Fast, aggressive, atmospheric, and heartfelt—these are the words that have come to define Johannesburg’s Lower Hollow. Since their formation in 2022, the band has released two full-length albums, toured extensively across South Africa, and carved out their own unique corner of the atmospheric metalcore landscape. With lyrics rooted in themes of anger, pain, death, loss, and alienation, Lower Hollow have consistently transformed raw emotion into cathartic soundscapes that defy genre boundaries.
Their latest release, Threnody: Songs of Perseverance, marks a new chapter. Originally conceived in the wake of transition, the record is both a reimagining and an evolution of their 2023 album Threnody: Songs of Fortitude.
Just eight months after Fortitude was released, the band faced a major turning point when their vocalist stepped down to focus on fatherhood. Midway through promoting and touring the record, Lower Hollow suddenly found themselves searching for a new voice—and found it in Kathryn Georgina.
The arrival of Kathryn brought a profound shift in dynamic, transforming the band’s sound and igniting a new creative energy. Inspired by the visceral intensity of their live performances with Georgina, Lower Hollow returned to the material from Fortitude and reshaped it through their newly discovered lens.
“Believing in our sound, the songs, and our vision, we decided to offer our audience a version of the album that ultimately reflected the live sound we’d since adopted,” the band explains. “We’ve always been a band that served the songs, and our melodic songwriting process allowed these tracks to take a different shape while still honouring the original sentiment.”
The result is Threnody: Songs of Perseverance—an album that soars with atmosphere, punishes with breakdowns, and carries an emotional weight that lingers long after the last note fades. More than just a reworked release, it is a powerful testament to Lower Hollow’s resilience, creativity, and refusal to be defined by circumstance.
With Songs of Perseverance, Lower Hollow transform challenge into catharsis—offering their audience not just music, but meaning, value, and purpose.
Austrian crossover unit KONTRUST return to the dance floor with “I Like To Move It”. Their rendition of the 1994 Reel 2 Real club hit calls upon heavy music’s explosive energy through grooving riffs and infectious shouts while retaining the original’s reggae-inspired charm. Bringing the 90s smash single to metal stages, KONTRUST continue to motivate metalheads to move by mixing their trademark sound with one of the most recognizable pop songs in modern music.
KONTRUSTabout “I Like To Move It”: “With ‘I Like To Move It,’ we deliberately chose a song that no one can stand anymore. We didn’t want a song that everyone loves—we wanted the perfect crappy song. One that sucks to everyone over the age of four. Everyone knows it; everyone has heard it far too often. And it always pops up when you least need it. It quickly became clear to us: either we give the song a new, dirty raison d’être in our own way—or we at least actively contribute to killing it off once and for all. In the end, the whole thing is a collective childhood trauma that we had to process for ourselves. After 25 years, it was just fun to cover a song for the first time. Ultimately, it was also a welcome change from the usual songwriting process. The song actually almost managed to grow on us… So yes: We like to move it!”
KONTRUST are one of the most extravagant and exciting acts on the scene and have enthralled fans and critics alike by fusing various genres like reggae, pop and dance with heavy hard rock riffs, spliced with their very own way of representing the roots of their home country. This synthesis of styles has brought them not only notable chart entries for several releases, but also high recognition in the form of the “Austrian Newcomer Award” for their debut album, as well as the “AMADEUS Austrian Music Award” – Austria’s biggest and most important prize for national bands and artists – for their second album Time To Tango. Throughout their career spanning more than two decades, the Austrian based outfit has gained millions and millions of views on their exciting music videos on YouTube, with over 15 million video views on the electrifying hits “Hey DJ!” and “Bomba” alone. With their new album, madworld, KONTRUST prove their standing as an unpredictable force in the scene – always hungry, wild and full of surprises, and ready to exceed everything they have achieved so far!
KONTRUST are: Julia Ivanova – Vocals Stefan Lichtenberger – Vocals Michael Wolff – Guitar / Programmings Gregor Kutschera – Bass Johannes Sebald – Drums Manuel Haglmüller – Percussions / Programmings
Finnish metal pioneers Ensiferum are proud to announce their upcoming European headline tour, set to kick off on January 7, 2026 in Heidelberg, Germany. The band will be joined by German power metal veterans Freedom Call as direct support, with Austrian symphonic power metallers Dragony opening each night of the run.
The tour comes in support of Ensiferum‘s most recent studio album, Winter Storm, which marked another milestone in the band’s celebrated career. Released to critical acclaim, Winter Storm charted strongly across Europe, further cementing Ensiferum‘s status as one of the leading forces in melodic Death/Power/Folk-inspired metal. The upcoming shows will bring the album’s powerful and anthemic tracks to life on stage, alongside fan favorites from the band’s extensive catalogue.
Much of the new material for Winter Storm emerged during the COVID lockdown, when ENSIFERUM‘s founding guitarist Markus Toivonen set himself the challenge of finding new ways to make music – eventually composing every song except the rousing and anthemic “Fatherland,” written by bassist Sami Hinkka. The addition of singer/organist Pekka Montin’s crystal-clear melodic high notes provided a tremendous boost on 2020’s Thalassic. But on Winter Storm – a fantasy concept narrative penned by Hinkka – Montin’s super-strong voice finds its optimal place in ENSIFERUM‘s sound. Bringing to life such grandiose, heroic material, the singer emerges as one of the greatest vocal discoveries of the decade.
Full list of tour dates: 07.01.2026 – DE, Heidelberg – Halle 02 08.01.2026 – IT, Treviso – New Age 09.01.2026 – CH, Zurich – Meh Suff! Winter Festival 10.01.2026 – FR, Paris – La Machine du Moulin Rouge 11.01.2026 – GB, London – O2 Academy Islington 13.01.2026 – LU, Esch / Alzette – Rockhal 14.01.2026 – NL, Haarlem – Patronaat 15.01.2026 – DE, Cologne – Live Music Hall 16.01.2026 – DE, Geiselwind – Music Hall 17.01.2026 – DE, Leipzig – Hellraiser 18.01.2026 – DE, Stuttgart – LKA Longhorn 19.01.2026 – DE, Hamburg – Markthalle 20.01.2026 – DE, Frankfurt – Batschkapp 21.01.2026 – DE, Berlin – Festsaal Kreuzberg 22.01.2026 – PL, Warsaw – Proxima 23.01.2026 – SK, Kosice – Colloseum 24.01.2026 – PL, Cracow – Hype Park 25.01.2026 – HU, Budapest – Barba Negra Red Stage 27.01.2026 – DE, Munich – Backstage Werk 28.01.2026 – CZ, Brno – Sono 29.01.2026 – AT, Salzburg – Rockhouse 30.01.2026 – DE, Memmingen – Kaminwerk 31.01.2026 – NL, Nijmegen – Doornroosje 01.02.2026 – BE, St. Niklaas – De Casino
With anthemic choruses, relentless energy, and their signature blend of folk melodies and metal fury, Ensiferum promise an unforgettable live experience for fans across Europe.
Coinciding with the tour announcement, Ensiferum are also unveiling a brand-new lyric video for their track “From Order to Chaos“, taken from Winter Storm. The video can be viewed here:
Earlier this summer (on July 19), Finnish 6x Platinum and 8x Gold-certified, record-breaking rockers THE RASMUS performed as the headliner—and only foreign artist—of the Atlas Festival in war-torn Ukraine. They became an ambassador for the Good Donations charity fund, and along with the Atlas Festival and Blockbuster Mall (where the festival was held), they ultimately raised over 3.5 million hryvnias ($84,000) which was turned into a donation of special surgical instruments for the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital. THE RASMUS today (September 26) released a short documentary film, “The Rasmus in Ukraine,” about their time in the country. Watch it HERE. The income generated from YouTube will be donated to The Good Donations Foundation.
The funds were used to order and purchase modern, high-quality surgical kits from Germany. This equipment has already been delivered to Ukraine and handed over to doctors at the Okhmatdyt National Children’s Specialized Hospital. For medical professionals who save children’s lives every day, the quality and reliability of instruments is crucial. The official handover of the instruments took place yesterday (September 25). Despite being on tour promoting their new album WEIRDO (Better Noise Music), THE RASMUS joined the event online and spoke personally with the team of doctors at the hospital.
As headliners of the festival, THE RASMUS—Lauri Ylönen (vocals), Emppu Suhonen (guitars), Eero Heinonen (bass), and Aki Hakala (drums)—not only performed on stage but also took part in charity activities such as autograph sessions, raffles of unique merchandise bundles, and a personal visit to the hospital. During the meeting with the doctors, the musicians emphasized that “The doctors who work here are real heroes. They provide assistance even during air raid sirens and rocket attacks. We were impressed by their professionalism. It is very important that they have equipment that matches their level. Because these doctors can do even more if they have everything they need.”
The Good Donations Foundation expresses its sincere gratitude to everyone who contributed to the collection: “Together, we were able to give doctors instruments that give children a chance at life and hope to their families.”
Over 110,000 people attended the festival. It had a comprehensive security system and it was prepared to evacuate the audience and performers in just a few minutes if necessary. Before the event, frontman Lauri Ylönen had said, “It’s scary to play in the middle of war, but we want to show our support for the Ukrainian people. We have a massive fan base in Ukraine and we’ve also previously done a joint song with the Ukrainian Eurovision winner Kalush Orchestra.”
The band recently released their highly anticipated 11th studio album, WEIRDO, on September 12 via Better Noise Music (the band’s first for the label) and Playground Music. The album, as well as limited-edition merchandise bundles, are available HERE. Later this year, THE RASMUS will bring their unforgettable stage show to audiences worldwide throughout 2025 on the “Weirdo Tour” and shows for 2026 are starting to be confirmed. The band recently concluded a month-long U.S. trek with The Funeral Portrait and their own North American headlining tour. Tickets are on sale now for the band’s European leg (9/12 – 12/6), as well as their 2026 shows.
ABOUT THE RASMUS
Finnish 6x Platinum and 8x Gold-certified, record-breaking rockers THE RASMUS—Lauri Ylönen (vocals), Emppu Suhonen (guitars), Eero Heinonen (bass), and Aki Hakala (drums)—released their 11th studio album, WEIRDO, September 12 via Better Noise Music (the band’s first for the label) and Playground Music. The album, as well as limited-edition merchandise bundles, are available now HERE. With WEIRDO, THE RASMUS once again proves why they remain a force to be reckoned with in the rock world. In their native Finland, where they are the reigning #1 rock band, THE RASMUS stands at #1 on Spotify, YouTube, Instagram and Deezer as far as followers, views, likes and streams. 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 that the 6x Platinum and 8x Gold-certified band 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 any kind of music fan. As a direct result, they’ve become one of Finland’s greatest musical exports, selling millions of records worldwide and winning award after award.
Celebrating their 30th anniversary, Thuringian extreme metal titans EISREGEN bring back their most infamous and cult-followed release. The band’s second full-length re-emerges in a deluxe Digipak double CD and – for the very first time – on limited double vinyl LP, including rare live bonus recordings from WGT 2000.
With past albums storming the German Top 10 charts, EISREGEN have long proven their cult status across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland through relentless touring and unforgettable live performances.
This 2025 edition also features a reimagined version of one of EISREGEN’s most notorious tracks: “Futter für die Schweine – Rezept 2025” – still 100% EISREGEN, but this time vegan and politically correct, crafted with the band’s trademark dark humor.
“Krebskolonie” has been brought back to life with the help of some of the most renowned names in German metal production. The album was produced by Andy Classen at Studio 1 / Bühne, whose long-standing collaboration with EISREGEN has shaped the band’s unmistakable sound. Classen also handled mixing and mastering together with the band, ensuring that every track retained its raw intensity while achieving a powerful modern edge.
For this reissue, the material was carefully remastered by Markus Stock at the legendary Klangschmiede Studio E, giving the cult record a new sonic brilliance while staying true to its dark essence.
The striking artwork, created by Svartir Andar Graphix, perfectly captures the record’s grim, haunting atmosphere – cementing its place as a timeless cornerstone of German extreme metal history.
With its long-awaited reissue and today’s release, EISREGEN reclaim their throne and deliver the definitive edition of a cult masterpiece.
Cape Town’s alternative rock/psychedelic shoegaze outfit Filthy Hippies return with their brand-new single and video, Honey, the first offering from their forthcoming EP Waves, set for release on 24 October 2025 through Mongrel Records.
On Honey, the band leans fully into their shoegaze sensibilities, wrapping listeners in a haze of shimmering guitars, hypnotic textures, and reverb-drenched vocals. Beneath the lush soundscape lies a quiet mourning — a reflection on the unraveling of the world and the helplessness of watching cherished things slip away.
“The track laments the world slowly turning on itself and the inevitable destruction of all the things that we hold dear,” explains vocalist and guitarist Andrew Paine. “It’s a cry for help, knowing that no one is listening anyway.”
Since forming in 2018, Filthy Hippies have carved out a space in South Africa’s underground rock scene with their DIY spirit and immersive sound. Their music blends dreamlike vocals with layered, feedback-heavy guitars and an ever-shifting line-up, creating a catalogue that feels both raw and transcendent. With Honey, the band captures the fragility of modern existence while further cementing their reputation for crafting music that is as emotionally heavy as it is sonically expansive.
The single is accompanied by a brand-new video, offering a visual extension of the track’s themes — hazy, intimate, and tinged with melancholy.
Filthy Hippies’ upcoming EP Waves promises to expand on this sound, exploring deeper emotional currents and pushing their psychedelic shoegaze into uncharted territory.
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
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 