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CRYPTOPSY Nominated for 2026 JUNO Award

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 30, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: CRYPTOPSY. Leave a comment

While long enshrined amongst the hallowed halls of metal, after nearly three and a half decades, Cryptopsy are as insatiable as ever. After cracking year-end lists at Decibel, Metal Injection and BangerTV with their latest Billboard-shaking album, An Insatiable Violence, the most vile band in death metal were just crowned headliners of the longest-running heavy metal tour in North America. Now, as they continue to bang heads on their current European tour, the Canadian legends are proud to add another honor to their Hall of Fame career.

Today, Cryptopsy are announcing that An Insatiable Violence is nominated for a 2026 JUNO Award. This is the second time in the past two years that the band have received a nomination for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year. They previously won the award in 2024 for their eighth album, As Gomorrah Burns. This year, An Insatiable Violence is nominated alongside albums by Counterparts, Despised Icon, Silverstein and Unreqvited.

“We’re beyond proud to announce that our new album, An Insatiable Violence, has been nominated for a 2026 JUNO Award”, Cryptopsy says. “Winning the JUNO for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year in 2024 for As Gomorrah Burns was a huge milestone in our thirty-year career. We’re honored to stand alongside this year’s fellow nominees. They are all such talented bands, who put out incredible albums that are pushing the limits of heavy music in their own ways. Thank you to our fans, our teams and everyone who continues to support the chaos and craft of extreme metal. Let’s bring this home!”

An Insatiable Violence, plus Blasphemy Made Flesh, None So Vile and other albums from Cryptopsy’s fearsome discography are now available through Season of Mist. Order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/cryptopsyall

Catch Cryptopsy on their current tour of Europe and upcoming tour of North America.

The Decibel Magazine Tour 2026, with Cryptopsy (celebrating 30 years of None So Vile), Necrot, Fulci and Blood Monolith

Get tickets: https://www.decibelmagazine.com/events/tour

April 30 – Worcester, MA @ Palladium (Upstairs)
May 1 – Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Monarch
May 2 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
May 3 – Philadelphia, PA @ Decibel Metal & Beer Philly (The Fillmore)
May 5 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade (Hell)
May 7 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall
May 8 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio
May 9 – Austin, TX @ Come And Take It Live
May 12 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Regent
May 13 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
May 14 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone
May 16 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
May 17 – Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
May 20 – Denver, CO @ Oriental Theater
May 22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Fine Line Music Cafe
May 23 – Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
May 24 – Detroit, MI @ Crofoot Ballroom
May 25 – Cleveland, OH @ The Grog Shop
May 26 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Preserving Underground
May 27 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
May 28 – Montreal, QC @ Fairmount Theatre

Cryptopsy All So Vile European Tour 2026
with special guests 200 Stab Wounds, Inferi and Corpse Pile

Get tickets at http://lnk.to/AllSoVile-Europe2026

January 30 – Denmark, Copenhagen @ Pumpehuset [LOW TICKETS]
January 31 – Germany, Leipzig @ Hellraiser
February 1 – Germany, Berlin @ Hole44
February 2 – Poland, Warsaw @ Proxima [LOW TICKETS]
February 3 – Czech Republic, Prague @ Rock Cafe
February 4 – Austria, Vienna @ Szene
February 5 – Hungary, Budapest @ Barba Negra
February 6 – Germany, Munich @ Backstage
February 7 – Italy, Milan @ Legend Club
February 8 – Switzerland, Aarau @ KiFF
February 9 – France, Lyon @ Club Transbo
February 10 – Spain, Barcelona @ Wolf [LOW TICKETS]
February 11 – Spain, Madrid @ Revi Live [LOW TICKETS]
February 12 – Spain, Portugalete @ Groove [SOLD OUT]
February 13 – France, Toulouse @ Metronum
February 14 – France, Nantes @ Le Ferrailleur [LOW TICKETS]
February 15 – France, Paris @ Petit Bain [LOW TICKETS]

Tracklist
1. The Nimis Adoration (4:10)
2. Until There’s Nothing Left (3:59) [WATCH]
3. Dead Eyes Replete (3:57) [WATCH]
4. Fools Last Acclaim (3:26)
5. The Art of Emptiness (4:16)
6. Our Great Deception (4:21)
7. Embrace the Nihility (3:50)
8. Malicious Needs (5:52) [WATCH]

More than 30 years into their storied career, Montreal death metal innovators Cryptopsy return with their ninth studio album, An Insatiable Violence, set for release on June 20, 2025 on Season of Mist.

Revered in extreme metal circles for such groundbreaking classics as 1994’s Blasphemy Made Flesh and the 1996 magnum opus None So Vile, Cryptopsy find yet another gear on An Insatiable Violence, which further solidifies the band’s place in the upper echelon of death metal. Coming out of the pandemic, the band dedicated themselves to staying on top of their game more than ever before, with the intention of consistently putting out a new record every two years. That started with 2023’s acclaimed As Gomorrah Burns, and continues 21 months later with An Insatiable Violence.

“We had to write the majority of An Insatiable Violence while on the Death to All tour, which was something we’d never done before”, vocalist Matt McGachy says. “Flo [Mounier, drums] and Chris [Donaldson, guitar] really put their hats on. It was a feat”.  

“Ever since COVID our focus is clearer, a lot of work gets done faster, and we push each other to get it done.”, Mounier says.  

In addition to featuring some of the fastest passages Cryptopsy has ever recorded – keen listeners will even hear the odd gravity blast from Mounier, a rarity from the virtuoso drummer – the controlled chaos of their signature sound is offset by well-timed passages that ease off the gas pedal enough to allow listeners to come up for some air. That dynamic rage on An Insatiable Violence in turn makes the more aggressive moments hit even harder, which is immediately noticeable on the harrowing “Until There’s Nothing Left” and the chugging closing track “Malicious Needs”. Olivier Pinard anchors “Fools Last Acclaim” with stunning authority (keeping pace with Mounier is an unenviable task) while Donaldson offsets gnarly, atonal riffs with melodic passages throughout the record. “It’s a continuation of As Gomorrah Burns,” McGachy says, “We really wanted to make a groovy record, and we think we’ve done it.”

It seems as though nothing is scarier than real life right now, and An Insatiable Violenceis a commentary on today’s society as though filtered through the transgressive, countercultural perspectives of J.G. Ballard and David Cronenberg.  

“It all came to me in a dream in August 2023,” elaborates McGachy. “I woke up, I took my phone, and I wrote down the title of the record. It’s about a person that wakes up every day and fixes a machine. Tinkers with it, tries to make it better all day long, sweating in the sun, and then at night, they strap themself into this machine and the machine tortures them, and they love it. Then they wake up the next day and fix it again to make it more efficient, to keep harnessing it, and then just keep doing it over and over again.  

While fantastically twisted, An Insatiable Violence mirrors our toxic relationship with social media.  “We’re continuously trying to feed this algorithm of the machine while it’s totally tearing us apart socially and psychologically”, McGachy continues. “’The Nimis Adoration’ is about mukbang, these Korean people that eat too much food on the Internet. Piles and piles of food. A poor girl died on a live cam”.  

At the center of the album is the mind-boggling percussion skill of Mounier, arguably the most imposing Canadian drummer not named Peart, who dominates such standout tracks as “Dead Eyes Replete”, “Fools Last Acclaim”, and “Embrace the Nihility”. “I look at Flo as an Olympic athlete,” says McGachy. “I want to push this guy to go a lot faster than Cryptopsy’s previous releases. We have so much more to give, and I wanted just drain it all out of him while he’s still at the top of his game, because he is. He’s crushing.”

“I mix up a lot of a physical activity, like resistance training into the drumming,” Mounier says. “I recently developed new techniques that make it easier to go even faster, so I tried to push that on this album. My focus is now more on dynamics and the touch of the snare, a certain snap of the snare, a rim shot on the snare, the toms, a light touch or a hard touch. Live, I can really let go, you know, give the sound guy a hard time,” he adds with a laugh.

For McGachy, who has always boasted a powerful, guttural death growl, the rigors of touring have enabled him to evolve as a vocalist, and he turns in a revelatory performance on An Insatiable Violence. In addition to ear-scraping screams that rival George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher, McGachy unleashes the deepest, filthiest death growls of his career. “Gomorrah was the first album that I recorded with my full false chord scream, which is something that I’d only just touched on The Book of Suffering: Tome II in little sections,” he says. “We did at least 140 shows since Gomorrah. I exclusively did my false chords during all the songs that we performed on None So Vile and Blasphemy Made Flesh. And then, when we did go into the studio for An Insatiable Violence, Chris would be like, ‘Deeper, you must go deeper!’”

Another fearsome vocalist from Cryptopsy’s lore pops back into the booth on An Insatiable Violence. “When we were recording the vocals for ‘Embrace the Nihility’, Chris had the idea of ending the song with the same vocal pattern as the end of ‘…and Then It Passes’”, McGachy remembers. “We figured if we were going to rip ourselves off, then we may as well get the real thing. We were honored that Mike DiSalvo accepted. We are all huge fans of Cryptopsy’s DiSalvo era. His vocals on this album are an ultra Easter egg for our fans”.      

In addition to the effusive praise As Gomorrah Burns received from within the metal scene, the 2023 album achieved a first for Cryptopsy: earning them their first ever JUNO Award in 2024 for Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year. “We had little-to-no expectations of winning” says McGachy. ”We didn’t even go to the ceremonies because we were on tour in Europe with Atheist. On the day we found out that we won, we had a crazy 18-hour drive from Derby to Germany, plus a ferry ride. But we still partied for 48 hours. Flo bought an expensive bottle of champagne”.  

Cryptopsy recognize that not every death metal band sticks around long enough to win a Canadian Grammy 30 years into their career. The cover art for An Insatiable Violence was created by the late, great vocalist Martin Lacroix.  “The album artwork has got to be one of the most important things to us!”, the band says. “Martin Lacroix was one of our vocalists, one of our great friends and one of the nicest people that anyone could have the privilege to meet. We really wish he was here with us to share this moment. His perfect smile would say it all! Rest in peace brother”.

With Cryptopsy’s latest career renaissance showing no signs of slowing down, the recent accolades are only the beginning. An Insatiable Violence reaches a new peak in a career loaded with them.

Lineup
Flo Mounier – Drums
Matt McGachy – Vocals
Christian Donaldson – Guitar
Oli Pinard – Bass

Guest Musicians
Mike DiSalvo performs vocals on “Embrace the Nihility”

Recording, Mixing & Mastering Studio
Christian Donaldson’s Studio

Production, Sound & Mixing Engineer
Christian Donaldson

Cover Art
Martin Lacroix

Biography
Adrien Begrand

Follow Cryptopsy
Bandcamp: https://cryptopsyofficial.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cryptopsyofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cryptopsyofficial/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/29PgYwTelpNl6370XLqFtN
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CryptopsyDeathMetal
BandsInTown: https://www.bandsintown.com/a/2941-cryptopsy

Cleopatra Entertainment to Release Long-Awaited Documentary Film “Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 30, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Cleopatra Entertainment, Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, Documentary Film. Leave a comment

The life and career of pioneering heavy metal frontman Paul Di’Anno, the powerhouse voice heard on Iron Maiden’s early albums, will be celebrated in the forthcoming documentary, Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, to be released by Cleopatra Entertainment this summer.

In a strikingly raw and intimate film, director Wes Orshoski captures the late singer riding an emotional rollercoaster toward the end of his life. Featuring appearances by James Hetfield(Metallica), Gene Simmons (Kiss) Maiden’s Steve Harris and members of Exodus, Slayer, Megadeth, Overkill and Sepultura, the film chronicles how two Iron Maiden fans encounter Di’Anno at the lowest point of his life and then set out to restore his health and relaunch his career.

Wheelchair-bound since the mid-2010s, Di’Anno’s health nosedived during the Covid-19 pandemic, when those two fans launched a crowdfunding campaign which ultimately led to him relocating to Croatia, where – through the help of those fans and doctors – he made a dramatic turnaround while running out of money, reuniting with his former Maiden bandmates, and falling in love. Eventually he makes a heroic and drama-filled return to the stage. All of this is captured in Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer, which Orshoski began shooting in 2017.  

“For years there wasn’t much to capture,” says Orshoski, whose credits include Lemmy, a study of Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister and The Damned: Don’t You Wish That We Were Dead. “Paul was waiting for surgeries that doctors in the U.K. would not green-light. He was in an incredibly dark place. But once he got to Croatia, fans and doctors gave him the hope he was desperately searching for. It was beautiful to witness. I wanted to make a film that was unlike any rock doc you’ve ever seen. And in the end, I think we got there.” 

One of icons of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene of the late 1970s and early 1980s, London-born Di’Anno helped launch Iron Maiden around the world, appearing on two of the most foundational metal albums ever released: Iron Maiden’s 1980 self-titled debut and the celebrated follow-up, Killers, released in 1981. In one of the most epic sagas in metal history, Di’Anno left Maiden in 1981 and was replaced by Bruce Dickinson, leaving metal fans around the world to debate which line-up and which singer was/is better. It’s a debate that continues to this day, almost 50 years later. 

Orshoski finished work on the film (which was shot in England, Croatia, Brazil and the United States) shortly before Di’Anno’s death at 66 in October 2023. Di’Anno: Iron Maiden’s Lost Singer has been screening at European film festivals and will be released worldwide on both streaming services and on Home Entertainment DVD and BLU RAY formats. 

The official Trailer can be viewed here:

About Cleopatra Entertainment:

Cleopatra Entertainment is an Austin, Texas – based multimedia company founded in 2015 by Cleopatra Records head Brian Perera. Recent notable films in release include the Film Festival darling Vampire Zombies From Space, Beyond Trainspotting: The World Of Irvine Welsh documentary film, The Japanese Sci-Fi hit Shin Ultraman, The Tubular Bells: 50th Anniversary Tour, Glenn Danzig’s critically-acclaimed horror film Death Rider In The House Of Vampires and the award-winning biopic Street Survivors: The True Story Of The Lynyrd Skynyrd Plane Crash. For more information about Cleopatra Entertainment, please contact VP/General Manager Tim Yasui, tim@cleorecs.com or (310) 526-7210

THE ORDER Announce New Studio Album “Empires”, First Single & Video ‘Fight For Your Rights’ Out Now + Frontman Gianni Pontillo Joins Legendary Rock Icons NAZARETH

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 30, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: THE ORDER. Leave a comment

Swiss hard rock / heavy metal force THE ORDER proudly announce the release of their new studio album “Empires”, due out on March 27th, 2026 via Massacre Records on Digipak CD, Black Vinyl LP and digital formats.

To mark the announcement, the band have unveiled the album’s first single and official video, “Fight For Your Rights”, a powerful and uncompromising statement that sets the tone for what is shaping up to be the most focused and mature release in THE ORDER’s career.

With “Fight For Your Rights”, THE ORDER deliver a song driven by urgency, rebellion and resistance, reflecting the album’s overarching themes of power, manipulation and the inevitable fall of empires. The accompanying video underlines the song’s intensity and message, making it a perfect first chapter in the “Empires” story.

STREAM THE SONG HERE: https://save-it.cc/massacre/fight-for-your-rights

Musically and lyrically, “Empires” brings together nearly 20 years of the band’s history, reconnecting with the political sharpness and raw energy of their acclaimed debut “Son Of Armageddon” while sounding more relevant and forceful than ever. Produced by V.O. Pulver at Little Creek Studios in Switzerland, the album delivers massive riffs, strong melodies and an unmistakable hard rock / heavy metal backbone.

Alongside the album announcement, THE ORDER also share an important piece of news: frontman Gianni Pontillo has officially joined legendary Scottish rock band NAZARETH as their new lead singer and will hit the road with them already in February.

Most importantly for fans of THE ORDER, Gianni remains a full-time member of THE ORDER, continuing to front the band and being fully involved in all future recordings and activities. While some live plans for 2026 may require minor adjustments, THE ORDER remain very much alive, active and committed to celebrating their upcoming 20th anniversary with selected shows and a special setlist spanning their entire career.

“We are incredibly proud of our brother Gianni and very happy for him,” the band comment. “At the same time, The Order will continue stronger than ever.”

“Empires” track listing

  1. Empires
  2. Fight For Your Rights
  3. Warriors
  4. Thieves In The Night
  5. Living For The Nightlife
  6. Wherever I Go
  7. The Last Call
  8. Of Martyrs And Tyrants
  9. The Bonehead’s Back – Promises And Illusions

THE ORDER are:
Gianni Pontillo – Vocals
Bruno Spring – Guitars
Alain Schwaller – Bass
Mauro «Tschibu» Casciero – Drums

THE ORDER online
http://www.theorder.ch
http://www.facebook.com/theorderofficial
http://www.instagram.com/theordermetal

DISTORTED REFLECTION Reveal New Lyric Video ‘3000 A.D.’, Feat. JACK STARR + Tracklist for Upcoming Second Album “Doom Zone”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 30, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Distorted Reflection. Leave a comment

Distorted Reflection have revealed their second lyric video “3000 A.D.” out from their upcoming second album “Doom Zone”. The most essential thing in the third millennium is to stay human.

Distorted Reflection was formed in August 2022 by Kostas Sal (ex-Sorrows Path) to pursue a heavier vision of the doom metal genre. The band maintains a low-profile approach, yet their first full length album (Doom Rules Eternally-2024) received significant radio airplay, positive reviews and decent sales.

“Doom Zone” will be released on February 27 via German Iron Shield Records. Tracklist as follows:

1) 3000 A.D.
2) My Second Father
3) Gates Of Paranoia
4) Love On Earth
5) Asphyxiating
6) Certain Death
7) Diminished
8) Tower Of Dreams
9) Forecourt To Death
10) The Final Attempt
11) Morbid Reality

ALBUM PRE-ORDER HERE

Jack Starr: Guitar Solo on “3000 A.D.”
Kostas Sal: Guitar, Vocals
Vangelis Yal: Bass, Synth, Backing Vocals
Thomas Zen: Drums
Cover Artwork, CD Artwork and Logo Artwork by Tomas Arfert
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered by Vangelis Yal at Fragile Studio

https://distortedreflectiondoom.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/distortedreflectiondoom
https://www.youtube.com/@distortedreflectiondoom
distortedreflectiondoom@gmail.com

Exclusive Premiere for Finland: KISSING KAOS – ‘Chaos Inside’ Official Video

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 30, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: KISSING KAOS. Leave a comment

What do you get when you combine punk rock influences with heavy melodic rock? KISSING KAOS is born. And it was born kicking. Dive into “Chaos Inside,” a raw, unrelenting track that captures the thrill of surrendering to life’s wild, unpredictable ride. Heavy melodic guitars rip through an unforgettable, massive sing-along chorus built for pure adrenaline. This is the sound of letting go from a band delivering chaos you can’t resist singing along to. Produced by Andy Reilly (UFO, Bruce Dickinson, Cradle of Filth) at Muse Productions in Atlanta, GA.

Join the premiering here:

After parting ways with his former band Asphalt Valentine, singer Joe Flynt began crafting heavier and more powerful songs. Drawing from a wide range of influences, Joe wanted to write songs that were melodic, full of energy and that could bridge the gap between old and new school bands. He quickly recruited Asphalt Valentine drummer Brian Jung after Brian heard the new material. Guitarist Jon Langsburg was recommended by producer Andy Reilly because of his broad musical influences, stage experience and technical abilities. Rounding out the lineup is bassist Chris Taylor of the band Kickin Valentina. Initially, Chris was just going to help with a couple music videos but loved the music so much, he ended up joining the band, co-writing a few songs and playing on the rest of the album.

Kissing Kaos’ debut album will be released later this year.

Lineup:
Joe Flynt – vocals
Brian Jung – drums
Jon Langsburg – guitars
Chris Taylor – bass

Single pre-save link: https://bfan.link/kk-chaos

Web:
https://www.facebook.com/kissingkaosband
https://www.instagram.com/kissingkaosband/

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX Announce Stark New Album “Sceaduhelm”, Out April 17th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on January 29, 2026
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX. Leave a comment
Photo by © Crippled Black Phoenix

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX are announcing their new album Sceaduhelm with a new video for its lead single “Ravenettes”. One of the first songs written for Sceaduhelm, “Ravenettes” establishes the album’s emotional framework. Built on repetition, restraint and controlled momentum, the song captures a state of psychological vigilance, where suppressed memories resurface without warning and avoidance proves brief.

Sceaduhelm comes out April 17th on Season of Mist.

  • Pre-order: https://orcd.co/cbpsceaduhelm
  • Pre-save on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/6jvoEOyJQXUQmdI1WlVXrK

Watch the music video for “Ravenettes”:

“Ravenettes” frames trauma as cyclical rather than resolved, returning again and again as a glitch in the timeline. The song’s stripped-back construction and insistent rhythmic pulse mirror the sense of inevitability by favoring tension over release. Vocalist Belinda Kordic remains measured and urgent, carrying the song’s unease without exaggeration. Within the wider context of Sceaduhelm, “Ravenettes” introduces the album’s inward focus on endurance, emotional erosion, and the quiet violence of repetition, setting the foundation for what follows…

The official music video for “Ravenettes” was produced in collaboration with 9LITER FILMY, an audiovisual production collective, who are recognized for cinematic restraint and emphasis on mood-driven storytelling. Known for work that favors atmosphere, repetition and visual tension over linear narrative, 9LITER FILMY’s approach mirrors the song’s exploration of memory as disruption rather than closure.

Tracklist

  1. One Man Wall of Death (04:14)
  2. ⁠Ravenettes (04:22)
  3. Things Start Falling Apart (05:21)
  4. No Epitaph / The Precipice (08:30)
  5. The Void (03:49)
  6. Hollows End (04:26)
  7. Dropout (03:48)
  8. Vampire Grave (06:24)
  9. Colder and Colder (04:56)
  10. Under the Eye (07:07)
  11. ⁠⁠Tired to the Bone (04:50)
  12. Beautiful Destroyer (08:33)
    Full runtime: 1:06:22

CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX are approaching a new threshold with Sceaduhelm, an album that withdraws from outward spectacle and turns instead toward interior collapse, exhaustion, and moral attrition. Severe, restrained, and emotionally exposed, the record presents itself not as a dramatic statement but as a slow accumulation of unease. Where earlier works often grappled with collective trauma or historical violence, Sceaduhelm listens to what lingers afterward: fatigue, memory, complicity, and the quiet weight of survival. The result is a unified emotional landscape rather than a narrative concept, marked by repetition, patience, and unresolved tension.

Crippled Black Phoenix was formed in 2004 by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Justin Greaves, initially conceived as a fluid musical project rather than a fixed band. Emerging from Greaves’ post-Iron Monkey creative reset, the project was built around collaboration, instability, and a refusal of rigid identity. From the outset, Crippled Black Phoenix positioned itself as a voice for the marginalised and dispossessed, whether human or animal, individual or collective. This ethical undercurrent has remained constant throughout the project’s evolution, shaped in close creative partnership with vocalist and lyricist Belinda Kordic, whose role has extended far beyond performance into the wider artistic and conceptual framework of the band.

The band’s early releases established a reputation for long-form compositions, cinematic pacing, and emotional gravity. Albums such as A Love of Shared Disasters and The Resurrectionists introduced a sound rooted in repetition and slow transformation, drawing as much from post-rock and folk traditions as from metal’s sense of weight and endurance. With I, Vigilante in 2012, Crippled Black Phoenix reached a wider audience, refining their songwriting into more direct structures without abandoning their commitment to atmosphere and tension. The album remains a reference point within their catalogue, both for its accessibility and its bleak emotional clarity.

Subsequent releases resisted consolidation. White Light Generator and Bronze expanded the band’s textural range, incorporating harsher dynamics, sharper political commentary, and a more confrontational production approach. Great Escape functioned as both retrospective and re-contextualization, drawing together material from various sessions into a fractured but revealing whole. Throughout this period, the band’s identity remained deliberately unstable, with shifting lineups and an ongoing refusal to settle into a predictable formula.

In 2020, Ellengæst marked another pivot. Built around the use of multiple guest vocalists alongside Kordic, the album explored themes of death, memory, and historical residue, earning recognition for its cohesion and emotional impact. Rather than treating guest contributions as novelty, Crippled Black Phoenix used contrasting voices to deepen the album’s sense of dislocation and grief. The pandemic-era context further sharpened the record’s introspective tone, even as live activity was forced into suspension.

That inward momentum continued with Banefyre, a record concerned explicitly with persecution, inequality, and the violence inflicted on those deemed different by society. Drawing on historical and symbolic imagery, the album balanced outrage with ritual, placing acts of oppression within a broader continuum of human cruelty. Its production embraced rawness and abrasion, reinforcing the band’s long-standing commitment to evolution over repetition. Banefyre reaffirmed Crippled Black Phoenix as a project unwilling to offer comfort or resolution, even as it expanded their sonic and thematic reach.

Sceaduhelm emerges from this lineage as a narrowing of focus rather than a departure. Written primarily between 2023 and 2025, the album developed through uncertainty, self-questioning, and prolonged doubt. The process was deliberately fluid, allowing compositions to remain open and emotionally vulnerable until late in production. Justin Greaves remains the sole composer of the music, with lyrics written after the fact and assigned to voices according to emotional fit rather than hierarchy. Belinda Kordic, Ryan Patterson, and Justin Storms share vocal duties, each occupying a distinct but aligned psychological register.

Lyrically and thematically, Sceaduhelm is preoccupied with exhaustion as a condition rather than a moment, with time framed not as a healer but as an eroding force. Songs address burnout, grief, surveillance, institutional violence, and damaged intimacy, often blurring the line between the personal and the political. Musically, the album favours restraint over release, employing repetition, minimalism, and slow escalation to sustain tension without catharsis. Recorded across multiple locations and mixed with deliberate austerity, the record resists warmth, clarity serving discomfort rather than solace.

Within Crippled Black Phoenix’s wider catalogue, Sceaduhelm does not seek to resolve previous narratives or replicate past high points. Instead, it documents a moment of exposure and endurance, listening closely to what remains when spectacle fades and outrage exhausts itself. It stands as a severe, human record, concerned less with declaration than with persistence, and affirms once more the band’s refusal to stand still, soften its gaze, or offer easy answers.

Biography: Sébastien Gamez

Follow Crippled Black Phoenix:
Bandcamp: https://riseupandfight.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CBP444/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cbp_444/
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/crippled-black-phoenix/251718934
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6WEyPcf9ezhNLm1xOBjbwH
Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/3607159
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/391823

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  • 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.
Kimmo shared: "Esa Kotilainen and I worked on this song some years ago, but it was left unfinished. Now it is completed as a tribute to our 40 years of musical madness together. ‘Aurora Nuclearis,’ featuring and in memory of keyboard player Esa Kotilainen, who is now playing on the cosmic plane." - Click image to watch the video
    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
  • Metal Shock Finland

    Metal Shock Finland
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