Dokken, formed in Los Angeles in 1978, had several hit singles which charted on the Billboard Hot 100, such as “Alone Again”, “In My Dreams”, and “Burning Like a Flame”, and has sold more than 10 million albums worldwide. The classic Dokken line-up consisted of founder Don Dokken on vocals, George Lynch on lead guitar, Mick Brown on drums and Jeff Pilson on bass.
Released in 1999, Erase the Slate had marked a fresh chapter for Dokken, introducing Reb Beach (best known for Winger and later Whitesnake) as the band’s lead guitarist. Erase the Slate blends Dokken’s classic melodic metal roots with a more modern, late-’90s hard rock edge. Reb Beach brought a technically sharp yet fluid guitar style that differed from the flashier, more aggressive approach of former guitarist George Lynch. His playing added a polished, groove-oriented feel while still delivering strong solos and riffs.
Listen to “Change The World” here:
Now it is available through Deko Entertainment for the first time in the United States on 180g vinyl. Completely remastered, repackaged, and limited to only 500 copies of each variation including a beautiful Green Smoke and classic Black. Erase the Slate includes stand out tracks “Erase The Slate”, “Change the World”, as well as a cover of the Harry Nilsson song “One” made popular by the Three Dog Night. This is a must have for any Dokken fan!
The mythology is magical. On June 23, 1971, Melanie was among the headliners at the Glastonbury Fayre – an underground celebration that morphed, a decade later, into what we now know as the Glastonbury Festival.
Some 12,000 people attended the week long event, there to witness now-legendary sets by David Bowie, Hawkwind, the Pink Fairies, the Edgar Broughton Band, Quintessence, Traffic, Fairport Convention, Arthur Brown and more, all performing from the now-iconic pyramid stage.
But, Hawkwind co-founder Nik Turner recalled, it was Melanie who a lot of people were waiting for, as she climbed onto the stage from the front row of the audience, where she’d been sharing home-made beer with a party of bikers.
“There was a real buzz about Melanie being there,” Turner recalled. “Everyone adored her, and the whole site fell silent while she was on. Even the drummers stopped playing to listen.”
Melanie at Glastonbury Fayre, 1971
Indeed, in the years that followed her death in January 2024, several veterans of the festival have stepped up to pay their respects by recording fresh elements to the songs she left behind – Paul Rudolph of the Fairies, for example, and the great Terry Reid.
“Lay Down (Candles In The Rain),” however, is extra special, not only because it is one of Melanie’s best loved songs and biggest hit records, but also because she is joined by Nik Turner (flute) and Hawkwind bandmate Del Dettmar (audio generator) – both of whom witnessed her Glastonbury performance; and Alan Davey, a key member of the band through the 1980s and beyond.
Even more intriguingly, it is a version of the song as Melanie originally wrote it, before she added the “Lay Down” chorus that eventually titled the song and which, in the hands of the Edwin Hawkins Singers, stripped away the foreboding darkness that clung to Melanie’s original composition.
There are few pop songs, after all, which open with a line like “we bled inside each other’s wounds”, and even Melanie admitted such a lyric was an unlikely candidate for the Top 10. Yet still “Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)” reached #6 on the Billboard chart, while covers have come from as musically far afield as Mott The Hoople and Meredith Brooks, Emilia Torrini and Australian star Max Sharan.
In the hands of Davey, Turner and Dettmar, however, the song is drawn even further from its “hit” incarnation, not only capturing the energies of Melanie’s original solo performance, but driving, also, into pure Hawkwind In Search Of Space territory. If they’d dropped this into the set, maybe at the end of side two, nobody would have batted an eyelid.
Listen to it HERE, and it could easily have been taped 55 years ago, and it is so easy to imagine Nik, Del and Melanie, plus a passing rhythm section, sneaking into the on-site mobile studio, after the evening’s festivities were over, switching on the tapes and letting rip.
They only had time to record one song. But what a performance it is!
With “Blanche réalité,” post-hardcore vets IMPURE WILHELMINA offer the second glimpse into Le sanglot, their upcoming new album and first entirely in French.
“Blanche réalité” (White Reality) maps a state of persistent, low-grade alienation: a person going through the motions of daily existence, disoriented at the center of a world from which all warmth has been subtracted. The song finds its biographical root in a winter hike Impure Wilhelmina vocalist and guitarist Michael Schindl took, during which he nearly lost himself in the fog. That real, physical experience of erasure sits at the core of the song’s emotional logic, grounding an otherwise interior state in something concrete and felt.
Watch the official music video for “Blanche réalité”:
The video for “Blanche réalité” extends the song’s territory rather than illustrating it. Shot entirely on location in fog-bound natural landscapes with no band performance, the video follows a solitary figure moving through mist-consumed fields and bare woodland without ever arriving anywhere. The palette is almost entirely de-saturated, with animals functioning as the visual counterpart to the lyrics: present, unreachable, moving through the fog with a purposefulness the human figure lacks. Only in the final seconds does color return, a handful of amber leaves around water, an image that offers no clear resolution.
À Jamais radieuse (5:52) Full runtime: 50:287. Frelon ivre (4:40)
Born from Geneva, Switzerland’s thriving alternative music scene, IMPURE WILHELMINA has been developing a truly unique blend of sound over the years, somewhere in between metal and progressive-tinged dark rock. The band’s distinctive style is dense, melodic and deeply melancholic, brought to life by introspective lyrics both profoundly humane and chilling, infused with raw emotion.
Impure Wilhelmina was founded in 1996 and made a name for itself in the early 2000s, with a series of iconic albums – I Can’t Believe I was Born in July (2003) and L’amour, la mort, l’enfance perdue (2005) along with several European tours. Little by little, the quartet led by guitarist and vocalist Michael Schindl won over the hearts of a now loyal fan base, who appreciate how the band turns dark themes into a universe of healing sound.
Impure Wilhelmina’s story is also one of perpetual renewal. The band’s sound has evolved from its gritty beginnings to more mature, melodic productions driven by clear magnetic vocals. Black Honey (2014), Radiation (2017) and Antidote (2021), widely appraised by critics, pushed horizons further yet for the band, signed to the label Season of Mist since 2015.
Throughout the years, Impure Wilhelmina has played hundreds of shows across Europe, performing at underground venues and large festivals alike, including opening for icons such as Gojira, Baroness, Amenra, Sólstafir and Crippled Black Phoenix.
Since 2023, the band has been working on its next album to follow Antidote. The process is enriched by the arrival of new guitarist Edouard Nicod, joining Sébastien Dutruel (bass), Mario Togni (drums) and Michael Schindl (guitar and vocals). Their new album entitled Le sanglot, set to be released by Season of Mist in 2026, will showcase the band’s next radical yet organically logical transformation: lyrics entirely in French, unleashing dimensions of sound you wouldn’t expect, with renewed creative energy.
« Rescapé de l’ancien monde, touché par la grâce »
Line-up: Michael Schindl — Vocals, Guitar Mario Togni — Drums Sébastien Dutruel — Bass Edouard Nicod — Guitar
Production Credits: Recorded at Kitchen Studio, Geneva, Switzerland. Produced, engineered & mixed by Yvan Bing at Kitchen Studio, except for track 9, recorded by Serge Morattel at Rec Studio. Mastered by Magnus Lindberg at Redmount Studio, Stockholm, Sweden.
Recording Line-up: Michael Schindl Mario Togni Sébastien Dutruel Edouard Nicod
Guest Musician: Marion Leclercq (Mütterlein) on the track 6, ‘Train Mort’.
Acclaimed South African singer-songwriter Steve Louw returns with a powerful new single, “Across The River,” offering listeners a deeply evocative preview of his forthcoming album, Traces of the Flood, set for release on May 15, 2026.
Released Friday, April 10, the new single is available on all streaming platforms HERE. Watch the music video on YouTube HERE. Pre-order the new album HERE.
“Across The River” is a slow-burning, emotionally resonant track that blends Louw’s signature storytelling with stripped-back instrumentation and atmospheric depth. The song explores themes of longing, separation, and transcendence, anchored by imagery that is both intimate and expansive.
With its recurring motif of crossing over, physical, emotional, and perhaps even spiritual, the single captures a sense of inevitability and enduring connection.
Driven by poetic lyricism, the track unfolds like a quiet reckoning. Lines such as “These four walls all I see / And I think of you” and “We’ll meet across the riverside” suggest both confinement and hope, while the refrain, “I’ll be with you, my love,” lingers as a promise that transcends circumstance. The narrative is deeply personal yet universally accessible, allowing listeners to project their own interpretations onto its layered meaning.
Musically, “Across The River” leans into a minimalist arrangement, allowing Louw’s voice and lyrics to take centre stage. Subtle textures and a measured pace create a sense of tension and release, mirroring the emotional arc of the song itself. The result is a track that feels timeless, rooted in classic songwriting traditions while remaining distinctly contemporary.
The single serves as a compelling introduction to Traces of the Flood, an album that promises to further explore themes of memory, resilience, and the passage of time. While full details of the album remain under wraps, “Across The River” hints at a body of work that is both reflective and sonically rich, marking a significant chapter in Louw’s ongoing artistic evolution.
Speaking about the release, Louw notes that the song emerged from a place of introspection: a meditation on connection in moments of uncertainty, and the enduring pull of love across distance and adversity.
Cut live in the studio with a full-tilt, rocking band, “Across the River” delivers a high-octane cry out to the ghosts that haunt us, to lost love, and to redemption. We all carry spirits with us, converse with them and wait to meet them all again, “Across the River”.
With “Across The River,” Steve Louw once again demonstrates his ability to craft music that resonates on a deeply human level, understated yet profound, intimate yet far-reaching.
“Across The River” is available now on all major streaming platforms. Traces of the Flood will be released on 15 May 2026.
CONSECRATION will release their highly anticipated fourth full-length album, “Exanimis”, on CD, LP and MC format on May 29, 2026, via Nuclear Winter Records.
Marking a decisive step forward in songwriting, composition and artistic authority, the album channels the core elements of the band’s early sound and their unwavering love for ’90s death-doom, merging them into a more resolute, heavier sonic identity. Drawing on the glorious British tradition of the genre – from early My Dying Bride and Enchantment to Decomposed – CONSECRATION reinterpret these influences with a contemporary perspective, weaving atmospheric doom, crushing riffs and occasional sharp, impact-driven death metal passages into a cohesive, striking whole.
“Exanimis” is dark, decadent and at times mercilessly biting, balancing melancholic atmospheres with raw intensity. The record demonstrates not only a reverence for the legacy of doom and death but also the band’s relentless drive to expand their own sound, asserting CONSECRATION as a commanding presence in the modern extreme metal scene and setting a new benchmark for their evolving career.
The first single “Herald of Darkness” is streaming HERE.
Tracklist:
01. Herald of Darkness 02. Configuration of Lamentation 03. Submerged in Sand 04. Domain of Despair 05. Harvester of the Forsaken 06. The Bitterness of Grief 07. Descend into Derangement 08. Cold Grey Stone
CONSECRATION are a death-doom metal band from Norwich, UK, formed in 2010. With a relentless blend of crushing doom and old-school death metal, they craft music steeped in death, darkness and despair, steadily carving a global reputation in extreme metal.
Since their debut, “Ephemerality” (2014, UKEM Records), CONSECRATION have grown continuously, reissuing the album in 2023 through Cavernous Records with new artwork and compiling early material in 2018’s “Remembrance”. Their sophomore album, “Fragilium” (2019, Solitude Productions), earned critical acclaim and drew thousands YouTube views, signaling the band’s expanding influence.
The third album, “Cinis” (2022, Redefining Darkness Records), marked a major step forward, featuring guest vocals from Dave Ingram (Benediction) and mastering by Greg Chandler (Esoteric). The album received top reviews from Metal Forces, Distorted Sound, and Blabbermouth.net. Singles such as “The Dweller in the Tumulus” reached thousands of fans online, while live appearances—including Esoteric’s 30th Anniversary and UK Deathfest 2022—solidified their stage presence.
The 2021 EP “Reanimated” was reissued in 2025 as a hand-made limited edition that sold out in two hours, demonstrating the dedication of their growing fanbase.
Their fourth album, “Exanimis”, recorded at Priory Studios, Birmingham, will be released in spring 2026, featuring Paul Jones (Enchantment) and Rich Mumford (Malediction), with in-house artwork and mixing/mastering by Greg Chandler. CONSECRATION continue to push boundaries, evolving relentlessly and establishing themselves as a rising force in international death-doom.
For fans of: Evoken, Cruciamentum, early My Dying Bride, Decomposed
Line-up:
Daniel Bollans – Vocals Mathew Bollans – Bass Liam Houseago – Lead & rhythm guitar Andy Matthews – Lead, rhythm & acoustic guitar Jorge Figueiredo – Drums and percussion
Brazilian rock trio ELECTRIC MOB are proud to share the new live version of “4 letters,” taken from the upcoming digital deluxe edition of their sophomore album ‘2 Make U Cry & Dance,’ set for release on July 10th via Frontiers Music Srl. The digital deluxe edition will feature the full studio release alongside six live tracks performed at Capital Moto Week 2024.
On the live version of “4 letters,” the band shares: “It’s a deep honest declaration of the reality of love. For someone, something or simply yourself. We often downplay or trivialize feelings like it’s nothing, and ‘4 letters’ is a wake up call to love and to mean it.”
Without hiding their classic rock influences and driven by a modern, restless vision, ELECTRIC MOB are unafraid to break away from clichés and push rock fans beyond their comfort zone.
Hailing from Curitiba, Brazil, the band burst onto the scene like a mad dog on the loose with their debut album ‘DISCHARGE’ (2020). Raw, unapologetic, and emotionally charged, the record broke through borders, surprising international audiences and carving out space on rock radio stations throughout the United States and Europe.
In January 2023, the band released their second album, ‘2 MAKE U CRY & DANCE,’ earning positive reviews across multiple countries. This was followed by a Brazilian headlining tour through 12 cities in six different states. The momentum continued as ELECTRIC MOB joined forces with Project 46 for a nationwide run that expanded into Brazil’s Northeast.
Their live streak carried into 2024 and 2025 with a strong presence at major festivals, including Summer Breeze Brasil, now known as Bangers Open Air, where Billboard Brasil cited the band as “one of the most praised performances of the event.” Additional highlights include a main stage appearance at Capital Moto Week, which resulted in the live recording ‘Live @ Capital Moto Week,’ and performances at Porão do Rock (DF), Mundial Rock (SC), SBO Rock Fest (SP), and HackTown (MG).
On the upcoming deluxe release, vocalist Renan Zonta comments:
“We’re thrilled to release this super special edition of something we’re very proud of. The DLX version of our second album ‘2 Make U Cry & Dance’ comes with kickass live and raw cuts and it’s here to reinsure the power inside this beautiful cake. Give it an extra spin while we’re cooking a new one ⚡️😈”
Guitarist Ben Hur adds:
“We’ve always considered ourselves a band forged on stage. That’s where everything truly comes to life. In this deluxe release of our second album, we’re capturing a part of that energy and sharing it with fans who haven’t yet had the chance to experience it with us in person.”
Pre-Save the ‘2 Make U Cry & Dance’ Digital Deluxe Edition HERE
‘2 Make U Cry & Dance’ Digital Deluxe Edition Track List:
1. Sun Is Falling 2. Will Shine 3. IT’S GONNA HURT 4. By The Name (nanana) 5. Soul Stealer 6. 4 letters 7. Locked n Loaded 8. Saddest Funk Ever 9. Thy Kingdom Come 10. Love Cage 11. WATCH ME (I’m Today’s News) 12. WATCH ME (I’m Today’s News) (Alternative Version) 13. Will Shine (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília) 14. IT’S GONNA HURT (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília) 15. By The Name (nanana) (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília) 16. 4 Letters (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília) 17. Sun Is Falling (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília) 18. Love Cage (Live at Capital Moto Week, Brasília)
ELECTRIC MOB are: Renan Zonta – Vocals Ben Hur Auwarter – Guitar Mateus Cestaro – Drums
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 ) 