“Koenig In Thule” is the first full-length offering by German black metal entity TRAKTATES, formed in 2018 in Köthen (Anhalt), Saxony-Anhalt, delivering more than 50 minutes of raw yet immersive darkness that bridges abrasive black metal with subtle death-tinged heaviness.
Across six sprawling tracks – from the foreboding opener “Rabennacht” to the closing “As We Forgot To Live” – the band weaves a cold, introspective tapestry of solitude, existential weariness, and romantic gloom, with the title track drawing on the “King in Thule” mythos to fuse classic symbolism with contemporary despair.
Music for debut album was recorded, mixed and mastered by Patrick Vesper at Neiße Rauschen Studio Weißwasser. Cover artwork was done by Lene, and whole layout by Chaos Design.
Album was released on November 28, 2025 independently on CD (buy here) and all popular digital platforms, “Koenig In Thule” is aimed at devotees of atmospheric, German black metal who crave long-form compositions, unpolished production, and a focused, melancholic aura.
Listen to the “Koenig in Thule” at Metal Worship Promotion:
TRACKLIST:
1. Rabennacht 2. Das Angebot 3. Koenig in Thule 4. Ein Ende… 5. Waldeinsamkeit 6. As we forgot to live
Italy-based computer metal project MASTER BOOT RECORD (MBR) will return to US and Canadian shores this coming Spring for an extensive North American headlining tour after completing their very successful European tour with labelmates IGORRR plus openers IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT! The group’s North American journey begins on April 24th in Cambridge, Massachusetts and runs through May 30th in Brooklyn, New York.
Tickets are on sale now at: mbrserver.com. See all confirmed dates below.
MASTER BOOT RECORD outputs:
Computer Metal strikes back in North America with a full coast-to-coast tour. We’ll return to many of the cities we’ve played before, while finally hitting several cities for the first time.
The show will feature brand-new synced visuals and a full set, including Tenebre Rosso Sangue by Keygen Church, as already performed during our European tour supporting Igorrr.
We can’t wait to see you all. SPREAD THE CODE
MASTER BOOT RECORD Live: 4/24/2026 Sonia – Cambridge, MA 4/25/2026 Piranha Bar – Montreal, QC 4/27/2026 Lee’s Palace – Toronto, ON 4/28/2026 Sanctuary – Hamtramck, MI 4/29/2026 The Foundry – Columbus, OH 4/30/2026 Reggies – Chicago, IL 5/01/2026 X-Ray Arcade – Milwaukee, WI 5/02/2026 Zhora Darling – Minneapolis, MN 5/03/2026 Slowdown – Omaha, NE 5/05/2026 HQ – Denver, CO 5/07/2026 Metro Music Hall – Salt Lake City, UT 5/09/2026 Rickshaw – Vancouver, BC 5/10/2026 Star Theater – Portland, OR 5/12/2026 El Corazon – Seattle, WA 5/14/2026 Café Colonial – Sacramento, CA 5/15/2026 DNA Lounge – San Francisco, CA 5/16/2026 Zebulon – Los Angeles, CA 5/17/2026 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA 5/19/2026 The Rosetta Room – Mesa, AZ 5/22/2026 Empire Control Room – Austin, TX 5/23/2026 Siberia – New Orleans, LA 5/24/2026 Garden Club – Atlanta, GA 5/26/2026 Chapel Of Bones – Raleigh, NC 5/27/2026 Richmond Music Hall – Richmond, VA 5/28/2026 Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD 5/29/2026 Underground Arts – Philadelphia, PA 5/30/2026 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY
MASTER BOOT RECORD will be touring in support of their HARDWAREZ full-length, released in 2024 via Metal Blade Records.
HARDWAREZ explores the duality of technology. The LP, which follows 2022’s Personal Computer and 2020’s Floppy Disk Overdrive, comes from the expansive mind of multi-instrumentalist and MBR mastermind Vittorio D’Amore (aka Victor Love), an Italian producer who emerged from the underground as an anonymous project in 2016 to create the soundtrack for the cyberpunk point-and-click adventure game VirtuaVerse. The project seamlessly evolved into a standalone entity, releasing over fourteen albums in just a few years.
To create HARDWAREZ, the technologist worked by live streaming his desktop on YouTube while composing new music. Everything is programmed via MIDI. Intensive touring augmented with live musicians helped Love make the decision to include real guitars to achieve a massive sound and boost the enhanced frequency spectrum of the instrument. Additionally, the tracks feature sections without overdubs and with updated drum samples and a new mixing approach, creating a more vibrant and punchy drum sound.
HARDWAREZ, earned the #3 spot on Billboard’s Current Electronic Albums chart upon its first week of release. Elsewhere, the record took the #11 position on the Current Hard Music Albums chart, #17 on the Top New Artists Albums chart, and more!
Volcano Records & Promotion is proud to present ‘Straight Hell’, the new single by LET SHADES DO, available from December 19, 2025, on all digital platforms.
Straight Hell marks the final chapter of the four-part series that accompanied the band’s debut, a powerful and dark sonic journey featuring major names from the international metal scene, where intense lyrics meet razor-sharp riffs. With Straight Hell, the duo led by Alex Under and Candice Hellish draws the listener into a dystopian dimension where pure souls are corrupted by power and salvation seems almost impossible to attain. The track, defined by its dramatic atmosphere and evocative arrangements, features top-tier international musicians, including John Macaluso as special guest on drums, alongside Brooke St. James and Maestro Mistheria. Candice Hellish’s lyrics explore themes of rebellion, despair, and awakening, while Alex Under’s musical composition crafts a sonic fresco of energy, depth, and emotional impact. Recorded at Acme Recording Studio, Straight Hell confirms the project’s unique artistic signature: powerful, narrative-driven, and emotionally compelling metal.
“It seems I have crossed a dimensional gap… in the new unworld, aimlessly lobotomized creatures suffer the tyranny of the Lord, pure and fragile souls, educated by the demons of power, develop disturbed energies… I prayed for a chance, and my salvation hangs in the balance… Am I destined to become one of them?…”
Death/Thrash/Groove/Prog Metal powerhouse Stalwart presents the visualizer video for their devastating track, “Through the Dead Eyes,” a monumental commentary on modern spiritual decay. Stripping away all platitudes, the song plunges listeners into a world of profound disillusionment, where existence is a “way through desert,” and hope has decayed. Driven by crushing riffs and a complex rhythmic core, the track explores the futility of human endeavor, echoing the pain of suppressed anguish and the numbing effect of routine.
About Tempvs Edax Rervm
Stalwart’s Tempvs Edax Rervm delves into the inexorable power of time, exploring themes of fading identity and inevitable decay as “heaven and earth have switched places.” The album distills the band’s essence—groove-driven riffs, intricate rhythms, and atmospheric layers—into a heavier, darker, and more focused continuation of their intense, precise metal sound.
Formed in 1999 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, Stalwart has built a reputation in the extreme metal scene with a distinctive blend of death, thrash, groove, and progressive metal — combining crushing riffs, intricate rhythms, and atmospheric layers. Over their career, they’ve released six full-length albums through labels including Fono, Soyuz/MetalAgen, CD-Maximum, Metallism, and PRC Music, with four albums produced by the renowned Wiesławski brothers (Vader, Decapitated, Behemoth) at Hertz Studio, Poland. Stalwart has shared stages with Behemoth, Kataklysm, Vader, Amon Amarth, Primal Fear, Finntroll, and Carnifex, performing across Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Estonia, and Germany.
After a hiatus starting in 2019, the band returns with their seventh album, Tempvs Edax Rervm, out early 2026 via WormHoleDeath Records, promising crushing grooves, complex rhythms, relentless blast beats, and immersive atmospheres — a new chapter in Stalwart’s evolution.
Shortly after completing their SLEEPLESS EMPIRE EU/UK tour, Italian metal icons Lacuna Coil continue their live momentum with the announcement of their SLEEPLESS EMPIRE US tour, which is set to start in March 2026. With this run of dates, the band brings their signature dark atmosphere and the emotional intensity of SLEEPLESS EMPIRE to stages across North America:
Lacuna Coil return to the US with special guests Escape The Fate, as well as VOWWS (3/24 – 4/13) and AXTY (4/15 – 4/29). The tour is set to start in New York on March 24th and concludes in Albany on May 1st.
SLEEPLESS EMPIRE US TOUR 2026
3/24/2026 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater 3/25/2026 – Worcester, MA – Palladium 3/27/2026 – Cleveland, OH – Globe Iron 3/28/2026 – Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall 3/29/2026 – Chicago, IL – Concord Music Hall 3/31/2026 – Denver, CO – Summit Music Hall 4/2/2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Grand at The Complex 4/3/2026 – Boise, ID – Treefort Music Hall 4/4/2026 – Seattle, WA – The Crocodile 4/5/2026 – Portland, OR – McMenamins Crystal Ballroom 4/7/2026 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore 4/8/2026 – Sacramento, CA – Ace of Spades 4/10/2026 – Los Angeles, CA – The Bellwether 4/11/2026 – San Diego, CA – House of Blues 4/12/2026 – Phoenix, AZ – The Van Buren 4/13/2026 – Albuquerque, NM – Sunshine Theater 4/15/2026 – Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall 4/16/2026 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater 4/17/2026 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues 4/19/2026 – New Orleans, LA – House Of Blues 4/21/2026 – Orlando, FL – House of Blues 4/22/2026 – Fort Lauderdale, FL – Culture Room 4/24/2026 – Charleston, SC – Music Farm 4/25/2026 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade 4/26/2026 – Charlotte, NC – The Underground 4/28/2026 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry 4/29/2026 – Harrisburg, PA – XL Live 5/1/2026 – Albany, NY – Empire Live
The announcement comes with a corresponding new official video for “Hosting the Shadow”, that shows Lacuna Coil in full force during their set at Aftershock festival in October 2025. Joining them on stage is Lamb Of God-frontman Randy Blythe, who is featured on the album track.
“Filming the video for Hosting The Shadow at Aftershock, sharing the stage with my family in Lacuna Coil and with Randy Blythe was a truly cathartic experience. Randy is not only an incredible, professional musician, he’s also a precious friend and has added so much to our song. I think the video shows clearly the level of emotion and joy we shared both off and onstage – I used that positive energy to give it my all even though I was performing with a fever, ha ha! Please enjoy the video, I truly hope you like it!” – Cristina Scabbia
The track stands out as one of the most powerful moments on Sleepless Empire, and the video captures the raw energy and uncompromising presence of the band on stage.
SLEEPLESS EMPIRE marks the 10th studio album of Lacuna Coil and was released on Friday, February 14th, 2025, via Century Media Records. It is the first long player release after Comalies XX which came out in 2022. The new album comprises 11 new tracks; and each one is a richly textured soundtrack to a specific time and a place. With SLEEPLESS EMPIRE, that place is dark, cinematic, and unmistakably true to the unique characteristics that have given Lacuna Coil such a celebrated entry in the annals of heavy music.
The Siege Oxygen Scarecrow Gravity I Wish You Were Dead Hosting The Shadow In Nomine Patris Sleepless Empire Sleep Paralysis In The Mean Time Never Dawn
Lacuna Coil are Cristina Scabbia – Vocals Andrea Ferro – Vocals Marco Coti Zelati – Bass, Guitars, Synths Richard Meiz – Drums Daniele Salomone – Guitars
Massacre Records is delighted to announce that ELYSION have officially extended their long-standing agreement with the label, strengthening a partnership that has now spanned nearly two decades. This renewed collaboration marks a major milestone for both the band and the label, and promises even more bold and powerful music for fans worldwide.
Massacre Records’ label manager Thomas Hertler states: “I am very happy and proud that we could agree on a long-term contract extension with our Greek friends of Elysion. The band have started on Massacre Records with their debut back in 2009 and have become an important part of the label for 15 years now. Both label and band are excited about the new agreement and we are looking forward to some phantastic new albums coming from Elysion in the next years. Σας ευχαριστώ για την εμπιστοσύνη σας.”
The band add: “Elysion are proud to confirm the continuation of its collaboration with Massacre records. United by a shared vision and creative drive, the partnership moves forward stronger than ever. With new music on the way and bold plans ahead, the next chapter is already taking shape – louder, sharper, and true to the band’s identity.”
Formed in 2006, ELYSION have steadily carved their name into the European metal landscape with a striking blend of gothic atmosphere, melodic depth, and heartfelt intensity. Over the years, the band – led by the commanding vocals of Christianna alongside the razor-sharp guitars of NiD and Johnny Zero, and the thunderous rhythms of Jannis K – has evolved into one of Greece’s most respected dark rock exports.
Since their debut album Silent Scr3am released in 2009 through Massacre Records, ELYSION have continued to impress both critics and fans alike with their unique sonic identity: a potent fusion of gothic metal emotion and alternative metal energy. Their sophomore release Someplace Better (2014) expanded their sound with cinematic production values, while their latest chapter, Bring Out Your Dead (2023), solidified their reputation as boundary-pushing artists unafraid to dive into bold new emotional terrain.
Massacre Records’ belief in ELYSION’s artistic vision – from their earliest days to their most recent evolution – makes this extension more than a contract: it is a renewed pledge to bring the band’s creativity to an ever-growing international audience.
Stay tuned: the best of ELYSION is still ahead, and together with Massacre Records, the band is ready to unveil their most ambitious chapter yet.
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 