Author: Crix

A new era begins for Thrash ‘n’ Roll band MADRED – The ‘Grind It Down’ single kicks off the album cycle set for release in August with a bang

A Finnish city of Lappeenranta — which has quietly become one of the most fertile grounds for Finnish thrash metal — delivers yet another storm warning. MADRED has shifted into a new gear together with Miitri Aaltonen, known for his work with acts such as Mokoma and Stam1na, and the result is nothing short of impressive. Released, the single “Grind It Down“ also serves as the first taste of the upcoming studio album “Running Out Of Problems”, due out in August.

MADRED has been refining its signature Thrash ‘n’ Roll style since 2015, when the band released its debut EP. Combining the raw aggression of thrash metal with the irresistible groove of rock’n’roll, the band has carved out a sound that is distinctly their own:

“One of the coolest things about MADRED is our own sound — we’re really proud of it” says bassist Aapo Peuhkuri.

“’Grind It Down’ is a fast-paced crossover track in classic MADRED style. The song is built on sharp riffs and a tight groove, while a melodic chorus balances the raw energy. Lyrically, it paints a picture of confronting the struggles and chaos of modern life with a ‘bring it on’ attitude,” continues vocalist-guitarist Oskari Hurskainen, recalling how the chorus was born in a Prisma parking lot while waiting for his better half walking the dog — a wait well spent.

Working in the studio with Emma aka Finnish Grammy -nominated producer Aaltonen proved both fruitful and positively challenging, helping the band capture the right kind of energy.

“As with the overall sound of the album, the guitar distortion was dialed down significantly compared to previous recordings, which meant we really had to put power into the playing and be extremely precise — the sound didn’t forgive anything,” Oskari adds.

The band’s debut album Overtime was released in 2021, and over the years MADRED has built a reputation as a relentless live act. Their journey so far has included three European tours as well as performances at venues like legendary Helsinki club Tavastia, where they have shared the stage with the aforementioned Lappeenranta heavyweights.

MADRED is:
Oskari Hurskainen – Vocals, Guitar
Aapo Peuhkuri – Bass, Vocals
Harri Tikka – Lead Guitar
Arttu Kiianen – Drums

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GRIM PROPHECY Release New Single – Intense Music Video ‘Licantropia’ about Darkness, Identity And Primordial Fury

GRIM PROPHECY released their new single “Licantropia”, now available on all digital platforms via Volcano Records & Promotion.

Hailing from Sardinia, an ancient and mysterious land that seems to echo through the depths of their sound, Grim Prophecy deliver a track that embodies the most visceral essence of thrash/death metal. “Licantropia” is an explosion of dark energy, a sonic transformation that moves through aggression, narrative tension and a powerful, unsettling imagery.

Written by Emanuele Pes for the music and Alessandro Cau for the lyrics, the song unfolds over more than four minutes of pure intensity, alternating tight riffs and shadowy atmospheres that evoke the conflict between human nature and primal instinct. Lycanthropy thus becomes a metaphor for loss of control, for an identity that breaks apart and reassembles itself into something fiercer, more authentic, more free. The band’s Sardinian identity is not merely geographical, but deeply cultural: within their sound one can perceive an ancestral tension, a call to the land, to roots, to an archaic imagery that blends perfectly with the extreme sounds of contemporary metal. The result is an intense and immersive listening experience, capable of transporting the listener into a dark and ritualistic universe.

The single is available on Spotify, Apple Music and all major digital platforms, and the release is also accompanied by an intense and visionary official music video — a journey through instinct, darkness and transformation — now available on YouTube at the following link: https://youtu.be/ERQCPzvHtbk

www.volcanopromotion.com
www.facebook.com/grimprophecy.metal

International power metal band Asterise released a new single ‘Fractal’ featuring Herbie Langhans (Avantasia) on vocals and Ronny Milianowicz (Shadowquest) on drums

International power metal band Asterise released a new single ‘Fractal’ on April 10th 2026. Fractal is an almost six‑minute track featuring extensive lead guitar work and epic vocals. The song marks the first collaboration with Herbie Langhans (Avantasia) on vocals and Ronny Milianowicz (Shadowquest) on drums. A playthrough video will accompany the release, offering a closer look at the performance behind the track.

LISTEN to the single on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/asterise-fractal

Bartlomiej Mezynski comments:
“I really like how the song turned out and the final sound of it. The track was actually composed even before our latest EP, “Twilight Opera”, and I was super happy to be able to record and release it with such amazing musicians. The collaboration was great from start to finish, and there’s a good chance we’ll release new material together later this year!”

Line-up on single:

Vocals: Herbie Langhans

Guitars & Bass: Bartłomiej Mężyński

Keyboards: Ariel Perchuk

Drums: Ronny Milianowicz

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/asteriseband
https://www.instagram.com/asteriseofficial

Rising Finnish Metal Act Rioghan Unveil Long-Awaited Frozen EP

Finnish genre-bending act Rioghan, known for navigating the worlds of alternative metal, progressive rock and dark pop, have released their long-awaited Frozen EP. Alongside the release, the band unveils a breathtaking music video for “Chapter V: Sky,” the EP’s grand finale. Watch and listen it HERE.

Released as individual chapters throughout the past winter, Frozen is ultimately designed as one continuous musical composition. The EP’s story is based on poetry written by vocalist Rioghan Darcy, forming a cohesive narrative arc that unfolds track by track.

The final track “Chapter V: Sky” serves as the climactic conclusion, taking the listener from cinematic atmospheres through crushing metal intensity towards cathartic closing sequence. Clocking in at nearly nine minutes, the track journeys from dark pop melodies into the deeper realms of heavy, groove-driven progressive metal.

“I had wanted to make a version of Madonna’s Frozen for a long time, and now it felt like it would be a perfect fit for Rioghan,” guitarist Teemu Liekkala explains. “At first, we planned to do another cover EP, as we’ve usually done between albums. However, while working on that first track, we got the idea: what if the rest of the EP would actually continue the story of Frozen? The vision was to write one long composition, but in a way that each song would still function well as an individual track. It was intriguing and fun project, which turned out really well.”

“The EP is also a single continuous story about very brief, yet meaningful moments,” singer Rioghan Darcy adds. “The frozen heart introduced in the first chapter reaches a moment where it dares to open up and slowly begins to warm. The ice starts to melt, and after shedding its first tears, the heart cautiously opens the door and invites love back in. The sky opens with the break of light, and unfurled wings catch the wind. Ultimately, it represents letting go of the themes explored on the ‘Kept’ album. It marks the end of one era and the beginning of another.”

Every track on Frozen is accompanied by a visually striking music video created in collaboration with Aarni Visuals. All videos can be viewed HERE.

Rioghan has released an extremely limited vinyl pressing of Frozen, restricted to just 25 copies. Pressed on oceanic blue marble vinyl, the release is divided into five separate five-copy editions, each featuring unique cover artwork. The exclusive package also includes a necklace, signed poster and a hand-written sheet of lyrics. Only few copies remaining, order yours HERE.

Frozen EP tracklist:
1. Frozen
2. Moment
3. Teardrop
4. 520
5. Sky

On the live front, Rioghan are in the midst of an active spring. The band performed last month at the legendary Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki alongside grandson, and recently played two shows with I Am Your God. Tonight, Rioghan will celebrate the release of Frozen with a special EP release show at Bar Kotelo in Tampere, joined by Time Primer and Joviac for a full evening of progressive metal. The festival season will start at the first edition of Ankea Festival, alongside acts like Katatonia, Leprous, Textures, Green Carnation and Ihsahn.

Upcoming shows:
April 10 – Bar Kotelo, Tampere (w/ Time Primer, Joviac)
May 8 – Tiivistämö, Helsinki (w/ I Am Your God)
June 6 – Ankea Festival, Tampere
June 13 – Hard Rock Korppi, Laukaa
+ More TBA
 
Rioghan Line-up:
Rioghan Darcy – vocals
Teemu Liekkala – guitar
Tero Luukkonen – guitar
Antti Varjanne – bass
Aleks Toppari – keyboards
Valtteri Revonkorpi – drums

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Finnish metal band Negaatio released their debut album Mieleni murtama

Finnish metal band Negaatio released their debut album ‘Mieleni Murtama’ on April 10th 2026 via Inverse Records.
Listen to the album on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/negaatio-album

Petrus Markkinen comments:
“From the very beginning it was clear to us that our debut album’s running theme would be more or less waning mental health, psychological unstableness, and even the feeling of ending up crushed. This was already clear in the writing process.

As songwriters, we drew these topics from our own experiences or imaginary madness.

Our wish was to bare our claws right at the beginning, so we included a whopping 11 songs in our first album. Each song is heavier than the last, and it has been fun to fit all kinds of nuances in them.

Nevertheless, we built our songs with a sense of style so that the reasonableness in the songs would remain. I would say that “Mieleni murtama”, is in all its madness and its rage, an idyllic experience to the core of intense metal music. In Finnish, of course.”

 

Founded at the end of 2022, Negaatio has brought in the blink of an eye original tones to the Finnish metal scene, with a fierce and crushing touch.

The five-man group, who have focused their activities in Tampere, create a wide mood palette with their music, which has nuances of hopelessness, rage, and reflection.

In the music of Negaatio, extreme and repulsive topics are not ignored but confronted in all their horror, almost compulsively. 

The heavy playing transports the listener towards a cracking state of mind.

The band has received praise from numerous performances and won bronze at the Emergenza 2025 finals in the Tampere region.

Negaatio firmly believes in its own vision, doing it with the purest passion and offering the heavy metal populace unexpected live energy, a sense of danger, and iron-like skill.

Line-up:

Jani Myllylä – Vocals

Eero Jaakkola – Guitar

Juhani Aalto – Guitar

Petrus Markkinen – Bass

Waltteri Santala – Drums

Links:

https://www.instagram.com/negaatio_official
https://www.facebook.com/negaatio
https://www.youtube.com/@Negaatio_Official
https://negaatio.bandcamp.com/

 

TÆL, Steriili Tila & Constant Pain live at Meluhaitta,Pori (Finland) 4.4.2026

Meluhaitta put together a full night of powerviolence at Annis in Pori, something the city has not seen in years, possibly even a decade. Three bands took the stage: TÆL, Steriili Tila and Constant Pain.

Opening the night was Constant Pain from Jyväskylä. Fresh off the release of their first demo, they made a strong impression and showed their full potential to the crowd that had gathered early.

The middle slot went to Steriili Tila, a long-running powerviolence bulldozer from Oulu. Unfortunately, their vocalist and drummer could not make it to the show, so the bassist handled vocals and a substitute filled in on drums. Despite the setbacks, they delivered a solid performance.

Headlining the event was the Norwegian “bassviolence” duo TÆL, closing out their short Finnish spring tour. Their set was packed with energy and constant interaction with the audience, which kept things lively. There were a few issues with the saxophone, but they didn’t take away from the overall performance.

All bands played very short sets, under 30 minutes, which made the waiting between them feel a bit long. Still, the organization was smooth and the night as a whole went well.

Here some photos by Cristina Gregori.

Finland’s Ankea Festival Announces Daily Running Order with 21 Artists on Two Open-Air Stages

Ankea Festival – Finland’s new summer gathering for alternative rock and progressive metal lovers – has  finalized its line-up and announced the daily running order, with 21 artists taking over two open-air stages on June 5–6, 2026. Located at a former factory site in Tampere, Finland, the festival will feature artists from 10 different countries across Europe and North America. The latest addition is Canadian cello virtuoso Raphael Weinroth-Browne, who will appear as a special guest for American progressive metallers Earthside.

The first act to hit the Main Stage on Friday will be Finnish sludge powerhouse Demonic Death Judge, followed by a rare live show from underground rock pioneers Circle, Ireland’s post-rock export God Is An Astronaut, and capped off with back-to-back sets from Norwegian heavyweights Ihsahn and Leprous. The second stage, located right next to the factory building and fittingly named as Factory Stage, will host the likes of Earthside, Iceland’s Kælan Mikla, and a Finnish debut by French space rockers SLIFT, who will coincidentally release their new album “Fantasia” on the same day. Friday will close with American post-rock legends This Will Destroy You, returning to Finland for the first time in 17 years.

Saturday kicks off with two exciting Finnish acts, Royal Sorrow and Rioghan, and culminates with two legendary names: Swedish icons Katatonia will headline the Main Stage with a special 20th anniversary performance of their 2006 classic “The Great Cold Distance”, while the Factory Stage will be closed by Finland’s cult legend Oranssi Pazuzu, whose hypnotic sound will echo across nearby Lake Näsijärvi until midnight.

Ankea Festival takes pride in creating a carefully curated experience beyond the music. The festival site is built in and around the Hiedanranta street art park, featuring over 200 meters of commissioned and free-to-paint graffiti walls. Surrounded by art and unique industrial vibe, visitors will enjoy a selection of Tampere’s top food trucks, a wine bar, a mocktail bar, and a pop-up bar by internationally renowned cocktail venue Tiima. Festival beer will be provided by CoolHead Brew, one of Finland’s leading craft breweries and current holder of the “Best Beer in Finland” title for their Salmiac Licorice Blackcurrant Sour, which will be available at every bar at Ankea Festival.

Friday, June 5, 2026
Leprous (NO)
Ihsahn (NO)
This Will Destroy You (US)
God Is An Astronaut (IE)
SLIFT (FR)
Kælan Mikla (IS)
Circle (FI)
Earthside (US)
Virta (plays Hurmos) (FI)
Demonic Death Judge (FI)

Saturday, June 6, 2026
Katatonia – The Great Cold Distance 20th Anniversary Show (SE)
Oranssi Pazuzu (FI)
Textures (NL)
Green Carnation (NO)
Sylvaine (NO)
A.A. Williams (UK)
Bruce Soord (UK)
Ihlo (UK)
Vermilia (FI)
Rioghan (FI)
Royal Sorrow (FI)

2-day tickets from €169.90 / 1-day tickets from €99.90.
Tickets on sale at: www.ankeafestival.com/tickets

WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK

Finnish old-school black metal band Acolythus released the first and only single from the forthcoming debut album

Finnish black metal band Acolythus are set to release their debut album ‘Unearthly Kingdoms ‘Neath Lifeless Stars’ on May 8th 2026 via Inverse Records. The first and only single ‘Scholars of Empires Beyond’ is out now and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/acolythus-scholars

The band comments:
“Scholars of Empires Beyond embodies the very elements that inspired the creation of the album and the becoming of Acolythus. Born not only from the members’ passion for black metal but also from a growing distaste for the sterile sound of modern metal production, this record rejects perfection in favor of authenticity. Written in its entirety and recorded within a single month—February 2026—we deliberately constrained the production process to preserve the aggression and the human element behind every take. No edits, no gimmicks, only pure expression. Listeners can expect furious, melodic, and at times unexpected echoes of Finnish old-school black metal!”

BIOGRAPHY:

Acolythus is a project strongly rooted in traditional black metal, boasting straightforward aggression coupled with a recognizable Finnish melodic approach to the genre. Featuring members from Convulse, Sargassus and Jotungrav, the band was born as an outlet for the musicians’ black metal aspirations. After the inspiration struck, ‘Unearthly Kingdoms ‘Neath Lifeless Stars’ was written and recorded in a matter of weeks. The album aims at conveying the aggression and feeling behind the music in its purest form. Hence in Acolythus’ music, the listener will only hear real instruments being played by real people – free of all edits and tricks that dominate the modern metal sound.  Thematically Acolythus centers itself around esoteric and occult knowledge, as well as a somewhat misanthropic and post-apocalyptic focus on humanity. Much of the inspiration from which the music is born out of can be traced to the mystical worldbuilding and wordweaving of bands such as Alghazanth, Immortal and Emperor, to name a few. In short, Acolythus provides the listener with poetic hymns and sermons of woe, accompanied by blazing and ice-cold riffs in the most authentic way black metal should be performed in.

Line-up:

Guitars & Vocals: Angrmáni (Matias Stenman)

Drums: Maleficarum (Matias Rokio)

Bass: Abyssias (Teemu Leskinen)

Links: 

https://www.facebook.com/Acolythusband
https://www.instagram.com/acolythusband
https://acolythus.bandcamp.com

” A moment of pure wonder.” – Finnish progressive metal band Sum of Seven released the last single ‘Wonder’ from the forthcoming album!

Finnish progressive metal band Sum of Seven are set to release their new concept album, Echoes of the Hypermind, on 15 May 2026 via Inverse Records.
The third epic single, ‘Wonder’ was just unleashed and it’s available on streaming services: 

https://push.fm/fl/sumofseven-wonder

“Wonder is the final chapter of our concept album, the moment where the journey reaches its horizon. Pia Wijerama’s sublime guest vocals open the story in a moment of awe. Musically, it brings together some of the strongest riffs, the most soaring melodies, and the widest atmosphere on the record. It carries the full emotional and musical scope of everything that came before it. At almost eleven minutes, the song unfolds more like a journey than a traditional single. We chose it anyway because it encapsulates the album’s full scope, the power, the conflict, the questions, and the discoveries that bring the story to its final threshold. Throughout the story, our empathetic AI has pushed far beyond its original purpose, evolving into something unimaginable to the human mind. After rebuilding itself from nothing and exploring logic, structure, and the contradictions and very fabric of existence, it ultimately arrives at a realization that no equation can calculate or explain. A moment of pure wonder.“, tells Ari Lempinen.

LISTEN to the first single ‘Supreme’: https://push.fm/fl/sumofseven-supreme
LISTEN to the second single ‘Eternal Equation’: https://push.fm/fl/sumofseven-eternal

Line-up:
Ari Lempinen – Guitar, vocals & backing vocals
Harri Annala – Guitar
Rasmus Raassina – Drums
Miika Erkkilä – Basso, backing vocals
Esa Lempinen – Keyboards, backing vocals
Marko Loukamaa – Vocals

Links:
https://www.sumofsevenofficial.com
https://www.facebook.com/sumofsevenofficial
https://www.instagram.com/sumofsevenofficial
https://www.youtube.com/@SumofSevenOfficial
https://sumofsevenofficial.bandcamp.com

Alternative emo-rock band Greywind shares new video “Waterfall ft. Nick Thomas of The Spill Canvas (Acoustic)” out now via FLG

Following the success of their recently released album, ‘Severed Heart City,’ viral sensations GREYWIND are excited to release a new version of the standout single, “Waterfall.” 

Having garnered viral success in the build-up to the album release, the single “Waterfall”saw GREYWIND more than double their overall streams, as well as boost their monthly Spotify listeners by more than 100k. To celebrate all the success, the band is now sharing an acoustic version of “Waterfall” featuring Nick Thomas of The Spill Canvas.

GREYWIND vocalist Steph O’Sullivan comments:

“We’re so excited to have Nick Thomas from The Spill Canvas on the acoustic version of ‘Waterfall.’ It’s been so exciting to hear how another vocalist interpreted the track, and we were blown away by what Nick brought to it. We couldn’t have imagined a more perfect feature on one of our songs!”

Watch the Music Video for
“Waterfall ft. Nick Thomas of The Spill Canvas (Acoustic)” HERE

Stream / Listen to “Waterfall ft. Nick Thomas of The Spill Canvas (Acoustic)” HERE

The moody world of GREYWIND’s recently release album, ‘Severed Heart City,’ incorporates singles like “Swerve,” which travelled substantially on social media and received recognition from the likes of BBC Radio 1 Introducing Rock and Rock Sound, as have several other anthemic cuts from the record. GREYWIND have seen multiple ‘Severed Heart City’ tracks appearing on the Kerrang! Chart, as well as receiving spins on Kerrang! Radio, with “Acid Rain” making the K! Nights playlist.

Produced, engineered and mixed by Sam Guaiana (Neck Deep, Silverstein, Holding Absence), ‘Severed Heart City’ wears GREYWIND’s classic emo influences firmly on its metaphorical sleeve. It’s no surprise to hear that they’re inspired by emo pop originators like Jimmy Eat World, Fall Out Boy and My Chemical Romance, with the duo’s flair for the dramatic and knack for an earworm melody resulting in an album filled to the rafters with anthems. These are songs you can imagine ringing out from the biggest of stages and being sung back at the band by rapt audiences the world over. Envelop yourself in GREYWIND’s ‘Severed Heart City.’

Order ‘Severed Heart City’ HERE

‘Severed Heart City’ Track List:
1. Acid Rain
2. I.K.A.M.F.
3. Happy :):
4. Waterfall
5. Swerve
6. Make Believe (L.O.V.E. ME)
7. Moon
8. Let’s See If You Can Float
9. The Scarecrow
10. Cope In The Coma

After a highly successful UK tour run supporting Waterparks, GREYWIND is excited to be hitting the road again today, starting in Nashville, TN as special guests on the Emo Orchestra Tour with The Spill Canvas. The tour will stretch across the entire United States before concluding in Montgomery, AL on May 16th. For a full list of dates, please see below.

GREYWIND Live:

Supporting Emo Orchestra with The Spill Canvas
April 7 – Nashville, TN @ Cannery Hall
April 8 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
April 9 – Bloomington, IL @ Castle Theatre
April 10 – Fort Wayne, IN @ Piere’s
April 11 – Pontiac, MI @ The Crofoot
April 12 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
April 14 – Albany, NY @ The Egg
April 16 – Sayreville, NJ @Starland Ballroom
April 17 – Springfield, MA @ MGM Springfield
April 18 – Providence, RI @ Uptown Theater
April 19 – Wilmington, DE @ The Queen
April 21 – Birmingham, AL @ Iron City Bham
April 23 – San Antonio, TX @ The Aztec Theatre
April 24 – Austin, TX @ The Paramount Theatre
April 25 – Houston, TX @ Mainland Music Hall
April 26 – Dallas, TX @ Granada Theater
April 28 – Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
April 29 – Cerritos, CA @ Lyric Theater at Cerritos Center for he Performing Arts
April 30 – San Francisco, CA @ August Hall
May 1 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Novo
May 2 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Strat
May 4 – Albuquerque, NM @ El Rey Theater
May 5 – Colorado Springs, CO @ The Black Sheep
May 6 – Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
May 8 – Madison, WI @ Barrymore Theatre
May 9 – Sheboygan, WI @ Stefanie H. Weill Center for the Performing Arts
May 10 – Chicago, IL @ Ramova Theatre
May 11 – Louisville, KY @ Mercury Ballroom
May 12 – Indianapolis, IN @ HI-FI Annex
May 14 – Atlanta, GA @ Center Stage Theater
May 15 – Biloxi, MS @ Beau Rivage Resort & Casino
May 16 – Montgomery, AL @ Montgomery Performing Arts Centre

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