The virtuosic musician Vernon Reid released his new solo album, Hoodoo Telemetry, on October 3rd via Artone/The Players Club Records. Listen to the final single to be taken from the album In Effigy.
In Effigy presents both the victim’s and the aggressor’s perspectives on warfare, set to thunderous industrial drums. Talking about the song, Reid says, “That’s my wife’s favourite song on the record. I wrote about the idea of two perspectives in a war. One is from the commander of a unit. There has been a battle, and he’s exhausted. He stands on top of the hill with his weapon at his side. In the valley below, he’s burnt an effigy, and to the people down there, he’s not a hero, he’s an asshole and a destroyer. But the warrior, he’s not an ideologue. He doesn’t have a bone to pick with these people. He’s not political. He essentially accepts the notion that there are no answers, only orders. So that song is really the two perspectives, of the warrior and those who consider themselves victimised by the warrior.”
In Effigy follows the previous single Beautiful Bastard. “The word ‘bastard’ is attributed to men,” he says. “But I wanted there to be an ambiguity: is this about a woman, is it about a man? And I firmly believe it could be about a woman, absolutely. I wrote this song as a homage to doomed romance. It’s not about gender – it’s about when you know it’s doomed from the first kiss. And anyone who’s lived a full life will know of what I speak!”
The overdriven funk bassline and glistening soul of The Haunting finds Reid tipping his hat to a fellow chameleon (“I’m a huge Prince fan and there’s some of who he was in that song’s DNA”), before the scratch ‘n’ glitch of the brass-driven Bronx Paradox salutes the New York neighbourhood’s greatest musical export. “I wrote that in tribute to DJ Logic,” he explains. “Everybody considered the Bronx a wasteland, a warzone. But with hip-hop, those kids created the final original music of the 20th century.”
If you’ve followed the beats of his half-century career, you’ll know Vernon Reid as an artist who paints in every colour. Depending on the era you dive into and the album on your turntable, you’ll find the New York polymath pinballing between jazz, metal, punk, funk, electronica and hip-hop, cutting heads with collaborators as eclectic as Mick Jagger and Public Enemy, endlessly shedding his skin yet always speaking his truth.
Track Listing – LP A1 Door of No Return A2 Freedom Jazz Dance A3 Good Afternoon Everyone A4 The Haunting A5 Dying To Live B1 Politician B2 Black Fathom Five B3 Beautiful Bastard B4 My Little Zulu Babe B5 In Effigy
Globally celebrated as a giant of the electric guitar (he was recently hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the top 50 players of all time), Reid’s Grammy Award-winning records with alt-rock trailblazers, Living Colour, still sound as fresh and fierce as when “Cult Of Personality” hijacked the Billboard chart in the late ’80s. But to take the pulse of the zeitgeist as he sees it – and hear his fearless musicality in microcosm – you need only drop the needle on his new solo album.
“Hoodoo Telemetry,” considers the 66-year-old of this kaleidoscopic 14-track opus, “is like a piece of my all-over-the-place mind. It took me a while to start this record because I was thinking about what I wanted to do next, managing my time with all my other projects. I was also in different spaces with these songs: some are new, others are reclamations of material from a long time ago. But suddenly, I found the focus and it was very clear to me: I gotta do this now.”
In hard times, Hoodoo Telemetry doesn’t have the answers. But to play Vernon Reid’s breathtakingly ambitious new album is to hear every shade of humanity and question where we are headed next. “These songs are looking at the past through a different lens, then looking forward,” he concludes. “Like, ‘Where is this going and how are we getting there? Are we driving the bus or are we passengers in this self-driving vehicle into the future?’
That’s the space that Hoodoo Telemetry is really exploring…”
Federico Romano‘s JUNE 1974 solo musical project, have released a new single ‘Trauma, taken from his forthcoming album “Fragile”, set to be released on October 10th by Visionaire Records.
June 1974 is: Federico Romano: all music, lyrics,titles Sophie Leestrom: vocals
Recorded at Escape Home Studio in May 2025. Mastering by Tommy Talamanca (Nadir Music Studio). Artwork by Federico Romano.
CYNIC have released ‘Focus, The Official Drum and Bass Tracks’ on Friday, October 3, exclusively on Bandcamp. For the first time, fans can hear Sean Malone’s bass and Sean Reinert’s drums in complete isolation from the band’s landmark era. This collection offers an intimate listen into the rhythmic heart of Cynic, revealing the nuance, interplay, and precision that shaped the group’s sound. Listen at THIS LOCATION.
CYNIC guitarist and founding member Paul Masvidal comments, “These tracks let you sit inside what feels like an intimate conversation between two master musicians. Malone and Reinert created a foundation that remains vividly alive, existing in its own realm. This release honors their legacy and offers a glimpse into the heartbeat that carried Focus. And for drummers and bass players out there, it is a master class in progressive metal rhythm section work from true visionaries.”
‘Focus’ is the debut album by American progressive death metal band Cynic, released in 1993. It is renowned for its innovative blend of technical death metal with jazz fusion elements, featuring complex time signatures, philosophical lyrics, and prominent use of vocoder effects on the vocals. The album is considered a landmark in progressive metal, influencing countless bands with its unique sound and intricate musicianship.
Last Friday’s launch was taking place on Bandcamp, an artist- driven initiative that began in March of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the shuttering of venues led to a loss of vital tour revenue for artists. Since then, Bandcamp Fridays—on which Bandcamp waives its revenue share and passes the funds directly to artists & labels—has resulted in millions of fans paying over $120 million directly to labels and musicians they love. In addition to helping artists pay the rent, or fund album recordings and tours, Bandcamp Fridays have also become a beacon for artists and record labels looking to raise awareness for causes or raise money for charities.
Australian progressive metal masters Teramaze have unveiled a brand-new 2025 remixed and remastered version of their powerful track Chaos in the Way.
The song marks the beginning of a special series where the band revisits select highlights from their extensive catalogue—breathing new life into tracks that deserve extra attention amidst the sheer volume of music they’ve released over the years.
“We’re excited to bring you the 2025 remixed and remastered version of Chaos in the Way. This track is part of a series where we revisit and breathe new life into selected songs from our catalogue—songs we feel deserve extra attention because of the sheer amount of music we’ve released over the years. Enjoy the new Chaos in the Way.” – Teramaze
Chaos in the Way (2025) is now available on YouTube and Bandcamp.
Runemagick return with their brand new studio album Cycle of the Dying Sun (Dawn of Ashen Realms), which will be released on 31st October via Hammerheart Records. The next offering ‘Spires of the Drowned Horizon’ is now streaming via the label.
Cycle of the Dying Sun (Dawn of Ashen Realms) marks a new era for the Runemagick entity. Entirely composed and performed by Nicklas Rudolfsson, vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizers, and drums, the album channels the stripped down, immersive, and slow-burning spirit of early Runemagick while also introducing new sonic shades and meditative depth. A few carefully chosen guests were invited to contribute additional dimensions, further expanding the album’s ceremonial atmosphere.
Six core compositions form the foundation across all formats. The CD and digital editions go even deeper, offering four extended tracks that enrich the journey with further layers of decay, resonance, and otherworldly drift.
This album represents both a new era and a new chapter, while also serving as a natural continuation of the path carved on Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind (2023), a descent beyond that threshold, into deeper domains of life, death, and the unknown beyond.
Track-list: 1. Wyrd Unwoven 2. Old Bones 3. The Hollow Chant of the Seer 4. The Runestone’s Lament 5. Womb of the Veiled Sun 6. Ashen Realms 7. Spires of the Drowned Horizon* 8. Embers of the Unwritten Dawn (Part 1)* 9. Embers of the Unwritten Dawn (Part 2)* 10. Beneath the Solar Embers (Demo)**
Line-up: Nicklas Rudolfsson: Vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizers, and drums
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke with Co-founding Venom Members guitarist Mantas and drummer Abaddon about them reuniting for upcoming festival shows.
They also spoke about how Venom cannot reunite with Cronos and their exit from Venom Inc.
When asked if there are three versions of Venom now since Mantas and Abaddon have reunited?
“As far as I’m concerned, even with us, you know? I’m just going to speak the truth. The absolute truth, right? I’m the founder member. If there’s a co-founder, it’s Abaddon. Cronos was the last one to join (the band). Everyone knows that, right? I wrote all the early material. Blah blah blah. Right? And at this very moment in time, the way I look at it is that there isn’t a Venom (Band) out there There’s bands out there who are playing Venom material. And that’s the honest way that I’ll look at it right now. When this came about (reunion with Abaddon at Keep it True Festival 2026), um, it all came about basically through a mutual friend contacting me and saying, “Can you ring Abaddon? And I must admit, I was like, I’m going to be honest, “Oh, I don’t really want to get involved in all this kind of stuff again.” And I mean, Abaddon will tell you, we hadn’t spoken since 2017. So anyway, I did contact (Abaddon). And then I got um I got a message from the Japanese promoters who wanted me over for Venom Japan. And then I said, um, look, if I’m coming over, what about if Ababbon was to come over? We (with Abaddon) sort of reconnected. And they were like, really? I was like, yeah, yeah, why not? You know, so all that was kind of arranged. I spoke to Abaddon, said, “Would you like to come to Japan, play a few songs?” “Yep, great.” So, flights are booked. We’re off on the 27th of November. We play on the 30th, I think it is. “
“Then I got a message from the guys at ‘Keep It True Festival’, and they said “Venom reunion” And I was like, “Good luck with that, pal.” I say, you know, that everybody’s kicking each other’s shins in court at the moment (intellectual property dispute). So anyway, I made contact with Cronos through a mutual friend and just said, “Look, tell him I want to speak to him. There’s an offer coming in. It’ll be a good offer. Um so, let’s just talk. Even if nothing comes of it, let’s just talk.”… Nothing. So, the court case thing (in regards to the Venom Logo), then the lawyer spoke to his lawyer and mentioned about the reunion and what we got back was basically it’s not worth my time.
When asked about 45 years anniversary of Welcome to hell
“So, myself and Abaddon, we said, “Look, why don’t we just do something to celebrate this [ __ ] band?” And that’s all we’re doing. It’s the album, it’s a celebration. Yep. It’s a celebration of Welcome to Hell. 45 years of that album, and this stupid [ __ ] band has missed every major anniversary in its history. We’ve never celebrated an anniversary of this band. So, I spoke to the guys at Keep It True, Oliver in particular, the owner of the festival. I said, “Right, here’s an idea. why don’t we get some special guests, people who have been influenced by the band, all that kind of thing, you know, and he went, “Great. Great. Let’s do it.” So, that was how it all came about and now we’re getting offers from other places to do the same thing. We’re going to go out and if nobody else will do it, we’re going to go out and celebrate this band.
When Asked what will this new band be called?
“As far as I’m concerned there’s no [ __ ] name to it. There’s Abaddon’s Venom logo which is his (Abaddon’s). It’s up there.. And then underneath it, it says Mantas and Abaddon and then special guests. And that’s what we’re doing. It still amazes me to this day how this band has had so much influence on the metal scene from day one. Every comment I’ve seen so far 90% has been really really positive (about Mantas and Abaddon) and then get the one (person) no Cronos, no Venom. It’s like right okay listen to me right now you can imagine the most toxic relationship and the most stressful relationship you’ve ever had in your [ __ ] life and now go back and invite it back in. And that’s what we tried to do. If everybody knew the real reason I left (Venom), you wouldn’t even [ __ ] look at that guy again right now. All these people who say about Cronos and stuff like that, yes, he was a part of the band. I appreciate that. He didn’t write all the [ __ ] early material. He didn’t found the band. He was the last person to join. The woman who introduced me to him via her best friend is in my house now. If you were having problems with your wife and you put it on the [ __ ] internet, I would never go, “Oh, yeah, well, I know what’s going on.” Because you don’t you don’t know the personalities of the people involved in it. All you see from the outside is a band. I mean I love Kiss. I love Judas Priest. Now there’s [ __ ] problems with KK and all the rest of [ __ ] Priest. There’s problems with Ace and [ __ ] Gene and Paul and Peter and you know, but we don’t know what’s really going on, you know? It’s ridiculous to comment on people’s careers. And that’s the way I feel about it. And all I’m saying is that myself and Abaddon as the two original members of Venom, we’re going to go out and we’re going to celebrate this band and its music and that’s it. Nothing more.”
Abaddon weighs in
“My take on that is very straightforward. If you’ve got three bands using the word Venom to sell the music, originally Venom were a three-piece. And I don’t think unless you’ve got two members of that three-piece, you can’t call it Venom because it’s Cronos and some other blokes, or it’s Dolan and some other blokes. If you’ve got me and Jeff, you got two thirds of the original [ __ ] band. Yeah, that’s as straightforward as you can get.”
When asked how Venom Inc Fell apart?
“My wife got pregnant and we moved to a different place from where her parents were and uh she was quite young. She was married when she was 21. She got pregnant and I asked for some time off. I asked Tony and I said I need to take some time off and as soon as I was gone there was a new drummer in. I was never sacked. I was never let go. I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to take a month, maybe two months off with my wife while she was having the baby. That’s all it was. And I never heard from Dolan again, apart from toxic things online.” Abaddon
Mantas weighs in and is asked if he wanted back in Venom Inc
“Nope. No. Nope. It was like, I can remember the last show that I did. And before we go any further, you have to remember that both myself and Abaddon, we’ve just been in the Royal High Court of Justice, right? Where we stood in the witness box and took an oath to tell the truth. And that’s what we did. I told the absolute truth and so did he under oath. I would go back into that same courtroom and say exactly what I’ve already said about the Venom Inc situation, right? Because I’m telling the truth. And when I had the second heart attack, it was in April and I had the last conversation I’d had with Tony Dolan was March 26th. Previous to that, we had done two festivals. I think it was one in Crete and one in Poland. Anyway, there were two festivals to do and I said, “Okay, look, I’ll do the festivals.” And the reason I was pulling out at that point was because Anita, my partner, had been diagnosed with cancer. Now, that was a misdiagnosis, but we went through 18 months of hell, not knowing what the [ __ ] was going on, right? So, anyway, I had said there, you know, there was a second leg of an American tour to do. And even I suggested Mike Hickey. I said, “Look,” you know, and we were sitting outside the airport waiting to come home after the second festival. And I said, “Look, just do the [ __ ] tour, right?” You know, get Mike, do the tour, blah, blah, blah blah. So anyway, that’s what happened. And from then on, contact was very, very sporadic. No matter what anybody in that camp says, it was very sporadic. And then I’m not going to go into all of this [ __ ] but four times I was on the brink of leaving Venom inc because of behavior, right? Four times. One of those times was when Abaddon was still with us and I can remember coming home off that particular tour and Anita said to me, “Oh, how’d it go?” I says, “That’s I’m [ __ ] done with this.” I was like, “What? What? What?” She couldn’t understand. I was like, “Fuck enough of this.” The last time it happened, it was the sound guy in the back of a cab in New York on the way to JFK who persuaded me to stay with the band. I just had I [ __ ] had enough. But anyway, I continued. I kept going, kept going. Um,
So like I say, the contact got less and less and less and less and then they were off doing other things and whatnot. And yes, they said, “Oh, we’re going to do this festival. Do you want to do it?” And I was like, “No, I’m staying at home with Anita. I’m staying at home.” And obviously the second heart attack, I was scared of flying. I’ll admit that. You know, I’ve never been a I’ve never been afraid of traveling, but I thought 37,000 ft up in the air, if this [ __ ] happens again, [ __ ] this, you know. Um, so and then the straw that broke the camel’s back was when I saw a gig advertised on Facebook for Newcastle, our hometown, where I founded the band and I thought, “Okay, right, okay.” So, I just got on with what I was doing. And I had um about 18 months previous to that, I had written a song and it was called ‘Losing My Faith’. And uh I did the vocals on it and everything. And um I did myself a video for it and um I put a 30 second clip of it up on uh on Facebook one night saying, “Oh, look, new song blah blah blah blah blah.” Tony Dolan within seconds had unfriended me, blocked me, and deleted me off everything as soon as I put that up. Right. Okay, that’s it. Done. And there’s been no communication since. Venom Inc. they I’ve I said this ages ago. They can continue. Go go go just go do your thing. It’s like, you know, go and play every club on the planet, every stadium on the planet. I don’t care. I really really don’t care. I’m not following what you do. I’m not bothered. Right? And it’s the same with Cronos. It’s like, right, if you don’t want to be with us and you want to be with your two hired guns, then great. Just get on with it. But particularly with Cronos, I think, yeah, why not? You can go back to doing your thing with those guys, whatever you want to do. Just as Abaddon will go back and do his Abaddon UK gigs and, you know, I’ll probably go back over to Japan and do my thing with the Japanese musicians. I’ve got four recording projects on the go at the minute. So, I’ll go back and do that as well. ” Mantas
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 ) 