Finland’s black/thrash metal outfit Flame set the release date for their new album ‘Ignis Draconis Daemonicus’ on September 25th via Primitive Reaction and unveiled a first track with ‘Kaosphere’!
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News Posts
Crossover thrashers Overpower sign with Curch Road Records and shared their latest single ‘Terminus’ to celebrate, just in time for next week’s show at Bloodstock Open Air!
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Texan Judiciary announces their upcoming EP ‘Stalagmite Angels’ to be out in September via Closed Casket Activities and unleashed a pummeling with the single and video ‘Wall of Skulls’!
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Thrash metal icons Forbidden announced their new self-titled album to be out in October via BLKIIBLK and unleashed a new single with ‘Psyclops’!
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Bay Area thrash legends Heathen are celebrating Iron Maiden’s 50 anniversary in style with their take on the classic ‘The Prisoner’, out now via Napalm Records!
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Brazilian extreme metal outfit NervoChaos are releasing their new album ‘Chaosmongers’ in September via Black Lion Records!
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Thrash metal powerhouse Havok announced to have signed to BLKIIBLK and shared their new single ‘Fifth Generation Warfare’!
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German heavy metal legends Accept are celebrating 50 historic years by releasing ‘Teutonic Titans 1976-2026’ with Napalm Records in September and now unveiled the re-recorded ‘Fast as a Shark’ featuring Phil Anselmo, Kirk Hammett, Mikkey Dee and Billy Sheehan! Catch them live this summer at European festivals like Graspop and Hellsinki Metal!
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Brazilian metal titans Eminence returned with their crushing new single ‘Silent March’, featuring a guest appearance by Andreas Kisser from Sepultura!
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Thrash metal maniacs Belushi Speed Ball recently shared another unhinged track from their upcoming album ‘Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The 80s’ (out next month) with the track ‘I’m Not Your Buddy, Guy’, a tribute to the greatest cartoon ever created, South Park!
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Album Reviews
Left to Die offers an aggressive cavernous sound; the veterans recapture the evolution of Mantas and the early years of Death. If you consider yourself a fan of old-school death metal, rest assured “Initium Mortis” offers a true passion for raw 80s metal. Out since July 17th via Relapse Records.
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Ripper offers a brutal slab of relentless 80s death/thrash metal. The band keeps its formula within a deranged intensity where the musical approach does not veer from relentless onslaught. “Towards Rebirth” was released via Dark Descent Records on July 24th.
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“Dissonance Theory” is incredibly dynamic where the songs are packed with grooves and technical riffing steeped in the aesthetics of Coroner’s sonic formula. This is a great comeback album from one of Switzerland’s best acts. Out since October 17th via Century Media Records! Catch them in the summer of 2026 at European festivals like Alcatraz Festival!
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Ready for some time travel? Yes? Okay, listen to the latest album ‘Faster Than Death’ from HIRAX. Keeping true to their tradition of fast, sharp, furious and powerful thrash metal, out tomorrow Friday February 27 via Armageddon Label!
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Molder’s death/thrash savagery is perfected on their third studio album “Catastrophic Reconfiguration”, out via Prosthetic Records since November 8th.
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Sweden’s powerhouse The Crown returns with a solid album “Crown of Thorns”, delivering their trademark of aggressive death/thrash metal, out via Metal Blade Records!
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After thirty years Adorior slithers out from the depths of hell to convey its satanic wicked album ‘Bleed On My Teeth’ through the medium of raw fucking metal. Out via Dark Descent Records and comes highly recommended for fans of Slayer, Absu and Angelcorpse!
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Fans of death/thrash metal should check out Norway’s death/thrash metal outfit Sovereign’s first full-length album, “Altered Realities”. The album is recommended for fans of Death, Pestilence and Nocturnus, out now via Dark Descent Records!
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Virginia’s thrash metal/crossover act Enforced returned with an infectious thrash metal record that will be a strong contender for the albums of the year lists. For those who are hunting for some quality music to go nuts on, “War Remains” is highly recommended. Released via Century Media Records.
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Leper Colony ticked all the boxes when it comes to firm delivery and the at most quality of songwriting. All in all, the self-titled debut album incorporates the raw and inspiring riffs of old-school serious ass kicking death/thrash metal. Out via Transcending Obscurity Records.
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Lists
Saturday at Alcatraz has no shortage of Belgian talent. 🇧🇪🤘From the progressive soundscapes of Psychonaut and the unstoppable rise of Mantah to the chaos of Brutal Sphincter, the crushing grooves of Your Highness, the intensity of Divided, Ronker and Poseydon, there’s plenty of homegrown metal waiting to be discovered. Find out why each of these Belgian bands deserves a spot on your Saturday schedule. Who are you looking forward to seeing at the festival?
Our Support Your Locals series continues! Friday at Alcatraz is packed with Belgian talent, from hometown heroes Amenra to exciting newcomers making their debut at the event, cult comebacks, anniversary celebrations and everything in between with A Thousand Sufferings, Cowboys & Aliens, Dead Serious, Hope As A Weapon, Hope Erodes, Modder, Sons Of Lioth and Temptations For The Weak. Here’s why these nine Belgian bands deserve a place on your Friday schedule! Who are you looking forward to seeing live?
In the first part of our annual Support Your Locals at Alcatraz series, we take a closer look at Thursday’s Belgian bands, from legends like Channel Zero, Cyclone and Enthroned to exciting names such as Aeveris and Death Fury. Which Belgian act are you looking forward to seeing most?
Sure, the lineup is stacked. But if you ask us, Alcatraz is about so much more than the bands on the poster. From the atmosphere and the people to the food, the party spots and all those little moments between the shows, here are our 8 reasons why we think Alcatraz 2026 is a festival you shouldn’t miss.
It’s been 10 years since our very first Tuska visit, and it has become a yearly event in our planning. With Tuska 2026 on the horizon, we took a look at the things that have us counting down the days until we’re back at Suvilahti. If you somehow still haven’t decided to get your tickets and join us there, hopefully we can convince you to go for it 🤘
Belgium may be small, but when it comes to summer festivals, it punches well above its weight. From heavy and alt fests Graspop and Alcatraz to the more commercial Pukkelpop and Rock Werchter, the concert series of Lokerse Feesten and Live Is Live to the small and cosy Rock Zottegem and Parkpop Oostkamp, we’ve selected eight Belgian summer events that are reason enough to visit our home country in 2026. Which one is already on your calendar?
For the second day of Alcatraz 2025, our team picked out 8 bands we believe you shouldn’t miss out on with Myrath, KNIFE, Baest, Drowning Pool, Rivers of Nihil, Nailbomb, Caliban and Avatar! What bands are you really looking forward to for this Friday at Alcatraz? Let us know in the comments!
The first day of the third edition of Hellsinki Metal Festival is filled with an impressive line-up of metal bands of almost every subgenre, completed with some special ones. Of course you need to go see King Diamond headlining tonight, but there is so much more to discover, so our editorial team picked out 7 bands that they think you definitely shouldn’t miss out on with Rabbit Cult, Gost, Kanonenfieber, Forbidden, Fear Factory, Candlemass and Moonsorrow! What bands are you really looking forward to today? Let us know in the comments!
On the last day of Alcatraz 2025, we get 10 more fantastic Belgian bands served up, going from mesmerizing atmosphere makers like Briqueville and Alkerdeel, to absolute mayhem from bands like Bark, Devastatiön, Slaughter Messiah and Cobracide, hardcore legends Congress and Whatever It Takes, rockers Promise Down or goth-tinged heavy metallers Cult of Scarecrow! Something for everyone and again proof how rich the Belgian heavy music scene is…
This weekend is the highlight for us and many among us in Belgium with the 2025 edition of Alcatraz Festival, but if you still haven’t decided to go, here are 10 reasons why we believe you should just go ahead and go get you some tickets still… What are you looking forward to the most for this year’s edition?
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