Los Angeles CA based heavy metal outfit LIGHTNING STRIKES have announced a guest guitar armada of world class axe slingers to fortify their upcoming sophomore effort, ‘The King Is Victorious’, set for release later this year.
The album’s monumental title cut, which features the 45-piece Moscow Symphony Orchestra, will include lead spots from Roy Z (BRUCE DICKINSON, HALFORD), Rowan Robertson (DIO, BANG TANGO), Rob Math (LEATHERWOLF, SOUL SIGN), Dario Mollo (VOODOO HILL, Tony Martin), Mark Zavon (KILL DEVIL HILL, 40 CYCLE HUM), and Takehiko ‘Shake’ Kogure (RED WARRIORS, REBECCA). In addition, Michael T. Ross whose credits include Aldo Nova, Lita Ford and ANGEL will contribute keyboards. Says drummer/producer/mastermind Karpis Maksudian: “Once ‘The King Is Victorious’ started taking shape and its epic scope became clear, I knew I wanted tons of guitar to reflect the vibe of the song. And there is nothing better to manifest a battle scene than having guitar players chopping heads! I couldn’t be more stoked that my old friends Z, Rob and Dario said yes immediately and I was able to get Rowan, Mark, Shake and Mike as well. These guys are all awesome!”
The bulk of the album was recorded by Maksudian, Japanese guitar virtuoso, Norifumi Shima (CONCERTO MOON), American bassist extraordinaire, Barry Sparks (MSG, Yngwie Malmsteen), and up-and-coming Argentinian vocalist, Mariano Gardella, with keyboardist maestro, Derek Sherinian (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, SONS OF APOLLO), who guested on the group’s debut album, also making an appearance.
Originally formed in 1984, LIGHTNING STRIKES were the first metal band to feature an all Armenian-American line-up, well over a decade before the arrival of SYSTEM OF A DOWN. Co-founder Maksudian revived the name with new personnel a quarter century after the initial breakup recording the group’s self-titled 2016 full-length debut with Brazilian vocalist Nando Fernandes (SINISTRA, HANGAR), the aforementioned Rob Math and Derek Sherinian, and former BLACK SABBATH vocalist, Tony Martin, who sang on and wrote the lyrics to ‘Death Valley’ and ‘301 AD Sins of Our Fathers’. Mixed by Roy Z, the album was well received and peaked on the Japanese Burrn! Magazine import charts at number 6.
And the hits keep on coming as the good ship Yacht Metal draws closer to port, as La Paz (and ex-Rainbow) frontman Doogie White hooks up with Dictators/Man o’War axeman Ross The Boss to find out what might happen if they fooled around with blues guitarist Elvin Bishop’s “Fooled Around And Fell In Love.”
“Growing up, Elvin Bishop was one of my idols!” says Ross “It was an honor to play on ‘Fooled Around And Fell in Love!’“
An eternal staple of the Yacht Rock boom, it’s one of those songs that you probably know, even if you’ve never heard it… “I must have been through about a million girls,” sang future Jefferson Starship crew member Mickey Thomas, and that’s about how many people bought it back in 1976, as it sailed majestically to #3 on the Billboard chart.
“I always liked the song,” says Doogie. “I was offered three or four to choose from and ‘Fooled Around and Fell in Love’ just jumped at me. All three verses are different, which left me space to ham and jam it up and have fun stepping out of the kinda music I am used to playing.
“There was no solo on the track, just a big hole and anyone who knows me understands if there is a hole I will fill it. Great fun.”
Great fun, and great Yacht Rock? Well, yes… if you insist… although nobody called it Yacht Rock at the time. It would be forty years more before that term was coined, initially as something of a mocking pejorative, before taking on a fresh new perspective of its own.
Today, of course, Yacht Rock is huge… ah, but Yacht Metal makes a far bigger noise, and “Fooled Around And Fell In Love” should probably come with its own pair of ear plugs, a raucous anthemic sing-and-swing-along, Doogie’s vocal practically waving its arms in the air, while Ross bosses the melody with taut rock riffery and fiery buzz-hungry soloing. And the coda will anchor itself in your skull for days to come.
Yacht Metal itself is fast shaping up as one of the most audacious compilations of the year, bringing together a boat load of metal icons to pay tribute to one of the most beloved genres in the entire classic rock spectrum.
Doogie’s fellow Rainbow alumni Joe Lynn Turner, Graham Bonnet and Bob Daisley; Marcus Nand, Bumblefoot, Cherie Currie (Runaways), Mick Box (Uriah Heep), BulletBoys and Vinnie Moore (UFO) are among the other heavy metal heavyweights to have climbed aboard the album, tying up alongside such Yacht Rock staples as “Kiss You All Over” (Exile), “Takin’ It To The Streets” (the Doobie Brothers), “Magnet and Steel” (Walter Egan with Stevie Nicks) and, of course, the song that might well have launched the Yacht Rock phenomenon in the first place (thematically, if not chronologically), Rupert Holmes’ “Escape (The Piña Colada Song).”
And, of course, it goes without saying that anybody stumbling into Yacht Metal without truly considering the ramifications of the title is in for one helluva shock… this single’s cover alone is sufficient to dispel any daydreams of deck shoes and daiquiri that the title might conjure.
Which is exactly how it ought to be. As another of Yacht Metal’s denizens, Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest), recently remarked, the very foundations of Yacht Rock rest upon “so many amazing songs and songwriters.” Now they’re being shaken by some amazing arrangements as well.
German black metal vanguard DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT return with Innern, a deeply introspective and compositionally expansive new album set for release via Season of Mist on September 12th.
Following 2021’s critically lauded Noktvrn, which explored the liminal space between wakefulness and dreams, Innern turns the gaze inward—towards personal collapse, silence, and transformation. Anchored in a refined synthesis of atmospheric grandeur and visceral aggression, the album balances post-metal restraint with the raw immediacy of black metal’s core.
“Since writing the very first song in 2007, Der Weg einer Freiheit has been a journey defined by passion, intensity, and a deep commitment to exploring the fragile thresholds of the human psyche through music,” says frontman and principal songwriter Nikita Kamprad.
“Over the past years, we’ve grown, evolved, and created something we’re incredibly proud of — and now, we’re excited to share the next step with you. Innern, the new album’s title, means ‘inward’ in German and perfectly captures the essence of this record: a meditation on suffering, transformation, and the intimate process of personal reckoning and renewal.”
Composed and produced entirely by frontman Nikita Kamprad, the record captures a live immediacy while maintaining the band’s characteristic emotional weight. From Kamprad and Nicolas Rausch’s searing guitar interplay to Alan Noruspur’s grounding bass presence and Tobias Schuler’s precision drumming, the album is as much about restraint as it is about release. Traversing isolation, memory, and the fragile thresholds between dissolution and renewal, Innern urges listeners to confront what lies beneath.
Tracklist:
Marter (9:24)
Xibalba (10:07)
Eos (7:30)
Fragment (6:24)
Finisterre III (2:00)
Forlorn (7:44) Full runtime: 43:12
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT will bring Innern to European audiences on a headline tour beginning 18 September in Dresden and concluding 4 October in Bochum. The 15-date run includes performances in Prague, Vienna, Paris, Zurich, and Tilburg, among others. Notably, the tour will include a special performance in Christuskirche, Bochum, a setting known for its stark acoustics and meditative resonance. This live cycle promises to translate the album’s thematic weight into a space of shared reflection and intensity, extending Innern’s emotional terrain beyond the studio.
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT – INNERN FALL TOUR 2025:
18 September: Dresden, DE @ Chemiefabrik 19 September: Berlin, DE @ Heimathafen 20 September: Prague, CZ @ Rock Café 21 September: Munich, DE @ Backstage 22 September: Leipzig, DE @ Werk 2 23 September: Salzburg, AT @ Rockhouse 24 September: Vienna, AT @ Szene 25 September: Zurich, CH @ Dynamo 26 September: Geneva, CH @ PTR/L’Usine 27 September: Grenoble, FR @ Ampérage 28 September: Paris, FR @ Le Petit Bain 29 September: Ludwigsburg, DE @ Scala 30 September: Wiesbaden, DE @ Schlachthof 1 October: Hamburg, DE @ Knust 2 October: Tilburg, NL @ 013 3 October: Haarlem, NL @ Patronaat 4 October: Bochum, DE @ Christuskirche
With Innern, their sixth studio album, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT return with their most introspective and compositionally expansive work to date. A meditation on suffering, transformation, and the fragile thresholds of the human psyche, Innern refines the band’s signature blend of black metal intensity and post-metal atmosphere. The title, German for “inward”, anchors the album’s conceptual weight: a turning away from the external, into a realm of personal reckoning,silence, and renewal. Across six meticulously crafted tracks, the band explores cycles of disintegration and emergence, inviting listeners to confront the deep and often contradictory nature of existence itself.
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT formed in Würzburg, Germany in 2009, the brainchild of guitarist and composer Nikita Kamprad and original vocalist Tobias Jaschinsky. The band’s early beginnings were humble but explosive: their self-released debut quickly sold out, drawing attention across the underground metal scene. A reissue in 2010 with newly recorded drum parts by Christian Bass(Heaven Shall Burn, ex-Night in Gales) established the band’s first official lineup and led to extensive touring across Germany and Europe. From the outset, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT were set apart not just by their technical prowess, but by a philosophical inclination that would become the band’s artistic hallmark.
Their 2012 sophomore album, Unstille, expanded on their debut’s melodic harshness, while introducing a deeper emotional weight. It also marked the first appearance of drummer Tobias Schuler, whose intricate and expressive playing would become central to the band’s identity. Though vocals on Unstille were still performed by Tobias Jaschinsky, he would leave the band shortly after its release. Kamprad took over vocal duties in the months that followed, stepping into the role of frontman in time for the writing and recording of their next album.
Stellar, released in 2015 via Season of Mist, solidified the band’s stature within the modern black metal landscape. Drawing from post-rock and progressive influences, the album embraced wider dynamics and cinematic structures,aligning them with the likes of Wolves in the Throne Room and Deafheaven, without sacrificing their own Germanic rigor and introspection.
In 2017, Finisterre signaled a conceptual leap forward. It confronted themes of isolation, personal dissolution, and spiritual finality across sprawling arrangements and stark tonal shifts. This period saw further lineup changes, with the departure of guitarist Sascha Rissling and bassist Giuliano Barbieri, and the arrival of Nicolas Rausch and Nicolas Ziska. Finisterre also marked their first chart placement in Germany and set the stage for increasingly ambitious live performances.
A live album, Live in Berlin (2019), captured the raw power and cathartic energy of the band’s concerts, affirming their reputation for immersive, emotionally charged performances. But it was Noktvrn, released in 2021, that truly redefined what DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT could become. Inspired by the ambiguous state between wakefulness and dreams, and drawing influence from classical composers such as Chopin and Arvo Pärt, the album saw Kamprad experiment with clean vocals and subdued textures. It was both a thematic and sonic breakthrough and was received by critics as their most refined and contemplative release to date.
Now, with Innern, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT move even deeper into the abyss. Produced, mixed, and mastered by Kamprad in his own studio, the album is an intensely focused work.”Eos,” the album’s lead single, contrasts war and renewal, imagining a post-human earth fertilized by sacrifice and reclaimed by nature.”Marter” follows as a searing portrayal of inner torment and emotional release—suffering not only as a source of agony, but as a path toward transcendence. “Xibalba” then confronts the machinery of fear—media,propaganda, and spiritual fragmentation—urging a return to our collective essence through introspection and clarity. And with “Forlorn,” the band delivers their most vulnerable statement yet: a delicate plea for emotional refuge, sung in English to underscore its universality. The album also marks the studio debut of bassist Alan Noruspur, whose presence brings anew emotional and personal depth to the band’s sound.
Musically, Innern leans into contrast and contradiction. Kamprad and Rausch’s guitar interplay oscillates between searing aggression and elegiac restraint. Noruspur’s basslines pulse with warmth and gravity, while Schuler’s drumming remains as meticulous as ever-bridging technicality with emotional nuance. The album’s production captures a sense of immediacy and live energy, yet remains rich in detail and atmosphere. It is not merely a refinement of past styles, but are invention—one that places the listener in direct confrontation with the void.
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT stand now at the peak of a fifteen-year evolution.Their music is as concerned with silence as it is with sound, as shaped by introspection as by fury. As they prepare to bring Innern to European stages in autumn 2025, they do so not as provocateurs of extremity, but as artists navigating the fragile space between collapse and clarity. In a genre often defined by spectacle, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT remain committed to vulnerability, transformation, and truth.
Lineup:
Nikita Kamprad – Vocals, Guitars
Nicolas Rausch – Guitars
Alan Noruspur – Bass
Tobias Schuler – Drums
Production Credits: Recorded, mixed & mastered in Würzburg, Germany by Nikita Kamprad. Drums recorded separately at Studio Weißmann, Würzburg, Germany.
Berlin-based act Vianova are back with their explosive new single ‘Uh Yaya’ – a chaotic, groove-laden anthem packed with raw energy, tongue-in-cheek swagger, and massive live-show vibes.
Following the viral momentum of their recent singles, which were praised and reacted to by top-tier influencers like Nik Nocturnal and several prominent YouTube channels, Vianova have quickly emerged as one of Germany’s most exciting new heavy acts.
‘Uh Yaya’ doesn’t just push the envelope – it tears it up and sets it on fire. Armed with razor-sharp riffs, pounding grooves, and a visual aesthetic that’s as unhinged as it is unforgettable, Vianova embrace the absurd and the aggressive in equal measure. It’s chaotic, it’s catchy, and it hits like a steel chair to the face.
Blending the bounce of nu-metal, the punch of metalcore, and a no-f***s-given crossover energy, Vianova aren’t just knocking on the door – they’re kicking it down. ‘Uh Yaya’ is their loudest, wildest statement yet – and it demands your full attention.
Catch the band live: 04.07.2025 – Herrenberg, 48er Umsonst & Draußen Festival (Jugendhaus Herrenberg) 13.08.2025 – London (UK), 229 Great Portland St (Exclusive Headline Show) 14.08.2025 – Bristol (UK), ArcTanGent Festival 14-17.08.2025 – Dinkelsbühl, Summer Breeze Festival 04-06.10.2025 – Köln, Euroblast Festival 07.02.2026 – Königsbrunn, Matrix (Raptor Metalcore Festival)
During the 2020 pandemic, Vianova reinvented their musical and visual identity, evolving their sound with the arrival of bassist Raoul Zillani. This new phase embraced a more technical, aggressive, and imaginative style, culminating in their EP Looking For… and the follow-up, …A Way Out, released in 2023. These efforts garnered international attention and led to management by Lukas Magyar (Veil of Maya) in mid-2023. The band has since performed extensively across Germany, solidifying their position as a rising force in the metalcore genre.
Now back with fresh music, Vianova push their sound even further. This new chapter aims for a raw, fierce, and dynamic approach in both mixing and songwriting. Influences from genres outside metalcore – such as soul, jazz, R&B, and 80’s synths – reflect their commitment to breaking genre boundaries. Accompanying this sonic evolution is a vibrant visual transformation, characterised by a focused and youthful energy that injects fun into a metalcore landscape often perceived as stagnant.
Vianova are: Alexander Kerski | Vocals Felix Vogelsang | Guitar Raoul Zillani | Bass Paul Vogelsang | Drums
Terra Atlantica will release the new album “Oceans” on September 26 through Scarlet Records.
“Oceans” is the continuation of Terra Atlantica’s success recipe: classical power metal combined with epic orchestrations and adventurous vibes.
With this new record the German band takes listeners on a voyage across the seven seas, a musical expedition into unknown worlds filled with secrets, ancient legends, and new horizons. Like a pirate ship firing a full broadside, the album delivers hit after hit!
Powerful riffs, exotic rhythms, cinematic/atmospheric sounds, and soaring choruses that demand to be performed live with the energy of a storm. More than just music, “Oceans” is an immersive experience – an invitation to set sail on a mighty voyage, uniting fans in a shared quest for legend and glory.
The lyrics explore themes of discovery, betrayal, hope, and the unbreakable human spirit. It’s a story of explorers, lost civilizations, and the eternal search for truth buried beneath the waves!
Get ready to navigate turbulent waters and serene depths alike: “Oceans” promises to be Terra Atlantica’s most ambitious release yet – a memorable chapter in the ongoing saga of myth, metal, and maritime mystique.
artwork by Dušan Marković
Mixed and mastered by Eike Freese at Chameleon Studios (Gamma Ray, Warkings, Induction), and gorgeously illustrated by Dušan Marković (Dragony, Jag Panzer, Mystic Prophecy), “Oceans” will be released in the following formats:
1 Ocean Fever 2 Back To The Sea 3 Hoist The Sail 4 Caribbean Shores 5 Turn Of The Tide 6 Through The Water And The Waves (featuring Piet Sielck/Iron Savior) 7 Where My Brothers Await 8 Land Of Submarines 9 Raven In The Dark 10 To The Realm Of Gods 11 Oceans Of Eternity
SHAN is a musical project founded by drummer Łukasz Wachowiak, who is also the author of the music and lyrics. After recording the drums at No Fear Records in Rybnik, the following were invited to work as session musicians: vocalist Bartosz Palka (Grudge Theory), bassist Jakub Olszewski (ex-Polski Związek Gitów na Wolności) and guitarist Mateusz Robak.
SHAN‘s music is progressive metal, characterized by aggressive-sounding, melodic riffs. What additionally distinguishes this project from others is the often appearing and changing odd, “crooked” meter in the songs. The lyrics touch on topics related to mountain hiking, which is the passion of the band’s founder.
SHAN means “mountain” in Mandarin language.
Music for album was recorded at:
drums at No Fear Records in Rybnik [PL],
vocals at Dominge Studio in Kwaczała [PL]
All was mixed and mastered at No Fear Records. Cover and layout design was done by Fabian Filiks (Devilish Impressions, Naumachia) and was based on original painting by Albert Bierstadt.
Debut self-titled album will be released digitally & on CD with cooperation of Polish label Via Nocturna on July 11, 2025. Pre-order is avilable on official webstore (here).
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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