WICKED SMILE Release New Single + Video ‘Face Of The Wicked’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 15, 2025
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Australian Heavy metal act Wicked Smile release their second single titled ‘Face Of The Wicked’ from their forthcoming sophomore album ‘When Night Falls’. This is the follow up to the band’s highly acclaimed debut album ‘Wait For The Night’ (2021).

Face Of The Wicked is a riff heavy, slower tempo track influenced by the likes of Black Sabbath & Dio. This single really showcases the powerhouse voice of vocalist Danny Cecati (ex Pegazus & Eyefear), as he takes his hat off to his mega influence Ronnie James Dio. Guitarist Stevie goes onto add, “our new album is the natural progression for us. We wear our influences on our sleeves and the new album is no different. If you’re a fan of Dio, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Savatage, Dokken, Icon & Skid Row, I think you’ll like what we’ve done on our new album! We’ve written a heavier album with classic metal roots, with a wide seamless range of slower old school influenced hits and full blown up-tempo metallic tracks with a hook!

Wicked Smile’s new album When Night Falls is now available for pre-order and will be released worldwide on February 6th.

*PRE-ORDER WHEN NIGHT FALLS via: https://linktr.ee/WickedSmile

*Distribution to stores will be going through: Bertus Distribution (Benelux), The Orchard (EU), Plastic Head (UK).

Wicked Smile will launch their new album LIVE with a tour of Japan in November 2025 with dates in Osaka, Nagoya & Tokyo. A tour of Europe/UK will follow in 2026, including a string of headline club shows and festival appearances.

WICKED SMILE – When Night Falls

1.    When Night Falls (Video)
2.    Back To Back We Stand
3.    Face Of The Wicked (Video)
4.    Rebel Souls
5.    Never Surrender
6.    Before The Rain
7.    Walking The Wire
8.    Night Time Riders
9.    Heaven’s Falling Down (Crutch)
10.  The Phoenix Will Rise
11.   Scream ‘n’ Shout
12.   Edge Of Madness (LP bonus track)

Bio:
Wicked Smile are all about bringing back fist pumping, melodic heavy metal to the forefront. They released one of the albums of the year in 2021; a collection of ten ‘killer songs’, produced by Paul Laine (The Defiants/ex Danger Danger) and mastered by Bruno Ravel (The Defiants/Danger Danger). 

Guitarist Stevie Janevski goes on to say, “we’re a five-piece kick ass heavy rock band and I think we made our presence known with the release of our debut album Wait For The Night”.
Wicked Smile is fronted by charismatic vocal virtuoso Danny Cecati (ex Pegazus & Eyefear) with Stevie Janevski (ex Black Majesty & Cyclone Tracy) & Dave Graham (ex In Malice’s Wake) on guitars, Tom Nugara (Envenomed) on bass & Andrew Sharp (ex Pegazus) on drums.

Lyrically, the band explores current issues within society such as civil unrest, bullying and mental health. Songs like We Fall, Sign Of Times, Daze Of Delirium, Stronger, Last Goodbye & Don’t Wait For Me are all thought provoking and not the cliché lyrics that you’d expect for this style of heavy metal.

Wicked Smile has been overwhelmed by the positive response from the underground rock and metal community. Steve Price at ARfm radio called the band “kickass Australian rock with killer vocals”.
Fans of Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Dio, Savatage and Dokken should feel at home, with the band drawing major influence from seventies and eighties heavy rock and metal.

2023 saw Wicked Smile independently release an EP worldwide titled ‘Night Time Riders’ and touring the United Kingdom (for the second time in one year). Where they performed at renowned festivals such as Winter Storm, Hard Rock Hell & Planet Rockstock Festival. Alongside their festival appearances, Wicked Smile played 20 club shows over two UK tours in 2023 & 2024.
The reception and atmosphere received by fans at Wicked Smile’s live shows are really second to none and up there with the big guns!
 
Wicked Smile have toured nationally with Skid Row & H.E.A.T. and have shared the stage with legendary acts such as Michael Schenker Group, FM, Slaughter, Uli John Roth, Tygers Of Pan Tang, Tyketto, Lynch Mob, Dream Evil, Graham Bonnet Band and many more on many stages worldwide!

Wicked Smile look forward to hit the ground running harder than ever with the release of their upcoming album ‘When Night Falls’. Launching their sophomore album in Japan with a tour in November of 2025, followed by a European tour in 2026, featuring festival and club shows.

Members:

Danny Cecati – Lead Vocals 
Stevie Janevski – Guitar
Davey Graham – Guitar 
Tom Nugara – Bass 
Andrew Sharp – Drums

More information: https://wickedsmileband.com/

VALONTUOJA’s Second Album “Tulesta syntynyt” Out Now

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 15, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Promo picture by JTR

Finnish one-man black metal band Valontuoja released the second album ‘Tulesta syntynyt’ on November 14th 2025 via Inverse Records. 

LISTEN to the album on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/valontuoja-tulesta-syntynyt 

From the blaze of transformation and the silence of the wild, Valontuoja conjures“Tulesta Syntynyt” (Born of Fire) a melodic black metal odyssey through flame, fate, and solitude.

Rooted in the ouroboric cycle of death and rebirth, this album burns with the intensity of solar flares and the instinct of the hunt. Wolves howl beneath a collapsing sky as destiny tightens its grip, dragging the listener through a world where every step into the unknown is both burden and awakening.

Each track is a rite of passage an exploration of primal responsibility, of finding home in the heart of the wilderness, and embracing the cold clarity of solitude. Here, fire does not only destroy it refines, purifies, and reveals. “Tulesta Syntynyt” is the sound of becoming, where the self is tempered in isolation and reborn in the eternal blaze.

Tulesta syntynyt CD ORDERS available HERE

Track list:

  1. Palaneiden Kasvojen Maa
  2. Ympyrä Joka Syö Itseään
  3. Kameleontti
  4. Aurinkoroihun Kirous
  5. Välikappale
  6. Asiat Jotka On Tähtiin Kirjoitettu
  7. Sinä Vastaat Teoistasi
  8. Korvessa On Kotini
  9. Kun Kaikki Muu Vaikenee

Album cover by Vhan Artwork

Valontuoja, meaning “Bringer of Light” in Finnish, is the one-man black metal entity forged in the icy depths of Helsinki by the Jal’zoroth. Formed in 2024, Valontuoja channels the primordial essence of black metal, weaving a sonic tapestry that is both ferocious and hauntingly melodic. Valontuoja’s soundscape is a maelstrom of raw, unyielding black metal fused with ethereal and melodic elements. Valontuoja conjures an atmosphere that is as brutal as it is beautiful, guiding listeners through the desolate realms of human despair and nature’s unforgiving majesty.

Line-up:
Jal’zoroth – vocals, guitars, bass & drums

https://www.facebook.com/Valontuojablackmetal
https://valontuoja.bandcamp.com

PUTRIDARIUM to Release New 7” EP “Natvm Ad Mortem” on January 16th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 15, 2025
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German filthmongers PUTRIDARIUM return with “Natvm Ad Mortem”, a brand new 7” EP set for release on January 16th, 2026 via Night Terrors Records.

Continuing their campaign of disgusting destruction, the band spews forth two new offerings of rancid, mud-caked death metal. The track “Death Metal Warriors” features a guest appearance by none other than Mike Perun of Cianide, further cementing the EP’s devotion to primitive, putrid heaviness.

The first single, “Schmerzfresser”, is available for streaming now, offering a taste of the festering decay to come.

Stream “Schmerzfresser” at THIS LOCATION.

The band commented:

“UUuuuuuaargh, maniacs! We couldn’t leave your filthy auditory receptacles empty for too long, so here’s “Schmerzfresser,” a taste of what we’re cooking up for the next album. Expect nothing but twisted, rotting death metal the way it’s meant to be: ugly, raw, and crawling with decay. We couldn’t be more excited about how this 7” turned out: two perverted hymns for diseased minds!
And as if that weren’t enough, the second track “Death Metal Warriors” features a very special guest: Mike Perun of the almighty CIANIDE! Our band wouldn’t be the same without the influence of those Chicago legends, so it’s an absolute honour to have him join us on this slab of filthy doom and death. Get ready to bang your head as doom as you can — Death Metal Warriors!
Stay dead, stay ugly, stay Cianide! Eugh!”

Tracklist:

1. Schmerzfresser
2. Death Metal Warriors (feat. Mike Perun)

Artwork and illustrations by Tomáš Mitura (Sněť)

Excavated from a German cemetery in 2021, PUTRIDARIUM have since been offering disgusting and always-evolving old-school death metal, mixed with doom and crust elements. Sexual perversions and horror gore are the thematic nail in the coffin. A combination to make you bang your head like a troglodyte.

Three demos were exhumed between ’21 and ’22, followed by a recapitulatory compilation.

Two split releases later, their debut album took form under the name “Necrología del Sadismo: Excerpts from a Deranged Mind”, released in late 2024 in alliance with Headsplit Records and Night Terrors Records.

At the end of 2025, a new EP is ready to be released through Night Terrors Records – unearthing what is merely the next step in their relentless digging for the most disgusting riffs.

Drunkard death metal maniacs beware!

Line-up:

Giona – Guitars, Bass and Vocals
Julian – Drums
Lukas – Guitars

https://putridariummetalofdeath.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/putridarium/
https://instagram.com/putridarium.death

CALIFORNIA IRISH Win the ‘Single Of The Year’ at Northern Irish Music Prize 2025 with Fabulous ‘Julie Anne’

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 15, 2025
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Fresh from the release of their debut album ‘The Mountains Are My Friends’, California Irish, the folk-rock act fronted by Cormac Neeson, have won the Single Of The Year Award at the Northern Irish Music Prize with their delicate single ‘Julie Ann‘. 

After fighting off stiff competition for the title, the band scooped the prestigious award with their wonderfully warm, laid-back single, which evokes the spirit of the Laurel Canyon scene of the 1960s, and one that gained critical acclaim across the board, receiving substantial airplay worldwide. 

Cormac states: “We are delighted with this award, and the fact that the people of the North of Ireland voted for our song just means the world to us. Peace Agus Love – and up the Cali Irish!”

The California Irish album ‘The Mountains Are My Friends’ is out now. 
Order physical copies of the album here: https://eyesoremerch.com/california-irish/
Order the album here: https://ada.lnk.to/Mountains

CALIFORNIA IRISH is the new band featuring The Answer’s Cormac Neeson. The band tips its hat to the wonderfully melodic and free-spirited sound from 60s America, a sound that reaches back into a gentler, more empathetic time and their album ‘The Mountains Are My Friends‘ is out now. 

Summoning the beguiling spirit of Laurel Canyon, employing analogue recording techniques, and recording songs in one or two takes to achieve something with a real human touch, California Irish are a seven piece group hailing from Belfast that working their own niche within the world of folk and Americana, and everything in between.

The brainchild of the group is lead singer and chief songwriter Cormac Neeson. The band were hand-picked by Neeson based on long standing friendships, as well as experiences with numerous musical projects within the thriving Belfast music scene.   

Cormac states his reason for starting the band, and wanting to harness this fabulous sound: “This album is the opposite of boring AI generated no soul perfection. We recorded this album in a room together over four days allowing the music to breathe when it needed to, looking at each other for our cues and feeding off each other’s energy. It felt like a dream…but it’s the most real thing I’ve ever done in music.
That Laurel Canyon sound of the late 60s, epitomised by the early Crosby Stills Nash and Young stuff, and the first few Joni Mitchell records, has always felt otherworldly and magical. On our album we’ve tried to access some of that beauty and create our own magic by combining brand new music with an old school recording process.” 

The Laurel Canyon influence also extends to the band’s recording technique, adhering rigidly to the analogue 16 track recording method circa 1969; namely recording live straight to tape at the world famous Middle Farm Studios under the watchful eyes and ears of producer Pete Miles. The resulting sound of California Irish flies in the face of modern techniques that often lose the warmth of the original compositions. Instead, the group opted for a one off and unique shared human experience with musicians who feed off each other’s energy, and create compelling four-part vocal blends around one single microphone in a warm alt-folk celebration. The creative process in turn led to an album’s worth of songs titled ‘The Mountains Are My Friends’, out now.

The band: 
Cormac Neeson (vocals, acoustic guitar, psychedelic cowbell)
Susy Coyle (vocals and percussion)
Donal Scullion (acoustic, electric guitar, vocals)  
Chris Kelly (lap steel, mandolin, acoustic, electric guitar, vocals)
James Doone (bass) 
Simon Templeton (piano, hammond, Wurlitzer)
Conor McCauley (drums)

https://www.facebook.com/californiairish
https://x.com/CaliIrish69
https://www.instagram.com/californiairishband/
https://www.californiairish.co.uk/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXtkoLAjS3HSCikPPPQWlsQ

EXTREME’s Nuno Bettencourt Said No to Ozzy as Guitarist + Grammy Nominations

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 14, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

For The Metal Voice Neil Turbin  spoke to EXTREME Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt at this years Bowl For Ronnie 2025.

When asked about his recent Grammy nominations and his relationship with Ozzy:

“It’s nice (Grammy nomination), but you know what? I wasn’t there for that. I was there to pay tribute to Sabbath and Ozzy, and that’s what we did.”

“I have known Ozzy for a bit. He asked me to join his band in the in the 90s and I said no. And that that’s the last thing he (Ozzy) said to me. He goes, YOU PRICK , you said no to me.”

This year’s BOWL FOR RONNIE Celebrity Bowling Party, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up and Shout Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org), has sold out in advance.  Thursday, November 13, 2025 at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California, the event once again  hosted by television and radio personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM’s 103 Faction Talk channel.

100% of the net proceeds from the BOWL FOR RONNIE will go to the Dio Cancer Fund (www.diocancerfund.org). Pinz Bowling Center is located at 12655 Ventura Blvd in Studio City, California.

Transatlantic Glaswegian Grunge Rockers OVERHAUL Present New Album “Time Flies By”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on November 14, 2025
Posted in: News, Int. News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Rock/Grunge/Alternative rock band Overhaul has released their brand-new album Time Flies By via TLG|Rock, distributed by Virgin Music Group.

Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Kevin Hare (Black Sun, Ancient of Days) at Deep Storm Productions in Strathaven, Scotland, the album was produced by Andy Gallagher and Kevin Hare. 

The album also features an impressive lineup of guest musicians, including:

  • Dan Murphy (Soul Asylum, Golden Smog, The Scarlet Goodbye) – guitar on “Happy Little Rocker,” and guitar/backing vocals/organ on “Spanish Lilt”
  • Jeff Worley (Jackyl) – guitar on “Whoop It Up” and “Bask”
  • Trace Foster (Close Enemies) – lead guitar on “Long Ride Home”
  • Astrid Young (Neil Young) – backing vocals on “Spanish Lilt”

In celebration of the release, Overhaul will embark on a UK/Ireland tour in March 2026 alongside The Scarlet Goodbye.

Time Flies By is available now on all major streaming platforms.

Time Flies By – Tracklisting:

  1. I Don’t Think You Know Me
  2. Bask
  3. Whoop It Up
  4. Happy Little Rocker
  5. A Problem’s Just A Problem
  6. Your words
  7. Time Flies By
  8. My Brighter Day
  9. I Try
  10. Long Ride Home
  11. Spanish Lilt

Overhaul Tour Dates:

Feb 14th – The Garage – Glasgow
March 11th – Sneaky Pete’s – Edinburgh, UK @
March 12th – The Hug and Pint – Glasgow, UK @
March 13th – Cluny 2 – Newcastle, UK @
March 14th – Sunflower Lounge – Birmingham, UK @
March 15th – Night & Day Cafe – Manchester, UK @
March 16th – Fuel Tock Club – Cardiff, UK @
March 18th – Black Box – Belfast, IE @
March 19th – Toales – Dundalk, IE @
March 20th – Fred Zeppelins – Cork, IE @
March 21st – Roisin Dubh – Galway, IE @
March 22nd – T.B.A – Dublin, IE @
@ – tour dates with The Scarlet Goodbye

Overhaul are :
Andy Gallagher – Guitar, Vocals, Other Stuff
John Malone – Drums, Backing Vocals
Kenny Johnson – Bass guitar, Gang Vocals
Paul Armour – Bass Guitar, Backing Vocals

For More Information Please Visit: Official Website – Facebook – Instagram – YouTube