REINFORCER Release New Video ‘The Witch Mayor’ from Upcoming Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 9, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
photo by Funkenfassen Fotografie

Reinforcer has released a video for “The Witch Mayor”, third single taken from the new album “Ice And Death” to be released on August 22 by Scarlet Records.

A typical power metal song, telling the story of the Inquisition in Germany during the Early Modern Age. The title “Witch Mayor” refers to Hermann Cothmann, who was mayor of the Germann town Lemgo in the 17th century and is infamously associated with the city’s witch trials. More than 250 innocent women and men were executed during his reign of terror. Fast picking guitars, an epic bridge with shattering gang vocals and a catchy chorus will take you on a journey to this dreadful era.

video by Julian Jakobsmeyer

“Ice And Death”:

  • second full-length album for the German melodic power metal quintet after the successful debut “Prince Of The Tribes”;
  • mixed and mastered by Kai Stahlenberg at Kohlekeller Studio (Powerwolf);
  • cover artwork by Hendrik Noack;
  • FFO: Blind Guardian, Manowar, Iced Earth, Helloween, Running Wild;

“Ice And Death” tracklist:

1 Heir Of The Bear
2 Dead Men Tell No Tales
3 Skogamor
4 The Witch Mayor
5 Ice And Death
6 The Piper
7 Five Brothers
8 House Of Lies
9 Bring Out Your Dead

Total running time – 37:40

artwork by Hendrik Noack

Marking their tenth anniversary, and following the self-released EP “The Wanderer” (2018) and the debut full-length “Prince Of The Tribes” (2021), German power metal warriors Reinforcer return with a new collection of heroic power metal anthems.

Forged in the flames of myth and history, “Ice And Death” is Reinforcer at their finest: razor-sharp guitar riffs, sweeping dual harmonies and driving double bass rhythms power the soundscape, while Logan Lexi’s commanding vocals roar with great emotional depth. Melancholic melodies intertwine with fist-raising choruses, inviting listeners to sing along in unity and battle spirit.

Taking its name from the Norse legend of Ymir, the frost giant born from ice and chaos, “Ice And Death” leads listeners on a journey through time, retelling tales of plague-ridden cities, deceptive pied pipers, and legendary heroes and rogues from the shadows of the past. Each track is a chapter, echoing with the clang of steel and the whisper of forgotten legends.

Whether recounting the gruesome mystery of the Pied Piper of Hamelin or the haunting grip of the Black Death in London, the album fuses historical drama with dynamic storytelling and touches of dark fantasy.

Reinforcer are:
Logan Lexi – vocals
Niclas Stappert – lead guitar
Tobias Schwarzer – rhythm and lead guitar
Fabiàn Rodriguez – bass
Lasse Schmiedel – drums

MY MERRY MACHINE to Release New Album “Days Of Doom” on October 31st

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 9, 2025
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MY MERRY MACHINE have released the cover art and track list for their new album, “Days Of Doom,” which will be released on October 31, 2025.

The album features seven brand-new songs. From songwriting to mixing and mastering to cover art and artwork, the trio took care of EVERYTHING themselves in order to release an album that is honest, authentic, and bursting with creativity.

In celebration of the new album, the band has released a single video for I Will Confess.

Digital: save-it.cc/epr/i-will-confess or Spotify

This also marks the start of pre sales for the album: mymerrymachine.epr.rocks
The edition for pre-order customers includes an autographed card and two stickers featuring artwork from the album!

Tracklist:

01 – FROM ANOTHER WORLD
02 – I WILL CONFESS
03 – GOD OF DESTRUCTION
04 – MONSTER INSIDE05 – UNTIL THE END
06 – FUNERAL MARCH
07 – THE MORNING AFTER

Who is My Merry Machine?
My Merry Machine – when even the most courageous visions become reality! And My Merry Machine make sure only My Merry Machine take hold of the reins of their wheel – or better machine – of fortune! Founded with a clear vision of their music and their origins and at the same time equipped with super strong visual images and imaginations combined with the enthralling  storytelling metaphoric language of their song lyrics, My Merry Machine invite us on “Total War” to their fascinating world, their very own dream factory, fueled by total dedication and unstoppable creativity! Get ready for a deep-dive with no escape-plan! Get ready for My Merry Machine! 

Line-up:
Kirsten Zahn-Massing – Gesang
Markus Visser – Gitarre, Bass
Tim Schwarz – Schlagzeug

More Info:
www.mymerrymachine.de
www.facebook.com/MyMerryMachine
www.instagram.com/mymerrymachine

CRYPTOPSY & DEFILED to Set Tokyo Ablaze with Back-to-Back Death Metal Onslaughts

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 9, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: , . Leave a comment

Cryptopsy Photo by Maciej Pieloch — Defiled Photo by Shigenori Ishikawa

This December, death metal juggernauts CRYPTOPSY return to Japan—and they’re not coming alone. Joining them for two exclusive Tokyo dates is the country’s own DEFILED, bringing their chaotic and cerebral brand of old-school death metal to the stage at Shibuya WWW X, Tokyo.

For over 30 years, CRYPTOPSY has been a benchmark for technical extremity and live ferocity. Their recent shows across North America and Europe have only deepened their reputation as masters of the form, earning headline-level praise even as part of packed festival bills. Now, they return to Tokyo for a long-awaited encore after a blistering 2024 appearance, promising another two nights of head-spinning brutality and feral precision.

DEFILED, born in the shadows of Tokyo, step into the spotlight as hometown support. Their latest album Horror Beyond Horror is a swirling vortex of jagged riffs, warped time signatures, and dystopian narratives. Unbound by genre trends, their sound is raw, technically unhinged, and wholly singular: equal parts violence and intellect.

Together, CRYPTOPSY and DEFILED form a double-bill built to devastate. Fans of extreme music can expect two nights of surgical ferocity, punishing grooves, and the kind of live energy that leaves stages in ruins.

TOKYO SHOW DATES:
11 December: Shibuya, Tokyo, JP @ Shibuya WWW X
12 December: Shibuya, Tokyo, JP @ Shibuya WWW X

Tickets are on sale now: https://t.pia.jp/en/pia/event/event.do?eventCd=2528168

From the depths of Tokyo’s darkest alleys, DEFILED have emerged once again, claws sharpened, eyes bloodshot, ready to unleash a fresh dose of unadulterated savagery with their latest full-length studio album, Horror Beyond Horror. Marrying the grotesque with technical prowess, these samurais of sickness are poised to carve another notch into the archives of death metal’s sordid history.

Since crawling from the primordial soup of the underground scene in the early ’90s, DEFILED have forged a path littered with broken souls. Their journey of destruction first sank its teeth into the international jugular with Erupted Wrath, mixed by the masterful Jim Morris in Tampa, Florida. This brutal assault opened gates to a global bloodletting, from levelling stages in South Korea to crushing skulls at the Milwaukee Metalfest, and not even the November to Dismember fest could foresee the carnage they’d bring.

Commandeering the technical tightrope between anarchy and precision, DEFILED evolved, much like an aberrant spawn isolated on the Galapagos, grotesque yet ultimately superior. Their subsequent onslaughts — Ugliness Revealed, Divination, and the sheer violence of In Crisis — built a monument to atrocity that ascends to new heights with Horror Beyond Horror.

Taking no prisoners in their three-decades-long campaign of terror, DEFILED have become the indestructible behemoth of Asia’s death metal scene, powered by the relentless engine of their old-school roots and the twisted wreckage of technical thrash and progressive rock innovation.

But enough with the history lesson, you came here for the carnage, didn’t you? Horror Beyond Horror is a 14-track massacre, riddled with riffs sharp enough to slit your throat and a rhythmic onslaught that’ll pulverize your pathetic bones. Each track, from the visceral “Smoke and Mirrors” to the haunting “To See Behind the Wall”, is a calculated strike, precision-engineered to leave no survivors. Let’s not forget the title track, which cements DEFILED’s legacy as harbingers of the apocalypse.

With a sound as raw as exposed nerve endings and as unrefined as a mass grave, DEFILED stands defiantly apart from the polished poseurs and shameless sellouts. They don’t peddle in cheap gimmickry or nostalgia; they deal in the currency of pure, unfiltered destruction. As they look out upon the charred landscape of the genre they’ve helped to define, DEFILED is not content to rest on their laurels. Horror Beyond Horror sees them, once again, ascending to the blood-soaked throne of death metal sovereignty.

WILLFIRE Sign with Wormholedeath for Reissue of “Homebrewed Recordings”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 9, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

Wormholedeath is proud to announce the signing of Finnish heavy metal powerhouse WILLFIRE for the official reissue of their album, Homebrewed Recordings, due for re-release on 19 September 2025.

Hailing from the land of a thousand lakes and infinite riffs, WILLFIRE embody the raw spirit of heavy metal with a sound that blends 80s rock, modern metal, and blues. Founded in 1998 by a tight-knit group of friends, the band’s journey has spanned decades, marked by evolution, reinvention, and an undying passion for heavy music.

The trio—Niko Hellsten (vocals, bass, harmonica), Tero Virolainen (guitars), and Marko Kuparinen (drums)—have re-emerged stronger than ever. In 2024, they dropped Homebrewed Recordings, an 11-track album crafted entirely in-house: recorded, mixed, and mastered by the band themselves. Now, with Wormholedeath onboard, this rugged and richly textured record will reach global metalheads with the impact it deserves.

Homebrewed Recordings is exactly what its name suggests—authentic, unfiltered, and forged in the fires of DIY ethos. The album fuses distorted bass, slamming guitars, raspy-to-screamed vocals, and even harmonica flourishes to create a sonic journey through heaviness and melody, darkness and light. From breakneck tempos to slow-burning grooves, the tracks are charged with emotion and grounded in themes of life, perception, and inner struggle.

1. Bitter Belief
2. Hideout Blues
3. Inside Job
4. Once I Knew (Candle)
5. Intolerable Intolerance
6. You Don’t Have To Say
7. Field Of Sorrow
8. Into The Night
9. Pieces
10. Action Road Mayhem
11. Buried

Watch the music video for “Bitter Belief” here:

Follow WILLFIRE:
www.youtube.com/@willfireband
www.facebook.com/Willfire
willfire.bandcamp.com

SOLACE Release Advance Single ‘On the Hunt’ from Expanded Reissue of Debut Album “Further”

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 9, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment

SOLACE drop their never-before released rendition of the Lynyrd Skynyrd classic ‘On the Hunt‘ as the final advance single from the expanded and remastered new edition of their debut full-length “Further” (2000), which the American stoner metal stalwarts release in celebration of the album’s25th anniversary. 

The enhanced & remastered version of “Further” has been chalked up for release on August 22, 2025 via Magnetic Eye Records and is available for pre-order here: http://lnk.spkr.media/solace-further

25 years, a quarter of a century, is a very long time in the life of any human being. And maybe even more so, in the lifespan of a recording of music. Yet “Further” by American stoner metal band SOLACE, first released at the turn of the millennium, has stood the test of time. Its tracks feel just as contemporary and relevant as in the year 2000.

A 25th anniversary is a great occasion for an enhanced, extended, and re-mastered edition of a timeless classic, but this much-deserved reissue was already decided upon when original SOLACE singer Jason L. sadly passed away in January 2025. This turns the new edition of “Further” into an unplanned but due tribute to his legacy and everything that Jason brought to the band during his formative years as their tortured and brilliant frontman.

SOLACE are celebrated veterans of the American metal scene. Hailing from Asbury Park, New Jersey at the windswept shore of the Western Atlantic, the band was founded in 1996. Built on a solid foundation of classic metal, early doom and punk ethic, the original four-piece infused a healthy dose of hardcore fury into grooving, grinding sludge.

Three years after the success of “Further” on both sides of the Atlantic, SOLACE returned with the sophomore album “13” (2003) that witnessed the Americans expanding and solidifying their style by highlighting the epic side of their songwriting. In the wake of this album, the band was invited twice to perform at the prestigious Roadburn Festival in 2006 and 2009, which further endeared them to an international audience.

Following a string of singles and EPs, the shoremen returned with the acclaimed third album “A.D.” in 2010. Although this release was again well received, a hiatus followed during which SOLACE implemented changes in their line-up. This manoeuvre got the heavy ship afloat again, and the remarkable full-length number four, “The Brink”, made landfall in 2019. This album has been described as a glorious trek through churning riffage, weighty doom power and drunken sea shanties, while the massive use of NWOBHM dual-guitar attack was also gladly noted.

SOLACE call their amalgamation of doom and heavy metal with hardcore elements dirt metal, while elsewhere it has been somewhat tongue-in-cheekily dubbed shorecore. Others file the New Jersey five-piece under stoner metal – and in truth, all these descriptions fit to an extent.

Raise a glass to Jason’s legacy and enjoy his outstanding performance on SOLACE‘s debut album “Further” that has been diligently and respectfully remastered to shine brighter than ever before!

Tracklist:

  1. Man Dog (2025 Remaster)
  2. Black Unholy Ground (2025 Remaster)
  3. Followed (2025 Remaster)
  4. Whistle Pig (2025 Remaster)
  5. Hungry Mother (2025 Remaster)
  6. Angels Dreaming (2025 Remaster)
  7. Suspicious Tower (2025 Remaster)
  8. Heavy Birth/2-Fisted (2025 Remaster)
  9. Another Life
  10. We Bite
  11. On the Hunt
  12. Heavy Birth/2-Fisted (Distanced from Reality version)
  13. Dirt
  14. Funk #49 (Live in Tokyo ’98)

Recording line-up:
Jason – voice, lyrics
Tommy Southard – guitars
Bill “Bixby” Belford – drums
Rob Hultz – bass

Current line-up:
Justin Daniels – guitar
Justin Goins – keyboard, vocals
Tim Schoenleber – drums
Mike Sica – bass
Tommy Southard – guitar

Produced by Eric Rachel and Solace
Recorded by Eric Rachel at Trax East, South River, NJ (US)
Mixed by Eric Rachel at Trax East, South River NJ (US)
Mastering by Alan Douches at West Westside Music, Hudson Valley, NY (US)

Cover painting: “Midnight Mass 2” by Wes Benscoter
Original layout by Frank Bridges
2025 layout by Łukasz Jaszak

More info:
http://www.facebook.com/solaceband
http://www.instagram.com/solace_nj

SOULGRIND Return After 15 Years with First Single + Video ‘Jylhä Metsämies’ from Upcoming 10th Album

Posted by tarjavirmakari on August 9, 2025
Posted in: Int. News, News. Tagged: . Leave a comment
Photo by Timo Muilu, edited by JP Immonen / Lord Heikkinen

The legendary Finnish metal band Soulgrind, founded in 1992, is set to release its tenth album, Ad Pulchram Mortem, via Inverse Records. The release date will be announced later. The first single, ‘Jylhä Metsämies’, is released today, and the music video can be seen below.

Guitarist Lord Heikkinen comments:

“It’s already been 15 years since the last Soulgrind release. Time has truly flown by. Occasionally, Azhemin and I would tinker with something small, but it always came to a halt for one reason or another. Tanya Lilith was living in Austria, which also slowed down the process. Whenever Tanya visited Finland, we’d demo a little something. However, during 2024, our enthusiasm grew, and songs began to emerge rapidly. There was also a lot of material stored away in the drawers. At times, it felt like maybe even too much. For every recording session, there was something new and exciting to discover, and at the same time, even grander things would be created. In other words, we’ve never had a shortage of material, quite the opposite. The only thing in short supply has been time. But now, Soulgrind has been given its place on the timeline once again.

For the album Ad Pulchram Mortem, we made 12 tracks. Of these, we chose “Jylhä metsämies” as the single. “Jylhä metsämies” is the story of a man who walks his own path, bowing to nothing not above, not below, not on this earth. The lyrics reflect Soulgrind very well itself. The music is very self-directed and copies no one or anything. This has always been the case and will remain so. The band sounds like itself. Musically, “Jylhä metsämies” covers the band’s journey from Whitsongs, through Kalma/Pakana, to The Tuoni Pathway, while also bringing in much that is new. All in all, in our opinion, it’s a brilliant way to open a new chapter. The album itself contains much more, with even some surprising material.

During the remainder of the year, we aim to finish up the Ad Pulchram Mortem album and release it, and of course, the desire to play live is strong. The package still needs some perfecting, and hopefully, we’ll get onto the stages during 2026. The Original Paganhood is back.”

LISTEN to ‘Jylhä metsämies’ on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/soulgrind-jylha

-Composed by Lord Heikkinen, Azhemin & Tanya Lilith
-Lyrics by Lord Heikkinen & Azhemin
-ISRC: FI3FC2551501
-Single cover by Lord Heikkinen

Ad Pulchram Mortem Track list:

  1. Jylhä Metsämies
  2. Origins of The Serpent
  3. In The Circus of Tuonela
  4. Dark Water Wide
  5. Black Prediction´s Bite
  6. Tears of The Earth
  7. Weight of The Old Sins
  8. Ikiliekki
  9. Dance Of The White Wolf
  10. A Whispered Curse Upon The Gale
  11. As Narrow Fjord Descends
  12. Into The Shadows of Devotion

Album pic by Susanna Mansner

Soulgrind is a Finnish metal band formed in 1992, known primarily for their blend of gothic metal, thrash  and black metal with a dark, melodic atmosphere. The band was founded by Lord Heikkinen, who has consistently contributed guitars and programming throughout their career. 

Soulgrind’s music often explores themes related to the darker aspects of Finnish history and psyche, combining passion, war, and the “dark side of mind” into their lyrical content, reflecting a deep connection to Finland’s cultural and historical roots. But there has always been the bride side for the aspects as well. Classic war of love and hate.The  sound has evolved over the time, but Soulgrind has maintained a core identity rooted in metal with a dark, atmospheric edge, resisting strict genre categorization and embracing musical development freely. Freedom of metal has always been the theme. And so it shall be.

Soulgrind is recognized for their intelligent and unique approach to metal, merging melodic and dark elements to create a distinctive sound within the Finnish metal scene. Their long-standing presence since the early 90s marks them as a significant act in the gothic and black metal genres in Finland.

Line-up:
Lord Heikkinen: guitars
Azhemin: Keybords, vocals
Tanya Lilith: Vocals
Suntio: Drums:
JP: Bass
Micko Hell: Guitars, Vocals

Former members: Roope Latvala ( Children of Bodom, Stone ), Juke Eräkangas, Tommi McLaunone ( Gloomy Grim, Nomicon ), Henrik Laine (Deepred )

https://www.facebook.com/SoulgrindFinland
https://soulgrind.bandcamp.com