metal Archives - Backseat Mafia

Live Review: Xandria, Seven Spires & Tulip. Manchester Academy 3. 18/09/2026

There are gigs where one band inevitably overshadows the rest of the bill, leaving the support acts struggling to make a lasting impression. Then there are those rare evenings where…

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Live Review: Soulfly, Nailbomb & Exorcism. Manchester Academy 2. 07/09/2026

Manchester has never been a city that needs much encouragement to embrace a night of heavy music, but there was something particularly ferocious about the prospect of Soulfly, Nailbomb and…

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Live Gallery: Avatar prove their formidable live reputation at Sydney’s Manning Bar 29.08.2026

There is already a healthy crowd packed into Manning Bar when Sydney metalcore outfit Pyrefly arrive, and they waste very little time introducing themselves. This isn’t a set designed to…

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Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air Festival – Sunday 09.08.2026

There is always something slightly bittersweet about the final day of Bloodstock. After several days of loud guitars, pounding drums, huge crowds and an atmosphere that seems almost impossible to…

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Live Review: Bloodstock Open Air Festival – Thursday 06.08.2026

There are few places quite like Catton Park when Bloodstock rolls into town. For four days every August, this otherwise peaceful corner of Derbyshire is transformed into a headbanging utopia,…

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News: Fortress Festival announces it’s first batch of 2027 bands to sit alongside previously announced headliners ‘Emperor’

The first wave of bands for Fortress 2027 who join Grand Hall headliners, ‘Emperor’ for their fifth anniversary event in North Yorkshire. Fortress Festival have commented that ‘It’s a struggle…

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Live Gallery: Karnivool, TesseracT and Car Bomb deliver a progressive metal summit at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion 23.07.2026

At Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion, the anticipation is almost tangible long before a note is played. Thirteen years have passed since Karnivool last unveiled a new studio album, yet tonight there…

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Live Review: Metallica, Gojira & Knocked Loose. Principality Stadium, Cardiff 28/06/2026

There are few bands capable of turning a stadium into something that feels both colossal and intimate quite like Metallica. Playing Cardiff’s Principality Stadium as part of the seemingly unstoppable…

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News: Bloodstock 2026 announce their first ‘Metal To The Masses’ winners along with a line up change.

The first group of ‘Metal To The Masses’ winners landing slots on the Stowford Press New Blood Stage can now be revealed. Friday Saturday Sunday Lots more bands to be…

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Live Review

Live Review: Fortress Festival, Scarborough Spa, Day Two. 31/05/2026

The second and final day of Fortress Festival arrived carrying a noticeably different atmosphere from Saturday. While anticipation had fuelled much of the opening day, Sunday felt like the culmination…

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