Defects have revealed their brand-new single ‘All For Nothing,’ out now on Mascot Records, which you can listen to HERE. The song’s lyrics focus on questioning your place in the world and grappling with personal dissatisfaction, as vocalist Tony Maue flies out of the traps, snarling, “Now I’ve grown tired of the same routine, life it takes and it’s never given again, the lies of the dream are dead, and everything i lived for is failing me instead, so give me an answer or I’ll just keep on asking, I wanna feel like a have a purpose.”
The band offers a deeply personal perspective, peeling back emotional layers to reveal struggles with meaning and purpose. Recognising when you’re spiralling takes years to master. “When I was younger, overthinking led me into drugs, and I nearly died. The worst part was feeling alone. I’ve changed since then, and now I feel better than ever.” He continues, “When I did drugs, I gave up. If I stop moving forward, I fall back— why give up the very thing I fell in love with in the beginning?”
“All for Nothing came from a time in my life when it felt like nothing was really moving. No matter how much I was putting in, it seemed like I was stuck in the same place. I wrote it from that frustration—that exhaustion of wondering if everything I was doing was even leading anywhere,” explains Maue. “More than anything, though, the song became my way of letting all of that out. It’s me being honest about those hard moments, facing that feeling that it was all for nothing, and working through it until I found my way past it.”
‘All For Nothing’ is the latest single to be released, following the socio-political barb, ‘Artificial Icons,’ and ‘Heresy‘, a brutal confrontation with blind faith and false hope. They create a volatile mix of crushing riffs, thunderous breakdowns, and soaring choruses, surging between savage screams and anthemic vocals.
These three songs hint at the band’s future and are their first new music since debut album Modern Error, released in 2024. Defects have swept across Europe with Trivium, Northlane, Of Mice and Men, Orbit Culture, Bullet For My Valentine, In Flames and Funeral for a Friend. Their festival appearances include Download (UK), Slam Dunk (UK), Mystic Festival (Poland), Rock Im Park/Rock Am Ring (Germany), Impericon Festival (Germany), Rockharz (Germany), Summer Breeze Open Air (Germany), Rock for the People (Czech Republic), Jera On Air (The Netherlands), Graspop (Belgium), and Parkpop (Belgium). “Modern Error was built from the very first songs we ever crafted from the moment of getting into a studio together,” says guitarist James Threadwell. “On these new songs, we really had the space to develop and grow into ourselves. It’s an exciting metamorphosis.”
Defects are: Tony Maue (Vocals), James Threadwell (Guitar), Orlando Morris-Winmill (Guitar), and Rowan Jack (Drums).
You aren’t ready for this! Aussie extreme metal cohort King Parrot, will be returning to UK shores, bringing their no holds barred, off kilter live experience back to the UK in September in support of their new album “A Young Person’s Guide To King Parrot”.
The last time we welcomed the quietus quartet, they were decimating stadiums nationwide and all over Europe opening for Pantera and Power Trip in 2025. In the summer of 2026, the boys from down under are excited to announce their return with a 9 date run of headline shows all over the UK.
The new album has received a rousing reception by the metal community with tracks like “Fuck You and the Horse You Rode In On” and “It’s A Rort” and their accompanying videos being lapped up by old and new fans alike. King Parrot recently completed a monstrous 39 date US tour alongside Gwar and Soulfly and are firing on all cylinders leading up to their return to the UK and Europe. Most recently the band have enlisted the services of veteran bass player Derek Engemann (Scour, Philip H Anselmo and The Illegals, ex-Cattle Decapitation) and he will be joining the band again as he did on the US tour.
Matt Young, vocalist for King Parrot says “We’re really excited to be returning to the UK after our massive run with Pantera and Power Trip last year.” Commenting on what fans can expect from the upcoming UK dates, “We can’t wait to bring our full headlining set out and we’ll be delivering cuts from every album including a whole swag from the new record. Looking forward to seeing our UK mates this September!”
King Parrot are recent additions to festivals in Europe like Summer Dying Loud (PL), Metal!!! 2026 (CZ) and Get Lost Fest (DE) and they are putting the finishing touches on their more extensive European jaunt, however wanted to get the news out to fans of their return to the UK immediately. Get down with the crown and shit on your liver as King Parrot comes to destroy venues across the UK as only they know how!
KING PARROT – UNITED KINGDOM – SEPTEMBER 2026
THUR 10TH – COBBLESTONES – BRIDGWATER FRI 11TH – THE BUNKHOUSE – SWANSEA SAT 12TH – VICTORIA INN – DERBY SUN 13TH – CASTLE AND FALCON – BIRMINGHAM MON 14TH – DISTRICT – LIVERPOOL TUE 15TH – 1865 – SOUTHAMPTON WED 16TH – NAMBUCCA – LONDON THUR 17TH – BRICKMAKERS – NORWICH FRI 18TH – IVORY BLACKS – GLASGOW
Swiss hard rock veterans Shakra are thrilled to announce their return with a new album, “Just Live Loud!”, set for release on September 4, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.
To coincide with the announcement, the band share the title track, along with an official music video, available below.
The band described the new single as “a powerful track for everyone who has waited too long, hesitated too often and held themselves back too many times. The song is a call to break out of your shell, shake off the doubts and stop postponing life. It is not about simply being loud. It is about living out your own freedom, dreaming big and finding the courage to take the next step – even when the perfect moment has not yet arrived”.
“Musically, “Just Live Loud!” brings together everything we stand for: driving guitars, a strong hookline, raw energy and that unmistakable blend of hard rock, melody and clear attitude. The song sounds like a new beginning, like adrenaline, and like the feeling of finally being fully alive again. Stop waiting. Live your freedom. Now. Just Live Loud!”, they continued.
Shakra return with renewed fire and unstoppable energy on “Just Live Loud!”, their explosive new studio album and the band’s very first release through Frontiers Music Srl. Fuelled by massive riffs, soaring melodies, and the unmistakable chemistry that has defined Shakra for decades, the album captures the spirit of classic European hard rock while pushing the band into a heavier, more modern sonic territory.
Vocalist Mark Fox commented: “Becoming a father has changed the way I look at many things. When I watch my daughter grow, discover the world and face every day with this incredible curiosity, I find myself asking even more consciously what life is really about. For me, the answer can now be summed up in three words: JUST LIVE LOUD! Don’t live halfway, don’t wait forever, don’t hide. I recorded the vocals for this album on my own in my basement. It was a very intense process that strongly confronted me with myself, my self-criticism and my responsibility. At the same time, it showed me that true freedom always comes with responsibility. For me, this tension is exactly what lies at the heart of this album.”
Guitarist Thomas Muster added: “Over the last 30 years, I’ve written many songs for Shakra. Heavier stuff, sometimes even poppier songs, and some really soft tracks. And even though I was ultimately always happy with the albums, I still always had this feeling inside me that musically, there simply had to be a little more. An even better riff, an even better hookline, simply even better songs. With ‘Something You Don’t Understand’ from the Snakes & Ladders album, I had that feeling of the perfect song for the first time”.
“And now comes “Just Live Loud!”, the Shakra album I always wanted to write, but somehow never quite managed to until now. And it comes with 12 great songs! If I could take only one Shakra album to the famous desert island, it would definitely be this one”, he continued.
Produced with a raw yet polished approach, “Just Live Loud!” delivers a powerful mix of thunderous anthems, emotionally charged ballads, and adrenaline-fueled rockers designed for both festival stages and late-night highway drives. From razor-sharp guitar work and pounding rhythms to towering vocal hooks, every track reflects the band’s commitment to authenticity, passion, and pure rock’n’roll attitude.
Lyrically, the album celebrates resilience, freedom, brotherhood, and the determination to live life at full volume – themes that resonate deeply with the band’s own journey through the international hard rock scene. “Just Live Loud!” also marks an exciting new chapter for Shakra, combining the experience and songwriting strength of their legacy years with a fresh creative momentum that feels more vital than ever.
The band proudly stated: “For over 30 years, we have been walking this path with Shakra. We have always worked on ourselves, put many things aside and given everything to push this band forward – without compromise, without a safety net. We have dared, we have taken risks, and we still do. But this very path has also given us our freedom: to find our purpose away from the ordinary, to lose ourselves in it, and to do what we burn for”.
“Just Live Loud!” brings all of that together in one album: origin, attitude, energy and the view ahead. As long as this fire is still burning, we will keep moving, keep daring and keep giving everything. Living louder is hardly possible – JUST LIVE LOUD!”, they added.
With this landmark release, Shakra reaffirm their status as one of Switzerland’s premier hard rock exports and prove that true melodic heavy rock is alive, loud, and ready to conquer a new generation of fans.
“Just Live Loud!” Tracklist:
1. Let The Show Begin 2. Wasteland Warriors 3. Just Live Loud! 4. Left Outside Alone (Feat. Seraina Telli) 5. Demon Of The Night 6. Legends Never Die 7. Lost Generation 8. When We Were Young 9. Another Day In The Universe 10. New Tattoo 11. High Above The Storm 12. Screaming Silence 13. Left Outside Alone (Solo Version)
Line Up: Thom Blunier – Lead Guitars Mark Fox – Vocals Thomas Muster – Guitars Cyril Montavon – Bass Roger Tanner – Drums Follow SHAKRA: Website Facebook Instagram
Two-time JUNO Nominee ‘Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar’ released their new live album A Beautiful Buzz via Gypsy Soul Records on May 22, 2026. Captured during the band’s Love Is All Around tour across Western Canada in 2022, the album documents the raw power, soul, and communal energy that have made Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar one of Canada’s most electrifying live acts.
The CD and limited-edition gatefold double vinyl editions of the album are available via www.samanthamartinmusic.com/store with the digital edition available on all streaming platforms HERE.
The album is preceded by the singles “My Crown,” “The Shape I’m In,” and “Them Changes” — an irresistible first taste of the sweat-soaked, soul-driven performances that define A Beautiful Buzz.
Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar occupy a rare space in modern roots blues music: deeply reverent of soul and gospel tradition, yet unafraid to push those forms into something louder, sweatier, and fiercely alive. Led by Martin’s unmistakable, powerhouse vocal delivery, the band has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s most commanding live acts, equal parts grit, grace, and emotional force.
A two-time JUNO Award nominee and seven-time Canadian Blues Award nominee for Female Vocalist of the Year, Samantha Martin has long drawn comparisons to the great soul shouters of the past. As Rhythm & Booze put it, “Samantha Martin’s name can be talked of in the same sentence as Etta James, Tina Turner, and Aretha Franklin. It’s soul for the modern age with a turbocharger.” Paris Move (France) went further, calling her “indispensable, Samantha Martin, the new Southern soul tornado.”
Those comparisons aren’t casual. Over the course of their catalogue, discerning listeners will hear echoes of Mavis Staples, Sharon Jones, Otis Redding, Booker T. & the MG’s, and the Memphis Horns, all filtered through a modern, road-hardened sensibility. It’s classic soul DNA delivered with contemporary urgency and volume. As Glide Magazine noted, “a jaw-dropping display of vocal prowess that highlights this band’s brand of supercharged blues. Comparisons of soul greats run rampant, but like Brittany Howard, Samantha Martin might be the next musical game changer.”
Mixed by Renan Yildizdogan and Ross Hayes Citrullo, the in-house team at Gypsy Soul Records, A Beautiful Buzz marks a first for the band: a long-overdue live album capturing the raw electricity that has defined Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar onstage for over a decade.
Recorded during the band’s Love Is All Around tour across Western Canada in 2022, A Beautiful Buzz was born under extraordinary circumstances. Originally scheduled for January and repeatedly delayed by the final wave of COVID-era disruptions, the tour finally launched in November, with Martin six months pregnant. Undeterred, a 13-person touring party loaded into a sprinter and rental car and pushed west from the sub-zero cold of Saskatoon toward the West Coast.
Night after night, the shows carried a heightened emotional charge, but one final performance stood apart, crackling with urgency, joy, and the awareness that one chapter was closing just as another was about to begin. That moment became A Beautiful Buzz, a testament to resilience, love, and transformation, capturing a band at full throttle and an artist on the edge of profound personal change.
For many listeners, the album lands somewhere in the lineage of Joe Cocker’s Mad Dogs & Englishmen, a communal, unrestrained live soul revue where horns, grit, gospel, and sweat collide. It’s not a polished live souvenir; it’s the sound of a band at peak intensity, feeding off the room and giving it everything back.
With a new studio album already in development for 2027, A Beautiful Buzz stands not as a detour or placeholder, but as a deliberate statement, finally committing to record the live force that made Samantha Martin & Delta Sugar essential in the first place.
The Love Is All Around tour, initially set for January 2022, faced the trials of postponement until November 2022—marking the closing chapter of COVID-era delays.
“By the time the tour kicked off, I was six months pregnant with my son,” reflects Samantha. “I’ve never been one to be easily deterred. So, clad in a winter jacket that barely zipped, our 13-person touring party loaded into a sprinter and a rental car and embarked on a tour from the sub-zero temperatures of Saskatoon to the balmy West Coast of Canada.”
“Each show was a whirlwind of energy and emotion, but one stood out above the rest. Perhaps it was the excitement of the final show, or it was the realization that my life was about to change in a big way. Whatever the reason, the atmosphere was electric, filled with a beautiful buzz that I wanted to share with you. This album captures the magic I felt, and is a testament to resilience, love, and the power of music amidst life’s transformations.” – Samantha Martin
A BEAUTIFUL BUZZ – ALBUM TRACK LISTING
1- Love is All Around – 3:35 (S. Martin, J. Chisholm) 2- Don’t Have To Be – 3:02 (S. Martin, A. Beer-Colacino, A. Warner) 3- You’re The Love – 3:37 (S. Martin, C. Chaffey) 4- Good Trouble – 3:18 (S. Martin, S. Vinnick) 5- All Night Long – 4:39 (S. Martin, C. Chaffey, M. McCallum, D. Yates, D. Nash, S. Marriner) 6- The Shape I’m In (feat. Steve Marriner) – 3:58 (Robbie Robertson) 7- I’ve Got a Feeling – 6:58 (S. Martin, C. Chaffey) 8- My Crown – 5:53 (Rench) 9- Loving You Is Easy – 7:25 (S. Martin) 10- “Band Intro” – (1:48) (S. Martin) 11- Pass Me By – (3:31) (S. Martin, C. Chaffey) 12- Them Changes – 3:54 (George Buddy Miles) 13- Loving Cup – 6:25 (M. Jagger, K. Richards)
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Recorded November 26, 2022 @ A.C.T. Theatre in Maple Ridge, BC Mixed by Renan Yildizdogan and Ross Hayes Citrullo at RHC Music in Toronto, ON Mastered by Phil Demetro Mastering in Toronto, ON
Lead Vocals & Acoustic Guitar: Samantha Martin Background Vocalists: Tafari Anthony & Sherie Marshall Electric Guitar: Curtis Chaffey Bass: Ian McKeown Drums: Will Fisher Keys: Jeff Heisholt Trombone: Emily Ferrell Saxophone: Andrew Moljgun Trumpet: Brian Walters Special guest vocalist and acoustic guitar on “Shape I’m In” and 2nd electric on “Them Changes” and “Loving Cup”: Steve Marriner
IMPURE WILHELMINA are premiering the full album stream for their new album Le Sanglot. The veteran post-hardcore band’s ninth album arrives as their most radical transformation yet. While they continue to lean heavier on alt. rock melodies, for the first time in their 30-year history, all song are sung in French.
“When Impure Wilhelmina fire on all cylinders, the results are usually not only impressive, but they tug on the heartstrings like few others do”, Angry Metal Guy writes in an early review of Le Sanglot.
“Fans of Alcest will be satiated here”, The Razors Edgewrites, “whilst the somewhat chaotic and unstructured nature of the music is rather like Opeth minus the walls and walls of distortion”.
Le Sanglot was released yesterday, May 22 on Season of Mist, and you can hear all 10 vibrant songs by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
Conceived as the sonic equivalent of weeping, Le sanglot surveys a fractured world with surgical coldness, yet never forecloses on the possibility of grace. Impure Wilhelmina moves between crushing weight and melodic restraint, from the cathartic surge of opening track “Électricité noire” to the fragile radiance of closer “À jamais radieuse,” with the French language sharpening both the imagery and the emotional register throughout. The album introduces the band’s new guitarist Edouard Nicod, whose arrangements broaden the band’s textural scope. It features a collaboration with French artist Mütterlein on “Train mort” the album’s most abrasive song.
Tracklist: 1. Électricité noire (5:01) 2. Cent mille plaies (3:43) 3. Abîme (6:26) 4. Larmes de joie (5:02) 5. Dévoreur d’étoiles (6:00) 6. Train mort (4:03) 7. Frelon ivre (4:40) 8. Blanche réalité (5:35) 9. Demain J’abandonne (4:04) 10. À Jamais radieuse (5:52) Full runtime: 50:28
IMPURE WILHELMINA was founded in 1996 and made a name for itself in the early2000s, with a series of iconic albums – I Can’t Believe I was Born in July (2003) and L’amour, la mort, l’enfance perdue (2005) along with several European tours. Little by little, the quartet led by guitarist and vocalist Michael Schindl won over the hearts of a now loyal fan base, who appreciate how the band turns dark themes into a universe of healing sound.
Impure Wilhelmina’s story is also one of perpetual renewal. The band’s sound has evolved from its gritty beginnings to more mature, melodic productions driven by clear magnetic vocals. Black Honey (2014), Radiation (2017) and Antidote (2021), widely appraised by critics, pushed horizons further yet for the band, signed to the label Season of Mist since 2015.
Throughout the years, Impure Wilhelmina has played hundreds of shows across Europe, performing at underground venues and large festivals alike, including opening for icons such as Gojira, Baroness, Amenra, Sólstafir and Crippled Black Phoenix.
Since 2023, the band has been working on its next album to follow Antidote. The process is enriched by the arrival of new guitarist Edouard Nicod, joining Sébastien Dutruel (bass), Mario Togni (drums) and Michael Schindl (guitar and vocals). Their new album entitled Le sanglot, set to be released by Season of Mist in 2026, will showcase the band’s next radical yet organically logical transformation: lyrics entirely in French, unleashing dimensions of sound you wouldn’t expect, with renewed creative energy.
« Rescapé de l’ancien monde, touché par la grâce »
Line-up: Michael Schindl — Vocals, Guitar Mario Togni — Drums Sébastien Dutruel — Bass Edouard Nicod — Guitar Marion Leclercq (Mütterlein) — Guest Vocals on “Train mort”
French post metal band Lost In Kyiv have unveiled their new single ‘Becoming’, featuring haunting guest vocals from Rebecca Need-Menear (i Häxa, Anavae). This is the third single released from their new album We’re All Going To Be Fine, out 19th June 2026 via Pelagic Records.
Tenderness and tension move together as the rising intricacies of electronica and acoustic instrumentation constantly build, support and evolve. Poetry, harmony, heavy peaks and atmospheric passages are sculpted with precision and patience, constantly redefining the energy of the piece whilst keeping the emotional centre, solicitude, a depth of empathetic feeling that permeates ‘Becoming’.
The band comment on the single: “If the album explores the tension between hope and inner collapse, ‘Becoming’ is the moment the glass shatters and your eyes finally open. It is our most atmospheric and melodic song on the album, elevated by our first-ever collaboration with a female singer. Rebecca Need-Menear perfectly embodies this fragile state between dreaming and living.”
Over the course of more than a decade, Lost In Kyiv have refined a sound that fuses cinematic ambition, electronic precision, and visceral live energy into something unmistakably their own. With their new album, We’re All Going To Be Fine, they push that identity further than ever; sharpening their production, intensifying their dynamics, and embracing a darker, more immersive sonic architecture. Lost In Kyiv comment: “We’re All Going To Be Fine explores the tension between hope and inner collapse, and how modern life can disconnect us from ourselves and each other. The songs were inspired by personal experiences, societal pressure, and the idea that we often become our own worst enemy. We were also inspired by the work of Carl Gustav Jung (who is the voice at the end of the album), especially his ideas about exploring the human psyche, as well as themes from movies like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind or Melancholia.”
Lost in Kyiv’s music has always thrived on tension between the organic and the synthetic. On We’re All Going To Be Fine, that integration reaches a new level of clarity and depth. The writing and production process was long and exacting, allowing the band to refine every transition and tonal detail. Songs unfold with architectural precision, motifs are introduced subtly before expanding into vast, multi-layered climaxes. Dynamics are handled with patience and control, silence and minimalism are deployed as strategically as explosive crescendos. This careful pacing gives the album a cinematic flow and larger narrative in which struggle and compassion coexist.
Guitars surge and recede in wide, panoramic arcs. At moments they shimmer and support, at others they thrash violently, accumulating layers of distortion and harmonic overtones. Acoustic instrumentation is interwoven with sequenced synth lines, pulsing arpeggiators, and carefully sculpted electronic textures that give the band’s sound a sense of forward propulsion.
Lost in Kyiv continue:“We always wanted to write music around strong themes, and for the first time, we decided to focus on something more internal than on previous albums. Our last four albums, except maybe Nuit Noire, were more about broader and more general themes. This time, we wanted to explore the fragility of mental health and the human psyche, the relation we have with ourself.”
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 ) 