Heavy metal titans HAMMERFALL have released a spectacular new video for their third single, ‘Freedom,’ from the latest album,Avenge The Fallen. The video is a heartfelt tribute to their global fanbase, who played an integral role in its creation.
When the single ‘Freedom’ was unleashed in early July, HAMMERFALL launched a unique competition via their social media platforms, inviting fans to submit videos to become a part of “HammerFall’s History.” Fans from all corners of the globe participated, showcasing their passion by rocking HAMMERFALL merch, singing or playing their favorite instruments to the song, throwing the horns, or sharing epic moments at HAMMERFALL shows.
The final video is a dynamic blend of these incredible fan submissions, paired with electrifying live footage from HAMMERFALL’s recent tours and festival appearances. The result is a powerful celebration of the connection between the band and their loyal “Templars of Steel.”
“We’ve always said our fans are the heart of HammerFall, and this video proves it,” states the band. “Seeing so much love and dedication from our Templars has been truly inspiring. This one’s for you!”
SUBWAY TO SALLY have released the moving ballad “Herz in der Rinde” today, taken from their 15th studio album, Post Mortem, which will be released tomorrow via Napalm Records. The pioneers of German folk metal reveal a melancholic side, telling a story of love, loss, and memories. The poetic lyrics merge with the band’s signature folk sound, accompanied by a stirring melody that explores the pain of a love that once seemed eternal but has since faded. The haunting imagery of the carved heart and the finality of loss make this song a deeply emotional highlight, building up with a powerful arrangement into an intense soundscape that culminates in a monumental conclusion.
To celebrate the release of Post Mortem, SUBWAY TO SALLY are currently on their annual “Eisheilige Nacht” tour. They are joined by their labelmates, the ferocious power metal band Warkings – who collaborated with SUBWAY TO SALLY on the previous single “Stahl auf Stahl” – as well as the Irish folk punk band The O’Reillys & The Paddyhats and the German folk metal band Harpyie. Don’t miss out on this spectacle – grab your tickets now!
SUBWAY TO SALLY on their new single: “´Herz in der Rinde´ is a song our fans will love – it’s quintessentially us. Grand melodies, folk and violin sounds, lutes, paired with Eric’s initially balladic vocals, collide with heavy metal guitars during the merciless finale of the story and the song. A piece like a great movie – that was our goal, and we are incredibly proud of the result!”
German Folk Metal Legends SUBWAY TO SALLY Celebrate Their Rebirth with Their 15th Studio Album!
Not even two years have passed since the release of their previous record Himmelfahrt in 2023, and initially, the band had secretly planned for it to be their last album. With a symbolic title, the genre-defining force from Potsdam, Germany intended to close their over 30-year career with dignity. But things took a different turn. SUBWAY TO SALLY undeniably struck a chord with the times, and the response to Himmelfahrt was overwhelmingly positive from both fans and critics alike. After a tour with many sold-out shows, it became abundantly clear that their 14th album was not the final chapter. The album’s release unleashed an unstoppable sense of lightness and energy that sparked their creativity to such an extent that SUBWAY TO SALLY are now ready with their brand-new masterpiece, Post Mortem, following the fastest creative process in the band’s history.
The new masterpiece begins with the explosive track “Phönix”, which celebrates the creative rebirth of the folk metal institution. On Post Mortem, SUBWAY TO SALLY neither look back nor into the future, but rather deliver a sharp analysis of the present. Songs like “Wunder”, “Nero”, “Lumpensammler”, and “Die Erde bebt” offer the band’s signature soundscape while exploring socially critical themes without moralizing. This serious side is contrasted by captivating tracks that celebrate life and the simple joy of music. The anthemic title track “Post Mortem”, the rousing “Unter dem Banner”, and the poetic ballad “Herz in der Rinde” unleash an uncanny joy of playing. All songs unite the band’s familiar trademarks of great melodies and profound lyrics but never feel redundant. The haunting “Atlas” melancholically draws on Greek mythology, while the folk metallers showcase a heavier yet melodic side on “Stahl auf Stahl”. For this piece, they enlisted their labelmates Warkings as guest performers, whose power metal adds a unique flavor to the track. With English lyrics in the chorus, SUBWAY TO SALLY return to their roots. With “Kummerkind”, the septet tackles mental struggles that many people cannot escape, once again proving their precise grasp of the zeitgeist.
SUBWAY TO SALLY comment: “In this world of contradictions and changes, finding a voice seems difficult. But upon closer inspection, one finds parallels in history and art. What do Putin and Nero, Oppenheimer and Prometheus have in common? What rises from the ashes of Rome? Does history truly repeat itself – once as tragedy, the other time as farce?”
SUBWAY TO SALLY skillfully explore this tension between past, future, and present, art and political reality with their music, making it clear with Post Mortem that they are more alive than ever before.
Post Mortem track listing: 1. Introitus 2. Phönix 3. Post mortem 4. Wunder 5. Nero 6. Unter dem Banner 7. Herz in der Rinde 8. Lumpensammler 9. Stahl auf Stahl 10. Atlas 11. Kummerkind 12. Eisheilige Nacht 13. Die Erde bebt
Eisheilige Nacht 2024 w/ WARKINGS, Support: The O´Reillys & The Paddyhats + Harpyie 20.12.24 DE – Dortmund / Winterlights 21.12.24 DE – Giessen / Hessenhallen 22.12.24 DE – Dresden / Alter Schlachthof 26.12.24 DE – Braunschweig / MEC 27.12.24 DE – Würzburg / Posthalle 28.12.24 DE – Bielefeld / Lokschuppen 29.12.24 DE – Bremen / Pier2 30.12.24 DE – Potsdam / Waschhaus
Post Mortem Tour 2025 Special Guests: Serenity, Blackbriar 25.04.25 DE – Osnabrück / Hyde Park 26.04.25 DE – Köln / Essigfabrik 30.04.25 DE – Leipzig / Anker 01.05.25 DE – Nurnberg / Löwensaal 02.05.25 DE – Heidelberg / Halle02 03.05.25 DE – Hannover / Pavillon 09.05.25 DE – Erfurt / Central Club 10.05.25 DE – Munich / Backstage 16.05.25 DE – Hamburg / Docks 17.05.25 DE – Berlin / Huxleys
Festivals 2025 30.01.25 US – Miami / 70 000 Tons of Metal
SUBWAY TO SALLY are: Eric Fish – Vocals, Flutes, Bagpipe Ally Storch – Violin Bodenski – Hurdy Gurdy, Acoustic Guitar, Vocals Simon – Acoustic Guitars, Trumsheit, Vocals Ingo Hampf – Guitar, Lute Simon Michael – Drums, Percussion Sugar Ray – Bass
Italy’s cult heavy rock band DEATH SS unleash the video for their second single “Out To Get Me”. The song is taken from their new studio album “The Entity” which will be released early next year. The concept album was produced by mastermind and frontman Steve Sylvester along with the English Grammy winner producer Tom Dalgety (Rammstein, Ghost, The Cult, a.o.).
‘Out To Get Me’ is a dark, orchestral ballad. The main character Jekyll becomes aware of the evil his alter ego has caused and of the other people’s reaction towards him. Tormented by doubts and remorse, his mental health degenerates and in a hallucinatory crescendo, wherever he flees, he feels haunted by hellish creatures – the monsters of his conscience.
DEATH SS’s frontman Steve Sylvester comments: “When I had to think of a video to accompany this song, the first thing that came to mind was a classical ballet, an esoteric dance symbolising the eternal battle between good and evil. The dancer/demon and the dancer/angel face and fight each other, symbolising an eternal cycle of birth, death and rebirth. In this context there is no real final victory, but rather a constant flow of forces converging within the soul of the protagonist of the song, who suffers from this dualism. So I looked for two professionals who could embody this vision of mine, and I found them in the persons of Greta Bellintani and Gianluca D’Alò, who did their job very well. The location was the Viper Theatre in Florence, whose stage was well suited to the task”.
Video clip’s director Andrea Falaschi adds: “During the filming of this video, one of those ‘alchemies’ of cinema occurred that only insiders can see. The two dancers came from different cities, they had never seen each other or spoken to each other. In just a few minutes I instructed them on what I wanted on camera and as soon as they stepped on stage the magic clicked. It was as if they had known each other for years, with an incredible attunement. Without words they embodied their characters giving them the personality I had described to them flawlessly. They were truly great professionals”.
“Out To Get Me” is available digitally and as 12” Limited Deluxe edition featuring a special shaped cover with sky blue vinyl and contains the second of the four-part booklet with the full story behind the concept “The Entity” along with two other tracks on Side B, ‘Two Souls’ and ’ Hell Is Revealed,’ included on the new album as well.
Track listing 12” “Out To Get Me” Side A: Out To Get Me Side B: Two Souls + Hell Is Revealed
The literary inspirations of the 12-song opus range from Aleister Crowley, who seeks to liberate man by awakening his artistic genius (‘Aleister Crowley and the Hidden God’ – Kenneth Grant), to the characters of writers James Hogg (‘The Private Memoirs And Confessions of a Justified Sinner’) and Robert Louis Stevenson (‘The Strange Case Of Doctor Jekyll And Mr. Hyde’), who explore the dark side of mankind. It also includes other literary characters and references such as ‘Mary Reilly’ (Valerie Martin), ‘Portrait Of A Killer: Jack The Ripper – Case Closed’ (Patricia Cornwell), ‘Cemetery’ (Renzo Barbieri), ‘Hyde In Time’ (Mario Gazzola), ultimately linking to the band’s history.
Italian rock group DEATH SS was founded in 1977 by Steve Sylvester with the aim of forming a band that encloses inside of itself all its particular interests for occultism, horror films, erotic comics and rock music, in an original manner. After disbanding in 1982 Sylvester re-founded the band in 1988 whose discography includes albums such as “In Death of Steve Sylvester,”“Heavy Demons,” “Do What Thou Wilt” and “Panic” with influences ranging from dark metal to cyberpunk.
DEATH SS are: Voce: Steve Sylvester – vocals Freddy Delirio – keyboards Ghiulz – guitars Demeter – bass Unam Talbot – drums Dahlila e Jessica – performers
On March 14th, 2025, Finland’s melancholic gothic/doom ensemble HANGING GRADEN will release its new four-track EP titled “The Unending” via Agonia Records. The EP – whose first single is expected to surface in January – serves as a bridge between the band’s last album, “The Garden” (2023), and the new one, which is currently in preproduction. Scroll down for cover artwork, tracklisting and other details.
Delving deeper into the rituals, beliefs and existential concepts intrinsic to the nature of humanity and its cultures, HANGING GARDEN continues the thematic continuum of their previous full-length album, “The Garden”. Their latest work, a mini-album bearing the name “The Unending”, is a four song entity, its thematic focal points those of perseverance and the occult, of returning to a harmony with nature and the remorseless forces therein. Once again, an aesthetic interplay between light and darkness, dissonance and harmony, serenity and ferocity, HANGING GARDEN‘s novel musical work seeks to provide the listener with a journey through emotion and spirituality, through their meadows and wastelands, and onwards into the collective soul of humanity.
“The Unending” was produced by Jussi Hämäläinen and Jarno Hänninen and mixed & mastered by Jarno Hänninen at D-studio. The cover art & layout was created by Kalle Pyyhtinen.
Tracklisting: 1. To Seize the Night 2. The Passage 3. Morgan’s Trail 4. The First Sunrise
HAGNING GARDEN was brought to life in 2004 with an early style that encompassed heavy, doom-oriented metal music. Roughly two decades, seven albums and a couple of line-up shuffles later, the Finns shifted to a more melodic, contemporary sound, which is rooted in dark atmosphere, and leans towards open-minded and playful musicality. While still entrenched in metal, HANGING GARDEN possesses a versatile, many-layered style of playing, male & female vocals, and draws influence & inspiration from music and art, far and wide. The group may appeal to fans of Swallow the Sun, Ghost Brigade, October Tide, Katatonia or Type O Negative.
Line-up: Mikko Kolari – guitars Jussi Hämäläinen – guitars, backing vocals Kimmo Tukiainen – guitars Nino Hynninen – synths Jussi Kirves – bass, moog Antti Ruokola – drums, programming Riikka Hatakka – vocals Toni Hatakka – vocals
Greek power metallers BRAVERIDE announce the reissue of their second album “Rise Of The Dragonrider” on cd digipack, with artwork, created by Dimitar Nikolov (Cloven Hoof, Majesty).
“Rise Of The Dragonrider” creates a great epic feeling, featuring forgotten jems as ‘Dragonrider’, ‘Heroes’ Ode’ and a medieval taste of ‘For The Fallen’.
So it is a good opportunity to listen to their older stuff, waiting for the upcoming album.
Track list: At the Village 01:49 A Place of Shadows04:33 Heroes’ Ode 06:15 Ruins of Disaster 04:57 At Enemies Borders06:38 For the Fallen 04:41 Shifles the Griffin 06:11 Dragonrider 04:40 A Piece of Peace 02:52 The Great Mountain 10:38
Another hot contender for taking the longest time to release new music, Hamburg’s own progressive rock/metal outfit EDEN CIRCUS are back with their new single ‘Cynics of Life‘.
10 years have now passed since the last album “Marula” by the five-piece northern German post-prog rockers EDEN CIRCUS. Since then, events have accelerated. First the band has to say goodbye to both guitarists, because Andi is leaving the band and guitarist Nils is moving to the Krupps. Not only are two important driving forces lost, but also the previous songwriting process.
After Waik and Dennis joined the band, they finally played a few gigs again and worked on the new album. Even before Covid paralyzes the entire music landscape, numerous other events turn the band’s everyday life upside down: people move, build houses and 2 1/2 recording studios, start families and new bands. Sometimes the five of them don’t see each other for weeks. But there was never any talk about quitting.
Because the rare rehearsals always clearly show that the band can still deliver. In addition, the new record is finished and, despite all the new commitments, no one has lost the joy of presenting their songs to an audience that celebrates their music on sweaty, beer-soaked club evenings. So here’s to something new!
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 ) 