Evermore has released a lyric video for “The Illusionist (Raise The Curtain)”, first single taken from the new album “Mournbraid” to be released on March 20 by Scarlet Records.
Deception is a performance and every lie is a scripted line. “The Illusionist (Raise The Curtain)” explores the hollow life of a social manipulator, drawing a haunting parallel between a backstabber and a fading stage magician. As the performer relies on cheap tricks and shallow illusions to maintain their status, the audience slowly sees through the act. One by one, friends depart and trust dissolves, leaving the spotlight to shine on nothing but an empty room.
video by Stefano Mastronicola
“Mournbraid” album:
produced by Marcus “Mackan” Alfsson at MWC Studios and mastered by Svante at Chartmakers West;
illustrated by Alvaro Valverde/AV Art Ilustracion (Elvenking, Unanimated, Verikalpa);
“Mournbraid” tracklist: 1 The Void 2 Underdark 3 Nightstar Odyssey 4 Titans 5 Oath Of Apathy 6 The Illusionist (Raise The Curtain) 7 Armored Will 8 Ravens At The Gates 9 Mournbraid 10 Old Man’s Tale (bonus track) Total running time – 50:09
FFO: Avantasia, Edguy, Judas Priest, Helloween, Stratovarius, Nocturnal Rites, Europe
artowrk by Alvaro Valverde/AV Art Ilustracion
The third record for the Swedish masters of power metal, “Mournbraid” delivers the trademark Evermore sound made of aggressive guitar riffs, soaring epic vocals and unforgettable strong hooks – all amplified by a massive neat production.
Master of ardour and melody perfectly blended together, the Scandinavian trio further refined its pretty unique songwriting and lyrical touch. Each song of the album tells a different story from the perspective of individuals experiencing the diversity of existence’s challenges and feelings of personal struggles.
As always in Evermore’s music, the end goal is to make the listener relate to the music on a very deep personal level.
Evermore: Johan Haraldsson – vocals Johan Karlsson – guitar, bass, piano, orchestrations Andreas Viklands – drums
Irish metallers Survivalist today release their long-awaited new album A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone via Seek and Strike, alongside a new single and video for the album’s title track. With this release, Survivalist continue to carve out a singular space in modern heavy music, refining their self-described groove-core sound, a visceral fusion of crushing riffs, climactic breakdowns and melody, bound together by unflinching emotional weight.
Watch the video for‘A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone’ here:
Commenting on the single, Survivalist said: “This track is the most honest snapshot of who we are right now and what this record represents. The album is heavy, dark and aggressive, but it’s also meant to be a refuge, a place you can turn to no matter what headspace you’re in. Whether you need to vent anger, sit with sadness or just feel understood. ‘A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone’ captures the anguish, stress and mental weight behind the entire writing process, while setting the tone for the variety across the record.”
Forged through personal struggle, lived experience and a raw response to the world as it is, A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone stands as Survivalist’smost focused and ambitious release to date. Written without boundaries or compromise, the album confronts themes of loneliness, isolation and mental health head-on, while allowing each track to exist as its own emotional reckoning. Brutal, dark and aggressive at its core, the record is equally intended as a sanctuary, a place to release anger, sit with sadness or simply feel less alone.
The album marks the band’s first release with Seek & Strike, following years of self-releasing their music. On signing to the label, Survivalist commented: “We’re absolutely delighted to sign to Seek and Strike. We’ve always wanted to do this properly and take it as far as we can go, not just for ourselves, but to help shine a light on the heavy and alternative scene in Ireland, which we feel deserves far more recognition. After self-releasing all of our music, we knew the next step was finding the right partner. A label that genuinely believed in our vision. From the very first conversation, it was clear that Seek and Strike were exactly that. Being a part of a label that’s helped grow bands we listen to is incredibly motivating and it truly feels like a mutual partnership. We couldn’t be happier to be part of the Seek and Strike family.”
Survivalist first made their mark with their 2021 debut VII, a release praised for its intensity, introspective lyricism and modern yet familiar approach to heavy music. The album has surpassed 100,000 streams and earned widespread critical acclaim.
On the live front, the band have steadily built momentum, sharing stages with Thy Art Is Murder, Chelsea Grin, Polaris, Suffocation, Atreyu, Kublai Khan, Party Cannon, Heriot and Distant, among others. Their rising profile has also seen them appear on Channel 5 in prime-time television, interviewed by Gaby Roslin and Ortis Deley.Following a recent tour with Thy Art Is Murder,Survivalist unveiled a run of singles from A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone, including ‘Deathbed‘ featuring Alex Koehler (ex-Chelsea Grin / Ameonna), ‘Radio Bleed‘ and ‘Failure Of Being‘ featuring producer Josh Sid Robinson. The album also features a guest appearance from Kid Bookie on track ‘Speak Up (Louder)’.
At their core, Survivalist are about connection, community and survival. Through A Place For Those Who Suffer, Alone, they deliver a record that is as uncompromising as it is human, a powerful body of work from a band rapidly cementing their position as one of the most compelling heavy acts to emerge from Ireland in recent years.
Survivalist and Existentialist join forces for The Intimidation Across The Isles tour in spring 2026. The run will see the bands cross the UK and Ireland, joined by close friends Suffer on all dates, with death metal legends Foetal Juice appearing in Belfast and Dublin. These shows mark Survivalist’s only Irish headline performances of 2026, with more announcements and surprises still to come.
Tour Dates: 27.03.26 – The Flapper, Birmingham 28.03.26 – Green Rooms, Treforest 29.03.26 – Grand Central, Manchester 03.04.26 – Limelight, Belfast 04.04.26 – The Sound House, Dublin 05.04.26 – The Siege of Limerick, Limerick
Survivalist are: Gavin Sharp (vocals) Nick Butcher (guitars) Lee Shaw (bass) Rhys Fraser (drums)
With the critically-acclaimed release of Behind The Eclipse, Norwegian progressive metal band COURSE OF FATE present their third studio album, available now via ROAR – A Division Of Reigning Phoenix Music.
The album takes listeners on a captivating journey through dark soundscapes and melodic, atmospheric moments, reflecting themes of contrast, conflict and clarity. Behind The Eclipse represents a defining chapter in the band’s career and their most mature release to date.
Following their concept album Mindweaver (2020) – hailed alongside classics like Operation: Mindcrime, Scenes from a Memory, and The Wall – and their powerful sophomore effort Somnium (2023), COURSE OF FATE return with their most dynamic and heavy material yet.
Behind The Eclipse presents a diverse collection of songs where light and darkness intertwine, both musically and lyrically. Though not a concept album, each track connects through this theme, showcasing the band’s signature mix of melodic depth, progressive sophistication, and emotional weight!
Following the critically acclaimed 2022 full-length “Statement On Death” (Metal Blade Records), Barcelona-based instrumental quartet SYBERIA return with a striking new chapter. Their fifth album “Quan tot s’apagui” is out now via Moment of Collapse Records, with Silent Pendulum Records handling the release in the United States.
“Quan tot s’apagui” represents a major artistic and emotional shift in SYBERIA‘s trajectory. For the first time, the group delivers an album conceived fully in Catalan, a step that reinforces their identity and brings a new expressive depth to their sound.
The album stands as their darkest and most introspective release to date. It offers a symbolic exploration of the world’s end and the passage into nothingness – a sonic narrative where beauty and devastation coexist. The record leans more heavily into post-metal and black metal influences, expanding SYBERIA’s signature sound into more intense, atmospheric, and ferocious territories while keeping the melodic sensitivity that has long defined them.
Tracklist:
En la foscor una llum que brilla,
llampecs d’oblit d’uns records en vida,
naixença d’una mort tranquil·la.
Dins la meva ànima la sang em bull…
quan me’n vagi no em tanqueu els ulls.
“Quan tot s’apagui” is out now and available for purchase HERE
Furthermore, to support the new album, SYBERIA will hit the road this spring. Tickets are on sale now and dates as follows:
07/02 Madrid, Sala Siroco, SPAIN 21/03 A Coruña, 981 United, Sala Tunnel, GALÍCIA
28/03 Wil, Gare Du Lion, SWITZERLAND 29/03 Wien, Arena Beisl, AUSTRIA 30/03 Munich, Glockenbachwerkstatt, GERMANY 31/03 Dresden, Riesa Efau, GERMANY 01/04 Jena, KuBa, GERMANY 02/04 Bonn, Kult 41, GERMANY 03/04 Ghent, Asgaard Gentbrugge, BELGIUM 04/04 TBA BELGIUM 05/04 Clermont Ferrand, La Raymonde, FRANCE
25/04 Stuttgart, Zentral Club, GERMANY 26/04 Hamburg, Gängeviertel, GERMANY 27/04 Neunkirchen, Stummsche Reithalle, GERMANY 28/04 BerlIn, Neue Zukunft, GERMANY 29/04 Poznan, Pod Minoga, POLAND 30/04 Prague, 007 Strahov, CZECH REPUBLIC 01/05 Strasbourg, Le Local Bar, FRANCE 02/05 Cascina Bellaria, Cascina Bellaria, ITALY
Norwegian progressive metal visionaries RAM-ZET have revealed the first sonic and visual statement from their long-awaited return. The band has premiered the video for “Zerocane”, the first single from their upcoming album “Sapien”, due out March 27 via Swedish label ViciSolum Productions. The track is now available on all major streaming platforms.
“Zerocane” offers an immediate glimpse into the renewed creative force behind RAM-ZET; a band known for bending the boundaries between progressive, avant-garde, and extreme metal. Musically, the song traces its origins back to the earliest writing sessions for “Sapien”.
Guitarist and founder Henning “Zet” Ramseth explains: “The song is one of the first ideas for our album ‘Sapien’ and it is all built around a kind of folkish theme which got into my head, when playing with my new (at the time) 8 string.“
Vocalist Sfinx adds about the lyrics: “‘Zerocane’ is an alter ego, or a form of extra personality that emerges when one needs him the most. He eventually becomes the dominating character and one no longer has control over oneself. He becomes like a self-worshiping God.”
Tracklist:
Zerocane
Cranium
Sleepers
Bozzadevil
Peace25?
As Worlds Collide
Psychosis
In The Mirror
Catching Flies
Hangmans Jazz
“Sapien” marks RAM-ZET’s first full-length album since ‘Freaks in Wonderland’ (2012), ending a silence that lasted more than a decade. While the band never officially disbanded, activity slowed considerably as members pursued other creative paths. The turning point came in 2023, when Ramseth felt the time was right to fully resurrect the project. What followed was an intensive two-year period of writing, rehearsing, and recording, culminating in a celebrated return to the live stage in the summer of 2024.
The current line-up reflects both continuity and renewal. Longtime keyboardist Karoline “Ka” Amb stepped away as band activity increased, making room for Kai “Aazuu” Renton (Trollfest) on keyboards. At the same time, violinist Ingvild “Sareeta” Johannesen has returned after an extended break, once again adding her unmistakable signature to the band’s sound.
With “Sapien”, RAM-ZET deliver their trademark fusion of intensity, complexity, and atmosphere, infused with renewed focus, energy, and vision. The band’s next chapter begins now.
The album will be released as double vinyl, CD, and digital. Pre-orders are available at THIS LOCATION
Line-up: Henning Ramseth / Zet – Guitar, vocals Miriam Renvåg / Sfinx – Vocals Lars A Lien / Lanius – Bass Ingvild Strønen Johannesen/ Sareeta – Violin Kai Renton / Aazuu – Keyboards Kent Frydenlund/ Küth – Drums
DRAKEN‘s upcoming album, “Here Be Draken”, has now got a release date, which is April the 17th. To celebrate this, the hard hitting and perfectly catchy opening song “The Great Deceiver” is being released today, and it can be heard here: https://orcd.co/draken
Draken’s bassist and vocalist Hallvard Gaardløs has this to say about “The Great Deceiver”: More often than not, there’s a track or two on an album that I feel kind of encapsulates the spirit of that particular record. On this album its “The Great Deceiver” for me, definitively. I feel it sums up what we want Draken to be, musically. A barrage of non-stop riffing, an all-out assault of rock n roll. Lyrically, this track is about someone who exploits people when they are at their weakest and most exposed. A person who preys on people who are alone and lonely.
Formed in 2019 by Even Hermansen (guitar/vocals), Hallvard Gaardløs (bass/vocals) and André Drage (drums), Draken has carved out a fierce sonic identity at the crossroads of heavy rock and metal. Drawing inspiration from bands like High on Fire, Motörhead and Entombed, their sound is defined by down-tuned guitars, massive riffs and raw energy.
Hallvard Gaardløs has this to say about the upcoming album: For a long time, the main theme of “Here Be Draken” alluded me. But the more I think about it, this album is about new beginnings in so many ways. Sonically, it’s a new beginning. After two albums with Vegard Liverød (a true gentleman and legend!), the time was right for a change of scenery. We went for Amper Tone, which, quite conveniently, is just a stones throw from where I live. I talked to Kim Lillestøl about engineering, we knew each other from music studies, and we all have heard great things about him the last couple of years. The result… well, hear for yourself!
As mentioned, the upcoming album “Here Be Draken” was recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo and produced by the band together with engineer Kim Lillestøl. With artwork by Per Spjøtvold, the track listing is as follows:
1. The Great Deceiver 2. Jólablót 3. Saturday Night Head Removal Extravaganza 4. Here Be Dragons 5. Crimson Sun 6. It Serves You Right 7. Wrath 8. Shirts of Black (F.O.A.D.) 9. Of Demise and Men 10. Endtyme 11. Shitshow
Their first two albums – Draken (2021) and Book of Black (2023) – were released on Swedish label Majestic Mountain Records and received strong reviews across Norwegian and European press. The upcoming album Here Be Dragons was recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo and produced by the band together with engineer Kim Lillestøl.
Draken has performed across Norway and Sweden and toured central Europe with Spidergawd. With a new label and a new album on the horizon, the band is ready to take things to the next level.
Set for a release on Dark Essence Records on April the 17th, “Here Be Draken” will be available on CD, Limited Edition Cream White Vinyl and digital formats, and can be pre-ordered from:
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
Ads
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 ) 