District 19 proudly presents the final line-up of this years’ Eindhoven Metal Meeting!
December is the time of year again when we prepare to congregate in the heart of Eindhoven to celebrate the fourteenth edition of all things heavy and extreme.
31 acts (from old-school legends to the hottest newcomers), Eindhoven Metal Meeting 2025 boasts a diverse and hard-hitting roster of bands that will sate every metal appetite.
Thus, mark your calendars for Friday 12th & Saturday 13th of December 2025!
Traditionally, a day prior to the main event there will be a warm-up evening! So kick off your weekend on Thursday December 11th, 2025 with GROZA, THE SPIRIT, ANTE-INFERNO, ANTIKVLT & HYLA!!
Swiss post-metallers Abraham unveil their new single ‘I am the Vessel and the Vessel Is Me’, a complex, gargantuan effort that offers another glimpse into their new masterpiece’s kaleidoscopic chaos.
Their fifth studio album, the mighty idsungwüssä, will be released 26th September via Pelagic Records and is the third and final chapter to a series of concept albums of truly epic proportions.
Still staged in the gritty atmosphere and philosophical weight of post-metal, sludge, and ambient noise, idsungwüssä seesAbraham march even further into dissonant and defiant territory.
“The three albums are clearly linked together thematically”, the band comment, “although, rather than an additional chapter, idsungwüssä is more like a parallel narrative to Débris de mondes perdus. The latter was a jump in time after Look, Here Comes the Dark!, whereas idsungwüssä is a jump in space, a journey away from earth. It should be the final piece of this little jolly ride.”
This album isn’t just heavy, it is absolutely drenched in delicious filth, and yet by embracing even more the melodic interludes and melancholic passages, they create a devastating contrast to the wall of power coming from stacked guitars, catastrophic drums and raging, sharp vocals – delivered in Swiss-German dialect.
“The album was recorded between November 2024 and February 2025, all while handling our day jobs and in a period that was, on a personal level, not the easiest for some of us. It is only in the last two weeks of the recording process, right before sending it out to mixing, that it sort of came together and started to feel like a coherent album, an album that we could be happy and proud about. For an album with change/transformation as an underlying theme, this is sort of performative!”
This urgency and duress bleeds into every song, an hour long journey that moves from the grim to sublime, from melancholy to raw destruction — evoking ruined civilisations and the last wails of fractured psyches. Yet there is something less bleakly human, more ethereal at moments, as if glimpsing beyond the constraints of the body and its wheel of flesh and death.
Strewn throughout the record are appearances of Farfisa Louvre organ – prominently featuring on an Abraham album for the first time. The band were also joined by Kevin Galland (Coilguns) who added additional Moog and piano parts.
The band continue: “Our approach to recording guitars was different than what we did before. Instead of having one guitar on the left playing a part and one on the right playing another part, we decided that left and right guitars were to play the same part, and the center guitar was to play another part. We just stacked more guitars whenever we needed. And oh did we use a lot of reverb, too!”
The structures and movements of the songs found within idsungwüssä are unique and fresh – a balancing of themes and emotions that is both intoxicating and unsettling, it is an immersive journey that rewards deep listening and challenges the boundaries of genre. From the patient grandeur of coming extinction, to the chaos and fevered urgency of the aftermath, in idsungwüssä Abraham move forward from prophetic lamentation to an elegiac visceral response. The emotional closure of this expression is felt, something final that will leave you speechless and with only one real option; listen to it again.
Following the roaring success of their latest album A Dream Of Wilderness(2021), Toulouse-based melodic death metal powerhouse AEPHANEMER strikes again with their fourth studio offering, Utopie, slated for a release on October 31, 2025 via Napalm Records.
Today, the trio has unleashed the opening single, “La Règle du Jeu”, a blistering ripper with frantic tempos, carnivorous growls from frontwoman Marion Bascoul, and an epic balance of death metal and classical influences!
The band comments: “We’re really proud of La Règle du Jeu – it’s one of the most energetic and catchy songs on the album, and we feel it captures the balance we’ve been aiming for between our favorite melodic death metal influences and classical music arrangements. We hope listeners will like it!”
Blending ferocious melodic death metal with cinematic grandeur, Utopie sees the trio unleash an ambitious, razor-sharp assault of epic melodies, relentless speed, and philosophical depth, pushing their sound into bold new territory. Led by the commanding presence of Bascoul, the band delivers a fiercely technical and emotionally immersive record — lyrically exploring the uniquely mythic urgency of modern times.
In support of Utopie, the band will embark on a European tour in early November, with special guests VALHALORE, DARK OATH and WALDGEFLÜSTER. Find all upcoming live dates listed below!
With Utopie, AEPHANEMER recalibrates their formula, surging with heavier classical influences, blistering riffage, majestic orchestrations, and Slavic folk undertones — etching a sound equally ancient and futuristic.
“With Utopie, we set out to create a sound that brings together the elements we’ve always loved — the intensity of melodic death metal and the depth of classical music,”AEPHANEMER reveals. “We spent a lot of time shaping melodies, drawing inspiration from polyphonic writing, and building orchestral arrangements that feel both powerful and natural to us. It was a challenging but fulfilling process, and we sincerely hope listeners will connect with what we’ve crafted.”
Lyrically, the record engages with the concept of utopia not as escape, but as confrontation — dissecting philosophical ideals with their refined sonic scalpel, and pushing for a world of harmony between living beings.
Actively bucking genre conventions, AEPHANEMER continues to reinvent their path in the melodic death metal landscape. Utopieis more than just an album — it’s a storm of sound, an ideological reckoning, and a powerful new chapter from one of Europe’s most vital and visionary metal bands!
AEPHANEMER live: Album Release Tour w/ Valhalore, Dark Oath, Waldgeflüster (EU):
06.11.25 DE – Weinheim / Cafe Central 07.11.25 DE – Leipzig / Hellraiser 08.11.25 DE – Berlin / War Against War Festival 09.11.25 DE – Kassel / Goldgrube 10.11.25 DE – München / Feierwerk 12.11.25 AT – Wien / Escape 13.11.25 HU – Budapest / Dürer Kert 14.11.25 PL – Kraków / Klub Gwarek 15.11.25 CZ – Praha / Black Pes 16.11.25 PL – Warszawa / Voodoo Club 18.11.25 LT – Kaunas / Klubas Lemmy 19.11.25 FI – Turku / Nirvana 20.11.25 FI – Helsinki / On The Rocks 21.11.25 FI – Tampere / Varjobaari 22.11.25 FI – Turku / Nirvana 26.11.25 DE – Hamburg / LOGO 27.11.25 DE – Oberhausen / Helvete 28.11.25 DE – Oldenburg / Cadillac 29.11.25 BE – Ghent / Asgaard Gentbrugge 30.11.25 NL – Harlem / Patronaat 02.12.25 UK – London / The Underworld 03.12.25 UK – Manchester / Rebellion
AEPHANEMER is: Marion Bascoul – Vocals Martin Hamiche – Guitars, Bass, Orchestrations Mickael Bonnevialle – Drums
Swiss black metal act VÍGLJÓS have returned with a ferocious new single, “Claviceps”, offering the first taste of their highly anticipated sophomore album, “Tome II – ignis sacer”. The full-length record is set for release on September 19 via Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions.
VÍGLJÓS sheds light on the track, commenting: “The story of humanity and Claviceps is one of creativity and pain. It reaches back to medieval times and possibly beyond. Various kinds of early psychedelic artists deliberately poisoned themselves with the Claviceps fungus to expand their minds and alter their reality.
On this new record we want to honour the impact that Claviceps, and later LSD had and still has on art, music, society, our self-image and medicine, as well as the terror and depravity it brought upon us.“
Emerging from Basel in 2022, VÍGLJÓS (Old Norse for “the light which is just bright enough to be able to kill a man”) has since solidified its ranks into a potent four-piece, featuring members from both Germany and Switzerland. With their lineup now wielding guitar, drums, mellotron, and vocals, the band recently laid down their second album at Marc Obrist’s (Zeal & Ardor) Hutch Sounds in Oberwil, BL. Obrist’s meticulous work on recording, mixing, and mastering promises a production that will undoubtedly capture the band’s intense vision, complemented by striking artwork from Adrian Smith and layout by Luca Piazzalonga.
While VÍGLJÓS openly acknowledges the profound influence of Norwegian Second Wave Black Metal titans like Darkthroneand Immortal, their sound is far from a mere homage. They skillfully weave the raw, frigid essence of ’90s Black Metal with unexpected layers of synth, intricate tremolo picking, and even light infusions of rock’n’roll riffs and beats. These elements are all underpinned by hauntingly atmospheric mellotron tracks, adding a unique depth to their dark canvas. For those who’ve experienced VÍGLJÓS live, the word is out: expect an “auditive, visual and olfactory experience” that lingers long after the final note.
Thematically, “Tome II – ignis sacer” delves deep into the phenomenon of ergotism – the voluntary or involuntary poisoning by ingesting the claviceps fungus that grows on wheat. This ancient affliction, which fueled historical phases of civil unrest, witch crazes, and societal meltdowns when climate favored its growth on essential food sources, is a central inspiration.
Tracklist:
Sowing
A Seed of Aberration
The Rot
Claviceps
Dellusions of Grandeur
Decadency and Degeneration
Harvest
Fallow – A New Cycle Begins
“Tome II – ignis sacer” will be coming out on September 19 via Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions in CD/LP and DIGITAL formatsand is now available for pre-order atTHIS LOCATION
VÍGLJÓS are: J – Drums L – Vocals N – Guitar Mellotron by Aorrta as Guest Musician
Today, SCHATTENMANN are proud to release their new single & music video ‘Kein Kommando’ [engl. ‘No Command’]. Musically metal to the core and tricked out with modern elements, the single is the powerful first preview of their forthcoming album “Endgegner” [engl. “End Boss”], which is due out in early 2026 and will be supported by a massive headline run through their home country.
Frontman Frank adds: “‘Kein Kommando’ is probably the most important song of our career since our debut single to us since it marks the beginning of a new era – we’re entering the musical path into a clear metal direction. The line ‘Heute gibt es keine Regeln, keine Grenzen, kein Gesetz’ [engl. ‘There’s no rules, barriers and law today’] hits the nail right on the head: There was no limits, no borders, no compromises when we decided to open this new chapter. We didn’t care about other people’s thoughts or expectations, and we simply did what we thought was right – musically, optically and authentically.”
To make their loyal fan base grow in even more territories, SCHATTENMANN group have now partnered with PERCEPTION. The latest imprint of Reigning Phoenix Music, a rising metal label with headquarters in Hamberg, Germany as well as Los Angeles, CA, has made it its business to help highly promising acts take the next step and to jointly make the breakthrough with long-ranging success. This is a new union of two parties which seem to be made for each other as PERCEPTION worldwide network of partners and distribution will surely elevate the band to previously unknown heights.
Frank states: “A new way, new music, a new label. We’re very excited to take our next steps alongside PERCEPTION under the roof of Reigning Phoenix Music. This moment isn’t only a musical restart but also a big chance for us to realise our ideas and vision with even more power and clarity. We’re really happy to have a strong team by our side which shares our passion and supports our way in all respects. With PERCEPTION and Reigning Phoenix Music, we’ve found partners who believe in us. This connection inspires and motivates us to make the best out of our music.”
“The facts actually speak for themselves: Within a short period of time, SCHATTENMANN have reached the status of a band the European metal scene can’t be imagined with anymore. We’re equally excited to collaborate with Frank and his band mates since we’re sure that their unique approach is full of endless potential which should finally be directed into the right channels. Let’s not spend any more words, let’s make rhetoric into action. SCHATTENMANN are here to conquer!” comments the PERCEPTION team.
So, are you ready to face the end boss? More details about “Endgegner” as well as album pre-orders will be announced very soon…
“Endgegner” Tour 2026
w/ special guests
12.03.2026 DE Frankfurt – Das Bett 13.03.2026 DE Oberhausen – Kulttempel 14.03.2026 DE Stuttgart – LKA Longhorn 15.03.2026 DE Saarbrücken – Garage 19.03.2026 DE Hamburg – Knust 20.03.2026 DE Leipzig – Hellraiser 21.03.2026 DE Erfurt – From Hell 26.03.2026 DE Munich – Backstage (Halle) 27.03.2026 DE Cologne – Luxor 28.03.2026 DE Hanover – MusikZentrum 04.04.2026 DE Berlin – Hole 44 05.04.2026 DE Magdeburg – Factory
More upcoming SCHATTENMANN live dates:
– 22.08.2026 DE Haddeby – Baltic Open Air
About SCHATTENMANN
Founded in 2016, Nuremberg-based band SCHATTENMANN have entered the metal world by storm! Pinnacling with their top 10 album “Día de muertos” in 2023, the quartet – singer Frank Herzig, guitarist Jan Shook, bass player Luke Shook & drummer Rorschach – paved their way with impactful songwriting but also with energising live shows. A thrilling combination which has resonated with a wide range of range (mostly) European metalheads so far. Sheer metal and continuous touring are the keys of why SCHATTENMANN have become one of the leading German ambassadors in the hard ‘n’ heavy universe within less than 10 years.
SCHATTENMANN are: Frank Herzig | vocals Jan Shook | guitars Luke Shook | bass Rorschach | drums
The heavy metal visionaries collectively known as AVATAR — vocalist Johannes Eckerström, guitarists Jonas Jarlsby and Tim Öhrström, bassist Henrik Sandelin, and drummer John Alfredsson — are thrilled to announce the thoroughly fitting October 31 release of their latest masterwork Don’t Go in the Forest.
The band also shared the video for “Tonight We Must Be Warriors.” Watch it below.
“It has become a necessity to me over the years to be able to answer one question: Why is this important? It can’t be just another album. We need to discover something, try something else. It has to come from the heart. What is being said matters,” says vocalist Eckerström regarding the release of single, “Tonight We Must Be Warriors”. In days of isolation and despair, maybe we need to be reminded that we are not alone? We are one of many. Maybe we also need a reminder that the burden is on our shoulders? To get it done, we need to do the fighting ourselves.”
“In our shared pain, we find solidarity.”
“The secret ingredient is that we still feel like we’re just getting started. “Don’t Go In The Forest” is an album filled to the brim with stuff we’ve never done before. It’s all songs and concepts we haven’t been close to touch until now. The mind is wild and we have lost ourselves in the darkest woods, filled with memories, and fantasies. Forbidden thoughts that must be spoken.” States vocalist Eckerström regarding the upcoming release of Avatar’s album “Don’t Go In The Forest”.
“It would have been impossible to make this album at any other time than now. That’s all we ever wanted, and I think you’ll find it’s all you ever wanted too.”
Did you enter the forest via the new track?
The band announced headline A Night To Be Tour Apart headline tour back in April, now have rebranded the tour as In the Airwaves with fresh new admat announcing additional support Norwegian Feminist Black Metal group Witch Club Satan, as well as Norwegian Death Jazz band Agabas for select dates. Avatar have gone from strength to strength over the past several years. There’s the critically acclaimed, 2023-released album Dance Devil Dance, which included rock radio chart topper “The Dirt I’m Buried In.” There have been scores of sold-out headline shows across the globe and an actual fossil named after them. The list goes on and on.
Avatar have gone from strength to strength over the past several years. There’s the critically acclaimed, 2023-released album Dance Devil Dance, which included their first #1 at Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay, “The Dirt I’m Buried In.” There have been scores of sold-out headline shows across the globe and an actual fossil named after them. The list goes on and on.
But the past is the past and the future is, well, dark in the best possible way and that’s JUST how Avatar like it!
The track listing for Don’t Go in the Forest will be revealed in due course. The band has previously shared “CAPTAIN GOAT” and “In the Airwaves.”
Avatar will spend the foreseeable future (if not forever) on the road — with forthcoming tours supporting Iron Maiden and Metallica, along with the band’s biggest show EVER in Mexico City. See below for a complete rundown of the band’s planned tour activity for the next two years.
Avatar show no signs of pausing to take a breath in their quest for absolute world domination — much less stopping.
2025 MEXICO HEADLINE
Fri, Oct 31, 25 — Mexico City, MX — The Pepsi Center
2026 EUROPEAN HEADLINE TOUR
Thu, Feb 5, 26 — Stockholm, SE — Fållan Sat, Feb 7, 26 — Helsinki, FI — Kulttuuritalo Mon, Feb 9, 26 — Oslo, NO — Sentrum Scene Tue, Feb 10, 26 — Copenhagen, DK — Vega Wed, Feb 11, 26 — Osnabrück, DE — Die Botschaft Thu, Feb 12, 26 — Brussels, BE — A.B. Sat, Feb 14, 26 — London, UK — Exhibition Sun, Feb 15, 26 — Manchester, UK — Academy Mon, Feb 16, 26 — Glasgow, UK — Barrowland Tue, Feb 17, 26 — Nottingham, UK — Rock City Wed, Feb 18, 26 — Bristol, UK — O2 Academy Fri, Feb 20, 26 — Amsterdam, NL — AFAS Live Sat, Feb 21, 26 — Esch-Sur-Alzette, LU — Rockhal Sun, Feb 22, 26 — Zürich, CH — Komplex Tue, Feb 24, 26 — Barcelona, ES — Razzmatazz Wed, Feb 25, 26 — Madrid, ES — La Riviera Fri, Feb 27, 26 — Lisbon, PT — LAV Sat, Feb 28, 26 — Bilbao, ES — Santana 27 Mon, Mar 2, 26 — Lyon, FR — Le Cube Tue, Mar 3, 26 — Milan, IT — Alcatraz Wed, Mar 4, 26 — Vienna, AT — Gasometer Thu, Mar 5, 26 — Munich, DE — Tonhalle Fri, Mar 6, 26 — Cologne, DE — E-Werk Sat, Mar 7, 26 — Paris, FR — Le Zenith Mon, Mar 9, 26 — Wiesbaden, DE — Schlachthof Tue, Mar 10, 26 — Zlin, CZ — Sports Hall Datart Wed, Mar 11, 26 — Warsaw, PL — Stodola Thu, Mar 12, 26 — Berlin, DE — Columbiahalle Fri, Mar 13, 26 — Hamburg, DE — Docks
SUPPORTING METALLICA — SUMMER 2026
Sun, May 24, 26 — Frankfurt, DE — Deutsche Bank Park Thu, Jun 11, 26 — Budapest, HU — Puskas Arena Fri, Jun 19, 26 — Dublin, IE — Aviva Stadium Sun, Jul 5, 26 — London, UK — London Stadium
2025 U.S.A. HEADLINE
Wed, Nov 5, 25 — Phoenix, AZ — The Van Buren Thu, Nov 6, 25 — San Diego, CA — The Observatory San Diego Fri, Nov 7, 25 — Riverside, CA — Riverside Municipal Auditorium Sat, Nov 8, 25 — Las Vegas, NV — Brooklyn Bowl Mon, Nov 10, 25 — Seattle, WA — Moore Theater Tue, Nov 11, 25 — Portland, OR — Roseland Theatre Wed, Nov 12, 25 — Boise, ID — Revolution Fri, Nov 14, 25 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union Sat, Nov 15, 25 — Denver, CO — Fillmore Mon, Nov 17, 25 — Minneapolis, MN — Fillmore Tue, Nov 18, 25 — Madison, WI — The Sylvee Thu, Nov 20, 25 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore Detroit Fri, Nov 21, 25 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE Sat, Nov 22, 25 — Columbus, OH — KEMBA Live! Sun, Nov 23, 25 — Silver Spring, MD — The Fillmore Silver Spring Tue, Nov 25, 25 — Huntington, NY — Paramount Wed, Nov 26, 25 — Boston, MA — House of Blues Fri, Nov 28, 25 — Allentown, PA — Archer Music Hall Sat, Nov 29, 25 — Charlotte, NC — The Fillmore Charlotte Sun, Nov 30, 25 — Louisville, KY — Old Forester’s Paristown Hall Tue, Dec 2, 25 — Chicago, IL — Riviera Theater Thu, Dec 4, 25 — Nashville, TN — Marathon Music Works Fri, Dec 5, 25 — St. Louis, MO — The Pageant Sat, Dec 6, 25 — Tulsa, OK — Tulsa Theater Sun, Dec 7, 25 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues
AVATAR ARE: Johannes Eckerström — Vocalist Jonas Jarlsby — Guitarist Tim Öhrström — Guitarist Henrik Sandelin — Bassist John Alfredsson — Drummer
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
