US Black Metal act Ancestral Blood proudly announce “The FORGOTTEN HORRORS Tour”!
The Nocturnal Crusade opened the vault and unleashed the Forgotten Horrors. Ancestral Blood and Lord of Horns lead this vile horde. Join them on these awesome, magical nights with music of forgotten tales from faraway realms, pure Mystical and Magical Old World Black Metal.
ABOUT ANC ESTRAL BLOOD
Ancestral Blood’s music has garnered praise for its ability to transport listeners to a realm of ancient myths and legends. With their focus on epic and majestic old-world black metal, the band has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with in the genre. Fans of 90s underground black metal, including Ishtar, Isvind, Arthemesia, Vordven, Trollheim’s Grotte, Ringnevond, Summoning, and Windir, will find kindred spirits in Ancestral Blood’s sound.
“Forgotten Myths And Legends, Ch.1” is not just an album, it’s a journey through a world steeped in ancient lore. Dive deeper and:
Exploding out of Japan’s heavy music underground with a sound that seamlessly collides idol-style vocals, blistering metalcore precision and unrelenting extreme metal intensity, BROKEN BY THE SCREAM continues their rapid ascent with the release of their new single, “花鏑 [HANAKABURA].”
The track marks their first offering for Metal Blade Records. Featuring the dynamic four-vocalist lineup of Tsubaki Nanaougi, Shizuku Mikogami, Yayoi Takayashiki, and Io Nozukidaira, “花鏑[HANAKABURA]“captures the band’s signature contrast of soaring melodies, vicious screams, and punishing metallic aggression while pushing their sound to even greater heights.
The track will be available on all streaming platforms on Friday July 24th.
Already renowned for their electrifying live performances and genre-defying approach, BROKEN BY THE SCREAM will bring “花鏑[HANAKABURA]” to audiences across their upcoming European and UK tour this summer, highlighted by a mainstage performance at Wacken Open Air, further cementing their reputation as one of the most unique and explosive acts in modern heavy music. See all confirmed dates below.
BROKEN BY THE SCREAM Live: 7/28/2026 On The Rocks – Helsinki, FI 7/29/2026 Wacken Open Air – Wacken, DE 7/31/2026 Yuca – Cologne, DE 8/01/2026 Petit Bain – Paris, FR 8/02/2026 Downstairs At The Dome – London, UK 8/04/2026 Bitter Zoet – Amsterdam, NL 8/06/2026 Rock Cafe – Prague, CZ 8/07/2026 Klasztor – Wroclaw, PL 8/08/2026 Hybrydy – Warsaw, PL 8/10/2026 Durer Kert – Budapest, HU 8/11/2026 Szene Wien – Vienna, AT 8/13/2026 Summer Breeze – Dinkelsbühl, DE 8/14/2026 Reload Festival – Sulingen, DE
BROKEN BY THE SCREAM: Tsubaki Nanaougi – vocals Shizuku Mikogami – vocals Yayoi Takayashiki – vocals Io Nozukidaira – vocals
Speed Stroke has released “Italian Coglione”, second single taken from the new album “Damage Control” to be released on August 21 by Scarlet Records.
When the place where you were born and raised turns into the world’s zoo, you might end up being the monkey… and we might love it. Despite all the frustrations and disappointments that Italy’s crumbling beauty inflicts on its people, you fall for her curse every time, and you become a coglione for her: willingly, hopelessly, proudly.
artwork (and song intro) by Stefano Mainini (Steve Emm)
“Damage Control”:
Fourth record for the uncompromising Italian hard rock stallions;
mixed and mastered by Erik Mårtensson (Eclipse) at Mass Destruction Production (Eclipse, Sinner, Primal Fear);
featuring Dario Capacci (Trick Or Treat) on drums;
featuring Giorgia Colleluori (Sinner, IT’sALIE) on vocals on “Blessed By Misery”;
cover & artwork by the painting master Claudio Elias Scialabba;
1 Glorious Breakdown 2 Heart Of The City 3 Damage Control 4 State Of Shock 5 Italian Coglione 6 In Flames 7 Blessed By Misery 8 All For The Weak End 9 Walls 10 Chain Reaction Total running time – 38:29
artwork by Claudio Elias Scialabba
Speed Stroke master the art of hard rock through a personal approach that perfectly blends the Scandinavian sleaze rock modern edge and the glorious legacy of the 80s street metal scene.
Top-notch songwriting, hit after hit, all killers-no fillers: that’s the recipe for a proper collection of hard-hitting and yet melodic tunes.
«Control the damage done to contain it or inflict controlled damage to break the chains of comfortable stasis?»: this is the question “Damage Control” sparks in the listener, delivered through a hurricane of dynamite-like riffs, jaw-breaking solos, and raw screams of rage and liberation.
By both glorifying the panic of the unknown and demonizing the safety of the comfort zone, the new Speed Stroke album presents the ultimate fight-or-flight dilemma, fueling the fire of change.
Speed Stroke: Jack – vocals D.B – guitar Michael – guitar Fungo – bass Maddy – drums
With “R.I.P.”, ENEMY INSIDE recently kicked off a new chapter in their career. Now, the band follows it up with the official music video for their latest single “Dopamine”, giving fans another exciting preview of what’s to come on their forthcoming studio album.
Driven by heavy riffs, infectious hooks and a hypnotic atmosphere, “Dopamine” once again showcases the band’s unmistakable blend of alternative metal, metalcore and industrial influences. The accompanying music video perfectly captures the song’s emotional intensity, translating its addictive energy into striking visuals.
About the new single, vocalist Nastassja Giulia says: “Dopamine is about the kind of chemistry between two people that gets under your skin. It’s about that rush of anticipation, obsession and euphoria when someone completely takes over your thoughts and suddenly everything else fades into the background.
Musically, the song combines infectious hooks with a hypnotic atmosphere that mirrors exactly that feeling. Raw energy meets memorable melodies, capturing the powerful attraction at the heart of the song.”
ENEMY INSIDE from Aschaffenburg, Germany, made an immediate impact with the release of their debut album “Phoenix” in 2018. Both the title track, which has become the band’s biggest hit with nearly seven million Spotify streams, and the album itself, now surpassing 25.6 million streams, introduced the band’s distinctive blend of modern alternative rock and metal to a rapidly growing international audience.
Their sophomore album “Seven” followed in 2021, accompanied by the successful singles “Crystallize” and “Release Me”, both of which have amassed millions of streams and further cemented the band’s reputation. After touring extensively across Europe and appearing at renowned festivals including Wacken Open Air, M’era Luna and the Full Metal Cruise, ENEMY INSIDE released their third studio album “Venom”, further refining their signature mix of alternative metal and metalcore elements.
Fresh off a successful European tour supporting Smash Into Pieces, the band is now looking ahead to the release of its next studio album. With “R.I.P.” and “Dopamine”, ENEMY INSIDE have already given fans a powerful first taste of the new record while preparing to bring both new songs and fan favourites to the stage on their upcoming headline tour, with dates to be revealed soon.
Tri-State area journalist and author, Adam Bernard‘s second book ‘One Hit Wondering: The Stories of 40 One Hit Wonders + Other Tales From The Crates’ is currently out and enjoying great early success, hitting number one on the Amazon “New Releases in Popular Music” chart over books about artists such as BTS, Madonna, Britney Spears and Jojo.
Bernard remarks, “I was totally floored when I saw it had reached #1. For my independently released book to be among names like Madonna, Britney Spears, BTS, JoJo, and Olivia Newton-John is amazing, and I’m really grateful. It’s incredible.”
With ‘One Hit Wondering ….’ Bernard doesn’t simply discuss the hit each artist had, he does a deep dive on their other career achievements, going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole to get the story beyond the story. The idea that became the book actually began as a monthly column on Bernard’s long-running music blog, Adam’s World, where he still writes it today. As he was approaching his third year of writing the column, he knew he wanted these stories preserved in book form. “I didn’t want these stories lost to time. I think we’ve all seen how the internet isn’t forever. Websites go down, or get wiped, in the blink of an eye. I knew I needed to do something special for these artists.”
‘One Hit Wondering: The Stories of 40 One Hit Wonders + Other Tales From The Crates’ is absolutely loaded with information about the artists who created some of your favorite songs, and it’s a must-have for those who want to have the inside track – or perhaps just want to show off your music knowledge at your next social gathering.
‘One Hit Wondering: The Stories of 40 One Hit Wonders + Other Tales From The Crates’ can be purchased, most conviently on Amazon.
While neither relics nor custodians for the old school, Defiled remain masters of death metal on their critically-acclaimed new album, Altered State.
“Fourteen pinpoint brawlers in 43 tightly wound minutes evince zero body fat or DM stasis”, Decibel writes in a 7/10 review.
“The venom is dripping across track after track”, Dead Rhetoric remark in a 8.5/10 review.
As the world of extreme metal delves deeper into the twisted maze of Altered State, today, Defiled are releasing a new live video. Filmed this spring during the band’s show with fellow legends Mayhem, “Live in Osaka 2026” commands the stage with mind-altering blasts of death metal.
“This live performance was filmed just before the release of our new album, Altered State”, Defiled guitarist and founding member Yusuke Sumita says. “It captures the raw energy of our live show. We hope you all enjoy it!”
Hear Defiled perform songs from Altered State during the band’s upcoming shows with I Am Morbid, Terrorizer and Brujeria.
Defiled 2026 Japanese Dates September 6 – Hyoho @ Harbor Studio* September 15 – Tokyo @ Cyclone# September 16 – Osaka @ Socore Factory# *with I Am Morbid & Terrorizer #with Brujeria
Tracklist 1. Dazed in Blindness (2:59) 2. Altered State (3:05) [WATCH] 3. Obsession (3:04) [WATCH] 4. Portal (3:39) [WATCH] 5. Necro-Force (2:31) 6. The Degradation (3:51) 7. Genocidal Stage (2:27) 8. Metamorphosis of Evil (3:11) 9. The Ultra Death (2:42) 10. Zombified (2:17) 11. Lunatics (3:07) 12. Prophecies (3:29) 13. Demolition (3:25) 14. Apocalyptic End (3:25)
Artwork by Wes Benscoter
Defiled truly are their own island. While active since 1992, during death metal’s golden era, the Tokyo legends are neither relics nor custodians for the old-school. They do not follow Western traditions. They cannot be reduced to tokens like kimonos or samurai. Like the Japanese salamander, they continue to evolve in isolation, free from passing trends. Founding member and guitarist Yusuke Sumita and his band of warriors remain masters of the form, but their upcoming ninth album bears only a passing resemblance to the genre’s past or present. On Altered State, Defiled unleash a dizzying blast of death metal straight from the future.
“Like many other bands, our musical roots are heavily influenced by early ‘90s death metal and ‘80s thrash and hardcore, however, our interpretation is different and has branched off from the current scene”, Sumita says. “On Altered State, there are many catchy hooks, but tricky progressive rhythms and song structures can be found as well. The album may not be understandable after a few listens, but it taps into a blind spot that many bands have missed”.
Though they’re indifferent to scenes within the larger world of metal, Defiled’s presence has spread far and wide for more than three decades. The band’s 1994 debut EP, Defeat of Sanity, quickly proved prescient after inspiring the name of their future Season of Mist labelmates Defeated Sanity. Their first three full-lengths – Erupted Wrath (1999), Ugliness Revealed (2001) and Divination (2003) – were allmixed by none other than the legend himself, Jim Morris, at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida. Early successset them upon a war path through the Japanese underground and onto the international stage. Defiled ransacked Milwaukee Metal Festival and banged heads with Morbid Angel, Mayhem, Cannibal Corpse and Incantation.
Since signing with Season of Mist in 2003, Defiled have shown no sign of slowing down. Despite enduring some changes between 2011’s In Crisis and 2016’s Towards Inevitable Ruin, the personnel around Sumita is now locked in with Keisuke Hamada pounding on drums, Takachika Nakajima nailing down bass and Shinichiro Hamada handling both guitars and vocals. Starting with Infinite Regress in 2020, this lineup is currently riding a seemingly endless hot streak. After reaching The Highest Level in 2023, they topped themselves once more with 2024’s Horror Beyond Horror.
“Horror Beyond Horror again finds Defiled stuck on the upswing”, Decibel wrote in an 8/10 review. “With their eighth studio album since 1992, the Tokyo death metal longhairs’ third pandemic-era disc completes a four-year hothouse of peak ability, creativity and volatility”.
Metalheads can be forgiven for assuming Defiled had already reached peak shredding, that there were no horrors left for them to reveal. But Altered State quickly quiets any leftover suspicions. Lead single “Portal” opens with a reminder that this band can sharpen even traditional riffs before breaking into a series of tempo shifts that unlock another plane of existence. Though still influenced by sounds that came from the underground, the album delves even deeper into their psychic perception of our warped reality with a twist of inspiration from Stravinsky. Occultists gather around the shapeshifting groove that seizes hold over “Obsession”.
“Both musically and lyrically, Altered State is an expansion of The Highest Level and Horror Beyond Horror”, Sumita says. “The music is a combination of old-school death metal, technical-thrash riffs and the rhythmic changes of progressive rock. The lyrics are based on the dystopian world presented in George Orwell’s science-fiction masterpiece 1984. They express the madness that everyone living in the present currently feels”.
Altered State isn’t afraid to wind through the darkest and most mysterious corners of our collective consciousness. But listen closely to Defiled and all secrets will be revealed. “Receive the power”, the band command on the album’s title track with a chaos that only they can control.
Production credits Recorded at Studio Zot in Tokyo, Japan Producer – Yusuke Sumita Sound Engineers – Shinichiro Hamada and Keisuke Hamada Mixing and Mastering Studio – Studio Nest in Chiba, Japan Mixing and Mastering Engineer – Kenji Kikuchi
Songwriting credits: Music and lyrics by Yusuke Sumita
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
