Hard rock/heavy metal outfit Hell in the Club announced their new album ‘Joker In The Pack’ to be out in November with Frontiers Music and shared the new single and video ‘Magnetars’!
Links
News Posts
Melancholic Finnish metal band Mourning Wood is releasing their debut album this autumn, and the latest new single ‘Swift Demise’ gives you a proper miserable taste of what is to come!
Links
Belgium’s up-and-rising heavy metallers Speed Queen are about to release their debut full-length ‘…With a Bang!’ this Friday via High Roller Records, but not before they provided a last taste of it a couple of weeks ago with the track ‘I Walk Alone’!
Links
A couple of weeks ago, one of UK’s most promising acts, FURY, released a new thunderous and rebellious single ‘Don’t Lie To Me’, another track from their upcoming album ‘Interceptor’, set for release next month via Mighty Music!
Links
Finnish metal icons Amorphis recently shared the new single ‘Dancing Shadow’ in anticipation of their upcoming new album ‘Borderland’, out next month via Reigning Phoenix Music! Catch them live this Fall in Europe with Arch Enemy or in the Summer of 2026 at the many festivals they’re already confirmed for, including Alcatraz Festival and Brutal Assault!
Links
Finnish heavy metal powerhouse Battle Beast dropped their new single ‘Here We Are’ in the beginning of this month, another track from the upcoming anticipated album ‘Steelbound’, set for release in October via Nuclear Blast!
Links
Disciples of Verity, a collective made up by some heavy hitters of the music scene, released their latest new single ‘In My Eyes’, the latest preview from their highly anticipated new album ‘NEXUS’!
Links
Dave Mustaine revealed that Megadeth’s next album will be the last of the band and that a global farewell tour will be kicking off in 2026! A first single is coming with the pre-orders in about a month and a half!
Links
As has become tradition, Alcatraz Festival announced a healthy grab of confirmed names during this year’s edition, and the 21 bands they dropped are promising the 2026 edition to be hitting hard again!
Links
Finnish speed/death metal force DET have announced their debut album ‘Destructive Elite Terror’ to be out in October via Dying Victims Productions and shared a first track with ‘Strike’!
Links
Lists
While it’s a given that as a metalfan you’ll want to catch shows of Dimmu Borgir and Kerry King today at the first day of Tuska, we think that there are a couple more bands that deserve some of your attention, or that we think will be even more epic to see live than you might suspect with editorial picks Lord of the Lost’s festival opening show, I Am The Night, Infected Rain, Krypta, Suburban Tribe, Assemble The Chariots, Zeal & Ardor and Pendulum!
Tomorrow it’s again that time of the year: Tuska weekend is upon us! If somehow you weren’t convinced yet that you need to go, here are 10 reasons we believe should be enough motivation to still get a ticket if any are available still! Going from a great line-up, to Tuska KVLT, Tuska Expo expanding further and simply an amazing atmosphere! See you there!
We enjoyed ourselves plenty at Tuhdimmat Tahdit, so we urge you to check out what we think are good reasons for you to try and make it to this lovely festival in Finland’s prettiest city of Tampere!
Samoht was clearly somewhat inspired by dark Americana and country inspired music looking at his albums of the year 2023 list featuring artists like Dorthia Cottrell, Osi and the Jupiter, Wayfarer and The Coffinshakers, but also massive albums by bands like Frozen Soul, Serpent’s Oath, SLOW, OAK, Smoulder and Bell Witch!
While we are still regularly looking back at what 2023 brought us, we of course also need to look forward. So here is the first edition of our 2024 series of articles where we bring the editorial team’s most anticipated releases with Escuela Grind, Green Day, The Empire Strikes, Saxon, Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes, Static-X, The Gems, Lucifer, Manticora and Hiraes in January!
Our resident extreme metal reviewer Mazen has a selection of stellar (mostly) black and death metal releases as his favorite of the year with Sulphur Aeon, Varathron, Moonlight Sorcery, Cruciamentum, Suffocation, Dying Fetus, Asphodelus, Marduk, …And Oceans, and Cirith Ungol!
Annet’s favorite albums of the year 2023 involve a mix of punk rock and modern metal, bringing in loads of emotions going from deep and intense, to fun and light with albums from Green Day, Enter Shikari, Hexa Mera, Chris Maragoth, Powerwolf, Nanowar of Steel, Angus McSix, Blink-182, Gloryhammer and Bury Tomorrow!
For the second day of Alcatraz 2023, our team picked out 13 bands we believe you shouldn’t miss out on with Schizophrenia, Crystal Viper, Brand of Sacrifice, Twilight Force, Gaerea, Predatory Void, Midnight, Tribulation, Belphegor, Biohazard, Godflesh, Exciter and Amorphis! Who are you especially looking forward to on the second day of the festival?
With less than 2 weeks to go, we put together 10 reasons why we think you should consider to still get yourself a ticket for Alcatraz 2023 and join in with the fun!
If you are still looking for a great summer destination, here are 10 festivals that might make Finland the ideal place to go for you with #Horizon23, Rockfest, Tuhdimmat Tahdit, Nummirock, Tuska, John Smith Festival, SaariHelvetti, Dark River Festival, Hellsinki Metal Festival and Flow Festival!
Album Reviews
German occult heavy metal outfit Attic offers a brilliant album for fans of King Diamond and Mercyful Fate. The third album ‘Return of the Witchfinder’ is an old-school heavy metal drenched in dark occultism, released via Ván Records on April 5th.
Links
“Invincible Shield” is an album showing how Judas Priest can sound ultimately aggressive, pure, and straightforward heavy metal, out via Sony Music. There seems to be a consensus that this is one of their best albums since long, on par with some of their classics like ‘Painkiller’!
Links
The British heavy metal juggernaut Saxon deliver an outstanding performance on the newest album “Hell, Fire and Damnation”. Musically, the veterans embrace their classic NWOBHM roots and show great ability to write mid-crushing songs. Out tomorrow, January 19th via Silver Lining Music!
Links
Sorcerer returns with an epic dark album on its fourth installment “Reign of the Reaper” and brings an absolutely great slab of late 80s and early 90s heavy metal out since yesterday via Metal Blade Records.
Links
U.S. heavy/doom metal veterans Cirith Ungol return with their sixth epic studio album “Dark Parade”, presenting eight thundering hymns of glorious 80s heavy metal, out on October 20th via Metal Blade Records.
Links
“Touchdown” is one of U.D.O.’s best albums in the last decade and fans should expect some ballsy aggressive tracks and raw classic heavy metal that has a distinctly German vibe. The album was released on August 25th, 2023 via Atomic Fire Records.
Links
The superb musicianship of US heavy metal outfit Spirit Adrift delivers another glorious record with fifth album “Ghost At The Gallows”. This comes recommended for fans of Khemmis, Black Sabbath, and Solitude Aeternus and was released via Century Media Records!
Links
Germany has been a home for many heavy metal and thrash metal bands in the past, and The Night Eternal is no exception. “Fatale” combines many elements from the NWOBHM era and occult heavy metal, this is a very catchy and infectious album, released via Ván Records.
Links
Nanowar of Steel’s new record ‘Dislike to False Metal’ brings parody metal to a whole new level with quality, yet hilarious songs that at times almost sound more than the bands they’re emulating. Released via Napalm Records.
Links
Forget about Excalibur, forget about the Sword of Power. These are kitchen knives compared to the ‘Might and Power’ of Megaton Sword. The Swiss collective’s second full length after the ‘Niralet’ EP and their much applauded debut ‘Blood Hails Steel, Steel Hails Fire’. Released via Dying Victims Productions on February 24.
Links
Photo Reports
New Wave Of Finnish Heavy Metal organised a Vappu after party with Crimson Day, Everlore and Neverfade at Maanalainen in Tampere. An overall fun event full of heavy music discoveries.
Opeth released an absolutely brilliant new album with ‘The Last Will And Testament’ last year, and now they brought it to the stage all over Europe. And we in Helsinki were honored to be the first stop of the tour back in February, getting a first taste of their new work live. And with Grand Magus to warm us up, this was a brilliant night for the (metal) music lovers among us! An event by Fullsteam Agency
At the end of March it was time for a fantastic rock and metal opera in Stuttgart’s Schleyerhalle, Tobias Sammet’s multi musician project Avantasia held court. A fantasy stage layout built the base for a 3-hour spectacle that was packed with a long line of guest vocalists.
Indian metal straight from New Delhi, India to Trix Antwerp, Belgium: Bloodywood with their ‘Return of The Singh’ tour! And with support from Calva Louise and Demonic Resurrection it was a great night of amazing vibes and music!
THUNDERMOTHER’s ‘Dirty & Divine Tour 2025’ brought together an almost 100% female rock night. Together with COBRA SPELL and VULVARINE a great night of classic heavy and hard rock is traveling around Europe and we got to see them in Stuttgart on the first leg of the tour. The tour will go on with the second leg, kicking off on 21 March 2025. Get your tix soon, it might sell out fast.
Unleash the Archers on tour in Europe with their latest album ‘Phantoma’, released last year with Napalm Records, dropped by in Kortrijk, Belgium to deliver an excellent power/heavy metal night supported by Striker and Seven Kingdoms!
Marko Hietala had a special Valentine’s gift for us when he played a sold out show at Olympia-kortteli in Tampere. The show also included appearances from Noora Louhimo and JP Leppäluoto as guest vocals on some of his songs. Thanks Master Events for the access. Always a pleasure to see in a live setting, we’re all too happy to welcome him again on the Tuska stage this summer!
Trivium and Bullet for My Valentine celebrated their breakthrough albums on “The Poisoned Ascendancy Tour” throughout Europe, supported by rising stars Orbit Culture! Those who didn’t go to any stop of this tour really missed out on something! Thanks to FKP Scorpio Belgium for the access!
Eluveitie, Infected Rain and Ad Infinitum came to Tampere’s Tavara-Asema as part of their ‘Ánv Rising Tour pt I’ at the end of January, bringing their great music to one of Finland’s most beautiful cities. An event by TuskaLive.
20 years of HÄMATOM and an anniversary album are good reasons for the band to go on a ’20 Jahre Für Euch’ tour through Germany and celebrate German metal. With them as support are the Berlin rockers from ENGST, who impressed with their mix of rock, punk, and a pinch of pop. The openers in Stuttgart were the punk rockers from FOCUS.
