wheat , Chris Holmes Tommy Skeoch
While they’ve always pushed the intricate balance that defines post-metal, Unverkalt are now plummeting over the edge into the black below. Their upcoming third album and first since signing with Season of Mist descends into humanity’s deepest and darkest origins. Héréditaire lifts the veil from our cursed existence. What emerges is the band’s heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
“Our aim has always been to blend softer, more romantic elements with extreme chaos. With Héréditaire, that time has come”, says Unverkalt’s guitarist and chief composer Themis Ioannou. “This album is a lament for what is far older than our very existence. It speaks of what seeps through generations, searching for an answer to one pervasive question: What do we carry that was never ours?”
As they begin this dark descent, today, Unverkalt are releasing a haunting video for the stirring lead single from Héréditaire. Though it starts as a slow burn, album opener “Die Auslöschung” emerges from the envoloping haze as the band’s first song to pair Dimitra Kalavrezou’s heavenly cleans with hellish harsh vocals.
“‘Die Auslöschung’ is both bleak and immersive”, Kalavrezou says. “Carved in blackened textures and hypnotic pacing, the song channels both personal and collective collapse, setting the tone for what is to come”.
Héréditaire comes out February 27, 2026 on Season of Mist.
Unverkalt are still possessed by a cinematic vision. “Die Auslöschung” opens Héréditaire like a camera coming into focus. However, though rendered in crisp detail, the scene that the band paints is bleak. Beneath a smoldering bass line, riffs rise like smoke from freshly scattered ashes. “When did this darkness fall?” Kalavrezou sings as if trying to climb out of the shadowed rubble.
On previous albums, Unverkalt took cues from French painting and European film noir, but Héréditaire throws back the velvet curtain in favor a veil. “Die Auslöschung” begins to peel back the blackened layers of traumatic memories that are passed down to us like a disease. “He said enter the wide gate and walk the easy path to destruction”. As the pounding drums give way to a fiery stream of blast beats, Kalavrezou breaks into a scream so piercing it can be felt all across our shared history.
“I enjoy discovering new, unique and compelling music in today’s overwhelming world of information, and I believe I truly succeeded with Unverkalt”, says Season of Mist labelmate and Rotting Christ frontman Sakis Tolis, who’s featured on the monolithic “I, The Deceit” from Héréditaire. “This is an exceptional piece of art, worth every minute of listening”.
Catch Unverkalt in Suttgart, Germany early next year when they co-headline Club Zentral with Hippotraktor.Get ticketshere.
The video for “Die Auslöschung” was directed by Themis Ioannou at RAWBITE Studio
Additional video credits: Cinematography & Editing – Themis Ioannou Produced by – Unverkalt Camera Equipment Support – Marcus Sander Lighting – Hariolf “Harri” Lemke Costume Design / Styling – Sister Jane, & Gestuz
Tracklist:
1. Die Auslöschung (6:06) [WATCH] 2. Oath Ov Prometheus (5:40) 3. Ænæ Lithi (5:34) 4. A Lullaby for the Descent (5:11) 5. Penumbrian Lament (6:02) 6. Introjects (5:25) 7. I, The Deceit (feat. Sakis Tolis) (5:47) 8. Death is Forever (4:50) 9. Maladie de l’Esprit (5:34)
Unverkalt are drawn to the edge. Since emerging from the underground, the Germany by way of Greece post-metal band have balanced boundless atmosphere with suffocating heaviness. Their third album and first since signing with Season of Mist doesn’t continue in that direction so much as it plunges into the darkness that’s always been waiting below. Héréditaire lifts the veil from our cursed existence. What emerges is Unverkalt’s heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
“Our aim has always been to blend softer, more romantic elements with extreme chaos. With Héréditaire that time has now come”, says the band’s guitarist and chief composer Themis Ioannou. “This album is a lament for what is far older than our very existence. It speaks of what seeps through generations, searching for an answer to one pervasive question: What do we carry that was never ours?”
From the beginning, Unverkalt was born from an urge to give life to grief. In 2017, Ioannou started the band with vocalist Dimitra Kalavrezou in hopes of creating something that was slow-burning and visceral, crushing yet delicate. Their debut made good on that promise: “…so rivetingly beautiful that you will have to deepen to digest it”, Metal Hammer Greece wrote in awe of L’Origine du Monde. “Easily on the top-10 of 2020”.
The band’s second album followed three years later to further acclaim. While swooning between obsession and annihilation, A Lump of Death: A Chaos of Dead Lovers sharpened Unverkalt’s vision by pushing their avant-garde streak with more force. “Beyond being able to point roughly towards a couple of different genres, it is utterly impossible to compare them to any other artist out there making music in the same vein”, The Sleeping Shaman admired. Echoes and Dust agreed: “It stands in its own right as a beautiful slice of filmic post-rock, a soundtrack without a movie beyond the one playing in your head”.
Héréditaire is still possessed by cinematic visions. Like a camera coming into focus, lead single “Die Auslöschung” appears through a thickening haze before it’s snapped out of a trance by drummer Christian Eggers’ fiery blast beats. The album shifts between colors, textures, even languages. Stirred by a mournful saw of strings, “Ænae Lithi” raises memories of the Great Fire of Smyrna that were handed down by Themis’ grandmother. But where previous albums took cues from French painting and European film noir, this one throws back the velvet curtain in favor a veil. “Oath Ov Prometheus” dismantles the myth of man as god’s perfect creation with Kalavrezou’s freshly blackened vocals.
“We love to experiment with every album”, Ioannou says. “With Héréditaire, we wanted to introduce extreme vocals because they bring out all these heavy feelings. It’s like they’re shaking you awake”.
While Héréditaire is a pulse-pounding new direction for Unverkalt, the album’s arc traces back to our deepest and darkest origins. Amidst the tremolo-picked wreckage of “Penumbrian Lament”, long-held beliefs are swallowed into the void of guitarist Eli Mavrychev’s death growls. “It’s all sorts of dead ideas / They cling to us all the same”, Kalavrezou whispers, only to break into screams on “Introjects” beneath Joscha Hoyer’s throbbing bass line. “The concept behind the record is tied in with the album’s overall heaviness”, she says. “Each song peels back another blackened layer of memory, trauma and suffering, which linger over us like ghosts: invisible, yet endlessly present”.
Kalavrezou’s mystifying cleans remain one of Unverkalt’s defining traits. Even when trembling beneath the monolithic riff of “I, The Deceit”, her contempt for those who stand by as the world burns is heated when forged alongside her Athenian brother-in-arms Sakis Tolis from Rotting Christ. But as the album draws to a close, Héréditaire ends shadowed in doubt for the future. “Bathed in lies / Can we make it better” she wonders before disappearing into the shivering wake left by “Maladie de ‘Esprit”.
“This album is not meant to resolve”, the band says, “but to dissolve patterns from those who came before, faceless yet familiar. The colors have drained. What remains is veiled in black, not as a symbol, but as a truth that covers everything”.
On Héréditaire, Unverkalt lift the veil on our cursed existence with their heaviest and most heartfelt offering.
Guest musicians Sakis Tolis – Vocals on “I, The Deceit”
Songwriting credits Composed by Themis Ioannou Lyrics by Dimitra Kalavrezou and Eli Mavrychev Lyrics for “I, The Deceit” by Dimitra Kalavrezou and Joscha Hoyer
Recording credits Recorded and engineered by Unverkalt Drums recorded and engineered by Christian Eggers at Noir Surge Sound
Production credits Produced by Themis Ioannou Vocals produced by Dimitra Kalavrezou & Eli Mavrychev Mixed by Joshua Barber Mastered by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studios
America, brace yourselves. Deraps—Canada’s blistering new hard-rock powerhouse—are storming the United States for the first time ever, bringing their high-voltage, late-’70s-inspired sound to American stages in February 2026.
Led by prodigy Jacob Deraps—the Quebec-born, EVH-sponsored guitar phenomenon whose jaw-dropping Van Halen covers lit up YouTube and earned praise from The Official Van Halen News Desk—Deraps are redefining what modern classic rock can be: fierce, melodic, virtuoso-level, and full-throttle fun.
After signing with Metalville Records and inking a publishing deal with Anthem Entertainment (home of Rush), Jacob Deraps and Aussie co-writer Josh Gallagher launched their self-titled debut in 2022 to global acclaim, earning raves from Classic Rock Magazine (UK), Burrn! (Japan), Screamer Magazine (USA) and more. Fans crowned them “Best New Band of 2022” in Burrn! Magazine, while Classic Rock spotlighted their single “My Side of Town” in its prestigious Ultimate Playlist of 2022.
From opening for Tom Cochrane, Ann Wilson, Loverboy, and Foreigner, to electrifying crowds at the Stonedead Festival (UK) supporting Blue Öyster Cult, Deraps have already proven they belong on the biggest stages on Earth.
And now, after Deraps wrote, produced, recorded, and mixed the band’s explosive second album Viva Rock N’ Roll—released May 23, 2025 to glowing worldwide reviews and a surprise #1 rock sales debut in Japan—the band is finally answering American fans’ calls.
This is the moment. This is the tour.
FROM JACOB DERAPS: “Touring the US has always been a dream of mine, and I’m so excited to finally do it for the first time. This is the birth land of Rock N’ Roll to me, where my favourite bands & guitar players flourished… Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Guns N’ Roses, Ratt, Dokken, Extreme, Steve Vai, Jake E. Lee, Steve Lukather, and so many others… These guys are my heroes!”
CONFIRMED U.S. TOUR DATES — “VIVA ROCK N’ ROLL” (LEG I) W 2/4 — Pawling, NY — Darryl’s House F 2/6 — NYC, NY — The Iridium S 2/7 — West Yarmouth, MA — The Music Room M 2/9 — Pittsburgh, PA — Craft House W 2/11 — Sellersville, PA — Sellersville Theater Th 2/12 — Lakewood, OH — The Winchester Music Hall F 2/13 — Detroit, MI — Token Lounge S 2/14 — Chicago, IL — Reggie’s W 2/18 — Milwaukee, WI — Shank Hall F 2/20 — Wisconsin Dells, WI — Legacy Theater S 2/21 — Sioux Falls, SD — Biggs Bar and Grill W 2/25 — Great Falls, MT — The Newbury Theater F 2/27 — Seattle, WA — The Funhouse at El Corazon
…with many more dates to be announced!
WHY YOU CAN’T MISS THIS TOUR
Jacob Deraps—now in his twenties—is already stacking accolades at a legendary pace: • Best International Guitarist — Via Nocturna (Portugal) • Praised by the Japanese rock press as “the one keeping the spirit of Van Halen alive” • Winner of the Zappa Foundation Award in his teens…
The show promises a full-scale rock celebration: “An evening of high-energy rock ’n’ roll, featuring the best of our first two albums, killer classic-rock covers, and a big tribute to the greatest of all time—Eddie Van Halen.”
If you’re a guitar fan, a rock fanatic, a lover of killer riffs, or just someone who needs to feel the floor shake again—this is the tour you’ve been waiting for. Deraps are coming in loud, fast, and ready to blow the roof off every room they hit.
UK-based Thrash/Death Metal powerhouse Slave Steel is thrilled to unleash a raw, intense new live video for the track “Warm Up,” captured during their explosive performance at the Battle of The Brew 2024.
The footage was captured live at the London Metal Coalition event at The Signature Brew in London, UK, showcasing the band’s visceral, sharp-edged sound in its purest form. “Warm Up” is a concrete statement of the band’s uncompromising energy and technical prowess, serving as a powerful reminder of why Slave Steel is one of the most exciting forces in the UK metal underground.
New Album and London Show Announced
The quartet is not slowing down. Following the success of their critically acclaimed full-length album, In Fieri (out via Wormholedeath), Slave Steel confirms they are now deep in the production phase of their highly anticipated new album. More news coming soon!
Fans can catch the band live in London on December 12th. This pivotal show offers Slave Steel the opportunity to secure a prestigious slot at the Sun & Thunder Fest 2026. This is a must-see event for those looking to witness the band’s raw power in person and support their ascent to the next stage.
“Warm Up” is a track taken from the band’s album “In Fieri”, available on all digital platforms HERE and in CD format HERE
Founded in Rome and based in London since 2014, Slave Steel delivers an impetuous, dark, and sharp blend of Thrash and Death Metal. Their music relentlessly explores the contradictions of human nature—the capacity for both wonder and destruction—set against a reality defined by conflict. Their lyrics weave ongoing analogies between science and abstraction, creating a primordial chant of resilience and change.
Having released their Dream of Decadence EP in 2021, the band quickly garnered attention, earning an invitation to perform at Bloodstock Open Air. In 2023, they signed with Wormholedeath Records, announced the In Fieri album, and commanded the stage at the WTF Rock Festival, opening for legends Sepultura.
Slave Steel is:
Vocals: Pil Nazar Guitars: Daniele Manganaro Bass: Marco Agosta Drums: Riccardo Priori
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 