Following their amazing headline show at the Power Trip Festival in Indio, California this past weekend, JUDAS PRIEST today reveal their new single “Panic Attack” from their upcoming new studio album Invincible Shield. Stream the song here.
The band revealed Invincible Shield on stage in front of approximately 100k excited fans. It is set for release on March 8, 2024, is available to pre-order here.
“Panic Attack” is a classic slice of Judas Priest at their very best; soaring guitars and vocals that will whet the appetites of fans around the globe.
The undisputed hardest working band in metal will also be embarking on a world tour in 2024, the with the UK leg kicking off in Glasgow on March 11th and includes a show at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on March 21st.
Over the past 50 years Judas Priest have sold over 50 million albums worldwide and headlined the world’s biggest stadiums. With their evolving music and live performances also came a powerful unique identity, a look which has both defined the group and influenced future generations of metal bands the world over. With each year the Judas Priest legend continues to grow; 2022 saw them inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and complete a sold-out rescheduled world tour in support of their 50th Anniversary. As we roll into 2024, Judas Priest continue to retain their crown as one of the biggest and best bands in the world.
JOHAN KIHLBERG’S IMPERA present “Fighter”, the second single and also bonus track from the forthcoming live CD/DVD set “Scandinavium Alive” out on October 27th at Metalville Records!
In autumn 2022, Johan Kihlberg was asked by the producers of the feature film “Black Hills” (an action film that will be released in February 2024) if he could write the film music and if JOHAN KIHLBERG’S IMPERA could also contribute the title song “Fighter”. “Fighter” is an atmospheric hard rock song that fits perfectly into the plot of the film.
Ever since he heard “Kiss Alive” for the first time in 1975, Johan Kihlberg has been a huge fan of the US American cult band, and everything he did professionally later on has always revolved around Kiss somehow.
For example, he worked for Polygram Records in the 80s and 90s and got to know the guys from Kiss during that time. At that time he was also asked to lead their fan club.
Later, Johan Kihlberg toured with Vinnie Vincent and had some guest appearances with Bruce Kulick, who also played on the Impera debut “Legacy Of Life” in 2012.
In 2017, Johan Kihlberg published the book “Kiss Klassified”, in which he talks about his life with Kiss.
After the announcement that Kiss would be coming to Europe for some shows in 2020, it was all too understandable that Johan Kihlberg immediately tried to get his band Impera to support him at a show in Sweden. And indeed, just one week later, they were confirmed as special guests at the Kiss show in Gothenburg.
But then Corona came and the concerts were put on hold.
On 22.06.2022 the time had finally come and Johan Kilhberg’s Impera entered the stage of the sold-out Scandinavium Arena in Gothenburg.
The line-up of this unique show consisted of Lars Chriss from Lion`s Share on lead guitar, Mats Vassfjord, who has been with Impera since the beginning, on bass, Magnus Ulfstedt (ex Eclipse) on drums, Jonny Lindkvist (Nocturnal Rites) as singer and Johan Kihlberg as second guitarist.
The gig was a milestone in Johan Kihlberg’s music career and also for the rest of the band, as all musicians who were on stage together that night are big Kiss fans.
The setlist consisted mainly of songs from the latest Impera album “Spirit Of Alchemy” plus a few tracks from “Age of Discovery”.
The show was filmed in full length and is, besides the audio version of the concert, part of the now released CD/DVD set “Scandinavium Alive”.
The CD also features a very special, previously unreleased bonus track. In the autumn of 2022, Johan Kihlberg was asked by the producers of the feature film “Black Hills” (an action film that will be released this fall) whether he could write the film music and whether Johan Kihlberg’s IMPERA could also contribute the title song “Fighter”, which will now be available for the first time on “Scandinavium Alive”.
TRACK LISTING
01 – Nothing Will Last 02 – Lost Your Life to Rock ´N´ Roll 03 – That´s The Way That Life Goes 04 – When Souls Collide 05 – All About You 06 – Fear 07 – In Heaven 08 – Fighter*
Cult heavy metal legends, CIRITH UNGOL, today announce their official retirement from live performances at the close of 2024.
In a collective statement, the band comments, “After careful deliberation, we have decided that 2024 will be the final year that CIRITH UNGOL will be performing live. Having taken a twenty-five-year-long hiatus, we could never have imagined the tidal wave of love and support that would come from all of you upon our return. From the depths of our soul, we would like to thank every one of you for attending our shows and supporting our music. We are immensely proud of the work we have created in the past few years, and are beyond excited about our latest epic album, Dark Parade.
“Legions, this is your call to arms. If you’ve never had the opportunity to see the band live, or if you want to see us perform once more, 2024 will be your last chance. We will be announcing shows worldwide in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for news. If you’re a promoter interested in booking the band, please contact our booking agents directly:
“The end approaches, but we’re not there yet. We look forward to seeing you all on the road, one final time. With our undying love and eternal gratitude.
“You never lost hope, you never have strayed, Arise now my children, arise from the grave, We lead not the weak, they won’t answer the call, As chaos descends, false metal will fall…- ‘Legions Arise’“
CIRITH UNGOL will release their sixth full-length, Dark Parade on October 20th via Metal Blade Records. Wasting no time to ride the molten wave they started with their 2020-released studio comeback Forever Black, CIRITH UNGOL started writing songs for Dark Parade as soon as Forever Black was released. Then, like everyone else, they were hamstrung by the global pandemic, struggling through illness, seclusion, grief, and depression in their quest to create dark, vibrant art. But like the greatest warriors, they persevered. With all eight demos finished – which are included on the expanded edition of the album – CIRITH UNGOL started recording Dark Parade in October 2022. The end result is an unrelenting triumph of pessimism and pain; a head-over-heels, Lovecraftian tumble into an abyss of horror and despair and arguably the most vitriolic expedition CIRITH UNGOL has undertaken to date. Despite the fantasy-inspired art on the band’s albums and their Tolkien-derived name – the band stopped exploring sword and sorcery-related themes in the mid-’80s. Most of the subjects they’ve addressed since then have been far more real and frightening than any ravenous make-believe creatures fighting sword-wielding warriors.
Watch CIRITH UNGOL‘s recently released video for “Looking Glass” HERE and the “Velocity (S.E.P.)” visualizer HERE.
CIRITH UNGOL will play a special record release show on October 20th at The Roxy in West Hollywood, marking the band’s first Los Angeles live appearance in thirty-five years. The performance will commemorate The Roxy’s 50th anniversary and find the band playing Dark Parade in its entirety followed by a full set of classic material. Additionally, the set will be filmed and recorded for a future live release.
CIRITH UNGOL Live: 10/20/2023 The Roxy – West Hollywood, CA * Record Release Show [Tickets]
CIRITH UNGOL: Tim Baker – vocals Jimmy Barraza – guitar Greg Lindstrom – guitar Rob Garven – drums Jarvis Leatherby – bass
POWERWOLF reign as Germany’s most actively successful artist without a shadow of a doubt! Earlier this year, the wolves proved this once more by setting another milestone not only of their own, but in the live music sector as a whole when they made history with the use of augmented reality at a live music festival in Europe during their headline set at German Summer Breeze Festival. This was further proven with the releases of their chart-breaking current studio album, Call Of The Wild, as well as the special album, Interludium.
This fall, as 2023 – one of the top-notch band’s busiest and most successful years in their history so far – slowly comes to an end, POWERWOLF close it in the most bombastic way you could imagine by bringing their gigantic live presence to five cities in Germany and the Netherlands. Covering some of Germany’s biggest arenas, POWERWOLF will enter Düsseldorf, Ravensburg, Bamberg and Leipzig, as well as The Rock Circus Festival in Den Bosch. The holy metal mass will kick off on October 31 with special guests Lord of the Lost, Serenity and Beyond The Black.
Preparing to celebrate their matchless performances alongside their devotees, the five-piece has recently released a brand-new lyric video for the powerfully-driven song, “Wolves Of War”, taken from their critically acclaimed offering and recent special album, Interludium.
POWERWOLF are undoubtedly one of the most celebrated and successful heavy metal bands of the last decade. Multiple #1 album chart entries, gold and platinum records, huge sold out arena shows, as well as headline slots at the biggest festivals have paved their way. In less than 20 years of band history, POWERWOLF have made it to the very highest league of heavy metal.
POWERWOLF LIVE 2023: w/ LORD OF THE LOST*, BEYOND THE BLACK**, SERENITY 31.10.23 DE – Dusseldorf / Mitsubishi Electric Halle* 02.11.23 DE – Ravensburg / Oberschwabenhalle* 03.11.23 DE – Bamberg / Brose Arena* 04.11.23 NL – Den Bosch / The Rock Circus Festival 05.11.23 DE – Leipzig / Quarterback Immobilien Arena**
About POWERWOLF: The story of POWERWOLF, beginning in 2004, reads like a true fairytale, but is the result of the efforts of one of the most innovative and entertaining live bands on the heavy metal planet. POWERWOLF have secured a remarkable collection of gold and platinum awards, starting in 2015, when they reached Gold status for the first time in the Czech Republic with their album, Blessed & Possessed. Additionally, both Preachers Of The Night (2013) and the subsequent masterpiece The Sacrament Of Sin (2018), as well as the groundbreaking streaming event The Monumental Mass: A Cinematic Metal Event (2022), entered the German album and DVD charts at #1 (a massive achievement for an audio-visual release).
The thrilling DVD, The Metal Mass, (2016) also secured the #1 spot on the German DVD charts. Most recently, the new studio album, Call Of The Wild, entered the album charts at #2 (and staying for 16 weeks in the charts) while the hit single “Dancing With The Dead” went gold and platinum. The Best Of album, Best Of The Blessed, released in 2020, also successfully entered the German charts at #2, while the in-between album Interludium climbed on #3.
POWERWOLF achieved massive success as they headlined large venues with their phenomenal stage performances on the almost completely sold out Wolfsnächte headline tours (2019 & 2022), as well as numerous summer festival shows in which crowds were thrilled and completely captivated by the wolves and their unique, (un)holy metal mass. Beyond many others, they’ve also headlined Wacken, Masters Of Rock, Summer Breeze – all massive live successes. After the huge success of their recent Summer Breeze headline show with the first use of Augmented Reality at a Metal festival, and debut North American performances, the whole world is completely under the sign of the wolfpack once again!
POWERWOLF are: Attila Dorn – vocals Falk Maria Schlegel – organ Charles Greywolf – guitar Matthew Greywolf – guitar Roel van Helden – drums
MARC HUDSON (DragonForce) has revealed a new lyric video for his track “Dracula X!”, cut from his recent solo debut Starbound Stories! Explosive power metal anthem “Dracula X!” features a skillful guitar solo by Jacky Vincent (ex-Falling in Reverse, ex-Cry Venom) and impressive guest vocals by Adrienne Cowan (Seven Spires).
Starbound Stories is an uplifting journey through MARC HUDSON’s universe of power metal, anime influences, Japanese music and video game soundtracks, last mentioned particularly present on “Dracula X!”. The new comic-inspired animated lyric video to “Dracula X!” leads the listener through the exciting storyline of the track.
MARC HUDSON on “Dracula X!”: “’Dracula X!’ is a visceral journey inspired by the Castlevania saga. With the spellbinding screams of Adrienne Cowan and the virtuoso mastery of Jacky Vincent’s guitar, it is an evocative battle cry, echoing through the corridors of Dracula’s cursed castle. Through its haunting notes and lyrical poetry, it immortalizes the relentless quest to conquer the undying evil, a sonic testament to the eternal struggle between light and darkness.”
Instrumental album opener “As The Twilight Met The Sea” acts as an introduction to the soundscapes of the album and features samurai metal master Ryoji Shinomoto (RYUJIN, previously known as Gyze) on traditional Japanese instruments. Shinomoto also lends his vocals on the following track, “Freedom Heart”, which also features a solo by guitar virtuoso Syu (Galneryus). Beautifully emotional successor “Stars” features classically trained violinist Mia Asano on electric violin. “Astralive” lures with an undeniably catchy chorus whilst also featuring fast drum patterns, spellbinding guitarwork and keys, and skillful power metal vocals that reach for the skies. “Swansong” starts off with a beautiful keyboard intro that could be pulled from a movie soundtrack. Sentimental vocals approach before the song progresses into a full-blown power metal ballad, with high screams and plenty of effects that further enhance the magical atmosphere while backing up the guitars and drums. Steve Terreberry, known on YouTube as Stevie T. (3.32M subscribers), performs a guitar solo on “Call Of The Martyrs” and is joined by prog guitarist Galen Stapley (Azure). Stapley also provides a solo on the following title track, “Starbound Stories”. “One More Sight Of The Sun With You” is sung in Japanese, staying true to the main themes of the album and closing the entire offering on an uplifting note.
MARC HUDSON’s debut solo album is an outstanding musical adventure balanced between power metal, video game soundtracks, Japanese music and even pop influences, showcasing virtuosity throughout all of its grand instrumentation.
Just in time for the release of their new album, Ewige Wacht (Engl. Eternal Vigil), top-notch German pagan metal force VARG unleash their infectious title track, “Ewige Wacht”, together with an official music video. On their upcoming brainchild, Ewige Wacht, out this Friday, October 13, 2023 via Napalm Records, the wolves follow their pagan roots unwaveringly, authentically and raw, and impressively manifesting their reincarnation.
The title track “Ewige Wacht”, underlined by an intense and very special official music video, forms the final climax and combines pagan themes, haunting melodies and the engaging power of the wolves to end this outstanding sonic adventure, leading into promising times for the German horde.
Watch the video below, and make sure to catch VARG on their European tour with NACHTBLUT and folk metal band Sagenbringer.
Fylgja on the new single and music video: “‘Ewige Wacht’ is the title track of our new album, which thematically represents the concept. It’s about family and all those we call family. It’s about the cycle of life, about living through our ancestors, living on in our children and always watching over each other, even beyond death. The flame of the soul is constantly passed on and never goes out. For me personally, this is a particularly emotional track as four generations of my family are involved in the video: my grandma, my mother, my daughter and me.Have fun with Ewige Wacht!!!”
With their last and most successful record to date, Zeichen (Engl. Signs, 2020, #16 in the German album charts), VARG put the thematic and musical focus completely on their pagan roots. On their brand-new brainchild, the wolves follow this path unwaveringly, honestly, authentically and raw, and impressively manifest their reincarnation and matchless standing on top of the scene!
Songs such as “Schildmaid” (shieldmaiden), “Immer Treu” and “Fylgja” are emblematic of the striking interplay between both vocalists and the path VARG have been treading since Zeichen. “Weltenfeind” (enemy of the world), “Tyr” and “Hammer” resound as powerful hymns, uncompromising with mercilessly brute nagging and cutting riffs. The folky melodies in “Morgenrot” (dawn) lead to the epic “Siegreiches Heer” (victorious army), which once again sharpens the idea of unity that runs like a red thread through Ewige Wacht.
VARG on the album release: “Ewige Wacht is both our most emotional and strongest album. It is a journey through Nordic mythology that tells of old stories and the protection and preservation of the flame of our ancestors. Traditions and values like family, fortitude and desire are like a common thread running through the entire record. Uncompromising harshness meets epic and sustaining melodies. Authentically raw production and yet more powerful and mighty than ever. This album will pierce the hearts of our fans, because it comes deeply from ours.”
VARG undoubtedly stand as a firmly rooted, leading entity in the German pagan scene that has been gathering fans around the world for over 18 years of the band’s existence, touring Europe and North America, and have always driven their following upwards through numerous gigs at Europe’s biggest festivals, such as Wacken Open Air, Party.San and Metalfest. Even after all these years, Freki (vocals), Fylgja (vocals), Morkai (guitar) as well as the newest additions to the line-up, Ulvar (guitar, bass) and Rohgarr (drums,) still manage to provide incomparable sonic surprises to their devotees. The revitalized line-up with two highly talented and innovative musicians brings a breath of fresh air and leads VARG into a new chapter in the band’s history. Grown artistic maturity meets a unique feeling of common bond between band and fans, which is reflected thematically in the new album. Ewige Wacht tells of myths and legends of long forgotten times and transfers them into the here and now in trademark multifaceted pagan garb.
VARG live 2023: Don’t miss VARG live on stage in 2023 on their headline tour with labelmates NACHTBLUT and folk metal band Sagenbringer.
Wolfsfest Tour w/ Nachtblut & Sagenbringer 14.10.23 DE – Hamburg / Logo 20.10.23 DE – Frankfurt / Batschkapp 21.10.23 DE – Bochum / Matrix 27.10.23 DE – Nuremberg / Hirsch 28.10.23 DE – Munich / Backstage Werk 10.11.23 DE – Stuttgart / LKA Longhorn 17.11.23 DE – Berlin / ORWOhaus 18.11.23 DE – Leipzig / Hellraiser 24.11.23 CH – Pratteln / Z7 25.11.23 AT – Vienna / SimmCity
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
