Nu Metal News 10 November 2026: Metallica Close Sphere With Céline Dion, Korn Ragdoll Goes Plush, Fear Factory Set Roboticist

Nu Metal News 10 November 2026, welcome to Tuesday. Metallica closed the 2026 leg of their Sphere residency with Céline Dion and Jack Black rocking out in the room, Korn’s Issues ragdoll has been turned into a plush doll, and Fear Factory have named their new album and given it a date. Machine Gun Kelly has drawn a hard line on AI, Avatar have postponed five UK and Ireland shows, and Nonpoint have booked a run of December dates. Our featured band, Dead Signal, arrive from Italy with a debut that sounds like it was built in a bunker. Plenty to get through, so let us go.

Metallica Close The Sphere Year With Céline Dion And Jack Black

Metallica played the last 2026 show of their sold-out Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday 7 November, and the most talked-about performance of the night came from the private suites. Céline Dion was back for a second time in a week, and this time Jack Black was a few seats away. Rolling Stone, Theprp and TODAY all ran the fan footage: Dion air drumming and dancing, Black headbanging as if his life depended on it.

It was her second visit in three nights. On Thursday 5 November a fan filmed Dion slapping an air bass during the regular “Kirk and Rob Doodle” jam between Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo. After Saturday she posted photos with her twin sons Eddy and Nelson, with Black throwing up the horns, and backstage shots with the band, writing: “Thank you James, Lars, Kirk and Robert and everyone from the @Metallica organization for the warm welcome! We had such a wonderful time seeing you at the Sphere. We absolutely loved the show.” Rolling Stone notes that earlier this year she said Eddy’s favourite band is Metallica.

There is a lovely detail underneath the viral clip. Dion was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome in 2022, returned to the stage in October with a 16-show run at the Plenitude Arena in Paris, and is due back there in May. Seeing her throw herself into a Metallica show is pure joy. The residency resumes on 28 January 2027 and runs to 13 March. We last had Metallica in the 6 November column, with the pro-shot “For Whom The Bell Tolls” from the same room.

Korn’s Issues Ragdoll Becomes A Plush Doll

The most recognisable doll in nu metal is now a real one. Collectibles company Youtooz has released a limited-edition plush based on the ragdoll from the best-known cover of Korn’s 1999 album Issues, alongside a smaller keychain version. Theprp reported the drop on 7 November, Chaoszine and The Mosh followed, and both items are listed in the Youtooz Korn collection.

The 9-inch Issues Ragdoll Plush is priced at $29.99 and the 5-inch Issues Ragdoll Keychain at $22.99 on the Youtooz store. Theprp notes the release is limited and on sale for just under a month, so if you want one on a shelf next to your copy of the record, do not sit on it. Issues arrived in November 1999 and went straight to the top of the Billboard 200, and the ragdoll artwork, with its stitched mouth and its slumped little body, has been printed on shirts, flags and tattoos ever since.

It is a small story, but it is a fun one, and it says something about how deep that era’s imagery runs. A cover from 27 years ago is still strong enough to sell as a toy to people who were not born when it came out. Korn were last in this column on 30 October, and if your wardrobe is leaning that way too, our complete guide to nu metal covers where Issues sits in the story.

Fear Factory Set Roboticist For 9 April

We have followed “Detonizer” for two days, from the untitled premiere slot in the 8 November column to the title and streaming date in yesterday’s column. Today there is something genuinely new. The song is out, and with it Fear Factory now have an album name and a street date. The new record is called Roboticist, after the August single, and Nuclear Blast pre-order listings carried by Alternative Press, BrooklynVegan and the Metal Injection store give the release date as 9 April 2027. Italy’s metal.it reported the announcement this morning.

The tracklist runs to 11 songs: “Roboticist”, “Decentralization”, “Detonizer”, “Eradicator”, “Welcome To The Factory”, “Unsynthesizable”, “No Blood No Flesh”, “Synthetic Savior”, “Neural Infection Scanner”, “De-Extinction” and “Fragments”. That is one more than the 10 songs Dino Cazares mentioned to Metal Hammer in August. According to metal.it, the album was produced, mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud, and it is the studio debut of the current line-up: Cazares on guitar, Tony Campos on bass, Milo Silvestro on vocals and Pete Webber of Havok on drums. The Metal Injection store says the first 250 CDs are signed.

The label description calls it a dystopian vision of humanity’s future, exploring the line between man and machine, life and death, control and rebellion. That fits “Detonizer” perfectly, a song Cazares described as being about a character fighting back against the AI. Metal.it also reports an official “Detonizer” video premiering through Nuclear Blast later today. The band wrap the Soul Of A New Machine anniversary tour at Pop’s in Sauget tonight and the Basement East in Nashville tomorrow.

Machine Gun Kelly Draws A Hard Line On AI

Machine Gun Kelly has made his position on AI in music very clear. When a fan on X asked him never to use AI in his music, he replied: “anyone ever brings that shit around me they’re fired.” The Nu-Metal Agenda picked the exchange up over the weekend, and the post itself is dated 5 November.

It is a short answer, but it lands at a time when AI-generated tracks are a real and growing argument across every genre, heavy music included. Plenty of artists have hedged on the subject. He did not. For an artist who has spent this year leaning into heavy guitars, including “fix ur face” with Fred Durst, it is a statement that will go down well with anyone who still believes songs should be written, played and recorded by people.

His next confirmed live dates are both in 2027, according to the Nu-Metal Agenda: Welcome To Rockville in Daytona Beach on 9 May and Hurricane Festival in Scheeßel, Germany, on 19 June, with his seventh album Lost Americana still the record he is promoting. We covered mgk in the 30 October column.

Avatar Postpone Five UK And Ireland Shows

Avatar have postponed five dates from their November run across the UK and Ireland, citing personal circumstances. The affected shows are Wolverhampton on 20 November, Southampton on 21 November, Cardiff on 22 November, Dublin on 24 November and Belfast on 25 November. Metal Insider, Lambgoat and Theprp all reported the statement on 9 November.

The Swedish band were careful to calm nerves. “We want to reassure you, there is no reason to worry,” they wrote, asking for privacy and thanking fans for their understanding. New dates have not been announced yet, so hold on to your tickets and watch the band and your point of purchase for updates.

The rest of the run is still on, with the tour due to resume in Norwich on 27 November and Neckbreakker in support. Avatar have never been a nu metal band, but their theatre, their groove and their sheer refusal to play it straight have won over a lot of the same crowd. We wish them well, and we will share the new dates when they land. We last mentioned Avatar in the 17 September column.

Nonpoint Book December Dates

Nonpoint are not done with 2026 yet. The Florida nu metal veterans have booked five shows to close the year, Theprp and Lambgoat reported on 9 November. They play the Apollo in Belvidere, Illinois, on 4 December with Versus Me, From Ashes To Embers and Finding Ghosts, then Route 20 in Racine, Wisconsin, on 5 December with Versus Me and Janus.

After that they team up with Heartsick for a back-to-back pair at the Machine Shop in Flint, Michigan, on 11 and 12 December, before closing at The Loading Dock in Buchanan, Michigan, on 13 December. Two nights in the same room in Flint is a nice touch, and the Machine Shop is exactly the kind of sweaty club where Nonpoint have always made the most sense.

The band’s latest album, The Last Word, came out in September, and they already have 30th anniversary shows lined up for the new year, which we covered in the 22 September column. Thirty years in, Elias Soriano and company are still out there doing it the honest way, one room at a time.

Featured Band: Dead Signal And Follow The Signal

Dead Signal are today’s featured band in Nu Metal News 10 November 2026, and this is a public spotlight on a debut we think deserves a much bigger audience. The Italian metalcore and nu metal project released their first single, “Follow The Signal”, on 23 October 2026, with an official music video. The band are led by frontman Danny Metal, an Italian metal YouTuber whose channel has more than 150,000 subscribers, and he stands unmasked in front of four masked members, which is a very good look indeed.

The song lives in a dystopian world. According to the band’s announcement through The Metallist PR, it imagines a world ruled by control, noise and the gradual loss of human identity, where a mysterious signal emerges from the chaos and becomes a symbol of rebellion and awakening. Musically it combines crushing riffs, explosive breakdowns, nu metal bounce, electronic elements and industrial atmospheres. It is billed as the first chapter of the Dead Signal universe, which the band describe as a journey through technology, decay and human resistance.

The credits are tight. Daniele Faccani recorded, mixed and mastered the single at New Noise Studio, the artwork is by Artmorfate and the band photo by Luca Lee Josh. The band’s campaign team at Dr.Bror report that Metal Hammer included it in its tracks of the week on release day, comparing it to debut-era Slipknot and Chimaira. If you are in the band, send us your next release any time through our get featured page.

Looking Ahead: Detonizer Video And December Dates

Fear Factory’s official “Detonizer” video is due later today through Nuclear Blast, and the band close their tour in Sauget tonight and Nashville tomorrow. Prong’s European headline run starts in Rheine on 13 November. Suicide Silence’s Graceless and Seether’s Rare On Air both arrive on 20 November, the same night Avatar would have played Wolverhampton. Nonpoint start their December run in Belvidere on 4 December, Metallica return to Sphere on 28 January, and Roboticist lands on 9 April 2027.

If you missed it, yesterday’s column had Deftones bringing back “Melanie” from the Eros sessions, Brandon Boyd scoring his first film and Sepultura playing their final show. And if the red hat in today’s column caught your eye, it is waiting in the shop.

Get Your Band In This Column

Today’s featured band in Nu Metal News 10 November 2026 is Dead Signal with “Follow The Signal”. If you are in a band or a solo artist, signed or not, you can be next. Send us your single, your video, your tour or your EP through our get featured page. We read everything, we cover what we can verify, and small bands get the same space here as big ones.

Nu Metal News 10 November 2026, Your Questions

Did Céline Dion really go to a Metallica show?

Yes. Céline Dion attended Metallica’s Life Burns Faster residency at Sphere in Las Vegas twice, on 5 November and 7 November 2026. Fan footage showed her playing air bass and air drums, with Jack Black headbanging nearby at the 7 November show, the last of the 2026 run. The residency resumes on 28 January 2027.

How much is the Korn Issues ragdoll plush?

Youtooz lists the 9-inch Issues Ragdoll Plush at $29.99 and the 5-inch Issues Ragdoll Keychain at $22.99. Both are limited-edition items based on the ragdoll from the cover of Korn’s 1999 album Issues.

When is the new Fear Factory album out?

Fear Factory’s new album Roboticist is listed by Nuclear Blast pre-order retailers for 9 April 2027. It has 11 tracks, including “Roboticist” and “Detonizer”, and features Dino Cazares, Tony Campos, Milo Silvestro and Pete Webber.

Which Avatar shows have been postponed?

Avatar postponed Wolverhampton (20 November), Southampton (21 November), Cardiff (22 November), Dublin (24 November) and Belfast (25 November) 2026, citing personal circumstances. New dates have not been announced, and the tour is due to resume in Norwich on 27 November.

Who is the featured band in Nu Metal News 10 November 2026?

Dead Signal, an Italian metalcore and nu metal project fronted by YouTuber Danny Metal with four masked members. Their debut single “Follow The Signal” came out with an official video on 23 October 2026.