No one could terrify like Cronos, the black metal innovator who reignited rock’s hellraising attitude

As frontman of Venom, Conrad Lant made an impact on metal to rival Black Sabbath, inspiring a whole new subgenre with his diabolical grandstanding, unruly spirit and heretic noise

Parsifal review – bunkers, CCTV and fembots in elusive vision of Wagner’s mystical masterpiece

Evgeny Titov’s brutal and powerful new staging of Wagner’s final opera explains as little as possible. Christian Gerhaher is a compelling and wild-eyed Amfortas and Jakub Hrůša and the Royal Opera’s orchestra are superb

Add to playlist: the beautiful, breakneck chaos of Heavensouls and the week’s best new tracks

His hyperactive stylistic shifts and high-speed rhythms have a delirious, head-spinning beauty of their own

‘It’s rational to fear the music industry’: Grouper’s Liz Harris on virality, streaming scammers and her ‘restorative’ dream-pop trio

When a rarity blew up on TikTok, the solitary ambient artist had fraudsters trying to steal her royalties. It reinforced her DIY mentality – until reforming her band Helen reminded her of the beauty of collaboration

Trá Pháidín: Cloch’s Claí review – giddy Galway gang burst the boundaries of folk music

With musical ideas spanning mariachi and motorik beats, and lyrics with Kneecap-grade rage, this brilliant collective evolve tradition with stinging, joyful songs

‘If you can’t hold it, you don’t own it’: why media fans want to escape algorithms with CDs, DVDs and vinyl

People describe their return to physical media – whether to protect data, support artists, or retain control of one’s choices

Greg Freeman: All Set the Bone review – ambitious alt-country double album spreads its talents a touch thin

The Maryland singer-songwriter’s third album has an impressive sense of scale compared to last year’s breakout Burnover, but is less immediately appealing

Geneva Lewis: Barber, Zorn, Glass album review – virtuosity and warmth

The young New Zealand violinist has chosen an all-American programme for her label debut, and impresses with works by Barber, Zorn and Glass

Take It Or Leave It review – vividly atmospheric formative adventures of future pop princes Madness

Docufictional 1981 comedy captures the working-class ska-pop pranksters in their hungry years with an almost Loachian authenticity

‘It’s a deep soul connection’: Erasure on how 40 years of friendship got them through grief – and why Vince Clarke has quit touring

Returning for a 20th album of sumptuous synthpop, Andy Bell and Clarke open up about supporting one another through bereavement, being happily uncool and battling the resurgence of homophobia

Kanye West’s sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organisers confirm

Russia’s foreign ministry had called planned shows unacceptable due to rapper’s ‘glorification’ of Adolf Hitler

Conrad ‘Cronos’ Lant, frontman of UK heavy metal band Venom, dies aged 63

Singer and bassist helped turn Newcastle band into hugely influential force on thrash and black metal subgenres

Rick Ross arrested on domestic battery and strangulation charges

The rapper was arrested in Miami Beach on Thursday, days after an ex-girlfriend accused him of physical abuse

Beth Taylor: The Deeps Have Music album review – seamless legato and a gift for storytelling

The Scottish mezzo-soprano makes this programme of sea-themed songs gleam and shimmer. Her account of Elgar’s Sea Pictures holds its own against classic accounts by Janet Baker and Sarah Connolly.

‘Shane was rascality personified’: the Pogues on their late frontman, anti-Irish prejudice and the feud over Fairytale of New York

The Celtic punk band’s co-founders Spider Stacy and James Fearnley take your questions about Shane MacGowan, ruffling the feathers of trad musicians and putting Laurence Fox in his place