Metal Contraband News For January 27th, 2026:
This week in Metal Contraband:
Another year, another NAMM! This week is our regular weekly editorial, but we’ll have plenty of photos and videos from NAMM Week, including the Metal Hall of Fame Gala’s Sunset Strip Blowout Bash, coming up next time.
Megadeth’s final studio album was just released this week via Dave Mustaine’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label. Check out the final single, “Puppet Parade”, here: https://ffm.to/megadeth-puppetparade. Dave Mustaine says, “‘Puppet Parade’ is about somebody’s mundane life and how they go through life with everyday being the same as the day before. It is about a person who has a dead-end job, a dead-end relationship, a dead-end life. Many of us are going through this monotony, even right now. I wanted to share ‘Puppet Parade’ to try and illustrate how we often show people what we want them to see, instead of how we really feel.” Megadeth is kicking off their farewell tour in North America starting on February 15th – keep an eye out for updates via: https://www.megadeth.com/.
Biohazard has just announced a spring North American tour, joining Exodus, Sepultura, and Tribal Gaze on the road across the U.S. and Canada. Vocalist/Guitarist Billy Graziadei says, “Man, hitting the road with Sepultura and Exodus alongside my brothers in BIOHAZARD is gonna be pure chaos and adrenaline. Thrashin’ stages, crushin’ crowds, and livin’ the metal dream we’ve all bled for. Can’t wait to play the new songs from ‘Divided We Fall’ and unleash this beast”. For all the dates and details, head to: https://www.facebook.com/BiohazardDFL/.
Corrosion of Conformity is heading out on a North American headlining tour this spring, as they prepare to release their new double album set for later this year via Nuclear Blast Records. The tour kicks off on April 7th in Atlanta, GA, and wraps up on May 16th in New Orleans, LA, with support from Whores and Crobot. Keep up with the band via: https://coc.com/.
David Ellefson is getting ready for a European tour this spring, playing the Megadeth album Countdown to Extinction in full as part of the Bass Warrior Tour with Andy Martongelli. David Ellefson says, “Bass Warrior has become an annual celebration with my fans across Europe. This year I’m really excited to be performing the Countdown to Extinction album in its entirety on the tour. It’s always been one of my favorite albums in my discography and I’m looking forward to celebrating those songs with my fans on the tour in March”. Find more info via: www.basswarriortour.com.
Chained Saint recently teamed up with Affliction for a merch collab, making an appearance at the Affliction Sound Stage on January 23rd with special guests Bastardane. You can check out the new merch via the Affliction online shop here: https://www.afflictionclothing.com/. Check out Chained Saint’s latest single here: https://youtu.be/Y_VgXpG0OZc?si=4HAje-11RDg17O_D and find more on the band via: https://www.chainedsaint.com/.
Crystal Lake has just released their seventh studio album, The Weight of Sound, via Century Media Records, including 5 tracks with guest artists David Simonich, Jesse Leach, Myke Terry, Taylor Barber, and Karl Schubach. This week, you can check out the latest single, “Everblack (feat. David Simonich)”, here: https://youtu.be/CgKv1hZrsOA?si=DAvnxzLZGhJX3K8D. Founding guitarist YD says of the release, “This record is a crossover masterpiece, infused with the years of experience and the attitude we’ve forged together. It’s a convergence of diverse styles that defines the present-day Crystal Lake. We invite you to immerse yourselves in our ever-evolving world”. Follow the band via: https://music.apple.com/cy/artist/crystal-lake/1186055175.
Gunshine is preparing to release Grand Rising, their new full-length set for July 24th vnclm_ / Create Music Group. This week, you can check out the track “Goth Girl” here: https://gunshine.komi.io/. Guitarist Austin Ingerman says of the single, “It started with several vocal melodies and a riff I had, then Jordan had a lyrical concept about a goth girl. We then collaborated with Brian Howes, and he loved it and we finished the rest of the song in Vancouver, Canada with him. It was the first time we finished writing something on the spot just before tracking it, but that spontaneity brought out some magic. We recorded the basic tracks at The Armoury (where AC/DC’s Razor’s Edge was recorded, Bon Jovi‘s Slippery When Wet, etc), and finished all the rest at his home studio (built by Mutt Lange’s studio builder) on Vancouver Island. I came up with the breakdown on the spot while tracking at The Armoury. It was a cool unexpected left turn that shouldn’t work but does”. Follow the band via: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/3792339-gunshine?came_from=267.
Chart Editor: Munsey Ricci from Skateboard Marketing Ltd.
Editorial By Chelsea Nelson-Fernandez & Munsey Ricci
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