KING KRAKEN release their storming new rocker ‘Call To War’ on 17th April, and it’s a riff riddled, power packed, full frontal assault on the senses which sees the band kicking their new campaign off in style!
“Call to War is the first single king kraken have released since our second album last April, we’ve picked up where we left off with March of the Gods, the same kraken sound but with more focus, grit and determination! ‘Call To War’ is a blistering new track inspired by the chilling sci-fi classic The War of the Worlds by H.G.Wells. Packed with relentless energy, the song charges forward at full throttle with thunderous riffs and pounding rhythms, while gritty yet melodic vocals cut through the chaos like a rallying cry against an unstoppable invasion. ‘Call To War’ captures the tension and drama of humanity’s fight for survival, delivering a fast-paced heavy anthem that feels both cinematic and ferocious-perfect for fans ready to march straight into the storm. ‘Call to War’ is the soundtrack to our Spring UK tour, this is your call to make it the sound of your spring as well.”
‘Call To War’ recorded at Long Wave Recording Studios, Cardiff Mixed and Mastered by Romesh Dodangoda Engineered by Romesh Dodangoda and Tom Cory
King Kraken is a four-piece Rock/Metal band from South Wales, UK. In April 2025 they released their second album, ‘March of the Gods’, which saw two of their singles, Hero and March of the Gods receive national airplay on Planet Rock and Kerrang Radio. The band received universally positive reviews for March of the Gods in the Rock and Metal press, including Kerrang! and a feature in Metal Hammer Magazine.
The band has a seriously strong CV on the live circuit, playing numerous prestigious events across the UK including Bloodstock, Call of the Wild, Planet Rock’s Rockstock and a massive show in 2025’s Stonedead Festival. In December 2025 they were the first band to play the Bloodstock Winter Gathering event at the legendary KK’s Steel Mill in Wolverhampton. The band has played with some heavyweight artists including The Almighty, The Dead Daisies, Crobot, Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, Monster Truck, The Sweet, Geoff Tate and Crowbar.
In 2026, King Kraken will be releasing new material having spent time in the studio with producer Romesh Dodangoda. They have a plethora of live shows booked, with a slot at Takedown Festival at Portsmouth Guildhall in April, a short tour with Fury in May, plus several other festivals include the opening slot at Steelhouse Festival in July. They follow that in August where they will play Chepstow Castle alongside with Phil Campbell and the Bastard Sons, Chris Holmes (WASP) and the Tygers of Pan Tang.
With numerous events around the UK there is no sign of this train slowing down!
Live shows: 3rd April Takedown Festival, Portsmouth
Fury/King Kraken tour: 24th April KK’s Steelmill, Wolverhampton 25th April The Patriot, Crumlin 3rd May The Star Inn, Dylife, Powys 8th May The Ferret, Preston 9th May Ivory Blacks, Glasgow 15th May Leo’s, Gravesend 16th May, Studio Se7en, Witney
30th May Call Of The Wild Festival, Lincolnshire Showground 4th July SOS Fest XVII, Whittles, Oldham 24th July Steelhouse Festival, Ebbw Vale 25th July Hammerdown Festival, The Factory Live, Worthing 22nd August, Chepstow Castle, Bridge St, Chepstow 5th September Hella Rock Festsival, HMV Empyre, Coventry 9th October Reddog 1, The Patriot, Crumlin
KING KRAKEN are: Vocals – Mark Donoghue Guitars – Adam Healey Bass – Karl Meyer Drums – Richard Lee Mears
Rising metalcore band Unsettled has officially released their blistering new single “Blood Runs,” available now on all major streaming platforms through Arson Theory. The track, which dropped on Friday, March 27th, delivers a punishing mix of chaos and attitude.
Unsettled hails from the streets of Cleveland, blending raw authenticity with modern metalcore vibes, paving a new lane in metal called Gooncore. Unsettled remains a force to be reckoned with by using dark humor, dissonance and unrelenting drums to separate themselves from the rest of the pack and bring a sound to your ears, never heard of before. So strap on, put in your headphones and enjoy this ride that they call Unsettled.
With “Blood Runs,” Unsettled continues to build momentum, offering listeners an intense sonic experience.
Upcoming Shows: April 3 @ Mercury Music Lounge in Cleveland, OH w/ Waking The Cadaver, 9 Dead, Unhealthy While Unhinged May 14th @ The Foundry in Cleveland, OH w/ VCTMS, Dread, and Deviants
Unsettled are: Alex Herring – Vocals Trent Roach – Guitar Mike Wagner – Bass Dan Santos – Drums
Finnish death-grind provocateurs SEWER ALTAR are set to unleash their debut full-length album, “Fever Dreams of Vengeance”, on April 24th, 2026.
The first single “Landfill Sky Burial” is now streaming HERE.
Following the critical acclaim of their 2024 demo, the band returns with a record that expands upon their earlier vision, delivering a relentless surge of death-grind sharpened with hardcore intensity.
“Fever Dreams of Vengeance” is both punishing and playful, balancing ferocious riffs and blastbeats with a sense of dynamism that keeps listeners engaged from start to finish. The album’s compact, high-octane tracks are crafted for impact, combining the brutality of grindcore with the groove and energy of hardcore, creating moments that are as likely to trigger moshing as they are to impress with precision and creativity.
Serrated and tight, yet bursting with infectious hooks, the songs on “Fever Dreams of Vengeance” are a testament to SEWER ALTAR’s command of their sound. The record thrives on immediacy, offering short, sharp bursts of aggression that translate perfectly to the live stage, where the band’s intensity and charisma can be fully felt. Every track is meticulously arranged to balance chaos and cohesion, ensuring that the listener is swept up in the energy without ever losing clarity or direction.
Lyrically, SEWER ALTAR delves into death metal themes of defilement and horror, intertwining them with the pervasive malaise of sociopolitical inequality. The band reclaims the societal irreverence and paranoia aimed at the lower classes, embracing it as a spiritual totem that guides the album’s dark and uncompromising vision.
SEWER ALTAR‘s debut album “Fever Dreams of Vengeance” will be released this spring on multiple formats: CD via 783Label and Hecatombe Records, LP via 783Label, Hecatombe Records and 7Degrees Records, and tape via Iron Corpse Productions.
Recorded with an emphasis on raw power and clarity, “Fever Dreams of Vengeance” presents SEWER ALTAR as a band capable of fusing grindcore ferocity with hardcore accessibility, producing music that is punishing yet irresistibly fun. The album marks a bold step forward from the demo, establishing the band as one of Finland’s most exciting new extreme acts and promising to leave an indelible mark on fans of uncompromising underground death-grind.
For fans of: Terrorizer, Bolt Thrower, Weekend Nachos, Spazz
Tracklist:
01. Landfill Sky Burial 02. Tachanka Drive-by 03. Altar in the Sewers 04. Fencewalkin Cheetah 05. 18 and Death 06. Deadw8 07. Cryonaut Sludge 08. Resilient Like a Disease 09. Outnumbered 10. Slave Driver Smile 11. Writing on the Wall
Line-up:
Vermis Animus – Bass, Lead Vocals Deströyer 161 – Guitars, Vocals R. Charon – Drums
With just days to go before the worldwide April 3 release of one of the most coveted new blues albums of the year, Carmine Appice and Cactus also unveil one of its most anticipated tracks as their latest single.
Originally recorded on Cactus’s 1972 album ‘Ot and Sweaty, this piledriving reimagining of “Bad Stuff” features guest vocals from Joe Lynn Turner, veteran of both Deep Purple and Rainbow, alongside his own massively successful solo career, while fellow Purple alumni Steve Morse adds his own characteristic guitar alchemy. The result, as Turner explains, is explosive.
“When Carmine asked me to contribute a vocal to the new Cactus album the first question was ‘what song?’ He said a bluesy rock song called ‘Bad Stuff’ that would be perfect for me. And when I heard about the amazing lineup of Steve Morse..Tony Franklin.. Derek Sherinian, and, of course, Carmine, I was completely sold!
“The result is a low down dirty blues track that moves and grooves with a sexy voodoo swagger. I’m very proud to play a part on this killer album!”
The line-up is completed by Carmine’s Guitar Zeus bandmate Tony Franklin and Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater), and Cactus’s own Artie Dillon.
Carmine continues, “I always loved ‘Bad Stuff’ back in the day, and still today. I always loved the groove and the lyrics. And with the new Allstar version I love it even more!!”
The long-awaited sequel to Cactus’s last album, Temple of the Blues, Temple Of Blues II echoes its predecessor’s star-studded line-up of guests, with Dee Snider (Twisted Sister) Ted Nugent, Billy Sheehan, Bumblefoot and Pat Travers all returning from last time around, alongside an all-new wave of heavy hitters including Morse, Turner, Melanie (a truly transformative rendition of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”),Tracii Guns (LA Guns), Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot), Alex Skolnick(Testament), and a whole lot more!
Elsewhere on this thunderous adventure, Ted Nugent and Bob Daisley (Rainbow) join forces for an astonishing “Spoonful” – one of no less than seven Dixon/Wolf classics on the album – the others include the band’s last two singles, “The Little Red Rooster” (featuring Snider and Guns) and “Back Door Man,” with Eric Gales and Billy Sheehan.
But of course there’s more besides, and every one of them expands the raw blues-rock vision of volume one with even more fire, swagger, and authority. And Carmine, of course, anchors the proceedings with his unmistakable power, groove, and feel, driving every track and reaffirming his status as one of the most influential drummers in rock history.
Having been active practitioners since 1992, Defiled are masters of the vile art known as death metal. The Tokyo legends have shared the stage with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation. However, these grizzled veterans are neither relics nor custodians for the old-school. Their upcoming new album, Altered State, unleashes a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.
Today, Defiled are announcing their new album, Altered State, with a music video for its lead single. By continuing to take the genre in unexpected directions, on “Portal”, the band unlock a head-banging new dimension.
“Altered State is an expansion of our last two albums, The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Defiled founding member and guitarist Yusuke Sumita says. “Like many other bands, our musical roots are heavily influenced by early ‘90s death metal and ‘80s thrash and hardcore, however our interpretation is different and has branched off from the current scene. On Altered State, there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed”.
Watch the music video for “Portal”:
The video for Portal was created by Seaside99works.
After hearing them pound out three albums in four years, metalheads would be forgiven for assuming Defiled had reached the highest level, that there were no horrors left for them to reveal. Altered State quickly quiets any further foolish suspicions. “Portal” opens with Sumita and fellow axesmith Shinichiro Hamada shredding through a traditional assortment of dirty and demonic riffs, only for the rhythm section of bassist Takachika Nakajima and drummer Keisuke Hamada to break into a series of tempo shifts that prove more elusive than the truth. While the band are still guided by the underground spirit, the new single from their upcoming album delves deeper into their psychic perception of our warped reality.
“Perpetual hell awaits”, Shinichiro Hamada growls. With one last sharp twist, he and his bandmates ascend to a higher plane of death metal existence.
Tracklist 1. Dazed in Blindness (2:59) 2. Altered State (3:05) 3. Obsession (3:04) 4. Portal (3:39) [WATCH] 5. Necro-Force (2:31) 6. The Degradation (3:51) 7. Genocidal Stage (2:27) 8. Metamorphosis of Evil (3:11) 9. The Ultra Death (2:42) 10. Zombified (2:17) 11. Lunatics (3:07) 12. Prophecies (3:29) 13. Demolition (3:25) 14. Apocalyptic End (3:25)
Artwork by Wes Benscoter
Hear “Portal” and other songs from Altered State during Defiled’s Japanese summer tour, as well as their upcoming shows with Mayhem and Incantation.
Defiled 2026 Spring Shows
April 8 – Osaka, Japan @ Big Cat with Mayhem April 26 – Tokyo, Japan @ Classix
Defiled 2026 Altered State Japanese Tour
June 9 – Tokyo @ Holiday with Incantation June 10 – Yokohama @ El Puente June 11 – Fussa @ Chicken Shack June 12 – Tokyo @ Earthdom June 13 – Fukushima @ Sora June 13 – Sendai @ Solfa June 14 – Aizuwakamatsu @ Karando June 14 – Niigata @ Rocka June 15 – Nagano @ Rosebery Cafe June 16 – Kofu @ Bodega June 17 – Iida @ Space Tama June 18 – Nagoya @ Studio 246 June 19 – Osaka @ Hokage June 20 – Okayama @ Dogvult June 20 – Hiroshima @ Agit June 21 – Fukuoka @ Reflex June 21 – Sasebo @ Distortion June 22 – Mabi @ Branch
Defiled truly are their own island. While active since 1992, during death metal’s golden era, the Tokyo legends are neither relics nor custodians for the old-school. They do not follow Western traditions. They cannot be reduced to tokens like kimonos or samurai. Like the Japanese salamander, they continue to evolve in isolation, free from passing trends. Founding member and guitarist Yusuke Sumita and his band of warriors remain masters of the form, but their upcoming ninth album bears only a passing resemblance to the genre’s past or present. On Altered State, Defiled unleash a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.
“Like many other bands, our musical roots are heavily influenced by early ‘90s death metal and ‘80s thrash and hardcore, however, our interpretation is different and has branched off from the current scene”, Sumita says. “On Altered State, there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens, but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed”.
Though they’re indifferent to scenes within the larger world of metal, Defiled’s presence has spread far and wide for more than three decades. The band’s 1994 debut EP, Defeat of Sanity, quickly proved prescient after inspiring the name of their future Season of Mist labelmates Defeated Sanity. Their first three full-lengths – Erupted Wrath (1999), Ugliness Revealed (2001) and Divination (2003) – were allmixed by none other than the legend himself, Jim Morris, at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida. Early successset them upon a war path through the Japanese underground and onto the international stage. Defiled ransacked Milwaukee Metal Festival and banged heads with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation.
Since signing with Season of Mist in 2003, Defiled have shown no sign of slowing down. Despite enduring some changes between 2011’s In Crisis and 2016’s Towards Inevitable Ruin, the personnel around Sumita is now locked in with Keisuke Hamada pounding on drums, Takachika Nakajima nailing down bass and Shinichiro Hamada handling both guitars and vocals. Starting with Infinite Regress in 2020, this lineup is currently riding a seemingly endless hot streak. After reaching The Highest Level in 2023, they topped themselves once more with 2024’s Horror Beyond Horror.
“Horror Beyond Horror again finds Defiled stuck on the upswing”, Decibel wrote in an 8/10 review. “With their eighth studio album since 1992, the Tokyo death metal longhairs’ third pandemic-era disc completes a four-year hothouse of peak ability, creativity and volatility”.
Metalheads can be forgiven for assuming Defiled had already reached peak shredding, that there were no horrors left for them to reveal. But Altered State quickly quiets any leftover suspicions. Lead single “Portal” opens with a reminder that this band can sharpen even traditional riffs before breaking into a series of tempo shifts that unlock another plane of existence. Though still influenced by sounds that came from the underground, the album delves even deeper into their psychic perception of our warped reality with a twist of inspiration from Stravinsky. Occultists gather around the shapeshifting groove that seizes hold over “Obsession”.
“Both musically and lyrically, Altered State is an expansion of The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Sumita says. “The music is a combination of old-school death metal, technical-thrash riffs and the rhythmic changes of progressive rock. The lyrics are based on the dystopian world presented in George Orwell’s science-fiction masterpiece 1984. They express the madness that everyone living in the present currently feels”.
Altered State isn’t afraid to wind through the darkest and most mysterious corners of our collective consciousness. But listen closely to Defiled and all secrets will be revealed. “Receive the power”, the band command on the album’s title track with a chaos that only they can control.
Production credits Recorded at Studio Zot in Tokyo, Japan Producer – Yusuke Sumita Sound Engineers – Shinichiro Hamada and Keisuke Hamada Mixing and Mastering Studio – Studio Nest in Chiba, Japan Mixing and Mastering Engineer – Kenji Kikuchi
Songwriting credits: Music and lyrics by Yusuke Sumita
LEX LEGION is a brand new band comprised of old friends with incredible heavy metal pedigree. Comprising of four-fifths of the classic late 1980s King Diamond line-up – drummer Mikkey Dee, guitarists Pete Blakk and Andy La Rocque, and bassist Hal Patino – the group is infused with the jaw-dropping vocals of Nils K. Rue (Pagan’s Mind). And let’s not overlook that their members also boast Motörhead, Scorpions, and Death on its collective resumes.
Lex Legion’s eponymous debut album is a single-minded, future-facing throwback of world class hard rock/metal distinguished by tasteful, less-is-more arrangements, virtuoso musicianship, and relentless melody and harmony.
“Lex Legion is totally written the way we thought in the ’80s,” said Mikkey Dee. “We wrote what we wanted, and if you liked it, that was a great bonus. If you didn’t like it, that was fine with us, too!”
Lex Legion was formed by Blakk and Dee, and completed by Patino, alongside La Rocque (a King Diamond constant since 1985, who also played on Death’s seminal ‘Individual Thought Patterns’), and finally, Rue.
This is music for hard rock/metal fans, but also with a freshness and sense of excitement that only a debut album can capture. Lex Legion’s members find themselves more musically accomplished than ever before, but now free of the egos of youth; and with friendship that comes with careers spanning more than forty years.
Despite their impressive resumes (Dee is also a Grammy winner and both La Rocque and Hal Patino are nominees) and busy individual schedules, Lex Legion is a serious passion project that’s been gestating for a quarter century, until the time was right.
Lex Legion’s self-titled debut will be released by MNRK Music Group in June of 2026, with possible touring beginning the following year. And the band states its case within the first few seconds of its album opener and first single “Sleep Eternally,” which drops on March 31st.
“It has elements of everything on the album,” said La Rocque. “The right tempo and the right kind of vocals, starting out like a fist in your face!” Rue’s soaring pipes and ominous harmonies are framed by Dee’s unmistakable powerhouse drumming, imaginative leads from both guitarists, Patino’s melodic basslines, and shifts of pace and tempo that will satiate fans of more progressive sub genres.
The second track and follow-up single “Gypsy Tears” (which arrives in May) seals the deal – eerie, rapturous, otherworldly, propulsive and evocative, but also, straight-up driving, melodic metal.
“This is totally unique. No one is writing this kind of music and there’s a big hole for us to fill,” Blakk concluded. “Welcome to our new journey of friendship and hard rock!”
‘LEX LEGION’ TRACK LISTING:
1) Sleep Eternally 3.56 2) Gypsy Tears 3.57 3) When The Stars Align 3.52 4) (I Am) The Resurrected 4.27 5) Lost Inside 3.33 6) Dreams of Darkness 4.28 7) Saviours 4.03 8) Life Eternal 3.25 9) Far Away 2.58
Sleep Eternally Music Video:
Watch the band members introduce themselves and talk about this exciting next chapter as Lex Legion:
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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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 