NECRONOMICON EX MORTIS erupt with ferocious precision on their latest single, “Hungry For Brains,” taken from the forthcoming EP Zombie Blood Nightmare, arriving February 20, 2026.
A thrashy, smashy, in-your-face assault, “Hungry For Brains” showcases the band at their most unapologetically feral. Built entirely upon the half/whole diminished scale, the track spirals through symmetrical chaos and delivers a sound as unhinged and ravenous as its subject matter.
Fans of technical metal will find plenty to chew on, especially when the track erupts into a blistering guitar solo performed by James Norton, former college roommate of guitarist Mike. His shredding adds an extra layer of necrotic flair.
Lyrically, the song dives headfirst into zombie carnage and grotesque undead imagery, continuing the band’s love for cinematic horror and high-energy gore. “Hungry For Brains” embraces the spirit of classic zombie mayhem and sets the tone for the terror-laced chaos awaiting listeners on Zombie Blood Nightmare.
Zombie Blood Nightmare – Track Listing:
Left To Die (4:39)
No More Room In Hell (5:19)
Chopped Up and Burned (7:00)
Lumbering, Blood Sucking Freaks (3:42)
Hungry For Brains (4:41)
Démoni (3:15)
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Charlie Waymire at Ultimate Studios and mastered by Ernesto Homeyer, Zombie Blood Nightmare features six tracks of shred-heavy, horror-drenched chaos. Zombie Blood Nightmare arrives February 20, 2026.
07.03.26 DE Cologne – Gebäude 9 09.03.26 UK Bristol – Exchange 10.03.26 UK Manchester – The Star & Garter 11.03.26 UK London – Underworld 13.03.26 NL Hoofdoorp – Cpunt 15.03.26 CH Aarau – Kiff 16.03.26 DE Wiesbaden – Schlachthof 17.03.26 DE Munich – Backstage 18.03.26 DE Berlin – Cassiopeia 19.03.26 DE Hamburg – Betty 20.03.26 DK Copenhagen – Vega 21.03.26 NO Oslo – Sub Scene 22.03.26 SE Gothenburg – Monument 23.03.26 SE Stockholm – Debaser Nova
Dresden-based black/thrash newcomers LEAD INJECTOR present their debut album Witching Attack – an uncompromising homage to classic extreme metal, recorded over seven intensive days in August 2025 at Stereoid Studios in Schönfels, Saxony. “It was a really awesome time, we experimented a lot, racked our brains and learned a great deal,” recalls vocalist/bassist Leo about the sessions.
Founded in 2022, the trio is the first serious band for all three members after experiences in solo projects and school ensembles, and they quickly found their place in the local scene with their 2024 demo From the Crypts… of Hell. Witching Attack now combines re-recorded demo tracks with fresh material written in the meantime.
The songwriting process usually follows a proven pattern: guitarist Jason develops riffs and collects lyrical ideas which Leo further elaborates, with all three arranging together.
From the beginning, Lead Injector have demonstrated a knack for catchy song structures that sets them apart from average acts in this style. “We make sure that each of our songs is individual and unique, no two sound alike,” Leo emphasizes. This approach creates variety and memorability, qualities not taken for granted in the genre. The striking album artwork comes from SepulchralOwl.
The artist, who has accompanied the band since its early days, creates everything by hand from merchandise to flyers to stage banners, giving Lead Injector an unmistakable visual identity.
The band is deeply rooted in Dresden’s metal scene and maintains close connections with fellow groups like Sintage, Acid Blade and Mortuary Nightmare. The continuous exchange and mutual inspiration shape not only the music but also the sense of community at concerts, where familiar faces are always encountered.
LINE-UP: Justus – Drums Leo – Bass / Vocals Jason – Guitars
TRACK LISTING: 01 Siege Upon Heaven 02 Sacrifice This Bitch 03 Evil Executioner 04 Witching Attack 05 Chains 06 Angel Destructor 07 Pest Thrash 08 M.C.C.I. 09 Infinite Force 10 Nuclear Antichrist
May 07 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Revolution Live* May 08 – Daytona Beach, FL – Welcome to Rockville May 10 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade May 11 – Knoxville, TN – The Mill & Mine May 12 – Raleigh, NC – The Ritz May 14 – Worcester, MA – Palladium May 15 – McKees Rocks, PA – Roxian Theatre May 16 – Columbus, OH – Sonic Temple* May 18 – Davenport, IA – Capitol Theatre May 19 – Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue May 20 – Chicago, IL – Romova Theatre May 22 – Baltimore, MD – Maryland Deathfest* May 23 – Huntington, NY – Paramount
General On Sale: Friday, December 19th @ 10:00 AM LOCAL
Thrash of the Titans USA 2026:
Mar 14 – Portland, OR – Roseland theater Mar 15 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall Mar 16 – Salt Lake City, UT – Rockwell at the Complex Mar 18 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall Mar 20 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave Mar 21 – Minneapolis, MN – The Fillmore Mar 22 – Chicago, IL – Ramova Theatre Mar 24 – Detroit, MI – St. Andrew’s Hall Mar 25 – Cleveland, OH – Agora Ballroom Mar 27 – Worcester, MA – The Palladium Mar 28 – Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom Mar 29 – Reading, PA – Club Reverb Mar 31 – Atlanta, GA – Buckhead Theater Apr 01 – St. Petersburg, FL – Jannus Live Apr 03 – Houston, TX – House of Blues Apr 04 – Dallas, TX – The Bomb Factory Apr 05 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theatre Apr 08 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren Apr 09 – Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco Apr 10 – Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre (No Overkill)
Milwaukee Metal Festival 2026 is pleased to now reveal the headliner day splits! ACID BATH will conquer Friday, followed by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on Saturday with newly added headliner MINISTRY to close out the weekend! In addition, the festival has announced over 20 new additions, which can be found below!
All single day, 2-day and 3-day ticketing options can be found HERE.
The festival will now take place June 5 – 7, 2026, with the pre-party kicking off on June 4! The festival will take place once again at The Rave/Eagles Ballroom.
Co-organizer Jamey Jasta comments: “2026 is shaping up to be our best year yet and we’re just getting started! More bands, more stages, more vendors, more food, more signings, it’s gonna be the best weekend EVER! See you in the good the land!”
The current lineup is now as follows with more TBA:
ACID BATH KILLSWITCH ENGAGE MINISTRY OBITUARY POWERTRIP AGALLOCH AFTER THE BURIAL ALL SHALL PERISH NAILS IRON REAGAN HAVOK NUNSLAUGHTER HIRAX INTEGRITY PRONG INTERNAL BLEEDING UADA DEADGUY MASTER WEEKEND NACHOS MORTA SKULD POLKADOT CADAVER SWORN ENEMY BELUSHI SPEEDBALL INCITE CASKET ROBBERY DUSK JEFFREY NOTHING BRICK BY BRICK DEAD BY WEDNESDAY HUMAN ARTIFACTS THANATOTIC DESIRE EYES OF THE LIVING MISERY STRIKING 13 TRIP TO THE MORGUE DARK HORSE PROPHET & OVER 40 MORE ARTISTS / BANDS TO BE ANNOUNCED!
Massacre Records Classix Shape Edition is a series of 10 die-cut CD’s. This ANVIL five song compilation is #10 in the series, released back in 1999.
I bought this CD in used condition, about 10 years ago, at an independent record store that’s no longer in business. If I remember correctly, the price I paid for this ANVIL gem was below 10 dollars. You can find this CD online for 15 dollars or lower, right now. It doesn’t have a front cover in the jewel case, with liner notes only on the back cover. I’m unsure if a front cover existed and still researching if one did.
I never played this oddity either in my car CD player or my home stereo system; for fear of a mishap due to its unique die-cut shape. Written on the back cover, it states: “Not suitable for disc changers and car CD players.”
Its existence as a collectible is good enough for me!
Blood On The Ice
Doctor Kevorkian
Old School
Speed Of Sound
Metal On Metal (Live at Wacken Open Air – previously unreleased)
The CD itself is in fabulous condition, with no scratches or signs of wear. Looks like any prior owner didn’t take a chance playing it either.
Letters of each volume (10 in all) of this series, on the CD spines, together in order spell: METAL&MORE. Thank you for checking out my ANVIL CD and visiting Metal Odyssey. I appreciate every visitor! Metal be thy name. – Stone
We’re heading back to Australia in March 2026 for four shows — Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. we can’t wait to bring the noise down under 🇦🇺
The tour will commence on Monday March 23 at Brisbane’s at Fortitude Music Hall, followed by Wednesday March 25 at Hindley Street Music Hall, Adelaide, continuing on to Melbourne’s Festival Hall on Thursday 26 March, before concluding at Enmore Theatre, Sydney, on Saturday 28 March.
Promo picture by Henna Pohjosaho @hennaidakatriinaphoto
Finnish thrashers Krushor are set to release their debut EP Taste of Hatred on January 9th 2026 via Inverse Records. The second single “Taste of Hatred” is unleashed now and it’s available here: https://push.fm/fl/krushor-taste
The band comments: “Taste of hatred is about a situation where a person takes a stand for someone who’s pushed ’em down long enough to make that person retaliate. What happens, when beaten and oppressed person decides to stand their ground and says they’ve had enough and gives back all they had to endure. What kind is this persons actual hatred if just a taste of it can turn tables and make the one who made them suffer have taste of their own medicine.”
Krushor – “Taste of Hatred” (single 2025)
Composed by Joni Kärsämä, Juho Mattila Saku Hirvimäki, Sami Keränen Lyrics by Ville Lehtoranta Arranged by Krushor
Line-up: Ville Lehtoranta – Vocals Joni Kärsämä – Guitar Juho Mattila – Guitar Sami Keränen – Bass Saku Hirvimäki – Drums
EP cover by Joni Kärsämä
Taste Of Hatred – Track list:
Shockwave
Vortex
Rise Above
Taste of Hatred
Composed by Joni Kärsämä, Juho Mattila Saku Hirvimäki, Sami Keränen Lyrics by Ville Lehtoranta Arranged by Krushor
BIOGRAPHY:
The band found its current identity through shared musical tastes, playing together, and a shared hobby. We are a group of people who enjoy making and playing music that works for all of us. A big part of this is that composing, writing lyrics, and editing songs is open to everyone. All songs and compositions are created by the whole group, not based on one person’s vision or goal.
Our influences definitely come from older metal, but that doesn’t matter, because mixing genres actually adds a lot to our music, there’s no one right way to do things. Krushor’s goal is to make music that sounds good and at the same time talk about the difficult things that are part of life. For many people, music can be therapeutic, and if even one person feels that way about our music, we feel we have succeeded.
King Records, in collaboration with Silver Lining Music, will release the Japanese edition of No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All on Wednesday, December 24th.
Included in this edition is a standout bonus track from British hard rock royalty GIRLSCHOOL: a defiant and electrifying take on Metallica’s “Hit The Lights,” featuring bona fide shred lord Joe Stump and Alcatrazz. The performance serves as one of the all-star compilation key highlights, offering Japanese fans a unique and essential addition to the CD release.
The digital single as well as an official video by Natalia Jonderko Śmiechowicz of N.Station Animation & Design Studio are out today.
Watch GIRLSCHOOL’s full-throttle assault on Metallica’s “Hit The Lights” HERE. Stream/purchase the track HERE.
No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All is a colossal celebration of the most propulsive debut album in heavy metal history, reimagined by the legends who inspired it and the generations that came in its wake!
Watch the official videos produced for the compilation and stream the album in full HERE.
The veteran likes of Saxon, Diamond Head, and Motörhead (three of Metallica’s favorite bands), are joined by rising stars such as Tailgunner and Swedish prog metallers Soen to create a who’s who of heavy music, with each performer lending their unique sound to one classic track. The Almighty deliver a particularly confrontational cover of “The Four Horsemen,” a release that saw the hard rockers return to the studio with their founding lineup for the first time since 1991.
Contributions from thrash giants Testament, ex-Megadeth bassist David Ellefson, and New Wave Of British Heavy Metal linchpins Tygers Of Pan Tang show the label looking beyond their own artists to amass the greatest lineup possible. Joining the super star lineup are the legendary Raven (closing with the thundering anthemic “Metal Militia”) who were part of Metallica’s first-ever tour, 1983’s famous Kill ‘Em All For One venture.
No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All Japanese edition is available to preorder on CD at THIS LOCATION.
No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All is an ambitious achievement worthy of Metallica’s game-changing legacy. By the fans and for the fans, it reaffirms the Four Horsemen’s ironclad influence and its stacked roster continues the band’s mission to shove metal up your ass!
No Life ‘Til Leather – A Tribute To Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All Japanese CD Edition Track Listing:
1. Hit The Lights (TAILGUNNER)
2. The Four Horsemen (THE ALMIGHTY)
3. Motorbreath (SOEN)
4. Jump In The Fire (TYGERS OF PAN TANG)
5. (Anesthesia) – Pulling Teeth (DAVID ELLEFSON)
6. Whiplash (MOTÖRHEAD)
7. Phantom Lord (SAXON)
8. No Remorse (DIAMOND HEAD)
9. Seek & Destroy (TESTAMENT)
10. Metal Militia (RAVEN)
11. Hit The Lights (GIRLSCHOOL feat. Alcatrazz, feat. Joe Stump) [Bonus Track]
Megadeth is heading north in 2026! The band returns to Canada for a powerful run of dates, bringing their signature intensity and a set built for diehard fans. Cyber Army members get first access—exclusive presales begin Wednesday, November 26 at 10am local time. Special VIP offers including Side Stage Experience and Band Member Meet & Greets will be available.
Don’t miss your chance to secure tickets before the rest of the world. Let there be shred!
MEGADETH Canada 2026 Tour Dates:
February 15, 2026 | Victoria, BC @ Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre
February 17, 2026 | Abbotsford, BC @ Rogers Forum
February 18, 2026 | Kelowna, BC @ Prospera Place
February 20, 2026 | Calgary, AB @ Scotiabank Saddledome
February 21, 2026 | Edmonton, AB @ Rogers Place
February 24, 2026 | Saskatoon, SK @ SaskTel Centre
February 25, 2026 | Winnipeg, MB @ Canada Life Centre
February 28, 2026 | London, ON @ Canada Life Place
March 1, 2026 | Ottawa, ON @ Canadian Tire Centre
March 3, 2026 | Halifax, NS @ Scotiabank Centre
March 4, 2026 | Moncton, NB @ Avenir Centre
March 6, 2026 | Québec City, QC @ Videotron Centre
Dave Mustaine shares some insight into the new track.
“How many times have you wanted to say this to someone? I know you want to! Deep down inside, if we had the balls, we would tell more people, ‘I don’t care’ more often.”
“Part of the main riff in this track had been floating around in my head since we did TSTD&TD, so I was pumped to start recording ‘I Don’t Care’ for this LP. I really love the guitar nuances in the track. There is the main rhythm riff, next, a very deliberate down-picking part, next, the octave chords with jump picking on octave notes (while still down-picking!). And the soloing and back and forth between me and Teemu is magnificent!!”
SLAYER’s iconic second studio album, Hell Awaits, is set to receive a 40th anniversary edition reissue via Metal Blade Records next Spring!
Formed in 1981, SLAYER assaulted the world with a new hybrid of metal and punk – heavier, faster, and darker than the rest and set a new standard, defining not only a genre, but an attitude. Throughout SLAYER‘s history, the band never faltered in unleashing their extreme and focused aural assault, and repudiating temptations, SLAYER always chose to remain crushing and brutal, steadfastly refusing to cater to the mainstream.
“It’s the record where SLAYER became SLAYER.” That’s what Kerry King says about Hell Awaits. He knows of what he speaks. As the band’s guitarist, co-songwriter, and co-lyricist, he was in the trenches with vocalist/bassist Tom Araya, guitarist Jeff Hanneman (R.I.P.) and drummer Dave Lombardo, creating what has become one of heavy metal’s greatest albums.
A significant departure from SLAYER’s 1983 debut, Show No Mercy and every SLAYER album that came after it, Hell Awaits is both an outlier and a solidification of form. Show No Mercy was the mission statement, but Hell Awaits is a more developed and intricate execution of SLAYER’s speed, chops and aggression.
Released in April of 1985 by Metal Blade Records, Hell Awaits was the pinnacle of an action-packed thrash year that saw debut albums from the likes of Megadeth, Exodus, Kreator, Possessed, Destruction, Hirax, and Overkill. Heavily influenced by Mercyful Fate, the longer, more progressive arrangements on Hell Awaits marked a new era for SLAYER. Whereas most of the songs on Show No Mercy were less than four minutes long, three of Hell Awaits’ seven tracks go beyond the six-minute mark.
“Jeff and I were still trying to figure out who we were as musicians, and we were both infatuated with Mercyful Fate’s Melissa album during the writing process for Hell Awaits,” King says. “That’s why there’s so few songs and most of ‘em are pretty long. That’s the only time anything like that ever happened with us.”
Tom Araya’s performance is similarly impressive. The vocalist spat lyrics a mile a minute on the likes of “Kill Again” and “Praise Of Death.” “I don’t recall the songs being hard to sing,” he says. “Singing fast and clearly has always been something that I strived for.”
The reissue arrives May 15th, 2026 in three physical formats and digitally. Preorders are available now at: metalblade.com/slayer.
Find all details below:
3 LPs total: 7-track Hell Awaits + 18-track live bonus audio (Live From Bochum 1985):
– 60-page book (12” size)
– Hell Awaits album (in gatefold sleeve, 1xLP) mastered and restored from original 1985 production tapes by Patrick W. Engel at Temple Of Disharmony in February 2025. Vinyl color = Fire Splatter
– Live From Bochum 1985 (in gatefold sleeve, 2xLP) – 18 live tracks never before released physically or digitally
Finnish thrashers Indemon have released a music video for their song “Abuse.” The track is taken from their critically acclaimed debut album, Reclaiming Chaos, which was released last June via Inverse Records.
“Abuse show’s the narrator’s perspective on the conflict in which they want to break free from a person, yet at the same time want to keep that person under their control. The narrator has an obsession with control.
Alternatively, it could be that the other person does not exist at all, and the narrator is actually a voice inside the listener’s head, a kind of inner demon, telling the listener how it wants to get rid of them, while simultaneously keeping them in its grasp.”
The Finnish progressive thrash metal band Krateros is set to release their debut EP Lost in Translation on January 30th 2026 via Inverse Records. The first single ‘Linguicide’ is unleashed today and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/krateros-linguicide
The band comments: ” “Linguicide” is the first taste of our upcoming EP “Lost in Translation.” With its catchy groove and memorable guitar melody, it is arguably the most “commercial” track from the EP, yet it contains a great blend of all the elements that make our music what it is. Musically, the song is the oldest one on the EP, with the first demo going as far back as February 2020. Lyrically, the song went through two or three rewrites before finding its final form. Some of the discarded ideas have since been used in songs meant for future releases. As a product of our times, “Linguicide” deals with cancel culture and the death of independent thought, whether through self-censorship or outside pressure.”
Krateros – Linguicide (Single 2025)
Track list:
1. Linguicide
Composed & lyrics by Saku Rekonen
Cover art by All4band Design
Krateros – Lost in Translation (EP 2026)
Track list:
1. Tomb Service
2. Linguicide
3. The Performer
4. Uticensis
5. Comatose Waltz
Cover art by All4band Design
BIOGRAPHY:
Krateros is an emerging metal band from Helsinki, Finland, founded in 2023 and led by vocalist/guitarist and main songwriter Saku Rekonen. The band’s music combines influences from old-school thrash metal bands such as Annihilator, Exodus, and Megadeth with more contemporary acts like Trivium, Machine Head, and Stam1na, all the while being filtered through a progressive lens
The band’s first EP, Lost in Translation, releasing through Inverse Records, is a response to a perceived lack of riffs that seems to plague the metal scene of the 2020s.
Due to unfortunate circumstances Toxic Holocaust will no longer be able to take part in the upcoming Death Angel Act III American Tour. However.. We’d like to Thank our friends and Bay Area Thrash brothers Vio-lence for stepping up on such short notice and more than filling in that gap!
This will be the first time that Death Angel and Vio-lence have ever toured together! That coupled with us celebrating 35 years of Act III by playing it in its entirety every night is reason enough not to miss this tour!
11/26/25 Denver, CO – Oriental Theater 11/28/25 Joliet, IL – The Forge 11/29/25 Davenport, IA – Capitol Theater 11/30/25 Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater 12/2/25 Indianapolis, IN – Vogue 12/3/25 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr Smalls Theater 12/4/25 Brooklyn, NY – Brooklyn Monarch 12/5/25 Worcester, MA – The Palladium 12/6/25 Albany, NY – Empire Live 12/7/25 Reading, PA – Reverb 12/10/25 Dallas, TX – Southside Ballroom 12/11/25 Houston, TX – Warehouse Midtown 12/12/25 Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock 12/13/25 San Antonio, TX – Vibes 12/15/25 Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater 12/16/25 Tucson, AZ – 191 Toole 12/17/25 Los Angeles, CA – The Belasco 12/18/25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore* 12/19/25 San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore*
MEGADETH have revealed the full track listing for their self-titled final album that’s due out January 23, 2026. Pre-order the album, via DAVE MUSTAINE’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label, HERE: https://www.blkiiblk.com/
The album includes “Tipping Point,” the previously released first single, and a very special bonus track: a reimagined version of “Ride the Lightning,” which MUSTAINE co-wrote with Metallica’s James Hetfield, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich and was the title track from the group’s 1984 album.
“As I come full circle on the career of a lifetime, the decision to include ‘Ride the Lightning,’ a song I co-wrote with James, Lars, and Cliff, was to pay my respects to where my career first started,” MUSTAINE says.
The album’s full track listing is as follows:
Tipping Point I Don’t Care Hey, God?! Let There Be Shred Puppet Parade Another Bad Day Made to Kill Obey the Call I Am War The Last Note Ride the Lightning (Bonus Track)
Megadeth’s This Was Our Life world tour is coming to Latin America in 2026, with massive shows just announced in Lima,Bogotá, Buenos Aires, São Paulo,Santiago, Mexico City and more.
Megadeth Cyber Army members get first access to tickets through exclusive presales.
Lima: Cyber Army Presale November 2 – 3 at 10am local time General On-Sale: November 6 at 10am local time
Colombia: Cyber Army Presale November 3 – 4 at 10am local time General On-Sale: November 7 at 10am local time
Argentina: Presale details coming soon
São Paulo: Cyber Army Presale November 3 – 4 at 10am local time General On-Sale: November 5 at 10am local time
Santiago, Chile: Cyber Army Presale November 2 – 3 at 10am local time General On-Sale: November 4 at 10AM local time
Mexico (all 3 shows): Cyber Army Presale November 8 – 9 at 10am local time General On-Sale: November 12 at 10am local time
VIP package upgrades including full band member Photo Ops and individual band member Meet & Greets will be available starting with presales via Megadeth.com.
The countdown is on, Latin America! Megadeth is coming for you in 2026!
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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