Funeral doom powerhouse Abysmal Growls Of Despair (AGoD) has released the official lyric video for “Prologue to Agony,” the first glimpse into the crushing weight of their upcoming studio album, Torn, scheduled for release on June 5, 2026.
Prologue to Agony” captures grief in its purest form. It is a nihilistic track that pulls all light into a black hole of despair. Slow and decadent, it drags the listener into a state of helplessness and hopelessness. As pitch black as a soul can become when all hope is lost.
“Prologue to Agony” is a slow, deliberate track built on grief and negation. Moving at the pace of something irreversible, it presses the listener into a state of total desolation, pitch black, unrelenting, without exit. It is an accurate preview of what Torn has to offer.
The upcoming album “Torn” follows the same path. It unfolds with weight and patience, shaping a listening experience that demands full attention. This is not background music. It is immersive, deliberate, and deeply personal. The album lyrics were penned by Jörg Püschmann, with album artwork created by Patrick Corcoran.
Abysmal Growls Of Despair is the main project of Hangsvart, active since 2013. The project blends funeral doom with ritualistic dark ambient and drone, drawing influence from acts such as Funeral Moth, Ataraxie, Comatose Vigil, SUNN O))), and Remembrance. Themes move through ancient spirituality, grief, and altered states of mind. Hangsvart has been open about his long-term struggle with schizophrenia, which has shaped the emotional core of the project since its inception. That honesty defines the sound and direction of Abysmal Growls Of Despair.
Last Friday, “Live To The Slaughter”, the live album by German thrashers DEIMOS’ DAWN, was released. Anyone who still thinks live albums are outdated in 2026 will be proven wrong here, because mix and mastering producer Marc Wüstenhagen managed to capture the sound and atmosphere of the sold-out, sweat-soaked Subkultur in Hannover in an authentic, raw and still powerful way. Thrash metal the way it has to sound live!
As a taster, the band has now released a live clip of the Morgoth classic “Body Count” on YouTube, a song on which Marc Grewe, now frontman of Deimos’ Dawn, originally handled vocals back in the day. The live album is available on all streaming platforms, as well as on CD separately and in various exclusive limited bundles directly from the band. Check it out!
British blues-rock artist Joanne Shaw Taylor has announced her new studio album The Trouble With Love, produced by Kevin Shirley, set for release October 23rd via Journeyman Records.
On The Trouble With Love, Joanne dives headfirst into the beautiful chaos of the human heart. Blending blues, rock, and soul-soaked pop, the album explores the many forms love takes in our lives: the reckless kind that sweeps you off your feet, the quiet kind that steadies you, the kind that breaks you open, and the kind that puts you back together.
The album is available to pre-order on CD, 180 Gram LP (Dusty Rose colour) and digital.
To mark the announcement, Joanne has shared the album’s latest single, “This Is Who I Am,” a soul-baring reinterpretation of Celeste’s song about acceptance, self-love, and being seen clearly. The original version was hand-picked for the spy thriller TV series “The Day of the Jackal.” “Kevin brought this cover of Celeste’s beautiful song to the table,” Joanne shares. “It’s such a beautifully written track, for me about acceptance and self-love. I hope we’ve done it justice.” Watch the music video below.
With lines like “Only you may ever see me true” and “No lie, I’m no less / This is who I am,” the song becomes a deeply personal statement in Joanne’s hands, carried by her expressive vocals and stunningly passionate guitar solo. She lets the song unfold with quiet strength, turning it into a moment of clarity and self-recognition at the centre of the album.
“This Is Who I Am” follows a run of singles that have steadily opened the door into the world of Trouble With Love. The fiery title track, “The Trouble With Love,” featuring Joe Bonamassa captures the push and pull of love in all its intensity, while “What Good Is My Love?” featuring Orianthi explores the pain of love that is not returned. “Hell Or High Water” brings a defiant blues-gospel charge to the fight for resilience and self-belief. Together, the songs point toward one of Joanne’s most emotionally direct and musically expansive albums yet.
The album also builds on the momentum of Joanne’s critically acclaimed Black & Gold, which drew widespread praise upon its release. Classic Rock awarded the album a 9/10 rating, while Powerplay Magazine highlighted its “pop appeal and smoothness.” Guitarist Magazine noted that it “reinforces Joanne’s place in the firmament of today’s brightest stars,” and American Blues Scene called it “a deeply personal experience, showcasing the depth of Joanne’s artistry.” Together with the Black & Gold (Deluxe Edition)and a run of acoustic reinterpretations, the album marked a defining chapter in Joanne’s career and set the stage for this next creative era.
The Trouble With Love by Joanne Shaw Taylor 1. The Trouble With Love feat. Joe Bonamassa 2. Hell Or High Water 3. This Is Who I Am 4. Tired Of Being Right 5. Bad Boy 6. What Good Is My Love? feat. Orianthi 7. The Girl That You Loved Before 8. Never Gonna Please ‘Em All 9. You And Me (Rachel’s Song) 10. Death Wish
The announcement arrives amid another busy touring season for Joanne. Following her spring U.S. headline tour and upcoming European festival dates, she will hit the road this summer for a new run of U.S. dates beginning June 27th at the San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival, with additional stops across the Northeast, Midwest, and beyond. Known for her commanding stage presence, fiery guitar work, and emotionally immersive performances, Joanne continues to captivate audiences with a set that blends new material with fan favourites from across her catalogue.
Spring Europe Tour Dates May 23 – Peer, BE – Blues Peer Festival May 24 – Schöppingen, DE – International Blues Festival Schöppingen May 25 – Raalte, NL – Ribs & Blues Festival May 27 – Hannover, DE – Pavillon Hannover May 28 – Nuremberg, DE – Lowensaal May 29 – Eindhoven, NL – BRIDGE Guitar Festival Eindhoven
2026 U.S. Tour Dates June 27 – San Jose, CA – San Jose Fountain Blues & Brews Festival July 8 – Old Saybrook, CT – The Kate July 9 – Newport, RI – The JPT Film & Event Center July 12 – Kingston, NY – Assembly – Kingston July 22 – Milwaukee, WI – The Argo July 25 – Fargo, ND – Fargo Blues Festival July 26 – Omaha, NE – Slowdown July 30 – Minneapolis, MN – The Parkway Theater July 31 – Sioux Falls, SD – Levitt Shell Sioux Falls August 14 – Portland, ME – Aura August 15 – Salisbury, MA – Blue Ocean Music Hall August 16 – Laconia, NH – Colonial Theatre August 19 – Lexington, MA – Cary Hall August 20 – Norfolk, CT – Infinity Music Hall Norfolk August 21 – Buffalo, NY – Electric City September 10 – Paw Paw, MI – Warner Vineyards September 11 – Dayton, OH – Levitt Pavilion Dayton September 12 – Louisville, KY – Mercury Ballroom
MARC AMACHER has released ‘Streets Are Golden’, the first lead single from his upcoming new studio album ‘Overdrive’, which is due to be released on 7 August via Hoboville.
On “Streets Are Golden”, MARC AMACHER blends raw blues rock with vivid imagery. Recorded in an air-raid shelter, the track thrives on slide guitar, groove and a genuine performance. The lyrics speak to anyone who has hit rock bottom but keeps going nonetheless. The visuals – a mix of street signs, collage and hazard symbols – reflect exactly that: not retro, but modern, unpolished rock with attitude.
OVERDRIVE is not a retro blues album. It is a statement. Eleven tracks ranging from earthy blues to modern rock, all underpinned by an uncompromising attitude – like an amplifier on the verge of distortion. Recorded raw, driven by genuine performance and raw energy.
From the opener “Hell Yeah (Here I Am)” to the finale “Ain’t the Man”, the album follows a clear thread: no excuses, no masks – movement as a response, not an escape. “Streets Are Golden” speaks to all those who have fallen but keep going nonetheless, whilst “Cash Smash Boogie” dismantles the myth of money with irony and groove.
A pivotal moment is the duet “You Can’t Beat Time” – two voices in tension, no romance. The realisation remains: time doesn’t play fair. It wins.
OVERDRIVE is not nostalgia. It is the present, raw and gritty – forged in real time, on the street of vitality.
Hardly any Swiss blues musician lives the blues as uncompromisingly as MARC AMACHER. He has been on the road for over two decades. He became known to a wider audience through The Voice of Germany, where he reached the final with his “MARC-edged” voice.
Since then, he has shared the stage with musicians such as Eric Clapton, Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top), Robbie Williams and The BossHoss, without ever losing his own signature style. For Amacher, it’s not about perfection, but about attitude and music that moves you.
Last year, his album LOAD was released, reaching number 1 in the Swiss album charts.
His new album, OVERDRIVE, is being promoted with a roadshow across Switzerland, with the kit firmly mounted on a rolling riser and the show stripped down to the essentials. The band in the van, trailer attached, off we go – rock ’n’ roll. True to the motto: “Let’s do straight-up music for real people.” See you down the road.
TRACK LISTING
01 Hell Yeah 02 Streets Are Golden 03 Crying 04 Fool 05 Dark Knight 06 Rolling And Tumble 07 Shake It 08 Can’t Beat Time 09 Dirt House Blues 10 Cash Smash Boogie 11 Well
THE “OVERDRIVE” BAND
Res Lüdi – drums Alex Germann – Guitar Katarina Michel – vocals Andreas Hayoz – bass Omar Cuma – bass Schnäg Manuel – bass
Belgian speed/heavy metal band Drakkar have released the lyric video for “666 ‘n’ Rock ‘n’ Roll (Tribute to Them)”, following the release of the single. The track is taken from their album Invasion and is a direct tribute to two figures who defined the sound and attitude of heavy metal: Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister.
Founded in 1983, Drakkar built their reputation on the European metal circuit throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Their 1988 debut albumX-Rated, released through New Musidisc (Paris), earned strong critical recognition and led to support slots on major European tours with Queensrÿche, Metallica, Overkill, and Slayer. The record has since become a touchstone of the Belgian metal scene.
After a period of inactivity, the band reformed in 2011 with a new lineup. X-Rated was remastered and reissued in 2012, produced by Simone Mularoni (DGM), with original vocalist Fab “Leni” Vanbellinghen returning to the fold in 2013. The reformed band recorded Once Upon a Time in Hell in 2014, featuring Jonas Sanders of Pro-Pain on drums, and went on to play over 80 dates across Europe, including the Power, Prog & Metal Festival in Mons. A live album, Once Upon a Time Hellive, followed in 2016.
The band suffered a significant loss when founding member Thierry Del Cane passed away shortly after. They chose to continue in his memory. Subsequent years brought further lineup shifts alongside new recordings, including three singles and a music video released between 2022 and 2025.
Invasion marks a new chapter: Leni Andersen returns on vocals, and founding member Guy Duvy is back on bass. The current lineup is completed by Thomas Vanhorebeek and Nico RR on guitars, and Adrien Delgambe on drums (member since 2015). Adrien is the son of former drummer and founding member Tim Delval, bringing the band back to its roots alongside Guy and Leni, and continuing to deliver their signature furious heavy/speed metal.
Chilean death metal cult icons GODLESS have unveiled their new single, “Numenlagneia”, now streaming exclusively via its premiere hosted by Decibel Magazine.
The track offers a new glimpse into the band’s forthcoming full-length “Adversus Parousia”, due for release on June 6th, 2026 via Nuclear Winter Records. The album will be available in LP, CD and cassette formats, marking the long-awaited return of a foundational force within Chile’s underground death metal scene.
Active since 1997, GODLESS continue to embody a rigorous and uncompromising vision rooted in tradition, precision and atmospheric depth.
Since their inception, GODLESS have operated with an unwavering devotion to the darkest corners of death metal. Long before Chile’s scene garnered international attention, the band forged their path, crafting music of uncompromising intensity. Composed of seasoned veterans, GODLESS have always approached their work with meticulous care, and “Adversus Parousia” is the culmination of years of patient refinement.
The new album demonstrates a rigorous adherence to traditional death metal principles, yet its execution is anything but predictable. Every riff and atmospheric detail is carefully considered, resulting in a sound where weight and nuance coexist in perfect balance. Tracks crawl and coil with a pitch-black intensity, yet subtle dynamics emerge, revealing layers of depth beneath the surface of the oppressive, obsidian-toned compositions. The music exudes a solemnity that only true masters of the craft can orchestrate, commanding attention with its ceremonial gravity.
Following a nine-year silence since their last EP, “Omega Omnipotens”, GODLESS return with a work that challenges both themselves and their listeners. “Adversus Parousia” embodies fidelity to the ethos of death metal, eschewing pretension for a direct confrontation with darkness and dissolution. The album fuses trance-like momentum, fervent aggression and an unwavering sense of transgression, producing an experience that is as merciless as it is mesmerizing.
With “Adversus Parousia”, GODLESS reaffirm their position as architects of Chilean underground death metal, presenting a record that is simultaneously complete, refined and uncompromising. For those attuned to the gravest depths of the genre, this release promises a profound, immersive encounter with the essence of death metal at its most solemn and potent.
Witness the return of pure hostility.
For fans of: Immolation, Morbid Angel, Dead Congregation, Drawn And Quartered
Tracklist:
1. Ingenitus-Ekstasis 2. Omega Omnipotens: Hosanna in Nullificatio 3. Plaga Vobiscum (Et Cum Spiritu Tuo) 4. Pneuma-Khaos 5. Ekstasis-Cosmogravis 6. Numenlagneia 7. Ultraticum Infinita Omnium in Nihilum 8. Et Verbum Nihil Factum Est
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 