The Invocation. The Descent. The Requiem. WICKED ONE enters its darkest and most mournful chapter yet with “As Angels Expire.”
The Story Continues…
The chapter began on June 6, 2026, when WICKED ONE emerged from the shadows with “Kneel Before Lucifer,” premiered by Metal Injection. That song established The Invocation, opening the gateway into the WICKED ONE world.
On August 21, the band descended further with “Lord Lake of Fire,” premiered exclusively by Metal Shock Finland. The Descent followed the invocation, taking the story deeper into darkness.
Now comes The Requiem.
The Invocation. The Descent. The Requiem.
Together, the three songs continue to establish the foundation of WICKED ONE’s expanding mythology ahead of the band’s debut full-length, planned for early 2027, with international touring plans already taking shape. Created by Scott Eames (Vital Remains, ex-Nile, Nevalra) on guitars, vocals, and songwriting, WICKED ONE features Darren Cesca (Deeds of Flesh, Arsis, Vile, Serpent of Gnosis) on drums and Max Lavelle (The Black Dahlia Murder, Despised Icon, Serpent of Gnosis) on bass.
Yesterday, September 25, 2026, WICKED ONE premiered its third single and official music video, “As Angels Expire,” marking the next chapter in the band’s evolving black metal world.
Where the first two songs struck with aggression and ritualistic intensity, “As Angels Expire” takes a different path. Darker, more atmospheric, and carrying the weight of a funeral procession, the song feels less like an attack and more like what remains after the battle is over.
SOME SONGS ARE MEANT TO BE MOURNED
“As Angels Expire is a completely different side of WICKED ONE. The first two songs were meant to be screamed. This one is meant to be mourned. There’s something very funeral-like about it, it feels like standing at the end of something and watching it disappear. I wanted the music to carry that sense of grief and finality.” – Eames
The result is a song built around haunting melodies, somber atmosphere, and a sense of finality. It is not a departure from the WICKED ONE identity, but another dimension of it, a requiem within the same dark world.
The 4K video for “As Angels Expire” was filmed by Tamara Llenas of Aimed & Framed, while the song was mixed and mastered at House of Grind Studios by Darren Cesca. The unmistakable WICKED ONE logo was created by legendary extreme-metal logo artist Christophe Szpajdel, Lord of the Logos.
“As Angels Expire” is another step deeper into the world WICKED ONE has been building. One where aggression, atmosphere, ritual, and darkness exist side by side.
And as the angels expire, WICKED ONE continues deeper into the darkness.
Vingulmork was formed in 2013 by four guys drawn together by a shared obsession with melodic, riff-driven extreme metal. The band is rooted in Scandinavian black metal, but has never cared much for genre borders. The bite of thrash, the weight of death and the cold bitterness of black metal all feed into the machinery that grinds out the Vingul-mork sound.
The band and music feeds off anger, anguish and despair, but doesn’t shy away from leaning into more vulnerable and fragile themes. In the end, though, it all comes back to the defining moments of broken dreams, shattered optimism and the relentless butchery of hope and happiness.
Dark melodies cut through the battery of harshness and make up a sound that has grown harder, more complex and more merciless over the years – without losing the rawness that defined the band from the beginning.
Earlier this month, Vingulmork released their fourth album. It is their most ambitious and forceful work to date. Driven by brutal riffs, desperation and uncompromising intensity, the record pushes the band further into its own territory and confirms Vingulmork as a stubborn, uncompromising force in the Norwegian extreme metal underground.
Today, celebrated British guitarist and singer songwriter, Ben Poole, is pleased to announce the release of his new album Post-Midnight Behaviour. The album is released worldwide by Gypsy Soul Records and is available on CD and vinyl HERE, and digital HERE.
To celebrate the album release, Ben has released the lead single “Runaway Souls” featuring Elles Bailey. The single is accompanied by an official music video that can be viewed on YouTube HERE.
Pushing boldly beyond familiar blues-rock territory, Ben unveils a richer, more atmospheric sound, where late-night grooves, subtle rock dynamics, and sky-bright hooks collide with effortless confidence. Expressive, cinematic, and instantly memorable, the track draws the listener deep into the world of Post-Midnight Behaviour without ever losing its cool, understated power.
“I wanted Post-Midnight Behaviour to capture how far I’ve come as a guitarist, singer, and songwriter,” says Poole. “After years of playing more than 150 shows annually across over 20 countries, everything has grown — my guitar style, technique, and voice, and how I hear music. The album is the sound of all those experiences coming together. It moves through Blues, Rock, Soul, Country, and Alternative Rock, but with a darker, late-night energy running through it. I still get to unleash the guitar, but this time it sits inside something more atmospheric and reflective, and more emotionally charged. That after-hours mood inspired the album title.”
“In recent years I’ve released a few live albums, which are great snapshots of a specific moment in time,” adds Poole. “With this new album, I took my time to make sure every detail was fully realised — the songs, the sounds, the arrangements, the performances, everything. My writing team and I pushed ourselves harder than ever, digging deep to make the songwriting as strong, sharp, and emotionally powerful as it could be. Listeners are going to feel that energy the moment they hear it. It has been well worth the wait.”
TRACK LISTING
1. No Second Chances (5:42) 2. Empty (5:57) 3. Time Has No Mercy (3:36) 4. Living On Repeat (Buried in the Background) (4:13) 5. Summer Haze (4:40) 6. Runaway Souls – featuring Elles Bailey (4:22) 7. Searching (5:30) 8. Nothing To You (3:50) 9. Start Of The End (5:26) 10. Runaway Souls – featuring Elles Bailey (Radio Version) (4:12)
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Wayne Proctor, Oli Brown and Ben Poole Recorded at House of Tone Mix Suite & Superfly Studios, Nottinghamshire, UK Mixed and mastered by Wayne Proctor at House of Tone Mix Suite, UK “Runaway Souls” (Radio Version) mixed & edited by Ross Hayes-Citrullo at RHC Music, Toronto, Canada All songs co-written by Ben Poole, Oli Brown, Wayne Proctor, and Steve Amadeo
MUSICIANS
Ben Poole – Guitars, Vocals Wayne Proctor – Drums Oli Brown – Backing Vocals, Moog Steve Amadeo – Bass Bennett Holland – Hammond Organ, Piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes Elles Bailey – Guest vocals on “Runaway Souls”
ALBUM TRACK BY TRACK
1. NO SECOND CHANCES A dark, layered opener that sets the tone for the album. Driven by power chords and raw emotion, it follows a man walking away from a relationship that cannot be saved.
“I’ve tried to understand what you’re searching for. While caught in the battleground of your internal war.”
It builds steadily to one of Ben’s signature guitar solos.
2. EMPTY Subtle and sultry, this groove creates an evocative backdrop for a man confronting emptiness and fading memory. From that sense of helplessness comes a striking chorus.
“Dive into the deep unknown. Here I go again, falling further out of the view. Shadows that I hide within. Here I go again, forever caught in the black and the blue.”
It rises to another of Ben’s melodic, standout guitar solos.
3. TIME HAS NO MERCY Hard-edged and urgent, this track is about seizing the moment, believing in yourself, and proving your worth.
“There’s no need to take the easy way out. Head back into the fire again. Stand tall and kick back. Time has no mercy for you.”
It’s the kind of song made for long overnight drives on empty roads when you’re racing toward whatever waits ahead.
4. LIVING ON REPEAT (BURIED IN THE BACKGROUND) It opens with dark, fuzzy bass and surges forward on jagged, heavy guitar riffs. The song becomes a metaphor for breaking chains, resisting inertia, and forcing a way out.
“I cut and cauterize to see if I can feel this. I’ll count the days till I’m no longer displaced. I don’t want this taking over I’m done drifting.”
Fragmented and unsettling, it rejects a clear verse-chorus structure in favour of a single driving impulse: to escape and survive.
5. SUMMER HAZE With shimmering pop textures and bright, glinting guitars, Summer Haze initially feels light and carefree. But beneath the surface, it tells a wistful story of fleeting love reduced to memory.
“The sun’s gone down, the tide is out. It’s all lost in the summer haze where I once knew you.”
6. RUNAWAY SOULS (FEATURING ELLES BAILEY) Elles Bailey delivers a guest vocal that is the very definition of rock and soul. Over a backdrop of driving guitars and thunderous drums, she sings of leaving it all behind, chasing something greater, and living without regret.
“We won’t be told we’re good for nothing. We’re gonna be long gone. This town won’t swallow us whole. Kick up the dust, we’re runaway souls.”
As ever, Bailey is full of surprises and utterly uncompromising. A phenomenal performance.
7. SEARCHING It’s 4 a.m. and sleep is a distant prospect. Few songs capture those lonely, restless hours better than this melodic, languid, and beautifully understated piece of rock. Beneath its laid-back groove lies an existential reflection on the pull of the past and the uncertainty of the road ahead.
“We’ve been searching for a way out of everything that’s come before. I know we can’t keep holding on to nothing. We have to believe there’s something more.”
At its heart, this is a song about hope and finding the courage to keep moving forward when the destination remains unclear. You may never find exactly what you’re searching for, but you’ll be changed for the better by the journey itself. Thoughtful, poignant, and deeply affecting.
8. NOTHING TO YOU For those about to rock around the clock, we salute you. This irresistible slab of groove-laden rock, driven by a snaking guitar line and an infectious rhythm, is the perfect companion for the small hours when fatigue is setting in but sleep remains out of reach. Yet beneath the swagger lies a tale of longing and frustration; of wanting something that remains stubbornly unattainable.
“Keep refusing, I’m reaching the end here. However I try, can’t keep giving it all when I’m still nothing to you.”
The object of desire may mean nothing to the singer in the end, but this song could mean everything to anyone looking for a soundtrack to those long, lonely hours. Effortlessly cool, relentlessly catchy, and impossible to resist.
9. START OF THE END “Hijacked maniacs, emotional amnesiacs. I see the cracks tearing our lives apart again. It’s time to face whatever we’ve been running from.” A desperate cry from the point of no return. Yet for all its darkness, this is a song of monumental uplift and renewal. Emerging from the wreckage of regret and denial, it embraces the moment when the first light finally breaks after a long night of the soul.
As the sun rises, pure melody and power-anthem guitars provide the perfect accompaniment, transforming despair into defiance and uncertainty into hope. And then comes that chorus—soaring, life-affirming, and utterly irresistible. What a way to greet the solar miracle that has captivated humankind since the dawn of time. Exhilarating, redemptive, and unforgettable.
Barnoldswick, Music and Arts Centre Sunday November 15 Tickets
Leicester, The International Tuesday November 17 Tickets
Camberley, Login Lounge Wednesday November 18 Tickets
Chester, The Live Rooms Thursday November 19 Tickets
Dudley, Lamp Tavern Live Friday November 20 Tickets
Leamington Spa, Temperance Saturday November 21 Tickets
ABOUT BEN POOLE
Ben Poole is an internationally acclaimed force in blues rock. Recognised by multiple publications as one of the world’s leading blues guitarists, he has been cited by Guitar World alongside artists including Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray and Joe Bonamassa.
He has also been named among the world’s top 15 blues guitarists by Total Guitar and Music Radar.
Ben has appeared on the covers of numerous magazines and earned praise from guitar greats including Jeff Beck, Gary Moore, Richie Kotzen, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and Philip Sayce. He is widely regarded as one of the standout artists on the international blues-rock circuit.
Bangalore Choir are releasing their eagerly awaited first single “Tear It All Down” from their upcoming album “Payload,” which is set to be released on November 6, 2026. It quickly became clear to David Reece that this song should be the first single, as it perfectly embodies the coolness and laid-back vibe that Bangalore Choir has always stood for. This “feel-good / convertible” metal was also the inspiration for the photo shoot featuring the ’56 Chevrolet.
The band quickly achieved cult status in the U.S. in 1992 before a certain band named Nirvana turned the U.S. market upside down and, in the process, knocked the rising star off its pedestal. Since its founding, the Bangalore Choir has stood for carefree spirit, joie de vivre, and the lightness of being—all attributes that seem to have fallen somewhat by the wayside.
If the Paramount+ documentary “Nöthin’ But a Good Time” is to be believed, BANGALORE CHOIR is arguably the last great band of the golden Sunset Strip era, which produced bands like Mötley Crüe, Guns N’ Roses, and Poison. Despite all the scandals that ultimately brought that musical era to an end, many people still long for the days when the heart of heavy metal beat in Los Angeles. David Reece has taken this heart back into his hands and breathed new life into it—much to the delight of Bangalore Choir fans worldwide—because even grunge couldn’t completely erase the lightheartedness and joy of that era.
Tracklist: 01 Tear It All Down 02 Cost Of The Grind 03 Believing 04 I’ll Take The Risk 05 The Damage That Remains 06 Nothing Left To Prove 07 Breakdown Unforgettable 08 Even If It’s Nothing 09 Answer The Call 10 Bitter End 11 Late To The Party 12 Won’t Fool Me Again
Live: October 24, 2026 Rotterdam Rocks – Baroeg Rotterdam NL November 6, 2026 Sugar Shack – Munich GER (Release Party) November 7, 2026 REFLEX The Cave Club, Buchs (SG), CH June 19, 2027 Rampa Kultura Goleniów, PL
Line-up: David Reece – Vocals Andy Susemihl – Guitars, Background Vocals Steve Gordon MIA – Guitars Tommy McWilliams – Drums Gorka Alegre – Bass
BLOOD OF THE EARTH have released their brooding new take on MINISTRY’s “Filth Pig,” the second single from the band’s forthcoming EP, Beneath A Sky That Breaks, arriving independently on October 23rd.
Originally released as the title track of MINISTRY’s landmark 1996 album, “Filth Pig” takes on an even heavier form in the hands of BLOOD OF THE EARTH. The trio, made up of Jeff Golden (ex-Crowbar), Katie Golden (ex-The Convalescence) and J. Costa (Thy Will Be Done), pulls the song deeper into sludge and post-metal territory, surrounding its hypnotic central groove with massive guitars, industrial textures and an oppressive sense of atmosphere.
Vocalist J. Costa comments:
“I’ve always loved ‘Filth Pig’ and what Ministry were doing with that record. There’s a real sludge song buried in there that I think has flown under the radar, and we wanted to give it our own nod.We tracked group vocals for it and were lucky enough to have Afzaal Nasiruddeen (Crisis, Masters Ashes) and our dear friend Glen Ellis join us; two people who were part of the Chicago scene alongside Al Jourgensen in the ’80s. Having their voices on this track made it feel like we were connecting a little piece of that history to what we’re doing with Blood Of The Earth.”
1. Beneath A Sky That Breaks 2. The Constellation 3. Barren Oasis 4. Petrichor 5. Filth Pig (Ministry Cover)
Founded by married musicians Jeff Golden (ex-Crowbar) and Katie Golden (ex-The Convalescence) and completed by vocalist J. Costa (Thy Will Be Done), BLOOD OF THE EARTH channel elements of sludge, doom, post-metal and industrial music into a sound built on sheer physical weight, haunting atmosphere and dramatic dynamics.
Recorded with producer Ryan Boesch (Melvins, Whores), Beneath A Sky That Breaks pushes the trio further into experimental territory. Across five tracks, towering riffs collide with electronics, unsettling ambience and carefully deployed moments of space and restraint, allowing the record’s heaviest passages to land with even greater force.
“Filth Pig” follows the previously released original track “Petrichor” and serves as another glimpse into the range of Beneath A Sky That Breaks.
BLOOD OF THE EARTH Tour Dates:
Oct 2 – Wallingford, CT @ Cherry Street Station Oct 3 – Brooklyn, NY @ Lucky 13 Oct 4 – Cambridge, MA @ The Middle East (w/ Crystal Spiders) Nov 14 – Tampa, FL @ Tampa Doom & Gloom Fest ( w/ Novembers Doom) Nov 15 – Lake Worth, FL @ Propaganda
Japanese-Italian melodic metal band VIOLET ETERNAL announces their second album, “Azure Stardust”, set for worldwide release on January 22nd, 2027. The new record marks the band’s second album with Rockshots Records, continuing the collaboration that began with their 2024 debut, “Reload the Violet”.
Formed in 2023 around Japanese guitarist Jien Takahashi (Majustice, Michael Vescera Project) and Italian vocalist Ivan Giannini (Derdian, The 7th Guild, ex-Vision Divine), VIOLET ETERNAL debuted with “Reload the Violet” in 2024. The band has since evolved into a five-piece with the addition of guitarist Andrea Cappellari (Nekomata), bassist Ollie Bernstein (Illusion Force, Fiverings, Michael Vescera Project), and drummer YAMATO (Neu, UCHUSENTAI, Michael Vescera Project), an expanded lineup that plays a central role in shaping the sound of their second album.
With “Azure Stardust”, VIOLET ETERNAL retain the melodic and power metal foundations of their debut while developing a broader and more dynamic approach to songwriting. The expanded lineup gives the band more room to explore different arrangements, tempos and moods while melody remains at the heart of their musical identity.
Rather than relying on a single formula, “Azure Stardust” moves from high-speed melodic metal to more dramatic mid-tempo sections, ballads and atmospheric passages. This wider musical range allows the band to explore different moods without losing the melodic focus that defines VIOLET ETERNAL, bringing together elements rooted in the European melodic metal tradition with the Japanese sense of melody that has characterized the project from the beginning.
The world’s first look at this new era arrives with “Azure Explosion,” a track that channels the album’s most urgent, high‑velocity energy into just over five minutes.
Racing beyond 197 BPM, “Azure Explosion” is propelled by relentless rhythms and rapid-fire riffs, with Jien Takahashi and Andrea Cappellari’s twin-guitar work moving between tightly coordinated passages, harmonized leads and sweeping melodic lines. Ivan Giannini’s powerful upper-register vocals cut through the high-speed arrangement, reinforcing the song’s melodic character even at its most intense.
Yet the track is not conceived simply as an exercise in velocity. Its development introduces more lyrical passages and dramatic transitions that break up the intensity and allow the melodies to breathe. These contrasts are central to the song: the speed provides the initial impact. At the same time, changes in dynamics and melodic direction reveal the broader musical language VIOLET ETERNAL explores throughout “Azure Stardust”.
Like a flash of blue light across the night sky, “Azure Explosion” reflects the imagery behind the album itself: bright, fast-moving, and dramatic. In this sense, the song works as a natural introduction to “Azure Stardust”, presenting the band’s high-speed melodic metal core while also hinting at the more varied arrangements found across the record, mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward at TrakShak Studios.
Track Listing: 1. The World Beyond the Door – 6:41 2. Azure Explosion – 5:29 3. Into the Deep Blue – 3:58 4. I Can Hear Your Heart – 5:11 5. Weekend – 3:42 6. Singularity – 3:22 7. Techno Optimist – 3:29 8. Mars – 3:30 9. Arianne – 6:09 10. RE: Gradational Sky – 8:34 Total: 50:05
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
