IMPERMANENCE is a band which was founded in Kraków in December 2023, and blends technical death metal with elements of black metal. They have released two singles and played several well received shows alongside bands such as Sceptic, Deathyard, Dargor, Pleń, Aeonian Sorrow, and Marianas Rest. The band also performed at the 4th edition of Niech Cisza Milczy Nawet Zimą.
All guitars for debut album titled “Anicca” were recorded at home studio, but vocal and drum parts were recorded at Studio Poziom -1. All was mixed and mastered at Dahaka Productions Studio whereas cover artwork was done by Alicja Michalec. Album was released yesterday – October 16, 2025 in digital format (link) and CD with cooperation of Satanath Records (GE) & Sanatorio Records (CR). CDs could be ordered at Impermanence Bandcamp profile as well as label’s webstore.
Band comments their upcoming debut album: “Anicca is a hymn to the fragility that marks our existence. The album’s name is derived from Buddhist terminology and signifies impermanence. The lyrical layer explores themes of transience and the search for purpose in the world around us. Songs begins and ends with the ticking of a clock, clearly marking both the start and the conclusion of the story being told. Each track presents a different narrative, offering a unique perspective on the somber aspects of human nature. This concept extends beyond the lyrics, shaping the band’s overall artistic identity.“
TRACKLIST:
1. Intro 2. Sorrodise 3. From Mirage to Lust 4. Apocalypse 5. Spiritual War 6. Fugitive 7. Ascension Through Defiance 8. Crumbling
LINE-UP: Mateusz Bednarz – vocals, lyrics Wojciech Wróbel – guitar, intro, outro part Paweł Hernik – guitar Bartłomiej Fitas – bass Konrad Pieczara – drums Kamil Kowalczyk – guitar, lyrics Robert Bazydło – intro, outro part
Beyond the Gates is proud to present five new additions to the 2026 line-up. The festival is incredibly grateful to be able to host the first ever Beherit show in Norway. The Finnish legends has inspired countless of bands and forged their own path within the black metal genre with pioneering albums such as ‘The Oath of Black Blood’ and ‘Drawing Down the Moon.’ Joining them will be Swiss extreme metallers Bölzer, the rising doom star Castle Rat, Norwegian Dold Vorde Ens Navn, and the Swedish stoner trio, Saturnalia Temple. Many more are TBA!
The current lineup is now as follows with many more TBA!
Emperor ft. Mortiis and Faust Beherit (First ever Norwegian show) 1349 Arcturus Bölzer The Ruins of Beverast Spectral Wound Warning Castle Rat Forteresse Misotheis Imha Tarikat Sulphur Aeon Dold Vorde Ens Navn Concrete Winds Saturnalia Temple
In addition, Beyond the Gates has launched a December campaign in which fans can enter to win a chance at a free hotel packages and other prizes! To enter the draw, buy your festival pass before December 31, 2024!
“As a festival, Beyond the Gates is immediately lovable. Bergen is intrinsically part of that embrace… Sure, Norway’s expensive, but seeing the best bands out there, taking in a Tolkienesque fjord or two, pilgrimaging to Fantoft church, hitting up Gaahl’s art gallery (Galleri Fjalar) nestled in the quaint houses at Bryggen while Freyr gleefully and continually pisses rain on you from the heavens? All worth its weight in hordes of kroner.” – Decibel Magazine, December 2022 issue
Since the inception of the Beyond the Gates festival, fans have been coming to Bergen to see performances of their favorite Norwegian artists in their home environment. As most visitors know, nature and local culture has always been a poignant source of inspiration for the bands emerging from the Bergen scene. Yet again, Beyond the Gates will give all of the traveling fans the opportunity to get an unique insight into all aspects of the Norwegian Metal scene and the local culture in general. In that regard, we’re putting together a series of events before and during the festival so that all of you can discover what inspired – and still does – the Norwegian metal scene.
More special events will be announced, including exclusive listening parties, music and culture panels, in-depth live interviews, and a wealth of of events and activities that will give you a Beyond the Gates Experience that will last for a lifetime. Stay tuned for more…
Since they crawled out from their curious vault in 2003, Carach Angren have mastered the dark art of composing symphonic, blackened ghost stories. Now, three decades later, the Dutch masters of horror metal are digging up their origin story with a twisted new EP. The Cult of Kariba weaves the tale of its sinister sorceress within the classic folk tale of the White Lady, summoning her back amongst the land of the living with unimaginable consequences.
“These are ideas that had been toyed with and expounded upon on albums previously, and now with The Cult of Kariba the band are honing it down to its finest elements”, writes No Clean Singing.
“Just because it’s short doesn’t mean it’s not impactful. It doesn’t mean it’s not entertaining. It doesn’t mean it’s not engaging because it is exactly all the above”, says A&P Reacts.
The Cult of Kariba is released today, Friday, October 17, 2025, and you can hear all five harrowing songs by listening to the full album stream on the Season of Mist YouTube channel.
The Cult of Kariba is both a return and a continuation. The EP expands on Carach Angren’s first album Lammendam in bloody good fashion. “The Resurrection of Kariba” opens underneath the floor of a church, where a cult gathers to summon the alleged sorceress. An unholy pounding by the duo’s blood-splattered symphonic signature brings Kariba back among the land of the living. Yet her audience of worshipers discover far more than they intended. Lead single “Ik Kom Uit Het Graf” (I Emerge from the Grave) – which is the duo’s first song written entirely in Dutch – follows one of her past victims, who turns on the town faithful with venomous vengeance.
Tracklist: 1. A Malevolent Force Stirs (1:16) 2. Draw Blood (5:18) 3. The Resurrection of Kariba (4:45) [WATCH] 4. Ik Kom Uit Het Graf (4:51) [WATCH] 5. Venomous 1666 (4:37) Full runtime: 20:48
With the upcoming EP The Cult of Kariba, CARACH ANGREN return to the story that first defined their identity. Drawing from historical legends and obscure regional folklore, the band revisits the myth of the White Lady from Schinveld, this time expanding it with a new, sinister figure: Kariba. Inspired by real poems, forgotten theatre plays, and occult symbolism, this EP introduces a hidden cult intent on resurrecting Kariba—a poisoner and alleged witch whose spirit carries a legacy of vengeance. The Cult of Kariba explores this narrative with a blend of haunting atmosphere, cinematic scope, and blackened aggression.
Formed in 2003 in the southern province of Limburg in the Netherlands, Carach Angren began as a collaboration between keyboardist Clemens “Ardek” Wijers and vocalist/guitarist Dennis “Seregor” Droomers, both of whom played together previously in the band Vaultage. Inspired by the power of narrative in metal and the theatricality of classical music and film scores, the duo decided to forge their own path, infusing black metal with symphonic arrangements and elaborate storytelling. The name “Carach Angren,” drawn from Tolkien’s Middle-earth mythology, reflects their fascination with language, lore, and dark fantasy.
Their 2008 debut Lammendam introduced the band’s signature narrative style and conceptua ldepth. Based on a regional ghost story, the album tells of a woman whose tragic death in a burning castle gave rise to a haunting figure—the White Lady—seen roaming the forests of Schinveld. This story became the thematic foundation for the band’s identity. It was followed by Death Came Through a Phantom Ship (2010), inspired by maritime legends and ghost vessels, and Where the Corpses Sink Forever (2012), which addressed the horrors of war and its psychological aftermath.
By 2015, Carach Angren further pushed their boundaries with This Is No Fairytale, offering a raw, unfiltered look into domestic abuse and trauma through the lens of twisted fairy tale tropes. In 2017, Dance and Laugh Amongst the Rotten centered around a haunted girl and her cursed music box, with each track unraveling the lives of characters who meet tragic ends. Their sixth album, Franckensteina Strataemontanus (2020), drew from the life of controversial alchemist Johann Conrad Dippel, blending science, superstition, and historical horror into one of their most layered works to date.
Now, with The Cult of Kariba, Carach Angren reconnect with their original concept while expanding its narrative universe. The EP draws inspiration from archival poems and lesser-known local legends, particularly the figure of Kariba: a mysterious woman remembered as both a poisoner and a sorceress. The songs unfold as a sequence of events involving an underground cult in Schinveld, beginning with “A Malevolent Force Stirs,” where villagers secretly gather for ritual. “Draw Blood” follows the first act of violence, revealing the cult’s sacrifice. “The Resurrection of Kariba” explores both the ceremony to awaken her and the backstory of her grief and execution. With “Ik Kom Uit Het Graf,” the victim of her past betrayal returns from the grave in a violent act of revenge. The EP concludes with “Venomous 1666,” where Kariba’s spirit is fully reborn,consuming the living and sealing the fate of those who called her back.
Produced with precision and narrative cohesion, The Cult of Kariba ties together myth, horror, and folklore in a tightly crafted five-part journey. Rather than simply revisiting the setting of Lammendam, Carach Angren expand the story with additional historical context, new characters, and an even darker tone.
Production & Recording Credits Main compositions by Ardek. Pre-production, orchestral arrangements and keyboards by Ardek. Vocals by Seregor, recorded at Tidal Wave Studio, Germany. Backing vocals by Ardek. Drums performed by Gabe Seeber, recorded at Mayhemeness Recording Studio. Bass guitar, drums written by Ardek. Guitars tracks 2,3 written by Seregor. Guitars tracks 4,5 written by Ardek. Lyrics tracks 1, 2, 5 by Ardek. Lyrics track 3 by Ardek & Seregor. Lyrics track 4 by Seregor. All guitars and bass guitar performed and recorded by Patrick Damiani at Tidal Wave Studio, Germany. Mixed & Mastered by Patrick Damiani at Tidal Wave Studio, Germany. Vinyl Mastered by Robert Schmidt, 24-96 Mastering, Germany.
Guest Musicians Solo violin tracks 2, 5 performed and recorded by Nikos Mavridis. Voice overs done by Tim Wells. Wolf howl track 3 by Frodo Wijers.
Steve Morse Band has unveiled a breathtaking collaboration with Eric Johnson for their new track, TexUS. Check out the official video for the song with the Steve Morse Band in full force HERE.
This is the second cut to be taken from the forthcoming album, Triangulation, which will be released on 14 November via Music Theories Recordings (home to Yngwie Malmsteen, Ayreon, Paul Gilbert, and Vandenberg).
Talking about TexUS, Morse says, “The amazing Eric Johnson agreed to do a song, and I had to write something that fit the era of when we both started doing instrumental guitar rock. Eric is always super melodic and flawless, as he is here!”
Whenever we think of the greatest guitar players of all time, Steve Morse is a name that’s always in the conversation. This album sees Morse teaming up once again with Dixie Dregs, Steve Morse Band, and Flying Colors bassist Dave LaRue, with Van Romaine [Steve Morse Band/Enrique Iglesias] joining on drums.
“The album title Triangulation comes from the concept of aviators, navigators, and sailors looking at two points to pinpoint their exact location at a specific moment in time,” says Steve. It’s a geographical concept that also applies to human life on a broader level, and given the journey Morse has been on in recent years, it’s only natural that he’s been on a path of self-discovery and reflection.
The previous track, Break Through, was the first new music since the release of 2009’s Out Standing In Their Field. There are also some stellar guest features, alongside Eric Johnson’s majestic contributions to TexUS, John Petrucci brings his inimitable progressive metal thunder and Kevin Morse joins his father on “Taken by an Angel,” – the latter being the most poignant of the nine tracks and a tribute to Steve’s beloved late-wife Janine.
Morse started his career in the mid-1970s, playing mind-melting jazz-rock with The Dixie Dregs, which earned him multiple Grammy nominations in the process. The following decade, he formed the Steve Morse Band, grabbing an additional Grammy nod, and joined arena heavyweights Kansas, before being recruited by rock and roll originals Deep Purple in 1994. And despite being in one of the world’s biggest bands, he continued to innovate in other projects, such as Living Loud, Angelfire, and Flying Colors – as well as guitar supergroup G3 – showing the world just how much versatility there was in those magic fingers. He announced his departure from Deep Purple in 2022, choosing to care for his wife, who passed away in 2024, by which point he had become their longest-serving guitarist.
After all the heartache and anguish of the last few years, you can’t help but feel grateful Morse is once again ready to share his creative genius with the world around him. Given his stature among the guitar community – often lauded as ‘your hero’s hero’ in the same way people spoke about Jeff Beck – his creative return marks a new phase of inspiration and brilliance. In that sense, you can tell the release of this record means a lot to him.
With more than 1 billion streams and features in the History Channel TV show Vikings, Danheim has become a cornerstone for Nordic folk, Viking and World music alongside Heilung and Wardruna. On his upcoming ninth album and first since signing with Season of Mist, producer Reidar Schaefer Olsen is continuing to evolve the Nordic sound by journeying home.
Today, Danheim is releasing “Yggdrasil II” as the third and final advanced single from Heimferd. Built around slow cycling percussion, meditative chanting and immersive drones, the song extends the tree that’s held sacred in Norse cosmology into the realms of memory, land and lineage. It closes the album on a note of quit transcendence that echoes across time.
Heimferd comes out October 31st, 2025 on Season of Mist.
“Yggdrasil II” revisits one of the centerpieces from Danheim’s third album Fridr. The song captures the essence of Danheim’s sound: grounded in ancestral rhythm yet illuminated by spacious ambience. Yet Heimferd resists a linear narrative. “For me, Heimferd is a journey home”, Olsen says, “not to a physical place, but to my ancestry, honoring the weight of old paths while also forging new ones”.
DANHEIM is a Nordic folk/Viking inspired project from the Copenhagen-based Danish producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen, a man with 10 years of experience in electronic and ambient music – focusing on Nordic Folk and Viking age inspired music with a certain Nordic authenticity or mood. Danheim’s music is often composed of ideas and stories based on the darker side of the Viking period, inspired or consisting of Nordic Mythology, old Danish folklore, and a vivid imagination.
Danheim hit 1 billion streams across streaming platforms in 2022, has 585.000 subscribers on YouTube, with music featured in multiple seasons of the popular TV show Vikings.
Early information: Singer-songwriter Reidar Schæfer Olsen, (born in 1985, Brøndby, Denmark), transitioned to focus on music in the early 2000s and has been composing music almost continuously ever since, alongside doing radio shows and starting the indie label Fimbul Records.
With a passion for songwriting running through his veins from an early age, Reidar Olsen’s Viking-inspired music and dark melodies have broadened the Nordic folk genre and inspired millions of listeners around the world, bringing them back in time with a blend of his imagination and creativity.
“A deep connection to his Danish roots and heritage fueled his interest in the Nordic Folk/Viking genre, prompting the creation of Danheim and his indie label Fimbul Records.”
Ǽttartrú, a self-made Scandinavian belief system that reconnects oneself with their ancestors.
Line-up: Reidar Schæfer Olsen – All Instruments & Production
Production Credits: Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Reidar Schæfer Olsen in his home studio.
Europe’s founder/guitarist and solo artist John Norum has signed a record deal with Frontiers Music Srl. He will shortly enter the studio to record his tenth solo album, marking an exciting new chapter in his career.
His distinctive singing and guitar playing style, characterized by melodic solos with a characteristic writing style, highlights his ability to balance bluesy influences with classic hard rock. His virtuosic, soulful, and imaginative playing makes his solo work a rewarding listen for both fans and newcomers.
John Norum released his first solo album “Total Control” in 1987 and has made nine solo albums in total since then. His latest album, “Gone To Stay”, came out in 2022.
John has been working with Deep Purple’s frontman Glenn Hughes, Don Dokken and many other top-notch musicians over the past years so international guest appearances are expected on the forthcoming album.
He will play live both as a solo artist and with Europe in 2026. Europe are currently recording their twelfth studio album and planning their “The Final Countdown” 40th anniversary tour.
John expressed his enthusiasm for the signing, by saying: “I’m thrilled to start my new solo project with the great people at Frontiers Music, a label I’ve known and appreciated for many years, and with whom I’ll be working on the release of my 10th solo album. I’m super excited about the new songs, and I can’t wait to get into the studio and start recording!”
Aldo Lonobile, Head Of A&R Europe at Frontiers Label Group, commented: “We’re excited to welcome John Norum to the Frontiers Records family! An iconic guitarist and a true rock pioneer, John has crafted timeless anthems, and we can’t wait to join forces for the next chapter of his career!”
Norwegian born and adopted by Sweden, John Norum grew up in a strong musical family. At the age of 10, he started learning guitar and, at 12, he founded his first band Dragonfly. At the age of 14, he was inducted into the professional music world, and he started recording and playing live with Swedish rocker Eddie Meduza.
At 16, he was the guitarist and singer in the band WC with drummer Tony Niemistö (aka Tony Reno). Their following project Force was born when his friend Joakim Larsson (aka Joey Tempest) joined the band as a singer.
John helped the band shape their sound and with bass player John Léven joining the band, Force became Europe on the Lucia Rock in 1982, a competition for emergent rock bands held by Aftonbladet and Thomas Erdtman. The band won the contest and a contract with Hot Records for the recording of their first album “Europe”, which started their worldwide success.
With Europe, John has recorded 9 studio and 5 live albums, toured the world and was awarded several times for best band and best album, as for Comeback of the Year in 2015 by Classic Rock Roll of Honour and for Best hard rock / metal album “Walk The Earth” by Swedish Grammis in 2018, when Europe was also inducted into Swedish Music Hall of Fame.
John’s parallel solo projects started in 1987, after taking a break from Europe and moving to the USA, where he lived until Europe’s reunion in 2003. In the US, he collaborated with well-known artists such as Glenn Hughes and Don Dokken and played in the American rock group Dokken. Many other collaborations are counted along the years with artists such as Michael Schenker and Mikkey Dee.
As a solo artist, John counts 9 studio albums, a live album, a studio album with Don Dokken and one with Dokken. His distinctive singing and his guitar playing style that blends classic hard rock, blues and neo-classical influences and combines powerful riffs and melodic solos, are widely and consistently appreciated.
2026 will see the release of his 10th solo album along with Europe’s 12th studio album and a massive world tour to promote his new works and the 40th anniversary of “The Final Countdown”.
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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
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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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