Symphonic metal outfit LIVA unveil the official music video for “O Roma Nobilis,” bringing a centuries-old Latin hymn into the band’s distinctive world of orchestral arrangements, operatic vocals, and heavy guitar work. The track is taken from the band’s album Ecce Mundus, out via Wormholedeath.
Written in praise of Rome, the hymn presents the Eternal City as a place of grandeur, devotion, and spiritual power, invoking the blood of its martyrs and the purity of white lilies before turning to Saints Peter and Paul. Through its prayers for mercy, guidance and wisdom, the centuries-old text becomes something far more than a historical relic in LIVA’s hands.
With its ceremonial atmosphere and imposing scale, “O Roma Nobilis” feels like a journey back through the gates of the Eternal City, where ancient voices, sacred imagery, and modern metal converge.
The official video, filmed by Pierre L’Espérance, brings another layer of visual drama to LIVA’s interpretation, complementing the song’s timeless atmosphere and theatrical character.
Known for its symphonic power metal opera approach, Liva is among the first Canadian acts to merge classical music and metal in this format.
The lineup on the new album features Nadine Guertin (soprano), Pier Carlo Liva (death and tenor vocals, guitars, electronics), Martin Tremblay (bass), and Claude Lacroix (drums). Following the recording, Philippe Leblanc joined the band as the new drummer.
Liva’s back catalog includes Requiem (2002), a heavy metal interpretation of the Latin requiem mass; De Insulis (2007), based on the Latin texts of 12th-century theologian Alain de Lille; and Human Abstract (2013). In March 2002, the band performed live with a 13-piece chamber orchestra for a Radio-Canada broadcast. The following year, they received the MIMI award for “artiste le plus avant-gardiste” (most avant-garde artist), recognizing their fusion of classical and metal. Over the years, Liva has shared the stage with acts such as Voivod, Gorguts, Nightwish, Kataklysm, and Therion.
Napalm Records is thrilled to welcome Japanese melodic power metal force HAGANE to the family!
Hailing from Tokyo, HAGANE have been making waves since their formation in 2018 with their energetic blend of soaring melodies, powerful riffs, lightning-fast guitar work, and infectious songwriting. After captivating audiences in Japan, HAGANE made a strong impression on European soil this summer at Germany’s renowned Rockharz Festival, proving that their high-energy performance and melodic metal have what it takes to connect with audiences far beyond their home country.
Now, HAGANE are ready to enter their next chapter with Napalm Records. The band has signed a worldwide physical deal, excluding Japan, with the Austrian rock and metal label for their upcoming studio album Through the Night. Set for physical release outside Japan on January 15, 2027, the album showcases HAGANE’s unique take on melodic power metal, combining epic melodies, powerful vocals, technical musicianship, and an unmistakable Japanese spirit. Through the Night marks an exciting new chapter for the band and their growing international fan base.
HAGANE comment: “We have signed a worldwide agreement – excluding Japan – with the Austrian label Napalm Records. This prestigious metal-specialized label is home to numerous world-renowned acts, including DRAGONFORCE (whose songs have been covered on YouTube by Sakura and JUNNA), KAMELOT, ACCEPT, FROZEN CROWN, and ALTER BRIDGE. Through this partnership, the new album, Through the Night, will be released globally on both CD and vinyl. Please stay tuned for HAGANE’s future activities on the global stage.”
Napalm Records Senior A&R Sebastian Münch about the signing: “HAGANE absolutely impressed us at this year’s Rockharz Festival. For fans of melodic power metal, this is definitely a band to watch! A big thank you to our Japanese partners at Euclid Agency and Eagletail Music for the great collaboration.”
In spring 2027, HAGANE will return to Europe for four shows, bringing Through the Night to stages in Germany and Denmark. Following their impressive Rockharz appearance, the shows will give fans the chance to experience the band’s explosive live energy up close. With a new album, a new label home, and plenty of momentum behind them, HAGANE are ready to take their next step on the international metal stage.
Europe Dates 2027 09.04.27 DK – Roskilde / Epic Fest 13.04.27 DE – Berlin / Lido 14.04.27 DE – Hamburg / Markthalle 16.04.27 DE – Cologne / Club Volta
Ukrainian death metal veterans HELL:ON are marking two decades of existence with a new documentary, “20 Years Our Own Way”, looking back at the band’s history from its beginnings in Zaporizhzhia in 2005 to the present day. Over the past 20 years, HELL:ON have released albums, played countless shows and festivals, toured across Europe, covered thousands of kilometres, experimented with their sound and, like everyone else in the Ukrainian metal scene, lived through some very difficult times. Somehow, they made it this far. As founding member Oleksii Pasko puts it: “I used to say that I pay attention to a metal band if it has existed for around 10 years and already has a couple of albums to its name - something you can, so to speak, put on a shelf. We’ve been around for more than 20 years now. That’s a lot for the Ukrainian heavy metal scene. Some families don’t even last that long. We did.”
“20 Years Our Own Way” is not simply a retrospective of the band’s discography. The film is about the people who have been part of HELL:ON over the years - the musicians who built the band, the friends who stayed close, the artists who shared stages with them, and everyone who travelled with them on the road. And, as the band puts it, what happens on tour stays on tour. The documentary brings together archival material, live footage, backstage scenes and stories from HELL:ON members, friends and musicians from the Ukrainian metal scene. It follows the band from their early years and first recordings through concerts, festivals and tours outside Ukraine, all the way to the present day and the work on their next album. The film also documents a part of the history of Ukrainian heavy music that HELL:ON experienced first-hand - from small club shows and early recordings to major festivals and international performances. And there is no attempt to turn those 20 years into some polished legend.
This is simply HELL:ON’s story, remembered the way they lived it. “Despite the difficult times, despite the war, despite everything - we kept going. Thank you to everyone who has been there along the way. This film is for you”. HELL:ON - 20 Years Our Own Way. The documentary contains strong language and is not recommended for viewing with children.
Arabs in Aspic continues its collaboration with Karisma Records – releasing the Norwegian‑language album Sorgens kapittel on what would have been the 50th birthday of the late Stig Arve Kvam‑Jørgensen on Wednesday, October 21st 2026.
This will be a highly special and emotional release for the band. The album is being released on what would have been the 50th birthday of the band’s longtime organist and vocalist, Stig Arve Kvam‑Jørgensen, who passed away suddenly in 2025. The album title Sorgens kapittel sets a deep and personal frame around the band’s newest work, serving both as a processing of the loss and a tribute to his musical legacy.
Musically, this is a dark and heavy album, but in classic Arabs fashion it is all balanced with a generous dose of humor and a glint in the eye. The songs on «Sorgens kapittel» are written entirely in Norwegian, making the lyrics colorful and vivid for those who understand the language, and exotic for those who do not. After more than 20 years at the forefront of Norwegian prog rock, the band continues its unique retro‑progressive sound. The listener is taken on an uncompromising journey marked by heavy riffs, intricate vocal harmonies, and classic 70s nostalgia — led by the massive wall of screaming Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes, vintage synths, heavy guitars, and funky bass lines that Stig Arve helped shape over decades. For new listeners, it should also be mentioned that the band has two drummers, so rhythmically there is a lot to follow both live and on record with Arabs in Aspic.
With a focus on their native language, the lyrics reflect on human destinies, grief, the absurdities of everyday life, and the challenges of modern society, delivering a raw, organic, and dynamic listening experience.
With artwork by Julia Proszowska, tracklisting for Sorgens kapittel is as follows:
1. Avgrunnen Kaller 2. Lokale Sagn og Mytteri 3. Satanisten 4. Kompisen 5. Nudisten 6. Syndenes Magi Del 2 7. King Size Brynje 8. Pentagram 9. God på Dårlig Stemning 10. Det er Deg! 11. Lyset 12. Siste Dans
Sorgens kapittel will be released on the 21st of October and will be available in CD, black vinyl and Limited Edition Cloudy vinyl and Limited Edition Marble vinyl, and Digital formats, and is now available to pre-order at:
Finnish black metal entity PAARA have unveiled “Kylmään kylään”, a new track from their forthcoming third full-length “Laulut tulen ja jään”, through an exclusive premiere hosted by No Clean Singing. Due on October 30, 2026 via Dusktone, the album marks the band’s return after a lengthy period away from the spotlight, once again drawing its inspiration from the myths, landscapes and darker folklore of Finland. Sung entirely in Finnish, the new material moves between storming black metal passages and more spacious, evocative moments, with folk-inflected melodies adding another dimension to the music.
For more than a decade, PAARA have cultivated a vision of Finnish black metal that feels deeply rooted in the landscape that surrounds them. Their music evokes the bleak winds sweeping across the fells, the thousands of lakes and the endless forests of Finland, drawing on the darkness of the old world while allowing moments of unexpected beauty to emerge from within it.
Formed around fifteen years ago, PAARA have developed into an entity that thrives on contradiction: brutal yet beautiful, harsh yet strangely comforting, black as the northern night yet capable of revealing flashes of warmth beneath its frozen surface. The band’s modern manifestations began with “Yön olevainen puoli” (2015) and “Riitti” (2018), establishing a distinctive approach to atmospheric black metal that balances aggression with a strong sense of melody and place.
After seemingly disappearing from view around 2019, PAARA were never truly gone. The entity had simply retreated into the wilderness, gathering strength and tracing the roots of its inspiration through the darkest reaches of Northern nature and the distant past. Now, in 2026, it emerges once again with “Laulut tulen ja jään”, its most expansive and dynamic manifestation yet.
The album moves constantly between razor-sharp black metal assaults and more majestic passages, with clean vocals and choral arrangements often amplifying the grandeur of its most imposing moments. Yet PAARA refuse to settle into a predictable pattern. Their compositions are full of structural turns and unexpected developments, allowing delicate atmospheric passages to surface between the harsher sections.
A particularly important role is played by the guitars, with acoustic passages adding an unexpected fragility to the album and creating moments of stillness within its otherwise turbulent landscape. These quieter sections never feel ornamental: they become an integral part of the compositions, opening new perspectives before the music inevitably plunges back into darkness.
The songs on “Laulut tulen ja jään” are sharply defined and deliberately varied in their construction. Some unfold across more than ten minutes, patiently developing their ideas and allowing the atmosphere to evolve, while shorter pieces take a more concentrated approach, extracting their impact from carefully shaped moods and textures. Despite the breadth of ideas at work, the album remains remarkably fluid, with each composition finding its own path without disrupting the overall flow.
Rich in detail but never cumbersome, “Laulut tulen ja jään” finds PAARA at their most expressive. Riffs, choirs, clean voices, acoustic guitars and atmospheric passages become different facets of the same northern vision, creating an album that can be both savage and majestic, intimate and imposing.
The old entity has returned. The darkness of the North has found another voice.
Tracklist:
CD 1. Tuli 2. Kirveenkantaja 3. Vuorten varjoista 4. Kylmään kylään 5. Kutsuu M.A.N.A. 6. Lapsi päivännäkemätön 7. Pimeyteen 8. Pohjolan 9. Jää
VINYL 1. Tuli 2. Kirveenkantaja 3. Kylmään kylään 4. Kutsuu M.A.N.A. 5. Lapsi päivännäkemätön 6. Pohjolan
“Laulut tulen ja jään” produced by Zvartus & Helmouth. “Kirveenkantaja” composed by Paara & Iiro “Leper” Illman. Otherwise songs composed by Paara. Lyrics by Helmouth.
Acoustic guitars for “Kutsuu M.A.N.A.” recorded by Jussi Kraft. Drums recorded by Saku Moilanen at Deep Noise Studios. All other instruments and vocals recorded by Zvartus, Paara & Ville O. at Chef’s Room Studio, Helsinki. Album mixed by Zvartus except drums, rhythm guitars & bass mixed by S. Moilanen. Mastered by S. Moilanen. Cover art by David Thiérrée. Logo by Toni Hietomaa. Crest by Jussi Kandelin. Photo by Teppo Ristola. Layout by J.Pihlajaniemi.
Meet SERPENTS — a modern metal band from Szczecin, Poland, blending metalcore, alternative metal and electronic elements into a powerful, distinctive sound. Formed at the end of 2023, the five-piece has quickly gained attention with its intense energy, emotional depth and forward-thinking approach to heavy music.
The band’s debut singles, “Tangled“, “Self-made Suffering” and “Hourglass“, were followed by the 2024 releases “The Void“, “Walking Disaster” and “The Signal“, showcasing both crushing heaviness and atmospheric electronic textures.
SERPENTS have also built a reputation for their dynamic live performances. After touring Poland with The Materia, they joined Ektomorf on a 23-date European tour in 2024 and opened for New York icon Keith Caputo in early 2026 and perfomermed live show at Summer Breeze 2026.
SERPENTS continue to push boundaries, combining modern heaviness, emotion and experimentation into a sound that stands out in today’s metal scene.
Few days ago, September 24, 2026 the band released brand new song “D.R.E_A.M.E.R.” together with official video, which is also available at all major streaming platforms (smart link). New single was released by Berlin based label Out Of Line Music (Combichrist, Blutengel, Till Lindemann). Song was recorded at Yew Tree Studio (Heresy Denied), Seeker Studio (Demeted), Nailbomb Audio (The Sixpounder). All was mixed and mastered by Waldemar Jędruszak at Nailbomb Audio.
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
