Progressive black metal duo OBSIDIAN TONGUE is now unleashing the official music video for the melodic new single, “To Forgive Oneself.” The song is taken from the band’s forthcoming opus, ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn,’ which is due on May 30,2025 via Profound Lore Records. The video was created by Stephanie Sintra and can be found at THIS LOCATION.
The band comments, “One of the ways we conceptualized on the album title was to split the two halves of the album into two different moods: ‘Outer Scorn’ and ‘Inner Scorn,’ respectively. Projecting hate outwards vs. inwards. ‘To Forgive Oneself’ opens the ‘Inner Scorn’ half of the album, which in general is more melodic, pensive, and overtly emotional than the first half of the album. Simply stared, the song is about depression. The desperation for a resolution and the vast inner search for the elusive ability to grant yourself compassion.”
In addition, OBSIDIAN TONGUE has recently announced FRAILTY & SCORN, eight performances of black metal intensity this June alongside WOE. The trek will kick off on June 6 in Long Island City, NY and will make its way throughout the East Coast until the final stop on June 13 in Providence, RI. The tour will not only celebrate the release of OBSIDIAN TONGUE‘s upcoming studio album, but also will bring both bands back to many cities they have not visited in nearly a decade. Show pre-orders will begin soon as well as local support announcements. The full itinerary can be found below!
Comprised of multi-instrumentalist Brendan Hayter (Thrawsunblat/Obsequiae live) and drummer Raymond Capizzo (Falls Of Rauros/Panopticon live), OBSIDIAN TONGUE returned to the all-analog Mystic Valley Studio, where their first two records were made, to print their Covid-era home sessions onto two-inch tape. Mixed and mastered in the analog domain as well by Alex Garcia-Rivera, ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ boasts a unique and unmistakable sonic force amidst the modern digital landscape; created with a total absence of click tracks, quantization, or sound replacement of any kind.
‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ can now be pre-ordered HERE.
Tracklisting: 01 – Orphaned Spiritual Warrior 02 – Snakeskin Tunnel Colony 03 – Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn [LISTEN] 04 – To Forgive Oneself [WATCH] 05 – …And Still They Dream… 06 – Theater of Smoke & Wind
OBSIDIAN TONGUE Tour Dates (Co-headlining w/ WOE):
06/06: Long Island City, NY @ El Bunker del Diablo 06/07: Milton, DE @ Brimming Horn Meadery // Party Like It’s 793 Fest 06/08: Baltimore, MD @ The Depot 06/09: Richmond, VA @ Cobra Cabana 06/10: Raleigh, NC @ The Pour House 06/11: Philadelphia, PA @ Kung Fu Necktie 06/12: Syracuse, NY @ The Jugg on Teal 06/13: Providence, RI @ Fete Music Hall
Lauded as USBM’s best kept secret, Obsidian Tongue has been on a steadfast artistic journey since their formation in 2009. They’ve never failed to retain the original mission of playing raw and cathartic melodic black metal as they journeyed further into psychedelic and progressive territories with each release following 2012’s self-released debut ‘Subradiant Architecture.’ While their debut won a passionate following for its perfect union of the grimy and the epic sides of black metal, it was 2013’s ‘A Nest of Ravens in the Throat of Time’ (Hypnotic Dirge Records) and its psychedelic dark metal that established their name more into the scene and showcased their ambitious nature even more.
2015’s 15-minute single ‘The Lakeside Redemption,’ with its progressive, haunting, dreamlike and triumphant elements, set the groundwork for their third full length, which took several years of tireless effort to complete. Released in Jan of 2020, ‘Volume III’ (Bindrune Recordings) was clearly the band’s magnum opus but all plans to support the album on the road became thwarted due to the pandemic. So all there was left to do was write even more music. This gradually led to a creation of not one, but three works: the first being 2024’s much-delayed self-released digital EP ‘The Stone Heart’ and the second being their fourth full-length album ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ to be released via Profound Lore Records on May 30, 2025.
In the summer of 2024, Obsidian Tongue, comprised of vocalist/guitarist/bassist Brendan Hayter (Thrawsunblat/Obsequiae live) and drummer Raymond Capizzo (Falls Of Rauros/Panopticon live) returned to the all-analog Mystic Valley Studio, where their first two records were made, to print their Covid-era home sessions onto two-inch tape. Mixed and mastered in the analog domain as well by Alex Garcia-Rivera, ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ boasts a unique and unmistakable sonic force amidst the modern digital landscape; created with a total absence of click tracks, quantization, or sound replacement of any kind.
The progressive black metal journey that is ‘Eclipsing Worlds of Scorn’ takes off immediately with the wrathful sounds of “Orphaned Spiritual Warrior” and “Snakeskin Tunnel Colony,” easily the band’s two heaviest tracks to date. These flow directly into the apocalyptic title track, and onto the vulnerable and surreal sounds of “To Forgive Oneself” leading into the acoustic instrumental “…And Still They Dream.” This dream ends with the triumphant “Theater of Smoke & Wind,” a true psychedelic black metal classic that still evokes some of the original feeling found on the band’s ‘Subradiant Architecture’ debut.
Sixteen years into the band’s existence, Obsidian Tongue clearly show no signs of running out of new ways to alter their sound – song by song, album by album.
“Reqviem For The Oppressor” is the title of the new upcoming album that the Italian Thrash Metallers XENOS A.D. will release on May 23rd, 2025. Now the band has unveiled a new song from it and it is “Bleeding Hands Of Faith”.
It is available as single on digital stores and as audio track, here:
The horrors of war, which represent the concept of the entire work, are analyzed here through the theme of wars waged in the name of a God, by men who commit obscene crimes by invoking a faith that is only apparent.
Like it happens in the previous single “Dogma Of War”, their relentless, neck-breaking Thrash Metal pays homage to the genre’s golden age Gods such as Slayer, Megadeth, Kreator, Exodus and Testament as well as some of the melody and progressive tendencies of Metal Church and Death Angel.
XENOS A.D. is a mandatory listening for fans of Thrash Metal who can rejoice in yet another band proudly flying their Metal flag. Now, all you have to do, is experience the raw power of the fury of XENOS A.D.
After almost a decade of soul searching through the Canadian wilderness, once again, Anciients have reached the summit of progressive metal. The heavy, heady and heartfelt Canucks just won their second Canadian Grammy for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year. Now, sage frontman Kenny Cook, steadily pummeling drummer Mike Hannay and new axemen Brock MacInnes and Rory O’Brien are finally returning the States to bask in the prog metal glory of Beyond the Reach of the Sun.
It’s been a long time coming”, Cook says, “which makes it that much more special to announce that we will finally be returning to the USA for a run of shows this summer/fall. We’ve got a handful of killer bands joining us on select dates, to get us to and from the ProgPower fest in Atlanta. We look forward seeing our American fans out on the road!
Anciients will hit the United States this fall. Amidst their blazing month-long run across the West Coast and Southwest, the band will make two stops on the East Coast, including at ProgPower USA. Along the way, they’ll be joined by blackened progressive metal luminaries Dawn of Ouroboros, California sludge metal palm readers Armed for Apocalypse, Seattle seismic heavies Nott and progressive death metal hijackers Exist.
Quest Beyond Our Minds 2025 U.S. Tour: August 27 – Seattle, WA @ Substation August 28 – Portland, OR @ Dante’s August 29 – Boise, ID @ The Shredder August 30 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Aces High Saloon August 31 – Colorado Springs, CO @ What’s Left Records September 2 – Oklahoma City, OK @ 89th Street September 4 – Atlanta, GA @ ProgPower USA September 5 – Gastonia, NC @ The Rooster September 6 – New Orleans, LA @ No Dice September 7 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It September 8 – Houston, TX @ Pub 529 September 9 – Dallas, TX @ TX Tea Room September 11 – Phoenix, AZ @ Nile Underground September 12 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick September 13 – Los Angeles, CA @ Knucklehead September 14 – San Franisco, CA @ Thee Parkside September 16 – Sacramento, CA @ Cafe Colonel September 17 – Reno, NV @ The Cellar September 18 – Eugene, OR @ John Henry’s September 19 – Richland, WA @ Ray’s Golden Lion September 20 – Bellingham, WA,@ The Shakedown
Beyond the Reach of the Sun is available now on Season of Mist.
Tracklist: 1. Forbidden Sanctuary (8:16) 2. Despoiled (5:19) 3. Is It Your God (7:07) 4. Melt the Crown (7:08) [WATCH] 5. Cloak of the Vast and Black (6:20) [WATCH] 6. Celestial Tyrant (5:52) 7.Beyond Our Minds (4:12) 8. The Torch (4:13) 9. Candescence (4:10) 10. In the Absence of Wisdom (6:35) [WATCH] Full runtime: 58:41
It’s been a rough handful of years for British Columbia-based extremity-laced progressive rockers, Anciients. When the quartet unleashed their Voice of the Void album in 2016, the world appeared to be their oyster and things seemed ripe for the picking. They were coming off the success of their Heart of Oak debut from 2013, its ascendancy due in large part to a collective uptick in interest for involved, forward-thinking music. The public had moved beyond toe-dipping and tire-kicking, and were instead doing headfirst dives into exploring the likes of Opeth, Mastodon, Baroness, The Ocean, Intronaut and others who originally hailed from the extreme music underground, but had since grown, matured and scrubbed behind their ears to include heaping and healthy chunks from the outskirts of their record collections and influence pools.
The Band That Auto-Correct Loves to Fuck With™ shared stages with everyone from High on Fire and Goatwhore to Boris and Lamb of God, were in the midst of a European tour when they discovered they were JUNO Award (Canadian Grammy equivalent) winners in the heavy metal/hard rock category. The world was ready to accept Anciients into its welcoming arms. Anciients was gearing up to employ takeover methods, specifically their brand of thunderous rhythms and labyrinthine riffing bolstered by a road warrior mentality. And then, the momentum petered out and the band seemingly fell off the face of the earth.
Today, Anciients are ready and poised to resume their spirited quest for heavy metal paramountcy. There’s no doubt the band is back and with a stunning and beautiful collection of ten songs on offer in the form of new and third album, Beyond the Reach of the Sun, they are positioning to reestablish themselves as a dominant force for those who love windmilling their tresses around thoughtful tempo changes, complex harmonic layers and driving power chord shifting. But what the hell happened and where did they disappear to?
“Basically,” explains guitarist/vocalist Kenny Cook, “right before Voice of the Void was recorded, my wife had our first kid. She ended up having heart complications and almost passed away from it. We recorded the last record and once it came out, I was kind of just focusing on her, dealing with her health issues and keeping that in check. I wasn’t at the stage where I could be gone for half a year, especially with a new kid. Long story short, she’s happy and healthy now, but dealing with family issues was the main priority. It was a bit of a road.”
Adding to that bit of Anciients camp turmoil, guitarist/co-vocalist/co-founding member, Chris Dyck and the band parted ways in January of 2017. This left a gaping lineup hole at an inopportune juncture in the band’s timeline. Not only did Cook have to deal with the absence of his long-term song and lyric writing partner, but Dyck was also someone he had been splitting vocal duties with since the pair formed the band in 2009. And then, while helping his wife with her recovery, raising their new born and “because we wanted to raise our son in a small town environment,” the Cook family uprooted to Columbia-Shuswap four hours east of the Vancouver area, where drummer Mike Hannay, Brock MacInnes (Dyck’s replacement) and brand spanking new bassist Rory O’Brien still reside.
“We knew Brock from other bands he’d been in and we knew he’d be a great fit,” explains Cook. “He actually filled in for Chris on a tour we did back in 2015. As far as the vocals, I just found myself picking up the slack on both ends. It felt somewhat natural, it was definitely different. Doing the lyrics myself for the first time was somewhat daunting, but it was also something done out of necessity. But even when Chris was in the band I handled 80-90% of the vocals anyway, so it didn’t change all that much.”
Then, that whole COVID-19 thing you probably heard about once or twice hit in 2020 and put another restraining bolt on Anciients’ activity, especially touring as the Canadians found themselves dealing with stricter travel restrictions and mandates than many other countries; most notably, not being able to cross the border for almost two years. Once the dust settled, Cook had to adjust to being the lone vocalist and how that impacted the material he was writing while navigating being creative with distance between Anciients’ members for the first time. Not a biggie, as in-person writing sessions are more of a rarity these days, but because of the time elapsed since Voices of the Void, things/interests/influences changed and the band ended up scrapping half of an album’s worth of material and starting fresh. When they put their heads down at the end of 2021 with the focus being Beyond the Reach of the Sun, what was revealed a year later was more streamlined and slithery, more chest-thumpingly direct, more epic and triumphant sounding. Riffs come in explosive layered packets. Leads, harmonies and melodies are more on par with wind-tussled mountain tops instead of sweaty bar shows and the band moves with finely honed, martial accuracy as conducted by Hannay’s rocket-in-the-pocket staccato swing and accents.
Songs like “The Torch” blaze with the shirtless glisten of ‘70s stadium rock power. “Cloak of the Vast and Black” swirls and whirls with a combination of hardcore intensity, grunge groove and expansive six-string parries. “In the Absence of Wisdom” is a hurricane-sized maelstrom of classic and prog rock elevated to grandiosity by a return to their growling sludge/death early years as the song/album concludes. The album’s first single, “Melt the Crown” mixes cues from legendary fellow hosers Rush and Harlequin, turn-of-the-millennium post-metal and the most psychedelic corners of the Rise Above Records roster.
“The new record has a lot more of our rock side,” Cook offers, “and leans towards those elements of our sound and personalities, whereas Voice of the Void was pretty crushing all the way through. With the new material we’ve tried to add more dynamics to the music and give the songs more room to breathe.”
Album opener “Forbidden Sanctuary” is the soundtrack to exploration, of new worlds and sonic arrangement as sine-wave guitars pull from vintage Mercyful Fate covens and Krautrock communes with synths opening up novel textural avenues, as they do on the ethereal wispiness and space rock/sci-fi soundscapes of the instrumental “Candescence.” Beyond the Reach of the Sun sees synths and keyboards making their first appearance on an Anciients record and were played by producer/mixer Jesse Gander and Justin Hagberg at the former’s Rain City Recorders studio. In addition to augmenting the album with his skill on the black and whites, Hagberg — a member of the recently reunited 3 Inches of Blood — also helped Anciients navigate a significant last-minute hurdle, one that threatened to pull the reins back on their comeback roar.
“We lost our bass player literally a month before we were going in to record and were kind of up shit’s creek. Justin also plays in a band called Ritual Dictates with Rory and is the one who brought his name up.”
O’Brien, a former member of Vancouver’s Bushwhacker, was absolutely interested when approached by Anciients.
“We got lucky and he saved our asses at the last minute.”
Cook stepped up to the challenge of being the sole lyricist to drape Beyond the Reach of the Sun in deeply personal expressions of the inner turmoil, fear and isolation he’d experienced in himself and saw in others over the past few years. There were moments where he didn’t know whether loved ones were going to pull through and what life was going to look like were tragedy come to pass. Mental health and people living life without being able to see any light at the end of the tunnel became a very prevalent theme to tracks like “Despoiled” and “Beyond Our Minds.” And while the line that became the album’s title is taken from a David Attenborough-narrated Planet Earth documentary, it speaks more to the coming and going of despondency when one doesn’t know how dark the darkness is going to get, as in “Is It Your God,” which pulls from the manifestation of grief and how it can shatter belief systems.
“That one is a little more personal to me and my situation,” Cook says somberly. “I had a good friend of mine from when I was younger pass away from cancer. His mother was super-religious and there were ideas taken from her questioning how could something like that happen to her when she had such a strong faith.”
The title and themes of stripped away hope and piled on anguish and tumult were parlayed into the album’s spectacular cover art. Created by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustrations), the drawing is part-pulp novel cover, part-Franzetta landscape, part-sci-fi movie poster and all a vast illustration one can easily lose themselves in while the record spins in the background.
“We gave him the concept and basic outline of how we wanted the cover to look and he took it to a whole new dimension. It turned out pretty wild!”
With all being said and done, Anciients have returned! They stand ready to ascend the prog metal ladder and get back to doing what they do best with a weighty and dense, but wholly accessible, album. It’s a collection of ten songs that possesses the ability to have those furiously banging heads also tapping into their power of self-reflection and contemplation to ponder the finality of existence, the value of life and their place in the universe.
“Totally! We’re going to take as many of the opportunities that come to us. The hiatus is over and I think with the new members and everyone being on the same page we’re ready to get out there as soon as possible. We missed out on a huge block after the last record, so we’ve got to make up for lost time. Now that everyone is happy and healthy, we plan to hit it hard.”
Guest Musicians: Justin Hagberg plays keyboard on “Forbidden Sanctuary”, “Is It Your God”, “Melt the Crown”, “Candescence”, “In the Absence of Wisdom”.
Jess Gander plays synths on “Candescence” and “Cloak of the Vast and Black”.
Recording Studio: Rain City Recorders
Producer / Sound Engineer: Jesse Gander Assisted by Szymon Wojciech
Mastering Studio & Engineer: Stu McKillop @ Rain City Mastering
Mixing Studio & Engineer: Jesse Gander Rain City Recorders
Cover Artwork Artist: Adam Burke @ Nightjar Illustrations
Wormholedeath Records is thrilled to announce the signing of DRAB, the heavy rock juggernaut whose self-titled debut album will erupt worldwide on June 6, 2025. Hailed as a visceral fusion of grunge-era darkness, thunderous riffs, and dystopian intensity, DRAB’s music is a time-traveling beast—raw, relentless, redefining modern rock’s boundaries.
A Statement from DRAB: “We are very pleased to announce our partnership with Wormholedeath Records in the international release of our self-titled debut album!.”
Born in Chaos, Forged in Fire
DRAB’s origin is as gritty as their sound. In 2020, the band germinated in a musty New Orleans storage locker as the world retreated into isolation. What began as a cathartic escape from pandemic-era despair evolved into a sonic exorcism, recorded in an olive-drab Masonic Temple-turned-studio in Covington, LA, with producer Jack Miele (The Meters, Galactic). The result? A self-titled debut that channeled the paranoia and claustrophobia of the times into a blistering manifesto.
Underground Titans Rise
Since their debut, DRAB has dominated the New Orleans metal underground, earning accolades like Rock-N-Review’s #1 Album of 2022 and sharing stages with icons like Soulfly, Pallbearer, and YOB. Their 2024 single “Tyrannic”—produced by Grammy-winner Adrian Bushby (Muse, Foo Fighters)—marked a darker, sharper evolution, blending surrealist visuals with labyrinthine riffs that caught fire across streaming platforms.
The Sound of Rebellion
DRAB’s music is a molten collision of decades: the swagger of 1970s hard rock, the rebellion of 1980s metal, and the brooding angst of 1990s grunge. Tracks like “Afterburner” (available now on Bandcamp) showcase their signature blend of haunting atmospherics and bone-crushing grooves. Whether it’s a name that evokes the mundane and dreary, or the dregs of 16th-century gutters and brothels, Drab’s music is anything but what the name might imply. It’s a steel blade that is only getting sharper with time
Tracklist:
Lonely Place
Huntress
Stand Up
Sand
Break That Chain
Candyman
Dumpster Fire
Been Too Long
Bite Down
Sirens
Check out the album’s teaser:
DRAB’s Current Lineup: Steve Mignano – Guitar/Vocals Casey Freitas – Bass Aaron Levy – Drums
Legendary heavy metal supergroup DOWN – featuring vocalist Philip H. Anselmo, guitarists Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein, drummer Jimmy Bower, and bassist Pat Bruders – is pleased to announce their official signing with Nuclear Blast Records! The band is currently in the final stages of recording their long-awaited new full-length, slated for release in 2026.
In a collective statement, Nuclear Blast comments, “Nuclear Blast is proud to be in the trenches with NOLA legends DOWN as their partner in their long overdue return to the metal world. In addition, we are excited to bring some of their key past catalog releases back into the spotlight, especially on the vinyl side. There are so many longtime DOWN fans at Nuclear Blast who are excited to be working with one of their all-time favorite bands. 2026 can’t come soon enough!”
Adds the band: “It’s good to sign with Nuclear Blast Records. It’s a good label home and we’re ready to make some awesome recordings!” – Philip H. Anselmo “Having already been a part of the Nuclear Blast family with Corrosion Of Conformity, it is an honor and a privilege to be here as well with my brothers in DOWN. The team at Nuclear Blast is a well-oiled machine and you can definitely tell they love what they do. We are in the right place.” – Pepper Keenan “Nuclear Blast is a great label that put out some excellent records. It’s an honor to have them work our jams!” – Jimmy Bower
Updates on new DOWN music will be unveiled in the months to come. In the meantime, don’t miss DOWN when they headline night one of this year’s edition of the Milwaukee Metal Fest. For more info, visit: therave.com/metalfest. The show follows the band’s recent Western US tour with Danzig.
DOWN Live: 5/16/2025 Milwaukee Metal Fest @ The Rave/Eagles Club – Milwaukee, WI
You know it’s DOWN as soon as you hear them. There’s no mistaking those gargantuan riffs, swamp blues leads, crashing drums, and hypnotic howls for absolutely anybody else under the sun. The band upholds a certain tradition that countless fans celebrate, expanding their own musical mythos as they leave its pillars intact and untouched.
With a collective resume encompassing Pantera, Corrosion Of Conformity, Crowbar, and EyeHateGod, the quintet puffed out its first haze of sonic smoke from the belly of gritty old New Orleans on the 1995 platinum-selling classic, NOLA. At that moment, they naturally summoned something akin to a ritual, continually partaking in it with critically revered offerings — Down II: A Bustle In Your Hedgerow in 2002, Down III: Over The Under in 2007, Down IV – Part One in 2012, and Down IV – Part Two in 2014. Their shows built a certain live lore with unforgettable runs alongside Metallica and Heaven & Hell, as well as coveted spots on iconic festivals like Download, Soundwave, Ozzfest, and so many others, forever delivering passionate, powerful, pure heavy music you can feel deep down in your soul.
After proving to be a force to be reckoned with through the critical and commercial triumph of their latest album March Of The Unheardand a massively successful, sold-out European tour, Swedish melodic death metal powerhouse THE HALO EFFECT return with a brand new offering.
The band proudly releases ‘Not Yet Broken’ — a heavy, hypnotic, and deeply melodic anthem that until now was exclusively available as a Japan-only bonus track. Fueled by crushing riffs, haunting melodies, and the unmistakable energy that defines THE HALO EFFECT’s sound, ‘Not Yet Broken’ stands as a testament to the band’s unwavering creative fire.
Guitarist and main songwriter Niclas Engelin comments:”I think we are fortunate to have this flood of creativity going since day one. Here is another song we have been waiting for you all to hear, it’s been talked about for a loooong time and now the time is right to unleash this riff/melody – monster for you all! This song was written during the long inspiring sessions we had for the album Days Of The Lost. We hope you will enjoy this song as much as we do, let’s bring it on the set list for this summers festivals!!”
Talking about summer festivals…catch THE HALO EFFECT live at following festivals and club shows:
26.06. GR Thessaloniki – Rockwave Festival 28.06. FI Helsinki – Tuska Festival 17.07. DE Neunkirchen Vlyn – Dong Open Air 18.07. DE Weil am Rhein – Baden in Blut 07.08. ES Alicante – Leyendas del Rock 08.08. GER Büdesheim – Krawall ‘O’ Open Air 09.08. CZ Jaromer – Brutal Assault 10.08. SLO Bratislava – Majestic Music Club 12.08. LUX Luxembourg – Dem Atelier (**Machine Head support) 13.08. GER Dinkelsbühl – Summer Breeze 14.08. GER Lindau – Club Vaudeville 15.08. GER Sulingen – Reload Festival 16.08. GER Cudrefin – Rock the Lakes Festival 29.08. RO Campulung Muscel – Posada Rock Festival 30.08. GER Schramberg-Tennenbrom – Metalacker Festival 21.11. BU Sofia – Joy Station 22.11. TUR Istanbul – If Besiktas 25.11. JP Osaka – Bigcat 26.11. JP Tokio – Toyosu Pit
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 ) 