Author: Crix

Finnish modern metal band Alase has released a new single ‘Power’

Alase has released a new single ‘Power’ via Inverse Records. Musically Power continues on the band’s current modern progressive metal style coloured with atmospheric soundscapes. This time, the vocals are handled by Ville Haavisto, who is Alase’s 18th guest vocalist. Ville’s clean vocals on Power may even have some Muse vibes while his screams and growls support the song’s aggressive edge. The lyrics explore how much opportunity we actually have to influence the direction of our lives.

LISTEN to ‘Power’ single on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/alase-power

Guitarist Janne Lunnas comments Power:

“When I started working on Power, I felt very inspired from listening to Hacktivist, which has been a long time favourite band for me. This was the first time that I have added production elements like trap hi-hats and hand clap samples in Alase’s music. Still I wouldn’t call Power a rap or nu metal song even though there’s definitely some influences and elements from those genres. With Alase I am constantly experimenting with new musical things and sounds in my compositions. It is fun and rewarding for me and it keeps writing of new songs fresh for me.”

BIOGRAPHY:

Alase is an atmospheric modern metal/rock band from Finland. The band was founded in 2014, and its core concept has been to feature various guest vocalists – nearly 20 have taken part so far. While the band continuously keeps on experimenting and developing its musical style,  atmospheric and progressive elements have remained as an essential part of their sound.

Currently Alase combines modern heavy music with atmospheric synths and electronic sounds, aiming to create emotional and compelling soundscapes. Musically, Alase has similarities with bands like A Perfect Circle, Tesseract, Allt and Periphery. Band’s second album “A Matter of Time” was released in April 2023. A four song EP “Beyond Our Imagination” was released in early 2024. Since the release of that EP, Alase returned to releasing music as individual singles.

Current Line-up:

Guitars: Janne Lunnas

Bass: Ari Miettinen

Drums: Ville Aatsinki

Lyrics: Ninni Swan

Guest vocalist on ‘Power’: Ville Haavisto

https://www.alaseband.com
https://www.facebook.com/alaseband
https://www.instagram.com/alaseband
https://www.youtube.com/alaseband
https://alase.bandcamp.com

SOULS OF DIOTIMA: Global Success for “Arcade”, One Million YouTube Views for “Cage” & European Tour 2027 Announcement

Exactly one month after the release of their highly anticipated fifth studio album, “Arcade” (released via Diotima Records), SOULS OF DIOTIMA are celebrating a series of extraordinary milestones that confirm the international reach of this true stylistic evolution for the band.

The album’s focus track, the music video for “Cage”, has officially surpassed 1,000,000 views on YouTube, a monumental result achieved just four weeks after the album’s release.

The global momentum of “Arcade” is also reflected in digital streaming metrics. The album is charting on Apple Music and iTunes worldwide, making its official entrance into nineteen countries: Canada, Malta, Iceland, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, Bulgaria, Norway, Finland, Estonia, Qatar, South Africa, Thailand, Bolivia, Italy, Japan, Costa Rica, Maldives, and Portugal.

Stream / Buy “Arcade”: https://sod.bfan.link/arcade
Watch the official video for “Cage”: https://youtu.be/2MVN6ZewS_c

Building on this overwhelming momentum, the band has announced the first live dates for their upcoming European tour, titled “Arcade // Level One”, featuring support from Solitude Within:

March 19, 2027 – France, Mennecy @ Le Stock
March 20, 2027 – Belgium, Diest @ Club Hell
March 21, 2027 – Netherlands, Eindhoven @ Popei

(Note: Ticket links will be available soon, with more dates to be announced).

With “Arcade”, Souls of Diotima have redefined their sonic boundaries, blending a modern, sharp edge with an uncompromising visual and musical identity. The journey has just begun.

“Arcade” Tracklist:
Warning!
Revenge
Deadline
Black Rose
Run Away
Time is a Flame
A Child
Senza Rancore
Head Up, Guard Up
Cage
Nocturnal Vibe

Stream & Buy Album “Arcade” : https://sod.bfan.link/arcade
Official Video “Cage” : https://youtu.be/2MVN6ZewS_c
Official Linktree : https://linktr.ee/soulsofdiotimaofficial

Souls of Diotima are:
Claudia Barsi: voice
Giorgio Pinna: drums
Fabio Puddu: guitars + vocals
Manuel Dettori: bass

Finnish Death/Thrash Metal Band Jewel Throne Release “Dream World Dystopia” Single and Video

Finnish death/thrash metal band Jewel Throne have released “Dream World Dystopia,” the second single and accompanying video from their upcoming release The Obsidian Sculptor, due out on 27 November 2026.

The longest track on The Obsidian Sculptor, “Dream World Dystopia” takes a less straightforward approach to songwriting, moving through contrasting moods and arrangements before reaching an extended solo section with a distinctly classic heavy metal feel. The track reflects Jewel Throne’s approach to combining death and thrash metal with melodic and progressive elements, while leaving room for detailed guitar work and shifts in atmosphere.

Formed in 2019, Finnish death/thrash metal band Jewel Throne combine aggressive riffing with melodic and progressive passages, blistering guitar solos, and lyrics addressing personal struggles and the state of the world. Their current lineup has been together since 2020, developing a strong and collaborative approach to songwriting and arrangements.

Most of the music is written by bassist Mika Sallanen, with vocalist Jesse Huovinen handling the majority of the lyrics. Guitarist Toni Koskinen also contributes to the songwriting, while the entire band — including drummer Jouni Kurikka — is involved in shaping and refining each track. The result is a sound that avoids repetition, balancing straightforward sections with more layered arrangements.

The Obsidian Sculptor follows three EPs released between 2020 and 2025 and the band’s 2024 debut album. With the new release, Jewel Throne have taken their songwriting and production further while retaining the raw energy at the heart of their death/thrash sound.

www.instagram.com/jewelthronefinland
www.facebook.com/jewelthronefinland
www.youtube.com/@jewelthronefinland
linktr.ee/jewelthronefinland

Murder one released “Man Made God”

This new, previously unreleased single, titled “Man Made God,” marks the first genuine new release from Murder One. Conceived with influences from thrash and melodic death metal—in the vein of bands like Dark Tranquillity and In Flames—the track has been reworked from its original version, now featuring clean vocals and an old-school approach to drumming. Lyrically, the song stems from a reflection on the philosophy of Ludwig Wittgenstein and his ‘Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus’ (“the world is everything that is the case”), evolving into a meditation on “existential pragmatism,” the importance of the “here and now,” and a religious skepticism that calls for a renewed Humanism. “Man Made God” was produced by Murder One and includes guitar solos by former member Mario Ursitti. The band’s release schedule includes several singles over the coming year, serving as a prelude to their first official EP, slated for 2027. In the meantime, “Man Made God” stakes out their territory with a track that packs a powerful punch—both musically and in terms of its underlying meaning.

Single lineup:
Marcello Mannarella (vocals/rhythm and lead guitars)
Mario Ursitti (lead guitar)
Fabio Pacucci (bass)
Nicola Burgi (drums)

Current lineup:
Marcello Mannarella (vocals/guitars)
Mattia Olivieri (guitars)
Fabio Pacucci (bass)

https://www.facebook.com/MdrOnefans/
https://www.youtube.com/@MurderOne_band
https://www.instagram.com/murder_one_band/

Finnish death metal duo Gates Open are set to release their second album – new single ‘The Black Gates’ out now

The Finnish death metal band Gates Open are set to release their second album Beyond The Black Gates on December 10th 2026 via Inverse Records. The last single ‘The Black Gates’ is unleashed now and it’s available on all essential streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/gates-open-the-black-gates

The band comments:

 “The Black Gates” is a dark and atmospheric journey to the edge of despair, loss, and mortality. The song portrays a person wandering through the darkness, carrying the weight of everything that has fallen apart in life. Hope fades with every step, until the black gates rise before him, the final boundary between the known and the unknown.

 
The black gates do not, however, represent death alone.They also symbolize irreversible change, profound grief, and the moment when a person is forced to confront their own mortality.  What lies beyond the gates is left open to interpretation.

As the song progresses, despair gives way to inevitability.  A distant call eventually becomes footsteps leading through the gates, into a void from which there is no return.

“The Black Gates” is a story about the moment when the struggle comes to an end, while the answer to what awaits beyond the darkness is left for the listener to decide. 

BIOGRAPHY:

Gates Open is a Finnish blackened death/thrash metal band founded in early 2023 by guitarist and composer Jere Neejärvi and vocalist Tommi Manninen. Although the band itself is relatively new, the two members share a long musical history dating back to 2007, when they first played together in a previous band.

Gates Open combines the aggression and intensity of death and thrash metal with the dark atmosphere and melodic elements of black metal, creating a powerful and distinctive sound.

The band joined the Inverse Records roster in June 2023, releasing their first official single, The Awakening, that same month. This was followed by Let the Night Become Your Guide in October and a third single, Gates Open, in December 2023.

The band’s debut full-length album, Voice After Silence, was released in February 2024. Later that year, Gates Open released two singles, Nightmares Coming True (June) and Preys and Predators (August), leading up to the six-track EP Black Clouds Over the World, released in October 2024.

In October 2025, the band returned with the single The Blood on Their Hands, followed by The Black Scorpion in April 2026.

Gates Open continues to push forward with new material. The single The Black Gates is release on November 2026, followed by the band’s second full-length album, Beyond the Black Gates, on December 2026.

Line-up:
Tommi Manninen – Vocals
Jere Neejärvi – Guitars, Bass, Drums

https://www.facebook.com/gatesopenband
https://www.instagram.com/gatesopenband
https://gatesopen.bandcamp.com

 

Shade Of Memories released new video

American Progressive Heavy Metal band Shade Of Memories released their new video clip for the song «The Anvil» from the band’s last album “Glaciers of Tomorrow”. The release was recorded, mixed and mastered in “Delbox Audio Studios” .
Shade Of Memories is a one-man metal project from Seattle/Tacoma, Washington, founded in 2013 by Jay Pratt. As the sole creative force, Pratt blends powerful metal with cinematic storytelling and symbolic themes of perseverance and transformation. The debut album “Glaciers of Tomorrow” (2021) gained international attention from fans and media, establishing the project as a compelling fusion of disciplined musicianship and immersive, concept-driven artistry.

French modern metallers HYPERDUMP unveil “PimpleJunkieBoy” animated video — taken from ‘Weird Stories From Dumptown’

French modern metal quintet HYPERDUMP have unveiled the official music video for “PimpleJunkieBoy,” taken from their latest album, Weird Stories From Dumptown.

Following the album’s expanded international release, the new video brings another of its nine strange stories into focus. Groove, melody, technical precision and sudden changes of direction collide as HYPERDUMP once again demonstrate why predictability has never featured prominently in their creative plans.

“PimpleJunkieBoy” extends the peculiar world surrounding the record: a place populated by damaged characters, uncomfortable ideas and heavy music that refuses to remain inside one stylistic neighbourhood for very long.

Active for nearly two decades, HYPERDUMP have consistently treated metal as a creative playground rather than a fixed set of rules.

Conceived as a continuation of the conceptual universe introduced on The Weak Man, Weird Stories From Dumptown combines crushing riffs, infectious grooves, memorable hooks and adventurous songwriting across nine self-contained yet interconnected stories.

The French quintet’s catalogue now spans three full-length albums and one EP, with previous collaborations involving Guillaume Bideau of Scarve, Mnemic and One-Way Mirror; Arno Strobl of Carnival In Coal and 6:33; and former Iron Maiden vocalist Blaze Bayley. Their live history also includes sharing the stage with Agnostic Front.

Nearly twenty years into their journey, HYPERDUMP remain difficult to categorise and remarkably comfortable with that situation.

Perception Delta Releases Debut EP On November 12

Depths of Deceit is Perception Delta’s debut EP release. With progressive rock at its heart, the four tracks use diverse influences of grunge, doom, and shoegaze to explore themes of betrayal, manipulation, and finally, redemption.

Tracklist
1. 97
An unnerving journey through giving into,
and staying trapped in the cult.

2. Show Me the Reality
The angst of losing oneself in the process of
trying to appease another.

3. Lies to Sell
The lure of AI, and the commodification of
what makes us human.

4. Haunt You
Abuse, and how society chooses a path of
least resistance in response.

Formed in 2024, Perception Delta is an alternative-progressive rock band from Chennai, India. With a sound that’s melodic, technical, and heavy, they forge a soundscape of odd time signatures and captivating bridges, spaced with huge choruses.

They have a strong belief in the impact of being an observer, and write about personal experiences that tie into larger societal issues.

Line-Up:
Antara Ar vind – Vocals & Lyrics
Kurian John – Bass
Shrikar Varadarajan – Drums
Nirav Adrian – Guitar

https://www.instagram.com/perceptiondeltaband/
https://www.youtube.com/@PerceptionDeltaBand?app=desktop

Iron Mask announce new album “Crimson Prophecy” out on January 29

Belgian power metallers Iron Mask are thrilled to announce the release of their highly anticipated new album, “Crimson Prophecy”, out on January 29, 2027, via Frontiers Music Srl.

To mark the album announcement, the band unleash the first taste of the new music, with the single “No Greener Lands” and its accompanying lyric video, available now.

Dushan Petrossi commented: “No Greener Lands” is a song about something I think we can all relate to: always looking for something better somewhere else, without realizing the value of what we already have. I wanted to capture that feeling through strong and memorable vocals melodies – which will stick in your head, powerful riffs and an epic atmosphere. It’s a song with a message, but also all the energy and emotion that define Iron Mask for me.”

Watch the official lyric video for “No Greener Lands” HERE

Pre-Order “Crimson Prophecy” HERE

With “Crimson Prophecy”, Iron Mask deliver a powerful statement that reaffirms the band’s place among the finest names in the neoclassical metal scene.

Led by guitar virtuoso Dushan Petrossi, Iron Mask return with an album that combines breathtaking musicianship with what ultimately matters most: great songs. “Crimson Prophecy” is packed with majestic arrangements, soaring melodies, powerful riffs and an extraordinary level of guitar work, balancing classical influences and virtuoso performances with the intensity and immediacy of classic heavy metal.

Dushan Petrossi stated: “With “Crimson Prophecy”, I wanted to create an album that feels both powerful and diverse, while staying true to the spirit of Iron Mask. Each song has its own personality, mood and story, but they all share the same passion for melody, epic arrangements, heavy metal with strong choruses and the neoclassical guitar work that has always defined my sound. I really pushed myself creatively on this record, and I feel it’s one of the most varied and exciting albums we’ve made so far.”

Adding another major dimension to the album is the return of legendary vocalist Mark Boals behind the microphone. Renowned for his extraordinary range, unmistakable tone and ability to combine power with remarkable melodic sensitivity, Boals delivers a truly commanding performance throughout the record. His voice proves once again why he has long been regarded as one of the defining vocalists of the neoclassical metal genre.

From the intricate guitar passages to the epic arrangements and unforgettable choruses, “Crimson Prophecy” is an album where technical excellence never overshadows the songs.

Dushan Petrossi and Iron Mask have crafted a record that feels both timeless and contemporary, celebrating the grandeur, passion and virtuosity that define the very best of neoclassical metal.

Iron Mask are back – and “Crimson Prophecy” marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter.

“Crimson Prophecy” Tracklist:

1.    God Unbless You
2.    No Greener Lands
3.    Don’t Shout In The Wind (Promise Me)
4.    The Killing Bite
5.    Here And Now
6.    Sorcery
7.    Burning Shores
8.    Evil Never Rests
9.    Heaven Only Knows
10.    Speed Of Infinity
11.    Crimson Prophecy

Line Up:
Dushan Petrossi – All electric Guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals and keyboards
Vassili Moltchanov – Bass
Mark Boals – Lead vocals
Franky De Mangelaere – Keyboards
Kjell De Raes – Drums

Follow IRON MASK:
Website
Facebook

The Finnish alternative sludge metal band Slürk released a new single ‘I’ll Wait For You On The Ground’

The Finnish alternative sludge metal band Slürk released a new single “I’ll Wait For You On The Ground”. The new single marks the band’s second release of the year, following “Wristcutter” in September.

LISTEN to I’ll Wait For You On The Ground single on streaming services: https://push.fm/fl/slurk-ground

The band comments:
” “I’ll Wait For You On The Ground” tells of a difficult and self-destroying relationship between two people. There is so much bottomless hatred and crushing pain between them that a life together feels impossible. In this situation, it feels as though the only way to release their pent-up emotions is through death. As the song’s title suggests, the one who dies first is left waiting for the other to arrive in the afterlife. This waiting is rooted in the idea that this grim and inevitable fate belongs to both of them. They are bound to each other not only in life, but also in destruction and until the very end. The song depicts how hatred and pain can blend together in a fateful way. Ultimately, death is seen as the only bringer of peace and connection in this relationship doomed to destruction.”

BIOGRAPHY:

SLüRK is a Finnish alt-groove metal band from Kaustinen, Finland. Formed in 2024 by a ragtag group of friends who met at Kaustinen College of Music, they combine the technical prowess of Gojira, crushing heaviness of Crowbar, the total rawness of Pantera and the mellowness of Deftones. All this combined with the band’s deeply personal and intimate lyrics creates an extremely memorable experience, both from the studio or live.

Currently, the band is working on their new EP called “A Line To Cross” and are planning on releasing it in 2027.

Line-up:

Amy Devon – Vocals

Remus Pöppönen – Guitar & Backing Vocals

Lauri Sia – Guitar

Neo Kuorikoski – Bass

Nuutti Saari – Drums & Percussion

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61574801534860
https://www.instagram.com/slurk.band
https://tiktok.com/@slurk_band
https://slurk.bandcamp.com