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On Tyranny: Tech Worker’s Fury at AI, Tech Bros’ Fascist Nihilism Led Him to Launch Existential Prog-Metal Band

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny, Videos with tags AI, authoritarianism, fascism, On Tyranny, Only Human, prog metal, tech bros, techno fascism, trump, tyranny on 10/14/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

“These days, it’s more anger than fear in my mind,” tech worker-turned existential-prog-metal band frontman Patrick Grønbæch Christensen shares in an interview with The Bad Penny that took place this morning. “I take great pride in the acts and process of creation. Programming [is] a creative exercise. But that’s being taken away from a lot of us now [thanks to AI].”

In a rare interview with the Danish vocalist of Only Human, which just formed last year and quickly signed to extreme-metal standard bearers Season of Mist, Christensen talks transparently about how he resorts to his band to channel his fury toward techno-fascism. He also uses the cleverly named Only Human to educate the masses about the dangers that humanity faces as AI continues to develop without sufficient guardrails.

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10 Nirvana Songs Written by Kurt Cobain That Never Got the Attention They Deserved

Posted in Essays, Lists with tags Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Kurt Cobain, Nirvana on 10/14/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

We all know Nirvana’s hit songs. “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” “Come as You Are.” “Heart-Shaped Box.” “All Apologies.” “Lithium.” “In Bloom.” Those tunes — which, fun fact, appear to be the last-released songs that are played on classic-rock radio — are imprinted indelibly on the minds of not just rock fans but American culture in general. But, as is always the case with any rock band, their hit songs only tell a small part of the group’s story. Another extremely critical aspect of Nirvana’s legacy is that they created at least a couple dozen high-quality tunes that never got their due.

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On Tyranny: Brand-New Norwegian Post-Punks The Ape Are No-Holds-Barred When It Comes to Fighting Fascism

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags authoritarianism, fascism, On Tyranny, punk rock, The Ape, trump, tyranny on 10/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Heard of Norway band The Ape? Yeah, we hadn’t either, until we caught wind of them a few months ago. And when those winds blow in your neck of the woods, you’ll hear about the post-punks quickly as well.

The reason we’re starting this article with a focus on the Oslo band’s obscurity is because they’re already getting a big push on the strength of three singles that are not available, even though the full-length that will presumably contain them won’t be out until an undetermined release date next year, courtesy ofLoyal Blood Records.

The Ape consists of vocalist/drummer Johan Fredrik Bolli, guitarists Simen Trippestad and Johannes Amble, and bassist Kristian Leonhardsebn.

Some may interpret The Ape’s newbie status as a sign of weakness, that they haven’t amassed enough life experiences and that they’re too young to know what they’re talking about. Those critics are dead wrong, as proven by The Bad Penny‘s interview with the gang less than a month ago. Not only do they have their heads on straight, they’re astute about the political climate across the world, and thus earned themselves a spot as the last participants in our ongoing On Tyranny series.

Read it for yourself.

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Pet Sounds #95: London Queer Indie-Pop Duo SassyHiya Adore Their Kitty’s Sassy Antics

Posted in Features, Interviews, Pet Sounds with tags Pet Sounds, SassyHiya on 10/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Cooped up in a flat in South London, partners Kathy Wright (vocals, guitar)) and Helen Skinner (vocals, bass) decided too take the big plunge around 2014 and embrace another member of their modest family: a cat adoringly and uniquely named Crayon. While the indie-pop group has made no secret of their biggest fan and booster, they recently reached out to The Bad Penny to rave about their lovely little companion. Trust us, both their remarks and the song SassyHiya pale in comparison to the smoosh-ability of their priceless feline.

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Fuming Mouth: Ringing in a New Chapter

Posted in Interviews with tags Chuck Schuldiner, Control Denied, Death, Fuming Mouth, Mark Whalen, Triple B on 10/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

“It doesn’t matter who you are – we’re all human, you know – even if you reach this point of victory and you conquer death and all that, the bell still tolls for thee.”

Those are some of the first words uttered by Fuming Mouth mastermind Mark Whalen. As Central Massachusetts as they come, Whelan is direct and blunt, and his concision is not only evident in what he says in conversation but what he pours into his hardcore-meets-death-metal project.

Fuming Mouth’s early recordings flaunted Whalen adeptness at guitar, bass and vocals — and, in the words of Whelan he knew he had struck gold “immediately.” Whelan divulges his trick as follows “The goal isn’t to be the heaviest band. It’s to make good songs. … And it was never even to build a fan base; it was about a scene and a community. I want to contribute to hardcore and add my little piece to it.”

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Exclusive Premiere: Desert-Rock Pioneer Crumpler Explores Love’s ‘Perpetual Mystery’ on New Song, Video With Califone Founder

Posted in Exclusives, Interviews, Videos with tags Califone, Crumpler, desert rock, Jacob Floyd Ross, Kyuss, QOTSA, Queens of the Stone Age, Red Red Meat on 10/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

Smooshing together desert-rock fuzz and surf-rock licks like peanut butter and jelly, the sandwich that Jacob Floyd Ross’ Crumpler project delivers in the form of Evolution Is for Lovers is a throwback to a more innocent and less drug-fueled era dominated by bands like Kyuss and Queens of the Stone Age, who ascended to the rock throne in California’s Palm Desert in the mid-’90s.

Crumpler, effectively a one-man project, actually originated in Chicago after Kyuss issued their debut, Wretch, in September 1991. Crumpler’s first release, the cassette-only Stramonium – an original score for Tom Kiehfuss’ play Stramonium: A Search for Grace – didn’t come out until four years later, at which point Ross formally established his project. Meanwhile, Kyuss guitarist Homme incepted QOTSA shortly thereafter in California’s Palm Desert and propelled the desert-rock sound into the mainstream. Ross went in a different direction, intending for Crumpler to serve as a generator (so to speak, for all you desert-rock fans) to make scores for films and theatrical productions.

That said, Crumpler’s many records are available on the project’s Bandcamp page. His most recent release is Evolution Is for Lovers, which came out digitally in June 2025 but will see a vinyl release on October 23. Ross, who currently resides in L.A. with his family, has also played with Low Skies, Ribbon Effect, The Warmbloods, Man Is Man and Judson Claiborne.

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What ‘Led Zeppelin IV,’ Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ and Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ Have in Common

Posted in Essays with tags Fleetwood Mac, Led, Pink Floyd, Zeppelin on 10/13/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

AllMusic brings you the three best ‘70s classic rock albums — which is to say, the triptych of full-lengths that achieved our website’s coveted perfect score. Comb through our archives, and you will inevitably discover what a rarity it is for any album to land that prized accolade. In light of that once-in-a-blue-moon score, we assert that the three records that were released in the 1970s and that are listed below defined the decade itself.

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What the Hell Happened to Orbit Culture?

Posted in Essays, Sound Off with tags cheesy, melodeth, Niklas Karlsson, Orbit Culture, Stryper, Swedish, W.A.S.P., Winger on 10/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

If you happen to pass me walking the streets of Boise these days and don’t see that I have a tail, it’s because it’s between my legs.

In the 18 years I’ve operated this website – or blaaaag, as the peanut gallery derides it – I’ve issued a mea culpa from time to time. The specific instancess don’t come to mind at the moment, nor did they when I spent some more moments fishing around for flubs I’ve made in the past. But I admit they’re out there; after all, when you’ve published more than a thousand posts on a website, not to mention thousands more articles for magazines and other media outlets, there are bound to be some regrets.

But it appears my biggest misjudgment of all time on The Bad Penny has arrived and its name is Orbit Culture. Haven’t heard of them? Lucky for you, at least as far as their present attitude is concerned. As a sucker for Swedish melodic death metal, I glommed on to the band led by reliably downcast – neigh, ever-frowning, and even perpetually peeved – vocalist and rhythm guitarist Niklas Karlsson.

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On Tyranny: Maria BC Reflects on ICE’s Minnesota Murders as Trump’s Vigilante Goon Squad Still Goes Unchecked and Terrorizes American Communities

Posted in Features, Interviews, On Tyranny, On Tyranny with tags Alex Pretti, authoritarianism, fascism, George Floyd, ICE, immigration, Maria BC, On Tyranny, Renée Good, tyranny on 10/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

About a month ago, AllMusic rolled out our interview with Maria BC that mostly revolved around Marathon, an album that teems with more sincerity and human emotion than their past two releases, as it addressed Americans and the hardships they are currently experiencing. So as to focus on the trials and tribulations of the “average American,” we mostly avoided discussion of Trump, even though the majority of U.S. citizens are finally waking up to the reality that he is the source of so many of the country’s seemingly intractable problems.

Today, following the much-needed and frankly long-overdue “Power to the People” music festival/ extravaganza that Tom Morello hosted earlier this month, we bring you an excerpt from our interview with Maria BC that was left on the cutting-room floor but nevertheless deserves to be heard and read by those who care about the survivability of democracy; how Americans treat each other regardless of legal status; and what it will take for us to finally put a stop to the lawless, sociopathic atrocities that ICE is inflicting upon citizens, legal immigrants and other residents of the so-called “greatest nation on earth.”

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Top 10 Best Chinese Metal Bands, According to Homegrown Heathens Dehumanizing Itatrian Worship

Posted in Features, Interviews, Lists, Videos with tags Armed Conflict, Black Kirin, China, DeadTrees, Deep Mountains, Dehumanizing Itatrian Worship, Mvltifission, Never Before, Tumourboy, Zuriaake on 10/12/2026 by Kurt Orzeck

When we launched what we’re unofficially calling The Bad Penny Passport earlier this year, we never would’ve imagined we’d get a submission from a Chinese heavy metal band listing what they consider to be the top 10 bands of their ilk who also hail from their country. (Frankly, we didn’t think we’d score one from a Russian musician either.) But thanks to the devoted efforts of one of our closest allies, Jon Asher of Asher Media Relations, the truly unlikely came to fruition. Think of it as our version of Guns N’ Roses’ Chinese Democracy gambit.

Lots more info on Dehumanizing Itatrian Worship – a brutal slamming death metal group founded in 2014 – is below. But first, let’s take a look at what they consider to be the top 10 best metal bands in their homeland of China.

1. Tumourboy

One of my favorite Chinese thrash metal bands. Some punk influence makes the songs really aggressive; I lean toward fast riffs, and the arrangement and vocals are both well done.

2. Zuriaake