HELLRIPPER Announces New Album “Coronach”, Launches New Single + Music Video ‘Hunderprest’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 19, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by MM Photography

Scotland’s ibex-obsessed blackened thrash bastard of Hades, otherwise known as HELLRIPPER, is pleased to announce that his fourth studio album, ‘Coronach,’ will be released worldwide on March 27, 2026 via Century Media Records, making it his debut to the label! To celebrate this upcoming offering, HELLRIPPER is now debuting a raucous new black thrash anthem, “Hunderprest,” along with a spirited performance video that was filmed at UK’s Damnation Festival 2025 by Sethpicturesmusic and edited by Jake Ten. The clip can be found at THIS LOCATION.

HELLRIPPER mastermind, guitarist/vocalist and songwriter James McBain comments on the new single,

“‘Hunderprest’ hits immediately with a chaotic deluge of dissonance, and is what I felt to be the perfect way to open the album — leaving the listener with no time to prepare. Based on the legend of ‘Hunderprest,’ or ‘dog priest’ – the vampire of Melrose Abbey. The sinful chaplain inherited his nickname because of his habit of hunting on horseback with his pack of hounds. After his death, legend says he was buried in the graveyard of Melrose Abbey; and because his spirit could not find peace, he would rise from his grave when night fell to harass the villagers and his former mistress to satisfy his bloodthirst. He was eventually defeated when a group of monks from Melrose Abbey exhumed Hunderprest’s blood-soaked body in broad daylight and set it on fire, throwing the ashes into the wind to be sure that the vampire would no longer be able to torment the town.

“Musically, the track primarily takes influence from a mixture of thrash (Kreator, Merciless, Metallica) and black (Watain, Rotting Christ, Tribulation) metal, with a healthy dose of some more ‘atmospheric’ d-beat elements from the likes of Oathbreaker and Fall of Efrafa.”

He adds about the album, “‘Coronach’ is a personal exploration of Scottish Culture — its music, literature, history & folklore. From Pictish mysteries to Victorian Gothic literature, sinister lore, classic Scottish poetry and modern urban tales, the album tells stories of the country throughout the ages. Inspired by anything and everything from Venom and Mercyful Fate, to Watain and Opeth, to Manic Street Preachers, film scores and traditional Scottish music, the album is a good representation of myself all wrapped up in a nice speed metal package! Quite a bit of experimentation went into this album, and I wanted each track to contain something that I had never done previously. Whether it be the inclusion of a different instrument, or how a song begins, I aimed to offer some element of surprise in each track.

“The album, named after the vocal lament traditionally sung at funerals in the Scottish Highlands, encompasses everything the band is about: mixing modern and old-school influences, past and present storytelling, the dark side of Scottish history and my personal interpretation of it. As always, the writing and recording took place in my home studio, with various other people putting their stamp on a few of the tracks. The album was mixed by myself, and was mastered by Damian Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios, and the artwork was done by Adam Burke (Nightjar Illustration). Fàilte gu Alba – Welcome to Scotland!”

‘Coronach’ can be pre-ordered HERE.

Artwork by Adam Burke

In addition, Hellripper will be embarking on a European headliner with support from Schizophrenia and Sarcator, which will introduce the band’s upcoming studio album release (More details about that soon…!). The full itinerary can be found below while tickets can be found HERE.

Enter the GOAT KVLT HERE.

Coronach’ Tracklisting:

  1. Hunderprest (05:49) [WATCH]
  2. Kinchyle (Goatkraft and Granite) (04:33) [WATCH]
  3. The Art of Resurrection (05:44)
  4. Baobhan Sith (Waltz of the Damned) (06:24)
  5. Blakk Satanik Fvkkstorm (03:53)
  6. Sculptor’s Cave (04:35)
  7. Mortercheyn (04:18)
  8. Coronach (08:48)
    Full Running Time: 00:44:09

Hellripper Live US Dates 2025/2026:

22.01.2026: Helsinki (Finland) @ Tavastia
21.03.2026: Aalst (Belgium) @ Oilsjt Omploft Festival
27.03.2026: Glasgow (Scotland) @ Garage *
28.03.2026: Bern (Switzerland) @ EmMetal Festival
03.04.2026: Nottingham (England) @ Saltbox ***
04.04.2026: London (England) @ The Dome *** [VENUE UPGRADE]
06.04.2026: Utrecht (Netherlands) @ De Helling ***
07.04.2026: Dortmund (Germany) @ Junkyard ***
08.04.2026: Hamburg (Germany) @ Logo *** [LOW TICKETS]
09.04.2026: Copenhagen (Denmark) @ Pumpehuset ***
10.04.2026: Berlin (Germany) @ Lido ***
11.04.2026: Warsaw (Poland) @ Voodoo ***
12.04.2026: Kraków (Poland) @ Zascianek
13.04.2026: Vienna (Austria) @ Arena ***
14.04.2026: Budapest (Hungary) @ Dürer Kert *** [LOW TICKETS]
15.04.2026: Munich (Germany) @ Backstage *** [LOW TICKETS]
16.04.2026: Prague (Czechia) @ Subzero ***
17.04.2026: Mannheim (Germany) @ 7er Club ***
18.04.2026: Paris (France) @ Backstage by the Mill ***
06.06.2026: Maastricht (Netherlands) @ South of Heaven Open Air [LOW TICKETS]
13.06.2026: Hauptmannsgrün (Germany) @ Chronical Moshers Open Air
04.09.2026: Ostrava (Czechia) @ Metal!!! Festival

*Hellripper & Sarcator
***Hellripper, Schizophrenia & Sarcator

More shows to be announced soon!

The brainchild of guitarist/vocalist/solitary force, James McBain, Hellripper has been running like a denim-vested, backpatch-encrusted William Wallace, bravehearting his way through metal’s bloodiest battlefields since first coagulating his personal darkness in 2014. Taking armaments from “Kill ‘Em All” era Hetfield and “Welcome to Hell” era Mantas, McBain has immersed his fascination with darkness and speed with Scottish history and come with bloody masterpieces like 2023’s “Warlocks Grim & Withered Hags” that Metal Injection stated: “Bursts with growth and a mature exploration of darkness and eeriness while maintaining that original high-octane burning”. McBain is presently sharpening his blades and casting new spells that will transmogrify into Hellripper’s Century Media debut “Coronach”.

Hellripper Lineup:
James McBain – All Instruments & Vocals

Hellripper live and video performance line-up:
James McBain – Guitar & Vocals
Joseph Quinlan – Guitar
Andy Milburn – Bass
Max Southall – Drums

Album credits:
Recorded and mixed by Hellripper’s James McBain at Coronach Studios in Scotland, UK
Mastered by Damien Herring at Subterranean Watchtower Studios in the USA.

Cover Artwork: Adam Burke / Nightjar Illustration

Links: Website – Instagram – YouTube – Spotify – TikTok – Discord – Twitch – Facebook

STREETLIGHT Share New Visualizer for ‘Shake That Feeling’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 19, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo Credit: David Wreland

AOR/Melodic rockers Streetlight share today the new single, “Shake That Feeling”, taken from the deluxe edition of their latest studio album “Night Vision”, available digitally today via Frontiers Music Srl.

Johannes Häger stated: “We are finally releasing “Shake That Feeling”, a bonus track from the “Night Vision” sessions. Driven by guitars and a powerful chorus, the song explores mental health and the process of letting go of inner struggles.”

Order “Night Vision” (Deluxe Edition) HERE

Johannes Häger commented on the new album, by saying: “It’s been such a joy for us to record our sophomore album “Night Vision”. One could say that the stakes are higher now compared to the debut “Ignition”, but we felt there are still many untrodden paths for Streetlight, both musically but of course also career wise. We’re still looking back at the AOR heydays, but we’re not going back.”

Streetlight is an AOR/melodic rock band from Jonkoping, Sweden. The band is staying true to the genre, delivering distinctive melodies, punchy choruses and strong hooks, all in the likeness of bands like Journey, Toto and Kansas. 

The debut album “Ignition” was released in 2023 by Frontiers Music, digitally and on CD. The music video of their single “Hit The Ground” has got over 140k views on YouTube. Since the release of “Ignition”, Streetlight have gained fans from over the world, and the album reviews have been stellar.

Streetlight is meant to be experienced live, and the band is taking their music on the road, playing both in clubs and on festivals, among others the Swedish AOR festival Malmö Melodic. 

The music of Streetlight is melodic and guitar driven, with a sound that reminds you of the
times when AOR was at its peak. And Streetlight wants to mediate music that is fun to listen to, as well as fun to play.

The debut album showed the world that Streetlight is a band to reckon with, and with “Night Vision” they continue with their distinctive melodies and punchy choruses. The sound still has elements of the melodic rock heydays, wrapped in their own 2025 twist.

“Night Vision” – Deluxe Edition – Tracklist:

1.    Long-Distance Runner
2.    Captured In The Night
3.    Sleep Walk
4.    Learn To Love Again
5.    Late Night Hollywood
6.    Leanna
7.    Straight To Video
8.    Fly With Eagles
9.    Where Did Love Go
10.    End Game
11.    Shake That Feeling (Bonus track)
12.    Learn To Love Again (Live) (Bonus track)
13.    Leanna (Live) (Bonus track)

Line Up:
Johannes Häger – lead vocals and guitars
Filip Stenlund – guitars, backing vocals
John Svensson – keys, backing vocals
Erik Nilsson – drums, backing vocals
Johan Tjernström – bass, backing vocals

Follow STREETLIGHT:
Website
Facebook
Instagram

BONG-RA Announces New Album “Esoterik”, First Single ‘Pleasures of the Flesh’ Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 19, 2026
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On forthcoming album, “Esoterik“, pioneering Dutch artist Jason Köhnen (THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET, THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE) continues the alchemical evolution that has defined his work as BONG-RA. A conceptual successor to 2025’s “Black Noise“, the new album deepens the esoteric dimensions he previously explored on “Antediluvian” (2018) and “Meditations” (2022), while forging a harsher, more dystopian industrial architecture. “Esoterik” will be released on March 20th and contains five immersive, long-form compositions:

  1. Harmony Cloak
  2. Pleasures of the Flesh
  3. Serpentine Helix
  4. Duality Of One
  5. Machine Halo

“Esoterik” is a work of sustained tension, where bass-heavy doomjazz, mechanised industrial pressure and ritualistic repetition converge into a dense, ceremonial whole. The album was composed, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Jason Köhnen. Guest performances include baritone vocals by Botond Fogl on ‘Duality Of One‘ and saxophone contributions by Colin Webster. The cover artwork was created by See Machine (OSSUARY, DORMANT ORDEAL).

Köhnen comments:

“The songs on “Esoterik” are partly adapted from songs on the “Antediluvian” and “Meditations” albums. These two albums delved more into the heavier doomjazz sound, crushingly low and with the screaming sax. With “Esoterik” I tried to have the universe of the “Black Noise” album collide with those of “Antediluvian” and “Meditations” in order to complete a creative circle. Harsh dystopian Industrial moulded with bass heavy doomjazz. The title “Esoterik” (adjective: intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest) dives into concepts taken from Esotericism, especially Hermeticism. The “Black Noise” comeback album, so to speak, really lit the spark for what I call the BONG-RA 2.0 era, even as far that the template and sketches for the next (3rd) album are already being laid out.“

As an initiation into this immense new work, BONG-RA unveil ‘Pleasures of the Flesh‘ as first single – a relentless Industrial Metal onslaught driven by crushing distortion, mechanical force and raw physical energy, yet pierced by melancholic saxophone lines recalling Köhnen‘s cinematic project THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET.

Listen via Bandcamp and on DMP‘s YouTube channel in form of a lyric video:

Köhnen reveals the concept behind the single:

“‘Pleasures of the Flesh‘ is an inner struggle between the temptations of the physical and the perseverance towards metaphysical discipline. Hinting to the principles of duality that come from Hermetic teachings. It’s a constant internal struggle and a test of faith, nihilism versus spirituality, and ‘Pleasures of the Flesh‘ shows the angle where the shift leans towards hope being lost and those moments when one is captured by the temptations of the dark side. It hints to a machine control world.”

Follow BONG-RA on Instagram for updates.

“Esoterik” will be released on CD, vinyl — including an exclusive DMP vinyl edition — and digital on March 20th. An exclusive T-shirt design will accompany the release. Pre-orders are available via DMP’s EU, US and Bandcamp shops.

In spring 2026, BONG-RA will embark on a large European tour with avant-garde Extreme Metal entity THY CATAFALQUE. Further info will follow soon!

Jason Köhnen began his musical journey in 1988 as the vocalist/bassist for BLUUURGH…, an underground Dutch Crust/Death Metal/Grindcore band. Following the release of an EP and LP, in 1991 he founded the Death-Doom band CELESTIAL SEASON, gaining widespread recognition as a prominent name in the genre outside the renowned ‘Peaceville 3′.

In 1996, Köhnen shifted from Metal to electronic music, creating the project BONG-RA and pioneering the intense Breakcore genre of electronica. His 1998 debut album led to a Peel Session in 2002, and established BONG-RA as one of the first acts to fuse Extreme Metal with electronics. The experimentation deepened with releases like the 2007 “Grindkrusher” EP, featuring BOLT THROWER samples, and collaborative releases with noise artist Maruosa in DEATHSTORM and the neo-classical Doom project WHITE DARKNESS.

Beyond BONG-RA, Kohnen co-founded THE KILIMANJARO DARKJAZZ ENSEMBLE and later THE MOUNT FUJI DOOMJAZZ CORPORATION, releasing a series of cult albums up to 2013. Over his 30-year career, he has collaborated with notable artists such as VENETIAN SNARES and IGORRR, performed at major festivals including Glastonbury and Dour, and toured globally, sharing the stage with legendary acts like APHEX TWIN, MINISTRY and THE PRODIGY.

After a brief hiatus, during which BONG-RA explored Doom, Electronica and Jazz – including via 2018’s “Antediluvian” and 2022’s “Meditations” – Köhnen is now returning to his Metal and Grindcore roots. A deal with Debemur Morti Productions, also home to his Doomjazz project THE LOVECRAFT SEXTET, has been reached.

BONG-RA now prepares for a new era as a live three-piece featuring guitarists Attila Kovacs and Botond Fogl. This freshly rejuvenated vehicle for Metal/breaks fusion debute in early 2025 with a new record “Black Noise” and continues its journey with forthcoming “Esoterik” album (2026) and more touring.

BÖLTHORN’s New Single And Lyric Video ‘Calidonian’s Wrath’ Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 19, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

BÖLTHORN return with a new, devastating chapter of their sonic epic: “CALIDONIAN’S WRATH”, out today on all digital platforms, accompanied by the official music video, now online on YouTube.

The track is a brutal, epic and cinematic sonic journey, inspired by the legend of the Calydonian Boar, the mythological creature sent by the goddess Artemis to punish King Oeneus. Divine fury, primordial chaos and the ferocious hunt led by heroes such as Atalanta and Meleager take shape through a martial, colossal and narrative sound — the band’s unmistakable trademark.

The music video amplifies the impact of the song, translating the mythological atmosphere and ritual violence of the story into powerful visuals, further strengthening Bölthorn’s visual and musical concept.

The collaboration with Wanikiya Record/Promotion officially marks the beginning of a new and promising adventure, confirming the band’s artistic direction toward an ever more powerful, epic and conceptual imagery.

Streaming: available on all digital platforms

BLOODSTAIN Unleash Furious New Single ‘Conspiracy’ + Announce Show at Hellfest 2026

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 19, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
[photo credit: Linda Florin]

The world lies at their feet – and Bloodstain is widely tipped to become one of Sweden’s brightest new metal exports. Heavy music on the rise, and Bloodstain is already on the move! Today, the thrash metal frontrunners present their brand-new single “Conspiracy.”

Listen / Download at: https://orcd.co/tre058s3

Bloodstain was formed in late 2023 by four hungry teenagers, primarily inspired by early Bay Area thrash and classic heavy metal. With their self-released debut EP “I Am Death”, the band burst onto Sweden’s emerging metal scene and has, through both their music and electrifying live shows, rapidly emerged as one of Sweden’s most explosive new metal acts – earning praise from both audiences and critics.

After a blazing performance at Debaser in Stockholm in 2024, the band caught the attention of Entombed guitarist and Threeman Recordings founder Alex Hellid – a performance that would prove to be the launchpad for their meteoric rise. That meeting led to a long-term management partnership aimed at supporting Bloodstain’s continued journey.

In 2025, Bloodstain made its debut at Sweden Rock Festival in front of a large and eager crowd, followed by a summer where they cemented themselves as crowd favorites at some of Sweden’s biggest festivals – including Storsjöyran and Malmöfestivalen – as well as support slots for the legendary Dark Angel. The fall wrapped up with a national tour across Sweden supporting Swedish icons Dark Tranquillity.

In 2026, the band’s long-awaited full-length debut awaits, along with major festival appearances across Sweden and Europe – including a breakthrough performance at the legendary Hellfest in France.

The year kicks off with the release of the new single “Conspiracy”, out now on all digital streaming services, celebrated with an exclusive release show at Kaliber Room in Uppsala – Bloodstain’s first gig of the year.

Vocalist and guitarist: Oskar Lindroos comments about the new single:
“Conspiracy is the moment everything clicked for us—sharp riffs, a massive chorus, and pure forward momentum. This is Bloodstain stepping into the next chapter.”

“Conspiracy has that ‘lock-in’ groove where the whole band feels like one machine“, says Jonathan Thyberg (Bass & Backing Vocals). “Heavy, tight, and meant to be played loud.”

Tobias Lindström (Guitar & Backing Vocals) adds: “We wanted Conspiracy to hit instantly—classic metal drive, modern punch, no filler. It’s built to explode live!”

Bloodstain Live Dates:
2026-01-15 – Kaliber Room, Uppsala, Sweden
2026-01-16 – Kaf’e 44, Stockholm, Sweden
2026-06-21 – Hellfest, France
2026-07-06 – Time To Rock Festival, Knislinge, Sweden
2026-08-29 – Månegarm Open Air, Norrtälje, Sweden

For More Info Visit:
http://www.bloodstain.se
http://www.threeman.se/bloodstain
https://www.instagram.com/bloodstain.official
https://www.tiktok.com/@bloodstain.official
https://www.youtube.com/@bloodstain.official
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555780541728
https://open.spotify.com/artist/6uG9Od49dC2XZyHVJS9aEZ