Michael Schenker has invited keyboardist Derek Sherinian to tour Japan with him in January, including a show at the legendary Budokan.
In 2021, Michael Schenker invited Sherinian to guest on his album “Immortal” album on the opening song “Drilled To Kill”. Schenker said of Sherinian, “Derek and myself trading solos, it sounds unexpected and beyond my expectation.” “Absolutely fantastic!” In 2022, Schenker returned the favor by guesting on Sherinian’s Vortex album on the song “Die Kobra”. In 2024, Sherinian appeared on Schenker’s My Years With UFO album.
Sherinian was also recently named “Best Keyboardist” in Japan’s BURRN! Magazine 2024 Readers Poll (an award he also received previously, in 2020, 2022, and 2023). Derek was also voted “Greatest Keyboardist of the 21st Century” and #8 “Greatest of All Time” by MusicRadar.com, and also was ranked #9 “Greatest of All Time” in PROG Magazine.
Sherinian has distinguished himself by his versatility, and aggressive “guitaristic” approach to his signature keyboard style. MusicRadar.com declared, “His virtuoso playing has seen him dubbed the keyboard-playing version of Eddie Van Halen.” David Coverdale claims that “Derek plays the Hammond organ like the son of Jon Lord.”
Starting his pro career with Alice Cooper in 1989 on the “Trashes the World” world tour, Sherinian proceeded to tour and record with KISS, Dream Theater, Yngwie Malmsteen, Billy Idol and Whitesnake. He has also released nine solo albums, and was the co-founder of Planet X, Sons of Apollo, and supergroup Black Country Communion (also featuring Joe Bonamassa, Glenn Hughes, and Jason Bonham).
We Kill Cowboys have just dropped the gripping new video for their latest single Dead End, taken from their upcoming EP Back From The Dead., out later this year via Mongrel Records. Known for fusing, punk, grunge, stoner and post-hardcore into an exciting live experience, We Kill Cowboys deliver their most emotionally charged and visually visceral work to date. The band—formed by tattoo artist and singer-songwriter Alex Muller—has never shied away from confronting difficult truths, and “Dead End” is no exception.
Alex Muller’s haunting vocals cut through the track’s heavy instrumentation, telling a story that explores both male and female perspectives on abuse, trauma, and the desperate longing for escape. “‘Dead End’ is a powerful and poignant anthem,” Alex explains, “With unflinching honesty, the song weaves together male and female perspectives, illuminating the darkest corners of trauma and the desperate quest for escapism… to be seen, to be loved, and to find a way out of the darkness that can feel like a dead end.”
Adding to the sonic intensity, the band has welcomed long-time friend and producer Floris Le Roux on second guitar. His dynamic guitar work now complements Mornay’s gritty riffs, while Andrew Middelkoop’s thunderous drums and Miggs’ distorted basslines provide a relentless foundation that surges through every track.
The video follows a protagonist haunted by a masked figure, chased through Cape Town’s gritty streets in an adrenaline-fueled escape that collides—literally—with the band and crew, culminating at the shoreline where reality and delusion blur in a powerful, unsettling ending.
The concept for the “Dead End” music video was developed by drummer Andrew Middelkoop, who envisioned a cinematic reflection of the song’s emotional core. “The central concept revolves around trauma and escapism,” Andrew says. “It’s about running from your problems and constantly hitting dead ends. We wanted to visually capture that tension—there’s a moment of false calm in the middle, but it’s all in her head.”
Back From The Dead marks a heavier, more refined chapter for the band. With Alex stepping into the role of full-time vocalist and Floris expanding their sound, We Kill Cowboys are embracing evolution while staying true to their raw, rebellious roots.
Emerging atmospheric black/epic doom metal solo project DIVINE SOVEREIGN has unleashed the lyric video for “The Absolution”, the latest track from the upcoming album Autaxia Chronicles: Dawn of a New Age, set for release on May 9, 2025, via Wormholedeath.
The Painful Legacy of Autaxia
The history of Autaxia is etched with suffering. We prayed to the heavens, but the skies remained silent. We served our masters, though they stripped us of hope. Centuries of torment have taught us a harsh truth: to believe in no one but yourself.
“The Absolution” is the third track from Autaxia Chronicles: Dawn of a New Age and delves into the theme of resistance driven by religious fervor. It tells the tale of a species enslaved for generations, only to rise through the creation of a new faith—a faith that unites them against their oppressors. However, this newfound zeal comes with a stark warning: while fanaticism can unify, it often becomes the first chapter of a new kind of servitude.
Divine Sovereign’s immersive compositions bring this gripping concept to life, fusing atmospheric black metal, epic doom, and blackgaze elements into a cinematic soundscape of despair, rebellion, and awakening.
About Divine Sovereign
Founded in 2023 by multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Cezary Rochnowski, Divine Sovereign draws inspiration from the likes of Ethereal Shroud, Panopticon, and Atlantean Kodex. The project crafts epic, narrative-driven compositions set in the world of Autaxia, a planet where advanced beings unearth the remnants of a once-thriving civilization. Through intricate songwriting and atmospheric intensity, Divine Sovereign explores the duality of faith—its power to liberate and its potential to enslave.
Finnish deathgrind veterans Cannibal Accident have released a new single ‘Kärpästen juhlat’, a cover track of Mikko Saarela / Organ. The track features guest vocals from HellG ja Starling Nippelsson.
The band comments: “The song “Kärpästen juhlat” is probably the most famous track from Organ’s Nekrofiilis LP, the first Finnish electro pop album, but was originally released on a solo single by the band’s leader Mikko Saarela in 1981. Somewhere beyond the borders of reason came the idea to pay tribute to his pioneering work with our own version of this cult classic and twisted it into the CA mold – love it or hate it.”
When Only Fans Blow On Empty Stage 5. Flesh Fabricant
Darken The Attic
Itseinhon Kusisella Alttarilla (feat. Nikki 666)
Mouthbreathing Bottomfeeder
In The Meat Of The Night
EU-rope Around Your Neck
Kemperverse (Kemper Trilogy part 3: Mama’s Boy)
Wife Eater (Woman’s Best Friend)
R.I.C.H. (Relying In Capital Heresy)
Viimene Fiitti (feat. Ulti-Make)
Omniworld
Inhumanely Precipitated Biodegradation
No One Loves You Anymore
I Want To Pay More Taxes
Insult / Result
Scorched Meat Tactics
Album cover by Maxime Taccardi
Formed in 2007, Cannibal Accident have released five full-length albums and a number of smaller releases. Old-school grindcore, death metal, hardcore and mosh part(ie)s are combined in brutally cutting, compact songs where speed, heaviness and catchiness are the main denominators.
Cannibal Accident live on stage is a comprehensive psychophysical experience, no holds barred.
Line-up: Kolkka – guitar Wilkman – drums Raisio – low Kurwa Doktor – high Jondom – bass & backing howls
SUDDEN DEATH have unleashed “The Torture Wheel”, the second single taken from their upcoming fourth album “In Sinner Hate”, due out May 19th, 2025 via Time To Kill Records. Picking up where the previous single left off, “The Torture Wheel” drags the listener into a suffocating vortex of violence and despair, perfectly embodying the album’s core themes of alienation, social decay and inner torment.
“‘The Torture Wheel’ is a song that addresses the theme of sadism. In a hellish scenario, victims are tortured in an endless cycle, impaled on a constantly rotating toothed wheel, a metaphor for the inexorable monotony of life”.
The album was mixed and mastered by Stefano “Saul” Morabito (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance, Hideous Divinity), with additional recordings by Marco “Cinghio” Mastrobuono (Hour Of Penance, Shores Of Null) and Giuseppe Orlando (Novembre, Stormlord).
The album title plays phonetically with the word “Incinerate”, but takes on the meaning of “In the sinner’s hate”, reflecting the dark and introspective themes that permeate the entire work. In this new effort, the band delves into concepts such as violence, monotony, loneliness, alienation, respectability, and hardship, while also tackling broader topics like war, pollution, and social isolation, exploring them in their most visceral form.
While maintaining the claustrophobic, minimalist, and massive approach that has always defined SUDDEN DEATH, the new material ventures into more intricate and elaborate directions. The band’s death metal carries a modern edge, yet retains clear nods to the old-school brutality of Cannibal Corpse and Sinister. The guitars intertwine constantly, layering different yet harmonized riffs before reconverging into a single, powerful sonic force, creating a complex and dynamic listening experience.
Tracklist:
1. In Sinner Hate (Intro) 2. The Modern Pharisee 3. Destined to Fall 4. The World is Hate 5. Living Corruption 6. The Beast Awakening 7. Channelling Misery 8. The Torture Wheel 9. Acidic Ways of Parity 10. Human Death Machine 11. The Human Demise
Formed in 1997, SUDDEN DEATH are a death metal band hailing from Genzano (Rome). The band’s sound, initially inspired by the rawest old school death-thrash metal waves, slowly and progressively developed into a more brutal style, influenced by Cannibal Corpse and early Deicide. Nowadays the band set forth on a masterclass in technical and claustrophobic death metal with dense and intertwining guitars, sudden tempo and metric changes and more consistent and exasperated vocal parts.
So far the band has released three albums – “Devoured Inside” (self-produced) in 2001, “Injection of Hate” (Deadbang Records) in 2004, and “Monolith of Sorrow” (Killerpool Records) in 2015 – and the EP “Stillborn” (Art Gates Records) in 2018.
SUDDEN DEATH have played several shows throughout the Italian peninsula and around Europe, sharing the stage with important acts such as Suffocation, Gorgoroth, Vader, Napalm Death, Exodus, Dark Tranquility, Possessed, Pestilence and many others.
Line-up:
Luis Maggio – Vocals Giorgio “Giorgioni” Cifuni – Guitar Francesca Mancini – Guitar Giuseppe Ciurleo – Bass Emanuele Aleo – Drums
Southern California punk rockers INFAMOUS STIFFS recently released the next single “Loose Screwz” from their upcoming six song EP titled “The Ornery Six. The band had this to say about the new single, “There is a lot of craziness here in America and you get ripped here and torn there. Mix that up in a song with a touch of optimism sprinkled in and you have “Loose Screwz”.”
INFAMOUS STIFFS are also excited to announce that the third single from “The Ornery Six” entitled “Evel Mann” is featured in the new film “A Working Man” starring Jason Statham”. The movie was released in theatres March 28th. Pre-save for the single starts May 23rd and the release date is June 6th.
Infamous Stiffs came onto the scene in 2019, just before the world shutdown. Hailing from Southern California cities, the members have spent decades playing punk rock ‘n’ roll in various incarnations… all roads leading to the sonic condition that is Infamous Stiffs. A relentless assault of loud infectious hooks and grooves, that’ll make you shout & shake and make ya move your hips with an uncanny swing!
Tracklisting
No Static
Loose Screwz
Evel Mann
Lonesoul
Walk Away
Top Secret
All songs by Scott Wilkins, Mark Pananides, Troy Takaki and David Bach
Production Details: Engineered, mixed and produced by David Irish at Pot of Gold Studios
Band Members: Vocals – Scott Wilkins (Verbal Abuse, Electric Frankenstein) Guitar – Mark Pananides (Junkyard) Bass – Troy Takaki (Boneless Ones) Drums – David Bach (House of Wheels, Adam Sandler’s band and a current member of The Avengers)
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 