It’s coming up fast! On May 22, California metal heroes Serpent From Eden release one of the most eagerly-awaited albums of the year so far – a full length tribute to the late Nick Menza, Serpent guitarist John “Gumby” Goodwin’s bandmate across 30 years of different projects, but better known to the wider world as the thunderous percussive backdrop to a string of Megadeth’s finest albums.
Work on the album began as Serpent From Eden were piecing together their own new album. Gumby was sifting through his old tapes, in search of material they might want to work on and, to his astonishment, uncovered an entire album’s worth of tracks featuring Menza.
Of course, Serpent From Eden bandmates Pauli Infantino (vocals), James Yokoi (bass), and Chris Tracy (drums), are all present and correct, together with another former Gumby bandmate Darren Ballard, and two special guests from Megadeth itself, guitarist Chris Poland and bassist David Ellefson. With another Megadeth alumni, Youthanasia producer Max Norman (Ozzy, Savatage, Dangerous Toys) also on board, the result is a spellbinding reminder of true rock legend.
“Nick was a true master of music and certainly the drums!” Says Ellefson. “Even more, he was highly prolific, and these tracks display his continuous creative excitement which is heard in every performance he put down on tape.”
“Let It Go,” the second single from Serpent From Eden featuring Nick Menza, is an exquisite example of that creative excitement, all the more so when experienced alongside the accompany video. Utlilizing both newly shot material and archive footage of Menza and Ellefson in full flight (what a rhythm section they were!), and Gumby simply shredding his guitar, it’s a white hot burst of electrifying adrenalin.
Timed to coincide with the tenth anniversary of Menza’s passing, on May 21 2016, Serpent From Eden featuring Nick Menza is a stand-out collection of powerful, dynamic, and melodic hard rock music… impossible to pigeon hole but cohesive regardless… seamlessly bound together by just one intention – to honor Nick Menza in the manner he would want to be honored, with an uncompromising, heavy musical statement, encompassing his wide range of musical tastes but always with his ever insatiable need for musical power.
And, if you’re around, don’t miss the album’s live launch at The Boardwalk in Sacramento, also on May 22. It’s going to be mega.
Born the son of a church pianist and Baptist preacher, Justin Storms founded Wailin Storms in his hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas. After a pass through New York City, the band settled in Durham, North Carolina, where they’ve caught fire with their noisy explosions of Southern gothic rock. Together, the four-piece throw raw-boned blues punk, the gothic country of 16 Horsepower and the howling desires of Nick Cave into a raging fire that’s fed by the bones of a dead god.
Wailin Storms’ four studio albums have been showered with high praise from NPR, Brooklyn Vegan and Metal Hammer. Their third full-length, Rattle, was featured by The Needle Drop and named one of the best albums of 2020 by Treble, Riff Magazine, Angry Metal Guy and Machine Music. “When someone asks me my favorite active bands, I always mention Wailin Storms”, Sean Frasier wrote for Decibel upon the announcement of the band’s previous album, The Silver Snake Unfolds. “[…] their music is heavy, their lyrics haunting, and their live show furious”.
Now, fresh off sharing the stage with Acid Bath, Eyehategod and Black Tusk, Wailin Storms are fanning the flames with reckless abandon ahead of their soon-to-be-announced fifth album. Recorded by Matt Talbott of Hum in full analog, their first offering for Season of Mist promises to deliver a fiery baptism of Southern gothic rock.
“Our upcoming album was forged in the fires of love, death, fear, anxiety and other pangs of the heart”, Justin Storms says. “The songs draw from blues, folk, punk and metal, as well as René Magritte, Flannery O’Connor, David Lynch and my own obsession with fire as a kid. With Season of Mist’s backing, we are excited to bring its dark and fiery message to a wider audience across the international stage”.
Watch a simmering sneak peak from the album on the Season of Mist YouTube channel:
Since migrating to North Carolina’s inland coast circa 2014, Wailin Storms have caught fire with noisy, bluesy explosions of Southern gothic rock.
Debut full-length One Foot in the Flesh Grave laid a solid foundation for Wailin Storms in 2015 with an East Coast and Midwest tour that led to their first appearance at The Fest. 2017 follow-up Sick City infected more ears with coverage spreading from CVLT Nation to NPR. It was their third album, though, that really opened the floodgates. Rattle was featured by The Needle Drop and named one of the best albums of 2020 by Treble, Riff Magazine, Angry Metal Guy and Machine Music. More attention from Decibel and Metal Hammer came two years later around The Silver Snake Unfolds, which was followed by shows and tour dates with everyone from City of Caterpillar, pageninetynine and This Will Destroy You to Acid Bath, Eyehategod and Young Widows.
“If Bauhaus, Killing Joke, and Black Sabbath had a child, this would be it”, Metal Injection proclaimed about Wailin Storms.
Brooklyn Vegan concurred. “It’s just loud, heavy, dark rock music, and it’s awesome”.
Hot on the heels of critical high praise and thunderous applause from crowds on both sides of the Atlantic, Wailin Storms are ready to fan their flames with reckless abandon. Recorded by Matt Talbott of Hum in full analog, their upcoming fifth album and first for Season of Mist promises to deliver a fiery baptism of Southern gothic rock.
Lineup Justin Storms – Lead vocals, Rhythm guitars Steve Stanczyk – Bass Mark Oates – Drums Ben Melton – Lead guitar, Backing vocals
Today, April 24th, The Punk Rock Museum will host an opening for Fast As Hell. Louder Than Both. This is a new exhibition by photographer Alison Braun. It is a visual record of a cultural turning point when underground music scenes overlapped and redefined one another.
Braun‘s early body of work includes striking images of Black Flag and Bad Brains, captured at a time when the hardcore movement was volatile, physical, and defiantly DIY. As hardcore accelerated and metal grew more technical and aggressive, Braun‘s lens tracked the shift.
Bands such as D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, and Corrosion of Conformity represent the cultural transformation Braun documented in real time. These artists rejected genre purity, fusing skate culture, hardcore urgency, and metal musicianship into something raw, confrontational, and entirely new.
Many of the photographs featured also appear in Braun‘s book, Shot in the Dark: Metal Volume, available for purchase in the museum’s gift store.
This photo exhibition will open alongside the museum’s debut of Crossover Corner, offering visitors a deeper look into the powerful intersection between punk and metal music.
Crossover Corner highlights influential metal bands that emerged from punk roots and punk bands that evolved toward metal. The exhibition captures the raw energy, style, and cultural impact that shaped the crossover movement between the two genres.
By pairing photography with historical artifacts, the museum offers a vivid look at the artists and communities that helped forge the crossover sound, celebrating a moment in music history when punk and metal collided to create something entirely new.
Morten – Photo credits: Richelle ter Heege – Ijland
Morten Veland (SIRENIA, MORTEMIA and founder of TRISTANIA) released the eighth Mortemia song from ‘The Cover Collab Sessions’ today. A collection of 12 cover songs featuring different guest singers for each song. This track is a cover version of ‘Send me an Angel’ originally recorded by Real Life, featuring Jessica Thierjung on guest vocals. The song is available on all digital platforms as of today the 24th of April 2026.
Morten Veland:
“I’m proud and honoured to welcome Jessica Thierjung as my special guest for ‘The Cover Collab Sessions’. The song of choice this time is the timeless classic ‘Send me an angel’ by the Australian band Real Life. This is definitely one of those classic hits from the eighties that has stayed with me since the first time I heard it. I had this song in mind for a rendition since I started out on ‘the cover collab sessions’, and I am super thrilled to have teamed up with Jessica for this song. I discovered Jessica’s band LYRIEL a few years ago, and instantly took notice of Jessica’s beautiful voice. So I’ve had her in mind for a possible collab for some time now, and I am very glad that we could finally make it happen. Jessica did an awesome job on this song and she was able to convey those eighties vibes that I love so much, also adding her own personal touch”.
Jessica Thierjung:
“I’ve been following Morten’s work with Sirenia and Mortemia for a long time, so being invited to be part of this collaboration was a real honor for me. Recording ‘Send Me An Angel’ was such a special experience, because it’s quite different from the kind of songs I usually sing, and that made it even more exciting. I really enjoyed bringing a new touch to this 80s classic together with Morten, and I’m very proud to be part of this release”.
After 11 years of silence Norwegian multi-instrumentalist, producer and artist Morten Veland activated his solo project Mortemia during the early stages of the Covid 19 pandemic, this time with a brand new concept consisting of collaborations with multiple guest singers. ‘The Pandemic Pandemonium Sessions’ was a series of singles released on a monthly basis, each song featuring a well known and highly profiled guest singer from the metal scene. Following next was ‘The Covid Aftermath Sessions’, yet another album featuring 12 songs with 12 different guest singers. Now Mortemia is ready to endeavor on his third album in the collaboration format entitled ‘The Cover Collab Sessions’, once more the project will feature multiple amazing guest singers. This will be, as the title suggests, an album consisting of cover songs solely. All re-arranged and performed in Mortemia’s signature style.
So far the following singers has contributed for his collaborations:
Madeleine Liljestam (Eleine) Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion, Ayreon, MaYaN) Alessia Scolletti (Temperance, ERA) Liv Kristine (Liv Kristine, ex-Theatre of Tragedy, ex-Leaves Eyes) Melissa Bonny (Ad Infinitum, The Dark Side of the Moon) Brittney Slayes (Unleash the Archers) Maja Shining (Forever Still) Erica Ohlsson (Metalite) Heidi Parviainen (Dark Sarah, ex Amberian Dawn) Zora Cock (Blackbriar) Linda Toni Grahn (Anima Veil, ex Follow the Cipher) Caterina Nix (Chaos Magic) Federica Lanna (Volturian) Ulli Perhonen (ex-Snow White Blood) Ambre Vourvahis (Xandria) Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie, Illumishade) Lindy-Fay Hella (Wardruna) Margarita Monet (Edge of Paradise) Marina La Torraca (Exit Eden, Phantom Elite) Nicoletta Rosellini (Alterium, Walk in Darkness) Maxi Nil (Jaded Star, ex Visions of Atlantis) Capri (Amberian Dawn) Emma Zoldan (Sirenia) Dianne van Giersbergen (DIANNE, Ex Libris) Chiara Tricarico (Moonlight Haze) Leah (Leah) Kristin Starkey (Temperance, Twilight Force) Kristyn Hope (Daedric) Diva Satanica (Bloodhunter) Grace Darkling (Nocturna) Rehn Stillnight (Nocturna) Jessica Thierjung (Lyriel)
MAUSER is a relatively new act for extreme music maniacs. The band was formed in Kraków, the capital of the Małopolska region, by Krzysztof Leja; however, for the recording of the debut material he invited guest and session musicians.
MAUSER is an uncompromising fusion of extreme metal – aggression, speed, and technical precision with maturity of sound and composition. Music that captures the rawness, anger, and smell of gunpowder, but without artificial glamour. A solid sound, authenticity, and the genocidal atmosphere of war make Mauser stand out where others only pretend to be true power. No posturing – just honest, hard work.
All songs were written by the band’s leader, Krzysztof Leja, who also recorded the bass and guitar parts, including the solos. The vocal parts were performed by Tymon Wiekiera, who is also responsible for the lyrical concept of the release. The drum tracks were recorded by Krzysztof Klingbein (Totenmesse, Belphegor–live, ex-Vader). Piano parts on the track “Prelude of Fear” were performed by Tomasz Kowalczyk. The EP was mixed and mastered by Witold Nowak at Bourbon Ranch Studio, who has previously worked with bands such as Hellhaim, Kira, and Subterfuge. The artwork was created by DK13 Design, known for its cooperation with the Finnish band Horna. The band photo session was carried out by Mariusz Kucik.
Debut EP “Casualties of War” was released on January 31st, 2026 in digital format (link here) & on CD by Hagalaz Label (buy here).
Currently, MAUSER is looking for a musician to complete the band’s line-up and perform live shows (send email to: official.mauser.band@gmail.com).
Below you can stream EP at Youtube. All thanks to Polish Media Promotion.
TRACKLIST:
1. Prelude Of Fear (intro) 2. Tiger I 3. You Can’t Save Me 4. Obscene As A Cancer 5. Ripping Guts 6. Kill or Help Us!
LINEUP: Krzysztof Leja – guitars, solos, backing vocals Guests: Krzysztof Klingbein – drums Dawid Bąk – bass Tymon Wiekiera – lyrics, vocals Tomasz Kowalczyk – piano on “Prelude of Fear”
American heavy metal icons, ARMORED SAINT, are pleased to present their new single, “Hit A Moonshot.” The track comes off the band’s upcoming new full-length, Emotion Factory Reset, set for release on May 22nd through Metal Blade Records.
“Hit A Moonshot” is a band favorite. A “moonshot” is a baseball term referencing a homerun that’s hit at a high angle and distance. An avid sports fan, vocalist John Bush was considering the parallels between sports and entertainment.
“It’s like you knocked something out of the park,” elaborates Bush, “I use a lot of sports analogies because I love sports. Sports IS entertainment…’Hit A Moonshot’ is inspired by the people who keep landing on their feet. Like, no matter what the fuck this person does… Some people just get lucky. This applies to anyone. And landing on your feet is commendable. So, I’m busting balls, but I’m also giving accolades. Sometimes people can do that all the way to their grave. Then there are other people who are so good or talented or creative, and they struggle forever. I don’t think life is balanced all the time, and I don’t think it’s fair.
“It has a ferocious riff, cool tempo changes, scorching leads, huge chorus with lots of backing vocals,” he continues. “We love Queen and The Sweet! It’s a cool breakdown with an epic ending. Once again, it sounds just like ARMORED SAINT.”
Says bassist Joey Vera, “The intro riff is an echo of a memory from age 17 when I was in a garage band in Los Angeles. After I came up with this new version, the familiarity of it revealed itself once I stood back and listened. The riff is very different from the original one but there’s no doubt the feel and vibe has stuck with me ever since then. I added a half-time feel to the chorus to steer the arrangement away from predictability. It feels like Classic SAINT to me.”
“I think the song defines what ARMORED SAINT sounds like now,” adds guitarist Jeff Duncan. “I used my Les Paul and an EVH amp for the rhythm guitars on everything. My solos were done with a couple different guitars; it’s simple, just good guitars plugged into a good amp and let it rip.”
Watch ARMORED SAINT‘s “Hit A Moonshot” video, directed by My Good Eye: Music Visuals:
Watch the band’s previously released video for “Close To The Bone,” directed by My Good Eye: Music Visuals, HERE.
Emotion Factory Reset, ARMORED SAINT‘s ninth studio album since 1984’s March Of The Saint, is a resurrection of sorts, a tearing down and a rebuilding in eleven songs of diverse musicality and lyrical themes. Produced, as were the previous four albums, by bassist Joey Vera and mixed by Jay Ruston (Anthrax, Stone Sour) the record finds the quintet challenging themselves. Songs like “Close To The Bone,” today’s single, “Hit A Moonshot,” and “Every Man-Any Man” have ARMORED SAINT honoring their past as one of the most respected and recognizable bands in heavy music while making forward-thinking music rooted in the present.
“When we start coming up with songs, I always say we can do whatever we want,” vocalist John Bush says. “Use all our influences through the years, diverse music that we listen to and love, and let that seep in and bring something new out of us. It leads to something more adventurous.”
“Each ARMORED SAINT record, to me, is like a new skin for the band, a different chapter. I don’t think we’ve ever repeated ourselves,” says Vera. “Every album has been pretty different from the previous one, a snapshot in time. In 2026, Emotion Factory Reset is where our heads are at.”
Bush, one of music’s most respected vocalists, operates from a place of passion and presence in the studio and on stage. In fact, about 85% of his vocals from the last three ARMORED SAINT records are taken from the demo sessions, capturing the raw power. While Vera is a granular and detailed writer, like Bush, the bassist says, “I try not to overthink and be right where I’m at that time. I really don’t look over my shoulder much, like, ‘what did I do in the past? What’s going on in the next lane?’ Once the ball starts rolling, I just sit back and let it happen.”
The collaborative nature of Emotion Factory Reset led to the album title, a phrase from Phil Sandoval. “To me, ‘Emotion Factory Reset’ means to reset yourself back to clarity. Take a pause and breathe before you respond or react. You can’t control outside events, but you can control your mind,” the guitarist says. “How you interpret things is what hurts you, not the event itself.“
His brother, drummer Gonzo notes, “the world is going through a technological upswing/awakening. I look at our planet as the factory and in the most positive way we need to realign, reimagine, reset for our better selves.”
ARMORED SAINT‘s Emotion Factory Reset was recorded across several studios including 606 Studios, Secret Hand Studios, Skullseven Studios, Constantine Studios, and Bridge Recording, engineered by Oliver Roman, Bill Metoyer, Joey Vera, and Jason Constantine, and features cover art by DDKing.
ARMORED SAINT has confirmed performances spread throughout the Spring and Summer months, as well as a special free listening party on May 21st at Cafe Nord in Essen, Germany where fans can meet the band, hear the new album, and get the CD or vinyl signed (with purchase). The event will be followed by an Emotion Factory Reset record release show at Rock Hard Festival on May 22nd! More dates will be announced in the weeks to come. Stay alert.
ARMORED SAINT Live: 5/17/2026 San Luis Metal Fest – San Luis Potosí, MX 5/21/2026 Cafe Nord — Essen, DE * Free Listening Party * 5/22/2026 Rock Hard Festival – Gelsenkirchen, DE * Record Release Show * 6/06/2026 Milwaukee Metalfest @ The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI 7/30/2026 Pumpehuset – Copenhagen, DK w/ Metal Church 7/31/2026 Skogsrojet Festival – Rejmyre, SE 8/01/2026 Pustervik – Gothenburg, SE w/ Testament, Metal Church 8/02/2026 Mejeriet – Lund, SE * w/ Testament, Metal Church 8/05/2026 Brutal Assault – Jaroměř, CZ 8/07/2026 Alcatraz Festival – Dessel, BE 8/08/2026 Poppodium Boerderij – Zoetermeer, NL *ARMORED SAINT headlining show 8/09/2026 Keep It True Legions – Geiselwind, DE 8/11/2026 Progresja – Warsaw, PL w/ Savatage, Nevermore 8/12/2026 Collosseum – Kosice, SK w/ Vio-Lence 8/13/2026 Klub Studio – Krakow, PL w/ Testament, Metal Church 8/29/2026 Stonedead Festival – Newark, UK
ARMORED SAINT: John Bush – Vocals Joey Vera – Bass Jeff Duncan – Guitars Gonzo Sandoval – Drums Phil Sandoval – Guitars
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 ) 