Cleveland based gothic doom unit FRAYLE released their latest album, Heretics & Lullabies, last fall via Napalm Records to noted acclaim, and are about to kick off their upcoming tour supporting Dogma in the USA! In anticipation of the tour, the band has revealed a brand new music video for album track “Souvenirs Of Your Betrayal”, which can be witnessed today.
Catch more of FRAYLE‘s seductively dark sound on tour this month, and see below for all confirmed tour dates.
FRAYLE says about “Souvenirs Of Your Betrayal”: “We wrote ‘Souvenirs of Your Betrayal’ from a very real place of hurt and clarity. It’s about facing deception head on and turning that experience into something honest, heavy and powerful.”
FRAYLE Supporting Dogma’s Time to Rise Part I USA Tour 2026 03/15/26: Seattle, WA @ Substation 03/17/26: San Francisco, CA @ The Independent 03/18/26: Los Angeles, CA @ 1720 03/19/26: Reno, NV @ The Alpine 03/20/26: Anaheim, CA @ House of Blues 03/21/26: San Diego, CA @ House of Blues 03/24/26: San Antonio, TX @ Vibes Studio 03/25/26: Dallas, TX @ Trees 03/27/26: Madison, WI @ The Annex at The Red Zone 03/28/26: Joliet, IL @ The Forge 03/29/26: Chesterfield, MI @ Diesel Concert Lounge 03/31/26: New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theater 04/01/26: Washington, DC @ Black Cat 04/02/26: Bethlehem, PA @ Fowler Blast Furnace Room 04/03/26: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie
FRAYLE has been lauded as one of the fastest-rising, most haunting currently active modern doom metal outfits of late, infusing their sound with eclectic elements and now reinventing their trademark spectral sonic profile. Merging the heaviness of occult-driven doom and blackgaze with frontwoman Gwyn Strang’s distinctively eerie vocal stylings and the crushing guitars of Sean Bilovecky, the band has fully realized their “lullabies of chaos” musical vision with Heretics & Lullabies. Recorded by FRAYLE and produced, mixed and mastered by Aaron Chaparian at Iron Audio (Bleeding Through, Harms Way), Heretics & Lullabies is a must-listen for any fan of doom, post-metal or atmosphere-heavy alt-rock, but also a pristinely phantomic journey for any heavy music fan as it maintains its accessible edge throughout.
Heretics & Lullabies track listing: 1. Walking Wounded 2. Summertime Sadness 3. Boo 4. Demons 5. Souvenirs Of Your Betrayal 6. Glass Blown Heart 7. Hymn For The Living 8. Run 9. Heretic 10. Only Just Once
FRAYLE is: Gwyn Strang: Vocals Sean Bilovecky: Guitar
Shortly after announcing their fifteenth (!!!) studio album, Architects Of A New Weave, set for release on June 5, 2026 via Napalm Records, EVERGREY unveil their new single and manifest of beautiful darkness, “Architects Of The New Weave”, alongside a visually-striking animated video. Once again, Gothenburg’s finest export proves its unmatched ability to craft timeless melodies, powerful riffs, and gripping lyrics, while continuing to surprise their devoted fans with an innovative approach, even after more than 30 years of existence.
EVERGREY’s new full-length, Architects Of A New Weave, will be released just days before the band takes the stage as special guest to the undisputed kings of heavy metal, Iron Maiden, for two shows on their “Run For Your Lives” World Tour. This is the wake-up call you didn’t know you needed: A plunge into thinning air, burning worlds, and lingering guilt—only to break free with fierce momentum. The album refuses to wallow. It ascends—fast, heavy, and cinematic. But it refuses to hide in the dark. It rises: Quick, fierce, and utterly transformative.
Tom Englund about the new single “Architects Of The New Weave”: “‘Architects Of The New Weave’ – It’s a blistering first single from our 15th studio album, Architects Of ANew Weave, (or the second ferocious strike if you’re counting our standalone powerhouse ‘OXYGEN!’ as its own beast)! I am not afraid to claim this is a no-brainer, sing-along friendly, straight-up great metal song! It came ignited from Rikard Zander’s killer keyboard riff, which we hammered into a short, but massive headbanger! When crafting that chorus keyboard line, ‘Rainbow In The Dark’ was blasting in my head – pure epic inspiration, giving it that timeless, fist-pumping edge. There are dual guitar solos, trading fire in classic old-school style, melodic and memorable. We can’t wait to let this rip live! I’m torn on music videos sometimes – I adore them as an art form, but too often the visuals steal focus from the music itself.”
Tom Englund about the animation video: “We went bold: a stunning, immersive introduction to Mattias Norén’s absolute magnum opus of album artwork. Every tiny, intricate detail comes alive on screen, with the track thundering as the perfect dark soundtrack. – It’s hypnotic, lets the art breathe, and pulls you deeper into our world – We could’ve chosen any track from the album as the lead, but this one’s the perfect explosive opener to our new era of beautiful darkness. I’ve never been more fired up. Crank it loud, join the weave, and let’s build something unstoppable together.”
Dive into Architects Of A New Weave’s standout tracks like “The World is on Fire”, “Leaving The Emptiness”, “Heaven”, and “The Prophecy”, and the breathtaking title anthem “Architects Of The New Weave”. Their choruses break through like sunlight piercing storm clouds: enormous, cinematic melodies that pull you upward, riffs with genuine weight and bite, and vocals dripping with raw, unflinching truth. In one breath, you’re shouldering buried longing; in the next, you’re weightless, fearless, endless. Scars transform into badges of survival, fractures fuel reinvention. In the second half of the album, fellow Gothenburg icon Mikael Stanne (Dark Tranquillity, The Halo Effect, Grand Cadaver, Cemetery Skyline) joins Tom S. Englund in vocal duties for “A Burning Flame”, the voices of the two scene legends intertwined compellingly. Architects Of A New Weave was produced by Tom S. Englund and Vikram Shankar, with a stellar mix by Adam “Nolly” Getgood.
Among other exclusive formats, Architects Of A New Weave comes with a bonus album, containing bonus tracks “Heights” and “One Heart”, as well as an album mix of the previously released standalone single “OXYGEN!” (2025). Additionally, it features a demo version of “Longing”, instrumental tracks of “Leaving The Emptiness”, both new songs, as well as a live version of “Falling From The Sun”, the hit single off the previous record, Theories of Emptiness (2024) and continuation of “Ominous” off of A Heartless Portrait (The Orphean Testament) (2022).
Architects Of A New Weave tracklist: 1 Welcome To The Pattern 2 The Shadow Self 3 Architects Of The New Weave 4 The World Is On Fire 5 Heaven 6 The Script 7 Leaving The Emptiness 8 Longing 9 A Burning Flame 10 Call Off Your Lions 11 Chains Of Shame 12 The Prophecy
Chaos doesn’t claim victory—you do. You step forward as the weaver, rethreading belief, identity, connection, and the very shape of tomorrow into something stronger, brighter, unbreakable. This is melodic, progressive, dark metal at its most massive and intimate: heavy enough to shift mountains, anthemic enough to make you raise your fist and truly believe it. It carries one unshakable truth straight to your core: Nothing—not pain, not darkness, not any storm—gets to label you broken. You’re the power that gathers the fragments and forges real beauty from them. Dream weavers rising. Architects are stepping up to claim what comes next. If you’ve ever felt that inner tug—quiet or roaring—to rewrite your story on your own terms, with zero apologies and complete ownership, this is the soundtrack that turns the urge into certainty. Your battle cry. Your hymn for renewal, creation, and finally stepping into the person you’re destined to be. Whether it launches EVERGREY’s boldest era yet, stands as a fierce standalone declaration, or serves as the pivotal bridge chapter that redefines their path, Architects Of A New Weave is pure cinematic motivation—ready to charge your playlist and propel your momentum forward. It’s as though EVERGREY don’t merely survive adversity—they rise and expand because of it. Every challenge, every setback, every wound seems to become the very oxygen that fuels their music. The darker the storm that once threatened to break them, the more powerfully each note draws breath from that same pain, transforming what hurt them yesterday into the soaring, living heart of their songs today. Architects Of A New Weave seals it: we are no longer victims of the night, but creators of new skies, new beliefs, and entirely new heavens. Grab it now. Let it arm you. This isn’t just an album – it’s the sound of you seizing control and building what’s next.
EVERGREY LIVE 2026
Australian Tour 28.04.26 AU – Perth / The Rosemount 30.04.26 AU – Canberra / The Baso 01.05.26 AU – Sydney / Crowbar 02.05.26 AU – Melbourne / The Corner 03.05.26 AU – Brisbane / Crowbar
Festivals 25.–26.04.26 BR – São Paulo / Bangers Open Air 08.05.26 AE – Dubai / P7 Arena, Media One Hotel 03.–06.06.26 SE – Norje / Sweden Rock Festival 04.–07.06.26 PL – Gdańsk / Mystic Festival 27.06.26 RO – Chimbay / Rockstadt Extreme Fest 11.09.26 US – Atlanta, GA / Progpower USA – Headline show
10.06.26 NL – Amsterdam (with Iron Maiden) 12.06.26 NL – Uden / De Pul 13.06.26 NL – Zoetermeer / Boerderij 22.06.26 FR – Paris (with Iron Maiden)
Freedom World Crusade As Special Guest for HammerFall 13.09.26 US – Leesburg, VA 15.09.26 US – New York, NY 16.09.26 US – Worcester, MA 18.09.26 US – Derry, NH 19.09.26 CA – Ottawa, ON 20.09.26 CA – Montreal, QC 22.09.26 CA – Toronto, ON 23.09.26 US – Lakewood, OH 24.09.26 US – Columbus, OH 25.09.26 US – St. Charles, IL 26.09.26 US – Hobart, IN 27.09.26 US – Green Bay, WI 29.09.26 US – Denver, CO 01.10.26 US – Pomona, CA 02.10.26 US – Los Angeles, CA 03.10.26 US – San Juan Capistrano, CA 06.10.26 US – Portland, OR 07.10.26 CA – Vancouver, BC 08.10.26 US – Seattle, WA
GYPSY PISTOLEROS will release their new album ‘Dark Faerie Tales’ on 17th April via The New Church Records.
In 2026, while much of rock music plays it safe, Gypsy Pistoleros are burning the rulebook. The world’s only Glam Punk Goth ’n’ Roll outlaws return with their most dangerous, theatrical, and uncompromising record yet — Dark Faerie Tales: A Fairytale for the Damned, released 17th March 2026 on The New Church Records Label
Check out ‘I’m The Prince Of The Damned‘ video here:
This is not nostalgia. This is not cosplay. This is feral, glitter-streaked, gothic punk rock with teeth.
Drawing openly from the bloodlines of The Damned, Hanoi Rocks, Killing Joke, The Cult, and the modern defiance of YUNGBLUD, Gypsy Pistoleros don’t imitate — they mutate. The result is an album that feels lived-in, earned, and gloriously unhinged.
Produced and co-written by long-time sonic conspirator Dave Draper(Michael Monroe, Ginger Wildheart, The Wildhearts, Therapy?, Elvana), Dark Faerie Tales fuses glam-soaked punk energy with gothic grandeur, raw fire, and apocalyptic swagger — a record for outsiders, believers, romantics, and beautiful misfits.
As Overdrive declares: “A love letter to the beautiful and broken, a twisted hymn for the strange of heart, and proof that rock ’n’ roll still has room for danger, drama and glitter in the dark.”
Available worldwide & instore on three-colour vinyl, digipak CD, and digital: Neon Purple & Black Splatter Vinyl Neon Green & Black Splatter Vinyl Deluxe 4-panel Digisleeve CD
Following the success of Church of the Pistoleros — hailed as one of 2025’s most fearless and eclectic rock albums — the Pistoleros have conjured something even bolder: a dark fairytale for the damned, a love letter to the beautiful and broken, and a twisted hymn for the strange of heart.
Born from the fires of their own mythology, ‘Dark Faerie Tales’ drifts through haunted woods and neon dreams — where sleaze-drenched punk anthems meet gothic grandeur, and glam swagger burns with outlaw soul. Produced and co-written once again by sonic alchemist Dave Draper (Michael Monroe, Ginger Wildheart, The Wildhearts, Ryan Hamilton, Elvana, Therapy, etc), it’s a record that breathes rebellion and myth.
Track Listing: Dark Faerie Tales My One Desire, Burn It Up King of Almost Everything She’s Getting Stranger Take My Hand to Nightmare Land Behind The Mask Prince of the Damned Rattling I Whisper Goodbye The Ghost of Baby Strange
To support the release, Gypsy Pistoleros will embark on the Dark Faerie Tales U.K. Tour, with additional festival and European dates to be announced.
2026 11 April – St Austell, The Band Club 16 April – London, The Underworld (SLADY, Continental Lovers, Bai Bang) 17 April – Worcester, The Marrs Bar 18 April – Pontypool, The Dragonffli 22 April – Newcastle, The Cluny 24 April – Dunfermline, The Monarch 25 April – Edinburgh, Bannermans 1–2 May – Beltane Gathering Festival, Wales 9 May – No Sleep Till Blackpool Festival @ The Waterloo 10 May – Stoke-on-Trent, Eleven (Matinee Show) 15 May – Nottingham, The Old Cold Store 16 May – Stockport, The Holy Diver 23 May – Breaking Bands Festival, Droitwich Special Guests: James Kennedy & The Underdogs to support throughout Tour 6–9 August – Rebellion Punk Festival, Blackpool Winter Gardens Many more dates TBA
Gypsy Pistoleros’ live shows are gothic theatre, glam-punk ritual, and unmissable rock spectacle. From Rebellion to Planet Rockstock, they’re ready for their biggest UK headline run yet.
Expect: Sleaze-drenched punk anthems & gothic theatrics For fans of Alice Cooper, YUNGBLUD, GHOST, The Cult, The Damned, Hanoi Rocks, Killing Joke A wild, theatrical experience — part gothic carnival, part rock ’n’ roll ritual
‘Dark Faerie Tales’ – From Myth to Magic Once upon a twisted dusk, in a desert where gods had lost their names, stood the Church of the Pistoleros — built from shattered guitars, broken hearts, and outlaw fire. It burned… but from the ashes rose a new cult, born of chaos and dreaming in half-remembered hymns. Now, Gypsy Pistoleros sing under starlight in tangled woods where belief is rhythm, glitter, and spell work — legends in apocalyptic fur, crowned in scars, howling at the dark.
The National GUITAR Museum announced that Ritchie Blackmore, the esteemed guitar legend whose vast career spans more than 60 years, has received its annual “Lifetime Achievement” Award. Blackmore is the sixteenth recipient of the award.
Ritchie Blackmore joins previous award winners including Honeyboy Edwards, Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Liona Boyd, Jose Feliciano, and B.B. King. Recipients are recognized for a lifetime of contributing to the legacy of the guitar and having a singular historical importance to the development and historical appreciation of the instrument.
Lifetime Achievement Award (photo courtesy of The National GUITAR Museum)
According to HP Newquist, NGM executive director “Most people know Ritchie from being the driving creative force behind two of the defining hard rock bands of all time—Deep Purple and Rainbow. But before starting those bands, he had a long career as a London session musician, performing on records by numerous artists, including The Outlaws. And then—after helping to define hard rock guitar in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s—he formed Blackmore’s Night, incorporating medieval and Renaissance acoustic music into his immense repertoire.”
Said Blackmore, “I’m rather thrown by the magnitude of this honorable award. I am grateful to accept this award and this recognition.”
Blackmore’s guitar playing has inspired countless numbers of musicians to follow in his wake, and very few guitarists can match his lifetime of achievements. His influence is pervasive amongst players in a wide variety of genres, from blues-rock and heavy metal on to neoclassical and pop rock. It is conceivable that every electric guitarist on the planet has learned how to play the riff Blackmore came up with for “Smoke On The Water.”
Added Newquist, “It’s difficult to find any modern guitarist who has incorporated so many diverse styles into their playing—and then fused them all into something recognizably their own over their entire career. Ritchie was one of the first electric guitarists to add classical melodicism to his playing, along with classical speed and finesse. I think that most of the early ’80s guitarists who played lightning fast riffs and claimed to be learning from Bach and Mozart were, in fact, borrowing from Ritchie.”
Ritchie Blackmore joins previous Lifetime Achievement Award recipients:
2010: David Honeyboy Edwards 2011: Roger McGuinn 2012: B.B. King 2013: Vic Flick 2014: Buddy Guy 2015: Tony Iommi 2016: Glen Campbell 2017: Bonnie Raitt 2018: Liona Boyd 2019: Jose Feliciano 2020: Eddie Van Halen (in memoriam) 2021: Al Di Meola 2022: Jeff Beck 2023: Tommy Emmanuel 2024: Alex Lifeson 2025: Ritchie Blackmore
The National GUITAR Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the history, evolution, and cultural impact of the guitar. Its touring exhibitions have been featured in more than 60 museums worldwide.
In the coming year, those exhibitions will become the basis of The National GUITAR Museum and its permanent home.
WITCH RIPPER enter epic storytelling mode with a track that’s got it all: ‘The Clock Queen‘ is groovy, heavy and proggy, and serves as the next advance single from their forthcoming third album “Through the Hourglass“, which is scheduled for release on April 10, 2026, via Magnetic Eye Records.
WITCH RIPPER comment: “‘The Clock Queen‘ is the best representation of Witch Ripper in its purest form: Heavy. Melodic. Progressive“, vocalist and guitarist Curtis Parker writes. “In our story, it represents the big reveal of who our antagonist meets in this world they’ve found themselves in. Throughout the album, we peppered in what we call “the clock queen’s theme,” a melody that sneaks its way into almost every song at some point. This song is the culmination of that tension and it’s when we finally meet the driving force of the album: The Clock Queen herself.“
Tracklist: 1. Odyssey in Retrograde 2. The Portal 3. Symmetry of the Hourglass 4. Echoes and Dust 5. The Clock Queen 6. Proxima Centuari 7. The Spiral Eye
On their third full-length, “Through the Hourglass”, WITCH RIPPER unleash the full potential of their stunning ability to deliver captivating melodies, catchy riffs, and merciless hooks in sheer droves.
The US metal band perfectly combines melodic heaviness with pinches of progressive, sludge, and other styles with seeming ease. WITCH RIPPER can be generally located within the wider sonic realm that is inhabited by MASTODON, BARONESS, and HIGH ON FIRE, yet they also continue to channel the rock bombast of QUEEN and DAVID BOWIE as well as the modern prog of COHEED AND CAMBRIA and MUSE.
While WITCH RIPPER‘s songwriting has climbed to a new peak, they continue with their loving pastiche of the legendary pulp science fiction stories of old. “Through the Hourglass” extends the story that began on their sophomore full-length, “The Flight after the Fall” (2023), in which the central character’s search for peace in death by flying into a black hole proved futile. As “Through the Hourglass” begins, he awakens to a world without time and a familiar dark presence from his past…
Conceived in 2012 in the city of grey skies, lush vegetation and loud rock, Seattle, Washington’s WITCH RIPPER garnered critical acclaim and a strong buzz in the underground scene with their sludgy self-titled EP (2012) and debut full-length “Homestead” (2018). The second album, “The Flight after the Fall”, made the band’s name on a global scale, as the band dramatically expanded the range of their sound in ways both catchy and progressive.
On stage, WITCH RIPPER have performed alongside heavy rock outfits such as MONOLORD, CONAN, and CASTLE RAT as well as modern metal acts including SLIPKNOT, GOJIRA, and KHEMMIS among many others.
WITCH RIPPER are already at work planning for tour across the United States once more and hope for a first voyage to Europe in support of releasing “Through the Hourglass”. Metal is anything but dead, and this album is living proof of its vibrant present.
P.S.: Music aficionados will find a revelation hiding in the key of each song.
Line-up Chad Fox – guitar, vocals Brian Kim – bass, vocals Curtis Parker – guitar, vocals Joe Eck – drums
Guest musician Irene Barber – vocals on ‘The Spiral Eye’
Recording by Matt Bayles at Studio Litho & EXES Audio, Seattle, WA (US) Mix by Matt Bayles at Studio Litho, Seattle, WA (US) Mastering by Brad Boatright at Audio Siege Studios, Portland, OR (US)
Cover art by Chris Panatier Layout by Łukasz Jaszak
“This time we entered the studio with the clear intention of creating a landmark album for the band.” It’s a noble and challenging mission statement from Hellenic black metal troop YOTH IRIA, and one that has amply succeeded in the form of Gone With The Devil, the Attica quartet’s stellar third album, set for worldwide release May 8th on Metal Blade Records.
YOTH IRIA‘s trajectory has been on a steep ascent since crafty 2021 debut As The Flame Withers and 2024’s hypnotic Blazing Inferno, but there has audibly been a concerted determination to develop and expand in sinister new directions. “The creative workflow was similar to Blazing Inferno, yet we deliberately pushed ourselves to bring new elements into our music. We kept the immediacy of Blazing Inferno, the psychedelia of As The Flame Withers, and all the characteristics people expect from Hellenic black metal, while adding fresh sounds and atmospheres never before heard from YOTH IRIA.”
The daemonic avatar YOTH IRIA was first explicitly summoned on Rotting Christ‘s legendary debut Thy Mighty Contract in 1993. Bassist/lyricist Jim Mutilator formed that band as Black Church in 1984, before also becoming a founder member of cult Athenian BM heroes Varathron for their first five years. Renewing the otherworldly atmospheres and occult ravishment for a new era, YOTH IRIA functions almost as the third panel in an apocalyptic triptych of Hellenic black metal excellence.
With its windswept intro, rock-steady snap, jubilant solo and duelling harmonies, album opener “Dare To Rebel” is a useful pointer to the more accessible, classic heavy metal influences of Gone With The Devil. The elegant sound and smooth, sinuous arrangements mark a distinct hike in quality at every level, each song ready to roll as an engaging addition to the live set. Predominantly stately tempos ensure the dark riffs, memorable melodies, and flamboyant leads have space to breathe their fire, so that the blastbeats, when they come – as during the mid-section of haunting highlight and lead single “The Blind Eye Of Antichrist” – devastate even more utterly. Flecks of Mediterranean folk and gothic cadences further expand the band’s sonic palate, while there are countless melodies so atavistically simple and primally satisfying they could be a thousand years old.
The band further comments on “The Blind Eye Of Antichrist,” “True change begins when we refine our character, discipline, and inner power. A transformed person creates a transformed reality. Personal evolution becomes a universal shift – a new order of existence. The world changes when the self is reborn.”
There’s a thrilling balance of ancient and modern, good and evil, harmony and dissonance on Gone With The Devil advancing YOTH IRIA as a hungry contender for extreme metal’s big leagues – an ever-improving unit with a glorious future. Appropriately, however, Gone With The Devil is best summed up with a line already coined by the band to describe their ongoing body of work: “Every note tells a story of rebirth, tradition, and the relentless pursuit of musical transcendence.“
Gone With The Devil Track Listing: 01. Dare to Rebel 02. Woven Spells of a Demon 03. The Blind Eye of Antichrist 04. I, Totem 05. 3am 06. Give ‘Em My Beautiful Hell 07. Once in a Blue Moon 08. Blessed Be He Who Enters 09. The End of the Known Civilization 10. Harut, Government, Fallen
YOTH IRIA: HE – vocals Jim Mutilator – bass Nikolas Perlepe – guitar Naberius – guitar Bill “Vongaar” Stavrianidis – drums
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 ) 