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Ronnie Montrose Remembered: Namm 2026 – 10 Year Anniversary All Star Memorial Concert

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 12, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: Ronnie Montrose. Leave a comment

Iconic American rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose will be saluted by a stellar rock star line-up whose own careers were influenced by the legendary and powerful Montrose sound at Ronnie Montrose Remembered  — one of the most talked about shows of NAMM 2026.

This 10 year anniversary celebratory concert highlighting Montrose’s career will feature his greatest hits from early Montrose, Edgar Winter, Van Morrison, Gamma and more. The event is set for 7:30 PM, Saturday, January 24th at the Grand Theater Anaheim Event Center.

The incredible all-star featured performers so far include members of: Montrose, Guns n Roses, Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Dio, LA Guns, Ted Nugent, REO Speedwagon, Megadeth, Dokken, Ozzy Osbourne, Mr. Big, The Winery Dogs, Winger, Alice Cooper, Ace Frehley, Y & T, Slaughter, Great White, Lynch Mob, Last In Line, Kingdom Come, The Edgar Winter Group, Sweet, Rod Stewart, Lady Gaga, Robbie Krieger Band, Bullet Boys, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, with more players being added on a daily basis.

Additionally, the show will feature surprise cameos, speakers, never-before-seen video clips and other raw footage, showcasing Montrose’s career. 

Tickets are $39 at this location.

Press passes are available on approval. V.I.P. Packages are available for $99 which include Prime Up Front Orchestra seating, access to the Private V.I.P. Backstage Lounge area with Private restrooms, a Private backstage V.I.P. bar, an exclusive V.I.P. Artist Meet & Greet Area Photo Ops with pro photographer, Red Carpet access, a 10 year commemorative custom guitar pick, an RMR 2026 show poster, Backstage/Sidestage access, with a private full “onstage” bar. Additionally, a very limited quantity of ‘Super V.I.P.’ packages are available which include all of the above plus front row center seating, an exclusive custom 10 Year Anniversary T Shirt, a signed full size show poster, extra guitar picks, and video & photo goodie’s never seen or heard before from older Montrose shows.

Former Montrose lead singer and event producer, Keith St John says new iconic names are being added to the line-up literally every day. St John was with Montrose for the last 13 years of Ronnie’s life. The band was on top of the charts in the 1970s when Sammy Hagar was vocalist, with tunes like Rock Candy, Bad Motor Scooter and Rock the Nation. When St John teamed up with Montrose they continued to entertain until right before his death, filling clubs and festivals around the world. St John wrote many unreleased tunes with Ronnie Montrose, some performed at concerts throughout their years together.

It has been 10 years since the first RMR memorial celebration took place and St John wants this special anniversary edition of the show to be as scintillating as the first. “Ronnie’s contribution to rock music in the early 70’s was the Rock n Roll bible for many of the up and coming great American rock guitarists for the next two decades more than he probably ever realized or gave himself credit for.  I really want to give those who really appreciate Ronnie the chance to get together in a loving dynamic concert setting where we can all really dig in and enjoy each other through the commonality of Ronnie’s music,” St John remarks. 

Guitarist Doug Aldrich of Whitesnake, Dio, and Dead Daisies fame who will be performing at this event says this of Montrose:

“I first heard Montrose’s debut record (‘The Great 8’) when I was around 15 years old. The first thing that came to my head was that their sound was really tough. It’s sturdy and solid rock ‘n’ roll, and without a doubt the guitar playing is unique and incredible. Montrose influenced a lot of people and inspired a lot of people. I was definitely one of them.”

Full details can be found at the event’s website: www.ronniemontroseremembered.com 

Updates to the performer list are being made daily on St John’s Instagram page, https://www.instagram.com/keith_st_john/ and on the event’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/RonnieMontroseRemembered

Swedish Death Metallers LIK Release Video for ‘They’ + Announce European Headlining Tour for March/April 2026

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 12, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: LIK. Leave a comment
Photo by Michaela Barkensjö

LIK, the modern-day purveyors of classic Swedish death metal, gloriously return to action with a video for “They“, taken from their latest full-length Necro which was released last April.

Directed by the band’s own Joakim Antman, you can check out the video HERE.

LIK will return to stages next March when they kick off the Necrofeeling Over Europe Tour 2026! Comments the band: “In March & April we drag NECRO across European soil – a procession of stinking, rotten, & unspeakable volume. Join the march or be buried beneath it.”

NECROFEELING OVER EUROPE
26/3 Brewgata, Oslo, NO
27/3 Östgötaslakt, Linköping, SE
29/3 Monument, Gothenburg, SE
31/3 Voodoo, Warsaw, PL
1/4 Zascianek, Krakow, PL
3/4 Kabinet Muz, Brno, CZ
4/4 Modra Vopize, Prague, CZ
5/4 Dark Easter MetalMeeting, Munich, DE
7/4 Urban Spree, Berlin, DE
9/4 Stengade, Copenhagen, DK
11/4 BD Riots, Borlänge, SE
12/4 Kollektivet Livet, Stockholm

Other festivals
14-15/8 Blasphemy Festival, SK

Purchase tickets, vinyl, CDs and shirts at: metalblade.com/lik

Standing loud and proud over so many imitators, Necro is the musical equivalent of a classic shock-horror movie that’s drenched in blood and gore and packed with over-the-top extremities. Delve beyond the zombified cover art created by Stockholm-based tattooist and artist Jens Olsson (Ink Fanatics), Necro serves as a reminder of just how special and exciting the genre is: packed with blood-curdling fantasy stories about war, death, zombies, world apocalypse, and murder all stacked with disgustingly-good rotten riffs.

Once again using uber-producer Lawrence Mackrory (Meshuggah, Katatonia, High Parasite, Decapitated), all music was recorded live over a three-day period, before vocalist/guitarist Tomas Åkvik headed to Uppsala to record his vocals at Mackrory’s Rorysound Studios. Mackrory has worked with LIK – whose name translates to “corpse” in Swedish – since their 2015 debut Mass Funeral Evocation and throughout their Metal Blade Records’ career that started with 2018’s Carnage.

Within Necro‘s ten tracks, LIK has created a seamless album, diverse in tempo but without losing any of their blood-soaked intensity and relentless in-your-face-attitude listeners have come to expect. There are twists and turns that keep LIK on a progressive path without straying from their old-school trademark sounds inspired by the godfathers Dismember, At The Gates and, of course, Entombed.

“We didn’t really want to repeat ourselves, but of course we wanted the LIK sound,” explains Åkvik on the writing trajectory of Necro.

“This album is fucking crushing! Everything else is shit!” – Nick Holmes, Paradise Lost/Bloodbath

“Vicious and raw, sick and heavy, perfect embodiment of the brutality of classic Swedish death metal.” – Matti Kärki, Dismember

“This is non-processed death metal magic, just like it was meant to be. It brings me right back to the school bus in the ’90s, where it seemed I discovered a new killer band from Stockholm every week in my Walkman, on my way to school. It often made me want to stand up and bang my head off while in motion and rip the bus seats to shreds. Yet LIK fills a void in today’s death metal scene and sound surprisingly refreshing. This time around, aside from the speed, they also bring extra sludgy heaviness to the necro table. An absolute must have!” – Björn “Speed” Strid, Soilwork

“I got to hear the new album Necro from my friends in LIK and what a ferocious onslaught I was presented with! Relentless pounding á la Stockholm City with the perfect nods to the heydays of death metal!” – Jonas Renkse, Katatonia

“The essence of Swedish death metal – LIK at their finest! Necro sets the genre’s benchmark for 2025 with killer hook lines, cutting leads, and riffs straight outta hell!” – Ben Liepelt, Endseeker

LIK:
Tomas Åkvik – vocals, guitar
Niklas “Nille” Sandin – guitar
Chris Barkensjö – drums
Joakim Antman – bass

https://www.facebook.com/LIKofficial
https://www.instagram.com/lik_official

QWÄLEN to Release Third Album “Veri Virtaa Edelleen” on March 6th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 12, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: QWÄLEN. Leave a comment

Time To Kill Records is proud to announce that QWÄLEN will release their third album, “Veri Virtaa Edelleen”, on March 6th, 2026. The Finnish band continues its rapid rise, sharpening and intensifying its ravenous blend of black metal and punk into a formula that is more focused, more refined and yet more vicious than ever.

The first single from the album will be revealed soon. Digital album presave is available now: https://ffm.to/qwalen-veri-virtaa-edelleen

Blood continues to flow. The third statement of QWÄLEN delves into the rottenness of human reality, the abolition of kings and gods, and the bleak, habitual cycle of fraternal violence—concepts that mean nothing to the band, and yet embody everything they express. With the very idea of black metal at its core, QWÄLEN persists in breaking free from the narrow boundaries of the genre. Hail no one but thyself; raise no one on a pedestal but thyself, for borders can only be drawn from within. Gods live only if we allow them. Death becomes the final insult, the ultimate raised middle finger when all is reduced to rocks and bones—the black serpent within, the black flame of rebellion. Hail Satan. Blood continues to flow.

Tracklist:

1. Hunnutettu maa
2. Matala hauta huutaa
3. Kahleet
4. Uusi nahka
5. Kiviä ja luita
6. Pirujen illallinen
7. Veri vastaa
8. Kuolleet jumalat

Formed in 2017, QWÄLEN channels the raw musical backgrounds of its members – active in bands such as Kürøishi, Viimeinen Virhe, Letterbombs and Hoc Est Bellum – into a distinctive interpretation of black metal built on simplicity, rawness, speed and honesty. These foundations shaped their debut, “Unohdan sinut”, which explored self-portrayal, loss, rebuilding, abandonment, misanthropy and Satan. Their second album, “Syvä hiljaisuus”, turned its gaze toward humanity’s sheep-like nature, the inevitability of destruction, the acceptance of flaw and the surrender to greater forces. The new album continues in this vein, embracing the decay of human reality, the fall of kings and gods and the sinister repetition of brotherly violence – motifs that, for QWÄLEN, mean nothing and yet define everything.

As with their previous record, the album was tracked at Waiting Room Recording Studio in Tampere with Mikael Neves, who also handled the mixing. Mastering was completed at Enormous Door by Jack Control, while artwork and layout were created by the always formidable Jussi Pohjanen.

Line-up:

Eetu Viita: Vocals
Samuli Similä: Guitar & vocals
Antti Kannisto: Guitar & vocals
Ville Jylhä: Bass
Henri Kaarre: Drums

https://qwaelen.bandcamp.com/
https://www.instagram.com/qwaelen/
https://www.facebook.com/qwalen

BLOODRED Announce New Album “Colours Of Pain” + Release First Single & Video for Title Track

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 12, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: BLOODRED. Leave a comment
Photo credits: Stefan Heilemann

German blackened death metal force BLOODRED officially announce their upcoming studio album “Colours Of Pain”, set to be released on February 13, 2026 via Massacre Records. Alongside the album announcement, the band unleashe the first single and official video, the devastating title track “Colours Of Pain”.

Serving as the emotional and conceptual centrepiece of the album, “Colours Of Pain” is a powerful exploration of the many shades of human suffering. Each emotion becomes a colour – red for rage, black for grief, grey for numbness – painting a vivid picture of inner turmoil.

Musically, the track blends relentless blasts and heavy mid-tempo groove with a darkly melodic core. The accompanying video – shot and directed by Alexander Krull – visually amplifies this descent into psychological intensity, offering a visceral representation of the song’s themes.

STREAM THE SINGLE HERE: https://save-it.cc/massacre/colours-of-pain

“Colours Of Pain” marks a significant evolution in BLOODRED’s sonic identity. While remaining rooted in the furious Blackened Death Metal that defined their previous releases, the new album expands into a darker, more dynamic, and more atmospheric territory. Haunting melodies, crushing mid-tempo sections, and ferocious blast-beat assaults collide to form the band’s most diverse and emotional work to date.

Long-time collaborators Ron Merz (vocals, guitars, bass) and Joris Nijenhuis (drums) once again stand at the core of the album, delivering a performance which balances aggression, depth, and cinematic atmosphere. The album also features a special guest appearance from Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson (Skálmöld), providing a blazing guitar solo on the track “Mindvirus”.

Produced, mixed, and mastered by Alexander Krull at Mastersound Studio, and completed with a striking artwork by Stefan Heilemann, “Colours Of Pain” is nothing short of a definitive artistic statement.

“Colours Of Pain” delivers eight tracks of uncompromising heaviness, lyrical depth, and atmospheric weight. Its themes span betrayal, censorship, environmental collapse, societal decay, pandemic devastation, and global resistance—showcasing BLOODRED’s most ambitious songwriting to date.

Track listing

  1. Ashes
  2. Colours Of Pain
  3. Mindvirus
  4. Heretics
  5. A New Dark Age
  6. Death Machine
  7. Winds Of Oblivion
  8. Resist

BLOODRED continue to evolve without abandoning the savage essence that has defined them since their debut. “Colours Of Pain” is their most dynamic, personal, and socially confrontational record yet—an unflinching dive into the emotional, political, and existential suffering that shapes our world.

Prepare to experience the full spectrum of darkness as BLOODRED reveal the many “Colours Of Pain”.

BLOODRED are
Ron Merz – Vocals, Guitars, Bass
Joris Nijenhuis – Drums

BLOODRED online:
http://www.bloodredband.com
http://www.facebook.com/Bloodredofficial
http://www.instagram.com/bloodred.band

JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS Drop New Single ‘Venomous’ from Forthcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 12, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS. Leave a comment

JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS present the ultra-heavy track ‘Venomous‘ as the second single lifted from the forthcoming new full-length “Inexorable Opposites“. The fourth album by the Australian Psychedelic Western Rockers is scheduled for release on February 6, 2026, via Magnetic Eye Records. 

Pre-order the album here: https://spkr.store/collections/jack-harlon-the-dead-crows  

JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS comment on ‘Venomous’: “This song aims to highlight that each of us has a dark and poisonous side“, vocalist and guitarist Tim Coutts-Smith writes. “If you think you don’t, you’re probably one of the worst offenders. The lyrics are written from gazing at my own ‘venomous’ self, and I hope they outline how childish yet dangerous that part of the psyche can be.“

Tracklist

  1. Moss
  2. Venomous
  3. Mt. Macedon
  4. Dave Is Done
  5. Junior Fiction
  6. Seer
  7. On the Overwhelm
  8. To Die

With their fourth album “Inexorable Opposites”, JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS deliver a doozy of a record. The Psychedelic Western Rockers from Down Under have taken a big leap that was made possible by breaking new ground. 

It pays off that the Australians have dared to take numerous creative risks, of which several stand out:

First off, “Inexorable Opposites” introduces new drum powerhouse Brayden Becher, who has literally given the band an extra kick. This was amplified by employing Lewis Noke-Edwards as a third party engineer for the tracking of the drums, a first for JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS, having done their recording in DIY fashion on past albums.  While the creative process was generally more collaborative than for previous releases, the album also comes with an extended range as it includes both the ‘heaviest’ and ‘gentlest’ songs the band have ever recorded. 

Probably as important as the musical tweaks is the new direction that the lyrics take on “Inexorable Opposites”. While there are still new tales playing out in the universe of the eponymous science fiction Western character Jack Harlon, the themes of the new songs rather revolve around the real world. Vocalist Tim Coutts-Smith was inspired by experiences both personal and from recent years as well as being influenced by his work in mental health.

This is summed up by the album’s title “Inexorable Opposites” that summarises the frequently contrasting emotional and lyrical content by drawing attention to a most inspirational quote from “Man and His Symbols” (1964), the final work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung: “The sad truth is that man’s real life consists of a complex of inexorable opposites – day and night, birth and death, happiness and misery, good and evil. We are not even sure that one will prevail against the other, that good will overcome evil, or joy will defeat pain. Life is a battleground. It always has been and always will be; and if it were not so, existence would come to an end.”

Although the Outback is too far away to constitute a direct influence on JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS, their atmospheric dark Western sound draws a connecting line from Australia to Arizona. It is part of a uniquely eclectic style that explores a wide range of genres and incorporates elements of blues, stoner rock, lo-fi fuzz, spaghetti western scores, and doom metal among others.

JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS first incarnated as a side project of singer Tim Coutts-Smith around the year 2015. Over time, his steadily growing band developed into a full-fledged performing act.

From day one, Coutts-Smith centered his lyrics and themes around a fictional Western outlaw named Jack Harlon. He would often begin writing about real people and events, before turning them into characters and stories in a science fiction themed Western landscape.

JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS are also known for their DIY approach, producing most of their albums and visual art internally. As a live act, the band has mostly toured and performed in Australia including sharing stages with international acts such as GREENLEAF, SASQUATCH, WO FAT, and WHORES.

So far, JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS have released a self-titled debut EP in 2016, followed by three critically acclaimed albums and continuously growing recognition within the heavy underground: “Hymns” (2018), “The Magnetic Ridge” (2021), and “Hail to the Underground: Interpretations” (2023). The band also appeared on Magnetic Eye Records’ “Superunknown Redux” tribute to Soundgarden with their fuzzed-out, hallucinatory rendition of deep cut ‘Kickstand’.

JACK HARLON & THE DEAD CROWS deliver a beautifully matured and musically experienced version of their characteristic sound on the fourth album “Inexorable Opposites”. With adult lyrics that take their listeners seriously in a contemplation about the duality of life and the frequent contradictions of the self with the external world, the Australians show their growth as songwriters and musicians without losing the connection to the titanic fuzz and heavy riffs that helped put them on the map.

Drum recording by Lewis Noke-Edwards at Black Lodge Studios, Brunswick, Melbourne (AU)
All other instruments engineered by Tim Coutts-Smith & Jordan Richardson at their home studios, Melbourne (AU)
Mixed by Tim Coutts-Smith at his home studio, Melbourne (AU)
Mastered by Tim Coutts-Smith at his home studio, Melbourne (AU)

Artwork by Baroquegothik
Layout by Karl Stehn (KDS Designs) & Łukasz Jaszak

Line-up
Tim Coutts-Smith – vocals, guitar
Jordan Richardson – guitar
Brayden Becher – drums
Liam Barry – bass

http://www.facebook.com/jackharlondoom
http://www.instagram.com/jack.harlon.and.the.dead.crows

HATESPHERE’s 20ᵗʰ Anniversary LP Re-Release “The Sickness Within” Out January 16th

Posted by tarjavirmakari on December 12, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: HateSphere. Leave a comment
photo by Julia Nikiforova – JN Lightning Photography

HateSphere will release the LP version of “The Sickness Within” album on January 16 through Scarlet Records.

The fourth studio album for the Danish thrash-death machine, originally released by Steamhammer in 2005, “The Sickness Within” was the pinnacle of the first part of the HateSphere career, and still a killer thrash-death album after all these years.

«We’re honoured and happy to have the opportunity to release this album in vinyl again, as it has always had a special place in our hearts! Please join us in our celebration!» – HateSphere

Plenty of razor-sharp guitar riffs, some heavy crushing grooves and a subtle but cool melodic taste were the main ingredients of this brutally exquisite recipe, and truly represented the frantic HateSphere signature sound.

The Danish band was lead at that time by the charismatic frontman Jacob Bredhal: his raspy, powerful vocal delivery was one of the highlight of a flawless tracklist. Add a brilliant songwriting and a meaty production and you’ll simply get one of the best extreme metal albums of the early 00s.

artwork by Christof Kather

To this day, an unparalleled vulgar display of sickness!

  • fourth studio album for the Danish thrash-death machine, originally released by Steamhammer in 2005;
  • HateSphere’s most commercially successful release ever;
  • produced by Jacob Hansen and Tommy Hansen at Hansen Studios;
  • mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen at Antfarm Studio;
  • cover artwork by Christof Kather;
  • FFO: Slayer, At The Gates, The Haunted, Heaven Shall Burn, The Black Dahlia Murder;
  • “The Sickness Within” will be re-released in the following format: vinyl LP (500 transparent red)

“The Sickness Within” tracklist:

1 The White Fever
2 The Fallen Shall Rise In A River Of Blood
3 Reaper Of Life
4 Sickness Within
5 Murderous Intent
6 The Coming Of Chaos
7 Bleed To Death
8 Heaven Is Ready To Fall
9 Seeds Of Shame
10 Chamber Master
11 Marked By Darkness

Total running time: 44:39

In other news, HateSphere is currently working on the follow-up to the acclaimed “Hatred Reborn” album (2023).

Line-up (2005):
Jacob Bredahl – vocals
Peter Lyse Hansen – guitar
Henrik Bastrup Jacobsen – guitar
Mikael Ehlert Hansen – bass
Anders Gyldenøhr – drums

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