Heavy metal is economic development.

The Music Cities™ makes the case for the cultural and economic value of heavy metal by giving visibility to the bands and scenes that deserve it. This is the calendar we actually follow: Florida’s metal venues, the Japanese watch list, marquee festivals and new releases. Last updated Nov 13, 2026.

Arch Enemy on stage at Jannus Live, St. Petersburg
Concert review

Arch Enemy, Three Sightings

Three shows in ten weeks, two of them forty-eight hours apart with the same five bands and the same running order. What is left to vary is the room — Wacken, Fort Lauderdale, St. Petersburg.

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Now on the channel

All reviews →
SAKI — PLUVIA album cover SAKI — PLUVIA. Our No Skip Review, plus the track-by-track video. Read → Rolling Quartz interview Rolling Quartz — Growing Hard Rock in Korea. Our full interview. Watch → Nini — LEGENDS Nini — LEGENDS. Our No Skip Review. Read →
Field Trips

Where we go next. Two weeks across Japan this November — four metal show nights from Tokyo to Kawasaki.

Don't miss

On our radar right now

The high-priority shows we're actually building around — marquee acts, confirmed field trips, the ones worth planning your week around.

NOV 14

SiM

Come and Take It Live — Austin — TX

SiM — HOOMAN AFTER ALL World Tour 2026 NA leg

NOV 16

Pain of Truth + Madball + Rotting Out + 2 more

Lincoln's Beard Brewing — Miami — FL

Pain of Truth's North America 2026 run hits Miami with a stacked hardcore support bill.

NOV 16

Periphery + Ne Obliviscaris

Jannus Live — St. Petersburg — FL

Prog-metal headliner with Ne Obliviscaris and Greyhaven. Strongest metal booking on the Jannus fall calendar.

NOV 19

Corrosion of Conformity + The Sword @ Vinyl Music Hall

Vinyl Music Hall — Pensacola — FL

Co-headline run with Hippie Death Cult opening. Announced late August; this is the tour closer and the only Florida stop — panhandle, so a longer haul than the usual I-4 corridor dates.

NOV 20

DragonForce

House of Blues — Lake Buena Vista (Orlando) — FL

DragonForce — Inhuman Rampage 20th Anniversary Tour 2026

NOV 21

DragonForce

The Ritz Ybor — Tampa — FL

DragonForce — Inhuman Rampage 20th Anniversary Tour 2026

Coming up next

The next nine on the calendar

Across every bucket, soonest first. Use the bucket pages for the full lists.

NOV 13

BAND-MAID

Nippon Budokan — Tokyo

Japan trip, Nov 2026. World Tour 2026 Final. Doors 4:30 PM, show 6:00 PM. Tickets from Marco. Marco interview in line (be early), with guitarists. Uncle Yoshi there.

NOV 13

BAND-MAID @ Nippon Budokan

Nippon Budokan — Tokyo — Japan — Nov 13 2026

NOV 13

RE:O @ The Arundel Emporium

The Arundel Emporium — Sheffield — UK

RE:O (UK "Japancore," Rio Suyama) at The Arundel Emporium, Sheffield. Bands We're Watching (Global Metal). Source: Bandsintown.

NOV 13

EMNW @ DIME

DIME — Takamatsu — Japan — Nov 13 2026

EMNW album tour — DIME, Takamatsu. Friday, November 13, 2026. Listing: https://www.bandsintown.com/EMNW

NOV 13

Hawthorne Heights

Revolution Live — Fort Lauderdale — FL

Hawthorne Heights play If Only You Were Lonely front to back for its 20th anniversary. Venue lists Creeper, I Set My Friends On Fire and Scary Kids Scaring Kids in support; the tour's original announcement had letlive. on the leg, so support may shift. All ages. Doors 6 PM, show…

NOV 13

Tiffadelic (Nights In Necropolis)

Churchill's Pub — Miami — FL

Nights In Necropolis presents Tiffadelic (Detroit black goth) — EBM, post-punk and darkwave night at Churchill's Pub, Miami. Friday, November 13, 2026, 9 PM. Source: Churchill's Pub event calendar (https://churchillspub.com/events/).

NOV 13

The Faint

Las Rosas — Miami — FL

Dance-punk headliner in the Allapattah room.

NOV 13

Whitechapel + Chelsea Grin + The Acacia Strain + 1 more

HOB — Lake Buena Vista (Orlando) — FL

Whitechapel — 20th Anniversary Tour

NOV 13

Tampa Doom + Gloom Fest III

Deviant Libation — Tampa — FL

Tampa Doom & Gloom Fest III — 3 days, 2 stages, 36 bands\n\nDates: November 13-15, 2026\nVenue: Deviant Libation, 3800 N Nebraska Ave, Tampa FL\nAll Ages\nDoors: Fri 1PM, Sat/Sun 12PM\n\nBands include: November's Doom, Florist Heavy, Somnent, Hollow Leg, Palaces, Sandcrawler,…

The scenes

Pick your beat

Each tile is its own page — bucket, count, and the editorial scope behind it.

Scene briefs

Editorial dashboards

Deep-dive pages for specific trips and festivals. Hand-built briefs beyond the calendar.

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