Rob Zombie’s heaviest album in years, Voxtrot’s reunion, Bill Callahan’s late‑career confessions, U2’s political EP, and more new rock worth your time.

From “The Great Satan” to “Days of Ash”: 12 New Rock Releases About Aging, Survival, and Refusing to Shut Up

Podcasts

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New Releases

Rob Zombie – The Great Satan

You know Rob Zombie. Even if you haven’t kept up with his solo work, you remember “Dragula.” You remember White Zombie. You remember the horror-movie-carnival-barker thing he does better than anyone alive. Well, after a five-year gap — unusually long for a guy who once released albums like clockwork — he’s back with his eighth studio album, and the consensus is clear: this is the heaviest Zombie record in a long, long time.

Zombie reassembled the Hellbilly Deluxe-era lineup — guitarist Mike Riggs and bassist Rob “Blasko” Nicholson — alongside drummer Ginger Fish. That original chemistry is back, and you can hear it immediately. The songs rarely cross the four-minute mark, the riffs are relentless, and the whole thing plays like Zombie stopped overthinking and just made a loud, ugly, joyous record.

What works: Fans on Reddit’s r/RobZombie are calling this a top-three Zombie album, right behind The Sinister Urge and Hellbilly Deluxe. VerdamMnis Magazine describes it as a return to his “more satisfying early universe.” Montreal Rocks nails it: “Play F.T.W. 84 loud and you’ll see the design. Play Tarantula in a car and watch your foot press harder on the gas.” And The Headbanging Moose calls the whole thing “pure excellence.”

What doesn’t: It’s a Rob Zombie record, which means it’s uneven — and he’d probably admit that. Both VerdamMnis and The Headbanging Mooseflag “Out of Sight” and “Revolution Motherfuckers” as weaker tracks that fall under the “terrible curse of instant skip.” If you’re in the “we’ve heard this before” camp, nothing here will convert you. But if you’re in the mood? Your butt will be shaking.

Crooked Fingers – Swet Deth

If you know Archers of Loaf, you know Eric Bachmann. If you know Bachmann, you know that the man writes like his life depends on it — which, given recent events, hits different now. This is the first Crooked Fingers album in fifteen years, since 2011’s Breaks in the Armor, and it’s been declared one of the year’s most anticipated releases by Vulture, Stereogum, and BrooklynVegan.

The album title came from Bachmann’s son, who came home from school with a stack of macabre drawings — crows, scythes, tombstones — with “DETH, SWET DETH” scrawled across one of them. And here’s the thing that makes it hit harder: Bachmann suffered a heart attack in October, partly from years of insomnia. The song “Insomnia” is literally about the condition that almost killed him.

A correction from the initial notes floating around: this isn’t an electronic or experimental departure. Swet Deth is collaborative, warm, and deeply human — built around Bachmann’s voice and acoustic guitar, animated by collaborators Jeremy Wheatley and Jon Rauhouse, and featuring knockout guest turns from Matt Berninger (The National), Sharon Van Etten, Mac McCaughan (Superchunk), and Liz Durrett.

What works: A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed calls it “easily one of the most listenable new releases in a week positively overstuffed with them.” The Van Etten collaboration on “Haunted” is being singled out as a standout, and the opener “Cold Waves” with Berninger is described as a “moody mid-tempo ramble made richer still.” Sun 13 describes the album as “another Crooked Fingers release destined for the win column.”

What doesn’t: Honestly? The criticism is thin. If anything, the sheer quality of the guest roster might overshadow Bachmann’s own voice on a couple tracks — but that’s a minor quibble for an album this fully realized.

Bill Callahan – My Days of 58

Bill Callahan doesn’t make small talk. Not in person, not in his songs, and definitely not in album titles. His eighth record is named after his age, which he considers almost “taboo” in indie rock. But here’s what’s remarkable: rather than the brittle, somber Smog-era introspection you might expect from a record about getting older, My Days of 58 is the most open, funny, and alive Callahan has ever sounded.

Ninety percent of this album is autobiographical — the highest ratio Callahan has ever admitted to. As he told Rolling Stone, he overcame years of writer’s block through therapy, moved back to Austin from Santa Barbara because he “needed the familiarity,” and recorded with his touring band live in the studio. The song “Why Do Men Sing” includes a dream he had about Lou Reed after Reed’s passing.

What works: KLOF Mag puts it beautifully: “Embracing uncertainty has made his songs wiser than ever. They are also funnier, sadder, you might say deeper.” The Any Decent Music aggregate critic score sits at a strong 7.9. If you’ve ever loved the guy’s work, this is a career highlight.

What doesn’t: The pace is deliberately unhurried — some tracks stretch and breathe in ways that reward patience but may test it across twelve songs. If you need momentum, the middle section can feel like it’s floating rather than driving.

Voxtrot – Dreamers in Exile

Remember Voxtrot? Those Austin indie-pop darlings who soundtracked your mid-2000s with jangly guitars and Ramesh Srivastava’s earnest vocals? They broke up in 2010, reunited tentatively in 2022, and now — nineteen years after their self-titled debut — they’ve dropped their second full-length album. Recorded at bassist Jason Chronis’ Haunted Air Studio in Lockhart, Texas, and mixed by Dean Reid (Lana Del Rey, James Blake).

Five of the album’s eleven tracks were previously released as singles between 2023 and 2025. That’s a bold structural choice. But The Big Takeover argues it works: “The writing is consistent, as are the arrangements, so DiE doesn’t read like a copy-and-paste hodgepodge.” Also — note the acronym. Dreamers in Exile = DiE. The Big Takeover believes this was intentional.

What works: Glide Magazine says the band “reunites with purpose and focus,” noting that “instead of trying to recreate their early jangle pop sound, it shows what happens when a band reunites with more experience and a clearer perspective.” The Big Takeover calls closer “Babylone” an “orchestral, Baroque triumph” and “a perfect end to a thoughtful, resonant album.” This isn’t a nostalgia trip. It’s the real thing.

What doesn’t: Some longtime fans are understandably skeptical that 19 years can be bridged authentically. And the heavy reliance on pre-released singles means diehard followers who’ve been streaming those tracks for years may feel like they’re only getting six truly new songs.

Iron & Wine – Hen’s Teeth

Sam Beam’s Iron & Wine has been the indie folk world’s most reliable constant for over two decades. After what many considered a long stretch of merely OK releases, 2024’s Grammy-nominated Light Verse was a genuine creative renaissance. Now, just months later, comes Hen’s Teeth — a sibling album drawn from the exact same Los Angeles recording sessions.

This isn’t an outtakes collection. Beam deliberately held these songs back, creating what amounts to a double album released in two acts. He drew inspiration from Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, and you can hear it in the looseness of the arrangements. His daughter Arden sings prominently throughout, and Grammy-winning folk trio I’m With Her appears on two tracks.

What works: KLOF Mag calls it “decidedly darker” than Light Verse, praising the “emotional ambiguity at every turn.” NARC Magazine describes it as “gently euphoric... sonic bliss.” No More Workhorse highlights the standout “Dates and Dead People” as a “mini-suite” that shifts time signatures with “casual audacity.” Paste Magazine continues the praise. Multiple critics note it’s not just a companion piece — it stands firmly on its own.

What doesn’t: The rapid-fire release schedule after Light Verse has some fans worrying about oversaturation. At ten tracks, it’s more focused than sprawling, but if Light Verse didn’t land for you personally, this operates in the same sonic neighborhood.

Paul Gilbert – WROC

You know Paul Gilbert from Mr. Big (”To Be With You,” the drill-on-the-guitar-strings guy) and from Racer X, where he basically redefined what shred guitar could do in the ‘80s. His new album has one of the wildest concepts in recent rock memory.

WROC stands for Washington’s Rules Of Civility — as in George Washington’s 16th-century etiquette guide. Gilbert literally set the founding father’s rules of manners to rock music. As he told eonmusic: “I’ve never in my life had such a good time writing songs!” Song titles include “If You Soak Bread in the Sauce,” “Turn Not Your Back (To Others),” and “Go Not Tither.” Many lyrics are Washington’s words verbatim. This is also his first vocal album since 2016, and it was recorded live in just four days in Portland with Nick D’Virgilio on drums. The first pressing of CDs sold out before release.

What works / what doesn’t: Formal reviews are still incoming as of press time. But the concept alone — virtuosic guitar hero turns colonial etiquette into rock anthems while wearing a tricorn hat — is either going to delight you or make you raise an eyebrow. Given Gilbert’s track record of making the absurd sound effortless, we’re leaning toward delight.

New Found Glory – Listen Up!

New Found Glory — those Florida pop-punk lifers who’ve been soundtracking suburban angst since the late ‘90s — are back with their first album in six years. And the context matters here: guitarist Chad Gilbert is battling metastatic cancer. The band channeled that fight into Listen Up!, an album about finding hope through hard times.

Despite the heavy circumstances, this isn’t a somber record. Punktastic describes it as “an island of consistency in the rapids of the scene.” Bearded Gentlemen Music goes further, calling it “the most inspired album of New Found Glory’s career” and comparing it favorably to Sticks and Stones and Catalyst. “Medicine” apparently sounds like Matthew Sweet and Tom Petty wrote a pop-punk song together.

What works: The energy is undeniable. Kerrang highlights the “west coast punk style,” and Rock DNA Mag calls it “some of their best work to date.” “Frankenstein’s Monster” — a song about Gilbert’s cancer fight — is being singled out as one of the band’s most emotionally powerful tracks despite its upbeat delivery.

What doesn’t: Lyrics. Fans on Reddit’s r/newfoundglory note the writing feels “forced and literal,” with less metaphor and artistic depth than earlier work. The “Dream Born Again” cover breaks the album’s momentum, and the relentless positivity, while admirable given the circumstances, can feel “cheesy” across a full listen.

Moby – Future Quiet

Twenty-three albums in. Let that sink in. Moby — the guy who gave us Play, who soundtracked every coffee shop and car commercial of the early 2000s — has released his quietest, most ambient record yet. And he means it: “Future Quiet is, not surprisingly, quiet.”

The album opens with a reimagined version of “When It’s Cold I’d Like to Die,” originally from 1995’s Everything Is Wrong, which had a massive resurgence via Stranger Things. The new version features Gabriels’ Jacob Lusk on vocals — Moby spent weeks tracking him down after hearing his voice on KCRW. “Like anyone who’s heard Jacob sing, I immediately fell in love with his voice,” he told When The Horn Blows.

What works: Spill Magazine calls it “the finest album of the year so far — a breathtaking, ethereal masterpiece.” When The Horn Blows describes it as “the much-needed ear muffs to the world’s noise.” The vocal collaborations — serpentwithfeet, India Carney, Elise Serenelle — are used sparingly and to devastating effect.

What doesn’t: This is 85 minutes of predominantly ambient piano and orchestral compositions. If you’re coming for Play-era bangers, you will be profoundly disappointed. This is a record for headphones and stillness, and that’s a big ask.

Exhumed – Red Asphalt

If you like your death metal drenched in gore, gasoline, and dark humor, Exhumed has been your band for three decades. Red Asphalt is their tenth full-length — a concept album about vehicular horror: car crashes, road rage, zombie biker gangs, and those terrifyingly graphic driver’s ed safety films from the ‘60s.

The Toilet Ov Hell calls this their “greatest and most gratifying full-length since 2000’s Slaughtercult,” noting a return to early goregrind flavors with better songwriting chops. The lead single “Unsafe at Any Speed” brings back the Carcass-adjacent sound of their early career while maintaining the melodic focus they’ve developed over time.

What works: The concept is tight and the band sounds rejuvenated. As The Toilet Ov Hell puts it, it’s “about as nuanced as you are going to get from a band this lowbrow” — and they mean that as a compliment. The lyricism occasionally transcends the gore: “A mausoleum of steel and bone, death stacked upon the loam / A four-wheel coffin funeral home, my automotive catacomb.”

What doesn’t: The Needle Drop gives it a 6/10, and “Shovelhead” gets flagged as the weakest track. If you’re not already on board with deathgrind, nothing here will be your entry point.

Squirtgun – Ghostly Sunflowers

Quick one here: Squirtgun is the pop-punk project of Mass Giorgini, the producer/musician whose studio work touched Green Day, Alkaline Trio, Rise Against, and Screeching Weasel. The band’s history includes a song in Kevin Smith’s Mallrats and a tribute video starring Dawn Wells from Gilligan’s Island.

Ghostly Sunflowers is actually a two-track 12” single — “I’m the Ghost” and “Sunflowers” — released via Pirates Press Records. It sold out quickly. Available on Bandcamp too. If you dig melodic punk in the Lookout Records/Descendents tradition, this is worth the fifteen minutes.

Michael Monroe – Outerstellar

If you know Hanoi Rocks, you know Michael Monroe — the Finnish glam-rock legend whose band basically invented the look and sound that Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe ran with. Solo album number thirteen finds Monroe, at 63, still strutting like it’s 1984.

The album cover nods directly to his 2011 release Sensory Overdrive, and the band — Steve Conte, Sami Yaffa, Karl Rosqvist, and Rich Jones — delivers punk-driven sleazy hard rock that channels New York Dolls, Bowie’s Spiders from Mars era, and Motörhead in equal measure. The title? As Monroe explains to Chaoszine: “It’s got nothing to do with space — it’s a slang word meaning something moving at a rapid speed.” Coined by bassist Sami Yaffa.

What works: TotalNtertainment calls it “absolutely vital to the lifeblood of rock music.” Get Ready to Rock says “few artists continue to make music as good and as moving as this.” “Disconnected” and “Shinola” are early standouts.

What doesn’t: HeadBangers Lifestyle is honest: “Will Outerstellar shock or conquer the world? I don’t think so.” If you already love Monroe, you’ll love this. If you don’t know him, this probably won’t be the conversion moment — but it’s a damn good place to start.

Clawfinger – Before We All Die

Here’s a deep cut for the ‘90s heads. Remember Clawfinger? The Swedish rap-metal crew who blended Ministry riffs with Rage Against the Machine politics and Faith No More swagger? They supported Alice in Chains and Anthrax, played festivals everywhere, and then... disappeared. For nineteen years.

Loud Hailer Magazine makes a bold claim: “Would Rammstein exist without Clawfinger? Definitely not!” The band’s influence on industrial-metal is often overlooked, and their return is fueled by the same politically charged fury that made them essential in the first place. As the band puts it on Napalm Records: “We’re back, not to save the world, but to shout unapologetically while it burns.”

What works: The Razor’s Edge says the trademark sound is fully intact — “the guitars, keyboards and programmed sequences taking me back” — and praises tracks like “Tear You Down” and “Going Down (Like Titanic)” as quintessential Clawfinger. Loud Hailer adds that “they managed to outlast most of the competition and copycats.”

What doesn’t: The humor that defined earlier albums — ironic titles like “Biggest & The Best” or the provocatively titled social commentary — has been replaced by a sharper, more direct message. As Loud Hailer notes, the deceptively funny song titles are gone, “substituted by a sharper, leaner, and more direct message.” Whether that’s an evolution or a loss depends on what you loved about them in the first place.

U2 – Days of Ash EP

Nine years. That’s how long it’s been since U2 released original material (Songs of Experience, 2017). Then, on Ash Wednesday, with zero warning, they dropped a six-track protest EP and reminded everyone that this band — love them or cringe at them — still knows how to make a statement.

This debuted at #1 on album sales charts after just half a week of availability. The EP addresses specific real-world events — the killing of Minneapolis woman Renée Good, Iranian teenager Sarina Esmailzadeh, Palestinian activist Awdah Hathaleen — plus a poem by Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai set to music. Bono confirmed on U2.com that a full album will follow later in 2026 with a “very different mood and theme.” Wikipedia lists the Metacritic aggregate at 78/100.

What works: The Guardian gave it four stars. The Irish Independent declared it their “best release in decades.” Bourbon and Vinyl says “this is some of the best solo’ing The Edge has done in forever” and calls “American Obituary” a straight-up great rock song. The rhythm section sounds spectacular — Larry Mullen Jr. is back and healthy after his shoulder surgery kept him out of the Sphere residency.

What doesn’t: Reddit’s r/U2Band has a thoughtful critique: the lyrics are too literal compared to the universality of “Sunday Bloody Sunday” or “Bullet the Blue Sky.” The closing track “Yours Eternally” featuring Ed Sheeran is the most polarizing moment — Simon Sweetman’s Substack found the inclusion divisive. And some fans find the production occasionally muffles Bono’s vocals. But even Bourbon and Vinyl — who liked the EP overall — admits some autotune on “The Tears of Things” felt like a misstep.