Emerging from the festering depths of the Finnish underground, GRAVE HEX are set to unleash their debut album, “Vermian Death”, on August 22nd, 2025 via Night Terrors Records (cassette) and Cavernous Records (CD).
Fueled by a raw punk spirit and forged in the shadow of decay, GRAVE HEX deliver blistering death metal soaked in tension, rot and filth. Their tracks erupt with scathing, unpolished energy, conjuring a foul stench that lingers long after the music stops. With a sound that channels the putrid legacy of bands like Autopsy, Undergang and Morbific, “Vermian Death” is an uncompromising slab of bestial rage.
GRAVE HEX are poised to make a mark among the ranks of the most unrelenting and primitive purveyors of death metal, drawing in maniacs from both the punk and metal underworlds.
The first single“Vultural Scourge” is now streaming on Death Madness YouTube channel HERE.
Tracklist:
I. Steeping Master Worm Flesh (3:25) II. Vultural Scourge (2:23) III. Den Of Evil (4:13) IV. Endless Impossible Constructs (5:13) V. Vermian Death (3:59) VI. Pungent Pulsating Pools Of Blood (2:33) VII. Halls Beneath The Primal Mere (5:34)
GRAVE HEX was (de)formed in Helsinki in March 2024 by Matti (of hardcore band Vainoa), Miikka (Vainoa), and Martti (ex-Loka, ex-Radien), united by a shared vision of primal, worm-ridden death metal.
Songwriting took off like a spontaneous blaze, and the material for the debut release came together quickly – written and rehearsed in short order, then recorded over three sessions during the summer of 2024.
The result, “Vermian Death”, is a crushing torrent of metal, steeped in cavernous soundscapes and feral lyrical themes.
Recording and mixing were handled by the band’s own Matti Vainionpää, while mastering was completed by Greg Wilkinson at Earhammer Studios. The cover art is an original piece commissioned from Slimeweaver.
Shortly after completing the album, the band welcomed Hanna on bass and is now preparing to unleash their bestial death worship live in 2025.
Line-up:
H. – Bass M. – Vocals, guitars M. – Vocals, guitars M. – Drums, vocals
A month shy of their new album’s August 8 release, UK goth grandmasters ROSETTA STONE are only going to heighten the anticipation with the release of “Scars” – not only the first single from Dose Makes The Poison, but also one of the band’s most powerful offerings in years!
It’s been a busy year for Rosetta Stone – 2025 is barely halfway through and Dose Makes The Poison is already the band’s second album of the year, following the so aptly-titled all-covers collection Nothing Is Sacred; and that appeared just months after the almighty Under The Weather.
In addition, Rosetta Stone also appear on the upcoming Black Album compilation, with a spine chilling take on Cliff Richard (!)’s 1976 hit “Devil Woman.”
Helmed of course by founding member and sonic architect Porl King, Dose Makes The Poison is an all-original full-length that’s a striking continuation of Rosetta Stone’s signature sound: brooding, atmospheric, and sharp-edged as ever.
Delving deep into a world in quiet (and not so quiet!) disarray, the album offers subtle yet urgent commentary on the creeping erosion of empathy, tolerance, and truth in the modern age, an elegant embrace the cold vivacity and propulsive rhythm that longtime fans cherish, but with a seasoned maturity that speaks to the band’s evolution.
“Scars” itself is thunderous, relentless, and absolutely compulsive, the sound of rainswept drive through a midnight dystopia, the rhythm keeping pace with the wipers, the keyboards the whoosh of tires through a flash flood, and above it all that one line that keeps on repeating in your mind even when the vocals are silent – “I can’t see the stars.”
That chorus, says Paul, “initially came from the moon landing conspiracies. The discussions surrounding the lack of stars seen from the surface. As artists, metaphorically we talk of reaching for the stars – the song is from the perspective that I don’t see any to reach for.”
“Further to this,” he continues, “I always seem to struggle to ‘fit-in.’ I’ve often felt surrounded by hypocrisy and inconsistency – finding myself bogged-down by pointless disagreements. The song also reflects my decision to move away from the ‘community’ aspect of the music scene. – I’m not much of a ’networker.’
“I don’t play games of diplomacy in order to progress. I often felt ‘dismissed’ as a result of my honesty. I feel in some sense ‘scarred’ in that assumptions are made based on my ‘goth’ roots.”
Those assumptions, he acknowledges, are unlikely to be challenged by Dose Makes The Poison. At the same time, however, both musically and lyrically the album so blithely transcend the superficiality of genre as to make such commentary meaningless.
It’s a stunning album. Of course it is. It’s Rosetta Stone.
KORYPHEUS is a progressive metal/djent band hailing from Kyiv, Ukraine. The band has already got two albums under its belt – EP “Blessed” (2018) and LP “Over the Rainbow” (2020) released via M&O Music (France). The band has gained recognition for its powerful music and has been active in the metal scene with various projects. The band was nominated for the Best Ukrainian Metal Act Award in 2020.
In 2022 band released video to the brand new song title “Icarus” which is foretaste of upcoming album “Gilgamesh“. Korypheus combines multiple heavy metal subgenres with a keen ear for melody and epic song structures.
Andy Gushin said: “Icarus is our first single from the album. It is a song twisting ancient myth into a new tale about futility and courage. It was shot in pre-war times but one can eel the grim atmosphere of what was coming. It was a premonition. The song was recorded at Revet Sound Studio and the video was directed by Maxim Lavrinchuk”.
Music for 3rd studio album “Gilgamesh” was mixed by Dmitri Kim (Khors, Mind Conflict, Ignea) and mastered by Jay Ruston at TRS West Studio (Amon Amarth, Anthrax, Avatar, Corey Taylor, Stone Sour). Cover artwork was done by Viktor Safonkin, a famous surrealist painter. On that album few guests were performed:
Yossi Sassi (Orphaned Land) on bouzouki,
Laura Guldemond (Burning Witches) as vocalist,
Dmitry Kim (ex-Jinjer) on drums.
Few months ago, KORYPHEUS signed deal with American label M-Theory Audio (Fractal Universe, Varmia, Sworn Enemy). Upcoming album “Gilgamesh” will be released digitally, as jewelcase CD and limited coloured vinyl limited to 300 pcs. Pre-order is available here. Release date is set up on September 26, 2025.
This is how leader of the band comments their upcoming album: “This conceptual album tells stories of times bygone and present. Gilgamesh and Icarus, Odysseus and Avatar freed from its karma. The king sleeping under the hill. Holy war as continous as life under the sun. “Avatar” captured the spirit of the live performances by Andy Gushin and intricate neoclassical approach by Oleg Kokotun“.
TRACKLIST:
01. Gilgamesh (feat. Yossy Sassy) 02. Far Cry 03. Karma Free 04. Sleeper (Feat. Laura Guldemond) 05. Holy War 06. Be My Ghost 07. Odysseus 08. Icarus 09. Avatar 10. Outro
German Heavy Metal advocates TOMB OF GIANTS are back in full force with a new release that will blow you away! Their new single and video “The Flame” is taken from the upcoming EP “Holding The Flame”, which will be released on July 25, 2025!
TOMB OF GIANTS announces: “Where darkness rules, a flame will always burn. And you keep it alive! ‘The Flame‘ is our commitment to the positive power of Metal music. Even if darkness sometimes sets the tone in the world, we believe that the light in all of us keeps burning – as a band and as a community. Metal unites, Metal makes us strong and always gives us new energy. A fire that never goes out. Together with you, we rock the sound that gives hope – and shows: the fire stays alive. And you keep it alive!”
🎥 🎬 ⚙️ Tomb Of Giants
Tracklist: 01. The Flame 04:59 02. Evilnator 05:01 03. Midnight Devil 04:12 04. When Destiny Calls 06:56
The band was founded in 2013 and has since been on a mission to create music that is true to their roots while also pushing the boundaries of what Heavy Metal can be. [ learn more here ]
LINE-UP: Kai Nikolayczyk • Vocals Oliver Nienhüser • Guitars, Vocals Yannik “Moshi” Moszynski • Guitars Daniel Melchior • Bass Mirco Nienhüser • Drums
No matter how long or where the journey has taken them, Green Carnation have always sought to climb the highest mountains. While founded by Emperor’s former bassist Tchort in the early ’90s, the Norwegians quickly amassed a cult following while blazing their own trail through fields of symphonic doom, hard rock, acoustic plucking and progressive metal.
Had they never returned from hiatus during the mid-2000s, this band would’ve been remembered for completing one of the most ambitious individual epics in metal’s vaunted archives. And yet, one mighty tale – or three, to be exact – continued to elude them. That is, until now. Two decades removed from its initial conception, Green Carnation have finally completed their masterpiece.
Today, the prog auters are announcing the first part of A Dark Poem, a grand and gloomy album trilogy that was inspired by Arthur Rimbaud’s dreamy ode to Shakespeare’s Ophelia. The Shores of Melancholia remains grounded in the band’s newfound heavy hooks, but though heavenly to the ears, lead single “In Your Paradise” is awash with doubt over our distorted view of the world.
“We are so excited to announce our long-awaited album trilogy”, Green Carnation says. “A Dark Poem promises to take listeners to the highest tops as well as their darkest inner rooms. Its opening chapter begins in a melancholic place that we have long associated with our music”.
Watch the video for “In Your Paradise”:
A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia comes out September 5, 2025.
Green Carnation will premiere all of The Shores of Melancholia live for the first time later this year at ProgPower USA.
Though just the beginning of A Dark Poem, The Shores of Melancholia pulls a page from across Green Carnation’s storied 25-year discography. It’s darkest and stormiest track even claws back to their budding days in extreme metal thanks to a special appearance from Enslaved’s Grutle Kjellson. But the idea for an album trilogy stems from the band’s previous epic.
“Back in the early 2000, after the release of Light of Day, Day of Darkness, our fans were asking us if we planned on writing another one-hour piece”, remembers vocalist Kjetil Nordhus. “But we weren’t interested in doing that again. It was already done”. While he recently rejoined Green Carnation after stepping away from the band in 2022, it was founding member Tchort who first had the idea to pursue an album trilogy. “Since getting back together in 2016, we like to pursue things that are extremely ambitious” Nordhus continues. “The trilogy felt like it might be just out of our reach, which made us want to see if we could do it”.
If a through line can be drawn between the various points along their journey, it’s that Green Carnation have always challenged expectations. After pivoting to hard rock with The Quiet Offspring, the band stripped down for Acoustic Verses. But the first glimpse from The Shores of Melancholia picks up the prog heaviness that they discovered upon returning from hiatus with 2020’s Leaves of Yesteryear. Like the sails of a ship, “In Your Paradise” opens with majestic, billowing leads before chugging full steam ahead.
“It makes you want to bang your head a little”, Nordhus says with a pleased smile. His baritone booms loud and clear over the song’s heavy bass groove. But even though it positively soars amidst brightly streaking synths, the view of the world from “In Your Paradise” is a far cry from peaceful. Just as the video flashes haunting images from today’s headlines, on The Shores of Melancholia, Green Carnation are hounded by fearmongers. “The Babylon, apostasy, the judgement day is here“, belts Nordhus with masterful command over his piercing upper register. “It’s in your head“.
“It can drive you crazy”, he says in reference to the daily barrage of misinformation. “Our brains can’t take in everything that’s going on around us, so we kind of believe everything we hear, even though it’s not all true. The media know which words gather the most clicks”.
The doom and gloom that creeps over “In Your Paradise” spreads across all of The Shores of Melancholia. “The album reflects the troubled relationship between our personal lives and the external world”, Nordhus explains. “It’s about losing faith in the world we’ve come to know and how that leads to an inner dystopia”. Rising above the fray with the grace of a dove, Ingrid Ose’s clarion call of flute eventually fades into the distance beneath the steady, pounding drums of war. “I think melancholia suits Green Carnation very well”. On “In Your Paradise”, Green Carnation set sail on a grand and gloomy journey into an epic dark night of the soul.
The video for “In Your Paradise” was directed and edited by Rikard Amodei.
Additional video credits Tor Sellevold Solbakken – Camera and color grading Walter Cortes – Camera Alexander De Senger – Grip Stian Urdalen Jonson – Grip Devin Michael Jonson – Grip Bjornar Eidet Skutlaberg – Lights Joakim Stien – Lights Ruben Lervåg – Set sound Lars Gunnar Liestøl – Still photos
Green Carnation would like to especially thank Cultiva and Kilden Performing Arts Centre, along with Mike Moen and the crew at LX Design.
Tracklist: 1. As Silence Took You (7:12) 2. In Your Paradise (7:04) [WATCH] 3. Me My Enemy (7:17) 4. The Slave That You Are (Featuring Grutle Kjellson of Enslaved) (6:16) 5. The Shores of Melancholia (5:38) 6. Too Close to the Flame (9:16)
Rebirth doesn’t occur overnight, nor can it exist in a vacuum.
Norway’s Green Carnation know all about starting over and working hard to achieve their shared goals, while overcoming adversity.
A Dark Poem, Part I: The Shores of Melancholia is Green Carnation’s latest album, the first in a trilogy that is sure to please longtime fans of the band’s epic, landmark release, Light of Day, Day of Darkness. The Shores of Melancholia feels of two worlds; a level of immediacy combined with this insistent feeling that, yes, something substantial is indeed brewing within Green Carnation’s creative minds.
“I think it is right to say we are returning to a long-form storytelling like Light of Day, Day of Darkness,” begins Green Carnation’s vocalist Kjetil Nordhus, “…but just done in a totally different way. It is not feasible to try and copy ourselves by doing another hour-long song or anything. It has already been done. But on the levels of epic-ness and storytelling I feel that A Dark Poem certainly has those elements, within a three-album frame.”
The Shores of Melancholia is an album that’s sure to please both longtime fans of Green Carnation, as well as those new to the fold. The album opens up with two back-to-back bangers that incorporate the catchy rock arrangements that helped define the band’s Blessing in Disguise era. “As Silence Took You” and “In Your Paradise” are melodic, with strong hooks and choruses that welcome listeners to Green Carnation’s newfound heaviness.
The band’s bassist and songwriter, Stein Roger, explains, “A Dark Poem is a collection of songs that explore feelings of alienation in existential questions and down to the very inner self. The first part of the trilogy throws the listener into these questions from the first song. We hope to keep the audience trapped in there with us until the last second of the third album. The albums do vary in style, but always with the same basis. If we manage to keep the audience trapped within each album, we will manage to keep the audience trapped throughout the trilogy, which would be a great achievement.”
“Me My Enemy” starts out slow, anchoring a spacey, almost jazz fusion groove from drummer Jonathan Alejandro Perez with a bass line from Roger that’s impossible to deny. This song features some of the album’s most notably memorable lyrics, as well, as Nordhus delivers what’s perhaps the album’s definitive vocal performance. This song’s dark melancholy is juxtaposed against “The Slave That You Are,” an aggressive throwback to Green Carnation’s underground past that features guests vocals from Enslaved’s Grutle Kjellson.
Elsewhere, the album’s title track feels mysterious and moody, a song with a vibe that matches the evocative cover art from former Dark Tranquility guitarist Niklas Sundin. “The Shores of Melancholia” retains a chorus that’s striking and dynamic, thanks to the subtle keyboard playing of Kenneth Silden. Finally, “Too Close to the Flame” brings the album to a fittingly grand finale, clocking in at nearly 10 minutes, with some of the album’s most progressive arrangements. At the same time, however, the song breezes by with a natural sense of song craft that’s sure to make Green Carnation fans want to replay their journey to The Shores of Melancholia from the very beginning.
It isn’t as if Green Carnation need a lot of assistance retaining attention from their audience, of course, as evidenced by their triumphant appearance at the 2016 ProgPower Festival. This was a reunion born from tough times, a temporary hiatus that occurred in 2007 after a troublesome U.S. tour in support of their Acoustic Verses album.
Nordhus asserts, “since coming back in 2016, the extremely positive feedback from fans, record buyers, concert audiences, music writers, reviewers and the metal community in general has been very motivating for us, first to continue after 2017, and then to sign the very ambitious record deal with Season of Mist, which includes the trilogy project.” He continues, “I think, with A Dark Poem, we are doing something that will be a milestone in our career – challenging for ourselves, challenging for our fans, just the way Green Carnation has always been.”
Those fans have always possessed a profoundly emotional connection to Green Carnation, one that feels frank, unique and dedicated. The collective grief associated with the aforementioned Light of Day, Day of Darkness today almost feels like a legacy of sorts – cathartic energy that continues to connect listeners to the music of Green Carnation.
Kjetil and Stein Roger seem to be in agreement with this observation, admitting, “the very strong emotional connection is most certainly a connection we do feel when releasing new music, at every live show, and in the time in between. With Light of Day, Day of Darkness being an album that connected so strongly to so many people, there has never been a time where the band’s legacy has separated with this, and – in different forms – we have continued to explore many of the same themes as in that album, although maybe not that specific.”
The Shores of Melancholia and this idea of a multi-album series is one that’s been kicking around within the Green Carnation camp for years. There was even talk, at one point, of the band releasing a concept release titled The Rise and Fall of Mankind. Nordhus is quick to distinguish this first entry in ADark Poem as dedication for the future, however, saying, “I think it is fair to say that the idea of a trilogy was born then, yes, but The Rise and Fall of Mankind never materialized. Although there might have existed themes and ideas at the time with The Rise and Fall of Mankind in mind, A Dark Poem is composed with 100 percent focus on writing new material that fit together as a monumental piece of music in three parts.”
The vocalist continues to discuss the timeline for this new album’s songwriting roadmap, informing us that, “it began before ‘The World Without a View’ [single], AND The Leaves of Yesteryear to be totally honest. When signing the new deal with Season of Mist in 2017, we had the trilogy project in mind, and it was part of the reason that we did sign a five-album deal with the label at the time. We knew that we needed time to do the trilogy project and planned to release one album plus re-launching The Acoustic Verses in the process, to give us enough time.”
If 2020’s Leaves of Yesteryear was the resounding call for Green Carnation’s aforementioned rebirth, then The Shores of Melancholia is the album where, from the point of view of both Kjetil and Stein Roger, the band lay it all out on the proverbial table. And that includes returning to the live stage.
“I can promise you that the ambitions are sky high musically,” reply both men. “With this trilogy we have put in an extreme amount of work over a very long period of time, and we are confident that this will be a milestone in Green Carnation’s career.” They go on to admit that, “what happens live is not only up to us. But by being a very active band with releasing not less than three albums in 2025 and 2026, we are certainly hoping to be a band that many people want to see live, and that concert and festival promoters want to book. We are already working extremely hard on The Shores of Melancholia live set, so we will be ready!” Current line-up Kjetil Nordhus – Vocals Tchort – Guitar Bjørn Harstad – Guitar Stein Roger Sordal – Bass Endre Kirkesola – Keyboards Jonathan Alejandro Perez – Drums
Recording line-up Kjetil Nordhus – Vocals Bjørn Harstad – Guitar, Effects Stein Roger Sordal – Bass, Guitars, Keyboards Endre Kirkesola – Keyboards, Synthesizers, Organs, Effects Jonathan Alejandro Perez – Drums
Guest Musicians Ingrid Ose – Flute on “In Your Paradise” & “Me My Enemy”. Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved) – Harsh Vocals on “The Slave That You Are”. Henning Seldal – Percussion on “Too Close to the Flame”.
Production Credits Recorded at DUB Studio in Kristiansand, Norway Produced by Endre Kirkesola, Stein Roger Sordal & Kjetil Nordhus. Sound Engineering by Endre Kirkesola. Mixed by Endre Kirkesola Mastered by Lawrence Mackrory
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
Ads
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
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 