Finnish blackened death metal band Karelian Warcry released their third album “Veripellot” on March 6th. The work with the album album took shape over the years 2010–2024, nearly coming to a halt following the death of the band’s founding member, vocalist-guitarist M.I. Mikkonen. Veripellot became a composite, uniting Karelian Warcry’s two different line-ups and the pandemonium of the entire timespan.
Veripellot is a study of war, grief, and the dark sides of humanity. The themes rise from the band members’ personal experiences, collective traumas, and a shared interest in the events of their home region and its war history. The album is, on one hand, a memorial writing for fallen friends, and on the other, a glimpse into the horrors of the Finnish Civil War. On Veripellot, the rough thunder of war resounds — and at times an oppressive stillness.
Veripellot consists of nine distinct tracks. Musically, the album is a step forward for the band — groovier, yet straightforwardly uncompromising. Progressive elements have also been brought into the mix.
On March 6th, 2026, Vreid released The Skies Turn Black, their first studio album in five years and a powerful statement from one of Norway’s most enduring metal bands. The album marks a renewed creative chapter, shaped through a challenging but ultimately transformative process in which the band reconnected with the essence of their Sognametal roots while exploring new dimensions of their sound.
Throughout the album’s eleven tracks, Vreid merges fragments of their past with a revitalized artistic drive. The early breakthrough came with From These Woods, written during a late-night session in a remote mountain cabin. The song captured the emotional core of the album and helped steer the band back toward the heart of their identity.
The title track The Skies Turn Black also holds a central place on the album. Written by bassist and songwriter Jarle Kvåle as a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and the music that has shaped his life, the song carries a deeply personal foundation. Kvåle’s experience attending Black Sabbath’s farewell concert in Birmingham, after previously helping to organize the band’s final Norwegian shows along with Ozzy’s, left a profound mark and sparked the creative energy that shaped the song’s weight and atmosphere.
The album also highlights Vreid’s cinematic side. Kraken was composed for a major upcoming film project and carries a personal dimension, as the film’s producer was the band’s first music teacher and helped them record their earliest demos more than thirty years ago. In contrast, Loving the Dead expands Vreid’s musical territory with a striking guest performance from Agnete Kjølsrud of Djerv, adding intensity and emotional depth that pushes the track into new terrain.
With hand-drawn artwork by Kim Holm and a powerful production shaped together with producer Anders Nordengen, The Skies Turn Black stands as one of Vreid’s most focused and expressive works to date. It reflects pride, resilience and a renewed creative fire that defines the next era of the band.
The Skies Turn Black will be released on March 6th 2026, with pre-orders opening on December 10th. The release aligns with Vreid’s return to European stages as they join Hypocrisy, Abbath and Vomitory on a major tour in 2026.
Vreid remains one of Norway’s most resilient and forward-driven metal bands, shaped by history, strengthened by adversity and still driven by an unshakable creative fire.
FROM ASHES TO NEW — Danny Case (vocals), Matt Brandyberry (vocals), Lance Dowdle (guitar), Maty Madiro (drums), and Jimmy Bennett (guitar) — recently announced their new album REFLECTIONS, out April 17 via Better Noise Music. Pre-order it HERE.
Today, the Lancaster, PA-based quintet shares the latest single from the album with “DIE FOR YOU.” Watch the video, featuring Cruella Morgan, here.
According to Brandyberry, the song reflects “the fallout of a relationship built on control, desire, and guilt. It’s a song that captures the exhaustion of giving endlessly to someone who keeps asking for more and mistaking survival for love. At its core, the song is about the moment clarity breaks through, forcing you to question how much of yourself you’re willing to lose.”
Case echoes these sentiments, furthering, “‘Die For You’ is about bending over backwards, doing everything you possibly can to please someone in a relationship, and it just never ends up being enough. And it feels like no matter what you do, it is just never good enough.”
The weight of the subject matter is matched by the heft of the layered vocals and accompanying razor sharp riffs and moody melodies. Fans cannot help but feel the song’s very real beating heart.The 12-track REFLECTIONS is the follow-up to 2023’s BLACKOUT, which achieved the #1 spot on several iTunes and Spotify Rock and Metal charts across the globe. It was a massive success. Yet, in late 2023, FROM ASHES TO NEW arrived at a creative crossroads. The group wrapped up demos for 16 songs for what was supposed to be their fifth studio album. However, instead of sprinting towards the finish line and completing the record, the band scrapped those demo sessions. The process went against everything the band had ever done before. But largely starting anew —they kept two songs— was liberating. The band collectively knew it had to make something that remained true to their traditional sound yet broadened the tent to capture the ears and focus of a fresh audience. “I wanted to take what we are good at and push it even further,” Brandyberry says. “That was the process for this whole record.”
As a result, fans can hear a reinvigorated FROM ASHES TO NEW on REFLECTIONS.
In other From Ashes to New news, the single “Drag Me” is Top 20 on Billboard Mainstream Rock Chart.
REFLECTIONS will be released as seven different configurations: CD, periwinkle vinyl, black/white/orchid vinyl exclusively on the band’s official webstore, urchin vinyl exclusively at various indie record stores nationwide, violet/black wave vinyl exclusively via GimmeMetal.com, silver/black vinyl exclusively via Revolver magazine’s website, and black/white/violet vinyl exclusively via Spotify Fans First.
Exclusive merch bundles are available on the Better Noise Music Store HERE
FROM ASHES TO NEW will remain on the road all year.
First, they head to Europe. Two of the shows sold out within 30 minutes of going on sale, highlighting the band’s international demand! Then they will hit the road for a 42-date U.S. tour supporting Black Veil Brides, along with TX2, and As December Falls, starting April 25 in Riverside, CA. Tickets are available HERE.
They will join Shinedown for a leg of the band’s summer tour in July and August, as well. All dates are below.
EUROPE 2026: 4/7 Milan, IT 4/9 Berlin, DE 4/10 Hamburg, DE 4/11 Cologne, DE 4/12 Antwerp, BE 4/14 Eindhoven, NL 4/17 London, UK
WITH BLACK VEIL BRIDES: 4/25 — Riverside, CA — Municipal Auditorium 4/26 — Reno, NV — Grand Sierra Resort 4/28 — Seattle, WA — Showbox SoDo 4/30 — Salt Lake City, UT — The Union 5/01 — Denver, CO — Fillmore 5/02 — Omaha, NE — ASTRO 5/04 — Dallas, TX — House of Blues 5/05 — Houston, TX — House of Blues 5/06 — San Antonio, TX — The Aztec 5/08 — Atlanta, GA — Tabernacle 5/11 — Greensboro, NC — Piedmont Hall 5/12 — Norfolk, VA — The Norva 5/14 — Philadelphia, PA — Fillmore 5/15 — Pittsburgh, PA — Stage AE 5/17 — Detroit, MI — The Fillmore 5/19 — Indianapolis, IN — Egyptian Room 5/21 — Minneapolis, MN — The Fillmore 5/22 — Chicago, IL — Ramova Theatre or The Vic 5/23 — Madison, WI — The Sylvee 5/25 — Toronto, ON — History 5/26 — Montreal, QC — M-Telus 5/28 — New York, NY — Palladium Times Square 5/29 — Silver Spring, MD — Fillmore 5/30 — Worcester, MA — The Palladium
WITH SHINEDOWN: 7/11 — Mt. Pleasant, MI — Soaring Eagle 7/15 — Quebec City, QC — Centre Vidéotron 7/18 — Albany, NY — MVP Arena 7/25 — Knoxville, TN — Food City Center 7/30 — Lubbock, TX — United Supermarkets Arena 8/2 — El Paso, TX — UTEP Don Haskins Center 8/4 — Tucson, AZ — Tucson Arena 8/7 — Las Vegas, NV — Michelob ULTRA Arena 8/10 — Boise, ID — ExtraMile Arena 8/12 — Billings, MT — First Interstate Arena at MetraPark 8/14 — Spokane, WA — Numerica Veterans Arena 8/15 — Vancouver, BC — PNE Pacific Coliseum 8/17 — Edmonton, AB — Rogers Place 8/20 — Fargo, ND — Fargodome 8/23 — Springfield, IL — Illinois State Fair 10/23 — Miramar Beach, FL — Shinedown’s Lunatic Ball Beach Weekend 2026
FESTIVALS: 9/17 — Louisville, KY — Louder Than Life Festival
“Asmodevs” is the first DEATH DIES song to be released from new album “Maledicti In Aeternvm”, and they’ve done so with a spectacular lyric video realized by the talented Gianfranco Logiudice with graphics by Maira Pedroni.
Reflecting its nature as powerful demon of lust, destruction and discord, this song reflects all the violence and malice of an album that promises to be the purest essence of Black Metal, where light and hope have no home. This is DEATH DIES, this is “Maledicti In Aeternvm,” a journey into the darkest depths of Black Metal, uncompromising extreme music in the name of the most ferocious and extremist Dark Art.
“Maledicti In Aeternvm” will be released on April 3rd on My Kingdom Music and is available for pre-order on LP, digipak CD, and Deluxe Edition at https://t.ly/O-Q7U
5X Platinum-certified alternative rockers THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS —vocalist Ronnie Winter, his multi-instrumentalist brother Randy Winter, guitarist Josh Burke, bassist Joey Westwood, drummer John Espy, keyboardist Nadeem Salam, and newest member K Enagonio on vocals — rode the crest of a major career wave in 2025. They released X’S FOR EYES via BETTER NOISE MUSIC and enjoyed Fall 2025 appearances at key festivals, including Aftershock, When We Were Young, and Warped Tour Orlando.
Today, the band cruises into 2026 with the release of the deluxe edition of X’S FOR EYES. The expanded version features four additional tracks: the previously released “Angels Cry“; “Perfection” (Feat. Mayday Parade’s Derek Sanders); “Not Today“; and “Slipping Through (No Kings)” (Screams Version). Get the deluxe version here.
“The surprise guest vocalist and alternate versions really make this the most exciting deluxe edition in the history of our career,” declares Ronnie Winter.
To celebrate the release, the band has also shared the lyric video for “Not Today.”
The 11 original songs on X’s For Eyes found the band revving up their caffeinated pop sensibilities, throwing down the punishing riffola, delivering more electronic and ambient flourishes, and topping all of it off with Winter’s high-pitched emoting. Factor in some A-list cameos from Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn( “Always The King”) and Escape The Fate frontman Craig Mabbitt (“Worth It”) and the end result is one of the best offerings of the band’s career. For this album, Winter was able to reconcile the deep, sometimes nagging thoughts he’d been harboring, post-pandemic. When the proceedings get melancholy or troubling lyrically, the band is ready to propel these songs into pogo-popping dance floors, furious mosh pits or moments of reverent, tribunal phone-waving. It’s always been a cathartic listen and now it has been super-sized with four additional songs that are sure to please the RJA faithful!
Formed in 2004 in Jacksonville, Florida, the band has accrued Gold and multi-Platinum singles—including their massive 5x Platinum hit single “Face Down” (which has over 176 million views on YouTube), 2x Platinum “Your Guardian Angel“(which has over 37 million views on YouTube) — and 2x Platinum-certified debut album, DON’T YOU FAKE IT, alongside numerous high-ranking radio chart positions and a robust digital history of over 1.5 billion career streams. “The core fanbase has always been there,” Winter says. “It’s a family band. Why? Because we stick up for people.” Sometimes it’s hard to believe that THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS began their expedition into the hearts and minds of a generation 20 years ago. Their blazing 2006 single “Face Down” delivered both anthemic choruses and a strident message about domestic abuse, achieving both sales accolades and adoration from crowds all over the planet.
X’S FOR EYES DELUXE EDITION TRACK LISTING: “Always The King” (Feat. Kellin Quinn) “Purple Halo” “Perfection” “X’s For Eyes“ “Bad Beat” “Slipping Through (No Kings)“ “Angels Cry“* “Home Improvement“ “Twenty Hour Drive” “Kins and Carroll” “Getting By” “Worth It” (Feat. Craig Mabbitt) “Not Today”* “Perfection” (Feat. Derek Sanders)* “Slipping Through (No Kings)” (Screams Version)* *ADDITIONAL TRACKS
THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS will be touring through Spring, with a run of dates in their native Florida and a brief stint in South America. They will also appear in the Philippines and at Sonic Temple in May. All forthcoming dates are below.
THE RED JUMPSUIT APPARATUS ON TOUR: 2/26 — Gainesville, FL — The Wooly 2/27 — West Palm Beach, FL — The Banyan Live 2/28 — St. Augustine, FL — Cafe Eleven 3/1 — Tallahassee, FL — Fire Betty’s Arcade Bar 3/5 — Tampa, FL — The Orpheum 3/6 — Pensacola, FL — Vinyl Music Hall 3/7 — Biloxi, MS — The Sanctuary – Biloxi 3/20 — Ciudad de México, MX — Foro 28 3/21 — Bogotá, CO — Relevent Music Hall 3/25 — Recoleta, CL — Sala Metrónomo 3/26 — Abasto, AR — UNICLUB 3/28 — São Paulo, BR — Hangar 110 – Música & Cultura 5/8 — Manila, PH — SM Mall of Asia 5/9 — Cebu City, PH — Waterfront Hotel & Casino Cebu City 5/14 — Columbus, OH — Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
Fresh off the successful releases of the last two “Babylon A.D.” albums (‘Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day’ & ‘When The World Stops’), Derek Davis brings his creative energy to life with his solo project, penning a brand new explosive up-tempo rocker, ‘Running Man‘.
The funk driven, hard-hitting rock/metal track delivers the angst and vocal delivery for which he is known. Both lyrically and musically, the track speaks to the frustration and passion of the forgotten man in today’s ever changing world. The AI evolution and political divide that shapes our thoughts and lives are explored through his cinematic story telling.
“Running Man” is a rock anthem at its core, with an uptempo fist pounding funkifed bass line and searing guitar riffs, the hooks never stop. Davis’s exploration of combining Hard Rock, old school R&B and Funk is awe inspiring and leaves the listener wanting more. Having played all the instruments, mixing and producing the track, as well as editing and creating the accompanying video, he once again proves to be a visionary force in the music industry. Derek Davis is a multi-talented performer, singer, songwriter, musician and producer who delivers it all with ‘Running Man’!
Derek Davis: Davis has showcased his extraordinary singing, songwriting, and musicianship in several areas. He has had several songs placed in films and TV, and has recorded six studio albums, three live albums and two EPs with the band Babylon A.D. He also wrote all the tracks, produced and released the band “American Blues Box” album and wrote, created and produced three solo albums “Revolt”, “Revolutionary Soul” and “Resonator Blues” as well as seven solo effort singles and videos
Over the last few years Derek Davis has performed, produced, wrote or co-wrote all the tracks for the Babylon A.D.s releases: 2018’s “Revelation Highway” Via “Frontiers Records” – 2023,“ Live Lightning” on Perris/Apocalypse Records, 2024’s “Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day”, Perris/Apocalypse Records and in 2025, “When The World Stops” from Kivel Records. He has also created 10 Videos in this time for each single released by the band, and has done multiple tours in the United States, the U.K and Greece, proving once again the band’s staying power in the history of hard Rock.
PRESENT DAY… As 2026 begins Derek Davis a has full schedule set for the rest of the year. Two more video/singles are scheduled for release by Babylon A.D. Davis is in full throttle writing mode for his next solo effort, another Soul inspired Funk Rock album that is set for release in the fall. The first track “Running Man” will be released on 10th March as a single and video.
Over the years, Derek Davis has amassed a published music catalogue of over 200 original compositions, very impressive and quite suitable compared to other artists. Derek has also mastered his video editing skills and production skills and is always trying something new to expand his musical journey. Derek Davis is the consummate, Singer/Songwriter/Musician/Producer, a born creator with a natural gift in the music landscape of our times
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 ) 