German Modern Metal band, SAPIENCY, have released their new single & music video for ‘Maniac‘. The iconic track originally released by Michael Sembello, comes with a massive, modern metal overhaul. Instead of the original pop style, the song now features captivating female vocals paired with powerful male shouts, creating a fresh and intense dynamic.
“Maniac” comes with crushing guitar riffs, modern synths, and thunderous drums. The synth elements enhance the dark atmosphere, while the dynamic vocals bring out the aggression and energy of the track. It’s not just a cover, but a bold reinterpretation of a classic. This new version stands in stark contrast to the original’s 80s electro vibes. SAPIENCY bring the track into the present with their modern metal sound, continuing their creative evolution.
Since 2009, Sapiency from Germany has made a name for themselves as one of Frankfurt’s most renowned heavy outfits. Now returning stronger than ever as a mix-fronted band, they will show you what they are really made of haunting screams, an unparalleled female voice, and a bone-crushing instrumental wall of sound that will surely get every last member of their audience on their feet.
They have consistently demonstrated this in countless support shows, but now they have reached their peak form. Having played support shows for KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, JINJER, DEATHSTARS, DEAD BY APRIL, CYPECORE, W.A.S.P., as well as festivals like 70,000 TONS OF METAL, METALFEST, METALDAYS, OUT & LOUD, and DONG OPEN AIR, they have always been a highlight of the evening. The upcoming singles will show you that these concerts are definitely not ones to be missed!
Freshly-signed thrash metal outfit Hostilia have announced the release of their brand new album Face the Fire. The new offering will be released on 24th October via Hammerheart Records, just before embarking on their tour with The Haunted that month.
Lead guitarist William Lindeblad comments on the track::”‘Shadow People’ was one of the last tracks we wrote for the album. We wanted that midtempo song with a catchy chorus to bring variety to the album – and I think we nailed it.”
Brother and drummer of the band Albert adds: “Lyrically, it’s about a guy who acts normal around his friends, but when he’s alone he hears voices and feels constantly watched. In the video, our vocalist Tim went all in on the role – it takes some serious balls to do what he did out on the street. Maybe he went a little too all in… Check it out and decide for yourself, haha.“
The Swedish thrash metal band Hostilia was formed in Gothenburg in the fall of 2021, by brothers William (lead guitar) and Albert Lindeblad (drums) – just 18 and 14 years old at the time. Before the year was over, the band had released their first demo, which caught the attention of the underground. Several line-up changes followed, but everything fell into place when bassist Gabriel Sepúlveda, guitarist Petter Hernroth, and dynamic frontman Tim Angelini joined the ranks. The band had finally found a lineup ready to go all the way.
Since the beginning, Hostilia was set on pouring all their energy into becoming a ferocious live act. Their reputation spread fast, and in December 2023 they were handpicked to perform at the annual party at Restaurant 2112 – the Gothenburg bar owned by members of In Flames and The Halo Effect.
Among the guests was Jakob Herrmann, producer and owner of Top Floor Studios. There to enjoy the party, he left impressed and intrigued by the band’s songwriting and tight performance. Driven by curiosity, he offered Hostilia a chance to record at his studio – free of charge.
To test his gut feeling, Herrmann insisted on recording everything live in one room: no overdubs, no click tracks, no edits. The raw session exceeded all expectations and was released in December 2024 by Portuguese label Gruesome Records as All The Blood Spilt – The Top Floor Live Sessions, the EP captured the essence of Hostilia in full force. Each track was accompanied by a live-in-the-studio video.
In the summer of 2024, KISS legend Gene Simmons was looking for a young guitarist to join him on stage during his headline show at Liseberg amusement park in Gothenburg. The Simmons team chose Hostilia lead guitarist William Lindeblad – on the very day of the concert. Just hours later, William stood on stage with his childhood hero, performing ‘I Love It Loud’ in front of 5,000 people – a song he had never played before.
Determined not to waste time, Hostilia began work on their debut album even before the EP was released. Drums were recorded and produced by Jakob Herrmann at Top Floor Studios. However, the band soon realized they wanted full creative control – and fearlessly chose to produce and record the rest of the album themselves, made possible by the band’s guitarist Petter Hernroth, at this point a certified sound engineer.
In November 2024, Hostilia joined Swedish heavy rockers Bombus as support act on a nationwide tour – an eye-opener for many unsuspecting metal fans across the country. By the tour’s end, Hostilia had been offered support slots with death metal legends Dismember and a tour supporting thrash icons The Haunted – both happening in the fall of 2025.
That same year, the band was featured with an interview and live footage in the critically acclaimed “Total Metal” exhibition in Stockholm – a tribute to Swedish metal past, present, and future. The segment was produced by world-renowned director Jonas Åkerlund. Swedish national TV also aired a piece about the future of metal in Sweden, with Hostilia as the example – including footage from their Top Floor live session videos.
What began as a simple ambition – to become a killer live band – may just have been the perfect strategy after all.
Hostilia tour dates 20 Sep – Black Nights & Heavy Nights Festival 2025 – Stavanger (NOR) 10 Oct – Dismember / Support: Impurity + Hostilia – Stockholm (SWE) 11 Oct – Dismember / Support: Hostilia + Impurity – Gothenburg (SWE) 30 Oct – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Uppsala (SWE) 31 Oct – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Örebro (SWE) 1 Nov – Vara In Rock Festival 2025 – Vara (SWE) 4 Dec – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Gothenburg (SWE) 5 Dec – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Norrköping (SWE) 6 Dec – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Gävle (SWE) 11 Dec – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Malmö (SWE) 12 Dec – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Jönköping (SWE) 13 Dec – The Haunted / Support: Eradikated + Hostilia – Karlstad (SWE)
Line Up: William Lindeblad: lead guitar Albert Lindeblad: drums Gabriel Sepúlveda: bass Petter Hernroth: guitar Tim Angelini: vocals
German post-metal/sludge powerhouse CRANIAL is preparing for the October 2 release of their highly anticipated new album, “Structures”, via Moment of Collapse Records. Today, the band has unleashed the album’s title track and second single, offering a powerful glimpse into a record that reflects a journey through grief, uncertainty, and resilience.
“When structures dissolve, your sense of security is shaken and leaves its mark,” the band stated. “You suppress memories and fend off feelings. A silent but persistent shadow remains.“
With “Structures” CRANIAL emerges from a dark silence with a record that feels like both a catharsis and a confrontation. Coming off the emotional weight of the past few years – a global pandemic, personal loss, the death of a close friend and their former drummer and the slow disintegration of once-stable relationships – the German post-metal titans have channeled these experiences into a body of work that is, at its core, about survival.
While earlier releases like “Dead Ends”, “Dark Towers, Bright Lights” and “Alternate Endings” established CRANIAL as a force in the post-metal and sludge scenes, “Structures” feels like the band’s most personal and evolved statement yet. The album’s emotional DNA is rooted in grief, anger and uncertainty, but it never collapses under that weight and gives room for hope. This duality runs throughout the new record. Tracks expand and collapse, ebb and flow, with moments of overwhelming sonic force giving way to haunting calm. The interplay of heaviness and melody is more refined than ever before, showcasing a band that knows when to devastate and when to let silence speak. Instead, CRANIAL masterfully transforms those raw feelings into sonic landscapes that are as expansive as they are punishing.
The DNA of Omega Massif – CRANIAL’s spiritual predecessor – is still detectable. The band continues to build on the dense, atmospheric tension that characterized their past work, but now there’s a deeper sense of dynamics and nuance.
“Structures” is not an easy listen, but it’s not meant to be. It’s a record forged in the crucible of grief and uncertainty, and it offers no simple resolutions. But in its intensity, there is honesty – and in that honesty, a strange, flickering kind of hope. CRANIALhas not only survived; they’ve created a powerful, unflinching testament to what it means to keep breathing when everything around you threatens to suffocate.
The album was recorded and mixed in March 2025 by Jens Siefert (RAMA Studio), mastered by Brad Boatright (Audiosiege), and features artwork by Oliver Humel (Hummelgrafik).
“Structures” will be out on October 2 on Moment of Collapse Records and is available for pre-order at THIS LOCATION
CRANIAL are: Michael Melchers (Guitar) Julian Weidhaus (Bass, Vocals, Samples) Felix Amthor (Drums) Sebastian Kröckel (Guitar)
After an 18-year silence on the album front, CLAWFINGER are finally back – louder, sharper, and more defiant than ever! Known for their pioneering fusion of metal, rap, and unflinching social commentary, the Swedish-Norwegian powerhouse returns with their brand new record, “Before We All Die”, that will rekindle the fire which made them one of Europe’s most groundbreaking crossover acts. This long-awaited comeback marks not just a return, but a reinvention – proof that true intensity never fades.
“Before We All Die” arrives February 20, 2026 on PERCEPTION – A Division of Reigning Phoenix Music. Pre-save/pre-order the album at: https://clawfinger.rpm.link/beforewealldiePR
The first album appetizer ‘Scum’ (listenhere) debuted July 2nd and managed to cross the threshold of 100k streams within 2 weeks, a great start after a long absence. Even with a recent live performance of their hit ‘Biggest & Best’ currently going viral on Instagram, CLAWFINGER are being rediscovered by a new generation of metal fans — showing that their music remains as powerful and relevant as ever, nearly two decades after their last album. Now, CLAWFINGER strike back with their new single ‘Ball & Chain’!
With ‘Ball & Chain’, the band unleashes a track that fuses relentless riffs and raw energy with frontman Zak Tell’s unflinching honesty. The single, captured in a fiery live video from this summer’s festival stages, reflects on identity, change, and the struggle to find meaning in a chaotic world — all with the band’s trademark mix of power, grit, and tongue-in-cheek self-awareness. It’s CLAWFINGER at their most direct and human: heavy, urgent, and impossible to ignore.
“This is me trying to be deep, my emotional reflections and my personal struggle, the search for some kind of meaning, the ongoing identity battle and existential doubt “, singer Zak Tell reveals about the new single. “It’s about trying to make sense of the world and my place in it. It’s about going through changes, looking at yourself and trying to figure out what the point of everything is. We all go through good and bad experiences and they shape us and help us move on. Life in general is a stupid fucking game so it’s interesting how much time we waste worrying about what other people think and about things we can’t change regardless. There is no such thing as making everyone happy so focus on trying to make yourself happy and the rest will come to you.”
Loud, furious, darkly humorous and brutally honest, CLAWFINGER’s “Before We All Die” is everything you forgot you needed – and exactly what you’d expect from a band that never cared much for subtlety.
“This isn’t about finding peace,”Zak says. “It’s about telling the truth – even when it’s ugly. Especially then.”
From environmental collapse to political hypocrisy, personal disillusionment to collective denial, this is CLAWFINGER at full volume – still pissed off, still sharp as ever, and still refusing to shut up while the world pretends it’s all fine.
“This album is part protest, part therapy, and part middle finger,” the band adds. “We’re not offering solutions. We’re screaming because silence is surrender.”
CLAWFINGER live: 13.09.2025 BG Plovdiv – Rebel Rebel Festival
About CLAWFINGER
CLAWFINGER are considered pioneers of European rap-metal. Formed in Stockholm in the early 1990s, the Swedish-Norwegian band made an explosive debut with “Deaf Dumb Blind” [1993], blending aggressive guitar riffs with politically charged lyrics and rap vocals. The album sold over 600,000 copies worldwide – more than 250,000 in Germany alone – and won a Swedish Grammis award in the hardrock/metal category.
CLAWFINGER’s follow-up “Use Your Brain” [1995] continued their success with chart placements across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Sweden. Over the years, they released seven studio albums including “A Whole Lot Of Nothing,” “Zeros & Heroes,” “Hate Yourself With Style,” and “Life Will Kill You,” selling over 1.5 million records worldwide.
Known for their direct, riff-driven sound and strong political stance, CLAWFINGER address topics such as racism, political delusion, drug policy, environmental destruction, and social inequality. In the 1990s, they toured intensively with acts like ALICE IN CHAINS, MEGADETH and FAITH NO MORE and appeared at major festivals including Rock am Ring, Roskilde, and Monsters of Rock in South America.
After a brief hiatus, the band returned in 2014 and has since released new singles like ‘Save Our Souls’ [2017] and ‘Environmental Patients’ [2022]. In 2025, CLAWFINGER signed a new label deal with PERCEPTION, with more music on the way – still as loud, sharp, and uncompromising as ever.
Emerging from the underground with blazing speed and ferocious intent, Danish speed metal warriors CRUCIBLE present their thunderous debut album, “Hail To The Force”, out today. Across 37 relentless minutes, the band blends savage aggression with strong melodies and an epic heavy metal spirit, distilling a wide range of inspirations into a record that demands attention. Featuring the four original tracks from their first demo alongside six brand-new songs written during 2024, “Hail To The Force” captures a young band operating at maximum intensity.
Among the album’s standout tracks are “Deathdealer,” a blistering high-speed assault inspired by Frank Frazetta’s iconic artwork; “Redwing,” a heavy-hitting riff monster named after Cold War thermonuclear tests; and “Far Beyond The Grave,” an atmospheric, US power metal-tinged journey that builds from a brooding tempo to soaring, harmonized lead guitar glory.
“Hail To The Force” is more than a debut – it’s a battle cry. Fast, loud, and true.
Are you ready to Hail the Force?
“Hail To The Force” is out now on LP (black vinyl and purple vinyl, each limited to 150 copies), digipack CD and digital, via From The Vaults.
Crucible’s current lineup took shape during 2024, with Ole Iversen joining on drums in the spring and Kenneth Frandsen stepping in on bass duties for the recording sessions and the band’s first live appearances in the fall. Without a fixed concept to start with, the goal was simple: write great songs. Guitarists Jon Brogård and Thomas Carnell (Impalers) each contributed roughly half of the material, drawing inspiration from the likes of Riot City, Racer X, Hellripper, Vampire, and even movie soundtracks like Blade Runner. The result is an album rich in variety, featuring sword-and-sorcery-infused speed metal anthems alongside raw, Motörhead-style bangers dealing with war and nuclear devastation.
Recording began in December 2024 with DI tracking for rhythm guitars and bass at Thomas’ apartment, before Crucible entered Angioni Studios on Mors in early January 2025 – just before a massive snowstorm hit. With only one week to bring the album to life, guitars and bass were re-amped, Ole hammered down drums over three whirlwind days (with no samples used), and vocals (by Phillip Butler, from Pectora) and lead guitars were captured at a furious pace. Produced by Marco Angioni (Tygers Of Pan Tang, Steel Inferno, Meridian), “Hail To The Force” delivers a sound that is real, raw, and exhilarating: blazing riffs, epic and evil vocals, and thunderous, organic drums.
“Hail To The Force” tracklist:
1. Deathdealer 2. Embrace Of Steele 3. Redwing 4. Far Beyond The Grave 5. Savage Weapon 6. Evilforce 7. Splashed To The Four Winds 8. Hail To The Force 9. While My Guitar Gently Sweeps 10. Mad Minute
Lineup: Thomas Carnell – guitar Jon Brogård – guitar Phillip Butler – vocals Ole Iversen – drums Kenneth Frandsen – bass
Yesterday, September 12, 2025, MACH released on all digital platforms “Senza una Meta,” a new and intense single marking another milestone in their artistic journey under the Wanikiya Record/Promotion label.
Senza una Meta is much more than a song: it is a journey into absolute freedom. An anthem to the courage of letting oneself fall into the infinite void of existence—without aims, without goals, without illusions that chain us. It means breaking free from the survival instincts that hold us back, breaking the chains of life, and rediscovering a true sense of being. The track speaks of surrender and rebirth, fragility and strength, told with the visceral and direct power that characterizes MACH’s language.
Formed in 2024, MACH quickly established themselves as an original and intense presence in the Italian alternative rock scene. The band was born from the meeting of singer-songwriter Marco Del Papa and guitarist/producer Alessandro Mammola (Draconicon, Alterium), joined by Gabriele Paolucci on bass and Riccardo Paparozzi on drums, forming a tight and cohesive lineup.
Their sound blends alternative rock, metal, and post-grunge with a strong melodic and singer-songwriter approach. Themes such as alienation, inner emptiness, self-discovery, and the desire for redemption are central to their music, making them a fresh and credible voice in the contemporary rock landscape.
After their first singles “Perdersi,” “Indifferente,” and the energetic “Rivalsa” (released last July 29), the band continues their path with “Senza una Meta,” a track that confirms the consistency and strength of their project. With the support of Wanikiya Record/Promotion, MACH are building a journey of intense music, music videos, and live performances, which will be announced soon.
MACH’s journey is only beginning… but it continues to leave a deep mark.
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Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
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