\nAs singer Robbie Pfeffer says, \u201cTo put something out on January 6th, when the current president tried to overthrow the United States government and has now pardoned all those people, and everyone dances as quickly as they can to ignore what actually happened, it seems pretty fitting for an album that’s about a world that’s basically ignoring what’s happening to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As “a person who detests violence,” Pfeffer was drawn to \u201cViolence\u201d as a title for this album, he explains, because \u201cit’s just this thing that’s pretty universally recognized as a bad, scary thing. And this is an album that talks about a lot of bad, scary things.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zac Carper of FIDLAR produced a move that led to their most fully realized effort yet.<\/p>\n\nHighlights range from an opening track that compares this moment in our history to \u201ca dumpster fire burning bright\u201d to a song called \u201cWay It\u2019s Done\u201d that sets the tone with \u201cMy offspring is a receptacle for all my bad ideas\u201d and features one of Pfeffer\u2019s most inspired moments as a lyricist (\u201cMy family lives in fear because I live in regret\u201d). Out now.<\/p>\n
By Storm<\/h2>\n
RiTchie with a T (Nathaniel Ritchie) and Parker Corey of experimental hip-hop trio Injury Reserve release their debut single as By Storm in 2023 \u2013 \u201cas a handoff,\u201d they explained on social media, from what they\u2019d managed to accomplish with Stepa J. Groggs (Jordan Groggs), who died in 2020.<\/p>\n\nInjury Reserve\u2019s last album, \u201cBy the Time I Get to Phoenix,\u201d was released in 2021. \u201cMy Ghosts Go Ghost\u201d is their first album as By Storm \u2014 an album they intended to release in 2025.<\/p>\n
As they explained in announcing the album on their Substack page, \u201cWhen we first shared our logo over a year ago with the caption \u2018new music in 2025\u2019 the phrasing was deliberate. We had been working on new music since wrapping up the final Injury Reserve tours at the end of 2022 but we did not have an album. The pressure of both debuting a new band while also following up a relatively successful album in\u00a0\u2018By the Time I Get to Phoenix\u2019\u00a0was clearly affecting us, so instead we decided to simply start releasing songs we were confident in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Four of the nine songs on \u201cMy Ghosts Go Ghost\u201d are streaming now. The full album arrives on Jan. 30 via deadAir. An initial vinyl press will be limited to 1,000 copies.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nPaper Foxes<\/h2>\n
These local darkwave heroes have signed to Cleopatra Records, a label renowned for its eclectic catalog spanning punk, industrial, goth and metal with a roster now including Iggy Pop, The Damned and Ministry.<\/p>\n\nWhen the signing was announced, they issued a statement saying, \u201cWe\u2019re honored to be part of a label that has championed so many visionaries across genres. Cleopatra understands artists who blur lines and bend expectations. That\u2019s exactly where we want to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
In that same news release, they said the album \u201cpromises a darker, more cinematic sound, exploring themes of identity, technology, and alienation in a fragmented world.\u201d They\u2019ll be celebrating the release of \u201cRituals\u201d on Jan. 30 at Club Contact in downtown Phoenix.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nPuscifer<\/h2>\n
Nearly two decades since\u00a0Puscifer’s first release, the band led by Maynard James Keenan of Tool and A Perfect Circle will release the long-awaited follow-up to 2020\u2019s brilliant \u201cExistential Reckoning.\u201d Written and recorded across Arizona, in Los Angeles and on the road during last year\u2019s Sessanta tour, \u201cNormal Isn\u2019t\u201d is set to be released on Feb. 6.<\/p>\n
Tapping into the music that shaped them, Keenan, fellow vocalist Carina Round and studio whiz Mat Mitchell have created a modern post-punk album, venturing into more guitar-driven territory with a dash of goth-tinged drama.<\/p>\n\nKeenan issued a statement saying \u201c\u2018Normal Isn\u2019t\u2019 reflects this time we are living in. As storytellers and artists, our job is to observe, interpret, and report. We take in our environment and share what we see, and what we see around us does not appear normal. Not by a long shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
As he was working on material, Keenan set up his own digital recording system and built full song ideas before presenting them to Mitchell and Round, a new approach that Round says changed the whole dynamic. In a good way.<\/p>\n\nAs Round summed it up in a statement, \u201cInstead of just saying, \u2018I want this to sound like Fleetwood Mac on cocaine if they had a baby with PJ Harvey,\u2019 Maynard was showing us his intention, which was really cool.\u201d (Out Feb. 6)<\/p>\n
Meat Puppets<\/h2>\n
These Tempe punk legends have a special project targeted at mom-and-pop stores coming out sometime in February. It’s four seven-inch EPs, each drawing on their library of old recordings. Each disc contains songs from Meat Puppet\u2019s early \u201980s Phoenix club days (1981-\u201982). The focus is on cover versions, though there is some improv.<\/p>\n\nEach release will be available in different regions of the country (and probably online as well), and once their limited editions sell out, all four will be made available in a 7-inch box set.<\/p>\n
Roger Clyne & the Peacemakers<\/h2>\n
On March 14, these local legends will be celebrating the release of their new album, \u201cHell to Breakfast,\u201d in the parking lot outside the Yucca Tap Room, where Clyne and drummer PH Naffah launched one the most successful Tempe rock acts of their generation, the Refreshments, in the \u201890s.<\/p>\n
That release show doubles as a celebration of \u201cFizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy,\u201d the Refreshments\u2019 breakthrough that gave the world \u201cBanditos,\u201d turning 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cHell to Breakfast\u201d was primarily produced by Naffah. A few songs were produced by Mike Harmeier of Mike and the Moonpies, a neotraditional country act from Austin, Texas, that recently changed its name to Silverada.<\/p>\n\nArriving March 6 with album art by fellow local legend Bob Boze Bell, \u201cHell to Breakfast\u201d is the Peacemakers\u2019 ninth studio release, and it should speak directly to the fans who flock to see them every time they grace a stage. The two singles they\u2019ve \u00a0shared in advance \u2014 \u201cYou Got Lightnin\u2019\u201d and \u201cAgua Caliente\u201d \u2014 are among the tracks that feel like future staples of the live show.<\/p>\n\n\u201cYou Got Lightnin\u2019\u201d is an anthemic rocker reminding listeners that \u201cwhen you feel like a B-side, always spinnin\u2019 face down, remember, you can strike anywhere, \u2018cause you got lightnin\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAgua Caliente\u201d is old-school country gold, from the opening riff to the vivid imagery with which he sets the scene in that opening verse, with \u201cthem 16 cigarettes still burning in the morning light outside my motel door,\u201d a line he follows with \u201c(Expletive), I don\u2019t smoke no more\/ Looks like I woke up in trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alice Cooper<\/h2>\n
<\/p>\n
A second Rock For Children album is in the works at Alice Cooper\u2019s Solid Rock Teen Centers. Rock for Children earned a Best Children’s Music Album Grammy nomination for a compilation titled “Solid Rock Revival,\u201d which arrived in 2024.<\/p>\n\nExecutive producer Joe Norelli says recording will take place at all three Solid Rock Teen Centers, \u201cutilizing kids as band members and bringing in artists such as Alice to do vocals, maybe Slash again to play guitar.\u201d<\/p>\n
The plan is to come up with 13 songs fit for children with songs about summer, school, Halloween and more. \u201cWe\u2019ve got a Christmas song that was actually written by Rob Halford and he’s on board to sing it for the album,\u201d Norelli says. \u201cWe try and pattern the album on the year. You go through school, summer, Halloween, Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to Halford and Cooper, the album is set to feature guest appearances by Darryl \u201cDMC\u201d McDaniels of Run-DMC, Sister Sledge and more. \u201cOne of the keys this year is we have a song that the whole Cooper family is going to be on, right down to the grandchildren,\u201d Norelli says.<\/p>\n
Solid Rock is hoping to release a single or two from the album at Coopstock, the non-profit\u2019s annual spring fundraiser, with the full album expected to arrive in July or early August, accompanied by animated videos.<\/p>\n<\/p>\nThe Word Alive<\/h2>\n
Phoenix metalcore veterans The Word Alive are working on their first release since \u201cHard Reset,\u201d a 2023 release that earned a four out rive from Kerrang!, whose critic hailed it as \u201ca beefy offering\u201d that \u201cfeels like the mark of a re-birth for The Word Alive.”<\/p>\n
According to a Jan. 16 post on The Word Alive Facebook page, they\u2019re \u201cwriting a new album and it is already insane.\u201d Replying to a comment on that post, they added that \u201cone of the songs is easily the heaviest of our career,\u201d agreeing with a fan who said \u201cGoing to be the heaviest one since \u2018Deceiver\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Released in 2010, \u201cDeceiver\u201d was The Word Alive\u2019s first album, of which an Alternative Press reviewer wrote, “The relentless drive of so many of the songs found on\u00a0\u2018Deceiver\u2019 have an urgency and added aggression to them that would make many of their peers recoil out of fear.”<\/p>\n
The Maine<\/h2>\n
The Tempe rockers The Maine are set to drop their first release since a self-titled effort released in 2023. Chorus.fm included \u201cThe Maine\u201d on its year-end best-of list, writing \u201cThe pacing on the new record is electric and frenetic, while still allowing a few songs to brood in the darkness to fit the overall mood and aesthetic of the black & white album artwork.\u201d<\/p>\n\nJohn O\u2019Callaghan spoke to US Weekly in September, saying \u201cWe are in the studio right now, and we\u2019re pretty deep in the process.\u201d That same article quoted O\u2019Callaghan saying, \u201cThis little break that we have right now is nice to put some distance between us and what we\u2019ve been toiling over. I\u2019m excited to have that space and then revisit when we get back home. It\u2019ll be out sometime next year, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Authority Zero<\/h2>\n
These Tempe punks posted a video on Facebook in mid-January from Underdog Studios in Mesa, where bandleader Jason DeVore said they were \u201cworking on a brand new record coming out later this year with our friend Cameron Webb.\u201d It\u2019s not the first they\u2019ve worked with Webb, who produced \u201cThe Tipping Point\u201d (2013), \u201cOllie Ollie Oxen Free\u201d (2021) and \u201c30 Years: Speaking to the Youth\u201d (2023).<\/p>\n
This is Authority Zero\u2019s ninth full-length album. DeVore says, \u201cWe\u2019ve been hard at work these past few months writing songs, and we\u2019ve decided to work with Cameron Webb again this round. There\u2019s no shortage of content to write given the state of the world, so we\u2019re looking very forward to incorporating our own perception of those elements within.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grey Daze<\/h2>\n
Long before he rose to fame as the tortured voice of Linkin Park, whose breakthrough album, “Hybrid Theory,” is the biggest-selling debut and\u00a0rock album of the century, Chester Bennington found that voice in Phoenix as a skinny teen who won his spot at center stage in Grey Daze singing Pearl Jam\u2019s \u201cAlive\u201d at his audition.<\/p>\n\nBennington was planning a reunion with his former bandmates to record news versions of their old material at the time of his death in 2017. That germ of an idea led to the release in 2020 of \u201cAmends,\u201d an album built on vocals Bennington\u00a0recorded between the ages of 18 and 21. A second album using Bennington\u2019s old vocal tracks, \u201cThe Phoenix,\u201d followed two years later.<\/p>\n
Since then, they\u2019ve picked up a singer, Cris Hodges. Founding member Sean Dowdell issued a statement when they shared a single from the EP they\u2019ll release in March, saying Hodges has \u201can energy and voice that reignited our passion for making music. We\u2019re inspired every day by the fans who continue to find hope in these songs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sacred Reich<\/h2>\n
In a statement announcing a parting of ways with longtime drummer Dave McClain in October, Sacred Reich added, “We are excited for this new chapter in\u00a0Sacred Reich\u00a0history. We are finishing up our new record, \u2018Into the Abyss,\u2019 that will be released in the Spring of 2026 on Metal Blade Records. Great things are coming. We can’t wait to share it with you.”<\/p>\n
In December, they shared a statement welcoming drummer\u00a0Eduardo Baldo\u00a0to the fold and said, \u201cWe are finishing up mixing our new album.\u201d<\/p>\n\nMega Ran<\/h2>\n
Mega Ran says he plans to drop another children\u2019s album this year, the third in a series that started in 2023 with \u201cBuddy\u2019s Magic Toy Box,\u201d a pivot inspired by the Phoenix schoolteacher turned rapper fostering a child he has since adopted.<\/p>\n
A second children\u2019s album, \u201cBuddy\u2019s Magic Tree House,\u201d was released in 2025 and earned the rapper his first Grammy nomination \u2014 for Best Children’s Music Album.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will definitely be something this year,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat I\u2019ve done in the past is we\u2019ve done the original release and then we do, like, a remix release in the off year. So at the very least, I would do something like that. So yes, there will be a children\u2019s release.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sundressed<\/h2>\n
These guys just played a Farewell Phoenix! concert at The Rebel Lounge. But we still get to claim them for at least a year or two. In a recent post about the move to San Diego in which Trevor Hedges called it \u201cmy coastal sabbatical,\u201d the singer signed off with \u201cJust know I\u2019m going to make a badass sundressed record and come back through on tour before you know it. Love y\u2019all!\u201d<\/p>\n\nOther recent social posts refer to a new record and new label in 2026.<\/p>\n
Dorsten<\/h2>\n
The brother-sister duo are recording a three-song EP with producer Mark Needham, whose previous credits include the mixing of the Killers\u2019 \u201cMr. Brightside\u201d and the engineering and mixing of Fleetwood Mac\u2019s final studio album, \u201cSay You Will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pariah Pete<\/h2>\n
This local rapper says, \u201c2026 could just be the year to move the needle for me. I\u2019m going into it more focused, prepared, and excited than I have ever been in my career.\u201d<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also releasing an album produced by Stravs of Katastro at Kamp Recording Studios \u2014 \u201cwith huge contributions,\u201d he says, from longtime collaborator and \u201cdear friend\u201d Sk8zen as well as his bandmates The Mercuries (Gus Campbell, Carly Bates and Malik Nelson).<\/p>\n
Pete says the 10-track album feels like his \u201ctrue\u201d debut. \u201cAlthough I\u2019ve released numerous music projects in the past, over live band production & beats, this feels like the truest snapshot of my artistry,\u201d he says. \u201cI\u2019m so excited to get it out in the world and to showcase what Arizona is capable of.\u201d<\/p>\n\nHe\u2019s planning a summer release accompanied by shows in Phoenix and beyond. \u201cWe want to tour as much as we possibly can,\u201d he says. \u201cThe sky truly feels like the limit right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ed has covered pop music for The Republic since 2007, reviewing festivals and concerts, interviewing legends, covering the local scene and more. He did the same in Pittsburgh for more than a decade. Follow him on X and Instagram @edmasley and on Facebook as Ed Masley. Email him at\u00a0ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.azcentral.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Concert promoter Psyko Steve has helped build Arizona’s music scene ‘Everyone knows Steve’: Concert promoter Psyko Steve has helped build Arizona’s music scene, including Phoenix Rock Lottery. It\u2019s shaping up to be a banner year for new releases from the Arizona music scene. The year got underway with Playboy Manbaby releasing their first album since […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2251004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25179],"tags":[39915,344912,344924,22220,382368,349303,28851,21751,239390,344913,6297,21741,351103,42020,305459,21888,21739,298114,351104,239456,239462,21800,307678,21738,239343,239347,23759,147314,21939,22366,349304,23152,239344],"class_list":["post-2251003","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-affiliate","tag-alice","tag-alice-cooper","tag-arts","tag-biden","tag-bruce","tag-bruce-springsteen","tag-celebrities","tag-celebrities-u0026-entertainment-news","tag-cooper","tag-eamotion","tag-entertainment","tag-fleetwood","tag-fleetwood-mac","tag-joe","tag-joe-biden","tag-local","tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","tag-mac","tag-modular","tag-modular-story","tag-music","tag-music-reference","tag-news","tag-overall","tag-overall-positive","tag-positive","tag-reference","tag-rock","tag-rock-music","tag-springsteen","tag-story","tag-u0026"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/These-Arizona-bands-are-dropping-new-albums-in-2026-scaled.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2251003","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2251003"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2251003\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2251005,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2251003\/revisions\/2251005"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2251004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2251003"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2251003"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2251003"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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