Maryland-based metalcore outfit Omen//Skye have released their powerful new single and music video, “Cry the White Lie.” Blending crushing heaviness, cinematic atmosphere, and emotionally driven songwriting, the track showcases the band’s signature balance of intricate riffs, melodic hooks, and raw intensity.
“Cry the White Lie” explores the tension between self-deception and accountability, diving into the quiet lies people tell themselves to justify who they’ve become, the reality of the world around them, and the inevitable breaking point where those illusions begin to collapse.
“Crying out against the lies we’re told day after day. No longer will we remain complacent,” the band shares about the track.
Drawing influence from both classic and modern metalcore while maintaining a distinct identity of their own, Omen//Skye continue building momentum through high-impact live performances and a growing catalog of emotionally charged releases. “Cry the White Lie” further cements the band’s ability to fuse cinematic soundscapes with aggressive, hook-driven songwriting that resonates long after the song ends.
Mixed and mastered by Drew Licurgo and Six:Eight Audio, the single delivers a polished yet punishing sound that highlights the band’s dynamic approach to modern heavy music. The release is distributed via Arson Theory and managed by Core Collective Talent Agency.
Raivo Jackson’s “Better Not” is a delightfully confident, comforting, and major-key-leaning traditional country song. It takes the listener to the counter of a Texas Dixie bar, where a weathered cowboy reflects on his relationship with a glass of whiskey in hand, a beer for company.
”Better Not” is the fourth track on side A of Raivo Jackson’s debut album Tangled Up in Roots, and it deserved its release as a single.
The song captures a middle-aged man’s longing for an equal relationship and independence. “Better Not” is something anyone navigating a relationship should listen to and take to heart.
The interplay between Jussi Linkola’s lap steel guitar and harmonica is a standout feature of the track, and Oona Kavasto’s strong backing vocals add the presence of the other side of the relationship to the storytelling song.
“My life has looked for me for half a century / And I know my moral code without you judging me.” Every word rings true.
The cover painting for the “Better Not” single is a work by artist Tuukka Peltonen, with cover layout by Matti Reivi.
Previously released singles from Tangled Up in Roots include ”Fire Song Revisited,” ”Babes in the Woods,” and ”Swimming Under Ice”.
VICE BUSINESS ONLY (V.B.O.) look beyond the glamour and allure of the neon-lights in the new single release, “Monsters!”. Beneath the luxury façade, something sinister awaits in V.B.O.‘s fusion of retro-futuristic synths and heavy music. Comprised of Francesco Cavalieri (WIND ROSE) and Simone Giusti, a wizard of electronics and groove-laden basslines, Italy’s V.B.O. is preparing to unveil the forthcoming full length, Vice Business Only, on July 24, 2026, via Reigning Phoenix Music.
“‘Monsters’ dives into the darker side of modern society, exposing the vices we often choose to ignore or disguise.” Reveals frontman Francesco Cavalieri. “In true VBO style, the video transforms these flaws into literal monsters, turning hidden truths into striking visual metaphors. Beneath the neon lights and cinematic aesthetic lies a deeper message; like a reflection of a world that often masks its imperfections behind glamour. Too excessive? No. It’s VBO baby.”
V.B.O.‘s characteristic catchy hooks and energized electronics are infused with a shadowy touch in “Monsters!”. Explosive beats see “Monsters!” spark into life, before heavy rhythmic stabs and melodic guitar riffs emerge beneath an array of warm analogue synth textures. The memorable chorus lyric “we are monsters” injects an anthemic feel while the track’s breakdown passage takes a darker turn.
Filmed at Vacuum Club, Milan, V.B.O. lift the veil on the bloodthirsty monsters that hide in plain sight across the electric urban nightlife.
Vice Business Only was recorded at LSD-Studios (Lübeck, Germany), produced, mixed and mastered by Lasse Lammert. Photography is by Onofrio Petronella and Tommaso Barletta, with the album cover artwork design by V.B.O.
Vice Business Only Tracklist: 1. VBO x Vesti la Giubba 2. Bring on the Fire 3. Waiting for the Dawn 4. Lovers on the Run 5. Surrendered 6. Fire Fire 7. Shadow of Your Kiss 8. Monsters! 9. The Wild Boys
About V.B.O.:
VICE BUSINESS ONLY (V.B.O.) is a musical project founded in 2023 by Francesco Cavalieri, best known as the frontman of the power metal band WIND ROSE, together with electronic music producer Simone Giusti. The project marks a bold artistic shift for Cavalieri, moving from fantasy-driven metal into a modern, urban, and cinematic soundscape.
The band’s lineup is completed by Claudio Falconcini (guitar), Federico Meranda (keyboards), and Angelo Carmignani (drums), combining diverse musical backgrounds into a cohesive identity.
V.B.O. blends retro-futuristic synthwave with rock and metal, creating a sound that is both nostalgic and electrifyingly modern. Inspired by Depeche Mode, Tears for Fears, Daft Punk, and Justice, the band combines analog-style synths, driving rhythms, and powerful vocals into a polished, immersive experience.
At the core of V.B.O. lies a neon-drenched vision of excess, elegance, and cinematic nightlife—echoing the glamour and danger of cities like Miami. Themes of power, luxury, passion, and excess define the project, presenting the band almost as a stylized gang where image and attitude are as essential as the music.
The band made its live debut in January 2026 at the 70000 Tons of Metal festival in the United States, stepping onto one of the world’s most recognized international stages.
Since its inception, V.B.O. has positioned itself as a distinctive force in contemporary music, merging rock and metal energy with electronic groove and texture. More than a band, Vice Business Only delivers a complete audiovisual experience—a high-stakes journey through a retro-futuristic universe where the rhythm never slows and the attitude is larger than life.
The song’s official title is “Brand New Key,” although it’s just as well known as “the bicycle song,” “the roller-skates song” and even (thanks to the Wurzels’ 1975 UK chart topper) “The Combine Harvester Song.” Wharecer you want to call it, though, “Brand New Key” topped the US chart for a month at the beginning of 1972, and it remains many people’s point of entry to Melanie’s long, spectacular career.
Now, as “Brand New Key” reaches out to an entire new audience via the latest Apple Watch app ad, Cleopatra Records today release a unique version of the song, recorded live at New York City’s fabled DeMille Theatre in late 1971, just as the song commenced its headlong rush up the chart.
The venue itself is noteworthy – Broadway had never hosted a straightforward rock or pop concert… but there again, Melanie’s concerts were rarely straightforward. Not with an audience as loyal, and vocal, as her’s.
Performing before a jam-packed crowd, themselves reveling in the unfamiliar surroundings of one of the city’s most legendary halls, Melanie was both launching her latest album, Gather Me, and celebrating her “Brand New Key”’s conquest of the airwaves – although nobody could have predicted just how successful (and career defining) it would become.
Taken from the forthcoming (release date – July 17) live album First Nights On Broadway, “Brand New Key” opened the show, building out of a brief, but so delightful chorus of the old standard “Give My Regards To Broadway.” And, although the record had barely been in the stores for more than a few days, it was as if every person in the audience knew the song – the roar of applause that greets its’ opening lyric proves that.
In later years, Melanie would admit that the “finished” version of “Brand New Key” sounded nothing like she envisioned it when it was first composed, going on to record several new versions that took it far from its familiar parameters. Tonight, too, she’s taking chances with the song, as she acknowledges when she is finally forced to stop playing and confess, “I’m so ashamed. I started in the wrong key.”
It’s an electrifying performance, and an exquisite introduction to the show – 16 songs, recorded across two nights of shows, First Nights On Broadway is a glorious stroll through Melanie’s career so far, with earlier hits “Beautiful People” and “Lay Down (Cancels In The Rain)” ringing out alongside vivid selections from the new LP, yet closing with a song that would not be released for another three years, the semi-autobiographical “The Actress” – “when they asked her to play music, she sang until she died.”
Melanie passed away in January 2024, just as Cleopatra Records launched what Goldmine magazine described as “one of the most significant reissue campaigns of recent years.” This includes most every one of her official album releases, alongside an archive-busting collection of rare and previously unreleased material dating back to her teenaged years, and including recordings with stars as far apart as Jan Akkerman, Jimmy Cliff, Rick James’ Stone City Band and Billy Joel’s regular accompanists.
For details of the full catalog, a full color free download The Complete Collection, is available here.
Following their electrifying and intimate underplay performance at New York City’s legendary Bowery Ballroom earlier this week, GRAMMY® Award-winning rock band Greta Van Fleet officially return today with their explosive new single and music video, “Play Your Games” — the first taste of what signals a powerful new age for the band.
Recorded and co-produced in Tennessee by the band alongside acclaimed producer Mike Elizondo (Fiona Apple, Turnstile, Sheryl Crow), “Play Your Games” captures Greta Van Fleet at their most raw, irreverent and instinctive. Inspired by one of their oldest demos from the band’s revisited archives, the track channels the spirit of their earliest days — loud, fearless and untamed.
Written by the band, “Play Your Games” leads the charge with swagger, chaos and sharp-edged charm, feeling like a nod to the band’s formative years performing in small clubs in their hometown of Frankenmuth, Michigan. Jake Kiszka explains. “It’s this beautiful nature of seizing a moment.”
Accompanied by an official music video produced and directed by MOONBASE ®, the visual further expands the band’s evolving world, marking Greta Van Fleet’s first new music since stepping away from the limelight, offering fans an exciting glimpse into where they are headed next.
The release arrives just days after the band stunned fans and critics with a sweat-drenched, sold-out underplay show at Bowery Ballroom, reigniting anticipation around their return and reminding audiences why Greta Van Fleet remain one of rock music’s most compelling live forces. Josh shares, “to take the stage again and share new music feels profoundly emotional and exciting. To see people singing and celebrating in this moment is a reminder of the power of music, and there’s so much more to come.”
The groundbreaking Heavy EDM project of Ragga Ragnars (Netflix‘s series Vikings) and Derek Engemann (Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals & Scour), ECHO CVLT, proudly launch their debut single, “Diamond Hands.”
“Diamond Hands” ignites the dance floor with hard-style EDM intensity, melodic pop hooks, and metallic guitar drive, daring you to hold on for dear life. The debut track arrives alongside an official music video shot in Ragnars‘ homeland of Iceland, available below. The single is available via ArsonTheory.
On the new single and her return to music, Ragga Ragnars shares:
“Music wasn’t something I originally planned on doing, but this project felt like the perfect kind of challenge. Jumping into ‘Diamond Hands’ pushed me way outside my comfort zone in the best way possible. It has been so fun, a little chaotic and full of energy. It reminded me that some of the best things happen when you just say yes and go for it.”
Derek Engemann adds:
“This tune pulled me in a new direction creatively. ‘Diamond Hands’ mixes chaos, melody, and hard-hitting dance floor energy in all the right ways. Crank those speakers and Hold On For Dear Life!”
ECHO CVLT emerges at the intersection of distortion and club intensity. With recording officially underway in 2024, ECHO CVLT was founded by “Buzzsaw” (Derek Engemann of Scour and Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals), fusing metallic guitars, hard dance rhythms, and widescreen hooks into a sound built to move rooms and shake foundations. The initial offering, “Diamond Hands,” features a striking vocal performance from artist and actress Ragga Ragnars (History Channel’s Vikings); casting a cold Icelandic tension deep into the track. ECHO CVLT is shaped by concepts outside traditional heavy metal structures, existing as a parallel creative outlet alongside Engemann’s current projects.
“There is a lot of music resting idle in the cellar,”Engemann explains. “Ideas that never quite resonated in the right avenue… until now. The main guitar hook for ‘Diamond Hands’ was actually written ages ago back in 2008. It was never abandoned, it just needed the right track to thrive.” As Engemann began exploring electronic music production, the riff naturally found its purpose eventually taking shape as a hard edged dance driven composition. Unknown at the time, the final piece of the puzzle would begin to reveal itself in 2022 when Engemann met Ragga Ragnars at a biohacking conference in Beverly Hills. Already familiar with her work as an actress, Engemann was struck by her musical depth; especially after hearing her performance on Broken Wings with Kieran O’Riley.
“There was a purity and strength to her tone that immediately stood out. I was blown away.” he says. “Once the music for ‘Diamond Hands’ was completed, I kept hearing her presence in it, almost as if the riffs had already shaped themselves around her voice before she ever sang a note.” When Engemann reached out, the timing felt unusually precise. Ragnars had just put the intention out to return to music, opening that door again the very same week.
“It was one of those moments when the Matrix just aligned,”Engemann notes. “A couple months later she happened to be in San Diego, we tracked the vocals, and the song took on a life of its own.” With the song complete, momentum continued to build. A planned trip to Iceland for unrelated filming turned into an opportunity to shoot the “Diamond Hands” video in Ragnars’ homeland; grounding the project visually in Iceland’s stark terrain and shifting storms and reflecting the tension at the core of the track.
Looking ahead, ECHO CVLT is positioned as an ongoing body of work with a clear forward trajectory, built to persevere beyond passing cycles. Future releases are in motion for 2026 and beyond, with unexpected collaborations and electrically charged tracks designed to level speakers. So it begins…
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 