This year marks Sabaton’s 25th anniversary, and the band is using the occasion not only to look back but also to look ahead. To celebrate, the Swedish metal veterans have shared exclusive insights into their fifth studio album, “Coat of Arms”, and invited fans to reminisce through “throwback” photos from their past. But that’s not all: on October 11, their concert film “The Tour To End All Tours” also premiered on the big screen.
While the band is celebrating their anniversary with fans, they’re also focusing on the future. In an interview with Radioactive MikeZ, frontman Joakim Brodén gives exciting details about the progress of their upcoming album.
Joakim Brodén Interview with Radioactive MikeZ
Brodén shared that the band is not taking a break and is already hard at work on new material:
“We already have quite a bit of material. So it’s not like we’re going to take a break and then start writing. We’re already in the process.”
This continuity seems to be typical for Sabaton, as Brodén further explains:
“When we finish an album, I feel like, ‘Screw this. I don’t want to write music for a while.’ But three months later, I’m sitting there writing new music.”
However, songwriting and producing an album is no easy task. Brodén talks openly about the challenges of the creative process:
“When an album is finished, I hate it—sorry to say. I’m not the only songwriter in the band, but I’m the one who writes the majority of the music. And I’m involved in the lyrics or most of the songs, and almost all of the songs musically. So I spend months in the studio writing, either alone or with someone else.
Then I prepare all the pre-productions, cleaning the takes, and saying what we’re going to do, putting everything together, and giving it to everyone in the band to practice. Then we go into the studio, and I’m the constant in the studio, keeping an eye on everything along with the producer. I’m there throughout the entire recording process.
After that, I take a small break, and then the sound engineer starts mixing. Then I come back in for the mix, and at that point, I’m already sick of the songs. From that point on, you’re just looking for problems and mistakes. What went wrong? What’s off here? Do we need to re-record something? Should we correct anything? Is this too loud? Do we need EQ? At that point, I’ve programmed myself to only hear the problems with the album. When the mastering is done, I absolutely hate it. I’m so sick of this music. It’ll take one or two years before I can listen to it objectively again.”
This honest insight into the creative process shows how deeply Brodén is involved in every phase of album production, from writing to final mixing.
Johnny O’Neil has released “My Mona” the third single and video from his album Brand New Day. The video was recently premiered on BraveWords.com and is now available for the public to watch at https://youtu.be/yjzjDM5_5d0. Johnny’s previous video for “Take Me Down” was selected by seven film festivals around the world.
Johnny had this to say about the making of the video, “As “My Mona” is quite a sonic departure from other tracks on ‘Brand New Day,’ we wanted to make a video that is quite a visual departure from our previous efforts. In particular, we wanted to capture the experience of all that is involved in preparing for a show. This time around, we filmed in multiple locations, including live footage from a performance at “The Fine Line” in Minneapolis, rehearsing at our studio, “Bearded Maggie Studio,” and our antics on the bus at “The Minnesota Music Café” in Saint Paul.”
The song itself, one of three tracks on the album co-written by Johnny and his blazing lead guitarist partner, John Funk, has a distinct R&B, honky-tonk, Rolling Stones vibe, and tells the story of a touring musician sleeping in a roach-infested motel who’s missing his companion back home, even though she “treats him so cruel.” It is also the only track on the album without a guitar solo! Instead, the tune features a blistering sax solo by Jason Peterson DeLaire, who makes a cameo appearance in the video, along with Brianna Tagg-Jorgensen on background vocals. And speaking of the bus, it’s a 1948 Greyhound (built by GMC), restored by its owner, Dave Vonwax (aka, “Kid Rock”), who plays the role of the bus driver.
O’Neil’s third solo effort, Brand New Day, covers broad musical territory, taking elements from the past and adding a decidedly modern twist, combining guitar-driven hard rock and R&B with hooky choruses that get stuck in your head for days. Recruiting the talents of John Funk on lead guitar, Benny Craig on bass, and Joachim Baecker on drums, as well as engineer/co-producer Brian Bart – O’Neil’s former bandmate in Dare Force – O’Neil and his full band spent months writing and rehearsing before hunkering down to record with Bart at Winterland Studios in Minneapolis, as well as the legendary Pachyderm Studios in Cannon Falls, Minn., where Nirvana famously recorded In Utero.
ARTIST: Johnny O’Neil
ALBUM: BRAND NEW DAY
1. BRAND NEW DAY (J. O’Neil) 2. TAKE ME DOWN (J. O’Neil, J. Funk) 3. MY MONA (J. O’Neil, J. Funk) 4. IT’S TOO HARD TO SAY GOODBYE (R. Hogan)* 5. WHEN JANIE MOVED INTO TOWN (J. O’Neil) 6. IN SEARCH OF (J. O’Neil) 7. COMIN’ DOWN LIKE A MOUNTAIN (J. O’Neil) 8. HANDS UP (J. O’Neil, J. Funk) 9. DON’T BELIEVE A WORD (P. Lynott)** 10. TELL ME YOUR STORY (J. O’Neil)
Graphic Design & cover photo: JoBa Visuals
Band Members: JOHNNY O’NEIL: All Lead and Harmony Vocals, Guitars JOHN FUNK: Guitars BENNY CRAIG: Bass JOACHIM BAECKER: Drums and Percussion
JOHNNY O’NEIL:
O’Neil has been in practice as a Ph.D.-level clinical psychologist for over two decades, quite a feat considering he dropped out of high school at 16 to focus on his burgeoning music career. After more than a decade of achieving many of his musical dreams, including the ‘80s with Dare Force, O’Neil decided to go back to school at the age of 28 to get his GED. He went on to earn his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota, followed by a Master’s degree and eventually a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from The Ohio State University.
Now a solopreneur in private practice as a forensic psychologist, O’Neil conducts Independent Psychological Evaluations (IPEs) of claimants involved in workers’ comp and personal injury cases, and provides courtroom testimony as an expert witness – a fascinating occupation to be sure. In fact, he found himself interviewing dozens of Minneapolis police officers who filed disability claims due to PTSD in the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020.
Not surprisingly, for O’Neil, playing music is an invaluable form of therapy and expressing his emotions. “I don’t have a choice, I have to play music,” he says. “It’s how I’m wired and how I preserve my sanity. It’s therapy for me. I’ll be performing until my last gasp.”
O’Neil fell in love with music at the age of five, begging his parents to buy him a guitar after seeing The Beatles perform on The Ed Sullivan Show, which they finally did when he turned eight years old. The stars aligned when his future Dare Force bandmate, Brian Bart, moved in across the street when he was nine. “We had a tussle over something silly in the front yard, then my mom invited us in for a piece of cake; we’ve been thick as thieves ever since,” O’Neil says.
O’Neil and Bart immediately bonded over their mutual love of music (including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Winter, Steppenwolf, and Creedence Clearwater Revival), and quickly formed a band together. One of their first gigs was at Sunny Hollow Elementary School in 6th grade, where Bob Dylan’s younger brother, David Zimmerman, was their music teacher and introduced their band to an audience of 500-some fellow classmates.
Infusing his songwriting with his personal values of tolerance, compassion and empathy throughout his career, O’Neil believes that an important part of an artist’s job is to not only reflect what’s going on in the world, but also to comment on it and influence it. To this end, O’Neil’s driving rock tunes go beyond being simply upbeat, feel-good rock ‘n roll, to songs that really have something to say to the world.
DARE FORCE: (Johnny O’Neil’s previous band Dare Force) Dare Force was a legendary hard rock/heavy metal band based in Minneapolis that was initially founded by Johnny and Brian Bart when they were 18 years old. Dare Force released three albums in the 1980s and performed in concert with numerous national acts such as KISS, Ted Nugent, Triumph, Kansas, UFO, the Joe Perry Project, and Ratt, as well as headlining in venues throughout the US, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. Dare Force also had several songs that received heavy airplay on rock radio stations throughout the midwestern US in the 1980s. Dare Force released its third album, “Firepower,” with a reformed version of the band in 1989. The original lineup performed occasional reunion gigs after the long run of the original band ended in 1987, but the original version of Dare Force stopped performing live altogether after their last reunion show in 2002. Dare Force reformed yet again with a return to a four-piece lineup in 2017, and released its fourth album, “Callin’ Your Name,” in 2018.
A sonic evolution is about to being – moments come that mark the dawn of a renaissance, a rebirth through frames of raw sound and throbbing industrial pulse. Today, such a moment unfurls as Season of Mist welcomes Your Inland Empire, the band once known as CROWN, into its revered fold.
Forged in the crucible of shadow and light, Your Inland Empire arises an an exemplification of eternal transformation. The renown the band garnered as CROWN was but a harbinger of what is to come. CROWN’s last album, The End of All Things, was a symphony, breathing fragility and ferocity in equal measure, whispering the promise of a revolution. The transition to Your Inland Empire is not just a name change; it is the phoenix rising, a bold venture into uncharted sonic territories where artistry knows no borders.
Stéphane Azam and David Husser, the architects of this boundless empire, have chiseled their vision from the sonic bedrock. Together, their eight-stringed guitars and digital pulses concoct an alchemical sound, a mechanized heart pulsing with human vulnerability.
Their forthcoming album promises a duality that captures the very essence of our existence. Your Inland Empire thrives on introspection, shedding light on our internal conflicts while their melodies traverse realms of bright, inviting tenderness. Each track is a journey through a landscape fraught with tenebrous hopes, where intricate craftsmanship and unyielding drive coalesce.
Lineup: Stéphane Azam – Vocals, Guitars, Songwriting, Experimentation David Husser – Guitars, Programming, Production, Experimentation Marc Strebler – Guitars Nicolas Uhlen – Drums
YOUR INLAND EMPIRE are the renegade torchbearers who forged their legacy as Crown. Ready to ink a new chapter under Season of Mist – a voyage from legacy to evolution, an eternal metamorphosis. Baptized in the crucible of raw sound and industrial angst, Your Inland Empire transmutes the heritage into a daring quest beyond sonic realms once deemed unconquerable.
‘The End of All Things’, Crown’s last album under the moniker was an unexpected twist of what the band is capable of. Dark and moody, bleak and sublime, airy and crushing, mesmerizing and engrossing, bold yet unerring, danceable and suffocating – it was all of this at the same time. Fragile hook lines dancing above the bleak abyss they so magnificently assembled.
From the mechanized heart of Crown, Stéphane Azam and David Husser incubated a revolution, their vision crystallizing amidst rippling waves of eight-string guitars and a digital pulse – the lifeblood of their emerging beast. What began as Azam’s vision, a coalition with Zatokrev’s Frederyk Rotter, evolved with Husser’s induction – a synthesis of production prowess and visionary audacity that propelled Crown’s ‘Natron’ into uncharted territories.
Stéphane recounts, the steel in his voice betraying a relentless surge of creativity and rebellion. Crown was but the cocoon, a chrysalis composed of binary beats and distorted riffs from where Your Inland Empire would emerge, unfurling wings inked with passion and driven by the relentless heartbeats of bass drums galvanizing a new dawn.
It is no surprise that David Husser, one half of Your Inland Empire has a vast selection of experience under his belt. Working as a studio engineer, producer and musician across the globe with class acts such as Alan Wilder of Depeche Mode or Genesis’ original lead singer Peter Gabriel – David brought all that experience to meticulously construct a unique sonic palette. With industrial-drone collective Y Front, who in the 90s toured with Rammstein, Husser gathered the live experience needed to hone his craft to absolute perfection.
Paul Kendall (Mute Records, Nine Inch Nails, Nick Cave), an industry-titan who closely worked with David, explained: “a distorting diamond… we have collaborated on several projects, and I have been amazed by his ability to teach an old dog new tricks. He is simply the best recording engineer I have ever met.”
Stéphane Azam, Your Inland Empire’s other half, is its founding father all the way back in its Crown days. Having worked as live sound engineer for French blackgaze pioneers Alcest and the legendary black metal artist Abbath, Azam brings to Your Inland Empire another side of the music spectrum. With a wide ability to deliver both the most soothing vocals and bottomless shrieks, Azam is the perfect complement to Husser’s dark and brooding soundscapes. The two have been working together for years, and their chemistry is palpable on Your Inland Empire’s debut album.
Creatively, Azam composes every step of the way – crafting songs with a meticulous fury. From structure to guitar licks, basslines to vocal passages – Azam has a vision, and Your Inland Empire is his outlet. Being not only the producer & engineer, Husser crafts Azam’s wildest ideas into refined sonic textures. Together, they’ve crafted the perfect recipe of pure auditory experimentation, intricate songwriting, emotive lyricism and astonishing artistry – constantly pushing boundaries in a multitude of musical styles.
With David Husser (Guitars, Programming, Production) in command of the studio’s helm, and Stéphane Azam (Vocals, Guitars, Composition) orchestrating the chaos into harmony, flanked by Nicolas Uhlen’s (Drums) rhythmic prowess and Marc Strebler’s (Guitars) six-stringed sorcery, the empire is poised for its coronation.
The alchemy of Your Inland Empire is not unlike the world’s relentless cycle – at once introspective yet ever looking outward, “It might be a bit more introspective and then it’s more about internal conflicts…”. This duality breathes life into their music, “The tracks are quite bright, nonetheless, even though the lyrics are really very dark.” It’s introspective – the shadow of our human instincts, our constant inner struggles. An album that is equally as personal for Azam as it is relatable.
A forecast for their impending album resonates with the echoes of an empire’s intimate fears and tenebrous hopes. The intricate fabric of Your Inland Empire waivers, promising a symphony drenched in the sweat of toil and the tears of artistic triumph. The orchestra of creation bellows, addressing the collective’s core, intricately showcasing their unique craftsmanship and unyielding drive.
Finnish folk metal icons ENSIFERUM today unveil their official new video for “Fatherland.” The track is taken from their Winter Storm full-length, out now on Metal Blade Records.
Much of the new material emerged during lockdown, when ENSIFERUM‘s founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music — eventually composing every song except the rousing, anthemic “Fatherland,” written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin’s crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on Thalassic. But on Winter Storm — a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka — Montin’s super-strong voice finds its optimal place in ENSIFERUM‘s sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.
Elaborates Hinkka on “Fatherland,” “As so many times earlier, the composing of the song started with a fraction of a melody playing in my head and then grabbing my acoustic guitar and a few minutes later the chorus was done. From there, the song almost formed by itself. This song tells about a remote tribe who has been fighting against the Winter Storm Vigilantes for a long time. A huge singalong chorus and the raw energy that calls everyone into a mosh pit, will guarantee that this will be an awesome live song.”
Watch ENSIFERUM‘s previously released videos for “Winter Storm Vigilantes“ HERE and “Long Cold Winter Of Sorrow And Strife“ HERE.
ENSIFERUM‘s Winter Storm was produced by Janne Joutsenniemi, mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, and includes guest appearances by Lassi Logrén on Nyckelharpa and violin and Mikko Mustonen on orchestration as well as Eleine’s Madeleine Liljestam who provides all vocals on “Scars In My Heart.“
ENSIFERUM will join Swallow The Sun for a week-long co-headlining album release tour through Finland in December followed by a month-long run of dates on Paganfest 2025 alongside Alestorm, Týr, Heidevolk, and Elvenking. From there, the band will head to North America with their comrades in Korpiklaani for the Folkfest Of The North co-headlining tour. The journey runs from February 27th in Boston, Massachusetts through March 30th in Brooklyn, New York. Additional support will be provided by Trollfest and NiNi.Tickets for all shows are on sale now. See all confirmed dates below.
ENSIFERUM w/ Swallow The Sun: 12/05/2024 Finlandia-klubi – Lahti, FI 12/06/2024 Rytmikorjaamo – Seinäjoki, FI 12/07/2024 Tullisali – Oulu, FI 12/11/2024 Lutakko – Jyväskylä, FI 12/12/2024 Pakkahuone – Tampere, FI 12/13/2024 Teatro – Turku, FI 12/14/2024 Kulttuuritalo – Helsinki, FI
w/ Alestorm, Týr, Heidevolk, Elvenking: 1/08/2025 Grosse Freiheit – Hamburg, DE 1/09/2025 Oosterpoort – Groningen, NL 1/10/2025 Filharmonie – Stuttgart, DE 1/11/2025 Turbinenhalle – Oberhausen, DE 1/12/2025 Huxley’s – Berlin, DE 1/13/2025 Congress Centre – Roskilde, DK 1/14/2025 Aladin – Bremen, DE 1/16/2025 O2 Academy – Birmingham, UK 1/17/2025 O2 Academy – Edinburgh, UK 1/18/2025 O2 Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK 1/19/2025 O2 Academy Brixton – London, UK 1/20/2025 Ancienne Belgique – Brussels, BE 1/21/2025 Schlachthof – Wiesbaden, DE 1/22/2025 Zenith – Paris, FR 1/23/2025 Z7 Konzertfabrik – Pratteln, CH 1/24/2025 Eventzentrum – Geiselwind, DE 1/25/2025 Backstage – Munich, DE 1/26/2025 OM – Liege, BE 1/28/2025 Alcatraz – Milan, IT 1/29/2025 Transbordeur – Lyon, FR 1/30/2025 Salle Metropole – Lausanne, CH 1/31/2025 Halle Verrière – Meisenthal, FR 2/01/2025 Felsenkeller – Leipzig, DE 2/02/2025 013 Poppodium – Tilburg, NL 2/03/2025 Capitol – Hannover, DE 2/05/2025 Studio – Krakow, PL 2/06/2025 Progresja – Warsaw, PL 2/07/2025 Hala Datart – Zlín, CZ 2/08/2025 Barba Negra – Budapest, HU 2/09/2025 Tvornica – Zagreb, HU
w/ Korpiklaani, Trollfest, NiNi: 2/27/2025 Brighton Music Hall – Boston, MA 2/28/2025 Salle Montaigne – Quebec City, QC 3/01/2025 Beanfield – Montreal, QC 3/02/2025 Overflow – Ottawa, ON 3/03/2025 The Concert Hall – Toronto, ON 3/04/2025 King Of Clubs – Columbus, OH 3/05/2025 Crofoot – Pontiac, MI 3/06/2025 Outset – Chicago, IL 3/07/2025 Skyway Theatre – Minneapolis, MN 3/08/2025 Wooly’s – Des Moines, IA 3/09/2025 Gothic Theatre – Denver, CO 3/11/2025 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 3/13/2025 Goldfield Roseville – Sacramento, CA 3/14/2025 Great American Music Hall – San Francisco, CA 3/15/2025 Regent Theater – Los Angeles, CA 3/16/2025 House Of Blues – San Diego, CA 3/17/2025 Nile – Phoenix, AZ 3/18/2025 Sunshine – Albuquerque, NM 3/20/2025 Beer City Music Hall – Oklahoma City, OK 3/21/2025 Granada – Dallas, TX 3/22/2025 Come And Take It Live – Austin, TX 3/23/2025 Warehouse Live – Houston, TX 3/25/2025 Orpheum – Tampa, FL 3/26/2025 Masquerade Heaven – Atlanta, GA 3/27/2025 Hangar 1819 – Greensboro, NC 3/28/2025 Baltimore Soundstage – Baltimore, MD 3/29/2025 Lovedraft’s – Mechanicsburg, PA 3/30/2025 Brooklyn Monarch – Brooklyn, NY
ENSIFERUM: Petri Lindroos – vocals, guitars Markus Toivonen – guitars, vocals Sami Hinkka – bass, vocals Janne Parviainen – drums Pekka Montin – keyboards, vocals
On Saturday, 7th June and Sunday, 8th June 2025, the brand new outdoor festival South Of Heaven Open Air will take place in Maastricht, The Netherlands.
During this new ambitious event, the crème de la crème of the international metal scene (20+ acts) will be performing over two days on two stages. The festival is now announcing eight more acts to the line-up, including In Flames, Decapitated, Sylosis and Dark Angel!
Full list of new bands added: In Flames Sylosis Dark Angel Decapitated Baest Savage Lands Tenside Mass Deception
Full list of bands performing at SoH so far: Meshuggah, Hatebreed, Textures, Sacred Reich, Wolfbrigade, Midnight, Gutalax, Legion Of The Damned, Severe Torture, From The Crypt and Ripsaw, In Flames, Sylosis, Dark Angel, Decapitated, Baest, Savage Lands, Tenside, Mass Deception
Early bird tickets are already sold-out. Regular tickets are still available here: https://southofheaven.nl
South Of Heaven Open Air focuses on a strong lineup (internationally celebrated metal veterans as headliners, along with new talent), a classic metal atmosphere (intimate and authentic; metal fans among themselves), a conveniently located, atmospheric top location, Burgundian enjoyment (delicious food and drink), and a relatively low ticket price.
Only a fifteen-minute walk from the center of Maastricht lies the rugged but atmospheric Bosscherveld site, with the iconic Gashouder as its eye-catcher, the last remaining of the seven gas holders that once stood in Maastricht. This monumental site matches the look and feel of a metal festival perfectly and is also easily accessible by bike, public transport, and car (easy parking!)—even from Germany and Belgium.
The organizers of South Of Heaven Open Air aim to be financially accessible for fans of metal and related music genres from both home and abroad. Weekend combo tickets (access for both days) therefore cost €127.50 each (including €2.50 service fees).
South Of Heaven Open Air is organized by three parties: Muziekgieterij Maastricht is one of the youngest pop venues in the Netherlands. Founded in 2004, it grew in less than 20 years into the leading live venue in the south and the Euregio. Muziekgieterij has a great love for music and is a popular meeting place for musicians and audiences. By offering a full-fledged program, it is a welcoming place for everyone: inclusion and diversity are highly valued.
Doomstar Bookings, founded in 2009, specializes in booking (extreme) rock, metal, hardcore, punk, roots, and related styles. With an extensive and high-quality roster, Doomstar Bookings is one of the leading (and fastest-growing) European booking agencies at the moment, representing 100+ international artists and bands. Additionally, Doomstar Bookings also produces concerts and festivals, and provides services like transport, tour management, backline, crew, and merchandise for bands and artists.
The Tribute Agency (TTA) – self-proclaimed as ‘The Hardest Rocking Tribute Agency In The World’ – mostly blares ‘heavy’ music through its speakers. TTA is the largest tribute agency in Europe, offering a wide spectrum of different music styles from tribute bands from all over Europe and even from America. The company also (co-)organizes a lot of concerts, festivals, and parties, resulting in hundreds of great and highly successful events.
PSYCHOTIC OUTSIDER was formed in August 2018 in Galway, Ireland In their music, the band draws on influences from styles such as hardcore, metal and punk rock, creating highly aggressive sounds combined with dynamic beats. The band’s discography includes: demo “Motherfucker” (2019), album “Psyching Out Mentality” (2020), EP “End Of The Line” (2022) and single “Till We Decay” (2023).
The band has already performed at several festivals, including the largest in Ireland – Siege of Limerick, as well as many others such as Bloodstock Metal 2 The Masses, Templemore Metal Fest, Unleash To Horde and played live shows with bands such as Nocny Kochanek (PL), Archives (UK) or Survivalist (UK). Musicians are endorsers of Skull Strings Signature Set, Vermilion pickups and Fat Cables.
Music for EP “6” was recorded, mixed and mastered at Devils Sound Productions. Cover artwork was done by Michał Boruta. EP was released digitally October 18, 2024 by French label Music Records.
Band comments their album: “When writing songs for EP “6” we wanted to deal with a certain era in our work and at the same time open a completely new chapter, the songs are aggressive and dark and mark a new direction. Lyrically, it talks about depression, phobias and mental problems. This EP also shapes the direction in which our future full-lenght album will go. “
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 ) 