Punishment18 Records is proud to announce that the legendary heavy metal band SKANNERS have signed a contract with the label for the release of their new album, due out in late 2026.
Italian Thrashers XENOS A.D. have announced the second leg of their ‘Oppressor Over Europe’ tour.
As the first date of the second leg of the ‘Oppressor Over Europe’ tour, XENOS A.D. will perform at the special edition of the ‘Into the Crypt’ Fest in Palermo on October 31st; the event will celebrate the career of Tony Dolan, a legendary figure in the international metal scene and former vocalist of Venom.
On November 14th, the band will fly to England to play at Thrashchester Fest in Manchester. Subsequently, they will head to Switzerland on January 9th and 16th to perform first at Freak Out Fest in Gelterkinden, followed by a show in Lugano for Pandemonium Over Lugano.
After a refreshing festival summer and highly successful North American tour with German metal legend Helloween, BEAST IN BLACK now finally returns with new music!
Prior to striking its sharpened fangs into the heart of Asia where they shall perform in Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai, and Beijing later this month, BEAST IN BLACK proudly present ‘Fear The Beast’ – their new single, video, and title track for the forthcoming, much anticipated new album!
Anton Kabanen comments:
“The song is about Ridley Scott’s 1979 film called ”Alien”. But the main reason to write about it was my fascination with the biomechanical nightmare art of Hans Ruedi Giger. Ever since I was a teenager I’ve seen recurring nightmares about a xenomorph hunting me in dystopian themed environments, yet never quite catching me (thank goodness!). Beside the creature’s downright perverted and extreme appearance I find it sensual, elegant, intense, fierce, horrifying, exotic and mysterious, almost as if it’s a beauty and a beast merged into one. And in a funny way it turned out that it’s I who captured my assailant, the xenomorph, inside a song after all these years!It was in early 2020 in Turku (a city in Finland), when Roman Ismailov and I were hanging out at a hotel and working on the first sketches for the ”Dark Connection” album cover, then alongside came the idea of making Giger’s art-inspired album cover, if not now then possibly for the 4th album, so here we are. Though the song is solely based on the first film, James Cameron’s sequel ”Aliens” is equally important to me in terms of an emotional impact. We tried to blend some of the feel from both films into our music video, with Cameron’s influence weighing more on the visual side of industrial elements. Another speciality in the video and on the album cover is the debut of our XENOBEAST, which was, quite obviously, designed by Roman Ismailov. In the video you’ll also see some reptilian-looking embryos which may raise a question: are the reptilians and the Xenobeast actually of the same alien race but shown in their radically different stage of metamorphosis, or is the Xenobeast rather a Cerberus-type of a creature guarding the eggs?
We’re absolutely thrilled about this beautiful cinematic video which wouldn’t have been possible without Katri Ilona Koppanen (director) and Emil Pohjalainen (Nestruction Studios) who pushed their abilities to the extreme and beyond to fight against a juggernaut of challenges! We, the band, salute you!”
With new lead guitarist Markus Venehsalo recently joining the ranks, ‘Fear The Beast’ offers the band’s trademark dance beat-driven heavy metal, instantly memorable riffs and melodies, raw vocal power and fiery solos, perfectly warming you up for this year’s “Resurrection” tour!
‘Fear The Beast’ has been written and produced by Anton Kabanen, features artwork by Roman Ismailov, and the epic video for this banger was created and directed by award-winning director Katri Ilona Koppanen.
Having released three much celebrated records since forming in 2015, last year’s collaboration with cult game Diablo at the occasion of their crossover with Berserk marked the latest release by BEAST IN BLACK. The excitement for their fourth record is gigantic but rest assured, the beast returns with its primal hunger stronger than ever.
TOURDATES
BEAST IN BLACK ASIAN TOUR
19.09.2026 JP Tokyo – Zepp DiverCity 20.09.2026 JP Tokyo – Zepp DiverCity 22.09.2026 TW Taipei – Moondog 24.09.2026 CN Shanghai – VAS Live 25.09.2026 CN Beijing – MAO Livehouse
BEAST IN BLACK AT FULL METAL HOLIDAY
23.10.2026 ES Mallorca – Pool Stage (Full Metal Holiday)
RESURRECTION TOUR
BEAST IN BLACK SONATA ARCTICA FROZEN CROWN
26.10.2026 UK London – O2 Forum Kentish Town 27.10.2026 BE Brüssel – Ancienne Belgique 28.10.2026 NL Tilburg – 013 Poppodium 29.10.2026 DE Leipzig – Haus Auensee 31.10.2026 AT Wien – Gasometer 01.11.2026 HU Budapest – Barba Negra 02.11.2026 CZ Zlín – Sports Hall Datart 03.11.2026 PL Gliwice – PreZero Arena 05.11.2026 DE Berlin – Columbiahalle 06.11.2026 DE Hannover – Swiss Life Hall 07.11.2026 DE Ludwigsburg – MHP Arena 08.11.2026 DE Offenbach – Stadthalle 09.11.2026 FR Paris – L’Olympia 11.11.2026 ES Barcelona – Razzmatazz 12.11.2026 ES Madrid – Sala La Riviera 13.11.2026 ES Bilbao – Santana 27 14.11.2026 FR Toulouse – Le Bikini 15.11.2026 FR Lyon – Le Transbordeur 17.11.2026 CH Zürich – Komplex 457 18.11.2026 IT Mailand – Alcatraz 20.11.2026 DE München – Zenith 21.11.2026 LU Esch-sur-Alzette / Luxemburg – Rockhal 22.11.2026 DE Oberhausen – Turbinenhalle 23.11.2026 DE Hamburg – Inselpark Arena 24.11.2026 SE Göteborg – Trädgår’n 25.11.2026 SE Stockholm – Arenan Fryshuset 27.11.2026 FI Joensuu – Unholy Winter Fest* 28.11.2026 FI Jyväskylä – John Smith Frozen* 05.12.2026 FI Helsinki – Ice Hall**
*without Sonata Arctica, Frozen Crown **special guest The 69 Eyes, support Rabbit Cult
As part of her 50th Birthday celebrations, Finland’s undisputed “Queen of the Slide Guitar” Erja Lyytinen will release “Hard as Stone” – the second single taken from her upcoming highly anticipated double live album Erja Lyytinen – 50th Birthday Live 2026.
Released Wednesday September 9, 2026, “Hard as Stone” is available on all streaming platforms HERE. The official live video is available to stream on YouTube HERE.
Released by Tuohi Records on Friday October 9th, Erja Lyytinen – 50th Birthday Live 2026 is available to pre-order on CD and vinyl HERE, and digitally HERE.
As part of her spectacular 50th Birthday celebrations, Erja is set to unleash a deluxe live album package featuring a double CD, double vinyl, and full-length DVD, capturing an unforgettable night at Helsinki, Finland’s prestigious House of Culture — affectionately known as “Kultsa” — on 21st March 2026. Steeped in rock history, the legendary venue hosted some of music’s most iconic names, including Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Queen, and Slayer, making it the perfect setting for Erja’s landmark birthday concert.
Erja reflects on why she made “Hard as Stone” a part of the set list on her 50th Birthday album — “Hard as Stone is the second single from the live album, and I’m thrilled to have it back in the set list,” says Erja. “It has a force and personality all its own and stands apart from the rest of the songs.”
“In 2019, Hard as Stone first appeared on my studio album Another World, and it’s always been a track I’ve loved,” says Erja. “Since then, my guitar playing has evolved so much that I started to feel the original version was a little too sweet. I knew it was time to give it a tougher edge.”
Erja continues, “I changed some of the chords and drove them harder to give the track more punch — to make it truly hard as stone. I recently bought my first Floyd Rose-equipped guitar, a 1989 Kramer Nightswan, and it proved to be the perfect weapon for this song, especially for the Whammy Octave solo section and the heavier refrain.”
On the double live album, Erja’s amazing band backs her through this 90-minute-long concert full of old gems from her colourful career. The release features songs from albums such as Voracious Love, Another World, and the latest studio album Smell the Roses.
This is a heavy blues rock show with international stars. Erja brought her favourite artists to perform alongside her on the show. Swedish banjo punk/blues group Baskery featured on the song “Torn” with Erja accompanying their vocals with her guitar.
Legendary bassist Sami Yaffa (Joan Jett, Hanoi Rocks, New York Dolls) stormed the stage with Erja and her band for “One Thing I Won’t Change,” injecting the performance with a raw, electric charge. Rearranged especially for the celebration from Erja’s 2012 album Forbidden Fruit, the song becomes a full-throttle tribute to life, fearless musicianship, and Erja’s ever-evolving fire as a performer.
The evening starts with an introduction from Erja´s twin boys inviting the group on stage and after that the first band song “Ball and Chain” kicks in hard. We also hear “Smell the Roses” and “Going to Hell” from the latest studio album, before the set list continues with songs from older gems such as the rocking “Bird,” Erja’s beautiful slide solo take on “Lullaby,” the lushy “Cherry Overdrive” and “Nasty Weather” from Erja´s “Dreamland Blues” album. The latter was recorded in Mississippi in 2006 with Kinney and David Kimbrough and has now been played and renewed exactly twenty years after.
On the song “Another World,” Erja makes a vocal break down, where a thousand people in the audience join her to sing along and savor this great moment together. The live recording also includes “Stoney Creek” and “The Ring” as an encore song, that wrap up the joyous evening at House of Culture on Erja´s Birthday.
Additionally, the live album contains a concert from the “Smell the Roses” studio album release tour in October 2025. Recorded in Tempo, Mikkeli Finland, this recording has all the album songs, like “Dragonfly,” the heavy “Abyss,” the heart wrenching ballad “Empty Hours,” huge southern-rock vibey “Wings to Fly” and in addition Erja´s favorite live tracks “You Talk Dirty” and a 13-minute-long rendition of “Wedding Day”. The latter was originally recorded on the album Another World together with slide maestro Sonny Landreth.
Erja Lyytinen – 50th Birthday Live 2026 album is a great package showing that this firecracker lady continues to enjoy playing live and isn´t anywhere near ready to stop making music and developing herself as a musician, songwriter, and entertainer. This live album is a must for all Erja fans, who enjoy unique hard rock and blues music played with an attitude. And it will leave you with a smile on your face!
TRACK LISTING
50TH BIRTHDAY LIVE 2026
CD/DVD 1. Introduction by Massimo & Dante (0:50) 2. The Road Leading Home (1:21) 3. Ball and Chain (4:55) 4. Smell the Roses (5:29) 5. Going to Hell (5:28) 6. Hard as Stone (4:48) 7. Bird (6:46) 8. One Thing I Won’t Change featuring Sami Yaffa (4:19) 9. Another World (7:23) 10. Torn featuring Baskery (3:54) 11. Lullaby (2:03) 12. Nasty Weather (4:01) (Only DVD) 13. Cherry Overdrive (5:59) 14. Don’t Let a Good Woman Down (4:01) 15. You Talk Dirty (6:51) 16. Stoney Creek (7:45) 17. The Ring (7:12)
SMELL THE ROSES LIVE 2025
CD 1. Ball and Chain (4:48) 2. Smell the Roses (4:55) 3. Dragonfly (7:54) 4. Going to Hell (5:00) 5. Abyss (7:24) 6. Stoney Creek (6:09) 7. The Ring (7:10) 8. Empty Hours (5:08) 9. Wings to Fly (7:00) 10. You Talk Dirty (8:52) 11. Wedding Day (13:19)
PRODUCTION CREDITS
Erja Lyytinen – Vocals, guitars Harri Taittonen – Hammond, backing vocals Heikki Saarenkunnas – Bass, backing vocals Jesse Lehto – Drums Olli Huttunen – FOH Sound engineer Santtu Lehtiniemi – Guitar tech Elsa Wellamo – Photography Marko von Konow – Graphic design
Recorded by Olli Huttunen at Mikkeli, Tempo, Finland on 03.10.2025 and House of Culture, Helsinki Finland on 21.03.2026 Mixed by Matias Kiiveri at Hollywood House, Helsinki Finland 2026 Mastered by Svante Forsbäck at Chartmakers, Espoo Finland 2026 Executive producer Erja Lyytinen for Bluesland Productions/Tuohi Records
ERJA LYYTINEN 50TH BIRTHDAY LIVE OCTOBER 2026 UK TOUR
Danish metal outfit, GRADIENCE, is pleased to unveil their video for “Agony.” The track comes off the band’s debut full-length, Anomaly, out now on Metal Blade Records.
Comments guitarist/vocalist Jakob Lærke Harris, “People who know us by now should be aware that we like to mix things up and see what we can make work. ‘Agony’ is our ‘fun’ party anthem song and our attempt at making the nastiest riff work with some upbeat synth neatly packaged with rap and screams to keep people moving at our shows.”
Watch GRADIENCE‘s previously released video for “Deathwish” HERE, “Master To The Slave” HERE, “White Noise” HERE, and “Undone” HERE.
On the inaugural full-length from this shrewdly named Danish duo, the usually clear-cut boundary between apocalyptic, sludgy blackened death metal and dark urban trap-rap is thrillingly pulverized. Lines of musical convention are further blurred by disarmingly emotive and intimate vocal lines, and a vibrant sound picture heaving with glacial synths and hypnotic sonic details. At first, it might daunt and confuse those who like their boundaries clear-cut, but at the heart of GRADIENCE‘s brash and radical new sound is an authentic and heartwarming new friendship.
Anomaly is available now on CD, LP and digital formats.
Anomaly Track Listing: 01. Vermin 02. Blame Me 03. Agony 04. Master to the Slave 05. Stains 06. Deathwish 07. Slow 08. Undone 09. A Witness 10. White Noise 11. Grimey Potential
In 2022, Gavin and guitarist Jakob Lærke Harris struck up an immediate creative rapport at a Copenhagen show for local deathcore heroes Cabal. Gavin had been signed to Sony in Denmark with his “grunge/rock/trap duo” KXDS – a project stymied by the COVID disaster. Before that, he’d been involved with an underground hip-hop label/collective. “I had gained a little performance experience and was known as the authentic trap-rapper with emotional and melodic bits,” says Gavin.
His efforts attracted the ear of Jakob, who knew he’d found a kindred soul, with a voice that he was keen to work with. “It was an immediate musical and creative match,” enthuses Jakob. “I admired Gavin’s vivid lyrics and his ease, switching between delicate melody lines and hard flows; it just opened so many doors to explore in the songwriting process.”
GRADIENCE audibly generates real “planets aligning” energy. The tension and turbulence of Jakob’s extreme metal growl finds counterintuitive new context alongside Gavin’s fierce rhythms and rhymes, further enlivened by the spontaneous crackle to the performances – not least drummer Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen’s and bassist Patrick Petersen’s hammering rhythm section.
“The band is full-on death metal one minute, hip hop the next. The obvious comparisons to Sleep Token are apparent here too. Do I like GRADIENCE? I wasn’t sure after my first listen. I felt that the constant jumping between genres was jarring. After revisiting Anomaly, I realized that GRADIENCE are some kind of bastardized geniuses. You have to admire the seamless mixing of musical styles. In all of the madness though, there are well written songs with hooks that pull you in. GRADIENCE has come up with something that’s very rare these days – an album that’s completely original.” – RPM Online
“With a skillful blend of rap, metalcore, and black metal, the quartet goes a step further than well-known rap metal acts and weaves dark, atmospheric black metal riffs into trap beats and powerful breakdowns.” – Metal Hammer Germany
“The raw power of the guitars and double bass meets hard-hitting flows, emotional melodies, and hypnotic electronic elements. In terms of quality, GRADIENCE can easily hold their own against the bigger names in the genre.” – Rock Hard Germany
“This isn’t music that takes you by the hand and offers a radio-friendly, catchy groove. This is a grenade that explodes chaotically in all directions yet hits a target everywhere. We’re rooting for your breakthrough, GRADIENCE.” – Rock Tribune
“It was once thought that the Tasmanian Devil came from the island of the same name south of Australia. Anomaly might make the world see things differently for a moment, because on this record Gradience presents itself as a modern, ruthless whirlwind that can also appear cuddly.” – White Room Reviews
“GRADIENCE presents a musical blend that – at least on paper – might initially raise a few eyebrows… the band combines heavy blackened death metal and sludge with trap and hip-hop elements, electronic sounds, and more emotive vocal passages, forging a truly distinctive sound in the process. The fact that guitarist Jakob Lærke Harris and vocalist Gavin Mistry hail from different musical worlds proves to be a major asset; rather than simply juxtaposing these influences, the band fuses them across the album’s eleven tracks into a surprisingly cohesive whole.” – Slam
GRADIENCE: Gavin Mistry – vocals Jakob Lærke Harris – guitars, vocals Frederik Kjelstrup Hansen – drums Patrick Petersen – bass
Finnish rockers THE RASMUS — Lauri Ylönen (founder, frontman, lead singer-songwriter); Eero Heinonen (bass); Emilia “Emppu” Suhonen (guitar); and Aki Hakala (drums) — are thrilled to share their rousing cover of Alphaville’s ’80s classic “Forever Young.”
The band chose the song not only because it transports them (and listeners) to another time and place but because it remains incredibly current 42 years on from its initial release. The Rasmus truly put their stamp on it — remaining faithful to the spirit of the original in the verses, but turning up the fury and the guitar energy, giving it a fresh and unexpected punk rock twist, picking up the pace and adding more grit and energy to the iconic song. The track takes on a static-charged edge as the band puts its own punchy spin on the familiar melody, making it feel faster, louder, and further alive. It’s a fun take on a classic that feels right at home in The Rasmus’ world.
“This song ‘Forever Young’ originally performed by German artist Alphaville is kind of like a soundtrack of our youth,” says Ylönen. “Covering this song feels nostalgic but lyrically also quite relevant considering what’s happening in the world right now.” Facts are facts.
The band has also just embarked on its first-ever headline tour of North America, which kicked off on September 6 in Chicago and runs through October 12 in Los Angeles. Saint Agnes and Death Valley Dreams are serving as support. “It feels surreal that after all these years, we finally get to play our first ever headline tour in the U.S.,” enthused Ylönen at the time the tour was announced. “We have super devoted fans who some have been waiting over 20 years to see us live. These shows will be loaded with emotion and fierce energy.”
After their North American headliner, the band will be heading to Latin America for a headline trek through November. The Rasmus will then launch into 2027 with a headline run of Europe, which begins on January 28 and wraps on March 18. All upcoming dates are below. Get tickets here.
THE RASMUS ON TOUR: WITH SAINT AGNES + DEATH VALLEY DREAMS: 9/10—Allston, MA—Brighton Music Hall 9/11—Quebec City, QC—Salle Montaigne 9/13—New York, NY—Racket 9/14—Philadelphia, PA—Union Transfer 9/16—Flint, MI—The Machine Shop 9/17—Louisville, KY—Louder Than Life Festival 9/19—Minneapolis, MN—Varsity Theater 9/20—St. Louis, MO—Delmar Hall 9/22—Hidalgo, TX—Payne Arena 9/23—Dallas, TX—The Studio at The Bomb Factory 9/24—Houston, TX—Bad Astronaut 9/25—Austin, TX—Come And Take It Live 9/27—Englewood, CO—Gothic Theatre 9/28—Salt Lake City, UT—The Grand at The Complex 9/29—Grand Junction, CO—Mesa Theater 10/1—Portland, OR—Hawthorne Theatre 10/2—Boise, ID—The Shrine Social Club 10/3—Seattle, WA—El Corazon 10/4—Vancouver, BC—Rickshaw Theatre 10/6—Sacramento, CA—Ace of Spades 10/7—Reno, NV—Cargo Concert Hall 10/8—San Francisco, CA—August Hall 10/11—San Diego, CA—House of Blues 10/12—Los Angeles, CA—The Regent Theater
LATIN AMERICA HEADLINE: 10/14—Guatemala City, Guatemala—Parque de la Industria 10/16—San Salvador, El Salvador—Besport 10/18—Tegucigalpa, Honduras—Radio House Casa Campo 10/20—San Jose, Costa Rica—Pepper’s 10/22—Bogota, Colombia—Auditorio Mayor CUN 10/24—Quito, Ecuador—Teatro Bolivar 10/25—Panama City, Panama—Aurora at Soho Mall 10/27—Lima, Peru—CC Leguia 10/29—Santiago, Chile—Teatro Cariola 10/31—Sao Paulo, Brazil—Carioca Club 11/2—Montevideo, Uruguay—MM Box 11/4—Buenos Aires, Argentina—Teatro Flores
It is often said that the best bands are the ones which keep surprising you time and time again, in the most thrilling of ways. This is something The Rasmus have been doing since their major label debut and a creative responsibility they take great pride in. If you’ve listened to any of their albums, you’ll be able to hear a kaleidoscopic collage of heavy guitars against futuristic electronics, as well as pop hooks that can find their way into the heart of music fans of any kind. Best known for their 2003 hit single “In the Shadows,” the band has sold over 5 million albums worldwide (350,000 albums in Finland alone), has earned gold and platinum certifications, and has won numerous awards, both domestic and international, including Finnish EMMAs and an MTV Europe VMA. The Rasmus’ latest album Weirdo is out now via Better Noise Music.
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
