Finnish Industrial Metal band Alfa Pentatonik released a new EP Gamma I via Inverse Records. To celebrate the release, also a video is made for track ‘Palvot’ and it’s available below.
Alfa Pentatonik (ex-Pentatonik) play Finnish industrial metal with a heavy hand. It started in early 2000 and they have released two albums and many smaller releases. In 2022 the band returned with a new name and two new singles. Now they release a new EP called “Gamma I” which contains five songs.
Primus motor of the band is JP Immonen (Walhalla, Aria Of Sorrow, Iron Frost) who plays all the instruments, writes the songs and does all the production. He joins forces with Janne Partanen (Hautajaisyö, Verilehto, Marraskuun Lapset, Paavalin Harhat) in 2022, who does the lyrics and vocals. Also on “Gamma I” (one) there are guest appearances by Harri Hytönen (Clown Parade, Fenyx Rising, Armada North & Simulacrum), who plays solos on a few songs and was on the band’s first album. And Maya Liittokivi (Loretta Problem & Deathlike Silence) on vocals, her beautiful voice was heard on “Pelkojemme Perintö” in 2023.
In “Gamma I” heavy riffs mix with dance beats and the whole thing is nailed down with dark vocals. The band is currently working on a sequel to this release and “Gamma II” (two) songs have already been recorded.
Mavis unleash their most electrifying track to date with ‘Sentinel Hill’, a high-energy, bouncy metalcore anthem packed with earth-shaking breakdowns, hauntingly catchy melodies, and a still urgent message (maybe now more than ever). Told through the eyes of a supernatural creature like their last single ‘DNA’, the song explores the relentless clash between humankind and nature, as ancient titans are called upon to restore balance before it’s too late.
With towering riffs, explosive drums, and soaring hooks, ‘Sentinel Hill’ is a call to arms for a world on the brink. The song’s almost Dungeons & Dragons-inspired lead melody in the chorus adds an epic, mystical quality, drawing the listener deeper into its apocalyptic tale—a refreshing and unique twist for metalcore.
Directed by Chris Hesse (Strangeworks), the video brings the song’s themes to life, shifting between majestic nature and cold industrial landscapes—a stark visual reflection of the battle between life and destruction.
Produced by Manuel Renner at Überlärm Studios, ‘Sentinel Hill’ pushes Mavis’ sound further than ever, merging razor-sharp aggression with anthemic, haunting beauty.
Catch the band live: 15.03. Bayreuth, DE – Glashaus 20.03. Düsseldorf, DE – Pitcher 11.04. Winterthur, CH – Gaswerk 12.04. Leonberg, DE – Beatbaracke, Kill Rockstars 20.-22.06. Waiblingen, DE – Silence Can Wait Open Air
Reigning Phoenix Music proudly introduces PERCEPTION, its latest label imprint. Following the success of ROAR, a sub-label dedicated to emerging talents and artists, PERCEPTION is set to provide a strong foundation for regionally and stylistically leading bands with high growth potential.
Jochen Richert, managing director of RPM Europe, shares his vision for PERCEPTION: “My responsibilities at Reigning Phoenix Music have often taken me away from what I love most – working directly with bands, nurturing their growth, and helping them reach their full potential. With PERCEPTION, I now can dive back into artist development, which I’m truly excited about. Of course, my main mission remains unchanged: to help Reigning Phoenix Music to become one of the leading metal labels in the world.”
To celebrate the birth of RPM’s new sibling, PERCEPTION proudly announces its first signing – one that perfectly embodies the label’s core value of passion, professionalism, and ambition: SERIOUS BLACK.
More than 10 years of SERIOUS BLACK and highly melodic power metal with the license to create hymns: since 2014, the band led by bassist Mario Lochert, have been delighting fans not only by releasing six studio albums so far, but also by frequently playing much-lauded concerts and festival appearances, and that’s why PERCEPTION is even more proud to begin its journey by signing such a well-known act.
“We’re really happy, and we couldn’t have found a better partner than Reigning Phoenix Music as they greatly combine expertise and experience. We have a comfortable new surrounding, and re-connecting with old companions makes this new union even more special to us: Everything that belongs together comes together over and over again,” comments founding member Lochert.
Jochen Richert as PERCEPTION A&R adds: “Mario and Dominik [Sebastian; guitars] are incredibly passionate about SERIOUS BLACK, and that’s exactly what it takes to elevate this band even further. They are built for the top tier of power metal – with outstanding songwriting and an electrifying stage presence already in place. We’ll make sure they reach the level they truly belong to: the very top of the scene!”
On the heels of their latest album “Rise Of Akhenaton” [2024], SERIOUS BLACK are celebrating their 10th anniversary with an own headline tour this spring, following an enormously successful European run alongside SONATA ARCTICA, FIREWIND as well as TUNGSTEN. Special guests AUTUMN BRIDE, DRAGONY and RIGORIOUSwill complete the line-up for the upcoming festivities.
Mario states: “10 years, 6 charting albums, over 250 concerts, festival shows and gigs worldwide. A look back that lets me indulge in many memories. Personally, I’m really looking forward to this tour, not only because it’s our birthday headline tour, but also because old friends like AUTUMN BRIDE, DRAGONY [Mar 18-30], and RIGORIOUS [Mar 11-18] will be joining us on this tour with new albums at their hands. Get your tickets and spend an unforgettable power metal party full of hard riffs and hymns with us!”
SERIOUS BLACK live:
“Metalized” World Tour w/ AUTUMN BRIDE, RIGORIOUS (*), DRAGONY (^)
11.03.2025 DE Berlin – ORWOhaus * 12.03.2025 DE Hamburg – Logo * 13.03.2025 DE Herford – KulturWerk * 14.03.2025 DE Monheim – Sojus 7 * 15.03.2025 CZ Prague – Storm Club * 16.03.2025 HU Budapest – Analog Music Hall * 18.03.2025 AT Vienna – Szene */^ 19.03.2025 IT Bologna – Alchemica Music Club ^ (w/ STRANGER VISION) 20.03.2025 FR Lyon – Rock n’Eat ^ 21.03.2025 ES Zaragoza – Sala Lo Intento ^ 22.03.2025 ES Madrid – Revi Live ^ 23.03.2025 ES Vitoria-Gasteiz – Urban Rock Concept ^ 24.03.2025 ES Barcelona – Razzmatazz 3 ^ 25.03.2025 FR Paris – La Boule Noire ^ 26.03.2025 BE Kortrijk – CVG Club ^ 27.03.2025 CH Lenzburg – Met-Bar ^ 28.03.2025 DE Stuttgart – Im Wizemann (Club) ^ 29.03.2025 DE Schirnding – Gemeindehalle ^ (w/ CHAPTER ELEVEN) 30.03.2025 DE Munich – Backstage (Halle) ^ 01.04.2025 AT Mayrhofen – Full Metal Mayrhofen 26.06.2025 CH Grenchen – Summerside Festival 16.08.2025 CZ Moravský Krumlov – Rock Castle
Originally founded by bassist Mario Lochert and Roland Grapow (MASTERPLAN, ex-HELLOWEEN) in 2014 and completed by former members of BLIND GUARDIAN and TAD MAROSE among others, there simply wasn’t another option for SERIOUS BLACK than riding a wave of success. From their debut “As Daylight Breaks” [2015] to their current offering “Rise Of Akhenaton” [2024], the group continuously left their footprint in the scene by delivering six terrific studio albums plus an acoustic album, accompanied by extensive touring with established bands such as HAMMERFALL, GAMMA RAY and KAMELOT. Winning more and more fans over the years, SERIOUS BLACK have become a notable headline act themselves, cementing their music as an essential part of the power metal world through relentless touring and hitting the charts with their whole catalogue (no. 22 of the official German album chart with “Vengeance Is Mine” [2022] to name their highest entry so far).
SERIOUS BLACK are:
Nikola Mijić | vocals Dominik Sebastian | guitars Bob Katsionis | guitars Maurus Meyer | guitars, keyboards Mario Lochert | bass Christian Schichtl | drums
THE QUILL release the single and video “Keep The Circle Whole”.The song is taken from the re-release of the long out-of-print and much sought-after 2006 studio album ‘In Triumph’ which will be released on 18 April on Metalville Records.
Mystical, hypnotic, and relentless – “Keep The Circle Whole” channels The QUILL’s signature heavy groove with spellbinding intensity. Pulsating riffs and commanding vocals weave a tale of power, control, and destiny. This track stands tall as a testament to the bands ability to fuse doom-laden blues with unstoppable rock energy.
Keep the fire burning – keep the circle whole.
The new version of “In Triumph” also contains an unreleased bonus track from the recording sessions at the time.
The album was recorded in collaboration with producer Tommy Newton (Helloween and UFO) at Area 51 Studios in Celle, near Hanover, Germany.
Various concerts followed, with the band headlining a short European tour, as well as a series of European festivals, culminating in another appearance at Sweden Rock.
‘In Triumph’ is also THE QUILL’s first album with new bassist Robert Triches, who replaced Roger Nielsson until 2012, and the last for the time being with singer Magnus Ekwall, who only returned to the band in 2017.
TRACK LISTING 01 Keep The Circle Whole 02 Yeah 03 Slave Master 04 Broken Man 05 Man in Mind 06 Merciless Roomc 07 Trespass 08 Black 09 No Light On The Dark Side 10 Triumph Is a Sea Of Flames 11 In The Shadows 12 Down 13 Rock ‘N’ Roll Might Be Dead (Bonus track CD and digital)
MUSICIANS Magnus Ekwall – Vocals Christian Carlsson – Guitar Robert Triches – Bass Jolle Atlagic – Drums
Award-winning guitarist and blues artist Erja Lyytinen has released “The Ring.” It’s the second single taken from the critically acclaimed Finnish guitarist’s forthcoming studio album Smell The Roses.
Released Friday March 28th, the Smell the Roses album is available to pre-order HERE.
“The Ring” is a straightforward upbeat rock song punches you in the face and pushes you to a wrestling circle for a proper sweat! The story is about facing challenges, when you have no other chance than to get i to the ring and defend yourself. Come on, let the game begin!
It’s been three years since the release of Erja Lyytinen’s last solo studio album, Waiting for the Daylight. Since then, the high-flying Finn has continued to tour the globe relentlessly, performing at prestigious events such as the Byron Bay Blues Festival in Australia, headlining HRH Blues at the O2 Academy in Leicester, and making her debut at the legendary Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon, to name but a few.
Throughout her career Erja Lyytinen has appeared on many television shows in her native Finland, but in the latter stages of 2024, the artist was invited to participate in The Masked Singer on Finnish TV. As one would imagine, Erja was sworn to secrecy about her role on the show; even her twin boys were left guessing whether their mum was on the programme. “I got to perform on The Masked Singer in Finland, where I made it through to the finals. It was such a fantastic experience, and I always love doing TV shows. My character was “Skeleton,” and I got to sing cool songs like “Master of Puppets,” by Metallica, “Running up That Hill,” by Kate Bush and “Hallelujah” by Jeff Buckley. I recorded my version of the latter as a single.”
Amid extensive touring activity and her stint on The Masked Singer, at the close of 2024, the Queen of the Slide Guitar released a new live album titled 20 Years of Blues Rock! The concert recording was captured in her hometown of Helsinki, Finland during an evening that celebrated a musical milestone – that being the 20th anniversary of the release of Erja’s debut solo album Wildflower.
During what was already a sterling year for the artist, in November 2024 Erja Lyytinen was recognised as an Angel of Rock at the HRH Awards in Great Yarmouth following in the footsteps of legends of the genre such as Doro Pesch and Jackie Chambers from Girlschool. “It really made me very happy. Especially being a Finnish artist who started playing guitar at fifteen years old and dreamed of playing abroad for audiences. It feels great and being recognized always gives me a push to improve myself as an artist. It also makes me feel so grateful to my fans who have been so supportive all these decades.”
Behind the scenes, throughout much of 2024, Erja was in the studio working on her upcoming full-length studio album. “2024 was very innovative for me. I started to write new songs in Spring 2024 when I had a chance between my hectic schedule,” says Erja. “On my last studio album from 2022, Waiting for the Daylight, we had lots of layers on each track – violins, keyboards, tens of guitar tracks and lots of backing tracks. With the new album, I wanted to go the opposite direction. For the album Smell the Roses I wanted to put the focus on the guitar riffs and guitar solos and make the band instruments stand out individually.”
Smell the Roses continues to showcase Erja Lyytinen’s musical evolution as the artist proceeds to push her creative boundaries with each release that follows. “The album’s backing tracks were recorded at Hollywood House Studios in Helsinki. I told my mixing engineer Matias Kiiveri to go for the sound of seventies rock albums. I have been recently listening to mainly vinyl and recordings from the sixties and early seventies,” explains Erja. “While mixing the album, we used some analogue gear like a two-track tape machine to get a fat and warm sound on the album. This sound and the organic way of creating music speaks to me a lot.”
Erja once again was at the helm of production duties during the recording of Smell the Roses. “I was working in the studio with my band for only three days, and all the backing tracks were recorded at that time. Then I recorded my guitar solos and vocals on my own at Sniper´s Studio in Helsinki,” confirmed Erja. “This is not the first time I produced and recorded my own album, so I knew what to expect from the task. There were long hours and hard decisions and a lot of guitar playing on my own! I didn’t let myself off easy in the studio this time either. I challenged myself to create more advanced solos than ever before. The album has some fully arranged guitar solos, but also some improvisational lead parts.”
Whilst the genesis of the artist’s last three albums centred around the breakdown of a relationship, by her admission she wanted to make the songs on Smell the Roses to be “edgier”. “There are songs about encountering deep sorrow, meaning getting the blues and subsequently going to hell. Topics like forgiveness, hope, lust, loss and betrayal have been inspiring my songs along with my love for nature. I wanted to add a bit of mystery to some of the songs too,” she says. “There are some puzzles you need to put together yourself.”
Like a lot of artists, Erja wants the subject of her lyrics to be open to the listener’s interpretation. “I don’t want to explain the songs too thoroughly but rather have the listener find their story and their interpretation of the song. Titles like “Going to Hell, “Abyss”, and “Empty Hours” probably tell a lot – this isn’t just an album played in a major chord with a smile on your face,” laughs Erja. “The album is a lot heavier than my previous ones, but it does still lift you up. The rhythms on the album are groovy and rocky and I´m pretty sure most of the songs will be fun to play at festivals and live shows!”
With a March release date, Erja Lyytinen is preparing to spring into action as she unveils her eagerly anticipated new studio album to her loyal followers around the globe. The album release will be accompanied by Erja’s most extensive UK tour since before the pandemic.
Smell the Roses, the new album from Erja Lyytinen, will be released on March 28th, 2025 via Tuohi Records. For further information, including an up-to-date touring schedule, please visit https://erjalyytinen.com/tour.
Slasherwave soloist GOST will kick off a two-week run of US headlining shows. The Prophecy Tour 2025 kicked off in Dallas, Texas yesterday, on March 7th and closes in Brooklyn, New York on March 22nd. Support will be provided by Dead Register. Tickets are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
GOST – Prophecy Tour 2025 w/ Dead Register 3/07/2025 Double Wide – Dallas, TX 3/08/2025 Whittier Bar – Tulsa, OK 3/09/2025 Resonant Head – Oklahoma City, OK 3/11/2025 X-Ray Arcade – Milwaukee, WI 3/12/2025 Reggies / Music Joint – Chicago, IL 3/13/2025 Black Circle – Indianapolis, IN 3/14/2025 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI 3/15/2025 Preserving Underground – Pittsburgh, PA 3/16/2025 No Class – Cleaveland, OH 3/19/2025 The Space – Portland, ME 3/20/2025 Middle East / Upstairs – Cambridge, MA 3/21/2025 Milk Boy – Philadelphia, PA 3/22/2025 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY
GOST‘s critically lauded Prophecy full-length is out now on Metal Blade Records. The record claimed multiple Billboard chart positions upon its first week of release, including #1 Electronic Albums, #14 Current Hard Rock Albums, #20 Top New Artist Albums, and more.
GOST exists in the dark crack between black metal and the most shadowy end of electronic music. Since the release of the Radio Macabre EP at the start of 2013, and the remorseless digital nightmare of their Skull debut album six months later, Texas-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and main-brain James Lollar has become an increasingly singular force in music. Far more aggressive and sinister than the synthwave he’s often grouped with, GOST is a harsh and unique digital nightmare that takes the listener right into the heart of the abyss.
Prophecy serves as Lollar’s most exhilarating and dangerous sounding work to date. It’s a record that perfectly reflects the horror and grim anxieties of a world beset with religious and political overreach, and progress, “being rolled back to the fucking 1950s.” Prophecy was recorded by Lollar alone in Texas during a burst of creativity at the end of 2022. Following the experimentation and more melodic touches of 2019’s Valediction, the record also acts as something of a return to older roots, to recapture the spirit of GOST.
From the industrial scrape of “Death In Bloom,” the doomy “Decadent Decay,” and the demonic pulse of “Golgotha,” Lollar welds together elements of pulsing synthwave, the otherworldly nastiness of black metal, and the pound and snarl of Ministry at their most unhinged to create a whole that sounds genuinely dangerous, somewhere between metal and a rave in Hell.
Prophecy is available on CD, vinyl, and digital formats. Find ordering options at: metalblade.com/gost
Watch GOST‘s “Leviathan” video HERE, the “Judgement/Prophecy” video HERE, and the “Widow Song” lyric video 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
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 