THE MUGSHOTS continue their march toward the release of the new album “Gloomy, Eerie And Weird” with the release of a new song. It’s one of the most musically and emotionally iconic tracks from Mickey E. Vil’s band’s latest offering, “Inter Ludus (An Embalmer’s Lullaby Part III)”, featuring the great Mario “The Black” Di Donato on vocals and guitar, in his last studio recording. If that wasn’t enough, Tommy Talamanca of Sadist has made it unique with his keyboards.
The evocative video, realized by Mickey E.Vil himself, is available on YouTube:
Mickey comment: “Mario was very passionate about this participation. I remember him telling me he’d turned down other guest appearances because he’d fallen in love with THE MUGSHOTS so much that, when I asked him to record the Latin part, he called me and said, «Can I record the guitar solos too? I’ve got some ideas». I was beyond honored, as was when he asked me to make a drawing, which he then exhibited alongside works by Mark Greenway (Napalm Death), Roger Rasmussen (Carpathian Forest), and many others. Thanks for your Ars Metal Mentis, Mario!”
The journey through darkness, irony, and vision is enriched with a new gem; prepare yourself for an extraordinary experience.
Since breaking the Internet two years ago, EIHWAR have quickly grown into a real live force. The fantasy Viking duo have entranced sold-out crowds across Europe, at major festivals like Wacken Open Air, Hellfest and Midgardsblot, and during dates supporting The Hu. This year, pagan superheroes Asrunn and Mark are drawing hordes of fans deeper into their Viking War Trance with their hotly-received new album. Hugrheim sets Viking dance floors ablaze with shamanic drums, magical chants and powerful electro beats.
“Hugrheim is here to make you lose yourself, embrace your inner Viking raver and dance your tits off”, Metal Hammer UK writes in a 4 star review.
As Hugrheim continues to pound across the international music landscape from dusk to dawn, today, Eihwar are thrilled to announce their first-ever U.S. tour. This fall’s Nordic Ritual Nights tour brings warriors of the dance floor in 17 U.S. cities from coast to coast a chance to raise their drinking horns high and shake what the gods have given them. The setlist for this tour includes new singles “Nauðiz”, “Freyja’s Calling”, “Heill Óðinn” and “Hugrheim”, which have combined for more than two million plays on YouTube and Spotify.
“We’re honored to bring the songs of Hugrheim to the United States”, Eihwar says. “On stage, we open a path toward Hugrheim, the hidden tenth world of Yggdrasil, where ritual drums, chants and electronic pulses call the warriors of the North to gather. Expect a night somewhere between a ritual and a slightly unhinged dancefloor. If a Viking Shakira appears next to Fjordcore’s version of Darth Vader… do not worry. That simply means the gates of Hugrheim are open”.
Pre-sale starts this Thursday, March 19 at 10 am local time.
General ticket sale starts Friday, March 20 at 10 am local time
Eihwar 2026 U.S. Nordic Ritual Nights Tour
August 28 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [TICKETS] August 29 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair [TICKETS] August 30 – Washington, DC @ The Recher [TICKETS] September 1 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend [TICKETS] September 2 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre [TICKETS] September 4 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall [TICKETS] September 5 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Bomb Factory [TICKETS] September 7 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Marquee [TICKETS] September 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre [TICKETS] September 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall [TICKETS] September 11 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom [TICKETS] September 12 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos [TICKETS] September 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex [TICKETS] September 16 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater [TICKETS] September 18 – St. Louis, MO @ The Hawthorn [TICKETS] September 19 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Bar [TICKETS] September 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts [TICKETS]
Next week, Eihwar are embarking on a European headline tour with special guest Mira Ceti, who sings on stage with Heilung. Act fast, because tickets are almost sold out!
Eihwar Pagan Folk Nights European Headline Tour 2026 with special guest Mira Ceti
March 26 – Paris, France @ La Machine du Moulin Rouge➔Low Tickets March 27 – UK, London @ The Dome ➔ Venue Upgrade, Low Tickets March 28 – Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg @ Kulturfabrik March 29 – Eindhoven, Netherlands @ Effenaar➔ Selling Fast March 31 – Hamburg, Germany @ Betty ➔ Sold Out April 1 – Copenhagen, Denmark @ Stengade ➔ Sold Out April 2 – Stockholm, Sweden@ Kollektivet Livet April 4 – Helsinki, Finland @ On The Rock ➔ Sold Out April 5 – Riga, Latvia @ Vagonu Hall➔ Low Tickets April 7 – Warsaw, Poland @ Proxima April 8 – Berlin, Germany @ Privatclub ➔ Sold Out April 9 – Tabor, Czech Republic @ Blavicon April 11 – Lichtenfels, Germany @ Ragnarök Festival April 12 – Budapest, Hungary @ Dürer Kert ➔ Venue Upgrade, Selling Fast April 14 – Vienna, Austria @ Szene ➔ Selling Fast April 15 – Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Kavarna Cukrarna ➔ Sold Out April 16 – Milan, Italy @ Legend Club April 17 – Mulhouse, France @ Le Noumatrouff ➔ Sold Out April 18 – Brussels, Belgium @ La Source ➔ Sold Out
Berserkr (Tim’s Memorial Version) (04:26) Full runtime: 40:03
Get ready for the wild electro Nordic folk of EIHWAR! These “Enfants Terribles” aren’t here for solemn atmospheres—their fierce and festive fantasy is made for raging Viking dancefloors. Backed by Season of Mist (home to Heilung and Danheim), Eihwar burst onto YouTube in 2023 and hasn’t slowed down since. With millions of views and festival appearances at Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, and Midgardsblot at the Midgard Viking Center in Norway, they bring a new wave of pagan power shaking across Europe.
This second album from Eihwar describes the world from which these two pagan superheroes originate. It is “Hugrheim,” the 10th hidden world of Yggdrasil in Eihwar’s fantasy mythology. The two musicians explain:
“Over the past few years, our souls have gradually taken over the bodies of two human musicians. Through incarnation, we lost much of our memories. All that remains are images, emotions, and fragments from our previous existence, mixed in with the thoughts and memories of our human hosts. In this new song, we evoke the memories that gradually come back to us: memories of Hugrheim, the tenth world of Yggdrasil, hidden and unknown to men. This world is shaped by the Hugr, the spirit. In this realm dwell the invisible forces of the soul and consciousness. When our vessels perish here and our incarnation ends, we will return to Hugrheim. Still, we hope to remain here as long as possible this time, because nowadays the beer is fucking good, the rockstar life is pretty damn cool, and dental anesthesia actually exists.” — Mark & Asrunn
Line-up: Asrunn — Vocals, Shamanic Drums Mark — Vocals, War Drums, Lute, Folk Guitar, Tagelharpa, Percussion & Programming
Production Credits: Mark & Asrunn of Eihwar — All Production, Mixing & Mastering at Eihwar Studio.
Norwegian heavy metal band Triosphere are excited to share their new single and official lyric video, “Monster’s Ball”, the first to be released through Frontiers Music Srl.
The band stated: “The time has finally come to share some brand new music! We have been looking so much forward to this moment for so long, and the very first track we now release into the “wild”, is “Monster’s Ball”! This is a fierce tune with – in our opinion – a heavy Triosphere-signature, and lyrics about the role of echo chambers in the face of cruelty and destruction. We truly hope it will be greeted well by listeners all over the world and just stay tuned because we’ve now just started!”
Triosphere were formed in 2004 by guitarist Marius Silver Bergesen and singer/bassist Ida Haukland. They brought in drummer Ørjan Aare Jørgensen, and guitarist Tor Ole Byberg joined the band in 2006. The band amicably parted ways with Jørgensen in 2014 and welcomed Kenneth Tårneby to fill the drummer’s chair.
Triosphere’s music moves in between hard rock, power prog and thrash metal, and presents uniquely honest and hard-hitting songs; from the heaviest to the calmest, from intricate to classic, all led by strong melodies and compelling guitarwork.
Triosphere released their debut album “Onwards” on FaceFront Records in 2006/2007. It received rave reviews, and the award “Best Metal Album” from the world’s largest independent music organization JPF’s at their annual JPF Awards in Nashville in 2009.
In 2010, the band signed with AFM Records, who released their sophomore album “The Road Less Travelled” (2010), and “The Heart Of The Matter” (2014). Both albums received huge critical acclaim worldwide and consequently a growing number of listeners.
Throughout the years, the band has had the privilege of touring with some of the truly great names within the rock and metal genre: their first tours in 2006 and 2007 was with W.A.S.P., and in the years to follow they have toured Europe with Arch Enemy, Sonata Artica, Kamelot, Timo Kotipelto, Jorn, Crimson Glory and Sirenia.
They’ve opened for Dio and Nightwish, and played festivals like Wacken Open Air, Progpower USA, 70 000 Tons of Metal, Tons of Rock and Metaldays, to name a few.
The bands’ solid quality both on record and stage have earned them a steadfast audience and listeners around the world, something that has proven to stand the test of time in the long wait for Triosphere’s 4th album. The band has been active on stage until the pandemic hit, but in the years following this the band focused their time on finishing the album.
From 2025 and onwards, Triosphere has teamed up with Frontiers Music Srl, and this new single is just a taste of what’s to come in the near future.
Line Up: Ida Haukland – bass and vocals Marius Bergesen – guitars Tor Ole Byberg – guitars Kenneth Tårneby – drums
Following the fierce comeback statement “Black Matter Manifesto”, SAMAEL unveil “Hidden Empire”, the second track featured on their upcoming limited 12″ maxi single vinyl, arriving April 24, 2026 via Napalm Records mailorder and the band’s official shop.
The new song explores the unseen structures shaping modern existence, translating its dark themes into a tense and weighty sonic landscape. Beginning with echoes of SAMAEL’s classic era before evolving into a crushing blend of heavy riffs and mechanical intensity, “Hidden Empire” showcases the band’s ability to balance oppressive atmosphere and hypnotic melody. Together with “Black Matter Manifesto”, the track forms a powerful two-song statement that proves the Swiss pioneers remain as uncompromising and forward-thinking as ever.
SAMAEL on “Hidden Empire”: “Hidden in plain sight, right in front of us, everywhere and at all times. We no longer see what we are used to seeing, it is our reality, a reality to which we willingly submit in order to lead a painless but meaningless existence.
“Musically, the beginning of the song is somewhat reminiscent of SAMAEL‘s classic track ‘My Saviour’, but it quickly evolves into something more unusual for the band. It is a heavy song with an industrial touch that maintains high tension from start to finish.”
Nine years after Hegemony(2017), Swiss metal titans SAMAEL return with the powerful limited 12″ maxi single vinyl Hidden Empire featuring their first new material in nearly a decade. The vinyl will be released on April 24, 2026 and will be exclusively available via Napalm Records mailorder and SAMAEL’s official band shop. The vinyl will include the commanding tracks “Black Matter Manifesto” and “Hidden Empire”.
Formed in 1987, SAMAEL are among the most influential forces in extreme metal, reshaping the genre with timeless classics such as Worship Him and Passage. Blending black, industrial, and symphonic metal into their own unmistakable signature sound, the band continues to push boundaries with dark precision and apocalyptic grandeur.
“Black Matter Manifesto” marks SAMAEL’s long-awaited return — raw, forceful, and unmistakably theirs. With “Hidden Empire”, the legendary Swiss pioneers reaffirm their enduring presence, delivering a track that commands through its rawness while showcasing the band’s trademark melodies and haunting riffs. Together, these songs underline SAMAEL’s relentless drive to expand a genre they helped shape — as vital, uncompromising, and imposing as ever.
SAMAEL LIVE 28.03.26 DE – Hirschaid / Braincrusher In Hell Festival 04.04.26 NO – Oslo / Inferno Festival 25.06.26 LT – Ukmerge / Kilkim Zaibu 05.08.26 CZ – Jaromer / Brutal Assault
SAMAEL are: Vorph – Guitars, Vocals Xy – Drum programming, Keyboards, Samples and Percussion Drop – Guitars Ales – Bass
Power metal legends MASTERPLAN have unleashed their new single and official video, “Through The Storm”, another taste of the upcoming new studio album, “Metalmorphosis”, set for release on June 26, 2026, via Frontiers Music Srl.
The band commented: “We absolutely love this one! It’s pure metal: straightforward, energetic, and fun in its own way. The song was inspired by our experience playing metal cruises last year, including one crazy show on deck during a storm with freezing wind and heavy waves. That wild energy is exactly what this track is about. The video captures that spirit perfectly – we’re just having fun, but even tough conditions can’t stop us from playing and enjoying what we do. 🤘”
Masterplan are also gearing up for their upcoming European tour, starting on April 12. For the full list of dates, please see below and HERE.
Grapow expressed his enthusiasm for the record – the first new songs since “Novum Initium”, released in 2013: “Metalmorphosis” really captures what this album means to us: a transformation, but still true to the spirit of Masterplan. We’ve grown over the years, both as musicians and as people, and you can hear that in the new songs. Some ideas go back many years, and now they’ve finally come to life. It’s powerful, melodic, and emotional – classic Masterplan, but with a new energy”.
Masterplan stand among the most enduring and influential names in German power metal. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Roland Grapow and drummer Uli Kusch following their exit from Helloween, the band quickly established a distinctive identity built on strong melodies, technical precision, and an epic yet modern metal approach.
Their self-titled debut album, released in 2003, was met with widespread critical acclaim and immediate chart success, setting the standard for a career defined by consistency and evolution.
Over the years, Masterplan have released several highly regarded albums – including “Aeronautics”, “MK II”, “Time To Be King” and “Novum Initium” – each showcasing refined songwriting and a powerful balance between classic power metal energy and progressive elements.
Their work earned them international recognition, extensive touring across Europe and beyond, and industry accolades that confirmed their status as a leading force in the genre.
After a prolonged hiatus from studio releases, Masterplan have re-emerged with renewed creative drive. The band recently signed a new worldwide deal with Frontiers Music SRL, marking a significant milestone and the beginning of a new chapter in their career.
This partnership sets the stage for their long-awaited return with a brand-new studio album, “Metalmorphosis”, representing both transformation and continuity: a heavier, more aggressive edge combined with the melodic sophistication that has always defined Masterplan’s sound.
With renewed focus, sharpened songwriting, and decades of experience behind them, Masterplan are poised to reaffirm their relevance and deliver one of the most anticipated power metal releases of the year.
“Metalmorphosis” Tracklist:
1. Chase The Light 2. Electric Nights 3. Shadow Man 4. Bound To Fall 5. Pain Of Yesterday 6. Metalmorphosis 7. Through The Storm 8. Ghostlight 9. The Call 10. Rise Again (Album vers.)
METALMORPHOSIS OVER EUROPE TOUR – GET TICKETS HERE:
12.04.26 HR – Zagreb, Boogaloo 14.04.26 SLO – Ljubliana, Orto Bar 15.04.26 SK – Bratislava – Randal club 16.04.26 CZ – Budweis – Club Lucerna 17.04.26 GER – Regensburg – Airport 19.04.26 GER – Augsburg – Spectrum 21.04.26 GER – Bensheim – Musiktheater Rex 22.04.26 GER – Dortmund – Piano 23.04.26 NL – Leiden, Nobel 24.04.26 NL – Den Bosch – Willem II Poppodium 25.04.26 NL – Hoogeveen, Het Podium 28.04.26 GER – Hannover -Musikzentrum 29.04.26 GER – Hamburg – Knust
Line Up: Rick Altzi Roland Grapow Jari Kainulainen Axel Mackenrott Kevin Kott
Following the first glimpse offered by “Drain”, progressive death metal outfit FATE UNBURIED unveil their new single “Not Allowed,” the second track taken from the upcoming album “Neraspeme”, set for release this October via Time To Kill Records.
The song moves through shadowy atmospheres and underlying tension, exploring the weight of unspoken words and silence as a form of mental confinement. Musically, “Not Allowed” further develops the band’s progressive approach through shifting dynamics, intricate arrangements and emotionally charged passages, culminating in a powerful outro that breaks the accumulated tension and allows a sense of release to emerge.
The single offers another glimpse into the artistic direction of “Neraspeme”, a record where compositional complexity, narrative depth and a persistent melancholic thread coexist within an extreme and strongly atmospheric framework.
Further singles and all album details will be released in the coming months.
“Neraspeme” is a sonic journey into the core of a relationship in decay. A 12-track concept album, each song is designed to unsettle, surprise, and relentlessly pull the listener forward, never allowing a moment of rest.
The album is defined by sharp, powerful riffs that are often unexpectedly catchy, lodging themselves in the listener’s mind while retaining a fierce, unyielding aggression. The band skillfully weaves in progressive elements through sudden tempo shifts, intricate instrumental passages, and moments of eerily suspended atmosphere, balanced by sections driven by a strong, groove-oriented drum performance.
On a thematic level, “Neraspeme” traces the full emotional cycle of a relationship approaching its end. The tracks unfold like chapters of an inner collapse, moving from blinding anger to disoriented madness, and finally to the album’s title concept: a warped, dark form of hope that offers no redemption and ultimately dissolves like a mirage.
Line-up:
Riccardo Babbolin – Vocals, Guitar Francesco Garatti – Guitar Davide Piccolo – Bass Giorgio Piva – 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 ) 