London Metal Pride 2026 returns on June 6th for its biggest and most ambitious edition yet, taking over Signature Brew Blackhorse Road for a full-day celebration of heavy music, LGBTQIA+ visibility, community and absolute chaos.
This is not just another metal festival. This is a statement.
Bringing together some of the most exciting names in UK heavy music across death metal, hardcore, black metal, metalcore, punk and alternative sounds, London Metal Pride exists to create a space where queer artists their band mates and fans can stand together loud, visible and unapologetic within the heavy music world.
Headlined by UK mathcore extremists Pupil Slicer, the festival will also feature main support from queercore hardcore force Death Goals alongside a stacked lineup including Davghter, Karnstein, Night Thieves, Something or Other, Graveless, Riff Dealer and more.
The event will also feature outdoor performances, comedy, acoustic acts and community stalls turning the day into a full-scale celebration of alternative queer culture within the underground music scene.
One of the most anticipated moments of the festival will see British-Iranian alternative artist Izzy T make her long-awaited return to the UK stage after two years away from live performance. Her appearance marks an emotional and powerful comeback as part of a festival built around authenticity, resilience and self-expression.
Following the success of the last year’s inaugural London Metal Pride AND our Road to Metal Pride Battle of the Bands showcase, London Metal Pride 2026 continues to build a platform for emerging artists, grassroots community and representation in heavy music.
This is for the outcasts, the riff worshippers, the pit starters, the misfits and everyone who has ever felt like they never had a place in heavy music.
San Diego hard rock trio Latex Grenade has officially unleashed their blistering new single and music video, Suffer, the latest offering from their long-awaited upcoming album, Bee Miner.
Known for their explosive blend of punk energy, thrash-infused riffs and anthemic hard rock hooks, Latex Grenade have spent over a decade carving out their reputation as one of San Diego’s most relentless underground rock exports. Having released six studio albums and toured extensively across the United States and South Africa, the band’s latest chapter signals a darker, sharper and more refined evolution in their sound.
Bee Miner arrives as the band’s first full-length album in eight years, a post-pandemic body of work rooted in themes of adversity, survival and personal struggle. Produced with longtime collaborator Theo Crous of Springbok Nude Girls fame, the album captures the emotional weight and intensity that has defined Latex Grenade’s journey.
Written during the final stages of completing the album, Suffer quickly became a defining moment for the band.
“This one came out very naturally,” explains vocalist and guitarist Geoff Davis. “We hadn’t really written a song in a couple years, but once the creative momentum returned while finishing the album, this track flowed easily. It became the perfect statement to us and the world that Latex Grenade is back.”
At its core, Suffer is a powerful anthem about resilience and choosing positivity in the face of overwhelming negativity.
“The main premise of the song is really about reaching the point where enough is enough,” says Davis. “You can’t control everything happening around you, but you can control your outlook. The question becomes: can you still find happiness even when everything around you seems to be suffering?”
Musically, the track balances raw aggression with soaring melodic hooks. The song’s unforgettable chorus became the foundation for the writing process, with the lyrics arriving before the melody, a rare occurrence for the band.
“We knew immediately that we wanted this song to hit as hard as possible,” Davis explains. “Everything about it needed to feel direct, urgent and full of energy.”
The recording process for Suffer stretched across two continents. Drums were recorded at Bellville Studios in Cape Town, South Africa with Theo Crous, while the remainder of the track was completed at The Counterflow Haus in San Diego, California. The band intentionally stripped the arrangement back to maximize the impact and power of every note.
“We wanted every hit, every lyric and every instrument to matter,” says Davis. “The less clutter there is, the bigger and louder the song becomes.”
Since forming in 2009, Latex Grenade has evolved through numerous line-up changes and musical transformations, eventually finding their signature blend of heavy hard rock and punk urgency. The band has performed in over 27 states across multiple national tours, appeared at SXSW in Austin and toured South Africa alongside legendary rock outfit Springbok Nude Girls during their Beautiful Evolution Tour.
Their experiences on the road combined with years of growth, adversity and reinvention have culminated in Bee Miner, which the band describes in five simple words: “Latex Grenade Does Not Quit.”
US-/Colombian Death Metal force NO RAZA release new lyric video for “Estable Corrupción” off their latest studio album “Tyrona”, out now via Noble Demon! Save here to your preferred streaming service: https://music.nobledemon.com/tyrona
“Estable Corrupción” is a furious anthem against manipulation, oppression, and the decay of corrupted power. Through rage, resistance, and uncompromising Death Metal, NO RAZA delivers a crushing reflection of a world consumed by greed, violence, and false promises – where silence only feeds the empire.
“Congreso comprado fruto de su estable corrupción.” This lyric video exposes the wounds of broken systems while calling for revolution, equality, and the awakening of free spirits.
Formed in 1997, NO RAZA‘s amazing staging recreates the desolation of a world at war and the disposition to struggle of those who guard the truth to defend our ancestral cultures and defend what remains of a sick dying earth and demands justice and peace, to those who bring us under a power snatched from our hands.
Through the years, the band has performed on international stages across Mexico, the UK, the USA, and Colombia, sharing the spotlight with renowned bands at major festivals and tours.
After releasing three solid full-length studio albums between 2004 and 2014, NO RAZA was one of the very first signings of Germany-based metal record label Noble Demon (est. 2019). In 2020 the band successfully released their following masterpiece, “Transcending Material Sins” and five years after that success, both entities joined forces again to unleash NO RAZA’s latest studio album, “Tyrona”, which was released worldwide on May 16, 2025.
In the summer of 2025, Phantomy emerged victorious from a battle of the bands competition after crushing their enemies. Little did they know… that they would be rewarded not only with glory, but best of all with studio time at the North Savonian underground recording mecca, Purkkistudio. Purkkistudio is a legendary recording studio in the small town called Lapinlahti, Finland, where studio guru Ari Auvinen has recorded, produced and mixed countless local underground classics for over 50 years.
‘’Working with Auvinen was a great experience, and we learned a lot from him. He had a great deal of knowledge and tricks up his sleeve. And he had lots of odd vintage mics that we had never seen before and those helped us get, for example, the best guitar tone that we’ve had to this day’’. Says guitarist Eetu Räsänen.
With Auvinen, Phantomy recorded three headbanging covers of songs from bands that have influenced their own music.
‘’Not many bands seem to record their own versions of other band’s songs, and we decided it would be fun to pay homage to the band’s that have made us who are today. We wanted to pick out songs that haven’t been covered to death and make those sound like Phantomy songs’’ says drummer Herkko Lappalainen.
With asskicking covers of Mötley Crüe’s Live Wire, Iron Maiden’s 2 Minutes to Midnight and Spinal Tap’s Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight, Phantomy delivers a short but sweet package of full blown rock’n’roll madness.
‘’All of the songs turned out great of course. But I really think that especially Live Wire turned out to be a banger. We took a hair metal anthem, pumped it up with some steroids and gasoline and turned it into a heavy metal shredder. If you don’t believe it, listen to our version on the EP!’’ says lead vocalist Samu Karhu.
The band will be promoting the EP by playing shows at Runnirock and Hard Rock Korppi. Phantomy will inform about more shows on their social media channels.
Track list:
Live Wire (Mötley Crüe cover)
2 Minutes to Midnight (Iron Maiden cover)
Tonight I’m Gonna Rock You Tonight (Spinal Tap cover)
–Recorded by Ari Auvinen –Mixed & Mastered by Rasmus Laurila –Cover art by Phantomy
Dark folk/progressive entity RAKINUA unveil today their new single “Warrior of Light”, offering a further glimpse into the immersive and emotionally charged world shaped within the upcoming debut album “Esi Um Ninu – Heal Us, Mother”, due out on May 29th, 2026 via Dusktone.
One of the album’s most immediate and evocative compositions, “Warrior of Light” revolves around the symbolic cycle of the sun: born at dawn in a fragile red glow, crossing the sky through struggle and sacrifice, before falling once more into darkness – only to rise again and continue the fight. Through this imagery, the song explores endurance, loss and rebirth, channeling the idea of an eternal warrior sustained by fire and memory.
Musically, the track intertwines delicate harp textures, acoustic guitars and expansive metal arrangements, balancing dark folk atmospheres with progressive sensibilities and emotionally resonant melodies. Gentle passages coexist with heavier, more dramatic movements, creating a sound that feels both intimate and cinematic, rooted in ancient imagery yet deeply human in its emotional core.
With “Warrior of Light”, RAKINUA further expands a musical vision built on atmosphere, storytelling and dynamic contrasts, crafting a sound capable of merging introspection and grandeur without losing melodic immediacy.
Emerging from a fertile intersection of sound and storytelling, RAKINUA stand as the convergence of two distinct creative forces: one driven by an insatiable urge toward musical expression, the other endowed with a rare gift for narrative architecture. Together, they have shaped a work that aspires not merely to be heard, but to be inhabited: a threshold into another world, where time dissolves and meaning is carved in ancient symbols.
Inspired by Alpine sacrificial sites that have borne witness to nearly three millennia of ritual practice, “Esi Um Ninu – Heal Us, Mother” unfolds as a concept album of rare depth and cohesion. Its narrative follows a priestess whose desperate attempts to appease increasingly wrathful gods ultimately condemn her tribe to ruin. This tragedy is revealed through the voice of an oracle, a liminal presence bridging past, present, and future: an eternal witness to a fate that cannot be undone.
Musically, RAKINUA traverse a wide and evocative spectrum. Their sound resonates with the ritualistic pulse of Heilung and Wardruna, the dark introspection of Myrkur, and the progressive depth of Opeth, Porcupine Tree, and Anathema. Yet these references serve only as distant constellations; “Esi Um Ninu – Heal Us, Mother” charts its own path, guided by an archaic, almost primordial spirit.
The album was produced by Fabio D’Amore (Serenity, Perchta) at Synonym Of Sound, with concept and lyrics crafted by Velis and Madame Noctinebra. Their work draws upon archaeological insight, a refined aesthetic sensibility, and the evocative power of a forgotten tongue intertwined with Raetic symbols. The result is a body of songs that feels both meticulously constructed and organically unearthed.
RAKINUA’s vision extends beyond the recorded form. Their ceremonial live manifestations – ranging from the electrifying Full Electric Tribe Ritual to the intimate Acoustic Tribe Ritual – translate the album’s essence into immersive, communal experiences. Each performance becomes an act of remembrance, a rekindling of something older than language itself.
With “Esi Um Ninu – Heal Us, Mother”, RAKINUA do not simply present a debut; they open a passage. It is an invitation to step into a narrative suspended between epochs, where the echo of forgotten rites still lingers—and where the future, though foreseen, may yet be resisted.
Tracklist:
01. The Prophecy 02. Sacrilege 03. First Vision of the Oracle 04. Goddess of the Night 05. Second Vision of the Oracle 06. Warrior of Light 07. Third Vision of the Oracle 08. Shepherd of the Clouds 09. Fourth Vision of the Oracle 10. Spirits of Waters 11. Fifth Vision of the Oracle 12. Terra 13. Hear Me 14. Last Vision of the Oracle 15. The Old Paths – Sangue 16. Peaceful Night
Following the announcement of the upcoming full-length “Migja ta Mohh Mignun”, set for release on June 12th, 2026 via Time To Kill Records, Maltese black metal entity SAĦĦAR now unveils the album’s second single, “II-Migja sa Sqallija”, continuing the path toward what promises to be the project’s most intense and fully realized work to date.
Further expanding the bleak and immersive atmosphere that has come to define SAĦĦAR’s sound, the new material reinforces a vision rooted in isolation, spiritual tension and emotional decay.
Emerging from a scene far removed from black metal’s traditional centers, the project continues to carve out a distinctive identity through a deeply personal and uncompromising artistic approach. The record represents another step forward in this evolution, balancing raw aggression with evocative layers of atmosphere and introspection while remaining faithful to the harsh essence at the core of the project.
“Migja ta Mohh Mignun” (“Journey of a Mad Mind”) is a concept prose chronicling the descent and transformation of a man consumed by an insatiable thirst for forbidden knowledge. Abandoning wealth and comfort, he pursues ancient secrets hidden in scrolls, caves and lost maps, ultimately crossing the boundary between life and death. Throughout his journey, he defies the Inquisition, embraces occult forces and becomes suspended between madness, immortality and damnation.
Based on a Maltese legend formally penned by Agostino Levanzin and rooted in documented events from the 16th century, the album translates this narrative into a dense and intense wall of sound shaped by arcane atmospheres, hypnotic pacing and SAĦĦAR’s distinctive vocals performed entirely in the Maltese tongue.
With the release of new single “II-Migja sa Sqallija”, listeners are invited to delve further into the unsettling world surrounding the album.
“Chronologically follows the previous single. After deceiving the Inquisition, the sorcerer found himself in Sicily, but he didn’t simply catch a ferry to do so. His unnatural powers enabled him to pass through solid rock and travel in the arcane and ancient undercities which connect countries otherwise separated by seas and storms. This track depicts the slow and steady pacing of Falzun’s mad voyage in the epic underground. Even the artwork represents the mysterious and dangerous underground of Malta’s cave network”.
Tracklist:
01. L-Għatxan 02. Għerf Minsi 03. It-Tarf tal-Kożmu u ta’ Ruħi 04. Fil-Palazz Sejjaħtilhom 05. Il-Miġja sa Sqallija 06. Ftakar fija! 07. L-Antikrist il-Ġdid 08. Id-Dinja Taħt Pajjżi (bonus track for CD only) 09. L-Imlejka (bonus track for CD only)
SAĦĦAR began as the brainchild of Marton Saliba, with the aim of creating harsh and extreme music rooted in black metal. From the outset, the project has balanced raw, blast-beat-driven tracks with more mid-tempo material enriched by synths and samples, often blending these elements together. Most of the lyrics are written in Maltese, SAĦĦAR’s native language. The first demo, “Genesis of Demise”, followed a year later by the album “Maġija Sewda”, gained attention both locally and within the wider underground scene during the MySpace era.
Following the well-received split “Thine Triumphant Death” and a subsequent album that was never officially released, SAĦĦAR entered an indefinite hiatus. The project returned in 2013 with renewed intensity through the EP “Mera Mkissra”, showcasing a stronger focus on folklore elements, mid-tempo pacing, and synth-heavy arrangements. From then on, SAĦĦAR maintained a steady output, releasing an average of one EP or album per year until 2020, when the pandemic brought activities to a halt—though writing and studio work continued in preparation for future releases.
The release of the 2015 album “Kruha u Kefrija” also marked SAĦĦAR’s live debut, leading to performances supporting acts such as Destroyer 666, black metal legends Mayhem, and industrial outfit Gothminister. During the pandemic, SAĦĦAR remained active by contributing to online events, including Metal Injection’s “Slayathome” series and the Grimfest online festival.
In early 2020, SAĦĦAR was nominated at the Malta Music Awards in both the “Metal” and “Album in Maltese” categories for “Qilla tal-Qrun”, which was well received within the scene. In late 2022, the project embarked on its first tour with a live lineup, spanning nine consecutive days across four countries (Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania), marking an important step forward in its live evolution.
SAĦĦAR’s sound can be described as “ruinous” black metal—combining grand, larger-than-life symphonic elements with minimal, almost doom-like riffs, as well as intense tremolo-driven passages and ambient, synth-based compositions. This wide-ranging approach is reflected in a discography of over 100 songs. Lyrical themes range from occult and folklore-inspired narratives to death, misanthropic catastrophes, and occasional critiques of organized religion.
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 