Cape Town outfit WE KILL COWBOYS are back with a fierce new single, “Cowboys of Doom”, featuring Jay Smith, vocalist of Cape Town metal band Doomtrigger. The track is the first taste of their upcoming album and showcases the band’s heavier, high-octane direction.
Known for their raw, high-energy fusion of punk rock, grunge, and post-hardcore, We Kill Cowboys have evolved into a powerful five-piece that thrives on storytelling and defiant themes. Frontwoman Alex Muller, formerly balancing vocals and guitar, now delivers her gritty, compelling voice unrestrained, while producer and long-time friend Floris Le Roux joins on second guitar, adding fresh intensity alongside Mornay’s aggressive riffs, Andrew’s thunderous drumming, and Miggs’ resonant basslines.
“Cowboys of Doom” dives headfirst into the tense friction between society’s marginalized and the ruling elite. The track’s narrative explores frantic survival, psychological strain, and the defiance of authority, creating a visceral anthem for those confronting systemic imbalance. Jay Smith’s guest vocals heighten the track’s intensity, bringing an extra layer of raw power to the band’s sonic assault.
With their electrifying live shows and unrelenting sound, We Kill Cowboys continue to push boundaries in the Cape Town music scene, delivering music that’s as thought-provoking as it is adrenaline-fueled. “Cowboys of Doom” sets the stage for what promises to be a thrilling, uncompromising album.
Symphonic metal band Memoira has released a new four-song EP, Dollmaker. The release brings together the band’s recent single releases and a new version of Queen’s iconic song The Show Must Go On.
The idea of a Queen cover has been in the band’s mind for several years. The themes and atmosphere of the song were felt to be a natural part of Memoira’s own musical and lyrical world.
– “The idea of doing a version of the song came about back in 2022, and I’ve probably had it in my mind for even longer. It’s a bit crazy, because the song is so beloved, so this version will definitely stir up emotions. The song is very important to us, and we feel it has a lot of similarities to our music and lyricalthemes,” says the band’s keyboardist Lassi Nuolivaara.
The Dollmaker EP brings together Memoira’s recent releases into a cohesive whole. The band released a music video for the EP’s title track, Dollmaker, on January 15, which featured the song in its entirety for the first time. The single edit of the song was released late last year.
Dollmaker EP: 01 – Dollmaker – QZHNA2635447 02 – Cryonic Heart – FIA732400001 03 – Emerald Eyes – FIA732400002 04 – The Show Must Go On – QZHNA2635448
–Written/Lyrics/Arranged: Memoira –Except track #4 Written/Lyrics/Arranged by Brian May/Freddie Mercury/John Deacon/Roger Taylor
Memoira is known for its combination of symphonic metal and strong melodies, where a modern metal sound meets a cinematic and emotional expression. Dollmaker continues the band’s line, offering both familiar and new tones to the band’s sound.
Memoira is a symphonic metal band from Finland formed in 2007. Known for it’s big atmospheric and epic sound, Memoira combines dynamic melodic metal and symphonic ethereal orchestrations into one, consistent flow of storytelling.
On it’s 15- year journey before the latest line-up changes, the band has released three albums and seven singles worldwide.
With the current lineup, which has been active since 2023, and Krista Astrid Schröter as their vocalist, the band has already released three singles (Cryonic Heart 2024, Emerald Eyes 2024 and Dollmaker 2025), each of which has brought the band more listeners and streams. The renewed lineup has also brought a whole new energy to the band’s stage performance and image, which has already been noticed among fans.
MEMOIRA LINE-UP Krista Astrid Schröter – Vocals Lassi Nuolivaara – Keyboards & Piano Serdar Ilter – Guitars Niko Laaksonen – Bass Kimmo Puhakka – Drums
January has passed and February saw all New Year’s resolutions fail. Making it the perfect moment for THE CRUEL INTENTIONS to release their latest single “Living Out of Line”.
A melodic joyride of a song; an anthem to bad choices, great self-esteem and low impulse control.
Driven forth by aggressive drums, hefty guitars and Lizzy Devine’s raw and almost callous vocals, “Living Out of Line” carry the sarcasm and attitude of classic scandirock.
The band comments: “Living Out of Line is an unapologetic dive into self-destruction and indulgence. It’s about the rush of living on the edge, chasing every high, and knowing it can’t last, but doing it anyway. A high-voltage anthem for anyone who’s ever chosen chaos over control.”
Where Beating in My Chest had a nostalgic twist, Living Out of Line is very much about living in the present. Sometimes the best way to overcome challenges is to blow out some steam.
So, lean back and enjoy the ride! Life is about more than healthy choices.
THE CRUEL INTENTIONS ARE: Lizzy DeVine – Vocals & Guitar Kristian Solhaug – Guitar Mats Wernerson- Bass Robin Nilsson – Drums
When times are tough, The Cruel Intentions go harder. Serving you fast-paced and reckless rock, tainted by the love of life and a surge of raw energy, the Swedish/Norwegian band based in Oslo channels Guns N’ Roses and Mötley Crüe, adds pop-punk punch and melodic hard-rock swagger, and brings classic Rock ’n’ Roll straight into today’s youth culture.
Founded in 2015, the band has built a reputation through heavy touring, explosive live shows, and worldwide media acclaim. Their music is fast, dark, humorous, and punishing, feel-good chaos rooted in rock history and impossible not to love.
They’ve toured Europe, the UK, Australia, and the US, hitting major festivals like Sweden Rock, Tons of Rock, Summer Breeze, and the Monsters of Rock Cruise, while gracing the pages of Rolling Stone, Billboard, and Classic Rock Magazine. Lizzy DeVine’s years fronting Vains of Jenna in L.A, during the golden age of Rock ’n’ Reality TV, infuse The Cruel Intentions with unapologetic attitude and swagger.
The Cruel Intentions have also gained global attention through HBO/DC’s Peacemaker, with tracks like “Jawbreaker” and “Reckoning” featured across both seasons, earning praise from director James Gunn. With two critically acclaimed albums on Indie Recordings, The Cruel Intentions remain one of modern rock’s most exciting, reckless, and addictive forces.
South African traditional/stoner doom metal trio Mad God return with the release of their harrowing new single, Left To Rot, the first glimpse into their forthcoming concept album, An Age Of Ash. The track marks a bold new chapter for the band, expanding their sonic and narrative scope while retaining the crushing weight and atmosphere that have defined their sound since their formation in 2014.
Formed by Tim Harbour (vocals and guitar), Patrick Stephansen (drums), and Tim Harrison (bass), Mad God have built a reputation for bridging the gap between classic and psychedelic doom. Their earlier releases, A Tale of A Sightless City (2017) and Grotesque and Inexorable (2018), explored themes of cosmic horror and true crime. With An Age Of Ash, the band venture into darker, more expansive territory, delivering their first full concept album rooted in dark fantasy.
Musically, the album introduces progressive influences while maintaining the band’s heavy, hypnotic core. The record was captured live at Helsing Studios, a deliberate choice that allowed the songs to breathe and unfold organically. Recorded without a click track, each track was performed in full, in a single take, capturing a powerful and kinetic energy not previously heard in the band’s work. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Danny Helsing, whose dynamic approach to production complements the band’s raw intensity. Helsing also joined Mad God in 2021 as their bassist, further shaping the band’s evolving sound.
The band explain that the driving force behind An Age Of Ash was a desire to create a cohesive and immersive listening experience. “We wanted something more natural and unified than our previous releases,” they say. “Recording live in one take allowed the songs to feel alive and unpredictable. It became about capturing emotion and atmosphere rather than perfection.”
The album’s narrative unfolds in a world where evil has long been forgotten, allowing a new darkness to rise unchecked. Humanity, blind to the primal forces that once threatened its survival, turns inward and fractures. A war-torn kingdom descends into chaos under the rule of an incompetent king manipulated by shadowy powers. At the heart of the story is a young woman on a journey toward absolution, and a father whose desperate actions set him on a twisted path toward vindication. As ancient archfiends known as the Ynyes awaken to reclaim their dominion, a new Chosen rises to challenge a corrupt and collapsing world, while the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.
Left To Rot forms the second chapter of this unfolding saga. The single follows Fadden, a farmer and father who, in a moment of despair, is tricked into a pact that transforms him into a demonic entity. In his quest to save his family, he discovers the devastating consequences of his choices. Believing both his wife Melisa and daughter Lillia are captive, he sets out to rescue them, unaware that only his wife has been taken while his daughter has escaped and joined a rebel force resisting the tyrannical regime.
When Fadden finally finds Melisa, he is confronted with a horrific reality. She has been trapped in a state of endless torment, her decaying body sustained by sorcerous means to feed the life force of the Ynyes. Hoping for forgiveness and redemption, he instead faces the weight of his betrayal as she curses his name before dying in his arms. The song captures the crushing inevitability of consequence, weaving sorrow, rage, and despair into a towering doom soundscape.
With Left To Rot, Mad God deliver one of their most emotionally intense and musically expansive compositions to date. The track stands as a powerful introduction to An Age Of Ash, setting the tone for a record that promises to be their most ambitious and immersive work yet.
Left To Rot is available on all major digital platforms, with An Age Of Ash set for release later this year. For fans of traditional doom, progressive metal, and dark fantasy storytelling, Mad God’s new era has only just begun.
The Metal Voice recently interview singer Rob Dukes of Exodus and spoke about the bands 12th studio album called ‘Goliath’ which will be released on Napalm records on March 20th 2026.
Watch the full interview below.
When asked about the fans’ reaction of him being back in the band and on tour?
” I mean, it’s been awesome, man. I mean, nobody’s come up and said to me, “Hey, you suck.” I mean, nobody’s ever said that to my face. Uh, they say it online, but they don’t ever say it to my face. It’s been awesome, man. I mean, the fans have been killer. You know, we meet people before the show and they’re always really stoked and happy we’re here and then um the crowd reaction seems to be, you know, [ __ ] great, man. I mean, they’re just singing along with the songs and having a blast and having a good time and everybody’s big [ __ ] goofy grin on their face, you know what I mean? I’m sure I got one on my face. I’m happy to be back up there again, you know what I mean? And I acknowledge that. So, yeah, it’s been uh it’s been really good. “
When asked about the online polarization of him being back in the band
“Let me clarify. I don’t read the online comments, but my people do and they kind of give me the synopsis. It’s kind of like Blaze Bailey. Well, there’s two things to do. I always jokingly said I’m the Blaze Bailey of [ __ ] Exodus. You know what I mean? Only because I was the third singer. So, but whatever. It’s just that I look at it like this. I love music as much as everyone else. I would have never thought to go on a website and trash anything they do or even make a positive comment. I just don’t, I’m not that guy. So, I don’t I don’t really get why people do it. But then again, I kind of get it. You know what I mean? You’re captivated by music because when you hear a song, it puts you in a moment of time. It does. And that moment of time is forever encapsulated in your emotions. But now that there’s like this internet and the websites and stuff, everyone can inject their opinion whether it means anything or not. I don’t give a [ __ ] what people think of me. 99.9% of the people that talk [ __ ] about me have never [ __ ] met me. So, you could have your opinion. You’re more than entitled to it. And that’s fine. It doesn’t affect my way I’m going to do things or the way I live my life or who I am as a person. You’re not gonna do it it doesn’t matter. So you can just keep talking [ __ ] It doesn’t bug me.”
When asked how he felt when he was asked to rejoin the band?
“I needed a day (to say yes). I had to talk with my family and uh and my people I work with. I have a whole another life. I’ve become a welder in the last 10 years and a fabricator and I work at a at a business and I uh you know work for myself and and I had to contemplate can I take this time off and go do tours and and still maintain my my life and and um so it took me a day to think about it and and then um I said yeah I said all right cool I’ll go do it. “
When asked if he completed the Album Blood in, Blood out with his vocals before Zetro came back into the band
“Yeah. Nuclear Blast has it. It’s complete. Yeah,. I did the whole album “.
When asked how he felt when we was let go after Blood in Blood out
“I was [ __ ] pissed, man. It wasn’t my identity, but it had become my livelihood and it was all taken from me, you know what I mean? And it was really bad timing. Um, Hurricane Sandy had happened and I had a lot of fallout from that from where I lived. Uh I lived in uh in North Jersey at the time and um uh it was just I I just got married and it was just I mean the worst [ __ ] timing and I I was really um I was angry about it at first but then when the anger subsided. I was terrified because now if I was just alone it was just me I wouldn’t it wouldn’t have been as bad. I think I would have handled it much better. But the fact that I had other people that I was responsible for it, it threw me for a for a loop and I was pretty angry for about a year and then uh then it subsided and then I just totally and moved on and uh I made my peace with it and um didn’t hold the resentment or and let the anger go and and all that.”
When asked about the musical direction of the new album Goliath
“I just think it’s Exodus, you know, in 2026, man. I mean, it’s just evolutionary progress. It’s a really really diverse record because it’s absolutely Exodus. Especially Gary (Holt). There’s just no denying that it’s Exodus. It gives you curveballs. It gives you straight up [ __ ] thrash when you [ __ ] the way you want to hear it. The lead playing on this. I mean, Lee (Altus) and Gary were [ __ ] I mean, I watched him do every solo and it’s [ __ ] phenomenal. Jack (Gibson) blew my mind with the way he played on this record. Jack would walk in and go, “What key is it in?” Okay. And then he’d [ __ ] just It was I mean, and Tom (Hunting), too. It’s been uh it was an amazing experience
Vancouver based hypnotic heavy metal outfit Spell, will release its new LP, ‘Wretched Heart‘, on May 1 via Bad Omen Records. A shadow-drenched journey through desperation, passion and defiance, ‘Wretched Heart‘ sees Spell transform heavy metal into something urgent and human – gothic, cinematic and hypnotic. Not only Spell‘s strongest record to date but also a thunderous celebration of eccentricity which stalks its nocturnal realm with both savage finesse and beguiling charm. ‘Wretched Heart‘ is the follow-up to Spell‘s 2022 LP, ‘Tragic Magic‘, an album hailed as a celebration of “the mystique and darkness within hard rock and heavy metal“.
The first track released from ‘Wretched Heart‘ is “Lilac“, Spell‘s most addictive and bittersweet moment to date, and a song that channels both stadium-sized passion and wistful longing. Featuring a guest guitar solo by former Spirit Adrift, Carcass, and Angel Witch man, Tom Draper, “Lilac” dances with harmony-laden metal and synth-driven gothic chills. In the song, the titular flower forms an overarching metaphor for the ephemeral and transient forms of both nature and love.
Stream a music video for “Lilac“, directed by James Barry and Sean Edwards for Ramble Films:
There are many things in life that disappear so quickly and will be gone immediately if we get preoccupied and forget to enjoy them and care for them” elaborates Spell vocalist/bassist Cam Mesmer before noting, “This song isn’t really about a flower“.
‘Wretched Heart‘, in all its gory glory, embodies a very vital paradox – a record made by true believers who yearn for catharsis beyond. The oxymoron of anthems forged from steel, yet with a very human heart. Even the most cynical bystander will likely struggle not to be bewitched.
Track listing: 01.) Dark Inertia 02.) Lilac (stream VIDEO) 03.) Take My Life 04.) Unquiet Graces 05.) Oubliette 06.) Iron Teeth 07.) Exquisite Corpse 08.) Savage Scourge 09.) In Duress 10.) Wretched Heart
Spell is Cam Mesmer (vocals, bass, rhythm guitar, synthesizers), Al Lester, (vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar, drums), Jeff Black (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Gabriel Tenebrae, (lead guitar, synthesizers).
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 ) 