Italian heavy/thrash metal band BULLET-PROOF will release their new single “Scorpion” on October 30th, 2026.
Led since their formation by guitarist and composer Richard Hupka, Bullet-Proof have built their sound around heavy riffs, aggressive grooves and a direct combination of heavy and thrash metal.
“Scorpion” was written and recorded by Hupka in his home studio, with Alessandro Gatti on bass and Željko Marinković on drums. The track was mixed by Alessio Garavello at Rogue Recording Studios in London.
The new single continues the band’s return with a heavier, more aggressive and modern approach while keeping the riff-driven sound at the centre.
Bullet-Proof formed in 2014 and have released three full-length albums through Sleazy Rider Records: “De-Generation” in 2015, “Forsaken One” in 2017 and “Cell XIX” in 2021.
The band have also toured extensively across Europe and shared the stage with acts including thrash metal veterans Testament.
“Scorpion” will be available on Spotify and other major digital platforms from October 30th.
As the year draws to a close, an ominous new emanation emerges from the shadow of BLUT AUS NORD and the visionary mind of Vindsval: “Stases“, the nightmarish first manifestation of NΩX. A singular descent into darkness, fear, mystery and the unknown.
Tracklist:
01. A.M. – Folio XIII — Somnium Profanum 02. M.I. – Fragmentum VII — Manuscriptum Incubi 03. V.N. – Codex IX — Visiones Nocturnae 04. L.S. – Caput IV — Liber Somniorum 05. T.S. – Testimonium XII — Somniatoris Damnati 06. R.M. – Registrum XI — Mortui Vigilantes 07. C.O. – Folio V — Custodes Obscuritatis 08. N.A. – Fragmentum XVI — Noctis Apparitiones 09. Residual Stasis
Cover artwork and layout was created by Maciej Kamuda (BLUT AUS NORD). All music was composed, recorded and mixed by Vindsval, and mastering was entrusted to Bruno Varea at Upload Studio.
An initial glimpse into this obscure abyss will take place on November 2nd, coinciding with the launch of public pre-orders. “Stases” will be released on December 11th on CD, vinyl (including an exclusive DMP edition) and digital, accompanied by exclusive merchandise.
Denver, Colorado’s WAYFARER have released Grey Country, the third and final single from their sixth album Riders of the Setting Sun, out November 20th via Vesperian.
The track sees the band joined by Munly J Munly and Rebecca Vera, longtime collaborators and both key figures of the city’s gothic Americana tradition through Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Munly & The Lupercalians and DBUK. Following David Eugene Edwards on Perdition’s Crossing, they bring yet another of that scene’s defining voices to the record.
Grey Country is one of the darkest moments on the album. It is a slow, brooding ride through a desolate landscape, steeped in themes of legacy, guilt and what we hold on to when everything else is gone. Munly’s unmistakable voice and WAYFARER‘s sparse, haunted sound meet somewhere between confession and lament.
Produced by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), Riders of the Setting Sun takes WAYFARER beyond their extreme metal roots into a stark Gothic Americana of post-punk, folk and rock and roll.
Riders of the Setting Sun will be available as Digipak CD, Tape, and Vinyl LP, the latter featuring a dedicated LP booklet and OBI strip.
Listen to the new single HERE and find pre-orders for Riders of the Setting SunHERE.
Riders of the Setting Sun tracklist: 1. The Dusklands (04:58) 2. Perdition’s Crossing (03:59) – feat. David Eugene Edwards 3. Black Roses & Early Graves (04:45) 4. Casey’s Last Ride (04:07) – feat. Kelly Schilling 5. Fell Spur (02:52) 6. Grey Country (05:35) – feat. Munly J Munly 7. Hollow Hearts On The Trail To Eden (05:35) 8 .Prairies Of Babylon (05:15) – feat. Midwife
Discography: Children Of The Iron Age (album, 2014) Old Souls (album, 2016) World’s Blood (album, 2018) A Romance With Violence (album, 2020) American Gothic (album, 2023) Perdition’s Crossing (maxi-single, 2026)
Line-Up: Shane McCarthy: Vocals, Guitars Joe Strong-Truscelli: Guitars James Hansen: Bass Isaac Faulk: Drums
Hellenic black metal outfit YOTH IRIA presents their new video for “Dare to Rebel.” The track appears on the band’s stellar third album, Gone With The Devil, out now on Metal Blade Records. Watch the video HERE.
Watch the band’s previously released videos for “Harut, Government, Fallen” HERE, “The Blind Eye Of Antichrist” HERE, and “Blessed Be He Who Enters” HERE.
YOTH IRIA has just announced a European tour with Thulcandra and Vorga for March of next year. Full dates below.
In the Light of Darkness European Tour 2027: Thulcandra, Yoth Iria, Vorga 12.03 – Erfurt, DE – From Hell 13.03 – Prague, CZ – Futurum 14.03 – Vienna, AT – Viper Room 15.03 – Warsaw, PL – Mechanik 16.03 – Berlin, DE – Cassiopeia 17.03 – Copenhagen, DK – Stengade 18.03 – Hamburg, DE – Bahnhof St. Pauli 19.03 – Hoogeveen, NL – Het Podium 20.03 – Dortmund, DE – Junkyard 21.03 – Selb, DE – Rock Club Nordbayern 22.03 – Mörlenbach, DE – Weiher – Live Music Hall 23.03 – Kassel, DE – Goldgrube 24.03 – Kortrijk, BE – DVG Club 25.03 – Paris, FR – Backstage By The Mill 26.03 – Namur, BE – The Belvédère 27.03 – Aarburg, CH – Musigburg 28.03 – Munich, DE – Dark Easter Metal Meeting
Other YOTH IRIA shows: 30.10.26 – Dubai, AE – Oak Live Bar 31.10.26 – Patras, GR – Lesxi 18.12.26 – Athen, GR – Gargarin 205 (support for Old Man’s Child) 08.03.27 – Stockholm, SE – Extreme Metal Sounds Festival
YOTH IRIA‘s Gone With The Devil is available on CD (jewel case – US / digipak – EU) and digital formats as well as vinyl.
ABOUT THE BAND: YOTH IRIA‘s trajectory has been on a steep ascent since crafty 2021 debut As The Flame Withers and 2024’s hypnotic Blazing Inferno, but there has audibly been a concerted determination to develop and expand in sinister new directions. “The creative workflow was similar to Blazing Inferno, yet we deliberately pushed ourselves to bring new elements into our music. We kept the immediacy of Blazing Inferno, the psychedelia of As The Flame Withers, and all the characteristics people expect from Hellenic black metal, while adding fresh sounds and atmospheres never before heard from YOTH IRIA.”
Predominantly stately tempos ensure the dark riffs, memorable melodies and flamboyant leads have space to breathe their fire, so that the blastbeats, when they come, devastate even more utterly. Flecks of Mediterranean folk and gothic cadences further expand the band’s sonic palate, while there are countless melodies so atavistically simple and primally satisfying they could be a thousand years old.
There’s a thrilling balance of ancient and modern, good and evil, harmony and dissonance on Gone With The Devil advancing YOTH IRIA as a hungry contender for extreme metal’s big leagues – an ever-improving unit with a glorious future. Appropriately, however, Gone With The Devil is best summed up with a line already coined by the band to describe their ongoing body of work: “Every note tells a story of rebirth, tradition, and the relentless pursuit of musical transcendence.”
The daemonic avatar YOTH IRIA was first explicitly summoned on Rotting Christ‘s legendary debut Thy Mighty Contract in 1993. Bassist/lyricist Jim Mutilator formed that band as Black Church in 1984, before also becoming a founding member of cult Athenian BM heroes Varathron for their first five years. Renewing the otherworldly atmospheres and occult ravishment for a new era, YOTH IRIA functions almost as the third panel in an apocalyptic triptych of Hellenic black metal excellence.
YOTH IRIA: HE – vocals Jim Mutilator – bass Nikolas Perlepe – guitar Naberius – guitar Bill “Vongaar” Stavrianidis – drums
Swedish industrial metal powerhouse PAIN, led by legendary musician and producer Peter Tägtgren, has unleashed a brand-new live video for their latest single, “I Don’t Give A Fukk”! Captured during the band’s performance at Full Metal Holiday in Mallorca, Spain, the video showcases the track’s explosive live energy as PAIN premiered their latest anthem in front of an enthusiastic festival crowd.
The live footage is now available to watch on the band’s social media channels at THIS LOCATION!
Peter Tägtgren comments on the performance:
“We didn’t play for a while, and we didn’t have a chance to practice as a band before.. but I think we got away with it 😅 And premier the new song live.. It was hot and great time 🍺💥”
The new live video follows the release of the single’s official music video, which features none other than acclaimed Hollywood actor Peter Stormare, known for his memorable roles in Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and John Wick: Chapter 2. Bringing his unmistakable screen presence to the world of PAIN, Stormare adds another striking dimension to the band’s latest release. His appearance makes the official video a must-watch for metal fans and movie enthusiasts alike!
Watch the official video for I Don’t Give A Fukk:
Compact, confrontational, and built around a brutally direct refrain, “I Don’t Give A Fukk” transforms the confusion and hostility of the modern world into three minutes of mechanized defiance. Grinding guitars, a relentless electronic pulse, and Tägtgren’s unmistakable vocals drive the track toward a chorus created to be shouted back at full volume. Co-written by Peter and his son, PAIN drummer Sebastian Tägtgren, the single continues their growing creative partnership while taking the project into another unexpected corner of its sound.
Looking ahead, PAIN will be hitting the road alongside Swiss folk metal giants ELUVEITIE and Finnish melodic death metal force WOLFHEART, bringing their explosive industrial metal anthems to stages across Europe. Fans can look forward to a powerful live package featuring three distinctive acts, with “I Don’t Give A Fukk” adding another hard-hitting highlight to PAIN‘s live repertoire. The world may be on fire, but PAIN is turning up the volume!
About PAIN:
For nearly three decades, PAIN has existed according to one simple rule: there are no rules. Created by Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Peter Tägtgren, PAIN began as an outlet for ideas that had nowhere else to go. By the mid-1990s, Tägtgren was already firmly established as the frontman of death metal band HYPOCRISY, but the music taking shape in his studio was moving in a very different direction. Electronics, programmed rhythms, heavy guitars, synthesizers and an increasingly sharp instinct for melody were colliding in ways that did not belong within HYPOCRISY. Instead of forcing those ideas to fit, Tägtgren built something new around them.
PAIN was born.
The project’s self-titled debut arrived in 1997, with Tägtgren handling the vocals, instruments and production himself. That one-man approach established the foundation of PAIN and remains central to the project today. In the studio, PAIN is still driven overwhelmingly by Tägtgren’s vision, giving him the freedom to follow an idea wherever it leads without worrying about genre boundaries or expectations. Onstage, that vision has grown into a formidable live band, currently featuring Peter Tägtgren on vocals and guitar, his son Sebastian Tägtgren on drums, Jonathan Olsson on bass and Sebastian Svalland on guitar.
From the beginning, PAIN offered something markedly different from the extreme metal that had first made Tägtgren’s name. The aggression was still there, but now it shared space with electronics, danceable rhythms, huge choruses, bleak humor and a pop songwriter’s understanding of how to make a hook stick. That collision became increasingly defined on 1999’s Rebirth and then exploded with 2002’s Nothing Remains the Same, the album that produced “Shut Your Mouth,” one of the defining songs of PAIN’s career. What could have been a contradiction, industrial metal that was simultaneously crushing and instantly memorable, became the band’s identity.
PAIN continued to evolve with Dancing with the Dead. Released in 2005, the album pushed Tägtgren’s combination of metallic weight and accessibility even further with tracks including “Same Old Song,” “Bye/Die” and the title track. Behind the album was a frighteningly literal encounter with its central theme. Tägtgren had collapsed in a Swedish pub after his heart stopped for roughly two minutes, an experience he later connected directly to the writing of “Dancing with the Dead.” The record reached No. 3 on the Swedish album chart and marked another major step in PAIN’s growth.
By this point, it was clear that PAIN was not interested in repeating a formula. Psalms of Extinction followed in 2007, expanding the palette again and bringing outside musicians into the studio, including MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee, CHILDREN OF BODOM’s Alexi Laiho and IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers. A year later came Cynic Paradise, which included guest vocals from then-NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon and produced enduring tracks such as “Follow Me” and “I’m Going In.”
You Only Live Twice arrived in 2011, followed by Coming Home in 2016. The latter revealed another side of PAIN, bringing orchestral textures and acoustic elements into Tägtgren’s industrial framework while retaining the hooks and heavy grooves at the center of the band’s sound. By then, PAIN had long since developed from a studio experiment into an international touring act with its own unmistakable identity.
That identity has always been inseparable from Peter Tägtgren himself. Beyond PAIN and HYPOCRISY, Tägtgren has spent decades behind the desk as one of European metal’s most recognized producers. Through his work at Abyss Studio, his production credits have included artists such as DIMMU BORGIR, IMMORTAL, AMON AMARTH, AMORPHIS, DARK FUNERAL, SABATON and CELTIC FROST. He also collaborated with RAMMSTEIN vocalist Till Lindemann in the project LINDEMANN, writing and performing the music for Skills in Pills and F & M before leaving the project in 2020. The breadth of that career helps explain PAIN’s refusal to stay in one musical lane. For Tägtgren, production, songwriting and experimentation have never been separate disciplines. They are different parts of the same process.
After Coming Home, a new PAIN album would take eight years to arrive, but the project was far from dormant. Tägtgren remained occupied with HYPOCRISY, LINDEMANN and other production and recording work. Then, in 2021, PAIN released “Party in My Head.”
The song became a phenomenon.
Built around a massive electronic hook, a pounding beat and the kind of chorus that seemed designed to lodge itself permanently in the listener’s brain, “Party in My Head” introduced PAIN to an enormous new audience while reconnecting with everything that had always made the project distinctive. According to PAIN’s official biography, the track went on to surpass the streaming performance of longtime favorite “Shut Your Mouth,” becoming one of the biggest songs in the band’s catalog.
That momentum ultimately fed into I Am, PAIN’s ninth studio album, released through Nuclear Blast Records on May 17, 2024. Rather than settling into the sound of its breakthrough single, Tägtgren used the record to demonstrate just how elastic PAIN could still be. Industrial aggression, synth pop, melancholy, heavy grooves and melody coexist throughout the album, with songs including “Go With The Flow,” “Push The Pusher,” “Don’t Wake The Dead,” “Revolution,” “Fair Game” and the title track moving through markedly different moods without losing the project’s identity. Tägtgren described the goal as bringing more intensity, aggression and industrial atmosphere back into PAIN after the more expansive approach of Coming Home.
I Am also marked an important development inside the PAIN camp. Sebastian Tägtgren, Peter’s son and the band’s drummer, wrote the music for “Revolution” and “Don’t Wake The Dead” and served as a co-producer on the album. His growing creative role brought a new dimension to a project that had begun decades earlier as Peter alone in a studio.
Across nine studio albums, PAIN has built a catalog that refuses to separate heaviness from accessibility. “End of the Line,” “Shut Your Mouth,” “Same Old Song,” “Zombie Slam,” “Follow Me,” “Dirty Woman,” “Coming Home,” “Party in My Head” and “Go With The Flow” may come from different eras and approach the PAIN formula from different angles, but they share the same instinct: make it heavy, make it memorable and never become predictable.
That same instinct carries into the next chapter with “I Don’t Give A Fukk,” written by Peter and Sebastian Tägtgren. Musically direct and lyrically confrontational, the song takes aim at the anger, manipulation, division, distrust and information overload that Tägtgren sees in the world around him. It is deliberately provocative, irreverent and difficult to mistake for anything other than PAIN.
That unpredictability is ultimately the point.
PAIN started because Peter Tägtgren needed somewhere to put the ideas that did not fit anywhere else. Nearly thirty years later, that freedom is still the project’s greatest strength. Industrial metal, electronic music, rock, pop, death metal attitude, melancholy, sarcasm and outright absurdity can all exist in the same universe because PAIN has never treated genre as a boundary.
The sound changes. The songs change. The world around them certainly changes.
PAIN keeps moving.
PAIN is: Peter Tägtgren: vocals, guitar Sebastian Tägtgren: drums Jonathan Olsson: bass Sebastian Svalland: guitar
Nuraghica, the hard rock and heavy metal project founded by guitarist and composer Rob Richter, officially announces the upcoming release of its debut full-length album, Origins, scheduled for worldwide release in December 2026 in partnership with Wanikiya Record/Promotion, the independent international record label and press office dedicated to rock and metal.
Rooted in the timeless spirit of classic hard rock and traditional heavy metal, Origins pays tribute to the legendary sounds that shaped generations of musicians and fans. Combining powerful guitar riffs, expressive solos, driving rhythms, and memorable melodies, Nuraghica brings the energy of the 1980s and 1990s into a contemporary musical vision without losing the authenticity and attitude of the genre’s golden age.
Drawing inspiration from iconic acts such as Deep Purple, Rainbow, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, and Dio, Rob Richter has developed a sound that celebrates the roots of heavy music while delivering a fresh and powerful identity.
TWO SINGLES, ONE CLASSIC METAL SPIRIT
Ahead of the album’s release, Nuraghica has introduced two singles that showcase different facets of the project’s musical identity.
“Stranger in a Strange Land” (feat. Mr. Jack)
A powerful heavy metal track driven by intricate guitar work, energetic rhythm sections, and soaring vocals. The song captures the dramatic atmosphere and melodic strength of traditional metal, bringing together instrumental intensity and a strong vocal presence. Featuring Mr. Jack, the track represents a key moment in the project’s journey toward Origins.
“Born to Rock” (feat. Mr. Hyde)
An energetic hard rock anthem celebrating the freedom, attitude, and enduring passion of rock ‘n’ roll. Featuring Mr. Hyde, the song delivers a high-voltage combination of driving guitars and infectious classic rock energy, reaffirming Nuraghica’s commitment to the sound and spirit that inspired the project.
Both singles are already available and are receiving radio airplay, offering listeners an early taste of the musical direction behind the forthcoming album.
ORIGINS: A TRIBUTE TO THE ROOTS OF HEAVY MUSIC
More than a debut album, Origins represents a journey back to the foundations of hard rock and heavy metal: powerful songwriting, expressive musicianship, unforgettable melodies, and the unmistakable sound of electric guitars at full force.
Through Nuraghica, Rob Richter seeks to preserve the authenticity of traditional heavy music while introducing it to a new generation of listeners. With the album arriving in December 2026, the project aims to connect classic metal enthusiasts with audiences who continue to discover the enduring power of this musical tradition.
The collaboration with Wanikiya Record/Promotion will support the project’s international promotion, helping bring Nuraghica’s music to rock and metal media, webzines, radio stations, and audiences worldwide.
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
