BONSAI KITTEN have released a new single and video ‘Raise Your Glass’ on Metalville.
‘Raise Your Glass’ is a swinging rock tune with a hard and fast double bass in the chorus and a very catchy hook that makes a clear statement with ‘Raise Your Glass To Better Days’.
BONSAI KITTEN – you’ve seen the name countless times and you can find the band’s stickers in almost every club across Germany, but what kind of music does this band led by frontwoman and founder Tiger Lilly Marleen actually play?
Musically, the band’s style has evolved over the years from punk-a-billy to punk rock to metal with blues influences. Band leader Tiger Lilly Marleen reorganised her band in 2019 with blues rock guitarist Wally. Together with blues rock guitarist André ‘Wally’ Wahlhäuser, Markus ‘Spoxx’ Schütze on the 3-string and Guido Schade, they will be on the road from 2026.
With headline tours throughout Germany, concerts in Finland, Italy, Switzerland, Poland, Czechia and as far afield as Bangkok, Thailand, as well as tours in Hungary and England, festival appearances at Rock im Park, 2x Metal Hammer Paradise, Ruhrpott Rodeo, Satanic Stomp Rebellion Punk Music Festival and support shows for The BossHoss, Dick Dale, D-A-D, Nashville Pussy, The Toy Dolls and New Model Army, as well as a duet with Jesper Binzer from D-A-D in a new version of Black Sabbath’s WAR PIGS.
LINE UP Tiger Lilly Marleen – vocals André „Wally“ Wahlhäuser – guitar Marc Reign – drums Spoxx – bass
Rockshots Records is proud to announce the release of the new lyric video for “Eclissi”, taken from “Myth of Mankind“, the third full-length album by Italian folk metal act Aexylium.
“Eclissi” marks a defining moment in Aexylium’s artistic journey. Musically rooted in the band’s unmistakable fusion of modern metal intensity and traditional folk instrumentation, the track stands out as the first song in the band’s career written entirely in Italian, a deliberate and meaningful choice that reinforces its emotional impact and narrative depth. Layered choirs, wide melodic lines, and a carefully balanced orchestral framework make “Eclissi” one of the most evocative compositions on “Myth of Mankind,” while also enhancing its strong potential in a live setting where audience interaction becomes an integral part of the song’s identity. Commenting on the track, the band explains that “Eclissi fits perfectly with the musical lines of the album and represents a new expressive space for us. Writing in Italian allowed the lyrics to flow more naturally, strengthening the emotional connection between words and music while the choirs make it especially powerful during live performances.”
The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Davide Tavecchia at Twilight Studio, ensuring a powerful yet detailed production that highlights both the band’s metallic core and its rich instrumental textures. The front cover was designed by Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, Machine Head, Amaranthe).”Myth of Mankind” represents the most mature and personal chapter in Aexylium’s discography, addressing introspective and abstract themes while consciously stepping beyond genre stereotypes without losing sight of the band’s roots.
Formed in Italy in 2014, Aexylium have steadily built a strong reputation within the European folk metal scene, performing at major festivals such as Dong Open Air, Tanzt!, and Montelago Celtic Festival and sharing the stage with acts including Blind Guardian, Elvenking, Wind Rose, and TÝR. Following the releases of “Tales From This Land” (2018) and “The Fifth Season” (2021), the band returns with “Myth of Mankind“, an album that fully encapsulates their growth in terms of songwriting, production, and artistic vision.
The lyric video for “Eclissi” offers listeners and media partners a focused insight into one of the album’s most distinctive tracks, highlighting both its linguistic uniqueness and its role within the conceptual and musical framework of “Myth of Mankind“.
For fans of Eluveitie, Korpiklaani, Amorphis, Folkstone, Alestorm, and Mago de Oz, “Myth of Mankind” (released May 23, 2025) is available digitally and on CD at https://lnk.to/koGz58.
Track Listing: 1 – Fontes et Omnia 2 – The Queen 3 – Hexe 4 – Into Oblivion 5 – In Sorrow 6 – Myth of Mankind 7 – Eclissi 8 – Wild Hunt 9 – Surrender 10 – Northern Lights 11 – Eternity
Irish nu-metalcore contenders Following The Signs return today with their explosive new single, ‘Break The Frame’, the latest track to be unveiled from their forthcoming EP EVOLVE, set for release on March 20th.
Following on from the defiant charge of previous single ‘Call To Rise’, ‘Break The Frame’ pushes the band’s message even further — confronting restriction, expectation, and the invisible structures that confine identity and ambition. It’s a track rooted in defiance and personal awakening, calling on listeners to reject imposed limitations and carve out their own path, regardless of opposition.
Musically, ‘Break The Frame’ captures the full weight of Following The Signs evolved sound. Formed in Cork in 2018, the five-piece have built a reputation for combining groove-heavy nu-metal influences with the precision and aggression of modern metalcore. The new single delivers pummeling riffs, thunderous breakdowns, and soaring yet abrasive vocal dynamics, all underpinned by a sharpened sense of atmosphere and control. It’s direct, urgent, and unflinching.
Commenting on the track, the band says; “Break the frame is written with the idea of living in a simulation connected to a machine, the mainframe. The story is written about waking up from the mainframe due to a glitch. Upon waking you realise the simulated world is not what it seems, so you fight to break free from the mainframe to live in the real world.“
‘Break The Frame’ serves as a crucial piece of the narrative arc that defines ‘EVOLVE’, a five-track statement exploring survival, resistance, societal pressure, and transformation in an increasingly fractured world. Where ‘Call To Rise’ stood as a rallying cry against oppression, ‘Break The Frame‘ turns inward, challenging the psychological and structural barriers that prevent growth and change.
The forthcoming EP marks the band’s most cohesive and focused body of work to date. Following the impact of their debut album Conflictions and singles such as ‘Birthright’ and ‘Stand Tall’, ‘EVOLVE’ represents a significant step forward both sonically and conceptually. The record captures a band refining their identity while expanding their creative scope.
Recent live performances in Warsaw and Kraków, Poland, their largest international shows to date, have further demonstrated the band’s growing momentum beyond Ireland, solidifying their reputation as a rising force within the modern heavy music landscape.
With the release of ‘Break The Frame’ today and ‘EVOLVE’ landing on March 20th, Following The Signs continue to position themselves at the forefront of Ireland’s heavy scene — delivering music that is both ferocious in sound and fearless in message.
Evolve track-listing; Stuck in place Call to rise Break the frame Evolve Infectious
Following The Signs are: Alan Jevens – Vocals Noel Crowley – Guitars Vincent Renoux – Guitars Rory Taylor – Bass Chris Hanlon – Drums
Northern Irish metal outfit Nihilanth return with their blistering new single ‘Don’t Pray For Me’, the follow up to 2024’s crushing release ‘Ruin’. The track is taken from the band’s forthcoming second EP, Detritus Of Ruin, due for release on March 20th.
‘Don’t Pray For Me’ sees Nihilanth leaning further into the darker, more abrasive edges of their sound, channeling death metal intensity through the band’s established groove-laden framework. It is a track built on weight and intent, pairing suffocating heaviness with razor-sharp precision.
‘Don’t Pray For Me’ is available on all major streaming platforms, HERE.
Lyrically, the single is one of the most direct statements the band have made to date. The inspiration stems from a personal experience guitarist Pete Craig had after moving to Belfast, shaping a broader commentary on religious fanaticism and the damage it can inflict across all denominations of faith. While recognising the right to individual belief, the track challenges the imposition of those beliefs on others, particularly when used to incite fear, hostility or division.
‘Don’t Pray For Me’ reflects on how many global conflicts and societal fractures can be traced back to religion or religious persecution. Growing up in Ireland and Northern Ireland, these themes are far from abstract, giving the track a lived-in authenticity that cuts deeper than rhetoric. The result is a bleak but honest examination of how ideology, when weaponised, can bring out the worst in people.
The single sets the tone for Detritus Of Ruin, a record that captures Nihilanth at their most focused and fully realised. Following their 2023 debut EP Destroyer Of Worlds, the band experienced significant line-up changes. Rather than halting progress, that period became a turning point. With the current line-up now firmly established, this EP represents the sound Nihilanth have been driving towards since their inception.
Across the EP, raw aggression is balanced with atmosphere and control. Breakdown sections are delivered with purpose, while subtle layers of synths and strings expand the band’s sonic scope without diluting their core intensity. Themes of self-destruction sit alongside wider societal observations, tackling corruption, prejudice and the influence of organised religion with unflinching honesty.
First single ‘Ruin’ introduced this chapter with a devastating statement of intent, featuring guest vocals from Patrick Scanlon of Belfast hardcore band If It Bleeds. Tracks such as ‘Fractured’ showcase a modern metal edge, while ‘Fangs’ underlines Nihilanth’s refusal to be confined to one lane, blending multiple heavy disciplines into a sound that is unmistakably their own.
Detritus Of Ruin is not a reinvention but a realisation. It is the sound of a band that has weathered change, sharpened its identity and emerged heavier, tighter and more confident than ever.
‘DETRITUS OF RUIN’ tracklist: Ruin The Emergent Truth Fangs Don’t Prey for Me
Nihilanth are: Aidan Thompson, vocals Pete Craig, guitar and backing vocals Lee Park, guitar Andy Parkinson, drums Jim Ward, bass
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 have released their first single “Let Us Ride The World”:
Stream the Track: https://save-it.cc/fireflash/let-us-ride-the-world
„Before The Birth Of Light“ will be released on May 8th and is available on CD, limited vinyl (300 copies) and digital.
“The entire message of this album can be understood literally and historically, as a depiction of the Viking invasion, but it can also be understood metaphorically, as a representation of the extraordinary strength, dynamism, and unstoppable energy that a well-matched group of people can bring to their actions. The song “Let Us Ride The World” is about what we feel when we create a force together that allows us to conquer the world, simply. This is how not only musicians who enjoy playing together in a band feel, but also everyone who has managed to gather others around them on the basis of “team spirit.” In the lyrics, literally, a band of Vikings addresses Thor, one of the most important deities of that mythology. Today, in modern times, we could say: “We go as a herd, no one can defeat us!”.
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.
SACRIVERSUM is: Remigiusz „Remo” Mielczarek – bass, vocals Krystian „MacKozer” Kozerawski – guitar Olaf “Olafsson” Kozerawski – guitar Krzysztof „Baran” Baranowicz – keyboards Jan „Trocin” Traciński – drums
Germany’s Obey The Kraken are back, dragging listeners into the void with their second EP, Apocrypha, out 10th April via Seek & Strike. What began as an unplanned follow up to 2025’s Worship The Sunken God has evolved into a dark, relentless descent into a world where angels fall and hell rises.
First single, ‘Betrayer’, tears open the gates of Obey The Kraken’s mythic world. It’s deathcore stripped to its rawest elements, riffs that hit like falling iron and production built around weight and impact rather than excess.
Commenting on the single, Obey The Kraken said: “‘Betrayer’ marks the opening chapter of the biblical saga that unfolds throughout our EP. The video is fast paced to match the song’s energy and we made the deliberate decision not to visually portray the story itself, as translating it literally would have been difficult and limiting for us. Instead, we stripped it right back to focus on a classic performance video that emphasizes the intensity and drive of the track.”
Apocrypha tells a story in sound, an angel cast from heaven, forging an alliance with hell, returning to challenge the celestial order itself. Every song is a chapter, every breakdown a hammer blow. The EP moves like the story, deliberate and immersive, pulling listeners into Obey The Kraken’s realm where narrative and brutality are inseparable. Nothing is decorative. Nothing is wasted. Every note exists to damage and leave its mark.
The band’s conceptual ambition remains central. Whilst preserving the DNA of their debut, Obey The Kraken push further into uncharted territory. With production carried out entirely in house, leaving the band with full control over how heavy, how clear and how oppressive they needed it to feel. The result is an EP that is heavy and unflinching, a complete assault for fans who crave deathcore that hits as hard thematically as it does musically.
Obey The Kraken add, “Apocrypha means a lot to us, especially as we hadn’t planned this second EP. After finishing our first EP (Worship The Sunken God) last year things developed naturally and we realized we had more to say within this world and sound. We consciously kept the formula of the first EP intact, so anyone who enjoyed EP1 will feel right at home with EP2. Listening back to the final masters, we’re genuinely happy with how consistent and powerful the release feels as a whole. Everything was designed to feel massive, heavy, and epic, supporting the narrative without overcomplicating the production approach.
“Lyrics play a central role for us. Our first EP told the complete story of Cthulhu and his resurrection across four songs and we wanted to apply that same conceptual approach again. On Apocrypha, the songs tell the story of an angel who is cast out of heaven, forms an alliance with hell and ultimately seeks to conquer heaven itself. Each track represents a different chapter of that narrative.”
Track-list:
1. Betrayer 2. Netherworld 3. War Awaits 4. Bow To Darkness
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 ) 