Runemagick return with their brand new studio album Cycle of the Dying Sun (Dawn of Ashen Realms), which will be released on 31st October via Hammerheart Records. The next offering ‘Spires of the Drowned Horizon’ is now streaming via the label.
Cycle of the Dying Sun (Dawn of Ashen Realms) marks a new era for the Runemagick entity. Entirely composed and performed by Nicklas Rudolfsson, vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizers, and drums, the album channels the stripped down, immersive, and slow-burning spirit of early Runemagick while also introducing new sonic shades and meditative depth. A few carefully chosen guests were invited to contribute additional dimensions, further expanding the album’s ceremonial atmosphere.
Six core compositions form the foundation across all formats. The CD and digital editions go even deeper, offering four extended tracks that enrich the journey with further layers of decay, resonance, and otherworldly drift.
This album represents both a new era and a new chapter, while also serving as a natural continuation of the path carved on Beyond the Cenotaph of Mankind (2023), a descent beyond that threshold, into deeper domains of life, death, and the unknown beyond.
Track-list: 1. Wyrd Unwoven 2. Old Bones 3. The Hollow Chant of the Seer 4. The Runestone’s Lament 5. Womb of the Veiled Sun 6. Ashen Realms 7. Spires of the Drowned Horizon* 8. Embers of the Unwritten Dawn (Part 1)* 9. Embers of the Unwritten Dawn (Part 2)* 10. Beneath the Solar Embers (Demo)**
Line-up: Nicklas Rudolfsson: Vocals, guitars, bass, synthesizers, and drums
Jimmy Kay from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke with Co-founding Venom Members guitarist Mantas and drummer Abaddon about them reuniting for upcoming festival shows.
They also spoke about how Venom cannot reunite with Cronos and their exit from Venom Inc.
When asked if there are three versions of Venom now since Mantas and Abaddon have reunited?
“As far as I’m concerned, even with us, you know? I’m just going to speak the truth. The absolute truth, right? I’m the founder member. If there’s a co-founder, it’s Abaddon. Cronos was the last one to join (the band). Everyone knows that, right? I wrote all the early material. Blah blah blah. Right? And at this very moment in time, the way I look at it is that there isn’t a Venom (Band) out there There’s bands out there who are playing Venom material. And that’s the honest way that I’ll look at it right now. When this came about (reunion with Abaddon at Keep it True Festival 2026), um, it all came about basically through a mutual friend contacting me and saying, “Can you ring Abaddon? And I must admit, I was like, I’m going to be honest, “Oh, I don’t really want to get involved in all this kind of stuff again.” And I mean, Abaddon will tell you, we hadn’t spoken since 2017. So anyway, I did contact (Abaddon). And then I got um I got a message from the Japanese promoters who wanted me over for Venom Japan. And then I said, um, look, if I’m coming over, what about if Ababbon was to come over? We (with Abaddon) sort of reconnected. And they were like, really? I was like, yeah, yeah, why not? You know, so all that was kind of arranged. I spoke to Abaddon, said, “Would you like to come to Japan, play a few songs?” “Yep, great.” So, flights are booked. We’re off on the 27th of November. We play on the 30th, I think it is. “
“Then I got a message from the guys at ‘Keep It True Festival’, and they said “Venom reunion” And I was like, “Good luck with that, pal.” I say, you know, that everybody’s kicking each other’s shins in court at the moment (intellectual property dispute). So anyway, I made contact with Cronos through a mutual friend and just said, “Look, tell him I want to speak to him. There’s an offer coming in. It’ll be a good offer. Um so, let’s just talk. Even if nothing comes of it, let’s just talk.”… Nothing. So, the court case thing (in regards to the Venom Logo), then the lawyer spoke to his lawyer and mentioned about the reunion and what we got back was basically it’s not worth my time.
When asked about 45 years anniversary of Welcome to hell
“So, myself and Abaddon, we said, “Look, why don’t we just do something to celebrate this [ __ ] band?” And that’s all we’re doing. It’s the album, it’s a celebration. Yep. It’s a celebration of Welcome to Hell. 45 years of that album, and this stupid [ __ ] band has missed every major anniversary in its history. We’ve never celebrated an anniversary of this band. So, I spoke to the guys at Keep It True, Oliver in particular, the owner of the festival. I said, “Right, here’s an idea. why don’t we get some special guests, people who have been influenced by the band, all that kind of thing, you know, and he went, “Great. Great. Let’s do it.” So, that was how it all came about and now we’re getting offers from other places to do the same thing. We’re going to go out and if nobody else will do it, we’re going to go out and celebrate this band.
When Asked what will this new band be called?
“As far as I’m concerned there’s no [ __ ] name to it. There’s Abaddon’s Venom logo which is his (Abaddon’s). It’s up there.. And then underneath it, it says Mantas and Abaddon and then special guests. And that’s what we’re doing. It still amazes me to this day how this band has had so much influence on the metal scene from day one. Every comment I’ve seen so far 90% has been really really positive (about Mantas and Abaddon) and then get the one (person) no Cronos, no Venom. It’s like right okay listen to me right now you can imagine the most toxic relationship and the most stressful relationship you’ve ever had in your [ __ ] life and now go back and invite it back in. And that’s what we tried to do. If everybody knew the real reason I left (Venom), you wouldn’t even [ __ ] look at that guy again right now. All these people who say about Cronos and stuff like that, yes, he was a part of the band. I appreciate that. He didn’t write all the [ __ ] early material. He didn’t found the band. He was the last person to join. The woman who introduced me to him via her best friend is in my house now. If you were having problems with your wife and you put it on the [ __ ] internet, I would never go, “Oh, yeah, well, I know what’s going on.” Because you don’t you don’t know the personalities of the people involved in it. All you see from the outside is a band. I mean I love Kiss. I love Judas Priest. Now there’s [ __ ] problems with KK and all the rest of [ __ ] Priest. There’s problems with Ace and [ __ ] Gene and Paul and Peter and you know, but we don’t know what’s really going on, you know? It’s ridiculous to comment on people’s careers. And that’s the way I feel about it. And all I’m saying is that myself and Abaddon as the two original members of Venom, we’re going to go out and we’re going to celebrate this band and its music and that’s it. Nothing more.”
Abaddon weighs in
“My take on that is very straightforward. If you’ve got three bands using the word Venom to sell the music, originally Venom were a three-piece. And I don’t think unless you’ve got two members of that three-piece, you can’t call it Venom because it’s Cronos and some other blokes, or it’s Dolan and some other blokes. If you’ve got me and Jeff, you got two thirds of the original [ __ ] band. Yeah, that’s as straightforward as you can get.”
When asked how Venom Inc Fell apart?
“My wife got pregnant and we moved to a different place from where her parents were and uh she was quite young. She was married when she was 21. She got pregnant and I asked for some time off. I asked Tony and I said I need to take some time off and as soon as I was gone there was a new drummer in. I was never sacked. I was never let go. I didn’t do anything. I just wanted to take a month, maybe two months off with my wife while she was having the baby. That’s all it was. And I never heard from Dolan again, apart from toxic things online.” Abaddon
Mantas weighs in and is asked if he wanted back in Venom Inc
“Nope. No. Nope. It was like, I can remember the last show that I did. And before we go any further, you have to remember that both myself and Abaddon, we’ve just been in the Royal High Court of Justice, right? Where we stood in the witness box and took an oath to tell the truth. And that’s what we did. I told the absolute truth and so did he under oath. I would go back into that same courtroom and say exactly what I’ve already said about the Venom Inc situation, right? Because I’m telling the truth. And when I had the second heart attack, it was in April and I had the last conversation I’d had with Tony Dolan was March 26th. Previous to that, we had done two festivals. I think it was one in Crete and one in Poland. Anyway, there were two festivals to do and I said, “Okay, look, I’ll do the festivals.” And the reason I was pulling out at that point was because Anita, my partner, had been diagnosed with cancer. Now, that was a misdiagnosis, but we went through 18 months of hell, not knowing what the [ __ ] was going on, right? So, anyway, I had said there, you know, there was a second leg of an American tour to do. And even I suggested Mike Hickey. I said, “Look,” you know, and we were sitting outside the airport waiting to come home after the second festival. And I said, “Look, just do the [ __ ] tour, right?” You know, get Mike, do the tour, blah, blah, blah blah. So anyway, that’s what happened. And from then on, contact was very, very sporadic. No matter what anybody in that camp says, it was very sporadic. And then I’m not going to go into all of this [ __ ] but four times I was on the brink of leaving Venom inc because of behavior, right? Four times. One of those times was when Abaddon was still with us and I can remember coming home off that particular tour and Anita said to me, “Oh, how’d it go?” I says, “That’s I’m [ __ ] done with this.” I was like, “What? What? What?” She couldn’t understand. I was like, “Fuck enough of this.” The last time it happened, it was the sound guy in the back of a cab in New York on the way to JFK who persuaded me to stay with the band. I just had I [ __ ] had enough. But anyway, I continued. I kept going, kept going. Um,
So like I say, the contact got less and less and less and less and then they were off doing other things and whatnot. And yes, they said, “Oh, we’re going to do this festival. Do you want to do it?” And I was like, “No, I’m staying at home with Anita. I’m staying at home.” And obviously the second heart attack, I was scared of flying. I’ll admit that. You know, I’ve never been a I’ve never been afraid of traveling, but I thought 37,000 ft up in the air, if this [ __ ] happens again, [ __ ] this, you know. Um, so and then the straw that broke the camel’s back was when I saw a gig advertised on Facebook for Newcastle, our hometown, where I founded the band and I thought, “Okay, right, okay.” So, I just got on with what I was doing. And I had um about 18 months previous to that, I had written a song and it was called ‘Losing My Faith’. And uh I did the vocals on it and everything. And um I did myself a video for it and um I put a 30 second clip of it up on uh on Facebook one night saying, “Oh, look, new song blah blah blah blah blah.” Tony Dolan within seconds had unfriended me, blocked me, and deleted me off everything as soon as I put that up. Right. Okay, that’s it. Done. And there’s been no communication since. Venom Inc. they I’ve I said this ages ago. They can continue. Go go go just go do your thing. It’s like, you know, go and play every club on the planet, every stadium on the planet. I don’t care. I really really don’t care. I’m not following what you do. I’m not bothered. Right? And it’s the same with Cronos. It’s like, right, if you don’t want to be with us and you want to be with your two hired guns, then great. Just get on with it. But particularly with Cronos, I think, yeah, why not? You can go back to doing your thing with those guys, whatever you want to do. Just as Abaddon will go back and do his Abaddon UK gigs and, you know, I’ll probably go back over to Japan and do my thing with the Japanese musicians. I’ve got four recording projects on the go at the minute. So, I’ll go back and do that as well. ” Mantas
Germany’s intergalactic Power Metal force VICTORIUS have officially signed with PERCEPTION and celebrate this new alliance with the release of their brand-new single and video “Dino Race From Outer Space.”
The track is everything fans have come to expect from VICTORIUS: rocket-fueled dinos, cosmic conspiracies, and an unforgettable hook made to be shouted by every “Dinosaurrior” on the planet. And beyond that, it serves as a promising harbinger of what could become their next album!
On the collaboration with PERCEPTION, the band states: “In the noble warriors of Perception- A Division of Reigning Phoenix Music, we have found powerful allies who are ready to ride by our side into new adventures and fight new battles! Glorious knights who share our vision and will rekindle a prehistoric cosmic fire!”
The label comments: “We are thrilled to welcome Victorius to the Perception family, because let’s face it, ninja stealth and dinosaur power? That’s basically world domination in metal form. Let’s make some rawr!“
VICTORIUS Songwriter Dirk Scharsich adds about the new single: “The idea behind Dino Race From Outer Space was to create a battle anthem with a lighter, more pop-inspired vibe. The title actually came first—long before any music or lyrics. Right from the start, it was clear this song needed an unforgettable, catchy hook that every Dinosaurrior out there could sing along to. And honestly? We think we nailed it!”
From Super Sonic Samurai to Victorious Dinogods, VICTORIUS have streamed in the millions, toured Japan, the US and Europe, and carved out their very own genre: Power Metal from Outer Space. With their new home at PERCEPTION – A Division of Reigning Phoenix Music, the saga continues—louder, wilder, and more fearless than ever!
About VICTORIUS: VICTORIUS deliver the soundtrack for a world that never truly disappeared – a world of Saturday morning cartoons, action figures, and boundless imagination. What started as a childhood dream has long since evolved into its own universe, captivating audiences around the globe.
Germany, Europe, Japan, the USA – VICTORIUS tour across continents, bringing a show to the stage that takes sound, story, and attitude to a new level. Every song is part of a larger story – and you can feel it live: thoughtful show elements, a strong visual style, and a performance that excites rather than just functions. VICTORIUS live means: full energy, no facade. A show that stands out – and stays with you.
With each album, the band refines their very own genre: “Power Metal from Outer Space.” Whether it’s cybernetic dinosaurs, galactic ninjas, or magical mammoths – VICTORIUS deliver power metal at maximum intensity – melodic, driving, unstoppable. Their discography reads like a cinematic adventure in multiple parts: from Dinosaur Warfare to Space Ninjas from Hell to The Great Ninja War.
VICTORIUS aren’t a retro show, but a nostalgic leap into the future. For everyone who still feels the fire of those old days – when heroes were immortal, adventures limitless, and imagination knew no bounds.
German Pagan Metal force ASENBLUT unleash their brand-new single and video “Bruderschaft” – a song born from a rare and powerful creative moment.
“Bruderschaft” was written during a weekend free of stress, filled with nights by the fire, drinks, and meaningful conversations. Out of this unique atmosphere grew a track that embodies pure willpower – a burning fire that, even after two decades, continues to blaze within music, art, and creation.
The song is a hymn to perseverance and unity: to all those who have stood with ASENBLUT side by side, as well as to those who stood against them. Every challenge, every obstacle has fuelled the band’s growth. Resistance leads to strength – and overcoming it, whether in small steps or great battles, is the path walked together: as a band, as fans, as a brotherhood.
Musically, Mate “Balrogh” Balogh delivers a fierce and anthemic composition, while lyrically Tim “Tetzel” Wagner channels two decades of struggle, triumph, and unwavering loyalty. The track’s power is sharpened and refined by the mix and master of Andrea Testori (StreetRec Studio).
“Bruderschaft” is more than just a song – it is a declaration. A celebration of resilience, loyalty, and the unbreakable bond that defines ASENBLUT and their community.
Meanwhile, the band is currently in the studio working on their upcoming new album, set for release in the second half of 2026 via Massacre Records.
Originally released in 1969, Ssssh marked Ten Years After’s breakthrough into mainstream rock, blending blues riffs with the raw energy of British psychedelia.
56 years later, Chrysalis are proud to present the album in its most expansive form to date. Featuring the original 1969 mix, the album has also been newly mixed by Charlie Russell from the original ¼ production multi-track tapes, offering superb fresh sonic detail, while the third disc contains a newly discovered live recording from the Finnish radio archives of the bands stunning performance at the Kulttuuritalo Hall in Helsinki on 3rd December 1969, recorded just months after the bands’ career-altering performance at Woodstock.
At the centre of this hardcover edition are newly written liner notes by Nigel Williamson, testimonial from Joe Bonamassa and previously unseen photographs.
The 2-LP vinyl edition was remixed from the original 7-track 1” master tapes and remastered by Phil Kinrade and cut at half-speed at AIR Mastering.
Ten Years After’s Leo Lyons on the deluxe reissue:
“Ssssh was the first record that Ten Years After made on an 8-track machine rather than the four track machines used on previous albums. We could finally separate things out, experiment with overdubs, and actually hear the instruments breathe. Before that, you’d often have to bounce tracks together just to make room, which meant losing quality or committing to a sound too early in the process. I’m really looking forward to hearing the remixed and remastered record. There may be things in those old tapes that no one’s heard yet just waiting to be revealed.”
What a story! Over the past few years, a charity campaign featuring six prominent musicians for the benefit of artists affected by the coronavirus lockdown has developed into a spectacular project that will undoubtedly cause a sensation. We are talking about Dirkschneider And The Old Gang, DATOG for short, with a line-up whose majority has had a decisive influence on the history of heavy metal over the past four decades.
Udo Dirkschneider was the founder and long-time singer of Accept and, after leaving the band, also led his follow-up bands, U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER, to international fame. In DATOG he is joined by Peter Baltes (bass, vocals; ACCEPT, DIRKSCHNEIDER), Stefan Kaufmann (guitar; ACCEPT, U.D.O.) and Mathias Dieth (guitar; SiINNER, U.D.O.) as well as Udo’s son Sven Dirkschneider (drums; U.D.O., DIRKSCHNEIDER), who has played for his dad for the last ten years. The sixth member of the gang is singer Manuela Bibert, who has not been let off the hook since her great performance on the recording of the U.D.O. orchestra album We Are One in the spring of 2019.
In this constellation, three DATOG singles, (‘Where The Angels Fly’, ‘Face Of A Stranger’ and ‘Every Heart Is Burning’), were created between summer 2020 and fall 2021. This got the train rolling: “The whole thing developed a momentum of its own, that we hadn’t expected in this form,” Kaufmann looks back somewhat surprised. “After the singles incredibly went viral, fans, record companies and concert agencies immediately got in touch and wanted to know whether there was more to come… what the prospects were for a full album?”
The answer is here: “Babylon” is out now via Reigning Phoenix Music and you should not miss it.
With a three-singer concept — Dirkschneider, Bibert, Baltes — DATOG delivers a unique mix of vocal profiles that proves to be the band’s unmistakable trademark. “Of course, we didn’t even try to split the vocals equally, but carefully analyzed whose voice would fit best for each part,” explains Udo Dirkschneider. The same applies to songwriting, which followed the motto exclusively: The best songs win!
A wise decision, as the twelve songs on Babylon show! Within a clearly defined stylistic direction and alongside magnificent solo performances, especially from exceptional guitarist Mathias “Don” Dieth, the album impresses with great complexity and an enormous wealth of facets.
With Babylon, the German all-star band presents twelve brilliant metal songs which, despite their unusual vocal concept, never degenerate into a Babylonian confusion of voices. Quite the opposite: the album inspires both compositionally and vocally and convinces every sound fetishist with its transparent yet powerful production.
And this is not the end of the journey: the video story of the songs will unfold for all of the album tracks, keeping fans engaged visually and musically until the very last note, not least reminding everyone, to give the record one more spin.
Though the album leans into a hard rock side, the band members’ heavy metal foundation shines through, best showcased on the focus track and new video ‘Metal Sons’.
‘Metal Sons’ is a tribute to true, original heavy metal: a powerful guitar riff that seems to have been born out of another time period, Udo’s usual uncompromising vocals, plus screaming guitar solos and a chorus that will have every heavy metal fan automatically headbanging and shouting along. Thanks to its modern arrangement, the song is nevertheless (or precisely because of this) a musical treat of a very special kind.
Tracklist “Babylon:
It Takes Two To Tango
Babylon
Hellbreaker
Time To Listen
Strangers In Paradise
Dead Man’s Hand
The Law Of A Madman
Metal Sons
Propaganda
Blindfold
Batter The Power
Beyond The End Of Time
“Babylon” is now available in a variety of stunning formats: -Limited Red, Gold & Black Marbled Gatefold Double Vinyl -Limited Red Opaque & Black Marbled Gatefold Double Vinyl -Gold Opaque Double Vinyl -Deluxe Earbook Edition with CD and enhanced 36-page booklet -Digipak CD featuring a 24-page booklet -Jewelcase CD featuring a 24-page booklet
DIRKSCHNEIDER & THE OLD GANG (DATOG) was originally launched in 2020 as a one-off charity project, but quickly developed a momentum of its own and formed into a band consisting of Udo Dirkschneider (vocals; ACCEPT/U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER), Peter Baltes (bass, vocals; ACCEPT/U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER), Stefan Kaufmann (guitar; ACCEPT/U.D.O.), Mathias “Don” Dieth (guitar; SINNER/U.D.O.), Sven Dirkschneider (drums; U.D.O./DIRKSCHNEIDER) and Manuela “Ella” Bibert (vocals). Between 2020 and 2021 their first three singles attracted a lot of attention, whereupon the band wrote more songs and recorded their debut album. With a unique vocal concept of three voices, powerful riffs and stylistic complexity, DATOG combine classic heavy metal with a modern, powerful production.
DATOG are: Udo Dirkschneider | lead vocals Peter Baltes | bass, lead & backing vocals Manuela “Ella” Bibert | lead & backing vocals, keys Stefan Kaufmann | guitars, backing vocals Mathias “Don” Dieth | guitars, backing vocals Sven Dirkschneider | drums, backing vocals
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 ) 