Ildaruni stands as a force of unrelenting and immersive black metal, channeling an atmosphere that is both ferocious and transcendental. Its music captures intensity through towering soundscapes, layered with precision and aggression, while their lyrical vision delves into the arcane mysteries of worlds long past. With a sharpened focus and a blazing presence, Ildaruni are set to ignite the scene once again with their long-awaited, commanding black metal invocations.
Watch the visualizer for the single:
Ildaruni’s new album marks a powerful evolution, moving away from their pagan/folk roots to fully embrace raw, atmospheric black metal. Inspired by ancient mysticism and lore, the record weaves dark, immersive soundscapes featuring melodic chanting, authentic choir, and grand orchestral arrangements.
Ancient darkened rites and forgotten mythos converge, awakening a slumbering force from the gilded shrine. The trumpets of damnation shall sound seven times, summoning from the void the god of covenants. With spite and thirst, the fire-born shall raise the sulfur dagger profane to scald and shed the blood, presaging new woeful revelation.
Nine ominous initiations that are set to transform you into the storm of nomos and burning gnosis. A work of mystical upheaval, a sermon to the bestower of creed who will guide through the ghastly pathways to the ladders of Apothanaitismos!
Thy alone is his wreath! The spewed sacred blood is the essence of divine mysteries, pulverized and accursed, is the hollowed memory that hierophants passed on, is the forbidden knowledge, erased and incinerated, yet alive in ashes! A ritual of divine bloodletting is about to unfold, and you are invited to revel in its might.
Track list 1 Mithras Alone is My Wreath 2 The Ascension of Kosmokrator 3 Of Nomos and Flaming Flint Stone 4 Forged with Glaive and Blood 5 Zurvan Akrane 6 Arcane Sermon 7 Immersion into Empyrean 8 Scorching Pathways to Samachi 9 Divinum Sanguinem
Album cover artwork by Khaos Diktator Design Album layout design by Heresie Studio Sigils by Anatiummi Arts Logo by Christophe Szpajdel
Members Narek Avedyan – Vocals Robert Meliksetyan – Guitars, acoustic guitars Mark Erskine – Guitars Artak Karapetyan – Bass Arthur Poghosyan – Drums, dap
Wings of Steel, the rising stars of traditional heavy metal, unleash their powerful new single and music video “Burning Sands”. This electrifying track is the third and final single from their highly anticipated sophomore album “Winds of Time” and follows two critically acclaimed singles from the album released earlier this year: “We Rise” and “Winds of Time”. “Burning Sands” masterfully blends old-school metal with a contemporary twist, featuring driving heavy guitar riffs and scorching solos, top-tier soaring vocals, and a monumental, utterly face-melting middle section that offers a powerful display of the epic journey awaiting listeners with the full album.
The accompanying music video, filmed in the desolate expanse of Poland’s Błędowska Desert, provides a striking visual metaphor for the song’s powerful message. The band comments on the track’s timely theme: “‘Burning Sands’ illustrates the dire consequences of geopolitical events that could lead to nuclear war and the annihilation of humanity. This aligns with a common underlying lyrical theme on the album, best encapsulated by Mark Twain’s observation: ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.’”
“Winds of Time” is sure to be a landmark release for Wings of Steel, and is a testament to their unwavering dedication to the genre and their relentless pursuit of musical excellence. The album is scheduled for a worldwide release on October 17, 2025, and promises to deliver a combination of captivating narratives, hard-hitting tracks and memorable melodies.
Fans eager to secure their copy of “Winds of Time” can now pre-order the album in both CD and Vinyl formats. For those in the USA/Rest of World, pre-orders are available directly via the band’s official website: https://wingsofsteelband.com/home#store-shows. European fans can secure their copies through High Roller Records:https://www.hrrecords.de/WINGS-OF-STEEL.
Catch Wings of Steel live on their North American tour in early 2026! Tickets are available via the Band’s website.
USA February 9 – Ft. Lauderdale, FL – War Memorial Auditorium February 10 – Tampa, FL – Yuengling Center February 13 – Houston, TX – 713 Music Hall February 14 – Dallas, TX – South Side Ballroom February 15 – San Antonio, TX – Boeing Center at Tech Port February 18 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Financial Theatre February 20 – Los Angeles, CA – The Kia Forum February 21 – Wheatland, CA – Hard Rock Live February 24 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Union Event Center February 26 – Loveland, CO – Blue FCU Arena February 27 – Omaha, NE – Steelhouse Omaha February 28 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory March 2 – Des Moines, IA – Vibrant Music Hall March 3 – Minneapolis, MN – The Armory March 4 – Chicago, IL – The Salt Shed March 7 – Cincinnati, OH – The Andrew J Brady Music Center March 8 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Detroit March 10 – Pittsburgh, PA – UPMC Events Center March 11 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met March 12 – Boston, MA – MGM Music Hall at Fenway March 14 – Virginia Beach, VA – The Dome March 15 – Washington, DC – The Theater at MGM National Harbor March 17 – Greensboro, NC – Greensboro Event Center March 18 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy
CANADA April 6 – Halifax, NS – Scotiabank Centre April 9 – Laval, QC – Place Bell April 11 – Toronto, ON – Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto April 14 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre April 17 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Convention Centre April 18 – Calgary, AB – Grey Eagle Event Centre April 20 – Vancouver, BC – PNE Forum
About the Band
Formed back in 2019, Wings of Steel is a Los Angeles-based heavy metal/hard rock band rooted in the classic styles of the 70s and 80s. Their sound combines singer Leo Unnermark’s bluesy, powerful vocals with Parker Halub‘s bombastic riffs and expressive soloing, creating a distinctive and massive sound reminiscent of the glory days of heavy metal combined with all the crisp clarity that modern recording techniques have to offer.
After their 2022 debut EP “Wings of Steel”, the band released their critically acclaimed first full-length album “Gates of Twilight” (2023). In spring 2024, Wings of Steel embarked on their first European tour where they reaffirmed their position as one of the most prominent new bands in Heavy Metal. Wings of Steel continues to be praised for their energetic and captivating live performances, which can be experienced sonically on their live album “Live in France” (2024).
To date Wings of Steel has played numerous shows in the US and Europe, including festivals and venues like Heavy Week-End, Rock Hard Festival, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, Up the Hammers Festival, Keep it True Festival, and more.
Additional information/credits Recording on the album: Vocals: Leo Unnermark Guitars & Bass: Parker Halub Drums: Damien Rainaud
Tour lineup (as featured on pictures): Vocals: Leo Unnermark Lead guitar: Parker Halub Rhythm guitar: Stefan Bailet Bass: Mathieu Trobec Drums: Marcel Binder
Subsolar creates spacious guitar-led music with soft vocals and an expansive feel, heavily inspired by moments in films that really speak to you, whether you can or can’t explain why. Coming from an indie background, the music has evolved toward a more cinematic sound, with layered textures and subtle dynamics that swell into big guitar moments and richer soundscapes.
Subsolar’s Joe Grange states: “I was fortunate to collaborate with a few key people who helped bring ‘Komorebi’ to life. Gavin Monaghan, a friend and producer I’ve known for years now, guided the recording process and helped shape the sonic textures of the track along with Liam Radburn who ensured the sound remained intimate and detailed. Paul Nicola Miller, my old bandmate and amazing drummer, contributed his nuanced percussion, on the fly I might add. Their contributions really brought this track from an acoustic voice memo to a fully fledged… ‘thing’.” Subsolar’s debut release, ‘Komorebi’, is a synth & guitar-led single. Inspired by the film, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the song explores the inseparable and inevitable ups and downs of relationships, as well as coming to terms with loss and acceptance. The title, ‘Komorebi’, is a Japanese word reflecting a similar sense of opposites existing naturally alongside one another – the sunlight and shadows flickering and filtering through the trees.
“This song is the direct result of Eternal Sunshine reshaping my outlook on situations in my own life – coming to terms with my Dad’s passing and accepting the end of a long-term relationship during that same time period. This newfound perspective gave me a deeper understanding of how the good and bad have to naturally coexist in life. How it’s important to embrace and accept, rather than run from the pain that follows when you lose something, or someone, you really cared for. I’ve tried to capture that acceptance in the music and overall feeling of Komorebi, holding space for both joy and heartbreak, and letting that tension shape the emotional and cinematic arc of the song.”
‘Komorebi’ was recorded at Magic Garden Studios and produced by Gavin Monaghan & Liam Radburn.
Irish progressive metal outfit URAGH released their forthcoming EP ‘Stalemate’ on September 25th, 2025, and for the first time in the band’s career, the record will be available on limited edition black vinyl. Pressed in Ireland by Anthem Vinyl, this marks URAGH’s debut vinyl release, a significant milestone for the band.
The EP’s first single, “Crimson Dove,” is out now alongside an official music video, offering the first taste of what is set to be the band’s most intense and thematically ambitious work to date.
A Crushing Portrait of Paralysis and Control A searing follow-up to last year’s debut full-length Maelstrom, ‘Stalemate’ delivers four interconnected tracks that explore the darker aspects of institutional control and personal deterioration in modern society. Themes of mental health breakdown, societal alienation, and the psychological toll of systemic oppression run throughout the release.
The conceptual arc moves from the mechanical warfare of “Perpetual”, into the circling predation of “Crimson Dove”, the grief-laden “Time Heals Nothing” (featuring guest vocals from Foelicitye), and culminates with the stark institutional imagery of the title track, “Stalemate.” “Musically, we really wanted to bottle the energy of our live show this time around,” says guitarist Marcelo Varge. “It’s definitely a step up in intensity from Maelstrom, but the process was also more spontaneous. Time Heals Nothing, for example, was basically built from scratch in the studio.”
Recording & Artwork Stalemate was recorded earlier this year at JSR Audio with producer Josh Sid Robinson, who played a pivotal role in shaping the band’s evolving sound. The EP’s striking artwork was created by Georgian visual artist Alex Malakmadze, reflecting the mechanical and institutional themes within the music.
STALEMATE – TRACKLIST 1 Perpetual 2 Crimson Dove 3 Time Heals Nothing (feat. Foelicitye) 4 Stalemate
LIVE SHOWS – IRELAND & UK TOUR URAGH will support the release of Stalemate with a string of live shows across Ireland and the UK, bringing their formidable stage presence to the following cities:
Sep 26 – Dublin @ Sin É Oct 3 – Bristol, UK @ The Gryphon Oct 4 – London, UK @ The Dev Oct 10 – Cork @ Fred Zeppelins Oct 11 – Belfast @ Voodoo Belfast Oct 26 – Limerick @ TBA Nov 14 – Edinburgh, UK @ The Banshee Labyrinth
ABOUT URAGH
Formed in 2022, URAGH have quickly built a reputation for their immersive sound and cerebral lyrical themes. Their 2024 debut Maelstrom saw them appear at Wacken Open Air and take to the main stage at Ireland’s Siege of Limerick, marking a breakout year for the band. Now with ‘Stalemate‘, they venture deeper into territory that is as thought-provoking as it is sonically devastating.
URAGH are: Craig Murphy – Vocals Marcelo Varge – Guitar Sebastian Sparr – Bass Jason Hodgkins – Drums
SUMMARY: ‘Stalemate‘ is released September 25th, 2025 via digital platforms and on limited black vinyl pressed by Anthem Vinyl. Across four tracks, the EP crafts a bleak yet compelling commentary on mental health, systemic control, and the cyclical nature of human suffering, underscored by URAGH’s most urgent and visceral songwriting to date.
German heavy power metal force SKULL & CROSSBONES are set to return this autumn with their new studio album “Time”, to be released on November 14, 2025 via Massacre Records. The follow-up to their debut marks a strong step forward in both songwriting and production, delivering powerful, melodic, and timeless heavy metal that blends energy with emotion.
After the soaring first single “Echoes Of Eternity”, the band now unleash their brand-new single and video “Labyrinth Of Time”. Musically dark and dramatic, the track is accompanied by a poignant statement from the band, describing it as a reflection on “human decay due to dementia”. Heavy riffs and haunting melodies create a song that is both tragic and cathartic, capturing the inevitability of decline through a deeply emotional lens.
“Time” was produced by SKULL & CROSSBONES together with Marc Ayerle, who also handled mixing and mastering at KlangMAnufaktur. Cover artwork was created by Michael Vetter, while additional keyboard arrangements on “Thunderstorm” and “The Ocean’s Call” were provided by vocalist Tobias Hübner.
The record is a journey through powerful riffs, anthemic choruses, and lyrical depth – ranging from the mystical (“Eye Of Wisdom”) and the dramatic (“The Price”) to the thunderous and uplifting (“Thunderstorm”) and even playful, with the pirate-inspired closer (“The Ocean’s Call”).
With “Time”, SKULL & CROSSBONES deliver their most mature and focused work to date. Lyrically, the album reflects on the fleeting nature of existence – from stolen hours (“Time Thief”) and human decay (“Labyrinth Of Time”) to rebirth and transcendence (“Eye Of Wisdom”). Musically, the band balance classic heavy/power metal with a modern edge, crafting songs which are as anthemic as they are thought-provoking.
This is not just an album – it’s a journey through past, present, and future, bound together by the unrelenting power of heavy metal.
02.10.2025 – DE Nagold, Rocknacht Alte Seminarturnhalle 15.11.2025 – DE Dunningen-Lackendorf, Eventlocation Krone 22.11.2025 – DE Freiburg, Artik (w/ Sacred Steel & Portrait) 28.11.2025 – DE Balingen, Sonnenkeller (Release Show) 20.12.2025 – DE Schauenburg, Rittersburg 27.12.2025 – DE Runkel, No Sleep After X-Mas Festival 21.02.2026 – DE Leonberg, Beat Baracke 14.03.2026 – DE Kempten, Cambo Metal (Allgäuhalle) 25.04.2026 – DE Hochspeyer, Metal Garage 27.06.2026 – DE Weselberg, Sicking High Rock Open Air
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX is set to embark on its Sceaduhelm Tour 2026, bringing the sweeping, melancholic landscapes of its catalogue to venues across Europe. This new leg represents a commitment to live theatre as integral to the band’s identity, a commitment borne from years of evolving performance and atmospheric intensity.
The band will perform selections spanning their entire discography, weaving new material with established works. On stage, listeners can expect cinematic arrangements, shifting textures, and the presence of multiple live musicians; key to conveying the full scale of the “endtime ballads” for which they are known.
The tour also marks a reaffirmation of the ritual of performance: venues will incorporate immersive lighting, fog, and staging that reflect the austere, haunting aesthetic central to the Crippled Black Phoenix ethos.
Below is the full list of confirmed tour dates:
01 May: Bremen, DE @ HELLSEATIC 02 May: Izegem, BE @ Headbanger’s Balls Fest* 03 May: Paris, FR @ Petit Bain 04 May: Nijmegen, NL @ Doornroosje 05 May: Bielefeld, DE @ Forum 06 May: Köln, DE @ Club Volta 07 May: Karlsruhe, DE @ Substage 08 May: Aschaffenburg, DE @ Colos-Saal 09 May: Lindau, DE @ Club Vaudeville 10 May: Reutlingen, DE @ Franz K. 11 May: Munich, DE @ Backstage 12 May: Vienna, AT @ Arena 13 May: Budapest, HU @ A38 14 May: Prague, CZ @ Rock Café 15 May: Dresden, DE @ Beatpol 16 May: Berlin, DE @ Desertfest*
*Without Temple Fang
Tickets will be made available at a later date.
The thread that binds CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s bold and towering discography — a dozen studio albums, a half-dozen mini-albums, a handful of compilations and swaths of bootlegs — could not be more apropos circa 2022. Since its 2004 creation by multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Justin Greaves, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX has served as the voice for the voiceless, whether it be animals, the unequal and the different. Greaves and longstanding vocalist and lyricist Belinda Kordic have often proffered that these beings cannot fend for themselves. Henceforth, CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s mission has been to shed light on the human condition and the inequalities that befall humankind and its creatures. Their battle marches on with their latest studio album, Banefyre.
Banefyre follows 2020’s Ellengæst — an effort that found CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX employ a series of notable guest vocalists alongside Kordic, prompting Metal Hammer to describe it as their “most cohesive and emotionally devastating record.” Kordic is now paired with Swedish vocalist Joel Segerstedt, who made his CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX debut last year via the “Painful Reminder/Dead is Dead” single. Piano, synth and trumpet player Helen Stanley and additional guitarist Andy Taylor complete the lineup. Greaves says Stanley and Taylor “fit so well creatively,” which has made CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX feel like a band when making plans and decisions.
Also central to this is Segerstedt. According to Kordic, the vocalist and lyricist lives a mere five minutes from her in Sweden and has quickly integrated himself into the band. “What I like about Joel is that he’s a good person,” she says. “There’s no fakeness with him; he has cajones. He’s not a bitch-talker, either. I can’t handle people who don’t have a backbone, but Joel is real and can speak his mind.”
“I like how Joel has come in and spoke for himself,” adds Greaves. “He’s in the band for the right reasons. I see him the same way as Belinda — she took an interest in the whole artistic thing behind CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX, like the vocals, lyrics, artwork and aesthetic. It’s the same with Joel. He has taken an interest in all of those things. In the past, we had people who didn’t contribute artistically and only cared about what they got out of the band. But Joel is really proactive and takes the initiative.”
Greaves assembled 13 songs (including “No Regrets,” a bonus track for his new project with Kordic, Johnny the Boy) imbued with the depth and introspection that will reinforce CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s standing as a band that defies genre. The album was tracked at Chapel Studios in South Thoresby, Lincolnshire, with vocals cut at Monolith Studio and Kapsylen Studio in Stockholm, Sweden. Kurt Ballou handled mixing in GodCity Studios in Salem, Massachusetts — a pivotal move in determining the album’s overall sound.
“I love the album so much because it was a different approach with the production,” says Greaves. “For my part, it was a little bit of a reaction. I didn’t want to do the same warm, safe CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX album. I’m aware that when we did [2012’s] I, Vigilante, everyone wanted I, Vigilante again. As it so often happens with this band, people complain about the next one, then grow into it. Ellengæst is like I, Vigilante. It’s a shorter album. It hit the mark and was done really well, but everyone will expect another Ellengæst. I feared that, but I care enough not to make another Ellengæst. It’s the right thing to do. That’s why we got Kurt to mix it — we wanted that analog, raw power. Even though the album has mellow moments, those are edgy as well. We just didn’t want to do the same album twice. We’re never going to be a band that people can rely on.”
Greaves’ summation of his band notwithstanding, his distinctive guitar playing and enduring knack for immersive songwriting is the propellent behind the haunting, chant-laden “Ghostland,” pensive “The Reckoning” and forlorn “Everything is Beautiful but Us,” the band’s spot-on analysis of the retreat of humankind indoors during the pandemic that revealed nature’s priceless beauty. The album is also stocked with no less than four ten-minute-plus cuts (“Rose of Jericho,” “Down the Rabbit Hole,” “I’m Okay, Just Not Alright” and “The Scene is a False Prophet”) that are intermixed with drama and melancholy.
It all ties into Banefyre’s central theme of the persecution of people who are deemed “different” by society. The album title is a play on the song “Bonefire” that Kordic named and wrote lyrics for. In classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, Greaves turned it into the Olde English translation to represent the bonfires that engulfed witches and politicians through the 15th and 18th centuries, hence, the name Banefyre.
The album begins with “Incantation for the Different,” which was written and orated by Chicago-based witch, artist, author and occultist Shane Bugbee, who, according to Greaves, “brought us some positive, dark energy.” Banefyre then delves into the Salem Witch Trials (“Wyches and Basterdz”), fox hunting in Great Britain (“The Reckoning”), politicians of an unscrupulous and dishonest kind (“Bonefire”) and the New York City Blackout of 1977 (“Blackout77”).
Greaves says Banefyre’s topics may have a decidedly negative and pessimistic tone, but a glimmer of hope and joy remains. “There’s always the random bits, but overall, Banefyre is about the people who have suffered because they are different. The album covers inequality and oppression, like ‘Incantation for the Different,’ which is about overcoming when you’re put down because you’re not like everyone else.”
In true CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX fashion, the Lucy Marshall-created Banefyre cover leaves plenty to the imagination, depicting four animals seated at a table — interacting and dressed like human beings. “It’s sort of like Planet of the Apes showing what animals could do to humans,” says Greaves. “The cover was specially commissioned and is unique to the album. It’s incorporating all the classic CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX elements with the love for animals and twisting the narrative around.”
CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX’s reputation was built on the back of their studio albums and live shows. The pandemic prevented the band from supporting Ellengæst, but it did provide them additional time to bring in new members to their live configuration.
“We’ve done one show since 2019,” says Greaves. “We are going to do something in Europe this year. Hopefully, we can get back on track. We’re also going to do something in the States — that’s not just talk, we’re actually going to do it. It’s well overdue. The live band is fucking amazing. We have the five of us and now we have Jordi [Farré] on drums, Paco [Fleischfresser] on synth and a really good friend of mine, Matt Crawford on bass.
“We did the Leipzig show and even though the rehearsals were better than the show itself, that lineup, our live band, is so good. Because we haven’t been under pressure to put a live band together since 2019 and spent so long talking to people, we’ve got a better band from those results. Out of disaster, we’ve got quite a good, positive thing.”
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 ) 