Channeling the raw, primitive speed that birthed extreme metal, Richmond metal-punks BAT have unleashed a scorching cover of VENOM’s classic ‘Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil).’
As a foundational influence on BAT’s own brand of heavy speed metal, the cover serves as a direct tribute to Conrad “Cronos” Thomas Lant. Engineered by Ian Whalen and Yavé Rust, mixed and mastered by Joel Grind and featuring original drummer Felix Griffin, BAT’s 2015 rendition captures the relentless, primitive drive that defined a genre. ‘Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)‘ is available now on Bandcamp.
BAT‘s Ryan Waste comments, “It’s undeniable the impact that Cronos and Venom has had on myself and BAT. In the early days of the band we wore our influences on our sleeve, covering Motörhead and Venom in our live set. When it came time to record our debut full length, “Wings Of Chains” back in 2015, we tracked “Live Like an Angel (Die Like a Devil)” along with the 12 originals. It’s been lying dormant in the vaults for over ten years and upon hearing the news of Conrad’s passing, we decided to resurrect it in his honor.”
ABOUT ‘LIVE LIKE AN ANGEL (DIE LIKE A DEVIL)’ TRACK: BAT – 2015 Lineup Ryan Waste – Bass / Vocals Nick Poulos – Guitar Felix Griffin – Drums
Recorded during the “Wings of Chains” sessions Richmond, VA 2015 Engineered by Ian Whalen and Yavé Rust Mixed and Mastered by Joel Grind VENOM- ‘Live Like An Angel (Die Like A Devil)’ Originally written by Jeffrey Dunn (Mantas), Conrad Lant (Cronos), and Anthony Bray (Abaddon)
ABOUT BAT: The power trio, including Ryan Waste, Nick Poulos, and Chris Marshall, decamped to Philadelphia in June 2021 where Arthur Rizk recorded the basic tracks for Under The Crooked Claw.Yavé Rust tracked lead guitars and vocals later when the band was back in Richmond, ultimately to be mixed by Rizk and mastered by Joel Grind. The artwork for the album was inked by Brandon Holt and colored by Margaret Rolicki.
Jam-packed with tight, concise songs loaded with punchy choruses and lightning-laced leads, each of the 13 tracks offers a new horror short story mixing the perfect blend of heavy metal, punk, and rock ‘n’ roll or as Waste coins it “primitive heavy speed”.
Just in time for the kick off their UK tour dates, Ukrainian/German post black metal group Machukha are now releasing their brand new single ‘Severing’. The new offering comes in the form of a self-produced unnerving music video, conveying the music into a visual story.
The video portrays the struggle somebody can have with themselves. It explores the relationship you have to yourself and how this exhausting struggle turns into surrender after a forceful removal as an act of survival.
Machukha comment on ‘Severing’: “When you detect that a part of yourself is very damaged, sometimes the only way to survive is by cutting it out. But how does this amputation impact the relationship you have with yourself? What happens with this void that was born from what was once there and is no more? And why did you get to this point in the first place, where a part of you became so sick, so damaged, you had to remove it?
“Protagonist Andy Decroos is a close friend of the band – he has been a supporter of Machukha since the release of Mochari. Andy is actually in the process of getting new teeth, thanks to the support of his partner Berlinde. So, in his case, this very real condition of having no teeth is being changed through the love and care he is experiencing with his partner.“
Machuka‘s sophmore album will be released early 2027 via Lay Bare Records. More info about the album and pre-orders will be available soon.
Machukha are about to kick off their previously announced UK run next week, starting in Brighton on 7th November. A full list of confirmed dates can be found below.
The band comments on the run: “This Music is about resilience – it moves through pain by surrendering to it. What excites us most is discovering how the emotions conveyed in this music resonate with people we’ve never met. We’re grateful for the chance to share something deeply personal, and those joining us to notice what emotions arise within them during these performances.”
UK dates: November 7 Daltons, Brighton November 8 Damnation Festival, Manchester November 10 Boom, Leeds November 13 B2 @ The Brickmakers, Norwich November 12 The Black Heart, London November 13 The Croft, Bristol November 14 The Whistle & Flute, Nottingham November 15 Core Festival, Glasgow
Machukha (Ukrainian: “step-mother”) gained notable attention in the short time that they have been performing live for their visceral approach to music. The intention of their music is to guide the listener through an continuously unfolding process of very specific emotions, which is starting from the very first note. During the songwriting process and when performing on stage, Machukha is pushing the range of expression, which results in the band weaving elements of various genres into the musical arc. Natalya (vocalist) sings exclusively in her native Ukrainian language, and uses her voice as an outlet for genuine anguish.
Machukha started performing live in late 2023. Since then, they have performed at Roadburn Festival (NL), Core The Festival in Scotland, Culthe Fest (DE), A Colossal Weekend (DK) and opened up the main stage at Complexity Fest (NL). Further festival bookings for 2026 include: Fekete Zaj (HU), Rockstadt Extreme Fest (RO) and Damnation Festival (UK). In 2025, Machukha was booked as the support act for Agriculture‘s three week UK and EU tour, for which they received a stipend from Musicboard. Since then, they have joined the roster of Atonal Music Agency (UK).
For their debut album Mochari, Machukha worked with Jan Oberg from Hidden Planet Studio and Jack Shirley from The Atomic Garden Studios, which was released via Consouling Sounds on 7th June 2024. Cvlt Nation listed Mochari on rank five of the top black metal releases of that year. Following the success of this album, they have received a grant by Initiative Music for the production and marketing of their second album, for which they have worked with Boris Wilsdorf from Andere Baustellen Tonstudio and drummer Pierre-Hugues Hadacek. The new album is scheduled for release early 2027.
Aside from their band roles, the members are working in several other projects connected to music and performing arts. Natalya organizes DIY underground music festival in Ukraine BACK TO YOUTH which is now suspended due to russian full-scale invasion. Bláthin (guitar) worked for LGBTQ+ icon Peaches during her 20th-anniversary tour of “The Teaches of Peaches” and recorded guitar on her newest album No Lube So Rude. Currently, Bláthin works as a performer and musician for award-winning choreographer Florentina Holzinger, who is representing Austria at the Venice Biennale 2026. Mykola Lebed is an artist working with music and sound. Leviana is a queer icon in the Berlin scene and has been drumming in many projects spanning various genres. She works as a session musician and is a fixed member of the group since 2026.
Machukha has self-produced a total of six music videos, three for their debut Mochari and three for their sophomore album. Natalya designed and handmade costumes and props for each video, and Bláthin developed the script and directed, using her background knowledge of theatre and contemporary dance. The visual narrative of these music videos stands out for its complex, folklore-inspired language, weaving themes of resilience and existentialism into an intense visual work. They collaborated with The Ljilja and other performance artists, and the directors of photography Chase Morhardt, Zoe Bassi, Talin Seigmann and Gil Cojujeira. While Mochari is about processing pain by finally allowing yourself to feel the whole weight of it, with the second album, the question is no longer just what is felt in the body, but what must be done with it; cut out, reflected until it breaks, or carried until it burns. It tells the story of how an outer force that begins as external imposition becomes internalized action. The violence softens into inevitability.
Italian heavy/thrash metal band BULLET-PROOF will release their new single “Scorpion” on October 30th, 2026.
Led since their formation by guitarist and composer Richard Hupka, Bullet-Proof have built their sound around heavy riffs, aggressive grooves and a direct combination of heavy and thrash metal.
“Scorpion” was written and recorded by Hupka in his home studio, with Alessandro Gatti on bass and Željko Marinković on drums. The track was mixed by Alessio Garavello at Rogue Recording Studios in London.
The new single continues the band’s return with a heavier, more aggressive and modern approach while keeping the riff-driven sound at the centre.
Bullet-Proof formed in 2014 and have released three full-length albums through Sleazy Rider Records: “De-Generation” in 2015, “Forsaken One” in 2017 and “Cell XIX” in 2021.
The band have also toured extensively across Europe and shared the stage with acts including thrash metal veterans Testament.
“Scorpion” will be available on Spotify and other major digital platforms from October 30th.
As the year draws to a close, an ominous new emanation emerges from the shadow of BLUT AUS NORD and the visionary mind of Vindsval: “Stases“, the nightmarish first manifestation of NΩX. A singular descent into darkness, fear, mystery and the unknown.
Tracklist:
01. A.M. – Folio XIII — Somnium Profanum 02. M.I. – Fragmentum VII — Manuscriptum Incubi 03. V.N. – Codex IX — Visiones Nocturnae 04. L.S. – Caput IV — Liber Somniorum 05. T.S. – Testimonium XII — Somniatoris Damnati 06. R.M. – Registrum XI — Mortui Vigilantes 07. C.O. – Folio V — Custodes Obscuritatis 08. N.A. – Fragmentum XVI — Noctis Apparitiones 09. Residual Stasis
Cover artwork and layout was created by Maciej Kamuda (BLUT AUS NORD). All music was composed, recorded and mixed by Vindsval, and mastering was entrusted to Bruno Varea at Upload Studio.
An initial glimpse into this obscure abyss will take place on November 2nd, coinciding with the launch of public pre-orders. “Stases” will be released on December 11th on CD, vinyl (including an exclusive DMP edition) and digital, accompanied by exclusive merchandise.
Denver, Colorado’s WAYFARER have released Grey Country, the third and final single from their sixth album Riders of the Setting Sun, out November 20th via Vesperian.
The track sees the band joined by Munly J Munly and Rebecca Vera, longtime collaborators and both key figures of the city’s gothic Americana tradition through Slim Cessna’s Auto Club, Munly & The Lupercalians and DBUK. Following David Eugene Edwards on Perdition’s Crossing, they bring yet another of that scene’s defining voices to the record.
Grey Country is one of the darkest moments on the album. It is a slow, brooding ride through a desolate landscape, steeped in themes of legacy, guilt and what we hold on to when everything else is gone. Munly’s unmistakable voice and WAYFARER‘s sparse, haunted sound meet somewhere between confession and lament.
Produced by Ben Chisholm (Chelsea Wolfe), Riders of the Setting Sun takes WAYFARER beyond their extreme metal roots into a stark Gothic Americana of post-punk, folk and rock and roll.
Riders of the Setting Sun will be available as Digipak CD, Tape, and Vinyl LP, the latter featuring a dedicated LP booklet and OBI strip.
Listen to the new single HERE and find pre-orders for Riders of the Setting SunHERE.
Riders of the Setting Sun tracklist: 1. The Dusklands (04:58) 2. Perdition’s Crossing (03:59) – feat. David Eugene Edwards 3. Black Roses & Early Graves (04:45) 4. Casey’s Last Ride (04:07) – feat. Kelly Schilling 5. Fell Spur (02:52) 6. Grey Country (05:35) – feat. Munly J Munly 7. Hollow Hearts On The Trail To Eden (05:35) 8 .Prairies Of Babylon (05:15) – feat. Midwife
Discography: Children Of The Iron Age (album, 2014) Old Souls (album, 2016) World’s Blood (album, 2018) A Romance With Violence (album, 2020) American Gothic (album, 2023) Perdition’s Crossing (maxi-single, 2026)
Line-Up: Shane McCarthy: Vocals, Guitars Joe Strong-Truscelli: Guitars James Hansen: Bass Isaac Faulk: Drums
Hellenic black metal outfit YOTH IRIA presents their new video for “Dare to Rebel.” The track appears on the band’s stellar third album, Gone With The Devil, out now on Metal Blade Records. Watch the video HERE.
Watch the band’s previously released videos for “Harut, Government, Fallen” HERE, “The Blind Eye Of Antichrist” HERE, and “Blessed Be He Who Enters” HERE.
YOTH IRIA has just announced a European tour with Thulcandra and Vorga for March of next year. Full dates below.
In the Light of Darkness European Tour 2027: Thulcandra, Yoth Iria, Vorga 12.03 – Erfurt, DE – From Hell 13.03 – Prague, CZ – Futurum 14.03 – Vienna, AT – Viper Room 15.03 – Warsaw, PL – Mechanik 16.03 – Berlin, DE – Cassiopeia 17.03 – Copenhagen, DK – Stengade 18.03 – Hamburg, DE – Bahnhof St. Pauli 19.03 – Hoogeveen, NL – Het Podium 20.03 – Dortmund, DE – Junkyard 21.03 – Selb, DE – Rock Club Nordbayern 22.03 – Mörlenbach, DE – Weiher – Live Music Hall 23.03 – Kassel, DE – Goldgrube 24.03 – Kortrijk, BE – DVG Club 25.03 – Paris, FR – Backstage By The Mill 26.03 – Namur, BE – The Belvédère 27.03 – Aarburg, CH – Musigburg 28.03 – Munich, DE – Dark Easter Metal Meeting
Other YOTH IRIA shows: 30.10.26 – Dubai, AE – Oak Live Bar 31.10.26 – Patras, GR – Lesxi 18.12.26 – Athen, GR – Gargarin 205 (support for Old Man’s Child) 08.03.27 – Stockholm, SE – Extreme Metal Sounds Festival
YOTH IRIA‘s Gone With The Devil is available on CD (jewel case – US / digipak – EU) and digital formats as well as vinyl.
ABOUT THE BAND: YOTH IRIA‘s trajectory has been on a steep ascent since crafty 2021 debut As The Flame Withers and 2024’s hypnotic Blazing Inferno, but there has audibly been a concerted determination to develop and expand in sinister new directions. “The creative workflow was similar to Blazing Inferno, yet we deliberately pushed ourselves to bring new elements into our music. We kept the immediacy of Blazing Inferno, the psychedelia of As The Flame Withers, and all the characteristics people expect from Hellenic black metal, while adding fresh sounds and atmospheres never before heard from YOTH IRIA.”
Predominantly stately tempos ensure the dark riffs, memorable melodies and flamboyant leads have space to breathe their fire, so that the blastbeats, when they come, devastate even more utterly. Flecks of Mediterranean folk and gothic cadences further expand the band’s sonic palate, while there are countless melodies so atavistically simple and primally satisfying they could be a thousand years old.
There’s a thrilling balance of ancient and modern, good and evil, harmony and dissonance on Gone With The Devil advancing YOTH IRIA as a hungry contender for extreme metal’s big leagues – an ever-improving unit with a glorious future. Appropriately, however, Gone With The Devil is best summed up with a line already coined by the band to describe their ongoing body of work: “Every note tells a story of rebirth, tradition, and the relentless pursuit of musical transcendence.”
The daemonic avatar YOTH IRIA was first explicitly summoned on Rotting Christ‘s legendary debut Thy Mighty Contract in 1993. Bassist/lyricist Jim Mutilator formed that band as Black Church in 1984, before also becoming a founding member of cult Athenian BM heroes Varathron for their first five years. Renewing the otherworldly atmospheres and occult ravishment for a new era, YOTH IRIA functions almost as the third panel in an apocalyptic triptych of Hellenic black metal excellence.
YOTH IRIA: HE – vocals Jim Mutilator – bass Nikolas Perlepe – guitar Naberius – guitar Bill “Vongaar” Stavrianidis – drums
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
