Finnish pagan metal band Kaamos Warriors is set to release their yet untitled fifth studio album later in 2025 via Inverse Records. The first single ‘Seita’ is released today and music video of the track is available below.
The guitarist Jani Moilanen comments: “We have a great respect and admiration towards the nature and wilderness and it has guided us deeper into to world of ancient (Finnish) paganism. We live in the area where we are blessed to be surrounded by beautiful nature. All this reflects more and more in our music and can be heard and seen in our new ”Seita” single and music video.”
The Finnish Pagan metal band Kaamos Warriors was formed in 2018 by Jani Moilanen (guitars) and Mikko Ojala (vocals, guitars). Their inspiration for the musical athmosphere is derived from the the beauty and the harshness of the Northern nature. The roots of the band rely heavily on the wilderness of the North. Current line-up includes also Inka Ojala (shamandrum) and Marjo Moilanen (bass guitar). Their presence in the band has further expanded the whole audiovisual atmosphere of the Finnish paganism. Jani, Mikko and Inka have also being playing together in the melodic metal band Dark The Suns. The former bass player for the Kaamos Wariors (played bass in the previous two albums) Jyri Moilanen is currently having a break from playing in the band. All the musical releases of the band have been released via Inverse Records.
Line-up: Mikko Ojala: vocals, guitars & drums Jani Moilanen: guitars Inka Ojala: shamandrum & percussions Marjo Moilanen: bass
Synths & Soundscapes: Mikko Ojala, Inka Ojala Poetry recitation: Riia Moilanen, Hilla Moilanen, Pihla Moilanen
Swedish death metal juggernaut UNDECAYED return with a brand-new single, “The Descendants of Death”, now streaming exclusively via Decibel Magazine. The track is another unrelenting slab of sonic devastation lifted from the band’s forthcoming debut album “In Death’s Image”, set for release on May 21st, 2025 through Lethal Scissor Records.
Channeling the ferocity of classic ’90s death metal, UNDECAYED deliver a barrage of blast-laden grooves, guttural vocals, and sinister riffing that draws from the genre’s darkest roots while forging their own merciless path forward.
Likely the first album ever released with the word ‘death’ in the title of every song, “In Death’s Image” takes its thematic obsession to another level: in one track, the word for ‘death’ is even sung in 19 different languages. The album’s lyrics paint a grim and absolute vision of annihilation—”Death” arrives on Earth in a physical form, surpassing any concept of a god, to extinguish all existence. No one and nothing is spared: humans, animals, vegetation, water, air—everything dies. There is NO hope for life.
Tracklist:
1 – The World Shall Know Only Death 2 – Death’s Only Demand 3 – The Descendants Of Death 4 – In Death’s Image 5 – Death Shall Come (Death Shall Prevail) 6 – Death’s Pallid Coat 7 – World At Death’s Door 8 – Entreating Death In Vain 9 – The Greatest Death
All music composed by Mikael Bergman All lyrics written by Tony Richter Cover artwork by renowned artist Jon Zig
UNDECAYED was formed in August 2008 by Tony Richter (vocals) and Mikael Bergman (guitars) as a result of lineup issues in their respective bands, 9th Plague and Disromance. The two had played together in several bands throughout the ’90s and early 2000s, most notably Gardens of Obscurity and The Darksend. Initially, Richter and Bergman were joined by Disromance drummer Johnny Augustsson. Bassist Christoffer Svensson joined in 2009, and in 2014, drummer Jesper Leidbring replaced Augustsson.
The idea that every song should include the word “death” in its title emerged in 2010, both to emphasize that this was true DEATH metal and because such a concept had never been done before. The demo “The Triumph of Death” was recorded in late 2010 and released in January 2011. It was then decided that no further demos would be released before the debut album.
Over the years, family matters, work commitments, health issues, the loss of two rehearsal spaces, and lineup changes all contributed to periods of forced inactivity and delays. It wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic that the band was finally able to complete their album “In Death’s Image”.
Line-up:
Tony Richter – vocals Mikael Bergman – guitars Christoffer Svensson – bass Jesper Leidbring – drums
American desert rock pioneer and former KYUSS frontman JOHN GARCIA will be embarking on a North American tour, in which he will be supported by psychedelic rock duo TELEKINETC YETI! Garcia will be performing music from his his celebrated projects, including KYUSS, SLO BURN, HERMANO + more! The trek will run through the West Coast and parts of the midwest from June 26 throughout July 13. Garcia will also perform an additional headliner on July 19 in Pioneertown, CA. The full itinerary can be found below while the tickets can be found HERE.
JOHN GARCIA North American Tour Dates (w/ Telekinetic Yeti):
06/26: San Diego, CA @ The Casbah 06/27: Los Angeles, CA @ Fonda Theatre 06/29: Sacramento, CA @ Ace Of Spades 06/30: San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall 07/01: Portland, OR @ Dantes 07/02: Seattle, WA @ El Corazon 07/03: Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre 07/05: Calgary, AB @ Dickens 07/06: Edmonton, AB @ Starlite Room 07/08: Winnipeg, MB @ Park Theatre 07/09: St Paul, MN @ Turf Club 07/10: Milwaukee, WI @ Club Garibaldi 07/11: Omaha, NE @ Slowdown 07/12: Denver, CO @ Marquis 07/13: Salt Lake City, UT @ Urban Lounge 07/19: Pioneertown, CA @ Pappy & Harriet’s#
#No Telekinetic Yeti
Kyuss, Slo Burn, Unida, Hermano, Vista Chino – whatever John Garcia had a hand in turned immediately to success. The frontman understood to create his own style within those bands and established himself as the most distinctive voice of the entire Desert / Stoner Rock scene.
John Garcia has delivered a multi-faceted and extremely intense solo album that will stir up more dust than a sandstorm in the California desert.
Live lineup: John Garcia – Vocals John Bennet – Guitar Billy Cordell – Bass Greg Saenz – Drums
Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Lynyrd Skynyrd has just released a live version of their iconic hit, “Sweet Home Alabama.” The new single and music video is the second release from their upcoming live album and DVD, “Celebrating 50 Years – Live At The Ryman” (Frontiers Music SRL) – spectacularly capturing the legendary southern rock band’s historic 50th-anniversary concert at Nashville’s legendary venue. The new release will be available everywhere on June 27, 2025. Pre-Order on 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray or a double LP here: https://ffm.to/lsryman50
The new album showcases the band’s unparalleled energy and their signature blend of blues rock and Southern hard rock swagger and stands as a celebration of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s lasting legacy in music history. Special guests on the album include Jelly Roll, Marcus King, John Osborne (The Brothers Osborne), Brent Smith (Shinedown), and Donnie Van Zant (Van Zant & .38 Special).
This special release holds profound significance as it features the final performance of founding member Gary Rossington. Less than five months before his death in March of 2023, Rossington — the last surviving original member of Lynyrd Skynyrd — expressed an earnest hope that the band’s music would continue to be performed even after he wasn’t around. And just as they’ve done for over 50 years, the band remains a driving force in rock, honoring their roots while bringing their signature sound to new audiences.
With over 28 million records sold in the U.S. and a sound as iconic as the American culture it celebrates, Lynyrd Skynyrd continues to inspire fans of all ages while embodying the very soul of Southern rock. From their humble Jacksonville beginnings, through tragedy, reunion, and redemption, the band has earned its place on Rolling Stone’s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time” – as well as a prominent spot in the hearts of generations.
Originally formed in 1964 as My Backyard, the band evolved into Lynyrd Skynyrd in 1968, with a lineup featuring Ronnie Van Zant (vocals), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Junstrom (bass), and Bob Burns (drums). Their 1973 debut album introduced the world to their unmistakable blend of blues, country, and hard rock. Hits like “Sweet Home Alabama” and the timeless “Free Bird” cemented their status as pioneers of the genre.
At the peak of their success, in 1977, a devastating plane crash claimed the lives of lead singer Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines, and backup vocalist Cassie Gaines, leaving the music world in shock. Despite the unimaginable loss, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s legacy endured, and their music remained a beacon of Southern rock.
In 1987, the band reformed with Ronnie’s younger brother, Johnny Van Zant, taking over as lead vocalist. Lynyrd Skynyrd continued to tour and record, with guitarist Rickey Medlocke returning to the fold in 1996. Though founding member Gary Rossington’s passing in 2023 marked the end of an era, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s influence remains stronger than ever. Their enduring music, spirit, and legacy will forever stand as a testament to the power of rock and roll.
“This is all about the music and keeping it alive and keeping those guys alive through the music,” says Johnny Van Zant. “People want to hear it, and they want to hear it played live. I have people all the time saying, ‘Thank you for carrying it on so we can experience it.’”
Adds Rickey Medlocke: “Gary expressed many times his wishes that the music didn’t perish with him, that the legacy of the music would continue, not just on the radio or TV or in soundtracks but for the band to take it to the fans, go out and make sure that we delivered it 100 percent. That’s what we do.”
If Janis Joplin had joined Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac…. It might have sounded a lot like this.
Eric Gales needs no introduction. Guitar World’s Best New Talent for 1991, Billboard blues chart-topper, and a 2022 Grammy nominee, Gales is also a Cleopatra Records regular (most recently his 2023 collaboration with Doug Pinnick, covering Cream’s “Sunshine of Your Love”), as well as a regular on the official Jimi Hendrix tribute tours.
Mick Jagger is a fan, and so is Joe Bonamassa, who has described him as“one of the best, if not the best, guitar players in the world.” Now he’s playing alongside Swedish born, LA based Linn Holmes, on her Cleopatra Records debut single, spreading molten guitar across an audacious cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post.”
“He is such a phenomenal guitar player and musician,” says Linn. “I’ve listened a lot to his previous work. I am beyond honored that he wanted to work with me on this track!
Linn was still a child the first time she heard Gregg Allman’s “Whipping Post” – not on the Allmans’ debut album where it first appeared, but via the southern rockers’ 1971 Fillmore live album, where it consumes one entire side of vinyl.
It remains one of her all-time favorite songs, but taking it into the studio with Gales, plus producers Daniel Jakubovic and Rev. Tom Chandler, she adopted an altogether different approach to the number.
Condensing the Allmans’ 22 minute epic to less than three-and-one-half minutes, without losing an iota of the energy, was a tall order after all. But drenching the song even deeper in the blues, Linn’s vocal is spellbinding and Gales’ guitar is electrifying. There’s ears out there that have been listening to the Allmans’ version for over half a century. But with Gales at his most incendiary, Linn makes it her own regardless.
”As a massive Allman Brothers fan, recording ‘Whipping Post’ – I have never had more fun in the studio, getting to pay tribute to one of my favorite bands of all time and to get to create our own take on the song.
“I hope the listeners can feel the pure excitement of working on this track, as we are beyond thrilled to share it with you.”
Of course, none of this should come as a surprise. A long standing stalwart of the LA session scene, Linn’s magnificent voice is familiar too from her work alongside the 12-piece vintage rock group Harry Katz and the Pistachios, with the duo Asteron, Canadian rockers Elderoth and Quiet Riot bassist Chuck Wright’s Ultimate Jam Night all-stars.
Her own solo career, too, is exploding. Invited to appear on Fernando Perdomo’s 2025 tribute to Hall & Oates’s epochal War Babies album, Linn turned in what has to be one of the vocal performances of the year.
Two 2024 singles, “Cut Me” and the vivacious “Baby Blue,” meanwhile, set the stage for her debut EP Introducing Linn Holmes, described by The Source as “reflect[ing] Holmes’ deep appreciation for the rich musical heritage of the past while infusing it with a contemporary flair.”
Now Linn has joined the Cleopatra family, and her label debut, accompanied by a captivating video, can only embed her even deeper into the vanguard of modern rock’s most dynamic vocalists.
Catch Linn live with an acoustic set at the Foundation Room at the Los Angeles House of Blues, on Saturday May 31.
With “And the Now”, Norwegian Grammy winners Gaahls Wyrd are revealing the beating heart of their upcoming second album. The third single spun from Braiding the Stories twist and turns black metal into something darker and dreamier.
“And the Now” captures the essence of Gaahls Wyrd’s latest musical evolution. The third single off Braiding the Stories draws us deeper into the mercurial frontman’s self-appointed “White Lodge”, which floats somewhere between dreams and the subconscious.
Anchored by Kristian “Gaahl” Espedal’s dynamic vocals and Ole “Lust Kilman” Walaunet’s stunning guitars, “And the Now” channels the energy of ‘80s and ‘90s gothic rock without sacrificing the esoteric intensity that defines Gaahls Wyrd. Recorded at Solslottet Studio in Bergen, Norway, and produced alongside Iver Sandøy (Enslaved, Wardruna), the song reinforces the band’s commitment to experimentation and depth. Once again, they’re cinematic, vivid, and audaciously unclassifiable.
Tracklist 1. The Dream (2:11) 2. Braiding the Stories (8:37) [WATCH] 3. Voices in My Head (2:00) 4. Time and Timeless Timeline (3:03) [WATCH] 5. And the Now (5:49) [LISTEN] 6. Through the Veil (1:57) 7. Visions and Time (6:00) 8. Root the Will (5:25) 9. Flowing Starlight (7:11) Full runtime: 42:15
Norwegian Grammy-winning metal outfit Gaahls WYRD stun with their new album, Braiding the Stories, via Season of Mist. Featuring vocalist Gaahl (aka Kristian Espedal), guitarist Lust Kilman (aka Ole Walaunet), drummer Spektre (aka Kevin Kvåle), and bassist Nekroman (aka Andreas Salbu), the group’s sophomore full-length elaborates conceptually on and widens the musical gaze of Gaahls WYRD sonic aesthetic. To wit, they’ve artfully united introspective vistas and violent upheaval on singles “Braiding the Stories,” “Time and Timeless Timeline,” and “And the Now.” If The Humming Mountain (2021) resided between spaces, Braiding the Stories is the lighthouse out of it.
“I call it the White Lodge,” Gaahl says, referring to Braiding the Stories’ differentia. “Maybe I’ll call it the Bright Lodge. I wanted to put focus on where I think Ole is most comfortable music-wise. There’s more things he’s connected to on this album than before. So, I jumped over the more black metal tracks, as I felt they didn’t belong to this process. For example, when we sat down in the studio, we wanted a specific energy. That energy is a ‘80s and ‘90s thing. Almost gothic rock, but it’s more about the sound than the style. It’s an aesthetic for sure. If I may, everyone should pay close attention to Ole’s fantastic solos. They’re pieces of music [inside the songs].”
Braiding the Stories doesn’t scream retro, though. As with previous releases GastiR – Ghosts Invited (2019) and The Humming Mountain, it’s also not easy to pin down. From the unbridled dissonance of “And the Now,” the first track out of Gaahl’s grimoire, and driving scenery of “Flowing Starlight” to the heavy metal-prone “And the Now” and the aching nostalgia of the title track, Gaahls WYRD cleverly stalk their influences, while also ensuring their unorthodox fingerprints and adventurous mindset remain unspoiled. Reinforced by show-stopping musicianship and Gaahl’s penchant for Peter Gabriel-esque showmanship, Braiding the Stories isn’t black metal, death metal, or any other metal. Truly and utterly, this is Gaahls WYRD.
“Musically, it’s unique,” says Gaahl. “It’s not necessarily connected to GastiR and The Humming Mountain. Those albums are connected to very earthly elements, the natural flow of things. This album is another dimension—behind the veil, if you will. I remember I wanted to release ‘And the Now’ as the first single, but there’s probably too much information to be the first track out. Throughout this album, I use a lot of different voices, and I’ve thought a lot about how all these different characters fit [into the music]. So, I wanted the listener to fall into the album, not be distracted, and I think I’ve accomplished that. It’s cinematic.”
While most artists abhorred the pandemic, Gaahl adored it. Not for its destructiveness, but for what it afforded the songmaster. The isolation was creatively energizing. Without the thrum of the record industry and all its demanding machinations, Gaahl crafted his heavily-cerebrated metals unagitated. Indeed, much meaning and purpose was imbued into the process that fueled Braiding the Stories. The last words (about sleep) uttered by Gaahl on The Humming Mountain have transited into the first words (about dreams) on “The Dream.”
“I always work with the subconscious,” Gaahl says. “And dreams are where we are at the most aware of our subconsciousness, I think. In a way, Braiding the Stories is a continuation [of ‘The Sleep’] but told from a different perspective. So, to simplify, Braiding the Stories deals with dreams. Not specific dreams, though. The transitions of dreams, emotions flowing from one to another without pause. Everything I do tends to end up with a melancholic flow and feel without it necessarily being an idea–it just happens, really–but I avoided that this time around. It’s less physical. I referred to the White Lodge before. This time around, I feel I visited the White Lodge not the Black Lodge.”
The old adage says, if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. Gaahls WYRD are very much the “old adage” type. For the production, the group returned to Solslottet Studio in Bergen, Norway to co-produce with ace Iver Sandøy (Enslaved, Wardruna). There, they put down and perfected “Time and Timeless Timeline,” “And the Now,” and the title track, as well as the album’s three vivid interludes “The Dream,” “Voices in My Head,” and “Through the Veil.” Though Braiding the Stories wasn’t recorded all at once, it’s audio-visually breathtaking. Sandøy also mixed and mastered the sessions.
“Me and Iver have been working together on several albums,” says Gaahl. “He’s an important part of Gaahls WYRD. He’s used to my way of working. Sometimes, I can be quite frustrating to work with. If my mind isn’t feeding me inspiration, I won’t get anything done. In that way, I’m very comfortable working with Iver. I need to spar conceptual ideas with someone, and Iver’s very good at that. I don’t annoy the rest of the band with these things. Iver and I have a lot of discussions, and the ideas naturally grow from there. This time around, it was very easy.”
The striking cover art by visual artist Øivind Myksvoll (Wardruna, Trelldom) is just as mysterious and arresting as his work for The Humming Mountain. Look closely and you’ll find what appears to be hair (aka the veil) and the cosmos (crystallized wine from Gaahl’s collection). Indeed, the group’s signature horned figure lurks between the layers. For Gaahls WYRD, music, lyrics, concept, and art are synonymous. They’re designed to be experienced in their entirety and in unison. Braiding the Stories isn’t an obvious listen, but it gently (and sometimes maniacally) pulls at the listener. The sensation of the journey from opener “The Dream” to closing epic “Flowing Starlight” is quite unlike anything before. All hail Braiding the Stories!
Line-up: Kristian Espedal «Gaahl» – All Voices Ole Walaunet «Lust Kilman» – All Guitars Andreas Salbu «Nekroman» – Bass Kevin Kvåle «Spektre» – Drums
Production Credits: Recorded at Solslottet Studio, Bergen, Norway. Produced by Iver Sandøy & Gaahls WYRD. Mixed & mastered by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, Bergen, Norway.
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
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 