Epictronic is pleased to announce the release of the official video for “Requiem for Dead Flowers,” a new track by ambient/folk artist Happy Sad, taken from the album The World Is Grand When We See.
“Requiem for Dead Flowers”reflects on the way seasons fade. As nature moves on, so do the emotional imprints tied to it. The piece draws a parallel between withering flowers and the soft erosion of memory, presenting a restrained and reflective soundscape. Built on subtle orchestration and minimal textures, the composition moves with patience and intent.
Happy Sad describes the track as part of a post-classical lineage shaped by artists such as Jóhann Jóhannsson and Ryuichi Sakamoto.
About the Artist: The Architect of Sound
Happy Sad is the solo project of Hiroaki, a Japanese artist and sound professional based in the game industry. He began making music during his student years, playing café bar gigs and recording demos. His influences take in soul, British rock, folk, trip hop, neoclassical, world music, and film scores, alongside a strong connection to literature. His recordings balance live instrumentation with programmed elements. To date, Happy Sad has released seven albums and 19 EPs.
Outside of music, Hiroaki has around 14 years of experience as a Sound Designer and Sound Director in the games industry, having contributed to over 60 projects at companies including NetEase Games, FunPlus, NHN PlayArt, and Noisycroak Inc. His work spans music composition, sound design, audio direction, and promotional video production. In 2013, his track “Everyday” won the domestic DJ category and reached the finals of MTV and Lenovo’s CO:LAB contest.
In recent years, Hiroaki has travelled across ten countries in search of sounds and traditional instruments. Encounters along the way with displaced communities have shaped his approach to music as a form of shared human expression.
The World Is Grand When We See is out now via Epictronic.Stream the album here: orcd.co/twgwws
After more than a decade, progressive psychedelic rock heavyweights ELDER are finally heading back Down Under. The band has announced a string of Australian headline dates for May 2027, joined by special guests KHAN. Tickets are now on sale via www.beholdtheelder.com
The announcement arrives as ELDER continue their busy 2026 schedule, currently performing at major European summer festivals before embarking on an extensive North American headline tour this September, with BASK and BLACKWATER HOLYLIGHT joining the band on selected dates. Following a run of European shows with TEMPLE FANG and REZN in early 2027, ELDER will finally make their long-awaited return to Australia, bringing material from their acclaimed new album Through Zero alongside fan favourites from across their ever-evolving catalogue.
Regarding their long-awaited return, the band comments:
“For over a decade we’ve been waiting for things to line up for us to finally get back to Australia, and we’re extremely stoked this finally came together! We had so many great times and met so many lovely people on our first trip in 2015 and are more than looking forward to returning with the 10+ years of new music we’ve made since then. Of course we’ll bring a generous helping of our new record Through Zero alongside our older repertoire. Get those tickets and we’ll see you down under!”
Upcoming ELDER Live Dates Europe 2026: 10.07. Pleszew, PL – Red Smoke Festival 11.07. Alperstedter See Erfurt, DE – Stoned From The Underground 23.07. Reutlingen, DE – Hafensounds Festival w/ Kadavar 24.07. Budapest, HU – Monolit Festival 25.07. Tolmin, SI – Tolminator Festival 26.07. Milan, IT – Circolo Magnolia Summer 28.07. Rockstadt, RO – Rockstadt Extreme Fest 30.07. Breitenbach am Herzberg, DE – Burg Herzberg Festival 31.07. Michelau, DE – Rock Im Wald 04.08. Rostock, DE – MAU Club 05.08. Josefov-Jaromer, CZ – Brutal Assault Festial 08.08. Âncora, PT – Sonic Blast Festival 14.08. Valais, CH – PALP Festival
ELDER North America 2026:
September 09 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry* September 10 – Asheville, NC – The Orange Peel* September 11 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade* September 13 – Levitation Festival September 16 – Mesa, AZ – Nile Theater‡ September 17 – San Diego, CA – Music Box‡ September 18 – Los Angeles, CA – Regent Theater‡ September 19 – San Jose, CA – The Ritz ‡ September 21 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theatre‡ September 22 – Portland, OR – Roseland Theater‡ September 23 – Seattle, WA – Neptune Theatre‡ September 25 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge‡ September 26 – Denver, CO – Federal Theater‡ September 28 – Chicago, IL – Avondale Music Hall‡ September 30 – Toronto, ON – Opera House‡ October 01 – Montreal, QC – Theatre Fairmount‡ October 02 – New York, NY – Webster Hall‡ October 03 – Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club‡
with Bask ‡ with Blackwater Holylight
ELDER Europe / UK 2027 with TEMPLE FANG and REZN:
3rd Feb – Oberhausen – Kulttempel 4th Feb – Brussels – Botanique 5th Feb – Amsterdam – Melkweg 6th Feb – Hamburg – Gruenspan 8th Feb – Gothenburg – Monument 9th Feb – Oslo – Rockefeller Music Hall 11th Feb – Stockholm – Kollektivet Livet 12th Feb – Copenhagen – Pumpehuset 13th Feb – Berlin – Festsaal Kreuzberg 14th Feb – Leipzig – UT Connewitz 16th Feb – Prague – Futurum Music Bar 17th Feb – Vienna – Flex 18th Feb – Munich – Technikum 19th Feb – Zurich – Plaza 20th Feb – Saarbrucken – Garage 21st Feb – Paris – Trabendo 23rd Feb – Bristol – Trinity Centre 24th Feb – Leeds – Brudenell Social Club – Main Room 25th Feb – Glasgow – The Garage 26th Feb – Manchester – Academy 2 27th Feb – London – Electric Brixton
Two decades into their existence, ELDER remain an anomaly in the heavy underground – a rare band with the ability to absorb and shed influences from a myriad of genres without falling into pastiche or losing their own identity. Their new studio offering, Through Zero, stands as a strong reaffirmation of their commitment to pushing boundaries in the world of heavy rock and cements the group’s status as leaders of the pack in heavy psychedelic rock.
Over the past twenty years, ELDER have mastered crushing riffs, melodic jaunts, progressive patterns, hypnotic grooves and ethereal atmosphere. On Through Zero, the band channel these years of experience into what may be their most immediate and engaging record to date, while allowing seeds from outside the sphere of rock music to take root and bloom within their progressive framework. Listeners will find familiar elements of new textures, sequences, and sounds alongside ELDER’s iconic take on heavy rock. As always, every spin reveals new details.
Recorded at Big Snuff Studios in Berlin across several months between tours in 2025, Through Zero marks the first album the band not only produced themselves, but also co-mixed together with longtime collaborator Richard Behrens. Mastered by Carl Saff, the result is a record that feels more like a full extension of the band’s creative intentions than ever before.
End Of Abyss, a rising name in Finland’s progressive metal scene, will unveil their debut album in October. While the band may be new to international audiences, its lineup features familiar faces from the Finnish metal world — including vocalist Mikko Herranen, known for his work across multiple bands and as a producer, and bassist Janne Koskenkorva, recognized from Baulta and Portrait of Beyond.
The first single, Astral Dreams, released today, offers a strong glimpse into the album’s overall atmosphere. The nearly seven‑minute track tells a story set in a historical fantasy world, where summer slowly turns to autumn. Its lyrics introduce the album’s overarching concept, presenting the dream‑realm‑fighting “Platoon of Shadows” and exploring the connection between dream and reality — and how that connection becomes a weapon in the fight for a better world.
“We wanted the song to feel cinematic and epic, shifting from soft to heavy, from the eye of the storm to the beauty of a symphonic orchestra. The chorus intentionally contrasts a beautiful athmosphere with more ominous lyrical themes,” explains the band’s main songwriter Petrus Syvänperä.
“Astral Dreams is unusual metal track because it carries so much dynamic range. Those emotional shifts make the music interesting. It’s my favorite song on the album for that reason — the entire emotional spectrum is in use,” adds vocalist Mikko Herranen.
–ISRC: FI3FC2656402 –Composer: Petrus Syvänperä –Lyricist: Petrus Syvänperä –Arrangement: Petrus Syvänperä & Mikko Herranen
Band history
End Of Abyss began in Jyväskylä, Finland in the early 2000s as Petrus Syvänperä’s one‑man project. The first self‑recorded demo appeared in 2010, slowly planting the idea of creating a full progressive metal album. A key part of the band’s musical evolution was the development of Petrus’s home studio, where years of demos shaped both the band’s sound and the album’s narrative. During this period, the project worked with several artists but did not yet settle on permanent members.
When the debut album entered the production phase in 2024, guitarist Alpo Pöytäkangas joined and contributed also to the songwriting. Shortly after, bassist Janne Koskenkorva became part of the lineup.
The band’s sound took a major leap forward when vocalist Mikko Herranen joined. His strong melodic sense, professional experience, and human‑centered working style helped shape the album’s sweeping, symphonic atmosphere.
In addition to Pöytäkangas and Syvänperä few tracks include solos by Antti Koivistoinen, who was involved also during the demo years, and rhythm guitars by Juha‑Matti “Masa” Berg (Remastered).
Petrus Syvänperä: Guitars, keyboards, programming & drums Mikko Herranen: Vocals Janne Koskenkorva: Bass Alpo Pöytäkangas: Lead guitar
American black metal band ABIGAIL WILLIAMS has begun recording its seventh studio album & successor to “A Void Within Existence” from 2025.
The band comments: “Recording has begun on our 7th full-length album. Drums are done, once again handled by Mike Heller, and the rest of the work is now underway at Ken’s home studio. We began before our European tour, which was a great success, and after a couple of weeks to recover, the work has resumed in earnest. Thanks to Fortress Fest UK and Zappenduster for having us, and to our support bands in Ireland and Shagor across mainland Europe. No shortcuts are being taken; the goal is to match the intensity of our last two albums, and push it further. Another update will follow once recording is complete and we move into mixing. Release is set for early next year.”
ABIGAIL WILLIAMS is Ken Sorceron (ex-Aborted, ex-The Faceless, Vale Of Pnath, Nachtmystium) on vocals and guitars, Vance Valenzuela (Vale Of Pnath) on guitars, John Porada (ex-Nachtmystium, ex-Wolvhammer) on bass and Mike Heller (Fear Factory, Malignancy) on drums. With Sorceron retaining his leading role, the band expands on its unique and intensive sound, forged throughout six studio albums, and anchored in black metal with shades of death metal & symphonic metal.
Their last album, “A Void Within Existence” was released to critical acclaim in 2025. Produced by frontman Ken Sorceron and mixed by renowned engineer Dave Otero (Aborted, Akhlys), the album is a scorched offering of black metal transcendence: harrowing, cinematic, and utterly uncompromising. Lyrically, it dives deep into existential themes of loss, disintegration, and unreality. Tracks like “Still Nights” and “No Less Than Death” reflect on identity through surreal and fragmented images – distant lights, poisoned memories, dreams where “there is no pain”. Elsewhere, songs like “Embrace The Chasm” and “Life, Disconnected” summon visions of cosmic dread and personal oblivion, confronting the listener with raw emotion and esoteric vision.
Tour dates:
The band recently wrapped up a European/UK tour, which included stops at the Zappenduster Festival and Fortress Fest. Currently, there are no upcoming concerts or tour dates scheduled.
Line-up:
Ken Sorceron – vocals, guitars Vance Valenzuela – guitars John Porada – bass Mike Heller – drums
Durant, Oklahoma – Bubblegum alternative metal sensation Nova Riot has officially premiered their highly anticipated music video for “Midnight Coven Crush”, a visually striking risqué masterpiece directed by frontwoman Nova Ray that reclaims female power by absolute force. Merging crushing heavy riffs with candy-coated aesthetics, the captivating clip challenges societal stigmas and showcases a fierce narrative of autonomy. The band delivers an unforgettable performance that immediately hooks the viewer, establishing this release as a definitive milestone in their growing videography.
“Midnight Coven Crush” is the second of three music videos from the band’s debut full-length album Blood, Lies & Lullabies, which will be released on August 21, 2026 via rock and metal record label Eclipse Records.
At its core, Midnight Coven Crush serves as a profound reclamation of bodily autonomy and systemic subversion. Nova Ray expresses that the lyrical and visual concept addresses universal struggles that women endure daily, offering a therapeutic medium to rewrite traditional narratives and reclaim control. Instead of submitting to established social hierarchies, the video positions its characters as powerful agents of change who handle adversity with uncompromising strength. This unapologetic symbolism was carefully refined during editing to ensure the horror elements complemented the overarching message of empowerment rather than distracting from it.
“It’s important to connect visually in today’s ever-expanding world of social media,“ explains bassist Orion. “If you can reel them in with a hooky video, chances are you will connect with some new fans, so we hope we’ve accomplished that here!” Vocalist Nova Ray adds, “this video is about accepting your inner baddie while taking control of the narrative that surrounds the stigma of hierarchy, and how it relates to the typical worldview of women. Midnight Coven Crush takes that power back by force! I think just about every woman has a personal story similar to what inspired this video… Something that unfortunately gets experienced all too often. But that is what makes us incredibly fortunate… we get to write the ending. That’s a powerful experience!”
Coverart by Paris Pipkin
The heavy music landscape often feels like a choice between two extremes: the jagged, unpolished chaos of the underground or the sanitized, predictable shine of the mainstream. Every so often, a band emerges that refuses to acknowledge the boundary at all. Nova Riot, a trio operating out of Durant, Oklahoma, is that disruption. With their upcoming debut album, Blood, Lies & Lullabies, they have officially planted their flag in a territory they call bubblegum alternative metal. The album is a rare combination of commercial viability and uncompromising creative vision. It is a high-octane collision of grit and melody that feels both dangerously volatile and impeccably crafted. Produced by Braxton Henry and co-produced by Addison Ray and Paris Pipkin, the album boasts a cinematic depth that matches its conceptual ambition. The trio functions as a self-contained production powerhouse, prioritizing studio perfection and visual storytelling to create an immersive world for their listeners. Nova Riot is not just releasing a collection of songs; they are inviting the world into an immersive, rhythmic incantation. Altogether, the album contains seven tracks, including standouts like “The Altar (feat. The Bunny The Bear)”, “Midnight Coven Crush” and “Like I Meant It.” The album is set for release on August 21, 2026 via Eclipse Records.
Pre-Save or Pre-Order Blood, Lies & Lullabies at this location.
Blood, Lies & Lullabies track listing 01. Haunting Me 02. Midnight Coven Crush 03. Casket 04. The Altar (feat. The Bunny The Bear) 05. Like I Meant It 06. Through The Storm 07. Sorry Mom
About Nova Riot In an era of predictable formulas and recycled aesthetics, NOVA RIOT emerges from Durant, Oklahoma, as a formidable disruption to the heavy music status quo. Operating under the defiant mantra of “Music with No Apologies,” the trio has rapidly carved out a niche within a self-defined sonic territory they describe as bubblegum alternative metal. Nova Riot is Nova Ray (vocals), Orion (bass guitar), Ares (lead guitar).
John Jackson, co-manager of the Bon Scott Estate, music industry veteran, producer, and Director of Archives for Billy Joel.
On Tuesday, July 7th at 7PM Eastern time, in celebration of the 80th anniversary of Bon Scott’s birth, TalkShopLive hosted music historian/estate curator and custodian, John Jackson for an in-depth discussion of Bon’s life and career from his birth in Scotland through his tenure with AC/DC.
In conjunction with official merch vendor Perryscope, fans will have the opportunity to purchase special 80th anniversary merchandise.
TalkShopLive is the leading media D2C in the music business, recognized by Fast Company magazine as one of the world’s Most Innovative Companies. Buyers can access unlimited channels and live product shows. TalkShopLive livestreams can be embedded on any website and can simultaneously provide shoppable simulcasts to an artist’s social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Left: Bon Scott, legendary AC/DC frontman, whose voice, lyrics, and stage presence helped define the band’s early era and lasting legacy. Right: The Bon Scott COPA Jersey, a limited commemorative piece celebrating Bon’s 80th birthday and enduring rock ‘n’ roll legacy.
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 ) 