DeadCityMonkeys have released their self-titled, defiant new single. “Dead City Monkeys” drives the band’s fusion of metal‑infused rock and punk into heavier and rawer territory, without losing catchy melodies.
Hailing from Turku, Finland, DeadCityMonkeys are a raw and uncompromising four‑piece whose music draws from the city’s darker streets and confronts the injustices embedded in society.
The new single tells a story of rebellion and resistance. When people lose faith in political leaders and their empty promises, the fight against injustice begins. Rising from the shadows, they reclaim what has been taken from them.
DeadCityMonkeys are currently working on their debut album, which is scheduled for release in early 2027. “Dead City Monkeys,” released now, is the third single from the upcoming album. The band has previously released seven singles in total.
Sound of Soul is the final single release ahead of Finnish progressive metal band End of Abyss’s debut album Escape to a New Empire. Sound of Soul is a rock‑driven progmetal track that stands out from the band’s earlier singles with its more straightforward structure.
“There’s even some hit potential in the chorus,” composer Petrus Syvänperä grins. “Otherwise, the track continues the album’s heavy and progressive direction.”
“Sound of Soul is a radio‑friendly track with a big chorus… without the dominance of the major media houses, it would be entirely possible to hear this on Radio Rock. I hope people discover it and put it on — it’s a strong track”, says Mikko Herranen in agreement.
The story of Sound of Soul dives deep into the human mind, exploring different temperaments and those moments when a person learns to understand themselves in a new way. The track continues the album’s overarching concept while introducing a slightly more accessible angle — both musically and narratively.
“Alpo Pöytäkangas’s guitar solo blows the roof off once again with its complexity. And Mikko Herranen’s vocal interpretation is a razor‑sharp analysis of the emotions behind the lyrics,” Syvänperä says.
–ISRC: FI3FC2656411 –Composer: Petrus Syvänperä –Lyricist: Petrus Syvänperä –Arrangement: Petrus Syvänperä, Mikko Herranen
The End of Abyss album will be released on October 23, 2026. It is available for pre‑order as a physical CD through Inverse Records’ online store and on Bandcamp . A digital pre‑order is also available on Bandcamp.
Petrus Syvänperä: Guitars, keyboards, programming & drums Mikko Herranen: Vocals Janne Koskenkorva: Bass Alpo Pöytäkangas: Lead guitar Juha-Matti Berg: Rhythm guitar
Band history
End Of Abyss began in Jyväskylä, Finland in the early 2000s as Petrus Syvänperä’s one‑man project. The first self‑recorded demo appeared in 2010, slowly planting the idea of creating a full progressive metal album. A key part of the band’s musical evolution was the development of Petrus’s home studio, where years of demos shaped both the band’s sound and the album’s narrative. During this period, the project worked with several artists but did not yet settle on permanent members.
When the debut album entered the production phase in 2024, guitarist Alpo Pöytäkangas joined and contributed also to the songwriting. Shortly after, bassist Janne Koskenkorva became part of the lineup.
The band’s sound took a major leap forward when vocalist Mikko Herranen joined. His strong melodic sense, professional experience, and human‑centered working style helped shape the album’s sweeping, symphonic atmosphere.
In addition to Pöytäkangas and Syvänperä few tracks include solos by Antti Koivistoinen, who was involved also during the demo years, and rhythm guitars by Juha‑Matti “Masa” Berg (Remastered).
Leading the way for their upcoming studio album Monumental, out on October 23, 2026, via Napalm Records, Ukrainian modern metal architects IGNEA today unveil their third single, entitled “Prefab.” The track arrives as a highly industrial metal anthem feat. aggrotech and electro-industrial icon Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist, whose voice perfectly complements the offering of IGNEA’s vocalist Helle Bohdanova as well as the song’s atmosphere and theme, thus turning it into a true rave soundtrack for metalheads.
IGNEA’s new record Monumental is set around the concept of nostalgia, with “Prefab” getting in line with this idea, as it’s looking at two sides of the album’s overall theme—architecture and collective memory.
Helle Bohdanova about “Prefab”: “‘Prefab’ reflects on the darker side of nostalgia—prefabricated socialist buildings, originally meant to give everyone a roof over their heads. But like many socialist ideals, the concept was flawed at its core: uniform, industrial, stripping people of individuality and personal choice, making them feel like ants inside their own homes. Remnants of this architecture still stand across Europe—from Ukraine and Poland, from Germany to France—and while people may recall personal memories of them, that nostalgia is often bittersweet at best, rooted in poverty and authoritarian regime.
As Ukrainians from a post-Soviet country, we grew up surrounded by the physical remains of a system that promised a bright future and delivered the opposite. What’s stranger is that even knowing how flawed it was, many people still feel a pull toward certain parts of Soviet life. And it’s not just us—plenty of Westerners romanticize Soviet aesthetics too, nostalgic for a past they never lived.
In the ‘Prefab’ video, we wanted to convey the feeling of a confined, uniform space, a cramped room representing a typical Soviet apartment, where only the tenants ever change.
When we shaped the demo around ‘Prefab’, we were basically hearing Andy’s vocals in the back of our minds, and we’re so glad he agreed to lend his voice. Having Combichrist as part of the industrial metal banger on our upcoming album—what could be more iconic?
Tune into this ‘cementery for serial dreams’ and try not to headbang!”
Monumental is IGNEA’s second full-length album that was written during the full-scale war in Ukraine. The recording process mostly took place in the winter of 2025-2026, during icy temperatures and long power outages in Kyiv.
Helle Bohdanova says about Monumental: “Back in the 17th century, nostalgia was considered a deadly disease—and in many ways, it still is. It’s a universal feeling experienced by every human being, pulling us toward a past that felt gentler than it truly was, especially during the bitter moments of the present. Much of this album was inspired by modernist architecture—concrete giants built to signal progress and a brighter future, now slowly decaying. They’ve become a sort of memory box: monuments to unrealized dreams, where the future that was once imagined never arrived, yet continues to echo through the ruins and bright mosaics.”
On Monumental, IGNEA takes the listener on nostalgic rides, with all their ups and downs, expressed in music and lyrics, carrying a sense of gentle sadness and reflection, as nostalgia can bring back beautiful memories, darkened by the awareness that these moments will never happen again.
Following Dreams of Lands Unseen (2023), the band navigates through unique facets of the past across nine tracks—from the grandeur and ambition of Cold War space dreams to the melancholy of urban decay and forgotten modernist structures, all the way to the emotional weight of personal and collective memory. All lyrics on Monumentalwere written by vocalist Helle Bohdanova. The music was composed by keyboardist Yevhenii Zhytniuk, with additional contributions from Helle Bohdanova. Mixing and mastering were handled by Grammy Award-nominated producer Jacob Hansen, known for his work with bands such as DELAIN, Amaranthe, Volbeat, Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, and Epica.
Monumentaltracklisting:
Darkness
Dreams of Lands Unseen
Presence of the Past
Prefab (feat. Combichrist)
What Buildings Dream of
I am in Hell
Between No Longer and Not Yet
Harmony Manufactured (feat. Hiraes)
Nadir
Musically, Monumental blends technical metal riffs, industrial textures, atmospheric interludes, grandiose choruses, and melodic passages to mirror “nostalgic rides,” where darkness, reflection, and awe collide. Visually and conceptually, IGNEA drew inspiration from retrofuturism, modernist and monumental architecture, and industrial design, creating a world where sound, imagery, and memory converge. The album stands as an ode to the past, a meditation on lost and unrealized futures, and a celebration of the enduring beauty hidden within forgotten places.
IGNEA Live 2026
Supporting EVERGREY’s Architects Of A New Weave European Tour 2026 w/ Stellar Circuits 11.11.26 SE – Lund / Mejeriet 12.11.26 SE – Stockholm / Kollektivet Livet 13.11.26 SE – Linköping / Paletset 14.11.26 SE – Gothenburg / Filmstudion 2 15.11.26 NO – Oslo / Salt 17.11.26 DE – Hamburg / Logo 18.11.26 DE – Berlin / Hole44 19.11.26 DE – Munich / Feierwerk 20.11.26 AT – Vienna / Weberknecht 21.11.26 IT – Milan / Slaughter Club 22.11.26 CH – Aarau / KiFF 23.11.26 BE – Antwerp / Zappa 25.11.26 UK – Southampton / The Brook 26.11.26 UK – Birmingham / Asylum 27.11.26 UK – London / The Underworld 28.11.26 UK – Leeds / The Key Club 29.11.26 IE – Dublin / Opium 30.11.26 UK – Belfast / Limelight 2 01.12.26 UK – Glasgow / G2 02.12.26 UK – Newcastle / Anarchy Brew 03.12.26 UK – Manchester / Rebellion 04.12.26 UK – Bristol / Strange Brew 05.12.26 UK – Nottingham / Saltbox 07.12.26 FR – Paris / Petit Bain 08.12.26 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof 09.12.26 DE – Karlsruhe / Substage 10.12.26 DE – Dortmund / Junkyard 11.12.26 NL – Rotterdam / Baroeg 12.12.26 NL – Maastricht / Muziekgieterij
Finnish atmospheric metal band Meret released the second single and music video named after the band ‘Meret’. The track is taken from the forthcoming self-titled EP which is set to be released later in 2027 via Inverse Records.
The band features familiar faces from the Finnish metal scene, and its members have experience playing in bands such as Hanging Garden, Shamrain, Crimfall, and Where’s My Bible.
–Composed, arranged & lyrics by Toni Hinkkala –Arranged by Mikko Kolari –Mixed & recorded by Pasi Löfgren –Mastered by Miro Kiiski –ISRC: FI3FC2601201 –Single cover by Petri Lampela
“This song takes the listener beneath the surface, into the depths where the waves carry something away. Blending beautiful melodies with relentless blast beats, it unfolds as an emotional journey through silence, loss and the unknown. Some things never truly leave us and we learn to accept them and carry them with us, descending ever deeper beneath the surface.” says, Toni Hinkkala.
Meret, formed in 2025 in Heinola, is a atmospheric metal band built around strong melodies, melancholy and the contrast between hope and darkness. The band’s songs are born from personal emotions and an inner world. A place that cannot always be explained with words, but can be heard through the music.
Meret’s sound combines beautiful melodies, dark tones and dynamic songwriting where sensitivity and heaviness exist side by side. The music does not aim to be perfectly polished or calculated, but genuinely emotional and honest. The band builds its songs around powerful atmospheres. At times the music can feel hopeless and dark, yet beneath the surface there is always also light and hope. The band’s identity is strongly rooted in its own vision and personal expression.
Meret was born from the need to create music that feels real.
Line-up: Toni Hinkkala – Vocals & rhythm guitar Mikko Kolari – Lead guitar Pasi Löfgren – Bass guitar & backing vocals Janne Jukarainen – Drums
W.A.S.P. shakes up the set list by adding three songs that have never been performed before and a two songs that haven’t been performed since the 1980s. The real surprise is adding the song Mr. Cool, a song Blackie performed in his pre-W.A.S.P. band Sister.
W.A.S.P. out on the “1984 To Headless” 2026 U.S. and Canada Tour with KK’s Priest as very special guest.
Blackie Lawless commented on the tour, “Every night it really is special.”
“W.A.S.P. -1984 TO HEADLESS” Set List
EASY LIVING – never performed until 2026 FISTFUL OF DIAMONDS – last performed in 1986 THE FLAME MR. COOL – never performed until 2026 B.A.D. THUNDERHEAD – last performed in 1989 FOREVER FREE THE REAL ME THE HEADLESS CHILDREN MEPHISTO WALTZ – never performed until 2026 I WANNA BE SOMEBODY L.O.V.E. MACHINE INSIDE THE ELECTRIC CIRCUS I DON’T NEED NO DOCTOR GOLGOTHA WILD CHILD BLIND IN TEXAS
W.A.S.P. is again offering fans VIP tickets that give fans a chance to meet Blackie Lawless, get a personal photo with Blackie, autographs, and take part in a very personal Q&A with Blackie. Don’t wait to get your VIP ticket, VIP tickets can be purchased at https://waspnation.myshopify.com
“W.A.S.P. -1984 TO HEADLESS” Tour Dates
09-16 – Austin, TX Emos 09-17 – Tulsa, OK Tulsa Theater 09-18 – Dallas, TX House Of Blues 09-19 – San Antonio, TX Aztec Theater 09-20 – Houston, TX House Of Blues 09-22 – Clearwater, FL Ruth Eckard Hall 09-23 – Daytona, FL Peabody Auditorium 09-24 – Jacksonville, FL Florida Theater 09-25 – Raleigh, NC The Ritz 09-26 – Jim Thorpe, PA Penn’s Peak 09-27 – Portland, ME Aura 09-29 – Boston, MA House Of Blues 09-30 – Hampton, NH Hampton Beach Casino 10-01 – Wallington, CT Toyota Oakdale Theatre 10-02 – New York, NY The Palladium 10-03 – Carteret, NJ Carteret Performing Arts Center 10-05 – Montreal, QC Mtelus 10-06 – Ottawa, ON Hard Rock Casino 10-07 – Pickering, ON Pickering Casino Resort 10-09 – Des Plaines, IL Des Plaines Theater 10-10 – St Charles, IL Arcada Theater 10-11 – St Charles, IL Arcada Theater 10-13 – Glenside, PA Keswick Theatre 10-14 – Harrisburg, PA Capitol City Music Hall 10-15 – Cleveland, OH Agoura Theater 10-16 – Milwaukee, WI Pabst Theater 10-17 – Green Bay, WI EPIC Event Center 10-19 – Winnipeg, MB Burton Cummings Theatre 10-21 – Edmonton, AB Midway Music Hall 10-22 – Calgary, AB The Palace Theater 10-23 – Coquitlam, BC Great Canadian Casino Vancouver – SOLD OUT 10-24 – Coquitlam, BC Great Canadian Casino Vancouver 10-25 – Seattle, WA Moore Theater 10-27 – San Jose, CA San Jose Civic 10-29 – Rancho Mirage, CA The Show @ Agua Caliente 10-30 – Las Vegas, NV House Of Blues 10-31 – Anaheim, CA The Grove
About W.A.S.P. Few Bands in the history of Rock N’ Roll have ever incited the love, the hate, the raw emotional effect this Band has had on the world. From the very beginning, in the small venues of Los Angeles California, and later to the numerous countries worldwide that banned these Winged Assassins from performing live, the Band’s unique style of Shock and Rock caused Religious organizations, Local City Councils, Parliaments, and the Washington D.C. Senate to hold hearings in an effort to bar this group from selling records and trashing stages everywhere they played.
The band’s founding member, frontman Blackie Lawless, has led the group as its lead vocalist and primary songwriter since its beginning. His unique brand of visual, social and political comment took the group to worldwide heights and sold millions of records alongside a legacy of sold out shows across the globe for 4 decades.
About KK’s Priest You can’t keep a heavy metal legend down… Although it’s been over a dozen years since guitarist and songwriter K.K. Downing departed Judas Priest, the iconic band he co-founded and played with for 40 years, he was never really going to retire. It was only a matter of time before he reclaimed the spotlight. As his new album title proclaims, The Sinner Rides Again.
K.K. Downing has had metal coursing through his veins from the beginning, starting in the Midlands region of England where Judas Priest was born. He compellingly chronicled his life odyssey in his 2018 autobiography, and his recent induction into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame further secures his legacy as a pioneering musician, songwriter and guitarist. As a founding member of the classic Judas Priest line-up, Downing helped lay the foundation for the heavy metal genre as a whole. His distinct style of playing is easily identifiable, he was part of a six-string duo that complemented and contrasted each other, and they would progress to new levels of excitement. He has taken that ethos and applied it to KK’s Priest with impassioned results.
Fans already excited by KK’s return, will also be elated that KK’s Priest are gearing up for another round of touring in the US and Canada in the fall of 2026 with fellow metal legends W.A.S.P.
For Downing, KK’s Priest is not just a statement of intent. It is a statement of being. His lifelong heavy metal saga continues.
As couture symphonic metal band ANA storms across the United States on tour with Danzig, Twin Temple and Burning Witches, they drop this electrifying new music video for “Following the Wind.” Directed by Aaron Mak and filmed during their recent Japan Tour, this music video captures the visceral energy of a band hitting their stride on the global stage, offering fans a rare glimpse into the chaotic beauty of life on the road for these rising superstars. Blending heavy rock riffs with soaring classical elements, ANA has carved out a unique space for fans of Evanescence, Nightwish, and Dorothy. “Following the Wind” is a profound visual anchor for the band’s new full-length studio album, Motivated by Death, which was released on May 29, 2026 via Eclipse Records.
This is the fourth music video from their latest album, and it further cements this band as one of the scene’s rising superstars.
The music video for “Following the Wind” steps away from the band’s highly stylized studio shoots to deliver something deeply authentic. Vocalist Anna Khristenko noted that the band has always wanted to shoot a live video to capture the unique energy shared between the performers and the crowd. This video brings their renowned live show to fans worldwide who have yet to witness it firsthand. Director Aaron Mak translates this live energy perfectly to the screen. By spending prolonged, intimate moments with the band on tour, Mak was able to shoot from the perspective of an audience member experiencing the show night after night. He also captured the private moments of victory offstage, which he believes enriches the video in a completely new way.
“Having worked with ANA on their feature documentary, Watch Me As I Rise, this music video feels like a bridging point between that film and the next instalment.” Says Aaron Mak. “The mindset of wanting this project to be more than just a music video persisted, which explains the intercutting of emotionally charged moments and milestones. The ANA we saw struggling with overcoming obstacles in Watch Me As I Rise has flourished into this latest iteration – more confident, but still hungry as ever. It’s a prologue to the next chapter of this band’s evolution.”
The band’s documentary film Watch Me As I Rise, is currently streaming exclusively on Thunderflix.
Cover art Credit: Peter Coulson
While many symphonic metal acts lean into fantasy tropes, ANA focuses on a sophisticated evolution of the craft. Led by vocalist Anna Khristenko, the band members perform as masked super-humans. This visual identity is captured on the album cover by acclaimed Australian photographer Peter Coulson, bridging the gap between high fashion and the visceral intensity of symphonic metal. Produced by the creative duo of Josh Mak and Khristenko, the record finds a balance between orchestral grandeur and sonic precision. The heart of the record is found in “Shadow of Life”. Despite the title of the album, the band does not dwell on morbidity. Instead, the song treats death as a vital shadow that gives life its shape. It is a reminder to embrace the impermanence of existence as a catalyst for creativity. Other standouts from the album include “Hate Me” and “Papa”. The album was produced by Anna Khristenko & Josh Mak, engineered & mixed by Chris Themelco (Eye of the Enemy, Naberus) at Monolith Studios, and mastered by Thomas “Plec” Johansson (Groove Armada, Soilwork, Mayhem) at The Panicroom Studio. Cover art for the album was shot by Peter Coulson. Motivated By Death by Ana was released on May 29, 2026 via Eclipse Records. Get Motivated By Death on CD Digipak via Eclipse Records & on all digital platforms at this location.
ANA on tour w/ Danzig, Twin Temple, Burning Witches (get tickets) – remaining shows:
09/18 Nashville, TN @ Pinnacle 09/20 Grand Prairie, TX @ Texas Trust Co Theatre 09/26 Anaheim, CA @ Honda Center
ANA draws comparisons to Symphonic Metal titans such as Nightwish, Within Temptation, and Evanescence, yet they maintain a distinct Australian edge that refuses to be pigeonholed. By blending the grandeur of orchestral arrangements with the visceral power of symphonic metal and modern hard rock, ANA ensures that “couture metal” is not just about the appearance of luxury, but the substance of the art itself.
Ana is Anna Khristenko (Vocals), Josh Mak (Guitar), Cody Lamb (Bass), Andres Felipe Martinez Osorio (Drums), Mark Shi (Keys).
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
