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Power Trip's long-awaited return collides with grim health news for Death Angel's Dennis Pepa and Sick Of It All's Rich Cipriano, while Triumph preps a 2026 comeback and a new book digs into Hydra Head Records' legacy.
Chained Saint's national thrash-essentials feature puts a spotlight on Florida's underrated heavy metal underground, while Hydra Head Records gets a book deal, Dillinger Escape Plan's 1998 split finally hits vinyl, and the hardcore community rallies around Sick of It All's Rich Cipriano.
Sick Of It All's Richie Cip battles pancreatic cancer as the hardcore community rallies, Power Trip finally returns with new music after years of silence, and a stacked release week plus fresh tour announcements point toward a busy 2026 for New York's metal underground.
Lou Gramm says the charts aren't real rock, Nickelback plots a 2027 arena tour, and Instagram can't stop autosuggesting Creed — but this week's real story is how much the hardcore, sludge, and black metal underground keeps thriving regardless of what's on the radio.
Athens leads European Metal Index with 581 bands but zero indexed shows, while Manchester — with just 142 bands — posts a shows-per-band ratio nearly three times higher than London's.
This week in US metal: an experimental band turns a ten-hour drone into a protest weapon, Judas Priest's bass chair changes hands, Code Orange's side project goes full bloodrave, and the underground doom and raw black metal scenes keep grinding without a headline to their name.
From Pittsburgh's Code Orange spinning off NOWHERE2RUN to a Hydra Head Records history book and a hardcore community rallying for Richard Cipriano, this week's national metal news has deep roots in Pennsylvania's sludge, metalcore, and NWOTHM underground.
Death Angel's Dennis Pepa reveals a stage 4 cancer diagnosis as the extreme metal community rallies, while Florida thrash and death metal acts like Ares and Gnosis carry the torch amid a week of reunion tours, a Hydra Head Records book, and new hardcore releases.
Guns N' Roses joins Aerosmith at the Hollywood Bowl, L7 kicks off their final tour in San Diego, and a MetalSucks column goes goblin mode on System Of A Down — plus a look at how California's underground bands keep the lights on.
Pennsylvania Metal Index data shows new metal band formation peaked in 2020 at 59 bands and has fallen every year since 2022, dropping to just 18 in 2025 — even as Death Metal remains the dominant genre with 155 new bands tracked.
Slayer's Reign in Blood turns 40, Down and Darkest Hour drop new singles, and New York's own raw black metal and industrial scenes deserve a second look this week.
Nekrogoblikon marks 20 years of comedy metal chaos, Slash gets honored with the Les Paul Spirit Award in Hollywood, and Alien Ant Farm goes after toxic relationships with a new single — plus a look at how a California producer is shaping Roadrunner's newest signing.
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