“Vermiform” is the unsettling new single from Australia’s SARCOPHAGUM. The track, now streaming exclusively at Mystification, is the latest single preceding the band’s debut full-length, “The Grand Arc of Madness”, nearing release December 6th through Nuclear Winter Records. Stream “Vermiform”HERE.
SARCOPHAGUM spawned to life in the early half of 2021, during the time of the plague as a new project featuring Golgothan Remains members past and present. The purpose being to provide a channel to explore new ideas and sounds in a studio-only setting. The dark death metal realm remains the primary influence and a debut EP, “Conduits to the Underworld”, was released in 2022 through Nuclear Winter Records, followed swiftly by a stand alone single, “This Wrought Creation”. Now their full length debut is here, “The Grand Arc of Madness”. Poised to unleash a soundscape of disharmony and terror over the listener, the angular horror awaits…
Both a culmination of their already characteristic aesthetic and a whole new twist upon it, “The Grand Arc of Madness” sees SARCOPHAGUM fusing clanging angularity with haunting atmospherics, chaos with eerie melodicism, epic narrative with primal crush.
Mixed and mastered by Greg Chandler at Priory Recording Studios.
Cover art by Khaos Diktator.
Tracklist:
01. Ritual Pillars Burn 02. Feudal Futures 03. Vermiform 04. The Grand Arc of Madness
For fans of: Ulcerate, Immolation, Adversarial, Golgothan Remains
Turin-based KAIROSKILLER launch their new single “Freedom From Time”, available on all digital platforms as from today, November 13, 2024, through Volcano Records & Promotion.
The track produced by Pietro Foresti (Tracii Guns, Scott Russo, Marvin Etzioni), takes a bold and introspective dive into the concept of temporal freedom, encouraging listeners to break free from everyday routines and embrace a world of exploration and discovery. “Freedom From Time” marks a progression for Kairoskiller from their previous single “Kairos Killer”.
The band tackles the theme of breaking away from the constraints of modern society, rediscovering the Greek concept of Kairos – the time of quality – through a captivating beat and an alternative rock energy reminiscent of bands like Queens Of The Stone Age, Franz Ferdinand, and Arctic Monkeys. With a nuanced sound and powerful lyrics, Kairoskiller continues to demonstrate artistic maturity that surpasses their young age. Formed in 2022, the band’s musical mission is both an act of rebellion and an invitation to reflect. Don’t miss the chance to listen to “Freedom From Time” and be swept away by Kairoskiller’s unique musical vision.
Check out the video of ‘Freedom From Time’, below.
DAWN OF OUROBOROS has today shared a live video for their track Rise From Disillusion, taken from their 2023 sophomore album Velvet Incandescence. The performance, directed and graded by Andy Meyer (A Darkened Corner), was filmed during their set at The Skyway Theatre in Minneapolis, MN during the summer tour of North America in support of Fallujah.
Comprised of Tony Thomas (Botanist, Callieach Calling) and vocalist Chelsea Murphy (Callieach Calling) DAWN OF OUROBOROS’ formative years saw the band solidify their core lineup to a five-piece before releasing their debut album, The Art of Morphology, in 2020. The Art of Morphology showcased the young band’s penchant for hybridising the extreme and canorous qualities of progressive, atmospheric black and death metal, ushering in a warm reception from both fans and critics.
Invigorated by the response to their debut album DAWN OF OUROBOROS came together in November 2021 to commence recording of Velvet Incandescence, once again opting to team up with Nick Loiacono at Fang Studios in San Mateo, CA for recording and mixing, before being mastered by Jack Shirley (Deafheaven, Oathbreaker, Bosse De Nage) at The Atomic Garden Studio. Placing an emphasis on melody and feel above technical virtuosity, Velvet Incandescence’s eight tracks revel in sanguine triumph both musically and lyrically.
DAWN OF OUROBOROS’ latest offering refined and redefined their sound to critical acclaim, serving as a luminous spark for the quintet’s increasingly bright future.
21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID BAND, the long running outfit featuring both distant past and very recent members of the legendary King Crimson, returns with an extravagantly packaged, and beautifully designed 2 CD and 2 LP capturing one of their finest performances ever, recorded live in Barcelona in 2003.
With the breathtaking line-up of vocalist Jakko M. Jakszyk, saxophonist Mel Collins, multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, bassist Peter Giles and drummer Ian Wallace – key Crimson members going back to the days of In the Court of the Crimson King, and forward to the band’s very last line-up, Live in Barcelona features faithful, but nevertheless wholly individual versions of a slew of Crimson classics – some oft-heard but still welcome; others (including “Formentera Lady” and “Cirkus”) rarely played and a must-hear for Crimson aficionados everywhere.
The show opens and (almost) closes, of course, with the still astonishing “21st Century Schizoid Man” – the first, a dramatic excerpt, the second a full-length exploration. Other highlights include further In The Court of the Crimson King favorites “Epitaph,” the title track, and a truly breathtaking “I Talk to the Wind”; a grinding “Ladies of the Road,” and a “Sailor’s Tale” that eclipses even Crimson’s best-known live version, from the 1972 Earthbound album. Crimson’s veteran saxophonist Mel Collins, who plays on both, doesn’t merely roll back the years; his improv denies they’ve even passed.
Also included is the band’s latest single, a sensational version of “Cadence and Cascade,” one of two songs here that bassist Peter Giles first performed back in 1970, on Crimson’s second album, In The Wake of Poseidon.
New band compositions dovetail effortlessly with the classics, painting their own portrait of how Crimson itself might have evolved, and it all comes to an awe-inspiring conclusion with “Starless,” the so-hypnotic Red-era veteran that has inspired cover versions from as far afield as 80s supergroup Asia (whose vocalist John Wetton sang on the original) to modern folk heroes The Unthanks.
It was also the last number played by the most recent incarnation of Crimson, in Tokyo in December 2021, a fact that itself can bring a tear to the eye of the most hard-hearted Crimson fan. The Schizoid Band’s own Jakko M Jakszyk was fronting that band, too
So though they say the King is dead (although you never know with Robert Fripp)… long live the King’s music.
It was the banger of the year 2021: With their sixteenth record, the self-titled album “Helloween,” the legendary metal band returned with a seven-member line-up and caused a global metal earthquake. The album easily cracked the #1 chart position in several countries and was celebrated frenetically by fans and journalists alike. The triumphal procession continued live throughout 2022/2023 with 60 emotional concerts in 30 countries, leaving nothing to be desired. Among others at shows in Los Angeles, New York, the “Monsters of Rock” festivals in South America, headlining Wacken Open Air as well as the first sold-out gig at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, tears of joy flowed from over 800,000 fans and the reunited band members – which can be experienced on the live CD/Blu-ray/DVD “Live At Budokan,” to be released on December 13, 2024 (RPM).
With these highlights, HELLOWEEN are heading into their anniversary year, celebrating 40 years of band and metal history. While Andi Deris, Michael Kiske, Michael Weikath, Kai Hansen, Markus Grosskopf, Sascha Gerstner and Dani Löble are working intensively on the successor to their sensational reunion album, they are now announcing an anniversary tour of superlatives at the same time, as bassist and founding member Markus Grosskopf explains: “We came up with some great surprises for the fans. Besides the brand new songs to be performed live for the first time, we will also play tracks from the band’s history that you haven’t heard live for a very long time or even never before. The shows will be a fantastic experience for all of us!”
Frontman Andi Deris adds: “We’re having a lot of fun working creatively in the studio and the album promises to become an absolute highlight – but nothing compares to a HELLOWEEN live concert: The energy of our audience is simply indescribable and we can’t wait to finally go full throttle with our fans again. The upcoming tour will be bigger, better and more impressive than ever!”
The live dates will start on October 17, 2025 in Luxembourg and take HELLOWEEN all over Europe for six weeks. Besides the brand new songs of their still untitled new long player, they will bring along BEAST IN BLACK from Finland as their ‘very special guests’ – and this guarantees a metal party to be out of this world.
2026 will be starting with dates in Asia, South and North America, before Germany’s No. 1 metal ambassadors will make it to Europe’s biggest festivals in the summer of ’26.
“40 Years Anniversary Tour” – Europe 2025 Very Special Guests: BEAST IN BLACK 17.10.2025 LU Luxembourg – Rockhal 18.10.2025 NL Tilburg – 013 20.10.2025 UK London – Eventim Apollo 22.10.2025 FR Paris – Zénith (Le Villette) 24.10.2025 CZ Prague – O2 Arena 25.10.2025 SK Zvolen – Tiposbet Arena 26.10.2025 HU Budapest – Papp László Sportaréna 28.10.2025 PL Katowice – Spodek 31.10.2025 DE Bochum – RuhrCongress 01.11.2025 DE Hamburg – Barclays Arena 03.11.2025 NO Oslo – Sentrum Scene 04.11.2025 NO Oslo – Sentrum Scene 06.11.2025 FI Helsinki – Helsingin Jäähalli 08.11.2025 SE Gothenburg – Partille Arena 13.11.2025 PT Lisbon – Campo Pequeno 15.11.2025 ES Madrid – La Cubierta de Leganés 19.11.2025 IT Milan – Forum 20.11.2025 CH Zurich – The Hall 22.11.2025 DE Stuttgart – Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle
Pre-order “Live At Budokan” in your preferred physical format [digipak-2CD, 3LP (limited “deluxe edition” first press in trifold), Blu-ray, DVD], pre-save it on your favourite digital service provider (DSP), or pre-order the album digitally to receive ‘Eagle Fly Free (live)’ and ‘Best Time (live)’ instantly: https://helloween.rpm.link/liveatbudokanPR
CATEGORY 7, the heavy metal supergroup featuring the iconic lineup of John Bush (Armored Saint, Anthrax), Mike Orlando (Adrenaline Mob, Sonic Universe, Noturnall), Phil Demmel (Machine Head, Kerry King, Vio-Lence), Jack Gibson (Exodus), and Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, Overkill), today unveils their video for “Land I Used To Love.”
The track comes by way of the band’s eponymous debut album out now on Metal Blade Records and serves as their fifth video from the record overall. As with the previous four videos, the clip was directed by Tom Flynn and shot in Long Island, New York.
Watch the band’s previously released videos for “In Stitches,” “Exhausted,” “Mousetrap,” and “Apple of Discord” HERE.
Since its July release, Category 7 has been met with worldwide critical acclaim and strong support from Sirius XM channel Liquid Metal. The band’s first ever US tour begins March 6th in Baltimore, Maryland and runs through March 23rd in Atlanta, Georgia. Tickets for all shows are on sale now at: category7official.com/tour
CATEGORY 7 w/ Exhorder, Dead By Wednesday, Hand Of The Tribe: 3/06/2025 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD 3/07/2025 Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, NJ 3/08/2025 Middle East – Downstairs – Cambridge, MA 3/09/2025 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA w/ Exhorder, Engineered Society Project, Hand Of The Tribe: 3/11/2025 Jergel’s – Warrendale, PA 3/12/2025 The Asylum At Temple Live – Cleveland, OH 3/14/2025 The Machine Shop – Flint, MI 3/15/2025 The Forge – Joliet, IL 3/16/2025 The Rave II – Milwaukee, WI ** 3/18/2025 Fine Line – Minneapolis, MN 3/19/2025 Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NE 3/21/2025 Pop’s – St. Louis, MO 3/22/2025 Exit/In – Nashville, TN 3/23/2025 The Masquerade (Hell) – Atlanta, GA ** w/ H1Z1, Misfire, Engineered Society Project, Hand Of The Tribe (no Exhorder)
Category 7 was produced, engineered, mixed, and mastered by Mike Orlando at Sonic Stomp Studios with art and layout by Carlos Fides at Artside Studio (Angra, Evergrey, Kamelot). Stream and purchase the record at: metalblade.com/category7
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
