Photo Credit: Harry Steel

The UK's most exciting new heavy band, HERIOT, have announced their headline tour in support of their staggering debut album Devoured by the Mouth of Hell, out now via Century Media.

Dates as follow:

09 Apr: Glasgow, G2 @ The Garage
10 Apr: Bristol, Fleece
11 Apr: London, Underworld
12 Apr: Birmingham, Asylum
13 Apr: Manchester, Rebellion

Tickets will be available from 6th December at 10am via: https://www.heriotmetal.com

The band comment: "We’re excited to announce our second ever headline tour! We’ll be playing new songs live for the very first time and will be bringing some very special supports out with us on the road. We can’t wait to see you out there."

Watch HERIOT's singles here: 
'Opaline': https://youtu.be/oYCWVNOtp1E
'Foul Void': https://youtu.be/1NdIbCZvo7k
'Siege Lord': https://youtu.be/771l_1Tpzkk
'At The Fortress Gate': https://youtu.be/Oa6SICQj_Mo

Stream and purchase Devoured by the Mouth of Hell here: https://heriot.lnk.to/DevouredByTheMouthOfHell

Devoured by the Mouth of Hell was recorded and produced by HERIOT's Jake Packer with Josh Middleton (Sylosis, Architects) and mixed and mastered by GRAMMY Award-winning Will Putney (END, Fit For An Autopsy, Better Lovers), with additional engineering by Justin Hill (SikTh, Betraying the Martyrs).

NME, Kerrang! and Upset magazine cover stars, Devoured by the Mouth of Hell has been critically acclaimed worldwide as the breakthrough metal album of the year. Celebrating the release, HERIOT performed an intimate album release show in Bristol on 27th September, which instantly sold out. Following the album release, HERIOT have since been on the road in the UK and across Europe supporting Fit For An Autopsy and Sylosis, alongside Darkest Hour.

HERIOT's debut album continues their ascendancy as the pre-eminent new force in the UK heavy scene. The album follows 'Siege Lord' and late 2023's 'Soul Chasm', the first two glimpses of new material following their signing with Century Media and support shows with Architects in summer of 2023.  

HERIOT's debut EP Profound Morality (2022, Church Road Records) catapulted the quartet into the global spotlight, with praise worldwide and a debut, sold-out, headline tour across the UK. The band have since supported Lamb Of God, Thy Art Is Murder, Rolo Tomassi, and performed to packed tents at Download Festival, 2000trees, Wacken Open Air, Bloodstock, Mystic Festival and many more, gathering a legion of fans in the process. They since followed Profound Morality with the ferocious standalone single 'Demure' (February 2023, Church Road Records).

Fully-focused and with a razor-sharp edge, the awe-inspiring double-vocal attack of Jake Packer and Debbie Gough is all-conquering; the titanic support of Erhan Alman (guitar) and Julian Gage (drums) rock-solid. 

HERIOT have deservedly been grabbing attention with all four pairs of hands, weaponising metallic sludge and hardcore, unholy levels of distortion, speed and gut-punching talent. Elements of Nails, Knocked Loose, Code Orange, and Vein.fm combine and collide to exhilarating effect, creating a sound that is truly groundbreaking, fully worthy of the notice the band are achieving.

In their short recent history HERIOT have caught the attention of NME, Pitchfork, The Guardian, Metal Hammer UK, Rock Sound, Brooklyn Vegan, Kerrang!, Revolver, and Knotfest, among many others, heralding the quartet as "one of the most promising young bands in modern metalcore", and "probably the best new metal band in Britain".

HERIOT are:

Jake Packer - Vocals/Bass
Debbie Gough - Vocals/Guitar
Erhan Alman - Guitar
Julian Gage - Drums

For more information:
https://www.heriotmetal.com
https://www.facebook.com/heriotmetal
https://www.instagram.com/heriotmetal
https://twitter.com/heriotmetal

Photo Credit: Jack Armstrong

UK extreme metallers Abduction have released their immersive second single, 'Razors of Occam', a gripping prelude to forthcoming album, Existentialismus, due for release on 21st February 2025 via Candlelight. The track serves as a visceral glimpse into the band’s otherworldly, introspective universe, while its haunting video, directed by Jake Kindred, draws viewers deep into the emotional abyss of Abduction's world. 

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/c5EGOpjZwS4

Pre-order / listen to Existentialismus here: https://abduction.lnk.to/Existentialismus

"'Razors of Occam' is a celebration of the back breaking labour that our grandfathers and grandmothers endured over past century to build the houses and systems that maintain our (relative) safety and comfort here in the west', comments vocalist A|V.  '"There's more honour in the last gasping breath, spilled forth from a dying old man's chest, than in all the seas of all the tears the younger can conjure. For with one wish, they'd give it all away."

Following their explosive 2022 album, Black Blood, which showcased the band's fiercely expansive sound, Abduction are now poised to push their musical boundaries even further. With many bands currently paying homage to black metal’s glory years and just as many attempting to connect unrelated workings to that legacy, Abduction’s music manages to be both recognisably authentic and imbued with its own spirit. And never has this been truer than in the new album, Existentialismus.

Having become one of the UK’s most visible black metal acts on the live circuit, bringing their ritualistic and immersive performances to audiences at club shows and festivals as Damnation, Bloodstock, Incineration, Fortress, Doomsday, Mass Destruction, Samhain, Reaperfest and Eradication, Existentialismus has been recorded, for the first time, as a full band. 

“It’s inspired by the juxtaposition of this horrible post-truth era with its contradictions and the simple, metaphorical truths that began in ancient religions of the crumbling past. Somewhere between a biblical gospel and a Nietzschean nightmare. As a father, there’s a particular terror in seeing all that our grandfathers built, physically and morally, being torn apart and reduced to a commodity and wondering what kind of world my son will inherit.”
 
“I am by no means a philosopher – I desperately lack the patience,” A|V admits. “But my observations of the modern Western humane race have become particularly bleak, and this informs my lyrical writing process. Art as a reaction to life and experience. This is laid out in the first track, ‘A Legacy of Sores’, which posits that most of us here, in the current year, have become an alarming pairing of being both too sensitive and yet without any core beliefs to stand on. (‘Wet skin now paper thin, reveals a core of dust’) I think this is a mixture of a post-religious society and the acceleration of technology to the point at which its claws are deeply in us. Have you tried to live without a smartphone recently?”

Existentialismus was recorded and produced by Ian Boult at Stuck On A Name Studios in Nottingham, while the final touches of post-production and mastering were handled by Tore Stjerna (Watain, Mayhem, Deströyer 666) at Necromorbus Studios in Sweden. The striking and immersive cover art is the work of Julia Soboleva.

Find out more:
Facebook || Instagram || Bandcamp || Spotify || Candlelight

Existentialismus track list

1. A Legacy of Sores
2. Pyramidia Liberi
3. Truth is as Sharp a Sword as Vengeance 
4. Blau ist die Farbe der Ewigkeit
5. Razors of Occam 
6. Vomiting at Baalbek

Photo Credit: Dan Almasy

Emotive doom authority PALLBEARER have just wrapped up a successful European tour with peers Baroness and Graveyard, but the demand for seeing them play songs from their acclaimed 2024 album, Mind Burns Alive, is still high.

The band have announced their return to Europe and the UK in 2025 to not only play the Oslo, Berlin and London editions of the renowned Desertfest, but also new Belgian festival Obsidian Dust, alongside select headline shows. Don't miss out on seeing PALLBEARER in more intimate settings - it's sure to be an intense, spectacular experience.

Dates: 
07.05.    IS    Reykjavik - Gaukurinn
09.05.    NO    Oslo - Desertfest Oslo *
10.05.     DK    Copenhagen - A Colossal Weekend *
11.05.    DE    Hamburg - Headcrash
13.05.    DE    Bochum - Die Trompete
14.05.    DE    Frankfurt - Das Bett
15.05.     BE    Brussels - Obsidian Dust @ Les Nuits Botanique *
16.05.    FR    Paris - Petit Bain
17.05.    UK    London - Desertfest London *
20.05.    FR    Lyon - Rock n Eat
21.05.    CH    Langenthal - Old Capitol
22.05.     CZ    Brno - Kabinet Muz
23.05.    PL    Warsaw - Hydrozagadka
24.05.    DE    Berlin - Desertfest Berlin *

Tickets on sale from Friday, Dec 6th at 10 AM local time.
All ticketing links can be found at Pallbearerdoom.com

The Little Rock, Arkansas based band formed in 2008 and have since released five albums: Mind Burns Alive (2024), Forgotten Days (2020), Heartless (2017), Foundations of Burden (2014), and Sorrow and Extinction (2012). In their review of Forgotten Days, Pitchfork described the foursome’s music as “soaring majesty on an album that find a new way forward by refining their past,” Stereogum dubbed the collection as “warm and melodic and comforting,” while Revolver said the songs are “sweeping and melancholic” living “between the majesty of vintage Black Sabbath and the morbid romanticism of Type O Negative.” Decibel, who have featured the band on their cover multiple times, declaring the band’s unique musical vision as “intense, emotional thunder.”

PALLBEARER are:

Brett Campbell – Vocals, Guitar
Devin Holt – Guitar
Joseph D Rowland – Bass, Vocals
Mark Lierly – Drums 

For more information:

Pallbearerdoom.com
Pallbearer.bandcamp.com
Instagram.com/pallbearerdoom
Facebook.com/pallbearerdoom

Mind Burns Alive track list:

1. Where The Light Fades
2. Mind Burns Alive
3. Signals
4. Endless Place
5. Daybreak
6. With Disease

Photo Credit: Luke Shadrick

Interlaker have announced a UK headline tour in April 2025, in support of their highly praised self-titled debut album, out now via Hassle Records. 

The band comment: "It feels like we’ve only just begun to dive into live shows. Every performance has been incredible and unique, even as we navigated that challenge of having just a few songs released. Now that the record is out, it’s going to be a whole new experience, and we can't wait to celebrate that with everyone!"

Dates:

Apr 03: Bristol, Rough Trade
Apr 04: Southampton, Heartbreakers
Apr 10: London, Downstairs at The Dome
Apr 11: Manchester, Yes Basement
Apr 25: Glasgow, SWG3 Poetry Club
Apr 26: Leeds, Hyde Park Book Club

Tickets: https://interlaker.com/live/

Check out the video recent single 'End Unknown' here: https://youtu.be/pOJ-BmvTbH4

Anyone who has loved rock music over the last decade or so will be familiar with David Jakes and Jack Wrench. Jakes was the broodingly intense singer with Lonely The Brave; a complex character blessed with a once-in-a-generation voice. And Wrench was the explosive drummer with Arcane Roots, a man equally at home with math-rock complexity and sheer rock power. These two exceptional talents have been united in Interlaker, who might just be the sensational rock band you’ve been waiting for since they walked away from their former projects. 

Jakes and Wrench – who only knew each other vaguely from their previous bands – brokered their new partnership on Instagram; exchanging casual messages, discovering a mutual love of REM and Pearl Jam, before progressing to swapping demos and song ideas, eventually writing and recording their brilliant debut album entirely online. 

The sense of the unpredictable that courses through Interlaker’s album has also extended to an unlikely return to the live arena. The band – augmented by live members including Wrench’s brother – made a triumphant live debut at London’s Omeara last year, and played throughout 2024, including their debut festival performance at 2000trees festival in July.
. 
Rest assured, Interlaker are a tale of the unexpected that everyone is going to love.

For more:
https://interlaker.com/sign-up/
https://interlaker.com
https://facebook.com/InterlakerOfficial
https://instagram.com/interlakerofficial
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1sgjRSBP1ij45SrUmvuLJq?si=zAO-tx7hTfmsm9-msHjtpg

Album tracklist:
 

1. The Hunger
2. Ghostride
3. Call Out The Wolves
4. Be The One
5. End Unkown
6. Spite Of Day
7. Miracle
8 Coming Out
9. Carving  Circles
10. Bottomless Pit

German alternative metal icons Emil Bulls have released their brand-new single 'My Favorite Waste Of Time'. Packed with infectious energy and soaring melodies, the track showcases the band’s signature blend of heaviness and emotion, offering fans a taste of their evolving sound.

Check out the video for ‘My Favorite Waste Of Time’ here: https://youtu.be/rpwwhQxXSOU

Stream here: https://arisingempire.com/myfavoritewasteoftime

With this release, Emil Bulls continue to solidify their place as a powerhouse in the alternative metal scene.

blacktoothed released their new single 'Antidote', an atmospheric, melancholic track that captures the calm and the ensuing emotional storm both musically and visually in the accompanying music video. 

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/3XtS_uO4NFw

Stream here: https://arisingempire.com/headway

"It would be too nice if there was simply an antidote for low moods. I think we've all wished for that at some point," comments guitarist and songwriter Matti. 

With their unmistakable blend of melancholy depth and rousing sound, the band deliver another impressive foretaste of their upcoming album Headway, which will be released on 24th January, 2025.

Mavis are back with a powerhouse of a single, 'DNA', redefining heavy and diving headfirst into raw, uncharted territory for the German metalcore ambassadors. 

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/2GFTm64GQU0

Stream here: https://arisingempire.com/dna

Following last year’s debut album, Grief is no Ally, 'DNA' kicks off a bold new era for the band—one marked by relentless growth, packed shows across Europe, and standout performances at top festivals like Summer Breeze Open Air. 

This new release taps into the band’s evolving style and success as they continue to make waves in the metal scene, capturing a darker, more profound essence that reflects their journey and transformation.
 
Catch them live:
29.11.2024 Stuttgart, GER Schwarzer Keiler
30.01.2025 Frankfurt a.M., GER Ponyhof
31.01.2025 Hannover, GER Mephisto
07.02.2025 Berlin, GER Slaughterhouse
20.03.2025 Düsseldorf, GER Pitcher
11.04.2025 Winterthur, CH Gaswerk
20.-22.06.2025 Waiblingen, GER Silence Can Wait Open Air

Photo Credit: Mika Toivanen

Renowned Finnish vocalist, bassist, and songwriter Marko Hietala has unveiled details of his forthcoming solo album, Roses From The Deep, set to be released on 7th February, 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Pre-order the record here: https://markohietala.bfan.link/roses-from-the-deep

The news is marked with another single release, 'Impatient Zero', which arrives with a visually stunning music video.

Check out the video for 'Impatient Zero' here: https://youtu.be/dhFug-rrSjc

Listen to 'Impatient Zero': https://markohietala.bfan.link/impatient-zero

Marko Hietala comments about 'Impatient Zero': "It´s about a battle for being under a continuous assault of inner monsters. And the awful truth, that in this reality, people get to see those monsters, too, instead of the real face."

This marks Hietala’s first major project since his critically acclaimed Pyre of the Black Heart captivated fans worldwide in 2020.

Roses From The Deep promises to deliver a unique blend of dark, introspective lyricism and soaring, cinematic soundscapes. Drawing inspiration from myth, nature, and the human experience, Hietala has crafted an album that transcends genres, with elements of progressive rock, folk, and symphonic metal seamlessly intertwined.

Roses From The Deep represents a journey into the hidden layers of our emotions and the beauty we often overlook in darker times. It’s an album about fragility, resilience, and finding light even in the depths of shadow.

Featuring a stomping, groovy beat and a grand, anthemic chorus, new single 'Impatient Zero' is set to captivate listeners and perfectly set the tone for the rest of Roses From The Deep.

'Impatient Zero' follows the huge success of the album’s first two singles. 'Left On Mars', a haunting duet with Tarja Turunen, quickly became a fan favourite, showcasing the vocal chemistry between the two icons. The second single, 'Frankenstein’s Wife', with its dark storytelling and intricate composition, further heightened anticipation for Marko Hietala’s upcoming release. Together, these tracks have cemented Roses From The Deep as one of the most eagerly awaited albums of 2025.

The album comes in following formats:
CD Jewelcase
2 LP gatefold, oxblood red

Line-Up:

Marko Hietala | Bass, Vocals

Tuomas Wäinölä | Guitar

Vili Ollila / Bob Engstrand | Keyboards

Anssi Nykänen | Drums

Follow Marko Hietala on social media:

https://www.facebook.com/markohietalaofficial
https://www.instagram.com/marko_hietala_official

Tracklisting:

01. Frankenstein's Wife
02. Left On Mars
03. Proud Whore
04. Two Soldiers
05. The Dragon Must Die
06. The Devil You Know
07. Rebel Of The North
08. Impatient Zero
09. Tammikuu
10. Roses From The Deep

Power metal pioneers DYNAZTY announce their new album Game of Faces. Two years after their last LP Final Advent, the Swedes enter a new chapter in their career, already introduced with pre-cursor release and single 'Devilry of Ecstasy' in August.

Today, DYNAZTY present their upcoming album Game of Faces which will be released on 14th February 2025 via Nuclear Blast Records. For this special occasion, the band are not only releasing their second single, title track 'Game of Faces', but they have also unveiled the music video for the song.

Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/f1UnL4OOsNY

Stream the new single here: https://bfan.link/game-of-faces

Pre-order/pre-save Game of Faces here: https://bfan.link/game-of-faces-album

Singer Nils Molin comments: 
"We are extremely excited about finally starting the campaign that will lead to the release of Game of Faces. We’ve worked on this one for quite some time and I’m sure the results will show and speak for themselves. None the less, Game of Faces is one hell of a ride and one we’re damn proud of. Get on it now with the release of the title track as a single, one of the very first songs written for the album back in late 2022."

The new album Game of Faces contains eleven brand new tracks and will be available in the following formats: CD jewel, vinyl, and digital. 

About DYNAZTY:

Following the release of their much-acclaimed latest offering Final Advent, Sweden's melodic metal aces DYNAZTY are returning with a new album Game of Faces, to be released 14th February on Nuclear Blast Records. Formed in 2008, DYNAZTY have over the years evolved from their humble beginnings rooted in the Scandinavian hard rock scene into becoming a powerhouse and formidable force to be reckoned with, on the top shelf of the modern melodic metal scene. Career milestones include the 2020 chart-breaking album The Dark Delight, certified for gold status in the band;s home country Sweden and neighbours Finland - with single tracks 'Heartless Madness' reaching platinum status and 'The Human Paradox' featured in DC comics and HBO’s Peacemaker series. Tours in recent years together with bands like SABATON, POWERWOLF, BATTLE BEAST, PAIN and Kissin Dynamite has showcased and established the band on the European continent as one of the most prominent live acts of their generation.

Fast forward to August, 2024 where DYNAZTY concluded an extensive run of European summer festivals with releasing a new song, 'Devilry of Ecstasy' as a precursor and first taste of a yet unannounced new album. Now the next step is unveiled in full with the herald of Game of Faces, DYNAZTY’s jawbreaker of a new album. The album is doubling down on punch and ferocity together with the band’s trademark attention to songwriting and production detail. Produced by DYNAZTY themselves and mixed by Swedish pioneer Jens Bogren, Game of Faces takes you on a journey exploring the essence of the human mind and existence with lyrical themes such as self discovery, spiritual death, rebirth and re-invention in 'Die to Survive', 'Fire to Fight' and 'Fortune Favors the Brave'. While taking on the duality and deceptive nature of human kind in the eponymous title track, the album’s opener 'Call of The Night' and first single release 'Devilry of Ecstasy'.

DYNAZTY are:
Nils Molin | vocals
Love Magnusson | guitars, keyboards
Mikael Lavér | guitars
Jonathan Olsson | bass
Georg Härnsten Egg | drums

More info:
https://www.instagram.com/dynazty_official
https://www.facebook.com/dynaztyband
https://x.com/dynaztyband

Tracklisting:

1. Call of the Night
2. Game of Faces
3. Devilry of Ecstasy
4. Die to Survive
5. Fire to Fight
6. Dark Angel
7. Fortune Favors the Brave
8. Sole Survivor
9. Phoenix
10. Dream of Spring
11. Mystery