Waylon Reavis Goes Pop, If These Trees Could Talk Gets Reviewed, and Ohio's Metal Scene Keeps Grinding
There's a particular kind of whiplash that comes from watching a guy who spent years screaming through a rubber mask in Mushroomhead turn around and deliver a hushed, string-laden cover of a Weeknd song. But that's exactly the left turn Waylon Reavis just took, and it's worth talking about — because whatever else you want to say about Cleveland's most theatrical export, the man does not sit still.
Waylon Reavis Reimagines 'Blinding Lights' — And It Actually Makes Sense
Former Mushroomhead vocalist Waylon Reavis, now fronting the alt-metal project A Killer's Confession, has released a stripped-down reimagining of The Weeknd's global smash "Blinding Lights." Gone is the crushing weight and aggression that typically defines A Killer's Confession's output; in its place is something quieter, more vulnerable, and honestly a pretty savvy move for an artist trying to widen his lane without abandoning it entirely.
Ohio metal fans have a complicated relationship with Mushroomhead's post-Jeffrey Nothing, post-J Mann era — there's been more lineup drama in that band's history than most soap operas — but Reavis carving out his own identity with A Killer's Confession has always felt like the more interesting story than the internal Mushroomhead squabbles. A synth-pop cover isn't going to satisfy anyone looking for the industrial stomp that made the band's name in the first place, but it's a reminder that Northeast Ohio's alt-metal lineage is still capable of surprising people. Whether it's a one-off flex or a signal of where the next A Killer's Confession record is headed remains to be seen.
Dave Mustcomplain Takes On If These Trees Could Talk
Meanwhile, Akron's own If These Trees Could Talk found themselves under the microscope of MetalSucks' recurring "Disgruntled Dad Reviews" column, with the perpetually skeptical Dave Mustcomplain weighing in on "The Hidden Hand." The bit, as always, hinges on whether Mustcomplain is constitutionally capable of enjoying anything — but the fact that a national outlet is spending column inches dissecting a post-rock/post-metal record from an Ohio instrumental band says something about the reach this scene has built over the years.
If These Trees Could Talk has quietly become one of the most respected names to come out of the state's post-metal underground, and their inclusion in a column that usually reserves its (mock) venom for major-label releases is a small but real signal of how far the region's reputation has traveled. If you're chasing that same widescreen, riff-driven atmosphere locally, Ohio's post-metal bench is deeper than people give it credit for — acts like Close the Hatch, Slow Wake, and Akula are all mining that same instrumental, texture-first territory, and any of them would make a fine entry point if "The Hidden Hand" review sends you down a rabbit hole.
A New Voice for Nevermore, and a Reminder Ohio's Heavy Metal Underground Deserves More Ink
Outside the state line, drummer Van Williams gave an update on Nevermore's new lineup, which now features vocalist Berzan Önen alongside Williams and guitarist Jeff Loomis. Williams said plainly that he believes the late Warrel Dane "would be proud of the guy we chose to replace him" — a heavy statement for a band built entirely around one of metal's most distinctive voices, but also a sign of how seriously the surviving members are taking the responsibility of carrying that legacy forward.
It's a good excuse to point at something we don't talk about enough on this site: Ohio's traditional heavy metal and NWOTHM underground is genuinely underserved in the coverage department, despite having plenty of bands worth your time. Power metal outfit Cerberus, the thrash-leaning power metal crew in Karnage, and straightforward heavy metal acts like Gatlin and Sword are all flying the flag for a genre that gets less blog love than death metal or black metal but has never actually gone away — it just went underground, the same way it always has in this state. If you grew up on 80s metal bands and want to know what that DNA sounds like filtered through a modern Ohio lens, that's your starting point.
Sid Wilson Confirms What Everyone Already Suspected
Elsewhere in the national conversation, Slipknot's Sid Wilson has quietly confirmed his ousting from the band — not with a press release, but in the kind of low-key acknowledgment that speaks volumes after months of speculation. Slipknot's lineup churn has been a running story for years now, and every departure sends a ripple through the percussion-heavy, mask-wearing lineage that Ohio's own Mushroomhead helped pioneer decades before Slipknot broke nationally. The two bands' histories have always been tangled up in fan debates about who influenced whom, and Wilson's exit is one more data point in a genre where lineup stability is apparently the exception, not the rule.
Scott Ian Owns Up, Aaron Stainthorpe Doesn't Hold Back
Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian used a recent podcast appearance to revisit the band's decision to fire Joey Belladonna in 1992, calling it "heartbreaking" and admitting flatly, "in hindsight, I was wrong." It's a rare bit of candor from a genre where ego usually wins out over accountability, and it lands the same week that former My Dying Bride frontman Aaron Stainthorpe spoke publicly about his own unceremonious 2025 exit from the gothic doom band he co-founded and fronted for 35 years. Stainthorpe didn't mince words, saying the band "showed their cards" by kicking him out, and he's already moved on with Towards the Sinister alongside three former My Dying Bride members.
Two very different bands, two very different eras, but the same underlying theme: metal's history is littered with lineup fractures that take decades to fully process, and sometimes the healthiest thing a musician can do is start something new rather than wait for an apology. Ohio's own scene has seen its share of that story too, and it's part of why bands here tend to value longevity — the kind you see in stalwarts like Ringworm, who've weathered their own lineup shifts across a hardcore-thrash career that's outlasted plenty of flashier acts.
Southpaw FLHC's PR Fight Continues
Southpaw FLHC remains in damage-control mode this week, publicly pushing back against ongoing racism allegations and rumors that their label is preparing to drop them. The band's response has been combative rather than conciliatory, essentially daring critics to prove their case. It's not a great look regardless of the outcome, and it's the kind of story that tends to follow a band around for years even after the news cycle moves on. Ohio's crossover and hardcore-leaning acts operate in a much smaller, more accountable ecosystem, where a band's reputation in the room at a VFW hall or a DIY basement show tends to matter more than label politics — which is part of why word-of-mouth still counts for so much here.
The Rest of the National Roundup
A few other stories worth a mention: Limp Bizkit are reportedly back in the studio, with photos circulating of the band tracking new material. Queens of the Stone Age announced a new album. Primus brought Death Angel and Kerry King vocalist Mark Osegueda on stage twice in one week for covers of Dio's "Holy Diver," including a fan-filmed appearance at Dynamo Metalfest in Eindhoven. And KISS's Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley threw out a ceremonial first pitch at Angel Stadium ahead of an Angels-Royals game, because apparently there's no venue metal's elder statesmen won't show up to at this point.
Back Home in Ohio
None of this national churn changes what's happening on the ground here. Death metal continues to be a strong suit for the state, whether it's the visceral brutality of Mutilatred or the thrash-adjacent attack of War Curse, and that's before you even get into the black metal, doom, and grind corners of the index. If you're hunting for metal concerts near me this month, check upcoming shows for what's actually on the calendar across the state, and if your band belongs in this conversation, submit your band so we can start tracking you properly. Between reimagined pop covers, snarky album reviews, and vocalists finally speaking their minds, this was a loud week for metal — and Ohio, as usual, had its fingerprints on more of it than people realize.
