One Louder Magazine… RESURRECTED!

One Louder Magazine… RESURRECTED

Introduction
Album of the Week
Honorable Mentions
Missed The Cut
Addendum
On The List
Looking Forward To
Fine Print
About One Louder Magazine

Hey y’all!

A massive THANK YOU to all who wrote with words of encouragement! I certainly wasn’t looking for it, but rather just keeping you abreast of what was (and is) going on in my life. But your words are beyond appreciated… thank you!

To keep you up to date, here is the latest. I still have a constantly nagging dull pain. It doesn’t stop me from doing anything, keeping my mind focused on it, or anything like that. It’s just there, kinda gnawing at me in the background.

That said, I am happy to announce that I see a general surgeon next Wednesday, September 9th. I shall provide an update next week, although no surgery will take place then. It’s just a consult. They’ll likely take an ultrasound to see what they’re dealing with, then schedule a surgery for later in the week/month/year.

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Monday is a holiday (Labor Day). For all intents and purposes, I almost always take time off before and after the holiday to extend the greatness. Unfortunately, shit kinda hit the fan at work, and I gotta really bust balls for the next couple of weeks. So time off will be a little bit later… but I do look forward to it.

Speaking of work, y’all know that I basically hide out in my dark, cold cave all alone (and love it, totally prefer it that way), BUT… you never really know how it’s going “out there”. For all intents and purposes, I’m in my own world.

Occasionally I’ll hear things from Tech Support – typically customers who enjoyed the documentation – but for the most part, silence. This week, though, I received one of the sweetest notes ever… not from a customer, mind you, but directly from a co-worker. He said (and I quote):

“Thanks for everything you write man. The work you do ends up being a hugely underestimated, but significant part of the relationships users build with our products. Especially with the characteristic style you bring to it. Mackie wouldn’t be the same without it.”

Be still my beating heart, ahhhhhhhh. How sweet is that?! I love it!

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If you’re not a fan of the NFL (or sports in general), then scroll on down to the music!

I can’t believe it, but the Seattle Seahawks and NFL kickoff is in less than a week, huzzah!

In years past, I typically took deep dives into each game. I shan’t do that again, but I’d still like to get my pick in with a final score guesstimate, see how close (or far off) I am.

That said, since it’s week one, it’ll be a little bit beefier than the rest of the season (or so I hope, haha!).

First up, my bold predictions/hot takes. Fourteen teams make the playoffs. Seven in the NFC, seven in the AFC. Four division winners in each, as well as three wild cards. I’m rolling the dice and saying that of the 14 teams in the playoffs last season, a whopping SEVEN will miss them this year. HALF! I removed four from the NFC and another three from the AFC.

This is what last season’s playoff schedule looked like (in order from 1-7).

NFC PLAYOFFS LAST SEASON (in order):

1. Seattle Seahawks
2. Chicago Bears
3. Philadelphia Eagles
4. Carolina Panthers
5. Los Angeles Rams (WC)
6. San Francisco 49ers (WC)
7. Green Bay Packers (WC)

NFC PLAYOFFS THIS SEASON (in no particular order):

• Seattle Seahawks (on their way to a second consecutive Lombardi trophy!)
• Detroit Lions
• Dallas Cowboys
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• San Francisco 49ers (WC)
• Philadelphia Eagles (WC)
• Minnesota Vikings (WC)

As you can see, I have Da Bears, Panthers, Rams, and Packers all missing the playoffs this year. They will be replaced by the Lions, Cowboys, Bucs, and Vikings. On to the AFC…

AFC PLAYOFFS LAST SEASON (in order):

1. Denver Broncos
2. New England Patriots
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
4. Pittsburgh Steelers
5. Houston Texans (WC)
6. Buffalo Bills (WC)
7. Los Angeles Chargers (WC)

AFC PLAYOFFS THIS SEASON (in no particular order):

• Buffalo Bills
• Cincinnati Bengals
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• Los Angeles Chargers
• Baltimore Ravens (WC)
• Houston Texans (WC)
• Kansas City Chiefs (WC)

As you can see, I have the Broncos, Patriots, and Steelers all missing the playoffs this year. They will be replaced by the Bengals, Ravens, and Chiefs.

Thoughts? Dissenting opinions? Total agreement? Who cares? Other?

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How about a few bold predictions?

1. Half of the teams in the NFL playoffs last year will miss them this year. I mentioned this above, including listing the teams who will miss… and who will be in their spots instead.
   1. NFC – OUT: Bears, Panthers, Rams, and Packers
   2. NFC – IN: Lions, Cowboys, Bucs, and Vikings
      1. Ok, ok, I get it that that Vikings pick is wild, but I have a sneaking suspicion that QB Kyler Murray DOES work out for them, and the team moves on from the 2024 Round 1 pick (10th overall), QB J.J. McCarthy next year (major bust).
   3. AFC – OUT: Broncos, Patriots, and Steelers
   4. AFC – IN: Bengals, Ravens, and Chiefs
2. The Los Angeles Rams have been listed as THE team to beat. They are the odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl this year. Everywhere I’ve looked, it’s the Rams… and everyone else. It reminds me of Tiger Woods’ heyday in the golf world. He was constantly listed as the guy to win whatever tourney… or you could bet “the field”. Literally anyone else. But it was always Tiger hoisting the trophy at the end. So Rams, then the field.
   1. Me? Not only do they not win the Super Bowl, but I don’t have them even making the playoffs. I envision a regression this year for the returning NFL MVP QB Matthew Stafford. He’s solid but not amazing… by week 5 or 6, he gets injured, sits out the remainder of the season, and retires at the end of the year. Furthermore, new acquisition DE Myles Garrett also gets injured by week 10, and the team ends the season with a 9-8/8-9 record.
      1. Now, I said the exact same thing last season (except the Garrett thing), so I could eat crow again. However, I’m thinking positively and will just assume that this “vision” I had/have was a year off.
3. Have you heard the name De’Zhaun Stribling? If not – or even if so – he is a WR who was selected in the second round (pick #33) of this year’s NFL Draft by the Santa Clara 49ers. Anyway, he had an incredible preseason. So much so that “experts” are saying that he could win ROTY and that he’d likely be the team’s number one receiver by year’s end.
   1. I’m calling bust… or certainly not ROTY. The team has four better (but older) receivers on the roster, including WRs Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, plus TE George Kittle, and one of the best RBs ever in Christian McCaffrey. Plenty of mouths to feed, and I believe Stribling gets lost in the mix. His preseason hype is nothing but hype – Don’t believe the hype!
4. Fuck it, three bold predictions. Prepared to raise the trophy in victory or eat crow. We’ll see at season’s end, can’t wait!

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More football, then on to the music. This is the fake football segment, the Dungeons & Dragons of football, if you will. That’s right, I’m talking about fantasy football, folks!

I don’t know how many of you remember this from last year, but it’s worth repeating:

I was the league CHAMPION last season, numero uno, por favor! I have the virtual Lombardi! Hellz yeah! So I am back to defend my title.

Before getting to my team, our scoring system is a bit different than typical scoring systems, so if something seems “off” to you – “why would he take Player X instead of Player Y in that spot” – then this is the reason.

QB (1), RB (2), WR (2), TE (1), W/R/T (2), Q/W/R/T (1), PK (1), D/ST (1), IDP (1), BENCH (6).

Where you pick in the draft is randomly chosen. It is a 10-team league, and I got pick #7. Without further ado, my team… and in the order I drafted them.

Round 1 (7) – Jonathan Taylor – RB (Colts)
Round 2 (14) – Chase Brown – RB (Bengals)
Round 3 (27) – George Pickens – WR (Cowboys)
Round 4 (34) – Javonte Williams – RB (Cowboys)
Round 5 (47) – Zay Flowers – WR (Ravens)
Round 6 (54) – Davante Adams – WR (Rams)

First six rounds, nothing but running backs and wide receivers, three of each.

Round 7 (67) – Dak Prescott – QB (Cowboys)
Round 8 (74) – Jared Goff – QB (Lions)
Round 9 (87) – George Kittle – TE (49ers)

Next three rounds, I got my starting QB(s) and TE. Back to RB and WR depth.

Round 10 (94) – Mike Evans – WR (49ers)
Round 11 (107) – Blake Corum – RB (Rams)
Round 12 (114) – Josh Jacobs – RB (Packers)
Round 13 (127) – Mark Andrews – TE (Ravens)
Round 14 (134) – Wan’Dale Robinson – WR (Titans)
Round 15 (147) – Deebo Samuel – WR (49ers)

Other than an additional tight end, these six rounds (again) were all packed with running backs and wide receivers. Players get injured all the time, so it’s good to have a stockpile, if you will. Time to finish off the draft with a kicker, defense/special teams, and an individual defensive player.

Round 16 (154) – Cam Little – PK (Jaguars)
Round 17 (167) – Baltimore Ravens D/ST
Round 18 (174) – Roquan Smith – LB (IDP; Ravens)

About halfway through the draft – after I picked up back-to-back QBs, I yell out to the wife something like, “holy shit, I can’t believe this draft; I’m loving my team!!” I thought I’d instantly regret saying that, thinking I might’ve jinxed myself on the back nine, but no, I loved it to the very bitter end. I was (very pleasantly) shocked.

After the draft, the wife and I headed to Costco to grab a few things. When we returned, I saw that the managers were graded on their drafts. Check it out below… You know, nothing big, just holding the pole position in all three categories…

A+. Holy shit. I haven’t gotten one of those since what? Daycare (haha?!?!). For S&G, I threw all 10 of the manager’s teams + our unique scoring system into AI to see what it thought. Same thing. Loved my draft. Graded me (and the other teams) on a multitude of things. I didn’t always get the gold, but I was always in the top-3 of every category.

I highly doubt that I go 14-1. [AI agrees]. Frankly, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen anything like that. High hopes, low expectations. As stated earlier, “Players get injured all the time…” hence the deep stash. Not only do injuries pile up, but sometimes players are duds and others catch fire. Fantasy football IS a crapshoot, but at the end of the day, I’m super-stoked with my lineup, and I plan to repeat as the Fantasy Football Super Bowl Champion!

Typically there are at least a couple of “taking a chance” picks, but there is only one player on my team that I feel that I did that with: RB Josh Jacobs. He is a guy who was originally predicted to go in the second or third round… but I got him in the 12th round! The reason? He is on the CEL (Commissioner’s Exempt List). Basically, he can’t play in any games, go to practice, go to the games, nada. Heck, he can’t even wear his jersey again until the commish lifts the ban. Jacobs got into some (pretty bad) legal trouble and may not even see the field this season, much less suit up at all. If he does, I got an absolute steal. If he doesn’t, then I drop him for someone else. But my bench is so deep that I ain’t scurred.

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Week One – Wednesday, September 9th at 5:20 PM
New England Patriots (0-0) at Seattle Seahawks (0-0)

The Seahawks are favored by -3.5 points, and the over/under total is 44.5 points.

The strength of the Seahawks is their defense. If Patriots QB Drake Maye was stymied on a neutral field, I imagine that he’ll be seeing ghosts under the bright lights of Seattle and Lumen Field. As such, I do not expect a close game.

Seahawks 29
Patriots 13

Take Seattle -3.5 and the under 44.5.

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What a phenomenally awesome week of new music! Absolute banger AOTWs from two loooooooong-time bands STILL delivering hot fire after a good 20/25-plus years in the biz.

Also, don’t forget the rest of the Honorable Mentions. There are some really great albums tucked away in there!

Are you a casual fan who stumbled across this site? If so, be sure to SUBSCRIBE, as these are delivered every Thursday at 9 PM PT. With a subscription, you’ll be sure to never miss an issue!

😁 BE THE REASON SOMEONE SMILES 😁

Be sure to let me know what you agree / disagree with, etc… always fun to hear your opinions, too. Happy listening… and see you next week!

Cheers,

Troy
oneloudermagazine@gmail.com

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Album(s) of the Week** – August 28th to September 3rd, 2026:

1,096,073 – Mastodon – Marrow Deep

This is Mastodon’s first release without founding member/guitarist/vocalist Brett Hinds in more than a quarter of a century, having formed in 2000. He left the band in March 2025, then died in a motorcycle accident five months later. The rest of the band has remained unchanged since 2000, with Troy Sanders (bass/vocals), Bill Kelliher (rhythm guitar/backing vocals), and Brann Dailor (drums/vocals). They have since added Nick Johnston (lead guitar/backing vocals) and João Nogueira (keyboards/synthesizer).

With a talent as unique as Brett’s – and having been a bond of four “brothers” for that amount of time – the band could have either (1) called it a day, or (2) continued on to write (arguably) the best album of their lives. I am overjoyed that they went for the latter, because the guys are insanely talented musicians who write killer prog-metal.

There are two things that really captured it for me on this release. First, I’ve always loved Brann’s style of drumming, but I think he let it all out on this release; dude is en fuego! Second, they’ve always dabbled in keys/synth, but certainly not to this extent. Heck, they invited a new member to the band, suggesting that this might be the direction they’re headed in the future. I love the keys on this release. Really adds another dimension.

Tons of special guests on this album, including Clutch vocalist Neil Fallon (‘The Three Fates’), Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and Gojira vocalist Joe Duplantier (‘The Vanishing’), Queens of the Stone Age vocalist/guitarist Josh Homme (‘Snakes For Dinner’), Lamb of God vocalist Randy Blythe (‘A Vampire’s Demeanor’), and more.

I loved it on first listen, but can’t wait to spin it again as I know there are all kinds of hidden goodies within the tunes.

RIP Brett Hinds :-(

From amazon: “Equal parts crushing & cathartic, Marrow Deep finds GRAMMY winners Mastodon pushing their sound into new depths without sacrificing what makes them one of heavy music’s most forward-thinking forces.

Mastodon channel profound grief into one of the most emotionally charged albums of their storied career. A 12-song testament to the effect those close to us can have on our lives – effects that can extend well beyond the time we have with them. An album ultimately representing resilience & solidarity.”

292,537 – Russian Circles – Nine

This band just gets better and better with each release! Kick-ass instrumental, “thinking-man’s” post-rock meets post-metal, courtesy of Chicago’s Russian Circles. This release – their ninth, hence the album title – just might be their best yet. It’s pretty f’n rad! Will jam this again, for sure!

From Sargent House: “Halfway through the four-year touring cycle for their eighth full-length record Gnosis, Chicago-based instrumental trio Russian Circles hit the two-decade anniversary of their formation. One might expect a band to capitalize on such a major milestone. Instead, guitarist Mike Sullivan, drummer Dave Turncrantz, and bassist/keyboardist Brian Cook spent 2024 unceremoniously touring in support of their most recent album across Australia, South America, Europe, and North America. After all, this is the work ethic that built Russian Circles into one of the biggest heavy instrumental rock bands in the world. This is a band with no hit songs. No fan consensus on their best album. Just a reputation for consistency and quality.

Not that things haven’t changed in the last 22 years. The band is now spread out between Chicago, Los Angeles, and a rural island off the coast of Seattle. While the trio insists their music is a confluence of broad-ranging influences—the formidable Touch & Go artists of the Midwest, the prog giants of late ‘60s and early ‘70s England, the hypnotic motorik and kosmische grooves of West Germany, the international underground’s most caustic strains of metal—it is fair to say Russian Circles’ adventurous diversity has evolved into its own distinct sound. As one of the notoriously press-shy members anonymously mentioned, “the music we make is a collective process of reconciliation, navigation, and reflection upon aging both as individuals and as a creative entity. Life has created very real distances between us, but the band continues to be at the center, and this creative collaboration is a way of charting the passage of time while also giving us a reason to look to the future.” On their latest album, Nine, the band triangulates their relative positions into singular seismic long-form album-oriented soundtracks to the trials and tragedies of life in the modern age.

For Nine, Russian Circles adhered to their strategy from Blood Year (2019) and Gnosis (2022) by teaming up with engineer Kurt Ballou (Converge, Mastodon, High on Fire). Basic tracking took place at Electrical Audio in Chicago while the finishing touches occurred at Ballou’s GodCity Studio in Salem, Massachusetts. Recording at Electrical Audio allowed the band to retain a thread to their earliest endeavors, with the band having recorded at Steve Albini’s exalted studio as far back as their debut album Enter (2006). The relationship with Ballou is a more recent development stemming back to the band’s sixth album Guidance (2016), owing to his ability to highlight the weight and entropy of metal and hardcore bands in their natural environment while enhancing the clarity and articulation often lost in walls of distortion.

Nine continues Russian Circles’ unhurried evolution and disciplined refinement, leaning into their strengths while pushing at the boundaries of their sound. Album opener “Borehole” offers what might be the band’s closest approximation of a traditional rock song schematic, with a structure of repeating parts that takes the listener on a journey promising hope only to bring them full circle to the dark, desolate, and dystopian futility of the song’s namesake: Russia’s abandoned Kola Superdeep Borehole. From there, the band launches into a ferociously concise overview of metal battle tactics with “Empath”—where a Godflesh-style bass crunch and tornado siren drone ushers in thrash-inspired guitars, venomous black metal attacks, d-beat forays, a deliciously knuckleheaded hardcore breakdown, and a final scorched earth war metal riff, all in just under five minutes. Side A closes with Nine’s grand centerpiece—the patiently cataclysmic “Eluvial.” Centered around the kind of ping-ponging delayed guitar patterns that Brian Eno and The Edge developed for The Joshua Tree, guitarist Mike Sullivan slowly unfurls a winding, linear melody against the backdrop of drummer Dave Turncrantz’s Latin-rhythm-inspired groove and Brian Cook’s pairing of grinding bass and stuttering electronics. “Eluvial” slowly builds to an apex, leaving only the vaguest breadcrumb trail of obscured percussive and melodic motifs to the song’s final cleansing tempest.

The latter half of Nine builds on Russian Circles’ aural expansion. Side B opens with bottom-end synth pulses, dubby bass lines, serpentine finger-tapped guitar patterns, and nimble rhythmic shifts on “E2.” On “Meridian,” the band once again employs the slow-build strategies of their post-rock inclinations, with Turncrantz’s propulsive drums and Sullivan’s Steve Reich-esque arpeggios giving the song a sense of constant forward momentum, perfectly suited for gliding along the expressways of towering metropolises on neon nights. The album ends with the light and dark contrast of “Arletta” and “Seventh Seal.” Much like Cliff Burton-era Metallica’s penchant for pairing melancholic classical guitar passages with the blunt force trauma of their heaviest tracks, so does the stark beauty of Sullivan’s nylon-string solo composition usher in the band’s most unapologetically straightforward metallic assault.

The album art for Nine consists of photographs of Snowpile for Chicago, a sculpture by Tony Tasset that’s been on display in the windows of Chicago Public Library’s West Town Branch since 2004—the year Russian Circles formed. Constructed out of cast bronze, brass, fiberglass, resin, and oil paint, Snowpile for Chicago is a convincing recreation of the mounds of dirty snow that occupy city streets throughout Midwest winters. The inclusion of this image is partially a nod to the band’s hometown, but more importantly serves as an analogy for Russian Circles’ music. It’s a meticulously crafted piece that documents a cold, harsh, and ugly reality. Even though this artifact captures something that is unpleasant, its rendering by human hands gives it a quality of striking beauty. There is a larger conversation to be had about transgressive art, ephemera, the devaluing of art in a cultural landscape that craves constant content, the advent of AI in creative realms, and the general sense of futility that looms over musicians in the modern age, but as an instrumental band, Russian Circles opt to plant these notions in the listeners’ heads through the image of a haunting sculpture in a stark interior space rather than through crafting online manifestos, social media rants, or topical lyrics.

Reinvention is unnecessary when the path forward has always been an open horizon. When it comes to Russian Circles, you can go back through their catalog and find a vast array of moods, stylistic shifts, and timbral experiments across any given album, yet there has been a noticeable progression in the overall experience of taking in any one of their albums as a whole. Whereas earlier albums were almost playful in their traversing of territories, Nine is a document of a band that knows the lay of the land and is fortifying their dominion over the varied terrain.”

Honorable Mentions (in order by “popularity”*):

13,990,462 – Bob Marley & The Wailers – Roots, Rock, Reggae: Live At The Hammersmith Odeon (2 CDs)

Bob Marley has to be considered one of the best (if not the best) reggae artists ever, and it’s fun to hear this “new to us” release… If you dig reggae, this is where it’s at! RIP Bob :-(

From amazon: “Roots, Rock, Reggae: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon is a stunning, previously unreleased live album from Bob Marley, recorded over several nights during the Wailers’ residency at London’s prestigious Hammersmith Odeon in June 1976, during their Rastaman Vibration tour.

Booking the venue was an audacious move, but Bob had newfound stardom from the U.K. chart success of “No Woman, No Cry,” and an ecstatic crowd packed the place.

Highlights include a transcendent title song, a rarely performed “Bend Down Low,” an extended version of “Crazy Baldhead,” and a 30-minute encore that incorporates a 12-minute “Get Up, Stand Up.”

New liner notes by Marley associate Don Letts bring an eyewitness account to the experience, now available on 2CD.”

8,254,397 – Prince – Timeless

Prince certainly has to be considered one of the greatest musicians of my generation, an absolute beast on multiple instruments. This posthumous release is a mixed bag… but mostly good. Stanky funk-pop from a one-of-a-kind superstar. RIP wherever you are, Prince.

From amazon: “Timeless is a brand-new 10-track compilation featuring rare and unreleased studio recordings from Prince’s legendary vault. This unprecedented album encompasses tracks spanning every phase of Prince’s illustrious career, from 1977 to 2016.

The project has been meticulously mastered by Grammy-nominated engineer and producer Chris James, a former Prince engineer whose notable credits include HITnRUN Phase Two, Art Official Age, and Plectrumelectrum. Timeless is now available on CD, providing profound insights into Prince’s creative process and musical evolution.”

4,035,861 – Ghost – 2 Big To Rig [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack / Live]

I LOVE Ghost! Their albums always put a smile on my face – The music is so stunning, so killer, and this live show serves as a great reminder! Great songwriting, excellent production, music, vocals… I don’t make a whole lot of music missteps, but I was on the fence about seeing them at El Corazon (cap ~800) back in 2012 and again in 2015. I didn’t go to either, and I’m now kicking myself. They only play 15k-20k seaters now (or, in the case of this live release, 40k-seaters… over a 2-night period), fuuuuuuggggggh…

From Nasty Little Man: “GHOST has announced the release of the 2 BIG TO RIG Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, the audio companion to the second feature film from the GRAMMY-winning theatrical rock icons. Available to stream or download August 27 via Loma Vista Recordings, 2 BIG TO RIG (ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK) is preceded by a carnally charged live rendition of “Umbra” featuring Papa V Perpetua and the nameless ghouls delivering the cowbell-driven penultimate track of the international #1 album SKELETÁ to ecstatic capacity crowds in Mexico City.

Captured live over the course of two sold-out shows at Mexico City’s Palacio de los Deportes that drew nearly 40,000 fans to partake in the GHOST live ritual, 2 BIG TO RIG is a reference to GHOST calling an end to its unforgettable SKELETOUR WORLD TOUR in February 2026. The film was made with the intention to share the SKELETOUR experience with the faithful in the territories where staging the show was not logistically feasible — as well as for the fans featured in the film who had tickets for the first of three planned Mexico City dates, which became two after night one was canceled due to illness.

2 BIG TO RIG is a love letter to all those who have shared the GHOST ritual, in-person or otherwise. Presented in IMAX® where available, the feature-length concert film is both a must for those looking to relive their SKELETOUR memories and for those witnessing the spectacle for the first time. The charismatic Papa V and his supremely talented coven of nameless ghouls have never looked or sounded better than they do here, ripping through material from GHOST’s six albums — including 2025’s global #1 SKELETÁ — including live renditions of hits “Satanized” and “Lachryma” — as well as non-LP favorites including “Mary On A Cross,” “Kiss the Go-Goat,” and “The Future is a Foreign Land.””

3,554,761 – Adekunle Gold & Guildhall Session Orchestra – Fuji Orchestra – Live From The Royal Festival Hall, London, 2025

I got into Adekunle Almoruf Kosoko (bka Adekunle Gold), a Nigerian singer-songwriter (Afrobeat, world music), in 2025 with ‘FUJI Xtra’ (Finding Uncharted Journeys Inside). That was his sixth album, yet my introduction to him.

Here, he plays 10 tracks that were on the Fuji Gold album of 2025… but with the Guildhall Session Orchestra (London, England)! I did have one complaint, though: it was too short at 26:22. I wanted more! Better late than never, fun listen, thanks (again) for the reco, Ray!

2,055,761 – Sara Bareilles – Good Grief

Sara is a NY-based singer-songwriter. She writes beautiful tunes and has the voice of an angel. Been digging her stuff for years. The song ‘Salt Then Sour Then Sweet’ features Brandi Carlile.

From amazon: “Sara Bareilles returns with Good Grief, her seventh studio album and her first since 2019’s Amidst the Chaos. As the title implies, the 14-track collection is deeply informed by loss. It comes in different varieties, some belonging to Bareilles, some borrowed in service of beautiful storytelling. Sometimes the loss is more one of equilibrium or the inability to search for silver linings in storm clouds.

But as the title also implies, Good Grief has, even at its darkest depth, a glimmering golden lifeline that runs through the album pointing toward hope on the surface. “My deepest hope,” Sara says, “is that Good Grief just provides some kind of comfort or catharsis for somebody. It feels like it’s really close to me and my hope is that people feel closer to themselves listening to this record.””

1,675,725 – Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow – Live In Nürnberg 1976: Nürnberg Messezentrum Halle 28.9.1976

I love Rainbow! Ritchie Blackmore on guitar and Ronnie James Dio on vox, Jimmy Bain (bass), Tony Carey (keys), and Cozy Powell (drums)…wow! I love how they stretch out the tunes and just go wild. Excellent release!

From amazon: “First-ever vinyl release for this incredible live concert from Rainbow’s debut world tour and documenting one of the band’s first-ever shows in Europe, at Nürnberg Messezentrum Halle on 28th September 1976. Newly mastered by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham and released on 28th August 2026.

When Rainbow finally landed in Europe for their debut live shows there, it was on the back of both the albums ‘Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow’ and ‘Rainbow Rising’ having charted, so the band were playing sold-out venues, and what a band… with the line-up consisting of Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie James, Cozy Powell, Jimmy Bain, and Tony Carey.

As one of the cornerstones of British Rock, Rainbow, led by the never-predictable but ever-astonishing guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, became synonymous with some of the most well-regarded and popular charting Rock songs of the seventies and eighties.

This show, recorded on the band’s Rainbow Rising tour in 1976 in Nürnberg, Germany, features Rainbow and pure rock classics such as ‘Stargazer’, ‘Catch The Rainbow’, and ‘Man on the Silver Mountain’. This live album has only been available on CD pressings originally made 20 years ago, both as a single concert / as part of the Japan-only 6-CD Box Set Deutschland Tournee 1976. Now nearly 50 years on from the original concert, the recording makes its debut appearance on a vinyl format with the audio newly mastered by Andy Pearce & Matt Wortham.”

1,191,573 – NOFX – 40 Years Of Fuckin’ Up: Soundtrack (2 CDs)

A kick-ass punk anthology (of sorts) by a kick-ass punk band…’nuff said. Looking forward to watching the documentary at some point!

From Rough Trade Records: “For four decades, NOFX have been one of punk’s loudest, messiest, and most stubbornly independent bands. Now they’re bringing that entire history, every bad decision, great song, and unbelievable story, to theaters with 40 Years of Fuckin’ Up, a raw, unfiltered documentary that plays the way it should: loud, communal, and on the big screen at your local movie theater. This is not a sanitized rock doc. It’s the real thing. The drugs, the drinking, the on-stage disasters, the off-stage disasters, and yes, at least one story involving a truly unfortunate medical situation.

The 11-song original score features brand-new recordings scored by Fat Mike and performed with an orchestra.

The 15-song soundtrack features brand new unreleased singles “40 Years of Fucking Up” and “We Did It Our Way” (written as the final NOFX song to be played live).

Includes 6 rare and unreleased tracks, including “Secret Society (demo)”, “On The Road (demo)”, and “La Bamba (cover)”.

Includes live versions of hit singles “Linoleum” and “NOFX”.

Features a 24-page photo book retrospective of the band’s 40-year history with rare and previously unseen photos of the band.”

624,913 – Dinosaur Jr. – There Near

Dinosaur Jr. doing what they do best. J Mascis is a monster on guitar – I’ve always loved his style – and I dig his voice, too. Nice release from these grungy alt-rock legends!

From amazon: “Finally! The sixth studio album Dinosaur Jr. have recorded in the 20 years since their triumphal rebirth.

Created in short, intense bursts over the course of a year at Amherst’s Bisquiteen Studio, There Near was recorded almost entirely by Dino’s core trio – king of the thunder tubs, Murph, human tornado Lou Barlow on bass/vocals, and the inimitable J Mascis on guitar/vocals – with a bit of piano and organ work by local master musician, Ken Mauri. And the album roars from start to finish.

Trying to define the essence of Dino’s sound is never easy. It’s an instantly recognizable blend of loose vocals, sharp guitars, and an animalistic rhythm section, but these parts combine into a whole far more magical and exciting than its components. J’s guitar tone throughout There Near is even more animalistic than usual, perhaps owing partly to the fact he’s playing through a recently acquired ’70s Mesa Boogie MK 1 amp. “I bought the same amp that Chris Dixon had when we made our first album,” J says. “Chris recorded us at his house with his amp. It has a really interesting sound I haven’t gotten for a while. And it’s something I was trying to get back to on this album.”

Asked about the philosophical opacity of his lyrical approach, J says. “I’m not always sure what a song is ‘about’ when I’m writing it. I guess the meaning will present itself at some point. I’ll use whatever words work. And a lot of it will be influenced by whatever esoteric mumbo jumbo I’m reading at the time. I try not to think too hard about any of it. Someone suggested this album sounds more upbeat, but I guess that’s to do with my delivery, because lyrics like ‘No Friends’ might make you think otherwise. But I usually write in the third person. It’s all just make-believe.”

While it’s true There Near does present a slightly softer lyrical edge on some of J’s songs, even a relatively gorgeous ballad like “Put It Down” eventually explodes in a shower of fiery guitar distortions. It’s just what happens. Meanwhile, the two tunes provided by Lou – “Blowin’ Up” and “No One’s Ready” – may have less frenzied musical settings, but their lyrics sound like pointed and timely attacks on our current regime. As is so often the case, Lou’s melodic constructions have a friendly mien, but his lyrics cut like knives.

There Near continues Dinosaur Jr.’s string of classic albums. The new songs are sure to sound amazing with their monstrous riffs blaring from live stages amidst their historical brethren. Can’t wait to catch them live, but in the meantime There Near will be a constant companion. The nearer, the better.”

421,616 – Floating Points and The San Francisco Ballet Orchestra – Mere Mortals

Floating Points is English electronic wizard Sam Shepherd. This is a bit of a departure for him, though, as he collaborated with the San Francisco Ballet. It’s cool because they combine orchestral/symphonic strings and such with Sam’s electronics. It’s a pretty cool experiment, and one that I believe works well. I’d love to see the ballet being performed with this music.

From Deutsche Grammophon: “Composer-producer-musician-DJ Floating Points, aka Sam Shepherd, presents Mere Mortals, his first full-length ballet score. Commissioned and directed by the San Francisco Ballet’s Artistic Director Tamara Rojo, with choreography by Aszure Barton and design and visuals by Hamill Industries, the ballet reimagines the story of Pandora in a fusion of myth, music, and movement.

Recorded with the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon, the 14-track album is a potent mix of elegiac strings, apocalyptic brass, and pulsing electronics. From the lyrical solo violin of Hope to the dissonance and pummelling percussion of Rage of the Gods, and the exquisite harp melody of Her Gift before the eeriness of Opening of the Jar, the score is rich in texture and effect.

Orchestral music emerges from an electronic haze, mirroring the ballet’s central question: where does the human end and the machine begin?”

420,539 – Everlast – Embers To Ashes

After a lengthy eight years between albums, Erik Francis Schrody (bka Everlast) is back with a new one and… no time was lost! Still writes the same way, sings the same way… and this was great. I really like his no-BS approach to songwriting. Acoustic-ey bluesy hip-hop. Dude’s a killer writer… welcome back, Everlast!

From amazon: “Everlast returns with Embers to Ashes, his eighth album and first in eight years; a raw, reflective collection that captures a life shaped by hard-won lessons, sudden turns, and moments of both triumph and loss. Produced by Yelawolf, mixed by Chris Lord-Alge, and recorded in Nashville with contributions from songwriter David Ray (Jelly Roll, Teddy Swims), the 2026 release finds him at his most unflinching and emotionally direct.

Everlast is familiar. It’s not just that he recorded one of the biggest breakout hip-hop hits in history — 1992’s “Jump Around” with House of Pain — or that he made the empathy anthem “What It’s Like” from his triple-Platinum Whitey Ford Sings the Blues. It’s not the GRAMMY nominations or his win with Santana. It’s the way he redefined rap’s relationship with blues and rock, and the humanity he’s always brought to that sound. For more than three decades, he has documented life as he’s lived it — from humbling highs to devastating lows — and on Embers to Ashes, that perspective cuts deeper than ever.”

198,840 – Andrew W.K. – Temptation To Exist

Andrew Fetterly Wilkes-Krier (bka Andrew W.K.) returns with his first release in five years. It is a surprise release and a complete departure from what he’s normally known for (anthemic party hard rock). No, no, this is totally different, yet fully bad-ass! This is a cinematic, all-instrumental jazz-noir album. And how about this? Dude played all of the instruments (except brass and strings), mixed, and produced it, as well. The songs were fantastic and the production, too. Nice job, Andrew, let’s keep it going! I don’t know for sure, of course, but from what I understand, it seems like he’s a pretty good dude, too.

From The Music Corporation: “Andrew W.K. produced and mixed the entire album himself at Valentine Studios in Los Angeles. He also personally performed almost every instrument on the record—handling the piano, guitar, drums, bass, organ, percussion, vibraphone, and synthesizers. He is joined only by a small handful of guest brass and string players.”

172,682 – Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery – The Roaring Waves

What an absolutely gorgeous album top-to-bottom! Steve Hackett is perhaps best-known for his work as the guitarist for prog-rock legends Genesis (1971-1977), while Steve Rothery shredded the six-string for the other English prog-rock band, Marillion (1979-present). Here they combine forces to release an all-instrumental album dedicated to the sea. Beautiful!

From the bandcamp page: “Renowned guitarists Steve Hackett & Steve Rothery are pleased to present their long-awaited collaborative album ‘The Roaring Waves’. Seven instrumental tracks that range from the dexterously ridiculous to the brilliantly sublime, though with one common theme: the profundity of the sea.”

127,520 – Flotsam and Jetsam – Rats In The Temple

A thrash metal band that I never really got into (’80s-’90s)… until recently (’00s-’20s). Holy balls, this is some real shit here! The band delivers the goods as I have never heard before… fantastic! Congrats on a lengthy, successful 45-year career! Fun fact: Ex-Metallica bassist, Jason Newsted, was in F&J (1981-1986) before joining the mighty Met (1986-2001)!

From Napalm Records: “Thrash Metal Icons FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Unleash Gnawing Realism on Rats In The Temple

Can you hear them gnawing? They’re almost through the wall.

Thrash metal icons FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, known for their trailblazing blend of blistering thrash and soaring power metal—established on breakthrough records like the Kerrang! championed classic Doomsday for the Deceiver, (1986), No Place for Disgrace, (1988), and Cuatro, (1992) and refined in their current renaissance with the German chart climbing The End of Chaos, (2019), Blood in the Water, (2021), and I Am the Weapon, (2024)—are back with their newest diamond, and Napalm Records debut, Rats In The Temple, out August 28, 2026. With nearly four decades on the scene, countless world tours, and appearances at prestigious festivals like Wacken, Graspop, Bloodstock, Alcatraz, and Rockhard, they’ve carved their sound down to a fine point, piercing listeners with earth-shattering blast beats, scorching guitars, epic string arrangements, and exalted frontman A.K. Knutson’s unmistakably haunting wail.

As the temple is besieged by vermin, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM line the walls with grim tales of death, abuse, betrayal, and war, inviting listeners into a dark world not too distant from our own. Rats In The Temple opens strong with the stadium-ready hooks and dizzyingly precise performances of “Harvesting The Hate” and “Damnation”, before delving into thrash virtuosity on “Absolution”. The iconic guitar duo of Michael Gilbert and Steve Conley paint vividly ghoulish images on tracks like “Blame The Knife” and “Rats In the Temple”, then continue to flex their metal muscle on “The Ghost Behind My Door” and “First on the Spike”, invoking pure first-wave excellence with a pummeling modern menace. “The Edge of Nowhere” builds inescapable suspense before firing listeners out of a gun, full throttle into “Last Rites,” another standout track for the band. The legendary rhythm duo of drummer Ken Mary and bassist Bill Bodily take center stage on the anti-war anthem “A Taste For War,” their methodical syncopation invoking images of tanks and boots on the ground. “Her Blood Your Pain” brings ornate, medieval guitarmonies before “Anthem For The Broken” goes full balls to the wall, and “Going Down That Way” hits listeners with heavy riffs and even heavier truths. Rats In The Temple remains enthralling throughout, giving listeners entry to numerous of the band’s metal chambers, sampling a refined and eclectic serving of influences.

Churning like magma beneath the Earth, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM have only been growing more and more fiery with time, and Rats In The Temple sees the band exploding to the surface in a magnificent and awe-inspiring blaze. For fans new and longstanding, you cannot escape them; they’re through the walls.”

141,300 – Ballyhoo! – Bad Summer

Maryland’s Ballyhoo! is awesome! They play a seamless potpourri of rock, reggae, pop, and punk à la Sublime, 311, Dirty Heads, Slightly Stoopid, et al.

99,753 – Son Volt – Sound Signal Serenades

This alt-country band is hit-or-miss for me, and this one’s MASSIVELY in the former category… super mellow and leaning a little on the country-bluesy side of alt-country. Great album, very nice! Son Volt’s really great live, too!

From Rough Trade Records: “Son Volt’s latest album, Sound Signal Serenades.

Featuring twelve originals, Son Volt’s return to the elemental strengths that have long defined their sound – restless guitars, melodic clarity, and songs rooted in the lived experience of American landscapes. Anchored by Jay Farrar’s steady, unvarnished voice, the record balances reflection and resolve, drawing lines between personal memory and the wider currents of history, change, and endurance.

The songs move fluidly between stripped-down intimacy and full-band drive, blending folk-rock, country, and electric grit with the confidence of a band that knows exactly who they are. There’s a sense of forward motion throughout the album – never nostalgic for its own sake, but deeply aware of where it’s been.

Lyrically, Farrar explores themes of connection, resilience, and place, finding meaning in both the ordinary and the unsettled. This album stands as another chapter in Son Volt’s enduring catalog: honest, grounded, and quietly powerful, reaffirming their role as one of America’s most consistent and thoughtful rock bands.”

85,575 – Bongripper – Live In Leipzig

Super heavy, instrumental doom/stoner rock band/album. Meaty, meat riffage. Three songs clocking in at nearly an hour, none shorter than 18 minutes long… Can never go wrong with a song titled ‘Reefer Sutherland’, hahaha! Will dig into their past catalog, for sure!

From their bandcamp page:
Recorded Oct 16th, 2025 at Naumanns Tanzlokal, Leipzig, Germany
Engineered by Maximillian Geisenhainer
Mixed and Mastered by Dennis Pleckham at Comatose Studio
Artwork by Dan O’Connor

65,252 – Exumer – Death Mask Messiah

Tasty thrash metal album courtesy of Germany’s Exumer. Thrash-tastic riffs and soloing throughout! Seven long years between albums, but well worth the wait; throw the horns in the air and bang yer heads!

From Metal Blade Records: “Death Mask Messiah, which marks the band’s first new studio output in seven years, further cements EXUMER’s legacy as a dauntless thrash metal institution. A logical and compelling progression from the German legend’s three previous albums, the 11 ferocious songs, produced by Dominic Paraskevopoulos (Kreator, Caliban) and mixed and mastered by Arthur Rizk (Soulfly, King Diamond), take a more brutal and direct musical approach.

“We are a lot more aggressive than on Hostile Defiance and are returning to a more ‘in your face’ style on Death Mask Messiah,” confirms co-founding vocalist Mem V. Stein. “We’re furthering the process that began with our first offering for Metal Blade, 2012’s Fire & Damnation, where we wanted to sound like a contemporary band while maintaining the spirit and our musical heritage of the 1980s.”

Recorded from December 2025 through January 2026, Death Mask Messiah is EXUMER’s sixth album and fourth for Metal Blade. It’s also the first EXUMER LP recorded with the rhythm section of drummer Jerome Reil and bass player Alex Voss. “They have formidably integrated themselves as musicians and friends into the EXUMER tapestry,” Mem says. “You can feel their young energy, coupled with our trademark aggression and experience. The band sounds more focused and yet raw, thanks to their addition to the lineup.”

Death Mask Messiah also surprises: There’s a guest and a cover song: Nasty Ronnie from American metal legends Nasty Savage sings on EXUMER’s version of his band’s track “Unchained Angel.” EXUMER supported the band in 1988 on their first European tour.

The record is inspired conceptually by US politics of the last decade, the pandemic, the use of misinformation to stir up cultural divides, and the like. Mem also mused on the 30-year anniversary of Waco, Texas, and the standoff with the Branch Davidians. “David Koresh was a false prophet and wore a death mask, manipulating and leading his followers to certain death,” Mem says. “Each song on Death Mask Messiah picks up an individual theme of these two strains of thought.”

For instance, the title track and lead single brings everything together with the Waco raid/siege and Koresh as the main character but also paints a universal picture of charlatans who lead the United States to hell with their lust for power.

Mem further elaborates, “We deliberately chose this track as the first single, as the sonic assault of its main riff and the lyrical concept represent the totality of our intentions for this album. It marks a clear step toward elevating the band to the next level of our career, leaving nothing to the imagination and reinforcing our place as one of the most powerful forces in the entire genre.””

“EXUMER is a legendary powerhouse with history to crush any stage they play. There is great history from 1988 with Nasty Savage touring Europe, and I am honored to be a part of this project!” – Nasty Ronnie, Nasty Savage

“This is like jumping into a time machine set for 1986! Good old hard-nosed yet catchy German thrash metal the way it was always meant to be. Thank you to EXUMER for making me feel like I am 21 again!” – Danny Lilker, Anthrax, Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault, SOD, etc.

“With Death Mask Messiah, EXUMER have elevated their craft. Tight and incisive riffing, pummeling drums, and Mem’s vocal attack at full force – the band is in top form. An extremely satisfying listen.” – Jeff Matz, High On Fire

“Classic German thrash with all the spirit and energy of their early days, but more focused and precise. EXUMER are one of the very few ‘legacy’ bands where modern production clearly enhances the musical aggression, without detracting from any of the original metal message. Well done, boys!” – Brian “Mitts” Daniels, ex-Madball

57,998 – Dumpstaphunk – Live At Tipitina’s 2025

Stanky funk, soul, blues, gospel, and more on this NOLA-based jam band’s latest live release. Can never go wrong with a killer horn section! The band is in fine form as they tear through a half dozen tracks over a 42+-minute period. The show took place on May 4th, 2025. Get some!

From Tipitina’s Record Club: “Recorded live at Tip’s on the last night of Jazz Fest 2025, this exhilarating performance takes listeners on a funk-fueled journey spanning nearly two decades of Dumpstaphunk, from one of their earliest collaborations to one of their newest tunes – plus a blistering solo from guitar phenom Christone “Kingfish” Ingram.”

38,194 – Ruthie Foster – Just Say Yes

Ruthie Foster is awesome! Gospel-y-type blues/soul. Great voice!

From Sun Records: “Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ruthie Foster returns with Just Say Yes, a powerful collection of songs blending soul, blues, gospel, folk, and roots music.

Known for her commanding voice and deeply personal songwriting, Foster delivers ten uplifting and heartfelt tracks that explore resilience, gratitude, connection, and personal growth. Highlights include the inspiring opener “Thank You,” the energetic “Come On Up” featuring Larkin Poe, and the reflective title track “Yes.”

Released by Sun Records, Just Say Yes showcases the warmth, authenticity, and emotional depth that have made Ruthie Foster one of the most respected voices in contemporary American roots music.

Whether you’re a longtime fan or discovering her music for the first time, Just Say Yes is an essential addition to any blues, soul, Americana, or roots music collection.”

18,083 – A Swarm Of The Sun – Live At Dunk! Festival 2025

I was all-in with their 2019 release – ‘The Woods’ – stating, “Absolutely fantastic post-rock / post-metal album… this is great!” This release is also pretty great, but it’s not ‘The Woods’ (although they do play two tracks off of that album).

From Dunk! Records: “A Swarm of the Sun is the rare band that excels equally with concepts of contemplation and catharsis, often merging both into single compositions that crawl methodically through the starkest corners of droning darkness before seizing upon the hearts of listeners with stunning outpourings of dramatic release.”

“Their sparse brand of post-rock/metal and quasi-doom is unlike anything else out there, possessed of a grim power that drains all the light and joy from the world, consigning you to endless cancer wards and funeral parlors to witness the grace and desperation that comes at the end of life.” – Angry Metal Guy

16,639 – Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour – Watching the Tide

Steve “The Colonel” Cropper has played with a who’s who throughout his career, including (but not limited to) the Stax Records House Band (aka Booker T. & the M.G.’s) who backed Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Neil Young, and more, but here he just lets loose solo and… it’s really great. Just what you’d expect from “The Colonel”! Bluesy soul… or perhaps soulful blues. Either way, tasty! The album features a ton of special guests, including Eric Clapton (‘Ticket First’), Brian May and Billy Gibbons (‘My Angels Are Calling’), Ronnie Wood (‘Until Now’), Ana Grosh (‘Here & Gone’), and Billy Gibbons and Ana Grosh (‘Stand Right Here’). This was the last album he listened to before he died. RIP Steve Cropper (1941-2025).

From Mascot Label Group: “The late and great Steve Cropper had another ace up his sleeve before his tragic passing in December 2025. To anyone who knows the roots and branches of American music, the loss of The Colonel 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.

The legendary musician was working on this new record, and with Watching The Tide, he has left a beautiful gift to the world, featuring an all-star cast including Eric Clapton, Brian May, Billy Gibbons, and Ronnie Wood.

Appropriately 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 songwriter/producer Jon Tiven and Midnight Hour vocalist Roger C. Reale, then tracking at Nashville’s historic RCA Studio C with an ace 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.

The album is 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 with Watching The Tide, the ripples continue to spread.”

6,859 – zakè – Tide Requiem For The Low Sea

zakè is Zach Frizzell, and he plays super-minimal, ambient, soundscape-y drone-type stuff. Really nice, beautiful, mellow stuff!

4,508 – Besvärjelsen – Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem

Oh, this is great, what a most excellent journey… a psychedelic / stoner / doom metal hard-hitter. Riffs for miles. My only complaint is that I thought it was too short at 42:40; it just ended, and I wanted it to keep going. Good stuff here, I approve!

From their bandcamp page: “Swedes are supposed to be cool, and musically, BESVÄRJELSEN sure live up to that stereotype in the best possible way. What the self-proclaimed forest rockers deliver on their third full-length “Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem” is so cool, in fact, that it’s a hot early candidate for rock album of the year. The ‘forest rock’ moniker is the Swedes’ tongue-in-cheek answer to the term ‘desert rock’, which stylistically provides a great starting point to describe their musical brand.

Add exceptional vocalist Lea Amling Alazam, who developed her passion for punk and stoner rock at the local skate park when she was just 13 years old, to the band’s plethora of riveting hooks and riffs, and you get an album that feels fresh and ready to deliver surprises for months, if not years, to come. If there is any justice, “Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem” should make BESVÄRJELSEN as famous as the iconic wooden Dala horses that every tourist who visits the country takes home to put on their shelves.

BESVÄRJELSEN were co-founded by guitarists and vocalists Andreas Bajer and Staffan Vinrot in 2014. Their musical vision was based on the idea of channeling the spirit and traditions of the vast Dalarna forests, where Germanic gods and the spirit world of Finno-Ugric shamans met, into a contemporary urban context. With “Till Glömskan Ad Oblivionem”, BESVÄRJELSEN have conjured ‘Into Oblivion’ twice, in both Swedish and Latin, but the spellbinding five-piece also deliver a cathartic rock album that will rank among the finest heavy releases of the genre and beyond in 2026.”

2,484 – Mildreda – Realities (2 CDs)

Mildreda is a dark, haunting electronic duo, and this is a dark, hard-hitting, electro-industrial rock album. They may not be on the level of Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) or Al Jourgensen (Ministry), but this Belgian-based duo sounds eerily like both at times. Dig!

From amazon: “What is reality? This fundamental question has haunted philosophers, scientists, and artists throughout the centuries. With the arrival of virtual reality, this thought experiment has only become even more urgent and maybe even essential for humankind’s survival. Who better to give a devious artistic answer to this conundrum than Belgian dark electro duo Mildreda with their monumental double album “Realities”?

Mastermind Jan Dewulf is exceptionally qualified for this task among his peers, as the Belgian musician holds a degree in philosophy. While the previous album “Blue-Devilled” explored hell as defined by French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, the amused voice of Albert Camus whispers through the tracks of “Realities”.

In tune with their deeply human subject, Mildreda deliver their most emotional album to date. The band introduces colours and emotions rarely associated with a genre defined by cold, hard electronics. The Belgians are pushing their sound markedly beyond the traditional boundaries of dark electro. Although Canadian EBM influences remain audible, as well as additional Belgian sonic flavour, Mildreda again break into new musical dimensions.

The Belgians also gave extra space to include prominent guest vocals from a compatriot, SUICIDE COMMANDO’s Johan Van Roy, and Constantin “Breñal” Warter of German cult act CALVA y NADA fame. With “Realities”, Mildreda not only deliver their most ambitious and innovative album both lyrically and musically, but also their most accessible record so far. Check it out!”

1,733 – Fernando Perdomo – Cloud 9

I can’t get enough of Fernando Perdomo, and that’s a good thing since dude is incredibly prolific. He released an album every month in 2025 called the “Wave” series. Now we’re onto 2026 and the “Clouds” series. As usual, it’s packed with tasty all-instrumental guitar shred… that’s mellow. Diggin’!

That said, this might be my least favorite of the bunch. I didn’t care much for the music, plus he added spoken word/poetry (about clouds, of course) over the music. It was a bit of a head-scratcher release, but I typically like his stuff. Fun fact: this may be the ‘Clouds’ (plural) series, but this album is titled ‘Cloud’ (singular) for ‘Cloud 9’, ha!

1,049 – Laughing Stock – Forgotten Dreams EP

I was bored to tears with 2024’s ‘Shelter’, but fully dug these last two! Prog-rock bliss, but they venture into harder-edged prog-metal at times!

From Eternal Terror: “When writing songs for the album that became ‘Life in Seven Dreams’ [February 27th, 2026], Laughing Stock had a lot of songs to choose from. Four of these songs are now released as the EP ‘Forgotten Dreams’.

The band thinks those songs are as strong as anything they have released before, but as they didn’t fit in on the last album, they certainly wouldn’t fit in on the next. These four songs are very different in style, but make for a cohesive and adventurous listen.”

Missed the Cut (in order by “popularity”*):

4,445,393 – Alex Warren – WILDCHILD

Alex is a wildly popular poppy singer-songwriter, and this is his sophomore full-length release. The guy is an obviously talented songwriter, but I just did not care for the tunes. I totally get the appeal, but it’s not for me. Good for a single listen, but not much more for this guy.

1,925,453 – Interpol – This Mirror Weighs A Ton

As crazy popular as they are, I’ve never been much of a fan of NY-based indie rock band Interpol, but I keep trying and trying and trying, hoping I’ll dig a release one of these days. It’s not totally horrible, or anything. It’s just kinda meh and not working for me. But hey, don’t listen to me. Fans and critics alike are eating this album up <shrug>…

1,789,982 – Alabama Shakes – I Must Be Dreaming

Alabama’s Alabama Shakes return after a decade-plus absence, and I was happy to hear what they did after such a lengthy absence. Unfortunately, it’s more of the same underwhelming psychedelic southern soul meets garage rock. The band has always gathered positive reviews, and this release is no different. Frankly, I don’t get it. This band is a sleeper to me <zzzzzzzzzzz>…

1,497,397 – In This Moment – Witch

In This Moment is an LA-based hard rock group. I have tried through and through, yet their releases are seemingly always just kinda lackluster for me. Even the three cover songs couldn’t save this disaster: (1) The Police – ‘Wrapped Around Your Finger’, (2) Pink Floyd – ‘Another Brick In The Wall’, and (3) Nine Inch Nails – ‘Something I Can Never Have’. This is simply more of the same. Meh …

932,611 – Beartooth – Pure Ecstasy

Not the worst metalcore band / album I’ve ever heard – there are some absolutely gargantuan, muscular, beefy riffs throughout – but at the end of the day, it’s still metalcore… ugh… Fun fact: Frontman Caleb Shomo came out as gay in late May 2026… after 14 years of marriage! Another fun fact about Caleb Shomo: he played all instruments on the album!

885,162 – The Warning – Everything’s Falling

The Warning is a “Familial Mexican hard rock band” featuring a trio of sisters: Daniela “Dany” (guitars, lead/backing vocals), Paulina “Pau” (drums, backing/lead vocals, piano), and Alejandra “Ale” Villarreal (bass, backing/lead vocals, piano). It’s fairly generic rock ‘n roll à la In This Moment. If you like ITM, then you should give this a spin. I don’t find it bad or “offensive”, just kinda boring really…

654,566 – Billy Strings – So Much For Goodbyes

William Lee Apostol (bka Billy Strings) is a wildly revered Bluegrass-Country musician. It’s great for what it is – and I completely get the appeal – but Bluegrass-Country is typically outside of my wheelhouse.

350,032 – Ty Segall – Chrome

Terrible! It’s a super lo-fi garage rock album. The songs are awful… and people LOVE this shit!

301,719 – Kami Kehoe – Love Is A Weapon

Cookie-cutter, paint-by-numbers hard rock / alt-rock with occasional electronic flourishes for good measure. Kami has a good voice, but the tunes are just so generic that… who cares, right? This is her third full-length release, yet my introduction to her.

76,277 – Saul Williams – Leap Life

Uh, no… It’s like this avant-garde, artsy-fartsy, experimental bullshit “music” with spoken word / poetry readings over it. WTF did I just listen to?

11,214 – Mike D – Thank You

This is the debut solo album from former Beastie Boys member Michael Louis Diamond (bka Mike D; vocals, drums). I absolutely LOVE(D) Beatsie Boys, but this debut solo release doesn’t scratch that itch. I get the BB feels on a couple of tunes, but for the most part it sounded like experimental rap. It was released to mixed (mostly positive) reviews.

From amazon: “Mike D presents his debut album”, Thank You”, marking the first full-length offering of new music from a Beastie Boys alum since 2011. Tracing its origins back to a series of “zero-pressure, experimental recording sessions at Mike’s home studio”, the album features a dozen servings of sonically inventive post-electronic grooves and hypnotic hooks that find Mike D’s unmistakable voice leading the listener through an aural playground that defies categorization.”

491 – APOCÆLYPSE – FÆNIX

I like the story behind the album (read ahead) – basically, dude is a long-time guitarist in a bunch of different metal bands; here, he plays guitar (alongside his son, love it!), as well as sings… in his OWN project – yet I wasn’t overly wowed with it. It’s a solid release, for sure, but is it something I’ll listen to again, or do I need to follow them? Eh, not particularly. They play straight-up heavy fucking metal.

From Revolver: “APOCÆLYPSE bandleader Ira Black has risen from the ashes to use his voice like never before.

A metal veteran with a prolific resume, Black has been playing guitar in bands since the Eighties, and has clocked time onstage and in the studio with outfits including Vio-Lence, Lizzy Borden, Metal Church, Dokken, and many, many more.

What sets APOCÆLYPSE apart from the rest of those projects is that it’s the first time Black’s doubled down as both a serious riff-slinger and a frontman. And it turns out he’s got a lot to say.

Released this past June, debut single “INTELL-I-GENTS” fuses brawny modern metal, bee-buzzed shreddery and industrial-stomped rhythms with tech-questioning lyricism over the “binary priests” gluing us to our smartphones each day. Follow-up masher “Black Box” plays out as an air-disaster metaphor for the heavy feelings he’d kept inside himself for years, and how he was struggling in silence throughout.

After playing supporting roles in several acts for decades, Black now feels reborn with APOCÆLYPSE. He’s stepping to the front of the stage, and he’s ready to shout his feelings out loud.

“I’ve spent most of my life playing guitar for other people’s visions,” he says. “I’ve been fortunate enough to play with some incredible bands and musicians, travel the world, make records, and stand on stages I dreamed about when I was a kid. I don’t regret any of it. Every one of those experiences became part of who I am. But eventually you reach a point where you have to ask yourself, ‘What do I actually have to say?’ APOCÆLYPSE is the answer to that question.”

He goes on to note that the band’s tellingly dubbed debut album, FÆNIX, reflects upon “destruction, transformation, death, rebirth.” It hints at periods of addiction, a hard road traveled through metal, and navigating identity. He’s doing so alongside his guitar-playing son, Ira Black IV, as well as former Five Finger Death Punch bassist Matt Snell and drummer Lonny Pasillas.

While APOCÆLYPSE’s name in part suggests the end of all things, the wide release of FÆNIX today (August 28th) stands as a vital, hard-earned reset point for Black. He’s looking on the brighter side of things, and the triumphs to come. “I’ve already had plenty of apocalypses in my life. At this point I’m much more interested in what rises from the ashes,” he confirms. “That’s what FÆNIX means to me.””

Addendum (in order by “popularity”*) – Albums that were released earlier in the year (or previous years) that I missed, but are worth mentioning, anyhow:

None.

On the List (in order by “popularity”*) – Albums that I didn’t get to (yet) for one reason or another. Will (hopefully) get to them at a later date:

Only listing ones that made me take notice, not everything…

1,156,120 – Pulp – Live!

Brit-pop, art rock, indie pop, post-punk, alternative rock. From Rough Trade Records: “A film and album document of the band’s 2025 show at The O2 London as they returned with No. 1 album More.

‘A concert is an event where songs come back to life. That’s why this album is called “Live!”‘ explains Jarvis Cocker of this unique record in the Pulp canon. “It’s both a statement of fact (it’s a recording of a live band) & a challenge (come on! Everyone come alive!).”

It’s also Pulp’s first film soundtrack album: the Garth Jennings-directed movie “What Do You Do For an Encore?” which is to be released worldwide this autumn.

Pulp’s relationship with Garth Jennings dates back to 1997: the year he directed the promo video for the song “Help the Aged”. When Pulp announced that they were touring again back in 2023, Garth got in touch and offered his services in helping to design the staging concept. Then, in June 2025, he filmed the band’s two performances at the O2 Arena in London. This footage provides the main content of the film.

The O2 shows also provide the content of this live album. They were the 566th and 567th performances of the band’s career and provide a snapshot of a group at the height of its powers. Recorded the week More – Pulp’s first album in 24 years – hit Number 1 on the Official UK Chart, the album captures the very moment the band returned as a creative force. Old classics and new classics brought together for the first time.”

1,017,874 – Turnstile – Never Enough: Versions (2 CDs)

Hardcore, alternative rock, punk. From Metal Injection: “Instead of releasing a covers album or one of full remixes, Turnstile are doing something slightly different with their two Grammy Awards-winning 2025 record Never Enough. They, along with several special guests, have reimagined the album for what they’re calling Never Enough: Versions, out August 28.

The new version features contributions from Elton John, Slayyyter, Dying Fetus, Porches, Hayley Williams, A.G. Cook, Floating Points, Rod Lee, Kettama, Mustafa, Julien Baker, Panda Bear, Brandon Woody, Four Tet, Dan Deacon, Blood Orange, Chanel Beads, Faye Webster, Angel Du$t, Shabaka, Oklou, Nourished By Time, and Alex G.”

Looking forward to (in order by “popularity”*) – These albums will be released this week and should be in next week’s AOTW blog:

13,789,757 – Ellie Goulding – I Know Too Much

1,903,230 – Kasabian – ACT III

1,249,440 – Natalie Imbruglia – Algorithm

1,102,751 – Various Artists – Accept: Teutonic Titans 1976–2026

756,546 – Behemoth – I, Scvlptor

638,918 – Amyl & The Sniffers – Truth or Consequence (Live from El Coyote)

369,652 – Dexys Midnight Runners – LOVE

348,052 – Sleep – Hemispheres

223,408 – President – Blood On Your Empire

111,497 – Chat Pile – Who Loves The Sun

63,953 – Sigh – Goh-Ka

35,316 – Green Carnation – A Dark Poem, Part III: The Messiah Complex

22,594 – Devil Master – Bloody Dreams

14,322 – Bill Nelson – Magical Thinking: Guitars Of Tomorrow Volume One

13,961 – Stick Men – Let’s THRAK Again

9,194 – Ricky Warwick – Fire And Vengeance

8,420 – Boddy / Scanner – Juxtapositions

7,115 – The Go – Free Electricity

2,063 – Moon Destroys – OMNI

658 – Pelegrin – The Curse Of Nephtar

…and several others. Some that I am looking forward to and others not so much.

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Small print that’s normal size print:

*These albums are listed in order by “popularity”. Wait, what? How? By no means is it a measured calculation. They’re listed in order by number of ‘followers’ on Spotify. While it is listed by Spotify ‘followers’, the order would (most likely) be similar if looking at the number of ‘likes and/or followers’ on each band’s social media pages. Speaking of “popularity”, there is a bolded red number. This number (more or less) represents the number of Spotify ‘followers’ at the time of review.

**Album of the Week. No promises, but I will do my best to NOT include Greatest Hits, Best Of, Live releases, re-releases, etc. Even if these “new” releases include a ton of bonus goodies, multiple unreleased tracks, demo versions, etc, I’ll still (try to) hold off.

All albums are listened to IN FULL unless stated otherwise.

Some artists are quite controversial. My goal is to review the album on its own merits, not based on the history, beliefs (political or otherwise), police records, and/or anything else that could be considered “unsavory” of the artist(s).

(Almost) all albums are hyperlinked. I link in order by Bandcamp first, YouTube next, then Spotify last. This is so you can check out (AND PURCHASE) the album, if interested. I do and hope you do, as well!

Do you have any friends or family who might be interested in this weekly blog? If so, send ’em this way!

Until next week…

Cheers,

Troy