From Molly Hatchet's Comeback to a New Sword-Zombi Doom Project: This Week's Metal News Spans Five Decades
Some weeks in metal news feel like a time capsule cracking open all at once. This week, a Southern rock institution is releasing its first album in sixteen years, a prog-rock veteran is launching a doom metal side project, a hardcore band just inked a deal with one of the biggest labels in heavy music, and Dave Grohl is still finding new ways to fan-boy over AC/DC on stage. The global metal scene doesn't move in straight lines, and that's exactly what makes it worth covering.
Molly Hatchet and Zebra Prove the 80s Metal Bands Aren't Done Yet
Southern rock road warriors Molly Hatchet have unveiled "Once A Gambler," the latest single from their upcoming album "Lost Horizon," due November 27 via Steamhammer. It's the band's first full studio effort in sixteen years, and guitarist Bobby Ingram framed the track in characteristically weathered terms: "Win or lose, playing the game, livin'..." It's the kind of line that could double as a mission statement for half the acts still grinding it out from the glory days of 80s metal bands.
Speaking of which, power trio Zebra is marking its 50th anniversary with "V," a long-awaited new studio album arriving November 13 through Flatiron Recordings. The first single, "Walk With You," was co-written with KISS's Paul Stanley, which is a reminder that the classic rock and hard rock worlds still cross-pollinate in meaningful ways even half a century in. Randy Jackson, Felix Hanemann, and Guy Gelso aren't chasing trends here — they're simply proving that longevity and songwriting chops can still produce something worth hearing, not just a nostalgia victory lap.
Meanwhile, Warrior Soul frontman Kory Clarke gave fans an update on the long-gestating follow-up to 2022's "Out On Bail," tentatively titled "Rock 'Em, Sock 'Em." Clarke used a recent interview with TotalRock to explain the delay in finishing the record, and while details remain scarce, it's clear the band isn't rushing a project that's clearly meant something to them for years now.
Autumn Tomb: A New Doom Metal Project Worth Watching
If you've been waiting for a genuinely interesting new doom project, Autumn Tomb might be it. The self-titled debut, out November 6 via Spaceflight Records, pairs Steve Moore of electronic prog outfit Zombi with members of The Sword, fusing atmospheric synth textures with crushing, downtuned riffs. The advance track "Crumbling Thrones" gives a strong sense of where this is headed — doom that leans into cosmic dread rather than straightforward sludge.
It's a timely reminder that doom and its adjacent subgenres remain one of the most fertile corners of heavy music right now, with bands constantly finding new ways to bend the format. Fans of that slow-burning, atmosphere-first approach should also be checking out acts like the sludge-and-doom hybrid Skullcollector, the funeral doom specialists in In Lugubre Tenebris, and the doom-sludge project Sonic Command, all of whom are mining similarly heavy, patient territory. If Autumn Tomb's blend of synth and riff appeals to you, there's clearly an entire underground ecosystem of bands working the same vein, and plenty of them are still waiting to be discovered.
Haywire Signs to Roadrunner, Hardcore Keeps Climbing
On the heavier and faster end of things, hardcore outfit Haywire has officially signed to Roadrunner Records and announced a new album, with Mat from Citizen producing and Taylor Young (also of God's Hate) handling the mix. The signing comes on the heels of a chaotic, crowd-money-throwing set at Sound & Fury, one of hardcore's biggest annual gatherings. God's Hate, for their part, didn't sit quietly in the background either — the band surprised the festival with an unannounced set followed by a surprise new EP drop, a one-two punch that's become something of a signature move for bands trying to generate buzz in an oversaturated release calendar.
This kind of major-label interest in hardcore isn't new, but it's accelerating. Labels are clearly paying close attention to the crossover and hardcore scenes right now, and it's worth noting that the same spirit of aggression and DIY urgency that defines Haywire's rise also runs through plenty of bands further down the index, including crossover thrash outfit Crooked Cross. If you're building a 2026 festival playlist, this corner of the scene deserves a slot.
Experimental Crossovers: Fotocrime, Shiner, and the Blurring Genre Lines
Elsewhere, post-punk and darkwave act Fotocrime shared "Cages" ahead of an upcoming tour, featuring a guest vocal turn from Shiner's Allen Epley along with contributions from members of Mono and Fool's Ghost. It's not a metal record in the traditional sense, but it's exactly the kind of genre-blending collaboration that keeps showing up at the edges of heavy music right now — moody, atmospheric, and unconcerned with staying inside a single box.
That spirit of boundary-pushing is alive and well across the broader underground too. Bands working in experimental territory — blending black metal, death metal, and heavier textures into something harder to categorize — continue to be some of the most interesting acts flying under the radar. Projects like Bleating Apocalypse, who mix black metal, death metal, and experimental elements, are proof that the appetite for genre-fluid heaviness isn't going anywhere, even if it rarely gets the mainstream coverage it deserves.
Legacy Acts Still Making Headlines
Dave Grohl joined AC/DC onstage in New Jersey for a run through "Highway To Hell," another entry in his long-running tradition of turning up wherever his heroes are playing and grabbing a guitar. Grohl has never been shy about what AC/DC means to him, and watching him geek out alongside Angus Young is still one of rock's more charming recurring bits.
Twisted Sister also made noise this week, with fan-filmed footage surfacing from their October 2 performance in West Springfield, Massachusetts — a show featuring Sebastian Bach on vocals. Guitarist Jay Jay French recently discussed the decision to bring Bach into the fold for these dates, a move that's generated plenty of discussion among longtime fans wondering what it means for the band's future lineup plans.
On the more current side of legacy rock, Slash announced a new album with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators, "Flying Blind," due February 26, 2027, alongside the release of the title track. It's the duo's fifth full-length collaboration, and if history is any indication, it'll land somewhere comfortable between blues-soaked hard rock and Slash's unmistakable lead work.
2026 and 2027 Touring Plans Are Taking Shape
Slipknot made waves with news of a packed 2027, and their "Stage Tour" package has added Dream Theater and other acts to the bill — a lineup combining maximalist heaviness with technical prog in a way that should pull in very different corners of the fanbase under one roof. It's an early signal of just how stacked metal bands touring 2026 and into 2027 are shaping up to be, and a reminder to keep an eye on upcoming shows as more dates get confirmed throughout the year.
Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach also offered a glimpse into the band's creative direction following their Aftershock festival appearance in Sacramento, saying he wants the next album to go "faster and heavier and harder." Coming from one of modern metalcore's most consistent vocalists, that's a promising signal for a genre that sometimes gets accused of playing it safe. In a similar vein, Atreyu gave "Her Portrait In Black" a new life with a remix from Sullivan King and Vastive, continuing the band's pattern of letting their catalog breathe in unexpected electronic directions.
Beyond the Riffs: Politics and Collaboration
Not everything this week was about riffs and release dates. Rage Against the Machine's Tom Morello weighed in on the controversy surrounding Ed Sheeran and Macklemore, pointedly questioning the optics of corporate gatekeeping around what can and can't be said on a concert stage — a conversation that resonates well beyond pop and hip-hop circles, touching on the same free-expression debates metal bands have wrestled with for decades. Kid Rock, for his part, discussed his new collaboration with Eminem, framing it as an example of how people with opposing political views can stay connected despite their differences.
Whatever side of that debate you land on, it's a good reminder that heavy music has never existed in a vacuum. From Southern rock veterans dropping their first album in sixteen years to a brand-new doom project built from prog-rock DNA, this week's headlines prove the global metal scene is still wide enough to hold all of it. If your band has news, a new single, or a tour announcement worth sharing, don't wait for someone else to tell your story — submit your band and get on the radar.