In The Woods... To Release New Album In April

In The Woods... has premiered the video clip "A Misrepresentation Of I" as the first single taken from their forthcoming new album "Otra." The seventh full-length of the Norwegian avant-garde metal band from the city of Kristiansand has been scheduled for release on April 11, 2025.

The band comments: "Our first single from our upcoming studio album 'Otra' takes you on a melodic journey through hard battles with your own self", guitarist and keyboard player Kåre André Sletteberg explains. "All faith is lost and it is now a game between light and darkness. This is our shot at something musically a bit different than usual, but still attached to what In the Woods… have become and what our future will hold: something melodic, beautiful, and yet still heavy."

Tracklisting:

1. The Things You Shouldn't Know
2. A Misrepresentation Of I
3. The Crimson Crown
4. The Kiss And The Lie
5. Let Me Sing
6. Come Ye Sinners
7. The Wandering Deity More...

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Ensiferum Unveils "The Howl" Music Video

Finnish folk metal icons Ensiferum has unveiled their official new video for "The Howl." You can check it out below. The track is taken from the band‘s "Winter Storm" full-length, out now on Metal Blade Records.

Much of the new material for Winter Storm emerged during the COVID lockdown, when Ensiferum's founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music — eventually composing every song except the rousing and anthemic "Fatherland," written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin‘s crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on 2020‘s "Thalassic." But on "Winter Storm" — a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka — Montin‘s super-strong voice finds its optimal place in Ensiferum's sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.

Ensiferum will begin a month-long run of European live dates on this year‘s edition of Paganfest alongside Alestorm, Týr, Heidevolk, and Elvenking. From there, the band will return to North America with their comrades in Korpiklaani for the Folkfest Of The North co-headlining tour. The trek begins on February 27th in Boston, Massachusetts and runs through March 30th in Brooklyn, New York. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest and Nini. Tickets for all shows are on sale now. More...

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Manntra Debuts "Teuta" Music Video

Croatia’s Folk Metal juggernauts, Manntra, return with a thunderous new anthem, "Teuta," a powerful ode to strength, legacy, and rebellion! Originally scheduled for February, their highly anticipated 8th studio album, "Titans," will now be unleashed on March 14, 2025, via Napalm Records, due to production-related delays.

Renowned for their unique fusion of ancient Balkan musical heritage with raw metal power, Manntra continues to build on a legacy that includes seven explosive albums and unforgettable performances at iconic festivals like Wacken Open Air. From headlining stages to sharing the spotlight with legends like In Extremo, the band has cemented their place as a force to be reckoned with in the global metal scene.

"Teuta" showcases Manntra at their best, blending lyrical storytelling with relentless energy. The song draws inspiration from the legendary Illyrian queen Teuta, evoking the fearless spirit of her seafaring warriors. The track is both a rousing battle cry and a tribute to the unity and freedom of her people, who ruled the Adriatic waters. Thunderous riffs, majestic melodies, and anthemic chants mirror the courage and determination of those who dared to tempt fate and conquer the unknown.

Prepare for the storm - Manntra is here to remind the world why they are the vanguard of Folk Metal, ready to unleash Titans upon the world in 2025!

Manntra on the new single "Teuta":
"'Teuta' is the second single from 'Titans.' Imagine a stormy open sea with armies leaping from ship to ship in an epic battle. The song, its mood, and the history behind the lyrics create a perfect combination to immerse everyone in this war!" More...

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Whitechapel Announces New Album Release Date

Whitechapel will release their long-awaited new full-length, "Hymns In Dissonance," on March 7th via Metal Blade Records.

"There is nothing nice about 'Hymns In Dissonance,' from the riffs, to the lyrics, to the overall vibe of the album," says guitarist Alex Wade of the band‘s latest output. "We attempted to write our heaviest album to date. We wanted to put out something that was shockingly menacing and brutal."

"The album follows the story of a cultist who is gathering worthy people to join his cult," Wade further elaborates, "and there are moments in the storyline where the cult followers are singing an evil hymn to open a portal for the head cultist to enter."

The band‘s dynamic, brutal musicality serves as a soundtrack to the compelling lyrical story that vocalist Phil Bozeman vividly imagines. "Hymns In Dissonance" is a mockery of the true nature of what hymns are,” Bozeman explains. "Hymns are melodious and harmonious. Dissonance is the opposite of melody and harmony. Dissonance represents evil. The tracks on the record are the hymns, which represent the seven deadly sins, beginning from Track three to Track ten. Tracks one and two are the introduction."

The lineup‘s timely and terrifying vision was first unveiled in the Fall of 2024 with the single "A Visceral Retch" inciting frenzied fans to call the song “a version of Whitechapel we have never heard before. Can‘t explain how absolutely goddamn brutal this song is. This is a total dream come true.” The title track is the LP‘s second single. More...

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Breaking News

Pestilence Guitarist Steps Down

In a surprise post, Pestilence's Rutger van Noordenburg announced his departure from the band.

Read his statement below. More...

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Headline News

Exodus Announces Departure Of Zetro Souza

American thrash metal legends Exodus has made the announcement that singer Steve "Zetro" Sousa has once again parted ways with the band. Returning to the fold will be his previous replacement, Rob Dukes, who performed on the albums "Shovel Headed Kill Machine," "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition." A message from the band reads as follows:

"Announcement!

"Exodus have parted ways with Steve "Zetro" Souza. We thank Steve for his years fronting the band and all the killer music we made during that time. We wish him only the best in the future and much success with anything he does.

"And please help us welcome Rob Dukes back to Exodus! We are beyond stoked to have Rob back ripping up the stage with us and he's looking forward to crushing everything like only he can.

"Next chapter begins, new record rolls along as planned and the beatings will continue."

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Alien Weaponry To Release New Album In March

New Zealand modern groove metal trio Alien Weaponry are pleased to announce their heaviest, most powerful and mature offering to date, Te Ra, out 28th March via Napalm Records.

Since releasing their acclaimed debut "Tu" (2018), the band have been lauded for their kinetic presence and sound, as well as their vital blend of culturally profound lyricism in both English and te reo Maori, the indigenous language of New Zealand. With their third full-length album, Alien Weaponry expand on their hallmark messages of cultural, societal and environmental resilience while delivering their most massive-sounding, focused musical output ever. In the hands of veteran producer/mixer Josh Wilbur (Lamb Of God, Gojira, Megadeth) and featuring a guest vocal appearance from longtime Alien Weaponry champion Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God, "Te Ra’s" gnashing blend of groove, nu, math and thrash metal shines with anthemic choruses and refreshed technical skill.

With today's album announcement, the band have unleashed a brand new, grooving single, "Mau Moko." Featuring te reo Maori lyrics, the track honours traditional Maori face tattooing (moko) while delving into the costs of maintaining customs that are at-odds with dominant cultural norms. You can check out the video below.

Of "Mau Moko" lyricist/bassist Turanga Porowini Morgan-Edmonds says: "Maori have a rich history of marking traditions that were nearly lost during colonization. These traditions are currently in the process of a much needed cultural revival, and I was inspired by that. I wanted the lyrics to remind people that moko is, and always will be, a part of who we are. With the song's video, we wanted to show the darker side of the history of moko and how the head trade played a part in the near extinction of the tradition. We fought through it and continue to fight for its revival still today!" More...

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Paganfest Going Full Steam Ahead

Following a ten year absence, the travelling Paganfest event is back on the road in Europe. Headlined by Scottish pirate metal icons Alestorm, the trek also features Ensiferum, Tyr, Heidevolk and Elvenking and this week will be visiting England and Scotland, before returning to Germany, with additional shows booked for Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Czechia, Hungary and Croatia.

The remaining tour dates are as follows:

January 16 - Birmingham, UK
January 17 - Edinburgh, UK
January 18 - Manchester, UK
January 19 - London, UK
January 20 - Brussels, Belgium
January 21 - Wiesbaden, Germany
January 22 - Paris, France
January 23 - Pratteln, Switzerland
January 24 - Geiselwind, Germany (also featuring Einherjer & Waylander)
January 25 - Munich, Germany (Sold out)
January 26 - Liege, Belgium
January 28 - Milan, Italy
January 29 - Lyon, France (Sold out)
January 30 - Lausanne, Switzerland
January 31 - Meisenthal, France
February 1 - Leipzig, Germany
February 2 - Tilburg, Netherlands (Sold out)
February 3 - Hanover, Germany
February 5 - Krakow, Poland
February 6 - Warsaw, Poland
February 7 - Zlin, Czechia
February 8 - Budapest, Hungary
February 9 - Zagreb, Croatia

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Sarcophagus Needs A Kongamato Premiere New Single

Niigata, Japan-based deathcore outfit Sarcophagus Needs A Kongamato premiere a new single titled "Invasion of Humanity", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below.

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Forced To Bleed Premiere New Single

Californian deathcore duo Forced To Bleed premiere a new single titled "Engulfed In Eternal Darkness", streaming via YouTube and Spotify for you now below. The track features a guest appearance by The Ragnarok Prophecy.

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Timeless Wounds Premiere New Single & Lyric Video

Bulgarian blackened deathcore outfit Timeless Wounds premiere a new single and lyric video titled "Existential Extermination", streaming via YouTube for you now below. The track is taken from their upcoming new album "Golgotha", due out on March 6th, 2025.

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Architects Premiere New Single & Music Video

UK metalcore titans Architects have unveiled their latest single and accompanying music video, “Blackhole”, taken from their forthcoming eleventh studio album, “The Sky, The Earth & All Between”. The video, packed with impressive VFX work, was directed by Jensen Noen (known for his work with Falling In Reverse, In This Moment) and is now available to watch online. The album is set to drop on February 28th via Epitaph Records.

In support of the new album, Architects will hit the road with Brutus and Guilt Trip on the following dates: More...

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Mystic Festival Announces Daily Lineups

The Mystic Festival 2025 lineup is shrouded in less and less mystery. The growing clarity about what you can expect should make it easier for you to plan your attendance at the festival.

Sounds that are new, daring, exploratory? There are a few up our sleeves. The Swedes from Imminence need no promotion among fans of such soundscapes, their visionary take on metalcore speaks for itself. SiM – aka Silence iz Mine – are coming to us from Japan, where, for the last two decades, they have been creating their own musical world that marries metal with hip-hop and even… ska. The fans of the Attack on Titan anime will need no introduction to the band. Progressive rock is mostly associated with the genre’s golden era which bloomed half a century ago, but Port Noir are bringing it into the 21st century. Unprocessed are also offering progressive, virtuoso playing, but it is altogether more aggressive, with the metalcore nerve. The Brits have recently taken the lead in setting the new course in heavy music and Split Chain is another one in the list of pioneers – although in their music you will hear the familiar sounds of the turn of the 21st century, from shoegaze to nu-metal, but has anyone ever combined them in such a way as they did?

Graphic Nature is nu-metalcore buttressed with cold-as-ice electronics, a music both hostile and hypnotizing. The progressive vision of post-metal is spread by Blindead 23, who enter a new stage of their odyssey with the enthralling mini-album Vanishing. Heave Blood & Die scoff at genre lines, colliding post-punk with hardcore, to then swerve in the direction of prog rock. The guys from the deathcore band Paleface Swiss are said to have met at a Slipknot concert and you can hear that in their blood-thirsty music – though, as any predatory, they walk their own paths.

HÉR is a local, Gdansk band, but their setting their sail and taking the sea. “Their minimalist, violin and sax-laced rites gradually tilt the world further off its axis” is what the British Metal Hammer had to say about the band, and it is hard not to agree. The Finnish band Luna Kills, with the charismatic Lotta behind the mic, combines nu-metal with video game soundtracks and makes something that works more than well. Then there’s the brooding and saturated with extreme emotions metalcore which is the domain of the Warsaw-based Last Penance.

You prefer a more traditional sound? During the show of the New York band Castle Rat, you can expect the following – the Rat Queen will behead swiftly and smoothly every poser with her sword. The rest will be able to enjoy a superb, classic heavy/doom metal. Their compatriots from Bewitcher will send your heart speeding with their devilish speed’n’roll, and so will the British Hellripper, which at full speed ahead goes neck and neck with the legacy of Venom, Motörhead and Sabbat. Inhuman Nature is a thrash/heavy metal band from London – no shortcuts, only riffs sharp enough to cut. Bad Touch will remind us what the origin of it all is – classic, blues-based hard rock, reminiscent of the greatest years of Led Zeppelin or Free.

Hatebreed, but of course, take no prisoners. Why would they if the construction of this weapon used the engine of Slayer and the armour of the American hardcore? The rumour has it that the Brits from Grove Street started out playing for fun, but you’d be remiss not to take their music seriously now – it’s crossover colliding forceful, hardcore riffs with thrash rampage.

Stoner, doom, sludge, desert storms and cellar apparitions? Always more than welcome at the Mystic Festival! The music of Elder draws from doom and heavy metal but comes into bloom with all the colours of the psychedelic rainbow – those who enter into this magic realm won’t find their way back. Sun Dont Shine is still a new name, not everyone knows it yet so let us introduce the members – Kenny Hickey (Type O Negative, Silvertomb), Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Down), Johnny Kelly (Type O Negative, Silvertomb) and Todd Strange (Crowbar, Down). The sun really doesn’t shine in their music. “Life kills you” as Dopethrone warn us in the title of the opening track of their latest album Broke Sabbath. And if life fails to do the deed, the Canadians will finish you off with the mixture of everything in music that is heavy, vile and evil. Tundra rock is the response from the North to the desert, stoner sound from the States – Slomosa know what riffs are meant for and they’re not afraid to use them. We remain in Norway. Bokassa are sometimes compared with their fellow countrymen from Turbonegro and Gluecifer and not without cause – their music is a high-proof mixture of punk, metal and stoner rock. Rickshaw Billie’s Burger Patrol is coming all the way from Texas to get you a boo-boo from the music they tried to summarize with the title of their new record, Big Dumb Riffs. You can expect an equally unforgettable adventure from the encounter with the doomgaze band Faetooth, hailing partly from California, partly from the netherworld.

We also have some good news for the darkness devotees. The cult Greek band Zemial, currently touring with Absu as part of their live band, will perform their original material, allowing us to glimpse into the abyss of Tartarus. The Dutch band Soulburn, led by Eric Daniels, the guitarist from Asphyx’s classic line-up, will present a perfectly nefarious marriage of black and death metal. Not only is the music of the Canadian band Thantifaxath of diabolical pedigree, but it is also devilishly complex as if King Crimson signed away their souls. It is hard to say in which category to put Thaw, who in 2024 recaptured our attention with their excellent album Fading Backwards. It is, without a doubt, the musical embodiment of pitch-black darkness, though their sound derives not only from black metal. “Black Metal is Krig” as proclaim the Norwegian witches of Witch Club Satan and we have no intention of arguing with them. Totenmesse is a black metal band with a Polish seal of approval but their own vision for the genre – their 2024 slot at our festival was interrupted by a thunderstorm; they are coming back to finish the destruction that they started. Martwa Aura (Polish for ‘dead aura’) perfectly encapsulates in its name the music that the band plays – a funereal black metal without even a trace of daylight.

Enjoy pain, don’t you? Well, we are happy to provide. Vader entered into the new century with perhaps the most uncompromising material under their belt – now, the time has come to bring back the full body of the wrathful Litany. Can you smell decay? Must mean Necrot from California are near, with their cemetery, putrid death metal. Similar ground is covered by the British four-piece Celestial Sanctuary, trekking through pure, living death. A lesson in brutal yet technical death metal will be presented by the Italians from Hideous Divinity. More...

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