From left to right: Eddie Fisher, Brian Willett, Zach Filkins, Ya Yin (Triumph) Ryan Tedder, Gary Chow (Triumph), Brent Kutzle Esther Zhang, Drew Brown
Since its 1983 debut, the Spring Festival Gala is a tradition for Chinese New Year celebrations and it is recognized by Guiness World Records as the world’s most-watched TV program.
Triumph Music confirmed OneRepublic’s appearance and got superior time slot for its airing on Jan 28th. OneRepublic has become the first American band to perform during China’s Spring Festival Gala.
Triumph Music CEO Gary Chow states “It was great honor and privilege to work with such talent as OneRepublic’s. It was challenging but rewarding to work on the project, and with everyone involved wanted this historical performance to happen. We have lots to thank to China Media Group (CMG), producer of Spring Festival Gala.” Triumph partner Richie Mattila adds “The approval process was highly stringent but it got selected as one of favorite segments at the end.”
Followed the successful airing (600millon views) with joint post-promotion efforts from artist team and Triumph Music, OneRepublic quickly established themselves as one of the most popular Western bands in China. Gary Chow says “We see how influential the Spring Festival Gala is, OneRepublic performing during the show went viral and it was the most-discussed topic on China’s socials with numbers of fans doubling overnight.”
Triumph Music is an artist service company based in Shanghai specialize in booking, promoting and developing international artists in China.
‘Under Silver Sky’ is Finnish STUD‘s fifth album and it offers a diverse set of melodic heavy rock songs. STUD have been updating ther sound from album to album and the same continues with this latest one. ‘Under Silver Sky’ is another strong performance from the pioneer of Finnish heavy rock.
The album features 10 songs, of which ‘Under silver sky’, ‘Castaway’ and ‘Alone’ have already been released as singles. Lyric videos have also been released for the singles.
STUD has been releasing albums at a steady pace since 2013, with their latest album being their fifth full-length. Each album has been carefully crafted, using the best professionals at every stage of the process. However, the responsibility for the final result has always been with the band itself.
The music on this album offers fans of melodic heaviness and hard rock a journey from one mood to another. The opening track ‘The Bridge’ is an instrumental that has also been played as an intro at the band’s gigs. ‘False believer’ is a strong and loud heavy song with a riff that is the only part of the album that was written before 2020.
The title track ‘Under silver sky’ and the catchy ‘Last time’ are the more melodic sections of the album, while the more modern sound is represented by ‘If living is so easy’ and ‘Low battery’. Singles ‘Alone’ and the album closer ‘Castaway’ show that STUD is on a roll and not taking any backward steps.
Self-doubt and disillusion – the calling cards of many artists who tread the fragile tightrope of creativity. For Kathryn Georgina, a classically trained pianist and singer, it is the weight of these very feelings that has driven her to share her debut album, Formative.
A heartfelt tribute to the music that shaped her, Formative reimagines hardcore, screamo, and post-hardcore anthems from the 2000s in a strikingly emotive, piano-driven format. From the haunting intensity of Alexisonfire’s Accidents to the ethereal melancholy of Poison the Well’s Pieces of You in Me, Kathryn breathes new life into songs that have long been celebrated for their raw power, revealing the poignant beauty beneath the noise.
“Music shapes us all,” says Kathryn. “As an entry point, it makes sense to share the influences that speak volumes, bringing new life to classics but also showcasing the melody in lesser-known genres.”
Inspired by the piano cover albums of Christopher O’Riley (Radiohead, Elliott Smith), Formative is both a personal exploration and a gift to listeners, offering a glimpse into the alternative music scene through Kathryn’s interpretive lens.
“The message of the album is that there is beauty in everything,” Kathryn shares. “The beauty I hear in some of the heaviest tracks, not commonly recognized as beautiful, is translated into lyrical piano music. I feel I have maintained the integrity of the tracks but just painted them with different colours, so to speak.”
The album’s creation was as raw as its inspirations. Recorded at home on her electric piano, with her partner Ashley engineering between life’s daily interruptions, Kathryn channeled emotion, frustration, and perseverance into every note. “Even listening to it now is such a love/hate thing,” she admits. “But I’m trying to have grace for myself!”
For fans of emotive, reflective, and transformative music, Kathryn Georgina’s Formative promises to be an experience that is as nostalgic as it is inspiring – a testament to the beauty in every chord and every scream.
Emerging from the depths of their 90s rock nostalgia, FREE MACHINE has released the official lyric video for their heavy-hitting single, Newborn Wreckage, taken from their recently launched debut album, Dead Echoes. The track embodies the band’s raw, unapologetic tribute to the grunge era, drawing on influences from Soundgarden, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam, and Temple of the Dog.
Formed as a passion project between two sets of longtime friends, Free Machine is not just a band — it’s a collaboration born purely out of love for the music that shaped them. Featuring Glenn Bradford (vocals, mixing), Clint Jurgens (guitar), Bryan Nicol (drums), and Brendan Haupt (bass), the band’s approach to writing and recording has been entirely remote. Without ever being in the same room together, they have crafted an EP that feels as cohesive and authentic as any live jam session.
“Newborn Wreckage was the first song written for this project, and its success was what ultimately pushed us to expand from a single track into a full-fledged EP,” says guitarist Clint Jurgens. “That evil, heavy, trudging main riff came first—maybe as a result of all the pent-up frustration during the Covid lockdowns. It just had this weight to it, a burden that needed to be carried.”
Lyrically, Newborn Wreckage explores the turmoil of doomed relationships—whether personal or creative. The song captures the universal struggle of trying to fix what’s broken, even when deep down, one knows it’s beyond repair. “You always think you can make it work. You always try. But sometimes, you have to face the truth—you were part of the wreckage too,” reflects vocalist Glenn Bradford.
Sonically, the track embraces the essence of 90s grunge with a deep, sludgy main riff and open-C guitar tuning, a nod to Soundgarden’s Pretty Noose and Burden in My Hand. “I wanted that suffocating heaviness in the verses to set up the chorus—a moment of self-reflection,” adds Jurgens. “It needed that release, that fleeting sense of clarity.”
With Newborn Wreckage, Free Machine delivers a track that can be described in five words: A trudging burden of doom and gloom.
NASTIRIFF, the South African alternative punk rock band unapologetically rooted in chaos and catharsis, is making waves again with the release of their highly anticipated new single, Bed By Seven. Accompanying the track is a visually captivating music video that promises to be as raw, energetic, and unconventional as the band itself.
Known for their audacious approach to music, Nastiriff describes themselves as stemming from “deep, rotten roots” with their sound delivering a “comically violent rock ‘n’ roll package, placing offence right in the face of where it belongs.” True to form, Bed By Seven is as confrontational as it is thought-provoking, blending raw emotion with humor and self-awareness.
“Inspiration is a funny thing. Some tracks don’t need inspiration to exist—they just fall out,” says Nastiriff when discussing the origins of Bed By Seven. The song is about “making sense out of something senseless,” transforming scattered thoughts into a high-energy anthem that listeners can both mosh and reflect to.
Lyrically, the track is a symbolic exploration of aging and self-acceptance. “You wake up one day to discover you’ve become the adult you swore you’d never be. And then, you just learn to be cool with it and move on,” they explain.
What began as a lighthearted attempt to roast an overconfident “asshole” turned into something far more introspective. “By the second verse, I realized I was talking about myself. Faking confidence to be more confident does have its drawbacks,” Vocalist Gavin Wilmers admits. Ultimately, Bed By Seven became a truce with ego, a negotiation of self-perception set against a backdrop of electric guitars and pounding drums.
If you’re wondering what Bed By Seven sounds like, Nastiriff encapsulates it in five words: Raw. Dynamic. Energetic. Upbeat. Weird. True to their signature style, the track offers a blend of gritty riffs, infectious rhythms, and an undeniable sense of rebellion.
After two decades of silence,Stretcher roars back with Information Overdose, a six-track EP set for release on April 4, 2025. The new collection showcases an evolved yet aggressive sound, blending elements of metal, punk, thrash, and hard rock.
Out now, Stretcher’s cover of The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, reimagined with Stretcher’s signature intensity, marks the first single of the upcoming EP.
Founding members Joe McGowan (bass) and Tom Stuart (drums) have joined forces with Mower vocalist Brian Sheerin and Relevance guitarist Chris Hartjen to bring this new era of Stretcher to life.
The seeds for Information Overdose were planted during the pandemic, with early song ideas forming in California while Sheerin split time between the East Coast and South America. The tracks came to fruition in Los Angeles with Emmy Award-winning producer Eddie Wohl (Anthrax), who helmed production and mixing. Drum recordings were engineered by Eric Emery(Blink-182, Periphery) and Eddy Garcia (Pissing Razors), while mastering was handled by Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More).
The first single, Blinding Lights, comes paired with a high-energy music video directed by award-winning filmmaker Tyler Jordan, shot on location in San Diego.
“Mower and Stretcher were tight in the ‘90s, playing countless shows together,” says Sheerin, “Mario (Israel, original Stretcher vocalist) would always have me jump up and trade vocals, and when we met up on tour, it was pure chaos. This record channels that same raw energy.”
Information Overdose delivers a powerful message— break free from the cycle of media-driven division, and reconnect. Sonically, the EP is a melting pot of styles: Chosen One drives with alternative rock vocals over crushing metal grooves, while Salvation layers hypnotic melodies over doom-inspired riffs. Thematically, the songs focus on awakening, unity, and empowerment.
“After years of writing with different guitarists, Joe and I found a natural fit with Chris. His style sparked something new,” adds Stuart. “Then Brian randomly texted one day and started writing before a visit to San Diego, and it all fell into place. We’re pumped to keep making music for the fans who live and breathe this.”
About Stretcher and Mower: Stretcher built their reputation with high-energy performances at Metalfest and alongside legends like Marilyn Manson, Machine Head, and Cannibal Corpse. Mower gained international recognition with Road Rage, featured on Sirius XM and MTV’s Headbangers’ Ball, and has shared stages with Slayer, Disturbed, System of a Down, and Linkin Park. Both bands emerged from San Diego’s thriving scene, which also produced P.O.D., Blink-182, and Unwritten Law.
The band’s reformation in 2023 was driven by McGowan and Stuart embracing Hartjen’s self-taught riff mastery and Sheerin’s dynamic vocal approach of melody with controlled aggression. Their influences range from Slayer, and Snot to Mötorhead, Gojira, and The Bronx.
Song Credits:
Producer & Mixer: Eddie Wohl
Drum Recording Engineers:
Eddy Garcia (Pissing Razors) – Chosen One, Information Overdose, Kill The Power
Eric Emery (Blink-182, Periphery) – Blinding Lights, Salvation, Skitzo
Mastering: Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More)
Writers & Performers (Original Tracks):
Chris Hartjen – Guitar
Joe McGowan – Bass
Brian Sheerin – Vocals
Tom Stuart – Drums
Additional Writer: Jason Hodgdon (guitar composition-Chosen One, Kill The Power)
Blinding Lights (Cover) Writers: The Weeknd, et al.
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 ) 