Following a series of previously-released singles, modern metalcore outfit HUMANKIND drops their first EP via powerhouse label ROAR, led by focus track “lovely”.
“lovely” is a dramatic reinterpretation of Billie Eilish’s global hit featuring ENEMY INSIDE vocalist Nastassja Giulia.The song shifts between fragile intimacy, raw vulnerability, and massive, heavy emotional intensity, transforming a global pop anthem into a cathartic experience that creates a release that lingers long after the last note. The accompanying music video brings both vocalists together on screen, capturing the song’s raw emotion and chemistry in a way that is impossible to ignore. Watch the music video for “lovely” feat. ENEMY INSIDE here:
HUMANKIND states:“From our perspective, “lovely” is an artistic, yet honest and dramatic engagement with mental issues or physical diseases that can’t be healed immediately. Sometimes we have to accept the situations we find ourselves in and learn how to live with them until they eventually improve. The decision to realise the song with two vocalists shows that we’re not alone with our struggles and will find comfort and help if we openly vocalise our issues and find others who are fighting similar fights.”
Produced, mixed, and mastered by Christoph Wieczorek (Sawdust Recordings), the four-track EP underlines HUMANKIND’s abilities to fuse modern metalcore energy with emotional depth, firmly establishing themselves among the new modern wave of forward-thinking post-hardcore and alternative rock music acts.
EP track listing:
lovely
Humans
The Darkness I Own
Fed Up
HumanKind is: Samuel Scholz (Vocals) Maria Kimberly Huehn (Guitar) Simon Keil (Guitar) Dominik “Doemsen” Stotzem (Bass) Silas Schué (Drums)
Irish progressive metal outfit URAGH return this autumn with their most intense and thematically ambitious work to date. Their new EP ‘Stalemate‘ will be released September 25th, 2025 via digital platforms and limited physical editions. The first single, “Crimson Dove” is out now, accompanied by an official music video.
A searing follow-up to last year’s debut full-length Maelstrom, ‘Stalemate’ delivers four interconnected tracks that explore the darker aspects of institutional control and personal deterioration in modern society. Across its concise runtime, the EP traverses themes of mental health breakdown, societal alienation, and the psychological toll of systemic oppression.
The record builds a compelling conceptual arc, beginning with the mechanical warfare of “Perpetual,” progressing through the circling predation of “Crimson Dove,” the personal grief of “Time Heals Nothing” (featuring guest vocals from Foelicitye), and culminating in the stark institutional imagery of the title track, “Stalemate.”
Lyrically and sonically, URAGH craft a narrative that becomes increasingly intimate and disturbing, employing industrial and predatory metaphors—“vultures watching their selected weary victim,” “white apparel,” “barbed wire,”—to deliver a scathing critique of modern power structures.
“Musically, we really wanted to bottle the energy of our live show this time around,” says guitarist Marcelo Varge. “It’s definitely a step up in intensity from Maelstrom, but the process was also more spontaneous. Time Heals Nothing, for example, was basically built from scratch in the studio. We walked in with a few loose riffs and just let the song find its own way.” “Thematically,” Varge continues, “we didn’t start with a concept, but the idea of being trapped just kept surfacing. Whether it’s the daily grind in Perpetual, or the feeling of having your dreams picked apart in Crimson Dove, it all points back to this paralysis. It’s why Stalemate felt like the only fitting title.”
With a recurring use of powerful metaphors, war machines, hollowed cityscapes, and clinical confinement, the ‘Stalemate‘ EP paints a bleak yet resonant portrait of how human psychology is shaped, worn down, and ultimately contained by the systems that surround it. The industrial imagery and layered motifs of repetition and inevitability make Stalemate a cohesive and harrowing meditation on modern existence.
Recorded at JSR Audio earlier this year, the EP saw producer Josh Sid Robinson step into a central role in shaping the band’s evolving sound. The EP’s arresting artwork was created by Georgian visual artist Alex Malakmadze, whose piece echoes the mechanical and institutional tone of the record.
STALEMATE – TRACKLIST 1 Perpetual 2 Crimson Dove 3 Time Heals Nothing (feat. Foelicitye) 4 Stalemate
LIVE SHOWS – IRELAND & UK TOUR URAGH will support the release of Stalemate with a string of live shows across Ireland and the UK, bringing their formidable stage presence to the following cities:
Sep 26 – Dublin @ Sin É Oct 3 – Bristol, UK @ The Gryphon Oct 4 – London, UK @ The Dev Oct 10 – Cork @ Fred Zeppelins Oct 11 – Belfast @ Voodoo Belfast Oct 26 – Limerick @ TBA Nov 14 – Edinburgh, UK @ The Banshee Labyrinth
Formed in 2022, URAGH have quickly built a reputation for their immersive sound and cerebral lyrical themes. Their 2024 debut Maelstrom saw them appear at Wacken Open Air and take to the main stage at Ireland’s Siege of Limerick, marking a breakout year for the band. Now with ‘Stalemate‘, they venture deeper into territory that is as thought-provoking as it is sonically devastating.
The ‘Stalemate’ EP crafts a dark narrative across four tracks, moving from the mechanical warfare of Perpetual through the predatory Crimson Dove and personal loss of Time Heals Nothing, to the institutional confinement of the title track. Through industrial imagery and metaphors of decay, the EP presents a haunting commentary on mental health, systemic control, and the cyclical nature of human suffering within modern institutional frameworks.
URAGH are: Craig Murphy – Vocals Marcelo Varge – Guitar Sebastian Sparr – Bass Jason Hodgkins – Drums
Still riding on the wave of success caused by their 2025 album “Plague Of Rats” (February 28, 2025 via Reigning Phoenix Music; DE #13, SE #13, AT #41, CH #42, GR #50), Southern German heavy/power metallers BRAINSTORM use the final weeks of the warm season by having a creative stopover at the beach on their way back from the myth-enshrouded Indus world. Today, they present nothing but a metalled-up take on Don Henley’s classic track ‘The Boys Of Summer’ to their fans.
The track was recorded during BRAINSTORM’s “Plague Of Rats” sessions in 2024, and the timing of its release couldn’t be more fitting as the group have entered the final stages of this year’s festival season.
Vocalist Andy B. Franck adds: “Even though ‘The Boys Of Summer’ deals with rather nostalgic themes of ‘summer love’ and the memory of a past relationship, for me – at the time a 13-year-old – it was, beyond the metal anthems of the 80s, a great song that I associated with summer, girls and the corresponding feeling for many, many years. Don Hanley and the EAGLES are simply awe-inspiring. Even today, this song still evokes great memories for me, and since it’s also a song about questioning the past, this track fits perfectly into our times. I’m proud that we recorded it, and maybe it will be part of a show soon. People will love it and then share memories with this, our version!”
But the metal world doesn’t have to worry – the band are far from resting on their latest laurels: Behind the curtain, BRAINSTORM have been working on extending their 2025/2026 “Plague Of Rats” touring cycle, and the announcement of more live dates following their confirmation for the next edition of Summer Breeze Open Air (Dinkelsbühl, Germany) is really just a matter of time… Stay tuned!
BRAINSTORM remain a vital force in the metal scene, seamlessly blending traditional elements with modern influences in their latest work, “Plague Of Rats.” Drawing inspiration from the rich and mystical narratives of ancient Indian civilisation, this album delivers an energetic line-up of tracks devoid of slow songs or ballads, fully embodying the band’s dynamic and robust metal style. Expertly crafted with the collaboration of Sebastian “Seeb” Levermann (ORDEN OGAN, ANGUS McSIX) for mixing and mastering at Greenman Studios, and featuring striking artwork by Gyula Havancsák (DESTRUCTION, KREATOR, GRAVE DIGGER etc.) and photography by Alex Kühr, “Plague Of Rats” offers ten compelling new tracks that transport listeners to the captivating worlds of India and beyond.
24.08.2025 PT Pindelo dos Milagres – Milagre Metaleiro Open Air 30.08.2025 AT Graz – Metal on the Hill NEW 20.09.2025 DE Schrobenhausen – Metal im Woid NEW 29.11.2025 DE Bonn – Harmonie NEW 12 – 15.08.2026 DE Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze Open Air NEW
More dates to be announced very soon…!
About BRAINSTORM
BRAINSTORM look back on an unparalleled career: since their 1997 debut “Hungry,” the band have continued to develop and to consolidate their position in the international metal scene with albums like “Metus Mortis” [2001], “Soul Temptation” [2003], “Liquid Monster” [2005], and most recently “Midnight Ghost” [2018] and “Wall Of Skulls” [2021]. They have toured worldwide and achieved impressive chart positions in recent years, but instead of resting on their laurels, they are more determined than ever and setting new milestones with their current album “Plague Of Rats.”
BRAINSTORM are: Andy B. Franck | vocals Torsten Ihlenfeld | guitars Milan Loncaric | guitars Dieter Bernert | drums
New Jersey experimental metal collective TOMBS is now unveiling a haunting new single, “The Sun Sets” which can be heard at THIS LOCATION.
TOMBS bassist Drew Murphy comments, “I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished on the album. I’m particularly proud of this song. It’s definitely a standout track in my opinion. When I listen to this song I feel like it takes me on an epic journey that ends with being stranded in the middle of a very angry sea. I hope everyone enjoys it as much as we do.”
“The Sun Sets” is taken from the band’s upcoming studio album, ‘Feral Darkness,’ which will be released on October 17, 2025 via Redefining Darkness! The title track from the offering was previously released and can be heard HERE.
The band is not only returning with a new label, but also with a new sound! While ‘Feral Darkness’ still embraces TOMBS’ black metal roots, it also explores the band’s gothic, death rock side, creating the band’s darkest and most haunting record to date!
Formed in 2007, New Jersey-based experimental metal outfit TOMBS blends bleak, post-punk minimalism with the ferocious attack of sludge and haunting goth rock. TOMBS have established themselves as an act that’s as committed to consistency as it is to growth, developing smoothly (but never predictably) over the course of their career.
TOMBS Lineup: Mike Hill – guitar / vocals / synth Justin Spaeth – drums / guitar Andrew Murphy – Bass / guitar / vocals Dan Higgins – guitar
Guest Musicians: Sera Timms – vocals on “Nightland” (Black Mare, Black Math Horsemen, Ides of Gemini)
Recording and Mixing: Justin Spaeth Mastering: Andreas Rosczyk Photos: Mike Goncalves For Fans Of: Fields of the Nephilim, Samhain, Mayhem, Goatwhore
Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s latest solo album, the apocalyptic Songs No One Will Hear, is set to be released in a month, on September 12th, 2025 on InsideOutMusic. Following the 2 epic singles “Our Final Song,” and “We’ll Never Know,” Arjen now shares the hard-rockin’ 3rd single titled “Goddamn Conspiracy.”
BEAT (Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, Steve Vai, Danny Carey) share the live performance of “Frame By Frame” taken from the upcoming live release ‘BEAT LIVE’, due out on Sept. 26th. Watch the video below.
BEAT LIVE will be released in three configurations. A 3-LP set, a Blu-ray release accompanied by 2-CDs and a 12-page photo booklet, and lastly a limited collector’s edition that will contain the Blu-ray, 2-CDs, a bonus CD, and a 36-page artbook. PRE-ORDER HERE: https://beatband.lnk.to/Live-Album
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
