When you type the final word of an event’s summary/review, it feels like only then you somehow leave it behind you. And I still don’t want to do it and accept that Dark Bombastic Evening festival, 2026, has already ended. And it’s been at least 2 weeks now but given how beautiful each of the…
KINGS OF THRASH/UNDER THE OAK Anmeldt av Roger Hagerupsen BYSCENEN 19 August 2026 TRONDHEIM Bilder fra eventen: Om vi går helt tilbake til 1980, så var det noen unge gutter som kalte seg Iron Maiden som var support for noen langt mer meriterte karer som kalte seg Kiss, å ryktene sier at unggutta spilte flettene…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://edgedcircleproductions.bandcamp.com/ Norwegian black metal does not get much better than this. Formed in 2018 and having quickly gained a well-deserved following in the underground, these skilled chaps are the real deal when it comes to churning out meticulously crafted songs of impassioned, bleak splendor. Like a swirling mass of all-consuming negativity that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/triggertone This delightfully hard-hitting outfit from Belfast blew my socks off by means of the four riff-fueled, passion-soaked compositions that constitute their upcoming EP titled Bombs Away and judging by the depth and electrifying vibe of this particular piece of work, something tells me that Triggertone will go far in life. …
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://doublemute.bandcamp.com/album/corporate-culture-ceo-edition This twisted and hugely enjoyable little gem came out roughly two months ago, so I shall keep it relatively short and concise here and merely sum up in a few sentences why it deserves your time and attention. First things first, the enigmatic entity Double Mute is never boring and about…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://metasoma.bandcamp.com/ The London-based squadron known as Metasoma will release their five-track EP titled Core in early August, and if thick, massive grooves and body-slamming riffs designed to numb your skull stimulate you, now is the time to get excited. There is a modern edge and a subtle melodic sensibility on display that…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://thosemadebroken.bandcamp.com/ The Glaswegian purveyors of heavy, emotionally charged, and occasionally brooding alt. rock sporting the appropriate moniker Those Made Broken are a most enticing and rewarding musical proposition, and judging by the overall quality of this muscular-sounding effort, this writer needs to check their entire discography out asap. A Door You Can…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/cognitive-dissident Cognitive Dissident offers something quite extraordinary and different to the usual fare of (auto)biographies out there; what we have here is an organic, fluid, and essentially long-form talk and exchange of ideas and viewpoints between none other than the multi-talented Matt Johnson of THE THE fame and author Jason Wood. The…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://linktr.ee/cairiss Formed back in 2013 and having released a well-received demo the following year and then an EP two years later, this intriguing debut album of theirs may be said to have been a long time coming – ten years to be exact – and the term blackgaze is most definitely an…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://deafbeatvanguard.bandcamp.com/album/libido-induced-anabasis Given that this highly entertaining gem came out in early June and that I either missed or subconsciously overlooked its release date due to laziness, I shall keep it short and simply tell you why Libido-induced Anabasis by the intriguing outfit Deaf Beat Vanguard is worth your time and money. This…
Photo galleries can be found here Photos by Jonathan Mazin and Andrea Chirulescu Text by Andrea Chirulescu Saturday was, yet again, a day when there are tons of events in Oslo, including the ever-colorful pride parade, and that led to some logistical challenges for the transport to the festival area. You’d get there, but need…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://www.relapse.com/pages/left-to-die-initium-mortis What we have here is akin to a wet dream for any fan of old-school death metal performed by veterans of the genre. As the title of the album, the splendid artwork, and the line-up itself all indicate, this is a homage to the early catalog of the legendary Death and…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/do-what-you-fear-most Do What You Fear Most: The History of the Velvet Underground is undoubtedly the most comprehensive study of one of the most fascinating and mythic acts of all time, and to many rock music obsessives out there it will turn out to be one of the year’s most important books. …
Photo galleries can be seen here Photos by Jonathan Mazin/Andrea Chirulescu text by Andrea Chirulescu Eivør – Vampire Stage As the festival has announced that they’d show a football game on a screen on the main stage and thus having the day’s headliner end their show before 9PM, the whole of Friday’s schedule was a…
Full photo galleries here Photos by Jonathan Mazin and Andrea Chirulescu Text by Andrea Chirulescu Audrey Horne – Scream Stage Audrey Horne opened the Thursday program with a polished hard rock set built around strong riffs and melodic structure and a lot of scene playfulness by guitarists Arve Ice Dale and Torkjell Rød, who elegantly…
Full photo galleries can be seen here Photos by Jonathan Mazin/Andrea Chirulescu Text by Andrea Chirulescu Tons of Rock started, once again, on a Wednesday in late June 2026 with a dense schedule across multiple stages all carefully setup at Ekeberg area in Oslo, where you’d usually see a lot of football fields for bigger…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://onsegenensemble.bandcamp.com/album/a-tale-2 The Finnish folk prog rockers known as Onségen Ensemble have unearthed and sculpted a most bewitching and atmospheric offering in the shape of this fifth full-length album of theirs enticingly titled A Tale, and I cannot thank Karisma Records enough for sending a copy of the CD my way. With its pastoral…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://omnibuspress.com/products/dear-boy-the-life-of-keith-moon-omnibus-remastered?srsltid=AfmBOoryhaCbxlk8SoCO06TrDJvAuPy3cRfsez_jHAMHZVhkmUqBGaTX What we have here is undoubtedly one of the greatest rock music biographies ever written. The very thought and idea of summing up the magnificence and quality of this vivid portrait of the infinitely talented and sadly missed Keith Moon of the Who fame is a daunting task as mere words…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://godzovwarproductions.bandcamp.com/album/twilight-of-the-golden-star Polish post-black metal executed with precision and discipline is what is on the agenda for today, and few bands pull that off better than Zørza do. Somewhat comparable to MGLA and Kriegsmaschine in terms of riffs and sonic punch yet more despairing and agony-filled with respect to atmosphere, Zørza weave together…
RELEASE YEAR: 2026BAND URL: https://open.spotify.com/album/3PsAZFXqy2Sb94LbMEApbJ?si=xAbw8ytbQ4mtUktAzz9Ryw The hard-hitting and musically excellent metal constellation known as Tessia hails from the flourishing underground scene in Bergen and has made quite the name for itself these past few years thanks to some killer outputs and impressive live performances. The Cataclysm is essentially two EPS along with brand-new material combined into…
