Do black midi dislike their fans? It would be entirely justified…

After a stint that took in shows all around the continent, Napalm Death retuned to the UK on the last leg of their European Campaign For Musical Destruction tour with an absolutely stellar supporting line-up in Dropdead, Siberian Meat Grinder and Escue …

Kayo Dot triumph as they celebrated the 20th anniversary of their daring, influential debut album, Choirs of the Eye’.

A four-band touring juggernaut entered London. Is this the shape of tours to come?

Martha are a splendid conundrum: both special and ordinary, and somehow special because they are ordinary; but mostly they’re a life affirming shot of pop.

As the quintet navigate through their maze-like mathy, progressive rock/metal melange, one could visibly see the joy ping-ponging between the band and their appreciative, entranced audience.

Everything about Revocation is delivered with a phenomenal precision and passion, which – especially with such a strong tour package behind them – places them amongst the finest names in progressive and technical death metal.  

Every so often, a line-up crops up that just feels right. One where everyone on the bill has some sense of commonality that goes beyond a similarity in sound and into the realms of the existential, where the same sense of purpose and soul can be felt in every performer. This is one of those nights.

From vulnerable to seductive within the span of a single note, Ana Moura’s voice swept feet and cracked hearts for an intense hour of Portuguese fado drama.

Laibach’s crusade will honour no boundaries or borders and will subvert and repurpose any cultural artefact to further their agenda of musical totalitarianism.

It may only be January, but a contender for gig of the year has been thrown down. . .

The sheer expanse and accomplished nature of Brutus’ sound is truly extraordinary to experience.

With their phenomenal latest album SKIN, Ho99o9 continue to prove that they are one of the most exciting, vibrant and forward-thinking bands out there at the moment, so the chance to see them tear it up in a live setting was a tantalising prospect. Hav …

Still something of an unknown quantity Objections prove themselves worthy headliners.

This was one of the most intense, important, relevant multimedia performance art installations you will ever see. The musicians as both aural creators and canvas for a stream of projections. Visual art, sonic sculptures, nuanced intelligent interrogations of neoliberal capitalism and its baleful effects. An alarm call for a soporific society. A destruction of the Ideological State Apparatus.

A mere half-week remains before Barcelona is to host the triumphant return of the sweet, heavy and blissful sounds of AMFest.

Seeing these two musicians in such a venue was, in short, a wonderful experience. The crowd were respectful and totally absorbed by the music. Both acts were faultless, despite them both playing different sets in a very different setting than they are probably used to. It was intimate, very personal and a pleasure to be able to spend a few hours enjoying the music.

When artists offer humble acknowledgement of how well they’re being treated by the crew and how nice it is to play for such a welcoming audience it just underlines what a special festival this is.

With no backline, no intro tapes and no dancing mascots, hoods aside, this is as stripped down and unfiltered as metal gets.

Last Wednesday, audiences proved their hard-earned loyalty to sinister sounds. After two years of pushbacks, the post-black outfit Regarde Les Hommes Tomber was finally able to hold its album release show to a sold-out crowd of hungry metal ghouls.

Joseph Norman and Emma Filtness went to Roadburn Festival this year. Read their very detailed thoughts and review of this year’s festival edition.