French metalcore force Resolve return with their brand new single ‘Spread My Ashes Into Space’, marking the beginning of a bold new chapter for the band. Cinematic, crushing and deeply emotional, the track arrives alongside the announcement of their new album of the same name, set for release on 15th January, 2027.
The modern metalcore DNA that has defined the band, the single expands their sonic world with a renewed sense of ambition, depth and cinematic scope. At its heart, ‘Spread My Ashes Into Space’ explores the overwhelming desire to escape when the weight of reality becomes impossible to ignore. Space becomes a metaphor for absolute freedom, a place beyond expectations, pressure and noise. Against imagery of infinite darkness, solar flares and hyperspace, the song wrestles with the line between surrender and self preservation, repeatedly returning to its central question: “Is it a cure or an escape?”
The band comments: “This first single and title track dive into the moment the breaking point is reached, and how that kickstarts a new perspective. The core of this song revolves around one specific question that kept coming up when writing the lyrics: “Is it a cure or an escape?”. I’ve had times when the sheer weight of everything, the noise, the expectations, made me almost consider changing up my whole life and escape to a quieter, more serene place. In this song, space represents this: an ultimate silence and isolation. A place with “no rules, no gods, just infinite black unknown. It’s about the desperate need to find a sanctuary where you can finally be free from the weight of reality, a place where you can just exist however you see fit. This place has been harder and harder to reach for me these past few years, and I think I’m not alone in that. Some might read the lyrics and see a dark surrender, but I want the audience to see it as written from a place of hope. It’s that feeling of being an “escape artist with no hands,” trying to find a way out when you’re completely backed into a corner. Ultimately, it’s a very raw admission that sometimes, the urge to disappear isn’t about wanting to escape the actual world, but simply trying to save yourself from a system that feels too loud.”
Catch the band live: 20.01.2027 I La Cartonnerie I Reims, France 21.01.2027 I La Laiterie I Strasbourg, France 22.01.2027 I Transbordeur I Villeurbanne, France 23.01.2027 I Rockstore I Montpellier, France 24.01.2027 I CCM John Lennon I Limoges, France 26.01.2027 I Le Metronum I Toulouse, France 27.01.2027 I Le Rocher de Palmer I Cenon, France 28.01.2027 I Warehouse I Nantes, France 29.01.2027 I The Black Lab I Wasquehal, France 30.01.2027 I La Cigale I Paris, France
Rising alternative heavy act PLUME return with their striking new single ‘My Cortisol Face’, the final release before their highly anticipated debut album Saferooms & Healing Frequencies arrives on 25th September via Arising Empire.
Blurring the lines between hyperpop shimmer, emotional metalcore and futuristic electronic production, ‘My Cortisol Face’ captures PLUME at their most vulnerable and volatile. Glittering electronics collide with crushing guitars, ethereal clean vocals and piercing screams, creating a track that feels equally fragile, chaotic and euphoric.
Lyrically, the song dives headfirst into anxiety, distorted self perception and the exhausting battle against your own reflection. Images of glitter caught in the throat, ribs beneath paper thin skin and rehearsed smiles paint an unsettling picture of someone desperately trying to maintain the surface while everything underneath begins to fracture. The recurring question of whether this experience is a nightmare or everything they have been dreaming about sits at the emotional core of the track.
That conflict erupts in the chorus, where pain and style become almost inseparable. ‘My Cortisol Face’ transforms inner turmoil into something strangely beautiful, balancing vulnerability with an undeniable sense of attitude and immediacy. As the song builds towards its desperate final moments, repeated questions of whether the pain will ever end underline the feeling of being trapped in an emotional freefall.
The single follows PLUME’s recent releases ‘Digital Waterboarding’, ‘Furious Icon’, ‘Angel Engine’ and ‘A Cure For A Knife’s Blade’, each revealing another side of the band’s rapidly evolving sonic identity. Since signing with Arising Empire earlier this year, the German four piece have continued to establish themselves as one of the most intriguing newcomers in modern alternative heavy music, combining pop sensibility with distorted guitars, synthesizers, fractured rhythms and a visual identity inspired by glam rock and contemporary digital culture.
Fronted by Pascal Pashaee alongside guitarist David Riederer, keyboardist Luka Lorch and drummer Richard Kilian, PLUME approach their music as more than a collection of songs. Their immersive live performances and carefully constructed visual world form an extension of a sound that refuses to sit comfortably within a single genre.
With their debut album Saferooms & Healing Frequencies set for release on 25th September, PLUME are preparing to bring that vision into full focus. The 13 track record represents the next major step for a band increasingly determined to reshape the boundaries between pop, metalcore and forward thinking alternative music.
As the final glimpse of the album before its arrival, ‘My Cortisol Face’ feels like a fitting statement of intent: intimate, dramatic, unpredictable and unapologetically PLUME.
Catch the band live: 19.09.2026 I Le Petit Salon I Lyon 07, France
French modern metalcore force REVNOIR return with their powerful new single ‘Fracture’, a gripping anthem that channels fear, resistance and the determination to keep fighting when hope feels increasingly difficult to hold onto. The release also marks the beginning of the pre-order for the band’s highly anticipated debut album, Sometimes I feel you, sometimes I don’t, set for release on 27th November via Arising Empire.
Described by the band as “a collective cry of resistance: the surrounding fear, and, in spite of it all, the refusal to give up,” ‘Fracture’ captures the tension of living in a world where silence, uncertainty and helplessness can become overwhelming.
Built around the question of whether we simply stand by or find the courage to speak up, the track moves between raw vulnerability and outright defiance. Its lyrics paint a bleak picture of fear taking hold, voices being swallowed before they can be heard and people desperately searching for better days. Yet beneath that darkness lies a powerful sense of unity. “Fracture” ultimately refuses resignation, transforming anxiety and isolation into a collective call to stand together. Musically, REVNOIR deliver one of their most commanding statements to date. Stunning vocals collide with intricate, virtuosic instrumentation and colossal modern production, steadily building toward a towering and unforgettable chorus. Heavy, atmospheric and deeply emotional, ‘Fracture’ showcases the band’s ability to balance vulnerability with sheer force while pushing their distinctive take on modern metalcore further forward.
Since emerging in 2023, REVNOIR have quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting new names in the French and European modern metal scene. Across their first two EPs and subsequent releases, the band have already accumulated more than 8 million streams, while their rapid rise earned them the title of Best Breakthrough Artist at Les Foudres 2025. Their growing reputation has also taken them to major stages across Europe, including Hellfest Main Stage, alongside extensive touring and festival appearances.
Their momentum has been equally evident on the live front. Following sold-out headline shows in Paris, REVNOIR have continued to expand their reach beyond France, including a European tour alongside Future Palace, proving that the intensity and emotion behind their music translate just as powerfully to the stage.
With ‘Fracture’, REVNOIR now open the next chapter of their journey as the pre-order for their debut album Sometimes I feel you, sometimes I don’t .begins
King Kraken unleash their third single of 2026 on 18th September with ‘Shadows Fall’. A dark and unnerving tale of getting lost in the woods only to be met by malevolence and evil wrongdoing.
‘Shadows Fall’ was inspired by the popular ‘found footage’ horror genre, mainly ‘The Blair Witch Project’. The idea for this track was to flip the melodic structure by having more melody in the verses and a gritty aggressive chorus. Like a journey where everything starts fine but the deeper you go the darker it gets. Coming straight out the gate with a catchy riff this doesn’t let up for a second. It grabs you by the neck and drags you around as opposed to holding your hand.
Recorded at Longwave studios, Cardiff Mixed and Mastered by Romesh Dodangoda Engineered by Romesh Dodangoda and Tom Cory.
King Kraken is a four-piece Rock/Metal band from South Wales, UK. In 2025 they released their second album, ‘March of the Gods’, with two of their four singles playlisted on Planet Rock and Kerrang Radio. Positive album reviews poured in, including reviews from big hitters such as Kerrang and features in Metal Hammer magazine. With a new album and hefty praise from the rock/metal press, the band headed out on a headline tour.
The band has played Bloodstock Festival, Call of the Wild, Planet Rock’s Rockstock and Stonedead Festival and Steelhouse festival as well as the first band to play the Bloodstock Winter Gathering event at KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. The band has played with some heavyweight artists including The Almighty, The Dead Daisies, Crobot, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, Monster Truck, The Sweet, Geoff Tate and Crowbar.
2026 is also proving to be another big year for King Kraken, with them hitting the main stage at Call Of The Wild Festival plus opening up Steelhouse Festival in July, and with the walls of Chepstow Castle now crumbling as a result of excessive decibels, it’s on to more gigs and tours with Crobot and Breed 77 as well as a few headline dates.
Tour dates: 7th Sept Bannerman’s Bar, Edinburgh supporting CROBOT 8th Sept The Welly, Hull supporting CROBOT 9th Sept HOLY DIVER, Stockport supporting CROBOT 10th Sept Tunbridge Wells Forum supporting CROBOT 9th Oct Reddog 1, The Patriot, Crumlin 31st Oct Maesteg Harlequins RFC 3rd Nov Exchange, Bristol supporting Breed 77 4th Nov Waterfront Studio, Norwich supporting Breed 77 5th Nov Beta, Nottingham supporting Breed 77 7th Nov Live Rooms, Chester supporting Breed 77 17th December Exchange, Bristol with FURY
AIRBOURNE’s NEW self-titled studio album, out today, September 4th, is a true rock ‘n’ roll tale of no compromise, no sleep and still no ballads (or bullshit); a story fuelled by the riveted will of four musicians, brothers Joel & Ryan O’Keeffe, ably supported by Justin Street & Brett Tyrrell, to create a body of work that proudly offers a full 21 gun salute to hard rock’s glorious traditions, its heritage and its heartbeat, whilst keeping sights firmly trained on the road ahead.
To celebrate the album’s release, the band has dropped their new video for the song ‘Kid in a Candy Store.’
AIRBOURNE’s sixth studio album is the one that plants the flag deepest for everything the Aussie outfit stands for, their unwavering commitment to The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Cause, leaving everything (apart from Lemmy’s Bar, of course) on the stage on a nightly basis.
“When I look up to the sky, rub the blood and sweat from my eyes
Hell, no, I ain’t dead yet, as long as I can breathe, I can get…” ‘Gutsy’
PRODUCED BY Brian Howes (who helmed 2013’s ‘Black Dog Barking’); engineered by Mike Fraser (who worked on 2010’s ‘No Guts. No Glory’ & 2016’s ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell’); mixed by Zakk Cervini (BMTH, Architects, Evanescence); and mastered by the legendary Ted Jensen, ‘Airbourne’ The Album is the statement, line in the sand recording that only one band could have made.
For staunch sons of Warrnambool, Joel & Ryan, here was the moment: to create not just the finest body of work in the Airbourne canon, but to raise the bar as high as possible in the name of the hard rock community; to seek out new turf, to protect the ground hard won by heroes past, some sadly fallen, and to both strengthen and celebrate the special, sacred bond with rock fans everywhere…
“Our aim from the start wasto create something iconic, gargantuan,” states vocalist / guitarist Joel,“real blockbuster shit. It’s a rocket we’ve been building and building; we’ve filled it with fuel, now we’re ready to let it go.”
“We said, this is it, let’s make the oracle,” continues drummer Ryan, “and if we’re going to do it, no corner can be cut. All of the things we love most about rock‘n’roll are on this record. I firmly believe it’s our very best work…”
In order to embrace the mighty task, AIRBOURNE felt it wise to stay close to home, with Music Farm Studio in the “jungle” outside Byron Bay, South Eastern Australia, the chosen locale; not only does Music Farm host the original Neve console from Albert Studios in Sydney, the desk on which AC/DC, Rose Tattoo and The Angels recorded their classic early albums, but it’s also home to late AC/DC guitarist / founding member Malcolm Young’s eight-track Neve, and naturally both were put to full an’ fruitful use on the
AIRBOURNE sessions.
By choosing vintage gear (and recording to tape), these sessions were never going to be gremlin free, but as things turned out, technical issues were just a part of the story, with near cyclonic storms, deadly snakes and even deadlier super sized spiders (the fabled Big Boy!) adding to the list of perils. They say what doesn’t kill (or bite) you makes you stronger, and for musicians and studio team alike the overriding vision never blurred; nights around the fire pit were spent talking about the big, bold, bombastic albums they’d skipped their homework to listen to; those layered, beautifully crafted records, the recognised classics, that had made them rock fans in the first place…
Next stop, Hothouse Studios in Melbourne; here, all recording was completed alongside engineer / studio owner, Craig Harnath. Rounding things off at Hothouse was an easy choice to make; not only was it where the band had recorded their first EP, but the console, also a Neve, is from Alberts Studio 2, allowing the connection to prime rock history to be maintained.
The challenge was there. The game on. Get Gutsy or go home.
“I’m fired up, I’m pissed off, Here I come, ready or not” ‘Gutsy’
ONLY RIGHT, therefore, that the first new song to appear was ‘Gutsy’ itself, a chipped tooth, broken bone anthem with no reverse gear; then came ‘Christmas Bonus’ (“Ho,ho,ho, let’s go!”), then ‘Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)’, an official No. 1 at German Rock Radio, then ‘Kid In A Candy Store’, a rite of passage rocker in the spirit of AC/DC’s ‘Whole Lotta Rosie’; for the accompanying video, just released, director P.R. Brown cut together real and imagined footage to document both the recording process at Music Farm and the potentially lethal antics of the local wildlife… you might call it a case of advanced A-rock-nophobia!
Add in the talents of producer Brian Howes (who helmed 2013’s ‘Black Dog Barking’ for AIRBOURNE), engineer Mike Fraser (who worked on 2010’s ‘No Guts. No Glory’ & 2016’s ‘Breakin’ Outta Hell’), mixing engineer Zakk Cervini (BMTH, Architects, Evanescence) and mastering legend Ted Jensen, and you have a track – Single 5 from the forthcoming self-titled studio album, out September 4th via Spinefarm –that manages to both box and charm the ears at the same time.
First there was do-or-die anthem ‘Gutsy’, then ‘Christmas Bonus’ (“Ho-ho-ho – let’s go!”), then ‘Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)’, officially No. 1 at German Rock Radio, and most recently ‘Kid In A Candy Store’, a rite-of-passage rocker in the spirit of AC/DC’s “Whole Lotta Rosie“; and now, blowing in hard on a festival-ready chorus and enough full-blooded ‘woahs’ to lift an arena roof or part the lower clouds, there’s ‘Here She Comes’, complete withguitar solo cranked high in the mix for maximum shoulder-straddling impact.
Lyrics like, “Here she comes, raising a hurricane, there she goes blowing my mind” might sound like they’re about one of vocalist/guitarist Joel O’Keeffe’s favourite subjects, women – which, to be fair, they are – but they also nod to the tropical storm that bore down on Music Farm Studio in Byron Bay, south-eastern Australia, as AIRBOURNE were recording, adding to a list of tribulations topped up by dangerous, potentially lethal wild-life and uncooperative vintage gear.
“It was like a hurricane came through,” recalls drummer Ryan O’Keeffe. “I remember screaming, ‘Get away from the windows!’ Streetie [bassist Justin Street] was sleeping in an old bus outside the studio, and a tree fell right next to it and almost crushed him!”
Adds brother Joel: “That’s how the song came about. It’s just out of this storm that blew in. Everyone was sitting there going, ‘Here she comes!’ Then we flipped it, and it became a bit of a double entendre. It’s so much fun.”
‘Here She Comes’, one of the two Lange / Adams co-writes, the other being ‘Who Put The Rhythm In You?’, followed in late July, which brings us on a mighty wall of Eddie Van Halen inspired feedback to album focus track, ‘Bogotá’, complete with lashings of EVH ‘Frankenstein’ action, the first time Joel had wielded the instrument!
It’s surely impossible to be a guitarist and not realise the significance of EVH, who (along with Lemmy, Doc Neeson, John Bonham, Bon Scott, Little Richard, Malcolm Young & Ozzy) gets a hand on heart namecheck on album closer, ‘Send Me To Rock‘N’Roll Heaven’, the song that most clearly defines the album’s key themes of lifestyle and legacy; of artists being kept alive in the hearts and minds of fans; of the rock ‘n’ roll torch being passed from one generation to the next, the flame still burning…
‘When you play this riff, you give me back my hands
When you drop the needle, I’m back in the band…’‘Alive After Death (Last Plane Out)’
‘AIRBOURNE’. Made with passion. Made in Australia. The Great Barrier Riff.
Now officially out of its cage.
AIRBOURNE Shows with Guns N’ Roses, November / December 2026. 11/29: Adelaide, AU 12/2 Townsville, AU 12/5 Brisbane, AU 12/8 Newcastle, AU 12/11 Melbourne, AU 12/14 Sydney, AU 12/17 Auckland, NZ
Ahead of the release of his third solo album Empyrean on 11th September and a forthcoming tour with Einar Solberg, later this month, acclaimed Canadian cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne unveils the album’s emotional centrepiece, ‘Dissolution’. The new track is a mesmerising deconstruction of one of J. S. Bach’s most recognisable cello melodies, which gradually fractures from Baroque elegance into distortion, noise and near-abstract sound.
Originally composed for UK contemporary dance company James Wilton Dance and their production BACH Reimagined, the track sees Weinroth-Browne push his instrument to extraordinary extremes, using layered live-looping, effects and repetition to move from a sombre, funereal reimagining of the Sarabande from Bach’s Sixth Cello Suite through an increasingly dramatic and operatic crescendo before finally dissolving into pulsating waves of noise. It is a striking embodiment of Empyrean‘s fascination with transformation, impermanence and the fragile boundary between order and chaos, questioning what holds music, life and existence in harmony before everything inevitably begins to dissolve.
Comments Raphael:“‘Dissolution’ was originally composed for the contemporary dance production BACH Reimagined with UK-based company James Wilton Dance. It is the centrepiece of the Empyrean album, and is most certainly its emotional apex. Of everything I have released as a solo artist, this is at once my most classical and experimental work to date.
“The piece is based around the opening melody from the Sarabande of the 6th Cello Suite by J. S. Bach. While the original movement is bright and hopeful, in a major key, here I decided to transpose it into minor, reharmonizing the melody to give it a sombre, funereal quality. The idea was to take a melody, strip it of its harmonic colouring, and gradually transform it using live looping and effects from Baroque purity into distorted noise over the course of many repeating cycles. What begins as a solemn chorale becomes a dramatic, almost operatic solo before giving way to a churning maelstrom of distortion not unlike something one might hear from Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and finally dissolving into pulsating waves of noise.
“When working on the music for the BACH Reimagined show, one of the concepts that James Wilton and I discussed was the convergence and collision of religion and science in the time of Bach and Sir Isaac Newton. With ‘Dissolution’, I wanted to explore that dichotomy – the intersection of beauty and abstraction – and to ask the question, “what keeps the music in harmony and prevents it from dissolving into chaos?”
“For the music video, I travelled all the way from Canada to the UK to shoot on the gorgeous north coast of Cornwall in a variety of spectacular caves, sand dunes, and in the ocean itself. Since ‘Dissolution’ felt like the pièce de résistance of both the BACH show and the Empyrean album, I really wanted to showcase the incredible dancing of James and Sarah with the video for this track, to highlight our collaboration and share it more widely beyond our performances on tour. The awe-inspiring power of nature and the elements is on full display here, giving the video a timeless, epic atmosphere.”
The origins of forthcoming new album Empyrean itself are as cinematic as the music it contains. In 2024, Weinroth-Browne was commissioned by James Wilton Dance to compose an 80-minute score inspired by the music and legacy of Johann Sebastian Bach. What emerged became BACH Reimagined: a touring multidisciplinary work exploring immortality, artistic transcendence and the pursuit of the sublime through creation.
Rather than simply reinterpret Bach, Weinroth-Browne entered into dialogue with him across centuries. The resulting compositions fuse the purity and mathematical elegance of Baroque counterpoint with distorted textures, electronic ambience and towering rhythmic weight. Tracks such as ‘Speed of Light’ and ‘Dissolution‘ plunge Bach-inspired motifs into vast storms of noise and metallic tension, while the meditative ‘Sanctum‘ evokes Sufi mysticism and devotional stillness.
“At its core,” Weinroth-Browne explains, “Empyrean is about the search for the sublime. As artists, we spend our lives trying to create something that transcends the everyday, if only for a split second, as if to glimpse eternity through a keyhole.”
Captured at Union Sound Company in Toronto immediately following the sessions for 2025’s critically acclaimed Lifeblood, Empyrean finds Weinroth-Browne operating at the peak of his creative powers. The album was recorded and engineered by Darren McGill (Rush, The Dirty Nil), mixed by Adam Noble (Leprous, Katatonia) and mastered by Robin Schmidt (Leprous), resulting in a sound both immense and intimate, every bow stroke preserved with almost tactile immediacy. Artwork comes from London-based printmaker and collage artist Cally Conway, discovered by Weinroth-Browne in Brighton during the BACH tour.
Watch the videos for previous singles ‘Speed of Light‘, ‘Reflection‘ and ‘Evocation‘, and discover Raphael’s breathtaking standalone interpretation of Sleep Token’s ‘Fall For Me’ released last month, showcasing yet another side of his remarkable artistry.
The forthcoming release follows a run of widespread critical acclaim. His 2020 debut Worlds Within was praised as “masterful” and “a stunning example of less being more,” while 2025’s Lifeblood saw Raphael further expand his sound into rich cinematic territory, earning praise as “a triumph of vision and virtuosity” and “the most ambitious album of Weinroth-Browne‘s career.”
That same fearless boundary-pushing has made Weinroth-Browne an essential figure within modern progressive music. His cello work can be heard on hundreds of studio albums, including Woods of Ypres’ Juno Award-winning W5: Grey Skies & Electric Light and across many major film and TV soundtracks. Viral interpretations of Opeth, Katatonia and Steven Wilson have drawn direct praise from the artists themselves, further cementing his reputation as a boundaryless interpreter and composer.
Since joining Norwegian prog visionaries Leprous in 2016, he has performed over 200 shows worldwide and contributed to three of their studio albums, helping redefine the role of cello in progressive heavy music. Beyond Leprous, he has shared stages with Evanescence, Apocalyptica and Devin Townsend.
As a solo artist, Weinroth-Browne has become an ambassador for what the cello can be in the 21st century. He has made waves at prestigious festivals such as the Cello Biennale Amsterdam and the International Cello Festival of Canada and has opened for artists ranging from Polish neoclassical pianist Hania Rani to Nordic folk ensemble SKÁLD and Danish prog metal masters VOLA.With a busy year of live performances, including a recent European tour with Earthside and an upcoming run alongside Einar Solberg, Raphael Weinroth-Browne continues to expand the possibilities of the cello. With Empyrean arriving later this year, he further cements his reputation as one of the instrument’s most adventurous and distinctive modern voices.
Catch Raphael Weinroth-Browne live on the following dates:
September 18 – The Garage, London, UK (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 19 – Café de la Danse, Paris, France (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 20 – Le Rex, Toulouse, France (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 21 – La Rhapsodie, Biarritz, France (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 22 – Mouco, Porto, Portugal (solo and with EinarSolberg) September 23 – República da Música, Lisbon, Portugal (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 25 – Be Prog! My Friend, Barcelona, Spain (with Einar Solberg) September 26 – L’Ampérage, Grenoble, France (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 27 – Euroblast Festival, Cologne, Germany (with Einar Solberg) September 29 – Hype Park, Kraków, Poland (solo and with Einar Solberg) September 30 – Lido, Berlin, Germany (solo and with Einar Solberg) October 1 – Gebläsehalle, Neunkirchen, Germany (solo and with Einar Solberg) October 2 – Werkk Kulturlokal, Baden, Switzerland (solo and with Einar Solberg) October 4 – ProgPower Europe, Baarlo, Netherlands (with Einar Solberg) October 7 – Queens Hall Arts Centre, Hexham, UK (BACH Reimagined with James Wilton Dance) October 23 – Guelph, ON – Silence October 24 – Guelph, ON – Silence October 29 – Toronto, ON – Burdock Music Hall November 6 – Ottawa, ON – Carleton Dominion Chalmers Centre
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 ) 