The wait is finally over: Swedish extreme metal titans Arch Enemy proudly announce the release of their highly anticipated 12th studio album “Blood Dynasty”, which is available now via Century Media Records.
Michal Amott adds about the release of “Blood Dynasty”:
“The moment has arrived—our Blood Dynasty album is finally here! The reactions to the singles have been incredible, and now it’s time for the world to experience its full power. We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve created and can’t wait for you all to dive in. So turn it up LOUD—and hopefully, we’ll see you at a show on tour!”
Critics worldwide are already hailing “Blood Dynasty” as a monumental addition to Arch Enemy’s discography:
Metal Hammer (GER) – *Album Of The Month (April 2025)
“Freed from unnecessary ballast, the ten new songs (plus a short instrumental interlude) sound direct and effortless, powerful and enigmatic at the same time.”
Sonic Seducer (GER)
“With their twelfth studio album, the Swedish extreme metal regents have once again stepped up their game.”
Rock Hard (FR) – * Album Of The Month
“Finesse, brio and efficiency! Arch Enemy opens up to more variety without sacrificing its wild side or its amazingly powerful and sharp production!”
Metallian (FR) – 4.5/6
“Blood Dynasty has all the ingredients of a good & inspired Arch Enemy album.”
The band stated: “This powerful track is destined to become an anthem, resonating deeply with listeners and showcasing the exciting new sound the band has been creating. Don’t miss the chance to experience Into the Night, and stay tuned for more updates on the new album and upcoming events!”
Strangers, born in Madrid in 2012, was founded by Miguel Martin and Abel Ramos. Strangers have recorded and published three studio albums; “Emotions” (2013), “Survival” (2015) mixed and mastered by Erik Martensson and “Brand New Start” (2019) mastered by Dave Donnelly in Los Angeles.
After some lineup changes, Strangers decided to join forces with Celia Barloz as frontwoman. Celia, in addition to be a brilliant vocal coach, had already been collaborating with the band as backing vocals in live shows and some recorded vocals on “Brand New Start”. Strangers faces this new phase with a renewed sound.
Strangers recorded their most recent EP, “Whispers” in KV62 Studios, mixed and mastered by Andy C. during Summer 2023.
As a talented frontwoman, Celia Barloz will be inspiring a new generation with her passion, determination, and undeniable talent. With a beautiful and heartwarming voice, Celia’s journey is only beginning, and the future of rock music looks brighter with each note she sings.
Line Up: Celia Barloz – vocals Miguel Martín – guitar Abel Ramos – drums César Chacón – bass
Infamous Stiffs return with their latest powerhouse anthem, ‘Loose Screwz‘, set to release on April 11 via Golden Robot Records. A song forged in the chaos of modern America, ‘Loose Screwz’ captures the push and pull of daily life with raw energy, biting lyrics, and a glimmer of optimism that cuts through the madness.
Fusing punk rock grit with unrelenting intensity, Infamous Stiffs once again prove why they remain a force to be reckoned with. ‘Loose Screwz’ is a sonic gut punch, a high-energy track that speaks to the turbulence of the times while offering an electrifying escape for listeners.
Infamous Stiffs have built a reputation for delivering hard-hitting, no-nonsense rock ‘n’ roll with an edge. Known for their adrenaline-fueled live performances and razor-sharp songwriting, the band continues to carve their path in the punk and rock scene with unapologetic authenticity.
Prepare for impact when ‘Loose Screwz’ drops on April 11, available on all major streaming platforms via Golden Robot Records.
Infamous Stiffs are: Scott Wilkins – Vocals: AKA “Snotty Scotty” the former voice and snarl in front of Verbal Abuse, Electric Frankenstein, Hollywood Hate & CD2 (Condemned to Death). Troy Takaki– Bass: Bass slinging from Bay Area now LA, currently riding with the Boneless Ones & Infamous Stiffs Mark Pananides – Guitar: Also a Hollywood Hate Alumni. Other previous bands include, Nardcore’s Rat Pack, The Living End (U.S. band pre-dating the Australian one), Cynical. He also did a string of dates with Junkyard sitting in on guitar. Dave Bach – Banging on the drums since a we lad. Formally with The Afflicted, House of Wheels & currently sitting in with SF’s very own The Avengers and cracking snare drums with Infamous Stiffs
Grammy-nominated doom pioneers CANDLEMASS have unveiled the title track of their upcoming EP, Black Star, out May 9, 2025 via Napalm Records! The EP impressively marks the 40th anniversary of the legendary band.
“Black Star” seamlessly merges haunting melodies with deeply introspective lyrics, brought to life by the inimitable voice of Johan Längqvist. Written by genre-defying mastermind Leif Edling, it delves into themes of existential struggle, temptation, and the allure of darkness – an intense atmosphere imbued with CANDLEMASS’ signature sound. The single arrives with a dark, atmospheric music video. Place your pre-orders on the new EP now and check out the video below!
CANDLEMASS comments: “‘Black Star‘ is the big heavy track. Contains a bit of everything, Melodic verse, monolithic riff, up-tempo Sabbathy mid part, grand ending a ‘la Rainbow!.”
Swedish godfathers of epic doom CANDLEMASS honor their 40th anniversary of pioneering the genre with a four-track EP, Black Star. Packed with canyon-deep riffs, the genre-defying band unveils two brand-new songs alongside two cover versions of timeless classics.
Following the title track, the second original song, “Corridors Of Chaos”, marks a true old school instrumental containing both classic metal riffing and stunning guitar playing by Lars Johansson, showcasing the band’s mastery of dynamics. Adding to this tribute, CANDLEMASS delivers a cover of Black Sabbath’s iconic “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”, taking listeners back to 1973. This is followed by their rendition of Pentagram’s classic “Forever My Queen”, further cementing CANDLEMASS’ remarkable contribution to shaping the genre into what it is today.
Black Star tracklist: 1. Black Star 2. Corridors Of Chaos 3. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath 4. Forever My Queen
CANDLEMASS Live 2025 20.-21.06.25 DE – Daun Rengen / Der Detze Rockt 25.06.25 NO – Oslo / Tons of Rock 04.07.25 TR – Istanbul / Headbangers Weekend 20.07.25 IT – Cremona / Luppolo In Rock Festival 30.07.-02.08.25 NO – Bergen / Beyond the Gates Festival 08.-09.08.25 FI – Helsinki / Helsinki Metal Festival 08.-10.08.25 BE – Kortrijk / Alcatraz 12.-13.09.25 GR – Athens / Rock Hard Festival 01.11.25 SE – Stockholm / Berns 06.12.25 UK – Wolverhampton / Bloodstock Winter Gathering
CANDLEMASS are: Johan Länquist – Vocals Lars Johansson – Lead Guitar Mappe Björkman – Rhythm Guitar Leif Edling – Bass Janne Lind – Drums
Fretless guitar visionary Tom “Fountainhead” Geldschläger is known for his work in Obscura’s Akróasis era, his live work with Defeated Sanity, Belphegor and many others. Now, he’s spearheading his very own project: Changeling.
Together with core band members Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress), Arran McSporran (Virvum, Vipassi) & Mike Heller (ex-Fear Factory, Malignancy), Changeling stands at the forefront of a new era for progressive death metal. Following the release of their debut album’s first two singles – the impossibly heavy “Abyss” and the blistering psychadelic melodies of “Falling in Circles” – today, they’re releasing its reality-warping, seven-minute epic of a title track.
Changeling is out April 25th via Season of Mist.Pre-order & Pre-save here.
Can’t wait for Changeling? Listen to the debut album two weeks before it comes out. Join the Bandcamp Listening Party and chat with Tom Fountainhead while listening to all 10 transformative tracks.
Changeling Bandcamp Listening Party – RSVP Thursday, April 10 @ 1 pm Eastern Time
The title track serves as the turning point in Changeling‘s psychedelic narrative. Inspired by Lovecraftian horror, existential philosophy, and the bizarre hallucinations of a consciousness torn apart, its progressive structure mirrors the chaotic beauty of the lyrics, pulling you into an unsettling yet mesmerizing new dimension through the use of microtonal synthesizers, ritualistic vocals, oriental percussion and a full choir.
“Void and vengeance shall beget A child from below A changeling of clandestine soul Comes usurping the holiest of hearts And no one shall know”
Morean sings as an intricate-but-catchy fusion of progressive death metal, avant-garde jazz, and world music weave into a surreal and immersive tapestry. The dissonant harmonies distort reality, producing an eerie and unsettling atmosphere.
“This song came from a few musical themes that I had written on the oud“, Geldschläger explains. “From those few humble notes, it turned into quite the monster – a monster where I think everybody in the core band shines equally. At that point in the album’s story, we’re beginning to take the frame-work of tech/prog death metal into uncharted territory, so it seemed appropriate to give this song a unique, winding structure where a shorter pumping mid-tempo banger is book-ended by intensely psychedelic blast-beat driven parts that are building towards a quasi-black metal frenzy at the end. It also has some of my favorite Morean lyrics of all time. Not only does he paint a vivid picture of a strange, unfamiliar dimension through his signature wordplay. He also quite literally takes us there in the song’s mid-section breakdown, were we envisioned a strange jungle ritual evoking some dark cosmic entity, somewhere between Lovecraft and Peter Jackson’s King Kong.
And, as usual, the man took it to another level by adding a multitude of eery, slithering voices, which make the song feel almost like it’s breathing. Oh, and this piece also has some of my favorite RIFFS (in capital letters) that I’ve ever written, as well as some quite extreme guitar shenanigans that I called ‘layers of cosmic horror’ during production. Get out your best headphones for this one!”
The visualizer for Changelingwas created by Martin Matiasovic aka Shaped in Dreams (@martinmatiasovic)
Changelingblends progressive metal, death metal, jazz-fusion, world music and complex orchestration into an hour-long submersion into the subconscious. Players from around the world can follow Tom Fountainhead’s lead with a new series of Changeling transcription books. Tom wrote the approx. 500 page guitar transcription book himself, while core bandmate Arran McSporran transcribed the 75 page edition for bass.
Both the guitar and bass transcription books will come out alongside the album on April 25th. The massive complete transcription book – which includes guitar, bass, drums (transcribed by Fenix Gayed), orchestral arrangements, vocals, lyrics and detailed liner notes from Tom – will come out on May 23rd, the same day as the Dolby Atmos mix of Changeling.
Each transcription book will be available both as a physical book and digitally through Guitar Pro or as a PDF. All physical copies will be personally signed and include a free download of the digital version.
Fountainhead, the musical alter-ego of Berlin-based musician Tom Geldschläger, is a celebrated figure across diverse music landscapes. Known for his expansive involvement in the music industry, Tom has contributed to over a hundred releases in capacities ranging from guitarist to orchestrator, producer to mixing/mastering engineer, and occasionally even as an oud-player. He has worked with globally recognized artists such as Obscura, Belphegor, Marco Minnemann, Defeated Sanity, Amogh Symphony, Hannes Grossmann, Voodoogods, Christian Münzner, Nader Sadek and more. Featured in numerous international music magazines, authored several books of non-fiction and musical notation, Tom has also been instrumental in integrating the fretless guitar into extreme metal genres.
Acclaimed as a “modern-day guitar legend,” Tom’s signature playing style and adventurous genre-defying compositions highlight his fearless approach to music. His endorsements include prestigious brands like Aristides Guitars, Elixir Strings, and Bare Knuckle Pickups. Additionally, Tom is a sought-after clinician and speaker, focusing on creativity, music production, and musician’s mental health, as well as being at the forefront of spatial audio and 360-degree audio production.
In a significant development in early 2024, Fountainhead, now branded under the name CHANGELING for his new project and album, signed with the label Season of Mist. This venture marks a new chapter in Tom’s career, amplifying his visionary approach to music. Accompanied by an all-star band featuring members from Fear Factory, Alkaloid, and Virvum, the project Changelingshowcases a 60-minute concept album that takes all aspects of Tom’s artistry to new heights.
The album, sharing its name with the project, blends progressive metal, death metal, jazz/fusion, and world music, enriched with complex orchestrations by a 50-piece ensemble of guest musicians. It includes the eagerly anticipated “Part 2” to his renowned composition “Weltseele,” an orchestral metal epic from Obscura’s billboard-chart-entering “Akroasis” album, which broadly introduced Fountainhead to the metal community in 2016.
Core Lineup: Tom Fountainhead (ex-Obscura, Amogh Symphony, Belphegor, Defeated Sanity) – Fretted & fretless electric & acoustic guitars, oud, keyboards, composition and arrangements. Mike Heller (ex-Fear Factory, Malignancy, Raven) – Drums. Arran McSporran (Vipassi, Virvum) – Fretless bass. Morean (Alkaloid, Dark Fortress) – Lead vocals & lyrics.
Guest Musicians: Bill Hudson (Trans-siberian Orchestra, Doro, I am Morbid) – Guest guitar solo Jason Gobel (ex-Cynic, ex-Monstrosity)- Guest guitar solo Andy Laroque (ex-Death, King Diamond) – Guest guitar solo Yatziv Caspi (ex-Orphaned Land) – Tabla, hangdrum, dabouka, riq & shakers Ally Storch (Subway To Sally)- Violins, viola & cello James Dorton (The Faceless, NeObliviscaris, Black Crown Initate) – Spoken words Alexander Kerski (Vianova)- Backing & harmony vocals Matthias Alexander Preisinger – Piano and glockenspiel, violins & viola Martin Matiasovic – Horns & Wagnerian Tube Jan Ferdinand – Vibraphone & marimba Chris Rützel – Flutes Ivar Ludvig Nitzler – Cello Shiho Murano – Tuba Juliane Erding – Wagnerian tube & horn Eduard Cortez – Wagnerian tube & horn Tillmann Schulz – Wagnerian tube & horn Ava Bonam – Female vocals Moran Magal – Piano Cydney McQuillan-Grace, Lauren Gill, Shannon Bedford, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bari – Ben Francis, John Schaffer, Alice Williams, Cyd McQuillan-Grace; Alto – Lauren Gill, Sara Robalo; Tenor and Bass – James Schouten & John Schaffer – Choir vocals Krassimir Jossifov – Trumpet Brandt Attema – Trombones & bass trombones Kristian Petkov – Bassoon Stefan Prost – Church organ Seonghyeon Park – Clarinet Arnfried Falk – Oboe Rouven Haliti – Upright bass Dalai Cellai – Cello
Production Credits: Produced & Engineered by Tom Fountainhead. Mixed by Tom Fountainhead at FountainheadHQ. Mastered by Leon Schmidt at his home studio & FountainheadHQ.
Swedish power metal masters Insania are pleased to announce the release of their new studio album “The Great Apocalypse”, out on June 13th, 2025, via Frontiers Music Srl.
The first single and accompanying visualizer video, “Revolution”, are available now, giving the audience a taste of the upcoming record.
About the new album, the band commented: “The Great Apocalypse picks up just where Insania V left us, and many of the songs are touching the subject of mankind being destructive and never learning from our previous mistakes. In fact, every song on this album is a little bit darker than the songs on Insania V, so sit back, raise the volume on your device, and let yourself flow into the darkness of our world going under with an incredible and beautiful sound of The Great Apocalypse”.
Talking about the first single, they added: “Revolution is a story about a world that is becoming more and more like a mental institution. Imagine the world’s leaders embedding their desire to keep the power into fancy words about trying to make society equal and just for all people serving it. At the same time, they take away their rights, making it look like the people are voting for them to do it – wouldn’t that be just pure evil? Well – the people have had enough! So now it’s time for the world leaders to feel the fear and listen to the sound of Revolution!”
Four years after the successful “V”, the Swedes are back with their own recipe of power metal, full of speedy, double-bass drums, great hooks, and amazing solos. The band’s current line-up consists of Mikko Korsbäck (drums), Erik Arkö (bass), Niklas Dahlin (guitars), Ola Halén (vocals and guitars).
The first version of Insania was formed in 1992 by drum player Mikko Korsbäck and guitar player Henrik Juhano. Bass player Tomas Stolt was added to the line-up shortly after, and a few other musicians were also part of the band for short periods of time.
The band initially started off playing covers of their favorite bands such as Helloween and Iron Maiden, but eventually Mikko’s classmate Niklas Dahlin joined as a second guitar player and they started writing their own tunes. The band then added keyboard player Patrik Västilä and began to pursue a more melodic style. Mikko took it upon himself to sing, even if he was playing the drums at the same time, as the band had not found a vocalist to match their ambitions.
In 1997, the band approached singer David Henriksson to join the band. The union between the band’s ambitions and David’s vocals was a match made in heaven. The band felt complete and sought to find a way to reach a bigger crowd.
Later, the band was offered a deal with House Of Kicks (later known as MNW and then Sound Pollution) and their debut album “World Of Ice” was released in 1999. The band would go on to release three more albums over the course of the coming years, while enduring some line-up changes and eventually going on hiatus in 2007.
Following the signing with Frontiers to release “V”, Insania started to bring their power metal attack again back to the metalheads around the globe, revitalized with the addition of the singer extraordinaire Ola Halén.
“The Great Apocalypse” Tracklist:
1. The Trinity 2. Indestructible 3. No One’s Hero 4. Afterlife 5. Revolution 6. The Prophesier 7. Fire From Above 8. Underneath The Eye 9. The Great Apocalypse (When Hell Is All Around)
Line Up: Ola Halén – Vocals and Guitars Niklas Dahlin – Guitars Erik Arkö – Bass Mikko Korsbäck – 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 ) 