A new and ominous chapter is set to unfold from the heart of Switzerland, as Black Metal quartet VÍGLJÓS are poised to release their second studio album “Tome II – ignis sacer” on September 19, 2025 via Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions.
Emerging from Basel in 2022, VÍGLJÓS (Old Norse for “the light which is just bright enough to be able to kill a man”) has since solidified its ranks into a potent four-piece, featuring members from both Germany and Switzerland. With their lineup now wielding guitar, drums, mellotron, and vocals, the band recently laid down their second album at Marc Obrist’s (Zeal & Ardor) Hutch Sounds in Oberwil, BL. Obrist’s meticulous work on recording, mixing, and mastering promises a production that will undoubtedly capture the band’s intense vision, complemented by striking artwork from Adrian Smith and layout by Luca Piazzalonga.
While VÍGLJÓS openly acknowledges the profound influence of Norwegian Second Wave Black Metal titans like Darkthrone and Immortal, their sound is far from a mere homage. They skillfully weave the raw, frigid essence of ’90s Black Metal with unexpected layers of synth, intricate tremolo picking, and even light infusions of rock’n’roll riffs and beats. These elements are all underpinned by hauntingly atmospheric mellotron tracks, adding a unique depth to their dark canvas. For those who’ve experienced VÍGLJÓS live, the word is out: expect an “auditive, visual and olfactory experience” that lingers long after the final note.
Tracklist:
Sowing
A Seed of Aberration
The Rot
Claviceps
Dellusions of Grandeur
Decadency and Degeneration
Harvest
Fallow – A New Cycle Begins
Thematically, “Tome II – ignis sacer” delves deep into the phenomenon of ergotism – the voluntary or involuntary poisoning by ingesting the claviceps fungus that grows on wheat. This ancient affliction, which fueled historical phases of civil unrest, witch crazes, and societal meltdowns when climate favored its growth on essential food sources, is a central inspiration.
The band states, “On this new record, we want to honor the impact that Claviceps (and later LSD) and drugs in general had and still have on art, music, society, our self-image and medicine, as well as the terror and depravity they brought upon us.“
“Tome II – ignis sacer” will be coming out on September 19 via Les Acteurs de L’Ombre Productions in CD/LP and DIGITAL formatsand is now available for pre-order atTHIS LOCATION
VÍGLJÓS are: J – Drums L – Vocals N – Guitar Mellotron by Aorrta as Guest Musician
“Tanzerloch” marks the long-awaited return of Balt Hüttar, folk metal guardians of the ancient Cimbrian heritage from the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni (Italy). As the first single and title track of their upcoming album (due out September 12th), “Tanzerloch” offers a dramatic entry point into a record that blends myth, memory, and metal with bold sonic vision.
With this new track, Balt Hüttar reaffirms their distinctive identity—one rooted in the rediscovery and celebration of the endangered Cimbrian language and culture, interwoven with the energy and force of modern folk metal. Inspired by a local legend from the Roana area, “Tanzerloch” tells the story of a man who disappears into a mysterious sinkhole during a witches’ sabbath, encountering a world of spirits, shadows, and ancient forces. Sung in Italian and Cimbro – a rare medieval Germanic language still spoken in some mountain communities of Northern Italy – the lyrics evoke both the mysticism of the tale and the tension between nature and the supernatural.
Musically, “Tanzerloch” is one of the band’s most ambitious and immersive pieces to date. Its seven-minute runtime unfolds in dynamic movements, opening with somber melodic lines and building toward a powerful climax filled with layered instrumentation and ritualistic cadence. The arrangement includes flutes, tagelharpa, accordion, Irish bouzouki, and bodhrán, seamlessly blending with distorted guitars, tribal drums, and the dual vocal approach that alternates between storytelling clarity and feral intensity. The track conjures a trance-like state that mirrors the mythical dance within the narrative, transporting the listener into a liminal space between reality and folklore.
The song was composed by all five members of the band, reflecting the group’s multifaceted musical background, and the lyrics have been drawn directly from oral Cimbrian traditions that have survived centuries of cultural erosion.
The upcoming full-length album “Tanzerloch” will further explore the myths, historical traumas, and cultural identity of the Altopiano dei Sette Comuni through eleven tracks that blend metal’s aggression with poetic reflection and folk memory. Produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered by Christian Zecchin—who also shares artistic direction with the band—the album is visually enriched by the illustrations of Fabio Porfidia.
Balt Hüttar have long stood out for their strong conceptual approach and live intensity, sharing the stage with bands such as Elvenking, Folkstone, Rotting Christ, Skyclad, and Waylander. With “Tanzerloch”, they take a bold step forward, offering a haunting and deeply rooted vision of folk metal where myth, language, and sound converge in a ritual of memory and resistance.
Recommended for fans of Korpiklaani, Eluveitie, and Folkstone, Balt Hüttar’s music is more than just entertainment—it’s cultural preservation through distortion, rhythm, and ancestral echoes.
Join Swedish death metal surgeons Entrails on Bandcamp for an exclusive listening party one day before the official release date of their new album, Grip of Ancient Evil.
With Grip of Ancient Evil, out on 18th July via Hammerheart Records, Entrails continue their legacy of old-school brutality mixed with modern precision. Pre-order the album here: https://entrails.lnk.to/gripofancientevil
Tracklist:
1. Grip of Ancient Evil 2. Untreatable Decay 3. Skin ‘em All 4. Conquering the Unknown 5. Hunt in the Shadows 6. Fed to the Dead 7. Wings of Death 8. Graveyard Rising 9. Inner Demon 10. Insane Death 11. Consumed by Insects
FFO: Entombed, Dismember, Grave, Bloodbath Genre: Death Metal
Following the acclaimed release of An Eternal Time of Decay, Entrails dug deeper into the grave to conjure up their darkest and most savage material to date with their eighth full-length album, Grip of Ancient Evil.
In addition to honouring all its promises of brutality, the LP also features a number of surprises, including guest vocals by Per “Hellbutcher” Gustavsson (Friends of Hell, Nifelheim) on the song ‘Inner Demon’ and some intriguing acoustic passages.
Fronted by relentless leader Jimmy Lundqvist since the band’s rebirth 15 years ago, Entrails have gone on to bless the European death metal scene with hailed performances at cult festivals such as Netherlands Deathfest, Obscene Extreme Festival, Kill-Town Death Fest, and Hellfest.
In the finest tradition of Swedish old-school death metal, Entrails deliver another uncompromising homage to extreme music with this new ritualistic offering. If an unhealthy mix of HM-2 buzzsaw guitars, bludgeoning rhythms, and horror-drenched lyrics sounds like a delicacy, Grip of Ancient Evil should be right up your alley.
Line-up:
Jimmy Lundqvist – Guitar Markus Svensson – Guitar Julian Bellenox – Vocals Benjamin Andersson – Bass Arvid Borg – Drums
Martyr have shared a music video for their latest single “Legions Of The Cross”, the album closing track of their forthoming studio offering “Dark Believer”. The album will be available on CD, Vinyl and Digital formats on August 15th via ROAR, pre-order your favorite choice of format now on: https://martyr.rpm.link/dbalbumPR
The band comments: ‘Legions of the Cross’ is a rallying cry for all who follow their beliefs with unwavering conviction. For MARTYR, that belief is our music our heavy metal — pure, loud, and true. This track from our new album ‘Dark Believer’ is a tribute to the faithful, the fearless, and the unbreakable legions who stand with us.”
Martyr is a metal band from the Netherlands, forging their legacy since 1982. The world first took notice in 1985 when their track “En Masse (Stand Or Die)” appeared on Metal Blade’s iconic “Metal Massacre VI” compilation alongside acts like Possessed, Dark Angel, and Nasty Savage. That same year, their debut album “For The Universe” became an instant classic, praised by Encyclopaedia Metallum for its superior songwriting.
Martyr‘s impact on Dutch Metal was further cemented with their inclusion in the 2014 “Dutch Steel (80’s Metal From The Netherlands)” compilation. The band’s hometown of Utrecht also recognized their contributions, with Mayor Jan van Zanen personally thanking them in 2018 for representing the city on the global stage. Renowned for their electrifying live performances, Martyr has toured extensively across Europe, Japan, and India, sharing stages with legends like Trivium, Iced Earth, Saxon, Raven and Flotsam & Jetsam, as well as Iron Maiden alumni Paul Di’Anno and Blaze Bayley. In 2022, Martyr released “Planet Metalhead” to widespread acclaim, earning “Album of the Year” from Metalfan.nl and leading to a partnership with Rock Of Angels Records for its global re-release in 2023.
Now, on August 15, 2025, Martyr is set to unleash their seventh studio album, “Dark Believer”, through ROAR. With headline slots, festival appearances, and club shows on the horizon, Martyr continues to prove why they remain one of metal’s most enduring forces!
Album Tracklist: 01 – Darkness Before Dawn 02 – Dark Believer 03 – Wrath of the Fallen 04 – Cemetery Symphony 05 – Insidious 06 – The Weight of Words 07 – Venoms Scent 08 – Harvest Of Souls 09 – Legions Of The Cross
MARTYR is: Rop van Haren – Vocals Rick Bouwman – Guitars Justin Schut – Guitars Vinnie Wassink – Bass Ed van Wijngaarden – Drums
Portuguese alternative metal band STEREOPHOBIA have returned to blow your mind like a stick of dynamite in a glass factory! The band’s massive signature guitar sound, thundering bass, and percussive beats that resonate like war-drum are back with a rebellious new single and music video entitled “Uncle Clarke’s (Made Me Do It)“. The music video was directed by Lou Loução in Alverca, Lisbon. This is the second single & music video taken from their upcoming full-length album Choke On This which will be released on August 29, 2025 via Eclipse Records. The album was produced by Miguel Camilo and Stereophobia at MC Sound Studios.
“This second single was chosen due to the contrast of the two sonic hemispheres between density, aggressiveness and heaviness, with the serene and melodic response” says guitarist & vocalist Mike Rocha. “Once again, we feel that it demonstrates a little of everything that Stereophobia represents in terms of our songwriting. The concept of the video came about in a Yin-Yang style representing the contrast of light and darkness surrounding the band in a 360º view, and how the search for serenity against your alter ego can become your biggest critic with devastating thoughts and low self-esteem.” Drummer Dany Antunes adds, “The significance of the black and white contrast is quite evident and reflects what was already previously explained by Mike, so the color choosing was an immediate idea to transfer to the video. I think in this video the narrative is pretty straightforward and hardly gives place to different interpretations.”
Choke on This, the abrasive new alternative metal album from Stereophobia, is more than a punch in the gut. It is a blast in the face that buzzsaws your back, widens your eyes, and rocks your bones right down to the marrow. Aggressive music at its finest, the rich guitar sound is a precious collection of aesthetic “schitzo-riffs,” each an exotic treasure dazzling in the dark and leading us to the caverns and haunts of our deepest repressions. The bass is a booming series of tactical nukes, and the power-drumming gets in your blood, enlarges your heart, and rattles your ribcage. The album isn’t subtle. Play the “f” out of it, and for “eff’n” God’s sake, play it loud! In terms of overall theme, this emotive and powerful record is about infection, a poisoned society we feed on like snakes in the crease, ingesting the swill spit out of our television sets, the lies bleeding through the pores of our social media, and the culture wars pitting us against each other like gladiators wearing masks and falling hard on our swords. Musically, Choke on This is innovative and fresh considering the variety of guitar sounds, the intricate drum work (especially the production and performance on the toms), the emotive vocals, and the powerful bass runs. This album was produced by Miguel Camilo, (M’vula, The Bateleurs), and Stereophobia at MC Sound Studios, and the album cover art was created by Tatiana Ferreira. Choke On This by Stereophobia will be released on August 29th, 2025 via Eclipse Records.
Pre-Save or Pre-Order Choke On This at this location.
Coverart Credit: Tatiana Ferreira
Choke On This track listing 01. XFile #903YU 02. Maggots 03. Drown 04. Uncle Clarke’s (made me do it) 05. Don’t Belong 06. The Tourist 07. Everything’s Gone 08. Twisted Fuck 09. The Freak Show 10. Plastik Queen 11. Illusions 12. Drop Dead 13. Left in a Box 14. Sweet Agony (bonus track)
Stereophobia lineup Mike Rocha (guitars & vocals), Daniel Antunes (drums & backing vocals), Bruno Santos (bass guitar)
American heavy duo FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS drop the video clip ‘KEEPING SCORE‘ as part of the two-track advance single from their forthcoming new album “BEAR“, which has been scheduled for release on October 10, 2025, via Magnetic Eye Records. The pre-order is available here:http://lnk.spkr.media/friendshipcommanders-bear
These exceptional artists from Nashville, Tennessee have already teased the album announcement with the video for ‘MELT‘ over the last few days. Links and important statements regarding both songs can be found below.
The dual singles illustrate the tonal expansiveness contained within the ten-track body of work that is “BEAR”, where there is heaviness and also a kind of lightness. ‘KEEPING SCORE’ sees songwriter Buick Audra confront cycles of women injuring girls due to being threatened by their existence, something she experienced personally. ‘MELT’ addresses the loneliness and confusion that comes with being rejected by members of one’s own gender in adulthood.
“‘KEEPING SCORE’ was the first song written for ‘BEAR’ and I think of it as the mother of the album“, vocalist and guitarist Buick Audra reveals. “When I was a kid, the mother of my best friend, a boy, singled me out as a problem for her son and all the other boys in our skateboarding crew. She was afraid that I was corrupting them somehow. She called around and spread non-truths about me to the other parents, some of whom I’d never met. It was devastating, humiliating beyond words. Years later, I realized women in my own generation were doing the same thing to little girls who knew their sons. Little girls! Age seven, eight! Being called ‘hussies’ by grown women! Color me horrified. Color me involved. Now that I can speak for myself, I will also speak for girls like me. Someone should. The propulsive riff on this song is my war cry.“
Jerry Roe adds: “These songs were so exciting to hear when Buick played them for me for the first time – pretty unlike anything we’d ever done up to this point in terms of energy and propulsion“, the drummer and bass player writes. “Our music has tended to move either fast or slow while somehow feeling heavy at all times, and these songs lean and move forward in a way that’s much brighter and quite joyful, even through the subject matter. To play them almost feels like being flown through the air towards a gigantic bullseye made of fiery confetti! I can’t wait to play this new album live.“
“The song ‘MELT’ is about realizing that I’ve never really fit with my own kind, something I’ve only come to terms with in the last two years or so“, Buick Audraexplains. “I’ve spent so much time and energy trying to be a woman among women, but at the end of the day, I’m just always over here being too loud. Too much. And yet, somehow also not enough. It’s a stunning paradox. Musically, the song has a sugary quality to it, which is also referenced in the line, ‘that’s how they punch you, sugar over fists’. This track beats me up because it’s so painfully true, but it’s also a delight to play.“
Bear Tracklist:
KEEPING SCORE
DRAIN
DRIPPING SILVER
MELT
NEW
X
MIDHEAVEN
IMPERFECT
FOUND
DEAD & DISCARDED GIRLS
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS are not just any band within the wider musical cosmos of heavy rock and stoner metal. Artistic excellence, reflected in the two Grammy wins of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Buick Audra as well as the status of drummer and bass player Jerry Roe as one of the most sought after studio percussionists, paired with outstanding lyrical intelligence have once again flown together organically to shape their forthcoming album “BEAR”.
“BEAR” was written around the realisation that Buick Audra had essentially been kicked out of womanhood. This album is a documentation of her awareness also while cataloguing other areas of human connection: art, outsider culture, and dark rock venues – all places where empathy and creativity grow wild. Audra and Jerry Roe arranged and performed the fourth full-length of FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERSalbum to have two sides to it, musically: heavy and light, salt and sugar, fire and air, and lost and found.
Although hailing from Nashville, Tennessee these denizens of the ‘Music City’ kindly beg to differ. FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS‘ sound draws from sludge, doom, heavy metal, and grunge with roots in punk and hardcore, among other guitar driven styles.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS were originally conceived as a side project by the two industry veterans Buick Audra and Jerry Roe, whose accolades have already been mentioned above. When the duo found common ground, they were able to bring all their combined musical excellence, perspectives, precision, and power to their new band.
Their early works, the EPs “GARFIELD” (2015) and “JUNEBUG” (2017) as well as the debut full-length “AVE” (2016) were all self-recorded as well as self-produced in their own studio, Fort Knockout, and supported live with regional tours.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS‘ sophomore album ‘BILL’ (2018) was co-produced by the band with Steve Albini and engineered at his Chicago studio, Electrical Audio. Working with Albini proved a pivotal experience for the duo, both personally and professionally. “BILL” reached a notably larger audience and allowed national touring. Following Albini’s passing in 2024, the band released his original analogue mixes of the project, “BILL- The Steve Albini Mixes”.
Although the duo’s members maintained other ventures, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS had developed into a focal endeavour for them both. Their again self-produced 2020 EP, “HOLD ON TO YOURSELF”, was the beginning of their by now years-long collaboration with Kurt Ballou, who mixed the record. He also mixed their self-produced pandemic-era singles “STONECHILD/ YOUR REIGN IS OVER” (2020), “ALTAR / LAND OF MEN” (2021), and “AND IF MY BODY” (2022). These were later compiled on a limited vinyl release entitled “RELEASE OF THE REST” (2022). The singles also marked a departure from the duo’s previous punk and hardcore leanings while introducing a heavier, sludgier sensibility.
FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS recorded and co-produced their third album “MASS” again with Ballou at his GodCity Studio in Salem, MA. Audra recorded and produced her vocals at her Nashville studio, and Ballou then mixed the tracks. With “MASS” (2023), a concept album about memory, language, and the state of Massachusetts, the duo took the important next step of reaching a global audience.
“BEAR” was again co-produced by band members Buick Audra and Jerry Roe. The duo returned to Salem to work along once more with their longtime collaborator, Kurt Ballou, who also tracked the instrumental performances and mixed the record. As a result, the songs with a huge range of musical ideas and expressions are unified in sound as well as in theme, which runs throughout the record in various ways: the ever-elusive idea of belonging, where it occurs, and where it absolutely does not.
With “BEAR”, FRIENDSHIP COMMANDERS present a rare sparkling gem of an album, heavy yet captivating, shiny yet dark, and songs that brim with important meaning. “BEAR” is easy to get into, but beware, this album will draw its listeners into fascinating and thought-provoking depths!
Produced by Friendship Commanders & Kurt Ballou Recorded by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem, MA (US) Vocal recording by Buick Audra at Fort Knockout, Nashville, TN (US) Additional engineering by Jerry Roe at Fort Knockout, Nashville, TN (US) Assistant engineering by Zach Weeks at GodCity, Salem, MA (US) Mixed by Kurt Ballou at GodCity, Salem, MA (US) Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege, Portland, OR (US)
Cover artwork by Jerry Roe & Buick Audra Layout by Buick Audra & Keith Brogdon
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
Ads
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 ) 