Voivod‘s latest live album, Symphonique, is coming out next month. The Canadian band recorded it last year in Quebec. The set list is heavy on Dimension Hatröss and Nothingface—classic albums, two of their best, but I would have liked to see more of a spread of the band’s records. Anyway, it sounds like it’s going to be great, judging by the visualizer released for the track “Forgotten in Space.” Watch below.
Jawbreaker got namechecked by the cofounder of Anthropic, Jack Clark. On an April 2026 episode of Planet Money, Clark was making a point and said, “There’s a band, Jawbreaker, and they have a lyric which says, ‘My fiction beats the hell out of my truth.'”
Lay Waste, a local band I’ve met and seen play more than once, is doing a split with another local, Lagoon. The Lawful Evil split will be out June 19, 2026 on CD-R and digital. Here’s the announcement from Instagram.
Einstürzende Neubauten had their 46th anniversary and celebrated with a free online concert, as the band called it, on April 1, 2026. It was the live debut of the group’s new bass player too. I’m a Neubauten fan so I thought it was very interesting. Watch below.
Jake Smith, the East Coast musician known for bands such as Backslider and Eye Flys, has suffered an injury that is affecting his ability to play music. A GoFundMe has been set up to help with expenses.
The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra will play songs from the Swedish metal bands At The Gates, Dark Tranquility, and In Flames for three shows in December 2026. “This concert is also a warm tribute in memory of Tomas ‘Tompa’ Lindberg,” the orchestra website says. It sounds like it’ll be an awesome event.
Science Man, a hardcore punk group, released a three-part animated film for its Monarch Joy album. The music is rad and the visuals are wild. You can watch it below, and after seeing it if you want to own it, it’s available on VHS and the music is on digital.
Rest In Peace
Dawid Kowalski died in May. Performing under the name Purgist among others, Kowalski was known for noise and experimental music. The group Uboa has a tribute on Instagram.
Afrika Bambaataa, a DJ and pioneer of hip hop, died at 67 in April. He began releasing music in the ’80s. Late in his life, accusations including sex trafficking were leveled against him. TMZ has some details.
Gregg Foreman died at 53 at his home in California in April. He founded The Delta 72 and worked with Cat Power. August Brown has more info at The Los Angeles Times.
Craig Krampf, who drummed with Steve Perry, Alice Cooper, Melissa Etheridge, and others, died at 77. Robert K. Oermann has the story at Music Row.
David Allen Coe, the country star of “Take This Job and Shove It” fame, among other tunes, died at 86. Joseph Hudak has more at Rolling Stone.
Alex Ligertwood, longtime vocalist for Santana and instrumentalist, died at 79. Glenn Hughes posted a tribute on Instagram.
Stephanie Cherinowski, the photographer who chronicled the punk and new wave scenes of New York City, passed on in April at 84. A remembrance is at The New York Times.
Keith Wood co-founded Capitol Records. He died in April at 77. He was from the U.K. but moved to New York in the ’80s. Jem Aswad has the story at Variety.
Cassie Jalilie played drums in Venomous Pinks, as well as played in other bands, and passed away in April. Kevin Gomez has the story at OC Music News.
Jack Douglas was an engineer and producer with a ridiculous, legendary list of credits. He died in May at 80. Michael Gallucci has details at Ultimate Classic Rock.
Read more music news roundups here at the blog.
