Eight New Albums About Resistance, Resilience, and Refusing to Fade”
From Lucinda’s political awakening to Megadeth’s final statement—plus why a literature professor says heavy metal changed the world.
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New Releases
Lucinda Williams – World’s Gone Wrong
Lucinda Williams, the alt‑country lifer behind Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, finally makes the full‑blown protest record she’s been circling for decades. It’s her first front‑to‑back political album written after her 2020 stroke, turning recovery and rage into something like a Southern Nebraska run through a cranked bar band. Critics at places like Rolling Stone and Glide love the bruised urgency and how her roughened voice makes these state‑of‑the‑union songs hit harder, while some listeners are bumping on how literal and sermon‑like the lyrics get over a full LP.
Megadeth – Megadeth
Megadeth, the thrash titans behind Peace Sells and Rust in Peace, are signing off with their first-ever self‑titled album and officially last studio statement. They fold in a reimagined “Ride the Lightning,” reclaiming a Metallica‑era riff as part of their own goodbye. Reviews from Kerrang! and Forbes praise the ferocious, technically sharp riffing and Teemu Mäntysaari’s lead work as a worthy last blast, but even positive pieces admit Mustaine’s vocals and some clunky, juvenile lyrics keep it from sitting alongside the true classics, a complaint echoed in fan threads picking apart tracks like “I Don’t Care.”
54‑40 – Porto
54‑40, the Vancouver lifers who gave Canadian radio “I Go Blind” and “Baby Ran,” made Porto by flying to Portugal, locking in with producer Warne Livesey, and bashing out a lean, riff‑first rock record live off the floor. After years of texture and polish, they deliberately chased “meat‑and‑potatoes” guitars and quick tracking to see if they could still surprise themselves this deep into their run. Features and reviews from outlets like Vancouver Sun / Yahoo Canada and interviews on shows like If It Be Your Will hear it as a band rediscovering their bite and chemistry, though even some long‑time fans note the stripped‑down, blocky approach can feel a bit one‑color if you prefer their more expansive, sax‑and‑keys era.
Xiu Xiu – Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu: Vol. 1
Xiu Xiu, Jamie Stewart’s long‑running art‑rock freakout machine, collect a decade of subscriber‑only covers into Xiu Mutha Fuckin’ Xiu: Vol. 1, turning everything from Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” to Robyn’s “Dancing on My Own” into anxiety dreams. If you’ve ever wondered what Xiu Xiu actually sound like, this is the funhouse mirror tour. At The Barrier and The Quietus lean in on how Stewart’s “complete vocal commitment” and deranged arrangements make familiar songs feel frighteningly new, while Clunk and others admit the record is “incredibly messy,” with a few gimmicky, too‑intense experiments that even fans may not revisit often.
The Damned – Not Like Everybody Else
The Damned, the U.K. punk pioneers who morphed into goth‑psych legends, reunited the classic Vanian/Sensible/Gray/Scabies core to cut Not Like Everybody Else, a covers album paying tribute to late founding guitarist Brian James. “The Last Time,” a Rolling Stones cover captured at James’ penultimate reunion show in 2022, is slotted in as his posthumous curtain call. Reviews from 13th Floor and RPM Online rave about the “gnarly,” Farfisa‑splattered garage‑soul takes on “There’s a Ghost in My House,” “See Emily Play,” and “You Must Be a Witch,” while also acknowledging a few lulls and the built‑in ceiling of a covers‑only set that inevitably feels like a lovingly played side dish rather than a new main course.
Goldfinger – Nine Lives
Goldfinger, the ska‑punk heroes who soundtracked a million Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater runs with “Superman,” return with Nine Lives, their ninth LP and first since 2020’s Never Look Back. The curveball: almost no horns—this one leans hard into glossy pop‑punk with a stack of guests, from Mark Hoppus to Pennywise’s Jim Lindberg and Ice Nine Kills’ Spencer Charnas. Early write‑ups from Litehouse and antiMusic praise the hooks, energy, and parade of cameos, while Reddit threads and the Chorus.fm crowd are already grumbling about the “zero horns” decision and John Feldmann’s ultra‑slick production, which some describe as feeling weirdly “AI‑generated” and “fake‑sounding” even when the songs themselves land.
Helix – Scrap Metal
Helix, the Canadian bar‑metal survivors behind “Rock You,” plant their flag with Scrap Metal, a half‑new, half‑vault set fronted by a 70‑year‑old Brian Vollmer who still sings like it’s 1984. The on‑the‑nose opener “Stuck in the 80’s” is both the album’s mission statement and a defense of never chasing modern trends. Sites like Rockposer and Headbangers Lifestyle have a blast with the first half, shouting out Vollmer’s “scorching vocals” and new rippers like “Fast & Furious,” but they also agree the back end sags, with a couple of late‑album tracks that feel like second‑tier leftovers rather than lost classics.
Pelican – Ascending EP
Pelican, Chicago’s instrumental post‑metal mainstays, follow 2025’s comeback LP Flickering Resonancewith Ascending, a four‑song companion EP. The album has a first for them: a full vocal version of “Cascading Crescent” featuring Thursday’s Geoff Rickly, which tilts their usual tectonic churn toward post‑hardcore catharsis. Press from Cryptic Rock and label/press materials via Run For Cover and Saladdays frame the EP as a strong addendum highlighted by the nearly eight‑minute title track, while even positive reviews quietly note that with two previously released digital singles in the tracklist, Ascending can feel more like a well‑curated bonus disc for Flickering Resonance diehards than an essential new chapter.
