Sunk Loto return to the stage in August, hitting the Crowbars and the Corner with new single Dead Shadows front and centre. After coming roaring back in 2022, it was like they never went away. Intimate rooms, no barriers. Just the band, the crowd and the music.

Australia… you thought they forgot! They did not. They waited. They sharpened their claws. They let the forest grow wilder, darker, hungrier. Three years is a blink in eternity, yet long enough for the trees to learn your secrets. Now they return not as visitors, but as conquerors. Bring your torches. Bring your madness. Bring your soul laid bare.

28 Days has turned into 30 years! One of Australia’s longest-running and most respected punk bands, 28 Days, will hit the road this June to celebrate three decades of doing things their own way.

BABYMETAL’s show was an immersive experience, with brilliant use of pyrotechnics, lights and choreographed dance moves. It didn’t matter if the lyrics were sung in Japanese or English, these ladies had the crowd in the palms of their hands the entire show.

American black-metal trailblazers Deafheaven announce their biggest Australian tour to date. Presented by Destroy All Lines, the tour will see them headline some of the country’s most prominent venues across Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney, Newcastle and Brisbane, joined by special guests Nothing and SPY.

The Nordic Goddesses of Eivør and Sylvaine swept into Australian and New Zealand capital cities over the last two weeks to perform a series of headline shows. Tonight, the Autumn solstice, was their second last performance of the tour at the Princess Theatre in Brisbane before they end their tour in Perth.

A packed night at The Brightside offered a great snapshot of modern heavy music, with Ironstone, Signs Of The Swarm, and Born Of Osiris delivering curshing breakdowns, technical rhythms and brutal vocals.

Black Label Society roar back with Engines of Demolition, a blues soaked rock album driven by crushing riffs, soaring vocals and Zakk Wylde’s unmistakable guitar work. From the atmospheric opener ‘Name In Blood’ to the reflective closing ballad ‘Ozzy’s Song’, the album delivers heavy grooves, powerful melodies and honest emotion.

SOILENT GREEN from New Orleans, USA, are well known as one of the world's premiere Grindcore/Sludge Metal bands. The band's 1990s and early-2000s albums are regarded as trendsetting for the Grindcore genre, with a Rolling Stone article listing Soilent Green as one of the "ten most important hard and heavy bands" of the late 1990s.

One Ok Rock’s ability to connect with fans through their emotive lyrics and electrifying stage presence was on full display, and it left a lasting impression on everyone. As the final chords echoed through the venue, it was clear that this concert was more than just a show. It was an unforgettable celebration of music’s ability to unite, move, and inspire across every border and language.

Live Nation has announced that American rock band A Perfect Circle will return to Australia and New Zealand this December for their first tour of the region in over a decade. Formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan of Tool, the band last toured Australia in 2013 and have not played New Zealand in more than 20 years.

For the first time ever, Swedish epic doom metal pioneers CANDLEMASS will bring their monumental sound to Australian shores this September and October for a long-awaited debut tour in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth.

Southern California deathcore wrecking crew Spite will return to Australia in April 2026 for their first-ever Australian headline tour, bringing with them Pennsylvania’s Varials and local heavyweights DIESECT. Today the band reveal the full lineup of local supports joining them across the run.

“This record is rooted in the feelings of revenge and vindication. These are emotions that can either push us forward or hold us back. There’s a duality to them. They can fuel growth, drive ambition, and help us rise above what’s tried to break us, but they can also become destructive if we let them consume us,” explains Andy Biersack.

From the sun-soaked streets of Brisbane, emo rock outfit Bad Neighbour have spent the last few years carving out a rough-around-the-edges, heart-on-sleeve sound that’s unmistakably their own. Now, they’re ready to share news of their sophomore album, Burns From The X-rays, which is set for release Friday 5 June via Ninth Life Records. Ahead of its release, they unveil "Rush Apart"

The 12-song album ‘Death Fetish’ from Atlanta alternative-metal band Moodring is a dark, honest, inventive and confounding album about health struggles, facing limitations and death. It has elements of nu-metal hardness, industrial metalcore, shoegaze softness and flourishes of 1990s alternative rock melodies and sounds filtering through a retro but futuristic sound palate.

SEETHER unveil the preorder launch for Beneath The Surface, a powerful new EP that peels back another layer of their acclaimed album The Surface Seems So Far. The preorder launch is accompanied by the release of the EP’s first single, ‘Into the Ground,’ giving fans an immediate preview of the project’s depth and intensity.

Don Broco return with Nightmare Tripping, an explosive alternative rock album packed with crunchy riffs, soaring vocals and huge melodies. Blending metal, funk and electronic textures, the band deliver a dynamic record full of inventive songwriting and stadium ready energy.

Black Label Society roar back with Engines of Demolition, a blues soaked rock album driven by crushing riffs, soaring vocals and Zakk Wylde’s unmistakable guitar work. From the atmospheric opener ‘Name In Blood’ to the reflective closing ballad ‘Ozzy’s Song’, the album delivers heavy grooves, powerful melodies and honest emotion.

Florida based metal hardcore icons Poison The Well return with their impressive sixth album ‘Peace In Place’. It is their first album in almost 17 years. It is a tight album tethered in melodic guitar riffs, clean vocals and great lyricism that allows the harsh vocals, cutting fury and driving rhythm section to bring the heavy, harshness paired with delicate moments.

Record-breaking, platinum-selling rock band The Pretty Reckless have begun an explosive new era with the announcement of their forthcoming fifth studio album DEAR GOD (pre-order HERE) as well as a 2026 headlining world tour. Arriving alongside the announcement is their new single When I Wake Up, out now via Fearless Records.

The wait is over for Somewhere In Between…, the sophomore album from metal/hip-hop fusion band UnityTX. The band’s most aggressive release yet, the record is out now via Pure Noise Records and features recent singles Lucid, Body Roc and Enjoy Tha Show.

Making another major move and breaking down walls once again, the Swedish masters of heavy metal Sabaton have joined forces with leading historically accurate naval multiplayer game, World of Warships, and released a brand new single and music video entitled “Yamato”

"If RAT WARS is ELDEN RING and CONFLICT DLC is SHADOW OF THE ERDTREE, then R-TYPE has to be NIGHTREIGN.  Enjoy these remixes and alternate versions by the best in the business: from the dance floor to the killing floor, these interesante interpretations will thrill and excite you and your family in the year of the FIRE HORSE!"  - JOHNNY HEALTH

I hope you love your music Raw, Hard and fast! As here comes RUNT! This is just the start to an incredible album that is coming your way in 2026! - XMusic CEO, Tim McLean-Smith