South African traditional/stoner doom metal trio Mad God have released their third album, An Age Of Ash, a fully realised concept record that marks the most ambitious and immersive chapter in the band’s decade-long career. Released on 27th March 2026 through Mongrel Records, the album arrives as five tracks of slow, crushing doom built around a sweeping dark fantasy narrative, a significant evolution from everything that came before it.
Formed in 2014 by vocalist and guitarist Tim Harbour and drummer Patrick Stephansen, Mad God built their reputation on bridging classic doom with psychedelic textures. Their earlier releases, A Tale of A Sightless City (2017) and Grotesque and Inexorable (2018), explored themes of cosmic horror and true crime. With the addition of bassist Danny Helsing in 2021, the trio rapidly developed a new creative chemistry and An Age Of Ash is the full expression of what that chemistry has produced.
An Age Of Ash tells the story of a world in collapse. In a war-torn kingdom where humanity has forgotten its ancient evils, darker forces rise unchecked from the shadows. Corrupt leadership, demonic betrayal and the awakening of forgotten gods converge as the balance of existence begins to unravel. At the heart of the record is a young woman’s quest for absolution and a father whose desperate actions send him down a twisted path toward ruin. What unfolds across the album’s five tracks is a bleak, violent fantasy narrative where hope is scarce and survival is never guaranteed.
The album’s story builds directly from the events of the band’s previous single, Left To Rot, which introduced Fadden, a farmer tricked into a demonic pact and set the wider world of the album in motion. An Age Of Ash now delivers the full saga: the rise of the Chosen, the awakening of the Ynyes, and the unravelling of a kingdom that never saw it coming.
Track Listing: 1. Godforsaken (The Pact) 2. Left To Rot 3. An Age Of Ash 4. Chosen 5. The Price
Musically, the record represents a bold expansion of the Mad God sound. The album incorporates odd time signatures, unconventional melodies and progressive arrangements, while never losing the slow, crushing groove at the band’s core. Songs were built organically over several years beginning with early ideas in 2021 and arriving at their final form by mid-2024 often growing from a single riff through extended full-band jam sessions. One track was written entirely by drummer Patrick Stephansen before being expanded collaboratively with the rest of the band.
The band were equally deliberate about how An Age Of Ash was captured. Recorded live at Helsing Studios without a click track, all core instrumentation was performed together in the room including solos, many of which were improvised on the spot. “We wanted something more natural and unified than our previous releases,” the band explain. “We also wanted a more natural-sounding album and opted for a live recording without click, with each song recorded in full in one take.” The result is a record with a raw, kinetic energy that none of their previous releases have matched.
Mixing and mastering were handled by bassist Danny Helsing, who crafted the album’s dense, atmospheric tones while preserving the natural power of the live performances. Recording took place across four to five full-band sessions, with separate vocal sessions to follow.
Continuing their ascent into the vanguard of modern heavy music, cinematic hard rock outfit Bastion Rose has announced the release of their introspective single: “I.” Released on March 27th, the track serves as the next single from the band’s third chapter, Blue Rising.
Following their recent singles, “Dust” and “Bones,” “I” turns the lens inward. The track explores the violent necessity of personal evolution. Driven by a sophisticated rhythmic pulse and soaring, melodic hooks, the song captures the moment a “calloused” spirit finally decides to break.
“The song is a dialogue with the parts of ourselves that prefer to stay as stone because change is terrifying,” says frontman Austin Frink. “We often stay the same because it’s safe, but ‘I’ is about that breaking point—the moment you realize you have to liquefy your old self to break through the stone and finally grow. It’s about moving beyond the ‘commotion inside’ to become something more.”
Blue Rising represents a bold new evolution for the band as Bastion Rose continues to build on the world-class sonic architecture established in their previous works. The band’s debut EP, Fade To Blue, and their powerhouse full-length, Traces of Gold, were both produced by three-time Grammy-winner David Bottrill (Tool, Muse, Rush). That collaboration set a high bar for the band’s technical, progressive arrangements and raw, alternative metal energy—a standard that remains the heartbeat of their new material.
The release of “I” finds Bastion Rose at an all-time high, with over 2 million streams across their catalog and a global YouTube community of 60,000 subscribers. The band is currently striking while the iron is hot, promising a steady stream of music for their rapidly expanding fanbase.
“We have so much music ready to share with the world right now,” Frink adds. “Blue Rising is just the next chapter of a very prolific phase for Bastion Rose. We aren’t interested in slowing down.”
Bastion Rose is a cinematic hard rock project based in Bloomington, Indiana. Known for their sophisticated fusion of monumental 70s-era grooves and 2000s era alternative metal intensity, the band has earned international recognition for their high-caliber production and narrative-driven songwriting. Following their David Bottrill-produced debut Traces of Gold, the band is currently unveiling the next chapter of their evolution with the album Blue Rising.
Finnish Mosfite’s new EP, ”Homini Lupus est” offers a package of metal with echoes of trash as well as progressive metal and even grunge – just like the pre-taste of their recent single “Enemy” promised.
“Enemy” blasts out a very trash-influenced experience, complete with a style-staple guitar into that was left out in the single version, followed by “Brickslayer” moving into a little more traditional melodic metal territory and lyrics talking about a sad fate. The third song, ”Rules of War” switches on to a slower gear, teleporting the listener via the nineties with its grunge-flavors on to future, where AI has stopped the humankind from destroying itself – by destroying it first.
The fourth song, “Tanktop”, gets quite serious with a story about domestic violence, where in the end the victim is forced to act against the terror endured. The song is complex and multi-part in progressive style, with rhythmic tricks and time signature changes, while still retaining the drive of the previous songs.
The EP’s final song, ” 6ft Deep”, is a moody softer tune, which however also gets back to trash-y tempo by the end of it. All in all, the EP offers a versatile and nicely variation-rick package from the Finnish quartet bent to keep things honest and real!
Recorded by: Antti Heikkinen Mixed by: Juho Hämäläinen Mastered by: Antti Heikkinen
Tracklist / ISRC-codes:
Enemy – FID5A1200262
Brickslayer – FID5A1200263
Rules of War – FID5A1200264
Tanktop – FID5A1200265
6ft Deep – FID5A1200266
–Lyricist: Antti Heikkinen –Composers: Petri Hietikko, Jukka Latikka, Sami Ulvi –Focus tracks: Enemy & Tanktop
The musical influences of Mosfite stem from New Wave Of British Heavy Metal, thrash metal and progressive rock and metal. They try to stay away from the modern, overproduced lifelessness, aiming to sound honest and big, yet dynamic and alive.
Mosfite was established in 2021. The debut album Mosfite released in 2022.
Antti Heikkinen: vocals and guitar Petri Hietikko: guitars and backing vocals Jukka Latikka: bass Sami Ulvi: drums
Listening to EVA UNDER FIREis quite literally hard rock therapy, turning scars and demons into anthems of inner strength. As a licensed therapist and singer-songwriter, Amanda Lyberg blends emotional insight with powerful songwriting, delivering lyrics and performances that connect deeply and hit listeners right in the feels.
Today, the Detroit quintet announces the July 10 release of its new album VILLAINOUS via Better Noise Music. It follows their 2022-released debut, Love, Drugs & Misery. Pre-order it here.
To herald the news, Eva Under Fire have also shared the video for the title track and first radio single, both of which feature In This Moment’s Maria Brink.
The track is laced with crunchy industrial elements that defined late ’90s and early ’00s-era rock, but Eva Under Fire add a modern punch with the dual-female vocal interplay between Lyberg and Brink.
“They thought I would always be compliant, but they pushed me too far,” declares a defiant Lyberg about the song’s deeper meaning. “I make my own rules now. Standing up for myself, owning my truth leaves me looking like a villain to those I have left behind.”
Regarding the collaboration with Brink, Lyberg enthuses, “I’ve been a Maria Brink fan for years so this is a full-circle moment! Her vocal on this track gives it the energy it needed. I honestly can’t think of a better feature given the song’s message. Two fierce women’s voices on a hard rock song about taking your power back? A match made in villainy for sure.”
Brink weighs in, as well, saying, “I am excited to be a part of the new Eva Under Fire track ‘Villainous.’ When I first heard the song and saw the video, I knew right away I wanted to be involved. I can’t wait for everyone to experience both the music and the visuals.”
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month (May), and in honor of the themes explored on Eva Under Fire’s new album, the band has added a “DONATE” button to the “Villainous” video released today. By clicking the button, fans can directly donate to To Write Love On Her Arms — a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire, and invest directly into treatment and recovery.
“I’m excited to give back to an awesome organization actually doing the work,” Lyberg offers about the decision to partner with To Write Love On Her Arms. “TWLOHA describes themselves as a non-profit dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, and self-injury. Those are the same demons being fought in the ‘Villainous’ music video so it’s honestly a perfect fit.” This fundraiser will be active through the end of May.
VILLAINOUS TRACK LISTING: “Awakening“ “My Own Name” “Survive My Scars” “Villainous” (Feat. Maria Brink) “The Words You Say” “Don’t Say I’m OK” “Hello Hollow” “Dark Soul” “Gasoline” “Murder Scene“ “Safe Word” “Teeth” “A Violent End”
2026 will find Eva Under Fire on tour for most of the year so opportunities to see the band command the stage will be plentiful. The band spent the winter laying waste to venues alongside Jeris Johnson and Butcher Babies. They will return to the road this summer, serving as support for Five Finger Death Punch’s 20th Anniversary World Tour 2026.
EVA UNDER FIRE LIVE: WITH FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH AND CODY JINKS: 7/20 — Camden, NJ — Freedom Mortgage Pavilion 7/22 — Bangor, ME — Maine Savings Amphitheater 7/23 — Saratoga Springs, NY — Saratoga Performing Arts Center 7/25 — Hershey, PA — Hersheypark Stadium 7/26 — Syracuse, NY — Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview 7/28 — Gilford, NH — BankNH Pavilion 7/30 — Mansfield, MA — Xfinity Center 8/1 — Montreal, QC — Centre Bell 8/2 — Toronto, ON — RBC Amphitheatre 8/4 — Wantagh, NY — Northwell at Jones Beach Theater 8/5 — Holmdel, NJ — PNC Bank Arts Center 8/7 — Burgettstown, PA — The Pavilion at Star Lake 8/8 — Noblesville, IN — Ruoff Music Center 8/10 — Cincinnati, OH — Riverbend Music Center 8/11 — Cuyahoga Falls, OH — Blossom Music Center 8/13 — Milwaukee, WI — American Family Insurance Amphitheater 8/15 — Grand Rapids, MI — Acrisure Amphitheater 8/16 — Clarkston, MI — Pine Knob Music Theatre 8/18 — Shakopee, MN — Mystic Lake Amphitheater 8/19 — Tinley Park, IL — Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre 8/21 — St. Louis, MO — Hollywood Casino Amphitheater 9/8 — Morrison, CO — Red Rocks Amphitheatre 9/11 — Auburn, WA — White River Amphitheatre 9/12 — Ridgefield, WA — Cascades Amphitheater 9/14 — Wheatland, CA — Toyota Amphitheatre 9/16 — Mountain View, CA — Shoreline Amphitheatre 9/18 — Long Beach, CA — Long Beach Amphitheater 9/19 — Las Vegas, NV — Michelob ULTRA Arena 9/22 — Salt Lake City, UT — Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre 9/24 — Phoenix, AZ — Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre* 9/25 — Albuquerque, NM — Isleta Amphitheater* 9/27 — Houston, TX — Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 9/28 — Austin, TX — Germania Insurance Amphitheater 9/30 — Fort Worth, TX — Dickies Arena 10/2 — Rogers, AR — Walmart AMP 10/3 — Kansas City, MO — Morton Amphitheater 10/5 — Biloxi, MS — Mississippi Coast Coliseum 10/7 — Huntsville, AL — Orion Amphitheater 10/8 — Franklin, TN — FirstBank Amphitheater 10/10 — Tampa, FL — MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre 10/11 — West Palm Beach, FL — iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre 10/13 — Alpharetta, GA — Ameris Bank Amphitheatre 10/14 — Raleigh, NC — Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek 10/16 — Charlotte, NC — Truliant Amphitheater 10/17 — Virginia Beach, VA — Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach 10/19 — Greenville, SC — Bon Secours Wellness Arena 10/21 — Columbus, OH — Nationwide Arena 10/23 — Bristow, VA — Jiffy Lube Live *No Cody Jinks
For all of EVA UNDER FIRE’s new music, Amanda drew on her career as a licensed therapist to foster open dialogue among the band members, empowering everyone to be heard during the recording. Her work in therapy started in 2018 when she graduated with a Master of Arts degree in Psychology and went on to work at a mental health clinic in Detroit, Transcendence Behavioral Health (owned by Dr. Stephanie Williams). That same year, her father passed away due to a fentanyl overdose. Her mother survived the same batch that killed her father and has been sober for the past six years. In addition to her thriving and busy music career, Amanda is currently a practicing psychotherapist specializing in trauma work, grief, loss, and addiction recovery.
Her story turned into a 2023 short film, My Rockstar, which used EVA UNDER FIRE music throughout and has won over 20 awards at several film fests including Orlando Film Fest, Wild Rivers Film Festival, Toronto WILDfilm Festival, and many others.
Lauded as one of SiriusXM’s 2023 “Ones To Watch,” EVA UNDER FIRE released their critically acclaimed debut album, LOVE, DRUGS & MISERY via Better Noise Music in 2022. Its deluxe version includes the Top 20 Active Rock radio-charting single “Unstoppable” featuring country/rock artist Cory Marks. They’ve toured across the globe with acts including Bush, Bad Wolves, Pop Evil, Skillet, and Finger Eleven, while also appearing at some of rock’s biggest festivals including Aftershock, Inkcarceration, and Rock Fest.
EVA UNDER FIRE—who have amassed over 100 million streams and 10 million YouTube views—substantially expanded their fanbase following their featured appearance in the horror-thriller The Retaliators (Better Noise Films) and the inclusion of their single “Blow (Feat.Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills)” on the film’s soundtrack. Their single “Heroin(e)” was also featured on the soundtrack for the 2020 film Sno Babies (Better Noise Films), which has over 65M global streams. “Heroin(e)” has a combined total of over six million global streams, while “Blow (Feat. Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills)” has over 41.6M global total streams.
The long-absent, Canadian, groove, metal powerhouse, THREAT SIGNAL, posts a full stream of its first in nearly a decade new album, “Revelations”, released yesterday, on March 27th via Agonia Records.
Listen to the record here:
Nine long years after “Disconnect” (2017), the Canadian metal powerhouse, THREAT SIGNAL, re-emerges to blur the lines between brutal intensity, energetic delivery and melodic hooks that pierce deep. Born out of personal struggle and inner chaos, “Revelations” weaves an intricate tapestry of tight instrumentation, ornate guitar work, and engaging vocals. It envelopes the listener in its pulsating torrent of emotions, reflective lyrics haunted by deep-seated demons, and immersive songwriting that personifies THREAT SIGNAL’s leading themes of resilience and strife within.
The band’s characteristic blend of metal involves elements of technical thrash metal, melodic death metal, groove metal, and metalcore, distinguished by dynamic vocals, technical proficiency and guitar solos full of flair. Apart from long-standing members – vocalist Jon Howard, bassist Pat Kavanagh and guitarist Travis Montgomery (ex-Jeff Loomis) – “Revelations” sees the band reunite with drummer Joey Muha, and welcomes guitarist Oswin Wong.
“Revelations” was mastered by Grammy Award winning engineer Tod Jensen (Iron Maiden, Metallica, AC/DC) at the renowned Sterling Sound studio in USA, and mixed, recorded, produced, and engineered by vocalist Jon Howard at his Woodward Avenue studio in Canada. The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith (Death, Cynic, King Diamond).
“Revelations” marks the band’s fifth album since the critically acclaimed debut “Under Reprisal” (2006), which won the Canadian Recording Of The Year Award at Hamilton Music Awards. Their installments – also including “Vigilance” (2009), “Threat Signal” (2011) and “Disconnect” (2016) – have met with unrelenting hype, with each generating growing interest within the metal community. Combining the complexity of thrash metal, with a more contemporary groove sound involving technical rhythms and melodic musical passage, THREAT SIGNAL has expanded its recognizability on an international scale. The band’s last three albums have charted on Billboard and have witnessed the group share the stage with Children Of Bodom, Soilwork, Motorhead, Saxon, Opeth, Kataklysm, Hatebreed, Epica or Arch Enemy. Their most recent treks have taken them to Europe (with Vader and Hate Eternal), North America (with Sirenia) and their homeland Canada, with a highly energetic performance that matches their potential and intensity.
ONLY HUMAN are already on the brink of a major discovery with their debut album. On Planned Obsolescence, the Danish upstarts invent an existential form of prog metal that speaks to our not-too-distant dystopia.
“The verses are often airy and light, the vocals tender, and the choruses huge”, says Heavy Metal Philosophy. “While the commentary is scathing, it is not dread that I feel but hope”.
Planned Obsolescence was released yesterday, on March 27 on Season of Mist, and you can hear all eight inventive songs by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
“The album is supposed to wake people up to all the ways technocracy is encroaching on society”, Only Human vocalist Patrick Grønbæch Christensen says. “Tech companies often design their products to have an expiration date, so that we’re forced to replace them with the newest model. Through our social media and the adoption of influencer culture, we now live in a reality where humans are products to be consumed and disposed of”.
Concept albums are standard issue for metal, especially in the prog space. But when the five members of Only Human first put their heads together in 2023, they decided to build the very human fabric of the band around one increasingly prescient idea.
“We like a lot of bands that just play rock music, but we wanted ONLY HUMAN to be about something”, Christensen says. “We’re interested in creating a musical universe that portrays a future on the brink of collapse”.
Planned Obsolescence reckons with technology’s increasingly hostile takeover. “Techno Fascist” comes crashing down amidst a turbulent downstream of low-tuned chugs. The intrusion of beats, blips and synthetic swirls into the heavy mainframe of “Breach” mirrors not only how technology has seeped into our everyday lives but also the looming threat that it poses in rendering humans obsolete.
While Planned Obsolescence is full of existential dread, that doesn’t mean the album leaves us no hope. There’s nothing broken or even outdated about Only Human. The band’s fusion of heavy polyrhythmic grooves, anthemic hard rock and haunting electronic soundscapes hits like a deep breath of fresh air. “Defy and learn to walk again”, commands blood-pumping lead single “Automata”.
“When the world is going badly, the reason is because people gave up”, Christensen concludes. “Things aren’t hopeless. We can absolutely fight back. Hopefully, this album gets people to think about valuing humanity over profit”.
On Planned Obsolescence, Only Human invent existential prog metal for our dystopian future.
Tracklist 1. Drift (4:44) 2. The Sun and the Moon (3:54) 3. Steep Descent (5:56) 4. Death Cult (3:40) 5. Techno Fascist (6:01) [WATCH] 6. Automata (6:12) [WATCH] 7. Aspire (4:22) 8. Breach (5:41) [WATCH]
Full runtime: 40:32
Catch ONLY HUMAN live and in the flesh during their upcoming record release show, as well as at Sweden Rock Festival and Naestved Metalfest.
ONLY HUMAN Live in 2026 May 2 – Copenhagen, DK @ Rust (Record Release Show) June 3-6 – Sölvesborg, SE @ Sweden Rock Festival August 27-29 – Næstved, DK @ Næstved Metalfest September 5 – Grindsted, DK @ Metalbox Festival November 7 – Hjortshoj, DK @ Viruphuset (with Cold Night for Alligators)
Despite evolving with greater speed and scope than other corners of the metal archives, progressive metal never strays from the cutting edge. ONLY HUMAN are fresh on the scene, having signed with Season of Mist at the beginning of 2026 ahead of an appearance at this year’s Sweden Rock Festival. But the Danish band are already on the brink of a major discovery with their debut album. With Planned Obsolescence, they’ve invented an existential form of prog metal that warns of our not-too-distant dystopia.
“The album is supposed to wake people up to all the ways technocracy is encroaching on society”, says vocalist Patrick Grønbæch Christensen. “Tech companies often design their products to have an expiration date, so that we’re forced to replace them with the newest model. Through our social media and the adoption of influencer culture, we now live in a reality where humans are products to be consumed and disposed of”.
ONLY HUMAN were assembled through online and IRL connections. The band started in 2022 with Christensen on both guitar and vocals and drummer Andreas Pröll. The two were soon joined by bassist Guillaume Blanjean. As their music grew in scope and became more ambitious, they decided to recruit additional guitarists. Martin Hastrup and JaCK Kijne joined in 2024, just as Planned Obsolescence was starting to take shape.
All five members of ONLY HUMAN are brought together by a vast host of shared interests. The band’s name comes from a pivotal scene in The Matrix. Other late ‘90s totems — from drum ‘n’ bass to Linkin Park and Opeth — twisted together with the modern-day influence of TesseracT, Periphery and Bring Me The Horizon to inform their collective DNA. But from the very beginning, they were determined to deviate from the norm.
“We like a lot of bands that just play rock music, but we wanted ONLY HUMAN to be about something”, Christensen says. “We’re interested in creating a musical universe that portrays a future on the brink of collapse”.
Planned Obsolescence reckons with technology’s increasingly hostile takeover. One of the first songs that ONLY HUMAN wrote together, lead single “Automata” expands from a scrolling syncopated rhythms into mainframe-shaking grooves, as the surrounding world narrows in on itself. “We’ve offloaded critical thought”, says Christensen, who also took on all phases of the production process. “We’re not really doing things because we want to do them. It’s because an algorithm has decided that’s what we should do”. Brain rot might be the silent killer for today’s digital age, but the steady intrusion of beats, blips and synthetic patches into the album’s song wiring imitates how corporate greed and invasive technologies fight to control our day-to-day existence. Like a virus, “Techno Fascist” emerges unsuspectingly before it comes crashing down amidst a turbulent stream of low-tuned chugs.
ONLY HUMAN’s vision for the future verges on apocalyptic. “Breach” closes the album by looking past the point of no return. Amidst its crushing despair, even the song’s glowing keys appear like a comet bound for Earth. But while fueled by existential dread, Planned Obsolescence isn’t void of hope. After all, there’s nothing broken, outmoded or dated about this new band. Unlike the attempts of artificial intelligence, their fusion of prog, djent, hard rock and electronic soundscapes is the product of much care and hard work. They had to tinker with several different versions before “Steep Descent” finally reached its climactic bridge. “Cast your flame beyond this bleak reality”, Christensen beckons as dizzying melodies and a stellar guitar solo propel him and his bandmates into the next stratosphere.
“When the world is going badly, the reason is because people gave up”, Christensen concludes. “Things aren’t hopeless. We can absolutely fight back. Hopefully, this album gets people to think about valuing humanity over profit”.
Lineup Patrick Grønbæch Christensen- Vocals Martin Hastrup – Guitars JaCK Kijne – Guitars Andreas Pröll – Drums Guillaume Blanjean – Bass
Recording, Mixing and Mastering Studio Only Human Studio
Production Credits Producer & Sound Engineer – Patrick Grønbæch Christensen Mixing Engineer – Patrick Grønbæch Christensen Mastering Engineer – Patrick Grønbæch Christensen (Digital and CD), Brett Caldas-Lima (Vinyl)
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 )