Come on, let’s just admit it: a huge number of people at Heavy Montreal were really, really near-uncomfortably excited to see small Japanese children singing over crushing metal riffs. And guess what? It was awesome! If a band like Dir En Grey can have a completely legitimate following within English-speaking countries, then there’s no denying the combo of J-pop weirdness, Visual Kei elements and amps-on-full blare that Babymetal provides. And for those who may only know of them through the absurd press photos, pay attention to their corpse-painted backing band, all of whom churned out Symphony X-caliber solos during a performance that left a lot of the crowd begging for more. Even though you can’t judge this as a band and more as a true performing act, these guys are for real.

Burning Witches unveil “Inquisition” video; new album arriving in August
Swiss heavy metal outfit Burning Witches have announced their sixth studio album, Inquisition, is scheduled to arrive on August 22, 2025 via Napalm Records. The group unveiled a video for the title track to coincide with the announcement. Produced by Damir Eskic and...

Helloween share “This Is Tokyo” video; new album arriving in August
German metal legends Helloween have announced their new album, Giants & Monsters, scheduled to arrive in August. The album’s first single, “This Is Tokyo,” is out now along with a Japan-inspired music video. Giants & Monsters follows their 2021 self-titled...

blessthefall share new single “mallxcore;” announce first album in 7 years
Arizona metalcore band blessthefall have announced their long-awaited new album, Gallows, set for release on September 5 via Rise Records. Marking their first full-length in seven years. To celebrate, the band has dropped a new single, “mallxcore." The album will...

New & Noteworthy: Songs of Last Releases – 5/30/2025
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This final New Music Friday of May will see new music from the likes of Garbage, The Haunted, Rivers Of Nihil and Wolves At The Gate, as...

New & Noteworthy: Origins of Releases – 5/23/2025
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. This week will see new music from the likes of Skunk Anansie, …and Oceans, Age of Apocalypes and Witchcraft, as well as cover and...

New & Noteworthy: Will You Haunt Me, With Releases – 5/16/2025
New & Noteworthy is Metal Insider’s weekly column highlighting some of the newest rock and metal releases coming out each week. Among the many outstanding works hitting shelves this week are new releases from the likes of Bury Tomorrow, Pelican and Steve Von Till,...
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