Back in March, Kentucky sweethearts BLACK STONE CHERRY released their brand new 7-track EP Celebrate, via Mascot Records. The record spawned hard-rocking singles ‘Neon Eyes‘, ‘Celebrate‘, a cover of Simple Minds’ ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)‘ ft. Theory Of A Deadman’s Tyler Connolly, and the vulnerable focus track ‘DEEP‘, which saw BSC team up with Sands, the UK charity saving babies’ lives and supporting bereaved families.
Now that same track has been given an even more movingly haunting edge with the release of ‘DEEP (Acoustic)’, in the wake of fans’ reception and their support of guitarist Ben Wells’ and his wife’s fertility journey and experience with miscarriage. Last week, he shared a powerful spoken-word video with the charity to help raise awareness. You can watch the incredibly affecting video via their social media channels HERE and HERE.
Ben Wells expands: “We are so happy to release this intimate version of an already deeply personal song. I think stripping it back, and adding in the layers of mandolin, dobro, and slide guitar, add to its emotion and convey its message in a very unique way. We hope you enjoy this version as much as we did creating it.
He continues: “To be honest, I never imagined I would be writing something like this, but in an effort to be fully transparent, just like our song ‘DEEP’, here we are, and I’m truly thankful that an organisation like Sands exists to help heal and guide those of us who have experienced something tragic like this, and can assist in being a lighthouse in a storm and help direct our hearts to a healing place.”
Rowena Pailing, Sands’ Director of Bereavement Support Services, Community and Volunteering, expands: “We’re so grateful to Ben for highlighting his experience of miscarriage in this song, and for being so open about his emotions, which we hope encourages others to do the same. Talking about pregnancy loss or the death of a baby can feel very difficult, both for bereaved parents and for those around them, but finding the right words at the right time can really help bereaved parents and families feel supported when they need it most.”
Sands is here to support everyone touched by pregnancy or baby loss and offer many types of support, including a free, confidential telephone helpline, email support, and online group sessions. For more information, visit www.sands.org.uk.
Over the past two decades,BLACK STONE CHERRY have grown into a true live powerhouse, winning over audiences worldwide. In the UK alone, they’ve shared stages with rock heavyweights including Def Leppard, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Shinedown, Halestorm, The Darkness, and Bad Company. Their festival credentials are equally impressive – headlining Ramblin’ Man Fair twice (2016 and 2019), topping the bill at Steelhouse in 2023, and delivering standout performances at Download. Alongside these milestones, they’ve undertaken multiple UK headline tours, from arenas to intimate theatres – even a castle – proving both their versatility and the remarkable bond they share with their fans. The extensive dates in 2026 are not to be missed.
No matter what shape his muse takes, Tor-Helge Skei remains both one of the most consistent and surprising talents in extreme music. As a founding member of the critically acclaimed Manes and Lethe, the Norwegian multi-instrumentalist and producer has pushed the boundaries of metal and electronic music. Now, with his latest experiment, he’s expanding his vision like never before. While it spans an impressive range of genres and features many celebrated collaborators, Holissstik achieves something even greater than its individual accomplishments.
“This Endless Solitude” equates to an unfathomably nuanced recurring lucid dream”, New Noise wrote upon the announcement of Holissstik’s debut album, which is also the first in a trilogy. “[…] haunting to the utmost degree by virtue of its funereal darkness, juxtaposed with tempting yet uncanny luminescence”.
Today, Holissstik are releasing the second advanced single from Chapter 1: This Endless Solitude. While scarred by past misgivings, by bearing its tortured soul, “Would You Take This Heart” reveals the collective spirit that makes Skei and his collaborators such a unified force.
“Collaboration is the heart and soul of Holissstik”, Skei says. “‘Would You Take This Heart’ was originally a simple, slow, ambient instrumental. But, as is often the case, the song evolved, unplanned and uncontrolled. As more and more collaborators added their parts, it became heavier and heavier, darker and darker”.
As one could reasonably expect, This Endless Solitude began in 2024 with Tor-Helge Skei alone at his studio in Norway, revisiting unfinished songs from previous projects. The album’s latest single opens with slow and ominous synths, like a ghost emerging from someone’s buried past. Over the following years, Skei salvaged bits and pieces of old recordings while building new components from scratch using his curious collection of recording software and homemade plug-ins. Though soft to its core, “Would You Take This Heart” pleads its case with hammering drums, industrial guitar and the hypnotic chant of Paritta monks.
Skei’s approach to production is still hands-on, but he’s invited outside influences to take control over Holissstik. “After I finished the initial sketches for these songs, I wanted to hear where other people would take with them without being given any rules, limitations or restrictions”, he says. “Would You Take This Heart” features his current and former Manes bandmates Eivind Fjøseide and Tor-Arne Helgesen, new collaborators in Stig Waltoft and Trond Johansen and a familiar face in Rage of Light’s Martyna Halas. “Hold it gently / In the palm of your hands”, Halas sings with a voice that’s as rich and pure as gold. It’s not a suggestion but an invitation to become something greater than ourselves.
“Holissstik became my sanctuary, a place where my deepest, darkest and most intimate emotions could finally find release”, Halas says. “It’s fascinating how creators from different parts of the world express the same feeling through their own perspectives. Each holds a piece of the puzzle, moving toward a shared sense of wholeness. I’m deeply grateful to contribute a piece of my heart and soul to this unique project”.
“With Hollissstik, we’ve built something that transcends traditional metal by focusing on the ‘holos’ – the beauty of the complete, interconnected whole”, says Helgesen, who contributes drums to “Would You Take This Heart”.
Fjøseide, who contributes guitar to the song, agrees. “Skei and I have worked together on music for more than 30 years. Together, we have a special chemical musical reaction that makes things very exciting”.
From the tireless genius Tor-Helge Skei, a radically innovative new force, Holissstik, has emerged. The latest project from the Norwegian mainstay, multi-instrumentalist and producer is his most expansive yet. While it dwells deep within the darkness of our lives, Chapter I:This Endless Solitude, the first chapter in a trilogy of albums, finds salvation through the spirit of collaboration.
“The inspiration for Holissstik comes from the Greek word Hólos, which is the root for the English word ‘whole’”, Skei says. “Collaboration is the heart and soul of this project. The idea is that each part cannot exist or be understood when separated from the whole. The sum is greater than its parts”.
As the driving force behind Trondheim’s legendary Manes, Skei quickly established himself in the ’90s as one of black metal’s key pioneers. With the release of Manes’ classic album Vilosophe (2003), the powerhouse then metamorphosed into an equally magnificent genre-defying entity. Over the years, Skei has only continued to build upon his legacy as an unsurpassed sonic adventurer. He’s received acclaim for his achievements with various outfits, including Lethe, his duo with ex-Eluveitie and Cellar Darling’s beloved songstress Anna Murphy; the international supergroup Høstsol; the veterans Atrox; the brutal metallers Manii and Syning; the wildly experimental Kkoagulaa and more.
Even for the absurdly ambitious Skei, Holissstik represents a Herculean feat. While Skei serves as Holissstik’s composer and captain, the project operates as a revolving door for top-notch talents from across the world. Holissstik’s art can only leave those fortunate enough to be touched by its unshakable audial spells in states of utter speechlessness. This vessel of change cannot be defined; for it rattles the foundations of all we think we know about music while also redefining itself, constantly venturing further out into unknown territories. Holissstik is more sinister than extreme metal and potentially more healing than any New Age practice; this is timeless music without any artistic limitations. As Skei’s longtime accomplice in Manes and award-winning filmmaker Torstein Parelius wrote, “Turn away from the boundaries you create”.
Holissstik truly came into being in 2024 when Skei resolutely decided to initiate the arduous alchemical process of producing order from chaos. Skei is an astoundingly prolific creator whose vast archive of used and unused recordings seems endless. Parelius has remarked that the material from Manes’ past tends to “haunt” the band insofar as it is frequently incorporated in the present. This applies to Skei’s other efforts as well, and, for Holissstik, the visionary meticulously labored on sketches dating a decade or more back, giving them new life, details and twists. Meanwhile, he crafted others from scratch. Eventually, Skei narrowed the selection for This Endless Solitude down to eight mostly instrumental compositions with samples and some old vocal fragments. These tracks already sounded complete and irreproachable in their own right. Each of these interconnected, maximally hypnotic, seamlessly flowing and sometimes mercurial gems emanated its own unique, indefinable brand of magic, far beyond comparison and yet stamped with Skei’s instantly recognizable trademark.
Then, Skei did the unthinkable. He took the leap of faith he had been planning on and invited a flood of collaborators — big names, rising stars and underground legends — to assert their creative freedom on This Endless Solitude by adding individualistic touches on vocals, lyrics and various instruments. “After sketching these songs, I asked my collaborators to do their own thing with them. The only hint that I gave was the music would use minor chords, be melancholic and introspective and that the lyrics would be concerned with the darker side of life and death. But I gave them no rules, no limitations or restrictions”.
The chances of such a risky move actually succeeding seemed minuscule. Yet, the broadest pool of characters rose to the challenge, sharing their pain, anxieties, raw passion, wisdom, strength, refinement, grace and communal will to create pure art through This Endless Solitude. The roughly twenty guests on the album generously gave the music just what they believed it called upon them to express without holding back, thereby exceeding expectations and precipitating drastic transformation. Although Skei had temporarily surrendered control, he took matters firmly into his hands again as the contributions began trickling his way over the months that followed.
“As the collaborators submitted their contributions, I worked on shaping This Endless Solitude into a coherent whole”, Skei says. “It was quite an intense process in itself. But the end result more than made up for the doubts that surfaced”.
Skei is nothing short of a sorcerer when it comes to producing, engineering and arranging. His approaches may be unconventional, but no one achieves mixes and overall outcomes that more powerfully tug at our heartstrings, though we must acknowledge that the aforementioned Anna Murphy has also provided mixes of the highest caliber for Manes. Bit by bit, Skei would sculpt Holissstik’s first chapter to perfection. Worlds open, worlds collide; the spectral voices began twining around each other, a wealth of musical ideas and the said samples with seemingly supernatural effect, clawing their way into a permanent position within listeners’ psyches. While remaining true to their essences, the compositions would evolve in the exact manner of a living organism, in unforeseen and thrilling ways until they reached the point at which further modification would prove folly; ultimately, the miraculously cohesive This Endless Solitude assumed the form that seemed destined. It was then entrusted to Skei’s go-to choice for mastering Knut Prytz (ex-Necrophagia).
The result of This Endless Solitude and that which lies ahead is phantasmagorical wonder, lethal beauty and boundless darkness. Holissstik’s delirium-inducing, absinthine potions threaten to profoundly transform, and perhaps even transfigure, listeners; Holissstik equates to an unfathomably rewarding drug, though it will emotionally overload sentient beings. There is no denying the dangerous spiritual intensity within Holissstik’s hallucinatory soundscapes — dreams that bring audiences to and from the abysmal realm of nightmares. Impregnated with cerebral and poetic qualities, Holissstik provides a cinematic journey, repeatedly invoking primal horror and forever hooking us with suspenseful energy. The mystery of what the music communicates often gives way to melancholic meditations. We never pierce the veil of enigma surrounding Holissstik, rather we drown in the layers of sound, dragging us down into the scandal-infested depths of our own heavy consciousnesses. Holissstik bears parallels to classical music in terms of its inward impact and transcendent nature.
Stylistically, many will perceive elements of nearly every genre under the sun within This Endless Solitude: jazz, trip hop, rock, metal, ambient, avant-garde, pop. However, trying to attach labels to Holissstik would be foolishness. Electronics are superbly implemented within Holissstik, yet the music somehow always retains its organic charm. Skei doubles as a tech wizard, and he twists his expertise in the fields of programming and software development to his advantage for musical purposes. He always strikes the ideal balance between awakening a sense of unbearable loneliness partly by way of technology, frequently amplifying the robotic coldness it can engender, and the human component in all of its sometimes warmly reassuring, mood-driven nuances. Calculation and spontaneity are both accorded their proper place.
This EndlessSolitude proudly showcases artists who have worked with Skei in several other contexts and capacities as well as completely new collaborators. Anna Murphy, a household name within the music community, graces the album with her seductive, otherworldly vocals. Her fellow goddesses, the criminally gifted Marita Hellem and Rage of Light’s Martyna Halas, a masterful lyricist who offers her “heart of pure gold,” likewise deliver some of the most gorgeous vocals imaginable, deranging our senses with their oracular allure. Torstein Parelius, who has always played a crucial role in neo-Manes’ music and concepts, assists on bass and with lyrics.
Besides Hellem, Murphy and Parelius, the other members of Manes’ core and extended family who contribute to Holissstik include Atrox’s Eivind Fjøseide, ex-Atrox’s Tor-Arne Helgesen, The Third and the Mortal’s Rune Hoemsnes, Drontheim’s Tom Christian Engelsøy and Atrox’s Rune Folgerø. Holissstik also welcomed involvement from Kristoffer Oustad of Kristoffer Nyströms Orkester, Plague Machinery and formerly V:28; Christophe Denhez of Område and Ecr.Linf; rapper Pierre Ripka, or “K-rip”; Nik Košar of Kamra; Gabriel Trentini of Luce d’Inverno and Malaflame; rocker and engineering guru Stig Waltoft, a.k.a. “FluffyBunnyFeets”; and Trond Johansen. Not to mention, Buddhist monks were even persuaded to contribute chanting. While This Endless Solitude is mostly in English, it also features Pali, French, Polish and Italian.
Although the very nature of Holissstik demands that we expect the unexpected, the collective’s future certainly seems to guarantee obsidian horizons and torrential deluges of artistic truth. In other words, the project promises to persistently and ritualistically pummel us with devastating yet necessary, epic masterworks. Skei and his collaborators truly present the most immersive experiences possible and, in Manes language, offer a safe place in the unsafe; dive in with your hands bound, and be submerged within the imprisoning brilliance. Skei continues to participate in a range of outstanding groups, and yet Holissstik stands as the most unpredictable and, counterintuitive as it might sound, accessible undertaking in the history of his illustrious career.
Lineup Tor-Helge Skei
Guest musicians Anna Murphy – Vocals on “Obsession Six” Christophe Denhez – Guitars on “The Rhythm of Silence”, Guitars, vocals and lyrics on “Behind Me” Eivind Fjøseide – Guitars on all songs except “Projections” Gabriel Trentini – Vocals and lyrics on “Obsession Six” Kristoffer Oustad – Synth on “The Rhythm of Silence”, “Projections”, “Reoccuring Dreams”, “This Endless Solitude” Tor-Arne Helgesen – Drums on all songs except “Behind Me” and “This Endless Solitude” Marita Hellem – Vocals on “The Rhythm of Silence” and “This Endless Solitude” Martyna Halas – Vocals and lyrics on “The Rhythm of Silence”, “My Salvation”, “Would You Take This Heart” and “This Endless Solitude” Nik Košar – Vocals and lyrics on “Projections” and “Reoccuring Dreams” Pierre Ripka – Vocals and lyrics on “The Rhythm of Silence” Paritta Monks – Chanting on “Would You Take This Heart” Rune Folgerø – Vocals on “This Endless Solitude” Rune Hoemsnes – Drums on “Behind Me” Stig Waltoft – Synth and sounds on “Would You Take This Heart” Tom Engelsøy – Vocals on “Obsession Six” Torstein Parelius – Bass on “Behind Me” and “This Endless Solitude”, lyrics on “This Endless Solitude” Trond Johansen – Guitars on “Would You Take This Heart”
Production credits Recorded, produced and mixed by Tor-Helge Skei Mastered by Knut V. Prytz
Songwriting credits All songwriting and arrangements by Tor-Helge Skei
Ride The Rainbow – The Ultimate Tribute To Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow is already with us. But that did not stop Candice Night and Marcus Nand from shooting a video for what has already become one of the most critically acclaimed tracks on the album, as well as the most delicate.
Long time followers of Ritchie’s post-Rainbow Blackmore’s Night will already know that Candice is no stranger to the Rainbow catalog – “Man On The Silver Mountain, “ Difficult To Cure” and “Temple Of The King” have all found a place in Blackmore’s Night’s live show over the years. And no matter who voiced Rainbow’s original, still Night made the song her own.
She’s done it again on Ride The Rainbow. “I Surrender” was first heard on Difficult To Cure, Rainbow’s fifth album (from 1981) and their first to feature vocalist Joe Lynn Turner – who also appears on Ride The Rainbow, alongside both his predecessor in the band, Graham Bonnet, and his successor, Doogie White.
Night and co-conspirator Nand, however, have a very different vision of Rainbow to those others.
Night’s vocals, as mystic and magnificent as they ever are with Blackmore’s Night, offer the song an entire new lease of life – even those among of us who can sing along with every Rainbow song have probably never truly acknowledged the depths of emotion and tenderness that hallmark “I Surrender.”
Seemingly effortlessly, however, Night and Nand bring them sparkling into full view, and the video – which is launched today – only amplifies those qualities.
“It’s always fun shooting videos for a song you love and a project you believe in,” says Candice. “Reinterpreting such a classic song takes some imagination, so with the acoustic guitar of Marcus Nand and the softer approach, it lends perfectly to nature elements.
“Surrounding myself with sun, sand, water and forest elements brings the visuals to the magical elements of the new interpretation for a perfect meeting of audio and visual elements.”
Today, TO THE GRAVE, the world’s preeminent vegan deathcore band, are proud to announce their BLKIIBLK debut album, ‘LIBERATION FRONT,’ set for release on October 2nd. The announcement arrives alongside the band’s ferocious new single, “NAIL MARY,” and its official video, offering another glimpse into the album following the recent release of lead single “EYESTALK ABLATIONS.”
On the new single “NAIL MARY,” vocalist Dane Evans shares: “‘NAIL MARY’ is about how people use religion and god to justify all kinds of atrocities and proclaim dominion over animals. We’re holding a torch (or chainsaw) to any kind of god or follower that demands ritual slaughter with this one and nailing them to the walls.”
Since forming in 2010, TO THE GRAVE have become one of Australia’s most uncompromising heavy exports, earning acclaim for crushing releases including ‘Global Warning,’ ‘Epilogue,’ ‘Director’s Cuts,’ and 2024’s ‘Everyone’s a Murderer.’ Armed with a singular mission to confront animal cruelty and environmental destruction through some of modern metal’s most punishing deathcore, the Sydney outfit have forged a reputation for pairing unrelenting heaviness with fearless activism. Their live assault has taken them around the globe alongside Lorna Shore, Thy Art Is Murder, Shadow of Intent, Carnifex, Oceano, and more, with Revolver hailing them as “one of the country’s heaviest exports” and Distorted Sound calling them “one of the most intense, enthralling bands the genre can offer.”
Now, the band returns with ‘LIBERATION FRONT,’ their fifth album and BLKIIBLK debut, a statement of pure intent. Brutal and uncompromising in both sound and message, TO THE GRAVE transform their death metal-infused assault into a vehicle for activism, raging against animal cruelty and environmental destruction while delivering their most direct and fully realized work to date. From the breakdown-laden opener “MEAT THE HUMANS,” ‘Liberation Front’ marks a ferocious return to the band’s deathcore roots. While recent releases leaned further into hardcore, the new album embraces deathcore at its most savage and relentless.
Evans comments about the album:
“‘LIBERATION FRONT’ was born as a concept on tour last year in Australia after we decided we wanted to make the sequel to ‘Director’s Cuts.’ What came out was something between that and a more pissed off brother to ‘Everyone’s A Murderer.’ It’s got so many things I love about the band and a bit of everything pushed to 100 with a really bleak kind of aggression that’s just reaching for your throat the entire time. Very keen to play some of these songs live and it’s an exciting chapter to add.”
1. MEAT THE HUMANS 2. NAIL MARY 3. TORTURE PORN 4. EYESTALK ABLATIONS 5. LIFE AMONG THE SEPTICS 6. CALF SLICER 7. LIMB FROM LAMB 8. YOU KNOW THE DRILL 9. TERRORFIRE 10. THE WORLD IS A SLAUGHTERHOUSE
TO THE GRAVE will be kicking off “The Sawed Off Suffering Tour” with co-headlinerCrown Magnetar on September 17th in Chicago. The entire run will be supported by Face Yourself and on select dates by the likes of I Declare War, Tracheotomy, Backbiter, Squelching and Ameonna (the new band featuring former Chelsea Grinmembers Alex Koehler, Jake Harmond and Pablo Viveros, making their live debut). For a full list of dates, please see below.
Bassist Matt Clarke exclaims:
“These are the heaviest lineups we’ve ever put together, and we can’t wait for these shows across North America and at home in Aus. For North America, all these bands have a different approach, but the one thing that brings it all together is intensity! We’re stoked to be teaming up with Crown Magnetar for this run, and having Face Yourself on the package just makes it more crushing. We’re very excited that we get to play with OG Chelsea Grin members back on-stage for the first time in Ameonna, and I Declare Warhopping on for some shows is awesome! Backbiter, Tracheotomy, and Squelching will all bring their own brands of brutality to the tour. No matter what show you’re hitting, you’re in for a treat.”
TO THE GRAVE Live:
Australia w/ No Cure, Algor Mortis, Bloodmouth
Sept 2 – Perth, AU @ Amplifier Bar * Sept 3 – Adelaide, AU @ Lion Arts Factory * Sept 4 – Frankston, AU @ Singing Bird Sept 5 – Melbourne, AU @ Max Watts Sept 6 – Canberra, AU @ The Baso ^ Sept 10 – Sydney, AU @ Crowbar Sept 11 – Newcastle, AU @ Hamilton Station Sept 12 – Brisbane, AU @ The Triffid
* no Bloodmouth ^ no Algor Mortis
North America w/ Crown Magnetar, Face Yourself
Sept 17 – Chicago, IL @ Subterranean * Sept 18 – Detroit, MI @ Catacombs at The Sanctuary * Sept 19 – Cleveland, OH @ Mahall’s * Sept 20 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving Underground * Sept 22 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace * Sept 23 – Montreal, QC @ Foufounes Électriques * Sept 24 – Hartford, CT @ Webster Underground * Sept 25 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Meadows * Sept 26 – Harrisburg, PA @ Capital City Music Hall * Sept 27 – Worcester, MA @ The Palladium * Sept 28 – Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery ^ Sept 30 – Asheville, NC @ Revival ^ Oct 1 – Nashville, TN @ The End ^ Oct 2 – Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade (Purgatory) ^ Oct 3 – Jacksonville, FL @ The Albatross ^ Oct 4 – West Palm Beach, FL @ The Banyan Live ^ Oct 6 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada $ Oct 7 – Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live $ Oct 9 – Mesa, AZ @ Rosetta Room Oct 10 – Los Angeles, CA @ Echoplex + Oct 11 – Roseville, CA @ Goldfield Trading Post + Oct 13 – Portland, OR @ The Hawthorne Theatre + Oct 14 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon + Oct 16 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Soundwell ~ Oct 17 – Denver, CO @ HQ ~
*w/ Backbiter ^w/ Tracheotomy $w/ Squelching +w/ I Declare War ~w/ Ameonna
More Dates TBA!
‘LIBERATION FRONT’ is more than an album; it is a musical and lyrical call to arms, designed not only to rage against the machine but to educate, provoke, and challenge listeners on every level. Combining their most savage deathcore material to date with an unwavering commitment to animal liberation and environmental activism, ‘LIBERATION FRONT’ stands as TO THE GRAVE’s definitive statement: fierce, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore.
As Evans puts it, “this is our way of establishing order. The band is built around our way of doing things and to me this title is just waving that flag. These songs are about direct action, open rescue, abolition and liberation by any means necessary.”
TO THE GRAVE are: Dane Evans – Vocals Jack Simioni – Guitar Nic Webb – Guitar Matt Clarke – Bass Connor Kingdom – Drums
Helsinki-based BRYMIR make a strong case for melodic death metal with What We Leave Behind, coming October 2, 2026 via Napalm Records! In a darkening world full of existential dread, the Finnish band—singer Viktor Storm Gullichsen, guitarist Joona Björkroth, bassist Jarkko Niemi, and drummer Patrik Fält—takes a stand with their most sinister album yet. Again heavily influenced by their singer’s main job as a movie sound designer, BRYMIR create vast cinematic soundscapes around their sometimes bleak, sometimes hopeful, but always honest messages.
Along with the album announcement, BRYMIR share the title track as the first single. The keys-driven “What We Leave Behind” reveals the theme of the Finnish melodic death metal band’s darkest album to date: between an ever-so-catchy chorus and aggressive high-speed verses, BRYMIR make a strong case against war and for humanity. Painting the world in flames, the four-piece takes a leap into outer space as a result in the accompanying music video while diving into existentialism on their way.
BRYMIR about “What We Leave Behind”: “There are defining moments in our lives when we need to choose if we keep walking along the same trajectory or take a leap into the unknown. These choices, sometimes life-changing, often need to be made in an eyeblink, and the consequences can only be cherished or despised when viewed in retrospect. This is a song about our regrets—may these haunting melodies help you reflect on yours and hopefully show some solace in the beauty of the journey. For this music video, we wanted to boldly go into the sci-fi aesthetic we’ve been hinting at for a while now. It may seem drastic to some of our fans, but the undercurrents have definitely been there for a long while already, and this video and lead single we feel is the final ripping off of the proverbial band-aid. We’re bending and breaking our boundaries and definitely any preconceptions of BRYMIR as just a ‘folk metal’ band. Thematically and musically, the title track, of course, is the summation of the whole of the very diverse upcoming album, stretching through epochs of time and the very core existential drive of humanity. What do we leave behind? What is the legacy we wish to leave for those who come after? Or is our obsession over legacy the poison pill for our present? Our blindness to make the progress that truly matters in the end, so very near us… We boldly engage the warp-drives, but maybe we leave the truly important things back home after all.”
Strongly tied to current societal developments, BRYMIR deliver an equally raw and fantastical album. Their darkest output yet, the band’s fifth album hits especially hard—and leaves absolutely no open questions behind. As introspective as it is outspoken, What We Leave Behind is an epic plea for humanity.
BRYMIR about What We Leave Behind: “Since our previous album, the world certainly hasn’t gotten any lighter—and as art reflects life, our fifth album, What We Leave Behind, is the darkest creation we’ve made so far. Both musically as well as thematically… ‘What We Leave Behind?’ is the core question explored from many perspectives: from personal hopes, dreams, and fears to societal developments to dark sci-fi and existential despair. Join us on this dark emotional journey, at times violent, at times beautiful, and always honest in baring the soul of what is BRYMIR – no compromise, everything raw and real.”
The atmospheric instrumental intro, “Slaying Star”, moves right into its faster counterpart, “Sleipnir”, opening up the album with the speed and fury of the eight-hooved horse companion to Allfather Odin it is named after. Keyboards and choirs carry BRYMIR’s epic death metal to new heights. Following “Tempestbound” shifts the focus to speedy guitar work while unveiling the overarching theme of What We Leave Behind. Wrapped in the cloak of mythology, BRYMIR deliver a message clearly translatable into our society: No matter the belief system, the Gods are all the same—and none of them is worth dying for at the hands of moribund mankind. The keys-driven title track, “What We Leave Behind”, hammers in the pacifist message: “Midgard lies in flames”, the four-piece exclaims regretfully about the realm of people, the reason following right behind in the ever-so-catchy chorus, whose calmness serves as a stark contrast to the high-speed verses: “Vanity paves the road to Hel”, the meaning of which is clear even without knowledge of the Edda. “True Darkness” moves down a gloomier path, taking a particularly creative approach to BRYMIR’s signature orchestral sound: following the stages of grief, it offers its chorus only in melody to keep up with the progression of the lyrics. After dismal passages, it closes with hopeful clean vocals and a bittersweet spoken word outro—truly cinematic. Aptly named instrumental breather “Moment Of Silence” beautifully prepares for “Buried Legion”, a contrastingly sweeping song powered by choirs that paint a martial image. Inspired by German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, “Thy Self The Highest Love” serves as a liturgical prelude to “The Roaring King”, in which BRYMIR turn down the speed while losing none of their vigor. The lengthy epic “Broken Dawn” picks up right where the preceding track left off: a waltz, this track closes the album majestically, showcasing the band’s knack for film-like build-ups. For everyone wanting to end on a lighter note, the band adds an out-of-the-box bonus cover to What We Leave Behind. Scooter’s eurodance classic “How Much Is The Fish” is reworked into a rousing melodeath track—an additional nod to BRYMIR’s stance against ocean pollution, “Herald of Aegir”, from the previous album, Voices In The Sky (2022), live performances of which regularly see salmon plushies in the audience.
What We Leave Behind tracklisting:
Slaying Star
Sleipnir
Tempestbound
What We Leave Behind
True Darkness
Moment Of Silence
Buried Legion
Thy Self The Highest Love
The Roaring King
Broken Dawn
How Much Is The Fish
BRYMIR Live 2026
Festivals 07.08.26 FI – Helsinki / Hellsinki Metal Festival 12.08.26 DE – Dinkelsbühl / Summer Breeze Open Air 04.09.26 CH – Hüttikon / Meh Suff! 06.11.26 FI – Kempele / ZRock Winter Fest
What We Leave Behind Tour 2026 Special Guests: Horizon Ignited + Omnivortex 18.09.26 FI – Vantaa / Skenesali 25.09.26 FI – Seinäjoki / Rytmikorjaamo 26.09.26 FI – Oulu / 45 Special 02.10.26 FI – Tampere / Olympia 03.10.26 FI – Lahti / VNUE 08.10.26 FI – Jyväskylä / Lutakko 09.10.26 FI – Turku / Apollo 16.10.26 FI – Kouvola / House of Rock 17.10.26 FI – Kuopio / Circus 24.10.26 FI – Vaasa / Fanny 30.10.26 FI – Hämeenlinna / Suisto 31.10.26 FI – Helsinki / Korjaamo
BRYMIR are: Viktor Storm Gullichsen – Vocals Joona Björkroth – Guitars Jarkko Niemi – Bass Patrik Fält – Drums
Interview by Steve Foglia — Stage Photos by Federica Pistone
Two-day Scream Rock Fest 2026 took Italy’s City of Flowers, Sanremo by Storm at the end of May, with pure energy dedicated to the best independent and historic bands from the Ligurian and national music scene.
The event’s organizer Steve Foglia conducted an interview with Ligurian legendary hard rockers JENNIFER SCREAM (formed in 2007), join the chat below.
Hi Paro, welcome to the pages of Metal Shock Finland! You joined Jennifer Scream in 2025, right after the release of their self-titled album, inheriting the bass spot that had been occupied during the 2024 reunion by a cornerstone of the band like Jack the Bastard. What was it like stepping into the world of Jennifer Scream, and how did you experience passing the torch?
Hi! Thank you for giving us this space! Well, I came from an Italian punk band that had split up not too long before (Quattro di Bastoni), and out of disappointment, I hadn’t touched the bass for a few months. One day Jack stops by my workplace and tells me, “Hey, keep yourself ready!” Yes, indeed—despite my years-long friendship with Steve, it was Jack himself who chose me as his successor! He was crucial in this transition because he did the impossible to make things easier for me, even making video guides of his tracks that we were going to play live so I could learn the songs as quickly as possible. So, I dusted off the bass, locked myself in my room to study his videos, and then figured out the tracks from the other albums on my own. Initially, I was very tense at the idea of joining a band with such talented musicians; Spaz and Steve are on another planet compared to me. Fortunately, Jack’s bass lines weren’t too far from my own style. Plus, right from the first rehearsal, the other guys made me feel completely at ease and right at home. And here I am, going from being an old fan of the band to their bassist!
Let’s take a quick step back. The band debuted in 2008 with Under My PinHeels and almost immediately found themselves sharing the stage with Swedish sleaze rock legends Hardcore Superstar in a completely sold-out venue. Even though you weren’t in the lineup back then, can you still feel the energy and the myth of that legendary night within the band?
I wasn’t in the band yet but, as I mentioned, I’ve been friends with Steve for many years and I was actually in the audience that night. In fact, at the time I was living in Milan for my studies, and I remember going to the Colonne di San Lorenzo to sell presale tickets for the gig to the local Milanese metalheads. I can tell you that at my very first gig with the lineup, we opened with Fly Down (a track from Under My Pin Heels) and it instantly felt like being kids again! It was 2025, but our minds and spirits jumped right back to 2008! So I’d say yes, the energy is exactly the same as back then! If anything, we hope with all our hearts to get the chance to hit stages like that again!
A few months ago, you released a very powerful anti-war single, which saw you collaborate with Jolly Rox, Riccardo Dattis, and Bonalien. How did this synergy come about, and how important is it today for a hard & heavy band to make its voice heard on such hot-button, dramatic social issues?
The answer is very simple: music unites people! Rock music does perhaps more than any other genre, so Steve thought of writing an anti-war manifesto by gathering a “super band.” Bonalien is an old friend of ours and, among other things, he already played with us at the Rocker TV studios gig because Spaz couldn’t make it due to work commitments. As for Jolly Rox, we met them in Paganico when we shared the stage for a show, and we became instant friends. Riccardo, on the other hand, was contacted by Steve, who wanted a killer guest soloist for the guitar solo, and he immediately agreed to join the project. Regarding the theme, it’s true that our genre often deals with more lighthearted topics like girls and parties, but to me, the purpose of music in general is to convey emotions and messages. There is a right time to bring joy and fun, but there are also horrors in the world that we cannot close our eyes to—like the tragedy of children growing up under bombings —and it is only right that music talks about them and speaks out against them.
You have been locked in the studio since February recording your fifth album. And we’re not talking about just any studio, but the prestigious Rocker TV studios of Mario Riso in Milan. How is the work progressing, and what kind of sound should we expect from this new chapter?
I should probably let poor Samuele, the studio’s sound engineer, tell you this one. Steve threw out the idea of recording like they did in the ’70s—meaning tracking live drums, bass, and one rhythm guitar all in a single day, like a “live in the studio” session. Naturally, since we are just as crazy as he is, we agreed. I can tell you it’s the first and last time I’ll ever do that! 😀 We walked out of the studio looking completely wasted because it was so brutal! Right now, as I write these lines, we are working on the other guitar tracks, and the new singer will start tracking soon too. The goal is to have a sound that feels like a “slap in the face,” and I’m certain we’re going to achieve it.
Working closely with a historic figure of the Italian rock/metal scene like Mario Riso, and within the setting of Rocker TV, must be an incredible boost. How are the environment and the production influencing the new tracks and, specifically, your bass lines?
Mario is a fantastic person! He welcomed us as if we were old friends, even though we had only met once before during an episode of Rocker TV’s format “Fatti Scoprire.” On top of that, when we arrived at the studio, only the aforementioned Samuele was there. We tracked the first song, went into the control room to hear how the sound was, and there we found Mario listening to us. He told us something along the lines of: “Damn, you can hear from the tight groove that you guys have spent a lot of time in the rehearsal room” (I don’t remember the exact words). Obviously, getting a compliment from a legend like him sent us back into the live room with even more energy and grit! Besides that, I must say the other people hanging around the studio were really kind too; here and there they gave us some advice on how to improve a few guitar and bass lines. We obviously kept our ears wide open to catch every single word, and honestly, that helped us quite a bit.
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room. You recently announced that after your next live date, Victor will be leaving the microphone. Parting ways with singers seems to be a recurring theme in the band’s history, if we think of Met after It’s Rock You Suck. How is the band handling this upcoming split on an emotional and professional level?
Well, unfortunately, singers are a difficult breed! They are like girlfriends when you’re 16—it feels like eternal love, and then from one day to the next, poof, they vanish! Jokes aside, the news of Victor leaving was a bolt from the blue, especially since it came when all the new songs had already been written and recording had already started. I won’t deny that initially, we were very scared and also very demoralized (also because, beyond the professional aspect, we became very close friends with Victor and we will remain so), but we told ourselves, “We’re already in it now, we can’t afford to stop!” So Steve thought of one name, and one name only… fortunately for us, this person immediately agreed to join the band. Now that the storm has passed, we are completely pumped again and can’t wait to hear his voice on the new tracks!
The bombshell news is that you are already working with a new singer, whose identity is currently shrouded in absolute mystery. Without naming names (even though we’d love you to!), what kind of vocal characteristics and attitude will this new member bring to the band? Will it mark a stylistic turning point?
I think this (still) mysterious figure is an exceptional singer. Very different from all the singers who have previously been in Jennifer Scream. Met was very versatile but didn’t have a definitive identity; Jack (as a singer) had a great ’80s hair metal attitude; Victor gave the band a more punk edge with his raspy vocals and unique tone. This new singer, however, has a very old-school hard rock voice and is highly technical. In my opinion, it’s going to be a total revolution for Jennifer Scream. We are certain he will fit into the band perfectly and that he will amaze everyone on the new tracks, even though the vocal lines were originally conceived by Victor.
Recording an album knowing that the voice we hear on the record won’t be the one fans see (at least for the last time) at the next live show creates a peculiar timeline. How are you managing this transition in the studio? Is the new singer already tracking his parts?
As mentioned before, the new singer hasn’t sung or recorded anything with us yet. He already has all the new tracks in hand and is studying them; the rest of us are trying to take things one step at a time. Right now, we are still rehearsing with Victor so we can play his final concert at the Scream Rock Festival in the best possible way and give him the send-off he deserves. In fact, after this date, we will probably take a break from live shows to allow the new member to integrate properly and focus solely on the new album, without having to worry about a live setlist.
Steve has been the driving force of this band since 2007, the one who kept the flame alive even during the hiatus years after Mad Cow (2013). What is your relationship like with him in terms of the rhythm section? Did you find a “bass drums” groove right away?
Yes, it is solely thanks to Steve that Jennifer Scream was reborn; they have always been his favorite project and the one he left his heart in. Being friends for so many years and having always followed his musical projects, I already knew his style and his way of playing, but we had never actually played together. I have to say I locked in with him immediately. He is incredibly good, and we mesh really well both on grooves and fills. It also helps that we have very similar tastes in music, so we share a lot of common influences. I’ll let you in on a little trivia: his father, Mauro, was actually my bass teacher.
Let’s close by looking to the future. Between a singer change, a new album in the works, and a fresh single, Jennifer Scream doesn’t seem to want to stand still for a second. What can we expect for the second half of 2026? What message do you want to send to the readers of Metal Shock Finland who can’t wait to hear the new material?
For the second half of 2026, a short break to finalize the new album, but by late 2026 and early 2027 you can definitely expect the release of the new record. We hope to make a ton of noise both on stage and in the crowd at some great venues. Even though we aren’t kids anymore, we are still hungry and ready to kick some serious ass!
Line-up: Victor – voce Nick – Guitar Steve – Drum Paro – bass
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
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