Finnish melancholic death/doom outfit DAWN OF SOLACE, led by Tuomas Saukkonen (WOLFHEART, BEFORE THE DAWN), has announced its fifth full-length record, “Skeletons”, set for release on February 12, 2027.
Alongside the announcement, the band has unveiled the album’s title track as the lead single, accompanied by an official music video.
Featuring ten evocative tracks, “Skeletons” sees DAWN OF SOLACE explore their darkest territory yet, expanding their sound with a stronger emphasis on harsh, growling vocals alongside Mikko Heikkilä’s sombre, majestic clean singing. Tuomas Saukkonen’s songwriting draws on the weight and atmosphere of doom metal while delving into the darker realms of death and gothic metal.
Speaking about the title track, Tuomas Saukkonen explains: “Skeletons is a hypnotic nordic pulse that grows darker and stronger until the grandeur of the chorus kicks in and brings a tidal wave of melodies. The whole album is packed with contrast between the harsh and melodic voice of Mikko Heikkilä and ‘Skeletons’ is a perfect musical embodiment of that vast talent that captures both darkness and light.“
Formed in 2005 as Tuomas Saukkonen’s creative outlet, DAWN OF SOLACE made their debut with “The Darkness” in 2006. Following a prolonged hiatus, the project was revived in 2019, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the band. Since their return, DAWN OF SOLACE have released three full-length albums: “Waves” (2020), “Flames of Perdition” (2022), and “Affliction Vortex” (2025), further cementing their place in the darker realms of melodic death and doom metal.
“Skeletons” was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Deep Noise Studios by Saku Moilanen (WOLFHEART, BLOODRED HOURGLASS), with cover art by Colton Glancey. The album will be released independently by DAWN OF SOLACE on February 12, 2027, and is available for pre-order HERE
DAWN OF SOLACE are: Mikko Heikkilä: Vocals Tuomas Saukkonen: Guitars, bass, drums and backing vocals
Session members: Jukka Salovaara: Solo guitar Saku Moilanen: Keys
In July, Swedish epic metal act MASTER MASSIVE released their new studio album „White Shadows“, a pure and heavy metal gem, that unites traditional metal with progressive and doom elements.
Today, MASTER MASSIVE release their new single “Nexus Noir“. A track, demonstrating the darker side of the band. The song was also featured as a bonus track of the CD version of “White Shadows“.
“This song was the first one we completed for the album. Unlike the other songs on „White Shadows“, which were very much slow burners that took a long time to come together, the components, structure, and ideas for “Nexus Noir” fell into place almost instantly”, states guitarist and band founder Jan Strandh and continues: “The song is built around a couple of riffs inspired by death metal, that can be heard in the intro and the outro. The intro bass riff is an arrangement by Max based on the outro riff while the rest of it is driven by a laid-back 6/8 groove that might bring old Manowar to mind. The exception is the middle section, which Max wanted to be more intense, so we doubled the tempo there. This gave Johan the opportunity to unleash his relentless intensity, while Tony gets to showcase his virtuosic vocal abilities.“Nexus Noir” explores what happens when someone is pushed beyond the limits of human endurance, driven to the brink of madness by a world that has shown them nothing but cruelty. But this is not merely a story of descent into darkness. It is the story of what rises from the ashes when everything has been taken away. The birth of a madman. The awakening of an avenger. The „Nexus Noir“ video is a tribute to Halloween and True Metal. It’s really fulfilling to see “Nexus Noir” now being released digitally as a single and a music video!”
„White Shadows“ is a pure and epic heavy metal gem, and unites traditional metal with progressive and doom elements. „We had big ambitions for the album. We decided that there shouldn’t be a single weak song or meaningless note. Even so, it surpassed our expectations”, says Jan Strandh
MASTER MASSIVE was originally founded in the early 90s by guitar wizard Jan Strandh, who created the band out of the ashes of his predecessors ZANITY and ACT. With this new album, the band also decided to move forward with the three-vocalist concept, including Tony Niva (ex-LION’S SHARE, ZANITY), Viktor Gustafsson (LETHAL STEEL), and Marcus “Masken” Karlsson, who sang on the previous release “Black Feathers On Their Graves“. On top, Anders Ericson (ex-BEYOND TWILIGHT) will continue as their live guitarist. „When the album was fully composed, I came to realize that it had become very dynamic and that it would be extremely demanding for a singer to deliver all the different falsettos I had in mind“, explains Jan Strandh. „Masken was already on board, and we met regularly to go through the vocal parts. It was actually him, who mentioned that Tony would suit certain sections. I contacted Tony, and it turned out he was eager to give it a try. Max then played me the singer Viktor Gustafsson, who had just moved to Skövde. I thought he had an interesting timbre and a powerful, beefy vibrato. We got in touch with him, and he said yes. Now we had three singers who could do different things: Tony, who always gets the most difficult and highest parts – immensely musical and virtuosic. Masken, with his convincing, powerful, and massive distorto – extremely good with lyrics. And Viktor, who turned out to be a total dark horse, able to sing in a witchy, almost ugly way and then switch to singing beautifully and emotionally. All three singers have agreed to join the band. We’re from different generations, we have different preferences, but what we share is a pounding heart for heavy metal.“
The songs on „White Shadows“ have been written and created over the past years, showing a huge variety and great balance between epic long tracks and catchy, but dark 80s metal hymns. „After experimenting with various large-scale formats – „The Pendulum“ (a metal opera) and „Black Feathers On Their Graves“ (almost a symphony) – I wanted to write shorter, faster songs with higher intensity and tempo“, describes Jan Strandh and adds: „The songs have also become more extroverted than before. An important factor has been inviting Max Warnby into the process. He has instilled confidence in the songs and manages to keep the interest alive when I start doubting too much. Writing songs is a sensitive process. For example, I never use drum machines in our demos since it kills the interest in the song. Instead, I record a stereo track of guitars and then add real drums on top of that. Songs that are difficult to arrange sometimes have to sit untouched for months before we return to them, all to avoid killing the vibe. My wife usually says that I use doubt as a working method – better to reject than to approve, so to speak. One advantage these days when composing is that I can stay focused on making the music both entertaining and unique, without it becoming too simple.“
The sound of MASTER MASSIVE is unique. You can hear MERCYFUL FATE, but also CANDLEMASS and early FATES WARNING and QUEENSRYCHE. „I’ve listened a lot to those bands, especially Mercyful Fate („Melissa“ and „Don’t Break The Oath“), and later also Fates Warning („Awaken The Guardian“). Originally, I come from the symphonic rock tradition, with bands like Queen, Genesis, Jethro Tull, and Black Sabbath. My playing style comes exclusively from the guitarists in these bands. The palm muting so characteristic of heavy metal, I got from Martin Barre of Jethro Tull, the vibrato from Brian May of Queen, the melodies from Steve Hackett of Genesis, and the riffs from Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath. I had a fondness for the slightly heavier songs, so when punk arrived and, a little later, the NWOBHM, there was no doubt about what kind of music I wanted to make.“
The lyrics on „White Shadows“ got inspired by life, movies, books – everything that caches the attention of Strandh and gives him inspiration. „I’ve been interested in music, films, and storytelling my entire life, so I have many influences. I’m not a Christian, but the bible is still a strong influence, partly through Jesus Christ Superstar. I’m not an academic, but Shakespeare is absolutely amazing.I have a fascination with science fiction, for example Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.I admire many British lyricists, such as Kate Bush and Peter Gabriel.“
There is a lot to discover in „White Shadows“. It is an album that is timeless, that needs full attention and will once in the future be named along with many classics. „We had big ambitions for the album. We decided that there shouldn’t be a single weak song or meaningless note. Even so, it surpassed our expectations. One of the feelings we wanted to capture in our sound was a natural groove, the kind you hear in older artists and in classical music.To achieve this, we chose to make a record entirely without a click track. Johan was the perfect drummer for the challenge, and once everyone who plays and sings on the album had added their parts, the result became far more fluid, alive, and dynamic than we could have imagined.“
MASTER MASSIVE are: Tony Niva – lead vocals Marcus ”Masken” Karlsson – lead vocals Viktor Gustafsson – lead vocals Jan Strandh – lead guitar and vocals Max Warnby – bass guitar Johan Hautajärvi – drums
Jennifer Scream have premiered the official music video for “Chains of Pain”, the second single from their upcoming album Unfaithful.
With “Chains of Pain”, the band continue to develop the heavier and more emotional side of their sound, pairing a direct, gritty approach with lyrics centred on pain, resilience and the way difficult experiences can shape our lives.
The song was inspired in part by themes explored in the film Collateral Beauty, starring Will Smith. Its lyrics look at the invisible weight that suffering and adversity can place on a person, while also reflecting on the possibility of finding meaning and beauty during difficult periods.
“Chains of Pain” is the second single to be taken from Jennifer Scream’s forthcoming album Unfaithful.
Swedish rock band BOMBUS releases their new single “Shoes To Fill,” serving as a first taste for their upcoming album, ‘No Magic,’ set for release in early 2027 via Black Lodge Records. The new track arrives alongside an official music video, available below.
The band shares:
“Choosing ‘Shoes To Fill’as the first taste of our upcoming album sets the tone from the very first note. Riff-driven, relentlessly direct, and packed with the energy that runs throughout the entire album, it’s a rock’n’roll heavyweight that hits hard and refuses to let go.”
Since forming in 2008, BOMBUS have built a formidable reputation within the Scandinavian rock and metal scene. Following their explosive debut, the band went on to release ‘The Poet and the Parrot’ (2013), ‘Repeat Until Death’ (2016), ‘Vulture Culture’ (2019), and most recently the critically acclaimed ‘Your Blood’ (2024), continuously evolving their sound while staying true to their roots.
‘No Magic’ promises to be the band’s rawest, heaviest and most uncompromising record to date. Stripped of filler, it delivers powerful, hard-hitting rock with maximum impact and zero distractions.
The band shares:
“This is us at our most real. No magic, just pure force.”
Further details regarding the release date, upcoming singles and touring plans will be announced soon.
BOMBUS Live:
Swedish Tour November 13th – Skovde, SE @ Lokstallet November 14th – Oslo, NO @ Revolver November 20th – Goteborg, SE @ Musikens Hus November 21st – Goteborg, SE @ Musikens Hus December 12th – Uppsala, SE @ Katalin December 12th – Linkoping, SE @ Palatset
European “No Magic” Album Tour 2027 Presented by: Rock Hard Magazine & Slam Magazine March 5th – Hamburg, Germany @ Betty March 6th – Berlin, Germany @ Mikropol March 7th – Lichtenfels, Germany @ Paunchy Cats March 8th – Munich, Germany @ Backstage Club March 10th – Frankfurt, Germany @ Nachtleben March 11th – Bochum, Germany @ Die Trompete March 12th – Heerlen, Netherlands @ Nieuwe Nor March 13th – Hoogeveen, Netherlands @ Het Podium March 14th – Osnabrück, Germany @ Hydepark March 19th – Kopervik, Norway @ Ovenpaa March 20th – Sandnes, Norway @ Tribute May 21st – Helsinki, Finland @ On The Rocks
BOMBUS are: Fredrik Berglund – Vocals & Guitar Johan Meiton – Voclas & Guitar Simon Solomon – Guitar Ola Henriksson – Bass guitar Peter Asp – Drums
French modern metal band PARALLEL MINDS unveil “Bhopal” (out November 6th), a new music video inspired by the 1984 industrial disaster in India. A tribute to its victims and survivors, the song confronts the human cost of corporate negligence and a system in which the most vulnerable are too often left to pay the price.
Released in March 2026, CAIRN explores human suffering, injustice and resilience through a deeply humanist perspective, challenging exploitation and the inequalities inherited from colonialism. With “Bhopal”, PARALLEL MINDS continue to bring forgotten tragedies back into the light and honour the people behind the headlines.
Following “Sufero” and “Sekigahara”, this new video offers another glimpse into an ambitious album that blends modern heavy metal, thrash, progressive arrangements and epic melodies.
Widely praised by the French and international metal press, CAIRN confirms PARALLEL MINDS’ commitment to combining musical intensity with meaningful storytelling.
VLAD IN TEARS release the new single “All Night”. The song is available at all known platforms and also can be heard below.
“All Night” is a rock romantic Christmas song about two people who refuse to freeze.
While the world outside disappears beneath the snow, they burn hotter — lost in each other, in the silence of the night, with nothing but desire keeping them warm.
Why is it special? Because All Night isn’t about Christmas.
It’s about that one person who can make even the coldest night feel like fire. Snow outside, fire inside… All night.
UNDEAD TOUR 03.12.2026 DE Siegburg Kubana 04.12.2026 DE Krefeld Kufa 09.12.2026 DE München Backstage 10.12.2026 DE Göttingen Exil 11.12.2026 DE Rüsselsheim Das Rind 12.12.2026 DE Osnabrück Bastard Club
LINE UP CHRISTIAN MICONI – vocals ALESSIO MICONI – lead guitars PUNEETE VOHRA – guitars DARIO MICONI – bass FRANCESCO COSMA – 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
