WITHIN DESTRUCTION Release New Album 'ANIMETAL', Drop Video for New Track "HIDE & SICK

Slovenian cyber-metal disruptors Within Destruction have officially unleashed their highly anticipated new album, ANIMETAL today via Sumerian Records. Alongside the release, the band has dropped a brand-new music video for the track “HIDE & SICK,” further pushing their vibrant, hyper-stylized ANIMETAL universe into overdrive.

Listen to ANIMETAL HERE

Watch the video for brand new track “HIDE & SICK” below.

Speaking on today’s release, drummer Luka Vezzosi shares:

“We believe that Animetal is our most authentic release to date—a true fusion of who we are as individuals smashed together into a cohesive, high-energy experience. At its core, the music is still metal, but we’ve pushed the boundaries of borrowing and blending elements from other genres to make things even more dynamic, unpredictable and exciting. We hope listeners can connect with it and enjoy the ride as much as we had while writing it.”

True to its name, ANIMETAL delivers an audio-visual blitz of glitchy brutality, trap-influenced breakdowns, and J-pop-inspired earworms—all wrapped in the band’s signature aesthetic. With each track, Within Destruction expands their genre-defiant sonic palette while maintaining a core heaviness that anchors the chaos.

ANIMETAL features previously released singles including “CYBERGIRL,” “KANASHIBARI,” “DEMON CHILD,” and the emotionally charged “INCOMPLETE.” The album sees Within Destruction continue their streak of evolution, seamlessly weaving in clean vocals, gutturals, electronic and anime inspired flourishes, and a flair for the theatrical.

Stream the album and purchase accompanying merch bundles (including the infamous instant noodles) are available now at https://sumerian.lnk.to/animetal

Within Destruction kicked off their 2025 with a bang. The band hit the road in the US in January for their Super Sugoi Headline dates.They then joined Born of Osiris for their US run. Now, the band are wowing fans across Australia and Asia on their spring tour across both continents to celebrate the release of ‘ANIMETAL.’ Tickets and further information are available HERE.

About Within Destruction

Within Destruction are an innovative metal group from Slovenia. They have been disrupting the deathcore and metalcore scenes since their formation in 2010. Known for their intense sound, the band uniquely incorporates electronic elements and anime samples into their music, adding layers of unpredictability that have captivated fans worldwide. They gained international recognition with their 2016 album 'VOID,' and their irreverent approach to metal, which has built a dedicated global following.

Their third album, 'DEATHWISH,' which was mixed and mastered by Will Putney, further solidified their reputation. Featuring fan-favorite tracks like "Human Defect" and the title track, leading to their first European headliner tour, as well as a breakthrough in the U.S. market. In 2020, they took a bold step with 'YOKAI,' an album that divided fans by blending metalcore with electronic and trap influences, all while integrating anime-inspired themes.

Continuing to push boundaries, the band released 'LOTUS' in 2022, leaning further into metalcore and embracing clean vocals, which sparked both outrage and admiration among listeners. Known for their ambitious live performances and relentless dedication, Within Destruction remains a force in modern metal, constantly evolving and challenging genre norms. With ‘ANIMETAL,’ they’re poised to deliver their boldest statement yet. 

Epica Release "Aspiral" + Video for "Fight to Survive"

Symphonic metal forebears EPICA are thrilled to finally release their brand-new studio album, Aspiral, today. The band invites fans to immerse themselves in the full sonic journey as it is meant to be experienced: from start to finish in one go.

"All of us in the band pushed each other to create the best possible album," Epica share. "We've once again explored new musical and lyrical frontiers, and we hope Aspiral resonates with you as deeply as it does with us. The whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts — this album is meant to be experienced in full."

Stream Aspiral here. 

In conjunction with the album release, EPICA have unveiled a sci-fi-themed music video for "Fight to Survive – The Overview Effect." The track draws inspiration from the cognitive shift experienced by astronauts after observing Earth from space — a powerful moment of awe, interconnectedness, and a profound appreciation for the planet’s fragility.

"Musically, this song encapsulates the full spectrum of EPICA," the band explains. "From heavy to soft, uplifting to melancholic — 'Fight to Survive' embodies it all."

The visually striking video was once again brought to life by Remko Tielemans and produced by Kollektiv Kunststoff, who also directed the band's previous singles "Arcana" and "Cross the Divide."

With Aspiral now released, EPICA are ready to bring their new music to life on stage. The band will embark on a North American tour next month, kicking off in the United States and Mexico, followed by a summer filled with major European festival appearances.

Tickets, VIP upgrades, and tour info is available here.

EPICA ON TOUR:
5/6 — New York, NY — Irving Plaza
5/8  — Atlanta, GA  — Masquerade
5/10  — Los Angeles, CA  — The Bellwether 

BATTLE BEAST - NEW ALBUM 'CIRCUS OF DOOM – LIVE IN HELSINKI 2023' OUT NOW

With six records since their formation in 2008, four consecutive number #1 albums, and the strongest line-up the Finnish power/symphonic metal group ever had, it’s about time BATTLE BEAST present a proper live album! With 'Eden (Live in Helsinki 2023)' they celebrate the release of Circus Of Doom – Live in Helsinki 2023, a triumphant display of entertaining and monumental heavy rock. The new live album Circus Of Doom - Live In Helsinki 2023 filmed & recorded at Helsinki Ice Hall in front of 3.000 ecstatic fans will be released on April 11th via Nuclear Blast Records. BATTLE BEAST´s european tour starts with a bang on October 17th with their biggest German headline show to date at Hamburg’s Inselpark Arena, the tour will keep the band on the road until mid-December. To complete the bill with melodic metal superiority, DOMINUM will join the tour as their special guest and Sweden’s rising power metal force MAJESTICA as their opening act. All tourdates are listed below. 

Noora Louhimo quotes excited: ”It was such a special moment to perform our song ”Eden” - the long time favorite of our fans, in Helsinki Ice Hall. The audience got to be part of the song as the heavenly choir and sang with us the whole time. I still get goosebumps while thinking about it. Go check it out and enjoy!”    

Order/Stream Circus Of Doom - Live In Helsinki 2023 here: https://battlebeast.bfan.link/circus-of-doom-live
Watch the new live video for 'Eden (Live In Helsinki 2023)' below:

About BATTLE BEAST:
Close to two decades into their career, with six records, 300M+ streams, four consecutive number #1 albums, and the strongest line-up the Finnish symphonic heavy metal group ever had, it’s about time BATTLE BEAST release a proper live album. Now, Circus Of Doom – Live in Helsinki 2023 finally comes out via Nuclear Blast Records on April 11th, 2025 as digital album and Limited Edition CD plus Blu-ray Digipak. 

Offering 117 minutes of playing time, 15 songs, a stunning 24-page booklet showing the band’s impressive stage and performance in a series of photos by Jaakko Manninen, and artwork by Jan Yrlund, Circus Of Doom – Live in Helsinki 2023 is a triumphant testimony to BATTLE BEAST’s one of a kind adventurous and monumental music. Recorded in the Helsinki Ice Hall on January 27, 2023, mixed by the band’s “keytarist” Janne Björkroth and mastered at the legendary Finnvox by Mika Jussila, this massive live package is a highlight for every dedicated fan out there and perfectly captures the ambitious dystopian carnival show BATTLE BEAST put up during their past touring cycle. And rest assured that Noora, Janne, Joona, Juuso, Eero and Pyry are already preparing an even more exciting new chapter for their fantastic tale that will hit you straight to the heart and take you beyond the burning skies.

BATTLE BEAST is:
Noora Louhimo | vocals
Eero Sipilä | bass
Joona Björkroth | guitars
Juuso Soinio | guitars
Janne Björkroth | keyboards
Pyry Vikki | drums

Maryland-based blackened power metal artist EXILED HOPE is excited to announce the release of Apocrypha,

Maryland-based blackened power metal artist EXILED HOPE is excited to announce the release of Apocrypha, the third installment of its ongoing musical narrative. This twelve-track album follows a new protagonist who seeks guidance from familiar (yet otherworldly) forces as he uncovers the truth about the path to success laid out before him, further expanding the story EXILED HOPE has crafted.

“The Summoning” is the track that opens the album, showcasing the struggles and deep battle ahead for the protagonist, setting a preface for the upcoming melodies. “The Day Will Come” and “Blood Of The Ancients” follow suit, melodically taking inspiration from the likes of KAMELOT and NIGHTWISH to add softer tones of suspense. On a lighter note, “Dreamwalker” introduces variety and balances the album’s heavier songs through a two-part ballad, featuring Metal Matt as the first guest appearance in the discography. “Over For You” swiftly transitions into a unique blend of folk and melodic death metal, featuring rapid guitar riffs and empowering lyrics.

“Altar Of Moloch” is the second song with a cameo, Imperator Mortem, and is the “call to action” of this album, giving a sobering to the protagonist for the second half of his treacherous trek.  “The Silence Is Deafening” depicts a lovers’ quarrel, with two conflicting perspectives that create a sense of distance, confusion, and resentment—emotions that drive the protagonist through the second phase of their journey. “Behold My Shattered Skies” takes a complete 180 from the overall nature of Apocrypha, embracing a full folk style infused with hints of synth, drawing inspiration from the video game The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt.

The longest track on the record is “Deathslayer”. At 8 minutes and 11 seconds, “Deathslayer” gives contrast to the vocals, with layers of growls and lighter choral layers, and shows the protagonist’s inner power being used to its fullest extent. “Lightborn” is a love letter to the bands that heavily inspired this album. With sweet synths and hard hitting riffs, this song also serves as an inspiration to choose the higher path and recognize one’s worth.

“Remnants” is a strictly instrumental piece of ambience, the calm before the storm that is the finale, “Forbidden Majesties”. “Forbidden Majesties” closes out Apocrypha perfectly, wrapping up the ambience with notes of both heavier and lighter styles, giving the natural conclusion this album deserves.

Sofia, the visionary behind EXILED HOPE, comments on the album “The release of Apocrypha represents 3 years of practice, exploration, trial and error, learning, and a lot of overthinking. I started working on this album in July 2021, then realized that I didn't have the skills I needed to create the music I wanted to create. After I released "Dreamwalker" as a single in April 2022, I took a short hiatus from working on original music to sharpen up my skills, take lessons, and play around with making covers as practice. During this time, I also started law school, which was such a huge time commitment that I didn't touch my guitar for the entire fall semester in 2022. I started working on music again during winter break, since I didn't feel like myself when I completely stepped away from it, and had learned better time management skills at that point. That knowledge resulted in the release of several more singles to generate attention for the album in 2023 and 2024, and I can finally, confidently say that I have a cohesive work that I am proud of, after years of nitpicking it endlessly. The songs each have their own unique character, given the long time span over which I nitpicked and tinkered with them, but they also flow together like chapters in a book or scenes in a movie. That's what I think makes a great album: songs that stand out on their own while carrying the album through their pacing and placement. Apocrypha feels detailed and relatable, yet larger-than-life, and I hope you enjoy the journey of listening to it as much as I enjoyed the journey of creating it. Creating music is about the journey as much as it is about the destination, or the final product.”

About EXILED HOPE:

Multi-instrumentalist Sofia Frasz established EXILED HOPE in 2019, and draws musical inspiration from the likes of AVANTASIA, NIGHTWISH, KAMELOT and CRADLE OF FILTH to name a few. EXILED HOPE’s releases all take place in the same fictional universe and combine to form a dark fantasy metal opera. Each album centers on a character dealing with both an internal and external conflict in this world, and the lyrics explore how they navigate those conflicts. This is intended to provide some kind of escapism through the lyrical world building, while still keeping the songs grounded in real, relatable emotions despite their fantastical setup. EXILED HOPE is working towards the next album, Apocrypha, due to be released April 11th, 2025. Through EXILED HOPE, Sofia has composed music for two short films, Hallowed Paths and What Happens After Midnight, and has collaborated with UK melodeath outfit STEEL FORGE.

EXILED HOPE is:

Sofia Frasz - all instruments and all vocals

Kolby Cooper's Highly-Anticipated Album 'Love You, Goodnight' Out Now

Dubbed “Country music’s newest badass” by People, Kolby Cooper returns with Love You, Goodnight—a no-holds-barred, emotionally charged album that hits like a shot of whiskey and stays with you like a scar that sparks a good story. Fueled by raw honesty, gritty vocals and a rebel spirit that refuses to play it safe, it’s a thrill ride through heartbreak, redemption and everything in between. Stream Love You, Goodnight now—available everywhere HERE.
 
“Making this album really kicked my ass. It took longer than I wanted it to, yet we dug down deep on this one and I think it really gives a glimpse into my life over the last few years,” shares Cooper. “There’s the part of me that is focused on being a great husband and dad to my wife and kids and then there’s the other side that is trying to make this dream happen out here on the road...and with all of that I think you will feel that there is an underlying theme of brokenness on this album that maybe writing and singing about it helps others not feel quite so alone.”
 
Establishing himself as a skilled songwriter, Cooper has been recognized as “the current buzzworthy artist in country music” (People) and is making waves with his 2025 headlining tour. At just 25 years old, he has spent the past six years captivating audiences and is “well on his way to headlining shows at Yankee Stadium and Red Rocks Amphitheatre” (Sounds Like Nashville).

The brand-new album arrives as Cooper has amassed over 440 million on-demand streams, made his Grand Ole Opry debut and filled stages across the country, including dates opening for acts like Jelly Roll and Koe Wetzel. The Texas native and father of three presents Love You, Goodnight, featuring 14 incendiary anthems, each showcasing a different facet of life on the road. All written or co-written by Cooper, including a powerhouse duet with fellow Texan Danielle Bradbery, the country outlier has already given fans a sneak peak with previously released heart-pounding tracks like “Under My Skin,”  “Running Away,” “Hate You Too,” “Kill Me,” “Mama” and the poignant “Hello From The Road.” 

LOVE YOU, GOODNIGHT TOUR 2025 DATES:
April 11—Huntsville, TX—Jolly Fox Club
April 12—Poteet, TX—Poteet Strawberry Festival 2025*
April 23—Stephenville, TX—LJT Texas Music Festival 2025*
April 25—Waco, TX—The Backyard Bar Stage and Grill
April 26—Bay City, TX—Rusty Hook Ranch
May 1—Midland, TX—The Tailgate
May 2—Christoval, TX—Cooper’s BBQ/LIVE!
May 3—Abilene, TX—Potosi Live
May 9—Rice, TX—The Ranch Saloon
May 10—Elgin, OK—Elgin Municipal Park*
May 15—Grand Junction, CO—Warehouse25sixty-five Kitchen + Bar
May 16—Laramie, WY—The Cowboy Saloon & Dance Hall
May 17—Casper, WY—The Gaslight Social
May 29—Little Rock, AR—The Rev Room
May 30—Fort Smith, AR—The Majestic
June 12—Roswell, NM—The Liberty
June 13—Albuquerque, NM—Dirty Bourbon
June 14—Las Cruces, NM—Whiskey Dicks
June 19—Phoenix, AZ—Crescent Ballroom
June 20—Tucson, AZ—191 Toole
June 27—Denver, CO—Grizzly Rose
June 28—Colorado Springs, CO—The Whiskey Rose
July 4—La Vernia, TX—4th of July Festival*
July 5—Big Lake, TX—Star Spangled Celebration*
July 12—Jacksonville, IL— Morgan County Fair*
August 1—Broken Bow, OK— Hochatown Saloon 
August 2—Alexandria, LA—Rapides Parish Coliseum*
August 9—Oro Station, Canada—Boots and Hearts Music Festival 2025*
August 10—West Chester, OH—Voices of America Country Music Fest 2025*
August 14—Minneapolis, MN— Varsity Theater 
August 15—Rosemont, IL— Joe’s Live
August 16—Grand Rapids, MI—Elevation
September 6—Nashville, TN— Basement East
September 11—Louisville, KY—Bourbon & Beyond 2025*
September 12—Kansas City, MO— PBR Big Sky
September 13—Hugoton, KS—High Plains Fest*
September 18—Wichita, KS—Cotillion 
September 19—St.Louis, MO— Delmar Hall
September 20—Manhattan, KS— The Hat
*Festival

About Kolby Cooper:
As an old-school troubadour whose fans keep him on the road, Kolby Cooper has spent the last six years winning one crowd after another and slowly building his rep as a rough-around-the-edges, country-rock phenom. But the infinite horizons of the highway come with a cost. Dialing up Love You, Goodnight in response – his second album for BBR Music Group/BMG Nashville with Combustion Music – the burning conflict within his late-night calls home becomes a blowtorch of country grunge, as a modern-day outlaw shoots from the sonic hip, pushing his sound to its high-voltage limit. A 25-year-old husband and father of three, the Texas native grew up in the shotgun seats of his long-haul trucking family members, switching CDs between Waylon Jennings and Cross Canadian Ragweed – but also Nirvana, Blink-182 and more. Starting his own career at 18, the singer-songwriter soon reached exit velocity on his orbit through the Texas live circuit, and his grassroots fan base now drives sold-out national headline tours and supporting runs with Jelly Roll, Koe Wetzel and more. Meanwhile, Cooper has racked up over 440 million on-demand streams, a Grand Ole Opry debut and industry-wide accolades, dubbed “country music’s newest badass” by People. Featuring 14 fuse-busting anthems – each one revealing a different aspect of life on the road, written or co-written by Cooper himself – Love You, Goodnight arrives as a hard-hitting fusion of the Texas country tradition with 2000s-era alt-rock, metal and punk. This ferocious follow-up to Cooper’s roughshod Red Dirt beginnings marks a heavy creative turn to match his heavy soul. More than sonic aggression, these tunes depict epic emotionality and an edgy, East-Texan rasp.

 KEEP UP WITH KOLBY COOPER
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE | FACEBOOK | X

Florida Indie-Punk Rockers Virginity Release "Fidelity Castro" EP via Smartpunk Records

Smartpunk Records' power pop darlings Virginity have released their new EP "Fidelity Castro" as a follow-up to their 2024 LP "Bad Jazz" - available to purchase here. The EP is a collection of six dynamic tracks that went from being outcasts on the album tracklist to star songs in their own right.

Listen below.

The band has received critical acclaim from the rock scene's top tastemakers, including New Noise Magazine, Brooklyn Vegan, Audiotree, and more. As fan favorites at Smartpunk's SXSW showcase and Florida's beloved FEST, Virginity have cultivated a core fanbase who are foaming at the mouth for these new tracks. 

Speaking about the new EP, Virginity says, "Fidelity Castro started out being a way to just throw a couple of tunes out that had been sitting on the back burner for a while. As we assembled those, we kept returning to the live recordings we’d done in Jordan’s living room when we first started writing for Bad Jazz and felt like a couple of songs had so much life in them that we had to send them out into the world with our new recordings. We’ve also got a Shins tune on here because we’re just fans of that band and that record (Chutes Too Narrow) in particular. That was just something fun to do and a challenge, to make it our own a little. Lastly, we’ve got Love Exists, which is a song so incredibly void of any cynicism (basically an idea that’s nonexistent in our catalog) that we weren’t sure what to do with it. Should we rerecord it, make it a full band affair, or perhaps make it a proper piano ballad or something? Ultimately, we decided the magic was already there and that it should just be put out as is. The arc of this band has been about progressively getting more and more authentic. In a way, Fidelity is our most authentic release yet. There’s a real “scars and all” approach to it. We’re not being precious about any of it and, for now, that’s really inspiring and exciting for us. We really believe that some of these songs are some of the best we have to offer, and we’re so proud of this little collection."

ABOUT VIRGINITY
Virginity’s “Fidelity Castro EP” was originally supposed to be a way to release the leftover scraps from the Bad Jazz recording sessions, but as the band continued to finesse the recordings, the EP morphed into something entirely different. It took on a life of its own, and taught the band it can operate more loosely than it ever has before.

Featuring 5 original tracks and a cover of one of their favorite Shins tunes, the EP shows the band finishing three partially developed concepts from the Bad Jazz sessions as well as 3 demos of songs that never made it to the studio, but showed just as much promise as anything that landed on the album. And while the basic tracks of the demos were recorded live and raw, they show another side of the band’s abilities and yearning to experiment with lo-fi production (a la a recent obsession with Guided By Voices) and attempt to not overthink something that already rocks ass. 

ABOUT SMARTPUNK RECORDS:
Smartpunk has been a recognizable name in the scene for a long time (Remember that sponsored Warped Tour stage?!). After exchanging several hands and countless ideas of what it could and should be, they decided to start a record label in 2016 with the main idea of focusing solely on reissuing records that have been out of print or never on vinyl. After all, they're a label of vinyl dorks themselves! After releasing Set Your Goals' Mutiny and Gameface's Good, they started to venture into signing newer bands. They actively balance in between many worlds — putting out amazing music from friends and bands that rock, reissuing older titles, and partnering with other incredible labels in our scene and doing exclusive color variants of their releases.

"Since forming the record label, Smartpunk Records has released timeless albums such as Less Than Jake's Anthem, Nominee's Lowlife, RIVALS' Sad Looks Pretty on Me, Virginity's POPMORTEM, and melodic skate punkers The Swellers' My Everest.

Swedish Heavy Metallers DREAM EVIL Release New Digital EP 'Thunder In The Night'

Gothenburg’s DREAM EVIL returned loud and strong to the spotlight last year with their seventh studio album, 'Metal Gods' which included ten tracks of pure steel. Today, DREAM EVIL is pleased to launch four additional songs from the 'Metal Gods' sessions with a new digital EP entitled 'Thunder In The Night.'

DREAM EVIL bass player Peter Stålfors checked in with the following comment about the EP:

“It’s so much fun recording a new album, but sometimes it can be a little bit too much fun… and you record too many songs to fit on one album! That was the case when we released ‘Metal Gods’ last summer. But now the time has come to finally release the remaining four songs from ‘Metal Gods’ sessions on this brand-new EP entitled ‘Thunder in the Night.’

"Watch out for the guest guitar soloists, Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) on the title track‘Thunder in the Night’ and Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall) on ‘Fight for Glory.’ It’s not just Heavy Metal, it’s also ‘Thunder in the Night’!”

Check Out the Video for the Album's Titular Track "Metal Gods" Below

With special guest lead guitar appearances by Andy LaRocque (King Diamond) on the title track and Pontus Norgren (Hammerfall) on “Fight For Glory,” these tracks also feature recording/mixing duties by DREAM EVIL guitarist Fredrik Nordström at his legendary Studio Fredman (In Flames, At The Gates, HammerFall, Arch Enemy, Bring Me The Horizon, etc.).

The 'Metal Gods' album and the 'Thunder In The Night' EP also feature cover artwork by Seth Siro Anton (Paradise Lost, Exodus, Rotting Christ, etc.).

Order 'Thunder In The Night' HERE

DREAM EVIL are:

Fredrik Nordström – Lead Rhythm Guitars

Peter Stålfors – Lead Bass

Niklas Isfeldt – Lead Vocals

Sören Fardvik – Lead Drums

Markus Fristedt – Lead Lead Guitar

DoFlame Releases Deluxe Edition, "GET BENT!" + Shares New Track "Lost In Time"

Last year, Toronto hardcore up-and-comer DoFlame released his sophomore album, BENT, on his new label Blue Grape Music, and he's barreling headfirst into 2025.

Today, DoFlame mastermind Mateo Naranjo dropped the deluxe version of the album, titled GET BENT! Listen here.

It features the new track "Lost in Time" and the recently released hip-hop infused "Drunk Talk" in a newly shuffled version of the album. Listen below.

 "Lost In Time" funnels DoFlame's sound back towards his brash punk and hardcore roots, but this time, with a big league mix from platinum engineer Josh Wilbur (KORN, Megadeath, Avenged Sevenfold). Appropriately, "Lost In Time" is the final statement from this seminal period of DoFlame development, a memorable punctuation to halcyon days that are worth remembering, but hard to recall.

"'Lost In Time' is about those that hold up a facade to get what they want: They lie chronically, hop town to town, and clique to clique," the artist says. "It's a burden to deal with these people, but it's bittersweet knowing they'll eventually get caught in their tracks. Those who move like that and get left behind, forgotten, and lost in time."

DoFlame has several U.S. and European dates booked through spring, with more to be announced in the coming months.  All dates are below.

DOFLAME LIVE:

U.S. DATES:
4/28 — Beat Kitchen   — Chicago, IL#   
4/30 — The Middle East — Cambridge, MA#  
5/1 — Songbyrd — Washington, DC# 
5/2 — Kung Fu Necktie — Philadelphia, PA#  
5/3 — TV Eye  — Brooklyn, NY#  
6/27 — The Rumble — Chicago, IL*
#With Bob Vylan
*Festival

EUROPEAN DATES:
5/16 — The Great Escape — Brighton, UK*
5/17 — Brudenell Social Club — Leeds, UK^
5/19 — The Pits — Kortrijk,  BE^
5/20 — La Source — Brussels, BE^
5/23— Supersonic — Paris, FR^
5/24 — Sniester Festival— Den Haag,  NL*
5/27 — Cassiopeia — Berlin, DE^
5/28— Blue Shell — Cologne, DE ^
*Festival
^Headline Date

ABOUT BLUE GRAPE MUSIC:
In 2022, industry veterans David Rath and Cees Wessels formed Blue Grape Music. The name will be familiar to rock music fans, as it was the merchandise company also launched by Wessels, who founded the venerable and esteemed record label Roadrunner Records in the '80s. Roadrunner earned a reputation as an iconic label that turned hard rock and metal acts into household names for several decades under Wessels' tutelage. Rath spent 21 years in the A&R department at Roadrunner, working on albums by a variety of RIAA-certified and culturally important acts, including but not limited to Slipknot, Korn, Turnstile, Gojira, Coheed and Cambria, White Reaper, Slash, Trivium, Dream Theater, and more. When the label changed management and ownership, Rath guided the company and oversaw the signings of bands like Young the Giant and Vance Joy. Ultimately, the Blue Grape executive team is powered by experience and a roll-up-your-sleeves-and-get-your-hands-dirty, by-any-means-necessary work ethic. Blue Grape's inaugural signing was the two-time Grammy nominee Code Orange and since then, the label has gone on to sign San Francisco punks Spiritual Cramp, hardcore heavyweights GEL, and Baltimore sludge slingers GASKET, with several new signing announcements expected to be announced this year. Blue Grape is distributed globally by The Orchard.

Rotting Christ Release New Live Album

ROTTING CHRIST have stood the test of time. Over the past 35 years, Sakis Tolis, his brother Themis and their brothers-in-arms have risen from Greece's blackened catacombs to become one of metal's most reliable forces.

Backed by a legacy that has both defined and defied black metal, last year, the Greek legends carved out a new set of dark, melodic scriptures with fresh rebellion on the unbreakable Pro Xristou. 

"...this is the most arena-worthy Rotting Christ have been in some time", No Clean Singing wrote about their latest album.  

Now, as they continue to tour the world, Rotting Christ are celebrating 35 years of evil existence with a new live album. This two-hour set was recorded at the Lycabettus Hill Theater in the band's hometown of Athens. Like a pantheon, it spans the band's entire career, from early evil classics like "The Sign of Evil Existence" and the gothic one-two punch of "Sorrowful Farewell" and "Among Two Storms" to " "Δαιμόνων Βρώσης (Demonon Vrosis)",  "Κατά τον Δαίμονα Εαυτού", "Like Father, Like Son" and other chiseled monuments from their modern Hellenic period.

Watch Rotting Christ celebrate 35 Years of Evil Existence Live in Lycabettus on Rotting Christ TV.

35 Years of Evil Existence - Live in Lycabettus is out now on Season of Mist.

Order & Stream

https://orcd.co/rottingchristliveinlycabettus
 

The formidable bond between brothers Sakis and Themis Tolis is not only felt across their unholy discography but also live and in the flesh. Having played more than a hundred shows all across the world in 2024, Rotting Christ continue to keep the true metal spirit alive time and time again.    

Rotting Christ @ Milwaukee Metal Fest
Friday, May 16 - Milwaukee, Wi @ The Rave/Eagles Club [TICKETS]

Pro Xristou (‘Before Christ’ in Greek), serves as a fervent tribute to the last Pagan kings who resisted the onslaught of Christianity, guarding their ancient values and knowledge. In this thematic odyssey, intricately woven through tracks such as ‘The Apostate’ and ‘Ygdrassil’, Rotting Christ delves into the legacies of historical figures such as Flavius Claudius Julianus and Nordic mythological kings, embodying the might of Pagan wisdom in the face of Christian adversity. The album encapsulates the essence of Rotting Christ’s signature style – melodic, yet harsh at times – reinventing themselves yet again, while remaining rooted in their 35-year legacy.

Line-up:
Sakis Tolis - Guitar, Vocals
Themis Tolis - Drums
Kostas "Spades" Heliotis - Bass
Kostis Fouk - Guitar

Biography:
Sébastien J. Gamez

Follow Rotting Christ:
Official Website: https://www.rotting-christ.com/en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rottingchristofficial/
Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/rottingchristofficial/
Twitter (X): https://twitter.com/athanatoieste
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/RottingChristOfficia
Bandcamp: https://rottingchristofficial.bandcamp.com/
Apple Music: http://itunes.apple.com/artist/rotting-christ/id28441629
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7FhkwcO8Jd7BRWdllBpXBJ

Available Formats:
Digital Download
2CD Digipak
3x12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
3x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Gold w/ Linen Lamination & Gold Foil
3x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Gold & Black Marbled
3x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Orange & Black Marbled
3x12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Red & Black Marbled

Replaced by Robots releases debut album 'The Experiment' with three audio-visual gems

Indie rock outfit Replaced by Robots has released their powerful debut mini-album 'The Experiment', along with three fun and slick colorburst videos for 'All The Lonely Nights', 'Are We Falling in Love or Am I Just Losing My Mind' and 'The Laboratory'. For this record, they worked with legendary producer Paul Q.Kolderie (Pixies, Dinosaur Jr, Throwing Muses, Radiohead) and Josh Hager (Devo, The Elevator Drops), with mastering by Terry Palmer.

Made up of Goolkasian, Heather Joy Morgan and Adam Wade, the band formed as a sound and vision laboratory, where they search through the wreckage and noise of modern life to find unusual combinations and create moments of beauty.

Flashback to 2024: Goolkasian (The Elevator Drops, The Texas Governor, Lovesick) and Heather Joy Morgan initially met up with stellar guitarist Adam Wade (Funeral Party, The Uprisers) at a secret Chameleons UK show in their living room, a fateful meeting that led to the musical chemistry we see here in Replaced by Robots.

"We got to work with Paul Q. Kolderie, who instinctively did a lot of weird things. He pushed the bass and guitars to the max, giving this record an undeniably glam-era feel and a rhythmic pulse, driving songs like 'All The Lonely Nights'," says Goolkasian.

"We also worked with producer and creative compatriot Josh Hager, who produced 'Are We Falling in Love or Am I Just Losing my Mind?', recalling the Buzzcocks, T-Rex and a million other things but is still, defiantly, its own bird due to the electric and impassioned vocal delivery".

This album indeed feels like a fun experiment, relishing their stature as obsolete bohemians, experimenting and combining our influences until we find something unique and inspiring. The band is clearly enjoying following the creative spirit wherever it leads, from the first surf-inspired drumbeats of 'The Laboratory' to the instantly catchy 3-part vocal harmonies in 'All The Lonely Nights' to the wall of noise on the final track 'Since You Broke My Ouija Board'. It's glam and it's glorious.

"'Laboratory' kicks off with the jangle of a raucous surf guitar and percussive vocals that form a curious rhythm and intermittent wail. It's going to be some kind of party. 'All the Lonely Nights' is an exuberant commercial advert in sparky 3-part harmony for the ennui and sorrow that plagues you up to the very instant that you make a magical connection with the right person. 'The Air of Uncertainty' is an instrumental interlude, a pause to welcome the spirits," says Goolkasian.

Heather Joy Morgan adds, "'Since you Broke My Ouija Board' is a spontaneous expression of grief and longing to connect, for Goolkasian broke my antique oujia board, hurling my spirit telephone into oblivion. And I can't talk to ghosts no more. 'Are we Falling in Love or Am I Just Losing My Mind?' is about seeking true love in the dystopian night, a modern world with uncanny robots and fake people. Is it live or is it Memorex?"

No stranger to chaos, Goolkasian formed the notorious prankster trio The Elevator Drops (Arista / Timebomb) in Boston with Garvy J (Devo) & Fitts. Their songs 'Elevator to Heaven' and 'Beautiful Junkie' earned them touring slots with Echo & The Bunnymen, Garbage and Pulp. Leaving that behind in 1999, the early 2000’s Goolkasian brought new inspiration with Goolkasian now recording as The Texas Governor and touring with pals Future Islands. In the mid-2000’s, Goolkasian & Morgan teamed up with recording engineer Terry Palmer to create “a masterful dream-pop version” of their classic tune 'Beach Foam', inadvertently forming the trio Lovesick.

Hailing from Berlin via the NJ Turnpike, Heather Joy Morgan has a Masters degree in painting from Yale. A compelling wraith with visual flair, she classes up the joint, both on stage and in video. From the pyres of the Funeral Party and The Uprisers, Adam Wadehas always been a goth-punk at heart. His guitar is always too loud and that is how it will remain!

'The Experiment' is out now, available from fine music platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music and directly from the artist via Bandcamp.

CREDITS
Lyrics by Goolkasian & Heather Joy Morgan
Music by Goolkasian, Adam Wade & Heather Joy Morgan
Goolkasian - vocals, bass, synths
Heather Joy Morgan - vocals, synths
Adam Wade - drums, guitar, synths  
All songs produced & mixed by Goolkasian
except, 'All The Lonely Nights' produced & mixed by Paul Q. Kolderi
'Are We Falling In Love or Am I Just Losing My Mind' produced & mixed by Josh Hager
Mastered by Terry Palmer
Cover art and videos by Goolkasian
Artist photos by Sara Wade
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR


Keep up with Replaced by Robots
New Album | Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music | Press contact

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | BlueSky | Threads  | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il

BLEED FROM WITHIN - release video for 'Violent Nature' + new album 'Zenith' out NOW

Metal titans BLEED FROM WITHIN have today released their brand new studio album, Zenith, via Nuclear Blast Records. After their most successful year to date, Zenith's whirlwind of accomplished songwriting, white-hot metal fury and hard-earned confidence proves the best is yet to come from the Scottish heavyweights. To coincide with the album release, they have also revealed a video for storming opening track 'Violent Nature'.

On the release of their new album, the band comment:

"Today is the day. Friday 4th April 2025 marks the release of our greatest work so far. This is the best collection of songs we ever put together and a massive step forward for us creatively. Since we released Hands Of Sin last year, we've worked very hard on delivering something essential to our needs. Something that gave purpose to the time we'd dedicated and something we felt was missing in modern metal. Now, almost a year later, we are ready to share it with the world and see where it takes us. Here's to the future.

Ali, Davie, Goonzi, Kennedy, Steven"

Purchase and stream Zenith now at: https://bleedfromwithin.bfan.link/zenith.ema

Catch BLEED FROM WITHIN across North America in 2025 supporting BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM on 'The Poisoned Ascendancy' tour, before they return to the UK and Europe for 'The Zenith Tour', where they'll be joined by AFTER THE BURIAL and GREAT AMERICAN GHOST.

THE POISONED ASCENDANCY NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2025
supporting BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and TRIVIUM

19.04.25 - MO, Chesterfield - The Factory
20.04.25 - NE, Omaha - Steelhouse
22.04.25 - WI, Green Bay - Epic Event Center
23.04.25 - MI, Grand Rapids - GLC Live At 20 Monroe
26.04.25 - IL, Chicago - Byline Bank Aragon Ballroom
27.04.25 - MI, Detroit - The Fillmore
29.04.25 - PA, Pittsburgh - Stage AE
30.04.25 - PA, Philadelphia - The Fillmore
02.05.25 - MA, Boston - MCM Music Hall At Fenway
03.05.25 - QC, Laval - Place Bell
04.05.25 - ON, Toronto - Great Canadian Resort Theatre
06.05.25 - DC, Washington - The Anthem
07.05.25 - NY, New York - The Rooftop At Pier 17
09.05.25 - PA, Bethlehem - Wind Creek Event Center
11.05.25 - TN, Nashville - The Pinnacle
13.05.25 - KY, Corbin - Corbin Arena
14.05.25 - GA, Atlanta - Coca-Cola Roxy Theatre
17.05.25 - NC, Charlotte - Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre
18.05.25 - NC, Raleigh - Red Hat Amphitheater

2025 Festival Dates

10.05.25 - US, Sonic Temple Art & Music Festival
16.05.25 - US, Welcome To Rockville
15.06.25 - UK, Download Festival
26.06.25 - NO, Tons Of Rock
05.07.25 - TR, Headbangers Weekend
14.08.25 - DE, Reload Festival

THE ZENITH TOUR 2025
w/ AFTER THE BURIAL & GREAT AMERICAN GHOST

10.09.25 - BE, Antwerp - Zappa
11.09.25 - DE, Cologne - Live Music Hall
12.09.25 - DE, Hamburg - Docks
13.09.25 - DE, Berlin - Kesselhaus
14.09.25 - PL, Warsaw - Progresja
16.09.25 - FI, Helsinki - Tavastia
17.09.25 - FI, Tampere - Olympia-Kortteli
19.09.25 - SE, Stockholm - Klubben Fryshuset
20.09.25 - SE, Gothenburg - Pustervik
21.09.25 - NO, Oslo - Vulkan Arena
22.09.25 - DK, Copenhagen - Amager Bio
24.09.25 - CZ, Prague - Meet Factory
25.09.25 - HU, Budapest - Barba Negra
26.09.25 - AT, Vienna - SIMM City
27.09.25 - DE, Munich - Backstage
28.09.25 - CH, Zürich - Kompex 457
30.09.25 - FR, Villeurbanne - CCO La Rayonne
01.10.25 - FR, Toulouse - La Cabane
03.10.25 - PT, Lisbon - LAV - Lisboa Ao Vivo
04.10.25 - ES, Madrid - Salva Mon Live
05.10.25 - ES, Barcelona - Razzmatazz 2
07.10.25 - FR, Paris - Bataclan
08.10.25 - NL, Tilburg - 013 Poppodium
10.10.25 - UK, London - O2 Forum Kentish Town
11.10.25 - UK, Manchester - O2 Ritz
12.10.25 - UK, Glasgow - Barrowlands
13.10.25 - UK, Glasgow - Barrowlands

Tickets for all dates are available now at bleedfromwithin.com

Bleed From Within are:
Scott Kennedy - Vocals
Craig Gowans - Lead Guitar
Steven Jones - Rhythm Guitar & Vocals
David Provan - Bass
Ali Richardson - Drums 

Debt Neglector Release New Album "Kinda Rips" via Smartpunk Records

Smartpunk Records' Florida-based outspoken political punk rockers Debt Neglector have unleashed their full-length album "Kinda Rips." It is available to stream or purchase on the Smartpunk Records website. 
The record is a diverse plethora of fast, heavy-hitting tracks that mark the band's most personal release to date while still maintaining their brutally honest, personable approach.

Listen below.

It rips. Kinda.

When discussing the album, Debt Neglector vocalist Alex Goldfarb says, "Kinda Rips is 13 pissed-off punk songs about how the world is falling apart around us. Lyrically, it deals with concepts like mental health, parenthood, mortality, impending societal collapse, and how everything just sorta sucks. Musically, we tried to create something that walked the line between catchy and aggressive, pulling influences from a wide variety of some of our favorite bands.”

The band's guitarist Chris Pfister adds, "Yeah, I even stole a chord from Ren & Stimpy, because why the hell not?!"

ABOUT DEBT NEGLECTOR:
Formed in 2016, these Florida punks have spent the last 8 years honing a sound that showcases their ability to blend catchy hooks with a vicious attitude. With four releases firmly under their belt, the “Atomicland” LP (2017), “The Kids are Pissed” EP (2018), the “Bad Faith” EP (2020), and the “Dirty Water” LP (2021), the band has already established themselves as a group that pulls no punches in their pursuit to call out injustice. Just to name a few, the band has screamed, shouted, and sang about systemic failures and distrust of the government, the fear of impending nuclear war, loss, depression, illness, and the USA’s sick obsession with assault rifles. And they’ve put their money where their mouth is by using their releases to double as fundraising efforts for organizations like the ACLU. Musically, their influences cover a lot of familiar and legendary punk rock ground. Taking notes from punk favorites the Descendents, Dillinger Four, and Bad Religion among others, Debt Neglector aren’t afraid to put their own spin on things. Their music keeps both a reverence for the past and a foot firmly placed in the present. The end result allows the band to craft songs with ripping fast drum beats, sing along choruses, quirky chord changes, and headbanging breaks. With past tours covering the US, Canada, and Europe, the band has set their sights on bringing their brand of pissed off punk music to whoever is ready and willing to listen. Debt Neglector are also no stranger to the festival scene with several appearances at The Fest (FL) and Sing it Out Loud Festival, and a showcase at Pouzza Fest (MTL), they have managed to share the stage with the likes of Propaghandi, Descendents and more. In 2024 Debt Neglector returned to the studio to follow up their past releases with a batch of new songs that has now become the “Kinda Rips” LP (Smartpunk Records – 2025). Their new music remains viciously political but also features some deeply personal topics including the pressures of fatherhood, insecurity, and dealing with mortality. The culmination is an album that is dynamic and relatable from a band whose angry and honest approach is a blunt kick in the pants to the powers that be.

ABOUT SMARTPUNK RECORDS:
Smartpunk has been a recognizable name in the scene for a long time (Remember that sponsored Warped Tour stage?!). After exchanging several hands and countless ideas of what it could and should be, they decided to start a record label in 2016 with the main idea of focusing solely on reissuing records that have been out of print or never on vinyl. After all, they're a label of vinyl dorks themselves! After releasing Set Your Goals' Mutiny and Gameface's Good, they started to venture into signing newer bands. They actively balance in between many worlds — putting out amazing music from friends and bands that rock, reissuing older titles, and partnering with other incredible labels in our scene and doing exclusive color variants of their releases.

Since forming the record label, Smartpunk Records has released timeless albums such as Less Than Jake's Anthem, Nominee's Lowlife, RIVALS' Sad Looks Pretty on Me, Virginity's POPMORTEM, and melodic skate punkers The Swellers' My Everest.

ALBUM RELEASE: Thornhill Unleash New Album 'BODIES'; Drop Visualizer for "Under The Knife"

The wait is over, and today an astonishing new era for Melbourne's Thornhill has arrived via their brand new studio album BODIES, out now via UNFD. Accompanying the album is the release of visualizer for under the knife. Stream BODIES here and watch the visualizer below.

A dauntless pastiche of creative freedom and ingenuity, BODIES finds Thornhill in full flight, with its 11 tracks layered with authenticity and electrifying execution, cementing the group's status yet again as one of Australia's most engaging heavy acts.

Opening with percolating bounce via DIESEL, BODIES thrives with caustic urgency (Revolver), swooning melodics soaked in oscillating chaos and clarity (Silver Swarm), serene reprieves (fall into the wind), grinding swagger (TONGUES) and mellow R&B flavours (CRUSH), offering an expansive and kaleidoscopic palette that circles upbeat buoyancy and crushing heaviness; a snapshot of Thornhill in their most assured form to date.

Coinciding with the release today of BODIES, Thornhill have also shared a visualizer for the album's haunting penultimate track under the knife. Providing context on the new track, the band share

"We wanted to convey an underlying fear of being unnoticed or forgotten, the notion of a silhouette falling between fingers conveys a message of fleeting moments—something that can be grasped but never fully held. Within the atmosphere of the instrumentation, a haunting exploration of love and lust, blends these two feelings into something more tragic, yet hopefully relatable. There's a delicate balance between submission ("underneath your knife") and resistance ("I don’t wanna know yet"), which creates a soft tension, a push/pull that moves with song dynamics."

In celebration of the new album, for the first time ever, Thornhill will headline stages across North America in Spring 2025. The tour is already shaping up to be a massive success, with their Los Angeles show on April 11th at The Echo officially sold out and several other dates on low ticket warnings two months out. Featuring AVOID, Ocean Grove, and Banks Arcade, this spectacular line-up is an unmissable event for fans of modern heavy music. Get tickets before they sell out HERE. The band also recently announced that they will be playing Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky on Friday, September 19th, 2025. For further info and to purchase tickets, head to louderthanlifefestival.com/

Commenting on their first ever US headline run, Thornhill shares: 

“We couldn’t be more excited to announce our very first North American headline tour! It’s something we’ve dreamed about for years, and now it’s finally happening. We’re bringing along some incredible friends—AVOID, Ocean Grove, and Banks Arcade—and trust us, this lineup is going to deliver a high-energy show from start to finish. We’re so gassed to bring the songs of our new album ‘Bodies’ to the stage.”

THORNHILL ‘BODIES’

North American Headline Tour 

with Special guests AVOID, Ocean Grove and Banks Arcade



- 04.11 – Los Angeles, CA – Echo 

- 04.12 – Mesa, AZ – The Underground 

- 04.15 – San Antonio, TX – Paper Tiger 

- 04.16 – Dallas, TX – RBC 

- 04.17 – Houston, TX – Secret Group 

- 04.19 – Tampa, FL – Crowbar 

- 04.20 – Orlando, FL – Abbey 

- 04.22 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade (Purgatory) 

- 04.23 – Greensboro, NC – Hangar 1819 

- 04.24 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage 

- 04.25 – Asbury Park, NJ – House of Independents 

- 04.26 – Brooklyn, NY – Meadows 

- 04.27 – Worcester, MA – Palladium (Upstairs) 

- 04.29 – Montreal, QC – Fairmount Theater 

- 05.01 – Toronto, ON – Velvet Underground 

- 05.02 – Lakewood, OH – Mahalls 

- 05.03 – Detroit, MI – The Loving Touch 

- 05.04 – Chicago, IL – Bottom Lounge 

- 05.06 – Minneapolis, MN – Amsterdam 

- 05.07 – Kansas City, MO – RecordBar 

- 05.09 – Denver, CO – Marquis 

- 05.10 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban 

- 05.12 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon 

- 05.13 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater 

- 05.15 – Sacramento, CA – Goldfields 

- 05.16 – Anaheim, CA – Chain Reaction 

ABOUT THORNHILL

Eternal purveyors of artful and engaging heavy creations, Thornhill possess a flair for nuanced rock beyond their influences. Via their ARIA Award-nominated 2022 album Heroine, Thornhill solidified a steadfast reputation as one of the most innovative and immersive heavy acts in the Australian scene, with Heroine debuting at #3 on the ARIA Albums charts, and at #1 on the Australian Albums charts.

Thornhill have amassed a heaving array of accolades over the years, including triple j's Feature Album and additions to countless Best Of The Year listings for their 2019 release The Dark Pool. And in 2023 and 2024, the band gifted some insatiable new material courtesy of standalone singles "Viper Room" and "Obsession", as well as a live album, Live On Tour!, boasting performances captured in the wild across the globe that released in June.

Thornhill kicked off 2024 supporting Silent Planet on extensive North American run, before joining Aussie heavies Polaris on tour in the UK and Europe, appearing at Impericon Festival alongside As I Lay Dying, August Burns Red and While She Sleeps, and touring North America supporting Northlane. Thornhill joined Fear Factory, Thy Art Is Murder, Hands Like Houses and many more performing at last year's Froth & Fury Fest in Adelaide, ending the year with a huge headlining a huge run across the UK and Europe.

The band have released three previous singles from their new album BODIES - "TONGUES" which featured swirling melodies, gut-punching heaviness, and deeply evocative lyricism, “Silver Swarm” which explored the chaotic manipulation and push-pull of toxic relationships, while “nerv.” fused haunting electronics with nu-metal fury, earning the band widespread acclaim, a Spotify cover feature on The Core playlist, and adds to Kickass Metal and All New Metal playlists. Together, the singles have racked up 5 million Spotify streams and 642,000 YouTube views.

Now, armed with their most ambitious and thrilling work to date and ready to lay waste to stages across the US on their immient BODIESheadline tour, Thornhill continue their quest to reinvent heavy music with the release of 'BODIES'. Speaking on their upcoming release, the band share

“‘BODIES’ marks a bold evolution in our ever-developing sound. ‘Heroine’ was defined by its meticulously crafted and tightly woven concept, but the weight of this careful construction sometimes overshadowed the energy of the music itself, leaving some listeners feeling disconnected. With ‘BODIES,’ we’ve embraced a more immediate, unfiltered approach that feels like a lightning bolt, looking to capture the energy of ‘Thornhill right now.’

The album thrives on spontaneity and freedom, foregoing rigid concepts in favour of pure, in-your-face authenticity. It’s less about delivering a carefully constructed narrative and more about creating a visceral, open-ended experience. ‘BODIES’ serves as a sonic moodboard—a collection of feelings and vibes—intentionally left open to interpretation. It has an upbeat and almost celebratory, party energy at times, but also retains all the emotion and intensity Thornhill are known for, making it our heaviest and most explosive work to date.

With ‘BODIES,’ we invite listeners to connect on their own terms. It’s raw, personal, and unapologetically immediate—a record that thrives in the moment, capturing our band at our most authentic and free.”

BENEDICTION - Release Lyric Video For 'A Carrion Harvest' + "Ravage Of Empires" Album Out Now + EU Tour Starts Today!

Today, British death metal legends, BENEDICTION, are celebrating the release of their highly anticipated new album Ravage Of Empires, not only with the coinciding release of a lyric video for the album's devastating opening track 'A Carrion Harvest', but also by kicking off their European tour with guests Junge Rot & Master tonight in Hamburg.

"Brace for impact, or be blown away" - these lines from the chorus of fast-paced ripper 'A Carrion Harvest' can be regarded as a condensed instruction manual for Ravage Of Empires. The album's opening track sets the stage for a demonstration of pure old-school death metal power in eleven chapters by one of the genre's pioneers, and its torch bearers to this day and age.

You can watch the lyric video for 'A Carrion Harvest' below or stream Ravage Of Empires in full at a service of your choice.

PURCHASE / STREAM RAVAGE OF EMPIRES:
https://benediction.bfan.link/ravage-of-empires

WATCH THE LYRIC VIDEO FOR 'A CARRION HARVEST' Below:

ABOUT BENEDICTION

“Sometimes They Come Back” is not just the title of a horror movie based on a macabre tale by Stephen King, it is also a summary of what happened to UK death metal veterans BENEDICTION, yet you might like to add a “better than ever before”. While never officially disbanded, 2020’s Scriptures, the group’s eighth studio album achieved what is usually not an easy feat. It connected well with classics like Transcend the Rubicon (1993) and its immediate and memorable songwriting, the heavy-as-a-brick Grind Bastard (1998), and also saw legendary vocalist Dave Ingram return with his merciless roar and knack for morbid, twisted lyrics. After two albums with Dave Hunt on vocals, Scriptures was BENEDICTION’s first record in over a decade impressing with aggressive up-tempo attacks like ‘Iterations of I’ and ‘Rabid Carnality’ or the neck-breaking mid-tempo barrage of ‘Stormcrow’, songs that became live staples alongside ‘evergreens’ such as ‘I Bow to None’, ‘Magnificat’, ‘Subconscious Terror’ or ‘Vision in the Shroud’ in no time. With Scriptures, BENEDICTION even almost cracked Germany’s top ten by entering at a phenomenal #11 of the Official German Charts showing that the death metal veterans founded 1989 in Birmingham, England, offered an extremely well received sonic catharsis when due to the pandemic, people were locked down and pissed off.

With their brilliant new record Ravage Of Empires in tow, founding members and guitarists Darren Brookes and Peter Rew, longtime vocalist Dave Ingram, drummer Giovanni Durst, and Nik Sampson (bass) will travel far and wide once more. Already confirmed are the Tales of the Triple Death Tour with Jungle Rot and Master kicking off on album release date as well as confirmed appearances at Wacken Open Air and Maryland Deathfest. More to be announced soon!

Catch BENEDICTION live on their European release tour in April 2025 with guests Jungle Rot and Master. All confirmed live dates below.

TALES OF THE TRIPLE DEATH...
BENEDICTION
W/ JUNGLE ROT & MASTER

04.04.25    DE    Hamburg  Kultur Palast 
05.04.25    DE    Bad Oeynhausen. Druckerei 
06.04.25    NL    Sittard. Volt 
07.04.25    BE    Kortrijk. DVG 
08.04.25    LU    Esch-Belval. Rockhal 
09.04.25    DE    Mannheim. 7er Club 
10.04.25    DE    Obertraubling. Event Hall Airport 
11.04.25    DE    Geiselwind. Eventzentrum Strohofer 
12.04.25    AT    Salzburg. Rockhouse 
13.04.25    DE    Jena. F-Haus 
15.04.25    DE    Berlin. Lido 
16.04.25    DE    Essen. Turock 
17.04.25    CH    Aarau. KIFF 

TICKETS HERE: https://www.we-live.agency/shows 

More confirmed dates for 2025:
21.05.25   US    Brooklyn, NY. The Meadows 
22.05.25   US    Baltimore, MD. Maryland Deathfest
21.06.25   PT    Beja. Nada Fest 
25.06.25   CZ    Spalene Porici. Basinfirefest 
26.-27.07.25   ES    Cangas De Morrazo. Kanekas Metalfest 
30.07-02.08.25   DE    Wacken. Wacken Festival 
01.08.25   DE    Loebnitz. Full Rewind Fest

BRKN LOVE Release Third Full-Length LP 'The Program' Out NOW via Spinefarm

Today, BRKN LOVE celebrates the release of their third LP 'The Program,' via Spinefarm. The release is heralded by a new single, "Cruel," accompanied by a new music video, available below.



Exuding bravado, mystique, and a whole lot of heart, BRKN LOVE sets the rulebook on fire by plugging in, turning up, and churning out the kind of rock ‘n’ roll that makes you feel a little freer. Their gritty riffs pack enough punch to shake any stage while the grooves quake with just the right amount of hip-swinging gusto. Led by vocalist and guitarist Justin Benlolo, the music drips swagger, soul, and spirit amplified by arena-sized hooks and intriguingly inventive musicality.

About "Cruel," Justin had this to say:

"'Cruel' is one of the most ambitious songs we’ve ever made. We leaned into our R&B influences on this one, breaking free from the boundaries we’d previously set for ourselves. This track marks a new chapter for BRKN LOVE, pushing our sound into brand-new territory. Lyrically, it’s about that moment when you’ve had enough — when someone has mistreated you for too long, and you finally decide to walk away. No second-guessing, no looking back. It is what it is.

"We recorded the song at the legendary Foo Fighters’ Studio 606, capturing the energy and spirit of the greats we’ve always admired. The entire experience brought a new dimension to our sound, and we couldn’t be more excited to share 'Cruel' with the world. Thank you so much and turn it up loud."

Watch the Video for "Cruel"

Stream "Cruel" HERE 

An impromptu 2023 trip to visit a friend in Charleston, SC gave rise to their third studio album, 'The Program.' Justin initially planned on spending a weekend in town. That weekend turned into nine weeks, and he returned to Toronto with the bulk of the album’s material.

“I didn’t have anything else to do, so I brought all of my gear and studio equipment,” he recalls. “I was so inspired by the environment and the friends I made. It’s a big city, but it’s not huge. It’s just beautiful though. The experience inspired the whole record. Instead of being so picturesque and metaphorical, I told stories.”

The album title even referenced the name of the text group for his new friends in Charleston, embedding the experience and the city in the fabric of the music. The vision had already crystallized before he left for Los Angeles where he recorded with longtime producer Anton DeLost (Cleopatrick, The Warning, State Champs, Dead Poet Society). These friends, and a variety of other characters he met, ultimately inspired the concept at the heart of "The Program."

“It was a collective of 10 people I’d never met before, and we kept using the term ‘The Program’ repeatedly like, ‘Let’s go here, because it would be good for The Program’,” he goes on. “It was cool to be surrounded by near-complete strangers, invite them to our place, and play demos. Their opinions were unfiltered and blunt—which was awesome. I was actively searching for inspiration, and I put myself out there in different situations. I was free and unchained to do anything.”

BRKN LOVE fulfilled a clear destiny to be as free as possible on their third full-length LP, 'The Program.'

On the album, BRKN LOVE shares:

"Our new album, 'The Program' started with a completely unplanned trip to Charleston, South Carolina. We had no real agenda, just a need to get away and see where the music would take us. That trip ended up shaping so much of this record, from the name to the overall vibe. More than anything, it helped us break free from the parameters we had set for this band in the past. This time, we just wanted to make the music we love, without overthinking what BRKN LOVEwas supposed to sound like.

You’ll hear elements of funk, disco, pop and R&B in ways we’ve never done before. But at the end of the day, it still sounds like us. The fact that we even get to make a third album is something we don’t take for granted. So many bands don’t get this far, and we’re beyond grateful to still be here, making music that we love. 

Lyrically, this is our most honest and direct record yet. A lot of it is about love and loss. We didn’t want to dress it up or be vague; we just wanted to be straight-up about heartbreak and more importantly, how you move on from it in a positive way.

We made this album with our frequent collaborator, Anton Delost, who absolutely killed it as a producer. A huge part of the sound comes from recording at the legendary Foo Fighters’ Studio 606. Tracking through their iconic Neve console that’s been used on so many classic records. 'The Program' is the record we’ve always wanted to make, and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it."

Order 'The Program' HERE

BRKN LOVE emerged with their self-titled debut in 2020. The group quietly generated over a quarter of a billion total streams. They notched a Top 15 entry on Active Rock radio with “Shot Down,” while their cover of “River” by Bishop Briggs hit critical mass. It inspired over 2 billion-plus views on TikTok. It piled up 28 million Spotify streams. 2022’s 'Black Box' only maintained this momentum. “Like A Drug” notched north of 8.5 million Spotify streams, made waves at Active Rock, and emerged as their third Top 5 at Canadian radio.

Manchester's THE SPEED OF SOUND presents 'SS-100-X', a JFK story of intrigue Their 'A Cornucopia' album trilogy, marking their 35-year anniversary, is out now

Iconic Manchester indie rockers The Speed Of Sound present their new single 'SS-100-X', a prime and timely pick from their 'Minerva' album. Titled after the codename for the presidential car that fateful day of JFK's assassination in Dallas, the video for 'SS-100-X' intentionally uses AI-generated images to mix fact with speculation and inference, matching the post-fact world environment of the 21st century.

The band has released their ambitious mega-album trilogy 'A Cornucopia: Minerva, Victory, Bounty' in multiple formats via Californian cult label Big Stir Records, cementing their mark on the legacy they began in 1989. With music that is idiosyncratic and counter-intuitive, The Speed of Sound is always in search of something new. Creating music with lyrical bite, expanding their foundation of 1960s, punk and new wave influences, their dynamic and stylistic variation crossing borders and pushing boundaries at every opportunity.

"Spreading like a virus, conspiracy theories have gone mainstream and it all seems to have started long ago with the Kennedy assassination. The simple and chaotic explanation of anything is now routinely jettisoned in favour of swirling dark forces and a wilful maliciousness to recognise anything as fact, instead everything is an issue of unshakeable faith in the existence of a sinister deeper plot," says frontman and songwriter John Armstrong.

"The opening lines of the song describe the view from a 5th-floor Portuguese hotel balcony, but due to the absence of a Ground Floor in American buildings, that made it the 6th. So my view of the Lincoln convertible passing along the street below was identical to that Oswald had from the Texas School Book Repository."

This single arrives on the heels of the audio-visual trip that is 'Permafrost' and also 'Eight Fourteen Monday', which narrates a dreary commute to explore themes of isolation, detachment, and the contrast between superficial politeness and genuine emotion, while subtly referencing the devastating historical event of Hiroshima.

With overlapping themes of independence - both culturally and artistically - each disc of the 'A Cornucopia' trilogy has its own vibe and personality: 'Minerva' is belligerence in musical form, 'Victory' is a manifesto of artistic creativity and 'Bounty' represents the fruits of artistic freedom, all taking place far from the grasping tentacles of the ‘music industry’.

'A Cornucopia' began with the band’s own love of the album format and a determination to make long-form music rather than merely produce a conveyor belt of unrelated singles. The interlocking themes of 'A Cornucopia' are deliberately made for album listeners to enjoy, each disc being its own standalone entity while also forming part of the larger whole trinity.

Full of ambition, energy and melodic brilliance, this three-album deluxe edition is available on vinyl and CD. Beginning with the 'Minerva' album, The Speed of Sound shared a rich bouquet of thought-provoking compositions, including the hauntingly spacious 'Trickledown', the stratospherically vast 'The Great Acceleration', the uplifting 'Mind Palace' and 'West Wind', where a recklessly fast rhythm merges with a Wagnerian horn section.

The 'Victory' album then brings 14 fresh and unexpectedly shape-shifting grooves, from the supremely danceable 'Underground', the unabashed sensuality of 'Monsoon', gothic lounge jazz of 'Permafrost', the glam-rocking 'E to F', reckless garage punk punch of 'Go For It', post-nostalgia of 'The Same River' and triumphant shimmering elegance of 'Tranquility Falls' to the strangely linked pairing of 'Apocalypse Acropolis'and 'Apocalypse Metropolis'.

The ’Bounty’ album adds to this with another ten ranging from the crunching garage rock of 'No Kicks' to the haunting floating melody of 'Virtual Reality123', acoustic driven rave-up of 'Replicant' and bouncing energy of 'Artificial Paradise'.

Marking their 35th anniversary, 'A Cornucopia' trilogy follows their 2021 critically acclaimed album 'Museum Of Tomorrow', returning triumphant, defiant and redemptive. Most music is never even recorded, and most recorded music remains unheard. ‘A Cornucopia’ is a celebration of all unheard underground music and the whole counterculture itself - music made for the pleasure of making it.

‘A Cornucopia’ is available everywhere, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp, Physically the full trilogy 'A Cornucopia: Minerva, Victory, Bounty' can be ordered on CD and vinyl at www.thespeedofsounduk.com/shop-2

The Speed Of Sound are:
John Armstrong (songwriting, guitars & vox) – John A has developed a vivid style of guitar playing borne of combining rhythm and lead techniques in a flow that pulls the music like a tide steeped in unresolved chords and entrancing vocals.
Ann-Marie Crowley  (vox & guitars) – Ann-Marie hadn’t performed rock based music before joining The Speed Of Sound in 2015 and has vast experience of Irish, folk and also classical operatic singing.
Kevin Roache (bass guitar) – Kevin has performed with John since 1990, he brings a wide understanding of playing differing genre’s including music of Indian origin, he has a highly individual outlook on the bass.
John Broadhurst (drums) – John B joined The Speed Of Sound in 2018. He has a wealth of skills including jazz, pop, rock and blues and has an ability to play with the spaces, the freedom of playing originals is liberating while the fluid and improvisational sections are something he willingly embraces.
Henry Armstrong (keyboards) – With 16 years of studying improvisational music and an intuitive approach, Henry (John's son) joined in 2018, adding a new dimension to the band's sound.

CREDITS
All songs written by John Armstrong
Recorded, Mixed and Mastered at Vibratone Sound Studio in Manchester by Chris Guest, Adam Crossley & The Speed of Sound
John Armstrong - guitars and vocals
Ann-Marie Crowley - vocals and guitars
Kevin Roache - bass guitar
John Broadhurst - drums
Henry Armstrong - keyboards
Bob Dinn - trumpet and flugelhorn
Chris Guest - harmonium, vibraphone, organ, assorted shakers, tambourine.
Band photographs by Shay Rowan
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR


Keep up with The Speed of Sound
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Soundcloud | YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | Press contact

Keep up with Big Stir Records
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Mixcloud | YouTube

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud | Instagram | Spotify | LinkedIn | Email

New PHIL X & THE DRILLS Album 'POW! Right In The Kisser' Out NOW via Frontiers Music Srl

PHIL X & THE DRILLS are proud to unleash their latest album, 'POW! Right In The Kisser' to the world! Alongside the release, out via Frontiers Music Srl, the band is sharing the hot fresh track, "Broken Arrow." A new visualizer for the single is below.

About the "Broken Arrow," PHIL X comments:

"I'm really excited for our fans to witness the growth of the DRILLS. Songs like 'Broken Arrow' add a dimension to my songwriting and my voice. I wrote that song after hearing of Chris Cornell's passing which sparked deep thoughts about challenges and dealing with options. There's a lot of depth on 'POW! Right in the Kisser' and I can't wait for the world to hear it."

About the new album, he adds:

"'POW! Right in the Kisser' was a good ten years in the making. 'Battleship' was tracked in 2014. I just kept writing, and we'd record and then kept the whole 'different drummer on every song' thing going. It became a very special collection of songs & vibes. It's very exciting for me to share something like that with the world." 

Watch the Music Video for "Broken Arrow"

The journey of PHIL X & THE DRILLS is one of relentless passion and perseverance. From their early days stirring up the Hollywood rock scene in 2003, to their breakout EP 'Kick Your Ass in 17 Minutes' (2009), the band has always kept fans hooked with their high-energy sound and jaw-dropping performances. As PHIL X became a YouTube sensation through his work demoing vintage guitars for Fretted Americana, the band’s visibility skyrocketed, eventually evolving into the powerhouse known as PHIL X & THE DRILLS.

Over the years, the band has worked with an incredible roster of guest drummers, including Josh Freese (Sting, Foo Fighters), Abe Laboriel Jr. (Paul McCartney), and Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters), among others. Their most recent release, 'Stupid Good Lookings Vol. 1', showcased the band’s knack for pushing boundaries and delivering unforgettable rock tracks.

In 2024, PHIL X & THE DRILLS hit a new career milestone, opening for Mötley Crüe at Summerfest in Springfield, IL, where their performance left 10,000 fans and industry professionals in awe. Now, with 'POW! Right in the Kisser', they’re set to take the next big step in their musical journey.

Order 'POW! Right In The Kisser' HERE

PHIL X & THE DRILLS:

Phil X - Lead Vocals & Guitars

Daniel Spree - Bass & Background Vocals

Brent Fitz - Drums & Background Vocals

Swedish Supergroup W.E.T. Release New Album ‘Apex’ Out Now Via Frontiers Music Srl

International powerhouse rock group W.E.T. is pleased to release their highly anticipated new studio album, 'Apex,' via Frontiers Music Srl. The focus track, “What Are We Fighting For,” is accompanied by a visualizer, available below.

Vocalist Jeff Scott Soto commented on the focus track:

“What I love about this song and even about the evolvement of W.E.T. is utilizing the fact that we have two lead singers in the band, and this can be exploited as many of my favorite bands in the 70’s - like Queen, Styx, Journey, and Eagles did, adding layers to the songs. On this track, Erik and I trade off on lead vocals for this defining song with a sound that has the true W.E.T. stamp to it."



Watch the Visualizer for "What Are We Fighting For"

The acronym W.E.T. comes from the members’ association with other bands, Robert Säll & Andreas Passmark from Work of Art, Erik Mårtensson & Magnus Henriksson from Eclipse and Jeff Scott Soto from Talisman. And now, for the first time ever, the T is emphasized as Talisman drummer Jamie Borger has joined forces with the band’s original core members.

W.E.T. truly epitomizes what melodic rock has become in the new decade. The key element at the foundation of W.E.T. has always been to create a modern melodic hard rock sound that will drive the genre into the future. Combining powerhouse rhythms and top-notch production (courtesy of Erik Martensson), the music is equally classic and contemporary. 

Although a side project to the members’ original bands, over the course of the band’s existence, W.E.T. have reconvened regularly over the last 15 years to produce four studio albums and a live record.

Starting with a genre-defining self-titled debut, Robert Säll (the “W” from Work of Art), Erik Mårtensson (the “E” from Eclipse), and Jeff Scott Soto (the “T” from Talisman) accepted the daunting task to give that debut a follow-up, 'Rise Up'. After that stellar follow-up, their third opus, 'Earthrage', cemented a legacy of music which will stand the test of time.'Retransmission', their latest album, is nothing else than an absolute milestone, which is well in keeping with the tradition established by the three amazing records that have preceded this one.

Erik Mårtensson says:

“It’s always a challenge to find that sweet spot in our calendars when we are all available, not to mention the fact that Jeff lives in California and the rest of us in Sweden. But I also believe that adds to our ambition once we are able to gather. We are all aware that we don’t get too many shots at this, so when we do we gotta make it count.”

'Apex', the fifth studio album of the melodic supergroup, is a bold statement in the band's confidence that they have delivered their best work to date. Eleven tracks full of big choruses and hooky melodies, all served on a platter of smooth heaviness.

Order 'Apex' HERE

W.E.T. are:

Jeff Scott Soto - Vocals

Erik Mårtensson – Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards

Robert Säll – Guitars, Keyboards

Magnus Henriksson – Guitars

Andreas Passmark - Bass

Jamie Borger – Drums

M THE MYTH UNVEILS NYMPHONIC – A BOLD, TRANSCENDENT EP EXPLORING SEXUAL LIBERATION, SELF-DISCOVERY, AND PRIMAL ENERGY

Electro-pop innovator, M the Myth, has officially released their groundbreaking EP, Nymphonic. This collection of six tracks is more than music—it is a statement, a reclamation, and an exploration of desire, expression, and transformation. Nymphonic is the message. It is sexual liberation, physical release, and the unshackling of the body—of being in your skin and reveling in that freedom. The title itself merges two concepts: nympho, a word often used to shame female sexual desire, and phonic, meaning “of sound.” Nymphonic reclaims the

narrative, embodying a primal, boundless energy that pulses through us when we stop resisting who we are.

Each composition within Nymphonic is tied to the ancient forces—earth, air, water, fire, and metal—forces that sustain life, allowing us to create and destroy. The record is a personal narrative of struggle, self-destruction, healing, and ultimate rebirth. Through music, M the Myth has found balance, self-fulfillment, and fearless self-love. The EP features six tracks: “Chew the Wire,” “Forever Falling,” “Pin-up Boy,” “Whiplash,” “Love Nymphonic,” and “Crumble.” Three previously released singles are joined by the three new tracks: “Forever Falling,” “Love Nymphonic,” and “Crumble.”

A bass-heavy, electro-pop experience that oscillates between tension and release, “Forever Falling” feels like freefalling through space. The track samples Sumitra Nanjundun’s 1995 track “Destiny,” layering past and present into a dialogue between fear and freedom. "What if the fall wasn’t something to resist? What if the fall was the flight?" says M the Myth. "This song is about surrender, about letting go of control and embracing the unknown." Produced alongside Niño Neon, “Forever Falling” embodies the expansive sonic landscapes that define Nymphonic—gritty, immersive, and emotionally raw.

Built on a driving house groove and euphoric synth textures, “Love Nymphonic” is the heartbeat of the EP. The track’s infectious energy mirrors the thrill and chaos of unfiltered desire. "This song is about claiming your desires without hesitation or fear—this primal expression of sexual liberation and uninhibited selfhood," M the Myth explains. "It is the essence of this album: electric, ecstatic, and fully alive."

The slow-burning, cinematic closer to the EP, “Crumble” blends retro-futuristic R&B with indie electro-pop. Minimalist verses give way to explosive, synth-driven choruses, symbolizing the collapse of false identities and the rebirth of something real. "It’s about falling apart so you can build something true," says M the Myth. "This track exists in that space between struggle and revelation. In the end, maybe we were never falling—we were being reborn."

The release of Nymphonic aligns with a powerful celestial event: a total lunar eclipse, also known as a Blood Moon. Historically a symbol of reckoning and transformation, the Blood Moon perfectly mirrors the themes of the album—breaking chains, embracing truth, and setting fire to the past to make way for rebirth. "This album isn’t about quiet revelations. It’s about setting fire to what cages us," says M the Myth. "To release Nymphonic under a Blood Moon is to send it into the world as a spell, a charge for freedom."

MORE INFO:

M the Myth is an innovative electro-pop artist dedicated to community leadership and advancing LGBTQIA+ issues. As a co-founder of Blonde Records and Artist Management, M the Myth is committed to expanding opportunities for female-identifying and LGBTQIA+ artists, fostering a more inclusive music industry. Their work has been recognized for its "unabashed hookability," with Music Connection Magazine praising their catchy, impactful songwriting. M’s music video for "Let’s Get Drunk Anyway" captured widespread attention, landing on the front page of LGBTQ Music Charts in 2019.

A passionate advocate for the arts and social change, M the Myth is a graduate of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGIU). Their non-profit, The Wavy Awards, gained special recognition at CGIU’s annual meeting, leading to a partnership with Chelsea Clinton and the Clinton Foundation. M the Myth’s academic achievements are equally impressive, with a Master of Music in Music Production and a Master of Arts in Songwriting from Berklee College of Music, complemented by their training at the Los Angeles-based production school Icon Collective.

With a unique sound that blends electro-pop with deeply personal, socially conscious themes, M the Myth continues to break boundaries and inspire audiences with their artistry and activism. With a background in music production and songwriting from Berklee College of Music, and a history of accolades including the Stanford Alumni Artist Grant, a performance on Amazon Music's Twitch channel, and their single “Speed of Life” being featured on Billboard’s Queer Necessities playlist in February of 2020, M the Myth is paving the way for a new era of music that challenges norms and inspires listeners to live authentically.

Austin downtempo artist Claude9 debuts chilled 'Chords of Love' album, plus video for title track

Austin-based electronic artist Claude9 (a.k.a. Claude McCan) presents his debut album 'Chords of Love', released via indie imprint New Human Music, as well as a new chilled video for the title track, produced by Manny Dojo. This album offers a unique and largely relaxing sound, with light fractals of Enigma, Jean-Michel Jarre, Boards of Canada, Tangerine Dream, Air and Kruder & Dorfmeister.  Two tracks also feature the unmistakable talent of Jorja Chalmers (Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Italians Do It Better), whose saxophone brings intensity and emotional resonance.

Ahead of this release, Claude9 shared the singles 'Clouds So Low', a soulful track with chilled feel-good vibes, tastefully blends Eno-esque ambient music and downtempo trip-hop, and 'The Shadow', a slice of futuristic wonderment that showcases this relaxing nine-track record.

Weaving together ambient and downtempo electronica, 'Chords of Love' offers a seamless listening experience with six extended tracks and three shorter interlude pieces that flow effortlessly into one another, creating the feeling of one continuous work. This diverse sonic palette brings in everything from cicada field recordings to lush pads, drones, and a mix of real and synthesized vocals.

With the simple yet profound mantra of “Slow down, relax, and listen”, this is a gateway to a relaxed and healing journey. At the same time, it doesn’t shy away from moments of tension or layers of social commentary, adding depth to its soothing exterior.

“This album was inspired by a Brian Eno documentary that explored his collaborations with the German ambient artists Cluster. A specific sequence about two albums they worked on together caught my attention, so I bought one and was amazed by its sound—so distinct from Eno’s solo work. The biggest takeaway for me was the idea of giving myself complete freedom in terms of sound, arrangements, and genres, allowing the creative process to unfold without limits. Shortly after I started working on the album, the COVID lockdown hit, which gave me the rare luxury of time to fully immerse myself in experimentation,” explains Claude 9.

“My studio is something of a mad scientist’s playground, and I was able to make the most of that, diving deep into sounds and textures I hadn’t previously explored. I set out to create music that felt fresh and original—something not heard before—but still accessible and engaging to listen to. I think I achieved that balance. The lyrics are sparse, carrying themes of human unity that I wanted to convey. “Chords of Love” and “The Shadow” are both love songs, but their focus differs: the former is universal, while the latter is more personal. The Black Lives Matter movement protests happened the summer I was creating this album, inspiring the closing track “Enough is Enough,” a reflection on those events and my experience in Austin.”

Imbued with dreamy, rhythmic energy, the ‘Chords of Love’ album blends ambient and downtempo electronica, offering with six extended tracks and three shorter interlude pieces, creating the feeling of one continuous work that makes use of cicada field recordings, lush pads, drones, and a mix of real and synthesized vocals.

Claude McCan has been involved in the Austin music scene for several decades, both as a live performer and recording artist. As a keyboard player and singer, he has worked with Reggae acts Pressure, the Killer Bees, and Raggamassive, cutting his teeth to become a sought-after keyboard player. From there, he joined forces with hiphop-funk act Afrofreque, Supercreeps and Hail Marley.

Emerging in the late 90s as one of Austin's first electronic producers, Claude was involved in several well-received House music collaborations in the early 2000s. His background as a live musician brought authenticity to the dub and funk elements in his electronic compositions and, more recently, to his
collaboration with Noëlle Hampton (the Belle Sounds) and Ken Christensen (East Coast Boogiemen) in synth pop band XANIMAL.

As a producer at Claude9 Studios, Claude continues to produce and record internationally recognized music in the House and Downtempo genres, while still pushing limits and being an influential member of the ever changing Austin music community.

As of March 28, the 'Chords of Love' album is available from fine music platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify and Bandcamp. 

ALBUM CREDITS
Claude9 - Keyboards, real and synthesized vocals, melodica, harmonica
Jorja Chalmers - saxophone on tracks 1 and 9
Recorded at Claude9 Studios (Austin, TX)
Initial session for track 4 at ESH INSTITUTE, Lockhart Tx.
Production assistance by Alec ESH
Mixed and mastered by Charles “Chicky” Reeves at Sublime
Studios London, UK
Album cover design by Fumihito Sugawara / Fumanstudios
Released by New Human Music
Distributed by Xelon Distribution
Publicity by Shameless Promotion PR
Video production by Manny Dojo


Keep up with Claude9
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Studio | Instagram | YouTube | Soundcloud | Apple Music | Spotify | Press contact

Keep up with New Human Music
Website | Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram | Soundcloud

Keep up with Shameless Promotion PR
Website | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | BlueSky | Threads  | Soundcloud | LinkedIn | Ema il