Taking Back Sunday's 'Louder Now' Turns 20: Long Island Emo Royalty Reissues a Scene-Defining Record
Twenty years is a long time to hold onto a record, but if you came up in the Long Island and greater New York hardcore-adjacent scene in the mid-2000s, chances are Taking Back Sunday's 'Louder Now' never left your rotation. This week the Amityville-bred band confirmed a 20th anniversary reissue of the album, complete with a bonus 7" and an exclusive vinyl variant, alongside news of a special commemorative show at Red Rocks in October. For a band that helped define what post-hardcore and emo sounded like coming out of New York State, this is the kind of anniversary that deserves the full victory lap.
'Louder Now' was the record where Taking Back Sunday leaned harder into arena-sized hooks without sacrificing the raw, confessional bite that made them a New York scene staple in the first place. Two decades later, the reissue campaign feels less like nostalgia-baiting and more like a reminder of how much New York's contribution to the 2000s emo and post-hardcore explosion gets overlooked when people draw up the map of that era. Long Island doesn't just get credit for hardcore and death metal pedigree — it's also ground zero for some of the most influential emo and alt-rock bands of the last quarter-century, and Taking Back Sunday sits at the top of that list next to fellow Long Islanders Bayside, another band that's spent two decades proving New York's punk and emo lineage runs just as deep as its metal one.
The Red Rocks show is a notable flex, too — not every band gets to celebrate an anniversary record at one of the most iconic venues in the country, but it underlines how much staying power 'Louder Now' has had. If you're the type of reader who tracks upcoming shows hoping a hometown band rolls through, keep an eye out; anniversary reissue cycles like this one almost always come with a full U.S. run, and New York crowds will absolutely show up for it.
NWOTHM and the 80s Metal Revival Keep Bleeding Into 2026
Elsewhere in the world of legacy acts, Europe's Joey Tempest gave a new interview reaffirming his love for playing "The Final Countdown" live, calling it simply "a great song" and "fantastic" to perform after all these decades. It's a small quote, but it says something bigger about where the metal conversation is right now: the 80s metal bands that soundtracked arena rock's golden era are still very much part of the discourse heading into 2026, and that nostalgia is directly fueling the New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal movement that's been quietly building strength in scenes like ours.
Cheap Trick's Rick Nielsen is contributing to that same conversation from a different angle, putting his legendary personal guitar and memorabilia collection up for a benefit auction through Julien's. When a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer starts liquidating decades of gear for a cause, it's a reminder of just how much physical history is tied up in the classic rock and heavy metal continuum — the same continuum that New York's own NWOTHM acts are drawing from. Bands like Attila have been carrying that torch locally, channeling the riff-forward, denim-and-leather spirit of 80s metal bands into something built for a new generation of tape-and-vinyl collectors. If you're compiling a list of the best metal albums of all time, odds are half of it comes from that same NWOTHM-adjacent era Tempest and Nielsen helped define — and it's encouraging to see that lineage still has active bloodlines running through New York's heavy metal scene rather than existing purely as museum piece nostalgia.
Slipknot's Experimental Pivot and What It Means for NY's Boundary-Pushers
Guitarist Jim Root's comments about Slipknot's upcoming record are generating plenty of chatter, and for good reason. Root was blunt: don't expect another 'Iowa' or self-titled record — this one is described as "experimenting," with a vibe he calls "honest and true," uneasy, and reminiscent of the band's earlier recording days. That's a big statement from a band whose entire career has been built on turning aggression into arena-scale spectacle, and it's worth noting because experimental metal remains one of the more underappreciated corners of the genre right now, both nationally and here in New York.
New York's own experimental and progressive metal contingent has plenty of reason to pay attention to a mainstream band publicly embracing unease and discomfort over crowd-pleasing formula. Progressive-leaning acts like Atryn and death-and-progressive hybrids like Aghast have been operating in that same uneasy, structurally adventurous space for years without the benefit of a major label rollout. When a band as commercially massive as Slipknot signals that it's chasing discomfort over formula, it validates the years New York's underground experimental scene has spent doing exactly that on a smaller stage. It's also a good moment to remind readers that if your band is doing something genuinely strange and boundary-pushing, our submit your band page exists specifically so we can cover acts like that before the rest of the internet catches on.
Death Metal and Grind Keep Touring Hard
On the extreme end of the spectrum, Party Cannon and Internal Bleeding have announced a co-headlining 2027 European run dubbed the 'Vomitour,' with Guttural Slug supporting. It's a slamming death metal package that speaks to just how internationally connected the brutal death metal and slam scenes have become — bands are booking European legs years in advance because the demand for that sound has never really dipped. New York's own slam and brutal death metal contingent, including acts like Splattered Entrails, Enterocele, and Course of Extinction, exists in that same lineage of unrelenting, technically brutal death metal that's found a genuinely global audience over the last decade. If you're trying to figure out where new metal bands 2026 is heading in the extreme underground, look no further than how quickly slam and brutal death metal tours are being locked in for years out — that's a scene with serious momentum, and New York remains one of its most reliable breeding grounds.
Quick Hits From Around the Metal World
A few other stories are worth a mention for anyone tracking the wider heavy music landscape this week. Fans of the late Andy Williams will be glad to hear a statue and memorial bench are officially in the works, with custom engraved bricks currently available for purchase to surround the site — a nice, tangible way for a community to grieve and commemorate together. Meanwhile, horror-metal crossover fans have a new reason to hit the theater this week: 'Deathgasm II: Goremageddon' arrives in U.S. and Canadian cinemas September 29 with an original score from Trivium's Matt Heafy, continuing the beloved horror-comedy's tradition of pairing splatter with genuinely heavy riffs.
Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder offered warm words about drummer Abe Laboriel Jr. sitting in with the band recently, praising his work ethic and chemistry on stage. Over in the world of nu-metal reunions, Korn's Jonathan "Head" Welch reunited with former guitarist Fieldy onstage for a venue opening — their first appearance together in over five years — while the surviving members of Nirvana gathered to accept the MTV Vanguard Award, with Pat Smear reportedly lighting up a cigarette mid-acceptance, because of course he did.
On the interview circuit, Deathchant's TJ Lemieux spoke candidly about loss and letting go around the band's new record 'Kova,' offering the kind of grounded perspective — "Life's gonna beat your ass either way" — that resonates with anyone who's spent time in this scene. August Burns Red's Jake Luhrs discussed the lyrical themes behind "The Nameless" and the importance of starting change with yourself. And in a smaller but telling story about the current state of streaming platforms, Sleep Club revealed their new music about AI "intrusion" was once again incorrectly flagged by Spotify's own AI moderation systems — a genuinely funny bit of irony for a band writing directly about the subject, while they also announced new Southeastern U.S. tour dates.
Finally, Kaonashi's Peter Rono performed a recent show seated after suffering a mid-tour knee injury, with the band confirming their fall touring plans remain otherwise unaffected — a small reminder of the physical toll touring takes on musicians who give everything to the stage night after night.
Where New York Fits In
Between Taking Back Sunday's victory-lap reissue, the enduring pull of 80s metal bands and NWOTHM, Slipknot's pivot toward genuine experimentation, and the death metal underground's relentless touring pace, this week's headlines paint a picture of a metal landscape that's simultaneously looking backward and forward at the same time. New York's scene has always thrived in that exact space — equal parts legacy and innovation — and if the current crop of local bands is any indication, that won't be changing anytime soon.