Metal Contraband News For July 14th, 2026:
This week in Metal Contraband:
Alice Cooper has announced the Fall 2026 leg of his headline “Alice’s Attic” tour, with dates kicking off on September 17th at Louder Than Life festival in KY, and running through November 21st, wrapping up in Reno, NV. The North American run features a new production which first debuted during Alice Cooper’s co-headline run alongside Judas Priest last year, celebrating The Revenge of Alice Cooper, his reunion with the original band, out now via earMUSIC. For all the info, head to: https://alicecooper.com/.
Accept just released a re-recorded version of their classic, “Balls To The Walls”, this time with “Metal God” Rob Halford and guitar icon Matthias Jabs in tow. The track is the second single from their 50th-anniversary celebratory album, Teutonic Titans 1976-2026, dropping September 4 via Napalm Records. Check out the new recording here: https://youtu.be/PV3lMI1_KBY?si=TR-zmH6YzFymW_Wt. Wolf Hoffmann says, “Rob is the Metal God. I don’t need to say any more about him. Once we knew that he would do it, it was an obvious choice to give him ‘Balls to the Wall’ because it’s the best fit imaginable! I played all the rhythm guitars. Matthias Jabs from Scorpions played the solo, which is very cool and a huge honor, and it’s Rex Brown on bass and Jason Bowld on drums. So that’s a really cool package”. Keep up with the band here: https://www.acceptworldwide.com/.
Anthrax are heading to the release of Cursum Perficio, their 12th studio album set for September 18th via Megaforce Records. In the meantime, you can check out the second single, “The Edge of Perfection”, here: https://youtu.be/uqbhWhN4F74?si=oIOvdID9wVlYGd5S. Scott Ian says, “It’s the apex predator of Anthrax songs. I think it’s the best song we’ve ever written and the best thing I’ve ever been a part of creatively. What’s the most powerful emotion that moves me more than anything? Of course, it’s love. Nothing moves me like the deep feeling that I get from my wife and son. I’m living on that edge for the rest of my life. This is mine, but there are a lot of ways to ruin it. I’ve ruined it in past iterations of my life, but it got me to where I am. Love is perfection, and I like being on the edge of it. I don’t want everything to be about all of the same shit. This record has a whole bunch of love, a whole bunch of fun, and a little hate”. Charlie Benante adds, “When I think about songs like ‘Only’ and ‘Indians,’ you know that you hit something and you can feel it. That’s the way I felt about ‘The Edge Of Perfection”. For more, head to: https://www.anthrax.com/.
Lorna Shore dropped a new music video this week, for “War Machine”, off the recent album, I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me, out now via Century Media Records. Check it out here: https://youtu.be/VyS8EESMILM?si=f2v4SseFY9BmfxDO. Lorna Shore kicks off a tour this week in support of Motionless In White, with dates across the U.S. wrapping up mid-August, before Lorna Shore heads out on a headlining tour across Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. For all the dates and details, visit: https://lornashoreband.com/.
Mental Cruelty has unleashed a new single, with “The Serpent of Midgard” out now. Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkGO603Og4w. The band says, “On last year’s ‘Helheim,’ we expanded our instruments beyond typical deathcore fare (guitar, bass, drums and, of course, monstrous vocals) to include folk music’s talharpa, aiding in the telling of Norse mythology’s Hel. It’s only appropriate we continue darkening our sound with more black metal and melodeath inspirations as we tell the story of her brother, Jörmungandr, the titular ‘Serpent of Midgard,’ in his epic ocean battle with his uncle Thor. For those unfamiliar with the folklore, it ends in both of their demises: talk about family issues! Musically, we wanted to capture the intensity of the conflict, with our guitarist Nahuel Lozano’s working title of ‘Gojibehe’ summing up key influences. You can guess those, but we’ll spell out the inspiration behind the chunky mid-section and the closest thing we get to a full-on breakdown here: our brothers Signs of the Swarm and the insane tones on their latest album! But while we learned from bands we look up to and friends alike musically, sadly, we never learn from ourselves and once again shot the music video in subzero temperatures. The results are worth it—you can see for yourself—but damn, that was cold”. Keep up with the band via: https://www.mentalcrueltyofficial.com/.
Crown Magnetar is heading to the release of The Hollowing of Godflesh, their third album set for September 25th via Unique Leader Records. This week, the band has revealed the single “Godkiller”, which you can check out here: https://youtu.be/KGOuQh6co3g?si=yToD66kteiUVl6XY. Vocalist Dan Tucker says, “‘Godkiller’ is all gas. It’s basically the equivalent of driving a bulldozer into Hell. Still very Crown Magnetar, but focused through a death metal intensity and a great tone-setting track to introduce our new record, The Hollowing of Godflesh”. Follow the band via: https://www.instagram.com/crownmagnetar.
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Editorial By Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez & Munsey Ricci
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