Rising stars in the metal/punk scene, Lonely Empire, release their highly anticipated debut EP,Dawn of the Empire, out now via Golden Robot Records. This monumental release marks the beginning of a bold new chapter for the Adelaide-based band, whose raw energy and socially charged lyrics have already started to make waves.
Featuring a mix of heavy riffs, anthemic choruses, and poignant commentary, Dawn of the Empire showcases the band’s unique fusion of metal and punk influences. With tracks like their electrifying singles ‘Like a Misfit’ and ‘Convoluted Insanity’, the EP serves as both a declaration of intent and a thrilling invitation to their expanding fan base. “This EP is a reflection of the struggles and triumphs we face in a world that feels increasingly chaotic,” says lead singer Lucas. “It’s our way of connecting with anyone who’s ever felt like they’re fighting to carve out their place in this empire of noise.”
Produced with precision and passion, Dawn of the Empire cements Lonely Empire as a force to be reckoned with in the global punk and metal communities and with their intense live performances and a message that speaks directly to the outcasts, the band is poised to make a big impact. Fans can expect a sonic experience that’s as cathartic as it is exhilarating.
Tough on Fridays, the powerhouse alt-rock band hailing from Austin, Texas, is set to kick off 2025 with a bang, dropping their latest single, ‘Nosedive,’ out now on Golden Robot Records. To celebrate the release, the band will be hosting a single launch show in Austin – details to come.
‘Nosedive’ delves into the thrill and turmoil of a relationship that’s as intense as it is doomed. With its driving beats, soaring melodies, and poignant lyrics, the track captures the euphoria of passionate highs, juxtaposed with the bittersweet reality of inevitable lows. This raw, electrifying anthem is a testament to Tough on Fridays’ signature sound – blending heartfelt emotion with unrelenting energy. “This song is about embracing the beautiful chaos of a love that feels almost too good to last,” shares lead vocalist Caleigh. “It’s that push and pull between knowing the crash is coming but refusing to hit the brakes because the ride is just too exhilarating.”
The single launch show promises to be an unforgettable night, giving fans the chance to hear ‘Nosedive’ live and experience the magic that the Tough on Fridays girls bring to the stage. Don’t miss this chance to dive headfirst into the latest chapter of their journey.
Caleigh, Carly and Bella became best friends and started playing music together in 2023. Ever since, they’ve enjoyed playing shows, writing music and touring around with each other as well as the community of extremely talented musicians they’ve entered into. Tough on Fridays exists to validate the ones who feel forgotten and alone and provide a space to be seen and heard.
Finland’s melancholic goth doomsters HANGING GARADEN are premiering a music video for a new single “The First Sunrise”, lifted from the band’s upcoming EP “The Unending”, due out March 14th on Agonia Records. The material serves as a bridge between the band’s last album, “The Garden” (2023), and the new one, which is currently in preproduction.
Delving deeper into the rituals, beliefs and existential concepts intrinsic to the nature of humanity and its cultures, HANGING GARDEN continues the thematic continuum of their previous full-length album, “The Garden”. Their latest work, a mini-album bearing the name “The Unending”, is a four song entity, its thematic focal points those of perseverance and the occult, of returning to a harmony with nature and the remorseless forces therein. Once again, an aesthetic interplay between light and darkness, dissonance and harmony, serenity and ferocity, HANGING GARDEN‘s novel musical work seeks to provide the listener with a journey through emotion and spirituality, through their meadows and wastelands, and onwards into the collective soul of humanity.
“The Unending” was produced by Jussi Hämäläinen and Jarno Hänninen and mixed & mastered by Jarno Hänninen at D-studio. The cover art & layout was created by Kalle Pyyhtinen.
Tracklisting: 1. To Seize the Night 2. The Passage 3. Morgan’s Trail 4. The First Sunrise
HAGNING GARDEN was brought to life in 2004 with an early style that encompassed heavy, doom-oriented metal music. Roughly two decades, seven albums and a couple of line-up shuffles later, the Finns shifted to a more melodic, contemporary sound, which is rooted in dark atmosphere, and leans towards open-minded and playful musicality. While still entrenched in metal, HANGING GARDEN possesses a versatile, many-layered style of playing, male & female vocals, and draws influence & inspiration from music and art, far and wide. The group may appeal to fans of Swallow the Sun, Ghost Brigade, October Tide, Katatonia or Type O Negative.
Line-up: Mikko Kolari – guitars Jussi Hämäläinen – guitars, backing vocals Kimmo Tukiainen – guitars Nino Hynninen – synths Jussi Kirves – bass, moog Antti Ruokola – drums, programming Riikka Hatakka – vocals Toni Hatakka – vocals
Acclaimed Swedish retro rock crew THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA’s highly anticipated seventh studio album, Give Us The Moon, is finally out today! To mark the occasion, the band has just kicked off another full European tour and is now revealing a beautifully cinematic music video for the final single, “Paloma”. The multifaceted new offering continues THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA’s mission of protecting true AOR and will impress fans and critics alike with its spellbinding storylines, brilliant musicianship and unique sound.
Founded in 2007 by members of celebrated bands such as Soilwork, Arch Enemy and Mean Streak, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA has scored three Swedish Grammis nominations with their previous offerings, played several international tours and major festival such as Wacken Open Air, Alcatraz and Bloodstock, and even opened for Kiss on their last ever Swedish shows at legendary Dalhalla. Make sure to catch THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA live this winter and spring, secure your copy of the brand-new album and watch the captivating music video for “Paloma” below!
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA comments: “’Paloma’ is based on a real-life story – stewardess meets pilot, sweet music occurs but ends in despair. This is a liberation song for all those who are stuck in a toxic and abusive relationship.”
Give Us The Moon takes the listener on an exciting sonic journey, balancing between uplifting escapism and captivating stories inspired by real life events. The album’s themes span the likes of heroines and temptresses to liberation and romantic nostalgia, set to backdrops of abandoned cities and cosmic tides.
The intro track “Final Call” sets the scene for Give Us The Moon before impressive opening track “Stratus” is followed by the beautifully nostalgic “Shooting Velvet”. The intro of “Like The Beating Of A Heart” captures the listener from its first notes, leading into an irresistibly catchy chorus. Massive “Melbourne, May I?” is a classic THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA anthem, featuring captivating solos that are equally prominent on following track “Miraculous”. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA dives into different soundscapes on the exciting, uplifting “Cosmic Tide”. The title track “Give Us The Moon” builds into a singalong chorus, before the band continues their trademark of name-dropping streets and cities on “A Paris Point Of View”, that features fascinating instrumentation including particularly 80s-inspired keys and groovy bass. Sentimental “Runaways” feels like a part of a movie, only partially because of the attention-grabbing intro track before the first notes. THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA gets the tempo up once more for “Way To Spend The Night” before epic closing track “Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (And The Captain Of Pain)” wraps up THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA’s most cinematic masterpiece so far.
Give Us The Moon is free from the limitations of one genre or style, although many of the soundscapes of the album draw inspiration from the 80s, making the album a varied, exciting adventure. Give Us The Moon is produced by THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA and Sebastian Forslund, who also mixed the album, and is mastered by Plec Johansson at award-winning The Panic Room Studios. To celebrate the release of the new full-length, THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA will embark on a full European tour in late January 2025. Boarding is completed – fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the flight!
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA about their new album: “We have never worked harder on an album before and what a journey it’s been. We feel that this album has it all and there’s no way we could have done any better. It’s an explosion of emotions and cinematic landscapes where you’ll be catapulted into space and then land smoothly while feeling right at home. It will be your haven and your grand escape all at once. We hope you will connect to this album with every fiber of your body and mind, just like we do. Please do enjoy Give Us The Moon!”
1. Final Call (Intro) 2. Stratus 3. Shooting Velvet 4. Like The Beating Of A Heart 5. Melbourne, May I? 6. Miraculous 7. Paloma 8. Cosmic Tide 9. Give Us The Moon 10. A Paris Point Of View 11. Runaways 12. Way To Spend The Night 13. Stewardess, Empress, Hot Mess (And The Captain Of Pain)
Moon Over Europe 2025 Tour Support: Tragedy (30.01.-11.02.25), Metalite (13.02.-24.02.25) 30.01.25 NL – Tilburg / 13 31.01.25 FR – Lyon / O Totem Live 01.02.25 UK – London / Garage 02.02.25 FR – Paris / Petit Bain 04.02.25 ES – Bilbao / Groove 05.02.25 PT – Lisbon / Lisboa Au Vivo 07.02.25 ES – Madrid / Mon 08.02.25 ES – Barcelona / Wolf 11.02.25 IT – Milan / Legend Club 13.02.25 HU – Budapest / Durer Kert 14.02.25 AT – Vienna / Szene 15.02.25 DE – Munich / Backstage 16.02.25 CZ – Prague / Futurum 18.02.25 CH – Aarau / KIFF 19.02.25 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colos Saal 20.02.25 DE – Nuremberg / Hirsch 21.02.25 DE – Karlsruhe / Substage 22.02.25 DE – Berlin / Frannz Club 24.02.25 DE – Hamburg / Bahnhof Pauli
Moon Over Scandinavia 2025 Tour 27.02.25 SE – Uppsala / Katalin 28.02.25 SE – Karlstad / Nöjesfabriken 01.03.25 SE – Gothenburg / Gothenburg Filmstudios* 06.03.25 DK – Copenhagen / Vega 07.03.25 SE – Norrköping / Arbis 08.03.25 SE – Malmö / Plan B *w/ NESTOR
THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is: Björn Strid – Vocals Sharlee D’Angelo – Bass Jonas Källsbäck – Drums Sebastian Forslund – Guitar, Percussions John Lönnmyr – Keys Rasmus Ehrnborn – Guitar Anna Brygard – Backing Vocals Åsa Lundman – Backing Vocals
German unit SCHANDMAUL guarantees top-quality and sophisticated folk rock, full of exciting and captivating storytelling. With six top 10-charting albums (Germany), two nominations for the German Echo Award, Gold status for Traumtänzer (2011) and Unendlich (2014), successful tours, and numerous festival appearances, the band has been a first-class constant in the scene since 1999, continuously enriching it with their artistic work.
Following the release of their latest album, Knüppel aus dem Sack (2022, #5 German Album Charts), SCHANDMAUL eagerly anticipates an incredible festival season in 2025, culminating in their own Folkfield Festival, which will take place on September 13 at the Amphitheater Gelsenkirchen. Tickets are available here.
After a short live break, SCHANDMAUL will kick off their December 2025 German highlight tour, called Eisheilige Nacht, presented by SUBWAY TO SALLY. Together with their label mates, the band will perform ten shows, beginning December 12 in Pratteln. To set the mood for the live experience, the brand-new music video for the fan anthem “Irgendwann” (Engl. Someday), from their latest album, has been released today. The video was recorded at last year’s edition of Folkfield Festival.
SCHANDMAUL add: “Dear friends and fans, We are infinitely happy that, after Thomas’ battle with cancer, we were able to celebrate our Folkfield Festival (25 Years +1) last year with 10,000 enthusiastic fans. That’s why we don’t want to withhold a look back at this unforgettable concert weekend from you – accompanied by our song “Irgendwann.” The lyrics of “Irgendwann” fit so well with the challenges we have overcome in the past few years:
“Irgendwann werden wir uns wieder gegenüberstehen Ich glaub’ daran Irgendwann werden wir uns wieder in die Augen sehen Und dann fangen wir von vorne an“
[Engl.: “Someday we will stand face to face again That’s what I believe in Someday we will look into each other’s eyes again And then we’ll start over from the beginning”]
2025 looks fantastic for us, with more highlights and concerts than we’ve had in years!”
Festivals 2025: 31.05.25 DE – Nörten-Hardenberg / Keilertage 08.06.25 DE – Kranichfeld / Sternenklang Festival – Ausverkauft! 13.06.25 DE – Abenberg / Feuertanz Festival 14.06.25 DE – Poyenberg / Irish Folk Open Air 20.06.25 DE – Augsburg / Sommer am Kiez 21.06.25 DE – Merseburg / Merseburger Schlossfestspiele 25.07.25 DE – Bassum / Bassum Open Air 01.08.25 DE – Wacken / Wacken Open Air – Ausverkauft! 04.09.25 DE – St. Goarshausen, Loreley / 30 Jahre In Extremo Jubiläumsfestival
13.09.25 DE – Gelsenkirchen / Folkfield Festival w/ dArtagnan, Mr. Hurley & Die Pulveraffen, Korpiklaani, Manntra, Storm Seeker & Kupfergold
Eisheilige Nacht 2025: w/ Subway To Sally 12.12.25 DE – Pratteln / Konzertfabrik Z7 13.12.25 DE – Stuttgart / Im Wizemann 19.12.25 DE – Oberhausen / Turbinenhalle 20.12.25 DE – Giessen / Hessenhalle 21.12.25 DE – Dresden / Alter Schlachthof 26.12.25 DE – Braunschweig / Millenium Event Center 27.12.25 DE – Würzburg / Posthalle 28.12.25 DE – Bielefeld / Lokschuppen 29.12.25 DE – Bremen / Pier 2 30.12.25 DE – Potsdam / Waschhaus
Wormholedeath Records is thrilled to announce the signing of Mexican progressive metal band ÁLAGHOM, who will release their transcendent new EP, ‘Return to the Beginner’s Mind’ (Original Soundtrack Of “Yasuragi Dojo NY Documentary) EP, on March 7, 2025. This six-track EP promises to captivate listeners with a rare fusion of progressive metal, orchestral elements, and Japanese musical influences, inspired by Álaghom’s recent commission to score a documentary for Yasuragi Dojo NY, a traditional Japanese martial arts school.
The creation of ‘Return to the Beginner’s Mind’ is deeply rooted in Álaghom’s exploration of Zen Buddhist philosophy and the warrior ethos, which resonates powerfully with the Jinenkan Martial Arts Organization’s core values. Each track delves into essential tenets like Fudoshin (Immovable Heart and Mind), Shoshin (Beginner’s Mind), Mushin (Empty Mind, Spirit, and Heart), and Zanshin (Effortless Vigilance), culminating in the realization of Satori (Self-Awareness). The album’s progression unfolds from serene and contemplative to intense and empowering, inviting listeners to experience a journey that balances mindfulness with the warrior’s resolve.
Blending the influence of visionary composers like Hans Zimmer and Jon Opstad with the progressive soundscapes of Riverside, Meshuggah, Tool, and Animals as Leaders, Álaghom combines the ethereal with the visceral, making Return to the Beginner’s Mind a landmark release.
Tracklist
Awakening Consciousness
Embrace the Battle
Return to the Beginner’s Mind
Sustain your Presence of Mind
Warrior Spirit that Remains
The Opening of Satori
Get a glimpse into the band’s visionary approach to progressive metal and orchestral synthesis through the track “Awakening Consciousness”:
The Mayan Spirit of Álaghom
Álaghom’s name, rooted in Mayan mythology, symbolizes wisdom and knowledge, reflecting the band’s mission to draw from the ancient Mayan worldview and Zen Buddhism to create music that resonates with universal themes of consciousness and growth. Their lineup includes Melisa Durán (vocals, 8-string guitar, synthesizer, bass) and Ricardo Esperón (9-string guitar, bass, piano, synthesizer, drums, and orchestral percussion), whose combined talents create a powerful and profound soundscape.
Discover Álaghom’s Sonic Universe
Álaghom’s influences span an extraordinary array of artists across genres, including Bach, Devin Townsend Project, Cynic, Iron Maiden, Death, and Dimmu Borgir, weaving classical inspiration with modern metal innovation.
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 ) 