If you happened to be around the Cat Club in New York City anytime around the mid-1980s, chances are you remember King Flux, and with very good reason.
They were a fabulous band, of course. But they also felt like a personal secret, shared between the members of a dedicated audience, but unknown to anyone else.
No record labels were pushing them in all manner of directions, no management hassling them to write “a hit.” King Flux just got up and played their music, blew the crowd away, and that would be it until the next time they played. Frontman Richie Stotts describes them as “a mom and pop organization,” and he’s right.
“Following the devastation of losing my gig with the Plasmatics,” he explains, “it didn’t take long to feel a sense of freedom. There was no management anymore. No financing from a record label. And yet, it seemed so organic just creating music and relying on the assistance of friends who came together to get the word out. It was like a mini King Flux compound of people building sets, designing logos, postering the city and getting the word out without Instagram.”
And the Cat Club, a two level bar on E 13th, equipped with its very own cage dancers, was their home from home.
King Flux never made a record during their lifetime. Of course the band received offers from record labels – plenty of them, in fact. They turned them all down… or rather, as Richie puts it, he turned them down. “Mr. Smarty Pants Stotts didn’t think they were big enough,” he says with a possibly rueful laugh.
But they recorded a lot of material and now, a full 40 years on, Richie has cracked open the vault, for a forthcoming album of hard riffing rock’n’roll and, released today as a limited edition 7-inch single, alongside all digital platforms, a single of “Reign Of The Insane,” one of the key numbers in the band’s period live show.
“‘Reign Of The Insane’ was a lot of fun to write,” recalls Richie.. “I pulled lyrical inspiration from a bunch of different places, including Ronald Reagan’s famous over-use of the phrase ‘Back in the saddle again.’ For the rap section, I went straight to the headlines of the New York Post and worked some of that tabloid insanity into the lyrics.
“One line in particular was inspired by the headline: ‘Rock star’s wife beats murder rap.’
“That was a reference to Gail Collins Pappalardi, the wife of Mountain bassist Felix Pappalardi, who was charged with second-degree murder after shooting and killing Felix in 1983. She was ultimately acquitted. The shooting took place in the same building—Waterside Plaza—that my brother Wayne was living in at the time.
Norwegian hard rock force AUDREY HORNE unleashes a hard-hitting new single with “Achilles”, the title track of the band’s upcoming 8th studio album, out this Friday, September 4, 2026, via Napalm Records! Roaring guitars meet impactful rhythms, all topped with powerfully captivating vocals. The band showcases the more progressive side of its sound on this ambitious single, arriving with a lyric video, and the strong sonic contrasts support the lyrics. Following the release of Achilles, AUDREY HORNE is set to head out on a European headline tour next month.
AUDREY HORNE on “Achilles”: “‘Achilles’ is a song about the ‘us vs. them’ situation in today’s increasingly polarized world. It is also the title track from our new album and shows a bit more progressive side of the band. When we started recording the album, this song stood out immediately as a perfect opening track, and it has an energetic drive that will fit us perfectly on stage as well. We hope you guys like it as much as we do. Peace and love, AUDREY HORNE.”
AUDREY HORNE‘s latest studio albums Blackout (2018) and Devil’s Bell (2022) received critical praise internationally, and the band was even awarded a Spellemannprisen (Norwegian equivalent to a Grammy) for their 2005 debut album. With previous international tours both as headliners and together with bands such as Papa Roach and Backyard Babies, as well as support slots for AC/DC and Mötley Crüe, AUDREY HORNE are one of Norway’s most interesting rock exports.
The new album features 11 multi-faceted tracks, ranging from high-energy, heavy rock pieces to more melodic and progressive songs, leaving no questions about the songwriting capabilities of this five-piece, which consists of vocalist Toschie, guitarists Ice Dale (Enslaved) and Thomas Tofthagen, bassist Espen Lien and drummer Kjetil Greve.
Following the hard-hitting title track “Achilles”, more hit material is delivered through songs like “God Damn Beautiful”: This groovy Thin Lizzy -inspired track brings bass player Espen Lien to center stage on lead vocals. The band stays true to its sound on the high-energy rock’n’roll number “Insanity” that features a catchy chorus and twin guitars – and a gripping storyline inspired by the classic Iron Maiden tune “Hallowed be thy name”! Closing track “New Star Falling” wraps the album up beautifully, showcasing the melodic side of AUDREY HORNE‘s sound.
With Achilles, AUDREY HORNE return with an atmospheric heavy rock album that combines classic ‘70s and ‘80s influences with lyrical themes spanning escapism to commentary on the instability of the world we live in. It’s a perfect fit for both rock radio and live stages!
Achilles tracklisting: 1 Achilles 2 In The Eye Of The Hurricane 3 Vampires 4 God Damn Beautiful 5 Pretty Little Lies 6 Prodrome 7 Insanity 8 Hell Is Eternity 9 Six Feet In The Ground 10 Running Through The Night 11 New Star Falling
AUDREY HORNE Live 2026 08.10.26 DE – Cologne / Gebäude 9 09.10.26 DE – Essen / Turock 10.10.26 DE – Münster / Sputnik Café 11.10.26 DE – Hamburg / Bahnhof Pauli 13.10.26 NL – Leiden / Nobel 14.10.26 NL – Eindhoven / Effenaar 15.10.26 BE – Kortrijk / CVC Club 16.10.26 FR – Paris / Nouveau Casino 17.10.26 FR – Grenoble / L’Austra Rocks 18.10.26 CH – Zurich / Plaza 20.10.26 DE – Munich / Backstage Halle 21.10.26 DE – Bamberg / Live Club 22.10.26 DE – Frankfurt / Das Bett 23.10.26 DE – Dresden / Puschkin Club 24.10.26 DE – Berlin / Hole 44 04.12.26 NO – Kopervik / Ovenpå 05.12.26 NO – Bergen / USF Verftet
While they’ve remained relatively silent over the past six years, Theodor Bastard refuse to stay still. Amidst the shadows of the pandemic, war and invasive technology, the world music pioneers have been searching for a way out of the darkness that’s descended over our reality. The path that they discovered on their upcoming eighth studio album didn’t lead back to their home in the forest of Karelia, but away from it, into the coldness of the city, a collapsing civilization, and ultimately, rebirth.
Today, Theodor Bastard are announcing their new album ▽ (pronounced V) with a thrilling music video for its bewitching lead single. While it reconnects with their roots in electronic music, “Sverkay” is a sure sign that the band are bound for dark new horizons.
“This album might never have happened”, Theodor Bastard producer, multi-instrumentalist and founding member Fedor Svolotch says. “So much has surrounded us during recent years: the pandemic, war, division, fear, anxiety over technology, and a sense that reality itself is becoming darker and more unstable. We have felt so much anger, pain, confusion and disappointment both in ourselves and in the world around us. All these emotions were gathering inside us, changing, darkening, searching for a form, until they eventually transformed into the unexpected on ▽”.
Watch the music video for “Sverkay”:
The video for “Sverkay” was directed by Fedor Svolotchand stars Yana Veva. Theodor Bastard built the spaceship that appears in the video by hand. They also created the video’s practical and visual effects themselves. The concept for the spacesuit was created by Yana Veva and made by TomHem Studio.
Additional video credits Screenwriters – Fedor Svolotch & Yana Veva Director of Photography – Oleg Makoseev Additional Camera – Vyacheslav Salikov Film Editor – Fedor Svolotch Gaffer & Assistant Director – Taras Frolov Storyboard Artist – Yana Veva Spacesuit Concept Art – Yana Veva Spacesuit Fabrication – TomHem Studio Spaceship Control Panel Fabrication – Andy Vladych Spaceship Cockpit Concept – Alexey Kalinovskiy Set Design and Construction – Alexey Kalinovskiy & Kusas Props Master – Alexey Kalinovskiy Practical Effects – Alexey Kalinovskiy & Kusas Visual Effects – Maria Starostina & Fedor Svolotch Colorist – Vyacheslav Salikov
▽ reflects just how much has changed since the world last heard from Theodor Bastard in April 2020. While the band are still recognized internationally for blending ritual folk, electronics and world music, on their new album, they’ve re-embraced their early electronic impulses because that’s now how modern life feels: cold, sharp, tense.
“Our sound changed because the world changed”, Svolotch explains. “We had to destroy our own habits and expectations to make ▽. We wanted to start again, as if the band has no past, no safe place, no ready-made formula. As a result, this album is not a continuation of what came before. It’s a different door”.
Long-time fans of Theodor Bastard were pleasantly surprised late last year when the pulse-pounding analog synths of “Nebo” first appeared in the award-winning Russian crime drama The Method. But the latest single from
▽ is a giant leap from the softer, more earthly textures of the band’s recent studio ventures. Like a spaceship, “Sverkay” rumbles with distorted bass before it’s suspended high above the earth by a trap-like beat.
“Вдох – выдох (Inhale – Exhale)”, sings bewitching vocalist Yana Veva as she glimpses what’s to come from our dangerous endgame with war, technology and social division.
“I know people probably expected another Northern ethnic album from us”, Svolotch says. “Oftentimes, once bands find their niche, they stay there. But this has never been our path and now is not the time for beautiful genre obedience.
“▽ represents our vision of what’s going on in the world today” he continues. “Instead of flights into space, instead of discovering the vast mysterious inside ourselves, once again, humanity is busy destroying itself. This album is our attempt to find a way out of that cycle, to understand what is happening, and to feel for some kind of perspective”.
Theodor Bastard refuse to stay still. In the years since their last studio venture, 2020’s Volch’ya Yagoda, the world music pioneers were searching for a way out of the darkness that’s descended over our reality. The path that they discovered didn’t lead back to their home in the harsh northern forest region of Karelia but away from it, into the coldness of the city and a collapsing civilization. By reconnecting with their electronic roots, Theodor Bastard are reborn on ▽.
“Our sound changed because the world changed”, producer, multi-instrumentalist and founding member Fedor Svolotch says. “We had to destroy our own habits and expectations to make ▽. We wanted to start again, as if the band has no past, no safe place, no ready-made formula. As a result, this album is not a continuation of what came before. It’s a different door”.
Svolotch founded Theodor Bastard in 1995. What started as a solo project grew during the 2000s into what’s now a seven-member band that includes vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Yana Veva, keyboardist Alexey Kalinovskiy, drummer Andy Vladich, vocalist Ekaterina Dolmatova, percussionist Kusas and cellist Vyacheslav Salikov. Blending the lines between ritual folk, electronic and world music has gained them international recognition. They’ve toured and performed at major festivals across Europe, including Fusion, Castlefest and Dark Bombastic Evening.
With eight studio albums, three video game soundtracks, two live albums, a compilation of remixes and syncs in major films and television shows, Theodor Bastard have also received international acclaim. The band have won a Russian World Music Award, a Golden Gargoyle, an International Acoustic Music Award and multiple LIT Music Awards. Their previous album, 2020’s Volch’ya Yagoda, won the St. Petersburg Best Album award in the Mood category. Its take on the Russian lullaby “Volchok” was a finalist in the World category for the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
“[…] their music comes directly from heaven”, Essentially Pop wrote in praise of the album’s single “Les”.
Folk N Rock agreed. “[…] a well-crafted album and deserves a listen if you are a fan of folk or trip-hop electronic music”.
“Theodor Bastard’s prolific catalogue of music is only getting better with age and experience”, wrote Indie Pulse Music.
▽ reflects just how much has changed since the world last heard from Theodor Bastard. While still widely recognized internationally as leaders for ritual folk and world music, the band have re-embraced their early electronic impulses. Long-time fans were pleasantly surprised when the pulse-pounding analog synths of “Nebo” first appeared in the award-winning Russian crime drama The Method. “We did not want to make another comfortable northern ethnic album just because that’s what some people might expect from us”, Svolotch says. “▽ is electronic, nervous, physical and wounded because this is how the world feels now”.
The album’s lead single is a sure sign that Theodor Bastard are bound for dark new horizons. Like a space shuttle, “Sverkay” rumbles with distorted bass before it’s suspended high above the earth by a trap-like beat. “Вдох – выдох (Inhale – Exhale)”, sings a bewitching Veva as she glimpses what’s to come from our dangerous endgame with war, technology and social division.
“This is not the time for beautiful genre obedience”, Svolotch says. “The world is full of violence, exhaustion, stupidity and fear. Instead of flights into space, instead of discovering the inner abysses within ourselves, humanity is once again busy with destruction, cruelty and self-hypnosis”.
To a world that’s mired in its own deadly trance, ▽ arrives like a much-needed slap across the face. The album was created during a long and trying period for Theodor Bastard. It offers little comfort; its anger, confusion and disappointment are hurled at the outside world, which through our own actions, is tipping over the edge. The aggressive “Vedma” surges with black cosmic energy, as if summoning the apocalypse. “Ditya” questions the nature of our creation amidst a hybrid of electronic dance music, gospel and the blues. But the band aren’t without hope. At their core, the ritual spirit remains. “Ostavlyaem” dances as light as a feather, only to transcend this earth for a place amongst the stars.
“Across ▽, darkwave, indietronica, post-punk and neo-psychedelia are not used as genre references. They are fused into a single world, where ritual presence and the physicality of live sound coexist”, Svolotch concludes. “It is unmistakably Theodor Bastard, but in a state of renewal, where the band’s recognizable identity becomes a starting point for transformation rather than a limit”.
With ▽, Theodor Bastard return with dark electronics for dark times.
Recording Lineup Yana Veva – Vocals, Lyrics, Vocal arrangements, Synthesizers, Keyboards Fedor Svolotch – Arrangements, Guitars, Bass guitar, Synthesizers, Analog synthesizers, Keyboards, Drum programming, Sound design, Sound production, Mixing Christine Kazarian – Harp Vyacheslav Salikov – Cello / Strings Kusas – Percussion, Bells, Metallophone, Marimba, Jaw harp Ekaterina Dolmatova – Backing vocals Eli H – Bass guitar Alexey Kalinovskiy – Keyboards, Synthesizer, Lap slide guitar Vyacheslav Nikiforov – Drums Sergey Smirnov – Drums Maria Starostina – Flute, Backing vocals Maxim Kostyunin – Guitar Gale Dorothy – Vocals on Molnii i Svist
Production Credits Producer – Fedor Svolotch Sound Engineer – Fedor Svolotch Mixing Engineer – Fedor Svolotch Mastering Engineer – Boris Istomin Recording Studio – Theo Records Mastering Studio – Knob Studio
Cover Artwork Fedor Svolotch
Artwork / Layout Designer Yana Veva & Fedor Svolotch
Frontiers Music Srl is proud to announce the return of legendary Danish hard rockers Pretty Maids, who are officially working on a brand-new studio album, set for release in 2027.
The upcoming record will be the band’s first new studio album since 2019’s acclaimed “Undress Your Madness” and marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in the career of one of Europe’s most enduring and distinctive hard rock bands.
Built around the unmistakable creative partnership of Ronnie Atkins and Ken Hammer, Pretty Maids have spent more than four decades forging a sound of their own, combining crushing guitar riffs, powerful melodies, atmospheric keyboards and huge, instantly recognizable choruses.
Across a career stretching back to the early 1980s, the Danish band have delivered a catalogue that includes such landmark albums as “Future World”, “Jump The Gun”, “Pandemonium”, “Motherland” and “Kingmaker”, establishing Pretty Maids as a formidable and enduring force in melodic hard rock and heavy metal.
Following a five-year hiatus, Pretty Maids returned to the stage in 2024. The chemistry and energy within the band proved impossible to ignore, and what began as a return to live activity has now evolved into something fans around the world have been hoping for: brand-new Pretty Maids music.
The new album will be released in 2027 via Frontiers Music Srl and will be produced by acclaimed Danish producer Jacob Hansen, whose credits include Amaranthe, Volbeat, Epica, Primal Fear and Evergrey.
Further details about the album will be revealed in the coming months.
Pretty Maids are back. And the story isn’t over yet.
PRETTY MAIDS are: Ronnie Atkins – Vocals Ken Hammer – Lead Guitar Rene Shades – Bass Chris Laney – Rhythm Guitar / Keyboards Allan Tschicaja – Drums
Toronto-based melodic death and groove metal band SELIAS return with a new chapter in their story, unveiling their new single and official video “Bastard.”
With “Bastard,” SELIAS confront the darker side of psychological trauma, channeling anger, despair and inner collapse into a relentless track about struggling to reclaim your identity from the damage left behind.
The song captures the feeling of being trapped beneath emotional weight, while its aggressive riffs, groove-driven rhythms and powerful vocals reflect the tension between breaking down and fighting back.
SELIAS is a Canadian melodic death and groove metal band founded in 2021. Combining crushing riffs, groove-driven rhythms, and powerful vocals, the band has developed a distinctive modern metal sound. Following their debut album HEADSHOT and 2025’s follow-up KILLKARMA, which reached 17th on the Metal Contraband radio charts, SELIAS returns with their highly anticipated third album, Nine Lives. The album pushes the band’s sound further, blending melody, atmosphere, and heaviness. Nine Lives introduces a heavier sound overall for the band, but staying true to the roots of the sound. Known for high-energy live performances, SELIAS has toured extensively across Canada and the United States over the past few years, building a growing international audience.
Saxony, Germany-based heavy doom outfit LȲKAA have signed with Octopus Rising, the (un)parallel label of Argonauta Records. The band celebrate the signing with the release of “Izome”, their first single and the first glimpse into their forthcoming debut album “Light Eater”.
Formed during the pandemic winter of 2022 inside an old Cold War bunker, LȲKAA emerged from isolation, tension and decay, turning the atmosphere of their surroundings into a dark and immersive form of heavy music.
The band’s sound sits somewhere between doom-laden heavy metal, dark melodicism and post-punk-infused melancholy, creating a dense and emotionally charged atmosphere without relying on occult aesthetics or theatrical imagery. Instead, LȲKAA focus on the darker side of human experience, delivering songs that feel equally haunting, heavy and deeply personal.
“Izome” is the first statement from LȲKAA’s new chapter with Octopus Rising, introducing a band whose music draws on the legacy of dark and melodic heavy metal while pushing it into a more atmospheric and contemporary territory.
Between 2023 and 2025, LȲKAA took their music to the stage across a series of intense live shows, including appearances alongside Messa and Zhaat, developing an immersive live presence that matches the darkness of their recordings.
With “Light Eater”, their fully produced debut album, now ready for release, LȲKAA join the Octopus Rising roster and open a new chapter for a band built on atmosphere, tension and uncompromising heavy music.
For fans of: Messa, DOOL, In Solitude, The Night Eternal, The Devil’s Blood, Jex Thoth, Sonja.
LȲKAA are: Elly Preussner – lead vocals Johannes Werner – guitars, keys, vocals Rasmus Korn – guitars Đenan Muratagić – bass Christoph Weilbach – drums
All drums on “Light Eater” were performed by Johannes Ivandic.
“Light Eater” will be released via Octopus Rising / Argonauta Records. Further details coming soon.
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 