Lamb of God at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-04-05 19:00 - 23:30 (America/Phoenix) | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
With more than 25 years at the forefront of heavy music, Lamb Of God have become one of metal’s most enduring and influential forces. Rising from their underground beginnings as to five Grammy nominations and over two million albums sold, the Richmond, VA band has maintained a fierce punk ethos while operating at metal’s highest level.
Their tenth album, , finds Lamb of God fully embracing their status as veterans with nothing to prove. Drawing from every era of their career, the record fuses their signature groove-driven aggression with expanded dynamics and new sonic textures. Guitarist describes the album as creatively unrestrained—honoring the band’s roots while pushing forward without limits.
Songs like the explosive lead single “ ” and the brutal “Blunt Force Blues” pay tribute to the early ’90s Richmond underground that shaped the band, while lamenting the loss of regional identity in modern music culture. Elsewhere, the apocalyptic title track delivers a blistering vision of societal collapse, and “El Vacio” reveals a more atmospheric, melodic side.
Lyrically, vocalist confronts themes of social decay, personal responsibility, and the erosion of the social contract. Produced by longtime collaborator Josh Wilbur and recorded across legendary studios, stands as a powerful statement of creative freedom from a band still evolving, still dangerous, and still essential.

Struggle spurs strength. Trials and tribulations mold and fortify character. Embodying these truths, Kublai Khan turn hardships into hypnotic and heavy metalcore upheld by nimble metallic fury and pit-splitting spirit on their fourth full-length offering, Absolute [Rise Records].
“A lot of the record is about our struggle with what we do and the fact we’ve been doing this for over a decade, hit a lot of roadblocks, ate a lot of shit, and still kept going,” exclaims frontman Matt Honeycutt. “We’ve done far more than we ever expected, so it’s always about picking yourself up, dusting yourself off, and letting nothing get you down. You have the opportunity to take responsibility for what you do wrong and right. We’re spinning the negative into a positive.”
The Sherman, TX quartet—Matt [vocals], Nolan Ashley [guitar, vocals], Eric English [bass], and Isaac Lamb [drums]—quietly emerged as a fiery force since their 2008 formation straight out of high school. They built a devout following through airtight consistency on Balancing Survival and Happiness [2014], New Strength [2015], and Nomad [2017]. The latter impressively tallied over 6 million cumulative streams with “The Hammer” surpassing 2.6 million on Spotify and “Antpile” exceeding 1.1 million. Meanwhile, acclaim came from Metal Hammer, Alternative Press, New Noise, and more as the boys toured relentlessly.
In early 2019, they retreated to New Jersey and hit the studio with longtime collaborator, engineer, and producer Randy LaBoeuf to record what would become Absolute. Taking advantage of a full month to create, they changed up the process, recording the drums last for the first time. Additionally, Randy provided space for Matt to hone his voice.
These techniques enriched the sonic punch.
“Everything could be folded around the drums, and it made for a better vision, to be honest,” continues Matt. “That’s how Randy records bands now. It allowed us to have more space to think. We were able to shape everything into exactly what we wanted. It was a game changer. The best thing about this record was the learning curve we experienced.”
The first single “Self-Destruct” showcases their evolution. Underpinned by airtight riffing, the track steamrolls through eerie samples and guttural growls before subsiding on a bashing reprieve of lone bass and drums.
“The polarization between everyday citizens in our country is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced,” he sighs. “In person, we can have discussions and logical conversations as friends. On social media, it’s incredibly toxic. They’re going for each other’s necks 24/7. If we keep going, we’re going to self-destruct. Everyone is a ticking time bomb. You can’t do or say anything without somebody taking offence. We need to calm down, back off, listen to each other, come together, and understand it’s okay for us to be different. That makes our country beautiful. Canceling conversation is dangerous.”
Elsewhere, “Boomslang” tosses and turns between a distorted chug, searing scream, and pensive lyrics about “touring in general, how difficult it can be on your nerves, and the internal warfare of what we do.” Then, there’s “The Truest Love.” It urges for preservation of the family unit as Matt barks, “You call yourself a man, but you just leave…just protect your young!”
“It concerns my qualms with the current state of male responsibility,” he states. “You see so many guys run out on their kids. They don’t stop to realize they helped create another life. You can’t say you’re a man and just abandon your family. It’s my irritation with how normal it’s becoming for the breakdown of the family unit to occur. Everything comes down to responsibility, self-love, and love of your family.”
In the end, Kublai Khan’s music siphons power from pain on Absolute.
“We put a lot into the record,” Matt leaves off. “There are so many different tones and lyrical aspects. It really shows how far we’ve come. I hope people connect and get something good from it. We’ll keep going no matter what.”

The crushing music of Fit For An Autopsy is for any fan of extreme metal, its sound and fury is absolutely unflinching in purpose. The band expertly blends excessive, force-fueled death metal with atmospheric groove and impassioned personal diatribes.
The Nothing That Is, Fit For An Autopsy’s seventh and latest album (third for Nuclear Blast), bears no sign whatsoever of commercial concession or rehashed past glories. Instead, the ten-song album finds the band exploring moodier textures and deeper emotions that add new power and dynamics to their already brutal and complex music, while also completely tuning out the ambient noise of passing musical trends and the expectations of the outside world.
Produced by Will Putney at his Graphic Nature Audio studio in Kinnelon, New Jersey, The Nothing That Is is an album filled with anger, frustration and crushing despair. It flows like the gripping soundtrack to a documentary film of our increasingly dystopian existence.
A ringing wake-up call for humanity and a thoroughly intense listening experience, The Nothing That Is brims with both aggression and melody, its bracing music delivered with the confidence of a band that has honed its skills and forged its sense of purpose through fifteen-plus years of all-out live shows. Sufficiently secure of their place in the metal firmament to let their music go wherever feels right for a particular song, Fit For An Autopsy have delivered what may well be the greatest album of their career.

Absurdist Ohio extreme metal band Sanguisugabogg ply an absolutely filthy, savagely downtuned brand of death metal with disgusting, gory but resolutely tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
Formed in 2019 in Columbus, Ohio, the band initially comprised vocalist (and sometime-standup comedian) Devin Swank, guitarist Cameron Boggs, bassist Steph Barnes, and drummer Cody Davidson. Later, Boggs and Barnes were replaced by Cedrik Davis and Drew Arnold, respectively. Their unusual name comes from a combination of sanguisuga, the Latin word for leech, and the British slang word bog, meaning toilet — with the aim of evoking a bloodsucking toilet. Songs with titles like “Turkish Blood Orgy,” “Gored in the Chest,” “Urinary Ichor,” “Black Market Vasectomy,” and “Testicular Rot” give a good idea of where they are coming from.
The whole band had been fans of old-school death metal from an early age; Swank‘s first show, at age 12, was Cannibal Corpse. Inveterate jokers arguably as famous for their prodigious consumption of psychedelics as for their music — they claimed to have recorded the entirety of both their albums while tripping on acid — they dubbed themselves “drug death metal.” While the band’s tone was goofy and jokey, they took their music very seriously, utilizing crushing drop-G tuning and eschewing solos for a relentless groove and piledriving riffs.
Picked up by metal giant Century Media on the strength of their first demo EP, 2019’s Pornographic Seizures, they recorded their first full-length album for the label, Tortured Whole, and released it in 2021. Following complaints over the EP’s lyrics about violence against women, the band switched it around and made all the album’s lyrics about violence against men. Their second album, Homicidal Ecstasy, followed in 2023.

Hanabie at The Van Buren
2026-04-07 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
HANABIE. is a Tokyo-based all-girl rock band that has been making waves since 2015, when YUKINA, MATSURI, and HETTSU came together for a high school club activity. With the addition of CHIKA in May 2023, the band has evolved into a force to be reckoned with. Don’t be fooled by their cute, girlish image—their sound is a hard-hitting blend of powerful shouts, heavy riffs, and unique Japanese flair, capturing fans at home and abroad. Their hit single “Pardon Me, I Have To Go Now” has amassed over 10 million views on YouTube and 5.3 million views on TikTok.
In December 2024, HANABIE. released their EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo, further showcasing their dynamic range and signature style. Next, the band will release their latest EP, HOT TOPIC, on Wednesday, January 28, 2026.
2023 marked the beginning of their overseas ventures, and in August 2024, they made history as the first Japanese women to perform on the main stage at Lollapalooza in Chicago, USA. The quartet will soon bring the heat on their first North American headliner beginning mid-March 2026. With a rapidly growing international following, HANABIE. is actively expanding their presence and making a bold statement on the global stage.

The world’s premiere goblin metal masters, Nekrogoblikon, are set to unleash their latest sonic assault in the form of The Boiling Sea EP. Formed in 2006, the band catapulted from obscurity to global cult stardom with their 2012 viral anthem “No One Survives,” cementing a legacy of chaotic melodic death metal and zany, goblin-themed lore.
After years of relentless touring and five studio albums, the band has entered a bold new era. The Boiling Sea marks a historic milestone as the first official studio release to feature the band’s new vocal powerhouse duo: John Goblikon and Dickie Allen.
Once the band’s longtime mascot, insurance salesman, and podcast host, John Goblikon has finally been promoted to permanent lead vocalist, handling the melodic and clean singing duties.
Dickie Allen, renowned for his “throat-shredding” prowess in Infant Annihilator, the “goblin-in-human-form” now spearheads the band’s signature harsh vocals, bringing a new level of “carnage” to their recorded sound
Produced and mixed by veteran “part-goblin” Jason Suecof (Job for a Cowboy, The Black Dahlia Murder), this new EP serves as a high-octane testing ground for the duo’s dynamic chemistry — first teased by the 2025 singles “Show Me Your Goblin” and “Fiend.”
As Nekrogoblikon prepares to submerge fans in the murky depths of The Boiling Sea, they prove that even after nearly two decades, they are still the undisputed kings of the goblin-core realm.

Taking their name from a confluence of Illuminati and other conspiracy theories, Enterprise Earth is a punishing technical deathcore outfit founded in 2014 by ex-Infant Annihilator vocalist Dan Watson and ex-Takeover guitarist BJ Sampson. The band rose to the fore of the deathcore scene with the punitive and critically acclaimed Embodiment and Luciferous, released in 2017 and 2019, respectively. After the departures of Sampson in 2019 and Watson in 2022, the band started a new chapter with the release of 2024’s Death: An Anthology with new frontman Travis Worland.
Based out of Spokane, Washington, Enterprise Earth issued their debut EP, XXIII, shortly after forming. In 2015 they inked a deal with Attila frontman Chris Fronzak‘s Stay Sick Recordings and released their debut studio long-player, Patient 0. Featuring guest appearances from Rings of Saturn guitarist Joel Omans and Oceano vocalist Adam Warren, the LP reached number five on Billboard’s Heatseekers/Top New Artist Chart. Enterprise Earth spent the next two years touring hard in support of the album, but eventually found the time to head back into the studio and lay down tracks for their sophomore release. The resulting Embodiment appeared in early 2017, and the set reached number six on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart. December 2018 saw the band issue the single “He Exists” before releasing their lauded third full-length effort, Luciferous, which arrived in April 2019 and appeared on numerous year-end lists. After dropping 2020’s surprise Foundation of Bones EP, the group returned to the studio and began work on album number four. Released in 2022, The Chosen saw Enterprise Earth deliver an assured, uncompromising deathcore set with considerably more melodic elements than previous efforts. Frontman Dan Watson left the fold shortly after that, making way for new vocalist Travis Worland, who made his studio debut on 2024’s punishing Death: An Anthology.

Country Thunder 2026 at Talio Ranch
2026-04-09 08:00 - 2026-04-12 23:30 | Talio Ranch, 20585 E WATER WAY, Florence, AZ, 85132, United States
Thursday, April 9th.

Gavin Adcock
Gavin Adcock, dubbed by Billboard as “one of country music’s most buzzed-about artists,” is a Georgia native from Watkinsville. A former football player at Georgia Southern University, he grew up on his family’s cattle farm and dreamed of riding bulls in the PBR. He started writing songs in high school, but after tearing his knee in 2021, Adcock used his recovery time to record and release his first single. Since then, he has amassed more than 1.5 billion global streams, fueled by hits like the RIAA Platinum-certified “A Cigarette” and Gold-certified tracks “Run Your Mouth,” “Deep End,” and “Four Leaf Clover.” His 2024 album Actin’ Up Again became the year’s largest major-label country debut by a solo male artist and the top streaming major-label debut in the genre. In 2025, Own Worst Enemy debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 Country Chart and No. 14 on the all-genre chart, earning over 25 million U.S. streams in its first week. A MusicRow Awards “Discovery Artist of the Year” nominee and ACM New Artist of the Year nominee, Adcock continues to sell out headline tours nationwide and internationally. He will also join Morgan Wallen for a second time on 16 dates of Wallen’s 2026 Still The Problem Tour.

Waylon Wyatt
Waylon Wyatt’s songs, with their no-frills acoustic arrangements and old-soul lyrics, have proven resonant with country music audiences. After releasing the breakthrough singles “Arkansas Diamond” and “Everything Under the Sun,” Wyatt enjoyed a banner year as a rising artist, opening for acts like Dwight Yoakam and signing a major-label deal and releasing 2025’s Out of the Blue EP — all before earning his high school diploma.
Waylon Wyatt Potter was born in Hackett, Arkansas, in 2006. Named after outlaw country icon Waylon Jennings, he in turn gravitated toward modern country songsmiths like Tyler Childers and Zach Bryan. He was initially content to share covers of his songs on social media — keeping original songs a closely guarded secret that he would tinker on at home. He finally caved into a friend’s demands and posted himself singing the heartbroken lover’s plea “Everything Under the Sun,” and as his songs started to gain streams in the millions, he fielded an offer from indie label Music Soup, which took the bold step of calling Wyatt’s father’s construction company to schedule a meeting after seeing him wear a hat with the company logo in a video.
Wyatt recorded originals like “Everything Under the Sun,” “Arkansas Diamond,” and “Back to Then” in the kitchen of his family home, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar. Those tracks formed the backbone of his debut EP, 2024’s Til the Sun Goes Down. He gained additional exposure after another rising country songwriter, Bayker Blankenship, covered “Arkansas Diamond” in a video; the duo met up in Nashville and wrote a catchy heartland folk number, “Jailbreak.” It became one of Wyatt’s first releases in partnership with Darkroom Records, best known for signing Billie Eilish. Wyatt became the label’s first country artist, and they reissued Til the Sun Goes Down with a new, road-tested fan favorite called “O.D.” Wyatt spent part of 2024 as an opening act for Dwight Yoakam and appeared at the Stagecoach Festival in California in 2025, just months before completing his senior year of high school. He delivered the Out of the Blue EP, featuring “Smoke & Embers,” a duet with Willow Avalon, later in 2025.

Jey Webb
Jay Webb writes songs that hit like a gut punch. Raised between the backroads of North Alabama and the city in the south, music was how he made sense of the chaos around him. What started as a way to process a turbulent childhood quickly became his purpose — gritty storytelling over genre-blurring beats, delivered with zero filter. He started cutting demos in high school and never stopped, releasing track after track on his own and building a following from the ground up. His lyrics cut deep, his voice carries the scars and his sound refuses to stay in one lane. Webb doesn’t clean up the mess — he leans into it, and has a good time doing it.
Pulling from a wide range of influences, he pairs the weight of Johnny Cash and Hank Williams with the edge of Juice WRLD and Post Malone. It’s not traditional country — and he doesn’t want it to be. He calls it “music for real people with real problems,” and his fans know exactly what that means. In 2022, a viral TikTok pushed his music to a wider audience. Since then, he’s dropped standout tracks like “” “” and “” racking up over 415M streams and more than 2M fans. Webb is charging forward — not as a trend-chaser, but a truth-teller. And the numbers prove people are listening.

Logan Layman
Logan resides in Nashville, Tennessee and is a very busy and active professional musician who plays and tours extensively. Logan is an Indiana University alumnus, where she studied Music and Psychology. She grew up making music with her brother since grade school. Logan is no stranger to accolades. In 2013, she was named “Blues Kid of the Year,” and was inducted into The Brotherhood of the Guitar, an elite group of young musicians from all over the world. She was the Sea Level Singer/Songwriter’s Emerging Artist of 2014. Logan was named Veer Magazine’s Emerging Artist of the Year in 2015. She was featured in Bass Player Magazine in 2016. Logan endorses Ernie Ball Music Man basses and Sennheiser microphones.

Friday, April 10th

Lainey Wilson continues to take over the world, capturing the hearts of fans, the excitement of the industry and the respect of her peers. Adding to her monumental rise, Wilson will host the 2025 CMA Awards, where she is also tied for the most nominations with six nods: Entertainer of the Year, Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
These are just the latest milestones for the 9x CMA, 16x ACM, Grammy-winner and Grand Ole Opry member, who will headline Stagecoach Festival 2026, is featured on the 2025 TIME100 Next list and recently released the deluxe version of her acclaimed album, Whirlwind. In addition to the original 14 songs, the extended edition features five more tracks including “Somewhere Over Laredo,” which is currently top 10 at country radio and rising.
A sought-after songwriter, Wilson has eight #1s including “4x4xU,” “Watermelon Moonshine” and the 2x Platinum “Heart Like A Truck,” in addition to collaborations with Jelly Roll (“Save Me”) and HARDY (“wait in the truck”). Moreover, Wilson wrote “Out of Oklahoma” for the Twisters movie, has worked with artists such as Reba McEntire, Dolly Parton and Post Malone, and will make her film debut 2026’s adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s Reminders of Him, after first acting in “Yellowstone.” Wilson is in the midst of her sold-out Whirlwind World Tour, and recently launched her 4th collection with Wrangler as well as her own boot & jewelry lines.

A native son of Wyoming, Ian Munsick has accumulated over 1 billion global streams across 3 albums – Coyote Cry, White Buffalo and Eagle Feather – and a host of accolades, including 19 awards and 14 festival selections for his documentary, White Buffalo: Voices of the West. Having painted a spirited portrait of the American West with his sophomore album White Buffalo in 2023, Munsick expanded on the concepts of the land, people, culture and stories that inspire him, with the project’s follow-up 20-track album, Eagle Feather, released on April 18, 2025. In addition to selling over 100,000 headlining tickets in 2024 and 2025, Munsick also opened on select dates of Lainey Wilson’s Country’s Cool Again Tour and supported Morgan Wallen on select dates of his One Night At A Time Tour. He has been named an “Artist to Watch” by Spotify, CMT, Fender, MusicRow, headlined Cheyenne Frontier Days and founded WEST TO THE REST RECORDS. Standout RIAA-Platinum duet “Long Live Cowgirls” (with Cody Johnson) off of White Buffalo hit No. 1 on SiriusXM’s The Highway Hot 30 Countdown, was named one of Amazon Music’s Best Country Songs of 2022 with “Long Haul” and “Horses Are Faster” receiving RIAA Gold-certification alongside “God Bless the West” named as one of Spotify Hot Country Presents’ Best Songs of 2025. As he partners with Triple Tigers for new music in 2026 and beyond, fans will always find an open heart, natural awe and plainspoken honesty as he rides on… bringing the West to the rest.

One of Nashville’s most intriguing artists with his strong gravel-toned vocals, wayward spirit, intentional songwriting and overall mystique, the fast-rising singer/songwriter Jackson Dean is quickly earning a reputation for his impressive live show and thought-provoking, lyric-driven music. The young talent burst on the scene in 2022, showing people how real music can be with his atmospheric, musically-forward debut album that featured his debut single, “” (which cemented Jackson as the youngest solo male Country artist to reach the top of the charts with a debut) and his Top 10 follow up single “”. The demand for Jackson skyrocketed after landing on Spotify’s Hot Country Artists to Watch 2023, the CMT Listen Up class of 2023, CRS New Faces 2023, as well as a slew of other artist to watch lists and nominations. A vocalist who truly thrives on stage (as evident in his album), the Maryland native has leaned hard into touring, joining bills with superstar acts like , , , , , and as well as his own headline tour. Dean wows audiences and has built a passionate fanbase that connects on a deeper level. As a result, his live show stand out “” has evolved to become his latest single—and lead track from his sophomore album On The Back Of My Dreams, out now (via Big Machine Records).

After an acclaimed album debut and a year-plus on the road with stars like Morgan Wallen, Riley Green, and Lainey Wilson – plus Billboard accolades and a monumental first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry – Big Loud Records / Songs & Daughters artist Lauren Watkins has emerged as a proudly defiant projection of pure country-music moxy. But with her second full album, In A Perfect World, Watkins learns that the highway life is only part of her path. A Nashville native inspired by crowd-pleasing outlaws like Willie Nelson, Sheryl Crow, Lee Ann Womack and Miranda Lambert, Watkins’ 17-track 2024 debut, The Heartbroken Record, introduced a mainstream maverick with a thirst for lyrical truth – and an old-school country rebel whose modern instincts never succumb to trends. Coming to know the fast lane by heart, the modern-classic singer-songwriter has racked up millions of streams and rocked full-on stadiums, while learning from the legendary songwriters like Nicolle Galyon, Luke Laird and The Warren Brothers. Yet In A Perfect World finds Watkins in a fresh phase, featuring an earthy mix of sunset country and hazy heartland grit, she’s no longer expecting to get her heart broken, and not pushing the idea of home away. Produced by husband and CMA/ACM Award winner Will Bundy, with additional co-production from hit maker Joey Moi on select tracks, Watkins builds on her of-the-moment and always-organic sound; 10 co-written songs capturing the passion and promise of a new outlook.

Saturday, April 11th
Raised in Sunnyside, WA, Zach Top grew up on classic country music around the family farm. At the age of seven, he formed a band with his siblings which set the stage for his musical ambitions. Hailed by Rolling Stone as one of the “hottest acts right now,” Top is quickly establishing himself as a preeminent artist to watch. Released to widespread acclaim, his debut album, Cold Beer & Country Music, garnered over 3.5 million streams in just its first week with The Tennessean declaring it full of “star-making tunes” and Country Central calling it a “masterclass in traditional country music.” In 2024, he was awarded Discovery Artist of the Year at the MusicRow Awards and received his first nomination for New Artist of the Year at the 58th Annual CMA Awards. Known for his “thrilling” live performances (Holler), Top’s “Cold Beer & Country Music” headline tour sold out just hours after tickets went on sale, coinciding with the debut of his viral single “I Never Lie” on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This summer, Top has been on Lainey Wilson’s “Country’s Cool Again” tour and will be direct support for select Alan Jackson dates in 2025.

Lonestar is an American country music group currently consisting of Dean Sams, Michael Britt, Keech Rainwater and Drew Womack. Lonestar has charted more than 20 singles on the Hot Country Songs chart, including 10 that reached No. 1. Not every band can revisit and even potentially improve upon their biggest hits. But on the forthcoming TEN to 1 record, the award-winning band Lonestar are taking a fresh look at all 10 of their chart-topping country songs. This streak started in 1996 with the band’s second single, the rock-edged “No News,” and continued with the following year’s “Come Cryin’ to Me” and “Everything’s Changed.” The band’s quadruple-platinum 1999 album Lonely Grill spawned four No. 1 hits (including the beloved global smash “Amazed”) and established Lonestar as music’s preeminent pop-country band—a status they’d maintain through the 2000s and beyond. Fittingly, TEN to 1 reflects the ways Lonestar’s hits have evolved over the years during the band’s rousing, high-energy concerts. Such talent has contributed to the band winning many of music’s top honors, including Academy Of Country Music awards for New Vocal Group in 1996, Single and Song Of The Year in 2000, along with Humanitarian Of The Year in 2002. They also won Country Music Association’s Vocal Group of the Year and International Artist Achievement award in 2001. All told, Lonestar have sold more than 10.5 million records since their formation.

RECORDS Nashville artist-songwriter George Birge fast-follows two back-to-back #1s (“Cowboy Songs” and “Mind On You”) in one consecutive year (2024) with current Top 25-and-climbing single “It Won’t Be Long.” Boasting 217 MILLION global streams across his catalog, American Songwriter praises, “George Birge has a talent for taking a simple concept and turning it into an in-depth song,” as PEOPLE hails that he’s “Always Meant for the Solo Spotlight.” Named Billboard’s Country Rookie of the Month (January 2024) and one of Nashville Lifestyles’ “Artists You Need To Know,” the Austin, TX, native’s star is on the rise after earning his first award show nomination at the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, and making his TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Lanie Gardner’s extraordinary journey is a testament to her unmatched talent and unwavering determination, from her roots in the Appalachian Mountains to international stages. A gifted storyteller and songwriter from an early age, she crafted a distinctive blend of classic rock, R&B, and country that quickly set her apart. Her career skyrocketed after her cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” went viral, amassing over 100 million views. With her debut self-penned album A Songwriter’s Diary, released in late 2024, Gardner delivered a deeply personal 10-track journey through her creative beginnings. Her rise includes being named a “2025 Artist to Watch” by the Recording Academy, a member of CMT’s Next Women of Country: Class of 2025, and a SiriusXM Highway Find. This year alone, she made her Grand Ole Opry debut, performed at Stagecoach, joined Corey Kent’s Black Bandana Tour, and is on the road again this summer and fall with Gavin Adcock. From movie soundtracks (Queen of the Ring, Twisters) to touring with the Jonas Brothers, Jelly Roll, Cody Johnson, and ZZ Ward, Gardner is on the fast track to stardom. Recent collaborations include Thomas Rhett (“What Could Go Right”) reaching #1 on the SiriusXM charts, Warren Zeiders (“Love In Letting Go”), and Dorothy (“Tombstone Town”). With her sophomore album Faded Polaroids, Gardner delivers more than an album. It is a collection of memories and stories that reflect her journey while pointing to an extraordinary future.

The Wilder Blue began in 2019 when Zane Williams, already a seasoned troubadour with seven solo albums under his belt, pulled together a select group of multi-talented musicians from the Texas music scene. Their debut album Hill Country (2020) and its follow-up The Wilder Blue (2022) garnered comparisons to early Eagles and 80’s-era Alabama by interweaving five-part harmonies with bluegrassy arrangements of folk-rock and country songs.
For their newest release Super Natural in the fall of 2023, the band enlisted Grammy-nominated Brent Cobb to produce the album and perform on the title track, a song he and the band co-wrote in the studio. Brent’s groovy, vintage sensibilities proved a natural fit for a band with influences as diverse as Little Feat, Del McCoury, and Robert Earl Keen. A cover of the Eagle’s classic “Seven Bridges Road” also features band admirer Luke Combs, who has added The Wilder Blue to his 2024 stadium tour lineup.

Sunday, April 12th

With 20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two Grammy awards, dozens of ACM and CMA honors and a discography counting more album sales than any country duo in history – regardless of genre – Brooks & Dunn’s influence on today’s country has never been in question. Hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria,” “Only in America,” and “Believe” have propelled the duo to more than 30 million albums sold, with the New York Times heralding “together they helped drive the power-country era of the early-to-mid 1990s and continued to benefit from the sea change in the genre they helped initiate right through their most recent albums.” Their original “ meets ” vibe made them progressive stars in their own right. In 2014, the duo announced their reunion along with long-time friend, , for a residency called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues to be extended including more shows throughout this year. The duo recently announced their upcoming collaboration album REBOOT, available on April 5. The project will see the duo team up with , , , , , , , , , , and on re-ignited versions of their biggest hits. It was also revealed that Brooks & Dunn will be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in the “Modern Era Artist” category.

Scotty McCreery has been a household name for nearly half his life, ever since making history in 2011 as both the first country artist and the youngest male artist of any genre to debut his first studio album, the Platinum-certified Clear as Day, at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. His new single “Bottle Rockets” features the iconic Hootie and the Blowfish. The 31-year-old has sold more than 4 million albums and achieved 6 No.1 hits including the most recent “Cab in a Solo” from his album Rise & Fall. The North Carolina native has earned one Triple Platinum, five Platinum and four Gold singles; one Platinum and two Gold albums; won the 10th season of “American Idol” in 2011 at age 17; was named the ACM New Artist of the Year in 2011; won two CMT Music Awards, the first for Breakthrough Video of the Year (“The Trouble with Girls”) in 2012, and the second for Digital-First Performance of the Year (‘It Matters to Her’ from “CMT Stages”) in 2024; and BMI Awards for writing One of the Top 50 Country Songs of the Year six times. McCreery was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2023. Last year, he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Josh Turner and Randy Travis, after being invited by Garth Brooks.

Since she was a child, Dasha never questioned if she’d make it in music—only when. After years of grinding and writing over a thousand songs—including her breakout hit, the 40x platinum “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)”—her moment finally arrived. What came next was nothing short of explosive. In 2024, she hit the country circuit hard, with standout performances at Stagecoach, Austin City Limits, the CMT Awards, and CMA Fest. She sold out her first global headlining tour, Dashville USA, and lit up two of the biggest stages on TV: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve. “Austin” became one of the most-streamed country songs of the year and earned her the People’s Choice Country Award for Female Song of the Year. She’s currently on the road again, this time as support for Kane Brown and Thomas Rhett. “This is exactly where I’m meant to be,” she says. “I love this community… and I think it shows just how excited I am to be here.”

Fusing hard-rocking sonic aggression with the deep-feeling confessions of a country troubadour, River House Artists/Warner Music Nashville’s Austin Snell is an emerging country talent for whom the rules have never really applied. A Georgia native and Air Force vet who grew up on a steady diet of Nickelback, Three Doors Down, Creed and Alan Jackson, the Nashville newcomer has bucked Nashville’s “10 year town” moniker, arriving in 2022 and quickly starting work to make “grunge country” a household name. With distorted, dark-energy guitars, thundering drums and a wounded vocal at the end of its emotional rope, his gritty debut single “Excuse the Mess,” co-written with Presley Aaron and Christian Yancey, leads the charge into Snell’s opening chapter. The rising star now counts a rare SiriusXM Highway Find accolade – the same one bestowed on now-superstars like Maren Morris and Luke Combs. He is also the second artist ever chosen for SiriusXM’s Artist Accelerator program, and with a growing touring footprint that has put him on the road with country’s brightest stars. Mixing blacked-out rock aggression with late-night country reflection, “Pray All the Way Home” (co-written by Snell, Andrew Baylis, Michael Whitworth, Cam Walker) points the way ahead for one of Nashville’s most exciting new talents, proving once and for all: Some rules are really more like suggestions. His latest single, “Circles,” along with his EP ‘Home Sweet Hell’ is out now.

Raised in California’s Central Valley as a farmer’s daughter, Annie Bosko blends the grit of her roots with the firepower of her influences—including The Judds, Shania Twain, Deana Carter, and George Strait—on her debut album California Cowgirl, available now via QHMG / Stone Country Records. The 19-song collection, featuring collaborations with Darius Rucker, Dwight Yoakam and Joe Nichols, brings traditional country instrumentation into sharp focus while celebrating female strength, vulnerability and joy. Bosko first broke out with the SiriusXM / CMT favorite “Crooked Halo” and was named a Rolling Stone Country Artist to Watch, later making her late-night debut on Jimmy Kimmel Live! with “Neon Baby,” which marked her first charting single at country radio. Bosko’s latest track, “Goodbye California,” is a heartbreaking unrequited love song for her home state. She has written songs recorded by Willie Nelson and Jessica Simpson, toured with Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley and Blake Shelton, and sold out Los Angeles’ famed Troubadour. Bosko will join Dolly Parton for Dolly: Live in Las Vegas at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Sept. 23, 2026.

TICKETS
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HOTELS

Lacuna Coil at The Van Buren
2026-04-12 19:30 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
If you know Lacuna Coil then you’ll already be aware that every album entry in their storied career is more than just a sound. Each one is a richly textured soundtrack to a specific time and a place. With Sleepless Empire, that place is dark, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have given Lacuna Coil such a celebrated entry in the annals of heavy music.
As founding songwriter-in-chief Marco Coti Zelati, aka Maki explains, while the writing process for Lacuna Coil’s tenth studio record began in December, the record’s real creative birth coincided with the release of 2022’s Comalies XX, a 20th-anniversary reimagining of their landmark 2002 record, Comalies. It was more than an epic and rapturously received reinvention of that 21st century classic. It would serve to align the past, the present, and the future of Lacuna Coil as they take their first steps into the fourth decade of their remarkable career.
“I never get stuck in the past,” says Maki. “Sure, I still love Type O Negative and Paradise Lost, but I also love soundtracks: big orchestral stuff like Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman or even John Williams. If people had a chance to listen to Sleepless Empire without the voice, guitars or drums – the orchestral part – it’d be a soundtrack because it’s very cinematic and that’s how I spend most of my time. I grew up watching movies all day long, even with my father – there was this massive culture of movies and soundtracks, even iconic horror ones like Friday the 13th or Halloween and obviously growing up in Italy, Goblin and their incredible soundtracks for Profondo Rosso and Suspiria.”
And from the colossal refrains of album opener The Siege to the wickedly catchy I Wish You Were Dead and the irrepressibly classic feel of Sleepless Empire’s title track, there’s no mistaking the confidence of Lacuna Coil’s latest, and it has its share of surprises, too. They come in the form of two very special guest appearances from none other than New Years Day banshee Ash Costello on their epic In The Mean Time and an ear-splittingly over-the-top contribution from Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe on Hosting the Shadow. According to founding vocalist Andrea Ferro, Randy’s inclusion was a family affair.
“We met Randy when we did Ozzfest together back in 2004,” he says. “We were on the same stage and we started a friendship and always stayed in touch – we toured together in so many different situations and at so many festivals, so we know each other – he’s really like a part of the family to us. Finally doing a collab with him was both a natural thing but also a huge honor for us, as we’re friends but also fans.”
As for the addition of Ash Costello to the proceedings, it came from a place of mutual admiration and wanting to bring her celebrated vocal style into the fray.
“We were searching for that perfect ‘rock’ voice,” Ferro explains. “Not too clean or symphonic but rather something with fire in it, and she has it – exactly what we needed for that part. We really loved what she did to the song, it’s absolutely perfect.”
And if there’s a special edge to Sleepless Empire it’s about more than that vocal cross pollination alone. As Ferro explains, the key to Lacuna Coil’s eternally youthful aura is their curiosity and ability to respond creatively to new inspiration without losing sight of the qualities that make them who they are – and he counts Sleep Token, Spiritbox, Bad Omens, and Bring Me The Horizon as examples of other bands who are doing the same to keep the scene and their own sounds vibrant. That independent spirit has been key to balancing Lacuna Coil’s artistic prerogative against the weight of expectation, and Ferro is emphatic when describing how these strange times have generated no shortage of material to influence Sleepless Empire’s weighty lyrics and mood.
“Our sound is dark because it reflects the society we’re living in – it’s a portrait of our times,” he says. “We’re from a unique generation that remembers the analog world but lives in the digital one, we’re the first generation that’s lived through both so we’ve been witnesses the change to our society and that’s the Sleepless Empire. Everyone is always on their phone, always scrolling, always doing something – morning to night, it just never stops.”
And it’s perhaps the simultaneous promise and peril of our increasingly tech-governed world that’s been on Cristina Scabbia’s mind for some time, an unease she’s channeled into Lacuna Coil’s latest. It’s a feeling she’s unafraid of expressing outside of the studio, too.
“Before Comalies XX we literally stopped creating,” she says. “With the pandemic going on, everything was so negative around us that we didn’t want to connect to anything and in some way, it was like a comeback for us because it renewed our love of songwriting, but we needed to find a spark that’d create the concept for our record. We love singles, but we like an idea of a whole record that tells a story – the kind that captures a moment in time.”
It’s a philosophy that’s reflected in every aspect of Sleepless Empire. The album’s box set includes an Oracle divination game which the band have playfully hidden in the booklet for fans to find. It also influenced their decision to work with Neapolitan illustrator Roberto Toderico, whose stunning cover art is something that Cristina explains reflects a deeper sentiment than a purely aesthetic choice. It’s an expression of the band’s desire to remain defiantly authentic in an increasingly challenged creative landscape.
“I met Roberto at a comic convention. I love his work because it’s completely handmade,” she says. “People pretend that AI is creating something new and I disagree with that. I’m not against tech, what I’m against is people confusing tech with 100% creativity like music or painting or drawing that comes from what you have inside. I understand people’s pain from all this because I feel that too.”
It’s perhaps that perspective that gives Sleepless Empire such a timely but timeless feel. It’s a portrait of these times, and a powerful statement of intent from a band at ease with their past and defiantly forging ever-forward.

In their almost 20 years as a band there have been many changes to the lineup of – with vocalist holding down vocals for 15 of them. In preparation for their upcoming album –– they have reached peak stability and happiness. They may come at the music from different directions, but both Ortiz and Mabbitt agree on the importance of the band’s live presentation. “Whether it is 500 or 50,000 people in the room, we BRING IT,” says Mabbitt. Ortiz agrees and adds “the honor of the ability to do this for a living for our amazing fans is not lost on us. We are really grateful.” Gratitude and humility are the buzzwords for the new .
Another thing that is new is the official addition of longtime bassist, Erik Jensen, to the lineup. TJ Bell has been ‘the glue’ that held the chaotic lot together in his nearly 10 years with the band. Matti Hoffman is the coffee-chugging, guitar-solo-writing, high-energy new guitarist taking on his duties while Kevin ‘Thrasher’ Gruft explores the world of production.
Laying themselves bare for the fans, it is a re-invigorated on . New label (Big Noise – run by longtime collaborator producer John Feldmann), new bandmates and a new lease on life for each of them, the only thing that has not changed is ’s love for their fans and determination to give them the very best of which they are capable.

Self-described death-pop duo VOWWS write buzzing, hook-filled songs that thread together influences such as new wave, surf rock, goth, and film scores. The duo’s music is dark and dreamy yet focused and energetic, prioritizing melodies and warmth while experimenting with unconventional song structures and textures. The group’s 2015 debut album, The Great Sun, featured a collaboration with synth pop pioneer Gary Numan, and the duo subsequently shared the stage with Deftones, Cold Cave, and the Soft Moon. After collaborating with Chino Moreno and Chelsea Wolfe, the band released their third album, I’ll Fill Your House with an Army, in 2025.
Originally from Sydney, Australia, Rizz and Matt lived in New York City for a few years, releasing an album under the name WAZU in 2012. Refining their blend of synth pop, metal, industrial, and other influences, the duo issued a self-titled EP as VOWS in 2013. In 2015, the duo relocated to Los Angeles and signed with Cleopatra Records, releasing full-length The Great Sun under the altered name VOWWS that year. Gary Numan guested on the single “Losing Myself in You,” and Swans drummer Thor Harris also contributed to the album. The duo spent the next few years writing new material and playing gigs with bands such as Sextile and Prayers. In 2018, VOWWS’ second album, Under the World, was released by Weyrd Son Records, and the duo toured across North America with Soft Kill. After VOWWS appeared at the Dia de los Deftones festival in San Diego that November, Deftones leader Chino Moreno appeared on “Structure of Love II,” a reworked version of a song off Under the World.
VOWWS released the songs “Impulse Control” and “Stay Where You Are” in 2020. A cover of Britney Spears‘ “Womanizer” appeared in 2021. “One by One”/”Shadow Man” was released in 2022, and VOWWS additionally collaborated with Chelsea Wolfe on the song “WAIT.” After signing with German label Out of Line, VOWWS returned with their third full-length, I’ll Fill Your House with an Army, in 2025. The song “SHUDDER” featured James “Munky” Shaffer from Korn and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters).

Bruno Mars at State Farm Stadium
2026-04-14 19:00 - 2026-04-15 23:30 | State Farm Stadiu, 1 Cardinals Dr., Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
A born entertainer with a stage name ideal for a showman, Bruno Mars is not only a charismatic performer but also a songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and all-around studio collaborator whose Grammy nominations and awards have recognized his full range of talent. Putting an updated pop twist on styles such as early rock & roll and R&B, new wave, and reggae, Mars rose to prominence in 2010, the year his name appeared at or near the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with B.o.B‘s “Nothin’ on You,” his own “Just the Way You Are,” and CeeLo Green‘s “Fuck You” — all three of which he had a hand in writing and producing. Those hits, along with Mars’ multi-platinum debut album Doo-Wops & Hooligans, led to a total of 13 Grammy nominations and a win for Male Pop Vocal Performance. Mars was only getting started. His 2012 return Unorthodox Jukebox, chart-topping Mark Ronson collaboration “Uptown Funk,” and production for Adele‘s 25, followed by his 2016-issued third album 24K Magic, combined for ten Grammys including wins in three of the Big Four categories. Having contemporized several shades of funk, mid-’80s pop, and new jack swing on 24K Magic, Mars then teamed with touring partner Anderson .Paak to record a set of knowing retro-soul under the name Silk Sonic. Their 2021 LP, An Evening with Silk Sonic, became Mars’ fourth platinum album with the number one pop hit “Leave the Door Open” alone taking four Grammys. The duo’s 2022 cover of Con Funk Shun‘s “Love’s Train,” fronted by Mars with typically raspy conviction, has since become an R&B radio staple. Collaborations with Lady Gaga (“Die with a Smile”) and Rosé (“APT.”) attracted further accolades before Mars returned with his fourth album, The Romantic (2026), heralded by the chart-topping “I Just Might.”
Born Peter Hernandez in 1985 in Honolulu, Hawaii, Mars kicked off his career at the age of four by fronting his uncle’s band, becoming Oahu’s youngest Elvis impersonator in the process. Ten years later, he was impersonating the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, as part of the Legends in Concert show. After graduating high school in 2003, he took his uncle’s advice and moved to California to pursue a music career. He eventually met songwriter Philip Lawrence, who convinced Mars to try his hand at writing songs for other artists. The two dubbed themselves the Smeezingtons and co-wrote Brandy‘s “Long Distance.” The duo scored their first number one hit in 2009, when they co-authored Flo Rida‘s international smash “Right Round.”
By 2010, Mars seemed to be everywhere: singing alongside B.o.B on the chart-topping “Nothin’ on You,” co-writing “Billionaire,” and collaborating with CeeLo Green on the Grammy-nominated hit “Fuck You.” He also began issuing his own material, starting with the May 2010 release of his first EP, It’s Better If You Don’t Understand. Doo-Wops & Hooligans, his full-length debut, appeared later that year and quickly produced a number one single, “Just the Way You Are.” He hit number one again with “Grenade” and remained in the Top Ten with “The Lazy Song” and “It Will Rain.” In 2012, Mars both hosted and performed as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live, debuting tracks from his upcoming album.
That record, the genre-jumping effort Unorthodox Jukebox, was released later in the year and featured the chart-topping single “Locked Out of Heaven,” along with production from Mark Ronson, Diplo, and others. “Locked Out of Heaven” topped the Hot 100, and the album reached number two in the U.S. The second single, “When I Was Your Man,” also hit number one. Unorthodox Jukebox later won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. All that success made Mars a natural for one of the world’s most prestigious gigs, the half-time show for Super Bowl XLVIII, where he performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2014. Mars later fronted Mark Ronson‘s “Uptown Funk,” a song he co-wrote that was among the most popular singles of that year. It topped charts around the globe (becoming his sixth number one) and took home several Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year.
In 2016, Mars returned with another funk-flavored hit, “24K Magic,” and its parent album of the same title. Influenced by soul, funk, and ’90s R&B, 24K Magic peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and produced Mars’ seventh chart-topper, “That’s What I Like,” as well as “Finesse” with rapper Cardi B and “Versace on the Floor,” which was also released as a remix by David Guetta. The album took home the Grammy Award for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. In February 2019, Mars again collaborated with Cardi B on the track “Please Me,” which landed at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. That July, he joined Ed Sheeran and Chris Stapleton on the song “Blow.”
In early 2021, Mars teamed with Anderson .Paak — who opened the European leg of the 24K Magic World Tour — as Silk Sonic. After releasing their first single, “Leave the Door Open,” in March, the duo made their television debut with a performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards. A year later, the pair dominated the 2022 Grammys ceremony, taking home awards for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song for “Leave the Door Open” from their global Top Ten debut An Evening with Silk Sonic. Also in 2022, the duo returned to the airwaves with a faithful cover of Con Funk Shun‘s 1982 deep quiet storm classic “Love’s Train.” 2024 saw Mars collaborating on a pair of high-profile hits. “Die with a Smile” was a joint effort with Lady Gaga that topped the Hot 100 and earned them a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group, and it was followed in October by an appearance on “APT.,” a number three hit single for Rosé. The latter was nominated for three Grammys. Mars returned to solo recording for the first time in a decade with 2026’s The Romantic. Led by the single “I Just Might,” his first song to debut at number one in the U.S., it was produced by D’Mile and the artist himself.

Insane Clown Posse at Marquee Theatre
2026-04-19 19:00 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
Part rap group, part societal phenomenon, Insane Clown Posse amassed an unlikely cult around their cartoonish and critically loathed horrorcore rap styles. Loosely connected themes of psychopathic clowns, Faygo soda, and the importance of friendship were enough for thousands of die-hard fans to don clown make up and proclaim themselves “juggalos,” part of a community of Insane Clown Posse superfans drawn to their lowest-common-denominator humor and shock-factor rhymes. Staunchly independent, ICP only had brief and controversy-heavy associations with major labels around the time of their 1997 album The Great Milenko, but spent most of their decades of existence releasing their albums (as well as the music of an extended family of artists) on their own Psychopathic Records label. The group’s grassroots approach resulted in millions of album sales, with a creative and commercial peak around the time of their highly conceptual late-’90s/early-2000s output. A loose narrative exposed over the course of several albums — records like 1995’s Riddle Box and 1999’s The Amazing Jeckel Brothers — was presented as different “joker’s cards,” culminating with the spiritual reveal of 2002’s The Wraith: Shangri-La. At that point, however, the wicked clowns were the center of a global counterculture, and they charged ahead for decades to come with releases like 2007’s The Tempest, and the unveiling of a second deck of joker’s cards with albums like 2011’s Bang! Pow! Boom! and 2021’s Yum Yum Bedlam.
Down to a duo, ICP were originally formed in 1989 as a hardcore Detroit rap group called Inner City Posse. After combusting in 1991, the only members left, Violent J (born Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (born Joseph Utsler), slightly altered their name to reflect the fact that they had been visited by the Carnival Spirit, who ordered them to carry the word of an impending apocalypse by touring the nation and releasing six “joker cards” (popularly known as LPs) with successive revelations of the final judgment. The first, Carnival of Carnage, appeared in 1992 on their own Psychopathic Records label. The group became notorious in Detroit’s underground scene, but several tours around the region failed to ignite much more than the rage of community leaders.
Down to a duo, ICP were originally formed in 1989 as a hardcore Detroit rap group called Inner City Posse. After combusting in 1991, the only members left, Violent J (born Joseph Bruce) and Shaggy 2 Dope (born Joseph Utsler), slightly altered their name to reflect the fact that they had been visited by the Carnival Spirit, who ordered them to carry the word of an impending apocalypse by touring the nation and releasing six “joker cards” (popularly known as LPs) with successive revelations of the final judgment. The first, Carnival of Carnage, appeared in 1992 on their own Psychopathic Records label. The group became notorious in Detroit’s underground scene, but several tours around the region failed to ignite much more than the rage of community leaders.
On Halloween 2000, the group issued its sixth album, which apparently did not count (as all the other albums had) as a joker card (in the ICP fantasy world, the sixth joker card was supposed to signal the apocalypse). Similar to Guns N’ Roses‘ Use Your Illusion, the album was released in two completely different, separate versions, titled Bizzar and Bizaar. Finally needing to live up to the years of hype, 2002’s The Wraith: Shangri-La revealed that the hidden message of their music was always to follow God and make it to Heaven. Considering the murder fantasies of “Beverly Kills 50187” and the necrophiliac overtones of “Cemetery Girl,” this may have been a shock to longtime fans.
In August 2004, the band released the sixth and final joker card, Hell’s Pit, in two separate editions; both had the same CD but were packed with different DVDs. Nevertheless, the Dark Carnival wasn’t fully shuttered. Spring 2005 found ICP hyping a new direction for the mythology, to be revealed with the May release of Calm. The EP also prepped Insane Clown Posse’s devoted fan base for the sixth annual Gathering of the Juggalos that July. Their 2007 effort, The Tempest, found the duo reuniting with producer Mike E. Clark, the man behind the first four joker card releases. Clark stuck around for their 2009 Bang! Pow! Boom! album. That same year, the duo presented a second feature-length film. This time exploring a western motif, Big Money Rustlas featured the clowns in gunslinger garb and was again released outside of theaters.
Featuring Freshness, a two-disc collection of the group’s work with other artists, arrived in 2011. A year later, the conceptual The Mighty Death Pop focused on their detractors and other “certified hoes,” with Clark returning as producer. In 2015, The Marvelous Missing Link (Lost) landed as the first of that year’s two albums, while The Marvelous Missing Link (Found) landed later in the year. In 2017, while recording the next joker card, the duo released a pair of solo albums, with Shaggy 2 Dope‘s F.T.F.O.M.F. arriving months before Violent J‘s American Life/Lives. In mid-2018, the group announced that their 15th studio album, Fearless Fred Fury, would be released in October of that year, but it was ultimately pushed back until February 2019. An eight-song EP, Flip the Rat, was scheduled for release on the same day. In advance of the group’s next studio album, they released the eight-song EP Yum Yum’s Lure in February of 2021, eventually delivering a full album, Yum Yum Bedlam, on the last day of October that same year. The album represented the fifth joker’s card in the second deck of the ongoing Dark Carnival saga, and included guest appearances from Roadside Ghost and Vinnie Dombroski.

Sick New World 2026 at Las Vegas Festival Grounds
2026-04-25 10:00 - 23:30 | Las Vegas Festival Grounds, 2880 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas, NV, 89109, United States
After hitting a bump in the road in 2025, the Sick New World festival is returning in a big way in 2026, staging massive one-day events in both Las Vegas and Forth Worth, Texas, both headlined by System of a Down.
The 2026 Vegas edition, taking place April 25th at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds, boasts System of a Down, Korn, Bring Me the Horizon, Ministry, Evanescence, Marilyn Manson, AFI, Acid Bath, Knocked Loose, Danny Elfman, Cypress Hill, Mastodon, Underoath, Melvins, Filter, Clutch, and many more acts.
TICKETS
The inaugural Fort Worth edition, set for October 24th, 2026, at the Texas Motor Speedway, features System of a Down, Deftones, Slayer (celebrating the 40th anniversary of Reign in Blood), Evanescence, Ministry, AFI, Mastodon, Knocked Loose, Power Trip, The Prodigy, Underoath, Clutch, Down, Melvins, and more.
A pre-sale for the Vegas edition of Sick New World festival starts Thursday, October 23rd, at 10 a.m. local time, using the code SICK26 at this location. The pre-sale for Texas starts on Friday, October 24th, at 10 a.m. local time using the code SICK26 at this link.
The 2025 edition that was set to feature Metallica and Linkin Park in Las Vegas was abruptly canceled within weeks of its announcement, reportedly due to low ticket sales. For 2026, organizers once again tapped System of a Down, who headlined the successful first two editions of Sick New World in 2023 and 2024 in Sin City.
See the full lineups for both festivals in the posters below.

Hayley Williams at The Van Buren
2026-05-05 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
Ego Death At a Bachelorette Party puts Hayley Williams’ full range on display. “Mirtazapine” is a late-’90s alt-rock love letter to antidepressants, while on “Glum,” she subverts her own voice—using vocal presets to striking effect as the track meditates on loneliness. Other standouts include “Whim,” an easy Americana earworm with a songwriting backbone that nods to her Nashville roots, and “Ice in My OJ,” a thoroughly modern track that pairs sharp production with some of Williams’ most biting and humorous lyrics to date. Long-time Paramore fans may quickly recognize the “Ice In My OJ” chorus, as it was first sung by Williams in 2004 on “Jumping Inside” by the Mammoth City Messengers. But perhaps all of her talents converge most impactfully on the album’s only previously unreleased track, “Parachute.” It’s a reminder of Williams ability to strike right at the heart, with not only her confessional lyrics, but her unmatched delivery. The album captures all the dynamism Williams has shown throughout her career and collaborations. At its core, these songs are the work of a supremely gifted artist with a voracious, genre-defying appetite for music and creative exploration.
These songs come as the third batch of work released from Williams as a solo artist. The COVID-era saw her release two extraordinary albums – 2020’s Petals For Armor and 2021’s Flowers for Vases. Both albums were gorgeous and stark meditations on loss and offered up a contrast to the high-energy and up-tempo muscle she displays in Paramore. “The record—epitomizing vulnerability and transformative growth—reveals a more mature and introspective side of Williams,” said Pitchfork of Petals, and went on to say of Flowers “her voice is undoubtedly the standout feature… husky and gentle, dangerous yet warm,” and explained that the minimal production “makes this a purposeful reset.”
Hayley Williams is a 3x GRAMMY winning singer, songwriter and musician best known for her role as the frontperson of legendary rock band Paramore. With her incredible range and delivery, Billboard ranked her at #13 on their list of 50 Greatest Rock Singers of All Times saying, “when it comes to singers in contemporary rock, Hayley Williams reigns supreme.” Frequently listed as a source of inspiration from contemporary performers as varied as Chappell Roan, Doechii and Billie Eilish – she’s also appeared on a wide variety of albums and singles as a collaborator and guest vocalist including Turnstile’s latest “Seein’ Stars”, Moses Sumney’s “I Like It I Like It,” and Taylor Swift’s “Castles Crumbling.” Swift went on to have Paramore open the first ever The Eras Tour show that debuted in Arizona and later they went on to open all dates on the European leg of her world tour.
At just 16 she brought the band to the masses with the release of their album All We Know Is Falling which was certified Gold and just celebrated its 20 year anniversary last week. The band’s breakthrough came with 2007’s Riot!, powered by the success of the 6X certified platinum single “Misery Business.” In 2009, Brand New Eyes solidified their place in the rock landscape. Paramore’s self-titled 2013 album marked a commercial and critical peak, with the platinum single “Ain’t It Fun” earning Paramore their first Grammy win for ‘Best Rock Song’ in 2015 and further nominations for ‘Best Rock Album.’ 2017’s After Laughter introduced a polished, ‘pop-influenced sound that continued to attract acclaim with the breakout single “Hard Times.” After a long hiatus, in 2023, they returned with This Is Why, a full grown, alternative-leaning record that earned the band two Grammy wins for ‘Best Alternative Song’ and ‘Best Rock Album’ making Paramore the first female-fronted rock band to ever win the category in its 31-year history.
Hayley Williams bandmate Zac Farro also recently released his first solo-work under his own name. Zac Farro – Operator is out everywhere now via his own label, Congrats Records.

It’s A Beautiful Place opens with zero-gravity instrumental ‘One Small Step’ – a fitting prelude for what is one giant leap for New York duo Water From Your Eyes. The album is a gleaming megalopolis, a satellite view of eras and musical forms, a reframing of the y2k songbook that is at once awe-struck and mindful of its place in the vastness. Short instrumental interludes serve as portals between towering, muscular songs. “It ended up being about time, dinosaurs and space,” says Nate Amos . “We wanted to present a wide range of styles in a way that acknowledges everything’s just a tiny blip.” Throughout It’s A Beautiful Place is a clear sense of a band who have honed their curveballs into home runs. Looming and melancholy, wide-eyed and petrified, it’s Blade Runner with a touch of WALL-E, it’s Kubrick and Asimov with a hint of Jay and Silent Bob. These are songs that look outward, conscious of our smallness and questioning our place in the universe while admiring the surrounding beauty.

Florence + The Machine at Desert Diamond Arena
2026-05-09 19:30 - 23:30 | Desert Diamond Arena, 9400 W Maryland Ave, Glendale, AZ, 85305, United States
South London’s Florence + the Machine blends Baroque pop, pastoral folk, and artful alternative rock to create a rousing sound which they debuted on 2009’s Lungs. Led by namesakes Florence Welch and Isabella “Machine” Summers, the group broke into the mainstream on the strength of their platinum singles “Dog Days Are Over,” “You’ve Got the Love,” and “Shake It Out,” which were elevated by Welch‘s powerhouse vocals. As their first three releases topped U.K. charts, they made a steady climb in the U.S., hitting number six on the Billboard 200 with 2011’s Ceremonials. In 2015, they secured their first Billboard number one with How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, which became a worldwide smash. That same year they headlined the Glastonbury Festival and returned to the Top Five of the global album charts with 2018’s High as Hope. Following non-album singles like 2019’s “Jenny of Oldstones” and 2020’s “Light of Love,” Welch and company released 2022’s choreomania-influenced set Dance Fever. They returned in 2025 with Everybody Scream.
Formed in 2007 by vocalist Welch and keyboardist Summers, Florence + the Machine released their debut single, “Kiss with a Fist,” on the Moshi Moshi label in June 2008. Once a full band was recruited, they signed with Island Records in November. Their critically acclaimed debut album, Lungs, followed in July 2009 and quickly became one of the year’s most popular releases in the U.K., where Florence charted four Top 40 singles in less than 12 months. The songs gathered steam in other parts of the world, too, particularly in America, where the anthemic “Dog Days Are Over” peaked at number 21 and went platinum. Lungs was reissued the following year in a two-disc package entitled Between Two Lungs, adding a bonus 12-track disc that featured live versions, remixes by the Horrors and Yeasayer, and Twilight soundtrack inclusion “Heavy in Your Arms.”
In 2010, Florence + the Machine returned to the studio with producer Paul Epworth (Bloc Party, Adele) to begin work on their second full-length outing. The resulting Ceremonials, which successfully expanded on the group’s already huge sound, arrived on Halloween in 2011. In addition to the lead single “Shake It Out,” the chart-topping set also included “No Light, No Light” and the Australian multi-platinum Top Three hit “Never Let Me Go.”
The following year saw the release of CD and DVD versions of MTV Unplugged, an 11-track set filmed before a small studio audience that featured fan favorites along with a pair of covers, including “Try a Little Tenderness” and the Johnny Cash/June Carter classic “Jackson,” the latter of which featured guest vocals by Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme. That same year, Welch announced an upcoming period of inactivity, during which time the band crafted its next record and Welch scored a chart-topping dance hit, “Sweet Nothing,” with Scottish producer Calvin Harris.
Her third studio long-player, the Markus Dravs-produced How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, arrived in May 2015. Nominated for five Grammy Awards, it was the band’s third consecutive number one U.K. album, topping charts in Australia, the U.S., and across Europe. A yearlong international tour and short film The Odyssey extended How Big‘s promotional cycle into 2016.
Their fourth effort, High as Hope, followed in 2018. Featuring production by Welch and Emile Haynie, the album included the singles “Sky Full of Song,” “Big God,” and “Hunger.” Upon release, it entered the Top Three across the globe. While on the road promoting the effort, Welch issued the singles “Moderation” and “Jenny of Oldstones.” The latter track appeared on the final season of television series Game of Thrones and became a modest chart hit.
Another single, “Light of Love,” arrived in April 2020 as a charity song released in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with proceeds going to Britain’s Intensive Care Society. Welch also contributed the song “Call Me Cruella” to the soundtrack to Disney’s live-action 2021 film Cruella.
The Jack Antonoff co-produced “King” arrived in February 2022 as the first single released off the band’s fifth studio album, Dance Fever. Antonoff joined Glass Animals‘ Dave Bayley and Kid Harpoon on production of the anthemic, healing LP, which also included the urgent hit singles “Free” and “My Love.” Released that May, the album topped the U.K. Albums chart, as well as Billboard’s Top Rock and Alternative charts, and peaked at number seven on the Billboard 200. The band toured the album through 2023. In 2024, Welch was joined by Jules Buckley and his Orchestra for the BBC Proms series, performing Lungs in its entirety.
Florence + the Machine’s next era kicked off in 2025 with the single “Everybody Scream” from the album of the same name. That set, their sixth studio effort, featured input from Idles guitarist Mark Bowen, Mitski, and the National‘s Aaron Dessner.

Mannequin Pussy’s music feels like a resilient and galvanizing shout that demands to be heard. Across four albums, the Philadelphia rock band that consists of Colins “Bear” Regisford (bass, vocals), Kaleen Reading (drums, percussion), Maxine Steen (guitar, synths), and Marisa Dabice (guitar, vocals) has made cathartic tunes about despairing times. “There’s just so much constantly going on that feels intentionally evil that trying to make something beautiful feels like a radical act ,” says Dabice. “The ethos of this band has always been to bring people together.” Their latest I Got Heaven, which is out March 1 via Epitaph Records, is the band’s most fully realized LP yet. Over 10 ambitious tracks which abruptly turn from searing punk to inviting pop, the album is deeply concerned with desire, the power in being alone, and how to live in an unfeeling and unkind world. It’s a document of a band doubling down on their unshakable bond to make something furious, thrilling, and wholly alive.
Following the 2019 release of their critically acclaimed third album Patience, Mannequin Pussy returned in 2021 for their EP Perfect. They toured that release relentlessly and added guitarist Maxine Steen to the band’s official lineup. Where the band members’ personal lives were in transition with breakups, changing living situations, and periods of self-reevaluation, their time together on the road was a grounding and clarifying force.

Poison The Well and Converge at Nile Theater
2026-05-12 18:00 - 23:30 | The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Stree, Mesa, AZ, 85201, United States
In the space of barely a breath, Poison The Well pacify fits of jarring brutality with moments of fragile beauty. Their unmistakable melodic hardcore gently dilutes the residue of pain, betrayal, depression, and loss with hard-won wisdom and diligently earned self-acceptance. For as much force as they commit to the riffs and the breakdowns, there’s an equal amount of naked emotion encoded in their hooks. Poison The Well’s 1999 debut, The Opposite of December… A Season of Separation has claimed spots on Brooklyn Vegan’s “15 ‘90s Metalcore Albums That Still Resonate Today,” KERRANG!’s “21 Best U.S. Metalcore Albums of All Time,” Loudwire’s “25 Best Metalcore Albums of All Time,” and Revolver’s “10 Most Influential Metalcore Albums of All Time.” Stereogum put it best, “The Opposite of December… influenced a whole generation of metalcore bands.” Meanwhile, 2003’s You Come Before You remains regarded among Metal Hammer’s “100 Greatest Metal Albums of the 21st Century” and Rock Sound’s “250 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime.”
After touring in 2015 and 2021, they’ve commemorated birthdays of both You Come Before You and The Opposite of December with in-demand headline jaunts. Once again, the members—Jeff Moreira [vocals], Ryan Primack [guitar], and Chris Hornbrook [drums]—felt an intense need to create as a unit. Rallying together, the guys channeled the spirit of their most celebrated material through a prism of new experience on their sixth full-length offering, Peace In Place.

You feel it before you hear it. When you hear it, you can’t un-hear it. A low, persistent noise throbbing in the background. Scientists say it registers between 30 and 40 hertz. It’s been heard in Ipswich, Massachusetts. Auckland, New Zealand. Windsor, Ontario. It’s been haunting the population of Taos, New Mexico, for decades. It’s been linked to suicides in the UK.  Not everyone can hear it. No one knows where it’s coming from. They call it The Hum.
Converge have taken this mysterious real-world phenomenon and re-imagined it as a physical manifestation of human suffering.  “What if the Hum is the culmination of all the pain in the world creating an audible hum across the universe?” vocalist and lyricist Jacob Bannon posits. “Something noticeable to others operating on a similar frequency.”
Hum of Hurt  follows Love Is Not Enough as Converge’s second full-length release of 2026. Like its predecessor, the album presents a bleak but empathetic assessment of the human condition and its ongoing deterioration. Unlike Love Is Not Enough, the songs are rawer and more exposed. “When we got together to write, we ended up with a lot of material,” Bannon says. “We realized it was two separate albums.”

Yungblud at Arizona Financial Theatre
2026-05-25 19:30 - 23:30 | Arizona Financial Theatre, 400 W Washington St, Phoenix, AZ, 85004, United States
English musician Yungblud twists genres and societal conventions, incorporating rock, punk, and hip-hop into a rebellious mix that has endeared him to the outcast masses around the globe. Blending punk spirit with pop savvy, he made a steady climb in the late 2010s before scoring a trio of hits with Halsey, Machine Gun Kelly, Dan Reynolds, and frequent collaborator Travis Barker. While his full-length debut, 21st Century Liability, landed in 2018, he made his mainstream breakthrough a year later with the EP The Underrated Youth. That burgeoning success helped push his 2020 sophomore LP, Weird!, to the top of the U.K. albums chart. In 2022, he rode the contemporary pop-punk revivalist wave with his third set, Yungblud, followed by a clutch of singles in 2023. Ambitious fourth album Idols appeared in 2025.
Born Dominic Harrison in Yorkshire, the singer/songwriter was raised in a musical family. His father was a vintage guitar dealer and his grandfather played with T. Rex. Influenced by Bob Dylan, the Clash, and the Beatles, he played guitar and sang from a young age. In 2017, when he was 19, he issued his debut single, “King Charles,” a genre-blending protest song that fell somewhere between early Arctic Monkeys, Jamie T, and Rat Boy. He followed with the song “I Love You, Will You Marry Me,” which incorporated some dub and grime elements. A major-label deal with Geffen yielded Yungblud’s first collection, an eponymous 2018 EP that included his first two singles alongside three new tracks. His debut full-length, 21st Century Liability, appeared in May of that year and made a solid chart showing in Australia and Belgium.
Yungblud returned in early 2019 with “Parents,” “Loner,” and “11 Minutes,” the latter of which was a collaboration with Halsey and Travis Barker. Later that year, another track with Barker helped push Yungblud higher up the U.S. rock chart, this time with rapper Machine Gun Kelly on the raucous “I Think I’m Okay.” Primed by these chart placements, he scored his first spot on the Billboard 200 at the end of the year with his third EP, The Underrated Youth, which included his third Top Ten single on the Billboard Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart, “Original Me,” featuring Imagine Dragons‘ Dan Reynolds. Rounding out 2019, Yungblud teamed with Marshmello and Blackbear on “Tongue Tied.”
At the start of the next decade, he began a fresh blitz with the ecstatic pop of “Weird!” He later issued collaborations with rapper Denzel Curry (“Lemonade”) and fellow Englishmen Bring Me the Horizon (“Obey”). Yungblud closed 2020 with the release of his official sophomore effort, Weird!, which topped the U.K. albums chart. He returned in 2021 with a stirring live cover of David Bowie‘s “Life on Mars,” which was used as the soundtrack to NASA’s livestream following the Perseverance Mars rover’s touchdown. Yungblud started off 2022 with the fiery pop-punk single “The Funeral,” following it with “Memories,” a collaboration with fellow pop-punk revivalist Willow. His eponymously titled third album arrived later that year. Yungblud included those singles, as well as “Don’t Feel Like Feeling Sad Today.” He returned to his alt-rock roots in 2023 with the anthemic, inward-looking single “Lowlife,” followed by the brash “Hated” and “Happier” featuring Oli Sykes. Another collaboration, “When We Die (Can We Still Get High?)” with rapper Lil Yachty, appeared in January 2024. Full-length Idols arrived in 2025, drawing inspiration from Brit-pop and artists including David Bowie, Oasis, and My Chemical Romance, and was expanded as Idols [Complete] the following year, with help from the Smashing Pumpkins.

A familial Mexican hard rock band that blends savvy riffage, fist-pumping beats, and stadium-ready choruses, the Warning have evolved from viral sensations to festival faves with the release of their 2017 debut album, XXI Century Blood. Comprised of sisters Daniela (guitar, lead vocals), Paulina (drums, vocals, piano), and Alejandra Villarreal (bass, piano, backing vocals), the trio inked a deal with Universal imprint Lava Records in 2021 and issued the full-length ERROR in 2022. The group spent much of 2023 touring before ramping up for their fourth album, 2024’s Keep Me Fed.
The Villarreal sisters began posting videos online around 2014 and soon attracted attention due to the teen siblings’ instrumental precocity as well as a repertory made up of heavy metal covers by Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, and AC/DC. Signed by Victoria Records, the Warning issued their first EP, Escape the Mind, in 2015. The group’s debut album, XXI Century Blood, appeared in 2017, and before long the trio were sharing the stage with the likes of Def Leppard and the Killers. They released their sophomore full-length effort, Queen of the Murder Scene, in 2019, and caught the attention of Lava Records, which quickly added the band to its roster. “Choke,” the Warning’s debut single for the major label, arrived in 2021, and appeared on the 2022 long-player ERROR. Throughout 2023, they toured heavily, opening for Muse and Gun N’ Roses and visiting Europe for the first time. A string of 2024 singles like “S!CK” and “Burnout” preceded the release of the Warning’s fourth album, Keep Me Fed.

The Cab at Nile Theater
2026-05-26 19:30 - 23:30 | The Nile Theater, 105 West Main Stree, Mesa, AZ, 85201, United States
The Cab is a pop-rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada, known for their emotionally rich songwriting, genre-blending sound, and sharp musicality. Since forming in 2005, the band has carved out a lasting place in the alternative music scene—fusing sleek pop production with rock instrumentation, R&B influences, and lyrical depth.
The Cab gained early momentum with their breakout debut album, Whisper War (2008). In 2011, they made a bold creative leap with Symphony Soldier—a self-funded, independently released album that elevated their sound to cinematic levels and featured fan favorite “Angel with a Shotgun.” “Angel with a Shotgun” has surpassed 260M+ streams and, despite its pre-tiktok release, found massive success on shortform, reaching 400M+ views across 300K+ TikTok creates.
After an extended hiatus, The Cab officially returned in 2025, announcing their first new music in over a decade alongside live touring dates. Their new material dives deeper into themes of growth, reinvention, and emotional clarity—filtered through the lens of lived experience and creative maturity—while still delivering the cinematic energy and relatable themes that made them fan favorites over 10 years ago.
On Sept 26, 2025, the band marked their return with the release of a new EP, Road To Reign: A Prelude.
The lineup features returning members Alex DeLeon (vocals), Alex Marshall (guitar, keys), Dave Briggs (drums), and Joey Thunder (bass).

The HU + Apocalyptica at The Van Buren
2026-05-29 19:00 - 23:30 | The Van Buren, 401 W Van Buren St, Phoenix, AZ, 85003
The Hu are a Mongolian band whose fusion of heavy metal, throat singing, and traditional Mongolian instrumentation brought them global attention and commercial success at the end of the 2010s. Their single “Wolf Totem” enjoyed a surprising run in the U.S., topping two Billboard charts, making them the first band from their country to do so. Following the breakout success of their 2019 debut, The Gereg, the Hu toured heavily, took part in a 2020 Metallica tribute album, and in 2022 began teasing singles from their follow-up LP, Rumble of Thunder.
Formed in 2016 in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar by Gala (morin khuur, vocals), Jaya (tumur khuur, tsuur, vocals), Enkush (morin khuur, vocals), and Temka (tovshuur, backing vocals), the quartet take their name from the ancient Mongolian empire known as the Hunna, which in Western culture is referred to as the Huns. Utilizing the distinctive, multi-octave droning technique known as throat singing as well as the traditional string and wind instruments of their homeland, the Hu and their producer, Dashka, married this sound with electric guitars, bass, and heavy metal drums to great success. Their first two singles, “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem,” appeared in 2018 and went viral, notching millions of streams worldwide; the latter song hit number one on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Sales chart as well as the World Music chart. Both tracks appeared the following year on the Hu’s debut album, The Gereg, which saw international release from Eleven Seven Records.
The end of 2019 proved to be a fruitful period, with the group’s first North American tour and the release of collaborative mixes of “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem,” featuring American singers Danny Case (From Ashes to New) and Jacoby Shaddix (Papa Roach), respectively. The band also landed a song on the soundtrack to the popular Star Wars video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. The collaborations continued into 2020 with another Hu track, “Song of Women,” featuring Halestorm vocalist Lzzy Hale. That same year, they contributed a cover of Metallica‘s “Sad But True” to the Metallica Blacklist tribute album. In May 2022, the Hu delivered “This Is Mongol,” the lead single from their second album, Rumble of Thunder. A second song, “Black Thunder,” arrived two months later.

A listen to Apocalyptica’s Apocalyptica brings with it the nagging urge to figure out where, exactly, the music fits. Certain moments — entire tracks, even — are given over to classical formality, and it is in those moments, steeped as they are in traditional loveliness, that a listener can come dangerously close to thinking he is hearing something lofty and important. He is not. Apocalyptica, the genre-splicing Finnish instrumental band that changed headbangers’ perception of the cello, is not pretentious exactly, but its effect is the same as that of a rock band whose lead singer is audibly British: it sounds smart. Too smart, for instance, to issue from the headphones of a kid just discovering Black Sabbath or lining up for Slipknot tickets. Where Apocalyptica might fit, then, is not with heavy rock scenesters but with aging metal heads. It is not hard to envision tracks like “Fatal Error” and “Fisheye” booming from the speakers of a splashy convertible with a bald guy at the wheel. Elaborate fantasy-concocting gamers — Dungeons & Dragons players and their descendants — also stand a better chance than most of finding relatable rock bliss here.

The album Weirdo (2025) is The Rasmus’ 11th full-length outing, produced and co-written by Desmond Child and Marti Fredriksen. The band was formed in 1994 while the members were still in high school. Their debut, Peep, rapidly went gold in Finland, making them rock stars at the age of 16. The follow-up, Playboys, also went gold and earned the group an Emma, Finland’s version of a Grammy. Their third album, Hell of a Tester, included “Liquid,” a track voted Best Single of the Year by Finnish music critics. 2001’s Into went double platinum, with its debut single, “F-F-F-Falling,” topping the charts. An international audience started to build, and the band toured Europe. Their fifth album, Dead Letters (2003), became their breakthrough, due in large part to the single “In the Shadows.” 2005’s Hide from the Sun went platinum in Finland. Their fourth Finnish chart-topper, Black Roses, was released in 2008, also produced by Desmond Child. After the Best of The Rasmus: 2001–2009 compilation, they released their self-titled eighth album in 2012. The band returned in 2017 with Dark Matters. In January 2022, they announced the departure of founding guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi and introduced new guitarist Emilia ‘Emppu’ Suhonen. The album Rise was released the same year, including “Jezebel,” Finland’s entry in the Eurovision competition. The Rasmus are vocalist Lauri Ylönen, bassist Eero Heinonen, guitarist Emppu Suhonen, and drummer Aki Hakala.

Killswitch Engage + Machine Head at Marquee Theatre
2026-06-24 18:30 - 23:30 | Marquee Theatre, 730 N Mill Ave, Tempe, AZ, 85281, United States
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 1999. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Days [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the band has shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and has sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.
2019 represents another turning point. The quintet—Adam Dutkiewicz [guitar, production], Joel Stroetzel [guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]—sharpens every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement. The vision the band initially shared two decades ago crystallizes like never before.
“To me, the name Killswitch Engage means ‘Shut the system down’,” exclaims Jesse. “It’s anti-authority and anti-corruption. My lyrics are very spiritual and political. It’s a part of what Killswitch has been since the beginning. We carry the message through the live show. There’s a sense of fun, enjoying life, and emotional catharsis. I don’t even know if we meant to do it consciously, but this showcases all of our styles. It happened naturally. I’m proud of it.”
“This is another honest record,” says Justin. “We’re just being who we are and writing the best material we can.”
“People take themselves way too seriously,” adds Adam. “We love metal, but we also love melody and we want to have a good time. That’s who we are; we don’t act like your typical ‘metal band.’
Atonement proves that. It earmarks the culmination of a trying and turbulent two years. The musicians started kicking around ideas as early as 2017. The band recorded the bulk of the material separately, with Adam once again behind the board. They worked at Signature Sound for drums and Adam’s own Wicked Good Studios for guitars, both based in San Diego. Meanwhile, Mike cut his bass tracks wherever he could: on the road in hotels, in dressing rooms backstage, and at home. Vocals were recorded on both coasts at Mainline Recording Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts and Wicked Good Studios. In the middle of the process, a polyp developed scar tissue in Jesse’s throat, forcing him to undergo surgery. The intense three-month recovery ended with speech therapy, vocal therapy, and scream therapy.
“At first, I was wondering if I was done career-wise,” he admits. “It worked out though. Out of everything came a real determination to learn techniques and get a second chance at becoming a better vocalist. I have so much more control of my voice and can scream properly. I don’t think the album would be what it is if I didn’t go through all of this.”
His “trial-by-fire” on stage came during a 2018 tour with Iron Maiden as he regained “confidence” performing in front of sold out arena and stadium crowds. At the same time, he experienced a debilitating bout of writer’s block. By the end of this run with the metal gods, Adam took him aside and offered words of inspiration.
“I shared my unfinished lyrics, and he said, ‘You don’t even need all of these. Keep it simple.’,” Jesse goes on. “I was stressed out. I was insecure. A lot was going on in my head between writer’s block and the surgery. It was amazing to have a friend and producer like Adam mentally slap me upside the face and encourage me.”
“Jesse did a really great job with the words and melodies,” remarks the guitarist. “At the same time, I strove to write songs that were really thrash-y and aggressive. We’ve got more butt-kickers than we usually do.”
Signing to Metal Blade also stoked this fresh fire. “We were all excited to kick off a new chapter,” says Justin. “We’ve known Brian Slagel forever. We have friends who have worked with him. We went into this with a sense of optimism about what we could potentially do on this cycle with Metal Blade on our side.”
The opener and first single “Unleashed” tempers ominous drums with foreboding guitars before descending into a chantable refrain. “It’s the genesis of the whole thing,” explains the frontman. “For me, it’s about the inner animal and darkness we all have inside. Thankfully, I’ve only had it come out a few times in my life. The chorus felt like something people could relate to.”
“The Signal Fire” steamrolls from airtight thrashing towards an expansive and entrancing refrain. Boasting a guest appearance from former Killswitch Engage singer and current Light The Torch vocalist Howard Jones, it sparks a pyre of metallic mastery, joining two eras of the band on one anthem.
“I had an image from Lord of The Rings when they climb to the top of the mountain and light a fire to signal for backup,” says Jesse. “It felt powerful to me. At the same time, Howard’s Light The Torch was making new music. I thought, ‘‘Light The Torch’and ‘Signal Fire’ make sense together.’ It needed to be a call-to-arms, and I wanted to invite him to sing on it. We hit it off for the first time, recently. Afterwards, we were texting back-and-forth. We needed a song with him to show the fans there’s solidarity. It’s a perfect ode to our bond as brothers and a nice nod to Light The Torch.”
Elsewhere, legendary Testament mainman Chuck Billy brings his unmistakable guttural growl to the possessed power of “Crownless King,” which Adam rightfully refers to as “fucking awesome.” On the other end of the spectrum, the soaring chorus of “I Am Broken Too” assures “someone struggling with mental illness or suicidal thoughts not to give up, because there are more of us than you think,” as the singer reminds. Then there’s “As Sure As the Sun Will Rise,” which builds towards a triumphant chant, turning a corner thematically over thunderous percussion and punch-y guitars.
In the end, Killswitch Engage lengthen their legacy while blazing another new path—the system won’t be the same again.
“I want to take all of that energy, negativity, and shit I suffer with and turn it into something positive to make people feel a sense of hope,” Jesse leaves. “Acknowledge the darkness and fight through it. If you keep pushing, you will persevere. There will always be a ray of hope.”
“I want fans to enjoy this,” Adam concludes. “When I listen to metal records, I get pumped up and excited. I hope our fans can get just as excited when they hear our songs and watch us play live. Do you really want to pay money to look at someone pretending to be a badass? It’s not what we do. If we’re laughing, we’re enjoying it—and we are enjoying this one.”
BOILER
Killswitch Engage first shook the structure of heavy music upon climbing out of snowy industrialized Western Massachusetts in 2000. A musical outlier, the band pioneered a union of thrashed-out European guitar pyrotechnics, East Coast hardcore spirit, on-stage hijinks, and enlightened lyricism that set the pace for what the turn-of-the-century deemed heavy. 2002’s Alive Or Just Breathing became avowed as a definitive album, being named among “The Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade” by Decibel and celebrated by everyone from Metal Hammer to Revolver. Not only did they bust open the floodgates for dozens to follow, but they also garnered two GRAMMY® Award nominations in the category of “Best Metal Performance” in 2005 and 2014, respectively, and gold certifications for The End of Heartache [2004] and As Daylight Days [2006]. The group landed three consecutive Top 10 debuts on the Billboard Top 200 with Killswitch Engage [2009], Disarm The Descent [2013], and their career high best bow at #6 with Incarnate [2016]. The latter two releases would also both capture #1 on the Top Rock Albums and Top Hard Rock Albums charts. Their total streams have exceeded half-a-billion to date. Along the way, the boys have shared stages with some of the biggest acts in the world and have sold out countless headline gigs in six continents across the globe.
2019 represents another turning point. The quintet—Adam Dutkiewicz [lead guitar], Joel Stroetzel [rhythm guitar], Mike D’Antonio [bass], Justin Foley [drums], and Jesse Leach [vocals]—sharpen every side of this signature sound on their eighth full-length and first for Metal Blade, Atonement. The vision they shared two decades ago crystallizes like never before as evidenced by the first single “Unleashed,” “The Signal Fire” [feat. Howard Jones], “Crownless King” [feat. Chuck Billy], and “I Am Broken Too.”

Very few bands make it to their 11th album. Even fewer do so with the same fire and fury that defined their early years. But Machine Head isn’t just any band. For over three decades, the personification of determination, Founder/Vocalist/Guitarist Robb Flynn, has led Machine Head on an uncompromising path – one fueled by defiance, reinvention, and a relentless pursuit of evolution. Now, with ‘UNATØNED’ (out April 25, 2025 on Nuclear Blast), they’ve once again sharpened their sound into its most direct and impactful form to date.
Determined to challenge himself, Flynn set strict songwriting parameters for ‘UNATØNED,’ shorter, more focused songs with a decidedly American feel, unconventional key changes, and shifting structures that break expectations. That self-imposed restraint resulted in a lean, unrelenting album that captures Machine Head at their most potent.
The album drips with melancholy melodies, and yet hammers with bludgeoning riffs, soars with anthemic sing-a-longs of love-lost and sadness, to bellowing power and undeniable confidence.
‘UNATØNED’ is Machine Head proving once again that longevity in metal isn’t about comfort – it’s about taking risks, standing firm in conviction, and refusing to stagnate. Eleven albums deep, they remain as fierce, relevant, and unstoppable as ever.

Although many have tried to bring the raw sound of crossover thrash back to life, Iron Reagan are one of the few bands with the pedigree to do it right. Based out of Richmond, Virginia, singer Tony Foresh (of Municipal Waste), guitarist Phil Hall (of Cannabis Corpse), guitarist Mark Bronzino (of A.N.S.), bassist Paul Burnette (of Darkest Hour), and drummer Ryan Parrish (also of Darkest Hour) came together in 2012 to resurrect one of heavy metal’s lost arts. In 2013, the band unleashed its sound on the world with its first full-length, Worse Than Dead. In 2014, Iron Reagan signed to Relapse Records, where they made their label debut with their sophomore effort, The Tyranny of Will, later that year. Also in 2014, Paul Burnette left the band, and new bassist Rob Skotis (of Hellbear) came on board. In 2017, Iron Reagan delivered their third album, Crossover Ministry, followed in 2018 by a split LP with Arizona-based death metal unit Gatecreeper, and the EP Dark Days Ahead.

Inspired by the burgeoning American thrash metal revival of the mid-2000s, Denver, Colorado’s Havok emerged in 2004 with an aggressive, neck-snapping style that evoked Bay Area thrash legends like Exodus, Metallica, and Testament. They broke into the Billboard 200 in 2013 with their acclaimed third full-length effort, Unnatural Selection, and continued to refine their uncompromising sound on future endeavors like Conformicide (2017) and V (2020).
Havok assembled in 2004 and proceeded to ply their retro-fitted classic thrash trade via a series of self-financed releases: a 2005 demo, a 2006 single, and a 2007 EP, curiously named Pwn ’em All. These efforts duly got them signed to Candlelight Records, which released Havok’s debut album, Burn, in 2009 and then sent them off to tour with bands like Exodus, Anthrax, Destruction, Primal Fear, and Hammerfall. All of this roadwork only tightened up the group’s impressive chops, and prepared members David Sanchez (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Reece Scruggs (lead guitar), Jessie de los Santos (bass, backing vocals), and Pete Webber (drums) for the recording of their sophomore album, Time Is Up (produced by thrash stalwart James Murphy: Death, Obituary, Disincarnate, Testament, etc.), which was released in early 2011.
Michael Leon replaced de los Santos on bass for 2013’s Unnatural Selection, which earned positive reviews and saw Havok make their Billboard debut. The band toured steadily during the rest of the year, and they switched labels from Candlelight to Century Media. Leon left the group after three years to join Soulfly and was replaced by Nick Schendzielos of Cephalic Carnage, who made his studio debut on Havok’s fourth album, Conformicide, which was released in March 2017. Three years later, the band returned with new bassist Brandon Bruce in tow and issued their aptly named fifth long-player, V.

Motionless in White at Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
2026-07-29 18:30 - 23:30 | Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre, 2121 N 83rd Ave, Phoenix, 85035, United States
An industrial city situated in Northeastern Pennsylvania, you could say Scranton quietly prides itself on a tried-and-true Rust Belt blue-collar work ethic.
For their fourth full-length album and first for Roadrunner Records Graveyard Shift, Motionless In White—Chris Motionless [Vocals], Ricky Horror [Guitar], Ryan Sitkowski [Guitar], Ghost [Bass], and Vinny Mauro [Drums]—dug into the roots of their hometown’s pervasive attitude.
“We’re a band that came out of the small town blue-collar spirit,” affirms Chris. “We put ten years into growing this and working hard to do what we love the most. We look forward to putting in another ten. Both the area we come from and the fan base brought us to this point. Graveyard Shift is all about that work ethic. It’s been instilled in us. Early on, we realized if you give the time and effort to chase a dream, it’s possible to achieve it by the sheer amount of drive and passion you have.”
Since 2006, that ethos has fueled Motionless In White’s rise to the upper echelon of modern rock. Albums such as 2010’s Creatures and Infamous in 2012 would galvanize a rabid fan base around the quintet. During 2014, Reincarnate reached new heights, bowing at #9 on the Billboard Top 200 and claiming #1 on Billboard’s Top Rock Albums Chart. The title track and lead single turned into a Top 20 Active Rock smash and notched 13.2 million YouTube views and 9.8 million Spotify streams. Simultaneously, they have shared stages alongside everyone from Slipknot, Korn, and Breaking Benjamin to A Day To Remember and Marilyn Manson in addition to making arresting festival appearances at Warped Tour, Aftershock, Rock On The Range, Rock Allegiance, and beyond.
In 2016, they entered a Los Angeles studio with producer and longtime collaborator Drew Fulk [Emmure, Crown The Empire] to record what would become Graveyard Shift.
“It was all about writing bigger, better, and more refined songs,” exclaims the frontman. “On Reincarnate, we felt like we had discovered our true identity. This record wasn’t so much centered on experimentation as it was on refinement. In the past, I feel like I always placed the vocals second to music. This time, there was a focus on trying to make sure the vocals had their big moments. That was a major key in really making Graveyard Shift separate from all of the other albums. I haven’t really been able to look back at anything I would’ve done differently or something I didn’t feel like I put my whole heart into here. I just feel incredibly confident about everything on the record.”
Motionless In White introduced this latest body of work with the galloping gut punch of “570”—the area code of Scranton and something of an homage to home. In less than three months, it amassed 3.1 million Spotify streams and amplified anticipation for the full-length’s impending arrival.
“Last summer, I had the opportunity to meet with a lot of fans on Warped Tour and have some very intense, personal, and deep discussions,” recalls Chris. “I walked away from these meetings feeling energized. Whether the conversations were dark or uplifting, I was ready to approach anything in my way with how I felt afterwards. Our current single, ‘LOUD,’ is a direct result of that energy. I wanted to encourage people to feel the same way. It’s definitely one of the more powerful and inspirational messages on the album.”
Throughout its 12 tracks, Graveyard Shift weaves together various personal vignettes. From embracing one’s dark side on “Necessary Evil” [feat. Jonathan Davis] to the hypnotic and humorous ode to Danny Elfman’s influential body of work, “Not My Type (Dead As Fuck 2),” the record remains unpredictable at every turn. “Eternally Yours” signals a first for the group.
“It’s our first true love song,” Chris goes on. “There was a very poetic and romantic approach. That’s something, as a lyricist, I have been trying to explore more of within myself over the past few albums. It’s a special song for all of us.”

Scranton plays a subtle role in the overarching narrative itself. Chris can recall finding early inspiration in the city’s once fertile music scene, which slowly dissipated over the years. At the same time, he and his bandmates have transported that energy worldwide with Graveyard Shift.
“I like to think we’re taking our favorite traits of this area on the road and showing the rest of the world what Scranton created out of all that great camaraderie, those friendships, and the memories,” he says. “We all come from the same spot. It’s something I think many people all over the world can identify with. We’re not content to just sit still and let life happen. We want to show you can take the initiative, go out there, and make a difference for yourself. That rings throughout all of the songs and speaks to the true meaning of Graveyard Shift.”
Ultimately, Motionless In White have the power to electrify a new love for rock music in the process.
“We’re quite a simple band in terms of our intent,” he leaves off. “Turn off your head, detach from reality, listen to the music, and enjoy the songs. That’s what we’re encouraging. We want to give people something to latch on to away from life’s bullshit. I hope they walk away feeling their love for music was either restored or upheld.”

Fit For A King harness the power of their brotherhood in order to perpetually push forward. The music contains traces of the members’ personal and collective experiences grafted onto an ever-evolving sonic palette of metalcore unpredictability, alternative melody, and deathcore brutality laced with electronic alchemy. As trends came and went in the background of the last decade, the quintet— Ryan Kirby [vocals], Bobby Lynge [guitar], Daniel Gailey [guitar], Ryan “Tuck” O’Leary [bass], and Trey Celaya [drums]—have weathered trials and tribulations as well as enduring the chaos of a world constantly influx. However, their bond stretches back to 2011 when Fit For A King unleashed their independent debut Descendants. They continually progressed with Creation/Destruction [2013], Slave to Nothing [2014], Deathgrip [2016], and The Path [2020]. Meanwhile, 2022’s The Hell We Create marked their fifth Top 3 debut on the Billboard Top Christian Albums Chart and third straight Top 15 debut on the Top Album Sales Chart. Outburn applauded how, “With The Hell We Create, Fit For A King takes on a new depth,” and KERRANG! assured, “It hits hard in all the right places.” In 2025, you can hear their strength and camaraderie loud and clear on their eighth full-length offering, Lonely God [Solid State Records].

Call them heroes or hell-bringers, it doesn’t matter to the men of Lorna Shore. On their fifth album—the declarative I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me—the New Jersey quintet are putting all of metal’s subgenres on notice. Because after one listen, you’ll wonder what motivates them and what took metal so long to evolve.
There are all kinds of levels within the 10 tracks on I Feel The Everblack Festering Within Me. Andrew O’Connor’s orchestral arrangements give the songs an epic, cinematic feel that guides listeners into a mise-en-scene of their own creation. When the other members add parts, the results are positively stentorian. De Micco can thrust into light-speed, black-metal tropes and then downshift into the kind of phrasing one might hear from a ‘70s guitar hero. Ramos is clearly the heir apparent to the kind of vocal madness that Faith No More’s Mike Patton built his considerable reputation on. Add in the propulsive terror of Yager and Archey, and there’s no reason for Lorna Shore’s collective feet to ever touch the ground. Hardly ordinary by anyone’s standards whether it’s deathcore or black metal, there are things at work on Everblack that feel more like an extension of prog rock due to its extremity and big grandiose gestures. But by virtue of physical onslaught and wanting to divine truth from their music, Lorna Shore have kept themselves fired up by torching up the metal rulebook at every turn, practically demanding that other genres step up their game.

Static Dress is a British four-piece post-hardcore band from Leeds, England. Formed in 2018, the band currently consists of vocalist Olli Appleyard, guitarist Vincent Weight, bassist George Holding and drummer Sam Ogden.
The group signed to Roadrunner Records in May 2023, swiftly announcing a Redux version of their debut album Rouge Carpet Disaster, which includes 4 reimagined versions of album tracks. Until this point, the band were independent and had released a smattering of singles, an EP (Prologue) and an album (Rouge Carpet Disaster), as well as a demo version of the Prologue EP which was only available on CDs at Slam Dunk festival 2021.
