On the eve of the release of their album, MÍO comes bearing great news!
The Norwegian folk rock collective has been invited to perform a very special acoustic set at Big Dipper, Oslo, tomorrow on Wednesday, 7th of May! This intimate mini-concert offers fans a rare chance to experience MIO in a stripped-down, raw format—up close and personal.
Known for their explosive live shows and unique blend of folk, punk, and rock influences, MIO has quickly made a name for themselves as one of the most exciting acts in the Norwegian underground.
At Big Dipper, the band will showcase brand-new songs from Hva nå?—an album already praised for its emotional intensity and genre-defying sound. After the set, fans will have the opportunity to meet the band and get their vinyl or CD copies signed.
When: Friday, May 9 – starts at 17:00
Where: Big Dipper, Møllergata 1, Oslo
What: Acoustic mini-concert + signing session
The upcoming album ‘Hva nå?’, will be released this Friday on the 9th of May, 2025, via By Norse Music.
Mediterranea Metal Cruise 2025 sets sail this October, delivering the perfect fusion of heavy metal and Mediterranean beauty. More than just a festival, MMC is an annual gathering of the global metal community at sea—an immersive, all-inclusive experience aboard a premium-class cruise ship, where ancient myths meet modern riffs.
The 2025 edition features a powerful lineup of international metal bands, exclusive themed events, and unforgettable stops including Santorini, Mykonos, and more. With onboard concerts, late-night parties, and curated shore excursions, MMC25 offers a one-of-a-kind experience for metal fans ready to travel loud.
Sailing Dates: October 31 – November 3, 2025 Ports of Call: Mykonos · Kusadasi (Turkey) · Patmos · Crete · Santorini
Lineup includes: Bullet Legion Of The Damned Enforcer Dream Evil Serious Black Broken By The Scream Heavy Metal Barpiano
Acclaimed British hard rock band Inglorious are pleased to share their new single and official video “Stand”, taken from the highly anticipated new studio album, “V”, out on June 6th, 2025, via Frontiers Music Srl.
Lead singer Nathan James described the track by saying: “Stand is probably the grooviest Inglorious song to date. It has all the classic Inglorious bits. Big riffs and a singalong chorus. But in a totally different way to anything we’ve done before. Colin played me the riff and I instantly said, this is gonna be a single. So proud of this tune. Everyone played great on this track. Very proud of it. Crank it up and enjoy”.
Bassist Colin Parkinson said: “Stand was written entirely on bass a few years ago during the pandemic. It was initially about wanting to be back around nature rather than around the day to day grind in a city – especially at that time. It was a song that I never thought could work with Inglorious, to be honest. But I played it to Nathan after the last demo session and he loved it. I then sent him the lyrics I had, and he changed them into something more updated and suited to how he was feeling. It’s turned out great and is one of my favourite songs on the album!”
About the new album, James stated: “In the summer of 2023, I sent a message to Colin and asked him if he wanted to come for a pint. A few meetings and writing sessions later, we had more than an album’s worth of great material and I can honestly say I’ve enjoyed every second of creating this album with him and the new line up. Colin has always been a great songwriter and over the years we’ve both matured as artists, writers, performers and people. This is going to be a great year for Inglorious and I’m excited to welcome Colin back and to share this new music with everyone”.
“I am extremely happy to be returning to Inglorious after a while away. It’s the right time to get some kickass new music out there for the fans and to focus on the future. Writing and recording with Nathan again has been the easiest it’s ever been; it all flowed so well. We’ve all played and sang our asses off on these songs and I know the new album will not disappoint!”, Parkinson added.
Inglorious returns with frontman Nathan James and original bassist Colin Parkinson. Nathan James, who founded the band in 2014, has been singing professionally for 20 years. He has performed/recorded with artists such as Ginger Baker, Uli Jon Roth and The Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
More recently, he has appeared in Jeff Wayne’s musical version of The War Of The Worlds, Steve Steinman’s Vampires Rock Symphonic, 80’s Classical and Zeppelin Symphonic. Nathan also fronts Supergroup Iconic, under the Frontiers roster featuring Michael Sweet, Joel Hoekstra, Marco Mendoza and Tommy Aldridge.
In 2022, after a lengthy UK tour, Inglorious announced a hiatus. After seven years of non-stop touring with bands such as The Winery Dogs, Steel Panther, The Dead Daisies, Last In Line, as well as their own international tours and festival appearances, recording four original albums, a live album and a covers album, everyone felt it was the right time to take a break.
Nathan is now back, looking forward to unleashing his powerful voice and he joined forces once again with original Inglorious bass player and main co-writer Colin Parkinson, who co-wrote and released the first three albums with the band: “Inglorious”, “II” and “Ride To Nowhere”.
Joining them is renowned guitarist Richard Shaw, best known for his work with English extreme metal band Cradle Of Filth, as well as NG26, Emperor Chung, and Plague Of Angels. Richard brings exceptional musicality and a fresh energy to the band’s sound.
On drums, longtime friend of Nathan, Henry Rogers, completes the line up. A celebrated musician, Henry has played with Touchstone, Mostly Autumn, Mia Klose, and Mark Kelly’s Marathon and has earned accolades such as “Drummer Of The Year” in Classic Rock Prog Magazine and Rhythm Magazine’s list of influential progressive drummers.
Produced by Colin Parkinson, “V” was mixed by Tony Draper, who also worked on “Inglorious II” and “Ride To Nowhere”, ensuring the album retains the band’s signature sound while exploring new heights.
“V” Tracklist:
1. Testify 2. Eat You Alive 3. Devil Inside 4. Say What You Wanna Say 5. Believe 6. Stand 7. In Your Eyes 8. Silent 9. End Of The Road 10. Power Of Truth
Line Up: Nathan James – Vocals, backing vocals Colin Parkinson – Bass guitar, /acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keys, percussion Richard Shaw – Electric guitars Henry Rogers – Drums, percussion
Hiroe, the new darlings of the American post-rock underground, have revealed their new single ‘Dancing at the End of the World’, taken from their forthcoming debut album, Wield, due 20th June via Pelagic Records.
Both powerfully melodic and heavy, Wield shows the Philadelphia-based quintet mastering their craft, of creating compelling melodies that sound larger than life.
On ‘Dancing at the End of the World’, the group comment: “Though seemingly contrasting, “dancing” and “the end of the world” are brought together to symbolize our shared human capacity to transform pain and vulnerability into something profound and meaningful when facing overwhelming adversity. ‘Dancing at the End of the World’ represents an act of defiant optimism to find hope in the face of hopelessness. It’s a conscious choice to find light in darkness and not be consumed by despair, even when all hope seems lost, even when it feels like the end of the world.”
2022 saw Hiroe burst onto the scene with an explosive debut EP full of soaring anthems and sublime soundscapes. Combining the sonic expansiveness of Deftones with the dynamic heaviness of bands like Isis and Caspian, Hiroe immediately already figured out how to make the most majestic sounding post-rock early in their career. “Our first album, Wrought was a statement of creation,” explains principal songwriter Eric Kusanagi (guitars).
For the recording of Wield, Jill Paslier moved from bass to guitars, with Brian Kong (guitars), Jon Seiler (bass) and Dan Sagherian (drums) joining to complete the lineup. Produced once more by Mario Quintero (Spotlights) Wield capitalises on everything the band learned in the creation of its predecessor, adding to it a new focus on textural intricacies and compositional detail.
“We wanted to show a larger range of musical themes on this record,” continues Eric. “You’ll hear us dive into some synth work, some piano work, some really interesting effects that Mario helped us dial up.” Wield as a resultpacks in a huge range of details, which reveal themselves over repeated listens.
Nevertheless, Wield is still an affair of instant gratification for fans of guitar driven post-rock. From the soaring leads of ‘Tides’ to the epic finale of ‘I’ve Been Waiting For You All My Life’, Hiroe show they’ve upped their game in every department, but especially that which tugs at your heartstrings.
Wield presents the brave new future we all need in these confusing times. A new American frontier on which we can build our wildest dreams and our most daring ambitions.
Hiroe are:
Eric Kusanagi – Guitar Jill Paslier – Guitar Brian Kong – Guitar Jon Seiler – Bass Dan Sagherian – Drums
It’s been a rough, tough, few years for nineties ska veterans Buck-O-Nine – rough and tough, but richly rewarding as they emerge with a new album which, to put it bluntly, is one of the greatest they’ve made.
It’s called Cut Out The Noise. But, of course, they don’t. Because this one’s as noisy as ever! Take a listen to the new single, “I’m Alive,” all buzzsaw punk guitars and classic Buck-O horns, and when frontman Jon Pebsworth says “I feel like we really found our stride and our sound on this one,” one look at your dancing feet lets you know the band are back with a vengeance.
“This one really got deep,” Jon explains. “We had some internal struggles, we had some technical problems, we were in a pandemic, we watched and felt social and political problems unfold and we struggled with our own identity as a band. And, in my case, my own internal struggles. I was in and out of depression, I had a massive heart attack that almost took my life and I moved back to San Diego after working in LA for close to 20 years. These songs are about all those experiences.
“I really dragged the lake of my soul to find the feelings I was having and putting them into words.”
Even with such a dramatic narrative nailed to the music, however, it wasn’t an easy process. Written during the pandemic, the self-produced album had already been completed when the band suddenly decided to scrap it.
“We thought it sucked compared to what we imagined it could be,” Jon continues. “We experimented with new and different ideas and had the time to flesh them out…. to evaluate the songs and make improvements. We made a lot of mistakes and changes… some of them up to the last minute.”
Horn king Dan Albert adds, ”Our years of playing music together made this album happen. The album captures the raw sounds and emotions of the struggles and turmoils we were going through at that time of our lives.”
But the band’s seventh album, following up 2019’s Fundaymental, is not only their most self-aware. It is also their most political; and, while Dan agrees “the making of this album had its lows,” the result was what guitarist Jonas Kleiner describes as “our most beautiful and ferocious album to date.”
In other words, Cut Out The Noise is still fresh out of the pressing plant. But already Dan is adamant. “Keep those ears open for the next one!”
From the outside, Nuremberg’s metal scene may appear tranquil. But this impression is very deceptive, because what has developed there in the shadow of superlative-ridden Munich is quite simply a hidden Mecca for rockers and metalheads who want to take a break from the sometimes exhausting spiral of louder, harder, faster, bigger. Instead of huge halls full of anonymous crowds, people in the Nuremberg scene like to focus their eyes and ears on what defines rock and metal, even away from high-performance musical sport: the warmth, the soul, the groove and all of this best enjoyed with good friends – in the melodious living room atmosphere of one of the numerous live clubs.
And right from the heart of this bustling yet easy-going grassroots movement of rock bars, music clubs, and bands comes the video single Faraway by STIGMA, announcing the release of their new album Second Chance, scheduled for June 4th.
Founded in 2021 by singer Gerald Zinnegger and guitarist Markus Mantau and quickly joined by René Chlebnitschek on bass and Bernd Paptistella on drums, Stigma’s new album is the logical continuation of a journey that began with the two EPs Last Order (2022) and First Call (2023). Initially still heavily influenced by acts such as Alice Cooper or the later Metallica, the quartet quickly found their own compositional approach: They neither wanted to lay down fashionable accents nor bury what should ultimately matter – the pure song itself – under musical frills and glitter. From the first to the last note, everything compositional is therefore subject to the strict dictation of remaining honest, glare-free, and appropriate to the song without compromising the fun in rock.
Following this premise, Second Chance revolves around the central existential questions of working people at the heart of society in an almost metal-atypical way, proving the meaning of existentialism through simple stories of common life with well-dosed detours into philosophy.
Shouter Gerald, who delivers the lyrics with an intense baritone, sums up the diversity of themes on the new record: “Second Chance is an album about resilience, transformation, and duality. It explores the highs and lows of human experience, relationships and social challenges. The title speaks of the possibility of growing stronger through adversity and complements the trajectory we set out on with our first two EPs.”
With the brand new single Faraway, the first single from Second Chance, the band is also taking a rather unusual route and prefacing the smash hits to come with a calmer, yet impelling track: “Faraway, our lead single, is a powerful yet introspective song deeply rooted in themes of regret, longing, and resilience,” explains Gerald. “The raw, gritty verses reflect the harsh reality of being trapped, while the upbeat, melodic chorus symbolizes hope and liberation.”
Stigma will of course be celebrating the release date for Second Chance on June 4th in style: With a big release party at the Hirsch in Nuremberg. The popular venue, which was recently voted Germany’s best live club by the readers of Rock Hard magazine, will be a hotbed of activity, as celebrated metallers RANDOM will also be there, taking the opportunity to introduce their new guitarist Angelo Schilirò (ex-Kingdom Come).
The new album Second Chance will be out on June 4th via Music Mania Live and is ready for pre-save here: https://stigma.lnk.to/newalbum
Tracklist:
The Signs Glorious Victory Blaze of My Heart Faraway Monster Corrupter Broken Friendship Pirate Foul Play Through the Night World without Hope Your Guide
Stigma live: May 30, 2025 – Rockcafé Brown Sugar – F.A. King (Czech Republic) June 4, 2025 – Release Party – Hirsch Nuremberg (Germany) June 12 – 14, 2025 – Motobrani – Máchovo jezero, 472 01 Doksy (Czech Republic)
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
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