We Speak Rock

Blue Öyster Cult Brings the Don’t Fear The Reaper 50th Anniversary Show to the Florida Theatre on December 1

Published

3 days ago

November 12, 2026

Blue Öyster Cult. Photo courtesy of the band.

Fifty years after “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” became one of the most played songs in rock radio history, Blue Öyster Cult is still on the road doing what the band has always done best, and on Tuesday, December 1 the Long Island legends bring their anniversary show to the historic Florida Theatre in downtown Jacksonville. Some concerts are just dates on a calendar. This one is a piece of rock history walking into one of the finest old rooms in Florida.

Blue Öyster Cult plays the Florida Theatre on Tuesday, December 1, 2026 at 8:00 PM, with special guest Curt Towne opening the night. The show marks the 50th anniversary of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper”, the 1976 hit from the album Agents of Fortune that never really left the radio. The band’s catalog runs deep, from “Godzilla” and “Burnin’ for You” to “Cities on Flame with Rock and Roll”, and founding members Eric Bloom and Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser still lead the lineup after more than five decades together.

Tickets are on sale now through the Florida Theatre event page at floridatheatre.com.

We Speak Media photographer Marcelo Murillo will be in the photo pit for this one, shooting the full night for us: Bloom and Roeser up close, the anniversary staging, and the Jacksonville crowd that grew up on these songs. His photo feature from the show will run here under his byline right after the concert.

We Speak Rock

EMPATH, Built From Volbeat, Rising And Anti-Ritual Members, Drop Their Self-Titled Debut Album

Published

16 hours ago

November 14, 2026

We Speak Media

EMPATH's four members in a black and white portrait against a dark background

Copenhagen has a new heavy rock band with serious pedigree. EMPATH, formed by members of Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual, have released their self-titled debut album today, November 13th, on Indisciplinarian — a dark and dreamy take on heavy rock built on atmosphere, melody and crushing dynamics.

EMPATH is the sound of a new, dark and dreamy heavy rock band from Copenhagen, Denmark — one that revolves around atmosphere, presence and empathy. The constellation may be new, but the four members carry solid experience from bands such as Volbeat, Rising and Anti-Ritual.

In a digital and efficiency-driven age, where humanity is increasingly giving way to mechanical coldness, EMPATH — as the name suggests — is about presence, empathy and humanity. This ethos runs like a common thread through the band’s self-titled debut album, released today, November 13th, 2026, on LP, CD, cassette and digital formats via Indisciplinarian.

Across nine songs, EMPATH blends elements of progressive metal, doom, sludge and post-rock into a sound that is as dreamy and melodic as it is heavy and riff-driven. The music was recorded live with producer Lasse Ballade (Halshug, Slægt, Eyes) at Ballade Studios in Copenhagen, with vocals tracked at Grapehouse Studios by Morten Grønnegaard. Ballade also handled mix and mastering, while the artwork was created by illustrator Jon Gotlev (Nohr).

The album was first introduced by the single “Waves,” followed by “Vessel,” both pointing toward the band’s balance of melodic clarity and dense, riff-driven weight. EMPATH plays its debut show on December 11th at Hotel Cecil in Copenhagen.

EMPATH Track Listing

1. In Absence
2. Waves
3. Vessel
4. In Formation
5. In Bloom
6. In Thought
7. In Dissent
8. In Memory
9. In Return

Before forming EMPATH, guitarist/vocalist Morten Grønnegaard played with Volbeat on the albums Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies and Seal the Deal & Let’s Boogie. Bassist Christian Qvortrup played in the epic doom metal band Rising, while drummer Jakob Krogholt toured and recorded with Anti-Ritual.