Black Metal Collective Expands Global Touring Strategy for 2027 Campaigns
Rising American black metal force WICKED ONE has officially signed an exclusive booking agreement with Lucifer’s Business for all Latin American territories, marking another significant milestone as the band continues its international expansion.
The partnership establishes Lucifer’s Business as WICKED ONE’s exclusive representative throughout Latin America for live performances, festivals, and touring opportunities, with booking campaigns scheduled to begin in 2027.
Following the release of their debut single “Kneel Before Lucifer”, which premiered on Metal Injection, WICKED ONE has rapidly positioned itself as one of black metal’s most anticipated emerging acts. Featuring an accomplished lineup of extreme metal veterans – including Scott Eames (Vital Remains, ex-Nile, ex-Thy Antichrist), Darren Cesca (ex-Deeds of Flesh), and Max Lavelle (The Black Dahlia Murder) – the band continues laying the foundation for a worldwide campaign leading into the release of its debut album.
Latin America has long been recognized as one of the world’s strongest and most passionate markets for extreme metal, making the partnership with Lucifer’s Business a natural step in WICKED ONE’s long-term touring strategy.
“We’re proud to welcome Lucifer’s Business as our exclusive booking agency throughout Latin America. This partnership represents the next stage of WICKED ONE’s growth, and we’re looking forward to bringing our live ritual to audiences across the region beginning in 2027. This is only the beginning.”
Additional announcements regarding festivals, tours, and international activity will be revealed in the coming months.
KÄRBHOLZ releases ‘Messers Schneide’, the third lead single from their upcoming new studio album ‘Sturm Zieh Auf’, which will be released on 18 September via Metalville.
Hallelujah, what is probably the most profound song in recent music history is getting a sequel. ‘Messers Schneide’ is the long-overdue tribute to the 2015 track ‘Tiefflieger’ and has just one aim: Dance, you wonderful middle-aged people!
STURM ZIEH AUF
…When the storm shatters the silence…
Three years have passed since the double release of ‘Kapitel 10: Wilde Augen’ and ‘Kapitel 11: Barrikaden’. Three years in which the world did not stand still and the band used the time to brew up a whirlwind that is now breaking loose with full force: ‘Sturm zieh auf’.
An atmospheric exchange of energy
A storm is more than just wind. It is a raw, uncontrollable force. It brings destruction, yes – but it creates the space that is so desperately needed for something new. It is the atmospheric exchange of energy that sweeps away the old to make room for change. On their new album, KÄRBHOLZ set this very moment of transformation to music.
With 13 tracks brimming with passion and emotion, the band captures the full spectrum of a storm: from the oppressive ‘calm before the storm’ through fear and unease to the boundless freedom that emerges when the pressure eases.
Authentic, edgy, uncompromising
“Sturm zieh auf” pays no heed to conventions or compatibility. The album draws on the harder elements of the band’s history and creates a self-contained universe that does not seek to please at any cost – and perhaps touches the listener so deeply precisely for that reason. It is a work for those who are prepared to question their listening habits.
•No whining, no finger-pointing: KÄRBHOLZ do not blame external circumstances. •Focus on the self: It’s about the power of the individual to rise above the status quo. •Unbridled positivity: Amidst the chaos, the band finds happiness in the small, essential things in life.
The ‘why’ determines the ‘how’
In the spirit of Nietzsche, the album conveys a clear message: ‘If I know a why, I can bear almost any how.’ “Sturm zieh auf” is the soundtrack for this journey. It is the musical manifestation of resilience – an invitation to face the storm, to enjoy it, and to emerge from it stronger.
KÄRBHOLZ are back. Louder, harder and more reflective than ever before.
“STURM ZIEH AUF” TRACK LISTING
01 Sturm zieh auf 02 Wenn ich fall 03 Dämmerlicht 04 Kryptonit 05 Mut 06 Augenblick 07 Messers Schneide 08 Glück 09 Sonnenfinsternis 10 Wo man tanzt 11 Gottes Kind 12 Kintsugi 13 Des Todes Bruder
KÄRBHOLZ LINE UP
Torben Höffgen – vocals Adrian Kühn – guitars Stefan Wirths – bass Henning Münch – drums
TOUR DATES
24.07.26 DE – Königstein – Festung Königstein Open Air 31.07.26 DE – Laichingen – Rock Dein Leben 01.08.26 DE – Wacken – Wacken Open Air 06.08.26 CH – Brienz – Brienzer See Rockfestival 18.09.26 DE – Köln – MS Rheinmagie (Record Release Show) 19.09.26 DE – Köln – MS Rheinmagie
RECORD RELEASE TOUR 2026
01.10.2026 CH – Aarburg – Musigburg 02.10.2026 DE Lindau – Club Vaudeville 03.10.2026 DE – Geiselwind – Music Hall 04.10.2026 AT – Wien – Szene 15.10.2026 DE – Saarbrücken – Garage 16.10.2026 DE – Heidelberg – Halle 02 17.10.2026 DE – Stuttgart – LKA Longhorn 18.10.2026 DE – München – Backstage Werk 20.10.2026 DE – Erfurt – Central 21.10.2026 DE – Köln – Live Music Hall 22.10.2026 DE – Bielefeld – Lokschuppen 23.10.2026 DE – Berlin – Huxleys 24.10.2026 DE – Leipzig – Felsenkeller 06.11.2026 DE – Hamburg – Inselpark Arena 07.11.2026 DE – Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle 1 08.11.2026 DE – Frankfurt – Batschkapp 20.11.2026 DE – Neubrandenburg – HKB 21.11.2026 DE – Dresde – Reithalle Strasse E
Finnish progressive folk/black metal band Jotungrav are set to release their debut album ‘Elegi’ on August 20th 2026 via Inverse Records. The only single ‘Återfödd’ is unleashed today and it’s available here: https://push.fm/fl/jotungrav-aterfodd
The band comments:
” “Återfödd” (Swedish for “reborn”) sees Jotungrav embrace its folk metal roots more than on any other song from the band’s forthcoming album. It is largely inspired by Finnish folk music and waltzes, with time signatures that are less common in metal. As a fast and energetic song it features both uplifting melodies and majestic passages, some of which can be surprisingly danceable. The song is a rather noticeable departure from Jotungrav’s usual style, as on “Återfödd” all black metal inspiration has been stripped down and replaced by elements found in progressive melodic death metal. During its eight minute runtime the listener can hear hints of Wilderun, early Ensiferum and Finsterforst, as well as 2000’s and 2010’s folk metal in general. For the band this has struck a balance between respecting the origins of Jotungrav and progressing as a band. The song focuses on one theme alone: the indomitable human spirit. It is a reminder that the cruelty of the universe cannot break one that is filled with purpose and remains unyielding. The cover art for the single reflects the flipside of this, where the death of someone beloved isn’t just a one–sided rebirth, but a turning point for both parties. Here change happens through tragedy; one lives on in memories, while the other is changed for life.”
–Composed & lyrics by Matias Stenman –Mixed & mastered by Teemu Leskinen –ISRC: FI3FC2602902 –Single cover by Matias Stenman
Elegi Track list:
Vansinnesvisdom (07:53)
Återfödd (07:51)
Segern (11:30)
Elegi (13:50)
–Composed & lyrics by Matias Stenman –Mixed & mastered by Teemu Leskinen –Album cover by Matias Stenman
BIOGRAPHY:
Jotungrav is the brainchild of singer-songwriter Matias Stenman, which incorporates elements of black metal and folk metal within a progressive metal framework. The project got its initial start in 2015, but most of the material composed back then ended up being discarded. It was in the summer of 2022 when the single Drängen was finished when Jotungrav finally materialized, with the help of fellow Sargassus members Matias Rokio, who provided percussive arrangements to the song, as well as Teemu Leskinen, who took on the mixing and mastering duties. Initially Jotungrav was a slowly progressing musical effort, but with time the project managed to accumulate enough material for a second single, Ulven, while working on more material for future releases. Both musically and thematically Jotungrav draws inspiration from early 2000s–2010s viking/pagan metal scene and mythology. The lyrics have a philosophical and symbolic focus on humanity. The songs evolve into vast soundscapes while maintaining a raw and genuine feel to them, paying homage to the early days of folk metal. As Jotungravi has developed, the band has moved closer to progressive, melodic folk metal, with the black metal influences familiar to the band playing a smaller role in the music. On the latest album “Elegi,” the songs stretch into even longer and more dynamic epics that take the listener through wartorn landscapes of the ancient world.
After more than a decade of honoring the legends who shaped hard rock and heavy metal, the Metal Hall of Fame is expanding the conversation with the launch of the Metal Hall of Fame Podcast.
The first Podcast episode will premiere July 21,2026 on the Metal Hall of Fame’s official YouTube channel, at youtube.com/@metalhalloffame.
Hosted by entertainment personality Cathy Rankin and Metal Hall of Fame
Founder/CEO Pat Gesualdo, The Metal Hall of Fame Podcast gives fans the opportunity to share candid conversations and untold stories with major artists and iconic industry leaders.
The debut episode features special guests David Ellefson (Megadeth, Grammy-winning artist), and Jimmy Kay, (Co-founder of The Metal Voice, music host/producer). Fans will hear the behind the scenes story of how Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne joined with Pat Gesualdo to honor original Ozzy Drummer Lee Kerslake for his work for the “Blizzard of Ozz“, and “Diary of A Madman” albums, topics on the current music industry, and much more!
Each episode of the “Metal Hall of Fame Podcast” will feature Pat Gesualdo either on tour drumming as part of the Metal Hall of Fame All Star band, at major events with the Metal Hall of Fame Mobile Museum and Tour Bus, or in the studio, and Cathy Rankin at Pratt Podcasting Studios. Fans will hear great stories from legendary artists and industry executives, The crazy behind the scenes antics with the Rockstars being inducted at Metal Hall of Fame Gala, and Topics shaping the current global Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music scene.
The Metal Hall of Fame Podcast is sponsored by Ellefson Coffee Co., Pratt Podcasting, Monster Energy, and Danny Wimmer Presents.
About The Metal Hall of Fame:
The Metal Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization dedicated to forever enshrining those iconic musicians and industry executives who are responsible for making Hard Rock and Heavy Metal music what it is today.
The Annual Metal Hall of Fame Celebrity Gala has included many historical moments in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. From having Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne help in honoring original Ozzy drummer Lee Kerslake for his work on the “Blizzard of Ozz,” and “Diary of A Madman” albums. Having Metallica Induct Megaforce Records founders Jon and Marsha Zazula. Inducting Judas Priest at Wacken Open Air. Inducting Steve Vai, Triumph, Geoff Tate, and members of KISS and Iron Maiden. Having Kerry King of Slayer Induct Metal Blade Records. Inducting Anthrax at Heavy Montreal. Reuniting Twisted Sister. Having Paul Stanley Induct KISS manager Doc McGhee. Having Brian May of Queen Induct Joe Satriani. These are just some of the memories that the Metal Hall of Fame has shared with Hard Rock and Heavy Metal fans throughout the world.
The Two Artists Transform their Real Life Creative Connection into a Dark Exploration of Betrayal, Survival, and Rebirth
What began as a connection between two artists quickly blossomed into a close friendship and an inevitable creative partnership. Now, Lyric Noel and Mixi Demner of Stitched Up Heart bring that bond to life through “Acid Bloom,” a powerful new single and cinematic music video released today via Judge & Jury Records.
Lyric and Mixi first connected through their shared passion for music and storytelling. Plans to meet in person at a Stitched Up Heart show soon developed into a genuine friendship, with the two artists immediately recognizing a kindred creative spirit in one another. As their bond grew, Mixi introduced Lyric to Judge & Jury Records, helping open the door to an exciting new chapter in Lyric’s career.
A collaboration between the two soon felt inevitable. With its themes of transformation, emotional entanglement, and the complicated line between love and destruction, “Acid Bloom” became the perfect project through which to capture their chemistry. In many ways, their friendship bloomed alongside the song itself.
“Flying out to Texas to work with Lyric Noel on ‘Acid Bloom’ was such a dream,” says Demner. “The music video was insane, and the art department killed it with the whole science lab set. Everything about it was perfect. The whole team was amazing, but building a real friendship with Lyric made it extra special. I’m so honored I got to be part of such an incredible experience.”
Beneath that real life friendship lies a much darker fictional story. “Acid Bloom” explores what happens when pain becomes the force that changes you and survival requires becoming something entirely new. Told through the metaphor of a scientific experiment gone wrong, the song follows something beautiful emerging from something corrosive and destructive. The “acid” represents the experiences, people, and circumstances that slowly erode a person’s identity, while the “bloom” symbolizes the stronger, stranger, and uncontrollable version of oneself born from surviving them.
Lyrically, “Acid Bloom” is about reclaiming power after manipulation and betrayal. Rather than allowing those experiences to define the survivor, they become the catalyst for transformation. Sonically, that evolution unfolds through chaotic, cinematic production that builds from mounting tension into an explosive release, mirroring the moment an experiment can no longer be contained.
“‘Acid Bloom’ is about what happens when the thing that promises to heal you is the very thing that’s poisoning you,” explains Lyric. “It’s the moment survival turns into transformation, not because you wanted it to, but because you had no other choice. Sometimes growth isn’t beautiful. Sometimes it burns.”
The accompanying music video, directed by rising visionary Michael Levine, with Maxton Donnell serving as creative lead and Levine assisting in the creative development before taking the director’s chair, expands the song’s narrative into a disturbing cinematic world. Following a laboratory accident, scientist Lyric Noel transforms into Acid Bloom, an uncontrollable organism that binds her to a captured test subject portrayed by Demner. What begins as a tense captor and captive dynamic gradually develops into a disturbing symbiotic relationship. As both characters become physically and emotionally consumed by the organism’s invasive growth, the video reveals a powerful metaphor for toxic codependency and the ways love, control, healing, and destruction can emerge from the same connection.
With “Acid Bloom,” Lyric continues to establish herself as one of modern rock’s most compelling emerging voices, combining emotionally vulnerable songwriting, explosive production, and ambitious cinematic storytelling. Demner’s unmistakable voice and commanding presence deepen the release’s emotional intensity, resulting in a collaboration that feels both deeply personal and completely unrestrained.
WATCH “Acid Bloom” feat. Mixi Demner of Stitched Up Heart:
Lyric Noel is built around personifying Lyric Hollar’s lived experience with different mental illnesses and emotional struggles. This project exists to say the things people are usually expected to carry quietly, the intrusive thoughts, the instability, the exhaustion of trying to appear okay. Lyric writes from inside that reality, not from metaphor or distance, turning pain into something raw, visible, and honest. The work does not soften or romanticize struggle, but it does make it beautiful in its truth, giving listeners language and reflection for experiences they already know but rarely hear spoken out loud.
As a band, Lyric Noel amplifies that voice with intention. Alongside guitarist, primary composer, and producer Russell Hollar, guitarist Robby Gray, and drummer Jerrin Castillo, the project blends heavy, atmospheric, and alternative elements into music and visuals that match the weight of Lyric’s message. That honesty has connected with more than 900,000 people across social platforms and is now entering its next chapter through a new partnership with Judge and Jury Records. Lyric Noel exists because it is not built on image or trend, but on lived truth, emotional visibility, and the courage to anthropomorphize these intense emotions.
Lithuanian progressive metal band BLACK SPIKES follows a dark path with the latest single from their upcoming album, Ydos (out August 28, 2026 via Napalm Records). “ZELVAR” portrays greed and thereby expands the record’s concept—an exploration of humanity’s vices. Featuring the only English lyrics on Ydos, the new song adds a special kind of accessibility to what is otherwise a heavy-hitting track, contrasting fiercely explosive energy with a gentle chorus. Raw rage and a haunting atmosphere fittingly show: Never close your eyes on BLACK SPIKES!
BLACK SPIKES about “ZELVAR”: “This song tells the story of Zelvar, the demon of greed, as he steps into the human world. Within a magnificent palace, those consumed by endless ambition gather, chasing ever greater wealth, power, and status. Yet the more they gain, the deeper they fall into his trap—thirsty, and forever unsatisfied. Greed is a vice that leaves the soul imprisoned and alone the moment you ‘close your eyes’ and surrender to its temptation. No matter how much you possess, it will never be enough.”
Emerging from the shadows are BLACK SPIKES, bringing the darkness right along with them on their new album, Ydos, out August 28, 2026. The Lithuanian breakout band’s first release with Napalm Records, coming shortly after their nomination at their home country’s Grammy-comparable M.A.M.A. Music Awards, deals with the eponymous flaws of humanity, conceptually interwoven with modern progressive metal, serving as a complex mirror for us all.
The depth of its concept is reflected in every note of Ydos, from every heavy riff to every proggy twist. Leaning into electronic music while holding on firmly to their metal roots, the Lithuanian band creates a distinctive sound, alluringly dark and captivatingly heavy. BLACK SPIKES venture into gloominess, filling the void with spine-tingling philosophical thoughts and posing as Janus-faced companions on a fateful journey into the self in which every step should be taken with caution because a trap just might snap …
BLACK SPIKES about Ydos: “Ydos is a conceptual album—a dark fairytale about human vices. The idea was there from the very beginning and guided the entire songwriting process. Each vice has its own name and story, and many songs will be brought to life through music videos where these vices take shape. It was our first time creating a conceptual album, and we really enjoyed starting with an idea and expressing it through music.”
Initiating the story of Ydos is the eerie “PASAKA” (engl. fairy tale), an intro setting the mood with menacing ticking sounds growing into orchestrals and singer Agni’s high vocals layered with screams. A calming lullaby exploding into growls, thunderous blast beats, and elaborate guitar riffs, “MOTINA” (engl. mother) describes the birth of humankind’s vices and therefore serves as an exposition for the storytelling aspect. Throughout the ten songs of their second album, BLACK SPIKES explore the relationships with flaws we all carry within, devoting a song to each of them. “MELAS” (engl. lie) introduces trap beats and rap to the mix, all with an approach clearly rooted in modern metal with sophisticated progressive elements. “MARA”, investigating excessive curiosity, beautifully contrasts calmness and calamity, with the quintet allowing their different elements to breathe while still entwisting them persuasively. Following, “ZELVAR”, which features the album’s only English lyrics, and “REVANA” add endearing, highly recognizable riffs to Ydos, further opening the gates to the hauntingly beautiful realms BLACK SPIKES are unfolding as they delve into greed and revenge, respectively, the concepts personified in the form of demons. The raw rage evolves into carefully structured “APATIJA” (engl. apathy), whose futuristic intermezzi make for especially interesting headbanging rhythms throughout which Agni’s voice acts as a gentle guide. “AUREA” continues BLACK SPIKES’ cinematic approach in its depiction of pride, unleashing a storm of rapacious riffs and galloping drums, frequently broken up by halcyon parts, their cleverly placed tranquility conveying comfort in seemingly hopeless hazes. With pressing “SENAS DEMONAS” (engl. old demon), BLACK SPIKES free yet another hellish entity, before “DULKĖS” (engl. dust) picks up on the melodized cinematography, wrapping up this bleak exploration of what it means to be human.
Ydos tracklisting:
PASAKA
MOTINA
MELAS
MARA
ZELVAR
REVANA
APATIJA
AUREA
SENAS DEMONAS
DULKĖS
BLACK SPIKES LIVE 24.04.2027 UK – Wolverhampton / Uprising X
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