ENDLESS CHAIN Release Third Single/Video ‘Save Me’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 22, 2026
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Finnish melodic death/gothic metal force ENDLESS CHAIN are preparing for the release of their new album next month and are proud to share another preview track from the melancholic masterpiece with today’s new digital single and video for “Save Me”.

“This is definitely one of my favourites from the new album. I think we really managed to capture the right mood with this one, and the song is full of emotion,” explains guitarist Timo Mölsä. “Ville Hovi’s lyrics, combined with the amazing vocal performances by both Ville and Aki Salonen, really bring the song to life in a beautiful way. You have to listen to ‘Save Me’ and watch the music video, it really adds another layer to the song!”

“’Save Me’ explores themes of memory, loss, shame and despair,” adds vocalist Ville Hovi. “After losing someone close to him, a man is haunted by ghosts from his past that return as powerful memories. As time passes, his memories begin to blur with reality, making it difficult to tell what belongs to the present and what belongs to the past, what is real and what is imagined.”

“He is also haunted by everything that was left unsaid and undone, and by thoughts of what could have been. At the heart of the song is a deep sense of despair and a longing for this troubled existence to finally end. Yet, even in the darkest moments, there remains a small thought that perhaps life might still hold some hope.”

The video for “Save Me”, created by Dronicon Films (Swallow The Sun, Kryptos, Devin Townsend), joins “Down” and “Fade To Nothingness” as the three preview songs painting the picture of the forthcoming album, ‘Nothingness,’ out Nov. 20th. The album is the third from the Finnish band and first international release continuing their sorrow-filled, emotional material laced with the dark backbone between the rhythms of Samuli Mikkonen and harsh vocals of bassist Aki Salonen’s complimenting the melodic melancholy of vocalist Ville Hovi. The quality and depth heard is filled with profound melancholic melodies and dark atmospheres mixed with aggressive beauty and emotional weight. Produced/mixed by Aleksanteri Kuosa (Wolfheart, Walteri, Dawn of Solace), mastered by Tony Lindgren (Amorphis, Insomnium, Katatonia) with artwork by Kalle Pyyhtinen (Children of Bodom, Entwine, Hanging Garden).

Physical pre-orders for the album on Digipak CD with booklet, or limited (300) hardwood colored vinyl with insert and digital download are available via Bandcamp and the M-Theory Audio webstore. Both platforms will ship from the US or Europe based upon your location. Or if you prefer direct from Finland courtesy of RecordShopX https://www.recordshopx.com/v2/search/?q=Endless+chain

ABOUT ENDLESS CHAIN:

Founded by primary songwriter Timo Mölsä, ENDLESS CHAIN emerged as a deeply personal creative outlet before evolving into their formidable potential within the Finnish metal landscape. Characterized by rich, haunting melodies, crushing riffs, and atmospheric soundscapes, the band seamlessly bridges the gap between melancholic gothic metal and heavy melodic death metal.

On their debut release, ‘Forthcoming Past,’ ENDLESS CHAIN solidified a stable recording and performance lineup confirming vocalists Ville Hovi’s (Kill The Romance, Blackstar Halo) and Aki Salonen (Gloria Morti, Nemecic), multi-instrumentalist and producer Aleksanteri Kuosa, and drummer Samuli Mikkonen (Korpiklaani, Profane Omen, Jonne). Together, they have refined a sound that balances dark, emotive storytelling with aggressive, soaring metal instrumentation.

Following up on the success of their 2021 debut album ENDLESS CHAIN returned in 2024 with their sophomore effort, ‘Agony.’ ‘Agony’ expanded the band’s signature atmospheric sound—weaving together heavy, melancholic metal foundations with progressive nuances and intricate gothic structures. Central to the album’s identity is the compelling vocal dynamic between Ville Hovi’s soaring clean vocals and Aki Salonen’s visceral, harsh growls. ‘Agony’ solidified ENDLESS CHAIN’s place in Finnish melodic metal, delivering a deeply emotional and sonic journey through light and shadow.

ENDLESS CHAIN IS:
Aki Salonen – Vocals (growls)
Ville Hovi – Vocals (clean)
Timo Mölsä – Guitar
Aleksanteri Kuosa – Guitar, Bass
Samuli Mikkonen – Drums

FOLLOW ENDLESS CHAIN: ​Facebook – ​Instagram – ​Bandcamp – ​M-Theory Audio

SCOTT HEPPLE & THE SUN BAND Announce New Album “Wyrd Seasons”, First Single & Video ‘Stranger’ Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 22, 2026
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SCOTT HEPPLE & THE SUN BAND are proud to announce their new album ‘Wyrd Seasons,’ set for release on October 30th via Rise Above/Popclaw. To mark the announcement, the band shares the first single, “Stranger,” alongside a musc video, available below.

SCOTT HEPPLE & THE SUN BAND returns with ‘Wyrd Seasons,’ a new album that spans intense hard rock, psychedelia, and woozy ballads, with memorable hooks and solos throughout. Inspired by the world around them rather than specific musical influences, the record finds the quartet exploring its heaviest, moodiest and most introspective material to date.

Since early 2025, the band has consisted of Scott Hepple (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Sam Taylor (guitar), Alfred Annable (bass) and Luc Hindmarch (drums). After touring widely and drawing on influences ranging from the Beatles and Neil Young to Black Sabbath, Pentangle and Uncle Acid, the group has developed a more personal sound. Compared to their previous album, ‘English Mustard,’ ‘Wyrd Seasons’ takes a more grounded approach while retaining elements of 1970s songwriting and production.

Recorded on an 8-track tape machine at their Newcastle studio over the summer and autumn of 2025, ‘Wyrd Seasons’ captures the band’s power and immediacy. The album’s varied songwriting includes “Kailash,” their heaviest song to date, and “Stranger,” written on an Omnichord. Much of the material came together spontaneously in the early hours of the morning, lending the record an introspective atmosphere best suited to nighttime listening.

Pre-order the album: https://riseaboverecords.com/product/wyrd-seasons/

‘Wyrd Seasons’ Track List:

  1. My New Friend
  2. Kailash
  3. Already Dead
  4. No Time
  5. Stranger
  6. Take A Ride
  7. Whale Fall
  8. The Great Comedown
  9. Ophelia
  10. Wyrd Seasons

SCOTT HEPPLE & THE SUN BAND played a handful of dates in Europe in October, including one in Morocco, before touring Europe with Kadavar in November and December. An early 2027 European headline tour is currently being finalised.

UNDERWATER FATHER Release First Single & Video ‘Kärsimysten Tie’ from Upcoming Debut Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 22, 2026
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Photographer: Topias Jokipii

“Kärsimysten Tie” is the first single from the upcoming album Taivas Kaareutuu Narkissoksen Yllä by the Finnish extreme metal band Underwater Father, set for release early next year.

The track represents the heavier side of the album—drawing on Satanic themes—and explores internal struggle, confronting one’s own shadow, the purification from sins, and the price of such purification.

It also serves as a hymn to the fire that burns away the old, compelling a person to look at themselves stripped of the masks of illusion. The song invites the listener to face their own shadows and burn away their sins within this lifetime, so that the journey through the flames of the afterlife might be “more pleasant.”

Listen to the single on music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, Deezer, YouTube Music etc.): https://push.fm/fl/underwaterfather-karsimystentie

–ISRC: FI3FC2657503
–Composer, lyrics & arrangement: Samu Haatainen

Underwater Father is a metal band from Kotka, Finland founded in 2024. The band serves up a blend of the darkest growls and beautifully bitter melancholy.

Rather than relying on dominant posturing, the band leans into something more deeply entwined with suffering. On stage, we scream at our fears, rather than trying to project an image of something we are not.

The songs explore suffering, madness, despair, and other shadows of the human condition—both in concrete terms and as an internal experience. Some tracks are colored by fantasy; even when they don’t originate in reality, they strive toward it.

The lineup consists of the following renegades:
Samu Haatainen – Guitar, vocals
Jan Lindberg – Guitar
Antti Lampinen – Bass
Joonas Nieminen – Drums

https://www.facebook.com/underwaterfather
https://www.instagram.com/underwaterfather/
https://underwaterfather.bandcamp.com/

DEAD END FINLAND Release New Single ‘Mercy of Fools’ — “How far can we go before everything starts falling apart?”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 22, 2026
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Photo by Mikko Virtanen

Finnish melodic metal band Dead End Finland are set to release their sixth studio album ‘Carbon’ on March 12th 2027 via Inverse Records. The new single ‘Mercy of Fools’ is out today and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/def-mercy-of-fools

–Composed & Written by Dead End Finland
–ISRC: FI3FC2647708
–Cover art by Mikko Virtanen

The band comments:
“How far can we go before everything starts falling apart?

“Mercy of Fools” is a song about a world where madness takes control, leaving ordinary people to clean up the destruction left behind by others. It speaks of powerlessness, anger and despair – but also of a longing for peace that seems increasingly difficult to reach.

As the world becomes divided by ever-deeper conflicts and hostility, one question remains: will we ever find a way out of this cycle?

Sometimes, there is nothing we can do to stop everything happening around us. We can only close our eyes, take a breath, and hope that somewhere in the midst of all this, there is still a path towards tranquility.“

Track list:

  1. Poison Mind
  2. Saint & Sinner
  3. Remembrance
  4. Adrenaline
  5. (interlude)
  6. Innocent
  7. The Reason
  8. Mercy of Fools
  9. Breakdown
  10. Epilogue

–Composed & Written by Dead End Finland
–Cover art by Mikko Virtanen

BIOGRAPHY:
Dead End Finland is a melodic metal band from Helsinki founded in 2007. The lineup, which has remained unchanged since the beginning, has enabled the band’s sound to develop into its current rich form. Dead End Finland is difficult to place into any specific genre, and in the songs you can hear tones from classical music to death metal. During the years, the band’s style has become even more bombastic and melodic. The compositions have gained more depth and insight. The upcoming sixth album takes the band in a more modern direction, although Dead End Finland’s recognizable sound and basic elements are still easily heard.

Line-up:
Mikko Virtanen – Vocals
Santtu Rosén – Guitars & Bass
Miska Rajasuo – Drums
Jarno Hänninen – Keys

Links:
http://www.deadendfinland.com
http://facebook.com/deadendfinland
https://www.instagram.com/deadendfinland
https://deadendfinland.bandcamp.com

The American Led Zeppelin Take No Prisoners! Classic CACTUS Rock Rochester in a Driving 1971 Performance

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 22, 2026
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While the present-day incarnation of Cactus continues to defy the passing of time (the band’s new video, “300 Pounds of Joy,” is among the heaviest things you’ll encounter this year), the band’s former self is crushing the opposition as well.

Formed by Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert after the former Vanilla Fudge-rs initial intention of teaming up with Jeff Beck was derailed by the guitarist’s car accident, Cactus swiftly established themselves among the loudest, and most influential hard rock bands of the early 1970s.

Three killer albums set the stage for a legacy that swept even Van Halen into their court – Carmine still possesses a cassette tape Eddie Van Halen gave him, of the then-unknown band blasting Cactus covers to a clubful of fans.  And the last few years have seen Cleopatra Records delve into the band’s archive for a clutch of live albums that capture the original band in even more fiery form – The Birth of Cactus, Ultra Sonic Boogie ’71 and, stressing on December 18, Auxiliary Studios ’71, a truly monstrous performance from fall 1971, and an historic one as well.

This was the night when the band announced that guitarist Jim McCarty was on his way out of the band, and they were searching for a new axeman – a shock split that hit the fan-base like an earthquake. Cactus were already known across the US as “the American Led Zeppelin.” And now the American Jimmy Page was on his way out.

It didn’t affect the show, though. Carmine recalls, ““McCarty’s playing was amazing on this show. He was on fire with us, me and Tim [Bogert, bassist]. As much as he didn’t like playing rock, because he was a blues guitarist, that’s what kicked him into doing what he did.”

From the outset, Cactus were a step ahead of the rest of the field. The drummer continues, ““Everything was so fast, hardly any grooves, just 110mph of energy.  It became a really wild band, and we played all over the place. We went to England, Europe, we did the Isle of Wight Festival – that was incredible; we used to do the boogie, Rusty would say ‘come on everybody, let’s boogie!’ and the whole place was on its feet, from the front by the stage to the back, a gigantic wave. I’ll never forget it.”

Neither did their fans. Black Oak Arkansas’s Jim Dandy cited Cactus frontman Rusty Day as an influence; later, so did David Lee Roth.  And, Carmine recalls how, as he was putting together a new line-up of Vanilla Fudge during the 1980s, he called Eddie Van Halen to tell him the news.  Eddie’s response?  “**** that, get Cactus back together!”

“Cactus went onto be a really big underground band that really influenced a lot of bands,” Carmine continues.  “Evil,” the Chester Burnett classic that highlighted Cactus’s third album, Restrictions, and opens Auxiliary Studios ‘71, “became a giant song of our’s.  Dee Snider cut it, the Daisies cut it, so many people cut it.”

Three songs from Restrictions open the Rochester show, “Evil,” “Alaska” and Chuck Berry’s “Sweet Little Sixteen.”  But the show itself is less about the songs and more about the atmosphere. You listen to Cactus, particularly their live recordings, and you can feel the planet start spinning faster.  And, by the time they hit tonight’s closing number, an epic “Boogie Mama”… well, let Carmine explain.

“Rusty had a ball with that. He changed the lyrics every night, Rusty was amazing with lyrics, he’d be singing something and then something else would come into his head, and we used to flow with him, he was with lyrics the same as we were with drums, bass and guitar.  There was no other band like us. It was a great time of our lives, we had a ball.”

And now you can have one as well, as Auxiliary Studios ’71 prepares to leap onto your holidays playlist on CD and as a startling red/black/marble double vinyl pack.  Just make certain that you play it loud.

VINYL https://cleorecs.com/products/cactus-auxiliary-studios-1971-red-black-marble-double-vinyl-lp?_pos=1&_sid=b0220634d&_ss=r
CD https://cleorecs.com/products/cactus-auxiliary-studios-1971-cd?_pos=2&_sid=b0220634d&_ss=r

Track listing

1.The Sun Is Shining
2. Evil
3. Sweet Sixteen
4. Oleo
5. No Need To Worry
6. Long Tall Sally
7. Big Mama Boogie – Parts I & II

BURN ETERNAL Reunites Killswitch Engage’s Adam Dutkiewicz + Howard Jones, New Music Coming Soon via Metal Blade Records

Posted by tarjavirmakari on October 22, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , , . Leave a comment
Photo: Travis Shinn

Few names are as revered in metalcore as that of dynamic duo of singer Howard Jones and guitarist/producer Adam Dutkiewicz. There is a certain magic that exists between them that is truly transcendent.

Establishing the blueprint in New England’s burgeoning underground – Jones with Blood Has Been Shed and Dutkiewicz with Aftershock and then the legendary Killswitch Engage, the two would go on to join forces and play key roles in what would become seminal KsE years between 2002 and 2012. Their contributions to the scene – both together and apart – are undeniable.

When the dust finally settled on the Jones fronted-era of KsE, the duo had amassed an impressive resume of awards and accolades together, including the band’s first of several GRAMMY nods for The End of Heartache, which also won best album at the 2004 Metal Hammer Golden God awards, as well as the 2006 platinum-selling As Daylight Dies, which remains the best-selling KsE album to date.

To the delight of diehard fans and the internet, the pair reunited for a new and long-gestating but worth-the-wait creative collaboration that will soon see the light of day!

Jones and Dutkiewicz are exploring new aspects of their musical chemistry and partnership with the new project BURN ETERNAL, who will release music soon, as they have signed with Metal Blade Records.

“We couldn’t be more excited to announce Burn Eternal joining forces with Metal Blade for our debut album,” states Jones. “The whole team has been amazing, and we can’t wait to get this music out. From an idea while having lunch in London to a completed album, this has been such a fun way to reconnect with my friend. Burn Eternal lives!“

Dutkiewicz concurs, saying, “I am wicked excited to finally be able to share my project with Howard with all of you! It feels great to be hanging with an old friend and making more music with him. We’re just two goofballs just dicking around in the studio again. We are also excited to be putting it out with the Metal Blade family. Mostly because they truly feel like family, not a corporation. Good vibes abound!“

Metal Blade founder and CEO Brian Slagel is thrilled to bring the band to the roster, saying, “As a huge fan of both Howard and Adam, it is a huge honor to welcome Burn Eternal to the Metal Blade family! I am excited for everyone to hear the record! as a fan, I love it! This is going to be fun working with everyone!“

Stay tuned for the first official music drop from Burn Eternal… it’s coming sooner than you’d think!