BAD OMENS – Do You Feel Love North American Tour at Desert Diamond Arena
Bad Omens exceed boundaries on their self-titled full-length debut for Sumerian Records. It’s something of a mission statement for the Los Angeles-based quintet—Noah Sebastian [vocals], Nicholas Ryan [guitar], Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson [guitar], Vincent Riquier [bass], and Nick Folio [drums].
“We tried to spread awareness about being open minded when it comes to heavy music,” exclaims Noah. “We wanted to go beyond the realm of heavy and incorporate everything from industrial to soundtrack-style moments.”
It’s a goal that Noah’s possessed since first writing for what would become Bad Omens in 2013. The Richmond, VA native logged time in a prominent local band, but he wanted to focus on his own artistic vision. He wrote and recorded a handful of solo songs without mentioning a word to anybody. When it came time to recruit other players, he linked up with old friend Nicholas. He added another buddy Vincent who introduced him to “Jolly”—all the way in Sweden. Nick joined last after submitting a cover online.
“The band started as me and two of my close friends and two other guys I’d never even met outside of Face Time or Skype,” he smiles. “This music just spoke to everyone, and we felt a bond.”
It also spoke to Sumerian Records who offered Bad Omens a deal in 2015 based off the strength of the demos and songwriting. The guys spent months rehearsing in Nick’s basement before hitting the studio with Will Putney [Upon A Burning Body, The Amity Affliction, Body Count] to record the album.
“We chose Will because he specializes in a more raw sound,” Noah goes on. “It’s not over-produced. It’s real.”
Early 2016 saw the group unveil the single “The Worst In Me.” With its jagged riffs, sweeping harmonies, and towering chorus, the track immediately set the internet ablaze, racking up over 860,000 views on YouTube in less than a month.
“For me personally, it’s about a very intense and unhealthy relationship I was in, but we wrote it in a format that’s universal to all bad habits,” he says. “More specifically, it’s something you can’t let go of even though it’s not good for you—whether it’s a relationship, a drug problem, or terrible situation. You’re addicted.”
On the other end of the spectrum, the record concludes with the sprawling epic “The Fountain.” Tempering an industrialized hum and sweeping soundscapes punctuated by flutes and booming war drums, Alternative Press debuted the cinematic music video.
“We watched The Fountain with Hugh Jackman while we were recording,” he goes on. “It’s a sci-fi thriller romance with an insane plot and 3 different universes. The romantic aspect resonated with me. It’s unique for us and metal at large, because we’re using a lot of atypical instruments.”
Over the past year, Bad Omens has amassed a diehard following, delivering live alongside everyone from Born of Osiris and After the Burial to Veil of Maya, Upon a Burning Body, and Erra. Now, they’re ready to break more ground.
“I want people to feel inspired the way I do when I listen to music, because I’m listening all day,” Noah leaves off. “I want to share that inspiration to do something different.”
President, arguably heavy metal’s biggest breakout band of 2025, are working on their debut album.
The masked project’s anonymous frontman says that he’s written four songs already, with three of them being among the best things he’s ever done.
He also reveals that the music will build upon the groundwork set by this year’s EP King Of Terrors while exploring new territory.
“I’m writing a full-length album,” Mr President tells us. “I’ve got four songs written already, and I’d say three of those are the best I’ve ever written. This album is going to be an evolution. It takes bits of the EP, and it’s pushing certain elements even further. Obviously music is subjective, so people might not agree, but I am my fiercest critic – if I love it, that’s a great start.”
President have had a 2025 for the history books, having not even been a band at the start of the year. Their existence was first revealed when they were added to the poster of Download festival in February. After that, they launched a mysterious countdown and released a string of singles, starting with In The Name Of The Father in May. When they played Download in June, they performed in front of a packed-out Dogtooth tent.
King Of Terrors was self-released in September and received mixed-to-positive reviews.
The fearlessly determined and creative Ohio-based powerhouse perfected a sound sought by a generation of bands, equal parts solitary musical confession and celebratory exorcism. BEARTOOTH music is an outright refusal to suffer in silence, weaponizing radio-ready bombast to deliver raw emotion mixed with noise-rock chaos. They combine hard rock and hardcore in a way that’s smart, lean, melodic, and irresistible, without apology. After over 900 million streams from songs like “The Past is Dead,” “Fed Up,” and “In Between”, in addition to the band’s fourth album, Below, topping charts and finding its way into Best Rock/Metal Albums of the Year in 2021, Rolling Stone introduced BEARTOOTH as one of 10 New Artists You Need To Know. The 2013 Sick EP was an emotionally stranded Shomo’s “message in a bottle,” tossed into a figurative ocean. Disgusting (2014), Aggressive (2016), Disease (2018), and Below (2021) expanded those themes of desperation, each sonically getting a step closer to the magical balance between the blood, sweat, and tears of classic recordings and the smooth gloss of modern production. Their latest single “Riptide” is the culmination of that battle: a furiously courageous song of self-empowerment serving as a victory lap to memorialize a struggle with mental health and self-acceptance, which has defined so much of BEARTOOTH since its inception. BEARTOOTH offers no cure, but the recovery comes in the process; the journey is the destination. So enjoy the ride.