INNERWISH’s ‘Defend Our Children’s Hope’ is a powerful tribute to the next generation, urging us all to take responsibility for their future and defend their right to hope and opportunity. With their signature blend of driving riffs, soaring melodies, and anthemic choruses, INNERWISH deliver both a poignant message and a timeless heavy metal hymn.
The single is accompanied by a stirring lyric video that underscores its urgency. With lines like “We fall and then we rise / It’s the battle for a new dawn / We conquer not divide / Protect, defend our children’s hope,” the song speaks directly to today’s world of division and uncertainty. At its core, it’s a call for unity, resilience, and compassion, a reminder that safeguarding a better future is a responsibility we all share.
Reflecting on the song’s origins, INNERWISH share:
“To be or not to be in the album? That is the question! For sure a question we asked ourselves a lot because having 15 songs makes you keep some of them out of the album. And it’s not a matter of being a lesser song, especially in this case, but it’s just the way it is sometimes. No matter what, this song has all the classical INNERWISH elements, the ones that lasted all these years. Groove, melodies and hook-y chorus. We talked about children on “Sea of lies” and we do it here as well. Different writer, different perspective and impression. Again, for the children. They are the hope of mankind, they are our hope, they deserve way more. After all, this world isn’t their fault but ours.”
In times where global crises weigh heavily on young generations, ‘Defend Our Children’s Hope’ stands as both a warning and a rallying cry: we must not allow today’s failures to become tomorrow’s inheritance.
Touring across Europe with special guests SILENCE WITHIN this autumn, the Greek melodic metal sextet will also present their latest material live on stage. The routing reads as follows:
“Ash Of Eternal Flame” Tour – Europe 2025 w/ WITHIN SILENCE Presented by Aardschok, Hardline, Rock It!, Ulterium Records, Desert Rose Agency & RPM
31.10.2025 DE Freising – Lindenkeller 02.11.2025 DE Mühlhausen – Alte Fleischerei 03.11.2025 NL Breda – Sound Dog 04.11.2025 NL Zoetermeer – Poppodium Boerderij 05.11.2025 DE Nuremberg – Golden Nugget Club & Bar 06.11.2025 CH Basel – The Cave 07.11.2025 DE Heilbronn – Blast Of Eternity 08.11.2025 NL Apeldoorn – Brainstorm Festival 09.11.2025 BE Diest – Hell
About INNERWISH
INNERWISH stand for melodic and melancholic heavy metal, played in a powerful and dynamic way. Their story began in Athens in 1995, and in their almost 30 years of existence they didn’t only manage to be one of the most important metal bands from Greece, but also to establish themselves as a much-respected band in the European metal scene.
As the release of their fourth album, Viribus Unitis (out November 14, 2025, via Napalm Records), approaches, the unrelenting 1914 unleash their second single. With “1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl)”, the Ukrainian death metal battalion unveils further horrors of war. Thundering doom riffs and ghostly historical recordings relentlessly descend into the longest siege of World War I, where the Austro-Hungarian army experienced a crushing defeat. Once again, history bleeds through every note – grim, grand, and devastating!
Viribus Unitis deepens 1914’s commitment to historical authenticity, both lyrically and conceptually. Told through the personal accounts of a Ukrainian soldier in the K.u.K. army, the album follows real events, tracing a timeline from 1914 to 1919, and paints a grim journey through the war’s rise, climax, and hollow aftermath.
k.u.k. Galizisches IR Nr.15, Gefreiter, Ditmar Kumarberg about “1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl)”: “Trapped behind fortress walls: In the icy grip of World War I, 130,000 Austro-Hungarian soldiers found themselves surrounded, starving, and desperate inside the mighty fortress of Przemyśl. From September 1914 to March 1915, the Russian army laid siege, pounding the city with artillery and choking off supplies. Months passed. Food ran out. Horses, dogs, even rats, became rations. Disease spread. Morale crumbled. And then… surrender. One of the greatest capitulations of the war. The once-proud fortress fell, handing Russia a symbolic victory on the Eastern Front. But victory was fleeting! A short-term win for Russia, but the tides turned again when the Central Powers retook the city later that year. War shows no mercy.”
With Viribus Unitis, Latin for “With United Forces”, 1914 once again attest their unflinching brutality. More than just the personal motto of Franz Joseph I, the former emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, this title directly speaks to the band’s resilience through war, loss, and upheaval – a powerful symbol of survival and solidarity. Out on November 14, 2025 via Napalm Records, Viribus Unitis builds on the band’s acclaimed conceptual approach, reaching new emotional depths and musical intensity.
Continuing their chronicle of World War I, 1914 shifts their focus from the raw portrayal of death and destruction, to exploring themes of camaraderie, endurance, and the emotional landscapes of those who endured the horrors of trench warfare. While previous releases like The Blind Leading the Blind (2018) and Where Fear and Weapons Meet (2021) centered on the futility and finality of war, Viribus Unitis exemplifies the interpersonal bonds forged under fire and the strength of those warriors who made it home: broken, changed, yet still alive.
Musically, 1914 remain true to their identity – a brutal mixture of blackened death metal, slow-burning doom, and ambient war soundscapes. This time, however, their sound gains a broader dynamic range, with soaring melodic leads, orchestral textures, and haunting clean vocals that provide dramatic contrast to the crushing heaviness.
1914 about Viribus Unitis: “Viribus Unitis is about shared strength and the idea that true power lies in unity. Alone, one may fall – together, we can prevail and achieve our goals: Defeat the enemy, escape captivity, survive, and return to your family. We return with a new story. A story of life and military valor of a soldier who encountered the Great War in his native city of Lviv and went through it all. Side by side, with joint efforts of Ukrainians, Poles, Hungarians, Slovenes, Czechs, Slovaks, Jews, Croats, Bosniaks, Germans – all the peoples who made up the vast Austro-Hungarian Empire. Empires did not count people – they threw them into meat grinders where survival was only possible through unity. By helping one another. By sacrificing yourself for the sake of your loved ones and comrades.
This is a story of being blinded by war and the grandeur of the empire, of the heat of battle, realization and acceptance of reality, awakening, changing values, captivity, and liberation. It is a story of unbreakable will to live and hope amidst a terrifying and bloody war. It is a story of a new little life that changes all the rules and forces one to see the familiar from a different perspective. It is a story of love. It is a story of loss and death. Viribus Unitis is when pain, death, loss, loneliness, and fear encircle you. But you’re still unbroken!”
One of the album’s highlights is a collaboration with Aaron Stainthorpe of My Dying Bride and High Parasite on “1918 Pt. 3: ADE (A Duty to Escape),” whose mournful voice adds a solemn, almost liturgical quality to this elegy of grief and brotherhood on the front lines. Viribus Unitis deepens 1914’s commitment to historical authenticity, both lyrically and conceptually. Told through real events and personal accounts of a Ukrainian soldier in the K.u.K. Army, the album traces a timeline from 1914 to 1919, painting a grim journey through the war’s rise, climax, and hollow aftermath. From the brooding opener “War In” to the bleak closer “War Out (The End?)”, each track captures a moment in time: the brutal “1914 (The Siege of Przemyśl)”, the frostbitten “1915 (Zwinin Ridge)”, the crushing Alpine combat of “1916 (Südtirol Offensive)”, and the madness of “1918 Pt. 2: POW (Prisoner of War)” featuring Christopher Scott of Precious Death. The album ends with “1919 (The Home Where I Died),” featuring Rome’s Jerome Reuter, a haunting portrait of a soldier who survived the war, but not its shadow. This emotional song deals with the soldier’s will to live and his family values, seeing him escape from captivity to finally return home to embrace his wife and daughter. 1914 fuse blackened death metal, doom, and atmospheric textures with dramatic flourishes and guest vocals, creating their most dynamic and emotionally resonant record to date.
Swedish rock’n’roll powerhouse THUNDERMOTHER has inked a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records! Founded in 2009 by guitarist Filippa Nässil, the band is well-known for their electrifying rock anthems and relentless touring – some live highlights include supporting the legendary Scorpions both in North America and Europe, playing the KISS Kruise and performing regularly at major festivals such as Wacken Open Air. In 2021, THUNDERMOTHER was even awarded the GAFFA prize for Best Hard Rock/Metal.
Earlier this year THUNDERMOTHER unleashed their highly acclaimed 6th album Dirty & Divine, first one with the new lineup consisting of Filippa Nässil, vocalist Linnéa Vikström Egg, returning bass player Majsan Lindberg and drummer Joan Massing, reaching the top 3 on the Official German Rock/Metal Charts. Now, they are ready to take this new era of the band to all new dimensions through joining forces with Napalm Records!
THUNDERMOTHER guitarist and founder Filippa Nässil comments: “Napalm wanted to sign us for a long time, but we were under another contract. Now it feels really good to finally join them, because they’ve shown us they have the fire. They share strong visions like we do. We already started working on the next release and we’re stoked!“
Napalm Records Managing Director Thomas Caser adds: “We are thrilled to welcome THUNDERMOTHER to the Napalm Records family! The band represents pure, high-energy rock’n’roll like few others, and we can’t wait to open the next chapter of their success story together.”
Dirty & Divine Tour 2025 Part II 17.10.25 SE – Uppsala / Katalin *^ 18.10.25 SE – Stockholm / Debaser Strand *^ 24.10.25 SE – Gothenburg / Pustervik ^# 25.10.25 SE – Norrköping / Arbis ^# 31.10.25 NO – Oslo / John Dee (Halloween Party) ^# 01.11.25 SE – Huskvarna / Folkets Park ^# 07.11.25 FI – Helsinki / On the Rocks ^# 13.11.25 DK – Copenhagen / Pumpehuset ^# 14.11.25 SE – Malmö / Plan B ^# 04.12.25 DE – Fulda / Kulturzentrum Kreuz * 05.12.25 DE – Bochum / Pott Out Festival 06.12.25 DE – Bremen / Schlachthof Bremen * 07.12.25 DE – Dresden / Strasse * 09.12.25 DE – Cham / LA Eventhalle * 10.12.25 CH – Rubigen / Mühle Hunziken * 12.12.25 DE – Augsburg / Rock Out Festival 13.12.25 DE – Karlsruhe / Knock Out Festival (Swedish Lucia Party) 14.12.25 DE – Lindau / Club Vaudeville * Support: *COBRA SPELL, ^Crown Electric & #Felin
Record label Fifth Island Music and label GAIN have included songs in 5 episodes of the latest HBO Max series Peacemaker season 2 where it’s clear that James Gunn (writer, director, producer) has a penchant for the Scandinavian hard rock sound. GAIN has included the following bands and songs in the series:
Hardcore Superstar – We Don´t Need A Cure / Episode: #202 (August 28th)
Ammotrack – Break it Out / Episode: #203 (September 4th)
HEAT – A Shot at Redemption / Episode: #204 (September 11th)
Hardcore Superstar – Someone Special / Episode: #208 (October 9th)
“It is amazing that our hard rock catalog can be part of and contribute to such a large and extravagant HBO Max series as Peacemaker 2 and what about the scenes the songs are featured in, Absolutely incredible!” – Johan F. Gren (MD, Fifth Island Music/GAIN)
“Sworn” introduces Torch Us as a raw and uncompromising force in the Finnish modern metal scene. Combining old-school death metal vibes with heaviness, aggression, and groove, the track captures both nostalgic and fresh intensity. It’s also the first taste from the band’s upcoming EP “To Non-Existence” to be released in November 27th!
Torch Us is a four-piece metal band from Turku, Finland, founded in 2022. The band blends raw aggression with melodic darkness in a way that leaves a mark on the listener. Their sound moves along the boundary surface of melodic death metal and groove-heavy riffs, flavored with everything that feels old-school, raw, and unapologetically intense.
Cape Town’s doom, atmospheric noise, drone, and sludge post-metal trio P+A+G+E+S emerge from the shadows with the release of their debut single and video Shine On, the first glimpse into their highly anticipated debut album No More Can Be Done (out 25th October), recorded with producer Simon Ratcliffe at Sound and Motion Studios in February 2025.
Carved from the same crushing bedrock as the album, “Shine On” strikes with a different force—driving and deliberate while retaining the band’s signature weight. “We wanted to contrast the album with something a bit more driving, while adhering to the overall weight of the rest of the tracks and to be strong against vile oppression,” explains the band.
Lyrically, the single distils a mantra of resilience: “When the clouds come to cover, let the light shine through.” “The message is simple but powerful,” they add. “It’s about strength in the face of adversity and oppression.”
The accompanying video unfolds as a ritual of fire and transformation—an alchemical act of destruction and regeneration. A paper doll serves as the vessel for change, embodying both fragility and intention. “This ritual is a symbolic metaphor for simple things we can do in reality to break fascist necks—like who you give your money to, as a small example, to challenging bigotry as a bigger one,” says the band.
No More Can Be Done is a stark, slow-burning monolith of existential dread, geopolitical despair, environmental decay, and raw emotional weight—yet it carries a glimmer of perseverance in a collapsing world. Since 2017, drummer Caitlin Mkhasibe, bassist Frank Lunar, and guitarist/vocalist/sound artist helo samo have honed their sound from post-rock/noise roots into a heavier, dissonant, and deliberately crushing territory.
“Grief and the depressing state of the world were big inspirations,” says the band. “We wanted to create something that embodies that state and cast a light on things that are often hard to address—while writing music we would want to hear ourselves.”
The album unfolds like a descent into shadow: chaotic noise mutating into industrial rhythms, fragile symphonics, and suffocating dissonance. Vocals delivering simple, spectral mantras designed to resonate through repetition.
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
