One of the finest Power Metal bands from Australia returns with its ninth album. Yes, you are reading this correctly: Ilium are back, six years after their previous full-length album, “Carcinogeist”, and four years after the Quantum Evolution Event EP.
Ilium need no special introduction, as the adventurous and progressively developed Power Metal they have been delivering has become their very own sonic trademark through the years. However, with their new album, they have managed to take their music to a whole new level. Adam Smith on guitar, bass and keyboards, Jason Hodges on guitar, and Tim Yatras on drums join forces with vocalist Giles Lavery (Warlord, Alcatrazz, Jack Starr, Dragonsclaw), and the result is an amazing full-length that perfectly captures the definitive Ilium sound.
Is this the “thinking man’s Power Metal”? Yes, it is. Not only because of the song structures, which explore new progressive dimensions, and not only because of Lavery’s vocals, which bring a fresh wave of inspiration to the entire album, but mainly because of the overall songwriting, which ultimately becomes the album’s greatest feature. And that practically means that “Scythe Ballet” is an album you simply won’t be able to stop listening to.
Complex, exotically melodic and still so damned catchy, “Scythe Ballet” marks the return of a band with a truly special musical character and is an album that should not be missed, especially by those who are searching for something more in their daily metal listening.
Adds Giles Lavery:
I was delighted when Jason and Adam reached out to me to join them on this album, for a few months in 2025 we made a really great album of which I am very happy with the end result, and I hope everyone else who hears it is too! — furthermore, I am excited to be releasing this via Arkeyn Steel/Steel Gallery Records in Greece!
The full track-listing for “Scythe Ballet” is:
Infant Clairvoyants Blood Embers Scythe Ballet Confessions Of A Former God Extinction Point Byzantium Jovian Storm Lexicon Morality Virus The Prophet King
Line-Up: Giles Lavery – Vocals Adam Smith – Guitar, Bass, Keyboards Jason Hodges – Guitar Tim Yatras – Drums
A DEVASTATING DEBUT BETWEEN HEAVY, DEATH, THRASH AND GROOVE METAL
NEQUAM, a new heavy/death metal band formed in Milan in 2025, officially joins the Wanikiya Record/Promotion roster, beginning a collaboration that will support the band throughout its promotional and recording journey.
And NEQUAM have chosen to make their introduction anything but ordinary.
On October 6, 2026, the band will officially release “G.O.D.”, their first official single.
Dark, aggressive, provocative and deeply nihilistic, the track is a true statement of intent and offers the first uncompromising glimpse into the identity of NEQUAM.
But “G.O.D.” also features a particularly prestigious name from the Italian metal scene:
TOMMY MASSARA OF EXTREMA FEATURES ON “G.O.D.” Taking part in the single is Tommy Massara, legendary guitarist of Extrema, one of the most important and influential bands in the history of Italian metal.
His presence adds an extra level of power and significance to NEQUAM’s debut, creating a bridge between an artist who has played an important role in the history of Italian metal and a new generation of musicians ready to build their own future.
The participation of Tommy Massara makes “G.O.D.” more than simply NEQUAM’s first official single.
It becomes a meeting point between experience and new energy, between an established chapter of Italian metal history and a new band arriving on the scene with a clear and uncompromising identity.
NEQUAM and Tommy Massara.
A collaboration that makes “G.O.D.” one of the most intriguing metal debuts of Fall 2026.
G.O.D. — GENERATION OF DESTRUCTION The title of the single carries a precise meaning.
G.O.D. – Not simply “God”.
But: Generation Of Destruction. And also: Generator Of Destruction.
Two interpretations that perfectly capture the nature of the track.
“G.O.D.” is a provocative manifesto against religious hypocrisy, the commercialization of faith, and violence justified in the name of spiritual or ideological dogma.
NEQUAM are not interested in creating a reassuring song. Instead, they confront the listener with a disturbing reality: a society in which human beings create their own gods, transform them into symbols of power, and ultimately use those same symbols to justify destruction.
“I’VE GOT A HOLE IN MY HEAD” The song opens with a feeling of emptiness:
“I’ve got a hole in my head And a messed-up prayer”
That emptiness gradually becomes something much larger.
A hole in the head. A hole in the mind. The inability to truly see humanity. The loss of direction.
The lyrics then move from individual anguish to collective fury:
“Domination is my new religion Revolution for a new redemption We’re gods from a new dimension”
Religion becomes domination. Revolution becomes redemption. And humanity transforms itself into God. But this is a fallen God. A God unable to see. A God that generates destruction.
WHEN FAITH BECOMES A WEAPON One of the most powerful elements of “G.O.D.” is its use of deliberately extreme and provocative imagery.
The cross is compared to a rifle. Faith becomes an instrument of violence. Idols are raised and then brought down.
The line:
“Wielding the cross like a rifle in the name of God” captures the conceptual core of the entire single.
NEQUAM’s provocation is not simply directed against spirituality.
It is directed against the use of spirituality as a tool of control, power and justification for violence. It is a criticism of humanity and its ability to transform even the most sacred ideals into instruments of domination. This vision gives “G.O.D.” a powerful conceptual impact alongside its musical aggression.
NEQUAM — MORE THAN TWENTY YEARS OF EXPERIENCE
NEQUAM officially formed in Milan in 2025, but the story behind the band began much earlier. The project was born from the meeting of drummer Elio La Greca and guitarist Marco Mattioli, who have been friends and musicians since 2002. Over the years, the two have shared numerous projects and stages, building a strong human and musical bond based on an unwavering passion for metal. The lineup was subsequently completed by Lexx on vocals, known for his experience with Kenos, and Fulvio Manganini on bass, member of Gory Blister. NEQUAM therefore brings together musicians with extensive experience within the Italian metal scene, creating a project built upon a solid musical foundation from day one.
THE SOUND: THRASH, DEATH AND GROOVE METAL
NEQUAM’s sound draws its roots from some of the most aggressive and devastating forms of metal.
Their main influences include: Slayer. Pantera. Megadeth. Cannibal Corpse. Machine Head. In Flames. Death.
Thrash, death and groove metal merge into an identity built around heavy and razor-sharp riffs, devastating rhythms, dark atmospheres and an uncompromising aggressive edge. But the result is not intended to be a simple celebration of their influences. NEQUAM transform more than twenty years of musical experience into something new. A band born from history. But built for the future.
TOMMY MASSARA — A DIRECT LINK TO THE HISTORY OF ITALIAN METAL
The participation of Tommy Massara of Extrema represents one of the most significant elements of this debut.
Extrema have established themselves as one of the most important and recognizable names in the Italian metal scene, contributing throughout the years to the growth and international visibility of Italian metal. Having Tommy Massara on “G.O.D.” therefore means placing, right at the beginning of NEQUAM’s discographic journey, a musician directly connected to the history of Italian metal.
It is a meeting between generations. Between experience and new energy.
Between a musician who has helped write important chapters in Italian metal history and a new band determined to build its own legacy without simply repeating what came before. Tommy Massara now becomes part of the very first chapter of NEQUAM’s discographic story. And he does it with a track that, from its title alone, promises not to go unnoticed.
WANIKIYA RECORD/PROMOTION WELCOMES NEQUAM
NEQUAM’s addition to the Wanikiya Record/Promotion roster marks the beginning of a new collaboration dedicated to the heaviest and most uncompromising side of metal. Wanikiya will support the band through promotion, communication, press office activities and international exposure, with the goal of bringing NEQUAM’s music to audiences and media across Italy and beyond. For Wanikiya, NEQUAM represent the addition of a band featuring experienced musicians, a powerful sonic identity and a clearly defined artistic vision. For NEQUAM, it is time to transform more than twenty years of experience into a new chapter.
THE FIRST STEP TOWARD THE DEBUT ALBUM
“G.O.D.” is not an isolated release. It is the first official step toward NEQUAM’s debut album, currently in the writing and production stages. The band is ready to transform years of experience, friendship and dedication to metal into a project designed to reach beyond Italy. And their first message is already crystal clear.
No fear. No compromises. No permission required.
NEQUAM Elio La Greca — Drums Marco Mattioli — Guitars Lexx — Vocals Fulvio Manganini — Bass
Florida death metal legends MASSACRE returned to Europe last week and September to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the “From Beyond” album.
The band comments: “We’re celebrating 35 years of From Beyond with a devastating run across Europe this August & September. Expect pure old-school death metal and a special performance at Killtown Deathfest where we will play the entire Mantas – Death By Metal demo live.”
Combining the raw aggression and sinister atmosphere that have defined MASSACRE for decades, the band is gearing up to re-release a remastered version of “Tyrants of Death” on September 25th via Agonia Records. The album serves as a compilation of the band’s early demos (including “From Beyond”) that played a significant role in shaping the distinctive sound and style that went on to define death metal, as well as MASSACRE‘s blueprint.
The reissue was remastered at Satanic Audio in Poland in 2026. The studio is known for its work with Behemoth, Azarath, and Pestilence, to name a few.
Tour dates, remaining shows: 31.08.2026 – Nova Gorica @ Mostovna Club, Slovenia 01.09.2026 – Salzburg @ Rockhouse, Austria 02.09.2026 – Jablonec nad Nisou @ Woko Club, Czech Republic 03.09.2026 – Aleksandrów Łódzki @ Summer Dying Loud, Poland 04.09-05.09.2026 – Copenhagen @ Kill-Town Death Fest, Denmark 11.09-13.09.2026 – Brooklyn, NY @ Rage of Armageddon, USA
Swedish industrial metal force PAIN returns with the explosive new single “I Don’t Give A Fukk.”
Compact, confrontational and built around a brutally direct refrain, “I Don’t Give A Fukk” transforms the confusion and hostility of the modern world into three minutes of mechanized defiance. Grinding guitars, a relentless electronic pulse and Peter Tägtgren’s unmistakable vocals drive the track toward a chorus created to be shouted back at full volume.
The lyrics offer an unfiltered snapshot of a society consumed by political theater, distrust, manipulation and competing versions of reality. Provocative conspiracy imagery collides with accusations of hypocrisy and manufactured division, capturing the feeling of being surrounded by noise while no longer knowing whom or what to believe.
Rather than offering easy answers, “I Don’t Give A Fukk” delivers a release: a blunt refusal to participate in the madness.
Peter Tägtgren comments:“I’m really curious to see how people react, and I’m stoked about the new single. As most of you know, I always try not to repeat myself, and this time I’m sure people will be wondering, ‘What the hell is going on?’ Sebastian and I wrote the song together, and lyrically I’m throwing my view of the world and of the last ten years right in your face. Hold on tight and get ready to smile.”
Co-written by Peter and his son, PAIN drummer Sebastian Tägtgren, the single continues the pair’s growing creative partnership while taking the project into another unexpected corner of its sound.
For nearly three decades, PAIN has operated without boundaries, welding heavy metal, industrial electronics, infectious melodies, dark humor and Tägtgren’s singular worldview into music that is as immediate as it is unpredictable. Following the release of PAIN’s ninth studio album, I Am, “I Don’t Give A Fukk” strips that formula down to its most direct elements: a crushing groove, a provocative message and a hook that refuses to leave quietly.
The world may be on fire, but PAIN is turning up the volume.
For nearly three decades, PAIN has existed according to one simple rule: there are no rules. Created by Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Peter Tägtgren, PAIN began as an outlet for ideas that had nowhere else to go. By the mid-1990s, Tägtgren was already firmly established as the frontman of death metal band HYPOCRISY, but the music taking shape in his studio was moving in a very different direction. Electronics, programmed rhythms, heavy guitars, synthesizers and an increasingly sharp instinct for melody were colliding in ways that did not belong within HYPOCRISY. Instead of forcing those ideas to fit, Tägtgren built something new around them.
PAIN was born.
The project’s self-titled debut arrived in 1997, with Tägtgren handling the vocals, instruments and production himself. That one-man approach established the foundation of PAIN and remains central to the project today. In the studio, PAIN is still driven overwhelmingly by Tägtgren’s vision, giving him the freedom to follow an idea wherever it leads without worrying about genre boundaries or expectations. Onstage, that vision has grown into a formidable live band, currently featuring Peter Tägtgren on vocals and guitar, his son Sebastian Tägtgren on drums, Jonathan Olsson on bass and Sebastian Svalland on guitar.
From the beginning, PAIN offered something markedly different from the extreme metal that had first made Tägtgren’s name. The aggression was still there, but now it shared space with electronics, danceable rhythms, huge choruses, bleak humor and a pop songwriter’s understanding of how to make a hook stick. That collision became increasingly defined on 1999’s Rebirth and then exploded with 2002’s Nothing Remains the Same, the album that produced “Shut Your Mouth,” one of the defining songs of PAIN’s career. What could have been a contradiction, industrial metal that was simultaneously crushing and instantly memorable, became the band’s identity.
PAIN continued to evolve with Dancing with the Dead. Released in 2005, the album pushed Tägtgren’s combination of metallic weight and accessibility even further with tracks including “Same Old Song,” “Bye/Die” and the title track. Behind the album was a frighteningly literal encounter with its central theme. Tägtgren had collapsed in a Swedish pub after his heart stopped for roughly two minutes, an experience he later connected directly to the writing of “Dancing with the Dead.” The record reached No. 3 on the Swedish album chart and marked another major step in PAIN’s growth.
By this point, it was clear that PAIN was not interested in repeating a formula. Psalms of Extinction followed in 2007, expanding the palette again and bringing outside musicians into the studio, including MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee, CHILDREN OF BODOM’s Alexi Laiho and IN FLAMES bassist Peter Iwers. A year later came Cynic Paradise, which included guest vocals from then-NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon and produced enduring tracks such as “Follow Me” and “I’m Going In.”
You Only Live Twice arrived in 2011, followed by Coming Home in 2016. The latter revealed another side of PAIN, bringing orchestral textures and acoustic elements into Tägtgren’s industrial framework while retaining the hooks and heavy grooves at the center of the band’s sound. By then, PAIN had long since developed from a studio experiment into an international touring act with its own unmistakable identity.
That identity has always been inseparable from Peter Tägtgren himself. Beyond PAIN and HYPOCRISY, Tägtgren has spent decades behind the desk as one of European metal’s most recognized producers. Through his work at Abyss Studio, his production credits have included artists such as DIMMU BORGIR, IMMORTAL, AMON AMARTH, AMORPHIS, DARK FUNERAL, SABATON and CELTIC FROST. He also collaborated with RAMMSTEIN vocalist Till Lindemann in the project LINDEMANN, writing and performing the music for Skills in Pills and F & M before leaving the project in 2020. The breadth of that career helps explain PAIN’s refusal to stay in one musical lane. For Tägtgren, production, songwriting and experimentation have never been separate disciplines. They are different parts of the same process.
After Coming Home, a new PAIN album would take eight years to arrive, but the project was far from dormant. Tägtgren remained occupied with HYPOCRISY, LINDEMANN and other production and recording work. Then, in 2021, PAIN released “Party in My Head.”
The song became a phenomenon.
Built around a massive electronic hook, a pounding beat and the kind of chorus that seemed designed to lodge itself permanently in the listener’s brain, “Party in My Head” introduced PAIN to an enormous new audience while reconnecting with everything that had always made the project distinctive. According to PAIN’s official biography, the track went on to surpass the streaming performance of longtime favorite “Shut Your Mouth,” becoming one of the biggest songs in the band’s catalog.
That momentum ultimately fed into I Am, PAIN’s ninth studio album, released through Nuclear Blast Records on May 17, 2024. Rather than settling into the sound of its breakthrough single, Tägtgren used the record to demonstrate just how elastic PAIN could still be. Industrial aggression, synth pop, melancholy, heavy grooves and melody coexist throughout the album, with songs including “Go With The Flow,” “Push The Pusher,” “Don’t Wake The Dead,” “Revolution,” “Fair Game” and the title track moving through markedly different moods without losing the project’s identity. Tägtgren described the goal as bringing more intensity, aggression and industrial atmosphere back into PAIN after the more expansive approach of Coming Home.
I Am also marked an important development inside the PAIN camp. Sebastian Tägtgren, Peter’s son and the band’s drummer, wrote the music for “Revolution” and “Don’t Wake The Dead” and served as a co-producer on the album. His growing creative role brought a new dimension to a project that had begun decades earlier as Peter alone in a studio.
Across nine studio albums, PAIN has built a catalog that refuses to separate heaviness from accessibility. “End of the Line,” “Shut Your Mouth,” “Same Old Song,” “Zombie Slam,” “Follow Me,” “Dirty Woman,” “Coming Home,” “Party in My Head” and “Go With The Flow” may come from different eras and approach the PAIN formula from different angles, but they share the same instinct: make it heavy, make it memorable and never become predictable.
That same instinct carries into the next chapter with “I Don’t Give A Fukk,” written by Peter and Sebastian Tägtgren. Musically direct and lyrically confrontational, the song takes aim at the anger, manipulation, division, distrust and information overload that Tägtgren sees in the world around him. It is deliberately provocative, irreverent and difficult to mistake for anything other than PAIN.
That unpredictability is ultimately the point.
PAIN started because Peter Tägtgren needed somewhere to put the ideas that did not fit anywhere else. Nearly thirty years later, that freedom is still the project’s greatest strength. Industrial metal, electronic music, rock, pop, death metal attitude, melancholy, sarcasm and outright absurdity can all exist in the same universe because PAIN has never treated genre as a boundary.
The sound changes. The songs change. The world around them certainly changes.
PAIN keeps moving.
PAIN is: Peter Tägtgren: vocals, guitar Sebastian Tägtgren: drums Jonathan Olsson: bass Sebastian Svalland: guitar
US black metal duo STORMRULER have signed a worldwide deal with Distortion Music Group (DMG) – Powered by Reigning Phoenix Music. Alongside the announcement, STORMRULER present the new track, “Dark Age Of Deception.”
STORMRULER comment on the single release “Dark Age Of Deception”, “We chose this song to be at the forefront of the Imperial resurgence for a few reasons. First and foremost it’s a sonic battery draped in frozen and melancholic themes, the sort of soaring leads and blackened assault one has come to expect from a refined and matured STORMRULER. It also provides a peak into one of many legends told within the Realm of Aurelia, a world soon to be explored by many…”
“Dark Age Of Deception” is a standalone single marking STORMRULER’s introduction to DMG. Separate from the narrative of the upcoming album, the track delivers the band’s signature blend of melodic black metal, relentless aggression and sweeping atmosphere. Built on blistering riffs, rapid fire drumming and commanding melodies, it serves as a direct and uncompromising first statement from the band’s new chapter.
About STORMRULER:
Born out of St. Louis, MO, the ferocious black metal duo STORMRULER is comprised of guitarist and vocalist Jason Asberry and drummer Jesse Schobel. Captivated by fantasy realms, the band’s imagery and sonic design draw from this theme entwined with historical elements.
The debut album Under The Burning Eclipse emerged in 2021, released via Napalm Records. This full-length was followed in quick succession by the sophomore offering, Sacred Rites & Black Magick, also via Napalm Records in 2022.
With “Dark Age Of Deception,”STORMRULER rise through the all encompassing gloom with obliterating force. Plunging into a dark and immersive shroud of atmospheric layers and commanding intensity, “Dark Age Of Deception” signifies the band’s new chapter has commenced.
GODSLAVE present the new single “Repaid In Kind” – the self titled new studio album will be released on September 11 at Metalville.
With their new single “Repaid in Kind”, GODSLAVE tackle one of the most difficult steps of all: regaining one’s own peace after others have left deep wounds.
Not out of naivety. Not because what happened has been forgotten. But because hatred and revenge only give the perpetrators further power over one’s own life.
Musically, the song is as multifaceted as its message: driving thrash metal meets the epic melodies and catchy hooks that have always set GODSLAVE apart and given their sound a signature style all its own.
The song’s message is as uncomfortable as it is liberating: True strength isn’t shown by repaying evil with evil, but by breaking the cycle.
“Repaid in Kind”—and especially its accompanying music video—is dedicated to all those who have suffered at the hands of others’ cruelty and yet have forged their own path.
A song about empathy, inner freedom, and the courage to give yourself the greatest gift of all: your own peace!
LINE UP Thommy (Vocals) Bernie (Guitar) Manni (Guitar) Mika (Bass) Tobi (Drums)
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
