Morbonoct, as a studio project, started in 2021. The line-up includes Alexander Medvedev, who is responsible for all the instruments. In mid-2023, new vocalist&lyricist David Welnicki joined the project. The main idea of the project was the space theme, which is also reflected in the sound and accompaniment of dense atmospheric canvases in the background. So far, project released four full length albums: “Anmet” (2021), “Chorna bezodnya” (2022), “Galactic Gloom” (2023) and “The Highest Purpose” (2024). Now, it’s time for fifth album!
“We would like to introduce you to our new style of cosmic black metal, let the ambience take you over“.
Music for new album was recorded, mixed and mastered in Szczecin (Poland) by Alexander Medvediev. Cover artwork was done also by the leader of the project, Alexander. New album titled “No One Knows We’re Dying” was released digitally on December 12, 2025.
Alexander comments on album: “No One Knows We’re Dying traces the inevitable cycles of life — from the beauty of creation to the weight of existence, and finally, to a cold, inevitable silence. The project embraces raw authenticity, with the mix and master intentionally restrained to preserve the natural texture of the vocals. Minimal post-processing allows every imperfection to speak truthfully, amplifying the emotional resonance of the performance. The instrumental foundation forms a cohesive narrative that evokes deep melancholy and a quiet sense of hopelessness, guiding the listener through a hauntingly introspective experience“.
Listen to the “No One Know We’re Dying” album at Black Metal Promotion
TRACKLIST:
01. The Creation 02. Lost 03. Cold Wind 04. Drifting Away 05. No One Knows, We’re Dying
Fresh from their latest full-length of psychological torment, Benighted are bringing a ripping new force into the band’s twisted folds. New single, “The Spineless Freak”, marks the official debut of the band’s new drummer Matthias Biechler with all his destructive force.
“The whole story is pretty incredible,” explains Benighted’s vocalist Julien Truchan. “As we were casting other drummers, I got a message from my friend Eugene of Fleshgod Apocalypse who told me he had a student in Paris who learns incredibly fast and that I should contact him. Matthias came for the casting last July and he just amazed us by playing our fastest songs impeccably. He is only 22, has played drums for four years and we’re officially his very first band as a drummer! I can’t even imagine his level in two or three years. He is at the same time a machine and the nicest guy you can find. We’re so happy to welcome him in the band!”
Watch Benighted’s new drummer show off his freakish speed and skill in the official drum playthrough for the band’s new single “The Spineless Freak”.
While he also plays bass, Matthias Biechler spent the last four years studying drums under the mentorship of Fleshgod Apocalypse drummer Eugene Ryabchenko. Matthias’ first-ever performance as a drummer took place live onstage while behind the kit for Benighted. The freakish phenom ripped through the band’s blistering songs with a sense of ease that stunned the audience and his new bandmates.
“[…] it’s an honor for me to join Benighted behind the drums”, Matthias says. “This very band gave me the motivation five years ago to push myself and truly work hard on the drums, so joining them today as my first band as a drummer is beyond anything I ever imagined. I’ll give everything I have to live up to the band’s name and unleash all the violence you love so much. Thank you for welcoming me and your support. I can’t wait to share this journey with all of you!”
Dive into the darkest realms of the human psyche as BENIGHTED, the French purveyors of brutal death metal & grindcore, unleash their tenth full-length album Ekbomin April 2024. The madness that has defined their discography continues with this radical soundtrack to the twisted times we inhabit.
Born from French Death and Black metal bands DISHUMANIZED, DARKNESS FIRE, and OSGILIATH, BENIGHTED emerged in 1998 with a mission to explore a more brutal, heavy, and modern form of musical expression. The impact of their first self-produced and self-titled full-length album in 2000 transformed BENIGHTED from a side-project into a main act, quickly amassing a devoted fan base. Subsequent albums like Psychose (2002), Insane Cephalic Production (2004), Identisick (2006), and Icon (2007) further cemented their visceral, skull-breaking sound into extreme death metal history.
After a detour into the realms of Necrobreed in 2017, BENIGHTED celebrated their 20th anniversary by capturing the live madness with Dogs Always Bite Harder Than Their Master in 2018.
With Obscene Repressed, they once again took sadistic pleasure in pushing the boundaries of brutality, delving into the disturbed mind of little Michael. His relentless battle against demons, fueled by unresolved oedipal issues with his mother, provided a grotesque tableau for BENIGHTED‘s sonic butchery. Not content with merely slaughtering everything in their auditory path, BENIGHTED crafted thematically explorative pieces, each turn in their music revealing new layers of horror and despair.
As the relentless journey continues, BENIGHTED is set to unleash Ekbom in April 2024, an album that draws inspiration from the nightmarish ‘Ekbom syndrome.’ This rare neurological disorder, also known as Delusional Parasitosis, forms the thematic core of the upcoming release. A feeling of having a vile concoction of parasites, worms, and insects crawling under your skin is an apt description of what BENIGHTED have to offer on this newest release. The auditory assault mirrors the repulsive sensations of the syndrome, a visceral and unsettling journey into the abyss of the human mind.
Madness reigns yet again, this time intertwining with the haunting echoes of Ekbom syndrome. Brace yourselves for another mind-shattering chapter in the BENIGHTED saga as they continue to carve their niche in the putrid annals of extreme metal, leaving a trail of sonic disgust in their wake.
Lineup: Julien Truchan – Vocals Emmanuel Dalle – Guitars Pierre Arnoux – Bass Matthias Biechler – Drums
Swedish progressive band Wolverine have released the latest single, ‘This World And All Its Dazzling Lights’, taken from their comeback album, Anomalies. The album – their first in a decade – will be released on 6 February via Music Theories Recordings. Watch the video to the new song HERE.
‘This World And All Its Dazzling Lights’ carries an elegant, effortless beauty — a warmth that unfurls around the listener in luminous layers. As Stefan Zell sings, “How we came to be, how we came to see, This world and all its dazzling lights, Splashing through a wave of time across the sky, A sense of beaming light inside of me,” the music sweeps you upward, spiralling toward the sky as though lifted by its own radiant tide. The song however hides a darker lyrical narrative as it twists and winds beneath the current.
Talking about the song Zell says. “This is a really special song to me. I think it’s one of the best songs we’ve written, although, at the same time, I think it will challenge many of our fans. I loved the way the vocal melodies and the lyrics just came to me back when we wrote it. It was all a very fluid experience, much like the song itself.”
Co-songwriter and drummer Marcus Losbjer adds, “A song that means different things for different people, positive or negative. For me, it is about the society we live in today with filter bubbles, fake news and information/impression overload in general.”
It’s been a decade since the Söderhamn quintet last released a full album, 2016’s Machina Viva, and four years since their last EP, 2021’s A Darkened Sun, raised hopes that they were back with a vengeance.
Now, singer Stefan Zell is brimming with enthusiasm, fired up by the knowledge that his band – the Machina Viva line-up of Jonas Jonsson (guitar), Thomas Jansson (bass), Marcus Losbjer (drums), and Per Henriksson (keyboards) are to release a bold new album.
The first song taken from the album was ‘A Perfect Alignment’ – which is the first part of a trilogy of songs on the album, alongside ‘Circuits’ and the album’s opening track ‘A sudden demise’.
Throughout their career, Wolverine have always carried a similar dark emotional heft to their fellow countrymen Katatonia, driven by a sonic wall of sound. Lyrically too, Zell’s lyrics pack a powerful emotional punch, and on Anomalies he’s at his peak, drawing on those years of exasperation.
Wolverine’s trials and tribulations to get to Anomalies have given Zell plenty of subject matter, as has his own personal life. “I look at all our songs as small snippets of a diary. If you look back through the catalogue, it’s my life as a writer. It’s so amazing to have these snippets of time documented in this way. But I really feel that there are a lot more questions asked about life, ageing, and values. It’s nothing we even thought about when we were in our 20s. It evolves.”
Track listing 1. A Sudden Demise 2. My Solitary Foe 3. Circuits 4. Nightfall 5. This World And All Its Dazzling Lights 6. Automaton 7. A Perfect Alignment 8. Losing Game 9. Scarlet Tide
Legendary metal titans MEGADETH and Trafalgar Releasing have revealed the trailer for MEGADETH: BEHIND THE MASK, a cinematic legacy event that will debut on screens worldwide Thursday, January 22.
Tickets are now on sale for the film that will screen in over 1,000 cinemas across 35+ countries on the eve of the release of the band’s final studio album out January 23. To get tickets, and for more information and to sign up for updates, fans can visit megadethfilm.com.
In MEGADETH: BEHIND THE MASK, Dave Mustaine pulls back the curtain on 40 years of MEGADETH, sharing untold stories of the band’s past and the creative fire that drives them. Interwoven throughout, audiences will get to experience the world premiere of MEGADETH’S new self-titled album in full, brought to life with a 40-year retrospective career-spanning interview and Mustaine’s own track-by-track reflections about the band’s final studio album. This one-night-only listening event will provide a first-listen to this landmark project. MEGADETH: BEHIND THE MASK is an immersive celebration of one of the most influential bands in metal history, capturing their legacy while heralding a powerful new chapter.
Leading up to the album and film’s debut, MEGADETH—Dave Mustaine, Teemu Mäntysaari(Lead, Rhythm, and Acoustic Guitars), James LoMenzo (Bass Guitar) and Dirk Verbeuren(Drums)—have released two tracks: “I Don’t Care” (watch the video HERE and listen to the song HERE) and “Tipping Point,” the album’s first single (watch the video HERE and listen to the song HERE). MEGADETH have also announced a very special bonus track from the album: a reimagined version of “Ride The Lightning,” which MUSTAINE co-wrote with Metallica’s James Hetfield, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich and was the title track from the group’s 1984 album. Pre-order the album, via DAVE MUSTAINE’s Tradecraft imprint in partnership with Frontiers Label Group’s new BLKIIBLK label, HERE. Read more about the album’s full track listing HERE.
Legendary English rock supergroup Asia are thrilled to announce the release of the live album “Asia – Live In England”, out on March 13, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.
To celebrate the announcement, the band unveil the live version of the hit song “Heat Of The Moment”, along with a live video available below.
Geoff Downes commented: “Heat Of The Moment” has an interesting story behind it. It was actually the final track John and I wrote for the ASIA album, and it ended up being the opening track and lead-off single. We threw it together in one afternoon. I had the verse, John had the chorus, although this was a guitar picking country-style piece in 3/4 time. We straightened it all out and bingo, there it was!”
“A couple of days later we wrote the middle 8 section, rehearsed it in the studio and recorded it straight down with band. Ironically, it still remains our most famous track to this day”, he continued. “Without it, I doubt the album would have been as big as it was, so I am very grateful to have been a part of the creation of HOTM. It’s still a really fun track to play live, and I hope it will bring back memories, and give pleasure to the listeners and fans all over the world for many years to come.”
Harry Whitley added: “Playing ‘Heat Of The Moment’ live is always such an incredible experience, it’s always electrifying and this recording was no different – it was such an exciting night and a thrill to revisit all of Asia’s catalog over the three nights. We’re really looking forward to fans hearing this whole live album and the others to follow…” “This song carries decades of history – every note, every moment – and we hope listeners feel the same passion we pour into it night after night”, Virgil Donati said.
John Mitchell also expressed his love for this track: “Heat Of The Moment” is a very dear song close to my heart. Having performed it a vast number of times over the years both previously with the John Wetton solo band and with John and Geoff in Icon, from the quiet introspective acoustic version at The Borderline to the full band amped up version in front of 12000 strong in St Petersburg, it is both an uplifting anthem and a quiet tonic for the soul which never fails to bring warmth to the many”.
Asia are back and roaring in their new, exhilarating line-up! Recorded live on the first of three unforgettable nights at Trading Boundaries in Sussex, in April 2025, this release captures the band performing their iconic 1982 debut album “ASIA” in full, along with a selection of their greatest hits.
Featuring Geoff Downes (keys), Virgil Donati (drums – ex-Planet X), John Mitchell (guitars – Arena, It Bites etc.) and the astonishing Harry Whitley (on bass and vocals), this fresh incarnation of Asia brings both reverence for the classics and a thrilling new energy to the stage. The setlist includes fan favourites like “Heat Of The Moment”, “Only Time Will Tell”, “Sole Survivor”, “One Step Closer” and “Time Again”, alongside video-era and bonus tracks such as “Ride Easy”, “Video Killed The Radio Star”, “The Heat Goes On” and “Daylight” (video exclusive).
Geoff Downes said: “Revisiting the entire first ASIA album brought all the great memories flooding back from 43 years ago. In the studio with John, Steve, Carl and, of course, the great Mike Stone at the production helm. I think at the time we knew we’d made a good album but could not have predicted the enormous success that followed, that made the band a household name across the world, and particularly in America. That said, it was a result of much hard work and effort from everyone involved. So, when I had the opportunity to put together the live album with the current and fantastic line-up of ASIA and in collaboration with Frontiers Music, it was really a no-brainer”.
“I was reminded of what a collection of great songs and performances made up the album – variety and musical dynamics to the fore. When we recorded it again earlier this year, I was drawn to some of the less featured tracks and realized how much they played an important part of overall album, in addition of course to the signature tracks such as ‘Heat Of The Moment’, ‘Only Time Will Tell’ etc.”, he continued. “We did this for you, the fans, and hope you really enjoy hearing these songs in the live setting performed in their entirety once again and enjoy it as much as we did creating and performing it”.
With Asia’s legacy spanning over 40 years – from multi-million selling albums like “ASIA”, “Alpha”, and “Astra” to defining the sound of the MTV era – this new line-up proves that the Year of the Dragon is bringing the legendary songs to life for a whole new generation of fans.
This is just the first of three live releases from Trading Boundaries, each capturing a full classic album from their initial trilogy in concert in audio and video. Experience the magic of Asia, live, where past and present collide in a spectacular display of musicianship and passion.
“Asia – Live In England” Tracklist:
1. Heat Of The Moment 2. Only Time Will Tell 3. Sole Survivor 4. One Step Closer 5. Time Again 6. Wildest Dreams 7. Without You 8. Cutting It Fine 9. Here Comes The Feeling 10. Ride Easy (Bonus track) 11. Video Killed The Radio Star (Bonus track) 12. The Heat Goes On (Bonus track)
Line Up: Geoff Downes Virgil Donati John Mitchell Harry Whitley
In 2017, Roman Sayenko of Drudkh started a new band built on raw black metal. Now, Windswept are casting a cold spell over a dark moment in Ukrainian history with their upcoming third album The Devil’s Vertep.
“True Ukrainian Black Metal through and through”, This Is Black Metalwrites in a review of The Devil’s Vertep. “Another stellar accomplishment out of Windswept.
“…a fiercely intense album that at times can be quite melodic and very raw” The Metal Pitsays.
The Devil’s Vertep was released, Friday, December 12, 2026 on Season of Mist Underground Activists, and you can hear all six blazing tracks by listening to the full album stream at Black Metal Promotion.
Across The Devil’s Vertep, Windswept retrace the witch trials that took place in Western Ukraine between 1753 and 1754. The album blisteringly unfolds across six acts: the grim discovery narrated in “Infanticide,” the escalating procedures of “Investigation” and “Torture & Confession,” the witchdoctor’s craft in “The Potion,” the broader networks of sorcery in “Nest of the Witches,” and the judicial reckoning in “Verdicts.” With a cold hard gaze, Windswept transform archival records into unflinching black-metal.
Tracklist
Infanticide (6:10)
Investigation (7:18)
Torture & Confession (8:38)
The Potion (6:58)
Nest of the Witches (4:57)
Verdicts (7:54) Full runtime: 42:09
WINDSWEPT return with The Devil’s Vertep, a new full-length rooted in historical documentation and stark musical expression. Inspired by The Black Book of Kremenets Castle 1747–1777, the record traces the witch trials of 1753–1754 in Western Ukraine, unfolding as a conceptual narrative across six compositions. Each track immerses listeners in a chilling atmosphere of accusation, confession, and execution, rendered through raw black metal shaped by both immediacy and conviction.
The project was founded in 2016 by Roman Sayenko, best known as the driving force behind Drudkh, alongside two close collaborators. Conceived as a space for spontaneity and instinctive creation, Windswept sought to capture black metal in its most unfiltered form. Sessions were approached with minimal preparation, often recorded in only a matter of days, ensuring the vitality of live performance informed every moment. While echoes of Sayenko’s other work could be felt, Windswept’s essence lay in improvisation and a raw fidelity to the Ukrainian black metal tradition.
Their debut, The Great Cold Steppe (2017), was stark and unforgiving, reflecting the desolate landscape of its title. The record quickly distinguished itself for its icy atmospheres and direct execution, a distillation of black metal at its harshest. This was followed in 2018 by the Visionaire EP on Ván Records, which deepened their exploration of fleeting, improvisatory intensity. A year later, The Onlooker (2019, Season of Mist: Underground Activists reaffirmed the band’s commitment to spontaneity. It offered a fierce, stripped-down sound that echoed early traditions while maintaining Windswept’s hallmark rawness.
With The Devil’s Vertep, Windswept turn toward historical narrative. Drawing on trial records preserved in the Black Book of Kremenets Castle, the album reconstructs testimonies of women accused of witchcraft, their brutal interrogations, and the violent judgments passed upon them. Each piece is tied to a specific chapter: “Infanticide” opens with the grim discovery of a newborn’s corpse, “Investigation” and “Torture & Confession” trace the harrowing interrogations, while “The Potion,” “Nest of the Witches,” and “Verdicts” reveal the network of accusations and the sentences delivered.
While The Devil’s Vertep marks Windswept’s first venture into Ukrainian demonology and witchcraft, these themes trace back much earlier in Roman Sayenko’s creative path. In the autumn of 1996, Sayenko began developing an unfinished project titled KOZLONOGYI (Goat-Footed): a concept rooted in the same folkloric and mythological territory that would later resurface within The Devil’s Vertep. Although KOZLONOGYI never moved beyond a few rehearsals, its sketches and early riffs became the foundation for Windswept’s latest work. By reviving and re-working these ideas nearly three decades later, Sayenko bridges eras of black metal evolution, imbuing The Devil’s Vertep with a distinctly 1990s sensibility and reverence for the early traditions that shaped his artistic identity.
Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Viter Music with production handled internally, The Devil’s Vertep balances immediacy with conceptual cohesion. Its stark presentation reflects the gravity of the source material, while the cover art by Obsidian Bone situates the work in a visual landscape as unsettling as the music itself. By channelling the voices of the past, Windswept expand their raw black metal vision into a work of historical remembrance, turning archival fragments into a haunting artistic statement.
Line-up: R. — Vocals & Guitars T. — Bass V. — Drums
Production Credits: Recorded at Viter Music. Produced & engineered by R. & V. Mixed & Mastered by V. at Viter Music.
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
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