BILL CLOVE has released a new single ‘Looming Against Wavering Light’, taken from his latest “Through Shadow To Fire” album.
Emerging from the rolling plains of Iowa, United States, Bill Clove is a one‑man symphonic death metal project that blends relentless aggression with sweeping orchestral grandeur. In 2022 he unveiled Perilous Passage, an album forged from a lifelong love of metal, classical composition, and cinematic soundtracks. Though he first picked up a guitar in a church youth group hammering out surf rock riffs, Bill quickly gravitated toward heavier, more complex music. Drawing inspiration from genre‑defining acts such as Shadow of Intent, Inferi, and Aephanemer, he weaves baroque and neoclassical virtuosity into a wall of crushing guitars and drums. Balancing a career as a dentist and family life, Bill remains a relentless creator, constantly composing new material for his next release. Stay tuned for upcoming songs, videos, and behind‑the‑scenes glimpses of his creative process on Bandcamp, Facebook, and YouTube.
“VADERMANIAX !!! We ended the summer concert season with three concerts in the last weekend of August. THANK YOU ALL VERY MUCH for wonderful moments and total craziness and Massive Music for organization and great atmosphere on all trips in the summer season 2025 \m/. These were also the last concerts in 2025 in Poland and Europe. Upcoming plans are the Carnival of Death Tour tour in the USA/Canada in October. Because we and Massive Music are still receiving inquiries about more concerts in Poland – we will try to organize one more weekend in December this year. I hope that in 2026, we will see each other more often at the common craziness in our country. It will be the 20th anniversary of the album “Impressions In Blood”. We will also like to remind you of the wider “Kingdom” (expect a new edition of this title soon). There are also plans for something special that we haven’t done before… but let’s wait for the specifics. The new Vader album will definitely be made next year – but let’s rather expect the release at the beginning of 2027. Below is a memento KAT cover from the concert in Zamo Pć in August shared from the Janusz Bb collection. Thanks \m/”
All the below stage photos by Adam Sieklicki
Just recently VADER celebrated the 25th Anniversary of their classic “Litany” album, which originally came out on Metal Blade Records in 2000 with a special vinyl reissue edition. The original 11 tracks / 31 minutes of “Litany” were newly re-mastered for vinyl by Wojtek Wieslawski / Hertz Recording Studio and the LP also includes a 16-page booklet with new liner-notes by band leader, guitarist and vocalist Peter Wiwczarek.
Vader’s Peter Wiwczarek commented in the liner notes as follows about “Litany”: “‘Litany’ was definitely our fastest and most brutal album ever recorded…This year the album celebrates its quarter-century and we want to remind you of the power of these brutal riffs. The album returns to the stages in full form. Many of the songs haven’t been played since the 2000-2001 promotional tour. Some of them have never been played. I invite you to the world of ‘Litany’! Remember…you enter here at your own risk!”
Five years after the much-lauded 12th studio album Solitude In Madness, VADER return with 3 brand-new tracks once again produced by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studio, UK. Featuring excellent artwork by Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Testament, Dark Funeral), this EP marks the first recording as a quintet with guitarist Mauser returning to the group and new drummer Michael alongside vocalist/guitarist Peter, bassist Hal and third guitarist Spider.
Humanihility offers scorching new songs that prove to be vicious, thrash-laden anthems perfectly blending old-school thrash with VADER’s unique straight-forward fury and neckbreaking tempos. Each of the songs was created by a different band member, giving them a more personal style.
The only physical edition will be a limited 12” (red vinyl, 700 copies). Artwork was created by Marcelo Vasco Arts.
In case you missed, also watch the music video for the latest single “Unbending’ (which was the official anthem of Poland’s renowned Mystic Festival this year), created by Robert Gasperowicz: https://youtu.be/WoIZS0jx3hY
Funeral Doom icons EVOKEN have delivered another intense taste of their highly-anticipated new full-length record, entitled ‘Mendacium’, which will be out on October 17 via Profound Lore Records. Following the release of the first single ‘Matins’, the band follows up today with the track ‘None’, which is accompanied by a brand new video clip directed, produced and edited by Eva Tusquets.
Offering insight into the song, the band states: “We unveil the sixth Benedictine hour, ‘None,’ a hollow chant of the monastic life. It lays bare the struggle of a deluded monk, torn between blind faith and the desires his dogma cannot rule.”
Where EVOKEN‘s latest album ‘Hypnagogia’ would see the band capture and focus on a more melancholic, tangible, and even more of an accessible sonic design, ‘Mendacium’ takes that acute shift back to the monumental dirge-like dread and woeful catacombic and disharmonious heaviness reminiscent of the band’s ‘Quietus’ and ‘Antithesis of Light’ masterworks. All while still encapsulating the tectonic-shifting nature of their ‘Caress of the Void’ and ‘Atra Mors’ releases while venturing more through classic gothic audial textures and even treading a little down experimental mire as well, reminiscing an aura seeping from such luminary artists as Dead Can Dance, Monumentum, and Disembowelment.
To signal this shift in sound harking back to this previous era, the band would recall the services of producer Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal who worked with EVOKEN on their ‘Antithesis of Light’ and ‘Quietus’ albums respectively. The result being ‘Mendacium’ capturing a sepulchral heaviness saturated in ambience with even more of an emphasis on deathlike dread and anguish; an ambience reflecting the depths and catacombs of an ancient cathedral or monastery, ultimately defining ‘Mendacium’ as EVOKEN’s most powerful sounding album to date.
Cover by ‘Worthless’
‘Mendacium’ tells the tale of a fourteenth-century elderly Benedictine monk whose illness prevents him from leaving his cell in the monastery. His faith and service to God can never be satiated. Slowly declining in health and sleepless from continuous pain, the monk encounters a hideous entity emerging through a tear in reality. The story questions, is the torment of this monk by each passing hour being inflicted by this entity or is it all within his own mind?
‘Mendacium’ will be out on October 17 via Profound Lore Records and is available for pre-order at THIS LOCATION
Tracklist:
Matins
Lauds
Prime
Terce
Sext
None
Vesper
Compline
EVOKEN are: Vince Verkay John Paradiso Don Zaros Dave Wagner Randy Cavanaugh
From the dark underbelly of Dublin’s music scene emerges Droptune, a genre-defiant band channeling the raw protest of Rage Against the Machine with the industrial grit of Nine Inch Nails. Built on down-tuned riffs, pounding rhythms, and visceral energy, Droptune is a sonic rebellion against the mundane.
Following the breakout success of their debut single ‘All Calm’, which has surpassed 20,000 Spotify plays and earned heavy rotation across major Irish radio stations, as well as breaking into the UK with airplay on Kerrang! Radio, Droptune are poised to make their boldest statement yet.
Their forthcoming single ‘Reaper’ (out 18th September & featuring Niamh Van Rensberg) is an unapologetic heavy metal anthem that tears straight into the heart of political corruption and the chaos of modern warfare. Recorded at Dublin’s renowned Track Mix Studio, the track fuses blistering riffs, thunderous drums, and the electrifying vocals of Niamh Van Rensburg, whose voice cuts like a blade through the storm.
A brutal reflection of our times, ‘Reaper’ is more than just a song, it’s a rallying cry. Its searing energy mirrors the urgent need for change, embodying Droptune’s commitment to creating music that doesn’t just sound heavy, but carries weight and meaning.
Known for their explosive live shows and unapologetic presence, Droptune are quickly carving out a reputation as one of Ireland’s most vital rising heavy acts. With momentum building fast, ‘Reaper’ is set to cement their place as a band unafraid to confront the world’s darkest truths head-on.
‘Reaper’ is out on all major streaming platforms from 18th September.
Droptune are: Ciaran Maloney- Drums Adam Swords – Vocals Leon Guilfyle – Bass guitar Conor O’Neill – Guitars
After rising from the ashes of Thundermother with their empowering debut Phoenix (2024) and, most recently, the single “Live And Let Go”, THE GEMS make their next move into the “Year Of The Snake”. Having positioned themselves as important new players in modern hard rock, the Swedish fireballs offer a striking glimpse of what’s to come with their latest single, a catchy showstopper accompanied by blues-imbued vocals and heavy riffs that will make you want to dance in an instant. THE GEMS are indeed stepping into the future!
THE GEMS about “Year Of The Snake”: “2025 is the year of the snake and it’s all about transformation, renewal, and wisdom. It’s a time that encourages a more thoughtful approach to life’s changes and the shedding of old habits, just like a snake sheds its skin. This track is about all of those things packaged in a very classic heavy metal sound.”
Breakthrough rock band, THE GEMS, consists of three ex-Thundermother members: incomparable vocalist Guernica Mancini, powerhouse drummer Emlee Johansson, and guitar and bass virtuoso Mona Lindgren. With their previous band, the members of THE GEMS took over stages at massive festivals such as Wacken Open Air and Sweden Rock Festival, and even toured with the mighty Scorpions. The new band, formed in 2023, convinced with the exceptionally anthemic debut album Phoenix, as well as shows all over Europe, captivating audiences with their impressive live energy.
The trio will demonstrate their ability to thrill rock audiences once more on their upcoming headline tour “Slithering Through Europe”, supported by Swiss rockers King Zebra.
“Slithering Through Europe” w/ King Zebra 21.03.26 DE – Lingen / Alter Schlachthof 22.03.26 DE – Cologne / Helios 37 24.03.26 DE – Hanover / Lux 25.03.26 DE – Aschaffenburg / Colos-Saal 27.03.26 CH – Oberentfelden / Böröm Pöm Pöm 29.03.26 DE – Munich / Backstage 30.03.26 DE – Nuremberg / Hirsch 31.03.26 DE – Dresden / HD – Die Rock & Metal Bar 01.04.26 DE – Berlin / Frannz Club 02.04.26 DE – Hamburg / Knust
Since making their accursed debut in the late 2000s, Hooded Menace have paved the way for hordes of metal maniacs who enjoy headbanging to more creepily, crushing tempos. On their upcoming seventh album, the Finnish horror lovers still stand between two realms of the underground with the unshakable force of a pillar. But as uncovered by its new single’s surprise twist, Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration continues to break the mold that the band set for death-doom.
Today, Hooded Menace are releasing their cover of “Save a Prayer”, the enduring smash from English new wavers Duran Duran. While the song’s latest video is styled with gothic flair, when hammered by the band’s blood-stained signature, this pop gem glows in a ghoulish new light.
The video for “Save a Prayer” was directed by Tekla Vály.
Additional video credits Director of Photography – Tekla Vály Second Camera – Eetu Kolehmainen
Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration comes out October 3, 2025 on Season of Mist.
Can’t wait to sink into Hooded Menace’s new album? Hear all seven glorious tracks on Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration by RSVPing to this week’s Bandcamp Listening Party.
Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration Bandcamp Listening Party – RSVP Wednesday, September 17 @ 1:30 pm ET / 7:30 pm CEST
With “Save a Prayer”, Duran Duran broke onto the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time with their ode to one-night stands. But Hooded Menace are no strangers to reinvention. Traditional death-doomers were pleasantly surprised to hear the Fins wring fresh blood out of a W.A.S.P. deep cut on their last album The Tritonus Bell. So imagine the screams of delight upon hearing them drag a platinum dance-pop ballad into their haunted wheelhouse.
“So you’re looking for the thrill“. While this come-on was initially proposed by Simon Le Bon with a velvety croon, Harri Kuokkanen’s death growls excite real goosebumps.
Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration hammers home the influence of classic ’80s heavy metal on Hooded Menace. While his slowly crushing riffs are still the band’s foundation, founding member Lasse Pyykkö bends the dreamy, synthetic melody of “Save a Prayer” into a vivid, neon-soaked nightmare that recalls early Paradise Lost. His MicroPitched leads scratch and claw as if tortured by lust. Beneath impassioned howls for deeds of flesh, drummer Pekka Koskelo pounds out a pulsing beat that’s perfect for a midnight romp in the graveyard.
Tracklist 1. Twilight Passages (1:04) 2. Pale Masquerade (7:50) [LISTEN] 3. Portrait Without a Face (7:15) [WATCH] 4. Daughters of Lingering Pain (7:25) 5. Lugubrious Dance (7:20) 6. Save a Prayer (6:12) 7. Into Haunted Oblivion (9:47)
For closing in on two decades, Hooded Menace have stood not as a bridge but the pillar between two underground realms. The band’s upcoming seventh album still paves the way for metal legions who prefer headbanging to more creepily, crushing tempos. However, while Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration is still rooted in a cultish obsession with the classics, these stewards of death-doom remain far from stuck in their ways.
Starting as a teenager in the late ’80s, founding member Lasse Pyykkö got his start in Joensuu, Finland with the band Phlegethon. But the undead spirit that’s guided Hooded Menace since its 2007 conception first appeared back when he was just a young hesher. Dracula, Poltergeist, A Nightmare on Elm Street and other horrors piqued his morbid curiosity. Though later on, it was feasting on the cult classic Tombs of the Blind Dead that spawned the band’s accursed two-track demo.
“It’s the dark element”, Lasse recalls when asked what Hooded Menace draws from its source material five albums removed from the band’s terrifying breakthrough Never Cross the Dead.
The blind dead still stand watch over Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration. Returning cover artist Wes Benscoter recreates the Knights Templar in all their glowingly ghoulish glory. “Pale Masquerade” paints a familiar scene, summoning Amando de Ossorio’s flesh-eating muse with a fresh heap of Lasse’s bone-crunching chugs. “The dead army grows“, Harri Kuokkanen commands with growls that reek of the crypt. Lifelong converts will quickly fall in line behind steadfast drummer Pekka Koskelo, who dips “Daughters of Lingering Pain” into the same dripping vat of wax as the band’s 2010s effigies for Relapse Records. The lasting influence of Candlemass and Paradise Lost hasn’t vanished without a trace. But Hooded Menace continue to break the mold they helped set for death-doom right from the album’s opening jump scare. Neon keys beam through “Twilight Passages” as if firing up a time machine.
Reinvention isn’t new to Hooded Menace. While a menacing vocalist in his own right, Lasse passed the proverbial mic torch to Kuokkanen for the gloomier melodies that haunted the band’s initial offering after signing with Season of Mist late in 2016. Ossuarium Silhouettes Unhallowed was also pulled more from the shadows of their imagination as opposed to the silver screen. Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration trends further in that direction; the lyric sheet unfurls like a house of psychological horrors, where the hallways are hung with shattered mirrors and faceless portraits. Only this time around, the trio really hammered home the influence of ’80s heavy metal that was rung in by previous long-player The Tritonus Bell. “Lugubrious Dance” twists between the hallucinogenic spires of Cathedral in conspiracy with King Diamond before cranking into a chorus that’s classic Hooded Menace.
MicroPitching and other effects aren’t the only tricks of the trade that are pulled out from under Hooded Menace’s cloak. Traditional death-doomers might have been pleasantly surprised by the band covering W.A.S.P., so imagine the delighted screams upon hearing a Top of the Pops’ gem like “Save a Prayer” splattered in their signature blood-soaked dread. Lasse’s riffs still cement the rock-solid foundation beneath Lachrymose Monuments of Obscuration, but even he was surprised when sculpting its lead single. What should appear from the double bass swirling amidst “Portrait Without a Face” but the moan of a cello. Like an echo from beyond the grave, the cry of strings reappears during the album’s grand finale. Former live bassist Antti Poutanen sorrowfully saws as the band marches, gallops then sinks back “Into Haunted Oblivion”.
On Lachyrmose Monuments of Obscuration, Hooded Menace cast death-doom in a ghostly new light.
Line-up Harri Kuokkanen — Vocals Lasse Pyykkö — Guitar, Bass, Keyboards Pekka Koskelo — Drums
Guest Musicians Antti Poutanen — Cello John McNulty — Spoken Word
Production Credits Recorded by Heikki Marttila at Guru Studio, Joensuu, Finland. Mixed by Heikki Marttila. Mastered by Jaime Gomez Arellano at Orgone Studios, Portugal.
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
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