Tear Gas, Ten-Hour Drones, and a Changing of the Guard: This Week's US Metal Scene Reckons With Noise, Names, and New Blood

Some weeks in metal news feel like a victory lap for legacy acts. This week feels more like a gut check. Between an experimental noise project built as a literal weapon against federal agents, a bass chair changing hands in one of the most important heavy metal bands ever formed, and the usual chaos of hardcore musicians moonlighting in industrial side projects, the US scene is reminding everyone that metal has never just been about riffs. It's about response.