“Black Bell” is the title of the new track available today on all digital platforms via Volcano Records, by the Italian progressive rock band ESCAPE TO THE ROOF, a mysterious project whose members have chosen to remain anonymous.
The track is an eleven-minute suite, monumental and profound, where powerful and heavy sections intertwine with surprising melodic openings, intimate and introspective moments, and intense, pulsating rhythmic shifts. Escape to the Roof have no intention of following the current trend of ever-shorter, disposable songs. Instead, they demand the listener’s full attention, offering in return a sonic journey filled with intricate harmonies and songwriting that feeds the soul craving high-quality music.
“Black Bell” is the first in a series of releases announced in collaboration with Volcano Records and is accompanied on YouTube by an intriguing music video, conceived, designed, and illustrated by the artist Maria Cangemi.
The single is available now on Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, and all major streaming platforms, while the official video can be watched on YouTube:
Finnish old school death metal band Messiah Paratroops, founded in 1989, is finally set to release their debut album ‘Legions of Tomorrow’ on April 4th 2025 via Inverse Records.
Out of reality is a raging death metal that combines extreme speed with lyrics about extraterrestrial worlds. This death sentence takes the listener deep into the unknown reaches of space.
Mixed and mastered by Jari “Tupi” Tuomainen Cover art by Niko Anttila
BIOGRAPHY: The first shots of Messiah Paratroops were fired in 1989. Aku and Niku joined the already existing band Necrophiliac. However, we found out that there was a band with the same name in Brazil, so a name change was necessary. The official launch of Messiah Paratroops was carried out by Aku Oksala (vocals), Niku Oksala (bass), Pekka Laasanen (drums), Janne Roima (guitar), and Mikko Vainikainen (guitar). At the time, our music was mostly thrash metal. In 1990, Mikko was replaced by Sami Jämsen on guitar, and in the same year, the first official demo Extreme Pain was released.Before this, we had recorded Rheumatoid (1989), Children of the Corn (1990), and the song Other Side in Studio Sound.
Our first official gig was at Nuorisokeskus 44 in Kuopio in 1990, and after that, more gigs started coming in. One particularly memorable gig was in Sulkava, where we played with Nuxvomica, Astenia, and Alennusmyynti. The gig was unforgettable in many ways, even so that one of our guitarists wasn’t allowed to play because of intoxication. Nevertheless, we managed to finish the show successfully.
The Extreme Pain demo sold well. With more experience gained from gigs and rehearsing in the trenches, we recorded the Lost Soul Domain demo in 1991. It sold out quickly and was well received worldwide. This led to the release of The Past EP through Seraphic Decay Records. Some copies of this rare release can still be found in various parts of the world.
Soon after, Pekka Laasanen left the band after a gig at Desperado Bar, and was replaced by Ilari Jäntti (Barathrum) on drums. In 1992, with this new lineup, we recorded The Other Gods demo. We also performed at Neulamäki Rock and the recycling center alongside Impaled Nazarene, Barathrum, and Mystification. After a few years of performing and creating new material, we recorded the Jesus Christ Cyberseed demo in 1994. This demo deviated slightly from our traditional death metal style, with lyrics focusing more on technology and sci-fi themes. After this, our war machines went silent for nearly two decades…
In 2014, it was time to bring out the war arsenal again and start re-recording our old songs with the following lineup: • Sami Jämsen (guitar) • Janne Roima (guitar) • Tuomo Latvala (drums) • Niku Oksala (bass) • Aku Oksala (vocals)
We recorded The Breeding, Cyberseed, Lost Soul Domain, and To Be Left High and Dry, but these re-recorded versions were never released. This lineup performed two gigs: the first at Old Farts Rock in Henry’s Pub, Kuopio (2014) and the second at Finnish Death Metal Maniacs Festival in Pori (2017).
War takes its toll, and in 2017, the lineup changed once again. Sami, Janne, and Tuomo left the group, and we brought in: • Ville Vesterinen (guitar) • Antti Sinikangas (guitar) • Peachy (drums)
With Ville’s creative input, three new songs were written: • Evil Lives Among Us • Madness Incarnate • Murders of the Lake
Demo versions of these songs were recorded. This lineup managed to play a few gigs before more changes occurred. Ville left the group, and Jani Vartiainen took over on guitar. More new songs started emerging with the debut album in mind. We even managed to get to the studio to record, but the momentum began to fade…
Once again, it was time to open the tent flap and bring in new soldiers. • Pete Airaksinen joined on guitar. • Vilho Kananen joined on drums. • Jari Bäck took over as the main bassist alongside Niku Oksala.
With this lineup, new songs were written, and after years of effort, the recording of our debut album was finally completed at the end of 2023.
Our debut album “Legions of Tomorrow” will be released in April 2025.
Line-up: Vocals – Aku Oksala Guitars – Pete Airaksinen Guitars – Jani Vartiainen Drums – Vilho Kananen Bass – Jari Bäck
Canada’s own speed/heavy metal powerhouse BREAKER is set to shake the foundations with the release of their lyric video for “Breaker,” the title track from their upcoming self-titled EP. Set for release on April 4, 2025, via the label Wormholedeath, the Breaker EP promises a relentless onslaught of screaming melodies, thunderous rhythms, and vocals that rip through the stratosphere.
Prepare to be consumed by BREAKER’s furious melodies, high-velocity riffs, and commanding vocal power. The band takes inspiration from classic speed metal while infusing their music with a fresh, untamed energy that sets them apart. This is more than music—it’s a call to arms for lovers of loud, fast, and uncompromising heavy metal.
Formed in 2023 by vocalist Terje Fiskvatn, guitarist Caleb Beal (Villain, Midnight Malice), and drummer Rider Johnson (former Razor), BREAKER quickly crafted their signature sound, blending high-octane metal with fierce energy. The band’s debut EP, Breaker, features tracks like Liberty and Babylon, written by Fiskvatn and expanded with the powerful contributions of Beal and Johnson.
“The Dress” is the latest single from Italian doom metal conjurors MESSA. The stunning new track, which includes a trumpet solo by Michele Tedesco, comes off the band’s forthcoming new full-length, The Spin, set for release on April 11th through Metal Blade Records.
Sailing past their tenth anniversary in 2024, MESSA takes another step towards legendary status with their majestic fourth album The Spin, which takes its listeners on a breathtaking journey across the wide-open skies of their creative imagination and over a compelling landscape of moods, twists, and styles. Based in the band’s eclectic, self-defined “scarlet doom” sound, The Spin rises, falls, broods, bites, comforts, and destroys, all the while resounding with both instinctive magic and obsessive, concerted hard work. After lighting up the underground with a triptych of increasingly distinctive and wondrous records – 2016’s Belfry, 2018’s Feast For Water, and 2022’s Close – MESSA is audibly equipped for the proverbial big leagues.
Comments the band on “The Dress,” “This song comes from the darkest place and the unfathomable void of oneself. Pain circles around, emerging violently and then drowning again in the depths. This is reflected in the riff: the descent scale keeps coming back and circles repetitively. The dress, in this case, is the gateway to a personal crucifix built with self-hatred and mirroring despair.“
Watch MESSA‘s previously released video for “At Races” HERE.
MESSA‘s signature sound absorbs influences from jazz and blues, punk and prog, and black metal and dark ambient, but their restless experimentalism has extraordinarily smooth and assured results. The Spin incorporates another new element, interpolating an ’80s goth rock vibe in typically full-blooded fashion. “We don’t like to repeat ourselves and we constantly try to find a new language to express while keeping our identity,” stresses the band. “This time we delved into a territory we had never explored before, which is the decade of the 1980s. We are aware that many bands before us took inspiration from that era, but we decided to be careless and run away with it mainly because we get involved and question what we do. We are not part of the ‘dark scene’ in any way. The influence for this record looks back to the early goth rock/dark wave rather than the later emanations of the genre.” In addition to Sisters Of Mercy and Virgin Prunes, the band cites records by Killing Joke, Mercyful Fate, Jimmy Page, Journey, The Sound, Boy Harsher, and Vangelis as impacting significantly upon the creation of The Spin.
Something that seems to get both easier and harder at the same time are Sara’s remarkable vocals. With greater experience of stage and studio, her beguiling pipes continue getting stronger and more versatile; so the singing here is more assertive and confident, but the singer’s concerted push to new heights comes somewhat at the expense of a healthy mental equilibrium. “For this record I gave up parts of my own sanity,” reveals Sara. “I wore myself in so many different ways… You can’t lie when you’re singing. My aim was to record my parts in the most honest way possible. Mix-wise, the vocals are more on the spotlight, in true ’80s fashion. The lyrics touch on multiple topics throughout the record; destroying one’s ego, impossible cursed love, giving up on yourself, others’ expectations, self-sabotage, resurrection. While we were touring the US I reread some books by Cormac McCarthy. It was crucial to pave the way I wanted to express myself. I think the lyrics this time are more ‘straight in your face.’ I used metaphors like I always did, but I wanted to get more verbally naked and raw. I never spoke so clearly in our previous records about insecurity, misery, uneasiness, anguish and distress.“
The Spin was partly recorded, produced, mixed, and mastered by Maurizio “Icio” Baggio and includes synth work by Andrea Mantione (Nuovo Testamento) on “Fire On The Roof” and cover art by Nico Vascellari (Uroboro, 2023. Nero Portoro marble, tire. 57 x 57 x 10 cm).
MESSA has confirmed shows across Europe this Spring including a special performance at this year’s edition of Roadburn where the band will play The Spin live in its stunning entirety.
MESSA Live: 4/15/2025 Feierwerk – Munich, DE 4/16/2025 Gebäude 9 – Cologne, DE 4/18/2025 Roadburn Festival – Tilburg, NL * Performing The Spin live 4/26/2025 Argo16 – Venice, IT 5/09/2025 DesertFest Oslo – Oslo, NO 6/22/2025 Hellfest – Clisson, FR 6/26/2025 Resurrection Festival – Vigo, ES 6/27/2025 Nazca Live – Madrid, ES 6/28/2025 Sala Upload – Barcelona, ES 6/29/2025 Molotov – Marseille, FR 7/11/2025 DC Rojc Open Air – Pula, HR 8/08/2025 Alcatraz – Kortrijk, BE 8/9/2025 Sonic Blast – Moledo, PT 11/8-9/2025 Damnation Festival – Manchester, UK
MESSA: Sara – vocals Marco – guitars/bass Alberto – guitars Rocco – drums
Strap in and ride shotgun with KICKIN VALENTINA as they tear up the road with “The Gotaways” – the first single from their upcoming album, “Raw Trax, B Sides and Bootlegs”! This track is a high-octane, no-holds-barred rock’n’roll anthem, packed with the band’s signature grit, swagger, and raw energy.
Produced by Andy Reilly (UFO, Bruce Dickinson, Cradle of Filth) and mastered by Joel Wanasek, “The Gotaways” is a rebellious, full-throttle celebration of life on the run – delivering loud, unapologetic, and 100% live rock’n’roll, just the way Kickin Valentina wants it.
Buckle up. The ride is just beginning.
Join the premiering here:
Kickin Valentina has been delivering loud, unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll since 2013, blending sleaze, attitude, and high-energy hooks. Formed in Atlanta, the band quickly gained international attention, signing with Mighty Music in 2015 and building a reputation for raw, no-frills rock.
Their albums “Super Atomic,” “Imaginary Creatures,” “Revenge of Rock,” and “Chaos in Copenhagen” have received worldwide acclaim, with “Imaginary Creatures” hitting multiple Billboard charts and “Revenge of Rock” reaching #6 on the Danish vinyl chart. Known for infectious choruses, powerhouse riffs, and a groove that hits hard, Kickin Valentina continues to fuel the fire of modern hard rock.
Their latest release, “Star Spangled Fist Fight,” is yet another explosive chapter in their ever-growing arsenal – louder, dirtier, and more defiant than ever.
KICKIN VALENTINA ON TOUR (all UK dates w/ Sisters Doll): 14.05 – Trillians, Newcastle (UK) 15.05 – Bannermans Bar, Edinburgh (UK) 16.05 – The Waterloo, Blackpool (UK) 17.05 – Corporation, Sheffield (UK) 18.05 – Yardbirds, Grimsby (UK) 20.05 – The Tivoli, Buckley (UK) 21.05 – Cart & Horses, London (UK) 23.05 – Wildfest, JC Spiraal, Geraardsbergen (BE) 24.05 – Vachwerk, Vacha (DE) 25.05 – TBD 28.05 – Sunbea Live, Münchenstein, Basel (CH) 29.05 – Kulturfabrik, Wetzikon (CH) 30.05 – Rock n Roll Rho, Milan (IT) 31.05 – Jonnys Lion Cave, Trübbach (CH)
Lineup: D.K. Revelle – vocals Heber Pampillon – guitar Chris Taylor – bass Jimmy Berdine – drums
A work, a transformation, a re-entry into the melancholic self – OPVS NOIR is in no danger of becoming an offspring of understatement, neither in its title nor in its musical opulence. And rightly so: Not only will it be the first album as a six-piece band, but it also marks the beginning of an entire album trilogy, set to be released in multiple editions, including, of course, strictly limited collector’s items.
Each volume contains 11 songs, totaling 33 tracks that not only conclude the delightfully eccentric chapter of Blood & Glitter, but also initiate an uncompromising return to the dark core of the band. While LORD OF THE LOST previously found themselves in the spotlight of vast open stages, OPVS NOIR Vol. 1, set for release on August 8, 2025 via Napalm Records, represents a confident descent into previously untouched emotional depths.
Chris Harms about the album: “Darkness, melancholy, loneliness – all words that often have negative connotations, that we may associate with danger, sadness and loss, and not without reason. But darkness can also be security, melancholy the warm and sentimental feeling of our memories, and loneliness becomes necessary silence, peace and inner contemplation. OPVS NOIR is a travel guide, or perhaps also a travelogue, through the dark sides of our inner world, which so often move precisely in the area of tension between what we emotionally categorize as positive or negative. And with Vol. 1, all of this is just the beginning of this 3-part journey…”
Get your copy of OPVS NOIR Vol. 1 HERE – available in multiple formats, including strictly limited editions!
OPVS NOIR Vol. 1 tracklist: 1 Bazaar Bizarre 2 My Sanctuary 3 Light Can Only Shine In The Darkness (& Within Temptation) 4 I Will Die In It 5 Moonstruck (& Stimmgewalt) 6 Damage (feat. Whiplasher Bernadotte) 7 Ghosts (feat. Tina Guo) 8 Lords Of Fyre (& Feuerschwanz) 9 The Things We Do For Love 10 The Sadness In Everything (feat. Anna Maria Rose) 11 Dreams Are Never Alone
OPVS NOIR is not only a musically exciting step but also a bold one! This becomes clear when looking at LORD OF THE LOST‘s immediate past: support for IRON MAIDEN on two European tours, followed by their first North American shows in over a decade, sold-out headlining tours, participation in the final of the EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2023, a #1 chart entry with the previous album Blood & Glitter, celebrated performances at the biggest festivals worldwide – they even had the honour of meeting King Charles in person. Hand on heart: How easy would it have been to keep riding this wave of success just a little longer? But that’s not how LORD OF THE LOST operates – the only constant remains change.
But what is the essence of LORD OF THE LOST in 2025? That is one of the questions OPVS NOIR Vol. 1 fearlessly begins to answer. Once again, the band proves not only musical excellence but also masterful craftsmanship: Produced by Chris Harms, recorded, mixed, and mastered at the legendary CHAMELEON STUDIOS in Hamburg, the 11 tracks hit with a force and brilliance that immediately transport us into a dark yet colourful ballroom. From there, the tone is set: Dark Wave Metal on an amphitheater scale.
Everything is new, yet every note feels familiar. Behind each chorus awaits a surprise, in every line, a new door opens to further uncharted paths within the LOTL universe. This band takes the expectations of its ever-growing fanbase and molds them into songs that transcend genre boundaries – and turn moments into monuments that carry us all along: No one lost behind!
OPVS NOIR Vol. 1: To be continued…
LORD OF THE LOST Live 2025
LATIN AMERICA TOUR 25.04.25 MX – Ciudad de México 27.04.25 CR – San José w/ Powerwolf 29.04.25 CO – Bogotá 01.05.25 AR – Buenos Aires 04.05.25 BR – São Paulo 05.05.25 CL – Santiago de Chile w/ Powerwolf
LORDS OF FYRE CO-HEADLINE TOUR LORD OF THE LOST & FEUERSCHWANZ w/ The Dark Side Of The Moon 02.10.25 DE – Berlin / Columbiahalle 03.10.25 DE – Leipzig / Haus Auensee 04.10.25 DE – Offenbach / Stadthalle 10.10.25 DE – Hanover / Swiss Life Hall 11.10.25 DE – Fürth / Stadthalle 17.10.25 DE – Munich / Zenith 18.10.25 DE – Düsseldorf / Mitsubishi Halle
UK + IRELAND TOUR 30.10.25 UK – Wolverhampton 31.10.25 UK – Manchester 02.11.25 UK – Glasgow 04.11.25 UK – Belfast 05.11.25 IE – Dublin 07.11.25 UK – Bristol 08.11.25 UK – London 09.11.25 UK – Southampton
FESTIVALS 13.06.25 DE – Gardelegen / Metal Frenzy Festival 14.06.25 CH – Interlaken / Grienfield Festival 20.07.25 DE – Cologne / Amphi Festival 02.08.25 RO – Rasnov Fortress / Rockstadt Extreme Fest 06.08.25 ES – Villena / Leyendas del Rock 10.08.25 UK – Derbyshire / Bloodstock Open Air 19.10.25 NL – Den Bosch / The Rock Circus 01.11.25 UK – Whitby / Tomorrows Ghosts Festival
LORD OF THE LOST are: Chris Harms – Vocals, Guitar Pi Stoffers – Guitar Benjamin “Benji“ Mundigler – Guitar, Synths Klaas Helmecke – Bass Gerrit Heinemann – Piano, Synths, Percussion Niklas Kahl – 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 )