Swedish royal metal band REXORIA are proud to release their new studio album, ‘Fallen Dimension,’ out now via Sound Pollution / Black Lodge Records. To celebrate the announcement, the band also share the new single “Metallic Rain,” alongside a visualizer.
Grand choruses, captivating lyrics and emotional weight meet raw power and intensity in an album that clearly showcases the band’s evolution and ambition. As the follow-up to the acclaimed ‘Imperial Dawn,’ REXORIA’s fourth album marks the beginning of a new era, where the sound moves between the darkness of war, social reflections, touching ballads and euphoric metal anthems.
Strong tracks such as “Break the Wave,” “Dancing On the Ruins,” and “Metallic Rain” offer melodies that instantly stay with the listener, while the album also features two exclusive duets: Mike Andersson (Tungsten) appears on “Dominion,” and Johnny Gioeli (Axel Rudi Pell / Hardline) guests on “Heart of Sorrow,” adding further dynamics and depth to the overall experience.
Even before its release, ‘Fallen Dimension’ has been praised by reviewers. With comments such as “deliver top-notch power metal. Frontwoman Frida Ohlin’s vocals are impeccable,” and “this is an album that will make the rest of the world take notice,” it is clear that the album has the potential to reach a wide audience within the metal scene.
‘Fallen Dimension’ is mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren (Sabaton, Dynazty and others) and delivers eleven strong tracks that combine modern production with REXORIA’s grand identity.
With more than 120 concerts across Europe, appearances at Sweden Rock Festival and millions of streams, REXORIA further strengthens their position as one of Sweden’s most powerful names within modern metal.
With their sights set on reaching even more fans both in Sweden and internationally, the band is now making major plans for upcoming live performances across Europe. With a completely unique image, an original concept and their self-created expression “Royal Metal,” there is no doubt that REXORIA is a name that will generate great interest in the metal world.
Swedish death metal outfit Sarcasm are now releasing the third and final track of their upcoming album Lifeforce Omnibound, which will be released on 29th May via Hammerheart Records. The new single ‘Plunged Into A Paradox’ is now streaming via the label’s YouTube channel at the link below.
Sarcasm is one of those Swedish death metal acts that’s difficult to pin down. Labels like “Swedeath” and “melodic death metal” only tell part of the story, the band has deliberately avoided those safe categories. Instead, Sarcasm embraces a broad spectrum of metal while remaining uncompromisingly extreme.
The current quartet behind Lifeforce Omnibound bears little resemblance to the band’s early ’90s incarnation, which released several demos through 1994, recorded a debut full-length, and then split up until 2015, when that first album finally saw the light of day. Now on their sixth album, Sarcasm pushes the boundaries yet again. The combination of intense speed, complex riffing, and genuine catchiness cements them among the genre’s top tier.
The eight tracks on Lifeforce Omnibound capture Sarcasm at their highest level, both musically and in terms of production. While the effectively straightforward four-minute opener “Essence of Existence” hits hard and fast, much of the record leans into greater complexity. With an average runtime of over five minutes per song, the material allows room for structural twists and detailed touches that sustain interest throughout repeated listens. The album was once again mixed and mastered by renowned producer Lawrence Mackrory.
Sarcasm is currently a four-piece, and due to time constraints, Anders will no longer participate as a recording member, though he will remain with the band as a live member going forward. Since the band’s resurrection, only one member from the earlier era has remained: vocalist Heval Bozarslan. Exploring otherworldly themes once more, Heval does not seek credit for the lyrics; according to him, the words were channeled from a higher force, delivering answers across eight distinct topics. Ethereal and metaphysical themes have long been part of Sarcasm’s identity, but this time the lyrics are less metaphorical and more direct. Over the album’s 40-minute journey, doorways open,revealing a remarkable range of atmosphere and depth that few bands can achieve.
SACRIVERSUM were formed in 1992 in Łódź (Poland), playing old school Death Metal with progressive elements and atmospheric sounds, making their complex mixture special and unique. Their debut album „The Shadow Of The Golden Fire“ was released in 1994, at a time when a lot of Death Metal bands started to push their boundaries and became more experimental. Their music was a perfect fit along with legendary bands like PESTILENCE,DEATH,GOREFEST & ATHEIST. And this counts for SACRIVERSUM and their upcoming new album „Before The Birth Of Light“ even more.
SACRIVERSUM released their new album „Before The Birth Of Light“ on May 8th, which is available on CD, limited vinyl (300 copies) and digital.
Reviews on the album were amazing worldwide. Gerrman LEGACY mag called it „an atmospheric masterpiece and a must-have for fans of sophisticated death metal!“, while BLACK ANGEL predict that „Sacriversum are poised to become the prog-loving death metal fan’s favorite band“.METAL ADDICTS confirm that „the music Sacriversum deliver is absolutely fantastic besides being one of the most exciting bands of 2026“ and METALHEADS round it up, saying that this is „an album that consistently goes against the grain and offers nothing but original music. Expect the unexpected!“
So are you ready to take that journey and enjoy this indeed unique, original and outstanding Death Metal jewel?
The album stands for raw Death Metal, with those incomparable Hammond organs. DEATH meets DEEP PURPLE. Their sound is a mixture of the above mentioned acts and is not too far apart from the latest BLOOD INCANTATION album. Both combine tradition with fiction. You have to hear and experience this Death Metal gem. Since 2022, SACRIVERSUM are back and continue, where they ended up with their debut album. Those nine new tracks on „Before The Birth Of Light“ are possibly the best songs SACRIVERSUM ever composed – once you got into it, they don’t let you go. It is a dark ride into another dimension, another time and another space. You are captured in their own world, in a time before the birth of light.
Canadian cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne has announced his third solo album, Empyrean, is set to arrive on the 11th September 2026. Expansive, cinematic and integrated with moments of dramatic heaviness, the album weaves together Baroque grandeur, post-rock atmosphere, experimental noise and progressive metal into Weinroth-Browne’s most spiritually charged work to date, music that reaches beyond the earthly in search of something transcendent.
Ahead of the release, Weinroth-Browne has unveiled the album’s first single, ‘Reflection’, monolithic and hypnotic, it channels ritualistic repetition into a vortex of distorted cello, Middle Eastern-inspired melodies and syncopated grooves recalling the tectonic force of Tool and Meshuggah.
Listen to Reflection here: Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music and on all other available streaming services.
“Crushing and relentless, this piece is a reflection of my prog metal influences,” says Weinroth-Browne. “As a cellist, I’m unusual in that bands like Tool and Meshuggah are a more significant part of my musical DNA than composers such as Beethoven or Brahms.”
Raphael continues: “’Reflection’ is one of the heaviest tracks I’ve released as a solo artist. I wanted it to feel imposing and immutable, like a monolith. Despite the snarling intensity of the insistent chugging riffs and pervading feeling of menace throughout, there is also something very meditative about its repetitiveness, as though it is guiding the listener to an altered state of consciousness amidst the turmoil and chaos.”
Originally composed for the acclaimed contemporary dance production BACH Reimagined by James Wilton Dance, ‘Reflection’ embodies the central tension that defines Empyrean, the collision of sacred classical tradition with modern extremity. Jagged ostinatos spiral endlessly around one another like dancers locked in ecstatic trance, while waves of distortion and swelling strings dissolve the line between chamber music and post-metal catharsis.
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.
The release follows a period of significant acclaim. His 2020 debut Worlds Within was hailed as “masterful” and “a stunning example of less being more,” while 2025’s Lifeblood expanded his sound into something even more cinematic and visceral, described 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 packed performance schedule this year, including European tours alongside Earthside and Einar Solberg on the horizon and Empyrean set for release later this year, Raphael Weinroth-Browne continues to push the cello far beyond expectation, toward something infinite, luminous and profoundly otherworldly.
Catch Raphael Weinroth-Browne live on the following dates:
May 10 – Speakeasy Tapas Lounge, Ottawa, Canada (solo) May 22 – 229 The Venue, London, UK (solo and with Earthside) May 23 – Glazart, Paris, France (solo and with Earthside) May 24 – Boerderij, Zoetermeer, Netherlands (solo and with Earthside) May 27 – MTC, Cologne, Germany (solo and with Earthside) May 29 – Betty, Hamburg, Germany (solo and with Earthside) May 30 – Stengade, Copenhagen, Denmark (solo and with Earthside) June 1 – Kollektivet Livet, Stockholm, Sweden (solo and with Earthside) June 4 – On the Rocks, Helsinki, Finland (solo and with Earthside) June 5 – Ankea Festival, Tampere, Finland (with Earthside) June 11 – Overtime Sports, Kingston, Canada (solo) June 18 – House of TARG, Ottawa, Canada (solo) August 23 – Ottawa Tennis Club, Ottawa, Canada (solo) 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)
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to guitarist Andy Larocque (King Diamond) and Pete Blakk (ex King Diamond) guitarist about their debut LEX LEGION album reuniting the King Diamond THEM Conspiracy Line-up.
Larqocque was asked about the musical direction of their debut album and he said, “I would say it’s heavy metal based on the 80s because that’s what we’re kind of born and raised with. Late 70s, early 80s style with a touch of darkness but still I would say is accessible and it’s got a great flow from the very beginning to the end of the songs. It’s not very progressive. I mean, if you compare to what we did back in the old days, this is a little bit more accessible, I would say. And also a lot of melodies which I think is really really important but you know 80ish heavy metal with some really interesting elements you know within the songs of course without being too technical or progressive. “
Lex Legion is a brand-new band comprised of old friends with incredible heavy metal pedigree. Comprising four-fifths of the classic late 1980s King Diamond lineup. Vocalist Nils K. Rue, Pete Blakk, Hal Patino, Andy LaRocque and Mikkey Dee.
Deep Purple will release their new studio album SPLAT! on July 3rd on earMUSIC.
With more than 120 million albums sold since forming in 1968, Deep Purple have long secured their place in rock history. Rather than simply preserving their legacy, they continue to extend it, driven by the same spirit that defined their earliest work.
‘Where we are now with this incarnation of Deep Purple feels very much like a very ‘now’ version of Deep Purple as it was in the seventies.’
Once again, the band has teamed up with renowned producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, Pink Floyd, Lou Reed, Alice Cooper). Together, they have crafted an album that draws on the sound and attitude that has always set Deep Purple apart from the rest.
SPLAT! is the heaviest Deep Purple album in many years, with the band playing together in the studio – the way Deep Purple have always recorded.
Ian Gillan: ‘I have to say, now we are very much back in with material that is compatible with ‘Highway Star’, ‘Smoke on the Water’, ‘Lazy’ – the dynamics, the balance, and the fun of the music we made from ‘69 to ‘73.’
At the heart of SPLAT! is an idea conceived by Ian Gillan. Rather than treating the end as destruction, the album imagines it as transformation: SPLAT! explores the end of humanity not in any crude apocalyptic sense but as a metamorphosis beyond physical existence.
The album concept will be revealed further in the weeks leading up to its release on July 3rd. Follow Deep Purple and earMUSIC on socials to stay tuned.
To celebrate the release, Deep Purple will continue their extensive 2026 touring touring schedule with no fewer than 86 shows across 28 countries on three continents.
New music from SPLAT! is already on the way. Deep Purple invite fans to follow the journey in the weeks ahead.
Ian Gillan sums it up: ‘Deep Purple is in a great place right now.’
SPLAT! will be available on July 3rd in multiple formats:
Limited Box Set, containing:
2LP Gatefold (180g)
12-page vinyl-sized booklet
CD Digisleeve
3 exclusive 10-inch vinyl records featuring live recordings from the Deep Purple Tour 2024
Exclusive 7-inch single featuring the bonus track ‘GUINNESIS’ (not included on the studio album and available exclusively in the box set!)
A strictly limited canvas signed by all band members and limited to just 199 copies worldwide
Additional apparel and merchandise items
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 ) 