Norwegian metalcore sensation Fixation makes history as first metal band ever to be nominated to the prestigious Norwegian awards “Musikkforleggerprisen”! And not just once, but twice!

Make sure you catch these stars on the rise whenever they come near you in 2024, like for instance at Tuska festival in Finland this summer…

Gates to Hell signed to Nuclear Blast to spread their blend of modern death metal with the hardcore spirit throughout the world, and celebrate with the new single ‘Resurrected’!

Finnish modern metal band Volucrine is releasing their 4th full-length ‘ETNA’ next month via Inverse Records and shared a new single with ‘Riptide’!

One of the highlights of our adventures in the Finnish Autumn/Winter season, was most definitely the 3rd edition of Black Box Mikkeli, with on the 2nd day a celebration of Finnish metal with Lastout, I Am Your God, Balance Breach, Insomnium, the foreign black metal storm that is Gaerea, and of course an amazing set by Bloodred Hourglass, bringing their latest album in full!

Besides starting the new year properly looking to the future, this month we’re also still looking back at all the awesomeness that 2023 brought us. One of those awsome things was the already 3rd edition of the by Bloodred Hourglass curated festival Black Box Mikkeli. They were able to bring a killer line-up again on the 2nd day of their event with besides a fantastic show by themselves, Insomnium, Gaerea, Balance Breach, I Am Your God and Lastout!

Brutal death metal and deathcore machine Desolate Tomb is back with its new album ‘Scorned By Misery’ via Rottweiler Records next month, and shared a lyric video for the track ‘Writhing in the Bowels of Hell’!

Danish K-Town hardcore outfit is back with new album ‘Dead End’ next month via Svart Records after a ten-year hiatus, and have just released their new single ‘Amen’!

Best Of 2023 Tom VM

Our Benelux and France head of accreditation and most active photographer in that region, Tom VM, made his own selection of favorite pictures he took in 2023, including some new stuff that wasn’t shared on our site before with Biohazard, Bleed From Within, Brutal Sphincter, Brutus, Electric Callboy, Michael Schenker Group, Sepultura, Arion, Blackrain, Overdrivers, Avatar, Winery Dogs, Charlotte Wessels, Devin Townsend, Dream Theater, Extreme, Ghost, Michael Angelo Batio, Arch Enemy, Doodseskader, Halestorm, I Prevail, Powerwolf and SKYND!