With “Watch Me Burn,” HALCYON DAYS push their sound to its most extreme territory yet. The track is a ferocious blend of crushing riffs, punishing breakdowns, and suffocating intensity, a sonic manifestation of inner collapse and the desperate need to become something better.
Lyrically, the song confronts self-hatred, guilt, and the feeling of never measuring up. Rather than offering easy answers, “Watch Me Burn” embraces destruction as a necessary step toward transformation. The band’s trademark balance of heaviness and melody takes a darker, more abrasive form here, aligning with the fast-paced aggression of hardcore while staying grounded in metalcore tradition. It’s confrontational, uncomfortable, and brutally honest.
“Watch Me Burn” stands as a defining moment in the NOTHING TO NO ONE // SOMETHING TO SOMEONE era, a statement of intent from a band that refuses to hold back.
NOTHING TO NO ONE // SOMETHING TO SOMEONE release via Indie Recordings on June 5th 2026
FFO: Architects, Knocked Loose and Counterparts
ABOUT Since 2016 Halcyon Days have established themselves as one of Norway’s most consistent and compelling metalcore acts. Known for their immersive live presence, infectious intensity, and explosive energy, the band has earned seven-figure streams, widespread international press, and slots at major European festivals including Summer Breeze Open Air, High Five Summer Fest, Inferno Festival, and Reeperbahn Festival. Halcyon Days have balanced aggression, melody, and emotion, creating music that is heavy, deeply human, and built to resonate on stage and in headphones alike. In 2026 Halcyon Days continue to evolve while staying true to their roots, reinforcing their position as one of Norway’s leading modern metalcore bands.
Halcyon Days is: Robbe Madsen – Vocals André Sørensen – Guitar Eirik Løvås Bjerke – Drums Steffen Johansen – Bass
Finnish black metal band Acolythus are set to release their debut album ‘Unearthly Kingdoms ‘Neath Lifeless Stars’ on May 8th 2026 via Inverse Records. The first and only single ‘Scholars of Empires Beyond’ is unleashed today and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/acolythus-scholars
The band comments: “Scholars of Empires Beyond embodies the very elements that inspired the creation of the album and the becoming of Acolythus. Born not only from the members’ passion for black metal but also from a growing distaste for the sterile sound of modern metal production, this record rejects perfection in favor of authenticity. Written in its entirety and recorded within a single month—February 2026—we deliberately constrained the production process to preserve the aggression and the human element behind every take. No edits, no gimmicks, only pure expression. Listeners can expect furious, melodic, and at times unexpected echoes of Finnish old-school black metal!”
–Composed, lyrics and produced by Acolythus –Mix & Master by Teemu Leskinen –Single cover art by Matias Stenman
–All music written and produced by Acolythus –Mix & Master by Teemu Leskinen –Album cover art by Matias Stenman
Acolythus is a project strongly rooted in traditional black metal, boasting straightforward aggression coupled with a recognizable Finnish melodic approach to the genre. Featuring members from Convulse, Sargassus and Jotungrav, the band was born as an outlet for the musicians’ black metal aspirations. After the inspiration struck, ‘Unearthly Kingdoms ‘Neath Lifeless Stars’ was written and recorded in a matter of weeks. The album aims at conveying the aggression and feeling behind the music in its purest form. Hence in Acolythus’ music, the listener will only hear real instruments being played by real people – free of all edits and tricks that dominate the modern metal sound. Thematically Acolythus centers itself around esoteric and occult knowledge, as well as a somewhat misanthropic and post-apocalyptic focus on humanity. Much of the inspiration from which the music is born out of can be traced to the mystical worldbuilding and wordweaving of bands such as Alghazanth, Immortal and Emperor, to name a few. In short, Acolythus provides the listener with poetic hymns and sermons of woe, accompanied by blazing and ice-cold riffs in the most authentic way black metal should be performed in.
Modern metalcore powerhouse THE NARRATOR returns with a striking new music video for their latest single, ‘Agnosia,’ taken from their forthcoming sophomore album Phosphor. The track further showcases the band’s evolving sound and artistic depth.
‘Agnosia‘ captivates listeners from the outset with haunting clean vocals, gradually building tension before erupting into a powerful, breakdown-driven metalcore anthem, elevated by an undeniably infectious chorus.
On a thematic level, the song delves into emotional numbness, inner turmoil, and the longing to be understood. It paints a vivid portrait of pain, isolation, and self-destructive tendencies, ultimately blurring the line between suffering and identity.
THE NARRATOR‘shighly anticipated new album, Phosphor, will be released on May 8th, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to their acclaimed debut album Lore offers ten smashing songs that respond to the global crisis with inner exhaustion and shows how close hope and self-destruction are to each other.
THE NARRATOR navigate the weight of time & the haunting awareness of life’s impermanence. A masterclass in modern metal!
01 Phosphor 02 Aurora 03 Modern Age Blasphemy 04 Stasis (feat. Avralize) 05 Pills From The Start 06 Agnosia 07 Two Lives 08 Dissection 09 Iron Grip 10 9010
THE NARRATOR LIVE:
10.04.26 UK Nottingham, Rock City 12.04.26 UK London, Modern Era Festival 13.04.26 UK Bristol, The Croft 22.-23.05.26 DE Camping Battleground Open Air 30.05.26 FR Artificial Waves Festival 13.06.26 NL Into The Grave Festival 11.07.26 DE Free For All Festival 12.-15.08.26 DE Summer Breeze Festival 04.-05.09.26 DE Pell Mell Festival 24.10.26 DE Rocken Hilft Festival
EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR 2026 Special Guest: Accvsed
26.09.26 FI Helsinki, On The Rocks 30.09.26 CH Aarau, Kiff Aarau 01.10.26 AT Wien, Flex Café 03.10.26 DE München, Backstage Club 04.10.26 DE Stuttgart, Im Wizemann 06.10.26 CZ Prag, Rock Cafe 07.10.26 DE Leipzig, WERK 2 – Kulturfabrik Leipzig e.V. 08.10.26 DE Berlin, Frannz-Club 09.10.26 DE Hamburg, Bahnhof Pauli 10.10.26 DE Köln, Club Volta 11.10.26 NL Haarlem, Patronaat 13.10.26 DE Wiesbaden, Schlachthof Wiesbaden Kesselhaus 15.10.26 UK London, The Black Heart 16.10.26 FR Paris, La Maroquinerie 17.10.26 NL Tilburg, Little Devil 18.10.26 BE Antwerp, Kavka Oudaan
THE NARRATOR were founded in 2017 in the Ruhr area of Germany and have been captivating audiences with their energetic songwriting and electrifying live performances from the very beginning. After successful tours and festival appearances, THE NARRATOR steadily made a name for themselves in the global metalcore scene.
In September 2024, THE NARRATOR released their highly anticipated debut album Lore – 10 tracks that speak volumes, boasting an impressive 12 million streams across all platforms to this day. Their latest singles, ‘Aurora‘ and ‘Pills From The Start‘ mastered by Ted Jensen (STERLING SOUND – BRING ME THE HORIZON, GREEN DAY, KORN, and many more), proved once again that THE NARRATOR is essential for every modern metal playlist. With their sophomore album ‘Phosphor‘ due out on May 8th and a European headline tour as well as festival appearances later this year, one thing is certain: the best is yet to come!
The UK’s RATTLESNAKES proudly release their cover of Saxon’s iconic track, “And The Bands Played On.” The new cover arrives alongside an official visualizer, available below.
Heavy Metal legends Saxon wrote the “And The Bands Played On” anthem (from the ‘Denim and Leather’ album, 1981) inspired by their live appearance at the first Monsters of Rock festival on August 16, 1980 at Donington Park, where the band was met with an overwhelmingly enthusiastic crowd response.
RATTLESNAKES shares:
“‘And The Bands Played On’ is a song that collectively created a plethora of joyous memories for us all in RATTLESNAKES! The reason we chose to cover this song was also because of the similarities in genre and style we both have and our love for vocal harmonies, which is something very prevalent in this song. We wanted to put our spin on this awesome track by emphasizing that! This band has never failed to inspire us in RATTLESNAKES and we hope to honor and bring light upon The Mighty Saxon for the younger generations of rockers by carrying the everlasting torch of HEAVY METAL THUNDER!”
The band is currently demoing material for their full length debut album, and with it’s wrath filled riffing and commanding vocals, will undeniably make you head bang and generate impassioned sing alongs.
Check RATTLESNAKES out live with label fellows Struck A Nerve and Devastator at London Cart and Horses on May 3rd, 2026.
Finnish symphonic melodic death metal band Inthraced are set to release their long-awaited debut album ‘Constellation Zero’ on May 15th 2026 via Inverse Records. The last single, title track Constellation Zero is unleashed today and it is available on all major streaming platforms: https://push.fm/fl/inthraced-constellation
The band comments:
“The album’s title track. A cold, cosmic, and sci-fi-like atmosphere.”
–Composed by Tommi Takkunen & Mirko Byman –Lyrics by Tommi Takkunen & Tuomas Lautanen –ISRC: FIRNX2500005 –Cover art by Robert H, Holo Dreamz
Constellation Zero Track list:
The Revenant
Neon Frontiers
The Black Star
Darkest Chest
Constellation Zero
The Way Of The Voice
Lost Divinity
–Mixed by Janne Korpela JK mixing studios Finland –Mastered by Mika Jussila @ Finnvox studios Finland –Cover art by Robert H, Holo Dreamz
Inthraced is a Finnish metal band founded in 2011, blending melodic intensity with cosmic darkness to forge a distinct and powerful soundscape. Their early releases, “The New Awakening” (2012) and “The Rising Chaos” (2014), set the foundation for their rise, further amplified by the 2019 single “Interstellar.”
In 2022, the band was reborn with a new guitarist and bassist, igniting the creative fire behind their debut album “Constellation Zero” — an epic and ambitious journey that carries the listener to the very edges of the universe.
Line-up: Tommi Takkunen – Guitar & Vocals Mirko Byman – Guitar Eetu Kovapohja – Bass Antti Ikonen – Drums
KHEMMIS returns! Denver’s colossal heavy metal band is back with their massively anticipated fifth album, due out June 12th via Nuclear Blast Records. The self-titled record — the follow-up to 2021’s heralded Deceiver — represents KHEMMIS in their truest form: disciples of the riff. Adorned with artwork from Christopher Remmers and featuring eight tracks of unadulterated, monolithic metal, Khemmis is a celebration of heavy music, bound by the camaraderie and shared passion that was reignited during its recording.
Commenting on the impending album, guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson states:
“We decided early in the songwriting process that we wanted to write a tight, high-energy album that retained the essential ‘Khemmis sound’ while also embodying the joy of creating, experiencing, and loving heavy metal. Ours have always been deeply personal songs born from tragedy and sorrow; while the songs on Khemmis are still undeniably dark—I don’t think we’re capable of writing ‘happy’ music nor can we disentangle our music from our own personal experiences—they are not mined from our suffering. Instead, this record is a celebration of the music world that has sustained us, both individually and collectively, and has also gifted us with community and a sense of meaning. In many ways, we have reconnected with the energy and excitement from our earliest days as a band, an unabashed desire to play loud, heavy music. That exuberance is infused with a profound sense of gratitude to be able to create art with each other and to share it with the world.”
Without further ado, KHEMMIS has revealed the album’s lead track and first single, “Invocation of the Dreamer,” which is accompanied by a music video directed by Frank Guerra.
Adding about the new song, Hutcherson says:
“We knew that this song had to be the first single in much the same way we knew it had to be the album opener—it is an undeniable ripper. “Invocation of the Dreamer” kicks the front door in, flips over your coffee table, and sets your living room on fire. It has everything you’d expect from a Khemmis song—big riffs, harmonized guitars, infectious vocal melodies—along with a slew of surprises, including blastbeats and a scorching bass break.”
KHEMMIS will perform a special one-off show with ACID BATH in May before embarking on a headlining tour in early summer with support from NECROFIER and WRETCHED, followed by an excursion with MONOLORD soon after. Tickets are available at: https://khemmisdoom.com/live/
Khemmisis available for pre-order now, including a ‘Deluxe Edition’ of the record offered by the band, which features exclusive extras—a behind-the-scenes photobook, an autographed promo photo, and more—directly from their website.
W / ACID BATH & CHAT PILE May 16 – Oklahoma City, OK – The Criterion
Forsake The Light Headline Tour w / NECROFIER & WRETCHED June 19 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater June 20 – Seattle, WA – Substation June 21 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater June 23 – Sacramento, CA – Starlet Room June 24 – Berkeley, CA – Cornerstone June 25 – Santa Cruz, CA – Felton Music Hall June 26 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room June 27 – San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick June 28 – Pioneertown, CA – Pappy & Harriet’s June 30 – Phoenix, AZ – Nile Theater July 1 – Cottonwood, AZ – Queen B July 2 – Albuquerque, NM – Sister
W / MONOLORD Aug 27 – Chicago, IL – Thalia Hall Aug 28 – Louisville, KY – Portal Aug 29 – Atlanta, GA – Garden Club Aug 30 – Asheville, NC – Eulogy Aug 31 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern Sep 2 – Philadelphia, PA – Underground Arts Sep 3 – Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere Sep 5 – Baltimore, MD – Labor Daze Sep 8 – Columbus, OH – Ace of Cups Sep 9 – Detroit, MI – Sanctuary Sep 10 – Indianapolis, IN – Black Circle
About KHEMMIS:
After eleven years of albums and global touring, Colorado’s Khemmis have cemented themselves as pillars of modern heavy metal. Yet as they approach their fifth full-length, the band found something newly vital: the simple joy of creating heavy music together. Formed with no expectations, the group’s longevity has become its foundation, with guitarist/vocalist Ben Hutcherson describing the band as a rare source of stability and camaraderie. Since their 2015 debut Absolution, followed by the acclaimed Hunted, Desolation, Doomed Heavy Metal MLP, and Deceiver, Khemmis have built a legacy of towering, spiritual doom that continues to resonate with fans worldwide.
Despite changes—including members relocating and bassist David Small joining in 2022—the band emerged more focused than ever. Recording again at Flatline Audio in Colorado, the lineup of Hutcherson, Phil Pendergast, Zach Coleman, and Small leaned into renewed trust and chemistry, with distance paradoxically strengthening their bond. The addition of Small invigorated the rhythm section and encouraged experimentation, while the band rediscovered the excitement that defined their early days. That renewed energy fueled a collaborative atmosphere rooted in confidence, inspiration, and the shared thrill of simply playing heavy metal.
The resulting self-titled album is both a celebration and reinvention: a conceptually framed ritual of heavy metal that moves from the pounding “Invocation of the Dreamer” to the climactic “Benediction Tones,” balancing galloping aggression with emotionally resonant anthems. The record embraces extremity, catharsis, and joy in equal measure, complemented by new visual direction from artist Christopher Remmers. Through lineup changes, distance, and a shifting world, Khemmis remain unshaken—leaning into the music that defines them. Their self-titled album arrives June 12th, 2026 via Nuclear Blast, capturing the band in their truest and most energized form.
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