The wait is over – SMASH INTO PIECES‘ brand new album ARMAHEAVEN is finally out! This record marks the beginning of a new chapter in the Smash Into Pieces universe – a story of survival, rebellion, and finding light in the chaos.
Each song carries a piece of that story. Now it’s your turn to feel it, live it, and make it your own.
Breaking the year long silence since their acclaimed self-titled debut album, up and coming Phoenix AZ based industrial punkers THERE IS NO US released their first – and only – new music of 2025 on Halloween.
Fronted by vocalist Jim Louvau (already renowned as an award-winning rock photographer) and multi-instrumentalist Andy Gerold (Marilyn Manson), There Is No Us launched back in 2015 with the There Is No Humanity EP, since when a steady stream of fresh releases, and sharp political commentary has seen the band stockpiling critical acclaim.
“[A] fiery industrial-metal band” – Revolver
“Jim Louvau really doesn’t give us any time to breathe, with non-stop screams, sounding metalcore at times… all tracks have their strong points with the endless guitar solos and riffs” – Heavymag.au
“Their live show truly is essential. Some bands don’t require any spectacle, and There Is No Us is clearly not one of those outfits.” – Phoenix New Times
Now comes “Fragments,” a thunderous collaboration with 8mm, the dynamite duo of Juliette Beaven and legendary producer Sean Beaven (Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, A Perfect Circle), and perhaps There Is No Us’s most attack-minded, assaultive release yet.
“We’ve been working with Sean for many years now,” says Jim, “and typically any new music we release goes through him to get his feedback, whether it’s in its infant stages or when we think something is done. So working with him and Juliette on a track seemed like a natural fit.”
He continues, however, “This song also has some elements that are a little bit out of our typical wheelhouse, by touching on a bit of a trip hop vibe that is seductive and almost inviting thanks to Juliette’s voice, before we bring our signature brand of aggression.”
German brutal-surf-death-party metal band STILLBIRTH spin a tale of ferocity and despair with their latest single, “Trapped In Darkness”, off of their new concept album, Survival Protocol. Survival Protocolis out now via Reigning Phoenix Music. The album is the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Homo Deus, which was released in 2023.
Though “Trapped In Darkness” opens with an ominous, melodic intro, the music quickly escalates into a blast beat-laden assault. Oscillating between ferocious riffs and groovy, melodic interludes, the song carries the listener along on an epic journey through the cosmos. Guttural harsh vocals drive home a sense of urgency, while a tastefully-placed guitar solo lends beauty to the otherwise bleak and apocalyptic soundscape.
Survival Protocolis a concept album that tells the story of an unknown hero surviving a nuclear apocalypse. The narrative began on the album Annihilation of Mankind and now reaches its conclusion on Survival Protocol. It picks up where Homo Deus left off: the true creator descends from the skies, and the epic battle for planetary dominance begins. Humanity is nearly wiped out, with a handful of survivors managing to escape into space. After a long journey, they discover a habitable planet and begin to colonize it. The events of this journey are told across the tracks of Survival Protocol.
STILLBIRTH is a slamming death metal force from Hagen, Germany, known for their chaotic live shows, unrelenting brutality, and wild blend of death metal, grindcore, deathcore and slam. Since 1999, the band have been obliterating venues and festivals worldwide with an extreme sound fuelled by filthy grooves, blast beats, and a tongue-in-cheek attitude that’s equal parts destruction and party.
Founded by guitarist-turned-vocalist Lukas Swiaczny, STILLBIRTH quickly gained a cult following with their 2002 debut “Happy Stillbirth Party.” After a short hiatus from 2003 to 2005, the band came roaring back, contributing to international split releases and building a reputation across Europe. Their sophomore effort, “Plakative Aggressionen” [2009], led to their first Eastern European tour and set the tone for a relentless schedule of releases and performances.
By 2011, “Endgame Is Near” expanded their reach, earning them a spot on their first US tour. STILLBIRTH’s 2015 album “Global Error” marked a high point, with back-to-back tours across the US and Europe. Their signing to Unique Leader Records saw them level up again with “Annihilation Of Mankind” [2018], landing major festival appearances and a tour through Asia.
In 2019, they revisited their roots with “Back To The Stoned Age,” re-recording fan favourites with updated production and guest vocals. The follow-up, “Revive The Throne” [2020], doubled down on brutality with dual basses, massive grooves, and razor-sharp production – setting a new bar for heaviness in their discography.
Tragedy struck in 2021 with the passing of bassist and engineer Dominik “Pumpa” König. His legacy lives on in the band’s music and spirit. After signing to Distortion Music Group in 2022, STILLBIRTH dropped “Homo Deus” in 2023, toured Europe with KATAKLYSM and FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, and crushed stages at Summer Breeze Open Air, Party.San Metal Open Air, and Tolminator.
Now, STILLBIRTH are poised to unleash their ninth full-length, “Survival Protocol,” on October 31, 2025 – a dystopian concept album promising their most refined yet devastating sound to date.
STILLBIRTH is a party at the edge of the apocalypse. Total madness guaranteed!
There’s a special kind of madness that happens when a band circles back to its roots — that wild-eyed realization that the thing you were chasing was behind you the whole damn time. CROBOT are standing right there now, staring down the beast they built, grinning through the smoke.
Brandon Yeagley still preaches his gospel from behind the mic like some back-alley shaman with a harmonica holstered for punctuation. Christopher Bishop remains the riff conjurer — tone soaked in engine grease and snake oil, as if the guitar itself were trying to escape the song. And with the arrival of brothers Willie (bass, vocals) and Nico Jansen (drums, percussion), the band’s pulse has started to sound downright dangerous again — thick, swinging, and impossible to fake.
Every band says they’re “getting back to their roots.” Most of them mean they’re out of ideas. CROBOT means it like a blood oath. They’ve stripped it all down to the muscle and marrow, rediscovering that holy intersection where Sabbath’s weight meets Funkadelic’s freak, where Clutch’s swagger shakes hands in the Blood, Sugar, Sex, Magic Chili-Peppers era. This isn’t nostalgia — it’s resurrection. The past few years have sanded off a lot of pretense. What’s left is a band that’s learned how to breathe again, how to groove again, how to trust the dirt under their boots. They’ve been through the industry grinder, the touring trenches, the ego traps, and the inner wars — and somehow came out grinning wider, riffing harder, and sounding more alive than they have in a decade.
That rebirth roars to life on “Gun to My Head,” the first shot fired from their upcoming album. It’s CROBOT at their most unfiltered — hook-heavy, groove-drenched, and thick with the kind of swagger that makes amps sweat. The song’s chorus swings like a pendulum between surrender and salvation, the sound of four musicians testing their own limits and finding freedom on the other side. It’s not about violence — it’s about the pressure of transformation, the push and pull between love, truth, and the kind of pain that forces you to evolve.
“Sometimes you’re forced to take a step back and reflect on what really matters,” explains Yeagley. “Every note has a reason, every word a purpose. We’re etching something in-blood into the CROBOT discography – and Gun to My Head felt like the best taste of what’s to come.”
CROBOT in 2025 isn’t chasing relevance. They’re chasing feel. That unspoken alchemy that happens when four lunatics hit a downbeat and the room levitates for a second. They’ve traded the smoke and mirrors for sweat and instinct, and it shows.
Call it rebirth, call it regression, call it whatever you want — CROBOT is back where they belong: knee-deep in the groove, grinning like thieves, and daring you to prove them wrong.
“The only thing more terrifying than the last 200 seconds of ‘Tränenpalast’ are the first 70!”
Metal Titans KREATOR have released a new single from their highly anticpated sixteenth full-length, Krushers Of The World, which will be out on January 16th, 2026 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Just in time for Halloween, the song ‘Tränenpalast‘ is a comprehensive homage to horror maestro Dario Argento’s 1977 cult filmSuspiria, which is hailed by fans as one of the most defining genre entries of its era. While the lead melody references the film’s original score by Italian prog band GOBLIN, lending it a melodic death metal touch, the lyrics mention “the three mothers,” an ancient witch coven from the Suspiria universe. In addition, the music video created by acclaimed masters of the macabre, Grupa 13, features KREATOR performing in the film’s haunted ballet school setting complemented by disturbing images of said witches in various stages of transformation. You can watch the video below … if you dare!
‘Tränenpalast’ features vocal coach Britta Görtz of extreme metal band HIRAES on guest vocals.
Mille Petrozza commented:
“‘Tränenpalast’ is our tribute to the great tradition of Italian cinema. We drew inspiration from Dario Argento’s classic “Suspiria” and Luca Guadagnino’s epic masterpiece remake.Musically, we bow to the great Goblin, in direct conversation with maestro Claudio Simonetti.We hope you enjoy the song as much as we do.
01. Seven Serpents 02. Satanic Anarchy 03. Krushers Of The World 04. Tränenpalast 05. Barbarian 06. Blood Of Our Blood 07. Combatants 08. Psychotic Imperator 09. Deathscream 10. Loyal To The Grave
KREATOR LIVE:
EU & UK Headline Tour w/ special guests Carcass, Exodus and Nails
When KREATOR’s earliest incarnation formed under the influence of Kiss and Judas Priest in the early 80’s none of the above was thinkable. For young adults, Essen, back then a 600k plus city in the Ruhr area, was a grim place. Unemployment rates were surging, houses had been blackened by smoke from factories and coal mines, for some alcohol and drug abuse were the only escape route from this dismal, post-industrialized backdrop.
Whereas Birmingham spawned Black Sabbath and undoubtedly became the legitimate birthplace of heavy metal, the bands associated with the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal like Iron Maiden, Venom, Saxon pushed the genre with a street-fighting attitude, US artists such as Metallica, Exodus, Slayer, and Swedes Bathory intensified the style even more, and altogether concocted a dangerous brew KREATOR poured down their throats in gallons. For today’s remaining founding members Mille and drummer Jürgen “Ventor” Reil, music was the way out from these dire surroundings, and provided an outlet for the frustration and contempt boiling in their guts. And KREATOR went all in. Naive, chaotic yet utterly determined.
And they left their own mark on heavy metal history, radicalizing thrash and inspiring legions of musicians including Arch Enemy, Cannibal Corpse, Behemoth and Ghost, with Papa Emeritus joining a TV performance of ‘Satan Is Real’ in 2017.
Their newest studio album, Krushers Of The World, shows a band that has lost none of its bite kicking off with the rabid aggression of ‘Seven Serpents’. It also tackles Petrozza’s love for horror flicks by paying tribute to Dario Argento’s Suspiria in ‘Tränenpalast’ with extreme metal vocal coach Britta Görtz (Hiraes) adding her own vicious tone over dark yet catchy melodies. And of course, you shall have hefty doses of pure, thrashing aggression as well! ‘Barbarian’, ‘Deathscream’ or ‘Psychotic Imperator’ deliver your fix of merciless riffs, majestic leads by Sami Yli-Sirniö and some of Ventor’s fastest parts ever. Are you looking for powerful mid-tempo sections allowing bassist Frédéric Leclercq to shine? Then the monumental groove of the title track and stunning chorus of ‘Satanic Anarchy’ will have you covered. Rounded off by a triumphant and – no pun intended – krushing production courtesy of Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, who previously worked with the group on Phantom Antichrist (2012) and Gods Of Violence (2017), KREATOR return in perfect shape.
A novelty to Krushers Of The World is immediately obvious when staring at its cover. With Zbigniew Bielak, renowned for his work for Ghost, art and design offer an interesting twist to KREATOR’s history. Transforming classic visual trademarks dedicated fans will recognise from Coma Of Souls (1990), Out of the Dark… into the Light (1988) and Pleasure To Kill (the font!) into a highly detailed tapestry garnered with occult symbolism, Bielak crafted an outstanding piece paying homage to a band he loves since his teenager days yet with a daring and unique flair. The cover of Krushers Of The World rewards everyone willing to analyze the grandiose sleeve design.
In essence, Krushers Of The World is of course not a throwback to KREATOR’s past, it is furious, massive sounding and creative in its own right, gifted with a songwriting quality honed over years. It displays a band which earned its spot among the giants of the genre, and developed its youthful anger further into a professional, internationally successful, nonetheless intimidating creature. Krushers Of The World underlines the fact that fueled by the reflective look at their own legacy sparked by 2025’s Hate & Hope movie, KREATOR nowadays appear more mindful of their early days while simultaneously progressing uncompromisingly, unstoppable in their search for new realms to conquer and new worlds to krush.
Subsolar creates spacious guitar-led music with soft vocals and an expansive feel, heavily inspired by moments in films that really speak to you, whether you can or can’t explain why. Coming from an indie background, the music has evolved toward a more cinematic sound, with layered textures and subtle dynamics that swell into big guitar moments and richer soundscapes.
Here and Now’, Subsolar’s second single, continues the emotional journey started in ‘Komorebi‘, but explores an earlier stage – before acceptance has fully settled in. The song is about being present while still creating distance, in essence acknowledging something difficult without fully confronting it. Lyrically, it captures the tension between wanting to stay grounded and not getting swept away emotionally. It inhabits that in-between space, reflecting the uncertainty of how to respond to change or loss, the need for distance, and the quiet comfort found in solitude.
Vocally, the spacious verses and swelling, layered choruses carry a soft, shimmering delivery, giving the track an intimate, reflective feel. The repeated refrain ‘Here and Now’ acts as a subtle anchor, grounding the listener amid conflicted emotions. Musically, a lightly hopeful backdrop contrasts the uncertainty in the lyrics, hinting at the possibility of moving forward despite the unease.
Joe Grange states: “I was caught between wanting to be present in my relationship and needing to pull away entirely. I wasn’t ready to accept that my Dad wasn’t going to be around anymore, and that grief made it hard to fully be there for someone I cared about. Some days I wanted to hold on, to stay close and engaged, but other days I felt this almost instinctive need to retreat, to create distance so I could make sense of everything. I didn’t really know how to be there, or how to step back, and I was just trying to find some balance in the middle of all that uncertainty.“
In narrative terms, ‘Here and Now’ is a step before Komorebi. Capturing the tentative, questioning stage that precedes the clarity and acceptance explored in the debut single. It’s a moment of pause, introspection, and emotional balancing, reflecting the early process of coming to terms with life’s ups and downs.
‘Here And Now’ was recorded at Magic Garden Studios and produced by Gavin Monaghan & Liam Radburn.
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 ) 