Songwriter/mastermind Jürgen Walzer has created an extraordinary fantasy saga with the DISPYRIA Saga, story metal of incredible intensity that has few equals. In addition to familiar characters (voiced by Zak Stevens (Savatage), among others), Carolina Padrón (Tribus) enters the DISPYRIA world as a new guest singer:
Jürgen Walzer: “I discovered Carolina Padrón online – and sometimes it’s exactly these moments that change everything. When I first saw one of her Nightwish cover videos on YouTube, I instantly knew: this voice is something special. Carolina is not only an incredibly kind and inspiring person – she has a clear, powerful voice with an emotional range that perfectly matches everything I was looking for in Dispyria. What impressed me even more: Carolina is also an outstanding growl vocalist. I am truly proud to have such an exceptional talent as part of this journey.”
Juergen Walzer comes from Kaiserslautern and is a versatile media designer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, and the creative mind behind DISPYRIA. His musical journey began in 1986 with the founding of the band Superior—inspired by greats such as Iron Maiden, Ayreon, and Savatage.
DISPYRIA was launched in 2012 and also marked a personal turning point: Suffering from severe depression, Juergen Walzer found an outlet for his inner pain in music and in the fictional story of Josh Devon. The first two albums in particular are closely interwoven with his own experiences – such as the ballad “Tears of an Angel,” which deals with the loss of a miscarriage.
Tracklist: 01 – After Dawn 02 – I Am Nothing 03 – Master Of Mirrors 04 – The Revelation 05 – Father 06 – David’s Nightmare 07 – The First Of Its Kind 08 – Light Of A Dream 09 – Red Requiem 10 – Twisted World
Cover by Timo Wuerz!
Line-up: Juergen Walzer – Guitars, Bass, Programming Zak Stevens (Lead Vocals on 1, 4, 8) Sabrina Roth (Lead Vocals on 1, 2) Damiano Libianci (Lead Vocals on 2) Carolina Padron (Lead Vocals on 3,6) Carsten “Lizard” Schulz (Lead Vocals on 5, 10) Rob Lundgren (Lead Vocals on 7) Dennis Ohler (Lead Vocals on 9)
Sven Sommer (Fretless Bass) on 2 Markus Pfeffer (Leadguitars on 1, 4, 5, 7) Markus Teske (Synth-Lead on 10)
February 20, 2026 DISPYRIA – The Live Experience! Kammgarn Kaiserslautern
ANDRZEJ CITOWICZ and his wife SHEREEN, performing as CITOVITZ AND THE FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY, have released “Light Up The World,” the culminating single from an intensive two-month period of Christmas and holiday songwriting. Available now on all major streaming platforms with an official lyric video on YouTube, the track represents both the finale of their seasonal collection and a defining statement about finding light in darkness.
Over the past two months, Citowicz has created a substantial body of Christmas and holiday music—songs that blend hard rock sensibilities with traditional holiday spirit, ranging from full-throttle rock arrangements to intimate, contemplative moments.
“I wrote a lot of Christmas and holiday songs these last two months,” Citowicz explains. “More or less hard rock, but always with that touch of holiday spirit. Some were aggressive, some were tender, but all of them were honest. ‘Light Up The World’ is the one that brings it all together—it’s how we’re choosing to end this musical preparation for Christmas time.”
The creative surge resulted in multiple releases, including the Italian-language duo tracks “Notte Di Stelle” and “Un Altro Domani,” the reimagined “Not So Silent Night” EP featuring instrumentals transformed with vocals, and various standalone holiday compositions. “Light Up The World” arrives as the final piece—the statement that completes the seasonal narrative.
A DUO DEFINED BY SURVIVAL
“Light Up The World” marks another collaboration between Citowicz and his wife Shereen, continuing their journey as a musical duo that began with their first recordings together earlier this year.
“This is another duo with my wife, Shereen, and we are incredibly proud of it,” Citowicz states. “Every song we’ve made together this season has been special, but this one feels like the culmination. It says what we’ve been trying to say all along—that you can be broken and still bring light. That pain doesn’t disqualify you from hope.”
The couple’s collaborative work emerged from profound personal tragedy. Following the loss of their stillborn son Jonasz at 17 weeks—an event that became the central focus of Citowicz’s recent album Living Room Rockstar Part 2—music became their shared language for processing grief and rediscovering joy.
“After Jonasz, everything changed,” Citowicz reflects. “Music had always been my therapy, my language, my way of surviving. But making music with Shereen—discovering her voice, creating these songs together—that became something new. It became our way forward, together.”
THE FIREFLIES OF FEBRUARY CONCEPT
The artist moniker “Citovitz and The Fireflies of February” carries significant meaning, representing those who create light during the darkest seasons.
“Fireflies glow in summer, when everything’s already bright,” Citowicz explains. “But what about February? What about the coldest, darkest months? That’s when light matters most. That’s who we are—people who’ve been through the worst and still choose to glow. Not because we’re healed, not because we’re whole, but because someone else needs that light.”
This philosophy permeates “Light Up The World,” both lyrically and thematically. The song’s cover artwork—a fractured heart glowing red against darkness with fireflies escaping into the night—visualizes the central message: brokenness doesn’t preclude beauty, and wounded people can still illuminate the world for others.
LYRICS THAT CUT TO TRUTH
Shereen Citowicz contributed significantly to the song’s lyrical content, bringing raw honesty about surviving pain while choosing hope.
“Shereen writes with this honesty that destroys me every time,” Citowicz shares. “She wrote lines like ‘Light up the world, even when you’re breaking inside’ and ‘You don’t need to be healed to help heal others.’ That’s not poetry for the sake of poetry—that’s lived experience. That’s what we’ve learned by surviving together.”
The song explores counter-cultural Christmas themes: imperfection, struggle, choosing love despite pain, and the radical idea that broken people have unique capacity to bring comfort to others facing brokenness. “Christmas songs often pretend everything’s fine,” Citowicz notes. “Everyone’s happy, everyone’s whole, everyone’s celebrating. But that’s not real life. Real life is people struggling through December, missing someone they lost, feeling broken during a season that demands joy. We wanted to make a Christmas song for those people—for us.”
MUSICAL APPROACH
Musically, “Light Up The World” balances Citowicz’s hard rock foundations with accessible holiday warmth. The arrangement features his signature guitar work—influenced by formative heroes like Jon Bon Jovi and Desmond Child—combined with contemporary production and the couple’s dual vocal approach.
“I’ve spent these two months exploring what Christmas rock can be,” Citowicz explains. “Some songs leaned heavy, some leaned soft, but all of them kept that rock spirit. ‘Light Up The World’ found the sweet spot—it’s got power, it’s got hooks, it’s got heart. It rocks, but it also comforts. That balance felt right for ending this journey.”
The production, recorded in Citowicz’s home studio in Cairo, Egypt, maintains the intimate quality that has defined his recent work while achieving professional polish suitable for mainstream streaming platforms.
SHEREEN CITOWICZ: DISCOVERING A VOICE
The project continues showcasing Shereen Citowicz’s vocal abilities—a revelation that emerged during the couple’s first musical collaborations this year after 17 years of marriage.
“We’ve been together 17 years, and I never knew she could sing like this,” Citowicz states with evident pride. “These past two months, watching her grow as a vocalist, watching her confidence build—that’s been one of the greatest gifts of this whole creative period. Her voice carries so much emotion, so much authenticity. She’s not trying to sound like anyone else. She’s just Shereen, and that’s exactly what these songs needed.”
Shereen’s contributions extend beyond vocals to co-writing and creative direction, making their duo a genuine partnership rather than a lead artist with featured guest.
PROUD OF THE JOURNEY
As “Light Up The World” releases, Citowicz expresses deep satisfaction with the body of work created during this intensive period.
“We’re proud of this,” he states simply. “Proud of the songs, proud of the work, proud of what we accomplished together. This single ended our musical preparation for Christmas time exactly how we wanted—with a message that matters, with our voices together, with something we believe in.”
He continues: “I never expected to write this many Christmas songs. I never expected to make them with my wife. I never expected any of this. But here we are, and ‘Light Up The World’ feels like the perfect way to complete this chapter. We said what we needed to say. We created what needed to exist.”
BREAKING THE SILENCE
The song’s title carries additional resonance given Citowicz’s earlier release “Not So Silent Night”—both challenging the idea that holidays should be uniformly joyful and quiet.
“These songs aren’t silent,” Citowicz notes. “They’re loud about pain, loud about hope, loud about the messy reality of being human during a season that often demands perfection. ‘Light Up The World’ is us refusing to be silent about what we’ve survived and what we’ve learned. It’s us saying—loudly—that broken people matter, that wounded hearts can still love, that you don’t need to wait until you’re healed to help someone else heal.”
A MESSAGE FOR STRUGGLING LISTENERS
Beyond artistic achievement, “Light Up The World” carries a pastoral message for listeners navigating their own darkness.
“If you’re struggling this Christmas, if you’re broken, if you’re barely holding on—this song is for you,” Citowicz offers. “You don’t need to pretend you’re okay. You don’t need to fake joy. But maybe, just maybe, you can still be a firefly. Maybe your brokenness is exactly what makes your light valuable to someone else who’s struggling. Maybe we light up the world not despite our cracks, but because of them—because the light shines through.”
LOOKING FORWARD
With “Light Up The World” concluding their Christmas collection, the couple now turns attention to future projects, including Citowicz’s ongoing work reimagining instrumental albums from 2012-2023 with vocal arrangements, and continued exploration of their duo dynamic.
“This Christmas season showed us what we’re capable of together,” Citowicz reflects. “We made a lot of music, tried different styles, pushed ourselves. ‘Light Up The World’ is the end of this particular journey, but it’s also the beginning of understanding ourselves as a duo, as creative partners, as two people who can take pain and transform it into something beautiful.” He adds: “The fireflies will keep glowing. Even in February. Especially in February.”
AVAILABILITY
“Light Up The World” is available now on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms. The official lyric video is available on Citowicz’s YouTube channel.
SINGLE INFORMATION: Title: “Light Up The World” Artist: Citovitz and The Fireflies of February (Andrzej Citowicz and Shereen Citowicz) Genre: Christmas Rock / Holiday Music Music & Arrangement: Andrzej Citowicz Lyrics: Andrzej Citowicz and Shereen Citowicz Vocals: Andrzej Citowicz and Shereen Citowicz (duo) Production: Andrzej Citowicz Recorded: Home studio, Cairo, Egypt Release Date: December 2025 Available on: Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music, and all major streaming platforms
About Andrzej Citowicz: Andrzej Citowicz is an acclaimed Polish guitarist and songwriter currently based in Cairo, Egypt. As a former recording artist for DownBoys Records, he has built a reputation for emotionally resonant songwriting and distinctive guitar work. His music combines classic rock influences with contemporary production, creating a sound that bridges generational and cultural gaps while maintaining artistic authenticity. His YouTube channel has garnered over 70,000 views from an international audience.
EYE OF MELIAN unveils the second single off their upcoming album Forest Of Forgetting, out on February 20, 2026 via Napalm Records. “Symphonia Arcana” unfolds with mystical emotion, dynamic shifts, and dramatic orchestral beauty that captivates from start to finish. Unlike any other, the enchanting Tolkien-inspired project founded by Delain mastermind Martijn Westerholt blends symphonic, movie score-like grandeur with singer Johanna Kurkela’s angelic vocals, conjuring an otherworldly, fantasy-inspired realm to lose oneself in. Completed by orchestral arranger Mikko P. Mustonen and backing vocalist and lyricist Robin La Joy, “Symphonia Arcana” serves as a mesmerizing, sonic portal to the lush gardens of Lórien.
Robin La Joy about “Symphonia Arcana”: “When I first heard the sweeping symphonic soundscape that is ‘Symphonia Arcana’, it felt as though the music itself was calling me into another world. Its lush, orchestral sound became like a enchanting spell, unfolding into an autumn wood of vibrant, otherworldly color. The lyrics arose from following that call — letting the music, and the longing within it, lead me beyond the veil into mystery and renewal.”
EYE OF MELIAN open the gates to a different world with their new album Forest Of Forgetting, out February 20th, 2026 via Napalm Records. Named after a powerful primordial singing spirit from the world of J. R. R. Tolkien, EYE OF MELIAN draws inspiration from the master of fantasy and expands on his ethereal concept. Created by Delain’s Martijn Westerholt and featuring Auri’s Johanna Kurkela as a lead vocalist, EYE OF MELIAN’s Forest Of Forgetting is a masterclass in symphonic songwriting so whimsical the real world fades away.
With this opulent album, EYE OF MELIAN extends an invitation to faraway lands full of wonder. Forest Of Forgetting unfolds as quite the opposite of its title: utterly unforgettable.
Martijn Westerholt about Forest Of Forgetting: “This album has been a really inspiring process – both for me as a songwriter and in what each of us brought to it. It has a lot of what EYE OF MELIAN is known for: cinematic, score-like arrangements, minor chords, and those epic, mysterious atmospheres. The lyrics tie everything together; they bring out the worlds and stories that the music hints at and make the whole thing feel complete. The collaboration between us on this record felt very natural. We’ve really found our way of working as a team, and I’m proud of what we created together.”
Completing the all-star lineup on their debut with Napalm Records are orchestral arranger Mikko P. Mustonen and backing vocalist and lyricist Robin La Joy, blessing twelve lush compositions with immortal life. Mesmerizing from the first gentle notes of opening track “Of Willows And Shadows”, Forest Of Forgetting weaves otherworldly piano melodies and epic strings around angelic vocals worthy of the powerful Valar themselves. “Child Of Twilight” deepens EYE OF MELIAN’s dreamy and bombastic Hollywood movie score approach, carefully building up an exceptionally enchanting atmosphere that carries on into the equally cinematic “Blackthorn Winter”, ever so elegantly broadening the view into the alluring realms the band is melodizing. “Dawn Of Avatars” features Nightwish multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley on flute and uilleann pipes, as well as hurdy-gurdy songstress Patty Gurdy, before EYE OF MELIAN turns in the direction of heavy metal with a charming rendition of Bruce Dickinson’s anthem “Tears Of The Dragon” (originally released on Balls To Picasso in 1994 after the singer had left Iron Maiden). Forest Of Forgetting also comes with all its tracks as instrumental versions to dwell in the impressive orchestrals alone.
Forest Of Forgetting tracklisting:
Of Willows and Shadows
Symphonia Arcana
Child of Twilight
Elixir of Night (feat. Patty Gurdy and Troy Donockley)
Blackthorn Winter
Lady of Light
Dawn of Avatars (feat. Patty Gurdy and Troy Donockley)
Forest of Forgetting
The Buried Well
The Mirror
Nepenthe
Tears of the Dragon (Bruce Dickinson Cover)
EYE OF MELIAN Live 2026
20.02.26 NL – Zwolle / Hedon – album release show
Forest of Forgetting Over Finland 10.03.26 FI – Kitee / Kiteesali 12.03.26 FI – Espoo / Sellosali 13.03.26 FI – Kouvola / Pato-klubi 18.03.26 FI – Rovaniemi / Korundi 19.03.26 FI – Kuusamo / Kuusamo-talo 20.03.26 FI – Oulu / Kaupunginteatteri 21.03.26 FI – Raahe / Raahesali 24.03.26 FI – Helsinki / Aleksanterin Teatteri 26.03.26 FI – Turku / Turun Linnan Kuninkaansali 27.03.26 FI – Kuopio / Maxim 28.03.26 FI – Tampere / Tuulensuun Palatsi
EYE OF MELIAN are: Martijn Westerholt – Keys and Orchestra arrangements Johanna Kurkela – Vocals and Violin Robin La Joy – Backing Vocals Mikko P Mustonen – Keys and Orchestra arrangements
Helsinki, Finland-based hybrid metal band Keoma crowns its latest release with the single “It Haunts Me”, a track that dives deep into the core of human existence. Released today as part of the brand-new “Mind Coaster” EP, the song explores the ever-present shadow of death – how it lingers in our daily lives, thoughts, and moments. Yet, it also reflects the innate human drive to resist the reaper and believe in life.
“”It Haunts Me” might be our darkest song to date, but also one of the most hopeful. It’s about how death isn’t just an end, but a reminder of why we live. We wanted to create something that resonates with those who’ve stared into the void – and decided to keep going. The track also completes our new “Mind Coaster” EP, which explores the complex and often dark themes of the mind – with a touch of love,” says vocalist Jasse Jatala.
TÅKEVANDRER – Sagas summon all wanderers of the dark forests. Rising from the misty Austrian mountains in the autumn of ’25, their lyrics dive into the profane, the occult, and the mystic paths of lunar existence.
Fresh off of leaving a mark on their fiery debut,Ponte Del Diavolo are fanning the flames with their upcoming second album. Drawing from the dark and dancing depths of the band’s dueling bassists and the raw spirit of their fiery live ritual, De Venom Natura delivers an all the more potent twist of blackened post-punk.
“[…]deliciously diabolical” No Clean Singing wrote in praise of the album’s spirited lead single. “Erba del Diavolo’s dramatically beautiful but spooky singing creates a key contrast as it soars and quavers above the music’s charging pulse”
Today, Ponte Del Diavolo are releasing the second advanced single from De Venom Natura. A skeleton key into the album, “Il veleno della Natura” distills its theme into a chilling science, where nature’s poison becomes not a threat but a source of life.
“Il Veleno della Natura” is an intoxicating surrender to the venom of existence. Within the hypnotic flow of De Venom Natura, the album’s latest single marks a feverish turning point, where its poisonous metaphor comes alive with a shock. As the guitars and drums snake with tension, Erba del Diavolo slithers between whispered confessions and a fervent invocation that sparks an ecstatic transformation.
PONTE DEL DIAVOLO craft a focused blend of doom, black metal, post‐punk, and wave—an aesthetic they call “blackened post‐punk.” Wave‐tinged female vocals anchor the project’s flaming core, supported by an uncommon dual‐bass setup that grounds the rhythmic guitars and a raw, dynamic drum pulse.
The result is an immersive, tension‐driven sound. Following the initial release of three EPs, the band signed to Season of Mist and unveiled their first full-length album, Fire Blades from the Tomb.
After two years on the road – appearing at leading European festivals such as Roadburn and Inferno in support of their debut – Ponte del Diavolo return with “De Venom Natura,” a record that extends and refines their musical boundaries.
Production Credits Recorded at The Deepest Sea, Turin, Italy. Produced & Engineered by Danilo Battocchio. Mixed by Danilo Battocchio at The Deepest Sea. Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studios, Stockholm, Sweden.
Guest Musicians Francesco Bucci Sergio Bertani Vittorio Sabelli Gionata Potenti
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 ) 