One of Death Metal’s founding bands, Czech Republic-based Death/Thrashers Master have been at the forefront of the style from the very beginning, being one of the first bands to ever adopt to this style back in the genre’s infancy. To celebrate the 40th anniversary, Master released a tour exclusive tour EP “40 Years And Killing”, get your copy on the road now! Available on aqua blue and clear vinyl, both limited to 150 copies.
“It feels like a lifetime of waiting, but we are ecstatic to be releasing our first record at long last!“, vocalist and bass player Bronco enthuses. “This album is an accumulation of the negativity and uncertainty of life, melded into a truthfully raw and powerful embrace of doom. Crank it up, and therapeutically let go of all the stresses and woes with us!”
South of Wilmington, North Carolina at the estuary of the Cape Fear River, the prominent headland of Cape Fear stubbornly pushes back into the ever attacking waves of the ocean. Its treacherous waters, rugged rocks, massive undercurrents, and pirate coves are a part of the so-called Graveyard of the Atlantic and feared by sailors throughout the ages for the many ships and lives lost.
This is a fitting home for BRONCO. The sound of their self-titled debut full-length “Bronco” is deeply steeped in doom metal and Southern sludge. It is also as obstinate, rough and unpolished, yet also genuine, honest, forward-pushing and unfiltered as the rocky ground it grew from.
The musical confidence and audible experience in both execution and songwriting has not just fallen from the sky. BRONCO rose from the ashes of TOKE after guitarist Tim Bryan suffered a tragic motorcycle accident in 2021. Out of respect for his incapacitated band mate, vocalist and bass player Bronco along with drummer JP decided to continue with a newly formed trio. Joined by guitarist Vic, they picked Bronco’s artist’s alias for their name.
Crawling, heavy aggression, molasses riffs, and barbed wire vocals seem to come with the terroir of North Carolina. WEEDEATER, SOUR VEIN and others have been brewing the heaviest sludge there. Sharing stages with standard bearers such as BONGZILLA, ASG, and BLACK TUSK quickly fermented BRONCO‘s sound into a sonic projection of ash and bone.
“Bronco” bleeds out a mix of grinding horror and beat-down resignation. It’s a soundtrack to grim self-reflection and forced acceptance of life’s letdowns. BRONCO pick up where TOKE left off, and carry forward through successfully experimenting with new elements and approaches. “Bronco” is massive and brutal, and stands out in its defiant, unrelenting individuality.
Tracklist: 1. Scourge Descent 2. Ride Eternal 3. Light of God 4. Night the Lights Went out in Georgia 5. Legion 6. Fades All 7. Damnation 8. T.O.N.S.
After unveiling two singles and their respective music videos, Risen Crow are set to release their long-awaited debut album, “Requiem For A Damned Love” today, February 28th 2025 via Rockshots Records. This record marks the full realization of the band’s unique sound—a blend of power metal energy and gothic atmospheres, where elevated melodies meet intense riffs and evocative storytelling.
At the heart of the album lies “Black Widow”, the focus track, which embodies the themes of betrayal, vengeance and obsession. The song carries a dynamic mix of dramatic vocal lines, intricate guitar work and evocative atmosphere, making it a defining piece in Risen Crow’s growing discography. To support the release, the band has produced an Official Lyric Video for “Black Widow”, now available on YouTube.
The new single follows the success of tracks “Risen Crow” and “Believe In Me” that have already gained momentum, with the first music video surpassing 90,000 views on YouTube.
Drawing inspiration from bands like Nightwish, Epica, Within Temptation, Kamelot and Lacuna Coil, Risen Crow deliver a collection of songs that weave together emotional depth and powerful instrumentation. “Requiem For A Damned Love” is an album that explores obsession, madness and the fragile line between love and destruction, with each track serving as a chapter in an intense and cinematic journey.
Since their formation in 2020, Risen Crow have honed their craft combining symphonic elements, dark atmospheres and melodic complexity. Their debut album reflects a band that has embraced its influences while forging its own identity.
Fans of melodic and atmospheric metal will find a compelling and dynamic album that balances raw emotion with refined musicianship.
Tarja has announced her new live album ‘Circus Life’ today, to be released through earMUSIC on May 16th.
Recorded in January 2020, in Bucharest, Romania, the ‘Circus Life’ show was one of a kind when Tarja performed in this very special ‘in the round’ format. 2 hours of powerful music featuring a setlist that spans Tarja’s career, including all of her greatest hits such as ‘I Walk Alone’, ‘Until My Last Breath’ and ‘Innocence’, as well as fan favourites like ‘Victim Of Ritual’ and ‘Demons In You’, showcasing her evolution as an artist.
Featuring 16 accomplished musicians, including her brother Toni, a diverse ensemble from various stages of her career, it was an extraordinary event. All songs were provided with new arrangements just for this concert, making the show a unique experience for the long-time Tarja fan, as well as the first-time listener.
‘Circus Life’ was recorded in one take, 100% live – no re-recordings, no overdubs, no special effects. Just pure, raw music.
Today also marks the release of the first single ‘Shadow Play (Live in Bucharest)’. This symphonic metal masterpiece comes to life with soaring vocals, a complex piano arrangement, and an intense stage presence that only Tarja can deliver.
Originally included as bonus content in the strictly limited and sold-out Mediabook and Box Set of Tarja’s 2022 ‘Best Of: Living The Dream’ – the ‘Circus Life’concert is now made available as stand-alone Ltd. 2CD+Blu-ray Digipak, featuring the 2-hour live show on audio and video, and as Ltd. Black 3LP Gatefold, including a LP-sized booklet and Blu-ray softcase.
“With ‘Lifted From the Wind,’ Temple Fang posit their creativity not only as a communion with each other — a conversation of instruments — but with something more ethereal. It’s a special, deeply honest record, and whatever Temple Fang do from here on out, a landmark in the life of this band. You’d be lucky to see others working under its influence.”JJ Koczan, The Obelisk
Amsterdam-based heavy psychedelia rock collective Temple Fang has announced the release of their long-awaited, new studio album, entitled “Lifted from the Wind”.The album will see the light of day on April 25th as CD, Vinyl and Digital formats through the band’s label partner Stickman Records; a first single as well as pre-order options will be unveiled on March 13th. In support of “Lifted from the Wind”, Temple Fang have also confirmed an extensive European tour with many more shows to follow, find all dates listed below!
Forming in 2018, Temple Fang really started hitting their stride in 2019 with, amongst many others, two highly acclaimed Roadburn shows and appearances at many festivals and clubs across Europe. Having no release out yet and thus creating much anticipation to what their recorded output would end up like. With alternating lead vocalists, two wildly harmonizing guitarists, a powerhouse of a rhythm-section, and armed with truly psychedelic compositions fueled by their exposure to South American plant-medicine, the band took the heavy-psych underground by storm and seemed to be gearing up to bottle this magick and commit it to their studio debut. And then 2020 happened.
During the pandemic the band stayed as active as possible, appearing on whatever live-streams they could, resulting in well received appearances on Eurosonic and National Dutch Television, creating even more buzz. A string of seated shows followed, whatever it took to keep playing.
Losing their original drummer, the band continued on with a replacement post-covid, putting out a half live/half studio album (Fang Temple 2021), an EP (Jerusalem/The Bridge 2022), multiple live albums (Live at Merleyn 2020, Live at Freak Valley 2023, Live at Krach am Bach 2024), and playing an seemingly endless string of shows from Oslo to Milan, hitting many festivals in between. Roadburn, Desertfest Berlin, Sonic Blast (twice), Palp and countless others were exposed to the magick of this true free rock n’ roll phenomenon, leaving audiences stunned and clamouring for more.
Fast forward to 2025 as Temple Fang is ready to release “Lifted from the Wind” on Stickman Records. A record they themselves consider to be their true debut studio album. On this sprawling double record, released on the only label they would give up their independence for, Temple Fang appears, for the first time in their existence, fully formed.
[Art & Design by Right on Mountain and Geert Schaap]
“This album has been a long time coming for us. Ever since the pandemic hit, we’ve been struggling to keep the band together and make an album the way we’ve envisioned it,” the band states.
“We are intensely proud of this album. It was a true collaborative effort for us, and that includes our producer Sebastiaan van Bijlevelt. We feel stronger than ever as a band and are ready to take this into the world, where it belongs!”
“Lifted from the Wind” Tracklist:
The River
Once
Harvest Angel
The Radiant
Josephine
Fierce and strong, hard rocking yet elegant, with 20min+ psych freakouts and prog ballads side-by-side, Temple Fang truly delivers on the promise they’ve always held, to really stretch the possibilities of what it means to be a rock band in 2025. With spectacular wild-man Daan Wopereis as a full member on the drums, Temple Fang now can deliver on their commitment to really rock, to blow your mind AND tear your heart out.
Rock n’ Roll as a means to attaining spiritual freedom. Mind-bending riffs, triple vocal harmonies, dubbed out bass and groovy yet hard hitting drums, ecstatically rocking and truly psychedelic, Temple Fang delivers it all with LOVE. Longform rock for fans of Motorpsycho, The Grateful Dead, Hawkwind and Hendrix!
Temple Fang live: 08.03.2025 Tilburg (NL), Into the Shadow 29.03.2025 Terneuzen (NL), Terneuzen on Fire 23.03.2025 Köln (DE), Sonic Ballroom 24.04.2025 Duisburg (DE), Bora 25.04.2025 Münster (DE), Rare Guitar 26.04.2025 Jena (DE,) Kuba 27.04.2025 Dresden (DE), Chemiefabrik 28.04.2025 Hamburg (DE), Markthalle 30.04.2025 Amsterdam (NL), Secret Show w/Heath 02.05.2025 Eindhoven (NL), Effenaar w/Mojo & the Kitchen Brothers 03.05.2025 Haarlem (NL), Slachthuis w/Heath 05.05.2025 Augsburg (DE), Soho Stage 06.05.2025 Salzburg (AT), Rockhouse Bar w/Black Pyramid 07.05.2025 Stuttgart (DE), Goldmarks 08.05.2025 Winterthur (CH), Gaswerk 09.05.2025 Seewen (CH), Gaswerk 10.05.2025 Delémont (CH), SAS 11.05.2025 Barberaz (FR), Brin de Zinc 13.05.2025 Esch-Alzette (LUX), Kulturfabrik w/Elder 14.05.2025 Tourcoing (FR), Le Grand Mix w/Elder 15.05.2025 Rotterdam (NL), Baroeg @ Rotown 16.05.2025 Groningen (NL), Vera w/Heath 17.05.2025 Nijmegen (NL), Sonic Whip 19.05.2025 Frankfurt (DE), Das Bett w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 20.05.2025 Karlsruhe (DE), P8 w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 21.05.2025 Bielefeld (DE), Forum w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 22.05.2025 Leipzig (DE), Werk 2 w/The Devil and The Almighty Blues 23.05.2025 Oldenburg (DE), Cadillac Club 24.05.2025 Berlin (DE), Desertfest 08.06.2025 Schlitz (DE), Moon Festival 13.06.2025 Deventer (NL), Burgerweeshuis w/Dool
Temple Fang is: Dennis Duijnhouwer: Vox, Bass Jevin de Groot: Vox, Guitar Ivy van der Veer: Vox, Guitar Daan Wopereis: Drums
Finland’s hard rocking Wishing Well have released new music for the first time after their “Sin And Shame” album, that came out in March 2023. “Boys Will Be Boys” is a simple good mood rocker, made seriously tongue-in-cheek and in good spirit to celebrate rock music and pure joy and camaraderie of playing in a band. This positive and cheerful song is a rare release from the band, who usually write more serious and complex songs. The song is released together with a music video, recorded at Magnusborg Studios in Porvoo, filmed and edited by Jussi Koskinen.
“Boys is an old song that goes way back but we wanted to release something in between albums and this song is perfect for that. First we thought it’s too simple and silly but when we worked on it and it took off like a rocket to the moon we decided to give it a go. Somebody then came up with the idea of asking previous Wishing Well vocalists to sing the gang vocals and when they agreed and even Graham Bonnet promised to join we knew it’ll work out great. We decided to shoot the video while in the studio and we had a great time. We’re pleased with the result and the song is also good fun to play live”, says Anssi Korkiakoski, guitar player and songwriter of the band.
“Things should not always be too serious, at the end of the day it’s all about doing what you love, together with your friends. We’re all old metalheads and hard rockers, we share the same thoughts and memories about music, from early years to ‘80s metal and beyond. It’s great that we can do our thing together and share it with each other and our audience as well. This song is a homage to all of us childlike rockers, music lovers and band musicians. There are many of us, naturally lots of girls and women too, despite the song title”, says Korkiakoski.
The song is released under Wishing Well & The Wheelers And Dealers since the choir with its old school veterans plays an important role in the song.
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 )