SLIPKNOT Surprise-Releases New Single “Arsenal”, Their First New Song In Over Three Years
Surprise-released on 9 September, “Arsenal” arrives with a music video directed by the band's M. Shawn “Clown” Crahan and starring Jackson White. It is SLIPKNOT's first new music since the departure of drummer Jay Weinberg and the addition of Eloy Casagrande, and the first release on the band's own (sic)est Records following the completion of their two-and-a-half-decade deal with Roadrunner. The song premiered as the Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1's “New Music Show With Jack Saunders”.
FORBIDDEN Release “Burning The Lungs Of Earth” Single From Upcoming Self-Titled Album
The San Francisco Bay Area thrash band's self-titled album arrives on 23 October via BLKIIBLK, the heavy metal imprint of Frontiers Label Group. It is their first full-length since 2010's “Omega Wave”, a gap of 16 years. “Burning The Lungs Of Earth” is the fourth single from the record, and its video was directed by drummer Chris Kontos. The current line-up is Norman Skinner (vocals), Craig Locicero (guitar), Jeremy Von Epp (guitar), Matt Camacho (bass) and Chris Kontos (drums); the album was produced by Locicero, Kontos and Zack Ohren.
INSOMNIUM Debut Official “Arch Of The Sky” Music Video
The single is taken from “Netherworlds”, the Finnish band's tenth studio album, out 16 October via Century Media Records. The video was directed by Patric Ullaeus for rEvolver.se and combines performance footage with hand-drawn animation. The ten-track album was produced by Miiro Varjus, mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, and features artwork by Travis Smith. It is the band's first album since guitarist Tomy Laisto joined.
GLORYHAMMER Release “Warriors Of Auchtermuchty” Video From Fifth Album “Space 1993: Wrath Of Kor-Virliath”
The album is due on 16 October via Napalm Records and is a direct sequel to 2015's “Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards”. The song is set in Auchtermuchty, the Scottish home town of the band's antagonist Zargothrax, and follows the warriors who swear allegiance to their emperor; it is built around choirs and a sing-along chorus.
ARCHITECTS Tease New Single “Machine” For 16 September
The band announced the single on social media on 9 September with a post reading simply “MACHINE SEPTEMBER 16”, giving the title and release date. No album or label details have been announced.
KING DIAMOND Teases New MERCYFUL FATE Album For 2027, Says Official Documentary Has Been Filming For Three Years
Speaking to Frank Godla of Metal Injection, King Diamond said a new MERCYFUL FATE album is planned for 2027 and a KING DIAMOND album for 2028, describing the MERCYFUL FATE record as sounding “classic, old-fashioned, but modern and clear”. He also revealed that an official documentary about his life has been filming for three years. It is directed by Danish filmmaker Frederik Brun Madsen, written by Peter Engel and produced by UpNorth Film AS in co-production with Wingman Media. The film traces his career from his early bands BRAINSTORM (1976) and BLACK ROSE (1978-1980) to the present day and includes rare live footage from the late 1970s. It is backed by the Danish Film Institute and is planned for the festival circuit.
NEVERMORE's JEFF LOOMIS And VAN WILLIAMS Explain JIM SHEPPARD's Absence From The Band's Reunion
In an interview with Italy's TrueMetal.it, transcribed by Blabbermouth, the pair addressed the absence of founding bassist Jim Sheppard from the reunion line-up of Jeff Loomis (guitar), Van Williams (drums), Jack Cattoi (guitar), Semir Özerkan (bass) and Berzan Önen (vocals). Williams said that “sometimes, for the sake of a fresh start, it's necessary to move on from relationships” that were not conducive to growth, citing years without communication and irreconcilable differences. The new line-up made its live debut on 1 April at IF Performance Hall Beşiktaş in Istanbul, Turkey.
TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Announce 30th-Anniversary Tour For November/December 2026
The run of more than 60 performances opens on 19 November and closes on 30 December. Each show presents a reimagined staging of the rock opera “The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve” followed by a second set of the group's best-known material, with lasers, pyrotechnics and special effects, including “Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” and “Christmas Canon”. Fan club pre-sales run 10-11 September, national and local pre-sales begin 17 September, and tickets go on general sale on 18 September. Music director Al Pitrelli said: “With the economy the way that it is right now, it shouldn't be a mortgage payment for a family to come out to see us.”
CREED Celebrate 25 Years Of “Weathered” With Newly Remastered Deluxe Edition
Craft Recordings will release the reissue on 20 November as a 2-LP set in a gatefold jacket — the album's first vinyl pressing — as well as on CD and digitally. Four bonus tracks are included, among them a cover of THE DOORS' “Riders On The Storm” featuring Robby Krieger, plus radio edits and an acoustic version. The original album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 2001 and held the top spot for eight consecutive weeks, and is certified 6x Platinum by the RIAA.
NEUROSIS Announce New 2026 And 2027 Tour Dates In Support Of Their First New Album In A Decade
The dates support “An Undying Love For A Burning World”, released in March via Neurot Recordings and the band's first album in ten years. Newly announced are 16-17 October at The Fillmore in San Francisco, 30-31 October at Warsaw in Brooklyn, 21-22 November at Metro in Chicago, 27-28 November at Revolution Hall in Portland, 29 November at Showbox SODO in Seattle, 12 December at Roadrunner in Boston as part of CONVERGE's Saddest Day festival, 2 January 2027 at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, and 17 April 2027 at Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands.
METAL BLADE RECORDS Founder BRIAN SLAGEL To Launch Podcast For The Label's 45th Anniversary
Hosted by founder Brian Slagel, the podcast begins in January 2027 and runs weekly for 52 episodes across the year. It covers 25 landmark albums from the label's history through in-depth conversations with the artists and others involved in making them, with bands including METALLICA, SLAYER, CANNIBAL CORPSE, AMON AMARTH and ARMORED SAINT among those featured. It will be available on all major podcast platforms.
BEAST IN BLACK Release Striking New Single & Video “Fear The Beast”
Announced by Nuclear Blast on 10 September, “Fear The Beast” is the title track of the band's forthcoming fourth album. It was written and produced by Anton Kabanen, with artwork by Roman Ismailov and a video directed by Katri Ilona Koppanen. According to the band's statement, the lyrics are about Ridley Scott's 1979 film “Alien”, prompted by a fascination with the art of H.R. Giger. Markus Venehsalo has joined as the band's new lead guitarist. They play Tokyo's Zepp DiverCity on 19 and 20 September before Taipei, Shanghai and Beijing, and open the European “Resurrection” tour with SONATA ARCTICA and FROZEN CROWN on 26 October. The album's title and release date were not given.
AC/DC Concert In Toronto Canceled By LIVE NATION After Storm Damage
Live Nation has cancelled AC/DC's 16 September concert at Toronto's 50,000-capacity Rogers Stadium after an assessment of the damage from last week's storm found that affected sections of the venue must be removed and rebuilt. Original ticket purchases will be refunded in full automatically through Ticketmaster. AC/DC's next show is at Montreal's Parc Jean-Drapeau on 12 September.
OBITUARY & NO WARNING To Replace Yves Tumor At Upcoming TURNSTILE Shows
Following Yves Tumor's exit from TURNSTILE's headlining run, Canadian metallic hardcore band NO WARNING have been added to the 12 September date at Toronto's Woodbine Park, and death metal veterans OBITUARY to the 29 September date at Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh, North Carolina. A replacement for the 26 September show in Portland, Maine has yet to be announced.
KNOCKED LOOSE Revealed As Mystery Artist For The 2026 ‘Louder Than Life’ Festival
The festival runs 17–20 September at the Kentucky Expo Center in Louisville, Kentucky. KNOCKED LOOSE will headline the Impact Stage on Friday 18 September, following sets by Haywire, Angel Du$t, Twitching Tongues, Koyo, Missing Link and Gates To Hell. The festival's headliners include IRON MAIDEN, TOOL, LIMP BIZKIT and MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE.
The blackened rap metal band's debut album “Anomaly” was released last Friday via Metal Blade. Guitarist/vocalist Jakob Lærke Harris describes the song as an attempt to combine a nasty riff with upbeat synths, rap and screams to keep people moving at their shows.
Musicians To Honor Andy Williams During Memorial In Buffalo
A public celebration of life for the late ex-EVERY TIME I DIE guitarist will be held at Buffalo RiverWorks on 27 September from 6 to 11 PM. Admission is free, but a ticket must be reserved in advance at AndyWilliamsForever.com. Acoustic tributes will come from Stephen Brodsky and Adam McGrath of CAVE IN, Dan O'Connor and Alan Day of FOUR YEAR STRONG, and Anthony Green (CIRCA SURVIVE, L.S. DUNES), with more performers to be announced. Two memorial T-shirt designs are also on sale, with proceeds going to a charity chosen by his family.