[Gallery of Brewicide XX/Review]: BLACK CROWES (US) @ Forum Melbourne (AU), 02.04.26.
[Gallery of Brewicide XX]: The couple that slays together, stays together. Which is exactly why in addition to some fantastic photography by Kaza Black, Richie Black has paired up to review the occasion! That occasion specifically being The Black Crowes’ 2026 Australian Tour @ Forum Melbourne, Fri 3rd April, supported by Perth rock-and-rollers The Southern River Band.
[Heavy News] Aussie Tour Updates: THE AMENTA (AU) & VADER (POL).
[Heavy News, 2nd April 2026}: I’d say “Stop The Press!”, but we aren’t affiliated with Boomer MSM. Stop your scrollin’ if you’ve considered attending either the upcoming Ulcerate (NZ)/The Amenta (AU) double-header tour, and/or Vader (POL)’s recently rescheduled Australian Tour. We’ve got news, links and more for you local gig goers!
[Heavy News]: DESPISED ICON (CA), DEAD SLEEP (SWE) & PLINI (AU).
Today’s serving of Heavy News comes with a piping hot tray of award-winning Canadian deathcore (via Despised Icon), rapturous Swedish thrash with Dead Sleep’s latest single + album reveal, and an all-Australian dessert with Plini’s delectable new single/upcoming album. Bon appetit!
[Heavy News]: ENSLAVED (NOR), BLACK LABEL SOCIETY & AUGUST BURNS RED (US).
[Music Mondays/ Heavy News]: A trifecta of new-release treats from way across a big pond, from Enslaved’s sea-shantie collaboration with The Storm Weather Shanty Choir (Norway), Zakk Wylde and Co’s latest Black Label Society LP release, and that of upcoming LP/new single by fellow US metal stalwarts August Burns Red. Dig in, me hearties!
[Podcast] Ep. 70: [Interview] w/ FERDI HANDOJO of VANTA (AU) + ‘Perpetual Selection’ [Album Review].
A double-feature special for you all tonight! Presenting both the Inner-Strength Check Podcast’s 70th episode via our [Interview] with Ferdi Handojo, drummer of Perth-based melodic/tech-death outfit Vanta…. AND a bonus [Album Review] of their debut full-length LP Perpetual Selection! With thanks for both to Ferdi, Vanta and Glenn ‘Dysie’ Dyson of Cult Etiquette PR.
[Gallery of Brewicide XVIII]: DETHFEST 2026 @ Corner Hotel, Richmond (AU), 08.03.2026.
[Gallery of Brewicide XVIII]: Dethfest 2026 @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne (AU), 08.03.2026. Organised by Your Mate Bookings, with photography courtesy of Richie Black Photography. Additional footage included, from the ISC Youtube channel.
Featured: Voidfall, Anoxia, Hybrid Nightmares, Carcinoid, Abramelin, Disentomb, Golgothan Remains & Allegaeon.
[Gig Review]: DETHFEST 2026 @ Corner Hotel, Melbourne (AU) 08/03/26.
[Gig Review] Dethfest 2026 @ Corner Hotel, Richmond (Melbourne, AU) 08.03.26, featuring: Voidfall, Hybrid Nightmares, Anoxia, Carcinoid, Abramelin, Disentomb, Golgothan Remains, and Allegaeon. See inside for full review, artist links and photos courtesy of Richie Black Photography! Big ups to Your Mate Bookings for organising a fun-filled death metal day.
[Music Monday, 9th March 2026]: HEALTH (US), BATTLE BEAST (FIN) & THE HALO EFFECT (SWE).
Hello and welcome back to another Heavy News drop for Mon 9th March, 2026! Hop in and we’ll go hear the latest from US industrial-alt-pop act HEALTH, Finnish grandiosity-merchants Battle Beast and Swedish all-star prog/melodeath act The Halo Effect.
[#Tabletopthursdays’nt, 06.03.26] Kickstarter News + ISC Staff Explore An ITCH.IO Bundle.
[Tabletop]: Well, might be a day out but better late than never, eh? In this weeks’ Tabletop Thursday(‘snt, seeing as its’ Friday here), we bring Dicey News tidings regarding recently-Kickstarted campaign for Meow Wolf/Exalted Funeral’s Tavers RPG. Meanwhile, Elodie and Brady scope out a few choice indie-RPG treats from a very stacked itch.io bundle!
[Gig Review]: BEHEMOTH with NIDHOGG @ Forum Melbourne (AU), 21.03.25.
[Gig Review] Behemoth Chant of The Eastern Lands: Australian Tour 2026 with Nidhogg @ Forum Melbourne, 21st Feb 2026.
See within for gig review, photography, artist links &more - photo gallery [Gallery of Brewicide] incoming, too!
[Podcast]: Ep. 69 - [Interview] with JOSHUA MIDDLETON of SYLOSIS (UK).
[Podcast[: Joshua Middleton, vocalist and guitarist of UK modern metal heavyweights Sylosis, returns to ISC Podcast once more to discuss latest LP The New Flesh (released Feb 20th, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records). See within for video/audio-only interviews, album order links, artist links and more.
[ALBUM REVIEW] STORY OF THE YEAR- 'A.R.S.O.N'.
Story Of The Year once again return to form with their seventh studio album A.R.S.O.N via SharpTone Records, officially released February 13, 2026. Read on for a track by track review.
[Gig Review]: YOB & Supports @ Max Watt’s Melbourne (AU), 19.02.26.
[Gig Review]: YOB with Mountain Wizard Death Cult & ISUA @ Max Watt’s Melbourne, Thu 19th Feb. See within for full review, gig photography, artist links and more. A massive night of sludge, stoner, doom and post-metal, with thanks to Richie Black Photography and United Front Touring.
[Gallery of Brewicide XVII:] YOB + Supports @ Max Watt’s Melbourne (AU), Sat 21st Feb 2026.
[Gallery of Brewicide] YOB (USA) with Supports Mountain Wizard Death Cult & ISUA (AU) @ Max Watt’s Melbourne. See within for additional gig photography (courtesy of Richie Black Photography) and footage, artist links and more. Full gig review available soon here on the blog!
[Podcast] Ep. 68: [Co-Interview] ‘Deadlifts & Death Me(n)tal’ w/ ELISSA JEWELL, Part I.
[Podcast] Episode 68 sees prior guest of the show Elissa Jewell (owner/operator, Deadlifts and Death Metal) join myself for a unique opportunity - a co-hosted inter-professional series where our social work/mental health and coaching/fitness worlds collide for an in-depth chat on mental health, fitness, the music scene, neurodivergence, planning, motivation and more!
[Podcast] #MusicMondays/Heavy News: Inner-Strength Check Radio, 16.02.25.
There’s honestly way too much going on in the latest edition of Inner-Strength Check Radio, so I’m not even going to pretend it’ll fit into a neat little excerpt! Just get in here and enjoy an hours’ worth of underground heavy music, get the scoop on some recent Heavy News/tour announcements, and check out more albums and tours than you shake a stick at. G’arn. Hop in.
[Album Review] FORCEFED HORSEHEAD/SHAVING THE WEREWOLF (Split EP) + AGENBITE MISERY (LP).
[Album Review]: This week for Music Mondays at ISC, your podcast host Brady is treating you to a written-review double-dip. See within for reviews of Norwegian grindpunk/mathcore split-EP From Horrid To Worse by Forcefed Horsehead/Shaving The Werewolf, and full-length experimental horror Remorse of Conscience by New Hampshire trio Agenbite Misery. Get your freaky-Monday on.
[Podcast] Ep. 67: [Interview] with DICK VALENTINE of ELECTRIC SIX (US).
[Podcast] For Episode 67 of the Inner-Strength Podcast, host Brady was joined by none other than Dick Valentine, funtime front-man of party-punk disco-metallers Electric Six! They’re set to hit Australian shores next month for their Greatest Hits tour - see within for video/audio-only interview versions, plus all the details you need for upcoming shows! Boogey on.
[Riff] Stop The Slop in 2026 - With Tabletop.
[Riff] For Tabletop Thursday here at ISC, something a little different from our usual run of RPG news. Instead, I’d like to put forth something of a thesis/action-statement about the utility of the hobby in this, The Overly AI-Slop-Infested Year Of Our Tabletop Lord 2026.
[Gallery of Brewicide XVI]: DAYSEND + Supports, ‘Revisiting Severance’ @ Leadbeater Hotel, Melbourne (AU) 07.07.26.
[Gallery of Brewicide]: Oh, you thought our gig review coverage was a monster? Well, Richie Black Photography and ISC’s Brady both have a treat instore - see within for even more photography and additional footage from Daysend’s ‘Revisiting Severance’ tour show @ Leadbeater Hotel, 7th Feb, also featuring HOOF, Hybrid Nightmares and Emperor Moth. Up the Aussie horns!