All posts by Metal Author

20Oct/26

Metal Contraband Tour Dates:

Metal Contraband Upcoming Metal Tour Dates Updated October 20th, 2026:


Alice Cooper US Tour Dates:

9/17 Louisville, KY/Louder Than Life*
9/19 West Springfield, MA/The Big E Fair*
9/20 Ottawa, ON/CityFolk Festival*
9/22 Niagara Falls, ON/OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
10/27 Clearwater, FL/Ruth Eckerd Hall
10/30 Richmond, VA/Altria Theater
10/31 Atlantic City, NJ/Tropicana Casino & Resort
11/1 Bethlehem, PA/Wind Creek Bethlehem
11/4 Hershey, PA/Hershey Theatre
11/6 Windsor, ON/Caesars Windsor – The Colosseum
11/7 Kalamazoo, MI/Wings Event Center
11/8 Waukegan, IL/Genesee Theatre
11/10 St. Louis, MO/Stifel Theatre
11/11 Park City, KS/Hartman Arena
11/14 Indio, CA/Fantasy Springs Casino
11/15 Prescott Valley, AZ/Findlay Toyota Center
11/17 San Diego, CA/Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
11/18 San Jose, CA/San Jose Civic
11/20 Wheatland, CA/Hard Rock Live at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
11/21 Reno, NV/Grand Theatre at Grand Sierra Resort & Casino

 

Arch Enemy & The Black Dahlia Murder W/Septicflesh, Crypta & Thrown Into Exile

10/5 Riverside, CA/Municipal Auditorium
10/6 Phoenix, AZ/Marquee
10/8 Salt Lake City, UT/Rockwell at The Complex
10/9 Denver, CO/Fillmore
10/11 Dallas, TX/Echo
10/12 Houston, TX/House of Blues
10/13 San Antonio, TX/Aztec Theatre
10/15 Orlando, FL/Beacham
10/16 Ft. Lauderdale, FL/Revolution
10/18 Tampa, FL/Jannus
10/20 Atlanta, GA/Masquerade (Heaven)
10/21 Charlotte, NC/Fillmore
10/22 Raleigh, NC/Ritz
10/24 New York, NY/Palladium Times Square
10/25 Silver Spring, MD/Fillmore Silver Spring
10/26 Philadelphia, PA/TLA
10/28 Worcester, MA/Palladium Worcester
10/30 Quebec City, QC/Videotron Centre Hall
10/31 Montreal, QC/Olympia
11/1 Toronto, ON/Danforth
11/3 Chicago, IL/Concord Music Hall
11/4 Detroit, MI/Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/5 Cleveland, OH/Agora
11/7 Minneapolis, MN/Fillmore
11/8 Winnipeg, MB/Burton Cummings Theatre
11/9 Saskatoon, SK/Coors Event Centre
11/11 Calgary, AB/MacEwan Hall
11/12 Edmonton, AB/Midway
11/14 Vancouver, BC/The Key
11/16 Seattle, WA/Showbox

*= Festival

Archspire “European Vacation Tour
w/ Crown Magnetar, The Zenith Passage, Analepsy

10/23 Köln, Germany/Essigfabrik
10/24 Nijmegen, Netherlands/Doornroosje
10/26 London, UK/Electric Ballroom
10/27 Manchester, UK/Academy 2
10/28 Glasgow, UK/Slay
10/29 Dublin, Ireland/Academy
10/30 Birmingham, UK/Academy 2
10/31 Bristol, UK/Electric Bristol
11/2 Antwerp, Belgium/Kavka Zappa
11/3 Paris, France/La Machine du Moulin Rouge
11/5 Madrid, Spain/Revi Live
11/6 Barcelona, Spain/Salamandra
11/7 Toulouse, France/Bascala
11/8 Aarau, Switzerland/Kiff
11/9 Milan, Italy/Legend Club
11/10 München, Germany/Backstage
11/11 Karlsruhe, Germany/Substage
11/12 Prague, Czechia/Meet Factory
11/13 Berlin, Germany/Columbia Theater
11/14 Jena, Germany/F-Haus
11/16 Hamburg, Germany/Gruenspan
11/17 Copenhagen, Denmark/Vega
11/18 Oslo, Norway/John Dee
11/19 Stockholm, Sweden/Kollektivet Livet
11/21 Helsinki, Finland/Ääniwalli

Dragonforce US Tour Dates:

11/13 San Diego, CA/The Observatory North Park
11/14 Anaheim, CA/House of Blues
11/15 Phoenix, AZ/The Van Buren
11/17 Dallas, TX/House of Blues
11/18 Houston, TX/House of Blues
11/20 Lake Buena Vista, FL/House of Blues
11/21 Tampa, FL/The Ritz Ybor
11/22 Atlanta, GA/The Masquerade (Heaven)
11/24 Charlotte, NC/The Fillmore Charlotte
11/25 Silver Spring, MD/The Fillmore Silver Spring
11/27 Worcester, MA/Palladium
11/28 Philadelphia, PA/The Fillmore Philadelphia
11/29 New York, NY/Palladium Times Square
12/01 Montreal, QC/MTELUS
12/02 Toronto, ON/HISTORY
12/04 Chicago, IL/The Riviera Theatre
12/06 Minneapolis, MN/The Fillmore Minneapolis
12/08 Denver, CO/Fillmore Auditorium
12/09 Salt Lake City, UT/The Depot
12/11 Sacramento, CA/Ace of Spades
12/12 Berkeley, CA/The UC Theatre
12/13 Los Angeles, CA/The Wiltern

Edge Of Paradise European Tour Dates:

11/24 Paris/La Machine du Moulin Rouge
11/25 Frankfurt/Batschkapp
11/27 Hamburg/Grosse Freiheit 36
11/28 Leipzig/Hellraiser
12/2 Vienna/Szene
12/5 Saarbrucken/Garage
12/8 Manchester/O2 Ritz Manchester
12/9 Bristol/Electric Bristol
12/10 London/Electric Brixton
12/12 Oberhausen/Turbinenhalle T2
12/13 Utrecht/TivoliVredenburg
12/15 Berlin/SO36
12/16 Hannover/Capitol
12/18 Stuttgart/LKA Longhorn
12/19 Munich/Backstage Werk
12/20 Nuremberg/Hirsch



GWAR: The “Gor Gor Must Die!” Tour

10/27 Charlottesville, VA/The Jefferson Theater *
10/28 Atlanta, GA/The Masquerade (Heaven) *
10/29 Jacksonville, FL/FIVE *
10/30–11/03 Miami, FL/The Headbangers Boat
11/04 Fort Lauderdale, FL/Revolution *
11/05 Orlando, FL/The Beacham *
11/06 Myrtle Beach, SC/House of Blues *
11/07 Winston-Salem, NC/The Ramkat *
11/08 Nashville, TN/Brooklyn Bowl *
11/09 Little Rock, AR/The Hall *
11/10 Dallas, TX/AM/FM *
11/12 Denver, CO/Ogden Theatre +
11/13 Salt Lake City, UT/Rockwell at The Complex +
11/14 Las Vegas, NV/Brooklyn Bowl +
11/15 Reno, NV/Cargo Concert Hall +
11/17 Tempe, AZ/The Marquee +
11/18 Anaheim, CA/House of Blues +
11/19 Berkeley, CA/The UC Theatre +
11/20 Chico, CA/Senator Theatre +
11/21 Bend, OR/Midtown Ballroom +
11/23 Seattle, WAShowbox SoDo +
11/24 Spokane, WA/Knitting Factory +
11/25 Vancouver, BC/Vogue Theatre +
11/27 Edmonton, AB/Midway Music Hall +
11/28 Calgary, AB/MacEwan Hall +
11/30 Winnipeg, MB/Burton Cummings Theatre +
12/02 Lincoln, NE/Bourbon Theatre +
12/03 Milwaukee, WI/The Rave *
12/04 Pontiac, MI/The Crofoot Ballroom *
12/05 Cleveland, OH/House of Blues *
12/06 McKees Rocks, PA/Roxian Theatre *
12/08 Washington, DC/9:30 Club *
12/09 Worcester, MA/The Palladium *
12/10 New York, NY/The Palladium Times Square *
12/11 Philadelphia, PA/The Fillmore Philadelphia *
12/12 Norfolk, VA/The NorVa *

Havok US Tour Dates W/ w/ Hellripper, Slackjaw & Xoth

10/21 Salt Lake City, UT/Metro Music Hall
10/22 Boise, ID/Shrine Social Club Ballroom
10/23 Seattle, WA/El Corazon
10/24 Portland, OR/Dante’s
10/26 Roseville, CA/Goldfield Trading Post
10/27 Berkeley, CA/Cornerstone Berkeley
10/28 Los Angeles, CA/The Regent Theater
10/29 Fresno, CA/Strummer’s
10/30 Las Vegas, NV/Backstage Bar & Billiards
10/31 Mesa, AZ/Nile Theater
11/2 Dallas, TX/AM/FM
11/3 Austin, TX/Come And Take It Live
11/4 Houston, TX/Warehouse Live Midtown
11/6 Atlanta, GA/Masquerade (Hell)
11/7 Nashville, TN/Basement East
11/8 Asheville, NC/Eulogy
11/9 Richmond, VA/Canal Club
11/11 Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Soundstage
11/12 Harrisburg, PA/Capital City Music Hall
11/13 Boston, MA/Brighton Music Hall
11/14 New York, NY/Racket
11/15 Lakewood, OH/Mercury Music Lounge
11/16 Detroit, MI/Catacombs at the Sanctuary
11/18 Chicago, IL/Reggies
11/19 Kansas City, MO/RecordBar
11/20 Denver, CO/Gothic Theatre

Insomnium W/ Amorphis & Hinayana US Tour Dates:

11/17 Boston, MA/Paradise Rock Club
11/18 Montreal, QC/Theatre Beanfield
11/19 Toronto, ON/The Concert Hall
11/20 Columbus, OH/The King of Clubs
11/21 Detroit, MI/Magic Stick
11/23 Chicago, IL/House of Blues
11/24 Minneapolis, MN/Varsity Theater
11/25 Lincoln, NE/Bourbon Theatre
11/27 Denver, CO/The Gothic Theatre
11/28 Salt Lake City, UT/Metro Music Hall
11/30 Vancouver, BC/Rickshaw Theatre
12/01 Portland, OR/Hawthorne Theatre
12/02 Seattle, WA/The Showbox Market
12/04 Berkeley, CA/The UC Theatre
12/05 Los Angeles, CA/The Regent Theater
12/06 Mesa, AZ/The Nile Theater
12/08 Austin, TX/Come And Take It Live
12/09 Dallas, TX/Granada Theater
12/11 Orlando, FL/The Abbey
12/12 Jacksonville, FL/The Albatross
12/13 Atlanta, GA/The Masquerade
12/15 Richmond, VA/The Canal Club
12/16 Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Soundstage
12/18 Reading, PA/Reverb
12/19 New York, NY/Irving Plaza

Iron Maiden, Run for Your Lives North American Tour 2027
W/Bullet For My Valentine & The Raven Age

4/14 Tacoma, WA/Tacoma Dome
4/16 Vancouver, BC/Rogers Arena
4/18 Portland, OR/Moda Center
4/20 Wheatland, CA/Toyota Amphitheatre
4/22 Chula Vista, CA/North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
4/24 San Bernardino, CA/Glen Helen Amphitheater
4/26 Phoenix, AZ/Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
4/28 Dallas, TX/Dos Equis Pavilion
5/1 Tampa, FL/Benchmark International Arena
5/2 West Palm Beach, FL/iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
5/5 Atlanta, GA/Lakewood Amphitheatre
5/7 Raleigh, NC/Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
5/9 Hartford, CT/The Meadows Music Theatre
5/11 Belmont Park, NY/UBS Arena
5/14 Columbus, OH/Sonic Temple *
5/16 Ocean City, MD/Boardwalk Rock *


KK’s Priest US Tour Dates:

9/10 El Cajon, CA/The Magnolia
9/11 Los Angeles, CA/The Wiltern
9/12 Riverside, CA/Fox Performing Arts Center
9/13 Phoenix, AZ/Celebrity Theater
9/14 Santa Fe, NM/Buffalo Thunder Resort & Casino
9/16 Austin, TX/Emos
9/17 Tulsa, OK/Tulsa Theater
9/18 Dallas, TX/House Of Blues
9/19 San Antonio, TX/Aztec Theater
9/20 Houston, TX/House Of Blues
9/22 Clearwater, FL/Ruth Eckard Hall
9/23 Daytona, FL/Peabody Auditorium
9/24 Jacksonville, FL/Florida Theater
9/25 Raleigh, NC/The Ritz
9/26 Jim Thorpe, PA/Penn’s Peak
9/27 Portland, ME/Aura
9/29 Boston, MA/House Of Blues
9/30 Hampton, NH/Hampton Beach Casino
10/1 Wallingford, CTToyota Oakdale Theatre
10/2 New York, NY/The Palladium
10/3 Carteret, NJ/Carteret Performing Arts Center
10/5 Montreal, QC/Mtelus
10/6 Ottawa, ON/Hard Rock Casino
10/7 Pickering, ON/Pickering Casino Resort
10/9 Des Plaines, IL/Des Plaines Theater
10/10 St Charles, IL/Arcada Theater
10/11 St Charles, IL/Arcada Theater
10/13 Glenside, PA/Keswick Theatre
10/14 Harrisburg, PA/Capitol City Music Hall
10/15 Cleveland, OH/Agora Theater
10/16 Milwaukee, WI/Pabst Theater
10/17 Green Bay, WI/EPIC Event Center
10/19 Winnipeg, MB/Burton Cummings Theatre
10/21 Edmonton, AB/Midway Music Hall
10/22 Calgary, AB/The Palace Theater
10/23 Coquitlam, BC/Great Canadian Casino Vancouver
10/25 Seattle, WA/Moore Theater
10/27 San Jose, CA/San Jose Civic
10/29 Rancho Mirage, CA/The Show @ Agua Caliente
10/30 Las Vegas, NV/House Of Blues
10/31 Anaheim, CA/The Grove

Lorna Shore Asia, Australia & New Zealand Tour Dates:

10/2 Shanghai/Modern Sky Lab
10/4 Taipei/Legacy Taipei
10/7 Tokyo/Toyosu PIT
10/8 Tokyo/Toyosu PIT
10/11 Osaka/Namba Hatch
10/13 Nagoya/Diamond Hall
10/16 Melbourne/John Cain Arena
10/17 Adelaide/Adelaide Entertainment Center
10/19 Perth/Metro City
10/21 Sydney/The Hordern Pavilion
10/23 Brisbane/Riverstage
10/26 Wellington/Shed 6
10/28 Auckland/Powerstation
10/29 Auckland/Powerstation

Mastondon US Tour Dates:

9/16 Orlando, FL/Hard Rock
9/18 Asheville, NC/Asheville Yards
9/19 Pittsburgh, PA/Stage AE
9/20 Louisville, KY/Louder than Life
9/22 Philadelphia, PA/Franklin Music Hall
9/23 Boston, MA/House of Blues
9/24 Brooklyn, NY/Brooklyn Paramount
9/25 Washington, DC/Anthem
9/27 Montreal, QC/MTelus
9/28 Toronto, ON/Rebel
9/29 Buffalo, NY/Buffalo Riverworks
10/1 Detroit, MI/Fillmore
10/2 Chicago, IL/The Riviera
10/3 Minneapolis, MN/Palace
10/6 Salt Lake City, UT/The Complex
10/7 Boise, ID/Revolution
10/9 Oakland, CA/The Fox
10/10 Los Angeles, CA/Hollywood Palladium
10/11 San Diego, CA/The Sound
10/14 Denver, CO/Fillmore
10/16 Des Moines, IA/Val Air Ballroom
10/17 St. Louis, MO/The Pageant
10/18 Memphis, TN/Satellite Music Hall
10/20 Cleveland, OH/Agora
10/21 Greensboro, NC/Piedmont Hall
10/22 Atlanta, GA/The Eastern
10/24 Dallas, TX/Sick New World DALLAS

Miss May I US Tour Dates With Born of Osiris Downseting, & Convictions

11/06 Pontiac, MI/The Crofoot
11/07 Pittsburgh, PA/Preserving
11/08 Asbury Park, NJ/House of Independents
11/10 Norwalk, CT/District Music Hall
11/11 Reading, PA/Reverb
11/13 Greensboro, NC/Hangar 1819
11/15 Nashville, TN/Eastside Bowl
11/16 Greenville, SC/The Radio Room
11/18 Charlotte, NC/The Underground
11/19 Charleston, SC/Music Farm
11/20 Tampa, FL/Orpheum
11/21 West Palm Beach, FL/The Banyan Live
11/22 Jacksonville, FL/The Albatross
11/24 Destin, FL/Club LA
11/25 New Orleans, LA/House of Blues
11/27 Houston, TX/Warehouse Live Midtown
11/28 Austin, TX/Come and Take It Live
11/29 Deep Ellum, TX/Puzzles
11/30 Odessa, TX/Ector Theater
12/02 Albuquerque, NM/Sunshine Theater
12/03 Mesa, AZ/Nile Theater
12/04 Pomona, CA/The Glass House
12/05 Fresno, CA/Fulton 55
12/06 Roseville, CA/Goldfield Trading Post
12/08 Portland, OR/Hawthorne Theater
12/09 Seattle, WA/The Crocodile
12/11 Boise, ID/Shrine Social Club
12/12 Salt Lake City, UT/The Metro Music Hall
12/13 Denver, CO/Summit
12/15 Columbia, MO/The Blue Note
12/17 Minneapolis, MN/Cabooze
12/18 West Chicago, IL/WC Social Club
12/19 Dayton, OH/Relentless Fest

Nile & Coroner 2027 US Tour Dates:

3/2 Greenville, SC/Radio Room
3/3 Nashville, TN/The Basement East
3/5 Dallas, TX/AM/FM
3/6 Corpus Christi, TX/House of Rock
3/7 Austin, TX/Come And Take It Live
3/9 Albuquerque, NM/Sunshine Theater
3/10 Mesa, AZ/Nile Theater
3/12 Boise, ID/Shrine Social Club
3/13 Spokane, WA/Knitting Factory
3/14 Seattle, WA/El Corazon
3/15 Portland, OR/Hawthorne Theater
3/17 Roseville, CA/Goldfield Roseville
3/18 San Francisco, CA/Great American Music Hall
3/19 Santa Ana, CA/Observatory
3/20 Los Angeles, CA/The Whisky
3/21 San Diego, CA/House of Blues
3/23 Denver, CO/Oriental Theater
3/25 Lincoln, NE/Bourbon Theater
3/26 Des Moines, IA/Wooly’s
3/27 Milwaukee, WI/The Rave
3/28 Joliet, IL/The Forge
3/30 Flint, MI/Machine Shop
3/31 Lakewood, OH/Mercury
4/2 Sayreville, NJ/Starland Ballroom
4/3 New York, NY/Gramercy Theatre
4/4 Worcester, MA/The Palladium Upstairs
4/6 Lititz, PA/Mickey’s Black Box
4/7 Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Soundstage
4/9 Pittsburgh, PA/Preserving Underground
4/10 Columbus, OH/The Kings of Clubs
4/11 Leesburg, VA/Tally Ho Theater

Orgy European Tour Dates:

10/27 The Garage/Glasgow, Scotland
10/28 Digital/Newcastle, UK
10/29 Nighttrain/Bradford, UK
10/30 O2 Academy/Birmingham, UK
10/31 Alexandra Palace/London, UK
11/3 Phoenix/Exeter, UK
11/4 The 1865/Southampton, UK Headline show
11/5 Waterfront/Norwich UK Headline show
11/6 Rock City/Nottingham, UK
11/7 The Ritz/Manchester, UK

Rahway US Tour Dates

11/13 The Dive Bar/Las Vegas, NV
11/14 Whisky A Go Go/Los Angeles, CA


Trivium, In Flames, Orbit Culture, Fit For An Autopsy & Frozen Soul

11/5 St. Petersburg, FL/Jannus Live
11/6 Atlanta, GA/The Eastern
11/7 Louisville, KY/Old Forester’s Paristown Hall
11/8 Grand Rapids, MI/GLC Live at 20 Monroe
11/10 Silver Spring, MD/The Fillmore
11/11 New Haven, CT/College Street Music Hall
11/12 New York, NY/Terminal 5
11/14 Philadelphia, PA/Franklin Music Hall
11/15 Worcester, MA/The Palladium
11/17 Laval, QC/Place Bell
11/18 Toronto, ON/GCT Theatre
11/20 Royal Oak, MI/Royal Oak Music Theatre
11/21 Chicago, IL/Aragon Ballroom
11/22 Madison, WI/The Sylvee
11/24 Nashville, TN/The Pinnacle
11/25 Chesterfield, MO/The Factory at The District
11/27 San Antonio, TX/Boeing Center at Tech Port
11/28 Houston, TX/Bayou Music Center
11/29 Dallas, TX/South Side Ballroom
12/2 Phoenix, AZ/Arizona Financial Theatre
12/3 Las Vegas, NV/The Pearl
12/4 Inglewood, CA/YouTube Theater
12/5 San Francisco, CA/The Masonic
12/7 Penticton, BC/Penticton Trade & Convention Centre
12/8 Vancouver, BC/Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre
12/9 Seattle, WA/Paramount Theatre
12/11 Reno, NV/Grand Sierra Resort — Grand Theatre
12/13 Denver, CO/Mission Ballroom
12/15 Tulsa, OK/Tulsa Theatre
12/16 Omaha, NE/Steelhouse
12/18 Pittsburgh, PA/Citizen’s Live at The Wylie
12/19 Charlotte, NC/The Fillmore

 

 

20Oct/26

Metal Contraband Up-Coming Metal Radio Add Dates:

Upcoming Metal Radio Add Dates For 2026

Updated October 20th, 2026
___________________________________________________

Adding On October 26th & 27th:
Blood of the Earth – Beneath A Sky That Breaks EP (Eye On Lion)
Colepitz – The Time Between  (High River Records)
Living Dead Girl – Closer (Radio Edit) (NIN Cover)  (Buried Alive)
Motley Crue – Too Fast For Love (Definitive Deluxe Limited Edition)  (BMG)
Stellvris – Cancel Culture (Single)  (Independent)
Windwaker – Smile, You’re On Camera  (Fearless Records)
Wolves In The Throne Room – Estuary  (Relapse Records)
XX – Kill This…  (Pavement Entertainment)

Adding On November 2nd & 3rd:
Black Royal – Abyssian  (M-Theory Audio)
Blind Channel – Pain Stream  (Century Media Records)
Distant – Into Despair  (Century Media Records)
Hatebreed – Fatal Paradox  (BlkIIBlk)
Konvent – Firesky  (Napalm Records)
Motorhead – Orgasmatron (40th Anniversary Edition)  (BMG)
Prong – Prong (Napalm Records)
Silvertomb – The Interpretation of Nightmares  (Steamhammer)
Skid Row – 40 Seasons: The Best of Skid Row (2026 Remaster)  (BMG)

Adding On November 9th & 10th:
Cro-Mags – The Age Of Quarrel – 40 Years Of Quarrel  (BlkIIBlk)
Drift Mothership – Stranger  (Spaceplane)
Hanoi Rocks – The Complete Collection 1981-1984  (BMG)
Rebreather – Anxious Attachments  (Aqualamb)
Walls Of Jericho – Humanity  (Napalm Records)
Yngwie Malmsteen – Hell Or High Water  (Music Theories)

Adding On November 16 & 17:
Angelus Apadrida – The Reckoning EP  (Napalm Records)
Brian Tarquin & Heavy Friends – Tyranny of Tone  (BHP Music)
Molly Hatchet – Lost Horizon  (Steamhammer)
Sound & Shape – EP  (Independent)

Adding On December 7th & 8th:
Doro – Wild At Heart  (Rare Diamonds)

12Oct/25

Metal Contraband News

Metal Contraband News For October 13th, 2026:

This week in Metal Contraband:

Skateboard Marketing recently celebrated the 35th Anniversary with a red carpet event, taking place at The Meadows in Brooklyn on October 9th. Hosted by Don Jamieson, the celebration featured Alex Skolnick, Bobby Blitz, Chris Caffery, Tommy Victor, Danny Schuler, Veronica Belino, Mike Orlando, Jeff Cummings, Will Winton, Puch, Sal Locco, and Ron Lipnicki as part of the All Star Jam Band. Skateboard Marketing and Metal Contraband’s very own Munsey Ricci said of the event, “I am so happy this all came together for our 35th anniversary. It’s been five years since the last company showcase and we’re all looking forward to a great night with some classic songs and laughs with Don. Having everybody in the room together will be nothing short of brilliant”. An Anniversary Party special edition of the editorial will make an appearance right here on Metal Contraband next week. 

Ozzy & Black Sabbath: Back To The Beginning will have a purple carpet world premiere on Wednesday, October 14th at The Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. Hosted by the Osbourne Family, 50% of each ticket sold will be donated to Los Angeles homeless charities. The film will also have a worldwide theatrical release on October 28th. Watch the official trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYgfWls_DNo&feature=youtu.be and find all the info at: https://www.backtothebeginning.com/. 

Judas Priest has announced the retirement of Ian Hill with the following statement: “It is with heavy hearts that we are sending out this personal message from our Ian….he has been the backbone of Judas Priest for so long and will be greatly missed by us all….we wish him well in his retirement and welcome Davey into the Priest Family…”. The personal message from Ian is as follows: “Hello everyone, for a long time now, when asked “how long can you continue” –  I’ve always answered  “until my performances suffer”…..I hate to say it, but that time has come. For some years now, I’ve been struggling with the onset of the evil arthritis,  which is now in an advanced state in my left shoulder and right hand, established in my right shoulder, and present in both knees. I’ve been fighting this with painkilling pills, gels, and recently with cortisone injections in my shoulder and hand. Although, I was able to put bass lines to the songs for the new album, there were questions whether I’d be able to complete the recent European tour without incident, so we asked our good friend Davey Rimmer from Uriah Heep, and of course Elegant Weapons, to learn the set list to stand in for me if I had to pull out, which I did for the London show. This was due to me snapping a tendon in my left shoulder (as if I didn’t have enough problems with it!) just before the encores during the Brussels show two days before. This led to me not being able to lift my arm enough to reach the neck of my bass. So we had to call Davey to stand in for me, who put in an incredible performance at such short notice! I’ve seen specialists, who suggest  I might get away without surgery, but even if I don’t there’s no guarantee either way that I’ll have enough strength in my shoulder/arm to complete a whole stage show. In view of all this, and the fact that I’ve neglected my family life for fifty seven years, I’ve decided to retire and spend the remaining years making up for it, and doing things with them before it involves one of ‘em pushing me around in a wheelchair. The obvious choice for my replacement is Davey.  He’s a great bassist, and a genuinely nice bloke who’ll fit the job perfectly, and I wish him the very best of luck!  There’s not a day goes by where I don’t give thanks for the incredible journey I’ve lived through, and it just remains for me to say that I love you all, and thank you for the life you’ve let me live. IAN HILL”. 

Mental Cruelty is just about to release Echoes of a Forlorn Land, set for October 23rd via Century Media Records. This week, you can check out “Ride of the Valkyries”, a cinematic music video created with Grupa13: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RyTI4-f7KFc. Vocalist Lukas Nicolai says of the track, “‘Ride of the Valkyries’ is the grand finale ahead of the release of our new LP ‘Echoes of a Forlorn Land.’ It closes the album (alongside intro ‘Dämmerbruch’) with heroic atmosphere, bombastic orchestration and uplifting melodies to tell the tale of Norse mythology’s angelic deliverers of the dead. Symphonic death metal’s epic riffing serves as the perfect soundtrack to fallen warriors’ journey to Valhalla, as well as the battlefield below, where the likes of Children of Bodom, Wintersun and Ensiferum clash with each other and influences like black metal and deathcore. We matched that with the biggest, most expensive and over-the-top production we’ve ever done, both musically and visually. We teamed up with production company Grupa13 (Behemoth, Amon Amarth) to create our own blockbuster, complete with a captivating intro and epic emotional ending. Throughout are stunning shots centered around a historically-accurate Norse village and re-enactors who focus on the time period to keep it true. This is basically our own little Viking movie!” Keep up with the band via: https://mentalcrueltyofficial.com/. 

Fit For A King has just announced the deluxe edition of 2025’s Lonely God, set for an October 30th release via Solid State Records. Check out the new visualizer video for “Dirt” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoV_FeYdYk0. Frontman Ryan Kirby says, “‘Dirt’ is about struggling to take accept fault for any of your failures. And creating stories of how others lead to your downfall are speeding up the inevitable destruction of your hopes and dreams”. Find more at: https://fitforakingband.com/. 

Chart Editor: Munsey Ricci from Skateboard Marketing Ltd.

Editorial By Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez & Munsey Ricci

Follow Us on our Social News Feeds:

Official Home Page:
https://metalcontraband.com

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/metalcontraband/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/Metalcontraband

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/metalcontraband/

08Sep/25

Metal Q&A:

Metal Contraband’s Chelsea spoke with Anthony Paladino of IDK on everything from their latest release, “Nark 5”, to their lineup changes over time, biggest inspirations in Hardcore, Punk, and Metal, and more. Check it out below: 

Photo via IDK Official Website

Chelsea joined here on the phone by Anthony Paladino from IDK. How are you doing today? 

I’m good, how are you doing? 

Great, thanks so much for joining me. Your most recent news with IDK is the “Nark 5” single out on Scorpion Records now, which is actually your first new music in 15 years. Talk about the return of some new music from IDK and what made now the best time for this track?

Well, thanks for having me on today. So I guess around 2008 was our last release that we did. Between then and now we pretty much just gigged locally, we weren’t even thinking of writing any new music. We did a gig in 2019, and then the pandemic hit, and honestly, how “Nark 5” came about was out of nowhere. I hadn’t talked to my drummer in a while; this was probably around 2023, and we hadn’t played since 2019. I hadn’t heard from him in a while, and out of nowhere he sends me this music that he and our guitar player wrote. And he basically said, “Hey, we just wrote this. It sounds like it should be an IDK song. What do you think?” And I listened to it, and I thought it should be, too. It sounded like it was right in line with what we do. And I asked him, “All right, well, you wanna make that?” I could write some lyrics or something. And that’s really how “Nark 5” came about. It was just a couple of years of being completely inactive and not even in touch with the guys. And then my drummer just sends me this recording and we built it from there. You know, we actually added some parts, arranged the song a little differently, and that’s pretty much it. And then we recorded it; we decided to record one of our older songs that’s on our old Earache EP, and we decided to do a Sabbath cover, too. So that’s pretty much how it came about.It was just my drummer sending me a recording that he did. 

Very cool, just a little spark of an idea, and then you guys went ahead and did it, and kind of reformed the band, which is awesome. 

That’s it exactly. 

And yes, you mentioned the Sabbath cover, you covered “Symptom of the Universe,” so what made you choose that Sabbath song specifically, and how did you put your own spin on it? 

In the past, we’ve covered Sabbath songs, we’ve covered the real popular ones like “Iron Man” and “Paranoid”, and then we wanted to put it down on tape and get a Sabbath song out there for everybody to hear us do. And we just thought “Symptom of the Universe” was the most rockin’, you know, it’s something that we were always messing around with in practice over the years, and we just thought it was most appropriate for us to do, and we thought we did it well. We basically did it exactly how Sabbath does it until the end outro part, where they break it down and they’re playing all those little intricate guitar parts quietly, and Ozzy’s singing over it, so what we did with that part was we went the opposite way with it. We turned it into an IDK kind of like, fast hardcore-ish part into a breakdown, and I basically sing the same lyrics as Ozzy during that part, and that’s really it. I mean, that’s it in a nutshell.

Also talk to us about the origins of IDK compared to the current lineup. You mentioned that it was your drummer that you hadn’t spoken to for a while, and then also the guitarist as well, so is it entirely returning original members? Did you assemble anyone new for this lineup right now?

It’s not, it’s all members that we’ve had in the past. I mean, we started way back in 1991 when I was in high school. So, compared to then and now, we’ve had numerous lineup changes. Myself and Tom, our bass player, being the ones that have been through…I’ve been there the whole time. Tom’s been there 99% of the time. He joined the band in the early 90s. So right now, the current lineup is actually myself, Tom, Adrian Spoleti, who’s our guitar player/hype guy. So he actually started the band with me back in high school, and then he left for a long time, and now he’s back. Long stories, I can’t get into that now, but it’s all good, and Fabio, our drummer, who joined the band back in 2007, Mike, same thing, he joined the band back in 2007, and we’ve re-recruited another older guitar player that played with us in the early 2000s a couple months ago, Scott Dorey. So realistically, IDK is a six-member band right now, because Adrian sometimes won’t play guitar, and Scott’ll jump on the guitar. And Adrian will pretty much just sing with me and, like I said, act like a hype man, but that’s pretty much the story with the lineup right now. 

Solid, and that’s great; it’s like a return of various lineups over the years, which is cool, and it sounds like a little bit of rotating flexibility, which is kind of what you need in a band nowadays, for sure. You guys are very heavily rooted, obviously, in the hardcore like you mentioned, definitely some punk as well, but there’s some metal connections as well, with having the Sabbath covers part of your history as well. So what bands and genres do you feel like you connect with that really inspire you the most?

Me, personally? I mean, I’m in the middle of it all. My favorite bands of all time are The Ramones, Iron Maiden, Fugazi, Sick of It All, Leeway, then I’m into all the late ’80s, ’90s thrash, you know, Metallica, Anthrax, you know, punk, going back, again, the Ramones, the Misfits…all my influence in my songwriting basically comes from a connection with all of that that I just mentioned, and more. And most of the guys are into pretty much the same stuff, pretty open-minded, so that’s pretty much it; those are the influences, I mean, you know, we get the fast hardcore-ish parts, I feel like, from New York hardcore that we’ve always been big on, and my singing style is kind of different than your typical hardcore band. I sing, I shout a little bit, obviously, but I sing more melodic, and we incorporate New York-style breakdown-type parts, although they’re all in bright chord progressions, so they don’t sound as dark, if that makes sense. But that’s it, pretty much. 

That’s great. I mean, yeah, having the kind of well-rounded sound helps you to keep those hardcore roots, but also cover songs like Sabbath songs, so you get a little bit of everything in there, which is great. And you mentioned Sick of It All, did you have some shows with them at some point? 

We did some local Jersey shows way back in the day with Sick of It All in the ’90s, but that’s it. I mean, I’ve always been a huge…I mean, Sick of It All was absolutely my favorite, and is my favorite hardcore band, and they were my first introduction to New York hardcore. I listened to Agnostic Front, but I went to go see my first New York hardcore show back in 1991 at the Ritz, and that was where I saw Sick of It All, and I was blown away. I was there for Agnostic Front, and they were awesome, but Sick of It All introduced me to what I think hardcore really is, and then we got the opportunity to play with them. I never actually met the guys, even at the gigs that we played, but just being on the same bill was, like, mind-blowing, and they’re a huge influence on us. 

Still, I mean, you shared a stage with them, so that counts, so that’s awesome. And outside of IDK, you’ve also been the frontman of the band Rip Face Invasion. Can you talk about that one, and what do you feel is kind of similar or different from IDK with that band? 

Rip Face actually came about from some songs that I was writing for IDK back in, what was it, 2012, maybe? And I was writing vocal styles that were different than IDK. You know, I was shouting more, I was using more of the barking kind of hardcore influence in my approach to the vocals. And I talked it over with our bass player, who’s the IDK bass player, and I said, “Why don’t we make this something else?” And that’s where Rip Face Invasion came from, so it was basically some IDK stuff that we just pretty much twisted around and turned into something a little different. If you listen to it, my vocal approach is very different. So at that time, that’s what we were into doing, so I recruited a couple other friends, and we did Rip Face Invasion for a couple of years, released a couple of records on smaller independent labels, and that’s how Rip Face Invasion basically came about. It was from IDK writings that just developed, so we created something different out of it. 

Sometimes you’ve got to expand the horizon a little bit, try something a little different, but now you’ve returned back to your IDK roots, so that’s awesome as well. And IDK, you mentioned Earache Records, and you guys used to be part of that label, but now I believe the most recent track is on Scorpion Records. Can you talk about that new label? 

Yeah, so Scorpion is run by Scott Earth of the band Silence = Death. It’s a label that he started many years ago that Rip Face Invasion was actually on. It’s a little indie label out of New Jersey, and once IDK actually started getting our song together, you know, the “Nark 5” and all that newer recording stuff. I wasn’t running out to shop at the labels, because we’ve been pretty inactive, you know, for a while. So I hit up Scott, and I liked working with him on the Rip Face Invasion stuff, so I hit him up, and I sent him the track. I said, “You want to do this? You want to release this? We’re kind of quietly coming out of the woodwork again, you know?” And he heard it, and he said, “Yeah, sure.” He’s like, “This is great.” So that’s basically how that came about, just friendly connections, and again, I like what Scorpion did with Rip Face Invasion, and that’s why we went with them again. 

Awesome, that’s great. Now, it sounds like there’s a lot of great stuff going on, new tracks, new ideas, new label, all that kind of stuff, but do you have any specific plans for more new music right now, or we’re just kind of hanging out with the singles, seeing what happens? 

Well, we’re hanging out with the single now and trying to get that wherever we can get it. But at the same time, we actually are writing. So our main thing now is to actually finish up another EP, maybe a three or four-songer, and either get it out by the end of this year or the beginning of next year. So, yeah, we are concentrating more on the studio stuff. 

Awesome. Any touring or live shows on the horizon? Or we’re definitely focusing in on studio?

Mostly studio right now, we all need to stay close to the home base because of our family lives. But we are doing gigs on the East Coast. Right now we have one booked over at Dingbatz in Clifton with the mighty D.R.I, so we’ve got that one gig coming up, and then, no touring, but you know, we’re available to play anywhere on the East Coast, so we’ll probably be doing something else in the beginning of next year, depending on the schedules. 

Nice. Well, it sounds like you’ve got a lot of great stuff going on for IDK, and thank you for sharing some of that, with the origins, as well as what you’re up to now, and what you have coming up, so I wish you the best of luck with everything. Thank you so much for your time, and keep on having fun making new IDK music. 

Awesome. Thanks for having me.