News Posts

Finnish folk metal outfit Folkrim shared their new single ‘Suoherran Hovi’, a track from their anticipated new album ‘Embers’, set for release in April via Rockshots Records!

German folk metal sensation Feuerschwanz unleashed ‘The Unholy Grail’, their very first original song written in English, and a track from their upcoming milestone album ‘Warriors’, set for release in May via Napalm Records!

Dark folk/blackgaze outfit Suldusk celebrated the release of their new album ‘Anthesis’ on Napalm Records with the new single and music video ‘Mythical Creatures’!

Faroe Islands viking metal collective Týr is set to release their new album ‘Battle Ballads’ in April via Metal Blade Records and shared a new single with ‘Axes’!

Tuska has confirmed 16 more names for the 2024 edition with Stratovarius, HEALTH, Lord Of The Lost, Eivør, Elvenking, Devourment, St. Aurora, Assemble the Chariots, I AM YOUR GOD, Swansong, Krypta, Sadistic Drive, Prestige, Putro In Black, SICK URGE and Dome Runner! Get your tickets now before the price increase in a couple of weeks!

What bands are you happy with this time? And what bands are you still hoping for?

Melodic death metal and Scottish folk music duo Hand Of Kalliach signed to Prosthetic Records for the release of their upcoming album ‘Corryvreckan’ next month and celebrate with the new single ‘Fell Reigns’!

Southern California’s rogue faction The Dread Crew Of Oddwood returns to the high seas with a fifth dose of their signature sound on the new album ‘Rust & Glory’, released in March and share a first single with ‘Lawful Evil’!

Die Apokalyptischen Reiter release new song ‘Adler Fliegen’, a track from their upcoming EP ‘Die Mutter des Teufels’, to be released as a limited tour edition at the five concerts of the Schrei!nachten tour at the end of this month!

Introducing: Pirate Queen, the all-female pirate metal band that unleashed their debut single ‘Pirates from the Sea’ from their 2024 debut album set for release via Despotz Records!

Faroe Islands-based metal collective Týr announced the “Battle Ballads North American headlining tour” for next year (tickets available tomorrow) and unveiled the cover art of their upcoming Metal Blades Records album ‘Battle Ballads’!

Album Reviews

Norway’s progressive Viking folk black metal quintet Borknagar returns with the stunning new album “Fall”. The 12th studio album captures the essence of Borknagar where the band continues its legacy, released last Friday via Century Media.

Nanowar of Steel’s album is like the quote on their website: We take comedy seriously! Fun but amazing quality metal.

With their second album ‘When Good Men Go To War’ Vexillum takes us on an epic and heroic adventure. Are you ready to set sails and join them?

Nine Treasures combines heavier, danceable parts with more calm traditional Mongolian instrument parts. Mongolian folk metal before The Hu was all the rage.

With new elements and looking back at early successes, Ensiferum created a new epic in their career and will be looked at as one of their best for sure!

After 6 years Tyr is back with a brand new album ‘Hel’. Find out here why it took them so long and why it was worth the wait.

‘The Palms of Sorrowed Kings’ is the 3rd output by the trio who found their niche of combining folk music and medieval black metal.

Get your dwarf on with Wind Rose and their brand new album ‘Wintersaga’!

Certainly people who are interested in following the band or want to explore the more folky side of their sound (and that of their genre-mates) will have a good time with this album.

Pagan metallers Thorondir show us how folk and black perfectly go hand in hand in this compelling new story of an album. Be sure to check it out !

Photo Reports

The second night of John Smith Rock Frozen 2023 was pretty epic with some of the best of the Finnish scene with Red Eleven, Kiuas, Finntroll, Turmion Kätilöt and headliners Amorphis! Throw on top of that the Swedish up-and-comers of Orbit Culture, and you know it was good!

The Polish black metal institution Batushka brought their unholy sermon to the halls of Helsinki’s Vanha Ylioppilastalo and brought with them the Russian pagans of Arkona, the pretty epic Canadian Aeternam and Latvian vikings of Varang Nord!

Metfest 2023 at the Tollwood area in Munich, Germany… a celebration with superheroes, warriors, good music and of course mead, with Feuerschwanz, Fiddler’s Green, Warkings and Grailknights!

Tuhdimmat Tahdit and Master Events brought one very hot festival to Tampere’s Ratinanniemi. It started with Verikalpa and ended with Beast in Black, but we also can’t forget about all the bands in between: Transworld Identity, Prestige, Ensiferum, Bloodred Hourglass, Dynazty, Lordi, Mors Subita, Dead by April and Diablo.

The Scottish pirates of Alestorm docked their pirate ship in Torhout, Belgium. A sold out venue was ready to party with them, fantasy power metallers Gloryhammer, the dwarves of Windrose and fellow pirates Rumahoy.

Battle Beast showed what a great heavy metal show is like at Jäähalli Helsinki a good week ago with the support of their special guests Ensiferum and Kiuas! A production by Master Events.

Aephanemer

Rising stars in the melodeath realms, Aephanemer is touring, and we visited them on their stop at The Black Lab in Wasquehal, France. Warm up act were black folk metallists Sorcières.

On a wintry and snowy night in Helsinki, the Scottish atmospheric black outfit Saor blew us away with an amazing show at Tiivistämö with special guests …and Oceans and openers Marrasmieli!

Gig Reports

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Amorphis managed to captivate our reporter once again when attending to their stop at Pakkahuone in Tampere on their “Halo Finland 2023 Tour”, a wonderful night hosted by TuskaLive and Greybeard Concerts & Management.

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Last month, we got to go to the very last stop of the Polish black metal collective Batushka “Black Pilgrimage tour 2023” at Vanha Ylioppilastalo in Helsinki, with the good company of Arkona, Aeternam and Varang Nord!

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This night was one big party! All the bands came to deliver their part of the party and the crowd was in for a good time too. If you missed this night, Alestorm, Gloryhammer and Wind Rose are coming to Alcatraz festival in Kortrijk this summer. Rumahoy sadly won’t be seen there.

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Battle Beast proved with their Jäähalli show in Helsinki that they are one of Finland’s up-and-coming heavy metal greats and can put down one hell of a show, with the support from Ensiferum and Kiuas. A production by Master Events.

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The co-headline tour of Dark Tranquillity and Ensiferum made a stop in Helsinki with support from Marianas Rest and Gwendydd and packed Vanha Ylioppilastalo to the brim for a night of pure and wholesome energy to lift our spirits!

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Insomnium finally got to do their Finnish tour with Finntroll and we were at the very first stop in Helsinki!

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A night of youth sentiment and good music by promising young bands at Metsatöll’s show at On The Rocks in Helsinki!

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On the 22nd of February I really had to pull myself together to leave to the venue of the Circus in Helsinki. This because it was a very, very windy, rainy and stormy Saturday evening in Finland. Reason to get some courage was the “Verisäkeet Alive”-show of Finnish band Moonsorrow, and one of the possible […]

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Masters of folk metal Eluveitie brought with them an interesting line-up with Lacuna Coil and Infected Rain and blew the roof off the Tavastia club!

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Eluveitie came to play a great show in Belgium that I’m hoping to see again some time soon!