The iconic Masters of Reality are set to release their first new album in 16 years with ‘The Archer,’ via Mascot Records. The album will be available digitally on 28 March and be available physically on CD & LP on 11 April.
To celebrate, they have revealed a new song “Mr Tap ‘n’ Go,” which you can listen to HERE.
They will also be touring in April calling through The Netherlands, Belgium, the UK and Germany as well as Azkena Rock Festival (Spain) and Hellfest (France) in June.
Chris Goss is one of the elusive geniuses of American music. As the singer, guitarist and driving force behind Masters Of Reality, he’s spent more than 40 years charting his own musical journey, travelling from mystical blues to desert rock to psychedelia-edged beauty via all points in between.
Goss has positioned himself as one of the most important and influential producers of the last 30 years. The list of bands and artists he has worked with in that capacity is long and illustrious: Queens Of The Stone Age, Kyuss, Mark Lanegan, Foo Fighters, The Cult, UNKLE, Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, former Hole bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur, even Hollywood star Russell Crowe. He’s the connective tissue which links so much modern music.
“The Archer is whoever one perceives as their invisible ruler of fate,” explains Goss. “Often, the archer is very visible to those who pay attention. Maybe some even think he is the dictatorial god. Or even a conjured entity. But all can agree that the archer has impeccable skill at hitting the target.”
When it was released in May 2024, Sugar was their first new music in 15 years. Hypnotic, poignant, and vulnerable, it builds from a stirring melody into a grand, orchestrated swell of emotion, with Goss’s ethereal yet soulful voice floating over the top of it.
The characters that occupy The Archer are the nameless and faceless people that one sees at times or regularly observes driving on whatever road we’re both on briefly. “Everyone has a story. And their own story is the most important thing in the world to them,” he says. “No one is special. Everyone is heading towards, or actually in, their own ‘Gethsemane’ moment- a New Testament narrative that exemplifies the cold realization of one’s fate. Sweating blood is more common than most can imagine.”
Masters of Reality remains in a perpetual evolution. “This album intentionally broke away from the heavier riff rock that we dominated for over three decades,” he says. “I hope one can see Nina Simone just as powerful as a heavy blues force, in her emotion, rebellious attitude, raw presentation and not just Gothicized blues riffs.”
He continues. “The ‘stoner and desert rock’ riffing was a reason for Masters of Reality to break away on this record and present our blues in a different light for a minute. Blues isn’t a three-chord riff progression. It’s life itself. I can easily provide a thousand heavy riffs at the drop of a dime. But I dare any self-proclaimed heavy riff band to have the balls to throw the curve ball that we’ve thrown with this album.”
“Mr Tap n Go” is a bloodthirsty vaudevillian dancing monster entertaining the planet with a syringe in one hand and a child in the other. “The unauthorized veterinarian trying to scramble all of us animals into sick acceptable submission. And he remains invisible to a large portion of the zombified walking corpses left in the world,” he says.
The arrival of The Archer —produced by Goss and featuring guitarist Alain Johannes, drummer John Leamy, and bassist Paul Powell—heralds the welcome return of Masters Of Reality.
Future-facing, Goss is going to take 2025 with both hands. “The challenge of creating the dynamic range of the new music is a bit daunting at the moment because we haven’t done these songs live yet. But I believe once we’re in rehearsals with a bit of sweat, we’ll have a blast. A weird, sometimes melancholic blast but that’s what the blues is; Laughing at both the devil and our own human folly at the same time.”
1. The Archer 2. I Had A Dream 3. Chicken Little 4. Mr. Tap n’ Go 5. Barstow 6. Sugar 7. Powder Man 8. It All Comes Back To You 9. Bible Head
Eight years ago, the underground lost a unique leader when Spawn of Possession crawled into their hallowed crypt. Foul-mouthed disciples still utter the name SoP with reverence, but while others tried to crack the band’s forbidden cabinet, these accursed innovators were secretly festering in their grave, plotting to return and haunt the world of extreme metal once more.
Now, the undead masses can finally rejoice. Thanks to a healthy kick from their decrepit new drummer, Spawn of Possession has been reborn as Retromorphosis. With their debut album, this new band of freakish players emerge with the missing link in technical death metal’s evolutionary chain. The latest mutation off Psalmus Mortis is a living testament to their ungodly strength.
“Retromorphosis” upholds the heretical traditions hammered down by the band’s forefather. After all, Spawn of Possession also had a song named after them on their deviant debut. “If you’re going to have a song with the same name as your band, then it has to appear on your first album”, says Jonas Bryssling, who started Retromorphosis during the pandemic after his pick hand was once again bit by death metal’s radioactive songwriting bug.
Put under the microscope and the band’s new single does share SoP’s unreplicable DNA. Christian Muenzner zips through not one, not two, but three guitar solos, each one packed with more technically innovative twists than a triple helix. No matter which way their tales leave you tossing and turning in the dead of night, all of the songs on Psalmus Mortisspiral into madness, but on “Retromorphosis”, Dennis Röndum growls like a man freshly possessed by the devil on his massive shoulders. “I’m the one / chosen son / gifted and reborn“.
While marked by their beastly signature skills, Psalmus Mortis adds more raw edge to the mix. The album was produced by fellow Swede Magnus Sedenberg, who’s been the band’s preferred death dealer since Spawn of Possession’s first two demos. But Retromorphosis scrapes away all of the studio polish that’s become fashionable even in today’s underground. As shown by his latest bass playthrough, Erlend Casperson can groove along the same brain waves as the most high-minded shredders, but his tone on their new single reeks of the gutter.
“I prefer my death metal to sound ugly and mean”, Bryssling says with a satisfied grin.
More muscular face pounding isn’t Retromorphosis only hideous mutation. As Bryssling rips into chunky riffs with the unsavory appetite of an old-school cannibal, ex-Decrepit Birth drummer K.C. Howard beats you senseless with rabid blasts and pounding double bass. But while less techy, Psalmus Mortis does experiment with some unconventional instruments of torture. “All I hear is voice of God / it never leaves me“, Röndum declares in depraved glory, backed by sinister organ glows and a choir of angels who raise their voices as if condemned to the depths of hell.
“We had rules in Spawn of Possession”, Bryssling explains when asked what separates Retromorphosis from his earlier offspring. “Everything had to always be so intense. Retromorphosis is more free. Psalmus Mortis can be eerie, doomy or even quite simple”.
Can’t wait to hear the gloriously grotesque new album from Retromorphosis? Hear all of Psalmus Mortis during tomorrow’s Bandcamp Listening Party today Thursday, February 6 @ 1 pm Eastern Time / 7 pm Central European Time. RSVP
Tracklist: 1. Obscure Exordium (1:50) 2. Vanished (4:48) [WATCH] 3. Aunt Christie’s Will (5:46) 4. Never to Awake (4:34) 5. The Tree (5:24) [WATCH] 6. Retromorphosis (5:12) [LISTEN] 7. Machine (9:05) 8. Exalted Splendour (5:30) Full runtime: 42:11
Lineup Jonas Bryssling (Spawn of Possession) – Guitars Dennis Röndum (Spawn of Possession) – Vocals Christian Muenzner (Spawn of Possession, ex-Obscura and Necrophagist) – Guitars Erlend Caspersen (Spawn of Possession, The Allseeing I, Abhorrent) – Bass KC Howard (Odius Mortem, ex-Decrepit Birth)- Drums
Even a lawless field like death metal has exceptions that prove the rule. Retromorphosis spawned from a unique leader of the genre, but their unholy union on Psalmus Mortis is a living testament that you can’t bury what was already undead.
Spawn of Possession remains one of modern metal’s most accursed influencers. During the early to mid-2000s, the noctambulant Swedes toured both sides of the Atlantic alongside Cannibal Corpse and Hypocrisy. Having scaled the accursed summit to reach death metal nirvana on what was only their third album, after three decades, the band was put to rest. But like an especially pungent spore, the seeds of SoP have been festering in its hallowed crypt, waiting to come alive and haunt the earth once more.
Such is the sordid backstory of Retromorphosis and their debut Psalmus Mortis. In 2020, amidst the pandemic’s endless lull, one of Spawn of Possession’s founding members was again bitten by death metal’s radioactive songwriting bug. “I wanted to make an album that wasn’t tied to anything we’d done before”, says Jonas Bryssling. While this new batch of malevolent creations still stemmed from his punishingly technical fretwork, the riffs were splitting off into even more twisted headbanging directions. But to bring these relentless mutations to life, first, he needed a familiar spark.
“There was no hesitation”, Bryssling says when asked about resurrecting the creative energies with his former Spawn of Possession bandmates. Pairing back up with rock-solid vocalist Dennis Röndum and elastic bassist Erlend Casperson once again yielded promising results during the early phases of Psalmus Mortis. To further test the equation, they added another familiar but no less fearsome shredder. Before joining them for Incurso, Christian Muenzner lent his flaming left hand to two other stone-cold classics: Necrophagist’s Epitath and Cosmogenesis by Obscura. “I don’t have to tell them much”, Bryssling continues. “They know how it’s done”.
Indeed, time has only fermented this group’s mutant chemistry. After spending the summer of 2023 recording Psalmus Mortis in their underground laboratory, Retromorphosis emerged with the missing link in technical death metal’s evolutionary chain. “Vanished” officially cracks open its beaker with the satisfying crunch of the old school, steamrolling out a rugged red carpet for Röndum’s imposing growl. It was the first song Bryssling wrote during the album’s initial trial period, but the band continued to tinker with the album’s eventual lead single after the other eight tracks were hammered into gruesome shape. Muenzner’s solos scream like a poor unsuspecting soul who’s being dragged into the shadows. All the while, Casperson flogs his bass as if hiding a mischievous grin, its ghoulish bounce bringing the lyrics’ cosmic body horror into frightening focus.
“We had rules in Spawn of Possession”, Bryssling explains, as a matter of fact. “Everything always had to be so intense. Psalmus Mortis is intense, too, but it can also be eerie or even quite simple”.
Simplicity might not be Retromorphosis’ dominant chromosome. Even though it’s fueled by straight-forward, down-picked chugging, the album’s nine-minute monolith “Machine” churns through multiple tempo changes, cranking up the tension with every accelerated blast beat. But the band did opt for a leaner chemical base. Psalmus Mortis was produced by Magnus Sedenberg, who’s been the band’s Swedish engineer du jour dating back to Spawn of Possession’s first two demos. “Reuniting with Magnus felt like the natural thing to do”, says Bryssling, “but for this album, we scraped away some of the studio polish”. With its sludgy distortion and hallucinating speed, “Never to Awake” certainly summons the ’90s untamed spirit. “I prefer my death metal to sound ugly and mean”.
While roughly a decade in the making, Retromorphosis still grip it and rip it on Psalmus Mortis. Heck, chunks of the band’s first album were hung up to dry like butchered livestock after just one crack in the studio, much to their own amusement. “I don’t think there’s a single first take on the SoP albums”, Bryssling laughs. Röndum doesn’t mince words, either. He chews through syllables with all the careful consideration of a meat grinder. And while each tale descends into its own sweaty night terror, they all escalate from bad to worse. Despite its seemingly pedestrian title, “Aunt Christie’s Will” unpacks a maze-like mystery that ends with an especially morbid twist.
Of course, given this crew’s technical chops, Retromorphosis were bound to birth more head-spinning experiments. Psalmus Mortis injects fresh blood into their chilling cosmic horrors by fleshing out their technical arsenal with some unusual instruments of torture. The album opens with doomed power chords, pounding drum fills, then…spooky organ glows, tense strings and a ghostly gothic choir. “That was a new experience”, Bryssling says about adding more synthetic textures to the mix, though his inspiration came from a life-long obsession. “That sense of atmosphere was something old-school bands used to have”. The special effects aren’t just saved for its ominous opening instrumental oeuvre, either. “The Tree” puts a dystopian twist on the age-old tale of human greed with synths that glow like alien guts.
Freakier ambience isn’t the only new life form on Psalmus Mortis. “Everyone knows KC Howard is an insane talent”, Bryssling says. Howard left his brutally precise mark on the scene when he was behind the kit for Decrepit Birth, though Retromorphosis were formally introduced to their new drummer through Röndum, as the two had crossed paths during an episode of the Cali Death Podcast. Howard’s nuclear barrage of double bass kicks feeds the band’s cellular engine like jet fuel, driving high-flying album closer “Exalted Splendour” toward its blinding conclusion.
Ask Bryssling to identify what separates this new baby from their first born and the answer is, in fact, quite simple.”Retromorphosis is more free”. Put the song that bears their name under the microscope and feast your eyes on everything this band are capable of: non-stop blasting, brain-bursting bass fills, solos that would fry a supercomputer and pure unholiness. “I’m the one / chosen son / gifted and reborn”.
With Psalmus Mortis, technical death metal’s chosen ones rise from the grave.
Recording Studio: Pama Records AB, Kristianopel, Sweden Sharkbite Studios, Oakland, CA, United States
Production Credits: Produced, Mixed & Mastered by Magnus Sedenberg at Pama Records AB, Kristianopel, Sweden
Italy’s cult heavy rock band DEATH SS release the official video for their third single “Justified Sinner”. The song is taken from their new studio album “The Entity” which will be released on May 1st, 2025 via Lucifer Rising/Self Distribuzione. The concept album was produced by mastermind and frontman Steve Sylvester along with the English Grammy winner producer Tom Dalgety (Rammstein, Ghost, The Cult, a.o.).
‘‘‘Justified Sinner’ was the first song I composed for the concept ‘The Entity’. The idea had come to me several years ago, talking to my friend James Hogg, a descendant of the writer of the same name who wrote the novel ‘The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner’ in the first half of the 19th century. After reading this complex and intriguing book, the idea came to me to explore the theme of the ‘Doppelgänger’, the conceptual basis of the entire new album,” explains DEATH SS frontman Steve Sylvester.
The video was again edited by Andrea Falaschi who tells us more about the technique used to shoot the different scenes: “To recreate the angel of ‘Justifed Sinner’ we used rear projection, a vintage technique also used by Kubrick in his masterpiece ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. This allowed us to maintain the transparencies of the angel’s dress that would otherwise have been impossible with a green screen…’
“Justified Sinner” is available digitally and as 12” Limited Deluxe edition featuring a special shaped cover with transparent orange vinyl and contains the third of the four-part booklet with the full story behind the concept “The Entity” along with two other tracks on Side B, “The Evil Painter” e “The Whitechapel Wolf,” included on the new album as well.
Track listing 12” “Justified Sinner” Side A: JUSTIFIED SINNER Side B: THE EVIL PAINTER + THE WHITECHAPEL WOLF
Today DEATH SS unveil also “The Entity” track listing, cover and logo.
The literary inspirations of the 12-song opus range from Aleister Crowley, who seeks to liberate man by awakening his artistic genius (‘Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God’ – Kenneth Grant), to the characters of writers James Hogg (‘The Private Memoirs And Confessions of a Justified Sinner’) and Robert Louis Stevenson (‘The Strange Case Of Doctor Jekyll And Mr. Hyde’), who explore the dark side of mankind. It also includes other literary characters and references such as ‘Mary Reilly’ (Valerie Martin), ‘Portrait Of A Killer: Jack The Ripper – Case Closed’ (Patricia Cornwell), ‘Cemetery’ (Renzo Barbieri), ‘Hyde In Time’ (Mario Gazzola), ultimately linking to the band’s history.
Italian rock group DEATH SS was founded in 1977 by Steve Sylvester with the aim of forming a band that encloses inside of itself all its particular interests for occultism, horror films, erotic comics and rock music, in an original manner. After disbanding in 1982 Sylvester re-founded the band in 1988 whose discography includes albums such as “In Death of Steve Sylvester,”“Heavy Demons,” “Do What Thou Wilt” and “Panic” with influences ranging from dark metal to cyberpunk.
DEATH SS are: Steve Sylvester – vocals Freddy Delirio – keyboards Ghiulz – guitars Demeter – bass Unam Talbot – drums Dahlila e Jessica – performers
On March 7, 2025, progressive metal act SACROSANCT will unleash their new studio album, entitled “Kidron”, via ROAR. A music video for the band’s latest, epic single “Coming Of The Scorpion” is now premiering below! To pre-order your album copy of “Kidron”, visit:https://sacrosanct.rpm.link/kidronpr
With their third single release, SACROSANCT convince with another captivating hymn, full of melancholy and beautiful emotions. Join the ride end enjoy this growing anthem, now streaming on all digital services at: https://sacrosanct.rpm.link/comingpr
SACROSANCT, established in 1988, are a well respected name in the metal scene, most known for their three classic albums during the early 1990s: “Truth is – what is”, “Recesses for the depraved” and “Tragic intense”. The band’s signature sound gradually progressed from sophisticated thrash metal to a more edgy, melodic and atmospheric aural landscape. The brainchild of founding member and lead guitar player Randy Meinhard (ex-Pestilence) returned in 2018, after a 25-year hiatus, with their fourth album “Necropolis”, which was highly acclaimed and bears all of the hallmarks and intricacies that defines SACROSANCT, with a strong emphasis on melancholic melodies and harmony guitar parts as well as a focus on thought-provoking lyrics. Six years later, SACROSANCT return with the even more powerful, still complex, but catchy “Kidron”, introducing their new singer Max Morton, who outshines the album with his clear, dynamic and unique voice. “The album combines all our trademarks, has a unique atmosphere due to all the circumstances we had to go through and is accessible and complex at the same time”, Randy Meinhard recently said.
The special thing about SACROSANCT is, that every album sounds different. As the four-piece recently revealed: “We always write and play songs in our own way. We can’t and won’t deny our roots. Of course, our first albums were more thrash-heavy, but there was a lot more going on in the songs. You just can’t reduce us to that. I personally love metal from Maiden to Priest to Fates Warning, VoiVod or Slayer. When writing songs, I try to find out how heavy or “commercial” a song can be in our own way. But we always want to touch people with the music and if, for example, a blastbeat can be combined with the classic Sacrosanct riff trademarks, then we have arrived at “KIDRON”.”
01 – Marching Days 02 – Avenging Angel 03 – Prince Of Clowns 04 – Coming Of The Scorpion 05 – Gethsemane 06 – Doorway Of Dreams 07 – Still Open Sore 08 – Before It Ends 09 – The Pain Still Lasts
SACROSANCT is: Max Morton – Vocals, Bass Randy Meinhard – Guitar Gerrit Knol – Guitar Jonas Schütz – Drums
Renowned rock singer RUSS BALLARD is pleased to announce the release of a revisited version of his famous hit “New York Groove”, along with a new music video, both out now via Frontiers Music Srl.
Russ Ballard comments on the track, by stating: “I wrote the song in 1975 and it was a very quick process, written and recorded in about three hours. I had down time in the studio, no song – just a title, New York Groove and an idea to play it to a Bo Diddley rhythm.”
Russ Ballard is simply one of the most renowned and gifted songwriters in pop and rock music. His music career started when he was only 14 years old and he wrote a tune, which was recorded by the Shadows, appearing on their album “The Sound Of The Shadows” in 1964.
During the 70’s and 80’s, his songs ruled the airwaves and the list of hits is pretty much endless. From “Since You Been Gone” (Rainbow), “God Gave Rock’n’Roll To You” (Argent and Kiss), “So You Win Again” (Hot Chocolate), “New York Groove” (Hello and Ace Frehley), “You Can Do Magic” (America), “Winning” (Santana) or “I Don’t Believe In Miracles” (Colin Blunstone) – just to name a few – everyone who needed a great song knew that with Russ Ballard they could not go wrong.
Numerous records/artists were also produced by him, like Roger Daltrey, America, Elkie Brooks, Skindred or Sada Vidoo. In 1974, he started a solo career (after his stint with the band Argent in early 70’s), which had its highest momentum with the “S/t” album in 1984 (which included the hit single “Voices”) and the follow up “The Fire Still Burns”.
Since then, Russ released 10 studio albums and is still writing and producing hits. Three songs of his 1984 and 1985 album were featured in the TV-show “Miami Vice” and were extensively played on dancefloors around Europe.
In the past four years, LORD OF THE LOST has experienced the most successful period in the band’s history – and lead singer CHRIS HARMS has shown no signs of taking a creative break. Today, Harms is releasing “Lunamor”, the fourth single from his debut solo album 1980, which is dropping this Friday, February 7.
The song blends dark, hypnotic synthesizers with an evocative melody, once again highlighting Harms’ deep connection to the electronic sounds of the 1980s. Following the previous singles, “Lunamor” takes an even more enigmatic and romantic turn, revealing yet another intriguing facet of the album.
Like all tracks on 1980, “Lunamor” reflects Harms’ unique ability to create music driven by pure passion – free from conventions or genre constraints. He crafts a sonic atmosphere deeply rooted in synth-pop, new wave, and goth to frame his infectiously catchy melodies, maintaining a strong potential for radio airplay. With each new track, Harms proves that 1980 is more than just a tribute to a legendary decade – it is also a testament to his artistic versatility, marking a bold and captivating chapter in his musical journey.
CHRIS HARMS about the new single “Lunamor”: “Sometimes it only takes a single word to trigger an entire song. I remember almost exactly a year ago, I was lying alone at night in a deck chair at the stern of the “70,000 Tons Of Metal” cruise ship and was enchanted by the sight of the Caribbean moon. The words “Luna” and “Amor” merged in my mind’s eye to form “Lunamor” and I thought “Wow, what a wonderful title for a song!” – and a few months later it became a whole story with a soundtrack, which now finds a home on my solo album. From the metal cruise to the synthpop album – wonderful!”
With LORD OF THE LOST, Chris Harms has recently achieved defining milestones in the band’s history, including participation in the Eurovision Song Contest, touring with Iron Maiden, and securing a #1 and two #2 spots on the Official German Album Charts. But for Harms, taking a break is out of the question. The concept of a solo album has been brewing in his mind for years, and it has now come to fruition with 1980, set for release this January.
CHRIS HARMSdescribes1980: “If I were forced to categorize this album and label it, it would probably say ‘a strange but successful mix of Depeche Mode, Modern Talking and Sandra with Chris Harms’ voice, but with less perm and mullet’”.
Make sure to get your copy of 1980NOW | First Formats Sold Out Already
Songs such as the first single “I Love You” and “Lunamor” exude a pleasant lightness, while “Past Pain” and “May This Be Your Last Battlefield” strike a reflective note. Two selected duets round off the album: Harms welcomes guest singer Sven Friedrich (Solar Fake) on “Madonna Of The Night”, while Ronan Harris (VNV Nation) can be heard on “The Grey Machines”.
1980 deliberately avoids attempting to reinvent the wheel, but is to be understood as a musical journey through time. There is no deliberate calculation or riding the wave of any trends on the album, but simply a passion, desire and love for music, with which CHRIS HARMS has marked a remarkable new pinnacle in his discography as a musician.
1980 tracklist: 1. I Love You 2. She Called Me Diaval 3. Somewhere Between Heaven And Armageddon 4. Missed Call 5. Madonna Of The Night (feat. Sven Friedrich) 6. Lunamor 7. Parallax 8. Past Pain 9. The Grey Machines (feat. Ronan Harris) 10. Vagueness Of Faith 11. May This Be Your Last Battlefield
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 