Swiss extreme metal titans TYRMFAR proudly unleash their blistering second single, “Symphony of Pain”, taken from the highly anticipated forthcoming EP, Symbiosis.
“Symphony of Pain” delivers a visceral portrayal of inner torment, delving deep into a tortured soul’s battle with regret, deceit, and redemption. The track paints a powerful picture of a mind lost in turmoil, only to rise again, stronger and more resilient. With lyrics that explore the weight of personal accountability and the transformation that emerges from facing one’s demons, Tyrmfar crafts a journey of anguish that ultimately offers hope—a triumphant message of rebirth from the ashes.
“Symphony of Pain” is a sonic onslaught that showcases Tyrmfar’s signature blend of ferocity and emotion. The band draws listeners into an epic struggle for redemption, proving that even in the darkest moments, there is light to be found.
The single is now available on all major digital platforms, offering a taste of what’s to come in the band’s upcoming release, Symbiosis.
About the EP: Symbiosis
With Symbiosis, Tyrmfar pushes the boundaries of their sound, forging an evolution in their blackened death metal assault. The EP explores the uneasy relationship between humanity and nature, channeling the growing tension of ecological and social crises into a brutal yet thought-provoking musical experience.
Rooted in the Scandinavian black and death metal influences of the late ’90s and early 2000s, Symbiosis also embraces modern elements that reflect the band’s diverse musical inspirations. This creative process, enriched by each member’s distinct style, weaves together a tapestry of searing intensity and emotional depth. Every note is a testament to the band’s commitment to authenticity and connection, ensuring that their live performances remain as powerful and captivating as their studio work.
Prepare for an unrelenting wave of extreme metal that challenges both the mind and the senses.
Band + Cover photo by Aarni Visuals – Cover layout: Sakari Tuokkola
Finnish progressive metal band Rioghan is set to release the second studio album ‘Kept’ on February 14th 2025 via Inverse Records.
The second single ‘Hands’ is released today and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/rioghan-hands
Composed by Teemu Liekkala & Jenni Perämäki
Lyrics by Jenni Perämäki
Arranged by Tero Luukkonen, Antti Varjanne, Valtteri Revonkorpi
Cover photo: Aarni Visuals
Cover layout: Sakari Tuokkola
Rioghan comments:
” ‘Hands’ hits with raw agony from the get go, compiling complicated emotions arising from a place of abuse and unsafety, threading back and forth on the line of apathy and fight or flight-response. Musically the song gives you a false feeling of safety at first, until it sheds its’ skin halfway through, evolving to a new version of itself.
About the Wheel-tour:We are having SO much fun and new experiences touring Finland with Wheel. Every show has been a unique experience and we’ve been in complete awe from the warm welcome everywhere, and Wheel-fans have truly embraced our presence. This makes sure we are actively looking for more live show opportunities, it’s so rewarding to get together with people.”
Last show of On-going Finnish Tour with Wheel: 09.11.2024 Oulu, 45 Special
Rioghan is a fresh breeze to progressive metal scene from Finland. The band consists of singer Rioghan Darcy, guitarists Teemu Liekkala and Tero Luukkonen, bassist Antti Varjanne and drummer Valtteri Revonkorpi.
Their debut album ‘Different Kinds Of Losses’ was made in collaboration with Jonas Renkse (Katatonia), Einar Solberg (Leprous) and Teemu Koskela (ex-Celesty), and it was rolled out during 2022 sparking interest widely. The singles got airtime in Finland and also internationally, and after the album release in December, Rioghan’s monthly listeners on Spotify peaked at 40 000. The songs also got into multiple Spotify editorial playlists.
Live line-up was put into action in 2023, and this autumn Rioghan will return to stages supporting Wheel on their Charismatic Leaders -tour, bringing their stellar show to Tampere, Kuopio, Helsinki, Jyväskylä, Lahti, and Oulu.
Rioghan started out as a solo project by singer and poetess Rioghan Darcy, based in Lapua, Finland. After years of writing poetry and lyrics, Rioghan was founded in 2019 with an intention to fleshen up some of her words with music. After a while, it grew into a trio with Teemu Liekkala (guitars, bass, keys, production) and Valtteri Revonkorpi (drums) added as permanent stars for the band, and in 2024 guitarist Tero Luukkonen and bassist Antti Varjanne also officially joined the band from live line-up. Rooted deeply in both gothic and progressive metal scenes, they sure should bring something interesting on the table.
Few bands in the halls of metal have marched to a beat that’s more brazen, brutal and bizarre than Defeated Sanity. Thirty years after their flaming, cataclysmic demo, the underground legends have repeatedly slammed death metal on its deformed skull. Each member is a certified lunatic when it comes to breaking brains with their fine-tuned instruments, but the band’s punishing headiness is led by drummer Lile Gruber, their fleet-footed co-founder and singular mastermind.
“Lile’s drumming can be described by his band’s appropriately chosen name”, Black Dahlia Murder drummer Alan Cassidy told Loudwire. “When you hear one of their songs for the first time you quickly become mentally exhausted with all the twists and turns of his extremely technical and groove-oriented playing”.
Whether he’s flaying his snare, pinging between cymbals, pounding out blast beats or riding a colossal groove, Lile ensures that Defeated Sanity’s new album flows like a never-ending stream of filth. To gear up for Chronicles of Lunacy, Sick Drummer are premiering a new drum playthrough of the band’s latest single. It’s still plenty twisted, but “Accelerating the Rot” now stands as one of the fastest songs in their torrid history.
To celebrate Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity are embarking on their first headlining tour of Europe since 2018. They’ll be performing songs off their brutal new album alongside Wisconsin’s Putrid Pile and To Violently Vomit Forth, a tribute to Disgorge that features current and former members of the legendary BDM band.
Iniquitous Savagery, Strangle Wire, Asylum and Embryonic Devourment round out the two legs of this stacked bill.
Defeated Sanity Chronicles of Lunacy 2025 European Tour 23 January – Wolfburg, DE @ Jugendhaus OST* 24 January – Hambourg, DE @ Bambi Galore* 25 January – Copenhagen, DE @ Temple of Doom* 26 January – Dyestad, SE @ Dyestads Bygata* 27 January – Stockholm, SE @ Kollektivet Livet* 28 January – Aalborg, DK @ Studenterhuset* 29 January – Tilburg, NL @ Hall of Fame* 30 January – Lille, FR @ The Black Lab* 31 January – Paris, FR @ Glazart* 1 February – Basel, CH @ Kaschemme Basel* 2 February – Milan, IT @ Slaughter Club* 3 February- Graz, AT @ Explosiv* 4 February – Vienna, AT @ Escape^ 5 February – Zagreb, HR @ Klub Močvara^ 6 February – Budapest, HU @ Dürer Kert^ 7 February – Belgrade, RS @ Dorcol Platz^ 8 February – Sofia, BG @ Oldskulls Club^ 9 February – Varna,BG @ Club Smile^ 10 February – Bucharest, RO @ Quantic^ 11 February – Cluj-Napoca, RO @ Flying Circus^ 12 February – Košice, SK @ Collosseum Club^ 13 February – Prague, CZ @ Modrá Vopice^ 14 February – Bielsko-Biala, PL @ Rudeboy Club^ 15 February – Berlin, DE @ Orwohaus^ * with Iniquitous Savagery, Strangle Wire ^ with Asylum, Embryonic Devourment
Tracklist 1. Amputationsdrang (2:30) 2. The Odour Of Sanctity (3:36) [WATCH] 3. Accelerating The Rot (3:22) [WATCH] 4. Temporal Disintegration (5:52) [WATCH] 5. Extrinsically Enraged (4:09) 6. A Patriarchy Perverse (4:16) 7. Condemned to Vascular Famine (6:00) 8. Heredity Violated (3:48) Total runtime: 33:35
DEFEATED SANITY is unequivocally one of the most unique, boundary-pushing and crucial bands in the history of extreme death metal. Their music is as technically coherent as it is mind-bending and memorable. Endlessly replay-able and full of discovery, their maze of riffs and musical passages is inspired by infamous classic bands in the extreme metal genre, while also heavily steeped in jazz and progressive classical elements.
The band consists of four members. They’re led by drummer Lille Gruber, who’s the son of deceased co-founding member Wolfgang Teske. Gruber is joined by bandmates Jacob Schmidt (bass), Josh Welshman (vocals) and Vaughn Stoffey (guitar).
As well as being the drummer of Defeated Sanity, Gruber is the multi- instrumental, songwriting mastermind behind the band’s deep and compelling catalogue of songs and compositions. He possesses a bag of tricks seen nowhere else in the genre, and a musical prowess which is on full display throughout their new album Chronicles of Lunacy.
“We love experimenting”, explains drummer and founding member Lille Gruber. “But we realized that some of our oldest fans might have gotten lost after our last couple of albums. With the new one, we wanted to focus more on neck-snapping brutality”.
Chronicles of Lunacy punches you right in the face. Press play and “Amputationsdrang” already has you pinned to the mat beneath its non-stop blasts. Get comfortable, too, because Defeated Sanity don’t let the album up for air until the very end of Track 4. But turns out, acting like knuckle-dragging cavemen isn’t so easy for a band that has a Mensa-level maestro like Gruber at the controls.
At the tender age of six, Lille Gruber picked up heavy guitar and drums. Inspired by killer American BDM bands like Disgorge, Monstrosity and Brodequin, the German wunderkind recorded the band’s first demo alongside his father, Wolfgang Teske. Since Wolfgang’s passing in 2010, Gruber has taken on the bulk of the composing for Defeated Sanity. Whether he’s hammering his snare, pinging between cymbals or riding a colossal groove, The Chronicles of Lunacy flows like a never-ending stream of filth.
“Lille’s drumming is just ridiculous”, Jacob Schmidt says. Schmidt – who toured with Obscura behind Cosmogenesis – joined as the other half of Defeated Sanity’s chaotic rhythm section for the band’s beloved second album. His nimble, belching bass give the new album’s lead single “The Odour of Sanctity” a dizzying bounce. “He’s the face of the franchise, so we’re never going to abandon those head-scratching moments that set Defeated Sanity apart”.
Indeed, Chronicles of Lunacy isn’t Defeated Sanity for dummies. Heck, the lyrics are wrapped up in the twisted ways that delusions can rot the human psyche. This heady concept was made flesh by none other than Jon Zig. Drawn in painstaking detail by his wicked right hand, the album’s cover shows that the birth of some ideas look an awful lot like a gory and sex-crazed nativity scene.
“Each song on Chronicles deals with a different form of mental corruption”, Josh Welshman says”. “Odor” stinks of religious fanaticism. “A Patriarchy Perverse” cracks open the mind of co-ed killer Ed Kemper, while “Extrinsically Enraged” practically foams at the mouth with squealing hammer-ons. “That one’s more literal”, says Welshman with a hearty laugh. “It’s about contracting rabies”. If it weren’t for Disposal of the Dead / Dharmata, then Defeated Sanity would’ve chewed through as many vocalists as they have albums, but after a brutal showing on their last one, Welshman is back with more guttural vengeance. His growls ooze from the pit of his gut on “Temporal Disintegration”, stomped out like the innards of a cockroach by the gravity-defying slams.
While it still hits from every odd angle, Chronicles of Lunacy does draw a jagged red line back to Defeated Sanity’s brutal origins. After all, the band now share a label with their namesake. In true, DS fashion, the first song written for this album was “Heredity Violated”, a headbanging grand finale that never stops chugging. “This album isn’t as tough on the brain as the last two”, says new guitarist Vaughn Stoffey, whose chunky riffs whip “Accelerating the Rot” into the fastest song in the band’s canon. “It’s rawer and more straightforward, which gets back to what fans love about Psalms of the Moribund“.
To dig up the sheer brutality that long-time fans have come to crave, Defeated Sanity returned to Thousand Cave Studios. New York City’s most vile underground hotspot also served as the excavation site for the Billboard-charting The Sanguinary Impetus, which shoveled a fresh layer of dirt over the “polished” production of Passages into Deformity. But the band encouraged producer Colin Marston to get down and dirty with Chronicles of Lunacy. “We still wanted some of the high fidelity that you hear on modern death metal records”, Schmidt says, “but this album has the same crushing low-end as Psalms or Chapters of Repugnance“.
The band execute this two-headed approach to monstrous effect on “Condemned to Vascular Famine”. At just under six minutes, the song delivers the longest ass beating on Chronicles of Lunacy. At times, all four members sound like they’re climbing up the walls in separate asylums, but after slipping in a brief nod to Bram Stoker’s Dracula, the band come slamming down into the album’s ugliest breakdown.
“That’s one of our favorites”, the band says. “It lands at a crossroad of the DS sound that we ended up with on Chronicles of Lunacy. Even though it gets pretty fucking weird at times, there’s still an emphasis on heavy, straight-up slamming”
None of their albums are ever going to follow a straight line, but on Chronicles of Lunacy, Defeated Sanity return to sheer brutality.
Lineup Josh Welshman – Vocals Vaughn Stoffey – Guitars Jacob Schmidt – Bass Lille Gruber – Drums
Guest musicians Danny Nelson and Paolo Paguntalan provide backup vocals on “Amputationsdrang” and “Accelerating the Rot”
Recording Studio Thousand Caves Studio in January 2024.
Production Recorded, mixed and mastered by Colin Marston. Produced by Colin Marston and Defeated Sanity.
Cover Art Artwork by Jon Zig Title lettering by Liz Schmidt Layout by Alex Eckman-Lawn
Four years after their last release and six years since their last full-length, OTHISMOS announce the arrival of their new album, “Sottrazione”, available on December 16th, 2024. This marks the band’s third album since their inception in 2009, following “L’odio necessario” (2015) and “Separazione” (2018), and it’s their first album entirely in English.
The first single “Cops Are not People” is now streaming HERE.
“Sottrazione” comprises eight tracks that defy genre boundaries: OTHISMOS continue on their unique musical journey, bridging crust, black metal, post-hardcore, sludge, and other metallic elements. Over the years, their sound has drawn comparisons to an array of bands, from Nasum to High on Fire, capturing the vast scope of their influences.
The new album was recorded with longtime friend and collaborator Emanuele “Bio” Ferrari, and then mixed and mastered by Danilo Battocchio (Ponte del Diavolo, Hierophant, Tons, and more).
The band shares:
“After a period of inactivity and a new drummer joining our lineup, we’re starting fresh with new ideas. We’ve dialed back some of the black metal sound that shaped our previous album and leaned back towards our punk and crust roots, yet allowing more space for melody. We worked by subtraction, embracing a ‘less is more’ approach. ‘Sottrazione’ is furious, pitch-dark, and extreme, because that’s who we are. We don’t fit into any one category, and we’ve never tried to. What we hope for is that ‘Sottrazione’ leaves listeners with the raw, visceral impact that we aim to convey. Nothing gets better, everything rots and fades, we are all insignificant and destined to be forgotten. All that’s left is to face reality and exorcise the futility of our days.”
Tracklist:
01. I Will Fade Away 02. Cops Are not People 03.Burn the Flags 04.The Mirror 05. Pars Destruens 06. They Declared War on Us 07. The Shape of Pain to Come 08. Death Forever
Line-up:
Filippo Masina – bass, vocals and lyrics Luca Migliorucci – guitars Matteo Maroni – drums
Recorded by Emanuele “Bio” Ferrari Mixed & mastered by Danilo Battocchio Artwork by Giulia Ajmone-Cat Cover design by Stefano Paolessi
For fans of: KEN Mode, The Secret, Celeste, Rorcal
Following the release of their much-acclaimed, latest studio album“Hail The Abyss”(released in May 2023 via Napalm RecordsHERE),blackened death metal frontrunners THULCANDRA have announced their first-ever live album, celebrating the first chapter and early days of the band!
“Live Demise” was recorded live in 2011 at a hometown show in Munich, Germany, and features true gems that the band hasn’t performed in more than a decade, all with the original line-up consisting of Sebastian Ludwig, Tobias Ludwig, Matthias Landes (Dark Fortress, Noneuclid) and Steffen Kummerer (Obscura, Death, Cynic).
THULCANDRA’s rise to power ignited when the four-piece unleashed their debut album, “Fallen Angel’s Dominion”, upon metaldom in 2010. Followed by their 2011 masterpiece, “Under a Frozen Sun”, “Live Demise” contains brutal-as-hell classics from both records, like “Black Flags Of Hate”, “In Blood And Fire” and “The Spirit Of The Night”, aptly capturing the spirit and high-voltage energy of both the crowd and band. Ragers such as “Night Eternal” and “Fallen Angel’s Dominion” perfectly showcase the band’s raw and intense performances in their early days, and prove how THULCANDRA has quickly stepped up as one of the leading bands of their genre!
Due to the pandemic, which was subsequently followed by their latest studio album “Hail The Abyss”, “Live Demise” could not be released alongside THULCANDRA‘s 20th anniversary as originally planned. Now, with mixing and mastering by Dan Swanö (Katatonia, Edge Of Sanity, Dissection) and cover artwork designed by Herbert Lochner, this very special release will become available in only strictly limited editions exclusively via Napalm Records and at THULCANDRA‘s upcoming live shows – including their European co-headlining run with legendary Swedish black and death metal band Sacramentum with support from Nephylim. The tour begins January 2025; find all upcoming dates listed below!
THULCANDRA Live: 07.01.25 DE – Nürnberg / Z-Bau 08.01.25 DE – Stuttgart / Schwarzer Keiler 09.01.25 DE – Oberhausen / Druckluft 10.01.25 DE – Mörlenbach-Weiher / Live Music Hall 11.01.25 DE – Rosenheim / Bavarian Battle 12.01.25 AT – Wien / Escape 13.01.25 CZ – Ostrava / Barak Music Club 14.01.25 PL – Poznan / Klub Pod Minoga 15.01.25 DE – Dresden / Chemiefabrik 16.01.25 DE – Herford / Kulturwerk 17.01.25 NL – Haarlem / Patronaat 18.01.25 NL – Den Bosch / Willem II 19.01.25 DE – Hamburg / Logo
American death metal legends MASSACRE are streaming their long-awaited fifth studio album “Necrolution” in full. The release drops today, on November 8th via Agonia Records in CD/LP/MC/Digital. Listen to the album, here:
“Necrolution” is a retrospective, nostalgic album, that turns back time to the late 80s and early 90s era of death metal. Recapturing the essence and style of death metal that was the original formula. Recreating the aesthetic feeling of something from the original style and sound to represent to these modern times. It’s purposefully meant to sound dated as it represents an era of early death metal music. It purposefully does not mimic the band’s own original style but rather reflects the styles of many early era bands that influenced generations in death metal music.
Commented by Kam Lee: “With «Necrolution» the idea was to evolve the band’s sound by devolving it. Unlike many bands in death metal that attempt to modernize and update their style and sound to emulate many of the modern contemporary death metal bands, we wanted to go back to the origin. The original sound and style. We wanted to make an album that sounds like it could have come out of the late 80s. The entire concept was to create something that was a de-evolution of the death metal genre and go back to an early style reminiscent of the past. Going back 40 years into the past to immolate the style of death metal that was predominantly influenced by thrash and heavy metal bands of the era. Lyrically it’s still entrenched in the horror genre and influenced by HP Lovecraft stories. We even have three tracks directly dedicated and influenced by the director Stewart Gordon, the filmmaker who was directly responsible for bringing Lovecraft films to horror movies in the 80s. The overall idea was to bring a 1980s aesthetic to the music that’s influenced by 1980s music as well as horror movie genre at the time. My hope is that fans find a unique experience when listening to «Necrolution» that not only encapsulates the feeling of 80s nostalgia but makes them appreciate the way the era influenced the death metal genre at the time.”
“Necrolution” was recorded at DOA studios, Full S Studios & Gojiden Studio in Florida (USA) and mixed and mastered by Jonny Pettersson at Studio Unbound in Sweden. The cover artwork was painted by Timbul Cahyono of Bvllmetalart. Mark Riddick (Arch Enemy, Autopsy, Morbid Angel) created the merchandise designs. The recording personnel for the new album – much of whom have been with MASSACRE since the “Resurgence” era – comprises, aside from Kam Lee, original MASSACRE bassist Mike Borders, returning guitarists Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Rib Spreader, Megascavanger) & Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath, Heads for The Dead), and new drummer, Jon Rudin (Just Before Dawn, Heads for The Dead, Dehumanaut). The band features a separate session line-up for live performances, which consists of Carlos Gonzalez (Grim Reality) on guitars, Elden Santos (Druid Lord) on drums and Tim Wilson on bass.
Tracklisting: 1. Fear Of The Unknown 2. Xenophobia (Prologue) 3. Rituals Of The Abyss 4. Ensnarers Within 5. Death May Die 6. Chasm (Prologue) 7. The Colour Out Of Space 8. In The Lair Of Legacy Leeches 9. The Things That Were And Shall Be Again 10. Xothic (Prologue) 11. Dead-Life: ReAnimator 12. Shriek Of The Castle Freak 13. Curse Of The Resonator 14. Horrors Of Hidden Truth 15. Shroud Of Shadows 16. Ad Infinitum: The Final Hour
Formed in 1984, MASSACRE started out as a heavy/power metal band, but changed its style to death metal with the joining of Allen West and Kam Lee; the latter is often credited for inventing the “death growl” – first heard on the band’s 1986 demo “Aggressive Tyrant” – and is considered an influential pioneer as far as the death metal genre is concerned. The group went through several personnel shifts and disbandments over the years – with its early line-up toggling between MASSACRE, Mantas (early Death) and Death – to a triumphant return in 2021, with their last studio album “Resurgence”.
Tour dates: Massacre (w/ support: Pessimist) 11/26 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon 11/27 – Portland, OR @ Bossanova Ballroom 11/29 San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge 11/30 – Los Angeles, CA @ 1720* 12/01 – Tijuana, MEX @ Foro Nebraska *with Sadistic Intent
Recording line-up: Kam Lee – vocals Mike Borders – bass Jonny Pettersson – guitars Rogga Johansson – guitars Jon Rudin – drums
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 )