ROKK Streaming has officially launched their Direct Music Upload, a new tool that allows artists to upload and release their music directly on the platform.
The service is free, requires no middlemen, and lets artists keep full control of the work.
Direct Music Upload is available to any artist who owns the rights to their music. This includes independent artists releasing on their own, artists using aggregators that are not yet integrated with ROKK such as DistroKid or CD Baby, and artists who have never released music publicly before.
“It’s hard enough to be an artist today, especially when you’re just starting out,” says ROKK co-founder Alex Landenburg, drummer of Kamelot and Cyhra. “With Direct Music Upload, we wanted to make releasing music simpler and fairer – and show that streaming can work differently, in a way that actually puts artists first.”
ROKK is known for higher-than-average payouts and a transparent, artist-first model. Unlike other streaming platforms, music on ROKK earns royalties from the very first stream, with no minimum play threshold. Uploading music is free, and ROKK does not take a percentage of artist payouts.
Once their music is live, artists can immediately be supported by fans through ROKK’s Direct Artist Support feature. Direct Music Upload is available now to all registered ROKK artists and to new artists upon signup.
The cat is out of the bag: Samurai Pizza Cats have announced their long anticipated 2nd album “Press Start”, which will be released March 27th, 2026, via Century Media Records. The album comes just in time for the band’s own ‘Samurai Pizza Fest’, which will be held in Cologne, Germany, on March 28th – the festival has recently announced its sold out status. The announcement of their new record follows on the band’s prior single releases “Super Zero”, “Pandastruck”, “Fear No Slice”, and “City of Gold”.
Additionally, the band announced on their socials that powerhouse drummer Robin Scheer is officially joining the lineup, marking a new chapter as they bid a heartfelt farewell to Stefan Buchwald, who departs the band on his own terms. With their 2nd album on the horizon and an ambitious run of live shows ahead, Samurai Pizza Cats are positioned to make 2026 their most explosive year yet.
Tracklist:
Insert Coin Pandastruck T-Rex(plosion) (feat. Ankor) Fear No Slice Error 808 Level Up Ramen-Man (feat. BABYBEARD) Penguin Supreme Super Zero City of Gold Thanks for Playing Pizza Homicide – STVW Version Ramen Man – STVW Version (Bonus Track) *Japan ONLY
Samurai Pizza Cats LIVE
20.03.2026 CH – Aarau – Kiff Aarau* 21.03.2026 DE – Aschaffenburg – Colos-Saal* 27.03.2026 BE – Ittre – Zik-Zak* 28.03.2026 DE – Köln – Live Music Hall – Samurai Pizza Fest 09.04.2026 DE – Magdeburg – Factory* 10.04.2026 DE – Dresden – Tante-JU* 11.04.2026 DE – Memmingen – Kaminwerk* 12.04.2026 DE – Heidelberg – halle02* 23.04.2026 DE – Osnabrück – Rosenhof* 24.04.2026 DE – Bremen – Modernes* 25.04.2026 NL – Heerlen – Nieuwe Nor* 26.04.2026 DE – Düsseldorf – Zakk* 20 – 22.08.26 DE – Lich – Music Forge Festival *support from Fall To Spring
About Samurai Pizza Cats
Samurai Pizza Cats from Castrop-Rauxel have long since ceased to be an insider tip since releasing their first self-published songs. Founded in 2021 by Daniel Haniß (Electric Callboy), Sebastian Fischer, and Stefan Buchwald (both formerly of Fall Of Gaia), the band quickly built a loyal fan base thanks to their unique sound and high-energy live performances. Since 2021, Stefan Reufer has been the bassist of the Ruhr area band and a permanent member of Samurai Pizza Cats. At the end of 2025, Robin Kemper joined the band as the new drummer, bringing fresh momentum to the Castrop-Rauxel-based lineup.
Musically, the band moves between metalcore and deathcore with electronic influences, standing out through catchy melodies and powerful guitar riffs. Their songs are characterized by a blend of biting humor and profound themes, which adds an extra humorous touch to their name—an allusion to a cult anime series.
With “YOU’RE HELLCOME,” Samurai Pizza Cats released their debut album in 2023. The record was released on September 22 and entered the Top 100 of the German album charts.
In January 2024, the band played a nearly completely sold-out headlining tour across Germany and Austria. At the beginning of 2025, they released two new songs, “Superzero” and “Pandastruck,” and went on the tour of the same name in March.
In August 2025, Samurai Pizza Cats raised the bar even higher. With the song “Fear No Slice,” the band presented themselves in top form once again, showcasing the unmistakable Samurai Pizza Cats style that makes them so unique.
Looking ahead to 2026, the “Samurai Pizza Fest” is already on the calendar. The band’s first-ever festival will take place on March 28, 2026, at the Live Music Hall in Cologne and features an impressive lineup with From Fall to Spring, STVW, and Statefall—sure to make every music fan’s heart beat faster.
Their new album “Press Start” will be released on March 27, 2026, via Century Media Records. With the singles released so far, it sets a clear statement of taking stages beyond national borders, infused with a generous dose of pizza and chaos.
Samurai Pizza Cats are Sebastian Fischer – Vocals Daniel Haniß – Guitar Stefan Reufer – Bass Robin Scheer – Drums
WORM reveal “Witchmoon – The Infernal Masquerade”, featuring guitar virtuoso Marty Friedman. The latest single and opulent album closer is an epic mixture of Black, Doom, 80s Heavy Metal, goth, neoclassical metal, baroque-influenced harpsichord parts, piano arpeggios and even some death metal. It’s the ultimate culmination of the vampiric nightmare that is Necropalace.
The necromantic black doom creators own a sonic palette rooted in nearly every worthy corner of extreme metal’s history – from the grandiose heights of ‘90s symphonic black metal to the emotional technicality of ‘80s shred metal. Since their lauded full-length Foreverglade, the Floridian band have only grown more powerful, showcasing a level of grandiose songcraft that is beyond modern compare. On Necropalace, their first album with Century Media, Worm have managed to do what many others in this day and age can only attempt: They walk backwards into the future.
Necropalace lives in a world of its own. A world of lush velvet and ostentatious gold, covered in the dust of time. A world where shadows seem to move in your peripheral vision, yet the loneliness never ceases. A world where wounds of the flesh may heal, but those of the heart never do.
Necropalace is truly the sonic representation of unbridled nightbound maleficence! The album manifests itself as the soundscape to a star laden winter night sky reflecting off the Everglades’ darkest slough; where death meets the deathless. This album is a vociferous call to action for anyone who still possesses ancient vampiric blood in their veins. Prepare yourself for a full force attack of zealous guitar agility and heretic spellcraft. The gates are now open.
“Witchmoon – The Infernal Masquerade” follows the album’s lead singles “Necropalace” and “Blackheart” which emerged alongside Worm’s first ever official music videos. “Outside of exhuming obscure symphonic black metal tapes from 1996, much inspiration for Worm comes from my obsession with 80s/90s horror,” tells Phantom Slaughter. Worm were finally able to secure the perfect team for their astounding short film debuts: Director Norman Cabrera (Danzig, Walking Dead, Fright Night II), Producer Maya Kay, Colorist Alex Nicolaou (Drab Majesty), all with direction from Ted Nicolaou (TerrorVision, Subspecies) meticulously brought Worm’s dark fantasy into a reality.
It is a monumental year for Japanese metalcore band Crystal Lake as they proudly release their long‑awaited seventh studio album “The Weight of Sound”, available now worldwide via Century Media Records.
Packed with 11 tracks, the album captures the quintet at their most dynamic, innovative, and emotionally charged. It is also the first studio album since John took over vocals for the band back in 2023. With 5 tracks having guest performances by various artists, including David Simonich, Jesse Leach, Myke Terry, Taylor Barber and Karl Schubach, the band pushes their typical soundscape further than ever before, balancing razor‑sharp metalcore, crushing deathcore elements, atmospheric electronics, and immersive melodic passages.
After nearly three and a half decades of brutal technical supremacy, Cryptopsy are still insatiable. The most vile band in death metal finished off last year by cracking year-end lists at Decibel, Metal Injection, BangerTV, No Clean Singing and other outlets with their latest Billboard-shaking album An Insatiable Violence. Now, as they continue to bang heads on their current European tour, the Canadian legends are proud to announce another new milestone in their Hall of Fame career.
Today, Cryptopsy are announcing that they are headlining The Decibel Magazine Tour in 2026. The band’s set during the tour’s deadly 13th run will celebrate both the coronation of An Insatiable Violence and the 30th anniversary of their Decibel Hall of Fame-inducted album None So Vile. Joining them for all 21 dates are Necrot, Fulci and Blood Monolith.
“Between the strength of the material on their latest release, An Insatiable Violence, and the anniversary celebration of their landmark, None So Vile, 2026 is clearly the year of Peak Cryptopsy”, Decibel Magazine’s Editor-In-Chief Albert Mudrian says. “We couldn’t be more honored to bring the band’s paramount present and potent past together to headline this year’s Decibel Magazine Tour”.
“We are honored to headline the 13th expedition of The Decibel Magazine Tour”, Cryptopsy’s vocalist Matt McGachy says. “Headlining the Decibel Tour while celebrating the 30th anniversary of None So Vile is surreal for us. That record changed everything, and getting to rip through our favorite songs from it every night – alongside a bunch of newer Cryptopsy tracks from An Insatiable Violence – feels like honoring where we came from while showing exactly where we are now. These shows alongside our friends in Necrot, Fulci and Blood Monolith are going to be violent, cathartic and unforgettable”.
Tickets for The Decibel Magazine Tour 2026 go on sale this Friday, January 30 at 10 am local time.
The Decibel Magazine Tour 2026 with Cryptopsy, Necrot, Fulci and Blood Monolith
April 30 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium (Upstairs) May 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Monarch May 2 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage May 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Decibel Metal & Beer Philly (The Fillmore) May 5 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell) May 7 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall May 8 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio May 9 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live May 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent May 13 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick May 14 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone May 16 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater May 17 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon May 20 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater May 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe May 23 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge May 24 – Detroit, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom May 25 – Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop May 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving Underground May 27 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace May 28 – Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre
The 2026 Decibel Magazine Tour is sponsored by Season of Mist, EMG Pickups, Night Shift Merch, Tankcrimes, 20 Buck Spin, Profound Lore and Rhythm & Revive.
Cryptopsy’s new album An Insatiable Violence, plus Blasphemy Made Flesh, None So Vile and other albums from their fearsome discography are now available through Season of Mist
January 28 – Sweden, Stockholm @ Kollektivet Livet [LOW TICKETS] January 29 – Norway, Oslo @ Goldie [LOW TICKETS] January 30 – Denmark, Copenhagen @ Pumpehuset [LOW TICKETS] January 31 – Germany, Leipzig @ Hellraiser February 1 – Germany, Berlin @ Hole44 February 2 – Poland, Warsaw @ Proxima February 3 – Czech Republic, Prague @ Rock Cafe February 4 – Austria, Vienna @ Szene February 5 – Hungary, Budapest @ Barba Negra February 6 – Germany, Munich @ Backstage February 7 – Italy, Milan @ Legend Club February 8 – Switzerland, Aarau @ KiFF February 9 – France, Lyon @ Club Transbo February 10 – Spain, Barcelona @ Wolf February 11 – Spain, Madrid @ Revi Live [LOW TICKETS] February 12 – Spain, Portugalete @ Groove [SOLD OUT] February 13 – France, Toulouse @ Metronum February 14 – France, Nantes @ Le Ferrailleur [LOW TICKETS] February 15 – France, Paris @ Petit Bain [LOW TICKETS]
Tracklist 1. The Nimis Adoration (4:10) 2. Until There’s Nothing Left (3:59) [WATCH] 3. Dead Eyes Replete (3:57) [WATCH] 4. Fools Last Acclaim (3:26) 5. The Art of Emptiness (4:16) 6. Our Great Deception (4:21) 7. Embrace the Nihility (3:50) 8. Malicious Needs (5:52) [WATCH]
More than 30 years into their storied career, Montreal death metal innovators Cryptopsy return with their ninth studio album, An Insatiable Violence, set for release on June 20, 2025 on Season of Mist.
Revered in extreme metal circles for such groundbreaking classics as 1994’s Blasphemy Made Flesh and the 1996 magnum opus None So Vile, Cryptopsy find yet another gear on An Insatiable Violence, which further solidifies the band’s place in the upper echelon of death metal. Coming out of the pandemic, the band dedicated themselves to staying on top of their game more than ever before, with the intention of consistently putting out a new record every two years. That started with 2023’s acclaimed As Gomorrah Burns, and continues 21 months later with An Insatiable Violence.
“We had to write the majority of An Insatiable Violence while on the Death to All tour, which was something we’d never done before”, vocalist Matt McGachy says. “Flo [Mounier, drums] and Chris [Donaldson, guitar] really put their hats on. It was a feat”.
“Ever since COVID our focus is clearer, a lot of work gets done faster, and we push each other to get it done.”, Mounier says.
In addition to featuring some of the fastest passages Cryptopsy has ever recorded – keen listeners will even hear the odd gravity blast from Mounier, a rarity from the virtuoso drummer – the controlled chaos of their signature sound is offset by well-timed passages that ease off the gas pedal enough to allow listeners to come up for some air. That dynamic rage on An Insatiable Violence in turn makes the more aggressive moments hit even harder, which is immediately noticeable on the harrowing “Until There’s Nothing Left” and the chugging closing track “Malicious Needs”. Olivier Pinard anchors “Fools Last Acclaim” with stunning authority (keeping pace with Mounier is an unenviable task) while Donaldson offsets gnarly, atonal riffs with melodic passages throughout the record. “It’s a continuation of As Gomorrah Burns,” McGachy says, “We really wanted to make a groovy record, and we think we’ve done it.”
It seems as though nothing is scarier than real life right now, and An Insatiable Violenceis a commentary on today’s society as though filtered through the transgressive, countercultural perspectives of J.G. Ballard and David Cronenberg.
“It all came to me in a dream in August 2023,” elaborates McGachy. “I woke up, I took my phone, and I wrote down the title of the record. It’s about a person that wakes up every day and fixes a machine. Tinkers with it, tries to make it better all day long, sweating in the sun, and then at night, they strap themself into this machine and the machine tortures them, and they love it. Then they wake up the next day and fix it again to make it more efficient, to keep harnessing it, and then just keep doing it over and over again.
While fantastically twisted, An Insatiable Violence mirrors our toxic relationship with social media. “We’re continuously trying to feed this algorithm of the machine while it’s totally tearing us apart socially and psychologically”, McGachy continues. “’The Nimis Adoration’ is about mukbang, these Korean people that eat too much food on the Internet. Piles and piles of food. A poor girl died on a live cam”.
At the center of the album is the mind-boggling percussion skill of Mounier, arguably the most imposing Canadian drummer not named Peart, who dominates such standout tracks as “Dead Eyes Replete”, “Fools Last Acclaim”, and “Embrace the Nihility”. “I look at Flo as an Olympic athlete,” says McGachy. “I want to push this guy to go a lot faster than Cryptopsy’s previous releases. We have so much more to give, and I wanted just drain it all out of him while he’s still at the top of his game, because he is. He’s crushing.”
“I mix up a lot of a physical activity, like resistance training into the drumming,” Mounier says. “I recently developed new techniques that make it easier to go even faster, so I tried to push that on this album. My focus is now more on dynamics and the touch of the snare, a certain snap of the snare, a rim shot on the snare, the toms, a light touch or a hard touch. Live, I can really let go, you know, give the sound guy a hard time,” he adds with a laugh.
For McGachy, who has always boasted a powerful, guttural death growl, the rigors of touring have enabled him to evolve as a vocalist, and he turns in a revelatory performance on An Insatiable Violence. In addition to ear-scraping screams that rival George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, McGachy unleashes the deepest, filthiest death growls of his career. “Gomorrah was the first album that I recorded with my full false chord scream, which is something that I’d only just touched on The Book of Suffering: Tome II in little sections,” he says. “We did at least 140 shows since Gomorrah. I exclusively did my false chords during all the songs that we performed on None So Vile and Blasphemy Made Flesh. And then, when we did go into the studio for An Insatiable Violence, Chris would be like, ‘Deeper, you must go deeper!’”
Another fearsome vocalist from Cryptopsy’s lore pops back into the booth on An Insatiable Violence. “When we were recording the vocals for ‘Embrace the Nihility’, Chris had the idea of ending the song with the same vocal pattern as the end of ‘…and Then It Passes’”, McGachy remembers. “We figured if we were going to rip ourselves off, then we may as well get the real thing. We were honored that Mike DiSalvo accepted. We are all huge fans of Cryptopsy’s DiSalvo era. His vocals on this album are an ultra Easter egg for our fans”.
In addition to the effusive praise As Gomorrah Burns received from within the metal scene, the 2023 album achieved a first for Cryptopsy: earning them their first ever JUNO Award in 2024 for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year. “We had little-to-no expectations of winning” says McGachy. ”We didn’t even go to the ceremonies because we were on tour in Europe with Atheist. On the day we found out that we won, we had a crazy 18-hour drive from Derby to Germany, plus a ferry ride. But we still partied for 48 hours. Flo bought an expensive bottle of champagne”.
Cryptopsy recognize that not every death metal band sticks around long enough to win a Canadian Grammy 30 years into their career. The cover art for An Insatiable Violence was created by the late, great vocalist Martin Lacroix. “The album artwork has got to be one of the most important things to us!”, the band says. “Martin Lacroix was one of our vocalists, one of our great friends and one of the nicest people that anyone could have the privilege to meet. We really wish he was here with us to share this moment. His perfect smile would say it all! Rest in peace brother”.
With Cryptopsy’s latest career renaissance showing no signs of slowing down, the recent accolades are only the beginning. An Insatiable Violence reaches a new peak in a career loaded with them.
Lineup Flo Mounier – Drums Matt McGachy – Vocals Christian Donaldson – Guitar Oli Pinard – Bass
Guest Musician Mike DiSalvo performs vocals on “Embrace the Nihility”
Recording, Mixing & Mastering Studio Christian Donaldson’s Studio
Production, Sound & Mixing Engineer Christian Donaldson
Rock icon JOHN CORABI is pleased to share his new single “When I Was Young,” taken from his upcoming debut full-length solo album ‘New Day,’ due out on April 24, 2026 via Frontiers Music Srl. “When I Was Young” arrives alongside an official visualizer, available below.
On the new track, JOHN shares: “‘When I Was Young’ is a lyrically poignant song about an aging man looking back and reminiscing in a conversation with his son, about the ups and downs of his life. A beautiful look at life blended with acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, with an uptempo ‘Maggie May’ vibe!!!”
‘New Day’ marks JOHN CORABI’s first full-length solo album of original material. Recorded in Nashville during the summer of 2025 and produced by multi-platinum songwriter and producer Marti Frederiksen (Aerosmith, Ozzy Osbourne, Buckcherry), the album fuses classic ’70s rock, soul, and blues influences into a sound that feels both timeless and deeply personal.
The record features the previously released singles “Così Bella (So Beautiful)” (2021) and “Your Own Worst Enemy” (2022), now presented as part of a rich collection of tracks that spotlight his commanding vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and masterful songwriting. Throughout the album, CORABI is joined by Marti Frederiksen, who adds backing vocals, guitars, piano, and percussion; Evan Frederiksen on drums, bass, B3 organ, electric guitar, mandolin, and programming; Richard Fortus (Guns N’ Roses) on lead guitar; Paul Taylor (Winger, Steve Perry) contributing piano, organ, and clavinet, as well as Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke) offering guitar solos. Together, they create an organic, instrument-driven sound built on real performances, melodic interplay, and soulful energy.
With a European tour planned for February/March 2026 and additional shows running through late spring and summer, CORABI is poised to bring this new music directly to fans, delivering both powerful live energy and genuine emotional resonance.
More than just a solo debut, ‘New Day’ serves as CORABI’s personal testament to rock’s enduring spirit—an exploration of melody, soul, and authenticity, played with passion and conviction at every turn.
JOHN shares:
“I’m very excited for everybody to hear this new collection of songs! I wanted to put together an album of eclectic, organic songs that are reminiscent of the music I grew up listening to, and I truly believe the mission was accomplished! This is a 60’s-70’s sounding classic rock and roll record…Turn it up, and enjoy!!!”
1. New Day 2. That Memory 3. Faith, Hope And Love 4. When I Was Young 5. One More Shot 6. 1969 7. Laurel 8. Good To Be Back Here Again 9. Love That’ll Never Be 10. Cosi´ Bella 11. Your Own Worst Enemy 12. Everyday People
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 ) 