Swiss rockers King Zebra share today the new single, the acoustic version of “Dina”, along with a visualizer. The track is part of the digital deluxe edition of their latest album “Between The Shadows”, originally released in April 2024 and out now via Frontiers Music Srl.
The deluxe edition of “Between The Shadows” brings the power, passion, and emotion of King Zebra’s acclaimed album back with four additional tracks. It features three recently released songs alongside “Dina (Acoustic Version)”. This expanded edition takes listeners deeper into the band’s world of melodic hard rock.
With unforgettable hooks, powerful riffs, and heartfelt melodies, the deluxe edition adds a new chapter to the “Between The Shadows” story – delivering more attitude, more emotion, and more of the rock & roll soul that defines King Zebra.
The band commented on the single: “Time Ain’t Waiting For You” is the line that best describes “Dina” (acoustic version). With this subtle track, the power of living in the now shines through. Just as its sister electric version delivers a well-played groovy track to help the story unfold, this version has the passionate delivery. It’s rare that king Zebra breaks out the acoustic guitars so quickly we hope you really enjoy this special bonus track.”
Order the Digital Deluxe Edition of “Between The Shadows” HERE
Hailing from the picturesque city of Zurich, Switzerland, King Zebra is a melodic hard rock powerhouse that has been making waves in the international rock scene since their inception in 2017.
Led by the charismatic frontman Eric St. Michaels, a seasoned veteran in the world of rock ‘n’ roll, the band has been on a relentless journey to redefine the genre with their electrifying sound.
Eric St. Michaels, originally from the vibrant rock scene of New Jersey, found a new home in Switzerland over two decades ago. His powerful and soulful vocals are best known from his time as the former lead singer of the renowned band China. With King Zebra, Eric has embarked on a new musical odyssey, taking his rich experience and passion for rock to new heights.
In 2019, the band gained international attention with the release of an EP. Since then, King Zebra has performed at festivals such as Rock the Ring alongside legends like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Uriah Heep, and Rose Tattoo, and opened stadium shows for Alice Cooper.
In 2020, they released the album “Survivors”, produced by Oscar Nilsson (Crashdiet, The Halo Effect, Hank van Hell), which led to successful European tours and sold-out shows both abroad and in their home country.
In 2023, King Zebra signed a record deal with Frontiers Records. The following year saw the release of “Between The Shadows”, accompanied by a European tour with The Gems and a subsequent club tour in Switzerland.
In 2025, the band performed at renowned festivals such as the Riverside Festival, shared the stage with Hammerfall and Kissin’ Dynamite, and joined Shakra as Special Guest for their 30th anniversary show at the legendary Z7 in Pratteln. Later that year, King Zebra returned to Bohus Studio in Gothenburg to work on new material.
As King Zebra continues to conquer stages and hearts around the globe, their mission remains clear: to keep the flame of Melodic Hard Rock burning brightly and to carry on the legacy of Rock ‘n’ Roll through their electrifying music and unforgettable live shows.
“Between The Shadows” – Digital Deluxe Edition – Tracklisting:
1. Starlight 2. Children Of The Night 3. Wicked 4. Dina 5. Love Lies 6. Cyanide 7. With You Forever 8. Love Me Tonight 9. Out in the Wild 10. Restless Revolution 11. Dina (Acoustic version) (bonus track) 12. All I Want Is You (bonus track) 13. Heart Without A Home (bonus track) 14. A Love I’ve Never Known (bonus track)
Line Up: Eric St. Michaels Roman Lauer Jerry Napitupulu Benjamin Grimm Manu Judge
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.
SERPENTS continue to push boundaries, combining modern heaviness, emotion and experimentation into a sound that stands out in today’s metal scene.
Yesterday, July 30, 2026 the band already released brand new song “Painkiller” together with lyric video, which is also available at all major streaming platforms (smart link). Few months ago SERPENTS signed a deal with Berlin based label Out Of Line Music (Combichrist, Blutengel, Till Lindemann).
“Painkiller” thrives on dynamic contrasts, moving effortlessly between punishing breakdowns, driving rhythms, and anthemic choruses. The band’s tight musicianship and energetic performance create a relentless momentum, while the combination of aggressive and melodic vocals adds emotional depth to the track. Every section builds with purpose, resulting in a song that is as impactful as it is infectious.
With “Painkiller,” Polish band SERPENTS deliver another compelling chapter in their musical journey. Combining emotional weight, crushing instrumentation, and undeniable energy, the new single stands as a powerful statement from a band continuing to build momentum within the European metalcore scene.
GODSLAVE present the new single “Square One” – the self titled new studio album will be released on September 11 at Metalville.
There’s hardly a more frustrating thought than this: “Now I’m right back at square one.”
GODSLAVE explore precisely this feeling on their new single “Square One”. The song is about setbacks, inner demons and the fear of having lost all the progress you’ve made.
But the message is clear: nobody really starts from scratch again. Everything you’ve learnt along the way stays with you – even if it doesn’t feel that way at the moment. “Square One” is a song about hope and perseverance – anyone who’s ever climbed out of the valley will manage the next ascent too.
Musically, a groove that’s unusual for GODSLAVE – almost reminiscent of crust punk – meets the epic melodies that make the Saarland band’s sound so distinctive.
In keeping with the feeling of starting from scratch, GODSLAVE have developed their own old-school platformer, which can be played at www.godslave.de and also features prominently in the wonderfully nerdy music video.
Never back to Square One.
LINE UP Thommy (Vocals) Bernie (Guitar) Manni (Guitar) Mika (Bass) Tobi (Drums)
Rising Los Angeles alt-pop band Evening Elephants released their debut album Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet out everywhere now – listen HERE. Alongside the release is an official music video for focus track, “Facedown Kentucky,” – watch below.
Arriving on the heels of the band’s Lollapalooza performance last night, the new album captures a defining shift for the band, exploring the tension between the raw, chaotic energy that built their audience and the realities of scaling something bigger.
Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet Tracklist
A Digital Touch
Like You Want It
What Channel Is Daydreaming On?
Outta Habit
Artist Voicemail
Lazy Cries
Oliver Tree
On That Hill
Simple Things
Manager Voicemail
Facedown Kentucky
Snow on The Bluff
Westside
Blind Lead The Blind
Evening Elephants on Tour 9/9 – Phoenix, AZ @ Rebel Lounge 9/11 – Austin, TX @ 29th Street Ballroom 9/12 – Dallas, TX @ AM / FM 9/14 – Atlanta, GA @ Vinyl 9/16 – Carrboro, NC @ Cat’s Cradle 9/18 – Washington, DC @ DC9 9/19 – Philadelphia, PA @ Foundry 9/22 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall 9/25 – Madison, WI @ Majestic 9/26 – Minneapolis, MN @ 7th St Entry 9/28 – Denver, CO @ Marquis 10/1 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court 10/3 – Seattle, WA @ Barboza 10/4 – Portland, OR @ Polaris Hall 10/6 – Berkeley, CA @ Cornerstone Berkeley 10/8 – San Diego, CA @ Casbah 10/10 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey
About Evening Elephants: Evening Elephants, the rising alt-pop band featuring frontman Sam Boggs, are turning grassroots chaos into national momentum. What began at pop-up Los Angeles backyard shows has evolved into sold-out dates, a viral New York City street takeover, and festival slots at Governor’s Ball, Lollapalooza, London Calling, Electric Forest and more.
With over 80 million streams to date, their breakout single “Snow on The Bluff” has surpassed 45 million streams and earned co-signs from Shaun White, Nina Dobrev, and Ana de Armas. The band’s growing profile has also led to major syncs with EA Sports and the NFL, a feature on the in-game soundtrack of the FIFA Heroes video game, and a two-track promotion in McDonald’s x SoundCloud’s FIFA World Cup campaign.
In 2026, Evening Elephants ushered in a new chapter with “Simple Things,” “Lazy Cries,” followed by “A Digital Touch,” which NPR praised as one of its “Best New Songs.” Their ascent continued with a standout Governors Ball performance that Rolling Stone called “one of the best moments from Gov Ball 2026.”
The band’s debut album Wholeheartedly, Terribly Sweet is out now and they are set to go on tour around the US with a hometown show at Los Angeles’ El Rey.
Hard rock supergroup ICONIC – featuring Michael Sweet (guitars), Joel Hoekstra (guitars), Marco Mendoza (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums), and Nathan James (vocals) – proudly releases their sophomore album ‘II,’ out on now via Frontiers Music Srl. To celebrate the release, the band also shares the new single, “Heart Of Stone,” alongside an official video, available below.
Joel Hoekstra comments on the new single:
“‘Heart Of Stone’ has a catchy melody delivered beautifully by Nathan James. It was a pleasure to write the riffs for this one, and of course to record them and dig deep for the solo. Hope everyone likes it!”
Michael Sweet adds:
“We couldn’t be more excited to release ‘Heart Of Stone.’ To be able to create music with such amazing musicians and then know that this music is inspiring people around the world is such a blessing! I hope you enjoy ‘Heart Of Stone’!”
“Another great track! This album has got some gems, this one is no exception!! Enjoy rock & roll at its finest!,” continues Marco Mendoza.
ICONIC returns with ‘II,’ a second album that doesn’t just continue the band’s journey – it defines it. Where their debut introduced the chemistry between five world-class musicians, II sharpens that vision into a clearer, heavier, and more confident sonic identity, delivering a sound that is more powerful, more direct, and unmistakably rock.
At the heart of the album lies the electrifying guitar partnership of Joel Hoekstra and Michael Sweet, delivering a masterclass in soaring melodies, blazing solos, and muscular riffs that perfectly balance technical brilliance with pure hard-rock attitude. Beneath them, the rhythm section of Tommy Aldridge and Marco Mendoza drives the record with thunderous authority, creating a groove that is both massive and relentless.
The album kicks off with “Cry No More,” a high-octane opener that immediately sets the tone – an energetic slice of hard rock packed with driving riffs, explosive drums, and a chorus built to stick.
On the other side of the emotional spectrum, “Tears Keep On Falling” showcases the band’s dynamic range, unfolding as an electrifying power ballad where melody, atmosphere, and intensity come together in dramatic fashion.
Towering above it all is Nathan James, whose performance on ‘II’ is nothing short of extraordinary – powerful, soulful, and commanding, elevating every track with unmistakable presence.
With bigger riffs, deeper grooves, and a stronger sense of identity, ‘II’ captures ICONIC at full force: a band no longer introducing itself but fully owning its sound.
When you compose music using AI, what are you actually doing? Are you having someone else speak in your place? Are you just performing a cover of a piece of software? Are you really an artist? Is it the upheaval of the music industry that’s pushing artists to use it?
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST Guitarist, Beppe Geracitano tries to answer these uncomfortable questions in this article.
Artificial Intelligence and Creativity
My opinion is that AI applied to music composition doesn’t amplify creativity: it replaces it, and it does so in its own way. At first it might seem to widen your artistic horizons, but little by little it ends up replacing the work of your mind and your unconscious.
The software that creates music through artificial intelligence analyzes an enormous amount of already-existing songs: you give it three notes, tell it what kind of track you want, and through probabilistic calculations you get a result based on everything that’s already been done before. These systems have no consciousness or intuition: they work only according to the parameters they were trained on. The worrying thing is that they do it exceptionally well, and anyone can do it.
If you want to produce nonstop, assembly-line style, as if songs were rolls of toilet paper, you can absolutely do that. But you, who are supposed to be the artist, are you really sure you want emotions that should be your own to be expressed by someone else? You can do it, sure, easily and in a matter of minutes, but don’t say those songs are yours. It would take a bit of intellectual honesty and dignity, even though everyone remains free to live as they wish, of course.
There are even people who publish tracks entirely produced with AI that imitate the sound and voice of very popular artists: listeners think they’re hearing the real artist, but it’s just software. They do it to rack up streams by exploiting someone else’s artistic identity, and I find that musically sad, even appalling.
What Composing Means to Me
Personally, I need to compose music: it makes me feel good, and I do it first and foremost for my own wellbeing. If I had software do it for me, I wouldn’t have the same experience.
In composing, I try to communicate feelings, but not in a deliberate way. I simply follow my instinct, which leads me to choose one harmonic solution over another. And sometimes it’s precisely the mistake that gives you the thing you weren’t expecting, the thing that makes the difference!
Another important aspect is improvisation, because you switch your brain off and just play, without thinking about anything and even in those moments, things come out that you’d never have arrived at through rational thinking. And by the way, improvisation is one of those unique things in music that’s being lost; everyone wants everything safe, instant, already packaged and easy.
The connecting thread through all of this is there when, sometimes after years, you listen back to one of your own pieces and think: wow, what this song conveys to me today is exactly the state of mind I was in when I wrote and recorded it — and you get goosebumps. And that’s how a listener comes to know who you are and relive your feelings. This is how an artist reaches the listener.
It’s demanding work, certainly, because it’s a constant challenge with yourself, but that’s exactly what helps you improve, and also helps you find yourself.
How could a piece of software replace all that? Or rather: you, the artist, don’t you have a personality? Don’t you have things to express, to say, to communicate?
Someone might object: “But that’s how it’s done these days, you’re behind the times, people use it just as a helping hand too.”
Sure, that’s one way to do it. But in a few years your brain will be flattened: creativity has to be kept constantly trained, it’s like a muscle. There are mental processes you only learn to recognize over time, and the more you compose, the more you recognize them.
And then there’s the matter of creating something that has never existed before: if AI had existed in the ‘70s, bands like Black Sabbath probably would never have been born, because that kind of sound wasn’t in the databases. And it would never have been generated, because it wouldn’t have fit into the calculations of what can work. Instead, we all know how that turned out…
A Crucial Issue: Production Costs
There’s a fundamental aspect that most musicians don’t consider and that listeners almost certainly aren’t aware of: production costs.
The budgets available today are nothing like those of a few decades ago.
To give some numbers: full production costs — recording, mixing, mastering, artwork, photography, music videos, marketing and promotion — used to reach exorbitant sums. Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet (1986) cost around 3 million dollars; Metallica’s Black Album (1991) went as high as 7 million. Sums that were nonetheless amply repaid, because millions of physical copies were sold.
From 2000 onward — which I consider the year zero of music, with the arrival of digital distribution — financial returns became laughable compared to the past, at times almost nonexistent, and those pharaonic budgets vanished. That’s also part of why big concert tickets cost so much today: current investments have to be recouped somehow.
Today, 1 million streams earns you around 3,000 dollars, which then has to be split among the record label, the band, the collaborators, and on top of that you have to pay taxes. What’s left for you? And above all… who manages to hit those numbers, consistently? Ask yourselves some questions, and do the math, next time TV announces that some singer has racked up millions of streams on the platforms. That’s the reality.
Now, if you want to produce music at a high level, you have to find different solutions: reduced costs, highly efficient systems.
The arrival of software, home studios, plugins, and many other tools with an excellent price-to-quality ratio has helped enormously many artists in their creative and production work.
Today there is software capable of digitally emulating, on average at 95%, hardware equipment that used to be found only in big recording studios at very high costs and on this front I’m entirely in favor of technology, because it’s the only way to make up for a lack of budget.
To give an example from my own experience: I handled almost all the recording of the album Lead Love and Gold by my band The Rock Alchemist, as well as production and mixing. Partly because I enjoy doing it, and partly because today an artist has to be able to handle almost every aspect, 360 degrees around, if they want to keep their work going. Unless, of course, your name happens to be Lady Gaga or Metallica.
Where the Tool Ends and Something Else Begins
In this scenario, AI is certainly a support: it helps automate all kinds of processes, speeds up research, lets you understand in a very short time how a piece of software or hardware works. I see it as an enormous library with ultra-fast access to information.
It’s true that many of these tasks could be done by people, but if I can’t afford to pay someone, that someone simply won’t be able to collaborate with me anyway. And today, in 2026, you’re almost forced to use these tools, because for almost everyone the alternative is to essentially stop working altogether.
But with artificial intelligence, things are going further than that.
It’s not a simple effect, as many say, nor a technological innovation that lets you experiment with new solutions or sounds. There has always been controversy around new technologies, but that has nothing to do with this, and it’s honestly ridiculous to think of it that way!!
AI is an epochal step for humanity, perhaps yet another year zero, and you don’t really grasp its power, for better or worse, until you see with your own eyes how it goes about replacing something you do yourself, something it took you years and years to learn.
Governments and multinational corporations are investing billions of dollars to develop it: it cannot be compared, as some artists — even famous ones — do, to the invention of distortion or the synthesizer, because those were tools that let you express yourself differently, not be replaced entirely.
There’s one last aspect worth considering. Over the years, record productions have chased executional perfection, largely thanks to software, and listeners have grown used to music with not the slightest imperfection. The next step, the one we’re at today with AI, has made it possible to generate entire songs with musicians and singers who don’t exist in reality and paradoxically, in terms of performance and production, the listening sensation is very similar to that of the “perfect” tracks of recent years. As a result, for many non-specialist listeners it’s now practically impossible to tell the difference between what we might call a real, polished production and a fake one.
What Future?
So what do we do now? Are we at a turning point?
How the future will unfold, nobody knows. Probably part of humanity will stay on the side of human feeling, the side that appreciates “human” imperfections; another part won’t even notice the difference, or will consider imperfection as incompetence. But evolutionary steps themselves are mistakes, or deviations from rules and standards. So, then?
In the end, what will call the shots will probably be nature. Because nature, one way or another, always wins in the end.
And perhaps the only real limit to the evolution and use of artificial intelligence will be the availability of energy on planet Earth (still just my personal opinion, as is everything written here, for that matter).
Deep down, I want to believe that human art, if it has that right “magic” that only art itself can give, will always somehow manage to touch people’s souls. The world is also made of things we can’t always explain, and that we’re still not able to calculate. Human beings will always, in some way, be able to make the difference.
What will happen, we’ll find out in a few years. In the meantime, wishing everyone good art.
~ Beppe Geracitano
Photo credit: Beppe Geracitano
LATEST BAND NEWS:
Just recently THE ROCK ALCHEMIST released their live performance videos for ‘Limitless’ & ‘Passion Drives You Over’, taken from the band’s latest album “Lead, Love and Gold”, released in 2024 via Lion Music. The live performance videos were recorded during their concert on February 28, 2026, at the auditorium of Magazzini Musicali Merula, one of the largest musical instrument stores in Europe. Mixed by Beppe Geracitano.
The band stated: “No autotune, no samples, and no overdubbing. Just a keyboard backing track. We care about keeping live music as pure and real as possible. Considering how technology is overused in 2026, even on stage, we think it’s important to speak up!”
More on THE ROCK ALCHEMIST: THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – formed in 2009 – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements. With a contemporary and refined sound, the band has built an international following, particularly in Finland, USA, Spain, France, Brazil, Germany, Poland, and Canada.
Their music is born from a balance of emotional impact, technical skill, and production quality. Over the years, they have also connected their image to the world of motorsport and F1, becoming the first rock band to perform on the podium of the Monza Circuit during the awards ceremony of the 2015 Monza Rally Show. Several of their tracks have been used as soundtracks in TV features for programs such as Griglia di Partenza, and on channels like Eurosport or RTBF Belgium.
Their songs have also received international rock radio airplay, being broadcast on various stations in several countries, including the USA, Poland, and France (Virgin Radio France).
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 