Category: metal

Video by William Ruben HelmsFeb 5, 202609:00

Throwback: Happy 62nd Birthday, Duff McKagan!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Guns ‘N’ Roses and Velvert Revolver bassist Duff McKagan’s 62nd birthday.

Video by William Ruben HelmsJan 27, 202615:30

Throwback: Happy 58th Birthday, Mike Patton!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 58th birthday of Mr. Bungle and Faith No More frontman Mike Patton.

Video by William Ruben HelmsJan 26, 202616:00

Throwback: Happy 71st Birthday, Eddie Van Halen!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 71st anniversary of the birth of Eddie Van Halen.

Single Review by William Ruben HelmsJan 24, 202618:30

New Audio: Bronco Forte Shares Bruising “Obvious Alias”

Los Angeles-based stoner rock outfit Bronco Forte — Chris Klepac (vocals, guitar), All Hail the Yeti‘s Sako Inajaian (guitar), White Forest‘s Jen Glomboski (bass), and Batillus‘ and A Storm of Light‘s Geoff Summers (drums) — will be releasing their full-length debut, Lightning Scars on April 3, 2026.

After years of creative toil and preparation, the Los Angeles-based stoner rock quartet’s full-length debut sees the band stepping into the spotlight as a fully-formed heavy rock phenomenon with roots in the classic heavy music of the 1970s — but with a modern sensibility and sonic approach. Lightning Scars was tracked and mixed by engineer Kevin McCombs at The Steakhouse, the studio where Queens of The Stone Age recorded Era Vulgaris. The album was mastered by Nick Townsend, who cut the album to lacquer on his own personal lathe.

Thematically, Lightning Scars chronicle the uncertain lives of ordinary people of California and elsewhere, with the characters each song depicts desperately striving to maintain their integrity and sanity in the face of a rapidly-changing, increasingly dystopian hellscape.

And as a result, the album’s lyrics balance literary style and kitchen-sink realism. The album’s material is anchored around deep, dirty riffs, hard swinging grooves and song structures that are clever without being cluttered or overly complicated. And this is paired by a pop leaning sense of harmony.

Lightning Scars‘ second and latest single “Obvious Alias,” is anchored around the sort of bruising riffage that seemingly channels Queens of the Stone Age, Dirt-era Alice in Chains and Badmotorfinger-era Soundgarden while showcasing a band with an uncanny knack for pairing catchy, melodic-driven hooks, rousingly anthemic hooks and lived-in lyrics.

Video by William Ruben HelmsJan 12, 202610:30

Throwback: Happy 56th Birthday Zack de la Rocha!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates Rage Against The Machine frontman Zack de la Rocha’s 56th birthday.

Video by William Ruben HelmsJan 9, 202616:30

Throwback: Happy 82nd Birthday, Jimmy Page!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 82nd birthday of the legendary Jimmy Page.

Video by William Ruben HelmsJan 6, 202613:00

Throwback: Happy 73rd Birthday, Malcolm Young!

JOVM’s William Ruben Helms celebrates the 73rd anniversary of the birth of AC/DC co-founder Malcolm Young.

singer/songwriters by William Ruben HelmsJan 5, 202614:30

Albums of the Year 2025

JOVM turns 16 this year. And for first handful of years, my Best of List was an annual tradition until about 2014 or so. Between 2014 and 2020, it became sporadic and then it stopped. I haven’t done one of these in several years. There was a part of me that wondered if it really mattered much. And then life happened.

So here we are in 2026. And with the year starting in earnest, let’s check out my best of 2025.

Big Fish Fyra liter stoft
Tan Cologne Unknown Beyond
Moondaddy Dove Tapes
Sessa Pequena Vertigem de Amor
Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band For Fat Man
Silk Daisys S/T
The Circling Sun Orbits
Gabriel da Rosa Cacofonia
Yoo Doo Right, Population II & Nolan Potter Yoo II avec Nolan Potter
bat zoo The Upward Bird EP
Public Circuit Modern Church
L’Eclair Cloud Drifter
Gloin All of your anger is actually shame (and I bet that makes you angry)
CIVIC Chrome Dipped
Population II Maintenant Jamais
White Birches A New Reign
Anish Kumar and Hagop Tchaparian Kino EP
Friendship Commanders BEAR
The Besnard Lakes The Besnard Lakes are the Ghost Nation
SHOLTO The Sirens
S.C.A.B. Somebody In New York Loves You!
Pierpont & Hegeleson Of Time
RORO and snapir Colors Left
St. Panther Strange World
Nation of Language Dance Called Memory
Quad90 S/T
Slumbering Sun Starmony
Tunde Adebimpe Thee Black Boltz
Quad90 S/T
Die Spitz Something To Consume
debdepan LOVERS & OTHERS EP

__
The Joy of Violent Movement is a completely independent and completely D.I.Y. media outlet. Over the course of this site’s 15+ year history, I’ve used my fiercely independent stance to cover music with an eclectic and global perspective that a lot of other publications just don’t have — and will likely never have.

To that end, I could use your support to continue to keep bringing you my unique global perspective on music. There are a number of ways that you can support this work.

I’ve been told that some people would prefer to make a one-time donation because it’s easy and less of an obligation. So, if you’re able to make a one-time donation, there’s a donation box below.

Make a one-time donation

Choose an amount

$5.00

$15.00

$100.00

Or enter a custom amount

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate

Anything you can give is very much appreciated. It can and does make a real difference, y’all.

I know that a lot of folks are struggling to make ends meet in an uncertain and tumultuous economic climate. So there are other, non-financial ways in which you can support this work.

You can follow me on the following social platforms:

X/Twitter: @yankee32879 and @joyofviolent

Instagram: @william_ruben_helms

Threads: @william_ruben_helms

Bluesky: @williamrubenhelms.bsky.social

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheJoyofViolentMovement

As always, if there are posts that you dig, share them with your friends. The more eyeballs on my work, the better.