US Metal Veterans AXEMASTER Announce New Album “Of Beasts And Plagues”, Out June 19th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 16, 2026
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US heavy metal veterans AXEMASTER return with a powerful new studio album. Titled “Of Beasts And Plagues” the record is set for release on June 19 via Cosmic Fire Records. Alongside the announcement, the band reveals the album artwork and full tracklist.

For fans of true heavy metal driven by power, determination and heart, “Of Beasts And Plagues” marks a triumphant return. After years of dedicated work, AXEMASTER are ready to unleash a record that captures the essence of their legacy while pushing forward with renewed energy and intensity.

Formed in the 1980s, AXEMASTER emerged during one of heavy metal’s most raw and defining eras. Over the decades, the band built a strong reputation in the underground through numerous releases, earning a loyal international following. Despite lineup changes and shifts within the music industry, AXEMASTER have remained committed to crafting authentic heavy metal filled with character and emotion.

Tracklist:
01. The Plagues Among Us…. 
02. Murder of Crows
03. The Dark Side
04. Kissed With a Fist
05. Clinging to Life
06. Terrortory
07. Forsaken II
08. Dealers
09. Danse Macabre
10. Machine
11. Dagon Rising
12. Shadows Cast

Today, the band continues this legacy with a sound that seamlessly blends classic US metal with elements of thrash and doom. Heavy riffing, driving rhythms, aggressive yet melodic vocals, and a darker, more intense atmosphere define “Of Beasts And Plagues”. The album stands as one of the band’s strongest creative statements to date – firmly rooted in the spirit of 1980s metal, yet refreshed with a modern edge.

With a history spanning over three decades, AXEMASTER have released 11 official records across multiple international labels and have seen their music featured in films, compilations, and countless publications worldwide. Since their return in 2010 under the direction of founding member Joe Sims, the band has continued to evolve while honoring their roots, sharing stages with acts such as Sebastian Bach, Grim Reaper, Halloween, Riot, and more, and appearing at major underground festivals across the US.

With “Of Beasts And Plagues”, AXEMASTER once again prove their enduring relevance and passion – delivering a record that speaks to both longtime fans and a new generation of metal listeners alike.

“Of Beasts And Plagues” will be coming out on June 19 via Cosmic Fire Records and is now available for pre-order HERE

Line-up:
Joe Sims – Lead Guitar
Jenson Kozar – Bass
Adam Windisch – Drums
Geoff McGraw – Vocals

For more info visit:
https://www.instagram.com/axemasterofficial/
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61570312266756
https://cosmicfirerecords.com

MAXIMUM ROBOT Sign with Epictronic for Release of New Album “Away With the Fairies”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 16, 2026
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Explosive UK grunge-rock act Maximum Robot is proud to announce their official signing with Epictronic Records. This powerhouse partnership sets the stage for the release of their highly anticipated fourth studio album, “Away With The Fairies”, set on 15 May 2026.

Maximum Robot is a grunge band from Andover, England, was founded by guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter Gazza Williams. After decades of effort, drummer Vyara Petkova joined in 2019, followed by bassist Dave Hull, forming the original lineup—but they never performed live together. Pandemic disruptions and lineup changes followed, with Williams and Hull finally playing their first gigs in Autumn 2024. In 2025, work began on their fourth album, and Jack Chapman replaced Hull on bass, bringing a heavier, rawer sound. The current duo, Chapman and Williams, upholds the band’s motto: “Music Never Dies.”

The album’s lyrical content covers themes such as daydreaming and being detached for reality. The title “Away With The Fairies” basically means you are in a world of your own, or not connected to reality or the world around you. This theme runs through the whole album. Fairies come from Celtic mythology, and this features heavily in the band’s artwork. They define their sound as grunge but with influences from punk rock and metal of various sub-genres. Their sound on this album is based on four people. The drummer, the bass player, the guitarist/vocalist, and the engineer who recorded, mixed, and mastered the songs. Each person has their own influences and style, so you get a totally unique sound that sounds like no other band.

If you take Nirvana, NOFX, and Dream Theater, and try to mash them together with an English accent, you might get something like Maximum Robot! While they take inspiration and influence from other bands, they also aim to and hope to create something new and inspire the next generation. They are really happy with this album and feel that it does demonstrate that nothing sounds like Maximum Robot.

“We were delighted to sign with Epictronic,” said Maximum Robot. “They have an obvious passion for music and totally get what we’re trying to do. It’s also fantastic to have somebody to help promote our music so we don’t have to do everything on our own. With this album, we feel Epictronic is the perfect partner for the release.”

Tracklist:

  1. A World Of My Own
  2. Eternia
  3. Asylum
  4. Fun
  5. Anxiety
  6. A Vulgar Display Of Flowers
  7. Guns
  8. Majic Beans
  9. Rainbow
  10. All This Death

Get a taste of Maximum Robot’s music through the video for “A World Of My Own”:

Connect with the band:

www.maximum-robot.co.uk
maximumrobot.bandcamp.com
www.facebook.com/MaximumRobot
www.youtube.com/@maximumrobot2117
x.com/Maximum_Robot
li.sten.to/maximum-robot

HECATE ENTHRONED Unleash New Single + Video ‘Deathless In The Dryad Glade’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 16, 2026
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HECATE ENTHRONED, the legendary architects of British symphonic black metal, have emerged from the shadows to reclaim their dark dominion. Today, they unveil the official music video and single for “Deathless in the Dryad Glade,” a visceral descent into the primordial shadow.

This haunting incantation serves as the second glimpse into their upcoming opus, ‘The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried’, set to be unleashed upon the world on May 29th via M-Theory Audio.

“Deathless in the Dryad Glade is a chronicle of being led astray by malevolent woodland entities,” proclaims vocalist Joe Stamps. “It is a tale of cosmic horror and a transformation where one becomes ‘one with nature’ in the most unsettling and permanent of ways.”

Captured through the lens of Jack Maguire, the music video for “Deathless in the Dryad Glade” is a masterwork of atmospheric dread. It seamlessly weaves the band’s trademark symphonic grandeur with a raw, vicious energy.

PREVIOUS VIDEO/SINGLE: “Gallery of Rotting Portraits”

Scheduled for a global manifestation HECATE ENTHRONED new album, The Corpse of a Titan, A Lament Long Buried,’ is set for release on May 29th, the new full-length will be available in multiple physical forms:

  • Digipak CD
  • Limited-Edition Colored Vinyl: 250 copies of Boreal Light (EU) and 250 copies of Draconic Vision (US).
  • Digital Platforms
  • Exclusive Ritual Bundles: Limited pre-order packages featuring exclusive t-shirt designs (must pre-order by May 8)

CLAIM YOUR COPY: M-Theory Audio Store | Official Bandcamp
(Orders ship from US or Europe based on your location, or for UK fans order directly from Plastichead

Produced by the band alongside Dan Abela (Akercocke, Anaal Nathrakh), the album has been mixed and mastered to deliver maximum sonic devastation. The visual identity of the record was forged by Erskine Designs (Inanimate Existence, Bleed The Sky), capturing the ancient myths and legends that fuel the lyrics.

“These are huge, epic, hard-hitting songs carved in the traditional Hecate way,” says bassist Dylan Hughes. “It is a menacing veil delivered with a crisp, modern punch.”

One of the UK underground’s longest-running and most respected acts, HECATE ENTHRONED has been praised by the likes of Terrorizer for their “mixture of death metal aggression with black metal atmosphere” while New Noise Magazine declares them “an absolute must for fans of extreme gothic metal.” Originally co-founded in Wales by guitarist Nigel Dennen in the mid-1990s, the band is dedicated to delivering their own brand of evil metal with little regard to politics or the trends of popular demand. The group’s 1997 full-length, the Andy Sneap-produced ‘The Slaughter Of Innocence, A Requiem For The Mighty’ (Blackend Records), was a seminal release in the then-burgeoning orchestral black metal movement, and since then, five more studio outputs including their M-Theory Audio debut in 2019 with the ‘Embrace Of The Godless Aeon’ (HECATE ENTHRONED’s first recording with vocalist Joe Stamps) and numerous live performances have firmly established the band as one of extreme metal’s most important voices.

HECATE ENTHRONED is:
Joe Stamps – Vocals
Nige Dennan – guitar
Andy Milnes – guitar
Dylan Hughes – bass
Pete White – piano/keyboards
Matt Holmes – drums

For more info:
http://www.m-theoryaudio.com
http://www.facebook.com/hecateenthroned
http://www.instagram.com/hecateenthronedofficial
https://hecateenthroned.bandcamp.com

DELFOI ROAD Drop First Single + Video, a Nine Minute Work of Art ‘Journey Inwards’ from Upcoming Debut Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 16, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Martin Sommerschield

Finnish progressive alternative rock band Delfoi Road releases their debut full length later this autumn. Now they have released the first single from the upcoming album. Journey Inwards is a epic nine minute track that introduces the progressive edge of the upcoming album.

Listen to the song on music services (Spotify, Apple Music, Deezer, Tidal, YouTube Music etc.): https://push.fm/fl/delfoiroad-journeyinwards

–ISRC: FIDE22600008
–Composition: Jani Nivala, Janne Halla
–Lyrics Jani Nivala
–Arrangement: Jani Nivala, Janne Halla, Miika Erkkilä, Sampo Oikarinen
–Produced by Anssi Kippo & Delfoi Road

Formed at the turn of the millennium, Delfoi Road is a Finnish alternative rock band whose sound resists easy categorization. The four-piece blends artistic sensitivity, strong melodic songwriting, and atmospheric depth with an energetic and dynamic edge.

Over the years, Delfoi Road has released several independent records and built a solid reputation as a powerful live act. The members of Delfoi Road are seasoned musicians with extensive live experience across numerous projects. This background is evident in the band’s mature and confident presence, both on stage and in the studio.

Their upcoming album, set for release this fall, was recorded at Astia Studio in collaboration with acclaimed producer Anssi Kippo, known for his work with Children of Bodom, among others. The entire album was created with a strict old-school philosophy: recorded fully analog, straight to tape, without computers, post-editing, drum quantization, or vocal tuning. The result is an honest, organic, and intense recording that captures the band’s authentic energy.

Delfoi Road:
Jani Nivala – Vocals, Guitar
Janne Halla – Guitar
Miika Erkkilä – Bass
Sampo Oikarinen – Drums

https://youtube.com/@delfoiroad
https://www.instagram.com/delfoiroad
https://www.facebook.com/delfoiroad/

VOLUCRINE Release Second Single ‘Talk’ from Forthcoming Fifth Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 16, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Janne Pasanen

Finnish modern metal band Volucrine are set to release their fifth album via Inverse Records on September 25th 2026. The second single ‘Talk’ is unleashed today and it’s available on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/volucrine-talk 

The band’s mastermind Jupe Velin comments:
“The words burn in my throat. It feels like a year has passed since the last time, even though barely a week has gone by. It took only a few encounters, and without a second thought, I handed over the keys to my mind. Then you stole my dreams, robbed me of my appetite, and cast a shadow over my view of the future. It’s tragicomic that the purpose of our meetings is to heal, not to shatter me further, yet I’m starting to feel 

like sawdust. Do you recognize any of this? I bite my lip so I don’t think out loud. 

You’re a potent medicine; you replace one form of anxiety with another. The remedy is addictive, and attraction turns into possessiveness. Feeding the addiction comes at the cost of healing. If only I were strong enough not to care, or cared enough not to turn regret into new trauma, adding to my list of psychological symptoms. I know our time is limited, but I want to finally tear down the fence. How will you respond when 

I cross that finish line and ask: “Shall we talk?”

Culmination! That’s the first word that comes to mind when listening to the Talk single with fresh ears. It perfectly combines Volucrine’s technical prowess, melodic flair, and storytelling, not to mention rock ’n’ roll! Does it annoy metal purists? Absolutely, but at the same time, it offers the most open-minded and life-hungry music fans a dose of alternative metal whose buzz lasts for weeks! You hear the song once, and the 

chorus melody immediately lodges itself between your ears like a peregrine falcon that’s a bit more territorial than usual!

The theme? Well, the song is about love in a way, though a self-destructive and one-sided kind. Even though the story doesn’t reveal what happened to the characters in the lyrics, I would still encourage everyone to always acknowledge when a bottled-up emotional life begins to poison their inner self. Life is far too short to spend our old age looking back and cursing the stones we didn’t turn over along the way. With pure words, the mouth sings of freedom!” 

–Composed & lyrics by Jupe Velin
–ISRC-code: FI3FC2655112
–Single cover by Jupe Velin

Watch music video of the first single, ‘Golem’:  https://youtu.be/bb9rVOdwLwo

Chapter V: Renewal Track list:

  1. Borderline
  2. Rendered Obsolete
  3. Moving Mountains
  4. Volucrine
  5. Golem
  6. Heavy
  7. Another Mile
  8. Swans
  9. Drift
  10. The Future That Never Was
  11. Renewal
  12. Talk
  13. The Sum Of Changes

–Composed & lyrics by Jupe Velin
–Album cover by Jupe Velin

BIOGRAPHY:

VOLUCRINE are a Finnish alternative metal collective, who released their debut album in 2011. Four albums, two EP’s and countless live shows later, the band’s personal style has been honed to its peak, still emphasizing bold testing of boundaries within their genre. The band has a strong focuson their lyrics, which, due to their deeply personal nature, give Volucrine’s music a human voice.

After the ETNA LP (Inverse Records 2024), which garnered a lot of positive attention worldwide, the band is finally ready to present new material from their upcoming album, which will be released in the fall. With the theme of rebirth, we can expect the unexpected from this album as a great circle is closed.

Line-up:
Jupe Velin – Vocals
Joni Kyynäräinen – Bass
Jani Aalto – Drums
Marko Orava – Guitar
Erik Lindroos – Guitar

https://www.facebook.com/volucrineband
https://www.instagram.com/volucrineofficial
https://volucrine.bandcamp.com

THE QUILL Release New Single And Video ‘Light Turns Low’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on April 16, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
(photo credit: Johan Gustavsson)

THE QUILL release “Light Turns Low”, the next single taken from the upcoming studio album “Master Of The Skies”, out on May 8th at Metalville.

A sun‑baked, riff‑driven storm that cements their place in the desert rock scene. The track rolls in like a heat haze on the horizon, then hits with a groove that feels both timeless and dangerous. It’s THE QUILL channeling raw atmosphere into a song built for wide‑open skies and roaring engines.

Some bands chase trends – Others outlive them.

“Master of the Skies” marks another chapter in a long-running conversation between groove, weight, melody, and muscle — this time with a darker tint.

The songs move through light and shade, tightening the screws one moment and opening the throttle the next. It’s heavier without being blunt, moodier without losing swing — heavy rock with depth lines and character, earned the hard way.

THE QUILL is a band comfortable in its own skin, writing music because they still mean it, not because anyone asked. Think Sabbath’s sense of gravity, the groove-heavy swagger of classic heavy rock, and the lived-in confidence of musicians who’ve been there, done that — and kept the amps on anyway.

The band once again teamed up with Erik Nilsson at 491 Studios, a place that by now knows their sound almost as well as the band does. 

No reinvention. No nostalgia trip. Just THE QUILL doing what they’ve always done best: writing heavy rock songs that stand on their own feet.

The sky is still the limit — and The Quill remains its master.

Quotes about “Master of the Skies”:

Magnus Ekwall “We focused a lot on atmosphere. Some songs needed space and restraint, others wanted to explode — I liked letting the light and darkness decide how far to push it.”

Christian Carlsson “This time we didn’t force a ‘Quill sound’ onto the songs. We let each track build its own identity, even if that meant going down unfamiliar paths.”

Roger Nilsson “The big difference on this album is how much it came together as a band. Everyone shaped the songs, and the contrasts grew naturally from that.”

Jolle Atlagic “We experimented more in the studio than usual. Some ideas stuck, some didn’t — but that trial-and-error is what gave the album its movement.”

TRACK LISTING

01 – Master of the Skies
02 – Dark City
03 – You Can Not Kill My Soul
04 – It’s Over
05 – Son of Light
06 – If Tomorrow Never Comes
07 – Now You Are Gone
08 – Light Turns Low
09 – Mastodon
10 – Master of the Skies (Reprise)

LINE UP
Magnus Ekwall vocals (Ayreon, Mountain of Power)
Christian Carlsson guitar (Cirkus Prütz)
Roger Nilsson bass (Spiritual Beggars, Arch Enemy, Firebird)
Jolle Atlagic drums (Hanoi Rocks, Electric Boys, Firebird)

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/thequillsweden
Instagram http://www.instagram.com/thequillsweden
Youtube http://www.youtube.com/thequillsweden
Homepage http://www.thequill.se

Personal Instagrams
@ekwallmagnus @christiancarlsson1 @thequillroger @jolle717