Metal Contraband News For September 16th, 2026:
This week in Metal Contraband:
The Punk Rock Museum has officially announced an opening date for their upcoming exhibition dedicated to Motörhead and Lemmy, October 2nd, 2026. The exhibition will feature personal items from Lemmy’s collection, including photographs and handwritten lyrics. One of the most unique parts of the exhibition will be the opportunity for museum guests to play Lemmy’s bass through the actual stack he used. Motörhead albums will be available at Vinyl Threat, the museum’s record store, and exclusive Motörhead merchandise will be available in the museum’s gift shop. To celebrate the opening, Three Star Punk Bar will host a special evening with Brian Slagel of Metal Blade Records. Head to: thepunkrockmuseum.com for all the info.
Metal Blade Records is celebrating their 45th Anniversary next year, and founder Brian Slagel has announced a brand-new podcast series, with Metal Blade Records’ 45th Anniversary Podcast set for a January 2027 launch. Brian Slagel says, “I’m super excited to host this new podcast celebrating 45 years of Metal Blade Records! Following my podcast 100 songs that define heavy metal, the concept is basically the same! Going to be fun to talk to everyone each episode!” Pantheon Media CEO, Christian Swain adds, “Brian Slagel didn’t just witness the rise of heavy music – he built the platform that launched it. Partnering with Brian on 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal showed us how passionate this community is for authentic, deep-dive storytelling. We’re thrilled to host the Metal Blade Records’ 45th Anniversary Podcast on Pantheon as Brian opens the vault on 25 landmark albums that reshaped the musical landscape. Nobody tells these stories better”. Find more via: https://www.metalblade.com/us/.
Stryper has just dropped a new single, with “Here In Your Heart” out now. Check out the music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDWdDeF3yzU. The band says, “This song is the perfect representation of who we are now as a band. We work hard to retain our classic sound, but also mix in some modern flairs here and there. The message is always the same: God is always there. No matter what. We may not be, but he is”. The track comes off the band’s upcoming Throne of Thorns album, out next Friday via Frontiers Music Srl. Keep up with the band via: https://linktr.ee/Stryper?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2WT2bWrqV_v0TCsFv37GAp6WjGXnkpu9NoFyztsybCh_LJ0oSaiVYiJnE_aem_7J5wOUR8yD3z1XFNPPH20g.
Havok has a new single out, with “The Ultimate Weapon”,which you can check out here: https://ffm.to/havok-theultimateweapon. Havok says, “”We’re excited to debut this new song right before our two headline tours begin. We’ll be playing ‘The Ultimate Weapon’ live and look forward to hearing crowds shout the choruses with us. Driving riffs, rock ‘n’ roll attitude, and anti-authoritarian lyrics. This is what heavy metal is all about. This is HAVOK”. Released via BLKIIBLK, the single kicks off a UK/European tour with Blood Red Throne, Xonor, and Eradikated, before Havok heads to the U.S. in October with Hellripper, Slackjaw, and Xoth. Find all the info at: http://havokband.com/.
Fraxures recently released Hexes, their new album via Cleopatra Records, and this week, you can check out the title track with a new music video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDP7bGcTYYM. The video is directed and edited by bassist Vinny Marvaso of Marvaso Media, featuring snippets from the upcoming film The Behemoth, through Cleopatra Venom. Find more via: https://cleorecs.com/search?q=fraxures+hexes.
Chart Editor: Munsey Ricci from Skateboard Marketing Ltd.
Editorial By Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez & Munsey Ricci
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