The Panic Manual

Concert Review: Ak’chamel, November 1, Horseshoe Tavern

Posted on

2 Nov 2026

Paul

Though Hallowe’en may have fallen on a Saturday this year, Ak’chamel‘s Sunday night show at the Horseshoe kept the spooky vibes going as we moved into November

The Houston trio delivered a performance that was hard to take your eyes off of, even if the band’s limited use of stage lighting sometimes made it difficult to see everything clearly. Still, that was all part of the atmosphere, helping establish the perfect mood for the band’s otherworldly, psychedelic sound. Their music felt as if it had been transmitted across space and time (and possibly from another dimension altogether), blending Tuareg desert bluesy sounds, eerie Middle Eastern-inspired horns, the tribal-sounding rhythms of Roots-era Sepultura, and often guttural chanting. And, of course, there were the costumes.

The masked and anonymous trio took to the stage in their trademark garb, looking like the high priests of some alien society preparing to enact a ritual. And then they proceeded to rock out – in the most esoteric way possible, of course. Nary a word of stage banter (save for what I perceived to be a whispered “thank you” right at the end) – no, that might break the spell. Just some straight up heavy, driving weirdness. To make the obvious connection to another costumed duo that’s currently having a moment, one could consider Ak’chamel to be the darker, less whimsical yang to Angine de Poitrine’s yin.

Song of the Day: Nabihah Iqbal – Heaven Can Wait

Posted on

30 Oct 2026

Paul

“Heaven Can Wait” is the latest single from the British-born but now New York-based artist Nabihah Iqbal, out now via Ghostly International. Check it out.

Song of the Day: Kyla Marlena – In Paint

Posted on

28 Oct 2026

Paul

“In Paint” is the latest single from Toronto-based cellist and songwriter Kyla Marlena, taken off her upcoming debut album Hold Time, out November 6th via Idee Fixe. Check it out.

Song of the Day: Imperial Teen – A Single Chair

Posted on

27 Oct 2026

Paul

“A Single Chair” is the latest single from San Francisco’s Imperial Teen, taken off their new album All Over You, out now via Merge Records. Check it out.

Concert Review: Unholy Grave, October 25, The Garrison

Posted on

26 Oct 2026

Paul

Nagoya grindcore stalwarts Unholy Grave have been around since the early ’90s and they’re still going strong. In town to play a “hangover grind” show as part of the weekend’s Town of Hardcore festival (the bulk of which took place at the Lithuanian House and featured acts such as Youth of Today and Fucked Up), the band certainly made a strong impression at The Garrison on Sunday night, headlining an all-grind lineup that also included MUECO, T.O.A.D. and Last Will.

Vocalist Takaho Komatsu is a compelling frontman. He mostly stuck to the genre’s familiar repertoire of guttural growls but occasionally stepped outside the standard grindcore playbook with a few other tricks, including a cleaner vocal register that at times brought Jello Biafra to mind, as well as the occasional unhinged “muahaha” that suggested either a cackling old-time movie villain or a particularly amped-up Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. For their part, his bandmates hit just as hard, laying down some short and sweet blasts of musical chaos. After 30-plus years and many, many releases, Unholy Grave proved that the old guys can still grind, having lost none of their appetite for sonic destruction.

Song of the Day: Porcelain – DSD

Posted on

23 Oct 2026

Paul

Today sees the release of Today’s Minor Victories, the second full-length album from Austin post-hardcore band Porcelain. “DSD” is the latest single from the album, a driving, propulsive number. Check it out.

Today’s Minor Victories is out now via TODO Records.