From the northern wastelands of Sweden, SCYTHIKON strike again. Only weeks after their ferocious debut single “Survivalist”, the uncompromising sonic war machine led by Pär Hulkoff (Raubtier, HULKOFF) unveils its second assault: “Creed Of The Sniper”.
Built upon militant rhythms, razor-edged guitars, and a suffocating sense of imminent violence, “Creed Of The Sniper” pays tribute to discipline, focus, and sacrifice. A war hymn for the unseen — for those who operate in the shadows, sharpen their instincts, and march alone through the dark. Brutal, atmospheric, and driven by cold precision, the track embodies SCYTHIKON’s most lethal traits.
Hulkoff comments: “‘Creed Of The Sniper’ honors discipline, focus and sacrifice. A war hymn for the soldiers. A salute to the unseen, with a pretty dark and horrifying vibe.”
The release follows “Survivalist”, SCYTHIKON’s first devastating strike, a bone-crushing anthem of pure survival instinct that introduced the band’s apocalyptic riffs, venom-drenched vocals, and lyrical contempt for a collapsing world.
SCYTHIKON is the unfiltered vision of Pär Hulkoff, whose long career in extreme and industrial metal laid the foundations for this new sonic beast. The project took shape during the lockdown years, when Hulkoff joined forces with German drum berserker Wanja “Nechtan” Gröger and bassist J-son, forging material too raw and venomous to belong anywhere else.
Named after the ancient Scythian death poison SCYTHIKON channel the same lethal spirit into their sound. Merciless riffing, warborn imagery, and an apocalyptic atmosphere define the trio’s identity: extreme metal for the hopeless generation, crafted as a soundtrack to global decay.
Tracked through Hulkoff’s vintage 1993 Marshall stack and mixed by Fredrik Folkare (Unleashed), SCYTHIKON’s music stands as a testament to aggression, resilience, and survival instinct.
The collapse is coming. SCYTHIKON have written the soundtrack.
Few grindcore bands have enjoyed the shelf life of ROTTEN SOUND. After outrunning the apocalypse on their last long-player, the Finnish grindcore vets are back with another politically-charged EP. The latest single from Mass Extinction is slightly more optimistic about our future than its initial discharge, but “Idealist” gets its message across with such blunt force, that it’s impossible not to heed the band’s charge.
“‘Idealist’ is a cynical D-beat anthem about our fight for a better future”, says the band’s vocalist Keijo Niinimaa. “I do believe that better times are ahead, but it feels impossible to find a new level in humanity. The transition seems to take forever. That frustration led me to write the lyrics to this song. Mika’s riffs and Sami’s grooves open the circle into a mosh pit”.
Mass Extinction comes out December 12 on Season of Mist.
All of the songs on Mass Extinction mutated out of the same radioactive Petri dish that spawned Rotting Sound’s prior LP Apocalypse. But even though it clocks in at a freakishly fast nine minutes, the band’s new EP is no half-life mutation. As they recently demonstrated while touring Latin America with Crypta, Baixo Calao and Season of Mist labelmates DVRK, their time-tested blend of D-beat punk and Swedish death metal has only grown more dangerous after two decades. “Idealist” marches at a spirited pace toward a new state of light and glory before Niinimaa’s screaming commands launch the song into a downright hostile groove.
“Wake up!” At this earth-shaking volume, ignore Rotting Sound if you dare.
Tracklist:
Recycle (1:09)
Ride of the Future (0:45)
Gone (0:50)
Polarized (1:00)
Brave New World (1:21)
Empty Shells (1:05)
Idealist (1:35)
Mass Extinction (1:58) Total runtime: 09:44
Next year, Rotting Sound will return to the grind with a fresh set of European headline dates in support of Mass Extinction. Following this blistering ride with Repulsive Feast and Teething, the band will return to the U.S. for a special set at Maryland Death Fest celebrating their classic albums Murderworks and Exit.
Rotten Sound European Tour 2026: w/ Repulsive Feast & Teething
January 9 – Hamburg, Germany @ Bambi Galore+ January 10 – Göttingen, Germany @ Freihafen + January 11 – Maastricht, Germany @ Muziekgieterij+ January 12 – Herford, Germany @ Kulturwerk+ January 13 – Essen, Germany @ Don’t Panic Club & Pub+ January 15 – Portugalete, Spain @ Groove# January 16 – Madrid, Spain @ Barracudas# January 17 – Lisbon, Portugal @ Xapada Fest# January 19 – Murcia, Spain @ Garage Beat Club# January 20 – Perpignan, France @ Perpignan# January 21 – Saint-Jean-de-Védas, France @ Secret Place# January 24 – Barcelona, Spain @ Winds of Metal Festival# +with Repulsive Feast #with Teething
The state of the world has only fallen further into disrepair, but after three crust-ridden decades, Rotten Sound are still grinding. Despite production slowing to a halt during the pandemic, the Finnish vets outran the coming apocalypse on their last album. Now, two years later, they’re back with another brief but no less devastating burst. Take cover, metalheads. Rotten Sound are laying waste to social plagues with Mass Extinction.
“We like to make concise statements”, Keijo Niinimaa says about their whopping 11th EP. While the band’s longtime raging vocalist still has hope for the future, when it comes to our current state of affairs, his outlook on Mass Extinction is more dire than ever. “Bringing about real meaningful change seems to take forever. Misinformation, polarization, conspiracy theories and censorship have made everyone more distrustful”.
Few extreme bands have enjoyed the shelf life of Rotten Sound. Since emerging from underground Vaasa with their debut album Under Pressure, the Finnish exports have cultivated a reputation as one of the larger scene’s most pungent yet stabilizing presences. Niinimaa first grabbed the mic not long after guitarist Mika Aalto started the band back in 1993, while drummer Sami Lava has held the throne since 2004, when original stickman Kai Hahto left to found Wintersun. Early albums Murderworks and Exitare still widely cited road maps for grindcore, though their high-speed blend of classic D-beat punk and Swedish death metal has only sharpened with each successive stab in the studio.
“…an absolutely essential listen from a legendary band”, Invisible Oranges wrote upon the arrival of Apocalypse, Rotten Sound’s eighth and latest LP. “This is the sound of a band who have mastered the genre’s machinations and are now immortalized in its cannon”.
Each Rotten Sound release spews uncontrollable chaos, but there’s a method to their madness. Since signing with Season of Mist in 2012, the band has followed each full-length with a short statement. Like a mushroom cloud, Mass Extinction arose from the immediate aftermath of Apocalypse. All six off-the-rails tracks were laid down during the same recording sessions before getting mixed at Rain City Recorders and later mastered by Brad Boatright. But their new EP is no half-life mutation. “Recycle” whirs and churns with the all-consuming power of a supply chain.
“Napalm Death and Nasum have both done longer albums, but that’s their thing”, explains Niinimaa. “Our thing is we want to be straight to the point. After all the recording was done, we decided which songs would go on Apocalypse and which ones made sense together for Mass Extinction”.
Rotten Sound know how to get their message across. In just under 10 minutes, Mass Extinction chews through toxic consumerism, labor exploitation and other plagues on society. Lead single “Brave New World” pushes for unity over divisive politicking behind a barrage of blast beats. But while our leaders certainly need to clean up their act, there’s nothing stale about this band’s filthy brand of grindcore. Even the slightly optimistic “Idealist” gives way to a downright hostile groove upon Niinimaa’s screaming command.
“Wake up!” With so much atomic force, it’s impossible not to heed Rotten Sound’s warning on Mass Extinction.
Recording Lineup: Keijo Niinimaa — Vocals Mika Aalto — Guitars Sami Latva — Drums Matti Raappana — Bass, Backing Vocals
All music written by Mika Aalto. All lyrics written by Keijo Niinimaa.
Recording & Sound Engineer: Janne Saksa
Recording Studio: Sound Supreme for drums and vocals, Nordic Audio Labs for guitar and bass
Finnish symphonic death metal force KARU unleash “Perdition”, their most cinematic and ferocious work to date. A journey deep into a mythical Japanese wilderness, where towering riffs, icy orchestral layers, and raw emotion collide. Northern aggression meets ancient mysticism, and the result hits hard and stays with you.
With Niko Hienonen (vocals/orchestrations), Kalle Pöyskö (guitars), and Toni Tieaho (Crystalic, ex-Mors Principium Est), “Perdition” pushes KARU’s sound to new heights where brutality and beauty finally meet.
Recommended for fans of Wintersun, Nightwish, and Children of Bodom, “Perdition” is available worldwide as of November 21st, 2025.
Track Listing: 1. Shores of Mist and Blood 2. Shadow War 3. Alone in the Forest 4. Embers in the Skies 5. Trail of Fire 6. Path of the Unforgiven 7. Perdition
Karu Line Up: Niko Hienonen – Vocals, Production, Orchestrations Kalle Pöyskö – Guitars Toni Tieaho (ex-Mors Principium Est, Crystalic) – Guitars
More info: https://www.rockshots.eu https://www.instagram.com/karu_band/ https://www.facebook.com/KARUbandofficial
JELUSICK is formed around Dino Jelusick (Whitesnake, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, For Whom Gods Destroy, etc…) with Luke Broderick who is (same as Dino) an academically educated musician and with Ivan Keller and Mario Lepoglavec who both actively tour with Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Journey). All of them are exceptionally talented musicians who are ready to show the world that rock is still alive. Their music is a combination of hard/heavy/prog with versatile elements from some other genres. JELUSICK is seen as the next rock sensation by fans and music colleagues alike.
Dino joined Whitesnake after receiving a personal phone call from David Coverdale and went out on the band’s 2022 farewell tour as a multi-instrumentalist covering many of the vocals for Coverdale. Upon returning he immediately focused his attention on JELUSICK, releasing the critically acclaimed and very well received Follow The Blind Man. After releasing a series of singles like “Power to the People”, “Hangman”, “How Many Times”, an “Seasons”, the band is now set to release the eagerly awaited album Apolitical Ecstasy across North America through Deko Entertainment (ADA/Warner Music Group) in December.
Watch video for “Seasons” here:
As Dino explains, “I am more than happy that our American fans will be able to buy the 2nd Jelusick album Apolitical Ecstasy as CD and Vinyl directly in America. The album will be released through Deko Entertainment on December 12th and will be available in numerous record stores and online.”
If you like planning ahead, you can definitely do that withManowar’s newly announced 2027 tour. The band has revealed no fewer than 21 concerts across Germany, centered around their album titles Kings of Metal and Fighting the World—you’ll find the reason for that below. The shows run from late January through early March 2027, and all dates can be found on the tour poster at the bottom. An exclusive pre-sale will take place from November 21 to November 25, 2025 for all “Army of Immortals” members. General ticket sales will begin on December 2, 2025. Here’s the link to the band’s tour page.
“Kings of Metal” & “Fighting the World”: Full Album Performances
These shows won’t be regular concerts—Manowar will be performing both of their iconic albums Kings of Metal and Fighting the World in full, alternating between the two setlists. They announced the concept on social media as follows:
“These shows will feature alternating setlists, with either the entire KINGS OF METAL album or the entire FIGHTING THE WORLD album performed, plus other epic anthems, in a brand-new production.”
Thunder release their new single and video for ‘River of Pain’ today through earMUSIC.
For over three decades, Thunder has been one of the most influential rock bands in the UK, thrilling a loyal fan base worldwide with their powerful sound and charismatic songwriting. Today, Thunder is releasing the single ‘River of Pain’(Live) – a tribute to one of their greatest classics and a powerful statement of their musical consistency.
Today, the new single ‘River of Pain (Live)’ from their album ‘Live’ is being released. With this, Thunder is sending a strong message and, even 30 years after the original release, remains a guarantee for authentic rock that gets under your skin. ‘River of Pain’ (Live) is being released as part of their upcoming reissue and impresses with its fresh and energetic production.
As part of today’s release, Thunder are presenting the accompanying music video for the single on the earMUSIC YouTube channel. The physical formats of the reissue are now available for pre-order in stores.
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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
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 