That's Not Metal

Sam and Perran sit down to talk about Knocked Loose's recent massive headline tour in the UK bringing Basement, Harms Way, & Pest Control into massive Academy venues, as well as Powerwolf announcing a UK arena and Download booking the Vengaboys, and a mega end of month release round-up.Releases:Ophicvs - Steel BeastCradle of Filth - The Screaming of the ValkyriesBloodywood - Nu DelhiLordi - Limited DeaditionSecret Cutter - ///Stormo - Tagli/TaleeUrsa - Call of the InfiniteNoisepicker - The Earth Will Swallow the SunGates to Hell - Death Comes to AllCorpus Offal - Corpus OffalRancid Cadaver - Mortality DeniedRothadás - Töviskert… a kísértés örök érzete… lidércharangIron Form - Cut From Cold Bloodanvilchandelier - anvilchandelierheavenscoldhands - heavenscoldhandsDeafheaven - Lonely People With PowerUnderoath - The Place After This OneMemphis May Fire - ShapeshifterArch Enemy - Blood DynastyAlien Weaponry - Te RāThe Darkness - Dreams On ToastBackxwash - Only Dust RemainsJivebomb - EtherealDoomsday - Never Known PeaceThe Warriors - Burn Yourself AliveForlorn - AetherSavage Master - Dark & DangerousLady Beast - The Inner AlchemistSeven Sisters - Shadow of a Fallen Star Pt.2Cult of Fire - The One, Who is Made of SmokeTeitanblood - From the Visceral AbyssLucifer’s Child - The IlluminantUrn - Demon SteelAmenra - De Toorn / With Fang and ClawWallows - MoreSatsuma - this is my outside voiceSilent Planet / Invent Animate - Bloom In Heaven

In our new reviews show we stop to take stock of the state of some of our most popular heavy bands with Architects, Spiritbox, & A Day to Remember, as well as Whitechapel, Spiritworld, Warbringer, Imperial Triumphant, & Rwake. More hardcore bands imploding over idiocy too.Architects 27:10Spiritbox 1:05:56A Day to Remember 1:30:17Whitechapel 1:46:14Spiritworld 2:08:37Warbringer 2:25:29Imperial Triumphant 2:39:08Rwake 3:03:49

Napalm Death's 2025 edition of the Campaign for Musical Destruction (Bollocks) rolls around, Tool are being sued by their fans over setlist controversy, and we give our take on the ground-shaking moment when a member of Mastodon departs the band.Releases:Coheed and Cambria - Vaxis - Act III: The Father of Make BelieveSteven Wilson - The Overviewclipping. - Dead Channel SkyWarbringer - Wrath and RuinNite - Cult of the Serpent SunRwake - The Return of MagicThe Body / Intensive Care - Was I Good Enough?Wombbath - Beyond the AbyssWarhammer - Total ManiacRed Fang - Deep CutsEarth Crisis / Integrity Split

We really cover ground on this one: prog goes pop on Rush's Power Windows, 2010s Britrock goes horribly wrong when The Blackout Start the Party, American Football reinvent emo on LP1, and black metal's most comforting album in Agalloch's The Mantle.This episode was originally published February 2024 on patreon.com/thatsnotmetal.

Ghost unveil all things Skeletá, Slayer add yet another mega-show onto the UK summer, and Bobby Liebling is being seen by more people than should ever see Bobby Liebling.Releases:Architects - The Sky, The Earth & All BetweenOversize - Vital SignsCloakroom - Last Leg of the Human TableAvantasia - Here Be DragonsDirkschneider - Balls to the Wall ReloadedStress Test - Stress TestHavukruunu - TavastlandGrima - NightsideEffluence - Pianistic DismembermentSleep Paralysis - Sleep ParalysisGrave Infestation - Carnage GathersSepulchral Voice - Crimson Moon EvocationsRitual Ascension - ProfanationScimitar - Scimitarium IHail Conjurer - Order of DisgraceTubal Cain - Slime AbyssSpiritbox - Tsunami SeaWhitechapel - Hymns In DissonanceThe Wildhearts - Satanic Rites of The WildheartsRaging Speedhorn - Night WolfJethro Tull - Curious RuminantDestruction - Birth of MaliceGuiltless - Teeth to SkyIngrown - IdahoStaticlone - Better Living Through Static VisionsThis Gift is a Curse - HeirDawn of Ouroboros - BioluminescenceCryptosis - Celestial DeathWhipstriker - Cry of ExtinctionReconciler - Three SongsRootbrain - Mother TombSunami/Pain of Truth - Coast to Coast SplitDeath Pulsation - Demo

We close out February with reviews of some of our boldest and sloppiest with Killswitch Engage, Bleeding Through, Winona Fighter, Pissgrave, Vacuous, & Gràb, Green Lung & Unto Others' recent Heathen Neverland trip across Europe, and yes, Sam finally reviews a Dream Theater album.Killswitch Engage 40:37Bleeding Through 1:06:01Dream Theater 1:31:51Winona Fighter 1:56:08Pissgrave 2:10:38Vacuous 2:31:42Gràb 2:43:22

There's reports from High Vis and Tribulation both hitting headline tours around the UK, A Day to Remember bring news of their surprise album and its promised big ole volumes, and Parkway Drive stake a claim on the Sydney Opera House.Releases:Killswitch Engage - This ConsequenceSilverstein - AntibloomAnxious - BambiTo Obey a Tyrant - Frigore InferniWren - Black Rain FallsHirax - Faster Than DeathMorax - The AmuletPissgrave - Malignant WorthlessnessGràb - KremessAbduction - ExistentialismusGod Complex - He Watches In SilenceSpy - Seen Enough

letlive. finally break the seal on their UK return dates, Death Grips seem to disband again, and there's questions on the misconceptions that surround some of rock's most underrated, misunderstood bands.Releases:Bleeding Through - NineLacuna Coil - Sleepless EmpireLove is Noise - To live in a different wayWinona Fighter - My Apologies to the ChefThe Nightmares - Fire In HeavenHangman’s Chair - SaddictionPothamus - AburMantar - Post Apocalyptic DepressionSavage Lands - Army of the TreesFell Omen - Invaded by a Dark SpiritChurch Tongue - You’ll Know It Was MeFinal Resting Place - Bound by AfflictionLacerated - Lacerated

A bumper edition of Hyperblasts sees Trivium & Bullet for My Valentine embark on the Poisoned Ascendancy tour, Cattle Decapitation & Shadow of Intent also co-headline, Gojira win a Grammy, Courtney LaPlante wins the Grammys, and oh yeah Black Sabbath?! Lot to cover in this one.Releases:Dream Theater - ParasomniaJinjer - DuelMarko Hietala - Roses from the DeepMajestica - Power TrainObscura - A SonicationPhrenelith - Ashen Womb16 - Guides for the MisguidedMorast - FentanylSaor - Amidst the RuinsEreb Altor - HälsingemörkerUnreqvited - A Pathway to the Moon

Some of 2025's first heavy hitting singles arrive all at once from Deafheaven, Behemoth, Poison the Well, & also Bring Me the Horizon cover Wonderwall for some reason.Releases:Dax Riggs - 7 Songs for SpidersVukovi - My God Has Got a GunCentury - Sign of the StormAvatarium - Between You, God, The Devil and the DeadNegative 13 - Recover What You CanHarakiri for the Sky - Scorched EarthSunrot - PassagesThe Night Flight Orchestra - Give Us the MoonGrief Ritual - CollapseL.S. Dunes - VioletTayne - LoveGreat American Ghost - Tragedy of the CommonsThe Hellacopters - OverdriverPentagram - Lightning in a BottleJonathan Hultén - Eyes of the Living NightRevenge - Violation.Strife.AbominateScrüda - Fury Among Ruins