Seven years away, ten rum and cokes, and Zebrahead are finally returning to Australia. The Orange County crew are bringing back their trademark genre-bending chaos. Bassist Ben Osmundson says, ‘The band is really excited to get to Australia… The flight is hell. I think it’s 10 rum and cokes before the flight and sleep all the way – right?

"Your Touch is a continuation of a close-to-heart idea we started exploring on Secrets of the Future, about the fear of ambition going too far," says the band. "It’s about having tunnel vision, where your sight’s set on a single target so narrowly that one day you realise you’ve left everything you love behind. The song is full of outer space imagery for that reason - it felt like a fitting metaphor for making bold moves that leave you more isolated than ever."

Next month, Swedish violincore pioneers IMMINENCE will make their return to Australian shores, set to bewitch crowds across the country with their first Australian headline run. And today, the group are thrilled to unveil their local support act for their The Return Of The Black headline tour this October, with Sydney quartet INERTIA joining IMMINENCE nationally.

"The Earth has a demon inside it," the artist states. "The bright side attempted to convert it but didn't succeed, and the gong marked the end of all hope. You can hear the demon's heart. You can hear the ceremony for it to wake up. You can hear the mud and the dirt. You can also hear, with such great strength, the bright side of life fighting before it was destroyed by evil."

Black Rheno celebrate 10 years of groove-infused chaos this November with anniversary shows across NSW, QLD and VIC. Known for their relentless touring and explosive live sets alongside legends like Napalm Death, Eyehategod and even Pantera, the band will mark the milestone by performing their debut EP Let’s Start A Cult in full.

Welcome to the church of CombiChrist. At Brisbane’s Crowbar, Andy LaPlegua traded pews for pulsating beats, leading a congregation through industrial chaos and cathartic release. With Our Last Enemy and Witchgrinder setting the stage, CombiChrist delivered an electrifying sermon of metal and EBM, proving worship at their altar is a full-body, high-energy experience.

On their first Australian tour, FATE GEAR unleashed Tokyo’s steampunk metal fury at The Brightside. Celebrating 10 years together, their set hit hard from start to finish. With Blacken Open Air ahead, the band showed Brisbane why they’ve become one of metal’s most captivating live acts.

FATE GEAR brought their first Australian tour to The Brightside, celebrating 10 years of steampunk metal power before heading to Blacken Open Air.

Dharma crushed Black Bear Lodge. Check out the gallery before they hit the stage at Blacken Open Air.

Mayday Parade brought their ‘Three Cheers For 20 Years’ tour to Brisbane, celebrating two decades of music with a career-spanning set. Joined by Jack’s Mannequin and The Home Team, relive the night and check out our photos from their Brisbane show.

Back in Brisbane for the first time in eight years, Ill Niño lit up The Triffid with a set full of energy and classics. Tommy Roulette stepped in on vocals with fire, while Beast Machine and These Four Walls delivered strong supports, making it a night that showed why Ill Niño remain nu metal favourites.

Everything Everything return to Australia in April 2026 to celebrate 10 years of their acclaimed album Get to Heaven. The art-rock visionaries will perform the record in full on their fifth Australian tour, with dates locked for Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Sydney.

I Prevail’s ‘Violent Nature’ is a fearless evolution: dark, aggressive and emotionally raw. Blending deathcore intensity with punk melodies and lyrical vulnerability, the album dives into suffering, resilience and transformation. It’s a brutal yet beautiful reflection of a band unafraid to evolve and confront the chaos within.

Till Lindemann, the voice of Rammstein, is bringing his reconceptualised solo Meine Welt tour to Australia in January 2026. Expect raw intensity, surreal theatrics and unfiltered provocation as he hits Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth. Joined by rising blackened nu-metal force Mélancolia, this is a rare chance to step into Lindemann’s uncanny world.

Evanescence’s three intimate headline shows have officially sold out in under two minutes. Presented by Triple M, Destroy All Lines and TEG Live, these rare performances promise raw, up-close magic as Amy Lee and co. bring their iconic catalogue to life. From Fallen to brand new tracks, fans are in for unforgettable nights of symphonic rock brilliance.

Cherie Currie’s second last Australian show took place at Crowbar in Brisbane. Performing songs from across her career, she honoured her Runaways roots and reflected on 50 years in music and women’s progress within it, ending her tour with grace and authenticity.

A sold-out Princess Theatre got the full blast of Virtues, Nasty and Paleface Swiss. From pits to shoeys, every set went full tilt for the final show of the tour.

Ahead of Blacken Open Air, Earthless performed at Brisbane’s Crowbar with supports from Emu and The Sea Shall Not Have Them.

We spoke to Gregor Mackintosh about Ascension and its themes of religious disillusionment, human frailty and sonic escape. The result is a record both brutal and beautiful, a gothic metal sermon for those disillusioned by the world and seeking clarity in the chaos.

Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons have announced the departure of Joel Peters. Their Australian tour has been rescheduled for March 2026, with all tickets remaining valid for the new dates.

Lacuna Coil return to Australia in February 2026 for the Sleepless Empire tour, their first headline run here in a decade. The Italian gothic metal icons will hit Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, armed with their new album and a reputation for powerful, theatrical shows that have captivated fans worldwide.

Letlive launched their farewell tour Sincerely Yours at The Triffid, Brisbane. The American band, who reunited this year, played a career-spanning set to a packed house. Stepson opened the night in front of a lively hometown crowd.

History and heavy metal filled Fortitude Valley Music Hall as Sabaton and Amaranthe played to a sold out crowd. Check out the photos.

Amaranthe and Sabaton delivered one of the most joyful concerts I have been to in Brisbane this year and I have never seen crowd engagement in the music and the band like I witnessed at this gig. The two Swedish power metal titans really delivered to the crowd.

Southern California’s Spite, the decibel-and-soul-crushing deathcore unit, will return to Australia in April 2026 for their first-ever Australian headline tour, bringing with them Pennsylvania’s Varials and local heavyweights DIESECT.

EVANESCENCE hit our shores this October & November for three intimate headline shows in Perth, Melbourne & Sydney, before joining Metallica on the M72 World Tour.

British alt-rock powerhouse Don Broco performed at Princess Theatre in Woolloongabba, Brisbane, to a receptive, enthusiastic audience on the opening night of their 2025 Australian tour. They were supported by Sydney pop-punkers RedHook and Melbourne metallers Future Static.

letlive brought it all to the Triffid, kicking off their tour for one last time with a Brisbane show packed with energy.

Don Broco tore it up at the Princess Theatre, with RedHook and Future Static kicking things off. Check out our stacked gallery.

Cecilia spent four days immersed in Big Sound 2025, capturing the heart of Australia’s premier music festival. From Rageflower’s commanding debut and Azure Ryder’s graceful presence to Ullah’s raw honesty, Hatchie’s dreamlike shimmer, Lyric’s polished new chapter and Cheeky Leash’s coastal charm, it was a celebration of talent, growth and the future of Australian music.

Twelve months after their debut Who Let The Dogs Out, Brighton duo Lambrini Girls will tour Australia in 2026, playing Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney and Perth. Phoebe Lunny and Selin Macieira have toured extensively across the UK, Europe and the US, played Glastonbury and Iceland Airwaves, and shared bills with Idles, Shame, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Iggy Pop.

ABBATH DOOM OCCULTA brings the ‘Return to the Raven Realms’ Australian Tour in 2026, revisiting Immortal-era classics from 1992–2009. With his unmistakable voice and riffs, Abbath cements his legacy as one of black metal’s greats. Joining him are WEREWOLVES with their savage death metal assault and BASTARDIZER delivering filthy black thrash ‘n’ roll.

Dream Theater return to Australia in February 2026 for their 40th Anniversary Tour, marking the first shows since Mike Portnoy’s reunion with the band. Fans in Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane can expect an evening of career-spanning classics and fan favourites.

JUSTICE FOR THE DAMNED will hit the road on January with their heaviest shows yet, joined by UK metallic hardcore force GUILT TRIP. Celebrating the release of Stay Relentless, this tour promises pure chaos with more special guests still to be announced.

Wheatus return to Australia in January 2026 and finally make their New Zealand debut, performing their self-titled album in full. Celebrating 25 years of cult anthem ‘Teenage Dirtbag’, the band promises front-to-back album sets, fan-picked favourites, and a night of pure nostalgia.

Returning in 2026 for their first Australian headline run since 2017, American metal titans Motionless In White will storm Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane with their biggest shows yet — joined by special guests Make Them Suffer and Currents.

Beastwars return to Australia this November for their first tour in five years, bringing their apocalyptic sludge/doom to Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Froth & Fury Fest 2026 is unleashing the second and final line up of bands for both Perth and Adelaide — and these final announcements are stacked, savage, and exclusive to each city.

ARCHSPIRE bring their ‘Return to Prison Island’ Australian tour with special guests ABORTED and ORGANECTOMY. The tour hits Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Sydney, and Adelaide in January 2026.

After 16 years away, Secondhand Serenade return to Australia for three special shows with a symphony string section. Celebrating 20 years of Awake, John Vesely delivers timeless emo pop anthems including ‘Fall For You’ and newer favourites in a spellbinding journey of love, loss and redemption.

BETTER LOVERS are bringing their ferocious live show down under for the first time in January 2026. Featuring members of Every Time I Die, The Dillinger Escape Plan and Fit For An Autopsy, the hardcore supergroup will hit six cities with SPLIT CHAIN and BLIND GIRLS.

I Prevail’s ‘Violent Nature’ is a fearless evolution: dark, aggressive and emotionally raw. Blending deathcore intensity with punk melodies and lyrical vulnerability, the album dives into suffering, resilience and transformation. It’s a brutal yet beautiful reflection of a band unafraid to evolve and confront the chaos within.

STAR SET’s SILOS is a haunting 16-track descent through dystopia and disconnection. With guttural warnings in ‘SILOS’, the menace of ‘Dark Things’, and the shadowed cover of ‘Head Over Heels’, it’s a cinematic soundscape of chaos, corruption and fading faith. A bleak but compelling listen.

Progressive rock icons Coheed and Cambria expand their universe with The Father of Make Believe: The New Entities Edition, out October 3. Featuring four new songs and characters, the first—‘Key Entity Extraction: Yuko the Trivial’—has been released with a lyric video. Claudio Sanchez also launches The Jackhammer, his debut guitar through new company Evil Instruments.

Slow Crush return with Thirst, their first album on Pure Noise Records. A cascade of heavy riffs, dreamy vocals and fuzz-laden textures, it explores fragility, love and self-identity. Produced by Lewis Johns, Thirst pushes their shoegaze grit further, cementing Slow Crush as torchbearers of the genre while inviting listeners into a transformative, immersive soundscape.

Melbourne post-hardcore outfit Post Heaven have signed with Greyscale Records and announced their sophomore EP The Space That’s In Between, out October 3. The band have dropped new single ‘Exit Wound’, a heavy mix of alt-metal, hardcore and electronics exploring cycles of self-destruction.

California heavyweights KINGDOM OF GIANTS drop their new EP Burning Chrome via SharpTone Records. Blending the Bleeding Star and Burning Chrome worlds, the release is a fierce, streamlined showcase of their evolution, packed with intensity and focus.

The Hives Forever Forever The Hives explodes with swagger, attitude and raw energy. Across thirteen tracks of explosive riffs, distortion and cheeky punk mischief, the band prove they’re still rock royalty. From the fiery opener ‘Enough Is Enough’ to the stadium-ready closer, it’s a swaggering celebration of chaos, humour and ferocious rock ’n’ roll spirit.

Runnner’s 'A Welcome Kind of Weakness', is a gorgeous indie-rock reflection on healing, vulnerability, and the emotional fog of recovery. With intricate songwriting and layered production, Noah Weinman dissects life’s fractures and stitches them into a beautifully melancholic, high-fidelity soundscape that’s both tender and raw.

Melbourne blackened nu-metal act Mélancolia unleash their sophomore album ‘random.access.misery’ via Greyscale Records and Nuclear Blast, alongside the new video for ‘Lithia’. The band will tour nationally this September on the ‘access.all.misery’ headline run.

Vocalist Ben Beddick says: “When we were writing this record, one of the things that kept coming up was the idea of death and rebirth through fire… killing off the old and dead parts of ourselves in order to give birth to something new and maybe even a truer version of who we all are.”

Blackbriar’s A Thousand Little Deaths is a gothic symphonic metal triumph exploring heartbreak, myth and emotional decay. Zora Cock’s haunting voice floats over lush strings, heavy guitars and controlled chaos. From “Bluebeard’s Chamber” to “Harpy,” every track cuts deep. This is a beautifully crafted, emotionally rich album that captures Blackbriar’s dark elegance and songwriting at its peak.

Chinese-Mongolian progressive metal outfit Nine Treasures will release their fifth album Seeking The Absolute on October 24 via Metal Blade Records, marking their first worldwide release. “On Seeking The Absolute, we tried to capture those unforgettable moments when your mind swings wide open to infinite possibilities,” says founder Askhan.

Bay Area thrash legends Testament return on October 10 with their fourteenth album Para Bellum via Nuclear Blast. Marking five years since Titans of Creation, the record delivers a sharp, urgent reflection of modern chaos. Lead single ‘Infanticide A.I.’ showcases new drummer Chris Dovas and the band’s blistering speed, power, and fury.

Kittie honour 25 years of their groundbreaking debut with Spit XXV, out September 19 via Sumerian Records. “It’s hard to believe our debut is still resonating with people and finding new audiences. Revisiting these songs was a fun way to pay homage to the past while updating them with a modern sound,” says Morgan Lander.

Incite’s Savage New Times is a battle-scarred manifesto delivering thirty-three minutes of thrash-laced fury aimed at a fractured world. From the jackhammer opener “Lies” to the haunting “Dolores,” the Phoenix crew channel raw rage into ten tightly wound tracks. Richie Cavalera’s venomous vocals lead the charge as the band sounds sharper, heavier, and more defiant than ever.

Babymetal’s fifth album Metal Forth is a whirlwind of hyperactive J-pop meets crushing metal, charging through 10 tracks in just over 30 minutes. Packed with guest appearances from Poppy, Electric Callboy, Polyphia, Bloodywood, and Tom Morello.

Canadian deathcore pioneers Despised Icon return with Shadow Work, their first album in six years, out October 31 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band also drop new single ‘Over My Dead Body’ featuring Matt Honeycutt of Kublai Khan TX — a crushing anthem of self-belief, pain, and purpose.