Mediterranea Metal Cruise returns in 2026, sailing from Athens, Greece, on November 2–6, 2026.
The 2026 edition will take guests across the Aegean with an itinerary including Mykonos, Kuşadası, Patmos, Rhodes, and Santorini, combining Greek island exploration by day with live metal performances onboard at night.
The lineup includes:
AMBUSH, CONFESS, KRYPTOS, GAMEOVER, SAUROM, METALITE, BONAFIDE, GRYMHEART, FIGHTHER V, MINOROAR, RUN TO THE BEAST.
Special Guests: Heavy Metal Barpiano, Dj Gustav, Growl Vocal Seminar, and more.
MMC brings heavy, power, melodic, and underground metal onboard for four nights at sea, offering a different format from the usual land-based festival.
Mötley Crüe performs with Carrie Underwood on American Idol season finale – Photo credit: (Disney/Eric McCandless)
Rock Legends Mötley Crüe continue to electrify audiences across generations, delivering a high-energy national TV performance on the season finale of American Idollast nightthat reminded the world exactly why their music and legacy endures. The Crüe performed a powerful medley of their classic hits “Home Sweet Home” and “Kickstart My Heart”, as a duet with 8-time GRAMMY® Award winner and American Idol Judge, Carrie Underwood. In case you missed it or simply need to see it again, check it out HERE.
Next up, Mötley Crüe is gearing up to hit stages across North America this Summer on The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins Tour. Their first extensive touring in 2 years will see them hit 35 cities with dates in July, August, and September, coinciding with the 20th anniversary of their groundbreaking 2006 Carnival Of Sins Tour with a reimagined show and updated setlist. $1 of every ticket sold will be donated to ASAP! (After School Arts Program) through the Mötley Crüe Giveback Initiative to support students with hands-on programs in music and the arts. Get tickets and VIP packages HERE. For more info, visit motley.com.
The Return Of The Carnival Of Sins Tour
Sat, Jul. 4, 2026 – Winnipeg, MB – Princess Auto Stadium * Sun, Jul. 12, 2026 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Amphitheatre * Fri, Jul 17, 2026 — Burgettstown, PA — The Pavilion at Star Lake Sat, Jul 18, 2026 — Buffalo, NY — Darien Lake Amphitheater Mon, Jul 20, 2026 — Clarkson, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre Wed, Jul 22, 2026 — Toronto, ON — RBC Amphitheatre Fri, Jul 24, 2026 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion Sat, Jul 25, 2026 — Bangor, ME — Maine Savings Amphitheater Mon, Jul 27, 2026 — Camden, NJ — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion Wed, Jul 29, 2026 — Saratoga Springs, NY — Albany Med Health System at SPAC Fri, Jul 31, 2026 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center Sat, Aug 1, 2026 — Mansfield, MA — Xfinity Center Mon, Aug 3, 2026 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live Wed, Aug 12, 2026 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre Fri, Aug 14, 2026 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre Sat, Aug 15, 2026 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre Mon, Aug 17, 2026 — Charlotte, NC — Truliant Amphitheater Wed, Aug 19, 2026 — St. Louis, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheater Fri, Aug 21, 2026 — Shakopee, MN — Mystic Lake Amphitheater Sat, Aug 22, 2026 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre Mon, Aug 24, 2026 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center Tue, Aug 25, 2026 — Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center Thu, Aug 27, 2026 — Grand Rapids, MI — Acrisure Amphitheater Fri, Aug 28, 2026 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center Tue, Sep 8, 2026 — Kansas City, MO — Morton Amphitheater Thu, Sep 10, 2026 — Dallas, TX — Dos Equis Pavilion Fri, Sep 11, 2026 — Houston, TX — The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Sun, Sep 13, 2026 — Albuquerque, NM — First Financial Credit Union Amphitheater Wed, Sep 16, 2026 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre Fri, Sep 18, 2026 — Chula Vista, CA — North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre Sat, Sep 19, 2026 — Long Beach, CA — Long Beach Amphitheater Mon, Sep 21, 2026 — Salt Lake City, UT — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre Wed, Sep 23, 2026 — Wheatland, CA — Toyota Amphitheatre Thu, Sep 24, 2026 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheater Sat, Sep 26, 2026 — Ridgefield, WA – Cascades Amphitheater
*Festival date
To get you ready for the Summer tour kick off, the band today announced a LIMITED EDITION PICTURE DISC BOXSET, Crücial Crüe 1981 – 1989. It will be available via BMG on July 10th as a 5LP Picture Disc Set, 5CD Picture Disc Replica Set, and ULTRA-LIMITED 250 unit hand numbered Crüeseum Exclusive featuring a reverse color outer box.
The box set includes their iconic first five studio albums, which have sold a combined 30 Million Copies globally: Too Fast For Love (1981 – PLATINUM US), Shout At The Devil (1983 – 4X PLATINUM US), Theatre Of Pain (1985 – 4X PLATINUM US), Girls Girls Girls (1987 – 4X PLATINUM US), and Dr. Feelgood (1989 – 6X PLATINUM US).
Contained on these albums are timeless tracks that shaped a generation, created a genre and are still featured in the band’s setlist to this day, including: “Live Wire”, “Too Fast For Love”, “Shout At The Devil”, “Looks That Kill”, “Home Sweet Home”, “Smokin’ In The Boys Room”, “Girls, Girls, Girls”, “Wild Side”, “Dr. Feelgood”, “Kickstart My Heart”, “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)” and many more! Pre-Order HERE
Side A Live Wire Come On and Dance Public Enemy #1 Merry-Go-Round Take Me to the Top
Side B Piece of Your Action Starry Eyes Too Fast For Love On with the Show
Shout at the Devil (1983) – 4X PLATINUM
Side A In the Beginning Shout at the Devil Looks That Kill Bastard God Bless the Children of the Beast Helter Skelter
Side B Red Hot Too Young to Fall in Love Knock ’Em Dead, Kid Ten Seconds to Love Danger
Theatre of Pain (1985) – 4X PLATINUM
Side A City Boy Blues Smokin’ in the Boys Room Louder Than Hell Keep Your Eye on the Money Home Sweet Home
Side B Tonight (We Need a Lover) Use It or Lose It Save Our Souls Raise Your Hands to Rock Fight for Your Rights
Girls, Girls, Girls (1987) – 4X PLATINUM
Side A Wild Side Girls, Girls, Girls Dancing on Glass Bad Boy Boogie Nona
Side B Five Years Dead All in the Name of… Sumthin’ for Nuthin’ You’re All I Need Jailhouse Rock
Dr. Feelgood (1989) – 6X PLATINUM
Side A T.n.T. (Terror ’n Tinseltown) Dr. Feelgood Slice of Your Pie Rattlesnake Shake Kickstart My Heart Without You
Side B Same Ol’ Situation (S.O.S.) Sticky Sweet She Goes Down Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away) Time for Change
The band’s music continues to find new fans and affect popular culture through continued placements in movies, TV shows, video games, commercials and sporting events worldwide. “Home Sweet Home” most recently is featured prominently in the trailer for Bus Boys (starring Theo Von and David Spade) while “Kickstart My Heart” marks a 2nd year as the official theme for NASCAR’S INDYCAR Race Series. The track has also been featured in high-profile moments during the recent NFL Draft and continues to energize audiences throughout the current NHL Playoffs, reinforcing the timeless appeal and adrenaline-fueled spirit of the Crüe’s sound.
Coming Soon:Crüe 45 RPM– The Singles Collection, an ultra-limited, hand numbered, foil-packaged series of 10” vinyl, available only at the Crüeseum, details coming soon. In addition to the band celebrating their 45th anniversary, the holy grail for music collectors, the Leathür Records original 1981 version of their debut, Too Fast For Lovealso turns 45 this year.
With national TV appearances, a 3-month summer tour, continued major sync placements, and a celebration of the iconic music that grabbed the world’s attention in the first place, Mötley Crüe proves once again that their influence remains as relevant as ever.
Photo Credit: Ross Halfin
About Mötley Crüe:
Hailing from Los Angeles, CA, Mötley Crüe has commandeered the rock pantheon for 40+ years. The band has sold over 100 million albums worldwide, garnered 7 USA Platinum and Multi-Platinum albums, 22 Top 40 mainstream rock hits, 6 Top 20 pop singles, 3 GRAMMY® nominations, 5 New York Times Best Selling books, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a hit Netflix movie. The quartet has amassed nearly 10 billion streams and has over 9.5 million followers on social media. Known for their iconic live performances, Mötley Crüe has sold out countless tours around the world in front of millions of fans and pioneered the Las Vegas rock residency with a sold-out run in 2012. Hit songs, like “Kickstart My Heart” and “Home Sweet Home,” are frequently licensed by major brands such as NASCAR, Dodge, Coldwell Banker, Carl’s Jr., and KIA, and their music can be heard on hit TV shows like StrangerThings and Cobra Kai, among others. The band’s biography, The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most NotoriousRock Band, became a New York Times Best Seller in 2001 and has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. Members of the band have authored 5 additional New York Times Best Selling books since. In 2019, Netflix premiered TheDirt, a biopic based on the bestselling book. Mötley Crüe remains a huge global draw 43 years into their career, wrapping up a two-year stadium world tour in late 2023. In 2024, the band ushered in a brand-new era, signing to Big Machine Records and releasing the single “Dogs of War.” 2025 saw Mötley Crüe return to the Las Vegas Strip for the band’s third Sin City residency – the first one since 2013 – with ten nights at Dolby Live at Park MGM. Mötley Crüe will celebrate their 45th anniversary in 2026 with a massive North American Tour between July and September.
Hard rock supergroup Iconic – featuring Michael Sweet (guitars), Joel Hoekstra (guitars), Marco Mendoza (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums), and Nathan James (vocals) – share today the new single and visualizer, “Tears Keep On Falling”, taken from the upcoming sophomore album “II”, scheduled for July 31, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.
Nathan James commented: “I loved singing this song in the studio. Such a great chorus and I really hope the listeners enjoy it as much as I do!”
Michael Sweet said: “I’m really proud to be a part of such an iconic band, no pun intended! It takes me back to the glory days, when rock ruled radio and it was topping the charts. We created this album to remind people of those times. Here’s to “Tears Keep On Falling”!”
Joel Hoekstra added: “I hope everyone enjoys “Tears Keep On Falling”. It was killer to lean into the groove that Tommy Aldridge and Marco Mendoza gave us for this one. It was also great fun to play the harmony lead lines with Michael Sweet and finally to hear Nathan James belt out the vocals like only he can!”
“Tears Keep On Falling” is a powerful rock ballad,it will get your attention as soon as you hear it, from the first verse. Nathan’s vocals are amazing and Michael and Joel’s guitars are on fire… Tommy A at the helm driving! Enjoy!”, said Marco Mendoza.
Tommy Aldridge also exclaimed: “Such a honor and a blessing working with Nathan, Marco, Michael and Joel again. Consummate pros!”
Iconic return with “II”, a second album that doesn’t just continue the band’s journey – it defines it. Where their debut introduced the chemistry between five world-class musicians, II sharpens that vision into a clearer, heavier, and more confident sonic identity, delivering a sound that is more powerful, more direct, and unmistakably rock.
At the heart of the album lies the electrifying guitar partnership of Joel Hoekstra and Michael Sweet, delivering a masterclass in soaring melodies, blazing solos, and muscular riffs that perfectly balance technical brilliance with pure hard-rock attitude. Beneath them, the rhythm section of Tommy Aldridge and Marco Mendoza drives the record with thunderous authority, creating a groove that is both massive and relentless.
The album kicks off with “Cry No More”, a high-octane opener that immediately sets the tone – an energetic slice of hard rock packed with driving riffs, explosive drums, and a chorus built to stick.
On the other side of the emotional spectrum, “Tears Keep On Falling” showcases the band’s dynamic range, unfolding as an electrifying power ballad where melody, atmosphere, and intensity come together in dramatic fashion.
Towering above it all is Nathan James, whose performance on “II” is nothing short of extraordinary – powerful, soulful, and commanding, elevating every track with unmistakable presence.
With bigger riffs, deeper grooves, and a stronger sense of identity, “II” captures Iconic at full force: a band no longer introducing itself but fully owning its sound.
“II” Tracklist:
1. Cry No More 2. All I Want 3. Open My Eyes 4. Tears Keep On Falling 5. Take Me To The Place 6. S.O.S. 7. Nothing Left For Me 8. Far Away 9. Valley Of Lost Souls 10. Written In The Stars 11. Heart Of Stone
Line Up: Nathan James – Vocals Michael Sweet – Guitars Joel Hoekstra – Guitars Marco Mendoza – Bass Tommy Aldridge – Drums
Keyboards by Antonio Agate Backing Vocals by Marco Pastorino
It’s been a long time… way too long, in fact… since we last heard from Witch Of The Vale… It was back in 2021 that Cleopatra Records released their debut album Commemorate and, while the self-released digital singles “Love of a Father” and “Power of Love,” and the masterful 100 Ways To Leave Volume 1 EP certainly fed the fans’ hunger, Lovesongs For The Damned is sure to fill an aching void regardless.
Ethereal and haunting, Witch Of The Vale hail from the serene shores of Scotland’s myth-ridden Loch Lomond, and the remote – but so beautiful – Outer Hebrideas, and made their public debut in 2018, with the single “The Way This Will End.” They followed up with “Trust The Pain” and “Changeling” – evocative and emotional electronic soundscapes woven around Erin’s delicate but never less than captivating vocal. That’s when Cleopatra discovered them.
And while it is easy to see how the duo have built such a loyal following among the Goth community, their sound expands way beyond any expected parameters – and into wider pastures too, with their music soundtracking such modern horror classics as Cocaine Werewolf, Baphomet and Scavenger.
Initially intended as a companion volume to 100 Ways To Leave Volume 1, but swiftly outgrowing the EP format, Lovesongs for the Damned is sensual and seductive, the kind of album that makes you yearn for darkness to fall – or which could cause it to do so, whatever time of day it is.
Opening with an alternate version of ”Love of a Father,” with Erin’s spectral vocal colliding with brutal, brittle percussion; and delivering, too, an unheard revision of 100 Ways’ “Porcelain and Ivory,” Lovesongs for the Damned features remixes, too, of two of the collection’s most dramatic songs, “What’s Left of Me” and the title track.
And then there’s “The Curse,” which sounds exactly like the title says it ought to, and a contrarily fragile take on Johnny Cash/Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt” – most recently heard as the very last recording ever made by the Witch’s Cleopatra label mate, the so sadly missed Melanie. Which is probably the right place to mention a future Witch of the Vale project, bringing their magic to another Melanie recording, “All The Pretty Little Horses.” Watch this space for further details.
For now, however, we have Lovesongs for the Damned, a gorgeous collection that steps out of your dreams to foster a whole new, fresh reality.
Alt-rockers SELFISH THINGS are thrilled to announce the release of their new studio album, ‘Receptivity,’ set for release on October 9, 2026 via FLG.
After releasing their single “Sunlight” in March, the band now unleashes their new track “Effigy,” along with an official video, available below.
Frontman Alex Biro comments:
“Admittedly – this was a song I hated that quickly became everyone’s favourite. I wrote the lyrics in an hour at the lowest point of my sobriety in 2022. I can’t say anything about it beyond it was stream of consciousness, clearly blistering, and is something I can’t listen to often without feeling sh*t I’ve tried to bury. I hope it brings you peace.”
SELFISH THINGS’ ‘Receptivity’ is a raw and unflinching portrait of frontman Alex Biro’s reckoning with collapse and recovery. Born from the ashes of a life derailed – years of relentless touring, addiction, and the stillness of a pandemic that forced reflection – ‘Receptivity’ is both a lifeline and a rebirth. Created alongside longtime collaborators Michael Ticar and Mike Tompa, and mixed by Sam Guaiana (Bayside, Neck Deep, Against The Current), the album took shape during Biro’s earliest days of sobriety. It’s not just a return – it’s a declaration. Brutally honest, emotionally charged, and rooted in redemption, ‘Receptivity’ stands as a testament to survival, accountability, and the strength to rebuild when everything falls apart.
Originally a moniker for Biro, SELFISH THINGS released their debut EP ‘Vertical Love’ (A Wolf at Your Door Records) produced by James Paul Wisner (Paramore, Underoath, Dashboard Confessional). The release earned the attention of BBC Radio 1’s Dan P. Carter and earned the band a 2017 cover spot on Spotify’s New Noise playlist.
Their 2019 debut LP ‘Logos’ (Pure Noise Records) produced by Drew Fulk (Knocked Loose, Beartooth, Lil Peep) landed the band on multiple Billboard charts before the COVID-19 pandemic cut the album cycle short, forcing the band into hiatus.
In the years since, Biro and bandmate Michael Ticar have collaborated with Juno Award–winning producer Mike Tompa, writing music born from the tail end of addiction and carried into sobriety.
Now four years sober and working in peer support within the touring community, Biro says the band’s return feels less like a comeback and more like a reckoning – a chance to speak plainly about addiction, mental health, and the danger of freezing people at their worst moments.
‘Receptivity’ is a triumph of the human experience. It is a story of a man who understands the depths of his own shadow, unafraid to face the thunder of his past. In a society obsessed with division and virtue signalling, the three friends have created something inextricably tied to challenging the status quo. An album meant to tell the story of a man willing to stand in front of the world and acknowledge his brokenness and its impact without blame. A man tired of division and anger. A man who is changed for the better.
Biro states:
“This wasn’t supposed to be an album. It’s still not really an album to me, or to any of us. More just… closure, I guess. I was at the beginning of my full-blown addiction on the last tour we ever did before COVID stopped the world in 2020. I hated myself and I hated the world more than I really knew at the time. I’m four years sober on the 18th of May, working as a sober coach and clinician with folks who struggle with the same things I do, even in my recovery. The profits will be donated to the hospital where I went to rehab, and (admittedly), we don’t really know where to go (or if we’ll go anywhere with it) afterward.”
“The only thing that’s brought me peace in the aftermath of the cataclysm of my addiction is being of service to others. I think deep down, releasing this for whoever needs to hear it is an extension of that. Everything beautiful blooms from the mud. Everything beautiful grows from the dirt”, he added. “This is for those who can accept that the things they’ve been through can either be the poison cup they sip from or the counterweight that lifts themselves and others up. That being imperfect is being human. And that suffering is singular, and universal.”
ROTTING CHRIST, are reissuing their album Khronos. First released in 2000, the sixth album from the Greek legends stands as the final pillar of the band’s Gothic period, which started in the mid-1990s, before they turned toward the mythology and cultural roots that characterize their later albums.
Recorded in the dead of a Nordic winter at Sweden’s Abyss Studios, Khronos carries a sense of cold. Keyboards pull back beneath the guitars rather than ride above them. The album’s overall atmosphere leans toward shadow rather than sheen. Songs like “Thou Art Blind” and “Aeternatus” hit with a ferocity closer to Rotting Christ’s uncompromising 1993 debut Thy Mighty Contract than to the polished gothic sound of the recently reissued Sleep of the Angels. “My Sacred Path,” “Art of Sin,” and the title track hold onto the melodic intelligence of the band’s late-90s records, threading dark wave undercurrents through slower, more insinuating structures. The eleven-minute closer “Glory of Sadness” eventually yields to an industrial-inflected hidden passage—a signal, in its own oblique way, that a door is closing.
Among the most debated moments on Khronos is Rotting Christ’s cover of Current 93’s “Lucifer Over London”. The band’s restrained and deliberate reading of David Tibet’s Neofolk original drew divided responses on release and has continued to do so since.
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
